It's that time again!
I had a 2 week shutdown at work, and managed a 3,000 point game with my brother Ashley. He had been painting up his Dogs Of War, so wanted to slam those forward in a match. I don't quite have enough Beastmen to pull off 3,000 so I went with my High Elves. The army lists were as such.
DOGS OF WAR
Hero + Rare - Truthsayer - 265 points
Hero - Captain - Heavy Armor, Shield, Pistol, and Sword of Battle (+1A) - 88 points
Hero - Paymaster - Heavy Armor, Enchanted Shield, Sword of Might, Talisman of Protection - 104 points
Hero - Wizard (Level 2) - Dispel Scroll x2 - 145 points
Core - Crossbowmen (10) - 80 points
Core - Pikemen (20) - Heavy Armor, Standard, Musician - 240 points
Core - Pikemen (20) - Heavy Armor, Standard, Musician - 240 points
Core - Pikemen (20) - Heavy Armor, Standard, Musician - 240 points
Special - Cursed Company (20) - 405 points
Special - Long Drong's Slayers (12) - 219 points
Special - Ogres (6) - Great Weapons, Champion - 261 points
Special - Dwarfs (20) - Heavy Armor, Shield, Standard, Musician - 200 points
Special - Paymaster's Bodyguard (18) - Heavy Armor, Full Command - 210 points
Rare - Halfling Hot Pot - 50 points
Rare - Fen Beasts (3) - 255 points
Total - 3,000 points
HIGH ELVES
Lord - Prince - Armor of the Gods, Vambraces of Defense, Great Weapon - 221 points
Hero - Battle Standard Bearer - Heavy Armor, Battle Banner, Pure of Heart - 179 points
Hero - Mage (Level 2) - Seer, Dispel Scroll - 180 points
Hero - Mage (Level 2) - Seer, Dispel Scroll - 180 points
Hero - Mage (Level 2) - Seer - 160 points
Core - Spearmen (19) - Full Command - 239 points
Core - Spearmen (19) - Full Command - 239 points
Core - Spearmen (19) - Full Command - 239 points
Core - Archers (20) - 240 points
Core - Archers (20) - 240 points
Special - Swordmasters (18) - Full Command, Banner of Sorcery - 314 points
Special - Shadow Warrirs (10) - 150 points
Rare - Repeater Bolt Thrower (2) - 200 points
Rare - Repeater Bolt Thrower (2) - 200 points
Total - 2,991 points
We decided to go with Pitched Battle and a fairly straightforward game. Ashley chose Lore of Metal for his Wizard and rolled up Distillation of Molten Silver and Bane of Forged Steel. He then rolled up Light of Battle, Blessing of Valor, and Voice of Command for his Truthsayer. I paid points to choose the spells, so my Teclis lookalike had Master of the Woods and Master of Stone from Lore of Life, my redheaded mage had Drain Magic, Curse of Arrow Attraction, and Fury of Khaine from High Magic, and my helmeted mage had Forked Lightning and Uranon's Thunderbolt from Lore of the Heavens. Intrigue at Court landed me with the Helmeted mage as the General.
Our deployments were pretty straightforward: main body units in the center, ballistic troops, war machines, and his monstrous regiments on the flanks.
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TURN 1 HIGH ELVES
I start the turn the same way I start every turn: flinging my combat units forward at top speed. My scouted Shadow Warriors emerge from the woods with a clear line of sight on the entirety of the DOW left flank, and my Archer units wheel around some terrain to get a better view of target units. The Bolt Throwers stay parked on their hill, as they have range on damn near everything as they sit.
My Magic Phase Starts off with a successful Uranon's Thunderbolt on the Wizard's Pikemen. Ashley saves his scrolls, figuring I won't roll too badly. I score 6 hits with 5 wounding. Master of Stone against the Paymaster's Bodyguard is Scrolled, and Forked Lightning on the Wizard's Pikemen fails to score a single wound. All of Ashley's Dispel dice get thrown into successfully stopping Curse of Arrow Attraction on the Truthsayer's Pikemen.
The right flank Archers kill 1 Paymaster's Bodyguard, while the left flank Archers fail to wound a single Pikeman in the Truthsayer's unit. The Bolt Throwers pick up a mild bit of the slack, however, and drop 3 of those same Pikemen. Lastly, the Shadow Warriors pepper the Crossbowmen managing 3 wounds. The subsequent Panic check is failed and the Crossbows flee 4 inches.
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With nothing in charge range, the first action of the Dogs of War is to rally the Crossbowmen who reform. All other units in the army move ahead at top speed with the exception of the Hot Pot which stays stationary to fire, and the Wizard's Pikemen who wheel to line up a future charge against the Shadow Warriors.
The Wizard casts Distillation of Molten Silver onto the Shadow Warriors, which gets Scrolled, Voice of Command is failed to cast, and Light of Battle on the Truthsayer's Pikes gets through.
The Captain's pistol fails to hit the unit in front of him, Long Drong's Slayers are out of range, and the Hot Pot scatters 4 inches off of the Spearmen it targeted, hitting nothing.
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Charge-apalooza!
The Swordmasters pass their Fear test and charge into the Cursed Company who have to hold, the center Spearmen unit charges the Dwarfs who also hold, and the right side Spearmen charge the Slayers resulting in 1 Stand and Shoot death.
The left flank Spearmen move to line up against the Truthsayer's Pikes.
In the Magic Phase Forked Lightning takes out 1 of the Paymaster's Bodyguard, Curse Of Arrow Attraction on the Ogres pulls out the last Dispel Scroll, Master of Stone on the Paymaster's Bodyguard gets dispelled, and an attempt at Drain Magic nets me a #5 on the Miscast chart. Awesome.
Shadow Warriors kill 1 Paymaster's Bodyguard with their longbows, the right flank Archers hit absolutely nothing, The left flank Archers wound one of the Fen Beasts, and the Bolt Throwers do 11 wounds to the Ogres who pass their Panic check.
Our Combat Phase starts with Krueger challenging the Elf Prince, who graciously accepts. The Price wounds Krueger once, and Krueger responds with a Killing Blow that doesn't make it past the Prince's Ward Save. The Swordmasters and BSB between each other manage to kill 1 Skeleton, while the Skeletons whiff in response. Resolution sees 4 Skeletons crumble in response.
The Spearmen with the High Magic Mage kill 3 Dwarfs, who respond by dedicating every attack left at the Mage, killing him. Dwarf resolution holds as they easily pass their Break test.
The Spearmen with the Heavens Mage fail to hit the Slayers at all, while losing 1 wound on the Mage. Unbreakable means the combat will continue next turn.
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Return Charge-apalooza!!!!!
The Truthsayer leads his Pikemen into the leftmost Spearmen, the Fen Beasts charge the left flank Archers who fail their Fear test but outnumber, so are able to Stand and Shoot, but will hit on 6's in combat. 2 wounds are caused on the Fen Beasts from the quick and desperate arrow barrage. On the other side of the field the Wizard leads his Pikemen into the Shadow Warriors who also Stand and Shoot, killing 2 Pikemen. The Paymaster's Bodyguard flank charges the Spearmen fighting Long Drong's Slayers, but are unable to Panic them.
The Ogres move ahead full, closing the gap with the Bolt Throwers while the Crossbowmen and rear Pikemen unit reposition.
In the Magic Phase the Truthsayer fails to cast Light of Battle on his own unit, and Blessing of Valor draws out the final High Elf Dispel Scroll.
In the Shooting Phase the Hot Pot targets the right flank Archers and scatters off of them. (Fresh Paint Curse, I'm telling you...)
In the Combat Phase the Fen Beasts kill 2 Archers, yet lose the combat by 2. The Archers then lap around the Unbreakable foe.
The Truthsayer and his Pikemen kill the High Magic Mage along with 3 Spearmen, but lose 4 Pikemen in response. Losing by the smallest amount, the Truthsayer's resolve breaks and the unit flees 9 inches, with the Spearmen pursuing 8.
The Swordmasters kill 4 Skeletons while the Prince's Ward save again halts a Killing Blow from Krueger, and Krueger takes 1 wound. The Cursed Company loses combat by 11, thus leaving Krueger alone in his Challenge.
The Spearmen in the center kill 1 Dwarf Warrior, losing 1 in return. Despite the reroll gained from the Paymaster, the Dwarfs break and flee 5 inches with the Spearmen pursuing 7.
The Paymaster, Hero, and the Bodyguard manage to pull down 3 Spearmen, the Spearmen slay 3 of the Slayers, while the attacks of the Pirates kill off the final Mage. The Spearmen flee 9" with the Bodyguard pursuing 3 inches and the Slayers pursuing 8.
Last but most assuredly not least the Wizard's Pikemen kill 1 Shadow Warrior while losing 2 of their own number. Shadow Warriors pass their Leadership, and totally forgetting the rules I lap around the sides.
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The right flank Spearmen start the turn by declaring a charge on the fleeing Truthsayer and Pikemen who roll 3 for their further flee distance, leaving them run into the ground, and causing the Fen Beasts to crumble.
The middle Spearmen regiment, having pursued into range, then charge the rear Pikemen unit who hold in response. The 3rd Spearmen regiment rallies, and no other units move.
The Magic Phase sees... Oh, wait. You kind of have to have magic users alive to do much in the Magic Phase. Damn...
The right flank Archers shoot down 3 Bodyguardsmen with Bolt Thrower 3 adding 2 more to the pile. Bolt Throwers 1 and 2 wipe out the Ogres, with Bolt Thrower 4 dropping 2 Slayers. Nobody Panics.
In Combat Krueger whiffs all his attacks, and Ashley scoops him as Resolution alone would finish him off.
Spearmen fighting the Pikes in the rear of the battlefield suffer 1 casualty while killing 4 in return. The Pikes break and flee 7 inches, with the Spearmen pursuing 4.
The Shadow Warriors kill 3 Pikes without suffering a single loss. The Break test is passed.
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Long Drong's Slayers charge the newly rallied Spearmen who hold in response. The back Pikes rally and face the pursuing Spearmen. The Paymasters Bodyguard moves forward to a better position as the Captain leaves the unit heading towards the Shadow Warriors. Meanwhile the Crossbowmen conga line to the Shadow Warriors' right flank.
No Magic cast this turn.
The Hot Pot stays consistent and scatters off of the Swordmasters this time.
In Combat the Slayers kill 6 Spearmen and lose 2 Slayers. The combat is drawn, so we gird for the next round.
TURN 4 HIGH ELVES
The rear Spearmen charge the Pikemen. Swordmasters and the left flank Spearmen reform rather than worry about maneuvering. The left flank Archers wheel towards the center of the battlefield.
Yep, mages are still dead...
The right flank Archers kill 1 Bodyguard in a lackluster shooting phase.
The Spearmen in the center kill 2 Slayer while losing 3. Combat res is still on the Spearmen's side, but the Slayers are still Unbreakable.
The back Pikes kill 7 Spearmen, who then whiff what attacks they have left. Breaking, they flee 8 inches while the Pikes pursue 6.
The Shadow Warriors kill 2 Pikemen and lose none in return. Break test is passed.
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The back Pikes charge the fleeing Spearmen sending them a further 7 inches, well out of the charge range.
The Paymaster's Bodyguard flank and Panic the Spearmen in combat with the Slayers, and the Slayers reform.
The lone Captain charges into the Shadow Warriors.
Remaining moves sees the Crossbows move up and turn.
No magic.
The Hot Pot targets the Swordmasters but scatters PAST them this time (Fresh Paint Curse...)
The Captain kills 3 Shadow Warriors, who then whiff their attacks before losing 1 more to the Pikes. Break test is passed, though.
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You ever have an instance in a game where lack of using rules means you drop something fairly vital? Yep, it's about to be one of those times. We usually use Unbreakable units as tar pits, so really didn't pool over the specifics of the entire entry, meaning we missed the part where Unbreakable units can't voluntarily flee from a charge. Why is that important? Well...
The Swordmasters declare their charge against Long Drong's Slayers, who decide to flee in response. How far? 4 inches, which is nowhere near enough to get out of the charge range and leaves the Dwarfs dead in the dirt.
The two fleeing Spearmen units rally, and the far left Spearmen unit moves forward.
Moving to the Shooting Phase (Grumble grumble damn mages grumble grumble...) the left flank Archers kill 4 of the back lot Pikemen, with the Bolt Throwers killing 5 more, resulting in a Panic and fleeing 10 inches.
The remaining Bolt Thrower kills 3 Bodyguard alongside the right flank Archers killing 2, but they pass their Panic check.
The Shadow Warriors pull down 3 Pikemen while losing 1 of their own. The press of combat is finally enough as the Shadow Warriors break and flee 10 inches back through the woods. The Pikement only manage to pursue 3 inches, but the Captain rolls an 11, putting an end to the Shadow Warriors' threat for good and slamming into the flank of the right flank Archers for good measure.
TURN 5 DOGS OF WAR
The Bodyguard declares a charge on the right flank Archers, but fails to reach them.
Realizing that the back Pikes are well below 25% and can't rally, Ashley scoops them. The Wizard leaves the Pikemen in the woods, making his way to the center.
The Wizard miscasts and the Magic phase ends.
The Crossbowmen kill 1 Swordmaster while the Hot Pot scatters off of the rear Spearmen.
In the Combat phase the Captain slaughters 5 Archers who break and flee 6 inches, with the Captain pursuing 9 and wiping them out.
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To his credit, both of us were rolling far less than statistical this game. I've been harassing him constantly telling him that he needs some new dice, maybe some that match his army. I even found a brick of yellows with black pips. He wasn't buying it. Literally.
To add insult to injury, he pointed out that we've been majorly dropping the ball with lost banners in the game, so next battle we will be making a conscious effort to correct that.
All in all it was a bittersweet victory for me, but a victory still.