Battle Report: Army of the Western Reaches vs Sea Raiders
This was the 5th scenario in the Black Tide narrative campaign: Burn the Bridges. The idea behind this one is that both armies are fighting in the rushing water beneath the bridge, and the defenders are trying to destroy the bridge to prevent the invaders from transporting their armies across. The tape across the table marks the edges of the water - everything between is rushing water. Not only are models in the water in rough terrain - they all lose pathfinder. This means that the Orgoth cavalry is at a distinct advantage, as they can fly, and the Skorne cavalry is at a disadvantage, as they can now only reposition one inch.
The six objective markers represent six legs supporting the bridge. The defender's goal is to destroy at least four of them. This is done by placing charges - a trooper model base to base with a bridge support can place a charge by taking an action while base to base with it and rolling 2d6. A roll of 9 or higher places the charge. On a roll of 2, the charge explodes immediately. Otherwise nothing happens and you've got to try again. An armed charge will explode at the end of the defender's next turn, giving models time to get clear, which is good because when a charge explodes, the bridge leg is destroyed, and all models within two inches are automatically destroyed. Once the defender destroys four bridge legs, he wins. If he hasn't done so by the end of his sixth turn, the invader wins.
I would also be using my Siege Oliphaunt for the first time this game, which was exciting.
Skorne
- Supreme Archdomina Makeda
- Baslisk Krea
- Baslisk Krea
- Titan Sentry (Proxied by a Titan Cannoneer)
- Siege Oliphaunt
- Legends of Halaak
- Paingiver Beast Handlers
- Praetorian Ferox
- Praetorian Ferox
- Venator Catapult Crew
Orgoth
- Horruskh, The Thousand Wraths
- Jackal
- Tyrant
- Siege Tarask
- Rhok Harriers
- Rhok Harriers
- Ulkor Axers
- Ulkor Barragers
Deployment
Although each player is allowed to place 4 pieces of terrain, we didn't want to be stupid by placing houses and forests in the river. So one side got an underwater hill, and the other side got a pile of rocks that would act as a wall. Underwater rubble on one side would also grant cover.
The Orgoth deploy to send six Rhok up one side of the board, and Axers on the other. Horruskh aims for the hill. Skorne points a unit of Ferox at each set of bridge legs, and aims the Oliphaunt straight up the center.
Skorne Turn 1
Skorne runs into the river, although the Ferox hold back a bit to avoid being shot at on turn one. The flag falls off my Makeda model, and we decided that she dropped it before heading into the river because she didn't want her flag to get wet.
Orgoth Turn 1
Orgoth run up, the Axers getting Inviolable Resolve.
Skorne Turn 2
The oliphaunt unloads on the Tyrant, doing some damage, and the Tyrant moves forward because of hyper-agressive.
The Ferox walk forward, the moving model stopping at the bridge support and the other two placing far enough forward to attack. The two walking ferox fail to do much damage, but the one in the back successfully plants a charge on the bridge. On the other side, Ferox do the same, and the two forward Ferox kill two rhok harriers, but the rear ferox fails to place a charge.
The catapult kills an axer, and a member of the catapult crew sets a charge on the other bridge pillar. Two down! The legends of Halaak run to the other side of the board, and the Krea put up force auras.
Orgoth Turn 2
The tyrant unloads on the Oliphaunt, doing more than half its boxes in damage. The tarask and rhok kill two ferox, and axers on the other side kill one ferox.
Skorne Turn 3
The oliphaunt backs up to stay out of the axers' charge range. It then heals itself with its rage tokens, shoots at the tyrant and kills a rhok. The unstoppable ferox walk away from the axers, and one is placed close enough to a pillar to try to place a charge, which fails. The other unit of ferox also tries to place a charge and fails, but does kill one rhok.
Legends of Halaak jockey for position. Makeda puts up deflection.
Orgoth Turn 3
The tyrant lets loose with its quad bolter again, pincushioning the oliphaunt. Shield guard from the Sentry helps. The Ulkor barragers help out, but it takes the two rhok harriers to finally move in and finish off the olpihaunt. That still only counts as one!
Ulkor axers and the siege tarask take out the two Ferox who are outside of the range of Makeda's stay death, but she keeps the one on the bridge pillar alive.
Skorne Turn 4
What I'd really like to do here is have a ferox walk to the far side of the pillar, then place another four inches away base to base with the furthest pillar so that I could try to set charges on each. However, the siege tarask is blocking me from doing that, so instead all three Ferox charge the tarask, doing decent damage and killing two Rhok.
A beast handler successfully sets a charge on a pillar, leaving only one.
The Sentry positions to block for Makeda, but I fail to use his animus. The Legends of Halaak position to charge anyone who they want next turn. Makeda casts Force Aura and Deflection. It's a costly but effective combination: +4 DEF vs ranged.
Orgoth Turn 4
The tarask takes out two of the three ferox, and the jackal moves up.
Skorne Turn 5
The last ferox walks around the tarask and makes a last-ditch attempt to place a charge, but fails.
The krea finishes off the final rhok in order to give the Legends of Halaak a charge lane. The Legends of Halaak then charge the jackal, ending with a combo smite slam that knocks it into a wall, so that charge attack actually uses five dice. Damage wasn't super high though.
Makeda backs away from the pillar that's about to explode, and the krea gives her force aura. That guy with the cannonball looks around, trying to decide who to throw it at.
Orgoth Turn 5
The tarask mauls the last ferox, but Makeda won't let it die, using up every last fury point. The warwitches charge, but can't kill it.
Axers charge the Legends of Halaak, but can't kill them.
Skorne Turn 6
The game ends after Skorne's 6th turn, so this is it. We realize that even if I set a charge successfully, it won't explode until after the game ends. Only rolling a 2 will cause it to explode immediately and win the game for Skorne. I roll a seven or something.
(Orgoth Victory!)
Final Thoughts
- Early on, I did a lot of focusing on the bridge pillars rather than making attacks. My thinking is that if I could destroy the bridge and win, then it didn't matter how many models I'd lost. The issue is that setting charges is totally random and far less than 50%.
- As ever, the tyrant's ranged attacks did so much work. I hate it.
- I should probably have skipped the charge on turn 4 and had the ferox try to set a charge.
- Leaving the catapult crew too far away from the catapult was a mistake on my part.
- The Legends of Halaak spent a lot of time doing nothing.
- I wonder if I could have saved my oliphaunt with the stealth card.
- All things said, this is a really good scenario. Not competitive, but fun.
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