The Dwarves, Abridged - IV

Grudges, grudges. So many grudges, so little time.

All this losing means there's a lot of grudge to resolve. Alas, I've nobody about to resolve it with. And worse, the growing anger of the dwarves back home means that I could be looking at a home rebellion within a few turns.

Helpfully, there's a new grudge in the book related to that. It tells me to silence the grumblers by restoring public order at Karaz-a-Karak. And it'll make public order worse by being unresolved until I manage to resolve it. I wonder what the Khazalid for Catch 22 is.

The inevitable rebellion stands no chance of breaching Everpeak. But there's still a lot of them, opportunistic Greenskins rather than actual rebel Dwarves, and surprise surprise, they make public order even worse. 

I do my best. By holing up for a few turns, I manage to get an army back and try and repair the worst of the damage. I even manage to get the High King back on his chair, as well as finally upgrade the barracks and start churning out Longbeards.

The Greenskins have built this on top of the Brewery in the Pillars, I discover after I retake it. The shits. 

Slowly, I topple the mountain of grudges. Thorgrim and co. march back along the Silver Road, killing all in their path very slowly. This even includes Gnashrak, who is lording it up over Deephall Clough while Grimgor is still recuperating.

I finally slog all the way up to that quest of his, and finish it off, earning the Dragon Helm and a heap of magical resistance. I go and root out the scum who have once more conquered Karag Dron.

Not a tough battle, but worth it for the fireworks. Gyrobomber rescue force, most entertaining.

The dwarves of Barak Varn, suitably impressed by all this beardy mettle, agree to a consolidation. For a moment, I'm thinking I could turn this around! Joining their clan to mine trebles my holdings and puts all their considerable armies under my control.

Then I see what they've been doing with them.

Further down the coast, they've re-taken Ekrund. Then they've lost it to a resurgent Grimgor, now chief of about four consolidated Greenskin tribes. Although they still hold several minor holds south in the badlands as well as two very large armies, they're badly scattered and out of place. Grimgor has raised a Waagh, worse luck, a bonus army that orcs get for free as long as they keep winning fights and raiding, and it's heading straight for their homelands.

I live next to their homelands.

Plus the cash needed to keep all these big armies afloat is going to bankrupt my still-poo-stained economy in a single turn. I disband one of them, because otherwise my own troops will start leaving the ranks, and race Thorgrim's army back towards this new front line.

I say 'race', but you know what I mean. He's on a solid gold lounge chair being carried by midgets.

They may be Badlands. But they're our Badlands. 

By the time I arrive, Grimgor has been joined by Azhag the Slaughterer. He's nearest, so I start with him - no wyvern for him just yet, luckily, and his relatively meagre army is crushed handily.

Grimgor and his Waagh? Not so easy.

Of course they brought trolls. Sean Bean started a real tradition there. 

We fight on the featureless wastes of the Badlands, arid dust in all directions. We're outnumbered about four to one, five if you count Grimgor twice. Last time we faced him, he was wounded. This time, he's just brimming with vitality.

At least it's quick.

Not the Chair! Oh, the Humanity Dwarvmanity!

Fine, I think, a few more turns holed up in Everpeak and I'll try again. This is when, of course, the largest army of Greenskins possible from public disorder problems besieges Karaz-a-Karak.

Two Towers? I've seen that too! Get off the walls! They're going to explode at any minute, and there won't be cavalry to ride to our eleventh hour rescue because we can't recruit any!

Ladders too. At least that unit at the top was miners with blasting charges, although I failed to capture the hilariously explosive demise of the goblins climbing up there. 

Turn 48 on hard Difficulty, and the reconquest of the Dwarven Holds is over. The Greenskins did it first.

Verdict 

Stop playing on Hard, you plonker. Other than that, this is about the best computer game I've ever played. This feeble loss took me about four hours, a single sitting on release night, and by gum I'll be back for more of the same in the near future.