- "Ey,Boss!" Cried Ragok, "Ey, Boss!" He cried again as he sprinted up to the Boss's Tent in the ruined 'umie city. Panting and out of breath, Ragok ran into the tent "Ey, Boss! Dem sissy stink'in funny elves iz 'eaded dis way!" he said. "WHAAAT!?!" Screamed Gorkrush. Spraying spittle and chunks of food into Ragok's face. " 'Oo let 'dem through!" He screamed again. "Uhh uhh alls of us where stuck 'wit 'dere arrowz. Only me and five 'uthaz survived." He cried as he wiped the mess from his face. "Don't 'urt me." he squealed. Gorkrush got up from his makeshift seat, grabbing Ragok by his leather jerkin and hurling him to the side. He grabbed his axe and helmet and walked outside. "EY! EVERYBODY! ALL YOU SOFTIES!" He screamed, getting the attention of the whole camp. "GET 'UR ARSES READY FER BATTLE!" Gorkrush screamed again. As the whole camp prepared for battle, Gorkrush began to walk over to the boar pens to ready his chariot. "Iz gonna be 'ard clearin 'dis place fer da Big Boss 'wif 'dez gitz." he muttered to himself. -
Briefing: This is a 500 point warbands game pitting the a contingent of Orcs from the Blackaxe Tribe commanded by me, Chaoshound, against Branchwraith Athair and her band of followers commanded by my good freind known as Droptrooper on this site. We will be using a variation of the "Ongoing Little War Scenario." Instead of rolling for objecives and deployment zones we determined the objectives and deployment zones before hand to better fit the scenario. The Orc's objective will be to annihilate the elven force and reduce them to 50% unit strength. The Elven objetive will be to assasinate the Black Orc Big Boss Gorkrush da Hungry. An achieved objective will give the army +100 victory points, no other victory points modifiers will be used, otherwise, we will use the normal victory point rules and consulting the table in the "Ongoing Little War" scenario to see the outcome of the battle.
Battlefield: The battle is being fought near a ruined Brettonian Village near the borders of Athel Loren. So a large amount of trees and building will be present on the field. Because it is a warbands game it will be fought on a 48" by 48" board. The deployment zones are 24" along the sides of the table starting at a corner. The orcish deployment zones will contain a few hills and a variety of ruined buildings that will continue into the middle of the field. The Elven deployment zone will contain one large hill and a lot trees which will continue to the middle of the board.
Armies: The Orcs will be using the Grim'gor's 'Ardboyz list and the Elves will be using the Wood Elves list.
Da Blackaxe Tribe
Gorkrush da Hungry
Black Orc Big Boss w/ Great Axe, Drog's Dead 'Ard Armor. -
114
Mounted in a Chariot w/ Extra Crewman -
86
Da Mad Meanies
10 Big'Uns w/Choppas. Musician -
75
Ragok's Scouts
6 Arrerz w/ Bows -
42
Da Dee-Stroy-Uhs
12 Black Orcs w/ Hand Weapons and Shields. Standard Bearer and Musician. Nogg's Banner of Butchery. -
175
Total:
496
Warband of Branchwraith Athair
Branchwraith Athair
Branchwraith Upgraded to Level 1 Wizard w/ Murder of Spites.
-140
Protecters of the Wood
10 Dryads w/ Hand Weapons.
-120
Athair's Handmaidens
9 Dryads w/ Hand Weapons.
-108
The Scouts
4 Gladeguard Scouts w/ Longbows.
-68
Thail's Glade Guardians
5 Gladeguard.
-60
Total.
496
Before Battle Thoughts:
Orcs: Using the Grim'gor's 'Ardboyz list in a warbands game seemed like a good idea as it would give me plenty of hard-hitting troops with little-to-no penalties (besides higher points cost 
). A large unit of Black Orcs w/ shields would build me a solid battle line and with 2 ranks, a banner and a musician I would be sure to win a combat or 2 against da sissy elves. A unit of 6 archers gave me a small amount of shooting and a flanking unit. A unit of 10 Big'Uns w/ choppas and a musician would provide another solid unit to help bulk out my flanks. To finish out my points i took a Black Orc Big Boss w/ a great axe and Drog's Dead 'Ard Armor, to help sort out the Animosity and add some decent fighting ablity. i then mounted him in a chariot to add to his survivability and combat ability. I realy dont need to worry about Animosty as my Black Orcs and the Big Boss will allow me to re-roll my tests. Now its off to battle!
Elves: Dryads are (in my opinion) one of the best combat troops in the Wood Elves list so I am taking a unit of ten and a unit of nine to hopfuly be able to get into combat with the chariot and take out Gorkrush. When playing Grim'gor's 'Ardboyz in the past i haven't done very well so in this list I decided to insted of haveing one large unit of 20 Dryads to having two smaller units. In addition I will take a Branchwraith w/ Murder of spites (D6 initiative 4 strength 2 Poisoned attacks) to lead the unit so it will do well in combat. I then filled out the rest of the list with 5 Gladeguard and four Gladeguard Scouts to hopefuly reduce the orks numbers before they get into combat. My plan is to keep my archers out of combat and just use them to whittle down units as they apporach then get my Dryads in to combat as soon as I can so I can use their excelent close combat ability. Now I am off with a prayer that my new list works.
THE BATTLE
Deployment: The Elves won the roll and chose for the Orcs to deploy the first unit.
Orcs: First I deployed the Ragok and his Scouts on the very far left flank infront of a hill and about 4 inches behind a piece Forest. Next, I deplyed Gorkrush and his Chariot on the right flank between a building and a hill witha straight shot for the Wood Elven battle line. The Black Orcs deployed in the gap to left of the Gorkrush between the building and the Chariot. The Big'Uns then deployed to the right of the Arrerz in front of the Hill.
Wood Elves: The first thing I deployed was Thail's Glade Guardians. I deployed them on a hill in the center of my deployment zone. I then deployed the Protecters of The Wood to the left of the hill and Athair and her Handmaidens to the right of the hill. The last thing I deployed was The Scouts which iIdeployed in the center of the board in a piece of woods.
TURN 1: The Wood Elves won the roll and chose for the Orcs to go first.
Orc Turn: The First turn was basicaly a giant forward advance. None of my units would be struck with Animosity . Ragok and his Scouts marched 8" forward to the edge of a small peice of woods. The Big'uns followed and also marched 8" forward but where clear of the woods. The Black Orcs marched 8" also towards the scouts in the woods. Gorkrush and his chariot made a 30 degree turn to avoid some ruins and moved 7 inches forward. No shooting, No magic, No Combat.
Wood Elf Turn: Before deployment I rolled for my Branchwraith's spell and got Fury of the Forest, a Magic Missile with an 18 inch range that causes D6 strength 4 attacks and an added +1 strength if the enemy is within 6 inches of some woods. In my first turn I marched the Protecters of The Wood 10 inches forward. Athair and her Handmaidens also marched a full 10 inches. The Scouts moved foreward about an inch so they were two inches away from the edge of the woods. During the Shooting Phase I shot at the unit of Big'uns with Thail's Glade Guardians Three shots hit and two wounded, but they were both saved. I then Shot with The Scouts at the unit of Black Orcs Causing one wound.
TURN 2:
Orc Turn: Hoping to get some of my units into combat. My unit of Big'uns rolled a one for Animosity but where allowed to re-roll thanks to the Black Orcs within 12". I advanced my chariot 7 inches forward towards the enemy deployment zone the Protectors of the Wood. My Black Orcs moved 6 Inches to the edge of the woods that contained the Scouts. The Arrerz moved 2 inches up to the woods and 4 inches through, leaving them at the other side. The Big'uns moved 8 inches forward alongside of the piece of woods that had halted my Arrerz. No shooting, No magic, No Combat.
Wood Elf Turn: The Protectors of The Wood moved forward 3 inches trying to move up but stay out of the charge range of the chariot. The scouts turned around and moved back four inches to get out of the Black Orcs charge range. Thail's Glade Guardians moved forward towards the Big'uns five inches. In the Magic phase Athair cast Fury of the Forest at the unit of Big'uns and rolled a five on the D6, the Big'uns were within 6 inches of woods so the were struck with 5 strength 5 attacks which thanks to my bad luck only one caused a wound and killed one Big'un. Thail's Glade Guardians shot at the unit of Big'uns one wound was caused and the Big'un failed the save and died.
TURN 3:
Orc Turn: No Animosity again! Huzzah! The Chariot moved 3 Inches forward to avoid a failed charge or a charge from the Protectors of the Wood. Big'uns moved 1 inch forward to avoid being charged by the Athair and her Handmaidens. Next, The Black Orcs moved 4 inches forward through the woods in the middle of the board. And Finaly something other than moving! Ragok and His scouts decided to lose some arrows at the Handmaidens 2 Hit and none wounded. Still no Wood Elf casualties.
Wood Elf Turn: Thail's Glade Guardians moved two inches towards the Black Orcs. The Scouts turned, moved back 4 inches then pivoted 75 degrees to face the Chariot. During the magic phace Athair attempted to cast Fury of the Forest but failed. Thails Glade Guardians fired at the unit of Big'uns and killed three causeing the unit to panic and fall back 9 inches. The Scouts fired at the chariot and one shot hit, but failed to wound.
TURN 4:
Orc Turn: With still no Animosity I hoped to finaly get into combat where i knew my army would conquer all! [Insert Evil Laugh Here]. Anyway, First I declared charges. My chariot would charge the Protectors of the Wood and the Black Orcs would charge the Scouts. The Chariot made it but the Black Orcs failed the charge and moved 2 inches through the woods. The Chariot and Gorkrush then went on to cause 2 wounds from impact hits. Next, the Big'uns rallied and the Arrerz shot at the Handmaidens once again 2 hit and one wounded but was saved by the Dryads 5+ ward save. Finaly some combat! The Chariot failed its fear test and would now need 6's to hit. Neither the boars nor the Orc crew managed to hit anything but the Black Orc Warboss made quick work of 2 dryads with his impressive Strength 7. The dryads directed 2 hits onto the character, but none hit. and 3 to the Chariot 1 hit 1 wounded but it was saved by the make-shift armor. Gorkrush won the combat by 2 and the Dryads fleed 9 inches. I chose to pursue and hoping for a high number i tossed my 3 dice... and it turned up a 10! I over-ran the unit and wiped it out. Finaly the Wood Elves took some casualties. With 10 Dryads gone I was on my way to achieve my objective.
Wood Elf Turn: Thail's Glade Guard turned to face the charriot that had just over run to hopefuly cause some wounds, and The Scouts did likewise. Athair and her Handmaidens moved forward 5 inches toward the archers. In the magic phase Athair attempted to cast Fury of the Forest against the ork archers but it was dispeled. In the shooting phase The Scouts fired at Gorkrush's chariot but failed to cause any wounds. Thail's Glade Guardians had much better luck and managed to cause two wounds of which only one was saved.
TURN 5:
Orc Turn: After a successful last turn i hoped for the best as the ruler was passed to me. No Animosity once again so I turned my chariot 65 Degrees to face the Scouts and glade gaurd but did not charge. The Big'uns marched 8 inched towards the Handmaidens to align once again next to Ragok and his Scouts who then loosed arrows towards the Handmaidens. 3 of them hit, but none wounded. Another Elven-casualtie-less turn.
Wood Elf Turn: The Game was coming to an end and i still haden't come close to achiveing my objective. I decided to use all my units against Gorkrush and his chariot. I turned Athair and her handmaidens to face the chariot and moved them five inches toward it. The Scouts moved five inches then turned to face the chariot in order to get out of its charge arc. Thail's Glade Guardians also decided it was safer to get out of the Chariots was and reformed, moved back three inches and then reformed once more to face the chariot. In the Magic phase Athair cast Fury of the Forest on the unit of Black Orcs and rolled two attacks but both of them failed to wound. The Scouts and Thail's Glade Guardians shot at Gorkrush's chariot, The Scouts failed to hit and the wound that Thail's Glade Guardians cause was saved.
TURN 6:
Orc Turn: WAAAAGH! With another turn of no Animosty, The Black Orcs and Gorkrush in his chariot charged the Handmaidens but sucessfuly and they both passed their fear tests! Huzzah! The Chariot caused 4 Impact hits which caused 4 Dryad Casualties. The Big'uns moved 4 inches forward to intercept and fleeing units, but still not block line-of-sight for the Arrerz who fired upon the Gladeguard but no hits where caused. The Unit of Black Orcs unfurled their magic banner giving them +1 attack each! In combat, Gorkrush did well but his chariot... not so hot: The Boars hit 1 but caused no wounds, adn the orcs failed to hit any at all Gorkrush on the other hand caused 2 dryad casualties. The Black Orcs where next in line to dish out hits but caused 0 wounds. Next Athair unleashed her murder of spites upon Gorkrush causing 2 auto wounds, but one was saved by his 1+ armor save. Athair herself failed to cause any wounds on Gorkrush. Her Handmaidens on the other hand caused 4 hits, 3 of which wounded and 2 where saved by the Black Orcs 2+ save. In the end, the Orcs won the combat and the Dryads auto-fled 9 inches. The Orcs all passed their leadership to restrain pursuit as i did not want any flank charges from the pesky Gladeguard and the scouts. A very sucessful turn.
Wood Elf Turn: By now the Orc's had pretty much destroyed my army and i was doubting my chances of achiveing my Objecive or even getting by without being massacred. Athair and her unit rallied in the movement phase and i prepared to put all the shooting i could into Gorkrush and his cursed chariot. In the magic phase Athair attempted to cast Fury of the Forest on the unit of Black Orcs but failed. The Scouts fired at the chariot and all of them actualy managed to hit it and caused one wound on the chariot. Thail's Glade Guardians shot at the chariot and also caused one wound ending the best round of shoting at the chariot i had had yet this game.
Results: Massacre!
Total Wood Elf Victory points: 57
Total Orc Victory Points: 268
Orcs WIN!
[b]
After Battle Thoughts and Conclusions:
Orcs: [/b]This list worked amazingly well! Perhaps I will experiment with removing the extra crewman and maybe an arrer to add 2 more Black Orcs to the unit who will be joined by Gorkrush to accomodate the new rules. In retrospect I should have manuevered around the woods with the Black Orcs to get into combat earlier. All in all it was a very good game and I look forward to our next battle!
[b]Wood Elves: [/b]
This was probably one of the worst losses I had ever had while playing Wood Elves, although I tend to win by alot or lose really badly. I should have deployed Athair and her Handmaidens on the left side of the hill as I could have gotten them into combat earlier in the game. I also should have been more bold about chargeing with my Dryads and not worried as much about getting flank charged by the Archers, by having them just sit there I wasted my best unit for just about the entire game. Also I should have kept my Dryads in a big unit insted of two small ones so they wouldn't be as devastated in combat with the Chariot. I still had a good time playing this game and I am looking foreward to the next one. I would also really appriciate any advice you can offer on how to play against Orcs so that in my next game I will do better.
[b]
- Athair looked in sorrow at what remained of her Warband. The attack on the Orcs had been a bitter failure and sixteen of her fellow forest spirts lay broken in front of the ruined town that the Orcs still held. She bitterly swore to return in the future with a much larger force and wipe the menance to the forest known as Gorkrush out of existance. -
Note: This game was played using some House Rules so there might be some differing rules and such. Intro, and everything Orc's written by Chaos Hound. Everything Elves and Ending Fluff written by Droptrooper. [/b]
