Empire v Skaven 11/28

We played a post-thanksgiving 2000 point game of Empire vs Skaven.

Here's a brief synopsis thats poorly edited with a lot of pictures. Some of the account is accurate.  

Deployment...

In view below is most of the Empire army of Leitzburg, led personally by Baron Edmund The (normally) Absent on his pegasus, Peg. Two units of knights, The Taal Eagles spearmen (red / yellow), the Bloodpine Shields swordsmen  (red / blue) led by the local Graf, Dieter, and the baron's personal bodyguard the Leitzguard, full armoured Greatswordsmen (full plate armor on foot).  In the distance is the Skaven horde... 

 The rest of the Empire army in view below: Knights of the Order of Grey Plastic, a pistoliers unit The Sons of Taal, two cannons, and a small contingent of skirmishing Stirland Archers, the Deathjacks.

Below are lots of Skaven. I hate Skaven.

 Large unit of large Rat Ogres, unit of Stormvermin led by army general Lord Thrott (his debut appearance), a block of clanrats, two rat swarms, Warp Lightning Cannon Thing, and unit of giant rats.

Deployment errors: I made many. Skaven dropped first unit and it was that big unit of Rat Ogres. I didnt even know he had that many ogres.  I was psychologically on tilt and it affected every deployment decision I made after that, compounding errors. I would spend majority of first 3 turns digging myself out of this hole. Luckily, I brought a Helblaster volley gun...

Turn 1 skaven moved up. warp cannon killed stuff.
turn 1 empire, much deliberation, both knights charged. Reiksguard failed charge and get stuck in middle of field. Panther made the charge and slam into Rat Ogres. Pistoliers sweep around flank and shoot at the mass of giant rats, killing one.
Cannon hits Lord Thrott, poor rolling ends up only one wound which he regenerates.

uh oh...Reiksguard knights didnt make it

 Knights panther cause massive damage, killing 2 rat ogres outright and leaving a 3rd wounded. Rat Ogres fail the break check, run and on a poor pursuit roll the knights panther don't catch them but get close.  everyone passes panic checks

 turn 2 skaven rat ogres rally. clan rats take opportunity to charge knights stuck in poor position. knights intentionally flee hoping to set up artillery shots.

 warp engineer unleashes warp lightning on the pistoliers, killing 3 and causing them to panic.

 Warp cannon targets the grey knights, misfire, spin around and it fires through the storm vernon and hits the castle.

 turn 2 empire Reiksguard barely rally behind the greatswords pistoliers fail to rally and keep running.  grey knights charge rat pack.

 panthers pass fear check and again charge rat ogres. no one is sure why.

 cannons totally miss but the helblaster unleashes long range volley and annihilates 14 clan rats, cutting the huge unit in half.

hel.

combat with rat ogres is a draw, grey knights win combat with giant rats and run them down.

 turn 3 skaven clan rats charge great swords, tunnel team fails to show up again, storm vermin charge hand gunner detachment rat swarm charges grey knights who intentionally flee trying to avoid the "tarpit" of two swarms.  clan rats lose combat but hold, greatswords lap around. hand gunners stand and shoot, wounding one rat. storm vermin hit the hand gunners, beat them and they run. storm vermin can't pursue because Thrott sits there eating remains of vanquished. Rat ogre combat, ogres lose but hold.

turn 3 empire: Baron edmund, spears, and swords charge storm vermin. the free company detachment is in the way to swordsmen fail their charge.  Reiks knights reform and try to wind their way behind the line and support the right flank. both cannons misfire.  helblaster continues killing things.

 Throt challenges the Baron who accepts. Baron and Peg cause two wounds on Throatt and he fails to regen them. in the swirl, empire wins combat but it's a draw.

 Greatswords win combat and break the clan rats, but Griffon standard means they can't pursue. Rat ogres finally win combat against remaining Panther who flees. Rat Ogres pursue right into the free company detachment.

 turn 4 skaven: rat swarms charge grey knights who dither but eventually accept. tunnel team finally arrives and scatters right into the cannon. they charge cannon crew, who flees, but they catch them and charge anyway (this was a mistake, crewmen should have been run down when caught).

 Big showdown, Baron kills Thrott, we're confused about regen rules but he fails anyway, spears cause more wounds, skaven lose combat and flee, pegasus runs them down killing big unit and general. not good but Rat Ogres pass panic check, then break the free company in combat who flee. short pursue leaves ogres right in front of swordsmen. Fleeing members of Empre Free Company wondering how the hell they survived combat with Rat Ogres. 

turn 4 empire:  swords reform to prepare for charge of ogres. not sure why i didn't charge them first but oh well. moved other units to surround ogres, too. huntsmen charge the tunnel team, and break them in combat! can't believe it and don't pursue them enough.

 turn 5 skaven. ogres charge swords, who fail to save anything, entire first rank of 6 guys dies. the graf does his best to kill an ogre but the weight of combat is against them and they flee. the poor saps that survived from the free company thought they were safe but the pursue brings the ogres right into combat with them again!. this saves the swords from getting run down.

 turn 5 empire: grey knights finally kill the rat swarm. spears and greatsowrds find themselves out of position. Baron and Reiks charge the rat ogres. big mess of combat with multiple charges, challenges and rules confusion.  we do many things wrong but who cares. In the end the rats win combat but all Empire units pass their checks.

turn 6 skaven - tunnel team rallies, but the Baron wins combat with rat ogres who flee and the pegasus runs them down.  Tunnel team only Skaven unit left on the board. Huge win for the Empire!