Warhammer Fantasy Battle Report at the Leaping Wolf Inn

About three weeks ago we showed you how to build the Leaping Wolf Inn and promised a Battle Report taking place around the Inn. Well here it is, a bit long but worth it in the end.

750 Point Warhammer Battle, Dogs of War vs. Orcs

Dogs of War

Maxwell D’Meelion – General

Guido D’Rotundi – Paymaster

15 Pikemen

20 Crossbowmen

14 Crossbowmen

5 Light Cavalry w Spear and Shield

5 Heavy Cavalry w Hvy Armor, Shield, Lance and Hand weapons 

Orc

Grozd - Black Orc Big Boss w Axe of Bashin - General

Riding in Boar Chariot w 1 crewman

15 Orc Boyz w Shield and Choppas

15 Orc Biguns w Two Choppas

10 Orc Arrer Boyz 

20 Night Goblins  w Shield and Spear

            One Fanatic

5 Wolf Riders with Light Armor, Shield, Spear and Bow

1 Spear Chukka w crew

SPECIAL RULES

This game is representing a quickly assembled force gathered ad-hock, so no rare choices and no magic users were allowed.

VICTORY CONDITIONS.

This game was about securing livestock in the stables of the Inn to supply the armies

The player with a unit size of 5 or more in the courtyard at the end of the game is the winner regardless of victory points. 

Should both players have units inside, the one with the largest unit is the winner. 

If both players have units of equal size the game is a draw.

---

It was a grey morning, as are all mornings during war. The plains south of Karak Hirn had seen many days of battle. Orcs, dwarves and men alike lay dead and dieing as the skirmishes raged on. The Border Princes had raised troops to fend off the orcs advance time and time again. Men and supply lines were stretched beyond the breaking point and the toil of constant fighting wore on all.

Maxwell D’Meelion had rallied what troops he could muster from the remnants of numerous regiments. Guido D’Rotundi, his paymaster saw too it that full coffers were shown to all takers.

“Guido” he called, “what have we!”

“Besides our pikeman sir” Guido replied, “we have gained two units of crossbowmen, a unit of light cavalry and one of heavy. All will be paid upon completion of the mission in gold and supplies”

“Not bad for a days work. The dwarves wouldn’t be enticed?” Maxwell asked

“No sir” Guido again replied to his general, although more despondent this time. “Nor coulda we get any artillery”

Maxwell would have liked more fire power, but he was in haste. A report had come to him the day before and he had to act quickly to take advantage of the news. If he could arrive early the following day, they might beat all other takers to their prize and entice others to join under his leadership.

They broke camp before dusk and began their march toward the small hamlet several furlongs away. He had received reports that a band of dwarves from the mountains to the northwest were on the move and a marauding band of orcs was some distance to their south. The dwarves would not be able to move as swiftly as his men. They could easily be to the Inn and gone before those stunty gold diggers could arrive. The orcs were the concern, he’d have to move fast to secure the prize. With supplies in disarray, food was an extremely valuable commodity, and meat was extremely rare at this point.

They had marched for 4 hours when the hamlet came into sight off to their south. It was no more than an Inn with its stables and out buildings and a few homesteads. Maxwell gazed longingly and could only fathom the goal they longed for was at the Inn complex. That’s when Guido leaned over his shoulder, peered hard at the inn and asked

“Where’s da beef?”

---

Snodgrad the Small was always whiny, especially when hunger was on the line.

“Where dat beef boss?” he questioned.

“Shut up ya snivelly wart!” Grozd bellowed. “I don’t answer to toads and warts, an youz boff ah dem!”

Grozd was a large Black Orc even by Orcy standards. He used fear and intimidation to hold his rabble together, this was normal for Black Orcs. He towered a full head and a half over the next largest orc under his command so his authority was secured by brute force. He had a full suit of armor made of various plates and pieces of metal collected from the battle fields and assembled for him. His ramshackle chariot was pulled by 2 large boars, tusks protruding forward to gore any who were foolish enough to stand before their charge.

Grozd led his host of orcs and goblins through the forest desperately looking for a way out and to the prize they were seeking. He hated trees, they usually held elves and he hated them too. The trail was small and barely wide enough for his chariot to pass. If they were waylaid here the chariot would be useless.

“Boss!” yelled Gazbag the leader of his Big’uns and second in command. “Da trees is gone up ahead and der iz buildins out der!”

Grozd prodded his boars forward and cleared the forest. Before him, to the west, was the hamlet in which the beef would be found.

“Dere iz humies over der!” exclaimed Gazbag. Grozd smiled approvingly.

“Let’s git em ladz!!”

---

Orcs were rabble and needed taught a lesson. Max was thinking fast now and yelling out his commands

“Heavy cavalry to the left flank! I want those crossbows on the hill next to them”

His mind was a whirl of tactics and strategies.

“Guido, Form up with our pikemen, take the center of the field! I want light cavalry on our right and the other crossbow regiment on the far right. Watch those wolf riders!”

Max D’Meelion was sure they could advance, counter any orc maneuvers and advance on the courtyard.

As his gaze lingered out beyond the small hamlet he surveyed the orcs marching forward. The wolf riders were on their left flank below the far hill, a spear chukka and archers were above them and a mob of goblins was directly in front of and below the archers. A mass of large orcs, probably biguns was holding the center of their line supported by a boar chariot. A huge black orc drove the chariot and by all rights appeared to be their leader. On their right flank behind some buildings for cover was another mob of orcs.

“Guido!” Max ordered “Prepare to advance, the orcs are on the move!”

The goblins charged up beside the rear of the Inn with the orc archers close behind. The wolves being surprisingly fast sprinted left behind a copse of trees, shielding them from the bolts of the crossbowmen. The Big’uns, prodded by Grozd, advanced toward the Inn with the chariot positioned just behind them. The remaining orcs stood resolute behind the cover of the buildings. The arrer boyz had no targets as the goblins were in front of them. The goblins manning the spear chukka fired wildly at the Tilean crossbowmen but failed to score a hit.

Max, Guido and the pikemen wheeled left as they advanced on the Inn. The light cavalry pulled up behind the crossbowmen to counter any attacks by the wolf riders on their right flank. The left flank held fast and had no targets either. The crossbowmen on the right had 20 night goblins dead ahead. The front rank fired, the goblins raised their shields for protection from the deadly bolts, but one fell from their numbers.

The Biguns now reached the Inn wall and had broken through the small doorway. Their numbers being greater than the door could handle, they clambered over the wall to get in. Animsoity was always a concern, but Grozd held his units in check. He also kept his chariot in position and motioned for the orcs on his right to hold too. The wolf riders carefully held the position behind the forest. The goblins and arrer boyz continued moving toward the Tileans.

The Night Goblins had gotten close enough to push a crazed fanatic out of their front rank. He careened wildly smashing through the crossbowmen, killing two of them. The spear chukka had reloaded and fired once more, this time they found the range as their large projectile sailed over the goblins impaling another of the Tileans.

In retaliation, the crossbow unit, holding steady, fired at the oncoming goblins. 4 bolts found their mark but again only one goblin fell. Max’s large unit of crossbowmen now had sight of the biguns as the poured into the courtyard of the Inn. 7 hits were scored and 5 of the large brutes met their doom. The only other Tilean movement was from the light cavalry moving toward the forest in order to avoid the crazed fanatic and Max with his pikemen unit moving forward and wheeling once again to get in front of the Inn.

The fanatic whirled once again, this time moving away from the battlefield. Animosity finally got the better of the orc boyz behind the buildings and decided to show up the rest of the army by moving forward to the closest enemy unit, which left them in the open for all the enemies left flank to see. The night goblins were finally in range to charge the Tileans and two greenskins fell as the stout crossbows fired at the oncoming menace. The goblins crashed into the enemy ranks, spears lowered and ran 3 of the Tileans through. The wolf riders swung wide around the forest and light cavalry to flank the beleaguered crossbow unit and fire their bows killing two more. The arrer boyz who had cleared the Inn wall wheeled right, finally seeing a target, fired at the Tileans on the far hill and downed two of them. The Biguns took cover behind the Inn walls and Grozd moved forward to support the overzealous orc boyz.

The crossbowmen embroiled in the fierce melee with the goblins fought valiantly slaying two additional stinking greenskins before they were overwhelmed, lost their nerve and fled with the goblins in pursuit. They were caught and the night goblins ferocity tore them down to the last man. The goblins manning the chukka had moved their war machine to the right, and now spied the approaching Tilean heavy cavalry. They frantically reloaded, took careful aim and fired across the field knocking a knight from his saddle.

The leader of the Tileans manning the hill realized their new threat and ordered his men to fire on the arrer boyz. The crossbows found their mark and 3 arrer boyz fell impaled by bolts. Max and Guido prepared to charge the Orc Boyz but before doing so the heavy cavalry thundered past them and crashed into the wall of orc boyz. Two orcs were trampled by the cavalry, but one of the horsemen was dragged from his saddle in return. Fiercely the combatants remained entangled in the melee, neither giving ground.

The Wolf riders had positioned themselves to flank the Tilean light cavalry and avoid the fanatic. This prompted the cavalry unit to move around the copse of trees and out of the wolves range.

Grozd peered down the line. His biguns had secured the courtyard and his boars, Stinky and Spot, were anxiously stamping their feet upon the ground. They were itching to get into a more frenzied pace than the cantering they had been doing up till now. Grozd smiled. With his sharp pointed teeth it looked more like a sneer. He lined up his chariot to the flank of the heavy cavalry, snapped his reigns and charged across the open ground in front of the Tilean pikemen.

Max stared on, unable to stop the inevitable. The orc chariot crashed into the exposed flank of the cavalry. The Tilean cavalry was made of stern men but even stern men have a breaking point. Already being engaged with the orc boyz to their front and having the crazed orc warboss, boars and chariot careen into their flank was more than they could take. Two of the horsemen were crushed and the remaining two fled past max and the pikemen. Grozd pursued them, also moving past the pikemen, and crushed them under his chariot.

The remaining orc units focused on the large unit of Tilean crossbows upon the hill. The goblins wheeled and headed for the hill, the wolf riders moved over the crest and the arrer boys also advanced. The Arrer Boyz and wolf riders all fired at the Tileans on the hill. All their shots fell, in Orcy fashion, upon the ground and missing their targets. The biguns held tight in the courtyard.

Max knew he needed to do something, his Tilean numbers were dwindling fast. With the warbosses chariot being past their ranks of pikes, Max urged his men forward, into the mass of greenskins before them. The pikemen and their leaders slew four of the orc rabble and lost none of their own men. The orcs fled but the Tileans failed to catch them.

The remaining crossbow unit calculated the enemy units and deemed the chariot the most dangerous opponent. They fired at the ramshackle device and several bolts hit, but none caused any damage. The light horsemen finished rounding the woods and lined up a charge on the orc archers for the following round.

Grozd goaded his frenzied boars onward in an attempt to reach the crossbowmen. His chariot hit home and the wolf riders added to the melee with a flank charge. The chariot warboss and boars slew 5 of the Tileans and the wolf riders added another casualty. This prompted the crossbowmen to make a hasty retreat back to their homelands.

The goblin fanatic continued his random whirling but was ineffectual, as was the spear chukka, for the rest of the battle. The only other orc movement was the arrer boyz doing an about face to prepare for the coming cavalry and the orc boyz rallying in front of the pikemen.

“Onward Men!” Max encouraged, “Let us drive these foul greenskins back into the pit they crawled out of!”

With a cheer, Guido and his men surged forward once more. Their pikes struck the greenskins with devastating results, slaying three of the orc boyz. Max and Guido each slew an orc and the tileans only lost one of their own men. This attack caused the rattled orcs to flee once again. This time the Tilean pikemen caught and slew the remaining orc boyz.

Hoping for similar success the light cavalry charged the arrrer boyz who fired at the oncoming horsemen. In a show of uncharacteristic accuracy, the orcs arrows hit and knocked two of the equestrians from their saddles. This caused panic among the few remaining cavalry whom decided it would be better to regroup and fight another day. Thus they retired from the field of battle leaving Max, Guido and the pikemen alone once again.

“Sir!” Guido yelled once more. “This iza not a fight we can win.”

The pursuit of the orcs had taken them away from the prize they had come for. Maxwell surveyed the field of battle and guessed the same. The arrer boyz, night goblins, wolf riders and Warboss were now all closer to the inn than themselves. Not to mention the mob of biguns entrenched in the courtyard. The time to retire was at hand.

“Musician, sound the retreat” Maxwell glumly ordered.

“Cheer up sir.” Guido quipped. “At least our paychest is intact and won’t be much lighter than it was this morning.”

Warhammer Battle After thoughts.
In turn four the retreating orcs only fled 5 inches, but the Tilean player rolled a 4 in pursuit. This could have played part in the Tilean loss as they spent another turn heading away from the Inn. Always remember your victory conditions! Charging the flank of the heavy horsemen with the chariot was a big gamble. Had the horsemen been trampled outright or survived and stayed put, the warboss would have been the recipient of a flank charge from a unit of pikemen with their general and paymaster. Either of these events could have changed the game. Otherwise it was a fun evening with friends! Can't beat that win or lose!

Have a Great Battle,
The Old Cow