Season Unending

Do you know the ancient Nord word for war? "Season unending"... so it has proved.
-Arngeir, Greybeard
 Skyrim 

Thursday the 12th was the last gaming club session for the kapiti wargames club for 2013. It was also round 3 of the ongoing elf conflict between Nick's Dark Elves, and my Wood Elves. It was a standard 2400 point game, my list was comprised of:

Highborn (1#, 248 pts)
   1 Wood Elf Highborn, 148 pts = (base cost 145 + Shield 3)
      1 Sword of Might, 20 pts
      1 Armour of Destiny, 50 pts
      1 Dragonbane Gem, 5 pts
      1 An Annoyance of Netlings, 25 pts

Spellweaver (1#, 335 pts)
   1 Spellweaver, 250 pts = (base cost 215 + Level 4 Upgrade 35)
      1 Wand of Wych Elm, 55 pts
      1 Glamorweave, 30 pts

Noble (1#, 120 pts)
   1 Wood Elf Noble (Battle Standard Bearer), 90 pts = (base cost 75 + Battle Standard Bearer 15)
      1 Hail of Doom Arrow, 30 pts

Spellsinger (1#, 170 pts)
   1 Spellsinger, 125 pts = (base cost 90 + Level 2 Upgrade 35)
      1 Ranu's Heartstone, 20 pts
      1 A Lamentation of Despairs, 25 pts

Eternal Guard (20#, 320 pts)
   19 Eternal Guard, 246 pts = 19 * 12 (base cost 12) + Musician Mus 6 + Standard Bearer Std 12
      1 Guardian, 24 pts
      1 Gaemrath - The Banner of Midwinter, 50 pts

Glade Guard (10#, 138 pts)
   10 Glade Guard, 138 pts = 10 * 12 (base cost 12) + Musician Mus 6 + Standard Bearer Std 12

Glade Guard (10#, 126 pts)
   10 Glade Guard, 126 pts = 10 * 12 (base cost 12) + Musician Mus 6

Glade Guard (10#, 126 pts)
   10 Glade Guard, 126 pts = 10 * 12 (base cost 12) + Musician Mus 6

Glade Guard (10#, 126 pts)
   10 Glade Guard, 126 pts = 10 * 12 (base cost 12) + Musician Mus 6

Dryads (10#, 120 pts)
   10 Dryads, 120 pts = 10 * 12

Treeman (1#, 285 pts)
   1 Treeman, 285 pts

Treeman (1#, 285 pts)
   1 Treeman, 285 pts


Nick took a completely different list, that looked like this:

High Beastmaster (2#, 305 pts)
   1 High Beastmaster, 300 pts
      1 Scourgerunner Chariot, 0 pts
      1 Charmed Shield, 5 pts

Supreme Sorceress (1#, 290 pts)
   1 Supreme Sorceress, 240 pts = (base cost 185 + Dark Steed 20 + Level 4 Upgrade 35)
      1 Ring of Hotek, 50 pts

Khainite Assassin (1#, 125 pts)
   1 Khainite Assassin, 90 pts
      1 Sword of Striking, 15 pts
      1 Potion of Strength, 20 pts

Sorceress (1#, 140 pts)
   1 Sorceress, 115 pts = (base cost 80 + Level 2 Upgrade 35)
      1 Dispel Scroll, 25 pts

Corsairs (31#, 371 pts)
   30 Black Ark Corsairs, 350 pts = 30 * 11 (base cost 9 + Extra Hand Weapon 2) + Musician Mus 10 + Standard Bearer Std 10
      1 Reaver, 21 pts = (base cost 19 + Extra Hand Weapon 2)

Dark Riders (10#, 230 pts)
   9 Dark Riders, 200 pts = 9 * 20 (base cost 16 + Repeater Crossbow 3 + Shield 1) + Musician Mus 10 + Standard Bearer Std 10
      1 Herald, 30 pts = (base cost 26 + Repeater Crossbow 3 + Shield 1)

War Hydra (1#, 180 pts)
   1 War Hydra, 180 pts = (base cost 160 + Fiery Breath 20)

War Hydra (1#, 180 pts)
   1 War Hydra, 180 pts = (base cost 160 + Fiery Breath 20)

War Hydra (1#, 180 pts)
   1 War Hydra, 180 pts = (base cost 160 + Fiery Breath 20)

Reaper Bolt Thrower (3#, 70 pts)
   1 Reaper Bolt Thrower, 70 pts

Reaper Bolt Thrower (3#, 70 pts)
   1 Reaper Bolt Thrower, 70 pts

Reaper Bolt Thrower (3#, 70 pts)
   1 Reaper Bolt Thrower, 70 pts

Scourgerunner Chariot (1#, 150 pts)
   1 Scourgerunner Chariot, 150 pts

The battlefield looked like this:

Nick won the roll for deployment and picked the table edge that didn't have the black dice bag on it. He deployed his two of his Bolt Throwers in the small cluster of three buildings with the other near the forest in his deployment zone. His three Hydras started between the same forest and the table edge. His large Corsair block took the centre, the Dark Riders started to the right of the Corsairs, and the two Scourge Runners next to the Dark Riders.

Nick's Deployment

I stuck my deployable forest opposite the large obelisk in the above picture, and the Eternal Guard, Highborn and BSB all hopped in the forest. Treeman number 1 started to the left of the forest, with Treeman number 2 starting behind the ruins and buildings. Two of my four units of Glade Guard took the flank with the Treeman and ruins, and the other two took the opposite flank with the Dryads. The Beastweaver (a quick note, while i did like using beasts this game its nowhere near as good as life for a wood elf list) took the Treeman flank and the Athel Loren weaver took the Dryad flank.

My Deployment

The "Treeman Flank"

Nick got turn one and began by fanging his Hydra trio right towards my archers on the right flank. The corsairs, and scourge runners followed suit and moved towards the Eternal Guard and Treeman. The Dark Riders moved behind Nicks lines on his left flank, but not before the Supreme Sorceress broke off to hide behind one of the Hyrdas. Magic saw the aforementioned Supreme Sorceress cast timewarp on a Hydra, i was able to block all other magical nastiness coming from the Dark Elf mages. The shooting phase saw the Treeman next to the Glade Guard take a wound and the Eternal Guard loose 5 models, they passed the subsequent panic test (LD 10, stubborn with re-rolls will do that).

End of Dark Elf Turn 1

My first turn began with me jumping the Beastweaver out of his Glade Guard unit and hiding  behind my lines. The Treeman in the small village advanced through the buildings, with the Treeman standing next to the Eternal Guard mirroring him and jumping the wooden fence in front of him. On the right flank the Glade Guard turned to face the Dark Elf lines and the Dryads began their advance towards the Bolt Throwers. The Eternal Guard stayed put. In the magic phase i was able to Call of the Hunt the Dryads closer towards the Bolt Throwers, and that was all i was able to do. Shooting wise i pincushioned the Supreme Sorceress with the Hail of Doom Arrow, and that was about it for shooting for the whole game.

Wood Elf Turn 1

Dark Elf turn 2 began with the Corsair block moving towards the Treeman, which you would think is a bad idea, but Nick's Assassin could only hide in one place and with a potion of strength he could easily dice the Treeman. Elsewhere the Dark Riders moved towards the Dryads, the Hydras declared charges on the Glade Guard (who ran away) and moved into the face of the village Treeman. Both Scourge Runners also moved to face the Treeman. And then came the magic phase that would alter the course of the game. Nick's brave level 2 tried to cast the black horror on my Treeman, and hopefully the Eternal guard. He rolled double six, then proceeded to roll a misfire on the art dice for distance, managed to direct the vortex back over his own lines, and rolled a dimensional cascade for the miscast. The result of this wonder magic storm was the unit of 31 Corsairs being reduced to 20. The Sorceress lived and the unit now looked decidedly vulnerable in the face of a Treeman. Nick's shooting phase was tame in comparison, a dryad died to the dark riders and a few Glade Guard died to bolt thrower fire.

Dark Elf turn 2

I kicked off Wood Elf turn 2 with a Eternal guard charge into the depleted Corsairs, this was followed by the Dryads charging the dark riders after i discovered i couldn't charge the bolt throwers because i couldn't fit them all in. Movement wise the village Treeman turned to face the Beast Master in his chariot and walked right up to him, eying him hungrily.  The Beastweaver nervously shuffled about, looking at the oncoming Hydras with terror. Finally the glade guard and Athel Loren wizard moved up to help the Dryads. Magic wise call of the hunt was used again to boost the Dryads towards the fleeing Dark Riders. In the shooting phase the village Treeman murdered the scourge runner chariot the general was in, forcing Mr Boss Elf to walk about on foot. Combat saw my general issue a challenge, to be accepted by the Corsair unit champion, who was slain. The Assassin revealed himself sand cut down the BSB. The combat was kinda one sided, the eternal guard dropped from 23 to 19 and the corsairs lost 2 of their number (dropping them to 18). However a LD 10 stubborn unit is hard to move, even without re-rolls, and so the Wood Elves held.

Wood Elf turn 2

Dark Elf turn 3 began with moving the general behind the Eternal guard and Corsair combat, but not before i used the Banner of Midwinter on the Eternal guard, which prevented them from moving for a turn but made them unbreakable until the start of the next player turn. The hydras surrounded the Beastweaver and remaining glade guard, the dark riders continued to runaway (like little mice) and the Scourge Runner stayed put. The magic phase saw the return of the black horror, this time it ate my troops, my Eternal Guard specifically. It reduced them for the combat ahead. The shooting phase saw a co-ordinated fire breath bombardment by the hydras on the remaining glade guard unit on the right flank, which reduced them to 3 models. Bolt thrower fire on the left flank saw the glade guard unit with the Athel Loren wizard flee, having been reduced to two models. Combat was bad, the Eternal guard were reduced to the champion and the general, who did minimal damage in return, but they held due to the after effects of the banner of midwinter.

Dark Elf Turn 3

Turn three and it was time for slaughter, wood elf style. It began with both treemen charging the corsairs, one in the front the other in the flank. The Dryads didn't reach the dark riders but did reach the bolt thrower in front of them. Elsewhere the mage began his dance with the hydras, ducking out of their charge range and casting boosted amber spear at them. The Athel Loren Wizard and friend continued to flee. In the magic phase i cast boosted Amber spear and killed a hydra. Yaay! The combat was one sided and the corsairs were wiped out by the power of two treemen, not before they finished off the Eternal guard and left the Highborn exposed, and the dryads wiped out the bolt thrower crew.

Wood Elf Turn 3

And here things kinda get hazy. The dark riders rallied and then got charged by the dryads, their combat was inconclusive as turn 6 came round and neither side had wiped out the other. The Beastweaver escaped the hydra ring, only to murder himself with a miscast will casting boosted amber spear (if didn't kill his target). One of the treemen tried to strangleroot one of the remaining bolt throwers, but failed. And the other treemen tried to strangleroot a hydra, but failed also. The two generals did get to fight but neither could land the killing blow on the other.

After the dice had settled and the points tallied up the end result was a draw. It turns out that if i hadn't six diced amber spear on my last turn and murdered my level 4 then i would have one, but lesson understood. Overall it was a good, tense and close game and i thank Nick for it. Until next time.
Rex