Practice Battle Report

[Faileas]

Myself and Aeth had a battle this eve, and decided to use it as a sort of tester for compiling a battle report. The battle was 800points Bretonnians (cheers) v Dark elves (Boo Hiss), We had a few house rules (for example DE didnt have to have 2 core units, mainly due to the fact he only has one painted).

Full details of the battle should follow in the next few days (when I can be bothered to write it up and upload pics etc), I will post the main outline of the battle, and then Aeth will post why he did certain things and his views etc.

Without spoiling the outcome....just wanna say I hate assassins...............*mutters*

[Eriatha]

I wish I could post my battle report here. It turned into a 7 page long wall of text though!

[Marticus]

mmm brets and dark elves.... im torn i love them both!

[Faileas]

Thinking I may have to spilt it into a few posts, I have pictures but they seem to be too big to attach (anyone help?). Also feel free to ask questions or offer advice (this won’t be the best battle report, just using it as a tester/feeler one)

House rules, we allow mages to have their basic spell for free, so a level 1 mage has 2 spells (1 random) and a level 2 has 3 (2 random).

The Brave Bretonnians:
Characters:
Paladin ‘General’ – Questing, Great weapon, Shield, Warhorse
Magic items – Virtue of Confidence, Weapon of Battle

Paladin (Elguard) ‘Battle standard’ on foot
Magic items - Virtue of Empathy, Morning star of Fracasse



Damsel (Alexandra) level 2
Magic items - Powerstone, Chalice of Malfleur

Units:
8 x Knights of the realm, full command + banner of chalons
16 x Bowman, Standard and Vallin, light armour
8 x Bowmen ‘Watchmen of Loth’, skirmish, light armour

Deceitful Dark elves:
Characters:
Master ‘General’
Magic items –Heartseeker, something else
Sorceress level 1
Magic items – Familiar, Darkstar Cloak
Assassin
Magic items – Rune of Khaine, Touch of death, Black lotus

Units:
10 x Executioners, full command
5 x shades
12 x warriors (shields, light armour and spears), full command

Deployment
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww82/Budgewilson/Painting/Overview.jpg

Turn 1
The entire Bretonnians bowed their heads in prayer to the lady, the Darkelfs used this to move forward, the Executioners and Shades surging forward at full pace, however The spearmen advanced at a more standard rate, their Sorceress eager to release some of the spells at her command. As her eyes glazed over, she began to utter ancient arcane words, her familiar sprinted forward, its flesh crackling with dark energies as the Sorceress channelled her power into the minion. With an outstretched hand she pointed once more to the familiar, a howling ice-filled wind exploded from the familiar, hitting the ranked knights as they continued to pray. However the knight’s armour proved the stronger and not one was killed in the icy blast. The Sorceress wasn’t finished with the Bretonnians yet and gathered more power into her (Aeth has a nice tactic of saving one powerdice to use the spell that gives you D3+1 extra dice). Roaring her anger she then tried to unleash a Doombolt in the direction of the knights, but despite her additional power the winds of magic are fickle and drained from her familiar before the spell could be completed. The Elfish Master ordered his unit of shades to destroy the knights, ten crossbow bolts soared through the air, and despite the long range and shooting on the move, a total of 5 bolts hit home, killing one knight as a bolt plunged into his neck.

Turn 1b
At last the Bretonnians finished their prayers, the knights in the centre reformed into a lance, the Paladin at the lead. The Damsel Alexandra had seen the magic’s of the Dark Elf’s and was undaunted, surely the power of the Lady was greater, summoning her powers she commanded the hill to fall onto the shades below it, The Sorceress was the stronger this time and dispelled her attempts. Once more the Damsel gathered her thoughts and powers, imploring the Lady to aid her she commanded the river to swamp the shades, they could only watch as the river broke it bank and turned the ground around them into a boggy marsh. The Watchmen seeing the shades in trouble loosed their arrows, however not one found its mark. Elguard the battlestandard could see the executioners emerging from between the two sets of trees, holding his standard high, he cried to the Villein to target them. 16 arrows soared into the sky and though many fell short 2 managed to find Elfish blood. Two less to contend with, but how many more volleys could they loose before they where engaged.

[Gideon_Not_Ravenor]

You need to resize them to smaller pixels.

Don't use paint my computer almost crashed as it couldn't cope with the scale of resizing. Paint.net will be much better and it's easier (click image then resize to 640x480 pixels) than paint. Plus it removes a bit of code for the image once uploaded to photobucket meaning it won't mess with the page and it will be accepted by most forums.

this may help: http://www.ehow.com/how_2156263_upload-pictures-photobucket.html

[Faileas]

Thankyou FH, just downloaded paint.net, looks so much better than the standard paint package i was using, also will have a look at photo bucket

[Aeth]

Chuck em on a memory stick and i'll sort them out mate.

[Faileas]

Turn 2a
The Shades and the Master where up to their knees in mud, trudging through the mire, they barely moved. The Sorceress was unsure, fearing to venture to close the Bretonnian lines without support, and advanced slowly. The Executioners stopped dead in their tracks and eyed the bowmen on the hill. Once again The Sorceress called forth her dark powers, channelling her rage into the familiar once again targeting the knights with an icy blast. The Damsel Alexandra could feel the dark energies flowing though the air and called forth her lady’s powers to dispel them ending the sorceress’s attempts. The God of the Druchii must have been angered by his follower’s lack of eagerness to engage the Bretonnians, for not only did their magics fail to cause any impression, likewise did the Shades fail to pierce a single knights armour.

Turn 2b
The Paladin at the head of the reformed knights, grinned as the evil elves failed to cause another casualty, “Now is time, we make those pale skinned whoresons taste Bretonnian Steel”, Spurring his warhorse forward towards the ranked spearmen, the rest of the knights followed in close formation behind. As they neared the unit, the Paladin roared a challenge, his virtue of confidence filling him. Else ware on the battlefield, Elguard could see the knights surging forward; however his mind was fixed on another threat, by the lady’s blessing the executioners had stopped dead. Again the bowmen fired, felling another two of the elite Dark Elves. The lady was strong with Alexandra, as the hill behind the shades crumbled onto them; their death cries filled the air. However Alexandra wasn’t finished with the invaders, she knew she had to lock them into place, else they charge the knights flank, as once again mud bubbled around their feet. Disoriented by the magical onslaught, the shades could not avoid the volley from the Damsels watchmen, and another fell as an arrow struck him. The sound of the hill crumbling made the knights charge even more taunting, but the spearmen held their ground, for they had an ace within their ranks. The charge was about to hit, the paladin’s challenge seemed unanswered, but from the ranks a dark shape emerged and sprinted the short distance to meet the Bretonnian hero. Travelling hell for leather, it seemed the Paladin’s warhorse would trample the petit Elf under its hoofs. The elfish assassin cart wheeled into the air, his twin blades slashing around him. The Bretonnian had barely time to register the attack when a killing blow found a gap in his helm. The rest of the Knights ploughed into the massed spearmen a moment later killing 5 of the elves under lance and hoof. The remaining spearmen failed to find a gap in the heavy armour and the knights won the combat……but the spearmen held…and the next turn would be able attack with renewed effort, the important Bretonnian charge over.
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww82/Budgewilson/Painting/Turn2.jpg


http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww82/Budgewilson/Painting/Clash.jpg

[Faileas]

Turn 3a
The Executioners spurred on by their recent fatalities decided to move forward once more, a battle song rung out as they turned to their right and marched towards the knight’s flank, posed the strike. The master also moved toward the knights, the muddy bog causing them to move at barely a crawl. Despite the melee ranging around her the sorceress once more summoned dark energies into her familiar who was safety out of the combat. The familiar vibrated and rived as a doombolt formed, the energies becoming almost too much for the minion, and relief flowed though it as the doombolt was released into the Damsel’s watchmen. Alexandra was unable to dispel the irresistible magic’s, but uttered a warning to the men around her, and only one fell to floor dead. Once again the sorceress tried to gather more power, but the Damsel Alexandra proved stronger, ending the sorceress’s attempts. The master and his shades tried again to target the watchmen and once again failed.

In the center of the battlefield the assassin scanned for his next victim, but the knights where wise to him and try as he might, he failed to find a single hole in their defences. The spearmen also failed in their attempts, the Bretonnian armour holding true. The unit champion of the knights, took his chance to destroy the sorceress, hopeing to catch the evil mage unaware as she channelled her magic, and would have succeeded had it not been for a Elfish warrior who leapt in the way of the death blow ending his life instead. The failure by their assassin and themselves to pierce the armour of the knights broke the warriors resolve and they broke and fled; only to be cut down under Bretonnian steel and horse.

Turn 3b
The cheering from the hill (and table edge) could be heard across the battlefield as the knight ran down the Elfish warriors. Elguard felt twice blessed, his fellow knights had avenged his lords death, and what was more the Executioners had turned away from his unit on the hill and presented there vulnerable rear. The knights in the center reformed to face the master and his one remaining shade. The Damsel and her unit move forward, trying to get closer to the center. With no enemies now within range of her casting she could do nothing more but try to get into a better position. Elguard ordered the archers to shoot into the executioner’s rear killing three more of the unaware elves. The Watchmen failed to hit the Elfish master and shade.

Turn 4
The Dark elfish force was all but spent, a total of five men remained. The master true to his bloodline, decided to take as many of the knights with him as possible and charge the reformed unit, growling a battle cry as he and the last remaining shade clashed into the stagnant knights. The executioners advanced as fast as they could towards the knights, if the master could hold they would be within charge distance in the last turn. As the master surged into the knights his heart seeker slashing in great arches before him, again the elves failed to kill a single knight. In return the Bretonnian standard used the Dark elf banner he had taken as a trophy to dispatch the remaining shade.

Turn 4b
A hail of arrows hissed into the hail, both the watchmen and bowmen on the hill targeting the executioners, destroying them to the elf.

Alone on the battlefield the master knew the day was lost.


Well that was the first battle report, I enjoyed the process so should have a few more (when I convince Aeth to go another bout), Im thinking I may try my greenskins or dwarfs. (next time more actual battlefield pictures).

After the battle we discussed a few things, for start Aeth had forgotten a magic item that he had equipped the master with that ment he had MR(1) which could have allowed him to dispel the Mistress of the marsh spells that bogged his unit for the most of the game. Also when I asked why the executioners had stopped still on turn two, he said I forgot to move them……(too busy drinking his ale I expect….I on the other hand just drink in his turn *grins*). But it’s a common theme with us both, were always forgetting the odd rule or such in the heart of battle….

Aeth’s battleplan he told me was just to hammer my knights with everyone and then mop up the rest of my force. At the his turn two I was worried…..my pally had been destroyed by his assassin and my charge had failed to break him.

Anyhow CC is very welcome along with any questions etc or advice :D (Oh but the army list was basically what we had rather than our 'ideal' troop choices, I know Aeth would have liked some Dark riders and crossbowmen for starters).

[Skringly]

Very good Report! Loved the images you provided!

[Faileas]

Thanks Mezzerik, it was my first go, next one I do will have more actual battle pics along with the battlemap things :D