My first game back to Warhammer. First go at eighth edition. And there are some beasts to slay...
Deployment
BSB - Shield of Saphery, Drain Magic
Level 4 - Withering, Miasma, Enfeebling, Pit
With the woods I could, last edition, have anchored a flank down but it seems woods are no barrier to infantry. To archers however they are a soft covering pain. I suspect Simon will want to make down the middle, he is an aggressive chap, and that he will use the woods to try to make me have lower shooting performance. I will go for a double envelopment with the Gor Horde being the target of priority. Loss of my right flank is probable but hopefully by then it will all be too late for him.
Beastmen Turn 1
The chaff move to threaten my cavalry with the infanty making a central drive for my archers. In magic my larger unit has its BS whacked, hitting on 6's for the win.
High Elf Turn 1
I don't have time to mess around his guys are too fast. I reckon I have two more turns maximum before my archers are trying to stab him in the eye with their knives. I charge the right flank pig with the cav. He flees and I redirect. I make the charge and in combat run through his chariot, a horse nutting it for its last wound.
On the other flank I declare the Princes and then the Eagle on the pig. He has to flee twice and I stutter forwards. I position the second eagle for charge blocking moves next turn or to cause the pigs to flee more if the Bestigors turn to face the Reavers.
In magic I slow down the horde by 2". This might buy me a turn later who knows.
Beastmen Turn 2
One Ld 6 Pig rallies. Damn. The other one misses fleeing off board by less than an inch. He passes tests to march and makes full speed ahead. Magic leaves my Princes with terrain tests to charge etc. He seems worried about them but I don't think it would have been a valid charge anyway and I want to get some more shooting in.
High Elf Turn 2
Princes move to threaten the Gor flank if they try a long charge at the archers. The eagle moves to redirect but I make a mistake with the angle and leave him with a clipping avenue on the second archer unit. I'm rusty. My Reavers move to threaten the rear of the gors to keep him moving into the killing zone.
Deployment
BSB - Shield of Saphery, Drain Magic
Level 4 - Withering, Miasma, Enfeebling, Pit
With the woods I could, last edition, have anchored a flank down but it seems woods are no barrier to infantry. To archers however they are a soft covering pain. I suspect Simon will want to make down the middle, he is an aggressive chap, and that he will use the woods to try to make me have lower shooting performance. I will go for a double envelopment with the Gor Horde being the target of priority. Loss of my right flank is probable but hopefully by then it will all be too late for him.
Beastmen Turn 1
The chaff move to threaten my cavalry with the infanty making a central drive for my archers. In magic my larger unit has its BS whacked, hitting on 6's for the win.
High Elf Turn 1
I don't have time to mess around his guys are too fast. I reckon I have two more turns maximum before my archers are trying to stab him in the eye with their knives. I charge the right flank pig with the cav. He flees and I redirect. I make the charge and in combat run through his chariot, a horse nutting it for its last wound.
On the other flank I declare the Princes and then the Eagle on the pig. He has to flee twice and I stutter forwards. I position the second eagle for charge blocking moves next turn or to cause the pigs to flee more if the Bestigors turn to face the Reavers.
In magic I slow down the horde by 2". This might buy me a turn later who knows.
Beastmen Turn 2
One Ld 6 Pig rallies. Damn. The other one misses fleeing off board by less than an inch. He passes tests to march and makes full speed ahead. Magic leaves my Princes with terrain tests to charge etc. He seems worried about them but I don't think it would have been a valid charge anyway and I want to get some more shooting in.
High Elf Turn 2
Princes move to threaten the Gor flank if they try a long charge at the archers. The eagle moves to redirect but I make a mistake with the angle and leave him with a clipping avenue on the second archer unit. I'm rusty. My Reavers move to threaten the rear of the gors to keep him moving into the killing zone.
In magic I do very well with an 11 vs 4 phase. I reduce movement on the gors and squeek through minus WS and minus Str on the Bestigors. I fail on shield of saphery and Simon gets some bad rolling for his dispel attempts.
I have shot out over half his gors now and he barely has one 5 man second rank.
Beastmen Turn 3
To my surprise the rules for wheeling during a charge have changed. The wheel can happen at any point meaning my Princes might be on the wrong end of a charge. Not good. Thankfully he falls short by an inch rolling statistically average. A better dispelling or a scroll last turn and I loose the Princes and the Banner of Sorcery here. Rusty.
His Bestigor make the Eagle charge and I hold, assuming I get a reaction with the archers. I don't and Simon flattens the Eagle for the loss of one guy. They hit the end four of the archers so at least he won't get everything fighting.
His magic is entirely ineffectual this phase.
High Elf Turn 3
I front and rear the large unit and wipe it out down to the characters. He has a rerollable double 1 and fails. His two characters are run down like dogs.
I reform my larger archer unit to ranks and prepare to square off against a beastmen charge next turn. In magic I go for the shadow debuffs again but it doesn't work well as the phase is more balanced. My archers actually win combat though! He passes his stubborn Ld test.
Beastmen Turn 4
Up comes the right pig only now getting back toward the action, hopefully too late. In combat he wins but I hold. I dispel his casting.
High Elf Turn 4
I shove the archers in the side of the combat and manoeuvre for a rear charge with the Reavers. Simon is soon extending the hand.
Summary
Magic is fickle. I had one good phase but it came at just the right time to help me hold out against his Bestigor. Simon on the other hand had no good phases and fluffed important dispel rolls. Add to this missing the charge on the Princes and you could see luck as having a big impact on the outcome of things.
I am not so sure that it wasn't the first turn charges that ultimately cost Simon the game however. A hold against my Princes could have worked out for him and I am unlikely to win in subsequent rounds of combat without serious magical assistance. On the right a hold is more shakey but the subsequent chariot charge would have hurt a lot and I wouldn't have got behind him so effectively. I think if my fast elements had been even one turn slower or if the rub of the table had been less in my favor it would have been a very close game.
As always with the Asur when it is going well you look invincible. This game I lost one eagle, 9 archers and 3 Princes so it certainly looks lopsided. Small differences though and it can turn on the head of a pin. As hard as you hit your only one poor round of dice or a few costly mistakes away from a small boat, a bit german river and no paddle.
Thanks for the game Simon and thanks for persevering while I asked a gajillion rules questions. I'm sure there is a rematch in our futures.
James
Beastmen Turn 4
Up comes the right pig only now getting back toward the action, hopefully too late. In combat he wins but I hold. I dispel his casting.
High Elf Turn 4
I shove the archers in the side of the combat and manoeuvre for a rear charge with the Reavers. Simon is soon extending the hand.
Summary
Magic is fickle. I had one good phase but it came at just the right time to help me hold out against his Bestigor. Simon on the other hand had no good phases and fluffed important dispel rolls. Add to this missing the charge on the Princes and you could see luck as having a big impact on the outcome of things.
I am not so sure that it wasn't the first turn charges that ultimately cost Simon the game however. A hold against my Princes could have worked out for him and I am unlikely to win in subsequent rounds of combat without serious magical assistance. On the right a hold is more shakey but the subsequent chariot charge would have hurt a lot and I wouldn't have got behind him so effectively. I think if my fast elements had been even one turn slower or if the rub of the table had been less in my favor it would have been a very close game.
As always with the Asur when it is going well you look invincible. This game I lost one eagle, 9 archers and 3 Princes so it certainly looks lopsided. Small differences though and it can turn on the head of a pin. As hard as you hit your only one poor round of dice or a few costly mistakes away from a small boat, a bit german river and no paddle.
Thanks for the game Simon and thanks for persevering while I asked a gajillion rules questions. I'm sure there is a rematch in our futures.
James
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