Classichammer

Originally posted on 2-20-2020

Two battle reports in a row? Madness? The lack of sleep would seem to verify that assessment.

This one came from me moving stuff in my garage and finding a scenario that I printed off of GW's website during either 6th or 7th, but it easily fit either edition. I have a Beastmen army that's heavy with Minotaurs, the scenario had a specific special rule that applied to Minotaurs. Seemed like providence to me...

The gist of the scenario is essentially a heavily wooded Pitched Battle with a herdstone in the Beastmen deployment zone, Toughness 8 if you want to kill it, or else it is a control point. The stone also makes 1 nominated unit of Minotaurs Stubborn.

The armies were chosen as so:

LIZARDMEN

Hero: Skink Priest (Level 2) - Cube of Darkness - 140 points
Hero: Skink Priest (Level 2) - 100 points
Core: Skinks (10) - Scouts - 70 points
Core: Skinks (10) - Scouts - 70 points
Core: Skinks (10) - Scouts - 70 points
Core: Skinks (10) - Scouts - 70 points
Core: Skinks (10) - Scouts - 70 points
Core: Jungle Swarm (4) - 240 points
Special: Chameleon Skinks (10) - 150 points
Special: Terradons (3) - 195 points
Special: Saurus Cavalry (5) - 175 points
Special: Kroxigors (4) - Great Weapons - 252 points
Rare: Salamanders (3) - 195 points
Rare: Salamanders (3) - 195 points

TOTAL 1,998 points

For spells, the purple Priest got Second Sign of Amul and Comet of Canada (inside joke, has to do with the first coin we ever used for that spell) while the grey Priest got Second Sign and Forked Lightning, both from Lore of the Heavens.
The Beastmen list should look pretty familiar to most on these boards by now...

BEASTMEN

Lord: Doombull (Level 2) - Mark of Tzeentch, Axes of Khorgor, Heavy Armor, Crown of Horns - 361 points
Hero: Wargor (Level 2) - Mark of Tzeentch, Chaos Armor, Shield - 136 points
Hero: Brayshaman (Level 2) - Staff of Darkoth - 132 points
Core: Minotaurs (8) - Mark of Tzeentch - 340 points
Core: Minotaurs (8) - Mark of Tzeentch - 340 points
Core: Minotaurs (7) - Mark of Tzeentch - 300 points
Core: Beast Herd (5 Gors, 5 Ungors) - 55 points
Core: Bestigors (19) - Mark of Tzeentch, Full Command, Flesh Banner - 328 points

TOTAL: 1,995 points

For spells, the Doombull got Red Fire and Blue Fire from the Lore of Tzeentch, the Wargor got Red fire and Green Fire from the Lore of Tzeentch, and the Brayshaman got Dark Hand of Death and Death Dealer from the Lore of Death
DEPLOYMENT

Just pretend that the Chameleon Skinks are 6" back, and the Skinks by them are behind that cluster of trees. He got moving before I could snap the Deployment pic.
So Ashley simply spread his rather massive army from one side to the other. I stuck two of my Minotaur units including the Doombull's unit (Lucky recipient of Stubborn if they're within 12" of the stone, if memory serves) around the stone, the third unit rolling up the right flank, and the Herd and Bestigors up the left flank.

TURN 1 LIZARDMEN

After passing Stupidity on the Cavalry, the entire army surges forward at top speed with the exception of the left flank Salamanders and the Kroxigors who move slightly.
The Magic phase starts with the purple Priest miscasting Comet of Canada and rolling a 6, ending his spellcasting. The grey Priest casts Forked Lightning on the right flank Minotaurs, which nets a dispel roll from me that contains double 1's. Two wounds are all the damage done.
The Chameleon Skinks pepper the right flank Minotaurs with darts, doing 3 wounds and killing one outright. The Skinks rolling down the flank next to them do 1 wound, which finishes off the Minotaur previously wounded in the Magic phase.
TURN 1 BEASTMEN

After passing the Unruly test for the Herd, no charges are declared. Instead, the Doombull's unit moves forward 3", the leftmost Minotaurs sidestep 1" and wheel 2" to get around the rock and ready for a support charge later. The right flank Minotaurs, restrained by the proximity of enemy troops, move forward 6", the Herd moves forward 4" into the woods, and the Bestigors wheel 2" and move the rest forward towards the Cold One Riders.
The Wargor casts Green Fire on the Cold One Riders, which draws out the Cube of Darkness. The roll is easily made, and the phase ends immediately.

TURN 2 LIZARDMEN

Stupidity passed. The Jungle Swarms charge the Bestigors who flee 5", resulting in a failed charge.

The Shamans join the leftmost Salamanders who are moving up to shooting range along with every other ballistic unit, with the exception of the Skinks directly in front of the Doombull who are trying to mitigate shooting modifiers. The Terradons fly to the Beastmen deployment area.
I allow both Priests to successfully cast Second Sign, and bizarrely both net 2 rerolls each. Forked Lightning, however, earns all my dispel dice, including double 1's, and 4 wounds are done to the beleaguered right flank Minotaurs.
The Skinks in front of the Doombull's unit land 3 wounds while the Salamanders deliver 26 hits, which translates to 8 more wounds, but the unit passes its Panic test.
The Chameleon Skinks land 5 wounds on the Minotaurs with a fusillade of blow darts which is followed up by the two Skink units closest to that unit landing a massive 10 wounds total, erasing the unit completely.
TURN 2 BEASTMEN

My turn starts off with the Herd panicking from the fleeing Bestigors, rolling 9" directly away and off the left board edge, taking the Brayshaman with them. The Doombull's unit charges the Skinks in front of them who fleein response, resulting in a failed charge.

On the bright side, the Bestigors rally.
Blue Fire fails to cast, while the Wargor's Red Fire is dispelled. Green Fire is successfully cast on the Skink unit in front of the Bestigors and does 2 wounds while the Herdstone bound spell (essentially Uranon's Thunderbolt) accounts for 2 more Skinks from the same unit. Panic is passed, though.

TURN 3 LIZARDMEN

The fleeing Skinks are far enough away to not cause any more Panic tests, and the Cold Ones again pass their Stupidity.

The Swarms charge the Bestigors to the front, who hold this time, and the fleeing Skinks flee 2" further.

All the rest of the army heads forward or towards the Herdstone at top speed.
The first Second Sign attempt fails, but the second one passes netting 1 reroll. Forked Lightning is dispelled, however.

In the Shooting Phase the Doombull's unit takes 4 wounds from the rightmost Salamander pack, who also eat 1 Skink, and 1 wound from the Skinks closest. With only the Doombull left, the leftmost Salamanders roll 22 hits, only wounding three times, with 1 of those saved. The Doombull does not panic, however.

In the Close Combat phase the Swarms kill 1 Bestigor while losing 5 wounds, but they are Unbreakable.

TURN 3 BEASTMEN

The Doombull charges the leftmost Salamanders, and the last remaining Minotaur unit charges the Kroxigors, both of whom hold

The Magic phase sees the Herdstone bound spell dispelled, and the Flesh Banner does 3 more wounds to the Jungle Swarms.

In the Combat phase the Doombull does 4 wounds to the Salamanders, killing 1 outright while suffering no wounds in return. The Salamanders break from the combat 10", with the Doombull pursuing 10", wiping them out.

The Minotaurs kill 2 Kroxigors by inflicting 6 wounds, with the Kroxigors only landing 2 wounds back. The Kroxigors break and flee 7", and the Minotaurs pursue 14". The devastation wrought is too much for the Skinks near the combats, and they panic 9" away from the slaughter.
The Bestigors land 5 more wounds on the Swarms, but their exhaustion allows the Swarms to pull down 3 of their numbers. Resolution is yet again on the side of the Bestigors, but Unbreakable sees the combat continue.
TURN 4 LIZARDMEN

Starting the turn with passing Stupidity, the Lizardmen continue strong by rallying both fleeing Skink units. All units able to move continue closer to the Herdstone or best speed forward, the Saurus Cavalry wheeling around the copse of woods to line up a charge on the Bestigors next turn.

I allow both Second Signs to pass unstopped, netting a total of 5 rerolls. Forked Lightning, however, I terminate with extreme prejudice, mainly because I'm finally not rolling 1's constantly.

The remaining Salamanders snarl as they belch forth chemical fire onto the Doombull, scoring 26 hits. Only 7 manage to wound, but 1 gets through the armor and Ward saves, finishing the Doombull off.

The Bestigors once again dole out 5 wounds on the Swarms taking none in return, but Unbreakable sees the combat extend to the next turn, leaving the Bestigors ripe for a charge from the Cavalry.
TURN 4 BEASTMEN

The Minotaurs do an about face and move 4 1/2" back towards the Herdstone, attempting to make a move at the objective, hoping against hope that Fear and a well-placed charge may yet save the day.
The Herdstone bound spell is dispelled, but the Flesh Banner does enough wounds to finish off the Jungle Swarms.
TURN 5 LIZARDMEN

Stupidity is passed, and the predictable happens next right along with the unpredictable...

The Cold One Cavalry declare a rear charge on the Bestigors while the Terradons swoop in from across the field to hit the flank. Knowing I can't outrun the charge of the Cavalry, I hold and roll a passing Fear test.

The Skinks and Salamanders move to gain range on the Minotaurs, and to also march block for next turn.
In the Magic phase Second Sign is passed by one Priest but failed by the other, resulting in 2 rerolls. Forked Lightning proves too strong for my Wargor to dispel, and the Minotaurs take 2 wounds.

The Skinks combine their fire at the Minotaurs and score 5 wounds. The Salamanders decide to add to the fusillade, and score 18 hits despite a Skink getting eaten, resulting in 9 wounds. The Minotaurs panic 4" away from the Salamanders.

In Combat the Saurus Cavalry strikes home, killing 5 Bestigors while the Terradons strike down 1. The Bestigors still able to fight do two wounds on the Terrasaurs, but are massively done in by Resolution. They break and flee 8", with both the Cavalry AND the Terradons rolling 14" to pursue, definitively wiping out the elite Beastmen.

TURN 5 BEASTMEN

Okay, so all I need to do now is pass a Regroup test with the Minotaurs so I can at least survive another turn and try to contest the Herdstone area. Failing, I flee 9" and spare myself the embarrassment of the gunning down I'd suffer next turn.


Hoooo boy was I outnumbered, outgunned, and outmaneuvered in that game. It wasn't even a contest. I have an in on adding a rather massive number of Herds to the army, so I'm going to switch tactics to Swarm and Ambush instead of the Minotaur heavy army I've always envisioned...





... not that I'm giving up on the Minotaur army, it's going to back burner until such time as I get enough Minos to drop NOTHING but Minos.

Just Tony wrote: ↑Sat Feb 18, 2023 2:48 am The Magic phase starts with the purple Priest miscasting Comet of Canada and rolling a 6, ending his spellcasting.

As a Canadian, I approve of this typo.

Then the nature of the term will be better for you. A long time ago, when 6th was fresh and widely played, I went for a coin to cast Comet of Casandora and found a Canadian penny in my change. I smirked and declared "Well, I guess it's going to be the Comet of Canada today..." and placed the coin. By the end of the month EVERY player in the group had a Canadian coin of some type added to their dice bags/trays/whatever, and we had officially adopted Comet of Canada as the new name of the spell.