This was our annual Christmas holiday game, using Fantastic Battles mass combat rules set this year and its Ambush the Convoy Scenario, a 3 player scenario. It features a dwarf convoy attempting to exit the board with ambushing forces on either flank, made up of Dark Elf and Undead armies, all in 28mm scale.
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| The three armies overseen by Joey |
In keeping with the season I used my tundra mat and snowy pine forests. I played the Dwarf army.
The Forces for this battle comprised:
The Dwarf Army
1 King / Warlord
1 Rune Master/ Magic User (Prophesy and Bless spells)
1 Thief / Rogue
5 Thanes / Captains
3 Companies of Dwarf Bear Lance Cavalry
3 Companies of Bugman's Rangers with light crossbows and two-handed Axe (heavy weapons)
3 Companies of Elite Hammers with two-handed hammers (heavy weapons).
3 Companies of Dwarf Warriors with spears and shields (shieldwall)
3 Companies of Dwarf Warriors w/ hand weapons and Shields (Sheildwall) [Iron Breakers in red subbing]
2 Companies of Dwarf Scouts with bows and javelins.
1 Convoy Cartt / Bugman's Beer Wagon
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| Dwarf King / General/ Warlord |
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| The Dwarf Army |
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| Dwarf Warriors with hand weapons and shields (Iron Breakers substituting) |
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| Bugman's Beer Wagon the Dwarf Convoy |
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| Dwarf Roster Sheet |
The Dark Elf Army
1 Witch Queen / Mage Lord (Prophecy & Haste spells)
4 Lords / Captains
1 Company of Shades / Elite Scouts with light crossbows
3 Companies of Armoured heavy crossbowmen
3 Companies of Cold One Knights with lances
3 Companies of Dark Elf Warriors with spears and shields (shieldwall)
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| Dark Elf Sorceress Queen / Mage-Lord |
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| Dark Elf Army |
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| Dark Elf Roster |
The Undead / Liche Master's Army
1 Liche Lord / Mage Lord (Bless & Haste spells)
1 Wraith with Sword / Rogue
2 Wight and 1 Wraith Lords / Captains
3 Companies of Cairn Wraiths with Heavy Weapons
3 Companies of Skeleton Archers
3 Companies of Skeleton Spearmen
3 companies of Black Knights with lances (elite cavalry)
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| Liche Lord / Mage-Lord |
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| The Undead Army |
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| Skeleton Spears |
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| Undead Army Roster |
Many of the figures in the Undead and Dark Elf armies were recently re-based using the new MDF base frames my friend Nick created, that better hold and integrate the figures to the base. An example of this is the spear and shield (coffin lid) armed skeleton unit shown above. It is basically an MDF frame with four 20mm square slots that I glue on top of the bases (which have a rubber steel top to hold figures with magnets on their bases). Slot frames with 3 x 20mm square slots for irregular units and 2 x 25mm x 50mm slots for cavalry have also been created.
Deployment
The Dwarfs started out to a maximum of 15 base widths (BW = 6cm each) away in from the short edge of the board, which is the halfway point of the table. The convoy was near the front of the column flanked by protecting forces. The ambushing forces were 4 BW or more away on either flank
As can be seen in the picture below the terrain consisted of pine woods and fields (rough ground) along the flanks.
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| Overview, Dwarfs in centre, Undead on left, Dark Elves on right. |
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| Undead on left, dwarf left flank guard near centre |
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| Dark Elves on right flank |
Turn 1
The convoy was near the front of the column flanked by protecting forces with scouts in the lead.
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| Dwarf forces, convoy near front. |
The Dwarfs move slowly, most companies only 2 BW a turn, however the convoy moved 3 BW and I decided to send the wagon and faster moving scouts and cavalry ahead with the convoy and let the slower infantry protect the convoys rear.
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| Turn 2 |
Things now start to go wrong for the dwarfs, the single company of Dark Elf Shades manage to ambush the Dwarf Bear Cavalry, they do very little harm and will eventually be destroyed but they pin the Dwarf Cavalry two turns separating them from the convoy that is now only protected by the Scouts.
Meanwhile on the other flank a company of wraiths ambushed a company of dwarf spear armed warriors n preventing them from catching up to the convoy. Dwarf warriors with axes (wearing red) and the Hammers come to their aid but there is little room to maneuver.
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| Dwarfs versus Wraiths on the left |
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| Attacks on the Dwarf flanks |
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| Dark Elf Shades ambush Dwarf Cavalry |
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| Turn 3 |
The battle on both the Dwarf flanks raged on tying up the dwarf forces as the Dark Elf Cavalry and Crossbow warriors advanced on the convoy.
Both the dwarf spearmen and the wraiths perish in the battle near the forest of the left flank allowing the Dwarf Hammers and Warriors to advance, but they are soon engaged by Skeleton spearmen.
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| Flank battle continues Dark Elf Cavalry advances |
On the right flank the Dwarf cavalry kill off the Dark Elf shades but they have now been delayed two turns. This has allowed a company of Dark Elf spearmen to engage the Dwarf Bear cavalry in the flank, but a unit Bugman's Rangers are in position to support the Bear Cavalry
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| Battle in the Centre behind the convoy |
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| Turn 4 |
With the bulk of the Dwarf forces tied up in flank battles the convoy only has the scouts to protect them from the Dark Elf Cold One Knights.
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| Cold One Cavalry attack the convoy |
The Dwarf's can't get aid to the convoy in time.
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| Dwarf warriors versus Skeletons spears |
Both sides suffer losses in the battle between the Dwarf warriors and Skeleton spear armed warriors, but the skeletons suffer the most, including losing their Lord / Captain.
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| Dwarf Cavalry verse Dark Elf Spears |
The Undead units tried to get in on the kill but were blocked from getting to the Convoy by the faster Dark Elves, especially the Cold Once Cavalry.
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| Battle near the convoy |
The convoy could not withstand the attack by the Dark Elf cavalry that eventually captures the Dwarf wagon.
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| Cold Ones capture Convoy, Dwarf King in foreground |
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| Overview of battle, the Convoy has been captured |
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| End of the battle |
With the capture of the Dwarf convoy the battle ends as this singles the defeat of the Dwarfs and they no longer have a chance to exit the convoy off the board.
Losses and Conclusion:
Dwarf Losses
Dark Elf Losses
Undead Losses:
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| Undead and Dark Elf casualties |
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| Dwarf and Dark Elf Casualties |
It was a clear victory for the forces of evil, the Dwarfs were never able to recover from allowing the convoy to advance too far too soon combined with the Dark Elf and Undead delaying tactics that held up the forces attempting to reach the convoy. I was certainly at fault for allowing the convoy to advance to quickly. However if the defending player does not advance his convoy at least 3 BW a turn it means the 15 BW he needs to cover will take 6 more turns, which is likely too long to withstand an attack. Possible answers to this are to give the dwarfs the night march strategy to allow them to start 3 BW closer to the table edge they need to exit from. Another option would be to give the Dwarfs some more rare but faster units like: Gyro-copters, Berserkers, Giants, Crow swarms and Troll Slayers. Alternatively use a race whose standard units have a faster movement rate (Elves in particular) that can keep up to or overtake the convoy.
To be fair to the Dwarfs they did win an early Convoy game, that I ran back in January 2023 (although I did not play the Dwarfs),. In that case the Dwarfs did use the Night March strategy to gain 3 BW of ground towards the table edge. I must get around to posting the blog of that game, it is partly finished being written.
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| Joey celebrates the end of the battle and dinner! |
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