It's battle time again and as the rules for the new Vermin lords had appeared in WD this morning we decided to proxy one in for our game.
House rules - we decided not to use ET:khaine magic rules, his choice. And we both choose not to use big doom spells (dreaded 13th/dwellers below).
Verminious horde
Warpseer
Warlord on litter, dragonhelm, 4++, Halberd
Chieftain BSB, 5++, Halberd
Assassin, weeping blades, potion of strenght
41 Stromvermin full command, razor standard.
3 x 50 slaves, mus
6 Jezzials
9 Gutter runners, poison and slings
Warp lightning cannon
Doomwheel
Hell pit Abomination.
Elven host
25 silver helms, full command
Noble bsb with banner of the world dragon lvl1 beast mage, dispel scroll, potion of fool hardiness, 6++
lvl 4 arch mage, book of hoeth, 4++
15 glade guard, full command, hag bane arrows, eternal flame banner
15 phoenix guard full command with warbanner
boltthrower
5 waywatchers
Cydrayan on Ashtari.
We rolled up Battle for the pass, as today's scenario.
Deployment
The pheonix fell of his base so the rest of the game he will be just the base.
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| Elven Host, Cydradyan on Ashaati is behind the building. |
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| Skaven Deployment |
Skaven - Warplightning, Wither, cloud of Corruption,Bless with filth
Elven - Wildform, Flesh to stone, Throne of vines, Shield of thorns, Regrowth.
Elven Host 1
Elves move forward.
Magic is 3-2, Throne of vines is dispelled, Flesh to stone fails.
Glade guard loose their arrows at the Warpseer, but are thrawted by his ward save. Bolt thrower misses. Waywatchers shoot at the gutter runners, but the agile rats dodge most of the arrows and only 1 dies.
Skaven turn 1
Gutter runners charge the building. Warlord and stromvermin swiftly reform to help the left flank (my first mistake). Doomwheel races up to meet Caradryan. Warpseer and ratdart move avoid its blast range. But the doomwheels lightning is weak (str 2) even so one bolt wounds caradryan, but he is saved by his ward. (this becomes a theme) Second bolt wounds Ashtari and he takes 4 wounds, but he is still alive.
Magic 8-3, but I get greedy with a 1 dice warplightning and fail to cast even with the reroll. (my second mistake)
The cannon rolls up a big strength 10 hit on Caradryan, but fails to wound the pheonix and the rider is saved by his ward (again)
Jezzials score a hit on Caradryan but again it is ward saved.
Gutter runners lose a rat on entry but otherwise take the building and destroy the bolt thrower.
Elven turn 2
Caradryan charges the Doomwheel. Pheonix gaurd charge the slaves. Silver helms do not fall for the slave baited trap and instead swift reform away from them and the hellpit.
Magic is 9 - 5. 3 dice vines goes off with irresistible force. Regrowth on Ashtari fully heals him. Flesh to stone fails to cast.
Glade guards poisoned shooting puts 3 wounds on the Warpseer. Way watchers kills 3 slaves.
The doomwheel grinds forward, and it's crew surge to attack the Pheonix, but to no avail. In return the pheonix does a single telling blow to the Wheel, which breaks and flee's. Phoenix guard slaughter 14 slaves, but they are steadfast and hold.
Skaven turn 2
Slaves charge the sliverhelms on the left flank, and they flee away. (All my well laid plans are in ruin, I was not expecting him to flee!) Now my storm vermin are out of position so I swiftly reform again. Warpseer moves out of Caradryans front arc. Doomwheel flees of the board.
Magic is 9 - 6. A 2 dice warplightning is dispelled. Bless with filth is cast and then dispell scrolled. 3 dice wither and I roll triple one! My luck is poor today.
Gutter runner shoots put and wound on both Caradryan and Ashtari. A cannon blasts straight through both (str 8) but when the lightning clears both are unharmed (warded again!). Jezzials shoot and kill 2 Way watchers but when the smoke clears from the warp powder charge a single team lays dead from a malfunction.
In combat another 8 slaves lay dead the pheonix blades.
Elven turn 3
Caradryan and the elves jocky for position. Silverhelms rally and reform.
Magic is 7 - 4. Flesh to stone is cast but subsequently dispelled. With his remaining 4 dice he is free to cast Shield of thorns and Regrowth. Caradryan and Ashtari are now at full health again. Glade guard now have line of sight on the Abomination and do 4 wounds. Way watchers kills 2 stormvermin. Slaves put a wounds on the Arch mage. But his bodyguard of Phoenix guard, slay 12 of there number it is to much for them and they break and run in all directions, killing a pheonix gaurd in their panic.
I was careless with my movement, I threw the ratdart up to block the silver helms, but I was not paying attention to where I had already placed my Warpseer on the flank of the Glade guard, this would allow an easy overrun into him (my 3rd mistake). I also had to reform the storm vermin for a 3rd time, as the pheonix guard had been masterfully reformed and was no longer in the front arc. (well done Pete!) Slaves got right in their face and waited for the charge.
Magic is 5-4, 2 dice Warplightning is dispelled, but a 3 dice Wither on the sliverhelms goes through.
The Cannon hits Caradryan again (str 4) but fails to wound his mount, and the Elf ward saves it again (4th time, see it's now a theme). Jezzials sound again, but fail to hit anything, and another malfunctions killing it's user.
"That sneak-cheat sold us bad guns. Come on lads let go get our warptokens back"
And they flee the battle field. Gutter runners sling at a softer target and kill 6 Gladegaurd.
Waywatchers charge the cannon. Phoenix guard charge into the slaves. Caradyran charges at the gutter runners in the building, stand and shoot does nothing. The silverhelms declare a charge against my ratdart! It's at this point I realise my mistake, so my choice is hold, silverhelms would get an easy charge and an easy overrun, or flee and pray that they either fail their redirect test or fail the long charge distance...so I flee. But of course they make their redirect and the extended charge range.
Magic is 7-5, Flesh to stone on helms, Irresistible forced Wildform, Throne of vines is dispelled.
The Glade guards flaming and poisoned arrows kill the Abomination.
Caradryan and his mount kill 5 gutter runners and drive the survivors from the building. In the warpseer combat the units combined attack are enough to kill him (another mistake I should have challenged.) And they over run. Phoenix gaurd kill 10 slaves but in return lose a member and the Archmage takes 2 wounds. Way watchers destroy the cannon.
Slaves charge the gladegaurd, losing 2 to stand and shoot. Storm Vermin charge the Pheonix guard in the flank.
Magic is 9-5. Dispell flesh to stone.
Glade guard kill 6 slaves and lose 4 of their own, they lose the combat but hold their ground. The Skaven warlord issues a challenge and a lowly champion steps up, but he trips over his own tail and fails to kill him.
Way watchers charge the Storm Vermin, but misjudged the distance and stumble forward. Silverhelms reform to face the stormvermin. Caradryan reforms to face the slaves.
Magic is 8 - 5. Throne of vines is cast and dispelled, Flesh to stone is cast on the Pheonix guard, as is Regrowth but only 2 get back up. Shield of thorns fails to cast. But with 2 successful casts the Arch mage is healed to full again.
In The main combat 1 storm vermin and 5 slaves are killed, and none fall in return thanks to the ward save of the elite elves. In the challenge the warlord whiffs again. Gladegaurd and slaves exchange 2 casualties each but the elves hold their ground.
Everyone is in combat and there is nothing to dispelled.
The slave and gladegaurds combat again exchanges 2 casualties, but the elves refuse to break.
Warlord Britkih is starting to assume that someone has betrayed him and given him a blunt halbred as puny Elf refuses to die dispite all the solid blows he has landed.
3 dead storm vermin and 6 dead slaves later only 1 elf lays dead at the hands of the skaven chieftain, it's all to much for the slaves who break and run in all directions. Phoenix guard reform (unfortunately for my opponent this blocks his silverhelms charge, neither of us realise until his turn).
Caradryan charges the slaves. Silverhelms cannot complete their charge at the storm vermin, but the waywatchers charge them in the rear.
Magic is 10-6. Throne is again dispelled, and Thorns fails, but a 5 dice Wildform might tip the balance in the main combat.
Elsewhere the slaves drag the last 2 glade hairs down, but Caradryan and his mount have joined the combat they kill 9 slaves, and it's to much for the slaves and they break and run.
The rat warlord finally blugeons, his way past the Pheonix guard champions ward save. Between the rest of the elves 9 more skaven lay dead, in return the skaven kill another pheonix gaurd and wounds the Arch mage. The skaven lose combat but hold, time to unleash the secret weapon.....
Skaven turn 6
I finally remember I have an Assassin hidden in the storm Vermin (i had forgotten until this point in the game) 5 more Vermin die but so do 4 pheonix guard and all 3 waywatchers, but it's a case of to little to late. The remaining pheonix guard hold and the game ends, a very decisive Elven victory.
Final thoughts
Despite the loss I really enjoyed this game, I played sloppy and my opponent punished me for it, and i have taken away a lot of lessons from this game. I really should have held with the rat dart, so at least I could have fought the silver helms on my turn, and when they did fight the warpseer I should have challenge to either remove a character from hitting me or only have to fight one character, I don't think it would have mattered in the long run, but something to think about in future games.
As the survivors returned back to the underdark, Grey Seer Kye, quietly praised himself on his foresight. But he raged out loud the incompetence of those returning. As the warlord Britkih tried to slink in un-noticed, Kye called him out and publicly dressed him down for his failure. Mid way through his ranting the Grey Seer stops and 're reads the scroll he received apon his earlier return below ground. "I will find a way for you to redemm yourself Britkih, until then you will resume your duties as the leader of my storm vermin." Reading the scroll again he shudders at what it implies for all of the under-empires future. Thanquol Ascends!
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