[RedZeke]

So, after things were looking up in the team tourney, I brought models to get a pick up game in at the local store. I matched up with Randall, who runs the Ogre Stronghold website. He was proxying his ogres with the new beasts book, and came up with something like this:

Doombull w/Axes of Khorgor (+1 A, reroll misses), 2+ armor save (various mutations), armor piercing attacks, 2+ ward vs flaming, unit gets 4+ ward vs flaming
Gorebull BSB w/chalice of filth (or whatever that makes it tough to shoot)
Gorebull w/things that were probably nasty but I've forgotten
3 minotaurs w/great weapons
3 minotaurs w/shields
10 ungor skirmishers
9 ungor skirmishers
9 ungor skirmshers (ambushing)
10 hounds
10 hounds
Razorgor chariot
Razorgor chariot
2 spawn
Ghorgon

I was running:

Lord w/MR of Gromril, Rune of Resistance, Rune of Preservation, MR of Challenge (1+ rerollable, immune to killing blow)- I know this would be better on shield bearers, but I don't have the conversion.
Runesmith, shield, GW, rune of stone, rune of spellbreaking
THane BSB, Strollaz Rune, Rune of Guarding
Dragonslayer, Rune of Striking, Rune of Fire
25 Warriors, shields, full command
25 Warriors, shields, full command
19 Longbeards, shields, full command, Rune of Courage (immune to fear and terror)
10 Rangers, heavy armor, great weapons, veteran, musician
11 Slayers
19 Hammerers
6 Miners
Bolt thrower, rune of penetrating, engineer
Bolt thrower, rune of burning, engineer
Gyrocopter

So... after a quick run-down, it was clear that under no circumstances did I want to fight the doombull. He was absolutely off the hook.

I didn't take pictures as it was kind of a weird, ugly thing with the proxies- though I do finally have a camera up and running. Next episode, I promise!

The highlights:

The right was managed nicely, with rangers scouted behind a hill, and keeping the chaff honest. They manged to wipe out a unit of hounds and a spawn, then move forward and claim a table quarter. Strollaz put the Dragonslayer in a nice position early, but I wasted it with a failed charge on hounds. He found an appropriate doom shortly after when charged by the ghorgon. Though he put 4 wounds on it, and held it long enough for a 25 warrior block to hit it, he was eventually eaten, healing the ghorgon back a wound. On the plus side, the rest of the slayers had time to snag the ghorgon's flank, and despite horrible rolling managed to kill the thing. To cap it off, a str 7 bolt thrower shot shattered one of the razorgor chariots. Nice!

And that was the only place it was nice. In the middle, I utterly botched some redirect with the gyro. I had a chance to lead the doombull into some woods and buy myself time to deal with the rest, but forgot, somehow, that you only overrun when you *charge*. Thus a suicidal rear charge on the minotaurs did nothing except give the general's unit an extra attack from blood greed. As another option, I could have put them right in front of my blocks, with a paltry 1D6 over run and hit them in the flank with a 6 static res block.

Instead, I took frontal charges on my hammerers from 3 minotaurs and a gorebull, with a spawn in the flank, and two blocks simultatneously from his 3 minos, doombull and gorebull BSB. The damage? Horrific.

The smaller unit mangaged to kill all 19 hammerers in just two turns of combat. My general killed that doom bull, but after his bodyguard evaporated, lost to outnumbering fear causers. He outran the minotaurs but was caught by the spawn. The other units took 19 casualties on the charge, including 9 from the doom bull. That was 1 from his impact hit, and then on 3+ rerollable to hit, with 2+ to wound, on 8 attacks (5 base, +1 Axes, +1 Frenzy, + 1 Bloodgreed won a round of combat)

On the left, my other bolt thrower killed one minotaur, then spent the rest of the game missing or failing to wound. It was charged by a big pack of dogs, and failed stubborn 9 to run, right before the miners had a chance to come to the rescue.

The end result looked pretty much like a massacre. I'd picked up maybe 500 points, and lost close to 2000, probably more, including banners.

This really all came down to a terrible misplay on my part with the gyro. I'd also have helped myself by skipping underground advance, and using the miners as a 66 point redirecting unit out ahead of the blocks. Finally, setting up both bolt throwers to focus fire on the minotaur units would have been a lot smarter. I was worried about the ghorgon, but most of my blocks were going to be able to hold it for multiple combat phases.

I'm still disappointed with MR of Challenge- all I seem to face are armies or units that are ItP. I'll leave it in for now, since I think the game I cut it, I'll really miss it. Also- Strollaz? Perhaps a requirement against certain armies, and I'll keep trying it, but this was not the army to advance against. It did let me get some nice things going with the dragonslayer (though I botched that up as well).

As a final note, I might expect a different list in a tournament setting. This one had no magic defense knowing it was going against Dwarfs, though other model limitations made for non-optimal units like the large hounds and such.

In summary, I'd really like to have this one back. I think I could have pulled a draw or better depending on how badly I could have lead the general's unit around. Ah well. Live (or not) and learn.

Thanks for reading!

RZ

[David L]

RedZeke, on 09 February 2010 - 10:20 PM, said:

I'm still disappointed with MR of Challenge- all I seem to face are armies or units that are ItP.

Yes, all the newer books are loaded with stuff that is immune. Why does Warhammer even have psych rules when they make everything of consequence immune?
Here, you use it on the ambush unit. Or perhaps on a dog or ungor screen, to make them get out of the way of your shooting.

[RedZeke]

David L, on 10 February 2010 - 07:34 AM, said:

Here, you use it on the ambush unit. Or perhaps on a dog or ungor screen, to make them get out of the way of your shooting.

That was the plan on the rune, but didn't become necessary. I think it did have an impact on the game by making those units give a wide berth to the unit. It kept some of my support out of combat for an extra turn.

RZ