The young thane Thorni Stormbreaker knew the marching songs of goblins all too well. A caravan of food was heading to his home of Karak Kadrin further north – a keystone in the deal that would settle a lesser grudge between the hold of the Slayer King and the Imperial province of Ostermark. If the coming tide of greenskins knew the ramifications of raiding this caravan would be isn’t clear, but that made no difference once steel would strike steel.
Welcome to the first of many battle reports on this blog! We’ll be starting with a 1,000 point grudge match between the Dwarfs and Goblins in The Old World.
Host of the Stormbreaker
- Thane, Great weapon, Full plate armor, Pistol, General, On foot, Rune of Passage – 74
- Engineer, Heavy armor, Handgun, Master Rune of Bursting Flame, Rune of Rapid Fire – 108
- 15 Dwarf Warriors, Heavy armor, Shields, Full Command – 150
- 15 Dwarf Warriors, Heavy armor, Shields, Full Command – 150
- 12 Rangers, Crossbows, Heavy armor, Great weapons, Shields, Ol’ Deadeye (champion) [Crossbow] – 174
- Bolt Thrower, Light armor, Rune of Skewering – 75
- Cannon, Light armor – 100
- 12 Slayers, 12x Great weapons – 168
Snootroot’s Radish Pickers
- Night Goblin Bigboss, Additional hand weapon, Light armour, Battle
- Standard Bearer, On foot, Charmed Shield – 66
- Night Goblin Bigboss, Light armour, Shield, Giant Cave Squig, Wollopa’s One Hit Wunda, ‘Eadbuttin’ ‘At, Luckstone – 105
- Night Goblin Oddgit, Wizard [Level 2 Wizard], General, On foot, Buzgob’s Knobbly Staff, Illusion – 120
- 30 Night Goblin Mob, Thrusting spears, Shields, Netters, 2x Fanatics [Fanatic ball & chain], Full Command – 207
- 30 Night Goblin Mob, Shortbows, Standard bearer [Razor Standard], 2x Fanatics [Fanatic ball & chain] – 215
- 10 Night Goblin Squig Herd, 2x Squig Herder – 106
- 6 Night Goblin Squig Hopper Mob, Light armour – 78
Mangler Squigs, Colossal fang-filled gob, Heavy armour – 95
Secure the Pass!
This battle, we decided to play King of the Hill – representing the strategic importance of this part of Peak Pass.
Deployment began with the Dwarfen host, setting up defensive positions while still being ready to jump on the hill. The Goblins countered in a pincer, waiting to take advantage as long as they could.
Turn One
First turn began with the initiative going towards the Goblins – using the time they have to stream up across the battlefield. Light arrow barrages from Night Goblins hiding in the woods drew first blood on the Dwarf Warriors.
The Dwarfs responded with a slight move forwards to secure the hill, then returned a hard volley of the Cannon, Engineer’s repeating handgun and the Rangers crossbows to force the Squig Hoppers and Squig Mob backwards with a failed Panic check.
Turn Two
Goblins and Slayers alike make the rallying call and charge into combat! The Squigs reformed themselves after the crossbow attack and charge into the Rangers, while the Boss and Mangler push up the west side, Eliminating the engineer in an overrun and causing the Cannon to explode. Fanatics bounce and stride from their hidden spots in the mob and crush a few Slayers.
Snootroot and his gang have the upper hand for the moment, but the Dwarfs posture in preparation. This turn’s shooting left much to be desired for the forces of the mountains – now all they have to depend upon is steel and courage.
Turn Three
The gallant Slayers push the Night Goblins back in a good order fall back – following up into another combat to keep them away from their Thane. On the other side of the battlefield, the Rangers hold by the skin of their teeth to keep the herd away from the last war machine.
The Mangler and Boss get cold feet – choosing to wait for a more favorable time to charge the Dwarf Thane and his allies.
Turn Four
Mass bloodshed! The Slayers and Rangers run out of steam and are completely overrun by Snootroot’s Goblin forces – but in the heat of battle the Dwarf Warriors on the hill charge into the exhausted mob and slaughter them to a goblin.
The tide has turned, with the momentum on the side of the Dwarfs – but will it be enough to win out in the end?
Turn Five and Beyond
The beasts were felled, and the battlefield took on an eerie silence. The majority of each host had been destroyed in battle, and now it was just a scramble to hold the hill first.
The Goblins manage to make it first – the Dwarfs almost just catch up before time runs short. With that, Greenskins stand on the top of Peak Pass.
End
Snootroot’s Goblins managed to come out in top with a minor victory of 1525 VPs to the Dwarfen 1241. With the Pass open – Greenskins and other dubious beings had the freedom to raid the caravan coming though, damaging the already tense relationship between the eastern Imperial states and the hold of Karak Kadrin.
Thorni Stormbreaker retreated back to his camp in shame, but not broken. The Dwarfs of Kadrin will return in force!
Stay tuned for more battle reports coming in the future, and check out our stock of Warhammer: The Old World!