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8th Ed. 2400 Points vs Skaven (or Learning Noob vs Tournie player)

Discussion in 'Battle Reports' started by Gary_M, Feb 11, 2015.

  1. Gary_M
    Razordon

    Gary_M Well-Known Member

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    My oppo had set out the terrain, pretty much symmetrically. Looking from my left to right:
    His half: Table edge, gap, hill in deployment zone, gap, building just outside deployment zone, gap, wood in the deployment zone, gap Table edge,
    My half: Table edge, gap, wood in deployment zone, larger gap, building just outside deployment zone, small gap, hill in deployment zone, gap, table edge.
    I got to deploy first unit (actually wanted to go second, but hey ho).
    Deployment as follows (again all from my PoV, left to right):
    His: Between teble edge and building two unit of 40 slaves (each with magician and champion), unit of 36 Storm vermin with lvl 4 wizard, BSB and possibly another character, a rat dart(?), unit of 40 slaves. Behind the building was a unit of gutterrunners I think (they went into the building and shot at things), behind them was the hellpit, facing diagonally to the wood in my deployment zone and another rat dart. On the base line, facing the gap between the two buildings was a catapult, next to that was a warp cannon, another rat dart next to the wood and over in the far corner, a doomwheel and a final rat dart. He had another unit of gutter runners who scouted round to the rear of the wood on my side.
    Mine: My furthest left deployment was a unit of 2 salamanders, opposite the building on his side (about half my base line was unoccupied)next to them the ancient steg, a single salamander, the saurus plus slann, then the basti on the hill, and finally the cold one riders with both scarvet cowboys. In front of all of them from steg to basti were the skirmishers, terradons, skirmishers and skirmishers.
    I also got first move.

    T1 – Lizardmen
    I vanguarded the terradons 12 forward, and then marched them to between the two arty pieces.
    Both sallie units turned/moved to face the flanking gutterrunners. The skirmishers all marched forward, as did the saurus and basti and cold one riders. The steg only moved, not marched.

    Magic
    Unfortunately I didn’t write down what was rolled or cast/dispelled spells so going from memory.
    I don’t think I did much in magic this turn, most if not all were out of range.

    Shooting
    One of the salamanders hit the gutterrunners killing one, they passed their panic test.
    The terradons do 2 wounds to the Warp Cannon

    No combat.

    T1 – Skaven
    All the big blocks march forward, wheeling slightly to their left to face where my army is.
    Rat darts move forward (one chaffing the cold one riders) and doomwheel trundles forward a little bit on low dice rolls.
    The hellpit turns around and marches into the terradons.

    Magic
    To paraphrase The Killers, “This Slann is on fire” All magic was dispelled.

    Shooting
    Gutterrunners on flank put a wound on dual salamander unit.
    The warp cannon took off a couple of saurus.
    The catapult misfired – And exploded!

    Combat
    As expected the terradons die a horrible death at the hands, err claws, of the hellpit. Maybe I was too keen to get them in, but it did draw the hellpit out of position for a turn….

    T2 – Lizardmen

    Movement
    Cold ones charge the rat dart, skirmishers move forward to try and get shots off, particularly at the doomwheel. Salamanders move to get better shots at gutter runners. Steg also moved forward to get within range of the blowpipes. Saurus and basti move forward.

    Magic
    Cast Hand of Glory on Steg to boost BS, he lets it through. Tried to cast Tempest, but dispelled. Basti spell is dispelled as well.

    Shooting
    The Steg shoots at a slave unit, killing a few (due to HoG now needing 6s to hit so poison works).
    Salamanders kill another couple of gutterrunners who flee.
    The skink unit knock a wound off the doomwheel.

    Combat
    The coldones tread on a few rats and overrun.

    T2 – Skaven

    Movement
    Hellpit moves towards the saurus and basti.
    Doomwheel moves towards the skinks and cold ones but not into contact.
    Blocks of rats move forward and now realise that theres a bit of a road block between the building on his side and the wood on mine as the gap is not big enough for them all to fit through. The storm vermin and a unit of slaves move forward, leaving one beside the building and another moving towards wood on my side (and my salamanders).
    He rallies the gutterrunners near the sallies.

    Magic
    Another total shut out, I think he tried warp lightning four times, each time the slann dispelled it.

    Shooting
    Warp cannon took out a couple of saurus, gutterrunners in the building sniped a couple of skinks and doomwheel also knocked off a couple.

    No combat

    T3 – Lizardmen

    Movement
    The skinks shooting at the doomwheel have sufficient room and movement to railroad it (I never thought I get the chance to do this). Coldones march behind them and are now in the skaven deployment zone, although right over to one side.
    I move the saurus and basti back as far as possible and this leaves them outside the max 18” movement of the hellpit.
    I also turned the steg so it could shoot at the same slave unit or the hellpit if it came towards it. It left the flank open, but the approaching stormvermin would need something like 10+ to make a charge. What could possibly go wrong?

    Magic
    HoG dispelled, Basti spell dispelled. Think I recovered a wound on a unit of sallies.

    Shooting
    Another wound (possibly two) on the doomwheel
    More slave die to shooting and gutterrunners also lose a few, and flee again.

    No combat

    T3 – Skaven
    Movement
    Hellpit makes a long move and is about 6” in front of the saurus.
    Doomwheel cant turn and as its facing diagonally towards the side board edge, has to move straight forward.
    Stormvermin decide to charge. Actually its 11 to make and its 11 he rolls. Bugger!

    Magic
    The slann laughs at these puny ratmen – Again no magic.

    Shooting
    I think a unit of skinks take some losses and flee.
    Another unit takes a loss but sticks
    Warp cannon fires at the basti – Direct hit and best result he could get – Basti dies. Damn, damn, damn!

    Combat
    At this point he reveals an assassin in the stormvermin. This thing, plus the rest of the rats do three wounds to the steg. The steg however kills a few (5 I think) although it loses due to combat res, but sticks.

    T4 – Lizardmen
    Movement
    Cold ones trundle round a bit more and are in an ideal position to charge the warp cannon next turn.
    I decide to charge the hellpit. My thinking here was that despite its attacks I will be taking away its impact hits, plus I have ranks so might get lucky.
    Unfortunately I fail to get steg to face the stormvermin
    I continue to railroad the doomwheel

    Magic
    Tried to get HoG on saurus, it was dispelled.
    Tempest went off on a unit of slaves, who hold.

    Shooting
    Doomwheel takes another wound, as do some slaves and gutterrunners are now down to one rat.

    Combat
    Without the impact hits, the hellpit is still nasty, but as I find out manageable (with a bit of luck, just!). I do get lucky on what it does/his dice rolls and while lose some saurus, its ok. I actually do a wound or two back and thanks to charging, banners etc, tie combat, but I have a musician, so win!. On his panic test he rolls an 11 and flees! (Yes!!) Unfortunately I don’t catch him.

    The combat with the steg goes against me. The assassin gets a ton of hits/wounds and completes the coup de grace, killing the steg. The storm vermin follow up, threatening the double salamander unit.

    T4 – Skaven
    Movement
    He rallies the hellpit and faces the saurus again.
    The storm vermin charge the salamander unit, who successfully flee with a good dice roll.
    Doomwheel can only move straight forward, it is now very close to the table edge, (it may even have hit it and taken a wound I cant remember)
    A depleted unit of slaves charge the skinks – I elect to stand and shoot, killing a couple.

    Magic
    The slann is getting cocky now – Another wipe out for the skaven wizards.

    Shooting
    Saurus lose a couple to the warp cannon
    Sallies take some wounds from something (he had a funny mortar thing, maybe this)

    Combat
    Skinks lose and flee, bouncing through another skink unit and the saurus, both of whom make their tests (Phew!)

    T5 – Lizardmen

    Movement
    Having successfully charged the hellpit previously, I do so again with the saurus.
    Now the decision – Do I charge the hellpit or the cannon with the coldones? I went for the hellpit.
    Both charges go in.
    Double salamander unit rallies.

    Magic
    I get HoG on the Saurus, boosting their WS, by….1 (Damn)

    Shooting
    The skinks finish off the doomwheel. Elsewhere a couple of rats probably died but it was a drop in an ocean!

    Combat
    Hellpit goes first, and decides to attack the coldones (not sure if this was a mistake as he lost his potential thunderstomp). I lose one cold one rider. In return, the coldone riders, saurus and two scarvets kill the hellpit, with room to spare.
    Saurus reforms by rotating to the left to face the on coming swarm of rats, the coldones rotate slightly to cover both the potential hellpit reappearing or to charge the warp cannon.

    The hellpit does not reappear, but a small rat swarm does and chaffs me so I can’t charge the warp cannon.

    T5 – Skaven

    Movement – He charges a slave unit at the sole salamander, who elects to hold (to close to border edge to flee) he fails badly and moves only a couple of inches forward.
    Storm vermin charge double salamander unit who flee successfully.

    Magic

    I was going to say another shut out, but he threw all his dice at the dreaded 13th, and failed.

    Shooting
    I think warp cannon missed, not much else.

    No combat

    T6 – Lizardmen

    I rally the double salamander unit
    Charge the saurus at a depleted unit of slaves who flee
    Charge the cold ones at the rat swarm, which inevitably die (the rat swarm that is)

    Magic

    I get Fierey Convocation off on the unit of fleeing rats whittling them down further, but there are still some left.

    Shooting

    Again not much, skinks either fleeing or out of position.

    No combat

    T6 – Skaven

    Two charges – Stormvermin against the double salamander unit and a slave unit against the single one. I flee with the former and hold with the latter.

    My flee is a 7 (hhmmm, hoped for more but he needs above average to reach me). He rolls 9. Theyre in and my double salamander unit has bitten the dust

    His other charge fails.

    Magic

    He dispells FC on the slave unit.

    End of game.

    The points difference was about 120 to him, but in the 20 – 0 scale he said it was a 10 – 10 draw. Even if an 11 – 9 loss I was very happy with the way I played, yes made a couple of mistakes (opening the flank of the steg, although it was a lucky long charge to hit it, and not just leaving my double salamander to move away from the storm vermin instead of rallying) but I’m learning and now know about points denial! That double salamander unit gave him the points win, if not the score win.

    I can't decide on my most valuable unit - One unit of skinks saw off a doomwheel, but the slann shut out every skaven magic phase.

    I don't think I've ever had such a good game with the channeling staff combo. I think I only had one or at most two magic phases when I didn't get at least one extra dispell dice. On two occassions I had more dispel dice than he has to cast with.

    Although the basti died and played no part in killing anything, it draw out dispel dice and gave another target for the warp cannon, reducing casualties elsewhere.

    I can’t thank the contributors to my other thread on my list enough. I would never have known about railroading and thus missed that opportunity.

    Also must say my oppo was great. Having played him previously he makes suggestions and gives an after game analysis. Having been tabled once and lost heavily last time, this was a huge improvement and he said gave him problems, with his "win" coming down to one throw of the dice (the salamanders flee/stormvermin charge).
     

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