A few weeks ago I got myself a copy of the new Chaos codex and began doing the math to realize my dreams of domination. Here was a list of options that could match my High Elf Sword Masters for sheer attack power and do better at taking a hit. Since the new High Elf codex came out last November the children of Ulthuan have been called unfair and unbalanced on a number of occasions, more often than not I have a hard time hearing these comments as they are vocalized by army commanders on the run.
A very short game yesterday provided me with an adequate reminder that Chaos Armor is nice, but Speed of Asuryan is better!
I had hoped the hoof-falls of my Chaos Knights would send the legendary defenders of Hoeth running... no such luck. And while you could feel the weight of the Knights bearing down on the Elves, the grace of the Asur had dealt me six wounds before I could bring my ensorcelled weapons down on them. The dice were cold, and at 3+ I only managed to pass 3 armor saves.
My return wasn't much better, cleaving one elf in half. When all was said and done I had lost the combat by four and the Harbingers of Chaos had tucked tail and run... never to return.
Regardless of how tough the unit of shock cavalry coming across the table is, the Sword Masters of Hoeth remain a force to be reckoned with... preferrably from a distance.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Why A Tabletop Game?
With Christmas fast approaching, the time seemed right to post a short blurb in favor of war gaming. So before you start dreaming about the latest X-Box product, hopefully I can shift your vision to a different type of entertainment.
1) War Gaming is a hobby. Vastly less expensive than video gaming over the long run and providing you with a wider array of outlets for creativity, table games allow you hours of nonrepetitive play time with friends as well as the luxury of painting in quiet. The modelling hobby quickly moves from building models to building terrain, and attention to detail and creativity can be stressed at every point. So while the joy of blasting the latest army of aliens will find you $60 poorer twelve hours later, consider that a similar investment in modelling yields far more hours of paint and play.
2) People. While the appeal of internet video games continues to grow, most people will readily admit that little to no actual conversation takes place online. Why not trade that $30 a month LIVE account for the opportunity to wage war, swap painting techniques or design your own campaign with REAL people. Board games do not require the constant attention video games do, and therefore can often serve to facilitate conversation. War gaming simply provides those who find Monopoly boring and Risk predictable with a better reason to gather round the table. After all, the only thing better than control of Boardwalk and Park Place is taking them by force, so much for rent!
3) Finish something. Too much of today's culture revolves around instant gratification. War gaming allows for none of this. Choosing an army type and developing a force that complements your strategy and style takes time and collecting the pieces takes even longer. Once undertaken a fully painted and based army can take between months and years to finish. The pride and joy that come from watching your force take the field after months of brushing is more satisfying than anything another high score can offer. Patience always yields positives and your army is never beaten because someone else has faster thumbs!
I'll clip the issue here, having no desire to wax on philosophically. Hopefully you've got something to think about before rushing off to save the earth for eight hours.
1) War Gaming is a hobby. Vastly less expensive than video gaming over the long run and providing you with a wider array of outlets for creativity, table games allow you hours of nonrepetitive play time with friends as well as the luxury of painting in quiet. The modelling hobby quickly moves from building models to building terrain, and attention to detail and creativity can be stressed at every point. So while the joy of blasting the latest army of aliens will find you $60 poorer twelve hours later, consider that a similar investment in modelling yields far more hours of paint and play.
2) People. While the appeal of internet video games continues to grow, most people will readily admit that little to no actual conversation takes place online. Why not trade that $30 a month LIVE account for the opportunity to wage war, swap painting techniques or design your own campaign with REAL people. Board games do not require the constant attention video games do, and therefore can often serve to facilitate conversation. War gaming simply provides those who find Monopoly boring and Risk predictable with a better reason to gather round the table. After all, the only thing better than control of Boardwalk and Park Place is taking them by force, so much for rent!
3) Finish something. Too much of today's culture revolves around instant gratification. War gaming allows for none of this. Choosing an army type and developing a force that complements your strategy and style takes time and collecting the pieces takes even longer. Once undertaken a fully painted and based army can take between months and years to finish. The pride and joy that come from watching your force take the field after months of brushing is more satisfying than anything another high score can offer. Patience always yields positives and your army is never beaten because someone else has faster thumbs!
I'll clip the issue here, having no desire to wax on philosophically. Hopefully you've got something to think about before rushing off to save the earth for eight hours.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Introit - A 1,500 Point Game
Using all my diplomatic skill, I loaded my High Elf and Dwarf forces into the car last night to teach a friend how to play War Hammer. Despite the Dragon swallowing Thorik Ironbrow on the way over, my car ride was relatively uninterrupted by gun fire. The modified bearded stunty list is almost identical to my First Field Report List:
1 Thane
1 BSB
1 Dragon Slayer
20 Warriors
14 Longbeards
10 Thunderers
10 Thunderers
14 Slayers
1 Bolt Thrower
1 Cannon
1 Organ Gun
The Host of Ulthuan sported much less:
1 Korhil
1 Mage Lvl 2, Silver Wand, Ring of Fury
20 Spearmen
10 Archers
15 Sword Masters
10 White Lions
1 Lion Chariot
1 Tiranoc Chariot
2 Bolt Throwers
Compounded by the fact that my Elves were out numbered, the situation turned critical when I realized our battle field would only support 6" deployment zones with an 18" no man's land. So while in theory my Tiranoc Chariot could pull off a first turn charge, my entire army would begin in range of all Dwarf gun powder. Not a healthy place for a guy who likes to exploit the superior range of long bows before closing with the enemy.
I won first deployment, but the shallow space forced both of our armies into lines. My Sword Masters found solace behind a screen of Archers and his Warriors camped out behind a unit of Thunderers (I have no proof, but suspect the Warriors had gotten into the ale early).
Turn 1
Elves: Straight down the middle and pray, a crude but effective way to close on the Dwarf gunners in as little time as possible. The entire Elf line advances, Archers and Sword Masters at a walk and the rest at the double. The Mage of Saphery brought down the Curse of Arrow attraction upon the Dwarf Organ Gun but failed to shield the Spearmen. Even with magicka on my side my leftmost Bolt Thrower slays but one stunty crewman. The Archers likewise kill one Thunderer, Dwarf hides proving too tough for conventional long bows.
Dwarves: In true beardy fashion the stunties hold the line and fire. My Lion Chariot goes out with a hiss (bad kitty!) as a cannonball careens through it. Four spearmen fall prey to the Ballista and the Thunderers polish off another three. One White Lion likewise succumbs to the murderous projectiles of the Dwarves, whilst the Organ Gun sends one Repeater's crew to St. Peter's. The Spearmen panic and make haste for the edge. At this point I think the Dragon Slayer mooned me.
Turn 2
Elves: The White Lions and Tiranoc Chariot charge the Longbeards before the Cannon can finish the job. My treacherous Spearmen rally but have put themselves out of charge range regardless. My archers hold position, continuing to veil the Sword Masters from sight. My Mage is once more successful in cursing the Dwarves, calling down Arrow Attraction on the Thunderers. My attempt to shield my Sword Masters is stopped again (deja vu?) while the Ring of Fury fails to do more than inflict a wound on the Organ Gun itself. Again the curse availeth not and my arrows fail to bury themselves in Dwarf flesh. My remaining Repeater Bolt Thrower brings down one of the Cannon crew for good measure. As melee commences, Longbeards swing their shields forward and brace for impact as my Tiranoc Chariot grinds two Dwarves to pulp. The crew fail to do anything. Korhil calls out a challenge which is answered by the Thane leading the army. The noble elf and miserable midget exchange blows, resulting in a single wound on each. Meanwhile in the lines my White Lions fail to connect, felling only two Longbeards. The Longbeard champion and army Battle Standard Bearer answer back taking down four of the Phoenix King's bodyguard with their hatchets. The fight ends in a loss for the outnumbered Elves. My chariot, clearly disgusted by the Spearmen pass their leadership test while the stubborn White Lions easily hold their ground.
Dwarves: Immobile as ever, the Dwarves move straight to the shooting phase to even things out. A block of Thunderers eliminates my second Repeater while the Organ Gun shreds my Mage. A ballista bolt buries itself harmlessly in ground newly reddened with Elf blood. The cannon overshoots the archers and slams into the Spearmen killing another three. Dwarf handguns claim the lives of four Elven Archers. Korhil and the Thane continue their struggle each parrying all of the others attacks. The White Lions pull down four Longbeards losing only two in kind. The battle ends in victory for the High Elves, however the Dwarves pass their Break Test.
Turn 3
Elves: As little is available in the way of charges, the Archers shuffle forward to allow the Sword Masters room to work. The Spearmen march up and prepare to support the flank. After an unproductive shooting phase, several dead Longbeards and two generals who couldn't connect, my turn ends with nothing in the way of progress.
Dwarves: The stunties continue to whittle down my army during the shooting phase: a cannon ball destroys four Spearmen as the Thunderers eliminate my unit of Archers. The Sword Masters suffer four casualties from the Organ Gun. Thankfully the ballista missed again. The Longbeards were in for a nasty surprise as the White Lions hewed down both the Battle Standard Bearer and the Champion. And while Korhil and the Thane continued to hit air, the lack of their standard was enough to break the Dwarves and send them off the table, Chariot in pursuit.
Turn 4
Elves: The Tiranoc Chariot moves in against the rear of the Thunderers. Down to four bodies, my White Lions hold their position in an attempt to avoid gun fire. In the meanwhile the Sword Masters close with the Slayers while the Spearmen charge the other unit of Thunderers. The stand and shoot response brings the Spearmen unit down to two. In combat the Tiranoc chariot crushes and kills enough stunties to send them flying to the four winds. The Sword Masters carve a delightful swathe in five of the Slayers, sadly overlooking the Dragon Slayer and Champion and taking three casualties in return. The unbreakable Orange beardies hang out. The Spearmen and Thunderers exchange nothing, resulting in a tie.
Dwarves: The Cannon crew takes aim at my remaining chariot but mercifully overshoots. With no viable targets, the Organ Gun and Ballista remain silent. The Thunderers and Spearmen fight to another draw in close combat as the Sword Masters bring down the Giant Slayer and two more rank and file models.
Turn 5
Elves: With nothing standing between themselves and annihilation, the Sword Masters cut down the Dragon Slayer and several more in the dust. Thunderers and Spearmen continue to parry each others blows.
Dwarves: The cannon once more fails to end the Tiranoc Chariot. With nothing to do but fight on, all but one Slayer is laid down by the Sword Masters.
As the scraps began to close with each other, we decided this would be a good time to call the game. With all of his Warmachines left and a unit of Warriors that did nothing, the game was called as a Marginal Victory for the Dwarves. Sadly I don't believe any of the Elves would have made it off the field. The concentration of Dwarf gun fire at that point level left me little room for error and the dice were far to kind to my opponent. With my White Lions tied up for most of the game and the Sword Masters stuck behind the Archers, my shock troops were unable to make much of a difference. Combine this with the fact that Chariots don't stand up to siege engines, let alone on a small table, and you have a recipe for Elf disaster. The War of the Beard is far from over! Though perhaps the Warrior stunties proved prophetic by beginning their drinking on Turn 1.
1 Thane
1 BSB
1 Dragon Slayer
20 Warriors
14 Longbeards
10 Thunderers
10 Thunderers
14 Slayers
1 Bolt Thrower
1 Cannon
1 Organ Gun
The Host of Ulthuan sported much less:
1 Korhil
1 Mage Lvl 2, Silver Wand, Ring of Fury
20 Spearmen
10 Archers
15 Sword Masters
10 White Lions
1 Lion Chariot
1 Tiranoc Chariot
2 Bolt Throwers
Compounded by the fact that my Elves were out numbered, the situation turned critical when I realized our battle field would only support 6" deployment zones with an 18" no man's land. So while in theory my Tiranoc Chariot could pull off a first turn charge, my entire army would begin in range of all Dwarf gun powder. Not a healthy place for a guy who likes to exploit the superior range of long bows before closing with the enemy.
I won first deployment, but the shallow space forced both of our armies into lines. My Sword Masters found solace behind a screen of Archers and his Warriors camped out behind a unit of Thunderers (I have no proof, but suspect the Warriors had gotten into the ale early).
Turn 1
Elves: Straight down the middle and pray, a crude but effective way to close on the Dwarf gunners in as little time as possible. The entire Elf line advances, Archers and Sword Masters at a walk and the rest at the double. The Mage of Saphery brought down the Curse of Arrow attraction upon the Dwarf Organ Gun but failed to shield the Spearmen. Even with magicka on my side my leftmost Bolt Thrower slays but one stunty crewman. The Archers likewise kill one Thunderer, Dwarf hides proving too tough for conventional long bows.
Dwarves: In true beardy fashion the stunties hold the line and fire. My Lion Chariot goes out with a hiss (bad kitty!) as a cannonball careens through it. Four spearmen fall prey to the Ballista and the Thunderers polish off another three. One White Lion likewise succumbs to the murderous projectiles of the Dwarves, whilst the Organ Gun sends one Repeater's crew to St. Peter's. The Spearmen panic and make haste for the edge. At this point I think the Dragon Slayer mooned me.
Turn 2
Elves: The White Lions and Tiranoc Chariot charge the Longbeards before the Cannon can finish the job. My treacherous Spearmen rally but have put themselves out of charge range regardless. My archers hold position, continuing to veil the Sword Masters from sight. My Mage is once more successful in cursing the Dwarves, calling down Arrow Attraction on the Thunderers. My attempt to shield my Sword Masters is stopped again (deja vu?) while the Ring of Fury fails to do more than inflict a wound on the Organ Gun itself. Again the curse availeth not and my arrows fail to bury themselves in Dwarf flesh. My remaining Repeater Bolt Thrower brings down one of the Cannon crew for good measure. As melee commences, Longbeards swing their shields forward and brace for impact as my Tiranoc Chariot grinds two Dwarves to pulp. The crew fail to do anything. Korhil calls out a challenge which is answered by the Thane leading the army. The noble elf and miserable midget exchange blows, resulting in a single wound on each. Meanwhile in the lines my White Lions fail to connect, felling only two Longbeards. The Longbeard champion and army Battle Standard Bearer answer back taking down four of the Phoenix King's bodyguard with their hatchets. The fight ends in a loss for the outnumbered Elves. My chariot, clearly disgusted by the Spearmen pass their leadership test while the stubborn White Lions easily hold their ground.
Dwarves: Immobile as ever, the Dwarves move straight to the shooting phase to even things out. A block of Thunderers eliminates my second Repeater while the Organ Gun shreds my Mage. A ballista bolt buries itself harmlessly in ground newly reddened with Elf blood. The cannon overshoots the archers and slams into the Spearmen killing another three. Dwarf handguns claim the lives of four Elven Archers. Korhil and the Thane continue their struggle each parrying all of the others attacks. The White Lions pull down four Longbeards losing only two in kind. The battle ends in victory for the High Elves, however the Dwarves pass their Break Test.
Turn 3
Elves: As little is available in the way of charges, the Archers shuffle forward to allow the Sword Masters room to work. The Spearmen march up and prepare to support the flank. After an unproductive shooting phase, several dead Longbeards and two generals who couldn't connect, my turn ends with nothing in the way of progress.
Dwarves: The stunties continue to whittle down my army during the shooting phase: a cannon ball destroys four Spearmen as the Thunderers eliminate my unit of Archers. The Sword Masters suffer four casualties from the Organ Gun. Thankfully the ballista missed again. The Longbeards were in for a nasty surprise as the White Lions hewed down both the Battle Standard Bearer and the Champion. And while Korhil and the Thane continued to hit air, the lack of their standard was enough to break the Dwarves and send them off the table, Chariot in pursuit.
Turn 4
Elves: The Tiranoc Chariot moves in against the rear of the Thunderers. Down to four bodies, my White Lions hold their position in an attempt to avoid gun fire. In the meanwhile the Sword Masters close with the Slayers while the Spearmen charge the other unit of Thunderers. The stand and shoot response brings the Spearmen unit down to two. In combat the Tiranoc chariot crushes and kills enough stunties to send them flying to the four winds. The Sword Masters carve a delightful swathe in five of the Slayers, sadly overlooking the Dragon Slayer and Champion and taking three casualties in return. The unbreakable Orange beardies hang out. The Spearmen and Thunderers exchange nothing, resulting in a tie.
Dwarves: The Cannon crew takes aim at my remaining chariot but mercifully overshoots. With no viable targets, the Organ Gun and Ballista remain silent. The Thunderers and Spearmen fight to another draw in close combat as the Sword Masters bring down the Giant Slayer and two more rank and file models.
Turn 5
Elves: With nothing standing between themselves and annihilation, the Sword Masters cut down the Dragon Slayer and several more in the dust. Thunderers and Spearmen continue to parry each others blows.
Dwarves: The cannon once more fails to end the Tiranoc Chariot. With nothing to do but fight on, all but one Slayer is laid down by the Sword Masters.
As the scraps began to close with each other, we decided this would be a good time to call the game. With all of his Warmachines left and a unit of Warriors that did nothing, the game was called as a Marginal Victory for the Dwarves. Sadly I don't believe any of the Elves would have made it off the field. The concentration of Dwarf gun fire at that point level left me little room for error and the dice were far to kind to my opponent. With my White Lions tied up for most of the game and the Sword Masters stuck behind the Archers, my shock troops were unable to make much of a difference. Combine this with the fact that Chariots don't stand up to siege engines, let alone on a small table, and you have a recipe for Elf disaster. The War of the Beard is far from over! Though perhaps the Warrior stunties proved prophetic by beginning their drinking on Turn 1.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
First Field Report
With animosity between Dwarves and (spit) Greenskins being the stuff of legends, last night's showdown between my very transitional Dwarf army and my brother-in-law's horde seemed like an ideal place to start. The set up was roughly as follows:
1 BSB
1 Dragon Slayer
1 Runesmith
20 Warriors
16 Longbeards
10 Thunderers
10 Thunderers
10 Quarrelers
1 Cannon
2 Ballistas
1 Organ Gun
15 Slayers
The lack of Hammerers in my army creates a serious power vacuum, one I tried filling by giving my Lord the Rune of Kingship, at least my Longbeards weren't going anywhere. My block of Warriors was more than willing to die for the cause and Slayers... you get the picture. This is standard gun line procedure and enough hard-to-move Dwarves to press the issue in close combat, needless to say I was hopeful.
The Orc rabble looked something like this:
1 Black Orc Warboss
2 Night Goblin Shamans
1 Orc Shaman
42 Night Goblins
2 Fanatics
20 Black Orcs
25 Big 'Uns
30 Savage Orcs
6 Boar Boys
5 Spider Riders
6 Snotling Swarms
10 Squig Hoppers
1 Rock Lobba
2 Doom Divvers
The size of these units alone seriously cramped my chances for panic. History gave me reason to believe the army would consist of multiple small units of cannon fodder, but someone had been doing his homework. This army packed a fairly nasty shooting phase and enough magic to make me think about dispelling. To make matters worse he rolled Foot of Gork and Gork's Warpath respectively for all Shamans, line of sight and range weren't on my side.
Turn 1
Dwarves: Hold the line and go straight to shooting, at least that was the idea. In a spectacular display of fate, my runed cannon misfired twice and exploded. Do over down? Sadly the angle of the hill in my deployment zone prevented my thunderers from sounding out on the first turn. My Organ Gun blew up a snotling base and the quarrelers brought down a couple of Big 'Uns, all in all I could swear I heard goblin laughter.
Orcs: With animosity jamming up only one unit of Orcs, the rest of the army marched forward to take my position. Only the frozen Savage Orcs sat back. The first magic phase claimed the lives of several thunderers and two warriors, the only favor I found was in the exhaustion of the Itty Bitty Ring on turn one, so much for that sniping goblin. The shooting phase claimed the lives of a few more thunderers and forced me to test for panic. I am proud to say all dwarves stood their ground.
Turn 2
Dwarves: My slayers moved up the flanks to keep the squig hoppers off my ballista. Light gun and crossbow fire dropped a few more Orcs and Gobbos with the only notable exception being the Organ Gun which inflicted seven wounds on the over-eager Boar Boyz.
Orcs: The Spider Riders made it into combat with the ballista on my left flank and the squigs attempted to reach the flank of my Slayers but stopped short in their front arc. This time around my Rune Smith was in total control of the magic phase and kept the Foot of Gork from my missile troops. The shooting phase was less positive, costing me two thirds of my Organ Gun crew and leaving my center unit of Thunderers severely depleted. Moving into combat, the Spiders claimed two of my ballista crew and took no casualties. The sole survivor easily passed the stubborn leadership test.
Turn 3
Dwarves: I still had no charge options as the squigs sat comfortably out of range (I recommend cross country training for all dwarves). I advanced the Slayers to keep the Squigs from cutting around me. Warriors and Longbeards moved up the middle to meet the advancing rabble. Thunderers guarding the left flank reformed to face the Spider Riders, who made a snack out of the last standing ballista crewman on the left.
Orcs: Driven by rage or stupidity (who can tell with Greenskins?) the Squigs charged into the Slayers. The Spider Riders charged the Thunderers facing them. And the Night Goblins advanced and released their two fanatics. Mercifully, the fanatics only claimed two warriors. Big 'Uns smashed into the flanks of the Dwarf Warriors. The Spider Riders took four casualties from the stand and shoot, but the lone rider somehow passed his panic test and moved in, the Thunderers finished him off in close combat. While the Big Uns sent my Warriors running through a fanatic, they exercised some restraint and held their ground. The Slayers lost several of their number and turned three Squigs into jello.
Turn 4
Dwarves: Determined to settle the score for routing the Warriors, the Longbeards charged through the fanatic, crushing him in the process, and straight down the front line of Big 'Uns. The now unmanned Organ Gun sat silently while the last ballista missed the Black Orcs and missile fire brought down another Snotling swarm. This close combat phase would put me back in this game or feed the Orc army for several nights. Longbeards with massive axes cut down three Big 'Uns with the Lord and Battle Standard Bearer tearing open another three. The remaining champion failed to dent the Dwarf BSB and the Orcs, led by a Shaman, fled combat, failing to roll double ones to stand. In a rare show of mobility, the Orcs fled five and were caught by the Dwarves with eleven inches of pursuit! The Slayers broke the Squigs and collided with the flank of a Black Orc mob. My warriors did rally.
Orcs: Even a sound beating doesn't stop a horde. Night Goblin warriors slammed my Dwarf Warriors and netted them. The broken squigs rallied and the Black Orcs hefted double choppas for the impending showdown with the Slayers. This magic phase could have made a difference, but down one Shaman my Rune Smith was now firmly in control of the winds of magic. Sporadic war machine fire continued to harass my gunline which was now all but silent. Spurred on by their hatred of their betters the Night Goblins beat and broke the dwarves (who were sadly out of the range of their Lord and his standard). The resulting flight brought the dwarves into contact with an impassable boulder which destroyed their unit. However much this looked like a reprieve, fortune was not smiling on the green skins. The Black Orcs found themselves crushed by the Slayers and promptly fled off the table.
Turn 5
Dwarves: Mad for Orc blood my Longbeards reform to face the remaining Savage Orc warriors. The Slayers likewise turn to face the rallied Squigs. In a final show of frustration, Dwarf Quarrelers and Thunderers finish off the Snotlings and their accompanying Shaman. Could it be time to break out the ale?
Orcs: With nothing to charge the Night Goblins are left to work out long division as the Savage Orcs squabble. The last Shaman is totally impotent faced with the Runesmith and the magic phase whimpers to an end. Orc war "machines" (spit) pick off one more thunderer. In a final show of defiance the squigs reengage the Slayers, however the weakened unit only manages one casualty. The surviving Dragon Slayer and company wipe out the Squigs as recompense for their trouble.
With Hobbytown closing, five turns was sadly all we had time for. I hadn't expected my gunline to falter so much, but in light of larger Orc units, panic was off the menu. Dwarf Ballistas do much less without engineers, there's no way around this. We'll never know how the game would have ended, but the jumbo block of Orcs hung back for eighty percent of the action, arriving just in time to squabble on turn five. By deploying his war machines after my entire army was on the table, my brother-in-law was able to keep all of his safe from all but one of mine. The game did end in a marginal victory for the Dwarves, but I hardly consider this a repeatable outcome. All things considered an interesting showdown. Rest assured I will be picking up my High Elves for the next go around.
Dwarves:
1 Lord1 BSB
1 Dragon Slayer
1 Runesmith
20 Warriors
16 Longbeards
10 Thunderers
10 Thunderers
10 Quarrelers
1 Cannon
2 Ballistas
1 Organ Gun
15 Slayers
The lack of Hammerers in my army creates a serious power vacuum, one I tried filling by giving my Lord the Rune of Kingship, at least my Longbeards weren't going anywhere. My block of Warriors was more than willing to die for the cause and Slayers... you get the picture. This is standard gun line procedure and enough hard-to-move Dwarves to press the issue in close combat, needless to say I was hopeful.
The Orc rabble looked something like this:
1 Black Orc Warboss
2 Night Goblin Shamans
1 Orc Shaman
42 Night Goblins
2 Fanatics
20 Black Orcs
25 Big 'Uns
30 Savage Orcs
6 Boar Boys
5 Spider Riders
6 Snotling Swarms
10 Squig Hoppers
1 Rock Lobba
2 Doom Divvers
The size of these units alone seriously cramped my chances for panic. History gave me reason to believe the army would consist of multiple small units of cannon fodder, but someone had been doing his homework. This army packed a fairly nasty shooting phase and enough magic to make me think about dispelling. To make matters worse he rolled Foot of Gork and Gork's Warpath respectively for all Shamans, line of sight and range weren't on my side.
Turn 1
Dwarves: Hold the line and go straight to shooting, at least that was the idea. In a spectacular display of fate, my runed cannon misfired twice and exploded. Do over down? Sadly the angle of the hill in my deployment zone prevented my thunderers from sounding out on the first turn. My Organ Gun blew up a snotling base and the quarrelers brought down a couple of Big 'Uns, all in all I could swear I heard goblin laughter.
Orcs: With animosity jamming up only one unit of Orcs, the rest of the army marched forward to take my position. Only the frozen Savage Orcs sat back. The first magic phase claimed the lives of several thunderers and two warriors, the only favor I found was in the exhaustion of the Itty Bitty Ring on turn one, so much for that sniping goblin. The shooting phase claimed the lives of a few more thunderers and forced me to test for panic. I am proud to say all dwarves stood their ground.
Turn 2
Dwarves: My slayers moved up the flanks to keep the squig hoppers off my ballista. Light gun and crossbow fire dropped a few more Orcs and Gobbos with the only notable exception being the Organ Gun which inflicted seven wounds on the over-eager Boar Boyz.
Orcs: The Spider Riders made it into combat with the ballista on my left flank and the squigs attempted to reach the flank of my Slayers but stopped short in their front arc. This time around my Rune Smith was in total control of the magic phase and kept the Foot of Gork from my missile troops. The shooting phase was less positive, costing me two thirds of my Organ Gun crew and leaving my center unit of Thunderers severely depleted. Moving into combat, the Spiders claimed two of my ballista crew and took no casualties. The sole survivor easily passed the stubborn leadership test.
Turn 3
Dwarves: I still had no charge options as the squigs sat comfortably out of range (I recommend cross country training for all dwarves). I advanced the Slayers to keep the Squigs from cutting around me. Warriors and Longbeards moved up the middle to meet the advancing rabble. Thunderers guarding the left flank reformed to face the Spider Riders, who made a snack out of the last standing ballista crewman on the left.
Orcs: Driven by rage or stupidity (who can tell with Greenskins?) the Squigs charged into the Slayers. The Spider Riders charged the Thunderers facing them. And the Night Goblins advanced and released their two fanatics. Mercifully, the fanatics only claimed two warriors. Big 'Uns smashed into the flanks of the Dwarf Warriors. The Spider Riders took four casualties from the stand and shoot, but the lone rider somehow passed his panic test and moved in, the Thunderers finished him off in close combat. While the Big Uns sent my Warriors running through a fanatic, they exercised some restraint and held their ground. The Slayers lost several of their number and turned three Squigs into jello.
Turn 4
Dwarves: Determined to settle the score for routing the Warriors, the Longbeards charged through the fanatic, crushing him in the process, and straight down the front line of Big 'Uns. The now unmanned Organ Gun sat silently while the last ballista missed the Black Orcs and missile fire brought down another Snotling swarm. This close combat phase would put me back in this game or feed the Orc army for several nights. Longbeards with massive axes cut down three Big 'Uns with the Lord and Battle Standard Bearer tearing open another three. The remaining champion failed to dent the Dwarf BSB and the Orcs, led by a Shaman, fled combat, failing to roll double ones to stand. In a rare show of mobility, the Orcs fled five and were caught by the Dwarves with eleven inches of pursuit! The Slayers broke the Squigs and collided with the flank of a Black Orc mob. My warriors did rally.
Orcs: Even a sound beating doesn't stop a horde. Night Goblin warriors slammed my Dwarf Warriors and netted them. The broken squigs rallied and the Black Orcs hefted double choppas for the impending showdown with the Slayers. This magic phase could have made a difference, but down one Shaman my Rune Smith was now firmly in control of the winds of magic. Sporadic war machine fire continued to harass my gunline which was now all but silent. Spurred on by their hatred of their betters the Night Goblins beat and broke the dwarves (who were sadly out of the range of their Lord and his standard). The resulting flight brought the dwarves into contact with an impassable boulder which destroyed their unit. However much this looked like a reprieve, fortune was not smiling on the green skins. The Black Orcs found themselves crushed by the Slayers and promptly fled off the table.
Turn 5
Dwarves: Mad for Orc blood my Longbeards reform to face the remaining Savage Orc warriors. The Slayers likewise turn to face the rallied Squigs. In a final show of frustration, Dwarf Quarrelers and Thunderers finish off the Snotlings and their accompanying Shaman. Could it be time to break out the ale?
Orcs: With nothing to charge the Night Goblins are left to work out long division as the Savage Orcs squabble. The last Shaman is totally impotent faced with the Runesmith and the magic phase whimpers to an end. Orc war "machines" (spit) pick off one more thunderer. In a final show of defiance the squigs reengage the Slayers, however the weakened unit only manages one casualty. The surviving Dragon Slayer and company wipe out the Squigs as recompense for their trouble.
With Hobbytown closing, five turns was sadly all we had time for. I hadn't expected my gunline to falter so much, but in light of larger Orc units, panic was off the menu. Dwarf Ballistas do much less without engineers, there's no way around this. We'll never know how the game would have ended, but the jumbo block of Orcs hung back for eighty percent of the action, arriving just in time to squabble on turn five. By deploying his war machines after my entire army was on the table, my brother-in-law was able to keep all of his safe from all but one of mine. The game did end in a marginal victory for the Dwarves, but I hardly consider this a repeatable outcome. All things considered an interesting showdown. Rest assured I will be picking up my High Elves for the next go around.
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