Grimbold Blackhammer:
Welcome to my first battle report using the shiny new rules from Forgeworld. I appreciate feedback and tuning my lists is definitely an ongoing process.
2400 Points
Chaos Dwarves
Sorcerer-Prophet (General) - Level 4 bearing the Talisman of Preservation and the Chalice of Blood and Darkness
Dark Castellan (Battle Standard Bearer) - carrying the Stone Mantle, Dragonhelm, and Dawnstone wielding a Great Weapon
Bull Centaur Taur’ruk - wearing Blackshard Armour & the Crown of Command, wielding a Great Weapon, and carrying a Luckstone
19 Infernal Guard w/ Full Command wielding Great Weapons
44 Hobgoblins w/ Full Command wielding Bows and carrying Shields
20 Hobgoblins w/ Full Command wielding Bows and carrying Shields
3 Bull Centaur Renders w/ Full Command and bearing the Banner of Eternal Flame
1 Magma Cannon
1 Deathshrieker Rocket
1 Hellcannon
1 Dreadquake Mortar w/ an extra Ogre
5 Hobgoblin Wolf Riders w/ a Musician
Dark Elves
Dark Elf Highborn (General) - riding a Dark Pegasus, wielding Soulrender, wearing the Dragonhelm and the Pendant of Khaleth
Supreme Sorceress - bearing the Talisman of Preservation and the Sacrificial Dagger
Death Hag (Battle Standard Bearer) - on a Cauldron of Blood
Assassin (hiding amongst the Spearmen) w/ Rune of Khaine, Dark Venom, and Touch of Death
35 Dark Elf Spearmen w/ Full Command
31 Dark Elf Corsairs w/ Full Command and bearing the Sea Serpent Banner
5 Harpies
20 Black Guard w/ Full Command bearing the Banner of Swiftness and the Ironcurse Icon
6 Cold One Knights w/ Full Command bearing the Standard of Slaughter
1 War Hydra
That Alter of Khaine in the middle of the battlefield is going to make fighting next to it a real bloodbath. But I think it will benefit me more than it will the elves. And is that an “unkillable Dreadlord” I see?
DE Turn 1
The Cauldron of Blood blessed the Dark Elf’s elite Black Guard with a 5+ ward save and the battle began! The entire line moved forward at best possible speed except the Cold One Knights. Apparently their Stupid mounts never heard the whistle… The elfish witch gathered the perfect 12 dice from the Winds of Magic first Withering the Infernal Guard, then generating some more power, and finally dropping all the Infernal Guard’s stats by 1. My Prophet wisely saved all his power to dispel Pit of Shades. The Spearmen looked about nervously wondering what had happened to two of their comrades and eyed the Supreme Sorceress warily…
CD Turn 1
My Hellcannon told me what kind of fight this was going to be by becoming uncontrollable and charging forwards. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise since it stopped right in front of the wall - perfect! The Hobgoblin Wolf Riders moved up to taunt the Cold One Knights or at least do their best to pester them. With a mighty yell the Bull Centaur Renders charged into the forest to attack the War Hydra (the Taar’ruk cracked a hoof on the Dangerous Terrain) while on the left only the Infernal Guard advanced to meet the enemy.
Apparently the elves used all the magic because the Prophet had 2 dice to the elf’s 1. There was barely enough power to summon an Ash Storm on the Dark Elf General.
The large block of Hobgoblins distinguished themselves shooting at the Cauldron of Blood and actually killing one of the attendants! The Magma Cannon scorched 2 Harpies which was enough to drive them away never to rally again. The Dreadquake Mortar couldn’t fire this turn (we blame the lazy Hobgoblins!) but the Deathshrieker Rocket killed 11 Spearmen. The “unkillable Dreadlord” easily saved the one wound the smaller batch of Hobgoblins managed when they shot at him.
The Centaurs looked up at the massive War Hydra and Fear filled their hearts. Yet their armour protected them well and the Hydra only managed to do 2 wounds to the Champion even after using his Breath Weapon. The Centaurs did 3 flaming wounds in return, the Hydra broke, and was run down! A great win for Hashut!
A thousand curses on the elven witch! Lowering the Infernal Guard’s movement meant they were not within range of the Statue of Khaine while the Black Guard would be. That’s really bad. I’ll console myself by gloating over the dead Hydra!
DE Turn 2
As the Black Guard charged forwards to meet the Infernal Guard, the Cauldron of Blood renewed its blessing of protection upon them. The Cold One Knights charged the Hobgoblins Wolf Riders, the horde of Corsairs charged the horde of Hobgoblins, and the Dark Elf General (suffering from Ash Storm) having no other useful option charged the smaller block of ignoble Hobgoblins.
The Winds of Magic blew for 6 power dice and 4 dispel dice. The Prophet used the Chalice of Blood and Darkness reducing the elf’s Power Dice to 4 and his own Dispel Dice to 3. Using all her dice the Sorceress tried to cast Okkam’s Mindrazor but rolled alll 1’s. I swear I tried not to smile!
The Cold One Knights handily butchered the Hobgoblin Wolf Riders though one surviving hobbo did manage to flee to safety. In the nearby combat and after an ungodly amount of armour saves on both sides, the Corsairs kill 11 Hobgoblins but only 5 elves were killed in return. Thanks to the Prophet, the Hobgoblins stayed to fight another round. The Druchii General slaughtered 3 Hobgoblins but they refuse to give ground. And the Black Guard kill 10 Infernal Guard losing only 6 of their own (the Castellan laughing as he crushes the Black Guard Champion). The Infernal Guard stubbornly refuse to yield despite the heavy loss. 
CD Turn 2
The Dwarves still hadn’t managed to chain down the Hellcannon and it rampaged again. This time however it made itself useful and charged into the flank of the Corsairs. The Centaurs moved around the trees and began looking for their next target. Meanwhile the Prophet summons 8 Power Dice to the Sorceress’ 6 Dispel Dice. In an impressive phase he casts a boosted Voice of Hatred, Ash Storm on the Corsairs, and lands an impressive 5 wounds on the Supreme Sorceress with the Curse of Hashut. Of course she saved all of them with her 5+ Ward… In the shooting phase the Flame Cannon was unable to damage the Cauldron of Blood but the Dreadquake Mortar scored a direct hit on the Spearmen. The Spearmen’s unit champion was pushed to safety however the Supreme Sorceress wasn’t which I found ironic (that’s what you get for stabbing people!). An whopping 17 Spearmen died and the Sorceress took a wound reducing the unit to only 6 models.
Combat was another matter entirely. The Corsairs only managed to kill 5 Hobgoblins but lost 7 in return in large part thanks to the Hellcannon and the hobbos getting Hatred. The Corsairs fled, were run down, and promptly used as fuel for the Hellcannon’s next salvo. Obviously intimidated the Dark Elf Highborn manages to kill exactly 1 hobgoblin. And the Black Guard continue their path of slaughter killing 5 more Infernal Guard but only losing 3.
I’m running out of Infernal Guard really fast. The Castellan should grind them down fairly well but I’m about to lose a lot of points for those Dwarves… At least I’m about to shoot my Centaurs into that Cauldron of Blood which should help swing things in my favor!
DE Turn 3
To help free the Dark Elf General from fighting Hobgoblins all game, the remaining Spearmen charge into the Hobgoblins on the left flank of the battle field. An Assassin also sheds his disguise and my poor hobbos look doomed. The Cauldron of Blood sees the Centaurs bearing down on it and begin pushing it as fast as they can straight north to try and get out of the Centaurs charge-arc. The Supreme Sorceress summoned 3 dice for her magic phase to the Prophet’s 2 dice. The Chalice of Blood and Darkness sucked them all away and the magic phase ended! The Dark Elves are not amused.
In combat the Black Guard appear tired and only kill 2 Infernal Guard. Taking advantage of their fatigue, 3 Black Guard are killed in return, they break, and are run down by Dwarves. Nearby the Assassin kills some Hobgoblins as does the Highborn and the Spearmen. The Assassin takes a wound from the hate-filled Hobgoblins who hold on thanks to being Steadfast with the Prophet threatening their little green souls should they run.
CD Turn 3
It came down to a laser pointer and finally a 4+ roll but we decided the Bull Centaur Renders could barely see the Cauldron of Blood and charged it. The Chaos Dwarf Battle Standard Bearer also charged but didn’t even come close to making the distance. The Winds of Magic blew the Chaos Dwarves 6 Power Dice to the Dark Elves 3 Dispel Dice. The Chalice of Blood and Darkness reduced the Power Dice to 3 and the elf’s Dispel Dice to 0 which was just enough to cast Ash Storm on the Cold One Knights. Not that it was needed because the Dreadquake Mortar killed 3 of the knights and the Hellcannon killed the other 3 eliminating all enemies on the right flank.
Fueled by my opponent’s frustration, the Assassin and the Dark Elf General bath themselves in Hobgoblin blood killing many and reducing the unit to only a couple of models. The last Hobgoblins held on insane courage driving my opponent to the edge of madness. My unit of Centaurs put a wound on the Cauldron of Blood but the Centaur Taar’ruk takes a wound in return. Combat is a push neither side willing to give ground.
And with his army in tatters my opponent calls the game - a crushing victory for the Chaos Dwarves!!
I think Ash Storm and the Voice of Hashut won me the game. The “unkillable Dreadlord” needed one more turn in order to get into my war machines but he was left stranded because he couldn’t march. And it also saved my big block of Hobgoblins from the Corsairs. I think the Chalice of Blood and Darkness is effective when your opponent has lower power/dispel dice but when the Winds of Magic are blowing hard, it’s not useful. So I don’t know if I’ll keep it or not. My artillary was very average. When it worked it worked well but when it didn’t, it was an epic fail. I’m still in the process of determining which pieces will stay and which will go but it sure is fun dropping templates all over the board.