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The Griffon Formation Battle Reports
--The first post (below) is a Battle Report on a regular Griffon Formation (2500) against a combat heavy Dark Elf list.
--The second Battle Report is my attempt to use the Griffon Wings against Vampire Counts (2500). (http://warhammer-empire.com/theforum/index.php?topic=42976.msg717447#msg717447)
--The third Battle Report is an Inverted Griffon against a nasty Vampire Counts list (2500). (http://warhammer-empire.com/theforum/index.php?topic=42976.msg719362#msg719362)
--The fourth Battle Report is a Griffon Formation in a smaller point battle (1750) versus High Elves. (http://warhammer-empire.com/theforum/index.php?topic=42976.msg723954#msg723954)
--The fifth Battle Report is a Half-Griffon Formation versus Dark Elves (2500). (http://warhammer-empire.com/theforum/index.php?topic=42976.msg731015#msg731015)
--The six Battle Report is an Inverted Griffon Formation versus a Slaanish/Khorne Chaos (2500). (http://warhammer-empire.com/theforum/index.php?topic=42976.msg793873#msg793873)
The Griffon Formation versus Dark Elves 2500 pts
The following is the first Battle Report to show a battle with the Griffon Formation (the biggest victory was I figured out to use the Battle Chronicler!)
The basic Griffon Formation is depicted in this graph. This thread in the Elector’s Forum outlines the different Griffon formations (http://warhammer-empire.com/theforum/index.php?topic=42921.0) I came up with.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/1Griffon.jpg)
The battle was a 2500 straight-up fight between Empire and the Dark Elves. As per my request, my opponent brought the most combat nasty list he uses to see how well the Griffon Formation could perform under stress.
We have fought each other so many times over the years that he knows most of my tricks and I know most of his. After beating me several times with the new book (while I tried to figure things out)- I was ready to even the score and show him that Empire still has teeth (and claws).
The Good Guys: Ulric’s Own
15 Inner Circle Knights “Gold Banner” FC, Lances, Ranger Banner
Warrior Priest Hector Snow
Warrior Bane, Enchanted Shield, Obsidian Trinket, Terrifying Mask of Eee!
48 Teutogen Guard (Greatswords) “Ulric’s Own” FC, Standard of Discipline
20 Halberd Detachment
20 Halberd Detachment
Arch Lector Dominus Snow (Gen)
GW, Armour of Meteoric Iron, Dawnstone
Captain Frederick Von Strauss (BSB)
Tormentor Sword, Helm of the Skavenslayer, Luckstone
10 Archers “Rommel’s Rangers”
5 Archer Detachment
5 Archer Detachment
10 Archers “Rommel’s Rearguard” Standard, Musician
Gaias Lvl 4 Life Wizard
Steam Tank “Leonardo III”
Bartimus “Bullseye” Smith (Engineer Commander)
Luminark “Daemonbane”
The Bad Guys: Druchii Storm
10 Cold One Knights FC, Banner of Hag Grief
Dreadlord (Gen) Cloak, Soulrender, Pendant of K, Ironcurse
Master (BSB) GW, Cloak, Hydra Banner
14 Blackguard FC, Banner of Murder
Tower Master Blood Armor
24 Corsairs Extra Hand Weapon, FC, Sea Serpent
40 Dark Elf Spearmen Musician, Gleaming Pennant
14 Dark Elf Spearmen
Supreme Sorceress Metal Lvl 4, Sac Dagger
Hydra
Cauldron of Blood
2x 5 Harpies
Pre-deployment
To support my Griffon Formation, I have a Steam Tank to hold one flank and a large block of 15 IC Knights to push forward and cause havoc. The Ranger Banner means terrain will not hinder them and the Terror mask will keep them from taking Fear/Terror tests and might hopefully make the pesky diverters flee so I can hit the juicy targets.
The Luminark serves two functions. The Bound Spell for big nasty regen creatures (insert Hydra here) and added magic defense with another dispel dice and some protection for my expensive targets (insert Metal Sorceress here).
His list has all kinds of nasty. The Cold One Knights, with two characters, ASF banner, +1 Attack banner, and a potential +1A buff from the Cauldron, usually decimate whatever they hit. His Corsairs have a frenzied 3 attacks, his Blackguard have Str 4 AP, and of course, the Hydra. This list has tabled me in the past.
My plan is fairly straightforward: maneuver my Griffon Formation to dictate the flow and pace of the combat, while cannonballin’ his Knights, nuking his Hydra, and Dwellerin’ his troop blocks.
My spells: Awakening Wood, Flesh to Stone, Regrowth, Dwellers
His spells: Searing Doom, Plaque of Rust, Enchanted Blade of Eiban, Final Transmutation
Deployment
We rolled the random terrain rules from the BRB in random locations. Lots of woods this time. One hill on the right. Destruction encampment with a couple of walls and the Tower of Blood.
After a few dinky drops of archers and harpies, we started dropping the important stuff. He put the Corsairs and Blackguard in the center and I formed the Griffon opposite. (I didn’t put the archers with the wizard behind the horde this time. I wanted to get some Dwellers off before combat began).
When he dropped his Knights on the right flank I dropped my Knights on the opposite flank (I didn’t want to play the cavalry tap dance game with them). He put his spearmen opposite my Knights as a tarpit. I dropped the STank and Luminark on the right flank- I figured that gave me plenty of options on that flank to slow down his insane cavalry. The STank was lined up to shoot the Knights so if I got the first turn I wouldn’t have to move a lick. The end result:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/Deployment.jpg)
Turn 1 Ulric’s Own:
Movement:
Ulric’s Own got the first turn. The Knights rode hard on the left flank. The Griffon Formation moved up slightly. The Archers with the Life Mage moved up so it was exactly 24” from his Sorceress bunker. The Luminark positioned itself to protect the STank and one halberd detachment. The STank fired up the boiler for a long cannon shot.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/Turn1A.jpg)
Magic
Generated 5 dice, my opponent had 3. I thought about hitting some of his troops and decided I wanted to take a shot at his mage. A 5-dice boosted Dwellers on his mage bunker = 6 dead Dark Elf cannon fodder, and more importantly, a dead Lvl 4 Sorceress. Serves the evil Dark Elf witch right! Take some of your own medicine for a change!
Shooting
My luck in the magic phase would not carry over to the shooting phase. My cannon managed to hit one Knight but failed to wound. A few Spearmen died with arrows in the big block.
Turn 1 Druchii Storm:
Not to be outdone, my opponent surged forward. He positioned his spearblock against my Knights so I couldn’t get the flank of the center of his line and pushed his Knights as far forward as he could on the right.
Without magic anymore and no shooting, he could do nothing but pass the turn.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/Turn1B.jpg)
Skip the italicized blocks if you don’t want to read the fluff!
Arch Lector Dominus Snow did not like what he saw. With the sun barely cresting over the horizon, the Tower of Blood still created a large oppressive shadow that covered almost half of his Teutogen guard marching forward in the center of the line. Evil radiated from it. But he could not turn away…his orders were clear…destroy the Tower and its Dark Elf denizens, or die trying. He preferred the former. The Druchii has arisen from their slumber in full battle array. They obviously knew he was coming and maneuvered even now to encircle his force.
Two could play that game.
His Knights burst out of the trees to his left in full polished silver, their lances flying high in determined pride. To his right, barked and bellowed a “present” from the high command: a metal behemoth dubbed “Leonardo III” in honor of its maker. He made sure it was far on the right flank- he didn’t trust the damn thing no matter what Bullseye Smith said… but he was glad at the moment he had it. From behind the house next to tower slithered dark riders on slimy lizards.
Another weapon he didn’t trust- Gaias, a College wizard, moved up quietly with some of Rommel’s Rangers. Gaias must have spotted something, because he frantically starting gyrating his arms. A green glow emanated from behind the tower in conjunction with an awful symphony of high-pitched Dark Elves screams. Maybe having Gaias around wasn’t so bad after all…
Then, multiple heads, frothing fire, swayed around the side of the Tower as a gigantic beast whipped by beastmasters came out from behind.
By Ulric…look at that thing. He had heard tales around the bar table about a multi-head monstrosity that breathed fire and regenerated wounds but dismissed it as fool’s talk. It was going to be long morning.
Turn Two: Ulric’s Own
Movement:
The IC Knights charge the spearblock. The archers with the wizard move back to safety, while another block moves up to slow down the Hydra. The far right archer detachment moves to get outside the Cold One’s line of sight.
The rest of the Griffon Formation slides 2” to the left to get farther away from the Knights on the flank.
The STank rumbles forward 4” and prepares for another shot.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/Turn2A.jpg)
Magic:
7 Power Dice, 5 Dispel. Cast 2 dice on Flesh to Stone on the STank (Wiz right at 24” away!). Promptly dispelled.
Another 5-dice Dwellers. This time at the Corsairs. 11 get sucked to their doom!
Shooting:
Not a good turn to be a Corsair- 3 more drop to arrows.
Good turn to be Cold One Knight- 2 Knights hit with a cannonball, only 1 wound.
Close Combat:
Spearmen get 3 wounds on the IC Knights, I fail 2 saves!!! (my normal habit of rolling 1s…) In return, the Knights kill a total of 7. DE Warriors are steadfast and hold on the break test. Knights expand front to 6-wide.
Turn 2 Druchii:
Movement:
My opponent takes some time to decide if he is going to move his Knight block in towards my Griffon Formation or take a shot at the tank. He decides to go for the Steam Tank thinking with his mass of attacks he can severely damage it- so he charges in.
He decides to give the Knights some time to whack on the tank on the flank, so he holds the center line in front of the tower, except for the Hydra, which chews up the archers slowing it down. The Blackguard reform so my Knights are in their LOC for a possible future flank charge.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/Turn2B.jpg)
Combat:
His Knights throw down on Leo III. He gets a total of 10 Str 6 wounds with two of them AP. The armour holds true- I make five armour saves and one ward save. The STank only takes 4 wounds!
With my Knights against his Spearmen- he drops another Knight while losing only 4 DE Warriors. Man, this grind is going slow for me! He loses combat by 1 and fails his break test. He re-rolls with the Pennant and succeeds. Pennant well worth that 5 points!
Arch Lector Snow wiped his brow. The sound of bow strings whipping arrows through the air was overshadowed by the thundering hooves of his cavalry on the left and the claws and primordial roars from the Cold Ones bearing down on his line on the right.
In a bellowing smash, his Knights slammed into spear and shield followed a few seconds later by the hideous sounds of Dark Elf lances and blades screeching off metal. He said a quick prayer for his brother Hector in the lance. The magic mask he found during last year’s expedition would serve him well- the thing was terrifying to look at and would shake even the Elves in their boots…
Gaias and his archers had moved back towards safety when the Dark Elves moved forward, but now he cast again and a green glow from the ground came up and tore at the frenzied Corsairs. Almost half of them were dragged to their doom! Snow reminded himself to not pick a fight with the wizard next time they were in a bar…
The flanks were engaged, but in the center the lines still had not met. One of his archer detachments got caught up and tore to pieces by the multi-headed monster… but the elves seemed to be holding back.
Hmmm. Snow barked out order for the line to shift towards his horse and away from the enemy’s cavalry. The organized sea of men shuffled in perfect formation. Damn, Ulric himself would be proud. Now if only his superiors could have named this formation the Wolf Formation or something. Griffons are for the birds! He would take a wolf cloak over a lame feather any day…
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Turn 3 Ulric’s Own:
Beginning of Turn:
His CoK champ drinks a potion of strength. STank generates 4 steam.
Movement:
This turn the Griffon Formation served me well. One group of archers moved up to block the Blackguard from hitting either the Knights or the Greatswords (my mage leaves the unit and hides out next to a Halb detachment) and the other archer unit jacks up the charge lanes for the Hydra and the Corsairs. The last small archer detachment moved towards his Knights to be in reserve to slow them down in case they finish off the tank.
The Greatsword horde moves up into the center gap with detachments in trail. Almost party time.
STank grinds the Knights. 4 Knights and Lizards are ground into dog food!
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/Turn3A.jpg)
Magic:
7 Power Dice; 5 Dispel. Time to quit ignoring the Hyrda- I throw 6 dice at the Luminark’s bound spell. IF. What is not to love about Str 8, no AS, Flaming, D3 wounds? Well, I guess only rolling 1 wound!
Shooting:
Maybe practice does make perfect. After all these arrows are fired, my archers finally start hitting something…maybe because now they can see the white of their eyes…? 2 Corsairs and 3 Blackguard fall from arrows.
Combat:
The CoK champ drinking the strength potion nets him 2 wounds. My tank’s armour nets me 2 saves. The Master is pissed he doesn’t get a potion so he tries to outdo he buddy. He gets 3 wounds and I only save 1. All the rest of the attacks bounce off the metal. Tank is down to 5 wounds. Steam gun farts but that is about all it is good for.
My IC Knights finally prevent all wounds- and dish out 6 more on the Warriors. They are fading fast. They make their Break Test yet again, however.
Turn 3 Druchii:
Movement:
Now, I get a taste of my own medicine. His harpies move up to block the Horde and one of its detachments. The Blackguard, Hydra, and Corsairs all charge the archers in their way.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/Turn3B.jpg)
Combat:
No surprise- the archers are wiped out to a man without even getting to swing. The Blackguard reform at a steep angle so my Greatswords cant hit them if they try and Overrun after the Harpies.
The Corsairs are frenzied so they have to Overrun. A close call when the detachment gets destroyed- my Horde fails its panic test- rolling a 12. All it takes is one look at the Battle Standard and their courage returns- the re-roll is easily made.
The poor CoK keep whaling on the tank in frustration- but I save 3 wounds with 2 AS and 1 Ward save.
And on the left flank- the grind is finally over! No Knights die and 3 DE Warriors die. No longer steadfast- they fail their first modified Break test- even though they only lost by 1.
Of course- they run 7 and my Knights are so excited that they fail to kick their horses into action- and only go 6. Sigh.
Arch Lector Dominus Snow feels it in his gut. It is time. He barks out the commands and the formation starts to move forward, in unison. His detachments on the left and right fall into their positions. His remaining archers zig-zag across the front in one final effort to keep the Dark Elves out of position.
At the same time his archers are fighting for their lives, screeching harpies drop from the sky and attempt to disrupt his own formations. Undaunted, their training kicks in and they evenly hold the line.
A bolt streaks out from the Luminark, blasting one of the Hydra heads. Nice trick- but it barely seemed to faze the damn thing.
Snow was really beginning to worry that his men might not hold against the monster- when he realized they might even run before then! When his archers broke on the right and the men saw the Corsairs and bloodied Hydra facing them, panic settled in and the formation started to break.
Hold! Hold the line! Remember your oath you filthy dogs! Maybe it was his leader’s commands, maybe it was the sight of the Ulric’s Own War Dog Battle Standard, maybe it was just Ulric’s day…but whatever it was, the men firmed up and held tight.
The enemy was not so fortunate. Hector and his Knights had hacked enough Elves to pieces that their hatred of humanity left them. They began running in droves and after a few rebel yells of victory, the Knights prodded their horses on to run the nasty elves down.
Taking a quick look at his right flank, the Arch Lector could not believe his eyes. The indomitable hunk of metal was still holding strong and slowly but surely grinding the lizards into pulp.
The flanks were his. Now if the center would just hold…
Turn 4 Ulric’s Own:
Beginning of the Turn:
STank’s boiler finally springs a leak. Generates a whopping 6 steam points and takes 2 wounds in the process. STank has 3 wounds left!
Movement:
The Greatswords and Halb detachments charge the Harpy diverters. Inner Circle Knights charge and destroy the fleeing DE Warriors and reform facing back to the center.
STank grinds the poor Knights again. With 4 wounds he gets 2 saves. So, 2 die! He has 5 left.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/Turn4A.jpg)
Magic:
9 Power Dice, 6 Dispel.
Finally, a decent magic pool. Throw 3 dice at Flesh to Stone at the STank. Since he doesn’t want me to heal it, he lets it go. I throw 2 dice at the Lum’s bound spell. He lets that go too- but this time I fail to even wound with it! (The best laid plans of mice and men…) Last, but not least, I throw 4 dice at Regrowth on the STank. He dispels it.
Combat:
The Dreadlord finally gets another wound on the STank (2 left). All the rest fail to damage it. I get excited about the 3 steam points I still have for the Steam Gun- until I get 3 wounds and he easily saves them all.
The Greatsword effortlessly kill the Harpies but my Halb horde has a rough go of it. The Harpies kill 6 before they even swing and they only kill 4 in return. Now one Harpy is holding them up…
Turn 4 Druchii:
Movement:
My opponent would have normally conceded at this point, but I asked him to finish the round so I could see the Greatswords in action.
He attacked with all his remaining combat power- the Blackguard and Hydra attack the Greatswords. My detachment gets off a Countercharge (miracles NEVER cease!). His Corsairs flail their way into my last set of archers.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/Turn4B.jpg)
Combat:
Man oh man, do those pointy ears hit hard. Between his Blackguard and Hydra they manage to kill half my horde by the end. However, I only lost 1 attack by the time the Greatswords got to swing (29 left before Hydra’s Thunderstomp). My awesome Teutogen Guard killed every single Blackguard and put a few wounds on the Hydra.
The best was when my Arch Lector slammed his Blackguard Tower Master Champion wearing pumped up Blood Armor of 2+ into a pulp.
Okay. Maybe the right flank is not so secure. The metal behemoth begins to whistle and whine with overpressure as the boiler and heat work into overload. Just when Snow thinks the entire thing is going to blow up, it releases the pressure in a gigantic whoosh that melts several Cold One Knights. It looks like Commander Bullseye is barely keeping the thing together…but somehow he is doing it.
Well, it is time- time to separate the men from the elves. The Dark Elf elite Blackguard hit his line at the same time as the Hydra. The world goes red- and Snow is not which is the biggest reason why- the red from the flame bursting overhead from the mouths of the beast, or the red splattered from flying limbs and torsos from the Blackguard’s deadly halberds. It doesn’t matter- because the Teutogen Guard known as Ulric’s Own are happy…because now they get to swing their damn warhammers and smash something! The return swings are vicious- Blackguard are crushed in their armour, and a few Hydra heads fly off from the assault.
Arch Lector can sense the day is his when his Halberd detachment swing into the Blackguard flank. A particularly nasty Blackguard steps into his path. His armor glows purple from some kind of magic…magic that seems to come from the deaths he has caused this day. Well- no more. Arch Lector Snow swings his warhammer in a great arc and nails him square in the chest. No armour can stop withstand that kind of blow. Down he goes…
With the Blackguard down, his forces swarm the Hydra. Even it can’t regenerate that many two-handed hammer blows. The Dark Elves forces begin to falter…those that don’t fall back are killed where they stand.
The battlefield belongs to Ulric’s Own. The Tower, and the day, are his. Now…how much grief is he going to get from higher headquarters about getting Leonardo III junked up?
Turn 5:
Needless to say, my opponent called it. Facing the implications of the graph below, he graciously bowed out.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/Turn5A.jpg)
After Action:
1. Losing the Sorceress on the 1st turn hurt my opponent. I dominated the magic phase and from there out didn’t have to worry about Searing Doom, Plaque of Rust or Final Transmutation.
2. I think losing the magic ultimately pushed my opponent to go for the tank since he couldn’t nuke it. If he had the chance to do it again, he probably would push for the center line instead- to get some combat in before the tank showed up. Regardless, the tank performed admirably even though it couldn’t shoot the broadside of a barn.
3. As with previous battles, I was happy on the performance of the Griffon Formation. I had plenty of options available and it allowed me to divert when I wanted to divert and attack when I wanted to attack.
My opponent wants to try out his more magic and shooting heavy DE list against the Griffon. But that will have to be a battle, and battle report, for a different day.
I hope that you enjoyed the first Griffon Formation Battle Report. I definitely have more respect for people that take the time to create Battle Reports- it takes a lot of time and energy!
I look forward to your comments and suggestions for improvement!
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Thanks HHG (these things take time and I appreciate the effort)! Fun read and congrats on the Battle Chronicler!
Griffon Formation is interesting, 8th is turning into a "chaff" fest with redirectors and blockers, well played.
I suspect that the STank would have been smooshed by the DE Sorc but dice is dice....
Noght
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Thanks HHG (these things take time and I appreciate the effort)! Fun read and congrats on the Battle Chronicler!
Griffon Formation is interesting, 8th is turning into a "chaff" fest with redirectors and blockers, well played.
I suspect that the STank would have been smooshed by the DE Sorc but dice is dice....
Noght
The DE Sorc is one of the reasons I put the STank all the way at the back end of the board. I at least wanted a couple of cannon shots off before she got into range to melt it.
When she died, the main reason I moved the tank forward was because I wanted his Knights to take Dangerous Terrain tests in that wood if they killed the tank and wanted to push towards the center.
I think it is interesting on how memories of recent battles can effect our perceptions during new ones. In my previous battle with him before this Report, he was concerned with the Greatswords (because in a battle previous to that one they had whooped some ass...). He nuked the crap out of them... so bad that I just limped backwards with it...but the STank came out of nowhere and flipped the tide. This battle, he had his sights set straight on the tank...
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Helblaster Hardpoint with Griffon Wing Formations
I ran another battle with my Griffon Formation list with my Dark Elf friend but this time against his heavy magic and shooty list. The dice were not with him, his mages blew themselves up, and when my Terror-causing Knights wrecked into his back lines he called the game. The battle was not that epic and not worthy of a battle report. But, Griffon Formation 3, opponents 0.
However, I did go out on a wing and test out my Helblaster Hardpoint list against another friend of mine’s Vampire Counts to try out another formation- the Griffon Wings.
My initial plan going in was to set up the formation like the graph below. Two crossbow units with 2 archer detachments each would form the Wings to protect the Helblasters. I planned to put the STank in the middle to shoot his big nasties as well as push forward to tarpit anything making it close to the hardpoint. One unit of IC Knights and two units of Demigryphs would be my mobile harassers/mini-hammers. I used 4 mounted characters: 2 WPs to run shotgun with the Demis and a AL General and BSB to sit next to an X-Bow unit to provide leadership, re-rolls, and potentially flaming x-bows if I needed it.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/HelblasterHardpoint.jpg)
Epic failure on the first run.
Setting it up for the first time, I didn’t leave enough space between the X-Bows and the Helblaster to fit the two characters on mounts…so they had to go to the far side. When he got the 1st turn, he flew a Terrorgeist 8” away from the far Helblaster, screamed it into oblivion and made 3 units flee away because they weren’t in my leadership bubble. After failing to kill it on my turn after throwing everything but the kitchen sink at it, I didn’t see any point in continuing. He would kill the other Helblaster on his turn and the rest of the game would be wash- not really a test of the list.
My opponent was gracious enough to give it another go- he wanted to see the list in action as well. This time, my characters ranged the whole hardpoint and the Helblaster were positioned 28.5 inches away from any point a Terrorgeist could deploy to avoid a 20” fly and 8” scream on the 1st turn. Because of the terrain, I moved my STank out of the center to give it more room to roam.
Knowing all this, my opponent decided to try more of a flanking strategy to two-hop the Terrorgeists into position while his forces slowly moved up to let the Terrors do their work.
Here is how the deployment ended up (nothing exciting for terrain- lots of water, a hill, building, and forest):
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/2Deployment.jpg)
The Good Guys: Gor’s Griffons
5 Inner Circle Knights FC, Lances, Banner of Eternal Flame
10 Archers
5 Archer Detachment
5 Archer Detachment
Lars Fredericksen Lvl 4 Heavens Wizard, Dispel Scroll
10 Crossbowmen
5 Archer Detachment
5 Archer Detachment
10 Crossbowmen
5 Archer Detachment
5 Archer Detachment
Arch Lector Gregory Gor (Gen)
Barded Warhorse, HA, Shield, Dragonhelm
Captain Mark Von Strauss (BSB)
Barded Warhorse, Plate, Shield, Dragonbane Gem
4 Demigryph Knights FC
Warrior Priest Blane Bonham
Helm of the Skavenslayer
4 Demigryph Knights FC
Warrior Priest Archy Johnstone
Enchanted Shield
Steam Tank “Leonardo V”
“Red-Eye (Engineer Commander, Hochland Long Rifle)
2x Helblaster
2x Master Engineer Hochland Long Rifles
The Bad Guys: Crypt Terror
26 Crypt Ghouls w/champ
Strigoi Ghould King (Gen) Lvl 1 Lore of Vamp, Sword of Bloodshed, Dragonbane Gem, OTS, Red Fury, Beguile
26 Crypt Ghouls w/champ
Vampire (BSB) Lvl 2 Lore of Vamp, Armour of Destiny, Aura of Dark Majesty
25 Zombie Bunker
Master Necromancer Lvl 4 Death, Opal Amulet
Necromancer Lvl 1 Lore of Vamp, Dispel Scroll
12 Crypt Horrors
2x Terrorgheists
My spells: Harmonic Convergence, Wind Blast, Urannon’s T-bolt, Comet of Cas
His spells: Lots of Invocation, Gaze of Nagash, Spirit Leech, Caress, Fate of Bjuna, Purple Sun
Turn 1 Gor’s Griffons:
Movement:
I got the first turn this time. I moved the Knights up a bit, and prepped for incoming.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/2Turn1A.jpg)
Magic & Shooting
Not much excitement on my 1st turn. I threw out a Thunderbolt but only got 1 wound on a Terrorgheist and the STank’s cannonball got a hit, but he made his 6+ Regen. Urgh!
Turn 1 Crypt Terror:
My opponent’s undead shambled forward, staying near their leader. Except for a Terrorgheist that flew into within 8” of a Demigryph block.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/2Turn1B.jpg)
Magic & Shooting
His nasty Master Necro tried to snipe my mage with a Caress but I used my Dispel Scroll, not wanting to risk him. I had enough DD left to shut down the rest of the phase.
Skip the italicized blocks if you don’t want to read the fluff!
By the mother of Sigmar, the stench was unbearable. And the sight of the restless dead slumbering across the water-spotted field was just as disheartening. What were the Elector Count’s planners thinking? They told him to intercept the undead horde before they reached the city by setting up a defensive hardpoint. They also had some new strategies they wanted him to test out- “Griffon Wings” to protect the lead-producing volley guns. Well, all he knew was he didn’t see them out here “testing it out.”
Praise be, at least they gave him some horse and ‘gryphs and a damned tin can full of steam. Hopefully the cav would give him enough time and space to keep the arrows and bullets flyin’. Like on cue, he saw them move forward to prepare to engage.
The Arch Lector didn’t like what he saw. The medium-sized ghouls looked like they brought with them some bigger brothers- massive-muscled horrors. Those must be some kind of new abomination- he didn’t remember fighting them in his youth against previous undead plagues. But the big kicker had to be the winged terrors rising up to take flight. He hoped bullets could take them down…
A thunderbolt ripped the sky from the hands of the crazy wizard Lars that accompanied the army. It ripped a nasty gash across its belly, but all it looked like it did was piss the thing off. It took to the sky and landed in front of his center demigryphs- opening its horrible maw to let out the most blood-curdling scream he had ever heard. Somehow his Knights held the line and stayed on their mounts. He could live the rest of his life without ever hearing that again…
“May Sigmar prevail! Fire at will!”
Turn Two: Gor’s Griffons
Movement:
The Crypt Terrors were at max charge distance and I decided to declare a charge. Worst case- they move forward just a bit which I would have done anyway. Almost got it too- missed by 1.5 inches.
STank rumbled forward to get a shot off at the Terrorgheist. Otherwise the only move was to push my archer detachment straight forward- out of the firing lanes…to sacrifice themselves for Sigmar.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/2Turn2A.jpg)
Magic:
Not great Winds of Magic, so I threw 5 dice at Harmonic Converence. Goes off- almost everything is in range to get re-rolls on 1s for hits, wounds, AS.
Shooting:
Harmonic C is the BOMB. My STank originally rolled a 1 to wound and got the reroll. Too bad you can’t re-roll the number of wounds…cuz he got a 1. Sigh.
The right-most Helblaster was barely in range and opened fire. 11 hits, 2 wounds.
Damn. That thing is hard to kill. The archers, X-bows, & Hoch rifles in range all fire on it. They get 1 more wound! It only has 1 wound left.
Turn 2 Crypt Terror:
Movement:
With the Terrorgheist severely wounded, he decides to flank the STank, keep it from pivoting, and scream at it. Everything else shambles forward. The other Terrorgheist moves into position behind the battlemount.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/2Turn2B.jpg)
Magic & Shooting:
My opponent tosses a nasty Purple Sun at my Demis and STank. It rolls right over all of them and stops by the edge of the board. 2 Demigryphs get sucked into the vortex, but the good old Engineer Commander makes his save with a 3! The Terrorgheist screams at the STank and gets my luck- 1 wound.
Arch Lector Gor saw his demigryphs on the left prepare for a charge but they were out of range. The Terror was not out of range of his ranged firepower, however. After the wizard cast some kind of peaceful bubble over his forces, their shooting was insanely accurate. Somehow, the beast weathered the storm.
It appeared the undead had some nasty tricks of their own. Out from behind the house a magical spinning vortex shot out across his center Knights and the Steam Tank. Half of his ‘gryphs were sucked into it and just vanished. It appeared the mighty hunk of metal might get sucked in too…but somehow it blinked back into existence as the vortex passed over.
The Terror set it sights on the tank as well, and in one great whoosh rose up and landed next to it, letting loose another horrible scream. A few metal plates ripped off its hulls…but it appeared to still be fully operational.
Hopefully one more concentrated volley would finish the beast off for good. If that thing got into the middle of his lines…Arch Lector Gor shuddered.
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Turn 3 Gor’s Griffons:
Movement:
STank generates a few steam points to shoot at a juicy target- the Zombies because he can’t pivot. Definitely not worth a misfire result…but screw it. Only a game, right? (I wonder if our superiors will be pissed off at the waste of metal and powder on that one)
Demigryphs finally complete a charge against the Crypt Horrors. I move the (still alive) forward deployed unit into the way of the ghouls and move a few more detachments up.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/2Turn3A.jpg)
Magic:
The Winds of Magic are good: 11 dice. I throw half at a boosted version of Harmonic C. My opponent had enough of that crap: Dispel Scroll. Cool- I rolled for a boosted Comet and IF’d it. I placed it right in front of his Zombie bunker hoping it would flatten lots of undead. For the miscast, my Wizard took a wound and 2 archers perished to the magical backlash.
I didn’t dispel the Purple Sun, hoping it would either hit the Terrorgheist or go off the board. It went off the board.
Shooting:
Even without the Harm C, the Helblaster lit up the sky with lead. The end result = dead Terrorgheist. My 3 Hoch Rifles tried to light up his Master Necro in response to the nasty vortex he sent their way. Only 1 wound (not sold on them, yet). The rest of the shooting killed some zombies and ghouls (yep, a cannonball leveled 3 zombies too).
Combat:
My Chickens hit hard doing 6 wounds. I took 11 wounds and failed 4 saves. Damn my 1s! I still beat them in combat by 2 so he lost 2 more wounds.
Turn 3 Crypt Terror:
Movement:
The other Terrorgheist moves into position to scream at the STank.
The ghouls with his General attack the archer diverters and the other ghouls stumble forward towards my Knights.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/2Turn3B.jpg)
Magic & Shooting:
I let him get off an Invocation and it heals some Crypt Horrors, Ghouls, Zombies, and the wound on the Master Necro. He throws a lot of dice on Spirit Leech against the WP in the unengaged Demigryphs and gets IF but only 1 wound. The resulting miscast kills 3 zombies standing next to him.
Comet gains 2 tokens to 4 total.
Again a Terrorgheist screams at the STank- again, 1 wound. (I would take metal over nasty breath any day!)
Combat:
The SGK singlehandedly eats my archer detachment for lunch and decides to overrun to push into my hardpoint.
My Demigryphs perform well- they cause 6 wounds, and made 11 out of 12 armour saves! (I would take metal over poison any day as well…hehe)
Nice. The heavy cav on the left finally crashed into the Crypt Horrors. Lance and razor sharp claws did their dirty work on the undead flesh. Arch Lector Gor saw one Knight get ripped in half and his mount fell soon after. He said a quick prayer for him and turned his attention to the center.
The Terror did not last through another volley of lead. The great beast fell in a mighty crash, only to be replaced by another flying Terror that let lose another hell-filled scream. Again, the tank held together.
A small archer detachment didn’t fare so well. The ghouls caught in and in a blink of an eye were turned to red mist by a nasty ghoul armed with some kind of wicked weapon. It must be their leader. After this next Terror fell, his forces would have to concentrate on it. That thing would definitely kill anything he had on this field- he wasn’t even sure the tank could stand up long against that flurry of blows.
Lars raised his hands to the heavens and the sky started to open up to reveal a bright comet streaking in from the sky. Nice one! Hopefully it gets here soon to flatten some undead!
In response, an eery green glow covered several of the undead units in the center. Numerous fallen dead got back to their feet in service yet again to their undead masters. Now he did remember this from his youth. The casters had to die as well- or their defense would surely be overrun. So many targets…and they were running out of time and space…
Turn 4 Gor’s Griffons:
Movement:
Time to grind! STank’s boiler has some issues but all I lose is 1 steam point. That leaves me 3 to crash into the Terrorgheist give the ugly thing 4 wounds!
I don’t push any of the Knights forward to avoid the crash of the comet.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/2Turn4A.jpg)
Magic & Shooting:
Time for some harmony. Yep, get it off again. Comet gains 2 more tokens for 6 total!
Everything ranged opens up on the poor Ghouls in the center. Needless to say, after many dice rolls, only the SGK and 4 ghouls are left standing.
Combat:
Terrorgheist throws some wounds on the STank. The Demis are slowing down a bit and only get 2 wounds. But they make 8 out of 9 armour saves. Horrors unstable another wound- leaving only 4 left in the front row.
That tank was worth its weight in gold! It looked like it might suffer some kind of mechanical malfunction…but the Commander got it under control, spun the tank and slammed into the beast with a crash! It didn’t kill it; but it looked severely wounded. The thing lashed out in anger at the metal hunk, but somehow its armour kept it from destruction.
With the Knight hacking Horrors on the left and his Knights delaying on the right it was time to open up on the center. After the wizard got off another harmony bubble, it was time. “Fire on the ghouls!” Everything that could shoot did. Lead, arrows and bolts flew through the air with a vengeance and the ghouls dropped like flies. Somehow their undead King managed to avoid harm, but his minions were almost all dead around him.
If the General fell…the battle would be his!
Turn 4 Crypt Terror:
Here is how it looked:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/2Turn4B.jpg)
His Crypt Horrors were about dead. His General bunker was toast. He was getting ready to lose his last Terrorgheist- and his zombie bunker and other ghoul unit were facing a 6+ token Comet…. yep, that was game. (For kicks, I kept rolling to see when the Comet would have showed up. It went off on Turn 6 with 10 tokens. It would have done 2d6 +10 hits of Str 10. I rolled snake-eyes for range (see, my infamous 1s!!!)…so if the Zombies were still there they would have had a bad day!)
Well, maybe the planners got something right for a change. His awesome ranged firepower made short work of the remaining undead. The hardest part was keeping his forces back from surging forward in their adrenaline state to avoid getting pummeled by the streaking comet.
When it did hit, it erupted the earth in a massive blast that leveled the battlemount next to it. Oops. Hopefully the Elector wouldn’t be too pissed about that. His forces held the field and kept the city safe. Well, at least for one more day. When the undead started appearing, it was never just one fight…
After Action:
1. The leadership bubble is key with so many detachments- a lesson I learned the hard way in the first run.
2. With so many detachments, I don’t see ground-pounders being able to penetrate the Hardpoint. I had too many facing his list. However, facing other lists, not sure if I could kill numerous hordes with this set-up, but I definitely could slow them down. The glaring weak point is flyers. They have to die first. If the Helblasters fall, it is no longer a hardpoint.
3. Harmonic Convergence is ridiculous. My shooting was insane when it went off.
4. I had fun testing it out, but I didn’t “feel it.” You know- how an army or list just gets you going? It wasn’t an ordinary gunline- but I wouldn’t want to face this list in a serious setting. My opponent had fun- but only because he is a Warhammer nerd like me. However, if I brought this list every week, I think he would punch me in the face. Regardless, I much prefer throwing down in close combat myself. I could probably tone down the shooting and increase the cavalry to make it a more enjoyable list.
5. It wasn’t a perfect test of my Griffon Wings, mainly because he never really made it close to me. I think archers with archer detachments are an unexpected, hidden gift we received in this army book. With just one set added to a list, it gives you much needed mobile diverters.
Please give me some comments! :::cheers:::
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Fun Read! Thanks HHG.
You might be able to accomplish the "Wing" with a few less Archer Detachments, allowing you a bit more flexibility during deployment.
Some Tactical thoughts:
* Surprised how effective the DG's were against the Crypt Horrors.
* Not sure why the didn't position his 2nd Terrorgeist like the first one, pinning your Tank (unless he thought that the scream would finish it).
* I'm assuming his Vamp Lord was in the CG1. He should have charged out into the DG/CH battle and popped the Priest.
(BTW...I just acquired a VC Army so this is fun to read from both sides of the board...Sweet!)
Well Done Sir!
Noght
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Fun Read! Thanks HHG.
You might be able to accomplish the "Wing" with a few less Archer Detachments, allowing you a bit more flexibility during deployment.
Some Tactical thoughts:
* Surprised how effective the DG's were against the Crypt Horrors.
* Not sure why the didn't position his 2nd Terrorgeist like the first one, pinning your Tank (unless he thought that the scream would finish it).
* I'm assuming his Vamp Lord was in the CG1. He should have charged out into the DG/CH battle and popped the Priest.
(BTW...I just acquired a VC Army so this is fun to read from both sides of the board...Sweet!)
Well Done Sir!
Noght
Thanks!
--I was very surprised at how the Demigryphs chewed away at the Crypt Horrors- I thought they would beat me over time. I bet Str 5 T 4 models would hurt the Chicks worse; against Str 4 T 5 the mounts were wounding him on 4s, while his Str didn't really modify their saves. Of course my rolls had a little bit to do with- one stretch I think I made like 22 out of 24 2+ saves.
--I think he didn't repeat the "pinch the tank" move a second time because he wanted to scream the tank but stay out of Helblaster range. Of course, then that allowed the tank to pivot and charge it. During our "after the battle" chat, he mentioned that he thought should have launched both Terrorgeists in at the same time. But like me, he had no idea how nasty my shooting was going to be.
--Yeah, the Ghoul King was in CG1. I think he was located on the far left of the unit (as you look at it on the graph) and pinched behind the archer det. It would have been a nasty move if he had prepared for/thought about it.
I think your comment about starting VC is funny- because I have bad thoughts in the back of my mind about starting a VC army. I say "bad" because I have to fully finish my plans for my Empire army before anything else distracts me! :::cheers:::
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The Inverted Griffon versus Vampire Counts
Get your popcorn ready and a comfortable chair- this report is a long one. The battle went all the way to Turn 6 and was epic to the bitter end. Enjoy the Battle Report! :::cheers:::
So, the Vampire Counts were back for another 2500 point throw down. This time my opponent ran a list that he based off (slightly modified) a tournament winning list he found on a VC forum. He still has the 2 Terrorgheists, but this time he ran a Ghoul horde with a SGK and beefy block of Black Knights with a Vampire.
The boys in blue were going to be sorely tested, Griffon formation or not.
The Good Guys: Ulric’s Own
14 Inner Circle Knights “Gold Banner” FC, Lances, Banner of Swiftness
Warrior Priest Hector Snow
Warrior Bane, Enchanted Shield, Terrifying Mask of Eee!
4 Demiwolf Knights “Blood Lords” FC, Lances
Warrior Priest Blane Bonham Dragonhelm
38 Teutogen Guard (Greatswords) “Ulric’s Own” FC, Standard of Discipline
15 Halberd Detachment
15 Halberd Detachment
Arch Lector Dominus Snow (Gen)
GW, Armour of Meteoric Iron, Dawnstone
Captain Frederick Von Strauss (BSB)
Tormentor Sword, Charmed Shield
10 Archers “Rommel’s Rangers”
5 Archer Detachment
5 Archer Detachment
10 Archers “Rommel’s Rearguard” Standard, Musician
Lars Fredericksen Lvl 4 Heavens Wizard, Dispel Scroll
Steam Tank “Leonardo III”
Bartimus “Bullseye” Smith (Engineer Commander)
The Bad Guys: Soul Blight
42 Crypt Ghouls w/champ
Strigoi Ghoul King (Gen) Lvl 1 Lore of Vamp, Giant Blade, Dragonbane Gem, OTS, Red Fury, Beguile
14 Black Knights FC, Lances, Banner of Swiftness
Vampire Lvl 2 Lore of Vamp, Enchanted Shield, Staff of Damnation, Ironcurse Icon
2x Terrorgheists
2x 2 Fellbats
20 Zombies
20 Zombie Bunker
Master Necromancer Lvl 4 Death Wizard
21 Zombie Bunker
Necromancer Lvl 2 Lore of Vamp, Dispel Scroll
Pre-deployment
The list is similar to the one I ran in the first battle in this thread- except I wanted to bust out some Demis to go with the Griffon Formation.
In order to fit the heavy cav and a mounted WP, I dropped off 10 Greatswords, 10 Halbs, and the Lumi and made some minor tweaks. I was hoping this would spread the combat power around a little more. Because I lost the nuke off the Lumi, I switched magic Lores to Heavens for some more ranged firepower.
My plan in this one: be patient, avoid getting flanked/reared by the Terrors, and pick the right moment to strike.
My spells: Harmonic Convergence, Urannon’s Thunderbolt, Comet of Casandora, Chain Lightning
His spells: Lore of Vamp = 3x Invocation, Hellish Vigor, Raise Dead
Lore of Death = Caress, Soulblight, Fate of Bunja, Purple Sun
Deployment
We rolled the random terrain rules from the BRB in random locations. Wizard tower in the center right next to a Mist-Wreathed Swamp, several forests, a house, a hill, a Nec Sphinx, and a Ghost Fence.
We rolled for a scenario and got Meeting Engagement. He won the roll to pick sides- and just couldn’t resist taking the side with Nec Sphinx.
He started putting units on the north side so I established an Inverted Griffon opposite knowing he would clump his forces near his leader to start. My cavalry went towards the center. He placed his Black Knights so they were barely inside his leader’s bubble and within 6” of the Sphinx so he could challenge it with his mounted Vampire. I lined up the STank so it could shoot at a Terrorgheist without having to move.
The end result:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/3Deployment.jpg)
Turn 1 Ulric’s Own:
Movement:
Ulric’s Own got the first turn. I moved the Inverted Griffon forward a bit. I wasn’t being too aggressive- I wanted to get some pot shots off at the Terrors. I did move the Demis up to start the cavalry “cat-and-mouse” game on the left flank. The STank fired up the boiler for a long cannon shot.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/3Turn1A-1.jpg)
Magic
Generated 7 dice, my opponent had 5. I tossed about half my dice at a boosted Harmonic C and got IF. Damn. The miscast blasted all the casters on my side- Wizard and WP in the Demis take wounds (one bad side effect of AL/WPs being able to channel now). I lose the rest of my dice.
Shooting
Archers drop a Ghoul. The cannonball flies into the belly of the Terror. Roll a 1 to wound and thanks for HC, get the re-roll! I started doing the happy-dance until my opponent rolled his 6+ Regen. Is my STank’s shooting cursed or something?
Turn 1 Soul Blight:
Vampire challenged the Sphinx. Vamp won. He got Loremaster of Death. Are you kidding me? Now I am facing 2 Death mages… :-o
My opponent took advantage of his General’s leadership and surged forward. His Black Knights pushed max distance and were accompanied by a Terror. Taking a page from my playbook, he flew his bats in as diverters, preventing charges by all my cavalry. The Ghoul and Zombie blocks also moved max distance.
His Death Necro was now within 3’ of the Wizard’s Tower…so not only did he have 2 Death casters, but BOTH were Loremasters. (Holy Purple Sun, Batman!)
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/3Turn1B.jpg)
Magic:
9 Power Dice, 7 Dispel. He tosses 4 dice at Caress on my WP with the Demis. I let it go and he gets no hits (whew). Tosses a 5 dice Purple Sun…I get 2x 6s and dispel it (whew)!
Shooting:
The bloody Terror screams at my Demiwolves and gets 5 wounds. Damn those things are nasty!
Skip the italicized blocks if you don’t want to read the fluff!
Gor’s Griffons had just smashed an undead horde the week before, so it was no surprise to Arch Lector Dominus Snow that his force was called upon to take to the field against the walking dead- when the dead rose they seemed to multiple like a plague. He had read the battle report in detail and did not like what he heard. Gigantic terrors with screams that could kill the most armoured Knights, frenzied undead gargoyles that could tear men to shreds and hordes of shambling dead- some with flesh, some without.
Today looked no different. He counted two of the Terrors and a large unit of knights in black riding skeleton steeds. The leader appeared to be a nasty brute of muscled sinew that carried a wicked magical blade that looked as if it could even cut the Steam Tank in half in a horde of the ghoulish-dead. And lots and lots of Zombies.
His mission was to push back the horde of undead and keep them from ransacking the College’s Tower, which was sandwiched in a narrow valley between towering cliffs on each side.
Unfortunately his force had not made it to the Tower before the undead. Snow had deployed his force in a nearby forest in the new Inverted Griffon. His right flank was secure by the towering cliffs, so he put all his cavalry on the left. Instead of Gais from the Jade Order, the Elector sent him Lars, a Celestial Mage. Lars had participated in the last undead battle and would be a battle-tested veteran in this one. Snow only hoped his magic was as effective as Gaia’s.
The Arch Lector noted he would have to make sure the flying Terrors didn’t fly to his flanks and rear. He was not sure even Ulric’s Own would hold the line if that happened. He ordered his men forward.
His Demiwolf cavalry pushed up on the left, backed up by his lance-toting Inner Circle Knights. Lars casted a harmony spell over the rear forces and a cannonball shot out and nailed one of the Terrors straight in its bony ribcage. The beast rocked back but it looked like it healed its wound at once! Hopefully something could take down those things…
The undead, seeing man-flesh, surged forward. A misty veil of hovering spirits descended over the leader of the Black Knights from a large Sphinx statue. Energized, the Knights glided forward like on air within charge range of his Demiwolves.
A Necromancer near the Tower started casting an unholy spell that spun and twisted with shadows and shades in a hellish vortex. Just as he was about to release it, Lars casted some kind of light at the undead caster that caused the vortex to fade. Nice one.
A Terror made a flying leap and landed next to the Black Knights and let out a screetch that rocked the ground like an earthquake. One Demiwolf was blasted into pieces and another was seriously wounded. When it appeared his Knights were preparing for a charge, they were thwarted by hellish bats that dropped from the sky and disrupted their ranks. Not good, not good at all…
Turn Two: Ulric’s Own
Movement:
My Demiwolves were in between a rock and a hard place and already wounded. I decided to charge the bats to get rid of them and to hold in a sacrificial spot with his Terror and Knights in position for a brutal countercharge…planning to follow up with my own countercharge a turn later with my Inner Circle Knights.
The rest of my forces I just shifted and reformed but didn’t surge forward. I still wanted some more shots at the big beasties first.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/3Turn2A.jpg)
Magic:
11 Power Dice, 6 Dispel. I tried a 3 dice Thunderbolt at a Terror but he dispelled it. I got off a boosted Harmonic C and he used the rest of his DD to kill my Chain Lightning.
Shooting:
Another token Ghoul dies by arrows. I fail to kill the damn Fell Bats with arrows! Now the little bastards are going to get in my way again…
Another cannonball in the belly of a Terror (the one flanking my Demis). This time no regen save and I didn’t roll a 1 to wound like I usually do- take 5 big ones you ugly bag of bones! :-)
Close Combat:
Fell Bats die beneath my Demi Claws (By Ulric, I would sure hope so!). They reform and prep for the hell getting ready to descend on them (WP switches to the side away from the Terror and the angle is such that, if the Black Knights charge, their boney asses will dip into the Mist-Wreathed Swamp... insert evil laugh here).
Turn 2 Soul Blight:
Movement:
As predicted, the Black Knights and Terrors charge my Demis. And, as hoped for, two Black Knights get sucked into the swamp, mounts and all! Far left Zombies charge my archer detachment.
His Terrorgheist hops over the Tower and plops down in front of my lines. The Ghoul King and his horde move up to face off against the Greatswords. Also, as predicted, his bats get in the way of my Inner Circle Knights.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/3Turn2B.jpg)
Magic:
The most nail-biting magic phase was to follow. :icon_eek:
He bagged up 12 Power Dice to my 6 Dispel. And to my chagrin, he turned his sights directly on my Lvl 4 Wizard.
First, he tossed 4 dice at a boosted Caress against my Wizard in the building exactly 24” away. I do the math in my head and figure since he already has suffered a wound he is likely doomed if I let this through. Dispel Scroll. Without missing a beat, my opponent throws a 3-dice Spirit Leech. Knowing he still has 5 dice left (most likely for a Purple Sun), I had to let this one through. It would all come down to luck with Ldr 8 versus Ldr 8. We both rolled 1s. No wounds!
Okay- here comes the 5 dice Purple Sun. He got a really high roll, but I rolled higher than him with 6 DD. Man, I couldn’t believe I made it through that magic phase!
Shooting:
Here come the screams. The wounded Terror in combat doesn’t get any wounds, but the Terror looming over my Inner Circle Knights kills 6 of them! (I fear the screams worse than the bite and claws on those things).
Combat:
The Demis give it all they have and do pretty well- killing a Black Knight and only taking a few wounds themselves. However, they lose combat by 4 and proceed to run away. The Terror tries to chase them down but misses by 1 inch! The Black Knights hold to turn and face off against my Knights.
My archer detachments fares a little better- they kill enough zombies to gain courage and hold their ground.
Arch Lector Snow saw that his Demiwolves were in a terrible tactical position. They managed to kill off the bats in front of them, but were barely able to reform and face the charge of the Black Knights and Terrorgeist. One piece of good news, Lars casted another harmony spell right before the tank spat another cannonball at the charging Terror. This time it nailed it right in its bony skull, blowing off half its face. Somehow, it pressed on and hit his Knights in the flank.
Lars was not so lucky in getting some of his lighting and thunder bolts off. The Master Necro had some tricks of his own and appeared to shoot them down out of the air with his own evil bolts of dark. A magic duel ensued. It appeared Lars was doing everything in his power to keep the evil spells at bay. Hopefully, he could keep it up.
His Demiwolf Knights named the Blood Lords fought valiantly but the foes were too much. After taking several wounds their courage failed them and they fled. The Terror rose up to chase them but as of yet, fell short. The Black Knights turned their mounts to face off against his Gold Banner Inner Circle Knights. By Ulric, he hoped they would hold or his rear was lost.
The other Terror cleared the Tower in one fell swoosh. It screamed a blood-chilling roar that dropped 6 of his Gold Banner knights like dust in the wind. They held their ground…but for how long?
The Ghouls on the right flank pressed their advantage. Some of his archers on the far right engaged a Zombie block. Somehow, they kept from being overrun. It was time to push up his Teutogen Guard and Halberds before all was lost…
Turn 3 Ulric’s Own:
Movement:
Time to rock and roll. My archer detachment charges (and thankfully fails) the Black Knights in order to get out of the way. The Greatswords and detachments all succeed on charges (against the Zombies, Ghouls, and Terror). Lastly, my Knights charge the bats to finally get rid of them.
Unfortunately the fleeing Demis fail to rally and pound their way towards the board edge.
The STank lines up a shot against the Black Knights, hoping the wizard can finish off the 1 wound Terror. Last, but not least, my Wizard pops out the back of the building to get out the 24” nuke range of his Master Necro Death mage.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/3Turn3A.jpg)
Magic:
I get 7 Powerdice, he has 4 Dispel. Respectable. I throw a 2 dice T-Bolt and he lets it go. Bye-bye, Terrorgheist. Finally!
Next I toss 2 dice on Harmonic C just on the Greatswords. He lets it go. When I toss the rest of my dice on a 5+ Ward Save for the Greatswords, he dispels it.
Shooting:
Now that the Ghouls are in combat, my hapless archers drop 2 token zombies. My STank gets off a cannonball, but it only hits 1 Black Knight and he dies his final death.
Combat:
This is it! Time for the big rumble. The remaining Terrorgheist eats 3 Halbs and stomps on 4 more but they manage to get a wound on it and hold their ground due to Stubborn.
On the other side, the Halbs and archers whittle away the Zombies but fail to finish off the unit.
And in the center- I toss out a challenge hoping to get his Ghoul King tied up, but he accepts with his Ghast. My champ dies a horrible death. Next goes his ridiculous Ghoul King- who kills 5 Greatswords on his own. The rest of the Ghouls go and total up 11 wounds. I roll my armour saves and it is unbelievable- 7 of them are 4 or above and the 4 failures are all 1s! Due to HC, I re-roll them and get 2 more saves! The Ghouls only get 2 wounds!
The attack back was vicious. With Hatred and re-rolling 1s on the wounds, I killed 11 Ghouls and directed every attack I possibly could on the Ghoul King- also resulting in his DEATH. Between the losses due to Unstable and the crumble for losing the army’s General, he had only 8 Ghouls remaining in his “horde at the end of the phase.” (Learning point- Greatswords really rock with HC!!!)
He gets pretty lucky with the rest of his army and the crumble only knocks a few wounds off a couple of units.
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Turn 3 Soul Blight:
By opponent, knowing he is only 1 Purple Sun away from possibly leveling the playing field, decides to press on to see what happens.
Movement:
His Black Knights charge my Inner Circle Knights. The only other movement is his Master Necro takes his Zombie bunker into the Wizard’s Tower.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/3Turn3B.jpg)
Magic:
He gets another decent Winds O Magic: 9 dice versus my 6.
He wastes no time and tosses a 6-dice Purple Sun, this time from the Vampire with Loremaster of Death. No IF so I toss all my Dispel Dice and beat him (yet another whew!)
I can’t do anything against the rest of his dice, so he gets off both Hellish Vigor (re-roll wounds) and the +1 attack buff from the Staff of Damnation (as if those Black Knights didn’t put out enough hurt- this round was going to be brutal for my poor Knights).
Shooting:
The damn Terror screams again and blasts the Halbs he is fighting into oblivion.
Combat:
The last line of Ghouls flails out before they die and net 10 more wounds. This time my luck is not so unbelievable and I save half, but re-roll the 4 1s and get 2 more saves. I kill every single Ghoul when I strike back and reform in rows of 7 aimed at the Zombie bunker. The left most Zombies also get wiped out.
In the cavalry battle- he dishes out a whooping 14 wounds and I make all but 3 armour saves! I kill a Knight and have to make my resulting Break Test on a 7. I roll a 7; they hold!
Yes! The Terrorgheist never made it to his fleeing Demiwolves. Lars sent a wicked bolt into what remained of its skull and it dropped to the ground in yet another quake that shook the earth.
Arch Lector Snow and his forces charged across the right flank. A detachment of Halberds joined the archers against the Zombies, while the other detachment hit the last Terrorgheist before it could take flight again. That left his Teutogen Guard to square off directly against the Ghoul Horde. Right before the first blows were struck, Lars got off another timely spell that seemed to surround Ulric’s Own and assist their blows and defense. Magic assisting metal by Ulric!
The resulting combat was a bloodbath. The Ghoul King slaughtered more men singlehandedly than the whole Ghoul horde- but it was not enough. When the Guard got its great warhammers into action, the entire horde disappeared in a matter of moments- including the King who was smashed into pieces.
The whole undead army shook at its death. Some undead fell, joining its master’s fate, but the Necromancer in the tower quickly chanted some spells and bound the army to his will. Arch Lector Snow stood over the body of the dead “king” and raised his warhammer mockingly towards the Necromancer. Stories of this day would be told for years to come as long as he could clear the casters off the field!
The Halberdiers and Archers made short work of the Zombies on the far right. The Halberdiers facing the Terror managed to wound it some, but it made short work of them, gnashing, clawing, stomping and screaming them into a mass of body parts scattered over the field.
His Inner Circle Knights were hard-pressed as well. The Black Knights hit them with a thundering crash. Their lances were added by some kind of hellish, unholy power and they attacked as if in a black whirlwind. Many of the Empire Knights were saved by the strength of their hardened armour, but several of the Knights fell. Somehow, they managed to hold against the flurry of blows. They just needed to buy him a little more time…
Turn 4 Ulric’s Own:
Beginning of the Turn:
STank’s boiler finally springs a leak. Generates a whopping 6 steam points and takes 2 wounds in the process.
Movement:
The poor Zombie Bunker gets double-teamed by my Greatswords and Halb detachment.
My STank lines up yet another shot against the Terror. Archers move into firing positions.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/3Turn4A.jpg)
Magic:
7 PD, 5 DD. I go for a 3 dice T-Bolt but he dispels it. He had had enough of my HC when I threw the rest of my dice at it- dispel scroll!
Shooting:
STank gets another cannonball downrange and another Hit! The Terror fails its regen and takes 4 wounds. It has 1 left.
All my archers shoot at the Large Terror Target sitting in the middle of the field…several hits but they cannot wound the indomitable beast to finish it off. (Sure was missing HC at this point…it is like magic Crack!)
Combat:
Ah yeah- the Greatswords and Halberds make short work of the Zombie bunker and Necro. They turn to face the last Zombie bunker and Master Necro in the tower…
My poor Inner Circle Knights didn’t fare so well. Totally weird- the riders didn’t do that much, but the mounts were in a frenzy! His mounts got 3 unsaved wounds on me, and my warhorse got off one of his horse-attacks-of-doom and killed a Black Knight. (Some really, really strange shit happens in Warhammer sometimes…) Unfortunately, my Knights fail their Break test and run. Unfortunately, this causes my nearby archers to panic and run. Also, unfortunately, my Knights don’t ran far enough or fast enough to get away from the Black Knights and get hacked down. And, unfortunately, this places the Black Knights about 1” away from the steel hull of my STank. Hmm…wonder what is going to happen next on his turn?
Turn 4 Soul Blight:
Movement:
Yep, the STank gets charged by both the Terror and the Black Knights (the 2nd time he has gotten off a dual Terror/BK charge). He moves his Master Necro and the Zombie Bunker on the opposite side of the building away from my approaching forces- but this puts them square in the swamp- perfect place for the vile things! 4 of them get sucked to their doom!
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/3Turn4B.jpg)
Magic:
8 PD, 6 DD. He IFs a 4-dice Soul Blight on the STank, loses the rest of his dice and his Master Necro takes a wound.
Shooting:
Thankfully, the Terror fails to wound the tank when it screams.
Combat:
The Vamp manages to get 3 unsaved wounds on the steam behemoth, but all his bad-ass buddies are not so bad ass and fail to wound it.
Before the Terrorgheist could take flight againt, “Bullseye” Smith sent a cannonball into its side. The Terror didn’t regen this wound either and looked close to collapsing. All the archers on the field shot their arrows at it but they all bounced harmlessly off the bone.
His Teutogen Guard and Halbs made short work of the Necromancer and his zombies that had been lurking behind the lines. He turned towards the Tower to take the fight to the last Necromancer but saw that he was herding his Zombies and leaving the Tower opposite them into the swamp. Snow laughed as he saw several of them sink into the mire! His mirth didn’t last long when he looked at his rear lines- things were not going well.
His Gold Banner Inner Circle Knights finally caved. When they routed so did the nearby archers. The Black Knights hacked down the Empire Knights to a man and without missing a beat, glided towards Smith and Leonardo III, the Steam Tank. The Terrorgheist took flight and both forces slammed into the tank with hellish anger. The last Necromancer added insult to injury by casting some kind of spell on the tank that made it wobble and shake. Even weakened, somehow the tank’s armour held against the onslaught of blows and screams.
Would its hull hold up till he and the Teutogen Guard got there?
Turn 5 Ulric’s Own:
I decide to generate 4 steam points on my wounded tank (caution is for the Elves!) and he mishaps. The boiler over-pressurizes and gives the tank 2 wounds, but it now has 6 steam points to dish out!
Movement:
The tanks grinds only a single Black Knight into griffon food. :-(
The archer fail to rally (notice the pattern on that side of the board…?)
My Greatswords reform and push towards the last remaining combat.
5 more Zombies get sucked into the marsh (guess they should have zigged when they zagged…) :evil:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/3Turn5A.jpg)
Magic:
I roll snake eyes for Winds but get 1 extra for 3 PD to 1 DD. (See- my luck is either insanely good or insanely bad!) The only good news with this roll- I can get one spell off for sure. I chose a boosted Harmonic C and get it off.
Shooting:
My archers drop a couple of more hapless Zombies.
Combat:
The Vamp goes to work again and gets 2 more unsaved wounds on the STank. It has 3 left. The rest of the Black Knights fail to wound it. I still have 3 steam points left and blow 8 Harmony-boosted hits from the Steam Gun on the Terror. I get 2 wounds and he only Regenerates 1. The beast is dead!
Turn 5 Soul Blight:
Movement:
The Master Necro leaves the Zombies in the swamp and faces my Greatswords. The poor Zombies can’t make it out of the marsh and lose 2 more in the murky depth.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/3Turn5B.jpg)
Magic:
He gets yet another strong magic phase- 10 PD to my 6 DD. He throws 4 dice at a Caress on my Arch Lector General and I let it go. Luckily, he takes 2 wounds and survives. Of course, here comes a 6 dice Purple Sun aimed at my Greatsword block. He gets a great roll but no IF, and I get 2 6s to promptly dispel it. Not one Purple Sun has gone off! :-)
Combat:
The Vamp and Black Knights try in vain to kill the STank, but only get 1 unsaved wound. The STank is still kicking with 2 wounds.
Instead of chasing down the last Necromancer, Snow reformed his forces and turned back towards his lines and ordered a full charge against the rear of the boned behemoth. The beast did not live to feel their charge- Leo III overpressurized and in a rush of harmony-boosted steam blasted the Terror into thousands of bone shards that pelted the field like razor rain. Now that will be a story to tell the grandkids…
All of sudden, he was surrounded by a shadowy mist. A black-mouthed beauty emerged from it to caress him with its mouth. It felt like his soul was being ripped from his body. Only the recent thought of his grandkids and his will to see them again kept him from certain death. When the shade princess disappeared, he felt like he had aged 20 years.
Turn 6 Ulric’s Own:
Throwing caution to the wind, I generate 4 steam points on the STank. I roll a 2 on the arty dice and it is good to go!
Movement:
My Greatswords make an awesome charge and hit the flank of the Vampire.
The Steam Points pay off- the tank grinds away the remaining Black Knights and does a wound to the Vampire.
My archer detachment makes a valiant charge (don’t ask me why- just for kicks!) against the Master Necromancer that ends up being a suicidal charge- all 5 get sucked into the swamp (too funny) joined by a couple more Zombies. Only 3 Zombies left.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/3Turn6A.jpg)
Magic:
Again I roll snake eyes for Winds O Magic and again get an extra dice. I throw the 3 dice at a T-Bolt and rock the Master Necro for 5 Str 6 hits, getting 2 wounds. He dies.
Combat:
His Vampire tosses out a challenge, and for fluff reasons only, my courageous Captain BSB accepts the challenge (my General would have- but he only had 1 wound left). You know the result- dead Captain. However, combat resolution caused the Vampire to unstable himself to death as well.
Turn 6 Soul Blight:
Only 3 Zombies remained on the field. One crumble roll later- they were dead.
The Victory Point count- I beat him by a solid 1379! Griffon Formation 4, Opponents 0.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/3Turn6B.jpg)
Arch Lector Snow had no time to adjust from his brush with death.
His Teutogen Guard slammed into the flank of the Black Knights with the intent of sending them back into the afterlife. As his forces died around him, the Vampire leader bellowed a challenge for any mortal willing to face him. Before Snow could clear his throat and respond, Captain Von Strauss raised the Wolf Banner high and strode out to meet the vile being. He fought bravely- his lucky shield preventing one death blow- but the Vampire was too swift and too deadly. The Wolf Banner fell- but would never hit the ground. Two Guards jumped to rescue its hallowed fabric from the blood and mire soaking the ground.
Nothing could save the Vampire, however. With a vengeance, the Ulric’s Own pulled him from his mount and caved in his body with so many hammer blows it would have felled a giant.
Arch Lector Snow turned his attention to the last Necromancer to prepare a final charge. But it was unnecessary. Tired of the magic duel, Lars sent a twitching bolt of blue and orange square into the chest of the distracted Necromancer. He exploded in a puff of gray dust. Almost as cool as the Terror explosion…almost.
The final Zombies on the field struggled to climb out of the mist-wreathed swamp. The mindless creatures had no idea they were doomed. Snow laughed and wondered which would kill them first- the swamp, or the lack of magic to hold them together. As the magic left them, they fell limp and slide into the black water. Hopefully, once and for all.
What a battle! Ulric’s Own held the field yet again. How many more times could they keep this up? Maybe it was time to retire…
After Action:
1. I was very pleased with the performance of the Inverted Griffon. The detachments kept the flanks of my horde clean and tied up a Zombie block and held up a Terrorgeist for a few turns. He outplayed me on the flank with the cavalry tap dance and his flying monsters and diverters…but my cavalry held out long enough to keep everything away from the horde battle until I could concentrate on them.
2. One thing I realized during this battle that I haven’t mentioned yet- the Griffon Formation and alls it diverters really help in getting off the charge with the center horde. Now, charges are not as critical as they used to be in 7th Edition, but there is something to be said for having the charge happen on your turn- because in your magic phase you know those troops are going to be in combat and when you spend precious Power Dice to buff them up they are not wasted dice. Nothing worse than spending Power Dice on buffing up troops (and not using them to nuke/effect other targets) when the troops never end up in combat because your opponent decides not to charge them on his turn because of their buffed-up state. These little things make all the difference between victory and defeat.
2. I was very happy I switched from Life to Heavens. Harmonic Convergence, even on 4+ AS instead of 1+ AS is still effective. Plus, I hit and wounded more as well. My opponent was surprised at its effective too. I don’t think he will let me get it off again. In the “after the battle” chat, he mentioned he should have used his dispel scroll on it. Then he could have easily got rid of the 5++ Ward Save as well and the critical horde versus horde battle might have gone a little differently.
3. I hope I don’t jinx myself, but my STank has yet to die in combat since I started using the formations (I can only remember it dying once since getting the new army book and even then, it killed itself). The STank is a beast!
4. My opponent is relatively new in using VC, especially with the new book. Since I may collect a VC army in the future (once my Empire army goals are met!), my opponent and I would be interested in feedback on ways he could have played it differently. It is obviously a tough, nasty list based off a tournament-winning one. I think if a Purple Sun or two had gone off or if he had sniped a couple of my characters, it would have really changed the game.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the Battle Report. Hoping to get some games in over the holiday and weekend. I might post my 1250 point Escalation league battle versus O&G if it turns out to be epic.
I look forward to your comments!
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Awesome report! Many thanks.
Your opponent knew his tactics for sure and used diverters well.
The stank was used for a long time as a cannon. That seems a waste... unitl he gets charged and survives all that havoc.
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Awesome report as ever, this is very much appreciated!
Those were exactly my thoughts on the STank when I looked at the pictures, Calisson: "Why is he using it as a cannon?" I realize it did its job hurting the TG's but its main role is to waylay the meanest enemy unit and not let it escape. It can easily lock down a flank against everything that doesn't do Fellblade/Ghal Maraz type-damage, and it would have freed up both units of Knights for flank charges.
As to the formation itself, let me be completely honest while wishing not to offend: It's got a fancy name but at its core it is using diverters and hordes in conjunction. That isn't a bad idea at all, au contraire, but haven't people - not only Empire players - been doing just that for ages?
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As to the formation itself, let me be completely honest while wishing not to offend: It's got a fancy name but at its core it is using diverters and hordes in conjunction. That isn't a bad idea at all, au contraire, but haven't people - not only Empire players - been doing just that for ages?
Holy Hand Grenade uses two layers of parents/detachments, first one used as screen/diverted, the second one as fighters. This seems a little bit more elaborate than what most Empire generals are happy to go to war with.
The inverted variant, in particular, is even more innovative and should definitively get credit from Holy Hand Grenade.
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Ah, that I can understand. I just needed someone to couch it in short words and sentences. You're also providing a bunker at the same time. Nice.
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Awesome report! Many thanks.
Your opponent knew his tactics for sure and used diverters well.
The stank was used for a long time as a cannon. That seems a waste... unitl he gets charged and survives all that havoc.
Good point- I could have been more aggressive with the tank. It would have been nice grinding up some Ghouls but in this battle I honestly was worried about getting the tank tied up in there with his Str 8 Ghoul King- he would have wounded it on 2s and my armour saves would have been on 6s and he would have gotten extra attacks for each unsaved wound! Add Terror screams and Death spells like Spirit Leech, Caress, and Purple Sun and the tank could have easily been removed in one turn.
Also, while the tank did start way back, it suffered from very low movement rolls (I was taking long range shots) and basically just rumbled forward at whatever it was shooting at.
Even though I joked in the report that caution is for the pointy-eared Elves...my plan was to use my tank in reserve and I held back a little bit because I was worried about it getting tied up in the wrong place at the wrong time and taking wounds too early and too often to last the whole battle (it barely survived the game as it was)...especially after I dropped the Life Mage in this list.
I thought that once our lines were engaged, the Stank would be a perfect rear guard with its 360 degree charge radius and hard-hitting power- a necessity once those Terrors started flying around back there. I figured it would be a "closer" in the later turns and it performed like a champ in this regard.
I didn't get the chance in this fight to slam the tank into anything because my Knights routed on my turn and his forces were positioned to charge in. However, looking back I am still satisfied with the choice, because if the tank wasn't there, my opponent would have had free reign to charge my archers in the building- likely killing them and forcing a panic test on my wizard who was dangerously close to the edge of the board! In the end, it still tied up his forces and allowed my horde to get back into action with a flank charge.
As to the formation itself, let me be completely honest while wishing not to offend: It's got a fancy name but at its core it is using diverters and hordes in conjunction. That isn't a bad idea at all, au contraire, but haven't people - not only Empire players - been doing just that for ages?
Touche! You found me out!
Seriously, I try as hard as possible not to appear to have found "the answer" on how to play Empire. You are correct- there is nothing revolutionary here that hasn't been discovered by trial and error by numerous other Generals playing different armies in 8th Edition (and earlier).
My posts are an attempt to share with the Empire community my thoughts on how to use the new detachment rules to our advantage- and, more importantly, to generate discussion to get other ideas from other Generals. As Calisson stated, my only "claim to fame" may be that I use more points on detachments/diverters than most and run them in layers. Also, as you stated previously, I gave them fluffy names.
By the way, no offense taken.
I also hope you don't take offense to this- but as much as your pointed candor and mastery of logic can sometimes be a sore to the eyes and inadvertently piss people off, I am glad you are part of the forum and post as much as you do. You rarely let anyone get away with logical fallacies and poor arguments. From a personal standpoint- having you on the forum always makes me triple-check my replies to make sure nothing is unclear or unsound.
In closing, let me ask you this question- have any of these posts modified your use of detachments or caused you to try out more diverters? If not, I would really be interested in having you try it out and post your thoughts. :::cheers:::
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Well, thank-you for the kind words. I admit I'm often not satisfied with conventional wisdom, and from that point of view alone your treatise and practical experimenting is very welcome.
I must say that is some solid reasoning on the STank. I probably underestimated the threat of those flyers. Also, the tower in the centre might have precluded an easy flanking maneouever and necessitated a wide sweeping movement to the "bottom".
As to detachments, I've only started to use them again recently, a big unit od Spears w/ CoC-AL + 2*15 Swordsmen, which also is nothing new to many of course although it is a much more defensive configuration. Nevertheless, they've performed admirably in two instances lately. I haven't used archers that much, just a unit of five, with a middling performance.
What I did do though was to use units of 5 Reiksguard in a similar role. Charge in and tie something up, set them at an angle, this kind of stuff. It's not core, it's a wee bit more expensive than say, 15 Swordsmen but it looks promising.
I'm also planning to use more archers once I get the rest assembled and painted. Perhaps I'll sub in a crossbow parent for the time being...although it's lack of mobility means it isn't an ideal candidate.
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I ran a couple of battles this weekend but no Battle Reports (my opponent was trying out new tweaks to his list and didn't want me to post).
I tried something a little different myself too- I ran a modified Griffon- really a "half" one because I only had the diverters on one side of the horde while protecting the other side with a WAltar and STank. It worked like a champ. I was really happy to pull the WAltar back off the shelf and the tank and horde were happy for the buffs.
Needless to say, 2 more victories for the Griffon. Now 7-0 at 2500 points!
(In my Escalation league, currently at 1250 points, my mini-Griffon suffered a bitter loss at the hands of O&G...) :icon_sad:
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HHG - Thanks for the batreps and insights regarding use of detachments. I am in the midst of building up a more infantry focused list and have been keeping some of your lessons in mind. :::cheers:::
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Very much enjoying your reports HHG. You put a lot of thought and personality into them, which makes for a good read. Keep up the good work, and good luck in your coming battles!
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Great report HHG!
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I appreciate all the kudos! It makes taking the time to put it together worth it if someone else enjoys it.
I am hoping to get in a couple of battles tomorrow and will post anything Report worthy.
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Cool, I plan on running this formation on Wednesday night to see how it fares. I don't have a Steam Tank but will run a cannon for support instead.
One question on the Griffin Wing formation. Are you keeping the screening archers in front of the HBVG when it fires? If so, doesn't that add another -1 to hit for cover (or is it -2)? I'm thinking you're moving them out of the way first
Any way you could take a photo of your games? While I like the clarity of your graphs, it's always nice to see actual armies on the board!
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Thanks af lot for the reports, which are great reads, and provide tons of insights.
(In my Escalation league, currently at 1250 points, my mini-Griffon suffered a bitter loss at the hands of O&G...) :icon_sad:
[/quote]
I am to take on an orcs and gobo player in a 1500 match. The griffon is appealing, but could you be persuaded to outline what worked and what did not?
Best regards
Windeløv
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Thanks af lot for the reports, which are great reads, and provide tons of insights.
(In my Escalation league, currently at 1250 points, my mini-Griffon suffered a bitter loss at the hands of O&G...) :icon_sad:
I am to take on an orcs and gobo player in a 1500 match. The griffon is appealing, but could you be persuaded to outline what worked and what did not?
Best regards
Windeløv
The thing that really killed me was when he got a ridiculously long Random movement off with a Mangler and wiped my Knights out. (So watch out for those!)
That left my Griffon to try and deal with Savage Orcs, a few Trolls, and a Night Goblin horde on its own. The detachments helped hold him off for a bit and keep the goblins off me while I fought the Savages and Trolls. I ended up running away but he didn't catch me. So on a return charge, I had to go for his Savage Orcs even though they outnumbered me. The Greatswords whooped some butt and he failed his break test.
If I caught him, I won. If I didn't, he won. As I said, bitter loss- I DIDNT catch him.
To answer your question- honestly, the Griffon was the only thing that kept me in the fight after losing my Inner Circle Knights. He swarmed me with 3 nasty units and I was able to use detachments to keep the Trolls off me for one round and Goblins off me for the game.
It would have been a great Battle Report, but I wasn't taking pictures or notes. Guess I should always be prepared!
Good luck on your battle- let me know how it comes out!
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[/quote]
To answer your question- honestly, the Griffon was the only thing that kept me in the fight after losing my Inner Circle Knights. He swarmed me with 3 nasty units and I was able to use detachments to keep the Trolls off me for one round and Goblins off me for the game.
Thx for the reply
I expect to face something very similar to what you are describing.
The combo of facing 2 hammers (trolls and savages) an anvil (bus of night goblins with netters), extremely hard hitting chaff (manglers and fanatics) and armour piercing doom divers at this low point cost is af headache.
I will keep you posted ;0)
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The Griffon Formation at 1750 points
Some friends and I are running an Escalation League. 6 armies are in it- Warriors, Lizardmen, O&G, VC, High Elves and Empire are represented. We started at 500 and are going up 250 points every battle. You have to build upon whatever you start with. Part of the fun is growing your list over time!
Opponents are determined randomly but you don’t fight an army again until you have fought each one once. The “playoffs” will be the top four teams and they will play 2750 point battles, with the final 2 armies doing a battle royale at 3000.
I managed to somehow survive the early rounds with a 3 win/2 loss record. Now that each army had played the others once, it was wide open again.
I drew the High Elves at 1750. The list features a “Seredain-like” Helm bus with a Prince swinging at Str 7 and a BSB swinging Str 6…of course, all with ASF. His Swordmasters (now 21 strong with a champ wearing the Terror Mask) were going to spill some Empire blood. I knew I had my work cut out for me.
The Good Guys (my forces!): Ulric’s Own
11 Inner Circle Knights “Gold Banner” FC, Lances
Warrior Priest Hector Snow Dragonhelm
31 Teutogen Guard (Greatswords) “Ulric’s Own” FC, Standard of Discipline
12 Halberd Detachment
11 Halberd Detachment
Arch Lector Dominus Snow (Gen) GW, Armour of Meteoric Iron, Dawnstone
Captain Viktor Rommel (BSB) Sword of Swift Slaying, Enchanted Shield
10 Archers “Rommel’s Rangers” Musician
5 Archer Detachment
5 Archer Detachment
Gaias Lvl 2 Life Wizard, Dispel Scroll
Steam Tank “Leonardo III”
Bartimus “Bullseye” Smith (Engineer Commander)
The Bad Guys (or the really Good Guys, depending on your perspective): Caledor
8 Silver Helms Standard, Musician
Prince (Gen) Mounted, Giant Blade, Helm of Fortune, Ironcurse Icon
Noble (BSB) Mounted, Dragonhelm
21 Swordmasters FC, Bladelord with Terrifying Mask of Eeee!
30 Spearmen Standard, Musician
12 Archers Standard, Musician, Banner of Eternal Flame
Mage Lvl 2 High Magic, Dispel Scroll
Great Eagle
Repeater Bolt Thrower
Pre-deployment
My Griffon is slowing growing in the league. At 1750, I am going to run it 7 wide; not big enough to horde yet. The Halb detachments are a little small, but still will serve their purpose. Finally picked up a STank- but he has plenty of things that can damage it: the RBT, numerous Swordmaster swings, and of course, his crazy Str 7 Princeling. (And, before you think it is overkill on my part to take a tank at 1750, try taking on a WoC 60-man Marauder horde at low point levels and get back to me on the definition of the term overkill!)
My spells: Awakening of the Wood (what a worthless spell!!!), and Regrowth
His spells: Shield of Saphery and Vaul’s Unmaking
Deployment
The scenario we rolled for this round of battles was Meeting Engagement (seems like the only scenario I get lately!). Terrain was pretty cool- a Tower of Blood on one side and a Dwarf Brewhouse on the other. A Mist-Wreathed Swamp, Mysterious Forest, and wall finished off the sparse terrain.
We both dropped the archers first and then I set up a slightly modified Griffon Formation (one detachment with the Wizard is in the Tower) in a nice spot between the Tower of Blood and swamp- hoping the swamp would help protect that flank. He lined up opposite of me as follows:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/4Deployment.jpg)
Turn 1 Ulric’s Own:
Movement:
Ulric’s Own got the first turn (been getting lucky with that). I moved the Griffon forward a bit. The STank fired up the boiler, moved forward 5” and lined up a shot at his Prince and cavalry.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/4Turn1A.jpg)
Magic & Shooting
I didn’t even bother with the magic phase.
I did bother with the shooting phase and wish I hadn’t- damn tank misfires and wounds itself for 3 wounds (I think my STank’s cannon is on strike…)
Turn 1 Caledor:
My opponent uses his fast speed to push forward- the Eagle sets up to divert my Knights and his Swordmasters moved into a nice position to charge my Knights next turn.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/4Turn1B.jpg)
Magic & Shooting:
He got a decent amount of Power Dice and threw 5 at Vaul’s Unmaking. The only character in range was my mounted WP so I let it go. His Dragonhelm was now only an overpriced ornament. I easily dispelled the 5+ Ward Save he tried to put on his Swordmasters.
His RBT missed the STank, wide right.
Skip the italicized blocks if you don’t want to read the fluff!
Arch Lector couldn’t believe he was fighting the High Elves for the second week in a row. Weren’t they supposed to be “the good guys?” I suppose the Elector’s spurning of their diplomatic envoy had something to do it (comparing the stuffy High Elves with their Druchii cousins probably wasn’t the best way to gain friends and influence people!)
His forces had easily beaten back the pointy-ears the last time they had met, but they had received reinforcements. Good thing he had as well…
He put his mobile forces opposite their deadly masters of the Sword, and hoped his Griffon Formation would be enough to handle the spear and horse.
Each side pushed towards the other. Combat was not far away. Good thing- because it looked as if Leo III was bellowing steam and damaging itself at the cyclic rate…
Turn Two: Ulric’s Own
Start of Turn:
My tank tries to generate 4 steam points and blows a leak (I take that back- I think my entire tank HATES me). It does 2 more wounds to itself (half dead already!) and generates a whopping 6 points.
Movement:
The thought of clearing the Great Eagle with my Knights and getting charged by the Swordmasters quickly left my mind. I did the best I could do- STank rumbled forward and slammed into the Eagle while my Knights reformed and moved max distance backwards. Hopefully that would be good enough.
On the other flank, I did some diverting of my own by pushing my archer detachment in the face of his Knights. My Griffon Formation readjusted itself slightly next to the swamp but didn’t push forward.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/4Turn2A.jpg)
Magic & Shooting:
Crappy winds of magic. I throw all my dice on Regrowth on the tank and he Dispel Scrolls it.
And my archers- couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn.
Close Combat:
Great Eagle didn’t stand a chance. Ground up real nice- someone back in Altdorf told me they make great dog food…) :icon_cool:
Turn 2 Caledor:
Movement:
This will forever be the turn known as “The Failed Charge.” Kind of like the Broncos/Browns playoff game that immortalized “The Fumble” and “The Drive.”
My opponent charged all across the line. The Knights hit my archer diverters but his Spearmen failed to reach my other archers and his Swordmaster miffed by a half inch the charge on the Inner Circle Knights. It is not going to be a good day to be a Swordmaster…
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/4Turn2B.jpg)
Magic & Shooting:
He gets a decent amount of dice, but rolls an IF on his first cast: 5+ Ward on the Swordmasters. Only one archer next to him pays the price for his magic blunder.
I think his RBT hates him too- because this time the shot at the tank goes wide left (I am ad-libbing of course- a miss is a miss).
His archers prove to be better than mine- and 2 of the Empire’s finest bite the dust.
Combat:
Only the Silver Helms versus the archer detachment in CC at the moment. Do I even need to explain it? (The pointy-ears made some dog food of their own out of my poor archers…)
Arch Lector Snow saw a Great Eagle fly in the way of his Knights before they could charge. His Warrior Priest brother smartly ordered a retreat to gain space and time while the tank burst out more steam and rumbled forward to ground the Eagle into a bloody pulp.
After some of his archers died a valiant death on the right flank, it was time. He ordered his forces to Charge!
Turn 3 Ulric’s Own:
Start of Turn:
Despite being wounded, the tank suffers no ill-fate and generates 4 steam.
Movement:
Here is where things get interesting. Due to his Spearmen’s failed charge, his forces are in decent charge range for my Greatswords. I chose to charge his Knights and he decides to Flee! I re-direct the charge to Spearmen, and now since they are unsupported, he decides to Flee! with them as well. They run into the forest that turns out to be a Venom Thicket. Several die to the barbed poison (I personally would never go outside in the Warhammer world…). Greatswords move forward 3” on a failed charge.
He doesn’t have the option on the other flank and his Swordmasters have to hold against an ICK charge and the rumble, rumble of a steal behemoth.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/4Turn3A.jpg)
Magic & Shooting:
I toss a crapload of dice at Regrowth on the tank. Unfortunately his crapload was higher than my crapload. Tank gets no love.
Archers actually kill a Spearmen and bust out break-dancing- amazed at their good fortune.
Combat:
The tank grinds out 8 wounds on impact hits and he makes two Ward saves.
Swordmasters go first of course- and dish out 12 wounds on my Knights, who proceed to save only 6 of them. There went the back row! The ‘Masters also get a wound on the tank- leaving it with 4.
The attack back was vicious. Knights and horses dish out 8 unsaved wounds, while the tank’s Steam Gun drops another. Swordmasters fail their Break Test and run 8. My Knights must have been excited they lived against the Swordmasters because they chased them down a full 12” and reformed right next to his archer Mage bunker.
Nice. :icon_cool:
Turn 3 Caledor:
Things aren’t looking good but my opponent presses on hoping for a reversal in fortunes.
Movement:
He rallies all his troops. His Mage leaves the archers and they turn to face my encroaching Knights.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/4Turn3B.jpg)
Magic & Shooting:
He gets another decent Winds O Magic and now that his Mage is closer to my characters throws many dice at Vaul’s Unmaking. I Dispel Scroll it. I used all my dispel dice to get rid of his 5+ Ward save attempt.
The RBT finally hits the silly tank on a 5. He rolls a 5 to wound. He also rolls a 5 for the number of D3 wounds. All those 5s = 1 wound left on the tank! :icon_eek:
His archers manage to kill one of my ICK too! :icon_eek:
No combat at the moment.
It looked like the Elf General was also playing it safe in the center and retreated back to safety. His boys lost their momentum. He ordered a halt and had them organize the lines again to prepare for further combat.
The Swordmasters could not fall back and took the full charge from his Gold Banner Knights and Leo III. The Swordmasters were appropriately named and killed half his horse before they swung their first blow… His Knights proved valiant and their return attacks, combined with the massive bulk of the Steam Tank, pushed the Swordmasters back. They routed. His brother Hector wasted no time in calling a full sweep and his boys smashed every last Elf into the dust. The Knights reformed into a perfect spot in the enemy’s rear.
His Repeater Bolt Thrower lived true to its name- flinging bolts as fast as it could at the tank. One got a direct hit and the tank looked like it was on its last legs. Why wasn’t Gaias trying to heal the damn thing?
At least things were going well so far…
Turn 4 Ulric’s Own:
Beginning of the Turn:
Caution is for the Elves- I attempt to generate 3 steam points. No surprise, something goes wrong- but probably the best result I could hope for- I just can’t use the steam gun. Whoopty-doo.
Movement:
The ICK charge his archers of course. The tank moves forward to take a shot at his Prince/Cavalry again and my archers move next to it to avoid having it charged by his Silver Helms and to be potential charge-bait.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/4Turn4A.jpg)
Magic:
4 PD, 2 DD. He already used his Dispel Scroll so this should be a no-brainer. I toss all the dice at Regrowth on the STank and it goes off. Of course I roll a 1, so it only heals 2 wounds.
Shooting:
STank fires off a round and hits his Prince and another Silver Helm. He fails his “Look Out Sir” roll! And for the number of wounds- another 1. Really? Ulric? That is the BEST you got for me? His Silver-buddy dies however.
Archers get excited that they hit 3 more Spearmen, but before they start dancing again they realize all 3 shots bounced harmlessly off the Spearmen armour…
Combat:
My Knights kill a bunch of pointy-ear archers and they run 6.” My Knights catch them and turn to face the center.
Turn 4 Caledor:
Movement:
His Spearmen charge my archers. They stand and shoot. Between the poison vines in the forest and my arrows, 4 Spearmen chew on some dirt before they get there.
My opponent pulls a sweet little maneuver- and moves his Prince out of his Silver Helms and moves over to block my ICK trying to run up his rear. The rest of the Silver Helms move into supporting charge distance for the Spearmen.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/4Turn4B.jpg)
Magic & Shooting:
He throws most of his dice at Vaul’s Unmasking. I let it go and he mundanes my Generals 1+ armour. I easily dispel his attempt at 5+ Wards.
His RBT hits the tank…is the tank finally going to die?...nope, he fails to wound.
Combat:
His Spearmen kill all but 3 of my archers and they run. He decides to hold after they scamper away 10.”
Finally, the Steam Tank gets some magic mending. A blue glow surrounds it and its plates start to mold back together. Say what you want about the College and magic, but having those crazy bastards around is surely a blessing!
The Elf General moved his archers into position to receive the Inner Circle Knight’s impending charge. One of their deadly arrow penetrated plate and droped a Knight. But it wasn’t enough- not as deadly as their Swordmaster brothers, the archers fail to kill any of the Knights with their inhuman speed. The Knights made short work of them, and when they routed, the joined their Swordmaster brothers in the afterlife.
Rommel’s archers in the center almost suffered the same fate. They courageously held their ground against the spear charge, felling a few of the inbound Elves. Arch Lector Snow couldn’t help but chuckle when he saw some of the spearmen also get tangled up in the forest as they charged and were left behind writhing on the ground in what looked like painful deaths.
Almost all Rommel’s archers were felled by the charge. They retreated as fast as they could and made it to the safety of his lines when the spears held back and reformed.
Leonardo the III got off a cannonball on the Silver Helms and it appeared the Elf General might meet his death. Somehow the cannonball only gave him a glancing blow and hit another Silver Helm in the chest, dropping him to the ground.
When the Silver Helms moved forward in support of the spear, Arch Lector Snow could not see where the General went. He couldn’t have fled the field…what was he up to? Before he had time to think about it, a wave of magical energy flowed over him. What the…? His armour suddenly felt heavier and the magical protection that Ulric had blessed it with was gone… Damn. It was a family heirloom. Maybe the College could “fix it” somehow…
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Turn 5 Ulric’s Own:
Start of Turn:
I generate a respectable 3 steam points but the tank suffers a mishap again. It proceeds to lose a respectable 3 steam points. The tank now sits there for a turn like a shiny paperweight.
Movement:
With no tank in support, I weighed my options. I could for long distance charges…but decided against it. I move the left detachment into a supporting position so that if he only charges one, the other will be in support. If he charges both, the detachment will be positioned nicely to keep its 3” parental love. The right-most detachment I keep just out of the swamp.
Knowing my ICK are probably toast against his lone Prince, I pulled the same maneuver he did- I rolled the WP out of the unit and moved him to a spot where he could potentially charge the RBT or the mage, if he doesn’t move.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/4Turn5A.jpg)
Magic:
I get 6 PD, he gets 5 DD. Not great, forcing another hard decision. Do I try to heal the tank again, or knowing my troops are ready to get smacked in the mouth, buff them up? I leave the tank in the hands of Ulric (probably a bad idea, considering recent history) and toss all the dice on a 5+ Ward prayer, hoping for IF. Nope. He rolls and dispels it.
No combat, again.
Turn 5 Caledor:
Movement:
Now this is the turn of the “Successful Charge.”
His Prince charges my 4 remaining ICK. His Spearmen and Silver Helms both charge the Greatswords (hoping to generate wounds and have some ranks). My Halbs get the Countercharge on the flank (take that Crudface!).
His mage moves out of LOS of my WP.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/4Turn5B.jpg)
Magic & Shooting:
He gets 3 PD, I get 2 DD. Heh, I might have a chance. Nope- he gets IF on a 3-dice 5+ Ward save on his Spearmen. Damn it!
The RBT fires at the tank again. He hits it again and fails to wound for the second time. (I can’t believe the thing is still going…neither can Ulric)
Combat:
The Prince made short work out of my Knights and killed them all, facing back to the center.
And in the massive melee, a quick summary:
--Spears on GS: 5 wounds, 2 saves
--HE BSB on GS: 2 unsaved wounds
--Helms on GS: 2 unsaved wounds
--Elfsteeds on GS: 2 wounds, 1 save
--Grand total: 8
--Swords on Spear: 4 wounds, 1 save
--AL on Spear: 1 unsaved wound
--Capt on Spear: 1 unsaved wound
--GS on Spear: 6 wounds, 1 save
--GS on Helms: nothing
--Grand total: 10
With all the other variables mixed in, he loses combat by 3. All the High Elves hold their ground (the Silver Helms rolled Insane Courage too)
Arch Lector Snow thought about ordering another charge into the enemy lines, but right before he yelled out the order, he saw the Steam Tank burp a gigantic puff of steam and stall in its tracks.
Better to play it safe.
Snow ordered what remained of his Griffon Formation into a mutually supporting battle line and prepared for the Elf charge.
At last, he spotted the deadly Prince. He galloped at full speed at what remained of his Gold Banner Knights. Snow saw his brother galloping fast on his horse the opposite way. He couldn’t be running away…! When Snow saw the Elf Mage running around alone he understood. Hector would either chase him down or take out the Elf’s long range support. Good move. Hopefully his Knights could take the Prince…
It was not to be. The Prince swung his massive blade in deadly arcs, killing all of his Knights before they could even land a blow. He said a quick prayer to Ulric. It had to be quick, because the Elfs were charging at his battle line with a vengeance, the spear with some kind of magical protection flowing over them. No matter- it was time to shed some Elf blood himself!
The lines meet in a mighty crash. His left detachment pulled a perfect flanking maneuver immediately after first contact. Now if his Teutogen Guard would just hold against the initial onslaught… The blows came fast and furious but Ulric’s Own answered with their own fury of blows that felled as many of the Elves as they lost.
Snow managed to smash in one Elf skull, but their quickness was too great for him to drop more. Hopefully that spell didn’t zap his martial prowess as well…
Turn 6 Ulric’s Own:
Here we go again with the STank… I get a 2 on the arty die and the tank is rolling with 3 steam!
Movement:
My mounted WP gets off a long distance charge on his RBT! Woot!
My last Halb detachment finally gets in on the action and charges the Knights, barely staying out of the swamp.
Due to my Halb Countercharge, my STank couldn’t roll into the combat. Hmm. What to do… Ah, got it. The tank turns towards his lone Prince General and fires up the boiler.
My archers move forward to line up shots at his Mage trying to zig and zag.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/4Turn6A.jpg)
Magic & Shooting:
The Winds of Magic have left the building. I get a paltry 3 PD to his 2 DD. So do I go for offense or defense on my prayer…? Going for the throat, I get off Hammers of "Ulric" to kill as many pointed-ears as I can.
Okay, I take back all those terrible things I said about my Empire troops ranged accuracy, or lack thereof. The STank manages a grapeshot (lowercase!) cannonball and the poor little Prince loses his head. Before his Mage buddy had time to weep, he caught 2 arrows in the throat and beat the Prince falling off his horse to the ground. (Insert evil laugh here…) :evil:
Combat:
My mounted WP was so excited about getting into combat that he forgot to swing. He kills 1 crew member and has to withdraw back.
Okay. So this is the round of “The Armour Save.”
Battle royale summary:
--Spear versus Halbs: 1 unsaved wound
--Spear versus GS: 6 wounds, 5 SAVES
--Noble BSB versus Halbs: 3 unsaved wounds
--Elfsteeds versus Halbs: 2 wounds, 2 6+ SAVES
--Helms versus Halbs: 3 wounds, 2 6+ SAVES
--Halbs on Spears: 4 unsaved wounds
--Halbs on Helms: 4 wounds, 2 saves
--AL on Spears: whiff
--Capt BSB on Spears: 2 unsaved wounds
--GS on Spears: 5 unsaved wounds
Needless to say… he lost by a shit-ton. And that is a lot. Not even the Elf’s leadership could keep them on the line. My Halb detachment caught his Spear block, but my GS and the other Halb detachment couldn’t catch the swifty horse.
Turn 6 Caledor:
He rallies and reforms (probably would have been a better career decision to keep on running…) Not much else to do.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/4Turn6B.jpg)
So he has one final chance to finish off the STank. It must have a bulls-eye painted on it at this point- because he hits it again. But for the 3rd time, he fails to wound!
Game over. After totaling up the points, I won by a staggering 1239 VPs.
(Now if the Lizzies can beat the damn WoC I will be tied for 1st place…)
His lines were holding. His Halberd detachment on the right managed to navigate the deadly swamp and charged in for some action of their own.
Time for some of his magic! Snow raised his arms to the sky and his forces were immediately blessed with Ulric’s warrior prowess. His Guard’s blows struck with deadly accuracy, and his troops armour clanged from the sound of deflected blows.
Elves dropped like flies. And despite their Nobles' cries to hold the line, they buckled, and then broke. The poor Noble and other standard barriers were swarmed and ground into the dust under his troop's metal feet.
It didn’t take too long for all the routed spearmen to fall under his force’s halberd and hammer blows. The Silver Helms managed to retreat to form up for one last suicide charge, but his forces surged forward before they could manage it.
Not one Elf remained standing on the field of battle.
Looking for his brother, Snow saw that he survived, sitting arrogantly atop the Bolt Thrower he had captured. Where was the enemy General and Mage? Had they escaped? Walking up towards the Venom Thicket, Snow chuckled for the second time that day- maybe the extra lessons in archery had payed off. The Prince had been decapitated by what only could have been a well-aimed cannonball, and the Mage had died choking on his own blood…with two arrows sticking awkwardly out of his fair throat.
Snow took stock of the damage. Not too bad- it looked like the tank would live to fight another day and his numbers were healthy enough to report back to the Elector with pride. The heaviest loss was his Gold Banner Knights. Good thing he hadn’t brought the whole regiment out with him. He would definitely need the horse in battles to come... reports flooded the land that Chaos, Orcs, and Vampires were raiding and on the move.
Too many battles, so little time…
After Action:
1. The Formation is performing well, even in lower point battles. Notice I am flexible with the formation layout and Wizard placement. This time I took advantage of the terrain- and also put the Wizard in a small 5 archer detachment in the Tower.
2. Lower point battles are challenging but are very fun. My army finally picked up a BSB- because in the last battle I held off for one more round to get him, and it literally cost me the game. You can’t squeeze everything in at the lower point levels…and it always seems whatever you leave back in the province is exactly what you need!
3. Missing charges at these low points levels can spell your doom. You usually do not have enough forces on the field to overcome/mitigate it. My opponent suffered from one bad movement phase- and they were charges he should have made. Also, Flee and pursue rolls become so critical...especially against elite or horde armies. Failing to catch them just means you have to fight them again...
4. I can’t wait to get a Lvl 3 or 4 Wizard. One Lvl 2 is so boring! Also, I am kicking myself in the butt because I didn’t realize how much I like Heavens over Life at higher point levels. I started with Life so I have to keep him throughout the League. At this point, my plan is to just suck it up and keep the Lvl 2 Life Wizzie and “buy” him a Lvl 4 Celestrial buddy!
Anyway, thanks for reading the Battle Report. Hope you enjoyed it. :::cheers:::
I plan to post my defeats as well. I think we usually learn more from our defeats than our victories. My sole criterion is that the battle has to be at least good, if not epic- lame battles are not worth the time and effort!
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Nice report Holy and congrat's on the victory!
Looking back, do you think it would have been wiser to deploy the Griffon on the left flank, where you would have had more room to bring the second detachment (GS3) to bear? The Mist-Wreathed Swamp or whatever really seemed to hold them up until the later-turn combat.
Also, very risky move with the Warrior Priest leaving the unit and going 'round. I'm surprised the RBT didn't fire off six shots into him instead of the Steam Tank. I like it though
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Why did the Warrior priest withdraw back from the RBT combat?
Great report as always. How different could it have been if the Swordmasters had made their charge! I do like the 8th edition charge mechanic :happy:
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Looking back, do you think it would have been wiser to deploy the Griffon on the left flank, where you would have had more room to bring the second detachment (GS3) to bear? The Mist-Wreathed Swamp or whatever really seemed to hold them up until the later-turn combat.
Yeah, the other side would have worked better for movement.
I went this route mainly due to target selections- I thought my Knight/Tank combo was best suited against the Swordmasters with the Griffon matched up against his cav and spear.
Also, very risky move with the Warrior Priest leaving the unit and going 'round. I'm surprised the RBT didn't fire off six shots into him instead of the Steam Tank. I like it though
I want to say because he has balls of steel... but really I knew the Prince would kill him for sure and the RBT was a toss-up.
Getting the tank down to one wound really burned my opponent. Towards the end, if he did nothing else in the battle, he wanted to remove it from the table!
Why did the Warrior priest withdraw back from the RBT combat?
Nice catch. It has been a long time since a Warmachine was charged in one of my battles and not finished off. Without pulling out the book to look to see what to do, I moved him back like you do after a failed charge into a building because they both have "assault parties." Oops.
Great report as always. How different could it have been if the Swordmasters had made their charge! I do like the 8th edition charge mechanic :happy:
Missing that charge was definitely a game changer. High Elves seem to be really tough to play at lower point levels- they can kill a ton but never have enough on the board to last. The Swordmasters probably could have wiped the Knights and taken the rest of the game to work on the tank.
Thanks for the comments.
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Just wanted to let you know HHG, that I have played about 5 games using the griffin formation with greatswords at 2400 points and it works a treat, 3-2 so far using the formation. Thank you for this neat tactic ].
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Just wanted to let you know HHG, that I have played about 5 games using the griffin formation with greatswords at 2400 points and it works a treat, 3-2 so far using the formation. Thank you for this neat tactic ].
That is awesome, glad to hear it!
The tough part is when your opponents start doing counter-tactics to your tactics. The crew I play with has been on the opposite end of the Griffon many times now...
One question on the Griffin Wing formation. Are you keeping the screening archers in front of the HBVG when it fires? If so, doesn't that add another -1 to hit for cover (or is it -2)? I'm thinking you're moving them out of the way first?
Oops, I missed your questions earlier.
I move the screening archers in a position to divert, but don't cover up more than half of the unit the HBVG is firing at. It really isn't that hard at all to do with skirmishers.
I assume you saw the graph I did in the other thread?
Any way you could take a photo of your games? While I like the clarity of your graphs, it's always nice to see actual armies on the board!
Ah...this would actually detract from my presentation of the battles at the moment... I think the Brush & Palette regulars would go into shock, clutch their chests in pain, and start flopping on the ground like fish from one glance.
Long story short- my "war table" is currently an expeditionary one because I am stationed in Okinawa Japan away from my home in the States. I don't have all my hobby stuff out here (and my 8th Ed Ulric Empire army is under construction). The local competition I have drummed up are in the same situation and building several new armies. I also play a lot over Skype with friends and family back home (position the camera over the battlefield and it is time to throw down...I know, the things we do to get our gaming in!)
I am moving back to the states in December and my plan is to have my Empire army fully painted, themed out, and tournament ready by then. I will post my army pictures over the in painting forum and start taking pictures for the Battle Reports then. 8-)
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The tough part is when your opponents start doing counter-tactics to your tactics. The crew I play with has been on the opposite end of the Griffon many times now...
You need to come up with a new formation.
"The twin Tailed Comet!"
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The tough part is when your opponents start doing counter-tactics to your tactics. The crew I play with has been on the opposite end of the Griffon many times now...
You need to come up with a new formation.
"The twin Tailed Comet!"
Heh- sounds like a girl I used to know.... :icon_cool:
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HEYOOOOO!!!!
I feel like twin-tailed comet will end up looking a bit too much like the flying V form the mighty ducks. Have you tried the flying V?
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Great report, thanks for the pictures.
Two questions:
- Why didn't you advance with the Greatswords on turn 4? Looks like you could've stayed out of charge range and gotten the charge on him.
- Why no countercharge from the other halberd unit on turn 5?
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Excellent questions.
- Why didn't you advance with the Greatswords on turn 4? Looks like you could've stayed out of charge range and gotten the charge on him.
- Why no countercharge from the other halberd unit on turn 5?
I only took a few seconds of deliberation at the beginning of Turn 4 to decide to keep the main Griffon back. So, to answer your question, I had to sit and think about the variables flooding my mind at the moment that caused me to not press forward.
It basically boils down to this:
--I knew I had him on the ropes with the loss of the Swordmasters.
--He was going to have to be aggressive because he only had 1 victory leading up to this fight; he needed a win, not a draw to stay in the running.
--My Knights and Tank were positioned nicely on his flank to force him into some difficult decisions come movement time.
--With the loss of right-most screening unit, I liked having the swamp cover my flank. If I was too aggressive, he might have been able to get a long cavalry charge off on a detachment (even if I had it set back) due to his speed. The Knights packed enough CC power to wipe out a small detachment- the Helms could then turn to face my Greatsword flank. Not good.
--All of these things combined caused me to be patient. Had my Tank not froze on the next turn, I would have charged him then.
Your second question is a little bit easier to answer.
Since the Spear and Helms both charged the Greatswords, several Knights were hanging off the right side. I got the Countercharge and flank on the left side, so there was no need to charge in my last detachment. Had I done so, his Helms would have gotten Str 5 on the charge and I would have lost several more wounds in that close combat. He lost the fight by 3 that turn. Had I charged on the right, I think he would have won the combat and I would have been rolling Break tests.
This also allowed me to get a +1 to combat res on my turn for charging and, besides the Noble, was now facing wimpy Str 3 attacks from the Helms and horse. Notice I made a ridiculous amount of 6+ AS in that turn as well.
Thanks for the questions. :::cheers:::
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I only took a few seconds of deliberation at the beginning of Turn 4 to decide to keep the main Griffon back. So, to answer your question, I had to sit and think about the variables flooding my mind at the moment that caused me to not press forward.
Interesting. Your description gives a lot of good insight. I like to follow a battle and decide what I would do in that situation, then see how the author handled it and the result. I still think you would have been better off advancing, but it didn't seem to matter much.
This also allowed me to get a +1 to combat res on my turn for charging and, besides the Noble, was now facing wimpy Str 3 attacks from the Helms and horse. Notice I made a ridiculous amount of 6+ AS in that turn as well.
Makes a lot of sense. I haven't played against enough elves, so I didn't realize they got S5 attacks on the charge.
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I like to follow a battle and decide what I would do in that situation, then see how the author handled it and the result.
Smart.
I have found that I learn things from my own battles when I create the Battle Reports and look at the battle step by step from each side. I also like to put myself in my opponent's shoes to think about what I would have done differently if I was him.
Makes a lot of sense. I haven't played against enough elves, so I didn't realize they got S5 attacks on the charge.
Nothing fancy, just lances.
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The Half-Griffon versus Dark Elves Hordes @ 2500
My Dark Elf nemesis, my adult son whose handle is “The Unholy Hand Grenade,” is trying out some new things. A long time practitioner of MSU, he is taking a few pages from my Empire playbook to see what he can do if he “hordes it up” a little more while maintaining lots of diverters.
He has two hordes, Corsairs (frenzied!) and Executioners (with AP!), to my one. He can potentially go buff-for-buff against me with a power-dice crazy Shadow bitch backed by a Cauldron of Blood. He has more diverters than I do, and they can fly. Needless to say, I am worried about pulling out a victory in this one- I have seen him shred VC, Beastmen, and Chaos with this type of list.
Without spoiling the ending, this one was also truly quick and violent… :icon_eek:
The Good Guys: Ulric’s Own
Arch Lector Dominus Snow (Gen) WAltar with Horn of Sig
Sword of Might, Charmed Shield, White Cloak of Ulric, OTS
14 Inner Circle Knights “Gold Banner” FC, Lances
Warrior Priest Hector Snow Dragonhelm
48 Teutogen Guard (Greatswords) “Ulric’s Own” FC, Standard of Discipline
18 Swordsmen Detachment
Warrior Priest Blane Bonham Ironcurse Icon
Captain Viktor Rommel (BSB) Sword of Battle, Enchanted Shield, Luckstone
10 Archers “Rommel’s Rangers” Musician
5 Archer Detachment
10 Archers “Rommel’s Rearguard” Standard Bearer
Lars Fredericksen Lvl 4 Heavens Wizard, Dispel Scroll
Steam Tank “Leonardo III”
Bartimus “Bullseye” Smith (Engineer Commander)
My Spells: Heavens- Harmonic Convergence, Curse of the Midnight Wind, Comet of Casandra, Chain Lightning
The Bad Guys: Killing Blow
47 Corsairs EHW, FC, Sea Serpent Standard
Dreadlord (Gen) Executioner’s Axe, Dragonhelm, Luckstone, Ironcurse Icon
Noble (BSB) Banner of Hag Graef
Sorceress Lvl 2 Death Mage, Dispel Scroll
40 Har Ganeth Executioners FC, Banner of Murder
17 Spearmen Standard, Musician
Supreme Sorceress Lvl 4 Shadow Mage, Sac Dagger, Seal of Grond
Cauldron of Blood Death Hag with Rune of Khaine
4x 5 Harpies
His spells: Shadow- Miasma, The Withering, Pit of Shades, Mindrazor
Death- Spirit Leech, Purple Sun
Deployment
We rolled random terrain and random placement (we moved a few pieces around to give the terrain better spacing and have tactical significance)
A tower was in the center with a Magic Circle 6 inches away- providing inhabitants and encroachers some MR. Another piece of strategic terrain was a Blazing Barricade near the Tower separating the two forces. Staying with an “evil” theme, we put the Wyrding Well near the lake and called it a “Blood Well.” Otherwise, a ruined house, forest, and another wall rounded out the terrain.
As far as deployment, my opponent got to pick sides and chose the one with the Blood Well to keep it away from me. I rolled to deploy first and dropped down my archers. By the time he finished dropping his ridiculous amount of Harpies, I had already formed the Half-Griffon in the center of the board and put my STank next to it. He put his Corsairs opposite the Griffon and his Executioners opposite my Knights- a bad matchup for the Knights of course. Here is what it looked like before the first turn:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/5Deployment.jpg)
Turn 1 Killing Blow:
Movement:
My opponent got the first turn (he was lucky on all the early rolls). He moved forward almost as far as he could, but he stayed a little back to avoid a long charge movement by the Tank. Harpies, Cauldron, Wizard bunker move up in support positions.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/5Turn1A.jpg)
Magic
He gets 4 Power Dice to my 3 Dispel Dice. He goes for a 2-dice Powers O Darkness from his Death Mage and, to avoid his power dice from growing out of control, I throw my 3 dice to dispel it. He throws his remaining 2 dice at Spirit Leech and gets it off. It was really tempting to Dispel Scroll it but I let it go- I would probably be really happy I still had the scroll later. He beats me by 3 points and the tank takes 3 wounds.
But despite my attempt to shut down his magic phase early- the pain is not over. He channels 2 power dice via Death Magic from the 3 wounds he caused! One Powers of Darkness spell (with a sacrificed DE Warrior) later, his Shadow Sorc now has 5 dice. He tosses all of it on a Pit of Shades spell center mass on the poor STank. He gets the spell off, but it scatters 3” and just misses the tank by a griffon feather. Whew. :unsure:
Turn 1 Ulric’s Own:
Start of Turn:
Tank doesn’t want to start. I roll a 5 on the mishap, loses 2 Steam out of the 4 I generated.
Movement:
I move my Knights slightly forward on the right flank just to tease my opponent. I split my archers to the side and move up the Greatsword and detachment- inviting my opponent to charge in with his Corsairs.
I decide not to move my tank because he is already lined up for a cannon shot against the Cauldron- about a 2 Steam Point shot.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/5Turn1B.jpg)
Magic & Shooting:
I generate a respectable 7 Power Dice on a 5 & 2, but then my sneak Dark Elf opponent channels 2 extra and gets 1 for Seal of Grond. So… I have 7 dice and he has 8. Sigh.
Deciding to play it a little bit defensive this round, I toss a 3 dice Curse of the Midnight Wind to see what he would do. He doesn’t get a chance to decide anything- I roll IF. Damn it. Well, at least they won’t be getting Killing Blow from the Cauldron now…! Wizard doesn’t suffer a wound from the backlash, but two Archers next to him get melted. Only a few dice left, he easily dispels my next attempt.
But now for shooting…of course, my Archers don’t kill anything but the tank gets off his cannonball on the Cauldron. Hits, wounds, no save…I roll a 5 for number of wounds. Bye-bye. :evil:
It was such a short battle, I am going to skip the fluff this time. :icon_cry:
Turn Two: Killing Blow
Movement:
The “cursed” Corsairs hold in place- but the Executioners move full speed toward my Knights. In order to cover the Executioner’s flank, his Harpies drop in from the sky to jam my Greatswords, tank, and WAltar behind the archers. Nice moves.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/5Turn2A.jpg)
Magic & Shooting:
What is it with the lopsided magic phases? He gets 9 PD to my 6 DD. He tosses 2 dice on PoD and I toss 2 to dispel it. He really wants the tank dead (notice the trend here…?) so he tosses 6 dice at Spirit Leech. Again I think long and hard about Dispel Scrollin’ it and decide against it. Ouch. Tank’s lubricant gets sucked out of it into the spiritual world by getting a 6 wound Leech on it. Tank only has 1 wound left! He gains a few PD from it, but I easily dispel his next spell with my DD pool.
Turn 2 Ulric’s Own:
Start of Turn:
Well. Poor tank. I go for 3 Steam points, of course the tank suffers a mishap, but all that happens- I lose 2 steam. One is all I need to hit those damn Harpies!
Movement:
Time to clear out some chaff. My Greatsword and detachment charge their Harpies, my Archers charge the one in front of them, and the tank hits his.
My wizard leaves his bunker so it can slide over and get in the path of the Executioners while my Knights slide back a little bit to get some distance.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/5Turn2B.jpg)
Magic & Shooting:
I get a decent start to the magic phase this time 10 PD to 5 DD. I toss 4 dice at Chain Lightning on his unengaged Harpy unit. He lets it go. I only get 2 Str 6 hits, plus 3 Str 4 bonus hits against the fliers. Unfortunately, I only kill 3 of them. They don’t Panic.
I roll the remaining 6 dice on a boosted version of Harmonic Convergence. I get a high number and my opponent decides not to chance it- he Dispel Scrolls it.
My Archers actually kill a couple of Executioners!
Combat:
The Greatswords and tank make short work of their Harpies. The Greatswords and detachment reform to face the Corsairs. The Archers and Harpies trade 4 wounds, but with my charge they attempt a Break test and fail. They Flee 11 inches and my Archers chase them 9. The nice thing about this- my Archers are now in the way of his Corsairs.
Turn 3 Killing Blow:
Movement:
Now it is time for him to clear out my diverters/chaff. His Corsairs and Executioners charge my Archer units. He moves his last set of Harpies to get in the way of the wounded tank in case he lives through another magic phase.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/5Turn3A.jpg)
Magic:
This time the distribution is fairly even: 7 PD to 6 DD. After getting off PoD and adding a couple of extra PD, he tosses a 6 dice Spirit Leech to finish off the tank. Again, I let it go. Bye bye tank. He tries to toss The Withering on my Greatswords, but I easily dispel it with my 6 DD.
Combat:
My Archers don’t stand a chance and die a valiant death in the service of Ulric. The frenzied Corsairs have to overrun and don’t quite reach my Greatsword block…about an inch and a half away! :-)
Turn 3 Ulric’s Own:
Movement:
Since the Knights can't delay anymore from a battle with the Executioners, I charge in to get the extra Str from my lances. Now it is also time to party with the Corsairs- I charge in with my WAltar, Greatswords, and detachment.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/5Turn3B.jpg)
Magic & Shooting:
I net a nice 7 PD to his 5 DD. I go for a boosted version of Harmonic C with 4 dice. He doesn’t want any of that- so he tosses all 5 DD at it…and rolls really crappy and fails. With the 3 dice left, I get off a 5+ Ward with 2 dice, and try for Hammers of Ulric with the last die, but fail. Overall, my boys in blue and white are buffed up and ready to kick some ass!!! :evil:
My Archers light up the remaining Harpies but only kill 1 of the 2 remaining.
Combat:
My Knights kill 9 of the Executioners before they get to swing, but he still has a third row of 8 in his horde to allocate his max attacks back. Damn, it was brutal. All 14 die- only the WP lives because he didn’t allocate any attacks to him (a mistake my opponent soon realizes…). I lose combat by 6, but my WP makes a Break test on a 3! Woot! :-o
His Dreadlord issues a challenge. I decide to accept with my AL on the Altar. He will probably die, but the Greatswords won’t be weakened by the Executioner’s axe at least.
The summary:
Only 1 impact hit from the chariot. An Executioner dies.
Dreadlord on the AL: 3 hits (1 taken away by the Charmed Shield), but only 1 wound (he rolled 2 ones…!). I failed my 5++ WS, but he rolled yet another 1 on the D3 wounds the wicked axe causes. AL still alive and kicking!
AL on the Dreadlord: 2 hits, 2 wounds, 1 save. Dreadlord also only takes a wound.
BSB on the Greatswords: -1 to hit from the Cloak nets him 2 hits. 2 wounds, 1 save. A GS dies.
Sorc fails to wound anything.
Corsairs on Greatswords: 15 wounds, I make 7 AS and 1 WS = 7 dead GS.
Corsairs on Swordsmen: 5 wounds, no AS, 1 WS = 4 dead Swordsmen.
WP against the Corsairs: 1 wound, no saves = 1 dead Corsair.
BSB against the Corsairs: 4 wounds, 1 save = 3 dead Corsairs.
Greatswords against the Noble BSB and Sorc: I keep allocating attacks to them until they die.
Greatswords against the Corsairs: my remaining attacks net 15 wounds with no chance of saves. Of course = 15 dead Corsairs!
Swordsmen to Corsairs: 4 wounds, 1 save = 3 dead Corsairs.
Net result: he loses combat by a lot. He doesn’t roll Insane Courage and Flees! I have my WAltar and Greatswords pursue… He only rolls a 4 on his roll to run (his luck has left the building!) My WAltar gets a 10 and hits his rallied Harpies, but the Greatswords go 9 and hit his mage bunker.
The resulting combat goes ugly for him of course, and he concedes the game. What it looked like at the end:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/5Turn4A.jpg)
After Action:
1. As I have mentioned in other posts, getting the big charge off on your turn is key. At the start of the game, his buffs were probably nastier than mine (Withering, Mindrazor, Cauldron…) He never had a clean shot at my Greatsword horde without them being buffed and he never concentrated on buffing his troops because he was busy nuking the tank. My combo-charge already put his Corsairs at a disadvantage, but with Hatred, Harmonic C, and a 5+ Ward save across the line- it was really no contest. Had he been able to manage it- it could have easily gone the other way- his Corsairs could have been buffed with +1 Attack, ASF, and Mindrazor. Ouch. I think the battle really came down to who could maneuver and time it right to get their forces in the right place, at the right time, with the right buffs. In this case, it was me.
2. A horde of Executioners is probably unconventional, but with the Armour piercing banner those guys will cut through anything with ease. I knew my Knights were going to be toast, but seeing 14 of them removed in seconds was a sight to behold.
3. I am 8 wins and 0 losses with the various Griffon Formations at 2500 points. Still waiting on some other battles to be finished in my Escalation League, but since the Lizzie beat the WoC at 1500, my growing Empire list is at the top of the charts with a 4/2 record! Hopefully my next battle in the League will be Battle Report worthy and I will post it. I am thinking about running a Cav list with 2 Helblasters supported by a Griffon Wing soon too- something a little different that will hopefully produce another great battle.
If you haven't checked them out yet, please visit the Tacticas I set up in the child Tactica Board Forum. I have set up different categories for Empire Generals to post some of their thoughts/ideas and "Tricks of the Trade." Don't be shy- we need more posts! So far, Calisson and I have posted in:
--Building Balanced Lists & War Preparation (http://warhammer-empire.com/theforum/index.php?topic=43353.0)
--Strategies, Theories & Math-Hammer (http://warhammer-empire.com/theforum/index.php?topic=43352.0)
--Formations and Unit Synergy (http://warhammer-empire.com/theforum/index.php?topic=43356.0)
Anyway, until next time- keep your blades sharp, the forges hot, and the prayers rolling!
:::cheers:::
HHG
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Great report, HHG.
I'm taking inspiration from this thread, and will most definitely report back to you on my use of the Griffon formation.
Cheers, and keep 'em coming! Oh, and good luck with your Escalation league!
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What krudenwald said, very nice reps and tacticas, very usefull for beginner and vet alike
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Well done! Thanks for all the effort doing these! Fun stuff.
Noght
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I really enjoy these battle reports. Thanks for all your effort.
I noticed in some of your earlier reports that you were reforming units after a successful pursuit. I don't think this is legal. However, you are allowed a reform if you charge and catch a fleeing unit.
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I noticed in some of your earlier reports that you were reforming units after a successful pursuit. I don't think this is legal. However, you are allowed a reform if you charge and catch a fleeing unit.
Wow- thanks for the catch. There are many other occasions where you do get to reform (even in holding from a pursuit), but you are right- if you pursue and catch 'em you are stuck facing that direction (from what I can see in the BRB).
Thanks.
HHG
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I suppose the backtracking movement of the Knights was a swift reform?
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I suppose the backtracking movement of the Knights was a swift reform?
If you are talking about the most recent battle in Turn 2...then, yes, reformed and made the leadership test to move 1/2 rate backwards.
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Yes, that was what I was talking about. Same in turn 3 then. I tend to forget the possibility of swift reform in battle. Just to dot the i's, you first take the Ld test, then reform.
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I noticed in some of your earlier reports that you were reforming units after a successful pursuit. I don't think this is legal. However, you are allowed a reform if you charge and catch a fleeing unit.
The more I think about this the more it perturbs me.
The rules allow you to charge a long distance across the battlefield and catch a unit Fleeing! and get a reform on a successful Ldr test because "a charging unit that destroy fleeing troops will often find itself pulled out of position and vulnerable to enemy countercharges. Accordingly, we allow the charging unit to attempt a reform by passing a Leadership test."
BUT...when you are face-to-face with a unit, break their will to fight in combat, and decide to chase them and hack them down like the dogs they are, you don't get this same Ldr-ship based reform attempt? Realistically it would be easier to hack down every last man in a unit that fled from combat then one you "catch" on a charge...so it makes more sense that both situations would rate the rule.
This makes Pursuit rolls much more risky- especially because in 2d6 roll-offs it is all about LUCK, not skill, so if you decide to Pursue you could get double-screwed: not catch the Fleeing! unit to take it off the field, and then face nasty flank or rear charges because of your crappy position.
Not a big fan of this realization. :eusa_wall:
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Sorry my feathered-caps friends, my Escalation League is crawling along at a snail's pace. Waiting on some other armies to finish up their battles before my Empire can throw down again.
Also, didn't get a chance this weekend to play any other games :-( but did get a chance to play a Half-Orc Warrior Monk midget in a Rolemaster Campaign my family started. So the weekend wasn't a total loss! :icon_cool:
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Well the rules are often anything but logical :dry:
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Also, didn't get a chance this weekend to play any other games :-( but did get a chance to play a Half-Orc Warrior Monk midget in a Rolemaster Campaign my family started.
Nice character. Has he perfected the bag tag?
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Also, didn't get a chance this weekend to play any other games :-( but did get a chance to play a Half-Orc Warrior Monk midget in a Rolemaster Campaign my family started.
Nice character. Has he perfected the bag tag?
Yep. His specialty is the knees and groin! :icon_eek:
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More Griffon formation BatReps please!!
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Okay, okay. I will get off my butt and do one for a battle this weekend.
I started to do one last weekend with a really tough fight with Chaos that I barely won....I will either do one for the re-match or another army I fight.
:::cheers:::
HHG
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I've noticed you use a stank in all of these so far. Any chance we can see a griffon formation without one?
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I've noticed you use a stank in all of these so far. Any chance we can see a griffon formation without one?
Oh man.....that is like going to a public event without your pants on! I really love that hunk of metal!
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I've noticed you use a stank in all of these so far. Any chance we can see a griffon formation without one?
Oh man.....that is like going to a public event without your pants on! I really love that hunk of metal!
I know I know :blush: But I don't have one and I kind of want to see how you would play through it without one :engel:
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Great reports.
I am new to Warhammer and am trying to learn how to win,
and stuff like this is really helpful. :biggriin:
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Well Q-beam- you got your wish.
I did a battle with an Inverted Griffon formation without a STank against a new Khorne/Slaanish Chaos list.
It came down right to the end.... I will keep you in suspense as to the winner! :wink:
BATREP forthcoming!
:::cheers:::
HHG
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The Inverted Griffon versus new Slaanish/Khorne Chaos @ 2500
I have had several battles now against the new Chaos. I like their new book and it has made for some fun, hard-hitting battles.
As per request, I didn’t use my normal list and tweaked out a few things to see how it works out. The STank is gone, replaced by a unit of 4 Demis. I added a Captasus (finally bought my first Pegasus a month ago) and changed up magic lores to Light to give it a whirl.
Here is what the lists look like:
The Good Guys: Winter Storm
48 Teutogen Guard (Greatswords) FC, Standard of Discipline
21 Halbediers
21 Halbediers
Arch Lector (Gen) GW, AoMI, Dawnstone
Captain (BSB) Enchanted Shield, Luckstone
14 Inner Circle Knights FC, Great Weapons
Warrior Priest Sword of Striking, Dragonhelm
11 Archers Musician
5 Archer Detachment
5 Archer Deatchment
11 Archers Musician
Battle Wizard Lord Lvl 4 Light Wizard, Dispel Scroll, Opal Amulet
4 Demigryph Knights FC
Captasus Lance, Charmed Shield, Dragonbane Gem, Crown of Command
My Spells: Light- Speed of Light, Net, Banishment, Birona’s Time Warp
The Bad Guys: Rapturous Frenzy
18 Khorne Forsaken
4 Skullcrushers Standard, Muscian
3 Skullcrushers FC
Khorne Exalted Hero (BSB) Sword of Might, Charmed Shied, Dragonbane Gem, Ironcurse Icon
9 Hellstriders Musician
Slaanish Chaos Sorceror Lord (Gen)
Sword of Anti-Heroes, Dispel Scroll, Talis of Preservation, Flaming Breath, Scaly Skin
9 Hellstriders Musician
Slaanish Exalted Hero Flail, Enchanted Shield, Dawnstone
3x 5 Slaanish Marauder Horsemen Flails, Musician
His spells: Slaanish- Hysterical Frenzy, Slicing Shards, Phantasmagoria, Cacophonic Choir
Pre-Deployment
My plan was to create an inverted Griffon supported by my Knights on the flanks. My thought for the Stubborn Captasus is to use him to bait some frenzy Khorne into some compromising postions…or at the very least hold off something nasty for a turn.
My opponent is used to playing against the Griffon, so while his main blocks are Khorne nasties, he has lots of Slaanish fast cavalry (immune to Panic, Fear/Terror) to clear out my diverters, shield his frenzied troops, and get into my backfield to cause chaos (pun intended!) The two Hellstriders blocks with characters concerned me up front- I can’t let them eat up my chaff while they buff themselves up or I will be facing lots of frenzied troops and fast buffed up cav in the mid to late game.
It should be a good test of the Griffon.
Deployment
We rolled random terrain and random placement (we moved a few pieces around to give the terrain better spacing and have tactical significance)
Nothing spectular as far as terrain- a couple of buildings, a river and swamp, two hills and an Arcane altar. Here is how it looks:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/Deployment-1_zps575e6fca.jpg)
As far as deployment, I got to choose the side and picked the side without the building in the center of the deployment zone. I wanted plenty of space for my Griffon.
Like my original plan, I created the Inverted Griffon in the center with my Knights on the flanks. My opponent put all his fast cav up on the line and deployed his Khorne blocks behind them. He vanguarded all his fast cavalry forward 8 inches. Here is how it looked in the end:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/Vanguards_zps6331a291.jpg)
Turn 1 Winter Storm:
Empire got the first turn.
Movement:
I moved my Griffon detachments up a bit. I moved the left Archers into the swamp to get close range shots at the left Hellstriders but 10.5 inches away to still get a stand and shoot on them if they charged me. Also, I angled them so that an overrun would not endanger my other units.
My Knights moved up slightly on both flanks at angles.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/BATEmpT1_zps43c744ff.jpg)
Magic
I rolled a 6 and 4, no channels.
10 PD to 6 DD.
I cast a 4-dice Net on his Hellstriders with his Sorceror. He used all his dice to dispel.
Next I cast a boosted Banishment (for the range) on the same unit. I got a decent roll but he Dispel Scroll’d it. Magic phase over.
Shooting
My noble archers manage to kill one Hellstrider from each unit.
Turn 1 Rapturous Frenzy:
Movement:
Since I got the first turn, his vanguard units could now charge.
The left Hellstriders declare a charge on my Archers in the swamp. They stand and shot, killing 2 more ‘Striders.
Marauder Horsemen 1 declare a charge against my left Archer detachment as well. They stand and shoot, also killing 2.
Otherwise, his Hellstrider with Sorc moves outside my Demigryphs LOS, Marauder Horse block 3 gets in the of the Demis, and all his Khorne blocks move up max distance.
Man, does he have some speed.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/BATChaosT1_zpsc5226579.jpg)
Magic:
He rolls double 5s for Winds O Magic. No channels.
10 PD to 6 DD
He rolls a 5 dice Hysterical Frenzy on his right Skullcrusher block. I let it go.
He rolls a 5 dice boosted Cacophonic Choir. He just gets the 24+ he needs. I dispel scroll it. Magic phase over.
Combat:
The Hellstriders and Hero killed 6 Archers. They kill one ‘Strider in return. Of course they fail they Break test and run 9 inches. He pursues but only goes 8.
The Archer detachment fairs better- the Horse kill 4 of the Archers but the lone archer makes his Break test!
Here is what it looks like in the end:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/BATChaosT1F_zpsb4bbab78.jpg)
Turn Two: Winter Storm
Movement:
Not wanting the Skullcrushers to get the charge, I charge them with my GW Knights. The Captasus charges in as well to protect the flank of the Knights from the Forsaken.
With the Captasus out of the way, my Halb detachment charges the Marauder Horse to help out my poor archer.
The Demis charge the Horse blocking their path.
The fleeing Archers rally. Otherwise, my support Archers slide to the east to prepare for the arrival of the eastern Hellstriders and to get my Wizard in range for a Banishment on them.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/BATEmpT2_zpsc43b7fee.jpg)
Magic & Shooting:
Another large dice pool- I roll a 5 and 4 with two Empire channels.
11 PD to 5 DD.
Again, I start with a 3 dice Net on the Sorc & Hellstriders. Oops- IF! For the miscast, my Wizard and a WP take a wound. Damn. Even worse- I lose 6 power dice. Magic phase is FUBAR’d and over.
For shooting- my left Archers kill another ‘Strider. Get ‘em boys!
Combat:
The Khorne BSB issues a challenge. I accept with my Captasus (if he lives, this will prevent the Forsaken from causing any wounds if they charge him in the flank. Hopefully they fail their Frenzy test!).
The BSB and mount manage 2 unsaved wounds on the Captasus. The BSB makes all his saves and doesn’t take force wounds in return.
The Skullcrushers manage to kill 3 Knights. The GW Knights dish out 2 wounds of their own.
I barely lose combat but both units are Stubborn/Steadfast. The Captasus makes his roll but the Knights fail. They run away 9.” Praise Ulric that the Captasus held fast otherwise my Knight block would probably have been Khorne-sacrificed.
The Marauder Horse finish off my lone Archer before they get killed by the Halb detachment.
My Demigryphs easily kill the Marauder Horse and overrun…a measly 5 inches…but enough to get out of the LOS of the Skullcrushers and Hellstriders. Whew.
Here is what it looks like in the end:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/BATEmpT2F_zps2b32ce45.jpg)
Turn 2 Rapturous Frenzy:
Movement:
The left Hellstriders charge the Archer detachment in their face. Not wanting to give them their extra buffs, I decide to Flee!, hoping to get off the board. Nope- they only go 8 inches (less than an inch away from the edge!) and the Hellstriders make their charge and destroy them. Now they have Devastating Charge.
No other charges. The remaining Marauder Horse move up into a blocking position against the Greatswords and the left Halb detachment. The Khorne blocks move up slightly and the Sorc Hellstrider bunker moves into a position on my east flank (it passes its Str test to move against the Net).
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/BATChaosT2_zps5616dd8e.jpg)
Magic:
He rolls a 4,3 for Winds with one Chaos channel.
8 PD to 4 DD.
He rolls a 5 dice Cac Choir (makes his Net Str test…again!) on the right Halb detachment and gets a really high number. I let it go. It kills 4 Halbs and gives them ASL and Random Mov d6.
He tosses a 3 dice Slicing Shards on the Demis (makes 3rd Str test!) but I easily dispel it.
His Hysterical Frenzied Skullcrushers cause a wound on themselves. Hehe.
Combat:
The Khorne BSB kills off the Captasus. Only gets a re-roll for his Eye of the Gods roll.
Here is what it looks like:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/BATChaosT2F_zps1f3b9846.jpg)
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Turn 3 Winter Storm:
Movement:
The only charge is my Halb detachment against the Mar Horse.
My Knights rally and face towards the swamp (forcing the Skullcrushers into it if they charge). The Halb detachment with random movement moves up 6 inches.
Otherwise my Greatswords move up slightly to keep her detachments in range and my Archers move up to divert his Sorc Hellstriders. The Demigryphs reform to face south to get back into the action.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/BATEmpT3_zps2eb0e961.jpg)
Magic:
6 & 3 for Winds, no channels. 9 PD to 6 DD.
I cast a 4 dice Banishment on the Hellstriders. He thinks awhile…and decides to let it go. I get 13 hits and 7 unsaved wounds. Only the Sorc and 2 remain.
Next I cast a 5 dice boosted version of Birona’s Timewarp. IF. In range are the Greatswords, right Halb det, Wiz bunker and Archer det.
The miscast sucks- I lose 2 wizard levels and forget Net and Birona’s Timewarp. Not too good for the home team…but unless he fails his Frenzy rolls I really doubt he is going to charge this turn. Hopefully it buys me some time.
Combat:
With ASF and +1A, my Halbs make short work of the Mar Horse and reform to face forward.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/BATEmpT3F_zps5438d1cb.jpg)
Turn 3 Rapturous Frenzy:
Movement:
The Skullcrushers declare a charge against my ICK. I hold. The Skullcrushers fail one Dangerous Terrain test, which removes one model from the unit because of previous wounds.
His Sorc leaves the Hellstrider unit and moves to put pressure on my Wizard bunker while the rest of the ‘Striders move up to block my Demis.
His other Hellstrider unit also moves up to put pressure on my Wizard bunker- effectively blocking it in.
His Khorne blocks make their Frenzy tests and they move back slightly, not wanting to get hit by the crazy Time-warped Empire to their front. I love it- I have Khorne forces moving backwards!!!
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/BATChaosT3_zps7f2fed18.jpg)
Magic:
He gets a 4 and 2 for Winds. No channels.
6 PD to 4 DD.
Always one to be aggressive with magic, he tosses a 6 dice boosted Cac Choir. He gets it off, and my 4 dispel dice fall woefully short.
The Halbs suffer 4 casualties, 1 GS dies, the Archer detachments losses all but one, and my Wizard bunker loses 7! Luckily they all make their Panic tests. Unfortunately they are now all random movers….but with Time-Warp on they are 2d6 not 1d6. How crazy…insane things sure do happen during the game!
His Hysterical Frenzied Skullcrushers (it is RiP) cause another wound to themselves. I love it!
Combat:
The Khorne BSB challenges and I accept with my Champion. He gets 2 wounds for CR and Overkill. Again his rolls are pretty bad and with some crazy saves, none of my Knights die. I do just as poorly in return attacks, only causing 1 unsaved wound. Again, he barely wins combat but this time I make the Steadfast Break test.
What it looked like at the end:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/BATChaosT3F_zpsad5c28db.jpg)
Turn 4 Winter Storm:
Movement:
The only declared charge is the Demis versus the blocking Hellstriders. They hold.
I decide to have my random movers go straight north. Hopefully the right Halbs will get in the way of the Skullcrushers, my Greatswords can keep them in range, while my Wizard bunker gets some distance away from the threats in the rear.
The right Halbs get a little too happy- and dance their way right into the Skullcrushers. My Greatswords move up 7 inches in support…but they only have the back rank of the Halbs within 3 inches. That unit is probably toast. The Wiz bunker moves up tight against the Greatswords.
Finally, my free-moving left Halb block moves up to protect the flank of the Greatswords against the Khorne Forsaken.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/BATEmpT4_zps04abd289.jpg)
Magic:
5 & 1 for Winds, no channels. 6 PD to 5 DD.
Bad turn for a crappy roll…I decide that defense is going to be my best bet for next turn, so I toss all 6 dice on Shield of Faith for my Greatswords and her detachments.
Not a great roll and he easily dispels it.
My lone Archer fails to hit the Sorc.
Combat:
The Demigryphs make short work of the last Hellstriders, but failed a Poisoned wound armour save.
The opposite happens with my poor Halbs- the Skullcrushers annihilate them to the last man with no return strikes.
In the Skullcrushers versus my GW Knights, I manage to make an ridiculous amount of saves against the attacks from the riders. I make a couple of more armour saves versus the mounts- resulting in only 2 ICK deaths!!! Great on defense, but not on offense, I fail to wound. I take a Break test at -2…and succeed! Whew!
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/BATEmpT4F_zps253286a4.jpg)
Turn 4 Rapturous Frenzy:
Movement:
His Sorc declares a charge against my Wiz bunker. I Flee! Because of the angle, they run over the lines to the northwest, make DT tests and are safe.
Of course, the Forsaken charge the Halb detachment and the Skullcrushers hit the Greatswords. His Exalted Hero charges out of the ‘Striders to hit the rear of the GS as well.
Otherwise, his last Hellstriders move quickly over to get my fleeing Wiz bunker in their LOS.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/BATChaosT4_zpsfcdac8c8.jpg)
Magic:
He gets a 2 and 2 for Winds. One Empire channel.
4 PD to 3 DD.
He tosses all 4 dice on Phantasmagoria on the GS. I fail to dispel. Now they must roll an extra d6 for all Leadership tests, discarding the lowest. That could hurt….
Unfortunate for the Hysterical Frenzied Skullcrushers, they cause yet another wound to themselves, removing a model (my opponent cannot believe the number of 1s he rolled trying to make those easy saves. Great for the Empire!
Combat:
The Skullcrushers versus my Knights- finally the Skullcrushers live up to their name. They cause 6 unsaved wounds. My 2 remaining ICK whiff. I fail my Break test but run 10 inches! The Skullcrushers fail to catch them in pursuit.
The Forsaken get Killing blow and max attacks against the Halbs. They kill all but 3 and take no damage in return. Halbs make their Stubborn Break test.
The Slaanish Exalted Hero issues a challenge in the GS fight. My Arch Lector accepts. He causes 3 wounds, but I make 2 AS and a 6+ WS- taking no wounds. My opponent just stands there shaking his head. The AL fails to wound in response.
He directs as many attacks as he can towards my BSB- wanting to get rid of my Hold Your Ground ability and re-roll. Again- I make all my AS! My opponent can’t believe it. 9 Greatswords die to the fury of the Skullcrushers. The GS generate 16 wounds in response, but he makes all his AS but 3. I Skullcrusher dies. 2 remain.
I roll 4 dice for my Stubborn Break test and after throwing out the lowest and highest I pass the test. The GS hold. What it looked like at the end:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/BATChaosT4F_zps74cd7f20.jpg)
Turn 5 Winter Storm:
Movement:
My Demis finally get into some real combat and make a successful charge against the Skullcrusher flank.
My Wiz bunker rallies, but my Knights fail (don’t get double 1s) and run to within 2” of the table edge.
My lone archers moves up to shoot at the Sorc Lord.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/BATEmpT5_zpsae3ad7e5.jpg)
Magic:
5 & 4 for Winds, one Chaos channel. 9 PD to 6 DD.
I cast a 3 dice Net on the last Hellstriders. He lets it go.
Again, I toss a 6 dice Shield of Faith on the Greatswords. Again, he dispels it.
Combat:
Nothing happens in the Exalted Hero versus Arch Lector challenge, both of us making all saves.
The Skullcrushers kill a total of 5 Greatswords. The Demis fail to impress and do not cause any unsaved wounds. The GS get 3 unsaved wounds, removing another Skull model. The unit is down to 1 remaining.
The Skullcrusher make its Break test but the Exalted Hero flees 11 inches away. The ‘Crusher loses Frenzy, but still has +1A for Hysterical Frenzy.
The Forsaken easily mop up the remaining Halbs in the detachment.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/BATEmpT5F_zps0b304256.jpg)
Turn 5 Rapturous Frenzy:
Movement:
The Forsaken charge the flank of my Greatswords.
The Hellstriders declare a charge against my Wizard bunker but fail their Net Str test. The Net kills them all and saves my Wizard Bunker!
His Exalted Hero rallies and faces north. Otherwise, his free Skullcrusher perform a swift reform and move up around the swamp so they can charge my GS next turn. The Sorc moves up to get his spells into range.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/BATChaosT5_zps7c714375.jpg)
Magic:
He gets a 3 and 1 for Winds. No channels. Man, the magic phases keep getting weaker and weaker!
4 PD to 3 DD.
He tosses another Cac Choir on the GS. I fail to dispel. 4 GS die and the Slaanish Sorc Lord gains +1WS, +1I, and +1A from one of the wounds (his Lore attribute)
The Hysterically Frenzied Skullcrusher doesn’t wound himself.
Combat:
The Skullcrusher kills a couple of GS before it dies to Demi and GS counterattack. The Forsaken get 10 wounds….but I make a crazy five 5+ armour saves! (I think my opponent is still shaking his head after this battle…)
My Demis reform and face south. The GS make their Break test and reform to face the Forsaken. I put them 8 wide so my BSB could hang off the end, out of combat.
What it looked like at the end:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/BATChaosT5F_zpsf278287b.jpg)
Turn 6 Winter Storm:
Movement:
The Demis declare a charge against the Sorc Lord. When my opponent realizes that I can declare a second charge with my lone Archer (likely pushing him off the board), he decides to take his chances in combat and holds.
My lone Archer moves over for a short range shot at the Exalted Hero and my Wiz bunker moves up to get better range for spells.
The ICK fail to rally and go off the board.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/BATEmpT6_zpse77dd571.jpg)
Magic:
2 & 2 for Winds, no channels. 4 PD to 2 DD.
With the dice advantage now, I use all 4 dice on Shield of Faith and finally get it off successfully.
The Archer fails to wound the Exalted Hero and the Wiz bunker archers have no effect on the Skullcrushers.
Combat:
The Forsaken get 6 wounds on the GS. I make four 5+ armour saves, and two 5+ Ward saves. I don’t take ANY wounds! In return, the GS kill 4 Forsaken.
The Forsaken lose combat and fail their Break test. They run 5 inches and the GS run them and hack them into pieces going 8 inches!
The Sorc Lord battle doesn’t go any better for my opponent. The Sorc gets 2 wounds between his attacks and Firebreath and doesn’t suffer any in return. Tied CR, but I have a musician. He loses by 1 and fails his Break test. He runs away 10 inches and I fail to catch him on a 9.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/BATEmpT6F_zps8e96fb5d.jpg)
Turn 6 Rapturous Frenzy:
Movement:
The Skullcrushers charge my GS in the flank.
His Sorc Lord fails to rally and runs off the board.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/BATChaosT6_zps1f42b26f.jpg)
Combat:
The Khorne BSB issues a challenge. I accept with my GS champion. He gets 1 wound and kills him. The Skullcrushers net 6 wounds, but I make 3 Ward saves! Only 3 GS die. The GS fail to wound in return.
All I have to do is pass this Stubborn break test and the game is mine….and I easily make it on 3 dice. Not like it matters, but the GS reform to face the Skullcrushers.
Game over.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/BATChaosT6F_zps9aca0752.jpg)
After Action:
I won by a whooping 863 VPs (a massacre) but the game was a lot closer than that. Change a few rolls and it would have been a different result.
1. Chaos packs a punch. My poor Halbs were Khorne food…and my Greatswords performed well only because of my great armour saves and ward saves. Characters are not safe against Chaos…and you really have to play it smart to keep them alive. Frenzy can be liability, but if played right with lots of support, it can be mitigated.
2. I am not sold on the Hellstriders. They look cool on paper, but in several battles I have yet to see them live long enough to get all their buffs. They are great Warmachine and Wizard hunters, but they are squishy.
3. His fast cavalry heavy force cleared out my archers easy enough, but they served their purpose long enough to keep the base Griffon formation intact. I have found that if you manage the battle and only allow 2-3 turns of combat against the base of the formation, your opponent cannot bring enough combat power to take it off the board. To a certain degree, it is a great points-denial.
4. Sorry Q-beam, but I really missed my STank in this battle. The Demis perform alright but a few cannon shots and some grindage would have served me well. Of course, I could have added a cannon or HBVG, but I think his fast cav would have made short work of it. Besides, I like showing how a combat-heavy Empire force can stand toe-to-toe with the best of them and hold its own. You don’t have to have artillery with our new book.
5. My dice rolls were really hot. I think I would have still come out on top with normal rolls- especially if my offensive rolls would have been average, which they weren’t.
Hope you enjoyed the Battle Report. I look forward to your feedback and comments as always.
:::cheers:::
HHG
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4. Sorry Q-beam, but I really missed my STank in this battle. The Demis perform alright but a few cannon shots and some grindage would have served me well. Of course, I could have added a cannon or HBVG, but I think his fast cav would have made short work of it. Besides, I like showing how a combat-heavy Empire force can stand toe-to-toe with the best of them and hold its own. You don’t have to have artillery with our new book.
Thanks :::cheers::: I really thought this was a great demonstration of what we can do but I think it's time I either invest in a Stank or convert up some Demigryphs! I've been trying to pull off playing without them but I'm beginning to think they are essential to stay in the competitive side if you want to play aggressively.
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Great battle! I've missed these reports and didn't even realize it until I got to read one. It's a rare and beautiful thing to see such a well thought out battle plan.
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love your BatReps, the list seems solid, the concept - Great, and your Execution is spot on.
question though... how does the Griffon formation hold up for say Dawn Attack, when you can't count on where some of those vital formation units will show up? :dry:
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I have played the Dawn Attack several times with a "Griffon Formation" list.
So far I haven't had any trouble forming some kind of solid defense. The detachments deploy with the parent and since I have a few regiments of archers at least one is always near. A few times I have had to put the various units on the edge of their deployment zones next to each other and spend a turn moving everything into something useful.
I think the key thing is that you don't have to form the perfect Griffon to make use of the tactics. For instance, when I play people used to seeing my Griffon formation, I sometimes deploy completely different just to scramble their brains and put them off balance. :icon_twisted:
HHG
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Wow, what an excellent game and report. Always a pleasure to read, HHG!
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Wow, what an excellent game and report. Always a pleasure to read, HHG!
+1. Well done....
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Great report HHG and that looked a really fun game to be involved in.
Your style of writing really does the battles justice, I probably prefer your reports to some of the video based ones on youtube.
Cheers for sharing.
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These are amazing reports and have given me even more motivation to get my Empire force up and running. I just discovered this thread and sat and read the whole thing through. Wonderful! :biggriin:
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I appreciate all the kudos and feedback.
I meant to do a couple of Battle Reports during the end of my Escalation League but I was getting ready to move and they take lots of time and effort.
Needless to say, my Empire list made it to the final round only to get beat by an old Army Book Chaos list. I had some major dice rolls go bad.... It would have been a good one to post so you could have seen a loss.
I will try and post a Battle Report every so often. They are fun for me to re-read to relive the battles and remember what I was feeling and why I made the decisions I made, when I made them.
:::cheers:::
HHG
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Hi HHG,
thank you very much for the battle reports! They are great! :eusa_clap:
Keep on your good work on those articles around the griffon formation. The last months I silently read your articles and was fascinated about your thoughts about fielding an empire army in griffon formation style.
But now I cannot be the silent reader anymore...While devouring your last battle report against the new WoC I thought about some of your tactical decisions to review and gain some experience in fielding a griffon formation:
- Emp turn 1: the Archers on left flank moved far to close to the light cavs, why don't you save them for redirecting charges of the heavy cav and use your ICKs for countering the hellstriders? I think, if the WoC did not have those soft targets for their hellstriders, they would have been more
constrained in their movement on the battlefield and would not penetrate your lines in turn 2. - WoC turn 1: your archer detachment (left griffon wing) hold the charge from marauder horsemen (WH11). Why did you do that? If the detachment fled, the horsemen would be forced to hold 1 inch infront of your captasus or the greatswords or the would to have redirect their charge in to one of those units, where would have been destroyed earlier. Not to speak of your archer detachment, which could have been rallied and used to cover your wizard's bunker.
- Emp turn 2: Why do you charge the skullcrushers (Skl1) with your ICK and the captasus? They do not have any support at that time and your troops are no match in this constellation. I would suggest that the empire player tries to redirect such heavy units until he has enough power assembled to counter them.
- Turns 1-3: the greatswords are far too static. They should have been earlier in action with support from the cav units. Those 3 turns are wasted from my point of view, or are they not?
What do you think?
Thanks in advance, :::cheers:::
kind regards,
Lawrence
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Great questions.
- Emp turn 1: the Archers on left flank moved far to close to the light cavs, why don't you save them for redirecting charges of the heavy cav and use your ICKs for countering the hellstriders? I think, if the WoC did not have those soft targets for their hellstriders, they would have been more
constrained in their movement on the battlefield and would not penetrate your lines in turn 2.
The simple answer on this: for shooting and stand & shoot.
My opponent would never put his Hellstriders into a position where I could charge them or catch them if they fled with forces that could kill them. Putting those left archers 10.5 inches away gave them close range shots and the ability to stand and shoot. The fast cav is squishy and I killed 3 this way. Because of his range, I never would be able to use the Archers to support my cavalry against his cavalry. He had the advantage in that regard.
Also- if both Archer units fled, they would end up behind my lines and probably not be in position to divert because of his speed. You are right, this would have helped me against his hunt against my Wiz bunker, but I hoped that my magic missiles would be able to deal with them if they got back there.
- WoC turn 1: your archer detachment (left griffon wing) hold the charge from marauder horsemen (WH11). Why did you do that? .
I liked having his horse finish right near my lines. If I fled, he would not redirect to my main combat units and would have gone 1-6 on a failed charge. He would have been able to use them in future turns because I likely would not have charged them so far forward and screwed up my lines.
I think the key thing here is that I sacrifice my diverters willingly as long as it meets some other end. In both cases his fast cavalry ended up in places I wanted. The horse in front of the battle line and the Hellstriders out of way so I could charge the Skullcrushers...which leads to your next question...
- Emp turn 2: Why do you charge the skullcrushers (Skl1) with your ICK and the captasus? They do not have any support at that time and your troops are no match in this constellation. I would suggest that the empire player tries to redirect such heavy units until he has enough power assembled to counter them.
I didn't want the Skullcrushers getting the charge on my Knights and gaining +1 Str for their mounts. I didn't want to give him the option of doing the cavalry tap dance over there with me and potentially allowing him to ignore my cav and do a multi-charge into the meat of my lines.
Yes, this was not a fight in my advantage. All I wanted to do was to tie up that west Skullcrushers and do some damage to it while I worked the center. Honestly I was delaying for time. Luckily for me it worked- I held that unit up until Turn 6 when I could deal with it. Had he not killed my Warrior Priest in the first round of combat I would have done even more damage to it with Hatred.
- Turns 1-3: the greatswords are far too static. They should have been earlier in action with support from the cav units. Those 3 turns are wasted from my point of view, or are they not?
The Greatswords are great points denial. They are over 500 points (700+ with characters) that usually have to be killed to the very last man because of Stubborn. I have only lost the unit once....and it was because I was overly aggressive in Turn 2 and they got swarmed.
The Chaos player had massive amounts of combat power and mobility that could have ruined my day had I not been careful. The Griffon Formation is a tool...but it is only part of a set of tactics I use to control the battlefield and set up combats that I want. I did not want to face all his forces at once....I wanted to deal with them gradually.
Your observations are valid- there are numerous ways I could have played this and there are no right or wrong answers. I play more the style that you are talking about when I have the advantage with diverters and the opponent is forcing me to come to him.
In this case, my opponent had the advantage in speed, maneuverability, and combat power besides the massive attacks I could generate with the Greatswords. Because of this, I managed the battle to have the Greatswords deal with one Skullcrusher unit, then deal with the Forsaken, and then deal with the last Skullcrusher unit.
Thanks for the questions. I hope my response helps you see why I did what I did.
:::cheers:::
HHG
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:::cheers::: Thanks for your answers!
They make your decisions much more clear. And I have some more things to think about.
The horde in your griffon formation is mainly used for bunkering /saving points. In this case you could also place your lvl4 into your greatswords and use the then former wizard bunker as another manoeuver element...
After all I look forward to read more of your excellent battle reports, and I am also looking forward to my next game with the empire, when I can try out, some of your proposals.
Thank you very much,
enjoy :icon_biggrin:
Lawrence
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What does the Catapsus do these days, with no Casket of Sorcery to remove enemy spells....?
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What does the Catapsus do these days, with no Casket of Sorcery to remove enemy spells....?
If I understand HHG tactics, Captasus is another tool for delaying and target picking, in short words to "control the battlefield". He's supposed to sacrifice himself to tie up a nasty unit fot a while (he often packs a CoC for that) and by different battle reports i've been able to read he also manages to survive sometimes. Plus he can haunt warmachines, clear chaff and do some nasty tricks like HE eagles do, afterall he has great mobility and a good survivability. (3+ AS, 3 wounds, charmed shield and 2++ vs fire in this very case)
A great tactical unit, the epitome of empire versatility in my view.
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What does the Catapsus do these days, with no Casket of Sorcery to remove enemy spells....?
If I understand HHG tactics, Captasus is another tool for delaying and target picking, in short words to "control the battlefield". He's supposed to sacrifice himself to tie up a nasty unit fot a while (he often packs a CoC for that) and by different battle reports i've been able to read he also manages to survive sometimes. Plus he can haunt warmachines, clear chaff and do some nasty tricks like HE eagles do, afterall he has great mobility and a good survivability. (3+ AS, 3 wounds, charmed shield and 2++ vs fire in this very case)
A great tactical unit, the epitome of empire versatility in my view.
Ah, O.K. But why not give him a 1+ AS from the Enchanted shield, or use the Shield of Ptolos and give him a 1+ VS shooting, to make sure he is actually able to get into combat with the chaff/nasty unit/tough character(delete as appropriate) that he's been brought to deal with....?
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What does the Catapsus do these days, with no Casket of Sorcery to remove enemy spells....?
If I understand HHG tactics, Captasus is another tool for delaying and target picking, in short words to "control the battlefield". He's supposed to sacrifice himself to tie up a nasty unit fot a while (he often packs a CoC for that) and by different battle reports i've been able to read he also manages to survive sometimes. Plus he can haunt warmachines, clear chaff and do some nasty tricks like HE eagles do, afterall he has great mobility and a good survivability. (3+ AS, 3 wounds, charmed shield and 2++ vs fire in this very case)
A great tactical unit, the epitome of empire versatility in my view.
Ah, O.K. But why not give him a 1+ AS from the Enchanted shield, or use the Shield of Ptolos and give him a 1+ VS shooting, to make sure he is actually able to get into combat with the chaff/nasty unit/tough character(delete as appropriate) that he's been brought to deal with....?
I think it's a kind of all comers list speaking by a magic equipment point of view, an enchanted shield would provide a 2+ AS( no barding for pegasus), shield of ptolos isn't a great deal as you can have a solid 3+ with a mundane one and bs shooting is not that frequent but what really makes the difference is that charmed shield will let you ignore the first cannon shot, against which any AS would be useless. If I know that I'm not going to face any kind of artillery enchanted shield can be ok, but it doesn't really happend often.
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Basically, what Aineias said: from an "all-comers" list point of view, I figured the Charmed Shield, Dragongem was a cheap kit to go with Crown of Command and prevent easy sniping on him.
The guy is not meant to win any fights, but if kept within 12" of the General and BSB he could easily stop an incoming horde of low strength models. Of course, this Chaos list wasn't a great army to test him out against, but I wanted to get the model on the table....
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cant wait for the next one. i check this thread nearly every day for a new battle report!
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Just want to say even though it is belated, great effort, out of all the battle reports available yours are my favourite :eusa_clap:
Bring back the steam tank though lol
:::cheers:::
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Just want to say even though it is belated, great effort, out of all the battle reports available yours are my favourite :eusa_clap:
Bring back the steam tank though lol
:::cheers:::
Thanks.
I am having a re-match versus the Chaos player's list again. We did another battle last weekend and it ended in a draw. He is flying with a Daemon Prince now and it ate me alive. So I am 1-0-1. I was prepared to do a report on it, but overall it was not that exciting- lots of movement and the Greatswords never saw combat.
I made a few tweaks to my list after that battle (and he has too)....so hopefully the next one is epic and BATREP worthy. Hoping to end this showdown with an emphatic 2-0-1.
:::cheers:::
HHG
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What does the Catapsus do these days, with no Casket of Sorcery to remove enemy spells....?
If I understand HHG tactics, Captasus is another tool for delaying and target picking, in short words to "control the battlefield". He's supposed to sacrifice himself to tie up a nasty unit fot a while (he often packs a CoC for that) and by different battle reports i've been able to read he also manages to survive sometimes. Plus he can haunt warmachines, clear chaff and do some nasty tricks like HE eagles do, afterall he has great mobility and a good survivability. (3+ AS, 3 wounds, charmed shield and 2++ vs fire in this very case)
A great tactical unit, the epitome of empire versatility in my view.
Ah, O.K. But why not give him a 1+ AS from the Enchanted shield, or use the Shield of Ptolos and give him a 1+ VS shooting, to make sure he is actually able to get into combat with the chaff/nasty unit/tough character(delete as appropriate) that he's been brought to deal with....?
I think it's a kind of all comers list speaking by a magic equipment point of view, an enchanted shield would provide a 2+ AS( no barding for pegasus), shield of ptolos isn't a great deal as you can have a solid 3+ with a mundane one and bs shooting is not that frequent but what really makes the difference is that charmed shield will let you ignore the first cannon shot, against which any AS would be useless. If I know that I'm not going to face any kind of artillery enchanted shield can be ok, but it doesn't really happend often.
surely you just take, full plate (4+), +1 for mounted: so 3+, then give charmed shield for 2+ (bounces first hit). give him a lance or cheap sword and send him hunting
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Modified Griffon with Outriders versus new Slaanish Chaos @ 2500
If you read the last Battle Report, you saw that I am currently in a competition versus a player using the new Chaos book. He started with a Khorne/Slaanish list but has changed to an all Slaanish list. In the first two battles, I was 1-0-1.
This weekend our first battle was all Empire- my shooting and magic was on fire and he capitulated by Turn 3. We decided to reset using the same terrain hoping for a better battle for a BATREP.
As you will see in this battle, my magic and shooting was dismal. I failed on a couple of key rolls in all phases of the game and ended up getting my butt whipped. So the record between us now stands at 2-1-1. It was a fun game and I offer it here so you don’t think I will only post my victories!
The key changes I tried this weekend:
--With this list I removed both detachments from the Greatswords and plan to use my extra other diverters to make up the difference.
--The last BATREP really showed my inability to use my Knight cavalry block to full effect because I lacked diverters with the speed and agility to keep up and support my Knights. My opponent loves doing the “cavalry tap-dance” with me and I am always at a disadvantage because of all the fast cav he wields. With lances, I really want/need the charge which is impossible to get if my opponent has the tools/units to prevent it. I tried switching back to Great Weapon Knights but they die too fast- amazing the difference between a 1+ and 2+. So…after reading a few forum posts on Outriders I decided to try a few small units of them. One- they provide awesome firepower to clear out chaff; two, they are really fast and can fly up to provide support.
--Tired of not having an answer for Daemon Princes, Vamp Lords, Tyrants, etc I decided to try out the Warrior Bane/Van Horst kit for my Arch Lector. I made the mistake of telling my opponent about this beforehand and he dropped a few Daemonic Gifts on his DP to pick up Unholy Strike (the ability to swap all attacks for one attack double strength). We shall see how those abilities match up in a challenge.
So, without further ado, here are the approximate lists:
The Good Guys: Winter Storm
48 Teutogen Guard (Greatswords) FC, Standard of Discipline
Arch Lector (Gen) Warrior Bane, AoMI, Van Horst Spec
Captain (BSB) Enchanted Shield, Dawnstone
14 Inner Circle Knights FC, Great Weapons
Warrior Priest Dragonhelm
10 Archers Musician
5 Archer Detachment
12 Archers Musician
Battle Wizard Lord Lvl 4 Light Wizard, Dispel Scroll, Opal Amulet
5 Archer Detachment
2x 6 Outriders Sharpshooter w/Repeater Handgun
Steam Tank
Great Cannon
My Spells: Heavens- Harmonic Convergence, Curse of the Midnight Wind, Urannon’s Thunderbolt, Chain Lightning
The Bad Guys: Hexxed
Daemon Prince of Slaanish Gen Lvl 4 Slaanish, Sword of Striking, Charmed Shield, Dragonbane Gem, Scaled Skin, Soulfeeder, Unholy Strike, Arcane Familiar
Chaos Sorceror of Slaanish Lvl 2 Shadow, Steed of Slaanish, Enchanted Shield, Dispel Scroll, Luckstone, Allure of Slaanish, Hideous Visage
8 Chaos Knights of Slaanish FC
3x 5 Marauder Horsemen of Slaanish Muscian, Flails, Javelins, Shields
2x Chariots of Slaanish
2x Chimeras Regenerating Flesh
Hellcannon
His spells: Slaanish- Acquiescence, Hysterical Frenzy, Slicing Shards, Phantasmagoria, Cacophonic Choir
Shadow- Miasma, Enfeebling Foe
Pre-Deployment
Here is what the terrain looked like. In the center was two key pieces of terrain- a Wyrding Well opposite an Arcane Ruin. Each flank had a wall obstacle. In the north was a hill and building like so:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8Terrain_zps32d0ee45.jpg)
We used the same terrain for both battles and I got the south side both times. In the first battle, I deployed my Knights, Outriders and Cannon on the left flank, careful to avoid the Bane Stone (+1 to wound within 6 inches) on that side. For deployment in this battle, I wanted to surprise my opponent so I planned to shift all those forces over to the right flank after a few drops.
The reason I didn’t go right in the first battle is I really didn’t like the placement of the wall halfway across the field. The Outrider’s shots would be blocked and his big nasties could hide behind it to avoid my cannons. My plan was to drop the wall with a cannon shot, especially if I got the first turn.
Deployment
I placed the Greatswords, STank, and Archers in the center. After most of his chaff was deployed, I starting dropping my right flank set-up. He placed his Chimeras and DP on the right in response- just what I figured he would do.
Here is how it ended up:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8Dep_zps94a1e1f2.jpg)
For Vanguards, instead of moving the Outriders forward, I moved the center unit back just a bit and angled the right one slightly towards the center. He moved all of his fast cavalry forward towards the middle of the board, like so:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8Van_zps3e2d50e3.jpg)
Turn 1 Winter Storm:
Empire got the first turn. I fired up 4 Steam in the STank.
Movement:
Nothing spectacular for my first move.
The tank moved forward 4 inches to shoot at the Hellcannon. My ICK moved up just a little bit. I switched around on the left flank- the Wizard joined the small Archer detachment near the GS (he was exactly 6” from the Ruins to get better channels), the other small det moved in front of the tank to avoid his fast cavalry from blocking it in and the last big Archer unit moved to the left of the tank.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8EmpT1_zpsbc82e3fd.jpg)
Magic
I started the first of several dismal magic phases- I rolled a 2 & 1 and my opponent channeled one.
3 PD to 3 DD.
I cast all 3 dice on a T-bolt at his Sorc Horse bunker and he dispelled it with his DD.
Shooting
I aimed the Great Cannon shot 10 inches from a Marauder Horse behind the wall obstacle- hoping that I would get a successful bounce to destroy it. Of course, I rolled a 10, which killed a Mar Horse but left the wall intact. Damn it! :icon_frown:
Both Outriders opened up on the Horse behind the wall as well- and because of their cover only killed 2 more. Two still remained… All my other Archers did absolutely nothing.
The STank fires at the Hellcannon, gets a good bounce and hits it. However, I roll a 1 and fail to wound it. :icon_frown:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8EmpT1F_zps00a618cb.jpg)
Turn 1 Hexxed:
The Hellcannon fails its leadership test and goes bonkers- moving 13 inches towards the Archers.
Movement:
The speed of his army is just crazy. All his diverters zoom up on the left flank, while the center Warhounds move to block Outrider shots. The right Horse move up to block/divert my ICK.
Of course, his flying monster circus moves up behind the wall I failed to destroy. Otherwise his Chariots and Chaos Knights move up a little bit in the center.
And the move that really chaps my ass (even as I type this)- he shot his Chaos Sorc on the M10 Slaanish Steed 20 inches forward to side-saddle my STank. With all the Archers I have around that steel bitch, he still manages to jam me. Sigh. Lesson learned. :icon_frown:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8ChaosT1_zps8d3e53a4.jpg)
Magic & Shooting:
He rolls a 4 & 3 for Winds and gets 2 channels.
9 PD to 4 DD. I was worried- I was probably going to have to burn my scroll just to survive this phase.
He started with a 4 dice Hysterical Frenzy curse on my ICK. He got IF. He rolls a 9 on the miscast but makes all his saves and avoids wounds on his Sorcs. Luckily, he loses all his PD as well.
His Mar Horse actually kill 2 Archers in the left-most Archer unit with javelins.
Turn Two: Winter Storm
STank successfully generates 4 steam.
Movement:
The ICK fail their Frenzy test and are forced to charge the Mar Horse. DAMN.
So I thought long and hard about what to do about the ICK’s predicament.
I could spend magic dice to get rid of Frenzy to avoid an overrun that would put the flying monster circus in prime position to get all flank charges…or I could move up the Outriders in front of the ICK so they wouldn’t move at all an overrun. I really wanted to preserve my dice this turn; I decided to go with option 2. I moved the Outriders to block the overrun since they really didn’t have a good shooting target anyway.
My new plan- move the Greatswords so if he charged with the DP it would hit the ICK flank and be in position to get charged by the Greatswords in the flank or rear. I moved the Greatswords up and angled them east.
To protect the west GS flank, I positioned my Archers to provide a double flee against his Chariots and moved the Wizard into the Greatswords (at this point I missed having a GS detachment or two…)
I moved the small Archer detachment in front of MH2 to avoid more diverters near my STank and slide the big Archer detachment over to get some short range shots at MH1.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8EmpT2_zps65414ce1.jpg)
Magic:
Crappy magic phase #2. I roll a 3 & 1 and he gets 2 more channels. WTH!?!? :icon_frown:
4 PD to 5 DD.
I use all 4 dice on a Chain lightning against MH2 but he easily dispels with his 5 dice. So much for trying to save dice to get some love…..
Shooting:
Finally some good news- the STank, even though it can’t pivot, is still facing his enraged Hellcannon. I get a good bounce, hit, wound, no save, and kill it.
The Great Cannon lines up a shot to nick his Sorc jacking up my tank. Direct hit and wound. Again, in my time of need, I roll another 1. He only takes a wound. DAMN. :icon_frown:
The center Outriders turn the center Warhounds into dog food. My crappy Archers actually kill 1 Mar Horse.
Combat:
Of course my Frenzied ICK make short work of his Mar Horse, but not before he kills one with a flail.
Here is what it looks like in the end:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8EmpT2F_zpsd290a521.jpg)
Turn 2 Hexxed:
Movement:
Charges, charges, and more charges. Of course, the flying monster circus all charge my ICK- the two Chimeras in the front and the DP in the flank.
His Chariot charges my big Archers, they flee, and he re-directs to my small Archers who also flee. They both move south to the edge of the board. Luckily all his other forces are just out of range to declare charges on the Archers and force them off the board.
MH1 declares a charge against my Archers and they Stand & Shoot- missing horribly. MH 2 charges the small Archer det.
For regular movement his other Chariot moves up and his Chaos Knights move back slightly to avoid a surprise charge by my GS.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8ChaosT2_zpsf251860f.jpg)
Magic:
He rolls a 5 & 2 for Winds. We both get a channel.
8 PD to 6 DD.
He tosses a 2 dice Acquience on my center Outriders. No way I want to miss a round of firing with them- so I toss 3 DD to dispel it.
Next, he goes for a boosted version of Cac Choir. Luckily he doesn’t get IF and I use my dispel scroll on it. No way I can let that go off- the GS and Outriders would have Random Move D6!
The Knights are still Hysterically Frenzied this point and manage to wound themselves, killing 1 Knight. Can I catch a break???
Combat:
My opponent immediately drops the Hysterical Frenzy RiP. Go figure!
I challenge the DP with my Champ. Of course, my Champ dies a valiant death for Ulric. I lose 3 other Knights to the flying monster circus. I make my Steadfast Break test.
On the far left, the Mar Horse kill 6 Archers and lose 1 in return. Unbelievably, I roll Insane Courage and the last 2 hold.
MH2 kills some Archers and cause them to Flee. He pursues, catches them, but ends up 1” in front of my tank. Well, even if my STank can’t pivot, as least he can turn some horse into some more dog food!
The end result:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8ChaosT2F_zps17d329c3.jpg)
Turn 3 Winter Storm:
4 Steam Points generated, no problem.
Movement:
The STank rams into MH2.
My GS charge the DP and hit it in the rear. I use the center Outriders to move up and block one Chariot and his Chaos Knights to buy me some time. I roll the other Outriders over to the center- to hopefully do something similar next turn. I just need to buy some time to hopefully kill his DP- because literally- my butt is hanging out in the wind!
Both my Archers rally and turn to face his Chaos Sorc.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8EmpT3_zpsb5f549c8.jpg)
Magic:
A 3 & 1 for Winds. Again. Really? 1 Empire channel, 2 Chaos channel. This is getting old. :icon_frown:
5 PD to 5 DD
I decide to toss all 5 dice at a boosted Harmonic Convergeance. No IF and he Dispel Scrolls it.
Shooting:
The Great Cannon lines up a shot at the west Chariot. I get a 4 and then it sticks in the ground. Sigh. :icon_frown:
My Archers fail to wound the Chaos Sorc.
Combat:
The DP issues a challenge and I deny it and he sends my BSB to the back.
The grand plan of hitting the DP in the rear and severely wounding it or killing it? Yeah, not so grand. He makes all his armour and Ward saves except one. :icon_frown:
The flying monster circus kills 7 Knights and I get a wound on a Chim. Believe it or not- I still win combat by 1. One Chimera fails its Break test and it flees off the board. (I think this is my only awesome good luck moment all battle….)
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8EmpT3F_zpsada770fe.jpg)
Turn 3 Hexxed:
Movement:
A Chariot charges my Outriders.
His Chaos Knights attempt a swift reform but fail. The other Chariot swings around to threaten my GS rear. His remaining Warhounds move up to the Ruin.
To add insult to injury- his MH 1 moves up to the other side of tank to completely box it in.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8ChaosT3_zps0589e7cd.jpg)
Magic:
He rolls double 6s and I get 1 channel.
12 PD to 7 DD. How am I going to make it through this magic phase?
He starts by casting a 3 dice Enfeebling Foe on the GS and gets the best roll he can without IF- a 6,5,5 for a total of 20. Sigh. I can’t let Acquiesce or Cac Choir go off because it will ruin my future divertion plans with the Outriders…and to get rid of this roll I will to use most of my DD. So, I shake my head and let it go.
Next he casts a 3 dice boosted Miasma on the GS. Not sure why- I think he forgot my GS already needed 5 & 6s to hit the DP and have ASL… so I let that go too.
He scoops up the last 6 dice and casts a boosted Cac Choir. No IF. I use all 7 Dispel dice and get his exact roll. Dispelled. Whew.
Combat:
His Chariot takes a wound but kills a bunch of Outriders and forces a Flee. He pursues and catches them- moving forward 11 inches.
In the big combat I challenge his DP with my Warrior Priest. Unbelievably the WP only takes a single wound and lives (but unfortunately the DP regains his lost wound due to rolling a 6 on Soul Feeder). The Chimera kills the rest of the ICK but because of static combat resolution I win combat again. His Chimera fails its Break test, but unlike his brother, doesn’t flee off the board and only flies 7 inches away.
What it looked like at the end:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8ChaosT3F_zps38b21f0a.jpg)
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Turn 4 Winter Storm:
The STank generates 4 Steam.
Movement:
No charges. STank moves forward a couple of inches.
My Archers move into firing positions to hopefully kill the chaff around my tank. The Outriders squeeze through the Chariot-GS gap. Unfortunately they can’t completely divert the Chaos Knights- if he makes the charge distance he will be able to clip the edge of the GS. Hopefully that will be enough.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8EmpT4_zps732cbe81.jpg)
Magic:
Another crappy roll. I get a 6 & 1 for Winds, with both sides channeling one.
8 PD to 7 DD.
Decisions, decisions. Should I spend the dice now to get rid of Enfeebling Foe and ruin the rest of my poor magic phase…or should I worry about it later so I can get a much needed nuke off? The DP is in challenge with the mounted WP so it won’t matter this turn, but it will matter next turn. I decide to not dispel the RiP.
I start with a 2 dice Shield of Faith on the GS. He lets it go.
I take my last 6 dice and cast a Chain Lightning on the closest Chariot. I get IF. I roll for number of hits and get another damn 1. The Chariot takes a wound. The Chain Lightning bounces to the other Chariot. I get 4 hits on that bad boy and get 4 unsaved wounds. It dies. It bounces again to the Warhounds. I get another 4 hits and kill 3 dogs. Two remain and they make their Panic test.
That came out okay…and I got a favorable miscast- a 7. 3 nearby GS die.
Shooting:
But…more bad news. The Great Cannon lines up a shot at the remaining Chariot and misfires. Destroying itself in the process. :icon_frown:
The STank and Archers kill 3 of the Mar Horse- but 1 still remains.
Combat:
The DP finally kills the WP and turns to face the Greatswords.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8EmpT4F_zps27dd3928.jpg)
Turn 4 Hexxed:
Movement:
The Chaos Knights and Chariot declare charges against the GS. The Chaos Knights get 13 inches…which puts them right on the cusp of the GS movement tray. We measured it several times and it was so close. I think in a tournament I would have said, “sorry dude” unless I was sweating a comp score, but in this game, I gave it to him.
The Chimera rallies. The only other movement was he moved his STank babysitters back into position by the tank.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8ChaosT4_zps2b0a8008.jpg)
Magic:
He gets a 5 and 1 for Winds. We each channeled one.
7 PD to 6 DD.
My opponent again tries for a boosted version of Cac Choir- but this time he fails to even get it off.
Combat:
The DP kills the mounted WP. A total of 6 GS die and I fail to cause a wound. GS make their Break test. Chaos Knights expand their front as much as they can.
What it looked like at the end:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8ChaosT4F_zpsf4ca75b8.jpg)
Turn 5 Winter Storm:
The STank has a mishap. I generate 6 Steam and take 2 wounds.
Movement:
What the heck- I use 3 Steam to roll the tank forward 11 inches. My Outriders move so I can get some shots off to hopefully finish off his Warhounds and Sorc. (Hindsight being 20/20- I see now I should have turned them around but put their butts an inch away from the Chaos Knights and GS- so he couldn’t expand his Knight front any further)
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8EmpT5_zps0b5e6f75.jpg)
Magic:
I roll two 6s for Winds. He fails to channel. Finally, a decent magic phase.
12 PD to 6 DD.
I start off using 3 dice to get rid of Enfeebling Foe.
Next I toss a 3 dice Shield of Faith on the GS. He lets it go (he later regrets it).
I use the final 6 dice on a Chain Lightning on the Chimera (can’t use T-Bolt because it is an MM, but I can use Direct Damage because, at the moment, the Mage himself is not in combat).
I get IF. Unfortunately, my dice rolls suck. I get 2 hits and he fails to save them. Sigh. I really wanted to kill that thing. :icon_frown:
The miscast gets ugly too- I roll a 3 and cause a big boom (I think I would have preferred the mage sucked himself into the abyss). The Wiz takes a wound, the BSB takes a wound, and 8 GS die. Not good. This is one of the reasons I rarely put my mage inside my troop blocks.
Shooting:
Finally some decent shooting. The STank and Archers clear out the last Horse and Hounds. Only the Chaos Sorc remains.
Combat:
My Arch Lector issues a challenge. My opponent throws me a curveball- the Champ in the Chaos Knight accepts. He never rolls with Chaos Champs normally…but it keeps my Van Horst Arch Lector off his DP. Smooth move. No wounds in the challenge.
He kills a total of 7 GS. About the only thing I manage is to kill off the Chariot.
GS make their Stubborn Break test on 3 dice.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8EmpT5F_zpsa5164d79.jpg)
Turn 5 Hexxed:
Movement:
The Chimera charges the flank of the GS.
His Sorc hides behind the tank yet again.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8ChaosT5_zpse0d93a51.jpg)
Magic:
He gets a 2 and 1 for Winds with 1 Chaos channel.
4 PD to 2 DD.
With a dice advantage, he tosses all 4 on a non-boosted Cac Choir. Again, he fails to get it off!
Combat:
My Arch Lector gets an unsaved wound and wins the challenge against the Chaos Knight Champ! Whew.
One more chance now to mass GW attacks on the DP- but on 8 wounds he gets 3 armour saves and 3 ward saves. He only takes 2 wounds.
The Chimera takes a wound and I kill 3 Knights who fail their 3+ armour saves. However, Chaos continues to whittle down the unit- I lose 8 this turn. Sixteen plus the characters remain. The Knights reform to fully line the back of the GS.
What it looked like at the end:
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8ChaosT5F_zpsc2dc9c8e.jpg)
Turn 6 Winter Storm:
The STank generates 4 Steam.
Movement:
I move the STank forward with 3 Steam to get it out of the way and it goes 11 inches. The middle Archers move out of the firing lane of the Outriders.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8EmpT6_zps9cbed821.jpg)
Magic:
I roll a 6 & 1 for Winds. :icon_frown: (This has to be my least favorite roll). No channels.
7 PD to 6DD.
I one die Shield of Faith. He burns 2 DD to get rid of it. I roll a 6 dice boosted version of Harmonic Convergence (targeting the Outriders too to help them kill the Sorc).
Somehow, someway, he beats my roll of 6 dice with the 4 dice he has left. I think that this was the straw that broke the camel’s back….some games we just aren’t meant to win. :icon_frown:
Shooting:
Even without Harmonic C, the Outriders finally mange to kill the Sorc.
Combat:
My Arch Lector issues a challenge- and the DP has to accept. Of course my bad luck holds and I fail to wound. He bashes me with an Unholy Strike, but he only gets 1 wound on a D3 wound.
The Chaos Knights kill 3 more Knights and several more fall to the Chimera’s Thunderstomp.
Turn 6 Hexxed:
Well, this is it.
Magic:
For the final magic phase, he rolled a 3 and 1. No channels.
On 4 dice he tries Cac Choir one last time. I dispel it on 3 dice.
Combat:
Of course, my AL fails to get past his DP’s saves to wound him. This time, his D3 wounds gets 3 wounds and the AL dies.
The Chimera and Knights kill the BSB and all the remaining GS. Only the Wizard remains. Of course he fails his Break test and the flying monster circus chases him down and kills him.
Game over.
(http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/DaHoffmans/G8ChaosT6_zpsf5ff5041.jpg)
Despite having more units left on the table, it wasn’t even close. I got massacred.
After Action:
I can’t blame this loss all on luck:
--I always aim the cannonball exactly 10 inches away from back end of my targets. I tried to get cute with 8 inches and I failed to destroy that wall which really screwed me.
--I let his Chaos Sorc jack up my tank on T1.
--I forgot several turns of shooting with the Engineer Commander’s Repeater Pistol.
--I should have kept the Outriders in tight behind the Greatswords to prevent him from easily expanding his front. They would have still been able to shoot from there.
Maybe I would have been better served to let the ICK die then try and salvage a bad situation by giving up my GS rear. Not sure; I think more often than not I should be able to kill the DP in that situation.
Enough of the negative. The positives:
--I really liked running the two units of 6 Outriders. They laid down a great base of fire and were perfect fast diverters when I needed them. They require a little more finesse than Pistoliers, but I liked the fact that they actually hit and kill things. My opponent didn’t like seeing me field them- which for me usually means that I have hit on something good.
--I missed not running all the elements of a Griffon Formation. I had to use my Archers on a double-flee but would have preferred having a detachment cover my flank/ass. I had to drop something to fit in the Outriders. List tweaking will continue…
Hope you enjoyed the Battle Report. I look forward to your feedback and comments as always.
:::cheers:::
HHG
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as someone who has never played a proper game in my life. (i refuse to play with grey figures and dont have a close gaming club) these reports have helped me no end. clear concise and funny. dude. you win warhammer.
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You should have dropped a cannon ball through his Chimera and DP on Turn 1. Taking out the wall wouldn't have helped you at all.
Also on T1, I would have used the Outriders to screen the ICK from the Chimeras. Sure they can fly, but if they can't land between the Outriders and ICK then they can't charge.
I don't consider it gamesmanship or illegal, but it is really annoying when players completely block the steam tank with one model. One of my least favorite rules. At least he didn't take an unkillable sorcerer.
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I don't consider it gamesmanship or illegal, but it is really annoying when players completely block the steam tank with one model. One of my least favorite rules. At least he didn't take an unkillable sorcerer.
+1 to this.
HHG, sounds like you enjoyed the outriders. I'm struggling with whether or not to take a few units, and have a hard time getting over their 5+ armor save. Their damage output is delightful, but I think WoC is one of the better armies to be facing with Outriders, since they have little in the way of light arms fire. However, I also note that you did with them some excellent diverting stuff that couldn't be done with 6 vanilla knights. Do you think you'd take Outriders in an all comers list?
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You should have dropped a cannon ball through his Chimera and DP on Turn 1. Taking out the wall wouldn't have helped you at all.
His DP had a Charmed Shield. My plan was to ping him with some arrows or bullets on T2 or T3 to get rid of the shield, and then pepper him with a cannonball.
If the wall was gone, I don't think he would have been as aggressive on the right flank with the two groups of Outriders.
I don't consider it gamesmanship or illegal, but it is really annoying when players completely block the steam tank with one model. One of my least favorite rules. At least he didn't take an unkillable sorcerer.
+1 to this.
The ironic thing is- I was the one who introduced it to him because we were talking about Random Movement and ways to deal with the tank a few weeks ago.
I absolutely, positively hate the rule and think it doesn't represent what would really happen- the tank would crush anything near it as it turned its bulk around!
I don't mind him using it against me though. I am gearing up for the tournie scene and have to be prepared for it.
HHG, sounds like you enjoyed the outriders. I'm struggling with whether or not to take a few units, and have a hard time getting over their 5+ armor save. Their damage output is delightful, but I think WoC is one of the better armies to be facing with Outriders, since they have little in the way of light arms fire. However, I also note that you did with them some excellent diverting stuff that couldn't be done with 6 vanilla knights. Do you think you'd take Outriders in an all comers list?
Actually, there are two lists I am working at the moment: one includes my Griffon Formation and the other is a cavalry-based army (the genesis being the tactica you started which got me to scheming).
I included dual Outrider units in both! I think with a little practice, I can create some solid tactics with them that adds an element I have been missing. I like the idea of two of them- because even if you have to move one to get into a better position, the other one can be firing.
I thought about giving the Sharpshooter a pistol, so even if you move you can at least shoot something and it helps with Stand and Shoot range, but I decided I wanted the BS 5 model to be putting rounds down range. It made a difference in what I hit and killed in both games- 3x Str 4 AP at 24" with BS5 is just plain sweet.
Thanks for the comments.
:::cheers:::
HHG
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Actually, there are two lists I am working at the moment: one includes my Griffon Formation and the other is a cavalry-based army (the genesis being the tactica you started which got me to scheming).
I included dual Outrider units in both! I think with a little practice, I can create some solid tactics with them that adds an element I have been missing. I like the idea of two of them- because even if you have to move one to get into a better position, the other one can be firing.
I thought about giving the Sharpshooter a pistol, so even if you move you can at least shoot something and it helps with Stand and Shoot range, but I decided I wanted the BS 5 model to be putting rounds down range. It made a difference in what I hit and killed in both games- 3x Str 4 AP at 24" with BS5 is just plain sweet.
I want to hear all I can from you about how the outriders perform. I'm going to try making an all-cav battle reports thread, and update it with some of my experiences. I've got a couple of reports I need to do from recent battles.
I have just had too many experiences of my outriders getting routed by a 25 point Orgre Kitten :icon_evil:
Perhaps I can vicariously heal through your experiences.
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@HHH Doesn't taking the detachments from the Greatswords mean that technically it's no longer the Griffon formation....?
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@HHH Doesn't taking the detachments from the Greatswords mean that technically it's no longer the Griffon formation....?
The Archers and tactics are still there but the true "Griffon Formation" did not exist in that battle.
I missed not having the GS detachment so my latest list has it back in.
Even though I label this thread for the Griffon, I plan on posting any tactics/lists I try in one spot. Keeps things simple.
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Nice formation :happy:
EDIT: Forgott that IC knight are now core :P
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Hey HHG quick question regarding Winter Storm turn 4 of the first battle: the skullcrushers destroyed the halberdiers and you made no mention of your GS taking a panic test. Was this because they were more than six inches away or you simply forgot?
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Hey HHG quick question regarding Winter Storm turn 4 of the first battle: the skullcrushers destroyed the halberdiers and you made no mention of your GS taking a panic test. Was this because they were more than six inches away or you simply forgot?
Looking back at the graph I honestly can't remember- either I made the test and failed to write it in the description or we forgot the roll altogether.
My opponent is usually pretty sharp in reminding me to make rolls like that if I don't automatically do it. 8-)
HHG
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@HHG: During your earlier Vampire Counts battle report, you said that "Greatswords really rock with HC!!"; what's HC?!
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Harmonic Convergence.
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Magic & Shooting:
I toss a crapload of dice at Regrowth on the tank. Unfortunately his crapload was higher than my crapload. Tank gets no love.
Archers actually kill a Spearmen and bust out break-dancing- amazed at their good fortune.
I had to LMAO at this quote!! Seriously - I coudn't help it!! Also, your little fluff paragraph things are hilarious!! :icon_lol:
More to come after I read another couple of your battle reports....
RE: Druchii 2500 pts game
Just read this game report. You are one canny Empire general. Wish I was that good.... :-[ :-[
RE: Khorne and Slaanesh 2500 pts game
I was a bit puzzled by this game due to not knowing enough about some of the units; I know that Skullcrushers are Khorne warriors or Bloodletters on Juggernauts, but what are 'Forsaken' and 'Hellstriders'? :? :?
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Magic & Shooting:
I toss a crapload of dice at Regrowth on the tank. Unfortunately his crapload was higher than my crapload. Tank gets no love.
Archers actually kill a Spearmen and bust out break-dancing- amazed at their good fortune.
I had to LMAO at this quote!! Seriously - I coudn't help it!! Also, your little fluff paragraph things are hilarious!! :icon_lol:
More to come after I read another couple of your battle reports....
RE: Druchii 2500 pts game
Just read this game report. You are one canny Empire general. Wish I was that good.... :-[ :-[
RE: Khorne and Slaanesh 2500 pts game
I was a bit puzzled by this game due to not knowing enough about some of the units; I know that Skullcrushers are Khorne warriors or Bloodletters on Juggernauts, but what are 'Forsaken' and 'Hellstriders'? :? :?
Hah, those quotes are priceless!
Skullcrushers are Khorne Bloodletter on Juggernauts, 1+ armour and both have frenzy, sort of like demigryphs on steroids.
Forsaken are infantry that roll a D6 for a special ability in close combat every turn, if you roll a 1 I think you get Always strikes last and so on.
Hellstriders are slaanesh marauders riding steeds of slaanesh, pretty much fast cavalry on steroids as steeds of slaanesh have M10, otherwise not too interesting. They are specials.
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Great reports as always! Great to come back to this thread after a hiatus to see how the Griffon Formation has been doing.
With regards to the herding of Random Movement units, I thought I would refer you to the 'Worst Play' Guidelines they use for ETC and other events.
It basically outlines a bunch of the most common dick moves out there that are conducive to non-fun games and suggest ways to resolve them. It's a good reference document for our local tournaments but also suggestions for house rules.
The 'Herding' situation is #8 on the document.
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=14JSOKks_7eyeecC8HZ0N-8gQj82YBjG0iw1s-RneOt8
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Could someone willing to email me those documents please PM me? I'll reply with my email address.