The Bitter Rivalry Between Vampires and Ratmen

[huitzilopochtli]

I play vampires. My brother plays skaven. It's actually good humoured and not bitter at all. Here's our first 2500pts battle.

Scenario: meeting engagement - the diagonal one

Lists (from memory):
Me: level 4 mounted vampire lord
level 2 necromancer
level 1 vampire hero
banshee
40 skeletons
38 skeletons
20 zombies
3x5 wolves
30 grave guard
10 black knights
spirit host
4 blood knights

My brother: grey seer on bell
35-40clanrats (with bell) with PWM
level 2 plague priest
level 2 warlock engineer
assassin
chieftain
chieftain BSB
50ish slaves
25-30 clanrats with PWM
6 rat ogres with associated packmasters/master moulder
6 plague censor bearers
24 plague monks
doomwheel

Board:
In future I'll take a picture of the board to show terrain, but for now I'll describe it from my battle line's point of view. In the far left corner was a watchtower surrounded by walls. Moving right was a large forest that stuck a little into the middle of the board. On the far right was an arcane ruin. In the near left corner were some fences and to their right a lake. Further right was a hill and on the right flank was a marsh. The board was divided up this way "/" so that my brother got the watchtower while I got the hill.

Setup:
My brother won the roll to set up first and did so. None of his units were held in reserve. His setup involved hiding a unit of clanrats behind the walls around the watchtower (with chieftain and warlock engineer), keeping bell and unit with BSB to the right (all descriptions as seen from my table edge) behind the slaves with the - at present - hidden assassin. PWMs to the right of each unit. Behind the forest on the right of his deployment zone he placed his plague monks behind his censor bearers. On his protruding left flank were the rat ogres and the doomwheel, angled towards the centre.

I set up centred around the hill. My blood knights were held in reserve, but the rest of the army didn't. On top of the hill I placed my zombie bunker with necromancer. To the left and on the slopes, I placed a unit of 40 skeletons and just in front of those the unit of 38 with vampire hero, all facing left towards the oncoming rat ogres and doomwheel. In front of the hill, facing the forest went 30 grave guard with banshee. Eschewing conventional wisdom, I placed my vampire lord with his black knight bodyguard in front of and to the right of the hill, on the flank of my army. My spirit host went to the right, hidden in the marsh, while my wolves were scattered about the battle field. One unit was placed just behind the lake, facing the enemy. The other two were placed at the edge of the forest, one facing the plague monks, the other angled slightly to the left.

The game: Summary
An eventful match. 4 miscasts leave a warlock engineer dead and my vampire lord level 1. My tactic is to hold the centre and move my lord and retinue round the right flank, eventually aiming for the bell. It works very well and I only lose 2 units of wolves and the grave guard, the latter being beaten in turn 4 as the skaven finally broke through my centre. Best spell of the game goes to wind of death. The vortex sweeps through 4 units and cripples the skaven. Best move of the game goes to a unit of wolves, who lead a frenzied unit of rat ogres right into the sights of some blood knights from reserve, who charge in the flank and destroy the unit.


The game: Long Version
1a. I failed to sieze the initiative so my brother began with turn one, which was pretty uneventful. His rat ogres, plague monks and censor bearers all passed their restrain tests against my wolves - lucky for him - so he went onto just moving. His plague monks wheeled and marched left, running away from my knights which were bearing down on them, while the censor bearers moved forwards a little. The rat ogres started moving towards the skeleton blocks, out of LOS of the wolves on the left. His slaves moved forward and a PWM followed beside them. The doomwheel rolled a 4 for movement and started heading towards the skeleton blocks.

Magic was pretty uneventful. His plague priest was now facing the wrong way to cast anything and his grey seer was too far away to do much. The bell rolled a 4 I think and didn't do anything. It was left to his warlock engineer to warplightning the wolves on the left but I easily dispelled with all my dice, thinking that'd be the end of it. Not so - with his last few dice he cast death frenzy on his slaves with his grey seer and I elected not to use my scroll.

In the shooting phase one PWM misfired and went off target (I couldn't reach one of his units so I just put it safely away from my wolves, the original target). The other landed among my skeletons with vampire, killing 7. His doomwheel failed to restrain shooting, and fired at his rat ogres killing two packmasters. At the end of the turn 6 slaves died to death frenzy.

1b. I began with a charge - one of my wolf units at his PWM beside the slaves. He thought he could hide behind the forest, he was wrong! They reached the PWM and I continued moving my other units. Skeletons moved a little towards the far left corner, trying to angle to meet the inevitable charges as best they could. My wolves on the left flank moved back into the front arc of the rat ogres, facing away from my table edge. Meanwhile, my blood dragons came on from reserve to their right, moving to face the wolves. On the right flank my spirit host moved 12" forward, aiming to go round the censor bearers. My knights moved 4 or 5 inches, getting in charge range of the censor bearers.

Magic started off well. I rolled 11 and channelled a 12th. My brother also channelled a dispel dice. I started with the book of arkhan on skeletons which was dispelled with one dice. Next, 2 dice invocation to raise more zombies (and raise back skeletons) - double 6's! I raise 6 zombies and all the skeletons, while the miscast kills 2 zombies and drains 5 or 6 dice from my magic phase. Sod. I try casting a couple of spells with my lord, but they're both dispelled.

In combat my wolves easily kill the PWM, but take a wound in return. They overrun into the bell and its unit.

2a. Everything goes to hell for the skaven. The slaves attempt to charge my skeletons, and roll way too low. They shuffle three inches forward. The censor bearers and plague monks pass their restrain tests and don't charge either wolf unit, but the rat ogres are not so lucky. They crash into my wolves on the left and too late my brother realizes the trap - the blood knights will be set to flank charge on the next turn if he doesn't overrun off the table! The doomwheel rolls very poorly again and rolls uselessly another few inches towards the skeletons. The PWM on the left moves to face the blood knights while the plague monks turn to the edge of the forest, facing me. They take a couple of wounds from the mysterious terrain.

In the magic phase, I dispel his first couple of spells. He then casts plague on 16 on my grave guard. Not taking any chances, I decide to use my scroll. The bell rolls to allow him to reroll leadership tests for the rest of the turn. Not very useful.

Shooting, his remaining PWM misses the blood knights and the doomwheel restrains firing at the weapon team. Nothing to write home about.

In combat, his bell unit beats back my wolves without casualties and his rat ogres do the same. Unfortunately for him, they don't overrun far enough to escape the blood knights.

1 slave dies from death frenzy.

2b. Blood knights charge the rat ogres in the flank! While my vampire lord and black knights charge the plague censor bearers. My remaining wolves move to the centre of the field, just in front of the slaves and at an awkward angle for a charge. The spirit host moves left behind enemy ranks and the skeletons shuffle about a bit more.

In the magic phase, the book of arkhan is dispelled, I manage to raise a few more zombies and my vampire lord throws out a wind of death vortex on double 6's! the vortex moves through the censor bearers, the plague monks and passes right through the bell unit. The censor bearers lose two models, the monks 5-10, while the bell unit loses about 10. Meanwhile my vampire loses 3 magic levels and I run out of power dice.

In combat, my black knights lose a model to the censors fumes but my vampire lord easily destroys the unit. We restrain overrun and reform to face the bell unit, though it's still two turns away. Meanwhile, my blood knights kill two rat ogres and take a wound of the master moulder, while the shock prod-wielding skaven slays a vampire. It's not enough to prevent the unit breaking, though, and the remaining 3 blood knights run the unit down and wind up behind the lake.

3a. At this point my brother is really hoping for a bit of luck. It doesn't come. His slaves fail to reach the skeletons and move another 3 or 4 inches forward. His doomwheel rolls abysmally again and doesn't look like it'll ever see combat. He moves his warlock engineer out of his clanrats and his plague monks move into the forest without taking damage. The bell unit moves away from the vortex beside them and towards the centre of the board.

In the magic phase, the bell allows rerolling leadership tests while the warlock engineer fires a magic missile at my skeletons, killing 3 or so. The real threat comes from the plague priest who attempts to use plague, and I fail to dispel using all my dice. My grave guard lose 6 models and my banshee takes a wound. For a moment, things look good for the skaven, but the spell backfires and bounces to his slaves, who lose 10 models, before ending. With only one power dice left, I think I'm safe, but his grey seer eats a handful of warpstone tokens and casts the dreaded thirteenth on my grave guard, with double 6's! 15 or so grave guard are turned into rats. The miscast is not so bad, killing 4 or 5 rats but failing to harm the grey seer or the bell. I'm left with one rank of grave guard and a half dead, undead banshee. The vortex moves through both the bell unit and the slaves, killing 17 slaves and 7 clanrats.

Shooting, his PWM misfires and the shot goes wide. The doomwheel again restrains shooting.

I slave dies from death frenzy.

3b. As my grave guard are no longer a threat to the plague monks, I move the banshee out of the unit and towards the monks. The spirit host and knights move towards the bell unit and my blood knights move around the lake and over the fences, trying to get a better position. Sadly, 2 horses never make it over the fences and I'm reluctant to enter the last horse into the darby. My skeletons move forward to meet the doomwheel.

My magic phase is uneventful and it's pretty much all dispelled. The vortex moves one last time through the bell unit, taking it below 10 models and the bell can no longer move.

In the shooting phase my banshee is determined to make some noise, and for her first ever scream she rolls double 6's! 7 plague monks fall dead leaving only the command and the plague priest alive.

4a. It's looking pretty hopeless but the skaven fight on in an uncharicaristic manner. The plague monks charge the weakened grave guard but the slaves fail to get into combat with the skeletons yet again. At least the doomwheel finally makes its charge, though! The now immobile bell is also presenting it's flank to the approaching knights and spirit host.

The winds of magic don't blow very strongly, the only spell that works is warplightning cast at my skeletons, the only visible target. The spell backfires and the warlock engineer takes a wound, though.

In the shooting phase, the PWM fires at the skeletons and it scatters into my grave guard, killing 3 or 4. The doomwheel is now closest to my skeletons, who take 2 wounds from shooting.

In combat, I lose another couple of grave guard to the plague priest's censor before he eats up the entire unit before I get to fight. He overruns, heading toward my zombie bunker on the hill. The doomwheel kills a few skeletons, but loses combat and flees. The skeletons don't reach it with pursue.

2 slaves die from death frenzy.

4b. I'm fed up waiting for the slaves to meet me in combat so my skeletons with vampire charge them... and fail to reach. Even though we're 10 inches apart. My vampire and knights, as well as the spirit host, charge the flank of the bell unit. My remaining blood knight moves is out of range to charge anything, so moves to face the remaining PWM. My necromancer, fearing for his safety, leaves his zombie bunker and runs down the hill, away from the plague monks. Lastly, my banshee turns around to try to catch up with the plague monks.

In the magic phase, nothing useful occurs. Everything is dispelled or fails, and the vortex moves away from the fighting.

In the shooting phase, my banshee kills the remaining two plague monks.

In combat, my vampire lord destroys the BSB and my spirit host deals a wound to the unit. The unbreakable skaven remain where they are, though there are only 2 models and the bell left.

5a. Seeing that it's hopeless, we agree to end at the end of my next turn. His plague monk charges the zombies, his doomwheel finally charges the skeletons, his slaves still fail to meet the vampire and his unit. (It may be that he didn't charge, I can't quite remember with certainty.)

When magic comes round, my brother throws all his dice into plague, hoping to hop it from unit to unit. He casts it at my zombies with irresistable force, killing 10 or so but the spell goes no further. The miscast deals him a wound and also gives one to the warlock engineer, killing him.

In the shooting phase the PWM misses its target yet again and the doomwheel fails it's restrain test, killing the little weapon team.

In combat, my vampire finishes off the bell's unit and hacks at the bell, but to no avail. The plague monk kills some zombies but the unit survives its crumbling.

2 slaves die from death frenzy.

5b. My banshee charges the plague priest, and reaches him. The remaining blood knight charges the doomwheel, and runs it down. The skeletons finally hit into the slaves with the wolfs hitting the flank for good measure.

In the magic phase, everything I do is dispelled – sucks not having a level 4 wizard.

Shooting comes around and my banshee screams the plague priest, taking his last wound.

In combat, my vampire's unit fails to finish off the bell but the combination of wolves, vampire and skeletons breaks the slaves, who kill 3 wolves and 2 skeletons as they disperse.

The game ends a victory for the vampires!

There are lots of things we could have done differently, I'm sure a couple of things we played wrong, but we had fun and I'm happy with my first win in a while.

[huitzilopochtli]

Battle 2: Prologue

I've decided to try to write this battle report as a story, rather than "this happened, then this happened, then this other thing happened..." Might make it more interesting to read, and if not it will make it more interesting to write. This prologue details our respective army lists and sets the mood for the battle, which will be written up shortly.

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Seermaster Longtail cracked his staff over the foot of his rat ogre, ordering him to ring the bell and signal the advance of his army.

“Ring-clang, hurry-hurry,” he chittered. He scurried around the massive platform of his screaming bell, snapping, snarling and viciously hitting any clanrat that wasn't moving fast enough. “We hurry-scurry to the warpstone-star before dead-things find it,” he told his banner bearer. “Hurry-fast and you get first piece!”

The chieftain raised the towering standard of Clan Grey, barking orders at the army to fall in line. The Seermaster scrambled to the top of the screaming bell and perched there as it lumbered forward. He bared his teeth in annoyance. They must go fast-fast to find warpstone before the dead-things! The warpstone they were after would make him rich enough to buy every seat on the council. At least it better. It had cost him a small fortune to raise this army. Not his fortune, of course, but that fact didn't disturb him. After all, wasn't it he that was risking his life to take the precious stone? Was it not his brilliance that allowed him to predict where the stone would fall? Was it not his genius that allowed him to bring together this great force to retrieve it!

He took a sniff from the warpstone pouch hanging from his horn, savouring the fiery sting as it set his mind alight. Yes, he deserved this treasure. He was the Seermaster, and even the Seerlords would bow before him! He had earned this army, this mighty horde of flesh and brass and steel, and with it he would take what was rightfully his. He looked down and glared at his troops, as if by will alone he could force them to move faster.

Longtail's great bell was pushed forward by a company of clanrats, and flanked by two more formations of Clan Grey's warriors. Behind him were the rat ogres, plague monks and crazed censor bearers, bought or bribed at great expense from their respective Clans. Still further behind were the unpredictable machines of Clan Skryre: poison wind mortars, a warpfire thrower, and alongside them rolled a doomwheel, one of Clan Skryre's most deadly creations, although deadly for whom was anyone's guess. Their warlock engineer marched, for now, with the bell, as did the plague priest and Longtail's lieutenant. Later on, they would lead different sections of his army, but for now the Seermaster wanted them where he could see them. A knife in the back could come at any time, he knew, and he didn't trust that warlock engineer. It wasn't often Clan Skryre provided so many weapons without at least a dozen of their techno-wizards to overseer their care. Something didn't smell right. Longtail sneered. If the tinker-rat tried anything he'd be in for a surprise. The Seermaster had hired an Eshin assassin to “assist” the engineer, even if the engineer didn't know it.

Filled with new confidence to have such power at his command, the Seermaster licked his lips in anticipation. He said a quick prayer to the Horned Rat, not that there was any need. With such a force at his disposal, how could the Horned One not favour him?

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Sammael von Carstein held the squirming rat-creature by the throat and muttered an incantation. To enthral the wretched animal he must lock gazes with it, but the cursed rat was too terrified to meet his eyes. His paws scrabbled uselessly against the vampire's grip and his head jerked left and right, attempting to bite the gauntleted hand that held it. A peculiar, musky odour had enveloped the creature, one the vampire had come to associate with terror.

Very well, he thought. If this thing cannot be persuaded to give up the information, there were other ways of obtaining it.

Sammael released his grip on the rat scout, and for an instant it's eyes filled with hope of escape. The moment was short lived, however. Before it even hit the ground, Sammael's sword lashed out, cutting a deep wound that ran from the creature's abdomen to the bottom of his jaw. Blood splashed about the tent and the rat was dead.

Resisting the urge to gorge himself on the skaven's fetid blood, the last, true von Carstein spat a new incantation, an invocation to animate the dead animal. What it had not revealed to him in life was impossible in death to hide. The undead lord drew from what little there was left of this fresh zombie's mind everything he could learn about the ratmen force. They were marching south, quickly, and would reach the warpstone meteorite within three days, a full day before his own army. This would be plenty of time for the cowardly vermin to drag it below ground and beyond his reach. Well, that would have to be changed.

Having learned what he needed, Sammael von Carstein released his command over the dead rat. Instantly, it collapsed to the floor and was pounced upon by four figures in blood red armour. They were Sammael's newest vampiric children, and were much less able to restrain themselves than their older brother, who stood at the back of the tent with the army's only necromancer. Sammael marched towards his two lieutenants and handed each of them a delicately carved warpstone coin.

“Wake the troops,” he ordered. “We march north-east, double time, night and day. There is a horde of vermin attempting to steal our prize. We will engage them in two days' time. Prepare for battle.”

His commanders acknowledged the order with a nod and, swallowing the coins, together began the invocation. In the forest surrounding the tent, the bodies of the dead rose at the sound of their masters' call in a dreadful parody of life. From where they had been allowed to fall the previous day, two full companies of skeletons, a shambling mass of zombies and a contingent of well-armed wights marched to the rhythm of the incantation. From the forest itself came creatures of the night, three packs of dire wolves, and from a shallow grave where once there stood a shrine to a forgotten god, the spirits of the restless dead were drawn forth to form a swarm of ghostly apparitions. One spirit amongst them, a witch-priestess in life, retained a measure of her power in death and was called away from the swarm that her talents might be used elsewhere. Now finished their meal, the four young vampires saddled their mounts and joined the undead horde.

At the forefront of the growing column rode Sammael von Carstein and his bodyguard; ten wights taken from ancient tombs across the Old World and gifted with enchanted steeds. The vampire's tent was left to rot as the dead marched ominously through the undergrowth.

Army Lists:

Vampires
Vampire Lord Level 4 (Vampire), heavy armour, barded nightmare, red fury, quickblood, sword of anti-heroes, enchanted shield, talisman of preservation

Vampire (Vampire), heavy armour, additional hand weapon, book of arkhan, dragonhelm
Necromancer Level 2 (Vampire), dispel scroll
Banshee

40 Skeletons full command, spears
38 Skeletons full command, spears
20 Zombies
5 Dire Wolves
5 Dire Wolves
5 Dire Wolves

30 Grave Guard full command, great weapons, banner of the barrows
10 Black Knights full command, barding, lances, banner of the eternal flame
Spirit Host

4 Blood Knights

Skaven
Grey Seer screaming bell, +2 warpstone tokens, dispel scroll, potion of toughness

Chieftain BSB, shield, banner of the eternal flame
Warlock Engineer Level 1, warp energy condensor
Plague Priest Level 2, plague censor
Chieftain additional hand weapon, tail weapon, poisoned attacks, dragonhelm
Assassin tail weapon, infernal bomb

20 Clanrats full command, spears, shields, PWM
30 Clanrats full command, shields, PWM
30 Clanrats full command, shields, warpfire thrower

6 Rat Ogres 2 packmasters, master-bred rat ogre, master moulder w. shock prod
24 Plague Monks full command, plague banner
6 Plague Censor Bearers

Doomwheel

[Toshiro]

Great fluff! For me a good story really elevates this hobby a lot. Just throw in some nice pictures of painted armies battling each other and you'll have the perfect batrep thread (in my opinion)!

[huitzilopochtli]

In the moonless night, the Seermaster lashed his tail in frustration. One of his scouts had reported a vast army of the dead-things approaching from the south: thousands of skeletons led by hundreds of the terrible blood- daemons! Of course, Longtail had killed him on the spot for trying to panic his troops with such exaggerations (and to send a message to any other scouts that might think to bring him ill news), but it was too late. Word of the undead horde was already being squeaked in every corner of his army. His troops would undoubtedly try to flee if he didn't do something to prevent it.

Scurrying back onto the bell's platform, he jabbed his rat ogre in the ribs to wake him. The gigantic brute's eyes snapped open and he snarled at his attacker, but quickly became subdued when he saw the face of his master. He heaved on the rope and rang the bell thirteen times.

“All-all listen-hear!” commanded Longtail, his voice magically amplified with the sliver of a warpstone token. “The Horned One spoke and warned-tell me of puny band of dead-bones. The Great Rat say-tell us to slay-kill all dead-things! We cannot lose!” On cue, the Seermaster's chieftains began roaring in approval, encouraging the nearby clanrats to do the same with the tips of their blades. Within a few minutes, the entire army was screaming for battle.

“Dead-things think they can chase-catch the Great Seermaster, but we will make-set trap! Dead-things, die-die!” As the roar of the horde gradually quietened to an excited chittering, the Seermaster set about planning the trap he had promised would bring them victory. Less than an hour before dawn, his troops were in position and lying in wait for the approaching dead.

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Sammael von Carstein led his army in its march. He was concerned. The scouts had returned with the news that the ratmen's army had stopped moving, which could only mean one thing. They knew they were being followed. So much for secrecy.

Dawn was fast approaching and despite the ample cloud cover, the vampire lord wanted to strike before the sun rose. Exerting his will over his troops, Sammael redoubled their pace and orchestrated his battle plan. He and the rest of the cavalry would take the western flank. His infantry would hold the centre while the necromancer and his zombies would move on the eastern flank to rain magic over their foes. The wolves took up position as the vanguard of the army, racing ahead of the infantry to screen them and pick off soft targets.

The sun was just beginning to rise as the two forces met, and in the growing light Sammael saw the error of his judgement. His infantry were trapped behind a copse with little room to manoeuvre, while his necromancer had been forced to move around an impassible lake and overly conspicuous hill, leaving him too far to the east to be of any use. No matter, he thought, running his tongue over his teeth. He could feel the bloodlust rising. He didn't need his necromancer. He would take the entire horde or vermin on his own if he must. He would cut them down with steel and claw and tooth and he would feast on their blood until all that remained was a second skeletal army at his command...

As the last of his troops assumed their position, Seermaster Longtail sprang his trap.

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Photos of the battlefield.




Most of our models aren't painted yet (as you can see). Some of mine aren't even fully built (grave guard haven't got weapons yet to facilitate painting, spirit hosts are still being converted). His doomwheel is painted (by me) though and my wolves are WIP. You'll get to see the army develop over time.

Boring Stuff

Scenario – Dawn Attack
Skaven set up and go first.
Most of his units deploy in the centre, the plague monks being about the only thing to go on the left flank (from my point of view). My first unit I place on my far right flank, intending to ignore my left flank if possible. Unfortunately, everything else is forced to deploy in the centre or on the left flank leaving my necromancer out on his own. He's not even fully in the picture of the battlefield.