Post: #1

Hiya, readers!

It feels like it's been a while since my last Batrep, and I've been itching to do another one. Since the last battle I rep'd here, I've been on a bit of a lossless streak (that unfortunately was broken by a crushing defeat to the Skaven a few days ago). Eager to wipe the bitter taste of defeat from my mouth, I decided that it was time to give it yet another go against the High Elf player who is quickly becoming one of my regular opponents. The result: perhaps one of the most thrilling games of Warhammer I've ever played. Unfortunately, I'm having difficulty getting BatChron to cooperate with me, so there will be no pictures of this epic duel, but you'll have my best efforts to write an interesting report. So, without further ado, on to the armies!

The Vampire Counts

Count Drystus von Richthoven
Vampire Lord
Dark Acolyte
Forbidden Lore (Vampires)
Infinite Hatred
Sword of Might
Flayed Hauberk
Helm of Commandment
Dragonbane Gem

King Demeter the Late
Wight King
Battle Standard
Sword of Kings
Dragonhelm
The Other Trickster's Shard

Drystus' Undying Legion
Skeleton Warriors x20
Spears
Full Command
Warbanner

The Forsaken
Crypt Ghouls x20
Crypt Ghast

The Drakenhof Guard
Grave Guard x19
Great Weapons
Full Command
Banner of the Barrows

The Screamers from Beyond the Veil
Cairn Wraiths x5
Tomb Banshee

So, a pretty standard VC list from my end. In general, I like to have a fairly constant, reliable core to my army, so the Skeletons, Ghouls, and Grave Guard will pretty much always be there. However, this marks the first time in a while I've brought the Wraiths out of the bag. I've never had much success with Ethereals in the past because, in my early playing days, I had much difficulty keeping them out of sight of enemy wizards. But that was a long time ago, and I felt confident that I could keep them out of trouble with my current playing skills.

The High Elves

Carhadrien the Ancient
Archmage
Level 4 Upgrade
Talisman of Preservation
Annulian Crystal

Defenders of the Coast
Lothern Seaguard x14
Full Command
Shields

Defenders of the Coast
Lothern Seaguard x14
Full Command
Shields

The Bringers of Death
Swordmasters of Hoeth x13
Full Command

The Sons of Chrace
White Lions of Chrace x7
Standard

Ye Olde Mage Bunker
Phoenix Guard x5
Standard
Banner of Sorcery

Riders of Ulthuan
Dragon Princes of Caledor x5
Standard

Riders of Ulthuan
Dragon Princes of Caledor x5

Again, my opponent saw fit to field a massive army with tons of units. He could easily out-deploy my small, compact battleforce, but he would really need to execute some combo-charges in order to counteract the staying power of the VC's. Now, this list may not be exactly what he had (I prefer playing without open lists), but it's about as accurate as I can make it. At the very least, these are all of the units that I know he had. Last but not least, it should be noted that the Archmage used the Lore of High Magic, and he rolled up Shield of Saphery (5+ ward save spell), Courage of Aenarion (all units within 12" of the caster are Stubborn), Fury of Khaine (same as Gaze of Nagash), and Flames of the Phoenix (Remains in Play, every model in a unit takes a S3 hit, +1 strength per magic phase).

Terrain and Deployment

For battlefield terrain, we rolled up a hill, two forests, a Nehekaran Sphynx, an Elven Waystone, and a Blessed Bulwark. The hill was placed directly in the center of the battlefield, and both forests were put down on its left and right flanks (but around 6" away from the center line, towards my table edge). The Blessed Bulwark was popped down right in front of the Elven deployment zone, and the two magical objects were placed opposite the forests. The exact placement didn't really matter much, as only the three mundane terrain pieces played a large factor in the game.

I won the roll-off to deploy first, and I placed down the Ghouls at the dead center of the battlefield, around 8" from my table edge. The Grave Guard went down 6" to their right, and the Undying Legion shambled into place 6" to their left. My crafty Wraiths set up shop to the right of the Grave Guard. Drystus then took his place in the Ghoul Block, and Demeter settled in amidst his fellow Wights. When all was said and done, every unit was within Drystus' 12" march bubble.

The Elves spanned the entire field with their men, creating an epic battle line that would strike fear into the hearts of any mortal. However, their undead opponents stared forth with unblinking eyes, calmly awaiting their master's orders. Here's how it looked:

Dragon Princes---Dragon Princes---Seaguard--Seaguard--Phoenix (Mage) Guard--Swordmasters----White Lions

Unfortunately, the High Elves managed to take the first turn, despite the Vampires having +1 to their roll for deploying first. But anyway, on to the fight!.........later.

Post: #2

WE NEED MS PAINT DIAGRAMS!!!!! for additional epicness!!!

Post: #3

HE Turn 1

Carhadrien was less than eager to engage the undead warriors in brutal melee combat, so he decided to move forward cautiously with most of his army. On Drystus' left flank, the two units of Dragon Princes both marched forth, taking up positions on opposite sides of the Nehekharan Sphynx. One unit of Seaguard took cover behind the Blessed Bulwark, while the other unit (to the Vampires' left) moved up and wheeled slightly, taking aim with their bows. Everywhere else on the field, the High Elves simply walked forward. Carhadrien found that the hill directly in front of him blocked his line of sight to Drystus and his Forsaken bodyguards, but that would not stop the fearless Archmage from making his presence felt!

In the Magic Phase, Carhadrien channelled the Winds of Magic with impressive precision, and with the help of the enchanted Banner of Sorcery, he brought his maximum power to bear against the Vampires. But Drystus was no slouch either, and he channeled enough Dispel Dice to give himself a fighting chance. Carhadrien opened up with a 5-dice Flames of the Phoenix. Knowing that there were far worse spells the Elves could pull out, Drystus elected to save his dispelling power for another occasion. Five Ghouls were burnt to cinders as enchanted fire poured forth from the ground. Next, Carhadrien used his powers to give the Swordmasters of Hoeth a 5+ ward save, and Drystus again bided his time. Finally, the Archmage's attempt at Drain Magic was slapped down by a massive 6-dice dispel.

Both units of Seaguard opened fire on the hapless Undying Legion, but they found it difficult to connect with many arrows at long range. In the end, the Skeletons' armor and shields deflected an impressive five shots, and the undead warriors escaped completely unscathed!

VC Turn 1

Drystus strode angrily through the Phoenix Fire that still whirled around his unit, unafraid of the magical flames. He and his Forsaken marched up directly to the base of the hill, being careful to keep it in between his soldiers and the powerful Archmage. The Drakenhof Guard marched defiantly forward, their empty eye sockets staring eerily at the White Lions. On the extreme right flank, the Screamers from Beyond the Veil marched through the forest with unholy speed and took up positions directly in front of the Elven lines. On the left, Drystus carefully ordered his Undying Legion into the gap between the hill and the mysterious forest.

The Vampires' magic phase started with promise, as Drystus garnered much power from the Winds of Magic. However, Carhadrien's Annulian Crystal slightly blunted the attack. To start things off, Drystus quelled the flames from around his Ghouls. He then spent every last ounce of magical energy he had in healing back his Forsaken, but he was beaten at every turn by the cagey Archmage! He could not squeeze a single Invocation of Nehek through his opponent's powerful dispel phase.

In the shooting phase, Drystus' Tomb Banshee directed a ghostly moan at the White Lions, but they managed to avert their eyes, suffering no casualties from the unholy ranged attack.

HE Turn 2

Carhadrien was loathe to order any charges, but he knew that he needed to get his White Lions out of the way of the Cairn Wraiths. He ordered a charge at the Drakenhof Guard, and his soldiers suicidally obeyed. Elsewhere on the field, the Dragon Princes set up a gambit for the Undying Legion. With their current positioning, the Skeletons couldn't connect with a charge against one unit without incurring a flank charge from the other. The rest of the Elven army held their ground, obviously pleased with their defensive positioning.

The High Elves needed a lot from their magic phase, but Carhadrien could only sigh in shame as he epically mishandled the Winds of Magic (OOC: Snake-eyes for PD generation!!!). Still, the Banner of Sorcery provided a much-needed power boost, and at the very least, his opponent would be severely handcuffed in his dispel phase. Carhadrien concentrated, then brought the Fury of Khaine to bear against the Cairn Wraiths. Drystus was powerless to stop the spell, and three of the five Wraiths were sent back to hell! The Archmage then conjured the Flames of the Phoenix around Drystus' Ghouls once again, disintegrating the Crypt Ghast and four more soldiers.

Shooting was slightly more effective this time, and the Seaguard managed to drop four Skeletons with their arrows.

In close combat, the Elves fought valiantly, bringing down five Drakenhof Guardsmen with their strikes. But their undead opponents fought with strange precision, their unholy Wight Blades guided by the Banner of the Barrows and Drystus' own Helm of Commandment. King Demeter himself felled three White Lions with killing blows, and his Guardsmen made quick work of the rest. They reformed towards the hill once the carnage was over.

VC Turn 2

For once, Drystus began to worry that the battle might be slipping away. Desperately, he ordered his Cairn Wraiths to charge in at the Swordmasters, and they willingly obliged. He and his bodyguard marched as far as they could up the hill, preparing to slam into Carhadrien's mage bunker on the next turn. The Drakenhof Guard also marched onto the hill, and the Undying Legion still stood firm, daring the Dragon Princes to charge.

Again, Drystus was forced to use his power dice to dispel the Flames of the Phoenix, and it left him dangerously low on power in a time of great need. However, he caught a lucky break, as Carhadrien failed to dispel an Invocation of Nehek directed at the Cairn Wraiths. With the Archmage's concentration broken, Drystus was able to cast the spell once again, bringing a single Wraith back from the dead. Little did he know that this single magic phase would have a massive impact on the rest of the game.

Once more, the Tomb Banshee let out her ghostly howl, and this time she would not be denied her prey. Five Swordmasters dropped dead, their souls sucked out through their gaping mouths!

In close combat, the Wraiths benefited from Drystus' Vampiric weapon skill, and they cut down three more Swordmasters. The doomed SM's slashed uselessly at their ethereal opponents, their mundane blades unable to damage the ghostly Wraiths. But miraculously, the Elves held strong, determined to buy their general time to escape.

HE Turn 3

Carhadrien suddenly realized that he was in a bit of a tight spot. The Phoenix Guard's musician sounded his horn, and Carhadrien's mage bunker reformed to face directly away from Drystus. They then moved as far as they could, and one unit of Seaguard shuffled sideways to block a charge from Drystus' Ghouls. It was a dangerous play: if Drystus could break through the Seaguard in a single round of combat, then he could easily overrun into Carhadrien's bunker. The Archmage had put his faith in good old fashioned Elven courage to get the job done. On the VC left, the other Seaguard unit wheeled to get a better look at the Vampire general, and still everyone else held their ground.

Magic would need to be game breaking. Carhadrien started off with an attempt at Drain Magic, but his efforts went horribly awry. He miscast, and the resulting magical feedback obliterated three of his five Phoenix Guardsmen! The rest of his power dice were lost as well, but his bunker fortunately passed its panic test.

Again, the Seaguard found it difficult to hit home with their bows, and they only succeeded in bringing down a few Ghouls with their multitudes of shots. They prepared themselves for the charge that would soon be coming their way.

In close combat, the Wraiths again found their blades guided by Drystus' Helm of Commandment, but still they failed to find much success against the Swordmasters. They killed only three of them, and the Elves yet again passed their break test. Such sacrifice, Carhadrien thought to himself. Their deaths must not be in vain!

VC Turn 3

As expected, Drystus charged in at the Seaguard defending the Blessed Bulwark. However, they elected to stand and shoot at the Crypt Ghouls, and they hit home with almost all of their arrows! Five Ghouls were shot down on the spot, leaving only four remaining. The Grave Guard continued their march towards the left flank, and they took up positions beside the Skeletons. There was a "concave war" developing on the left, and the fearful Elves wondered who would be the first to break the stalemate.

Again, magic was severely disappointing, and Drystus cursed his luck with the fickle Winds of Magic. Try as he might, he couldn't manage to bring back even a single member of his Forsaken bodyguard. Would this be his downfall? Would sheer fortune allow the High Elves to escape their tactical predicament? He vowed that this would not be the case.

Where magic had failed, the Tomb Banshee appeared to be succeeding. For the second consecutive turn, her ghostly howl resonated loudly, chilling the already cold night air and causing shivers across the battlefield. The Swordmasters couldn't take it, and the rest of them fell to the ground, never to get up again (OOC: This was the second straight double-six from the Banshee).

In close combat, the Seaguard chewed their way through three of the four Crypt Ghouls, leaving only one remaining. But Drystus was a literal whirlwind of death on the battlefield, and four Elves were effortlessly hacked to pieces. The remaining Ghoul managed to poison another Elf, but he couldn't swing the combat far enough in his favor. The High Elves passed another break test, and Drystus was held in place.

Halftime

Phew! Well, it's been a wild one so far. My troops have pretty much rolled over the right flank, but there's a serious situation developing on the left/center. It looks as though I'm to lose the Crypt Ghouls because of sheer bad luck, and the Grave Guard will continue to be whittled down by shooting. At this point, it seems like the only way to secure victory will be to kill the Archmage. And if he manages to zap my Wraiths in the magic phase, I don't know if I can recover.

The epic conclusion is coming up next!

Post: #4

HE Turn 4

Carhadrien knew that he had but one hope of victory: killing the Cairn Wraiths. Again, his bunker musically reformed, this time facing down the ghostly soldiers. Still, the rest of the field held firm, and neither unit of Dragon Princes saw fit to charge in against their Undead adversaries. The Seaguard, on the other hand, backpedaled as much as they could in order to get out of the Grave Guard's likely charge range.

In the Magic Phase, Carhadrien rolled up a decent amount of power dice, and the constant magical influx from the Banner of Sorcery meant that Drystus would be hard-pressed to dispel his efforts. With a whispered incantation, Carhadrien let fly the Flames of the Phoenix at the Wraiths!...
...
...
Except, he didn't. He failed to put enough 'oomph' into his attempt, and he failed to cast the spell.

Carhadrien confidently directed his gaze toward the ghostly Cairn Wraiths. He muttered a few words in the arcane language under his breath, then let loose a flow of magical energy through his body. But something was wrong; he could feel the effects of the spell draining his life force. The mage grew weak, finally passing out from the effort. When he came to, his remaining guards were crowded around him. The bottom dropped out of his stomach as he realized his ultimate folly. He had failed. His army would fall.

In the shooting phase, the Seaguard let fly a volley at the Drakenhof Guard. Their arrows failed to hit their mark, however, and only two of the Guardsmen were sent back to the abyss.

Still, the intense melee continued! The elves struck first, hoping to down the last remaining Crypt Ghoul and deny Drystus the ability to bring his soldiers back to life. But, in a spectacular display of ineptitude, the Seaguard whiffed epically. They failed to inflict any damage on either Drystus or his Ghoulish compatriot, and the two undead soldiers easily relieved four High Elves of their lives. The Seaguard ran for it, and Drystus simply reformed to face Carhadrien's bunker.

VC Turn 4

Drystus grinned smugly. He had the dastardly mage right where he wanted him, and now nothing would deny him his prey. He bellowed out a charge at the Phoenix Guard, connecting with ease! Elsewhere on the field, the Wraiths marched as far as they could towards the remaining Seaguard unit, and the rest of the Undead army continued to stare down the Elvish cavalry.

Magic was disappointing yet again, and the frustration began to show in Drystus' expression. Still, he gave it his utmost effort, successfully bringing four Ghouls (including the Champion) back to unlife. It wasn't much, but it would at least save them from certain death at the hands of the Phoenix Guard.

In the shooting phase, the Banshee once again let loose her Ghostly Howl, and one elf in the Seaguard block suffered a sudden heart attack from the strain. It was a rather disappointing result, but the Wraiths knew that the Seaguard would be theirs for the taking once they successfully charged.

Close Combat saw both opposing generals locked in a challenge. The Archmage swung pointlessly at Drystus, failing to inflict any damage. His opponent, however, fought with the savage fury that only years of Undeath can deliver, and he inflicted a massive four wounds! The elf, however, was miraculously saved by his wards of protection, and he managed to escape with his life. The other two High Elves managed to down a single Ghoul, and the Forsaken inflicted an equal amount of damage in return (yet again, the Ward Saves were the key). For yet another time in this game, the High Elves showed their mettle, passing their break test and forcing the combat to proceed into the next round!

HE Turn 5

Carhadrien was doomed. His magic had failed him when he needed it most, and how he was paying the price. Still though, he was determined to give the Vampires hell before he passed into the void! His bunker remained locked in combat, and the rest of the Elvish line fearlessly held their ground. The Dragon Princes still decided to bide their time, while the fleeing Seaguard failed to compose themselves and ran dangerously close to the table edge.

In the Magic Phase, Carhadrien rolled up max power! Blue flames covered his eyes, and his sonorous voice filled the air with magical energy. He recited an ancient incantation, his words brimming with sheer power, and he let fly the Flames of the Phoenix at the Cairn Wraiths. But Drystus would not let his opponent cast with impunity, and he spent every last ounce of energy he had, slapping down the Archmage with a successful dispel. The two generals stared at each other from a moment, sheer hatred evident in their gaze. Still, Carhadrien made his presence felt, and he bestowed the remaining Seaguard with a 5+ ward save before letting loose a casting of Drain magic. His power expended, Carhadrien had no choice but to face the music and make terms with his imminent demise.

Shooting did literally nothing, as the Seaguard whiffed spectacularly and failed to do any wounds.

In close combat, Drystus lashed out at the tired Archmage. However, he only managed two wounds, and both were deflected away by Carhadrien's ward! The elf would live to fight another day, it seemed. Drystus' Ghouls still failed to kill the last Phoenix Guardsman, and he successfully felled a Ghoul. In stunning fashion, the Elves won by two, and a single Ghoul sank into the dirt (the BSB was still in range).

VC Turn 5

Count Drystus was furious. Yet again, the Archmage had evaded death by the skin of his teeth. This time, however, the Vampire Lord would not be denied his kill. At Drystus' urging, the Cairn Wraiths charged into the Seaguard, who passed their Terror test and held strong. Both the Grave Guard and Skeletons were content to wait for their opposite numbers to charge them, knowing that Elves had little time left to make something happen.

In the magic phase, Drystus failed to channel very much energy from the Winds of Magic. However, he skillfully used what little he had, summoning a horde of undead warriors (even with drain magic!). Carhadrien was unable to dispel the Vampire, and an incredible 15 warriors returned to life! Drystus brought his Ghoulish contingent up to 15 strong, then used the rest of the magical power to raise the depleted Undying Legion to fighting strength.

Shooting was uneventful, as the Banshee failed to do anything more than unnerve a few Seaguard.

Drystus smartly chose to resolve his own close combat first, so as to allow his Wraiths the benefit of the Helm of Commandment. For the third consecutive turn, the two army leaders were locked in a challenge, but this time, Drystus finally succeeded in chopping his opposite number into little elvish bits! The remaining Phoenix Guard lashed out uselessly against the Ghouls, and he was poisoned to death in return. Finally free of close combat, Drystus reformed to face the Seaguard. The bloody work was not yet finished, however, and the Wraiths still had to finish their fight. In a spectacular display of undead swordsmanship, the Wraiths and Banshee hit and wounded with everything, and only two Seaguard were protected by ward saves. The elves broke and ran, but they could not escape the overrun of the Wraiths! They were caught and slaughtered to a man.

HE Turn 6

Determined to avenge the death of their leader, both units of Dragon Princes finally charged in, impacting both the Skeletons and the Grave Guard. Elsewhere on the field, the fleeing Seaguard managed to rally, turning around on the spot and keeping their points intact!

The combat involving the Grave Guard was resolved first. Aided by their speed and re-rolls, the Dragon Princes managed to chop down five guardsmen! However, the Wights struck back, their enchanted blades guided by the Helm of Commandment and Banner of the Barrows. Amazingly, four of the riders met their deaths due to killing blows, and the last man's armor simply could not protect him from the powerful Great Weapon attacks. The DP's were cut down, and the Drakenhof Guard reformed to face the other Dragon Princes.

The Undying Legion would be hard pressed to survive the Dragon Princes' attacks, not to mention the inevitable magical crumbling. The Elves attacked!......but th-they were j-j-just s-so sc-c-cary! Alas, the Dragon Princes failed their fear test, and they only managed to down five boneheads!! The Skeletons attacked back, but they couldn't get any damage through their opponents' tough armor. The Vampire Counts lost combat, but the Undying Legion would stick around to fight another day.

VC Turn 6

It was the last turn of the game, and Drystus knew he was victorious. He ordered the Grave Guard to charge in at the Dragon Princes, then leisurely watched as the fighting wound down.

The Vampire Lord continued to be frustrated in the magic phase. Again, he rolled abysmally for power dice, so once more he threw everything at Summon Undead Horde. He was successful, and another 15 warriors returned to unlife! The Skeletons were brought back to 15 models, and the Grave Guard saw their numbers increase as well.

In close combat, the Skeletons were the target of Drystus' Helm of Commandment buff. The Dragon Princes, bereft of their lance bonuses, could do little to their tough undead opponents, and they succeeded only in killing a single Drakenhof Guardsman and three Skeletons. Their undead opponents, however, whiffed considerably, leaving a single Dragon Prince alive. Still, he turned tail and ran, but the fleet-of-foot Grave Guard managed to run him down, slaughtering the last remaining cavalryman!

Result

Masacre for the Vampire Counts! Man, this was intense. I honestly didn't think I was going to win this until turn 4, and even then my opponent would have had the game with a few more dice rolls in his favor. This was a really tactical game, and there was good and bad luck on both sides. That's my favorite part about this battle: it was decided almost entirely by list-building and tactics.

Man of the Match

VC: The Cairn Wraiths. Man, these guys turned the tide for me. They almost died to a single magic missile, but as soon as I got them into combat, they proved their worth. The Banshee killed the Swordmasters almost by herself, and they changed the game with a few key charges.

HE: Carhadrien, the Archmage. This single model was a thorn in my side until I finally killed him. He kept hammering me with a Remains in Play spell, forcing me to dispel with my own power dice and limit what I could cast. I'll need to be prepared with some dispel scrolls or something the next time I go against an Archmage.

Rotten Egg

VC: The Crypt Ghouls. They kept dropping like flies from shooting and magic. Drystus really had to waste a lot of his effort keeping them alive, and in the end they really only killed one unit.

HE: The Dragon Princes. Honestly, these guys could have had a much bigger impact. My opponent just misplayed them, obviously underestimating how quickly they could churn through Skeleton Warriors. Had he charged in on turn 3 or 4, he could have brought them around to have a real effect on the rest of the battlefield.

Well, there it is. I hope you enjoyed this batrep! Once again, sorry for the lack of photos. Next time, I'll see if I can get Batchron up and running.