Erehwon - Orc Boating Trip to Norsca Report

 So, the Orc fleet arrived, the boys rowed out and what happened when they tried to make a day on the beach in Norsca?

Scenario can be found here in full: LINK

Opening scene

Defenders mass around the village

Here come the boys! Plenty of action as the boats quickly found some rowing a lot faster than others!

Looking reasonably tidy here.

But not so much here.........

Flanking force starts moving in. Still a long way from the shoreline though!

First boats start landing

Now we're off and running, as the Orcs begin landing en masse and engaging with the first defenders.

Some boats have gone wide for an attempted flank attack.

Berserkers vs berserkers.

Find themselves slightly outnumbered though, so get a complete kicking.

Artillery from the main ships providing able assistance at keeping the Norscans back.

Ever more Orcs arrive

Some peel off to force another landing area into play

Kislev allies arrive in time to help.

In the end there, theres just too many Orcs and its a narrow win.

So, a pretty fun game and something different. The defenders held back to attempt counter charges and hide from the artillery, rather than possibly deploying up front to attack the boats at the point of arrival, which may have done for them as when a few boats got a good row on, they arrived in clusters of units which then had the advantage over the defenders.

However, I think we pushed the Erehwon rules further than they can go, as it suffered slightly from the same issues as Bolt Action in larger multiplayer games where some confusion begins to come in and a slew of same coloured dice can compound things.

All good fun though.

Troll Country - Orc Landing in Norsca.

Date: Weds

 26th June 2024

Game: Warlords of Erehwon

Orcs, being bastards, have managed to sail the Sea of Claws, head across the top of the Empire, skirt underneath Norscan longship patrols and the ice borders.......arriving on the coast just to the north of Erengrad. Captain Ruzzgut of the Orcimedes has well and truly earned his pay!

This led to much activity from the Norscan patrols along the coast, who quickly scramble to send for aid from Kislev and other Norscan settlements, before gathering a hasty force together to meet the incoming threat. As they begin to rally, Orc landing boats begin being rowed out to shore.........

Scenario Special Rules

Dice bag is capped at 12 dice.

When a dice is drawn, all units on that side activate at the same time.

Orcs have to row onto the shore, so units are deployed in landing boats:

• Boats have a capacity of 12 models/6 cavalry
• More than one unit can be put into a boat, if they all fit.
• If a unit breaks morale in a boat and attempts to flee, they are destroyed
• Boats move by being given an order dice to advance. They move 2D6".
• Boats can be given more than one order dice per turn.
• When a boat reaches the shore, the units deploy onto the beach where the boat lands.
• Boats get recycled to continue shipping Orcs into the battle, until all units have tried rowing out.
• A unit can be given an order whilst in a boat (e.g. shooting or magic), but the boat will not advance whilst this happens (the crew are doing something other than rowing/holding steady to allow whatever action to happen)

Deployment

Orc boats start 20" away from shore.

First defending force is deployed between 12" and 24" away from the shoreline.

The Second defending force is deployed up to 18" in from the table edge directly opposite the shoreline

The Third defending force arrives in turn 3 from a randomly selected table edge.

Order of Battle - Orcs

3 x 750 point armies, chosen from the Orc list:

https://thisgaminglife.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/erehwon-orc-warband-v2.1.pdf

Trolls may not be taken for this scenario (too 'eavy, and when they get seasick, they melt the fuckin' boat!)

The Orc fleet has support weapons available on deck, allowing the Orcs the following free units:

2 Small Bolt Throwers 
1 Small Stone Thrower

These will automatically fire as the first action of each turn, without requiring an order dice.

Order of Battle - Norsca/Kislev

3 x 500 point armies, chosen from either the Vikings or the Knights list:

https://thisgaminglife.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/erewhon-knights-warband-v2.1.pdf

https://thisgaminglife.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/erehwon-viking-warband-v1.0.pdf

No war machines may be taken by the defenders.

The three defending armies are deployed in accordance with the outline given above in the deployment section.

Victory Conditions

The Orcs need to establish a beachhead and ensure their forces are in good position. 

The defenders need to hold back the greenskins and destroy all enemy forces.

East Gate of Karak Eight Peaks

 

(pic from the ever amazing Tulikoura on DeviantArt, who if you don't know, you really should!)

Dwarf Lord Belegar has tried to reclaim Karak Eight Peaks from the Greenskins, both to restore this lost realm and to use this citadel as a base to launch operations in the surrounding area. 

So far, he has been partially successful, but has reached an impasse, only being able to retake the main hold and not consolidate the wider area, still strongly held by the enemy.

To mitigate this, he has sent for aid from his kinsman Lord Duregar, who has answered by immediately gathering a force and marching South. This relief army has been confronted by, and defeated, a larger Orc force that attempted to intercept them, with the result that their approach is well known to the greenskin commanders.

The East Gate lays several miles within Death Pass, through a broad steep valley, studded with Dwarven architecture. As the Dwarves march towards the gate, they see that Orcs have fortified the ruined buildings before the gates, and have emerged from all sides of the valley in a coordinated attack, trapping the Dwarves.......

The battle will take part in the Eastern section of the above map, before the main East Gate.

Rules: Warlords of Erehwon

Dwarf Army: 1600 points, divided into two parts. The main Dwarf relief led by Duregar (1000 points) and Belegars Eight Peaks Force (600 points)

Orc Army: 2000 points, divided into two main armies of 1000 points. These armies should then be split into two roughly equal parts prior to the game, to represent the waves of attackers coming into the valley. Each 1000 point Orc force should be led by an independent leader. There is no requirement for leaders to be in the smaller divisons.

Deployment (Dwarf): 

Duregars main army is advancing westwards towards the gate. Belegars force will advance from the West, but the timing of their arrival is unknown.

Duregars army will deploy between 12" and 36" from the Eastern side of the table. They may not be deployed close than 9" to the North or South table edges

Belegars force will arrive as they sally out. However, their timing will be unknown and should be rolled for according to the below:

Start of Turn 2 - On a 6

Start of Turn 3 - On a 5+

Start of Turn 4 - On a 4+

Start of Turn 5 - Automatically.

It may be that Belegar arrives too late to help!

Their arrival should be rolled for as below:

Roll of 1 to 4 - from the gateway to the West

Roll of 5 - from the mines to the North

Roll of 6 - from the tombs in the South

Deployment (Orc):  

The army is divided into four parts. 

An initial force positioned at the East gate to block the Dwarves progress. 

The second force has been shadowing and harrying the Dwarfs as they progress through the valley and arrive onto the table during the first turn. They may be placed up to 9" onto the table when they arrive (as their dice is drawn). They can be given a fire order as usual or shoot, but cannot move. They will fight normally, if attacked in combat.

The third contingent has been lurking in the Northern slopes of the valley, and only moves once the Dwarves are in position. However, being Orcs, there is no guarantee they will coordinate properly or even know what the correct Dwarf position is.

Start of Turn 1 - On a 6

Start of Turn 2 - On a 4+

Start of Turn 3 - On a 2+

Start of Turn 4 - They've gotten bored and found something else to do, so don't turn up.

If Belegar arrives from the Northern mines, he has caught the Orcs unaware and massacred them, so they do not appear at all.

When arriving, the third contingent will deploy 9" onto the table from the Northern edge and can activate as normal. They may not deploy within 4" of a Dwarf unit.

The fourth force have hidden amongst the southern slopes and attempt an attack at the same time as the Northern Orcs.

Start of Turn 1 - On a 6

Start of Turn 2 - On a 4+

Start of Turn 3 - On a 2+

Start of Turn 4 - On a 4+

Start of Turn 5 - On a 6

Start of Turn 6 - Never!

If Belegar arrives from the South, he will destroy this force automatically before arriving on the table.

When arriving, the fourth contingent will deploy 9" onto the table from the Southern edge and can activate as normal. They may not deploy within 4" of a Dwarf unit.

NOTE: Both Orc forces cannot arrive from the North and South at the same time! Roll separately for each in sequence.

Victory Conditions: Fight to the death or until the end of turn 7, where night will fall and the survivors escape under cover of darkness.