Orcs v's High Elves & Dwarfs

[calmacil]

Had a battle last weekend. It was my orcs v's an allied Dwarf and High Elf. I had 4k, the Elves & Dwarfs had 2k each.

4000 point Orc army

1 General
7 Orc Heroes
2 orc Shamans
2 goblin shamans
1 goblin hero on wyvern

10 orc warriors
11 goblins
1 trolls
9 boar riders
9 wolf chariots
4 rock lobbers



2000 point High Elves

1 general
2 heroes
2 wizards (scroll dispel)
4 spearmen
2 archers
2 bolt throwers
1 reavers
6 silver helms (sw destruction, sw cleaving)
2 chariots



2000 point Dwarfs

1 general
2 heroes
2 runesmiths ( anvil, scroll dispel)
6 dwarf warriors
2 hand gunners
2 troll slayers
2 cannons
2 flame cannons
2 gyrocopters


We used a system where both sides roll 1d6. Highest roll has the choice to either deploy all units and get the first turn, or force your opponent to do that. They won the roll and decided to deploy all their units and get the first turn

The table was 8ft x 4ft



Deployment

[calmacil]

Turn 1

The dwarfs try to move up and take the hill, but are unlucky with command rolls




The High Elves move forward, their missile troops blocking the routes between terrain




The Orcs move. Their cavalry and chariots shielded from dwarf cannons. Their infantry behind hills from dwarf guns. The trolls/goblins brigade refusing to move



On the Orc far right flank the Orcs charge 3 silver helm units with Boar Boys and Wolf Chariots

[calmacil]

Turn 2

The High Elves reorganize their battleline






The Dwarfs form a solid battleline, ready for the Orcs



In the centre of the board Orc rock lobbers smash into dwarf infantry




Turn 3

High Elf cavalry smashes into Orcs, and HE spearmen take the hill (swordmaster and phoenix guard models)




4 units of orc infantry attempt to charge the dwarfs, but fall short. Now they are in range

[calmacil]

Turn 4

Constant pressure from the Orcs is showing against the High Elves. The numbers are beginning overwhelming them






Dwarfs charge the orcs and cut them down


Many many Orcs are in reserve


The Elves have few units left to deal with the orc onslaught







Both of the good side armies were broken. The Orcs won the day



Conclusion

It was a good game. The Dwarf side was unlucky with Command rolls. The High Elves almost won their side of the battlefield. But in the end there was too many Orc units for them to deal with.
We all agreed that the orc spell that pushes a unit back is too powerful. This didn't happen too much in the game, but I did manage to effectively negate a dwarf cannon. Elves and Dwarfs are a good opponent for the Orcs, it seems fairly well matched. For the next battle we are considering using a card system for the Command. Should even it up

[Geep]

What do you mean by a card system for command?

Geroff! is definitely a powerful spell, but it's only a delaying tactic. It causes no damage or confusion, and Orcs have little shooting to cause other drive backs.

[Stormwind]

I'm afraid I find that Gerroff is too powerful for such an easy spell.  At 2000 points Orcs get 4 spellcasters, which means 4 chances to break brigades up and cause confusion.  Against a cheap, rabble army that's fine but against elites like Chaos or Dwarves it can be really frustrating.

[calmacil]

Yeah I might change that Geroff spell for a less powerful one from another list

Our card system is  ..... We have 36 cards. With numbers from 2 to 12. There is one 2, two 3's, three 4's, etc. We use the same rules (-1 for each 20cm, -1 for proximity, etc) But both players will get roughly the same luck. When the deck gets down to 3 cards we reshuffle them. An alternative is using two decks (72 cards)

[Aquahog]

Well Geroff evens the playing field a bit considering how your average OnG force maneuvers.

[Geep]

Interesting idea with the cards. You'd have to make sure to make them well and keep them in good condition though- I remember when I made my own games as a kid it never took long before you could tell what cards were what due to bends, slightly-off angles and the like. I would assume adults would have more skill at least.

I haven't played Orcs and Goblins much, but I've always found Gerrof to be useful but not game winning. Sure it breaks up brigades, but confusion isn't common (remember the unit falls straight back, not at an angle). It means your opponent must be more careful with character placement, as they expect the spell (and need to order the units pushed back).

[calmacil]

To solve that problem Geep draw a card from the bottom of the deck.

O&G are a good army Geep, lots of variety. I'd say on par with High Elves or Dwarfs. Neither army has beaten my Orcs yet, and I'm no expert at the game.

[Dranask1]

I'm afraid I find that Gerroff is too powerful for such an easy spell.  At 2000 points Orcs get 4 spellcasters, which means 4 chances to break brigades up and cause confusion.  Against a cheap, rabble army that's fine but against elites like Chaos or Dwarves it can be really frustrating.

Ha! So says the Chaos player who casts Anger of the gods 4+ that seriously inhibits all movement on low cv leaders.
Said player also hits on 3+ with all his high elves. 
My O&G and Undead either stumble forwards or feel like pincushions! 

[Stormwind]

@Dranask1

I think that a man who has magical pink dice that literally obey verbal commands as to what to roll doesn't get a say in this. =-P

[Dranask1]

Moi?