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.
No comments:
Post a Comment