Return to Warhammer part 2

Well I wont lie,

The last week has left a real sour taste in my mouth when it comes GamesWorkshop the company.
So much so I have been a little hesitant when it comes to the blog around what my discussion around the hobby does in terms of how it relates to my opinion that the Company has made a serious public relations blunder.

Suffice to say this point going forward the mantra here at 5th column will be about "enjoy then game" but I will not talk about only GW product and will expand my discussion around what else is out there to use for the game. Further more at the heart I am an historical gamer so some content around that aspect of my hobby needs to make a return so some balance returns to my hobby overall.

Put simply I think allot of us forgot myself included, that while GW make one of the largest ranges of fantasy models out there, there are other companies who make equal product, but probably not on the scale of GW and probably because we the wargamer have become lazy and just spent our money with GW in the past.

What do I mean?  well Avatars of War - http://www.avatars-of-war.com/ are a great small Spanish company with some truly wonderful models for your hero's and they are expanding into plastic themselves with dwarf berserkers- which I personally think are better than the GW version and when I start my Slayer Army later this year will be the product I use.

There are heaps of other companies who do a range of wonderful fantasy models - now for the tournament player this may be problematic but, maybe since GW don't sponsor tournaments , maybe its time TO's start to allow other products to be used in armies so that people can continue to enjoy and play the game without having to average 140$ aud for a unit of 20 warriors.

Anyway enough about Mark Wells, dumb customer relations and price gouging lets get back into some gaming.




1st game of 2000 points

Well so Saturday saw Harley and I sit down for our 1st proper game (2000 points that is )

The two armies where as follows

High Elves:

2000 Pts - High Elves Roster - 2k high elf army

Archmage (1#, 290 pts)
1 Archmage, 290 pts (General; Level 4 Upgrade; Hand Weapon)
1 The Seerstaff of Saphery

Mage (1#, 191 pts)
1 Mage, 191 pts (Barding; Level 2 Upgrade; Hand Weapon)
1 Elven Steed (Swift Stride)
1 Annulian Crystal

Noble (1#, 176 pts)
1 ×Noble (Battle Standard Bearer), 176 pts (Always Strikes Last; Hand Weapon; Great Weapon; Dragon Armour; Shield; Battle Standard Bearer)
1 Banner of Sorcery

Lothern Sea Guard (30#, 415 pts)
29 Lothern Sea Guard, 415 pts (Musician Mus; Standard Bearer Std; Hand Weapon; Bow; Spear; Light Armour; Shield)
1 Sea Master (Hand Weapon; Bow; Spear; Light Armour; Shield)

Lion Chariot of Chrace (5#, 140 pts)
1 Lion Chariot of Chrace, 140 pts (Swift Stride; Chariot)
2 Crew (Always Strikes Last; Hand Weapon; Great Weapon)
2 War Lions (Causes Fear)

Archers (12#, 159 pts)
11 Archers, 159 pts (Musician Mus; Hand Weapon; Longbow; Light Armour)
1 Hawkeye (Hand Weapon; Longbow; Light Armour)

Dragon Princes (10#, 365 pts)
9 Dragon Princes of Caledor, 365 pts (Musician Mus; Standard Bearer Std; Barding; Hand Weapon; Lance; Dragon Armour; Shield)
1 Drakemaster (Hand Weapon; Lance; Dragon Armour; Shield)
10 Elven Steed (Swift Stride)
1 Banner of Swiftness

Sword Masters of Hoeth (15#, 255 pts)
14 Sword Masters of Hoeth, 255 pts (Always Strikes Last; Musician Mus; Standard Bearer Std; Hand Weapon; Great Weapon; Heavy Armour)
1 Bladelord (Always Strikes Last; Hand Weapon; Great Weapon; Heavy Armour)

Vs Harleys Skaven

Skaven Roster - 2000 Skaven WiP mk1

Grey Seer (1#, 320 pts)
1 Grey Seer, 320 pts (General; Hand Weapon)
1 Warpstone Tokens
1 Power Scroll
1 Warpstone Tokens
1 Shadow Magnet Trinket

Chieftain (1#, 85 pts)
1 Chieftain, 85 pts (Hand Weapon)
1 Biting Blade
1 World's Edge Armor
1 Dragonbane Gem
1 Potion of Speed

Chieftain (1#, 122 pts)
1 Chieftain (Battle Standard Bearer), 122 pts (Hand Weapon; Heavy Armour; Shield; Battle Standard Bearer)
1 Storm Banner

Warlock Engineer (1#, 130 pts)
1 Warlock Engineer, 130 pts (Level 2 Wizard; Hand Weapon)
1 Doomrocket

Warlock Engineer (1#, 128 pts)
1 Warlock Engineer, 128 pts (Level 2 Wizard; Hand Weapon)
1 Warplock Pistol
1 Warp-Energy Condenser

Stormvermin (21#, 265 pts)
19 ×Stormvermin, 265 pts (Musician Mus; Standard Bearer Std; Hand Weapon; Halberd; Heavy Armour; Shield)
1 Fangleader (Hand Weapon; Halberd; Heavy Armour; Shield)
1 Banner of the Under-Empire
1 Doom-Flayer Weapon Team (Doom-Flayer; Hand Weapon; Heavy Armour)

Clanrats (103#, 755 pts)
39 Clanrats, 275 pts (Musician Mus; Standard Bearer Std; Hand Weapon; Spear; Light Armour; Shield)
1 Clawleader (Hand Weapon; Spear; Light Armour; Shield)
1 Doom-Flayer Weapon Team (Doom-Flayer; Hand Weapon; Heavy Armour)
29 Clanrats, 240 pts (Musician Mus; Standard Bearer Std; Hand Weapon; Spear; Light Armour; Shield)
1 Clawleader (Hand Weapon; Spear; Light Armour; Shield)
1 Warpfire Thrower Weapon Team (Warpfire Thrower; Hand Weapon; Heavy Armour)
29 Clanrats, 240 pts (Musician Mus; Standard Bearer Std; Hand Weapon; Spear; Light Armour; Shield)
1 Clawleader (Hand Weapon; Spear; Light Armour; Shield)
1 Warpfire Thrower Weapon Team (Warpfire Thrower; Hand Weapon; Heavy Armour)

Skavenslaves (40#, 104 pts)
20 Skavenslaves, 52 pts (Musician Mus; Hand Weapon; Shield)
20 Skavenslaves, 52 pts (Musician Mus; Hand Weapon; Shield)

Warp-Lightning Cannon (1#, 90 pts)
1 Warp-Lightning Cannon, 90 pts
1 Engineer & Crew


The Game

So for this game we used the program Battle Chronicler http://www.battlechronicler.com/  a great free program that can use Army Builder Files and while I'm still learning how to use it I think is a great tool for Blogger's when they are recording their games. While you amuse yourself with my interjections do take a moment to consider the great work Jp put into building this report! Expect to see more reports like this in the future! Von Drakin :P

Deployment

I got to deploy 1st and placed my Archers on the hill , with the Seaguard in the middle and the sword masters off to their right and the dragon princes securing my right flank.  The lion chariot was on the left.  My Archmage and BSB was with the LSG and the Mage on the horse held back behind the sword masters.

Harley had his Stormvermin and slaves on my left with the main Clanrat unit in the middle flanked by slaves on the right,  then two large groups of rats took to my right and I got the impression the bulk of his army was going to bear down that right flank.

Having a lot of units is a plus to deployment, being able to dump slaves down and see his battle plans unfurl is great... maybe next time i'll take advantage of that!

High Elf Turn 1

Not waiting for the attack the sword masters moved into to wood only to discover a think fungus on the bark and woods, plague monks must have been at work here, defiling the shire to hero's that was nestled in this forest. The fungus gave off a odd odour than seemed to try and dull the senses seesh its like you've never heard of pot pouri before.  The Sword masters shrugged this off and continued towards the foe.  The dragon princes refused flank on the right, the lion chariot positioned for a supporting attack. Shooting was not great only 5 slaves died, a raft of trickery and nastiness from the warlock engineers saw a whole range of countermeasures in play, magic was equally uneventful, the Archmage drawing from the energy of the land failed to communicate with the sprites and dwellers below failed to be cast at the clan rats.

Skaven Turn 1

Almost immediately the skaven plan was put into motion the two clanrat units peeled off to begin their flanking maneuver, suddenly though screetching and the smell of boiled rat filled the air and the river was found to be filled with boiling water This proved to be the undoing of all my ratty plans! (clearly the fungus and plague from the trees's was not the only thing the plague monks have been up to), this sent rats scurrying back to the banks, meanwhile the dragon princes eyed off these events. On the other side slaves where goaded into the forest and found this one to have a strong undergrowth of poisonous vines and thickets, as then moved through a rat was stung and suddenly bloated up and exploded into bits of fur and blood.
The grey seer now started to bend the winds to his will and drew down a storm onto the field that would make it hard for the elves to shoot, yet the seer found out that he had been allowed to have is fun as the archmage with the mere flick of his finger reduced all other attempts to naught.

The warp lightening cannon fired and arch of energy danced out to the sword master, 5 where blown back in the blast HAHA ZZAP!, broken limbs and dazed looks as well as a few charred remains. The Bladelord steeled his elves and swore oaths of vengeance.

High elves Turn 2 

Now the Swordmasters seeing 5 die realised that they needed to close to combat and shrugging off the effects of the fungus charged the slaves.  The seaguard repositioned slightly but for the most part the line held its ground against the horde. The Archmage drew the powers of magic to him and from the distance the Seaguard took on the look of stone statues.  The archers felled anther 2 slaves to their front  and the seaguard added to this.

The sword masters blurred infront of the slaves and 5 died, yet thier biting and clawing and small swords found their way into the armour of the elves and 3 died as well.  Combat was drawn. While combat was drawn at this stage a unit of swordmasters is a force to be reckoned with, read on for more!

Skaven Turn 2

The slaves on the left angered by the arrows and the wood charged the seaguard- the segaurd took aim and as the rats rushed forward 4 more died before they hit the line of spears.  The grey seer cast death frenzy on the fast dwindling slaves facing the sword masters yet the archmage continued to frustrate his casting.

The warp lightning cannon crew deemed it a good time  to fire at the seaguard and in the same process killed 3 slaves and charred or blew to the ground 4 more elves. Life is cheap, slaves even cheaper!

In combat the swirling art and grace of the sword masters reached a peak and the skaven slaves where obliterated though they did kill 4 more sword masters in the process. A similar fate befell the slaves rushing the seagaurd, yet one fell to biting and scratching of the crazed rats.

High Elf Turn 3

The remaining Swordmasters covered in the blood and gore of their enemy charged into the clanrats to their right hitting them in the flank. The dragon princes now unleashed their fury and charged the weapon teams out front of the clanrats. The archmage sensed the momentum of the battle now and drew on the elemental forces and  unleashed the earth itself on the clanrats in the center. roots and vines erupted form the earth as chasms opened  under them and 9 rats died (would have been more we misread the rules). There are lots of things you can say about High Elf Magic... most of what i have to say isn't very nice at all...
The archers took aim and failed to impact any units as storms raged across the battlefield reducing their aim.

The dragon princes obliterated the weapon teams and the reaming sword masters killed 5 rats for the loss of the musician.  Battle on the right was now in the balance and yet the left was still poised to explode.

Skaven Turn 3

Now the the skaven general had some tough options, You bet mate, this turn proved to be pivotal! the Stormvermin moved forward to strike the seaguard- while the main body of rats moved to the right to shore up that flank.  In magic, the Greyseer constructed a plan and skitterleaped one of his trusty warlock engineers to the right flank of the seagaurd, that was it though the archmage again frustrated his plans.
Then a great commotion was seen in the middle of the high elf lies as the warlock let fire his doom rocket, BAMF KABOOM! spiralling across the sky it exploded amidst the elves throwing them up it the air like rag doll, elves ablaze as they ran to the rear of fell where they stood. In all 15 died, and the elves suddenly felt this could be the turning of the tide.

Yet at that point a hero stepped forward, the bladelord and his remaining companions, had cut a bloody swath throw the rats,  fur and blood scattered where they stood, they hewed into the clanrats killing another 5 for no loss.  These elves where like the demons from old and the clanrats nerve broke fleeing the sword masters- running into the boiling river losing many rats in their wake.  This took the remaining sword masters into the flank of the second lot of rats. In one turn the the battle had waxed and waned with both sides feeling the stress of possible defeat.

High Elf Turn 4

The high elves now need to capitalise on their good luck and the dragon princes charged the front the remaining clanrat unit on the right.  Magic was uneventful as was the shooting.  The combined fury of the cavalry and the demon like bladlord saw the 2nd clanrat unit flee with the bladelord positioning to chase after them, while the dragon princes formed for the main body of rats.

Skaven Turn 4

The clanrats in the river continued to flee but the rat before the single bladelord turned and faced their enemy.  On the left the storm vermin charged and the chieftain issued a challenge against the noble with the battle standard.  Magic was again uneventful and we proceeded to combat.  The single combat of champions saw each noble take a wound, while the elves scored a few wounds on the stormvermin and the stormvermin caused little damage in return.  

The momentum of the battle was in the balance and would be decided on the next few mintues of fighting the sound of death and combat reaching the high point.

High Elf Turn 5

Now the Dragonprinces charged the main clanrant body and on the left the lion chariot crashed into the stormvermin on their flank, the lone bladelord having lost all reason at the death of his comrades charged the rallied clanrats. Magic saw the noble regain a wound thanks to the Archmage but it was now down to the Combat.  The lion chariot hit with a thud and threw 2 Stormvermin to the ground, the spears then skewered 3 more and the lions eliminated another 2, in return 3 elves died and the noble was killed, yet the tally was to high for these rats and they broke and where dispatched by the elves. 

The Dragon Prince charge was devastating, taking the guts out of the clanrat unit - forcing them to flee, the bladelord sold his life dearly taking another 2 rats with him in the process.

At that point we called the game.  It was pretty good win to the elves and there where lots of highs and lows in the game, only really to the last 3 bounds was it clear for the victor.

We are pretty sure we made mistakes and the next game will be very different I'm sure, but i must say i enjoyed it and look forward to the next game. It sure was an enjoyable game and a very enlightening one to boot! Never fear though, plenty more rats where they came from!

I'll post on general rule reflection in the next post. 

Till then cheers