Monday 20 January 2014

SoBH Campaign 4 - Battle 1

Weather: Heat Wave
Scenario: The Tainted Copse
Defender: Humans


The table was set up as above. The light areas are pathways and everything else counts as forest. The Tree areas are defined copses which may randomly turn, drift or completely swap with one another after the second players turn end. Each warband aims to get half their force out of the deployment zone of the opposing force to win the scenario.



Warbands are as per initial warbands post.

The First Law:
  • Bayaz, (Warband Leader) First of the Magi, 113pts Q2+, C3 Special Rules: Leader, Magic User
  • Logen Ninefingers (Warrior) 36pts Q3+ C3 Special Rules: Fearless
  • Ferro Maljinn (Elite Archer) 56pts Q3+, C3 Special Rules: Shooter (Long), Unerring Aim, Stealth
  • Jezal dan Luthar (Swordsman) 36pts Q3+, C3 Special Rules: Free Disengage
  • The Dogman (Scout Archer) 36pts Q3+, C3 Special Rules: Shooter (Long), Scout 
  • Rudd Threetrees (Warrior) 40pts Q3+ C4  
The Woodland Defenders:
  • Galan (Wood Elf Leader) 100pts Q2+,C3 Special Rules: Forester,Leader,Shooter: Long
  • Folmon (Wood Elf Warrior) 36pts Q3+; C3 Special Rules: Forester
  • Ailuin (Wood Elf Warrior) 36pts Q3+; C3 Special Rules: Forester
  • Anlyth (Wood Elf Warrior) 36pts Q3+; C3 Special Rules: Forester
  • Mallosson (Wood Elf Warrior) 36pts Q3+; C3 Special Rules: Forester
  • Thonor (Dryad) 50pts Q3+, C2 Special Rules Forester, Distract
  • Tatharon (Wood Elf Archer) 50pts Q3+, C3 Special Rules Forester,Shooter: Long

Fantastical terrain for the scenario was in the form of a Cursed Ancient Temple Ruin with 5 statues which would come alive if a defender was killed within short of them. Additionally there was a Witch Wood Copse which boosts magic, but potentially transfixes the magic user.

The first couple of rounds saw the warbands carefully take their own paths. The Elves took advantage of their forester special rule and tried to make good through the vegetation.

The Humans stuck to the path to make progress. The forward force soon reached the ruins in the centre table, giving them the added protection of the statues.

The elves were moving slightly wider than the Humans, but their progress wasn't helped by a first activation turnover. To complicated things it was on Galan, their leader. The double "1"s left him fatigued.

Unfortunately for the Human's they couldn't capitalise as they also suffered an early activation fail in the advance party (two having moved back to defend their deployment zone), fatiguing Jezal dan Luthar.

For the first time the wooded copses effected play. A copse drifted over the top of the main Elf force and then swapped with another copse, pulling the majority of the Wood Elf force further away from their objective, away from their leader and off to the side of the table.

With the force so far back now the Elves needed to try and hamper the human progress to have a chance of winning. But the first activation of the dryad was a disaster, turning over the turn and fatiguing the character.

The Humans pushed forward a bit more carefully, bringing numbers (including the supporting leader) up together.

The Elves were nowhere near and they had a clear 2 or 3 movement path to the winning exit.

But the Forest still had a part to play. The copse with the wood elves swapped round leaving them within striking distance of the enemy with their turn next.

The Elven archer, Tatharon, moved to the wood end to let loose an arrow at the Human leader, Bayaz, but missed. Anlyth then burst from undergrowth to attack the leader. Bayaz was obviously taken by surprise and was taken out by the ambush.

With their leader gone moral checks were done. But with a fatigued warrior and so many near both ends of the table failures meant that the force dropped below 50%. The resulting moral tests left only Logen Ninefingers on the table to beat a tactical withdrawl.

Outcome: An Unlikely Last Gasp Woodland Defenders Victory.


7 comments:

  1. Your tables always look so amazing - love your terrain collection!

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    Replies
    1. Cheers, Tristan. I have to confess that the majority of terrain that is used belongs to my opponent, MacSver, as it's his battle shed we game SoBH in. And I agree it is nice

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  2. fyi it's a bit confusing having "defenders" in your warband name, since there usually seems to be an attacker & defender in the actual gameplay.

    maybe rename them to protectors or guardians?

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    Replies
    1. Hmmm, I hadn't thought of that at all, so thanks for pointing it out.

      It's not too late to re-name. I'm sure I can can come up with something better and more overblown with your Guardians suggestion. Good one :-)

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  3. Outstanding game and batrep. the photos were great I loved the whole experience, I wish I could have played. Ace, well done.

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  4. Cheer, guys, glad you enjoyed. Much appreciated as ever.

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