Aggro:
Dogcon is one of Australia’s biggest tournaments with nearly 100 players indulging in 8 battles over 3 days. I travelled from Perth to Sydney with my Chaos Dwarves to give it my best shot. I had been playing with the evil hats for some 3 years so had a good grasp of what they could do, although I added the Lammasu in quite late. The battles were scored on the basis of a VP difference needing 151+ to score 11-9 and then every 200 or so points after that it moved up, a 1901+VP difference equalled a 20-0.
DOGCON 2007 - BIG HATS MARCH EAST
My list - 2250 Chaos Dwarves
Supreme Leader Markov Sorcerer Lord
Level 4, Chalice of Darkness, Powerstone, Lammasu 500
Mainly included as I love the awesome model. A very different incarnation to my previous list and is very expensive points wise. The Lammasu is not the power choice as it has only 2 attacks in HTH, but does give my list some added flexibility. Terror can be handy although making the general immune to terror is far more worthwhile, and the ability to put leadership 10 where I need it can be crucial. The magic resistance 2 is a bonus and pretty much insures he is immune to magic as opponents do not target him. Whilst I will have to be cautious in the early game against shooty armies, late rear combination charges can be devastating. At the very least I have a flyer which can march block. The Chalice is a deceptive weapon that can be turned on/off to weaken my enemy’s spellcasting or aid my own magic phase. Specialises in death lore which has a lot of spells with no visibility requirements (I can hide behind a forest and keep casting).
Bull Centaur Hero, BSB, Sword of Might, Armour of Gazrakh 175
In 7th edition BSBs now add an additional +1 to combat resolution so this guy is a favourite. With toughness 5, 1+ armour save and a meaty 4 attacks at Str5 he can mix it up with the best of them in HTH. A 16" charge range can surprise opponents and he can even solo weak enemy units given he has a banner and the reroll on break tests. If needed I deploy him with the earthshaker to deter flyers from attacking my game winning artillery piece.
Sorcerer Level 2, 2 Dispel Scrolls
Fairly standard option. Normally casts a d6 Str 4 magic missile as the opening to my magic phase, tends to hide out with some blunderbusses or a war machine. Takes the lore of fire.
Hobgoblin Hero Wolf, Heavy Armour, Shield, 58
Looks pretty useless but this hobgoblin hero adds a couple of things to my force. Firstly he can hide in a blunderbuss unit and add an extra pip of unit strength as well as 3 Str4 attacks in combat. However, his movement 18 and the lack of animosity is the real key as he can assassinate mages as well as march block in the early game. Can be sacrificed to prevent flank charges on my battle line.
20 Blunderbusses, Std - 250
20 Blunderbusses, Std - 250
They are expensive but can be absolutely devastating in the right situation. If my opponent is shuffling around to gain an advantage they force commitment as two to three turns of shooting can wreck most infantry units. Weak against monsters and cavalry so need to be deployed carefully. Both units are given a standard as (a) it looks better and (b) they often see combat in this list.
24 Chaos Dwarf Warriors HA, SH, Std, Mus, War Banner - 261
My solid heavy infantry unit. Normally the centrepiece of the battle line and if the BSB is inside they are hard to break. Solid as a rock.
10 Hobgoblins with Bows - 50
10 Hobgoblins with Bows - 50
Surprisingly annoying to most opponents and are on paper an antidote to fast cavalry/flyer infiltration. Makes for a quick drop in early deployment. Their shooting abilities are weak and they are laughable in hand to hand. Normally out in front of the centre or on a flank holding down a quarter and inviting opponents to charge them and pursue off table.
20 Hobgoblins - 40
20 Hobgoblins - 40
Can be taken in units of 10 for even cheaper diverting action but I prefer 20. They can take some shooting and magic damage without panicking and can occasionally win combat through static combat resolution. One unit is often used as a march blocker/diverter in the centre, otherwise pushed into forests or lurking in the rear near the earthshaker.
3 Bolt Throwers - 90
Cheap artillery that is used against knights, monsters, chariots, giants and dragons. At least one bolter is on a flank ready for enfilading fire. I do not bother protecting them as I happy for the enemy to waste time by chasing them down.
1 Earthshaker with 3 Chaos Dwarf crew in heavy armour - 110
This unit is crucial to the success of my army which relies on considerable softening up by magic and shooting before combat. Especially critical against knight heavy armies. If I am worried about flyers then the BSB joins the crew. The template weapon now hits both the rider and his mount which is a nice bonus when used against Dragon riders.
10 Bull Centaurs, Heavy Armour, Shield, GW, Standard, - 225
My reserve unit. Normally deployed behind the battleline and can be quickly switched to shore up a flank, stop a breakthrough or moved out to flank the enemy’s line. Vulnerable against shooting and magic so need to be protected until combat.
Army Breakdown
Description Points %
Core 941 41.8%
Special 90 4.0%
Rare 335 14.9%
Characters 883 39.3%
Total 2,249 100.0%
Total Magic items 200 8.9%
List Summary
Magic levels: 6
Power dice: 8
Dispel dice: 5 + 2 scrolls
Unit Deployments: 10 including characters
Models: 147
Game 1: Karl Hendrischke Ogre Kingdoms
On a table near the black hole of the venue I came up against Karl’s Ogre army that had the appetite and bling to start Dogcon 2007 with a feast. However the scenery such as it was provided a clear view of the large choke point in the centre between some odious woods. After a huge breakfast my sluggish troops ambled onto the field and let slip the shells of war.
My Lord’s stomach tumbled twice over when an ogre with a meat cleaver welded onto his arm, discombobulated himself in an attempt to eat an entire rhinox in a single bite. Such a vision clearly impressed the other butcher who in sympathy threw up a assortment of shiny items that made the cry of “Free drinks at the bar!” seem like a schoolboys soccer match, as small greenish figures dove into the excrement in a frenzied mob. This distraction allowed my wolf trotting, Hobgoblin Hero a rare chance to add some more butterflies to his collection in the central forest. Apart from an occasional tut-tut remark about the poor state of the opposing team’s uniforms he was never sighted for the rest of the battle.
Meanwhile the artillery fired with a mechanical precision that made the Sorcerer Lord’s skin glow with a warmth he had not felt in years. A large explosive shell scattered 10" onto the centre of a weird catapult contraption producing a mushroom detonation that stirred some hobgoblin archers from their slumber and they hustled off some hungry ogres on the left flank, proving that when you run downhill you can go exceedingly fast.
The bull centaurs had literally earned their title, “the Invincibles,” as they had spent the entire day belting out the verses of the Grand Old Duke of York on a nearby hill. Emboldened by such a display they prised their great weapons out of their leather scabbards to see if their strength really had been sapped away by the powers of the Gods. It had, but the remnant proved more than enough to evict some boisterous loiterers in the ogre backfield.
When the artillery finally fell silent three bloodied and battered Amigos (a maneater, a BSB and the Tyrant) decided that headwear was the new must-have item for their fashion collection and promptly headed for an immaculate array of large hats. Two or three Chaos dwarves were literally blown away by the Amigos’ five finger discount grabs but after the wind died down, they kicked them in the shins and that was that. 20-0.
Game 2: Marcello Rouco
The sound of prancing ponies was drowned out by the rustling of leaves from forests large enough to fuel Zharr Naggrund’s fires for a day. Still Supreme Leader Markov had to admire such a picturesque, providing three approaches to his now confident troops. The prospect of facing several companies of well drilled knights virtually impervious to magic and shooting, with enough combat power to rip apart my pitifully slow infantry sent shivers down Supreme Leader’s Markov’s spine and required a quick check of nearby toilet graffiti for any tactical gems of wisdom. Coming up blank I verballed some expletives and came back to the table feeling resigned to my fate. All that was going through my head was the Parisian voice of my Year 8 French teacher saying “sans sucre” which meant without sugar. Yes it would be the bitter taste of defeat.
Just as I was placing my first unit on the chopping block I had a flash of inspiration and decided to “sans” battle. In response to my tentative feints on the right flank, Marcello, who had cultivated a perfect Bretonnian accent to match his army, confidently laid out an avalanche of lances on that side. My infantry danced into hiding on the left flank and my war machines deployed on the stage behind the table in order to get off more than two shots.
I won the coin toss by default and the Hobgoblin Hero headed off for another scenic trip into the forest on the right flank. He enjoyed a lovely picnic in the shrubbery but the sun was hot and soon the sound of monotonous snoring was delaying the flower of chivalry from charging into the fight despite the exhortations of their general. Unfortunately some peasants disturbed his slumbers, although he eventually used their longbows as a matchstick for picking his teeth.
Marcello was then introduced to the power of things that go “boom” as my earthshaker crew demonstrated why they receive penalty rates for just polishing its wheels. The Pegasus knights who fly for show and fight for dough contemplated duelling with that earthshaker crew but the inclusion of my BSB to keep the teams even ended any such musings and they spent their battle killing two bolt thrower crews in five turns.
Meanwhile my Sorcerer’s Lammasu pulled several scary faces at each of the lance formations but they were clearly used to such mimicry and kept their eyes front. The unwashed followers were not so readily dissuaded and the Sorcerer Lord allowed his mount to feed on some mounted yeomen. He challenged the cup wielding ladies inside the lances to a drinking contest with his own Black Chalice but they demurred with maidenly disdain and he contemplated researching some better opening lines.
At the death my bull centaur unit was beset upon by knights from all sides and had to charge or be charged and decided to strike swiftly at the Bretonnian BSB who was hiding in the grail knights. I had some hope of killing the BSB with 6 Str 5 attacks as his armour save was only 3+. If he died, the combat would be pretty even but the Bull Centaurs, who were pining for mock battles, did nothing and were promptly scattered which gave Marcello just enough for an 11-9 win.
Game 3: Nathan Frawley
The desert dry air was pleasantly received by Supreme Leader Markov, even if it lacked the bitter poisonous taste of Gorgoth’s fire on the back of your throat. The clarity for long distance shooting should augur well for the firing of his war machines, as some dust was stirred in the distance by a bunch of walking trees. “How could such trees survive in the parched environs of Sydney?” thought a philosophical Markov.
With the infantry deployed quite well back, holding the centre and some slaves who had been promised freedom out on the right flank if they could cut down some Dryads the war machines went into action. An early earthshaker misfire meant that gap between the wall of wood and large hats closed alarmingly fast. However, a crisp conflagration of doom reduced the war dancers to a pair of ballroom dancers and they waltzed backwards to hide behind a hill.
The Bull Centaur BSB who up until now had little to do decided to wack some dryads that were accompanying the two treemen and three treekin in the centre. It felt good to exercise his magical Sword of Might on such saplings, but in his enthusiasm he ran 18" in pursuit and spent the rest of the battle marching back through the thick dust.
On the right Markov did not have to worry about honouring his promise of freedom for the hobgoblins as they were butchered convincingly by the dryads. In a better omen the hobgoblin archers killed off some wild riders who had been reduced by the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, although were constantly threatened by the fast cavalry which tidied up a bolt thrower in the near vicinity.
In the centre the earthshaker was finally recleaned and oiled and delivered a precision torpedo onto the Treeman Ancient’s head which burnt him rather badly. Several bolt thrower shots later meant that the Australia Day celebrations would not lack for barbeque firewood.
On the left the wild riders who had performed an extreme flanking manoeuvre taking three turns swept away some slaves who had failed an animosity test at the wrong moment. This exposed a bolt thrower crew and allowed the company to rush into my backfield. My bull centaurs were supposed to hold up the bamboo curtain but were butchered by another dryad company although the three survivors did rally at the death.
My infantry line which were readying for a six o’clock charge to claim their share of the glory were stunned to see that another treeman was still upright and promptly turned tail and ran off the board. That I was capable of rolling four 10+ rolls in a row was not in doubt, but it never occurred in the magic phase! The sole remaining Treeman who was just as stunned by such a reaction to his presence moved to ambush my Sorcerer Lord who had incautiously flown too close when the Lammasu ate the Wood Elf BSB who was trying to hide in the open desert. The dry crackling roots appeared swiftly crushing both of them. That odious acorn with some wild riders in tow then took out my last remaining blunderbuss unit, despite the rallying cries of my BSB nearby.
The game ended with a 13-7 to Nathan who played amazingly well and in one turn completely shifted the result from a loss to a decent win.
Game 4: Sean Davis Dwarves
After a late night partying on Australia Day at a barbecue I was definitely experiencing an out of body moment when I lined up to face Sean’s Runelord led stunties. I had played Sean at last Dogcon in a closely contested draw with wild swings of luck so I was eager for a rematch. Sadly my skills were lacking in this game as my army was poorly deployed, I completely forgot that cavalry could not enter buildings which meant my bull centaurs were basically out of action for the entire game.
Sean showed no mercy his miners came on and with the aid of the Runelord promptly evaded my blocking unit of hobgoblins to take out the earthshaker. That ended my chances of a win although I tried to fight back gamely. My chaos dwarf warrior block which for some reason were out on the right flank by themselves - movement 6" is great for flanking manoeuvres - managed to get a late flank charge off on some Dwarven warriors and broke them. This was too late to save my blunderbusses who were smashed by some crazed orange bearded fellows but I did kill enough to reduce them below half. My other unit of blunderbusses with the BSB were not so lucky and fled from the hammerers promptly running a big 3 inches and were run down.
My wizard lord who had hid the entire game from the Str 7 bolt thrower and pair of organ guns (one of which kindly exploded on the last turn) flew out on the bottom of Turn 6 to contest a quarter and managed to get off a 2d6 Str4 magic missile on the rangers which panicked them and stopped them holding a quarter as well. A big swing nearly occurred when the Runelord misfired his anvil in Turns 5 and 6 but he did not blow up with a one. Sean won a well deserved 13-7.
Game 5: Ming’s Skaven
Some people say that dogs resemble their owners, and put it down to long time association or subconscious selection. But the real question is do generals resemble their armies? Ming was certainly giving it a shot at this Dogcon his camouflage gear neatly matching the green and gold Skaven horde which had a little bit of fire support with the presence of a warp lightning cannon, 10 jezzails and a ratling gun.
My bull centaurs took up position on the left behind a screening forest with a few archers in support. They dithered around until the jezzails disappeared and were promptly charged by the Stormvermin, who were clearly indulging themselves in some navel gazing as the bull centaurs lost by only one and then debated some cut and thrust on the finer points of combat with the aid of some hobgoblin archers who flanked them. Satisfied with this one success they were forced to flee from a supporting clan rat unit ran 17" and then failed to rally, their job was done.
Markov flew his lammasu near the jezzails and gave them a taste of the anvil fires of the Dawi Zharr. My other wizard tried to join the fireball chorus but his hat was clearly too big for his head as he miscast and broke his neck. The Skaven were jumpy enough about fighting stout men in large hats and when the Lammasu blocked out the sunlight they declared it a bad omen and rats fled everywhere. The warplightning cannon decided to abandon ship as it exploded in rainbow technicolour precision.
My hobgoblin hero who was getting lonely in his forest wanderings decided to charge an incautious warlock engineer who had moved his champion away from his bosom. The Storm Daemon toting, warp accumulator techno rat was chopped into mincemeat giving the big hats an advantage in the magic phase. The last warlock engineer rallied his strength chomped on some warp tokens and rolled a 13 for a warp lightning on Our Dear Leader, it nearly killed Markov but the Lammasu did buy it. The Hobgoblin Hero came to the rescue finishing off this pesky Warlock engineer and a Steal Soul allowed Markov to get back above half wounds.
The earthshaker was in business as usual mode slowing down 150 rats but was disturbed by 4 tunnelers. Despite putting my BSB with the crew, the rats sacrificed themselves doing enough poison to kill off my crew which sped up the rat charge. Although my blunderbusses were decimating Ming’s centre, the rats grimly came on and had enough numbers and power to overwhelm my warrior block. I shot up everything else and Ming’s big rat unit (40?) just would not panic despite several desperate attempts, it ended near my table edge with about 10 models including the BSB and Warlord. 11-9 in my favour.
Game 6: Jeff Carroll Undead
Having previewed this army in the White Dwarf it was a pleasure to see it up close and personal. The knights and characters were particularly pleasing to the eye and Jeff had themed his force well. Gav Clark threw us a curve ball by leaving his Wood Elf free wood on the table from the previous game and then cruised by after we had deployed said “Sorry fellas!” and took it off leaving a gaping hole in the middle of the table! Fortunately Jeff had his Wood Elf wood (manufactured to the same specifications) and we parachuted it in rather than go through deployment again. The terrain was heavily choked on my left flank and Jeff decided to face off against the bulk of my foot which were on that side. The Black knights and some ghouls were in the centre and right against some sparsely placed hobgoblin archers, two bolt throwers and my bull centaurs.
This was the first game where my Chalice of Darkness had a noticeable effect. Several times I rolled a 5-6 (d3 roll) which meant Jeff’s magic phase was hampered by not having enough pool dice to cast those 3 dice invocations or Vanhels. I continually stopped Vanhel’s and the Book never came out until Turn 6 when it was pretty much said and done as I kept back two dispel dice. After my earthshaker misfired in Turn 1 and then exploded in Turn 2 I had to resort to some extreme slowing manoeuvres. The Hobgoblin Hero pretending bravery rushed up and gave the Vampire Count a salute which did bring about a charge creating a nice traffic jam for the four infantry blocks of zombies and skeletons. I then I ran some slaves into the central wood and some archers up the extreme left flank, so I covered for the loss of the earthshaker easily. More fleeing by my other hobgoblins meant that the blunderbusses did enough damage to the blocks to keep the BSB and Vampire Count away from combat. A late charge by one unit of skeletons reduced them to half strength without causing my blunderbusses too much trouble.
On the right we played cat and mouse. The Dire Wolves were destroyed early on and my Bull Centaurs allowed the ghouls to charge them and then destroyed them in combat. My Sorcerer Lord used magic missiles to kill the remaining ghouls. I fired my three bolt throwers (probably around 14-5 shots) and 10 archers at the Black knights for most of the game but Jeff’s 5+ ward save banner and my ballistic skill of 3 meant I killed only five knights (out of 12) in 6 turns. The game closed with my forces scraping a small win (11-9).
Game 7: Ken Ferris Chaos
Day 3 dawned, sadly the last day of the tournament and I realised that I was somewhere in the middle of the ocean drifting aimlessly with a multitude of flotsam. However, I cheered myself with the prospect of breaking 80 battle points (the halfway mark) which was only 15 battle points away, and more importantly getting in front of my buddy Stan, or it would be a VERY LONG FLIGHT back to Perth, as he had reminded me several times in the past 24 hours. To be beaten by Stan would be bad but bearable, to be beaten by Dark Elves, well life would be pure misery.
Then I bumped into Ken’s fantastically themed and executed marauder heavy army. This was another army than I had seen some photos of, but seeing and playing it was a real pleasure. I thought Ken might opt for the lore of Slaanesh given his preference for tight shirts but it was death and beasts all the way. Neither of us could roll up doom and darkness so we settled for an assortment of magic missiles and put our faith in Chaos (everyone’s a winner in Chaos ville).
For two armies approaching 150 models each the table was a bit of a nightmare. At least four forests as well as a couple of swamps. The left flank was particularly crowded so Ken decided to a quick flank invasion. 10 brave hobgoblin archers and a bolt thrower stared down at a Chaos Giant, a unit of fast cavalry and later the Daemon Prince. The Giant was a converted piece from the 40K Tyranid range, it looked swift and dangerous in motion as it took 3 wounds from my bolt thrower and another from my archers on Turn 1. It was delighted in Turn 2 to receive another 2 wounds from the plucky bolter and shuffle over to Ken’s model tray where I could actually see its beauty up close as Ken moved his other pieces. The archers did their bit and shot the marauder cavalry to 1 when they charged. However, they were bested in combat by the sole remaining marauder (he did a wound and brandished a bloody trumpet), but the bolter crew were not fussed finishing off the plucky musician later.
In the centre some fast cavalry decided to charge my brave Lammasu who for some reason known only to himself had swanned into the centre. Unluckily this caused a failed terror test and they ran off the table. Instead of Markov wiping his forehead with relief he promptly charged the flank of a Tuskgor chariot (as it was early in the game and he did not want to miss out on the action, I really needed a stupidity test for the general!). The chariot fled never to return but it was a good swap for Ken as another chariot passed its terror and fear test (needed those rerolls though) as well as surviving a barrage of bolters and magic. The combat went a lot longer than Ken hoped and my Lord was nearly saved by an earthshaker shot that scattered 10" directly onto the chariot, but I rolled a 1 to wound. Never mind, the terror made up for some of my mistake as the entire right flank of Ken’s army fled for the hills. This put them out of my hair for a few turns.
Meanwhile Mr Daemon Prince also decided to go for the peekaboo option and flew into my red zone almost touching four Chaos Dwarf units. They passed their terror checks and then after not destroying the chariot I had two remaining dice for my Lvl 2 wizard to cause havoc.I thought there is little hope but if I got a Conflagration of Doom off with an irresistible force that Daemon Prince might be in trouble, the rest was history, Ken watched in horror as I summoned up box cars, rolled 11 hits with 4 wounds of which not one was saved by his true ward save. When you’re hot.you’re hot.was my parting refrain to the Daemon Prince who was literally burning in hell as a devastated Ken parked another gorgeous model in the holding bay.
In the centre my hobgoblin Hero returned to his forest wandering days, which combined with the earthshaker and blunderbusses were too tough for the unsupported marauders to handle. Ken bravely ordered a charge but the BSB put paid to that and they were crushed by much shorter men. The other unit was severely hurt and withdrew wounded. Eventually my hobgoblin hero came out of hiding and took the last wound of the chariot which had killed my Lord, which almost gave him the right to be called a Hero.
Still the battle was not over by a longshot, the right flank rallied before running away (it was a close thing for the beasts) and returned to threaten my bull centaurs who in predictable fashion were doing parade ground manoeuvres backwards and forwards. The marauder cavalry got rid of my right bolt thrower and then flank charged the bull centaurs, the combat went on for way too long and the beasts caught my bull centaurs at the end, a nice bear’s anger on the wizard insured they were destroyed and Ken grabbed quarters like Eagles’ tickets to the AFL grandfinal. We finished 10-10 in a great game that I truly enjoyed although I need to take my stupidity test before playing next time.
Game 8: Jack Davis Wood Elves
I was hoping for a relaxed match to finish the tournament but Jack had brought his A-game so I got a diet coke and put my general’s hat back on. Jack’s team had two enormous forests as well as the factory manufactured (take-it-with-you-always!) wood to move around and with a Treeman Ancient, Treeman, 2 wizards and the staff of treesinging I tried to imagine what the table terrain would like look at the end. That made my head hurt so I tried to work out how to cope with all these powerful combat units heading my way. There were 2 units of 3 treekin, some wardancers with a hiding BSB, some wild riders and a lot of dryads (4 units).
After playing Nathan I knew fireballs would do diddly squat to this army, it had good magic defence and even more trees so I decided to roll up some Shadows and duly got Unseen Lurker and Pit of Shades. My plan was simple, marchblock, delay and cast Pit of Shades at the Treemen until either they or Markov was dead. So after Treeman Ancient had surfed his wood up to strangleroot my Lord I attempted the Pit of Shades - it failed to cast. Then in the next turn before my Lord was stranglerooted Jack miscast (rolled a 5) giving me the opportunity to cast it automatically. Jack failed to dispel and rolled high, which was a bodyblow as his Ancient wailed in a sick voice and died.
My earthshaker was highly erratic in this game, scattering wildly and really only did its job in about two turns. The hobgoblin Hero took one for the team as he hid in a wood and got treesung to death. My slaves tried to block the other woods which at least anchored the terrain. However, the dryads were unstoppable they ripped apart my weak fodder and although I did see off the wild riders the remaining treeman refused to break despite beating him in combat for five or six rounds. Dryads killed off my bull centaurs who could not roll an armour save (mock battles and all) and I was hard put to save the main line at the end but with Markov still flying it finished 11-9 in Jack’s favour.
++++++
Soft scores such as comp, sports and painting were peer judged and I received good marks for each category. I finished with 84 battle points so just over halfway, my list found it difficult to rack up big wins. All up I finished in 32nd spot and was relatively happy with lots of enjoyable games! I was the only Chaos Dwarf player at the event.