http://druchii.net/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=72134
Supreme Sorceress, Level 4, Sac Dagger, Lore of Dark Magic
- Sorceress, Level 2, Tome of Furion, Ruby ring of Rhuin, Lore of Shadow
- Master on Pegasus, full mundane armor, Pendant of Kaeleth, Halberd, BSB
- Master on Pegasus, Heavy Armor, Shield, Cloak of Hag Graef, Lance or Halberd
- 45 Warriors, Full Command, Flaming Banner
- 18 Repeater Crossbows, Musician
- 5 Dark Riders, RxBs, Musician
- 5 Harpies
- 4 Assassins, Manbane, Rending Stars, Additional Hand Weapon
- 9 Shades, Additional Hand Weapon
- 9 Shades, Additional Hand Weapon
His list included:
- Supreme Sorceress, Shadow, Sacrificial dagger
- Supreme Sorceress, Lore of Fire
- Master on Cold One, BSB, Mundane armor, Hydra Banner
- Master on Cold One, some magic stuff
- Cauldron of Blood
- 15 Warriors, full command, standard of Discipline (hosting the Shadow Sorceress)
- 20 RXBs, Full Command, hosting the Fire Sorceress
- 30 Corsairs, Full Command, SSS
- 5 Harpies
- 5 Harpies
- 8 Cold One Knights, Full Command, Standard of Hag Graef
- Hydra
-
We played a closed list, but as both our armies were visible, we could have an idea of what to expect. Seeing his COK unit with characters on CO's, I guessed the unit to have both Hydra Banner and Standard of Hag Graef.
Deployment:
Both sides start by deploying some light units, until he drops "the bomb": his COK unit, placed in a single line, at the center of the table.
I choose to counter it with Dark Riders, keeping him guessing on what side I'd put my main force.
He flanks his Knights with an array of RXBs on their right. This blocked his deployment on the right: the terrain and units wouldn't permit a Corsair horde unless he placed them in a tight formation.
From then on, all was pretty much decided. I put my main force to oppose his RXBs, with Shades and master on peg on the far right flank. He squeezes his Hydra next to his RXBs and the Corsairs are forced to go to the other side, making for a long run.
My vanguard move sets the DR's to be somewhat in the way of the COKs and in charge range of both COKs and Corsairs, hoping to bait at least 1.
I win the toss for the 1st turn and greedily accept it.
Turn 1a - My Dark Elves
I forget to reveal my assassins at the start, and thus am forced to wait till the combat round to get started with them. I move my warriors up front, but out of the threat range of the hydra. I then screen them with my harpies. My RXBs join in a walk. My Dark Riders set out to block the COK unit completely.
Magic scores a chillwind and withering on the RXBs. Shooting focuses on trying to weaken the RXB with all I have available, leaving it heavily crippled, but it passes both panic tests. My shades pick off a few harpies which pass their panic too.
I end my turn by revealing the assassins I forgot to reveal before, freeing them for a stand and shoot if needed.
Turn 1b - His Dark Elves
Cold One Knights pass stupidity and get the COB ward, the Corsairs pass their frenzy check. His harpies charge my DR and I stand and shoot, knowing that this would keep my DR's well in the way of his COKs for this movement phase. No harpy dies from the missiles. He doesn't follow suit with the COKs, basically giving me a free road block. His Corsairs begin their long walk, and the harpies on their flank tries to block my Shades.
His Hydra runs up to my warrios but they are just out of his breath range (I'm evil, I know).
In spite of a high roll on winds of magic, the only notable spell result is the mind razor on the harpies.
Close combat see him fluff his Harpy attacks. The Dark Riders, thanks to hatred, succed in killing a few. We're down to 2 Harpies and 4 Dark Riders, but the break test is passed. A bit of an odd outcome but I take it gladly.
Turn 2a - My Dark Elves
I charge his RXBs and sorceress with my harpies.
Magic and shooting sees the hydra destroyed thanks to the rending stars and the banner of the eternal flame. I finish off the harpy blockade on my right flank. Whatever's left of my right flank shoots at the Corsairs (thinking the COK unit would take too much effort to get any kill).
My BSB and peg master move up, each threatening their whole flank.
- Combat1 sees his Harpy unit destroyed by the DRs, but 2 DR's bit the dust. They reform to keep at the blocking game of the COKs.
- Combat2 has my harpies down to 1, but the sorceress takes a wound
Turn 2b - His Dark Elves
Stupidity passed, COK's get the COB ward. The COKs reform to walk past the now small DR unit. Corsairs follow suit. He sees the threat of my pegs, and inches his Spears back.
Magic sees the DR's destroyed and the flame cage on my Warrior unit.
In Combat, my harpy finishes the sorceress but dies in the process.
Turn 3a - my Dark Elves
I decide to charge the remaining RXBs with the BSB, not wanting their 4 shots to annoy me and thinking that, after beating them, I could reform anyhow. He decides to flee, right off the table, and I redirect to his spearmen unit thinking that, at least, that's a better direction to be looking at.
I somehow succeed the roll of 11, and make the charge. Whoops.
I move my other peg nearby to support.
My warriors stay put, not wanting to take the hits from the flame cage and being out of charge range anyway.
Magic is severely limited and fails to produce anything. I try to rain down bolts on the Corsairs with all shades, assassins in the shades and RXBs. His armor fails him, and I wither the unit down to little more than 10.
Close combat sees my BSB make a few kills. He fails to make a kill in return. He retains steadfast but now being out of the BSB's range doesn't grant him a reroll when he fails the Ld9 test. I succeed in pursuing.
Turn 3b - his Dark Elves
He grants the COKs the extra attack with the COB buff... and then his COKs and Corsairs charge my RXBs, who stand and shoot one COK down. Shooting and magic are gone. The RXBs are killed to the last man.
Turn 4a - my Dark Elves
I turn about my warriors. Not wanting to take a risk, I decide to flee the ship and move all my characters but one assassin out of the warriors. Not my smartest move, as I had 2 assassins in the warriors permitting me to keep the Sorcs in the second rank.
I grin as my magic phase comes in, and withering produces 1 toughness reduction. Then, after a power of darkness, I fail my first spell no longer having dagger fodder for to save me. The Supreme Sorceress takes 3 hits... One hit doesn't wound. Phew!
Having spent all my dice, the magic is over.
Shooting then focuses on the COKs, his armor letting him down again and annihilating the unit without their ward saves. 6 would have been average.. I got 7.
Turn 4b - his Dark Elves
Freed of their unit, his characters charge different ways:
- one to my Sorceress, who flees. He redirects to my assassin which accepts the challenge with a stand and shoot.
- one to my Warriors, who accept the challenge with a stand and shoot.
In combat, one assassin dies and one comes out victorious. My opponent surrenders after a difficult game.
Postgame thoughts
We discussed our strategy. He explains the pressure I put him on during my magic, which he couldn't offer in return during his. We agree dice didn't play well for his side, failing a crucial break test, some critical (di)spells, succeeding an unlikely charge on my end and the failure of his armor saves. The fight with the harpies on my dark riders really hampered him. It's true that the outcome leaned in my favor... But I explain that by turn 3, he had to pass 7 LD tests of which only 1 failed.
The biggest factor in this game, I believe, was the deployment in combination with me getting to start. With the Corsairs and COKs being kept out the game for so long, I had all the room to play my tricks one by one. He could have charged my DR's with his COKs, forcing them either to flee or getting an overrun move. He decided to rely on magic to solve the issue, but I don't see why.
Pressuring the RXB unit hosting his Sorceress is a trick I used in a previous game against him as well. Admitted, you can't expect to be withered and fired upon like a mad man in every game, but with so much riding on that one unit it becomes a high priority target. It's for that reason alone that I had started my BSB in the RXB unit to give them a reroll and use them as shooting fodder to keep the BSB safe.
My list had a notable amount of shooting and with a DE's lack of resilience agains that, it means taking a big hit if you don't get to start.
Moves I'm particularly satisfied with:
- Tricking his deployment, reading the terrain difficulty it would bring
- Well reading the threat distance of the Hydra
- My DR blockade.. though there was luck here
- My casting strategy
Moves I'm disappointed with:
- I didn't play out my right flank well enough, loosing the firepower of my Assassins a couple of times
- My RXBs were somewhat lost from their position, but I can't imagine how I could have improved it considering the position of the rest of my army
- Running out of the spearmen unit with my characters. What a silly idea.
