Infiltrating through the Iron Volley

 

After their backstabbing raid into the Uthuk Y’llan homeland to desecrate the sacred groves, the cowardly Daqan withdrew back to their own lands leaving their peasant archers to defend the border. The Uthuk Y’llan, however, were not about to let this insult go unpunished and mounted a raid of their own to infiltrate the enemy territory and exact revenge.

[Rule note: For the campaign we decided that we would follow the normal scenario set up rules and select one scenario each from a random draw of 3 cards. However, once that scenario card is used, it is removed from the deck thus reducing the future choices and ensuring that each battle is different. In this game, the Uthuk selected "Power of Infiltration" (C3) and the Daqan selected "Iron Volley" (A2). The choice was interesting as both scenarios required the players to score victory points by killing enemy units.]

Setup

The Daqan forces deployed 5 units of Yeoman Archers, supported by 2 units of Greyhaven Mages and a Siege Golem. Their plan was to hold back and defeat the Uthuk through sheer firepower. The Uthuk deployed a mixed force comprising Viper Legion archers, infantry in the form of Berserkers and Blood Harvesters, 3 units of Flesh Rippers, and a Chaos Lord.

The Daqan scouts must have detected the Uthuk Y’llan preparing to invade, as they reacted quickly and began a Line Advance, moving some archers forward to secure a victory banner and occupying the nearby crystal spire with the siege golem (This allowed any unit that started its move on this hex to use an extra die in combat). Their long range fire killed two of the Uthuk flesh rippers, but was otherwise ineffective. 1VP

Turn 1 Daqan plan

Turn 1 Daqan result

The Uthuk began a battle march. The Chaos Lord moved forward to capture a victory banner and one unit of archers moved forward into the ford. Both left flank archer units then took shots at the forward unit of Daqan archers, killing 2 and forcing them to withdraw. 1VP.

Turn 1 Uthuk plan

 

Turn 1 Uthuk result

The Daqan responded with an attack from the centre. The mages on the right moved in front of the weakened archers and cast an ineffective spell at the injured unit of Fleshrippers. The magical energy did succeed in conjuring a magical shield on the nearby archers to help them in the future. Meanwhile the Siege Golem, infused with magical energy from the crystal spire, fired at the Chaos Lord with no result. The Mages on the left flank, moved forward into some trees and cast a spell at the Fleshrippers in front of them, only forcing them to withdraw. 1VP for a total of 2.



Turn 2 Daqan plan



Turn 2 Daqan result

The Uthuk commander gave the order to "darken the skies" and all three Viper Legion Archer units fired. Despite launching a total of 6 volleys, they only result was that the leading unit of Mages and Archers were poisoned.1 VP for a total of 2.

Turn 2 Uthuk plan

Turn 2 Uthuk result

The Daqan forces executed a left echelon manouevre. Two units of archers plus the golem fired at the Uthuk unit of Blood Harvesters in the centre. Only one was injured. 1VP for a total of 3.
 

Turn 3 Daqan plan

Turn 3 Daqan result

The Uthuk retaliated with an atack on their left flank. Both units of Fleshrippers advanced with the weakened one moving behind the buildings to use them as cover. One of the archer units supported the advance and fired at the Mages, scoring 1 hit. 1 VP for a total of 3.

Turn 3 Uthuk plan

Turn 3 Uthuk result

The Daqan, facing an imminent attack on their right by the Uthuk Fleshrippers, called for a "desperate ploy" The Mages and the larger unit of archers both fired on the Fleshrippers that had moved into the buildings. However, the buildings shielded the enemy and the only outcome was another magic shield for the archers. 1VP for a total of 4.

Turn 4 Daqan plan

Turn 4 Daqan result

The Uthuk then launched a cavalry charge. The two units of Fleshrippers on the left surrounded the Daqan Mages and ran them down. The smaller unit then turned on the archers and killed two more of them before forcing them backwards. On the right, the third unit of Fleshrippers advanced ready to support further attacks. 2VP for a total of 5.
 

Turn 4 Uthuk plan

Turn 4 Uthuk result

Fearing their right flank was about to be overrun, the Daqan committed the forces in their centre to an attack. The Mages in the woods pulled back to take aim at the Fleshrippers in the town and the Golem backed them up with heavy fire. The lone archer on the hill also fired at the weakened unit of Fleshrippers. The combined firepower drove the enemy away, but did no actual damage. 1VP for a total of 5.

Turn 5 Daqan plan

Turn 5 Daqan result

 The Uthuk continued the pressure on their left and ordered the two Fleshripper units to patrol and clean up the remaining Daqan light troops. However, they were obviously exhausted after their earlier charge and rapid retreat and they had no effect on the defending archers and Mages. 1 VP for a total of 6.

Turn 5 Uthuk plan

Turn 5 Uthuk result

The Daqan commander urged her remaining men on the right flank to use the "clash of steel" to repel the Fleshrippers. There must have been some whisky in their porridge that morning because the defenders not only held their ground, but managed to kill two of the fleshrippers and drive another one away. 1 VP for a total of 6.

Turn 6 Daqan plan

Turn 6 Daqan result

The Uthuk then began to switch their effort from left to right, using the centre as a wedge. One unit of Fleshrippers was ordered to continue cleaning up the Daqan light infantry, which they did by overrunning the Mages and then charging into the remaining archer. Meanwhile the Chaos Lord moved away from the victory banner freeing it up for a unit of archers to secure it and take a shot at the Golem to poison it as they did so. On the far right the Berserkers were ordered forward ready to charge. 3 VP for a total of 9.

Turn 6 Uthuk plan

Turn 6 Uthuk result

The Daqan were quick to counterattack, albeit they no longer had any troops on their right flank. The Golem used its lore to treat the poison and fired at the Fleshrippers, missing them. The Mages also attacked the Fleshrippers and did succeed in killing the one on the hill and using their magic to shield some nearby units. The archers straddling the centre and left flanks fired at the Uthuk archers forcing them to withdraw. 2VP for a total of 8.
 

Turn 7 Daqan plan

Turn 7 Daqan result

The Uthuk pursued their attack on their right flank. The Fleshrippers swung around the woods and charged a unit of archers, with the aid of the "fury of Y’llan" (rolling 5 dice). However, even calling on their chaos magic they did no damage and the archers fought back killing two of the Fleshrippers. The other Uthuk attacks faired no better and the Berserkers were pushed back. 1VP for a total of 10. 

Turn 7 Uthuk plan

Turn 7 Uthuk result

The Daqan responded my ordering a "battlemarch" and activating 3 units: the siege golem, the mages and a unit of archers. The mages and archers failed to do any damage to the depleted unit of Fleshrippers, but the siege golem managed to destroy them. 2VP for a total of 10.

Turn 8 Daqan plan

Turn 8 Daqan result

In response, the Uthuk could only muster enough units to patrol on the right flank. But it was enough to do the damage. The berserkers attacked one unit of Daqan archers and used their "thousand cuts" ability to wound the second unit, but were unable to capture the extra objective location. The Uthuk archers also fired on the mages, but merely succeeded in poisoning them. 3VP for a total of 13.

Turn 8 Uthuk plan

Turn 8 Uthuk result

The Daqan responded by patrolling their left flank, where the mages were the only unit available to attack. They used their magic to remove the poison, advanced to retake the objective and managed to injure one of the Uthuk berserkers. However, the berserkers fought back and also wounded a mage. 1VP for a total of 11.

Turn 9 Daqan plan

Turn 9 Daqan result

The Uthuk then launched an "onslaught", ordering 3 infantry units into the fray. The archers and berserkers used the fact they were flanking the mages to destroy them and capture the objective. 3Vp for a total of 16 and victory.

Turn 9 Uthuk plan

Turn 9 Uthuk result