And now for something completely different! OnG vs De 2000pts

So how about a change in armies? For this 3rd game I had already packed up the Empire and THEN got the green light from the boss that I could have a 3rd game. Sorted. Result-grab the orcs off the shelf and give them a go. I've always loved the orc army with its unpredictability and amazing hitting power, so looking forward to being in the driver's seat instead of the traffic officer's!

The list I took:
Warboss: AP sword, Armour of Destiny, Crown of Command
Orc lvl4
BSB, HA, Sh, 4+ ward
Gobbo lvl1
Gobbo lvl1: scroll
20 Orc boyz: FC
18 Savage Orc big uns: FC
2x5 wolfriders: spears
2x2 gobbo chariots
6 trolls
Pumpwagon
2 manglers
Doomdiver
Rocklobba

I was up against:
lvl4: +1 power dice, Dark lore
lvl2: scroll, fire
Cauldron bsb (played in the movie by a chariot base)
23 Spears: FC
5 harpies
5 Darkriders
2x10 xbows
2x5 shades
2x15 Black Guard: FC (one with flame and the other the infamous gobbo guard)
Hydra

So an interesting match up. We rolled the standard old pitched battle, so a good old punch up...just what the doctor ordered.
So we deployed:

As you can see the DElves went for a solid "line" while I went for a "run stuff at the line" approach. I really wanted to get out of my usual defensive orientated play style and see how much damage I could unleash. Basic plan was to see what of my fast stuff would reach his line before the boyz reach the line to clean up. Nice and simple.

Turn 1
So all the Orc enthusiasm for a bit of fisty cuffs paid off and they went first. However, the warboss's unit got a little TOO enthusiastic and beat each other up instead (rolled a 2). To be honest, I instantly regretted placing the manglers in front of the unit in case I rolled a 6 on the animosity table! The pump wagon got off the block with a 4 dice pump into the darkriders. The rest of the army stumbled forward annoyed there was nothing in charge range.

So I have to apologise for the slight dally into "normal" tactics with the trolls, however I have the excuse that the boyz didn't move. The winds of magic were not that kind giving 4v3 phase. I threw all the dice at vindictive glare, sneaking it through and killing 4 shades. In the shooting phase the doomdiver kills 2 of the flaming Black Guard. In combat, the Pumpwagon does a mighty 3 impact hits, killing 3. The horses do one wound back and the snotlings kill 1. The darkriders hold.

So the Dark Elves get off the block with the harpies flying into one of the mangler. The gobbo Guard get a 5+ ward from the cauldron.

The winds of magic blow kindly on the Darkelves, granting a 12 v 8 phase. The lvl2 starts on a bad note by failing to cast a 3d6 fireball. The lvl4, seizing the initiative, starts with a humble 2 dice Power of Darkness. This is however cast with IF (2nd time in 2 games...). Rolled a 10, lost 3 lvls, then generated 4 dice that killed the lvl4 as it could not cast with the generated dice. Ouch.
In the shooting phase, 40 xbow bolts = dead mangler. The shades shot at the wolfriders killing 1. I the combat, the Pump wagon killed the last Dark rider.

Turn 2
Testing the wind, the gobbo chariots line up the Gobbo Guard and charge, both making it into combat. The pumpwagon, getting caught up in the fun thunder into the Flaming Black guard.  The rest of the army moved in, feeling that they might miss out on all the fun.

The magic phase is a let down. 'eadbutt gets scrolled and the glare gets dispelled. The shooting phase is also a downer. The doomdiver misses by a million miles and the rocklobba kills 2 spears. Down to the real Orc phase, the Pumpwagon goes first, rolling over 8 Blacj guard before being finally cut down. The chariots, with 4d6+4 impact hits crushes the Gobbo guard under hoof (or is it paw???). The left unit overruns into the lvl2 (clipped it grrrr) and the other unit combo charges the xbow units.

 The spears then paniced and ran off the board thanks to the tactically placed wolfriders...


So starting the feel a little bit like the 1600point game in reverse, the Hydra goes for broke and charges into the Trolls. The Black Guard charge the flank of the chariots in combat with the xbows.  Cauldron gives the Black Guard +1 attack

I scroll the magic phase. In the shooting phase, the lvl1 with the glare takes a wound from the solo shade shooting it and the other shades fail to wound the lvl4. In combat, the lvl2 is run over. The other chariot unit does 6 wounds to the left xbow unit and4 to the right before being cut down my the Black Guard. This then panics the other chariots who flee 7 inches. In the troll combat, the Hydra is 1 wound short of breaking steadfast, so the trolls hold, failing to wound the hydra.

Turn 3
So, the warboss wanting to add a few Hydra heads to his collection charges into the flank of the hydra with his boyz, while the Savage big un's advance on what remains of the Dark Elf line.

The wolf riders decide to charge the xbows to try and break them while the other unit moved to do the same to the other unit.

A 10 v 6 dice magic phase starts with a shot at sneaky stabbing on the Boyz, which is wisely stopped. This gave me a 3d6 vindictive glare at the solo shade, smiting him many times over.
In the combat, the handlers target the BSB, doing nothing. The warboss swings his mighty axe at the hydra inflicting 2 wounds, the BSB follows suit doing 1 wound. The boyz, do 1 wound. The hydra, much wounded hits out at the warboss, failing to do any damage. The Trolls, then get the final killing blow in, slapping the hydra down with half eaten fish. What a nice team effort that was!

So we ended the game there, as the final result was a given. My artillery and magic would chase the last unit of shades, and my savage big uns would walk all over what remained of the Black Guard, while the wolfriders would either win or hold the combats with the much reduced xbows, allowing the savage big uns to mop up.

Post Battle
So a refreshing change of pace...thinking I should become an orc player by trade haha. Though I personally would swap out the trolls for squig handlers as they are not stupid, pack a hell of a punch, better steadfast, can take buildings, freeing up the big uns-who need a shrunken head- and are not i1...as much as I love the troll models. The chariots definetly demonstrated the fragile nature of the Dark Elves. Also the REAL BAD LUCK in losing the lvl4 turn 1 was painful, compounded by the trolls holding vs the hydra. Would the lvl4 made a difference? The only spell post lvl4 dying that made a difference was the 3d6 glare vs the remaining shade. I might have had to dodge a doom and darkness or a magic missile at the chariots, but I think my fast stuff still would have got through. If it had not, I had plenty of bodies in hot pursuit.

I really like the Orc list (except the trolls instead of handlers...) and my usual opponent will most likely retire the Dark elves at 2000 point level in favour of the orcs and the Warriors, which is a shame as the Dark elves can be very nasty-but are rather finicky to use. I do however want to run my High Elves vs them in a 2000 point game once they are up and running (I have leave coming up for just that purpose...).