GAME 5. HIGHBORN ELVES #2, PART 1
I now tried a slight variation of the concept, with three units of HW+Shield Imperial Guard as parent units, with the Household Standard (the thingy that extends General's leadership and order range to 18'') on the BSB, to allow the two of them to be repositioned and be bodyguarded by any of the three parent units. I also realized that the pistol milita unit I've been using is a bit ungainly, and thought to instead go for a whole three units of Imperial Rangers (huntsmen in old Empire terms), that can be deployed as scouts ahead of the main force, making them get less in the way and positioning them better to interfere with enemy movement. Otherwise, much the same. Army list:
Marshal [General, 375pts]: Great Tactician , Shield, Death Warrant, Imperial Seal, Lucky Charm
Marshal [BSB, 260pts]: Shield, Blacksteel, Household Standard
18x Imperial Guard [309pts]: Full Command
20 Imperial Guard [345pts]: Full Command
20 Imperial Guard [345pts]: Full Command
15 Handgunners [220pts]: Standard Bearer
15 Handgunners [220pts]: Standard Bearer
15 Crossbowmen [220pts]: Standard Bearer
15 Crossbowmen [220pts]: Standard Bearer
5 Electoral Cavalry [240pts]: Standard Bearer, Musician, Shields
5 Electoral Cavalry [240pts]: Standard Bearer, Musician, Shields
5 Reiters [180pts]: Brace of Pistols
5 Reiters [180pts]: Brace of Pistols
Cannon [255pts]
Cannon [255pts]
Imperial Rocketeer [180pts]
Imperial Rocketeer [180pts]
5 Imperial Rangers [90pts]
5 Imperial Rangers [90pts]
5 Imperial Rangers [90pts]
Opponent's army was a fairly offensive infantry army, built around a mini-deathstar of 24 Lion Guard with both his General (Canreig Tower Wizard-Prince with the new-fangled foot hero spear of ultimate facewrecking) and his BSB, and two units of 25 spearelves equipped with the new-fangled War Banner of Ryma (gives swiftstride and +1 strength & AP on the charge). Supporting all that were two units of reaver light cavalry, three elven bolt throwers, two units of Grey Watchers (shadow warriors in ye olde game) and two units of Queensguard (super elite archers with S4 bows).
I won the roll for choice of deployment zone. Deployment was Encircle, which means one player gets to deploy closer to the mid-line on the flanks and farther from the mid-line in the centre, while the other player does the opposite. I chose the former. Part because it denied him the use of a deployment zone hill, part because it predisposed him to deploy in the centre, making any attempt by him to do a refused flank cause his units to start far back. Secondary objective was Hold the Ground, i.e. have the most scoring units within 6'' of the centre of the board at the end of every game turn, starting with the second, with the player getting it on the most turns scoring the objective.
The first deployment drops were cavalry by us on the flanks, then he plonked down a spearelf unit in the middle. Once I'd deployed all my four cavalry units, the next thing I did was drop the whole army in order to seize the first turn, putting down my main battalion of parent units and support units in an alternating line in the centre, and one of each artillery piece on the flanks. His deployment, in response, was to put the lion guard alongside the spearelves in the centre, the other spearelf unit on the left flank (i.e. his right, I'm calling the flanks according to my point of view for clarity). Queensguard took up position behind a wall of hard cover in the centre, and the grey watchers went one on each flank. His bolt throwers went all on the right flank. Come scout deployment, I decide I need firepower on the right flank to clear it of his light cavalry, so I put two ranger units there, and the third in front of the main battalion to skirmish.
My first turn, my pistoliers race forward to shoot his light cavalry, which they did and wiped them out with a little help from the rest of my line. Electoral cavalry races forwards on both my flanks, on the right in order to hunt warmachines and the grey watchers over there, and on the left to present a threat to his grey watchers there, and to bait/force the left flank spearelves to charge them and lose time chasing them, delaying their participation in the expected eventual clash in the centre.
An impassable building sits in the middle of the board, just to the right of the objective mid-point, separating the centre from the right flank. I swung around my line and let the Imperial Guard farthest to the right move up towards the house, to create a flanking threat to anything moving to attack my main battalion. The crossbowmen farthest to the right in the battalion didn't have anything in front of them to shoot at, so I gave them the order for extra movement and made a long 12'' march, intending to move past the house and swing in towards the centre for some extra envelopment, or take the queensguard in the flank.
A photo of the battlefield after Empire turn 1. It was hastily taken with a mobile phone camera so quality is awful, but it should show what's where.
Swordsmen are used to proxy HW+Shield Imperial Guard. The bronze button to the left of the house marks the centre of the board, the objective to be held.
To be continued...