Davis Doubles – Round 2 – Van/Dustin – Orcs/Orcs

Round 2 and a pairing with my club mates Van and Dustin paired up withtheir Orcs.  And what a lovely list thiswas, and my lovely I really mean ‘scared the piss out of us.’  The list was as follows:

 

Night Goblin Shaman, level 4, dispel scroll, crown of command, opalamulet

Black Orc Warboss, crown of command, talisman of preservation,dragonhelm

 

Savage Orc Big Boss, charmed shield, sword of swift slaying, potion ofstrength

Night Goblin Shaman, level 2, dispel scroll, ironcurse icon

 

24 Savage Orc Boys, full command, Big ‘Uns

20 Goblins, musician, standard, shields, 2 fanatics

28 Savage Orc Boys, full command, Big ‘Uns

2 Wolf Chariots

 

8 Trolls

 

4 Mangler Squigs

4 Doom Divers

 

Like I said, nasty list.  Andextra nasty because those fanatics and manglers could wreak havoc and the doomdivers should kill a few units a turn.

 

The mission rolled for is Battle for the Pass, with the Orcs take theside of the table with the two buildings. Also in the center was another of the dice generating terrain pieces (nofactor this game) and a magical forest in our deployment, which we avoided (itwas the one where magic casting triggers an attack and a move of theforests).  They debated how to deploytheir army, and how best to keep their doom divers alive.  I think they spent way too much time on it,and in the end probably would have been better less spread out.  Instead they tried keep us from getting intheir back field and making both sides able to fight, and so accomplished aweakened line.

They deployed from left to right, a mangler and a chariot, a unit ofblack orcs as a horde with all but the little shaman in them (so doublestubborn), then the unit of goblins with the baby wizard and the trolls.  On the other side of the building was theother chariot and the other unit of savage orcs.  Also the last three manglers on theright.  The doom divers lined the back,just above the 6” march (with the special rules of the mission, anything alongthe last 6” could only shoot into the deployment zone.

 

We deployed heavy salamander on the right, then dark riders and shadesat the center with hydra and more dark riders on the left.  We left some units behind because in thismission we chose terrain pieces and units in center for our objectives.

We rolled off and got lucky to take the first turn.  We started off with the terradons moving upand killing two manglers with rocks.  Wethen angled the terradons in such a manner so that when the chariot (left) andsavage orcs (right) charged, they wouldn’t be able to go off the table, andwithout a reform would be forced to be cocked at a weird angle.  We advance along all flanks.  A magic phase of 3 LM/3 DE PD versus 4 Orc DDallowed us to put a wound on the left chariot with the fireball.  With shooting we put two more wounds on theleft chariot, killed the right chariot, put a wound on the front right manglersand killed a troll.

The Orcs started turn 1 already on tilt.  They were not happy with us taking out 2manglers and a chariot, and while they may not have wanted to charge theterradons, they couldn’t allow them to get behind the lines and thereforecharge with both units (the right unit actually failed its animosity and had tocharge, but it would have been the right call). We do kill an orc on the stand and shoot, but don’t take the last woundoff the chariot.  The hoarded orcs chargea center-ish chameleon unit in the hopes that they will flee, allowing thegoblins to launch the fanatics farther afield. We decide to hold, because the horded unit would get stuck behind thegoblins and are unable to overrun.  A 6PD, 1 LM/2 DE DD magic phase sees an irresistible casting of shroud, causing awound to the level 2.  Shooting kills 5chameleons from one unit, 1 from another and a dark rider.  The other unit of chameleons dies to combat.  Both units of terradons die as well.  The chariot on the right is able to reform,but the frenzied unit slams its face into the side.  Also, the goblins had moved up to launchfanatics, but are only able to move a few inches because of a 3” and 4” launch.

On our turn 2 and the 5 man unit of dark riders charges into the 1wound chariot.  The hopes was to movearound the frenzied savage orcs on the overrun. My caster moves up and jumps on the rear, full wound mangler squig.  It does 6 wounds and I luckily roll 3 6’s, killingmy caster.  He wasn’t effective anyways,but the points loss hurt.  I still thinkit was the correct play, and if he had lived he would have been in a primeposition for casting and charging warmachines. A phase of 2 LM/2 DE PD versus 3 Orc DD allows us to kill the lastmangler.  My hydra, having moved upflames the savage orcs, knocking half their number off.  The salamanders kill 5 off the other savageorc unit, but manage to misfire 3 times. The chariot dies to combat.

Turn 2 for the Orcs, and the manglers move back through the goblins,killing 5.  The orcs on the right reformto block off the dark riders and the unit on the right to face the hydra and toprevent maximum overrun angle.  A 5 PD, 1LM/2 DE DD magic phase sees two miscasts. First a vindictive glare that kills 1 salamander and 2 skinks off a unitand the other a casting of night shroud. The miscasts drop the level 4 to level 1, removing all spells but thelevel 6 spell and the other kills the level 2, 5 goblins and an orc.  The warmachines miss, misfire (lose a turn),and in two kits kills 5 of 6 dark riders on the right flank.

On our turn 3 and a series of charges. The hydra charges the right unit of orcs.  The single dark rider flanks the goblins,with a unit of 5 taking the front.  A 5LM/5 DE PD versus 5 Orc DD magic phase sees the orcs using their scroll on afireball casting.  Shooting does a woundon the trolls, and kills some of the hoarded orcs.  In combat, the hydra takes a wound but killsoff the orcs and the goblins all die in combat. Also, that solo chameleon moved up to block off the hoarded (now muchlonger) orc unit.

 

On Orc turn 3, the general charges out of the horded orc unit, causinga dark rider and salamander unit to flee. The trolls charge the shades, which flee to safety through a fewunits.  Even with an irresistible castingof their last spell, nothing happens in the magic phase.  Game ends 1299 to 637 to us, with all bonuspoints scored for a solid 20 battle points.