KoW: 2000 pt Ogres vs Free Dwarves

Another Sunday so a chance for another game vs Gordon. We both had new armies to run this week. I’be been putting together a force of Ogres and Gordon is experimenting with Free Dwarves.

Yesterday afternoon I decided I “needed” a Giant so quickly painted one up to join the horde.

Craig’s Ogres

• 2x goblin sniff troops
• 1x goblin scout regiment
• 1x Ogre Warrior horde- with Caterpillar
• 2x Siege breaker hordes
• 1x shooter horde
• 1x sergeant
• 1x ogre standard bearer
•  Nomagarok- warlock\

11 drops, unit strength 22.

Rationale

Sniffs- chaff to disrupt opponents attacks and maybe throw the odd arrow. I decided I needed some speed 10 cavalry to pressure opponents on the flanks and to act as chaff when required. 

Scouts- I wanted a fast flanking force at regiment strength to make up fr the slower ogres. Originally I'd planned for two of these but a the last minute canned one unit to take the giant. 

Warrior legion- Using Reaper Bones Bubears, these guys were there mainly as that is all I had available. With the potion of the caterpillar they shold do okay in bad going.

Siege Breakers- everyone seems to rate these guys, not sure if they are worth it, time will tell. But Def 6 in the front and CS 2 is not to be sneezed at.

Shooters-  boomers seem more popular but if deployed right, 18 attacks, range 30, piercing 2 should be something to keep opponent honest.

Giant- mmmmm giants. Enough said. Actually I figured there is always room for strider in an army to deal with difficult going and who doesn't like CS 4 even if you are unsure how many attacks you'll get.  

 

Gordon’s free dwarves

Approximately:

•  2x Elemental hordes
• 1x Greater elemental
• 1x ranger regiment
• 1x Brock rider regiment
• 1x Brock rider troop
• 1x Berserker lord
• 1x Herneas the Hunter
• 1x Free Dwarf Stone Priest
•  Someone else

Mission: Control

The idea is to control more table sections at the end of the game than your opponent. My plan to try to win in the centre and maybe on one flank and see how we go but really with a new army the plan was to see how different combats and units worked together. Of course deployment is a ame within a ame and so my cunning plan came unstuck as I responded to Gordon's deployment and so somehow I ended up with more units on my right flank than I had originally planned as I countered his drops. 

Deployment: As you can see the giants and warrior legion ended up on my right flank- I positioned my standard bearer oorly and same with Nomogarok. Oh well, it is my first time being an ogre commander!

The dastardly dwarves line up and are rearing to go. The ogres won the roll off and go first. 

Nomagarok and the sergeant- or in this case a Reaper Bones bugbear which make great ogres. 

Turn 1. I moved my units on the right flank. The shooters + warlock (lightning bolt) got lucky and caused 5 wounds on the rangers depite their stealthy etc- have I mentioned yet how much I hate rangers? 

End of my turn 1. I don't fancy taking on both the brock rider troop & regiment not to mention the  berserker on a beast. 

In his turn Gordon shot away my sniffer screen. Bugger. 

End of turn 1- Gordon advances the brocks onto the hill. Gordon is quite a methodical player and always checks the angles for various units and so makes sure that he remains out of charge range of the giant. 

The elemental lord had scouted 12" forward at the start of the game. On turn 2 the goblins scouts decided to charge into its flank- 28 attacks? worth a crack. Maybe I should have waited for the siege breakers to join them but I figured if I could pin the elemental in place for a turn I could finish it off the following turn. 

The sergeant offers advice. The shooters continue shooting at the rangers and do a few more wounds, despite needing 7s to hit. 

In his turn Gordon advances the lesser elementals. 

On my right flank I throw the sniffs at the brocks, figuring they'd slow them down a turn and also might doa wound or two- which they did. gordon had advanced the brocks slightly so the ogre legion (more Reaper bugbears) retreat into the woods- I'm not feeling confident taking on that mob. 

Much to my surprise the goblin scouts held their own against the greater elemental and only took 5 wounds. 

This meant the seige breakers could crash into the elemantal's flank and cut it down. The sergeant tried to cover the siege breakers flank. 

On the right flank some uppity dwarf lord takes on the giant. 

The warior legion still feels that it is in check so if in doubt hide in the woods. The dwarf beserker lord on a beast has now flanked the legion though. The army standard bearer was shot by the rangers and Herneas last turn taking 5 wounds so has retreated out of line of sight. 

Things still looking pretty even across the battlefield. I have killed the greater elemental but the elementals are now closing in on the siege breakers in the centre while at the bottom of the picture my warriors remain in the woods. 

Gordon throws both elemental hordes into combat. If you are wondering why the sniffs are facing the wrong way the dwarf ironclad regiment is sneaking along the far table edge and they have turned to deal with them.  

The siege breakers hold vs the elementals. The bottom elemental horde took a few wounds from the shooters before they got into combat. The sergeant couldn't stop the onslaught though and was slain. 

I throw Nomogorak into the flank and he caused 5 wounds on the elementals! 

On the right flank the giant had killed the unnamed (okay so I forgot who he was) dwarf hero but was about to be hit in the rear by the berserker lord. The army standard bearer took 52 brock rider attacks (he was hit in the flank trying to get close enough to the giant to inspire him) and the result was as expected- no more standard bearer. 

As expected the giant is in trouble with 19 wounds. Gordon rolled a 3 for the nerve test which was still enough. Close to snake eyes though. 

The warrrior legion kills the brock rider troop and reforms to prevent flank charges. 

In the centre the siege breakers have killed the elemental regiments while the rangers were slain by the shooters. Herneas hit the goblin scouts but fails to beat their nerve test- those sniffs are damn lucky today!

Gordon tried to kill the warrior legion who just hold and then retreat further into the woods as I was wavered and couldn't counter charge anyway. 

A final assault on turn 6 but the wariors hold. 

Result

Gordon controls one sector, I control two including the 2 point one so 3-1 to the Ogres.

That was Gordon's first loss in quite a while and though we were both using new forces and it wasn't the force he'd prefer I was happy to claim the victory. Gordon always makes you work for a win but always a fun opponent and I always learn heaps playing him.  

Thoughts

Wow, ogres hit hard and can take the punishment, I lost none of the ogre hordes which I was very happy about. I'm not sure if the photos adequately show the cat and mouse nature of the positioning in this game. I made a few errors such as location of the standard bearer on the wrong side of the legion so he couldn't inspire the giant but overall managed to keep my flanks protected when needed. The greater elemental not killing the scouts was probably a pivotal turn as it allowed the seige breakers to hit it in the flank and by not advancing the lesser elemtnals till turn 2 meant the greater elemetnal was slightly isolated. 

Having my warrior legion lurking in the woods was not my pregame plan but with the mobility of the brocks and supporting characters I really felt it was the best option and so didn't take the bait offered by Gordon to enter his killing zone but at the same time by focusning on the legion and giant it allowed my siege breakers the room they needed to take down the elementals to control the centre of the table so overll I think I came out better in that one.  

So this was my first game with ogres- and needed to do a wee bit of subbin (hunnic cavaltry for scouts) but what do I think? I quite enjoyed the way they play, subtley is not a word in the ogre vocabulary but at the same time the units aren't cheap and so need to be used carefully. 

Siege Breakers: do everything they say on the tin and I can see what they are so popular- can't wait to get the minotaur figures I've ordered to use as them. 

Warror legion: This one I was unsure of but with the potion of the caterpillar they are prety damn handy and able to deal with units in difficult going. Sold. Very solid is my overall impression.

Shooters- 18 shots, range 30"  on 5+ with piercing 2? Yes please.  Handy in the late game phase too as they have melee 4+. Deployment is critical but I am thinking about a second unit of them.

Giants- what can I say I like giants, not sure how they'll do from round to round but always a solid choice. 

Red Goblin Sniffs- 2 troops is 210 points and quite frankly they are the only thing I  am unsure of in the list. I wanted them for their missile shots and as chaff but not really sure they are the right fit for how I want to play. Maybe swap them for troops of scouts though I am tempted to run a second regiment of scouts instead.  

Red Goblin Scouts- 10" move, thunderous charge 1 yes please. At regiment strength they are handy from a flank and if you can get them charging off a hill they become thunderous charge two.

Possible changes?

Replace the sniffs with a second regiment of scouts and add a chariot for the sergeant. 

Until next time

Craig