Clash in the border lands

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.

 

The Grand Expedition to Lustria

A long time in the planning, the grand expedition of Lustria was a multi player game hosted by myself. The eight of us played from 10:30 till 3:30, raiding and battling our way through the jungles of deepest Lustria in our quest for gold!
We had set out the giant table scape with loads of jungle scenery scavenged from every where, and these scattered bits of scenery were divided into separate terrain pieces. Any Lord, Hero, unit champion or marksman could search one of these terrain pieces for gold. This was done by taking a leadership test to find the treasure and then taking an initiative test to avoid anything nasty and reptilian lurking in the undergrowth. If both these tests were passed the searcher added D3 pieces of Gold to his equipment. If he was killed by another model that could search than that model took his gold. The army with the most gold being carried by its models at the end won.
It was an all for all game with vague alliances being made by different players along the way.

I'm also going to point out that the photos are all taken on my new Fujifilm, however even though they are a better quality picture (the main attraction is the battery life, which has risen form five minutes to several days) this was its first outing so there are a few that are not quite perfect yet, but on the whole they are very good.

Before we start with the game I will talk through the armylists, their back grounds and composition.

This is my Estalian force above. Having used up a great deal of money in defeating the Bretonnians in the short Hardenburger war of succession and securing the safe return of the Marines from Sylvania (not to mention the disastrous loss of the siege guns in the border princes) Hardenburg was in need of a great deal of gold (especially as it had just recently paid out a large some of money it did not have purchasing the gigantic griffon Fokker for Vyshnevtksy II's son).

Vyshnevtsky, Prince regent and son of Vyshnevtsky II, had been planning the mission in depth and had secured the help of a mad knight (by name of Don Quixote) who was the master of the Knights of the black bear's head quarters in Estalia and a famed knight Errant. With the influence of Hardenburg's Estalian Inquisitors and this mad knight, a force of Conquistadors and unemployed Estalian Marines was hired with the promise of gold if they did their duty. This was the force that arrived in Lustria, under the banner of Hardenburg and the leadership of the maddest knight in the old world! 

• Don Quixote (Marius Leitdorf)
• Bernard Sanchez de Magritta warrior priest with armour of meteoric Iron
• Sacerdos Barbarossa witch hunter with brace of pistols
• The knights of the Black bear 7 knights
• The Black watch 20 halberdiers with shields and two detachments of 10 free companies
• The Conquistador Dragoons 6 outriders with bardings

No one knows the true identity of this individual, whether he is a noble or a commoner. He rides the countryside of Estalia seeking glory and to right wrongs and evil to slay. Not that this would be that uncommon in the World, except for the fact that Don Quixote tends to see evil monster everywhere he goes, especially when it comes to windmills. Don Quixote is just that. He suffers from mad delusions and is quite insane. He fancies himself as a great knight of Bretonnian decent, roaming the countryside seeking wrongs to right and monsters to slay in the proper chivalric tradition. Don Quixote’s attire can best be described as comical. He wears a miss-mash of rusted and beat up armour all taken from different suits that he has presumably scavenged from battles. His attire is so absurd that he even has his own coat of arms on his ratty tabard and lance pennon. The Don Quixote’s hold on reality is tenuous at best. He lives in a dream world of his own making, one where he is King of a mythic land and he slays giants, dragons other foul creatures. Since he is so far gone the “real world” of the Old and New Worlds hold no terror!

Bernard Sanchez de Magritta, Inquisitor of Hardenburg is the silent leader of this expedition. The Mad knight is no leader but Bernard is. He knows the mission and he will lead the conquistadors to glory over the heathen serpent men of this land.

 

Then there is Sacerdos Barbarossa. Though Tilean by Parentage he is Estalian in training. He has been dispatched on this mission, not as an inspiring leader but as a silent assassin hell bent on stopping any plan the Vampire Raspartine could have to foil Hardnburg's chances of success.

This was the other tale of two gamers army, the Marauders of vampire coast. Raspartine's spies had easily found out about the Hardenburger's plan and Raspartine had dispatched his pet Cockatrice to the Von Wulfstein, one of the vampire captain's of the vampire coast in Lustria. Hearing of this fresh flesh, un-toughened by the Lustrian environment and threatening the vampire homeland he set sail for the coast of Lustria and personally lead ashore a force of his zombie crew and skeletal guards. He was soon joined by the

Captain Von Wulfstein Vampire lord (level 1 wizard) with heavy armour, the Giant Blade, and the Flying Horror, Dread Knight, and Quickblood Vampiric Powers.

Kruegar the Wicked Vampire (level 2 wizard) with heavy armour, and the Rod of Flaming Death.

The Gory Pawns 20 Zombies with full Standard bearer.

The Death Eaters 10 Crypt Ghouls with Ghast.

The Saprotrophs 10 Crypt Ghouls with Ghast.

The Grimswords 10 Grave Guard with full command

Captain Von Wulfstein

 

Us two form tale of two gamers, I am the one on the right and my vampiric opponent on the left

As the vampires were early and everyone else was late we decided to have a 500pt warm up game. my force of Bernard (arch lector), Sacerdos (witch hunter) Inoculant grand Canon of Hardenburg (light wizard) and 20 halbediers with two detachments of ten free companies faced off against Captain von Wulfstein (vampire), 45 zombies and two units of 10 crypt ghouls. The battle opened up with a slow advance towards each other.

However, having picked Von Wulfstein as his target Sacredos spearheaded out towards the vampire captain. He let off two sniping shots with his pistols at the vampire in his block of zombies, but then the vampire lept through the air diving through the undergrowth and out of his unit towards Sacredos. The witch hunter did not flinch and let off two pistol shots at the charging vampire while he was in mid air (both shots re-rolling to hit, re-rolling to wound and killing blow). Both shots struck and before the vampire even made contact with Sacerdos he had turned into a bat and fled for the shore.

After this the units all began to crumble and the Vampires admitted defeat without a single casualty on the Conquistador's part.

Now back on with the main game

The Lizardmen force had arrived to protect the resident skinks and stop the gold leaving Lustria!

• Saurus old blood on Carnosaur
• 25 saurus warriors with shields
• 25 saurus warriors with shields and halberds 

 

Then there were the high elf resistance fighters of Saphiry. They had come to take gold back to Ulthuan to perhaps secure the ransom of Teclis and then raise an army with their new gold to ever throw the Hardenburger rulers. They could also not afford to let the conquistadors get their hands on gold for Vyshnevtsky as this would lead to re-doubled attacks on their Chracian allies.

• Noble
• Mage lvl 2 lore of shadows
• 11 swordmasters
• 20 lotheren sea guard
• 5 shadow warriors
• 5 ellyrian reavers

 

Clan Wensleydale had also arrived across the seas to join in the plundering of the forests! Warlord Kevin with Warlock engineer bob, the abomination lucky and their new hired assassin were ready to march their slave hordes through the undergrowth to the sound of banjo playing.

 

We join the battle one turn into the game and having pushed forwards in all direction (but forgeting all about the gold objective) the Estalian are joined by an allied force of Knights Kathar (Lord on griffon, warrior priest, 20 halbediers, 9 inner circle knights and 10 huntsmen) all the way from Bretonnia, commanded by Count Charles De Vergy! With this new boost we would re-double our efforts to secure the forest and scour it for gold!

 

Don Quixote was also pushing forward with teh knights of the black bear, however as they charged for the elven ranks he suddenly accused the knight next to him of being a changling and claimed that "he alone had seen him change for that last split second" before running him through.
The elves had now been joined by a force of warriors of chaos from the skegii colony numbering a champion, 12 warriors, 10 forsaken, 5 horsemen and a chaos giant.

 

As Sacerdos marched through one of the clearings, hot on the trail of Captain Wulfstein with the Outriders riding behind him, a unit of twenty zombies burst out from the undergrowth, charging straight for him! The witch hunter levelled his two pistols and fired, taking down two of the zombies before whipping out his greatsword for the fight that was coming. The outriders then let loose their repeater handguns at a group of ghouls who had charged for them, they took down three and haulted thir charge before it hit however they were going to be charged next turn if they didn't deal with them.

 

The rest of the Conquistadors and Bretonnians began to push through the undergrowth towards the region dominated by the skaven. It was also where Wulfstein was lurking in relative safety until he realised that a force of warriors of chaos (this time a daemon prince tzeentch, 20 forsaken, 5 marauder horsemen and 5 warhounds) from Amazon island had appeared.
The gallant De Vergy, determined to show his men the courage of their leader flew through the wind and into the Hell pit abomination, his Lance shattering with magical energies and swelling to reveal a great giant blade. However the cowardly skaven decided they would not have a fair duel and they charged in 20 clanrats and their assassin to aid the hell pit abomination.

 

The lizradmen were having a rough time getting their hands on the gold after both their units had failed their initiative tests and been ambushed by a carnosaur and stegadon respectively. However they had persuaded these beasts that they were freinds and told them to leave and had then set about attacking the high elves, with the old blood (with blade of realities) charging into the swordmasters upon his carnosaur, whilst the saurus warriors did a flank manouvere on them.

The daemon prince had turned on the vampires and set fire to one of the zombie units, however he also managed to set fire to Sacerdos Barbarossa, and the witch hunter had to retire the field out battle much scared by Tzeentch's flame.

 

The Halbediers of the Estalian and Breton forces now lined up to form a strong barricade against the amazon tribes and skaven clans, whilst their leaders and champions searched the nearby undergrowth for gold, recovering quite a bit for the works of Morr.

 

 After striking down the Assassin and wounding the hell pit, De Vergy was smashed aside and the Abomination went crashing into the huntsmen who let off a volley of arrows at the creature, but it ignored them diving straight into the unit and flailing around at it.

Having struck down the High elf mage and sent his Lotheren sea guard running, Don Quixote now turned his knights to face the duel between the chaos champion and the old blood on his carnosaur. The winner of the duel would be laden down with seven pieces of gold! All for Don's taking when he fell upon the victor with his cavalry!

 Having chomped its way through the huntsmen the hell pit now turned upon the flanks of the halbediers who were pushing out across the board with their rear guarded by the Bretons. The abomination charged the flanks, smashing straight into their free company flank guards. 

In the duel the chaos champion to everyone's suprise, struck down the old blood taking all seven pieces of gold for himself! But the Carnosaur, in swallowed the chaos champion whole leaving the gold lying on the ground. With a vampire on a flying thing hovering about behind behind the carnosaur it looked unlikely Don Quixote (who had spent the duel finding two more pieces of gold in the nearby rock) would get it first.

 The Hell pit easily smashed apart the free company on the flank, but not before they had struck out at it with all their hatred, two hand weapon, hammer of sigmar attacks! They managed to reduce it right down to two wounds, considerably increasing its chances of survival against the halberdiers.

 From left to right.
The outriders battle hard against the zombies, having killed about twenty to only three casualties, whilst the shadow warriors flee from the newly summoned hordes of zombies with their stash of nine gold. Having beaten off the marauder horsemen the seven ghouls now turn to face the advancing block of Halbediers lead by st. domonic. The hell pit abomination crashes into the Halberdiers as Bernard prays hammer of sigmar upon them all. And the Forsaken and Daemon prince have a smash up with the skaven clanrats and warlord kevin!
Meanwhile Captain Wulfstein creeps through the undergrowth with a large horde of gold, larger than any held by another army.

 Don Quixote hurls himself and his knights at the carnosaur, standing over the pile of gold.

The Hell pit smashes against the halbedier block, as Bernard pushes his way through to confront it!

Don Quixote, draws his battered and rusty blade to strike down the mighty carnosaur as his knights are flank charged by the Saurus warriors.

The Skaven slaves hurtle into the Halbediers front to support the hellpits flank attacks, only to be counter charged in the flank by the free companies! In the comencing battle the halbediers and free companies cut down fourteen slaves and Bernard manages to strike down the hell pit, and it falls slumped to the ground. However with a roll of a double 6 it re animates and the remaining 12 halbediers, 6 free companies and Bernard all flee from the rat men!

The carnosaur, though brought down three wounds by the mad knight, tears its way through the knights and sending Don Quixote packing, declaring that his oldest enemy was the other side of those trees. The gold pile was now increased to nine pieces of gold!!!
The rest of his knights stood to the last but were all cut down by the lizardmen, though they did their part in damaging them as well.

With the Halbediers having fled the field and the knights massacred by the natives the last Estalian, an outrider marksman, fought on alone against 15 zombies.

But then, just as the vampires were raising back many many zombies to crush him, st.Domonic arrived with the Bretonnians to rescue the last Estalian from the zombie hordes.

However the battle was over, the forces were spent and retiring and one person was victor... having butchered Von Wulfstein last turn the "Daemon prince", who had arrived late and was leading a borrowed army of mine, finished the game with a bundle of 14 gold pieces. Alone he had more than any other army and so the Amazon's Daemon was declared victorious.

 Estalia and the knight Kathar on the other hand fled Lustria with but four pieces of gold for the coffers of the knights. The Estalians had failed, Don Quixote had made himself scarce and the Hardenburgers would have to think up some way of explaining their debht to the imperial zoo...

 And here are the gamers! from left to right:

Ninja (tale of two gamers Vampire player), Teuton (lizardmen), Assassin (skaven), father christmas dragon slayer (high elves), Highlander (myself), the mysterious S.A.M (warriors of chaos and victor), Templar (Bretonnians) and finally Tintin (warriors of chaos)

A great time was had by all and with teh departure of the lizardmen the rest of the board broke down into lots of fighting and mess with my four witch hunters and poodle chasing a vampire, who kept summoning zombies, right through the action