The Muster Marches to War! (1st Batrep of our winter league)

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The Muster Marches to War! (1st Batrep of our winter league)

#1 Post by Oberon »

After messing around with Battle Chronicler, but being dissatisfied with the results, I have finally put together a decent battle report. The game that it covers was a great, dynamic Warhammer game in my opinion. It involves key choices by both players, but also the incredible touch of the dice gods.

This was my fifth game in our ladder. Up to this point I am breaking even with a record of 2/2.

Sir Michael's Banners de Chevalleaux vs. Prince Oberon's Muster

High Elves:
1 Prince Oberon - Barding; Dragon Armour; Shield; Giant Blade; Helm of Fortune
1 Lord Absalom - Shadow: Miasma; Barding; Great Weapon; Dragon Armour; Shield; Radiant Gem of Hoeth
1 The Leprechaun - Shadow: Miasma, Withering, Pit, Mindrazor; Book of Ashur
1 Ellesti Furyon - Fire: Sword of Ruin, Flame Cage; Seerstaff
10 Archers
2 Great Eagle
38 Lothern Sea Guard - Musician/Standard Bearer
16 Phoenix Guard - Standard Bearer
8 Silver Helms (Steel Myrmidons) - Musician/Standard Bearer
14 Sword Masters of Hoeth - Standard Bearer
1 Tiranoc Chariot

Bretonnia (this is from memory; I can't remember what all the special items were):
1 Lord - Royal Pegasus; Silver Lance
1 Prophetess - Life: Thrones, Shield of Thorns, Awakening, Dwellers
1 Paladin BSB - Gromril GH
1 Damsel - Beasts: Wyssan's, Crows
12 Grail Knights
12 Knights of the Realm
12 Knights of the Realm
15 Archers
15 Archers
15 Archers
40 Men at Arms
1 Trebuchet

Pre-game Thoughts:
Normally I take a slightly different list than the one above. I know some of the choices might not be optimal, but I was very excited to experiment with Fire for a change and see if I could get much use from the auto-wound function served by Razor and Sword. I didn't know, yesterday, who my opponent would be when I arrived at the local store, so I also wanted to try the Book of Ashur and see how that helped my magic phase. Normally I have a crystal and/or dispel scroll, but I felt comfortable taking my chances with a +6 to dispel and 3 channels a turn. I also decided to use the chariot because I felt it offered a number of tactical roles and fit my points allowance better than my normal 5 Dragon Princes.

We rolled for Battle for the Pass which really altered the dynamics of the game. Suddenly, Bretonnia was in a position to sit back and take advantage of their long range fire power and I would have to weather it or trudge forward, which made setting some traps for his long range cavalry more difficult. I felt confident that after deployment, the spirit of honorable battle would get the better of my opponent, but I was dead wrong. My memory is failing me and somehow I left out a turn. It was either turn 4 or 5, but I can't figure it out. Regardless, the events detailed in 5 and 4 actually occurred in 5 and 6.

Deployment:
Image
All of the rock formations we were using were nominated as impassable. I set up, trying to create a good kill zone that would channel his forces and allow me maximum flexibility in such tight confines. I know the crescent was obvious, but at this point I still believed he would still order a general advance under the cover of falling bits of masonry.

Turn 1:
Image
Movement: Hermes and Zephyr fly straight to the center, looking for any cover that will obscure them from the bowmen; its at this point that I realize I need to bring down the Trebuchet in order to force these knights into a rash charge.
Magic: Miasma got through on the Men at Arms, shortening their stride by 1 inch; his magic was ineffective
Shooting: Sir Michael begins by aiming his Trebuchet right at the Steel Myrmidons and the plumed head of Oberon. He passes his look out sir and 2 Myrmidons go down in a pulverized mess of flesh. The bowmen of the lesser race take aim and bring down their first eagle.

Turn 2:
Image
Movement: The Elves shift forward cautiously, preparing for the likelihood of Zephyr being brought down by flights of arrows. Oberon directs the Swordmasters to one flank and the Chariot of Tiranoc maneuvers to threaten the archers on the right flank. The Hand of Yvresse hopes to force a difficult decision on the bowmen: abandon their stakes and face certain death at the charge of Elven chariot or remain resolute and allow the eagle to charge the trebuchet. The Prince begins to feel the edge of doubt gnawing at the back of his mind. Two turns and the Bretonnians look to take an early lead. Sir Michael's forces also edge forward, preparing a rudimentary trap of their own.
Magic: Nothing much happens, despite having strong winds on both sides.
Shooting: Another brave Myrmidon falls underneath a rock and Zephyr is gravely wounded by black fletched arrows, unable to continue the fight.

Turn 3 High Elves:
Image
Movement: The chariot rolls forward, wanting to achieve a guaranteed charge next turn. The Swordmasters edge back, trying to get out of range of both longbowmen and armored knights. The Emerald Marines (Seaguard) and Phoenix Guard line up so that both will be involved in the potential charge of the Men At Arms.
Magic: Sword of Ruin goes off on the Seaguard; Pit is dispelled
Shooting: The Seaguard fell 5 or 10 Men at Arms with their blazing arrows and the Elven bowmen snipe a knight from the left flank.

Turn 3 Bretonnia:
Image
Movement: Sir Michael orders the poor Men At Arms to the charge, hoping to soften up the elven lines and draw them out of line and into his knights; he forgot though, that on the next turn, the High Elves would have the opportunity to charge his knights before his trap can come to fruition.
Magic: Ineffective
Shooting: The bowmen on the right flank put a wound on the chariot. The Trebuchet falls to pieces!
CC: The Men at Arms suffer 15+ wounds, only managing 7 in return. They flee needing a roll of 4. The sure footed elves pursue and destroy the unit. The Seaguard race forward 9 inches and the PG 4 inches, putting both in an easy charge range.

Turn 4 High Elves:
Image
Movement: The chariot crashes into the right flank. Prince Oberon orders his infantry columns forward and they charge...a whopping two inches each. The High Elves experience an uncharacteristic stall in their movement and Oberon is left bewildered. Calling his brother, Absalom, to him, they gallop from the Myrmidons and join the Seaguard. He prepares his men for the coming charge and steels their resolve. The Silver Helms move to guard the flank and the Swordmasters still back up, trying to bait the left flank KoR into a long charge.
Magic: Miasma, -1 M on the left flank lance.
Shooting: ineffective
CC: The chariot blows through the bowmen and pursues them down.

Turn 4 Bretonnia:
Image
Movement: As expected, Sir Michael leaps forward and charges the stalled infantry blocks. Oberon does not hold much hope for his Phoenix Guard. The left flank lance also declares a charge on the Myrmidons, they flee and he redirects into the Seaguard but fails, thanks to the -1 inch miasma! Sir Michael himself also joins the charge on the PG.
Magic: ineffective
Shooting: ineffective
CC: With the presence of Prince Oberon and his singing spear, the Seaguard hold their position and win combat by 1. The KoR lance holds its place. The PG are summarily torn to pieces and flee, only to be chased down by Sir Michael and his Pegasus. This also finishes off the already fleeing Myrmidons. The Grail Knights reform to face the Seaguard.

At this point...those doubts Oberon was having become a towering crescendo.

Turn 5 High Elves:
Image
Movement: The Swordmasters attempt to charge the left flank lance(its a greater distance than shown here) but fails like their brethren! The chariot reforms, preparing to race to the aid of Oberon.
Magic: Absalom tries to Miasma the left lance again, but fails. With only six dice left, The Leprechaun throws them to the Grey Winds and suddenly the Emerald Marines are as strong as their very minds! Razor is off irresistibly. The effects of the miscast put a wound on The Leprechaun.
Shooting: ineffective
CC: The elves destroy the rest of the lance and reform to face the Grail Knights, giving a rear charge to the other KoR lance.

Turn 5 Bretonnia:
Image
Movement: Thank Asuryan! The impetuous Bretonnians charge the glittering spears of the Marines' square.
Magic: The Prophetess obliterates the chariot with the power of the wood and dwellers the Swordmasters (they pass their panic).
Shooting: Two more Swordmasters fall to long range arrow fire.
CC: The Grail Knights cease to exist as if they were never born and the rear rank of the elven Seaguard put 4 more wounds into the KoR lance. The Elves win combat handily and also catch the fleeing knights, securing victory for Oberon and Yvresse!

Remaining Forces:
High Elves:
Oberon
Absalom (BSB)
Archmage
Seaguard
Swordmasters
Archers

Bretonnia:
Lord
Prophetess
2 Longbowmen units

Post-game thoughts:
I underestimated the patience of my opponent and failing those two easy charges very nearly cost me the game! He made some key mistakes, in the first round of combat with his center KoR lance he should have directed attacks against my Archmage and ended the only spellcaster that could change the outcome, at this point. As it was, he decided to go after combat resolution, which I was very happy about. The second big mistake was charging the Razor'd unit instead of attempting to Dweller snipe them for the VPs; I was so happy when he declared the charges. Its a rough lesson, but one that he will learn from; he's getting better with each game.

The Muster is now 3/2/0.

Comments welcome!
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[color=#80BF40]Prince Oberon, Hand of Tor Yvresse, Lord Admiral, Lord of Tor Lir[/color]
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Re: The Muster Marches to War! (1st Batrep of our winter league)

#2 Post by Elessehta of Yvresse »

A champion of the Yvressi! Were the marines too busy fighting to shoot? Those Sword Masters didn't do much...
[url=http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=34506][i]Lord Elessehta Silverbough of Ar Yvrellion, Ruler of Athel Anarhain, Prince of the Yvressi.[/i][/url]
[quote="Narrin’Tim"]These may be the last days of the Asur, but if we are to leave this world let us do it as the heroes of old, sword raised against evil![/quote]
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Re: The Muster Marches to War! (1st Batrep of our winter league)

#3 Post by Curu Olannon »

Impressive win! I thought for a moment there that you were in big trouble. How did you feel the army performed? What elements were good / not so good?

Also I see that you have really made an effort with Battle Chronicler here, which really makes it that much easier for us ;) feel free to drop me a pm if you have any questions!

Congrats on the win and thanks for the report
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Re: The Muster Marches to War! (1st Batrep of our winter league)

#4 Post by Elessehta of Yvresse »

He thought combo charge front and back would be enough against MR marines? Noob =P
[url=http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=34506][i]Lord Elessehta Silverbough of Ar Yvrellion, Ruler of Athel Anarhain, Prince of the Yvressi.[/i][/url]
[quote="Narrin’Tim"]These may be the last days of the Asur, but if we are to leave this world let us do it as the heroes of old, sword raised against evil![/quote]
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Re: The Muster Marches to War! (1st Batrep of our winter league)

#5 Post by Oberon »

@Curu

Thanks, I was very worried when the dice utterly failed me. I had made that overrun expecting a high a probability of making the following charges. Unfortunately those low percentage chances always seem to haunt me. Fortunately Oberon and his brother were in a position to race forward.

As far as things that worked and things that didn't:

The Fire Mage with the Shadow Archmage isn't really worth the expenditure. I would definitely choose him in a 3000 point game though. The Seerstaff Fire Mage has so much utility with Sword and Cage. +1 to wound is very effective for archers and spears (probably one of the best augments for its cost for HE core IMHO).

The cavalry didn't perform the function I intended, but that's because I had to scramble in response to the failed charges.

The eagles did what I expected them to do. They didn't have much maneuver room.

Swordmasters. I love them, but they usually fulfill two roles in games I play: 1) they are a priority target for my opponent's shooting and 2) they create a fear bubble that opponent's avoid like the plague. That's why they rarely see combat in the recent games I've had. Still, I can't leave them at home. In fact, I'm really debating dropping the PG bunker and BoS in favor of a different approach.

Unfortunately, I had a game last night with our resident Skaven player. It was another league match. He's a decent person and a decent player, but its that combined with the ridiculousness that is Skaven that makes each battle with him uphill from the start. I'll post another report soon, maybe you will agree and see why. I hope I'm not just a terrible loser. I wanted to challenge him; last league we fought one battle to a draw. After beating the top tier guy (dwarfs), the skaven were my next target.

@Tiralya

Yeah, he learned his lesson. The Bretonnian player is getting better every match.

Thank you for the comments.
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Re: The Muster Marches to War! (1st Batrep of our winter league)

#6 Post by dabber »

Nice write up.


On your turn 4, after the LSG failed their charge, you had your mounted characters join them. In previous editions, this was definitely illegal. But in 8th edition, I see nothing preventing it. I will have to remember that one.
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Re: The Muster Marches to War! (1st Batrep of our winter league)

#7 Post by Oberon »

@dabber

Yes, I had the same question when I performed that move and we scoured the brb, our resident rules lawyers and the FAQ and couldn't find anything preventing the maneuver. Good to know if you find yourself in those tight spaces.
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Re: The Muster Marches to War! (1st Batrep of our winter league)

#8 Post by Curu Olannon »

Skaven are indeed hard for us. I'm very much looking forward to playing them myself (they're my next league-matchup!) as I believe my army has a few very good tricks against them (e.g. Dragon vs Plague Monks). Looking forward to seeing your batttle :)
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Re: The Muster Marches to War! Battle Report 2 (6th Game)

#9 Post by Oberon »

Battle Report 2 (6th Winter League Game)

This battle was anxiously awaited by the forces of Ulthuan. For some history: I had played this Skaven in our last league and we fought to a brutal draw. I was happy with that result, but I knew that I could win a game against the least of all races. However, the player himself is a good general as well, so it was going to be another brutal game. I was sure of that.

LISTS:

High Elves:
1 Prince Oberon - Barding; Dragon Armour; Shield; Giant Blade; Helm of Fortune
1 Lord Absalom - Heavens: Iceshard Blizzard; Barding; Great Weapon; Dragon Armour; Shield; Radiant Gem of Hoeth
1 The Leprechaun - Life: Earthblood, Throne, Flesh to Stone, Dwellers; Annulian Crystal
1 Ellesti Furyon - Fire: Sword of Ruin, Flame Cage; Seerstaff
10 Archers
2 Great Eagle
38 Lothern Sea Guard - Musician/Standard Bearer
19 Phoenix Guard - Standard Bearer
8 Silver Helms (Steel Myrmidons) - Musician/Standard Bearer
14 Sword Masters of Hoeth - Standard Bearer
1 Tiranoc Chariot

Skaven:
1 Grey Seer - Ruin: Scorch, Skitterleap, Dreaded 13th, Warp Lightning; Book of Ashur; Screaming Bell
1 Warlock Engineer - Ruin: Warp Lightning, something else; Doom Rocket; Warp Condenser
1 Warlock Engineer - Warplock Musket
1 Plague Priest - Plague: Wither, Plague; Ward; Dispel Scroll
1 Chieftain - BSB; Howling Banner; Heavy Armor; Shield
42 Clanrats - HW/Shield; FC; Flamer
25 Clanrats - HW/Shield; FC; Mortar
25 Clanrats - HW/Shield; FC; Flamer
30-40 Slaves - HW/Shield
8 Gutter Runners - Poisoned; Slings
6 Jezzails - Sharpshooter
1 Doomwheel
1 HPA - Warpstone
1 Plagueclaw Catapult
1 Warplightning Cannon

Pre-game Thoughts:
I know I wasn't overly impressed with the dual mage use in my last game, but against this army, I felt that an extra mage would better serve me than the unit of Dragon Princes. I thought Sword would be great to throw around to units, in case I didn't out deploy the HPA. It also would have been useful in any other combat. Cage was going to be used to control his movement and keep the Bell at bay until I had swept the rest of the field. I also wanted to use the fire spells in my casting order, hoping he would let them go through and save his dice for Dwellers. I was also confident I could secure a good deployment; which is why I save my general until last and used the archers as a trash drop. He was expecting that unit to become the Archmage bunker, but I simply shifted him to the Seaguard (my plan anyway). You'll see from the deployment that I was sitting confident. The terrain worked in my favor and I hoped some Skaven randomness would come to my aid as well. The Plague Priest was a new addition and I was unfamiliar with his capabilities past wither (I would regret this).

Deployment:
Image
Here you can see the advantages I am starting with. I know he has to move at least forward with his HPA, so I am guaranteed a charge on it with my Prince and his knights. The chariot also has the chance to pounce as well. I deployed the Seaguard there, because they had the Banner of Eternal Flame and I was certain I'd be able to score a couple of wounds on the HPA before combat as well. I was not very worried about the Doomwheel and Gutter Runners, because I felt the game would be won or lost on the right flank; it would be 2-3 turns before they could actively affect the outcome of the game. The forest in front of his Bell and the tightness of his deployment was also an advantage to me, because he had to turn his lines to make the most use of them. It would be difficult to maneuver such large units and close with my lines quickly. I caught a break scored first turn; it was Battleline.

High Elves 1:
Image
Movement: The eagles swoop around to the right. The furthest right eagle is set up for a turn 2 charge on the WLC or a weapon team, which you can't see here. The other eagle I positioned to save him from poisoned slings. The Steel Myrmidons move forward, keeping to the furthest reaches of the HPA's random movement. The chariot positions a little closer, but still at a far range for the compulsory movement. The Marines shuffle forward to get long range on the HPA.
Magic: The winds of magic are average and my BoS does not do much to effect the phase. None of my magic manages to pass through his huge channel rolls and defense. I do get his scroll out early because of his fear of Sword of Ruin (I was pleased with that at this time, because he didn't know I had the Banner of Eternal Flame).
Shooting: The archers score a wound on the Runners and my Seaguard score 2 on the HPA! I felt great at this point, but readied myself for his shooting and magic.

Skaven 1:
Image
Movement: His HPA rolls up short for hitting the chariot, but sits nicely close to the Myrmidons. I still feel very confident about the match, imagining the HPA dying in Turn 2. The Gutter Runners race around the ruined tower and score a wound on the eagle. His lines generally advance, but are cumbersome because of the terrain and deployment.
Magic: He scores 11 dice to my 5... Skitterleap is cast and I can see what he is trying to do. Wanting to put an end to his plans, I attempt to dispel, confident in The Leprechaun's ability to shunt such vile magic...and fail (this is really the only mistake I think I made during the game; I should have held the dice and dispelled Wither). The Plague Priest leaps forward and lands behind my lines. He then successfully casts both Wither and Plague, slaughtering 25 Marines. Oh cheap, powerful 7th edition spells...how I loathe thee. Regardless, lesson learned! The Marines pass their panic.
Shooting: I was pretty deflated at this point. Handfuls of elves were finding their way back into the box. His shooting was less effective. The WLC blew up, Mortar blew up, the PCC missed, Doomrocket missed and the Doomwheel gave itself two wounds. After the magic phase I breathed a sigh of relief. I felt the game was still on.

High Elves 2:
Image
Movement: I still have a lot of distance before his infantry can threaten mine. The Myrmidons and Chariot charge the HPA. The Marines and Swordmasters turn to face the interloper. The Storm Banner is up so the eagles are forced to peck at the ground. I try to shift them a bit.
Magic: My magic is lackluster again with low rolls all around. I managed to get off Cage on the right unit of Clanrats; it kills a few. At least that will hold up his entire line for a turn if he doesn't move. There is a flamer sitting next to it on the left; you can't see it of course, but its in front of the Screaming Bell unit.
Shooting: Arrows fly at the Priest, but fail to wound.
CC: The Myrmidons and Chariot smash the HPA to the ground. The Chariot overruns, setting up a charge at the Jezzails while Oberon reforms to cover the flanks. The Jezzails flee in terror at the martial display!

Skaven 2:
Image
Movement: He advances with the left, but holds his right flank until the Fire Cage has put itself out. The Jezzails rally.
Magic: Big magic phase again. He scores another Plague irresistably on my unit of Marines (I guess its not considered Direct Damage yet). They shrink to 3 Marines and the Archmage. The Priest wounds himself.
Shooting: PCC misses its target and the Doomwheel lashes out at the Archers killing one.
CC: The Guard are unable to wound the putrescent rodent. The Plague Priest manages to kill 2 Phoenix Guard and wins the combat, but the silent warriors hold.

High Elves 3:
Image
Movement: I can still see light at the end of the tunnel. My position is still strong with a good infantry line holding and my general threatening the rear of the enemy. The Storm Banner is down and the eagles charge. One charges the Slaves, just attempting to stall them, there is not much hope for him with a Doomwheel nearby. The other eagle charges the Flamer Team, but is burnt to a crisp. Another lesson learned, I didn't realize they were quick to fire (there are so many options in the Skaven army its no wonder). The Myrmidons move forward out of the Clanrats line of sight and the Chariot charges the Jezzails, suffering 3 wounds from Stand and Shoot. I separate the Archmage from the Marines.
Magic: Another mediocre phase, but I do succeed in getting off Dwellers on the Bell unit. It kills 17 rats, including a Warlock Engineer. My opponent groaned at this point...really? I wanted to go grab all those 13 point elves he had slaughtered...
Shooting: Ineffective.
CC: The Priest is skewered on the blades of the Swordmasters. The Chariot kills the rest of the Jezzails and they flee off the board. He reforms to face the rear of the big units. Now, my next turn, I wanted the Myrmidons to reform and race back to the infantry, helping them to clear out the weak left flank. Then the army would turn back to face his Bell. I still had hope.

Skaven 3:
Image
Movement: The eagle has done a decent job of holding up the line. My opponent reforms both big blocks on the right to face the potential rear actions from my Myrmidons and Chariot. I am pleased by this, because I have no intention of engaging him, rather, riding to rescue my center.
Magic: Another big phase for him. He scores the 13th on the Phoenix Guard, I throw my dice, but fail to dispel his cast by 4. He then proceeds to roll exactly 18. The exact number of Guard left. They turn into Clanrats. My 60% chance of winning just took a hit...down somewhere to 30%, probably lower. Now the move I was planning is no longer going to really mean anything.
Shooting: All of those misfortunes he suffered in Turn 1 are nowhere to be seen. He scores a perfect hit on the Myrmidons from a Flame Team, my Dragon Armor wearing lords pass their look out sir and 6 Myrmidons suffer 8 wounds...dead. The Runners murder a bunch of Archers and the Doomwheel crisps the eagle. Chance of winning: 5-10%

High Elves 4:
Image
Movement: The picture is wrong here. I charge the rightmost Clanrat unit with my lords and the chariot, he flees, so I actually redirect into the Bell unit. At this point, I am hoping to get the Swordmasters into something (they failed a long charge into the Doomwheel by an inch) and saving some points in my corner. I know my lords can stay up for sometime, even fighting such odds.
Magic: Ineffective.
Shooting: Ineffective.
CC: Killed a lot of unbreakable rats.

Skaven 4:
Image
Movement: He moved some soldiers.
Magic: Big phase again and promptly gets 13th off on my Swordmasters with Irresistible force. He promptly rolls 14 and turns that unit into Clanrats.

This is essentially the game. I fought on, but it was over. I got a Dwellers off and scared some rats, but it was an overwhelming defeat.

Post-game Thoughts:
Skaven do everything HE do, but cheaper and a lot of times better. Being able to field Lvl 0 casters to channel for 15 points is amazing; T5, A3 casters are awesome; having such a mount that provides a ward to itself and the rider is good as well. Its an uphill battle just fighting a Skaven army. With a competent opponent the difficulty compounds itself. Its definitely important to win the Maneuver against Skaven, which I believe I did. Unfortunately it only took a magic phase to completely end the game. None of my efforts ended up counting for anything against that kind of force. I won't allow Wither next time and I'm definitely going to field more magic defense next time. Death sniping the Bell might be worth it. I think I would drop the RoG and the BoS and focus on defense.

There is a silver lining in every dark cloud. Beyond the great lessons I have learned, doing this Battle Report has led me to rebuild his army list in AB, and I think his list was actually 100 to 200 points over the 2500 point limit. We trust our opponents, so I'm never really worried about this and I'm sure he didn't intend to play with an illegal list. If it is over, that grants me a forfeit. I don't like that. I want to win on my merit, but it certainly soothes the wretched beating I took. 100 points is an enormous difference to face on the battlefield. I'm waiting to hear back from him about some details of his army.

Comments Welcome.
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[color=#80BF40]Prince Oberon, Hand of Tor Yvresse, Lord Admiral, Lord of Tor Lir[/color]
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Re: The Muster Marches to War! Battle Report 2 (6th Game)

#10 Post by dabber »

Wow, eaten completely by Skaven magic, plus a warpfire thrower. Not a normal occurrence! Actually, being nuked by Dreaded 13th is not that unusual.

Oberon wrote:Magic: He scores 11 dice to my 5... Skitterleap is cast and I can see what he is trying to do. Wanting to put an end to his plans, I attempt to dispel ....
How is stopping the skitterleap the best way to foil his plans? Let him skitterleap the plague priest! Then dispel the spells that matter. Even if you stop the skitterleap, he still casts Dreaded 13th and/or Warp Lightning with his remaining dice.
Oberon wrote:CC: The Myrmidons and Chariot smash the HPA to the ground. The Chariot overruns, setting up a charge at the Jezzails while Oberon reforms to cover the flanks. The Jezzails flee in terror at the martial display!
Why did the jezzails flee? The hellpit had a really bad movement phase turn 1 and was still within 6" of them? Your diagram makes them look more than 12" away, so no panic.
Oberon wrote:The other eagle charges the Flamer Team, but is burnt to a crisp. Another lesson learned, I didn't realize they were quick to fire
They are not "quick to fire". They are able to stand-and-shoot in general, but I see nothing that makes them able to stand-and-shoot at such a close target.


Oberon wrote:Skaven do everything HE do, but cheaper and a lot of times better.
I really don't agree there. They do things very differently than us. But everything they do well is exactly what hurts us worst.
Oberon wrote:Being able to field Lvl 0 casters to channel for 15 points is amazing
They cannot do that. The warlock engineer is not a wizard, unless you make him a level 1 wizard, and then he costs a lot more than 15 points. A naked warlock may be worthwhile as a diverter (a super slow great Eagle), but has no other value.
Oberon wrote:Unfortunately it only took a magic phase to completely end the game.
That is one reason Skaven are so strong. And with really no drawback whatsoever, because miscasts, while painful, are usually not *that* bad.
Oberon wrote:I'm definitely going to field more magic defense next time.
That is the obvious weakness of your list. I really think the Seerstaff for those Fire spells is not a good choice, especially compared to a dispel scroll or Annulian Crystal. But don't drop the Banner of Sorcery!
Oberon wrote:Death sniping the Bell might be worth it.
Not so much. 4+ ward and MR(2) means it has a 2+ ward against magic.
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Re: The Muster Marches to War! (1st Batrep of our winter league)

#11 Post by Oberon »

@dabber

Yeah, the diagram is a bit skewed; the Jezzails were just within 6 inches.

I realized my dispel mistake the moment after I tried.

And I just looked up Death again. Right on about the MR and Ward.

The list I was using is not really the 'normal' list. I was very intrigued by certain tactical potential involved in Fire, but after a couple of experiments, I don't think the choice synergizes completely with a Cavalry Prince led force.
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Re: The Muster Marches to War! (1st Batrep of our winter league)

#12 Post by Oberon »

My opponent and I just hashed it out and agreed the list was illegal. Our league rules state that a forfeit occurs, but I left it up to him if he wants to rematch instead. He's a good guy. There may be a chance to redeem Oberon against that wily grey seer!
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Re: The Muster Marches to War! (1st Batrep of our winter league)

#13 Post by Elessehta of Yvresse »

You offered him a rematch like an honourable general would. It's definitely a good idea to drop the fire mage, you have the archmage and the bsb is a handy back up.
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Re: The Muster Marches to War! (1st Batrep of our winter league)

#14 Post by Oberon »

My opponent opted for the forfeit anyway. He felt like it was deserved for the time we invested in that game. We will meet again soon.

I got another game in today with a good friend in the league and his lizardmen. We go back and forth a bit. Not much to report, it was a bloody mess on both sides but the lizardmen came out on top. A fair trade since I fought him in my first league game and the results were the same, only in my favor. One thing I have found is that lizardmen are at their most dangerous against high elves when they take the lore of light. It's a lore that has far more tactical potential for a saurus block army than life. I also used a dispel scroll and loved it! Very fun game that could have gone either way.

Oberon is in 3rd place right now with a record of 4/3. Good thing we still have something like 70 days left.
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Re: The Muster Marches to War! (1st Batrep of our winter league)

#15 Post by Oberon »

Oh, I dropped the Mage in favor of my dragon princes. Much better to have them back.
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Re: The Muster Marches to War! (1st Batrep of our winter league)

#16 Post by WillScarlet »

I'd suggest High Magic? Flames of the Phoenix on the big unit? It will kill a ton of stuff, and it will force him to either let it keep going, or spend his precious power dice to dispel it (I personally have had the luck and pleasure of making an 80 man block of clan rats run off the table first turn =D> )I'm not familiar with Skaven magic items, but I'm sure Vaul's would have some use. Fury of Khaine could work great against some of the smaller units/war machines. Curse of Arrow attraction would compliment your shooting, and Shield of Saphery would definitely find use here. Finally, Drain Magic could work wonders.

One change that I wouldn't have made was reforming your Archers/Seaguard to face the Priest while he was behind your lines. Instead I would have used an Eagle or character if possible to chase after him.

Otherwise I think this battle was for the most part out of your hands. I'm lucky in that my local GW doesn't have talented Skaven players, because I'm not sure how I'd win if I was in your position.
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Re: The Muster Marches to War! (1st Batrep of our winter league)

#17 Post by ~Milliardo~ »

Excellent thread so far and I like your approach to elves. Bookmarked! :3
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Re: The Muster Marches to War! (1st Batrep of our winter league)

#18 Post by Oberon »

@Andrew

I would have loved to use my eagles like that, unfortunately the Storm Banner was active. I dislike turning units around, but the depleted unit was in no danger from charges and would have had plenty of time to reform and rejoin the battle. Of course, they were on the receiving end of 2 plagues. At that point I started thinking about points conservation.

I agree about high magic. I was really debating it, but ended up going back to what I was most familiar with for this game. I am going to try it in the future. It was helpful when I played the dwarf player. The list I used last night was with shadow on both the Mage knight and the lvl 4. It worked ok and synergizes well with the list because I use a decent block of Phoenix guard, large steadfast unit of seaguard and cavalry (which can really benefit from razor). Miasma is also one of the best all around signatures. I am going to play it one more time today, against WoC.

What do y'all think of running a dragon list the next time I play skaven? I would take the charmed shield. The dragon may stand a chance because my opponent only has one cannon. I also have a lot of cavalry in this list, supported by the seaguard, a chariot and swordmasters. Anyway, just brainstorming.
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Re: The Muster Marches to War! (1st Batrep of our winter league)

#19 Post by akielzather »

Presume he also moved and fired with his warp fire thrower when he flamed your bus, which is also ilegal as it has move or fire..

Agree, if it was the plague priest being targeted by skitterleap would have let it through and then shut down the rest. If it was the warlock with the doom rocket, that could be another story through.

Unluck on some of your rolls Good luck with the next match.
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Re: The Muster Marches to War! (1st Batrep of our winter league)

#20 Post by Oberon »

Just won the match against the WoC player. He's relatively new to the game and his army. His list wasn't especially hard and the game was fairly won from turn 2 on. I'm not sure if I'll put together a full on report, but maybe if I get bored...

Some take aways from the game:

Shadow performed very well with my Mage Knight and Archmage set up. I was able to get all the spells I really wanted. Miasma is simply an incredible source of power, especially from two wizards. I found it more useful than Shield of Saphery, because it allows me to affect an opponents decision making, forcing him to react. Instead of the opposite, Shielding in preparation of receiving damage. I -WS his Nurgle marked troops a number of times and this kept CC odds in my favor. Mindrazor was helpful, but he only allowed it to get off once. Miasma was really the game winner.

Current standing: 5/3, which gives me the top spot by wins.
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Re: The Muster Marches to War! (1st Batrep of our winter league)

#21 Post by Oberon »

As I think more about the game I just played, I had several more thoughts in the aftermath of the triumph over Chaos:

1.) The Talisman of Loec. I know its popular and I can see why. I'm starting to think about grabbing it, just to force my way through on those really important combats. During the battle today, my Prince was actually forced to perform a 'fighting' withdrawal with his Myrmidons. That's putting it nicely I suppose. He rallied in the following turn and later crushed a cursed Warshrine, but the Talisman would have been useful here in maximizing the number of kills my units in combat can get.

2.) More Tactical Patience. I am finding that I can out-deploy and out-flank an opponent, but after 2 turns, I have decided to engage in combats that don't maximize my forces potential. I need to see the forest and not the trees. Today I crushed a flank in turn 2, but instead of shaping the battle more, I got impetuous and made a silly charge into his warriors on turn 4. I should have waited to maximize all of my combat power on his single unit. This allowed him to destroy my BSB, Swordmasters and very nearly, my PG.
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Re: The Muster Marches to War! (1st Batrep of our winter league)

#22 Post by Zithaska »

I agree that you need to have more interoperability with your units, but I disagree that it is because of impatience, if anything I think you are being too timid.

In both of your battle reports, you castled. I don’t think that is a viable strategy for High Elves. They don’t have enough shooting, and they aren’t tough enough to absorb enemy fire to boot. High Elves excel in maneuvering and in close combat, which they combine by charging with multiple units to achieve local superiority. Which you would be able to do... if you moved your infantry forward along with you cavalry.

In both battle reports, you played to your weaknesses and abandoned your strengths. The funny thing is, your list is built for the High Elves strengthes. LSG are meant to move forward, fire on the move to whittle down their opponent, and then finish them off in close combat. You have chariots and Silver Helms to support your infantry blocks by getting flank attacks to achieve local superiority, but you are charging them at other things or not charging them at all. Your Swordmasters have done nothing but sit in the same place and get shot. I know they are fragile, but better to die in close combat where they can take something with them rather than be shot and achieve nothing. If you are worried about that, take Shield of Saphery or Glittering Robes to help.

For example, in your first battle, as you correctly pointed out, you should have been marching forward on your first turn. Instead, you hung back and waited for the Bretonnians to charge you, which cost you some models to shooting. The Bretonnians dominated you in the shooting phase, and the first of many blunders that the Bretonnian player made was moving forward at all. He should have sat back for two or three turns and wear you down with his archers and trebuchet. A skillful Bretonnian player would have then exploited this to get the matchups that he wanted, such as the Grail Knights on your unsupported Phoenix Guard, by outmaneuvering you with his faster cavalry to get charges with the Lance formation. Bretonnians live and die on having the charge with the Lance formation, but fortunately your opponent was incompetent, such as when he moved his Men-at-Arms forward unsupported and you capitalized on.

You also used your Silver Helms essentially as Ellyrion Reavers and paid the price for it. Your Silver Helms and Swordmasters should have been working together on the left most Lance. Instead, your Swordmasters did nothing but be pincushions and your Silver Helms were effectively out of the game regardless of being run down by the Grail Knights.
I understand that the Trebuchet is scary, but your Eagles might have been more effective as redirectors. Besides, his trebuchet should have been shooting at your infantry blocks. If he wants to shoot at your Silver Helms, let him. Better to take one or two of them at a time than 10 or so models in your infantry block at a time.

Your chariot would have been far more effective flanking the Grail Knights to support your Phoenix Guard, instead of chasing down a measly ~95 pts of archers.

In your second battle, you had set up a perfect refused flank. If your infantry had advanced with your chariot and Silver Helms, you could have rolled up his flank and destroyed him. Again, you castled and got shot up, this time by magic. That's about all there is to say about that.

At least that’s my opinion; take it for what it is worth.
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