Well, it's that time again! I got some free time that aligned with my brother, so we hashed out another game. This one was a new experience for our recent gaming for many reasons: it may be the first time I've run Dogs of War to my recollection, it is the premiere of the yellow dice I harassed by brother about LAST batrep, and it was a spectator event by someone who signed up to THIS VERY SITE in order to facilitate possibly getting some games in. I think he's more of a T9A guy, but he seems willing to branch out, stating that he has all his 6th Ed. books as well.
Anyway, I'm blabbing too much...
ON WITH THE GOODS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One of our shorthand terms in either 40k or WFB is something along the lines of "18', 18', charge." which was code for "screw the scenarios, we are on a time frame. Time to roll us some dice!!!!' This was no exception.
Essentially Pitched Battle with 2,000 point lists.
DWARFS
Lord - Dwarf Lord - Gromgril Armor, Shield, Master Rune of Snorri Spangelhelm, Rune of Cleaving, Rune of Fury, and Rune of Stone - 275 points
Hero+Rare - Dark Emissary - 265 points
Hero - Thane - Gromgril Armor, Shield, Rune of Cleaving - 85 points
Core - Warriors (20) - Heavy Armor, Shield, Standard, Musician - 195 points
Core - Warriors (20) - Heavy Armor, Shield, Standard, Musician - 195 points
Core - Warriors (20) - Heavy Armor, Shield, Standard, Musician - 195 points
Core - Thunderers (10) - 140 points
Core - Thunderers (10) - 140 points
Core - Miners (20) - Standard, Musician - 258 points
Special - Slayers (12) - Standard, Musician - 150 points
Special - Cannon - 100 points
TOTAL: 1,998 points
For spells he got Bolt of Dark Light, Curse of the Dark Master, Coils of the Serpent, and Betrayal in Death.
DOGS OF WAR
Special note for this battle: Albion magic items were in, as we agreed it'd give the DOW some much needed variety. I also casually mentioned the Lore of Ice from the Kislev character printed in Chronicles '04, and he was totally on board. So with that being said, some choices will make sense.
Lord - Wizard Lord (Level 4) - Hexstaff - 265 points
Hero - Paymaster - Heavy Armor, Enchanted Shield, Mystical Shield of Light - 109 points
Core - Pikemen (20) - Full Command, Heavy Armor - 250 points
Core - Pikemen (20) - Full Command, Heavy Armor - 250 points
Core - Pikemen (20) - Full Command, Heavy Armor - 250 points
Core - Heavy Cavalry (10) - Full Command, Barded Steeds - 255 points
Core - Heavy Cavalry (10) - Full Command, Barded Steeds - 255 points
Core - Crossbowmen (10) - 80 points
Special - Paymaster's Bodyguard (19) - Full Command, Heavy Armor - 220 points
Special - Halfings (10) - Bows - 60 points
TOTAL: 1,994 points
For spells I got Shardstorm, Form of the Frostfiend, Invocation of the Ice Storm, and Midwinter's Kiss.
Rolls for deployment let me choose the side and Ashley starting deployment. While deploying Ashley lamented the fact that Halflings didn't Skirmish, suggested that I go ahead and skirmish them, and so we went with it. We may wind up looking at points cost for doing that, or possibly points for scouting as well.
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TURN 1 DWARFS
The entirety of the Dwarf army minus the Cannon moves forward at top speed.
The Magic Phase is rather quick, with Curse of the Dark Master being dispelled.
Shooting is also uneventful as the Cannon overshoots the right flank Pikemen.
TURN 1 DOGS OF WAR
The Dogs of War march forward at the speed of the fastest infantryman, with the exception of the Crossbowmen who move onto the hill to gain line of sight for next turn, and the Halflings who ready their long ranged weaponry.
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The Halflings loose their arrows, driving 4 of the Dark Emissary's Thunderers dead to the ground.
TURN 2 DWARFS
The Dwarf Lord orders patience to his army at the top of his lungs, yet the Slayers creep forward 3" and the Lord's own unit drifts forward 1". The Dark Emissary sees the dangers facing the Thunderers, and leaves their ranks. The Thunderers move forward 2", cresting the hill in front of them.
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The Cannonball hits the ground in front of the right flank Pikemen and embeds into the ground. The left Thunderers kill 3 of the center Pikemen while the right Thunderers kill 2 of the right flank Pikemen.
TURN 2 DOGS OF WAR
The cautiousness of the Dwarf Lord does not stop the inevitable, as the horns sound the charge!!!!!
The left flank Cavalry charge the Warriors in front of them, who hold. The left flank Pikes charge the Slayers, who also hold. Lastly, the right flank Cavalry charge the Miners, who also hold.
The Paymaster's Bodyguard, center Pikes, and right flank Pikes move forward 8", the Crossbowmen wheel to the center of the board. The Halflings again hold their position.
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In response to their Wizard General's misfortune, the Halflings again kill 2 more Dwarfs from the left Thunderer unit, but they pass their panic check.
With shooting wrapped up, we move to the first of the charges. The left flank Cavalry drive their lances home and kill 3 Warriors, with the Cavalry Champion turning away a fatal blow with his shield. The Warriors pass their Break test.
At this point I'd like to draw attention to a massive pet peeve of mine. SEVERAL online conversations would lead one to believe that a 5 man Knight unit obliterates all in its path, resulting in a massive break test on the enemy and a guaranteed run down unit. ALL games were like this, I was assured. By a guy with several nice trophies to boot. What did I get? A Knight unit with TWO MORE POINTS OF COMBAT RESOLUTION THAN THE MIRACLE 5 MAN KNIGHT UNIT OF LEGEND manages to win by 1. 1 point. Had I been running 5 man, I would have lost the combat despite suffering no wounds. Hopefully someday this point will die a death...
The left flank Pikemen kill 2 Slayers, but the remaining Slayers pull down 2 Pikemen in return. Unbreakable does the trick, and the small unit holds the Pikes in for what will be a rather long combat, I'd wager.
The right flank Cavalry unit also brings a decent showing, killing 3 Miners while losing 1 Knight in return. The Miners pass their Break test with a double 1, easily staying in the fight.
TURN 3 DWARFS
The Dwarf Lord roars orders to the Thane, telling him to charge his Warriors into the Paymaster's Bodyguard while the Lord himself urges his Warrior regiment to charge into the center Pikemen regiment.
What few units are unengaged stand their ground.
The Dark Emissary casts Bolt of Dark Light at the dazed and exposed Wizard Lord, landing 3 wounds which finish him off nicely. With all Dispel Dice used up, nothing stops the evil wizard from casting Curse of the Dark Master on the center Pikemen, leaving them with -1 to hit in combat.
The Cannon fires at the right flank Pikemen, mowing down 3, and the right Thunderers perforate 3 more of the right flank Pikemen, while the left Thunderers see off 2 of the Halflings hiding in the woods. The Pikemen pass their Panic check.
The combat starts from left to right, as per our usual. The first unit to fight is the left flank Cavalry, who fail wound anyone. In response, the Dwarf Warriors are determined to show that nobody whiffs attacks better than a Dwarf!!!!!!! After adding up resolution we find we have a drawn combat.
The left flank Pikemen, inspired by their Cavalry brethren, ALSO whiff all their attacks. However, the Slayers do much better that the Warriors and pull down 3 Pikemen. While Ashley adds up exactly how bad I lost, I roll a natural 2, so we're on for the next round.
The Paymaster challenges the Thane, who accepts!!!!! This was my favorite part of the match right here, seeing Ashley look up from the board with eyebrows raised. "You SURE you want to challenge?!?!" I smile wryly and say "I know what I'm doing..."
Anywhich, the Paymaster is wounded twice, but he saves without even getting to use the Ward I gave him. In return he lands a saved wound on the Thane. The rest of the combat sees the Warriors failing their attacks, as do the Bodyguard. Bodyguard loses by 1, but they pass.
Not to be outdone, the Lord challenges the center Pikemen Champion, who accepts. His attacks both miss, and the Lord doles out 5 unsaved wounds in return. The rest of the Pikemen cause 2 wounds which are saved by the Warriors, while they Pikemen save the 1 wound that comes their way. The resolve of the Pikemen breaks and they flee 9", outpacing the Warriors who wind up going 3".
The right flank Cavalry kill 1 Miner, but lose 2 in return. The Cavalry then fail their Break test and flee 10", with the Miners pursuing 3". The right flank Pikemen pass their Panic test.
TURN 3 DOGS OF WAR
The right flank Pikemen charge the Thunderers that have been decimating their ranks, who in turn hold given the unit was too close to Stand and Shoot.
The center Pikemen and right flank Cavalry rally and reform, which is the last of the movement this turn.
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My Shooting phase sees 2 more left Thunderers drop from Halfling shots, yet still pass Panic. The Crossbows manage to kill 1 Warrior from the Lord's unit.
In the Close Combat phase the left flank Cavalry kill 1 Warrior with no losses of their own, but the Warriors' resolve holds.
The left flank Pikemen kill 1 Slayer, and lose 2 including their Champion. Unbreakable keeps it going.
The Dwarf Thane fails to wound the Paymaster, but the Paymaster strikes home and wounds the Thane. The Bodyguard themselves fail to wound anyone, yet lose a Bodyguard to Dwarven axes. Losing, the Bodyguard passes its Stubborn Break test.
The right flank Pikemen kill 1 Thunderer while losing 1 of their own. Resolution, however, sees the Thunderers testing and failing, fleeing 8" with the Pikemen pursuing 7".
TURN 4 DWARFS
The turn starts out with the fleeing Thunderers rallying. The Lord's unit backsteps 1 1/2" while the left Thunderer unit about faces.
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Grapeshot from the Cannon kills 1 of the right flank Pikemen.
In Combat the left flank Cavalry kills 2 Warriors while saving 1 wound themselves. The Warriors finally break and flee 9" with the Cavalry pursuing 3". For those keeping track, yes, I rolled three 1's for my pursuit roll.
The left flank Pikemen gather their anger at the loss of their Champion and kill 5 Slayers, guaranteeing no attacks back. The Slayers are still Unbreakable so the combat goes on.
The Paymaster again misses his attacks and takes a wound for his lack of combat prowess. The Bodyguard kill 1 Dwarf Warrior while taking no wounds this turn. The Bodyguard again passes their check.
TURN 4 DOGS OF WAR
Both Cavalry units charge, and while the Miners on the right flank hold, the Warriors fail to flee far enough to escape the left flank Cavalry, dying to a Dwarf.
The right flank Pikemen rally, and the center Pikemen move up 8" towards the main battle line.
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4 Slayers fall to the left flank Pikemen with no wounds in return, but still Unbreakable.
The Paymaster delivers the final wound to the Thane while his Bodyguard pull down a Dwarf Warrior with no losses to their side. The Warriors Break and flee 3" with the Bodyguard pursuing 7", wiping them out. The Lord's unit passes their Panic check.
The right flank Cavalry kills 1 Miner with no wounds in return. Despite this the Cavalry lose the combat, fail their Break check and flee 14" with the Miners passing their Restraint test.
TURN 5 DWARFS
The Lord's Warriors charge the center Pikemen who Hold.
The Miners about face to address the Pikemen near the Cannon, the Thunderers wheel to face the center, and the Dark Emissary moves 8" towards his table edge and away from the danger.
The Dark Emissary casts Bolt of Dark Light on the Bodyguard, killing 4 of them, and following it up with Curse of the Dark Master on the center Pikemen.
The Cannon again fires grapeshot at the Pikemen, killing 3 but failing to Panic them.
No wounds are done in the Pikes/Slayer fight, and Unbreakable so not much to do but move on to the next combat...
The center Pikes miss all attacks while taking 6 wounds. They Break and flee 4" with the Lord's Warriors pursuing 2".
TURN 5 DOGS OF WAR
The right flank Pikes charge the Cannon crew, who hold.
The center Pikes flee 10" while the right flank Cavalry rallies.
The left flank Cavalry and Paymaster's Bodyguard reform to face the center of the battle line.
Once again, I fail to dispel the Curse.
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The left flank Pikemen finally kill the last Slayer.
The right flank Pikemen fail to hit at all, but they save the 1 wound scored against them and the Break test is passed, just in time to facilitate a rear charge...
TURN 6 DWARFS
Miners declare a rear charge on the right flank Pikemen to the surprise of no one, and the Pikemen pass their Panic check.
The Lord's Warriors reform to face the Paymaster's Bodyguard to bait a charge.
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The Thunderers cock back their matchlocks and... fail to hit a single thing.
The Miners strike down 1 Pikeman, the Pikemen pull down 1 Cannon crewman, and the Cannon crew fail to hit. Resolution tells the tale, forcing the Pikemen to test and fail. Their flee roll takes them 5", but the enraged Miners pursue 6" eradicating the mercenaries from the board.
TURN 6 DOGS OF WAR
The Paymaster leads his Bodyguard's charge into the Lord's Warriors, who Hold for the combat.
The center Pikemen flee 7", determined to put distance between them and the Dwarf Army. The left flank Pikemen reform to face the combat, ready to support next turn if necessary. The Cavalry regiments both move at top speed towards enemy units, closing the distance for next turn, and lastly the Halflings march ahead full so as to gain range on more units.
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And with THAT stellar bit of narrative the battle ends. Ashley concedes as he's a bit too pressed for time to finish the last term, and also because his observation is I simply have more points on the board. We remembered the banner thing this time, and I haven't calculated exactly how that all broke down, but I'm leaning towards agreeing with him this time, which I guess is a moot point because concession is concession.
I give all the credit to the dice, of course...