Battle Report - Skaven vs. Dwarfs 3000 Points

Last weekend was an opportunity for a Skaven vs. Dwarfs game between myself and one of my regular opponents, Tane. Usually we play 2000-2400 points but being on a Saturday we decided to try a bigger battle.

I will be getting Tane to post his thoughts on the battle but here is my unbiased account.

The scenario we rolled up was Watch Tower and I won the opportunity to occupy it. My list had no possible candidates so the building remained empty. The two lists used were as follows:

Dwarfs

Runelord (RL) in 30 Warriors with great weapons (W1)
BSB (BSB) in 30 Warriors with great weapons (W2)
Master Engineer (ME) in 12 Quarrellers (Q)
Dragonslayer (DS1)
Dragonslayer (DS2)
25 Longbeard Rangers (LR) - scout
9 Miners (M) – in reserve
25 Hammerers (H)
Cannon (C)
Grudgethrower (G)
Organ Gun (OG)
Gyrocopter (GC)

Skaven

Grey Seer (GS1) on Bell (SB) in 30 Clanrats (CR1)
Grey Seer (GS2) in 40 Slaves (S2)
BSB (BSB) in 25 Stormvermin (SV)
Plague Priest (PP) on Plague Furnace (PF) in 35 Plague Monks (PM)
Warlock Engineer (WE) in 40 Slaves (S1)
Engineer (E) in 35 Slaves (S3)
30 Clanrats (CR2)
6 Gutter Runners (GR1) – in reserve
6 Gutter Runners (GR2) – in reserve
Warplightning Cannon (WLC1)
Warplightning Cannon (WLC2)
Plagueclaw Catapult (PC)
Hell Pit Abomination (HPA)

The deployment was as per the following map:

As can be seen from the map, both of us were quite tight in our deployments. This is as much a feature of the Watch Tower scenario as it was concern on both our parts of the opponent's reserves. I know I wanted to force the Miners away from my warmachines and the Watch Tower while Tane has a pathological fear of my Gutter Runners.



Turn One - Dwarfs

The Dwarfs moved forward reasonably cautiously. The Longbeards swept up the flank to threaten the Slaves while the two Dragonslayers moved out to act as roadblocks. I had put up the Storm Banner restricting the movement of the Gyro and limit Tane's shooting. Well the Banner should have lettering "Does What It Says On the Can" because that is exactly what it did. Any Skaven casualties were minimal.

Turn One - Skaven

As if by clockwork, down goes the Storm Banner and up move the rats. The Abomination contacts the first Dragonslayer and gives him the doom he has been seeking. The Bell lurches forward and the naked Engineer decides that he is a ratty doomseeker, positioning himself in front of the Longbeards. Magic and shooting is ineffectual, the Doomrocket falling well short of its target.

Turn Two - Dwarfs

The Miners fail to turn up, much to my chagrin. Tane declares two charges - Longbeards versus Engineer and Hammerers into Furnace/Plague Monk unit. I suspect a pre-emptive strike on the Furnace itself and that turns out to be the case as it takes three wounds. I win the combat but the Hammerers hold. The Engineer dies and the Longbeards reform to face the Slaves. Tane's shooting is not great the Abomination taking a single wound from the flaming cannon.

Turn Two - Skaven

The Abomination moves into the flank of the Hammerers. The Slaves play blocker with the Longbeards and the two units of Gutter Runners come onto the board. The free Grey Seer shelters by the Watch Tower. unfortunately (for a lot of things) the Bell decides to ring "Deafening Peals". Down goes the Tower exposing the Seer and the T7 Dwarf warmachines all take wounds. The Gutter Runners finish off the Cannon while the Skaven magic is ineffectual. The Abomination and Furnace chomp on the Hammerers who hold again on their Stubborn. In return the Furnace takes another wound.

Turn Three - Dwarfs

The Miners turn up on the Skaven right while the Longbeards charge the Slaves. The Gyro and Organ Gun open up on the Gutter Runners while the Quarrellers turn to face them from the rear. One Gutter Runner unit flees while the other holds. The Slaves are Steadfast against the Longbeards while the Hammerers fight on as the Abomination feeds again.

Turn Three - Skaven

The Gutter Runner rallies while the lone Grey Seer moves behind the Longbeards. The Bell moves onto the destroyed tower while the Slave unit charges the flank of the Longbeards. Unfortunately the original slave unit is destroyed at the end of the combat (and the Longbeards turn to their flank). The Hammerers die a glorious death falling one wound short of killing the Furnace. The Gutter Runners bring down the Gyrocopter.

Turn Four - Dwarfs

In go the Miners and the Runelord-led Warriors. The Organ Gun finishes off the Gutter Runners while the Master Engineer leaves his unit to face off against the surviving Gutter Runner (a Rune of Challenge in his pocket). The Slaves die and the two Dwarf units reform to face the Stormvermin. In the ruined tower the Runelord fails to kill the Clan Rat champ while the Grey Seer takes two wounds.

Turn Four - Skaven

The lone Gutter Runner is forced to charge the master engineer where they promptly produce handbags to fight with. The lone Grey Seer turns the Miners into rats, who now turn to face the Longbeards. These dwarfs are now the target of the Plague Catapult which scatters onto the once-were-dwarf miners and they turn and flee of the board [You can't write this stuff]. Seeing the opportunity one of the Warplightning Cannons "misfires" and destroys the other WLC....accident? Once again the Bell rings destroying the Organ gun and leaving the Grudgethrower on a single wound. In combat the Grey Seer goes down and the Warriors throw the necessary "snake eyes" to stay in the combat, having survived the Abomination in the flank.

Turn Five - Dwarfs

Things are looking dodgy for the Dwarfs. They kill the Furnace in the shooting phase and the Engineer kills the lone Gutter Runner. However the Runelord and his unit are broken and run down by the Abomination. The Bell unit continues to fight the flanking Dragonslayer.

Turn Five - Skaven

The Abomination fails to make it back for the Dragonslayer but the Bell unit finishes him off. The Plague Monks run through the Grudgethrower and off the board.

And here the battle ends. We decide a Turn 6 is unlikely to drag it back for the Dwarfs and the Skaven are unlikely to get many further points. It finishes up as a solid victory for the rats.

Wrap up and Tane's thoughts to come.