Dave was down from and a coffee with Gary turned into a quick game. Gary took the Empire list I used in the last battle report and Dave took a modified goblin force. I was at a course and only arrived on time to help pack up but Gary wrote a quick report and I thought I would post it here.

Turn 1

The goblins moved forward, their large unit of archers led by the goblin general and the shaman. They were out of range, but a fireball put some hurt on the crossbows. This turn the Empire escaped with minor injuries.

The Empire moved forward on the left flank, trying to come around to flank the goblins but being wary of the crazy gnashers. Shooting and magic put some wounds on the gnasher wrecking team.

Turn 2

The goblins gnashers charged the pistoliers, who fled. The gnasher wrecking team exploded (thank goodness!). The shaman again was tiresome, frying the rest of the crossbowmen in a fireball. The bolt throwers shot off a knight, and the scrap wagon ran over the bowmen skirmishers trying to sneak up through the woods.

The Empire infantry moved forward surrounding the gnasher herd, and the wizard bolstered their fighting abilities. The pistoliers shot off 2 of the herd.

Turn 3

The herd charged the spearmen support unit, but were wiped out after bringing down 2 spearmen. The grotlins charged at the knights, who fled, not wanting to get caught in a protracted fight with this nuisance. However, by doing so they exposed a flank to the goblin bolt throwers which left only one knight alive!

The Empire infantry then moved forward, trying to get in charge range of the goblin archers, who were slowly whittling them away. The lone knight rallied and turned around, prepared to sell his life dearly. The cannon again missed, and Empire magic proved ineffective.

Turn 4

The goblin chariots charged recklessly into the spearmen unit, and the grotlins charged the lone knight. Magic fireballs again took their toll on the Empire, this time 3 pistoliers were incinerated and the remaining 2 fled. A hail of arrows brought down more halberdiers. 11 Spearmen were crushed by the chariot charge, and although inflicting a few wounds on the chariots they broke and ran. The chariots pursued, but failed to catch them.

The determined Empire general then issued a charge on the goblin archers, who stood and fired, bringing down the last of the halberdiers. However, the general and Battle Standard made their charge into the goblins. The remnants of the spearmen rallied, and the pistoliers charged the chariots, bolstered by magic. The pistoliers were woeful, not managing a single wound, as the charioteers brought down one of them. The BSB smashed goblins asunder, and the goblin king and Empire general wounded each other. The goblins lost the fight, and fled. This was the Empires one small chance! Could either the general or marshall carrying the standard run down the foul vermin???? NOOooo…Dave rolled a double 6 and I managed a paltry 5 for each pursuer….. The Empire was lost…..

Turn 5

The goblins rallied, and the scrap wagon smashed into the rear of the spearmen. The spearmen actually destroyed the scrap wagon, but the charioteers wiped out the last pistolier.

The Empire general tried to repeat hid heroic last charge but was pin-cushioned with black-fletched arrows, and fell….the last hope of the Empire faded.

Gary’s final word: “Aaargh….a frustrating game for me due to a poor list, bad deployment, worse tactics and woeful dice-rolling. Oh well, back to the drawing board (or rather empty barracks)”

*A footnote in the annals of the Empire: Astute readers will notice from the photographs that the Imperial Knights in fact seem to have taken their first casualty in turn 1 rather than turn 2, and the next three Imperial Knights to be skewered fell in turn 2 rather than three.

I had a rare free day and opportunity to play a quick, 2000 pt 9th Age battle with Gary. We decided to use Empire vs. and all-goblin army – in part because we wanted to see how all-goblins would go against Empire for our planned Idol of Gork campaign, and in part because Gary is really keen on building up his goblins at the moment. We only got to play 3 turns each but had a great time. Gary wrote up a battle report and I thought I’d post it here:

Turn 1

Turn 1 saw my goblins rush forward to get into both bow and spell range of the Empire force.

A huge goblin fireball from the goblin witch doctor turned the entire crossbow unit into blackened crisps.

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Encouraged by this, the goblin archers blackened the sky with their arrows at the flanking mounted pistoliers unit. Two were cut down, and the unit lost its nerve and fled the battlefield. A great start for the goblins!

Turn 1 for the Empire saw the spearmen charge the rickety scrap wagon, and bolstered by the mage’s magiks, cut it to kindling. The cannon roared and smashed through the goblin king’s chariot, taking 3 of its 4 wounds. A good riposte from the Empire!

Turn 2

Turn 2 saw the gnasher herd and goblin king charge the spearmen, who sensibly fled leaving the chariot in no-mans land…

…but the gnasher herd were able to redirect their charge into the main halberdier unit of the Empire. The combat was brutal and swift as the gnashers ate 6 halberdiers, but were then destroyed by the men of the Empire.

Turn 2 for the Empire saw Nick go on the offensive.

The knights charged into the 2^nd gnasher herd, and the spearmen rallied.

The cannon roared again, and……disaster!!, the goblin king was smashed asunder!

The cave goblin unit panicked and turned tail and ran. The goblin archers thought bugger this, and legged it as well. Only the crazy goblin chief on his wolf didn’t run away. He was keen for a fight….

The knights smashed the gnasher herd, running right over them.

Turn 3

Turn 3 saw the crazy goblin charge alone into the big Empire unit. The giant only just failed as he attempted to help by charging at the halberdier unit’s flank. Nick breathed a sigh of relief as the giant only managed to get a 10 instead of a 11….ooooh, so close!! The witch doctor rallied the goblin unit, but the goblin archers kept running, yelling and cursing each other. The goblin bolt thrower crew surprised themselves by blasting a knight from his saddle.

The goblin chief went crashing into the Marshall, the Empire’s Battle Standard Bearer and dealt him a wound, but he was promptly cut to pieces by the halberdiers.

Turn 3 for the Empire saw the knights launch another charge, this time at the bolt thrower to avenge their fallen comrade. So determined were they that even a fanatic crashing through them did no wounds and they completed a successful charge against the war machine, utterly destroying it. The Empire then reformed their units and gazed across the devastation they had wrought. The goblin force had been crushed, leaving a unit of cave goblins looking rather nervous, and a rather confused-looking giant wandering around aimlessly.

We could have continued the game, but Nick was keen to avoid the Friday traffic, so decided to head off. Either way he had won comprehensively, and the last few turns would have seen him easily mopping up the last of the goblin force. A very enjoyable game that started so well for the goblins. However, the cannon turned the game around. Removing the goblin king was critical, as the goblins lost their leadership and their nerve. I tried with bow shooting and magic to try to destroy the cannon earlier, but could not do enough wounds. Nick’s roar of triumph almost equalled the roar of the cannon when the king was blasted away. We both knew the consequences…..