12 replies to this topic

[Cuthbo]

Another couple of battles against my evil brother and his disgusting Vampires. Here are the lists used in both battles (you'll see why we had to play the second in a bit...)

 

Dwarf Strollaz/Bugman Army (all Full Command):

 

Bugman

BSB w/ Strollaz + Stoicism 

Runesmith w/ Spellbreaking, Stone and Firey Ring of Thori

Runesmith w/ Spellbreaking and Stone

Dragon Slayer with Rune of Parry and Snorri Spanglehelm

 

40 x Greatbeards w/ Strollaz and Sanctuary 

 

18 x Thunderers w/ Shields

 

Cannon w/ Forging and Fire

 

Gyrocopter w/ Vanguard

Gyrocopter

 

25 x Hammerers w/ Strollaz and 2xSanctuary

 

37 x Bugmans Rangers

 

Plan: BSB goes in the Thunderers, making them stubborn and strollaz - I have used this before to great effect. People don't like charging them and rarely expect them to hold. They usually hold! Runesmiths in whatever units I feel could use the armour piercing. Dragon Slayer runs about naked being generally useless, but fun.

 

Vampire Counts (deliberately softer than his usual list)

 

Vampire (blender) Lord on Dragon

Master Necromancer with Death Magic

Some other wizardy skull berks

 

9 x Black Knights

200 x Zombies

3 x 10 Direwolves

 

Black Coach

2 x Vargulfs

6 x Hex Wraiths

Some small annoying things like bats?

 

***FIRST BATTLE

 

Dwarfs Turn 1

 

Everything moves up with Vanguard and marches confidently forward, all the lads joking and laughing with each other about the glory of battle.

 

Vampires Turn 1

 

Casts PURPLE SUN across my entire line. Kills 30 Bugman's Rangers, 20 Hammerers, 15 Thunderers, BSB, a Runesmith and Bugman himself. Naturally we called it there.

 

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***SECOND BATTLE (we both agreed never to use Purple Sun again. Like the use of Biological weapons, it is now banned forever)

 

Dwarfs Turn 1

 

Everything moves up with Vanguard and marches confidently forward, all the lads joking and laughing with each other about the glory of battle. Bugman deploys way way over on the right flank, hoping to tear through the zombies and take out the magic (wizards embedded in the huge Z units).

 

 

The cannon missed or something. Don't even ask.

 

Vampires Turn 1

 

He moves his stuff up. His magic is ineffectual, but he has loads of nasty Character Killing spells lined up...

 

Dwarfs Turn 2

 

Bugman and his boys flank charge the zombies and take them out, over running into the unit containing his evil Death Magic guy (the one who destroyed the entire army before). 

 

I shoot some wolves off the table. My guys wait for the charge.

 

Vampires Turn 2

 

His Vargulf charged my Slayer. I have never used one before so really wasn't expecting much, but actually he did ok! He did die though, brutally and without pity or mercy. But he took 3 wounds from the Vargulf. Good lad.

 

Basically this turn he surrounded my Longbeard unit with his Knights to the rear, the Lord/Dragon to the left and the Black Coach in front. I could only wait for the charge!

 

Bugman takes out his Death Magic guy. Excellent revenge for Purple Sun.

 

Dwarf Turn 3

 

I turned my Longbeards around so they now faced the Knights (to avoid being disrupted by their rank). Still surrounded though and I knew it would be brutal when the charge came.

 

Bugman wiped out another zombie unit (his rangers are seriously reliable - I know they were only fighting Zombies, but other guys will let you down with sloppy axe-work. Not Bugman's Rangers). They kinda just rolled the whole flank up, even though Zombies are tough to budge. Legend.

 

The Gyrocopters kept a large unit of Zombies busy, one running to lure them away, the other shooting it down to a manageable size. 

 

Vampire Turn 3

 

This is when it got seriously messy and dark. 

 

His Lord, Knights, Black Coach and a Vargulf all charged the Greatbeards. They pretty much killed 30 Dwarfs with ease (which is what you'd expect)! We ran to the right (away from the Dragon Lord) and through my Thunderers. The Vampires chased after them and the Thunderers FAILED THEIR TERROR TEST. That's a double Ld 10 test (though as you know, it happens!). They ran and were easily caught and butchered to a man. BSB and Runesmith go down.

 

Tough times. 

 

Dwarf Turn 4

 

Bugman's boys had pretty much cleaned up the zombies but they were too far out to help with the monsters.

 

The Hammerers were perfectly placed for a flank charge on the Black Coach (and could then overrun into the Lord/Dragon!!!!!). They did so and wiped the Coach out - going straight into the Lord.

 

If they could bring him down the day would be ours.

 

Vampire Turn 4

 

He flank charges the Hammerers with a Vargulf. Together with his Lord they tear through the Hammerers. Then we strike back. 14 Hammerers with Strength 6. That is a lot of attacks hitting like a ton of bricks. All against his Lord. He had to make about 12 ward saves. He has 3 wounds. He saved ALL but 2. His rolling was incredible. I dropped my load. The Hammerers wouldn't make it through another round of combat...

 

Dwarf Turn 5 

 

Bugman shuffled up, desperate to get into the fight and help the Hammerers.

 

Luckily, 4 Hammerers survived the onslaught and managed to slay the Lord, finally. With the resulting crumble, his army melted away. 

 

It was damned close toward the end but it was a victory for the Dwarfs!

 

---------------------

 

Conclusions:

 

1. Purple Sun. Even my opponent agreed that it ruined the game, utterly. 

 

2. Strollaz + Bugman's Rangers = great synergy.

 

3. Cannon on it's own is quite unreliable and doesn't really fit in an ambush army. 

 

4. Purple Sun. Seriously??

 

5. Vampire Lords are great at killing everything. 

 

6. Purple Sun?

[TaxiForBiggins]

Thanks for the writeup. On the bright side, you thought you had time for 1 game, but you got to play 2!

[Cuthbo]

Haha that's so true! The Purple Sun thing was actually pretty funny when it happened. Has anyone else experienced this spell?? Is this a rare occurrence?

[Nihmwit]

I saw an older CD army do it to a TK army once.  Something like a 140+ wounds caused; big template cut through two hordes and a bunch of other stuff.

 

I do a lesser version with Curse of Da Bad Moon, but that's just "cause a Wound on a failed test."  Heck it even allows armor saves.

 

I've also seen tournaments rule that any "remove model" spells are downgraded to "d6 wounds without armor," which means that Ward saves and Magic Resistance actually effect them now.

Edited by Nihmwit, 31 October 2014 - 02:21 AM.

[Cuthbo]

I agree - Purple Sun is totally out of control. Shall we all agree that it is now banned?

[Montegue]

Purple Sun sucks to have hit you, and it can literally wipe out your entire army. All it takes is double six's. When they pick up those six dice, just cross your fingers, hope it goes off normally, and that you can destroy it with a double spell eater. Feel free to celebrate doing so in an ungentlemanly manner. Raising the roof might be an appropriate choice. Perhaps some sort of touchdown dance? Twerking could work if you can pull it off. 

Edited by Montegue, 01 November 2014 - 02:37 PM.

[MeuhMeuh]

"it's only game. Why do you heff to be mad"

[Morgrim Ironbeard]

So would you recommend not taking the base line component of cannon and thunderers?

[Cuthbo]

In a full ambush I would totally stray away from static warmachines. If only just because it's not "fluffy" but also because you probably want those points invested in your mobile units - the idea is to get into combat ASAP which should (and does, often) leave the cannon redundant. 

 

Thunderers though - great unit:

 

Stand and shoot will reduce the charger down to size.

4+/5++ save (give them shields) means they are actually tough little guys to shift.

Giving them Stubborn means they can actually annoy even the toughest opponent (often holding until the last man) until your hammer unit gets involved! 

 

They have surprised my opponent more than once! On this occasion though, they failed a double Ld10 Terror Test and died without firing a shot

[Montegue]

I tend to prefer quarrelers over thunderers for range. I want a turn one shot and a threat range equal to wood elf shooting.

[Murphey]

There is one point I am unclear on. Did you take the Terror check on an overrun? If so, then you would not take a terror check. You do not get any charge reactions on an overrun, so you wouldn't make the test. It charged in too fast for the unit to even register that it was being charged by a terrifying monster.

[Cuthbo]

I must try Quarrellers next time Montegue! I guess they still get that gorgeous 4+/5++ save if charged, right? 

 

There is one point I am unclear on. Did you take the Terror check on an overrun? If so, then you would not take a terror check. You do not get any charge reactions on an overrun, so you wouldn't make the test. It charged in too fast for the unit to even register that it was being charged by a terrifying monster.

 

Darn - yes it was an overrun and so that would have changed the game rather dramatically (since the terror check led to my BSB, Runesmith General and 20 Thunderers dying automatically!). Thanks for the info - hopefully we'll remember that rule next time!

 

 

[David Vance]

Cuthbo -

 

Yes on the 4+/5++ if you choose to Shields them.  Second advantage is putting 2H weapons on them -  that way when they are charged they are more likely to slaughter the charger (for some reason, no one expects the Spanish Inquisition Quarrellers).  Just depends on how you see them fitting into your overall battle plan.

 

Nice report!!  I need to take notes as I will be facing a VC player in the future ...