City of Thorns - part 11 - Garden of Delight

The Crowmoons besieged a ruined Watchtower in the final game of the campaign: they forced out the Duardin garrison & won the campaign by a narrow margin!

City of Thorns - part 10 - Full Moon, Empty Heart

The Crowmoons attempted a Sudden Assault on the Grudgebreakers. Things don't quite go as planned: Minor victory to the Grudgebreakers.

City of Thorns - part 9 - A Wing and a Prayer

Battleplan: The Trap.
The Crowmoons were the Invaders, the Grudgebreakers were the Ambushers.

The Crowmoons deployed in a defensive formation with the Orc Boyz in a ring around the Orc Heroes and Arrer Boyz. (The Ambushers got the first turn but neither side can move in the first turn)

The Lurkerz Crowmoons charged towards Ishmael the Pirate Wizard, and piled-in to fight Slayers as well. The Underhogz Arrer Boyz shot at Quarrellers.

Warboss Dregtoof fought Ishmael the Wizard but shooting and magic wore him down.

Dogear used the Moonstone of the Hidden Ways to travel to a Wildwood that had just appeared behind the Orcs. This was a mistake as Gudrun made a Hazardous Journey through the Realmgate and attacked the Shaman, taking him out of action.

The Orc Boyz killed the Slayers (who had performed the worst they have ever done in the entire campaign!) while Gudrun killed Spitlock (who had fluffed his Slaughter Choppa attacks) and the Arrer Boyz.

But with only Gudrun left to face the Crowmoons’ 4 or 5 Orcs, the Orcs had won another minor victory.

(4-3 campaign points to me!)

City of Thorns - part 8 - Ace of Crows

This game was played using the "Hold or Die" Battleplan  with me as the defender, as I had 1 campaign point to Viktor's 3 points.

Viktor was allowed a force one third bigger than me (my 15 models to his 20). One third of my force started on table and Viktor only had to wipe them out to win a major victory. The rest of my force would come on turn 2, from my choice of table edge. I took first turn and used the Battleplan special Command Ability: All Out Defence (basically "Go To Ground" from 40k) on my tiny group. You can't move but get a re-roll to all your saves, you can still shoot and cast spells.

~~~

Dogear the Shaman and four Arrer Boyz of the Underhogz crouched in the Wildwood, watching the Duardin and their allies form up around them. Slayers and Gudrun the Duardin Lord to the north-east, Quarrellers to the north-west, the Warrior Priest and Pirate Captain to the south-west. They all closed in on the greenskins and started firing. One Arrer Boy went down.

A Wildwood appeared between the Quarrellers and the Orcs, a Slayer and a Quarreller were killed by the corruption of Nurgle.

The Pirate Captain charged into the Wildwood and cut down two more Arrer Boyz (the last one fled), the Shaman counter attacked and wounded the Pirate.

The Lurkerz, Warboss Dregtoof and Spitlock arrived close behind the Warrior Priest and charged. The Priest fell to the combined might of Warboss and Boyz. Spitlock charged the Pirate Captain.

Another Wildwood appeared, this time behind a rocky hill to the south-west, far from the fighting.

Dogear cast Gaze of Mork, but it was unbound. Then he used the Moonstone of the Hidden Ways (that the Orcs had found in an earlier adventure) to slip away, moving secretly from the central Wildwood to the distant hidden one!

Spitlock smashed the Pirate Captain to the ground while Dregtoof and the Lurkerz fought the Quarrellers and slaughtered the Celestial Wizard.

The generals clashed in the Wildwood and wounded each other, the Slayers finished of the Orc Warboss. Spitlock attacked the Slayers and took out several with his Slaughter Choppa.

There was very little left of the Duardin force but the Orcs had only lost the four Arrer Boyz and the Warboss! Critically the Orc's starting force had a survivor - the hidden Shaman.

~~~

(A minor) Victory was mine!!

City of Thorns - part 7 - Bridges Burning

Dregtoof looked around the silent valley. He had been sure that Dogear and the Underhogz Arrer Boyz knew that this Realmgate was the agreed meeting point. The Shaman’s dreams had been clear that this was where the pirate Duardin were going to try to sneak into the Carrionthorn Forest. The Orc Warboss couldn’t understand why they still hadn’t turned up and his irritation levels increased steadily as the minutes passed. The Shaman was the one who said this Realmgate needed to be broken and his magic was the best weapon to smash the ancient stones.

When the Duardin started coming through the gate he was left with no choice - he had to attack now and try to break the gate the old fashioned way: with brute force.

The Lurkerz made an absolute hash of their attack against the Warrior Priest, who was promptly reinforced by the Pirate Captain and Ogor. The Duardin Slayers attacked Clubfoot and Dregtoof and even though Dregtoof callously used Clubfoot as a shield the tide of hairy rage swept both of them away.

The Lurkerz tried to push past the pirates to get to the Realmgate, a few succeeded but none of them managed to even chip the stonework.

In no time at all there weren’t any orcs left in the valley. Even if Dogear had arrived then he would not have hung around with so many pirates in the area, and more coming through the gate.

City of Thorns - part 6 - A Rock and a Hard Place

After their last skirmish ended it a rout the Crowmoons had to stop Gudrun's Pirates breaking through to their camp, where their meager supply of foraged and looted Wyrmroot was stored.

The Duardin were split into three groups while the Crowmoons were concentrated in one group on the left flank - just Dogear and Spitlock held the right flank, and Spitlock was mostly there is keep an eye on Dogear and make sure he didn’t get into too much trouble! They spotted that the Duardin Quarrellers were coming their way so they lay in ambush for them in a narrow gully.

The Lurker Boyz pressed the attack but the Slayers and Warriors tried to slip past them. Dregtoof left the Boyz in Mudgard’s command and went off alone to deal with the humans who were trying to slip down the left - Ishmael the Wizard and Pirate Captain Pecker, hoping to take them out one at a time.

Dregtoof piled into the Wizard with choppas swinging wildly - he landed one or two blows but he was taken down by the Wizard's Chain Lightning magic.

The Pirate Duardin tried to rush the gap left on the right of the Lurker Boyz but the orruks spotted the attempt and closed in on them. Dogear and Spitlock prepared to hold Quarrellers in a narrow pass on the right flank.

The Lurker Boyz got a beating: They had charged into the fight but the Duardin were tough and well armoured, and more importantly, excellent fighters.

Dogear and Spitlock successfully drove-off the Quarrellers with axe and spell.

The Duardin Slayers smashed the Lurker Boyz but they had delayed the Duardin long enough to deny them victory.