*deep breath* It's finally time to do my second favorite thing in this hobby, after playing of course. Battle Reports! I was fortunate enough to get a mid-week game against someone I hadn't met before: Dan and his Warriors of Chaos. He asked to play 1500 Points as it was his second match, and I believe he's still working on some models, which was fine by me. After throwing a Muster List together and marching down to the FLGS we got to rolling dice and had a very enjoyable game.
Beastmen
Wargor w/ Shield, HA, BSB
Great Bray-Shaman w/ Lvl 4, Earthing Rod (Demonology)
Tuskgor Chariot
Tuskgor Chariot
30 Gors w/ AHW, Standard, Champion (GW)
30 Gors w/ AHW, Standard, Champion (GW)
5 Harpies
3 Minotaurs w/ GWs, Standard, Champion
3 Dragon Ogres w/ GWs, HA
3 Dragon Ogres w/ GWs, HA
Warriors of Chaos
Chaos Lord w/ Shield, Chaos Steed, Favor of the Gods, Enchanting Aura, Chaos Runesword, Crow of Everlasting Conquest
Sorcerer Lord w/ Lvl 4, Mark of Nurgle, Favor of the Gods (Demonology)
5 Marauder Horsemen w/ Shields, Javelins, Champion
5 Chaos Knights w/ Lances, Full Command
15 Marauders w/ Flails, Full Command
15 Marauders w/ GWs, Mark of Khorne, Champion, Standard
14 Chosen Chaos Warriors w/ Full Plate Armor, Champion, Standard
Chaos Chariot
Setup and Deployment
After rolling for the Scenario and placing our tower in the center (we played the base as open ground, only the tower is Impassable) we set up the table. This resulted in a Hill on my far-right, a Forest in the far center-left, a small Water feature on my left, a Dangerous Terrain (the magic vortex) on my center-left, two Impassable Buildings on the left, and a Low Linear Obstacle/Impassable Building on my right.
For Spells I got Gathering Darkness (replaced for The Summoning), Demonic Vessel, Vortex of Chaos, and Demonic Vigor. Dan got Gathering Darkness, Demonic Vessel, Demonic Vigor, and something he swapped for Fleshy Abundance.
I lost the roll for Deployment/Table Side and Dan opted to stay where he had unpacked (the most popular decision) while having me deploy first. I started with my Gor blocks as I knew I'd want them fairly center, they can't deal with the Chosen but anything else should be okay. Dan responded with his Marauder Horsemen on the right flank, as well as the Khorne Marauders mostly in the center. I wanted to see where some of the more choice units were going to go so I put a Chariot between my Gor blocks but Dan just placed the other Marauders in the center.
My other Chariot went on the left, reasoning that I could re-deploy it fairly easy if I need to. Dan placed his own Chariot on the extreme right, wisely leaving his best for last. Having to put something of value down, I placed a unit of Dragon Ogres opposite them, hoping to funnel both the Chaos Chariot and Marauder Horsemen into the center. Finally, Dan placed the Chosen in the center. My hope was to avoid this unit as long as I could, beating up on the softer stuff first.
Reinforcing on the right, I put my Minotaurs near the Linear Obstacle. My hope was they could make use of this if the Chariot wanted to get frisky, otherwise I can just move past it. This prompted the Chaos Knights, who went on the far left, and I replied with my last unit of Dragon Ogres. On the Charge I should be able to do major damage but even if I fail and take a Charge I think my 3+ Save can weather the storm. Finishing up I put my BSB in the left unit of Gors and my Shaman in the right while the Sorcerer Lord joined the Chosen and the Chaos Lord wedged between the Marauder blocks. Lastly, my Harpies went in the center behind the Tower. I won the roll for Turn 1 and took it.
Beastmen Turn 1
Before noticing that my Enchantments only lasted until the end of my Turn, Demonic Vigor was cast on the right-most Gors, fortunately I wasn't punished with a Miscast. Going to Movement I generally shuffled up but didn't want to aggressively move and let Chaos do what it wants to: Charge. On the left I moved to keep the Chaos Knights in my LoS for the Chariot and Chaos Ogres, the Minotaurs were a bit more aggressive, and I moved the right-most Dragon Ogres but got a bit loose with their LoS.
In the Shooting Phase I failed to cast both my Spells, but no Miscasts, and without Combat an uneventful Turn 1 was wrapped up.
Warriors of Chaos Turn 1
Dan rolled Eyes of the Gods for both Characters, getting +1 Attack on the Chaos Lord and +1 WS on the Sorcerer Lord, an excellent start. Dan then tried to cast Fleshy Abundance on the Chosen Warriors but failed, not a very magical start for either of us.
Being similarly cagey with Movement, Dan pulled the Chariot behind his Marauder Horsemen and jostled up slightly with the rest of the Infantry. The Chaos Knights moved a bit more but weren't keen to give my Dragon Ogres a Charge. Again, with no Combat and nothing in range of the Javelins, we went to Round 2.
Beastmen Turn 2
Looking over the table, Dan was careful to not give me anything but the most unlikely of Charges, so I was going to have to wait another Turn. My Shaman was able to Dispel Fleshy Abundance and then I went to Movement.
Again I shuffled forward, content to let the Chariot sweep around my LoS if it wanted to. The Gors readied in the center but my Shaman left the unit while I pushed up just a bit more on the left, leaving the Chariot as a medium-range target for the Knights. Lastly, the Harpies Marched over the enemy lines.
In the Shooting Phase I cast The Summoning and killed a single Flail Marauder, not great. I also cast Vortex of Chaos, dropping it in front of the Marauders so it hopefully scattered and did some damage. With that, the Turn ended. Combat was coming, but not yet.
Warriors of Chaos Turn 2
Once again Eyes of the Gods was rolled for and the Sorcerer got an Extra Attack but the Lord got something temporary. Fleshy Abundance was cast on the Chosen but was Dispelled, the other Enchantments were left to the side as Dan didn't see himself declaring many Charges. Vortex of Chaos was easily Dispelled.
In Movement, the Marauder Horsemen Charged the Harpies, who Fled but remained on the table. This was a bad place for me to put them, I could have used them for better Charge bait to lure another unit closer. The Chaos Knights also Charged my Chariot, which also Fled, and the Chaos Knights stumbled 3" forward.
For the rest of Movement the Marauder blocks pushed forward more and the Chosen swung around, realizing the Tower and Marauders were in their way. The Chariot swung around outside my Charge Arc on the Dragon Ogres, which is fine since this put it pretty far away from my main line. Without any other Spells and no Combats thanks to my Fleeing, the Turn ended.
Beastmen Turn 3
Starting simple I cast Demonic Vigor on the Minotaurs to help them make a Charge, which was successful. My Harpies failed to Rally and fled off the board, but the Chariot stopped itself and turned around.
Heading to Movement, the Minotaurs Charged the Khorne Marauders, who had to Hold, while the Dragon Ogres Charged the Chaos Knights, who also Held. Lastly, the Dragon Ogres on my right Charged the Marauder Horsemen, who opted to Fire & Flee, but did no damage and stopped 1" from the table edge. I was able to re-direct into the Khorne Marauders, hopefully sealing their fate.
During Shooting, both my Spells were Dispelled so onto Combat we went. On the right I was able to kill ~12 Marauders, devastating the unit and breaking them thanks to Unit Strength as they Fell Back In Good Order (FBIGO). Dan passed his Panic Tests on the Chaos Lord and other Marauders and my Dragon Ogres cut the remainder down as both units Pursued. This brought the Minotaurs into Combat with the Chaos Lord while the Dragon Ogres failed their Reform Test.
On the left I botched my rolls and only killed 3 Chaos Knights, losing two Wounds in return and the Combat! Fortunately the Dragon Ogres only Gave Ground, but Dan was able to Restrain which meant he'd be able to Charge me back.
Warriors of Chaos Turn 3
Dan opted against casting anything but Fleshy Abundance, which resolved. The Marauder Horsemen failed to Rally and fled off the table, both Skirmishers dying for nothing. At least it was even.
Dan then declared Charges with the Chaos Knights into my Dragon Ogres and the Flail Marauders into my Minotaurs, everything Held. With the remaining movement, the Chariot moved in but skirted my Gors LoS while the Chosen turned and hoped to finally make a Charge soon.
In Combat my Minotaurs were brutalized, leaving a single model with 1 Wound. They then promptly FBIGO but Fled due to being outnumbered and were easily cut down. This moved the Chaos Lord onto the Hill, who Reformed, and the Marauders right in front of it, who failed to Reform.
My Dragon Ogres did better, taking only a single Wound as Dan flubbed some rolls and in return the Chaos Knights were cut down to a man. Unfortunately the Dragon Ogres once again failed to Reform, although I probably wouldn't send them into the Chosen alone anyways.
Beastmen Turn 4
I started by failing to Dispel Fleshy Abdundance, with a Miscast, but only on a 7 which did no damage to my Shaman. Once again I cast Demonic Vigor but it was Dispelled, no bonus movement for me.
For Charges I put the right Gors into the Marauders, who Fled. This put them over the Hill and largely out of the game as I stumbled forward 2". Otherwise I mostly set up for Turn 5 where I was hoping to deliver the crushing blow. To that end both Dragon Ogres units turned around and moved a bit, my Chariots positioned on the Chosen, and the Shaman ran around to get LoS on the Marauders.
I was able to cast The Summoning and kill a few Marauders, but not enough for a Panic Test. With that the Turn ended again, oddly uneventful for a late-game Turn.
Warriors of Chaos Turn 4
With no Charges for the Chosen no Spells were cast once again, however the Marauders did Rally. With some easy Charges the Chaos Chariot went into my Gors and the Chaos Lord into the Dragon Ogres. Initially Dan put the Chosen into the Dragon Ogres as well, failing the Charge because he didn't notice he needed a 5+. I let him turn the unit around instead as it was a friendly game and didn't impact anything else.
During Combat my Gors lost badly, as I assumed, but only suffered five Wounds and FBIGO. The Chaos Chariot rolled hilariously low and wasn't able to Pursue, leaving it vulnerable to a Flank Charge. In positive Chaos news the Chaos Lord went off and won the combat, although hilariously lost 2 Wounds, but I rolled poorly and Fled off the table. The Lord Pursued but stopped short of the table edge, and was able to Reform. All my Panic Tests were passed with ease.
Beastmen Turn 5
Go time. Demonic Vigor was successfully cast on the left Gors and Fleshy Abdundance was removed, then I went to Charges. Both of my Chariots and the remaining Dragon Ogres went into the Chosen, I didn't think this would break them but it would hopefully reduce them substantially. For remaining moves I ranged my Shaman out a bit further and scooted the other unit of Gors up.
In Shooting I once again cast The Summoning, thanks to the Sorcerer Lord being in combat, killing a handful of Marauders who passed their Panic Test. Vortex of Chaos also dropped in front of them. In Combat I started with the Chariot, which I put a few Wounds on and broke through my numbers as it FBIGO. Sadly I rolled horribly to Pursue and didn't catch it, but at least it wouldn't be Charging me back.
The fight against the Chosen didn't go as well, I killed 6 but suffered a few Wounds on a Chariot and lost the wounded Dragon Ogre. Thanks to Stubborn the unit simply Gave Ground, the Dragon Ogres Pursued but both the Chariots failed to Restrain, meaning the next Combat would go poorly for me.
Warriors of Chaos Turn 5
Being in a do or die situation, Dan cast all three Enchantments on the Chosen successfully. I'd foolishly left my Shaman just out of Dispel range, pre-measuring is still something I'm aligning my Warhammer brain to. My Vortex didn't move, blocking the Marauders but not harming them. Sadly the Chaos Chariot failed to Rally but didn't move off the table, although it was nearly there.
Having a very long Charge, the Chaos Lord tried but came up 1" short. In hindsight this was a rules error as the model is a Lone Character, and thus a Skirmisher, so it didn't need to pay to Wheel. Fortunately this had no outcome on the game.
In Combat the Chosen, with three Enchantments on them, destroyed the damaged Chariot, put 3 Wounds on the other, and did a Wound or so to the Dragon Ogres. I killed a few back but lost, FBIGO with both units. Dan opted to Pursue the Chariot and caught it, meaning he'd count as Charging in my Turn. With that we rolled to see if the game ended, per the Scenario, but we played on.
Beastmen Turn 6
This Turn I just wanted to grab some easy points and hopefully end the game in all reality. Once again I tried to cast Demonic Vigor but failed, although I did Dispel Fleshy Abundance. Once again my Vortex refused to move. In Movement the Gors and Shaman Charged the Chaos Chariot, causing it to Flee off the table. I was also able to Charge the Chosen with my other Gors, because the first unit of them moved by chasing the Chariot, and the Dragon Ogres went back into the Flank.
The Summoning was cast, reducing the Marauders to 5 models, so I was confident if the game kept going I'd be able to mop them up with the Magic Missile. Combat saw my Dragon Ogres go off, killing several Chosen, who were able to kill a good few Gors but not enough. Being badly outnumbered the unit broke and were run down. With that, Dan conceded as the Chaos Lord wouldn't be able to do enough damage in all likelihood to make the points back and I had solid control of the Tower. As I mentioned, the Marauders would just feel the wrath of some more magic missiles and would certainly never have a viable Charge for the rest of the game.
Post-Game
This was an extremely fun game for both Dan and I, there were several moments where the game could have turned against one of us. After discussing it we both agreed Dan's major issue was his mid-deployment of the Chosen, having them bogged down all game, while I made several, smaller errors. In terms of my army I was happy how everything performed, the Dragon Ogres were certainly my MVP. That was expected since they're the best individual unit in the Faction, I'd never leave home without them. Dan's had to be the Chaos Lord, who saw off more than his share of Monstrous Creatures and in general carried the day.
Going into my mistakes, I have a lot to learn from this game. First, I badly misused the Harpies. My intention was to save them as a way to screen a counter-charge OR to force the Khorne Marauders to Charge via Frenzy, Flee, and then put my own unit into them (ideally Gors). In the moment I simply forgot about the Skirmishing Marauder Horsemen and ended up throwing them away. Harpies are a unit I really love because they're great at baiting Charges in addition to their normal role of stopping shooting, I just botched it this game.
Second, I don't think Demonology is a good choice for the type of Beastmen army I'm running. I've tried it and Dark Magic, but I think Elementalism is going to be my pick. Almost all the Spells are good for me since -1 Movement allows me to gain a Charge advantage, Plague of Rust helps with armored foes (like in this game), Summon is a good Magical Vortex, and the remaining Spells are all ideal for playing the Charge game. I think this will give me a better spread of Spells, and I run a Lore Familiar at 2000 Points, while Demonology has a few very strong Spells and then several I can't use well.
Third, I made a pretty risky early Charge with the Minotaurs and Dragon Ogres. It ended up working out but needing to make Leadership 8 to pass the re-direct, as I'd anticipated Dan would Flee, was far from guaranteed. Had I failed the Leadership Test my Dragon Ogres would be in no-where land and I don't think the Minotaurs were going to be able to break the Marauders on their own. In the end I just got antsy to take an opportunity when I should have been creating better ones with the Harpies.
With both of us having no proper Shooting the game was very weird, we just had to inch around and try to get the decisive Charge to open up. Ultimately this was to my advantage since my base movement is higher and I had more Swiftstride Cavalry of substance. My biggest win was exploiting Dan's bold charge with the Chaos Knights, if I was playing extremely seriously I could have spent the rest of the game just playing run away after that and forcing Dan to come to me.
Flipping to Dan's side, I won't call anything an error but I had some questions. We both concluded the Chosen were misplaced so that's a wash. I do wonder why the Chaos Lord didn't join the Knights, especially since it wasn't placed until after I put my Dragon Ogres to match them. This would have made the Combat far less attractive to me, I'd still take it on the charge but I'd expect to trade unit for unit with the Chaos Lord living. On their own the unit just lacks punch unless it has Mark of Khorne, in which case my Harpies would have easily lured them into a horrible position. Speaking of, I might have held the Khorne Marauders back or screened them with the Marauder Horsemen. I did mess up using my Harpies against them in fairness but could still easily plop, say, the Minotaurs within 10" and dared them in.
All in all the game was decided by Deployment, which I always love to see, and the impactful combats going my way more than Dan's. I was able to beat back the Chaos Knights and the Chosen while Dan only ran off a unit of Dragon Ogres, the other fights were less consequential. We both learned a lot, rules wise and about our armies, and I can't wait to play a proper 2000 Point game. Perhaps this weekend.....
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