The scenario rules had a big hole opening somewhere near the centre of the field at the beginning of turn three, so both generals were a little cautious of getting too near the middle of the table...
Dwarfs vs. Waaagh Ghor
Overview
Dwarfs
General: Groll
- DK Dwarf King
- T1 ThainBattle Standard, Rune of Stone, 5+ Ward Save
- R RunesmithThree Runes of Spellbreaking
- ME Master Engineer
- CW 20 Clan WarriorsFull Command, Shields
- L 20 LongbeardsFull Command, Great Weapons
- H 20 HammerersFull Command, Shields
- M 20 MinersFull Command, Steam Hammer
- T2 10 Thunderers
- T3 10 Thunderers
- C Cannon
- BT Bolt Thrower
Waaagh Ghor
General: Khazgar
- BOW Black Orc Warboss
- OGS Orc Great ShamanLevel 4
- NGS1 Night Goblin ShamanLevel 2
- NGS2 Night Goblin ShamanLevel 2
- GBB Goblin Big BossBattle Standard, Spider Banner, Shield, Light Armour
- NGBB1 Night Goblin Big BossGreat Weapon
- NGBB2 Night Goblin Big BossGreat Weapon
- NGBB3 Night Goblin Big BossGreat Weapon
- NG1 101 Night GoblinsFull Command, Short Bows, Netters, 3 Fanatics
- NG2 20 Night GoblinsMusician, Short Bows, 1 Fanatic
- BO 40 Black OrcsFull Command
- GW 5 Goblin WolfridersMusician, Standard Bearer, Shields, Spears
- MS1 Mangler Squigs
- MS2 Mangler Squigs
- MS3 Mangler Squigs
- DDC Doom Diver Catapult
- RL1 Rock Lobba
- RL2 Rock Lobba
- F1 Fanatic
- F2 Fanatic
- F3 Fanatic
Deployment
The Dwarf lord and the Thain BSB set up with the Hammerers.
The Orc Shaman set up with the Black Orcs while all the other
Orc and Goblin Characters joined the large Night Goblin block,
except for the second Night Goblin Shaman who led the smaller
Night Goblin mob.
Orc and Goblin Characters joined the large Night Goblin block,
except for the second Night Goblin Shaman who led the smaller
Night Goblin mob.
The Orc Shaman drew Gaze of Mork, Foot of Gork, Brainbursta
and Fists of Gork. The first Night Goblin Shaman got Sneaky
Stabbin' and Curse of the Bad Moon and the second Itchy
Nuisance and Gift of the Spider God.
and Fists of Gork. The first Night Goblin Shaman got Sneaky
Stabbin' and Curse of the Bad Moon and the second Itchy
Nuisance and Gift of the Spider God.
Turn 1 - Dwarfs
The Dwarf army stayed stolidly in its lines, glaring at their hated
foes. The cannon was about to shoot when the Master Engineer
pinched off the fuse, rapidly adjusted the amount of powder and
lit it again, to the relief of the crew (Groll rolled a misfire on his
very first dice roll).
The cannon ball shot straight and true towards the Orc lines
but ground to a halt just in front of the Night Goblin mob. A spear
from the Bolt Thrower whistled over the heads of the Black Orcs.
foes. The cannon was about to shoot when the Master Engineer
pinched off the fuse, rapidly adjusted the amount of powder and
lit it again, to the relief of the crew (Groll rolled a misfire on his
very first dice roll).
The cannon ball shot straight and true towards the Orc lines
but ground to a halt just in front of the Night Goblin mob. A spear
from the Bolt Thrower whistled over the heads of the Black Orcs.
Turn 1 - Waaagh Ghor
As Ghor ordered the advance, the smaller Night Goblin unit began
to taunt their cousins in the larger block and soon missiles started
to fly backwards and forwards, killing one in the smaller mob and
four in the larger as the Black Orc frantically tried to restore order!
to taunt their cousins in the larger block and soon missiles started
to fly backwards and forwards, killing one in the smaller mob and
four in the larger as the Black Orc frantically tried to restore order!
Ignoring the chaos in the Orc centre, the Black Orcs, the
Wolfriders and the Mangler Squigs began to advance on the
flanks as the Orc Shaman called down the Foot of Gork, only
to be thwarted by a dispel rune from the Runesmith.
Wolfriders and the Mangler Squigs began to advance on the
flanks as the Orc Shaman called down the Foot of Gork, only
to be thwarted by a dispel rune from the Runesmith.
A stone from a Rock Lobber thudded into the Hammerers, killing
one Dwarf, and seconds later another landed right on top of the
Dwarf cannon, crushing the machine and killing its crew outright!
In his horror at the destruction of his beloved cannon, the Master
Engineer failed to notice the rapidly approaching cackling of a
Goblin Doom Diver. Looking up at the last moment, the last thing
he ever saw was the grinning face of the Goblin before the ground
heaved from the massive impact and bits of dwarf and goblin
showered the dwarf battle line.
one Dwarf, and seconds later another landed right on top of the
Dwarf cannon, crushing the machine and killing its crew outright!
In his horror at the destruction of his beloved cannon, the Master
Engineer failed to notice the rapidly approaching cackling of a
Goblin Doom Diver. Looking up at the last moment, the last thing
he ever saw was the grinning face of the Goblin before the ground
heaved from the massive impact and bits of dwarf and goblin
showered the dwarf battle line.
Turn 2 - Dwarfs
The Dwarfs were shocked by the loss of the Engineer and the
cannon but gave a huge cheer as the miners erupted from a
subterranean tunnel right next to the Goblin artillery. One unit
of Thunderers shot at a Mangler Squig, wounding it once, while
the other unit killed two Black Orcs. The Bolt Thrower and the
Dwarf Lord failed to hit their targets.
cannon but gave a huge cheer as the miners erupted from a
subterranean tunnel right next to the Goblin artillery. One unit
of Thunderers shot at a Mangler Squig, wounding it once, while
the other unit killed two Black Orcs. The Bolt Thrower and the
Dwarf Lord failed to hit their targets.
Turn 2 - Waaagh Ghor
The flanks of the Orc army continued to advance while the
Night Goblins reformed to face the threat of the miners. The
Orc Shaman left the Black Orc mob to join the Warboss in the
Night Goblin block.
Night Goblins reformed to face the threat of the miners. The
Orc Shaman left the Black Orc mob to join the Warboss in the
Night Goblin block.
While the crew of one Rock Lobba frantically dragged their
machine nearer to the safety of the Night Goblin mob, the
other ignored the dwarfs and landed a huge stone directly
onto the Bolt Thrower, destroying it and killing two Thunderers
with it. The crew of the Doom Diver spotted the Runesmith at
the back of the dwarf lines and another suicidal goblin screamed
directly into the startled dwarf, killing him and one of the
Thunderers nearby outright.
machine nearer to the safety of the Night Goblin mob, the
other ignored the dwarfs and landed a huge stone directly
onto the Bolt Thrower, destroying it and killing two Thunderers
with it. The crew of the Doom Diver spotted the Runesmith at
the back of the dwarf lines and another suicidal goblin screamed
directly into the startled dwarf, killing him and one of the
Thunderers nearby outright.
The Night Goblin archery was less successful as they didn't
register even one hit onto the miners who were obscured
by the Rock Lobba.
register even one hit onto the miners who were obscured
by the Rock Lobba.
(I actually completely forgot the Magic Phase of this turn,
although to be honest with a Runesmith with 2 dispel runes
on the table I am sure nothing of importance would have happened).
although to be honest with a Runesmith with 2 dispel runes
on the table I am sure nothing of importance would have happened).
Turn 3 - Dwarfs
With a deafening crash and a huge cloud of dust, the ground in
the middle of the battlefield burst open and a huge hole appeared
in the floor of the cavern, causing the nearby Greenskins to flinch
back. Judging the moment perfectly, the Dwarf Lord gave an
order to his trumpeter who immediately sounded the charge.
The miners easily reached the Rock Lobba and the Thunderers
and Clan Warriors made it into combat with the Black Orc block,
but the Lord and his bodyguard of Hammerers were unable to
make the distance and were left floundering in front of the
burgeoning combat.
the middle of the battlefield burst open and a huge hole appeared
in the floor of the cavern, causing the nearby Greenskins to flinch
back. Judging the moment perfectly, the Dwarf Lord gave an
order to his trumpeter who immediately sounded the charge.
The miners easily reached the Rock Lobba and the Thunderers
and Clan Warriors made it into combat with the Black Orc block,
but the Lord and his bodyguard of Hammerers were unable to
make the distance and were left floundering in front of the
burgeoning combat.
As the muskets of the unengaged thunderer unit cut down a
Mangler Squig, the enraged miners made short work of the
Goblin Rock Lobba before overunning the position.
Mangler Squig, the enraged miners made short work of the
Goblin Rock Lobba before overunning the position.
The warriors and the thunderers each killed a Black Orc but
the heavy axes of the Greenskins took a terrible toll as eleven
dwarfs were bludgeoned to death. Ignoring their Lord, the
survivors tried to flee the combat but only the warriors could
escape the onrushing Orc tide!
the heavy axes of the Greenskins took a terrible toll as eleven
dwarfs were bludgeoned to death. Ignoring their Lord, the
survivors tried to flee the combat but only the warriors could
escape the onrushing Orc tide!
Turn 3 - Waaagh Ghor
The Black Orc Warboss heard the sounds of scuffling behind
him and lashed out indiscriminately with his choppa, sending
a Night Goblin head gracefully flying through the air. The rest
quietened down and trained their bows on the dwarf miners.
him and lashed out indiscriminately with his choppa, sending
a Night Goblin head gracefully flying through the air. The rest
quietened down and trained their bows on the dwarf miners.
On the right, the Black Orcs charged into the clan warriors,
wiping them out completely, and on the left a Mangler Squig
crashed through the Longbeards and the Thunderers, killing
7 and 5 respectively in its death throes.
wiping them out completely, and on the left a Mangler Squig
crashed through the Longbeards and the Thunderers, killing
7 and 5 respectively in its death throes.
The shamans moved out of the mobs to find a better position
to cast their spells.
to cast their spells.
With the protection of the Runesmith gone, the Orc Shaman
summoned the Foot of Gork with an evil cackle. Gork stomped
on the Hammerers twice and the Longbeards once, leaving 15
Hammerers and 4 Longbeards crushed on the stone floor!
summoned the Foot of Gork with an evil cackle. Gork stomped
on the Hammerers twice and the Longbeards once, leaving 15
Hammerers and 4 Longbeards crushed on the stone floor!
The Night Goblins shot as one at the Dwarf Miners, but only
two dwarfs died from the hail of wildly inaccurate arrows.
The Rock Lobba killed two Longbeards while the Doom Diver
crashed into the big Night Goblin block, killing one.
two dwarfs died from the hail of wildly inaccurate arrows.
The Rock Lobba killed two Longbeards while the Doom Diver
crashed into the big Night Goblin block, killing one.
Turn 4 - Dwarfs
Desperate to get to grips with their enemies, the Longbeards
charged the Wolf Riders who promptly fled with mocking grins on
their faces. The Longbeards' charge took them directly into the
last Mangler Squig and in an explosion of blood, guts and gore
all the combatants were wiped out.
charged the Wolf Riders who promptly fled with mocking grins on
their faces. The Longbeards' charge took them directly into the
last Mangler Squig and in an explosion of blood, guts and gore
all the combatants were wiped out.
The Miners hefted their picks and charged the Rock Lobba, only
to be attacked by a swarm of fanatics emerging from the Night
Goblin unit - the sneaky gitz had pushed them through the Rock
Lobba! Although two fanatics died, they took nine dwarfs with
them.
The remaining miners, shocked but resolute (9 on the panic test)
charged into the war machine which was promptly hacked apart.
Determined to take as many greenskins with them, they followed
up into the Doom Diver Catapult and began to sing their death songs...
to be attacked by a swarm of fanatics emerging from the Night
Goblin unit - the sneaky gitz had pushed them through the Rock
Lobba! Although two fanatics died, they took nine dwarfs with
them.
The remaining miners, shocked but resolute (9 on the panic test)
charged into the war machine which was promptly hacked apart.
Determined to take as many greenskins with them, they followed
up into the Doom Diver Catapult and began to sing their death songs...
The Thunderers shot a volley at the Wolf Riders and two goblins
dropped from their saddles.
dropped from their saddles.
Turn 4 - Waaagh Ghor
The Wolf Riders carried on fleeing as the last fanatic whirled
off the battlefield in a demented fashion.
off the battlefield in a demented fashion.
The Night Goblin block charged the miners as the three Night
Goblin Big Bosses pushed forward hungrily to the front.
Goblin Big Bosses pushed forward hungrily to the front.
(I realised later that I had completely forgotten to move the
Black Orcs!)
Black Orcs!)
The Great Shaman unleashed the Foot of Gork again and three
stomps later all the remaining Hammerers as well as the Dwarf
Lord were reduced to greasy smudges on the ground, the Thain
only being saved by his (5+) ward save!
stomps later all the remaining Hammerers as well as the Dwarf
Lord were reduced to greasy smudges on the ground, the Thain
only being saved by his (5+) ward save!
The last goblin war machine was destroyed by the miners, but
the vengeful Night Goblin Bosses struck down six dwarfs in a
flurry of blows. The last three miners fled off the table as the
Night Goblins reformed to face the last few remaining dwarfs.
the vengeful Night Goblin Bosses struck down six dwarfs in a
flurry of blows. The last three miners fled off the table as the
Night Goblins reformed to face the last few remaining dwarfs.
Turn 5 - Dwarfs
As the Thain moved away from the Black Orcs, the Thunderers
killed two Night Goblins with their muskets.
killed two Night Goblins with their muskets.
Turn 5 - Waaagh Ghor
The Orc army closed in on the last surviving dwarfs.
The Dwarfs' natural magic resistance shrugged off a Brainbursta,
but the Foot of Gork stomped once more and killed all but one
Thunderer but left the Thain unharmed.
but the Foot of Gork stomped once more and killed all but one
Thunderer but left the Thain unharmed.
The Night Goblin shaman cast Itchy Nuisance onto the Thain
to try and prevent his escape...
Turn 6 - Dwarfs
Desperate to save the proud symbols of his clan, the last
Thunderer ran straight towards the Black Orcs to buy time
for his Thain to escape.
Thunderer ran straight towards the Black Orcs to buy time
for his Thain to escape.
Turn 6 - Waaagh Ghor
As the Wolf riders finally rallied, the Black Orcs charged the
last Thunderer who managed to cut down one orc before being
bludgeoned down by the Black Orcs' heavy axes.
last Thunderer who managed to cut down one orc before being
bludgeoned down by the Black Orcs' heavy axes.
The smaller Night Goblin unit advanced far enough forward to
send their fanatic out who whirled through the Thain, wounding
him once before disappearing from the table.
send their fanatic out who whirled through the Thain, wounding
him once before disappearing from the table.
In a final attempt to kill the enemy Battle Standard Bearer, the
Orc Shaman conjured the Foot of Gork one last time with
unstoppable force, but he and one of his shaman underlings
suffered a wound from the feedback. Gork stomped on the
Thain twice but Grungni must have been holding a protective
hand over the Dwarf as he remained untouched by the fury of
the Orc God. The final act of the battle was Gork missing his aim
altogether and crushing 18 Night Goblins.
Orc Shaman conjured the Foot of Gork one last time with
unstoppable force, but he and one of his shaman underlings
suffered a wound from the feedback. Gork stomped on the
Thain twice but Grungni must have been holding a protective
hand over the Dwarf as he remained untouched by the fury of
the Orc God. The final act of the battle was Gork missing his aim
altogether and crushing 18 Night Goblins.
The battle was over and the Orcs were victorious - but the Dwarf
battle standard had been saved. The honour of the clan would live on!
battle standard had been saved. The honour of the clan would live on!
Waaaagh!
It might seem that I had it all my way in this battle, but after
thinking about it, writing the battle report and analysing it I
realised that it was actually a mixed bag. My analysis of each
phase:
Movement Phase.
This, to be honest, was a disaster. The rock on the left and the
rubble on the right were in the way of my big blocks and the
thought of the pit in the middle opening under my Black Orcs or Night
Goblins stymied my deployment and movement completely. What
I should have done was to march the Night Goblins in narrow
formation through the middle and widen the block when I got past
the dangerous terrain. As it was my biggest unit only managed to
kill the dwarf miners - after they had destroyed my entire artillery park.
The Black Orcs also got themselves stranded in the bottom right hand
corner of the field - it was that or have them charged in the flank
by the Hammerers (although forgetting to move them for a turn
didn't help either).
I really missed Hand of Gork this game...
My fanatics and manglers did quite well, but performed under-par, with
the exception of the Manglers wiping out the Longbeards. Particularly
annoying was not being able to kill 8 Thunderers with one Mangler (3d6
hits), as the last one survived to deny me the last chance to kill the
Thain in combat.
Magic Phase.
This was a pleasure to behold. Groll is a master at shutting down my
magic phases and over all the games I've played with him I could
have counted the spells I got through without a miscast on one hand,
even if I had been called Three-finger Pete. Sniping his Runesmith
gave me a free hand (or foot, hahaha) and Gork showed exactly how
mean he is, accounting for more than Dwarfs and the Dwarf Lord!
I still don't know how his Thain survived though ;)
Shooting Phase
This really was a mixed bag. My artillery did wonderfully, squashing both
war machines and taking out the Master Engineer and (most importantly)
the Runesmith with pinpoint accuracy. I had never taken two Rock
Lobbas before and will certainly do so more often. However, they all
got overrun by the miners fairly quickly. Perhaps I should have spread my
artillery out a bit.
The flip side of the coin were my Night Goblin archers with their
poisoned arrows. Due to the terrain and my mistakes in deployment they
only had one go at shooting - and I rolled upwards of 50-60 dice and got one
(or maybe two) sixes and killed two miners. This was astoundingly inept and
a huge waste of points. The Spider banner is a gamble that relies on me
rolling large numbers of sixes. This has worked for me in the past but not
this time.
Combat Phase
There wasn't much of this and what there was was fairly predictable. The
Black Orcs were always going to defeat the Warriors and Thunderers and
the Great Weapon wielding Night Goblin Big Bosses took down the miners
nicely. A fight between the Hammerers and the Black Orcs would have been
interesting though...
Summary
The stellar performance of my Great Shaman and artillery basically won this
game for me, and I certainly can't complain about the result. I just have
to look for a combined arms approach to get units in horde formation
working well together next time...
It might seem that I had it all my way in this battle, but after
thinking about it, writing the battle report and analysing it I
realised that it was actually a mixed bag. My analysis of each
phase:
Movement Phase.
This, to be honest, was a disaster. The rock on the left and the
rubble on the right were in the way of my big blocks and the
thought of the pit in the middle opening under my Black Orcs or Night
Goblins stymied my deployment and movement completely. What
I should have done was to march the Night Goblins in narrow
formation through the middle and widen the block when I got past
the dangerous terrain. As it was my biggest unit only managed to
kill the dwarf miners - after they had destroyed my entire artillery park.
The Black Orcs also got themselves stranded in the bottom right hand
corner of the field - it was that or have them charged in the flank
by the Hammerers (although forgetting to move them for a turn
didn't help either).
I really missed Hand of Gork this game...
My fanatics and manglers did quite well, but performed under-par, with
the exception of the Manglers wiping out the Longbeards. Particularly
annoying was not being able to kill 8 Thunderers with one Mangler (3d6
hits), as the last one survived to deny me the last chance to kill the
Thain in combat.
Magic Phase.
This was a pleasure to behold. Groll is a master at shutting down my
magic phases and over all the games I've played with him I could
have counted the spells I got through without a miscast on one hand,
even if I had been called Three-finger Pete. Sniping his Runesmith
gave me a free hand (or foot, hahaha) and Gork showed exactly how
mean he is, accounting for more than Dwarfs and the Dwarf Lord!
I still don't know how his Thain survived though ;)
Shooting Phase
This really was a mixed bag. My artillery did wonderfully, squashing both
war machines and taking out the Master Engineer and (most importantly)
the Runesmith with pinpoint accuracy. I had never taken two Rock
Lobbas before and will certainly do so more often. However, they all
got overrun by the miners fairly quickly. Perhaps I should have spread my
artillery out a bit.
The flip side of the coin were my Night Goblin archers with their
poisoned arrows. Due to the terrain and my mistakes in deployment they
only had one go at shooting - and I rolled upwards of 50-60 dice and got one
(or maybe two) sixes and killed two miners. This was astoundingly inept and
a huge waste of points. The Spider banner is a gamble that relies on me
rolling large numbers of sixes. This has worked for me in the past but not
this time.
Combat Phase
There wasn't much of this and what there was was fairly predictable. The
Black Orcs were always going to defeat the Warriors and Thunderers and
the Great Weapon wielding Night Goblin Big Bosses took down the miners
nicely. A fight between the Hammerers and the Black Orcs would have been
interesting though...
Summary
The stellar performance of my Great Shaman and artillery basically won this
game for me, and I certainly can't complain about the result. I just have
to look for a combined arms approach to get units in horde formation
working well together next time...
The Report is Copyright (c) 2014 Khazgar. All rights reserved.
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How come your army has 3 manglers in under 3k force? is it some thing the campaign allowed for?
ReplyDeleteTheoretically I should have swapped a Mangler for a Pump Wagon but I doubt that the outcome would have changed in this case.
ReplyDeleteI was encouraged to write "fluffy" or character lists for the armies and with so many Night Goblins it only seemed right to take the three Manglers, a Pump Wagon would have felt out of place. My opponents were happy with it - we try and be flexible in our group to create armies with character behind them rather than searching for the "perfect army" and playing it until we get bored.