The fifth round of the MKWGW Escalation League saw my Vampire Counts matched up against Liam McNamara's Lizardmen. I had seem Liam play against my son in April so I had a fairly good idea of what to expect.
The Forces
Vampire Counts army
Lords
Gotred Onjur - Master Necromaner (Level 3 Lore of Vampires)
Dispel Scroll, Talisman of Preservation
Heroes
Vampire - Level 1 (Lore of Death), Barded Nightmare, Heavy armour
Red Fury, Sword of Might, Enchanted Shield, Book of Arkhan
Vampire - Level 1 (Lore of Vampires), Barded Nightmare, Heavy armour, Shield, Lance
Obsidian Lodestone
Core Units
20 Crypt Ghouls - Champion
15 Skeleton Warriors (Sword and shield)
30 Zombies
Special Units10 Black Knights - Lances, Full command
Rare Units
Terrorgheist
Total points cost: 1,500 points
Lizardmen army
Lords
Slaan Mage Priest - Battle Standard
Slaan Mage Priest - Battle Standard
Wandering Deliberations, Becalming Cogitations, Dispel Scroll
Heroes
Skink Priest - Level 1 (Lore of Heavens)
Cube of Darkness
Saurus Scar-Veteran
Gold Sigil Sword, Enchanted Shield
Core Units
25 Saurus Warriors - Full command
25 Saurus Warriors - Full command
10 Skink Skirmishers
Special Units
16 Temple Guard - Full command
Bastilodon
3 Ripperdactyl Riders
Total points cost: 1,499 points
The Battle
Skink Skirmishers and the Black Knight unit with the Vampires moved towards the Slaan and the Temple Guard. In hindsight, I should have deployed the Terrorgheist on the right to deal with the Ripperdactyls. The Black Knights didn't make the most of their movement, and despite a bit of pre-measuring, I didn't move them as far forward as I could have, keeping them out of range of an imagined charge from the Temple Guard instead of being more aggressive.
Turn One
The Vampire Counts won the roll for the first turn. The Terrorgheist moved at full speed towards the
Skink Skirmishers and the Black Knight unit with the Vampires moved towards the Slaan and the Temple Guard. In hindsight, I should have deployed the Terrorgheist on the right to deal with the Ripperdactyls. The Black Knights didn't make the most of their movement, and despite a bit of pre-measuring, I didn't move them as far forward as I could have, keeping them out of range of an imagined charge from the Temple Guard instead of being more aggressive.
The Terrorgheist screamed off four Skinks, and in the Magic phase, the Master Necromancer summoned up a few more Zombies in his own unit.
In the Lizardmen's first turn, the Sauruses (or is it Sauri?) on the left (my right) advanced cautiously, keeping their options open to either deal with the advancing skeletons or counter charge the Black Knights in the flank. The Ripperdactyls flew right over the Skeleton Warriors to attack the Master Necromancer's Zombie bunker. The Skinks attempted to make a screen in front of the Slaan and his Temple Guard, but didn't quite have enough movement to completely block a potential charge from the Black Knights.
In the Magic phase, the Lizardmen had twelve power dice to my seven dispel dice. The Terrorgheist was bombarded with magic, taking the brunt of four spells before being brought down. The Skink Priest even
sucked himself into a hole casting Urannon's Thunderbolt (and put a wound on the Bastilodon). The Black Knights were also whittled down by a combination of Searing Doom and some lucky shots from the Skinks.
In the Lizardmen's first turn, the Sauruses (or is it Sauri?) on the left (my right) advanced cautiously, keeping their options open to either deal with the advancing skeletons or counter charge the Black Knights in the flank. The Ripperdactyls flew right over the Skeleton Warriors to attack the Master Necromancer's Zombie bunker. The Skinks attempted to make a screen in front of the Slaan and his Temple Guard, but didn't quite have enough movement to completely block a potential charge from the Black Knights.In the Magic phase, the Lizardmen had twelve power dice to my seven dispel dice. The Terrorgheist was bombarded with magic, taking the brunt of four spells before being brought down. The Skink Priest even
sucked himself into a hole casting Urannon's Thunderbolt (and put a wound on the Bastilodon). The Black Knights were also whittled down by a combination of Searing Doom and some lucky shots from the Skinks.Turn Two
The Black Knights had the option to charge the Skinks. If they took a Stand and Shoot, they would have most likely been wiped out and the Knights would have an easy overrun into the Temple Guard. More likely, they would have fled, in which case the Knights could have attempted to redirect into the Temple Guard. With a Leadership of 8, I didn't fancy my chances and the Knights would have been left hanging in no-man's-land and counter charged on two sides. Instead, I had the Vampires and Black Knights charge at the Temple Guard through the opening on the right side of the Skinks. Here is where I paid for my previous miscalculation and failed the charge by 1". Result: The Knights were left hanging in no-man's-land.
In the Magic phase, one of the Vampires Irresistibly cast Purple Sun of Xereus, which went right through the Saurus block and reduced them to five left out of twenty five. The miscast was a Magical Feedback, and every wizard hit made their respective armour or ward saves, but the dice gained from Spirit Leech were lost.In the Lizardmen's turn, the Ripperdactyls charged the Zombies, but because off the building, were only able to clip onto the rear few models of the unit.
The Slaan had another blinding Magic phase (I think it was 10 dice to 5) and ended up blowing the Vampires and Black Knights away with a Searing Doom spell. The Obsidian Lodestone carried by one of the Vampires failed to make a single ward save, all my dice could roll were 3's and 2's.
Turns Three to Five
.
Suffice to say, after the first two turns, it was all but over. The Skeleton Warriors made a valiant charge (if Skeletons have a sense of valour) into the remaining five Saurus Warriors, but couldn't make a dent and were eventually wiped out. The Crypt Ghouls moved to block the Temple Guard from advancing on the Zombie bunker, all the time being harassed by poisoned shots from the Skinks. The Master Necromancer and his Zombies actually fought their way out of combat when their numbers were reduced sufficiently and the Ripperdactyls couldn't reform sideways because of the building. Gotred Onjur, the Master Necromancer, managed to raise up a couple of small units of Zombies to slow down the advancing Temple Guard and Bastilodon. The Necromancer and his Zombie bunker reformed to face away from the bulk of the Lizardman army, but were again charged by the Ripperdactyls.
Final Victory Points were; Vampire Counts - 95, Lizardmen - 1,600.
Despite being totally crushed, it was an enjoyable game. Also it was a learning curve for me to be more aggressive when playing Vampire Counts. It could have been an entirely different result if the Vampires and Black Knights had got into combat with the Temple Guard, and I would love to have seen how the combat would have gone, but it was not to be.
Thanks to Liam for a great game, and also for some of the pics in this blog.
The Fluff
Gotred Onjur had seen signs of the coming of the End Times, and had been sent by a mysterious (even to one as used to the Black Arts as he) hooded, semi-ethereal figure to venture to Lustria to recruit the services of Luthor Harkon, the vampire-pirate. There were also rumours that the Lizardmen were embarking on some migration to another dimension to escape the End Times. If there was indeed to be a mass invasion by the forces of Chaos, the absence of the Lizardmen from the Old World would be a crippling blow indeed. They needed to be persuaded that leaving this world was not such a good idea.
After arriving in Lustria and getting word to Luthor, a war band of Lizardmen led by a powerful Slaan was detected heading for some ruins where it was believed a portal between worlds existed. Gotred saw his arrival as timely and took the opportunity to intercept the Lizardmen before they could depart.Gotred had already sacrificed a portion of his life essence to summon a Terrorgheist,
and two of Luthor's vampires also joined his band.
Upon sighting his quarry, the land around seemed to shimmer. Rather than the Lustrian jungle that he was expecting, the battlefield looked more like some ruins of an ancient and forgotten Tilean civilisation. Gotred began to suspect that the portal that the Lizardmen were heading for did not have a physical presence as such, and that both the Necromancer's army and the Lizardmen had already begun to pass through it into another dimension.
Gotred ordered his forces forward, particularly the Terrorgheist and the Black Knights led by the Vampires, but held back with the Zombies that were protecting him. The Terrorgheist was eager to feast on the scaly things taking up position on the opposite side of the battlefield and flew out at full speed. The Vampires, however, seemed sluggish, taking an eternity to cross the sands between the two armies.
As soon as the Terrorgheist let forth a soul-rending scream which saw four Skinks fall to the ground and shimmer out of apparent existence, Gotred realised his mistake. Three Ripperdactyls on the right flank came swooping in a banking curve, right over his Skeleton Warriors assigned to protect his flank and heading towards the rear of his own Zombies which were only partially shielded by some strange acropolis.
Distracted by the flying long-beaked lizards, the Necromancer was unable to counter the volley of arcane power unleashed by the Slaan which saw the quick demise of the Terrorgheist. One of the Vampires retaliated by sending a purple vortex of death into the ranks of a troop of Saurus Warriors. Once the cloud had passed, barely a fifth of the regiment remained, the rest seeming to have just disappeared. No blood, no bodies....nothing.
Gotred sent the mental command to Luthor Harkon's vampires to engage the Slaan and his Temple Guard, but again, they were too slow and another powerful blast of magic from the Slaan melted the entourage of Knights along with the Vampires long before they could bring their lances to bear.
The Necromancer, already drained by his previous weeks efforts at summoning the Terrorgheist and the long journey to Lustria, soon found himself fighting for his unlife against the Ripperdactyls whilst what remained of his army put up some attempt at fighting off the slowly advancing reptilian battle-line. The Skeleton Warriors, having already failed to protect his flank, tried to redeem themselves by launching an attack at what was left of the Saurus Warriors that had depleted by the Vampire's last spell, but were no match for the martial skill of the lizard warriors. The Crypt Ghouls shambled around apparently aimlessly, looking for a the best spot to be harassed by poisoned darts from the Skink Skirmishers.
Gotred's own Zombies were eventually ripped to pieces, disappearing into nothing before even hitting the sand, until only Gotred was left. The last he saw of the battle was a Ripperdactyl attempting to skewer him with its beak before the strange lands around him shimmered and disappeared. He found himself alone, back in steaming Lustrian jungle. Shaking his head and dusting himself off, he began the long trek back to the harbours of the Vampire Coast. With any luck, he might be in time to get on board one of the ships of Luthor Harkon's fleet before it set sail.
Twenty Saurus Warriors suddenly found themselves back in their jungle. They knew they were miles away from where they were supposed to be. Shaking their heads in disappointment, knowing know they would not be able to catch up with the Slaan that was leading them, they headed for the nearest familiar temple, hoping to find another group setting off for the portals.
Four Skinks uncovered their ears in a vain attempt to cut out the death-scream of the Terrorgheist. Opening their eyes and uncovering their ears, they found themselves in a muddy cave, the scent of unfamiliar marshland pervading their reptilian nostrils. An opening through which daylight could be seen was largely blocked by the form of a huge muscular human screaming towards them, swinging a crude spiked club...
and two of Luthor's vampires also joined his band.
Upon sighting his quarry, the land around seemed to shimmer. Rather than the Lustrian jungle that he was expecting, the battlefield looked more like some ruins of an ancient and forgotten Tilean civilisation. Gotred began to suspect that the portal that the Lizardmen were heading for did not have a physical presence as such, and that both the Necromancer's army and the Lizardmen had already begun to pass through it into another dimension.
Gotred ordered his forces forward, particularly the Terrorgheist and the Black Knights led by the Vampires, but held back with the Zombies that were protecting him. The Terrorgheist was eager to feast on the scaly things taking up position on the opposite side of the battlefield and flew out at full speed. The Vampires, however, seemed sluggish, taking an eternity to cross the sands between the two armies.
As soon as the Terrorgheist let forth a soul-rending scream which saw four Skinks fall to the ground and shimmer out of apparent existence, Gotred realised his mistake. Three Ripperdactyls on the right flank came swooping in a banking curve, right over his Skeleton Warriors assigned to protect his flank and heading towards the rear of his own Zombies which were only partially shielded by some strange acropolis.
Distracted by the flying long-beaked lizards, the Necromancer was unable to counter the volley of arcane power unleashed by the Slaan which saw the quick demise of the Terrorgheist. One of the Vampires retaliated by sending a purple vortex of death into the ranks of a troop of Saurus Warriors. Once the cloud had passed, barely a fifth of the regiment remained, the rest seeming to have just disappeared. No blood, no bodies....nothing.
Gotred sent the mental command to Luthor Harkon's vampires to engage the Slaan and his Temple Guard, but again, they were too slow and another powerful blast of magic from the Slaan melted the entourage of Knights along with the Vampires long before they could bring their lances to bear.
The Necromancer, already drained by his previous weeks efforts at summoning the Terrorgheist and the long journey to Lustria, soon found himself fighting for his unlife against the Ripperdactyls whilst what remained of his army put up some attempt at fighting off the slowly advancing reptilian battle-line. The Skeleton Warriors, having already failed to protect his flank, tried to redeem themselves by launching an attack at what was left of the Saurus Warriors that had depleted by the Vampire's last spell, but were no match for the martial skill of the lizard warriors. The Crypt Ghouls shambled around apparently aimlessly, looking for a the best spot to be harassed by poisoned darts from the Skink Skirmishers.
Gotred's own Zombies were eventually ripped to pieces, disappearing into nothing before even hitting the sand, until only Gotred was left. The last he saw of the battle was a Ripperdactyl attempting to skewer him with its beak before the strange lands around him shimmered and disappeared. He found himself alone, back in steaming Lustrian jungle. Shaking his head and dusting himself off, he began the long trek back to the harbours of the Vampire Coast. With any luck, he might be in time to get on board one of the ships of Luthor Harkon's fleet before it set sail.
Twenty Saurus Warriors suddenly found themselves back in their jungle. They knew they were miles away from where they were supposed to be. Shaking their heads in disappointment, knowing know they would not be able to catch up with the Slaan that was leading them, they headed for the nearest familiar temple, hoping to find another group setting off for the portals.
Four Skinks uncovered their ears in a vain attempt to cut out the death-scream of the Terrorgheist. Opening their eyes and uncovering their ears, they found themselves in a muddy cave, the scent of unfamiliar marshland pervading their reptilian nostrils. An opening through which daylight could be seen was largely blocked by the form of a huge muscular human screaming towards them, swinging a crude spiked club...
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