Game 18: High Elves vs Orcs and Goblins
Finally I got to play some games without any time constraints! Therefore these battles will be returning to form with my long and detailed reports. Also, despite the thread title, I did not have a Star Dragon in this game or the next! I wanted to try something different for the first one, so I went with an almost entirely infantry army, very Lord of the Rings-esq elven force.
High Elves:
Anointed of Asuryan w/ Crown of Command, Enchanted Shield, Giant Blade
Archmage Level 4 w/ Book of Hoeth, Talisman of Preservation
Mage Level 1 w/ Khaine's Ring of Fury, Dispel Scroll
Noble w/ Dragon Armor, Shield, Dragonhelm, Ogre Blade
Noble BSB w/ Heavy Armor, Shield, Sword of Might, Talisman of Endurance
23x Archer w/ Musician, Standard Bearer
5x Ellyrian Reavers
30x Spearmen FC w/ Banner of Eternal Flame
22x Phoenix Guard FC w/ Razor Standard
25x Swordmasters of Hoeth FC
Great Eagle
Orcs and Goblins:
Black Orc Warboss w/ Shield, Basha's Axe of Stunty Smashin, Armor of Destiny
Savage Orc Great Shaman w/ Lucky Shrunken Head, Crown of Command, Seed of Rebirth
Goblin BSB mounted on Giant Spider w/ Shield, Light Armor, Banner of the Spider God
Night Goblin Shaman Level 2
Night Goblin Shaman Level 2 w/ Dispel Scroll
39x Savage Orc Boys FC w/ AHW
40x Night Goblins FC w/ 2x Fanatics
40x Night Goblins FC w/ 2x Fanatics
5x Wolf Riders w/ Bows, Shields
5x Wolf Riders w/ Bows, Shields
17x Savage Orc Boar Boy Big Unz FC w/ War Banner, AHW
Spear Chukka
Spear Chukka
Rock Lobba
Doom Diver
Magic:
Archmage: Walk Between Worlds, Arcane Unforging, Fiery Convocation, Drain Magic
Mage: Apotheosis
Savage Orc Great Shaman: Brainbusta, Hand of Gork, Ere We Go, Eadbutt
Night Goblin Shaman: Nightshroud, Gift of the Spider God
Night Goblin Shaman: Sneaky Stabbin, Vindictive Glare
Army Pictures:
Deployment:
The Orc left had some Wolf Riders in front with the Savage Orc Boars right behind and the Rock Lobba behind that. The center had the massive group of Savage Orcs and on their right were both units of Night Goblins and the second Wolf Rider unit. Most of the artillery was behind in the line except for one Spear Chukka on a hill. My counter deployment had the Reavers on the far right with the Swordmasters dead center and the Archers on the right of the Swordmasters. The Spearmen were left of the Swordmasters and the Phoenix Guard anchored the flank. The BSB, Anointed, and Archmage were in the Swordmasters while the second Noble and the Mage were with the Phoenix Guard. The Eagle went far to the left. In vanguard the Reavers moved up to block the Wolf Rider movement while the other Wolf Riders charged into the center.
Initial Thoughts:
I've got a very slow list and little shooting. That could make for a difficult game. The Greenskin shooting isn't excellent, though, and that will be the target for my Reavers and Eagle. The Greenskin infantry is a mixed bag. The Night Goblins are no threat outside of the Fanatics. The Savage Orcs I'll want to whittle down before I meet them, but the Swordmaster block should be more than a match for them. The hardest unit to counter is the Savage Orc Boars, if they get around me that's very problematic. Fortunately with such a massive footprint the Greenskins may get a little bunched up and flanking the Savage Orc Boars won't be easy. I think the Swordmasters are a match for either of the two big Greenskin hammer units, the issue will be facing both as the Phoenix Guard aren't in good supporting range for them.
Orcs and Goblins Turn 1:
The army moved forwards. In a few places in the pictures single models denote unit corners due to the terrain getting in the way. Magic was a 10-7 phase that saw Nightshroud go off on the Savage Orcs. Vindictive Glare failed to cast due to a bad mushroom and the Shaman was injured. Eadbutt was dispelled while Brain Busta hit the Archmage but was saved. One bolt thrower misfired but didn't take damage and the other shooting missed.
High Elves Turn 1:
No charges were declared. The army shuffled forwards a couple inches. The Eagle triggered all of the fanatics who came forwards but didn't hit the Eagle. The Reavers ignored the Wolves and moved around the hit the Rock Lobba next turn. Magic was 11-6 and Unforging drew the scroll on the Savage Orc Shaman. Soul Quench obliterated the unit of Wolves in front of the Phoenix Guard with a miscast destroying the Ring on 2-dice. Drain Magic then miscast on 2-dice removing Nightshroud and in the miscast Drain Magic was lost as the Archmage became Level 3. Shooting killed 7 Night Goblins.
Orcs and Goblins Turn 2:
One Fanatic spun too hard and died, another went back through the Night Goblins and killed 5. The army moved forwards and the Wolves moved to block the Reavers. Magic was 4-2, Vindictive Glare killed a Spearman and stole a dispel die. Hand of Gork went off on a Fanatic to move it right in front of the Swordmasters. The Doom Diver killed a Spearman after scattering off the Swordmasters, one Spear Chukka took two wounds off the Eagle and the Rock Lobba misfired.
High Elves Turn 2:
The Reavers charged the Wolves to their front and the Eagle charged the Bolt Thrower. The rest of the line backed up a bit. Magic was 6-4, Walk Between Worlds went off on the Archers before Convocation was cast on the Savage Orcs. The roll was exact on the casting value and the dispel missed it by 1! As a result 16 Savage Orcs burned. The Archers then shot off a Fanatic. The Eagle failed to do any wounds and the Reavers killed the Wolves at the cost of a single elf and overran into the Rock Lobba.
Orcs and Goblins Turn 3:
One Goblin unit failed Animosity and tried to charge, failing, hitting the Fanatic and losing 4 Goblins. The other Goblins also tried to charge the Spearmen so that the Boars would have room to fit around the building. Their charge failed but the gap was open for the Boars to charge the Swordmasters. Magic was a 6-6 phase that had Spider God dispelled and Convocation dispelled. One Spear Chukka killed 4 Spearmen while the Doom Diver killed 2 Phoenix Guard. The Eagle then killed one of the Goblin crew but died in return. The Reavers killed the Rock Lobba. The Swordmasters lost 6 of their number but killed the BSB and 11 Boars and ran down the fleeing Boars hitting the Night Goblins behind.
High Elves Turn 3:
The Phoenix Guard charged the Night Goblins to their front and the Spearmen charged to help the Swordmasters. Magic was 7-6, Arcane Unforging was dispelled and Convocation hit the Savage Orcs again, this time killing 4. The Archers then killed another 3 Orcs. In combat the Phoenix Guard lost 1 elf and the Mage took a wound but they killed 9 Goblins. The Goblins escaped the pursuit, however. In the other combat the Spearmen took 4 casualties while 10 Goblins were killed. This time the Goblins broke and were run down, taking the Swordmasters into the Savage Orcs.
Orcs and Goblins Turn 4:
The Goblins rallied after losing 2 of their number to a Fanatic again. Magic was 10-6 and saw Gift of the Spider God fail to cast. In a disaster, Convocation was not dispelled after a failed attempt and 7 more Orcs were killed. The Doom Diver killed 2 Spearmen in spite. In combat the Anointed and Black Orc Warboss got into a challenge and both took a single wound. The Swordmasters then wiped out the Savage Orc unit at the cost of a single elf, but the Orc heroes held on stubborn.
High Elves Turn 4:
The Phoenix Guard charged the Goblins and the Reavers charged the Doom Diver. Apotheosis miscast for the 3rd elf miscast this game, healing the Anointed but killing the Mage, 3 Phoenix Guard, and 9 Goblins. The Archers plinked a wound off the injured Spear Chukka. The Reavers killed the Doom Diver. The Anointed of Asuryan cut down the Black Orc, the Swordmasters killed both Greenskin wizards, and the Phoenix Guard slaughtered the goblins, running down the survivors.
We called game as the Greenskins only had two warmachines left.
High Elf Victory!
Thoughts:
This game was brutal. I actually really liked my High Elf list, a bit to my surprise. I wasn't sure how it would do, but the infantry build worked surprisingly well. I think I played it fairly well, too, though there were some pieces that weren't up to me. The mass death brought about by the Swordmasters was due to cascading overruns taking them into multiple combats. I think the biggest mistake my opponent made was charging the Swordmasters with the Savage Orc Boars. I think he significantly underestimated the Swordmasters and that was the major cause of the Orc defeat as the Swordmasters then rampaged through the army. Fiery Convocation was also a huge boon this game, killing 27 Savage Orcs in total. The failed dispel late in the game was very unlucky. I also had some astoundingly bad magic luck with three miscasts, including two 2-dice miscasts. Fortunately, the miscasts weren't disastrous results, a Cascade on the Swordmasters could easily have cost me the game.
We both then modified our lists, I changed things substantially just to give a different game and my opponent tweaked his. The second game will be posted soon!