Warhammer. marauding we will go!

I decided to travel to the empty wasteland of lost hope (or the Miniature Empire which looks like it is on its last legs) for a game of Warhammer Fantasy.

Given the desolate shelves and feeling of forlorn hope Damon decided to field Chaos marauders (seems appropriate). 

so here we all are, just some basing and movement trays to finish

So with the school hols into their second week and most of my chore list has been ticked off (and I have hid it from the wife) so I had a chance to field my full 1500 points for another battle.

Hopefully this time I will come closer to working out how my new units work(?)

"They've brought a Giant to a knife fight", "Bloody chaos"

Once again I field a strong (?) right flank and keep the new units to the left and contain my chaos in one place.

Once again I keep my gunners as a separate unit.

I play with lore of shadows as it is a spell deck I am really warming to.

Just to add to the chaos this one is painted

Just to confuse me Damon fields two painted miniatures, maybe he figures they will blend in with my forces and go unnoticed.

"Right lads follow me ....................... right towards that giant!"

2 new units, a cannon and facing a completely new foe. I am so confused right now I don't know whether to shit my pants or clap my hands.

I figure the Giant is a smashy unit so will try to pop it off with the cannon (can it do that?) or at least weaken it until I crash in with a cavalry unit.

I rest of the units are just going to hold the line and wait for the cavalry to arrive (quite literally).

"Right lads hold the line"

With  3 channel rolls in my favor I figure nows the time to get the spells off and go for broke on my rolls.

now thats a channel roll!

I'm still trying to figure the best way to use my hand gunners and with my results so far it seems to be as detachments for other units.

It does seem that this game is decided by melee and shooting is just there as a support role rather then a game changer.

The chaos warriors charge in and I decide to stand and shoot. I now realise I should augment the unit as soon as possible to deter the enemy from charging them and funnel them towards the spear men who will be buffed by the warrior priest.

"Wait until you see the whites of their eyes boys................... Sod it their all black!"

With the cannon unable to hit a 30 foot high giant I decide to send in the outriders to see what they can do.................... hopefully more then miss at every opportunity!

Seeing as the cannon is useless the outriders go Giant hunting

The gunners get walloped but reform and they manage to march into the flank of the knights

Looking back I should have reformed into two ranks. It would have reduced their shooting arc but I would get in the extra attacks if I needed to launch a flank attack.

At this point I should have reformed into 2 ranks, you live and learn

My worries about the giant means I keep holding back my gryphs, basically my hittest unit has been neutralised  just by the threat of the giant. I needed to grow a pair and get them stuck in to something sooner.

They are 6" away, why are you still missing!

Once again I screw up the cannon shot and the giant continues its charge up my right flank. With my Demigryphs facing down the Chaos knights I only have my wizard to halt the giant.

It turns out Giants are bullet proof as my outriders cant even slow it down.

To add to the chaos the spawn randomly appears in front of my knights and thats the charge stifled.

Their mark of chaos is to all be one colour. matt black!

I let the spears get charged as I want to see how this fighting in 3 ranks works out for me. I love the hatred rule meaning a reroll for misses and will be thinking about another War priest for the unit of Great swords I am working into my Armies narrative.

My spears go nuts due to hatred...............of unpainted miniatures!

Flush from his success from facing down the chaos chariot at the battle of Barracuda bay, Marcus my wizard tries the same trick against the Giant.

I hex the giant to give me half a chance.

To Damons surprise (but not mine) Marcus wounds the giant as it picks him up and survives the round of combat.

It's not the size of the dog in the fight that counts, its the size of the fight in the dog!

The chaos warriors boil through my spears and Rags tries to stem the tide single handed. My hope is I will roll a double 6 during my casting and blow a bloody great hole in the unit with the miscast (bit like a suicide bomber).

"Its alright boss I have it all under control!"

As the giant clears the Gryphs I open up with grape shot from the cannon leaving the Giant with 2 wounds. Finally I feel I am making some head way.

Seriously lads this is getting embarrassing, its 30 feet tall, how do we keep missing? 

I fail to get the miscast and the Chaos knights boil through Rags before reforming on my Knights flank. I decide to charge my gunners into the marauders flank. Once again I have missed a trick by not reforming into 2 smaller ranks as they only generate 4 attacks rather then 8.

The voices made me do it

Once again the Gryphs show their worth by ripping the Chaos warriors to pieces. I really should have unleashed them earlier. They might have got stomped by the giant but they are a heroic unit and if they are going to meet their end it should be in a heroic way. The other option was to use them in support of the Knights and just rip Damons right flank a new arsehole.

"Come and 'ave a go if you think your 'ard enough!"

"Ok you are 'ard enough!"

The knights cause the marauders to flee and I try to chase them down with the gunners while I reform the knights to face off against the second unit of Chaos warriors. 

Unfortunately I fail to run down the marauders but hopefully I can shoot them to pieces when they reform, or shoot them in the back as they continue to leg it for the back table edge. 

Once again I fail to take the opportunity to augment them in case they are counter charged.

"Once more into the breach dear friends, once more"

The Chaos Knights crash into my Knights and I lose the combat by one.

With my General in the unit I only have to roll under 8................. no worries.

My weeks run if piss poor rolls continues as I roll a 10! and then fail to get away from the pursuing unit on 3 die!

The unit is cut down and that leave a unit of Hand gunners holding my entire left flank.

I open up with both barrels but the unit is behind hard cover so it has minimal effectiveness.

Damon is obviously feeling sorry for me due to my poor rolling all game as he sends his giant into my cannon rather then the flank of my Demigryphs.

Khorne will not be happy!

No surprise the hand gunners are;
charged,
fail to hit anything with their reaction,
get ripped to pieces and then
flee for the nearest table edge.

Once again my Gryphs rip through a unit in two turns and charge down the hill with the over run.

This leaves my outriders free to open up with both barrels on the giant.

Finally the bloody thing dies but its too little too late as Damon takes the victory.

LESSONS LEARNT

1) If I am going to kill something with shooting it needs to be with concentrated fire. If I had concentrated the fire of my cannon, hand gunners and outriders surely the giant would have fell sooner. I could have even added my wizards to the fray with any blast spells I had.

I think from now on I am just going to pick one thing and blast it with everything I have as I think it is the only way to make shooting work in Warhammer.

2) Hitty units HAVE to get stuck in. My gryphs should have got stuck in much sooner, if they had of met their end against the ghiant so be it!

3) I want a giant! I have bought an Ogre army in the ME sale which will develop into a pirate force in support of my Empire forces............................ and they can have giants!