Before I begin, I want to apologize for the lack of images, I didn't take pictures and this is my first Bat-Rep so I'm not quite sure how to make it insert images in this post. To be honest I wasn't planning on posting this but I had so much fun with the game I decided to anyway, hope you enjoy it.
Background:
This game was part of a campaign in my local store "Empire Besieged" This game was played at 1250 points between my army (Empire) and the Daemons of Chaos (Nurgle)
The game type was Battle for the Pass and I both deployed first and went first.
As I wasn't actually planning to write a battle report, I can't remember everything that happened, but I do remember everything that mattered.
Empire Army:
General of the Empire W/Runefang, The Other Tricksters Shard, Full Plate, Shield
Warrior Priest W/ Armor of Destiny, Shield
Captain of the Empire W/ Sword of Might, 5++ Ward Save Pendent, Full Plate, Shield
Halberds x40 W/ Full Command
Detachment: Crossbowmen x5
Greatswords x29 W/ Full Command
Helblaster
Deamon Army:
Epidemus
40 Plague bearers W/ Full Command
6 Nurglings
7 Beasts of Nurgle
Pointless Fluff Story:
General Ulrichson marched forward, a resplendent figure of hope amidst the rank and file under his command. Despite the imposing figure he struck improved all the more by the gleaming Runefang sheathed by his side, the pangs of doubt were gnawing at the back of his mind.
Norland was a province under siege. The forces of Chaos had been waging a grueling war of attrition, one that was slowly grinding his troops down to nothing. Ulrichson said a quick, futile prayer to every god he could think of, hoping that reinforcements would finally arrive. Despite his show of faith for his troops, however, every word was hollow, his faith, just as his chances of survival were slowly fading away.
In the far distance the threat could be seen. A thousand buzzing flies created an ever growing din as the forces of the foul god Nurgle approached, Ulrichson dismissed his captain and the valiant forces of Nordland formed ranks against the rotting horde. Though the gods may have forsaken him to die, his tactical sense still served him well, the long mountain pass in which he positioned his army was his best chance at dismantling the horde before it bared down upon his men.
Unsheathing his Runefang he bellowed out the marching orders, the sound of war drums and horns signaling the death march.
Deployment:
Sorry, I can't figure out how to post my awesome MS Paint drawing =/ so I'll just paint a picture in your mind
The battlefield is 6' x 4', long ways, the Halberds (W/ WP & BSB) are deployed on the left right across from his Plague Bearers, the Helblaster is deployed in the center and the Great Swords are deployed (W/ General) on the right across from his Beasts of Nurgle. Nurglings scout up 12 inches away from my Great Swords facing my Helblaster.
I win the roll for first turn.
Turn 1 Empire:
Movement:
The Halberds advance 8 inches with the detachment of Crossbowmen following behind them.
The Great Swords reform to face the Nurglings.
Magic:
Nothing of note.
Shooting:
The Helblaster (Unable to fire on anything else) turns and fires on the Nurglings. I roll a 10, a 4 and then a misfire (CURSES!) and at a -2 to hit (Long range, Skirmishers) I only manage to wound with 1 shot, the Nurglings make their 5++ Ward save.
Turn 1: Daemons
Movement:
The Plague Bearers, with their Standard of Swiftness move up, easily within charge range of my Halberds.
The Beasts of Nurgle Bound forward, not close enough to charge my Great Swords on the next turn.
Nurglings charge my Helblaster and fail, stumbling forward about 3 inches, making for an easy flank charge with my Great Swords.
Magic:
The Winds of Magic blow and Slaanesh echos mournfully across the battlefield, though unpleasant for the Empire's moral, no wounds were caused.
Turn 2: Empire
Movement:
The Halberds declare a charge on the Plague Bearers and succeed! The chaos of melee begins as the Halberdeiers slam into the Plague Bearer lines, the Warrior Priest's fiery oratory lending the haggard soldiers a vicious hatred that infuses their worn bodies with a righteous fury.
The Great Swords declare a charge against the pathetic Nurglings, though normally such a unit would be below their recognition, Ulrichson understands that the safety of his last renaming Helblaster is paramount. The Great Swords complete their charge and fall upon the unsuspecting swarm of daemons (side charge).
Magic:
The Warrior Priest calls forth the power of Sigmar to aid in the destruction of these vile creatures. Hammer of Sigmar is successfully cast and the Halberdiers roar a battle cry like the Unberogens of old. (Hammer of Sigmar successfully cast)
The Warrior Priest attempts to call further upon Sigmar and attempts to shield his allies from harm, but sadly the foul daemons dispel the attempt and the Halberdiers are left defenseless. (Shield of Faith, dispelled)
Shooting:
The crossbowmen futilely fire shots over the swirling melee at the Beasts of Nurgle, but none hit.
The Helblaster prepares a massive volly to strike down the Beasts of Nurgle. In a mix of eagerness and fear, however, the crew overload the Helblaster and a massive, though self-destructive, barrage of death is launched towards the foul daemons, the Helblaster itself exploding a few short moments later.
Despite the earthshaking volley that was launched towards the foul beasts, only a single wound was caused. Ulrichson cursed extensively for the rest of the battle. (Three misfires were rolled on the Helblaster, out of 30 shots only 7 hit from there 3 wounded and two of the beasts made their regeneration save. It was a spirit-breaker that's for sure.)
Close Combat:
Epidemis, the Tallyman of Nurgle issued a challenge and the Halberdier champion quickly skulked away. The Warrior Priest, the Captain and 9 Halberdiers directed their attacks towards Epidemis and though the beast weathered the storm of steel that rained down upon him for a time, eventually the foul creature was slain.
With the leader of the Plague Bearers dead, the true fight began. The Halberdiers fought bravely, but they severely overestimated the strength of their faith. In just a few short minutes only one Plague Bearer was slain for every 3 Halberdiers. With their faith shattered and their fear mounting, the Halberdiers fled, the rallying cry of their captain going unheard as the Plague Bearers cut them down.
(After killing Epidemus I got destroyed in combat, so much so that I had to roll double 1's to stand my ground, the Plague Bearer's chose to pursue and ran my Halberds down).
The Great Swords fared much better than the Halberds, with a skill that comes only with years of service, they expertly cut down the Nurglings without taking a single wound in return. The daemonic instability of the foul creatures ensured their demise and with the small, but needed, triumph, the Great Swords turn to face the Beasts of Nurgle.
Turn 2: Daemons
Movement:
The Plague Bearers issue a charge towards the Crossbowmen block and they, already resigned to their fate, decide to stand and shoot, hoping to take a few of the monsters down with them. They successfully slay 1 Plague Bearer with an expertly placed shot before their forms are lost in the teeming mass of rotted monsters.
The Beasts of Nurgle rush forward to charge the Great Swords, but their unwieldy frames trip them up on the approach, the flounder on the approach just mere inches away from the Great Swords, leaving themselves open to counter attack.
Magic:
Tzeentch, the Lord of Change takes a recess from his infinite schemes to strike out at the battlefield. Nothing is harmed from his machinations, however.
Close Combat:
The crossbowmen fight with the fury of a cornered beast, but to no avail, they are cut down quickly and the Plague Bearer's turn to face their final victims.
Turn 3: Empire
Movement:
The Great Swords know no fear and despite the hopelessness of their situation they stride forth against the Beasts of Nurgle, completing the charge the Beasts failed to make just moments before.
Close Combat:
Ulrichson, armed with the fearsome Runefang that was entrusted to him by the Elector Count of Nordland struck down one of the great Beasts on his own, his blade carving a bloody swathe that not even their unholy regeneration was able to save them from. Following his example, the Great Swords under his command cut down the beasts, expertly parrying the return blows their armor saving them from the infected maws of the monsters. (The Great Sword block won combat, only losing two men and the daemonic instability caused the Beasts of Nurgle to drop down to only two monsters left.)
Turn 3: Daemons
Movement:
The Plague Bearers moved forward, unable to charge the Great Swords.
Magic:
The Winds of Magic ceased their endless churning. (Rolled a 7, nothing happened)
Close Combat:
The last of the foul beasts were cut down, with only two Great Swords dying in the conflict. Ulrichson and his men reformed to face the final threat to their beloved land's protection.
Turn 4: Empire
Movement:
With weapons raised high the Great Swords charge their foe, the desire for vengeance spurring them forward. The complete the charge and the final showdown begins.
Close Combat:
Unlike their Halberd wielding brethren, the elite men under Ulrichson's manage to fend off many of the strikes of the foul creatures, their wicked poisons claiming the lives of a few Great Swords. With grim determination the men of Nordland strike back slaying daemon after daemon in the bloody melee. Ulrichson personally destroys the Champion of the Plague Bearers, only managing to land one telling strike against his foe. The Plague Bearer's stand defeated and their demonic instability begins to work against them as their bodies collapse into nothingness.
(Great Swords win combat and after Daemonic instability the Plague Bearers are down almost 10 models, the Great Swords lose around 4)
The rest of the game:
Since at this point in all comes down to just the close combat phase, I figured I would summarize. After the first combat the Great Swords held their own, slaying Plague Bearers left and right while taking 2-4 casualties a turn. By the end of the game about 12 Plague Bearers are left against 7 Great Swords and a General of the Empire.
The game ended in a draw, which was pretty nice considering how bad I played the first couple of turns, once again the Greatswords proved that my love for them was merited.
Pointless Ending Fluff
The last of the daemons faded away and Ulrichson stood exhausted with what little remained of his men. Though it was a Pyrrhic victory, Nordland was safe for another day. Ulrichson grimly smirked despite himself as he and his solider's began the long trek to report his "victory" to the Elector Count, only one thought prevailing in his mind.
"Looks like we had a miracle here... without god's help."
Final Comments:
The reason I enjoyed the game so much was because of the Greatsword last stand. I really am used to my Halberdiers just blowing through units with their Hatred, so getting destroyed that hard was something unusual for me, after that and the Helblaster blowing up for nothing, I decided to make this a last stand type of battle and continued the fight even though the people watching said I should give up. The person I was playing was great fun to battle against and, though we forgot a few fear checks, I still had a lot of fun playing and I'm glad my Greatswords got to show off a little.
I learned that empire foot troops need a lot of support, more than just a Warrior Priest and a BSB, so I think I might pick up a hurricanium along with bringing magic.
I still like the Helstorm over the Helblaster, I know people say it's bad but I've had insane luck with the Helstorm, while the Helblaster usually ends up under performing for me. Either way, if I ever get off building my Wood Elf army I'll probably replace both with a Steam Tank anyway.
Despite the nay-sayers for Greatswords, I still love them. This isn't the first time they've done me proud (Actually, they've performed excellently in every game besides one) and I might buy another 10 for higher point games.
The Runefang under performed, I mostly only brought it because I have a new shiny painted General model and I wanted to use him, but I think I might just stick with giving him a normal magic weapon + magic defense and keeping the Runefang's for Grand Masters.
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I'm sorry for the lack of pictures, but I hope overall it's still a decent read for you all. If I do this again, I think I'll try bringing a camera.
Also, if anybody is wondering, my Empire army is currently in second place in the campaign, a Skaven player is currently first.
