"If perchance I have misquoted you, or spelt your name wrong, or missed something like that, email me/ICQ me and I will cordially tell you i don't give a shit"
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| Warhammer BR posted by Khorne_wargod (LONG!!!) | | | Author: | | | IP: | XXXX | | Date: | 10/30/99 11:10 | | Game Type: | Other | | Labels: | none | | Report Rating: , # of Ratings: 1, Max: 8, Min: 8
Lifetime Rating for Warhammer Players Society: 8.0000 |  | Battle of the Ladz
by Paul Scrivens-Smith
Map graphics by Robbie Lane
NOTE: Warhammer is a table top game played with models and I did not write this report I just posted it off a site.
It had to come - Warhammer Players Society newcomer and triple tournament winner Robbie Lane had to meet his match ! The gauntlet was thrown down by WPS Chairman Rob Broom who, after a successful jaunt to the Baltimore Grand Tournament, decided to show the new boy in town a thing or two. A date and venue were set, and on a sunny Sunday afternoon in March both parties came together at the Mason's Arms in Mansfield. The humble scribe was to be myself, complete with pen, paper and digital camera, and even police supervision for the game was arranged (well, Adi McWalter turned up in uniform at the start and came back later when his shift was finished)! Who would be top Nob... err, Rob ?
The Pretender
Having been relatively successful at a number of WPS tournaments over the past six months, I think the management team are getting a bit sick of me (which is fair enough, I suppose). Therefore it came as no surprise when Rob sent me an e-mail telling me he'd "come up and sort me out" after he'd been to Baltimore. Naturally I accepted - it's about time an old dog was taught some new tricks !
So, after he'd challenged me, my thoughts turned to what army I would use. That was easy; the only one I have painted is Lizardmen, and as we were using WPS rules for the battle I saw no reason to change the army list from one I used recently at the Dragon Slayers' Bash in Sheffield (run by Adi McWalter and the boys).
Whenever I choose armies I tend to go the Nigel Stillman way; hardly anything changes throughout the course of playing with it, especially when it comes to core units. This makes for some very interesting games because everybody knows how I play and what units can do what, so they try different tactics against me all the time (especially Smithy, who never tires of playing me for some reason). I can almost say that my Lizardmen army is set in stone, because I hardly ever change the units, and usually the only things that differ from tournament to tournament are the magic items the Slann Mage uses, and even then it's only one or two. Therefore, the only thing I have to think about when facing Rob's Orcs & Goblins in this battle is tactics.
So what's actually in my army ? Well, it usually consists of two units of Saurus, two units of Skinks & Kroxigor, five Terradons and three units of Skink skirmishers, as well as the Slann Mage and two Skink Shamans. I'll talk about the General first. Lord Loaxtl is a level three Mage-Priest, and the hardest thing in the army. He is a multi-purpose kind of fella; I use him for combat, magic and morale purposes. He has a nice magic weapon for combat - the Bone Blade, which is in keeping with the Lizardmen's character - and something for magical defence, the Skull Staff He has a Power Scroll for those double-one winds of magic moments, and he has a Spell Familiar, giving him a 50% chance of getting the spells he wants. He also carries the army's Battle-Standard, which is the Banner of Sorcery. Basically, he can fight well in combat, he's good protection against enemy magic - essential in any game against the power of the Waaagh!, which I have learned to respect - and he can help the morale of my main units (that battle-standard has saved the day for me on more than one occasion). I hardly ever put him in a Saurus unit simply because if I do anything with a bow will shoot him to bits, so he trails along behind my Saurus and if he's needed he joins them when they're suffering in combat.
Completing my magical defence are two Skink Shamans, both with Dispel Magic Scrolls; one - Litaleca - has the Ring of Corin, which is used in conjunction with Lord Loaxtl's Skull Staff and is incredibly useful in getting rid of those pesky Crowns of Command !
With my Temple Guard unit - the Jaguar Warriors - is a Saurus Hero, Cuylatec. I've used this fella in the same manner since the dawn of time; he has the Flail of Skulls and the Crimson Armour of Dargan (which is surprisingly effective against characters with high Leadership). He's damn hard and he can kill most things (including Orc Generals) whilst being rather cheap, and he leads the Temple Guards well. I don't leave home without him ! The Temple Guard standard-bearer carries the Jaguar Standard, which is great for pursuit against fast-moving enemy (which there will be plenty of with the Spider and Wolf and Boar Riders). However, I'll be using this unit to directly challenge Rob's core units: his Savage Orcs on foot and his Boar Boyz.
The other Saurus unit are the Panther Warriors, fifteen Saurus Spearmen that often prove to be the weakest in the army, surprisingly. This is mainly because the Skink & Kroxigor units and the Terradons are so much more mobile, and so I generally use the Spearmen as support for the Temple Guard. In larger games I give them a Champion, but as the character limit for the WPS is 1,000 points (two thirds of which is taken up by Lord Loaxtl) I can't really field him in these battles.
The two Skink & Kroxigor units are a great flanking force (especially if a Skink Shaman gets the Move Unit spell) and they're used for a variety of roles; they're fast, hard, and cheap, and they can take on most enemies with no trouble. I expect that they will be used against the Goblins on Wolves and Spiders as they are usually the greenskins' flankers, and they should have no trouble in beating them.
Screening all of the main units are three units of five Skink skirmishers, which go a long way to protecting my army from nasty charges (such as the Boar Riders or the Wolf Chariot) and bowfire. They are small so that the enemy will destroy them easily, and stop dead - leaving them open to a charge from my units.
Last but never least are the Terradons. This is my favourite unit and they are, quite simply, game-winners. I've spouted about the quality of these guys before, so the only thing I will say is that they are better and more useful than Stegadons... so let's hope they do the business for me this time ! I'm actually fairly confident about winning the battle; the Lizards have never lost to the greenskins, and I'm expecting a victory - but a hard-fought one, because although I've never played Rob, I've heard he's no push-over.
Okay - you know all about my army: let's break some Orc heads !
The Old Hand
Stupid, Stupid, Stupid ! Just why am I challenging Robbie Lane, winner of the past three WPS tournaments to a game that will then be featured in a battle report. Because I play with Orcs, and Orcs like a good scrap. And we all know you get the best scraps when you play good players, which Robbie obviously is. So, with that in mind I prepared my army for battle. Actually not a lot of preparation was required, I took my standard 2000 point Games Workshop tournament army and added in the usual 300 extra points to conform to the WPS tournament rules.
The army itself has seen a lot of game play over the last year or so. However, in order to score higher in army selection it is now solely based around Savage Orcs and Forest Goblins (I finished in 5th slot at Baltimore and only lost one game, then tied for 2nd in Chicago a month or so later, so it must be OK). The extra 300 points consist of two river trolls (keeping to the theme), and then the wolf riders and the chariot which do not fit the theme so much but would give Robbie something to think about.
The key to winning a game of Warhammer is based around two important elements to my mind.
One, know your army well and have a basic plan for each time you use the army, how it sets up etc.
Two, know your enemy. This is harder to do, but in order to do well competitively, it is vital.
So how does my army work ? Simple, those units that need to benefit from Warlord Gronk and his Crown of Command set up within twelve inches or move within twelve during the opening movement phase (hobgoblin style low cunning allowing for more interesting set ups). This covers the spider riders Forest goblins, river trolls and the giant. Units less dependant on leadership (Boar boys and Savage orcs with bows, both units have big bosses) are positioned for flanking manoeuvres. For this game, the wolf boys are a flank threatening unit and the chariot is there to either cause lots of damage or lure Robbie into making a mistake by being worried about it.
My core units are the Savage orcs with Warlord Gronk and the Dread Banner, and the Boar Boyz. The arrer boyz are also effective, but like the rest of the army are there to either lure the enemy onto a charge, or take out rank bonus by flank charges. Even goblins with a flank charge can take out the biggest of enemy regiments (three ranks plus the flank equals 4 to combat resolution before blows are exchanged).
An important part of playing Warhammer is knowing when to flee with units, especially the goblins. As a general rule, if they will remain within the generals leadership range (or will flee towards him in a later turn), I prefer to flee rather than engage powerful enemy units. Goblins are cheap and the extra points for losing a standard in combat doubles the effective victory points cost. None of the Orc units are bothered by goblins fleeing or breaking anyway so this can be used to your advantage far more often than other army types.
In reverse of that, making ridiculous charges with the goblins, knowing they will break and be pursued has the same effect (in order to set your enemy up for a future charge by a core unit), so use them wisely.
I prefer Savage Orcs to most other troop types for several reasons, and frenzy isn’t one of them (although it has its uses !). You need to concentrate when using frenzied troops otherwise an experienced player will lure your troops away.
The main strength of the Savage Orcs is as follows. By placing a Savage Orc Shaman in the unit, not only does he get an extra winds of magic card each magic phase, but the lads get a 5+ tattoo save which is unmodified by strength (unless there is no armour save of course). This means that with several shamans you can start to dominate magic phases. However more importantly, charges from chariots and high strength opponents are not such a worry (provided you roll reasonable dice to save of course !) and this adds an unknown factor to the game, which allows you to take chances when under normal circumstances you should not.
Orcs and Goblins have one drawback though, it's called animosity, and even frenzied troops have to test.
Know the enemy ? Well lizards are not easy, good leadership with 3D6, high magic and a 6+ save. Terradons are excellent value if used correctly. I have a lizard army and like Robbie, I do not use stegadons either. Superior tactics should win the day, trouble is, we are both good at that so the game should be close.
Deployment:
http://www.players-society.com/totalpower/issue6/pages/images/page11/deployment.gif
Battle of the Ladz
by Paul Scrivens-Smith
The Battle - Deployment
The field of battle was a large plain with two strategically-placed hills on both sides, with the larger one hampering the Orcs & Goblins. On the Lizardmen side was a medium-sized wood to the left of centre, and the armies were placed by their Order of March, which is used in all WPS tournaments. The deployment area was basically the same as for the Pitched Battle scenario in the Battle Book, with the exception that there is no restriction on flanks - units can be deployed right on the table edge on either side.
The armies were laid out as per the map above. Robbie Lane placed Cuylatec the Saurus Hero in his Temple Guard, but all his other characters were deployed independently. Rob Broom had all his characters in units - Gronk, Nopowerpass and Opsdaeadurts were deployed in the Savage Orc foot, and Itisheadard and Flaminwand were deployed in the Savage Orc Boar Boyz. Beatmanyeads and Yellowskin were placed with the Savage Orc Arrer Boyz and Seemanycreepies began the game in the Forest Goblin spear unit.
Orcs & Goblins Lizardmen
Da Creepy Crawly Huntaz: five Forest Goblins with shortbows
Lord Loaxtl: Slann Master-Mage with Bone Blade, Skull Staff, Power Scroll, Spell Familiar and Battle-Standard (Banner of Sorcery)
Da Nomads: six Goblin Wolf Riders with spears, shortbows and shields
Litaleca: Skink Shaman with Dispel Magic Scroll and Ring of Corin
Da Scuttlaz: twelve Forest Goblin Spider Riders with spears and shields, standard- bearer and musician
Mextlaleca: Skink Shaman with Dispel Magic Scroll
Panther Warriors: fifteen Saurus Warriors with spears and shields, standard-bearer and musician
Da Spiky Mob: nineteen Forest Goblins with spears and shields, standard-bearer (Bad Moon Banner) and musician. Led by Seemanycreepies (Enchanted Shield, spear)
Jaguar Warriors: fourteen Saurus Temple Guard with halberds, light armour and shields, standard-bearer (Jaguar Standard) and musician. Led by Cuylatec (Flail of Skulls, Crimson Armour of Dargan)
Da Fick Uns: two River Trolls
Yellow Crest Cohort: sixteen Skinks with javelins and shields, standard-bearer and musician, and two Kroxigors
Da Huntaz: eleven Savage Orc Arrer Boyz with bows, standard-bearer and musician. Led by Beatmanyeads (double-handed axe, bow, shield, Magic Warpaint) and contains Yellowskin (halberd)
Blue Crest Cohort: sixteen Skinks with javelins and shields, standard-bearer and musician, and two Kroxigors
Da Blue Flash: Goblin Wolf Chariot with scythes, pulled by three wolves. Goblin crew armed with shortbow, shields and light armour
Sky Warriors: five Skink Terradons Riders with short bows, poison arrows, shields and spears
Doh!: Giant
Pink Crests: five Skink skirmishers with short bows and poison arrows
Da Blue Forest Boyz: seventeen Savage Orc Boyz with hand weapons and shields, standard-bearer (Dread Banner) and musician. Led by Gronk (Crown of Command, Flail of Skulls, Jade Amulet, halberd, shield) and contains Nopowerpass (Skull Staff, Sword of Bork, halberd) and Opsdaeadurts (Dispel Magic Scroll, halberd)
Yellow Crests: five Skink skirmishers with short bows and poison arrows
White Crests: five Skink skirmishers with short bows and poison arrows
Da Hoofs of Fury: six Savage Orc Boar Boyz with spears, standard-bearer (Gork's War Banner) and musician. Led by Itiseadard (Spear, double handed weapon, shield, Warboar) and contains Flaminwand (Staff of Flaming Death, halberd, Warboar)
The Scenario
Err... there wasn't one! The game was decided to be a case of who dies most, loses... and as we were using the WPS rules, it would be a simple Pitched Battle with no vetoes, 2,300 points aside. For a full run-down on the rules used in WPS games, you can download them from the WPS site proper (http://www.players-society.com). For now, all you need to know is that the game would be five turns long, Total Power would be treated as a Power Scroll, and there was a limit of 80 points on magic items.
I dealt Rob Broom his Waaagh! spells and Nopowerpass got Fists of Gork and Brain Bursta, Opsdaeadurts got 'Eadbutt and Hand of Gork, Flaminwand was given Gaze of Mork and Yellowskin had Da Krunch. Robbie's Mage-Priest was dealt five High Magic spells (one for the Spell Familiar, one to discard) and he settled for the Hand of Glory, The Tempest, Coruscation of Finreir and Drain Magic. The two Skink Shamans - Litaleca and Mextlaleca - were given the Battle Magic spells Move Unit and Heal respectively. I also shuffled the winds of magic, and gave one card for Robbie's Banner of Sorcery (great, said he rather sarcastically).
Rob Broom won the move option, and elected to go first. As you can see, he was rather happy with the prospect.
Battle of the Ladz
by Paul Scrivens-Smith
The Battle
Orc & Goblin Turn 1
The Savage Orc Warlord Gronk bellows his mighty war cry "Getstukintthbastds!" and the whole of his greenskin army responds in the normal way - "Ripthfkinartsowt!" - apart from the Goblin Wolf Riders, who forget their lines and argue amongst themselves as to what they are. The rest of the army surges forward eagerly towards the enemy, and as there is little shooting (the Arrer Boyz march onto the hill) the power of the Waaagh! is summoned by Gronk's Shamans.
Unfortunately the energy generated by the boyz around him is all too much for Flaminwand in Da Hoofs of Fury; he lets out an almighty belch, looks around at the ladz, belches again and gives a puzzled smile as the top of his thick skull explodes. The Boar Boyz roar in approval as the bloody scalp sails into the air, but when it plunges to the ground it knocks one of the ladz from the saddle and his startled boar proceeds to trample him to death.
Opsdaeadurts manages to control the Waaagh! and attempts an 'Eadbutt on one of the Skink Shamans, but Lord Loaxtl dispels it (he's very protective you know). The Savage Orc Shaman then tries to Hand Of Gork Da Scuttlaz into the midst of the enemy forces, but Mextlaleca reads the words on his stone plaque aloud and dispels it.
Lizardmen Turn 1
In an eerie silence Lord Loaxtl's troops draw their weapons and advance slowly on their foes, obviously commanded to do so telepathically by their mighty Slann General. The Sky Warriors take to the air and swoop over the battlefield to land on the flank of the Spider Riders and, letting fly with their noxious arrows, the Skink Riders kill two of the forest-dwellers. Poisoned arrows from the Skink skirmish screen account for a Savage Orc Arrer Boy on the hill, and severely wound one of the River Trolls lumbering stupidly forward (although being fick, he doesn't akcherly notice).
Lord Loaxtl then gathers himself to unleash his potent magical power and attempts to summon a great Tempest, but Opsdaeadurts pulls out a copy of the Daily Squig from his back pocket; the weather report says storms are not expected today! Refusing to be thwarted by his feeble enemies, Lord Loaxtl tries to cast the Hand of Glory but Gronk is having none of this. He shouts at Nopowerpass to destroy this fiendish spell, and although the Shaman raises enough power to prevent it being cast he fails to pluck it from the memory of the Slann Mage. Then, thinking he'll be safer in the air, Lord Loaxtl successfully casts Coruscation of Finreir on himself.
Orc & Goblin Turn 2
With a massive bellow of "Getstukintthbastds!" the Savage Orc General Gronk again lets out his war cry, but this time there is more confusion over the correct reply; Da Scuttlaz, Da Creepy Crawly Huntaz and Da Huntaz all squabble over their lines. Da Blue Forest Boyz also start to squabble, but within the unit Nopowerpass draws the Sword Of Bork from its scabbard and shouts out "Ripthfkinartsowt!" which has been crudely etched on the blade. His mates take up the cry and they surge forward with Gronk.
Without further ado Da Hoofs of Fury and Da Fick Uns thunder into the White Crest screen of Skinks directly in front of them, killing them all with little trouble. The Lizardmen around are untroubled by this show of greenskin strength and hold fast, apart from the adjacent unit of skirmishing Skinks - the Blue Crests - who turn tail and run back through the woods.
Again Gronk's Shamans summon the power of the Waaagh!, but Yellowskin in Da Huntaz is overcome by the energy produced by the boyz around him and forgets his spell. Opsdaeadurts again tries to cast Brain Bursta on a Skink Shaman but Lord Loaxtl is fed up of the Orcs picking on his minions and earths the magical energies thrown at him through his vast bulk. Unfortunately the power is too much for him and his his memory lapses, finding that the power of the Tempest is no longer his to command. To add insult to injury Nopowerpass dispels the Coruscation of Finreir, and Lord Loaxtl and his palanquin is unceremoniously dumped to the ground.
Lizardmen Turn 2
The Blue Crest Skinks - who had panicked the previous turn - decide they feel more confident now and rally to face the enemy once more. In a bid to avenge the brutal slaying of their cold-blooded fellows, Lord Loaxtl orders his personal bodyguard - the now-roaring Jaguar Warriors - and the Yellow Crest Cohort of Skinks and Kroxigors to charge the impudent Trolls and Savage Orc Boar Boyz, who stand firm, confident in their ability to defeat the scaly-skinned ones. On the flank of the still-squabbling Spider Riders, the Skinks on the Terradons draw back their bowstrings and account for two more of the Goblins with their poisoned arrows, but surprisingly the cowardly scuttlers refuse to panic. On the other flank, the cool nerve and steady eyes of the Pink Crest Skink skirmishers allows their deadly poison arrows to slay one of the wolves pulling the Chariot and one of the Goblin crew.
In the middle of the battlefield a hard-fought combat begins; a snarling Cuylatec (within the Jaguar Warriors) slays a slimy River Troll, and the Kroxigors of the Yellow Crest Cohort break the heads of two Savage Orc Boar Boyz with their double-handed axes. The greenskins retaliate and both sides eventually fight each other to a standstill, but the drummers of the Lizardmen beat furiously upon their instruments and the Trolls' easily-distracted minds are filled with doom. They flee in panic, only to be run down by the Jaguar Warriors under the influence of Huanchi and his Jaguar Standard. The Boar Boyz waver but stay to fight on, and the greenskins within the vicinity of the fight are completely unmoved by the loss of Da Fick Uns. Who cares? They're only Trolls!
The Winds of Magic blow lightly, and Lord Loaxtl attempts to cast Coruscation of Finreir once more, beginning to rise on his pillar, but Gronk sees this and orders Nopowerpass to destroy it. The Shaman brings as much power to bear on the attempt as he can; the Coruscation is easily dispelled and then wrenched from the mind of Lord Loaxtl. The Slann Mage, seeing that his Jaguar Warriors are now vulnerable to attack from many sides, employs the dirty trick he has kept up his sleeve for just such an event: with the winds of magic stilled, he uses his Power Scroll to cast Hand of Glory.
Orc & Goblin Turn 3
Gronk, fed up with his squabbling mates, gives 'em all a hard stare as he again bellows "Getstukintthbastds!" and most of his troops obey this time, replying "Ripthfkinartsowt!" as required; but yet again Da Scuttlaz (probably phased by the presence of the Terradons nearby) squabble over their lines.
The Orc Warlord sticks a finger in the air to check the wind direction (to look like he knows what he's doing), and then decides to commit most of his force to combat. Doh! the Giant, Da Blue Forest Boyz (led by himself), Da Nomads and Da Spiky Mob all charge, and Lord Loaxtl is thankful he has cast the Hand of Glory for he knows this could prove the turning point of the battle.
In a classic pincer movement, the sand-coloured Saurus Spearmen are charged in the front by Da Spiky Mob and in the flank by Da Nomads. The Saurus prove to be no push-over, though; bellowing their rage they put up a stout defensive action and Da Nomads flee after having a number of their fellows stuck through by spears. The Forest Goblins stay in the fight, largely thanks to the presence of Gronk nearby, who fixes them with a steely glare. Doh! the Giant joins the fight between the Da Hoofs of Fury and the yellow-crested Skinks & Kroxigors, and with a wild shout of glee he jumps up and down, squashing the entire Skink front rank! The greenskins easily win this combat - Itiseadard even manages to kill a Kroxigor - but the calming presence of the Hand of Glory keeps the lizards in the fight. Gronk and Da Blue Forest Boyz charge the Temple Guard, who receive a battering despite their bone armour; Cuylatec dies at Gronk's hand despite the disconcerting Crimson Armour of Dargan, and the hideous banner carried by the Savage Orcs affects even the cold-bloodedness of the Sauruses, who waver and begin to break; but they, too, are calmed by the Hand of Glory.
This led to an interesting question: even though the Saurus are automatically broken by the Dread Banner, does the Hand of Glory negate this? We ruled that it did, because whenever the spell is in play any units within 12" are immediately rallied. The Saurus may well break according to the letter of the rules, but as soon as they do the power of the spell calms their minds.
On the other side of the battlefield the Chariot known as Da Blue Flash charges the Pink Crest Skink skirmishers, who stand and shoot, to no effect; all die to its scythes. The Blue Crest Cohort of Skinks and Kroxigors behind them are unaffected by this, seeing an opening for a charge.
The Winds of Magic again blow lightly and no spells are cast, but Nopowerpass manages to dispel the Hand Of Glory.
Lizardmen Turn 3
Seeing that his minions are in deep trouble against the sheer strength of the green-skinned Giant, Lord Loaxtl orders his Saurus bearers to elbow their way past the Yellow Crest Skinks and Kroxigors and face Doh! in mortal combat. Scuttling behind him is Litaleca, who pops up in the front rank; seeing his Terradons nearby, the Slann Mage orders them to avenge the death of Cuylatec and attack the Savage Orcs that are mauling his bodyguard.
Hearing the command, the Sky Warriors cease harassing the squabbling Spider Riders with poison arrows and swoop to assist the Jaguar Warriors. Five great rocks tumble down onto the heads of the Orcs and three of them die; the Skinks stab at them with their spears and the Terradons peck at them with their beaks, but despite the heavy losses the Orc Warlord's Crown of Command ensures his boyz stay in the fight. Their mad frenzy is dissipated, however, and they begin to realise they are in a tricky situation.
The Blue Crest Cohort of Skinks and Kroxigors, on the far side of the battlefield, charge the Goblin Wolf Chariot and destroy it; the mighty double-handed weapons of the Kroxigors smash the Chariot to smithereens. Nearby, the Panther Warriors finally overcome the Forest Goblin Spearmen despite the shouting of Seemanycreepies and easily run them down.
Then, deciding it is time the power of the Old Ones was revealed, Lord Loaxtl brings his mighty Bone Blade to bear on the massive bulk of the Giant. The weapon bites deep and kills the Giant stone dead; unfortunately in his death throes he falls on the remaining Yellow Crest Skinks and Kroxigors, killing them all. Here is where an interesting rules query came up: do casualties caused by the falling Giant count towards the combat resolution? We decided that they did, but despite this the Savage Orc Boar Boyz lose the combat and break. Lord Loaxtl elects not to pursue as this would leave him in full view of the Spider Riders - if they stopped squabbling amongst themselves - but Litaleca chases after them in vain.
The loss of the Giant is too much for the Spider Riders, however; they look up to see Doh! fall and the fleeing Savage Orc Boar Boyz and, resolving their differences, they unanimously agree that they have had enough of this fight and decide to quit the field of battle.
Lord Loaxtl decides to let one of the Skink Shamans have his moment of glory, and Litaleca casts Move Unit so that he can run down the fleeing Boar Boyz; but Nopowerpass sees the danger of this and rebounds it, using the stolen energy to cast Fists Of Gork. Glaring at his sheepish minion, Lord Loaxtl steps in and dispels it.
Orc & Goblin Turn 4
Busy in his combat with the ferocious Saurus Temple Guard and squawking Terradons, Gronk fails to bring his authority to bear on Da Scuttlaz, who quit the battlefield with their green tails firmly between their legs. They'd done nothing throughout the game - being pinned by Animosity for two turns - and Rob was suitably disgusted with their prowess. Da Hoofs of Fury are made of sterner stuff, however, and although severely depleted (there being only two models left) they rally and provide a notable threat to the flank of the Temple Guard as Itiseadard is still in the land of the living. The remainder of Da Nomads - two of them - also rally.
Gronk is in a happy situation when it comes to controlling his wayward troops, though - all of his mates are in combat or fleeing, except for the Da Creepy Crawly Huntaz who, without any prompting from him, yell "Ripthfkinartsowt!" and charge into the flank of the Saurus Spearmen. Da Huntaz - still on the hill - charge the Blue Crest Cohort of Skinks and Kroxigors, who have just destroyed the chariot, and both greenskin units win their respective fights but fail to break the cold-blooded determination of the Lizardmen.
The hand-to-hand/beak fighting between the Temple Guard and Terradons of Lord Loaxtl and Gronk's Blue Forest Boyz grinds on, and the greenskins finally win; but they are so depleted that the Dread Banner does not affect the Temple Guard and Terradons, who gain heart from their numbers. The remaining four Terradons are driven off, squawking their hatred, and fly to safety in order to regroup themselves.
Lord Loaxtl looks on in consternation as the winds of magic blow, but Gronk's Shamans are in the unfortunate position of not having enough boyz around to generate the power of the Waaagh! and the Slann Mage is able to concentrate on the fighting
Lizardmen Turn 4
With most of his units embroiled in combat, Lord Loaxtl has few moves to make. Litaleca is ordered to protect the Mage Priest from harm by placing himself in front of the Savage Orc Boar Boyz, making sure the Slann Mage can use his presence to steady the under-siege Temple Guard. The Venerable One commands his Yellow Crest Skink skirmishers to attack the Forest Goblins that are still hampering the Saurus Spearmen, but unfortunately it is not enough to panic them and again the Forest Goblins win the combat. The Skinks break and run, as do the Blue Crest Cohort of Skinks & Kroxigors who were beaten by the Savage Orc Arrer Boyz. The scaly ones flee too fast for the Orcs, however, who are left trailing in their wake.
The combat in the centre drags on, even though the Sky Warriors smash back into the combat after regrouping themselves; the Lizardmen win thanks to the sharp spears of the Skink riders, but the Crown of Command keeps the severely depleted Savage Orcs fighting (there are now only three standard Orcs left, and Rob is looking worried).
Fearing for the Jaguar Warriors in the next combat - they are now outnumbered by the Savage Orcs even though there are only five of them in the unit - Lord Loaxtl attempts to cast the Hand of Glory, but Opsdaeadurts Drains Magic. Litaleca was about to bring the power of the Ring of Corin to bear on that pesky Crown, too!
Orc & Goblin Turn 5
With a resounding last cry of "Getstukintthbastds" Gronk launches his mates into their final actions. Da Huntaz charge the fleeing Blue Crest Cohort of Skinks and Kroxigors, who continue to run and meet the edge of the battlefield. Da Creepy Crawly Huntaz fail to beat the Saurus Spearmen in combat, but amazingly pass their break test; Robbie is distraught, for they had held up his Panther Warriors for too long already. He wanted them in the flank of the Savage Orcs mauling his Temple Guard!
Da Hoofs of Fury and the last two Goblin Wolf Riders of Da Nomads join Gronk and the remaining Blue Forest Boyz, finally beating the Saurus Temple Guard in combat (despite the stout defence of the remaining Terradon Riders as they finish off the Boar Boyz and the Wolf Riders). The presence of the Dread Banner ensures that the Temple Guard and Terradons flee, and Gronk pursues the Jaguar Warriors, finally capturing their prized standard. Huanchi was not pleased!
Again, Gronk despairs at his Shamans who find there aren't enough boyz around to generate the Waaagh!
Lizardmen Turn 5
The game is looking incredibly close, and Lord Loaxtl cannot now rally the Temple Guard as their numbers are so small they think of nothing else but leaving the battlefield. This is a blow, but it is softened by the Skink Riders wheeling their Terradons around to halt their rout and the Yellow Crest Skink skirmishers, who manage to calm themselves.
The Panther Warriors finally finish off the impudent Forest Goblin Archers who have managed to pin them in place for much longer than the big unit of Forest Goblin Spearmen and Wolf Riders were ever able to do, and Robbie shouts "About bloody time!" but the nearby Savage Orcs are unconcerned by the death of a few Goblins.
There is only one option open to Lord Loaxtl as the winds of magic finally blow in his favour: he casts the Hand of Glory in an attempt to steady the fleeing Temple Guard, but the cunning Opsdaeadurts is able to Drain Magic and the Slann Mage shouts his rage at the sky. His bodyguard is no more!
Battle of the Ladz
by Paul Scrivens-Smith
Post Mortem
Phew! It was an incredibly close-fought battle, and by turn four there appeared to be very little between both sides. The maps do not show it, but all the major units remaining were down to a handful of models, especially the Savage Orc Boys who were reduced to Gronk, Nopowerpass, Opsdaeadurts and the Standard Bearer. The Temple Guards were down to four Saurus and the Terradons to two, and the only unit of a respectable size remaining was the Savage Orc Arrer Boyz.
It was tense as I totted up the victory points - who would be the victor?
Cuylatec, Saurus Hero
137
110
Itiseadard, Savage Orc Big Boss
Jaguar Warriors and standard
440
119
Flaminwand, Savage Orc Shaman
Yellow Crest Cohort
198
22
Seemanycreepies, Forest Goblin Boss
Blue Crest Cohort and standard
298
15
Da Creepy Crawly Huntaz
White Crests
27½
154
Da Scuttlaz
Blue Crests
27½
210
Da Spiky Mob with standard
Table Quarters
100
130
Da Fick Uns
95½
Da Blue Flash
200
Doh!
314
Da Hoofs of Fury with standard
72
Da Nomads
1228
1441½
Good game, good game...
So there's the final score! After a hard-fought battle the local lad and relative newcomer Robbie Lane squeaked a narrow victory over the established master Rob Broom. What a game! What a contest! Pity there wasn't any betting... so what did the players think? Did it all go to plan?
The Victor!
Wahey! I am victorious! It was a darn close thing, though - as soon as the Temple Guard ran, I thought it was all over - but thankfully the Terradons rallied in the last turn and I squeaked a narrow victory. I expected a tough game, as Rob is renowned for being rather a good player to say the least; I'm just thankful it's all over!
When I saw Rob's army and his deployment I was in good spirits; Lizardmen being Lizardmen, I was quite happy for my troops to mix it with Savage Orcs, who were sandwiched by the hill and the trees on their side. My deployment hinged around this; I left a Skink & Kroxigor unit on my left flank to counter any threat in that area, and placed my other main units facing the Savage Orcs. I knew he'd go for my Temple Guard with his General and Savage Orc infantry, but I was happy with this - they can take most charges, and then hopefully I would smack my Terradons into his side.
As it was it didn't quite go to plan - the Temple Guard would have broken and probably died if I hadn't managed to get Hand of Glory off - but they did a good job of holding up the Savage Orcs until my Terradons could get in. Those bloody Forest Goblins held up my Saurus Spearmen for two turns, which proved to be a nightmare; the Saurus were poised to hit the side of his General's unit, and twice the Forest Goblins passed break tests needing snake-eyes! I was dead unlucky not to kill the Savage Orc infantry, too - two of the rocks dropped by the Terradons were saved by the magic tattoos of the Orcs, and by the end of the game he had just the standard-bearer left.
The Loser!
Waaagh, curse Hand of Glory, the lads were set ready to charge but with no hope of the units fleeing because of the spell. Losing Flaminwand in the opening magic phase was not helpful either. The lads save was reduced and more importantly, I lost the staff of flaming death, which is great against skirmishing troops (you cannot use the general’s leadership). The squabbling spider riders hampered my plans, and losing the giant in a single round of combat (Robbie rolled two sixes doing D3 wounds with the Bone Blade- Aaagh!). Still the five forest goblins did a great job of slowing up the saurus warriors (remember what I said in the introduction), much to Robbies annoyance.
As for any army changes? Well the trolls will probably get dropped in favour of some Night Goblins and those lovely fanatics. It spoils the theme, but will make the army more competitive.
All said and done it was a great game, classical for Warhammer in that it ended up being several big brutal prolonged combats in the centre of the table. It was also as I predicated at the start, very close, so a rematch at some stage is definitely required.
It was a pleasure to finally get to play Robbie (and Smithy with his Wood Elves, who bore the brunt of an enraged Warlord Gronk after!) and meet the rest of the Mansfield crowd. Thanks for looking after me and looking forward to the next visit up already!
Thanks to you for reading that long report
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