At last Mike and I got around to having a game at Cavaliers. My Dwarfs squared off against Mike’s Orc Horde in a 2,500pts a side Pitched Battle.
With both armies fully painted it was a real spectacle – if only I’d thought to bring my camera. The table had hills in both deployment zones with wood at the edge (Mike wanted plenty of room for his horde) and a single wood in the middle of the table (I had to put it there just to disrupt the Orc lines!). So the Orcs had plenty of room for manoeuvre. The Dwarfs formed a solid line of steel towards their left flank around the large hill on which were deployed the Thunderers and Organ Gun. The Orcs used almost the full width of the 6 x 4 foot table.
Dwarfs
Lord + 24 Hammerers
Thane (BSB) + 24 Longbeards
Thane + 19 Longbeards
Runesmith + 24 Warriors
25 Slayers
10 Thunderers
1 Organ Gun
Orcs
Orc Warlord + 24 Big Uns
Black Orc Big Boss + 24 Black Orcs
Orc Big Boss + 11 Boar Boyz (These looked particularly great!)
4 River Trolls
2 or 3 Mobs of approx 25 Orcs
2 x 10 Orc Archers
1 Bolt Thrower
The Orcs won the roll for choosing sides and also got the first turn. They surged forwards almost as one – just one unit failed it’s Animosity roll. That unit then went on to fail their Animosity test for the first 5 turns!
With no wizards and few missile troops the battle was going to be settled the old fashioned way – by going toe to toe with Dwarf crafted axe and rough-hewn Orcish blade. The game turns rolled by quickly and on turn 3 the armies were locked in combat across the table. The Trolls (helpfully) went ‘stupid’ at a critical moment allowing the Dwarfs the rare pleasure of charging. During the next two turns the staying power of the Dwarfs (Toughness 4, good armour, Leadership 9, etc) really turned the tide of the battle. The Orc horde was held up all across the line and eventually thrown back in disarray. The valiant Dwarf Warriors on my left flank were finally beaten and run down by the Boar Boyz. But by then the rest of the horde were either slain (including the Warboss and Battle standard) or running for the hills.
A really great, friendly game (spoiled only slightly by one exceedingly annoying spectator) against a good opponent. Both armies well painted and nice looking terrain. Brilliant! A win too – which is always a bonus. I’m looking forward to a rematch.
Friday, 18 May 2007
Thursday, 3 May 2007
WFB – 3rd May – Dwarfs vs Dark Elves
Another evening at Cavaliers but my original opponents failed to turn up. However a guy by the name of John is new to WFB and was looking for a 1,000pt game with his Dark Elves. In five mins I trimmed my 2.25k list to 1k and we set to.
Dwarfs
Runesmith (Army General)
24 Warriors
Thane (BSB)
15 Longbeards
10 Thunderers
12 Trolls Slayers
Dark Elves
Hero on a Chariot
12 Repeater Crossbows
12 Repeater Crossbows
6 Cold One Knights
War Hydra
I deployed my Thunderers on a hill where there handguns would have a good arc of fire, whilst the rest of the infantry deployed adjacent to the hill. I put the unarmoured Slayers on the right flank where a wood would restrict enemy shooting. 2 x 12 Dark Elves with Repeater Crossbows = 48 shots per turn!
John deployed his crossbows centrally with the general’s chariot on his right and the knights and hydra on his left.
The game opened with volleys from the handguns destroying the chariot. The rest of the Dwarf infantry slowly redeployed to meet the threat of the Knights and the Hydra on the right. The Slayers took a beating from the Hydra’s fiery breath but soon got stuck in causing 5 wounds on the beats before the last Slayer fell. The crossbows fired tremendous amounts of missiles at the Longbeards who were reduced to just 6 figures before the got behind the woods. They promptly failed their Terror test for the Hydra and (rather embarrassingly) fled. The hand gunners finished off the badly wounded Hydra whilst the Dwarf Warriors twice repulsed the charging Cold One Knights.
After 8 turns we agreed a hard fought draw. Another good, fun game with the 1,000pt armies making for fast turns.
Dwarfs
Runesmith (Army General)
24 Warriors
Thane (BSB)
15 Longbeards
10 Thunderers
12 Trolls Slayers
Dark Elves
Hero on a Chariot
12 Repeater Crossbows
12 Repeater Crossbows
6 Cold One Knights
War Hydra
I deployed my Thunderers on a hill where there handguns would have a good arc of fire, whilst the rest of the infantry deployed adjacent to the hill. I put the unarmoured Slayers on the right flank where a wood would restrict enemy shooting. 2 x 12 Dark Elves with Repeater Crossbows = 48 shots per turn!
John deployed his crossbows centrally with the general’s chariot on his right and the knights and hydra on his left.
The game opened with volleys from the handguns destroying the chariot. The rest of the Dwarf infantry slowly redeployed to meet the threat of the Knights and the Hydra on the right. The Slayers took a beating from the Hydra’s fiery breath but soon got stuck in causing 5 wounds on the beats before the last Slayer fell. The crossbows fired tremendous amounts of missiles at the Longbeards who were reduced to just 6 figures before the got behind the woods. They promptly failed their Terror test for the Hydra and (rather embarrassingly) fled. The hand gunners finished off the badly wounded Hydra whilst the Dwarf Warriors twice repulsed the charging Cold One Knights.
After 8 turns we agreed a hard fought draw. Another good, fun game with the 1,000pt armies making for fast turns.
Wednesday, 2 May 2007
WFB - 25th April – Bretonnians vs Dwarfs
My good friend Rich has a keen interest in military history and expressed an interest in playing some toy soldiers. No problem! I arranged a 1,000pt game with Rich commanding my Bretonnians (HYW French?) whilst Jennifer led her Dwarfs to battle. I chose this lists for both sides, giving a slight advantage to Rich’s force as he’s new to the game.
Bretonnians
9 Knights of the Realm incl Paladin (Army General)
9 Knights Errant incl Paladin (BSB)
6 Mounted Yeomen
10 Bowmen
10 Bowmen
15 Men-at-Arms
Dwarfs
15 Hammerers incl Thane (Army General)
15 Warriors incl Thane (BSB)
12 Troll Slayers
10 Thunders
1 Bolt Thrower
Rich deployed his cavalry all on one flank forcing the Dwarfs to re-organise their battle lines thus reducing the amount of missile fire they could direct at the knights. The Bolt Thrower proved useless, only hitting in the last turn and then the bolt was stopped by a ward save!
Perhaps not surprisingly the Bretonnians won a convincing victory in what was a fun game and hopefully a gave good demonstration of what Warhammer is all about.
Bretonnians
9 Knights of the Realm incl Paladin (Army General)
9 Knights Errant incl Paladin (BSB)
6 Mounted Yeomen
10 Bowmen
10 Bowmen
15 Men-at-Arms
Dwarfs
15 Hammerers incl Thane (Army General)
15 Warriors incl Thane (BSB)
12 Troll Slayers
10 Thunders
1 Bolt Thrower
Rich deployed his cavalry all on one flank forcing the Dwarfs to re-organise their battle lines thus reducing the amount of missile fire they could direct at the knights. The Bolt Thrower proved useless, only hitting in the last turn and then the bolt was stopped by a ward save!
Perhaps not surprisingly the Bretonnians won a convincing victory in what was a fun game and hopefully a gave good demonstration of what Warhammer is all about.
WFB - 19th April – Dwarfs vs Lizardmen
My Dwarf army lined up against Garth’s Lizardmen for an evening game at Christchurch Cavaliers (www.chchcavaliers.com). The game was 2,250pts per side, played on a very scenic 6’x4’ table.
Dwarfs
20 Hammerers incl Lord
24 Longbeards incl Thane with BSB
24 Warriors incl Runesmith
24 Troll Slayers
10 Thunderers
10 Thunderers
Organ Gun
2 Bolt Throwers incl 1 Engineer
Lizardmen
Slann + ~20 Temple Guard
2 x 20 Saurus incl Heroes
3 Kroxigor
Mounted hero
15 Skinks incl Hero
As usual I deployed my large blocks of infantry in close support with the artillery, an organ gun and a pair of bolt throwers, on the flanks. The Lizardmen deployed centrally, with the skinks one a flank.
For much of the game the Dwarfs held their ground whilst the Lizard advanced under a hail of reasonably effective handgun and artillery fire. The Skinks took out much of the artillery and a unit of Thunderers. The Slann’s potent magic did not have a big effect on the game – giving the Dwarfs a significant advantage when the battle lines finally clashed. The Kroxigor mashed the Runesmith but the unit of Warriors eventually drove the reptilian giants away. The tough Dwarf infantry proved their worth and eventually won the day. An interesting and good natured game.
Dwarfs
20 Hammerers incl Lord
24 Longbeards incl Thane with BSB
24 Warriors incl Runesmith
24 Troll Slayers
10 Thunderers
10 Thunderers
Organ Gun
2 Bolt Throwers incl 1 Engineer
Lizardmen
Slann + ~20 Temple Guard
2 x 20 Saurus incl Heroes
3 Kroxigor
Mounted hero
15 Skinks incl Hero
As usual I deployed my large blocks of infantry in close support with the artillery, an organ gun and a pair of bolt throwers, on the flanks. The Lizardmen deployed centrally, with the skinks one a flank.
For much of the game the Dwarfs held their ground whilst the Lizard advanced under a hail of reasonably effective handgun and artillery fire. The Skinks took out much of the artillery and a unit of Thunderers. The Slann’s potent magic did not have a big effect on the game – giving the Dwarfs a significant advantage when the battle lines finally clashed. The Kroxigor mashed the Runesmith but the unit of Warriors eventually drove the reptilian giants away. The tough Dwarf infantry proved their worth and eventually won the day. An interesting and good natured game.
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