Learning Tyranny- Emergency Ration's Gnoblog (now with pictures)

I'm new to Warhammer, so I figure I'll start here with descriptions of my first battles/current thoughts on them with my friend's dwarf army.


All battles take place against Dwarves, simple battle lines scenario. First two battles took place a couple of weeks ago, so forgive my vagueness. I'm going to try to keep a more detailed account of my next battle so I can post a detailed summary.

1st Battle, 1k points.

This was really just a 'learn how to play warhammer' battle, so I honestly can't tell you too much. I more or less fielded the battalion box and a gorger. Got in my own way in movement, still did alright versus the dwarves in this first match, ultimately lost by a little due to a desperate 15'' dwarf charge that actually worked.

2nd Battle, 1.5k (maybe 2k?) points

A friend showed up with his O&G army so we used his models to proxy a bigger army for me (including an ironblaster). I was much better at not getting in my own way, though the gnoblars did largely prevent my 9+ ogres from effectively joining the fight. My ironblaster worked great (killed his cannon and his general in two consecutive turns) and spurred me into going out and buying the model. I actually wound up winning this battle (thanks to the ironblaster, mostly)


3rd Battle, 2.5k

My first big battle, ran a force (roughly) the following. Note that I'm aware some of these choices are suboptimal (at best) or downright worthless (at worst) against dwarves, but I didn't want to run a specifically dwarf killing list since he wasn't running a specifically ogre killing list :

Lvl 4 SM, Lore of death (wanted to try it) fencers blades, greedfist, <something I don't remember
Bruiser BSB, Giantbreaker GW and some magic item/banner that didn't help much
Butcher- Level 2, maw
Firebelly, Level 2 - hellheart (worthless! woo)
8 Ogres, IF and FC
8 Ironguts, FC and Banner of Discipline
10 gnoblar trappers
1 gorger
1 Ironblaster
3x1 sabertusks
4 Scouting/Stubborn Maneaters who did not have ogrepistols...
6 Leadbelchers, musician.

Enemy list was (something like)
2x cannon
1 grudgethrower
1 organ gun
40ish hammerers (usually deployed deep-not in horde formation)
40ish gw warriors (usually deployed deep-not in horde formation)
40ish shield warriors (usually deployed deep-not in horde formation)
'unkillable' lord
runelord bsb 
1 gyrocopter


Summary of the battle : ow. That was dumb.

More detailed summary of battle: I royally screwed up deployment. The field was a bit crowded with buildings/impassible terrain so I did have to line up units to go down a few channels but I really think I would have been better served going down one side of the field rather than through the crowded middle. I also didn't deploy as far forward as possible, which meant longer time to get to the dwarves.

I clumsily put the maneaters in LoS and range of the Organ Gun, placed the ogres behind some really obnoxious terrain that largely prevented them from being useful, and had the gnoblars get in my own way. I also got the short end of a magic forest roll, which kept deciding to whack my leadbelchers I played in there for some extra wounds I didn't really need to lose.

My bad deployment meant his artillery had a great game asides from a dwarven cannon actually misfiring and blowing itself up. I don't recall his grudgethrower ever scattering and I just was torn up before I could even get into combat. The maneaters barely got to do anything before being blown to bits. The Gorger showed up and also promptly got a face full of Organ Gun. My kitties valiantly tried to slow the war machines, but I failed an 8+ charge roll on two of them.

I also wasted my ironblaster. I shot at his gyro when it got behind my line and started trying to be cute. I should have ignored it and fired at his cannons some more.

I admitted defeat at the end of the 3rd turn, having only managed to IF maw to kill some of his units with most of mine utterly devastated.


I did learn alot in this battle, which is to say 'how not to deploy against dwarves 101'. I did better in the more recent game. I also decided that I'd rather have more buffs than lore of death, though soulblight would have been great if he hadn't through 6 dice to stop it.


4th Game, 2.5k. took place last night, I didn't take notes so recalling this from memory.

Lists are roughly the same as above, though I turned my Slaughtermaster back to Lore of the Great Maw, gave the BSB the crown of command, and gave the maneaters brace of ogre pistols.

Summary : Better- still a loss. I got really lucky with his artillery being mostly worthless but unlucky with a few look out sirs and fairly easy leadership tests that I failed.

He deployed more in the corner this time, the middle was more open and we decided no mysterious terrain today.

I feel I deployed fairly well this time (better than last time anyway... which isn't saying much) asides from my first kitty being in the complete wrong corner. He only had one cannon that could hit my ironblaster, I denied him non obstructed shots to most of my heavier units and placed my maneaters just a hair out of charge range of the unit they intended to shoot and outside of the range of his organ gun.

He wins the roll to go first.

Dwarf Turn 1) He angles the shield warriors to face the maneaters and scoots them forward. The rest of his army shuffles a bit. His artillery is mostly, failing to wound the maneaters, placing a wound on the ironblaster, and missing otherwise.

Ogre Turn 1) Everyone moves forward except for the maneaters, who scoot back just enough to be outside of anything but a 12 on a charge roll from the dwarves. Nothing interesting happens in the magic phase, shooting phase the maneaters kill a few dwarves, so do the leadbelcher. Ironblaster misfires and spins around.

Dwarf Turn 2) No real movement. I think he killed a maneater with a cannon and  He hits my gnoblars with the organ gun, killing enough to trigger them panicing them through the leadbelchers (which I was actually happy with). His grudge thrower scatters off the leadbelchers and clips the gnoblars again (hah). Fails to wound the ironblaster

Ogre Turn 2) Gnoblars rally (woo!) everyone moves forward, one sabertusk charges a cannon, no interesting magic (I think I magic missle'd the warriors and killed one, everything else was shut down) and the same units shoot. Ironblaster puts a few wounds on his grudgethrower, maneaters and leadbelchers kill a few dwarves. Gorger shows up near a cannon and the flank of his gw warriors. My sabertusk failed to survive a single turn against their crew and was obliterated in close combat

Dwarf Turn 3)  I think he made a few mistakes in his movement here, He moved the shield warriors towards the maneaters, exposing their flank to the ironguts. He also moved his gw warriors towards the leadbelchers, exposing their flank to the gorger (I think he thought I was going to charge the cannon). Nothing really interesting happened in shooting (maybe a few wounds here and there)

Ogre turn 3) Everybody charges but the gnoblars (who slink behind a building and act worthless). 2 sabertusks are too far away to do anything really and charge the gyrocopter. Maneaters charge the shield warriors, ironguts charge their flank, ogres charge the hammerers, leadbelchers charge the gw warriors, gorger charges gw warriors. Everybody makes it but the leadbelchers and the ironguts and ogres both pulled off ogre charges. I got stubborn off for the ogres with IF, lost two caster levels on the SM and everything else was shut down in the magic phase. Ironblaster misfires again.

Close combat: Gorger kills some dwarves, they reform to face him in a horde. Ironguts and maneaters annihilate the shield warriors, maneaters run them down and into the back of the hammerers, ironguts reform to charge their flank (this was a mistake, by the time I got to my turn that unit had lost enough units I no longer had a flank to get to, should have reformed to charge a cannon- this cost me a turn).

Unkillable lord issues a challenge, crusher accepts it. Ogres win combat by a hair, but don't kill many units and no one breaks. Kitties and Gyrocopter engage in an epic fight of failing to wound.

Dwarf turn 4) tries to shoot the ironblaster, fails. Tries to shoot the unoccupied ironguts, achieve nothing. Close combat: Fails to kill the gorger, loses some dwarves. Kills a few maneaters and loses some dwarves to their hits and the ogres(champion combat doesn't do anything interesting). Kills a kitty with the gyrocopter and causes the other to flee (who will flee off the table eventually)

Ogre Turn 4) Leadbelchers successfully charge the flank of the gw warriors, Ironguts can't fit into combat with the hammerers and have no valid charge targets (oops) so choose to reform to deal with the cannons. Ironblaster kills the other cannon.

Close combat: Continue to whittle down the hammerers, but I'm starting to lose ogres at a dreadful pace. Leadbelcher/firebelly go to town on the flank of his gw warriors, winning handily even with the gorger getting wiped out by the horde. He rolls double twos on his break test, rolls the dice again and gets... snake eyes. They reform to face the leadbelchers.

Dwarf turn 5) Copter does something useless, Grudge thrower doesn't scatter on the ironguts. Hits the BSB. Fails his look out sir, goes squish. Hammerer combat continues, ogres lose but make the break test. Leadbelchers and firebelly lost combat, fail their fairly makeable break test and flee, outpacing the dwarves handily.

Ogre Turn 5) Ironguts charge a cannon, Ironblaster kills the stupid grudgethrower. SM tries to cast something and IF it, rolls a 3 on the miscast table and kills himself, wounds the cannon and his own unit. Ogres lose combat and break, outrunning the dwarves. Ironguts kill the cannon

Dwarf Turn 6) failure in the shooting phase, I think he killed an irongut. All charges fail, no close combat.

Ogre turn 6) I don't make any rally checks leadbelchers run off the board. The Ironguts can't do anything.

His general and BSB were still on the board, along with one seige weapon and two of his 3 hordes. I had some ironguts, gnoblars, the ironblaster, and a butcher and an ogre.



My thoughts in general at this point:

Dwarven defenses suck, can't get spells off reliably and those deep units of WS5 guys just suck to break. I'm unsure what tactics I could do to help break this (asides from getting more flanks)

I need to just ignore the gyrocopters, I'd have gotten more use from the kitties against almost anything else and its not really very effective against ogres.

Gorger has not been terribly useful, which is a pity.

Scouting Maneaters work better with pistols...

I need to actually get all the models finished I'm claiming (I usually used misc other models on a MI base for the maneaters/lords/heroes). I've got one conversion started but need to work on the rest.

Want some other unit types, but I want to be closer to done with my current set of units before I spend more. May cave and buy mournfang cavalry for bits and, y'know, mournfang cavalry. I do feel compelled to buy the firebelly model, cause I like him.


Anyway, any comments/thoughts are always appreciated. Thanks for reading, I'll try to get more pictures of the ironblaster (who's mostly painted) and the early phase butcher conversion up soonish.

A year and a half later and I suddenly feel like updating again. So much for blogging, I'm not good at that.


Anyway, rough summary of recent events.

6 or so local tournaments of 3 games each, various misc other games throughout. Running series of last place finishes - which, in the local scene, earns you a free dice block (because clearly, the dice was the problem).  However, the last two tournaments I entered I somehow won both. Go figure.

Anyway, this success - and the egging on from friends - has resulted in me bringing that list out to the Bayou Battles. The list :

SlaughterMaster -  level 4 Maw - fencers blades, glittering scales, greedy fist
Bruiser BSB - Heavy Armor, Ironfist, Warrior Bane, Dragonhelm, Crown of Command
Firebelly - Level 2, Gold Sigil Sword, Dispel Scroll, Ironcurse Icon

Ironguts x8 - Full Command, LookoutGnoblar, Standard of Discipline
Ogres x8 - Full Command, Ironfists
15x gnoblars, trappers
10x gnoblars, trappers
10x gnoblars, trappers

Sabertusk
Sabertusk
Sabertusk

6xManeaters, Full Command, LookoutGnoblar, DragonhideBanner, 6x Brace of Ogre Pistols, Heavy Armor - posion, sniper

Ironblaster
Ironblaster


I've had a great deal of success with this list, so I've got high hopes (and realistic expectations that I'm going to get ground into a fine paste)


Painting is still a work in progress, I've got all of the ogres, ironguts, sabertusks and ironblasters painted , half the maneaters, half the gnoblars, and none of the characters (slaaacker) and two weeks to do so. Pictures once I get more done. The maneaters are effectively just ogres with guns and various misc bits I acquired from friends, but they amuse me.

Interesting list. I'm wondering - how do the gnobs work for you? Do you use them as shields?

I can't wait to hear the results of this next tournament.  I like the list.  Its certainly not like ones I've read about or seen in battle reports but itseem so outlandish that it won't work, and from what you've said, you've won quite a bit with that list anyways.  I wouldn't put it past you to create a list that wins constantly considering all the advice you've given me.

Also can't wait to see those bad boys painted!

Generally, I deploy my ogres heavy to one side with the gnoblars, sabertusks, and ironblasters being huge annoyances to guard my flank. If I can get the gnoblars in front of a horde of anything I'll call it a win as the dangerous terrain test usually results in them making their points back.

After a whole lot of poor choices with gnoblars, I've started to remember to assume they are always going to die in one round of combat, so I set up overruns appropriately. I also try to get them lined up against single wound models (or chariots...) - they don't do jack against monsterous infantry or monsters.


I occasionally wish for more wounds kicking around in the units, but the Maneaters generally try to sneak into sniper range to pick of a squishy wizard here or there and then charge in to support after the two core ogre units get in.


I recently acquired a Stonehorn/Thundertusk - I'm intending to build it as the Thunertusk, I tried a friends Stornhone and really didn't like it. I'm intending to hop him into a variant of this list after Bayou Battles

Idle side note, I just want to plug a guy in my area's army - I only wish I could paint/model this well

http://thebeerwaaagh.blogspot.com/2013/07/qcr-army-of-darkness.html

So I went 3-1-1, totally should have been 4-1 but I decided I hadn't made any exceptionally boneheaded moves so I made one on the last turn of the last game to pull a draw out from a victory.

Speedy summaries, since I didn't write down every detail:


1st Game-  High Elves :

Really fluffy list-  had a named character who could give wounds back to other characters hiding in some sea guard. Core Sea Guard, some archers with a Handmaiden, a few chariots, one of the flying chariots, some bows.

My maneaters sniped a few of his extra casters and proceeded to get filled with arrows. After a poorly advised overrun, my irongut block was double charged but proceeded to win combat, run off one group and reform to beat the tar out of the other one. One of the scenario rules caused his lion chariot to take a dangerous terrian test, fail, and proceed to die.

Result: Victory, full points

Commentary: Ogre toughness really shined here, he had nothing that could reliably hurt my guys. Fun game though.

MVP: Ironguts.


2nd Game - Empire:

Large group of Halberds with a detachment of more halberds (and misc other characters) and some crossbowmen, 2 cannons, a steam tank, both buff chariots and some reiksguard knights with a warrior priest.

I'd seen a slightly nastier version of this list before, so I had some idea how to handle this. Maneaters sniped the warrior priest, doing one wound. He later failed a dangerous terrain test while charging gnoblars. My Maneaters, however, then proceeded to panic and run through one of my ironblaster. Bye guys!

My ogres and Ironguts took the long way around the board while my gnoblars dared the huge blocks to charge them, after beating through the crossbowmen and the steam tank the ironguts and the main halberds block beat the heck out of each other for a few rounds of combat -> trollguts turned the battle here and I managed to kill the last halberd on the last combat to get me enough points to win.

Result- Victory, 17/20 points since I didn't have quite enough points to get the extra victory points.

Commentary : Fortunate spellcasting and gnoblar interference gave me the time I needed to get my blocks in. This match was closer than I wanted it to be, since my maneaters ran off without doing anything useful. I really wish I'd been able to drop his buff carts to make that brutal combat easier.

MVP: Gnoblars! followed by ironguts


3rd Opponent - Dark Elves:

2 Hydras, cauldron of blood, BSB on a cold one with a block of executioners and some archers both mounted and not.

This game went south immediately, when I rolled spells for my slaughtermaster the dice came up 1 2 4 6... no regen, no toughness. Just... terrible spell choices, I did get flaming sword on my slaughtermaster, which counts for something. There was also a building right in front of his deployment zone, which I should have never allowed him to be close to.

My Maneaters sniped his bsb on turn one, which was great. However, from that point on it went terrible for me. Failed charges, no decent targets for the ironblasters (bounced a few shots off the cauldrons, but he made 3 4+ wards ). It all went south when my ogres got flanked charged by a hydra, failed a rerollable 9 leadership, paniced my ironguts on a leadership 9 rerollable, and got caught due to a scenario rule (I rolled an 11, he rolled a 10, but the scenario rules says a 10 on a charge/pursuit always caught- amongst other things). My Ironguts and characters recovered, and spent the rest of the game getting pincushioned by not wounded.

Result : Loss, I did get a few pity points from the scenario though since my general lived.

Commentary: Ugh, I misdeployed, rolled terrible spells, and played this list wrong (along with allowing him a building). Maneaters did fairly well, but the heroes (if I have any) are gnoblars and ogre toughness.

MVP: Gnoblars. Seriously. One unit ran off a war machine crew, and the other one did what my maneater captain could not : Killed a hydra! That's right, my last two gnoblars (with flaming sword of ruin) killed a hydra. They then got a faceful of arrows for their troubles.



Game 4 : Skaven -

One warp lightning cannon, one of the catapults, screaming bell, hellpit abom, huge blocks of clanrats and slaves, misc engineers and the storm banner.

This is a wonky scenario - there are 3 'babes' on the field, you've got to control them to win, victory points don't matter.

This game mostly turned on two things : My ogres managed to kill the hellpit, which stayed dead, and I got trollguts off without irrestable force 4 turns in a row. With a huge mess of a combat in the middle, I killed the screaming bell unit and his rats broke and dropped their babe, winning me the scenario.

Commentary: Ugh, rats. His magics phases were terrible, which helped me alot. The storm banner mucked up his shooting worse than mine and he could not wound my ogres once again. I was lucky that his clanrats broke on a 10.

MVP: Ogres - the killed the hellpit, and they also killed the bsb out of his screaming bell unit.


Game 5 : Tomb Kings.

He had the Grand Heirophant, big block of tomb guard, and a bunch of other small units of archers/scorpions/chariots.

This game started out great, I sniped the heirophant out of his unit on turn two, and his army started to crumble. It went to hell after that for me. Terrible magic phases, inability to roll anything higher than a 4 on charges,  failure to roll a leadership 7, and a decision so mind numbingly terrible by me at the end of the game I cost myself a win. So even after all of the above, I was doing great, I had broken his tomb guard, he one one set of chariots sneaking up on the back. For reasons I can't explain, I charged them with my slaughtermaster. I lost combat (because he was in with a gnoblar unit) and broke and was caught. there was NO REASON FOR THAT CHARGE, I had won, he couldn't catch me at that point, and I had more than enough points alive for a victory. Ugh, I'm gonna be mad about that crap for a while.

Commentary : Many many poor decisions here, I let my ogres get out of bsb/general range, which was one of my mistakes (bad deployment is at fault here). I also was utterly moronic in forgetting that gnoblars give combat res and I shouldn't join a fight with them on a non stubborn unit (even dumber, I charged them 2x2, since I'd reformed to that to get more wounds on another unit). Yarr, terrible decision was terrible, Very unhappy with myself.

MVP: Maneaters. Sniped the heirophant, managed to get something useful out of a botched combo charge and killed the necrotech before they died to the tomb guard counter swing.




Overall, I had a great time, the armies there are some phenomenally painted and the people are great. I highly encourage anyone to go to it.

I also learned quite a bit and thought my list did really well. I'm going to remove the dragonhide from the maneaters and give them a gleaming pendant instead. I may reduce the size of the ogre unit and buy... something?


I didn't take many pictures of the games (too distracted to), but I will get some photos of my (fully painted, at least) army up soon.

That's brutal bro.  But you've picked out the flaws and I'm sure that next time, you'll be barreling through  those puny Tomb Kings, and have Cold One meat for lunch! Still waiting on pictures! lol

All the pictures!

Everything needs better basing, I just speed used a texture paint and called it good enough for speed work. I could probably stand to highlight...everything and about half the gnoblars still need washing. I'm completely open for comments/critiques though so go ahead

http://s1366.photobucket.com/user/menshi/library/




























Geeze, nothing like close up photos to make you realized you missed a spot

More pictures, recently painted leadies... Won't win any golden demons, but shouldn't visually offend anyone either.

Figured how to do eyes... sorta, now I gotta go back and fix the rest of my ogres so they actually look at things and not do the stupid white eye things.

Bases still need work, its on the todo list...  I also need work at taking pictures

Now, in progress painting threads, crossposting from Monthly paint challenge


Started with this primed fellow.


Tried to get a fairly basic base coat on him, I'm not sure this guy has enough random bones on him. He also looks like he got sunburned. Next step is some washing and a layer of lighter flesh, once I find time to sit down and paint. I also dotted a few various spots with bronze after I took these pic.








He's being done the way I've largely painted everything, base coat, touch up, wash, details, wash, be done.

He is being done in bugman's glow flesh rather than tallarn flesh, simply because I'm planning on trying to get his flesh color up to a more pale elf flesh and I want that redish basing. I'm not quite sure how it'll work out, but he should be notably paler than the rest of my ogres, which is the goal here

Looking good! That Gorger should pop nicely with a wash and some lighter flesh.
Picking out all of those bones is a pain, every time I thought I was through I found another five left untouched. 

Whenever you get back around to basing I think you'll find it will brighten your army considerably. I really dig the texture paint for basing, it's easy to work with and drybrushes up nicely.