[Steve TU]

My list (it was a last minute tweak on the barracks list):

Runelord on Anvil, sh, Runes of Stone, spellbreaker and Spelleater

10 xbows, sh

20 warriors, Sb, Mu

20 warriors, FC

20 Hammerers, FC, runes of Courage and Determination

15 miners, SB, Mu

2 BT, usual runes with engineers

GT, Accuracy, Pen and burning

2 x Organ Gun

Game 1: DoC, BT, 2 lvl2 TZ heralds, 3 x 10 horrors, 5 flesh hounds, 2 x 6 flamers with champs

Scenario: Breakthrough – only points scored was for scoring units in enemy deployment zone.

Special Mission played – Woods

My plan was to get the miners in his wood in his deployment zone and hope he left them alone. The rest of the army would concentrate on killing his scoring units. Plan worked, the BT and hounds were diverted by the Hammerers, the GT and organ guns whittled the horror units down and one flamer unit while a block of warriors held up a flamer unit and 2 horror blocks in the centre. In the end he took off my entire army bar a few warriors holding the centre, the miners in his deployment zone wood and the anvil. With no scoring units left in the demon army and me completing the special mission (woods), win by 580 (special mission and miner unit) to 400.

Game 2: DE, Dragon Lord, caddy, two assassins, 3 DR with xbows, 2 x 5 shades, 6 shades, 2 x Hydra.

Scenario: Battle for the Pass (length ways).

Special mission played – Kill most expensive unit (Hydra).

There was a huge wood in the middle of the table where he hid most of his army. I managed to kill a Hydra he was unable to hide fully and all 3 DR units. I knew I was well up on points (only had to win by 300pts to take the win) so could wait for him to emerge. Kept his dragon grounded and when it did poke it’s nose out, dropped it to half wounds and killed the lord. In a last gasp attempt he ran his last hydra forward, it survived the ensuing barrage and ended up breaking the Hammerer unit from the front and accounting for two war machines, which netted him about 1000pts(as it also completed his special mission). Amazing dice from him, rubbish dice from me pulled it back to a win by about 250pts so a draw.

Game 3: Lizards, Slann, 3 Engines of Gods, 3 skink skirmishers, 2 x 3 terradons.

Scenario: Fog of War (blind deployment)

Mission: Take the Hills

He deployed behind the one hill in his zone and took heavens on everything. He poked out one steg 1^st turn to get some magic off on an organ gun. My turn, GT shot at the one steg, dead on 57 inch guess, killed the steg, partialled the skink priest on the steg next door and killed him, Slann ran off the board. Game over and conceded turn 2.

Game 4: WoC, Dragon Lord, flying BSB, caddy, 2 units of frenzied knights, 2 mar cav (slannesh with flails), 2 dogs, 2 10 man mar units for quarters etc.

Scenario: random deployment (roll for each unit to see where it is deployed).

Mission – forward advance (3 units in his deployment).

Scenario and scenery killed me. My entire army was on the left and centre with the anvil all on his own on the right – facing off the dragon lord. On that side were two woods and a hill all to advance behind from my guns. Dragon made it into the lord turn 3 and then rolled over my army. Couldn’t kill enough knights and he rolled well/badly at key moments (he was killing 5 or more hammerers each turn with 4 knights in the front – except when there was three left on his turn when he only killed 2 – meaning that in my turn they were still in combat and not free to take two short range BT shots to the flank – and his flying BSB surviving 3 BT shots (all hit) and 9 Organ Gun wounds without a scratch.) He played the terrain well and deserved the win.

Game 5: VC, Caster Lord, Regen BSB on horse, necro with power stones, vamp on horse, 3 x 15 ghouls, 3 x 5 dogs, 8 BK bus, GG bunker.

Scenario: Table quarters (only table quarters count)

Mission – Assassinate the general

I knew I was against it with this mission, having only 5 scoring units and having to contest/hold 4 quarters. He used his dogs to contest 3 quarters on the board edge. He ran his GG and BK up the left flank which wiped out everything in that direction, my only real chance was to take out the lord with the miners (had no armour or ward, s5, no re-rolls), in a unit of 6 ghouls, miners came on, failed the fear to charge (would have been up by 4 before combat – could have popped the lord if had taken a few ghouls down in combat as had taken a wound from a miscast already). Managed to contest two quarters but he held two in the end (after a failed stubborn test from hammerers turn 6 which overran into the quarter I was holding). Loss.

Game 6: O&G, Boss on boar, frenzied with extra attacks and re-roll hits on s6, 3 lvl2’s. 2 NG blocks with fanatic, 2 x 12 savage orcs with extra choppa’s, 7 savage boar boys with extra attack banner, 2 BT, 2 8 strong hopper units, 2 x 5 spiders, 5 wolves.

Scenario: Pitched Battle

Mission – Kill more special/rares than he did.

I concentrated in the middle as there was woods on either flank, he used the woods to run up the flanks, managed to weather the charges, hammerers ended up flanked by savage orcs in the centre, warboss was held up by the anvil on the right. He killed most of my war machines through fast cav/magic but the blocks were ok. Hammerers broke the savage orcs in the centre, chased into a hopper unit, broke that and ended up in the flank of the warboss unit who was fighting a warrior block (positioned so only 3 could get in to minimise attacks). Ended up in that combat till the end of the game. The other warrior block fought off the fast cav on the other flank and the organ gun took care of a hopper unit. Miners took out the warmachines and the shamans savage orc block. Win.

All in all, 3 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses was ok (I think!) at the GT final. Thankfully avoided a Kairos flamer fest army but considering the nasty lists out there, finishing just outside the top 1/3 was a decent result.

My thoughts on the list:

Miners were golden - being able to contest quarters/get to the other side etc was useful in a number of games.

Warrior blocks did ok - they die just as easy as Hammerers/longbeards and cost less and anything that can go through these can go through most things.

I missed a stubborn re-roll a few times but to be honest, overall I thought more bodies was more useful.

I dont think that I will use the two Organ guns again - although they can really do damage, I think a gyro is really needed to divery and march block to slow people down. Even though they do die really easily!

Still undecided on the BT's/Cannon with ME - sometimes the BT perform really well (like shooting off the dragon lord), othertimes they couldn't hit a white whale on a black background!

[Karak_Varn_Raider]

Nice battle report! Good win in game one, especially against DoC. Nice guess for the Grudge Thrower in game three. Too bad about the rough dice in game 2 and 5. Glad the miners worked out for you. Lots of people just let them gather dust. I always take 'em.

[ross muldoon]

hey steve,i also had a cracking weekend one of the better finals ive been to,even though you and me was only dwarf players there think we did them proud,hell yeah ive seen miners in a new light now,of course they go great with a anvil

[Steve TU]

ross muldoon, on 09 February 2010 - 02:21 PM, said:

hey steve,i also had a cracking weekend one of the better finals ive been to,even though you and me was only dwarf players there think we did them proud,hell yeah ive seen miners in a new light now,of course they go great with a anvil

The miners do give you a lot more flexibility but probably not worth it without an anvil. Kudos to you for finishing quite high up with a Dwarf lord! I had a good time although some of the armies there were just horrible...

[ross muldoon]

horrible indeed heard there was a 86 horror army with 16PD!at the gt i was well happy to dogde the skaven till ive got practice against them,played them last nght at my look club i had the thirteenth spell cast against me twice which is very unplesent i had hardly any dwarfs left,il being going again to the heats with dwarfs,n will try and find get myself to some other tournaments.still love the grudge thrower shot in game3 my friends at the club found it as funny as i did