We're back! And we have the princess!*

* Spaceballs quote, accordingly Facebooked as one of the five movies I grew up with.


Crikey but it's been a while. Taken a bit of stick for my lack of blog activity recently but I have my life back (mostly) after a spate of Shakespeare performances and some temporary insanity (work-related).

Update time!


I was intending last night to make the journey to the AWC (Auckland Wargames Club) for a game or two but traffic conspired mightily against me (accident on the motorway, cars backed up for Africa). Fortunately I was stuck in traffic next to an offramp leading to Ray's place (which isn't too far from home). A quick bit of mobile/cellular action later and I was at Ray's house getting ready for a game. Reid turned up 1/2 an hour later and quite by chance I managed to get two games in against two fantastic opponents.

Ray is a champion bloke - gentlemen Warhammer player who's been pushing the toy soldiers around for years and loves the game. He's currently enjoying the Dark Elf bandwagon but has started shifting his lists around looking for something different from the standard stuff that's out there. I thought this list was great fun to play against:

Boss on Dark Steed with thrice-damned Pendant and probably some other toys (don't know... he only ended up in combat finishing off some Flagellents so it was a moot point) - oh yeah, the little bastard had his own bow too... that was really irritating!
2 Level 2s; one with Tome of Furion (extra spell), one with Darkstar Cloak (extra PD for that chick)
Bloody (literally!) Cauldron

2 x 10 RXBs
5 Dark Riders with Spears and Uzis
12 Black Guard
Biiiig block of Witch Elves
Block of Spears
Block of Executioners (!)
2 x 5 Harpies

Hydra


I had the upper hand (at least I thought I did) for the first couple of turns but throughout the game I had AWFUL luck with my artillery - might have killed a couple of Harpies in total with 2 Cannons and a Mortar. Shocking - we were so used to seeing misfires we were all really surprised when they actually didn't! Shooting went into the Witchies and Executioners to remove rank bonuses mostly. The Reiksguard Knights were fortunate - busting through the Spears and running them down on the right flank with a frontal charge (down by 3 at the start of combat from static res, Hatred made the difference) but then spent a couple of turns enduring 30 RXB shots reforming themselves for another fight (losing only one Knight from something like 70ish shots much to my amusement and Ray's - and Reid's - frustration). They managed to wipe out 10 RXBs and the Cauldron crew (who had earlier fled a quick scuffle) but not before magic (Doombolt) and combat (Hag Champ from Cauldron crew) had wiped out all (including the Priest) but the unit standard bearer. He hid in a forest and survived the game still holding the DE Spear banner.

The detachment chaff rampaged forward to divert the Executioners and bait the Witch Elves. After the fortuitous despatching of some Enemy-in-the-Waying Harpies the Spears hit the front of the Witch Elves and the Swordsmen (and Arch-Lector) hit their flank. Carnage ensued as the Witch Elves were butchered without mercy. Of course it was only as I was completing my charge moves (with the Executioners sitting on the flank of the Swordsmen ready to charge in should the Witch Elves hold) did realise that the Cauldron made the flippin Witch Elves Stubborn! Incredibly they still broke and were caught and chopped up. The Spears hit the Cauldron crew sitting behind, the Swords turned and smashed into the front of the Executioners! Result!

Ironically this is the point where I lost the game.

The Executioner Champion declined the Arch-Lector's challenge. Predictably the Lector could only kill off one Executioner. And of course the only one that could attack (with 2 attacks courtesy of the nearby Cauldron) only hit once. And of course Ray dialled up the necessary '6' on that one dice to killing blow my General.

F***.


The Swords broke in the next turn and were run down. The Spears hit the 3 Cauldron crew and may as well have hit a brick wall. The Empire BSB and the Wizard took a wound for their troubles and the Witch Elf crew passed their Stubborn break check easily. Next turn the Spears broke the crew but failed to catch them - this is around the time the surviving Reiksguard intervened and dealt to them.

An interesting point of discussion that arose during all of this was the removal (or not retrospectively) of the Cauldron model itself. The rules indicate that it is a warmachine with the exception that it cannot ever be hurt. So should we have removed it? DE units within 12" of the Cauldron are Stubborn so it could have stayed and later had an impact on the game.


While all this drama was going on the Black Guard and DE General along with their Hydra mate were taking a leisurely stroll down my left flank. The Hyrda was hit in the flank by the Flagellents after some clever (I thought) baiting and march-blocking (and a lucky passed Terror check) by the GW-Knights and Pistoliers. After their sterling performance against Phil's Hyrda in a previous game I had high hopes but the useless gits fluffed their martyr roll (gaining Hatred when I really needed at least a reroll for wounds too) and only managed a to kill off one of the handlers! In return 8+ Flagellents bit the dust. Next turn they were hit by the Black Guard and DE General = one surviving Flagellent (!). The rallied GW-Knights were all ready to charge the Hydra to remove the last crew member (to at least force a monster reaction test - could have made it wander off or go unbreakable and not move for the rest of the game) but an intervening Crossbow detachment that had failed to rally neatly moved right in the way (argh!). Bugger.


A unit of RXBs claimed a tower in the middle of the field. This little machine-gun nest smashed the Handgunners and a good number of Spearmen (and a Spear detachment) before the 5 Dark Riders (who I just could not kill!) made a daring last turn charge into the front of the depleted Spear block. They fluffed (kind of) but held in return (draw - we both had musicians) and that was the game.


Washup:

I had: 1/2 Crossbow unit, a cannon, 1/2 Reiksguard Knights, Spears block (just above half), and the Free Company detachment.

Ray had: Hydra, 1/2 Black Guard, General, both Sorceresses (one on half wounds), 1/2 Executioners (which if I'd killed 3 with my last turn of shooting would have been below 25% and unable to rally), Dark Riders, an RXB unit.


A clear and deserved win to the big guy and some hard questions being asked of the highly inaccurate artillery crew (awesome range-guessing, CRAP bounces and scatters).



Second game against Reid's Daemons coming shortly. And by shortly I mean the writing was on the wall at the end of turn one...