Warhammer, the Old World - Dark Elf raid vs the Empire of Men.

Just a Sunday afternoon's tabletop fun, with 3,000 points of my Dark Elves vs the Empire, a straight pitched battle - line-up and FIGHT!!

Lists were, for the Dark Elves (roughly):

Dread Lord on Black Dragon (with Pendant of Khaeleth, Sword of Might and a Healing Potion)

Sorceress (lvl 3) (elementalism) (with Focus Familiar, Tomb of Furion)

Sorceress (lvl2) (daemonology)

Master - BSB, on cold one, with Banner of Har Ganeth (with the Cold One Knights)

2 x 15 x Repeater Crossbows

30 x Spearmen

21 x Witch Elves

10 x Corsairs

5 x Dark Riders (skirmishers)

7 x Cold One Knights

1 x Cold One Chariot

1 x War Hydra

3 x Repeater Bolt Throwers

10 x Harpies

 

Empire (very roughly):

General on Griffon (tooled up with some magic items - no idea which!)

Wizard (lvl 4) on Pegasus (elementalism)

Grandmaster of Knights Panther (with Knights Panther)

Captain, on barded warhorse with lance (with knights)

3 x 20 Handgunners

2 x 20 Crossbows

2 x 10 x Inner Circle Knights

10 x Inner Circle Knights Panther

5 x Outriders

3 x Great Cannons 

Before I start, be aware, our games have house rules, more towering apartment block rules... so to strict RAW players, this won't make much sense, but does make for a far better game. Principal amongst these are: 2 ranks of missile troops can fire, units can move through a friendly unit (using a leadership test for both to avoid them becoming disordered), but must clear them.  10 models wide is maximum for all units (stops line-hammer nonsense). No range on dispelling, any spell can be dispelled regardless of distance, and many other minor tweaks. 

Deployment, most of it.

Turn One, and the Dark Elves began their advance, as the Empire knights came forth to meet them, backed up by firepower at long range from crossbows, picking off some druchii. The returning repeater crossbow fire wiped out the Outriders, which had vanguard moved into range and took the full brunt, gunned down to the man! The Empire state troops also manoeuvred around to get shots next turn, when the full weight of their firepower would be felt. In response, the Dark Elf line moved up, hydra, cold one knights, spearmen, corsairs screening the witch elves (expendables to simply absorb a round of fire for the witch elves). The repeater bolt throwers largely did little, and two were hit and destroyed by great cannon fire… no contest there. The Dread Lord flapped his mighty dragon straight up the centre, braving the fury of the gun line to get his turn 2 charge, could he survive?

Turn Two, and it was big one, no messing around. The inner order knights were charged by the hydra and the cold one knights in a big clash of heavy weights (counter-charging back). The cold one chariot charged the end handgunners, taking damage on the way in, but making it with 1 wound left, then doing maximum impact hits and killing 7 under its wheels and scythes. Here, we have another house extra rule, ‘Chariot Breakthrough’, if a chariot’s impact hits do 2 wounds per rank of the charged unit (so 2, 4, 6, 8 etc), then it can opt to breakthrough the line and just keep going. No more melee is fought and chariot completes its full charge move, or moves on to be 1” beyond the target unit (whichever is most). This allows chariots to speed through thin lines (ranks are the best defence against it). The 2 ranks deep handgunners were smashed through the cold one chariot just kept rolling on by. We still resolve combat resolution as per normal for the impact and breakthrough… and the poor handgunners just broke and fled off the table…

The dragon charged over the handgunners on the central hill to slam into the front of more knights behind. We traded spells a bit, nothing drastic, a plague of rust there, a vortex here… and resolved the fights. Well, it was one sided. The war hydra and cold one knights hammered the empire knights and they broke, fled and were chased and destroyed by the hydra. The dread lord and dragon wrought carnage on the other knights too, and taking just 1 wound in return, those knights also fled, leaving the tabletop, dragon swooping on behind. Disaster for the Empire! All three cannons turned to launch a furious salvo at the dragon and did 4 more wounds, not enough (and 2 wounds were healed at the start of turn 3 with the potion of healing). The beast was still going, and eyeing the cannons (its nemesis, time for revenge).

On the far DE left., the last knightly unit (Panther) charged the baiting dark riders, who fled, allowing the knights panther to redirect into the small corsair screen. Crunch. They made short work of it, and then could overrun, and thundered on into the witch elves behind, but not before losing several to magic missiles and repeater crossbows. Only 5 knights left, led by their Grandmaster.

Turn 4, and the Empire needed a dramatic comeback. It did not happen. The cold one chariot was behind them, and the dragon charged the first cannon, the crew fled in terror, it redirected into the second, ate them easy and overran into the third, which was doomed. The last handgunners took down more DE spearmen in the centre and the Empire wizard flew his pegasus over to their left and cast windblast on the chariot, which pushed it off the table (rude!). But, the Empire commander could see the dragon was about to rampage on, with state troops to eat. With only a few knights panther left, they conceded defeat.

A decisive druchii victory, a stonking win. Tbh, the dragon, it was lucky to live through the cannonade and then reaped havoc. I do not like ‘dragon-hammer’… so won’t rush to do that again. Boss on a manticore is enough… nice to use the model, but it dominated the game too much for me and repeating such just becomes boring. But hey, we have seen the power now, and well, will avoid it too much.  The hydra survived and did good damage (first time ever) and the cold one knights, led by the BSB, proved very tough, easily a match for inner circle knights (the challenge between their captain and the cold one bsb master was a fun fight, 1 wound each for their lance impacts, a joust!).

3,000 points is fun, much better than 2,000 I think, boards full of ‘stuff’ looks way cooler.

All hail Malekith and Khaine! We return to Naggaroth with slaves and glory.

The Empire left deployed, the Outriders about to vanguard out of the cannon battery's way, but ride into a lethal volley of crossbow fire that killed them all! First losses.

Druchii centre, spear block (10 x 3) and repeater bolt thrower, with the Dread Lord and Harpies just behind, keen to flap off wherever needed. Harpies did nothing, but avoided just dying.

Cold One chariot's end run on the extreme right, through the handgunners line, yee-har! Smashed them. Very close to the table edge though... its final downfall.

End of Turn 1, Empire knights have sallied forth... alone! Brave, or foolhardy?

Straight up the middle, stop me if you can (err... 3 cannons can)... but eyeing a charge on those knights behind the handgunners. Dread Lord leads the way!

Baited by Dark Riders, 'chase me!'. The knights did, but charged off into the corsairs (killed them all) and then overran into the witch elves behind (so not a great result for the plan), but not before the sorceress blasted some with her daemon-powered spells.

After the destruction of the Inner Circle Knights (pursued by Hydra behind), the Cold Ones Knights reform, but a vortex appears in the way of the next target.  Who put that there?

Battery of 3 cannons swings round to target everything at the dragon, 'bring it down!'. It's been lucky so far... this volley could see it vanish in a big puff of blackpowder smoke... pray to the Pendant of Khaeleth - save me! (It did). One cannon misfired. One hit and did 3 wounds. One was deflected by the pendant (so a good result for the dragon). Time for revenge... with 3 wounds left.

On the Empire right, sallying knights hit the Witch Elves. Inconclusive fight.

Raargh! Black dragon charges one cannon, with the crew fleeing in terror, it redirects into a second, munches the crew down like a tasty twix, then overruns into the third... bye-bye cannon battery, and its loss sees the Empire general concede... the dragon is on the rampage. 'The day is lost, flee!'.