FBVW Mk. IV: Round 6 - Match 42: Phoenix v. Arklite

[Spector]

Map = 4. Axe Bite Pass

First Turn = Arklite

Legion of the Scorpion King

Tomb King
Collar of Shapesh
Armour of the Ages
Vambraces of the Sun
Great Weapon
Shield

Hierophant
Cloak of the Dunes
Hieratic Jar

Liche Priest
Skeletal Steed
Staff of Ravening

Liche Priest
Casket of Souls
Golden Ankhra

3 Chariots

3 Chariots

24 Skeleton Warriors
Musician
Standard Bearer
Banner of the Undying Legion

20 Skeleton warriors
Musician

1 Scarab Swarm

4 Ushabti

5 Carrion

Tomb Scorpion

Tomb Scorpion

Screaming Skull Catapult 110pts
Skulls of the Foe

Incantation Dice: 2x1D6 + 4x2D6
Bound Spells: 1xPL3 + 1xPL4
Power Dice: 2
Dispel Dice: 5 (and -1 to enemy casting rolls)

Collar of Shapesh:- Transfer a wound on a roll of 4+ to a model within 4”

Armour of the Ages – 5+ armour save, +1 wound

Vambraces of the Sun – 1 model in base contact loses 1 attack

Cloak of the Dunes – May fly

Hieratic Jar – Cast 1 extra spell for one turn

Staff of Ravening – Bound level 4, range 18”, 3D6 Str 2 hits

Golden Ankhra – 4+ ward

Banner of the Undying Legion – Bound lvl 3. Casts summoning spell on unit.

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Kazzad Dolvir's March of Vengeance

Glorel Delsten (Dwarf Lord)
Great weapon
Shield bearers
Rune of stone
Rune of resistance
Master rune of challenge
231 points

Urkral Dollyr (Thane)
BSB
Strollaz rune
Marvelous hat (rune of guarding)
175 points

Cohag Redforge (runesmith)
Shield
Rune of stone
Master rune of balance
127

Yurbir Durgak (runesmith)
Shield
Rune of stone
Spell breaker rune
102

Redforge clan Dwarf warriors [24] (Cohad's unit)
Full command
Shields
241 points

Durgak clan Dwarf warriors [24] (Yurbir's unit)
Full command
Shields
241 points

The Valbek Regulars Long beards [19] (Falent's unit)
Full command
Great weapons
Shields
Master rune of grungi
341 points

Durrak Clan Dwarf Rangers [10]
Great weapons
Shields
Throwing axes
Champion
Musician
145 points

The Bazdukr Brotherhood Hammerers [18]
Full command
Shields
264 points

Big Brunhilda
grudge thrower
rune of accuracy
rune of burning
110 points

The wicked sisters

bolt thrower
rune of burning
engineer
65 points

bolt thrower
engineer
60 points

the Grungbad special
flame cannon

total models in army 115 (4 of which are warmachines, 12 warmachine crew and 4 characters)
power pool – 2
dispel pool – 7 with 1 dice removed from the enemy power pool and 1 scroll.

shield bearers - +2 to armour, model becomes US3, 2 extra WS 5 S4 attacks. (note that shield bearers are not a true mount and the lord gains +2 strength as normal from his great weapon)

rune of stone - +1 to armour, a single rune of stone may be placed on any number of characters in the dwarf army. (case in point, runesmiths)

rune of resistance – re-roll failed armour saves.

Strollaz rune – all dwarf units within 12” may make a free move before the game starts, units count as moving in the first turn in regards to missile fire.

Rune of guarding – 5+ ward save

Master rune of balance - -1 from enemy power pool, +1 to dispel pool

Rune of spell breaking - dispel scroll

Master rune of grungi – 5+ ward save against shooting and magic missile attacks for all dwarf units within 6” of the standard.

Rune of accuracy – re-roll the scatter dice (5/9 chance of direct hit)

Rune of burning – warmachine causes flaming damage

Engineers – bolt throwers may use the engineers BS

Royal blood – hammerers joined by a dwarf lord are immune to fear and terror

[Arklite]

*waves his axe overhead*

come my clansmen! vengeance awaits! lets send the undead's doh elgram throng (trans lit: stupid weak army) back to their graves!

I couldn't have hoped for a better table for this battle. where I would normally welcome a hill this game makes it more advantageous for an open plain, and what do you know... I have an open plain

My intention in this game will be to force combat, a situation the tomb kings are unable to match me in thanks to my stupendously high leadership (to negate fear to some extent), weapon skill, toughness and armour. Thanks to the lack of hills I can maintain the integrity of my battle line for longer.

Deployment will be as follows; with the table so friendly for my battle line I’ll deploy my main blocks in the following order (left to right) rangers, hammerers, warriors, long beards, warriors. This formation will be placed at the centre/right of the table to allow my artillery to form up on my left hand side giving it a clear vantage over the table.

With having first turn I have several significant edges in my favor. While I’m putting myself into phoenix's ranged fire on turn one I feel that there is too little to be seriously effective against my troops. The bow fire is S3 and the SSC has to wound on 4's and get by my 5+ ward save against ranged attack. The skulls of the foe will also have little affect as not only am I ld10, but I receive re-rolls on my panic tests thanks to my long beards.

My artillery will be on bombardment duty. The grudge thrower will be on duty targeting units such as the chariots, ushabti and the screaming skull catapult. through the use of its extreme accuracy for a weapon of its kind and its d6 wounds its intention would be to force phoenix to use his power dice to raise these units back up to fighting strength should he wish them to remain competent in battle.

The flame cannon's duty will be to target any enemy units closing in on my armies flank, with its large template and high strength and d3 wounds it should have little trouble in keeping anything that wishes to threaten the battle line's flanks at bay.

the wicked sisters will be on target of opportunity patrol.

the battle line's movement course will take it down the right hand side of the table with the intention of making use of the stones in phoenix's deployment zone to filter him towards the centre of the table should he wish to engage me. as I close in I would swing inwards allowing my vastly superior combat troops to take the tomb kings head on in a pitched battle. with my resilience against fear and my superiority in numbers (4 large combat units against 2) I should have little trouble securing the combat in my favor.

the tomb kings screaming skull catapult and casket will be significantly weakened during this game thanks to the flat table. If the most is wished of these units they would require open lines of sight in order to maximize their potential. Combined with my resilience in both the toughness and leadership regards (huzzah!) I feel these will have a stunted effect on the battlefield. (the casket requiring at least a 9 on 2 dice to assure any form of damage against the dwarves thanks to the influence of the dwarf lord)

The difference in magic is somewhat woeful, but with 7 DD against the tomb kings 10 incantation dice I reckon that through my forcing phoenix to expend dice to heal his units from my ranged fire and my general resilience to harm I can compensate for this.

Odds are my war machines will be engaged by either tomb scorpions or carrions (or both) but this isn’t a problem as the power of my army is in its battle line. In turn however ignoring the guns is foolhardy thanks to the amount of firepower I do have. It’s a win-win situation.

The dwarven battle lines speed (yes! Speed!) Means I can reach the tomb king deployment zone by turn 3. Can the tomb kings envelop and shoot the dwarves down in this timeframe? I think not. With an immune to fear and terror stubborn unit holding the vulnerable flank the tomb kings are pulled into a head on engagement, where the dwarves excel


VOTE BEARD! :C

[Phoenix]

Deployment as usual, SSC and Casket Central and near boardedge, Skellies flanking, and a Chariot unit on each far flank. The Ushabtoi will respond to the Dwarf deployment, likely on the more open side of my zone, but they can go wherever most needed to counter the Dwarf setup.

Both Scorps and the Swarms will be using ICFB to take out the Warmachines, and when finished will get back to the main battle asap.

Ok, so the Dwaves may be at my Dzone in their third trun, but by not deploying right at the front i will still have 2 turns of potential ranged assault on the Dwaves, before my units go charging into combat with the enemy. If i deployed right back then i could even give myself 3 turns of shooting before i charge them, and by moving units back (skellie bowmen at 1/2 Movement, they can still shoot!) and Chariots reforming etc, then i can even start forward a little and give myself that extra Casket/SSC/Bow turn, as my Chariots and Ushabti go crashing in.

Admittedly the Casket may not seem fantastic against the high Ld, but purely the risk of it going off means that the Dwaves risk loosing a few men (and hence a rank bonus) from each unit. Also the Warmachine crew will be under threat from it too.

Also bear in mind, all the SSC needs is 1 wound. That induces a panic test at -1Ld. With a good aim / scatter it cab potentially hit 2 dwarf units at once. The central hit is S8, the rest S4. Now bear in mind with a square hit on a dwarf, the small template covers 5 dwarves fully, with 16 partials. The odds of causing one wound are quite good, and with 1 definite, potentially 2 shots per turn for 3 turns, then it could get as bad for them as having to roll up to 12 panic tests! Ofcourse thats with good luck for the SSC, but still the point is there. Even one failed panic check will break the Dwarf line up enough for me o be able to charge it piecemeal later on.

The Archers wont get many kills, but the odd one will deny a rank bonus for the dwaves, and give me more of an edge in combat. Who knows, with the SSC, Casket and Bows over 3 truns, i may even be able to knock off multiple ranks from a unit or two.

My magic dominance isnt too great, 10 Casting dice vs 7 dispel. Its likely the Scroll will go early on, but after that bearing in mind that all my spell rolls auto cast, and the dwaves dispelling has values to beat, its likely ill be good for 2-3 spells per phase, which is pretty good. Thats not even including my bound spells.

The King is a solid Character, well able to match the dwarf i think, with S7, 5W and a 4+ ''Ward'', also reducing the Dwarves attacks by 1, he will be able to hold up to the lord nicely if that combat arises (and i hope it would, always good to see generals go head on) And dish out some good damage in return. With backup from a Priest to heal him, he should come out ontop.

The Str of the Ushabti will tear through the dwarf armour with ease. Getting the charge will be easy for them with a far superior movement, and with 12A, there wont be much left of anything the Ushabti get their blades into.

The Chariots will be great for Flanking. S4 Impact his, and the dwaves done get he HW/S bonus when fighting to the flank. With their Rank Bonus gone too, and skellies fighting in the front, or Ushabti causing lots of wounds, then beating these dwaves in combat should be pretty easy. Bearing in mind:
Chariot Flank + Skellies Front = flank, outnumber, 3 ranks + wounds, to the dwaves banner... even with wounds taken into account (and with me charging there shouldnt be many dwaves to fight back) I only need to win combat by 1, and the dwaves need snake eyes to hold. I dont care how high your Ld is, outnumbered by fear causers! run as fast as you can little dwaves! which consequently wont be fast enough... 2D6-1" flee, to the Chariots 3D6 persuit...

Oh, almost forgot my Carrion. Good for early Warmachine charges, and also rear charges later on if needed. Their key role thoigh, catching Dwarf unit by the ''crossfire'' rule as they flee from the SSC or combat.

[Rising Leviathan]

I will have to go with Dwarfs this time although it hurts my fragile little elven soul.

The TK will get next to nowhere with their magic and their fear will be neutralised bye the dwarven LD, so there goes two of the main advantages. If you compare the stats of the troops toy will see that dwarfs are superior at everything except movement, which I don't think they really need.

Good luck both of you!

I VOTE BEARD!:C

[swntzu]

This is an open field and so works to both armies in equal measure. The dwarves have a good view of the field for their guns and the tomb kings have free rein for their cavalry and chariots.

It will be closely fought indeed but I think that if the tomb kings can get a decent fighting line over to the dwarf DZ, they can edge it out. Magical superiority will be be key and tomb kings have this. It will be blunted somewhat by the dwarf dispel dice but I am confident that they can overcome this.

Some good rolls with the casket can spell doom for the dwarven guns. I think one or two round with it will be enough to deal out some serious pain.

For the above reasons I VOTE BONE!!!.

Tomb Kings

[DavidWC09]

I'm going with Tomb Kings.

TK can counter the War Machines, still get some magic off, and fear trumps leadership once in combat. One losing round, and other than the hammerers, the dwarfs' beards are flapping behind them.

Another ridiculously close battle that rides on so many things, but I'm going with TK.

[ArchonFarseerGuy]

*contemplates*
*thinks harder*
*head cracks open*
*stitches head back together and has another go at thinking*

OK, this decision will hinge now or never for me. No procrastinating *slaps own wrist*.

I think either side can win this. The thing is, the TKs have magic superiority, while Dwarfs have shootie superiority. Given the Scorpios and the Swarm, I think neither of these advantages will amount to much.

That said, PhoPho can really screw up Arkys day by assassinating his Dwarf Lord (I can imagine it "Sire! no, you can't die! Oh crap, those Skeletons look scary all of a sudden"), which will put the Dwarfs at a real back foot. But thats rather unlikely, given his immunity to KB.

What it comes down to is the Dwarfs turbo-boost into the TKs real estate. That will result in one super-powerful unit Immune to Fear and Terror, and 4 units that can reasonably hold their own in combat. They'll be up against 2 units that have to outnumber and win combat (but it can feasibly be done), 2 really hard hitting units (emphasis on really, folks), and the Ushabti, who will do well on the charge, but if they start losing, they're in trouble.

This will really go down to the wire. But Phoenix can replenish his losses (and he has 1/2 of his spells getting of, give or take), giving him that VERY slight edge in combat. Thus, I'm going for him against my initial judgment. If Arky had a cannon, I'd vote for him with a large amount of confidence.

-AFG

[gingerninja]

Well this is a real toughy. Having fought both these armies in this votewar, I would love to see this battle for real.

Anyway, down to my vote. Having read the tactics, taken a look at the battlefield, crunched some numbers, (yes reliable ones Deci and Arky, I know how you hate my math hammer), I have come to the following conclusions.

1) Pheonix will get off 2 spells on average a turn, plus the casket. Enough for him to increase the damage output of his warmachines, or repair the damage done by arkys. The choice would be his.

2) Arkys Stone Thrower is more reliable than Pheonix's, and with it's tendancy to find the target more often, it should do more damage than the TK one, (the same if Pheonix gets 2 shots off).

3) The Scorpians and swarms being ICFB means that they won't be repairable if they take any damage before they charge the warmachines, unless the cloaked priest goes out to them.

4) With the terrain as it stands, Pheonix should only have 1 flank avaliable to him for flank charges, except the carrion if they fly out. This flank is unfortunately the one protected by the immune to fear and terror unit with a stubborn Ld 10. The flank can only be occupied by so many of the enemy, and I can see this combat being the one that decides it.

5) A chariot charge to the front of any of the dwarf units will do 2-3 wounds maximum, a flank one will do 3-4. This is including combat after the impact hits.

6) The Tomb kings have 2 units capable of static combat res. This will hurt them in protracted combats, as the dwarves are tougher and have thicker armour. This is negated by flank charges, but even so, there should only be 1 flank avaliable to the TK to begin with.

Right.......

After all those nicely labelled bullet points, and much thinking on my part, I think that although the Tomb Kings have the slight speed advantage over their opponents, and a magical superiority, the dwarven numbers, and their thick armour should see them through the protracted combats with heavy loses, but their beards held high.

Dwarves will edge it

ninja out

[DavidWC09]

I haven't enjoyed voting on any of these last ones. All the lists are really well built, and deciding among them is so tough.

[Killswitch]

The Kings can pull this one out of the water. Their Fear may really hurt, and I don't think the Dwarves will last. His ability to destroy the war machines will really hurt, and can take out his guns early enough on. Pho's magic superiority will be devastating if he can get some of his spells off.

In the end, PhoPho will get this one.

-J