MSU-Battle-Reports (English)

Nachtrag:

Zitat

I regret that I didn't find the proper topic about MSU for VC. I honestly believe any army can have a version of that. Bear in mind that it does not mean every unit has to be small. Large unit of zombies is not expensive and can be incorporated into the army, if one so desires. The idea is to use fast and maneuverable units to get combined charges. For example, Vargulfs and Vargheists are good candidates as they are fast (vampiric) and powerful in the attack. Hexwraiths can be very useful here too. I also see a place for some banshees so that you can shoot down the support units of the enemy willing to block your army but also be very helpful against armor.

MSU often requires change of attitude and VC is one of the armies that did so well with horde formations that people refuse to believe it can be done differently too.

VC armies, on the other hand, usually have a lot of units anyway so the players should be well versed in controlling large number of regiments. Because of that I think the question should not be "is it possible?" but "what would you take?". If I only had time I would start various projects of MSU armies just to see different versions of MSU armies.

Diesmal (wiedermal) eine MSU Schlacht von Hinges und nicht von Swordmaster

Zitat von "Hinge"

With reports coming in of a large army approaching, Loremaster Faichon quickly shook his force out into its battle array and waited patiently. The Loremaster did not wait long, for a doomful toll of a bell could be heard approaching. A bell whose reverberations not only created a sense of foreboding and hopelessness, but also reached Faichon’s soul. Soon, a teeming horde of vile rat like creatures crested the ridge, pushing a great contraption with them. There seemed to be no end to the skittering horde and the children of Uthalian prepared to sell their lives dearly.

Games have been few and far between lately but I was able to get a game in over the weekend against Skaven.

Skaven:

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Grey Seer, Screaming Bell, Dispel Scroll, Skalm, Dragon Bane Gem
Chieften, BSB, Charmed Shield, Opal Amulet, Ruby Ring
Warplock Eng, L2, Doom Rocket, Warp Energy Condenser,
4 x Warplock Eng
40 Clan Rats, FC, Shields
10 Storm Vermin, Mus, Std, Storm Banner
29 Giant Rats + 6 Packmasters
5 Giant Rats + packmaster
5 Giant Rats + Packmaster
2 x 49 slaves, shields, Mus, champ
40 slaves, shields, mus, champ
2 x 10 Gutter Runners
Hellpit, magic spikes
Warp Lightning Cannon
Plague Catapult

I changed my list slightly from last game.
High Elves

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Loremaster, Book, ToP
Noble, BSB, Reaver Bow, Halberd, Pot of St
2 x 15 Archers, Mus, Std
6 Silverhlem, FC
2 x 5 Reavers, Spear, Bow, Mus
6 Dragon Princes, FC, Banner of Eternal Flame
6 Swordmasters
12 White Lions, Mus, Std, Banner of Swiftness
2 x 1 Tiranoc Chariots
5 Shadow Warriors
2 Eagle Claws
2 x5 Sisters
Frost Phoenix
2 x 1 Great Eagle

I approached this confrontation without much confidence. That Skaven army is tough. First, just scoring points off the army will be a chore. Two rat darts and four 15 point engineers provides lots of redirection and will make it tough to get multiple charges off. The pure number of bodies means every combat will be protracted and I risk getting worn down.

Second is magic. Dreaded 13th is a unit killer, but he also ended up with Scorch. These are the two spells I have to stop, and let everything else through.

Third, shooting. His Gutter Runners alone could take down half my army if I am not careful. Add in the Doom Rocket and I may not have much left to engage with.

I will work on the Deployment and first couple of turns this evening.

Deployment

[IMG: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3701/9139253847_01e8dc03ec_z.jpg]

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My only real deployment consideration was to be able to put as many flaming units opposite the ABomb as I could. I kept the Frost Phoenix back figuring to minimize the amount of gutter runner shots and figuring he was going to ground it with the Storm Banner anyways.
Please note the Silver helms are missing in this shot. They are deployed right of the White Lions and will pop up on the next shot

Grey Seer-Skitter Leap, Scorch, Bless with Filth, Dreaded 13th.
Warlock Eng – Warp Lightning, Death Frenzy

Elves get first Turn 1

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[IMG: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3773/9139253807_858b3a8858_z.jpg]

Waving their banner back and forth, the Storm Vermin call on a storm that grounds the Eagles and Phoenix and will make shooting a challenge.

The elves advance cautiously. The Lore Masters spells are stopped rather easily by the capering, grey clad figure on the bell. In frustration, the Loremaster orders all units that can to unload on the Abomb. The only wound that seem to effect it is a well placed shot from the BSB. However, the Elliyreans prove to be able bowman in even the most extreme conditions. 2 gutter runners fall from the unit cowering behind some rocks while 3 fall on the left to the combined shots of the Reavers and Shadow Warriors.

Skaven Turn 1

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[IMG: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7340/9139253797_d2fbf31d2d_z.jpg]

The storm continues to rage. The Rats advance slowly. The Loremaster easily fends off the Grey Seers magic though the Bell’s tolling heartens all the Skaven. Additionally, the skaven shooting proves wholly abysmal, with only a single Reaver falling in each unit.

Helf Turn 2

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[IMG: http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2817/9141480580_999c8d33f2_z.jpg]

The storm clears and the BSB downs a magical draught in preparation of destroying the hideous creature on the hill. With a thunder of hooves and chariot wheels, the High elves spring forward, eager to come to grips with the hordes of rats. Unfortunately the Gutter Runners hiding behind the rocks proves to be deadly accurate and destroy a unit of Reavers as they clear the forest.

The Lore Master is able to curse the large Giant Rat unit, getting both Ice Shard Blizzard and lowering their WS to 1.

In combat, the Gutter Runners in the forest on the left take fearsome casualties but stand resolute. Meanwhile, the Gutter Runners on the right prove to be the Skaven elite, tearing an irreplaceable Silver Helm out of his saddle for the cost of two of their own and hold.

The Sisters of Averlorn, take careful aim and wound the Abomb twice. Both Eagle Claws ready bolts but the storm seems to be have rendered the machines useless (for the second turn in a row, I rolled 1’s for the to hit attempts on both RBTs). The BSB and his unit are able to finish the creature off. The rest of the shooting goes into some slaves.
The second Tiranoc tears into the Giant Rats with a thunderous crash, rats and packmasters go flying but there are so many, they refuse to run. The Swordmasters easily dispatch the rats sent out to distract them and over run into the large unit of slave.

Skaven Turn 2

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[IMG: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3718/9141480572_bda0b4f0c2_z.jpg]

A slave unit charge a blocking eagle.

The Bell tolls once again and the Lore Master is forced to hold back a scorch. Unfortunately another Scorch gets through and more than half the White Lions perish.
During Shooting, one of the Warlocks cackles as he prepares his infernal contraption. With a hiss then boom, the remaining White Lions perish.
A lone surviving Gutter Runner continues to hold the left flank while the Silver Helms and other Gutter Runner take a union mandated smoke break and chat about…well I have no clue other then they failed to wound each other. The Eagle Breaks but gets away while the Swordmasters lay about themselves with out taking any casualties

.

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Zitat von "Hinge"

Helf Turn 3

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[IMG: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5526/9149425250_a243687123_z.jpg]

Please note that I had forgotten to indicate that the Screaming Bell unit had moved sideways to deny the frost Phoenix an opportunity to charge the Bell while the Engineer pooped out to keep LOS for Warp Lightning and the Doom Rocket.

The Dragon Princes charge the Giant Rat Unit to assist the Chariot. The Frost Phoenix figures that the best place may be in combat and charge the flank of some slaves. The plan is to avoid killing the Engineer so that the Skaven cannot shoot into the combat.

Magic is ineffective, however shooting is as I do 3 wounds to the bell and a single wound to the Seer.
Combat sees the last remaining Gutter Runner killed in the woods. The other Gutter Runners are broken and run down, however two of the Silver Helm die as their horses trip in the stony ground, leaving 2 left. Three elite Swordmasters go down but they manage to hold. The other combats are won but the Skaven hold with the slaves turning to face the Phoenix.

Skaven Turn 3

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[IMG: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7418/9149425242_75130ca980_z.jpg]

The Bell moves back around and starts to close and the Storm Vermin turn around to go after the Eagle.
The Grey Seer summons a powerful spell and to the horror of the nearby warmachine crews, the BSB and his unit are turned into rats!
The Silver Helm champ issues a challenge hoping to entice the Engineer to step up. So many Skaven players want the engineer to die so they can shoot/cast into a combat the slave unit is in they forget the bonus points for winning an Underdog challenge. Alas, my opponent accepted with the slave champ. The elves win all the combats and once again hold, with the Giant Rats needing and making a break test on a 5

Helf Turn 4

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[IMG: http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2824/9149425238_aea8f64e0e_z.jpg]

The Eagles and Sisters go into the Slave unit to help the Phoenix, figuring the -1 to St should help. The Archers left the building in an attempt to open the distance between themselves and the Bell.

Shooting and Fireball panics the newly created Clan Rat Unit who runs into the charge path of the Rat Dart.

The Silver Helms break and are run down. Slave unit 1 takes horrendous casualties but holds. Two of the swordmasters fall and the final one breaks and is run down, allowing the Slave unit to overrun. The big Giant Rat unit is killed to a rat and the Princes turn to face the main event. The Skaven warmachines are destroyed and the eagle runs off the board to avoid the Storm Vermin.

Skaven Turn 4

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[IMG: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7420/9147196165_7f3fcc13cc_z.jpg]

The Bell continues to advance forward. The newly formed clan rat unit continues to run.

The Seer conjures another mighty spell and the Loremaster and his unit are turned into rats (IF!), 8 clan rats pushing the bell pay the price. Many The Sisters are killed but Slave unit 1 continues to get smaller.

Helf Turn 5

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[IMG: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7445/9147196153_8df7e7f961_z.jpg]

A chariot makes a long charge with the DPs into the flank of Slave unit 2.
Shooting sees the RBTs scare off another newly created Clan rat unit and the Shadow warriors drop solo engineer running around.
Slave unit 2 takes a punishment but holds, though the chariot is no longer in contact and over runs into the bell unit. Despite the diagram, he is in the flank. With a single rank to maintain steadfast, Slave unit 1 continues to hold.

Skaven Turn 5

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[IMG: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5542/9149425524_10be1fa1c2_z.jpg]

Slave unit 3 charges the rear of the phoenix and the rat dart charges the RBT.
In an amazing turn of events, I shut down the skaven magic phase despite no caster, though the Bell inspires all the rat units to extra attacks.

The chariot crashes into the Bell unit with a furious impact. I direct all my attacks at the L2 Engineer but only do a single wound. I win combat and continue to pin Bell unit in place. If I can free up the princes, I got a shot at an assassination run. Alas, it was not to be, a single rank of slaves foils my plans and makes its steadfast 7 check. Slave unit 1 finally goes down. Throughout the drawn out combat, the phoenix has taken 4 wounds and I am starting to worry about it dying itself. The RBT goes down.

Helf Turn 6

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[IMG: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5547/9147196137_880076b88a_z.jpg]

The second chariot charges in to finish off the slaves.

The surviving RBT panics the Rat Dart away.

The chariot engaged with the bell unit finishes off the L2 Engineer but breaks and is run down. Slave unit 3 puts a wound on the Phoenix and wins combat but the ancient creature holds.

Skaven Turn 6

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[IMG: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3759/9147196121_62174f948a_z.jpg]

The overrun puts the bell in the perfect position to crash into the shadow warriors, they do so and crush them.

A scorch leaves a single Sister alive.

The frost Phoenix has a scare as the slaves put two wounds on him, but he is able to save them both. He directs all his attacks at the Engineer but fails to kill him. Fortunaley a big thunder stomp wins him the combat. With no BSB or general close by I am hoping for a failed break test, but is not to be (If I had killed the engineer however…).

We count it up and the Skaven are up 495 points.

What a bloody game. Maybe not unit wise but certainly models. Since I was literally killing units down to the last rat, my opponents dead pile was impressive.

What can I say, Dreaded 13th did me in. The first he rolled very high and I was unable to stop it and the second was IF. I do recognize that my opponents shooting was rather lack luster, so I got lucky there. I think he should have ambushed one of the Gutter runner units. Poor shooting was offset by some excellent steadfast break check on his part, allowing a combat to continue for a round longer than it should have. This always seemed to happen on his turn, locking up my units on my turn.

My big mistake was on turn 3. My opponent had turned his bell unit so the frost phoenix could not come into contact with the bell. We determined that I could not thunder stomp the Bell unit since it became unique with its inclusion (is this right?), so sending him in would likely lead to me breaking if I whiff. This is what led me to decide to flank charge the slave unit, figuring my good luck with the WLC was going to end soon.

However, I could have flown up and parked an inch away. With the two warmachines close (and the Shadow Warriors/eagle also closing) I could have pinned the Bell unit in the corner. I could have kept my units out of 24” and hope my shooting could down the general. If the slave units would have pushed the issue, they would have quickly gotten out of IP/BSB range. How long I could have kept him boxed in I don’t know. Even if I lose the phoenix eventually, if it led to my general surviving, I would be ahead on points. I certainly could have started to back pedal earlier, but my shooting was on fire and I really wanted to knock the grey seer off.

A minor error was I should have separated the General from the archer unit when I left the house. Sure, he would have turned the solo general into a rat, but the archers would have survived to get away.

Hope you enjoyed.

Hinge

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Zitat von "Swordmaster of Hoeth"

Greetings!

Yet another game against forces of Chaos!

This time I was lucky that Joel, whom I have met on two tournaments already, was visiting the capital village and offered me a game. He wanted to test his army for the upcoming tournament with Swedish Comp (yes, I know, boring :)). We decided on a battle line but let's have a look at Joel's list first:

Warriors of Chaos - Army List

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Sorcerer Lord, Mark of Tezeentch, Disc, Level 4 Talisman of Preservation, Dragon Helm, Dispel Scroll - Lore of Tzeentch
BSB, Mark of Tzeentch, Shield, Disc, Armor of Destiny

5 Chaos Hounds
5 Chaos Hounds
Chaos Chariot, Mark of Nurgle
Chaos Chariot, Mark of Nurgle
15 Chaos Warriors, Mark of Nurgle, Shields, Halberds, Full Command, Banner of Eternal Flame
15 Chaos Warriors, Mark of Nurgle, Shields, Halberds, Full Command, Banner of Swiftness
3 Chaos Ogres, Mark of Nurgle, Musician, Great Weapons
3 Chaos Ogres, Mark of Nurgle, Musician, Great Weapons
3 Skullcrushers, Ensorcelled Weapons, Musician
3 Skullcrushers, Ensorcelled Weapons, Musician

Swedish Comp = 10.5

It might not be the toughest WoC army out there but make no mistake, these guys are tough, very tough. The interesting thing about our games with Joel is that each time there is something new due to changes to army books. First game we both had army lists from old books. Then Joel got his new list and we met again. This time it was my turn.

That meant that this time almost every single unit in WoC army was better in close combat in one-on-one confrontation. Only warriors with flaming attacks might have trouble against Dragon Princes. Chariots are always a problem and heavy type of chaos armies are potentially not that easy to shoot down. Not that I would not try to do that anyway Chaos Ogres were an interesting addition and I think they might be a problem for many armies anyway. Mark of Nurgle in addition to the high toughness and good armor save makes this army very dangerous.

Usual suspects in the form of flying characters with 3++ ward save were there too. But the main weapon is magic for them (although BSB can do some hunting too).

I decided on the following approach. Deploy a little further back with shooters (but not all of them), detach some guards on one flank (the one I wanted to delay) and create a local superiority on the other flank (as I had more units to do so). I also wanted to go for blows exchange in magic, much like in the case of last game against Galrauch. As the only thing Warriors of Chaos respect is brute strength

Deployment

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Armies arrayed for battle

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Deployment after vanguard move

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We played with mysterious terrain but the forest occupied by ogres turned out to be not magical at all. While leaders of the Chaos army were on their own, elven characters joined their units. BSB led sea guard to battle while Swordmasters protected the Archmage.

The wizards had following spells:

Sorcerer Lord - Treason of Tzeentch, Pink Fire of Tzeentch, Bolt of Change, Glean Magic

Archmage - Searing Doom, Enchanted Blades, Glittering Robe, Golden Hounds

Please notice, that the hellstriders double as Chaos Ogres in the photos.

Surprisingly High Elves got the first turn this time.

Outcasts - Turn 1

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Weighted flank formation in action

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First blood for Elves

Elves adopted aggressive defense. It meant they moved forward with combat specialists, threatening to attack and at the same time used their magic and shooting to kill or wound the enemy. As the result on chariot was destroyed (in great part thanks to magic bows of the Sisters), second was damaged and a pack of war hounds was no more.

Warriors of Chaos - Turn 1

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Chaos Army moves forward

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Warriors march as if nothing happened

Not concerned with the loss of the chariot, the army moved forward. Not close enough for efficient use of magic, chaos sorcerer hoovers behind his units to avoid incoming arrows.

[size=150]Outcasts - Turn 2[/size]

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Ellyrian Reavers harass the enemy

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Deadly dance has just begun

Ellyrian reavers used their famous skills and raced in between clumsy foe distracting and making it difficult to maintain cohesive battle line.

The shooters focused on another chariot and the powerful construct was eventually brought down too.

While the forces on the Eastern flank slowed down the enemy, the units on the West tried to use the time to overwhelm the enemy. Unfortunately, the steeds of the Dragon Princes were already disturbed by the chaotic energies and the knights had to spend time to regain control instead of swiftly moving around to threaten enemy rear.

Warriors of Chaos - Turn 2

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Warriors of Chaos press hard on the East

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Not all went according to the plan

Chaos forces attacked on the East. While Reavers and Sisters both perfectly executed the feigned retreat and in result slowed down enemy forces, then Shadow Warriors and the Great Eagle left the battle field in confusion. Not all went according to the plan.

On the West bloodthirsty skullcrushers attacked the eagle but before their fury would carry them too far forward, Sorcerer Lord stopped the juggernauts.

Outcasts - Turn 3

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[IMG: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a22/Swordmaster_pl/2013_06_25%20-%202400%20vs%20WoC/05HET3_zpsc237ff75.jpg]

Elves regroup

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Ellyrians position to slow down the enemy once more

Light cavalry moves in again and brave Ellyrians position themselves to slow down the enemy (if possible). Other regiments regroup and shoot down a few warriors from the warriors unit in the center.

Warriors of Chaos - Turn 3

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Warriors attack again

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Elves hold their ground

Both reavers units take the brunt of the attack and are destroyed but at least the slow down the enemy. Warriors in the center charge White Lions. Brave Chracians kill a few of the corrupted warriors but suffer huge casualties themselves. They stubbornly hold their ground but it is clear that even with the rescue coming they might not survive this battle.

[size=150]Outcasts - Turn 4[/size]

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High Elves counter attack

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The center is secured (for a while at least)

High Elves counter attack. On the West Swordmasters aid White Lions attacked by the chaos general but despite a lot of blows landed on his armor all but one are deflected. The Sorcerer is hard pressed but does not break confident the rescue is on the way. The Archmage tries to cast spells at the sullcrushers but manages to wound some only.

On the East Sisters valiantly charge the Ogres, even killing one, to make way for Dragon Princes. The Knights charge and with the aid of Archers they break the warriors and run them down. Unfortunately Lions do not survive this battle.

In the meantime magically aided bolt hits the BSB of the chaotic army. His magical protection saves him but in the moment of distraction caused by the blow he ignored more arrows coming at him. Burning missiles, getting even hotter on the impact, hit precisely into two tiny slits of his helmet and with a crush his lifeless form topples down from the disk to the ground.

Warriors of Chaos - Turn 4

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A counter to the counter attack

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Warriors try to break through on the West

Skullcrushers charge the Swordmasters and even warriors of Hoeth cannot stand to that attack. They try to destroy the Sorcerer but again his magical protection proves to be too much. Only Lions are left fighting him, although the flank charge of the Ogre (his wounded companion was claimed by the venomous forest) keeps them hard pressed.

The Sorcerer, even in the midst of combat, duels with his counterpart and yet again wins. While no physical damage is done, elven Archmage temporarily lost another spell from his memory. What is worse, renewed energies allowed the Sorcerer to cast it on his own unit making them even more vicious in combat. (Edit: Glean Magic robbed my Archmage from 2 spells and reduced him to level 2, this turn he lost Enchanted Blades)

Outcasts - Turn 5

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Bloody encounter on the Western flank

Archmage gathers his powers and this time he manages to break through the defenses of the Sorcerer. The spell is also powerful enough to destroy remaining two of the skullcrushers.

However, White Lions were not able to withstand one more round of fight and are destroyed. As a result, nearby Swordmasters break and flee to safety.

On the East a similar behavior is shown by the Ogre who panics after seeing his last companion pierced by the arrows.

Warriors of Chaos - Turn 5

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The Sorcerer continues his rampage

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Eagle claw is his next victim

The Sorcerer and his pet Ogre chase away the Swordmasters and then the general of the Chaos army flies towards the eagle claw. The crew fights bravely but is no match for their foe.

Outcasts - Turn 6

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Last attack by High Elves

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Ogres are hunted down

With no combats High Elves attacked at range. Both surviving Ogres were mercilessly shot down. The Archmage tried to finish Skullcrushers with powerful spell but magical energies were not strong enough this time.

Warriors of Chaos - Turn 6

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The Sorcerer returns to the battle field

Both armies are bloodied and upon his return to the battle field the Sorcerer decided to disengage. He still had 2 powerful units but High Elves were not yet broken despite heavy casualties they suffered. In fact, the balance shifted slightly to their favor.

After-battle thoughts

When we calculated the points it turned out that High Elves won by a very small margin. I will continue with my conclusions from the game soon.

Thanks for reading!

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Zitat von "Swordmaster of Hoeth"

Greetings!

Another game against forces of darkness, this time in the form of the Nurgle Daemons with some allied contingents. The army of plague and disease was led by manifestation of ardnunuff in the form of a certain Great Unclean One. Where "great" apparently refers not to the size but to the sense of humor that creature possesses!

I was very kin to play that game simply because I was curious about new daemons. What is more, the armies I faced before didn't have that many nurgle units with the typical exception of the plaguebearers and bsb herald. I expected them to make an appearance but then the rest of the army was still some kind of mystery.

Nurgle Daemons - Army List

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Great Unclean One, Level 4, Greater Gift, Lesser Gift - Lore of Nurgle
Nurgle Herald, BSB, Level 1, Lesser Gift, Greater Loci - Death Magic

30+ Plaguebearers, Full Command
4 Beasts of Nurgle
2 Beasts of Nurgle
2 x 2 Nurglings
10 Tzeentch Horrors, level 1 - Lore of Tzeentch
5 Furies

Skullcannon
Soulgrinder, Mark of Nurgle, Harvester Cannon, Bombardment

Quite compact and definitely tough army. GUO and Souldgrinder with T7 were definitely problematic. But I knew that with the appropriate amount of fire I can still wound them and then they become more vulnerable, also in combat.

T5 Beast of Nurgle with D6 attacks each were a problem too. In fact, I had them as my priority to destroy because of the potential carnage they could inflict upon my small units. The fact they sported Regeneration didn't quite help either but I had some tools for the job. Or so I thought

The same goes for the unit of Plaguebearers. They are tough and with regeneration so that I would suffer simply because they would deflect many of my attacks. Combination of -1 to hit penalty, T4 and some kind of ward save is simply fantastic. I wanted to avoid that unit if I could and deal with the rest of the units. Only having accomplished that I could try and get a combined charge. Even then a success is not guaranteed as it could have been against less resilient foe. I also had to deal with the herald, as with him the unit is more powerful than alone. (not that it needs more resilience in my opinion :P).

Outcasts - Army List

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I made a few changes to my previous list. The main one being toreplace the Archmage with the Loremaster.

Loremaster, level 2, Armor of Caledor, Golden Crown
Battle Standard Bearer, Dragon Armor, Halberd, Charmed Shield, Potion of Strength, Reaver Bow

15 Archers, Full Command
15 LSG, Full Command
2 x 5 Ellyrian Reavers, Musician, Spear, Bow

5 Dragon Princes, Musician, Banner of Eternal Flame
5 Dragon Princes, Musician
2 x 11 Swordmasters, Bladelord, Musician
10 White Lions, Muscian, Standard
10 White Lions, Muscian, Gleaming Pennant
5 Shadow Warriors

Eagle Claw Bolt Thrower
2 x Great Eagle
2 x 5 Sisters of Avelorn

Another thing I wanted to see is how a lone Loremaster, being a level 2, would stand up to a challenge against Level 4 and 2 level 1's as a support. Not to mention the effects of the Realm of Chaos during magic phase!

Before the battle ardnunuff rolled for the gifts. GUO got ASF Sword and 2+ armor save. There goes my master plan for shooting him to death But in exchange a Searing Doom just got a good target! Herlad got Plague Flail.

Deployment

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Deployment of the armies after vanguard and scouts move.

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I deployed in weighted flank formation because of two reasons. First, I wanted to give myself more time to maneuver and shoot at the beasts of nurgle before the combats. Second, having small delaying force to dance around soul grinder and horrors should keep them away from majority of the army thus allowing me to "ignore" tzeentch spell too.

Bob and Larry had Swordmasters bodyguards each with the Loremaster closer to the center of the formation. Also, the Lions with Gleaming Pennant were on the right flank.

Then ardnunuff rolled for his spells and got the following:

Great Unclean One - Curse of Leper, Rancid Visitations, Blades of Putrefaction, Fleshy Abundance

Herald - Spirit Leech

Horrors - Blue Fire

After explanation what spell does what I decided that Rancid Visitations is the no. 1 spell to dispel with Spirit Leech or Curse of the Leper as a second one.

I was then nicely surprised to win the roll-off and I had a first turn!

Outcasts - Turn 1

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Elves move fast at the flanks

Using the rare opportunity to move first the elven army closes distance to the enemy at both flanks. Attack is the best defense after all!

Larry immediately engages in a mental duel with a greater daemon, probing the magical defenses. To his disappointment he could not find an opening he hoped for just yet.

Then the shooter opened fire. It was a little divided as not all the units were yet in range for the same target. Nurgle daemons proved to be more resilient than expected and only few arrows actually wounded anything.

Nurgle Daemons - Turn 1

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Daemons keep tight formation

Main formation of the daemonic army slides forward in a somewhat lazy fashion. The daemonic engines belched warp tainted energy but the missiles prove to be ineffective just yet.

The winds of magic, however, blew strongly and gave birth to a small detachments of blood letters, who appeared just behind the sea guard on the Western flank. The lore master had to focus on dispelling only a fraction of the power his enemy wielded. As a result dragon princes on the Eastern flank were suddenly overwhelmed by sickness and felt extremely weak.

Outcasts - Turn 2

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High Elves charge on the West

Not wanting to have the enemy behind, High Elves attack smaller daemons. Shadow Warriors flank charge furies and destroy them quickly. Nurglings are mercilessly cut down by the sea guard and swordmasters. Both units then reform to face a new enemy.

Unfortunately, Dragon princes were not able to make contact with the horrors and shooting as well as magic still struggled to do anything.

Nurgle Daemons - Turn 2

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Daemons reshuffle their formation

Daemons on the Western flank try to counter attack. However, iron discipline of the sea guard allows them to shoot down a few before they finished the rest in merciless combat. Beasts of Nurgle, on the other hand, didn't quite move in a energetic way to reach nearby dragon princes.

On the East the soul grinder and horrors tried to use their respective daemonic powers to hurt incoming elves but it didn't work this time. Archers became another victim of the curse.

Outcasts - Turn 3

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Charge of the heavy cavalry

Both squadrons of the dragon princes leveled their lances and charged. On the West , the target was beasts of nurgle. This time the Loremaster was able to support his troops and the cavalry were filled with savage spirits that made them even stronger. The beasts stood no chance.

On the East half of the horrors were impaled but the rest refused to break their bond with material plane just yet.

The Loremaster, seeing that the concentration of his daemonic adversary was broken, pressed harder and utterly destroyed daemonic herald too, releasing its corrupted soul to the immaterium. Shooting also proved to be efficient at last and a second unit of beasts of nurgle was significantly damaged, losing one beast and having one of them barely hanging on.

Nurgle Daemons - Turn 3

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Daemons counter attack

Enraged by the bold elven attack, daemons counter. Both eagles are destroyed although one of the noble birds manages to finish off the wounded beast of nurgle before it is overwhelmed by others.

Soulgrinder, tired of not being able to claim lives with ranged attacks charges ellyrian reavers. Swift elven cavalry withdraws but is still caught in pursuit.

Also the skull cannon rumbles forward but in this case the light cavalry manages to retreat to safety.

Outcasts - Turn 4

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Swarming

Elven units use the opportunity to swarm around plague bearers while either blocking other daemons or moving out of their sight.

Shooters keep peppering beasts of nurgle with arrows and only one remains, barely keeping the contact with physical world.

Nurgle Daemons - Turn 4

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Daemons attack!

The trap to lure skull cannon into the woods didn't quite work as instead of chasing the reavers to the forest, the cannon changed the direction and slammed into white lions. Brave Chracians held the monster but had to pay dearly for that.

Beast and Great Unclean One attack the archers who try to hold but are unable to inflict the last wound upon the beast. Archers break and are run down by the wounded daemon of nurgle. Great Unclean One turns back his attention to the center of the battle field.

Soul grinder also spins around, just in time to catch Dragon Princes in fire. Only 2 knights survive but they refuse to panic.

Outcasts - Turn 5

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Swarming part 2!

Loremaster and his companions (now protected by Life Magic too!) come to the rescue and destroy the skull cannon. The rest of the regiments surround plague bearers once more, while Dragon Princes block Great Unclean One from joining the fight.

Nurgle Daemons - Turn 5

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Daemons keep attacking

Plague Bearers and Great Unclean One get rid of the interfering units but that is all they can do for now.

Outcasts - Turn 6

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Combined charge - at last!

Finally High Elves could charge in unison. 3 units attacked as one. Loremaster strengthen his companions with the savage magic and they all stormed in. Half of the Plague Bearers unit ceased to exist but it was not yet enough to remove the threat entirely. The fight continued.

In the meantime last beast of nurgle was finally destroyed before it reached the crew of the eagle claw.

Nurgle Daemons - Turn 6

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Last act.

When it seemed like the fate of the plague bearers is sealed, their general and leader stepped in. It summoned powerful energies and the Loremaster was unable to stop it. In no time the tough flesh of the plague bearers became even tougher and elven warriors broke many blades trying to harm them. As a result only a handful of daemons remained but ... they were still there.

With a silent order, remaining daemons disengaged and slowly moved back from where they came from. The elven army re-grouped. Unlike daemons they needed time to recover and resume pursuit.

After-battle thoughts

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It was a great battle and I wanted to thank ardnunuff first for the offer to play and then for a great time during the game! =D>

Boy, but these beasts of nurgle are tough. I am glad that I managed to get rid of them and that after 2 turns of no effect I was able to hurt them later on. But that also meant I could not aim at soul grinder (not to mention it was fortunately busy on the other flank).

I was very happy with the outcome of the game as I managed to win by 400+ points. I do, however, know that my final success was in big part thanks to the very careful approach by ardnunuff. He left the entier flank for me to maneuver and didn't press forward fast enough either. I am sure he will not do that again!

At the beginning, the positioning of nurglings allowed me to charge them both and crumble them as a result. That, in turn, allowed me to reform and face blood letters who suffered in one-on-one combat. Also, failed charge by beasts of nurgle helped here. I am not sure if Dragon Princes managed to hold if charged. In any case that would slow my advance for sure.

The moment when I think I made a serious mistake was fleeing with reavers from the skull cannon. Initially I wanted to hold and sacrifice them so that the rest of the units could charge earlier. I had a chance to flee and draw skull cannon into the forest but with Ld7 odds are still not in my favor. The distance was significant but then one should not risk such situations at all. I am glad I got the cannon in the end but as a result I lost time to charge plague bearers and I could not finish them off. They were much more valuable target than the cannon.

Also, a game winning spell was Fleshy Abundance. T6 plague bearers survived the second round of combat which ended up in a draw! Only 9 daemons remained but it was enough to survive and that matters. Ardnunuff cast this spell with 6 dice and I failed to get double 6 on my own 6-dice dispel attempt.

I must admit I liked the Loremaster in that game. He kept the pressure on the GUO in battle of the minds. Ardnunuff often dispelled magic missiles as both, fire ball and burning gaze are dangerous to his units. Thanks to that I managed to sneak in other spells such wyssan wildform, earthblood or, the most spectacular, spirit leach that killed herald bsb! The idea to make a decision which spell to dispel and which to let go was a good one and despite being level 2 I managed to dispel the spells I didn't like in general. Of course sometimes dice rolls are not good enough but I don't think that in these cases having a book of hoeth changed much.

Another interesting experience was with Realms of Chaos. In the first turn I got additional unit to deal with but fortunately for me it was not that bad. I think I have also received something like 2 Slaanesh effects and 1 of each of the other gods. The good part was that only once or twice a 6 was rolled and even then the effects were not bad. I am fully aware that it was my great luck and I must admit that ardnunuff rolled a massive amount of 1's for these tests.

I hope you enjoyed the report and thanks for reading!

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Eigentlich gehört das nicht so richtig in diesen Thread, da es sich eher um einen allgemeinen Taktik Tip gegen starke Einheiten mit Raserei handelt.

Aber der Tip bezieht sich auf eine von Swordmasters Schlachten und die Taktik lässt sich mit einer MSU Armee natürlich besonders leicht umsetzen:

Zitat von "Swordmaster of Hoeth"

Greetings!

While analyzing a report on another forum a friend of mine gave a fantastic piece of advice on how to deal with Skullcrushers. It is in the context of one my last games against WoC (check out the Battle Report section!) but there are some awesome ideas on how to use different units and terrain to keep the frenzied troops chasing shadows whole game.

Enjoy!

Ich sehe hier recht viele klicks, aber leider nur sehr wenig Kommentare/Diskussionsbeiträge ...

Würde mich freuen wenn sich das ändern würde, denn einzig zur Selbstunterhaltung übertrage ich die Berichte eigentlich nicht...