The Ultimate Warmaster Trial Game 1.
The gold of Haphetsut
This was the first trial game played between Tim (Skaven) and myself Tomb Kings, to refine a few house rules and re familiarize ourselves with the Warmaster rules. I hope you enjoy the report.
Turn 1:The Tomb Kings lines were assembled ready for war, Haphetsut surveyed his battle line. It was a sight to behold. He would have gasped if it was possible. His lines were majestic. In fact, they were so majestic that he actually decided to let them stand there for a while longer to instill fear into the Skaven horde. (That’s right, I failed every command check!)
The Skaven force, obviously undaunted by how regimented and professional the army of Haphetsut was, decided to surge forward and claim both forests, the hill and a poor Orc refuge village that just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Grey seer Thanqual, directing his troops in a manner that has never been seen in all the millennia on a field of battle. (Tim passed every order this turn, even the ones where he said “well I cannot do anything else so I may as well order them to do this for gigglesâ€)
Turn 2: Seeing the speed and efficiency, (and the obvious threat of allowing the Skaven to control all of the strategic points on the battlefield), Haphetsut the Mighty’s head lich priest Nefertiti, ordered her battalion of 2 spearmen and 1 archer unit forward towards the closest forest. Outraged by this brash command, and not quite ready to let his army yet break formation (it has been many years since he has laid his maggot filled eyes on his glorious army) Haphetsut scoulded Nefertiti and once again ordered his lines to hold. Did she not realize that as soon as the Skaven force were able to comprehend the greatness and majesty of his force arrayed for battle they would surely flee! (Yep, getting better, I passed 1 command this turn).
Grey seer Thanqual chuckled to himself. Surly the years spent in the tomb have rotted this mummy’s brain. Consolidating his forces and placing his Jezzails and war machines in defensive positions, the Skaven were now well and truly entrenched and ready to repel anything that the dead ones were to throw at him. That is, as long as they can get the dust out of their bones and actually get moving.
Turn 3:Surveying the battlefield Haphetsut could not believe what he saw. The ratmen were not fleeing, quite the opposite, they were claiming the battlefield for their own! This could not be allowed to go on. Having his muscians beat out the tune of ‘The Final Countdown’ (you tube it guys). His army started to advance. The right hand flank of chariots and cavalry assaulted the Skaven entrenched on the hill. Knowing that they would struggle Haphetsut commanded his 2nd legion of chariots and cavalry to ride the full length of the battlefield and crash into the Skaven flank aswell! The chariots ran rough shod over their plague monk opposition and followed up into clan rats, who actually managed to beat the chariots off. His Liche priests also managed to advance their respective brigades forward. Nefertiti also moved hers into the forest in front to challenge the Skaven. The Bone throwers and Skull Chukkas unleashed their deadly payloads killing one base from the 2nd plague monk unit.
“Well it seems that the dead things have a bit of fight in them after allâ€, Thaqual said to his pet rat. Now they would feel the full force of his army. Meanwhile on some other part of the battlefield, Skaven assassin Backstabia decided now was the right time to play for power and managed to sabotage all orders by using a combination of smoke bombs and threats of bodily harm to all commanders across the battlefield. It seems that engineer Ratsnip (who was commanding the hill) did not get the memo. Ratsnip, sent his clanrat and stormvermin units into the undead chariots and cavalry, abandoning his defended status to do so. The rat men were promptly crushed by the mass of bone, steel and wood, for little loss to the undead legion. Seeing what has become of his one mighty brigade Ratsnip slunk off back to the closest Jezzails and the protection of the forest.
Turn 4: The hill was his, now all that was left was to capture was the forests from the ratmen and surley he would have victory. His magnificent warriors could easily overwhelm these defended rat things and then he could go home for a nap. Ordering his legions to charge against the defended Skaven Jezzails, Haphetsut felt confident that nothing could go wrong. The sound of warpstone shot splintering bone, and the resulting cloud of aeons past tomb dust filled the air. Skeleton warriors crumbled in the score. Haphetsut could not believe he was experiencing this. Surly death, and the time in the tomb could not have dulled his warrior’s ability so much.
Backstabia knew it was his time to act if he wanted to assume command of this army. Igniting a flare and throwing it deep into the forest behind the enemy lines his hidden gutter runners appeared. The ambush was laid, now the fun was to commence. He commanded the rat ogres in the forest to push forward into the skeleton warriors in front of them. Giant rat claws and spittle flew through the air as they crashed into the ranks of the undead warriors. The force of their charge buckling the skeleton lines and pushing them back into the gutter runners, who had a field day dancing through the serried ranks, cutting down all the skeletons where they stood.
Turn 5: Biting off his lip in anger Haphetsut demanded that his Liche priests do something. After all, this was their fault for breaking ranks so early in the battle! Thinking fast Liche Priest Tombdust decided to order the great and mighty Sphinx into action, its stone body shaking the ground as it advanced. He also ordered more skeleton warriors into the fray of the forest. To make sure that the mighty army of king Haphetsut would win the forest encounter Nefertiti raised the dead to join in that fight. It didn’t help, they were once again beaten like a red headed step child.
Thanqual thought to himself, why are my orders not being followed? Then it occurred to him that Backstabia was to blame, I will sort him out after the battle, I will feed him to Boneripper! Seeing the threat of the Sphinx, Thanqual ordered his Doom wheel forward to engage this new threat, “lets see how tough you really are†he thought to himself. The Doomwheel rat propulsion system worked in overdrive as it smashed into the huge stone statue. Shards of rock flew in all directions. With a mighty crash, the pride of the Tomb Kings army crumbled to the ground never to walk again.
Turn 6: Nooooooooo this cannot be! Haphetsut had his liche priest order his magnificent Bone Giant forward, it crashed into the Doom wheel, smashing it to pieces with massive swings of its club, however the momentum that the crazy Skaven driver had gathered felling the Sphinx carried over and he managed to also smash through the Bone giant!
Well that went better than expected thought Thanqual.
As the sun set over the battlefield Thanqual realized with astonishment that his forces were retreating. Where he thought he was in control it seems that the war of attrition that the dead ones fight had actually secured them a victory.
Obviously it was all Backstabia’s fault….
The game actually went for 10 turns however the last 4 were quite fast as we were both low on units. The final turn of the game came down to the wire. Whoever kills a unit 1st wins. Tomb Kings managed to kill of the damaged unit of gutter runners and win the day.
It was a great fun game and Tim used his troops extremely well. The cover of the forest and villages stopped my cavalry and chariots dead in their tracks (pun intended). It was really left up to my skeleton warriors to carry the day. As it turns out I learnt a lot from this game.
The high point of the game was most certainly the Skaven Doom wheel, killing both the Sphinx and Bone Giant. That brought a laugh from both of us.
I had heaps of photos to go with this report, however I am unable to upload them as it says my files are too large. How do I remedy this?
