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Author Topic: The Battle of Holensteer: 4500 Ogres vs 4500 Empire  (Read 4729 times)

Offline ScionsofCadaith

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The Battle of Holensteer: 4500 Ogres vs 4500 Empire
« on: April 07, 2011, 07:00:23 PM »
The following is a fragment of a letter recovered from the body of a fallen member of General Rudi von Hexmeyer's personal staff. The body is believed to be that of the young Stefan von Graf of Nuln, an officer in Lady Emanuelle's Third foot Guards.

It sheds some light upon one of the more lamentable episodes in the career of General Hexmeyer. His battle with the Ogres at Holensteer, a small town to the southeast of Steingart, was more accident and happenstance than anything based on planning. The widely believed story is that the Ogre Tyrant Olaf had decided that the General had robbed him of wages from a previous battle and took it upon himself to get revenge and loot by attacking Eastern Wissenland... hence the battle. The text that follows seems to hint at an entirely different reason for the campaign.




As the patient reader will quiclky grasp the presence of an archlector and his coven of priests indicates that this expedition was no mere interdiction march.

Bernhardt Hillmann
Imperial Chronicler
Court of Her Excellence Lady Emanuelle von Liebwitz
« Last Edit: April 07, 2011, 07:04:35 PM by ScionsofCadaith »

Offline ScionsofCadaith

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Re: The Battle of Holensteer: 4500 Ogres vs 4500 Empire
« Reply #1 on: April 07, 2011, 08:47:17 PM »
At the request of my colleague Herr Hillmann, I furnish here a map, which based on survivor accounts, gives a fairly dependable idea of where this battle took place and the relative positions of the combatants.  This map of such a distant part of what was once Solland is generally accurate because of the presence of the monument known to the locals as "Taal's Fangs" and the attention it draws. There is a huge dispute among clerics, especially some Sigmarite factions, as to the exact origin of this monument. Requests for further infomation should be directed to the City's council of librarians or the wider academic community, especially those conversant with the history of the lost province of Solland.

Heggon Dreyfuus
Chief Cartographer
Court of Her Excellence Lady Emanuelle von Liebwitz


Offline Gneisenau

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Re: The Battle of Holensteer: 4500 Ogres vs 4500 Empire
« Reply #2 on: April 07, 2011, 08:56:14 PM »
Cool! I like the in-character writing! Please go on.

Offline ScionsofCadaith

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Re: The Battle of Holensteer: 4500 Ogres vs 4500 Empire
« Reply #3 on: April 07, 2011, 09:13:42 PM »
Cool! I like the in-character writing! Please go on.

Thanks for the encouragement  :-D
This is all for my monthly megabattle. I aim to have battle of over 4000 points each month, tracing the history of my Imperial general Rudi von Hexmeyer.
These battles will be fought mostly on 240 x 120 or 120 x 360 preset tables and with as much terrain as possible.
Also I pledge to paint my MVU (most valuable unit) and a key terrain piece after every battle  :-D :-D

I hope to fight this particular battle this coming weekend and I'll be using a popular(?) software to show the map for each turn.
I apologize upfront for the fotos of unpainted minis...as the campaign continues that will change.
Oh another thing! These battles will be decided by the victory points on the map, so they WILL be bloody.

Offline ScionsofCadaith

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Re: The Battle of Holensteer: 4500 Ogres vs 4500 Empire
« Reply #4 on: April 08, 2011, 01:24:52 AM »
Sirs and Lady
I find myself at a loss regarding the necessity for such displays of erudition as the authoring of the text contemplated by our esteemed Imperial Chronicler; for I firmly believe this reveals far too much of the nature of our forces and their disposition and organization to those who may not have Her Ladyship’s best interest at heart.

Nevertheless, as per my orders, the scroll that accompanies this messenger outlines the troops involved in the engagement referred to as the Battle of Holensteer, written by the commander of the forces in question. Of course a debrief of the survivors has revealed it to be an honest document with only the slightest of descrepancies.

In fact, there is currently an inquiry to ascertain if Capt. Mathias Blunte did indeed bear the army standard on the day of the engagement in question. Also, we are still evaluating the wisdom of directly and consistenly attaching Wizards to the command staff.
At your disposal for further information

Marshal Helmuth von Oppen
Chief of the Armed Forces of Wissenland
Court of Her Excellence Lady Emanuelle von Liebwitz





Offline GamesPoet

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Re: The Battle of Holensteer: 4500 Ogres vs 4500 Empire
« Reply #5 on: April 08, 2011, 01:59:03 AM »
Looking forward to seeing more. :icon_cool:
"Not all who wander are lost ... " Tolkien

"... my old suggestion is forget it, take two aspirins and go paint" steveb

"The beauty of curiosity and creativity is so much more useful than the passion of fear." me

"Until death it is all life." Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Offline Eighty

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Re: The Battle of Holensteer: 4500 Ogres vs 4500 Empire
« Reply #6 on: April 08, 2011, 10:37:02 AM »
+1 cant wait to see the gameplay. and painting the MVU is a great idea. show the hardest working troopers some love  :biggriin:
Trumpets sound around me, the wind blowing through my hair, as fellow gamers look in awe at my Army, secretly wishing they chose empire instead of their stupid rats

Offline ScionsofCadaith

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Re: The Battle of Holensteer: 4500 Ogres vs 4500 Empire
« Reply #7 on: April 11, 2011, 06:56:21 PM »
And so it begins...

As I had designed the preset battlefield the Ogres opted to deploy first and take the first. His plan was obviously to buff his troops as they came crashing into my lines. My plan was to sieze the Ancient Altar to the extreme north and at least deny the sacrificial circle to the Ogres while holding my own lines. The Ogres for their part focussed on the Tower on the Hill and advanced en masses with Rhinox on the flanks.

Deployment





View of field looking north

c

Offline Lord Equaton

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Re: The Battle of Holensteer: 4500 Ogres vs 4500 Empire
« Reply #8 on: April 11, 2011, 07:35:08 PM »
Wonderful!

Offline ScionsofCadaith

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Re: The Battle of Holensteer: 4500 Ogres vs 4500 Empire
« Reply #9 on: April 12, 2011, 02:10:55 AM »
Ogres Turn 1
As expected the Ogre army surges forward to come to blows as soon as possible. I guess he thinks that I’ll be playing the gunline. So by pushing me onto the defensive he can pin me down and take away one of my objectives. His Magic Phase is a wash as his first spell fails! His shooting begins as Scraplauncher 1 hits the Halbadiers of “THE BLUES OF LADY MOLLY” filling off 11 troopers (including 6 killing blows), fortunately they stand firm after such horrific losses.

Avanti!!!!!!!!



Gore and Glory await



Towards imperial lines




Offline cisse

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Re: The Battle of Holensteer: 4500 Ogres vs 4500 Empire
« Reply #10 on: April 12, 2011, 05:54:02 AM »
Scary!
cisse

No matter how fast you run, your ass will always be in front of me...

Offline ScionsofCadaith

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Re: The Battle of Holensteer: 4500 Ogres vs 4500 Empire
« Reply #11 on: April 13, 2011, 03:46:20 AM »
Empire Turn 1
So taking up the gauntlet,  we set our plan into action. There was only one way to do this…we had to send our cavalry up the left to plow through his right flank and take points. So in the movement phase we stood our ground and sent up the light cavalry to bait the Ogres. The Iron Heart (mounted Greatswordsmen) and the Indomitable inched forward to give support to the advance. In the magic phase, my level 2 mage Freder Wiess  casts resurrection and brings back 4 halberdiers of “THE BLUES OF LADY MOLLY”. The shooting brought dividends as the assorted fire cut down 1Rhinox from each unit- causing RH2 to flee when they fail the break test. The way was beginning to open to our objective.





Maintain formation


Offline ScionsofCadaith

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Re: The Battle of Holensteer: 4500 Ogres vs 4500 Empire
« Reply #12 on: April 15, 2011, 02:33:06 AM »
Ogres Turn 2
As expected charges were declared;  Ironguts  (I4) attempted to charge the light cavalry which promptly fled, causing the other light cav unit they passed through to turn tail and run too. The swordsmen detachment of “THE BLUES OF LADY MOLLY” passed their fear test and foolishly chose to hold against the charge of Rhinox 1 (RH1). Meanwhile Rhinox 2 regrouped and stood ready to cover the advance of the Ironguts before them. Magic was uneventful, as again he was overwhelmed by the +4 DD  generated by the priests.

Again Ogre shooting by the scraplauncher (S1) and some Leadbelchers (L1) killed off 17 halberdiers of “THE BLUES OF LADY MOLLY” but they still held, forming a small knot of figures around the Archlector. His presence seemed to prove inspiring to a regiment that was having a really bad day.

In the only combat,  the swordsmen detachment (S2)of that unfortunate unit was stomped into bloody rags and bits of flesh and twisted metal as the Rhinox Riders rushed on to the detachment of swordsmen (S1) behind the fence.
The Ogres had begun to hit our lines but they were about to learn that we are no slouches at hitting back ourselves.




IMPACT!!!!


Offline cisse

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Re: The Battle of Holensteer: 4500 Ogres vs 4500 Empire
« Reply #13 on: April 15, 2011, 06:52:46 AM »
We want MOAR!!!  :wink:
cisse

No matter how fast you run, your ass will always be in front of me...

Offline ScionsofCadaith

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Re: The Battle of Holensteer: 4500 Ogres vs 4500 Empire
« Reply #14 on: April 16, 2011, 11:05:49 PM »
Empire Turn 2
Yes!!! Empire can charge too!!!

A shrill hunting horn sounded and a grim shout of “Tally ho..For ourLady!” erupted from the left of the lines, as the mounted greatsword knights of the “Iron Hearts” smashed into the Ironguts (I4) that had charged impetuously toward the light cavalry.

Meanwhile, throwing caution to the fierce winds of battle Archlector Bruderbecker led the remains of “THE BLUES OF LADY MOLLY” in a desperate charge on the Leadbelchers on the Tower on the Hill.

The light cavalry on the left flank refused to rally and moved ominously close to my table edge.  The only other movement was the I N D O M I T A B L E moving forward to angle a shot at the swiftly approaching Ironguts (I3). 

The magic phase began with Pieter Moncke (Level 4)  casting Throne of Vines which my opponent unwisely chose to let pass. I followed up with an irresistible Awaken Forest now with 2D6 Strength 6 on a unit of Bulls (Bulls 1) and their butcher. As the unit was partially I the forest two of the hulking bulls were pulled under the moldy earth. Unluckily for them they were in a blood forest so the magic spell that hit them triggered more hits and another bull fell leaving only the butcher and one bull alive. They kept advancing towards my lines passing their panic test.

Shooting kept up the pressure as the I N D O M I T A B L E killed two Ironguts (I3) with a well placed cannonball and sent them fleeing in panic. Meanwhile the Handgunner detachment the of: “COLD STEEL BROTHERHOOD” (CSB) put a couple of wounds a  Maneater in the unit with the Slaughtermaster and Tyrant (MAN2). However, real success of the turn came with the combined fire of “Big Ramona”, Archers (A1) and Handgunners (H2) on Bulls 1, leaving one Bull with just one wound left…. He managed to then pass his panic check again.

In combat both charging units swiftly dispatched their respective opponents. The “Iron Hearts” slaughtered the Ironguts (I4) for the loss of two knights. The Archlector led his small party of warriors to victory and left only 1 wounded Leadbelcher scampering for his life. The surprise of the turn came when the swordsmen detachment of “THE GATE WARDENS” held the towering Rhinox to a draw in combat and held their ground. But we knew this was far from over!



CHARGE!!!!!!!!




HOLD!!!!!!!!!!





Offline ScionsofCadaith

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Re: The Battle of Holensteer: 4500 Ogres vs 4500 Empire
« Reply #15 on: April 24, 2011, 12:36:27 AM »
Ogre Turn 3



The Ogre cavalry thirsting for revenge let out a blood-curdling bellow and their iron-shod hooves shook the earth as they hurtled toward the “Iron Hearts” (TIH). Gazing up at the banner above them soaked in the blood of  hundreds of foes and the calm of their Master before them, the greatsword cavalry did not flinch but actually broke into a slow trot into the charging Rhinox (RH2). Not even the flank charge by  impetuous Ogre Bulls (B3) could perturb them, especially as Master Henfold steered his mount to the offended flank of the heavy cavalry.  The wounded Bull (B1) that survived his unit charged the Archers (A1) that had shot at his unit while the Ironguts on the far left of the Ogre line (I1) made it to Witchtor van Hemek and charged through its doors into the crew manning “Big Ramona”. The fleeing Ironguts (I3) regrouped but to my opponents chagrin neither his tyrant and his maneaters  (Man) nor the Ironguts on his flank made their charges and literally inched forward

Ogres attack the Witchtor




The clash



Steady men...steady!!!



Ogre magic was shut down again. Still their shooting was not too shabby. Scraplauncher (S1) hit  the Archer screen of  the  COLD STEEL BROTHERHOOD (CSB) killing 5 of the 10 skirmishers, while another scraplauncher (S2) hit the valiant survivors of the THE BLUES OF LADY MOLLY , luckily failing to kill the archlector but killing 4 halberdiers. Both units hold their ground despite terrible losses.

The Blues before the scraplauncher hit



and after




Then came the combats. The Ironguts (I1) easily killed the crew of “Big Ramona” and Witchtor van Hemek fell,  but the lone Bull who charged the Archers was stalemated by their courage.  Not far away the swordsmen detachment of “THE GATE WARDENS”  were finally overwhelmed by the Rhinox cavalry charging over the fence and were completely destroyed. However it was the combat with the mounted greatswords that brought the most cheerful result! The Iron Hearts (TIH) withstood the impact hits and lost only two of their number to combat. Their master, (fear the sword of bloodshed!!),  and the priest put on a few wounds but it was the hate driven attacks of the knights that did the trick. Soon the badly wounded surviving Rhinox was literally running for the hills. The way was open toward the Ogres’ most valuable objective.

It's ours now!!! Ogres on the Witchtor



Last stand!!



Tally Hoooooo!!!




« Last Edit: April 24, 2011, 12:42:54 AM by ScionsofCadaith »

Offline ScionsofCadaith

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Re: The Battle of Holensteer: 4500 Ogres vs 4500 Empire
« Reply #16 on: May 07, 2011, 04:29:26 PM »
Turn 3 Empire




The time had come to bring out the big guns and three charges were declared! The “Iron Hearts” surged forward to run down the remains of the Rhinox cavalry (RH2) that had charged them.  On the opposite end of the field of battle the Swordsmen (S3) detachment charged the lone Bull (B1) attacking the archer detachment (A1) of “ The Gate Wardens”. Then an infernal roar shook the battlefield as the steam tank “INDOMITABLE” rumbled across the broken ground toward the unit of Maneaters that marched in tight ranks alongside the Tyrant Olaf and his Slaughtermaster. Caught up in the surge of forward movement the remains of the heroic halberdiers of the “THE BLUES OF LADY MOLLY”  stormed the Tower on the Hill in the wake of the Archlector and the survivors of the archer detachment (A2) of the “COLD STEEL BROTHERHOOD” move forward to support the “INDOMITABLE”. Finally, Troop A of the Pistoliers of the 36th Light Horse regrouped and turned their flagging mounts to the enemy.

Flank Charge: is that wise with bulls on our flank sir?



Full speed ahead....brace for impact!!



We have the tower... who has the flag??



More Rhinox my Lord... Tally ho!!!




Now came the moment Pieter Moncke had been both dreading and waiting for…it was time to summon the dwellers below. Drawing on the winds of magic he called upon them with such force that the men of the 6th Rhorhausen & Weningen Foot (“THE REDEEMED”/ TR) paled as they witnessed the raw power of the mage. Before their eyes the ground heaved and rolled towards the Bulls (B2) bearing down on the flank of the charging swordsmen (S3) of their regiment. In the wink of an eye, two of the massive brutes were swallowed by a gaping maw that appeared beneath their iron-shod feet. The rest lost their nerve and fled to the cheers of the halberdiers. Moncke smiled weakly I response to the shouts of praise he received and cast  baleful eyes upon his real objective – the Ironguts (I1) who were pillaging Witchtor Van Hemek- knowing that his days work had only just begun.


Within the walls of the village, Master Engineer Heer Sebastian Block I.E found that he absolutely forgotten his pigeons ….and their bombs. His frustration with the rocket batteries had reached boiling point. Their shots had missed the mark all battle. He kicked the gun carriage and to the crew’s utter amazement the complex firing mechanism of “Firestorm” engaged, sending a salvo of rockets dancing wildly through the sky. The munitions found their  mark - smashing into a mass of hapless Gnoblar (G2) killing 10 of the insignificant creatures on impact. The survivor just stood there, more out of stunned surprise and a desire to loot the fallen than any elevated notions of bravery.


As the sound of the rockets died down the din of combat rose to fill the void it left. The swordsmen (S3) swiftly dispatched the lone Ogre Bull (B1). Still, it was the charge of the “INDOMITABLE” that drew all eyes. The Maneaters rushed towards the charging tank not to protect their leader but to earn a bigger share of the booty by smashing open what they saw as a tin can on wheels. Herr Sabian Blocke I.E. smiled as he thought of the look on his older brother’s face as he received laurels for crushing the Ogre Tyrant and his guard. His smile widened as he marveled at the Ogres’ lack of understanding of even the most basic concepts of physics – he had momentum on his side.  The “INDOMITABLE” pulverized the Maneaters killing  both of them outright and even wounding the Slaughtermaster, then came the first impact! The young engineer felt it before he heard it. All the instrument panels hissed and steamed as they began to explode around the hapless engineer. He was getting his own lesson in physics as Olaf’s Thundermace split the hull of the tank as if it were made of paper.  Multiple systems failed and Blocke just managed to escape the crumbling behemoth. The shaking stopped but the ringing in his ears continued as he looked up to see two Gnoblars emerge from the hatch of the steamtank each bearing one of the two control stick of the tank. He picked himself up and limped off toward the approaching archers  dejectedly thinking of the time he would have to spend repairing the “INDOMITABLE” assuming that they  won the day and recovered the tank’s remains. (Game note: In an incredible set  of dice rolls two sword Gnoblars rolled 6’s to wound the stank and I rolled two 1’s to save, thus removing the last two wounds on my precious stank- Gnoblars claim the kill- oh the ignominy!!!)

Death of a Stank 1: Impact!!



Death of a Stank 2: those damned gnoblars





Offline ScionsofCadaith

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Re: The Battle of Holensteer: 4500 Ogres vs 4500 Empire
« Reply #17 on: May 12, 2011, 01:14:42 AM »
Ogres Turn 4



Olaf roared with pleasure as he watched the shattered remains of the venerable steam tank at his feet. He joyed in killing large and noisy enemies since it certainly made it clear to his minions that he was not to be trifled with. He barely noticed the tattered state of his forces compared to the solemn ranks of determined imperial troops arrayed before him. Then he heard the curses of righteous indignation coming from the tower above him.
The Ogres had no charge this turn except for the unruly Rhinox of a scraplauncher (S3) against the “Iron Hearts”. The rest of the army simply shuffled around to secure objectives or get out of the way of certain death (RH1). Only the Leadbelchers moved forward threateningly.

According to my clever plan the Orges at the center of the table were drawn like flies at the sight of the Archlector defiant at the top of the tower , this bought my battle line a respite from the charge of what was left of his centre.

The magic of the Ogres was now almost shut down as all he managed to get through was healing his Slaughtermaster. The shooting was eventful but not all in a good way for the Ogres  the far left scraplauncher (S1) hit the bold swordsmen of the “THE REDEEMED” (TR) killing a couple of them. Meanwhile, another scraplauncher (S2) hit the halberdiers in the tower killing four of their number leaving the Archlector alone with the captain and standard bearer of the sorely tried regiment. But then the advancing Leadbelchers,aimed at my archers  suffered a strange bit of misfortune: ALL three rolled ONES to generate shots and all three wounds went unsaved causing the unit to flee in panic.

So we moved on to combat where the “IRON HEARTS” made short work of the scraplauncher (S3) which had unwisely charged them. At this point however the Ogres were actually winning the battle on points, but that was all about to change with some good old fashioned miracles.