The armies were distributed randomly with no-one knowing which foe they were going to face, so I designed the armies to defeat all-comers....but felt that as the action was taking place underground I really ought to take at least one big unit of Squig Herders. I really put this army together hoping to chomp on some Stunties, but then I not only got High Elves with ASF but the only army with a dragon...there couldn't have been a worse line-up.
I however developed a plan (which mainly involved rushing my Savage Orcs and Squigs in the direction of the pansies with the Night Goblins and Arok running interference on the flanks) only to roll a huge chasm on the campaign terrain generation table! Again this was the worst set-up, I couldn't use horde formation and I would have to split my army in two to cover both bridges.
I wasn't exactly confident going into this one...
Kalter Glanz vs. Waaagh Borzag
Overview
Kalter Glanz
General: Hal-theres
- A1 ArchmageMoon Dragon, High Magic, Level 4
- N NobleGriffon, Swooping Attack, Quick Reactions
- LSH Lothern Sea HelmBattle Standard
- LSG1 30 Lothern Sea GuardShields, Full Command
- LSG2 17 Lothern Sea GuardShields, Full Command
- SoH1 20 Swordmasters of HoethFull Command
- SoH2 15 Swordmasters of HoethFull Command
- LS Lothern Skycutter
- LCoC Lion Chariot of Chrace
- ECBT Eagle Claw Bolt Thrower
- A2 Archmage
Waaagh Borzag
General: Khazgar
- SOW Savage Orc Warboss
- Obsidian Amulet, Basha's Stunty Slaying Axe
- SOGS Savage Orc Great ShamanLevel 4, Lore of the Big Waaagh, Lucky Shrunken Head, Fencer's Blades
- SOBB Savage Orc Big BossBattle Standard, Great Weapon, Banner of Eternal Flame
- NGS1 Night Goblin ShamanLevel 2, Lore of the Little Waaagh
- NGS2 Night Goblin ShamanLevel 2, Lore of the Little Waaagh
- NG1 40 Night GoblinsShields, Netters, 3 Fanatics, Full Command
- NG2 20 Night GoblinsShort Bows, Musician
- SOBU 40 Savage Orc Big'UnsFull Command, Extra Hand Weapons
- SH Squig Herd30 Cave Squigs, 25 Herders
- MS Mangler Squigs
- AS Arachnarok Spider
- RL1 Rock Lobba
- RL2 Rock Lobba
- F1 Fanatic
- F2 Fanatic
- F3 Fanatic
Deployment
The Sea Helm led the larger Sea Guard regiment. The Archmage
received Tempest, Soul Quench, Apotheosis and Drain Magic.
The Savage Orc characters set up with the Savage Orc Mob
and the Night Goblin shamans with the small Night Goblin unit.
The Great Shaman got Foot of Gork, Hand of Gork, Brain Bursta,
and 'Ere We Go.
The first Night Goblin shaman drew Curse of the Bad Moon and
Sneaky Stabbin', the second Itchy Nuisance and likewise Sneaky Stabbin'.
Turn 1 - Waaagh Borzag
Just as the Warboss was about to open his mouth and bellow the order
to advance, the Night Goblins started to jeer and mock the Savage Orc
mob in front of them, but got more than they bargained for when several
of the Orcs broke ranks and began to show them "oo the boss is".
All the Orc and Goblin characters were so busy sorting out the huge
pile of fighting greenskins that no-one had the time or inclination to give
any further orders or cast any spells. At the end of the scrap three dead
Night Goblins lay on the ground. The larger Night Goblin mob wasn't
about to advance without the support of the Savage Orcs and the Squig
Herd merely swung round to cover the first bridge. The only unit to
advance was the Arachnarok Spider.
The shooting phase was no less disastrous as the first Rock Lobba was
obviously even more rickety than the usual Goblin standard and exploded
in a shower of splinters and bits of Goblin as soon as the unlucky crew
member released the lever. The second Lobba launched a rock which
just missed the Archmage whose magical aura protected him from the
splinters of stone which showered him and his mount.
Night Goblins lay on the ground. The larger Night Goblin mob wasn't
about to advance without the support of the Savage Orcs and the Squig
Herd merely swung round to cover the first bridge. The only unit to
advance was the Arachnarok Spider.
The shooting phase was no less disastrous as the first Rock Lobba was
obviously even more rickety than the usual Goblin standard and exploded
in a shower of splinters and bits of Goblin as soon as the unlucky crew
member released the lever. The second Lobba launched a rock which
just missed the Archmage whose magical aura protected him from the
splinters of stone which showered him and his mount.
Turn 1 - Kalter Glanz
not have been starker as the disciplined Elves moved forward.
The Noble on the Griffon lowered his Star Lance and charged
directly into the monstrous spider and the rest of the army
moved up to support him.
The Archmage began to bend the winds of magic to his will and directly into the monstrous spider and the rest of the army
moved up to support him.
unleashed a Tempest onto the Squig Herd which however was
dispelled by the Great Shaman, who was then unfortunately unable
to prevent Soul Quench killing 3 Orcs (I had 5 saves to make on
2+ and failed three of them - par for the course for this round).
The Elven bows sang as a hail of arrows arced towards their
foes. The bolt thrower couldn't wound any of the Orcs but the
Sea Guard cut down five Squigs and one herder.
The Elf Noble and his steed left four gaping rents in the chitin
protecting the Arachnarok and although the Spider wounded the
Griffon three times in return, it wasn't nearly enough and the
beast broke and fled from the fury of the Asur! As the spider fled,
the Noble sunk his lance into the heart of the Arachnarok and
its death throes killed all the goblins on its back as the Elf army cheered.
Turn 2 - Waaagh Borzag
The Elven bows sang as a hail of arrows arced towards their
foes. The bolt thrower couldn't wound any of the Orcs but the
Sea Guard cut down five Squigs and one herder.
The Elf Noble and his steed left four gaping rents in the chitin
protecting the Arachnarok and although the Spider wounded the
Griffon three times in return, it wasn't nearly enough and the
beast broke and fled from the fury of the Asur! As the spider fled,
the Noble sunk his lance into the heart of the Arachnarok and
its death throes killed all the goblins on its back as the Elf army cheered.
Turn 2 - Waaagh Borzag
systems (at least for now) and nobody misbehaved as the greenskins
belatedly tried to carry out the Warboss's battle plan.
The Squigs charged the Noble who suddenly began to wish that he
hadn't advanced quite so far on his own and the Orcs advanced towards
the chasm which divided the battlefield in two.
The Great Shaman, finally being able to use his spells, called down a
huge Hand of Gork but overdid the spell and the resulting magical feedback
wounded one of his Night Goblin minions, which didn't bother him in the
slightest. Gork however only moved the Savage Orcs 10 inches (on 5 dice)
so he dropped them on the bridge just in front of the Swordmasters.
The Rock Lobba was bang on target this time and launched a huge rock
directly at the Elf mage, but the cheers of the Orcs turned to groans as the
mage's magical aura turned away the huge missile.
The Noble and his Griffon crushed six squigs but the remaining cave monsters
barely paused as they chomped the Elf and his rider to death.
Turn 2 - Kalter Glanz
Determined to avenge the death of the Noble who had destroyed
the Arachnarok, both regiments of Swordmasters charged the
Squig Herd and the Savage Orcs respectively, but only the
Savage Orcs found themselves in combat.
The winds of magic blew weakly and the mage's tempest was
easily dispelled.
The Eagle Claw Bolt Thrower and the crew of the Lothern
Skycutter targetted the Mangler Squigs but all of the bolts
and arrows went wide or bounced off tough skin. The Lothern
Sea Guard were once again more successful and 7 more Squigs
and 4 more herders died under a hail of arrows.
The Swordmasters swung their blades with customary skill and
nine Savages were cut down before they could react. The Orc
Warboss and the Great Shaman growled and swung their magical
weapons but the Swordmasters revealed the Banner of the World
Dragon and the magical attacks were stymied. Undeterred, the
remaining Orcs hacked at the Elves and for each fallen Greenskin
a proud Elf fell to the Orc's Choppaz. Shocked but resolute, the
surviving Swordmasters stayed in the fight.
(My opponent made 2+ ward saves for 5 Swordmasters, saving not
only their hides but the whole regiment from a break test on 3's.
That Banner is just...bleugh).
The Eagle Claw Bolt Thrower and the crew of the Lothern
Skycutter targetted the Mangler Squigs but all of the bolts
and arrows went wide or bounced off tough skin. The Lothern
Sea Guard were once again more successful and 7 more Squigs
and 4 more herders died under a hail of arrows.
The Swordmasters swung their blades with customary skill and
nine Savages were cut down before they could react. The Orc
Warboss and the Great Shaman growled and swung their magical
weapons but the Swordmasters revealed the Banner of the World
Dragon and the magical attacks were stymied. Undeterred, the
remaining Orcs hacked at the Elves and for each fallen Greenskin
a proud Elf fell to the Orc's Choppaz. Shocked but resolute, the
surviving Swordmasters stayed in the fight.
(My opponent made 2+ ward saves for 5 Swordmasters, saving not
only their hides but the whole regiment from a break test on 3's.
That Banner is just...bleugh).
Turn 3 - Waaagh Borzag
The Orc lines remained steady as the Savage Orcs were locked
in combat and the Night Goblins were unwilling to get too close
to the Elves.
The Great Shaman was able to move the Squigs away from the
Swordmasters with Hand of Gork and summoned the power of
the Waaagh to aid the Savage Orc mob with Ere We Go.
The Rock Lobba was once again accurate, this time launching a
stone directly onto the Lothern Skycutter. With no magical ward
to protect it, the chariot was completely crushed!
The Swordmasters cut down eight more savages but the power
of the Waaagh was on the Orcs and all the Elves were cut down
despite their banner in a frenzy of bloodletting. Seeing the slaughter
and knowing that they would be next, the nerve of the crew of the
Lion Chariot broke and they tried to flee the field!
Turn 3 - Kalter Glanz
The Archmage glanced once at the Lion Chariot and the crew
shamefully reined the chariot in and turned to face the Orcs
as the Elf right flank advanced.
The spells of the Archmage had no effect as Tempest was
once again dispelled and Soul Quench could not get past
the Orcs' magical defences.
Stung at the failure of his spells, the Archmage pulsed an
order to his mount. Immediately the dragon enveloped the
Savage Orcs in a gout of flame, leaving seven dead.
The bows of the Lothern Sea Guard sang again and eleven
Night Goblins fell. The survivors fled for the safety of the
caverns around the battlefield.
Turn 4 - Waaagh Borzag
Once again, animosity struck as the fragile discipline of the Squig
Herders dissolved into a heaving pile of fighting Night Goblins while
their charges looked on bemusedly. More afraid of their shamans
than of the Elves, the fleeing Night Goblins halted but refused to
get any nearer to the enemy.
In a red mist and with his axe (and most of his body) covered in
Elf blood, the Warboss saw the chariot in front of him and
immediately roared the order to charge! Maybe the chariot should
have kept running after all?
The Great Shaman invoked the blessings of his Gods again and
Gork moved the Mangler Squigs to the other side of the chasm
and blessed the Boyz with Ere We Go. This time however the
Rock Lobba was woefully inaccurate.
The crew and the lions managed to kill two Savage Orcs before
the Orc Warboss personally hacked the chariot apart with four
blows of his axe. Setting his eyes on the only Elves he could
see, he led the Orcs into a charge into the Bolt Thrower.
The Swordmasters crossed the bridge as the Sea Guard
changed their formation to combat the threat of the Savage
Orcs and the frenzied Squigs.
Wanting to preserve the efficacy of his magical wards, the
Archmage cast a Tempest to preserve their power...but lost
his concentration and a rift opened into the warp! Drawing
on the power of his earthing rod, he attempted to close the
rift, but he felt a demonic force open it again. He fought against
the powers attempting to drag his soul into the Realm of Chaos
and just managed to close the rift although his dragon was
wounded in the attempt.
(Cheekily casting a tempest into nothing to preserve his 3+ ward
save, my opponent cast the spell with total power and then rolled
Rock Lobba was woefully inaccurate.
The crew and the lions managed to kill two Savage Orcs before
the Orc Warboss personally hacked the chariot apart with four
blows of his axe. Setting his eyes on the only Elves he could
see, he led the Orcs into a charge into the Bolt Thrower.
Turn 4 - Kalter Glanz
The Swordmasters crossed the bridge as the Sea Guard
changed their formation to combat the threat of the Savage
Orcs and the frenzied Squigs.
Wanting to preserve the efficacy of his magical wards, the
Archmage cast a Tempest to preserve their power...but lost
his concentration and a rift opened into the warp! Drawing
on the power of his earthing rod, he attempted to close the
rift, but he felt a demonic force open it again. He fought against
the powers attempting to drag his soul into the Realm of Chaos
and just managed to close the rift although his dragon was
wounded in the attempt.
save, my opponent cast the spell with total power and then rolled
a 4 on 2d6 twice to my great amusement! Unfortunately he rolled
a 4 and just managed to avoid being cast into the chaos realms).
which actually wounded the Elf! Encouraged, he cast Ere We Go
and then summoned a Big Foot of Gork, but unfortunately Gork
went wide with his first stomp and then slipped, allowing the
Elves to target the Savage Orc mob, who were mightily relieved
when Gork missed his target again. One of the Night Goblins
tried to cast Itchy Nuisance on the Swordmasters but there
wasn't quite enough power in the spell to get it through.
The crew of the Rock Lobba scored another direct hit and this
time the dragon bore the brunt of the attack, but the stone
was diverted by the weak protective field surrounding the dragon.
Much cursing was heard all over the battlefield! (My opponent just
had to roll a six on his ward save).
Wanting to deliver the death blow to the Orc army, the Archmage
signalled the charge. The Swordmasters, a Lothern Sea Guard
unit and the Archmage all started towards their enemies but
only the Archmage was able to make contact.
The Elf mage tried to drain the power of the Waaagh from the
Orcs but the attempt was dispelled by the Orc Shaman, who
A hail of arrows from the Sea Guard wounded the Mangler Squigs
twice as the only combat on the field ended predictably with the
crew of the Bolt Thrower destroyed for no losses and the Savage
Orcs rampaging off the field.
twice as the only combat on the field ended predictably with the
crew of the Bolt Thrower destroyed for no losses and the Savage
Orcs rampaging off the field.
Turn 5 - Waaagh Borzag
The Squig Herd backed away from the Swordmasters as the
Savage Orc Mob came back on to the field. The Mangler Squigs
tried to reach the Archmage but fell woefully short.
The Night Goblin archers were suddenly seized by delusions
of invicibililty and decided to take on the whole Elf army on
their own! Fortunately the other Night Goblin mob were in the
way and they soon came to their senses. The Shamans decided to
seek the safety of the larger (and less crazy) Night Goblin unit.
The Great Shaman tested the Mage's defences with a Brainbursta Savage Orc Mob came back on to the field. The Mangler Squigs
tried to reach the Archmage but fell woefully short.
The Night Goblin archers were suddenly seized by delusions
of invicibililty and decided to take on the whole Elf army on
their own! Fortunately the other Night Goblin mob were in the
way and they soon came to their senses. The Shamans decided to
seek the safety of the larger (and less crazy) Night Goblin unit.
which actually wounded the Elf! Encouraged, he cast Ere We Go
and then summoned a Big Foot of Gork, but unfortunately Gork
went wide with his first stomp and then slipped, allowing the
Elves to target the Savage Orc mob, who were mightily relieved
when Gork missed his target again. One of the Night Goblins
tried to cast Itchy Nuisance on the Swordmasters but there
wasn't quite enough power in the spell to get it through.
The crew of the Rock Lobba scored another direct hit and this
time the dragon bore the brunt of the attack, but the stone
was diverted by the weak protective field surrounding the dragon.
Much cursing was heard all over the battlefield! (My opponent just
had to roll a six on his ward save).
Turn 5 - Kalter Glanz
Wanting to deliver the death blow to the Orc army, the Archmage
signalled the charge. The Swordmasters, a Lothern Sea Guard
unit and the Archmage all started towards their enemies but
only the Archmage was able to make contact.
The Elf mage tried to drain the power of the Waaagh from the
Orcs but the attempt was dispelled by the Orc Shaman, who
subsequently wasn't able to prevent the Mage healing himself
with Apotheosis.
The remaining Lothern Sea Guard took aim at the Mangler Squigs
who died in a hail of arrows.
The Archmage lifted his voice to issue a formal challenge to the
Orcs who only responded with jeers and crude jokes! The Big
Boss with the Battle Standard stomped to the back row in a sulk
with Apotheosis.
The remaining Lothern Sea Guard took aim at the Mangler Squigs
who died in a hail of arrows.
The Archmage lifted his voice to issue a formal challenge to the
Orcs who only responded with jeers and crude jokes! The Big
Boss with the Battle Standard stomped to the back row in a sulk
and the rest of the Orcs made ready for the onslaught!
The Dragon tore two Savages apart but the Warboss scored
three deep wounds in its hide before the rest of the Savages
swarmed over it and gave it the coup de grace. Unable to believe
that his beloved mount could have been defeated, the Archmage's
nerve broke and he ran with the Savage Orcs close on his heels...
The Savage Orcs caught up with the fleeing Mage who died under a
flurry of blows. Unfortunately, the Night Goblins at the other
end of the field felt themselves to be far enough away from
their leaders and the two mobs started a huge scrap that left
eight Goblins dead! Ignoring the chaos to their right the Squig
Herders goaded their charges into a run and charged the Swordmasters.
(My cunning plan was to cast Itchy Nuisance with however
many dice I had onto the Swordmasters but once again animosity
put the kibosh on my strategy and I had to rethink. Fortunately
the Goblins always have another sneaky plan...).
The winds of magic blew weakly and the Orc Shaman was only able
to summon a Big Hand of Gork which moved the still squabbling
Night Goblin unit to within eight inches of the Swordmasters...three
whirling fanatics shot out of the unit through the melee leaving
nine Swordmasters, eight Squigs and three herders dead!
The last act of the battle was one more volley of arrows from
the Sea Guard which cut down three Savage Orcs. The Sea
Helm shook his fist in anger and cursed the Orcs before leading
his troops away off the battlefield.
The field and the victory belonged to the Orcs!
Waaaagh!
The Dragon tore two Savages apart but the Warboss scored
three deep wounds in its hide before the rest of the Savages
swarmed over it and gave it the coup de grace. Unable to believe
that his beloved mount could have been defeated, the Archmage's
nerve broke and he ran with the Savage Orcs close on his heels...
Turn 6 - Waaagh Borzag
The Savage Orcs caught up with the fleeing Mage who died under a
flurry of blows. Unfortunately, the Night Goblins at the other
end of the field felt themselves to be far enough away from
their leaders and the two mobs started a huge scrap that left
eight Goblins dead! Ignoring the chaos to their right the Squig
Herders goaded their charges into a run and charged the Swordmasters.
(My cunning plan was to cast Itchy Nuisance with however
many dice I had onto the Swordmasters but once again animosity
put the kibosh on my strategy and I had to rethink. Fortunately
the Goblins always have another sneaky plan...).
The winds of magic blew weakly and the Orc Shaman was only able
to summon a Big Hand of Gork which moved the still squabbling
Night Goblin unit to within eight inches of the Swordmasters...three
whirling fanatics shot out of the unit through the melee leaving
nine Swordmasters, eight Squigs and three herders dead!
The crew of the Rock Lobba launched a missile directly into the
ranks of the Sea Guard leaving 12 Elves dead.
ranks of the Sea Guard leaving 12 Elves dead.
Shocked by the slaughter of their comrades by the fanatics,
the Swordmasters were only able to fell four of their enemies.
The grinning Goblins and the maddened Squigs cut down three
Swordmasters and the survivors, grossly outnumbered, ran from
the combat only to be caught and wiped out by the triumphant goblins!
the Swordmasters were only able to fell four of their enemies.
The grinning Goblins and the maddened Squigs cut down three
Swordmasters and the survivors, grossly outnumbered, ran from
the combat only to be caught and wiped out by the triumphant goblins!
Turn 6 - Kalter Glanz
The last act of the battle was one more volley of arrows from
the Sea Guard which cut down three Savage Orcs. The Sea
Helm shook his fist in anger and cursed the Orcs before leading
his troops away off the battlefield.
The field and the victory belonged to the Orcs!
Waaaagh!
The Report is Copyright (c) 2014 Khazgar. All rights reserved.
In the end I scored a comfortable win - approximately double the
victory points won by my opponent - despite one of the worst first
turns I have ever had. Animosity was not my friend this battle and the
rolls ranged from the amusing (7 Night Goblins trying to take on the whole
Elf army on their own) to the catastrophic (the big melees in the first and
sixth turn preventing me from using magic).
I decided to do a unit-by-unit review, so here goes:
Savage Orcs
These guys really won me the battle, destroying the large unit of
Swordmasters (despite their cheesy banner), the Lion Chariot, the
Bolt Thrower and even taking down the dragon. They took horrendous
losses but in the end there were just enough Boyz left to get the job
done. Ere We Go allowed me to maximize the potential of the Orcs
and no Elf unit was able to stand up to them.
Night Goblins
The whole pack of them did nothing apart from scrap with each other
the whole battle - although to be fair the battlefield didn't allow me to
do anything with them at all. If I had advanced towards the chasm the
fanatics would have been brought out for nothing so I had to leave them
standing around all game like a bunch of muppets. The fanatics did help
me to win the fight between the Squigs and the Swordmasters, but even
then I took horrific losses - but without them 15 Swordmasters (21 attacks)
would have decimated me.
Squig Herd
This was a typical battle for them - they managed to kill the Noble and
Griffon as well as the Swordmasters (with a little help from the Fanatics)
but spent a lot of time getting shot up and had lost more than 2/3 of their
number by the end of the battle. They are really fighty but so fragile - and
don't like ASF at all!
Arachnarok Spider
I had hopes of crushing a Sea Guard unit or two but unfortunately went
up against a dedicated monster killer who dealt with it in short order.
I failed my break test (general was far too far away) and that was that...
Rock Lobbas/Manglers
After the first round I was cursing my artillery - losing the first rock lobba
really put the icing on the cake for that round. The second one did redeem
itself a bit although scoring two direct hits on the mage and his dragon
without a single wound being caused was quite frustrating. The Manglers
were also blocked by the chasm and ended up doing nothing but distracting
the Sea Guard for two rounds.
Magic
My magic phases were rather underwhelming - I had only one big roll and got
relatively few spells off, including only one Foot, and my Night Goblin
Shamans did absolutely nothing. My Hands of Gork were also less
than impressive as I rolled very low - an average roll for the Savages in turn 2
would have put them in the middle of the High Elf army but I was only able to drop
them onto the bridge in front of the waiting Swordmasters. Luckily I got Ere We
Go through when it counted - without it I might well not have won the fights I was
in, or at least not so convincingly! A fantastic spell if you have a lot of Orcs in
combat...
All in all I felt I did very well to win this battle, although I lost a lot of Orcs
and Squigs as well as the Arachnarok. The brutality of the Savage Orcs
and a sneaky Goblin trick killed the main High Elf combat units, and once those
were down my opponent had nothing to offer. My hat off to him and let's hear it
for the Savage Orc survivors....WAAAAAAGH!!!
