Axemaster 2023 Aftermath - Part 2

This is the second part of my report of a recent tournament. You can find the first part here.

My first game had not gone particularly well, but there was still plenty of time to salvage some respectability for the mercenary Ogres.

Game 2 - Take and Hold
Orest Mikulin - Orcs and Goblins

• Orc Warboss on Wyvern with Light Armour, Fumpa's Club of Fumpin (+2 Strength), Ironskin Shield
• Orc Big Boss on Boar with Battle Standard, Drog's Dead Ard Armour (1+ save), Sword of Might
• Night Goblin Shaman (Level 2) with Mad Cap Mushrooms
• Night Goblin Shaman (Level 2) with Nibbla's Itty Ring
• 20 Night Goblins with Full Command, Spears, Shields, 3 Netters, 3 Fanatics
• 20 Night Goblins with Full Command, Spears, Shields, 2 Netters, 3 Fanatics
• 5 Wolf Riders with Musician, Spears, Short Bows, Shields
• 5 Wolf Riders with Musician, Spears, Short Bows, Shields
• 20 Black Orcs with Full Command, Great Weapons, War Banner
• Goblin Rock Lobber
• Goblin Spear Chukka
• Goblin Spear Chukka
• 6 Trolls
• Giant

Orest was running a very classic style of Orc and Goblin army. Wyvern, Giant, Trolls... All the "good" stuff (by which I mean, all the stuff you want, but which might not actually end up being any good). This felt like a list that lined up better with mine in terms of power level. The scenario offered 500 victory points at the end of the battle if you controlled the centre point of the table (that pile of sandbags in the picture below). 500 is a lot of points, so this was something you couldn't really afford to ignore entirely. I won the roll-off for table edge and actually bothered changing sides (I don't normally, because I'm very lazy). 2 hills seemed a little too convenient when he had 3 war machines...

Lining up my troops, looking at my units, wondering who is really disposable enough to "draw out" the Fanatics... Not really something I factored into my list building. Nobody wanted to volunteer, especially when one unit had Mad Cap Mushrooms (which doubles the Fanatic impact on the turn they're released).

The Rhinox nobly volunteered to "hold" the flank (hiding behind the trees). Maybe he could get to the war machines before they got to him.

The Orcs got the first turn and went first, which was obviously disappointing for my troops with those machines pointing at me. Animosity was not an issue (it wasn't really much of an issue all game), but the Trolls immediately failed their stupidity test and shuffled forward at half speed. This rather dragged back the advance of the whole line, although it worked out reasonably well for the Black Orcs, who could only move 2" per turn because they were properly stuck in a forest (I'm not sure Orest realised quite how painfully slow they were going to be, but he was maintaining his formation with their quelling of animosity which is really important).

Here they come! At least... I think they're moving.

The Rock Lobber started what seemed to be a personal vendetta against Braganza's Besiegers. It would have landed almost on top of them, but misfired for the turn instead. The Spear Chukkas fared better, which was unfortunate for one of Voland's Venators who copped a spear to the face. The Goblin Shamans started waving Eadbutt around on the Itty Ring, but although I generally let it through, I think all it ever did was give Ricco (the captain of the Republican Guard) a bit of a headache. Brain Bursta (or maybe it was Gaze of Mork) got through against the Besiegers, killing a few despite their excellent protection against such attacks thanks to their pavises. 

Honestly, it was slightly exciting to get to use the Besiegers' fancy armour save against the magic attacks. It was less exciting that I pretty much just failed all the saves, but just imagine... 3+ armour against shooting! Not that this was going to help them if the Rock Lobber got itself sorted out...

My movement was a confused mess. The Fanatics posed a real problem. Orest had made a bit of a risky move putting both units of Night Goblins very close together. The right move could trigger all 6 Fanatics at once. But then, I didn't have anything I was willing to do that with. Maybe the Butcher should have taken one for the team. Anyway, I failed to punish the deployment, and instead tried to work on triggering the nearest unit using the tower as some form of cover.

The Leadbelchers had been "volunteered" for a dangerous mission. They were to deliberately stand as close as possible in order to shield the other, more valuable units. But they were allowed to hide as well as they could. Hopefully it would be enough...

On the other flank we moved more aggressively. The Rhinox, Voland's Venators and the Ironguts all moved pretty hard toward the vulnerable war machines. Sure, there was a Wyvern hiding behind the hill, but he couldn't see me, and I couldn't see him... It's like he's not even there!

I did my best to force a panic test on the central Night Goblins (who had the Mad Cap Mushrooms), but my magic was pretty ineffectual all game, and the Besiegers could only manage maybe one dead Goblin.

The Trolls passed their stupidity test this time, and ironically celebrated by moving more slowly than when they had failed. Most of the interest was elsewhere however, as the nearer Night Goblin unit decided to step up and trigger the release of its Fanatics around the tower.

So... None of my units got hit, but one of them got real close to the Leadbelchers... He only needed another inch.

The Wyvern emerged from its hiding spot behind the hill, landing behind the Venators and next to the Ironguts. Meanwhile the Rock Lobber still didn't love the Besiegers, lined them up again, and rolled rather viciously in terms of partial hits and wounds... Only 2 left. Sad face. :(

The Spear Chukkas were also on fire, picking off another 2 Venators. Something wounded the Ironguts, too. I suspect it was Gaze of Mork.

I was back to having decisions to make. Or rather, I would have been, except that some of my decisions were being undermined by my troops being less disciplined than the Orc and Goblin army (go figure). The Venators found the presence of a Wyvern so close behind them that they could smell it unnerving, and failed their terror test. They they fled a measly 4 or 5 inches, managing to block any charge that the Rhinox was going to make. So in one fell swoop I had lost 2 charge options. I guess the war machines were going to have to wait (and they were really hurting me)...

The other decision was the Ironguts. They had a Wyvern right next to them, looking at them. They probably wouldn't beat 6 Trolls and a Big Boss in a fight, and they wouldn't get there anyway with the unreleased Fanatics in between them. The Giant was approaching as well, so holding their ground was ill-advised... It was basically all bad. I decided the unit was a write-off, and they had just volunteered to remove the threat of Mad Cap Mushrooms from the field by triggering the remaining Fanatics. They stepped forward, losing 2 of their number to the single Fanatic that reached them, but bravely passing their panic test.

Man, Orcs and Goblins make such a mess. Look at that crap all over the table. Fanatics everywhere.

Ow... My friends! What happened to my friends?

The Rhinox moved around the idiot Venators, looking for a path to the enemy.

The Besiegers turned around and bailed from the top of the hill to relative safety. They were now just worth victory points, really.

I actually cleaned up a couple of the Fanatics that were too close this turn. The Leadbelchers decided to open fire on the one immediately in front of them (he was very dead), whilst I picked off another in a concerning location with the Bonecruncher spell - I'm pretty sure Orest just let me cast that one, given the target.

The Orcs' third turn started well, with a Fanatic spinning through the Wyvern and doing a couple of wounds. The rest spun about pretty harmlessly, not really impacting the game (beyond making people nervous).

Betrayal!

The Giant charged and killed the remaining Irongut. I don't actually remember how he died - just that if he had fled the charge, there was a Fanatic right behind him. I think the Giant yelled and bawled at him.

The Wyvern flew further around behind my lines, having sowed enough mischief over on my left flank. It should be noted that by now the Black Orcs had finally emerged from the forest. Rejoice with them. Freedom!

Mercifully the Goblin shooting eased off from trying to kill my whole army this turn, as the Rock Lobber couldn't find a target and the Spear Chukkas missed.

In my turn, the field was starting to clear. There were paths through the Fanatics, and it was time to make my move. Also there was a damn Wyvern behind my lines, which was not really an acceptable situation and it was time to get out of there. The Besiegers agreed - they failed their terror test and ran away (I removed them as they couldn't rally and would play no further part in the game).

The Leadbelchers could see the Night Goblins around the tower, and had the leg speed to get them there...

Charge! The Leadbelchers into the flank of the Night Goblins, and the Tyrant's unit into the front of the other unit of them. The Ironguts focused on getting up behind the tower so the Wyvern couldn't see them. The BSB left the unit (he would have prevented this maneuvre)  and stepped toward the front of the field, hoping he could stay out of sight of the war machines. The Republican Guard lacked the speed to get out of the arc of the Wyvern, so they had little choice but to turn and face it.

My left flank started to function again, as the Venators rallied and the Rhinox charged the nearest Spear Chukka. The Goblins failed their terror test and fled, leaving the Rhinox to smash the unoccupied machine.

Order is restored on the flank.

The combats did not go well for the Night Goblins. The Tyrant and his friends thrashed the unit in the centre, running them down as they fled and clipping the Trolls instead. They wheeled as much as they could, but it was really just the Tyrant who could reach (or be reached). The Leadbelchers killed a couple of Goblins, and combined with the flank charge it was just enough for them to win the fight. The Night Goblins showed admirable courage, and immediately turned and fled. They escaped, and the pursuing Leadbelchers failed to catch them, tripped on a Fanatic, lost half their number, and panicked...

The Night Goblins flee toward the table edge, with the Leadbelcher who beat them fleeing right alongside them.

Orest now had some decisions of his own to make. The Black Orcs were right in front of the Tyrant's Ogre unit. They had rank bonus, unit strength and hitting power at their disposal. However, there was a spanner in the works. Or rather, a Night Goblin Shaman. 

The Black Orcs can see and contact the Ogres, but to actually line up and get into combat, the Night Goblin needed to be out of the way. Which meant he needed to charge as well - only way for him to move first. Also, everything caused Fear, so he'd have to take a test, and his Leadership is 5... Failure would mean nothing could really move. Oh and he's worth some points on his own. In the end Orest decided not to try to get the Black Orcs (and Shaman) into combat. The Trolls and BSB would just have to fend for themselves for a bit.

The Tyrant caused everyone a headache by deciding to issue a challenge (well I guess technically I did that), and the Orc BSB agonised about whether to accept or decline. I did it to prevent a Troll getting a free swing at me, but maybe it wasn't worth the headache. In the end the loss of the BSB's leadership would likely have meant the unit would flee from combat, so he accepted the challenge. Against an Ogre Tyrant with the Tenderiser. What a hero. But that's OK, because I rolled like a potato (again), only landed 1 wound, which of course multiplied into 1 wound on the D3 roll. I still got it, baby. I can't believe I dared to think about racking up overkill. Anyway, we won combat but they held their ground (thanks to the BSB leading heroically from the front, instead of cowering at the back).

The fleeing Night Goblins had rallied, and now my fleeing Leadbelcher rallied right in front of them. Good plan. My Ironguts had made their way around the tower near the centre, and found themselves with a clear path to the flank of the Black Orcs. Naturally this was too good to pass up.

My BSB also went into the front to try to further improve my chances.

The Giant had stepped up in front of Voland and his remaining Venators, and they were going to have trouble avoiding him. Acknowledging the inevitable, they lowered their lances and charged straight into him.

We've got 5 Strength 6 attacks on the charge. We can take him!

The Goblin artillery was in a shambles after a series of failed terror tests. The Rhinox headbutted the first abandoned Spear Chukka to death in good order, but got a bit stuck on the Rock Lobber.

The Republican Guard were wasting a lot of time turning back and forth to face the Wyvern that kept landing behind them, but then I guess he's worth more than they are... Maybe this is a good trade?

Voland and his friends did 3 wounds to the Giant, which was not awful. Unfortunately, this was a special kind of singing Giant. All he does is yell and bawl all day, probably singing some off-key version of the Sound of Music, spinning around in an ungainly fashion. So of course when he was about to lose combat, he burst into song, won combat by 2, and we ran away off the field. Well, we fled, stopped near the edge, then got chased off the field. Good outcome. Well done, guys...

The Tyrant woke up from his stupor in the second round of the challenge against the Orc BSB. I think he took a couple of wounds, but he then smashed him to a pulp with maximum overkill, and the Trolls broke. They escaped my pursuit, which was doubly frustrating when I realised immediately afterward that I had just run directly away from the objective that we were meant to be caring about.

It was at about this time that we started getting urgent time warnings, and things sped up. I stopped taking photos, and half the game got largely cast aside so we could focus on what we cared about. I'm sorry, this is a poor effort from me, your friendly war correspondent.

The Black Orcs lost the first round of combat but held their ground. They were less fortunate in the second round and were wiped out by my BSB as they fled. The Ironguts restrained pursuit, because they had another mission.

The focus of the battle shifted to the centre objective, with us having basically no time to think about what was happening elsewhere. The Wyvern gave up tormenting the Republican Guard and flew over into the centre to claim the objective. I did what any sensible, desperate man would do - the Tyrant and Butcher abandoned their unit (which was walking the wrong way), rushing back and joining together to form a unit large enough to contest or claim the thing.

The Wyvern took offence to this and charged my characters to instigate an epic duel between our army generals. However, Orest violated the terms of the engagement (which admittedly had not been discussed, but were clearly understood by someone somewhere) by charging a group of Goblin Wolf Riders into the flank. So he now had a flank and unit strength. The Tyrant issued a challenge to ensure they didn't also manage to land some cheeky extra wounds, and the duel of the generals, for the fate of the objective, began.

The Warboss and his Wyvern managed little damage on the charge, and the Tyrant responded by doing just enough wounds to squash the remaining life out of the Wyvern. He made had work of it, but at least he did the job. Neither of the enemy units fled, so I retaliated against the Wolf Rider charge by bringing the Ironguts into the other side of the Orc Warboss (who was now fighting on foot). Now I also had a flank, but I also had a banner and unit strength. This meant that when the Tyrant and Warboss again whiffed their attacks pretty badly, the Warboss was outnumbered by a fear-causing enemy and fled automatically. 

This didn't necessarily matter, however. The Wolf Riders were now the scoring unit, and they were not outnumbered by the 2 characters they were actually engaged with. So they were testing using the general's leadership (even as he squealed and ran away, ironically. I guess he did so inspiringly), but I think they had lost by 3. That's a Leadership 6 test for the fate of the universe (or at least, to stop me getting 500 bonus points). Unfortunately for Orest, he failed. The Wolf Riders were fleeing, and the objective was mine.

In fact, much of the field was mine. Everything else had either died or was fleeing, with the exception of the Giant who was over on the flank, singing something about the hills being alive with the sound of screaming Venators. For my part, I had lost the Venators, the Besiegers, one of the units if Ironguts, and I had failed to remember to try to rally the Leadbelcher when he fled from the Night Goblins before they panicked again as the Black Orcs died. 

It was all a big mess given the hurry at the end, but it was a mess in my favour, especially once you counted the bonus for the objective. Once we had negotiated the threat of the Fanatics, the Orc lines didn't really have an answer for a couple of my harder hitting elements. The Black Orcs might have been OK if they had better protected their flank, but there wasn't much the Trolls could do and as time ran out, the Wyvern had been rushed into a risky situation at the end to contest the objective. The Giant did alright, but was too busy singing from the sidelines to help his allies when they needed it.

Result: 19-1 Win

You can find the next part of the report here.