Defeat at Tigoreux
An account of heroic deeds for a humble defeat
L'Armee d'Artois vs. Lizardmen
Battle Background
Battle History
Prince d'Artois led his retinue of Questing Knights through the forest. His wife and Sorceress, Dame Stella Artois rode behind him, their daughter and Army Standard Bearer Dame Rosarie by their side. Seven Questing Knights, the Lance d'Artois, followed behind. Their son, Sir Julien d'Artois, was leading the galloping Grail Knights through the woods on their left. The infantry units, les Archers, la Fleches d'Artois and Leopold and his Leopard Pikemen were threading their path through the bushes on their right.
Artois had received a message of distress from Tigoreux, in L'Anguilles, two days ago. It reported an army of Lizardmen had landed on its shores and were harassing the city. Valorous warriors were falling by the hundreds to the hands of the scaly skins. The Lizardmen had not come light-handed. Several huge beasts were reported to be seen in the army's company, some harnessed by small crested creatures whilst others wielded huge weapons. Several army leaders were seen being carried along on bony palanquins, meaning that the army could be divided into smaller regiments, possibly laying siege to the town from different places at once. Reinforcements were of the essence.
Magical Elements in the army
A drop of sweat fell across the General's forehead. There was a huge fire burning up ahead, probably some unfortunate trees hit by magical blasts from the Lizardmen leaders. Slann Mage Priests, these leaders, are renown for their mastery of magic. Prince d'Artois glanced back at his wife, their only sorceress. The army's hopes of countering such magic lay on his wife's shoulders, a wizard champion, graduate from the Celestial College from Altdorf. She had prepared two Celestial Spells for this battle: the Celestial Charioteer and Fortune. He was content of her choice of one attack spell and one defense spell, but he didn't think the Charioteer's bubble would restrain the strong Lizardmen for long. Time would tell.
Battle Account
Encounter
As the General broke free of the forest, he caught glimpse of a few cottages in the open plain. Towering above was a badly shaken fort. The Lizardmen monsters had certainly shook the place. Tattered bloody bodies littered the place, broken swords laying beside the corpses of their former owners, arrows stuck deep into bloody torsos, One of the cottages was on fire. There had recently been a bloody fight here, and the victors were still lurking around. He hailed the other regiments as he caught sight of the Lizardmen army, who appeared on the other side of the cottage cluster. Prince d'Artois studied the opponents.
The central regiment was a unit of 12 Saurus wearing bony armor, Temple Guards probably. They were flanked by their lord, a Slann Mage Priest on their right and a horned brute on their left. Several small crested creatures were atop a howdah on the brute's back, and they handled what looked like a giant bow. In the shadows of the cottages, a unit of crested creatures atop horned cold ones could be seen, luring in the background. From the trees on the right, another unit of small crested creatures emerged, with a couple of axe-wielding giants in their mist. The general's acute eye spotted a cresed shaman hiding in the trees.
Battle Plan
The General commanded his army to get ordered. Le Chevalier d'Artois positioned his bowmen on the left flank, the Leopards taking position in front to take on the oncoming horde of Cold One Riders. Sir Julien brought his Grail Knights up to the General's Unit's right flank, facing the oncoming Skink and Kroxigor unit and the monstrous Stegadon. Justin led his bowmen to the far right, planning to aid the Grail Knights by bringing down some of the skinks (and preferably Kroxigor) and take care of the Shaman. The General and his Questing Knights aimed their lance onto the Temple Guard Saurus unit, and the Slann Mage Priest above them.
Lizardmen Turn 1
Adrenalin still pumping in their cold blood, the Lizardmen army marched forward. The Cold One Riders seemed to be heading towards la Fleche d'Artois, whilst the Skink and Kroxigor unit advanced towards the Archers d'Artois. The magical winds blew strongly. The SMP aimed his staff at the General's unit but the unit's standard, the Banner of Arcane Protection, diffused the evil powers.
Bretonnian Turn 1
To the inspiring war cry of the General, the Lances of Artois charged into the oncoming unit of Temple Guards, whilst his son led his grail Knights into the Skink and Kroxigor unit who fled from the charge. Meanwhile, Leopold led his men towards the Cold One Riders, shielding the Chevalier's bowmen behind him. The General challenged the Temple Guard Hero, and his star Lance killed the scum outright, leaving the General without a scratch. The rest of the knights, including his wife and daughter, made waste of 4 more Temple Guards, whose unit broke against the heavy defeat and fled from the fight. The fleeing Saurus proved too fast for the Knights' tired horses. Justin and his bowmen trained their arrows on the fleeing Skinks and brought down two of the small crested creatures. Le Chevalier's archers shot a volley of arrows on the oncoming Cold One Riders but their horns were left unscathed. The winds of magic still strong, Dame Stella encased the SMP in the Celestial Charioteer's bubble and moved him 7 yards into the woods.
Lizardmen Turn 2
The Skink and Kroxigor unit who had fled Sir Julien's attack, rallied form its flee and returned to its ranks. Out of the blues, the horned Stegadon charged Sir Julien and his Grail Knights. Sir Julien could have opted to hold fast and fight on, but his wits were stronger than his pride and he ran away from the charge. He knew that this way, the Stegadon had come in range of the bowmen's arrows and they could fell some of the crew making it less deadly. The Cold One Riders charged Leopold's Pikemen who had butted in front of them. Three of the chargers died on the Pikemen's long pikes, whilst Leopold lost one of his brothers. The Cold One Riders fled form the scene, obviously shocked by the strength of the pikes, but were not caught up by Leopold and his Leopards. The SMP cast a protect spell on his Stegadon unit.
Bretonnian Turn 2
The General, frustrated of not having destroyed the Temple Guards, recharged the unit and left only one remaining, who ran for his life into the woods, off the battlefield. Whilst Sir Julien rallied his Grail Knights, Leopold charged the Cold One Riders, who fled and took shelter behind their General, the Slann Mage Priest. Justin's Archers opened fire upon the Stegadon, killing one Skink crew. The weak Winds of Magic only let Dame Stella dispel the Protect spell the SMP had cast the previous turn upon his Stegadon.
Lizardmen Turn 3
The Slann Mage Priest was angry at his Cold One Riders' inability to contain mere humans and charged Leopold's unit himself. The Leopards succumbed to his power, fled in panic, and were destroyed beneath his palanquin. The Cold One Riders took courage from their General's success and rallied. With the Leopard's out of the way, la Fleche d'Artois was uncovered and vulnerable. The Slann Mage Priest cast a blast on the unit. Valorously, le Chevalier d'Artois, who had been appointed by the Lady of the Lake herself to protect the bowmen of Artois, ran out to meet the fiendish blast of power and was hit with its full power, leaving him unconscious for the rest of the battle. The Slann Mage Priest was infuriated that the powerful blast was spoilt on only one human, so he unleashed his deadly Staff of Flaming Death on the bowmen unit, who, without its protector, lost three of its brethren to the evil General. Meanwhile, the Stegadon turned its tail and approached the General's regiment from behind.
Bretonnian Turn 3
Whilst the bowmen failed their shooting, the Grail Knights approached the Skink and Kroxigor unit and the General tried to maneuver his regiment back into the battle, Dame Stella Artois encased the Slann Mage Priest into another Celestial Bubble and transported him away from la Fleche d'Artois.
Lizardmen Turn 4
The Stegadon's sneak attack was a success. The Hero at the controls of the Heavy Bow aimed the deadly Arrow against the Generals' unit's flank and killed both the Queen Sorceress Dame Stella Artois and her daughter, the Battle Standard Dame Rosarie. The General's unit took another shock when the Winds of Magic blew in favor of the Lizardmen and let the Slann Mage Priest move himself to the back of the Questing Knights.
Bretonnian Turn 4
The Questing Knights fought the Slann Mage Priest who had pinned them down at the back, but, alas, they only managed to decrease their number by four! The Bowmen tried their hand on the Shaman who had been hiding in the forest but he was well hidden. A shout of joy was heard from Justin just as his aunt, la Dame Stella Artois, regenerated herself beside his unit, full of revenge against the hated Lizardmen.
La Fleche d'Artois armed their bows and let loose their arrows upon the Cold One Riders, one of which was brought down, sending the others into a state of panic and fled. The General's Questing Knights lashed at the Slann Mage Priest, but he killed one more of the knightly warriors, and they fled under panic. Meanwhile Sir Julien summed up his courage and charged the Stegadon, but he had miscalculated his distance and fell short. Justin le Juste asked his aunt for support. They had been trying to kill the dreaded Skink Shaman but he had been hiding in the woods for the whole battle. Thus she cast the Celestial Charioteer spell on him and brought out of his hiding where he was killed by the Archer's volley of arrows.
Lizardmen Turn 5
The Stegadon charged the fleeing Generals and his Questing Knights and destroyed them with its monstrous hooves. The Cold One Riders once more rallied and regained their stance. The Slann Mage Priest used his control of the Winds of Magic to cast himself into combat with sir Julien's Grail Knights and destroyed the unit.
Bretonnian Turn 5
With the royal family out of the battle, (except for the Queen who had regained herself another chance), most of the Knights dead, only the bowmen were left for the final round of Bretonnian action. In fact, la Fleche d'Artois gave its best shot of the game, killing three Cold One Riders, resending them into a final retreat off the battle field.
Battle Results
|
Bretonnian Achievements |
|
|
Unit defeated |
|
|
The Saurus Temple Guards (defeated by the General's la Lance d'Artois) |
470points (incl hero) |
|
The Cold One Riders (downsized by Leopold's Leopards and la Fleche d'Artois) |
200points |
|
Skink Shaman (killed by l'Archers d'Artois after a helping hand from Dame Stella Artois) |
108points |
|
Skink Hero (one of sir Julien's few achievements in the game) |
65points |
|
2 Table Quarters |
200points |
|
1 Unit Standard held at the end of the game |
100points |
|
|
1143points |
|
Lizardmen Achievements |
|
|
Unit defeated |
|
|
General Prince d'Artois (defeated by the Stegadon) |
201points |
|
Battle Standard Dame Rosarie (defeated by Stegadon's Heavy Bow) |
181points |
|
Sir Julien d'Artois (defeated by the Slann Mage Priest) |
143points |
|
Le Chevalier d'Artois (defeated by the Slann Mage Priest) |
130points |
|
Les Verteux d'Artois (defeated by the Slann Mage Priest) |
275points |
|
La Lance d'Artois (defeated by the Stegadon) |
337points |
|
Leopold' Leopards (defeated by the Slann Mage Priest) |
200points |
|
2 Table Quarters |
200points |
|
Killed rival General |
100points |
|
2 Unit Standards held at the end of the game |
200points |
|
Battle Standard held at the end of the game |
200points |
|
|
2167points |
Comments about the Battle
The defeat was a tough outcome. All seemed to be going well at the beginning, when the General's unit broke the Temple Guards' unit, but a number of mistakes brought the downfall of the army. Here's a summary of these errors:
- The General's unit cut right through the Lizardmen's army... and remained there. While it was maneuvering back into the battlefield it was cut up by the Stegadon and the Slann Mage Priest. It would have been wiser if once across, the unit made a reform and returned back, instead of trying to wheel around.
- The Celestial Charioteer spell moved the Slann Mage Priest many a time away from the battle, and out of reach of my warriors. Had I brought it into range of my Knights, it would have been charged, broken and destroyed.
- The bowmen were deployed too far back and they did not inch forward. Also, the charging Knights hid the enemy from view.
- The Leopards should not have pursuit the Cold One Riders and hit the Slann Mage Priest. It was their last stupid act in the battle because they died at his hands.
- There were many failed charges due to miscalculations.
A critique of the enemy
From the battle results, one can undoubtedly say that the Slann Mage Priest and the Stegadon were the only things which harmed my army. True, this was much thanks to the Temple Guards being obliterated and the Cold One Riders continuously fleeing and rallying... but next time, I should concentrate my forces onto the two towering beasts and then deal with the rest afterwards.