Here I list 1) the armies, 2) the report, and 3) lessons learned.
The armies:
Vampires:
1. Vamp Lord- Lvl 3; Heavy Armor, shield, barded nightmare; Nightshroud, Ogre Blade, Other Tricksters Shard, Luck stone; Quickblood, Red Fury, Beguile (leads Black Knights)
2. Necromancer- Lvl 2; Book of Arkhan
3. 20 Wolves
4. 30 Ghouls
5. 92 Zombies- "full" command
6. 6 Spirit Hosts
7. 10 Hexwraiths
8. 9 Cairn Wraiths
9. 9 Black Knights- full command, Wailing Banner
10. 5 Vargheists
Ogres:
1. Skrag
2. Bruiser BSB (leading 17 bulls)
3. Bruiser (leading 8 ironguts)
4. Thunder cannon
5. Hunter on stone-beastie
6. 8 leadbelchers
7. 1 gorger
Report:
Lord Diomedes’ search for the great dragon carcass in the outskirts of the Mountains of Mourn came to an abrupt but not surprising end with the arrival of the ogre force. Led by a monstrous butcher dragging a cauldron behind him, Diomedes saw quite a variety of troops and marshaled his own accordingly. The brute on a stone-faced beast moved toward his right flank while the large horde of ogres angled toward the center of the field, away from the ethereal troops. The wizard called upon his god and though he was unable to control the winds of magic, he suffered no ill effects from the overloaded energy and only one wolf fell to his gesticulations. The cannon-toting ogres unleashed a barrage of scrap and felled five more wolves, though the sound was overshadowed by the boom of the large cannon on the hill as nearly an entire rank of zombies was turned to paste. Undeterred, Diomedes moved his right flank up the hill toward the beast and cannon, supported by the spirit host and hexwraiths. The vargheists contained their blood frenzy and flew behind the heavily-armed ogres as the ghouls and zombies adjusted their positions. The wolves led a howling charge into the ogres that had shot their brethren, and though they dragged one of the ogres down amidst snapping jaws, they were beaten and began to crumple under the pressure of the combat.
The beast slammed into the spirit host but could not harm them, and suffered one wound as they grasped for his soul. Three heavy cavalry crashed into the zombies, felling over a dozen, but the horde was still massive and stopped their impetus as planned. The ogre wizard again failed to control the magical energies swirling around him, though he did no damage to the wraiths or his own allies—truly this was a novice in the magical arts. A malformed ogre emerged from the rear of the army, positioning itself behind the zombie horde just as the large cannon overshot Diomedes and his knight cadre. The wolves tore the throat out of one last ogre before they were bludgeoned to death, but again, they had kept the guns silent for a precious few moments as the rest of the army crossed the field. Diomedes willed the hexwraiths into the flank of the great stone beast, and even as they hacked flaming hunks of flesh from it, the ogre rider fell, frozen from his mount as the spirit hosts swarmed over him. The beast, now enraged beyond reason and self-preservation, continued to stamp and gore with no effect among the ghostly troops. The cairn wraiths also flanked the heavy cavalry, felling two of the beasts with their scythes, but the lone rider held on, bolstered by the steely glare of his general nearby. The vargheists swooped into the heavy ogres tearing two of them limb from limb. But when the ogres swung their great weapons, three of the feral vampires were hacked apart, and the rest disintegrated from the slaughter. Diomedes was unable to summon any reinforcements as the ogre wizard seemed more adept at slowing the winds of magic than wielding them.
The large horde of ogres came crashing down the slope of the hill like an avalanche, bolstered by the magic of the general which he was finally able to control. The impact of the ogres killed nearly a dozen ghouls before they utterly pulverized the cannibals and overran into Khlor, the necromancer desperately trying to escape the carnage. The wraiths felled the final heavy cavalry rider just as the zombies were charged by the newly arrived beast that pinned them in place once again. The wraiths, now freed from combat, attempted to close with the enemy wizard but were unable to reach him. The spirit hosts glided into the large cannon, but were unable to find purchase on the contraption. Diomedes turned his knights toward the large horde of ogres and commanded the hexwraiths to support him. Once again the “butcher” dispelled the vampire’s attempts to bolster his forces, and the ogres flattened Khlor without a thought and reformed to face the vampire.
The butcher called upon his god, but, predictably, was unable to control the power he summoned. This time however, the ground opened beneath his ogre horde and swallowed six of the brutes whole in an apparent display of his god's displeasure. The spirit hosts managed to wound the crew of the cannon and sent it fleeing from the field as they gave chase. The voracious beast continued to gorge itself on zombies, though they finally were able to wound it in return. Tired of leaving things to his underlings, Diomedes ordered an all-out charge, supported by the mounted wraiths. At the same time, the cairn wraiths slammed into wizard, slicing off chunks of flesh and sending him fleeing, but not fast enough. The ghostly apparitions ran him down and crashed into the flank of the ogre horde. Diomedes’ sword lashed out first, felling two ogres and showering himself in their arterial blood. The knights’ lances bit deep, felling another two before all of the wraiths cut down several more. A champion stepped up, trying to land blows on Diomedes, but the vampire’s armor easily deflected the one strike that made it through. With but four ogres left standing, the rest fled, dropping their standards in their panic. Willing his troops to restrain, the undead reformed to face the rest of the threats.
The heavily armed ogres continued their rampage by crushing the flank of the zombies, finally eliminating the shambling dead from the field. The cannon-toting gunners blew two knights from their saddles, though Diomedes quickly brought them back by invoking Nehek’s unholy name. The wraiths attempted to close with these leadbelchers, but again fell short. The spirit hosts had turned back to the field and were making their way down the slope of the hill.
The lone ogre came swinging wildly into the hexwraiths, but was cut down for its trouble. Three more knights fell to the scattershot of the ogres’ blunderbusses, and the ironguts consolidated their position. Diomedes had the hexwraiths ride through them, cutting one of them down with little effort. The wraiths and spirit hosts both charged the leadbelchers, and bolstered by Diomedes’ magic, disemboweled several of them before running down the rest. Though the vampire’s mind reeled from his overcast, he could see the final ogre unit decide to quit the field.
Diomedes knew he must move fast to claim the great dragon’s corpse, but now with no infantry to slow him down, it was only a matter of time before he bound the dracoform to his will.
Lessons Learned:
1. Unfortunately (?), he had very little in the way of magic weapons/items (he's relatively new to WHFB). That hurt him quite a bit, but there still would only have been so much he could do against ethereal.
2. Vargheists are really not good against units w/their same base size (that's 2 games in a row they have done nothing and gotten ca-rushed).
3. Ethereal units are just as deadly as they ever have been; able to win combats on their own. :ghost:
4. Hexwraiths; harder to use than I thought (well, their ride-through attack). They're actually ok in combat, but I only got to do a drive-by once. (Though that may be a function of ogres and their size than their ability).
5. A 100-"man" zombie horde is fun and the ultimate tar pit! I've never used such a unit, and it was awesome. :zombie:
6. The vampire lord build I used is pretty damn nasty; I don't think much will be able to touch him to be honest. :konrad:
7. If he hadn't miscast and swallowed his own ogres, I'm not sure how well I would have been able to deal with the horde of them (especially since the spell would have killed a fair amount of my hexwraiths or knights instead). But, that's the danger of magic, eh?
The armies:
Vampires:
1. Vamp Lord- Lvl 3; Heavy Armor, shield, barded nightmare; Nightshroud, Ogre Blade, Other Tricksters Shard, Luck stone; Quickblood, Red Fury, Beguile (leads Black Knights)
2. Necromancer- Lvl 2; Book of Arkhan
3. 20 Wolves
4. 30 Ghouls
5. 92 Zombies- "full" command
6. 6 Spirit Hosts
7. 10 Hexwraiths
8. 9 Cairn Wraiths
9. 9 Black Knights- full command, Wailing Banner
10. 5 Vargheists
Ogres:
1. Skrag
2. Bruiser BSB (leading 17 bulls)
3. Bruiser (leading 8 ironguts)
4. Thunder cannon
5. Hunter on stone-beastie
6. 8 leadbelchers
7. 1 gorger
Report:
Lord Diomedes’ search for the great dragon carcass in the outskirts of the Mountains of Mourn came to an abrupt but not surprising end with the arrival of the ogre force. Led by a monstrous butcher dragging a cauldron behind him, Diomedes saw quite a variety of troops and marshaled his own accordingly. The brute on a stone-faced beast moved toward his right flank while the large horde of ogres angled toward the center of the field, away from the ethereal troops. The wizard called upon his god and though he was unable to control the winds of magic, he suffered no ill effects from the overloaded energy and only one wolf fell to his gesticulations. The cannon-toting ogres unleashed a barrage of scrap and felled five more wolves, though the sound was overshadowed by the boom of the large cannon on the hill as nearly an entire rank of zombies was turned to paste. Undeterred, Diomedes moved his right flank up the hill toward the beast and cannon, supported by the spirit host and hexwraiths. The vargheists contained their blood frenzy and flew behind the heavily-armed ogres as the ghouls and zombies adjusted their positions. The wolves led a howling charge into the ogres that had shot their brethren, and though they dragged one of the ogres down amidst snapping jaws, they were beaten and began to crumple under the pressure of the combat.
The beast slammed into the spirit host but could not harm them, and suffered one wound as they grasped for his soul. Three heavy cavalry crashed into the zombies, felling over a dozen, but the horde was still massive and stopped their impetus as planned. The ogre wizard again failed to control the magical energies swirling around him, though he did no damage to the wraiths or his own allies—truly this was a novice in the magical arts. A malformed ogre emerged from the rear of the army, positioning itself behind the zombie horde just as the large cannon overshot Diomedes and his knight cadre. The wolves tore the throat out of one last ogre before they were bludgeoned to death, but again, they had kept the guns silent for a precious few moments as the rest of the army crossed the field. Diomedes willed the hexwraiths into the flank of the great stone beast, and even as they hacked flaming hunks of flesh from it, the ogre rider fell, frozen from his mount as the spirit hosts swarmed over him. The beast, now enraged beyond reason and self-preservation, continued to stamp and gore with no effect among the ghostly troops. The cairn wraiths also flanked the heavy cavalry, felling two of the beasts with their scythes, but the lone rider held on, bolstered by the steely glare of his general nearby. The vargheists swooped into the heavy ogres tearing two of them limb from limb. But when the ogres swung their great weapons, three of the feral vampires were hacked apart, and the rest disintegrated from the slaughter. Diomedes was unable to summon any reinforcements as the ogre wizard seemed more adept at slowing the winds of magic than wielding them.
The large horde of ogres came crashing down the slope of the hill like an avalanche, bolstered by the magic of the general which he was finally able to control. The impact of the ogres killed nearly a dozen ghouls before they utterly pulverized the cannibals and overran into Khlor, the necromancer desperately trying to escape the carnage. The wraiths felled the final heavy cavalry rider just as the zombies were charged by the newly arrived beast that pinned them in place once again. The wraiths, now freed from combat, attempted to close with the enemy wizard but were unable to reach him. The spirit hosts glided into the large cannon, but were unable to find purchase on the contraption. Diomedes turned his knights toward the large horde of ogres and commanded the hexwraiths to support him. Once again the “butcher” dispelled the vampire’s attempts to bolster his forces, and the ogres flattened Khlor without a thought and reformed to face the vampire.
The butcher called upon his god, but, predictably, was unable to control the power he summoned. This time however, the ground opened beneath his ogre horde and swallowed six of the brutes whole in an apparent display of his god's displeasure. The spirit hosts managed to wound the crew of the cannon and sent it fleeing from the field as they gave chase. The voracious beast continued to gorge itself on zombies, though they finally were able to wound it in return. Tired of leaving things to his underlings, Diomedes ordered an all-out charge, supported by the mounted wraiths. At the same time, the cairn wraiths slammed into wizard, slicing off chunks of flesh and sending him fleeing, but not fast enough. The ghostly apparitions ran him down and crashed into the flank of the ogre horde. Diomedes’ sword lashed out first, felling two ogres and showering himself in their arterial blood. The knights’ lances bit deep, felling another two before all of the wraiths cut down several more. A champion stepped up, trying to land blows on Diomedes, but the vampire’s armor easily deflected the one strike that made it through. With but four ogres left standing, the rest fled, dropping their standards in their panic. Willing his troops to restrain, the undead reformed to face the rest of the threats.
The heavily armed ogres continued their rampage by crushing the flank of the zombies, finally eliminating the shambling dead from the field. The cannon-toting gunners blew two knights from their saddles, though Diomedes quickly brought them back by invoking Nehek’s unholy name. The wraiths attempted to close with these leadbelchers, but again fell short. The spirit hosts had turned back to the field and were making their way down the slope of the hill.
The lone ogre came swinging wildly into the hexwraiths, but was cut down for its trouble. Three more knights fell to the scattershot of the ogres’ blunderbusses, and the ironguts consolidated their position. Diomedes had the hexwraiths ride through them, cutting one of them down with little effort. The wraiths and spirit hosts both charged the leadbelchers, and bolstered by Diomedes’ magic, disemboweled several of them before running down the rest. Though the vampire’s mind reeled from his overcast, he could see the final ogre unit decide to quit the field.
Diomedes knew he must move fast to claim the great dragon’s corpse, but now with no infantry to slow him down, it was only a matter of time before he bound the dracoform to his will.
Lessons Learned:
1. Unfortunately (?), he had very little in the way of magic weapons/items (he's relatively new to WHFB). That hurt him quite a bit, but there still would only have been so much he could do against ethereal.
2. Vargheists are really not good against units w/their same base size (that's 2 games in a row they have done nothing and gotten ca-rushed).
3. Ethereal units are just as deadly as they ever have been; able to win combats on their own. :ghost:
4. Hexwraiths; harder to use than I thought (well, their ride-through attack). They're actually ok in combat, but I only got to do a drive-by once. (Though that may be a function of ogres and their size than their ability).
5. A 100-"man" zombie horde is fun and the ultimate tar pit! I've never used such a unit, and it was awesome. :zombie:
6. The vampire lord build I used is pretty damn nasty; I don't think much will be able to touch him to be honest. :konrad:
7. If he hadn't miscast and swallowed his own ogres, I'm not sure how well I would have been able to deal with the horde of them (especially since the spell would have killed a fair amount of my hexwraiths or knights instead). But, that's the danger of magic, eh?
