Warhammer Fantasy Battle Report summary:-
A handgunner's job is not to be envied ! (Superb report, long and engaging with great photos)| source : warhammer.org.uk | credit : Vincent of Vega | 24-Oct-2008 |
Gunter van Diecks Empire army
Arch Lector (AL) with enchanted shield and biting blade on barded horse (all heroes on barded horses)
Battle Standard Bearer (BSB)
2 x lvl 2 Wizards with a scroll each
3x main units (2 swordsmen, 1 spearmen) 25 in each, each with det. of 12 militia, and 6 handgunners or 7 crossbows
2 cannons, 1 mortar.
5 Outriders with champ, 5 vanilla knights with musician only, 8 flagellants.
The Ogres
...were led by a Tyrant with extra handweapon and longstrider and Demon killer scars,
2 Butchers with a scroll each and a Hunter with two cats.
2 Gorgers, 1x 3 Ironguts, 2 x 2 Leadbelchers, 4 x 3 bulls with extra handweapon, 1x 8 trappers (unpainted), 1x 20 Gnobblars (front row painted)
All Ogre units except lead belchers had a musician
Terrain and Deployment
Upon placing the terrain, the battlefield looked pretty even, both dz’s had a hill, one had the bonus of some rough terrain in the form of some ruined buildings. However, every single piece not only scattered but scattered hugely, three things scattered 17”. The upshot was that the battlefield looked something like this.
Empire grabbed the side with the cliff faced hill directly infront on the basis that it was a perfect perch for the Outriders who could climb up and have a bird’s eye view of the battlefield and be almost untouchable, certainly pretty safe from combat, Outriders don’t like Ogres up close!
Deployment looked something like the above pic
Empire magic sees both wizards roll up 1 and 4.
Ogres win the roll and go first.
The hunter promptly fails his Stupidity test and the trappers bicker, not the ideal start, everything else trundles forwards.
Gut magic is appalling, throwing 2 dice at each spell trying to nail the knights both get through with a 3 and a 4 (with two dice each!) and both are easily dispelled, final spell is miscast, so on 6 casting dice there have been 4 ones! A pattern was certainly forming and the butcher then rolls a 1 for the miscast, fortunately the only model in btb also rolls a 1. Hmmm. The bangstick wielding butcher survives but with little hope of getting anything through.
The Empire troops merely shuffle around to ensure the cannons can shoot, the Outriders shoot up on the hill, and the Arch lector comes over to the Empire right to lend some leadership.
Empire magic, what a contrast, both wizards go for the Fiery Blast and both get it through on IF on the Iron Guts, they get off relatively lightly taking 5 wounds, they pass their panic test. AL prayers are dispelled.
Both cannons guess well but bounce way over the target, the mortar lands dead on target and even gets two of the partials in but the extra toughness saves the ogres and the leadbelcher under the hole only took one wound on a D3.
The hand gunners on the left finish off the injured Iron Gut and force another panic test which they pass on an eight (again) and they also put another wound on the Leadbelcher. The crossbows take down 3 Gnobblars, overkill but there was nothing else to shoot at.
Ogre turn 2
Stupidity and Bicker passed and a Gorger comes out to play.
Everything moves forwards as far as they can. Sole remaining IronGut can’t hide from everything but does avoid the cannon.
No magic gets through.
Leadbelchers take out 4 Flaggies and 4 handgunners but lose a model due to a misfire, panic test is passed. Trappers take out an Outrider which was pleasing, of the three hits that got through, three were sixes, unfortunately the Outriders threw 2 fives for saves.
The Empire chargers the knights head on into a healthy Ogre Bulls unit does a lot of shuffling, mainly to allow for the two great cannons to have a shot at the Gorger, otherwise they are just positioning themselves ready for chargers. The Ogres lines are already weakened and they will have their work cut out beating anything head on. A detachment of Militia also charge a unit of Gnobblars.
Magic wipes out the last IronGut, another high roll from the wizard at the irn gut who is doomed really, so a scroll is not wasted. Other magic fails.
Small arms fire is pretty dire, the outriders put a solitary wound on one of the remaining healthy ogre units. Even though one cannon misfired the other lands a perfect shot, wounds and rolls a very healthy 5 to take the Gorger out.
The knights stick a healthy 3 wounds on the bulls who in return forget get their extra hand weapon and got for the power of the club instead to try and get around that armour save. They do get three wounds through but two are saved and they break and run a mighty two inches! The Knights pursue straight into the sharp stuff chucking trappers.
The militia suddenly realise the little green things with the big noses are nowhere near as cuddly as they first appear trade blows and run away. The militia run an impressive 11 while the Gnobblars pursue all of three inches, it does however give them some options.
The Ogres must really be wondering what they’ve done to deserve this!
The second Gorger comes on.
The Leadbelchers with attached Butcher charge the Knights who are picking on the trappers in the rear. The Tyrant and Lead belchers hit the Flaggies in the flank, the Hunter fails his stupidity again. The remaining Ogre bulls shuffle forwards and the other bulls charge the militia who try and hold but fail their panic check and run straight through the Gnobblars and die.
There is no magic or shooting.
The Knights kill 4 Gnobblars and the Gnobblar trappers kill one knight in return!
The Ogres land several blows but even those that wound are saved with ease. Upon counting up the combatants have four each, except that the Knights have a musician! Off the bulls go although they do get away this time. The Knights charge into the last remaining bulls.
The other bulls demolish the mortar, they try to restrain pursuit but fail and … hold on! This was an overrun so they don’t have to restrain, I’d better pull them back from the perfect flanking cannon shot.
Back to the only unit in the Ogre army that is actually doing any use: the gnobblars. The cannon crew decide to hold as fleeing would have made the Gnobblars fail their charge (probably) and block a cannon shot over towards the gorger. However, the gnobblars do just fine and break them and then chase off the two already fleeing Empire detachments.
The Tyrant and Leadbelcher overrun into the flank of the handgunners. Presenting a lovely flank to the militia and the Tyrant is on the wrong side!
The Empire counter attacks (badly) The Spearmen charge the bulls ~(coming down the middle) in the flan, the bulls flee but they needn’t have bothered as the spearmen failed their fear test. The main unit of swordsmen with the AL declare a charge against the Tyrant and Leadbelcher but they too fail their fear check. The militia however hit them in the flank after comfortably passing their feat test.
The Knights lose combat at last and get run down, the pursuing bulls are in a great position with some outriders looking tasty.
The Tyrant and the leadbelcher roll poorly but still hold.
The Ogres are smiling for once, the Hunter passes his stupidity and everything rallies, even the trappers!. The Gorger ploughs into the stationary Swordsmen, the bulls charge the Outriders who have plenty of space to flee and get away with ease but without being able to avoid clipping a corner of the Spearmen who fail their panic test and join them in their flight. The bulls can PIFE in the shape of the Swordsmen who are now beginning to look more than a little anxious.
The combat between the Tyrant/Leadbelcher is still in the balance with the Tyrant only able to hit a solitary handgunner for a pathetic single wound. The Leadbelcher attempts to smite some militia who had just failed to wound him, but he also fails to wound a thing. The Tyrant throws a double one for his break test and the militia are facing a flank charge from a full unit of bulls who had just swung around after wiping out the mortar.
No magic (forgot) and no shooting (out of range). But combat is an altogether different thing. The bulls and the Gorger manage to kill no less than 6 swordsmen who can do nothing in reply, the Archlector does one wound on a bull, they lose combat by one and break! Now it’s the Empire’s turn to roll badly and they flee a paltry 3” , both Gorger and the Bulls rush forwards and into great positions, out of range for a counter but in range for next turn, Even if the Empire rallies their fleeing units they are going to be badly out of position. Is the tide turning?
To top things off, the militia –v- Tyrant and Lead belcher contest is drawn.
The Empire rally everything. The other swordsmen unit containing the BSB shuffles to avoid getting hit in the flank by the gnobblars- this is by far and away the biggest threat at the moment. The two wizards position themselves to take care of the gnobblars too. The units that rally position themselves as best possible.
Both wizards once more cast Fiery blast, both at the Gnobblars, one is dispelled while the other gets through and does enough damage to force a panic test which they fail and the flee move is parallel to the table edge and a mighty 12” long.
The combat between the Tyrant and Leadbelchers is finally won and the militia run to within a fraction of the table edge.
The Ogres, who feel the tide is turning are eager to get into combat. The Tyrant charges the outriders on the hill, the two Ogres charge into the front of the Spearmen, not ideal but they would be getting shot at otherwise. Everything else moves as close as it can to the Empire lines except for one unit of Leadbelchers who are so far away they simply consolidate a quarter.
The Tyrant causes terror, something I’d forgotten about (Demon Killer) but the Outriders decide to flee in a any case, once again the spearmen have to test but this time they pass. A combination of Leadbelching and magic takes out the Empire Wizard who has gambled on taking out the Gnobblars, a heavy price to pay!
The Bulls who charge the spearmen only kill two and the spearmen have the cheek to put two wounds back on the bulls who flee far enough. The Spearmen though have offered a nice flank to the other bulls.
The outriders rally and go and find a suitable spot for some last turn shooting. The spearmen who are between a rock and a hard place with a very exposed flank try and charge the fleeing Ogres but another failed Empire fear test puts paid to that, there’s no way they can survive a flank charge from a 3 bulls and a Tyrant, they’ll be hoping to run far away and rally. The cannon misfires while attempting to take out the Tyrant and rolls a 2.
Ogres, last turn, as expected the spearmen flee from the combined charge and run far enough. The Gorger simply moves right up in front of the swordsmen, the hunter fails another stupidity test and the trappers bicker. However the bulls rally. The Butcher, finally spotting a chance to get something through does so. The Outriders are forced to take a panic test and fail and run within a couple of inches of the board edge, the swordsmen also take some st2. hits but not surprisingly survive with ease.
In the Empire last turn, there are no charges, there’s no way a Gorger is going to die in one round of combat but crucially the battle standard bearer didn’t really fancy having his head bitten off, he’s funny like that. In, that has to be the most pathetic battle for dice rolling both the Outriders and the Spearmen fail to rally throwing a 10 and an 11 respectively.
..and after what seemed like and was in all honesty an appalling start the Ogres pull it around and their 'dead pile' doesn't look half bad. (butcher missing)
Result: A BIG win for the big guys !
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