06 Apr 2014
Hey guys
Second game with the 'Beastmaster' list I've been experimenting with and heavily inspired from Silas 7. Apologies for the very dark photos however, night time play isn't good on the Iphones it seems.
Ogre Kingdoms vs. Dark Elves
============================
Overview
--------
Date played: Friday, 4 April 2014
Ogre Kingdoms
-------------
(S1) Slaughtermaster
- Gold Sigil Sword, Earthing Rod, Armour of Destiny, Level 4, Lore of Beasts (Wyssan's Wildform, Curse, Amber spear, Savage Beast)
(B1) Bruiser
- BSB, Enchanted Shield, Talisman of Preservation
(B2) Butcher
- Forbidden Rod, Lore of the Great Maw (Toothcracker)
(B3) Butcher
- Armour of Fortune, Ironcurse Icon, Dragonbane Gem, Lore of Beasts (Wyssan's Wildform, Flock of Doom)
(I) 6 Ironguts
- Standard, Musician, Standard of Discipline, Look-Out Gnoblar
(O1) 6 Ogres
- Standard, Musician, Ironfists, Look-Out Gnoblar
(O2) 6 Ogres
- Standard, Musician, Ironfists, Look-Out Gnoblar
(M) 6 Maneaters
- Standard, Muscian, Brace of Pistols, Banner of Eternal Flame, Stubborn, Poison Attacks
(MC1) 4 Mournfang Cavalry
- Standard, Musician, Ironfists, Heavy Armour, Gleaming Pendant
(S2) Sabretusk
(S3) Sabretusk
(S4) Sabretusk
Dark Elves
----------
(SS) Supreme Sorceress
- Lore of Dark Magic (Power of Darkness, Word of Pain, Shroud of Despair, Soul Stealer), Level 4, Talisman of Preservation, Dispel Scroll
(M) Master
- BSB, Dark Steed, Dragon Cloak, Shield, Armour of Fortune,
(COK1) 9 Cold One Knights
- Full Command
(COK2) 9 Cold One Knights
- Full Command
(DR1) 5 Dark Riders
- Repeater Crossbows, Shields, Musician
(DR2) 5 Dark Riders
- Repeater Crossbows, Shields, Musician
(D) 18 Darkshards
- Shields, Full Command, Banner of Eternal Flame
(C) 20 Corsairs
- Full Command, Banner of Swiftness
(COC) Cold One Chariot
(DW1) 5 Doomfire Warlocks
(DW2) 5 Doomfire Warlocks
(RBT1) Repeater Bolt Thrower
(RBT2) Repeater Bolt Thrower
(RBT3) Repeater Bolt Thrower
Deployment
----------
Going into this battle I knew my opponent would be looking to see where my units would go, he started with his Dark Riders first which I pretty much ignored taking account of the terrain and guessing where his Cold One Knights would go and where the Supreme Sorceress would be hanging out. Ideally I wanted to take her out of the equation quickly before using my tool kit to undo the Cold One Knights. If I could keep wyssan's up on key targets then I'd mititgate most of the shooting damage my army would take. The Bolt Throwers would be the initial targets meaning I'd only have to worry about S3 shots.
Turn 1 - Ogre Kingdoms
----------------------
With the signal given to advance the Ogres started with a steady pace towards the enemy. The Ogres had been marching through the deserts for days and a gourmet meal of Roast Naggarothi would be a treat. The Winds of magic gentle saturate the battlefield and the eager Beast Buthcher embraces what little power he has targetting the enemy war machine with a flock of doom which drops a crew member. The power however is too much for the Buthcer to contend with and the other magic users in the army begin to bleed from the nose and eyes. The Maneaters seeing the last crew member about to unleash a deadly volley take careful aim and snap fire revealing the first war machine is a broken splinter after the smoke clears from the deadly gunpowder barrage.
Turn 1 - Dark Elves
-------------------
The Dark Elves begin thei infamous encircling of the opponents intent on taking some Ogre slaves for the arks. The magical winds of the north pick up with a wild gust infusing the Sorceress with great power (12 vs 6). Soul Stealer is attempted onto the Ironguts however after the black cloud disppears the Ogres are apparently unimpressed picking their noses and receiving no damage. Soulblight onto the Maneaters fails to materialise. Furious with her subordinates the Supreme Sorceress casts Power of Darkness adding more power to her casting abilities (+2 Power Dice). The second unit of Warlocks attempt Soulblight and Doombolt are all stopped by the Slaughtermaster evidently unimpressed with the opponent's magic. The Darkshards and Dark Riders waste no time in unleashing their deadly black barbs all inflicting damage into the Mournfang Cavalry and the Western Ogres (4 wounds a piece to each unit!).
Turn 2 - Ogre Kingdoms
----------------------
The Ogres without waiting for orders charge into the Dark Riders who confused only a single unit is engaging them elect to hold their position. The Sabretusks rush into position to sniff out the best cuts of meat. The magical winds continue to blow fairly strongly on the battlefield however this time it's the Slaughtmaster infused with power. Wildform is attempted onto the Maneaters however the Sorceress is quick to stop this, intent on inflicting more damage on the ranged elements of the enemy army. Curse of Anarahier is attempted onto the Cold One Knights however the Dark Elves magical defences prove to be more than effective in shutting this down. Wildform is attempted again onto the Mournfang which goes through easily enough before an Amber Spear strikes the Cold One Chariot for minimal damage (1 W!). The Maneaters seek out opportune targets dropping 3 Warlocks. The massive bulk and furious charge of the Ogres is more than enough to rip the Dark Riders from their saddles. The Ogres start to contemplate the many different marinades for the fresh meat.
Turn 2 - Dark Elves
-------------------
With no choice the Cold One Chariot slams into the flank of the Sabretusk who is busy howling insults at the Cold One Knights. The Corsairs swift reform and rush back away from the Maneaters whilst the Supreme Sorceress sensing a change in the battle leaves her Darkshards withdrawing behind the wall of armour. Magical dominance is unable to be achieved as the Sorceress is unable to harness much magical power (3 vs 2). Soulblight onto the Ironguts fails to achieve the effect the Dark Elves are after whilst Power of Darkness is easily snuffed out by the Slaughtermaster salivating at the idea of adding the Supreme Sorceress to his Baked Pot Pie on tonight's menu. Shooting once again proves to be the Dark Elves strengths as many black fletched arrows hit their targets inflicting casualties onto the Mournfang, the Ironguts and the Sabretusk lurking in front of the Cold One Knights drops in a hail of crossbow bolts. The Cold One Chariot tramples across the Sabretusk leaving a pulp of bloody fur however the momentum of the Cold Ones carries the chariot in front of the nearby Mournfang Cavalry.
Turn 3 - Ogre Kingdoms
----------------------
With a spine chilling roar the Mournfang Cavalry charge into the chariots flank whilst the Ironguts can't resist the idea of getting closer to the Sorceress and close ranks with the Cold One Knights. The Maneaters turn to face the pesky Warlocks for the last time reloading their weapons whilst the Ogres leave the safety of the building to take out the second bolt thrower. Winds of magic prove to be weak however the Maw Butcher chants an arcane tongue and his Forbidden Rod saturates the battlefield in a eerie blue light engulfing the Ogre spellcasters with much needed power. The Slaughtermaster wastes no time with this new found power and casts curse onto the Cold one Knights however his enthusiasm gets the better of him nearly detonating himself and taking out a few Knights. Flock of Doom is attempted on the lurking Sorceress however with a simple hand gesture she prevents the spell from coming nearby. The Slaughtermaster attempts Savage Beast to aid in the upcoming combat but the Sorceress mutters writings from an ancient scroll as it disintergrates in her hands dissipating the arcane energies.
The Maneaters take careful aim at the Warlocks filling them full of shot as they crash into the sands kicking up some dust.
The Ironguts take some damage from the lances charging into the combat (4 wounds) before swinging their massive weapons dropping 4 knights into the desert sands. The Slaughtmaster locks weapons with the enemy Master proving to be a stale mate. The Mournfang Cavalry however easily make firewood of the Cold One Chariot and their momentum continues them slamming into the Darkshards.
Turn 3 - Dark Elves
-------------------
The Warlocks seeing an opportunity charge into the rear of the Mournfang Cavalry. The Corsairs move further to shield the Dark Elves magic user whilst the Cold One Knights move to engage the Mournfang. The Arcane winds blow (7 vs 5) and the Warlocks gets to work immediately on turning the situation around with a massive casting of Soulblight (6 dice - IF) sapping the strength of all Ogre units nearby. The Slaughtermaster then prevents the Sorceress from casting Power of Darkness. The Mournfang Cavalry continue their stampede with impact hits and various graphic goring of the Darkshards leaving nothing but stained earth. Completely oblivious to the mosquito like annoyance of the Warlocks stabbing the Mournfangs thick hides the beasts turn to face the Cold One Knights as the Warlocks completely have their morale broken and regroup. The Ironguts continue to chew into the Cold One Knights numbers not before taking some casualties of their own.
Turn 4 - Ogre Kingdoms
----------------------
The Mournfang come to the aid of their general slamming into the flank of the Knights as the Ogres also attack from the other flank. The Ogres on the left flank close ranks with the Dark Riders with their end goal to gain some much needed fire wood from the bolt thrower for their feasts into the night. The Maneaters turn their attention to the fleeing Warlocks loving the sporting chance to inflict more casualties with their firepower. The Ogres harness their magical power (9 vs 4) as the Beast Butcher attempts Wildform onto the Mournfang Cavalry, the Sorceress dispels this and then the Slaughtermaster not satisfied shows the Butcher the correct application of the spell easily shattering the Dark Elves magical defence at a cost of sucking the remaining power (IF) from the air.
The Maneaters drop a single Warlock from their barrage of fire whilst the Ogres on the left flank easily shatter the Dark Riders through impact hits and wild swings with clubs and edged weapons. Their momentum carries them into the fire wood they seek.
The Cold One Knights fair little better, with the fresh chargers assisting the Ogres the impact hits and aggression cut down the majority of the unit. The remaining member turns to flee however the impetuous Mournfang are quick to chase down the enemy unit mashing the polished armour and green hides of the Cold Ones into the heated surface of the desert.
Turn 4 - Dark Elves
-------------------
The Corsairs don't wait for the signal from their general and rush into the flank of the exposed Irongut unit. If they could wipe this unit out then the battle could be turned. The Cold One Knights are unable to assist as the remaining Sabretusk busy consuming his kins entrails is the target of their charge. The Winds of Magic blow strongly as the Supreme Sorceress clearly on the back foot struggles to concentrate. The Warlocks however waste no time casting Soulblight however their power escapes them and they're unable to call upon the magical aid. Shroud of Darkness begins to surround the Ironguts until the Slaughtermaster seemingly unimpressed with the showcase of Dark Magic belches forth ancient syllables of the most guttural tones and the dark cloud wisps away.
The Ogres crush the Bolt Thrower under foot gather more fire wood whilst the Sabretusk is easily cut down by the Knights. The Ogre Bruiser however locks his shield into place taking no damage from the Corsairs before dishing out enough in return to gain nil effect on his confidence. The Ogres turn to face their dessert....
Result - Ogre Kingdoms Victory.
Conclusion - Thanks for reading firstly. My opponent was pressed for time and we had to call it at the top of Turn 4 however I think I would have snuck away with a victory. A very enjoyable game against the new Dark Elves which was a very fast MSU'ish type of list. I've been talking to my friend who runs the list and I was expecting 3 units of 6 Knights which I think would have been the better setup, I don't have enough Sabretusks to contain that amount of pain! Firstly deployment. I wanted to get the Maneaters opposite a Bolt Thrower or two to ensure I could take them out of the equation all whilst not presenting a flank with the Mournfang. I did a good job on that but not a good job on passing 3+ armour saves with the Mournfang. I'll have to work on that!
Rundown:
Speaking of which, let's touch on magic. I liked the forbidden rod inclusion and am surprised it's not a common go to like the hell heart. It's random however so is every other ogre arcane item. It only gave me 2 dice this game so nothing overly huge however it did allow me to get the potentially game winning spell off and keep it on long enough to maul 700+ points of the enemy army. The general strategy will be in the opening turns to cast wildform twice to protect the first wave from small arms fire, wasn't anything outside of cannons in this instance but also allows some more survivability in combats should the enemy charge. I could have taken amber spear but decided against it because of all of the magic resistance floating about but outside of the Maneaters I think it will become my go to ranged weapon of choice. The level 1 rolled the sixth spell which is hardly useful at the best of times so it was dropped for spine marrow which actually isn't a bad choice for this type of list I think and can see a lot of use for it in the future.
Once in combat I think it's a choice between savage beast if I need to decimate the opponent and stack wildform, or alternatively if I'm running all characters in a single unit a powered up panns can be tough to deal with and minimise damage. Transformation of Kadon as well to suit and I find I've got a fairly flexible magic phase. I do like the fact that the MFC effectively get wildform cast on them with a 9+ with the slaughter master due to the lore attribute, such a shame it doesn't effect monstrous infantry however!!
Quick run down on key points:
SM - Great loadout again and I challenged the enemy BSB which was great as it denied him re-rolls. He didn't take any damage outside of Miscasts (I miscasted every single turn!) but can see the imporantce of an Ironfist against S3 so I need to find some room for that. Big slap on the wrist for myself - in turn 3 I threw 6 Dice at Savage Beast and with a 23%ish chance of getting it, that left a 77% chance for the Dispel Scroll to get used. One of those 'doh' moments that I knew I tripped up as soon as the dice left my hand. Rather a double Wildform or Wildform/Savage Beast would have been the better spells to use forcing something through at least. Certainly keep that in mind rather than using 6 dice to draw a scroll out in a fairly critical combat.
Butcher - Having Flock of Doom was the 'ideal' spell to deal with T3 elves however I didn't get the chance to really use it that much. Still it assisted in reducing incoming fire from the Dark Elves and it's such a cheap spell.
Core - Behaved well this game. The Ironguts however provided some massive air swings against the Cold One Knights which is frustrating but it's going to happen. I was nearly going to put Curse on the engaged Cold One Knights but they'd still be getting their re-rolls but as it turns out it would have been much better to do anyway.
MFC - I couldn't believe how much shooting damage these guys took, although I was failing the armour saves very consistently. This shows how potent the unit is, they were reduced to 50% and still took out a chariot and the unit of Darkshards then won the Cold One Knight combat. Between them and the Sabretusks they were the real performers in the list.
Maneaters - Stubborn didn't come into play at all however they did drop the RBT on their flank and take out a unit of Warlocks. I could have ignored the Warlocks all together and stomped up hard after the Corsairs which would have been an interesting scenario as it meant the Sorceress had no way out of that predicament but of course it left the second unit of Warlocks completely unchecked.
Sabretusks - They won the game for me, or more so they lost it for my opponent. After the game he learned a valuable lesson, and that is to target these guys first with magic and shooting. As seen above they dictated the combats, they prevented his hammers from getting into combat and cavalry taking charges isn't nearly as impressive as cavalry charging (however the Ironguts air swinging nearly disagreed).
Thanks for reading.
Second game with the 'Beastmaster' list I've been experimenting with and heavily inspired from Silas 7. Apologies for the very dark photos however, night time play isn't good on the Iphones it seems.
Ogre Kingdoms vs. Dark Elves
============================
Overview
--------
Date played: Friday, 4 April 2014
Ogre Kingdoms
-------------
(S1) Slaughtermaster
- Gold Sigil Sword, Earthing Rod, Armour of Destiny, Level 4, Lore of Beasts (Wyssan's Wildform, Curse, Amber spear, Savage Beast)
(B1) Bruiser
- BSB, Enchanted Shield, Talisman of Preservation
(B2) Butcher
- Forbidden Rod, Lore of the Great Maw (Toothcracker)
(B3) Butcher
- Armour of Fortune, Ironcurse Icon, Dragonbane Gem, Lore of Beasts (Wyssan's Wildform, Flock of Doom)
(I) 6 Ironguts
- Standard, Musician, Standard of Discipline, Look-Out Gnoblar
(O1) 6 Ogres
- Standard, Musician, Ironfists, Look-Out Gnoblar
(O2) 6 Ogres
- Standard, Musician, Ironfists, Look-Out Gnoblar
(M) 6 Maneaters
- Standard, Muscian, Brace of Pistols, Banner of Eternal Flame, Stubborn, Poison Attacks
(MC1) 4 Mournfang Cavalry
- Standard, Musician, Ironfists, Heavy Armour, Gleaming Pendant
(S2) Sabretusk
(S3) Sabretusk
(S4) Sabretusk
Dark Elves
----------
(SS) Supreme Sorceress
- Lore of Dark Magic (Power of Darkness, Word of Pain, Shroud of Despair, Soul Stealer), Level 4, Talisman of Preservation, Dispel Scroll
(M) Master
- BSB, Dark Steed, Dragon Cloak, Shield, Armour of Fortune,
(COK1) 9 Cold One Knights
- Full Command
(COK2) 9 Cold One Knights
- Full Command
(DR1) 5 Dark Riders
- Repeater Crossbows, Shields, Musician
(DR2) 5 Dark Riders
- Repeater Crossbows, Shields, Musician
(D) 18 Darkshards
- Shields, Full Command, Banner of Eternal Flame
(C) 20 Corsairs
- Full Command, Banner of Swiftness
(COC) Cold One Chariot
(DW1) 5 Doomfire Warlocks
(DW2) 5 Doomfire Warlocks
(RBT1) Repeater Bolt Thrower
(RBT2) Repeater Bolt Thrower
(RBT3) Repeater Bolt Thrower
Deployment
----------
Going into this battle I knew my opponent would be looking to see where my units would go, he started with his Dark Riders first which I pretty much ignored taking account of the terrain and guessing where his Cold One Knights would go and where the Supreme Sorceress would be hanging out. Ideally I wanted to take her out of the equation quickly before using my tool kit to undo the Cold One Knights. If I could keep wyssan's up on key targets then I'd mititgate most of the shooting damage my army would take. The Bolt Throwers would be the initial targets meaning I'd only have to worry about S3 shots.
Turn 1 - Ogre Kingdoms
----------------------
With the signal given to advance the Ogres started with a steady pace towards the enemy. The Ogres had been marching through the deserts for days and a gourmet meal of Roast Naggarothi would be a treat. The Winds of magic gentle saturate the battlefield and the eager Beast Buthcher embraces what little power he has targetting the enemy war machine with a flock of doom which drops a crew member. The power however is too much for the Buthcer to contend with and the other magic users in the army begin to bleed from the nose and eyes. The Maneaters seeing the last crew member about to unleash a deadly volley take careful aim and snap fire revealing the first war machine is a broken splinter after the smoke clears from the deadly gunpowder barrage.
Turn 1 - Dark Elves
-------------------
The Dark Elves begin thei infamous encircling of the opponents intent on taking some Ogre slaves for the arks. The magical winds of the north pick up with a wild gust infusing the Sorceress with great power (12 vs 6). Soul Stealer is attempted onto the Ironguts however after the black cloud disppears the Ogres are apparently unimpressed picking their noses and receiving no damage. Soulblight onto the Maneaters fails to materialise. Furious with her subordinates the Supreme Sorceress casts Power of Darkness adding more power to her casting abilities (+2 Power Dice). The second unit of Warlocks attempt Soulblight and Doombolt are all stopped by the Slaughtermaster evidently unimpressed with the opponent's magic. The Darkshards and Dark Riders waste no time in unleashing their deadly black barbs all inflicting damage into the Mournfang Cavalry and the Western Ogres (4 wounds a piece to each unit!).
Turn 2 - Ogre Kingdoms
----------------------
The Ogres without waiting for orders charge into the Dark Riders who confused only a single unit is engaging them elect to hold their position. The Sabretusks rush into position to sniff out the best cuts of meat. The magical winds continue to blow fairly strongly on the battlefield however this time it's the Slaughtmaster infused with power. Wildform is attempted onto the Maneaters however the Sorceress is quick to stop this, intent on inflicting more damage on the ranged elements of the enemy army. Curse of Anarahier is attempted onto the Cold One Knights however the Dark Elves magical defences prove to be more than effective in shutting this down. Wildform is attempted again onto the Mournfang which goes through easily enough before an Amber Spear strikes the Cold One Chariot for minimal damage (1 W!). The Maneaters seek out opportune targets dropping 3 Warlocks. The massive bulk and furious charge of the Ogres is more than enough to rip the Dark Riders from their saddles. The Ogres start to contemplate the many different marinades for the fresh meat.
Turn 2 - Dark Elves
-------------------
With no choice the Cold One Chariot slams into the flank of the Sabretusk who is busy howling insults at the Cold One Knights. The Corsairs swift reform and rush back away from the Maneaters whilst the Supreme Sorceress sensing a change in the battle leaves her Darkshards withdrawing behind the wall of armour. Magical dominance is unable to be achieved as the Sorceress is unable to harness much magical power (3 vs 2). Soulblight onto the Ironguts fails to achieve the effect the Dark Elves are after whilst Power of Darkness is easily snuffed out by the Slaughtermaster salivating at the idea of adding the Supreme Sorceress to his Baked Pot Pie on tonight's menu. Shooting once again proves to be the Dark Elves strengths as many black fletched arrows hit their targets inflicting casualties onto the Mournfang, the Ironguts and the Sabretusk lurking in front of the Cold One Knights drops in a hail of crossbow bolts. The Cold One Chariot tramples across the Sabretusk leaving a pulp of bloody fur however the momentum of the Cold Ones carries the chariot in front of the nearby Mournfang Cavalry.
Turn 3 - Ogre Kingdoms
----------------------
With a spine chilling roar the Mournfang Cavalry charge into the chariots flank whilst the Ironguts can't resist the idea of getting closer to the Sorceress and close ranks with the Cold One Knights. The Maneaters turn to face the pesky Warlocks for the last time reloading their weapons whilst the Ogres leave the safety of the building to take out the second bolt thrower. Winds of magic prove to be weak however the Maw Butcher chants an arcane tongue and his Forbidden Rod saturates the battlefield in a eerie blue light engulfing the Ogre spellcasters with much needed power. The Slaughtermaster wastes no time with this new found power and casts curse onto the Cold one Knights however his enthusiasm gets the better of him nearly detonating himself and taking out a few Knights. Flock of Doom is attempted on the lurking Sorceress however with a simple hand gesture she prevents the spell from coming nearby. The Slaughtermaster attempts Savage Beast to aid in the upcoming combat but the Sorceress mutters writings from an ancient scroll as it disintergrates in her hands dissipating the arcane energies.
The Maneaters take careful aim at the Warlocks filling them full of shot as they crash into the sands kicking up some dust.
The Ironguts take some damage from the lances charging into the combat (4 wounds) before swinging their massive weapons dropping 4 knights into the desert sands. The Slaughtmaster locks weapons with the enemy Master proving to be a stale mate. The Mournfang Cavalry however easily make firewood of the Cold One Chariot and their momentum continues them slamming into the Darkshards.
Turn 3 - Dark Elves
-------------------
The Warlocks seeing an opportunity charge into the rear of the Mournfang Cavalry. The Corsairs move further to shield the Dark Elves magic user whilst the Cold One Knights move to engage the Mournfang. The Arcane winds blow (7 vs 5) and the Warlocks gets to work immediately on turning the situation around with a massive casting of Soulblight (6 dice - IF) sapping the strength of all Ogre units nearby. The Slaughtermaster then prevents the Sorceress from casting Power of Darkness. The Mournfang Cavalry continue their stampede with impact hits and various graphic goring of the Darkshards leaving nothing but stained earth. Completely oblivious to the mosquito like annoyance of the Warlocks stabbing the Mournfangs thick hides the beasts turn to face the Cold One Knights as the Warlocks completely have their morale broken and regroup. The Ironguts continue to chew into the Cold One Knights numbers not before taking some casualties of their own.
Turn 4 - Ogre Kingdoms
----------------------
The Mournfang come to the aid of their general slamming into the flank of the Knights as the Ogres also attack from the other flank. The Ogres on the left flank close ranks with the Dark Riders with their end goal to gain some much needed fire wood from the bolt thrower for their feasts into the night. The Maneaters turn their attention to the fleeing Warlocks loving the sporting chance to inflict more casualties with their firepower. The Ogres harness their magical power (9 vs 4) as the Beast Butcher attempts Wildform onto the Mournfang Cavalry, the Sorceress dispels this and then the Slaughtermaster not satisfied shows the Butcher the correct application of the spell easily shattering the Dark Elves magical defence at a cost of sucking the remaining power (IF) from the air.
The Maneaters drop a single Warlock from their barrage of fire whilst the Ogres on the left flank easily shatter the Dark Riders through impact hits and wild swings with clubs and edged weapons. Their momentum carries them into the fire wood they seek.
The Cold One Knights fair little better, with the fresh chargers assisting the Ogres the impact hits and aggression cut down the majority of the unit. The remaining member turns to flee however the impetuous Mournfang are quick to chase down the enemy unit mashing the polished armour and green hides of the Cold Ones into the heated surface of the desert.
Turn 4 - Dark Elves
-------------------
The Corsairs don't wait for the signal from their general and rush into the flank of the exposed Irongut unit. If they could wipe this unit out then the battle could be turned. The Cold One Knights are unable to assist as the remaining Sabretusk busy consuming his kins entrails is the target of their charge. The Winds of Magic blow strongly as the Supreme Sorceress clearly on the back foot struggles to concentrate. The Warlocks however waste no time casting Soulblight however their power escapes them and they're unable to call upon the magical aid. Shroud of Darkness begins to surround the Ironguts until the Slaughtermaster seemingly unimpressed with the showcase of Dark Magic belches forth ancient syllables of the most guttural tones and the dark cloud wisps away.
The Ogres crush the Bolt Thrower under foot gather more fire wood whilst the Sabretusk is easily cut down by the Knights. The Ogre Bruiser however locks his shield into place taking no damage from the Corsairs before dishing out enough in return to gain nil effect on his confidence. The Ogres turn to face their dessert....
Result - Ogre Kingdoms Victory.
Conclusion - Thanks for reading firstly. My opponent was pressed for time and we had to call it at the top of Turn 4 however I think I would have snuck away with a victory. A very enjoyable game against the new Dark Elves which was a very fast MSU'ish type of list. I've been talking to my friend who runs the list and I was expecting 3 units of 6 Knights which I think would have been the better setup, I don't have enough Sabretusks to contain that amount of pain! Firstly deployment. I wanted to get the Maneaters opposite a Bolt Thrower or two to ensure I could take them out of the equation all whilst not presenting a flank with the Mournfang. I did a good job on that but not a good job on passing 3+ armour saves with the Mournfang. I'll have to work on that!
Rundown:
Speaking of which, let's touch on magic. I liked the forbidden rod inclusion and am surprised it's not a common go to like the hell heart. It's random however so is every other ogre arcane item. It only gave me 2 dice this game so nothing overly huge however it did allow me to get the potentially game winning spell off and keep it on long enough to maul 700+ points of the enemy army. The general strategy will be in the opening turns to cast wildform twice to protect the first wave from small arms fire, wasn't anything outside of cannons in this instance but also allows some more survivability in combats should the enemy charge. I could have taken amber spear but decided against it because of all of the magic resistance floating about but outside of the Maneaters I think it will become my go to ranged weapon of choice. The level 1 rolled the sixth spell which is hardly useful at the best of times so it was dropped for spine marrow which actually isn't a bad choice for this type of list I think and can see a lot of use for it in the future.
Once in combat I think it's a choice between savage beast if I need to decimate the opponent and stack wildform, or alternatively if I'm running all characters in a single unit a powered up panns can be tough to deal with and minimise damage. Transformation of Kadon as well to suit and I find I've got a fairly flexible magic phase. I do like the fact that the MFC effectively get wildform cast on them with a 9+ with the slaughter master due to the lore attribute, such a shame it doesn't effect monstrous infantry however!!
Quick run down on key points:
SM - Great loadout again and I challenged the enemy BSB which was great as it denied him re-rolls. He didn't take any damage outside of Miscasts (I miscasted every single turn!) but can see the imporantce of an Ironfist against S3 so I need to find some room for that. Big slap on the wrist for myself - in turn 3 I threw 6 Dice at Savage Beast and with a 23%ish chance of getting it, that left a 77% chance for the Dispel Scroll to get used. One of those 'doh' moments that I knew I tripped up as soon as the dice left my hand. Rather a double Wildform or Wildform/Savage Beast would have been the better spells to use forcing something through at least. Certainly keep that in mind rather than using 6 dice to draw a scroll out in a fairly critical combat.
Butcher - Having Flock of Doom was the 'ideal' spell to deal with T3 elves however I didn't get the chance to really use it that much. Still it assisted in reducing incoming fire from the Dark Elves and it's such a cheap spell.
Core - Behaved well this game. The Ironguts however provided some massive air swings against the Cold One Knights which is frustrating but it's going to happen. I was nearly going to put Curse on the engaged Cold One Knights but they'd still be getting their re-rolls but as it turns out it would have been much better to do anyway.
MFC - I couldn't believe how much shooting damage these guys took, although I was failing the armour saves very consistently. This shows how potent the unit is, they were reduced to 50% and still took out a chariot and the unit of Darkshards then won the Cold One Knight combat. Between them and the Sabretusks they were the real performers in the list.
Maneaters - Stubborn didn't come into play at all however they did drop the RBT on their flank and take out a unit of Warlocks. I could have ignored the Warlocks all together and stomped up hard after the Corsairs which would have been an interesting scenario as it meant the Sorceress had no way out of that predicament but of course it left the second unit of Warlocks completely unchecked.
Sabretusks - They won the game for me, or more so they lost it for my opponent. After the game he learned a valuable lesson, and that is to target these guys first with magic and shooting. As seen above they dictated the combats, they prevented his hammers from getting into combat and cavalry taking charges isn't nearly as impressive as cavalry charging (however the Ironguts air swinging nearly disagreed).
Thanks for reading.
"Nec sorte nec fato"
Ogre Battles!
Tactica: Sabretusks
Tactica: Gnoblars
Ogre Battles!
Tactica: Sabretusks
Tactica: Gnoblars