MSU-Battle-Reports (English)

Sorceror Lord, Level 4, Mark of Slaanesh, Steed of Slaanesh, Unholy Strike, Charmed Shield, Sword of Striking, Talisman of Preservation, The Other Trickster's Shard - Lore of Slaanesh

Chaos Sorcerer Level 2, Opal Amulet, Scroll of Shielding, Shrieking Blade - Lore of Fire

Exalted Hero, Army Battle Standard , Chaos Steed (barded), Great weapon, Mark of Slaanesh, Dragonhelm, Potion of Foolhardiness, Talisman of Endurance

Chaos Chariot, Mark of Slaanesh
20 Chaos Marauders, FC, Shields, Mark of Slaanesh
15 Chaos Warriors, FC, Shields, Mark of Slaanesh, Standard of Discipline
Forsaken, Mark of Khorne
Marauder Horsemen, Shields, Mark of Slaanesh

Chimera, Regenerating Flesh
Hell Striders, Musician

Dragon Ogre Shaggoth , Extra Hand Weapon
Skullcrushers of Khorne, Musician, Ensorcelled Weapons

Swedish Comp: 15.0

Jonathan's army in its full glory

Picture taken by ThaneG from wargamerau.com (Thanks for permission! :))

Jonathan's army was tough and great looking force. My favourite was his Shaggoth with double blade weapon, much like Eternal Guards double blade spears. But whole army was really well painted and it was a pleasure to fight against it. I wish I had time for close ups!

The characters were very well protected and tough in combat. Level 4 had potentially very powerful weapon against my units in the form of Cacophonic Choir spell but whole lore of Slaanesh is very mean and dangerous. There were a few usual suspects in the form of Crushers, Shaggoth, Chimera and Chariot. Each of these was a problem I had to find a quick solution to. They are all individually beatable but the challenge lies in dividing them and beat them fast enough. And while doable it is not easy at all!

Less frequently observed choices were definitely infantry regiments. While Warriors are still acceptable then internet knowledge deems marauders and forsaken as simply useless. But I always have a respect for these "unwanted" units and I knew that in the hands of a good general they are all very dangerous.

As always against Warriors of Chaos I wanted to use the fact they are less numerous against them. It was , however, hard to plan in details as a lot depended on where particular unit is going to end up to due to scenario special rules. I wanted to shoot Chimera as I think I had a good chance of doing so if it appeared in the open. Despite the fact there were only 2 fast cavalry units they also were a priority and my own reavers would engage them first with shooting and then, if opportunity arises, in close combat.

I wanted to use the fact that the army of warriors had units that approach with different speed. Infantry would march for 3 turns before it comfortably closed to my own lines. Quite enough time to set traps and try to deal with faster elements. Shaggoth and Skull Crushers in particular. If possible, I wanted to use Crusher's frenzy against them.

Ok, let's see how the deployment turned up!

Armies arrayed for battle

Surprisingly there is more chaos in the Elven ranks!

Ah well, that is not exactly what I was hoping for. Especially Sea Guard and Archers turned up on the opposite flank to what I would have preferred as their arrows will find it very difficult to harm either Shaggoth or Crushers. Loremaster had a Lion unit to hide in but that still left him very exposed. The fact that Sorcerer Lord vanguarded didn't look good either. I was worried that my scattered deployment will be hard to fix in turn one, also because I expected that the warriors will approach at a double towards my lines. Even extra distance due to deployment at the edge might not be enough to avoid early charges.

Before the battle started Jonathan rolled for spells and he obtained the following:

Sorcerer Lord - Lash of Slaanesh, Hysterical Frenzy, Slicing Shards, Cacophonic Choir

Sorcerer - Fireball, Flaming Sword of Ruin

Jonathan won the roll off and his was the first turn!

Chaos army rushes forward!

Something went wrong for the Sorcerer Lord!

Chaos army rushes forward to meet elves before they regroup. Sorcerer Lord leads the assault at the head of the small Hellstriders unit. Seeing elven regiments in not yet perfect but crowded formation he summons his powers and calls for the aid of his deity.

Sorcerer Lord was in a foul mood. He wanted to have some fun but was instead urged by his superiors to fight some elves. While they are always good sport he noticed these are not of his favourite type. Plain clothes, bad style, even few ladies they brought with them were not half naked. And what was that with these silly bows, was that to impress him? Bah!

But the clever mind like his always finds a solution! He put on his favourite music of the most recent album by "Cacophoni" called "The Choir". He was very proud of his tuned daemonic mounted that instead of 3 pairs of boobs sported some proper class loud speakers. Now, let these wimps have a taste of a proper music!

To his astonishment he saw the portal opening. And what did he see on the other side? The stage and a crowd of daemonettes shouting "Cacophoni! Cacophoni!". Could it be? Yes indeed! His favourite music band is about to give a concert! How lucky for him that his lord Slaanesh heard his real desire and provided an opportunity to do what he wanted! And they were about to start with a blast and fireworks! Perfect!

The chaos sorcerer disappeared in the colossal blast, taking half of the unit of Hellstriders with him. A few White Lions, target of his spell, fell too but the damage was not that big considering the huge potential such accursed magic has. A few Reavers fell to the spell of a second wizard but their companions held with grim determination.

It was a start with a blast for a Chaos army but probably not exactly the type they envisioned prior to the battle.

Edit: It was a very interesting situation. Jonathan had 5 dice left for that spell and he was pondering on which version he should cast. After long deliberations he opted for a small one, targeting only a single regiment with a general hoping to kill lots of Lions and panic them from the battle field. If he only knew he was going to get IF! Lucky me he didn't cast the bubble version of that spell!

Offence is the best defence!

Counter attack!

Units on the West attacked immediately. First, Dragon princes charge marauders who elected to withdraw and elven knights changed the direction of the attack. However, that cost them time and they had to stop the charge that would have not reached the enemy chariot any way. At the same time Reavers attacked exposed flank of the Hellstriders. They also tried to escape but swift elven cavalry caught them and marauder horsemen that hit the fleeing unit and caused a lot of chaos in confusion.

At the same time the shooters and Loremaster focused their attention to lonely Chimera and the beast was brought down before it managed to hit the ranks of elven warriors.

The regiments on the East manoeuvred slowly with eagles tempting both hard hitters from the Chaos army to charge them.

Chaos army keeps advancing

And hits hard!

Chaos Sorcerer took over the leadership of the army and led them to attack as planned. First, he unleashed Forsaken who made a very long charge avoiding flaming arrows and butchering the unit of Sisters. The impetus carried them over into the flank of second group of elven female archers.

Chaos Sorcerer decided to enact some revenge for his Lord and cast a powerful Fireball that totally obliterated the Lions body guarding elven general. It was cast with such a force that nearby Warriors were also knocked to the ground as ragtag dolls but fortunately for the Sorcerer he was just wounded by the magical feedback.

On the West Shaggoth killed an Eagle with easy but Skull Crushers restrained their blood thirst and didn't fall for the obvious trap.

Another charge!

Skull Crusher hold!

Elven units on both flanks attack. On the left Dragon princes successfully charge the chariot and blows are ferociously exchanged. But the evil war machine and its crew were not going anywhere.

On the right the eagle joined the attack of Dragon Princes and White Lions on the Skull Crushers. But due to little room for the attack the knights pushed away the hunters and only they hit the enemy. Although one chaos knight fell it was not enough to break the enemy and the chaotic juggernaut started to get ready to grind down arrogant elves.

(Edit: Due to initiative order I hit with DP first who killed one Crusher. Then Jonathan smartly removed the model touching White Lions and the hunters were now out of combat. My mistake!)

Shaggoth's rampage!

Shaggoth decided to attack elven sea guard but the elves were too afraid to hold the beast in place even if the Swordmasters were nearby to help them out. Shaggoth decided then to redirect his attack and charged the eagle. In the brutal multi unit combat the eagle was killed, elven knights were broken and run down by the furious Shaggoth and Crushers butchered the Lions who stubbornly held.

On the West the chariot broke this time from combat but elven knights, knowing it is not going to remain at the battle field, restrained from pursuit and reformed.

Chaos Sorcerer once again summoned great, unstoppable power and once again half of the elven unit perished in flames.

Huge pressure on the Eastern Front

Elves try to fight back with ranged attacks

Sea Guard rally and reform in a way that would expose Shaggoth flank to the attack from the archers if the beast decided to do so. At the same time it would help the archers if they were the target. But elves were not careful enough and left their own flank exposed to the Skull Crushers who have just finished killing the Lions

On the West the decision was made to direct all the fire at the remnants of the Warriors unit. The regiment was destroyed and the sorcerer barely survived magical attacks too. But then forsaken were ignored, was it a good decision by elven leaders?

Situation becomes very difficult for elves

More casualties and elven leaders are left on their own!

Shaggoth and Crushers attack Sea Guard. Elves decided they need to withdraw to avoid such uneven fight but are not fast enough and the regiment is utterly destroyed by the monstrous Shaggoth. Elven right flank is in tatters.

On the left flank ignored forsaken attack elven bolt thrower and temporarily move away from the battle field. Elven leaders, although avoided the furious forsaken, could not dodge the fireball entirely and rest of the Swordmasters were destroyed.

Elves try to fight back

But Skull Crushers avoid combat. Khorne was not pleased.

Swordmasters attempted to attack weakened Skull Crushers but the knights surprisingly withdrew. They have already lost Khorne's blessing and now the will to fight too.

Archers managed to wound Shaggoth but the beast was still very dangerous.

Chaos Marauders vs Elven Leaders

Remaining Chaos units regroup (I think Skull Crushers actually moved further away here)

Both armies are very bloodied by now but the battle is not over and they regroup for the final push. This time Chaos Sorcerer was stopped.

What would elves do now?

Marauders surrounded

Elven Leaders charge!

Elven cavalry surprisingly didn't attempt to charge but simply surrounded the marauders with an opening for the enemy BSB to tempt him to charge Elven Leaders. They also attacked previously ignored Foresaken and destroyed them once and for all.

On the right flank Archers wounded Shaggoth once more!

Last blurry picture! Hopefully you can distinguish Shaggoth from the building

Charge of the BSB!

Battle Standard Bearer of the chaos army sees the opening but also is aware of the trap and decides to spoil elven plans. He noticed that they were not careful enough in setting it up and left the option to escape - through dragon princes. The elven knights fought but not good enough. One of them remained but despite encouraging shouts from the Bob the BSB he still fled and was run down by the champion of chaos who also ensured his safety.

Larry the Loremaster does not allow Shaggoth to escape!

Disappointed that the enemy escaped, Larry the Loremaster directed his attention at the Shaggoth. He cast deadly spells and eventually managed to magically assault the brain of the beast and finish it!

Reavers attempted to charge the marauders but there were still too many of them to break and that unit remained intact.

The survivors of both armies disengaged and it looked like elves managed to carry the day by the narrowest of margins!

First of all I would like to thank Jonathan for a great game and the fact that he called a challenge. It was a great honour to accept and I really appreciate that he wanted to play against me in his first game in CanCon! What is more, and I hope Jonathan will be happy to know that, it was 100th report with MSU army! Hurray!

I managed to sneak 11-9 win from that game and was very lucky to get the spells last turn to hunt down the Shaggoth. At the same time I would like to applaud Jonathan for not giving up and meticulously clawing his way back from the disaster of the first turn. He was brutally efficient with his attacks and I am not sure who should get MVP for this game. Contenders, in my opinion, would be level 2 fire sorcerer, Shagoth and Forsaken, even if they didn't earn that many points by themselves.

I also wanted to say I am actually happy that the game was close in the end as it made for a much more pleasant experience for both of us when it looked like it can be a very one sided battle after turn 1.

There are of course a few things I should have done way better

1. I risked stand and shoot with Sisters and that was a mistake. I had enough distance to flee and rally later on. Instead, I risked unnecessarily and Forsaken were in my back yard. What is more, I chose to shoot at depleted but way slower warriors, who were also in worse position to attack. I should have aimed at Forsaken with bolt thrower, reaver bow and some magic missiles too.

2. Combined charge on the Skull Crushers was done badly. I had to push the eagle to combat but in the hindsight it was a mistake. I could have charged with the Lions only. That would have allowed me to attack 2 crushers instead of 3 and maximise the amount of attacks. While not bullet proof it would have been a better idea. What is more, I could have waited one more turn and manoeuvre more to surround them from better angles. I lost nothing by not engaging in combat while I could use the opportunity to push the units around my enemy, Shaggoth included.

It then backfired badly as I lost combat and 3 units, also because of bad positioning of the Sea Guard.

3. I don't understand why I didn't attack marauders when my characters charged Forsaken. I had all the odds to win the combat and keep that unit in place. I had enough attacks to cripple them and BSB was on a single wound too (I think I managed to cast a spirit leach on him, another mistake as I should have cast it on wounded sorcerer instead to stop these damn fireballs!). At least I would have held them long enough for the characters to help later. Instead, I also positioned Dragon Princes badly and allowed BSB to charge them and break them. Yes, they were taking LD7 break with a re-roll but there was no reason for me to do it in the first place.

I hope it was entertaining report and I am looking forward to read your comments!

Cheers!

Slann, BSB, Level 4 - Knows all signature spells
Scar Veteran on Carnosaurus
Skink Chief on Ripperdactyl, The Egg, 2+ armour save

30 Saurus Warriors, FC
10 Skink Skirmishers
10 Skink Skirmishers
10 Skink Skirmishers
10 Skink Cohort
10 Skink Cohort

30 Temple Guard, FC
Ancient Stegadon
3 Ripperdactyls

I become used to the Lizardmen armies with Slann with Loremaster ability (i.e. knows all signature spells) in the Temple Guard and some more Saurus Warriors forming the backbone of the army. They are very tough, numerous enough to shrug off some casualties and very good at grinding match.

A few skink clouds nicely added to the army with their ability to be very annoying for almost all of my small and fragile units. I had means to deal with them and I had to do that in order to have more freedom in the movement phase.

Stegadon Ancient was a very good addition too. This beast is really tough and hard to kill. What was more surprising is the presence of another beast, Carnosaur, ridden by the Scar Veteran. Fortunately for me I don't have any big targets for it to hunt. It still is very dangerous for my army as with plenty of attacks from both rider and mount as well as thunder stomps, there is a chance I might lose a unit per combat phase.

Another novelty is ripperdactyl unit, further reinforced with the presence of the skink chieftain. He carried that accursed item that potentially can generate enough number of S5 hits to kill my entire units. It did happen before! So I was kin to get rid of that unit if I could!

River across the battle field - curse or blessing?

Deployment of the armies after vanguard moves

The main terrain feature that was about to determine the outcome of the battle was the river. It had a potential to either slow down the units (or more!) or to help me against these big blocks of saurus. If I only could force a fight against them in the river then they would not have their ranks bonus. They would lose their steadfast option too, meaning, I had a very good chance to defeat them thanks to sheer number of wounds inflicted.

Would that work though?

The Lizardmen characters deployed in their units i.e. Slann with Temple Guard and Chief with Ripperdactyls. Loremaster joined Lions on the East while BSB led one of the regiments of Swordmasters to the battle.

Surprisingly I won the first turn! That does not happen often!

Opening charge by Dagon Princes

Elven army, using the opportunity granted by the seized initiative, move forward. Some of the troops try to shoot at the big targets but the opening salvos were not yet successful.

On the other hand, Dragon princes guarding the Western flank, made a very long charge when enemy ripperdactyls got a little bit closer. The skink chief cracked his accursed egg but even that didn't stop the eleven knights. They fought well and despite being the target of the curse of the frog, they defeated, broke and destroyed the enemy in pursuit. Nearby skinks were also panicked by this unexpected attack. Sadly, only a single knight survived that bloody combat and he was about to receive multitudes of poisonous darts from two other skink regiments closing in fast.

(Edit: It was a very lucky charge where I decided I have nothing to lose to try when I needed a double 6 to make it. The egg took 2 knights I think and that significantly reduced the power of the attack but I managed to survive the attacks back and it was enough to break that annoying regiment!)

Coldblooded steamroller started to move

Valiant elven knights meets his end

At a mere gesture of the slann's finger the entire army starts moving forward. The huge blocks of Saurus stay together with Scar Veteran on Carnosaurus leading the way and Stegadon keeping up with the slightly faster pace than that of the infantry phalanx.

On the West, two skink skirmishers groups surround lone elven knight and even his ancient armour is not enough to protect him as one of the poisonous darts finds its way.

Look, that photo is actually in focus!

Another unit of Dragon Princes charges the enemy!

Some of the elven units advanced to have a better line of sight to the chosen target. Carnosaur roared in rage as some of the elven arrows actually managed to pierce his thick hide. But it didn't slow down its march.

On the East Dragon Princes cleared the path to the enemy flank with a charge against Lizardmen skirmishers who tried to slow down elven knights. In a way they succeeded as some of the skinks fled the combat and overenthusiastic Dragon Princes pursued and temporarily moved out of the battle field.

At the same time Ravers manoeuvred around another group of skinks and tried to tempt Stegadon to charge them.

Charge of the Carnosaurus!

Noble sacrifice of the Bladelord

Reckless assault?

Seeing the exposed flank of the Swordmasters regiment, Scar Veteran pointed at them and his mount didn't need any further encouragements. However, lone figure stepped out from among the warriors of Hoeth and dared to call a challenge. Scar Veteran easily deflected the blows and destroyed his adversary. But was that really a victory?

On the West skinks chose another target and this time it was elven fast cavalry. Lack of good armour was their bane and all but one rider died. The lone survivor had to withdraw if he wanted to keep his precious life. Another unit of fast cavalry was also shot at, this time by skinks from the top of the howdah on the Stegadon's back. But despite heavy casualties they didn't retreat.

Elves set up traps

Loremaster leads the counter charge

Fast, light units move in to block, redirect and bait enemy into traps. At the same time the shooters pick the Saurus unit as a new target and a few hulking warriors falls down.

Loremaster leads his bodyguards to aid nearby Swordmasters in the attack against Scar Veteran and his mount. Elves managed to slay Carnosaurus before it started a bloody rampage but the Scar Veteran proved to be too tough and he also refused to give ground.

Lizardmen start pulling back

Scar Veteran holds the line all by himself!

Sensing the trap the Slann orders his units to pull back. He didn't want to expose his Saurus to the charges of small elven units from multiple directions. Instead, he used magic and ordered skinks to hunt down elven light troops but these were not eliminated yet.

Scar Veteran still refused to die and to give ground, keeping two elven units busy.

Edit: It seems I forgot to show damage the Sea Guard too due to probably some fireball. The unit also fled because of that, apologies for the confusion.

Elves begin their advance

Charge of the Dragon Princes!

Combined effort of the Swordmasters and White Lions finally brings the expected results and Scar Veteran is destroyed. That opens the path for the elven units and they begin their advance towards withdrawing enemy.

Dragon Princes attacked the Stegadon but the beast was hard to wound and it fought back. The knights still won the combat but stubborn beast didn't want to flee.

Lizardmen consolidate their positions

With the elven assault teams still relatively far away, the Lizardmen army didn't move, consolidating their defensive positions. Stegadon tried to impale the elven knights with its impressive horns but they were too nimble for that. The combat continued!

High Elves keep pressing forward

Outcasts muster their units for the last charge

With the enemy refusing to fight, High Elves keep pressing forward. Swordmasters line up for the charge and Lions cross the river to participate in the combat too. Great eagle and brave survivor of the ellyrian reavers squadron keep distracting enemy infantry.

The battle between Dragon Princes and the Stegadon is still unresolved.

Lizardmen - unmovable in their defence

Waiting patiently for Elves to attack

Slann, confident in his warriors skills, devoted his time to some important meditations, healing the Stegadon while doing so. Only skinks moved bravely forward, hoping to kill some more elves with their poisonous missiles.

Elves charge ...

... and bloody combat erupts!

Lizardmen still hold!

All available units charge the Lizardmen. Larry the Loremaster leads his Swordmasters to fight the Ancient Stegadon but are unable to finish off the beast that, although wounded badly, stomps many elves to death!

At the same time, Bob the BSB together with second group of Swordmasters as well as Lions charge Saurus warriors. Many of the hulking Lizardmen fell to great axes and great swords but their counter attack is no less vicious. Casualties on both sides are horrendous. Saurus Warriors are hard pressed but they are steadfast and hold.

Last combats!

Both armies or whatever was left of them, tried to push one more time. Elves finally managed to kill the Stegadon but the Saurus warriors proved to be too stubborn to give ground. With last bloody blows not bringing more significant result, both armies disengaged and moved away to lick their wounds.

High Elves paid bloody price for that hard won small victory.

That was certainly one bloody battle! I am glad I managed to get that last combat but simply could not inflict enough casualties on Saurus Warriors to break their steadfast. In the first combat I needed one more casualty to be inflicted and one less wound to suffer to do so. As you can see it was very close!

I was lucky with that first charge of Dragon Princes and I was ok with the exchange. While I lost powerful unit I also got rid of the dangerous ripperdactyls with the skink chief and got small skink unit as a bonus.

I made a mistake with the Swordmasters, exposing the flank to the charge but looking at it again I think I might use that to tempt opponents to commit their units for such charges if I have a good counter charge ready. It played nicely to my advantage as I could challenge the enemy character, prevent deadly t-stomps and counter to kill his mount later on. It took quite a time to kill him though.

That last combat showed something I need to take into account in my games. When the enemy withdraws the infantry may be too slow to get them early enough so that I am in position to attack from the flanks. Frontal assault against Saurus is not the best idea ever as it was clearly shown. It was worth trying for sure but it was very risky as well as my units are not good at war of attrition. The good thing was that if that combat happened earlier, I would have had these regiments that defeated the Stegadon ready to help out.

That poses an interesting dilemma, to sit at the back and try to weaken the enemy with arrows and magic but to risk that the earned points will be low? Or to move forward aggressively but risk confrontation with the enemy at better disposal?

I also think I could have done better with the deployment. I think I should have moved shooting units more towards the right flank and approach the enemy from centre and left. That would have forced the enemy infantry to go through the river and allow shooters to pick better targets. It may have allowed for a more aggressive approach too.

In any case, a 12-8 victory was still good for me!

Thanks for reading!

Johaness army in its full glory! Picture courtesy of ThaneG from wargamerau.com. The hand made dragon is there for occasional Transformation of Kadon spell.

Treemen Ancient, Annoyance of Netlings - General
Spellweaver, Level 3, Dispel Scroll - Lore of the Beast
BSB, Light Armour, Asyendi's Bane, Hail of Doom Arrow

10 Glade Guard, Standard, Musician
10 Glade Guard, Standard, Musician, Banner of Eternal Flame
16 Glade Guard, Standard, Musician
8 Dryads, Champion

6 Treekin
11 Wild Riders, Champion, Banner, War Banner
Great Eagle
Treeman

Swedish Comp: 16

Not quite numerous force, with a mixture of elves and forest spirits. The shooting is quite potent against my small units and I had to approach with care as they can be deadly at the same time moving away from the danger of my own arrows. On the other hand, forest spirits are very tough and are deadly in close combat. Even dryads can be problematic, in particular for my elites, thanks to initiative 6.

That created a dilemma. I wanted to rapidly approach towards the soft elven units as they are the most dangerous at a distance but can be dealt with in close combat. But I didn't want to engage combat specialist from WE army unless I could do so with overwhelming forces and as isolated targets.

However, all depended on the dice rolls before the deployment showing which army set ups first and which units are kept in reserves. I won the roll off and it meant I had to deploy first not knowing where and in what strength my enemy was to be. That determined the symmetric set up.

* prologue and epilogue written by the great story teller (and fantastic painter!) of Ulthuan.net fame, Il Maestro himself!

‘Oh look, here he comes now!’

Wine sloshed out of the chalice as Larry hurriedly placed it down on the table and rose to greet his emissary. He walked past Bob’s chair, towards the tent flaps and out into the cold morning as the rider emerged from the forest and rode towards their lines. Bob sat at the table with the other lordlings and nobles, sipping calmly at his water as the tent fell silent, awaiting the news. The loremaster had sent a rider into the forest to treat with the Asrai and secure them safe passage through the forest, though ‘treat’ may have been too subtle a word, for Larry had given the rider a silver blade with a pommel shaped as a phoenix and instructed him to deliver it to the Asrai commander with an ultimatum: accept this blade in the name of the White Tower and let them pass, or die by it.

Not much of an offering Bob mused, the rhythm of the galloping horse growing louder and louder as it approached. He placed his own empty chalice on the wooden table and leaned back into his chair, mentally preparing himself for the day-and-night long discussions that would be held once they received word that the Asrai had denied their ‘request’. Bob had been through too many battles to know how this worked, and he was not relishing the long night ahead. And here I thought I might be able to get a single good night of sleep.

The air shimmered and grew hot in an instant, and it was only Bob’s instinctive reflex to jump to the ground that saved him from being knocked to it. A sudden rush of air blew through the tent, knocking everything over with a loud crack. As the heatwave passed overhead Bob jumped to his feet, sword in hand, and spun around to face Larry and the attack.

Encompassed in a ball of bright blue light, Larry hovered inches above the ground, the very air around him shimmering with raw power. Bob’s gaze passed beyond the blinding light and towards the field before them, though to his surprise it was empty, bar the emissary. Sword still drawn, he stepped forward until he stood next to the hovering loremaster, and it was only then he noticed it.

The horse, scared by the sudden lights and noise, had turned sideways and ran parallel to the forest border, away from the camp. The rider hung on for dear life, though there was not a breath of life left in him. Cruel vines wrapped around the horse’s neck and up the rider’s arms and legs, the barbs biting deep into the flesh of each, tying them together. The headless body of the emissary swung back and forth as it unwillingly held on to the frightened horse. In place of his head the rider had a small phoenix pommel – the rest of the silver blade lay sheathed inside his neck. Bob stood motionless and watched, the sounds of the Asur host behind him readying themselves for battle hardly registering as he was struck by the barbarity of the scene before him.

‘They have made their choice,’ whispered Larry calmly, his magical words carrying to every elf ear in the camp.

‘The Outcasts march to battle.’

Civil War?

Deployment of the armies after vanguard moves

As you can see not many WE units decided to show up. Both treemen, spellweaver, treekin and dryads decided to stay hidden before the battle started. Not surprisingly, Johannes was not pleased.

On my part, only Swordmasters didn't show up and I had an advantage of having the first turn.

The Spellweaver had following spells:

Wyssan's Wildform, The Flock of Doom, The Savage Beasts of Horors

High Elves approach their outnumbered kindred

But the distance is still too far for some serious damage to be inflicted

High Elves move forward and Swordmasters regiment enters the field too. Outnumbered wood elves stay as far as possible and that works well for them as they stay out of range of the missiles and spells. Only Wild Riders suffer some casualties in the opening salvos of the battle.

Reinforcements! Forest Spirits enter the battle!

The opening attacks of the Wood Elves are much more devastating

Arrogant Dragon Princes didn't pay attention to the surroundings and now they had to pay the price. They exposed the flank to the ferocious Wild Riders and now they had to withdraw in order to avoid dangerous situation. That also forces the Lions to abandon their position and both units withdraw.

All Forest Spirits enter the battle now, protecting the flanks of a very fragile Asrai bowline. Taking heart from that, glade guards aim carefully and both small groups of Sisters are reduced to single member each!

High Elves smoothen their battle line

And fight fire with fire!

Shooting contest continued. High Elves kept shooting at Wild Riders and they crippled the unit leaving one lucky survivor. Larry the Loremaster treated the biggest unit of Glade Guard with ice cold-flame hot beauty treatment. Some of them fell to a well placed fireball, the others suffered shortly after from the coldness of the iceshard blizzard.

The rest of the regiments redressed their ranks and regrouped forming a new battle line.

Treekin lead the way

With Forest Spirits wood elves can afford to be more aggressive

Forest Spirits on both flanks of the wood elves formation advance towards High Elves. Remaining glade guards also advanced and kept shooting. One of the Sisters didn't make it to the safety of the castle while Sea Guard became another target.

High Elves - setting up the trap

Will White Lions be enough of a bait for the Treekin?

Four High Elves units manoeuver together to set up the trap on the Treekin. White Lions move in to be a bait while both units of Swordmasters wait nearby to counter charge. Also Dragon Princes, equipped with the enchanted banner and their lances blazing with magical fire, are ready to strike.

In the meantime High Elves shooters aim at their counterparts and the regiment of glade guards is reduced to just a few members. Another unit of Wood Elves shooters is destroyed in the building by another Fireball, cast by no other but Larry the Loremaster himself!

Forest Spirits break through!

The trap is sprung but Forests Spirits had their own surprise!

Treekin and Dryads charged against White Lions. But before the blows were exchanged, the Spellweaver made the form of the treekin even wilder than usual. Sensing magical energy the nearby blood forest lashed out in rage. Forests Spirits remained unscathed but Chracian hunters were not that lucky as even their considerable forester skills were not enough to avoid the punishment. Then, using the opportunity created by the Blood Forest attack, treekin and dryads attacked. Brave White Lions, already depleted, were no match for the ferocity of the Forest Spirits and perished. Triumphant treekin had enough momentum to storm into Swordmasters nearby and to move out of charge range of the Dragon Princes. Now it was High Elves who were in trouble!

The glade guards tried to aid the Forest Spirits in their assault and unleashed their missiles at second unit of Swordmasters. With the aid of the Hail of the Doom Arrows, half of the regiment was destroyed.

On the other flank great eagle attacked the Sea Guard and pinned them down while Treeman Ancient chased off the bird of prey that aided High Elves.

Exchange of blows continues

Desperate measures to save Larry the Loremaster

Dragon Princes charge the dryads and kill all but 1, which promptly flees to the safety of the forest, never to be see again. Swordmasters aid their brethren but even the warriors of Hoeth are helpless against the tough wooden skin and natural toughness of the treekin. A lot of casualties are inflicted and Swordmasters flee. The unit that tried to save Larry the Loremaster was unfortunately caught in pursuit.

The shooters of the Outcasts did better as their eliminated both remaining glade guard units, leaving the Spellweaver and the BSB in the open. Ellyrian Reavers managed to finally hunt down the last Wild Rider and Sea Guard braced for impact as the charge of the Treemen Ancient seemed to be inevitable.

Treemen rule the centre!

Both armies are already bloodied but none admits the defeat

Both Treemen charge the enemies in front of them. The Ancient is stopped for a while by the noble sacrifice of the sea guard captain. The Speallweaver and the BSB try to run towards the woods in the hope of saving themselves from the High Elves arrows.

Exchange of punches continues!

After careful examination of the situation on the battlefield and backed up by the experience of the countless battles, Nick H. concludes that Elves will win! But who would believe Father of Lies?

Dragon Princes charge!

Dragon Princes charge the accursed treekin and their flaming lances inflict a lot of damage. One of the knights is lost, however and steadfast treekin holds the line!

The Spellweaver and the BSB are not given another chance of escape and are shot down with cold blood.

Unfortunately for High Elves, Sea Guard is unable to stand up to the wrath of the Treemen and flee.

Treemen advance further

Treekin keep fighting

Treeman Ancient tries to engage a new foe but High Elves refuse to fight. Treekin kills another Dragon Prince but the fight is not yet resolved.

Treekin still holds!

Dragon Princes fail to wound the treekin and their armour seems to be made out of paper

In the last charge Dragon Princes storm into the flank of the treekin but this time they fail to wound the enemy and suffer a lot of casualties in return.

Elven shooters all aim at a treeman but are unable to inflict mortal wound.

Treekin hold again!

Not much is left of both armies

In the last attempt to charge, wounded Treeman charges the Dragon Princes but cannot reach them. However, tough treekin still refused to give ground.

Treeman Ancient moves close and attacks white lions with its strangle root attack. Brave Chracians refuse to panic despite heavy casualties.

Both armies were very bloodied at this stage and disengaged in good order. Although from the Asrai army only Forest Spirits remained, the passage through their domain was denies to the Outcasts.

Red leaves swirled through the air and smoke, rising and falling on invisible waves as they seemingly danced to a music of their own. The fading din of battle in the background did nothing to mar their beauty as gusts of warm air swept them across the battlefield, until they finally came to rest on the forest floor. They floated calmly in pools of slickened blood, their red hues matching the glistening puddles they now inhabited. Though war waged around them, the leaves had no knowledge of it – nature was serene and unscarred, even amongst so much death. It was beautiful.

Bob’s moment of serenity came to a sudden end as the thundering hooves of the Dragon Princes approached. He looked towards them and caught his breath as he spotted a single figure in charred robes, slumped over the back of a horse in the midst of the column. He rose to his feet, all too slowly after the pains of battle, as the princelings arrived with their leader, taking him down and laying the limp body on the ground.

Bob knelt by Larry’s side and placed his hands over his fallen leader’s heart and eyes. He closed his own eyes and started mumbling prayers and offerings – though the words themselves held largely no meaning for him, he still believed that the gods cared for their truly loyal subjects. He knelt there for what felt like hours, reciting over and over the broken words taught to him by corrupt teachers, until at last he gave up. He slumped back on his knees, and looked upon the face of his fallen leader. Tears rolled down his face as he stared at the lifeless corpse in front of him, wooden shards still protruding from multiple wounds sustained in battle. He begrudgingly closed his eyes once more and began saying his final prayers, hoping that at least Larry’s soul would find its way to the light.

The air shimmered.

Bob opened his eyes in surprise as Larry’s body was engulfed in a bright blue light. The surrounding dragon princes jumped up and fell back a few paces as an unbearable heat started to emanate from Larry’s body. Bob sat there in silence, relieved to feel the searing heat touch his exposed flesh. They have answered my prayers he thought as the ball of light grew and encompassed him, and in an instant the whole world blinked out of existence as heat and light took over his senses.

Suddenly the light and heat disappeared, and Bob was left kneeling by his leader’s side. In front of him lay Larry’s now unmarked body – the wooden spikes had disintegrated, and his wounds had healed. His torn and dirtied robes were now resplendent in white and unmarked; the smell of death that had clung to his corpse mere moments ago was gone. With the grace of the gods on our side, none can truly question the motives and loyalties of the Outcasts thought Bob, a smile creeping across face as he lay witness to the events unfolding in front of his eyes.

Slowly, Larry opened his eyes.

First of all I would like to thank Il Maestro for his fantastic prologue and epilogue short stories! I think they add greatly to the report and I am very happy that he agreed to write them for me. I hope you like them too! If you do, please, let him know so that he might agree to write more for the following battle reports!

After surveying the photos I took during this game I realized we played 7 turns. Somehow we probably forgot to turn the "counter" and miscalculated the turns. In that turn I lost my fast cavalry, one in a futile attempt to aid Dragon Princes and another one to block the treemen. I also could not inflict that last wound I needed to fall down that damn walking tree!

The game ended with my loss of 8-12 and I was clearly outplayed by Johannes. Congratulations! In particular for this brilliant move with blood forest!

I made a mistake of staying in it with White Lions. Johannes not only managed to get Wild Form on the treekin, which in itself is a great thing to have, but the attack of the blood forest enabled treekin killing all the lions. That, in return, allowed the overrun into Swordmasters. So not only he was not trapped, not only he destroyed my unit but also charged my Swordmaster with the general and was safe from the charge of the Dragon Princes with flaming attacks! Master stroke! =D>

There were a few things that also contributed to the overall result. Let me go through them one by one:

1. A mistake in positioning of Dragon Princes on the right flank. In fact, I wonder if I should not have charged turn 1 with them. Instead I presented the flank to the Wold Riders and had to flee. Quite typical mistake for me lately :oops:

2. Already mentioned mistake in positioning the White Lions in the forest but also lack of anticipation or preparation for the worst . I mean that I didn't position Dragon Princes in the way that allowed them to counter immediately no matter what.

3. Another mistake was exposing the flank of Sea Guard to the charge of the eagle. I think I should have marched them to the other side if not turn around and move back.

4. I don't know why but I was very passive with White Lions. It was risky to charge them against Treeman alone but maybe I should have not charged treekin with Dragon Princes but turn around and use cavalry to kill the treeman instead?

5. I was very desperate to destroy treekin as an act of revenge after killing my Loremaster. I think I would have had a better chance to hunt them down if: a) I have positioned second unit of DP properly so I could charge with both at the same time, b) failing that if I manoeuvred to position them for the coordinated charge. Instead I kept throwing unit by unit at them and simply lost them all.

I guess I learned a valuable lesson and should be happy that after these mistakes the loss was only 8-12. I lost the initiative in that game, started reacting and countered piece meal. All bad moves and no wonder that they led to the loss. On the other hand I am glad I targeted elves instead of forest spirits with spells and missiles as it allowed me to remove the threat of enemy archery and get fragile enemy characters.

I hope that this example is going to show that treekin can be very dangerous. If they are going to get natural ward save then they will indeed be a truly feared Monstrous Infantry.

In the meantime, thanks for reading!

Arch Lector on War Altar with Great Weapon, Heavy Armour, Shield, White Cloak of Ulric
Wizard Lord, Level 3, Warhorse, Scroll of Shielding, Talisman of Endurance - Lore of Light
Captain of the Empire, Battle Standard, Barded Steed, Full Plate Armour, Shield, Sword of Might, Dawn Stone
Battle Wizard, Level 1, Warhorse, Dragonbane Gem - Lore of Beasts

9 Knights of the Inner Circle, Lances, Standard, Musician, Banner of Swiftness
10 White Wolves, Great Weapons, Standard, Musician
5 Knightly Orders, Lances
4 Demigryph Knights, Lances, Standard, Musician
28 Flagellants
25 Flagellants
Celestial Hurricanum

Swedish Comp: 15.3

I decided that from now on, time permitting of course, I will try to have a look at the opponent's army list and simply go unit by unit to assess strength and weaknesses. I think it may help me to visualize how to try and tackle them in the future games and if I came with a good plan to do so in the currently reported one. So, let's see how it goes!

Archlector

On his own he is not a great warrior but he is definitely a great leader as well as very versatile character. For starter he can channel power and dispel dice that is always a nice bonus. He improves the combat abilities of the unit he joins by giving that regiment Hatred. Very useful ability, as who does not like re-rolls to hit! His battle prayers further add to the versatility and can be very handy indeed.

However, he is also riding a mighty War Altar that further improves his capabilities. The fact that he is mounted on a large target means his Inspiring Presence is extended to 18", a great thing if you ask me! He also becomes stubborn and has a very good, 4+ ward save. What is more, he confers Hatred to all units in 6" too! Not only he can support a few units at the same time but he can also stay away from danger. The same goes with his prayers, getting better and better!

On top of these abilities Arch Lector can use banishment bound spell, a very useful magic missile, good for any occasion. Let's not forget about his Terror causing abilities too!

Greg equipped his general with the White Cloak of Ulric. Hm, apparently priests of Ulric and Sigmar are now friends and their past animosities are long forgotten! -1 to hit is a great ability to have and better ward save (2+) against flaming attacks is always good.

Hm, he is definitely harder to kill with all these defensive abilities and built in ward saves. He is very mobile and not easy to reach. His stubbornness does not make the job easier. If not for the fact that there are other, more dangerous targets, he could be picked up by magic and shooting. But as he is going to have his entire army between my forces and himself I guess the main thing is not to let him charge (impact hits!) and look for the opportunity to flank charge him and tie him in combat.

BSB

Quite tanky character and no surprises here. He is a very important for the army so his survival has to be a priority. He is a decent fighter with Sword of Might too. He can fall to Swordmasters/White Lions but it is better to get him via combat resolution.

Wizards

Quite Interesting combination. Light wizard obviously adds to the strength of the Banishment spell with the possibility to obtain can also be great to support the troops. Beast wizard obviously improves the sheer strength/toughness of the knights and he can do it easier thanks to the lore attribute.

The chance to eliminate them will lie in the fact that they have to be with the units of knights so if I can engineer good combats I could eliminate the unit and the wizard(s) together.

The Knights

There are 4 units of them and that is tough. The most dangerous of them are Demigryphs as they have the best grinding power, also in subsequent turns of combat. White Wolves with their great weapons come against my army. Human knights strike after Elves so striking is even more important for them. Inner Circle Knights are better defensively but their charge can be devastating too.

I have learned that the best way to defeat the knights is to flank charge them. I would definitely try to do so. The some casualties inflicted by shooting and magic (Searing Doom!) can also be very helpful. The problem here is that there are so many of them! I needed to find a way to isolate these regiments and try to destroy them one by one. I think I had a chance to do that provided I could slow down/divert the regiments I didn't want to engage at a time and be able to eliminate the one I chose quickly.

Flagellants

You don't see many of these guys these days. They can unleash a lot of damage but their new rules mean they also can hurt themselves and their numbers may melt quickly. I guess the choice is: take lots of them or not at all. Greg took 2 units of the crazy fanatics. These guys could actually inflict a lot of damage in the first round of combat and that was a dangerous prospect for my small units. In order to defeat them I wanted to use bow shooting first, to make their numbers manageable and then finish off in close combat where my archers and sea guard can actually do a lot of damage too.

I also wanted to use the fact they would struggle to keep up the pace with the knights to my advantage.

Hurricanum

Another very useful model in the army. Chariots are always dangerous against my small units and this one helps a lot in combat too. Having +1 to hit with possible re-rolls due to hatred from Arc Lector can turn dangerous units of knights into combat monsters.

It has relatively low armour, however, and once in combat can struggle to inflict damage.

All in all a fast and combat orientated army. Good thing it didn't include a steam tank (always a challenge to contain) or hellblasters. Not so good that it is very fast and very well protected. But I was sure it will move forwards as it needs to be in combat in order to win battles!

* Prologue and Epilogue by Master Storyteller, Il Maestro!

The sound of steel horseshoes striking the paved roads filled Larry’s ears and made his head ache. He was not quite sure how long he had lapsed in and out of consciousness for, but he knew that every moment was a moment too long. Though he was closer to his prize with every step they took, so were his enemies. Enough time has been wasted, he thought as he sat himself up in the makeshift carriage carting him along, and waved over one of the soldiers.

‘Bring me a waterskin, and fetch Bob.’

The words came out more as a croak then a command, but the warrior nodded and left all the same. Larry looked out past the column of soldiers behind him to the fields on either side. Rolling plains of brown and red grass stretched to the right of the outcasts, and on the left was a small river, not nearly large enough to support any settlements. The land as a whole was alien to him: every blade of grass was slightly different than those he was used to, the colours were not as brilliant as they should be, even the wind smelled stale and wrong. But it was also somehow familiar. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it – it looked nothing like what he saw in the visions, and yet he knew he was on the right track. I thought the same of that damned forest. The thought cut through his reverie like a hot knife through butter as his eyes drifted to the right, past the rolling plains and to the retreating red forest that lay at its edge. The home of his twisted kin. He felt a sharp stabbing pain in his leg at the sight of those red leaves. A remnant of my death. he mused, the gods’ way of reminding me of my failure. The thought soured in his mind, but his brooding was cut short by a familiar face.

‘Good to see you up again, even if you look like you’ve sucked on a skin of lemons,’ Bob shouted as he heeled his horse around and fell into line next to the carriage.

‘Learning from your past ensures you don't repeat your mistakes in the future.’ The soldier sent for the waterskin returned and Larry grabbed it and popped the cork off, taking a big gulp as Bob chuckled to himself.

‘And what exactly have you learnt, oh wise loremaster? Were you working out how to take revenge on trees and leaves?’ Bob watched as Larry emptied the rest of the waterskin as if he had never had water before.

‘Maybe one day,’ Larry smirked as he pulled the empty sac from his mouth, ‘but for now we fight a different foe.’

Bob’s face reverted to stone as his smile faded away.

‘What have you seen?’

‘Steel and fangs.’

‘Tell me more.’ Bob leaned in to listen intently to every word the loremaster uttered.

‘Whilst I slept, I had a vision of mountains of steel melting. I could sense jaws snapping behind me, goading me forward, and every time I lashed out at them, shattered fangs fell to the ground.’ Larry had to steady himself as memories of the visions overwhelmed him. He placed a hand up to his head to try and calm the storm inside and went on. ‘I don’t know what it all means, but I’m sure it ties in with the others. This one was stronger though, more real. Even still I hear the howling behind me as we speak.’

‘You are not the only one who hears those howls.’ Bob spoke as he waved a command at the column to halt. He leaned forward in his saddle, making himself low against the horizon, as he looked past Larry’s shoulder and off into the distance ahead of the column.

A lone rider appeared over the next hill, galloping towards them as fast as his mount would take him, purple cloak fluttering behind in the wind. As he made his way down the hill and towards the column, a wolf appeared behind him. It was larger than any wolf Larry had ever seen, muscles bulging as it howled and bore down on its prey. The distance between the wolf and the rider was closing fast, and it was clear that neither would make it anywhere near the Asur lines.

Bob leaned to his right and unlatched his bow from his saddle. He pulled a white-fletched arrow from the quiver hanging off his bridle and knocked it in a single fluid motion, taking aim. The wolf closed in on the rider as the pair reached the bottom of the hill, snapping at the horses rear as it lunged forward. Bob held the arrow for what seemed an eternity, moving ever so slightly as he honed in on his target. A sudden snap pierced the silence as the arrow was let loose and sailed through the air. The rider had turned in his saddle to try and ward off the giant predator, sword hand held high as the wolf made a final lunge forward. The leap was cut short by a flash of brown and white as Bob’s arrow pierced the wolfs eye, sending the large beast headfirst into the ground, twitching. The rider turned back in his saddle and made his way back to the column unharmed, greeted by the cheers of the watching Asur.

Bob casually lowered his bow and reattached it to his saddle, calling out orders to the column to prepare for battle. He turned to Larry and smiled.

‘Lets hope the steel melts just as easily.’

Armies arrayed for battle - but have you seen the size of that forest? :shock:

Greg decided to play with refused flank formation and set up his steel steam roller on my right flank. I decided I need more time to manoeuver and wanted to use the opportunity that the Demigryphs were a little bit isolated already and put almost all my combat units on the left flank. That would give me the opportunity to approach Demigyphs fast and force the other knights to choose, either chase infantry on the right or turn towards the centre and face my assault teams.

I left Archers and Sea Guard on the right flank so that they could fight against fanatics. On the other flank there was nothing they could attack. I added a unit of White Lions for some hitting power against small unit of knights. And the forest could help them too.

Greg's wizards got the following spells:

Level 3 - Shem's Burning Gaze, Light of Battle, Birona's Timewarp
Level 1 - Wyssan's Wildform

Surprisingly, I won the roll off and had the first turn!

"Mexican" stand off on the right flank - sort of

High Elves move slowly

High Elves seized the initiative but moved carefully. The Knights might look cumbersome but if that steam roller picks up the momentum, there will be no time to react. Better be ready before that happens.

Due to long range for arrows not many of them find the true mark. Only Sisters of Avelorn managed to pick the weak spots in the full plate armour of the White Wolves in front of them.

Steel hammer on the move

That right flank does not look good

Arch Lector didn't even stop reciting litanies of hate while the whole armoured might of the Empire rolled forward. Only Demigryph Knights, charged with protecting the flank of advancing regiments, didn't move at full pace.

Flagellants prophesied doom lauder and lauder and then somebody shouted "Burn the Witch!". Arch Lector, seeing that the crowd of the fanatics are willing to disperse, decided to do exactly so and cast a spell that burned a few Sisters of Avelorn. Flagellants howled their approval.

Setting up the trap - Wolf Hunt begins!

The power of the Elven Archery!

The regiments on the left flank moved to positions in order to set up the trap on Demigryphs. In the meantime, the Elven shooters show a display of archery that is devastatingly accurate. First, a combined effort of Eagle Claw crew, Bob's skills and Sister's abilities sees all but one White Wolf Knights remaining in his saddle. The wizards that accompany him didn't wait any longer and simply fled towards the safety of their own lines.

Encouraged by that success, Archers and Sea Guards aimed at the fanatics on the hill and inflicted horrendous casualties. Two enemy units were rendered useless in a blink of an eye!

First charges of the Knights

But their advance seemed to be stalled

Demigryph Knights charge the obvious bait but even aided by the Speed of Light they are not able to bring the great eagle down. Or was it planned?

Inner Circle Knights charge the second Eagle and show how it is done. Even small unit of Knights charge the Archers if only to save the flagellants. However, they lose one of their numbers due to treacherous forest and another one by the Elves themselves!

Arch Lector, infuriated by the fact the advance of his army was slowed down to a crawl channels his fury into a powerful spell and White Lions, being the target of his hatred, lose more than half of their numbers. Brave Chracians refuse to give ground though!

Easter Front - slowing down continues

Western Flank - full out attack!

As one Elven units charged against Demigryphs. Dragon Princes expertly avoided impaling the great eagle locked in combat with ferocious beasts. Swordmasters stormed through the middle while White Lions, ignoring boiling torrent, charge the flank. However, Demigryphs still being under the influence of a spell, are faster even than Elves. Swordmasters die in droves before they have a chance to strike. The blows from Lions and Princes are deflected and only single beast is put down. What is more, the fury of magical water claims the lives of almost all the White Lions. Elves are shocked but their centuries old training and martial prowess keeps them in combat.

Seeing that such perfectly engineered attack is stopped by the timely assistance of wizards, Bob orders the shooters to aim at the enemy mages. With no knights around to hide behind, both imperial spell casters are soon dead. Single White Wolf knight is all that remained from that proud regiment. For now.

The Knights keep pressing on the right

Demigryphs are defeated!

Without the aid of the wizards, Demighryphs were way slower and this time their armour proved to be no protection against expert strikes of elven blades. The most powerful regiment of the Empire was no more.

Inner Circle Knights suffered some casualties on their way and destroyed yet another annoying light regiment of the enemy. Even Arch Lector joined the fight! He drove through the treacherous forest, protected by his faith, finished White Lions and slammed into nearby Archers. But they held the line nevertheless!

I swear there was a unit of the Knights on the hill just a moment ago!

Elves redress the battle line and advance against remaining imperial regiments

Elven regiments manoeuvred to close in with the imperial regiments still on the battle field. Larry the Loremaster spotted fleeing knight of the White Wolf and send some warm farewell after him in the form of a fireball. White Wolf screamed with joy and ... disappeared!

Then the Eagle Claw crew spotted a perfect target. Inner Circle Knights exposed their flank for a perfect shot. A single bolt sailed through the air and slammed into the first knight unhorsing him in a heart beat. Then second followed his companion, and third and fourth! And the bolt kept going only to stick in the side of the Imperial BSB who managed to stay in the saddle. Barely!

Brave Sir Robin?

Failed attempt to charge by Hurricanum

Imperial BSB and his sidekick moved at a double towards the safety of the nearby hill hoping no more arrows will be sent towards their way. Another knight (the only one that was left from the regiment that fought elven Archres) and Arch Lector were still locked in combat.

Hurricanum crew tried to catch Sisters of Avelorn but they were greviously offended by such primitive attempts to win their affection and simply turned around walked away, deeply insulted.

(Edit: At this stage we run out of time. It was a shame as both of us were to write reports and having unfinished game was always a bit of a disappointment. However, Tom and Dave, TO's, kindly agreed to give us extra time due to lunch break and we continued happily! Thanks, guys!)

Flagellants foresee doom!

Elves try to surround their enemies

Elven units, although exhausted, keep pressing hard. Reavers chased down flagellants who were heading towards the forest. Hurricanum was damaged too. Unfortunately, Sea Guard could not find the weak spot in the armour of the fleeing knights.

Only Flagellants remain to fight!

The knights keep fleeing behind the hill while Arch Lector and Hurricanum threaten Sea Guard. Flagellants finally hunt down the eagle but are surrounded by the Elven units.

Final charge - Reavers in action

Elves didn't decide to charge lone Flagellants and moved away from the danger instead. Sea Guard hid in the nearby building. Reavers charged fleeing fanatics and vicious combat erupted where Falgellants killed as many of their foes as themselves! Only a single survivor remained from each regiment and none gave ground!

Finally, Larry the Loremaster, deciding it is appropriate from to say farewell with a bang, cast yet another fireball, this time dismantling hurricanum.

The Church is ours!

Elves relaxed a little bit too early and now it was time to pay for that. Flagellants spotted movement in the seemingly abandoned church and stormed in! No heretic will soil the holy ground with his presence! Sea Guard fought bravely but they were not able to withstand the fury of flagellants and died to en elf!

As a revenge, last reaver finished the last member of anther group of fanatics. Both armies were bloodied and now disengaged but it looked like Elves gained hard fought advantage!

Larry floated inches above the corpses as he made his way to his prize. The stench of the dead wolves and humans hardly rendering, his mind’s eye solely focused on the danger ahead. As he approached the wreckage of the shrine, he paused in mid-air. His heightened senses could feel something, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. As his mind probed the pile of rubble in front of him, he felt a sudden shock reverberate through his senses, giving him the briefest of moments to put up a magical barrier as the wreckage in front of him exploded outwards.

As the debris ricocheted clear of his magical defences, Larry spotted a lone figure standing in the midst of the now dispersed war altar. Holding hammers of pure golden light in each hand, the robed man lifted his eyes and caught the gaze of the Asur mage. He held Larry’s gaze for a few moments before spitting on the ground in disgust.

‘Your treachery ends here!’ the priest bellowed in his primitive human tongue.

Larry scoffed and let his body drop until his feet touched the ground, the magical barrier dissipating as he did.

‘Nice trick.’ Larry flicked his wrist and a single blade of blue light, in the fashion of those carried by the servants of Hoeth, appeared in his right hand. ‘It won’t save you though.’

‘The Light of Sigmar shines upon me, and your quest comes to an end here.’ The human smiled as he saw the flicker of recognition in Larry’s eye. ‘Sigmar has shown me what it is you seek, and I was sent to stop you. How else do you think I found your pathetic little band?’

Larry’s mind was focused on keeping his face still and free from the doubts raging inside him. Does this pathetic little creature really know what I’m looking for? Is his false god guiding his hand? Have the gods abandoned me already!? Larry pushed the last thought aside and strode forward, his sword held low preparing to strike. The warrior priest crossed his hammers in front of his body and mumbled a short prayer before rushing forward himself, the two meeting in a titanic clatter in between.

Golden hammers flashed against the blue sword as each warrior parried, riposted and struck, trying to find the opening that would give them the edge. Larry could feel a bead of sweat roll down his brow as his sword flicked to and fro, barely keeping pace with the whirling hammers. Gods he’s fast! he thought as he ducked under a wild swing and came up on the other side of the swirling priest. He lunged forward to strike at the priest’s exposed back, but the human continued rotating and his hammer came around and knocked the blade tip aside. Over reaching and off balance, Larry could do nothing about the second hammer except watch as it came around and clattered into his standing knee, shattering the bones underneath in a spray of light and blood. He crumpled to the ground, the blue blade disappearing as he fell down, clutching his leg.

Pain seared through Larry’s mind as he searched for the correct incantations to heal his wound, but the thought was cut short as a shadow fell across his vision. He turned his gaze skyward and saw the warrior priest standing over him, hammers emitting bright light as they hung by his side. The priest smirked through his large beard and lifted one hammer across his body, preparing for the final blow.

‘Sigmar showed me this moment, Asur. May the light of our father consume your unholy soul.’ The priests eyes lit ablaze with holy fire as be tensed every muscle in his body and swung the hammer, sending it on its final arc towards Larry’s exposed head.

Light flashed and the world spun as Larry was knocked to the ground, his head hitting the dirt with a hard thump. He lay there for a moment, sight slowly returning to his eyes as the bright light faded, until he was able to see the feet of the priest standing before him. His head still swimming, Larry slowly lifted his body off the ground and sat up. I should be dead he thought to himself, trying not to empty his stomach over his good knee as he tried to focus on the warrior priest in front of him. The blur of his eyes slowly cleared as they focused on the face of the warrior priest, and a gasp passed his lips.

The priest stood mid swing, frozen in his final act of execution. A scorched lightning pattern marked the priests skin where none was before, and wisps of smoke began to rise from his clothes. The priest’s beard was all but gone, leaving only seared flesh underneath. Larry’s eyes met the priest’s, the burning blaze therein now reduced to a small kindle that finally winked out. As it did, the twin golden hammers disappeared, and all that was left was the smoking ruin of the corpse.

Larry inched himself back as the priest’s clothes caught alight, slowly at first, but quickly building until the whole figure was engulfed in blue flames. The magical fire burned everything – cloth, flesh and bone – and within seconds of its lighting it had disappeared too, leaving a pile of ash where the priest had stood moments before. Larry looked at the pile, confused. What the hell just happe-

His thought was cut short as he spotted a small object amidst the ash. He slowly inched himself forwards until he was close enough to reach it, his hand brushing aside the cremated remains and closing around a small stone object. He brought the object close to his face and examined it. It was a little cube, no bigger than a ring, with embossed runes on each of its faces. They were simple in design, not the elegant work of an elf, and Larry turned it over in his hand as he studied each side. Finally he stopped at the last image on the cube, and stared at the embossed depiction of a face.

A Slann face.

That was a very enjoyable game and I would like to thank Greg for being such a great opponent! Greg won yet another Best Sport award this tournament and having played against him I must say - I am not surprised, not at all! Well done, Greg and thanks for the game! =D>

I liked it also because there was a lot of action of different type. Combat, magic, shooting, every phase of the game was nicely represented. In the end I pulled out 12-8 victory but a few different dice rolls and things could have changed. I was very pleased with the result though, as armoured fist of the Empire is not that easy match up for Elves.

Let's go through some more details then!

As always I am wondering about the deployment. In general it worked fine but I feel I haven't used the building well. Maybe I should have put Sea Guard or Archers there in my first round? It was good defensive position. Alternatively, a unit of Swordmasters always makes for a good garrison and I could have put more pressure on the Knights by just being there.

I definitely made a mistake with White Lions on the right flank. I should have moved them better, in the way that allowed counter charge immediately after small knights attacked archers. It would have either stopped them from charging or would have destroyed the knights early.

The shooting went very well through out the game. S4 against nominal 2+ armour can be very useful too! As always, even a single casualty for regiments of cavalry is a problem. I am glad it was so efficient. A pity I didn't have a little bit more luck to roll 3+ for number of wounds on BSB with that single bolt! Although that shot was amazing anyway! And then a little bit more luck was needed to get these single knights and/or BSB.

The combat against Demigryphs was very interesting. I had to choose which spell to let go as I didn't have enough dice to dispel both. Somehow I chose Wildform and now I know it was a mistake. Sure, T5 demigryphs are more difficult to wound but as it was shown, hitting first is more important. Not to mention the fact that I ended up with Lions in boiling water and then proceeded to destroy my own regiment. Fortunately, I saved the last member!

I am not sure why I didn't charge Flagellants. I could do so with 2 units of Knights and small Swordmasters and Larry. Yes, they have a lot of attacks but I think I should have charged anyway. I had a chance to kill many of them before they could strike. I could also try and add fresh unit of Swordmasters and make it 4 units charge. I thought I was over that indecisiveness but it seems I am not. Ah well, the lesson learned and re-learned. Instead of pinning them down and maybe even destroying them in 2 rounds of combat I lost Sea Guard. Bad decision in the last turns of the game. Fortunately for me it didn't cost me the victory.

Thanks for reading!

Cheers!

Tetto Ekko
Old Blood, Cold One, GW, Armour of Destiny, Dawnstone, Other Trickster's Shard
Old Blood, Cold One, GW, Glittering Scales, Talisman of Preservation, Potion of Toughness
Scar Veteran - BSB, Cold One, Light Armour, Charmed Shield, Opal Amulet, Sword of Striking
Scar Veteran, Cold One, Light Armour, GW, Dragonhelm

23 Saurus Warriors, Full Command
23 Temple Guard, Full Command, Banner of Swiftness
18 Skink Cohort, Full Command
18 Skink Cohort, Full Command
10 Skink Cohort
10 Skink Cohort
10 Skink Skirmishers
Stegadon Ancient
6 Chameleon Skinks

Here is the picture of the army I was about to play against:

Not quite your typical Lizardmen army - picture courtesy of ThaneG from wargamerau

Not exactly the typical Lizardmen army but there were a few usual suspects. That didn't make it look any easier though!

Tetto Ekko - that little bugger does not seem to be that dangerous as you may think. Just a level 2 wizard. However, he knows all the spells from the lore of Heavens and that makes him very dangerous to my MSU army. Comet and Chain Lightning on their own can inflict huge damage. Other spells also can be very dangerous and lore attribute itself is very annoying for my great eagles. The main problem with such a wizard is that it makes very difficult to choose what to dispel. What is more he can re-roll the dice to see if the comet is going to fall that particular turn or not.

His another ability is to vanguard d3 units before the battle. That may mean that some of his very dangerous Saurus, toughened by the presence of the characters, can be way closer to my lines than I wanted them to be. What is more in Blood and Glory scenario the deployment zones are even closer than usual. I didn't like that at all!

Mounted characters - these guys are tough as nails. Even without magic items it takes a lot of effort to put one down. And I had to face 4 of them, 2 of which were Old Bloods! I definitely didn't have resources to fight against all of them so I had to isolate one unit and try to overwhelm it with as many of my own as possible, hopefully inflicting enough casualties to overcome damage done by these characters to break them.

Saurus - both units of Saurus and Temple Guard didn't look that big but the presence of two characters in each (as I thought would be the case) makes a lot of a difference. I could take on one and maybe even soften it with shooting and magic but had to be decisive and do it quick before the other block could come to the rescue. If possible, I wanted to focus on regular Saurus rather than TG.

Skinks - plenty of them. Very annoying. They are very cheap and expendable but they can cause a lot of trouble to my fragile troops. Also, with their ability to divert the units they could have prevented the coordinated charges I needed to make.

Chameleons - they deserve separate entry because they are even more annoying. Scouts with the option to sit at your back and very handy -2 to hit penalty even at short range in the open. Better to deal with them with magic or some good close combat. But it is easier said than done!

Stegadon Ancient - Another tough cookie in the army. It can have a potential to devastate infantry units on its own. Very hard to defeat, in particular when close to the BSB. As if I didn't have enough of the tough guys to deal with

It was already a very tough army to play against but the scenario made it more difficult. First of all it positioned armies closer. I was about to face the combat orientated force, with possibility to vanguard up to 3 units. I didn't want it closer at all. I need space to manoeuvre and set the traps against such force.

Secondly, Blood and Glory, in its modified version for that tournament, meant I had to be extra careful with units with banners and with my characters. While I needed the units in combat I was in a very uncomfortable situation where I needed to do so in a way that prevented losing these with banners. I was not sure if I could do that at the same time.

Last but not least I needed to deploy well but that was also a little bit limited due to narrower deployment zone. If you add the effect of terrain it might be a tough challenge to do so.

* Prologue and Epilogue by Master Story Teller - Il Mastro of Ulthuan.net fame!

‘Did your dream tell us how long we had to search in this god-forsaken forest before we found that temple?’ Bob swatted away another mosquito as he rode next to Larry, impatience etched on his face as he spoke.

‘I like it here as little as you, but do you really doubt the power of the aethyr after all you’ve seen?’ Larry turned away from Bob and peered through the dense shrub ahead, hoping to catch a glimpse of anything important past the swinging machetes of the outcasts clearing a path. Though he had spent his whole life training with the intangible forces swirling through the world, recent events had made Larry question his teachings. The winds had changed of late; though never quite steady, it was normally easier to predict how they waxed and waned. The last few moons, however, had been something that even Larry was uncomfortable with. The aethyr had pulsed with such irregularity as to make it almost impossible to safely use even the most basic incantations. Sometimes he was unable to draw enough power for simplest of spells, whilst mere moments later there could be enough raw energy flowing through Larry as to be able to cast the most monstrous of incantations, the likes of which he had never been able to before. He had come close to catastrophic consequences more than once over the preceding weeks, especially since the outcasts had travelled down to Lustria. It was hard to tell if it was this place or the whole world that was changing, and Larry disliked either option equally.

Then, of course, there were the visions.

Just as the winds waxed and waned, so did his visions; sometimes he could go days without seeing anything in his dreams, and others he could be ambushed whilst awake with extraordinary scenes that unfolded before his eyes, as baffling as they were beautiful. He had less and less control over them as time wore on, and even his oldest tricks to still his mind had little effect on these visions. At first he had thought it was the gods, keeping him alive and tormenting him equally. But the more that he thought on it, the more he dismissed the idea. The gods had never been interested in the lives of petty mortals before, and he saw no reason for them to start now. He was convinced that his near-death experiences were all tied in to the changing winds, and he was determined to find out how and why.

‘Are you having another one? Bob’s voice was softer as he leaned closer, one hand placed on Larry’s shoulder in comfort. Larry looked around and realized he did not recognize any of the trees or plants – he had been in his own reverie for a while it seemed.

‘No, dear friend, just thinking abou-‘

He stopped mid sentence as a bright flash caught his eye from amidst the tree-tops. Bob reacted instantly, his decades of training coming to the fore as he immediately halted the column and drew his weapon, preparing for an ambush. Larry leaned forward in his saddle, trying to peer through the swaying canopies at what had caught his attention. Another flash shone through, and when the bright light had dissipated, Larry’s eyes focused on its source. A giant, reflective gem, sitting atop what looked to be the tip of a pyramid, appeared through the leaves as a giant beacon. Bob’s gaze followed Larry’s and found the gem, and he slid his sword back into his scabbard as he signaled for the column to change direction and march.

‘Looks like your dreams have an answer for everything,’ Bob mused as his kicked his horse into a canter towards their prize. Larry ignored the comment, fixated on the gem as they moved forward. Whilst he was relieved to be making progress, he couldn’t help shake the deep feeling of dread that was beginning to rise in his stomach. The winds were changing again, and he had no idea what was going to happen next.

Off in the distance, a screech echoed through the jungle as a single pteradon circled back to its home, bearing a warning for its master.

Deployment of armies after vanguard and scout moves

Who would have thought that Lizards can be that eager to get to the enemy!

Chris won the roll off that determined who is going to choose the table sides and not surprisingly picked the one with the nice tower near the deployment zone. I had some impassable ruins on my right flank I wanted to use to limit Lizardmen advance and ability to attack my units. At the same time I wanted to move through these little gaps to surround technically slower Saurus and to block TG from joining the fight. The dilemma I had was either to spread out but make it easier to pin down my units by the Lizards or focus on one flank where I could bring more regiments against one Saurus unit and win even with the presence of the characters. That, however, was perfect set up for comets!

In that game I actually regretted that I don't have shadow warriors. You see, placing scouts in front of vanguarding units prevents their vanguard move. Would have been golden in here! Instead, Chris perfectly positioned his chameleons so that they prevented Reavers from coming in first and slowing down his vanguarding regiments!

To make things even more complicated Chris won the roll off and his was the first turn!

Incredibly fast advance of the Lizardmen army

Lizardmen advance aggressively

Three units vanguard and then pick up the momentum to catch the elves before they unfold from their crowded deployment zone. Stegadon and Temple Guard move full speed ahead with chameleons among them. They even shoot at the bolt thrower but fortunately for High Elves only one crew member is slain.

Saurus Warriors move a little bit more cautiously. Tetto Ekko warms up by casting some less significant spell on one of the eagles and it is struck down. Also reavers on the right flank suffer some casualties from the poisonous darts. Elves didn't move but are already hard pressed.

Elves try to outpace the enemy

Hasty movements!

High Elves were hard pressed and had to act swiftly. Units on the left focused on chameleon skinks but they survived the incoming arrows. Temple guard was blocked but Stegadon had plenty of targets to choose from!

Reavers on the right flank tried to tempt the Saurus to charge them and hopefully give time for the infantry to spread out. Elves were limited in that manoeuver by the river though. Would they be fast enough to encircle Lizardmen infantry?

Lizardmen army attacks!

Big Three charge in!

Lizardmen combat troops attack without delay. On the right flank Stegadon storms into the ranks of the Sea Guard and the elves barely hold against that stampede. Temple Guard is slowed down by the noble sacrifice of the Sisters. Reavers on the right flank perform feighned flight but Saurus are not fooled and redirect against Swordmasters. They are eager to make that attack count and despite long distance, crush into the warriors of Hoeth. However, the long run must have affected their accuracy and what looked like an easy victory turned out into stalemate. (Edit: If I remember correctly Saurus needed 9+ to reach Swordmasters and Chris made that roll!)

High Elves spotted a chance to counter attack but were also looking into the skies as it was clear that some type of celestial object was directed towards their direction to spell doom and destructions. The effort to magically bring it to the battle field cost Tetto Ekko a lot and the powerful cascade erupted in the building where he resided. Fortunately for him the portal between dimensions was opened for a briefest of the moments and he escaped with his life.

Now exposed Sisters were the target for many poisonous darts and they stood no chance against such a threat.

First comet crushes to the ground!

As Elves move and charge the comet crushes to the ground amongst them. White Lions and Swordmasters already engaged in combat suffer from the attack while only a few Saurus fall down. The combat between the units is then affected. Warriors fall on both sides but the fight continues!

In the meantime Dragon Princes force nearby skinks to flee and reform to engage Saurus while White Lions move to their rear in the deadly all out assault.

Reavers rally and move again to slow down Temple Guard so that they cannot intervene against isolated Saurus.

Segadon on the rampage

Stegadon, not satisfied with the destruction of the Sea Guard, charges nearby Archers who also suffer horrendous casualties and for some time they hold.

Temple Guard destroy annoying Reavers but High Elves still have some support troops to keep them out of combat they want to enter.

Saurus warriors exchange blows with Elves and both sides suffer some casualties. However, Swordmasters are no more and only a few Lions hold them in place. Would it be enough? Reinforcements are on the way. But so is another comet! Who will be faster?

Stegadon dominates on the left flank

Bloody combat in the crater of the fallen comet!

Elves charge as one against Saurus and it seems that against such a determined attack from all sides they will not be able to hold. But precise calculations of Tetto Ekko sent the comet right in the middle of that combat. Both units of Lions, together with the Loremaster, simply vaporised! Saurus warriors died too but ironically, that prevented more casualties from the incoming combat as due to unexpected change in the formation of the Lizardmen, elven cavalry found out their only enemy is the Old Blood. Only Swordmasters fighting to the front dealt soma damage but it cost them too. The fight that looked like a victory for Elves was turned up side down!

(Edit: That was a Master Stroke (literally!) by Chris! He positioned the comet on the head of Saurus champion and using the special skill of Tetto Ekko he re-rolled the roll to see if the comet shows up to make it so! Then he proceeded to roll high for number of hits against both White Lion units that were his most dangerous enemies this combat. Even 4+ ward save for Larry didn't activate and I was unable to save a single wound that got him! Ouch! )

Skinks hunt down Dragon Princes

Old Blood flees!

Not much of the elven forces are left. Temple Guard destroys one more small target while Skinks pepper Dragon Princes with darts. Swordmasters managed to break the Old Blood but could not catch him.

Trying to save some lives

Bob the BSB orders the retreat of the few remaining warriors in hope they can escape their doom. Dragon Princes make a futile attempt to catch the Old Blood but that didn't work at all. Elves were utterly beaten and only a few of them survived to tell the tale.

‘We must go back home, Larry. We can’t afford to lose any more men like that.’ Bob sat across the fire from Larry, cleaning away the dried blood from his breastplate as the night engulfed them. He was weary from battle, and Larry could sense that his resolve had all but broken. Though their travels in Lustria hadn’t taken Bob’s life, it may well have taken his spirit.

It had been two weeks since they had come across that temple – though now it resembled more of a tomb. Larry had been full of hope as they had approached the outer doors of the ruins, no obstacles in sight. He had heard rumours of the denizens of the steamy jungles and wanted little to do with them, and it had seemed that he would get his wish. With the majority of his army waiting outside, Larry, Bob, and a small detachment of swordmasters had searched the inner rooms of the pyramid, until they had reached the main room of the old gods. Sitting on an ancient dais in the middle of the room, the mummified corpse of a slann had stared at them as they walked in and searched for its hidden secrets. As Larry had approached the corpse, finally able to quell his fears, he truly believed he was going to find some answers.

Then all hell had broken loose.

The first he had heard was a soft rumble off in the distance, growing louder by the second. His skin prickled as he felt another being close by draw a large amount of aethyr, more than he thought was possible. Before he had time to shout a warning, the room had filled with motion as poisonous darts erupted from holes in the walls, felling his brave elves all around. He and Bob had been lucky to escape the confines of the walls and their hidden attackers, but when they reached the outsides of the pyramid they realized the true extent of their supposed luck.

Hoards of walking lizards had fallen upon the awaiting elves, and in their jungle-induced sickness and fatigue, they had been barely able to stop them. Snapping jaws and onyx clubs cleaved a bloody swathe through the outcasts, and even as Larry and Bob joined battle with their new foes, the heavens themselves had turned against them. Larry only caught glimpses of the tiny lizard, but could sense the magnitude of his power as he brought down comet after comet amongst the outcasts’ ragged battle lines, each fiery ball of death delivering more elves to the goddess of the underworld. Unable to oppose such a force, Larry had ordered a full retreat. The outcasts had dispersed and fled with no semblance of order, each elf looking after himself as they tried to escape the slaughter.

For two weeks Larry and Bob had been gathering stragglers, though most had quickly succumbed to their battle wounds or mysterious illnesses of the jungle. Their numbers had dwindled significantly since their initial incursion into Lustria, and for the last few days discontent had seeded throughout the remaining survivors. The morale of the outcasts was well and truly destroyed, and being so far from home and surrounded by enemies did nothing to ease their suffering. And now, even Bob had grown wearisome.

‘Larry, listen to reason. Let us leave now an-‘

‘And what? What are we to do then?’ Larry posed the rhetorical question to Bob, knowing that he had no answer. ‘Are we to slink back to the isles of Ulthuan and just hope that this all goes away? You remember why we started this quest. The aethyr is changing, and I fear for the whole world. Look at what that little lizard did to us out there! He fully decimated our army, and I could do nothing to stop him! We may have lost a lot, but that is the meaning of sacrifice. We face a far greater threat than you or I had imagined, and I would sacrifice every single living outcast if it meant saving this world, because that is what we represent – we are the last hope, when all other hope has faded. Will you turn away from your duty at this, our weakest moment? Because I shall not, so if needs be, I will go alone! That is what must be done, and I will see it completed, or die trying.’

Larry took a deep breath and paused for a moment to gain his composure, and looked past Bob to the other fires surrounding theirs. The outcasts were motionless, some seated and some standing, though all were facing him. Light from the flames flickered off their faces as they stared at Larry, the dancing shadows hiding their expressions as if they wore a mask. Larry sighed as he released his breath, and turned to catch the eye of one of the closer elves, ready to face the stinging responses. But he saw something else, something unexpected.

He saw hope.

As his gaze moved from elf to elf, he no longer saw weary and tired faces, sick and disabled bodies. In their places stood proud and noble warriors, each willing to give themselves in service of the greater good. He saw past the blood and disease, and saw the unblemished souls of his comrades underneath, willing to lay all on the line for the world’s sake. His eyes moved between faces, each filled with strength and conviction. He turned back to Bob, and saw the inner strength of the proud warrior shine through his fear and hopelessness. Their eyes caught, and for the briefest of moments, they totally understood each other.

‘As will the outcasts.’ Bob broke the silence, his voice renewed and full of newfound strength. ‘Where do we follow you to now?’

Larry looked his best friend in the eye and responded with the first thought that came to mind.

‘If the winds of aethyr are changing, let us go to their source. We march north.’

I messed up something with pictures and it seems that I didn't have all of them. I believe we may have played one more turn because I definitely lost these Dragon Princes and I remember that Old Blood also rallied. I did save BSB and few Swordmasters though.

That didn't change much, however. Chris played a very good game as befits Master player. He pressed hard, made right decisions, while I didn't and made some mistakes too. The end result could only be one, total destruction. Chris also got 700VP extra for Blood and Glory scenario and that gave him a well deserved 19-1 victory. Really, really well done, Sir and my congratulations for schooling me in style! =D> :mrgreen:

I had a great game despite the loss and I did learn a few things too! So maybe there is still hope!

As to the game itself, hm, where do I start?

1. Deployment

I should have deployed on the edge. First, I knew it was blood and glory so the distance between the armies is already shorter. Second, I knew Chris is going to vanguard and I could not count on him rolling low for the number of units that are allowed to do so.

I wanted to use the impassable terrain on my right flank to prevent his big units to reach me but it looks like I helped Chris to cast comets in doing so. Maybe I should have deployed with the regiments more spread?

2. Reavers/Dragon Prince

I could not use them to prevent these vanguards but maybe I could move them forward anyway? I was concerned though with all the skinks in front of me.

I badly positioned the unit on the left so that when the enemy moved forward I could not intercept any unit at all! #-o

3. Chameleons

I wonder if I should not have charged them with Sea Guard and even redirect against Stegadon if they fled. If they didn't I was charged by the beast anyway. If they did similar situation.

4. Reavers and flee reaction

I don't know why I fled. I opened the path for Saurus as they were not blocked by the Sisters as intended. Then 9+ charge is not the easy one to make but ... I let it go. Another mistake.

5. Units on the left

I think that as soon as Stegoadon moved against Sea guard I should have moved 3 remaining regiments forward toward the tower or against Skins. That would have brought the fight to the enemy, threaten their spell caster and helped me to avoid the combat units. Chasing skinks is not easy but at least it would serve me better.

6. Comets

While I could do nothing against the first comet (Irresistible Force and Dimensional Cascade but Tetto Ekko was lucky to avoid his doom) I made a huge mistake with the second one. I had enough dice to dispel it but chos not to as I thought Chain Lightning is more dangerous. Stupid #-o

It was a quick game in terms of when it was decided. By the end of turn 3 it was all over. But as I said, a great game against great opponent and hopefully I will remember the lessons!

I hope it was still an interesting read!

Cheers!

Runelord, Anvil of Doom, Shield, Rune of Stone
Thane BSB, Master rune of Gromril, Rune of Resistance
Dragon Slayer
Dragon Slayer
Master Engineer, Great Weapon, Rune of Stone

28 Warriors, Great Weapons, Full Command
28 Warriors, Great Weapons, Full Command
11 Thunderers

Cannon, Rune of Burning
Cannon

28 Hammerers, Full Command, Master Rune of Grungni
18 Miners, Full Command, Steam drill
Organ Gun

Total Swedish: 14.9

Quite a few great weapon wielding Dwarves here! Having played against James before I noticed a few usual suspects. He likes to played with bigger infantry blocks so I was not really surprised with the 3 great weapon wielding regiments. Anvil seemed to be his thing too, despite occasional spectacular explosions it caused. I expected war machines but this time instead of grudge throwers I had to deal with very dangerous Organ Gun. Thunderers also nicely added to the army as small arms fire is very good in destroying these small regiments or finishing some stragglers.

Let's have a closer look at his army list:

Runelord

A stalwart general, his roles are multiple thanks to his own abilities and extra things he gained from the Anvil. Very good anti-magic even without runes of spell breaking. Anvil allowed him to either slow down the advance of some of my regiments or move some of his own at an appropriate moment. Very good in combination with Miners too! Even with just a single rune of stone he was quite well protected. If positioned right it may be very difficult to even get to him.

Thane BSB

Simple yet efficient combination for 1+ armour save with ability to re-roll. Very, very helpful character for Dwarves, in particular for stubborn hammerers. However, even with 1+ and re-rolls he can die to some higher strength attacks some of my combat units can provide and since he is probably going to be with one of the blocks anyway there is a chance to direct all the possible hits against him and try to get him down.

Dragon Slayers

Very good for war machines protection or as small redierctors themselves. Can stop any unit, if only for a turn but my previous experience showed that small frontage and T5 causes some elves real problem.

Engineer

Since James didn't load his warmachines with runes this character was very helpful indeed. He could also provide some extra protection via trenches and his extra attacks with great weapon can be very useful in fighting off some fast but light enemy troops.

Warriors

Good, stalwart Warriors with the great weapons. May not have huge staying power due to heavy armour only but their significant numbers meant they would not go down without the fight and in fact, they can hurt some enemies too.

Thunderers

In one of our previous games James didn't have small arms troops and thanks to that survivors from Swordmasters units, who suffered greatly from the grudge throwers fire, could sneak in between his regiments and destroy his war machines. I am sure Thunderes were included to be prepared for such situations but there are always some good targets for them in any match up. In this game their aid would be definitely noted!

Cannons

Not many runes on these, only one with burning attacks. However, two cannons with the nearby Engineer are very reliable anyway! I had a feeling that if I didn't had a place to hide my eagles or bolt thrower, they would not live long. But that is usually the case with cannons and the targets they might pick.

Hammerers

Even better regiment than Warriors. WS5, S6 and stubborn makes them very dangerous indeed. The magic banner allows to minimize the casualties taken from the shooting and/or magic missiles and I expected them to occupy central position so that more units could benefit from that protection.

Miners

Some more great weapon wielding Dwarves who can appear on your flank and charge immediately thanks to the power of the Anvil. All depended on the dice rolls that would determine when they are going to arrive but steam drill ensured the chances for that were increased and I had to assume they would show up exactly when James wanted them to be present.

Organ Gun

A priority target for me to destroy. Preferably with some magic missiles (despite possible protection from the banner) as I expected it to be hidden behind the troops. The faster I destroyed that infernal machine the faster I can approach the enemy lines and engage his troops in combat.

James won the roll off to pick the table side and promptly announced that he is sorry but previous experiences thought him that castle is the best formation against MSU elves. He simply stated that he didn't want to risk his warriors to be encircled again and chose to fight defensive war in order to prevent defeat in the first place. That meant I had to come up with the idea on how to storm that castle.

I decided to do so with the cavalry as a far wing that can cover more distance and catch up with infantry approaching through shorter path. I even didn't quite wanted to stay with shooters in one place as I thought I might need them in some redirecting missions or, if opportunity arises, to add some ranks to combat and prevent the Dwarves from being steadfast.

I also didn't want to move too close to the edge as I knew that some Miners would love that opportunity to charge my regiments. Here is how we ended up deploying our forces:

Yet another Tomato Plantation!

Deployment of the armies after vanguard - Miners digging the tunnels!

As promised, James castled. His runelord was very well shielded, Engineer entrenched Organ Gun and stayed close to the war machines. Dragon Slayers helped to guard the flank.

Elves deployed wide, with eagles hiding behind the hills but no good place to hide Bolt Thrower. Small maze was in front of the elven warriors but other than that only the forest was in their path.

James won the roll off and his was first turn!

Castle reshaped!

Opening fire!

Dwarves, seeing Elves deployed to their flank, slightly reshaped their formation to face the approaching enemy. Not many targets were in range so cannons aimed at the Eagle Claw and the only Elven war machine was destroyed. Few older warriors grumbled about elven inability to build anything solid.

Runelord stroke his anvil and two dragon princes were unhorsed while remaining knights had to slow down to control their spooked steeds.

Forward!

Wide outflanking maneuver

Elves moved rapidly but still maintained healthy distance from the deadly Organ Gun. The attempts to cast magic were generally dispelled, only Iceshard Blizzard overwhelmed Thunderers. Due to movement and good protection the shooting by elven army was unimpressive.

Miners enter the battle field!

This time cannon crews practice shooting at moving targets

Dwarven miners appear in the nearby woods and prompted by the sound of the Anvil, charge! Sisters and Sea Guard do not fancy being charged to the flank by a bunch of dirty Dwarves and retreat to the center of the formation.

Cannon crewmen had made a small wager who can kill the eagle first and the guys who operate the one with flaming cannonballs win the bet!

Fighting fire with fire!

Outflanking continues

Bob the BSB ordered his Archers to reform and shoot at the Miners. Despite protection from the nearby trees a few of them fell to some well placed arrows.

Other regiments kept moving around the flank and again tried to maintain the distance that didn't allow the Organ Gun to fire. Larry the Loremaster this time won the mind war against the Runesmith. A Fireball materialized out of thin air and consumed the crew of the Organ Gun. Now that the most dangerous war machine was silenced Elves hoped to speed up their advance.

Cannons aim at densely packed Swordmasters

Miners charge but fail!

Dwarven artillery might have been weakened but could still hurt. A few Swordmasters were knocked down by cannon balls. Miners once again charge the Elves but this time were met by arrows and to their surprise Elves fought. And what is more they fought so well that Miners lost heart and fled only to be caught by fleet footed Archers.

Dragon Princes vs Dragon Slayers!

The Dwarven battle line was still hard to breach but one of the units of Dragon Princes spotted two lone figures near the phalanx of warriors. They leveled their lances and charged two orange hair lunatics, avenging some great wyrms from the ages past that fell to the axes of these barbaric Dwarves. One of them found his death in combat but the second one was still there to fight!