Warhammer, Beastmen Brayherd vs Empire, 3,000 points

3,000 points of Beastmen vs Empire, as a savage Brayherd emerges from the Forest of Shadows and threatens to rampage through the villages and farms of Ostland. 

The terrain was randomly generated and placed, 6 pieces (small hill, woods, 2 buildings (farm and watchtower) and 2 fields with hedges), on a 6x4 table, and all painted miniatures... a hard rule! 

Beastmen list was, roughly:

Chieftain with Axes of Khorgor and Pelt of Midnight (with Bestigor)
Wargor (BSB) with great weapon and Rune of Beast Ascendant (with Bestigor)
Bray Shaman (lvl 3) - Daemonology with: Viletide, Dark Summoning, Daemonic Vigour
Ghoross - (with Centigors)

28 Bestigor, full command, with great weapons and heavy armour
26 Gors, full command, hand weapon and shield
26 Gors, full command, hand weapon and shield
10 Ungor with hand weapon and shield
10 Ungor with hand weapon and shield
10 Ungor with shortbows (ambushers)
10 Ungor with shortbows (ambushers)
9 Centigor (as Sons of Ghoross), full command, with cavalry spears and shields
6 Minotaurs, full command, with great weapons
10 Harpies
1 Cockatrice
1 Chaos Giant
1 Ghorgon


Empire list was, roughly:

General on Imperial Griffon, with lance, white cloak and sword of striking
General on barded warhorse with lance (with Inner Order Knights)
General on foot with great weapon (with greatswords)
Grandmaster on demi-gryph with lance (with demi-gryph knights)

30 Spearmen, with full command
20 Crossbows
20 Crossbows
20 Handgunners
30 Greatswords with full command, Griffon Banner
9 Inner Circle Knights, full command
5 Demi-Gryph Knights, full command
4 Great Cannons
A gun line, but with some potent counter-attacking units to strike out front.

The game was a real hard-pounding fight, with the Chaos Giant riddled with crossbow bolts, hit by a cannonball and they finished off with Inner Circle knight's lances, first casualty. As the beastmen surged forward en masse, taking hits from the missile fire, one unit of skirmishing Ungor out front (expendable musket-fodder - literally) wiped out by a solid volley from the handgunners. Behind, the main bigger hitters moved up.

On the Empire left, the demi-gryph knights advanced, aided by their general on his massive griffon, to charge a unit of gors, as the ghorgon and the imperial general also met. The demi-gryphs dispatched the gors with arrogant easy, breaking them and riding the last few down in pursuit. But their general was in trouble… and lucky to survive the ghorgon’s Monster-slayer on the first round (making a 5+ Ward to live, lucky!). Next turn, well, on the same Initiative, they fought again and the ghorgon was slain, as its monster-slayer took down the Griffon and lord… a great duel… so the ghorgon was handy and a far better pick that the giant I think - mutual destruction was memorable.

In the centre, the goat-hordes rushed up, the bestigor meeting the greatswords, but in doing so, allowing Ghoross and his sons to also charge them in the flank from the woods, they had drunkenly advanced through. Meanwhile, more gors rushed the handgunners taking the stand and fire and then loosing the combat by 1! The hand gunners held the line. The Harpies had sneaked up through the trees too, and charged into 2 cannons, flapping down to fight the crews and eventually claw them down (after about 3 rounds of combat).

On the Empire right, the Inner order knights and the spear-block met the minotaurs, but with ‘daemonic vigour’ cast on them… and the Viletide had already killed 5 inner circle knights. This gave the charging minotaurs the edge, and they gored more knights as the frenzied bloodkine fought the General in a duel, and taking 2 wounds, swung back to crush the foppish hero under his massive axe! But the spearmen only fell-back in good order… but 5 frenzied, daemonic, minotaurs were about to wail on them… it got very messy next turn!

In the centre, the big bash vs the great swords was another bloody mess, heroes hacking down many rank and file, and the the greatsword using their ‘stubborn’ to hold, but they were going down (still, from 28 Bestigor, after cannons and hand guns, and then great swords (now improved with Str 4 - ouch!) only 3 were left, slaughter… but Ghoross and his sons stomped hard and the greatswords were losing the melee.

On Turn 5 it was all over, the hand gunners were broken by the gors this time, the spearmen massacred as the minotaurs gorged themselves on blood (13 dead!) and the greatswords down to just 9 men and FBIGOing. The demi-gryph knights were too far away to help, turning to return to the centre, they wouldn’t arrive in time. The Empire troops were dying all down the line… and we called it, no need to prolong the inevitable – a Beastman win - Raagh! (or maybe Baa!)


It was a real slug-fest… but the gun-line had not held from the savagery. Men (cows ) of match? The daemonically-inspired minotaurs did some terrible damage… even the cockatrice managed to vomit on a line of crossbowmen and kill 7… no wizard for the Empire might have been a mistake, but it was much fun anyway. 

Ostland is in danger… send reinforcements!

 

Chaos Giant leads the attack the Empire right, and takes the punishment (but it saves the minotaurs behind from the same). The knights, being drilled, will reform and charge...

Empire gun-line, crossbows behind a hedge, unit a mutant cockatrice arrived and was sick on them!

Wall to wall goats in the centre, gors and bestigors, skirmishing ungor leading to take the fire... they are supposed to die, but didn't!

The Chaos Giant gets hit by the knight's charge... and down he goes. Timber! onto nothing... a bit useless really...  

On the other flank, by the farm, the demi-gryphs line up some gors, as the general and his Griffon go for the ghorgon (probably a mistake, but ghorgon's first game, so we didn't know the rules well).

Daemonic-minotaurs about to charge, horns down... frenzy, primal fury... the full works. They dish the damage...

Cockatrice flaps round the flank and vomits on the crossbows, who wheel round to volleys at it (doing 1 wound). It charged, they held, and the fight was a stalemate.

The big clash in the centre, on the hill, about to hit. Ghoross and his boys emerge from the trees as the bestigors match-up with the greatswords (in red), having endured a hail for fire to get there.

Harpies descend screeching and begin to try and tear the crews apart... still, its enough they stopped the cannons firing. In the end, they won the fight... it just took a bit.

Ghorgon vs big-wig general and big griffon... and they killed each other in an epic duel.

Huge brawl in the centre, the gors vs handgunners (making hard work of it), whilst the greatswords die-hard vs bestigors and centigors, defending those cannons.  Behind, skirmishing ungor just get out of the way (and then ran of to the woods to hide).