Dogs of War vs Wood Elves 2250 points

warhammer fantasy battle report :-

"Ricco's Republican Guard turned to face the incoming threat of the Wardancers"
(good maps and movement/shooting/magic markers)

source : warhammer.org.uk

credit : Xtapl

03-Feb-2009

Wood Elf Army List

=Aliethorien's Kindred of Caidath=

Wardancer Highborn (285)
Blades of Loec, Stone of the Crystal Mere, Annoyance of Nettlings

Wardancer Noble (140)
Wardancer Weapons, Moonstone of the Hidden Ways

Spellsinger (120) Hail of Doom Arrow

Spellsinger (140) Dispel Scroll, Calaingor's Stave

10 Glade Guard (120)
10 Glade Guard (120)
14 Eternal Guard (174) Musician
15 Wardancers (277) Musician
8 Wardancers (151) Musician
8 Wardancers (151) Musician
8 Wardancers (151) Musician
7 Waywatchers (176) Sentinel
7 Waywatchers (176) Sentinel

for Dogs of War Army list (see map below)

Aliethorien's task could not be more clear - the Forest Spirits were moving deep into their winter slumber, and though the first snowfall had not yet hit the ground, it would only be a matter of time before the glade was covered in a thick blanket of white. Until the spring thaw, she would have to ensure that none passed this sacred grove. It had been quiet in the weeks since the Druchii had been turned back, and months since the Asur's diplomatic overtures were rebuffed. The glade was still and peaceful. The Mistress of the Deep Water Kindred sat quietly in the arms of an ancient tree, eyes starting to lose focus as she passed into meditation.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her shoulder and shook it roughly. Instinctively, her hands went to her weapons, but the touch was familiar and not unkind. Aliethorien blinked, staring into the face of Melthorien.

"Sister," he spoke, in barely more than a whisper. "A consort approaches. It is vast, and varied. Humans, halflings, even a giant. And behind them, an enormous warband of Ogres."

His voice grew grim as he relayed this last, and Aliethorien was well aware why. Ogres. They would ransack the glade for sure, devouring anything that moved. No, this was not acceptable at all. She knew why the mercenaries would choose this route - it was the fastest way from Tilea to the Empire - but it was a mistake nonetheless. They would have to be convinced to go around.

Renaissance Homer's Dogs of War have been something of a remarkable story within the TWF Ashes tournaments. He has won back to back Best Army awards, and his success rate for keeping a Wizard Lord alive has been shocking. We've never gotten a chance to play before, and I was really looking forward to seeing what tactical acumen he would bring to bear on my Wardancer troupe.

The last match, I wasn't happy with the amount of shooting I had (well, actually, I was fine with it - my opponent was not), so I thought I'd scale it back a little. I dropped a unit of Glade Guard and a couple of Waywatchers and picked up a small unit of Eternal Guard. I didn't think they'd do much, but they make a good bunker for a mage and they can put out enough attacks to be a quality distraction.

My plan was pretty simple: Use my superior archery to hold the right side for a while so my troops could clear out the light cav and the giant, then sweep in from the side and punch through the middle. If I could get Aliethorien and Melthorien into the heart of the enemy with the Moonstone, so much the better for me, so much the worse for Homer. I didn't like the idea of facing down two Pegasi on the same side of the table, so far away from all of my stuff that could kill it, but wasn't much I could do about it. He took all my good scouting spots.



The DoW seized the initiative, moving forward pretty aggressively. I was concerned immediately about the Glade Guard, as I knew the ruins would not block line of sight to them, and he had a whole bunch of shooting/magic on that side of the table.

As it turned out, I let him get a Fireball off on them from the level 1 mage, and he rolled 5 hits and 3 wounds. (Keep this in mind; see if you can spot a trend.) The mage kicked in with a Dark Hand of Death and took off 4 more casualties, and that was enough to turn the remaining three away in panic.

The cannon didn't have a heck of a lot to shoot at, with my being skirmishy and all, but it did manage to cannonball an Eternal Guard and a couple of Waywatchers.



Fortunately, the Glade Guard rallied. I moved my whole army into the safety of the trees, and spun the Glade Guard on the hill around to tee up the Captain (while Elensar beat a hasty retreat into the trees). A single unit of Wardancers crept around the far left side of the field to handle the light cav and maneater strolling along there.

Magic was pretty good, as I got off a couple of nice Treesingings thanks to the addition of Calaingor's Stave. This took the Waywatchers into Killing Blow range, which they used to thin out the Light Cav at center. The Glade Guard on the hill loosed on the Captain, but could only score a single wound, and it was on the pegasus.



The light cav at left tried to charge the Waywatchers, but misjudged the distance with the trees and failed, while the Giant barreled toward the other Waywatchers, who wisely fled. The Captain charged the last of the Glade Guard, while the rest of the army shifted around a bit.

Magic saw the level 1 wizard get off another Fireball, this time killing 4 Wardancers (rolled another 6 hits there), while the level 4 wizard could only kill one Glade Guard and was otherwise largely dispelled.

The cannon took a potshot at the fleeing Waywatchers, killing one.

The Pegasus Captain found that with Wardancer troupes, even the relatively inexperienced Glade Guard are formidable warriors. The Captain killed one Glade Guard, despite having many more attacks than necessary to kill all three, and the remaining two held firm (much to the Captain's dismay).



Charge! The Wardancers took off after the Light Cavalry, who fled. The rest of my army moved forward, while the Waywatchers rallied and the other Waywatchers got on the Giant's flank. Aliethorien and Melthorien nodded to each other, gathered their Wardancers, and teleported into the forest, ready to strike against the Dogs of War.

Magic was decent, as again, Treesinging ruled the day.

The shooting phase was both awesome and disastrous for the Kindred. The Waywatchers put two wounds at point blank range onto the Giant, which was great. The Glade Guard killed off the level 4's pegasus, which was also great.

Then, Lissësúl lined up the wizard and launched her Hail of Doom arrow. 13 arrows! Woo!

But guess what?

In the end, she only did 2 wounds to the mage, and he lived. Barely. And that would probably be my last chance to kill him, too. Bleh.

In combat, the last two Glade Guard finally fell to the Peg Captain. Now, if I had just moved the other Glade Guard far enough to be out of his line of sight...



I did not. The Peg Captain hit the flank of the Glade Guard, and they would have to be brave until help could arrive. The Maneater at left also crashed into the Wardancers, and the Light Cav rallied and moved to the Wardancers' flank. I would have to kill him quickly if I didn't want him ransacking my Eternal Guard. The Giant moved away, hoping to escape the Waywatchers' arrows, while the Duellists moved up to help. The whole DoW center scrambled to deal with the impending Wardancer charge.

The magic phase was pretty short, as I used a scroll to deal with the worst of the spells cast, and dispelled anything he managed to cast (thankfully, he failed a couple of spells there).

In the shooting phase, this dirty cheating lout guessed zero on his cannon, and almost plugged Melthorien! Fortunately, the wind caught the cannonball, and it sailed over Melthorien's head and killed a Wardancer instead. Still, he would pay for his insolence!

The Leadbelchers also aimed up on the Wardancers in the trees, but thankfully, low LB BS + Skirmishers + Trees = Zero Casualities.

The Wardancers at left rolled up on their 4+ ward save, avoiding most of the damage, then turned around and put two wounds on the Maneater. The stubborn old ogre hung in there.

The Peg Captain crashed into the flank of the Glade Guard, killing a couple, but their stout leadership kept them in the fight. Good for them. Don't let The Man get you down.



CHARGE! Aliethorien let out a piercing war whoop, and the twins led their Wardancers right into the front of the pikes. Ranks? ASF? Who cares? Let's kill someone! The Eternal Guard moved forward in Operation Draw The Giant Into The Trees, while the Waywatchers moved to deal with the Light Cav at left. Wardancers bravely rushed from the trees to the hill, hoping to survive long enough to help the Glade Guard.

Lots of Treesinging, but not much else to speak of.

The Waywatchers were accurate and deadly, wiping out the Light Cav completely.

The Wardancers danced +1 attack, and used those extra swings to chop the Maneater down to the ground. That would free them up for Giant hunting on the left flank. The Pegasus Captain was finiding the Glade Guard more difficult to contend with than he figured, as they again resisted most of his attacks and hung in with a low LD test.

The Pikes were in trouble from the start. Aliethorien led the Wardancers in a 4+ ward save dance, and despite 4 ranks worth of attacks, the pikes couldn't kill more than a couple of Wardancers. In return, the twins cut a bloody swath through the DoW ranks, decimating their lines. The remaining Wardancers did the same, kicking in more wounds, and the pikes had no choice but to break and run. Aliethorien and company chased them from the battlefield, ready to return in a moment.

It was probably a clever trap by the Dogs of War, but the Wardancers would be ready for whatever awaited them when they returned.



Predictably, the Giant and the Duellists charged the Eternal Guard, who turned and ran. That left both the Dogs of War partially in the forest. Muhahahaha....

Oh, those dirty, dirty mercenaries... they set up shop all around where Aliethorien would have to come back onto the table. I suppose they figured they could double charge me with Duellists and Voland's. But I had other plans...

Meanwhile, the Maneater was creeping up the right flank, and the Leadbelchers took a short pause to reload.

In the magic phase, the level 1 threw out yet another Fireball, for yet another 5 hits on my Wardancers. Awesome.

Oh, and those Glade Guard? Yeah, they hung in again. Brave lads.



Here comes the cavalry! Okay, well, here come the Wardancers, anyway. In they went againt the Captain. The Eternal Guard rallied, and Aliethorien and Melthorien led their Wardancers onto the table, just out of range of the Duellists. Come and get us alone, Voland! Wardancers also flooded out of the trees to the flank of Ricco's Republican guard, hoping to get sent magically into the flank with a Call of the Hunt.

Which, of course, was summarily dispelled. Bleh.

Fortunately, a few Treesingings kncoked off a Duellist, and put another three wounds on the Giant. Woot.

That made the big fella ripe for the pickings, as the Waywatchers took careful aim and stuck an arrow through his eye, dropping him to the ground dead where he stood.

The Wardancers danced +1 attack, and carved the Pegasus to the ground. The Captain fought back, killing two Glade Guard, but it was too little too late. The Wardancers pressed in, he turned to flee, and was cut down. Unfortunately, the pursuit path left the lone Glade Guard in contact with the Light Cav, while the Wardancers just kind of sailed on by...



Well, time to steel ourselves, as Voland's Venators and the Paymaster came charging in. Aliethorien squared up on the Paymaster, while Melthorien lined up on Voland. Ricco's Republican Guard turned to face the incoming threat of the Wardancers, while the Leadbelchers came back for support. The Maneater and the Halflings took aim at the remaining Wardancers to the east of the hill, while the Duellists in the west moved to fire on the Waywatchers.

The magic phase saw, once again, Fireballs rain down on the Wardancers, who were then finished off with another Dark Hand of Death.

In the shooting phase, the Maneater and Halflings combined to kill one Wardancer, while the Duellists fared a little better and killed a couple of Waywatchers.

In combat, the Wardancers danced 4+ ward save, and really held off the vast majority of damage. Aliethorien deeply wounded the Paymaster, but the rest of the Wardancers couldn't get through the thick armor of the Venators. Things would be different in a moment, though, once the initial charge was blunted and the Wardancers decided to start using Killing Blow. Muhahahaha...

Oh, and one lone Glade Guard cannot beat two Fast Cav, and was run down. Poor guy. His unit was so brave.



The Wardancers in the west charged the Duellists, who fled. The Waywatchers moved back to the north to finish off the Light Cav. Eternal Guard moved forward, with both spellsingers joining them for safety.

A couple of Treesingings killed a few Duellists, but they hung on. The Waywatchers easily dispatched the Light Cav, and the other Waywatchers dropped a fleeing Duellist or two.

Combat got down and dirty, as Wardancers got to swing first and hacked apart two Ventaors. Melthorien danced and leaped in the air, neatly bringing both of his blades down into Voland's back and killing him instantly. Aliethorien continued to struggle to finish off the Paymaster, and with the rerollable break test, the Venators stayed stuck in for another turn.



The level 4 broke from the Pikes and joined the Duellists just outside of the treeline. The Maneater turned and lumbered toward midfield, while the second unit of Duellists rallied. Most of the level 4's spells went toward trying to Steal Soul, but he was denied. He made up for it by totally demolishing the Eternal Guard, although to their credit, they managed not to run away in panic.

There really was no shooting phase to speak of, so we got on with the combat. This time, Aliethorien had grown weary of the fight, and she landed more wounds on the Paymaster than he could save. He slumped from the saddle, Melthorien dispatched another Venator, and that was enough for the last two. They tried to run, but were cut down from behind.

That left Aliethorien, Melthorien, and the three remaining Wardancers free to charge the cannon crew. Meanwhile, the Waywatchers moved to take the hill and contest that quarter, Wardancers broke toward the south to take that quarter, and the remaining Waywatchers moved in for the kill on the Duellists.

It paid off. The two mages combined for a couple of kills on the Duellists with Treesinging, and then the Waywatchers killed just enough Duellists to force a panic check...which came up as a 10, and the level 4 took off running with a couple of Duellists, never to return. The Waywatchers on the hill put a couple of wounds on the Maneater, but it wasn't enough to kill him.

The cannon crew stood no chance, as Aliethorien cut them all down before anyone else could swing.



In the end, with banners and table quarters, what looked like it might be a close draw turned out to be a solid victory for the Wood Elves!

****************

Aliethorien wiped her blades off on the clothes of the cannon crew as she watched the few remaining mercenaries follow their fleeing wizard lord from the field. Sure, she had left an entire regiment of well-heeled pikemen to fight another day, but she made enough of a dent in the morale of the sellswords that she wasn't worried about them reappearing any time soon.

However, it seemed like all would not be quiet after all. A Maneater and two Leadbelchers had escaped, and from the great rumbling happening beneath her feet, she could tell that the secondary part of the mercenary army - the ogres - were on the move and heading right for them.

Melthorien walked up to his sister and pointed into the distance.

"The ogres are on the move and heading right for us," he growled.

Aliethorien nodded. She turned and shouted to what was left of her dancers, "Hurry! Gather every Asrai you can find! Tell them to meet me at the Waytower. We must move swiftly, before the Ogres can reach the glade. We may be able to stop them where they are!"

The twins took off running toward the Waytower, with all the able-bodied Asrai that could be summoned following quickly in their wake...

*****************

So another victory, and a hard fought one at that! I miss the third unit of Glade Guard - Renaissance Homer was really smart about how he took my arrows out of the game. A third unit would have really helped. The Eternal Guard did all right, but they're not a credible threat - they're just there to bunker the mages. Not sure I like that.