Most of our KoW and Vanguard actions has been fought in the region of the Halpi Mountains so far, with the climax of the Free Dwarfs being cleansed during the “Edge of the Abyss” campaign. We continued our story by having the leader of the Imperial Dwarfs, High King Golloch, backing an expedition of Free Dwarfs back into the Halpi Mountains to engage in partisan warfare. This as an attempt as much as to fight their twisted northern brothers as to get rid of troublesome free dwarf leaders and refugees who wouldn’t fold into the Empire. The expedition never saw much success and ended with the Free Dwarf forces scattering and having their leaders executed or brought north to captivity and tourture…The expanse of the Abyssal Dwarfs so far has not gone unnoticed however and in an attempt to draw their focus elsewhere, King Golloch sent a huge force of Imperial Dwarfs north up the Sorrows to attack from the East. This is far from the safety of both Empires and their supply routes are long and few… Never the less, of such importance was the action that King Golloch dispatched his personal war engine to spearhead. A beast of steel, steam and gun powder called Golloch’s Fury…
This was our first “mega battle”, the Imperial Dwarfs numbering close to 4700pts and the Abyssal Dwarf side almost 4200. This was compensated by narrative objectives and use of the “strategic deck” from 2nd ed on the Abyssal Dwarf side.
Since the battle is an attack by the Imperial Dwarfs we used the terrain to create defensive map for the Abyssal Dwarfs.
The Imperial Dwarf army
The Abyssal Dwarf army, with use of some allied Greenskins and no less than two captured Giants.
We drew 8 strategy cards for the Abyssal Dwarfs, there are so much fun to use. They can be anything from a weak magicking item to “any dice rerolls” or actions completely nonexistent in the game like distracting opponents wizards, forwards observers etc.
The Imperial Dwarven battle lines streched the entire table, with the defenders trying to match with their fewer troops. The brown circles are objectives with hidden points, ranging from 0,1,2 four of each, we placed half each in a narrative way. Two of the objectives were placed on Gollochs Fury and the Kings Guard. Scoring for the Abyssal Dwarfs if they were taken out of combat and for the Imperial Dwarfs if they were alive at the end of the battle.
The view from the defensive positions of the Abyssal Dwarf HQ.
The Abyssal Dwarfs too the initiative and pushed hard on the left flank making good use of the forest there as cover while a wide range of rocked hammered the Imperial Dwarf lines.
The eastern flank did its best but being manned by much weaker artillery it didn’t mount up to much. Over the whole battlefields our shadow demons summoned for the defence poured forward to harass the enemy. Creating a mess of their organized ranks…
The Dwarven line rolled forward with heavy infantry, warmachines and stone golems on our left flank and faster scout and cavalry units on our right flank.
Through consentrated fire from our heavier rockets we were able to knock out Golloch’s Fury in the initial phases of the battle. The warmachine exploded and thick smoke rose from the wreck…
The Imperial Dwarfs pushed through the Temple area and quickly secured the courtyard at the center. A formation of several Stone Golems came down the road while units of heavy infantry and warmachines waited on the other side of the forest on our left flank. Several light punches were exchanged but minor casualties were taken on both sides.
The Abyssal Dwarf General saw an opening in the Dwarven lines and went for it, with his nightmarish halfbreed steed he quickly knocked out the Organ Canon and positioned himself deep inside the Dwarven forces. The shadow demons tried to engage as well all over the battle field, but they lacked the stamina for the fight and all disbanded. Though the plan had worked and the several of the Dwarven units were out of position to support each other.
The fanatical berserks threw themself at our defenses in an uncoordinated attack and we no match for our Obsidian Golems supported by a captured Giant.
On the eastern flank several Dwarven cavalry units came charging at our lines. The weak artillery position in the wood was not expecting to last for long…
Our main lines was charged by everything the Dwarves had, from hordes of Clansmen to Giant Golems of living rock pushed into service by the Dwarven stone priests just behind the front line.
The normally lumbering Stone Golems moved with magical speed and surprised the Abyssal Dwarf general, grounding him in combat.
The Dwarven general contemplating where to strike next…
While our Supreme Iron Caster had to join the combat at the right flank to avoid disaster, the combat at the courtyard seemed to go more in our favor with the Dwarves being tanken our piecemeal by our heavier troops.
With the Abyssal Dwarf general gone from the left flank it quickly bogged down when it failed to break through the heave Dwarves lines in the forest. Our proud Bullcentaurs were decimated and only Brakki Barka remained swinging his mighty skulled flail.
Despite the Supreme Iron Caster joining the battle our right flank soon crumbled and the Iron Caster himself fled before he was cut down by the Dwarven Lord .
Things started to look grim for our forces, but the day was quickly coming to an end and the sun was beginning to set. If the Dwarven attack was to succeed the had to push hard and quick…
The Abyssal Dwarf General finally fell after combating the Stone Golems for most of the afternoon, with support of the Stone Priest. The right flank was obliterated and the remaining Dwarven forces tried to sweep down our lines to rout the remaining defenders. In a frenzied move all the Dwarf cavalry charged up the center, instead of securing vital grounds. A gamble which had to pay of quick or not at all…
The Dwarven Flame Priest tried to obliterate the Abyssal Dwarf Berzerkers in an inferno, but despite his most powerful spells the unit kept advancing towards his inevitable doom…
The sun set over the battlefield while blood were still drawn… While the Dwarven attack smashed the defenders, they failed to secure the battlefield. And the battle ended in what only can be considered a draw or a minor Abyssal Dwarf victory. The Dwarven attackers retreated to their camps up in the Sorrows and Abyssal Dwarfs hurriedly reorganized what defensive forces remained. Both sides being more or less depleated had lost much of their capabilities to wage full scale war…
For now the remains War of the Sorrows have to be fought by smalled packs of brave dwarfs from both sides, far out east in the hostile mountains known as the Sorrows…
We’ll continue with Part 2 using the Ice & Iron setting for Vanguard.
