Campaign Empire v. Wood Elves Battle 4
1650pts
Special Rules: The winner of the previous battle gets a randomly chosen spell from a randomly chosen lore to be used at any chosen player’s magic phase. The spell is automatically cast, and cannot be dispelled. The random spell that can be automatically cast by the Wood Elves:
Flesh to Stone.Spells: Wood Elves: Beast- Wyssans Wildform, Flock of Doom, Amber Spear, Transformation of Kadon, and one time use – Life: Flesh to Stone
Empire: Light – Pha’s Protection, The Speed of Light, Net of Amyntok, Banishment
-A note on terrain. I typically ask my opponents if I call roll 2d6 for the number of terrain pieces as opposed to 4+d6 because it provides my volatility and can make games more extreme. In this instance, we rolled and got 11 pieces of terrain, and 4 marshes! P.S there will be plenty of grammatical errors, I did not reread the report to fix mistakes.
General: Beastweaver
(GG) 10 Glade Guard [126 points]
- Glad Guard Longbow, Musician
(D) 8 Dryads [96 points]
- Forest Spirit
(D2) 8 Dryads 2 [96 points]
- Forest Spirit
(GG2) 16 Glade Guard 2 [220 points]
- Glad Guard Longbow, Musician, Standard Bearer, Banner of Eternal Flame
(W) 7 Wardancers [144 points]
- Bladesinger, Talismanic Tattoos, Magic Resistance 1, Immune to Psychology
(GE) Great Eagle [50 points]
(GE2) Great Eagle 2 [50 points]
(T) Treeman [285 points]
- 3+ Scaly Skin, Forest Spirit, Thunderstomp, Strangleroots
(BSB) Battle Standard Bearer [90 points]
(NoE) Noble on Eagle [174 points]
- Wood Elf Noble on Eagle, Amaranthine Brooch, Dragonhelm, Great weapon
(B) Beastweaver [310 points]
- Level 4 Beast: Wyssans Wildform, Flock of Doom, Amber Spear, Transformation of Kadon. Dispel Scroll, Moonstone of the Hidden Ways
Total: 1641 points
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Empire Army 4
General: Captain of th Empire
(WL) Wizard Lord [294 points]
- Level 4: Pha's Protection, The Speed of Light, Net of Amyntok, Banishment. Dispel Scroll, Talisman of Preservation, Barded Warhorse
(CotE) Captain of the Empire [137 points]
- Full Plate Armor, Longbow, Barded Warhorse, Dawnstone, Sword of Might, Enchanted Shield
(BSB) Battle Standard Bearer [143 points]
- Full Plate Armor, Shield, Dragonhelm, Sword of Striking, Ruby Ring of Ruin
(SW) 20 Swordsmen [160 points]
- Shield, Sword, Light Armor, Standard Bearer, Musician
(H) 14 Handgunners [136 points]
- Handgun, Musician
(KotH) 5 Knights of the Hammer [190 points]
- Knights of the Inner Circle, Full Command, Steel Standard
(GC) Great Cannon [120 points]
- Great Cannon, 3 crewman
(F) 18 Flagellants [216 points]
- Flails, End is Nigh!, Frenzy
(ST) Steam Tank [250 points]
- Whisky Cannon, Large Target, Terror, Random Movement, Steel Behemoth, Steam Points, Unbreakable
Total: 1646 points
Deployment:
Empire Turn 1Empire Movement 1-The first time Empire gets the first turn the whole campaign. The Empire General, the Captain of the Empire, does not want the Empire to lose the first 4 battles of the campaign. Despite all the terrain and having artillery, he orders the army forward. Every unit advances by either marching in the open terrain, or waltzing through marshes. What else would you expect from flagellants? The Steam Tank nicknamed “Whisky Cannon” generated 4 steam points to begin the phase, and uses 2 of them to advance.
Empire Magic 1-There is a sorcerous portal near the middle of the field spits out Fireball onto the Empire handgunners. The Beastweaver laughs as the Empire is already getting hit and he hasn’t even muttered a command yet. The fireball luckily only hits one handgunner, and he throws his flaming cap on the ground and stomps it out before it causes a wound. No wounds to the unit. The Light Wizard upon his steed, brings down 11 power dice from the Wind of Hysh, while the Beastweaver gets a respectable 6 dispel dice.
-The Light Wizard attempts to cast The Speed of Light on his own unit of Knights. Needing only a natural 4, he uses 2d6 and gets a 10. The Beastweaver decides there is too much power in that spell to attempt a dispel, so lets it go. Spell successful.
-Next, the Light Wizard looks down range, and sees the Beastweaver in the unit of Glade Guard atop the hill. He decides to cast Net of Amyntok of that unit, hoping he could do some damage to that unit if they shoot or cast magic. He uses 4d6 instead of 3d6 because he knows the Beastweaver could easily dispel it with a poor casting attempt. The 4d6 result in a natural 18. The Beastweaver attempts a dispel with his entire dispel pool. Fortunately for him, he irresistibly dispels it, and watches the Light Wizard grumble in disappointment.
-Knowing he has a free spell, barring a dispel scroll or broken concentration, he uses his remaining power pool dice to cast the boosted version of Pha’s protection. The flagellants behind the Light Wizard would be thankful, even if they don’t know how to show it. The spell successfully goes off on a natural 17, as he only needed an 8.
Empire Shooting 1-The Captain of the Empire orders the shooting phase to begin. As this army is light with missile weapons, he isn’t expecting much damage. The order to fire the Great Cannon is given. In classic turn 1 fashion, the cannon misfires, and cannot fire this turn or the next! The Captain isn’t surprised, war machines never work.
-Despite the misfire, the Captain orders Whiskey Cannon to uses its remaining steam points to blow apart the Great Eagle threatening the Knights position. The Steam Tank engineer aims the Steam Cannon and with a piercingly loud hiss, it fires! The cannonball skips across the ground and whacks the eagle across the head. The Great Eagle suffers 6 wounds, and dies immediately. At least it didn’t suffer. The Captain is pleased that Whiskey Cannon eliminated the threat of a pestering Great Eagle.
Wood Elf Turn 1Wood Elf Movement 1-The Wood Elf Noble on Eagle declares a charge on as soon as it can. The Great Eagle’s flying charge gives it a 10” + swiftstride. Fortunately for the Empire Swordsmen, who held for the charge, don’t have to battle yet. The Noble on Eagle failed the charge, getting a 7” on swiftstride, rather than the necessary 9”. It advances 4”, the Wood Elf General is not surprised whatsoever, as he is renowned for missing near guaranteed charges.
-The Beastweaver orders the other units to position themselves for the oncoming enemy.
-The Glade Guard (GG) failed to make their reform swift, so they cannot fire during the shooting phase.
Wood Elf Magic 1-The Beastweaver reaches to the sky and absorbs the powers of the Beast from the Wind of Ghur. He absorbs 7 power dice. With an extra boost of strength, he pulls down another die. The Light Wizard manages to get 4 dispel dice, but he also manages to get channel a die, bringing his total to 5.
-The sorcerous portal again cast a spell on the nearest unit. This time it favors the Dryads with the Speed of Light spell.
-With 8 available dice in the power pool, the Beastweaver exposes his plan to destroy the dreaded Whiskey Cannon. He uses 5d6 to cast a powerful version of the Amber Spear. An above average cast of 21 forces the Light Wizard to use his dispel scroll early. He feared that the strength 10 no armor save d6 wounds wound paralyze the Steam Tank.
-Next, the Beastweaver wants to make a big impression on the game. He uses 3d6 to try to cast Transformation of Kadon. Needing a natural 12, he fails it with a mere 10. The magic phase may have been unsuccessful, but it did use up a dispel scroll.
Wood Elf Shooting 1-The Beastweaver orders his only remaining unit able to fire to direct their arrows at the oncoming handgunners. Glade guard 2 (GG2) and the BSB open fire. 17 arrows hit 6 handgunners at long range. 3 of the 6 hits are fatal shots. 3 handgunners perish to the hail of arrows.
Empire Turn 2Empire Movement 2-Before the movement phase, the Engineer of Whiskey Cannon successfully generates 4 steam points.
-The Steam Tank uses 2 steam points to move, while the rest of the army marches toward the Wood Elf lines.
-The character heavy Knights (KotH) decide not to attempt a long charge.
Empire Magic 2-Again the sorcerous portal spews out more magic. The Dryads are still the target unit. Glittering sparkles flow over the unit, again granting them the powers from the Speed of Light spell.
-The Light Wizard points his staff to the sky and harnesses 7 power dice from the Wind of Hysh. The Beastweaver only gets 4 dispel dice, but still has his dispel scroll.
-First, the Light Wizard wants some defense against the Wood Elf shooting phase, so he decides to cast Pha’s protection on the Knights (KotH). He uses 2d6, just needing not to break concentration (3 or higher) and gets a 4. The Beastweaver, tempted to throw a d6 at it, decides it’s not worth giving up any dice, and lets the spell go through. Spell successful.
-After giving some protection to his own unit, he decides to cast Net of Amyntok on the large unit of Glade Guard (GG2). Needing a natural 6, he uses 3d6 and gets an 11. The Beastweaver drains his entire dispel pool, and dispels the attempt using 4d6 = 14. Spell dispelled.
-With 2d6 remaining, the BSB wants to use his Ruby Ring of Ruin. The bound spell is successfully cast. The BSB aims his bright red ring at the unit of Wardancers (W). 2 wardancers are hit by the flames, but only 1 is mortally wounded.
Empire Shooting 2-The Empire handgunners, who prepared their guns for firing rather than moving, aim the Noble on Eagle at long range. The thuds from the handguns break the silence on the battlefield. Only 8 shots were fired, but 3 hit the Eagle. 2 of those 3 hits cause wounds, but the Noble reveals his item, which gives 1 3+ Ward save against non-magical attacks. The handgunners only cause 1 wound. The Captain is upset. He didn’t realize how much of a challenge it would be to wound the Noble.
-The Great Cannon is finishing fixing its jam, and will open fire next turn.
-The Engineer in the Steam Tank whips out his repeater pistol. It’s a glorious contraption, and any warrior would love to handle such a dead missile weapon. He takes 3 shots with the Whiskey Pistol, aiming at the Glade Guard (GG). 2 shots hit, both of which wound. 2 glade guards lay dead with whisky soaked bullets in their chests.
- Now, the Engineer fires the Whiskey Cannon, using 2 steam points. This time, the target is the Wardancers (W). 2 wardancers are hit by a speeding cannonball. Both wardancers are wounded, but the talismanic tattoos down the arms of the dancers give them a 6+ ward save. Amazingly, both wardances make their 6+ ward save! The Engineer is in disbelief!
-The Steam Tank now uses its last steam point, firing its strength 2 steam weapon on the unit of Dryads (D). It hits 2 dryads, and unexpectedly wounds a dryad. The dryad is scald to death, even with the forest spirits watching over him.
Wood Elf Turn 2Wood Elf Movement 2-The Great Eagle 2 (GE2) in the flank of the Swordsmen declare a charge on the Handgunners. The charge was unexpected. The Handgunners decide to flee, hoping to escape the claws of the hungry Eagle. The Great Eagle 2 (GE2) test to redirect, and passes the test. It charges into the flank of the Swordsmen, who hold position.
- The Noble on Eagle (NoE) also charges the Swordsmen flank.
-The Dryads (D) also declare a charge on the Swordsmen. They need a 9 to make the charge, but roll an 8. They fail the charge and stumble forward 4”.
-The Beastweaver is displeased with the number of failed charges. He feels he will have to take matters into his own hands.
Wood Elf Magic 2-The Winds of Ghur and Hysh allocate 11 power dice and 6 dispel dice respectively. The Beastweaver is hoping to take advantage of the high number of power dice, as well as the absence of a dispel scroll.
-The sorcerous portal again spews out more magical energy. This time, the Dryads (D) are affected with Wyssans Wildform. Thus far, they’ve been hit by 3 augments, lucky them.
-The Beastweaver, armed with 11 power dice and the frustration of his army’s failed charges, he attempts to cast the powerful version of Amber Spear on the Steam Tank. With 5d6 he gets a natural 18. Again, the Light Wizard cannot stand to see the Army’s mainstay destroyed by one spell. He attempts a dispel with 6d6. He gets a natural 22, thankfully dispelling Amber Spear.
-This now leaves the Beastweaver free to do what he pleases. He attempts to transform himself into a Mountain Chimera needing a 16 on the dice. His 6d6 attempt results in an 18. The Beastweaver is engulfed in the Wind of Ghur and a cloud of leaves, dirt and dust forms around him. The cloud swells, and when it dissipates, a thunderous Mountain Chimera stands in its place. Spell successful.
Wood Elf Shooting 2-Now that the army’s general is a towering monster, the army must command itself. The Glade Guard (GG) decide to shoot the oncoming Knights. 8 arrows hit 6 Knights, even with Pha’s Protection. 4 of the 6 Knights are wounded, and only 3 of them are saved. A knight is lost. This is a victory for the elves, 8 hexed shots killing a knight with 1+ armor is unexpected.
-The large unit of Glade Guard (GG2) also shoot at the Knights, but the Knights get the benefit of hard cover. 17 arrows fly through the air, but only 1 arrow finds it target. The arrow would have wounded the Knight if it wasn’t for his thick armor.
Wood Elf Close Combat 2-The first round of combat occurs during the latter part of turn 2.
-The Noble on Eagle bellows a challenge to the Empire unit. The only model available to accept the challenge is the BSB. The BSB accepts, and a duel ensues. The BSB gets to strike first. He swings his magical sword 3 times, and all 3 times he makes those swings count. Those 3 hits were struck with such force, that all three of them caused a wound. The strength of the BSB and the magic from the Sword of Striking eliminate all save possibilities for the Noble on Eagle. The Noble and Eagle are slain before they could even strike. The BSB is hailed as a Champion of Battle.
-The close combat continues the Great Eagle 2 (GE2) attacks and strikes a swordsman, mortally wounding him. The swordsmen strike back, but to no avail. The Empire wins combat by 4! The Eagle fails its break test and flees 8”. The swordsmen restrain and head towards the main Wood Elf lines.
Empire Turn 3Empire Movement 3-The Captain now sees his opportunity to charge and do some damage to the Wood Elf army. He orders all units that can make a reasonable charge to do so.
-Before the movement phase, Whiskey Cannon successfully generated 4 steam points.
-First, the Swordsmen declare a charge against the Dryads (D). They need a 9” to complete the charge. Although it’s a long charge, the Captain has made the orders clear. The charge is declared, and the Swordsmen roll snake eyes. They fail the charge and move up one inch.
- The Knightly Orders declare a charge against the Glade Guard 2 (GG2), they opt to flee, as they would lose combat. The Wood Elves know the Empire would dispel Kadon during the magic phase, and they would risk losing their Beastweaver. (GG2) flees behind Dryads (2) , who are Immune to Psychology. The Knights test to redirect against the Dryads, and thankfully pass it. Needing a 6 on swiftstride, the Knights roll a 3,2,1. They would have failed the charge, if it weren’t for the Steel Standard. The re-roll of the 1 changes to a 3, so the Knights barely make it! The Captain is relieved as such poor rolling.
- The Steam Tank uses 3 steam points to move, and gets 14”. The Engineer uses this to “charge” into the rear of the Dryads.
-The Handgunners (H) fail to rally! They continue to flee eastward.
Empire Magic 3-The Light Wizard, now in combat, can utilize his spells for the good of the unit. He calls to the Wind of Hysh and gets 6 power dice. Sigmar is with him, and helps him channel an extra die. The Wood Elf army, without a valid Wizard, gets 4 dice.
-The sorcerous portal casts a spell on the Steam Tank (ST). The spell is Wyssans Wildform. Its hard to imagine the Steam Tank needed it, but the Empire is happy for all the help it can get.
-The Light Wizard first cast Net of Amyntok on the Dryads 2 (D2) that its currently in contact with. The Light Wizard throws 3d6 at it, getting a natural 10. The Wood Elf army throws all 4d6 at the spell and gets an incredible 23. The Wood Elf general can’t believe the timing of that roll, he feels it was such a waste of so many good dice. The spell is dispelled.
-Next, the Light Wizard knows that the Beastweaver cannot use his dispel scroll as a Mountain Chimera, so he’ll leave him in that form. He then uses 2d6 to cast Speed of Light on the Knights, which requires a 4. He barely gets it off, as he got exactly what was required. Spell successful.
-Lastly, he uses his final power dice to cast Pha’s Protection on his unit. The 2d6 result in a 6, when all that was required was a 3+. Again, there’s nothing the Wood Elves can do to stop it.
Empire Shooting 3-As the Captain is in combat, the army now decides its own tactics. The Great Cannon, now clear of its jam, aims right in front of the Wardancers(W) and Treeman (T). The fuse is lit by the master crewman and CRACK! The Great Cannon misfires again. Nobody is surprised. The Great Cannon cannot fire this or the next turn.
Empire Close Combat 3-The Captain of the Empire urges his men to fight hard for Sigmar. The Light Wizard, in the second rank of the unit, is protected from being singled out by the enemy.
-First the Knights take a fear test on an 8. Of course, they fail the fear test, and because of their Great Weapons, that makes the Speed of Light spell completely irrelevant (almost). The Captain, showing his superiority, strikes first. He swings his Sword of Might 3 times, and doesn’t hit a soul. No hits. The Wizard then swings his staff at the dryads, and that also results in no hits. The Captain cannot believe he may lose this combat because his troops are afraid of a bunch of bushes. The 3 horses attack, flailing their hooves in the air, hit 2 dryads. Both horse attacks wound and kill a dryad! The stable keepers back in the Empire have trained their horses well! They will be rewarded for their training of their horses. The Dryads strike back with 6 attacks. 5 attacks hit, and 4 of those attack causes wound. The heavy thick armor of the Empire Knights does its job and stops 3 wounds from killing a knight, but one does perish to the Dryads. The Knights strike back with 4 attacks with Great Hammers. 4 attacks result in no hits. As the combat finishes, you can really give the victory to the Empire Steeds. The combat result is an Empire Win by 4. The Dryads (D2) fail the break test, and flee off the board. The Knights pursued, and ran into the already fleeing Glade Guard (GG2). They are hacked to pieces, including the mighty Mountain Chimera.
-At this point the Wood Elves concede the battle, giving the Empire its first victory of the Campaign!
Final Score : Wood Elves 0 < Empire 852
The first Empire Victory of the Campaign.
The Empire will have an advantage going into Battle 5 of the campaign.
I hope everyone enjoyed!
