9th Ed Fantasy Battles, giving it a go: Game 1
Comfortable shoes ok, but then also not. So MacCrae comes over for some 9th Ed at the weekend.Great guns! I have read the rules but once, and skimmed through the rules for my fave army, Dark ahem, sorry Dread Elves. Quick look on the website, find a ready-made list.
MacCrae brings his tried and trusted Dwarf list, with the addition of some works in progress, his two mole-dwarf-digger grudge buster chariot thingies. I do like the concept of what he's building there: Monstrous tunnelling chariot-machines. And two vengance seeker whirligig guys.
Vengeance Seeker 60 pts single model
M WS BS S T W I A Ld 3 5 3 4 4 3 2 * 10
Whirling Chains of Doom: Close Combat Weapon. +1 Strength, strikes at Initiative 10, and the wielder gain Random Attacks (3D3). A model with this weapon cannot be joined by Characters.
Dwarf Special Rules: Relentless Seeker Special Rules: Unbreakable, Ward Save (6+), “The bigger they are...”, ”Yer comin’ with me!” Special Rules: Hard Target, Distracting
To be honest I struggled a bit with the plethora of new and subtly changed rules, like no more ASF for dark (ah, sorry) dread elves, but lightning reflexes. Also the bullet-proof dreadlord builds no longer apply, and mounted characters are seen as one unit, and lose some of the benefit of their kit-outs.
My head was spinning before I even started. Never the less, into the fray we went.
So first up DEs against Dwarfs.
Not quite sure what to make of the venga boys and the tunnelly screw chariots.
Deployment rules are different. What the ? Hey? Not necessarily a good start.
For a comparison summary check this post out: (Later. Finish reading my blog first):
8th Ed vs Ninth Age.
Large block of Tower guard - anvil unit
Tower Guard 110 pts
10 models, may add up to 20 models 15 pts/model
M 5 WS 5 BS 5 S 3 T 3 W 1 I 6 A2 Ld 9
Weapons:
Halberd
Armour:
Heavy Armour
Elven Special Rules:
Killer Instinct, Lightning Reflexes
Special Rules:
Immune to Psychology, Bodyguard,
Armour Piercing (1)
Would usually have preferred executioners in this role, but what the heck, we'll try this list.
Lots of chaff, units w vanguard, not too sure if this will be useful against dwarfs, but we'll try and flank em, possibly take out the warmachines
Trusty ol' repeater Giant Xbows
No 2 Reaper XB and substitute light cav.
The warlocks have (rightfully) been nerfed.
More fast cav with ersatz stand-ins on the sides.
Dark Raiders 85 pts
5 models, may add up to 10 models 15 pts/model
M WS BS S T W I A Ld
Rider 5 4 4 3 3 1 5 1 8
Elven Horse 9 3 3 3 1 4 1 3
Light Lance
Armour:
Mount’s Protection (6+), Light Armour
Elven Special Rules:
Killer Instinct (Rider only), Lightning Reflexes
(Rider only)
Special Rules:
Fast Cavalry
Options: pts
May take a Repeater Crossbow 3 / model
May take a Shield 3 / model
The list I borrowed off the interwebz did not choose shields
So MacRae deploys his chopper, grungy-bungy, seekers and hammerer (or was it longbeard) equivalents, either way, tough, hard and strong dwarfs. They all look the same to me, now even more confusing than ever. Can only recognise my own dwarfs. Sometimes.
Venga Boy no.1 and Thunderers
(ahem... Marksmen) Dang this is difficult!
Another Vega Master dancer and more Slay...Seekers, and Forge Wardens. Had to look that one up.
Flame shooters them.
Anyhow, we play, fast Cav deploy in vanguard phase
Dread knights, pretty much the same as 8th Ed, mounts still suffer from stupidity.
No special characters so just a standard unit. Characters including caster go in tower guard bunker. No more look-out sir. Unit of spearmen. Don't like 'em. Not worthy of a photo.
MacRae goes first, charges Chopper One into the Dark Ri(a)ders
Takes out one rider
Sheesh. Dwarfs now move fast on the charge. Pre-emptive strike of slayers get in, Whirligig guy doesn't. The Tunnel-machine grunge-grinder almost does too.
New relative size rule makes my glass cannon on dragonet (read pegasus here) less of a target with the new rules: no actual direct line of sight
Chopper two prepares to shoot at the Shades, or whatever they are called now, or does he?
Whirlygig guy is in direct line of sight of the reaper XBows
Chopper ? Chopper, what chopper ? Do you hear a chopper?
Oh yes: pew,pew- no effect.
My shooting phase. Multiple shot reaper XBs take out Vengaboy no 1.
Flamer guys look on impassionately
Phalanx of spearmen march up, followed by buff-machine
War of attrition on the Dark Riders continues
Elves get to strike first.
Note that the seekers have been buffed up in Dwarf magic phase
They manage to take out 2 riders
Tower guard move out of sight of the cannon and arc of flame shooter guys.
Pegasus rider hops over skull-mountain but only manages to kill one crewman.
...fast forward a bit here, I think:
Knights get flank-charged by tunneler during ML's turn, they kill all the seekers in the combat, and reform to take out the mole machine in my next turn.
Knight takes rook, or tunnelmolemachine.
Meanwhile, back at the temple ML has charged Chopper Two into the Reaper XB, in turn to be charged by my shades and riders. This turns into a total slugfest, with neither being able to destroy the other for several turns.
Unlike Chopper One, who chews through the riders (with the assistance of the slayers) in short shrift, and then takes bead on the Tower Guard.
The spearmen had taken heavy casualties and broke, were caught and destroyed.
Would have taken Xbowmen, Shards (Never liked that name) or whatever they're now if it was my list, but well, ok. Deal with the issue at hand
Miners arrive to harass the knights
While the elves finally get rid of the chopper
Glass cannon chews through the dwarven cannon, and attempts to frighten the shooters
In ML's next turn MoleMachine no 2 and Vengaboy no 1 attack the Altar.
Bitchygirls give Vengaboy his marching orders, followed by Molemachine
Taking one wound
Only to be charged by the Seekers,
and attacked in the rear in dastardly fashion by the miners
This can only end in one way.
Meanwhile, in the centre of the table the two anvil blocks meet. The dwarfs have numbers and strength and toughness. The nasty elves speed and agility.
Only the front rank remains
Next turn Chopper One charges in
As do the Old Flames
Chopper One down. Harshly dealt with
BSB and Tower guard commands pay the ultimate price
While the caster and highborn escapes with their lives
Ever the gentleman, if such a thing can ever be said of a dread elf, the dreadlord prepares to meet his flaming doom.
I cant remember if the witch caster died before or after him, or whether she actually escaped after bewitching him to take the fall.
Either way an enjoyable introduction (albeit a bit of a tour deforce) to the Ninth Age.
Thanks Macrae. I enjoyed that!
