Für all jene die meinen MSU könnte man nur mit ASF Hochelfen spielen, oder die die Meinung vertreten Zwerge könne man nur mit vielen Kriegsmaschinen in einer Eckburg spielen:
Zitat von "SmithF"Alles anzeigenDwarves MSU vs High Elves (pkng)
Some of you might remember my musings a while back, about how every army can play MSU with relative success. Dwarves have been featured before in a battle report, and, tired of facing HE with my Wood Elves (elf vs elf matches are interesting only the first 10 consecutive times
) I proposed facing pkng's High Elves with my Dwarves.
The composition ruleset for this game was ETC, hence the 2400 point limit (2700 points of Wood Elves also sounds cool, by the way).
THE LISTS:
Pkng's list featured an interesting mix of popular choices (World Dragon Lions, standard core, 4 RBT, Book of Hoeth Archmage, Frostheart Phoenix) along with some fluffier choices, namely the phoenix guard and the shooty noble BSB.
Facing a bowline with a bunch of great-weapon totting dwarves is not an easy task, especially when said line is guarded by very solid combat troops striking before my multiple small units!
SPELLS:
Archmage: Soul Quench, Apotheosis, Hand of Glory, Walk Between Worlds
The plan:
Rush the bowline, stall the lions, avoid the Frostheart if possible. Walk Between Worlds is a must dispel and a good target for the Spelleater rune. Cannons to provide counter-battery fire and keep the phoenix honest.
Deployment:
In the deployment I chose to forgo placing my warmachines second, in order to win some time and see where the white lions were going. That meant that my opponent cleverly protected his warmachines from mass cannon fire, but also that the white lions found themselves a bit isolated to the far left of the field.
key (HE L-R): Silver Helms, White Lions, Phoenix Guard with Archmage, Archers with BSB, Reavers x2, rest is obvious)
Key (Dwarves L-R): Slayers, Hammerers, GW Warriors, Hammerers, Slayers, GW Warriors with BSB, Rangers scouting, Slayers. In the backfield to the right, Anvil of Doom and 2 slayer characters)
With a big impassable piece of terrain protecting my battleline's flank, I used the Strollaz Rune to advance, pushing the Rangers right in front of the HE archers and in place to attack and assassinate the enemy BSB on turn 2. The reavers vanguarded, and I resigned to the fact that they were going to be a pain in the behind.
The dwarves won the roll to go first!
TURN 1 – Dwarves
The fact that the Rangers had scouted meant that, despite their juicy positioning, they couldn't charge this turn. So the entire battleline moved forward, with just the leftmost slayers and hammerers holding their ground. The Rangers took cover under the hill, making sure that only one RBT could hit them without penalties the next turn. The Dragon Slayers, against that much HE shooting, preferred to stay on anvil guard duty.
In the shooting phase one cannon managed to kill one RBT, the other falling short of its target.
The BSB's retinue had advanced this turn and I saw the opportunity to charge the HE reavers, getting in a great position for a supporting charge against the archers next turn. The positioning was such that the reavers needed a 7+ roll to bounce through the RBT behind them, causing panic and fleeing off the table. The Anvil successfully propelled them forward, but my opponend rolled a 6 and the reavers stayed on board.
TURN 1 – High Elves
The High Elf archers charged downhill into the Rangers , following their Noble commanding officer. The White lions trundled into the lake, while the Archmage's PG retinue angled to help out the archers if need be. The Ellyrian reavers rallied and all cavalry units maneuvered wide and far away from dwarven threats. Finally, the Great Eagle blocked the path of the slayers to prevent a countercharge into the Archers.
In the magic phase an attempt to cast Soul Quench on the BSB's Warriors was dispelled, and a high casting of the Walk Between Worlds on the Silverhelms drew my Spelleater scroll. As a plus, I rolled 4+ and the Archmage forgot the spell altogether!
Shooting didn't go much better for the Elves, two Bolt Throwers focused fire on the left cannon and managed 2 wounds, while the third dropped a single Hammerer from the rightmost unit.
Combat saw the Rangers kill 5 archers for 3 casualties back, and then passing their break test to hold their ground. A couple of combat reforms took place. (see pic)
TURN 2 – Dwarves
The slayers took the Eagle bait, while the Hammerers to the right attempted a long (9+) charge into the Archers' flank and failed. The rest of the dwarven infantry maneuvered to create no-go zones for the elven cavalry. Both miner units showed up this turn, one emerging right behind the hill and the other to the left, behind the white lions and ready to take out the RBT. Finally, the Warriors with BSB maneuvered into position for an anvil flank charge into the engaged archers.
In the shooting phase the left cannon misfired and blew up and the right one fell short of its target (RBT to the right). The anvil yet again succeded in moving the Warriors, and they fell into the Archers.
The combat that followed was bloody: The elven BSB, bolstered by his Potion of Strength, issued a challenge. The Thane performed a tactical withdrawal (The shame!) and let his warriors and Rangers fight. The resulting 8 kills ensured that the Archers were routed and ran down, along with the elven Noble.
Finally, the slayers took out the Great Eagle and overran.
TURN 2 – High Elves
The Elves replied by charging the victorious rangers with the Phoenix Guard; these had to hold, or risk a double charge from the Phoenix and the PG into the BSB's bunker. The phoenix flank charged the BSB's Warriors, who held. The White lions and silver helms double backed to deal with the enemy behind the lines.
Magic saw an irresistible casting of Hand of Glory on the Phoenix guard, augmenting their Weaponskill by 1. The spell was subsequently forgotten, leaving the Archmage with Soul Quench and Apotheosis.
Shooting was focused on the central miners, dropping 8 of them but not succeeding in panicking them.
In combat the Phoenix guard did a number on the Rangers, leaving 3 alive to flee and be cut down by their pursuers. They did suffer a couple of casualties back, so there's that. The Frostheart hit and stomped the Warriors, resulting in 6 kills for no wounds back; the Dawi held their ground and reformed to present their front to the beast.
TURN 3 – Dwarves
Looking at the table, I decided that I'd have to let the BSB's unit take a beating for yet another turn, and it became clear that the miners to the left were doomed, what with the White Lions and SilverHelms bearing down on them.
The Warriors to the right spotted the flank of the Phoenix Guard and crushed into it; the depleted miners charged into the RBT right behind said phoenix guard, ready to overrun into the other flank. The left Miners charged into the RBT in an attempt to make some points back, and the slayers and hammerers to the right combo-charged the blocking ellyrian reavers.
In the shooting phase the second cannon also misfired while trying to snipe the last RBT, blowing up! The Anvil propelled a Dragon slayer into the flank of the topmost Reaver unit. The latter fled, but got cut down.
Combat started with the left miners making short work of the bolt thrower. Their mates in the middle fumbled and couldn't wound the warmachine once. Adding insult to the injury, the crew held on the general's Ld. No double flank charge into the mage bunker, then.
It turned out that it didn't matter, since the flanking warriors only suffered a couple of casualties and did one themselves, stripping the PG of their Steadfastness and making them flee. They fled to relative safety with the warriors close behind and in combat with the RBT their miner comrades. The Ellyrian reavers died a horrible death at the hands of the slayers/Hammerers.
Finally, the Phoenix rolled abysmally to hit and to Thunderstomp, meaning that only 2 dwarves died and it was beaten in combat resolution by 1. It then failed its Break test and ran 3”, getting ran down...by dwarves!
After this turn of events, my opponent decided to call the game. The White Lions and Silver helms would get the miners and nothing more, while the phoenix guard found themselves surrounded by dwarves and without any support.
VICTORY TO THE DWARVES!
AFTERMATH:
In the after battle discussion it became apparent that the elven deployment played a big role in how the game went: The white lions found themselves isolated to the left flank, with a big piece of impassable terrain blocking their path to the relatively soft dwarven centre. If they advanced, they'd have to face unbreakable and stubborn troops worth a lot less than their own cost.
The fact that the High Elves were spread out meant that I could choose to focus on certain parts of the battleline and take them apart.
Having 150 dwarves rushing in from all directions does help, admittedly!
In terms of maneuvering I'm very pleased with the role of the Rangers, they drew the attention away from the battleline and kept the archers occupied long enough for the Warriors to come to the recue.
A point of interest is how to defend with such a list against large flying monsters: I have found that advancing the army in two waves works wonders, making it impossible for flyers to land behind your lines without risking a rear charge.
So there you have it: Combat Dwarves, rushing through the fields of battle. It works, tell your friends!
Regards,
Smith
Quelle:http://warhammer.org.uk/phpBB/…ic.php?p=1411172#p1411172
