BattleGround Tournament - March 21, 2004
Empire List
L4 Wizard
L2 Wizard
War Priest (General) (on foot with spears)
Captain (on horse with IC knights)
Spears x23, full cmd
detach halberds x8
detach free company x8
Swordsmen x 20, champ, music
detach handgunners x5
detach handgunners x5
Knights, inner circle x9, full cmd
Knights x10, full cmd
Pistoliers x6, marksman, repeat pistol
Flagellants x16
Hellblaster
Cannon
Round 1 Magic Flux (i.e Magic Sux) vs Mark Cox's Skaven
Rats! There are giant rats swarming everywhere! It was the first
time I've played a game of this size vs the rats. So, I wasn't sure
what to expect. I knew they were fast...
I got to go first. We move forward some, knights leading the move. My
biggest mistake was deploying my flagellants on the right flank to
protect the cannon, only to be outmanouvered by some swarms, and they
never got into hand to hand with anyone. By turn 3 he had the swarms
on the cannon and wiped the crew. On the left flank, the regular
knights couldn't resist charging the rat ogres, did 5 wounds on the
charge, broke them and ran them down near the table edge. By the time
they turned around there wasn't anyone they could get to... except
that lone rattling gun... CHARGE! Holy Sigmar! Lead flying
everywhere (stand and shoot, 4 wounds)! Panic! Run (off table)! At
least 2 mistakes there....
IC knights did a little better. They charged the middle of the mass
of rats (plague monks, and drew in clanrats due to bigger frontage. I
only managed 1 or 2 wounds on the charge (what is wrong with you
knights? Take the pillows off the lances!). I lost combat by 1 or 2
(my chance to un-frenzy the monks). He gets another unit of clanrats
on the flank. Whittles down my knights about 1 per round, but I stay
for another round, then finally break, flee out of harms way. In time
to rally and get charged again.
For the foot troops, the spears go up the left middle and take on the
plague monks after they get out of combat with the knights. It's
detachments were lost along the way. Spears are ok in combat until
charged from behind by the skirmish unit. Lose CR and are run down
like doges. Swords with gunner detaches are overrun by slaves and
heavy armored rats. Get run off in the last turn we played... (5?)
Magic? What's that? I had 8 power dice, Mark had 7,8,9 depending on
the turn. Not one spell got off. Mark had a couple miscasts. I
managed to avoid them.
For the first time (for me), the hellblaster blew up on the first
barrel. Ouch.
It was a fun game, well played by Mark. I'll have some better ideas
when I play those rats again.... I didn't know that you could score
negative battle points.... I felt better when I found out I wasn't
the only one...
Game 2 - Breakthrough vs Chris H's Dwarves
The scenario puts Chris at a disadvantage, being dwarves. Those
dwarves are some tough nuts, tho. Chris's deploy (right to left)
bolt thrower, cannon on hill, warriors, warriors with GW, thunderers,
thunderers, (table center)thunders, troll slayers, warriors, and bolt
thrower. I had spears with detachments, hellblaster, swords with
gunners in center, cannon, pistoliers, in front of IC knights,
knights.
I go first, pistoliers screen knights from bolt thrower, charge in
second turn, wipe out crew. They go off the table in turn 4. Knights
charge dwarf warriors turn 2, do zero wounds, lose combat and stay.
For 2 more turn, neither manages a wound and I finally miss a break
test (losing by 2 due to ranks each round). Easily run out of
pursuit, rally, but it impossible to get across the table at this
point.
Flagellants and troll slayers get locked into combat in turn 2 as
well. The battle of unbreakables goes on thru the end of the game.
Thane joins the battle in turn 4, but we both have some models in the
end.
The IC knights wanted to get a flank on the Troll slayers, but a hill
kept them out of sight, so the knights swung around behind them and
charged the flank of the thunderer unit. It takes 2 turns to break
them, pursue into next thunderer unit, another complete turn to run
them off. No time left to get off the table.
The thunderers were the only ones I had luck with killing. They took
the brunt of the shooting (due to my poor deployment of war machines.)
and magic missles.
On my left, the spears took on the great weapon warrior unit, free
company got a flank on them too. The killed us thin skinned humans
for a push in the first round. The other warrior unit charged into
the spear's flank, counter charged by halbard detach. I think Chris
doesn't like the detachment rules anymore. After another turn or so,
we lose combat by 3or 4 and all run. Spears with general is run down.
Gyrocoptor should have gotten off the table, but Chris forgot to move
it twice. It did do some wounds with the flame weapon, mainly the
hellblaster crew. The most fun was the cannon duel at 36 (plus
roll)".
Magic was mostly ineffective. I got off 2 or 3 magic missles and the
odd light lore spell. I forgot to use the Orb of Thunder again all
day. Could have grounded that copter....
In the end, its a draw. Chris' painting is top notch. Those stunties
are looking really good. Are there any scenerios that favor the
dwarves?
Game 3 - Grudge match vs Rick Hoy's Tomb Kings
Grudge match is right. I've faced these undead twice before, this
time I"m out for blood! Oops, they don't have blood.
Rick's deployment (left to right) chariots, (house), ushabti,
skellies, catapault in center, tomb guard with prince, skellie archer
(in line in front of TG and TK skellies), and Tomb King with spear
skellies. 2 liche priest in the center. (swarm token in front of
cannon)
I put cannon, knights, (forest), pistoliers in front of IC knights,
(center) gunner detachments in front of swordsmen, house, hellblaster,
spears with detachments, flagellants.
I"m going to cheat and use Rick's report here: (>> my additions)
Try to kill his general, by any means possible.
A few buildings on the table, but nothing else to really get in the
way.
Dave goes first and marches up the field. I charge his pistoliers
with
my heavy cav. He shoots, does nothing, I hit him, no wounds, he
causes
4 back and I lose 3 on CR. In turn 2 he takes out a chariot with the
cannon, and nearly wipes out the archer unit with the blaster, magic
missiles and handgunners. I have 1 left. My chariots hit the flank
of
his knight unit, and while we did 3 wounds over the course of the
game, it took Dave 3 complete turns to wipe out the chariots. That
basically kept them from doing any more serious damage. I tried to
heal
some wounds to the archers, but the seal of destruction wipes that
incantaion from my Heirophant's memory (his head is filled with
sand...
He ain't too bright). His flaggelants eventually charge my spear unit
and we duke it out for several turns. Dave's spear unit charges my
archer and overruns too far. The Tomb guard hit his flank and we duke
it out for a while. His pistoliers charge my HW SK unit, but his
IC knight unit was afraid and soiled their armor...no flank-charge
support plus a flank charge from the Ushabti sent the pistoliers
running.
>> Catapault then hits IC knights, kills 1 and we are afraid, run,
rally and don't get into combat ever.
The pistoliers never rallied. In the bottom of the last turn, the
SK-spears take out the last of the flaggelants and the Tomb guard
chase
down the spearmen (with general) after they fled. If we had used
table
1/4, standards, and killing generals in the VP I would have squeaked
out
a victory, but since those didn't count, it was a draw. Dave only
called "cheese" once (a free reform banner ticked him off),
>> A magic banner that you can't dispel... that caused my general's
unit to get flanked. I just call it what I saw it, in the heat of the
moment...
and the catapult only caused one of his units to flee, so that was an
improvement over the last time we played. A good game...
I agree wholeheartedly. It was the best game that I had sunday.
Rick's always fun to play. Plus, the smack talk kicks it up a notch.
Rick managed to take a couple hundred VP more, but without the
banner/general/quarters, it kept me in the 'draw' column.
0-1-2. No wins, but I think I'm learning to play better with the
'humans'. Thanks again to Mark, Chris, and Rick for great games and
Brian, et al for putting it on. Look forward to more games over the
coming weeks with the kickoff of the AIWFL and pickups at MC. I mean,
Sean and I have to play the 'final' round sometime...
cheers,
d
tomfohrd