KoW vs Gordon's dwarves

 Final playtest.

Last chance to try out ideas before lists are due to be submitted for Conquest and so I came up with a last minute change to add some chaff units.

 My Ogres (2000 points)

·                2x boomer regs

·                2x beserker regs

·                1x shooter horde

·                2x hunter hordes

·                2x siege breaker hordes- 1 with healing brew

·                1x boomer sergeant- inspiring talisman

·                1x warlock

·                1x Nomogarok  

I made a few changes from the last game. I decide that 4 characters was to many , that I lacked flexibility and could do with another regiment to get to 12 units on table if I could.  

I spent last night rebasing my boomer horde as 2 regiments- the theory being that as I want to use them to screen my siege breaker and hunter hordes anyway there is more flexibility as regiments, sure they work out dearer pointwise but also give more unit strength and adds a chaff option and flexibility fr target selecetion. 

Likewise I was going to take a warrior horde as my final choice but at the last minute swapped it out for 2x berserker brave regiments, again to act as chaff and flexibility. This meant downgrading the beserker bully/ sergeant as well- replacing it with a warlock.

A rejigging that gave me 12 units and a few chaff options.

Gordon played his Brocks of Doom list which he has locked in for Conquest.

 Gordon’s Dwarves

• 2 regiments Ironclad both with throwing dogs,
• 1 troop of mastiffs,
• 2  troops of brock riders
• 2 regiments of brock riders 1 with brew strength, 1 with brew sharpness,
• 2 troop sharp shooters,
• 1 regiment of rangers,
• 1 berserker lord on a brock.
• 1 lord on a beast with blade of the beast slayer,
• 2 ASB 1 with heal 3, 1 with bane chant 2.
• 1 hero or lord on a brock.

 Mission: Loot. Three objectives spread across the centre line whoever controlled more counters at the end f the game would win.

 My cunning plan

I’d decided to ignore the objective in the woods on the right and aim to take the centre and left hand ones. This was mainly as i didn't think the hunters could cope with the 2 Ironclad regiments and brock lord. 

This photo gives a good view of the objectives. As  I said I'd decided to go for the central and ledt hand one. I really didn't feel confident thst the hunters would be able to defeat the two Ironclad regiments which were supported by the brock lord. 

 

Gordon won the roll off and took the first turn. He concentrated his shooting on the boomer regiment in front of the siege breakers, doing 7 wounds but Nom Nom rolled really well and healed six of them. As you can see the ogres in the centre also claimed a hill. 

Gordon was trying a new tactic, rather than shielding his brocks from the Ogre shooting- which there is a surprisingly large amount of, he wanted to stay in the open. I obliged him and concentrated all my shooting (2x brock regs, shooters, and warlock) on a brock troop blasting it off the table. 

Bottom of turn 1- the goblin scouts with their 20" charge range threaten the brock riders flank. On the far right the borck lord is making a solo run down the flank while both Ironclad close in on the objective. I forgot the lot tokens are moveable so my cunning plan to contest later in the game came unstuck next turn when the dwarves grabbed the loot token then ran off with it!

Turn 2- I threw a berserker regiment at the troop of brocks. Gordon pointed out afterwards that I shuld have also advanced the siege breakers to within 12" of the beserkers to counter charge the next turn- I on the otherhand was thinking that I would charge off the hill when Gordon went for the objective. Funny how each player sees things differently. 

I again I concentrated my fire and this time blasted a brock regiment to smithereens- which I must admit gave me cause to think I had a chance in this one. Two brock units down so far. 

Turn 3. Gordon's reposne? A triple charge. Ouch! The outcome of this one was pretty much a foregone conclusion.  

Yep. In the top of the photo the brock lord can just be seen peeking out beyond the tower. 

Turn 4. The goblin scouts got sniped by the sharp shooters. The boomer regiment in front of the sharp shooters had also finally been removed- lasting a couple of turns longer than they should have thanks to Nom Nom. The beserker braves have entered the wods and so threaten the rangers so Gordon threw the mastiffs at them- the bserkers saw them off on the counter charge.  

This is the turn where the wheels start to fall off. The siege breakers on the right should have continued to suppor tthe centre rather than wader off after the Ironclad. the ther siege breakers grab the centr eobjective. I was confident that my shooting at the brock troop by boomer reg, bomer sergeant, warlock, shooters and Nom nom would blrw the already damaged troop off hte hill but I failed to finish off the brocks (low nerve roll) and so suddenly my siege breakers are facing a double charge in the fornt and flank by brocks! 

Yep, in DBA this would be called closing the door. My own fault, I shouldn't have been so cocky and had the bomers been better positioned it would not have allowed the flank charge to happen. Clever use of the brock lord also allowed Gordon to charge just part of the siege breakers front. 

Gordon also throws the Ironclad to hold up the siege breakers and cover the other Ironclad regiment which is running off with a loot token. I was tempted to head the hunters to reinfrce my centre and left but in the end turned them to cover the shooters from the brock lord instead. 

A Brock, A brock, my kingdom for a brock!

Close up of the fighting vs the siege breakers. 

The scrum in the centre.

The siege breakers are destroyed, the brocks capturing their loot token. On my turn the bomers and Nom Nom shot the brock troop, devastating them...  until I rolled double 1s!!!! F#@K!!! Those damn brocks are invincible.

The brock troop slams into the boomer regiment destroying them while Nom Nom stares down the brock regiment.

The rangers and sharper shooters still contrl the left flank and not much I can do aobut either. 

Turn 5 or 6. The brocks head off towards the left objective, and Gordon advances his sharp shooters. The lord on the brock charges Nom Nom. 

In response, Nom Nom uses his nimbleness to withdraw, dance round the brock lord and flank charge the badly wounded brock regiment killing them and claiming a token. The beserker braves though danaged a poised to grab the objective on the other side of the hill.  

Turn 6 On the right the hunters, siege breakers and shooters chase the retreating Ironclads. Nom Nom was waivered by the  rangers. If the game ends now then it is a 1-1 draw. 

Alas Gordon rolled a 4 and there was a turn 7. The rangers grabbed the objective in front of the wall- the brck lord having killed the beserker braves the previous turn. Gdon blocked thehunters and siege breakers from charginf down and grabbing a loot token from the Ironclad by sacrificng an army standard, whle Nom nom was killed by the sharpshooters. 

 

Result: 1-0 to Gordon.

Thoughts

Wow, what a game! That one really went down to the wire. Again their was plenty to be learned but felt that my tactics were solid, a couple of dice rolls went agaist me but that is wargaming. Gordon was really on the back foot turn 2 with two Brock units down but as he pointed out afterwards me nt advancing the siegebreakers into charge range gave him the ipening he needed to counter attack and get back into the game. Still it really was a good game and felt that we both had opportunites to take it but  in the end though Gordon was able to sacrifice a the standard bearer to ensure he kept an bjective. 

Two losses over the weekend but both good games and I feel happy with the way the list has evolved and liked the balance of this version. The 4x regiments added plenty of flexibility on attack, could act as chaff,  added to the unit strength of the army and although they didn't do anything this time the scouts added another dimension for Gordon to take into account so like the overall balance I have now.