The field of battle! Seething masses of Skaven accost a small town defended by an elite empire force!
This game uses the “Orchard” Edition of Warhammer and a modified ambushers scenario forcing
the Empire to deal with a “superior” Skaven army. Holding out for a small detachment of Militia and a mage to arrive and save the day!
(Turn 3 arrive on a 4+ etc) the Steam tank, engineer and captain must hold their ground for as long as they can! (6 turns)
Skaven forces L-R : Gutter Runners x5, Rat Ogres x3, Grey seer(Lvl 4) atop a Screaming bell leading ~ 80 clan rats, Warpfire Thrower,
Warplock Engineer (Lvl1), Jezzails x3, Ratling Gun, Skaven Cheiftan (BSB) leading ~80 Clanrats
~1700
Gutter Runners infiltrate the village on the empire right
Empire Turn one
The cannon fails to wound but rings the bell! (to no effect)
Triumphantly the BSB takes up position on the empire right
Skaven Turn onesies
The army moves up, Grey seer fails to cast any magic of consequence and the bell ringer was drunk on the job
Jezzails score two wounds on the Flagellants!
Empire Turn Two
“”Horaaahhhh! “”
The engineer in the steam tank takes careful aim again and obliterates the terrible skaven contraption!! The empire Troops lights up! Triumphant cheers ring out and the grey seer hits the ground hard taking one wound in the fall.
The Empire Gunline Let’s loose the lead with glee, an alacrity fit for skaven-slaying!
Skaven Turn Two
Rat Ogres crash through the close packed buildings, slavering and frenzied, seeking the captain of the Empire
(Who flees in fear)
The grey seer, totally pissed that his bell got smashed(and limping from that nasty fall) ,
Opens up a gaping maw in the earth and swallows up the pesky Stank whole.
Warp lightning upon the greatswords kills one
The Jezzails, shocked at the carnage from that first Hellblaster volley,( it did 24 hits btw) take close aim and fires! They hit the crew twice as per distributing shooting hits on artillery(D6 roll of 5-6) and further randomly scored a hit (D8 roll of 1-2)on the Empire Engineer to successfully wound!
The Odds!
The Ratling Gun opens fire on the Hellblaster in a flurry of excitement and takes it (And the engineer) out of the game!
Empire Turn Three
The Captain rallies his troops at the village outskirts, Handgunners
do several wounds to the unengaged clanrats and the main line charges!
Flagellants and Greatswords smash into the Chieftan’s unit and break it in CC, successfully running them down in pursuit.
Ratling gun panics at the cheiftan’s destruction
Skaven Turn Three
The Grey Seer, now emboldened by the Steam tanks fall, sees an opportunity and charges the rear of the greatswords!
The grey seer does massive damage upon the greatswords with “scorch”.
They fail their panic test, flee, and are overrun!
The grey seer and warpfire thrower finish off the flagellants
The Empire BSB faces gutter runners and rat ogres in a hopeless fight.
Empire Turn Four
Reinforcements arrive! Praise Sigmar!
Harmonic Convergence is dispelled by the grey seer.
Handgunners fire again, chipping away on the massive unit of skaven still left on the field. It seems impossible to break them even tho their corpses litter the ground around them!
Skaven Turn Four
At long last! The grey seer has victory within a wisker’s reach!
To the man-things flank now the massive rat ogres close, a campaign gift from clan Moulder, and from Clan Eshin; the Gutter runners rounding their delicate rear! They are nearly broken and their equipment all his! HIS VERY OWN!
“The arrival of a mere puny mage and this rag tag group of vagabonds will stop me not! “
Skeet chuckley-skull muttered to himself
Several warp lightning blasts do little to no damage
The Ratling gun is committed to the table edge
Empire Turn Five
Their Parent unit atop the hill in a reasonably defensible position, the free company militia position to the skaven flank in loose formation.
Another magic missile from the mage, now atop a wine cask, kills a slavering rat ogre! (Who somehow manage to pass their panic check!) Harmonic Convergence fails to get cast
Another massive volley from the handgunners still dosent seem to phase their morale! The madness!
Skaven Turn Five
Grey Seer, Skeet Chuckleyskull debates charging up the hill, but his rat ogres now begin crashing through the trees and his victory is surely assured!
Stand And shoot! yet MORE skaven fall to the lead of the empires finest and it is still not enough to panic their numbers.
8 dead out of 35 clanrats.
The free company Militia now enact their training and bellow their battle cry! To their flank! For the empire!
Gutter runners skulking behind the buildings emerging to see their targets
Jezzails now see the mage atop the barrel and open fire!
before the mage knows what has happened a brave handgunner throws himself in front of him
“Look out sir!!”
Taking the shot and landing in a bloody heap beneath him.
The combat rages on and the empire line withstands the skaven assault!
With the advantage of the hilltop and the fence, plus the flank attack of their own, the empire stand their ground!
Empire Turn Six
And he blasts one of their skulky numbers with a badly done special effect! (Apparently I must make a lightning bolt!)
And YET AGAIN fails to get Harmonic Convergence off to help the handgunners or militia fight for their lives.
Finally the nerve of the men of the empire falters and they break from the skaven, escaping pursuit!
“If only that BSB had of kept closer, that FOOL! Though twas a valiantly fought battle”
Thought the empire battle mage Magnus Fashtman. His coat tails now flapping in the air behind him.
“Some really stellar moments I hear!!!”
He says to the handgunners as they run a small distance behind.
“Yeah!” Says one ” That accursed bell went down to our steam tank, and the hellblaster really blasted the hell out of em..you should’a seen the vermin bits a’ fly! but twas nothing compared to your firepower!”
The beardy man says with no humor in his voice
….
Great bit of fun playing out a game solo and seeing how things shook out!
Thanks for reading!
