Warhammer! (Part 2)

Time for some photos and a quick summary of the second Warhammer game against Matt from the other weekend.

For this one, we rolled up a different scenario, getting 'breakthrough'.  I rolled to be attacker - but somehow an all cavalry army trying to breakthrough a wall of spears seemed a bit too obvious, so we switched roles.  Matt would need to get a specific points value of troops into my deployment zone by the end of turn six.

I would need to defend with a mobile force.  My battle plan was simple, advance hard and try to pin his troops away from my deployment zone until time ran out.  I deployed either side of the central temple and kept my two units of Pistoliers in reserve.

 

 

Matt's infantry advanced on my left, obscuring the view of his bolt thrower, a problem that would persist throughout the game (well, it was a problem for him)!

 

 

 

Matt's impact hit rolls were a bit better this time.  A charge from a chariot and the dragon princes saw my Knights Panther break, and the Dragon Princes overrun into the Reiksgard. 

The Pistoliers tried to buy time for the Panthers to rally.  They didn't last long.

 

This feels familiar... 

 

 

I ended up getting charged more than doing the charging, which is not good for cavalry. 

A series of unfortunate break tests and poor rolls for fleeing finally put paid to my chances.  Combined with a very stubborn eagle that took ages to die!

 

By turn six, there was just one lonely pistolier marksman flying the flag for the Empire, but even he couldn't stem the tide and bought it at the last minute

 

"Where'd all the humans go?"

 

Looks pretty bad doesn't it?  Not a great advert for using cavalry to fight a defense.  Well, yes and no.  While the result may be indisputable, Matt was only able to get sufficient scoring units into my deployment zone in the very last turn.  If the dice gods had smiled in my direction a bit more, if a couple of units had held for another combat turn, who knows? 

 

Don't get me wrong, Matt won fair and square by marshalling his forces well and keeping his eye on the objective, but that's how the best games of Warhammer should play out - tight until the very end. 

Will I try an all cavalry army again?  Probably, it was fun and presented some interesting challenges.  It was unusual facing high elves and having less units to activate for example!  It's also got me thinking about other interesting list combinations, and the role of magic in my army (the battle wizard did nothing, again).

Oh, and here's Matt's bolt thrower crew walking off in disgust at not even getting a single shot off ;-)