BrianMcG: Dweghom v 100 Kingdoms: Ribble Warriors

Chris and I met up with Aaron (who travelled over from Blackburn to the Ribble Warriors in Preston, with Chris using his Dweghom taking on Aaron with his 100 Kingdoms at just short of 1000pts.

I set up the board as below, with woods on either side and a few hills centrally. Although the game was just short of 1000pts, Chris and Aaron agreed to paly on 6 x 4 board, as it gives more room for manouevrability...

Chris ran his Hold Raegh as warlord, in one of the two x 6 stands Hold Warriors, and with two x 3 stands of Hold Ballistae

Aaron went for an Imperial Officer as Warlord, to include 3 x stands of Steel Legion, with two x 6 stands of Men at Arms and also a Mounted Noble with 3 Household Knights

TURN's 1 & 2

With no light troops, Aaron had to watch for turn 1 as the Hold Ballistae unit took the hill...

The second Hold Ballistae unit came on in support beside the first, as the Noble Lord marched on with his Household cavalry...

The Ballistae on the hill fired a long range volley, inflicting two wounds on the Knights, and they still had the whole valley to cross...

TURN 3

The Dweghom go first activation and loosed another rain of bolts, dropping one of the distant Knights...

A view from another angle, and to say hello to Aaron...

Into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

“Forward, the Light Brigade!”

Was there a man dismayed?

Not though the soldier knew

Someone had blundered.

Theirs not to make reply,

Theirs not to reason why,

Theirs but to do and die.

Into the valley of Death

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Okay, so technically there were only 3 but Aaron was just seeing what they could do!!!

TURN 4

Boldly they rode and well,

Into the jaws of Death,

Into the mouth of hell

Rode the six hundred

Aaron got the first activation, and charged up the hill at the shielded Ballistae...

Flashed all their sabres bare,

Flashed as they turned in air

Sabring the gunners there,

Charging an army, while

All the world wondered.

And while five Dweghom fell, their sister unit fired home at close range, dropping another knight...

Chris's angry glare didn't scare off the household knights. As both the Hold Warriors arrived, you can make out the first of the Men at Arms arrive top right looking to aid the valiant, but over committed Knights!!!

The other Men at Arms arrive on Aarons left, facing off against the Hold Raegh and his Hold Warriors. The Steel Legion also head up the right, looking to aid the Men at Arms there preparing to advance through the woods...

A view from Aaron's right, as his forces finally catch up with the impetuous Knights...

TURN 5

Apologies for the wobbly picture, I must have been nervous on behalf of the Knights and Noble Lord, as the Dweghom got first activation and I could hear the Ballistae bolts being primed...

7 bolts struck home, and Aaron's armour saves were not enough to save the Knights from falling...

While horse and hero fell.

They that had fought so well

Came through the jaws of Death,

Back from the mouth of hell,

All that was left of them...

In fairness, Aaron at least managed to get a charge in without getting waylaid in terrain like my 100 Kingdom Knights tend to. But they were totally scoured and the Dweghom dominated the centre...

The turn didnt get any better as the left flanking Men at Arms rolled a 1 for the charge distance, narrowly failing to get the initiative over the Hold Warriors...

Not being one to look another gift horse in the mouth, the Hold Raegh;s Warriors stormed in but Aaron's Men at Arms were stoic, passing all 7 saves...

I need some of these dice!!!

Sadly, that was just the Warriors and the Hold Raegh swung his Great-axe, cleaving through 4 Men at Arms

Turn 6

The turn started with both side on 1 VP apiece. Having no faced Dweghom before, Aaron was curious to see how they played and the Hold Raegh, with his resolve and general lethality was an unpleasant surprise. But they seem to be enjoying it (despite my camera flash occasionally taking tehm by surprise)

As the forces on Aarons left and Chris's right manouevred into position for a punch up, the melee was already in full swing at the other end of the field, with the Dweghom again pulling initiative...

With the Hold Warriors dropping 5 Men at Arms before the Raegh swung the axe...

I really need these dice!!!

Having avoided the axe biting into more men, the 100K lads swung back, dropping 3 Hold Warriors

While a long range charge through the woods allowed the humans the drop on the dweghom unit that had repositioned to protect their flank

Far down the field, the Steel Legion are now a magnet for the Hold Ballistae's quarrels...

By the time they are in position to flank the Hold Warriors, they have already lost 1/3 of their number...

End of Turn 6, 2 VP's each

TURN 7

Just a picture to show how finely balanced were on Chris's left flank/Aarons right

On the opposite flank, the Men-at-Arms were falling at a rate of 3 to 1 against their Dweghom foes...

With the help of the +1 initiative dice due to having less activations, Aaron got to go first and the Steel Legion hammered home...

With their Greatswords cleaving through the armoured Dweghoms flank...

The Men at Arms facing the Hold Warriors and Raegh were ineffectual this turn

But the Hold Warriors on the other flank crumpled under the pressure from two sides, although the 7 Ballistae on the hill drooped 4 steel legion as the other Balliste unit advanced round to bring more bolts to bear...

The Dweghom took advantage of the weakened force they face and broke them to a single stand

TURN 8

It began with both sides on 3 VP's

And the 100K activated first, with Men at Arms almost finishing of their off the Dweghom, leaving only the Standard bearer left in the Hold Warriors...

The Imperial Officer lost two of his Steel legion the Ballistae swinging around the hill, allowing them to finish off the Standard bearer

But the Hold Ballistae on the hill took aim at short range...

Their leader pointed and dropped his hand...

Killing the rival Warlord and scoring the Dweghom a secondary card objective...

While the Imperial Officer dropped, his opposite number of the Dweghom finished off the stubborn Men at Arms who dared to stand before him...

End of TURN 8

Dweghom 5 VP's, 100 Kingdoms 4 VP's

Turn 9

The Men at Arms charged in up the hill, the only unit left for the 100 Kingdoms but they failed to wipe out the stubborn Dweghom, as the rest of their forces manouevred...

Dweghom 6 VP's, 100 Kingdoms 4VP's

Last turn, TURN 10

The Men at Arms finished off the Hold Ballistae, taking control of the hill...

Allowing the other Hold Ballistae unit to drop four of them with flanking shots...

With the two remaining stands of Men at Arms holding the hill, Aaron claimed a moral victory...

With his Men deep in Dweghom territory, grossly outnumbered and leaderless, the actual victory went to Chris...

Dweghom 7 VP's 100 Kingdoms 4 VP's

Well, as you can probably tell, both Chris and Aaron weren't playing competitively, which we generally dont anyway. But it was an enjoyable game, with the bold cavalry charge without support, the deadly Ballistae controlling teh field adn some pretty amazing dice rolls frustratingly holding up the Hold Raegh... We'll look forward to Aaron coming Back with a few other guys from Blackburn in the not too distant future!!!

Meanwhile, also up at the Ribble Warriors, 5 games of Kings of War as the club league reaches the climax of the league stage and prepares to move into the knock out phase!!

James, the league fixer shows an old hand a new game, as Ian tries Kings of War...