- Battle Report Battle at Black Forest
- by Bart "da Orc in Elf's clothing" Egnal
- The shadows of the Black Forest loomed in the morning dawn as the High
Elves lined up on the field of battle. With the blaring of trumpets and pennants
fluttering proudly in the wind Lord Drylath, commander of the Orc army, drew his sword and
ordered the advance. The Swordmasters and Spearmen in the center bravely marched towards
the greenskin horde, anxious to show what Elven steel and skill could do. On the left
flank the young Reaver knights moved to a flanking position of the Orcs, preparing to
wreak havoc behind their ranks. On the left Lord Drylath led the Silver Helms forward
between the woods where he would pounce.
- The mighty Great Eagle took to the sky in search of a target while the
Tiranoc chariot moved next to the Helms. Lord Drylath drew his magical Bow of Loren and
fired four arrows at the rat swarm, wounding it three times. The bolt throwers proved much
more ineffective as only two wolf riders were felled. The ineptitude of the High Elves
continued as not one Savage Orc was felled by the arrows of the Reavers. As the magic
phase began the High Elf Mage Lord uttered the words of the Fiery Convocation, but the
Savage Orc Shaman, reading carefully from his scroll, dispelled it and stripped its
knowledge from the mind of his foe. Intent on weakening the powers of the Orc Shamans, the
High Elf Lord cut off all magical energies with a short chopping gesture. The Shaman Lord
felt the energies of the Waaagghh leave him and was forced to discard a spell.
**Orc Turn One**
- Shouting curses and threats at any ladz who disobeyed, the Orc Warlord
moved his army forward free from the problems of animosity. The Wolf Riders covered the
distance to their foes remarkably quickly and the Elf infantry soon found itself face to
face with the evil gobbos. Behind them the remaining forces advanced steadily. On the
army's left flank the Giant Spider promptly failed its bound monster test and, free at
last from its magical chains, fled to its forest homeland. The two squig hoppers advanced
to block the passage of the Silver Helms, and the depleted rat swarm moved forward to
threaten the chariot. The Orc artillery barrage was abysmal as both Doom Divers failed to
his anything. The close combat phase was violent and brutal as the wolves tore into the
Elves. Four Swordmasters and two spearmen were cut down and it was only press of ranks and
the skill of the Elf champions which forced the scouts to flee past their masters. Seeing
their kin take flight both Doom Divers fled the table to safer ground. Pursuing the
wolves, the Swordmasters ran into the Orc boarboyz regiment. The Elf Mage with the
spearmen wisely reigned in his troops, not wanting to charge the wild squig in front of
them. The magic phase was once again uneventful as the Hand of Gork was destroyed. Only by
using Total Power was the Orc Shaman able to ask his God, Mork, to lift the Champion with
the Executioner's Axe into the heavens.
**High Elf Turn Two** - Seeing that two squigs blocked the path through the woods, Lord Drylath
spurred his regiment in a charge towards them. At the same time the unfortunate champion,
chopping madly at the green hand which held him, escaped and plummeted down unharmed to
rejoin his regiment. With a mighty shriek the eagle landed upon an unfortunate squig. The
chariot returned to its starting spot unable to pass through the woods, while the Reavers
snuck further behind the greenskin lines. Aiming carefully the first bolt thrower captain
saw the squig between the spearmen and the Savage Orcs fall dead. Seeing their fields of
fire clear the next two bolt throwers let rip at the Savages, but thanks to their chanting
many bolts bounced off their skin and only two of the green devils fell. For a second turn
this ineptitude continued as not one Savage Orc was killed by the Reaver Knights. The
Orcs, confident that their god was with them, renewed their chants of "Ere we
go...Ere we go...". The Swordmasters of Hoeth charged in swinging their mighty
greatswords, but not one Boar rider fell, the tough hides of their mounts stopping the
swords of the Elves. In a bloodthirsty retaliation the Orcs plowed through the regiment,
killing seven Elves. The Orc Warlord, his blade dripping blood came face to face with the
High Elf champion. Singing his deathsong the Elf swung his mighty Executioner's Axe and
with a sickening thud the Orc's head came off at the shoulders. Before he could continue
his attack the Orcs surrounded their fallen leader and, in a wage of green followed the
fleeing elves. The standard was hacked from the wrist of its bearer and claimed with a
roar by the Orc Big Boss as the once-proud regiment was wiped out to an Elf. Unfortunately
this mad pursuit left the Orcs as easy targets for the bolt throwers next turn. For the
third time in a row an 11 was rolled as the winds of magic blew strong. The High Elf Mage,
in an attempt to move a hill to crush the boars had the spell stripped from his mind by
the Savage Orc Shaman Lord, who, sweat beading on his brow read from a scroll. Again the
High Elves were frustrated as the attempt at Hand of Glory was rebounded, allowing the Orc
Shaman to respond with Mork Wants Ya, which was dispelled. The High Elf Wizards ended the
turn frustrated again.
**Orc Turn Two**- Without the presence of their general, the Savage Orcs started arguing.
It all started when Madgit, the Shaman, was arguing with da ladz about who was leadin' da
uunnit, him or Elf-Stompaa. Before anyone could stop it a full blown ruckus had ensued and
the unit could do nothing. The wolf riders failed to rally and fled off the table. The
boarboyz turned and attacked the spearmen in the flank, but the brave Elves held their
ground. The Savage Orcs, blocked in by their squabbling tribemates, turned and attacked
the eagle. The rat swarm moved to block the coming flank attack by the Silver Helms.
The combats were both bloody and victorious for the Orcs. The Eagle was smashed to the
ground by the frenzied Big Boss. Unfortunately he had exerted his strained body too much
and lost one of his attacks. In the middle of the battlefield the Orcs wiped out the
entire flank of the Elves. Disoriented by the flank attack their ranks gave them no
comfort and they broke and fled, only to be run down by their bloodthirsty opponents. The
winds of magic abated in force, but the Banner of Wrath lashed out with lightning anyways,
killing one Reaver knight. Once again the Orc Wizard used Total Power to cast Mork Wants
Ya!, this time lifting the hapless Mage Lord and his Unicorn into the sky. Without their
Mage the Elves were powerless to prevent Mork Save Uz! from being cast upon the Savage
Orcs. With a short chopping gesture the Shaman brought the magic phase to a close.
**High Elf Turn Three**- As the warlord of the Orcs had perished, the power of the Orc gods waned
momentarily and the Mage Lord and his Unicorn escaped from the grip of the hand of Mork.
Plummeting skyward the unicorn was unharmed but the Mage caught his arm on a branch and
with a sickening snap it was broken like a twig. Back with their regiment they proceeded
to charge the swarm of rats which blocked their path. The Tiranoc charioteer, thirsting
for vengeance after seeing his friends wiped out, spurred his mighty steeds into combat
with the Savage Orc boarboyz. Anxious to prove their mettle the young Reaver knights
charged the boars from the flank.
The High Elves clearly had problems in their artillery as 12 bolts killed but two of the
Orc boarboyz, who didn't even have the benefit of magical tattoos to protect them. Close
combat was more decisive for the Elves. The chariot plowed through the Orcs, and all but
the Shaman were killed. In his fury and blinded by rage the Shaman Lord was only able to
kill one Reaver knight. Beset on all sides by the valiant Elves he fled the table,
outdistancing the chariot but caught off the board by the Reaver knights, who collected
his staff as proof of their victory. Lord Drylath speared many more rats on his lance as
the mighty Elf horses trampled the vermin beneath their hooves.
The Magic phase was ineffectual as all the spells of any use had been destroyed. The High
Elf Mage ended his turn holding the Escape card.
**Orc Turn Three**- The battle was coming down to the wire but the Orc units were poorly
positioned to have any effect. The unit of boarboyz turned around and advanced towards the
High Elf Silverhelms. The Savage Orcs turned to face the chariot, but were unable to
charge. They did, however, move down so as to make themselves less vulnerable to a charge
by the Elf cavalry. The magic phase was uneventful. The Banner of Wrath lashed out at the
chariot and one of the steeds fell to the ground. Once again, howling to his gods the
Savage Orc Shaman invoked Total Power to cast Mork Wants Ya! on the High Elf wizard. With
this spiteful act complete the Orcs ended their ineffective turn finished.
**High Elf Turn Four**- As the sun began to set on the battlefield Lord Drylath applied his spurs
and charged towards the Orc boarboyz. Once again the Mage Lord and his Unicorn pried
themselves free of the Orcy hand which held them, falling unharmed to rejoin their unit.
The Tiranoc charioteer, seeing no glory in flight, turned and charged his chariot at the
Savage Orc regiment beside him. The Reaver knights, returning from their pursuit of the
Orc Shaman moved to a safe distance, too late to help their comrades. The chariot charged
in and cut down two Orcs before it was overwhelmed by the green tide thirsting for blood.
The big boss hacked the charioteer to pieces and with a bloodied howl stood astride the
fallen Elf, insulting and challenging the remaining Elves. Meanwhile the Orcs were faring
poorly. The Elf general's Star Lance bit deep, and two greenskins fell from their mounts.
The rest of the regiment, lances lowered accounted for two more. All looked grim for the
Orcs, but with a prayer they saw Mork himself staring down to keep them steady. The line
held as the Orcs closed ranks. As the turn drew to an end nothing happened in the magic
phase.
**Orc Turn Four**- With darkness setting in the battle drew to a close. The Savage Orcs
tried to charge the Silver Helms but were unable to make up the distance and so could only
watch as their friends were hacked down to the last Orc. In a triumphant moment Lord
Drylath reclaimed the captured standard from the last Orc and prepared to return it to the
halls from which it came. The game came to an end as the Orc Shaman's final spell was
stopped by means of Drain Magic. As the Orcs withdrew the Elves held the field of battle,
and the victory.
Final Victory Points High Elves: 18 Orcs: 12
The High Elf Lord Gloats So what if the Reavers didn't wreak the havoc behind the lines
they should have. So what if I never used my Banner of Wrath or Ring of Corin? So what if
my best unit fought rats and squigs for most of the battle? Never mind all that...I won!!!
Seriously, I don't think there was too much wrong with my tactics. I must compliment my
opponent on his effective use of the swarm and spider to shut down the left flank. This
use of unbreakable units to tie up valuable enemy is a tactic all aspiring WFB generals
should consider, especially under the new flank attack rules. The chariot was also
particularly effective. In the future I may change the use of my Reaver knights, as their
bow fire was largely ineffectual and the flank attack failed to materialize. In the end I
was pleased with the way my army performed! Cheers!