Warhammer 8th Edition battle report. "Is it really only turn 2?"

When would the Ratmen learn? More importantly when would the Imperial Administrators listen to his dispatches and take his reports of men sized Rats seriously?

Despite sending the heads of several specimens to the zooilogical institutes, they had been proclaimed fakes, conjoured up to scare the citizens of the Empire.

Then Ambassadors of the Emperor had arrived at his camp and instructed him to push further into the forests to investigate further and report back to the Emperor personally. Of course Custoras negotiated a good price for his silence.

Thursday last at the Creative Biscuit saw another knife edged battle between Jiri and I as the fur flew in a bitterly contested game of WHF 8th edition.

1200 points of forces were arrayed on the field of battle.

As Jiri set out his scouts I spotted an early chance to run two of his units of Gutter Runners from the field in the first turn. But then a pang of guilt struck me as I figured Jiri did not fully understand that rule so showed him the diagram in the hefty rulebook. . . . . In retrospect I wish Jiminy Cricket was there so I could have squished him!!!

Not surprisingly Jiri re-arranges his Skaven.

Then he gets his second surprise when I declaire both the Gryphs and Pistoliers are charging the single unit of Gutter Runners. Jiri had already declaired his stand and shoot reaction against the heavily armoured Gryphs leaving the Pistoliers a free run in as they charged!

As the Skaven flee I manage to pass a leadership test and redirect the Gryphs into the second unit of Runners (which was my plan all along). 

See what playing every week in the 'awakening of the woods' campaign does to you!

My Gryphs catch and rout the Runners and end up inches from the clan Rats but I fancy my chances even if they charge.

 On my left flank Jiri has an opening into the flank of my Knights. To his surprise I decide to flee from the charge as I do not want to take the charge into the flank and would rather flee and reform to face the charge head on.

A half decent roll from me followed by (even) an above average roll from Jiri should see me on my toes and safe and sound.

Of course what happens. . . . . . . .
 

ARSE!!

YEP!!!!! JIRI  ROLLS A TWELVE!!!!!

This results in the Rats JUST clipping the back of my unit and running down the entire unit of 10 Knights AND Grand Master AND level two Wizard in one fell swoop!

Reading the rules later I realised I had cocked up and measured the flee from the front of the unit NOT from the centre of unit after it had wheeled. 

Never mind I should have known the rules and Jiri deserved it due to the roll. That really was an example of one roll changing the whole course of the game! 

Jiri eyes up my Gryphs with his Flame cannon, then it misfires and the Skaven come bolting towards me before blowing up with a large template!

Thankfully this only causes one wound and my Gryphs pass their Moral check with flying colours.

Sensing the end of his Clan Rats Jiri moves his Engineer out of the unit. This stops him charging in the Clan Rats but was probably the right decision.

On the left flank my Outriders are massacred!

My entire left flank is being held by Rags, my Wizard on foot!

In revenge for their General my Gryphs charge in and wreck bloody havoc on the Clan rats causing them to run from the field.

I rein the Gryphs in and reform them to face the Jezzels.

I am in two minds about what to do with the Pistoliers but in the end decide to open up with both barrels into the Gutter runners. They disappear in a puff of smoke!

THATS THE END OF TURN TWO!!!!!! and half our forces have been destroyed. At this rate we will be finished and sipping coffee by turn three!

Over on the left Rags goes nuts with his spells.

Thanks to the 'pendulum' spell he will claim the lives of several Skaven before the end of the game.

What a boy!

Here come the Runners (finally! Jiri had forgotten to move them at least once). They open up with a hail of rusty, pointy objects but only manage to wound Rags once.

The Gryphs survive the cannonade of fire from the Jezzels and then rip the rats limb from limb.

A very poor set of rolls from my Pistolliers sees Jiri's Engineer surviving the volley of fire.

With my Gryphs bearing down on the remnants of the Skaven forces Jiri tries to run them off with the flame cannon.

Then his dice betray him as he only needs to roll a three to wound and force the moral check. . . . 

Yep thats a roll of double two!

I got so caught up in the battle at this point I forgot to take any more photos but another round of combat saw Rags shredded by the Gutter Runners, my Pistolliers are decimated by 'warp lightening' and bolt for the back table edge and my Gryphs lose another Knight and fail the moral check and also flee for the back table edge.

Once again another cracking game of Warhammer. Warhammer really has to be my favourate game ever!

Mordheim certainly lends itself to more cinematic moments and writes it's own narrative, Warmachine is unabashed competative play where milimeteres decide games and Bloodbowl does not take itself too seriously but for knife edged, nail biters there really is no other game like WHF 8th.