Cancon 2015 Report - Part 3

This is a continuation of my Cancon report. You can find the previous game here.

Game 3 - Meeting Engagement
Michael Clarke, High Elves

• Prince on barded steed with Dragon Armour, Charmed Shield, Dawnstone, Giant Blade
• Archmage (Level 4, Lore of Metal) with Obsidian Lodestone
• Noble BSB on barded steed with Dragon Armour, Ogre Blade, Enchanted shield
• Mage (Level 2, Lore of Beasts) on barded steed with Ruby Rung, Dragonbane Gem
• 27 Archers with full command
• 12 Silver Helms with shields, full command
• 6 Dragon Princes with full command
• 14 Phoenix Guard with full command
• Lothern Skycutter
• 10 Sisters of Avelorn
• Great Eagle
• Great Eagle
• Bolt Thrower
• Bolt Thrower

Swedish Comp: 14.6

Michael seemed pleased to see me. Apparently he’s been waiting for his revenge ever since Kurt Helborg rolled a 12 to run down his fleeing archmage a couple of years ago…

The scenario was Meeting Engagement, and I won the roll-off to set up first. Only my daemonettes started off the table, which wasn’t too bad. My herald lurked near some other infantry and waited for her friends to arrive. I put the keeper, beasts and soul grinder over on my deep flank, in an aggressive position.

Deployment. I put my stuff down first, with the herald alone behind the bloodletters.

Most of my army was quick enough that I figured they could sweep around from my shallow end pretty quickly, once the daemonettes were there to look after the BSB.

Reserves. Ah no, the sisters were in reserve. That other photo

Oops, why are those sisters of Avelorn arriving before I have moved?

Michael rolled far worse for his reserves, and his silver helms, BSB, mounted mage and sisters all started off the table. He then declined to keep everything well away from my big monsters, and actually put some elements within reach of them. I was pretty pleased with how things were shaping up, until Michael rolled a 6 and stole the first turn, and then shot my keeper to death with a bolt thrower and some of his archers (not all of whom were in range, but they did get Enchanted Blades of Aiban to improve their hit rolls).

Oh bother. That will make things more difficult.

After this rather dire opening, the game was always going to be a struggle. I tried for a very long-range charge on the flying chariot with my seekers, but rolled triple 1 and didn’t quite make it. So they had completely wasted a turn. The soul grinder tried to shoot off one of the eagles and panic the sisters, but missed. It then got charged by both units of cavalry, and comprehensively smashed. The one consolation was that Michael was impressively bad at dangerous terrain rolls, and with a couple of attempts he murdered about half of his own silver helm unit. 

My daemonettes arrive and collect the BSB, but I am yet to devise a cunning plan to recover in the game.

Shoot the eagle! Or don't, given this gun never seems to hit anything.

Maybe this would have been OK if the prince didn't have a Giant Blade.

The horrors watch on as their only protection falls apart.

The cavalry moved on and charged the horrors next, who had realised that they lacked the speed to avoid the combat. They were suitably thrashed, but I had moved the late-arriving daemonettes (now led by the herald) up into a position to counter-charge. I hit the dragon princes, and thanks largely to the herald and Michael rolling unexpectedly poorly for his break test, I broke them. Sadly they got away and a building prevented me from really going after them. It also got me flanked by the silver helms. Impressively this was also an acceptable result, as my unit fended them off and beat them (the herald again - she was wielding the Sword of Might and it made a big difference). They also got away, but with a long charge roll I caught them the following turn. Unfortunately it meant my daemonettes were out of the rest of the game - too far away to have any more impact.

Overwhelming force on the horrors.

I missed taking shots of the daemonettes actually in combat, it seems. Here they are after one and before the other.

Turning around after catching the fleeing silver helms.

On the other flank, the skycutter chariot didn’t live long after my failed seeker charge, as reign of chaos conveniently removed it. My seekers got to the now-isolated bolt thrower and killed it, but were eventually shot off by the other one.

The survivors after dealing with a bolt thrower, before they got too close to the other one.

The fiends pushed forward, copping a lot of arrows and cleaning off the eagle that slowed them down.

Get them!

The fiends pushed forward through a constant bombardment by the archers (who spent at least 4 turns with Enchanted Blades on them), killed an eagle that got in the way, and then got to the archers themselves as the bloodletters caught up and went in alongside them. After a couple of rounds they broke through, but the bloodletters had to stop and reform to face the prince and his remaining dragon princes when they rallied after their encounter with the daemonettes. The bloodletters perished, but did just enough to ensure the cavalry couldn’t reach the rear of my fiends, who died killing the archmage out of the phoenix guard (just).

The prince and his friends rally.

Then they turn around and charge the bloodletters, but fail to clip the fiends because the last bloodletter cut one of them down. It didn't save the fiends, but probably bought them the time they needed to finish off the archmage.

The beasts spent their time glaring at various things whilst the sisters moved around them and shot at them a lot, but that was about all that happened in that area of the field.

In the end I had lost most of my army. I still had the beasts and the daemonettes with the heralds. Michael had his prince, the dragon princes, sisters, phoenix guard and a bolt thrower. I had made a game of it - it was about the best I could have hoped for without my greater daemon.

Result: 8-12 (after comp)