The Dreaded Third Match
So there I was. Two draws versus two solid opponents. I knew after Drawing twice, I wasn't going to be on any of the leading tables, so I resolved to just have a good time for the rest of the day and enjoy my remaining matches. Whoever was in charge of fate that day must have read my mind and been in a vindictive mood that day though...
Ogre Kingdoms
Slaughtermaster, Talisman of Preservation, Ironfist
Bruiser, Gut Maw
Firebelly, Channeling Staff
8 x Ironguts, Full Command
12 x Ogres, Full Command
4 x Leadbelchers, Bellower, Thunderfist
4 x Mournfangs, Full Command
Thundertusk
Not exactly what I'd call a competitive list - he's got no hellheart, no dispel scroll, no dragonhide banner, no sabretusks and NO BSB!! (says the guy that didn't take a BSB either
)
We roll for our spells, and get the following:
Archmage - Light of Battle, Net of Amyntok, Banishment, Timewarp
Mage - Pha's Protection
Slaughtermaster - Toothcracker, The Maw, Spinemarrow, Bonecrusher
Firebelly - Fireball, Flamestorm
Deployment
Not much to say here - I think I nail it, with my coven in a perfect spot to take out 250 points quickly, and his Mournfangs, amazingly, deployed right behind a blocking building.
Turn 1, Ogre Kingdoms
He starts by declaring a charge with his Mournfangs on my Reavers. I ask him how he proposes to accomplish that, and he grabs his unit and performs an elaborate, 3 wheel maneuver around the building. I'm flabbergasted, and say "You only get 1 wheel dude. That's not possible". He ends up moving around the building and through the woods, but I know at this moment that I'm in for trouble this game.
The rest of his army moves up incredibly conservatively (for ogres at least), and I think he believes he has the ranged advantage with his magic, belchers and thundertusk.
Magic is 4 v 3 - He starts with a 3D6 flamestorm, powered up, but fails. He then tries a D6 fireball, but fails that as well.
Shooting sees him put his belcher's shots on my Western Swordmasters, but fail to do any wounds due to moving and cover from the forest. His Thundertusk's shot goes wide by a mile
Turn 1, High Elves
I move up my forces in the West to hook around his battle line, and keep the Eastern front back to try to control the movement of the Mournfangs.
Magic is 9 v 6 - I start with a 2D6 banishment on his Thundertusk, which he allows (!!!) - I put two wounds on it. I then cast it again with 3D6, and he fails to dispel it. The resulting missiles take the thundertusk down.
I then put a 2D6 Pha's on my Western Swordmasters, which miscasts and drains the level 1's spell. I finish with a 2D6 net on his firebelly's unit, which fails to meet the casting value.
Shooting sees me take out one of the leadbelchers (not shown in this turn)
Turn 2, Ogres
He starts by moving his Leadbelchers 6" directly sideways, then I notify him that units can move sideways at half their movement. He opts to shuffle slightly sideways.
His mournfangs then pull the same stunt, doing a weird "I don't know the rules" reform/squish move to get around my reavers. At this point I accept that I'm going to have to choose my battles and let him have it.
The rest of his battle line forms up in a neat line, still confident in his ranged prowess (??)
Magic is 7 v 6 - He leads off with a full power fireball on 4d6 my white lions, which I dispel. He then throws the remaining 3 at a flamestorm, but fails to meet the casting value.
The leadbelchers fail to hit anything with pha's and cover protecting the swordmasters.
Turn 2, High Elves
The swordmasters charge the leadbelchers, who flee. I'm not too disappointed by this, as it keeps them from firing next turn, and the swordmasters are already ahead of my battle line to begin with.
The reavers move back in to distraction position, and in my head I'm thinking "I can dance all day" (yeah, that's definitely an FPS Doug quote)
Magic is 12 v 6 - I start with a 2D6 Banishment on his Mournfangs, which he dispels. I then cast a 3D6 pha's bubble, which he also dispels. I then go for timewarp on the white lions (hoping for a next round charge), but fail the cast, and manage to get light of battle up on the white lions in case of a long charge, as well as net on his firebelly's unit.
Shooting sees me put another wound on the leadbelchers.
Turn 3, Ogres
The ogres inch up, and the leadbelchers rally.
Magic is 9 v 7 - he fails a powered up fireball on 3D6 and then gets an irresistable force toothcracker on the ironguts. The resulting miscast drains his power dice.
Turn 3, High Elves
Here it is, the moment of truth. I move up my redirectors and get really aggressive with my move towards his general's unit. Pretty much as aggressive as I can get without him overrunning into one of my units after the redirect.
Magic is 12 v 7 again - I lead with a 3D6 Banishment on his leadbelchers, in an attempt to take them off the board before they can lay in to my swordmasters. They suffer another casualty and flee, but don't quite run off the board. I then cast another 3D6 banishment on his mournfangs, which he dispels. I get a 3D6 timewarp on the spears, giving them plenty of charge options next turn, and finish with a 2D6 net on his firebelly's unit (he's going to fail sometime!) but he dispels it.
Turn 4, Ogres
Ahh yes, my favourite turn of this entire tournament. Remember how I mentioned I was going to pick my battles? This was it. He announces a charge with his mournfangs on my swordmasters, and once again, I ask him "How do you propose to do that?". He immediately grabs the models, spins them on the spot and pushes them at my swordmasters, around my reavers.
"Hang on dude, you get one wheel. Let's see it with one wheel"
He puts his models back, but conveniently an inch further East. The wheel is now easily obtainable.
"See, I pin the corner and make the wheel"
"Yeah man, now that you've moved the unit"
Now here is what I didn't think of at the time... I was taking PICTURES at the start of each turn for these reports. The proof is in the pudding - here's the shot of this turn before he moved anything:
Now I realize I'm a pretty easy going guy, and sometimes I don't double check things, but given my first round match, I check this 100%. There is no way those fangs can make that wheel into my swordmasters.
HOWEVER. I didn't think of the pictures at the time, and when we called a judge over, they looked at the fangs new position and let him have the charge.
$%&*
The rest of his battle line moves backwards, but interestingly he measures from the back of his unit, and moves the front of his unit to that point. So in essence, he's moved about 10" back.
"Dude, not even remotely right"
"The back becomes the front, it says so in the rules"
"Yeah... for fleeing. Three inches is all you get. Redo that please"
Once again, he takes a bonus inch because he's already moved his units.
Magic is 8 v 7 - He starts with a spinemarrow on his ironguts, which I allow. He then tries a powered up Toothcracker, which he fails to cast. Finally he casts a level 2 fireball on my eagle which he casts irresistably, and kills it.
In combat, predictably, despite only a couple mournfangs being in base contact with the swordmasters (he wanted to wheel around and get all of them in base contact, and contested this with the judges too) he still managed to kill enough of them to break steadfast and passed a ridiculous number of armour saves (4/5). He overruns into my eagle.
High Elves, Turn 4
Down but not broken, I start by declaring charges with both my swordmasters and my white lions on his Ogres. With magical aid, I'm confident either of them can handle the unbuffed ogre unit. Both need a 7 to get in, and naturally I roll snakeyes and 3 for my charge rolls. Both stumble forward, and my carefully laid plans go to shit.
I reform the reavers and move them up to salvage the situation. I actually manage to find some new utility that I hadn't thought of before - reforming them long gives them a huge frontage, allowing me to block both units and threaten some seriously nasty countercharges should he overrun.
Magic is 12 v 6. I start with a pha's protection bubble (bubble is wrong here, it's from the level 2 - I was getting frustrated at this point and my notes start to suffer) and suffer another miscast. The level 2 suffers a wound and drains 5 dice from the pool. I then try a 3D6 timewarp on the lions, but he dispels it, and put a light of battle on the spears in case of any mournfang funny business.
The mournfangs finish the eagle and reform to face the middle.
Ogres, Turn 5
Displaying the least amount of ogre ferocity I've ever seen in my life, he retreats again. The mournfangs fail a long charge here, but I forget to move them 2" in the picture.
He forgets his leadbelchers this turn.
Magic is 7 v 7 - He starts with a toothcracker on his ironguts, and I let him have it. He then goes with a spinemarrow on the same unit, which I dispel. I also dispel his fireball attempt.
High Elves, Turn 5
At this point I begin to question if I'm even playing warhammer. Because, y'know, in warhammer you actually fight each other and stuff.
I start by declaring charges with the Ellyrian Reavers on his Leadbelcher's flank to get them out of the way. They make it in!
I charge the Swordmasters, White Lions and spears on his Ironguts. I know that I still have enough hitting power to plow through that unit and win the game, and the units are close - the swords need an 8 and the lions and spears both only need a 6 to get in. Naturally, the lions and swords roll another 3 and 4 respectively, and the spears are now fighting T5 ironguts alone...
Magic is 6 v 3 - I start with a 3 dice banishment on his mournfangs and kill 2 of them. He passes his panic test.
3D6 goes at pha's, which I also manage to put up on the spears. (in hindsight, light of battle would have been better here)
But a lot of good it does me - they get crushed by both boxcars from his breath weapon hits and the ensuing irongut attacks. The spears break, and flee, and again he has some interesting conceptualization of how the combat was angled and pursues into my white lions. I'm tired of arguing at this point.
Ogres, Turn 6
You know what comes next - he's rolled 10+ for both of his charges, and steamrolls my units. His guts charge in to the archmage's unit, and take the archers out on my turn.
Game Over.
After Battle Thoughts
So despite all that, I still take away a few things from the battle:
- When I'm making reports, the photos I'm taking are a perfect way to resolve movement disputes with no bias. Here's a photo. Deal with it.
- I still didn't rate Light of Battle highly enough this match. I still would have lost this game, but it would have at least preserved my White Lions.
- The penalty for slow play is that you need to finish at least 3 turns. I think I'll contest things more in the future, and not be such a nice guy. It is a tournament after all, and everyone is expected to both know the rules and follow them.
Anyway, even writing this report up gets me a bit frustrated, so I'll leave it at that
D
[i]There is nothing do fear but fear itself... well, that and Toughness tests. [/i]
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