Kings of War: Ogres vs Goblins

 We’ve been in covid lockdown in NZ the last few weeks but down in the South Island we are now down to level 2 and so I am able to get down to Oamaru and get some gaming in. Today Josh popped round, after having had a game vs Gordon in the morning, for a game at my place, both times using his new goblin list.  

Josh’s goblins- 2000 points

Josh has made some significant changes to his army post Oamaru Onslaught and I like the direction he is going in.

• 2x Goblin rabble hordes
• 2x troll hordes
• 2x fleabag rider sniff troops
• 1x mawpack beast troop
• 1x mincer mob
• 1x mincer
• 1x winggit
• 1x Goblin king
• 2x wizards- 1x boomstick, 1x conjurers staff
• 1x troll bruiser
• Magwa and Jo’os
• 1x Magwa’ns regiment

16x units, 23 unit strength

Lots of units there! The trolls and mincer mob especially being things I would need to watch out for.

 

I took my new ogres- 2000 points

I am unsure of a couple of points- one being the berserker bully but overall am fairly happy with the core.  I was also very unsure about the hunter horde and keen to see how it would fare on table. However, before the battle I had organised my ogres into three rough battle groups, units which I intended to work together. Actually, originally my plan called for the battlegroups to cinsit of a unit of siege breakers and either the giant or the hunters but in the end decided to group the two siege breaker hordes together and use the giant and hunters as a second battlegroup which I hoped would be able to control the difficult going terrain. 

Battlegroup #1: Left flank

• 1x Goblin scout regiment
• 1x hunter horde
• 1x giant
• 1x berserker bully

 Battlegroup #2: The Centre

• 2x siege breaker hordes
• 1x berserker brave regiment
•  1x Nomorok  

 Battlegroup #3: Flank protection

• 1x berserker brave regiment
• 1x shooter horde
• 1x sergeant with crossbow

Unit strength: 22, units 11

We rolled up the control mission so we got points at the end of the game for controlling each of six sections of the board.

I was going to be out deployed so my aim was to try and not spread out too much, try to focus on/ dominate the centre, have the hunters and giant hold one flank by securing the woods on the left. Other than that, I had no real plan really.

As you can see from the photo below the goblins stretched out over the board. Just out of picture at the bottom Josh deployed his winggit, which I really was unsure how I would deal with this as I have no anti-flyer options really. 

An aerial view of the orges deployment

The goblins took the first turn. Josh kept the winggit out of the arc of the sergeant but forgot that he was within the berserker braves charge range.  

The winggit wizzing down the flank. Josh concentrated his wizard's and Magwa's lightning bolts on the shooters who took a number of wounds. 

Ogres turn 1... charge!!!! Alas the berserker braves failed to do enough wounds but did waiver the winggit. 

On my left flank the hunters and giant charged the sniffs- overkill I know but hey it was fun!

The hunters and giant then fell back slightly, the trolls and goblin rabble charging the giant on their turn. 

As you can see the left is where the acton is taking place in and aorund the woods.  As you can see the shooters have taken 8 wounds from the various oblins wizard's and both the shooters and sergeant had returned the favour by wounding the wizard with the boomstick and removin a nit of sniffs. The sergeant has turned to face the winggit which by now had gotten right behind my right flank. 5 shots needing 6s to hit= bugger all chance in fact. At this point I was starting to rue not having any "indvidual" characters.

The brawl in the centre expands. The red goblin scouts and the giant both attack the trolls, which had regenerated a few wounds, the hunters supported by the siege breakers take on the goblin rabble, yes total overkill in use of my points but I didn't see to many problems on the horizon.  

To cover the siege breakers open flank I sent the berserker bully forward to kill the mawpack and possibly slow down the trolls and mincer mob too.  

The mawpack died to "Captain Chop Chop" but the scouts and giant failed to destroy the trolls which left the scouts open to being charged by a mincer. 

The Magwan's charge the siege breakers, the winggit continues dropping bombs and harassing various units- and I was unable to do anything except for a few crossbow bolts and lightning bolts from Nom Nom. The Berserker Bully got himself double charged and was cut down in a round. The Goblin rabble causing 9 wounds themselves. 

That bloody winggit and its firebombs! Josh keeps chipping away at the shooters

The mincer charges into the flank of the goblin scouts destroying them. 

In my turn I do a few sneaky charges- the giant charges the mincer and the hunters took care of the trolls. Further the right the siege breakers charge the other unit of trolls and the berserker braves charge the goblin rabble, while the other siege breaker unit continues fighting the magwan's. The shooters had taken a few more wounds  and were likely to die next turn to shooting so they too charged, 18 attacks at 4+ was very handy. The sergeant and Nom Nom continued on their futile game of trying to shoot down the winggit.   

A close up of the action

The hunters change their facing having seen off the trolls and to avoid being flanks charged.

A look a long the line as the battle rages. My second unit of bserker braves are eying up some goblin characters in the nearby forest. 

Turn 5 (I think): The seige breaker emerge victorious in the centre having smashed their way through the goblins magwans and trolls. Nom Nom contines hurling lightning bolts at that bloody winggit.  The berserker braves kill Magwa.

The mincer charges the siege breakers in the flank while the mincer mob charges the beserker braves. 

The mincer mob was then destroyed and the game ended at the end of turn 6. The ogres controlled 3 sections and the winggit one so game to the ogres.

Thoughts

It was a good close game. On turn 4 or 5 Josh chose to charge the beserker braves but afterwards we discussed whether charging the siege breakers might have been a better option but other than that not too many "what ifs." I liked the variety in Josh's list, it is defintiely a "tool kit" list d will require a  bit of tweakin and gwttin the right units workin together and supporting each other but I think he is on the right track with it. The trolls were very annoying to face, as was the winggit. I don't have much to counter one flyer, let alone two or three, and so that is a definite point of weakness that may ened addressin. Boomers sem to be a common "AA" choice but I rewally don't want gunpowder weapons in my force so are not an option for me, maybe a second unit of shooters instead of the bully and one of the bserker braves regiments, otherwise I will simply swap the beserker bully for another sergeant with a croosbow and leave it at that. 

I was very pleased with how the hunters performed, in the woods they really shone and made a nice 1-2 with the giant. Definitely worth their points. 

As i said above, one change I think I will make is to swap the beserker bully to a second sergeant. I needed inspiring for the giant and hunters and the 8 attacks of the bully meant I was a tad to... rash with the way I used him.

Overall, though I am happy with the balance of the force and how it has performed on table so far. 

Craig