It has been a while since I reported a larger game on this blog, and given the club is moving to a new location, we decided to give the old one a send-off with a proper multi-player battle. We didn't really have a long time to plan (or play) this one, and we lost a couple of participants to illness and work commitments, but we still managed to cobble together a (roughly) 17,000 point game. To ease preparations a bit, we decided just to use my Orc and Empire armies - it meant they could be packed properly onto movement trays ahead of time, to give us a chance of getting through the game (thanks to Pete for doing the bulk of that whilst I was away on holiday!) We used a scenario that encouraged holding control points in the hope that it would give the battle a little focus.

As usual for these reports, I'll break things up into multiple posts. It's just too much content for a single page, and it means I can start posting a bit sooner.

Thanks to Pete, Tim, Noakes and Josh for playing, Sean for standing in as an emergency scribe with no warning, and to everyone else who helped out on the day.

The Battle of Osterwald

Prologue

The cold morning air buffeted Azhag as he soared over his hordes. They were marching south once more, but Azhag could still smell the whiff of the smoke from the burning village behind him, and the screams of the puny humans still rang in his ears and warmed his evil green heart. It was a good morning. Beneath him, his tide of warriors was now stomping their way through rich green fields as they more or less followed the road out of town. Ahead he could see a series of farmsteads along the road. They were probably abandoned by now, but this felt like a civilised area. With any luck they might find another town to pillage and burn before the day was out...

No! Hissed the voice in his head. He felt the usual waves of impatience emanating from the crown on his brow. No more delays. We must hurry south.

Azhag grunted. They were heading south. He didn't know what the crown wanted of him. He was headed in the right direction, and he could hardly be blamed if the foolish humans kept building settlements along this perfectly good road...

A glint in the cold morning sunlight suddenly caught his attention, and he found himself leaning forward in Skullmuncha's saddle as the wyvern's wings beat the air steadily. What was it that he was seeing? There was movement in the distance, a little way off from the road ahead. He blinked wildly, trying in vain to get his eyes to see further than they could.

Something akin to a sigh of frustration hissed in his head, and he felt a sudden lurch as the crown drew energies through his body before unleashing them upon his own mind. Everything went black for a moment, and in a panic he thought the crown had finally snapped and was attacking him. But no; a moment later things began to brighten again. Everything had a weird purple hue and black swirls swam around the edges of his vision. Looking down, he could see his hands desperately clinging to his saddle as he fought to retain his balance. He felt a little ill.

Look! Commanded the voice, and he felt his gaze dragged toward the movement he had seen earlier. This time his gaze seemed to travel far further than before, and he gave a bark of surprise as he found himself looking directly into the face of a moustached human with a strange eyeglass over one of his eyes. He wore a helmet on his head, and seemed to be swaying about strangely. Azhag felt his stomach starting to lurch sympathetically, and he blinked hard and shook his head. When he looked back again, the man was still there, but a lot further away. And he was not alone. All around him rode rank after rank of armoured knights, and the man himself was swaying about atop a clanking, hissing steam tank!

Azhag felt waves of concern from the crown, even as he himself grew excited at the prospect of a proper fight. He allowed his gaze to roam further up and down the lines of the enemy, and his excitement only grew. There were a lot of them! This would be a proper scrap! Hauling on Skullmuncha's reins, he turned the beast directly toward the approaching army.

No, hissed the crown's voice in his head. This is not the way! That army could defeat yours! Azhag sniffed derisively at this suggestion, but the crown would not be so easily dismissed. Against his will, he felt his gaze dragged to the skies over the human army. His brain rebelled as he tried to fight this puppetry of his own physical movements, but he still caught sight of something that demanded his attention. Wings seemed to fill the sky over the enemy army. His vision swam, and the swirling in his peripheral vision threatened to overcome him as he tried to stare harder at what he was seeing. Griffons. They had to be griffons. But how many? How many could there possibly be?

Yesss, hissed the crown. A level of satisfaction seemed to flow from it, or possibly it was smugness. There are too many, great warlord. Too many even for you. Best not to engage. Better to keep moving south.

Azhag stared uncomprehendingly for a moment at the seemingly endless sea of griffons filling his vision. But the harder he tried to focus, the more things swirled until at last he felt his vision darkening once more. The spell was ending.

Confusion and anger warred with the excitement in Azhag's head. What was happening? How did the enemy have so many wings? Why was the crown to pleased with itself? Just as his vision was about to fade completely to black, a sense of frustrated rage exploded within him. With a roar, he seized the powers that the crown had summoned, and twisted them to his own purpose. A thick blanket of fog erupted before him and sped outward, toward the human army.

That's good, the crown muttered, possibly to itself. It seemed confused, like it was trying to figure out what was happening. They won't be able to see us, and we can easily avoid them now.

"No," growled Azhag out loud, as his vision finally returned to normal. "We are not goin' around. We are gonna smash dem humies and the silly birdies will never know what is goin' on below dem."

A wave of alarm surged out from the crown. What about you and your wyverns? You'll be trapped up here in the fog too! Now is the time to escape!

Azhag grinned, ignoring the crown's apparent panic. "Not to worry. I 'ave a plan".

He could have sworn the crown's wail was actually audible as he guided his wyvern down into the mists.

Scenario

This game is a pitched battle, with one notable exception. All flying units begin the game "flying high", trapped above the impenetrable barrier of low cloud that Azhag has spread across the battlefield. Across the field are spread 3 "signal" points, which are the high points on the field. Control of one of these points will allow a model to get above the clouds and signal in one of their trapped flyers, via semaphore, interpretive dance, or some other arcane means. Each point is controlled by having an unopposed unit within 3".

For each signal point controlled at the start of the player's turn, they may elect a single flying model to land anywhere on the battlefield. This may be a charge, as per the rules below. If the model is not charging, it may go anywhere it could legally be placed (not within impassable terrain, within 1" of another unit, etc).

A charge from flying high must be declared on the front of a unit, unless the front is fully engaged, in which case it may be upon a flank (or rear if no flank is available). A charged target must take any appropriate leadership test and may make a normal charge reaction. If they flee, the charger will land on the originally nominated spot, but may face in any direction.

No victory points are awarded for models that remain trapped in flying high at the end of the game.

The Orcs deploy first, and have the first turn.

Armies

The armies were largely selected based on the models that I had available, with a couple of the usual guiding principles for larger games (eg ignoring very small units, like 5 cavalry or 20 infantry, and keeping heroes in units as glorified champions to avoid small nuisance elements running around).

I made an effort to ensure the Orcs would have the means to face off with hordes of 40 knights, in the form of a huge regiment of Black Orcs, a horde of River Trolls and the Rogue Idol. I also lumped the Boar Chariots into loose units, again in an effort to avoid clutter on the field. The Trolls got a bonus Warboss to lead them, when we realised that Azhag's leadership would not be on the field, and they'd be completely useless without a decent leadership value.

The Empire got a few sneaky things that aren't technically in their list, but which I've never used before - so the Landship (from the Tamurkhan rules), the War Wagon (using the rules from Warhammer Armies Project) and their own Giant, who was much too dapper to leave out.

At the end the Orcs got a bonus regiment of mercenary Ogres to roughly even up the points, and then all the flying models were put aside until someone could call them in.

Waaagh Azhag!

Az Azhag the Slaughterer

on Skullmuncha with Slagga's Slashas, Azhag's 'Ard Armour, Crown of Sorcery

550 points, FLYING HIGH
Wy1 Orc Warboss

on Wyvern with Great Weapon, Armour of Fortune

316 points, FLYING HIGH
Wy2 Orc Warboss

on Wyvern with Great Weapon, Armour of Destiny

331 points, FLYING HIGH
Wy3 Black Orc Warboss

on Wyvern with Armour of Gork

420 points, FLYING HIGH
Wy4 Black Orc Warboss

on Wyvern with Heavy Armour, Talisman of Endurance

350 points, FLYING HIGH
GS1 Savage Orc Great Shaman

Level 4 with Lucky Shrunken Head

255 points
GS2 Night Goblin Great Shaman

Level 4

175 points
GW Goblin Warboss

on Gigantic Spider with Light Armour, Shield, Wizarding Hat

221 points
WB1 Black Orc Warboss

with Heavy Armour, Battleaxe of the Last Waaagh!

260 points
BSB Black Orc Big Boss

on Boar with Heavy Armour, Battle Standard, Dawn Stone, Dragonhelm

166 points
WB2 Badgutz Trollbreath

Orc Warboss on Boar with Great Weapon, Talisman of Preservation, Charmed Shield

195 points
OB1 60 Orc Boyz

with Choppa, Light Armour, Shield, Full Command. Led by Black Orc Big Boss, Orc Shaman (Level 1)

610 points
OB2 60 Orc Boyz

with Choppa, Light Armour, Shield, Full Command. Led by Black Orc Big Boss, Orc Shaman (Level 1)

610 points
OB3 60 Orc Boyz

with Choppa, Light Armour, Shield, Full Command. Led by Black Orc Big Boss, Orc Shaman (Level 1)

610 points
Big 40 Savage Orc Big'Uns

with 2 Choppas, Full Command. Led by Savage Orc Big Boss (Great Weapon), Black Orc Big Boss

644 points
NG1 60 Night Goblins

with Spears, Shields, Full Command, Netters, 3 Fanatics

330 points
NG2 40 Night Goblins

with Spears, Shields, Full Command, Netters, 3 Fanatics

270 points
NG3 50 Night Goblins

with Shields, Full Command, Netters, 3 Fanatics

300 points
NG4 60 Night Goblins

with Short Bows, Full Command, Netters, 3 Fanatics

330 points
NG5 40 Night Goblins

with Short Bows, Full Command, Netters, 3 Fanatics

270 points
Gob1 60 Goblins

with Spears, Shields, Light Armour, Full Command, 3 Nasty Skulkers. Led by Goblin Shaman (Level 2)

390 points
Gob2 40 Goblins

with Shields, Light Armour, Full Command, 3 Nasty Skulkers

200 points
WR1 12 Wolf Riders

with Spears, Shields, Light Armour, Full Command

174 points
WR2 12 Wolf Riders

with Spears, Shields, Light Armour, Full Command

174 points
WR3 12 Wolf Riders

with Spears, Shields, Light Armour, Full Command

174 points
WR4 14 Wolf Riders

with Short Bows, Light Armour, Full Command

184 points
SR 24 Forest Goblin Spider Riders

with Spears, Shields, Full Command. Led by Goblin Big Boss (Gigantic Spider with Light Armour, Shield)

397 points
BO1 80 Black Orcs

with Heavy Armour, Shields, Full Command, Standard of Discipline

1090 points
BO2 24 Black Orcs

with Heavy Armour, Shields, Full Command

347 points
RT 18 River Trolls

810 points
SOBB 19 Savage Orc Boar Boyz

with Spears, Shields, Full Command, Banner of Swiftness. Led by Savage Orc Big Boss (Boar, Great Weapon) and Savage Orc Shaman (Level 2 on Boar)

640 points
OBB1 10 Orc Boar Boyz

with Spears, Shields, Light Armour, Full Command

235 points
OBB2 10 Orc Boar Boyz

with Spears, Shields, Light Armour, Full Command

235 points
OBC1 3 Orc Boar Chariots

Operating as a single unit

255 points
OBC2 3 Orc Boar Chariots

Operating as a single unit

255 points
SH1 54 Squig Herd

with 40 Squigs, 14 Herders

362 points
SH2 20 Squig Hoppers

Led by 2 Night Goblin Big Bosses on Great Cave Squig with Light Armour, Shield, Spear

388 points
GWC 3 Goblin Wolf Chariots

150 points
S 8 Snotlings

240 points
IoG Rogue Idol of Gork

Great Idol

600 points
A1 Arachnarok

290 points
A2 Arachnarok

290 points
G1 Giant

200 points
G2 Giant

200 points
G3 Giant

200 points
G4 Giant

200 points
MS1 Mangler Squig

65 points
MS2 Mangler Squig

65 points
MS3 Mangler Squig

65 points
MS4 Mangler Squig

65 points
DD1 Doom Diver

80 points
DD2 Doom Diver

80 points
DD3 Doom Diver

80 points
RL1 Rock Lobber

85 points
RL2 Rock Lobber

85 points
RL3 Rock Lobber

85 points
SC1 Spear Chukka

35 points
SC2 Spear Chukka

35 points
SC3 Spear Chukka

35 points
SC4 Spear Chukka

35 points
IG 10 Mercenary Ogre Ironguts

Heavy Armour, Great Weapons, Full Command. Led by Bruiser (Heavy Armour, Great Weapon)

542 points
Total: 17336 points

The Empire

KF Karl Franz, The Emperor

Riding Deathclaw, wielding Ghal Maraz

585 points, FLYING HIGH
GE1 General of the Empire

Riding Imperial Griffon with Great Weapon, Full Plate Armour

280 points, FLYING HIGH
GE2 General of the Empire

Riding Imperial Griffon with Great Weapon, Full Plate Armour

280 points, FLYING HIGH
GE3 General of the Empire

Riding Imperial Griffon with Lance, Shield, Full Plate Armour

284 points, FLYING HIGH
GE4 General of the Empire

Riding Imperial Griffon with Lance, Shield, Full Plate Armour

284 points, FLYING HIGH
GE5 General of the Empire

Riding Imperial Griffon with Giant Blade, Shield, Full Plate Armour

337 points, FLYING HIGH
BG Balthasar Gelt, The Supreme Patriarch

Riding Pegasus with Staff of Volans, Amulet of Sea Gold, Cloak of Molten Metal

360 points, FLYING HIGH
GT Volkmar, The Grand Theogonist

Riding the War Altar with the Horn of Sigismund, Jade Giffon, Staff of Command, Light Armour

350 points
LS1 Ludwig Schwarzhelm

Riding Barded Warhorse with Full Plate Armour, Sword of Justice, Emperor's Standard

185 points
KH Kurt Helborg, Reiksmarshall of the Empire

Riding Barded Warhorse with Full Plate Armour, Runefang, Laurels of Victory

320 points
GM Grand Master of the Knights Panther

Riding Barded Warhorse with Full Plate Armour, Ogre Blade, Shield

199 points
WL Wizard Lord of the Light Order

Wizard Lord of the Light Order

200 points
BW1 Battle Wizard of the Amber Order

Riding Warhorse. Level 2, Lore of Beasts

112 points
BW2 Battle Wizard of the Bright Order

Level 2, Lore of Fire

100 points
Hal1 60 Ostland Halberdiers

with Halberds, Light Armour, Full Command. Led by a Captain (Great Weapon, Full Plate Armour) and Warrior Priest (Great Weapon, Heavy Armour)

534 points
Hal2 60 Krakenberg Halberdiers

with Halberds, Light Armour, Full Command. Led by a Captain (Great Weapon, Full Plate Armour) and Warrior Priest (Great Weapon, Heavy Armour)

534 points
Hal3 60 Stirland Halberdiers

with Halberds, Light Armour, Full Command. Led by a Captain (Great Weapon, Full Plate Armour)

462 points
HG1 40 Ostland Handgunners

with Empire Handguns, Full Command

390 points
HG2 40 Krakenberg Handgunners

with Empire Handguns, Full Command

390 points
Sp1 40 1st Krakenberg Spearmen

with Spears, Light Armour, Full Command

230 points
Sp2 40 2nd Krakenberg Spearmen

with Spears, Light Armour, Full Command

230 points
Sw 60 Krakenberg Swordsmen

with Shields, Light Armour, Full Command. Led by a Captain (Great Weapon, Full Plate Armour) and Warrior Priest (Great Weapon, Heavy Armour)

594 points
ICKP 40 Inner Circle Knights Panther

with Lances, Shields, Full Plate Armour, Barding, Full Command

1030 points
WWK 40 White Wolf Knights

with Great Weapons, Full Plate Armour, Barding, Full Command. Led by a Captain (Barded Warhorse, Great Weapon, Full Plate Armour) and Warrior Priest (Barded Warhorse, Great Weapon, Heavy Armour)

1083 points
VK 40 Venator Knights

with Lances, Shields, Full Plate Armour, Barding, Full Command. Led by a Captain (Barded Warhorse, Great Weapon, Full Plate Armour) and Warrior Priest (Barded Warhorse, Great Weapon, Heavy Armour)

1083 points
XB1 16 Krakenberg Crossbowmen

with Crossbows, Full Command

174 points
XB2 16 Stirland Crossbowmen

with Crossbows, Full Command

174 points
FC 40 Stirland Free Company

Stirland Free Company

270 points
DK 10 Demigryph Knights

with Halberds, Shields, Full Plate Armour, Barding, Full Command

610 points
RK 16 Reiksguard Knights

with Lances, Shields, Full Plate Armour, Barding, Full Command

462 points
F 60 Flagellants

with Flails, Prophet of Doom

730 points
GS 60 Ostland Greatswords

with Great Weapons, Full Plate Armour, Full Command. Led by a Captain (Great Weapon, Full Plate Armour) and Warrior Priest (Great Weapon, Heavy Armour)

834 points
TG 50 Teutogen Guard (Greatswords)

with Great Weapons, Full Plate Armour, Full Command. Led by a Warrior Priest (Great Weapon, Heavy Armour)

654 points
Pis1 12 Kislev Horse Archers (Pistoliers)

with Brace of Pistols, Light Armour, Musician, Outrider

236 points
Pis2 10 Pistoliers

with Brace of Pistols, Light Armour, Musician, Outrider

200 points
GC1 Great Cannon

120 points
GC2 Great Cannon

120 points
GC3 Great Cannon

120 points
GC4 Great Cannon

120 points
GC5 Great Cannon

120 points
GC6 Great Cannon

120 points
VG1 Helblaster Volley Gun

120 points
VG2 Helblaster Volley Gun

120 points
ST1 Steam Tank

250 points
ST2 Steam Tank

250 points
ST3 Steam Tank

250 points
CH Celestial Hurricanum

130 points
WW War Wagon

Using WAP 9th Ed Rules

120 points
LS2 Marienburg Class Landship

300 points
EG Empire Giant

Yeah, just a well-dressed Giant

200 points
Total: 17550 points

Deployment

Deployment, after Vanguard moves.

The Orc left flank, which we'll call the east. In terms of key units, the horde of Savage Orc Big'Uns has the Great Shaman. And that Rogue Idol of Gork (the big rock dude) is no slouch either.

The Orc centre, which is essentially the north. Includes the 80 Black Orcs led by a Warboss with the Battleaxe of the Last Waaagh, and a horde of River Trolls led by another Warboss, who hopefully had enough gear to protect him from cannonballs. The Orc BSB is in the Savage Orc Boar Boyz.

The Orc right flank (west). We almost changed the big troll guy to a Bonecrusher Giant on the spot, given how much bigger than the other Giants he was. Then realised we didn't have the rules with us, so his field promotion was short-lived. The scariest unit on this flank is the Squig Herd, and the Night Goblin Great Shaman is lurking in the big unit of Night Goblins up the back.

The Empire left (west) flank. The Venators are normal knights, so only Strength 3 without their lances. The Flagellants are always dangerous, especially with the Light Wizard lurking in the Pikemen (Spearmen) behind them.

The Empire centre (south), with the Knights of the White Wolf and a big unit of Wolfygryphs (Demigryphs) behind them. There's a fair amount of shooting in this area, including all the Handgunners and Crossbowmen, as well as both Volley Guns.

The Empire right (east) flank, centered around the Knights Panther, who are Inner Circle Knights led by their Grand Master. The Reiksguard include Ludwig Schwartzhelm with the Emperor's battle standard, and Kurt Helborg.

The vanguard moves commence.

Wolf riders get most of the vanguard move in the east, leaving nowhere for the pistoliers to go.

Wolf riders vanguard in the centre, and the spiders set up a nice new home in the trees.

Shoving the trees around, making themselves at home.

We too can play at this "vanguard" game! On to inevitable victory! What could possibly go wrong?

Orcs Turn 1

The unnatural cloud hung oppressively above the battlefield as Azhag's legions began their advance. Roars and grunts and horns carried across the field, but the sound was strangely muffled. Goblin wolf riders skittered out in front of the main lines, with one mob on the Empire right flank getting wild-eyed and nearly lurching straight into the advancing pistoliers, before they balked at the last moment and settled for jeering at them and brandishing their spears.

Yeah, they failed Animosity and rolled a 6. But they vanguarded and went first, so can't charge, right? I don't even remember if this was clarified. Anyway, it's some good mocking of the enemy.

Have at you! Stoopid humies!

Arguments and shrieks could be heard emanating from the small forest near the centre of the field, as a squabble broke out amongst the spider riders and their big boss set about trying to restore order with wild threats and gesticulations, which only made matters worse.

Ah, sir... Was this actually a good idea?

Toward the other flank, some pistoliers had allowed their enthusiasm to get the better of them, and their foolish advance drew the attention of a group of Orc chariots. The machines lurched about and surged toward the pistoliers, who hurriedly fired off a cloud of shots for no real effect before the machines crashed home, pulverising most of them as the crew reached out to skewer the last couple with their spears.

Help! We made a terrible mistake!

The boar chariots stop to clean bits of pistolier out of their wheels.

And now there's nothing between them and the Empire front lines.

Bolts, rocks, arrows and doom divers filled the air, with the occasional Empire knight being struck from his saddle. No significant damage was done, with the exception of a lobbed stone landing directly on top of the steam tank on the Empire right flank. It crashed down, crumpling steel with a noise like a thunderous gong. The hatch opened shakily, and a very confused-looking halfling poked his head out, trying to work out what had just happened.

Wow, what was that? Wait... Who let a halfling drive a steam tank?!?

The great shaman in the horde of savage orcs attempted to unleash a mighty Foot of Gork upon the most stompable of his foes, however his efforts were fumbling at best and the powers dissipated harmlessly.

Nice roll, Pete. Foot of Gork, this will not!

West flank, end of Orc turn 1.

In the centre

And the east flank.

I'll include Sean's notes from each turn at the bottom, as they often include more specifics (or or confusion) than my own...

Scribe's notes:

Spiders and Wolves failed animosity. The wolves surged but couldn't charge; spiders squabbled. Boar chariots charged pistoliers on Empire left, pistoliers stood and fired: 1 wound.

Mangler squigs move up and gobbo wolf riders move up in centre. With true Orc sublety and nuance, Orc boar riders move up supported by an 'Uge Spidey and the Orc centre rundles forward.

Dice of magic rolled: Greg rolled and Noakes asked "Why are YOU rolling for anything?" :) Pete rolls 15 for a boosted Foot of Gork! (Rah! hah! haa!) and fails miserably.

Orc shooting hits Steam Tank on right with 6 wounds (2nd attempt!). Empire left, a knight is lost. Empire right, a knight is lost, two White Wolves lost in the centre. Bolt thrower on right misfired, Doom Diver took out a Venator on the left. Wolf Riders on the Empire left take out a halberdier. Pistoliers wiped out bar one to boar chariots, last one lost in combat.

Empire Turn 1

The greenskins had seized the initiative, but it did not take long for the Empire to respond.

Huzzah! Have at them!

On the eastern flank, the pistoliers spurred their horses forward, charging past the wolf riders immediately in front of them and into the second pack that were lurking further back near the trees. Their battle cries soon turned to shrill screams of dismay as they discovered that they were utterly inept with their weapons, whilst the wolves knew how to use their teeth... A single goblin was felled by their charge, whilst over half the pistoliers were dragged from their saddles. Sobbing in horror, the remainder wheeled about to flee, but were pulled down by the pursuing wolves before they got very far.

We've made a mistake! They're much better at rolling than us. Run for your lives!

The landship lurches into action.

The landship let out a piercing blast from its steam whistle and clattered forward into the wolf riders that tried to block its path. Most avoided the impact, but the pitiful howls from the few that were crushed were a bit much for their friends, and their nerve failed them. They fled, but now that its speed was up, the landship rolled on far faster than they could have imagined. It overran them as they tried to escape it, and the crunching and dreadful screams filled the air.

Celebrations turn to panic as the landship proves too much to handle...

The horrible sounds interrupted the celebrations of the other wolf riders as they swatted down the last of the pistoliers, and they themselves turned and retreated back the way they had come. Their flight carried them back through their own lines. The boar boyz looked around them in bemusement as the hollering goblins sailed by, but not all took it so calmly. The mob of night goblins in front of the hill lost their nerve and panicked, scrambling over each other in their haste to escape the battlefield entirely.

The wolf riders flee through numerous friendly units, but the only ones who cared were the night goblins...

...who turned and fled through their friends, and straight off the table.

Meanwhile the landship's pursuit lands it in dangerous waters.

The steam tank on that flank had looked to assist the landship in its efforts against the wolf riders, but the halfling really had no idea what he was doing. The wheels spun wildly whilst the tank went basically nowhere, and then when he decided to settle for firing the cannon at the mangler squig next to the tower, he must have loaded his lunch or something instead of a cannonball because it all went terribly wrong and the cannon nearly tore itself from the now sputtering and wheezing wreck of a steam tank.

The pack of squig hoppers had bounded up onto the hill with great enthusiasm, and it meant that they were in control of the signal point at the top of the tower. This was unacceptable, and they were immediately charged by the war wagon and the large regiment of halberdiers beside it. Well, the halberdiers tried to join in, but then some of them started groaning about the misery of climbing uphill, and how tired they were going to be when they got there, and in the end they didn't make it. The war wagon arrived on its own, and the crew fought gamely as the chariot ploughed into the midst of the bouncing squigs. Between the crashing impact and the efforts of the crew with their motley assortment of weapons and the flailing hooves of the horses, nearly half of the squigs were cut down. The remainder scrabbled fiercely at the armoured hide of the war wagon however, and it was more than half spent. Any hopes that the charge might have eliminated the squig threat entirely were short-lived, as they held their ground belligerently and fought on.

The squig hoppers settle in for the long fight on their impractically large movement tray, whilst the useless halberdiers look on from down on the low ground. In truth their contribution might not have mattered. The squig hoppers held on double 1s.

On the other flank, the more accomplished steam tank driver showed the halfling how it was done by driving his machine forward at astonishing speed, practically flying over the bumps and ditches as it slammed into the shocked goblin wolf chariots, which exploded in a cloud of splinters and shrieking goblins.

I think the tank went 15" that turn, which is just a touch above average. Poor chariots never had a chance.

What were the wolf riders even trying to do? I'm not sure what the plan was. Maybe this was the plan. If so, I doubt they were consulted.

The knights nearby had nowhere near as far to travel, lowering their lances and charging into the flank of the wolf riders, who must have been wondering how they had ended up in such a predicament. It was over mercifully quickly, and none of the goblins lived long enough to turn and flee.

The knight reform to face the enemy, having dealt with the wolf riders. Note the lack of goblin chariots, too.

The other regiments in the area advanced, but the flagellants took it upon themselves to rush forward and swarm into the tower. Presumably their leader was looking for a good place from which to proclaim the dooms of all involved, or perhaps he was hoping it was a bell tower. Everyone likes a good bell-tolling.

In the centre of the field, the Swordsmen marched forward in an attempt to control the signalling point on the high ground there, whilst all around them erupted a roar as the Empire artillery and handgunners opened fire. One cannon shot blasted apart a mangler squig before lodging itself in the hide of the arachnarok behind it. It staggered, but was soon hit by another shot which put it down for good. More shots poured in, with the other mangler squig perishing, the other arachnarok being wounded, and all but one of the Orc chariots vanishing in a withering volley of crossbow bolts and handgun fire. The survivors understandably turned tail and headed back for the safety of their own lines.

The surviving chariot retreats in a hurry.

The cannon shots on the side of the table away from me were brutal.

Some of mine could have been brutal. Look at that line - I could have hit both giants with a good shot. Instead I got 2 wolf riders. Stupid dice. The others were having all the fun. Those poor arachnaroks...

The ogres find themselves halved in a single turn.

On the other side of the hill, the Ogres found themselves the primary target. Handgunner and volley gun shots poured into them, but the loudest roar came from the wizard of the Bright order at the head of the Ostland Halberdiers. He unleashed a massive Fireball into the midst of the ironguts, incinerating nearly half the unit, but this show of power came at a price as he lost control and a violent explosion erupted around him. More than a dozen of the soldiers around him perished, and the wizard himself was more than a little singed.

Uh... Oops?

As devastating as the Empire fire had been, it was not all quite so impressive. One of the cannons on the hill met with disaster as it lined up its shot, and it consumed itself with a deafening blast. Those on the right both found it difficult to judge their distances from the lower ground, and their shots fell short of their intended targets.

Scribe's notes:

All Steam Tanks safe! Landship:

Pistoliers charge Wolf Riders on Empire right, Venators charge Wolf Riders on the Empire left, War Wagon charges squig hoppers, supporting Halberdiers fail (3")! Steam Tank on far left charges 15" into Wolf Chariots; Josh's Steam Tank moved forward, Landship charged Wolf Riders and Greg's Steam Tank moved 2" (Double 1s) to fire at Mangler Squigs. Fanatics move into the tower on the Empire left, Empire Swordsman move up to tower in the centre; War Altar trundled a little way forward.

Crap Winds of Magic rolling for the Empire (15 power dice and Orcs 14 dispel including 3 channelled!); Flaming Sword - 23! - double 6 on Lvl 4 shaman stops it. Irresistible Fireball - 11 wounds on the Ironguts, 2 killed and 2 wounds carried over.Fire Wizard's Irresistible Force results in 9 halberdiers, 2 knights and 3 handgunners, and a Wound on the Wizard, flames beaten out by an Empire Captain. No magic on the Empire left.

Empire cannon takes out a Mangler on the left and does 3 wounds to the Araknarok, Josh's Steam Tank takes out a Mangler Squig and 3 Orcs. Greg does 3 more Wounds to Steam Tank with misfire! Greg's cannon shoots at Mangler on hill - plugs! Greg's left cannon aims at Giants and takes out 2 Wolf Riders. Josh's cannon takes out an Araknarok. Josh then tries a 60" shot but blows up! Tries the next one, wounds other Araknarok. Hellblaster killed a Troll, Greg's Hellblaster - 4 wounds on 2 Ogres - carry-over so bye bye both! Another Ogre lost to the handgunners. Boar Chariots rout in front of Josh due to being shot at.

Pistoliers loose 6 but only kill 1, flee and are run down. Noakes' Steam Tank kills three Wolf Chariots, Gobbos behind stand. Landship takes 3 wounds off Wolf Riders, gobbos fail to hit back, both units of Wolf Riders FLEE! One is run down while the other flee through the war machines (no effect) and panic the Night Gobbos who remembered an important appointment and departed the scene. War Wagon charges squig riders and kills 3 , suffer 3 wounds from squig riders and crew inflict 6 wounds, only for Pete to roll double 1 for Ldrshp. Venators eliminate Wolf Riders with charge.

End of Turn 1

You can find the next part of the battle report here.

Sunday, 8 May 2022