This time my opponent asked to raise the agreed 2,000 pts to 3,000 pts boasting of a tailored list. As discussed on a thread here http://druchii.net/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=76132 I simply added a little core, and Tyrion. I wanted a battle in which Tyrion and Veysha fought together as part of the fluff I was writing at the time, way back in December. Nonetheless I was concerned with his plotting, and feared that with 700 odd points sunk into Tyrion I would simply be outnumbered and over a long slog, T3 would prove insufficient to last the day.
Here, then, is how we lined up;
VE BM2 Deployment by FWE Veysha Everkiss, on Flickr
Beastmen
Great Bray Shaman, Gnarled Hide, Talisman of Preservation
- Viletide, Devolve, Traitor-kin, Mantle of Ghorok
Beastlord, Armour of Destiny, Shield, Great Weapon
Wargor, BSB, Heavy Armour, Shield, Great Weapon, Lichebone Pennant
39x Bestigor, Full Command
Bray Shaman, Shard of the Herdstone
- Wyss
Bray Shaman, Scroll of Dispel
- Transformation of Kadon
18x Gor Herd, Full Command
10x Ungor Raider
10x Ungor Raider
10x Ungor Raider
10x Ungor Raider
10x Ungor Raider
10x Ungor Raider
10x Ungor Raider
10x Ungor Raider
10x Ungor Raider
10x Ungor Raider
1x Cygor
1x Cygor
10x Harpies, Scouts
2x Razorgor Herd
2x Razorgor Herd
Dark Elves (Khaine)
Tyrion
Dreadlord (Veysha) on Cold One, SDC, Hvy, Black Amulet, Charmed Shield, Sword of Antiheroes
Master BSB on Cold One, SDC, Hvy, Shield, Lance
9x Cold One Knights
Supreme Sorceress Level 4, Life, Talisman of Preservation, Pegasus, Dispel Scroll
Life
- Dwellers, Regrowth, Throne, Flesh to Stone
Kharibdyss
30x Witch Elves
5x Dark Riders, Musician, Shields, Crossbows
5x Dark Riders, Musician, Shields, Crossbows
5x Dark Riders, Musician, Shields, Crossbows
5x Dark Riders, Musician, Shields, Crossbows
5x Warlocks
5x Warlocks
5x Shades
5x Shades
It is worth noting that the Black Amulet is likely an illegal inclusion under the strict reading of the army list/selection rules. I took it before realising it was contentious, and would not take it now. Something I oppose in terms of fluff/common sense, but am convinced of having read the arguments of those better versed in the small print of the rules.
Having lined up, I decided to push forward with vanguard. It felt like a very strange Beastman list. I'm sure there are better armies for this kind of approach, but it was an obvious reaction to the first bout where my magic and shooting took the field. It's definitely the kind of list one only plays with cardboard/empty bases - who would buy 100 Ungor Raiders? - yet it left me with a decision; either (a) sit back and get whittled (b) charge their general and BSB, then rout.
I went for option 2. Boosted with Flesh to Stone I figured the COK unit with it's brutal character set would reach the enemy, and at the very least kill their counterpart characters. If they were killed, it would surely take all the Beastman firepower, at which point my Dark Riders and Warlocks would be in combat with the Ungor Raiders and would have the quality to kill them. The Witch Elves could do enough to the main combat units for the surviving Dark Riders and Shades to retreat and whittle the enemy heavy infantry. That was my sketched plan as I went full vanguard!
Dark Elf Turn 1
VE BM2 Turn 1 VE by FWE Veysha Everkiss, on Flickr
(Key - red = magic, blue = shooting.)
Beastmen dispel Throne of Vines, but I get a devasting Doombolt away to ravage one of the 10 Ungor Raider units. Shooting offered a broad if generally unimpressive result across his lines, though I was lucky in two areas; (i) where the Dark Riders (DR4) on the "doombolt flank" routed their targets, who then lost two additional Ungors to the dangerous terrain, leaving the whole flank weakened, and (ii) where the Shades (S1) put three wounds on the hilltop Cygor, leaving it on 2.
Beastman Turn 1
VE BM2 Turn 1 Beastmen by FWE Veysha Everkiss, on Flickr
Magic saw a Viletide dispelled, but an IF boosted "Transformation of Kadon" that turned one of his lv1 Brays into a Mountain Chimera, at the cost of his only wizard level.
Though he did admit his plan had been to concentrate all fire on my characters, with Warlocks and Dark Riders closing, and Flesh to Stone in play on the COK's, he shifted his Ungor fire to my cavalry. Ungors, it turns out, are pretty useless. You do pretty much need hundreds. Nonetheless, I had few in terms of numbers and lost 40% of 3 units. His Cygors both clipped the back of the COK's and dropped one stone plum on top of Tyrion - saved by a "Look Out Sir".
Meanwhile whilst my Dark Rider's fled his Razorgor "trouble shooters" on the left, my right hand Warlocks decided to fight, being caught too close to the edge of the board and with an advantage developing on that flank. They proved pretty fearsome fighters, dealing 8 wounds to the pair of hogs taking nothing in return. That flank was looking increasingly strong, with one of his routing Ungors fleeing the board.
Dark Elf Turn 2
VE BM2 Turn 2 VE by FWE Veysha Everkiss, on Flickr
His Harpies had clearly been taken to hunt my Pegwitch, and I'd initially thought to evade them, yet casting a sober eye over the stats of the newly arrived Mountain Chimera, I thought I'd embed her with the COK's. My rallied DR3 Dark Riders whizzed around to deal with them and prevent a rear charge on what promised to be a pretty tense battle between Tyrion/Veysha's heavy cavalry and a wall of Bestigors with endless support.
Likewise, I thought I'd gamble DR2 Dark Riders on the heavily wounded Cygor - with its WS2 I figured they'd survive long enough to prevent another stone thrown on the COK's. The right continued to develop well with good fighting from the Warlocks and shooting from DR4 Dark Riders. On the left I figured the safest place for the depleted W2 Warlocks was combat, where they excelled deleting a unit and overunning into another.
Magic had simply seen the Flesh to Stone renewed, after another dispelled Throne of Vines.
Beastman Turn 2
VE BM2 Turn 2 Beastmen by FWE Veysha Everkiss, on Flickr
Magic this turn set up a 12 vs 7, which served to showcase how unimpressive the "Lore of the Wilds" turns out to be. He cast a "Devolve" on the COK's, causing no casulties, then a Viletide which caused 21 hits... but no casulties. His third spell "Traitor-kin" was decent, killing two to take the unit down to 4 Knights + characters. I dispelled a Wyssian on his Bestigors.
In shooting he missed with his Cygor, before causing minimal casulties elsewhere. Combat saw my S2 Shades stand and shoot against the second Razorgor charge, losing one man in the fight. Meanwhile, the massed charges on W2 Warlocks meant they lost the fight on CR, but held. His central Cygor, went down to 1 wound, yet wiped out the sacrificed D2 Dark Riders.
The main event of the turn, was something of a non-event. It's not quite clear thanks to my inept manipulation of Battle Chronicler, but his Mountain Chimera had charged straight into the head of my COK bus. I have to say I was concerned - 4d6 WS7 S7 poisoned attacks, T7, W10... Tyrion killed it instantly. Without any drama. I thought I'd noted the wounds down on my pad with everything else, but it turns out the data was lost to roaring celebration - it was something like 21 wounds dealt. He is insane. Obviously.
Dark Elf Turn 3
VE BM2 Turn 3 VE by FWE Veysha Everkiss, on Flickr
Perhaps the most amusing action of VE T3 was the charge of the Witch Elves - 30 screaming, naked primitives carved a path of blood through the wood. The Ungors stood and shot killing one, before being deleted with tens of wounds to spare, as the Witch Elves over ran in an orgy of blood... losing a total of 6 Witches to dangerous terrain checks.
Similarly the charge of Tyrion, Veysha, COK master and 4 COK's utterly obliterating the U9 Ungors, finally, courtesy of the overrun, delivering the COK bus to the Beastman general, Great Bray and BSB. With just four power dice, all I could do was renew Flesh to Stone on the unit.
My Shades did good work on both flanks - S1 killing off the central Cygor, whilst S2 finished the Razorgors with assistance from DR1 Dark Riders. I do love how competent our units are in close combat when combining ASF and MP. The left hand Warlocks offered similar proof, slaughtering a disproportionate number of Ungors to rout one of their opponents and leave the others ruined.
Beastman Turn 3
For clarity this turn is shown in two parts;
VE BM2 Turn 3 Beastman part 1 by FWE Veysha Everkiss, on Flickr
VE BM2 Turn 3 Beastman part 2 by FWE Veysha Everkiss, on Flickr
Magic played a significant part in the finale of the battle - having again failed to cause damage with a "Devolve", I scrolled a second casting of "Traitor-kin" to avoid further losses to the few remaining COK's. Then his Great Bray IF'ed a "Mantle" spell to give a +5S/+6A to his lv1 Shaman. Rolling a "Dimensional Cascade" on the miscast table triggered a vast, ridiculous blast of energy that sucked his lv4 into the warp, wounded everyone except Tyrion, killed 3 of my 4 remaining COK's and 12 Bestigors.
His buffed lv1 Shaman issued a challenge, which I decided to meet with Veysha, as Tyrion had base contact with his general and BSB. As her sword had her on 7x S7 attacks, and with the Black Amulet I was confident she'd kill it with overkill for the combat resolution, whereas my BSB didn't feel like a sure bet, and if the Shaman survived then its 7x S8 attacks could cause an upset.
Indeed, she butchered it for max overkill. Tyrion killed both enemy general and BSB with ease. My BSB took 3, the sole remaining COK another and even the SS chipped it with one. In return, the Bestigors killed the final COK. CR 12 vs 7 in the Dark Elf favour, without general or BSB, the Beastmen routed and the Bestigors were charged down and slaughtered.
We called it there, the forces of Khaine taking the field.
This is risky though as you are not guaranteed to have enough power dice for this dispel.