On the second round of the campaign I (the dwarfs) met the skaven team.
I think Alex has some pics of the battle.
The setup was that there were 5 chests full of loot on the board that we had to fetch and run to the tableedge. Needless to say that my stunties werent all too thrilled about meeting speedy skavens on a mobility scenario. One of the chests (randomized after recovery) would hold the winning item. A tome of power (campaign loot).
Well... I bitched a little about ending up in a mobility scenario vs. skavens and then graciously granted the skaven player the fun of having the chance to really shine.
The skaven player had 11 models on the board. I had 7 (and a slayer out due to a legwound).
I prepared myself for a very fast (and boring) game that would end with my crushing defeat.
The setup of the scenario stated, that one of the chests would be situated in the middle building of the board. The remaining 4 chests should be placed by the players at least 12 inches from the tabletop and at least 8 inches apart.
I placed the chests on the ground (dwarves with Initiative 2 isnt keen on climbing) and the skaven player placed the chests high in buildings.
It ended up with 4 chests more or less being to one side of the board and a lone chest being up high on the other side of the board. I decided to forefeit the single chest and make an effort to cover ground on the 4 other chests.
Dwarves chose side first and set up first. I totally disregarded the single chest.
Next the skaven player set up his force. He chose a lone skaven to pick up the single chest.
Skavens got to move first. I sighed, slumped back in the chair and just watched him wipe the floor with me.
Lucky for me he left one skaven open for my Tilean Marksman HS to spot through a ladder and a window. The skaven was in deep cover but still visible to the Marksman who doesnt really care about petty things such as range and cover.
In my turn the stunties charged out with remarkle speed (6 inches) to recover some chests and the Marksman chose to take a crack at the barely visible skaven. The skaven was 29,5 inches away. The marksman had estimated the distance perfectly with his hawkeyes. He fired through the ladder and the window, hit, wounded and took the skaven out of action. It was killed and would never see the day of light. Some would call it luck.. I am sure the Tilean Marksman would call it skills. A cheer went through the dwarf ranks and a scream of fear and surprise went through the skavens.
At least this scenario would end with me rolling once for combat. Not as boring as I had anticipated.
The following 3 turns turned out as demoralizing for the dwarfs as could be expected.
After the skaven team had heard the dying scream of the skaven whos neck got pierced by a crossbowbolt, the rest of the skavens ran when they could get to full cover and moved to hide if they would only be in half cover. The skaven were somewhat slower in their progress due to caution but still a whole lot faster than the dwarves. The dwarves never saw a rat on the board during these rounds and very fast 4 chests got into skaven possession.
The dirty rats quickly recovered 2 chests from the ground and 2 from upstairs in some buildings and the dwarfs ended up with just one from the ground (which still could be the one that would grant them the win for the scenario).
During the 4 rounds, I had moved as fast as I could with my dwarves and even moved my superfast halfling scout HS (movement 4.. .WOW!) out to cover some ground and hopefully get into shooting range of a skaven.
In round 5 things suddently turned interesting. The skavens had 3 chests at the tableedge and one being carried down from a building rather close to the edge when the lone skaven that had climbed to get the chest up high in a building, tried to climb down with it. The player rolled once for climbing which would be a success on 1-5..... Drumroll... a 6 turned up.
Skaven curses and dwarven cheers. The skaven fell and knocked it self out. The entire skaven warband (apart from the lone falling skaven) had placed itself strategically around a big building ready to jump the tableedge whenever the 4. chest was secure.
The dwarves were at this point split in two groups.
Group one: The Engeneer (with A2) and a crossbow, 1 thunderer (an aspirering hero who shot out the eye of the leader of the witchhunter gang in the first gameround) and the halfling scout who had a few inches lead on the stunties.
Group two: The Noble, 1 dwarf troll slayer (the other was sitting it out after a nasty legwound from a wardog in first gameround) and one clansman. The Tilean Marksman who had covered most of the board from his position for a few rounds had left his snipingspot and was trying to catch up to group 2.
Group two was only 2 rounds from closing in on the skavens when the lone skaven fell to the ground with the chest and knocked itself out.
The meleegroup charged forward and ended up in visual range of 6 skavens. One being a sorcerer with warpfire (someone forgot that a model can both run double distance and use magic in same turn...yeah, yeah... It might even have been me who forgot). The castergroup contained 1 sorcerer, one spearman and 2 slingers with clubs. Flanking the dwarves were 2 slingers with clubs and daggers.
The shooting group noticed the falling skaven and suddently saw a possibility that this game wouldnt be all boring and about watching skavens run to fetch loot in front of dwarven noses. The shooting group who was 24 or so inches from the fallen skaven (which was in good cover btw) made a dash towards the skaven.
On round 6 the lone skaven turned over still struggling to get on its feet. It managed to crawl 2 inches towards the tableedge. Still in cover. This is where the rats thought they had the upper hand of the dwarves. They smelled some easy dwarven scalps to be had and moved in for the kill on the meleegroup with the Noble in front. Not throwing caution to the wind, the player decided to play it safe and jump the 3 lootcarrying rats over the tableedge. Secure loot = good loot. The scenario would end whenever the Tome of Power was revealed in a chest.
Unfortunately for the skaven player neither of the 3 chests had the winning Tome of Power. (we rolled for loot right away after the chests was carried off the board.) There now was a 50/50 chance that the dwarven noble had the winning chest in his possession.
The eskin sorcerer moved forward flanked by 3 rats to protect it. 2 other rats moved in position to shoot with slings. One rat remained hidden somewhat between the forwarding dwarves group two and the still stunned ratman with the 4th chest.
The esking sorcerer tried to channel a warpfire spell but found it to be too complex. 4 rats tried to shoot with slings. Neither hitting or being leathal enough to damage the tough dwarfs.
This is when the dwarves broke out in laughter. Some would say a wicked, evil laughter. I still claim it was a rightious laughter. Finally some action from a scenario I considered lost before it started.
Unfortunately the skaven player had timed his castergroups distance perfectly. The skavens were at distance 7 inches so no dwarves could reach them. However one of the two slingers that had moved up on the dwarves flank were in chargerange of the orangehaired suicidal psychopat slayer (poor ratman).
The Noble who had no opponents in chargerange but was in shooting and spellrange himself brought out his brace of pistols and blessed his pistoleer skill (someone had anticipated situations like this). The noble moved 3 inches closer and fired twice. One shot missing due to range and movement and another turning up as a 1.... GRRRRRR! Darn blackpowder rules. Luckily it only meant that the pistol would take one additional round to load.
The clansman moved up behind the Noble.
The slayer lifted his twohanded axe and charged the skaven that was unfortunate enough to miscalculate the distance to the insane dwarf. The skaven rolled first in close combat but missed. The slayer grinned and rolled...... a 1.
The Tilean Marksman was till trying to catch up to the dwarves.
On the other side of the centerbuilding the halfling was getting way ahead of the 2 dwarves. He was now in visible range of the formerly hidden skaven who was no longer hidden. Also the halfling now had line of sight to the stunned skaven on the ground. The 2 dwarves did their best to catch up with the halfling.
Somehow the previous rightious laughter from the dwarves now sounded somewhat hollow.
It was the rats turn to act and I must say I anticipated trouble. The sorcerer moved back a tad and tried to warpfire the Noble and the clansman...fizzle!... (pheew).
2 rats in the caster group decided to double shoot with slings at the Noble. One rat hit with a critical . -4 on armor save (boy was I glad I decided to go against everyones friendly suggestion and buy Gromril armor at the start of the campaign.... NOT) and plus 2 to the injury roll. Luckily the dwarf "only" ended up stunned considering there was a 50/50 chance that he would be OOA.
The 2 rats that had flanked the meleegroup and where one now were in CC with the slayer decided that they both wanted to gang up on the slayer. They both rolled 2 combat dices but failed to wound the tough dwarf. After that the slayer grinned and rolled.... a 1.
I was ready to scream at this point. Everything but the Tilean Marksmans initial shot had gone wrong.
The formerly hidden skaven that the halfling had spotted contemplated on charging the halfling but reasoned that it then would be prone to 2 shots from the oncoming dwarves from behind. Instead the skaven opted to move up to cover the rear of the sorcerer who was in a position where the shooting dwarves within 2 rounds could be in shooting range and LOS of the caster from behind.
The formerly stunned skaven with the 4th chest stumpled to its feet and staggered 6 inches towards nearest building away from the charging halfling.
Somehow the rightious laughter didnt sound this round when it was the dwarves turn to act.
The stunned Noble crawled 2 inches around a corner. The Clansman ran ahead and valiantly positioned himself between the Noble and the whole skaven castergroup.
The halfling moved to get LOS of the skaven with the chest and took a shot at it. Hitting it and knocking it unconcious to the ground once more. Luck had once again smilled upon me. This would buy me another 2 rounds to get into range of the darn chest which still was 16 or so inches away from the halfling. The 2 shooting dwarves ran further up still not able to quite see the skaven with the 4th chest.
The slayer braced himself to recieve 4 attacks from the two rats cirkling him. A lesser man would have broken in fear to the odds but for someone seeking glory in death fear wsnt a factor. All the attacks from the two rats missed or failed to injure the tough dwarf. As the slayers grip tightened around the hilt of his axe the two rats started ridiculing him for his lack of skill with the weapon. Apparently repeatedly rolling 1's on the to hit dice doesnt command a whole lot of respect.
A fire started to burn in the slayers eyes and he gave one of the rats a wound deep enough to send it whimpering to the ground not to be heard of again in this scenario.
The Tilean Marksman finally made it all way up to the Noble but still not in LOS of any rats that werent already in CC.
Now the skaven player had to act. He had "only" lost 2 models so he couldnt flee yet.
He cursed the fact that the 4th chest once again fell to the ground so close to the tableedge.
He saw the oncoming shooting dwarves and halfling gaining on the unfortunate lone skaven and opted to draw his castergroup further back towards the lone skaven and away from the dwarven Noble and clansman. This way he would be able to intercept the halfling. He send one skaven spearman charging the clansman and had one black skaven and 2 slingers protecting the caster. The back of the castergroup now visible to the dwarven engineer.
The skaven that was alone with the dwarven slayer still considered itself lucky and tried to hit him with its club and dagger. Neither attack did anything more than grace the dwarfs thick hide. With a roar the dwarf struck the rat bleeding to the ground.
The spearwielding skaven that charged the clansman missed. So did the clansman.
The unlucky lone skaven crawled a couple of inches and tried to get on its feet still somewhat bewildered.
Somewhere from afar a deep rumbling "MWUHAHAHAHA....." sounded.
The dwarven engineer shot a bolt right between the shoulderblades of a skaven slinger. It went screaming to the ground. The dwarven thunderer had a visual of the skaven with the 4th chest lying on the ground. Hitting it but only striking it to the ground where it already was. The halfing charged ahead. Now only about 10 or so inches from the chestcarrying skaven. He wanted to get close to it before it got up on its feet.
The dwarven troll slayer ran towards the castergroup that was far, far away from him. The dwarven Noble gained his footing and moved around the corner of the building just in time to see the clansman strike the skaven in front of him to the ground. The Tilean marksman ran around the corner of the big library and now had the castergroup in sight.
Now the skaven player had 5 models out of action. And all the dwarves were still on their feet. He made his leadership check and all skavens decided to give it a go getting the 4th chest to the tableedge.
The unlucky skaven with the 4th chest made it to its feet and moved into cover in a nearby house. The following round it would be able to flee over the tableedge with the loot.
The black skaven from the castergroup charged the poor innocent halfling who had done nothing wrong to noone. The evil monster wickedly hacked the halfling down (yay WS2). The sorcerer backed up protected by the slinger between him and the Marksman. The castergroup was in cover from the thunderer and the engineer. The only model that could do anything against the skavens the following turn was the Marksman. After that they would have the 4th chest secured.
On my turn the dwarves ran forward and the Tilean Marksman shot. Only to miss.
On the skavens turn they had to check their leadership once more. This time they failed. They abandoned the 4th chest and decided to run for the shadows.
The dwarves managed to get two chests and the Tome of Power.
So.. what is the morale? No matter how grim the odds are there is always a chance to turn things around when you play Mordheim... Isnt it really the true beauty of the game? (Btw.. I am sure the skaven player disagrees. And granted... I was rather lucky on my injury rolls during two rounds).
On a sidenote. The Dwarven Troll Slayer got a new skill. He is now a monsterslayer.
The Tilean Marksman gained one BS up to BS 5.
The poor halfling decided he was too inexperienced in close combat and wanted to improve there so he gained one more attack up to A2 (he never ever have swung his dagger. How he learned to get another attack is beyond me
)
The thunderer who shot out the eye of the witchhunter warband leader in game one had a knack for it and rose in the rank to be a hero. He also gained one strengt to a total of S 4.
Just a little report on how quickly things can change with the roll of a dice in the city of Mordheim.
Jan
Subject: Orb of Chaos Campaign 
Sat 8 Nov 2008 - 14:00
the terrain looks great, good job!
]. You got to use your road sections, AND the Gallows/Head's Man's Block. WELL DONE! 
