Battle Report: Famine, Sword, & Fire - 'A Reminder to the Cattle'

I've decided to run another small series of three narratively linked games of FSF - this time using the brand spankin' new undead and the older 'not Dacian' miniatures I originally assembled for the game.

Background:

My newly minted undead force represents an as-of-yet-unnamed family of vampires.  For this very first blooding (wink!), I've decided that a local witch has been rousing local tribsmen to stand against the ruling vampire family.  In an effort to remind the cattle of their role in this region, one of the vampires has taken a small force to raid the chieftain's farmstead.

Scenario:

This game uses the 'Raid the Farmstead' scenario which is still a work in progress.  For this game, the attackers have an advantage in numbers (300 points to 240), but the defenders have a few units starting on the table, and can control the peasant mobs.  Victory points are scored for killing enemy units, but also by securing any of the following: six loot tokens, three peasant mobs (must be killed or exit the table to score), and a supply wagon (must be escorted off the table).

I rolled randomly for a season and rolled 'Summer'.  I did not roll the extreme weather, so just the normal seasonal rules for summer.  This depletes certain traits and can slow units down - something which is paramount in this scenario.

 

Vampire Force (300 Points):

1x Veteran Heavy Chariot (General) (Scythes, Slashing Attack, Shocking Charge, Rugged Construction)

1x Regular Flying Monster (Bellowing, Diving Attack)

1x Regular Flying Monster (Bellowing, Diving Attack)

1x Company(5) Veteran Heavy Infantry (Cruel, Steadfast, Shocking Charge, Vanguard)

1x Company(5) Veteran Heavy Infantry (Cruel, Steadfast, Shocking Charge, Resolute)

1x Company(5) Levy Beast Pack (Obedient Pets)

1x Company(5) Levy Beast Pack (Obedient Pets)

1x Courier

A small force, and not remotely ideal for this scenario but these are the models I have available.  I have enough speed, but not many bodies (which is important in FSF).  In order to successfully fight a larger unit I'll have to combine units to attack simultaneously, etc.  Lots of 'shock' potential in this army, and some hot nasty speed with beast packs and flying monsters (ghosts!).

 

Villagers (240 Points):

1x Company(7) Regular Light Infantry (Great Horn, Shieldwall, Vanguard)

1x Company(7) Regular Light Infantry (Great Horn, Shieldwall, Trusted Lieutenant)

1x Detachment(4) Regular Light Cavalry (Pursuit, Javelins)

1x Veteran Light Chariot (Squadron, Nimble Carriage, Noble Transport)

1x Veteran Light Chariot (Squadron, Nimble Carriage, Noble Transport)

1x Elite Hero (General) (Spellcasting, Master of Magicks, Loyal Companion, Magical Gift, Legendary Foe)

1x Courier

The village force is small, but two solid bricks of light infantry will be a great spine for the force.  The hero leading them is concealed in one of the infantry units (I'm only allowed to deploy two units, so I can use the conceal rules to get a third unit on the table!).  Hoping for lots of decent magic, and I'll use the new 'Great Horn' trait to reduce reinforcement times for my off-table chariots and cavalry.

 

Table Set-Up:

In this scenario, all of the seizable goods (loot, peasants, and supply wagon) are scattered randomly from the table center.  The villagers lucked out with several peasant mobs nearly in the villager deployment zone.  Two loot and the supply wagon ended up right next to the undead table edge (easy points for them if needed).

Player Turn One: Vampires

The vampire turn was a quick one.  Going first meant one thing: deploying onto the table.  My lone skeleton unit with 'Vanguard' moved up toward the loot and supply wagon, while only the general's chariot, one monster, and the other skeleton unit showed up on the table.  The other monster and two beast packs did not.

Player Turn One: Villagers

With mediocre vampire arrivals, the villagers would have a couple of turns to run peasants off the table, securing needed victory points.  Two of the three peasant mobs moved, scuttling toward the villager's table edge.  The third did not, stuck squabbling over whether or not to take another cart of goods.  Nearby the 'witch' emerged from the light infantry unit, and both light infantry units advanced quickly.  With the table layout there were two main avenues of approach, and I sent one unit down each.  While outnumbered, the villagers could steal a win if they could hold off the vampires for a few crucial turns.  The light infantry units were each seven bases and I hoped they would hold fast against the slightly stronger vampire units.

Turn One: Villagers 0/9.  Vampires 0/9

Player Turn Two: Vampires

Sensing the panic creeping into the farmstead, the vampire eased his chariot forward and then issued a high pitched whistle.  Almost immediately a dozen tattered and bleeding wolves arrived, jaws drooling.  Nearby the skeletons advanced past the supply wagon (they could possibly secure that later...).  On the other side of town the other skeleton unit advanced, but the ghosts hesitated - and the other set of ghosts failed to arrive.   The fast units were not moving...this might give the peasants too much time to flee!

 Player Turn Two: Villagers

The witch surveyed the farmstead, and seeing the arrival of more enemies - she activated her magical gift (a randomly determined item).  This placed a 'shock' token on all enemy units - excluding one enemy unit which was immune to shock.  Nearby the light infantry advanced and went into shield wall, nearing the enemy skeletons.  One of the peasant mobs was already fleeing off the table, while one more moved, and the third failed to activate.  The other light infantry unit also failed to activate - giving the vampires a glimmer of hope.

Turn Two: Villagers 0/9.  Vampires 0/9

Player Turn Three: Vampires

With some mediocre rolling and stiffer than expected resistance mounting in the town, the vampires found themselves on the back foot.  The shock tokens inflicted by the enemy spellcaster did their job, and did it well.  Several vampire units failed to activate, though at last the final set of ghosts drifted onto the battlefield.  One beast pack sprinted around a distant farmhouse, trying to find a way around the villagers' infantry units (to get to the juicy peasants!).  Time was not on the vampires side...for a quick and easy victory at least.

Player Turn Three: Villagers

Things were looking rather rosy for the villagers at this point - no one had scored any victory points, but that meant no peasants had been eaten alive, and there was a chance for the underpowered villagers to steal the game.

Almost forgetting their traits, I tried to use the infantry great horns to push up the reinforcement value of the off-table units.  Fortunately both infantry units succeeded - moving into formation and sounding their great horns (this pulled two units forward one turn -- allowing the light cavalry and one of the chariots to arrive this turn!).

One of the peasant mobs moved off the table, with another close on its heels.  In the table center the light infantry in shield wall moved to block the entire road, as the witch hurled a fireball at the vampire on his chariot - daring him to approach closer.

 

Turn Three: Villagers: 1/9.  Vampires: 0/9.

 

Player Turn Four: Vampires

Things were starting to look...dire.  The villagers were well set up in defense, and now more units were arriving from off-table (including some cavalry which would be able to chase down the beast packs).

The vampire chariot, being helmed by the largest and dumbest of the vampires, decided to simply charge headlong into the shield wall infantry in the center of town.  It was an act of desperation that actually paid off.  The infantry scored nothing, while suffering the loss of a base...and a shock token. The vampire than spent his courier to ensure that the nearby skeletons would charge in - and boy did they.  Scoring no less than three combat tokens against the shielded infantry.  In a moment the shield wall shattered, bodies fell, and the unit suffered several shock tokens.  In one turn the unit had been shattered.

Nearby undead wolves raced forward, looking for easy targets as the skeletons and one of the ghost pairs moved up along the other table edge.  The skeletons picked up a loot token, to hold for later.

 

No victory points, but breaking the center line of the villagers was big.

 

Player Turn Four: Villagers

The witch watched as the brave villagers lost formation under the concentrated charge of the undead horde.

She sent her courier to the recently arrived light cavalry.  The cavalry nodded and sprinted around the village, running smack into one of the beast packs.  They cut one wolf down with javelins on the way in, and then skewered two more on the charge.  This would be a quick fight, and then the vampires would have to worry about their flank.

Another mob of peasants ran off the table, while the third hustled through some crops.  Nearby a chariot wheeled by, loosing arrows at the ghosts in the distance.

 

On the left the light infantry formed into shield wall, waiting the attack of the skeletons, ghosts and beast pack.

The witch cast a fireball, injuring the vampire on his chariot as he swept his huge mace around, seeking to crush the villagers.  Desperately the light infantry tried to hold back the towering vampire.

 

Turn Four: Villagers 2/9.  Vampires: 0/9

 

Player Turn Five: Vampires

Despite the progress in the center of the table, the vampires still weren't scoring.  I needed to score some points and kill some models to give me room to run some loot or wagons off the table and secure a victory.

 In the center the skeletons broke the light infantry, chopping down another base.  The light infantry fled down the main road.  Seeing an opening the vampire drove his chariot at the witch.  They engaged in combat, neither doing damage.

 

On the near table edge the hopelessly outnumbered wolves somehow managed to stall the light cavalry (which would have been able to use pursuit to charge the skeletons nearby!).  The wolves had some gumption and even tore the necks out of a few horses.

On the far table edge battle was finally met.  The other unit of skeletons smashed into the light infanty, both units losing a base.  Nearby one of the ghost pairs rocketed across the table, slaying three of four bases of the final peasant mob!

It had been a surprisingly solid turn for the vampires.  The villagers were showing signs of weakness, finally.

 

Player Turn Five: Villagers

Things had gone from rather good to rather bad almost immediately.  On the plus side the fleeing light infantry in town immediately rallied, though they were in poor shape to fight.

In the town center the witch used one of her abilities to exit combat with the chariot, escaping through a gap which would prevent the chariot from following.  On the far left the remaining peasant mob tried to flee from the ghosts, breaking in the process (though in this scenario it won't score points for the vampires if it runs off the table while broken!).

 

The light infantry and skeletons battled fiercely, with little change, as chariots zipped around hurling arrows at the aethereal ghosts gliding past them.

On the right flank the light cavalry broke the wolf pack and then charged into the back of the skeletons, slaying several and shocking the unit.

 

These pesky villagers were proving a genuine issue for the vampire and his lumbering hordes of undead servants. 

 

Turn Five: Villagers: 3/9.  Vampires: 1/9

 

Player Turn Six: Vampires

The game was still going slightly awry for the vampires, despite some decent progress last turn.  The lone wolf pack member rallied, saving them a victory point at least.

In the center, the vampire chariot charged into the recovered light infantry, inflicting no casualties (though some tokens!).  He whistled for a beast pack to join him, but their charge was an inch or two short.  Behind him the skeletons continued to battle the light cavalry which had snuck around the flank, and on the other end of the table the skeletons and light infantry were stuck in a grinding fight.

In the wheat field the ghosts floated through the peasants, sucking their souls out - securing the first real victory point.

 

Player Turn Six: Villagers

The villagers were sneaking up the victory points while the vampires struggled to secure more than one.

Things began turning sour, slowly.  On the right the light cavalry broke against the handful of remaining skeletons, and they galloped (at speed, mind you) toward their table edge.  In the center the witch screamed, hurling a useless fireball at the grinning vampire as he smashed several skulls in amongst the light infantry.  On the left the skeletons continued to pressure the light infantry.

The witch was running out of bodies, and out of time.

 

Turn Six: Villagers: 2/9  Vampires: 2/9 (insert theme to 'Jaws'...)

 

Player Turn Seven: Vampires

The vampire swept his massive mace from his chariot, his anger growing at the gall of these petty humans.  His undead wolves gathered about the humans, gnashing at them, but the humans fended off everything, showing a bizarre amount of mettle for mortals.

 

To his left the last remaining wolf of the other beast pack was chasing fiercely after the fleeing light cavalry, failing to catch them by a few inches.

On the right the ghosts swirled about, using their traits to inflict shock tokens on the human units.  The skeletons engaged the other light infantry unit. Chaos erupted as two of the skeleton bases disintegrated and the undead staggered away - broken.  The humans lost bodies as well and their shield wall crumbled.

 

Player Turn Seven: Villagers

The fighting was reaching a fever pitch, and the witch knew they wouldn't be able to hold much longer.  On the right the two remaining bases of light cavalry recovered, though they were going to be attacked by the last crazed dire wolf almost immediately.  In the center the witch split the heavens and produced a vast lightning storm which inflicted a wound on the vampire, scared the wolves and unfortunately killed some of her own men - causing the unit to break and flee.

On the left the humans were doing better.  The chariots were loosing arrows, causing the fleeing skeletons to run even faster, and the infantry reformed into shield wall after shattering and charged into one of the ghosts.

 

Despite some minor successes, the numbers game was not going the way of the humans...

 

Turn Seven: Villagers 3/9.  Vampires 2/9.

 

Player Turn Eight: Vampires

With the fight in the center slowing, the vampire snapped his fingers and sent his remaining beast pack to chase down and devour the remaining light cavalry.  They accomplished this with minimal losses.  In the center the vampire gloured at the witch and instead charged down the fleeing light infantry, suddenly all too aware that his wounds were not healing fast enough and the witch was a potent threat.

On the left of the field the ghosts engaged with the other light infantry reached through their armour and stopped the hearts of several men.  The other soldiers lost hope and broke as the ghost cleaved down many of them.

Sadly the fleeing skeletons did not recover and would likely be shot off the table by the remaining chariots who were racing around, pelting everything they could see.

 

Player Turn Eight: Villagers

All around the witch men were fleeing or being cut down.  She saw horses being devoured by wolves, the huge vampire trampling down fleeing men, and ghostly apparitions everywhere...

...at this point I called the game as the villagers while leading the victory points were all but destroyed.  I used the witch to cast a fireball at the vampire and then charge it, but she didn't inflict any damage.  The two remaining chariots tried to shoot some ghosts and skeletons to no avail.

 

In the end a rather close victory for the vampires, but only because they initially outnumbered the villagers by a strong unit.