The lord of Mordheim. The end of a 15 month campaign!!

Lord Crashart peered into the surrounding gloom and sighed heavily. This would be the last push to displace the Dwarves from the east of the river. He had emptied his coffers to recruit as many men as possible and had even called in a favour to have his old mucker Arnold Legbreaker join them for some added muscle. How Crashart was going to feed the big oaf was anyone's guess. Maybe Crash could shove him in front of a crossbow bolt during the battle?

How had it turned to shit so quick? This was supposed to be a simple 'smash and grab' into Mordheim while on the way to his retirement to that little brothel in Tilea.

15 months later and here he still was! Bearly scratching a living from the daily raids into Mordheim. His retirement funds pissed up the wall and hardly a bean to his name. His only choice now was to claim this God's forsaken pile of dirt as his own and fight off all comers to reap it's supposed riches.

Crash stared along the line of the remnants of his warband. How many had fallen in the twisting alleys and deserted courtyards of the cursed city over the last 15 months? How many of his starting warband were standing here today? Did he really care?

No, not really! Better anyone else then him!

Did 'Crazy Joe' and the others really think he did not know of their plan to knife him in the back on one of their many missions into Mordheim and leave him here to rot? Did they really think he did not know of their disdain for him?

'Well here I stand you bastards!' he thought, and come the day when he no longer needed them there would be a reckoning!

But for now there was only the battle ahead. Crashart checked his powder one last time, kissed his lucky charm and ordered his men forward. . . . . 

There could be no escape from  Mordheim!

Frightening to think fifteen months after starting our Mordheim Campaign and seventeen games later we were reaching the end game! Potentially the final fight for the East of Mordheim.

When we started in December 2016 the board looked like this . . . .

I come down from putting the kids to bed to find the table set out thus. . . . . .

That's quite a difference!!

I get to choose table ends and set up my 'last chancers'. I had spent every penny on recruits in order to jam the table with as many bods as possible.

Even 'Floppy' was in attendance to observe the final battle.

First two turns I do not bother shooting as I want to establish as many dominant shooting positions as soon as possible to let my marksmen get to work whittling down the Dwarves.

Even though I need to roll sixes to take the Dwarves out of action I hope the sheer volume of fire will yield results.

I go with two strong flanking forces and a couple of shootists dominating the central tower to funnel the Dwarves into my killteams.

Kris also forms into two killteams and marches stoically forward making use of all possible cover.

I get to the centre of the board first and decide to play the waiting game. I have the greater speed and plan to use this to take advantage of any bottlenecks to kettle Kris' forces.

I hope Kris will take an early loss and then turtle his forces, this will allow me to run around at will and pick off any stragglers.

At first it looks like this is going to happen as Kris' surge forward stalls out just before my killing ground and his Dwarves bunker down.

I slowly creep forward into strong shooting positions while I send a small force flying round the far flank to rain fire into Kris' rear and flush him out!

It all gets a bit tense in the centre as I try to coax Kris into exposing his Thunderers in order to take a shot on my weaker warband members.

Is he tempted?

I finally hit a Thunderer through a window, but the tough little bastard refuses to die . . . . or fall from the ledge!

I hope it will at least cause Kris to become more hesitant with his advance.

My flanking force draws a lot of attention from nearly a third of Kris' warband.

Could I use this to my advantage?

My handgunners finally get a bead on a Dwarf but they fail to hit the side of a barn!

Kris continues to show what a salty dog he is and continues to inch forward up his left flank taking full advantage of any available cover.

I decide they are venerable enough to risk a charge and surge forward. . . . 

. . . . .got yer, you bastards!!!!!

Kris finally listens to the little voice in his head (daemonic possession?) and surges 'The Boar' into my kill box!

Up to this point 'The Boar' had done little throughout the campaign except advance towards the enemy and get there too late, but had been steadily leveling up thanks to his high survival rate. Could he be about to come into his own?

My Warband charge forward into the alleyway on my right.

Ben clashes blades with 'Mad M'axe'. This melee will turn into an epic duel between greatsword and Dwarf axe, lasting several turns as both protagonists desperately tried to lay their opponent low.

I do not know if it was luck or judgement on Kris' part but the narrow alley way means I cannot bring my superiour numbers to bear in order to swiftly tip the balance in my favour.

Despite both 'Spook' and 'Archie' now sitting on ballistic skill SIX they continue to fail to hit or wound the myriad of targets now exposed to their crossbows!!!!!

The desperate fight in the alleyway continues. Arnold Legbreaker is desperately trying to enter the fray but is unable to squeeze himself into the picture!

Ben and M'axe continue to hack away at each other.

Despite his best efforts Lord Crashart is forced to join the fray when the pit fighter 'Billy Crib' climbs the wall to escape the bottle neck of the swirling melee in the alley.

The Boar finally charges into the handgunners who grimly draw their swords and prepare to earn their pay.

The first Handgunner is dropped with contemptuous ease!

As the desperate melee continues I move my forces to line up their secondary charges should any one fall.

At this point the weakened 'Crazy Joe' is knocked to the floor unconscious by a morning star!

Despite his superiour trousers and lucky charm Lord Crashhart is knocked to the floor, stunned.

Maybe he should have spent less time shopping and more time sparring!?!

The Boar continues to rampage through the handgunners. I commit more and more men to the scrap in a hope to drag him down.

I charge in my Troll Slayer and henchman to save Lord Crashart but he is 'curb stomped' before they can reach him.

The Pitfighter then turns his attention to Crashart's rescuers.

The cobbled floor of the alley way runs red with the blood of both warbands as Ben finally connects with his Great sword through the swirling defence of M'axe the Troll slayer. 

'Rooster' the Pitfighter finally dispatches 'Guapo Joe'. With a bellow of bearly contained rage my Ogre finally gets to vent his growing rage.

Rooster clamly turns to face his new opponent.

In the centre Spook and Archie still try desperately to bring their weapons to bear but the Dwarves make expert use of any available cover.

On my left 'Kannon' is being slowly stalked down by the Dwarf Engineer. Dpspite looking like a pin cushion the Dwarf refuses to fall!

Spook finally gets a bead on a Dwarf Thunderer. It's ok he only has to roll a two to hit . . . . Bugger that's a one! Never mind he has 'quick shot', anything but a one will hit . . . . . . . Double bugger!!!!

At this point Kris was nearly passing out from laughing from the noises of despair I was making!

The Boar has single handedly dispatched five henchmen at this point (including 'Dildo' my Halfling)! I guess he was just waiting for his time to shine.

Despite his impressive size Arnold the Ogre is killed with ease.

At this point I had to take the first of many break checks.

The scary thing was Ben was now in charge and the nut case had his lips sewn together!!

With The Boar single handedly laying waste to my left flank Kris feels no need to bring the rest of his forces up in support.

'Papa' fumbles his final chance to shoot The Boar between the eyes and prepares to sell his life dearly!

Ben continues to hold his own despite being outnumbered. Will help get there in time (is there any help left?).

Spook and Archie continue to watch helplessly as their warband is decimated around them!

 

Somehow The Boar is finally hit. Papa charges in in a last chance effort to dispatch him. . . . .  Nope rolls a one to wound!!

This leaves him open to a counter charge from 'Keel Grymm' the engineer!

The pulling down of 'Kannon' and Ben is the straw that broke the camels back as despite passing several moral checks on a seven the decimated remnants of my warband finally bolt for the back table edge.

Kris' survivors survey the scene of their final victory . . . the lords of Mordheim!!!!

To the victor go the spoils!!!

The final two of my starting warband of SEVENTEEN slink off into the shadows leaving their dead and dying behind!

Yep that's FIFTEEN casualties from a starting warband of SEVENTEEN!!!

At least it gives some sort of indication of the verve the final battle was played!

Kris' FOUR casualties!!

Only four of my casualties leave this mortal plain and join Morr.

So as we wrap up an absolute EPIC campaign. I feel this music should be playing in the background.

 

Crashart ended up with a wrecked leg and I can now imagine him hobbling round the cheap bars and brothels of Black Pit telling his tales to anyone willing to buy him a draught and the patience to hear him out.

There are reports of savage fighting on the west of the river of Mordheim so we will be returning with new warbands at some point in the future to investigate. . . . . . . . 

But first, time for something completely different!!!!!!!!

Thanks Kris this has been a blinding campaign to play through with you and will go down in the sagas!

And last but not least here is how the campaign map ended up looking like.