The narrative campaign continues, and this time we're trying out one of the General Compendium's 'matched play' scenarios: "Gift From the Heavens".
It's a nifty set-up where you score cumulative points for claiming objectives - crashed meteors - the twist being that they don't crash until the second turn, so you don't know where they'll land...
... and of course we added our own twist: these aren't meteors, but Khorne Champions, who are not keen to be claimed, and will attack anything within range until they are subdued.
Watch Out For That Meteorite!
The Ark of Alternatives was finally in Tzeentchian hands once more.
Three centuries it had lain entombed, nearly forgotten in the ruins of a civilisation that had perished under the strain of preventing its use. Now, at last, Zhi'anex, Gaunt Sorceror, had reclaimed it.
It was locked tight.
Not by the pathetic mortals who had stolen it, hidden it from his predecessor. By the arcane designs of Tzeentch, it remained sealed until the right time. Once opened, nothing would be the same - the great day of Change would dawn, and all things would return to chaos and flux, mingled and co-mingling for eternity.
But Zhi'anex knew, the unlocking would be perilous. Fearful of the Ark's power, the chaos gods wove their power into the seal, sacrificing the lives of their champions to see it done. Only by similar sacrifices would the seal be broken. Ordinarily, given the state of war between the great powers, such bloodshed would be easily come by.
But there was a catch.
The sacrifices would have to be made willingly.
As lists go, this is really more evidence that I'm still feeling my way in AoS. I know the Fatemaster is durable and fast, if not the hardest hitting character. I know the Chaos Spawn are reasonable linebreakers, if rather erratic.
Kairic Acolytes are decent shooters, as are Marauder Horsemen. The latter are also okay in a fight, the plan being to put the flails on the front line and let the javelineers shoot over their heads.
Marauder footmen are awful, but cheap and chaffy, and might at least grab an objective somewhere. The Cockatrice has a poor reputation, but is also cheap enough to squeeze in, and doesn't get worse as it gets wounded, unlike some monsters.
Finally, the Ogroid, who has a great spell and can do a ton of combat damage. The rough plan is to try and stay out of combat with the shooty units, try and concentrate damage with the Spawn, Fatemaster and Ogroid, and use the chaff to grab objectives. Those big, dangerous objectives who eat chaff for breakfast. Hmm.
Stylus here, bold as a beastman. This is an army list that builds itself, since it's everything I've got in my beasts army, minus the Spawn and Cockatrice. This is the first time I've used competitive points for them, and I'm impressed with how cheap the Gor are. With 40 on the table, I plan to use them to hold the objectives, since they should be able to absorb a good amount of damage and still score points.
For the rest of my army, the Razorgor and Skin Wolves are my fast-moving, hard-hitting units; so I'm looking to either grab an objective quickly, or neutralise some of the enemy's speedy units. The Boombull and Bestigor are there to deal out damage, and Morghur can act in support with his ability to cast twice in a phase.
Raising his twisted staff, the Shadowgrave sent forth his corrupted followers. With primal shouts, both herds of Gor galloped forward, racing each other to close grips with the enemy as the Grovelhog trotted closely behind. Morghur pulled back his lips in a hideous parody of a grin at their enthusiasm. The scent of blood in the air, and the mayhem will flow.
To his left, the Bestigor marched forward with characteristic arrogance, defying the enemy to claim it from them. On the extreme flank, Razorgor thundered forward, faster than any of them.
The pack of Skin Wolves paced next to Morghur, but with his clawed hand he checked them. The enemy were foes cunning and crafty, and it would be wise to hold something back. The Master of Skulls grinned again: he knew he had read the omens right, and the prize they sought would not lie unclaimed for long.
Thud!
The first blood meteor hit the ground on the left flank. Instantly emerging from the steaming crater came a half-naked savage clutching a brutal blade in one hand, a ball and chain in the other. A Slaughterpriest, no less. Excellent, thought Scraan. A worthy sacrifice.
But there was no rush. Plenty of Beastmen to kill first, thin their numbers before they could break the lines.
Ahead was the Doombull. Scraan set his sights on the monster, shook his staff again, but this time there was no answering rush of flame. Instead, he was suddenly blinded - chunks of boiling gore slapped over his face, thrown up by the impact of the meteor. The Thaumaturge nearly tripped, picked himself up again somehow and tried to keep running, but the impetus of his charge was gone.
Enraged by the blood raining from the sky, the Doombull went berserk. It dropped its axe, bodily lifted the nearest spawn, hurled it into its nearest companion, picked the axe back up, butchered the two stunned mutants before they could recover, then powered through at the third and sank the blade in several times over.
Not without cost. The spawn tore and bit the great minotaur even as it slew them, leaving it near death, but the damage was done. Resurgent, the Gor around it set upon the Horrors, although killing them merely brought their smaller, meaner kin into being instead.
Elsewhere, Both continued toying lazily with the Razorgor as he watched the battle on the hill between Bestigor and Horsemen. Each side fought well, the horsemen wheeling back and forth with feigned retreats to confuse and alarm the foe, but the big beastmen were deadly with their axes.
Caught up in the spectacle, Both hardly seemed to notice his own retinue of Marauders closing with the Razorgor. And if he did, he certainly didn't care to see them fall and flee, heavily outmatched by the bristling boars.
Thud!
The second blood meteor crashed down on the opposite hill to the first. Dripping red ichor, the great horns of an Exalted Deathbringer rose up from the crater, bellowing his defiance at Doombull and Ogroid alike.
The time to act was now. Waving his deformed claw in all directions, Morghur began scattering his children across the battlefield to claim their prize and defy the enemy.
The greater part of the warband obeyed his dark will. Only the Bestigor refused to cede the hill to the horsemen, and continued their uneven contest with the riders.
On the extreme flank, the Razorgor were more compliant: breaking away from the easy truffles of the marauders and galloping back across the field.
The lead pack of Gor broke away from the central conflict and ran towards the new crash site, overcoming their baser instincts to serve Morghur's will. The Shadowgrave approved, and rewarded one of their number with spawndom.
Lifeblood streaming down his flanks, the Doombull charged into his rival, the Ogroid Thaumaturge, determined to conquer or perish. Behind him came the fresh pack of Gor, seizing the centre ground, so recently vacated, while the Skin Wolves bounded across to tear at the Cockatrice.
Reaching the Exalted Deathbringer, the Gor and Spawm quickly surrounded and began to subdue his fell weapons, though it cost nearly a third of their number as the Khorne champion refused to be quelled.
With lupine grace, the Skin Wolves leaped up and caught the wings of the Cockatrice before it could take flight. Grounded and flapping, the writhing beast was quickly torn to shreds by their terrible claws.
With a rutting crash, the horned titans collided in the centre. The failing strength of the Doombull lent him a desperate speed and he swung his great axe in an overhead sweep that clove the Ogroid in two. The wizard-beast had no time to reflect on the folly of chosing mortals over his own kine, as his carcass was trampled underfoot.
Morghur threw back his head and gave a bray of triumph. One of the offerings has been secured, and the enemy dealt a heavy blow. All would fall this day.
All eyes were on the Doombull. Acolytes and Horrors hurled a rippling tide of magical fire at the great brute, but it would not die. Both shook his head sadly - they were panicked by the death of their leader, they weren't aiming right.
The last Chaos Spawn, mauled and torn though it was, crashed into the Doombull from behind and pulled it down. But immediately, a wave of Gor poured over the fell mutant, and it vanished under their hacking axes. The Kairic Acolytes were likewise swamped in berserking man-beasts, too few to fight back.
Casually, the Fatemaster swooped over the Razorgor as they stampeded back towards their master. His spear flickered out, killing the pack leader. To his left, the Marauders were still battling the Bestigors, a desperate battle of numbers against skill that the beastmen were slowly losing. Beyond that, the Skin Wolves ripped their way through the Blue Horrors, but Brimstone Horrors seethed up from their ashes, ready to avenge.
On the hill ahead, the Deathbringer was almost entirely submerged in a pile of beastmen corpses, but somehow still fought on. There weren't many of his foes left, but his axe was hampered by the sheer weight of dead. The Chaos Spawn slowly clawed its way up the side of the mound and rolled on top of the Khornate warrior. Angry noises ensued, accompanied by occasional spurts of blood, but it looked as though the Beastmen had claimed their prize.
For now, Both thought, and spurred his disc on.
One prize secured, and another was within reach. In response to Morghur's command, the Skin Wolves abandoned the one-sided fight with the horrors and bounded towards the Slaughterpriest on the second hill. Though the Khorne champion lashed about with his hackblade, the Skin Wolves were not deterred from securing him.
Morghur himself was left fighting the fiery critters, who proved difficult to stomp with his hooves. The Shadowgrave became so preoccupied with the dancing flames that his attention from the rest of the battlefield began to wander.
While the Razor continued to gallop to his aid, the final Bestigor held fast against the marauder infantry, refusing to give up their hill.
The contest for the Exalted Deathbringer was reaching a fever pitch. Riled to anarchic fury, the Gor began to rain blows down upon their foe, though his defensive stroke killed just as many beastmen as his axe. What remained of the herd clung on, fearful of their master's wrath should they fail.
With a gesture from Both, the remaining Horsemen broke away from their struggle on the hilltop and sped across the battlefield. Outpacing even the swift Razorgor, they hurled javelins as they rode, dropping another of the outsized swine.
Both's disc joined them in the last few seconds of their charge, and together, they crashed into the back of the Shadowgrave. Morghur barely had time for surprise to register on his twisted face before he was skewered and hurled to the mud.
Despite this success, the battle still looked grim. The last few acolytes had fallen to the tide of Gor, and there were precious few forces left to the Tzeentchians. The last Bestigor was locked in combat with the Marauder's chieftan and his drummer, and although there were still plenty of Brimstone Horrors left, there was little Both could hope to achieve with such pitiful minions.
Had he been able to, he would have smiled.
Enraged at the loss of their master, the Skin Wolves spun around from the hill, all thoughts of the prize gone, as they tried to slash down the Fatemaster. The flying disc proved harder to pull from the skies than the Cockatrice, however, and the Arcanite was untouched.
The triumphant Gor were more practical, having wet their horns on the Kairic Acolytes, they ran towards the Slaugherpriest's hill to claim it for themselves. Meanwhile, the lone Razorgor was racing to reinforce the opposite hill.
The Bestigor Gouge-Horn swung his axe around his head for the last time. His herd were now strewn around him and the final few marauders were making their last assault. A sword-thrust beneath his ribs ended the battle-within-a-battle.
All was now clear to him. All he knew would come to pass had done so. With a nod, Fatemaster Noface sent the last Horsmen careening into the Gor on the hill, where the Chaos Spawn still sat on the Deathbringer. Despite being pinned under the creature, the heavily-muscled lunatic was still managing to hook beastmen in with his axe from time to time, strangling them with his huge hands.
It was a valiant last charge, but doomed from the outset. Even as their javelins claimed a pair of Gors, the Chaos Spawn shuffled off its prize to club one horsemen flat, leaving a lone rider.
Comfortable in acceptance of his fate, Both Noface swooped in towards the Slaughterpriest, saluting him with his spear. A sea of bestial faces snarled at him from the foot of the hill, but he had no fear. All was as it should be.
As the last horseman was pulled from his saddle, the Skin Wolves once again hunted down the Fatemaster. The beasts had learned from their earlier mistakes and now worked in concert to rend the flying disc before ripping apart the arcane armour.
Gor were now swarming over both hills, the Khornate champions firmly in their claws. Though his mortal remains were already dissipating on the field, the malign will of The Corrupter was pleased. What sacrifices these shall make, a harvest of blood to give rise to his new form.
Hooray! Tabled, effectively. Oh, that takes me back to 8th Ed, that does.
Okay, the Fatemaster was still standing at the end, if only by a single wound. And I did have two Marauders. But let's not pick nits - even if they'd somehow pulled a miracle and killed everything in their way, I just wouldn't have had the time to claim enough points back for a victory.
Good scenario - the deadly objectives made for a fun conundrum. Claiming them early could be quite costly in terms of manpower, as Stylus's Gor discovered (although he was unlucky to get one of the most powerful Gorechosen to have to quell). The way the scenario works, holding the objectives for a turn or two at the end is worth a lot more than early grabbing, so it's quite possible for a fast upset to happen.
Not that it did - without that pack of Horrors from the Thaumaturge's turn one spell, I wouldn't have had a hope against that huge tide of beastmen. I should have concentrated my forces much more, struck together to eliminate threats instead of trying to spread out. As it was, I just couldn't stop them, and got steamrollered by standing in their way.
At last - the Beasts of Chaos rack up their first AoS win! That went about as well as I could have hoped (aside from randomly getting the most-lethal Gorechosen for my target - ironic that the more attacks I did, the greater my peril of getting killed on the backswing).
My aim was to use the Gor to pile onto the objectives early, and I'm glad I managed to stick with that - it's somewhat counter-intuitive to break from an unfinished combat, but that's the beauty of an objective-based scenario.
Morghur did well (two spells is some nice economy), although I clearly have to learn to protect my leaders. The Doombull had a shaky start (his great axe being somewhat hit-and-miss), but he completely redeemed himself by killing the Ogroid in one stroke.
The two packs of Gor seemed to dominate the field, although I put that down to momentum and numbers - they are very cheap points and can be buffed up easily. In combat terms, they didn't really do much - struggled against the Spawn, eventually put down some outnumbered Acolytes, 'killed' a Deathbringer - but it's great to be able to flood the field with some reasonably-decent combat troops and they can't really be ignored.
I wasn't so impressed with the Bestigor (although that might have been my poor rolling), but they did hold up a couple of units by themselves, and didn't get the benefit of magical buffs. All the same, I feel they ought to be in the two-wound category - it doesn't feel right to have them as poor cousins to Tzaangor or Ardboyz.
I agree, although they do have a good save at least. I'd actually hoped to crush them in a turn or two, and they clung on (against chaff) for almost the entire game.
I'm still liking the Razorgor - fast and able to rip through weak troops. The Skin Wolves are just excellent for speed, punch and durability. Their ability to generate more attacks (although we forgot the 3rd 'Rule of One' and allowed those extra attacks to generate more), combined with the rend and damage output, makes them a very versatile unit.
A good scenario: unpredictable, fluid, and lends itself well to the fast movement of AoS. I'm not sure what the Gorechosen added to it, but I'm very tempted to get some more Bloodbound for those guys to lead.
Yup - AoS really lends itself to any style of battle that's not a straight-up army clash. Objectives really make a difference.
Tune in again for the next exciting instalment of the Narrative Ark of Alternatives!
It's a nifty set-up where you score cumulative points for claiming objectives - crashed meteors - the twist being that they don't crash until the second turn, so you don't know where they'll land...
... and of course we added our own twist: these aren't meteors, but Khorne Champions, who are not keen to be claimed, and will attack anything within range until they are subdued.
Watch Out For That Meteorite!
It's All-Skype Fight Night!
Three centuries it had lain entombed, nearly forgotten in the ruins of a civilisation that had perished under the strain of preventing its use. Now, at last, Zhi'anex, Gaunt Sorceror, had reclaimed it.
It was locked tight.
Not by the pathetic mortals who had stolen it, hidden it from his predecessor. By the arcane designs of Tzeentch, it remained sealed until the right time. Once opened, nothing would be the same - the great day of Change would dawn, and all things would return to chaos and flux, mingled and co-mingling for eternity.
But Zhi'anex knew, the unlocking would be perilous. Fearful of the Ark's power, the chaos gods wove their power into the seal, sacrificing the lives of their champions to see it done. Only by similar sacrifices would the seal be broken. Ordinarily, given the state of war between the great powers, such bloodshed would be easily come by.
But there was a catch.
The sacrifices would have to be made willingly.
Forces
Tzeentch Arcanists
"Look to the heavens," intoned Scraan. The huge Ogroid's voice was rich as cello music, a warmth belied by his ferocious appearance.
Both Noface, Fatemaster of Tzeentch, looked up.
The early morning skies were clear, an orange and blue dawn breaking on the far hills. A beautiful sight, with colours pleasing to their Changing God. But it wasn't this spectacle that Scraan was pointing at.
Two red stars were falling, leaving bloody scars on the morning.
"Champions of the Blood God," Scraan said. "Fallen from favour. Khorne has cast them out."
Both tilted his head to one side curiously.
"Zhi'anex has told me that the Ark of Alternatives needs blood before we can open it and bring forth the Day of Change," Scraan said, smiling. "Theirs will be perfect. We shall claim these outcasts and sacrifice them. If we bring them to him alive, Zhi'anex will promise them a glorious death in battle against countless hordes of our brethren. They will accept, thinking such a death will raise them to the Blood God's throne once more. Little will they suspect that their deaths will break the seal"
Both raised an eyebrow, or at least wrinkled the featureless skin over the place where his eyes once were.
"Save your scepticism, Fatemaster," Scraan said. "We shall take them, although they will not come willingly. Their blood will flow at the appointed time."
Both shrugged, unhitched his spear from the hooks on his back and gestured. The tip burst into sparkling yellow flame, and his disc writhed excitedly.
"And so to battle," the Thaumaturge said, and his broad smile grew even wider.
Both Noface, Fatemaster of Tzeentch, looked up.
The early morning skies were clear, an orange and blue dawn breaking on the far hills. A beautiful sight, with colours pleasing to their Changing God. But it wasn't this spectacle that Scraan was pointing at.
Two red stars were falling, leaving bloody scars on the morning.
"Champions of the Blood God," Scraan said. "Fallen from favour. Khorne has cast them out."
Both tilted his head to one side curiously.
"Zhi'anex has told me that the Ark of Alternatives needs blood before we can open it and bring forth the Day of Change," Scraan said, smiling. "Theirs will be perfect. We shall claim these outcasts and sacrifice them. If we bring them to him alive, Zhi'anex will promise them a glorious death in battle against countless hordes of our brethren. They will accept, thinking such a death will raise them to the Blood God's throne once more. Little will they suspect that their deaths will break the seal"
Both raised an eyebrow, or at least wrinkled the featureless skin over the place where his eyes once were.
"Save your scepticism, Fatemaster," Scraan said. "We shall take them, although they will not come willingly. Their blood will flow at the appointed time."
Both shrugged, unhitched his spear from the hooks on his back and gestured. The tip burst into sparkling yellow flame, and his disc writhed excitedly.
"And so to battle," the Thaumaturge said, and his broad smile grew even wider.
- Scraan, Ogroid Thaumaturge - General
- Both Noface, Fatemaster
- 10 x Kairic Acolytes - Adept, Vulcharc, Scroll of Dark Arts
- 10 x Marauder Horsemen - 5 Javelins/5 Flails, Horsemaster, Icon Bearer, Hornblower
- 10 x Marauders - Chieftain, Icon Bearer, Drummer
- 3 x Chaos Spawn
- 1 x Cockatrice
As lists go, this is really more evidence that I'm still feeling my way in AoS. I know the Fatemaster is durable and fast, if not the hardest hitting character. I know the Chaos Spawn are reasonable linebreakers, if rather erratic.
Kairic Acolytes are decent shooters, as are Marauder Horsemen. The latter are also okay in a fight, the plan being to put the flails on the front line and let the javelineers shoot over their heads.
Marauder footmen are awful, but cheap and chaffy, and might at least grab an objective somewhere. The Cockatrice has a poor reputation, but is also cheap enough to squeeze in, and doesn't get worse as it gets wounded, unlike some monsters.
Finally, the Ogroid, who has a great spell and can do a ton of combat damage. The rough plan is to try and stay out of combat with the shooty units, try and concentrate damage with the Spawn, Fatemaster and Ogroid, and use the chaff to grab objectives. Those big, dangerous objectives who eat chaff for breakfast. Hmm.
Wrath of the Shadowgrave - Brayherd
- Grovelhog, Doombull - General, Spiteful Destroyer, Chaos Runeblade
- Morghur, Master of Skulls
- 10 x Bestigor - Gouge-Horn, Banner Bearer, Brayhorn
- 20 x Gor - Foe-Render, Banner Bearer, Brayhorn
- 20 x Gor - Foe-Render, Banner Bearer, Brayhorn
- 3 x Skin Wolves
- 3 x Razorgor
Stylus here, bold as a beastman. This is an army list that builds itself, since it's everything I've got in my beasts army, minus the Spawn and Cockatrice. This is the first time I've used competitive points for them, and I'm impressed with how cheap the Gor are. With 40 on the table, I plan to use them to hold the objectives, since they should be able to absorb a good amount of damage and still score points.
For the rest of my army, the Razorgor and Skin Wolves are my fast-moving, hard-hitting units; so I'm looking to either grab an objective quickly, or neutralise some of the enemy's speedy units. The Boombull and Bestigor are there to deal out damage, and Morghur can act in support with his ability to cast twice in a phase.
Deployment
Nothing too fancy here - it's a nice plain battlefield, rolling hills, woods and some ruins. With the smaller army, and because I always do, I sort of deny one flank, but I also need to be able to spread out and claim objectives, so I keep the faster stuff relatively near the middle.
I'm more spread out by necessity, though I keep my faster units on the flanks. A Brayherd army is a pretty fast one anyway, so it will all depend on where the objectives end up.
The aim of the scenario is to seize two objectives. You score points for 'securing' (having your models, and no enemy, within 6") the objective, and these become increasingly more valuable as the game goes on (which could make for an interesting endgame).
The twist of the scenario is that they objectives (meteors crashing from the heavens), don't appear until the end of the second turn, respectively, so you'll need to think on your feet.
The other twist is that these aren't meteors, but a randomly-selected Gorechosen warrior. These must be secured the same way, they cannot move, but can attack anything in a 6" radius. To make things manageable, they can be 'subdued' by inflicting wounds in the normal way, and these wounds will deduct attacks from them (although they will always retain one attack).
Should be fun - let's hope it doesn't result in two dead armies and a victory for Khorne!
Turn 1 - Brayherd
Raising his twisted staff, the Shadowgrave sent forth his corrupted followers. With primal shouts, both herds of Gor galloped forward, racing each other to close grips with the enemy as the Grovelhog trotted closely behind. Morghur pulled back his lips in a hideous parody of a grin at their enthusiasm. The scent of blood in the air, and the mayhem will flow.
To his left, the Bestigor marched forward with characteristic arrogance, defying the enemy to claim it from them. On the extreme flank, Razorgor thundered forward, faster than any of them.
The pack of Skin Wolves paced next to Morghur, but with his clawed hand he checked them. The enemy were foes cunning and crafty, and it would be wise to hold something back. The Master of Skulls grinned again: he knew he had read the omens right, and the prize they sought would not lie unclaimed for long.
Turn 1 - Arcanists
The Beastmen would fight them? Scraan's smile cracked into a laugh. If these scrawny brutes thought to prevent the coming of the Day of Change, let them, he thought. Zhi'anex must have known they would be here. Their presence was a sign.
Scraan thrust his horned stave overhead and the leading rank of beastmen burst into crackling flames. Pink forms rose from the ash, whooping and cackling as they summoned their own fire in turn, blasting more of the half-men apart.
Everywhere, the Tzeentchians were rushing forward. Horsemen hurled javelins at the largest, strongest beastmen, piercing even their heavy armour. A row of vast, misshapen spawn crashed into battle beside the newly risen Horrors, smashing the braying enemy to pulp. Even their vast general, the Doombull, seemed taken aback by the sheer vim of the cultists. Would nothing halt them?
Both's mutation rendered him impassive at the best of times. Without a face to display them, his emotions were near-impossible to read. Alone of the army, he seemed cold and calm. Distant, almost, as he corralled a rampaging pack of pig creatures alone on the edge of the right flank. As though he listened to music none else could hear, dancing round the razorgor without ever touching them, his black face turned up to the bloody sky.
He already knew how this would end.
Turn 2 - Arcanists
Thud!
The first blood meteor hit the ground on the left flank. Instantly emerging from the steaming crater came a half-naked savage clutching a brutal blade in one hand, a ball and chain in the other. A Slaughterpriest, no less. Excellent, thought Scraan. A worthy sacrifice.
But there was no rush. Plenty of Beastmen to kill first, thin their numbers before they could break the lines.
Ahead was the Doombull. Scraan set his sights on the monster, shook his staff again, but this time there was no answering rush of flame. Instead, he was suddenly blinded - chunks of boiling gore slapped over his face, thrown up by the impact of the meteor. The Thaumaturge nearly tripped, picked himself up again somehow and tried to keep running, but the impetus of his charge was gone.
Enraged by the blood raining from the sky, the Doombull went berserk. It dropped its axe, bodily lifted the nearest spawn, hurled it into its nearest companion, picked the axe back up, butchered the two stunned mutants before they could recover, then powered through at the third and sank the blade in several times over.
Not without cost. The spawn tore and bit the great minotaur even as it slew them, leaving it near death, but the damage was done. Resurgent, the Gor around it set upon the Horrors, although killing them merely brought their smaller, meaner kin into being instead.
Elsewhere, Both continued toying lazily with the Razorgor as he watched the battle on the hill between Bestigor and Horsemen. Each side fought well, the horsemen wheeling back and forth with feigned retreats to confuse and alarm the foe, but the big beastmen were deadly with their axes.
Caught up in the spectacle, Both hardly seemed to notice his own retinue of Marauders closing with the Razorgor. And if he did, he certainly didn't care to see them fall and flee, heavily outmatched by the bristling boars.
Meteor points: Arcanites 0, Brayherd 0
Turn 2 - Brayherd
Thud!
The second blood meteor crashed down on the opposite hill to the first. Dripping red ichor, the great horns of an Exalted Deathbringer rose up from the crater, bellowing his defiance at Doombull and Ogroid alike.
The time to act was now. Waving his deformed claw in all directions, Morghur began scattering his children across the battlefield to claim their prize and defy the enemy.
The greater part of the warband obeyed his dark will. Only the Bestigor refused to cede the hill to the horsemen, and continued their uneven contest with the riders.
On the extreme flank, the Razorgor were more compliant: breaking away from the easy truffles of the marauders and galloping back across the field.
The lead pack of Gor broke away from the central conflict and ran towards the new crash site, overcoming their baser instincts to serve Morghur's will. The Shadowgrave approved, and rewarded one of their number with spawndom.
Lifeblood streaming down his flanks, the Doombull charged into his rival, the Ogroid Thaumaturge, determined to conquer or perish. Behind him came the fresh pack of Gor, seizing the centre ground, so recently vacated, while the Skin Wolves bounded across to tear at the Cockatrice.
Reaching the Exalted Deathbringer, the Gor and Spawm quickly surrounded and began to subdue his fell weapons, though it cost nearly a third of their number as the Khorne champion refused to be quelled.
With lupine grace, the Skin Wolves leaped up and caught the wings of the Cockatrice before it could take flight. Grounded and flapping, the writhing beast was quickly torn to shreds by their terrible claws.
With a rutting crash, the horned titans collided in the centre. The failing strength of the Doombull lent him a desperate speed and he swung his great axe in an overhead sweep that clove the Ogroid in two. The wizard-beast had no time to reflect on the folly of chosing mortals over his own kine, as his carcass was trampled underfoot.
Morghur threw back his head and gave a bray of triumph. One of the offerings has been secured, and the enemy dealt a heavy blow. All would fall this day.
Meteor points: Arcanites 0, Brayherd 2
Turn 3 - Arcanists
The last Chaos Spawn, mauled and torn though it was, crashed into the Doombull from behind and pulled it down. But immediately, a wave of Gor poured over the fell mutant, and it vanished under their hacking axes. The Kairic Acolytes were likewise swamped in berserking man-beasts, too few to fight back.
Casually, the Fatemaster swooped over the Razorgor as they stampeded back towards their master. His spear flickered out, killing the pack leader. To his left, the Marauders were still battling the Bestigors, a desperate battle of numbers against skill that the beastmen were slowly losing. Beyond that, the Skin Wolves ripped their way through the Blue Horrors, but Brimstone Horrors seethed up from their ashes, ready to avenge.
On the hill ahead, the Deathbringer was almost entirely submerged in a pile of beastmen corpses, but somehow still fought on. There weren't many of his foes left, but his axe was hampered by the sheer weight of dead. The Chaos Spawn slowly clawed its way up the side of the mound and rolled on top of the Khornate warrior. Angry noises ensued, accompanied by occasional spurts of blood, but it looked as though the Beastmen had claimed their prize.
For now, Both thought, and spurred his disc on.
Meteor points: Arcanites 0, Brayherd 2
Turn 3 - Brayherd
One prize secured, and another was within reach. In response to Morghur's command, the Skin Wolves abandoned the one-sided fight with the horrors and bounded towards the Slaughterpriest on the second hill. Though the Khorne champion lashed about with his hackblade, the Skin Wolves were not deterred from securing him.
Morghur himself was left fighting the fiery critters, who proved difficult to stomp with his hooves. The Shadowgrave became so preoccupied with the dancing flames that his attention from the rest of the battlefield began to wander.
While the Razor continued to gallop to his aid, the final Bestigor held fast against the marauder infantry, refusing to give up their hill.
The contest for the Exalted Deathbringer was reaching a fever pitch. Riled to anarchic fury, the Gor began to rain blows down upon their foe, though his defensive stroke killed just as many beastmen as his axe. What remained of the herd clung on, fearful of their master's wrath should they fail.
Meteor points: Arcanites 0, Brayherd 8
Turn 4 - Arcanists
With a gesture from Both, the remaining Horsemen broke away from their struggle on the hilltop and sped across the battlefield. Outpacing even the swift Razorgor, they hurled javelins as they rode, dropping another of the outsized swine.
Both's disc joined them in the last few seconds of their charge, and together, they crashed into the back of the Shadowgrave. Morghur barely had time for surprise to register on his twisted face before he was skewered and hurled to the mud.
Despite this success, the battle still looked grim. The last few acolytes had fallen to the tide of Gor, and there were precious few forces left to the Tzeentchians. The last Bestigor was locked in combat with the Marauder's chieftan and his drummer, and although there were still plenty of Brimstone Horrors left, there was little Both could hope to achieve with such pitiful minions.
Had he been able to, he would have smiled.
Meteor points: Arcanites 0, Brayherd 8
Turn 4 - Brayherd
Enraged at the loss of their master, the Skin Wolves spun around from the hill, all thoughts of the prize gone, as they tried to slash down the Fatemaster. The flying disc proved harder to pull from the skies than the Cockatrice, however, and the Arcanite was untouched.
The triumphant Gor were more practical, having wet their horns on the Kairic Acolytes, they ran towards the Slaugherpriest's hill to claim it for themselves. Meanwhile, the lone Razorgor was racing to reinforce the opposite hill.
The Bestigor Gouge-Horn swung his axe around his head for the last time. His herd were now strewn around him and the final few marauders were making their last assault. A sword-thrust beneath his ribs ended the battle-within-a-battle.
Meteor points: Arcanites 0, Brayherd 12
Turn 5 - Arcanists
All was now clear to him. All he knew would come to pass had done so. With a nod, Fatemaster Noface sent the last Horsmen careening into the Gor on the hill, where the Chaos Spawn still sat on the Deathbringer. Despite being pinned under the creature, the heavily-muscled lunatic was still managing to hook beastmen in with his axe from time to time, strangling them with his huge hands.
It was a valiant last charge, but doomed from the outset. Even as their javelins claimed a pair of Gors, the Chaos Spawn shuffled off its prize to club one horsemen flat, leaving a lone rider.
Comfortable in acceptance of his fate, Both Noface swooped in towards the Slaughterpriest, saluting him with his spear. A sea of bestial faces snarled at him from the foot of the hill, but he had no fear. All was as it should be.
Meteor points: Arcanites 5, Brayherd 12
Turn 5 - Beastmen
As the last horseman was pulled from his saddle, the Skin Wolves once again hunted down the Fatemaster. The beasts had learned from their earlier mistakes and now worked in concert to rend the flying disc before ripping apart the arcane armour.
Gor were now swarming over both hills, the Khornate champions firmly in their claws. Though his mortal remains were already dissipating on the field, the malign will of The Corrupter was pleased. What sacrifices these shall make, a harvest of blood to give rise to his new form.
Meteor points: Arcanites 5, Brayherd 17
Epilogue
Both's disc was seized from below, dragged down into the whinnying throng of Gors. It tipped, spilling the Fatemaster into the pack. His spear was torn from him, his coat of feathered mail slashed apart.
As darkenss took him, he knew that they had played their part. When Zhi'anex had said that the chaos gods had made the seal on the Ark, he spoke the truth. Typically for a Tzeentchian, though, his truth wasn't the whole picture. All the gods had sealed the Ark, Tzeentch included. The blood of his own followers was needed to open it as well. If Scraan hadn't realised their true role in this fight, Both had quickly made his peace with it.
His sacrifice would not go in vain.
As darkenss took him, he knew that they had played their part. When Zhi'anex had said that the chaos gods had made the seal on the Ark, he spoke the truth. Typically for a Tzeentchian, though, his truth wasn't the whole picture. All the gods had sealed the Ark, Tzeentch included. The blood of his own followers was needed to open it as well. If Scraan hadn't realised their true role in this fight, Both had quickly made his peace with it.
His sacrifice would not go in vain.
Locker Room
Okay, the Fatemaster was still standing at the end, if only by a single wound. And I did have two Marauders. But let's not pick nits - even if they'd somehow pulled a miracle and killed everything in their way, I just wouldn't have had the time to claim enough points back for a victory.
Good scenario - the deadly objectives made for a fun conundrum. Claiming them early could be quite costly in terms of manpower, as Stylus's Gor discovered (although he was unlucky to get one of the most powerful Gorechosen to have to quell). The way the scenario works, holding the objectives for a turn or two at the end is worth a lot more than early grabbing, so it's quite possible for a fast upset to happen.
Not that it did - without that pack of Horrors from the Thaumaturge's turn one spell, I wouldn't have had a hope against that huge tide of beastmen. I should have concentrated my forces much more, struck together to eliminate threats instead of trying to spread out. As it was, I just couldn't stop them, and got steamrollered by standing in their way.
At last - the Beasts of Chaos rack up their first AoS win! That went about as well as I could have hoped (aside from randomly getting the most-lethal Gorechosen for my target - ironic that the more attacks I did, the greater my peril of getting killed on the backswing).
My aim was to use the Gor to pile onto the objectives early, and I'm glad I managed to stick with that - it's somewhat counter-intuitive to break from an unfinished combat, but that's the beauty of an objective-based scenario.
Morghur did well (two spells is some nice economy), although I clearly have to learn to protect my leaders. The Doombull had a shaky start (his great axe being somewhat hit-and-miss), but he completely redeemed himself by killing the Ogroid in one stroke.
The two packs of Gor seemed to dominate the field, although I put that down to momentum and numbers - they are very cheap points and can be buffed up easily. In combat terms, they didn't really do much - struggled against the Spawn, eventually put down some outnumbered Acolytes, 'killed' a Deathbringer - but it's great to be able to flood the field with some reasonably-decent combat troops and they can't really be ignored.
I wasn't so impressed with the Bestigor (although that might have been my poor rolling), but they did hold up a couple of units by themselves, and didn't get the benefit of magical buffs. All the same, I feel they ought to be in the two-wound category - it doesn't feel right to have them as poor cousins to Tzaangor or Ardboyz.
I agree, although they do have a good save at least. I'd actually hoped to crush them in a turn or two, and they clung on (against chaff) for almost the entire game.
I'm still liking the Razorgor - fast and able to rip through weak troops. The Skin Wolves are just excellent for speed, punch and durability. Their ability to generate more attacks (although we forgot the 3rd 'Rule of One' and allowed those extra attacks to generate more), combined with the rend and damage output, makes them a very versatile unit.
A good scenario: unpredictable, fluid, and lends itself well to the fast movement of AoS. I'm not sure what the Gorechosen added to it, but I'm very tempted to get some more Bloodbound for those guys to lead.
Yup - AoS really lends itself to any style of battle that's not a straight-up army clash. Objectives really make a difference.
Tune in again for the next exciting instalment of the Narrative Ark of Alternatives!
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