It was one late Friday evening when we finally started a rumble of exact 504 points each. Rumbles are the second smallest type of battles in Warmachine, just a few more troops than only the retinue of each Warcaster. Warcasters are COs who have magic abilities and the unique power to telepathically command huge steampowered walkers called Warjacks. Walter had decided to buy three of those for his points, I had decided for none in favour of cavalry that I wanted to field for the first time. Walter played followers of Menoth, a radically religious order of crusaders. I played troops of the Khador nation, an imperial Russian-like people from snowy plains and forests in the east.
Walter´s line up:
My posse:
Heavy infantry in the center, followed by light infantry, flanked by cavalry on the right and artillery on the left. My artillery was set up in cover and was planned to be static, because they could fire 20 inch ranged rounds and to avoid aiming penalties.
A cunning plan... :cool:
All seemed to work well at first. My mortar crew erased 3 out of 6 zealots at once. They could have been a threat with their hand grenades, if they had come near (the three remaining zealots are the figures on the left in front of that cross bearer).
My victorious mortar crew that had drawn first blood:
The threat on the right was far worse than those zealots. Walter had assembled a group of rocket firing infantry. Or should I say highly mobile artillery? I knew them as miserable gunners, because the rarely had hit something in previous games. But he had learned his lesson and was prepared this time...
I learned it the hard way when my cavalry tried to ride them down in a flank attack. His damned Warcaster had cast a spell on me that made it impossible for the rockets to miss me. :banghead:
The heavily armoured Uhlans are a tough bunch to kill, but the repeated hails of eight rockets per round made minced meat from two horses and riders.
My light infanty (eleven pikemen in total) turned left and tried to break through the woods that gave cover to my mortar on the left. The pikemen had learn that a frontal advance was slowed by rough terrain, because the heavy infantry (six shocktroopers) had to delay their charge by getting slowed when advancing.
The trees did not let me get through in line, thus I could not order a combined melee attack on the light Warjack that meanwhile waited there. This one was a dangerous threat again. The less because of its fighting abilities, but the more by his relay function for the enemy Warcasters spells. The Warcaster could see through its eyes and cast spells from there as if it was himself who stood there.
I had to get through these bushes! :rant:
I finally made it around at the cost of a few men that covered my move by entangling the Warjack in close combat.
The Menoth followers had brought forth their Paladin of the Wall, an extremely sturdy character that stopped my cavalry´s advance and thus the charge on the damned rocket hailers. To make it even worse, he was backed up by another light Warjack. Things started to turn against me at this point.
The pesky zealots had advanced meanwhile and took revenge for their dead comrades by blowing the mortar to pieces...
The stuck up shocktroopers had been decimated from six to two and had done nothing than dying yet.
It was time for them to prove their value against a heavy Warjack...
My Warcaster Sorscha Kratikoff engaged a mercenary female Elf called Eiryss in close combat. Eiryss had shot her twice and had caused her a loss of the ability to cast spells for two rounds.
Close combat was the only solution to get rid off that pointed ears plague! :mad:
Meanwhile my broken through light infantry had made it to the choir of Menoth and tried to switch them into castrates.
What shall I say? The light Warjack had survived the sacrifiying attack from their comrades and had followed them up.
The Paladin decided to leave the cavalry for the Warjack and turned to the Elf´s help.
Both were doomed. Sorscha had gained back her spellcasting ability and stared on them with an icy gaze (this can happen once a game and freezes all enemy models to stationary targets). They had minor defence now and Sorscha summoned a tempest that ripped them apart in an instant.
The Menaoth Warcaster Severious had not been lazy meanwhile and had corrupted and magically converted one of my shocktroopers into a follower of Menoth with permanent duration. The shocktrooper left the close combat with the heavy Warjack and turned to my pikemen instead.
The light Warjack and the rocketists had wiped out the remaining cavalry. The Warjack returned from behind the ruined temple to get another share.
The remaining single shocktrooper wasn´t much of a challenge for the heavy Warjack.
It also turned to my infantry after the shocktrooper was dead meat and scrap metal...
My heroic Ironfang pikemen expected to make their final stand to the last man.
They had been encircled at all sides and the chance for a victory had long faded away...
Sorscha Kratikoff knew that four brave men could not withstand the tide of iron and steam and decided to surrender.
She withdrew while her pikemen were taken POWs and perhaps converted into followers of Menot at last.
I conclude:
I should have had a closer look on the terrain. There were three facts that made me lose a lot of models:
1st: Rough terrain slowed the advance of my heavy infantry and thus had made a charge in the following turn impossible. They got eliminated by 2/3 until they reached the opponent.
2nd: Cavalry shall charge with their heavy lances. They are not supposed to fight with short spears in close combat skirmishes, although the kicking mounts are not too bad and give an additional attack.
3rd: The light infantry was feathered out by the impassable woods. They shall advance and finally charge on open terrain to allow combined melee attacks. I weakened them by let them fight in single combat.
I´ll try to do better next time, my Queen Aynar! I swear...
02 May 2012, 09:43:38 PM
