Played another game yesterday against Aaron's Vampires again. The twist: this time, no Vampires!
I brought the same list, this time trying out the Flamespyre and adding a few banners to make up the points:
Archmage--book, crown, level 4 High
Eagle BSB--lance, charmed, dragon armor, reaver bow, potion of strength
21 archers--S
21 archers--S
5 reavers--bows&spears, M
5 reavers, bows&spears, M
5 swords
5 swords
10 guards--S
5 princes--C+S, flaming, star lance
skycutter--eebt
lion chariot
flamespyre phoenix
ecbt
ecbt
ecbt
9 sisters
His list:
Master Necromancer--level 3 vampires (general)
Strigoi Ghoul King--level 1 vampires, sword of +3 attacks, talisman of endurance, red fury, ASF, something else
Cairn Wraith hero
Cairn Wraith hero
30 ghouls--ghast
30 ghouls--ghast
30 ghouls--ghast
6 crypt horrors--C
6 crypt horrors--C
corpse cart--balefire
terrorgheist--infested
His spells: Invocation x 2, Hellish Vigour, Vanhel's Danse Macabre
My spells: Apotheosis, Tempest, Arcane Unforging, Convocation
I chose Apotheosis because I had a lot of multi-wound models and it might help me combat Fear. Tempest looked smart due to his deployment and masses of ghouls. I later came to regret choosing the spells I did.
We rolled Battle Line and deployed thus:
Mark and his fiancee helped officiate this battle! Until it dragged on all night and no amount of espresso could keep them awake. The building in the top right is a Grail Chapel. In the center right is an Idol of Gork (impassable) and in the bottom right is a Sigmarite Shrine (impassable). In the top left was an Encampment of Destruction, complete with a Haunted Mansion (hill)
Compact from the undead, spread from elves. The Ghoul King was in the western Ghouls, and the Master Necromancer was in the central Ghouls, along with a Cairn WraithHe took first turn and did. . .
VC 1:
nothing whatsoeverThe Ghoul King was anxious to move forward, but the Master Necromancer decided to wait for the fragile Elven units to close a bit before making his first move.
Magic was 7v6 and the Master Necromancer decided to bide his time.
HE 1:
cautious advance on the left
and some light shootingManuela the Archmage realized she was very lightly defended on the right side. She was scared of the Terrorgheist and so didn't want to move her redirectors there, and so ordered the eagle around to the left flank. The eagle breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that it would not immediately be sacrificed like so many of its kin before it.
The Phoenix didn't want to be in range of the Haunted Hill on the left, which definitely pinched the Elves' movement (not to mention the dangerous terrain there for the Reavers).
Magic was 4v3 and Manuela decided to test her newest spell, Tempest. First, she couldn't remember the correct hend positions, but she quickly consulted her Book of Hoeth and managed to salvage the casting sequence in time. She couldn't send it quite far enough, however, and to her supreme disappointment it missed the foe completely.
Scoffing at such a display of incompetence, the nearby bowsisters, under Noble Carmen's oversight, stepped forward and easily shot down a few enemy crypt ghouls. A few more of the beasts fell to bolt shots and an arrow from Carmen's Reaver Bow. But were the elves shooting at the right targets?
VC 2:
Manuela observes the enemy advance
so fast!The foolish elves had drawn close enough, and the Master Necromancer could no longer contain his ghoulish minions. They moved forward first slowly, and then with a sudden macabre velocity!
Magic was 7v5. Manuela stopped an attempt to invoke some ancient Nehekian chant, but was unable to slow down the VanHel's Danse Macabre and soon the undead hordes were shambling forward at full speed!
HE 2:
more encirclement, more shootingManuela ordered Carmen's flank to hold and continue firing while the Reavers on the far right bought them some time. Meanwhile, Manuela's left flank prepared to fully encircle the undead hordes.
Magic was 12v6 and Manuela prepared some of her greatest incantations. Unfortunately, her aim was still a little shaky and Tempest only struck a glancing blow. Even the enemy Master Necromancer managed to duck behind a walking corpse. In total, only 3 ghouls were shredded by the magical winds. Next, she arcanely Unforged the Ghoul King's equipment. At least, she wanted to, but she was shocked at the power of her own spell! It went off with a painful bang. She was annoyed to discover that he had no armor whatsoever (evidently that's a thing), but she was at least satisfied to see his glowing sword reduced to a hunk of soft dull iron. In the magical backlash, her crown protected her from injury. Despite the miscast, she had a bit of power left and attemped an immense Fiery Convocation but, alas, she could not muster enough control to cast it successfully. What a letdown!
Carmen's forces fared a bit better, further thinning the ranks of the forces now closing quickly on their hillside position.
VC 3:
a few rhythmical chants and. . .
suddenly, they were too close for comfortThe Ghoul King, now bereft of his favorite weapon, was hungry for revenge! The terrorgheist still stayed in the back, however, being held in reserve until the perfect moment. The Crypt Ghouls charged into the blocking Reavers, chewing them into little reaver bits.
Magic was 6v4. Manuela once again stopped Invocation of Nehek, but VanHel's Danse once again sang across the battlefield, and things started getting really scary!
HE 3:
a bold attack--or was it foolish?
lot of charges everywhereManuela decided that enough was enough and order her archer regiments to shoulder their weapons and charge! Carmen and the Skycutter swerved across the battlefield to join in the fray, while the fearless Lion Chariot charged directly into the Ghoul King himself.
In the back, the Eagle charged the terrorgheist to lock it down for a turn and also to clear the way for a combined charge onto the Corpse Cart from the Dragon Princes and the Phoenix, both of whom were eager to spill green blood. Unfortunately, the Eagle couldn't take to the air in time, so the Dragon Princes pulled up their charge just in time to avoid grinding the bird into the dust! The phoenix, all alone, swooped into the waiting Corpse Cart.
Magic was 4v3 and Manuela once again attempted a Tempest at the Master Necromancer's unit. It missed and killed a single ghoul. She smirked to herself as ghoul bits flew across the battlefield--she was pretty sure that ghoul had been making obscene gestures at her after avoiding her previous spells.
Shooting was basically point-blank, and a couple more Crypt Horrors collapsed, stinking, to the earth.
The chariots weren't able to build up much speed charging in the ghouls--the Skycutter had to carefully maneuver around the interceding terrain, and the Lion Chariot was simply too close to really get rolling. Still, the Lions ground at their yokes, eager for action! The Ghoul King was only able to attack the Lion Chariot, and things were initially looking good for the Elves. But to their surprise and horror, the ghouls started attacking almost before the Elves could even raise their weapons! Furthermore, their attacks were supernaturally accurate, and the Elves began to fall quickly. It turns out that some foetid stench from the Corpse Cart had seeped into the Ghoul's empty lungs, and they were blessed with speed and deadliness as the Macabre Danse began in earnest. Carmen, seeing this, became uncharacteristically unnerved and failed to fight to her full potential.
Still, many ghouls fell, though the Lion Chariot, alarmingly, died before it even managed to attack! Not something the elves were used to seeing. In the end, quite a few ghouls remained, and the wounded archers' left flank was dangerously exposed. . . And the Ghoul King was thirsty for more blood!
Elsewhere, the Phoenix, attacking ferociously due to some intense magical winds, easily dispatched the Corpse Cart and turned to face the deadlocked battle.
VC 4:
the hated Lion Chariot was destroyed, but this left the Ghoul King with nothing to attack! (I think)
time for revenge!The Master Necromancer decided not to risk charging into what looked like a losing combat--better to let the Ghoul King die and take undisputed command over the force. Instead, he ordered his ghouls forward toward some nearby friendly-looking headless warriors, looking to add them to his undead collection.
Elsewhere, the heavily wounded crypt ghouls finally charged toward the annoying bowsisters, who tactically fled, leaving the bolt thrower to serve as a speedbump. This move backfired, as the ghouls destroyed both units with a single trampling charge! The other crypt ghouls, finished devouring the ellyrian steeds, tried to chase down some silly swordmasters with tall hats, but were unable to reach them. The Terrorgheist, meanwhile, sauntered toward the phoenix and prepared to unleash a terrifying scream.
Magic was 2v1. Invocation of Nehek succeeded in ressurecting a few ghouls as they prepared to rend the flesh from the halberd-wielding imposter undead.
In shooting, the low winds of magic roll proved very beneficial to the undead, as it allowed the Phoenix to be utterly destroyed by the scream, where otherwise the ward save would have preserved it!
In combat, the bolt thrower was flattened, as were the cowardly Sisters. The two remaining crypt horrors prepared to accept a charge from the small unit of swordmasters in the corner. In the Master Necromancer combat, the ghouls failed to land many telling blows and lost several of their own! The combat was a draw, and the Master Necromancer himself was wounded.
Finally, the Ghoul King's unit was wiped out, and the diminished archers faced the Terrorgheist, while Manuela's archers and the Skycutter reformed 5-wide to face the Master Necromancer and his cohort.
The phoenix's body burned bright but there was as yet no sign of resurrection. . .
HE 4:
the Dragon Princes really should have charged the Terrorgheist in this situation, opening space for the Reavers to charge the ghouls. No idea why they just shuffled instead. . . Dragon Fever?
counter-counter attack!Manuela ordered her archers to attack the Master Necromancer, while staying safely out of combat herself. The Skycutter joined in, but Carmen flew over to see whether she could sort things out on the right flank, and possibly shoot at the Terrorgheist. The Dragon Princes shuffled about, their steeds growing impetuous. Meanwhile, the Swordmasters charged headlong into the Crypt Horrors, anxious to avenge their girlfriends!
Magic was 6v5. Manuela attempted to channel some extra force into Apotheosis, to fully heal the Skycutter. However, she went way overboard, and the resulting calamitous detonation destroyed 9 archers! The Skycutter, though was as good as new, and even had a fresh coat of paint--elven archer blood! She decided not to cast anything further at that time.
A few wounds were inflicted via shooting, here and there.
In combat, the skycutter passed its fear test on a 9. At the same time, Manuela refused a challenge from the Cairn Wraith and was sent to the back of the unit, barring anyone from using her leadership. We played that the fear test was passed, since it was my turn and I can choose for the fear test to happen before the challenge. Is that correct?
The ghoul unit was battered badly, but a few minions still clung to their ghastly unlife. Elsewhere the Swordmasters failed their rerollable fear test and only managed to tie the Crypt Horrors. The battle would continue!
The Phoenixe's body once again burst into disturbingly bright flames, but nothing emerged from the smoke. . .
VC 5 (final turn; short of time):
a long charge from the eastern ghouls, and that flank suddenly looks about to collapse!
damnitThe unengaged Crypt Horrors finally found their mark in the flank of the juicy swordmasters. Their charge cleared the way and. . .
The eastern Ghouls, perhaps inspired by the nearby Idol of Mork, rolled the 11 they needed to reach the nearest bolt thrower! There was some confusion over whether the machine was in their forward arc--the claw feet were out of vision, but the bow-arms of the machine were visible. With a d6, we decided the charge was legal, the ghouls rolled, and they were in! Carmen suddenly looked very nervous!
The terrorgheist debated charging the Dragon Princes, but decided to charge the depleted archers instead, who fled. The monster was unable to change course.
Magic was 4v3. Manuela dispelled another Invocation of Nehek, but when the Master Necromancer started casting VanHel's Danse for the third time, she recognized the spell and suddenly remembered her school lessons. Though at first she couldn't remember the right words to dispel it, she found an easy diagram in the Book of Hoeth and managed to stop it at the last second!
In combat, the Master Necromancer was finished off by some archers, the ghouls died, and the cairn wraith disapparated. The Swordmasters were annihilated but managed a wound or two. The big ghoul unit, however, crashed through the bolt thrower and into Carmen!
Without the Necromancer to guide them, the undead units on the table began to crumble--or did they? In fact, only 4 wounds total were inflicted: 2 on the terrorgheist and 2 on the ghouls. The undead would fight on!
The Phoenix's flames grew even hotter and. . . still nothing.
HE 5:
the final movesThe Terrorgheist found itself surrounded and finally died a grisly death. Carmen, though she drank her Strength Potion, only slew 2 ghouls. Her eagle also got one, but she suffered exactly 3 wounds and died. The swordmasters, seeing this, grabbed her corpse and carried it to safety for proper burial.
THE END
analysis to follow