Warhammer Fantasy Battle Report summary:-
The power of magic and unit baiting (excellent report & superbly painted Warhammer armies)| source : plasticlegions.blogspot.com | credit : John | 10-Dec-2008 |
11/20 @ Chicago Battle Bunker, Downers Grove, IL
I made the trek out to the Battle Bunker to get a game in with a fellow named Steve I met the last time I was out there.I recognized Steve's army from his blog "Oden's Tales" so it was good to meet in person and do what we both love to do Play some Warhammer!
I brought a pretty generic list with an Empire General, Luther Huss, and 2nd priest and as always a BSB...Steve brought the Big Toad with a pair of level 2 priests and beefed up scar vet.
The Empire Army
Empire General, Holy Relic, Icon of Magnus, Sword of Justice /Captain BSB ( Banner of Sigismund) /Luthor Huss /Warrior Priest/ 27 Swordsmen FC w/ War Banner- 9 Free Company Detachment x 2/ 10 Handgunners w/ HLR x2 /9 Knights FC w/ Banner of Valour /5 Knights w/ Musician/ 19 Greatswords FC -9 Swordmen Detachment/ Great Cannon x 2/ 5 Pistoliers, Outrider, Musician /Helblaster Volley Gun
The Lizardmen Army
Slaan Mage-Priest, 4th Gen, BSB,/ Scar Vet Hero /2- Lv 2 Priests/ 20 Temple Guard/ 10 Skinks X 3 /6 Chameleon Skinks/ 3 Kroxigor x 2/ 3 Salamanders
While neither of us had played the others army in a good while, I forgot how brutal the magic offense of this list was. Conventional thinking says "why pay for wizard when his spells are worthless with all those dispel dice, so you are just paying a 140 points for 2 dispel scrolls." Well I went with the extra priest, turns out I could of used the scrolls.
Turn 1
My army is somewhat deceiving in the deployement phase as although my model count is 128, detachments go down as one with the parent unit so I deploy very quickly even though I had double the models steve did. The plus one served me well and I won first turn although I had a difficult deployment and didn't have the best lanes of fire for my Shooters. I moved ahead conservatively which turns out to be a dumb move once I got a handle on how this army played. I decide not to charge the Chameleons who are in LoS of both my Knights..this was also a bad move, too bad moves and some lousy shooting nets me two dead Temple Guard on my whole turn.
Steve's moves some Skinks and the Sallys ahead, moves his priest in the best postion he can then starts blasting me. Power Dice are 11 against my 4 Dispel. the Slaans spells are Iron ( Rule, Trans and Forge), Light (Gaze) and Fire (fireball) while both priests have the Death lore with 2 Dark hands, a Walking Death and Drain Life. Magic rains from the toad sending two surviving pistoliers running and taking my vanilla knights right off the table, In the shooting phase The Salamanders (who I don't often have too much of an issue with against my big blocks) are rolling hot and blow up a rank of 6 on my swordsmen, 5+ saves against shooting are for naught. I think to myself if this is how the whole game is going to go its going to be a long one. well- in reality a short one.
Turn 2
I now realize I need to get into close combat quick to avoid to much offensive spell assault, I charge my large unit of knights at the chameleons on the edge of the forest...taking the hassle of being in the woods over being wacked by the next magic phase. The chameleons flee and get away. not good. I move everyone else ahead full but with a large forest between my main block and the Slaan, Its pretty clear we aren't going to get into close combat, unless steve wants to. My Helblaster is way out of position on my left flank, the skinks on the side moved into some woods as bait, One of my cannons, misfires (malfunction) the other has the Slaan in its sights but the best I can come up with is another 2 Temple Guard.
The Lizards start moving back, I now see his game plan-bait, retreat, magic, shoot, there will be no close combat unless I can get some guys in or he wants it. The Krox come forward against my softer units..the Scar Vet plows thru the woods toward my one cannon that can get the Slaan and charges my Handgunners who go down fast again 5, Str 7 attacks Magic and Shooting again inflict some stiff losses on my side, Including the Cannon crew with the LoS on the Slaan . The Sallys are just crucifying my swordsmen, I can't roll a 5+ save today.
Turn 3
My Knights have LoS to charge the Sally's but with the woods slowing them down they are way short, My Swordsmen and Greatswords press ahead with noone to fight my shooting comes shallow, lots of targets but doing not much of anything...I am totally nerfed here..frustrating.
3 Kroxigor charge my Knights who failed charged the Sallys, The Scar Vet Killed my handgunners, not having to worry about the cannon turned around and now rear charges my Knights..My Knights get pounded in CC..but Luthor gets in a couple wounds...thou I break I am also fortunate enough to escape, Magic and Shooting keep taking there toll, My swordsmen unit is down to 10 plus my General and BSB, and won't do much in CC if I should ever get into one.
Turn 4
I try to charge with my Swordsmen by the Sally's flee and get away, My Greatswords (unscathed) move toward the other unit of Krox but are out of range..their detachment is in range and charges them, my other detachment comes behind the greatswords hoping to block the inevitable overrun so I can wheel and get my Greatswords into them next turn. My shooting is useless, remaining cannon has no target or missed, the helblaster has no target and another unit of handgunners out of range with no targets. I run those handgunners into the woods toward unit of skinks who are camping out in the woods holding the quarter all game. My Knights with Luthor Huss rally and turn to face the Scar Vet and the Krox.
The Scar Vet Charges my Knights alone, the Krox either don't charge or can't reach. The Scar Vet challenges Luthor Huss and he accepts. Luthors 4+ ward save, saves his butt as I save off all the wounds and end up doing 1wound back at him. I win combat and run down the Scar Vet and charge into the Krox..my first break of the game. His Sally's don't rally and keep running but are still on the board, he also has some skinks running from an earlier turn that finally leave the game.Steve's magic wastes the rest of my Swordsmen..leaving my General and BSB alone.
His Krox blow through my Swordsmen Detachment running down the few fleeing guys and end up planted well behind my Greatswords and the other detachment. His Skinks in the woods charge my handgunners and I flee and roll very low..they get caught but bring the skinks out of the woods, right in front of the Helblaster! (surprise)
Turn 5
My knights kill the Krox and move ahead but the Slann is totally obscured by the forest and the Skink priests are out of range sight. My Greatswords do a full reform so they don't get rear charged by the other Krox unit and my General and BSB join the Greatswords as my only unit of any size left The Helblaster lites up the Skinks blowing the whole unit away. My Cannon finally has a target ( the second krox unit) I put a cannonball alway thru the flank and bounces 10 into the third skink unit and I come up "6"."1"."1" on the wound roll..so i only kill 1 Krox! and then a bunch of skinks. (no "1"'s there go figure)
Steve's Sallys dont rally agian and run off the board!, another break for me..thou the die has been cast on this match up. He has no charges and uses his magic phase to waste my remaining knightsleaving Luthor alive with one wound. His Skink priest magic missles the remants of a free company detachment. We are both way low on units, all his tied up in the Slaan and Temple Guard while mine are now in my Greatswords.
Turn 6
Not much left to do here other that try to save points, I have luthor join the Greatswords, so all 4 of my Characters are alive and in the one unit my Cannon misfires, Kaboom. I have nothing left but the helblaster (no target) my Greatswords with no one in range
Steve calls the game on his turn since its obvious he has won, he moves some loose skinks around to make sure he has some table quarters in the movement phase before passing on the magic and shooting phases to end the game.With all my characters alive, with full unit of Greatswords and the HBVG...I still have 1020 point on the board...with extra 200 for TQ's that steve picks up I narrow avoid a massacre with 800+ difference...a SOLID VICTORY for the SLAAN and his Lizards. Although I must say if he bothered to play out turn 6 he most likely
could have gotten the Massasacre as I would of had to face another brutal Magic phase.
Tough, Tough game. Steve has been playing for a shorter period of time than I have, but he plays and practices in a much more competitive environment than I do here at the Bunker where the majority of players are tourney oriented while my local players are not. In short- he schooled me big time on how a tourney style Lizard Army works and It was a good lesson to learn. Now that I know what I was in for, I of course would have done all sorts of stuff differently. Live and Learn. I take my hats off to Steve as a great opponent and sportsman, I look forward to the rematch.
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