Warhammer, 500 point Border Patrol, Wood Elves vs Beastmen

I have just completed my 4 month Wood Elf painting project, and so, for a Saturday evening's entertainment, we set-out a Border Patrol to give them a first tabletop outing. The foul Beastmen are raiding into Athel Loren,  and thus must be destroyed. We both picked 500 points, using the (very good) 'Border Patrol' restrictions, rolled a random terrain lay-out (stream, 2 woods, 2 big rocks) on a 4 x 4' board. 

Here are the army lists:

Wood Elves - 498 points

Glade Captain Maedhros  
with hand weapon, light armour, shield, asrai longbow, trueflight arrows, Daith's Reaper
Altered Kindred - Aspect of the Cat

10 Glade Guard   
with Lord’s Bowman, trueflight arrows

8 Dryads
with Nymph

5 Deepwood Scouts    
with Lord’s Bowman, trueflight arrows

Great Eagle (Owl)

 

Beastmen - 500 points

Wargor Gkur
with great weapon, heavy armour, pelt of the dark young

17 Gor Herd
with truehorn, standard bearer, hand weapon and shield

10 Chaos Warhounds

6 Centigor Herd
with cavalry spears, javelins

12 Ungor Herd
with halfhorn, hand weapon, short bows

 

Having deployed – to battle!

Well, the first turns started well for the Wood Elves, the Dryads and Centigor just rushed forward and they met in the melee in the woods, in which the Dryads (in their element, I feel they should get an advantage for this, like say -1 To-Hit, as you can't see the Dryads for the trees, but hey!), tore the Centigor apart (a big fluke dice roll helped), even after they went into Frenzy (smell of blood and sap). We forgot the remaining Centigors 'stomp attacks' - aargh! Drunken horses forget to trample living trees - shocker!

Meanwhile, the charging Chaos Hounds in the centre, losing a few hounds to arrows, charged the owl, which cunningly flapped off. More arrows ripped through the hounds and the Glade Captain charged them, magic spear in hand. Magic spear or not, he fluffed his lines (dice) and took a wound - oops! Don't worry, owl to the rescue, it saved him.

The Gor block (and Wargor chieftain) were running after the Deepwood scouts, who shot them, obviously, then used 'fire a flee' to escape back into the woods and 'skirmishing' moves to evade the gors. They gave up that chase and waded the stream into the centre, seeking something to hit. Coming the other way were the Dryads.

The Ungor had, by now, ambushed on to the back corner and were engaged in an archery duel with the wood elf archers, which didn't do much, but did whittle down the elves, by game's end, only 2 remained. Paff, losing an archery contest to Ungor - oh dear!

The game's climax was in the centre, were the big Gor block looked unstoppable, except maybe by every Wood Elf left... it had already charged into the glade captain, who tjought hard about fleeing, then stood and instead challenged the Wargor, a hero! He wounded the beast leader, but was cut down by its great axe. Now the elves piled in from all round, Dryads to the front, giant owl in the flank, Deepwood Scouts in the rear, and desperately tried to break the Gors. It didn't work, they were too tough, even after the Wargor was killed by the Dryad Nymph. The beastmen hacked back hard and won the fight (ranks, standrard, etc), and saw the break test roll an 11... oh dear, the elves/owl fled, living to fight another day... but the Beastmen had obviously won the day, and would soon be defiling Athel Loren - the wood elves demand their revenge!

The game lasted maybe 90 minutes (if that) and was good fun, we agreed to play again soon and escalate the Beastmen raid into 1,000 points next time, and just see what happens, and then link some battles together – this makes a good start. The Beastmen, flush from their fresh kills, will become bolder and move on deeper, hoping to seize new land to set-up their own herd-stones. I feel inspired for a mini-campaign (or at least series of linked games), to tell that story (and use all the wood elves I've painted). 

 

The Beast attack across the boundary stream (difficult ground), with the ambushing Ungor sneaking in at the side.

Centigor and Chaos Hounds, just charge!

Wood Elf archer and their Glade Captain leader, hold the centre

To their right, Dryads and Giant Owl (t'wit-t'woo).

Lurking in the trees, camo'd Deepwood Scouts.

The Gor block and scary Wargor leader, the main strike force, on the Beastman right.

Centigor and Dryads (all skirmishers) meet in the woods.

Owl faces the hounds, and then flees their charge, leaving the dogs an easy target for the archers behind.

Gors are hit by arrows from the Deepwood scout skirmishers, and come after them.

Dryads win the fight and tear apart the Centigor (with some very good dice). An even(ish) fight is one sided.

Glade Captain Maedhros leaps into the hounds, but only kills 1, and is wounded in return, he needs help! Bad dogs!

Ungor archers arrive and target the elf archer block over the stream. Arrows fly back and forth.

Help arrives, the owl charges in and tears the last hounds to bits. The Wood Elves are well on top...

..until the big Gor block crosses the stream (dodged by the scouts), and the Glade Captain boldly stands and challenges the Wargor, wounding him, but being cut down in turn... and the tide shifts...

The finale, all in on the Gors, Dryads, Scouts, Owl, but the defenders of the woods can't do enough and are beaten (but not before the Wargor is killed by Dryads in vengeance). The owl and scouts flee, leaving the last stubborn Dryads to fight and be cut-down. The Beastmen claim a narrow win.

The Wood Elf scout survivors can warn of the Beastmen threat and bring more elves to the next fight... 1000 points then, in a pitched battle, soon.