Slann
NIGHTBRINGER
Second Spawning
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The game is done. The odds were stacked against the proud Dawi-Zharr, but their faith in the Father of Darkness was rewarded. Hashut wins the day, and by a pretty substantial margin.
I didn't take notes for a proper battle report (I find that it breaks the flow of the game and diminishes the fun), but I can provide a short summary and analysis.
Here were the spells generated.
Warriors of Chaos: @Mrs. NIGHTBRINGER could have had all my favourite spells but decided not to trade for Hysterical Frenzy. Still, a solid lineup with the two best spells in the lore (Acquiescence and Cacophonic Choir). That Chaos Familiar granting the fifth spell really comes in handy.
Chaos Dwarfs: My roll for my Sorcerer-Prophet could have been better. Traded in Aspect of the Dreadknight (the shittiest spell in the lore) for the Spirit Leech signature spell. My remaining rolls were Fate of Bjuna and a double roll of Caress of Lanph. That left me with a choice of one of Soulblight, Doom and Darkness or Purple Sun (a painful choice, as they, alongside Spirit Leech are the best in the lore). I really wanted Soulblight, but decided on the Purple Sun as a counter to the Trollstar. My level one rolled Final Transmutation, which I swapped for Searing Doom (anti-Skullcrusher spell).
The Chaos Dwarfs finished deploying first and were able to win the roll off for first turn. A fair bit of model representation (like a Stegadon masquerading as a Chimera for instance
) and a few empty bases as place holders , but here is the battlefield at the start of the game...
My deployment was simple. Castle in the corner, in order to avoid being picked apart by the far quicker opposition. I know that she has to come to me because I hold the ranged advantage.
Keys to victory:
➜Took down the Daemon Prince in Turn Two. The single biggest turning point of the game. The DP was by far the most dangerous threat on either side of the board.
➜generally had greater favour shown by the dice gods (really felt sorry for @Mrs. NIGHTBRINGER at times)
➜the Magma Cannon never missed! Solid and reliable.
➜despite not enjoying the lore of death, it proved why it is considered by many to be the best lore in the game
➜even before the death of the DP, I simply got more utility out of the magic phase than @Mrs. NIGHTBRINGER . The magic phase is usually my best phase tactically.
➜my two Hobgoblin Khans were worth their weight in gold. Both dying honourable deaths as the lesser races should. One diverted the Trollstar badly and the other did the same to a unit of Skullcrushers. Buying me crucial time.
➜a combined and sustained depletion of the Trollstar until it could be safely handled with a multi-unit charge
➜I survived not one but two miscasts. One of them being a close call where my Sorcerer-Prophet was a single dice roll away from being sucked into the warp! Dice gods to the rescue; better lucky than good as they say!
The Death of the Daemon Prince
➜turn 1, he was hit with Spirit Leech, which @Mrs. NIGHTBRINGER let through. It caused one wound, which we assumed wasn't stopped by the charm shield because it was an auto wound and not a hit (charmed shield discounts the first hit on a 2+). Hope we played that right, but in the end it ended up better for the DP (see below). The would ignores armour and was not saved by the DP's 5+ ward. The DP is sitting on 3 wounds remaining.
➜turn 1, tried to hit the DP with the Deathshrieker Rocket, simply to strip the Charmed Shield save off of him. The Deathshrieker misfired (which it loved doing this game), but was okay (for now).
➜turn 1, even though the DP still had it's charmed shield, I took a potshot at it with the Hellcannon. Direct hit @S10, multiple wounds D6. The charmed shield kicked in and @Mrs. NIGHTBRINGER saved it. We rolled some dice to see what would happened, and if the 5 point charmed shield hadn't done it's thing the DP would have died there and then!
➜turn 1, the DP retreats but to a position that I thought was tactically poor. This allowed me to follow with my Sorcerer-Prophet, staying out of the DP's line of sight, but keeping it in my front arc and putting me in a perfect position right near the flank of the TrollStar. It was a perfectly safe position (in the eye of the storm if you will) for my Sorcerer-Prophet and put him into prime position to harass the two biggest opposing threats
➜turn 2, the dice gods really intervene. Rolled Spirit Leech on the DP again, which was successfully cast. I end up with ld10 + 6 to the DP's ld9 + 1. 6 wounds, ignoring armour. Here were @Mrs. NIGHTBRINGER 's ward save attempts...
The DP king is dead. The most dangerous combat threat is gone. The opposing magic phase is gone. The general is gone, but Throgg's secondary leadership bubble did prove useful. With the DP gone my K'daai Destroyer is now much more free to cause havoc. I had deliberately played him very safe and cautiously up until this point.
The Death of the Trollstar
➜the Trollstar was slowly whittled down throughout the game. The magma cannon hit is several times, stripping off wounds and models. My Bale Taurus which flanked it, as described above, successfully put a prime breath weapon on it.
➜the Hobgoblin Khan parked in front of it, was charged, fled, was caught, but put the charging Trolls through the Scree Slope terrain piece, which caused a few more dangerous terrain wounds. More importantly, the Trollstar was angled off harmlessly and had to waste time in future turns repositioning.
➜my Bale Taurus riding Sorcerer-Prophet was able to put a Purple Sun through the already depleted Trolls. Killing off 7 models. Followed by another successful salvo by my laser guided Magma Cannon
➜A couple wounds are stripped off of Throgg with some death sniping
➜ @Mrs. NIGHTBRINGER was in a tough position, with my K'daai Destroyer (after causing mayhem elsewhere and coming around the hill) presenting her with the only viable option to charge or do much of anything else. If she doesn't charge, I continue hitting the trolls with death magic and the magma cannon. Unfortunately for her, by this point there weren't enough Trolls to threaten the K'daai Destroyer (which point for point is a terrible matchup for them, which is why I had brought him back around to this side of the field). Despite being charged in the flank the K'daai Destroyer won combat easily, and killed a few more trolls. The Trolls hold.
➜finally, I decide the time is right to finish off the Trollstar unit by charging their rear flank with my Bale Taurus Sorcerer-Prophet and in the front with my Hellcannon. These two alongside of the already engaged Destroyer finally wipe out the Trolls
The amount of damage the Trollstar took before finally being vanquished was staggering. A careful and sustained assault from a distance and keeping out of their charge arc until they were not longer a major threat. A significant portion of my army needed to work in coordination to take them down safely.
The Dawi-Zharr's key preformers:
➜Sorcerer-Prophet on Bale Taurus - killed the DP via magic. Badly damaged the trollstar with magic, breath weapon and a rear charge many turns later. An 18" leadership 10 bubble is grand!
➜magma cannon. Never misfired. Never missed. Killed trolls each and every turn. Laser focused on the Trolls the entire game.
➜K'daai Destroyer - killed a unit of hounds, a rogue misplaced Chimera, some Skullcrushers via a rear charge and finally helped finish off the Trollstar. It never failed it's burning bright toughness test. Never frenzy charged when it shouldn't. Wasn't even wounded throughout the game because it was never put in a position where something threatening could put a hurt on it.
➜Hobgoblin Khans - those two redirections (Trolls and Skullcrushers) were game changing. Buying time and setting up multi-unit counter charges. Unsung heroes!
The Dawi-Zharr's lemon award:
➜The Deathshrieker Rocket Launcher - the Magma Cannon never failed to hit, while the Deathshrieker never made a hit. All it did was miss and misfire. It was either 2 or 3 misfires, the last of which killed it outright!
Here is the state of the battlefield at the top of each of the turns:
Turn 2
Turn 3
Turn 4
Turn 5
Turn 6
I didn't take notes for a proper battle report (I find that it breaks the flow of the game and diminishes the fun), but I can provide a short summary and analysis.
Here were the spells generated.
Warriors of Chaos: @Mrs. NIGHTBRINGER could have had all my favourite spells but decided not to trade for Hysterical Frenzy. Still, a solid lineup with the two best spells in the lore (Acquiescence and Cacophonic Choir). That Chaos Familiar granting the fifth spell really comes in handy.
Chaos Dwarfs: My roll for my Sorcerer-Prophet could have been better. Traded in Aspect of the Dreadknight (the shittiest spell in the lore) for the Spirit Leech signature spell. My remaining rolls were Fate of Bjuna and a double roll of Caress of Lanph. That left me with a choice of one of Soulblight, Doom and Darkness or Purple Sun (a painful choice, as they, alongside Spirit Leech are the best in the lore). I really wanted Soulblight, but decided on the Purple Sun as a counter to the Trollstar. My level one rolled Final Transmutation, which I swapped for Searing Doom (anti-Skullcrusher spell).
The Chaos Dwarfs finished deploying first and were able to win the roll off for first turn. A fair bit of model representation (like a Stegadon masquerading as a Chimera for instance
) and a few empty bases as place holders , but here is the battlefield at the start of the game...My deployment was simple. Castle in the corner, in order to avoid being picked apart by the far quicker opposition. I know that she has to come to me because I hold the ranged advantage.
Keys to victory:
➜Took down the Daemon Prince in Turn Two. The single biggest turning point of the game. The DP was by far the most dangerous threat on either side of the board.
➜generally had greater favour shown by the dice gods (really felt sorry for @Mrs. NIGHTBRINGER at times)
➜the Magma Cannon never missed! Solid and reliable.
➜despite not enjoying the lore of death, it proved why it is considered by many to be the best lore in the game
➜even before the death of the DP, I simply got more utility out of the magic phase than @Mrs. NIGHTBRINGER . The magic phase is usually my best phase tactically.
➜my two Hobgoblin Khans were worth their weight in gold. Both dying honourable deaths as the lesser races should. One diverted the Trollstar badly and the other did the same to a unit of Skullcrushers. Buying me crucial time.
➜a combined and sustained depletion of the Trollstar until it could be safely handled with a multi-unit charge
➜I survived not one but two miscasts. One of them being a close call where my Sorcerer-Prophet was a single dice roll away from being sucked into the warp! Dice gods to the rescue; better lucky than good as they say!
The Death of the Daemon Prince
➜turn 1, he was hit with Spirit Leech, which @Mrs. NIGHTBRINGER let through. It caused one wound, which we assumed wasn't stopped by the charm shield because it was an auto wound and not a hit (charmed shield discounts the first hit on a 2+). Hope we played that right, but in the end it ended up better for the DP (see below). The would ignores armour and was not saved by the DP's 5+ ward. The DP is sitting on 3 wounds remaining.
➜turn 1, tried to hit the DP with the Deathshrieker Rocket, simply to strip the Charmed Shield save off of him. The Deathshrieker misfired (which it loved doing this game), but was okay (for now).
➜turn 1, even though the DP still had it's charmed shield, I took a potshot at it with the Hellcannon. Direct hit @S10, multiple wounds D6. The charmed shield kicked in and @Mrs. NIGHTBRINGER saved it. We rolled some dice to see what would happened, and if the 5 point charmed shield hadn't done it's thing the DP would have died there and then!
➜turn 1, the DP retreats but to a position that I thought was tactically poor. This allowed me to follow with my Sorcerer-Prophet, staying out of the DP's line of sight, but keeping it in my front arc and putting me in a perfect position right near the flank of the TrollStar. It was a perfectly safe position (in the eye of the storm if you will) for my Sorcerer-Prophet and put him into prime position to harass the two biggest opposing threats
➜turn 2, the dice gods really intervene. Rolled Spirit Leech on the DP again, which was successfully cast. I end up with ld10 + 6 to the DP's ld9 + 1. 6 wounds, ignoring armour. Here were @Mrs. NIGHTBRINGER 's ward save attempts...
The DP king is dead. The most dangerous combat threat is gone. The opposing magic phase is gone. The general is gone, but Throgg's secondary leadership bubble did prove useful. With the DP gone my K'daai Destroyer is now much more free to cause havoc. I had deliberately played him very safe and cautiously up until this point.
The Death of the Trollstar
➜the Trollstar was slowly whittled down throughout the game. The magma cannon hit is several times, stripping off wounds and models. My Bale Taurus which flanked it, as described above, successfully put a prime breath weapon on it.
➜the Hobgoblin Khan parked in front of it, was charged, fled, was caught, but put the charging Trolls through the Scree Slope terrain piece, which caused a few more dangerous terrain wounds. More importantly, the Trollstar was angled off harmlessly and had to waste time in future turns repositioning.
➜my Bale Taurus riding Sorcerer-Prophet was able to put a Purple Sun through the already depleted Trolls. Killing off 7 models. Followed by another successful salvo by my laser guided Magma Cannon
➜A couple wounds are stripped off of Throgg with some death sniping
➜ @Mrs. NIGHTBRINGER was in a tough position, with my K'daai Destroyer (after causing mayhem elsewhere and coming around the hill) presenting her with the only viable option to charge or do much of anything else. If she doesn't charge, I continue hitting the trolls with death magic and the magma cannon. Unfortunately for her, by this point there weren't enough Trolls to threaten the K'daai Destroyer (which point for point is a terrible matchup for them, which is why I had brought him back around to this side of the field). Despite being charged in the flank the K'daai Destroyer won combat easily, and killed a few more trolls. The Trolls hold.
➜finally, I decide the time is right to finish off the Trollstar unit by charging their rear flank with my Bale Taurus Sorcerer-Prophet and in the front with my Hellcannon. These two alongside of the already engaged Destroyer finally wipe out the Trolls
The amount of damage the Trollstar took before finally being vanquished was staggering. A careful and sustained assault from a distance and keeping out of their charge arc until they were not longer a major threat. A significant portion of my army needed to work in coordination to take them down safely.
The Dawi-Zharr's key preformers:
➜Sorcerer-Prophet on Bale Taurus - killed the DP via magic. Badly damaged the trollstar with magic, breath weapon and a rear charge many turns later. An 18" leadership 10 bubble is grand!
➜magma cannon. Never misfired. Never missed. Killed trolls each and every turn. Laser focused on the Trolls the entire game.
➜K'daai Destroyer - killed a unit of hounds, a rogue misplaced Chimera, some Skullcrushers via a rear charge and finally helped finish off the Trollstar. It never failed it's burning bright toughness test. Never frenzy charged when it shouldn't. Wasn't even wounded throughout the game because it was never put in a position where something threatening could put a hurt on it.
➜Hobgoblin Khans - those two redirections (Trolls and Skullcrushers) were game changing. Buying time and setting up multi-unit counter charges. Unsung heroes!
The Dawi-Zharr's lemon award:
➜The Deathshrieker Rocket Launcher - the Magma Cannon never failed to hit, while the Deathshrieker never made a hit. All it did was miss and misfire. It was either 2 or 3 misfires, the last of which killed it outright!
Here is the state of the battlefield at the top of each of the turns:
Turn 2
Turn 3
Turn 4
Turn 5
Turn 6
