So today I faced Orcs and Goblins for the first time ! I played against another new player so we both had to check & ask for the the rules a lot of times and had a lot of fun the whole game. He fielded a very cool night goblin army, everything painted !
He had
Grom the anti-elf character
LVL 4 Goblin
LVL 2 Orc
2 x Goblin Boss
100 Night Goblins (including netters and fanatics)
50 Big Uns
4 x 5 goblin spider riders
2 x 30 goblin archers
2 x Rock Lobba
So a pretty soft list compared the armies I faced before, this is mainly because of him fielding what he finsihed painting. He is now working at his squigs, much more orcs and trolls as the Goblin urge to flee from everything starts to frustrate him a little haha. His special character could hurt a lot on the charge and negated fear to elfs. But, I could handle everything. Plan was to take out his Grom on the chariot with BSB Manticore, 100 Night Goblins with Shrine of Slaughter and delay the orc Big Uns for a final massive charge (+ dwellers below combined with soulblight).
DeploymentI brought Life magic with the Supreme Sorceress, and got the following spells
- Flesh to Stone
- Throne of Vines
- Regrowth
- Dwellers Below
I don't know the name of the enemy spells, but his LVL 2 got the Foot of Gork.
So my main idea with deployment was to open one of his flanks for my dark riders and scouts. I deployed Darkshards first at the right flank, which he opposed with the Spider Riders. Dark Riders, Cold One Knights and Warlocks in the middle, Hydra on far right flank. Dark Riders at the flank, Shrine opposing Goblin unit. I felt very confident after deployment. I vanguard one Dark Riders towards Night Goblin to attract the Fanatics, while other advances towards the Rock Lobber.
He rolls a 1 to start while I roll a 3 with the -1, nice ! Dark Elves start first.
Dark Elves Turn 1Movement
The first thing I do is sending one of the dark riders in front of his big night goblin unit to extract the expected Fanatics. The first two come 1 or 2" short, but the last one hits. He kills 4 dark riders outright, ouch ! But he passed his leadership test. Funny thing here was that for the first time I did not care about those casualties, as the option of regrowth is a very strong and nice one (one of the abilities I like so much from Vampire Counts). The darkshards move up to shoot fanatics and next turn goblin spiders. Both Hydra and Warlocks move up a little, in case the spiders advance to fast. I moved up the left flank dark riders for a next turn charge on the Rock Lobba, placing Shades in between with the archers as missile screen. This was a mistake, as I was thinking that the enemy would shoot instead of charging. Directly after those movements I realised he could charge with his Goblin Boss, ranks and banner while Shades had no AHW.
Magic
I roll 5 for winds of magic, enemy got 3 dice. I casted Throne of Vines with 3 dice, he tried to dispell but failed ! After that improved Flesh to Stone on the Shrine of Slaughter, making the Shrine tougness 10 ! and Sisters + Supreme tougness 7. Even with almost no power dice, very effective magic phase. I really like the low casting values for the LVL 4, and next time I am thinking about also takning signature instead of Dwellers (3 spells with only 2 dice).
Shooting
I focused fire on the goblin archers, hoping to panic them. Shades killed 5, Dark Riders 1, only needing two more ! One of the Reapers tried to panic them, but only inflicted one wound. Very close, and with some luck his (only leadership 7) archers had fled. Darkshards kill two fanatics, I tried the same panic trick with the Spiders, but he passed both his leadership tests. It felt as a strong shooting phase.
Combat
No combat
Orcs and Goblins Turn 1Movement
His left flank archers fail anomosity, squabble and therefore charge the shades. His fanatic moves towards his own line, preventing chariot from moving and he considers the damage of Fanatic to dangerous to advance with the Night Goblins. Orcs advance, and he want to place one of the spiders in between archers and hydra, but I point out that I then can easily charge it and overrun into the archers. He hides one of the spiders behind the hill, and put the others beside it (but in line of sight of darkshards). His archers hold.
Magic
He rolls 4 for winds of magic, but I channel 2 and can easily dispell his augment.
Shooting
His Rock Lobba shoots at the War Hydra, hits ! but the rock bounces on the head with a roll of 1 to wound. His other Lobba aims at the Warlocks but it scatters. His archers are in combat or out of range (18")
Combat
I inflict 2 wounds, he inflicts 3, and I lose combat with 4. Shades flee, Dark Riders fail panic test and flee off the table.
Dark Elves Turn 2Movement
Shades fail to rally, but only run 3" so remains on the table. Warlocks advance to the left flank to replace the dark riders but in charge arch of orc. Herald doesn't take the spider bait and also moves up between the units to threaten the Rock Lobba in a next turn charge (with regrowth in mind). Hydra advances forward full speed, same with BSB Manticore to roll up his total flank next turn. Rest of the army moves up 5"
Magic
I roll 6 for winds of magic, and with Throne of Vines still on, I cast 2 dice on Flesh to Stone on Shrine unit again, which he dispells. Other 4 dice on boosted regrowth on the Dark Riders, and him with only 2 dice left let me cast it. I heal 3 wounds, so one Dark Riders comes back to life. Again, in the previous lores low winds of magic resulted into weak magic phases, but with the very effective and cheap spells of Life (also adding 1 lost wound) every phase is nice.
Shooting
Darkshards kill the lone spider bait, other two units inflict 2 or 3 wounds on the other spiders unit, but they all hold. Reapers concentrate fire on the Grom on Chariot. First two misses, but last one hits. After randomizing, he hits the character, who has only 3 wounds, if only.. He fails his 5+ ward save, and I roll an ... 6 !! Killing his general and therefore let all the goblin fear elves again (+ everybody low leadership again). Very effective shooting phase !
Combat
No combat
Orcs and Goblins Turn 2Movement
His orcs charge the warlocks, who flee as I don't want to lose soulblight for a possible dwellers combination on them in a good magic phase. Fanatic moves in my direction again. His archers fail animosity and charge the Hydra, his big unit of 100 Night Goblins also fail animosity and stand still (but also no magic from his LVL 4!). Spiders move up for charge but already knowing they will be peppered with shots. His orcs advance towards my lines same with BSB chariot.
Magic
He rolls 7 for winds of magic, he dispelled Throne of Vines and got a magic missile on the Cold One Knights with irresistable force, wounding 7, but with strength 3, only 1 fails his armour save. Miscast puts a wound on the LVL 4 and LVL 2.
Shooting
Then the Rock Lobba aims for the BSB Manticore, hits ! randomized the Manticore, rolls a 2 to wound, and 5 on multipe wounds, killing it outright, lucky shot ! BSB was still alive and I was winning, so didn't care so much. With Life if he had done 1 - 4 wounds, I could heal him up again, I really like this lore. His left archers shoot at the Shade, but only manage to kill 1 of the 2. His other Rock Lobba aims at the two Dark Riders, but scatters.
Combat
Archers fail fear test, and fail to put any wounds on the Hydra. Hydra fluffs his attacks, only wounding 1. As he charged, has a rank and standard I use fiery breath, which inflicted two more wounds, resulting in a draw, pfew !
Dark Elves Turn 3Movement
Dark Riders fail their charge into the Rock Lobba. Shades and Warlocks rally. Shrine advances for a next turn charge on the Night Goblins and within 12" of the orcs for Dwellers, Cold Ones moves maximup to protect the flank and possible charge on the Orcs, who needed a 10 to reach the Cold Ones, Warlocks move up to charge his chariot or future rear or flank charge on night goblins. BSB move into Darkshards.
Magic
I needed a high roll this turn, his LVL 4 still squabling. If I could put a soulblight and a dwellers on his orcs, this battle was over
But I rolled a 2 instead, casting Throne of Vines again.
Shooting
Darkshards kill the last Fanatic, then other Darkshards kill one the Spiders, and last Darkshards kill right unit of Spiders, resulting into a failed panic test of the last unit of Spiders who ran close to the table edge. Reapers concentrate fire on the chariot from dead general (but still BSB on it) and the first one kills it ! 100 Night Goblins take a panic test and.. FAILS.. running of the table. Hahaha we both had to laugh so hard, they had not moved or done anything the whole battle and just runned off the table without any casualties. Two other reapers aim at Rock Lobba, inflicting two wounds in total.
Combat
Hydra makes short work of the Archers and runs towards the Rock Lobba.
Orcs and Goblins Turn 3Movement
Orcs charge Cold One Knights but fail to reach distance resulting in a failed charge. His spiders fail rally test and flee off the table. His goblin archers succeed to do a swift reform to shoot the dark riders.
Magic
He casts Foot of Gork on the warlocks, but it scatters !
Shooting
Both Rock Lobba's aim at War Hydra (who is in reality outside 12" of the right Rock Lobba) but both scatter 2", and the strength 3 hit inflict no wounds. His goblin archers shoot at the Dark Riders, hitting with 6, wounding 2, but I save one armour save ! Herald is back on his own again, but again passes his panic test.
Shooting
Both Rock Lobba's aim at War Hydra (who is in reality outside 12" of the right Rock Lobba) but both scatter 2", and the strength 3 hit inflict no wounds. His goblin archers shoot at the Dark Riders, hitting with 6, wounding 2, but I save one armour save ! Herald is back on his own again, but again passes his panic test.
Combat
No Combat
Dark Elves Turn 4Movement
Hydra charges the Rock Lobba, Herald charges the other. Shrine of Slaughter swift reform to be charged by Orcs next turn, Cold One Knights and Warlocks take positions for countercharge. Darkshards also swift reform and move up to the orcs. Last Shades runs away from his archers.
Magic
Hoping of Dwellers and Soulbight again, I roll 2 for winds of magic. I cast Flesh to Stone (+4 tougness) on Shrine of Slaughter.
Shooting
Reapers and Darkshard concentrate fire on Orcs, but fluff a little killing 5.
Combat
Hydra makes short work of Rock Lobba. Herald fails to inflict a wound, Orc Bully also fails, the Goblins inflict one wound but is saved, and the horse also fails to inflict a wound. I win combat because of the charge, he breaks and I pusrue him off the table.
At this point the local store had to close because of time, as we were slow with checking rules and chatting a lot.
I only lost 1 unit of Dark Riders, while he had lost his whole army exept the Big Un unit and Goblin Archers. With killing his general and the rest of his army, I managed to get 1770 victory points, he 105. A massacre ! My first 20 - 0
It was a soft list, and enemy general same experience level as me but still I am very happy with it.
MVP : Dark Rider Herald
Altough he did not killed anyone, he extracted the fanatics in first turn, which blocked the movement of 100 Night Goblins and his Grom on chariot. He hold heroicly after his unit got killed, twice, and eventually caught the far Rock Lobba, and saving the last Shade by forcing enemy goblin archer to fire on him. He also passed two crucial armour saves in shooting and combat.
Also the Reapers forces so much panic tests on the enemy, killing his general, bsb + chariot and forcing the 100 Night Goblins to flee.
After battle thoughts
I really liked Life magic, as I rolled very low for all winds of magic, and still had very good magic results (+4 tougness, crucial regrowth and throne of vines which remained in play several times). By making the Shrine of Slaughter +4 tougness the enemy did not even considered to shoot the unit, and if manticore had survived, I could have healed some wounds back before final combat with the orcs. Shooting won me the game, and even with four unit of chaff, three combined unit of darkshards is just to much to reach with 60 bolts.