Axemaster 2024 Aftermath - Part 2

This is the second part of my account of Axemaster. You can find the previous part here.

Game 2 - Mountain Pass
Nathan Shipley - Orc and Goblin Tribes

Black Orc Warboss on Wyvern with Talisman Of Protection, Trollhide Trousers, Great Weapon, Shield

Night Goblin Oddnob (Level 4, Waaagh! Magic) with Idol Of Gork

Night Goblin Warboss with Big Boss 'At, Wollopa's One Hit Wunds, Great Weapon, Light Armour, Shield

Orc Bigboss with Battle Standard, Ruby Ring of Ruin, Great Weapon, Heavy Armour, Shield

Orc Weirdnob (Level 4, Battle Magic) with Buzgob’s Knobbly Staff

19 Black Orcs with The Big Red Raggedy Flag, Full Command, half with Great Weapons and Shields, half with Additional Hand Weapons

10 Goblins with Shortbows, Skirmishers

10 Goblin Spider Riders with Full Command, Light Armour, Shortbows, Cavalry Spears

5 Goblin Wolf Riders with Cavalry Spears, Shields

30 Night Goblins with Full Command, 3 Fanatics, Netters, Thrusting Spears, Shields

21 Night Goblins with Full Command, 2 Fanatics, Shortbows, Da Spider Banner

12 Orc Boar Boys with Full Command, Big Un's, Waaagh! Banner, Cavalry Spears, Heavy Armour, Shields

Orc Boar Chariot

So more Orcs and Goblins, this time with a proper number of Orcs and Goblins and no Trolls at all. Played down the length of the table (realistically just giving us a narrower deployment zone). Nathan definitely approached this game like he knew what he was doing. I guess at least that made one of us...

All lined up and facing each other... Sideways. That Black Orc by himself was a placeholder for the whole unit (including BSB and Weirdnob/Great Shaman) because the hill was interfering.

The Wyvern went right over the side, as did the Goblin Oddnob, lurking near the skirmishing Goblins behind the Boar Boys.

I setup trying to make use of the hill in the centre. I ended up with Slayers to give me a presence on my right flank, which was less than ideal given all the poison was over there. I remembered what had happened to them last game.

I have a feeling I actually won the roll-off for first turn in this game, and elected to go second. I probably had clever plans. I forgot to vanguard though, so let's not pretend I'm too clever... Enemy shooting and magic focused pretty heavily on the Quarrellers on the hill.

I advanced the King and his Warriors in the expectation of them copping a pretty nasty charge, but with Ungrim and the Hammerers set up to respond. We managed to shoot off a few Boar Boys, but nothing amazing. I believe that vortex is a Foot of Gork (or Mork).

The Wyvern and Boar Boys both charged my Warriors, and it didn't go great. The King took a wound and we lost maybe 8 Warriors. Several Boar Boys died, but my unit fell back in good order through my lines.

The Wolf Riders for some reason fancied their chances against the Dragon Slayer, but didn't roll far enough to get more than 2 into the fight. They ended up getting beaten pretty badly, with the 2 survivors outrunning the pursuing slayer.

Not much was happening over on the other flank, apart from the Quarrellers continuing to draw hate and dwindling in number.

After the retreat of the Warriors, the Wyvern pursued into the Slayers and the Boar Boys into the Hammerers.

Footage of the retreating Wolf Riders. Whatever they had thought they were doing, they were endangering the approach of the Boar Chariot.

In my turn the King stepped out to the side of the Warriors, knowing that the unbreakable Slayers were not going anywhere with the Warriors right up behind them. The Wyvern was trapped. The Dragon Slayer charged in from the flank with visions of almost-dragon slaying on his mind.

The plan was to get the King around into the flank and maybe achieve something decisive.

Over on the other flank, the Slayers were starting to get close to finding a way to contribute.

So the whole trapping the Wyvern thing didn't work all that well. The Dragon Slayer challenged, failed to get through the enemy saves, then took a wound before his 3+ ward kept him alive. We lost the combat because the Wyvern was the only Close Order unit in the combat, which meant both the Slayer unit and the character got shoved back. The Wyvern chose to spin and go after the Dragon Slayer, who died in the following round of combat.

So this was my big chance. The Wyvern had wasted its own turn killing the Dragon Slayer, and the whole world then charged it in my turn. The King challenged, got out-fought by a wound, and we didn't win by enough for the Wyvern to care. Actually it might even have been a draw - I had no musician in the combat.

Elsewhere some minor things were achieved. The Doomseeker on my left flank charged the fleeing Wolf Riders and redirected into the Boar Chariot. It took him a couple of goes, but I think he killed it and the Wolf Riders behind it. On my right flank my shooting took aim at the Spider Riders and did enough damage for them to properly flee from panic. They would have left the field, but the scenario requires them to leave one of the short board edges, so they were still running. Ungrim and the Hammerers killed the Boar Boys and ended up in combat with the Black Orc unit sheltering the Weirdnob and the BSB. Unfortunately by that point, the Hammerers were basically wiped out. They copped a ton of damage from things like Fanatics, which by this point were whirling all over the place, and magic.

Once again we ran out of time, this time after 4 turns. The Wyvern was still engaged, and Ungrim was yet to make a real dent in the Black Orcs. I had lost a Bolt Thrower to one of the Orc spells, and I think I got penalised for having Doomseekers still on the field.

Where did the time go in this game? I honestly don't know. But this was 2 games in a row for me that were not really close to being finished, which meant maybe I was somehow the problem. I didn't enjoy that feeling.

I had 579 victory points and Nathan had 608. Another very even result.

Result: 10-10 Draw