MSU-Battle-Reports (English)

Archmage, Level 4, Moon Dragon, Talisman of Preservation, Dispel Scroll - 590 - Lore of Death
Dragonmage, Level 2, Dragon Armour, Charmed Shield, Golden Crown - 410 - Lore of Fire
Noble, BSB, Barded Steed, Dragon Armour, Enchanted Shield, Dawnstone, Sword of Might - 170
9 Silver Helms, Full Command, Shields - 237
6 Silver Helms, Musician, Shields - 148
20 Lothern Seaguard, Full Command - 260
6 Dragon Princes, Full Command, Banner of Swiftness, Starlance - 249
Bolt Thrower - 70
Bolt Thrower - 70
Bolt Thrower - 70
Bolt Thrower - 70
Great Eagle, Armour piercing - 55

This army had a comp score of 13.9 so only 0.1 point difference from mine. It is a very tough match up for me because the army has few elements that are very dangerous for MSU.

First - magic. Combination of Death and Fire (i.e. Fireball) can be very powerful. Imagine if you cast Doom and Darkness and then add a Fireball cast at the same target. There are also some spells that has to be dispelled and that makes choosing priorities in the magic phase more difficult. Add mobility of both wizards and it is really hard to avoid being spirit leached, for example.

Second - speed. This army outmatches mine in that department and only thanks to multiple units I have a chance to limit the mobility of such enemy. Big fliers are always a problem and here I have two. The good thing, however, is that both characters are relatively fragile so I didn't expect solo charges unless the unit is weakened or there are favorable circumstances. Which I wanted to deny.

Third - shooting. 4 bolt throwers are a force to be scared of. With their excellent range they were capable of focusing fire on a single target and eliminating it. They also were great at picking the weakened units that were just harmed by magic. On the other had they are not that expensive but might require a significant number of units to be sent against them. Both dragons also have breath attacks and that potentially can devastate any unit of mine, with the exception of Dragon Princes.

And last but not least - point denial units. Wizards might be fragile but even if you kill one then there is still a dragon. And while they are all worth a lot of points, until you get them there is nothing to gain. Similarly BSB and heavy cavalry are not that easy to get rid of. Simply because there are other elements of the enemy army that might be more dangerous at particular moment.

Each of these can be dealt with but unfortunately for me it was hard as they were not present alone but all together. So I could not use my speed to attack bolt throwers as it would have exposed me to the counter of the cavalry or dragons or both. I could not prevent all spells to be cast. Finally, setting up combined charges under the enemy fire and under constant threat of the dragons attack seems like mission impossible.

I discussed the issue with a few experienced players and thanks to their advice (thanks a lot for your words of wisdom, Hinge, Jimmy and Targ! :)) I decided to try something that might be called controlled aggressive approach

Basically, I decided to use terrain and relatively spread deployment to minimize the impact of the bolt throwers. I also wanted to use my greater number of deployment drops to see where the dragons and cavalry are so that I could pick the opposite flank to position my own characters. I was not sure if Chris would deploy on a flank though, so I also wanted to create a deployment that allowed me to hold one flank and approach with another, depending on where the dragons are. I really wanted to deny them a landing opportunity behind my back so I was willing to slow down the approach and suffer from shooting rather than allowing the wyrms to have a field day behind the lines.

Knowing that the magic will be an issue I wanted to use dispel dice to neglect spirit leach opportunities as a priority. I also wanted to use my won shooting as soon as any of the wizards was in line of sight. I reckoned that the archmage with only 4++ ward can fail some saves even from bow fire and that is why it is worthy shooting at him simply to stop him from casting spells. My own magic also can be useful in that. And if there is an opportunity to charge it and kill it, even more so!

I was also happy to commit to combat as I cannot be shot at there. On the other hand, letting enemy cavalry charge any of my elite infantry is a suicide so I wanted to avoid that unless the sacrifice would allow me to counter and destroy the unit of the enemy. I was happy with any unit for unit exchange as I have more of those.

Even with all the above I was definitely an underdog in that game and I was very curious if my plan is going to work and if I can pull out a good result. I was very eager to face up that challenge!

Deployment of the armies after vanguard

Might of Caledor vs. Outcasts

Caledorian wizards had following spells:

Archmage - Spirit Leach, Soulblight, Soulblight, Doom & Darkness
Dragon Mage - Fireball, Flaming Sword of Ruin

Larry joined the Swordmasters to the West while Bob was with Swordmasters to the East of the lake.

Chris won the roll-off and his super fast force had an additional advantage of having a first turn!

Slow advance of the Caledorian forces

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Magic and Shooting are deadly

Caledorian forces moved slowly forward. Dragon Mage and Silver Helms moved back and towards the centre of their deployment zone to put more distance from the enemy cavalry.

Only the Archmage moved forward and boldly landed in the middle of the battle field, having only the forest as a protection. He mustered his powers and cast a spell against his counter part. In the battle of wills the Archmage won decisively. Only the magical golden crown that enemy Loremaster had saved him from death.

Battery of Bolt Throwers sang their deadly music and both units of Sisters in the enemy ranks ceased to exist.

Easter flank advances

Aiming at the dragon but ...

Outcasts moved forward but only on the Eastern flank. There was no rush to meet the enemy even under deadly fire. It was more important to keep cohesive battle line and keep the dragons in check.

All missile units together with the Loremaster aimed at the enemy Archmage and his dragon but all missiles were either not accurate enough, or deflected by the dragons thick hide and wizard's magical protection.

Caledorians keep the distance

And batter their enemies with even more magic and shooting

Caledorians use their shooting and magic superiority again and don't rush for combat. The archmage again tries to force his opponent to meet him in the battle of wills on the magical plane but this time the Loremaster deflects the spell. That opens another opportunity and he and his unit are now shrouded in magic fog of doubts, doom and darkness. When the fireball hits them they are all disheartened and start to withdraw. Only at the very last moment they manage to regain a fraction of control and don't leave the battle field for good.

Bolt throwers and Sea Guard picked some targets and mainly enemy marines suffered from the shooting. They were stalwart defenders though and didn't move from their posts.

The battle for the pass?

Outcasts in the wide outflanking manoeuvre

Outcasts had to move more decisively now and entire Eastern flank turned towards the enemy. On the West reavers and eagle bolted out in hope to reach enemy artillery before they shoot them down.

Missile units again aimed at the Archmage and this time there were some wounds inflicted on the dragon.

Caledorians press forward

First combat!

The dragons move further to the West. The Archmage flies over the hill and some heavy cavalry move in to support him in outflanking maneuver. This time magic does not do the usual damage but shooting is as deadly as always. Reavers on the West are destroyed and the only survivor panics. Great eagle is not spared either. The sea guard and Swordmasters suffer more casualties, making both units almost non existent.

On the East Silver Helms lower their lances and charge Dragon Princes but that knightly clash brings no casualties and Dragon Princes hold their ground.

Counter charge!

Death of the Archmage!

Dragon Princes spur their horses and slam into the flank of enemy knights. Only one survives that devastating charge and flees to safety. The impetus Dragon Princes fail to restrain and try to catch the enemy but have to hold before they clash with their own unit.

Larry was really angry. He barely survived that silly mind tricks of the enemy archmage. He managed to heal himself a little but he knew that as long as the enemy archmage lives he will be the target. He summoned his favorite spell - a Fireball! Let's show that arrogant Caledorians some power of the dragon breath!

With eyes blazing with hot fury, Larry started to channel the magical energy. Even his adversary was not strong enough to deflect the spell cast with such an irresistible force. But Larry was not content. He saw his enemy swaying in the saddle but wanted him dead. He started to channel more and more energy to the point where it was controllable. He didn't care. He was about to channel some more when he felt the pain in the back of his head and darkness claimed him.

One of the Swordmasters looked at the numb form of their general and two broken pieces of the magical wand that were thrown nearby. "So that how that safety rod works" - he thought. "Is he going to be ok?" he asked his regimental Blademaster. "Sure, he might not remember how to cast spells for a while though" answered more experienced warrior. "But better that than another dimensional cascade, I have had enough of trips to the Realms of Chaos!"

Seeing the enemy Archmage barely holding to the saddle, archers and bolt thrower crew all aimed at the enemy general and finally managed to threw him down to the ground. His mount took the lifeless form and disappeared to the safety of the nearby hill.

Cavalry approaches steadily

And the shooting continues

The loss of the archmage took away a lot from the magical prowess of the Caledorian forces but they were still very dangerous foe. The regiments continued their steady approach and kept shooting.

In particular the effect of destruction of the Reavers on the East somehow panicked horses of the nearby knights and they had to withdraw to regain control over their terrified mounts.

For the greater good!

Time to return some favor with shooting

Decimated Swordmasters and Lions units moved to sell their lives in order to stop advancing enemy from hitting the more vulnerable targets behind them. Another unit of Lions attempted a very long charge but failed to reached their enemies in time.

Outcasts shooters aimed at the enemy knights and half of the heavy cavalry unit was destroyed.

Rage of the Dragon Mage!

Charges! But only some hit home

Dragon Princes attempted to charge the enemy eagle claw but misjudged the distance. Heavy cavalry led by BSB quickly destroyed few of the enemy Lions. Finally, the Dragon Mage charged another unit of Lions and the ferocity of the attack broke even these stalwart warriors. The impetus of the attack carried him right into the flank of the enemy knights. Would his flaming sword be able to claim more enemy lives?

Cavalry companions are late!

But the shooting eliminates the enemy knights

Dragon Princes try to speed up but somehow they cannot reach the enemy in time. Their companions still hold though.

Bob decided to use his magical potion and his supernatural strength allows him to kill remaining 3 enemy knights all by himself. Inspired by this heroic display of the shooting skills the crew of the eagle claw loads a single bolt and shoots the enemy from the flank only to find out their missile broke in midair. (Edit: Nothing like rolling a 1 to wound )

Dragon Mage in hot pursuit

4 vs 1, eagle claws battle

Dragon Mage finally manages to break his enemies but is unable to catch fleeing knights. The battery of bolt throwers aims then at a lone enemy war machine and destroy it.

Dragon Hunt!

This time Dragon Princes do not hesitate and attack. Dragon Mage dies and his dragon is mortally wounded. He is barely alive and tries to fly away but vengeful knights catch it in hot pursuit!

Both armies sustained some casualties and it seemed that Caledorians still claimed a victory. But only just!

After calculating the battle points we found out that it was 11-9 victory for Chris. A very good result for me as it was not an easy match up at all!

I was pleased with the general outcome as I managed to prevent dragons to fly over and sit behind my lines. Then they would be able to pick up the fights and destroy my small units. Especially with the help of heavy cavalry. There are a few things I could have done differently though.

1. Position Loremaster further to the right so that he is not the target of the Spirit Leach first turn. It is hard to achieve as with 20" move the flying Archmage can reach far. But the thing is that would have force him to land in front of the forest. Better chances to hit. And I needed that help a lot.

2. Moving eagle and ER on the left was a mistake. I could have better used them to delay cavalry. Instead, I lost them for no gain.

3. Possibly move BSB and both characters more towards the centre so any D&D is not causing dramas and chances for the unit to flee the table. I would have also had Dragon Princes in range for that much needed re-roll for a panic check.

4. Long charge of Lions was risky and didn't pay off. On the other hand it gave me the opportunity to fight dragon mage and that exchange was good for me. At the same time, failed panic check and failed charge meant I got no chances to attack bolt throwers. Simply to silence them down as there is not much point gain for them and I doubt I would have been able to get more than 2.

5. Earthing Rod was really needed this time. I cascaded Larry but could re-roll that only to get a 10 and to lose all magic levels. But at least he was alive for the reminder of the game. And that is very important.

6. The only thing I wonder about is how should I position Sisters. They were primary target and maybe it would have been a better idea to keep them behind other units?

Chris played a very good game. He was patient and meticulous in picking up the targets. He used his magic in a superb way and only lucky rolls saved my Loremaster and his bodyguards. Point denial helped here a lot too as even with the loss of the Archmage he didn't lose a single point.

I learned a lot on how to play against double dragon army but I am still not sure if I could pull out a similar result again. But it was a great pleasure and honour to play against Chris and his very mobile army.

Thanks a lot, Chris, and congratulations on a very good placing over all! =D>

Thanks for reading

Vampire Lord, level 1,great weapon, heavy armour, Dragonhelm, Talisman of preservation, Book of arkhan, Other tricksters shard, Red fury, Rlying horror - 411 - Lore of Vampires
Master necormancer, level 3, Power stone - 185 - Lore of Vampires
Necromancer, level 1, Dispel scroll, Obsidian trinket - 105 - Lore of Death
Wight King, great weapon, Nightshroud - 130
34 Crypt Ghouls, champion - 350
5 dire wolves - 40
5 dire wolves - 40
30 zombies, musician, standard bearer - 100
20 zombies, musician, standard bearer - 70
28 grave guard, great weapons, full command, Banner of the barrows - 416
7 Crypt Horrors - 266
2 fell bats - 32
2 bat swarms - 70
4 vargiests - 184

Another tough army for my Outcasts to fight against. Vampire Lord has the ability to chop anything I can throw at him by himself. He can then proceed to heal himself if he suffers any wounds. GW and "only" 4+/4++ saves might give me a chance to wound him sometimes but in general it is a tough thing to accomplish.

Necromancers and a bound spell assured that the magic should work to VC army favor. Depending on the spell selection I was about to either face multiple invocations or even two van hels spells per turn. Spirit Leach on level 1 also added to the equation, in particular that at this event Inspiring Presence could be used for the roll-off. So lowly necromancer had ld10 for the purpose of that spell.

4 combat units were all tough on their own. Ghouls and Grave Guard are very numerous and only a powerful mutliple charge can decrease their numbers fast enough to avoid them getting back to fight thanks to necromantic spells. Vargheists, while frenzied and unarmored, pose a huge threat thanks to S5 and ability to fly. Crypt Horrors are insanely tough and very hard to destroy even with flaming attacks.

Add to that some zombies and a few fast unit and you have a force that can form a very solid battle line, can move surprisingly fast and can replenish the losses quickly too.

I also wanted to highlight that Mick's army looks absolutely fantastic on the battle field and I was ashamed that my own elves are not up to that high standard. I will need to improve that aspect asap. Mick, your army is an inspiration! Thanks for that!

Tight undead formation versus spread elven battle line

Deployment of the armies after vanguard moves.

A lot depended on the scenario. I lost the roll off and I knew that I will probably be second. Because of that I wanted to deploy slightly further with some of the units, so that I had more time to shoot or react. It was hard to predict where particular units might end up so I had to adapt quickly. But I had a little advantage because I saw how Mick's army is deployed and could form some kind of a plan already. His army unintentionally ended up crowded in the corner. It meant I had a lot of room for wide outflanking maneuver. At the same time I needed some delaying force on the opposite flank or units that could threaten the advance of the undead if they wished to turn more towards the center.

Whatever the deployment it looked like it was a race against time for both of us. If Mick managed to advance quickly he could overwhelm my forces on one flank before the reinforcements arrived from another. If I could delay the advance I would be able to set these combined charges and try to destroy his units in powerful attacks from all directions.

Mick's wizards had the following spells:

Vampire - Invocation
Master Necromancer - Invocation, Van Hels, Hellish Vigor
Necromancer - Spirit Leach

I attempted to steal the initiative but I was not successful and Mick had the first turn.

Undead move forward

The advance is unnaturally fast!

Undead horde moved forward. But instead of slow and uncontrolled shambling the restless dead move in unison and at a speed that was surprising even to the Elven warriors. Surely some powerful mind and iron will was behind that.

Cavalry leads the way!

Left flank on hold, right flank moving fast

Elves moved according to the orders given before the battle. Left flank stood firm and opened fire at Crypt Horrors destroying two of the huge creatures. For now. A pack of dire wolves was also destroyed in an accurate bow fire.

Right flank moved quickly to intercept dire wolves and to outflank the approaching undead units.

Undead are almost upon High Elves

Elven lines seem to be in disarray

Undead minions didn't slow down and in some cases it even looked like they are faster. Crypt Horrors headed towards the heavy cavalry, almost making it to the elven deployment zone. One regiment of Sisters had to withdraw from the charge of the Grave Guard. Powerful magic was at work again and not only the undead regiments moved surprisingly fast but the undying legion's warriors seemed to be even more vigorous. What is more, the seemingly destroyed Horrors stood up again and joined their cursed brethren.

Blurry picture - no report is complete without at least one :oops:

Encirclement of the enemy. Or so it seemed.

Offense is the best form of defense and Elves attacked. Dragon Princes with the support of Sea Guard attacked Crypt Horrors. Flaming lances tore through foul bodies and spears stabbed from the side but still 3 brutes remained and held the line for their vampiric master.

On the other flank elven units moved fast and encircled the enemy in a perfect formation. Or was it?

Counter attack

Undead dominate the left flank

Dragon Princes and Sea Guard fought bravely but the counter charge of the Vargheists was too much and both units fled. Grave Guard and Ghouls both destroyed interfering eagles but surprisingly enough one of them inflicted a single wound on a Vampire Lord before it perished.

Zombies moved accordingly to the Vampire orders and blocked elven cavalry from supporting their infantry companions.

All out charge!

Bob the Battle Standard Bearer gulped his potion and feeling very heroic shout out to the cursed vampire lord to meet him in a single combat. Surprisingly, the lord of the night sent his ghoul minion in his stead. The attack of many elven units was incredibly ferocious and where in one second a ghoul horde was threatening their lines, now only Vampire Lord and a single cannibalistic creature remained.

Elven cavalry hacked left and right to break through the bodies of zombies to aid their companions but for now they were stuck.

Exchange of blows continues

Vampire Lord tried hard to break through. He even managed to rise more ghouls to help him out. He faced only Swordmasters so he though he had a chance. But warriors of Hoeth swung their blades with no mercy and inflicted such horrible casualties to the unit that the magic was weakened and Lord of the Night perished with his minions.

Grave Guard, led by their immortal king also stormed elven warriors in order to break through. Archers bravely stood in their path. Brave warriors died but helped other units to set up the trap.

The might of coordinated attack

Another powerful combined charge!

Elves, encouraged by the fact the Vampire Lord perished, doubled their efforts. Heavy Cavalry tore through thin line of zombies and smashed into the rear of the Grave Guard. The timing was perfect as the undead were simultaneously engaged from all sides by Swordmasters and White Lions. No foe could stand such a powerful attack and Grave Guard was no more. Only their King had the will strong enough to remain standing.

Although the undead were still a threat it was clear that without their master and with their numbers decreasing fast, that they were in a very difficult position. Master Necromancer decided then, that it is time to withdraw before Elves regroup and encircle him and his brainless "bodyguards".

I was very pleased with the outcome even if we played only 4 turns. I was hard pressed and I thought I am done when the opportunity presented itself. The all out attack, even without the aid of cavalry proved to be a right decision. I risked my BSB knowing that Vampire has lost 1 wound and that 3 ASF attacks with S8 can be his ending. Since the positioning of the characters prevented Vampire from attacking the Swordmasters I managed to inflict even more casualties. But the effect of destroying 30 ghouls in a single combat was surprising even for me.

Mick played a very good game and I admired his great skill in blocking my units with seemingly very slow infantry. Magic of course helps but it was a very good performance regardless. After the game we exchanged the impressions and he said he probably was moving his units too fast. It allowed me to isolate ghouls and even when grave guard turned around it was not able to help out and prevent the worse - losing the general.

Another powerful charge from all sides and also grave guard crumbled in a single turn. I was very glad I managed to pull out these charges as for a change, in this game the close combat was the main thing. Shooting did little and the casualties were brought back anyway.

And let's not forget about brave eagle who inflicted that one crucial wound on Vampire Lord himself!

I would like to thank Mick for a fantastic game! It was a great pleasure to play against you and I am looking forward to the opportunity for a rematch!

Thanks for reading!

Archmage, level 4, Earthing rod - 245 - Lore of Heavens
BSB, halberd, dragon armour, reaver bow, charmed shield, potion of strength - 157
Noble, eagle, dragon armour, star lance, golden crown of altrazar, enchanted shield, potion of foolhardiness - 180
6 silver helm, shields, full command - 168
9 silver helm, shields, full command - 237
5 reavers, spears, bows, musician - 105
5 reavers, spears, bows - 95
12 white lions, full command, gleaming pennant - 191
12 white lions, full command - 186
15 phoenix guards, full command, banner of the world dragon - 305
12 phoenix guards, musician, standard - 200
Eagle claw bolt thrower - 70
Eagle claw bolt thrower - 70
Eagle claw bolt thrower - 70
Eagle claw bolt thrower - 70
eagle - 50

Swedish Comp: 13.2

Technically MSU army and I should rejoice However, it has only 10 deployment drops, units are more expensive and not that choppy as Swordmasters. There are more characters but that is ok as they are similar to what I have anyway. Lack of small arms shooting can be a problem as Eagle Claws are either overkill or not good enough when you need to divide the attention. What is more, I expected problems with line of sight clearance when I started to move my regiments. Especially, when there are no hills to occupy.

At the same time I had a chance to see how that powerful banner works, how is phoenix guard in small-ish units and how can I do with less but more powerful shooting.

It was also even more challenging since I was about to face Dwarves and Adam's army led by Matt:

Runelord, shield, rune of speed, rune of stone, rune of spellbreaking - 178
Master Engineer - 70
Master Engineer - 70
Dragon Slayer - 50
Dragon Slayer - 50
Dragon Slayer - 50
Dragon Slayer - 50
Dragon Slayer - 50
Dragon Slayer - 50
Dragon Slayer - 50
Dragon Slayer - 50
18 Dwarf Warriors, shield, musisian, standard - 177
13 Dwarf Warriors, shield, musician, standard - 132
10 Dwarf Warriors, shield, musician, standard - 105
10 Dwarf Warriors, shield, musician, standard - 105
10 Dwarf Warriors, shield, musician, standard - 105
35 Miners, full command - 410
Cannon, rune of flaming - 95
Cannon - 90
Cannon - 90
Grudge Thrower, 2xRune of Penetrating - 130
Organ Gun - 120
Organ Gun - 120

Swedish Comp: 13.8

While not typical Dwarven castle it still has very potent shooting, in particular against small units. 2 Organ Guns have a very good board control abilities and it would be very hard to approach it. Cannons would have a field day against Bolt Throwers and I didn't feel good about giving up free points like that. With so many war machines a flying noble was at grave danger too.

Typical fact about Dwarven castle where all war machines are still expensive, does not apply here. They are also no less accurate simply because there are two engineers to look after them. Other small units are simply road blocks and are not that expensive either. Add to that very annoying Dragon Slayers and you will find out it is very hard to approach that army and to do so quickly enough might not be an option either.

Difference in comp was not big but it still transferred to 160 points of a bonus for Matt.

It is not a castle, at least Matt promised he would not deploy in that formation

Deployment of the armies after vanguard move

I had to approach fast but I didn't want to do it recklessly. I assumed I will have second turn and had to move in the first turn slowly so that I am not yet in the range of organ guns. Unless we are talking about the units on the flank which could move faster. I wanted to have them more or less in the charge distance by turn 3 but move them all together so that even with all the shooting there would be too many targets to eliminate.

I also didn't want to move along right flank as I knew the miners might appear there and that would have been a problem.

In the meantime I rolled for spells and the Archmage got:

Iceshard Blizzard, Harmonic Convergence, Uranon's Tunderbolt, Chain Lightning

No comet (I rolled no doubles) but Chain Lightning can actually be quite good against these Dragon Slayers

We rolled for that important first turn and Matt won it and almost immediately proceeded to the shooting phase

They moved! I swear!

Dwarves tighten their formation

Dwarven warriors locked their shields and tightened their formation but apart from that they didn't need to move much. They knew the enemy would come to them!

The artillery opened their fire and one of the bolt throwers was reduced to fire wood and chop sticks while another one, miraculously, survived. The engineers reprimanded their young apprentices. And mumbled something that in their times such short sighted younglings would not be even capable of passing the initial exams to the gunnery university.

High Elves move forward

Outflanking - would it work against all these slayers in the woods?

Elven army had to move fast. But not in a reckless way. Units on the Western flank galloped forward but were careful to stay out of range of the organ gun. Units in the centre moved slower also because of the threat of the accursed weapons. If they were to succeed they had to move all together.

Bolt thrower crews tried to find some targets in the growing chaos of the battle and one of the dwarvern warriors regiments caught their attention. Only 2 warriors survived the barrage but they stubbornly held their ground. Then the archmage called the power of the thunders and brought the destruction to one of the orange haired lunatics. His companions cursed the Elves for bringing such cowardly means to the warfare and denying one of them a chance of honourable death in combat.

Dynamic movement among the trees

Slayers shake the woods to make an impression that there are 300 of them there!

Dwarves moved even less this time. Engineers started to cry when they saw the inaccuracy of the cannon crews. The young artillery dwarves turned red in shame and only the duty kept them trying instead of joining the dragon slayers to wash away their humility with the purifying effect of honourable death in combat. Still, some elves died.

Elves get closer

Only the Noble is hiding behind the building

The elven army continues the advance and units prepare for charges. If they survive incoming barrage, that is, because they have just entered the kill zone created by organ guns.

Magic and shooting is very limited this time, with many targets obscured by friendly regiments and only two remaining dwarven warriors perish in effect. Not quite the effect elves wanted to achieve.

Slayers to the front!

And some more shooting!

Some slayers could not wait any longer and run towards the elves, shouting insults to provoke cowardly pointy eared warriors to find some courage and engage them in fighting.

Organ gun crews finally found a target for their experimental weapons and one unit of reavers ceased to exist. One of the cannon crews redeemed themselves and killed great eagle.

First charges!

Slayers prove to be harder to kill than expected

Three elven units attack interfering dragon slayers but only White Lions succeed in killing one and moving forward. Silver Helms were stopped in their tracks. Smaller unit suffering casualties in the process too.

Shooting and magic once again proved to be ineffective.

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Miners show up!

It could have not been a better timing!

With Elves even closer the fight becomes even more bloody. First, dwarven artillery starts to show why it is so feared. Two bolt throwers are utterly destroyed. Organ gun decimates White Lions but despite that stubborn Chracians keep advancing.

Then dragon slayer have mixed luck against elven knights. One of them kills his solitary opponent while another one fails to deflect a lucky slash and finally finds peace in the embrace of death. Third of the slayers charges light cavalry who is forced to retreat after losing some of their members due to ferocious attacks of the naked maniac with huge axe.

Elves keep attacking!

They are getting through towards the artillery!

Elves have no choice but to keep attacking. Phoenix Guard and depleted Lions charge dragon slayers and manage to overrun into the artillery behind them. On the East White Lions also charge the warriors, knowing they need to break through to at least stop the miners. They win the fight and chase away the survivors and hit the unit behind them. But the miners are just behind them and now Chracians are trapped.

The fight continues!

Now it was the time for Dwarves to counter attack and stall the advance of the elven army. Warriors and Dragon Slayer attacked the Phoenix Guard that fought against the crew of the organ gun. Warriors and the crew perished but the slayer held the line!

White Lions tried hard to destroy another warrior unit but could not make it as a few survivors kept fighting. And then the sheer number of attacks from the miners attacking their rear was devastating.

Getting there?

Death of a Runelord!

Runelord left his bodyguards and moved away but that gave the chance for the Archmage to find him with some lightnings. Chain reaction that occurred killed the Runelord and nearby Organ Gun but was not powerful enough to make more dwarven warriors to perish.

Phoenix Guard and White Lions on the East both destroyed their foes and turned to face new ones.

Dragon Slayers sacrifice themselves to save their companions

A slight mistake, PG is facing towards the enemy now

The last stage of the battle. The dragon slayers move forward to protect their brethren and find the honourable deaths as their comrades from the cult. Only two of them remained! Would that be enough?

Matt is very happy as he thought this game would be over in 3 rounds!

Brave Dwarves flee to the safety

Thanks to the sacrifice of the dragon slayers, elven warriors don't have many opportunities for last charges. Even warriors do not hold as they were supposed to and simply flee to the safety in a very undwarfish manner. Some suspected they are, in fact, Skaven in disguise!

Only magic was left to shift the balance but unfortunately the winds of magic didn't blow hard enough and a few remaining warriors survived the battle as did majority of the artillery park.

Both armies, bloodied but unbowed, disengaged to regroup.

That was a tough game indeed but a very enjoyable one and I would like to thank Matt for great battle! Matt plays Skaven so it was also quite a significant change of play style for him but he did great with stalling the advance, despite some bad luck with shooting with cannons. He made up for it with Organ Guns though!

His plan worked better than mine and with the extra points due to comp difference we got a draw!

There were many little things in that game that I could have done better and that would have had helped me to achieve a better result but I wanted to start with a comment on both armies.

Dwarven Army designed by Adam G. seemed like a very tough one to use because it looks like it needs to castle as any other typical dwarven force but does not have big punch in close combat. However, in that game a castle-like deployment did help. Timely appearance of the Miners was also vital as they stopped Lions in their rampage that otherwise would have see them going through another unit and getting to the artillery.

It is also difficult army to play against as it is hard to get points from it! All these slayers are worth 400 points in total but they were priceless when they were needed to jump in front of the advancing enemy and block it, often for longer than expected. So it was not only to prevent combined charges but also to stall their advance further. Well done to Matt for playing a very good game with that difficult army to play with.

Simon's HE are technically a MSU but I would make some changes to make it more flexible. There are too many bolt throwers in it as I have mentioned and in particular in this game they were free points. You can argue that if the enemy shoots at the them he does not shoot at something else but there were not many targets that required cannons. 2 organ guns and grudge thrower did enough damage to the light troops that approached them anyway.

Instead I would take some Sisters as they can move and pick the targets better without penalty. I'd prefer to have 2 bolt throwers and 2 x 5 Sisters any time. I would have also divided Silver Helms unto 3 units of 5. It gives more flexibility but also makes them easier to move. I had to make that wide formation to avoid grudge thrower damage and that limited their manoeuvrability.

Some of the units were a little too big for my liking. Costly PG with BoWD made me too careful with them. I kept them back as they baby-sitted two vulnerable characters. While they were protecting them they also didn't contribute to any combat in an active way. But maybe it was more due to my inability to use them better.

A list of mistakes I think were made by me in that game:

1. Deployment - it was not difficult to anticipate that the dwarven army is going to be in the corner and to guess in which one. I also could anticipate that if I were to move along the flank the miners would appear there too. Hence, the deployment was not good. I should have put both PG units on the right flank. Not on the edge but a little more towards the centre in comparison to where the right most lions were. Light cavalry should be on the far left flank and could vanguard and then move to towards the enemy fast. Heavy cavalry should be on the left centre. Then Lions maybe behind the cavalry if need be. The problems with bolt throwers would be the same though.

2. Too careful - I think I was too careful with my advance and should have moved in a more decisive way.

3. Light cavalry on the right flank - I wanted to move them so they could shoot at the slayer. Then I hoped for 1 wound. If he charged I thought I might get another one. But I didn't get any and the cavalry was destroyed. Maybe it was a mistake, I am not sure.

4. Noble - Hiding him behind the building was not bad idea. But positioning him so that he could see nothing was. Also, I was afraid that that he could have got killed if I only put him in the open. But later on, in turn 5 it was the best time to move him and I had a good chance to make that last charge and maybe kill something. There was also a good opportunity to charge slayers if I positioned him so that he could actually see something. But unfortunately I didn't.

I was still happy with a draw and the over all performance day 1.

Thanks for reading!

Vampire Lord, level 1,great weapon, heavy armour, Dragonhelm, Talisman of preservation, Book of arkhan, Other tricksters shard, Red fury, Rlying horror - 411 - Lore of Vampires
Master necormancer, level 3, Power stone - 185 - Lore of Vampires
Necromancer, level 1, Dispel scroll, Obsidian trinket - 105 - Lore of Death
Wight King, great weapon, Nightshroud - 130
34 Crypt Ghouls, champion - 350
5 dire wolves - 40
5 dire wolves - 40
30 zombies, musician, standard bearer - 100
20 zombies, musician, standard bearer - 70
28 grave guard, great weapons, full command, Banner of the barrows - 416
7 Crypt Horrors - 266
2 fell bats - 32
2 bat swarms - 70
4 vargiests - 184

Comp 12.5

I have seen what this army can do and I was curious if I could repeat the incredibly fast march that force can make. I observed how Mick is using his forces and I decided I will try to imitate it. Keep the army together for the purpose of march moves and spells. Try to use faster elements to outflank the enemy and use the fact I can rise the fallen back and replenish casualties to grind down theoretically more powerful foe. I simply needed to see if that foe was enemy's toughest unit or some other regiment.

I was a little concerned with the relative lack of protection on the Vampire Lord. As I have seen in my previous game, a 4++ ward save alone is really not that much in the case of such an expensive and important individual as Vampire Lord.

Slaan, BSB, focus of mystery, standard of discipline, dragonbane gem - 380 - High Magic
Oldblood, coldone, light armour, great weapon, charmed shield, dawnstone - 215
Scar veteran, coldone, shield, dragonhelm, other tricksters shard, luckstone, sword of might - 154
skink priest,dispel scroll - Lore of Heavens - 90
skink chief, light armour, obsidian amulet, warrior bane, enchanted shield - 82
10 Skink Skirmishers, javelin, shield - 70
10 Skink Skirmishers, javelin, shield - 70
24 Skinks, full command, 3 kroxigor - 300
10 Skinks, musician - 60
16 skinks, musician, champion - 100
3 Terradon Riders, Fireleech Bolas - 108
23 Temple Guard, full command, Jaguar Standard - 402
5 Chameleon Skinks - 65
6 Cold One Riders, musician, standard bearer, spears - 224
1 Salamander Hunting Pack - 80

Comp 13.9

This is a tough army because it is very hard to get points from. A few big units, where characters can hide and deny the points to the enemy. A lot of support units to ensure the enemy cannot simply get into combat and to be annoying with all these poisonous shots.

Slann knowing all the spells from High Magic would be a very interesting opponent indeed as there are many spells that help out the relatively slow Lizardmen and can make them even more formidable in combat. Not to mention a new Fiery Convocation. I was really looking forward to see what new High Magic can do.

It is also amazing how powerful Lizardmen veterans can be at a relatively low cost. That oldblood is very hard to kill while he can dish out a lot of damage on his own. Same with the scar veteran. They would be very dangerous to fight against even for the Vampire Lord, simply because of his great weapon and striking last.

Armies arrayed for battle

Deployment after vanguard moves (very short ones!)

Both armies deployed relatively in the centre and with the support units around the main battle line. Lizardmen deployed all their characters in Temple Guard. While Vampire Lord led Ghouls, Wight King was of course with the Grave Guard and both Necromancers hid among zombies.

The undead casters had following spells:

Master Necromancer - Invocation, Van Hels, Gaze of Nagash
Vampire Lord - Invocation
Necromancer - Spirit Leach

Surprisingly I won the roll off and got the first turn.

Undead move forward

Vargheists are overwhelmed by their blood thirst

Undead horde shambled forward. Necromancers tried to hasten them with foul magic but Slann thwarted these attempts. Vargheists spotted the Terradon Riders far away but their blood thirst was strong and they still took flight. Swift lizardmen fliers easily avoided such an obvious attack.

Lizardmen advance too

Power of the High Magic

Lizardmen moved forward to meet the enemy head on. Swift skinks of each kind moved around the enemy and peppered undead with missiles. But the main blow came at the hands of the Slann. It first attempted to destroy magical protection of the Vampire Lord and his necromantic minions hastened to deflect the spell with a dispel scroll. Slann then focused its power into irresistible spell and Ghoul horde were engulfed in fiery inferno. More than half of them burned to the ashes and the rest could not put down the fires either.

Undead don't slow their advance

Vargheists again fail to keep their blood thirst in check

Vampire Lord, tired of the Vargheist misbehave, flew to join Grave Guard regiment to keep a watchful eye on his frenzied minions. The winds of magic blew low and Necromancers barely managed to rise some Ghouls so that they didn't perish yet.

Lizardmen are careful

Armies are close but don't yet engage

Lizardmen slowed down their advance as the light troops blocked the charge paths. Skinks attacked a single wolf and killed it for good while a Salamander pack charged into burning Ghouls. They killed the handlers but the salamander didn't run.

The armies were very close to each other but none wanted to commit fully to close combat.

Stalmate

War of atrocity between support troops

Vampire Lord ordered his units to move patiently before he could spring his trap and attack the temple guard from all sides. Unfortunately, the Slann could anticipate it and did all it could to prevent that. That meant weak winds of magic again and yet again necromancers struggled to get any spells through.

What is more skinks fight with unprecedented bravery instilled in them by the presence of the Slann and they hold against the Zombie horde despite the odds.

Slanns magic takes some of his temple guard

Both forces try to outflank each other

Lizardmen light troops block more powerful undead regiments from attacking temple guard. Other skirmishers close in and try to inflict additional casualties. Ghouls burn further and only a single creature is standing at the moment.

Saurus cavalry smashes through some bat swarms and hit zombies shambling behind them. Then the Slann weaves its magic. It is yet another irresistible one and Vampire Lord finds his protective talisman destroyed. The following detonation takes away a lot of temple guard but fortunately for the Lizardmen army the Slann remains standing on the edge of the huge crater.

Blurry picture as always :oops:

Undead surround Temple Guard but it is too late

Undead units finally surround temple guard but it is too late for the attack. The right flank is collapsing and Lizardmen still had units to sacrifice to prevent the charge from all sides. Vampire Lord is also reluctant to engage now as he is stripped of any protection. He may be inhumanly strong but it does not mean he was indestructible. And Lizardmen Oldblood had the means to make his immortal life a little bit shorter.

Some more ghouls are risen again but it seems there were still not enough of them.

This diagram might not be accurate

Lizardmen cavalry, after destroying the zombies, charge the ghouls and finally destroy them too but small cloud of skinks prevents them from joining the fight with another block of zombies held by skinks as if they were the temple guard.

Slann directs his gaze at the Vampire Lord and his Grave Guard. They start burning in the same way as ghouls not so long time ago. Seeing this, the Vampire brings early night and under the cover of darkness he disengages his army. He failed to outmanoeuvre Lizardmen and now he needed to save himself and his minions from the total demise.

Well, we run out of time so the game had to finish after turn 4. I am afraid it was also a saviour for me as at this stage my army was slowly crumbling. I am not sure if the situation I presented on the diagram was correct but even if I still could charge temple guard from 3 sides it was not good odds. The Lord was naked. He could have been destroyed by any Saurus hero. Grave Guard was halved and I am not sure I would have been able to dispel that in my turn. So it also decreased the power of the supposed attack.

After calculating the points it looked like I lost around 500VP points more. With the comp difference it also meant the loss was slightly bigger so the final result was 7:13. Not too bad but not that great either.

So what did I do wrong?

1. Vargheists - I should have used the way Mick used in our game and move them backwards so that they cannot see the enemy when it is too early. That really slowed down the advance.
2. Power Scroll - I forgot about it! :oops: When the winds of magic are low it is the best time to use it. So I could have raised more Ghouls (double invocation) or move the units faster.
3. Fiery Convocation - I think that this spell won Simon the game. I lost 350 points for that unit alone. Could I do something? Well, not to prevent the spell cast with Irresistible Force. But using Power Scroll I could raised more ghouls.
4. Skinks - there was nothing I could do when SKinks stubbornly held the line. They were losing combats constantly but held the line anyway. 3d6 base Ld 10 is such a huge asset, especially with re-roll from bsb. The odds were good in particular on the turn when I charged with Zombies.
5. Deployment - I wonder if alternative deployment, along the right flank, would have been better. Assuming Simon would deploy in the same manner I might have engaged the weaker troops there. Maybe I could have gotten some points there?

That army swap was very interesting and after that game I see the need to play games with other armies than mine

I hope it was still a good enough read, despite the totally different type of the game.

Thanks for reading!