Welcome to my latest campaign. Here is how it works: The dwarfs of Clan Cold'un are searching for the lost rune of freshness. When inscribed on any vessel, be it a mug or a tankard, it will keep its liquid contents as cold as a mountain peak in winter, and eternally fresh. It is little wonder that the clan will go to any length to recover such an important part of their heritage. To find it they will need to find the tablets of the clan’s most famous Runelord Iculd Cold’un. Whenever a game is played I will consult the table below. If I play with the Empire, there will be a -1 penalty to all pieces found unless there are DoW dwarfs in the army because of humans' lack of expertese in locating the pieces. The Dwarfs and Empire both start off with 3 tablets. If either go down to 0 tablets then that army it out of the campaign. There are a total of 15 tablets that must be found.
Massacre Victory: 3
Solid Victory: 2
Minor Victory: 1
Draw: 0
Minor Loss: -1
Solid Loss: -2
Massacre Loss: -3
Game 1
1500 points, Dwarfs v. Wood Elves
Wood Elves
Noble: Waywatcher Kindred, Bow, Can teleport between forests
Noble: Alter Kindred, Bow, Great Weapon, Helm of the Hunt, Hail of Doom Arrow, negative modifiers to hit if near woods
10x Archers
10x Archers
10x Archers
9x Dryads
5x Glade Riders
8x Wardancers
3x Treekin
6x Waywatchers
3x Eagle Riders
Dwarfs
Master Engineer: Rune of Gromril and Resistance, Great Weapon
Thane: BSB, 2x Runes of Iron, Rune of Stone
10x Quarellers: Shields
25x Warriors: Hand Weapons, Shields, Heavy Armor, Full Command
25x Warriors: Hand Weapons, Shields, Heavy Armor, Full Command
21x Hammerers: Shields, Full Command, Rune of Grimnir
Bolt Thrower: Valiant Rune (unbreakable rune), Rune of Fire (Master Engineer goes here)
Bolt Thrower: Runes of Fire and Immolation, Engineer with Brace of Pistols
Organ Gun
Deployment
For some reason my computer can’t run the program I use to make maps. So you’ll have to use your imagination. On the wood elf side (north), he had two pieces of woods (the left hand wood was close to the center of the table, the right hand wood was in his deployment zone). On the dwarf side of the table (south) there was a hill in the center of my deployment zone, and a tower to the right of it.
The dwarfs deployed with both bolt throwers on the center hill, and all three blocks in front of the hill (warriors, hammerers, warriors). To the left of the hill was the organ gun. In the tower on the right were the quarellers.
The elves deployed as such: On the left flank, sheltering behind the woods, were the treekin, dryads and eagle riders. In the center were two blocks of archers. The wardancers, with the hail of doom arrow noble went into the right woods. To the far right, past the woods, was the last block of archers.
The waywatchers deployed in the center of the board with the other noble, in full sight of my guns.
Turn 1
Lothien and his waywatchers walked out of the woods to head off the invading dwarfs. He suppressed a sneer as he saw the stunted creatures. A solid mass of seventy five dwarfs were marching straight towards his home, and he would not allow them to defile it.
“Stop! I, Lothien, warden of the Amber Glade command you to stop. Turn back now or face the consequences.”
The dwarfs just looked at each other. It is a common misconception, but not every race speaks the same language. The elf could be singing a show tune for all the dwarfs knew. One of the dwarfs stood forward.
“Oi! Ye be speakin’ Reikspell then? We dunnae understan’ ye tongue.”
Now, even if the elf could speak the language of humans it is questionable if he could have made out the dwarf’s thick accent. Losing patience he signaled for his men to fire a volley over the heads of the dwarfs as a warning shot.
“They be attackin’! Shields!”
As one the dwarfs raised their shields. The artillary crew who were covering their advance opened fire on the elves. Exposed in the open, six of the seven elves were blown away in a shower of blood. Lothien, a look of shock and disgust on his face, ran at full speed to the treeline. His kinsmen, having witnissed the slaughter, drew back their bow strings and rushed to his aid.
The dwarfs got the first turn. The three blocks moved forward, and the organ gun killed 5 waywatchers. The crossbowmen shot down the last waywatcher, and the two bolt throwers both missed the lone noble.
The noble ran into the woods, while the elven line moved up. The eagles landed right behind the forest, ready to pounce next turn. Shooting saw two warriors fall.
Turn 2
Lothien continued his flight and dived into the woods. The dwarven organ gun traced his path, blowing apart the dense foliage as its crew hunted the lone elf. Lothien almost made it, as he dived behind a tree, but before he could slip away one final blast tore the tree apart, and with it the elf.
From out of the forest burst a body of riders, who fired arrow after arrow into the tightly packed dwarfs. Little did they know that the newly erected tower that the dwarfs were using as a barracks was still inhabited. A dozen bolts flew out from its arrow slits and from the dwarfs concealed on the roofs. Like the other elves, the riders were in the open and quickly fell to the ground in pools of blood. The forest itself seemed to radiate anger, and from hidden positions in the trees a swarm of arrows fell into the dwarven ranks. Infuriated by their losses, the dwarfs marched resolutely on.
The three blocks moved forward again, this time with the hammerers moving out abit infront of the two warrior blocks. The organ gun blasted apart the lone noble, while my quarellers wiped out the glade riders.
The eagles flew out and landed right behind the organ gun, the archers inched forward and the dryads moved up abit, but would not be able to charge the organ gun next turn. The treekin and wardancers set themselves up to pounce on the blocks as they moved towards the archers. Speaking of them, they shot down 5 hammerers, 1 of whom fell to the hail of doom arrow.
Turn 3
Driven wild by rage, a lone elf charged out of the woods with a huge sword in his hands. He was heading straight towards the dwarven tower. Another shower of bolt came out, but theelf nimbly weaved and dodged his way through the hail. Tears ran down his eyes as he screamed a warcry. His brother had been one of the elves who had gone to talk to the dwarfs and he would have his revenge! Cries of alarm came from the trees as he made his charge. Up on a hill overlooking the battle a group of dwarven crewman watched the elf with something close to approval on their faces. They respected his bravery, but not his intelligence. He was so intent on his vengeance that he hadn’t thought of the possibility that others might be watching him. The dwarfs carefully aimed their bolt thrower and with a single shot pinned the elf to a tree. A fitting end in their eyes.
Even as the elf met his end, a trio of ealge riders took off from the peaks high above the battlefield. They were used to hunting packs of beastmen and goblins, and were little prepared for the skill of the dwarfs. Used to taking down wyrvens and the like, the artillery spoke, and soon two of the eagles, with their riders, plummeted to the ground. The last elf turned his mount around and fled from the field.
But not all was well for the Dawi. As the warriors marched into the woods, the thick canopy swallowed them. As effective as it was, their artillery and crossbows would no longer be able to support them…
The dwarf battle line adavanced again, but the warriors had to go at slight angles to make sure the dryads/wardancers couldn't flank them. My quarellers fired at his lone noble, but thanks to his magic item they all missed. Then he was skewered by a bolt thrower. The other bolt thrower and the organ gun took down an eagle each, and the last one fled off the board.
In his turn three the dryads ran up to be within range of the organ gun and out of the charge arc of the warriors. The archers fired again, further thining out the number of hammerers.
Turn 4
The dwarfs were swallowed up by the forest and a silence fell over the clearing. The dwarven artillery crew waited in silence as the sounds of dwarven battle cries, and death rattles, came out. So intent on this that they barely saw the trees creeping closer to them. It wasn’t until the last second that the organ gun crewman saw their doom approaching. They let loose one last salvo, but it took down more trees than dryads. By the time they could tell the difference, it was too late…
My dwarfs advance again. In my shooting phase my quarellers shoot down 5 archers. The organ gun fires at the dryads. 2 hits. I re-roll to 10! I do 6 wounds...and he makes 5 ward saves. A bolt thrower then shoots down another dryad.
The dryads charge the organ gun. His unit of archers rallies, and the treekin/wardancers stay patiently on the flanks. In the shooting phase his archers all fire on my right warriors, taking them down to 15 models. Bah! The dryads procede to kill 2 crewmen and the last one runs away.
Turn 5
Even as the enroaching trees drove the dwarfs back, the body of warriors pushed further in. They could see the elves now, but could do little to catch them. But the elves were retreating, and the dwarfs were close to their objective. They could see it now…a pool of pure water with a shrine that was tree-sung into the center of it. On the shrine was their goal…a chalice, and a sheet of gromril. The hammerers trudged their way towards it, with a body of warriors guarding the rear. It was then that the guardians of the shrine attacked. A host of wardancers leapt down from the trees and into the dwarven ranks. Eight dwarfs fell in as many seconds, with only a single dwarf dragging an elf to its death with him. The leader of the expedition called for them to hold the line while he put a muddy, booted foot into the once clear water.
My crewman rallies, and my hammerers charge his archers, while the warriors attempt to. His left hand archers flee away from my hammerers, and he stands and shoots with his center archers. My warriors are 6.5'' away, and they lose 1 dwarf. Shooting takes down 1 more dryad.
In his turn he rallies his archers, and charges his wardancers into my warriors and dryads into the rallied crewman. His archers fire on my hammerers, taking them down to about 13 models now. The wardancers kill 8 warriors for 1 kill back. I roll snake eyes and hold! However the dryads butcher the last crewman and run off the board.
Turn 6
The dwarfs held firm as the wardancers went into a frenzy. More and more dwarfs fell as arrows flew out of the trees and sharp blades flashed at their necks. But finally the chalice and tablet were ripped from the shrine, and with their prize in hand the dwarfs made a fighting retreat out of the woods. The pool of water was now dark with mud and blood, but the dwarfs cared not. Step by step they made their way out, and by the time they left the forest every dwarf had a score of arrows in his shield, and a few in each back as well. Of the seventy two dwarfs who went into the forest, barely fourty had made it out alive. But even for that cost it was a great victory, and one that the elves would not soon forget…
Facing a rear charge from the treekin my hammerers turn to face them. It isn't like they are going to catch the archers anyways! Shooting sees both bolt throwers nail the treekin in the flank though (they were within 2'' of the edge of the wood)! The first bolt thrower rolls a 1 to wound. The second kills 1 treekin and does 2 wounds on the second. Bah! In hand to hand combat, I am down to 5 warriors v. 7 wardancers. The elves kill 1 dwarf, but my dwarfs hold.
In the final part of the game he decides not to do any charges. He takes my hammerers down to about 10ish models with his archers, and his wardancers kill 1 more dwarf for no loss back. My last 3 warriors hold once more!
Final
Dwarfs: 947 points (1/2 archers, eagles, waywatchers, glade riders, 2 heroes, 1 table quarter and the general)
Elves: 421 (organ gun, 1/2 hammerers, 1/2 warriors)
Solid victory to the dwarfs!
Thoughts
1. This was actually a very fun game. I decided right away that I would walk into the teeth of his army, as it isn't fun to stand still. Out of 72 dwarfs who marched into the woods, about fourty came out...and they only managed to kill 1 elf! Apparently large blocks and hand to hand combat are not the right ways to kill a wood elf.
2. However my shooting decimated him. The organ gun and quarellers more than paid for themselves...in fact, my shooting got me all of my points. What really helped me was my organ gun working well and him not sending in his units all at once. If he had rushed me with everything all at once, he would have had a much easier time of taking down my artillery.
3. To explain his waywatchers in the open...he didn't know what the organ gun could do (he thought that it had to roll to hit like a helblaster), and against other armies this tactic worked well for him. -3 to hit them (skirmishers, waywatchers, long range), and they flee whenever charged. I was told that against Bretonnians they were amazing. Somehow I think that next time I won't be so lucky.
4. Nate (the Wood Elf player) had an amazing looking army! Really, it looked great. It was fall themed, with very detailed painting. The best part were his treekin. Modeled off of the new trolls, he had used greenstuff to convert them and had even sculpted sprites onto them. The best detail was this: Apparently he often tells the Bretonnian player that his elves steal human children. Becaue of this he modeled a baby onto one of the treekin, which is caught in the brambles. Brilliant. His army might have lost, but it looked damned good doing it!
5. What really saved me was my warriors holding with insane courage, and then refusing to budge. That was an easy 225 victory points saved by their heroics! And finally, while by victory points I won, it is clear that in another turn or 2 I would have lost all of my right-warriors and hammerers. So in another few turns the wood elf player would have gained at least 300-500 victory points. The game was much closer than the victory points would lead one to believe.
Campaign Progress
* The dwarfs won a solid victory. They now have 5 campaign pieces. The humans have not fought yet, so they have 3. 8/15 complete.
Originally Posted by Chem-Dog
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Malorian
