August Fantasy Contest of Champions – Round 1 – Andre Feliz – Orcs & Goblins

The Mission

Deployment: Meeting Engagement
Special Rule: Score 100 additional points for each of your units in your opponent’s deployment zone at the end of the game

The List

Warboss, General, shield, Basha’s Axe of Stunty Smashin’, Armor of Destiny
Great Shaman, Book of Ashur, Talisman of Endurance, Level 4

Orc Big Boss, BSB, Enchanted Shield, Talisman of Preservation

Orc Big Boss, War Boar, Shield, Sword of Battle, Dragonhelm
Night Goblin Shaman, Level 2, Dispel Scroll

23 Night Goblins, Nets, shield, Fanatics x3

34 Boyz, Big ‘Uns, Full Command, War Banner
6 Wolf Riders, Musician, shields

6 Trolls

23 Black Orcs, Musician, banner, standard of discipline
Orc Chariot
Rock Lobber

Doom Diver

Doom Diver
Mangler Squig

My Club mate Andre has a great looking Orcs list with some great conversions.  Sadly, it sounds like he is planning on selling the army.  He recently purchased a Kickstarter undead orc army, and I think he will be switching over to it once painted.  He and a couple other guys in my group have been purging some of the armies in their collections.  Just makes me glad I only play skaven, haha.  Eventually I will have enough various skaven conversions I won’t even be restricted to the 5 armies I plan to have.

We roll and I choose the sides, giving him the corner without the hill to keep those warmachines from always having perfect shots (though we never actually checked for indirect I don’t think).  We also agreed that the 3 part hills would be impassible versus trying to just use the lower parts.  In the beginning I thought that would be bad for me, allowing him to plug up the center and have less area to cover but I think in the end that it was better for me.  Either way I’m glad Andre is the one who made that call.

For magic I rolled up Searing Doom and something else that didn’t matter.  For death, and the first time not using the Tome of Furion, I rolled Spirit Leech, Caress, Soul Blight and Purple Sun.  So missing my normal doom and darkness, but as the Black Orcs and Trolls were ITP and the orc unit had BSB I figured it wasn’t a huge deal.  May have been nice in getting through steadfast, but I don’ think it was the end of the world.

Andre rolled up Itchy Nuisance (-D6 M/I) and Gift of the Spirit G-d (poison) for the baby slann and the Orc took Foot, ‘Eadbutt, Hand of Gork and Brain busta – so 2 character killers, a scary unit killer and a movement spell.  I started out thinking I may be in trouble, 2 character killers in ‘Eadbutt and Brain Busta, a unit killer in foot and the ability to kill my movement in Itchy Nuisance.

As I got to choose the sides, I also got to go first.  I rolled 1s for my BSB, a unit of harpies and a unit of dark riders.  I was glad to see my BSB stay off.  While he is useful for keeping the Hydra around the doom divers make for a very easy kill.  I spread out my dark riders, putting the one unit of harpies and the hydra in the center.  The characters went behind, with the metal caster way back hiding behind the hill where the bolt throwers set up.  I figured the metal wizard wouldn’t do much but not die, and swing late game for the 100 bonus points.

On Andre’s end he only rolled to keep off the chariot.  He deployed the black orcs with general alongside the goblins on the left of the impassible terrain.  The trolls with the mounted orc took the other side of the terrain, with the big ‘uns taking their other side.  The fast cavalry took the right flank.  I was surprised and excited when Andre put his warmachines up against his back line, one doom diver on the left and the other two on the right.  The mangler took the center next to the troll.

Thrilled to see the warmachine placement, I dropped the shades in his backfield, prepped and ready to take out those Doom Divers.  I thought Andre may have been thinking trap with the chariot, but I was more than willing to kill both doom divers and then turn around and take on a chariot with 18 shades and 2 assassins.  But Andre’s groan quickly quashed that theory.  With the placement of the armies, I vanguard a little on the left, and Andre really isn’t able to vanguard, having pinned his unit in the corner.

 

Andre rolls to steal…and does not, giving me the first turn.

Turn 1 – Dark Elves

The first thing I do is charge the dark riders that hadn’t vanguard into the goblin wolf riders.  I figured, I’m an elf with a spear, no problem.  Forgot about the 4+ save and that I would lose a model to the stand and shoot, which I did.  Also, curious to what a hydra could do, I charged him into the trolls that had been placed across the way.  Both made it.

Due to the hydra now being very close to the mangler, I take the harpies on the table and pop the manger squig, earning me 10 points on the exchange.  The other unit of harpies comes on in and trips the fanatic wire.  Andre throws one fanatic at the harpies (that only rolls a 4, and then one backwards at each unit of shades.  As I hadn’t yet moved the shades they were out of range and I was able to move around them as needed.  I choose to keep out the BSB because I wasn’t positive I would kill both doom divers.  I set up my death caster on the right and move for shooting with the other units.

I roll a 6/5 magic phase.  I PoD for +3 (9PD) and he fails to dispel with his level 4 (with +5 to dispel) because he only throws 1 die.  This lets me spirit leech his ork caster with the ward save.  He rolls and 1 and I roll a 6, but then he makes 4 ward saves.  I snatch another two dice (11PD).  He then scrolls the follow up caress on the caster and uses the rest of his dice to dispel soul blight on the trolls (would have been DND had I had it, but it would have been dispelled anyways).

In shooting I pop 11 goblins out of the unit, kill the left doom diver and put 2 wounds on the other.

In combat the dark riders flub and kill 1 orc.  I only lose 1 dark rider in return which wins be the combat.  He holds on steadfast.  The hydra gets through 4 wounds, only taking 1 from the puking trolls.  He holds.

Turn 1 - Orcs

Andre beings his turn with only 1 charge available, his big ‘uns could flank the Hydra.  He chooses not to make the charge, I think because he didn’t want to lose access to certain spells, though I’m not sure.  Not really sure.  He also could have charged with the Black Orcs into the Harpies, but that would have taken them through a fanatic, which he wanted to avoid.

With a 7/6 magic phase, I allow itchy nuisance on my general, figuring there wasn’t much that could harm him, and even with a 4 movement, I could still probably fly over the impassible terrain.  He gets a -3.  I then scroll foot even though I have 6 dice left as he rolled a 25 with his remaining dice and I didn’t think it was worth it.

The remaining doom diver misfires, shooting off the table and the stone thrower misses, sparing me from shooting for the rest of the event.

In combat my dark riders do nothing, and he kills 4 dark riders.  The surviving banner holds.  This is not good as I figure I will lose out on my turn, meaning my characters would be open to a reform/charge from the goblins.  The Hydra gets 2 wounds through, and puking again puts 1 wound on the hydra.  He holds thanks to the BSB.

Turn 2 – Dark Elves

I start off with the shades on the right charging the single wound doom diver.  I then take a risk and flank the goblins with harpies and rear them with the other shades.  I move on the BSB, now that the doom divers are out of commission, and with a good chance that the shades will overrun into the catapult completely shutting things down.

An 8/6 magic phase has him first dispelling spirit leech trying to take out the orc caster.  He then gets lucky and dispels a 5 dice roll on purple sun, which would have neutered the big ‘uns.

In shooting I only manage to take out 2 black orcs and 2 big ‘uns.  Not a great phase, but I did have a lot in combat (and who says I never fight?)

Andre nets the shades, which locks me down to just 5 total kills.  He only manages to kill 1 harpy, and holds on his steadfast 10.  His goblin riders fails its fear test, I kill a gobbling, breaking steadfast.  He doesn’t kill the last dark rider, breaks and runs off the table.  The shades kill the doom diver and overrun into the catapult.  My hydra finally gets some help from the handlers, and managers to do 5 wounds to the trolls.  He pukes and does another wound to the hydra.  He holds, once again thanks to BSB and steadfast.

Turn 2 - Orcs

Andre doesn’t have any charges to start out his second turn.  1 fanatic commits suicide.  The black orcs turn to face the harpies/shade/goblin combat.  The big ‘uns turn to face the hydra.

Andre rolls a massive 11/8 magic phase (yay to double channel), and then realizes that his orc wizard is facing the wrong direction and can only see one dark rider unit.  I dispel spider g-d on the goblins, allow itchy nuisance on the hydra (for a -3 I, and making the hydra fight at the same time as the trolls).  He then steals a dispel die, giving him a total of 12 dice plus 2 mushrooms.  I then dispel hand of gork as allowing it would have also allowed that wizard to open up his field of fire.  Without hand though, Andre then casts food on that poor dark rider unit, which kills 3 and sees them run off the table thanks to the impassible terrain in the corner.

My handlers go back to doing nothing, but the hydra does another wound.  Puking doesn’t get through my regeneration.  He holds.  The shades kill the stonethrower and turn to face the rear of the trolls.  The harpies get the nets this time.  I manger to kill 3 goblins only, and he kills a shade and a harpy.  The combat ties which causes me to lose thanks to his musician.  The shades hold and the harpies flee off the table.

Turn 3 – Dark Elves

My shades charge the rear of the trolls, but due to my general being behind fail to maximize, but also keeps the orc out of the combat still (yay).

I roll a might, might 2/1 magic phase.  Even then he still manages to dispel my attempt at power of darkness.  Boo.

My BSB breaths on the Orcs, killing 10.  He passes his panic which allows my shooting to knock off 5 more.

In combat, my assassin does 3 wounds to the trolls, the handlers finally do 2 wounds.  The hydra takes another wound, leaving it with 1.  The hydra kills the last troll, leaving the rider only.  Boss rolls snakes to stick around thanks to that damn BSB.  The shades/Assassin kills 3 more goblins and lose only 1 shade.  I win combat, he flees and escapes.  I’m thrilled as now I can run away from the black orcs, through the impassible terrain.  Not killing the goblins sucked, but they were still worth less than my unit (or at least I thought so at the time).

Turn 3 - Orcs

For charges the Black orcs take the bait (no real other option) and cause the shades to panic through the impassible – towards the general and bsb).  My shades pass all tests.  The big ‘uns fail their Black Dragon Egg test, even with BSB and therefore cannot charge the poor single wound hydra.  Both fanatics then kill themselves.

A 3/2 magic phase has him getting off foot on the fleeing shades.  It kills 4, leaving 3 models in the unit (yay above 25%).  He gets a second stomp but it missies.  Then I get a stop, but due to scatter it only kills 1 big ‘un.  My assassin kills the orc rider.

Turn 4 – Dark Elves

The shades rally, and with everything basically in his deployment zone I initiate operation “run the fuck away.”

I rolled a 7/4 magic phase.  Andre fails to dispel power of darkness (I rolled 3 dice and he rolled 4, plus was +1 to my wizard level), which allows me to do a wound to the orc caster – then the bastard makes his save.  I then follow up with caress and kills the sucker.  I soulblight the big ‘uns.  I then open up on them, leaving only the orc boss.  I also pop 3 goblins, causing them to panic.

Turn 4 - Orcs

The BSB charges the rallied shades, making his saves versus the stand and shoot.  Andre brings on the chariot.  We talked about this, seems he had forgotton about it.  He had two options as I saw it.  Bring it on the left and hide or bring on the right and try to earn some points, including the 100 bonus but risk all my shooting being there.

Andre rolls a 9/6 magic phase and throws 6 dice at itchy, which I dispel.  Seems the other spell was out of range of the bsb.

The Black Orc challenges the assassin, which fails to get through the armor.  The black orc then smashes the assassin and the shades panic through the dangerous terrain, losing 1 and leaving a solo elf running.

Turn 5 – Dark Elves

Solo shades doesn’t rally and runs through Andre’s units – but lives.

I roll an 11/6 magic phase.  Andre dispels my spirit leech on the chariot.  Caress doesn’t do anything to the chariot.  I then irresistiblely cast searing doom on the BSB.  I get 1 wound and the miscast ends my phase and wounds the caster.

My other assassin then avenges his partner and punks the BSB with manbane and rending stars.  The first bolt thrower does 1 wound to the chariot.  I also get 3 wounds on the goblins on 7s but they pass their panic test.

Turn 5 - Orcs

The chariot lines up to charge a bolt thrower.  Goblins try to hide from the shooting.

Turn 6 – Dark Elves

Shade runs off the table.  My units move around to maximize those in the deployment zone.  I am silly and don’t pop the assassin out of the unit for the extra 100.  A 5/4 magic phase sees him dispelling spirit leech on the chariot.  My shooting kills the chariot and drops the goblins down some more, but they make their test.

Turn 6 - Orcs

With nothing to do Andre ends the game.

 

Final score has me up 1089 points, but with 7 units or solo characters in the other half of the table I pick up a solid 20-0 win thanks to the 700 bonus points.  Should have been 800, but thankfully I didn’t need it.  Didn’t get those last 2 goblins, or the black orcs and general.  Only lost 1 unit of dark riders, both harpy units, an assassin and a unit of shades.