Heroes of Order

Just a little clutch of models here, but interesting ones nonetheless – some new Heroes for forces of Order.

First up is the Lord-Castellant – I had a ‘spare’ from the Hammerhal box set and as the Hallowed Knights already have theirs, it was the turn of the Stark Hammers.

Then two Battle Wizards, which are needed to defend a city of the Free Peoples in an upcoming battle of the ongoing campaign.

I quite like the pose of the Bright Wizard – he started the battle looking all kinds of awesome, but now a Big Bad has got too close and he is just flailing to keep it back!

And then the Amethyst Wizard, all ready to start sucking the souls out of his enemies.

I need to get the actual Freeguild forces done (with a touch of the Ironweld Arsenal), but I have a feeling that I am going to be a little distracted by the new 40k over the next few weeks. We’ll see how it goes!

The Gargants get a New King

From almost the release of Age of Sigmar, I wanted to do a Gargant tribe as a complete, self-contained force, something I finished last year. However, there is a new sheriff in town now and the Gargant tribe has a new king…

The Bonegrinder Giant from Forge World!

Someone got this for me as a Christmas present, and I finally got round to painting it!

In terms of painting, despite being a large model, it is really rather easy. Its patchwork clothing might seem a bit of a bear, but you really just pick a colour and do the relevant patches – then move onto the next.

Then chase down the leather straps, skin, wood, details… and you are done!

Forge World models can sometimes be a bit of a pain to put together, with lots of little resin parts but, again, this was simplicity itself. The head, body and legs all come as one big piece of resin, then you just add the arms! The stone block on the end of the trebuchet-club is the finishing touch.

And just how big is this giant, eh?

Let’s just say the old king is feeling a bit inadequate!

Skirmish Warbands

After reviewing Age of Sigmar: Skirmish yesterday, I thought it might be fun to explore some starting 25 Renown point warbands for campaigns, to see what is possible…

 

Stormcast Eternals

Lord-Relictor (Merciless Killer, Blessed Amulet)
2 Liberators (Warblade and Shield)

At this level, you basically have a choice between a Lord-Relictor and a Knight-Azyros to lead your Stormcasts but while the Azyros certainly has a great deal of mobility (objectives are a thing in the Battleplans), the Lord-Relictor can heal himself and others, which is a rare enough trait in Age of Sigmar.

The Merciless Killer command ability will mean, so long as the Liberators stay close, their Warblades not only hit on 3+, but they wound on 3+, removing the absolute bane of the weapon (Stormcast players will know what I am talking about). The Blessed Amulet gives the Lord-Relictor another wound, which will buy him a little time to heal himself.

 

Sylvaneth

Branchwych (Masque of Horror)
3 Tree-Revenants (Waypipes)

Overall, this warband is a trifle fragile for my liking (Mystic Shield and cover will offset that a little), but the Branchwych is actually not bad in close combat once removed from the full-on battlefields of Age of Sigmar – so long as she does not get hit too much (getting hit a little actually helps her in a fight)…

For a command ability, I might select either Tenacious Defender, to keep her alive just a little bit longer (maybe) or Indomitable Will, to properly shut down any enemy wizardry. The Masque of Horror is hardly reliable, but it will be very funny when it kicks off and may keep the Branchwych alive for a round longer.

Instead of three Tree-Revenants, we could instead have four Dryads, but if we assume there will be an absence of Wyldwoods in a desert city, they become less attractive. Waypipes can also lead to various shenanigans involving Tree-Revenants bouncing around the table, which is always useful in a Battleplan.

 

Phoenix Temple

Anointed (Tenacious Defender, Soulsever Blade)
3 Phoenix Guard

I haven’t got the models for this warband but I spied it in the book and it might just have to be done!

The Anointed does not have the strongest attacks (Rend -1 is useful, but Damage 1 will mean he has to work at things), but he has four of them (and the Soulsever Blade re-rolls failed wounds), and a 4+ save combined with a 4+ ward means he is survivable enough. He may also be able to stay out of trouble altogether, with his 2″ reach, though that may be more difficult to pull off in Skirmish.

The Phoenix Guard themselves have the same 4+/4+ armour, though their attacks are a little weaker. That said, the Anointed’s command ability means they get to re-roll wounds and, with two attacks, that could make a difference. However, they are mainly about survivability.

 

Scourge Privateers

Black Ark Fleetmaster (Merciless Killer, Soulsever Blade)
8 Black Ark Corsairs

Fun fact – the Fleetmaster is the cheapest Hero in Skirmish! This means you can have a bigger warband than other people at the start of a campaign…

As befits a low cost, the Fleetmaster is… average. However, he does have some nice abilities to bring him back up to speed. Re-rolling hits with his cutlass is nice as he has three attacks (make it a Soulsever Blade, and he gets to re-roll wounds too), and his Murder Hook at least gives him Rend. His cloak means he already effectively has Tenacious Defender, so Merciless Killer seems fitting, as he is bound to be close to at least some…

… of the real heroes of this warband, the eight (eight!) Corsairs. Their close combat attacks are nothing special, but if they all have Repeater Handbows, kicking out a total of 16 shots every shooting phase (albeit at 9″ and with a 5+ to hit), they are going to worry the 3-model warbands at least a little!

 

Fyreslayers

Grimwrath Berzerker (Inspirational Fighter, Blessed Amulet)
Hearthguard Berzerker
Vulkite Berzerker

At 25 points, you get access to the full range of Fyreslayer Heroes, one of the few forces where this is true in a starting level warband in Skirmish. However, the Grimwrath Berzerker is notoriously funny to use, so we’ll go with that!

He already starts at 6 Wounds, so we’ll give him the Blessed Amulet (7 Wounds!) to really take the mick, and Inspirational Fighter re-rolls hits of a 1 one all nearby friendlies, which Fyreslayers always need).

Then it is really just a case of wind them up and watch them go. The Grimwrath is just rude in close combat and while the Hearthguard Berzerker only has one attack, at Rend -1 and Damage 2, he can put a Stormcast down with one solid hit. The Vulkite I would give the Bladed Slingshield, for extra mortal wound goodness on the charge.

In building this Warband up, I might be tempted to start bringing in some Kharadron Overlords and maybe even some of the Ironweld Arsenal for some trans-Duardin fun.

 

Ironjawz

Warchanter (Inspirational Fighter, Blessed Amulet)
2 Ardboys

There is not too much variation or subtlety in this warband, but that is an Orruk for you (and if you are sticking to 25 points, this is the only combination you can have as a pure Ironjawz force).

The two Ardboys are likely to be surprisingly effective (especially if one is a Boss and the Warchanter can get the other excited), while the Warchanter can at least hold his own against low level Heroes.

Being a 6 Wound Hero, my eye immediately goes to the Blessed Amulet for the Warchanter and, again, the re-rolls of 1 on missed hits from Inspirational Fighter will work well so long as the warband can stay close to one another.

 

Nurgle

Lord of Plagues (Tenacious Defender, Blessed Amulet)
2 Plaguebearers

This warband looks more to the future, as it can lead very nicely into both more Daemons of Nurgle or, alternatively, Blightkings – you can even sensibly mess around with Nurgleised Slaves to Darkness.

This warband is all about the survivability, starting with the automatic healing of the Lord and going on through the Disgustingly Resilient ability of the Plaguebearers. The Lord of Plagues ability and artefact are similarly intended to keep things alive and fighting.

 

Clans Pestilens

Plague Priest (Crusader, Oblivion Charm)
8 Plague Monks (Book of Woes, Doom Gong)

I am not saying this warband will be good – but it is large!

The lack of a save on the Plague Monks is a big issue, and Bravery 6 on the Plague Priest means that once they start running, they will keep on running! However, the Plague Priest himself has is prayers to keep things interesting, can actually do some damage with his staff (especially if he is charging), and if the Plague Monks can outnumber selected enemies one at a time, you might be surprised as to what they can bring down in combat.

The Plague Priest has the Crusader command ability to ensure his little horde can get into combat and take advantage of their charge bonuses, while the Oblivion Charm (which explodes if he is killed) is suitably vicious enough for a rat.

 

There are, of course may, many different combinations for warbands across the board – the Bloodbound might well have the greatest variety at their hands, but the Herald of Slaanesh and her pet Dragon Ogor could be fun, or maybe the Darkoath Chieftain with his 9 Chaos Warhounds, or the Cairn Wraith who leads 13 Zombies….

You can have a lot of fun building warbands!

 

 

Review – Age of Sigmar: Skirmish

The latest book(let) for Age of Sigmar has just arrived, covering skirmish/warband level battles in the Mortal Realms (specifically, the Realm of Death). I have a feeling this book and whole style of play is going to get overshadowed by the new 40k which starts popping up next week, but I will forge ahead with a review regardless!

First things first. This is not Mordheim, nor even an Age of Sigmar version of Necromunda. So, get that out of your head.

What this book is, is a £6 way of playing with Age of Sigmar models in a different manner.

So, is it any good?

Well, things kick off with a four page overview of the Mortal Realms and what has been happening in them up to date – nothing you have not already seen if you have bought an Age of Sigmar book, and it may seem a little odd, given the Age of Sigmar rules (which are fully used in Skirmish) are not included. Then again, they are still available for free download, so someone could conceivably to this book ‘raw’.

We then crack on with the setting for Skirmish (no reason you cannot skirmish in any region of the Mortal Realms, but this is the default provided with the book). This is Shadespire, a ruined city deep in the Realm of Death. Once great, the rulers (the Katophranes) managed to honk Nagash off by crafting items from Shadeglass, which gave them ability to live beyond their mortal bodies.

And Nagash is never going to be down with that.

The end result is that the city has been purged of its original inhabitants and the ruins are gradually getting swamped by the surrounding (and frankly lethal) desert. However, there are great treasures lying around (albeit guarded with some vicious traps), so it is worth the while of every power, from the lowliest tribe of Grots to the Stormcast Eternals, to brave the desert, accept the casualties it deals out, and get to the city where they will have to fight off other warbands looking for goodies themselves.

The hook (as far as the wider realms are concerned) is that the treasures found in Shadespire could have a major effect on the wars elsewhere.

So, what about the rules?

You play Skirmish pretty much the same way as you do Age of Sigmar. In fact, the rules changes (tweaks would be a better word) can be more or less summarised as:

• Every model is its own unit and does not have to stay within 1″ of its friends.
• Yiou need a General, and he must be a Hero.
• Inspiring Presence is not allowed, but all other command abilities are.
• When a warband as a whole takes casualties, a single Battleshock test is taken for everyone, using the general’s Bravery.
• No summoning, adding of models, or anything that even remotely smells like either. So no, Flesh-Eater Courts will not be constantly revitalising units.
• The Three Rules of One are in effect.

And that really is about it.

Grand Allegiance abilities can be used, not faction specific ones, though there are new command abilities and artefacts of power unique to Skirmish as well. There is also a new Mysterious Terrain table to reflect the terrain of Shadespire.

There are campaign rules and, in fact, a complete 6-part campaign of linked Battleplans that tells the story of a couple of warbands entering Shadespire in an effort to locate a great artefact. However, you can use just about any Battleplan yet published for Age of Sigmar with little or no extra effort.

Warbands are built with Renown points (25 is the recommended start), and more Renown points are acquired throughout the campaign (you earn 6 for losing, for example, and 10 for a major victory. After each battle, you also get to roll on the Rewards of Battle table (victors effectively get to roll twice), which grants you more Renown, magic items, or relics that allow Wizards to learn new spells (such as Soul Siphon, which dishes out a mortal wound while healing the caster).

Tournament rules (Matched Play) are also included – warbands are bumped up to 50 Renown (a suggestion is made to escalate the number of Renown used throughout a day of play), Battleplans are a little more regulated, and there is a scoring system.

Other than that, Matched Play is the same as the campaign, and any Age of Sigmar player will get to grips with both very quickly.

There are six Battleplans dedicated to Skirmish; Clash at Dawn, Treasure Hunt, Fragile Cargo, Vortex of Power, Assassinate, and Seize the Relic. These are the Battleplans assembled into the ‘default’ campaign (come back here soon for a full campaign report!) though, as mentioned earlier, you can use any Battleplans to create your own unique campaign.

Finally, we get to the warband lists…

It was kinda hinted in the run up to this book’s release that you would be able to use almost any Age of Sigmar model as they do, of course, use the same Warscrolls. The great behemoths and war engines would be taken out, of course, and we could all accept that. However, looking through the lists, there are some odd omissions.

For example, if you are a dedicated Wood Elf or Dwarf player, you will find yourself well covered here with decent lists for the Dispossessed and Wanderers. However, if you are a Beastclaw Raiders player, you may be glad to see the Mournfang Riders… but no Icebrow Hunter (who might have fitted in quite well) or Frost Sabres. For the Seraphon, you might well be be able to get past the fact that there is no Slann Starmaster – but there is no Skink Priest either (you get the Starpriest or Oldblood as a choice of general).

A further complication (and this will not be a factor for Matched Play) is that 25 Renown points are suggested to begin a campaign. However, a Megaboss costs 28 points. An Oldblood is 24 points.

You are going to be starting your campaign with minor leaders – which is fair enough, but someone is going to be trying to save points for a Big Bad on their side. So, what, the Megaboss got lost in the desert, and has now turned up to find the Warchanter has been leading the warband and is now the general?

Not a massive mis-step, more of an oddity.

Overall, I am looking to get my teeth into this. Games are going to be fast and furious, and getting through the entire campaign in a single day will be no great effort. The chances are you already have a complete warband in your collection and, for £6… well, I cannot see any reason for anyone not to give this a whirl.

 

 

Battle Report – Imprisoned in Ice

The Beastclaw Raiders are trotting out for one last battle (for the meantime, you can sure they will be back soon enough), fighting against the might of Khorne’s own daemons.

 

The Story So Far

Frostlord Braggoth had been on a roll, defeating the Cold-Iron King and then turning to the Realm of Beasts to smash the forces of countless Chaos Lords. In doing so, he gained the ire of the Blood God, who sent a daemonic army to claim the skull of the Frostlord.

Led by Urgor’eth, a Bloodthirster of Insensate Rage, a legion of Khorne’s daemons followed the trail of destruction the Ogors had left in their wake. As they gained ground, they smashed the ruins of the Tydewall Dreadfort and were drawn to the smoke of the Drownfel fort in the distance. Bloodletters licked their blades while Flesh Hounds bayed and snarled for the battle to begin. The legion headed out onto the floodplain where the ocean rose to cover a stretch of a land bridge, and water steamed as it came into contact with the daemons.

That was when Frostlord Braggoth sprang his trap. A freezing gale erupted around the daemons and, within moments, the chill coiled around them. Too late did Urgor’eth realise the danger as ice clawed its way up his daemons, freezing them in place. With the daemons unable to fight back, the Beastclaw Raiders charged…

 

The Forces

As this is the last of the Beastclaw Raiders battles we will be fighting for a while, we are bringing quite large forces to bear – the daemons have the numbers, while the Ogors have the heavyweights.

Daemons of Khorne
Bloodthirster of Insensate Rage (Urgor’eth)
Bloodmaster x 2
Bloodthrone x 2
Skullmaster
Flesh Hounds x 10
Bloodletters x 50 (five units of 10)
Bloodcrushers x 6
Skull Cannon

This is a suitably heavy force, with lots of mortal wound-dishing Bloodletters, plenty of daemonic Heroes, fast-movers like the Bloodcrushers and Flesh Hounds, all led by a Bloodthirster. Maybe even the Beastclaw Raiders will be slowed down by this little lot!

Beastclaw Raiders
Frostlord on Stonehorn (Braggoth)
Huskard on Stonehorn
Stonehorn Beastriders
Mournfang Riders x 6 (two units of 3)
Thundertusk Beastriders
Icebrow Hunter
Frost Sabres x 6
Yhetees x 6 (two units of 3)

But the Beastclaw Raiders are not messing around either, bringing four of their massive monsters, and two Battalions, the Jorlbad, and Skal (both of which we used in the last battle). However, to keep things fresh, we are also using the Yhetees for the first time!

 

The Battleplan

This is the Imprisoned in Ice Battleplan that sees the daemons start frozen in ice (except the Bloodthirster). Until they thaw out (rolled for in each of their hero phases), they cannot move and suffer mortal wounds. On the plus side, they cannot be otherwise attacked while frozen, and they do not take battleshock tests at any time during the battle.

The Beastclaw Raiders move onto the battlefield in their first turn (when only the Bloodthirster is unfrozen, so he will have to be careful!), though the Yhetees will arrive a little later.

This is a fight to the death, with frozen models counting towards the dead pool until they thaw out!

No Time of War sheets will be used, but both forces will be using their Battle Traits, so expect some Everwinter and Tithe of Khorne goodness!

 

Deployment

With his legion frozen in place, the Bloodthirster Urgor’eth could only rage impotently as the Beastclaw Raiders approached from the west.

The Stonehorns, led by Frostlord Braggoth, massed on one flank while the Icebrow Hunter and his Frost Sabres anchored the other. Mournfang Riders and the Thundertusks formed the centre, preparing to charge straight through the daemons as they thawed.

 

Battle Round One

The Beastclaw Raiders trundled forward, a little suspicious of the effects of the Everwinter – had it really frozen an entire legion of daemons? Even the Blood Vulture was confused, swooping through the still forms of Bloodletters.

As the Bloodthirster continued to rage, some of the Khornate daemons thawed out and stirred – Flesh Hounds, a Blood Throne, the Bloodcrushers, a unit of Bloodletters, and the Skullmaster. However, the grasp of the Everwinter grew tighter around others. A handful of Bloodletters perished from the cold and the limbs of a Bloodmaster started to turn to ice.

The few unfrozen daemons saw the Ogors approaching and leapt to attack.

The Bloodthrone crashed into the Huskard but his Stonehorn simply ground it into the ice. Bloodletters reached Mournfang Riders and though their Hellblades pierced the thick hides of the beasts, the Ogor counterattack was horrific, slaying eight of the daemons and causing another to evaporate.

Battle Round Two

More daemons started to thaw, as the Skull Cannon and three units of Bloodletters shook off the last of the ice that had held them, and moved to claim the skulls of the Beastclaw Raiders. However, the Everwinter continued to freeze others, killing a Bloodmaster and injuring two more.

Flesh Hounds bayed with bloodlust as they raced for the Frost Sabres, Bloodthirster Urgor’eth close behind.

Meanwhile, the rest of the daemons raced towards the main part of the Beastclaw Raiders’ force, though they were hampered by icy outcroppings and daemons still held by ice. The Bloodletters of the Skull Cannon saw the Ogors were by now very close and they reversed their daemonic engine, putting more distance between them and their prey.

The Frost Sabres sprang at the Flesh Hounds as they raced ahead of the Bloodthirster, bringing one down, but they paid a heavy price as the Flesh Hounds began to savage them.

Within seconds, four Frost Sabres had had their throats torn out by the Flesh Hounds and even the efforts of the Icebrow Hunter were not enough to turn their attack.

However, the Bloodletters fared less well, their Hellblades slaying one Mournfang, but the Thundertusk advanced and trampled many of them, shattering their unit.

Bloodthirster Urgor’eth bellowed as he saw the Icebrow Hunter, and knew he was about to claim his first worthy skull of the battle. However, the Everwinter blew and out of the swirling snow came the forms of three Yhetees.

They took Urgor’eth completely by surprise, landing several telling blows as he tried to fend them off, his own efforts merely wounding one.

On the right flank, Frostlord Braggoth led his Stonehorns in a concentrated attack against Bloodletters and Bloodcrushers.

Even the thick brass plating of the Juggernauts was no match for the crushing weight of two Stonehorns and one was instantly flattened. The Frostlord roared  as he thrust with his spear and his Stonehorn gouged Bloodcrushers. By the time his Huskard had joined him, all six Bloodcrushers had been banished back to the Realm of Chaos.

Another Frost Sabre fell to the Flesh Hounds, but they were quickly reinforced by nearby Mournfang Riders, who thundered into the rear of the dogs and started smashing them apart with their clubs.

Battle Round Three

The ground around Bloodthirster Urgor’eth started to crumble as the very earth rebelled against his presence, but both Yhetees and Mournfang Riders managed to get out of the way as cracks raced towards them.

Then, it started to rain.

Crimson droplets fell from the overcast sky, sizzling wherever they struck the ice. However, every daemon they touched was invigorated with the power of the Blood God, and wounds started to knit and heal.

A Bloodmaster and Bloodthrone burned with rage as they freed themselves from the ice, but another Bloodletter was completely frozen.

Pinned in place by the Yhetees, Bloodthirster Urgor’eth wrapped his whip around the neck of one, neatly decapitating it with a violent tug. A short distance away, the Skull Cannon roared, and a flaming skull blasted the chest of another.

The Skullmaster urged its Juggernaut forward to help Bloodletters trying to hold back a Stonehorn and its Beastriders, and the monster staggered as it barrelled into it. Flying into a fury, the Skullmaster lashed out with its Hellblade as the Juggernaut continued to drive forward, forcing the Stonehorn back.

However, the Stonehorn quickly recovered and the Skullmaster’s attacks were halted as it was gouged by massive horns.

As the Mournfang Riders finished off the last of the Flesh Hounds, Bloodthirster Urgor’eth vented fury at the Yhetees, but though seriously battered, the last Yhetee survived.

The Everwinter began to gather its strength and a terrible blizzard descended onto the battlefield. The Ogors braced themselves to weather its worst effects, but two Bloodletters succumbed to the cold, their frozen forms collapsing to the snow-covered ground.

The Beastclaw Raiders dug their heels in to their mounts, driving them forward to run down the rest of the daemons. As the Mournfang Rider rode past the Bloodthirster, their Skalg levelled his pistol for a ride-by shooting, and Urgor’eth roared in pain and anger as the shot buried itself deep into his shoulder.

Seeing the Bloodthirster was on the back foot, the Skalg barked an order and, as one the Mournfang Riders swung round to charge the greater daemon.

Still distracted by the last Yhetee, Urgor’eth did not notice that the Mournfang Riders had turned and charged until it was too late. Knocked off his feet, the Bloodthirster hit the icy ground hard and before he could rise again, a Mournfang’s hoof had crushed his skull.

 

Battle Round Four

The feeling that the wind was well and truly behind the Ogors in this battle now was no illusion, for the Everwinter blew a freezing tailwind that drove them forward.

More Yhetees appeared out of the snow, moving to engage the nearest Bloodletters.

However, Frostlord Braggoth beat them to it, as his Stonehorn thundered into the Bloodletters. Most were crushed under the hooves of the Stonehorn or skewered by the Frostspear, leaving only a handful for the hungry Yhetees to finish off.

Behind them, Mournfang Riders tore apart a Bloodthrone and smashed into the Skull Cannon, leaving it rickety and unstable. It lashed out at the Ogors, and blasted a flaming skull at them, but the burning missile merely bounced off the metal belly plate of the Skalg.

The last unit of Bloodletters could not shake off the grip of the ice, and another two were frozen where they continued to stand. Seeing only a lone Bloodmaster to support them, the crew of the Skull Cannon turned and sped away as fast as their daemonic machine could take them.

The Bloodmaster leapt out of the hollow crater it had been lurking within, and leapt at a Yhetee with its Hellblade.

Startled, the Yhetee swung its icy club at the Bloodmaster, but was not quick enough. The Bloodmaster cackled as its Hellblade pierced the Yhetee’s heart, but looked up in dismay as a Mournfang Rider oiled-in to avenge the Yhetee, stomping the Bloodmaster flat.

 

Battle Round Five

More Bloodletters froze under the ice that held them, and the Bloodmaster gave up on any hope of them being freed.

The Skull Cannon was the first to run, straining to climb the rocky hill in an effort to put as much distance between it and the Beastclaw Raiders. The Bloodmaster, too, fled from inevitable destruction, but was far slower.

The Mournfang Riders regrouped and began their charge to finish off the Bloodmaster, but before they reached the daemon, the Icebrow Hunter yelled as he ran at top speed, brandishing a great spear. Putting all his weight into the throw, he hurled the spear, and it arced gracefully through the sky. The Bloodmaster had just enough time to look up as the spear descended and impaled the daemon with killing force.

Desperate now, the Skull Cannon crew urged their daemonic machine to scramble up the rocks, even as a Blood Vulture circled above them.

One of the Stonehorn Beastriders levelled his massive harpoon launcher at the battered machine, but his shot went wide as the Skull Cannon drove itself over the rocks and out of sight.

The daemonic forces of Khorne had not been completely wiped out, as Frostlord Braggoth had planned… But they had suffered a serious setback.

 

Conclusion

One daemon of Khorne survived the battle, earning the Blood God a minor victory – but he cannot be proud of that win!

The daemons were off balance right from the start of the battle (not their fault, they had been frozen in ice), and they never really recovered, the slight wounds they did to the Beastclaw Raiders (one Mournfang was killed, and one Stonehorn had lost half of its wounds) not enough to halt the advance. And, as we saw in the last battle, you just cannot let an unwounded Frostlord roam free across a battlefield.

In the daemons’ place, I might have used the Blood Tithe (there was enough of it!) to summon a second Bloodthirster, but more effort was put into the Crimson Rain to heal the first Bloodthirster. That stalled the Yhetees (the Bloodthirster really should have won that fight!) but, in the end, they managed to pin him in place long enough for the Mournfang Riders to finish him off.

Overall, the daemons did not have a great deal of luck in that battle (one unit of Bloodletters was still frozen by the end!), and the Beastclaw Raiders are the type of army that can easily take advantage of that.

 

The Story Continues…

Well, that is all the Battleplans from Battletome: Beastclaw Raiders complete! We are now going to turn to the Battleplans in Battletome: Blades of Khorne, starting off with one I have been looking forward to, ever since I twigged what forces would be great for it!

Beastly Raiders

Painting is still coming on slowly (the main culprit this week has been World of Tanks, as I have recently got hold of the T67 and am ‘this’ close to finally getting the Chieftain), but progress is being made.

These models are not directly intended for the ongoing campaign, but it is not hard to imagine them popping up sooner or later.

The Centigors are models I have been wanting to do for some time – painted on the same style as Beastmen, they are quick to do but I have just not had an opportunity to chuck them onto the painting table. So, for the past few months they have been sitting on the shelf, based and undercoated, waiting to be done.

And I finally did it!

I still kind of class them as Beastmen, but it should be remembered that they are not part of the Gorherds or Warherds, but instead come under the Monsters of Chaos ‘faction’.

And some more Ungors, this time the raiders with bows. This is another unit I have wanted to do for a while – not because my other Ungors are any good but because I have this theory that they might just get good if they are armed with bows rather than spears…

The Bonegrinder Giant that I am also working on is just about done, and I hope to present that next week. Next project – the Freeguilds (with a touch of Ironweld Arsenal)!

Battle Report – Ensnared

The Beastclaw Raiders are giving the Mortal Realms a real shaking, and we are not going to stop them – this time we are going to see what the forces of Death make of them!

Grab yourself a coffee as you go through this battle report as it is, as they say, a good ‘un…

 

The Story So Far

The Bloodbound warhorde of Lord Kargor flooded into the valleys of the Hallowhoar, eager to claim skulls for Khorne but unaware they were being stalked by Ragnir, an Icebrow Hunter who was tracking them for his Alfrostun. Unfortunately for the Ogors, the Bloodbound were utterly destroyed by the deathless armies of the Cold-Iron King. However, Frostlord Braggoth would not be denied his prize, and he ordered the Alfrostun to attack before the Bloodbound corpses could be rendered into more undead.

In his arrogance, the Cold-Iron King opened the gates of his tomb-city when he saw the Alfrostun approach, confident his skeletal legions would annihilate the Ogors. However, while arrogant, the Cold-Iron King was no fool, and he summoned his Nighthaunt allies and Morghast Archai, a gift from Arkhan himself.

Frostlord Braggoth was not daunted by the array of undead before him, for he had destroyed countless armies in his life, and he split the Alfrostun, with the Jorlbad and Eurlbad taking different flanks, even as Ragnir disappeared with his Frost Sabres to ambush the undead at an opportune time…

 

The Forces

The forces of Death are certainly not going to get an easy run in this battle, with the Beastclaw Raiders fielding a total of 5 Stonehorns and a Thundertusk!

Beastclaw Raiders
Frostlord on Stonehorn (Braggoth)
Huskards on Stonehorns x 2
Stonehorn Beastriders x 2
Mournfang Riders x 8 (four units of 2)
Thundertusk Beastriders
Icebrow Hunter (Ragnir)
Frost Sabres x 6

The Beastclaw Raiders are no longer sending out a raiding party here and there – this is a full on Alfrostun (in fact, we are only missing a Torrbad!), with three Battalions: Jorlbad (can run and charge, as well as re-roll battleshock tests), Eurlbad (dishes out mortal wounds while the Huskard does more damage), and a Skal (the Icebrow Hunter and Frost Sabres can ambush the enemy).

Deathrattlers
Mounted Wight King (the Cold-Iron King)
Wight King
Grave Guard x 30
Black Knights x 10
Skeleton Warriors x 60 (two units of 30)
Spirit Hosts (two units of 3)
Cairn Wraiths x 4
Morghast Archai (two units of 2)
Mourngul

Against any other force, the presence of the Grave Guard, Morghast Archai and Mourngul might give an enemy pause, but the Deathrattlers are going to have to work very hard just to keep pace with the Beastclaw Raiders, especially as they have no models capable of summoning replacements!

 

The Battleplan

This is a straight fight to the death, with the last army standing gaining victory. The Deathrattlers deploy their army first, followed by the Beastclaw Raiders who place their Jorlbad on one flank, the Eurlbad on the other, and keep the Skal to one side (the Icebrow Hunter and his Frost Sabres will launch a surprise attack in the second battle round).

The Everwinter rules are being used of course, but they have an additional effect in this battle, gradually slowing down the enemy’s run and charge rolls. In return, however, the Deathrattlers are fighting on their home turf, territory that is infused with a network of death magicks – so long as the Cold-Iron King survives, every unit heals D3 wounds in their hero phase.

 

Deployment

The Cold-Iron King assembled his forces on the battlefield. He could see the Beastclaw Raiders were approaching from both flanks, and ordered the bulk of his force to face the Eurlbad.

The Beastclaw Raiders closed quickly with the forces of the Cold-Iron King, Frostlord Braggoth leading his Eurlbad on the left flank while the Jorlbad took the right. Somewhere, the Skal lurked, its Icebrow Hunter and his Frost Sabres ready to pounce on an unsuspecting enemy.

 

Battle Round One

Frostlord Braggoth immediately saw that the Cold-Iron King was planning to utterly destroy his Eurlbad before turning on the rest of his Ogors, and he called a halt to the advance, instead waving the Jorlbad to hit the right flank alone. He hoped that by baiting the Cold-Iron King on the left and smashing him on the right, he could split the undead legion into its component parts and destroy them piecemeal.

The Huskard of the Jorlbad dutifully followed his Frostlord’s orders, and Stonehorns and Mournfangs lumbered forward past the woods. At a cry from the Huskard, they charged, smashing into the Spirit Hosts who swarmed close by.

Under the full weight of a Stonehorn charge, the Spirit Hosts simply dissipated into nothingness, while a Cairn Wraith was clubbed to oblivion by Mournfang Riders.

The Cold-Iron King reacted quickly, sending a full column of Skeleton Warriors to face the Jorlbad, along with every Morghast he possessed… and the Mourngul.

Brandishing their spears and empowered by the presence of the Cold-Iron King himself, the Skeleton Warriors swarmed over the Jorlbad, bringing down a Mournfang Rider and badly wounding a Stonehorn carrying Beastriders into battle. Reeling from this attack, the Jorlbad was completely disorganised and had no answer for the Morghast Harbingers who tore apart the Stonehorn apart and savaged its riders.

Frostlord Braggoth gritted his teeth, cursing the Cold-Iron King. He could see the Jorlbad was in real trouble, but the rest of the undead legion had not moved, simply waiting patiently for the Ogor’s own move.

Battle Round Two

The assault on the Jorlbad continued with no sign of the undead allowing the Ogors to flee the attack. The Skeleton Warriors continued their relentless advance, now swarming over the Thundertusk, bringing the great beast down with a multitude of spear thrusts, while the Morghasts and Mourngul concentrated on the last of the Mournfang Riders and Huskard.

Within moments, a wounded Huskard was all that was left of the Jorlbad. Fearing he had left it too late to enact his plan, Frostlord Braggoth made his move, even as the Everwinter swirled around him with a fortifying hoarfrost that coated the hides of the Ogors and their beasts.

The Frostlord barked an order to one of the Mournfang Riders below him, and a clear, strong note from a horn sounded across the battlefield. At this signal, the Skal appeared, the Icebrow Hunter and a pack of Frost Sabres racing to the aid of the Jorlbad’s Huskard.

Then, the Eurlbad went into battle.

The ground shaking as they galloped forwards, three Stonehorns moved straight for the bulk of the Cold-Iron King’s legion, aiming for the elite Grave Guard as Mournfang Riders moved round the flank.

As the Stonehorns struck the undead line, bones and rusted armour were ground into the earth or tossed through the air with merciless abandon.

Eight Grave Guard simply disappeared beneath the hooves of the three Stonehorns as they all but ignored the sword and axe blows of the dead soldiers. Then Frostlord Braggoth moved to the fore, his Stonehorn and Frostspear sweeping a dozen Grave Guard out of his path, closely followed by the Stonehorn Beastriders who destroyed the rest.

Freed from entanglement from the Grave Guard, the Huskard turned his Stonehorn around to start smashing Skeleton Warriors. Nine of them fell to his blows while more crumbled as the magical energy animating them was disrupted and failed.

Things were not going so well for the Beastclaw Raiders on the right flank, as the Frost Sabres of the Skal charged in to save the Huskard of the Jorlbad.

Their sudden appearance had surprised the Morghast Harbingers, but they responded quickly and the Frost Sabres were only able to rip apart one of them, leaving the second to attack the Huskard directly.

The Huskard fought bravely, but he was no match for the skill of the Morghast, which sliced the Ogor’s head off with ease.

 

Battle Round Three

The Cold-Iron King might have felt a touch of doubt at this point, had he been capable of feeling. While the Jorlbad had now been completely destroyed and the Skal posed little threat, the Eurlbad and Frostlord had crushed nearly three score of his warriors in a single rush. A response had to be made immediately.

Sending his Black Knights around the Arcane Ruins, the Cold-Iron King sought to block the flanking move of the Mournfang Riders and stop them from rampaging through his rear lines.

Meanwhile, the Skeleton Warriors and Morghast Archai assembled themselves to finish off the Skal with one swift and brutal attack.

However, the freezing cold of the Everwinter was starting to have a telling effect upon the undead as their joints started to literally freeze in place. The steeds of the Black Knights stumbled as leg bones locked into position.

However, the Morghasts and Skeleton Warriors were close enough to their prey that they were able to push through the freeze. The Frost Sabres put up a brave defence, tearing apart several Skeleton Warriors before their hearts were pierced by cruel spears, while the Icebrow Hunter was lucky to survive the attack from Morghast Archai and he stumbled away, badly hurt.

Two more Morghast Archai flew to halt the advance of the Eurlbad but though they battered the Stonehorn Huskard, the Beastriders close by destroyed the last of the Skeleton Warriors they faced, freeing up the Frostlord to pile into the Morghasts. With powerful thrusts of his Frostspear and sweeping attacks by the Stonehorn, the Morghasts were smashed apart.

The Everwinter continued to blow cold, and now a freezing tailwind drove the Beastclaw Raiders on. Frostlord Braggoth bellowed to his Eurlbad, exciting them to maximum violence.

The Mournfang Riders were the first to respond, and they ploughed into the Black Knights before the undead could form a proper charge against them.

The much larger Mournfangs broke through the Black Knight line, crushing eight of them, while another collapsed to the ground as the magicks supporting it fell away.

As the Icebrow Hunter, bereft of his Frost Sabres, ran for his life from the Morghast Archai, Frostlord Braggoth steeled himself for a task he had known he would have to attend to before the battle had started. With the Jorlbad destroyed, the Mourngul was now free to roam the battlefield, and it now headed towards the Eurlbad with all speed. Joined by his Huskard, Braggoth urged his Stonehorn forward, hoping to destroy the dreadful creature before it could do much damage.

Even the Mourngul, the Cold-Iron King’s prized servant, reeled under the sheer weight of the Stonehorns and their riders but, when the dust had settled, Frostlord Braggoth was dismayed to see the Mourngul was still fighting and had badly wounded his Huskard.

Battle Round Four

Frostlord Braggoth felt a touch of fear as he saw the Cold-Iron King was feeding power into the Mourngul, and it was already starting to get stronger after the punishment it had sustained from the Stonehorns.

To make matter worse, the rest undead legion was now free of both the Skal and Jorlbad, and was now heading back to destroy the Eurlbad.

The only saving grace Frostlord Braggoth had was that the effects of the Everwinter were growing ever more severe, with even Morghast Harbingers forced to the ground as their wings grew heavy with ice. Only a single Cairn Wraith was able to reach the Stonehorns battling the Mourngul, but the Ogors completely ignored it as they faced the far more terrible foe.

The Huskard’s Stonehorn was now bleeding from many deep wounds, and it could barely keep to its feet as the Mourngul continued to score several telling hits. However, this was all the distraction that Braggoth needed and as his own Stonehorn gouged the creature, he thrust his Frostspear deep into the Mourngul’s heart. With a piercing screech that pained even the Frostlord, the Mourngul vanished into mist that then dispersed in the winds blown by the Everwinter.

As the Everwinter deposited another fortifying hoarfrost on the few surviving Beastclaw Raiders, Frostlord Braggoth heard the desperate cries of his Icebrow Hunter being pursued by Morghast Archai, and he resolved to rescue his minion.

Two Morghast Harbingers stood in his way, trying to shake the ice off their wings so they could get airborne. With a thundering of hooves, Braggoth’s Stonehorn barrelled into them, grinding both into the ground before they could raise their weapons.

Behind him, the Stonehorn Beastriders were now atop a badly wounded beast and were being hard pressed by two Cairn Wraiths and a mounted Wight King. The Mournfang Riders, having dispatched the last of the Black Knights, swung round the Arcane Ruins to slay the Wight King and one of the Wraiths, greatly relieving the pressure on the Beastriders.

Unfortunately, no such help was available to the Huskard of the Eurlbad, and as his Stonehorn collapsed from its wounds, another Cairn Wraith neatly took his head with its scythe.

Battle Round Five

Seeing the fate of their Huskard, the Beastriders urged their Stonehorn to break away from the last Cairn Wraith they faced, leaving it to the unhurt Mournfang Riders. Across the battlefield, the Icebrow Hunter ran as fast as he could from the Morghast Archai, believing himself a dead Ogor. However, in the distance, he could see Frostlord Braggoth charging towards him. There was just the slightest chance of help…

Frostlord Braggoth ploughed into the Skeleton Warriors, heedless of the carnage they had caused to his Jorlbad earlier. Spears splintered and shields shattered under the charge of his Stonehorn, and the Frostlord leaned low in his saddle to swipe at more. The few Skeleton Warriors that remained intact after the charge simply fell into a pile of bones as they were released from servitude.

The rest of the Eurlbad started to follow their Frostlord, who was already far ahead of them and alone.

Two Mournfangs were still tied up battling a Cairn Wraith, but the Skalg used his pistol in a ride-by shooting that blasted the spirit into nothingness.

The Cold-Iron King could barely believe what he was seeing, as the Beastclaw Raiders started to surge forward from what had appeared certain defeat. However, he knew he still had his Morghast Archai to serve him, and he retreated to the Ophidian Archway.

From this vantage point, he could not only see the whole battlefield, but could take advantage of the spirits that lurked within the stones of the ruin.

The Morghast Archai finally managed to reach the Icebrow Hunter and though Frostlord Braggoth was now close by, their glaives easily tore the heart out of the hunter before he could strike back.

Battle Round Six

A lone Morghast Harbinger and Cairn Wraith still roamed the centre of the battlefield and, weighed down by ice, they slowly moved to face the Eurlbad.

Mournfang Riders tore into the Morghast and bludgeoned it apart with their clubs, while the Stonehorn Beastriders simply ride over the Cairn Wraith as if it were not there.

Meanwhile, Frostlord Braggoth, angry that he had not been able to reach the Icebrow Hunter in time, vented his fury upon the Morghast Archai who had done the killing, smashing one apart with his Stonehorn and vanquishing the spirits of the other with his Frostspear.

Battle Round Seven

With his greatest servants suddenly destroyed, the Cold-Iron King drew his Spirit Hosts closer around him as the Beastclaw Raiders started to circle the Ophidian Archway, searching for the best route to attack.

The Cold-Iron King could hardly believe what he was seeing – centuries of rule destroyed in moments by primitive Ogors. As Mournfang Riders worked hard to dissipate the Spirit Hosts with their Gargant Hackers, Frostlord Braggoth kicked his Stonehorn forward.

The massive creature thundered into the Ophidian Archway, toppling the ruin in a shower of dust and rubble. Clambering out of the debris, the Cold-Iron King fixed the Braggoth with a baleful glare before his dark unbeating heart was pierced by the Frostspear.

Frostlord Braggoth gave a sigh of relief. His casualties had been great and he had thought not to survive the fight, but he finally stood the victor over this battlefield.

 

Conclusion

Now, that was an interesting battle. Three players were involved, with Andy taking command of the Cold-Iron King’s legion, James on the Jorlbad, Thundertusk and Skal, and I took the Eurlbad and Frostlord.

As we deployed, I could see what Andy was thinking – give one of the pincers (mine!) a right smacking by concentrating most of his forces against it. A good move, as you can lean on a smaller part of your enemy’s force with the greater part of your own. Upon seeing this, I persuaded James’ Jorlbad to dive in while holding back the Eurlbad myself, thinking to disrupt Andy’s plan and force him to face both of us on a more even keel. However, he responded by holding position against me and then sending every Morghast and the Mourngul against James.

This meant that while James enjoyed a very early success against Andy’s outermost forces, he received a right kicking in the first turn that immediately put him on the defensive and, by turn two, the back of his force had been broken.

My Eurlbad did better, completely smashing the Grave Guard and half of Andy’s Skeleton Warriors in good order, but that still left the Morghasts and Mourngul to deal with – by using them in such weight against James, they were still more or less intact.

The one good weapon I still had in my pocket by that time was the Frostlord – while the two other Stonehorns had been seriously wounded (down to just one or two wounds!), the Frostlord was completely untouched, meaning he still had his massive range of attacks. When combined with the mortal wounds a Stonehorn dishes out on the charge and retaining the initiative so he could charge every round, the Frostlord was able to take out each of Andy’s nasty units one by one, ending with the Cold-Iron King himself being beaten while taking refuge in the Ophidian Archway.

This was a great battle – we had some worries right at the start that the undead were simply going to roll over the Ogors, and I am not sure how James feels about being the decoy force (!) but in the end, it came right down to the wire with the Beastclaw Raiders finally pulling out a victory right at the end!

 

The Story Continues…

Next time, we see the Everwinter reach its full potential as it locks an entire legion of daemons in its icy grip!