A fantasy start to the new year

Our first game of the year saw a fantasy battle as I got to try my hand for the first time using Mantic games Kings of War rules useing my dads Orcs & Goblins and Dwarf armies in a pitched battle scenario. I had read through the rules on a few occasions over the Christmas holidays so I had a fair idea how the rules would play, obviously the game was a good trial for me to see how certain units would fight and how effective shooting and spells etc would be along with which enemy units to try best avoid as your likely to get a good hiding! Unfortunately for the dwarfs on this day I was in command of them and they ended up on the wrong end of a server defeat. The game was fast and easy to play, and the rules were fun enough to feel like it was a fantasy game, it can be be abit hard when it's your opponents turn as they do all the dice (and lots of them too!) rolling while you just have to sit and take it, but at least if your troops survive you know you get to make immediate pay back in your turn. I'm looking foward to play them again as I now have a better idea of fighting capabilities of certain units and next time I fancy my undead army will make an appearance. Here are some photos of the game...

The centre of the dwarf lines deployed in front of the river

A giant and Trolls, lots of trolls 

The massed ranks of the Greenskins hordes

The Orc and Goblin flank was very mobile in the form wolfriders and chariots and Orc boar riders, particularly the quick moving and shooting ability of these troops.

Dwarf Berserker riders charge into the the goblin hordes as they cross the river

The Ironbelcher Organ gun tries to slow the advance of the on coming Trolls and giant as the Bulwarkers unleash there throwing mastiff at them, all to no avail 

In true Berseker fashion the red headed dwarfs get stuck into the action

And not wanting to be undone by the Red headed kin the second unit of Beserkers charges the oncoming Orc horde intent on finding a glorious doom

The Bulwarkers brace there spears as the giant and trolls come crashing into their ranks

The presence of the Dwarf battle standard helps to keep the warriors in the fight against a vicious attack from the orc horde

The Dwarf riders are cut down as the they are flanked by a unit of bouncing squigs, been flanked leads to double the amount of attacks...ouch

Things start to take a turn for the worse as the dwarf Beserkers don't quite rout the horde of goblins and find themselves flanked by a unit of Goblin wolfriders.

The main action sees the dwarf warriors just about holding the line as the giant jumps and down on top of the poor old organ gun

Just about every warrior, creature, wizard are engaged right across the battle line, cracking stuff!!

The heroic dwarf King (or foolish) charges the lumbering giant and proceeds to start to stab him in the toes as a troll Brusier and troll horde ready themselves for the Ironclad warriors and giant bear counter charge

Over running the Bezerkers the wolf riders crash into the flank of the earth elements along with a charge from a giant, note to ones self, double dice flank attacks are nasty so don't let it happen!

Against the odds the dwarf King survives the Giants return attacks but the collapse of the ironclad warriors sees my dwarf army well beaten and I conceded defeat.