After Adepticon this year I decided that while my list was pretty good, it needed some tweaks. I identified a number of poor performers and some areas where the list needed improvement. In addition to all this I came up with a great idea for a centerpiece for my army. Something that would really get the judges to stop and say, "Wow, that's cool" and hopefully pick up a few more painting/modeling points. So I set out to rewrite the list. The problem? I couldn't free up enough points to do everything I wanted. So instead I wanted to try out a few ideas so I raised the point cap from 2400 to 2500 and managed to make everything that I wanted to try fit.
Today we'll see a test game against a buddy's Warriors of Chaos list. This list is pretty near identical to the basic net lists out there for Warriors of Chaos. The game was fought over 4 turns before we had to call it a night. So while the game was pretty close, the last turn would likely have been extremely decisive.
LISTS
Skaven
Grey Seer - Screaming Bell, Earthing Rod (Lore of Ruin x2, Lore of Plague x2)
Plague Priest - Level 2, Flail, Dispel Scroll
Chieftain - BSB, Shield, Banner of Eternal Flame
2x 40 Slaves - Musician
35 Clanrats - Full Command, Shields, Warpfire Thrower
39 Stormvermin - Full Command, Warpfire Thrower
2x 5 Giant Rats - Packmaster
7 Gutter Runners - Poison Weapons, Slings
2x Doomwheel
2x Warp Lightning Cannons
Warriors of Chaos
Daemon Prince - Nurgle, Wings, Chaos Armor, Scaly Skin, Soul Leech, Fiery Breath, Chaos Familiar, Charmed Shield, Lore of Death
Chaos Sorcerer - Level 2, Lore of Shadow, Channeling Rod
Exalted Champion - BSB, Mark of Nurgle, Enchanted Shield
20 Warriors of Chaos - Full Command, Shields, Mark of Nurgle
18 Warriors of Chaos - Full Command, Halberds, Mark of Khorne, Banner of Eternal Flame
3x 5 Warhounds - Vanguard
5 Chaos Knights - Full Command, Ensorcelled Weapons
2x Chimeras - Regenerating Flesh, Fiery Breath
MAGIC
Grey Seer - Curse of the Horned Rat, Wither, Death Frenzy, Scorch
Plague Priest - Plague, Pestilent Breath
Daemon Prince -Spirit Leech, Caress of Laniph, Soulblight, Fate of Bjuna, Purple Sun of Xereus,
Chaos Sorcerer - Melkoth's Mystifying Miasma, Enfeeblement
SETUP
Skaven won setup and then won the roll-off for first turn.
Skaven setup with slaves and clanrats behind a fence, slaves and plague monks up on a hill, the stormvermin and bell were central in the line. Doomwheels fell on the flanks and the warp lightning cannons were near the board edges and separated with one behind the right flank and one behind the left flank. Gutter runners used sneaky infiltrate and thus did not start on the board.
Chaos setup saw the nurgle warriors in the center of the line behind some warhounds and the Khorne warriors on the right flank. Warhounds were deployed in front of the center and both flanks. Knights and daemon prince were on the left flank and the chimeras were split with one left and one right.
Vanguard moves saw the warhound packs move forward with the ones on the flanks turning towards the center of the battlefield in a pincer move.
TURN - 1
The Skaven line marched forward. The rat darts moved to block the warhound chaff from interfering with the moves of the rest of the Skaven. The Doomwheels rocketed forward with both of them ending up closer to warhounds than to slaves/clanrats. Magic saw Plague kill a couple warhounds and then bounce and kill a couple knights. Shooting saw the Doomwheels unleash the lightning on warhounds killing 2 from 1 unit and 3 from another. The Warp Lightning Cannons fired and one downed a chimera and killed another knight while the other one dissipated harmlessly. Close combat saw the giant rats either stalemating the warhounds or wiping them out.
The Chaos response saw warhounds charge a warpfire thrower while the Demon Prince flew over the building in-between some slaves and the bell unit. The remaining chimera flew over the doomwheel to land near the units there while the rest of the Chaos line moved forward. Magic Phase was uneventful with everything being dispelled. Of note however was that a casting of Fate of Bjuna on the Bellseer drew out the dispel scroll early. Shooting saw both the chimera and daemon prince use breath weapons. The chimera toasted the clanrats killing roughly 12 of them while the daemon prince killed 10 Stormvermin with his. Combat saw more stalemated warhounds versus giant rats while the warhounds versus the warpfire thrower saw the warpfire thrower die and the 2 remaining warhounds overran into the Skaven backfield.
TURN - 2
The stormvermin charged the Nurgle warriors in the center of the line while a unit of slaves charged the Khorne warriors to tie them up until I was ready for them. The doomwheel on one flank made it into contact with the remaining chimera while the other doomwheel missed hitting the daemon prince by 3". Plague Monks and other units maneuvered for position and the gutter runners did not turn up. Magic saw a total of 4 dice for the rats and the 5+ channels on the chaos saw them with 4 dice as well. THe magic phase was pretty much a wash other than the bell tolling and giving all units within 24" re-rolls on failed leadership tests. Shooting saw the Doomwheel kill the remaining chimera and all eyes were on the other doomwheel versus the daemon prince. While ultimately the doomwheel did cause a single wound on the daemon prince I"ll take it given that it meant the DP failed his charmed shield roll, armor roll, and ward save. The remaining warpfire thrower shot, and missed, the DP, while one cannon hit the DP but failed to convert the wound (ward save) and the other misfired and took out 4 Plague Monks. Combat saw the Bell unit and the slaves lose combat while the giant rats finally finished off the warhounds.
Chaos picked up some steam this round as the knights charged the warpfire thrower, the daemon prince made the risky move to charge the doomwheel and the warhounds in my backfield reformed to line up a charge against a cannon. Winds of magic were low again but saw soulblight against the doomwheel get dispelled and miasma against the slaves also dispelled. Close combat saw the doomwheel lose combat, break and get chased down by the daemon prince. The bell again lost combat while the slaves fighting the Khorne warriors scattered. The last warpfire thrower also died to the knights who reformed.
TURN - 3
Skaven turn. To make up for the annihilated slaves I charged my remaining clanrats and the doomwheel into the Khorne warriors. Plague Monks again had to maneuver to find their way past a forest while my remaining block of slaves moved up for a hopeful charge into the flank of the Nurgle warriors. Still no gutter runners. Magic saw deafening peels from the bell which flattened the only building on the table and did little else. Chaos managed to dispel wither and death frenzy and then the magic phase was over. The warp cannon shot at the daemon prince and failed to do anything. Combat saw the doomwheel get hacked apart by the Khorne warriors and the clanrats lost combat too but held. This round my opponent finally figured out that he could target the seer in combat and thus the bell unit lost combat AND I lost the grey seer.
Chaos saw the knights successfully charge the flank of the clanrats while the daemon prince and warhounds charged the same warp cannon. Magic phase saw lot of nothing since the DP was in combat and facing away from the rest of the battlefield. Skaven dispelled the miasma attempt. Close combat saw the clanrats kill both remaining knights in a show of disturbing luck and skill. However, they were still mowed down in droves by the Khorne warriors who took relatively few losses in return. The DP and warhounds finished off the cannon with the warhounds overrunning towards the other cannon and the DP reforming to face that direction.
TURN - 4
The gutter runners finally arrive but they can't do anything as everything is locked in combat and they can't charge. The plague monks charge the Daemon Prince. Magic is short with the plague priest being dispelled in his attempt to cast pestilent breath. No shooting since everything is either dead or in combat at this point. Combat sees the plague Monks pop their banner and fail to do anything... at all. The daemon prince kills three in return. The warhounds take a wound off the cannon while the Khorne warriors kill off more clanrats.
Chaos turn saw the plague monks beat the daemon prince in combat via static combat resolution (the DP whiffed) and break him from combat. He fled and the plague monks chased although they were an 1" off from catching him. The cannon and warhounds each took a wound. The Skaven BSB decided to take one for the team and challenge the Chaos BSB to prevent him from wiping out the stormvermin (ah, points denial). He died without doing any wounds but this helped keep the last 3 stormvermin alive. The clanrats and Khorne warriors continued to battle it out with the Khorne warriors down 1/3 of their number and the clanrats down about 50%.
 |
| End of Game. |
At this point it was late and we had to pack up and and wrap things up. The result? A draw.
Here are the units, per side, that died during the game:
Skaven ~ 680 points lost
Grey Seer (no points as the bell was still alive)
Chieftain BSB
1x 40 Slaves
2x Rat Darts
2x Warpfire Throwers
2x Doomwheel
1x Warp-Lightning Cannon
Chaos ~ 830 points lost
2x 5 Warhounds
2x Chimera
5 Chaos Knights
When you add in generals slain, banners captured, etc it looks more like Skaven with 830VP and Chaos with 780VP. Despite the bell still being active I gave my opponent the 100 bonus points for the general since the Grey Seer himself was dead. So a definite draw.
That being said, my opponent had a solid deployment and was much more tactically sound than myself. My plague monks should have been more of a force but a horde of 40 guys is hard to maneuver around and they started in an awkward position.
However, what would have happened in turn 5? The DP would likely have been lost from the plague monks but then the Khorne warriors would finish off the clanrats and the nurgle warriors would definitely have killed the last stormvermin. They could potentially take the bell out too, although unlikely in a single turn. The cannon vs warhound fight could go either way. So adding those totals together you get something like Skaven with 1500 points and Chaos with 1200 points for certain but with a possible 550 points up in the air due to the Bell and Cannon. So a meager victory for Skaven is the prediction after turn 5 but a turn 6 would likely see the destruction of the Skaven.
The Good
- I love twin doomwheels. They really are hell on earth and help make up for bad randomness that can occur with a single doomwheel.
- The 18" inspiring presence from the Screaming Bell was pretty nice and came into effect more than once during the game.
- Unbreakable stormvermin. Really the unit type doesn't matter but having a unit be unbreakable is pretty awesome. That kept the stormvermin in the game after the death of the grey seer right down to the last rat.
- Cannons are still awesome. THey paid fr themselves this game and all they did was kill a knight and a chimera.
The Bad
- Skaven can't fight worth crap. Despite charges with impact hits, plague banners, etc I lost almost every single combat in this game barring the one with the plague monks at the end of the game and between chaff (warhounds vs giant rats).
- I really need to stop using sneaky infiltrators on the gutter runners unless there are war machines present. They did nothing due to their late arrival.
- Stormvermin. I have always struggled to understand why +1WS, I, and Ld, and a halberd cost these guys 3 points over a clanrat. they die just as easily (in fact, easier) and really don't cause that much more damage.
- Screaming Bell. he bell ringing is really just a novelty. Sure corch is useful for bringing out some early dispel dice. Certainly the BSB aura over 24" is great. Many rolls have little effect on the game or prove incredibly situational. The 24" re-roll aura won't do much in the first turn. Lurching forward isn't always great either depending on what your bell is supposed to be doing. Deafening Peels hurts almost nothing in the game now except buildings. So the bell ringing is a bit disappointing and then the fact that the bell makes the Grey Seer more targetable is another mark against it. With the exception of Challenges which the Seer can avoid (like any Skaven character) the Seer is an easy target in close combat as well as by cannons.
The Response
- Stormvermin are out. I want to try and keep my current 2x 35 clanrats and maybe expand one unit to 40-50 rats.
- The Bell unit will be deployed BEHIND my other units instead of on the front lines. I'm using it more as a support unit than for combat.
- Maybe try and add some more protection for the Grey Seer like Fencer's Blades, Dragonbane Gem, or Potion of Toughness, Skalm, etc.
- Possibly swap a warpfire thrower for a Plague Wind Mortar. Alternatively, add a unit of globadiers with a plague mortar.
So what's my fascination with making a Bell work? Easy. For those of you that haven't seen me discuss it, I'm converting the Marienburg Landship into a Screaming Bell. Why? Because it'll be the coolest Bell around and a great centerpiece.
Now, I know I haven't provided the updates on that project that I promised but my family life is super busy with a 3 month old daughter at home. I often have to chose between family and hobby (no contest there, family wins) or hobby and blog. Given that having a blog about a hobby I don't actively participate in is somewhat useless to all parties involved, I typically choose hobby over blog.
Regardless, I'll try and get some updates of the Landship Bell in progress posted sometime in the next couple weeks.
The coolest part about the battle report? I tested two armies :-) The Chaos armylist is my own (as are the models).