Today was my first chance for a game since the Oamaru Onslaught a couple of weeks back. During the weekend the local players played the out of towners so today was a chance for a showdown vs Gordon's dwarves. We both ran our Onslaught lists.
I had mobility in my favour but Gordon had a list that is very well rounded and able to deal with a wide range of opponents and threats and is damn hard to beat.
I find Gordon's dwarf list extremely hard to deal with:
- 2x Ironguard regiments- defence 6 dwarves. My plan here? Avoid if possible.
- 1x Horde of sheldbreakers- Nerve 21/23- avoid if I can
- 3 x ranger troops- invaribly deployed in difficult going or woods, 30x crossbow shots. these guys from a nasty gunline and as an added bonus can fight well in hand to hand. Not cheap but I friggin hate facing these guys. 3 troops IMO is a very, very effective combination.
- 1x Dwarf standard bearer with the shoud of the saint to heal injured units- he hides behind the rangers and heals their wounds- did I mention I friggin hate rangers!
- 3x mastiff hunting packs- chaff, chaff, chaff. A late addition to his list (the third pack) and these guys are really handy as disruptors. Shoot them before they can be useful is my main tactic to deal with them.
- 2x steel behomoths (1 with golloch's gun). Slow but Def 6. I really struggle to deal with these monstosities. My plsn today? 2x giants in the front grill.
- 1x Lord on a giant beast- Def 6 of course!
so lots of rock hard (Def 6) nits, ood shootin with the behemoths and rangers and solid combat units with the shildbrekaers and ironguard. I really liek the balacne Gordon has achieved with this list.
My KoM "Easterlings" list:- 3x knight regiments
- 2x sergeant regiments
- 1x shielkdwall orde with didem of dragonkind
- 2x scout troops
- 2x giants
- 1x general on a winged beast.
- 1x wizard with a boomstrick
There were three objectives across the centre of the board. With my mobility I hoped to nab them and retreat away from the dwarves. I had targetted my most hated units- rangers and the behemoths as the units I wanted to try to deal with first.
DeploymentTurn 1- I got the first turn so advance across the table.
Another view of my turn 1.
Turn 2. My picture of Gordon's turn didn't come out but he managed to kill one unit of knights with fire from his behemoths and rangers. I'd wounded the far right ranger unit (from my point of view) but didn't waver or rout it. Gordon had given me a lesson in how to use chaff effectively and he managed to tie up giants with a 65pt mastiff unit. Grrr. Frustrated I threw my knights into the the rangers destroying one unit- but not the most effective trade to make as I wasn't able to punch through the line after combat...
So I pulled the victorious knights back instead and the mounted scots turned to face the mastiffs and sheildbreakers. On my right flank the far right mounted scout unit has grabbed one token.
The dwarf response was swift...for dwarves. The mastiff packs tore my scouts to pieces.
Another view- the behemoths targetted the giants while the rangers wavered my mounted scouts... who were just about to chare the rangers supported by the general on the winged beast.
The knights didn't stand a chance vs the behemoth and the mastiffs advance after killing the scouts blocked the giant from charging the behemoth on my time. Well played Gordon!
The shieldwall advance to claim a second objective. My general (in the background) has flown behind enemy lines.
The giants are lining up the behemoths- which going into the game is the units I wanted to deal with them with- Crushing Str 4 vs Def 6. The other giant has claimed another token.