Against the Skaven

What a wonderful gaming day I had a couple of nights ago. Not only got I to play another game of WFB 3rd edition but I also had the pleasure to meet a fellow oldhammerer whom I had only met online before. And this was also the very first time for me to play any version of WFB against the skaven.

We agreed on playing a few months ago when I had my vacation plans figured out. 2000 points, unmodified 3rd edition rules, game breaking spells banned. We also decided to have a 50% break point which means that the game would end when one army has lost 50% of it's point value in units of characters. Destroyed or routed. Units would be treated as whole so individual warriors within a unit are not counted.

My opponent had prepared the battlefield and let me choose the table edge. I took the side that had a small wheat field furthest to left, a forest in the middle, a couple of buildings and another field on the right.
Looking from my point of view skaven side had a hill on the left, some woods in the middle and a farmhouse with fields and wall on the right.

 

The battle field

 I set up first. From left to right my units were:
- bolt battery
- ship company, 9 troopers inc. standard and musician, light armor, shield, long bow, hand weapons, led by lvl10 hero with hail of doom arrow
- bolt battery
- 5 scouts, hand weapons, long bows, shields
- 12 archers, inc. standard and musician, longbow, light armor
- 8 wardancers, two handed weapons
- 19 guards, inc. standard, sacred standard, light armor, halberds, led by lvl20 prinze, arcane light armor, magic sword: hellhoned, mighty strike, parasitic blade
- 7 shore riders, spear, bow, shield, led by lvl10 hero, seeking arrows, spell shield
- lvl15 wizard on horse

 

View down the elf line from elven left flank.

Then the skaven army took positions. From left to right there were:
- a jezzail team
- a poisoned wind globadier
- warp fire thrower team
- 6 gutter runners, hand weapons, throwing stars
- 19 clanrats, inc. standard and musician, spears, light armor, shield, iron hard skin, great fangs, led by lvl15 wizard, spear, snake tail
- 19 stormvermins inc. banner and musician light armor, two handed weapons, relic banner, led by lvl10 hero
- 49 skaven slaves inc. banner and musician, led by lvl5 champion, 2 blague cencer bearers hidden
- warp fire thrower
- poison wind globadier
- 6 gutter runners, slings
- 34 clanrats inc. standard and musician, light armor, shield, led by lvl20 sewertyrant, hellhoned magic sword, spell shield, army standard bearer lvl5 champion, relic banner, war banner
- 6 rat ogres with 3 handlers
- jezzail team
- a summoned undead hero

The skaven set up with their right flank nearest in picture.

 



Seeing the rat horde spread out in front of me really made me nervous. The skaven outnumbered my elves by more than 2:1.

Weapons teams and gutter runners hide in the shadows of a farm.

ROUND 1

I won the roll for initiative and chose to go first. Wardancers rushed forward from between the two building on my right flank. Guards and shore riders advanced a little. Everyone else prepared themselves for shooting.
In shooting phase first blood was drawn as one of the bolt batteries killed a rat ogre.
On the right flank shore riders tried to take down the jezzail team lurking between two buildings but failed to wound. My wizard cast a fireball against that same team but did not cause damage.

The skaven line started a general advance. The skirmishers in the middle occupied the forest in front of them and the other gutter runners moved behind the farm buildings.

Both jezzails fired but did not hit. A single wardancer was scorched by skaven wizard´s fireball.

The elven right flank watches as the skaven are advancing.

 

 

Skaven line hurries towards the elves.

 



ROUND 2

Most of the elves held their position. Wardancers moved now in to the open area between the buildings. Shore riders advenced a little and guards wheeled a bit to the left to better face the stormvermin and clanrats.

Missile fire from shore riders killed the jezzail team that was taking cover between the farm buildings. The shore riders´ leader took out the warp fire thrower team with a magical missile. On left flank bolt throwers continued to fire against the rat ogres and scored one wound. Marines and scouts shot at the skaven general´s clan rat unit which lost a few fighters. Archers killed seven slaves with their arrows.

Now that the ranged threat agains him was neutralized the elf wizard cast a wind blast spell from his elevated position against the storm vermin.



With both jezzail and warp fire thrower team taken out

the elven right can now breathe a little easier.

 

 

The skaven continued to move forward. The stormvermin failed their strenght test and could not move. The skaven right flank with rat ogres, clanrats and slaves were getting pretty close to elven lines and might be able to charge next turn. The skaven slaves came to 8" range of elven archers and two plague cencer bearers were released. The first one hit home and killed five elves but the other was left spinning in between the two units. Despite heavy casualties the archers´ morale held.

 

 

The lone jezzail on skaven right flank shot at bolt thrower crew but missed. Skaven wizard cast a mystic mist in front of shore riders and wardancers were left inside the mist.

 

The spell was originally directed so that it would affect also the guard. But as they had a sacred standard we ruled that the spell would not affect them and the template would be moved so that it would not cover that unit.

 

The skaven are closing in on elven left flank.

 

 

Plague senser bearer wrecks havoc in archer lines. 

Mystic mist will hinder elven movement.



 

 

ROUND 3

 

My shore riders marched backwards to get out of the mist and guard held it´s position. Wardancers moved so that they would be able to get out of the mist next turn. On my left there was no movement as everyone prepared to shoot.

 

The ship company´s marines shot at rat orges. Their leader had a hail of doom arrow and a total of 15 hits were scored. I was lucky to kill all three beast handlers which meant that the rat ogres would head home on their next movement phase. A couple of clanrats from skaven general´s unit were shot too.

 

As we ruled that the elf wizard would not be able to see through the mystic mist and there fore could not maintain the wind blast he used fire ball against the gutter runners now behind the farm wall and killed one.

 

 

The rat ogres head home as their handlers are killed by ship company´s shooting.

 

 

With wind blast gone the storm vermins charge the elven guard. On the other flank ship Company and the bolt thrower crew on their right side are charged by the clan rats. The plague senser bearer who killed five elves last turn now lost his direction hitting a building wall and killing himself. The other bearer moved sideways and clear the lane between elf archers and skaven slaves. The gutter runners on the far left cleared the farm wall and prepared to meet the wardancers.

 

For the first time in this game a warp fire thrower shoots and hits a scout in the forest. The scout was killed on the spot. Jezzail fire was once again inaccurate. A wardancer was killed by shooting stars thrown by gutter runners.

 

The combat between elf guard and stormvermin was a pretty uneventfull melee. Elf general scored a wound against the skaven hero stealing an attack from him but no other wounds were caused. The skaven ost the combat by one point and were pushed back.

 

On other flank ship company´s captain was killed by skaven general and one bolt thrower crew member was lost resulting in a push back.

 

 The clan rats charge.

 

And so do the stormvermins too.

 

 

ROUND 4

 

 

I decided to take my chances and charged skaven slaves with my remaining seven archers and four scouts. Against all odds the slaves did not panic despite being charges to both front and flank. Wardancers charged the gutter runners and went into whirling death mode.

 

First there was some gutter runners....

 

The only shooting that occurred was a point blank range hit by the bolt thrower farthest to the left against the summoned undead hero who was sent back to grave.

 

In close combat three stormvermins were killed and no elves lost. Push back but not enough casualties yet to force a panic test. On the marines and bolt thrower crew vs. skaven general and his clan rats a couple of elves were killed. They were pushed back and had to test for breaking. The lone crewman lost his nerve and was free hacked down but the marines held.

 

A couple of skaven slaves were killed but their sheer number meant that they won the combat against scouts and archers. Pushed back the archers took a panic test but passed.

 

Wardancers slaughtered the gutter runners without breaking a sweat.

 

...but then there was none.

 

A poisoned wind globadier had moved in front of the other clan rat unit and elf wizard cast a wind blast against him. That would keep him from throwing his globes and also keep the clan rat unit from moving forward to help the stormvermin.

 

Scouts and archers battle with skaven slaves.

 

The wind blast struck globadier took a risk and moved backwards through the clan rat unit behind him. The move succeeded but now the clan rats were affected by the spell.

 

The jezzail team finally hit the bolt thrower and killed a crewman. His comrades broke and fled of the battle field. The marines next to them did not panic. In close combat they unsuprisingly lost again but refused to break. And again the skaven slaves won against scouts and archers but elven morale was high. The remaining senser bearer head away from the melee towards the elven board edge.

 

A single stormvermin was killed taking them past 25% loss point. They could not hit the elves and were pushed back yet again. They passed their break test but how long would they last agains such pressure.

 

The elf wizard had been left to exposed position and skave wizard hit him with a fire ball. He was very badly wounded but was able to continue.

 

Clan rats are held in place by wind blast and can´t help the stormvermins.

 

 

ROUND 5

 

There was very little movement as most of the elf units were in combat. Wardancers moved towards clan rats and I took my wizard to better cover. There was no shooting.

 

 

The close combat between stormvermins and elf guards proved to be decisive. After losing yet another round of combat the elite skaven broke. The wave of panic spread through the skaven army and after all the checks were done the only units still not running were the two clan rat units and a jezzail team. By our rules the skaven army was beyond the 50% break point and the battle was over.

 

Panic spreads through skaven lines and triuphant elves pursue.

 

 

It was a great battle to play and a were different opponent than the dwares I´ve been playing against. I did not really understand how low the skaven´s LD and CL are before this. My battle plan was to shoot and hold positions on one flank and to advance on the other. I got lucky with my shooting as I neutralized the rat ogres and high elven morale meant that the skav general´s unit was tied for a long time and could not interfere with what was happening near the farm.

 

Taking out the jezzail and warp flame thrower was essential to my right flank´s plans. The mystic mist partially messed up my advance as my cavalry could not do anything after that spell being cast. That was mostly my own bad us of troops as I should have redirected them to the other side of battle field. Now they just stood and waited for the mist to dissolve.

 

A BIG thank you for my opponent who let me to his home to play and set up his wonderful pieces of scenery to a gaming board. Really hoping to have a rematch some day. Here are just a couple of shots of his beautiful army and scenery:

 

Rat ogres 

A poisen wind globadier by cross roads