Battle Report #3
2000pts vs Forces of the Abyss
Narrative Intro:
Paweldran stared out from his balcony,
the Forces of the Abyss continued to ravage his lands. So far their had been no victory even a small one to boost morale.
One Reason for cheer, however, had come in the form of his Cousin Prince Decado who had arrived from the mountain kingdoms along with the fearsome Drakon Knights his household was famed for. With these new troops allied to his existing forces Paweldran knew the tide could begin to turn against the hostile invaders.
Game Intro and Lists:
Well good news for fans of Elves vs Abyssals battle reports, less good news for fans of variety. This time, however, we have a different enemy general and a different set of lists. My opponent this time would be my friend Jeff and we’d be playing 2000 points.
I wanted to change things up list wise for a bit of variety and decided to revisit my regular 2nd edition list. At the start of 3rd I had deliberately moved away from my old list as I’d been playing it for a while in one form or another and wanted to try out the new exciting options thrown up by 3rd edition.
My old list couldn’t directly be recreated so I needed to try and recreate the idea but with the updated list. My core element of the list was a mobile shooting force really maximising the elves manoeuvrability and shooting prowess. This was typified by a horde of Seaguard with nimble (which used to give them steady aim as well) this meant I could advance whilst laying down fire but also have a solid combat unit and a 12 inch pivot on a high Unit Strength unit for late game scenario winning moves.
I loved my seaguard but only ever saw them as effective when they could benefit from the dual boost nimble gave them. Multipurpose units are generally tricky to use effectively to repay the large points outlay. There’s no real comparable option available now so it would be a case of replacing their abilities piecemeal. I didn’t use mages much in 2nd ed but their first class in 3rd so two lightning bolt mages would replace the shooting component the Seaguard brought.
The rest of the list focused on various regiments and a Drakon horde plus lots of individuals. So I put the hordes of Palace Guard away ( right?) in favour of returning to two regiments of them and a regiment of Forest Guard. I added a second Drakon horde to round out the main combat units. So my list looks like this:
Elf List:
Drakon Lord (Amarynth): 170pts
King (Paweldran): Horse, Shard blade, Blade of the Beast slayer: 170pts
Mage (Alenui): Inspiring Talisman, Bane Chant (2), Lightning Bolt (5): 135pts
Mage (Eldroth): Lightning Bolt (5), Boomstick: 125pts
Prince (Decado): horse, Diadem of Dragonkind: 110pts
Drakon horde: Sir Jesse’s boots of striding: 290pts
Drakon horde: Potion of the Caterpillar: 295pts
Palace Guard regiment: 160pts
Palace Guard regiment: 160pts
Forest Guard regiment: 165pts
Silverbreeze troop: 130pts
Bolt thrower: 90pts
I was interested to see how this list fared as plenty had changed since the new edition and there were lots of differences I’d had to make to the list so I didn’t know if it would still function as it once had.
As for Jeff he’d brought his Abyssals which I’d played against several times but he almost never uses the identical list twice. This time he’d be running the following:
Forces of the Abyss:
Hellequin Blood masque: Blade of Slashing: 90pts
Hellequin Blood masque: Mace of crushing: 90pts
Hellequin Blood masque: Diadem of Dragonkind: 115pts
Abyssal Warlock: Drain Life: 120pts
Abyssal Warlock: Drain Life: 120pts
Abyssal Fiend: 175pts
Abyssal Fiend: 175pts
Tortured Souls Regiment: 120pts
Molloch horde: Sir Jesse’s boots of striding: 245pts
Molloch horde: Potion of the Caterpillar: 240pts
Abyssal Ghoul Horde: 150pts
Abyssal Ghoul Horde: 150pts
Lower Abyssal Horde: Hammer of Measured Force: 210pts
This list looks like a really tough match up for mine. So much regen, healing from drain life and lots of nerve. If that wasn’t a tough enough challenge for my piecemeal shooting to deal with three cheap mounted individuals with defence 5 and regen we’re going to cause a lot of problems for my shooting and flying units as well. I’ve gone away from using sabre toothed cats (Duellist) on my heroes as they never seemed to get much use but I would really love it to have it now.
On the positive side Jeff tends to have far more units than me but this time it’s only one more (12 vs 13). I’m also happy to see to no Gargoyles, Abyssals have so many great support units they won’t be missed too much but they’re still an amazing unit I’m happy not to have to face.
Deployment and Scenario
The scenario was control.
Jeff chose sides deploying at the bottom. He weighted his forces to the left and centre. My approach with this army has been to deploy a bolt thrower and mounted individuals in the centre then try to get my infantry on one flank where some of the enemy troops are already positioned (so in this instance the left). Then I’ll try to get my fast and shooting units on the other flank so hopefully they won’t be facing too big a force to stop them swing round in a devastating flanking manoeuvre.
I won the roll for first turn and took it wanting to start moving round with my faster flank as soon as possible.
Elf Turn 1
On the left my infantry pulled back so that they could have more movement options in the coming turns. On the right my Drakon Lord being the only Drakon left with nimble did the classic 20 inch then turn in on the open flank. The drakons and shooters moved up starting their swing towards the centre.
Bolts, arrows and even lightning rained down on the Abyssal Ghoul horde but they remained unphased.
Abyssal Turn 1
Jeff swung his centre round to face the threat of the Drakons whilst the left moved up to face the elven infantry who had cravenly fallen back. Nothing was in range to shoot so the Abyssals focused their attention on moving into better positions next turn.
Elf Turn 2
The elven infantry keen to take advantage of the swing towards the right pushed up to move towards the remaining Abyssal elements on the left. On the right units shuffled a little to get in better positions.
Shooting saw Prince Decado unleash dragon fire from his ancestral pendant at the foul ghouls but the fire failed to hurt the ghouls who were used to much worse punishments from their masters. The remaining shooting managed to waver the ghouls and the bolt thrower fired a bolt skimming the Abyssal Fiend’s thigh weakening the energy holding it to the mortal realm.
Abyss Turn 2
Jeff continued to advance whilst protecting him from the elves manoeuvres. Shooting added a few wounds to a palace guard regiment and a single wound on the boomstick mage (Eldroth).
Elf Turn 3
On the left my palace guard units had positioned themselves poorly to support each other so rather than invite a flank charge they edged up just out of the horde’s charge range. The King Paweldran went into the Fiend hoping to add a good chunk of damage.
On the right my units continued to shuffle to maximise shooting opportunities. The Ghouls were wavered again as was the Hellequin with Diadem despite only taking 3 damage.
In combat King Paweldran was only able to deliver a few slashes to Fiend pus oozed from the cuts but the Fiend was unconcerned.
Abyss Turn 3
*Forgot to take picture at the time so this is approximately right positions.
The Abyssals were now able to lock horns with the enemy so started to push up aggressively. The non wavered individuals charged the Drakons and Drakon Lord to pin them down. The Fiend ignored the King’s challenge and barrelled down the hill into the Forest Guard who’d found themselves isolated from support (more bad infantry positioning on my part ).
On the right the Mighty Abyssal Fiend belched forth a spout of flame engulfing the wounded mage Eldroth) ending his role in proceedings. On the left the other Fiend swept his claws through the beleaguered Forest Guard who were frozen in fear at the brutality of the beast (only just wavered due to brutal).
The Hellequin on the flank was a skilled duellist and landed all of his blows on the Drakon Lord Amarynth grounding him. In the woods however, the other daemonic champion was evaded by the Drakons as his sword caught on tree branches instead. This meant both Drakon hordes would be free to charge next turn!
Elf Turn 4
With the Abyssals engaging it was time for a counter attack from the Elves both Drakons went into Molloch hordes each supported by a royal leader.
One Palace Guard unit charged the Abyssal Ghouls whilst the other favoured blocking the Lower Abyssals from getting a flank charge over joining their comrades.
Shooting meanwhile managed to finally finish off the Ghoul horde. The Palace Guard and a Drakon Lord both lashed out with their swords damaging their opponents but little more.
In the crucial centre combats the King and Drakons managed to break their Molloch unit but the Prince and his Drakons fell short leaving them in a precarious position.
Abyss Turn 4
Sensing blood in the water the Abyssals set about taking advantage of the elves failure to break their lines. The tortured souls and a Hellequin charged the Drakon unit which had been successful against the mollochs. The other Drakons got charged by the Fiend in the flank and mollochs in the front.
On the left the infantry hordes engaged the Palace Guard regiments. Whilst in the bottom right corner the Hellequin resumed combat with the Drakon Lord with the Warlock moving up to support.
Shooting saw Drain Life hit the King and Drakon Lord both taking damage. In combat the first Drakon unit went down under the weight of attacks from the mollochs and fiend. Luckily the damage on the second Drakon unit was relatively light.
On the left the Fiend wavered the Forest Guard again but both infantry hordes found the palace guard units resolved to continue the fight.
Elf Turn 5
Things were looking desperate I’d need to hit hard and get some good fortune if I was to have a chance at saving the game. King Paweldran charged the injured Fiend hoping to banish it once and for all. The remaining units counter charged where they could.
Shooting concentrated on the injured Mollochs fire scorched their flesh, arrows reopened freshly healed wounds and lightning cascaded from the skies as the energies binding them to the mortal realms dissipated removing them from the field of battle.
In combat the Palace Guard swept through the Abyssals slaying them left and right but they remained surrounded by the seemingly endless hordes. The Drakon Riders furious at seeing their brethren defeated tore the Tortured Souls to shreds.
King Paweldran facing the gargantuan Abyssal Fiend feigned left and right unbalancing the clumsy beast, having created an opening Paweldran drove his flaming sword Yahdra into the monster’s chest. A piercing scream erupted as the injured Fiend lost its grip in this realm, alas dark magics are no so easily defeated Yahdra had missed the beast’s heart and it clung on to fight again. (I managed my 5 damage out of 5 attacks but only wavered the Fiend).
Abyss Turn 5
The Abyssals were in a strong position so set about turning it into a dominant one. Both Palace Guard regiments went down under weight of attacks from the hordes and King Paweldran was knocked unconscious by the Abyssal Fiend’s hammer.
In the centre a combination of drain life and and an Abyssal Fiend charge broke the remaining Drakon unit in the centre. The Drakon Lord was wavered again by the Hellequin plus drain life combo and the Silverbreeze were wavered by a pair of Hellequins in the top right.
Elf Turn 6
There wasn’t much to do by this point other than kill off what I could and pray for some kind of miraculous turn of events. The Forest Guard were finally free to charge the Fiend landing several wounds but a double 1 saved the unkillable bane of my existence.
The Prince fireballed the badly damaged ghoul horde but could only waver it. The mage wavered a Hellequin with lightning bolt hopefully saving the Silverbreeze unit’s skin.
Abyss Turn 6
Little remained for the Abyssals but to mop up what they could. The Forest Guard were smashed on two sides by Fiends and the Drakon Lord finally has enough of having the life sucked out of him by the Warlock Hellequin combo and fled the battle.
No turn 7 so a comprehensive 3-1 victory for the Abyssals.
Narrative ending:
Paweldran knelt praying in the Shrine of Raloris seeking wisdom from his ancestors and courage from his gods. Everyday the Abyssal menace grew despite their best efforts the Elves were beaten back again and again on the battlefield. Opening his eyes Paweldran saw his brothers Alenui and Amarynth waiting in an alcove of the shrine. It was time for another war council seeking to find a solution to the Abyssal incursion. Rising to join them Paweldran quickly prayed this meeting would be more successful than the last.
Conclusions and Recriminations:
Well that looked pretty devastating by the end. The truth is things could have also swung the other way. Jeff’s nerve rolls were consistently good and mine whilst not awful included a few key rolls where avoiding a low roll could have proved crucial. However, dice are not something within my control so I don’t focus on them. Jeff definitely played better and deserved the win.
There were several positioning mistakes on my part especially with the infantry units on the left. These units just weren’t put in the right positions to support each other a few more thought through pivot moves could have changed a lot on that flank. Jeff is a master of positioning so if I don’t elevate my game in this area he’s bound to exploit it.
The Drakon Lord I’m not sure if he fits in this list but I definitely didn’t use him right. He should either of stayed with the Drakons to join in on frontal charges or perhaps should have committed earlier as a sacrificial move to pull some of Jeff’s units out of position.
List Changes
This was my first time with this list and as discussed it’s an attempt to translate my 2nd ed list into third. Usually the first time I play a list I get a pretty good feel for whether it’s working the way I want just from comparing army lists, deployment etc. This was no different a few things immediately flagged as issues.
Just seeing Jeff’s list contained 3 individuals gave me shivers, facing mounted individuals are definitely a potential weakness in my list so I want to try and get duellist in the list to provide some more mitigation.
Running the three infantry regiments together definitely felt wrong. I needed some variety to complement that grouping ideally something with more speed to allow for greater overlapping support or possibly shooting.
I’ve not been a big fan of the Drakon Lord generally at 2k+ games (he seems good in 1500pts games though) I think he is a bit expensive for what he is so needs to be just the right fit for the list to be worthwhile and I don’t think this list is it. Another king would be superior or maybe a different unit like a Stormwind Troop or just rearrange the points into other things.
Finally I think it’s worth bringing the seaguard back out. Expectations aren’t high for the shooting element, when moving their shooting will be roughly as good as a silverbreeze troop, but that’s not a bad return on 30pts extra over a spearmen horde’s cost (albeit losing 5 combat attacks).
New list
King (Paweldran): Horse, Shard blade, Blade of the Beast slayer, cats (duellist): 180pts
Mage (Alenui): Inspiring Talisman, Bane Chant (2), Lightning Bolt (5): 135pts
Mage (Eldroth): Lightning Bolt (5), Boomstick: 125pts
Prince (Decado): horse, Diadem of Dragonkind: 110pts
Prince (TBD): horse, mace of crushing; 85pts
Drakon horde: Sir Jesse’s boots of striding: 290pts
Stormwind Regiment: Potion of the Caterpillar: 235pts
Palace Guard regiment: 160pts
Palace Guard regiment: 160pts
Seaguard Horde: Chant of Hate: 290pts
Silverbreeze troop: Piercing arrow: 140pts
Bolt thrower: 90pts
The Drakons are swapped out for the equally pointed Seaguard. I then downgraded the Drakon Lord to a mounted Prince In order to upgrade the Forest Guard to a Pathfinder regiment of Stormwind. I also had a few extra points for cats on the king and piercing arrow on the Silverbreeze. There were various other options I considered such as combining the Palace Guard into a horde but didn’t want to change things too drastically when evaluating the changes already made.