Weekend before last I managed to get a hall pass to go out and do some honest, face to face gaming with my mate Matt. What with Covid, travel, work, and Matt being a new dad, we worked out that we hadn't met up for a game in five years, so it was good to catch up and get the toys on the table.
We decided on Warhammer Fantasy Battle, mutually agreeing on 6th edition as the joint favourite and the one we are both most familiar with (I'd have gone with 3rd of course, but we only had a day to get a game in...). Matt took his wonderfully painted High Elves. I of course brought the Empire but, in a change from my normal 'balanced' list, decided to make the most of all that cavalry I have been painting over the last 12-18 months, and took an entirely mounted army, scarping together every mounted unit I had. I had no idea how it would perform, but it looked pretty awesome, if I say so myself!
Briefly, here was my list:
- Grand Master
- Captain with Battle Standard (full plate, barded warhorse)
- Warrior Priest (heavy armour, shield, barded warhorse)
- Level 2 battle wizard (barded warhorse, law of beasts)
- 10 Inner Circle Knights
- 12 Knights
- 8 Knights Panther
- 6 Reiksgard Knights
- 6 White Wolves (Inner Circle)
- 5 White Wolves
I took no magic items at all, spending all my points on good honest human flesh and steel.
I don't have Matt's list but, from memory, it contained:
- Two Princes
- An Archmage
- 3 units of 15 spearmen
- 10 archers
- 3 chariots
- 1 unit of Dragon Knights
- 2 Great Eagles
- Bolt thrower
Matt's a great opponent. He has played competitively (which I don't), but is never a rules lawyer, and he likes experimenting with interesting lists, but they're never as gamey as well hung poultry.
I didn't keep notes, so this will be edited highlights with pictures, rather than an AAR. I should also give a shout out to the venue, 'Boards and Swords' in Derby. I'd not come across them before, but it's Matt's 'local' these days. Well worth a visit of you find yourself in Derby.
GAME 1 - PITCHED BATTLE
First game was a Pitched Battle. I rolled 'initiative', but took a risk and allowed Matt to go first. Matt called it a 'brave' choice, given I had no shooting, but I was trusting to all those 2+ saves, and wanted to force him to commit those chariots, which were my biggest worry. Id' say it paid off, I took a few casualties (mainly pistoliers on the left flank, which at least protected the White Wolves and battle wizard), but he did show his hand with the chariots and Eagles.
I scored an early success when the pistoliers on my right flank destroyed a chariot with a fusillade of well placed pistol shots, which then allowed them to break through and threaten the bolt thrower (assisted the White Wolves chasing off one the eagles, just visible in the photo above, hiding behind the woods).
On my left, the small unit of White Wolves did a pretty good job of holding up another chariot (Matt wasn't having much luck with his impact hits, and my save rolls were on fire). He made good use of the spell 'Unseen Lurker' to add his 'hero killer' Prince to the melee, who challenged my wizard to single combat. I attempted to cast the Bear's Anger, badly. At which point the wizard politely shoved the First Knight in to do the job for him instead. Of course this was all going one way in the end - the wizard was eventually kaput without successfully casting anything, and in the end the one remaining knight (the standard bearer) fled. I like to think he was 'returning the standard' (or as much as he could cling on to, at least) to the chapter house... But they had done their job and slowed up the action on the flank for a fair few turns.
"I've just remembered an appointment to get my beard trimmed!"
The big action was all in the middle, where my bigger units of knights clashed with chariots and spear-elves. The smaller units of knights panther and Reiksgard advanced right out there, forcing Matt to either charge with his Elves or be charged in the next turn. He went with the aggressive option, hoping to break the Reiksgard and Panthers with impact hits from the chariots, but it was not to be, which allowed the 'purple' knights (which contained my heroes) to charge in the next turn.
A series of increasingly complex melees ensued, with charges, counter charges, flank attacks, fleeing, pursuing into new units and so on.
Spear Elves and a chariot try to break the Panthers
A five-unit combat! Note my Grand Master (front left in the 'purple' knights),
conveniently located where he can't do a damned thing ('doh!')
The inner circle knights fail to catch a chariot while pursuing,
but pile into more spears instead
Although eventually wiped out, the Reiksgard bravely held the left centre from flank charge
(spot the feet of the Archmage at the top, hiding in the woods)
Eventually, thanks to a combination of heavy armour to soak up the blows from being charged, and frequently outnumbering the smaller Elven units, the pressure from the knights told, and the Elf centre crumbled and (mostly) fled.
An attempt to relieve the pressure through a charge from the Dragon knights was blocked by a largely unscathed unit of knights (just behind then in the above photo is the Grand Master and Inner Circle knights reforming after a pursuit, which would prove relevant at the end...).
While on the right, the bolt thrower had disposed of my last pistoliers, but now found itself the wounded antelope in a David Attenborough documentary, caught between panthers and wolves (alright, I know you wouldn't find those two predators together, but cut me some slack, I'm trying my best!).
It was looking good for the Empire, but Matt had one last sneaky trick up his sleeve. His Archmage, who had been hiding in the woods, had enough dice for two spells. 'Steed of Shadows' put him in striking range of my General's unit, and 'Creeping Death' then inflicted enough hits (with no chance to use those lovely 2+ saves) to cause a panic test. Which I failed of course, resulting in them fleeing off the board with my general and standard bearer! Veteran players may now be going 'hang on a moment?'... Yes, I know, I'll get to that.
I had done enough damage that was still a win for me, but a minor rather than solid victory. At which point I remembered that the Grand Master and the unit he is with are Immune to Psychology and don't take panic tests !!! (told you I'd get to that). Ah well, it was my job to remember that, and a win is still a win. Just a reminder though that I'm a bit rusty (it has been five years you know!).
All in all a thoroughly fun game. I think both of us were surprised at just how resilient the knights were in long combats due to those armour saves; although I don't know how they would manage against larger units that had the benefit of greater rank and outnumbering bonuses. The pistoliers were brilliant or awful as usual (but such fun), and the Knights Panther defied the rule of newly painted models by surviving to the end.
My magic phase was pants throughout the game. My wizard was useless, not getting a single spell off. My Warrior Priest managed to cast the prayer 'Hammer of Sigmar' (re-roll failed rolls to wound) just once, but I promptly forgot to apply it! if I used this list again I think I would swap him for another warrior priest (for the dispel die) or a captain. I can't say I really missed taking magic items either.
We played a follow up game but, as this is quite a long post already, I'll save that for another day!
