New Warband in a new campaign - The Helldrake Reavers.

Discuss and participate in the development of the Mordheim Druchii warband here.

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Dangerous Beans
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New Warband in a new campaign - The Helldrake Reavers.

Post by Dangerous Beans »

Hey dudes, just thought the old mordheim forum hadnt had a message for a while so I'm here to report how the use of the beta version rules perform in a uni campaign we're going to be running soon; I could do with a little feedback if anyones happy to give it as Ive not used the druchii in mordheim before (although I am an old dab hand with witch hunters and skaven ;))

Essentially there are 2 routes I could go - the more balanced and realistic warband of around 8 members, or the insanly weak but very fun mounted warband (as a starting warband ;))

Essentially the mounted starting warband would consist of merely 3 heroes - the Noble and 2 Lordlings - the Noble on a Cold One (100gc from the Blazing Saddles article) and the Lordlings on Dark Steeds.

No other models would be able to be used because I wouldnt have the gold for them! Essentially Id have to buy as much armour as possible (+1/+2 save for being mounted either on a dark steed or on a cold one...) to increase my chances of surviving.

Seems utterly ridiculous but has anyone tried it?? Im assuming you can buy racial steeds for your warband before a campaign begins without having to roll for rarity or the extra random amount of gc that you normally pay...

The 'Aristocratic Pleasure Hunting' warband would be thus:

Noble: 75
Spear, Shield, Light Armour, Sea Dragon Cloak, Dagger: 70
Cold One: 100
Total: 245

Lordling: 45
Spear, Shield, Sea Dragon Cloak, Light Armour, Dagger: 70
Cold One: 100
Total: 215

Shade: 40
Axe and dagger.
(essentially a scout, guide and servant all rolled into one! He'll be making good use of his Natural Stealth ability by spending all game hiding in some far and distant building...)

TOTAL: 500gc.

Utterly manic. Thats about all I can say to sum up this force! 2 Mounted Heroes gallavanting around with S4 hits on the charge (considering buying some dark venom for my 1st game too somehow - think this could prove useful?? ;)) Both Heroes here has a 2+ save in combat and a 1+ save against shooting - not too bad for a druchii!!

I personally think its a very characterful warband, albeit just about the most extreme and expensive druchii warband possible! I dont think it holds any competitive value as it lacks the heroes to generate a decent income, but on the plus side its a damned cool idea! :D

Any thoughts on making this warband a viable option? Maybe lose a lot of the expensive kit and bulk out the warband with a few more members (maybe getting 5 or 6 men as a starting warband with a Cold One mounted leader? ;))

Anyway, the 2nd option is a much more common sight - a warband with 8 members...

Noble: 105
Repeater Crossbow, Sword, Dagger.

Lordling: 75
Repeater Crossbow, Sword, Dagger.

Lordling: 75
Repeater Crossbow, Sword, Dagger.

Sorceress: 47
2 Daggers

Beastmaster: 50
Beastlash, Dagger.

2 Shades: 122
Repeater Crossbows, Axes and Daggers.

1 Slavehound: 25
Claws and Jaws.

A much more balanced and competitive warband. I must say however that theres not really much to be said about this one - its a good all round group as far as I can tell (having not played any games with it, or the cavalry warband) but it lack originality.

If it was possible to make the warband with a mounted Hero in it a viable option as a starting warband then Id definitely prefer to use it :D Any ideas about how I should change it around and whether it even is possible would be great!! :P

Thanks dudes!

- Beanz
Last edited by Dangerous Beans on Fri Apr 20, 2007 12:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Malman
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Post by Malman »

As you say - the eight members warband is a classic all round warband and one I suppose to be one of the optimal starts for the Druchii warband. Only one thing to mention, you use beastmaster with beastlash and spear - this weapons combination is not possible to use simultaneously because of the rule unwieldy concerning spears.
On the other hand, the three members warband looks interesting, but if you are not very cautious and lucky it will probably end in a disaster. If any of the members dies after the first battle, you will be done. Warband with less than 3 members is considered destroyed. And if anyone of your mounted heroes dies even in letar stage, you suffer such a loss of money you will never be able to cope up with. But try and perhaps you will have the luck necessary to start in such a manner.
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Dangerous Beans
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Post by Dangerous Beans »

haha thanks Malman - I think we're going to be doing some 'practise' run through games that wont actually count towards the campaign, so I think I'll have a go with the Pleasure Hunting Party (sounds like theyre off to find some swingers! ;)) for the practise games and see what happens.

I'll prob end up using the 8 members warband - as you said its not too bad. As for the Spear, hmmm, well I guess I'll have to use her Dagger and Beastlash and with the 10gc I'll buy both my shades Axes to give them a little more clout in combat :D

Heres the modified (and hopefully slightly more usable!) Hunting Party:

Noble: 75
Spear, Shield, Dagger: 15
Cold One: 100
Total: 190

Lordling: 75
Repeater Crossbow, Sword, Dagger.

Lordling: 70
Repeater Crossbow, Axe, Dagger.

Beastmaster: 45
Axe and Dagger.

Sorceress: 45
Dagger

3 Beasthouds: 75

Total Warband Members: 8.
TOTAL: 500gc (on the dot!)
and I now have 5 Heroes along with a few 'pets' ;)

Could this be a do-able list dya think??

Sadly, I reckon all my opponents would go and hide up in the 1st and 2nd floors of buildings and then rain death on us from above - but meh, we can live in hope eh?!

- Beanz
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Dangerous Beans
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Post by Dangerous Beans »

Heya dudes, well for our first 'taster' 2 week campaign Ive decided to take the more classical of the 2 variants I posted before - ie. The 8 member one not the Cold One hunting party ;)

My first opponent was a skaven player with 14 models to my 8; nearly all of her warband were armed with slings and 2 daggers - ARGH! Luckily however I had a lower warband rating and after rolling a double 6 for scenario choice I went for wyrdstone hunt - a classic for rapid expansion and fast and furious gaming style! :D

The battlefield was dominated by a large ruined fort in the centre of the battlfield with a large crumbling pinnacled tower in the centre where 1 of the shards was located. The rest of the battlefield was full of random crumbling ruins, a desecrated stone circle and an assortment of buildings and hillocks. The other two shards were located on the left and right sides of the battlefield - both on small open hillocks: whoever was to pick them up would likely be shot at if they didnt scarper away on the same turn as picking it up!

The opening turns were relatively uneventful - my opponent had split her warband into 2 groups - the one on the left flank contained her eshin sorceror, nightrunner and a black skaven with a halberd along with a small battalion of 4 verminkin - all armed with slings and 2 daggers: lots of low strength attacks: a nasty weapon against a small elite elf warband with no armour!

Anyway, the Sorceror/Black Skaven group pegged it towards the shard on left whilst the assassin group ran towards the right. There was no shooting or combat and so it progressed onto my go!

I had set up most of my warband slightly left of the centre and so casually walked forward towards an area between the centre fort shard and the left flank shard. My druchii then took aim and piled 10 shots into the oncoming skaven group knocking 1 verminkin down and stunning another - good but not great: I realised I would have to take out the assassin and force the skaven to flee whilst retaining as many of the 3 shards as I could!

On my right flank the beastmaster and her pet cold one hound ran towards the right shard - threatening any skaven who might try and pick it up...

Her turn, and she ran and cowered behind the left flank hillock containing the 1st shard - staying out of my line of sight - cheeky biatch!! :D Out on the right flank meanwhile her nightrunner grabbed the shard and then promptly pegged it directly away from my cold one clutching onto the glowing mysterious gem - whilst being suitably patted on the back (skaven style!) by his/her/it's band members...

My turn, and to counter her cowardly attempts to hide from my shooting, my gang ran up and scaled into the near parapets of the ruined fortress taking firing positions: I then managed to shoot with my Noble and both Lordlings but to no effect :(

The beastmaster and cold one tentatively gave chase to the little rat that had nabbed the stone...

Her turn and the skaven remained cowering behind the hillock on the left (why I'll never know! :?) whilst the assasins group ran towards the left flank to meet their other warband members. Her shooting was just out of the 9" range to my troops and caused my leader to be knocked down.

My turn and my sorceress tried to peg it up onto the top pinnicle where the 3rd shard was but on the way failed a jump test across a 2" high drop - she however decided to go and check out the funny looking mushroom in the ditch below her, dived down and promptly died... women! :roll:

The rest of my warband remained where they were in the parapets and piled another cardridge's worth into the skaven - again to no effect! Surely 10 shots should amount to something?!

In the Skaven turn the action in the game really started - the cowering Black Skaven group finally decided to take the Gem (the black skaven himself claiming the pretty looking stone) and advance on my main firebase. The 2nd group combined with this to form into a group of 13 skaven (quite appropriate really!). The Assassin himself made a heroic dash climbing up walls and leaping gaps to reach the top most gem in the tower where he was relatively safe from my shooting.

The Skaven shooting amounted to knocking out my Noble again, but nothing else.

In my turn I had 3 warband members charge up the tower to take on the assassin at the highest point of the battlefield - one of the Lordlings failed and remained at the bottom of the tower whilst the other succeeded along with a shade as back-up for the coming fight :D

The Beastmistress attempted to scale the wall to avoid the now huge mass of skaven around the corner - the cold one attempted to charge the Night Runner with the 1st Gem but failed its initiative test to charge around the corner of the building :(

My shooting was a bit better this turn - my leader stood up and poured his Urathien bolts into the mass of 13 skaven beneath him knocking 1 down and stunning a 2nd, the shade then added his shots and stunned a another - the skaven were being knocked about but still remained very much alive and kicking!

The Combat phase:

Khorvax deftly scaled the tall tower that rose up into the dark night clouded by the black mass of an oncoming storm. A spark of lightning earlier had revealed a suspicious silouette a moment ago, climbing up the ruined walls - the druchii's keen eyesight had picked up on the movement and now silently signalled to Vorkash, the warband's scout to accompany him up the tower whilst the rest of the druchii held off the skaven on the walls of the ruined old fort. Lucius, Khorvax's arch-rival and 'fellow' lordling had seen Khorvax and Vorkash leave their positions and attempted to follow them - leaping across a gap between the parapet and tower. Unfortunately the Lordling didnt succeed as his hold on the crumbling tower wall gave way and the Lordling dropped the 10 feet to the fort floor - lithely landing on his feet. Idiot, Khorvash thought...

Vorkash was nearing the pinnicle of the tower now; Khorvash mouthed silently to the shade to move on up first - something Vorkash didnt appreciate...

Just as he was moving to peer over the lip of the tower, a triangular throwing star nicked the elfs ear - causing such excrutiating pain that the shade screamed out loud - a rare occasion for a member of the Cult of the Blackspine...

Khorvax however had been anticipating this and leaped over the shade to reach his quarry - just as he had suspected: the assasin adept of the skaven warband - a jet black coloured rat, but a rat none the less. The assassin appeared momentarily shocked at the appearance of Khorvax but quickly poised to strike - crouching low and circled the druchii. Khorvax knew to keep attacking and to not stop - his bloodthirsty nature told him so; and thus he appeased it, lashing out with his short Draulei and then attempting an uppercut with a previously hidden knife - the assasin easily parried the 2 blows but didnt had the time to prevent the kick to the lower jaw - sending the assassin off balance and staggering back to the edge of the tower.

Khorvax followed him up and change the hand position of his Draulei so the the blade ran from his hand along his lower arm to his elbow, which he promptly used to smash into the assassins face, but not before a black fletched bolt embedded itself in the Skavens ribcage causing the adepts face to contort in a grimace of sheer excrutiating agony before dropping its blades and falling from the tower to dissaper into the darkness below.

Vorkash clambered over the edge of the parapet and looked at the angered lordling,

"Sir, my apologies, but I think it needed a taste of its own medicine..."


So essentially the assassin fell to his death, the rest of my druchii fighting a retreating battleline back to the tower where the skaven had to attempt about 3 initiative tests to reach us - many of which failed :D

I managed to kill of 3 of the skaven in the end, including 1 dieing to a huge heroic diving charge from my lordling at the top of the tower (I love having initiative 5! ;)) and the cold one munching through a remaining verminkin who failed to scale the 1st wall.

I did however lose 3 of my own members - the other verminkin got revenge on my cold one by stoning it to death, whilst my beastmaster was brutally savaged by the black skaven.

Upon losing the last member required to cause a rout test the skaven fled with 2 Gems to my 1 - however, the druchii won and thats what counts!!

after the game I lost the cold one (I think the Skaven were hungry!) and my sorceress had to have her hand amputated (or rather, the pretty mushroom she felt she had to inspect by diving off the wall turned out to be carnevorous and bit her hand off!) and so can now only use 1 single handed weapon (cough a dagger cough...)

Overall though it was really close - I think I could have caused the skaven to rout a lot sooner as I was firing so much into them but they just werent dieing! It seems that my warband is one of the shootiest in our mini campaign too as most people have gone for quick combat warbands with around 6 shooters tops (apart from the damned skaven warband I had just played - 12 Slings?! :shock:)

I'll only briefly describe the 2nd game as Ive written a bit too much about the 1st! It was against Brettonians, and in preparation I sold the 3 shards I'd got and bought another cold one hound along with lots of rope and hook for my characters (the amount if I test I failed was ridiculous! Although luckily this balanced by the few times I passed were at amazing points :))

My 2 Lordlings got promoted - one got BS 5 and the other got WS 5 - I wanted a shooty lordling and a combat one (Khorvax being combat based and Lucius being shooting)...

We then fought a Street Fight game - the brettonians tried to pray and failed so much shooting should be fine and dandy :D

Enemy Deployment - he put his 5 archers in a house overlooking most of the higgly piggly road whilst having his Mounted Questing Knight and Mounted Squire and 2 Men at Arms with light armour shield, swords and helmets on the street floor ready to punch through.

Druchii Deployment - I started my Lordlings, Noble and Sorceress touching a building that would overlook a lot of the road ready to climb into it and gain a good vantage point. I put the beastmistress and 2 hounds in the centre on the floor of the street and finally the shades started on a rooftop on my right hand side.

The game began and what little shooting I could get had little effect all game, the knight and squire advanced on turn 1 staying in cover (being far too cowardly to be a proper knight if you ask me! :D) followed by the men at arms a little way back - he nailed 1 shade with his archers and that was about all his shooting did!

Magic wise, I managed to cast my spell - Doombolt on the Questing Knight twice but neither time it managed to hurt him :(

The Cold one went foward to a point where I didnt think I could get charged but seems I was wrong as next turn the Questing knight and Squire plowed into them both - killing both.

My leader and lordling joined the fray by jumping down and running to the combat - my leader against his knight and my lordling against his squire.

The leader fight went on for about 3/4 turns with neither of us being able to topple the other until he managed to stun my leader in his turn. In my next turn I routed (involuntarily) but not before Khorvax had sliced through the Squire and a man at arms.

Overall I had lost 2 cold ones, the beastmistress (to the squire) and a shade.

1 cold one died and the other survived, the beastmistress now causes fear to all! and the shade survived (luckily as they cost a damned lot with Urathiens!)

I've now learnt that brettonian warbands are hard if you concentrate on the solid leader, but if you manage to bump him off then they rout very easily as everyone elses leadership is pants!!

Khorvax Lucius and my sorceress all levelled up - My sorceress rolled Black Blade of Khaine as a new spell (WOOT!) Khorvax I gave the swordmaster skill and Lucius got Quickshot (4 shots per turn at BS 5 hehehe :twisted:).

I've now bought a new shade, given it Khorvax's Repeater Crossbow and dagger, and bought Khorvax a 2nd sword. I also bought my sorceress a Spell Familiar (see the Shadow Warrior warband - it has an option for spell familiars at Rare 8, 20+D6gc available to all warbands - they allow you to re-roll failed spell attempts!) and changed my beastmistresses beastlash and dagger for a spear and bucklar (the beastlash is relatively pointless now that she causes fear - a spear does a better job at the strike 1st thing as its not -1 Str)

Anyway, thats the campaign so far - I think I'm placed about 3rd atm out of 8 of us - not bad really considering! Ive certainly got a new respect for brettonians - their Questing Knight's armour is a REAL problem! Ive only realised now though that he didnt have a 2+ save as he didnt have a shield, so 1 of his saves from Doombolt wouldve failed but meh! I needed a way to negate his armour and now Black Blade is absolutely ideal: I plan on casting it on Khorvax's sword - WS5 with a re-roll to hit on the charge with St 5 no armour saves - hehehehe!!! :D

Also on my to-do list is to get some witch elves - I'm thinking 2: just to deal with all those pesky skaven! Aw well, I'll report again when I've had another game or 2 - let me know what you think!!

-Beanz
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Loflar
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Post by Loflar »

Congratulations to your performance. I am just a bit confused. Do you use cold one hounds from Lustria or Slavehounds (i.e. dogs) from our rules?
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Dangerous Beans
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Post by Dangerous Beans »

I use entirely the druchii.net rules - its just a little typo on my part: just to clarify - I use the Slavehounds, not the Cold One Hounds, however I use cold one models to represent them (because it seems to scare my opponent a little more ;))

-Beanz
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Crowmire
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Post by Crowmire »

I think the list with one mounted hero was intresting, and similar to what I had in mind.

I am abit concerned about few things. A hero without ride skill would have to make ride check all the time, right? and if he/the moun would die, it would be huge gold loss.

But then again, coldone mounted noble would just be sooooo cool. I was thinkin a band with a noble with coldone, noble, sorc, beastmaster and few hounds(to ride up with noble) and few shades/corsairs for support...

anyway, I'd like to hear your thoughts on that last mount list you had...
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