Played my second game of the escalation league I'm playing in this past week.
The Lists -
High Elves
HEROES 110
Lorcán Cad'fael, Mage (
lvl 1)
- Lore of Fire 110
- Silver Wand
- Spells Were: Fireball, Flame Storm
CORE 140
15 Spear Elves 140
- Musician
SPECIAL 250
6 White Lions 90
5 Lion Riders of Chrace (Dragon Princes) 160
- Musician
TOTAL: 500
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Dwarfs
HEROES 120
Runesmith 120
- Master Rune of Balance
CORE 165
10 Thunderers 165
- Full Command
SPECIAL 185
5 Iron Breakers 95
- Full Command
Cannon 90
I'm not sure what the other 30 points of his list were. He was a pretty aloof opponent who seemed to get frustrated easily so I didn't press him.
Deployment:
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Initial Thoughts: Realizing there are two main firing lanes I try to avoid both as best I can. I know I can best him in combat, it's merely a matter of getting there and those S4 armor piercing Thunderer guns are going to hurt in that area. I'm also concerned about his cannon picking up my units 1 at a time, so I deploy accordingly.
My spear block goes on the western flank out of
LOS of the cannon in order to move up relatively unhindered. The White Lions are going to be my bait and charge straight at my opponent, relying on their cloaks and the forest to protect them. The Lion Riders first objective is to swing around the eastern flank in order to take down that cannon.
I win first turn and take it.
High Elves, Turn 1:
Movement: The Chracian company sticks to their coordinated attack plan, with the White Lions roaring down the center while their mounted brethren swing around the forest and into charging range of the Dwarven cannon. Lorcán and his host of spear elves take shelter on the west side of the house, in order to put some cover between them and the ranged weapons of their enemy.
Magic: Winds are decent with two 4's, but one is stolen from me by the Runesmith's magic rune. 7 power dice to 6 dispel dice. Lorcán tries a medium sized fireball into the Iron Breakers down field from him, but the Dawi have built up such a magical resistance that they're lord was easily able to dispel it.
Shooting: I have none!
Dwarfs, Turn 1:
Movement: Seeing no use to draw nearer their enemy (or more realistically, understanding they're legs are too stubby to get anywhere in a hurry...) the stout warriors shift little.
Magic: He had none!
Shooting: Seeing the fast moving armored threat approaching in the east, the cannon zeros in on the Lion Riders, but the Dawi gods have turned their backs this day, as there is a massive malfunction, detonating the black powder prematurely! The cannon and crew are strewn across the battlefield in a cloud of fire, smoke and red mist. Simultaneously, the Thunderers take the bait and open fire on the White Lions advancing through the forest from their hill top positions. Three of the Asuran bodyguard go down, but the Lions hold firm.
High Elves, Turn 2:
Movement: Seeing how Khaine has smiled upon them, the White Lions and Lion Riders close in on the now empty eastern flank of their foe. Similarly, Lorcán and his spears tighten the noose on the western flank, forcing the Dawi into a pincer maneuver.
Magic: Winds are strong with two 5's coming up. Seeing the danger posed to his brethren by the ranged warriors on the hill, Lorcán summons all of his rage and fury into a fully powered fireball, which the dwarfs are powerless to stop. 6 of the dwarfs are incinerated in an instant, but the resolute warriors hold fast. Lorcán then tries to summon a flame storm, but is too drained from the fireball and the Runesmith dispels his attempt.
Dwarfs, Turn 2:
Movement: The Dawi Runesmith attempts to reform order among his lines, ordering the Iron Breakers to follow his lead and form up on the Eastern flank, while the Thunderers cover their advance.
Shooting: Once again the Dwarven guns sound as the Thunderers aim at the White Lions. However the fearless elven hunters continue their advance under the thick cloaks from which they gain their name. Only one of their brethren is felled.
High Elves, Turn 3:
Movement: From across the battlefield Lorcán signals the White Lions to reform and meet him in the middle as his spear block prepares to do the same. Meanwhile the savage Lion Riders, eager to spill some bearded blood, charge up the hill fortress of the Thunderers, losing two brothers from the hail of gunfire raining down on them.
Magic: Winds are abysmally low with double 1's coming up. Coupled with the fact that one of the power dice is stolen from me, I'm stuck with 1 measly die, though I (thankfully) manage to channel one. 2 PD v. 3
DD. Lorcán tries to use what little of the winds he can for a small fireball at the Iron Breakers, but the Runesmith is quite adept at dispelling his attempts.
Combat: Despite their loses charging in, the blood thirsty lion riders rip their short foes apart before they have a chance to react, leaving none alive. As their lion mounts feast on the flesh of the newly fallen dwarfs, the riders reform their line to the south.
Dwarfs, Turn 3:
Movement: Seeing a chance to break the Eastern flank of their foe, the Runesmith gives the command to charge running headlong into the White Lions, as the Iron Breakers follow suit against the Lion Riders.
Combat: The aggressive vigor of the Iron Breakers is surprisingly intimidating and dangerous as they drag down one of the Lion Riders. The Riders are not completely without a fight though, as they kill one of the short warriors assaulting them. Ultimately though, the Lion Riders retreat from their hill top position, easily out pacing the dawi warriors. To the East, the Runesmith meets a grisly fate as the two White Lions easily crush his thick armor, breaking his body in numerous spots before the dwarf lord had a chance to raise his axe.
High Elves, Turn 4:
Movement: Sticking to the plan of meeting in the middle, the Charcian host sandwiches the renaming Dwarven forces in between them, keeping a safe distance for Lorcán's magic to go to work. In the North the Lion Riders rally from their tactical retreat ( I messed up here and forgot you get to reform after rallying, so they would have been facing south. Oh well.).
Magic: With the stifling presence of the Runesmith vanquished the winds are finally able to blow full force as double 6's come up. Lorcán summons all of his fury and rage into a fully powered fireball, but alas cannot force the fickle winds to cooperate, failing his casting value.
Dwarfs, Turn 4:
Movement: With little options left, the stubborn Iron Breakers grit their teeth and charge head long into the Chracian hunters in front of them.
Combat: Despite their stout hearts and courageous charge, the Dawi warriors are no match for the seasoned skills of the Phoenix King's bodyguard. The elven axemen remove the head of one of the dwarfs while gracefully avoiding the swings of their foes.
High Elves, Turn 5:
Movement: The Charcian spear host and their fiery mage charge headlong into the rear of the Iron Breakers, meeting the White Lions in the middle as promised. To the North the Chrace riders reform to the south just in time to see the carnage about to unfold in front of them.
Magic: against his nature, Lorcán ignores the winds of magic as he fearlessly leads his spears into combat.
Combat: The White Lions continue to dance around their foes, nimbly avoiding each stroke but fail to connect with any of their own. The Spears, unaccustomed to attacking foes of such...stature, miss with the majority of their blows, but do manage to impale one of the dawi brawlers. Unable to hold their wits about them any longer the Dwarfs flee for their lives, but their legs simply cannot compete with the swiftness of the White Lions who mercilessly chase them down.
Massacre to the High Elves!
After Game Thoughts: I really lucked out with his cannon detonating on the first turn. I'm sure my Lion Riders could have taken it out next turn, but the damage it could've caused to them or the White Lions might have been horrendous. My magic phase, again, was not as potent as I had hoped it would be, but then again it was Dwarfs so they are pretty good at stopping that from happening.
Next battles are set to be at 1000 points!
As always, comments, criticism, and pointing out our mistakes are welcome! Stay tuned for more reports from the Escalation League.
