[FONT='trebuchet ms']I was able to pick up the new Dwarf army book on Friday on my way back home from Army training in South Carolina. After unpacking and getting my family settled in around 2200, I spent the next four hours pouring through the book. I had anticipated just taking my ambush army out for one last game to give me some closure, and I'm not sure that I'll ever really get the closure I need; but by around 0200 Saturday morning, I was putting the final touches on a list I thought would probably perform well for the tournament at my FLGS that day. I resolved to take my Dwarfs out for their seminal battles with the new Dwarf army book on the old 8th ed. WHFB battlefields! I hope you will enjoy the reports and glean some good evaluative data for your own armies as you venture out into the unknown with the new Dwarfs yourselves![/FONT]

[FONT='trebuchet ms']The Dwarfs[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']Runesmith (general): Shield, RoStone, RoSpellbreaking, RotFurnace [/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']Runesmith: Shield, RoStone, RoSpellbreaking [/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']Thane: BSB, RoParrying, RoIron x2, RoStone, Shield [/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']Master Engineer: Great Weapon, RoStone [/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']Warriors: x39, FC, Great Weapons [/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']Warriors: x39, FC, Shields [/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']Hammerers: x39, FC (RoFire), MRoValaya [/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']Cannon: RoForging, RoBurning [/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']Cannon: RoForging, Stalwart Rune [/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']Organ Gun: RoAccuracy [/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']Flame Cannon: RoForging[/FONT]

[FONT='trebuchet ms']My first game was against Todd. He drove up to Lexington from Tennessee to participate in the tournament. We had a good showing, with 11 players total. Todd brought out his Skaven, an army the new book grants Dwarfs Hatred against, so I was excited to see how my doughty warriors would perform against the unclean filth! I was also excited to see how the new Hammerers and war machines would perform in order to evaluate them against their points-cost. My war machines were especially expensive. 600+ points for four of them, actually! We played a Battle for the Pass scenario--typically one Dwarfs tend to favor--and deployed as you can see below.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13508][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']I decided to deploy on the forward line of my deployment zone. I was conflicted, because I knew my combat blocks would perform well against my enemy's troops, but I was still fighting off the age-old habits Dwarfs unilaterally apprehend: sit back and shoot until they get close! I took the risk, partly because I was eager to see how close combat would transpire with Hatred and partly because I was much more willing to take the risk of early combats due to years of fielding ambush armies. I finished deploying first and beat my opponent for first turn.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']Dwarfs Turn One: I chose to move none of my units, still fighting that battle with old habits as I struggled to get a handle on the tactical context of my new army concept. At the same time I wanted to maximize my shooting opportunities, I also was feeling the push to 1) see close combat with Dwarfs that hate Skaven and 2) get into close combat in order to eliminate my opponent's spellcasters! Todd activated his Storm banner to keep me from shooting, but after my rolls to see which war machines would be unable to shoot, only my Organ Gun would lose out this turn. The Flame Cannon shot a gout of flame at one of the units of Gutter Runners encroaching upon the rear of my army, killing several and causing them to panic off the table. Next, my first Cannon shot at the Doomwheel on my left flank. The shot hit, but it failed to wound! Finally, my second Cannon targeted the same Doomwheel, hitting, wounding, but rolling a single wound! I was really hoping to be able to at least take out one Doomwheel between the two Cannons, but my luck was its usual bad when it comes to artillery.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13502][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']Skaven Turn One: Fortunately, the Storm banner failed to continue its effects, though I would have prefered it to end on my turn... The Skaven advanced, though less aggressively than I expected. I also noted that they had deployed farther back in their deployment zone than I had expected. I took this to mean two things: 1) my opponent anticipated that he could outshoot/magic me, and 2) my opponent was not willing to be baited into close combat. I should have been able to guess both beforehand, and I felt like a dunce. Now, I felt fear that my artillery would not be up to the task of forcing my enemy to continue to advance. He might pick off my war machines and sit there casting spells at my units the whole game hoping for a minor victory. He rolled a great number for the Winds of Magic, channeled an additional die, and could use up to three additional dice from the warpstone tokens he had available. He started the magic phase with 8 dice to my 4 dispel dice. I was concerned... until he began measuring for his spells and discovered he was out of range to cast anything worthwhile! Shooting was relatively painless, fortunately, with my opponent experiencing as bad of luck as I had with mine. His Gutter Runners put two wounds on my left-most Cannon. Meanwhile, both of his Warp Lightning Cannons had great rolls that lined up perfect hits on my units only to each roll a misfire on their last artillery dice rolls, causing the shots to fizzle![/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13509][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']D2: Again, I chose to move none of my units. If I had known what was good for me, I would have moved my combat units forward, but my habit with a conventional Dwarf army crept back in and sucked the imagination out of my movement phase. My shooting was again disappointing. My Flame Cannon killed 5 Gutter Runners from the remaining unit which failed its panic test and fled. It took all three of my other war machines to put 3 more wounds on the damnable Doomwheel, leaving it with a single wound remaining... That was frustrating. On my turn, they'd be close enough to risk shooting at my units, and I knew I would probably lose a Cannon or two...[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13503][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']S2: This time, Todd advanced his army much more aggressively. The Gutter Runners rallied. His magic phase was again strong, and after letting one spell go that inflicted D6 S5 hits (but fortunately no wounds) on my Flame Cannon, I had to use one Rune of Spellbreaking to stop The Dreaded Thirteenth (though it failed to obtain Irresistible Force, the Grey Seer rolled a massive total of 30 to cast the spell). One Doomwheel then destroyed my injured Cannon, while the other destroyed my Organ Gun! I was really looking forward to getting to see the new Organ Gun in action. It looked great on paper, but would it be as good on the tabletop? One Warp Lightning Cannon's shot killed a handful of Shieldwarriors, while the other misfired, losing its shot this turn.[/FONT]

[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13510][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']D3: The time for action had come. I knew I had been fortunate thus far that my opponent had killed so little of my army with his shooting and magic, but that luck was sure to have already run out. The Shieldwarriors charged the Doomwheel in front of them, while the Great Weapon Warriors charged the other Doomwheel. Both units completed their charges successfully. The Hammerers charged the Skaven Slaves directly in front of them but failed, stumbling forward an anticlimactic few inches. The Flame Cannon once again targeted the Gutter Runners, killing four of their number but failing to panic the lone remaining rat. The Cannon targeted a Warp Lightning Cannon but rolled a 1 to wound once again... Combat was much more encouraging! The Shieldwarriors succeeded in killing the Doomwheel with ease and reformed. Meanwhile, the Great Weapon Warriors took a few casualties from the Doomwheel on the right flank but successfully chopped it down with their Hatred-infused S6-on-the-charge attacks, allowing them to then overrun into the huge unit of Skaven Slaves just beyond.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13524][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']S3: The Skaven Slaves charged the Hammerers but failed, stumbling forward just a couple of inches. The Plague Monks and remaining Gutter Runner advanced. The Storm Vermin stayed put, hemmed in by their screen of Slaves. The magic phase was blessedly forgiving! Todd rolled two 1s! I channeled an additional die, bringing my total up to his. Despite using a single warpstone token, my opponent rolled poorly enough that I was able to confidently attempt a successful dispel with my two dice, ending the magic phase. One Warp Lightning Cannon killed 10 Shieldwarriors, causing the unit to panic and flee. The other proceeded to misfire and destroy itself, for which I was quite thankful. The weapon team next to the Storm Vermin shot into close combat, killing 6 Great Weapon Warriors! The Skaven Slaves then proceeded to kill one more before the Dwarfs unleashed 13 wounds. The Slaves passed their Steadfast break test, however, bogging the Dwarfs down with the sheer number of ratmen.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13511][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']D4: The Hammerers once again declared a charge against the Skaven Slaves across from them, this time successfully completing the charge. Exciting! My Shieldwarriors rallied, fortunately. My remaining Cannon finally succeeded in doing something useful with itself! It destroyed the remaining Warp Lightning Cannon, leaving my opponent with only a weapon team and a solitary Gutter Runner with which to shoot. My Flame Cannon attempted a shot at the Storm Vermin, forcing the Grey Seer to make a Look Out, Sir! roll, which he of course passed. The shot proceeded to kill four Storm Vermin, who failed to be panicked by the gout of flame. I did the Warriors' combat first, hoping that they would be able to punch through the first unit of Skaven Slaves and overrun into the unit beyond, pinning it in place and keeping it from limiting my Hammerers' options at whatever point they finished off the unit with which they were engaged. Despite doing nearly as well as they had the first round, the Great Weapon Warriors failed to break the Skaven Slaves and would continue to fight the next round. That might be alright, though, depending on how events transpired with the Hammerers' combat. The Hammerers lost two of their number to either the Skaven attacks or death throws but proceeded to inflict a staggering 27 wounds on the Slaves! 23 of those wounds were inflicted by the Hammerers themselves! Umm... yeah. Hammerers with 2 attacks are going to murder stuff! Their overrun brought them to within 2 inches of the next unit of Slaves, failing to make contact.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13505][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']S4: The Skaven Slaves screening the Storm Vermin charged the Hammerers. The Storm Vermin also declared a charge, but they were not able to complete the charge due to the Slaves still blocking their wheel even after their charge move. The magic phase went my way again. In a repeat performance, Todd succeeded in rolling double 1s for the Winds of Magic. This time, he attempted to cast a spell (I forget which), but he rolled too low to meet the casting value. The weapon team shot at the Hammerers, killing six when all was said and done. In combat, my opponent chose to conduct the combat between the Slaves and Warriors first. The Slaves did no wounds, while the Warriors killed 9 in return, breaking them and pursuing into the other unit of Slaves! The combat with the remaining unit of Slaves then saw 26 of their number butchered by my Dwarfs, losing only two Warriors to the Slaves' attacks. The Skaven Slaves exploded and both of my units were able to reform in preparation for charges on my turn.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13512][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']D5: The Warriors charged the weapon team and the Hammerers charged the Plague Monks. Both were able to make their charges. I targeted the remaining lone Gutter Runner with a grapeshot salvo with my Cannon and mopped up that unit's points. I opted to not shoot my Flame Cannon as doing so would prove too risky. The Warriors then proceeded to make short work of the weapon team, reforming to stay out of the charge arc of the Storm Vermin. The Hammerers obliterated the Plague Monks! They dealt 22 wounds total, my characters raising that number to 24 with one kill each! The survivors broke and ran, but my Hammerers pursued and caught them. My opponent's Storm Vermin were the only thing he had left on the table at this point, and I had only lost two war machines. I would play the rest of the game out safely.[/FONT]

[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13506][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']S5: The Storm Vermin backed up a few inches to stay out of the charge arc of my Warriors. Another low roll (double 2s, if I remember right) allowed my opponent to attempt The Dreaded 13th, but he failed to cast the spell with Irresistible Force, allowing me to shut it down with my remaining RoSpellbreaking.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13513][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']D6: I backed up my Warriors enough to be out of the charge arc of the Storm Vermin again. My Cannon forced a Look Out, Sir! roll against the Skaven general, but he passed it, leaving me to gun down a mere three Storm Vermin. With little else productive to do (the Flame Cannon was out of range), I ended my turn.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13507][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']S6: The Skaven turned t face my unit of Great Weapon Warriors and proceeded to attempt The Dreaded 13th again. Failing to meet the casting value of the spell, the game was over.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13521][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']I had crushed the Skaven menace utterly, a victory that gave me an 18-2 win. I also took more banners and killed more characters than my opponent, bringing my total up to 20 points for the game, placing me near the top of the pack going into the second round of the tournament.[/FONT]

[FONT='trebuchet ms']My second game saw me paired up against the lead player from the first round--Mike had brought his Dwarfs for the first time ever and was using the new army book. We decided our battle had to be some kind of regicide or battle for succession. I decided for the sake of this report to play the role of the Loyalists defending the rightful hereditary claim to the throne against the offending Upstarts. (This meant I would be the butt of jokes about the War of Independence a little later... or, rather, as I would correct the jokesters, the war of colonial rebellion). To make the battle feel even more epic in nature, both Mike and I rolled for our generals to hate the other's! The scenario was Blood and Glory. Mike won the roll for deploying the first unit, which meant that he then also finished deploying first and received the +1 to his roll for first turn... and then got the first turn. You can see our deployment below. Our armies basically mirrored each other, with Mike taking slightly more points in war machines, a unit of Thunderers where I had taken a big block of Shieldwarriors, a Thane for his general and a unit of 30 Longbeards with Great Weapons where I had taken a horde of Great Weapon Warriors. His slight advantage in shooting really had me hoping I would get that crucial first turn, but it was not meant to be.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13528][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']Upstarts Turn One: Mike went straight to the shooting phase. It was apparent that this battle would be decided in the shooting phase, and our turns would therefore be relatively quick. His first Cannon targeted my Organ Gun and left-most Cannon. He lined up the shot so that if it landed just right, the bounce could theoretically hit both war machines. Fortunately, the shot sailed over the Organ Gun and hit only my Cannon. Unfortunately, he then proceeded to destroy my Cannon... His other Cannon then targeted my Flame Cannon for destruction and deleted it. The Thunderers shot at my Organ Gun but failed to damage it, and the Flame Cannon shot at my Warriors but came up short. The Organ Gun shot at my Hammerers, and due to a misfire, only had four shots at -1 to hit, killing 2. When the dust settled, it was painfully clear that I had completely lost any ability to retain any initiative in this game, because I would not be able to compete in the shooting phase.[/FONT]

[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13529][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']Loyalists Turn One: I decided I would have to take the fight to my opponent. I hoped I would be able to take out enough of his shooting that I could make it to combat at least with his war machines. With three blocks of combat troops, I was clearly at an advantage if I was able to close with and engage my opponent in close combat. My Organ Gun targeted the Thunderers. I figured they'd be easy points, and it would take a number of 6s to wound in order to take out a war machine. The shot killed 5 Thunderers, but they passed their panic test on the BSB's reroll. My Cannon then targeted Mike's Flame Cannon which I could tell was just itching to throw flame onto my big unit of Shieldwarriors directly in front of it. My shot, however, of course failed to wound. That was really frustrating. I needed my war machines to do better than that! [/FONT][FONT='trebuchet ms']My turn ended with a fair amount of disappointment.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13530][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']U2: Mike actually moved his Hammerers and Longbeards back! His Cannons fortunately either undershot or overshot my war machines, but between his Flame Cannon and Organ Gun, 10 Shieldwarriors met their doom.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13531][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']L2: I again advanced with my combat blocks. My Organ Gun succeeded in eliminating the remaining Thunderers, and while my Cannon finally hit and wounded my opponent's Cannon, I rolled a 1 for the number of wounds! Fail. At least my Shieldwarriors were now within charge-range of my opponent's Flame Cannon. If they could hold steady, I might be able to at least collect the points for his war machines on my right flank.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13532][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']U3: Mike again went immediately to his shooting phase. He started with his Flame Cannon, which gunned down 14 Shieldwarriors with a direct hit! The Shieldwarriors passed their panic test, but they were really depleted now. I would not be able to count on them for more than mopping up war machines on my right flank now. His Cannon then sent a shot straight down the flank of my Hammerers! The shot hit and killed 10 of my loyal hearthguard. To make matters worse, his Organ Gun then targeted them as well, killing another 6! Now, things were looking bleak for me if I wanted to engage in close combat... Mike's remaining Cannon shot at, but missed, my remaining Cannon.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13533][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']L3: My Shieldwarriors charged the Flame Cannon, and thank God! They made their charge! My Great Weapon Warriors and Hammerers both advanced. I was hesitant to get too close now that my units had been so depleted, especially my Hammerers. I moved my Hammerers slightly towards the left flank, too, so that they could eventually get into position to take out Mike's Cannons. I no longer had any pretensions of engaging his units in close combat. My Cannon sent a cannonball down ranged at my opponent's Organ Gun, hoping that if I took it out, my Shieldwarriors would be able to hopefully finish off the Master Engineer and not have to worry about the damage the Organ Gun might otherwise do to their unit. With characteristic luck, my Cannon of course undershot, missing the Organ Gun altogether. My Organ Gun then opened up a can of hurt on Mike's Hammerers, killing 12! At least my shooting phase wasn't a complete bust this time. The Shieldwarriors made short work of the Flame Cannon and overran just enough to get out of the Longbeards' charge arc. They would have to weather the Organ Gun's ire on my opponent's turn, but then they would hopefully be able to take out the Organ Gun and maybe even the Master Engineer. If I could pull that off, I might have a chance at a draw or even a slight win.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13534][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']U4: Mike successfully completed a swift reform to bring his Longbeards into position to threaten my Shieldwarriors. He then proceeded to eliminate my remaining Cannon with his first Cannon and kill 3 more Hammerers with the other. His Organ Gun then rolled 18 shots against my Shieldwarriors! He even rolled a misfire which turned into a 10 when rerolled! 14 dead Shieldwarriors later, my unit passed its panic test and was left with a Runesmith, Veteran, and Standard Bearer... Not what I had hoped for...[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13535][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']L4: The Shieldwarriors charged the Organ Gun at long last! I backed up my Great Weapon Warriors. I didn't want to risk having them in a bad situation, and I was now trying to play a points-denial game. The Hammerers shuffled sideways to move closer to the enemy Cannon nearby but stay out of reach enough to make charging them with his Hammerers somewhat of a risky venture. In a desperate bid to preserve my remaining war machine, my Organ Gun shot at the left-most enemy Cannon, failing to damage it at all. Finally, my Shieldwarriors took out the Organ Gun, losing the Veteran and Standard in the process, leaving the Runesmith.[/FONT]

[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13536][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']U5: The Longbeards charged my Runesmith. I really struggled with the decision to hold or flee. If I fled, I would probably--hopefully--rally and then could take a charge and hopefully survive the rest of the game... I just didn't know what to do here. I eventually settled on fleeing, causing the Longbeards to fail their charge. My Runesmith only fled a few inches, though. If he didn't rally, the Longbeards and Master Engineer would be able to push them right off the edge of the table. The first of Mike's Cannons proceeded to eliminate my Organ Gun, while the second fortunately undershot, missing my Master Engineer.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13537][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']L5: My Hammerers charged my opponent's right-most Cannon, successfully completing their charge. My Runesmith rallied. The Mysterious Forest my Great Weapon Warriors were in caused them to suffer from Stupidity, their test for which they finally failed. I was really hoping I could move up a full 6 inches in order to have a chance at charging the Longbeards in their flank, but they instead stumbled forward a mere 2". The Hammerers splattered the Cannon crew all over the field of battle before reforming to get out of the charge arc of the enemy Hammerers.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13538][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']U6: The Longbeards once again charged my Runesmith. I couldn't flee this time without serious risk of running off the table, so my Runesmith held firm. The Master Engineer also charged him. The Hammerers moved to bring my Hammerers into their charge arc, though it really wouldn't matter since they would never have the chance to charge my Hammerers. Mike's remaining Cannon took aim at my Master Engineer but fortunately missed. Finally, we conducted the combat with my Runesmith. I issued a challenge. Since my opponent had a character in the combat with no back rank to send him back to, my opponent couldn't refuse the challenge; however, he accepted with his Longbeard champion. Neither of us were able to inflict any wounds, but I still lost the combat by 6 (flank, charge, 3 ranks, and a banner), leaving my Runesmith to take his break test on a 3... He fled. Both the Master Engineer and the Longbeards gave pursuit and ran him down![/FONT]

[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13539][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']L6: My Hammerers charged the remaining Cannon, making it into combat. In desperation, my Great Weapon Warriors charged the flank of Mike's Hammerers, but they failed their charge so we didn't even bother moving them. I was a little disappointed, but it may have still gone very badly for me and turned a small victory into a large victory for my opponent. It's hard to say. My Hammerers destroyed the Cannon and the game ended there.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13540][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']I lost by only a few hundred points, but it was enough to leave Mike with really a solid win. He killed more characters and took more banners, bringing the total to a 6-16 loss for me if I remember right. It was a truly fluffy game, though, genuinely enjoyable and full of good old Dwarfisms, grumblings, and lists of unsettled grudges complete with threats and vows of their eventual settling! Mike was a wonderful opponent to battle, and I really couldn't care less that I lost in such an epic encounter![/FONT]

[FONT='trebuchet ms']Going into the last game of the tournament, I was actually fairly far down in points. The next scenario was a Dawn Attack versus a Vampire Counts army. My opponent deployed his army first. You can see our deployment below. It was relatively kind to both of us. I rolled a 1 for my Great Weapon Warriors and a 2 for my second Cannon, while everything else could be either in the center or wherever I wanted it. The VC player vanguarded his units up. The forest in the center turned out to be the one that makes every model moving through it take a dangerous terrain test, so he lost a Dire Wolf in the process. I stole the first turn![/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13573][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']Dwarfs Turn One: My combat units advanced. My opponent had a lot of redirecting/war machine hunting units of Dire Wolves and Hexwraiths. I would have to wade through them to get to his expensive units. My Cannon on the far right flank launched a shot down the flank of one unit of Hexwraiths, only succeeding in killing one. The other Cannon targeted the Crypt Horrors, but only managed a single wound. My Organ Gun fired at the left-most unit of Dire Wolves, killing 3,while the Flame Cannon hit both units in the forest with its shot, killing 5 altogether.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13574][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']Vampire Counts Turn One: All enemy units advanced. The Right-most unit of Dire Wolves actually successfully charged my Cannon on that side of the table, which I anticipated would probably keep it out of the game for at least a round or two. The rest of my opponent's vanguarding units were a bit too far to risk failing charges with them, so he merely moved them up to threaten my war machines. In the magic phase, I let Vanhel's Dance through, allowing him to advance even closer with a good chunk of his army. He also healed the single wound I had inflicted on his Crypt Horrors. In combat, the Dire Wolves killed one my crew from the Cannon, but in retaliation, the remaining two killed a Dire Wolf each, tying the combat.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13575][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']D2: My Hammerers charged the back unit of Dire Wolves. Both units of Warriors advance towards the center of the board where it appears the largest part of the conflict will be decided. The Flame Cannon shot at the front unit of Hexwraiths hoping the shot would land on both units, which it did, killing 8 Hexwraiths! My Cannon used a grapeshot salvo to take out the Dire Wolves in front of it, and my Organ Gun rolled 20 shots to eliminate the unit of Dire Wolves directly in front of it. I would have liked to have had those 20 shots against something else... but at least my war machines were more or less safe now from the threat of all those units of hunters.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13576][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']VC2: The Crypt Horrors charged my Shieldwarriors but failed the charge and took a wound from a failed dangerous terrain test. The remaining Hexwraith charged my Cannon. The rest of the Vampire Counts units advanced as much as they could. The magic phase could have been better, but I suppose it could also have been worse. The Black Periapt was my bane! This time, I had to let Gaze of Nagash through, dragging 4 Shieldwarriors to their dooms, and it took all my dispel dice and a RoSpellbreaking to stop the rest of the Vampiric magic! The Hexwraith killed a Cannon crewman, but they passed their Stubborn break test.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13577][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']D3: The Shieldwarriors charged the Crypt Horrors. I was confident that even if I couldn't kill them, I would at least be able to hold them up until I could bring in my Great Weapon Warriors or Hammerers on the flank. My other units advanced to get closer to the action. My Flame Cannon made a direct hit on the unit of Crypt Ghouls housing my opponent's characters, killing 17! My Organ Gun then proceeded to inflict 5 casualties on the Grave Guard unit. In combat, the Shieldwarriors actually won their combat, inflicting 4 wounds to the Crypt Horrors after crumbling, taking 3 casualties in return. The Cannon versus the Hexwraith was uneventful, while the Cannon versus the Dire Wolves saw my crew do another wound to the Wolves, causing one more to die due to crumbling for losing the combat by 1.[/FONT]

[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13578][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']VC3: Both units of Zombies charged my Hammerers. That didn't concern me in the slightest. In fact, I was glad they did. They would surely make short work of the Zombies. The magic phase was once again scary. My opponent started with 11 dice to my 5! He decided to 6-dice an amplified Wind of Death, sending it straight through his own Crypt Horrors and into my Shieldwarriors. He was able to get the spell off with Irresistible Force, doing a couple of wounds to the Horrors and 13 to the Warriors! He immediately ended the spell and saw most of his characters take a wound from the miscast. I was able to dispel his remaining casting attempts with his power pool now depleted. In combat, my Shieldwarriors did a wound to the Crypt Horrors, taking another 3 casualties in return but holding steadfast. The Cannons' combats were uneventful, and my Hammerers slaughtered Zombies, losing two of their own number in return.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13579][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']D4: My Warriors continued to advance towards the action in the center of the battlefield. My Flame Cannon only downed 4 Crypt Ghouls this time, and the Organ Gun had a similar performance, killing 4 Grave Guard. The Hammerers finished off both units of Zombies and reformed to face the center of the action. Meanwhile, the Shieldwarriors took 2 wounds but inflicted 4 back. A bad roll for their Regeneration saves saw all 4 wounds get through, allowing the Dwarfs to win the combat by 6! The rest of the unit of Crypt Horrors crumbled, leaving the Shieldwarriors unengaged and facing down the Grave Guard and Crypt Ghouls.[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13580][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']VC4: Both the Grave Guard and the Crypt Ghouls charged the Shieldwarriors. The magic phase forced me to use my last RoSpellbreaking, but I was able to stop all his magic. Combat was insane. First, the Dwarfs passed their Fear test, despite the Vampires reducing their Leadership by -3. The Vampire characters in the unit--and the Wight BSB--inflicted 8 wounds, before saves, and the Grave Guard and Ghouls added a few to that. I made a couple armour saves, a little discouraged at the number of Warriors I was likely to lose, but then I rolled the failed armour saves for the Shieldwall parry saves they were eligible to take... I don't remember how many I made, but when all was said and done, 4 Dwarfs were dead, taking two Ghouls with them! Still, at -3 Leadership, they failed their break test and ran. Fortunately, though both enemy units gave chase, the Shieldwarriors escaped, bouncing through my Great Weapon Warriors who passed their panic test! Now, the Vampire Counts units were in a perfectly precarious position...[/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13581][/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms']D5: The Hammerers and Great Weapon Warriors charged the Crypt Ghouls. The Shieldwarriors then rallied. Between my three war machines, 9 more Grave Guard were eliminated. Combat was horrible for the Vampire Counts! The characters killed 6 Warriors, while the Crypt Ghouls killed two Hammerers. In return, the Dwarfs took out the remaining characters, except for the Vampire Lord, and completely eliminated the remaining Ghouls. The Vampire Lord crumbled from combat resolution, and we called the game there. Another great victory for the Dwarfs![/FONT]
[FONT='trebuchet ms'][sharedmedia=gallery:images:13582][/FONT]