I managed to squeeze in an extra game this week at Wyvern Wargames in Bishampton.
My opponent for the night was Buzz who has signed up to attend the Winter War – a one day event held by the Spiky Club in Reading – and he wanted a bit of practice and was also looking to try out an alternative Dwarf build.
We agreed to use the Winter War comp pack, which is fairly standard, and I decided to use the opportunity to test a different build I have been thinking about for Sheffield Slaughter.
I’ve also had the opportunity to write a more in depth battle report for this one, so sink your teeth into this and enjoy…
Army Lists
I have been thinking of running a list with no Shadow magic. Yes, that’s right, NO Shadow magic…! (See, I told you it was different!). This lore is the staple for most Elf armies and one I have been using religiously pretty much since 8th ed was released. However, throwing 6 dice at Mindrazor can get a little boring… It’s also a bit one dimensional and a can be a one trick pony – one where if it doesn’t work you have very little in the way of a back-up plan. Also, under the Slaughter comp, casting Mindrazor on a unit means I lose the benefit of my hatred re-rolls to hit in combat. So I decided it was time for something different.
Level 4 Metal, Sacrifical Dagger
Level 4 Death, Lifetaker
Master, Pegasus, HA, Sh, Lance, Cloak of Hag Grief, Dawnstone
Master, Pegasus, HA, Sh, Pendant, Dragonhelm
Cauldron of Blood BSB
30 Spearmen, Banner of Murder
25 Corsairs, Sea Serpent Standard
14 Spearmen
10 Crossbows
5 Harpies
30 Executioners, Standard of Discipline
5 Shades
So the big change to the list is double Level 4’s on Death and Metal – Death is there not necessarily to get the character snipes (even though they would be nice!) but primarily to get Doom and Darkness and Soul Blight to swing combats in my favour. It also provides the threat of Purple Sun, which vs low initiative armies will be devastating and add to my ranged threat if I need to sit off. Metal magic provides a dual role – I have a ranged threat vs well armoured troops but the lore also contains some handy spells for combat troops as well. Primarily I am looking for Glittering Robes which will boost the survivability of the Executioners and Blades of Aiban which will also help by providing +1 to hit in combat (and potentially be devastating in the first round of combat when combined with hatred). Plague of Rust and Final Transmutation will also help to lower armour saves and give a boost to my Str 3 troops in combat.
The Peg Masters are the early turn threats – they will be looking to hunt down warmachines, clear out chaff or assassinate a character or two…
The rest of the list is geared around 3 combat blocks. The Spearmen aren’t the biggest threat on their own, however Soul Blight will help get the wounds in and the armour piercing banner will help convert those wounds to kills. Likewise with the Corsairs, without Mindrazor all they have is a ton of Str3 attacks – however in the right match up or with a boost from magic or the Cauldron they can still perform well in combat. The Executioners are the combat focus however in order for them to work it is essential that they get the right match up – the Always Strike Last is a massive hindrance and could hurt them quite badly if I get it wrong.
Finally the other cog in my close combat machine is the Cauldron. I see this as being essential to how the list works. It is important that I use the right blessing at the right time. In the early turns it is likely that I will use the Ward Save to keep the Executioners alive. Once in close combat range the decisions get much tougher. A lot depends on the match up of units but the likely candidates for a blessing are Killing Blow on the Corsairs (which should offset their low strength attacks) or +1 attack on the Executioners (to make full use of their high strength attacks).
The final thing you may notice about my new list is the omission of the Hydra… The big beasties has been proving to be both a blessing and a curse – if I can get him into the right combats he will chew through units on his own however getting it into combat has been the problem. With the prevalence of cannons and warmachines he is a prime target and dies in more games than I feel comfortable with. Therefore he has been benched…
Buzz was running an alternative Dwarf list as he wanted to try a few things out to see how they worked:
Runelord with Anvil of Doom
Thane BSB
Thane with Rune of Brotherhood
30 Longbeard Rangers
30 Miners
20 Thunderers
2 Grudge Throwers
2 Organ Guns
Deployment
I gave Buzz the side of the table with no terrain (majority had scattered into the middle). His first drop was in one corner so it became obvious where his gunline and warmachines were going, so I set up all my combat troops in the opposite corner:
Right Flank: Thunderers, Anvil, 2 Grudge Throwers, 2 Organ Guns, BSB. I faced off with some Harpies (behind hard cover), Crossbows and the Death Mage.
Centre: Not a lot….
Left Flank: Executioners, Spearmen, Corsairs, Metal mage in Power Dice bunker and the Cauldron. Not a Dwarf in sight…
Scouts: I won the roll off for Scouts and deployed my Shades behind a hill that was just off centre of the board. This created a big 12” no-go zone and denied Buzz a large proportion of the table in which he could set up his Rangers. Left with very little choice Buzz deployed the Rangers 12” away from the Crossbows on the Right Flank and behind a wood.
Magic
Metal – Searing Doom, Glittering Robes, Blades of Aiban and Plague of Rust
Death – Caress, Soul Blight, Doom & Darkness and Purple Sun
Game Report
I won the roll for first turn…
DE Turn 1 – The Crossbows containing the Level 4 Death Mage reversed as fast as they could and the Harpies flew across to block or redirect any potential charge (it turned out that the wood on this side was a Blood Forest). The Peg Masters flew forward as fast as possible – eyeing up warmachines a plenty! Conscious that there was potentially a unit of miners to come on somewhere I moved all my combat troops as far forward as possible – thinking that no matter which board edge they came on rom the Dwarfs would be too slow to catch me… In doing so I had to march a unit of Spearmen through a wood – turned out it was a Venom Thicket and 10 of my Spearmen died when they failed their Dangerous Terrain tests!! In the magic phase I weighed up my options, picked up 6 dice and threw them at the big template version of Purple Sun – that unit of Rangers 15” away was just too tempting! I made the casting total of 25 but no Irresistible Force. Buzz then used a spell eater rune and not only stopped the spell but also took it out of play as well!
Dwarfs Turn 1 – The Rangers opted to not charge the Harpies and instead shuffled to try and move around them. Not a lot else moved… The first Grudge Thrower took aim at the Executioners and was on target – killing a load, which would have been more except for some awesome ward save rolling. The second Thrower also zoned in to the Executioners but misfired. A fortunate roll on the misfire chart meant it only missed this one turn of shooting. The first Organ Gun took aim at the Cloaked Peg Master, rolled 8 hits but did no wounds (I love that cloak!!). The second one took aim at him as well and misfired!! BOOM – take it off! The Thunderers fired at the Harpies to try and remove the speed bump for the Rangers, however as they were in the woods they needed 7’s to hit and only killed 2 – it forced a panic check though but I passed it. Finally the Runelord struck the Anvil and killed 4 out of 5 Shades – the remaining one also passed his panic check.
DE Turn 2 – Cloaked Peg Master charges into the remaining Organ Gun and the Pendant Peg Master charges into the Anvil. The Harpies move around to block the Rangers again and the Crossbows move out of charge angle and towards a building. The Death Mage moves out of the unit and hides behind the building. The combat flank moves forward. In the magic phase I raised shields when I got the bubble version of Glittering Robes off, granting +2 to the saves of all the combat units. A cheeky Caress also kills the Thane in the Ranger unit. In combat the Cloaked Peg Master kills the Organ Gun and reforms to face along the line of the Dwarfs. The Pendant Peg Master kills one of the Anvil Guards but the damn thing is unbreakable so we stick there trading blows.
Dwarf Turn 2 – The Miners successfully roll to come on but have a hard decision as to where – if they come on from behind they will never catch me so instead they opt to come on in the centre of Buzz’s deployment zone. The Rangers again try to shuffle around the Harpies and the Thunderers move forward and angle themselves to give a choice of targets next turn. The one Grudge Thrower scores an accurate hit on the Executioners but thanks to their improved save it only kills a couple. The other Grudge Thrower couldn’t draw line of sight to the Execs so instead dropped a big rock on the Crossbows, killing 8 and making them panic off the board… (I’m quite glad I took moved the Mage out!). In combat the Pendant Peg Master and the Anvil slug it out for a draw.
DE Turn 3 – The Cloaked Peg Master charges the nearest Grudge Thrower. The combat flank all push forward and present multiple threats to the Miners. The Harpies again fly round and block the Rangers. In the Magic phase I get the smaller version of Glittering Robes off on the Executioners. In combat the Cloaked Peg Master kills the Grudge Thrower, overruns but falls short of catching the Dwarf BSB. The Anvil and the Pendant Peg Master slug it out for another drawn combat.
Dwarfs Turn 3 – Fed up of the Harpy annoyance the Rangers declare a charge – the Harpies flee and get away leaving the Rangers to stumble forward from a failed charge. The Thane BSB charges the Cloaked Peg Master. The Miners can’t do a lot except shuffle around, protect their flank and brace for impact. The remaining Grudge Thrower combined with the Thunderers kill a load of Execs but they easily pass their panic check. In combat the Cloaked Peg Master does 1 wound to the BSB and takes no wounds in return but loses out on combat res – and just about passes his break test. Guess what – the Pendant Peg Master and the Anvil slug it out for another drawn round of combat…
DE Turn 4 – The Execs get boosted with +1 attack and charge into the helpless Miners. The Corsairs move up to threaten the flank of the Miners in case the combat goes wrong… The Spearmen reform in case they need to run interference and cut off the Rangers. The Shade does the same, moving to within 2” to try block or redirect. In the Magic phase Glittering Robes draws a spell breaker but I do successfully cast Blades of Aiban on the Executioners as well as Doom and Darkness on the Miners. In combat the Cloaked Peg Master kills the BSB and reforms to have a choice of targets next turn (either the anvil or the remaining Grudge Thrower). The Anvil combat is another draw… and then it’s onto the crucial combat. The Executioners swing hard and thanks to the Blades of Aiban and hatred combo they hit with all 20 attacks. They then proceed to kill 17 Dwarfs… The Dwarfs hit back but they obviously forgot to sharpen their axes that day and only kill 5 in return. The Stunties are Steadfast but with Doom and Darkness on them they need to take a break test on LD 6 – ad they roll a 7. They flee off the board and the Executioners follow (to save them from another round of shooting…)
Dwarf Turn 4 – The Rangers charge the lone shade, which flees. He gets caught but it successfully drags the Rangers away from the centre and effectively takes them out of the action for the rest of the game. The Grudge Thrower is lacking decent targets but can draw a bead on the Cauldron (as it is a large target) however the shot scatters harmlessly away into nowhere. The Thunderers are out of range and stand there polishing their guns waiting for a target to present itself… In the back field the Anvil and Peg Master draw combat again…
DE Turn 5 (or possibly 6*) – The Cloaked Peg Master now has a choice of targets – and chooses to help his mate out and charge the Anvil. The Executioners come back on the board and all breathe in whilst trying to remain out of arc of the Thunderers. Everything else backs off to stay out of charge arc of the Rangers, out of range of the Thunderers or out of sight of the Grudge Thrower. In the Magic phase I get a Plague of Rust off on the Anvil. In combat the Cloaked Peg Master kills the remaining Guard and also takes one wound off Runelord. In return I take no wounds but the damn thing is unbreakable…
Dwarf Turn 5 (or Possibly 6*) – The Dwarfs have nothing much they can do… The Thunderers get off a few shots at the Executioners but need 7’s to hit and only kill 1. The Grudge Thrower targets the Spearmen but again it scatters harmlessly away. Then it’s down to the final combat. The Cloaked Peg Master takes 1 more wound off the Runelord, leaving him on 1 wound. The Pendant Peg Master misses all his attacks so it is down to his Pegasus to have a go. 2 attacks, 1 hit, 1 wound, 1 failed armour save, 1 failed armour re-roll and 1 failed ward save – IT’S DEAD!!!
Result
*Hmmm, I think I may have missed a turn out in my write up as we definitely played 6 turns… Never mind, all the salient points are there, maybe the order is a little mixed up or a few inconsequential bits missed out but the result was still the same!
And speaking of the result – 1774 VP’s for the Dark Elves vs 240 VP’s for the Dwarfs making it a difference of 1534 VP’s which, under the Winter War scoring, equates to an 18-2 win to the Dark Elves!!
It was a big points swing killing the Anvil with the last dice roll of the game, otherwise it was headed for a 15-5 which I still would have been happy with!
Post Game Musings
I think I got the monkey off my back – after a crushing defeat to Dwarfs at Beasthammer I was rather happy to get a big win and place my name in one of their little black book of whinges…
I think my list needs a bit more play testing against some other armies. Despite Dwarfs being my bogey army I feel this list has the tools to deal with them. It may be a different story against other races – ones that can field counter magic or troops en mass.
As a first outing though I was happy with the way it worked. At no point was I left wishing I had taken Shadow magic – the buffs, hexes and damage threats from Death and Metal are sufficient and just needs a slightly different mind-set to compensate.
I think I am lacking in shooting, 10 crossbows just don’t feel like enough but with no spare points they shall remain as they are.
Next up tonight at Cheltenham is the eagerly awaited “War of Worcester” as Warchief goes head-to-head with Grobbla and his Orcs…
Looked like you were both enjoying it. Looks like dwarves still suffer from not finding it easy to play aggressive. Even with the Anvil
I always do enjoy playing Buzz… it helps that my win record is quite good against him…
I chatted with Buzz a bit afterwards – I think the Anvil can work but the problem was that with Rangers and Miners they couldn’t come on together to support each other – I could isolate and gang up on them – it allowed me to pick and choose my fights.
The other problem was that his gunline and Anvil lacked any protection – it was easy to get my flying characters in there and start mopping up warmachines and tie the Anvil up early – thus negating the Anvil abilities.
With more blocks deployed from the start he can keep the formation tighter and work together, better protect the Anvil and use it to double march across the board if he wants to – however I would probably still use it more as a counter charge tactic…
I’ve always tried to play aggressively and it never seems to work, the only times I’ve won is when I’ve shot and held a strong battleline.
It was fun to experiment with the Miner/Ranger combo but having the Anvil tied up really killed my plans, so I’ve settled on a more traditional list for Winter War;
Lord, GW, MRofGromril, RoResist, RoPres, MRofSpite, RoFurn
(1+ Re-roll armour, 4+ward/2+ vs fire immune to poison, KB and HKB)
Thane, BSB, RoCleav, 2x RoFury (5x Str 5 attacks)
Thane, GW, Oathstone, RoResist, RoIron, RoStone, MRchallenge
10 Thunderers, Shields x2
25 Warriors, GW, FC, Shields, LBs
27 Hammerers, Shields, FC, RoBattle
29 Ironbreakers, FC, RoDeterm
Cannon, RoBurn, RoReload
GT, RoPen
GT, RoBurn
The Ironbreakers with the Thane in will act as an Anvil unit, I’ll choose the big bad for the come and get me rune then hit them with the Hammerers with the lord and BSB in, eeverything else will get shot to death. I’ll hide my warmachines behind my line rather than on the flanks like I usually do…