Revenge of the Doomlord! Classic, classic, battle report and scenario from White Dwarf way back in the day. Mid 90s glory days! Remember it well.
By request, got this one onto the table, but using Midgard rules. Good excuse for me to tidy a few armies up, get some things built that have sat around too long and so on.
This is actually the second time we've played this scenario, having done it circa 2013 but nowhere near as well as we do it nowadays.
One major event in this game was we had to rerack slightly, due to the Undead commander getting a *bit* too overconfident with Dieter Helsnicht and getting him killed way way way too early, effectively ending the game haha. You know who you are!
Part 1
As the undead begin assembling and it became obvious a battle was to happen, there was a scramble for Imperial reinforcements from the North. Helsnicht diverted off all of his cavalry to meet this and tie them up, allowing his main lines to concentrate on attacking the town.
Accordingly, a smaller game using Erehwon rules happened a couple of days prior to the main game, with the results being kept secret to the GM, who would control the winners as appropriate reinforcements. This meant the players on the day knew something was going to turn up, but no idea what.
Each model was treated as a standalone activation, to promote the skirmish elements of this encounter.
Undead cavalry waiting their moment. They have all the time in the world.
Imperial cavalry arrives
Outrider heads straight out and shoots down the closest wight, signalling the advance
It very soon became a complete confusion of individual fights, but who would win?
Part 2
Table setup, with the village of Beeckerhoven waiting on the undead advance
Imperial positions
Undead begin their long advance towards the walls and town
Almost immediately the Doomlord swoops straight towards the village to menace the place.
At this point, he got himself killed by that mounted Imperial commander, so we had to rewind and start again from a suitable point.
So, Undead then begin pushing into the town with their faster moving units, while the main lines follow rapidly.
Pressure starts to tell on the defenders, who are doing a decent job of it, but being forced back
Just in time, the Imperial reserves begin arriving, under cover of a magical fog.
Poor skeletal crossbowyers find a bloody great war wagon charging out of the mist at them suddenly.
The reserves from the North appear (as they were successful at breaking through in part 1 above) and attack the undead supporting artillery.
Combat reaches the main defensive line, who need to hold until those reserves can march to assist.
Steam tank blows up on arrival, because of course it does.
Lines begin to buckle under attack from all sides.
War wagon crushes ANOTHER unit.
Imperial reserves start piling into the undead flank, forcing them to redraw their lines.
and it finishes with another combat between commanders, before Helsnicht takes to the air and leaves the armies to their fate.
Final result: Undead victory on table, Empire moral victory.
Great fun, great game, in spite of the fuck up early doors (I said be careful!)
Following the victory at the Battle of Fenn Wood, the undead army has advanced to the river crossing at Wendle. Crossing this will allow them to quickly advance into Imperial territory and provide a point for the invasion to intensify.
A small force of local militia and scouts has assembled to hold the bridge, whilst outriders have been sent at all speed to alert the army, who are en route, having been brought in from the Northwestern fiefdoms following the earlier loss of the Southern army. Will they arrive on time to prevent the Undead taking the bridge?
Armies - Undead vs Empire.
Table Size - 6x4, with the long edges designated East and West, the short edges North and South
Rules - Warhammer 7th Edition, using Ravening Hordes army lists
Terrain: A rocky, wooded area, with the Miren river spanning the full stretch of the terrain. Wendle Bridge sits in the middle of the river, with a few buildings nearby for the local milita. The Wendle runs from the Eastern to Western sides of the table, more towards the Southern side. The river is impassable to all foot and cavalry units.
Undead Forces and Deployment:
2000 points of Undead, deployed 12" in from the Southern edge of the table.
Empire Forces and Deployment:
The Empire army is split into two parts, the Milita and the Northwestern Relief.
Full army size is 2200 point. Army slots for character and unit types are calculated for 2200
Militia - 600 points. May only have a single Hero character assigned to them. This force deploys within 12" of the bridge on the Northern bank. No more than one war machine
Northwestern Relief Force - 1800 points. Arrive on Turn 3 from the Northern table edge with a normal move onto the table (so infantry may move 4" on, Cavalry 7/8" on. No march on this move as they have hurriedly deployed)
Victory Conditions:
Undead - you must take possession of this bridge. Anything else will be a failure
Empire - you must hold the bridge and not allow the undead to cross to the Northern riverbank at any cost.
Exhumed some more undead bits and pieces to add to the army, covering some gaps of unit types - skirmishers and flyers. Restoring older models that have been poorly treated in the past is rather pleasing work, I must say.
Wraiths and a Banshee - now I know I had more of these, as I used to run blocks of them back in 4th edition WFB. Who knows where they've gone?
(can't help feeling this would be a better model without the sword)
Ye olde bats of Doom. Not as bad as I remember these sculpts being, really. Getting those flying stands in a stronger grip involved some new drilling and putty work. One drop and those are a goner, I suspect.
My first, most abused, and most faithful army is my old Undead. Through many a war, move, campaign and cardboard box, we've been together and I've managed to hang onto them thoughout the years in spite of losing a lot of stuff.
A while ago.............errrrr ten years ago.........I did start to address some of the breakages and such, but my impetus was less then than it is now, when I'm time poor and more divided on other things like work, family and such. How that results in greater productivity, I don't know.
Now, around 18 months ago I documented some of these on this very blog, but finally gotten the army into a playable state with a concerted push of a couple of weeks and the results are below.
Even managed to convince a friend into trying classic WFB, so these have seen field and ALREADY started the invasion of the Empire, who got a spanking a couple of weeks ago.
The full army so far
Feral Vampires
Vampires dressed for dinner
Army standard
Grave Guard
Ye Olde Plague Cart
Ghouls
Grave Guard again
Skeletons
Ye Old Zombies. Still the best ones around
Varghulf.
Ye olde Wolves of Doom
Marching banners, which I had a go at doing a Stenbock roses style look on, which I could have done better, but didn't come out shit, so I left it.
Leaving that horrendous sentence above as is, as its awful but great.
By the way, if you've never read any Stenbock, then you must. I'm a big fan. Who doesn't love this kind of stuff?
He was said to travel everywhere with a life-sized wooden doll, whom he called “le petit comte” and whom he believed to be his son; he would send constantly for news of his “son” when he was absent.
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