The battle of Varenka Hills

For the last game of the campaign I wanted something special, so I gathered four players for a big 3.000 points doubles game in the Varenka Hills north of Barak Varr; the winners of which would get to grab an extra territory before the war for the Border Princes came to an end

Karaz a Karak and empire were facing an antinatural alliance between elves and slayers in a battle for the control of some ruins in the middle of the battlefield. Rushing both dwarves to the objective thanks to several runes and special rules

The enemy left flank was composed mostly of elves

Holding the slayers the right

First blood went to the Empire when a cannonball killed a doomseeker

Then Asarnil came out from behind the woods, ordering his dragon to breathe fire on the artillerymen

It was now the second turn and everyone was charging the foe

A unit of Reiksguard running down some poor shadow warriors who had advanced too much

And the formidable brotherhood of Grimnir cutting dwarf warriors to ribbons

having annihilated the foe my knights them smashed into the dragon princes and received a flank charge from some lancers, but well protected by plate armour they slaughtered the arrogant elf nobles and sent both units packing

In the center meanwhile the dwarfs were keeping a tense standoff on top of the ruins, while greatswords and spearmen got into combat

The brotherhood meanwhile had been slowed down by the dwarf warriors, who redirected them away from the ruins with a smart use of rallying and pinpoint attacks that killed the enemy general

In an ill conceived move that won us the battle the slayers pursued out of the board, leaving the ruins unprotected and themselves exposed to artillery fire

The Reiksguard meanwhile had a field day killing elves

While the spearmen were surrounded and slaughtered by the Carroburg greatswords

Even Asarnil fell after enduring miraculously a turn of fire unscathed, killed at last by a dwarf cannons and the imperial helblaster gun

Some losses were suffered however, such as this regiment of spearmen that fled

But on the far left a humble unit of halberdiers was holding the elite phoenix guard 

Time was running out for the slayers, and they launched a series of charges that saw them shot down by the disciplined imperial troops

At last the hammerers charged, slaughtering the pitiful band of slayers that was contesting the ruins

It was all over for elves and slayers, who lost the goblin hewer to a single round of artillery fire

And the brotherhood to hellbalster and organ gun

And so the day ended in a victory for dwarves and men, who held the ruins with two units

After the battle Barak Barr and Matorea were liberated, ending the Empire as the overall winner of the campaign with nine territories

Grudge match at Matorea

 

In the last turn of the campaign the Karaz a Karak player decided to cross the Black Gulf and attack his brothers of the Cult of Grimnir, starting a grudge-filled battle for the possession of a small coastal town

The mountain dwarfs got first turn and sniped Makaisson's goblin hewer with a catapult shot, taking down the only warmachine of the enemy in turn one

Then organ guns and quarrelers opened fire, killing two out of four doomsekers

Under a terrible barrage of fire the slayers kept advancing, leaving many comrades behind their death oaths to Grimnir at last fulfilled

While things went form bad to worse for the crazed dwarf maniacs in the left...

...their right flank looked much more promising

Charging two blocks of slayers a single unit of ironbreakers

While in the center Long Drong's pirates routed the thunderers with a fusillade of pistol shot

Both generals traded blows in the big melee, but even fully kitted with runes they didn't cause a single wound during the challenge

Around them however the slayers had killed a ton of ironbreakers with their two handed axes, causing the rout of the unit and the death of the general, killed by his short foes during the pursuit

On the left meanwhile just a line of dwarves had managed to reach the foe, challenging their dragonslayer an enemy hero

After routing the ironbreakers the slayers wiped out the quarrellers

Backing a longbeard unit against the corner

On the other side of the battlefield the dragonslayer finally managed to kill his opponent

Only to be swamped by his vengeful comrades and killed

Seizing the moment the longbeards charged and killed a score of slayers, who thanks to being unbreakable shrugged it off and kept fighting

In the right Drong and his mates attacked the second ironbreaker block, but facing greater numbers and rank after rank of stout dwarves, they lost the combat

And in the last charge of the game the longbeards were flanked by the general and routed from the field

In the end a battle that began as a slaughter of slayers in a surprising victory for the Cult of Grimnir

And with this last battle end the campaign turn. Keep in touch for the final battle next week where we will fight in a big multiplayer game to decide the fate of the Border Princes

The fall of Reaver's Keep

 

After their string of defeats in the Badlands the stout dwarves of Karaz a Karak flee forwards, marching north to the castle of Reaver's Keep and beseieging the Duchy of Ibar mercenaries holding the place

To conquer the fortress the dwarfs have brought quite the artillery train, lugging two cannons blazing with runes and a pair of organ guns into place

Before them the well disciplined Bande Nere mercenaries, who have enlisted the help of two roaming wizards to aid in the defenece. The castle itself is pretty new, made by myself from polyurethane and balsa wood for the occasion

The bordersmen have first turn and snipe an organ gun with a cannon shot

But in the next turn a might roar signals the start of the dwarven bombardment, basting open the gates

The stoic warriors march to the breach under heavy fire from handguns and spells, singing their war chants and leaving their fallen behind

But then from within the fortress the ground erupts and no less than 40 dwarves appear in the castle courtyard wielding their mattocks and with wrath on their eyes

Thing go from bad to worse for the Duchy as one of the towers starts to shake under the cannonade

While in the courtyard men and dwarves come to grips

Another round of dwarf shooting sees one tower ruined and the other swept clear of defenders

The defenders crumbling also inside the fort

The bright wizard comes down and starts incinerating swathes of dwarves

But by then the longbeards and warriors have already closed on the gate

Finally a last charge of miners cuts down the wizard and all hope is lost for the defenders

Falling the castle in dwarven hands

Having completed his conquest, the Karaz a Karak player ends his turn. The Duke of Ibar opts then to retreat seizing ground in the northern Border Princes, while the Cult of Grimnir takes Matorea from the elves and invests in some spies.