Kings of War A Veteran Wargamer's Newbie Guide

I’ve had minis on the table to work through the different phases but tonight we put everything together and played the first full game of Ambush, Ratkin vs Abyssal Dwarfs.

Here are the two armies:

Ratkin won the roll off for sides and initial deployment so will also start the game with the first moves.  Simplified table layout with just two blocking terrain and two rough ground in play.

Initial deployment looked like this.  Ratkin held back the Night Terror until last and then put it on the wide right wing hoping to use its Sp 9 to whip around a flank.  The rest of the force will meet in the middle of the board and grind it out.  The Abyssal Dwarf plan is to advance and overwhelm a unit in melee and then pick off an exposed flank with the victorious unit.

Turn 1 – Ratkin

Ratkin move forward at the double except for one regiment of spears that gets stuck in the uneven terrain.  Ratkin have no shooting.  Turns out they stopped just out of charge range of the LOGs.  Lucky.  I’ll have to watch that in the future.

Turn 1 – Abyssal Dwarfs

Decimators on the left flank have to pivot to face the Night Terror.  Everyone else moves up.  Shooting from Decimators and Throwing Mastiffs plinks a bit of damage.

Turn 2 – Ratkin

Charges go in.  The Warlock issues Plague Pots to Ensnare the opponent of one regiment and a Bane Chant is cast.  Some damage but not much.  De 6+ is tough and De 4+ across the board isn’t a bargain either, even with regiments having 15 attacks.

Turn 2 – Abyssal Dwarfs

All locked in combat now so a Bane Chant is cast and fighting commences.  Damage is building up slowly but all Nerve tests are passed.

Turn 3

Fighting continues but units are getting close to routing now.  Blacksouls manage to beat the unit to their front but the Warlock pulls away and the Ratkin get the spare regiment across to cover.

Turn 4

Somehow the Ratkin fighting the LOGs are getting damage onto them every round and have built up 3 wounds.  They test their Nerve and roll a double 6.  My first rule query.  I’m pretty sure I got it right.  The LOGs are protected by the Iron-caster’s Inspiring so don’t Rout, they just need to take the test again.  However, before that happens a double 6 that doesn’t Rout a unit does D6 additional damage.  Ratkin roll a 1 (Boo!) taking the unit up to 4 wounds.  Ratkin player rolls Nerve test again and gets a 10 and with the 4 Damage already taken Routs the 14+ Nerve LOGs!  That loss blows the middle out of the Abyssal line and to compound the issue the Night Terror finishes off the Decimators. You can see the fateful Nerve rolls behind the Abyssal Dwarf units in the picture.

With only one unit left the Abyssal Dwarfs concede.  For practice it was played out anyway and contrary to the odds the Blacksouls took out the unit in front of them after surviving a flank charge from the Night Terror.  They got got next turn.  The Iron-caster was holding off the other regiment who couldn’t get past his De 5+ but they would have flanked him next turn and a Bane Chant and charging Night Terror would have done for him.

Victory to the Ratkin!

That was a great game.  Initially it looked like the better combat ability of the Abyssal Dwarfs would win through but the LOGs performed poorly against a unit supported by Plague Pots for a couple of rounds.  That gave the Ratkin time to keep chipping damage onto their opponents and a couple of high Nerve test rolls and they win.

It shows that the margins are fine in this game so any mistakes will be painful.  Great fun and I got the win! (And yes, I know I’m playing solo at the moment, shhh, don’t take away my moment of triumph).