Snake Eyes 2026 - Part 4

This is the fourth part of my report of the recent Old World tournament, Snake Eyes. You can find the previous part here, or go back to the start here.

The Saturday night saw a pizza dinner (with one of the largest piles of pizzas I've ever seen arriving on the tables), and Warhammer trivia. As per the previous year, there were some pretty silly questions, and it was fun. Unlike last year, we didn't win the trivia. Very sad. Oh well, next time.

Game 4 - Age of Sigmar Died For This? II
Ryan Kirby - Minotaur Blood Herd
Upon the Field of Glory

• Doombull (General) with Great weapon, Heavy armour, Shield, Bedazzling Helm, Talisman of Protection, Slug-skin
• Gorebull (BSB) with Full Plate Chaos Armour, Gnarled Hide, Shield, Enchanting Aura, The Soiled Tapestry
• 7 Minotaur Herd with Light armour, 3 Great weapons, 4 Shields, Full Command, Scimitar of Skultar, Manbane Standard
• 4 Minotaur Herd with Light armour, 3 Additional hand weapons, 1 Shield, Standard Bearer, Musician
• 10 Ungor Herd with Shortbows, Musician
• 1 Razorgor
• 1 Razorgor
• 1 Razorgor
• 4 Dragon Ogres with Great weapons, Heavy armour
• Dragon Ogre Shaggoth with Great weapon, Heavy armour, Chalice of Dark Rain

Ryan throws up the Minotaur horns as we complete deployment.

Snake Eyes 2026 - Part 3

This is the third part of my report of the recent Old World tournament, Snake Eyes. You can find the previous part here, or go back to the start here.

Game 3 - Optimised Jank
Ben Hannan - Beastmen Brayherds
Upon the Field of Glory

• Great Bray-Shaman (General, Level 3, Elementalism) with Braystaff
• Great Bray-Shaman (Level 3, Elementalism) with Braystaff, Hagtree Fetish
• Bray-Shaman (Level 1, Dark Magic) with Braystaff
• Bray-Shaman (Level 1, Dark Magic) with Braystaff
• Bray-Shaman (Level 1, Dark Magic) with Braystaff
• Wargor (BSB) with Great weapon, Heavy armour, Shield, Slug-skin
• 33 Gor Herd with Hand weapons, Shields, True-horn (Great weapon), Standard bearer (Banner of Swirling Wind), Musician
• Tuskgor Chariot
• Tuskgor Chariot
• 13 Ungor Herd with Hand weapons, Shields, Half-horn, Musician
• 3 Dragon Ogres with Great weapons, Heavy armour
• Herdstone
• 5 Harpies
• Gigantic Spawn of Nurgle
• Dragon Ogre Shaggoth with Great weapon, Heavy armour, Chalice of Dark Rain

We had played Optimised Jank at last year's Snake Eyes, and they had made the trek down from NSW again. I had also ended up playing Ben's Beastmen last time, but the addition of the Herdstone and the loss of magic restrictions seemed to have taken over his mind and that of his list. 5 copies of Viletide, hey? Well... What could go wrong?

I deployed wide, including the unusual (foolish?) move of putting my Glade Guard over on the flank with a wall of terrain cutting them off from the rest of the field. I might have done this after the Dragon Ogres were deployed. I know the big Gor Herd unit went down afterward. I think I had decided I wasn't going to get clear shots on that key unit, so would concentrate on controlling a flank instead. I probably made life hard for myself by putting my forest where I did - just gave Ben more places to hide things.

Big Old Grudges Aftermath - Part 3

This is the third part of my account of the recent Big Old Grudges tournament. You can find the previous part here, or go back to the start here.

We were 2 games into the event, and thus far things were not going especially well. But that was OK, it was a 6 game tournament. Plenty of time to turn things around... right?

Round 3: Close Quarters (Strategic Locations 2; Domination)
Adam Gooley - Beastmen Brayherds, Wild Herd

• Beastlord (General) with Shield, The Black Maul, Slug-skin
• Warhoof with Cavalry Spear, Shield, Ambushers, Full Plate Chaos Armour, Gnarled Hide
• Great Bray-Shaman (Level 4, Daemonology) with Hagtree Fetish
• Bray-Shaman (Level 2, Daemonology) 
• Bray-Shaman (Level 2, Daemonology) with Chalice of Dark Rain
• Bray-Shaman (Level 2, Primal Magic) with Lore Familiar, Scourge of the Burdened
• Primal Warherd (20x Gor with Additional Hand Weapons, 30x Ungor with Thrusting Spears,Shields) with Foe-render (Great weapon), Standard bearer (Totem of Rust) , Musician
• 25 Ungor Herd with Shortbows, Half-horn
• 5 Gor Herd with Additional hand weapons, Ambushers, True-horn (Great weapon)
• 5 Gor Herd with Additional hand weapons, Ambushers, True-horn (Great weapon)
• 12 Gor Herd with Additional hand weapons, Ambushers, True-horn (Great weapon), Standard bearer
• 5 Centigor Herd with Great weapons, Ambushers, Gorehoof, Standard bearer (The Soiled Tapestry)
• Herdstone
• Preyton with Ambushers, Frenzy
• Preyton with Ambushers, Frenzy
• Cygor

Adam's was a weird army. 4 Shamans who would want to stay near the Herdstone, a massive mixed unit of Gor and Ungor, and nearly everything else in the army was deploying in Ambush. This plan was not at all helped by the scenario, which prevented non-flying ambushers from entering from the short board edges. Well, we did realise that before deployment, but he stuck with his plan of keeping things in waiting. It made for a quick deployment.

The Ungor and Primal Warherd deployed on either side of the Herdstone. The Beastlord and BSB went into the big unit, and the Shamans all piled into the Ungor.

Snake Eyes Aftermath - Part 4

This is the fourth part of my report from the recent Snake Eyes Warhammer: The Old World tournament. You can find the previous part of the report here, or go back to the start here. 

After Round 3 there was dinner at the venue, followed by Warhammer-themed trivia contest. This was fun, with a range of questions based on the background fluff, or things like "list all the special rules for a Night Goblin regiment", plus silly bonus "mathhammer" rounds where they got the teams to propose things like a combo to generate maximum possible combat resolution from a Slann in a round of combat, or the maximum possible distance a unit could travel in a single movement phase.

The whole thing was a good laugh, and in the end we won the trivia by the narrowest of margins after being forced into a tie-breaker where I had to go head-to-head with Chris (captain of the other leading team) to recite the profile of a Warpfire Dragon (something chosen at random by the organisers).

Anyway, the following morning we were back for Round 4. After a good win in the previous round, we were now probably working our way back up into the middle of the field. 

Round 4: Optimised Jank

Daniel Yam (C) 

Warriors of Chaos

• Chaos Lord (Big Barry) [597 pts] 
• General 
• Shield 
• Mark of Nurgle 
• Chaos Dragon 
• Ogre Blade 
• Enchanting Aura 
• Favour of the Gods 
• 6 Chaos Warhounds [41 pts] 
• Vanguard 
• 5 Chaos Warhounds [35 pts] 
• Vanguard 
• 4 Chaos Knights [130 pts] 
• Champion 
• Lances, Shields 
• Mark of Khorne 
• 5 Chaos Knights [161 pts] 
• Champion 
• Lances, Shields 
• Mark of Khorne 
• 7 Forsaken [133 pts] 
• Forsaken by Slaanesh 
• 3 Dragon Ogres [189 pts] 
• Great weapons 
• Heavy armour 
• 6 Chosen Chaos Knights [336 pts] 
• Champion [Brazen Collar + Charmed Shield] 
• Standard Bearer [Icon of Darkness] Musician 
• Lances, Shields 
• Full plate armour 
• Mark of Nurgle 
• Drilled 
• Warpfire Dragon (Wide Wallace) [374 pts] 

 
Michael George 
Dwarfs: Expeditionary Force 

• Engineer Sapper [128 pts] 
• General 
• Handgun [Master Rune of Bursting Flame, Rune of Rapid Fire] 
• Runesmith [145 pts] 
• Full plate armour 
• Shield 
• 3 Rune of Spellbreaking 
• Engineer [108 pts] 
• Handgun [Rune of Rapid Fire, Rune of Accuracy, Rune of Molten Steel] [Rune of Stone] 
• Engineer [118 pts] 
• Handgun [Rune of Concussive Force, Rune of Rapid Fire] 
• [Rune of Stone] 
• Expeditionary Marksman 
• 2 Scout Gyrocopters [120 pts] 
• 2 Scout Gyrocopters [120 pts] 
• 10 Thunderers [125 pts] 
• Veteran(champion) [Handgun] Shields 
• Expeditionary Marksmen 
• 10 Thunderers [125 pts] 
• Veteran(champion) [Handgun] Shields 
• Expeditionary Marksmen 
• 10 Rangers [156 pts] 
• Ol’ Deadeye(champion) [Crossbow] Crossbows, Throwing axes 
• Great weapons 
• Shields 
• 2 Gyrocopters [130 pts] 
• Brimstone guns 
• 2 Gyrocopters [130 pts] 
• Brimstone guns 
• 2 Scout Gyrocopters [120 pts] 
• 2 Scout Gyrocopters [120 pts] 
• Cannon [120 pts] 
• [Rune of Reloading, Rune of Forging] 
• Cannon [115 pts] 
• [Rune of Forging] 
• Organ Gun [120 pts] 

Ben Hannan 
Beastmen Brayherds 

• Great Bray-Shaman [325 pts] 
• General 
• Level 4 Wizard [Elementalism] 
• Tuskgor Chariot 
• Hagtree Fetish 
• Talisman of Protection 
• Great Bray-Shaman [270 pts] 
• Level 4 Wizard [Elementalism] 
• Tuskgor Chariot 
• Earthing Rod 
• 6 Gor Herd [48 pts] 
• Ambushers 
• Tuskgor Chariot [85 pts] 
• Tuskgor Chariot [85 pts] 
• Tuskgor Chariot [85 pts] 
• Razorgor Herd [52 pts] 
• Razorgor Herd [52 pts] 
• Razorgor Herd [52 pts] 
• Razorgor Herd [52 pts] 
• 3 Dragon Ogres [189 pts] 
• Great weapons 
• Heavy armour 
• 3 Dragon Ogres [189 pts] 
• Great weapons 
• Heavy armour 
• Razorgor Chariot [120 pts] 
• 5 Harpies [55 pts] 
• Gigantic Spawn of Chaos [170 pts] 
• Spawn of Nurgle 
• Gigantic Spawn of Chaos [170 pts] 
• Spawn of Nurgle

What were these lists? Admittedly the Chaos one looked like things we'd seen before (with the exact same Dragon again), but the Beastman list was a monstrosity with all 8 levels of the team's magic, and the Dwarf list had 12 Gyrocopters. Well, I guess they did call themselves "Optimised Jank"...

We could not in good conscience give Tim's army (with no magic defence) the Beastmen, so I ended up facing it. Between them the Shamans had 2 copies of Viletide, 2 copies of Wind Blast, and sundry other tricks. 

Look at this weirdness. With the tiny Gor unit in ambush, there were only 3 units with more than one model on Ben's side of the table, and even those units together only added up to 11 models.

Bendigo Besieged Aftermath - Part 3

This is part 3 of my report of a recent tournament. You can find the previous part here, or go back to the start here.

Game 3 - Blood and Glory
Chad Smith - Beastmen

• Beastlord with Great Weapon, Armour of Destiny
• Great Bray-Shaman (Level 4, Lore of Death) with Talisman of Preservation
• Wargor with Battle Standard, Heavy Armour, Shield, Gnarled Hide, Beast Banner
• Bray Shaman (Level 1, Lore of Shadow) with Herdstone Shard
• Bray Shaman (Level 1, Lore of Beasts) with Dispel Scroll
• 39 Gor Herd with 2 Hand Weapons, Full Command
• 20 Gor Herd with 2 Hand Weapons, Full Command
• 33 Bestigor Herd with Heavy Armour, Great Weapons, Full Command, Standard of Discipline
• 10 Ungor Raiders
• 10 Ungor Raiders
• 10 Ungor Raiders
• Tuskgor Chariot
• Tuskgor Chariot
• Razorgor
• Razorgor
• 5 Harpies with Scout

Apparently Chad's comp score was -1, which I think was the worst I faced in the event. Beastmen unfortunately tend to be faced with the choice of either going hard with their list, or getting smashed. Chad had opted for the former approach. As it was being laid out opposite me, I wasn't feeling great about the chances of my squishy Wood Elf list...

The scenario was a variant of Blood and Glory, where breaking the enemy army didn't end the game - it just granted 600 bonus victory points. It still meant the deployment zones were closer together than normal, with dead zones on the flanks.

 

Chad had pretty much complete control of the deployment phase, with piles of low value units to place before he put down anything important. I put the Glade Guard on the hill, the Treekin and Lord behind a forest they could teleport from (if they got the chance), and did my best with the rest of the stuff without knowing exactly where the key enemy stuff was going to be.

Super slow grow and another battle

 I'm making progress on my painting, I promise!

Honestly I have sat down several times to try to make progress on my target for this month (just the old Anvil of Doom), but I made the potentially fatal mistake of starting with the banners. It hasn't killed me yet, but it's still on the cards...

Importantly, I made them as difficult for myself as possible. I made them out of slightly curled plasticard, attached to the brass banner poles using some plastic tubing and plastic cement. So they're constructed OK, but they're a far cry from trying to paint a piece of paper. And then I was dumb enough to decide that I wanted to do a design based on what was in the 4th edition army book...

No, it's not the same. No, it's not even really close. Yes, it causes me pain.

Shattered Dreams and Hopes Lost

My last post described the rules we would be using for a moderately large game last weekend. The intent was to try to break the pattern that we commonly see in multiplayer games, when the larger game turns into several smaller parallel one-on-one games with little interaction between them. Well we tried things out, and this is how they went.

This was never intended to be a really fancy report and I was playing at the same time as taking pictures, so the presentation is not all it could have been (some of the photos are really blurry). Oh well.

We played with about 17,000 points per side, with each player commanding a little over 6,000 points. It was all kind of thrown together with the models that I already had at my place, so the composition of the armies might not have been all that it could have been.

Armies 
High Elves (Empire West)

• Prince on Star Dragon with Shield; Armour of Destiny; Star Lance
• Teclis (Lore of High Magic)
• Archmage (Level 4, Lore of Death)
• Annointed of Asuryan
• Noble with Battle Standard; Halberd; Armour of Caledor
• 50 First Spearmen with Full Command
• 40 Lothern Seaguard with Full Command
• 15 Silver Helms with Shields; Full Command
• 12 Archers with Standard; Musician
• 12 Archers with Standard; Musician
• 15 Dragon Princes of Caledor with Full Command
• 40 Swordmasters of Hoeth with Full Command; Razor Standard
• 30 White Lions of Chrace with Full Command; Gleaming Pendant
• 40 Phoenix Guard with Full Command
• Eagle Claw Bolt Thrower
• Eagle Claw Bolt Thrower
• Frostheart Phoenix

Empire Centre

• General on Imperial Griffon with Great Weapon; Full Plate Armor; Talisman of Endurance; Dragonhelm
• Balthasar Gelt
• Wizard Lord (Level 4, Lore of Life)
• Captain with Battle Standard; Barded Warhorse; Full Plate Armor; Shield; Sword of Might; Dawn Stone
• Warrior Priest with Great Weapon; Heavy Armour
• 30 Knightly Orders with Great Weapons; Full Command
• 16 Reiksguard Knights with Full Command; Banner of Swiftness
• 60 Greatswords with Full Command
• 60 Halberdiers with Full Command
• 40 Swordsmen with Full Command
• 5 Demigryph Knights with Full Command
• 20 Handgunners with Standard; Musician
• Great Cannon
• Helblaster Volley Gun
• Celestial Hurricanum
• Steam Tank

Empire East

• Arch Lector on War Altar with Armour of Destiny; Mace of Helstrum
• General on Imperial Griffon with Great Weapon; Full Plate Armor; White Cloak of Ulric
• Wizard Lord (Level 4, Lore of Heavens)
• Wizard Lord (Level 4, Lore of Light)
• Captain with Battle Standard; Barded Warhorse; Full Plate Armor; Shield; Opal Amulet; Sword of Anti-Heroes
• Warrior Priest with Great Weapon; Heavy Armour
• Master Engineer
• 30 Knights of the Inner Circle with Full Command; Steel Standard
• 30 Knightly Orders with Full Command
• 60 Flagellants
• 60 Halberdiers with Full Command
• 60 Halberdiers with Full Command
• 40 Spearmen with Full Command
• 20 Handgunners with Standard; Musician
• 16 Crossbowmen with Standard; Musician
• 16 Crossbowmen with Standard; Musician
• 5 Demigryph Knights with Full Command
• 40 Greatswords with Full Command
• 5 Outriders with Sharpshooter
• Great Cannon
• Great Cannon
• Helblaster Volley Gun

Chaos West

• Daemon Prince of Khorne with Chaos Armour; Daemonic Flight; Exalted Gift (+3 Strength)
• Bloodthirster of Unfettered Fury with Greater Gift (+2 Strength?); Greater Gift (+1 Toughness)
• Keeper of Secrets (Level 4, Lore of Slaanesh) with Greater Gift (+2 Attacks); Greater Gift (something)
• Herald of Slaanesh with Battle Standard; Greater Locus of Swiftness; Greater Gift (2+ Armour)
• Herald of Nurgle with Lesser Locus of Virulence; Greater Gift (Fencer's Blades)
• Karanak
• 30 Daemonettes of Slaanesh with Full Command
• 20 Bloodletters of Khorne with Full Command
• 40 Plaguebearers of Nurgle with Full Command
• 10 Pink Horrors of Tzeentch
• 6 Beasts of Nurgle
• 6 Fiends of Slaanesh
• 23 Flesh Hounds of Khorne
• 4 Bloodcrushers of Khorne
• 5 Seekers of Slaanesh
• Soul Grinder of Slaanesh with Daemonbone Claw; Phlegm Bombardment

Chaos Centre

• Belakor 
• Chaos Lord of Tzeentch on Daemonic Mount with Barding; Shield; Hellfire Sword; Talisman of Endurance
• Sorcerer Lord of Tzeentch (Level 4, Lore of Fire (yes I know)) on Disc of Tzeentch with Talisman of Preservation, Sword of Anti-Heroes, Scaled Skin
• Exalted Hero of Tzeentch with Battle Standard; Shield; Barded Chaos Steed; Dawn Stone; Sword of Might
• 30 Chaos Warriors of Tzeentch with Halberds; Shields; Full Command
• 20 Chaos Warriors of Khorne with Shields; Full Command
• 25 Chaos Warriors with Halberds; Full Command
• 40 Chaos Marauders of Slaanesh with Flails; Full Command
• 20 Chaos Knights of Tzeentch with Ensorcelled Weapons; Full Command
• 12 Chaos Knights with Ensorcelled Weapons; Full Command
• 8 Dragon Ogres with Great Weapons; Light Armour
• Hellcannon

Chaos East

• Galrauch, The Great Drake
• Great Bray-Shaman (Level 4, Lore of Beasts)
• Wargor with Battle Standard; Great Weapon; Trollhide Armour
• 50 Chaos Warriors of Slaanesh with Halberds; Full Command; Banner of Swiftness
• 40 Gor Herd  with 2ndWeapon; Full Command
• 3 Chaos Chariots (operating as a single regiment to keep things tidy)
• 28 Chosen with Great Weapons; Shields; Full Command
• 10 Chaos Ogres of Slaanesh with Great Weapons; Heavy Armour; Full Command
• 1 Doombull with Great Weapon; Armour of Destiny; Gnarled Hide
• 11 Minotaurs  with Great Weapons; Light Armour; Full Command
• Dragon Ogre Shaggoth with Great Weapon; Light Armour
• Dragon Ogre Shaggoth with Great Weapon; Light Armour
• 10 Chaos Knights of Slaanesh with Lances; Full Command

Deployment
There was some debate over how best to handle deployment. In the end it was a roll-off. The losing side had to deploy one of its 3 contingents first. Then the winning side had to deploy 2 of theirs, then the losing side had to deploy both of their remaining contingents before the winners placed their 1 remaining force. In this case the Empire won the roll-off, so the last thing deployed was the Empire centre (me).

The forces lined up along the table. The circles show the area of the rifts if they are opened (control comes from unengaged units standing on the marker in the centre at the start of their turn).

Axemaster 2015 Aftermath - Part 2

This is part 2 of my tournament report. You can find part 1 here.

Game 2
Julian Jaksch, Goblins

• Skarsnik and Gobbla
• Night Goblin Great Shaman (Level 4, Little Waagh)
• Night Goblin Shaman (Level 2, Little Waagh)
• Night Goblin Big Boss with Battle Standard
• Night Goblin Big Boss
• 40 Night Goblins with Spears, Netters
• 35 Night Goblins with Spears, Netters
• 22 Night Goblins with Short Bows
• 20 Night Goblins with Short Bows
• Squig Herd with 21 Squigs, 7 Handlers
• Goblin Wolf Chariot
• Goblin Wolf Chariot
• Goblin Spear Chukka
• Goblin Spear Chukka
• Troll
• Pump Wagon with Spiky Roller, Exploding Spores
• Pump Wagon with Spiky Roller
• Doom Diver
• Rock Lobber with Bully
• Arachnarok

Comp Score: 6

Julian's very nicely painted Goblin army. The Colossal Squig was being used as an Arachnarok.

My Mission: Kill the general
Julian's Mission: Capture the flag

After an ignominious start, I joined Julian's all-goblin army down on the lower tables. I figured this was probably where my army belonged, so I wasn't too bothered being thrashed first up. Julian and I had never actually played before, despite attending many of the same events over the years. This promised to be fun.

Deployment

The Squignarok.

All those Fanatics are hiding somewhere in the list. Stupid closed lists. Julian's list actually had all the details on it, but I tried to ignore the things I wasn't meant to see.

The army's centre, with the Great Shaman in Skarsnik's unit and the BSB and Shaman in the unit to the left.

Yep, that's my whole army deployed right there. Everyone else was late.

Deployment started with Skarsnik delaying my troops with Squigs or donuts or something, resulting in each unit starting in reserve on the roll of a 6. Because I have great natural skill and a mastery of dice, this resulted in most of my army starting off the field. All 3 units of Orcs and my secondary Wyvern started in reserve, which meant my Great Shaman found himself deploying without a unit, trying to hide behind a building. 

What the hell, guys? Come on, we need you!

Oh well, at least I would get the +2 bonus to get the first turn (because of a better comp score and finishing deploying first - by about a week in this case). No wait, I lost the roll-off anyway. Julian took the first turn.

The Battle of Heffengen - Part 6

This post is the final part of the report on the Battle of Heffengen. You can read part 5 here.

Chaos Turn 6

Chaos Final Turn

The Empire army had been pushed back. It was time for the Chaos forces to land a decisive blow.

The steam tank finds itself fighting both skullcrushers and blood knights

The Battle of Heffengen - Part 5

This post is part 5 of the report on the Battle of Heffengen. You can read part 4 here.

Apologies if the photos are starting to get worse. As evening fell and the light deteriorated a bit, it got harder to take decent shots without a flash.

Chaos Turn 5

Chaos Turn 5. The comet finally arrives!

The Battle of Heffengen - Part 4

This post is part 4 of the report on the Battle of Heffengen. You can read part 3 here.

Chaos Turn 4
Walach Harkon's Blood Dragons

• Wal Walach Harkon
• Ter1 Terrorgheist
• Ter2 Terrorgheist
• Ter3 Terrorgheist
• Ter4 Terrorgheist
• BK1 7 Blood Knights
• BK2 5 Blood Knights
• BK3 5 Blood Knights
• Blk1 15 Black Knights
• Blk2 10 Black Knights
• Blk3 10 Black Knights
• BC Black Coach
• Vg1 Varghulf
• Vg2 Varghulf
• Geist1 8 Vargheists
• Geist2 7 Vargheists

Chaos Turn 4. The Blood Dragons arrive.

The Battle of Heffengen - Part 3

This post is part 3 of the report on the Battle of Heffengen. You can read part 2 here.

As noted at the end of the notes for turn 2, a decision was made at the start of turn 3 that from turn 4 onward, the Chaos players would be permitted to target Karl Franz with shooting attacks. The decision seemed logical as the reason I gave for protecting him was that Gurug’ath wanted the satisfaction of killing him personally, and Gurug’ath was long gone. Also, the great and glorious Emperor looked set to not move for the entire game, and I figured it might encourage him to get a bit more involved.

To cushion the blow a bit, we decided that units wishing to shoot at him had to pass a Ld test first, as they struggled to overcome their standing orders.

Chaos Turn 3

Chaos turn 3.

The Battle of Heffengen - Part 2

This post is part 2 of the report on the Battle of Heffengen. You can read part 1 here.

Before we continue, I should mention that there are a great many characters involved in this game, however most of them are moving as part of larger units, and so I didn't note them down. There was also a Tzeentch sorcerer kicking about on a flying disc who I didn’t bother to track (because, you know, priorities). You’ll just have to bear with me and accept that some of the detail didn’t make it onto the maps.

Chaos Turn 2

Chaos Turn 2

Time to engage

The Battle of Heffengen - Part 1

Welcome to the first part of our battle report recreating the Battle of Heffengen from the End Times: Nagash source book. This was a 40,000 point per side game, with 8 players. We had 2 photographers, 2 scribes fighting over the same Google Doc on separate computers, and several others on hand to help and distract as needed.

As with the previous large battle reports of Hel Fenn and Finuval Plain, I will present the game in a narrative style, covering the important events of the game in the story. Hopefully it won’t be too hard to follow (or take too long to read).

This time I have also included the bullet point notes taken during the game, down the bottom of the page. So if you don't want to read the story, you can go down there and get confused. Good luck.

Introduction 

The situation was desperate. The great Auric Bastion to the north had been breached, and a Chaos horde now rampaged through the Empire. The Emperor was scrambling to muster a defence. The hastily assembled force was mighty indeed, however it was by no means guaranteed to be enough to halt the enemy’s advance. Karl Franz knew  this, but he also knew that he was out of time. They could wait for no more reinforcements; they had to make their stand. The battle would take place a mile north of the city of Heffengen, on the banks of the river Revesnacht.

The Empire army had been in position for less than a day when the Chaos tide was upon them. Rain had been descending in a constant drizzle, dampening spirits and turning the fields to mud. There was little grass to be seen now, with the damp weather and oppressive lack of sunlight becoming a regular feature in these generally dark times.

The Empire forces were already arrayed for battle as the enemy approached. A stream of scouts and refugees had given them ample warning of what was coming. The Emperor stood upon a low hill behind the centre of the line, his hand idly stroking Deathclaw’s feathered head. The mighty griffon rested next to him, glaring toward the horizon as the Chaos legions advanced. Doubtless his keen eyesight could make out far more than the humans waiting anxiously around him.

Kurt Helborg, Grand Master of the Reiksguard and Marshall of the Empire’s armies, strode up the hill toward Karl Franz. “My lord, the army stands ready.” He hesitated slightly before contining hurriedly, “I would ask you again my lord, please reconsider your position. It’s not safe to fight from the back of a beast such as this,” he gestured toward Deathclaw, who finally turned his gaze from the distance to glare at the presumptuous, outrageously moustached human instead. Helborg pressed on, “It is the duty of the Reiksguard to protect the Emperor. We cannot do this if you are out of our reach.”

“We have had this discussion already, Master Helborg. Nowhere on a battlefield is truly safe, and I prefer the vantage point that Deathclaw provides. He has protected me in countless battles before,” Karl Franz continued to distractedly scratch the griffon’s head, whose expression seemed to Kurt to become somehow smug as he continued to stare at the leader of the Emperor’s bodyguard. Helborg opened his mouth to continue his protest, but Karl Franz finally turned to look directly at him and stifled his protests with a raised hand. “The other commanders are ready to report,“ he said.

General Gotfrei Talb of Ostermark and Garrat Mecke, Lord General of Talabheim, arrived simultaneously from either direction, dismounting as they approached. Talb was a no-nonsense man who Karl Franz knew would command dutifully and bravely. He bowed briefly before reporting, “My lord, the east flank stands ready. The river anchors our flank, and the Ogre mercenaries are prepared. The priest Luthor Huss assures me that the doom-seeking fanatics in the front lines will give the enemy hell.”

Mecke was slightly less efficient in his presentation, clearly revelling in this opportunity to display his credentials for the vacant position of Elector Count of Talabecland. “My lord, the assembled soldiery of Talabheim stands ready on the western flank. The artillery and ranged troops are arranged to make maximum use of the hills, and my troops stand ready to crush these Chaos upstarts with a series of counter-charges of my devising. I assure you, the west flank is in capable hands.” 

He looked set to continue, but the Emperor cut him off, “Thank you, generals. I’m certain the battle preparations are well in hand. You’d best return to your positions, however,” he said with a quick glance at the enemy lines, which seemed to be approaching at pace.  “I don’t think we will have long to wait.”

*****

Gurug’ath, Great Unclean One of Nurgle and Baron of the 6th Pestilential Circle, chuckled happily as he hauled his immense, grotesque bulk toward the waiting lines of Empire soldiers. Legions of daemons surrounded him, and his forces stretched almost out of sight to the east and west as they formed a line of battle, even as they advanced. There would be no pause before the opening of hostilities, no calm before the storm. The Chaos forces had spent far too long pent up behind the humans’ bastion to the north, and Gurug’ath himself had spent months trapped within the very fabric of the wall. The frustration had been overwhelming for all of them, and the swathe of destruction they had carved as they rampaged south had done little to assuage their irritation.

The coming battle looked promising, however. Nurgle whispered constantly in Gurug’ath’s rotting ear. The human emperor would command the coming battle, and victory here would leave an open path into the Empire’s undefended interior. Thousands of disgustingly healthy humans awaited the pestilential gifts that Gurug’ath would generously bestow. Whole cities would receive from Nurgle’s wondrous bounty of plague and disease. It would be beautiful.

Gurug’ath could hardly contain his joy at the promise of what lay ahead, but first there needed to be a reckoning. His pride demanded it. He had spent months trapped within the Auric Bastion, and it had been very, very boring. Someone would pay for wasting so much of his time, and the leader of the human Empire would suit well enough.

“The human Emperor is mine to toy with,” he boomed in a deep, reverberating voice. “None shall touch him but me. You can have your fun with his followers instead, my children.” He looked around him at the hundreds of deamons leaping, shambling and crawling towards their human victims. He could tell they were almost as excited as he was.

The Armies

Gurug'ath's Chaos Horde

• GUO Gurug'ath, Exalted Great Unclean One
• Blood1 60 Bloodletters
• PB1 50 Plaguebearers
• PB2 50 Plaguebearers
• Gor 60 Gor
• CWoS 46 Chaos Warriors of Slaanesh
• Chos1 40 Chosen of Nurgle
• CWoN1 40 Chaos Warriors of Nurgle
• Hor1 40 Horrors
• Mar 40 Marauders
• CKoN 20 Chaos Knights of Nurgle
• CKoT 20 Chaos Knights of Tzeentch
• CWoK1 30 Chaos Warriors of Khorne
• Chos2 30 Chosen
• DO 9 Dragon Ogres
• Troll1 16 Trolls
• Mino1 14 Minotaurs
• Mino2 12 Minotaurs
• Beast1 12 Beasts of Nurgle
• Crush1 6 Skullcrushers
• Crush2 6 Skullcrushers
• OgreK 10 Chaos Ogres of Khorne
• Ogre 10 Chaos Ogres
• CWoN2 30 Chaos Warriors of Nurgle
• Pest 30 Pestigor
• CW1 30 Chaos Warriors
• CW2 30 Chaos Warriors
• CKoK 13 Chaos Knights of Khorne
• HC1 Hellcannon
• HC2 Hellcannon
• HC3 Hellcannon
• HC4 Hellcannon
• SG1 Soulgrinder
• SG2 Soulgrinder
• MoK 32 Marauders of Khorne
• MoN 30 Marauders of Nurgle
• M1 25 Marauders
• Beast2 8 Beasts of Nurgle
• Dog1 18 Chaos Hounds
• Dog2 10 Chaos Hounds
• Dog3 13 Chaos Hounds
• Nurg 12 Nurglings
• Drone 6 Plaguedrones
• Cm1 through to Cm7 Chimeras
• C1 through to C16 Chariots
• G1 through to G4 Giants
• Shag Shaggoth
• Raz 3 Razorgor
• Un 24 Ungor
• Blood2 4 Bloodcrushers
• Troll2 6 Trolls
• MH 5 Marauder Horsemen
• CKoS 10 Chaos Knights of Slaanesh
• SC1 Skullcannon
• SC2 Skullcannon
• FH 10 Flesh Hounds
• DPoS Daemon Prince of Slaanesh
• DPoN1 Daemon Prince of Nurgle
• DPoN2 BONUS Daemon Prince of Nurgle
• Blood3 28 Bloodletters
• D 20 Daemonettes
• Beast3 5 Beasts of Nurgle
• Fskn1 20 Forsaken
• Fskn2 14 Forsaken
• F 15 Furies
• CWoK2 24 Chaos Warriors of Khorne
• CWoT1 25 Chaos Warriors of Tzeentch
• M2 24 Marauders
• CWoT2 18 Chaos Warriors of Tzeentch
• CWoK3 18 Chaos Warriors of Khorne
• Chos3 18 Chosen of Nurgle
• Fskn3 21 Forsaken
• Hor2 20 Horrors
• PB3 20 Plaguebearers
• WS Warshrine

Karl Franz's Empire Defenders

• KF Karl Franz on Deathclaw
• WWolf 60 White Wolves
• ICK1 40 Inner Circle Knights
• ICK2 40 Inner Circle Knights
• Hal1 72 Halberdiers
• Hal2 60 Halberdiers
• Hal3 60 Halberdiers
• Great1 60 Greatswords
• Sword1 50 Swordsmen
• Flag1 50 Flagellants
• Flag2 60 Flagellants
• Reik1 32 Reiksguard
• Demi1 10 Demigryphs
• Demi2 9 Demigryphs
• Ogre 18 Ogres
• IGut 13 Ironguts
• MF 4 Mournfangs
• Flag3 30 Flagellants
• Flag4 40 Flagellants
• Demi3 5 Demigryphs
• Demi4 3 Demigryphs
• Sp 40 Spearmen
• Sw1 40 Swordsmen
• Sw2 40 Swordsmen
• Great2 35 Greatswords
• Great3 36 Greatswords
• Hal4 35 Halberdiers
• LB1 4 Leadbelchers
• LB2 3 Leadbelchers
• Sword2 35 Swordsmen
• FC 30 Free Company
• HG1 30 Handgunners
• HG2 20 Handgunners
• HG3 20 Handgunners
• HG4 20 Handgunners
• XBow1 20 Crossbowmen
• XBow2 19 Crossbowmen
• XBow3 16 Crossbowmen
• Reik2 16 Reiksguard
• Sword3 19 Swordsmen
• Great4 20 Greatswords
• Ar1 21 Archers
• Ar2 20 Archers
• Ar3 10 Archers
• HG5 12 Handgunners
• HG6 10 Handgunners
• K1 14 Knights
• K2 10 Knights
• Pst1 12 Pistoliers
• Pst2 5 Pistoliers
• Pst3 5 Pistoliers
• Pst4 5 Pistoliers
• Pst5 5 Pistoliers
• Out1 5 Outriders
• Out2 5 Outriders
• GC1 through to GC8 Great Cannons
• M1 through to M4 Mortars
• HRB1 through to HRB3 Hellstorm Rocket Batteries
• VG1 through to VG6 Volley Guns
• WA War Altar
• ST1 through to ST5 Steam Tanks
• Hur1 through to Hur3 Celestial Hurricanums
• Lum Luminark
• Grf1 through to Grf4 Generals on Griffons
• Peg1 through to Peg5 Captains on Pegasus
• Ar4 8 Archers

Deployment

Both sides are deployed. We didn't even bother with a screen. Everyone was so busy placing things that nobody cared what was going on over the other side.

Right there is about 70,000 points of models, another cameraman and an elbow...