Breach the line - Skaven vs Bretonian - Campaign game 4

The last piercing scream echoed in the cavern, then silence. Grey seer Xylo walked out of the workshop licking blood from his clawed finger's. An impatient Trask waited for him. "Well? Did the breeder-witch talk?" Asked the Arch Warplock.

"Of course, it did," Xylo replied. "The horse-men are taking it their, woodland fortress." 

Trask optics light up. "To the west! The horse-men will need to swing back that way."

"Indeed. The gnaw holes will allow us to get into position and ambush them as they approach." Xylo said.

Turning to his leuitentants, "Warlord Hack-paw, bring the Verminius hordes, Chieftain Stab-fang rally the weapon teams" Trask orders. 

Xylo adds "And call up an Rat Ogor pack. We must not let them gain the fortress."

Originally when planning the campaign we had pegged the Skaven as the attackers in this game, But last games Skaven lost threw the story in the air, so a quick re-shuffle, and a story fix we have got the skaven trying to stop the bretonians once again from escaping with the Artifact, but instead of a chase, the Ratmen have set up an ambush and will try to stop the horse lords getting the artifact to their fortress. 

This will be an 85 pool choice game using the SCGT pools. And playing the Breach the line scenario.

Table

Here is the table set up, Bretonians are riding hard to reach the fortress, when the skaven use the gnawholes the get ahead of the horses. And before the fortress can respond they must try to smash and steal the Artifact away.

Deployment
Bretonians left to right - 10 Grail Knights, Bretonian Lord, Damsel, 15 Knights of the Realm (this unit carries the Artefact), 10 Knights Errant, Durthu.

Skaven - Three units of 10 clanrats staggered back in deployed lines, Ratling gun, Arch warlock, Cheiftain with Battle Standard, 2 poison wind mortars, 20 stormvermin. Grey seer, 3 Jezzials, 6 rat ogres, 2 pack masters.

Turn 1 Bretonian
Durthu creates 2 wild woods, casts mystic shield on himself, and steps through the woods on to the Skaven flank.
Durthu charges the middle Clanrat unit stomps and slashes 10 rats flat, Bretonian lord charges the flank of the front clanrat unit and impales 4 rats on his lance.

Turn 1 Skaven
Chieftain plants his banner. Warlord commands his verminus units to gnash and gnaw the enemy. Grey seer casts mystic shield on the Rat Ogors. Arch warlock summons the warp storm, It wounds Durthu, misses the lord and the blast aimed at the artefact unit is saved. The Skaven guns aim at the Artifact unit and start whittling it's numbers down.

Rat Ogors run forward, the final line of clanrats, swing left to block the flank. Mortars back step, Arch warlock joins them. Stormvermin run through the thin line of clanrats. Stormvermin go against the battle plan and charge Durthu. 16 of them are in weapon range, they outnumber there opponent, and are in range of both the chieftain and the warlord, So 3 attacks each, 3+ to hit, re-roll 1's. Massive hand fulls of dice later and only 8 wounds are on a mystic shielded Durthu. In return the Bretonian Lord kills of all the clanrat unit, and Durthu stomps 12 Stormvermin.

Turn 2 Skaven
Double turn! Arch warlock casts mystic Shield on the vermin, but fails to summon the warpstorm. Seer casts his shield on the Rat Ogors. Skaven guns fire into the artifact unit and continue to pick the odd knight off. Rat ogors charge the Errants.
But I choose to use the vermin first and i'm glad I did, still buffed the 8 remaining vermin hack the final 4 wounds of Durthu.

Errant's the kill a Rat Ogor, in retailiation the rat ogors kill 3 knights. Knights of the realm find themselfs in range pile in and wound another Ogor.

Turn 2 Bretonia
Realm Knights retreat with the Artifact. Lord Aims at Arch warlock who unhorsed him last battle. Grails run forward looking for revenge for the killing of Durthu.

Lord charges and knocks down the Arch Warlock. Grails smash into the Stormvermin and Clanrats, and wipe out both units.

Furious rat ogors seeing the prize escape, use the campaign Inspired buff, and rip apart the Errants.

Turn 3 Skaven
Chieftain pulls up his banner, together with the warlord and poison wind mortars, they pull back to the building. Jezzials and Rattling gun, open fire and pluck out a few more knights. Mortars have been in effective every shot so far. Rat Ogors slam into the Artifact Knight unit, A pack master gets in front of the knights to try and hold them up. The packmaster takes down one knight and the Rat Ogors kill serveral as well.

Turn 3 Brettonian
Artifact knights retreat again while the Grails cross behind them to take on the Rat Ogors. Bretonian lord charges the Jezzials. Grails kill the rattling gun, packmaster and all but 1 Ogor. Lord rides down a Jezzial team, the rest flee the field.

Turn 4 Skaven
Remaining Rat Ogor flees, no need to give the grails a free kill. Second packmaster chases down the Artifact. The mortar teams are finally on target, and kill 3 of the knights. The chasing pack master is kicked out by a horse.

Turn 4 Bretonnia
Lord charges the Seer, Grail knights go after the Skaven artillery.

Mortar teams and Seer are taken out. But the warlord hacks down 4 Grail knights and then scurries away.

Turn 5 Skaven
Last ditch attempt if the chieftain and warlord can charge they might be able to kill the last of the Artifact Knights. But are unable to make the big charge distance.
Turn 5 Bretonnia
The Artifact enters the fortress. And the Bretonnians win.

So close, I am done under estimating the Bret's they are brutal on the charge, I keep using the verminus formation but small units of infantry cannot withstand massed cavalry.

Hack-paw and Stab-fang can only watch the knights bear the artifact into the fortress as the gates open to allow it's defenders to Sally forth. With a nod the pack brothers know it is time to save their own hide. Scurry-hurrying back to the gnaw-hole. They spot the inert from of their master Trask, and quick inspection later find he is alive inside the mangled armour, without hesitation they grab him and bear him to safety.

Hidden Artefact - Skaven vs Bretonia - Campaign game 3

"Droppings and warprot!, the man-things had it all along, that dead-thing was right." Arch Warlock Trask raged. 

"Had what? Most wise master." His aprentice Cog asked. Snapping his attention back to his apprentice, Trask mulled over wherever he had said to much, but Cog had proved his usefulness holding the gate. 

"No time to explain now lackey, a new task, you have. Hurry-scurry to Grey Seer Xylo, tell him the dead-thing spoke true, but the horsemen are runningwith the artefact." 

"Yes-yes benevolent-one." Cog turned of his heel to obey. "And send in the the re-enforcements."

Beast master Scaw, headed into the town herding the massive abomination. Followed by the fiends, alongside rolled the doom wheel. 

"The men-horses flee-run form us,but we will chase-catch them, you must be the fangs of the trap. Go wide and close on them." With a roar and a whir they set off, the beasts going east and the doom wheel west. "Stormvermin with me, we pursue!" Trask commands

Playing the hidden artifact scenario this week. The Bretonnians are making a run for it with something the Skaven want. 

Playing through this town

Seeing the approaching skaven the rear guard of the Brettonian army turns suddenly and charges
Deployment
Stormvermin and Arch Warplock start on the deployment line, hot in pursuit of the enemy. When suddenly the knights of the realm wheel about, to face their perusers.

The artefact is held by the Grail knights, who are escorted by the Men at arms, Damsel and Brettonian Lord.

Turn 1 Bretonia
Bretonian lord commands his rear gaurd to hold back the Skaven.
Rear guard Knights of the Realm, charge the stormvermin, and ride over the Stormvermin and kill them all.

 Leaving Arch Warplock Trask alone to face down the lances of Bretonia.

Trask is unable to flee (enemy command ability) so he piles in and kills 3 knights.

Turn 1 Skaven
Fearing he won't be able to do so later the Skaven general use his command ability to call on all his encircling troop. Abomination, Stormfiends and pack master come on the east flank. Doomwheel rolls on from the west.

Still unable to flee, Trasks plays the long game, he casts mystic shield on himself, and then blasts the knights with Arcane bolt, levelling his warpfire thrower at another knight he incinerates the equine rider. In melee combat the knights get 2 wounds onto the Warplock, But in retaliation he kills another knight with his stormrage halberd.

On the east flank the flesh formed beasts attack. Stormfiends armed with rattling guns open fire blasting into the grail knights, killing two. The Abomination, smashes into the men at arms devastating them.

Stormfiends weave through the casualties to strike at the knights but the power of the artefact proctects them.

Turn 2 Bretonia
Grail knights flee the monsters, Damsel charges past the fiends to gaurd the grails rear.

Bretonian lord, orders his knight to disengage and protect the Artefact, but un-willing to to leave the Skaven general loose, he charges back himself. Wounds are exchanged but no winner emerges.

Stormfiends chomp at the grail knights heels, one is dragged from the saddle. Damsel is knocked from her horse in the crush, and is out of the battle.

Turn 2 Skaven
Sick of being kept from the prize the Skaven general arcane bolts the bretonian lord, he falls from his horse, allowing the Warplock general to persue his true objective.

Doomwheel and abomination are blocked by the buildings, so attempt to lap around to catch the quarry.

Rear gaurd knights ride hard to assist the Grail knights.

Fiends Shoot, pile in and attack the grails, one more is killed and the final one is wounded but alive.

Turn 3 Bretonia
Last surviving Grail knight runs from the fiends, desperate to get the Artefact away from the Skaven.

Rear gaurd catch up with the Skaven monsters,

And make a long charge and are able to spread out, and hit all the skaven monster and machines.

Mass of Lances smash into the Abomination and take it down, Doomwheel is damaged.

Fiends retaliate and kill a few knights.
Skaven turn 3
Pack master chases after the last grail knight, but for some reason none of my units retreat to pursue the last Grail knight. but hang around to kill the knights. (Rookie mistake)

Turn 4 Bretonia
Grail knight runs for the board edge.

Fiends have had enough of the knight and the shock gauntlets spark and arc electrict warp lightning, killing many knights.

But  it's to late, the Grail Knight has escaped  with the artefact.

"You featus brained dolts, you let him get away." Flesh former Scaw screamed at the brain rat symbyotes on the fiends backs "I sent my prized Abomination to guard the rear, all you had to was chase that last man-horse. But you can't even rein in the dullards fiends blood lust for one moment to complete your mission. Fools!" He screamed.

A metallic cough and a whir of cogs behind behind him , announce Arch Warplock Trask arrival. "You let them get away?" He menaced.
"Not now Trask, I am not in the mood." The flesh former rage was palpable, and after the wounds and damage to his armour, he was in no state for a confrontation. Scaw stormed off to the body of his beloved creation. Casting his eyes over the feinds, "I should strip you for parts." he snarled, but a cough drew his attention, something moved underneath a broken horse. Approaching cautiously he found trapped under the horse was the Breeder-witch of the man-horses. Red blood flowed from gash in it's head, and it coughed weakly, blood misting in it's breath. He grinned in his helm at his fortune. "Praise the messiah.!" He said in queekish. She looked defiantly at him.
"You never find it now, monster." She spat on bretoni.
"You will tell me where they are taking it, witch" She gasps as the rat monster replies in archaic broken Bretoni.

Switching back to queekish, "take her prisoner, do not eat her!"  he tells the reigned in Symbyotes, looking over at Scaw, He is scurry over the felled abomination, "Ah ha," he squeeks "the dam regen injectors where knocked lose."  Plugging in the fluid injecter back into the abomination, he then uses his shock prod to restart the Abominations hearts and get the refined troll blood flowing back through his massive monster, as it lies twitching and healing, he and Trask scheme their next step.

Warplock Trask makes the minor repairs to the Doomwheel, and kicks out it,s slaughtered driver. "Bring the witch, back to Grey seer Xylo, she knows where the artefact is being taken and Xylo knows how to get information out of witches."

Sudden assault - Skaven vs Bretonian - Campaign game 2

This week's campaign game is the sudden assault battle plan. In our story the Skaven have moved into the outer city and are ransacking the population and buildings when a large force of knights arrive to evict the rats.

Deployment

Skaven - Rat Ogors and their pack master garrison the deadly terrain. On the inspiring hill perch the stormvermin, the warpfire thrower and the warplock engineer.

Brettonian - 5 knights errant, damsel, 5 knights of the realm, 10 knights of the realm, 5 grail knights, paladin holding battle standard, Brettonian lord. 5 knights of the realm.

Turn 1 Brettonian
Brettonian Lord inspire his cavalry to ride faster and further. Damsel gives out the blessing of the lady.
The cavalry charge straight into the dangerous terrain the Rat ogors are lurking in, several horse die. But most slam home into the mutated rat beasts.

Grail knights kill 2 Ogors, realm knights kill one. Ogors retaliate and kill 2 Grail knights and 3 Realm knights.

Turn 1 Skaven
Engineer fails to cast mystic shield on the hill, but does inspire his troops to hold this hill. The pack master runs away hoping to get back to the hill while the knight's are still fighting. Ogors kill a Grail knight, and a couple more realm knights. The remaining knights kill 2 of the Ogors.

 With out the pack master to herd him forward the last beast flee's.

Turn 2 Brettonian
Lord again urges the cavalry onward, Damsel gives out the lady's blessing. The knights lap around the right flank and prepare to charge in 2 waves.

The first charge wave hits, the units of knight charge into the stormvermin infesting the hill. The pack master between is trampled.

One plucky knight drives deep into the Ratman ranks and rides up a spur of the hill

There are casualties on both sides but the vermin are using the terrain to their advantage, and avoid the worse of the charge.
Turn 2 Skaven
With a second wave of knights fast approaching, the Warplock general casts mystic shield on the vermin. And inspires them not to flee. He then summons forth from behind the hill his second Unit of rat Ogors. (Part of the battle plan allows me to bring back 1 unit I had previously lost.)

The Verminous Ogors charge into the  knights on the flank. Savagely they tear apart the horses and men alike.

On the other side of the hill, the stormvermin gang up on the other unit of  knights, only one is left alive.

Continuing the charge up the flank, the Rat Ogors charge into tho last remaining Grail knight and find the Brettonian Lord with him in the wood.

The Ogors make short work of the grail knight.

But find the lord his made of tougher stuff.

In retaliation, the lord kills 2 of the ogors and wounds a third.
Turn 3 Skaven
The Skaven steal the initiative, and the ogors finish off the Lord. On the hill the vermin finish of the last knight and prepare for a another wave of knights. Warplock continues to cast mystic shield.

Turn 3 Brettonian
Second wave charges over the still warm  remains of the first. Slamming into the infested hill.

Paladin engages the rat ogors.

The hill runs with blood, black and red. The  slaughter is high on both sides, but with the initial charge spent, it will become a war of attrition.

Paladin lashes out and slays an Ogor, but 2 are still his match over several rounds of combat he is dragged from his horse and torn apart.

The slaughter continues only a few knights and a Damsel remain. But neither are there many stormvermin to hold the hill.

Engineer and the warpfire thrower have been putting out shots all battle with limited success. But the warpfire thrower finally finds it's range and kills 2 knights

Free to return to the hill, the ogors charge the last knight.

Tear him and his horse to pieces in an orgies of gluttony.

Whilst on the hill the Vermin surround the Damsel and drag her from her horse and repeat the scene at the base of the hill.

Skaven Victory.
Lost track of the turns with my pictures after turn 3 but the flow of the battle is plain to see.
Turn 3 really was the turning point, stealing the initiative allowed the Skaven to clear up their combats before the next wave hit. Could have had a different ending if the Brettonians had piled into an on going combats.