One true Realmgate - Campaign - May

Thanquol planned the expansion of his empire over man hide parchment. Many enemies reside in Ghur. And they would need to be sweep aside or made to bow, to his
Esteemed self. But to do so he must control the one true Realm gate that allowed travel to this Realm outside of time, with that secured, he, as was his destiny, would control the realm and from here plan his invasion of all other realms.

As part of the Hobby hammers campaign, I will make blog posts to talk about the games, I do not plan on making full battle reports, as they are a lot of work, to make coherent.

Week 1
My starting force will be -
Thanquol on Boneripper
10 Stormvermin
Rattling gun
Poison wind mortar

Game 1 - Iron jaws - Drew
What a great starting opponent with his new shiny Iron jaws force I was looking forward to this.
His force was Megaboss on Maw crusher. 10 Ard boys, 5 Brutes and 3 gore gruntas.

Scary prospect to fight, as the scenario forced me to split my small force, and get ambushed. I feel no Shane in saying Thanquol retreated while waiting for his reinforcements and left the weapon teams to die. Didn't stop that beastly maw crusher from flying over and slamming into Boneripper.

And he hurts when he slams into you. But Shielded and blessed by the horned rat, Thanquol survives the initial assault. Boneripper proceeds to lash out back at the maw crusher. And buys enough time for the stormvermin reinforcements to arrive and assist. 

The showdown comes down to the wire. And Thanquol only has two wounds remaining when the maw crusher goes down. But the remaining Orruk Army still strong, they finish of Thanquol and rollover the vermin in short order.

I choose to add a unit of stormfiends to my force, after the defeat I wanted to give my force a competitive edge

Game 2 - Death - Craig
New member of the Hobby hammers Craig, had a death army my consisting of -
Vampire lord on foot
2 units of crypt horrors
20 zombies
5 direwolves
5 black Knights

The scenario is watch tower and as the outnumbered opponent I defend the tower, placing 10 stormvermin to garrison it.

Early game, the Fiends tunneled up and defended the front of the tower. His units could only attack the tower piece meal, and the stormvermin where hard to shift, and repelled all foes.
Thanquol rolled a massive charge and killed the vampire lord. With no more reinforcements the death army are soon outnumbered.

Skaven win.

As the winning I got to choose 2 more warscrolls.
Well dammit I want to play with my new toy. So I choose a Vermin lord Warbringer and another 10 storm vermin to boost the unit.

Additional photos.

Griffon holds the watch tower

Crypt Ghouls take on a treeman

3 games of AoS, 1 game of 40k

Still space for more palyers

Week 2
Second campaign week only 4 players down this week. I get the opportunity to play against new club mate Paul and his Stormcast Eternals. In his starting army he has -
A Castelant and a Gryph hound
10 Liberators
3 Retributors
3 Prosecuters
As it is Pauls first week we are playing hold or die, I decide not to use the added parts of my warband. as I think it will be a more enjoyable game for Paul if he doesn't have to fight all the filth i have added to the warband.

Out numbered and surronded Thanquol has been caught out again.

So true to form he runs, away from the main force, smashes into the Prosecutors, smashs them and waits for the reinforcements.

Abandoned in the center the weapon teams die, stormvermin turn up go toe to toe with the liberators and retributors and lose over several rounds of combat. But in the mean time Thanquol is able to pick off, the rest of the army piece meal.

Skaven win.

On the over table the ogres preform the ritual and Nagash's death army try to stop him

Bulls charge Nagash

.

Nagash is taken down.

Both tables are able the finish early. So Craig and I decide to have a quick game (non campaign) he takes Nagash and I tell him not to restrict his summoning as I wanted to see how powerful he truly is.

Nagash hides in the corner, Skaven take the first turn. Charge halfway across the board,

For the first 3 turns Nagash summons an army. Skaven smash the army.

Finally I am able to get past the summoned hordes. But most of the Skaven force has been spent on Summoned chaff.

But I am able to to get Thanquol and 2 doomflayer fiends into charge range. Fiends make it but Thanquol fails a 3 inch charge.
Fiends get Smashed and in the next turn Nagash charges and kills thanquol on the second magic phase (of a double turn) with hand of dust.

Week 3
Week 3 is the ambush scenraio. I have increased my war band with a warp lightning cannon and 3 Jezzials.

My opponent's this week are Mark's Ogors.
Tyrant
Slaughter master
3 Iron guts.
9 Bulls
3 Lead bleachers
Stonehorn
Thundertusk

Deployment
The Ogors deploy facing all directions not knowing where my ambush will come from.
Lacking the numbers to surround them I weight the left flank down, the scenario doesn't allow movement in the first turn so i deploy my army outside of his Stone horns range.

First turns go well, i choose to take the first turn, with all of my range shooting I kill the Stonehorn. And start weakening his bulls.
His turn he is out of range and unable to move.
I win the second turn and move my combat troops in. But then fail to charge, leaving me too close.

Ogors then proceed to charge into and over my combat units I have left exposes and in subsequent turns picking off ranged units piecemeal.

Over the course of 4 turns the 3 Stormfiends I have keep in reserve do not turn up.
In turn to I should have pulled back and continurd blasting Ogors from range, but I did not respect their resilience or their combat punch, a valuable lesson for next time I face them.

Skaven lose!

Week 4
After the previous weeks loss I add 3 Stormfiends, with ranged weapons.
Facing off against the Stormcast and their order allies, led by Mike.
Lord celestant on Dracoth
Slann
Lord Relictor
2 Units of 5 Liberators
3 Retributors
3 Prosecutors
5 Great swords
10 hand gunners
6 Protectors

We are playing the scenario Breakthrough. Mike won the roll and decide to be the attacker.
Deployment
Scenario dictates a disorganized deployment for the defender, my right flank was weighed heavily with all of my ranged threat and 2 combat punches, in the fiends and vermin lord.

The left has Thanquol on Bone ripper and 20 stormvermin. With nothing to hold the center.

Mike took a well distributed set up. As he had to deploy all his army before I randomized mine.

Early game, the Slann, summons his obsidian sarusas cavalry and skinks.

On my left hand flank Thanquol and the vermin leap forward Bone ripper smashed the Lord celestant on Dracoth. While the vermin chop up the liberators and great swords.

Order army grinds it self-out on the right flank. The Skaven keep up a steady rate of fire, wearing down all who approach the bottle neck. And the combat units make short work of what few try to force entry.

Realising the futility of the flanks the order army pushes for the middle

Stormfiends Sally forth to wipe out the right flanks rear guard. While the range support and Vermin lord move towards the middle, to intercept the center push.

Lightning strikes leaving 3 retributors behind and the Slann summons more sarasus Cavalry, both surround Thanquol but are unable to charge far enough.
Stormvermin pull back from the last liberator and charge the Retributors, frenzied hacking takes down all 3 of the Stormcast.

Slann charges and kills Thanquol, in retaliation the Stormvermin pike in and kill the slain

Over the remaining turns the vermin lord warbringer and artillery hunt down the remnants of the order army. Only the Knight Venator is able to escape.

Skaven Victory

After a month of the campaign. Thanquol host includes
Thanquol on bone ripper
Vermin lord Warbringer
Packmaster
6 Stormfiends
20 Stormvermin
Rattling gun.
Poison wind mortar
3 Jezzials
Warp lightning cannon
Hellpit Abomination

Thanquol gently patted Bone rippers bruised and scarred hide. The last month of campaigning had not been gentle with his protector. Indeed neither had his rise to power been direct, powerful enemy's, roamed Ghur. And it is clear now he is not the only one after the one true realm gate, but he had there measure now. And his verminous host had swelled with the most powerful troops Clan Mkrytus had to offer. 

Stormcast/Seraphon vs Skaven - Battle report

This week, Sean and I decided to reduce the army size down to 70 pool choices from the SCGT pack, as last week we ran out of time.

The scenario we rolled up was Winds of Death, Battle plan 2 of the same pack. A control the objective (we used red dice) scenario, but with added danger as the objective increase the chance of environmental damage.

Storm cast/Seraphon

Lord Celestant

Lord Relictor

5 Liberators x2

3 Decimators

3 Prosecutors

Old blood on Carnosaur

12 Sauras warriors

Slick Priest.

Skaven

Arch warlock

2 Pack masters

2 units of 3 Stormfiends

2 units of 3 Rat Ogors

3 units of 10 Clanrats

Deployment Skaven

I started moving before rembering to take the picture.

Skaven left to right - Rat ogors, Clanrats, pack master, Stormfiends. Arch warlock. Stormfiends, pack master, rat ogors. Backfield 2 units of Clanrats holding objectives.

Turn 1 Skaven

Sensing an ambush the rats cautiously advance.  

Deployment Seraphon/Stormcast

Skink priest holds the Tower. Sauras hold the ruin objective. Old blood on Carnosaur in the middle. Stormcast deploy in Azyr.

Turn 1 Seraphon/Storm cast

Stormcast wait in Azyr. Carnosaur runs for rough terrain and cover. Old bloods sun beam weapon wounds a Stormfiend.

Turn 2 Seraphon/ Stormcast

Lightning strikes the ground all over the battlefield and as the after glow fades the Stormcast have arrived. Liberators behind the lines ready to smash the Clanrats. Prosecutor's in the back tower to claim it. Relictor and Devestator's on the left to seize that objective. Celestant on Dracoth lands in front of the clanrats. Oldblood and Dracoth use their ranged ability's to wound a stormfiend.

Prosocuters and Decimators land.

Liberators Charge the Clanrats, several rats die to only a a wound on each unit of liberators.

Turn 2 Skaven
Arch warlock is befuddled by the mystical terrian. Right Flank Clanrats move up to form a thin brown line, to deny the Celestant a way forward. Right flank Rat Ogors move up to contest the middle  objective. Fiends open fire on the Old blood, in a hail of bullets, poison wind and warp fire. As the smoke clears the old blood limps forward, but is notoriously still alive (1 wound remains)

Left flanks objective Clanrats retreat from the liberator's. Better to avoid the hammers for a round.

The Rat ogors on the right flank, turn around to get at the Liberators. Whipped into a frenzy by the pack master, the Ogors tear the Liberators down to one man. He kills an couple of Clanrats as revenge. Before they retaliate and take him down.

End of the turn Seraphon/Stormcast control 2 objectives to the state's 1, so gain a victory point.

Nagash's laughter rumbles through the realm, the night haunts go on an orgy of attacks wounding many of the combatants.
Turn 3 Seraphon/Stormcast
Dracoth and Old blood shoot at the fiends killing 1 and wounding another. The they charge the enemies in front of them.

Only the Relictor makes it into combat with the Ogors. Wounds are exchanges but no one dies.

Old blood kills a fiend and inspite his bloodied state the Stormfiends is unable to kill him. Celestant goes nuts and kill 7 Clanrats, the 3 remaining unsurprisingly flee.

Night haunts (scenario) kill half the Clanrats the other half flee the battle in shock.

Not taken enough photos
Rat Ogres hold the objective. Lord celestant rides down the flank and slams into the Rat Ogors, the rat beasts take the initiative and rip the celestant and Dracoth to pieces

On the left flank, the Lord Relictor's lightning strike is off target, then the rat ogors kill the Relictor. Angry about leaders death the decimator, charge into the Ogors killing one, but then die from the remaining mutant rats and their pack master.

On the back left flank, Liberators charge after the  Clanrats, catching and killing them, but not before they lose one of their own.

The last remaining Stormfiends, is armed with warp fire throwers raise both arms and burns the old blood and dinosaur to death.

The tower garrison of Stormfiends exit the building to run back and retake the hill. Unleashing a hail of bullets, gas and fire as they run, they assault the hill and kill the liberators a top it.

Combined arms of the Ogors and their master kill the decimators.

Last couple of turns follow quickly as we Theory out how the battle will finish, I have 3 capturing units left to claim 3 objectives for the next 2 turns. My opponent's units are no long big enough to claim objectives or big enough to dislodge me from mine. I score 2 points.

Skaven victory
You will be wondering what happened to my arch warlock. Well he entered the Mystical terrain turn 1 and the failed the next 3 turns worth of befuddled tests.

Great game, that only swung with some lucky combats turn 3.
That scenario really spreads out your forces. And with the night haunts attacking both opponent's at the end of each turn, small units quickly find them self's too weak to claim any objective's.