Bloghammer - Life and Trials continue

December 20th - Ogre Kingdoms

Today was the last game. I went in expecting Vampire Counts, but my opponent fell asleep as he was leaving the house, so I played the local Ogre player instead. I made a slight alteration on the previous list, dropping the Favour of the Gods and the Mark of Slaanesh on the Sorcerer for a Slaanesh Mark for my second Chariot.

My opponent brought the following list (roughly):

QUOTE

Tyrant Tenderiser, Wyrdstone Necklace, Heavy Armour, Look-out Gnoblar Butcher Brahmir Statue 4x Leadbelhcers 6x Bulls Ironfists, Full Command 4x Ironguts Full Command 4x Ironguts Full Command 4x Ironguts Full Command 25x Gnoblars Groinbiter 10x Trappers Gorger Gorger

For spells I rolled all the Tzeentch spells except Treason, rolling Fiery Blast on the book. The other Sorcerer chose the Lore of Fire, rolling Fireball and Fiery Blast.

The table was set up with two hills to the west and two forests to the east, one of each in either deployment zone.

He set up Bulls, Guts with Butcher, Guts with Tyrant, Guts, Gnoblars, Leadbelchers. Trappers scouted behind the forest.

I set up Flail Horsemen, Hellcannon on the hill, Marauders behind the hill, Knights screened by Hounds, Chariot, Sorcerer, Exalted Hero, Chariot, Knights screened by Hounds, Sorcerer Lord, Spear Horsemen.

I rolled first turn.

Note I cannot remember all the details of this game exactly so some things may be amiss.


Turn 1

The Hounds and Horsemen all moved full speed ahead, with Knights moving only to keep up with the Chariots, and so as to stay out of the Ogres charge range. The Exalted flew over to the Gnoblars' flank.

With magic, one of the Tyrants Ironguts was killed by a Fiery Blast and one of the Butcher's by Gateway.

The Hellcannon misfired, rolling a six, thus killing an Irongut, but being unable to shoot again.

The Trappers charged the Horsemen, but the rest of the Ogres stayed put, with only the Gnoblar's and Leadbelchers moving.

One of the Butchers spells went off but had no effect, yet he took a wound for his troubles.

The Trappers attacked the Horsemen, killing two, who killed only one back, losing combat, and fleeing the field, the Gnoblars uninterested in running after them.


Turn 2

Chaos declared no charges, not willing to take any risks. Instead they shuffled onward and redeployed, ready for a full on charge next turn. The Exalted flew around the back of the Ironguts.

Magic fell another 2 Ironguts from the Tyrants unit, as well as three Gnoblars, and finally another Ogre from the Butcher's unit.

The Bloodcurdling Roar disposed of two more Gnoblars, while the Hellcannon's crew sulked about the impotency of their machine.

The Gnoblars were the only charges this turn, taking their chances at the Hounds, who fled, leading them right up to the Trappers. The Leadbelchers closed in on Me'leth, thinking him to be an easy target. With a sudden surprise, a Gorger appeared behind the Chaos lines, making a beeline for the Chariot.

The Ogres had a lucky stroke of magic, getting Bonecrusher with irresistible force, its 2D6 S2 hits killing four Knights thanks to it avoiding armour saves.

The only shooting came from the Trappers, who shot the crap out of the Hounds, only to do a single wound however. The Great Maw was displeased.


Turn 3

Chaos decided to have some fun finally. The disk rider and the Knights charged into the Ironguts, with the lone Knight and both Chariots charging the Tyrant's unit. However, the Knight didn't make it. The Hellcannon went berserk, charging the unsuspecting Gorger.

Magic was colourful to say the least, with another of the Butcher's boys dying before Me'leth miscast. He rolled a four and took a S6 hit, however, came out unscathed.

With no shooting to speak of, combat was ahead. The Knights and Exalted Champion made short work of the Ironguts, killing three, with the last one not in contact to attack back due to the challenge. He was run down and his banner taken, the Knights stopping at the board edge while the hero restrained himself. The Chariots' impact hits killed the last 'Gut, and dealt two wounds to the Tyrant, however, the crew failed to finish him off, and so he smashed up one of the Chariots with his Tenderiser. The Hellcannon failed to wound the Gorger unfortunately as the Beast ate two of its crew. However, both units were unbreakable and would be locked in combat until one was dead.

In the Ogre turn, the Butcher and his last Irongut charged the hounds who held, and the Bulls charged the Horsemen, who fled out of range.

No magic was successful, and only one Hounds fell to shooting, so it was straight to combat, where the Butcher made mince meat of the Hounds, and the Tyrant smashed up the last Chariot. The Butcher then overran into the lone Knight. The Hellcannon succeeded in leaving the Gorger on its last wound.


Turn 4

With grim determination and malevolence in his eyes, the Exalted Champion took on the Tyrant, while the Hounds charged the Trappers, who failed to do any damage with their stand and shoot reaction. The Horsemen also rallied and zipped around the Bulls' flank.

Magic only succeeded in wounding a Leadbelcher once this turn.

In combat, the Hounds killed two Trappers, but were beat and run down. In the challenge, the Exalted Hero easily dispatched the Tyrant, gaining an additional +1 to his armour save for his efforts. The lone Knight was finally cut down by the Butcher who overran toward Me'leth. The Hellcannon cut down the Gorger.

The Butcher then declared a charge on the Tzeentch Sorcerer, who fled the monster. The next Gorger came on right behind the Knights, who now desperately needed a way out. The Leadbelchers moved up full speed, realizing that the Bulls were now alone on the western flank with the Exalted Champion and the Hellcannon. The Bulls also realized they were in trouble, and so turned to face to oncoming chargers.

The Trappers shot at Me'leth, but had no luck wounding him.


Turn 5

With several threats arising, the Chaos forces took action. The Knights charged the Leadbelchers, taking 2 wounds from their 40 shots as they charged, but failing both saves. The Horsemen, Hellcannon and hero charged the Bulls, and Me'leth rallied.

Transmorg. was cast on the Gnoblars but dispelled, and a Fiery Blast from the other Sorcerer killed the Butcher's last ogre.

In combat the Bulls were easily disposed of, as were the Leadbelchers, but in a Horseman and a Knight were killed in the process. The Knights then overran into the back of the Butcher.

With nothing else to do, the Trappers charged Me'leth, but in combat a stalemate was fought as Me'leth killed on of them.


Turn 6

With little to do, the Horsemen moved to take a table quarter and the Exalted Hero moved within roaring distance of the Gorger.

Magic saw off another three Gnoblars, but then Me'leth mscast again. He rolled the same result, taking one wound, but actually doing three wounds to the Trappers, meaning the miscast helped more than anything. The roar proved unsuccessful against the Gorger, only doing one wound.

In combat Me'leth easily dispatched the last two Trappers, but the Knights and the Butcher fought to a stalemate again.

For the final turn of the game, the Knights' combat with Butcher took place immediately. The Gods must have been watching, as the Knights dealt five wounds to the ogre, he saving only one thanks to casting Trollguts on himself in the magic phase.

With that the game ended and a massacre for Chaos.


Conclusions

So that wraps up this weeks Warhammer exploits. The only thing I am unsure of right now in the list is what lore to use with the second Sorcerer, go with Slaanesh's move spells, or Fire/Death's damage spells? Or something completely different. Ideas?

It was certainly a week of learning experiences, and I feel I know my army much better now. Let's hope the streak continues for Warpcon. Only 34 more days to go

Bloghammer - The life and trials of Me'leth Changebringer

This week I have four games of Warhammer to try out my Chaos force more in. Today was the first. I have a bout with ukko's Dark Elves on Thursday, and two more games on Saturday versus Vampire Counts and Empire.

This thread is here to document these trials of Me'leth and his armies.

The army is as follows:

QUOTE

Me'leth Changebringer, Sorcerer Lord of Tzeentch [ Level 4 ] Dispel Scroll, Golden Eye of Tzeentch, Power Familiar, Book of Secrets Zachala the Unfeathered, Sorcerer of Slaanesh [ Level 2 ] Chaos Steed, Runesword of Chaos Exalted Hero Mark of Tzeentch, Disk of Tzeentch, Flail, Shield, Bloodcurdling Roar, Armour of Morrslieb 5x Khorne Knights 5x Knights Standard Bearer, Banner of Rage Chariot Chariot 5x Marauder Horsemen Mark of Slaanesh, Flails, Musician 5x Marauder Horsemen Mark of Slaanesh, Spears, Musician 10x Marauders 5x Hounds 5x Hounds Hellcannon

December 16th - Lizardmen

Today I went toe to toe with the Lizardmen. His list was roughly as follows:

QUOTE

Old Blood Cold One, Itzl, Maiming Shield, Pirahna Blade, Light Armour Scar Veteran BSB, Light Armour Skink Priest [ Level 2 ] Statuette Skink Priest [ Level 2 ] Rod of the Storm 10x Chameleon Skinks 5x Saurus Cavalry Full Command, Huanchi's Blessed Totem 3x Terradons 20x Saurus Shields, FC 11x Skink Scouts 11x Skink Scouts 10x Skink Scouts Stegadon

Note that there is 100pts missing from this, not sure where it was.


For spells, I rolled Flickering Fire of Tzeentch, Transmorg., Call to Glory, and Gateway, Fireball, and for Slaanesh I got Hysterical Frenzy and Titillating Delusions. One of his priests got Second Sign and Portent, the other got Lightning and Thunder Bolt.

The table had a hill on the right flank in the centre, and one in the middle of his deployment zone. There were two forests on the left flank, one in either deployment zone. Also there was a rock feature just on front of my zone a little to the right.

Set up from west to east was Terradons, Steg, Priest, Saurus with BSB, Priest, Cavalry with Old Blood. Skinks scouted in his forest and behind the hill. Chameleons behind my lines.

My set up from west to east was Spear Horsemen, Disk, Chariot, Chariot, Khorne Knights screened by Hounds, Rage Knights with Slaanesh screened by Hounds, Hellcannon, Marauders with Lord, Flail Horsemen.

He rolled first turn.


Turn 1

The Cold Ones passed their stupidity test and so the Old Blood urged the army forward. The army moved as fast as it could forward without getting within the Chaos charge range. The Skinks all came out of hiding to shoot, while the Terradons laid themselves out as bait for the Horsemen on the western flank.

All spells were dispelled in magic, and Me'leth's scroll was read to deny the use of the Statuette, it's power exhausted in vain.

In shooting the Skinks on the eastern flank took down three Horsemen with their blowpipes, the remainder fleeing off the table. The Chameleons hit many shots of the Knights but failed to penetrate their Chaos Armour. The Stegadon's bow hit home on the Chariot but failed to wound.

In the Chaos turn the Disk rider charged across the battle field into the Skink unit that had emerged from the woods. The Horsemen did not take the bait of the Terradons and instead ran up the flank and turned to face them, to later take a charge that would lead to better places. The Hounds screening the Khorne Knights ran up to tempt the Stegadon and Saurus to come and play while the other unit of Hounds moved out to threaten the Skinks. The Knights behind prepared to charge the Suarus in the following turn but were unable to march and so could not move up far enough. The Slaanesh Wizard decided to leave the unit to get closer to the action, and the Lord left his unit to get a better line of sight at the Stegadon and Saurus, knowing full well also that his retinue would get smashed to pulp by the oncoming Cold One Knights.

Zachala attempted to cast Titillating Delusions on the Terradons but it was dispelled. A Fireball roasted five Skinks who unfortunately passed their panic test. The Flickering Fire failed to cast but the best was yet to come. With all his power Me'leth cast the Infernal Gateway on the Stegadon rolling a S11, causing the beast to disappear into the Warp.

The Hellcannon reared up and spewed ichor, limbs, skulls, and pure warp energy into the air landing a direct hit on the Saurus, killing 6. However, the hardy reptiles passed their panic test.

In combat the Exalted Hero made short work of the Skinks, running them down, but finding himself barely stuck inside the forest.


Turn 2

With the Chaos army drawing closer, the Lizardmen opted to hold their ground instead of advancing further. The Terradons charged the Horsemen on the Western flank, while the Skinks in the East moved aside for the Cold Ones to get through.

To start the magic phase, the Cold Ones used the Huanchi banner to charge the Hellcannon. Magic was almost unsuccessful again until a failed dispel attempt on Forked Lightning saw a Knight fall.

In shooting the Skinks to the far right shot at the Marauders, killing two. The second unit of Skinks shot at the Lord, Me'leth laughing at their feeble attempts to bypass his Chaos Armour and 3+ ward. The Chameleons shot at the Chariot, doing an impressive 10 wounds, however, the Chaos Gods were upon the battle field this day, and all ten saves were passed.

In combat the Terradons made short work of the Horsemen, opting not to overrun off the table. The Old Blood failed to do even a single wound on the Hellcannon while his Knights slew a Chaos Dwarf and wounded the daemon. In retaliation the cannon killed a Knight. Though losing the combat, the unbreakable nature of the Hellcannon saw the combat continue.

In the Chaos turn the hordes were unlucky to find they had few possible charges. The Hounds to the west charged the Skink Priest who fled. The other Hounds and the Marauders charged the flanks of the Cold One Knights, though only the norsemen passed their fear test. Across the board the rest of the army advanced and lined up ready for the next turn's charges. The disk rider used his turn to exit the forest.

In the magic phase, Zachala was successful in casting Delusions on the Chameleons at the back of the board, placing their vision in the south western corner, away from all the action and thus no more march blocking. Me'leth cast a Fireball killing the last of a unit of Skinks, and then cast Flickering Fire and the other unit, though this was dispelled. The Tzeentch Sorcerer then finished off by casting a Gateway on the Saurus unit, the dispel attempt failing. 10 hits at S3 were dealt, with only two dying.

In combat the Marauders managed to kill a Knight before the Old Blood slew the Hellcannon thanks to his Pirahna Blade. All the Knights failed to wound anything thanks to the Chaos Dwarfs managing to get both 6+ armour saves. Still, the Knights won, however the Chaos side held firm.


Turn 3

In the Lizardmen turn, things were looking grim. Hoping to get a good overrun out of harms way, the Terradons took the flank of the Hounds with a charge. Also the eastern Skinks charged the flank of the Marauders. The Saurus braced themselves for a combined charge next turn, as there was nothing else they could do. The Skink Priest rallied, though it mattered little as all spells were dispelled.

With no shooting to speak of, combat came early. The Skinks slew a single Marauder, while the remaining Marauder in base contact with the Knights and the two Chaos Dwarfs managed to kill two more Knights before the Old Blood killed the Dwarfs. At this point, the Marauders will broke, and they ran off the table, both Lizardmen units restraining pursuit successfully. The Terradons made short work of the Hounds, but however, they rolled a measly 6 for overrun, leaving them exposed to a combined Chaos charge.

In the Chaos turn, the Chariot and Khorne Knights charged the Terradons while the other Knights charged the Saurus. The remaining Hounds passed their fear test and crashed into the side of the Old Blood. The Exalted Hero swung around the forest to bring his presence to bear on the Lizardmen.

Magic saw the Hounds become frenzied, and the Skink Priest with the magic missiles get fried by Flickering Fire. However, the winds of magic are fickle at best, and Me'leth miscast while attempting the open up a Gateway. He rolled a 6 and so the remaining Priest got a free Second Sign on the Saurus unit.

To make matters worse for the Lizardmen, a Bloodcurdling Roar took out the second Skink Priest in the shooting phase.

As soon as combat came around, the cold blood began to spill. Impact hits from the Chariot left a single Terradon, who was dispatched by the crew. The Chariot and Knights then overran into the combat between the Saurus and the other Knights, which made the Saurus dead meat. The Hounds failed to wound the Old Blood, who killed four in return, the last running and getting caught.


Turn 4

The Lustrian defenses were starting to buckle now, and with only the Old Blood, a Kinght, and some Skinks left to hold. All they could do is pray.

The Skinks attempted to assassinate the Lord but their poison darts could not penetrate the magical aura emanating from the Golden Eye.

In what would be the final Chaos turn, the Exalted Hero stepped forward, and charged the Old Blood and his Knight. The rest of the army moved about to claim table quarters, with the wizards moving in for better vantage points.

A well placed Flickering Fire killed the last of the Skinks, with a final Gateway seeing the Chameleons off.

As a final and prefect way to end a battle the Exalted Hero challenged the Old Blood, and easily defeating him, causing the lone Knight to flee and get caught. The Exalted laughed as the Gods bestowed him with enhanced strength for his future endeavors. Lustria would fall to Chaos.

December 18th - High Elves

So after some freak circumstances that left ukko without an army, I ended up facing High Elves instead. The list was roughly as follows:

QUOTE

Prince Armour of Caledor, Guardian Pheonix, Great Weapon Battle Standard Bearer Elven Steed, Battle Banner, Lance, Shield Elven Mage 2x Dispel Scrolls 20x White Lions Full Command 20x Phoenix Guard Full Command, War Banner, Gem of Courage 10x Sea Guard 10x Sea Guard 10x Sea Guard RBT RBT RBT

For spells, I rolled Flickering Fire, Transmorg., Treason, and Call to Glory. My first mistake of the game was a rookie one and straight up here chose the Lore of Fire for the Book of Secrets without asking to see my opponents list first to check the heroes' items. Alas, I rolled and got Fiery Blast. The Slaanesh wizard got Lash of Slaanesh and Titillating Delusions. His mage got Shield of Saphery. Needless to say, the High Elf magic phase was none existent in this game.

The table had a forest and a hill in my opponent's deployment zone at either ends, and a hill in the center of mine.

His set up from West to East was Sea Guard, Lions with BSB, RBT, PG with Lord, Sea Guard with mage, (RBT, RBT, Sea Guard on hill).

My own set up from West to East was Spear Horsemen, Marauders at the back, Chariot, Chariot, Knights with Sorcerer screened by Hounds and the hill, Khorne Knights screened by Hounds also behind the hill (it was a big hill), Hellcannon with Sorcerer Lord (wanted to try something new, needless to say it didn't work much), Exalted, Flail Marauders.

He rolled first turn.


Turn 1

The White Lions moved into the forest with enough line of sight to charge out next turn, but so that the Chariots couldn't safely charge them. The Phoenix Guard moved up full pace, fearing not the battle line before them).

In shooting, the three RBTs shot at the Hellcannon, but only killing the crew. The Sea Guard(SG) on the western flank shot at the Horsemen before them killing one. The SG on the eastern flank shot the Horsmen over there, and killed all five. The other SG on the ground to the center shot at the Hellcannon.

Onto the Chaos turn, the Hounds moved straight out on front of the High Elf lines, one on front of each infantry unit. The Disk flew right up to the Sea Guard threatening their flank with the Horsemen right behind him. The western Horsemen ran up toward the SG. The Knights moved up for a better charging position with the Khorne Knight moving over the hill. The Hellcannon had passed it's Rampage test, so the Lord left the unit. Both Chariots moved more to the left flank to redeploy.

In magic, Titillating Delusions was cast on the White Lions, but dispelled by one of the mage's scrolls. Fiery Blast was cast on the Bolt Thrower on the hill but all hits ended up hitting the machine and so no damage was done. Flickering Fire was then cast killing two Phoenix Guard(PG), with the magic phase rounding out with the last scroll dispelling the Treason of Tzeentch on the White Lions.

The Hellcannon fired a blast at the RBT on the hill, but scattered off course. The Disk Rider gave a Bloodcurdling Roar, but failed to wound the targeted SG.


Turn 2

With a highly unexpected move that I never would have anticipated in a million years, the two High Elf heroes charged out of their units, through the gaps between the Hounds and into the Khorne Knights The rest of the High Elves were taking no bait and so just redeployed for better line of sight. The SG on the eastern flank turned to face the Exalted Hero and the impending charge.

With shooting, the Bolt Throwers split fire this time. The western most one near the center shot at the Chariot, taking three wounds from it. The other two shot again at the Hellcannon, wounding it once. The western SG killed three more Horsemen, the center one's killing two Hounds, and the eastern one's doing no damage. All panic tests were passed however.

In combat the High Elf heroes collectively killed three Knights, with the Lords ward save saving him from taking any in return. The remaining two Knights broke and ran, but the High Elves were unable to catch them.

Zachala's Knights declared a charge on the Phoenix Guard along with the last two Hounds, as did the 1 wound Chariot. The other hounds declared charge on the RBT at the back, while the Horsemen on both sides declared charges on their respective SG opponents, but not before the Exalted Hero charged them first, denying a stand and shoot reaction. The stand and shoot on the western flank surprisingly failed to kill the lone horsemen. The Hounds however failed the charge leaving them in a terrible position which would prove advantageous to the elven forces, as well as blocking off the Chariot's charge path. The remaining Chariot redirected itself toward the left flank, and the Hellcannon rampaged.

In magic, I foolishly learned the hard way that the Lord had Dragon Armour after firing a Fiery Blast at him. With this realization also came the fact that the Lord was only now in range of the two Dragon Armour wearing heroes, so he used max dice to cast Treason of Tzeentch on the Lions, unfortunately miscasting and granting the enemy a free Shield of Saphery. However, Me'leth's last two power dice were used to dispel it.

In combat, Zachala was forced to challenge the Phoenix Guard champion, easily dispatching him. The Phoenix Guard got to attack first against the Knights, but failed to do any damage to them. They did however successfully slay a Hound. Unfortunately the Knights fluffed and only killed five PG, leading to the PG easily holding their ground. The Exalted and Horsmen easily dispatched of the SG, loosing only a single horseman in return. The hero stayed firm while the Horsemen overran into the first RBT. The western SG killed the lone horseman with ease.


Turn 3

Turn three would prove the turning point in the battle. The White Lions charged the Hounds in the flank, and the central SG charged the other Hounds in the flank.

The SG shot the Chariot failing to do any wounds, while the RBT killed the other Chariot.

In combat, the Lions massacred the Hounds, overrunning into the ensuing combat in the center of the board. The Chaos Sorcerer challenged the High Elf mage who hastily declined. The mage's retinue killed the lone Hound, while the White Lions killed a single Knight. The Phoenix Guard failed to do any wounds, while the Knights struck back just enough to win combat by a single point. The Horsemen to the east made short work of the bolter crew, overrunning into the next machine.

In the Chaos turn, the Hellcannon rampaged into the ensuing combat and the remaining Chariot charged the SG, who promptly fled. Me'leth, seeing the danger of the nearby High Elf Prince tried to move out of sight, but could not run far enough. The Exalted Hero decided to fly over to assist him.

Chaos magic either failed, was dispelled or had no sight to cast.

Shooting saw the Roar take strike at the HE BSB, but fail to wound.

In combat, the Sorcerer was slain and the Knights brought down to a single man, but not without taking down several PG, so there was only four left. The Hellcannon took out three SG. The combat was lost, the Hellcannon being unbreakable but the last Knight been ran down. The Horsemen at the back went through another bolt thrower but failed to reach the last one.


Turn 4

The White Lions charged the Hellcannon while the western Sea Guard rallied. The High Elf Prince charged Me'leth who fled.

The RBT took out the last of the Horsemen in the shooting phase, while the SG failed to wound the Chariot.

In combat, the Hellcannon killed two more SG but failed to win the combat.

For the Chaos phase, the most important moves were made, as this would be the final turn of the game. To sound the deathnil, Me'leth failed to rally. The Chariot charged the Sea Guard and the disk rider charged into the Hellcannon's aid.

With magic not existing this turn, combat came early. The Hellcannon and the hero took out the SG totally, and took down almost two fulls ranks of White Lions, but the Lions held due to their stubbornness. The Chariot dispatched the SG off the table.

At this point I had to go to catch my bus (which I missed ) and so we called it game. A minor victory to the High Elves. Not so bad, though it could have been much different had I not made some rookie mistakes.

First and foremost, taking Lore of Fire, what was I thinking? My main flaw with being overly intimidated by the RBTs. I have played them enough times to know how to handle them, but I played it badly. My impetuousness with the Hounds to catch the central RBT instead of repositioning them for a redirect cost the Chariot its charge path, and set the Lions up to run into the combat instead of past it. Finally, the unexpected charge of the heroes out of the units really caught me off guard, but I guess you don't see that happen too often.


Conclusions

This game taught me that having the Sorcerer tooled for combat, while good on paper and against small units, that charging up with the Knights will get him killed against any good players. Also it showed me that rolling the wrong spells can hurt a lot. So I have made some changes to my list as illustrated below:

QUOTE

Me'leth Changebringer, Sorcerer Lord of Tzeentch [ Level 4 ] Dispel Scroll, Golden Eye of Tzeentch, Spell Familiar, Book of Secrets Zachala the Unfeathered, Sorcerer of Slaanesh [ Level 2 ] Chaos Steed, Power Familiar, Third Eye of Tzeentch Exalted Hero Mark of Tzeentch, Disk of Tzeentch, Flail, Shield, Bloodcurdling Roar, Armour of Morrslieb, Favour of the Gods 5x Khorne Knights Musician 5x Khorne Knights Musician Chariot Mark of Slaanesh Chariot 5x Marauder Horsemen Mark of Slaanesh, Flails, Musician 5x Marauder Horsemen Mark of Slaanesh, Spears, Musician 10x Marauders 5x Hounds 5x Hounds Hellcannon

December 19th - Wood Elves

So a extra day was added to Me'leth's tour of hell, and he stopped by the woods of Athel Loren to do battle with the Wood Elves. List was as follows:

QUOTE

Highborn Alter Kindred, Great Weapon, Light Armour, Shield, Bow of Loren, Arcane Bodkins, Amaranthine Brooch Noble Wardancer Kindred, Moonstone Spellsinger [ Level 2 ] Calaingor's Stave, Dispel Scroll Spellsinger [ Level 2 ] Deepwood Sphere, Dispel Scroll 5x Wild Riders Full Command, Warbanner 8x War Dancers Full Command 8x War Dancers Full Command 10x Glade Guard Lord's Bowman, Musician 10x Glade Guard Lord's Bowman, Musician 5x Glade Riders Lord's Bowman, Musician 5x Glade Riders Lord's Bowman, Musician 10x Dryads Branch Nymph Great Eagle

For spells I rolled every spell on the lore of Tzeentch except Infernal Gateway on the Lore of Fire I rolled a Fireball, and on the Lore of Slaanesh I rolled Lash of Slaanesh and Titillating Delusions. He rolled Tree Singing and Call of the Hunt for one Spellsinger, and Fury of the Forest and Call of the Hunt for the other.

The table had a hill to the west of the enemy deployment, and a hill in the center of it. In my deployment was a forest to the west and a hill to the center. On the eastern flank in no man's land also stood an ancient ruin that counted as difficult terrain.

His set up West to East went Glade Guard behind the hill, Glade Riders, Wardancers, Eagle, Highborn, Spellsinger, Wardancers with Noble, Dryads, Spellsinger, Wild Riders, Glade Guard, Glade Riders.

My own in the same direction went, Spear Horsemen, Exalted Hero behind the forest, Knights screened by Hounds, Chariot, Sorcerer, Sorcerer Lord, Hellcannon on the hill, Marauders behind the hill, Knights screened by Hounds, Slaanesh Chariot, Flail Horsemen.

For the first time this week, I rolled first turn


Turn 1

The hordes of Chaos sounded the horns of war and the advance commenced. The Horsemen rushed up both flanks while the disk rider of Tzeentch flew over near the Glade Riders to threaten them with his ranged attack. The Slaanesh Chariot advanced and positioned so as to get a charge should the Glade Riders take the Horsemen's bait. The Knights and Hounds moved up together being careful not to get within the Wardancers' charge range. Zachala and Me'leth both moved to better vantage points while the Hellcannon stayed put.

The blood shed began immediately, with a Fireball killing all five Wild Riders. Needless to say, Kurnous was not amused. Flickering Fire killed two Glade Guard, and Treason was scrolled. To end up, Zachala cast the Delusions on the Great Eagle, only to have it dispelled by his nemesis.

The Hellcannon fired a gout at the Dryads, scattering right off the board. Meanwhile the Bloodcurdling Roar was responsible for the deaths of two young Glade Riders.

Over to the Wood Elves for their turn one, and they were under pressure now with the heavy casualties of the Chaos turn. The Eagle flew up on front of the Hounds screening the Knights. The Glade Riders moved around the Exalted's flank so as to avoid his arc of sight. The Glade Riders on the eastern flank did not fall for the bait of the Horsemen and opted to hold their ground for the shooting phase. The rest of the army just lurked around the woods, the Highborn making sure he had line of sight to shoot.

The Spellsingers were unsuccessful with their magic this turn and so shooting came almost right away. On the western flank, the Glade Guard ad Glade Riders(GR) pumped all their shots into the Hounds, killing one, while the Highborn killed two more, panicking the final two, and leaving the frenzied unit behind exposed to the Eagle and his mischief. The Glade Guard(GG) to the west wiped out the Horsemen in one round of shooting, while the GG on the right killed two Hounds, the remainder passing their panic test due to the proximity of the general. Finally the GR shot down two Horsemen and learned the hard way the benefits of Slaanesh.


Turn 2

With the Chaos turn beginning, charges were declared. The Chariot would charge the Wardancers and the Horsemen in the east would charge the Glade Riders. The Khorne Knights in a blood frenzy charged after the Eagle who promptly fled the shouts of "Blood for the Blood God". The Exalted Champion, spotting an almost worthy opponent flew over next to the Alter Highborn, ready to test his will against his mighty roar. The remainder of the army advanced, the other Knights preparing to meet the Glade Guard head on next turn.

Looking through the Third Eye of Tzeentch, Zachala could see all, and opted to make use of the Spellsinger's spells, learning Fury of the Forest and Call of the Hunt instantly. Calling up a great Firestorm, Me'leth unleashed spell after spell, but the Spellsingers put up all they had, dispelling each attempt, even exhausting a scroll to hold back the power of Tzeentch. Me'leth ended his run with a miscast, causing him to suffer a S2 hit, but did not take any damage from it. Hoping to claim some trophy for Chaos at least this phase, Zachala cast the Fury of the Forest hoping to claim Wardancers blood, but failed the roll by one.

In shooting the Hellcannon once again scattered off the board, and the Exalted's 8 hits with the Roar failed to wound even once. In combat, the Horsemen killed two riders, but took 3 back, wiping them out. At the other side of the field the impact hits killed two Wardancers, with the crew claiming two more, winning the combat, and running them down.

The Eagle rallied for the Wood Elf turn and the threat of the Chaos Knights became immediate. The Alter Highborn moved out of the woods and around to take a shot at the Knights with lightning speed. The Glade Riders on the eastern flank ran up to screen the Glade Guard while the Dryads advanced. With an act of surprise that would stun the Chaos advance, the Noble called upon the power of the moonstone, his unit disappearing into thin air only to appear in the forest across in the Chaos deployment zone.

The magic phase was largely empty, however a failed dispel attempt and the use of his magic item saw one Spellsinger send a forest moving right around the Exalted Hero, effectively trapping him for the game due to his 1" ground movement.

In shooting, the Glade Guard to the east shot at the Chariot, luckily scoring two wounds, while the GR in front killed the remaining Hounds. The Alterborn shot his Bow of Loren at the Knights, scoring four hits, but failing to wound due to the Knights superior toughness. The Glade Guard and Riders on the western flank tried their luck also, but neither chink nor dent did their armour suffer.


Turn 3

With their blood frenzy peaking the Khorne Knights chose the ultimate glory and charged for the Alterborn, suffering three casualties for their efforts. The Chariots both lined themselves up for charges and the other unit of Knights suffered a failed charge due to the flee of the GR. Zachala, sensing danger moved further east, knowing the Wardancers had shown up in the forest behind him. The Marauders at the back turned to face the forest's direction. The Exalted Champion, cursing the woodland scum, began cutting and burning his way out of the dense woods that surounded him, and got far enough to see one of the Spellsingers.

The magic phase began, and a single Glade Guard fell as well as two wound dealt on the eagle before it was proven how fickle the winds of magic truly are, as Me'leth miscast yet again on the same spell, and got the same roll, again not suffering from his S2 hit. With the rest of his dice gone, Zachala could not hope to gain much with his sole spell. However, by copying Fury of the Forest once again he managed to fell two Wardancers.

Shooting was highly unsuccessful, with both the roar and the cannon hitting many times/targets, but failing to wound even once.

Despite the prowess of the Alterborn, in combat the Khorne Knights' rage won out, and easily dispatched of the Wood Elf Highborn, before running off the board.

Knowing the Knights would fall upon the Glade Guard, the Dryads charged them, hoping the stem the tide. The Glade Riders regrouped and shot around to take aim on the Chariot. The other unit of riders zipped down along the southern board edge along with the Noble and his Wardancers. Seeing the Chaos Champion approaching him, the Spellsinger left the woods to join his comrade and hide from the Knights at the other side of the forest. The eagle decided time was time, and charged the Chaos general, mistaking the Sorcerer Lord for easy prey.

The two elven mages amassed their maximum power to try and take out the disk riding champion, but the power of the Chaos magic was too strong for them to penetrate.

As for shooting, all shots proved unsuccessful, leaving the Wood Elves in a dire situation.

In combat the Dryads struck home and impressive 7 wounds, only to have them saved by the Knights' armour. In return, the Knight slew the Forest Spirits to a single Dryad, who promptly broke and was cut down, seeing the Knights overrun into the Glade Guard. The eagle tried his best to wound he Sorcerer Lord, but only managed a single wound. The Sorcerer however failed to wound the beast, but stood his ground.


Turn 4

The time of Chaos was slowly unfolding. With the skies darkening, the Chaos Knights reentered the board, just as the two chariots struck home at their targets, the western Glade Guard, and the eastern Glade Riders. Zachala charged into the eagle to aid his master, while the Marauders moved to hide behind the Hellcannon, who turned to face the oncoming elves. Meanwhile the Exalted Champion continued to cut through the woods, light emerging close now.

The Hellcannon finally hit home, firing a close range shot at the Wardancers, hitting home and killing three.

Combat began with the Chariot slaying eight Glade Guard, thought the stouty elves held firm with insane courage. On the eastern front, the Knights butchered the GG, overrunning into the Chariot combat, which resulted in the elves being wiped out. To finish thing off, the two Sorcerers slew the Great Eagle.

With the guardian forces almost exhausted, the Spellsingers ran for cover while the Wardancers advanced toward the Hellcannon, with the Glade Riders zipping around it for a distraction.

Magic was unsuccessful as was shooting which resulted in a quick end to turn four.


Turn 5

Breathing fresh air once again, the Exalted Hero emerged from the woods, looking around for his next kill. The Hellcannon went berserk, and charged the GR, who fled the hulking behemoth.

The Chaos turn ended with the death of the last two Glade Guard.

For the final player turn, the Wardancers tried their luck versus the Hellcannon, killing the two crew, but losing two of their number.

The Glade Riders rallied, but it was too late for Athel Loren, Chaos was victorious.


Conclusions

Major victory for Chaos. Much happier with the new list, however, I never seem to get any results out of Slaanesh magic, as there is little that really demands its attention. I think for the next few games I will unmark that Sorcerer and try other lores, though for I go to a tournament and see Dragons around, I will be using Slaanesh.

Everything went well, aside from the two miscasts in a row. All in all, I would say the Gods are appeased.