After many months of travelling here there and everywhere around the country, the two gamers are at last once again facing each other across the battlefield for a game of warhammer fantasy!
More importantly for me than just being my first return to the wargaming table in a while, i did manage to get in a few games of black powder at various clubs now and again, this was only my fourth game of warhammer since the Empire release back in May.
So as I am saying we met once again for a straightforward 2000pt engagement at the border of Sylvania and Hardenburg to let Boris Johannes Marcov and Raspartine battle it out once again.
I also had chance to look around at A's new games room and so there is a seperate post about his armies.
Hardenburger Inquisitorial escort
Boris Johannes Marcov with mace of helstrum, heavy armour, enchanted shield and war altar of Morr
Sacerdos Barbarossa with brace of pistols and great sword
Bernard Sanchez de Magritta with brace of pistols and great sword
Yann the bold with armour of meteoric iron and additional hand weapon
30 halbediers with shields, champion, standard bearer and two detachments of 15 free companies
30 greatswords with full command, war banner and two detachments of 15 free companies
5 outriders with bardings and marksman
5 outriders with bardings and marksman
Hellstorm rocket battery
Hellblaster volley gun
The Varg hordes of Raspartine
Raspartine, winged vampire lord
Casmir Von Bluud, vampire with obsidian blade
necromancer
39 zombies with musician and standard
40 skeletons with shields, spears and full command
20 crypt ghouls with champion
7 dire wolves
20 grave guard with full command and shields
3 vargheists with champion
Flitch the ever crazed, varghulf
The vampires went first and in their movement they shot forwards, attempting to secure their right flank (so badly threatened by enfilading guns) on the deadly haunted mansion that stood in the centre of the field, a sinister statue in its grounds. The vampires refrained from charging and instead kept just out of my charge range. Their plan was to makesure that the greatswords would be charged by the vargheists and a support unit in the same combat round.
I was silently confident that with their flanking detachments and in the range of Boris' wards, the greatswords would have more than enough ability to see off the vargheists and what ever else the vampires could throw at them. This may have been foolish herosim but thats how i like to play empire. I manouvered the greatswords into a suitable formation so that the vampires would have no oppurtunity to charge either detachment and stop them from flanking. Beside them Sacerdos Barbarossa, his eyes firmly fixed on the heretical Raspartine, smashed and widow and lept into the house on the hardenburger right before kicking down the door and bursting out to send two blessed bullets speeding towards Raspartine. Both hit but the vampire's unholy wards protected him.
Meanwhile Boris had brought down the shield of faith to protect the entire infantry battle line, but he promptly forgot the prayer straight after it was bestowed.
The outriders proceeded to rake their guns across the skeletal ranks, driving bullets deep into the skulls of six warriors.
On the left the outriders managed to take out a good amount of zombies with their driling fire power. However the volley gun had to be manhauled right down the hill and towards the ghouls flank in order to get within range.
The halbediers were now attempting a flanking manouvere around the haunted mansion to come down on the flank or rear of the vampiric hordes.
The missile battery in the tower of blood opened fire upon the skeletons and blasted a good few with the first rocket which landed right on target. The second however did not go off and the battery had to be dismantled in order to clean out the barrel.
The maddened Varghulf was charging straight for Sacerdos Barborossa, but the witch hunter stood defiant chanting prayers of Morr as the great beast threw itself at him. Flitch was almost upon him when he fired off both pistols at the Varghulf's head. Both met their target but did little damage save to bring it up short of crushing their dispatcher.
The Outriders too were charged and they too stood and let rip with black powder into the skeletons. However only three of the skeletons fell and the rest threw themselves on top of the outriders that were all that was keeping the skeletons of the Hardenburger flank.
Sacerdos produced two more pistols and fird them off, pressed into the varghulf's body, again this time to more effect and the varghulf reeled back wards with blood spurting from the pistol wound.
Every outrider save the champion was struck down and the marksman fled from them, quiting the field of battle in the next turn and leaving the Hardenburger rear open and unguarded.
Despite the witch hunter's previous success he was finally struck down by the loopy varghulf which now turned its eyes on the Hardenburger flank. With their right flank completly open it was not looking too good for the Hardenburgers.
But then Raspartine led the charge in on the greatswords. He and Flitch, together with two of the vargheists (one had been banished by Boris in the previous turn) and the zombie horde (with plenty of newly resurected zombies) smahed into the greatswords. The free companies reacted to this but it was doubhtful if they could hold off teh undead hordes even with the hammer of Morr fighting beside them.
As Raspartine and his vargheists plunged out of the air towads Bernard Sanchez, the inquisitor calmly levelled his pistols at them. He pulled the triggers and one of the vargheists crashed to the ground at his feet spattered in blood and near death.
The greatswords prepared to make a last stand and so held their banner high and drew on all their courage.
In the combat that ensued twelve greatswords and six peasants fell to the undead hordes. But Bernard Sanchez struck down one of the Vargheists, his greatswords struck down the other and six zombies and the free companies delivered a wounding blow to Raspartine.
With such a valiant stand from the men of the empire the combat was named a draw at 26 combat resolution points per side! But with Boris and Van Bluud waiting in the wings it was still all to fight for (and with Flitch ripping through a rank a turn he needed dealing with quickly.
Boris flank charged the Necromancer's unit of zombies. The volley gun and outriders too were in enfilading position and the Halbediers under Yann had now returned to help bolster the line in the event that it would be broken through.
In the ensuing combat Boris used the mace of helstrum to smash the necromancer flat. The free companies and greatswords dispatched the rest of the zombies and five greatswords and five more free companies had fallen, combat resolution clearly outwayed in the side of Hardeburg and Raspartine and Flitch were overwhelmed by the surviving numbers.
With their general lost it was now up to Van Bluud to pull the undead back from the jaws of defeat. However at his disposal were both the elite infantry units of the vampires and a horde of skeletons behind enemy lines.
At this we left the game for a while and had a walk up into town where I was going to pick up some C.S forester Hornblower books from the free bookshop (which for some reason had closed much earlier than it should have done) and my opponent some more cards for Magic the gathering (which included a planeswalker dragon named Nicol Bolas).
When we returned the rocket crew had repaired their machinery but were now being overun as skeletons scaled the walls of their tower and hacked them to pieces with their frenzied axes, leaving the tower of blood stained with blood.
The Ghouls were surrounded by the Greatswords and their detachments and the ghoul champion challenged Bernard Sanchez to duel him which the heretic killer gladly accepted. Boris was meanwhile engaged in duelling Count Casimir atop his war altar, whilst the grave guard watched on.
With one swing of his great hammer Boris had the vampire flat aback and at his mercy. But Boris ad none for heretics and so banished the vampiric count with another swing of his mighty hammer.
Bernard too one his duel, dispatching the ghoul with one shot from his shining pistol.
The forces of the empire now closed in on the crumbling greatswords
But as Boris looked down from above his foes, chanting the prayers of banishment, one of the grave guard managed to push him and the archlector fell right back down the staircase inside his war altar and lay, pinned to the floor by his great size and the weight of his armour as his war altar bashed away out of control.
But the peasants, halbediers and Greatswords made short work of the elite skeletons.
With Yann getting his first fight of the day, striking down a grave guard with one of his hammers.
The final skeleton warrior (all his comrades had crumbled) was now threatening the Hardenburger rear. He drew his jagged sword and advanced on his foes.
Five peasants ran out to deal with him. One of the peasants was cut down but in the end the skelton inevitably fell.
A great battle and a great change from playing black powder. It was great to have a full scale outing with my empire again and this time I fared rather better than I had done against the beastmen.
No comments:
Post a Comment