The Saga of Brynhild Wolf-Daughter

Had a game of Warhammer Fantasy with a friend, Yung Payne, last month and I've finally got round to writing up the report! The title comes from my (Wo)man of the Match, who performed far better than my actual General...

The armies line up for Battle as Yung Payne makes some last minute adjustments to his list.

Far to the north, where the grey rocks stand guard against the cold sea, the Northmen tell their sagas, and here is the the tale of Brynhild Wolf-Daughter. Long were the years since the orcs had been seen in Ehbia, and none were prepared when Badgob Kneecapper swept from the wild hills of the east with his War-Host. Great hordes of the most terrible Orcs were in his company, and goblins from the night-caves beyond count. 

Ring-Giver Georgicvs heard tell of these foul doings and donned his enchanted mail, and summoned the troops, spending much gold hither and thither to assemble a host that would equal the orcs. And lo it came to pass that the armies met at the hamlet of Edgarsthorpe.

The Orcish left flank: Night Goblins, trolls, Black Orcs, more goblins and Boar Boys holding the flank 

Now in the company of the humans there was a warrior of greater valour and mettel than the rest, and she was called Brynhild, and was held to be the daughter of Wolves. Seeing that her liege-lord was trembling in fright at the assembled orcs, and his warriors shook like leaves, she addressed them, rebuking their lack of courage and filling them with fighting spirit once more. At her command they began the advance.

The side of the village, featuring a boar chariot and a column of infantry worthy of Napoleon himself.

Now orcs and their goblin thralls had not been seen in these parts for time immemorial, and so none knew their ways. Heedless of danger, the gallant warriors rushed forwards, until from the goblin ranks terrible fiends issued, shrieking and cackling as they swung terrible balls and chains through the human ranks, making great slaughter. Georgicvs had led his household knights  to the centre of the greenskin line, and watched in horror as his companions were slaughtered in front of him. Only his ensourcelled armour saved him from harm, and he turned and fled with many of his followers.

The Knights hope to swing round the woods and flank the Orcish left, while the skirmishers and spearmen hold off the goblins

Though many of their number had fled, some noble humans still stood defiant, and Brynhild stood at their head. Crossbow bolts, arrows and insults were hurled at the orcish ranks and many of their number fell, even the personal guard of Badgob himself fell in great numbers, though their wrath upon their tormentors was terrible when they caught the crossbowmen. 

My right flank. light cavalry, crossbows and wizard hold the side, infantry will push forward

In the thick of the fighting, the legendary Black Orcs, taller and stronger even than their fellows, charged the human foot knights. Bravely they stood, not one dismayed, as Brynhild called out a challenge to the brutish orc champion. Deftly she parried his clumsy blows, before bringing her mighty axe upon his skull, cleaving him in twain.Though the combat was fierce on both sides, the Back Orcs could not stand and were cut down as they turned to flee.

The Normans begin to push forwards, skirmishers darting through the woods on the right-hand side.

Though the humans fought valiantly, their numbers were too few and the terrible goblin fanatics had shaken their nerve, and so only the knights stood, solemnly facing Badgob and his ferocious boar-riders. They soon fell to the combat, oaths and challenges ringing on all sides as the two great champions of their races met in bloody battle. Though she was strong and skilled and swift, Brynhild could not match the magic etched in the orcish blade, and a mere scratch sent her tumbling to the sward, contorted in an unnatural death.

Turn 2: The battle lines begin to close as the knights position for the flank.

So there you have it. the Orcs (and goblins with overwhelming numbers) triumphed over my inexperience. I knew about the threat of the fanatics, but was neither expecting so many nor mentally prepared to use my forces against them. I had even taken two units of cheap bowmen and some light cavalry for the sole purpose of luring out the fanatics early so they could drift back into their own troops, but somehow during deployment I forgot this and ended up placing them in the back ranks instead. Ah well, never mind. 

Disaster! The knights are wiped out by stoners!

Brynhild, a hero character with heavy armour and a two-handed weapon, performed brilliantly, doing far more damage than expected. The only problem was that a single 5+ armour save and no ward save meant she was a bit fragile (especially as two-handed weapons mean you let your foe have the first stab) in combat, and next time I would make her the general, and give her the magic armour.

The Spearmen rout the chariot with their superior rank bonus.

I noticed that 6th edition warhammer rewards deep formations with lots of rank bonus. The chariot, for instance, took no damage at all from the spearmen, but the +4 from ranks, outnumbering and flag caused it to lose the combat on aggregate. Payne's Napoleonic goblin column was more or less based around this phenomenon, being so large and deep that it was basically invincible unless charged in the flank (which negates flank bonus).

I leave the Crossbowmen too far forwards and they are stamped flat by YungPayne's Orcs

Still it was overall a fun game, with some triumph to balance out the tragedy of defeat. Next time...

Vive L'Empereur! The goblin column out-ranks the spearmen and runs them down. Then my phone ran out of battery.

It's been quite a while since I last posted (battle reports always take ages for me to summon up the energy to write them) but in the mean time I've inherited Merlin's BattleTech box while he's off living in forn parts, so expect lots of lovely colourful 'Mechs to give me a break from the cloth and brown of the 11th century.