Brutal Black Orc
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So I decided to start playing AoS and got to play with Ironjawz. Here goes the story!
The armies:
Leading the enemy host was Ironhoof the Fell, a mighty doombull who let a raving warband of minotaurs with his brother Kraznak. Numbering barely a dozen, they were still a mighty force: nine were mighty minotaurs led by the twin doombulls while the spearhead of their massive bulks was Karik the Ghorgon. (1000pts-ish).
The orruk WAAAGH! was led by Megaboss Killagore Faceslasha, and consisted in an astounding force of thirty boys: him, warchanter Skullsplitta (his second in command), da EadUnterz gore-grunta trio, a group of five brutes and two mobs of ten ardboyz formed in what they dubbed "da Ironfist". (1000 points on the dot).
Deployment: the orruk and warherds met a desolate place where only a few ruins of a civilization long gone remained. The megaboss readied his trap to spring soon, as the warherds deployed quite forward but his army remained in a fairly conservative deployment (he deployed 12'' from the center, i deployed 24'' from it).
Turn 1: Ironjaw initiate the turn.
Killagore exorts his forces to take positions, one of the ardboyz mobs flanking a ruin on the edge of the battlefield, while the goregruntas position themselves close to the other side so as to enact a flanking maneuver and screen their boss and the warchanter. The other mob takes position in the center of their battleline and the brutes lead the right flank, bracing themselves to fend off the doombull Ironhoof and possibly the six bullgors from the great core force of Ironhoof's.
There's no such need, though, the warherds are still too far away.
Turn 2: Warherd initiative.
Ironhoof senses the enemy and rallies his warherds to extenuate themselves, they move faster than even Kilagore predicted but he cares little for they have fallen into the trap. The area is filled with mud and poodles with water, hampering the warherds. They are unable to reach his host! (read: he flunked ALL his charge rolls). The enemy is out in the open ready to be crushed.
Its the Ironjaw's time to act. Unfortunately the mud also works against them and the forces in the left flank are unable to clutch on the gorgon trapped next to the ruins. The second mob of boyz is also unable to quite make it, but both Killagore and the Brutes, let by Bonekrusha Bosskilla, make it to the fight with the twin doombulls. Bonekrusha rushes at a blinding speed as Killagore shouts a mighty WAAAGH! that is chorused by almost everyone in his army. Empowered by the will of the twin-headed gods, Bonekrusha grabs the doombull with his klaw and mauls him with the smasha. The blows are so mighty his head is reduced to a pink goo (read: I did 10 wounds to the doombull, with the boss alone and in a single round... fething savage). The six bullgors that formed his retinue are almost speechless as they see their leader fell, dumbfouded enoguh as to allow Korsnik Bodysplitta chop in half one of them with his gorechoppa (5 wounds!).
Grieving with rage for the death of his brother and leader, Kraznak rampages on the charging megaboss. He delivers him a massive beatdown, beating him within an inch of his life (1 wound remaining out of 7), but the megaboss reacts, punches him back and drives the doombull from his self in order to deliver a great counter attack: he swings brutally his choppa, rending his arms uselss (7 wounds inflicted by the megaboss).
Turn 3: Ironjaws initiative. (Also following turns).
The bulk of the ironjaws charges and hits the almost leaderless warherds. Killagore finishes off the doombull as he drives his fist into his flesh and crushes the twin's heart. Taking it out and shouting triumphant he now watches how his orruks crush the rest of the army. Warchanter Skullsplita tends to his wounds as he takes command (read: he does something of use). He will try to call the WAAAGH! again by the end of the battle, to galvanize his triumphant forces, but he's too weak by now and his forces are too scattered, so it has no use (read: had 4 units within range and rolled a 5).
Karik the Gorghon fights back, wounding mildly a gore-grunta (turn 3) and then killing 3 ardboyz as he is weakened by the constant cleaving the twin-choppa wielding orruks inflict.
The bullgors fight back, re-gathering their numbers as they fight the brutes, whom soon receive the support from the remaining mob of ardboyz. The 5 bullgors that called themselves Ironhoof's body guard fight viciously, eventually slaying an ardboy and two of the brutes die in payback as Bonekrusha battles into submission they bodyguard's commander (he does 4 wounds in turns 3 and 4) and the ardboyz storm the survivors and kill them in a surpise attack.
The remaining three bullgors charge at the back of the brutes, killing a third one, but are slaughtered by the following counter-attack (turn 5 almost wipes them out and bonekrusha drives the last blood).
All in all Killagore has triumphed but this is a stained victory: his boyz are focused on Bonekrusha, surprised by his mighty deeds. Perhaps, fears the megaboss, there might be an attempt at changing the directive...
But that's a story for another day.
And with this I finish the tale. I literally lost 6 models (gotta admit I had a few abover average rolls in the beginning) while I wiped out the enemy army. I lost 160pts versus 1000. WOW. The stars of the show were the brutes but I know this was meant to be it that way as they are designed to be hero/monsterkillers.
All in all I thoroughly enjoyed it and was thrilled.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Part 2: The reaving of Illiria.
Faceslasha's WAAAGH! crossed the ruins and raided the nearby forests to soon reach a highborn enclave. Multiple towns (read: the missions objectives) existed scattered around the area.
Soon, Faceslasha vowed, they'd be all but dust after a good fight!
The highborn rallied to defend their homeland: a mighty host of spearmen was accompanied by a thunderous mass of silver helms and a detachment of white lions, with two boltthrowers set in the rear-lines as support. They were let by Korhil and Archmage Finnualan, whom had been elected by the people of the region to be their leader.
Meanwhile, Faceslasha readied himself and his host as his thirty boys began manneuvering, and he had a plan. The wounds of Ironhoof still ached his flesh and thus he wasn't ready for the pitched battle, yet knew Bonekrusha (whom had by then gathered the support of Skullsplita and Bodyrunna, the leader of the gore-gruntas' mob) would attempt to use this to fully convince his brutes and get the support of the ardboy mobs, still loyal to Killagore. Thus he devised a devilish plan upon knowing the enemy order of battle.
Deployment:
The ironjaws force was evenly split (really, I place like 440pts on one side and 500pts on the other, with 60pts being dedicated to the ironfist batallion.) but the aelfs host had focused its efforts on the west, for it led to their most hallowed sanctuary. Bonekrusha would lead those forces loyal to him in the west and then claim killagore's skull once he crumped the puny pointy-ears. How sorely mistaken he was.
The order of battle was the following: the orruks gathered on the south, were they began the destruction of thos two villages (read, they held the objectives) as the aelves bunkered on the north, upon advice of korhil. KIllagore wasted no time and led his forces on a charge against the poorly manned white lions' position. Eadrusha's ardboy mob clashes with the white lions fastly (turn 1) and so the bloodbath begins. The second mob takes longer (turn 2) to reach the position but makes it in time to crush the boltthrower and rush to kill the lions and korhil. It's a bloody and long business but by turn 4 they are anhilated and the easter objectives are assured into orruk hands.
Meanwhile the east is another song: the aelves outnumber the greenskins by almost 200pts and thrice the models. They remain stationary during the early stage of the battle (turn 1) but soon Finnualan's orders come through as he sees the tactic of holding the line the white lion's commander had advised doesn't seem to work.
(turns 3,4 and 5 eastern flank).
The aelves use arcane trickery (read he gets the initative!) and charge into the surprised greenskins. The silver helms make pure carnage on the brutes, slaughtering most of Bonekrusha's support as the gore-gruntas manneuver and pull a flank charge, slaughtering 4 of the silverhelms. Meanwhile the brutes manage to kill one and wound another of the silver helms who would be finished off by Skullsplita himself.
But all is doomed, as the highborn archmage pours down many bolts of deathly lightning and the boltthrower rains steely death upon them. They are quickly whitled down and Bonekrusha falls amongst the last, shouting: Gork Dang it! as he takes a spearmen with him. It is said that Skullsplita pleaded for his boss's mercy and rescue but Killagore held back the two remaining mobs of boyz.
The end result was a stalemate (read: both of us had 2 objectives and as many destroyed units): the orruks hadn't destroyed the region and had suffered serious losses (their elite forces and a chunk of their rank and file) but the aelfs had been badly mauled, their militia had taken light loses but the white lions and silver helms were dead. Lacking fast and strong troops, Finnualar decided to bunker down again and saw impotent how the orruks left. For at the end of the day, Killagore was the victor: he got to fight another day (something Bonekrusha couldn't claim) and had had a good fight.
And so ends this episode that is my second battle. I had a tie but I feel that, had I taken the initative in turn 3 I'd have won: my goregruntas would have charged the spearmen and the brutes the helms. Activating the boars I'd have at least killed 1 model, thus reducing their attack output from 40 attacks to just 19 plus I'd have neuted the damage bonuses from the helms charging too. All in all it was a solid battle though I flunked some key rolls.
See you soon for the third episode! Who will the orruks fight?
Part 3- Storm's retribution... soon.
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