Club Night 15th October

Luke and I decided to do a little 2,000 point Warhammer, once again pitting my Beastmen against his Dwarves. I didn't get round to picking an army till the day so had to rush it and proceeded to leave out the Minotaurs and the Centigors, which I had wanted to give a try. However it all turned out quite well!

We played the watchtower scenario and I was fortunate enough to occupy it at the start, which I did with one of my herds of Gors. To the right i deployed my big unit of 36 Bestigors, led by my Beastlord and a Minotaur Hero so the unit was frenzied. To their right was another Gor herd and a chariot. On the other flank was a giant, warhounds and two more chariots. Behind the line lurked a couple of Shamans.

Against this, on my right, going to my left, was a pair of Gyro-copters, a unit of Ironbreakers, a large unit of Longbeards, a unit of Hammerers led by the general, then another big unit, this time of warriors, led by a runesmith. A pair of bolt shooters and an organ gun deployed strategically along the line completed the Dwarf army.

Both armies advanced quickly in fairly parrallel lines. On my left the chariots and hounds moved to out flank the line, while the gyro-copters did the same on my right. The bolt shooters took a dislike to my minotaur hero and opened up on him, reducing him to his last wound, while the organ gun began to ravage the watchtower and its occupants. The chalice of dark rain saved the minotaur for another turn, but every single charge failed to reach home, and most units only moved an inch or two in their failed charge moves. Behind all this my shamans had been ineffectively chucking some spells about, and had they been in a unit their miscast would have been far more dangerous.

The Dwarves finally bought down the minotaur hero, and their general led a charge against the watchtower, which held, but only just. This then opened them him and his hammerers up to a charge in the flank from the giant which they chose to flee from, ending behind the long beards. On the right the herd again failed to charge the iron breakers, but the chariot crashed in while the bestigors attacked the longbeards.

On the left the giant was charged by the warriors, and with support eventually from the chariots into the warriors flank, and ultimately rear, beat the warriors and began to close in on the dwarf armies flank, with the hounds circling wide.

On the right the chariot was broken and fled, but not before inflicting a fair number of casualties thanks to the presence of an Alter of Khaine. In the centre this was being similarly felt as two hordes, one of bestigors, and one of long-beards laid into each other in a frenzied anger, until finally the long beards broke, allowing the bestigors to pursue into the hammerers, which after another bloody, frenzied combat they also won.

In the very centre the watchtower was still under fire from the organ gun and the surviving gors finally broke and fled from the tower, but as the game came to an end the dwarves were more bloodied and the beasts were nearest the watchtower and claimed victory.

Despite my errors in army selection this army worked quite well, and I may have to tweak it and try it again. I finally manged to matched dwarves for both size of units, survivability and hitting power and I think all this contributed to my victory (along with a little luck, but we all need that sometimes!)