OK,
so it's taken me a while to get this online. As I had mentioned
previously, a group of us attended Little Wars at the Moorabbin Town
Hall a bit over a week ago and played a 14,000 point per side display
game of Warhammer Fantasy. I took plenty of photos, however it was
pretty busy and there wasn't time to handle the game as a proper
battle report. Here is what we've got instead. The report covers multiple posts. You can find the main page here.
 |
| 14,000 points per side, 6 hours to play up to 8 turns... What could go wrong? |
Stemming
the Tide
The
Chaos army was enormous – far larger than the reports had led them
to believe. The Emperor himself Karl Franz had ridden north to meet
the advancing threat, however as mighty as his army was, they were
not prepared for what was coming and they now knew it. Archaon's
hordes were a dark stain across the horizon – a seemingly endless
tide of steel and death. As the full scale of the invasion had
started to become apparent, the Emperor had made a difficult
decision. The Empire forces would have to fall back, and quickly. If
they were caught out in the open, here on the southern steppes of
Kislev, they would be slaughtered.
The
order was given and the bulk of the army withdrew at best speed
toward the relative shelter of the cities to the south. However, the
enemy was now too close for their retreat to go unnoticed, and the
advance elements of the Chaos host raced to cut them off. Not being
one to shirk from battle, Karl Franz himself led a rearguard action
to buy time for the rest of his soldiers to escape. Only after the
site of their valiant stand was chosen did the scouts report that the
Everchosen himself rode at the head of the onrushing Chaos forces...
This
battle uses the Invasion! scenario from the Warhammer Fantasy 8th
edition hardcover rulebook. As per the scenario rules, the battle was
played lengthwise on a 8' x 6' table, with control of 3 defensive
positions and the 4 quarters of the table deciding the victor. The
Chaos invaders were able to recycle lost Core units from the table
edges of any quarters that they controlled. Assuming we had time, the
game would go for 8 turns.
I ended up making the army lists for both sides. A number of brave volunteers raised their hands when I asked for people to help me run this thing on the day. The Empire were commanded by Nick Cook and me, whilst the Chaos forces were under the control of Tim Stewart and Ben Leopold.
CHAOS
LORDS
HEROES
Chaos
Sorcerer of Tzeentch on Disc of Tzeentch
Exalted
Hero of Khorne on Daemon Steed
Exalted
Hero of Nurgle on Daemon Steed
Exalted
Hero of Tzeentch on Daemon Steed
CORE
46
Chaos Warriors of Slaanesh
25
Chaos Warriors of Tzeentch
25
Chaos Warriors of Nurgle
24
Chaos Warriors of Khorne
30
Chaos Warriors of Khorne
40
Chaos Marauders
32
Chaos Marauders of Khorne
30
Chaos Marauders of Nurgle
Chaos
Chariot of Tzeentch
Chaos
Chariot of Tzeentch
20
Chaos Warhounds with Vanguard (Dogstar!! - don't ask...)
SPECIAL
40
Chosen of Nurgle
28
Chosen
10
Chaos Ogres
10
Chaos Ogres of Khorne
5
Dragon Ogres
18
Chaos Knights of Tzeentch
10
Chaos Knights of Slaanesh
18
Chaos Knights of Nurgle
13
Chaos Knights of Khorne
RARE
Models
in Army: 441
Total
Army Cost: 14095
EMPIRE
LORDS
Karl
Franz, The Emperor on Barded Warhorse
Arch
Lector on War Altar
Armour
of Destiny
The
Mace of Helstrum
Horn
of Sigismund
Marius
Leitdorf
Kurt
Helborg, Reiksmarshall of the Empire
Grand
Master
Grand
Master
Grand
Master
General
of the Empire on Griffon
General
of the Empire on Griffon
Full
Plate Armor
Ogre
Blade
Enchanted
Shield
Bloodroar
Wizard
Lord
Wizard
Lord
HEROES
Ludwig
Schwarzhelm
Luthor
Huss
Warrior
Priest on Warhorse
Warrior
Priest
Warrior
Priest
Warrior
Priest
Witch
Hunter
Witch
Hunter
Captain
of the Empire
Captain
of the Empire
Captain
of the Empire on Pegasus
Full
Plate Armor; Shield
Sword
of Might
Swift
as the Winds
Battle
Wizard on Celestial Hurricanum
Battle
Wizard on Warhorse
Battle
Wizard
Battle
Wizard
Battle
Wizard
Battle
Wizard
Battle
Wizard
Battle
Wizard on Warhorse
Master
Engineer
CORE
SPECIAL
RARE
Steam
Tank
Helblaster
Volley Gun
Helblaster
Volley Gun
Models
in Army: 599
Total
Army Cost: 14134
Deployment
 |
| The Chaos right flank, which was heavy with Khorne units and largely under Ben's command |
 |
| The Chaos left flank, which contained the Nurgle contingent and was controlled by Tim. |
 |
| Archaon himself, lurking in the second wave of the Chaos forces |
 |
| Galrauch is one ugly Dragon/Daemon/Thingy |
The
Chaos forces deployed first and filled the centre of their front line
with Knights and Dragon Ogres. Behind them were the Ogres, Daemon
Princes, Galrauch and Archaon himself. On the Chaos right were the
Khorne infantry, supported by Chariots, the Tzeentch Knights, the
Hellcannon and a pair of Giants. The Chaos left consisted mainly of
Nurgle infantry, including the huge regiment of Chosen, and a pack of
Chaos Hounds.
 |
| The Empire deployment, rough as it was. |
 |
| This is the defensive position on the Empire left flank, just forward of the half-way line on the table. |
 |
| The second defensive position, in the centre of the Empire lines |
 |
| The final position was just a fortified hill, at the back of the Empire lines. If the fight came down to this position, things were probably not going well for the Empire. |
 |
| The Empire right flank |
 |
| Karl Franz, the Emperor. With Ludwig Schwartzhelm, his personal banner bearer. And friends. |
 |
| A shot along the Empire lines. |
The
Empire forces could deploy anywhere more than 12” from the enemy,
and arranged themselves in a rough arc that included 2 of the 3
defensive objectives (both of which were occupied by Crossbowman
regiments). A line of fast cavalry sat in front of the Empire left
flank, which was dominated by a regiment of 40 Inner Circle Knights
led by their Grand Master and Marius Leitdorf. Other forces on that
flank included a Steam Tank, Griffon, and the Reiksguard led by Kurt
Helborg. Regiments of Halberdiers and Flagellants stood in front of
the central objective, whilst Karl Franz and Ludwig Schwartzhelm
skulked in another large unit of Knights behind the building. The
Empire right contained the White Wolf Knights, Halberdiers,
Demigryphs, Swordsmen and Spearmen, as well as another Griffon. A
regiment of Greatswords sat at the back of the Empire lines,
occupying the final objecive and defending the Cannons arrayed there.
 |
| The doggies sneak foward. |
Having
deployed so freely, the Empire declined to vanguard any units. The
Chaos Hounds hurried forward on the Chaos left flank, and then the
battle commenced.
Turn
1
 |
| The Chaos centre pushes forward |
 |
| The Empire lines wait as the Chaos forces advance |
 |
| The view from the Empire centre |
 |
| Eeek, run! |
The
Chaos forces advanced across the field. On the Chaos right, a Giant
gave an enthusiastic bellow and set off toward the Stirland
Pistoliers. In the face of the monstrosity, they ignored their orders
to stand and fire, turning and fleeing around the defensive position
on the flank and straight off the battlefield. The Giant staggered
about disappointedly, holding things up behind him. On the other
flank, the Chaos Hounds that had bounded forward so enthusiastically
a moment earlier suddenly pulled up short when they spotted the
Volley Gun waiting in the forest, and barely moved at all.
Seeing
the obvious concern of the Hounds, the Nurgle Daemon Prince cast
Fleshy Abundance upon them, giving them Regeneration. Blue Fire of
Tzeentch shot from Galrauch toward the Outriders, killing 3 of them.
The hideously deformed Dragon then tried to cast Infernal Gateway
upon the Flagellants in the centre, however this was dispelled by the
battery of Empire Wizards. Seeing Galrauch's failure, the Tzeentch
Sorcerer on his Disc resolved not to make the same mistake and
instead unleashed boosted Searing Doom with irresistible force. The
resulting blast felled 7 of the Inner Circle Knights, however the
backlash wounded the Sorcerer and the Slaanesh Daemon Prince.
The
Empire forces were generally a little more circumspect than their
approaching foe, however the remaining Pistoliers raced forward and
skidded to a halt immediately in front of the Chaos Knight regiments
in the centre. They opened up with a full volley from the pistols,
however not a single enemy was felled. The Flagellants rushed forward
with a chorus of doom-laden speeches, bad singing, general wailing
and clanging bells.
 |
| The Empire centre responds to the Chaos opening moves. |
 |
| The Empire right flank moves up behind the Flagellants |
 |
| The Pistoliers make a nuisance of themselves, but don't manage to inflict any actual damage. |
 |
| The Flagellants head out on their own. |
 |
| The Dragon Ogres eye the approach of the Flagellants warily. |
The War
Altar unleashed the power of Banishment upon the Chaos Hounds,
however their magically regenerative powers ensured that only 4 of
them died. One of the Light Wizards then cast Speed of Light with
irresistible force, energising the Flagellants but consuming no less
than 21 of the Swordsmen around him in a colossal detonation caused
by his loss of control.
 |
| The Chaos Hounds shrug off the worst of the enemy efforts, including a completely harmless Helblaster volley |
 |
| Magic is a dangerous thing. One small loss of control, and BOOM, half your friends are gone. Not a good way to make more friends. |
The
Khorne Daemon Prince on the Empire left was laid low as a shot from
the Steam Tank's cannon blasted into his chest, before the remaining
Outriders hosed him with bullets and finished him off. The
Handgunners unleashed a volley at the Tzeentch Sorcerer who had been
lurking behind him, blowing him off his sorcerous Disc. The Cannons
took aim at Galrauch, however 2 of the shots glanced harmlessly off
his magical scaly hide (1s to wound), whilst the remaining one
misfired and forced the crew to clear the blockage, costing them
valuable time. One of the advancing Giants was wounded by a volley of
crossbow bolts, however the Chaos Hounds' concern over the danger
posed by the Volley Gun proved unfounded when it failed to kill a
single one of them.
Turn
2
The
Chaos advance continued unabated. The wounded Giant and the Khorne
Warriors nearby both roared and charged toward the tower on the Chaos
left flank, however they both failed to reach their objective. The
air was filled with hissing bolts as the Crossbowmen fired upon the
Giant, however no shots struck home.
 |
| The Chaos right flank closes in. |
 |
| The Pistoliers try to take on the entire Chaos army single-handed |
 |
| We got this... |
 |
| The larger unit of Pistoliers that failed to hold their nerve |
 |
| The Slaanesh Daemon Prince gets waaay out ahead of the rest of the line |
 |
| The remaining Outriders find themselves outclassed. |
 |
| I'm all aloooone, there's no-one here besiiiiide me: Badass Daemon Princes don't need no friends. |
The
Slaanesh and Khorne Knights, Khorne Marauders and a Chariot all
charged toward the Pistoliers blocking their path, however one
regiment turned and fled when the Slaanesh Daemon Prince joined in
the fun, and fled back toward their own lines. The Daemon Prince
altered his course and managed to reach the depleted Outriders,
carving them apart before landing in the midst of the fleeing
Pistoliers and slaughtering them. The Chaos Knight units both
connected with the remaining Pistoliers and made comically short work
of them, before the Khorne Knights ignored the restraint of their
rivals and overran alone toward the Empire lines.
 |
| The advance of the Chaos left flank. |
 |
| The Khorne Knights overrun alone |
 |
| The Chaos Hounds throw themselves into the flank of the Flagellants |
 |
| Dragon Ogres vs the world |
The
Dragon Ogres didn't like the idea of engaging the magically enhanced
Flagellants, and settled for halting close in front of them. The
Chaos Hounds were instead sent into the flank of the doom-loving
lunatics, which went predictably well for them when 11 of the Hounds
were flayed to death before they had a chance to strike. The
Flagellants were turning to pursue the fleeing survivors when it
became apparent that the Dragon Ogres had miscalculated and gotten
too close – the Flagellants still ran into them, despite their
attempt to follow the enemy to their flank. A collective “uh-oh”
could be heard from the Dragon Ogres as the Flagellants crashed into
them, and also from Galrauch who had landed immediately behind.
 |
| The realisation that this would happen brought a collective "uh-oh" from the Dragon Ogres, Galrauch, Tim and Ben. This was the situation most to be avoided... |
 |
| A Flagellant's eye view across the lines |
The
Nurgle Daemon Prince took pity upon Galrauch's apparent plight,
casting Fleshy Abundance upon him in an attempt to improve his
chances of survival. Galrauch himself hurled a Bolt of Change at the
War Altar, which glanced off the magical protection of the Arch
Lector on top. An attempt to cast Acquiescence upon the Flagellants
was dispelled, and a boosted casting of Plague Wind proved to be too
much for the power remaining to the Nurgle Daemon Prince.
 |
| The Inner Circle Knights crash into the Slaanesh Daemon Prince |
In this
turn we actually remembered to roll for Marius Leitdorf's
“eccentricities”, and he promptly went into a berserk rage
(presumably over having been forgotten the previous turn) and charged
headlong into the Slaanesh Daemon Prince, dragging the regiment of
Knights along with him. The Daemon waited calmly for the charge,
beckoning toward the frenzied Elector Count in a mocking gesture.
Marius accepted his challenge and brandished his mighty Runefang...
but never got to use it. The Daemon Prince hacked him brutally from
his saddle before he could strike, and the glorious charge of the
Knights ground to an abrupt halt.
 |
| Marius brandishes his Runefang with unbridled enthusiasm just before his fateful challenge |
The War
Altar sent forth another blast of Banishment, this time toward
Galrauch. Despite his temporary regenerative powers, he lost 3
wounds. Speed of Light was once again cast upon the Flagellants with
irresistible force, however this time the foolish Wizard paid with
his life as well as those of his 7 closest Swordsman friends. The
scorched and tattered remnant of the unit was not sorry to see him
go.
 |
| On the Empire right flank, the Griffon looked to move into a position to get involved in the game. |
The
Steam Tank continued its Daemon Prince-hating ways, blasting a great
gaping hole through the chest of the Nurgle Daemon Prince and killing
him with a single shot. The Crossbowmen in the tower showered more
bolts upon the approaching Giant, leaving him teetering on a single
wound.
The
Dragon Ogres had very apprehensive been about engaging the
Flagellants, their fears proved well-founded. With an enthusiastic
wail the doom-lovers whipped themselves into a frenzy before laying
into the beasts with magically boosted potency. Not a single Dragon
Ogre was left to strike back, and the Flagellants barely slowed
before crashing into Galrauch. The daemonic Dragon roared his
defiance, but there was more than a hint of concern in his blazing
red eyes.
 |
| The Dragon Ogres are reduced to a red mist as the Flagellants carry on enthusiastically into the heart of the Chaos army. Their overrun needed a 7 to reach Galrauch, and of course the way things were going, they did it easily. Now the half-dead beastie would have to face a horde of WS10, I10 lunatics. |
All was
not going well for the Chaos players...
You can read the next part of the report here.
YES!!! Baron Vlod, the mad prophet of Crumschdtatt has finally seen the table! All hail Baron Vlod!
ReplyDeleteOh, and there was other stuff there too...?
Not a lot. In Tim's eyes at least, it was all about the doggies.
DeleteNow this is a game of Warhammer. So much purple though,
ReplyDeleteYou're not one of them purple-hatin' purplehaters are you, Chris? Can't be hating on the purple.
DeleteAnd yes, I need to paint up some more of my Empire stuff in some other colour schemes. I'm not responsible for the Chaos stuff, though.
I'm very much enjoying how successful the Flagellants are so far! It's wonderful to see them on the table top, and it's even more wonderful to see them not just getting shot off! That's what, a 670 point unit?
ReplyDeleteUmmm 730pts? I've always maintained that Flagellants can be great when they're supported properly. Light magic is the single best way, and they get seriously scary.
DeleteOh, yeah, you are right. I was being wishful and thinking they were 11 points per model!
DeleteQuite an enjoyable read so far!
ReplyDelete