Topic: 3000 pt Empire vs Beasts Ambush Battle Report (Empire SV)

[Ender]

Here is what I brought:

Characters
1   Arch Lector, War Altar, Mace of Helstrum, VHS, heavy armor, shield
1   Templar Grand Master, Laurels of Victory, Sword of Power
1   Empire Captain (BSB), Lance, FPA, War Banner
1   Battle Wizard Lvl 2 FIRE, RoP, RoV
1   Battle Wizard Lvl 2 FIRE, DFR
1   Battle Wizard Lvl 2 FIRE, 2x dispel

Core
5   Knightly Order
5   Knightly Order
5   Knightly Order   
5   Knightly Order

Special
10   Knights of The Inner Circle, FC, Standard of Arcane Warding
10   Outrider
1   Great Cannon
1   Great Cannon

Rare
1   Steam Tank
1   Steam Tank

This list was made with great help from Mr. Bies. Thanks!

Here is how things looked after deployment:

So for my deployment the who plan was to own ground near the center and hold for the ambush. Taking out the chariots was the main task and secondary was stalling the General/Shlaneesh Wizard L4/Shaman Beast unit. The cannons were MVP's for the first two rounds as they took out 5/6 of the chariots. However, both stanks were quickly dispatched by the never ending whip. The balance I quickly saw was which units do I let die in his magic phase and which spells do I try an stop. I quickly learned that you always have to dispel the buffing spells on the general, otherwise he gets S10+ by round 2. That equals sadness.

I placed the hills in the corners in the thought that putting a cannon there would open flank shots down two table edges. Unfortunately, with the forest in the middle it took away the long range flank shots.

After Turn 1

One chariot killed by each cannon, units begin movement. What I should have done was left a stank in the rear and put the war altar on the charge with a stank supporting it. Not being able to fight in the enemy's cc phase sucks.

After Turn 2

Another great showing by the cannons, 3 more chariots gone. The dogs on the left flank run off the table, and even though those knights are way out of position it pulls a RnF unit of beasts with ItP away from the secondary task of stalling his general. Knights on the right flank move up to bait the chariot for the second group of knights. The stanks make their charge into the main beast unit and a slaneesh. Man that whip is insane, and the scenario allowed for generals to re-roll misses, 6 wounds in 1st cc, destroyed in 2nd cc.

After Turn 3

AMBUSH! - As I saw my stanks dropping like flies it became a race to get the waltar in front of the Knights of the Inner Circle (KIC). The center wizard, w/DFR, was able to finish off the slaneesh, freeing up the KIC to get in position for their charge. Oddly enough I got spells 1 and 3 for each wizard... lol... Both knights on the right flank continue to position for charges.

After Turn 4

Right knights charge and destroy the chariot and into the beasts. Bottom Knights through dogs, my outriders get into cc without stand and shoot, sadness, and cannon 1 is over-run. Left flank collapses but fortunately he breaks off his general to challenge waltar, which VHS quickly ended that in 1 round of cc. A shaman also broke off to the left flank leaving the main beast unit a bit exposed. The last slaneesh charges my KIC.

After Turn 5

KIC quickly destroy the slaneesh, waltar has another great performance with the cannon ball on a stick against the beasts and over-running to the left flank. The knights quickly help the outriders to pursue and destroy the ambush beasts. My cannon 2 gets into cc with 5 dogs and they end up missing each other in every cc for the rest of the game... lol...

After Turn 6

Not a whole lot able to do here as far as points. Beasts try and get a 3rd wound on waltar but only get his first 2 against the beasts on the left flank.

This is the second time I have played beasts. 1st time ended in me being massacred. This time I got a Strong Victory, and in the scenario points it was close to an M.

Overall, outstanding showing by the cannons, with only 1 misfire, and 1 cannon ball sticking in the mud. 2 knights did a great job stalling the flanks to stabilize the main body and ambush zones. I was only able to get 1 cleansing flare off, but the fear of that opened up great magic phases in turn 5 and after killing his wizards it left him with only 3 dispell dice in turn 6.

Please let me know if you have in suggestions as I am always finding things that I need to do better in the future.

And thanks again Mr Bies!

[Nicholas Bies]

Nice job mate!

Happy to see you've turned around a massacre loss into a Solid win (but I doubt it's all to my army list help).

looking forward to your next report!!

[Taggra Foecarver]

Great battle report, thanks!  What is this whip you mention though?  Not familiar with that and surprised at how easily they took out the Steam Tanks.

[ekman]

Awesome report.  I like the maps, makes it so much easier to understand what's going on.

[Derek Contyre]

Good report man, but could you do us a favour next time? Stop using acronyms for words please? it makes it really hard to follow a story.

But apart from that it was good .

[Markw]

Aye, how did the steam tanks die so fast?

[Ender]

His General was:

Kahzrak The One Eyed - WS 7, S5, T4, W3, I6, A4 and LD8. He can be set in ambush, and all of your ambushing units can be set up, not just half. He can also sound the Bay-Horn even when he is hidden. Plus, any Ambushing unit coming up withing 12" of him can use his Leadership for Ambush tests. Kahzrak also has a 2+ Armour Save and Magic Resistance 1.

Here is where he becomes a huge problem:
Any spell successfully cast on Kahzrak and the unit he is with, whether it is dispelled or not, is absorbed into the Dark Mail armour giving Kahzrak +1 Strength, which can be accumulated up to S10. He also has the whip Scourge. This makes a seperate attack than the 4 on his profile and can be against a seperate target in combat. This makes only one attack, but if you successfully wound, you make another attack, and continue till you no longer wound. He is only 292 points and uses up a Lord and Hero spot.

The scenario we were playing in allowed generals to re-roll missed hits and wounds... so that made his whip almost unstoppable... Gotta keep dispelling his attempts to buff Kahzrak, but even if dispelled he still gets +1 Strength...

But... VHS FTW!

[Markw]

Arr ive just read the book. The Dark mail doesnt say it has to be a hostile spell either!!! ocuhies - so you are very right - VHS FTW

[Derek Contyre]

How can a spell be cast if it is dispelled?

I would think that when you dispel a spell it is not cast at all, so how would it buff kahzrak if it was never cast at all?

[Ender]

From another forum:

http://battlereporter.freeforums.org/khazrak-the-one-eye-tactics-t1886.html

Khazrak get +1str for the rest of the game for EVERY spell cast on him or his unit regardless of if its dispelled (that includes your own spells) up to a total strength of 10.

[polybus11]

How did that forest wind up in the center?  I thought all terrain has to be 12" away from the center.

[Gneisenau]

Arr ive just read the book. The Dark mail doesnt say it has to be a hostile spell either!!! ocuhies - so you are very right - VHS FTW

Not to be a spoilfun, but wasn't VHS ruled to only swap "innate" abilities and nothing from magic items?

[phillyt]

Not to rain on any parades, but that is a fairly Empire friendly board. 

3 pieces of terrain at 3000 points?  Eh...

Phil

[Nicholas Bies]

Actually that is correct, there should have been 4-5.

[phillyt]

And only one of those was usable as cover.

That said, the beast player did play a fairly hard list.  You did well to win by such a margin.

Phil