MasterOfNone wrote: ↑Thu Oct 28, 2021 6:23 pm
I read Seredain's battle reports and I think "Watch and learn..."
So wha'ts happening next?
MoN, I'll tell you!
EMPIRE TURN 2
The great weapon knights charged the reavers before them. The demigryph knights, frustrated at the pave of their advance, took the opportunity to charge the flank of the combat and rushed into the open opposite my right wing of silver helms and phoenix. Karl Franz shifted his men to the right but otherwise held firm in the centre and readied to charge the phoenix guard next turn. He realised that the phoenix guard had rushed forward during his manoeuvre, however, and were fast coming up on his own position. The archers hurried forward on the flanks. The spell wagons trundled up behind the centre.
In the magic phase my opponent rolled a poor-average phase, like a 7 v 5, which was squashed by the Book of Hoeth. I wanted to charge across the board next turn, but particularly in the centre, and I wanted my opponent to have zero buffs. Having the scroll still in hand was golden.
During the shooting phase, the archers opposite my left quavered in the face of the terrible, but on my right a bolt thrower crewman fell dead to a rain of arrows there.
In combat, the frostheart phoenix assaulting the Empire right flank killed 5 or 6 infantry and received no blows in reply. On my right, the reavers were scattered by the charging knights. Two units of cavalry reforming in one spot left the demigryph knights within reach of my right flank.
https://i.imgur.com/btnGFyB.jpg
HIGH ELVES TURN 3
To the sounds of trumpets and drums the high elf army attacked across the line. I made all my charges: silver helms and phoenix into the demigryphs, phoenix guard into Franz's cavalry, and the dragon into the flank of the beleaguered greatswords. Not into the knights? No. The dragon, if it charged into the front of Franz's knights, would have to end up in base contact either with the emperor himself, or with Luthor Huss. I didn't want to give those giant killing weapons a giant to kill, so I resolved to clear the flanks first. This was a calculated risk, but it was a risk. The phoenix guard would have to hold.
The magic phase was a good-split 8 phase which saw my phoenixes get +1 initiative. I snuck through drain magic after hand of glory was stopped with a scroll, giving my phoenix guard their 3+ ward. The archmage popped a ward on himself with something else, on a single re-rolled dice.
https://i.imgur.com/op9BQPo.jpg
In the shooting phase my bolt throwers managed to kill respectively no knights and a single archer. Bravo chaps.
In combat, elven glory was won on the right flank, as the noble BSB, silver helms and frostheart phoenixes killed two of the three demigryph models. The survivor failed to wound my BSB, broke and was cut down. The silver helms and their phoenix ally plunged onward into the Empire knights. On my left flank, the dragon bathed the greatswords in fire. In combat it and the phoenix slew the remaining charred greatswords and the witchhunter. The imperial BSB died when he failed to stand. The dragon and phoenix reformed to face Franz's right flank.
The phoenix guard pushed into the confounded knights and cut down 4 models. My opponent needed good rolls against the 3+ ward save. Franz and his men killed 3 guard. Not enough. If Luthor Huss could slay the elven mage at his feet, then the balance could shift. He called for divine aid and went He-Man. But he too was confounded by elven witchery (also a 3+ ward save) and only managed a single wound. The centre held.
EMPIRE TURN 3
The Empire centre needed to cut its way out of this trap and for that my opponent wanted a big magic phase. He got an above average phase but I cancelled it with the scroll and book. No help for Karl this turn - he'd need to break out the old way.
The pegasus captain leapt out of hiding to charge my right-flank wounded bolt thrower next turn. The nearby archers failed to take that final wound.
In combat the phoenix guard dragged down 3 knights and with it 1 rank. This mattered, because Franz and his men rose mightily to their test and killed the remaining rear rank of phoenix guard, and the mage too. My saving hand was getting shaky. But the combat was another stalemate as the phoenix guard grimly held the line.
On the right flank, the silver helms and pheonix killed more than a rank of knights, who broke and fled. The silver helms didn't stop riding, scattering the metal men and crashing into the flank of the Hurricanum. The phoenix reformed to face the centre.
HIGH ELVES TURN 4
My dragon and two phoenixes swept into each flank of Franz's knights. The phoenix guard in the centre were up-skilled with hand of glory and shielded again. My archmage also got a +1 save, again by irrelevant means.
My bolt throwers now woke up, necessity clearly giving them what duty could not, and shot the imperial captain out of the sky.
The Empire army then collapsed into a heap of dead horses and men in broken armour. Before we could resolve the precisely where the elven units ended up from all their pursuits, it at least became clear that Franz and his unit were all gone. Then the bell rang for dice down. These games were going quickly. Thankfully on this occasion, so were my elves!
https://i.imgur.com/XCJEeRp.jpg
A big win. 16-4, 18-2, or so.
Edit: I tried the image function but no dice. Next stop: Google Drive!