THE BATTLE OF GRIM PEAKS – Warhammer, 3,000 points Dwarf Mountain Hold vs Warriors of Chaos

 The Chaos Warrior warband of Kurgath Bloodbane is menacing the Dwarf stronghold of Karak-Varg, and so their King, Arngrim Greybeard, has led his forces out to meet and destroy them. A straight ‘pitched battle’, fought on 6x4’ board. It had 7 pieces of randomly generated and positioned terrain on it: 3 big impassable rocks (the peaks), an area of rocky ground, an area of dense undergrowth, a mountain tarn (pond) and an old elven ruin.

Both sides selected their forces.

DWARFS
King Arngrim Greybeard with: shieldbearers, great weapon (rune of fury, master rune of swiftness), full plate armour (master rune of gromril)

Anvil of Doom with: rune of fortitude

Runesmith with: great weapon (master rune of breaking, rune of might), full plate armour

‘Dirty Harri’ Engineer with: handgun (master rune of bursting flame, rune of rapid fire), heavy armour

20 Dwarf Warriors with: full command, spears

20 Dwarf Warriors with: full command, spears

10 Quarrellers with: champion

10 Thunderers with: champion

16 Slayers with: 5 Giant Slayers, all have additional hand weapons

16 Ironbreakers with: full command

20 Miners with: full command, ambushers

15 Hammerers with: full command and banner (master rune of hesitation)

1 Cannon with: rune of forging

1 Cannon with: rune of reloading and master rune of immolation

1 Organ Gun


CHAOS WARRIORS OF KHORNE

Chaos Lord Kurgath Bloodbane with: lance, full plate armour, shield, daemonic steed, crown of everlasting command and giant blade

Aspiring Champion with: heavy armour, shield, sword of might, master of mortals

29 Chaos Marauders with: full command, shields, mark of khorne

17 Chaos Marauders with: mark of khorne, skirmishers

20 Chaos Warriors with: full command, additional hand weapons

20 Chaos Warriors with: full command, shields

10 Chaos Warhounds

2 Chaos Spawn (gor beasts)

8 Chosen Chaos Knights with: full command, full plate armour, shields, lances, mark of khorne

3 Dragon Ogres with: shartak and great weapons

3 Chaos Ogres with: champion, great weapons (Minotaur models as stand-in)

2 Chaos Chariots with: mark of khorne

1 Gigantic Chaos Spawn

1 Hellcannon

 

Khorne does what Khorne does... the Dwarfs move to hold the gap between the peaks.

We used blind deployment, blocking the view along the centre and just placing all completely, no peaking, and then the big reveal, which is good fun, and worrying… the Dwarfs looked a bit outnumbered against the charging frenzied horde. Nothing subtle from the Khornate warband, just rush them and hit hard, full send. The Dwarf player (me), deployed the best 2 combat units (Hammerers and Ironbreakers) in the centre in column of march, either side of the Anvil of Doom, with the plan to march quickly to face the main thrust (so those knights and chariots), and using the Anvil’s ‘rune of haste’ bound-spell to get into place, and drilled, to be back in a fighting formation. Then, hold the line from the big impact. Either side, the warrior spear-blocks would have the flanks, and the war engines and missile troops would hammer away, hitting those very dangerous knights with everything they could  as the priority target, after that… whatever was coming. The miners were held back in ambush, a risk, but hopefully they could appear quickly somewhere useful, when we saw the layout of the field - a reserve, if not a fast one.

Deployments complete, time to cry havoc and let slip the chaos hounds of war… and they vanguard moved forward to get us started...

Dwarf right, around the tarn.

 The first turn saw the Chaos Warriors just advance, en masse, only the Hellcannon behind, which killed 2 Hammerers with its first plunging hellfire shot. The Dwarf plan began, marching up in the centre to align with the gap between the twin Grim Peaks, where the Chosen Knights were coming, along with a Spawn, Chariot and block of Chaos Warriors. The cannons roared, killing 1 knight, and the organ gun, just in range, got another. The bound-spell of haste moved the Ironbreakers again and they deployed into a fighting formation first, ready to take the charge. A big lightning blast from the anvil killed 3 more Chaos Knights (a good start, 5 down). The crossbows wounded the gigantic spawn, whilst the Slayers stepped up to face it, as the close thing, it would have to come for them.

Turn 2, and the spawns all moved again, the two smaller ones not quiet making it to a fight, but the big one barrelled into the Slayers. It then whiffed it attacks and rolls to-wound and killed 0 slayers (much sadness for them), but the giant slayers tore into it, did 5 wounds, and it was stone dead… ‘easy, send another!’.

Now the fight at the peaks started, in rumbled a chariot (and unlucky on the impact hits, it killed 1 Ironbreaker), the last Chaos Knights charged too (they had too) and I expected the slaughter to begin, but the Ironbreakers had the ‘rune of oath and steel’ to aid them. A landslide of frenzied attacks, and only 2 Ironbreakers were down… take it! The two unit champions were in a challenge, but couldn’t hurt the other (armour just too good). They would fight for the rest of the game and still be at it, neither winning the duel. The Ironbreakers brought down another Chaos Knight and damaged the chariot, and just won the combat! Yes – the frenzy was beaten out of the Khorne-worshippers.  This would become a real grind of the combat for the rest of the battle, as other units joined. Sky high armour saves rule…

On the Dwarf far left, the spear block was hit by the other chariot and Dragon Ogres, and used their shieldwall to just give ground after losing it, but they held. The Miners arrived behind them and marched up to aid, but a Chaos Spawn got in the way, and had to be killed first – delaying them. The Dragon Ogres and frenzied chariot was hacking huge lumps from the spear block. Now, ‘Dirty Harri’, the engineer, scored useful hits, blowing away first 6 Marauders, then 7 Chaos Warriors in 2 rounds, his lethal runic handgun like a mini organ gun. Speaking of which, the organ gun ripped through the Warhounds, and they routed… but they would rally and turn round and come back later.

The third turn, and the fight was fully on. The Hammerers and the King charged into the Chaos Spawn in the big melee between Grim’s Peaks… kill it easily. The spear block from the right had wheeled round for a flank charge into the Chaos Knights, again aided by haste and urgency, they joined the fray too. A lot of tough Dwarfs now blocked that gap. This left the Khorne cult marauders (skirmishers) free to come round the other side of the rock, but the Thunderers were waiting and gave them a stiff volley. Then, a wild shot from the Hellcannon landed on its own men and killed a few more (friendly fire isn’t!).

So far, so good for the Dwarfs, the massed combat was going their way, losing only a couple more Ironbreakers from their ridiculous 2+ armour save, 6+ ward save with re-rolls from the anvils ‘oath and steel’. They were unmovable and took so many hits from the Chaos Knights, bouncing most. The Chaos Warriors now charged into the flank of spears to join the frantic fight, but they didn’t swing it, winning the melee by just 1, and the Dwarfs, led by Arngrim, just gave ground.

Out on the Dwarf left the spear block broke and was run down by the chariot, as it rumbled on. The Miners charged into the Dragon Ogres and began a melee which it took them a few turns to finally win, and the last 2 Drogres broke, ran and were run down (go short Dwarf legs!). In the centre, the Slayers were in a long fight with the Marauders (and then returning Warhounds), but a giant slayer won his challenge with the aspiring champion leading the Marauders and, as losses mounted for both, it was close, but the Slayers don’t mind dying. They would eventually win, breaking the Marauders, and killing the last two Warhounds. Only 4 Slayers had failed in their mission to die… but another melee won.

On the far right, the poor Marauder cultists charged the Thunderers and lost 5 in the on-rush, and then the melee, broke, ran and the Thunderers pursued and caught them too. The Chaos full-send attack was all but spend. The Chaos Ogres had got behind the Hammerers, but with nothing left for them fight in the melee, they about faced and took the Ogre charge (Hammerers like being charged), and the King then got to dissecting the Ogres, as the Hammers smashed down the last one and wiped them out. These boys are not to be messed with!

The Hellcannon came good, at last, and scored a direct hit on the organ gun and it was destroyed in huge explosion… lucky shot… but sometimes you get lucky.

Last turn, and the Chaos attack was spend force. The last combats between Grim Peaks saw the chaos chariot finally smashed, the last Chaos knight cut down (the champion was still locked in the endless duel with the Ironbeard). The Dwarfs won the fight by 1 (out-numbering), and the Chaos troops just gave ground. There was no way through, and the Dwarfs had won the day, sheer grit (and unreal armour saves).

It was a solid win…Kurgath’s Khorne warband didn’t have much left bar himself on his daemonic-dog steed. The men of the match, the Ironbreakers, 6 still standing, having passed a world record number of armour saves (with the re-rolls), an immovable object today. ‘Dirty Harri' had done very good work too, in the end killing 13 Chaos Warriors and about 10 Marauders, he just lit up his cigar in satisfaction.

Great fun, it seemed very close in Turns 2 and 3, but the Dwarfs won the attritional grind (who better?), a victor for the steadfast infantry blocks. Hail Grugni! 

Final scores in points of damage – Chaos 730  vs Dwarfs 1668.

Dragon Ogres on Chaos far right

Chaos centre, minotaurs as Ogres.

Main assault force, Chosen Knights, Chariot and Warriors. The 'cultist' marauders skirmishers work round the extreme left.

Elite Dwarf infantry march columns to get out and hold that gap, aided by runic magic of the Anvil of Doom

Holding in the elven ruins, Quarrellers, and 'Dirty Harri' with his runic mini-gun of mega-death.

The gigantic spawn, takes 6 wounds and is dead.. first blood to the slayers.

Chariot and Knight impact, but the Ironbreakers tank them and hold. Both sides have more units arriving, Dwarf spears and Chaos Warrior block.

Slugging match. The Ironbeard vs Champion duel, stalemate for 4 turns.

Miner arrive and deal with a 'gor-beast' spawn, then get after the Dragon Ogres.

Slayers vs Marauders and hounds... hack and slash, the Slayers get the upper-hand.

Back at the gap, spears are in th flank, then warriors in their flank, and the grind is mighty. Red gem marks 'oath and steel'... the chariot FBIGO'd, then came back for another go.

King and his guard turn a-bout-face and take the Ogre charge... and then smash them to bits.

Still at it, the Slayers doing a great job, killing and dying.

Hellcannon (scratch-built from bits). It's a bit rubbish, but we don't play that very competitively, but it would be nice if it killed some stuff on the occasional hit. It did directly hit the organ gun and destroy it, but is that enough? Might need a house-rule for more damage.

Ironbreakers hold the line, the Chaos Lord on his daemon-dog can't defeat their armour saves.

Chariot round the back of the ruins, but twice fails to march move, and can't reach the anvil by game's end.

Dr-ogres and chariot hammer the spear block, just as the miners arrive, to the rescue... not in time, that spawn got in the way.

All in at the Peaks... either side is winning by maybe 1 combat-res point, and nobody is going anywhere. Stalemate is good enough for the Dwarfs.

Dr-Ogres break and flee, and the miners catch-them... (they rolled a 3!). Eat pick-axe. I like Miners, handy great weapon-armed infantry.

Unterspreewald, en-route to Berlin - with Battlegroup: Fall of the Reich

This was an Attack/Counter-Attack scenario, 800 points, with four objectives: one at the farm, one on the road through the woods, the wooden bridge, and one in the central woods. We rolled to see if any were 'Vital' to either side (a new rule for objectives), and none were this time. Having sorted any timed strikes and ammo'd up the AFVs, we were ready to go.

The Russian began arriving at speed, and sent their 'taskforce' of T-34/76s and infantry racing left to get to the woods, under some incoming mortar fire and 88 'sniping' from the way distant Nashorn.  The Germans had their fusilier patrol holding the objective on the road through the woods, the plan was to clear them out and take it, then move up on the farm, via the cover of the trees. Of course, the Germans moved to counter them, but the first Panzer IV up the road was unlucky to catch a direct hit from a 120mm mortar bomb, aimed at the farm buildings, and be KO'd. Following on, was their Panther and another Panzer IV, along with grenadiers and a panzer-jaeger squad on bicycles. This would become its own  fight in the woods for that objective.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Russians were going right, to the stream and over the bridge. They also had their 2 SU-100s in place, both waiting on ambush fire to snipe back across the fields. The 120mm mortar battery was busy harassing the Germans each turn as they tried to deploy. Added to this was the arrival of a timed Sturmovik strike, which by luck had targeted just where a PAK-40, its tow and loader team were deploying (corner of the farm). Its bombs scored a hit and the loss of a crewman saw the gun crew flee. The PAK was out of the fight, but the Nashorn was still lurking, reloaded, and sniping away, without any hits – yet! 

The fight in the woods got underway, as the Russian infantry, with dismounted tankoviks, tried to push up through the trees, T-34s behind, to avoid those Panzerfausts. It didn't help, the first T-34 to appear was hit by the Panther on ambush fire and easily KO'd, that Panther would be a big problem, my T34s were not a match. Cagey fighting in the woods, my infantry on ambush to discourage any rash 'faust rushes forwards, and some pinned by MG fire through the trees. As the second Panzer IV appeared at the edge of the wood, to line up a T-34 for a flank shot, but the covering SU-100 barked and – rolled a 6, a hit! Kaboom, Panzer IVs aren't built to withstand that impact, it was a smoking wreck.

Things had gone badly for the Germans, but they did draw the 'Endkampf' counter, and with their 'Backs to Berlin' bonus, were now at +10 BR, they were going to fight hard. 

The T34-85s pressed across the bridge, and the their tankoviks jumped down. German 120mm mortar fire pinned a tank and a squad as they did so, and the last panzer IV rolled round the house to line up a shot, which clanged off the T34-85s frontal armour. The SU-100 opened up at it in return and missed. The Nashorn moved to engage the closer targets too, but a 120mm mortar stonk scored another direct hit and its was KO'd, vulnerable to the plunging fire... things looked bad, the Germans were runinng out of AT weapons. To aid, the 222 armour car added so desperate 20mm suppression and pinned another T34-85. That attack had rather stalled until it could got unpinned. The Panther manoeuvred to get some shots at the static, in the open, -85s, from the woods by the farm.

Back in the woods, the Russian used reserve move to get the infantry forward, but again, ambush fire from German MGs pinned them down, they were on the objective, but couldn't claim it. The T34s risked moving up and ploughed HE into the trees, pinning down the German infantry in return. Now, their waiting panzerjager team reserve moved up, peddling hard, and jumped off. In their turn, they launched their 'fausts, 2 at each T-34, hitting and KOing both... smoking tanks everywhere - drat! Still, they paid, as the small squad was wiped out next turn by rifle fire and then two Russian close assaults with the SMG-armed tankoviks wiped out the fusilier squad and their MG team. Objective taken, and another counter for the Germans. Taken 2, but inflicted 4 that exchange.

Over by the bridge, the T34-85s opened up on the last Panzer IV and the irritating 222, missing, whilst the SU-100 lined up the lurking tank and hit, another kill! I like these 100mm guns - Germans getting some of their own AP medicine! That provoked the Panther to target it, but it missed again. The SU-100 had 1 AP round left, which it fired back, missed too, and then withdrew, ammo-less, but job done. The dismounted tankoviks ran through MG fire, losing 2 men, to reach the white house and then assault it, wiping out the infantry squad (dismounted panzer crew) inside. Fire from a flak-panzer's 20mm, in the back garden, killed a few more, but their morale roll was a 'heroic action'. The last men in the squad used their AT grenades and close assaulted the Flakpanzer IV, destroying it! That counter was it, the Germans had taken enough for today and retreated. It was a heavy defeated, 52 BR taken, only 22 inflicted against the Russian BR total of 49... so a big Russian win at Unterpsreewald. We steam-roller on towards Berlin...

Another good game, all new rules in play and working well. They aren't always going to be close... but the Germans had some rough luck today.

 

Russian arrive from near corner, by the stream, Germans from over by the farm.

Russians advance in two prongs, left and right, Germans fan-out to meet them.

Go left, the T-34/76 taskforce, infantry and tank riders.

German recce watches the moves, and calls in some mortar fire.

Arriving in the woods, under long range fire from the Nashorn, and tank riders de-buss. Now to move-up for the objective.

Covering on ambush, SU-100, waits for any targets to snipe. One SU covered left, the other right. 

German armour arrives at the farm and moves to block the T-34s in the woods, but the lead is KO'd by a rogue 120mm mortar bombs (unlucky).

Go right, T-34/85s, tank riders and infantry, with their SU-100 cover in place and awaiting something to shoot at.

Single file over the bridge.

Germans get in place to hold the woods, Panther and a panzerjaeger team on bicycles.

The Panzer IV lurks in the woods, to emerge and take an instant hit from the SU-100... KO'd. Panzer IVs struggle against the bigger Russian guns... boot on the other foot.  

VVS timed Sturmovik bombing run, kills an single PAK-40 crewman,  and they flee without firing a shot.

 

Orel Salient '43 - with Battlegroup:Kursk - Bridgehead Breakout

This was another v2 rules play-test, with 700 pts in a 'Bridgehead Breakout' scenario, with the Russians breaking out over a stream and ford, towards a small hamlet in the centre of the tabletop. The German panzers would be counter-attacking in an early morning clash.

There were 4 objectives dotted about one on a hill to the Russian right, one in the village, one at the ford and one on the road out of the village. The fighting for the hill would be most savage, as both moved to secure it. The Russian recce cavalry first, getting there, but coming under MG fire and then pulling back behind the trees. The Germans pushed on it with SdKfz-251 mounted grenadiers and a StuG to aid them, then the Rusain responded with two T-34s and tank riders coming the other way. Not much of any of this would survive the next turns at close quarters. 

In the village, the Russian got there first again, but only with a T-34 and their KV-2 and tank riders, and they took losses, one StuG carefully lining up the KV-2 and KOing it, first shot - boom!. Overhead, there was aircraft action, as a Stuka timed strike hit the ford, but not much else (bad timing) and a low-level Sturmvik bombed the road objective, but took hits from the waiting 20mm flak (doing its job), but then rolled a heroic-action for its morale test. Trailing smoke, its bombs released and scored a direct hit on an MG team, and wiped it out - exciting bomb run that. Aircraft interventions done, the fight on the ground was around the hill. 

The StuG nosed through the trees, lined up and then missed one racing T-34, which plunged through the marshy ground and into PB range, and smacked an AP round off the StuG's frontal armour. The StuG response would be to stay cool and KO the crazy Ivan, at about 20 yards...  only for the second T-34, now on the hill objective, to get a flank shot and destroy it in return. That T-34 didn't last long either, as veteran grenadiers with AT grenades destroyed it. In the close combat brawl, the two German MG-42 teams had deployed and concentrated fire wiped one a tankovik squad, then the recce cavalry that came round behind, killing the grenadier squad that had just taken out the T-34 about under 5" range. One grenaider rifle squad charged and grenaded and bayoneted the last tank rider squad, and the German infantry had the objective. Except, for a racing Russian pioneer squad, on reserve move, that sped up the road in a truck, debussed, and unleashed their flamethrower on an SdKfz-251, burning it to a wreck (and 2 expensive BR counters). The twin MG-42 teams took care of them, in another blaze of close range MG shooting, all 8 pioneers were dead, then they followed up on their truck (burst into the engine block). That left the Germans the hill objective, but the damage in BR had been great for both sides.

Meanwhile, more Russian infantry had taken the woods on their right, threatening the objective on the road. A scratch force of Germans, including a StuG, 1 rifle squad (which was later wiped out in mortar and rifle fire), and the PAK-38 that sat on the road, but now turned 90o to face the woods and HE the treeline (to no effect). Then the Grille rolled up and joined them and the infantry platoon commander though twice about any rush for the objective, facing 150mm ambush fire if they emerged from the trees. When more mortar fire (damn those on-table Russian batteries), KO'd first the 20mm AA half-track, then the PAK-38 team, the last two counters saw the Germans creep over their BR. It had been so close, the Rusian were just 3 from breaking and 1 more counter would have done it. 

A great game, if only maybe the Stuka had hit something... fine margins, but a feel duke-it-out fight, no quarter given. The Russian are across the stream and the Germans have to pullback again.

 

 

Somewhere near Orel. The road into the village. Russian arriving from top right, over the stream. Germans from the left.

PAK-38 covers the road in the initial deployment. Not very effective when tuned into an ad hoc infantry gun.

Russian recce cavalry gallop to their right to take a hilltop objective. It would become a scene of the heaviest fighting.

German counter-attack, StuGs and armoured infantry move for the hill too.

Ura! Russia infantry platoon wade the stream and rush for the cover of the woods.

Flak-wagon on ambush fire... it can hear the Sturmovik coming...

Waiting for the Sturmovik... it opens fire and hits! The Sturmovik takes damage, but the heroic pilot swoops in regardless... and scores a direct hit! Madness... 

Russian armour and tankoviks arrive...

and an old KV-2, aging warhorse... crosses the ford.

Rumbling on into the village, to secure the road junction.

Battle for the hill on the Russian right (German left). It's messy, in the trees, the StuG nails one T-34, but was then KO'd by the flank shot. Panzer Grenadiers get the T-34 with their AT grenades. Recce cavalry appear behind them and cut them down in turn.

More panzer grenadiers jump out of their 251 and the MG-42s begin to reap havoc on the Russian infantry at close range. Recce cavalry wiped out in savage fire.

StuG lines up the KV-2 and ends it with a careful shot. Not so scarey by '43 standards. It never got to shoot... sad day...

A third T-34 makes to the village and unloads its riders into the buildings. Trading fire with a StuG, neither can hit. StuG runs out of AP ammo... hmm!

Painful Russian 82mm mortar barrage KO's the AA-wagon with a direct hit.

Bold Russian pioneers race up in their truck, de-buss and use their flamethrower(!) on a 251, which is well grilled...  but then the twin MG-42s open up again, and another squad is wiped out. Next, their truck for good measure, and an easy BR counter!

Not much left around the hill objective, just the two MG teams, barrels red hot, but they have the objective in the end. Carnage here... 'they're all dead, Jim!'

JU-87 screams in, to bomb the ford, and miss everything, waste of a timed air strike.

Grille, on ambush, covers the German right, against the Russian infantry, who skulk unwilling to risk multiple 150mm SiG HE... without an ammo truck (which it had, but the truck didn't keep up), it couldn't risk any speculative shots. Never fired in the end. Waste of a good Grille.