Tarrakk Blackhand:
Hi gang!
Well, I got my customers back playing Warhammer and we’re all going through the book rules more closely and trying to get more familliar with the game as we are with Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons. We still have a long way to go, but are getting better as we move along.
Anyway, I had a 750 point battle with the Orc and Goblin player and this is what I fielded:
Rare : Earth Shaker Cannon : 110 Points
Special : Death Rocket : 80 Points
Sneaky Gits : 130 Points
Core : 2 Hobgoblin Bolt Throwers : 60 Points
2 Blunder Buss units (10 Each) : 300 Points
Hero : Level 1 Sorcerer - Lore of Metal : 65 Points
The spell was the default.
Total Points - 745
What I faced :
Orcs and Goblins :
1 unit Black Orcs
1 unit Orcs with spears
1 Unit Orcs with 2 hand weapons
1 unit Goblin Archers
1 Black Orc Big Boss
1 Level 2 Shaman.
Terrain : 24" x 48". two hills, one on each side.
Set-up : CD Artillery units and sorcerer on the hill, BB’s Sneaky gits and 2 Bolt throwers on level ground.
Orcs and Goblins : Sorcerer on hill, all other units on ground.
Highlights of the battle :
I won first turn and my Sneaky Gits got a 6 on Animosity and charged 6" forward. After that, I hard marched them an additional 8"es.
For the most part, @ 80%, The Earth Shaker, Death Rocket and Bolt Throwers all hit on target. The most effective was the Earth Shaker, imobilizing most of the Orcs.
The sneaky gits lost 5 members of their 20 man unit to Goblin archery, but managed to charge them on the second turn, wiping out 5 of their members in the first round of combat.
The archers took a panic test and fled off the table. Sneaky gits pursued them 5"es and in the next turn were flanked by the black Orcs.
I managed to kill off the Black Orc General with the Earth Shaker, thus forcing his units to take a Leadership test, which 50% failed and fled off the table.
The Black Orcs beat down my Sneaky gits and forced them off the table. this left them open to 1 bolt thrower and 1 unit of BB’s. The second BT and BB units were in line with his remaining Orcs.
The Black Orcs were the first to get decimated. I killed them down to one Orc and that Orc fled of the table on a failed Leadership. The Orcs on the other side of the table ended up facing both BB’s and 1 BT. It didn’t fair well for them. They ended up with 4 Orcs in the end.
The only saving grace was the Orc Shaman who ended up scoring a sucessful “Stomp” on my Earth Shaker, Death Rocket and 1 BT unit. Before this, he was on the other side of the table on the opposing hill and I couldn’t hit him with my Death Rocket or Earth Shaker. Only the shock waves were able to slow him down.
Once he had won the “Stomp”, it forced me to move my BB units across the table. i hard marched them 6 inches to get to the centerline.
It was his turn next and all he had was the Shaman on the hill. He cast “Stomp” again, but rolled a Miscast and ended up stomping himself to death.
In the end, he sucessfully defeated 4 of my units and I ended up killing the rest or making them flee.
His final words were “What a perfectly Orcish way to die : Stomping yourself to death!”
All in all, it was a great battle and my first “Total Annihilation” ever.
My final thoughts are this :
This battle was basically the Warhammer equivalent of World War One with his troops marching into my artillery to their death. There was no hope for their survival. Also, when he was getting his winning streak with his “Stomp” that I failed to dispell, he should have targeted my sorcerer. He could have evened up his odds by destroying her and forcing me to roll for Leadership. Hopefully, my other future opponients will make this same mistake. Time will tell though. I’m sure a few are reading this post as we speak! 