6 - Rising from the Crypts - A Fantasy Battle

On the weekend Jack and I played our first WFB game in over 200 days. It came about pretty quickly, so we didn't have days to plan anything spectacular, which I think worked in the game's favour. No massive expectations, not an intricate scenario, just the old fashioned 'rock up with an army and fight' type of game.

We played 2000pts Empire Vs Vampire Counts on an Empire city style board. I was really looking forward to holding a street against the undead while the knights charge down other streets.

I'm slowly working through my backlog of Empire city terrain, so its a pretty boring looking town with way too much bare MDF (though admittedly that looks better than bare grey plastic). We tried hard to space out the buildings to still create a playable surface with multiple streets/avenues to fight down. With the graveyard being set up in one corner it made sense for me to set up my forces in the opposite corner. From there we didn't have any particular scenario rules in place other than making the small buildings impassable.

Probably should put the following disclaimer in that Empire were my first army, so the paint jobs are a bit rough. However these Middenheimers are a relatively recent force that came about following a Middenheimer mordheim warband that turned into a full army (as so many of my armies have.... I need to learn to stop at the warband and leave them be)

The Great Forest Hunt

Axel Weissberg Templar Grand Master
- - Ogre Blade, White Wolf Cloak
Brother Hagel Warrior Priest
Markus Wulfhart Huntsmarshall
Zorn Battle Wizard of Azyr
Sienna The Burnt Battle Wizard of Aqshy

Fellwolf Chapterhouse Guard 20 Halberdiers
- Johan Krikenhoff's Fighters 10 Free Company Detachment

East Wall Reserves 12 Crossbowmen
Red Company 9 Knights of the White Wolf

Fellwolf Brotherhood 22 Teutogen Guard
Wulfhart's Hunters 10 Huntsmen
Falkencorps 5 Pistoliers
Ulric's Thunder 1 Great Cannon
Steel Rain 1 Mortar
Hadric's Toy 1 Helstorm Rocket Battery

Crypt Horrors

Strigoi Ghoul King
Vampire
Necromancer

20 Skeletons
20 Skeletons
10 Ghouls
30 Zombies

20 Grave Guard
10 Black Knights
3 Vargheists

Terrorgehiest

Prologue

'But My Lord, I proposed this rescue mission several days ago! My portents indicated the city crumbling to dust and the graveyards full to bursting. This could only mean the undead were rising in the city' said Magister Adept Zorn exasperatedly.

'I'm aware of what you requested of me Magister Adept' said Grand Master Weissberg, with heavy emphasis on the word adept. 'You warned me of an enemy we know nothing about, attacking a nearby city at a time we don't know. Our more pressing concern was the eradication of the beasts that defiled Holzbeck. Now that we know our enemy, their strength and that their assault has begun, we can make plans to save the city. Pieter, see to our messenger, see that he has a full belly and his wounds are treated, he has risked much to bring us this news.' said Grand Master Weissberg, dismissing the ragged young messenger from Ahlenhof into the care of his page, Pieter.

'Gentlemen, it seems our quarry will evade us for a time longer, we are once again diverted from our course. Markus, I fear we'll need your services in the city, can you set some of your best trackers to keeping an eye on the beasts so we can pick up the trail when we're done with Ahlenhof.' ordered Grand Master Weissberg.

'As you wish, Grand Master,' said Markus nodding his head. The ragged looking scout turned on his heels and retreated from the tent to convey the orders to his men. He didn't like this, he had always felt caged in cities and wished the Grand Master had allowed him the freedom to continue tracking, however the words of the messenger from Ahlenhof had shocked them all. A terrorgheist, within a city of the Empire. How had that possibly occurred? The devastation it alone could cause on the poor citizens was unimaginable.

Back in the tent, Templar Grand Master Axel Weissberg of the Knights of the White Wolf continued giving orders to his captains. He was well aware that Ahlenhof was on Middenland soil, however, being on the eastern side of the river, Hochland still tried to claim it as their own. Relations between the Graf Todbringer and Elector Count Aldebrand Ludenhof were already stretched thin at the moment. But to let this call for aid go unanswered would be more detrimental to the relations than marching onto contested land uninvited. He ordered one of his captains to take their only pegasus and fly north east to ensure there wasn't a Hochland force on its way, and sent pigeons to both Todbringer and Ludenhof. Let it not be said that he let he didn't do all in his power to avert war between Middenland and Hochland.

The Battle

With the relief force alerted, the Ghoul King's hand was forced, he had to strike out to defeat these foes quickly to maintain control over the city. Before he was able to mobilise and push out from his lair amongst the Garden of Morr, a flurry of arrow heads pierced the rotting hulk of the Terrorgheist, enraging the beast. With that first volley the battle truly started.

<Female Vampire Name>, so long feasting on whatever morsels she could, finally felt the shackles removed and was given freedom of the city. No longer did she need to hide and skulk to protect her master's work. Opening her bat-like wings she headed into the heart of he incoming Middenheimers, the pistols of the Falkencorps cracking harmlessly around her.

The Fellwolf Brotherhood march down Ale Strasse

With Wulfhart's hunters taking cover in the yard off Mead Plaza, they began firing at the terrorgheist with Markus barking orders at them and guiding their aim to the weak points of the beast. He himself scored a telling wound on the beast with his first arrow.

Further south on Ale Strasse the infantry began to form up, their goal was to secure the Southgate Square and hold the enemy there allowing Grand Master Weissberg and his knights to ride up from the North.

Tempted by the young and healthy pistoliers of the Falkecorps, the Female vampire managed to curtail her bloodlust and flew past them, summoning zombies from beneath Mead plaza. Their reaching, groping fingers pulled at the cannon crew, trying to get at them through the fence, but the nearby halberdiers managed to hold them back and eventually finish them off without any loss of life of the crewmen.

A newly summoned zombie unit launch an attach on the cannon crew

Strigoi Vampire marches forward with his elite bodyguard

As the distractions started to disrupt the Empire lines, the bulk of the undead force made their way out of their lair within the Garden of Morr. For several years the Ghoul King had been in hiding, it felt good to strike out, and let his anger fuel the destruction he would mete out against this city.

The stoic Fellwolf brotherhood march out to meet the vampiric force in the NorthGate Square, leaving a whole in the lines the vargheists manage to exploit. Seeing this disaster about to unfold, Ulli and Marquand step forth to plug the hole and sell their lives dearly

Ulli and Marquand stand ready to block the hole opened up in the Empire lines

The Black Knights charge Markus Hunters

While Markus and his Huntsmen were preoccupied with bringing down the Terrorgheist the silent and ethereal Black Knights charged right through the mausoleums into them, scattering them all. Markus held out long enough for Axel and his Knights to charge into the fight.

Seeing Markus surrounded by the Black Knights, Grand Master Axel Weiss spurred his destrier into a charge. The Red Company of the Knights of the White Wolf followed his example, each letting out a howl as their mounts leapt the first wall. As they came crashing into the silent knights in their baroque armour, one mount fell crashing to the street after catching its foreleg on the second wall. Trapped in the yard of the Alemakers Guild the Knights were at a significant disadvantage. With little room to manoeuver their steeds and swing their mighty hammers the champions of Ulric were unable to land any telling blows on their foes. Counterpoint to that were the Black Knights that, upon their ethereal steeds were unencumbered by the stone walls. Their wicked blades whipped out, catching many of the knights with mortal blows. In the end, the wolves scattered and fled with Markus ridden down under the rampaging undead knights. Bloodied and bruised Markus pulled himself into the nearest cottage.

Red Company Wolves leap one wall, before crashing into the Black Knights. They were concentrating more on the wall than the combat

Steel Rain rains down steel on the zombies

The cool heads of the engineering corps, Steel Rain scores a direct hit on the zombies. The shrapnel eviscerates several of the walking dead, but yet they continue their relentless march through the streets

Zorn faces off against the Terrorgheist

Feeling the wind pick up around him, battle mage Zorn, of the Celestial college channels forces of Azyr into an Icy blast that finished off the Terrorgheist and throws its broken form down the street.

The Varghiests ignore the two heroes and plough forward into the halberdiers. However this would be their undoing. Ulli and Marquand charge forth with hammer swinging and rapier thrusting, and combined with the anvil of the Fellwolf Chapterhouse Guard smite the Vargheists.

A combination of Curse of the Midnight Wind, Halberdiers and Ulli and Marquand finally finish of the Vargheists

Despite holding on against the enraged Ghoul King, the Fellwolf Brotherhood eventually retreated through the city gate

The Grave guard hack and slash with an inhuman strength and ferocity, urged on by the Ghoul King himself who ripped apart living soldiers with abandon.

Witnessing the death around him,Brother Hagel ordered the retreat from the city. While retreat bites hard into his sense of purpose and duty, he was pragmatic enough to recognise that waste of life for no benefit was to be avoided.

Aftermath

With the city lost to the Vampires, The remaining forces retreated out of the city limits to lick their wounds and await reinforcements.

Summary

It was great to finally play a Fantasy game again. Going in simple helped since we had to look up a lot of rules again. Even though my Empire got trounced, it was nice to play with Empire against something that isn't Warriors of Chaos, where armour and toughness really give them a hard time, or Elves where they get butchered.

There were some amazing magic moments. I think Jack miscast 5 times, while I did once, but none of them were catastrophic. I realised how much I missed the magic phase. Psychic in 40k, or magic in Mordheim is a little boring, there's little decision in the process, no gamble, no risk/reward. But in fantasy, you've got a choice of how many dice to use to fuel your spells. It's a whole mini game going on, rather than just being a 'shooting attack'

Despite the loss of the city, this was a fun game and sets up nicely for the Empire to forge some alliances and win back the city of Ahlenhof.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse