Border Reivers – Kislev vs Chaos, defend the village

[Apocolocyntosis]

We gave a scenario a try for the first time, with fluffy forces selected for a chaos marauder raid on a Kislev village, for 8 turns.

Chaos raiders
140 -  1 Chaos Warriors
 240 -  4 Chaos Marauders
 105 -  1 Ogres
 110 -  1 Trolls
 180 -  2 Marauder Horsemen
  80 -  2 Chaos Hounds
 285 -  3 Chaos Chariots
  65 -  1 Harpies
 125 -  1 General
  80 -  1 Hero
  90 -  1 Sorcerer
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1500 - 15/8
This was meant to represent a marauder raiding force, with the legal minimum number of warriors, no knights, then heavy on horsemen and charioteers. (And I was deprived of my favourite toy, a hero on a dragon)

Defenders of the north
105 -  1 Winged Lancers
     -  1 Sword of Fate (5)
 225 -  3 Horse Archers
 190 -  2 Cossacks
 220 -  4 Bowmen
  90 -  1 Red Guard
 135 -  3 Axemen
110 -  1 Bears. <--- just realised in writing this up that my opponent did not deploy his bears …
 140 -  1 War Wagon
 125 -  1 General
 160 -  2 Hero
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1500 - 16/8
And these guys were meant to be representative of a town militia, joined by Cossacks who had spotted the approach of the raiders while on patrol, or whatever it is Cossacks do. 


We set the map up following the book picture. The big rock formations here are hills. My plan with chaos was to rush the back two buildings with cavalry, while the infantry would march up to torch the closer buildings. 


Kislev go first, nice and easy everyone behaves themselves


Chaos have a go, the chariots attempt to charge in but fail their second order. The general fails his first order, so the horsemen and hounds just turn about a bit while the trolls sit around gormlessly. Fortunately the wizard managed to confuse a unit of Cossacks with is magic missiles.


Kislev spend turn 3 forming up into a long line of horse, screening the way to the more valuable back buildings.



The marauders get a good set of orders in and charge right across the Kislev line.

(error in play: we’d been lining up to maximise the number of stands in combat, not to maximise the cm value of frontage, so everything should have been shifted over 1). Trolls inch forward (not in picture) but are not being cooperative at all. Not sure why I didn’t chuck the wolves in too really. 
Anyway, this was the aftermath, and the infantry brigade to the south got a lucky 6 against the first building to set it ablaze. Harpies were left without many options after a low withdraw roll, which is why they're left flapping about in a daft formation facing the wrong way.

[Apocolocyntosis]

Kislev red guard manage to confuse and chaos warriors, with bowmen confuse a unit for wolves, as the cavalry counter charge and axemen rush the stranded harpies.

and after the combats:



Missing the image here for after the chaos move, but the chariots smashed in to the axe men, while the ogres failed their second order to charge in. The cavalry circus continued and the troll brigade failed to activate again.
Chariots won at first, then drew after pursuit, so both sides withdrew.

(and where did that stand of harpies go? well they'd flown over the back of the axe men to block retreat from chariots, but then got over confident and tried a rear charge: blunder roll 3. move away 100cm full move away from enemy, right off table, and got a 0 to come on next turn, so were destroyed …)

another missing image, but Kislev form up a bow line to try to confuse and pushback as much as possible. It doesn't have much effect mid-table, the the pushed back trolls confuse the marauders who make way for them. Position after kislev final turn, kislev are 1.5 points off breaking but have only lost 1 building.



Chaos in the final turn run at as many buildings as possible. The trolls finally agree to do a thing and hug a cottage all of their own, while the marauders stuck behind their confused companions refuse their second order to get in. Chaos roll high, and score two 6s against each building, for 3 burnt total.


Chaos minor win 4 points to 3, with neither side breaking … although given the lack of bears Kislev were at a critical cultural disadvantage from the start.

[Apocolocyntosis]

scenario question:
RAW state:

Any stand from an attacker's unit of infantry, cavalry
or chariots that is not in combat or confused, and is
touching a building can try and set it on fire by rolling
a 6 in the combat phase.

Does this mean you can roll to burn down buildings in the combat phase of your opponents turn? as it states 'the combat phase' not 'your turn'/'attacker's turn'.

When in the combat phase do you make the rolls? beginning, middle, or at any point?
reason being a unit in combat cant roll to burn a building, but a unit might start in combat then exit combat via withdrawal while other combats continue – meaning they are no longer in combat, but are in contact with a building during the phase: so they can fight and burn?

As it turned out in this game, all buildings were burnt in the attackers turn with no combats involved, but the rule intention is not clear to me.

[Stormwind]

For a moment I thought you named the topic after the wargames group!

https://sites.google.com/site/borderreiverswargamessociety/Home

Interesting to see the fan list of Kislev used w/ Red Guard and Cossacks.

[Dave]

I'd ask whoever wrote the scenario, but as written I'd say you're interpretation is correct.

[Aldhick]

Cool battlereport. Thanx for sharing and comments.
It's been ment at the end of each combat phase including the opponent's.
This scenario will see some clarification in comming update of the book.

[Apocolocyntosis]

Thanks for the clarification Aldhick, makes sense. We enjoyed the scenario and will try more of them.