The Battle of Vanhaldenschlosse: Part 1

This is the first part of the Battle of Vanhaldenschlosse report. You can find the introduction here, and the main page here.

Volkmar pulled his cloak tighter to try to shield himself from the cold air as the war altar upon which he rode swayed slightly in the wind. Despite the fact that spring had arrived in the Empire before this expedition set out, winter still clung to Sylvania. A thick layer of snow lay on the ground and the biting wind and dark clouds overhead made it clear that more could soon be forthcoming. The Grand Theogonist had no doubt that these brooding clouds were the reason that Sylvania had not escaped winter’s clutches. It was said that these clouds were a constant presence over this land nowadays. Volkmar scowled. It had always been a cursed place, but now it was cursed, dark and cold.

Despite the snow, the army had been making steady progress as it pressed deeper into Sylvania far faster than would normally have been possible. The warnings which they were acting upon had stressed the need for haste, and to that end they had engaged a pair of wizards from the Light College to help ease their passage. The entire march across the Empire and into Sylvania had taken less than half the time it should have. Volkmar did not pretend to understand how the wizards achieved this (indeed, the less Sigmar-fearing men such as himself knew of such practices, the better), but it was hard not to notice that the days seemed to drag on far longer than normal, and the way the villagers they passed along the way seemed to be moving in slow motion. 

With any luck, their mission to thwart the plans of the foul necromancer Helman Ghorst would soon be accomplished. The force they had assembled was formidable and their arrival in Sylvania had been incredibly swift. Already the ruined towers of Vanhaldenschlosse were coming into view over the tops of the trees. If he were not Volkmar the Grim, he might have allowed himself a slightly satisfied smile.

As if to prove that he was right to be such a grumpy pessimist, these thoughts were interrupted by shouted warnings from the pistoliers at the head of the column, followed by pistols firing and the eerie howls of wolves. The familiar moment of queasiness came and went as the Light wizards aborted their time-altering incantations, and the world seemed to blur and then settle around them. The sights and sounds of the forest around them became clearer, and movement could be seen through the trees.

Ignoring the cold, Volkmar now shrugged the cloak from his shoulders and reached for his weapon. They had marched hard and could not have hoped to have made better progress than this. Now it was time to fight.

The packs of wolves and ghouls that threw themselves at the Empire army did little to slow it down as it marched the remaining few miles to Vanhaldenschlosse. The formations spread out into a battle line as they came to the clearing around the ruined castle. 

An army of the undead was ready and waiting for them.

Volkmar drew the horses pulling the war altar to a halt as he surveyed the enemy lines. The experience hard-won from countless battles over the years allowed him to assess the strength of the undead force, and it gave him some grim satisfaction. The army he led was the stronger. It would be a battle, but they had the advantage.

A tired-looking pistolier galloped up to spoil the mood. "My lord, more undead are approaching from the west. They will be here within the hour".

Volkmar’s expression darkened once more into its customary scowl. Whatever advantage they held, it would not last for long.

"Best get on with it then," he muttered.

The Armies

Vampire Counts

• HG Helman Ghorst
  Overall General. Master Necromancer (Level 4, Lore of Vampires) with Cursed Book, Talisman of Preservation on Corpse Cart with Unholy Lodestone
• LvC1 Luthor von Carstein
  General. Vampire Lord (Level 1, Lore of Vampires) with Armour of Fortune, Sword of Bloodshed, Shield
• HotHF Horror of the High Fells
  Strigoi Ghoul King on Terrorgheist with Red Fury
• AvC1 Abraxas von Carstein
  Vampire Lord on Zombie Dragon with Heavy Armour, Shield, Ogre Blade, Talisman of Endurance
• MK Master Kraven
  Master Necromancer (Level 4, Lore of Death)
• N Necromancer
  Level 2, Lore of Death
• G1 80 Ghouls
  Led by Banshee
• Z1 90 Zombies
  Led by Wraith
• DW1 10 Dire Wolves
• GG1 20 Grave Guard
• FB1 6 Fell Bats
• V1 15 Vargheists
• H 5 Hexwraiths
• T1 Terrorgheist
• T2 Terrorgheist
• GG2 50 Grave Guard
  Razor Standard. Led by Wight King
• S1 50 Skeletons
  led by Vampire
• Z2 60 Zombies
• CC1 Corpse Cart
• BK1 10 Black Knights
• V2 Varghulf
• V3 Varghulf
• W1 6 Wraiths
  Led by Banshee
• BC1 Black Coach
• DW2 10 Dire Wolves
• FB2 6 Fell Bats
• BC2 Black Coach
• BC3 Black Coach
• BS 5 Bat Swarms
  led by Wight King on Barded Steed with Shield, Talisman of Endurance, Sword of Might
• BK2 15 Black Knights
• FB3 10 Fell Bats
• FB4 10 Fell Bats
• GG3 25 Grave Guard
• S2 60 Skeletons
  led by Wraith
• GG4 60 Grave Guard
  Banner of the Barrows, led by Wight King with Heavy Armour, Talisman of Endurance, Sword of Might
• G2 60 Ghouls
• Z3 44 Zombies
• Z4 40 Zombies
• VvC Vlad von Carstein
  Reinforcement General
• LvC2 Lucius von Carstein
  Vampire Lord (Level 4, Lore of Shadow)
• AvC2 Altschul von Carstein
  Vampire Lord on Zombie Dragon with Heavy Armour, Shield, Ogre Blade, Talisman of Endurance
• G3 60 Ghouls
  led by Wraith
• G4 60 Ghouls
  led by Wraith
• DW3 10 Dire Wolves
• DW4 10 Dire Wolves
• V4 Varghulf
• V5 Varghulf
• S3 70 Skeletons
• Z5 50 Zombies
• GG5 45 Grave Guard
  Banner of Swiftness, led by Vampire (Level 1, Lore of Vampires) with Heavy Armour, Talisman of Endurance, Sword of Might
• BK3 15 Black Knights
• W2 8 Wraiths
  led by Banshee
• CC2 Corpse Cart
• FB5 6 Fell Bats

The Empire

• VtG Volkmar the Grim
  Overall General. Riding War Altar
• EG Empire General Franz Stark
  Right Flank General. Riding Barded Steed with Full Plate, Shield, Talisman of Preservation, Ogre Blade
• AL Arch Lector Derych
  Left Flank General. Armour of Meteoric Iron, Mace of Helsturm
• Grf1 Empire General
  On Griffon with Full Plate Armour, Shield, Ogre Blade, Talisman of Endurance
• Grf2 Empire General
  On Griffon with Full Plate Armour, Shield, Ogre Blade, Talisman of Endurance
• Grf3 Empire General
  On Griffon with Full Plate Armour, Shield, Ogre Blade, Talisman of Endurance
• BSB1 Battle Standard Bearer
  Barded Steed with Full Plate Armour, Shield, Talisman of Endurance, Sword of Might
• BSB2 Battle Standard Bearer
  Barded Steed with Full Plate Armour, Shield, Talisman of Endurance, Sword of Might
• BSB3 Battle Standard Bearer
  Full Plate Armour, Shield, Talisman of Endurance, Sword of Might
• WL1 Wizard Lord
  Level 4, Lore of Fire
• WL2 Wizard Lord
  Level 4, Lore of Heavens
• WL3 Wizard Lord
  Level 4, Lore of Light
• BW1 Battle Wizard
  Level 2, Lore of Fire
• BW2 Battle Wizard
  Level 2, Lore of Heavens
• BW3 Battle Wizard
  Level 2, Lore of Light
• Hal1 60 Halberdiers
  led by Captain with Full Plate, Shield, Sword of Might, Talisman of Endurance, Warrior Priest with Heavy Armour and Great Weapon, Witch Hunter with Brace of Pistols
• Hal2 60 Halberdiers
  led by Captain with Full Plate, Shield, Sword of Might, Talisman of Endurance, Warrior Priest with Heavy Armour and Great Weapon, Witch Hunter with Brace of Pistols
• Hal3 60 Halberdiers
  led by Warrior Priest with Heavy Armour and Great Weapon
• G1 60 Greatswords
  Razor Standard. Led by Captain with Full Plate, Shield, Sword of Might, Talisman of Endurance, Warrior Priest with Heavy Armour and Great Weapon
• Sw1 60 Swordsmen
  led by Warrior Priest with Heavy Armour and Great Weapon
• Flag1 60 Flagellants
• G2 40 Greatswords
  led by Warrior Priest with Heavy Armour and Great Weapon
• ICWWK 20 Inner Circle White Wolf Knights
  led by Warrior Priest on Barded Steed with Heavy Armour, Great Weapon
• WWK 20 White Wolf Knights
  led by Captain with Full Plate Armour, Barded Steed, Sword of Might, Talisman of Endurance
• ICKP 40 Inner Circle Knights Panther
  Steel Standard. Led by Captain with Full Plate Armour, Barded Steed, Sword of Might, Talisman of Endurance
• K1 24 Knights
  Led by Captain with Full Plate Armour, Barded Steed, Sword of Might, Talisman of Endurance
• K2 16 Knights
• Reik 16 Reiksguard
  Led by Captain with Full Plate Armour, Barded Steed, Sword of Might, Talisman of Endurance
• Demi1 10 Demigryph Knights
  Banner of Swiftness
• Xbow1 40 Crossbowmen
• Hgun1 40 Handgunners
• Hgun2 40 Handgunners
• Xbow2 16 Crossbowmen
• P1 5 Pistoliers
• P2 5 Pistoliers
• P3 5 Pistoliers
• O 5 Outriders
• Sp1 40 Spearmen
• Sp2 40 Spearmen
• FC 30 Free Company
• Hal4 35 Halberdiers
• Flag2 30 Flagellants
• Sw2 30 Swordsmen
• Xbow3 19 Crossbowmen
• A 20 Archers
• Hgun3 10 Handgunners
• Demi2 3 Demigryph Knights
• K3 10 Knights
• ST1 Steam Tank
• ST2 Steam Tank
• ST3 Steam Tank
• GC1 Great Cannon
• GC2 Great Cannon
• GC3 Great Cannon
• GC4 Great Cannon
• GC5 Great Cannon
• M1 Mortar
• M2 Mortar
• M3 Mortar
• VG1 Volley Gun
• VG2 Volley Gun
• VG3 Volley Gun
• RB1 Rocket Battery
• RB2 Rocket Battery
• E1 Engineer
• E2 Engineer

Deployment

Deployment

Along the Empire line.

Volkmar the Grim, the Grand Theogonist. And friends.

The Empire left flank. Which is to your right. Obviously. Because you are backward.

40 Knights Panther of the Inner Circle. For when only a delicate touch will do.

Clearly I shouldn't have explained to Tim that a Steam Tank only tests for dangerous terrain when it charges. Immediately parks it on a frozen lake, looking like the worst driver in the world. Whatever.

The view from the Empire right flank, which was 12" away from the side table edge to leave room for reinforcements that they didn't really want to leave room for.

Owen made a couple of frozen ponds specifically for the occasion. And finished building a house that I suspect had been lying half-finished for a long time.

Looking across the field...

...And looking back.

The Undead right flank. 

The Undead centre, commanded by the Necromancer Helman Ghorst.

Another view back across the centre.

For some reason the Undead players really stacked their left flank. Look at all those Terrorgheists and Zombie Dragons.

Helman Ghorst, chillaxing up the back on his Corpse Cart.

Empire Turn 1

Empire Turn 1

With the threat of undead reinforcements arriving at any minute, the Empire forces wasted no time and advanced. Word spread quickly that enemies were approaching on the right flank, and the push forward was slightly more cautious there. There were also a large number of winged beasts facing the Empire forces there, and this also made them wary of advancing too recklessly. 

The Empire forces on the right flank advance, but not too quick;y.

The Halberdiers nearby wheel toward the right flank to try to offer assistance in the face of so much of the undead strength.

The left flank pushes forward a lot more aggressively, with much less enemy strength to worry about.

The Great Cannon on hill behind the lines roared as it took aim at one of these flying enemies, picking out a Vampire Lord and his Zombie Dragon mount. In a testament to the training of the Cannon crew, this opening shot was fired with deadly accuracy. It smashed through the head of the Zombie Dragon and somehow deflected up to strike the Vampire in the chest, killing both rider and mount with a single strike. A cheer went up from the Empire soldiers on the front line, delighted at having one less monstrous foe to deal with. 

Another view of the left flank. Tim's Steam Tank was utterly useless all game. It misfired most or all of its steam out several times. Also, do you see those yellow and blue Halberdiers to the right of the Griffon? Try and find them on the maps (hint: you won't, because they got completely missed)...

The Flagellants push forward enthusiastically, but are out-paced by the Steam Tank despite it not pushing for maximum speed.

This flank is a bit confusing. You know there is over 5,000 points of undead about to appear on the side of the field. Do you hurry to kill what is already there, or avoid over-committing?

The Volley Guns were rolling slowly toward the lake in order to improve their range for next turn.

As impressive as this display was, the rest of the Empire artillery met with less success. It took three direct hits from the Cannons to inflict even a minor wound on one of the Varghulfs, as its unnatural regenerative abilities allowed it to shrug off blows that would fell most living creatures. Another Cannon struck one of the ghastly Black Coaches, punching a hole straight through it. Unfortunately the damage appeared to be largely cosmetic and it was not enough to slow the contraption. Mortar and Rocket Battery shots bombarded the huge mass of Zombies shambling toward the Empire left flank, slowly whittling down the vast numbers of the horde. The Mortar in the centre was less successful, exploding spectacularly and killing its crew. 

Vampire Counts Turn 1

Vampire Counts Turn 1

With an unnerving lack of order or shouts of encouragement, the Undead army commenced its advance. The infantry stomped and shambled forward, whilst the more dangerous and faster elements continued to lurk behind, waiting for their time to strike. 

Fell Bats advance to screen the main lines as they march forward.

To get to them, you will first have to go through us.

A Varghulf decides to interfere with the advance of the Knights Panther.

There were some exceptions, however. In the centre, the Hexwraiths raced forward to attack the clanking Steam Tank that had driven forward too quickly. The ethereal scythes trailed ghostly fire as they charged, however they damage that they inflicted was largely superficial.

Spooky Ghosts! The Hexwraiths charge the Steam Tank, knowing that it lack the magical attacks to strike back. Most unsporting.

The huge pack of Vargheists made as if to charge the Empire White Wolf Knights, however their enthusiasm and bloodlust were getting the better of them, as the distance was still too great.

The dark clouds overhead seemed to roil and twist as the Undead magic users set about their work. From the vantage point of his Corpse Cart, Helman Ghorst unleashed the Invocation of Nehek. Its power swept over his forces nearby, healing the damaged Black Coach and triggering the latent abilities of both of the Corpse Carts in the centre of the lines. The actions of the Undead around them seemed to sharpen and quicken as their reflexes were magically bolstered by the power stored in the Carts. Although Ghorst and his fellow Necromancer conjured other spells, they were unravelled by the meddling counter-spells of the Empire Wizards.

The lines are starting to get close in the centre.

You can find the next part of the report here.