We did a quick photographic showcasing for the 'Battleforge' Undead army at one end of the table before we commenced in earnest because it is a striking and flavoursome collection, and it is worthy of decent pictures.
I have seen many Undead armies over 25 years of TTM gaming in the fantasy genre and I have never seen a better Undead army than his beautiful array of models. It was awe inspiring to witness in the flesh. The taster shots in the previous thread hail from this showcase.
Now into the Battle Report proper…
Scenario; Attrition.
Undead list in a nutshell. 3 x units of Skeleton Pikemen, 1x unit Warriors, 1x unit of Undead Cavalry, 1x large unit of Wolves, 5 x Undead Elephants (One was a Giant Undead Rhino being used as an Elephant, it may be my favourite model in the entire army) 1 x Undead (Battleforge) Giant and 4 x Undead Chariots in a single unit. 6,500 points.
High Elf list in a nutshell; 2 x unit of Pikes, 1 x unit of Sunblades, 1 x unit of 10 Cavalry, 2 x units of 14 Cavalry,2 x Great Eagles as a unit, 1 x griffon, 1 x Oriental Dragon, 4 x Regular Chariots, 1 x unit of archers and 2 x Light cannon (yes you read it correctly, Cannons) Shoreboy needed the extra points to get up toward the BF's points total and cannons were more expensive than catapults. 6,250 points.
TURN 1; Shoreboy wins initiative (Get used to this folks…) and instructs the BF to move first. The BF moves forward quickly as a line and attempts to bring his models behind the front line in from the flanks where they are congested. This is the problem with 6,500 points on a 6x4 table. There is going to be congestion and in the BF's defence he has only played Undead once before, a fair while ago, and it was a lot less points. His deployment, by his own admission, was less than ideal. I'm confident he won't let it happen again.
The Undead Pikemen are ready for action.
Shoreboy moved forward and magic points were stored, shooting ineffective, no surprises there.
TURN 2; Shoreboy wins Initiative. He charges a unit of Undead pikemen with a large unit of High Elf Cavalry on the Elf left.
His Oriental Dragon advances down the Elves outer left flank outside the Cavalry who have just charged in.
The Battleforge dithers a little with his movement and does little moving forward, bracing himself for the Elven charge.
Magic points stored.
Melee; The High Elf Cavalry butchered 8 pikemen and 5 more die from a big ugly morale roll at the end of the turn. A couple of High Elf Cavalry died as well but nowhere near enough to cause a test.
TURN 3; things start heating up. Surprise surprise, Shoreboy wins the initiative. This time he commits his chariots into the BF's central Pike unit. The oriental Dragon gets a sneaky charge in around the back of the BF line and confronts the BF's necromancer. The BF recognising the danger sends in a unit of three Undead Elephants to the front with the support of an Undead giant in the flank. Only one of the elephants was touching the Dragon. It was looking grim for the Necromancer but it's now looking grim for the Dragon.
Next to them on the Undead right a single Undead Elephant shoots the gap and joins the damaged pikemen against the High Elf Cavalry who look on ominously as well they might. Horses don't like Camels but they are terrified of Elephants.
On the far Elven right another unit of Cavalry smack into the third unit of Undead Pikemen.
Both lines are not completely in contact with each other yet. The fast High Elf Units have engaged first as the High Elf foot follow up behind.
Magic, the BF uses all three pips and handily restores 9 Pikemen to the damaged unit next to his Necromancer. A good casting. I think BF likes Magic now.
Shooting, one High Elf Cannon successfully fires into the Undead Cavalry killing no less than 5 Undead horsemen by inflicting 10 wounds. Scary. I think Shoreboy likes cannons now. (It's an outrage. Cannons in a High Elf list Rrarararararghhhh!!!!) This was the only occasion that the High Elf shooting did anything in the game.
Melee; the surrounded Oriental Dragon showed us what Evasion was all about. The ramming attacks from the Elephant almost all missed (we forgot to send them into the other units randomly in this game) and so did the Necromancer and the Giant, the Dragon failed to cause a test so it was a stand off.
Next to those losers who couldn't hit each other it was all happening. The High Elf cavalry who had done so well on the charge now suffer a dreadful savaging at the hands of the Undead Elephant as it rams home it's attacks and then thrashes around with it's mighty tusks. 10 wounds later 5 HE Cavalry models are killed and that's a test. The Cavalry still managed to kill 6 pikemen as the BF's saving throws fail him.
In the centre the HE Chariots strike home hard and inflict a brutal casualty count of 20 wounds on the Undead Pikemen, the whole unit quivered under the impact. In turn the Pikemen came back and with the attacks of a flanking Undead Elephant they took out one chariot and wounded another. Pikemen and Chariots were both on a test. The fearsome Elephant was a concern.
A lone griffin is charged by the Undead Vampire on the far Elven right next to a small wood.
Morale; the HE cavalry on the far left flee from the combined assault of the Elephant and the Pikemen. The HE Chariots in the centre flee and the pike lose another whopping eight models as the BF summons another ugly morale roll. That's a total of 28 dead Pikemen from combat and morale in one turn. A new record. The rest of the pikemen (half a dozen that were left) think it is wise not to advance and stay put with the Elephant in support.
The Undead perspective. (note the Elven foot swinging into the line in the background)
TURN 4 ; Shoreboy wins Initiative AGAIN (Yaaaawn) On the far left the Skeleton Pikemen fail to catch the fleeing HE cavalry.
On the far Elven right the Vampire beating up the Griffon sees it fly off the table edge.
The High Elf line is looking ragged. The Battleforge has beaten away most of the High Elf attacks and was now regrouping for the next assault.
Now Shoreboy seeing his centre looking desperate swings his three High Elf foot units from reserve into the centre of his line. A unit of elite Sunblades with swords gleaming flanked by two units of High Elf Pikemen and women. (Go figure, I always knew Elves were girly but there's a limit)
The Battleforge goes on the front foot and sends two Giant Undead Elephants into the fresh High Elf spear unit in the Elven centre left. The Sunblades remain unengaged this turn as do the Spearwomen to their right along the edge of the small wood.
The Oriental Dragon spends another turn holding up a far superior force as a mixture of poor attacks from the BF's forces are met with excellent saving rolls from the Dragon.
Magic; The High Elf (hiding in the small wood on the right flank, some things never change eh?) Mage casts Guardian Spirit on the High Elf Spear Sheila's giving them Evasion.
The Battleforge adds three pikemen to his depleted central Pike unit but it looks likely to be too little for what is facing them. Sunblades etc.
Melee; The High Elf spear in the centre survive the onslaught from the Elephants who flunk their ramming attacks a little. Both lines hold.
Morale; The fleeing high Elf cavalry fleeing on the far left of the Elven line rally and turn around.
The fleeing High Elf Chariots (three left) rally and turn around, sadly they are so far away and out of position that they will play no further role in this game.
TURN 5; Unbelievable, Shoreboy wins the Initiative for a fifth consecutive time.
The foot troops join in battle and the line becomes static as they clash. Slightly more casualties are taken by the Undead Pikemen than their more elite counterparts. Guardian spirit works well for the Elven spearmen keeping their casualties low.
The Oriental Dragon still avoids more than one wound which once again means no test successfully holding up a lot of the Undead forces.
The skeleton horsemen on the far Undead right engage the rallied High Elf horse returning to the fray.
Magicians store.
Nobody breaks.
Game looks reasonably balanced in it's poise.
TURN 6; HUZZAH!! (Trumpet fanfare…) Battleforge finally wins an Initiative roll.
Sadly under pressure from the High Elf foot the Undead centre is crumbling away quickly and the Battleforge is struggling to get his reserves across from the Undead left (his unit of four chariots in particular) …
…and those on the right are still tied up by the Oriental Dragon which takes it's first wound in a handbag slapping match.
Very little change, the High Elf chariots take up a position in the reserve line as there is no way through for them now.
High elf archers move into the flank
The foot continue to grapple after the High Elf Mage (yes, still hiding in the woods) casts Holy Armour on the same Elven spear unit that already has ‘Evasion'. They now have -1 to hit them and they now have a Fixed 2 down save. They will be hard to shift.
TURN 7; the last turn and it all happens this turn. The Battleforge wins the initiative again and begins by performing a successful unit exchange removing the necromancer and replacing her with a very big unit of Undead wolves. (You can see her on her own at the back of the unit) It proves to be a master stroke as the Oriental Dragon suffers some pain and must test.
It does however lash out in an Oriental wormy frenzy and it strikes down TWO Undead elephants. Clearly the Orient has no fury like a dragon scorned.
He then moves his latent Chariot brigade on the far left into a unit of High Elf Cavalry supporting his Vampire.
This is followed by more good news for the Undead as the skeleton horse inflict enough damage on the High Elf horse away on the Elven left to force a test.
At last the crumbling Undead centre collapses as the last elephant and surviving pikemen fade away under the constant pressure from the High Elf elite foot. The Sunblades and the Pikemen to their immediate left are free to advance. The spear unit to the Sunblades right loaded up with magical enhancement whittles it's enemy down to just a handful of Pikes. The centre belongs to the Elves.
On the far Elven right (nearest the camera) the Undead Chariots marmalise the High Elf horse who must test but this conflict is marginalised on the battlefield by the small wood separating it from the rest of the line.
Morale; the High Elf Cavalry on both flanks is fleeing and so is the oriental Dragon a the dogs are within 6 inches so no chance for the Dragon to rally.
It's just enough to add to cumulative casualties for Shoreboy to test at 1900 points with a -3 on the Attrition rules.
The Battleforge must also test but at -4 as his centre has collapsed and he has suffered approximately 2400 points worth of damage.
Both have leadership 11 but the Battleforge failed by one with his -4 taken into account, and the Shoreboy survived by just one with his -3 to the dice roll.
A very close Pyrrhic victory to the Elves and an excellent if long game.
Aftermath; The Battleforge will come back stronger from this close result, he learned a lot in this match about deployment and his different troop types and of course the rules during this game.
The Shoreboy picked up some new tricks as well and after being the eternal whipping boy in WFB with his Elves it's all different here in AoA, his fame grows as he continues his unbeaten run with his Elves.
reveals axemen for his Volcano Dwarf army.
