The first of this year’s New Zealand GTs was held in Wellington last weekend. The format was standard as per the Australasian GT pack. It attracted a mix of armies and with more than usual the number of special characters on show.
My list was:
Tyrant - Heavy armour, Tenderiser, Jade Lion, Mawseeker
Butcher - Skullmantle, Seigebreaker
Butcher - Scroll, Bangstick
Butcher - Scroll, Laurels
3x Bulls - Bellower
3x Bulls - Bellower
3x Ironguts - Std, Bellower, LO Gnoblar
4x Ironguts - Std, Bellower, LO Gnoblar
4x Ironguts - Std, Bellower, LO Gnoblar, War Banner
9x Trappers
20x Gnoblars, Groinbiter
20x Gnoblars
Gorger
Gorger
The only change from the recent Call to Arms was that I had replaced a unit of Yhetees with a unit of Bulls + two units of Gnoblars and replaced one Iron gut with a War Banner, Laurels on a Butcher and an extra trapper.
Game One – High Elves – Hugh Dixon
Hugh had a Dragon, a big unit of Silver Helms, two units of archers, two of scouts, two bolt throwers, a unit of Swordmasters and five Dragon Princes.
As I suspected he would, Hugh deployed his bolt throwers on a hill in the corner of his deployment zone. I then placed all my army (bar a unit of gnoblars that hid) on the far flank with a wood in the way. There was a gap I’d have to cross to get into his half but I had a plan for that.
My gorgers arrived on Turn 2 setting up a Turn 3 charge on the bolt throwers. As Hugh turned to deal with them I scooted my army into the gap. One gorger died to missiles as Hugh opened up with his bolt thrower and scouts but the other managed to get in and beat the elves in combat overrunning into the second. Unfortunately for me Hugh diverted the dragon to deal with this gorger and he died pretty quickly. However I had got through the gap while most of Hugh’s army was out of range.
Rest of the battle revolved around me picking off half the Dragon Princes with magic, doing the same to some scouts and pushing the Silver Helms back along their baseline as they faced off against ogres with Tyrant attached. Hugh charged the Silver Helms at the ogres and the big boys made short work of the elves, overrunning into the Swordmasters. These ran but Hugh rallied the below half unit in his final turn, also picking off a unit of bulls with the Dragon. When we totaled up I had come back to win by 450 points.
Game Two – Beastmen – Brett Watts
Brett had a very nice Beastman army comprising 3 units of Centigors, four Beast Herds, four Chariots, some hounds, a unit of Beastigors and four characters (Beastlord, BSB and two Shamens).
Brett kept his two big herds in ambush but deployed across the table, with his chariots split 3-1 on the flanks. I deployed in the center and to my right flank.
The key moments in the game happened early. In Turn One/Two I rushed across the table and then Brett did his unruly and drunken rolls. Both small beastherds were unruly and headed to the ogres. Both were charged on Turn Two and were either caught when they fled or wiped out when they held. The centigors on my right became frenzied and charged at some bulls that fled allowing me to hit them with Ironguts which wiped them out. This set up a charge on the lone chariot that fled off the board.
On the other flank one Gorger arrived behind the Chariots while the other arrived behind the Centigors. Brett charged the centigors into a unit of Ironguts who held due to “Toothcracker”. I was able to run in a unit of gnoblars to give ranks and won the next round with gorger in tow.
The ambushing herds showed up and cleared my other unit of gnoblars out of a building, the other was beaten up by some bulls. On the last turn his two chariots lined up a charge on my Tyrant’s unit but were killed in the execution.
In the end a win to the Ogres by around 1800 points.
Game Three – Wood Elves – Gordon McBride
Gordon took a Tree Spirit army led by Drycha and 3 Branchwraiths. He had 6 units of Dryads and two of Treekin.
Now you know the Great Maw is with you when you walk to your table to play Tree Spirits and it is a desert with three marshes on it. I looked at Gordon and he could see the sympathy I felt oozing from every pore.
Gordon deployed with a refused flank and his “free” wood in the center. This suited me. I managed to box him in too a certain extent.
My first gorger came on Turn 2 on the flank and was charged by Gordon’s most extreme Dryads. They proceeded to eat the unfortunate one by the time his mate turned up. He was also eaten by this dryad unit. On the other flank I was able to beat up one unit of Dryads who then rallied and killed their tormentors. Gordon charged a unit of Ironguts in the flank contacting the Butcher. My unit won the combat and was able to break the Dryads the following turn.
On the flank where my Gorger were being eaten, I got a unit of IGs into a unit of Dryads breaking them and overrunning into Treekin. His other unit of Treekin charged my Bulls who fled. Finally the big fight – Drycha and two units of Dryads into my Tyrants unit. I challenged and like the old woman she is Drycha declined letting one of her children step up. Unfortunately for Gordon the Tyrant made a mess of her and when Drycha was less than successful, the Ogres were able to break and run down both units.
In the wash up it was a win by just over 2000 points to the Ogres. This proved to be Gordon’s only loss of the weekend, which I guess, shows how much the lack of forests hurt him.
Game Four – Skaven – Dawid Wojasz
I play Dawid at the Warlords pretty regularly. He uses a variety of Skaven armies but this iteration was based around three blocks of Clanrats, three units of Slaves, three units of night runners, two gutter runners, a BSB, an engineer, an assassin and a seer on bell. Besides the Bell, his only shooting was a single ratling gun and a single warpfire thrower.
In the first few turns I was able to clear out the slaves through magic and the night runners with my gnoblars. My tyrant went straight up the center cleaning out some night runners and a unit of clanrats. The key combat occurred when the bell charged some IGs and the impact hits were insufficient to hurt the unit. I was able to hit back and eventually break this unit.
After this it was a mopping up exercise for the Ogres with them killing the entire rat army.
Game Five – Bretonnians – Reid Pittams
The reward for four wins – a game against NZ’s best player. Reid had cleaned my clock three weeks previously at Call to Arms and I was hoping to be more competitive this time. His army at four KotR lances, a unit of Knights Errant, a unit of Pegasus Knights, two of mounted Yeoman, a Lord, a BSB, a Paladin and two Damsels.
I moved forward but had misjudged the distance to his lines leaving me outside magic range. Bad mistake. I lost a unit of bulls to his Knights Errant but was able to kill them when they overrun into my Tyrant’s unit. I managed to remove a unit of Yeoman when I charged them with my other unit of Bulls and some gnoblars.
My magic phase got lucky as I hit his lord with a magic missile removing two wounds. My first gorger arrived behind his lances and Reid turned to face.
Then came the two critical combats. His Lord charged the flank of my Ironguts and airballed. He ran but got away. I went into his BSB lance with a unit of IGs. but then it was my turn to airball and I was cut down.
The final turns had Reid clean up a couple of my units while I was able to kill his rallied Lord with a gorger. My Tyrant’s unit held off two charging lances on the baseline.
In the washup a 650 point win to Reid. I felt that I had been more competitive this time against an army that is very hard for the Ogres to face.
Game Six- Orcs & Goblins – Raymond Dick
If Reid’s the best player going around, then I reckon Raymond is pretty much up there – particularly when you consider the limited number of games he plays. This weekend he was using an Orc & Goblin list that hag Grimgor in it, backed with a unit of Black Orcs, a unit of Night Goblins with 3 Fanatics, Savage Orcs, SO Boars, Squighoppers, unit of Spiders, two units of wolves, snotlings, a Giant, a unit of orcs and two spear chuckers.
I had heard horror stories about Grimgor and what he had done through the weekend so wasn’t looking forward to this, as I had no idea how to deal with him given the rest of Ray’s army.
There were a few key moments in the battle. I moved forward to release the Fanatics hoping for low rolls. Unfortunately he got an “11” and a “9” putting two into the Tyrant’s unit. This was backed up by some pretty good shooting from Ray’s spearchuckers inflicting three wounds on the Tyrant (his only wounds all weekend) and two other Ogres.
Ray brought his squigs into the flank of a unit of bulls who ran and I was able to charge them with a butcher. Unfortunately he airballed, died allowing the squigs to run in front of the unit he left. I was able to charge and kill the squigs but the two Orc units rumbled forward. I thought it better I get the charge and hit the Black Orcs and the Orc Boyz. I managed to kill the Orc BSB but eventually succumbed to their joint attention – and that of Mr. Grimgor.
From here Ray mopped me up frontally and claimed my two quarters, while I picked off his weaker units and claimed his two quarters. A 650 point win to the Orcs.
So I finished on four wins (three massacres) and two losses for the weekend. When the results were determined Reid was well out in front, followed by Raymond and myself a point further back. I was extremely chuffed to finish 3rd particularly behind such good players as the first two placegetters are.
No comments:
Post a Comment