• mercredi 23 juillet 2014

    Battle report : The gold fever


    Before beginning the reading of the story, I recommend you to download this Mp3 file (here). It will allow you to dive into the atmosphere of the story, good reading.
    The story : In 24th century, the decline of the elfs from Ulthuan opened definitively the sea doors of a continent nevertheless known for centuries: The Lustria. All the nations of the Old World armed ships towards this destination where the legends assert that the gold flows in stream for who had the courage to face the dangers of a hostile jungle.
    Lustria was the land of the  Slanns, an old civilization on the decline and of which cities are almost empty. The Amazons are a people of women warriors whom the Slanns had created to be of use to them as technicians and as servants. Actually, they was and are still the heiresses of the techno-mystic knowledge and the guards of some of the cities of their amphibian masters. 
    The contacts between Westerners and Amazons are rare and generally bellicose. Norses people was the first ones to rub itself there in the first ones centuries after their arrival in Lustria, in 1997 IC. Tilean people also was to rub itself with these warriors, in particular during an expedition led by Juan Cornetto who plundered an island occupied by these Amazons. He put his hands at this moment on an important treasure of weapons and golden jewels which made his fortune. This booty contained among others an intriguing object, a sphere shining with a strange green light.
    This magic sphere goes hand in hand with a second identical sphere in every respect and still under the ownership of the Amazons, this second sphere is in the mythical temple of Kara hidden Inside the lands of Lustria. Originally, the Amazons used these objects as compasses to go through the jungle, the orientation and the intensity of the green light evolve in the surface of spheres to indicate the position of their copy.
    The sphere brought by Juan Cornetto on the old continent changed hands over time and ended its path on the shelf of a dwarf scholar established to Bilbali: The respectable Khall Clarkson. This strange Dwarf is obsessed of magic and antiquity, he have led during long years the researches based on extremely rare manuscripts from Lustria. Although he managed to decipher very partially runes writings of these books, it was convinced to have understood the main part. These works will allow him to reach cities filled with wealth, but still occupied by "people of servants (?) ", The sphere with the strange green light which he has just acquired is according to him the key opening the passage towards cities, a kind of compass which will manage him towards the biggest treasure which a dwarf can imagine!
    Khall had no difficulty to convince Vasco De Balboa to accompany him. Vasco, of his real name Dun Hulgrimson, is a Dwarf Mercenary captain eager of glory. Native of the Empire, he left these lands since a very long time to settle down with his troops in Estalia. The Lords of these kingdoms rent Vasco's services for the maintenance of law and order in the coastal provinces of the country. He already has all that a Dwarf Mercenary can hope for but the discovery of Khall Clarkson had woken in him the contagious "Dwarf gold fever". The Captain and his Mercenaries dream now only about cities covered with gold and an abounding and uncountable wealth.
    With an agreement of cooperation, Vasco took care of the organization of the expedition which he composed only with his troops. He made a commitment to escort and to protect Khall Clarkson until fabulous Quoted at the heart of Lustria! The scholar as for him, will guide the expedition through Oceans and jungle with to his magic compass.
     
     
    On the other side of the ocean, Miahuaxiuitl, the priestess of the Amazones Sororita of Kara, looked again her workshop of astrology, its eye and its spirit exercised by thousands of hours of observation of the sky had noticed that something had moved in the room She needed all his magic concentration to detect that the movement resulted from the surface of the old sphere of her ancestors. This magic object wait peacefully the return of its copy. This one was stolen on the island of Heart of the Darkness by the men many years ago. Miahuaxiuitl put the object under observation for her next working nights. 
    After some working sessions on the sphere, the Amazon noticed that the direction indicated by the object changed regularly. After one month, she had managed to calculate the rough position of the other sphere. According to her, the second artefact and its carrier had already reached the coast of Lustria. Somebody had doubtless uncovered the secret of this magic object and went at the moment straight ahead on her. The priestess referred to the Sororita council who appointed her "to welcome" the visitors. Some operations of recognition later, managed by the Matriarch Tacapantzin, the Amazons had discovered the Dwarf expedition.  The Amazons put down their spheres in a  pool of the ancestors in the middle of a clearing in the jungle, this place will be the center the ambush which they reserves to these strange invaders.


    Battle report : The game happened in 6 turn,  according to the famous scenario Forenrond's last stand from of the WHFB 3RD ed rules book. This encirclement scenario is a classic,blind deployment and the Amazons begin the game. 2000pts for every faction.
     
     
    Amazons army of Patatovitch
    Dwarfs Mercenaries army of Nico
    ***
    The compass of Khall Clarkson seems to become crazy as it approached a
    strange  stony pond,  at this moment  the Amazons launched their
    surprised attack!
    The Dwarf army column  is an easy prey for the servants of Slanns.
    The Amazons archers adjusted their shooting weapons on the Gyrocoter,
    they killed the pilot who lost the control of his flying engine which crashed
    in a spectacular explosion. The battle begins!
    Totally taken by surprise Dwarfs did not have time to protect themselves from
    shootings of the Amazon. The Organ Gun and its servants flew into pieces
    following a shooting of the powerful Stellar cannon, in spite of the confusion
    the Mercenaries maneuvered to face their enemies.
    In answer of the arrows, the servants of the swivel gun sent a salvo on
     the Totem warriors who lost their cool in the view of their losses.
     
    On the other side of the battlefield The priestess Miahuaxiuitl poured all her
    anger on the Dwarf servants of the cannon, none of these poor guys survived.
    Chalchiutinenetzin The second Amazons priestess surrounded the
     swivel gun with a Magic fog to prevent it to firing again.
    In the view of the trap which closed on him, Khall Clarkson appealed to all its
    mystic knowledge to create and send a Chaos Vortex which took the Matriarch
    Tacapantzin ( general Amazon) and some unlucky warriors.
    The death of general Amazones had not the expected effect, on the contrary
     its death woke in the heart of the warriors a terrible thirst of blood and
    vengeance which caused the general assault on the Dwarfs.
    A - Koka-kalims charged the Dwarfs however without managing to enter in
     their frenetic trance, the crossbowmen stand and shoot in answer
    of the charge. No Dwarfs flee and Koka-kalims owed to massacre them,
    until last ones.
    B - The Amazons warriors charged the Arquebusiers Skirmishers who decided
    to run away, in their run-up the Amazons entered the magic fog to come face to
     face with the servants of the swivel gun. After some blind blows,
    the servants abandoned the fight to join the unit of Dwarfs Pikemen.
    C – The Amazons lancers charged the unit of mixed Dwarfs. Arquebusiers
     manage to send some shots before making way for the Halberdiers for the clash.
    The power of the Amazons Characters annihilated the Dwarfs who flee.
    Khall Clarkson dissipated the magic fog which prevented the unit of Dwarfs
    Pikemen to make their manoeuvre. The Mercenaries were so able to prepare
     their charge against the Amazons.
    Dwarfs Pikemen accompanied with their General Vasco De Balboa and his
     army standard bearer, exterminated the warriors and the young
    Amazon Prestress, what caused the panic of the Koka-kalims nearby.
    In spite of this last glorious action, Vasco, Khall and some Mercenaries
    ended up alone in front of too numerous the Amazon arhers which massacred
     them with their arrows. Some surviving Dwarfs were sacrificed on the
    altar of Kara. One more time the Dwarf thirst gold lost them.

    The Amazon as for them, got back their formerly stolen artefact but the loss  of
     the Matriarch Tacapantzin and of the young priestess Chalchiutinenetzin
    gave a taste bitter in their victory.
     
    For me this battle was the opportunity to test the Dwarfs army  in 3rd edition and as well some exotic formation : as the wedge Formation for Dwarfs Crossbowmen and  the mixed formation Halberdiers / Arquebusiers. Really funny to play.
    Another good game which I keep a very good memory. Not for the game result itself but for the story in general. The Story carried us throughout this adventure, from the preparation until the battle.
    Nico
     
      

     

    11 commentaires:

    1. Glorious battle there, scenery and models all looking great and a fitting soundtrack too!

      Nice strategic use of magic on both sides. Shame the mixed ranks arquebusier / halberdiers didn't prove more effective in the end.

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      1. The soundtrach is named "theme of the Feathered Snake" and come from the animated cartoon "Mysterious cities of gold", a great success during the 80's in France.
        Yes, I agree with you concerning the mixed ranks unit... but the real probleme(imho) is the rules for Arquebuse... Hard to play effectively with the blackpowder weapons in 3rd ed.
        Thanks for comments.

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    2. Bravo! That's a fantastic report with two fantastic armies - thanks for sharing that with us, Nico!

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      1. Merci ! It's our Oldhammer day 2014, and it's a real pleasur to share that with you.

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    3. Truly a tale for the ages, beautifully painted armies and lush terrain. You continue to inspire Sir, would love to see your skaven face off against you stunties some day, that would be truly epic!

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    4. Hi 24C. !
      Next year I planned to play my annual 3rd ed game against Sir Patatovich, may be my Skaven ... Agaist his Norse? Why not !

      Thanks for your comments.
      Nico.

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    5. Le genre de "match-up" qu'on voit pas souvent, excellent! Superbe bataille. Les Cites d'Or etait une de mes series preferees dans ma jeunesse. Quelle edition de WFB preferes-tu?

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    6. Honnêtement la 3ème c'est pas celle que je préfère, je pense personnellement que le système de la seconde édition est plus fluide. Le point fort de la 3ème c'est la diversité dans les listes d'armée, il y a beaucoup plus de choix je trouve.
      Sinon, la dernière edition est pas mal non plus si tu es ok avec la prè-mesure, l'avantage des cette dernière edition c'est qu'elle est très fluide je trouve, un e partie est vite joué.
      Et toi qu'en penses tu?

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    7. Je dois admettre que je n'ai pas achete la dernière edition. Je suis un peu blase des changements constants aux listes d'armees, particulierement celles du Chaos. Côté atmosphere et listes d'armee, rien ne s'approche de la 3e, qui je trouve represente vraiment la fantaisie "Warhammer style". Mais le gameplay est lourd et emcombrant. J'aime bien la 6e pour le gameplay. Ce que je souhaiterais c'est de creer une version maison qui regroupe le meilleur des differentes versions. Je joues presque exclusivement avec mes 2 freres et un amis, jamais en tournois, alors nous n'avons pas a suivre les regles a la lettre.

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    8. Ces certains que le chaos est actuellement éparpillé sur plusieurs liste d'armées et c'est bien dommage...
      Comme tu le dis si bien, rien ne vaut les règles maison :) Moi je joue beaucoup en club donc plutôt les versions actuelles. Le "retro-gaming" c'est vraiment que avec quelques connaissances quelques fois dans l'année (1 ou 2 fois max), et c'est très bien ainsi. On reparle souvent de nos anciennes parties... le bon vieux temps quoi :)

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    9. Je connais le feeling; j'affronte les armees mon frere depuis 1990!

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