The Haunted Town of Twindle

First an admission/apology...lately I've been playing warhammer...eighth! Shameful, of course. Seriously though, every version of warhammer has its own good bits, and GW has a lot of resources these days to design, playtest and edit new rules. Something GW didn't have back in the 80's. But I wouldn't be writing this if I didn't enjoy the charm and character of warhammer before it was owned by stockholders who have never played a game in their life. But on to the important stuff...The Battle of the Haunted Town of Twindle, Second Edition style!

The elvish town of Twindle was once quite prosperous, sitting on a crossroads that linked several major population centers. Until, that is, the local cemetery became possessed with a horde of malicious spirits, whose wailing was enough to freeze the marrow of even the bravest elf. Vlad the Vampie atop his mighty dragon seeks to control these spirits and add them to his army, while the Elves, led by Caradryan, have come to free their town of all undead.

The abandoned town of Twindle 

The terrifying ghosts within.

Notes: Vlad the Vampire uses the stats of a major chaos hero, making him much, much cheaper than a vampire. He rides a dragon with all the official stats.

Rules: The ghosts randomly attack elf units, causing them to take a Cool test. Failure makes them rout. However, every elf has been given a holy amulet that, if placed within the cemetery, dispels the ghosts and forces all undead units to take a roll on the instability table every turn.

The armies: Elves led by Caradryan, two units of 16 spear elves, Lomsec the level 4 mage with 7 skirmishing archers. The undead led by Vlad on his zombie dragon, two units of 30 skeletons, and Yohan the level 3 necromancer. 1500 point armies.

The elves prepare their assault.

The undead guard the cemetery.

The Battle: The dragon flew up to Caradryans unit and killed 8 with his dragon breath. Yohan summoned 12 ghouls. A skeleton unit routed some elven spearmen. Vlad challenged Caradryan, both Vlad and his dragon did one wound each. The elves were pushed back and needed a 9 or lower to stand, but rolled a 12. In the first turn the two biggest elf units were already routing! I gave each a bonus leadership test and both failed them. The elves failed almost every test they had to take all game.  Lomsec successfully cast Cause Instability on a unit of skeletons, but only caused one to disappear.  Both spear units fled the battlefield. Lomsec and his elf archers separated, each trying to run past the undead from a different direction to reach the cemetery. Then the ghosts appeared before Lomsec. He needed a ten or under to pass his Cool test and rolled a 12, another failed test! He routed off the table.

The Host of Ghosts terrify Lomsec the mage.

Yohan then cast a lightining bolt killing 5 elf archers, leaving two. They passed their panic test, the only good luck the elves had all game. Desperate, the elves sprinted towards the graveyard. Skeletons charged them...and failed by two inches! Then the dragon charged them...and also failed its charge! However, the dragon breathed fire on the poor elves, killing them both easily. The undead had won a complete victory.

Thoughts: The elves would have had a much, much better chance of winning if they hadn't failed almost every test they had to take. Still, they held on for several turns after I thought they were done. In the end a fun game, with a few different rules to mix things up a bit.

Score!

Ebay to the rescue! Warhammer third edition, warhammer armies, and warhammer siege are now mine, waiting only for the friendly postie to deliver it to my eager hands, and all for only a little more than buying the new hardcover edition. It seems third edition has much higher production values than second, with full colour pictures and photographs. According to wikipedia third is supposed to be more complicated than other editions, yet I am not worried for the solo-gamer fears no rules-lawyer! I'm looking forward too: Pictures showing me the state of gaming in 1987, all the army lists in one book, various chaos powers, and any neat stuff in warhammer siege. Now I must have patience...not likely!

The Battle for the Bridge to Nowhere

From the south: Vlad on Zombie Dragon, two units
of thirty skeletons and 20 ghouls.

From the North: 12 archers
with a level 4 wizard and major hero,
5 Dragon Princes and Telor atop his Griffon.

A road from nowhere in particular to someplace else, probably the middle of nowhere. A nameless bridge over a river with no name. And two armies ready to kick butt! It's warhammer time. This is a 2000 point battle, second edition style. The zombie dragon is my own stats, scaled down from the nearly invincible monster in the battle bestiary. The elves spent most of their points on a level 4 wizard and two major heroes. Caradryan, a hero, has an amazing Sword of Magic Absorbtion that not only eliminates any spells cast at his unit, but powers up his attacks by up to +4 to hit and to-wound! No ones going to be casting spells at that unit, you can count on that. I rolled for magic weapons randomnly, including Vlads sword of Breathe Underwater. What, people in the 80's would pay points for that? Might come in handy if his dragon dies and lands in the river...;)

The Game Begins: The elven wizard casts cause instability on a unit of skellies - 2 are absorbed back into the Flux. Vlad then charged Telor, and fought a ferocious battle for several turns. Fights take a long time with matched Ws, needing 5's for a hit. The dragon princes (also my own stats) charged across the bridge at the skeletons, but had to narrow their frontage to make it across. This meant less attacks and a draw against the skellies. On the next undead turn instability struck the army! The spear armed skeletons lost all substance and were removed from the table. The other skeleton unit was luckier and simply lost 6 figures. Vlad atop his zombie dragon routed Telor on his griffon and chased him off the table. Vlad then summoned a new unit of 20 skeletons right behind the elven archers. The archers were unphased and shot at the ghouls, killing six of them and causing the rest to panic. Lomsec the elven wizard cast cause instability at the summoned skeletons, but they resisted, even with their meager will power. The summoned skeletons charged the elven archers, lost three to defensive fire and scored a draw in the subsequent combat. In the game winning move, Vlad and his Zombie dragon charged the Dragon Princes in the rear and killed all 5 of them at once. Then things looked like this:

Blue Elven archers on the left fight skeletons to their
front, and are about to be charged by ghouls from the
rear. The huge, triumphant zombie dragon perches on
the bridge, hungry for more elves.

With only 1 elf unit left, things looked pretty hopeless so the surviving elven heroes did the only sensible thing and ran away. But at least they got a good story out of it.

Spring, Year 2

Telor spent the winter vigorously recruiting new elves, and his army now stands at 32 spear elves, 10 sea elves, 16 archers, 10 great swords, and the hero Caradryan. Yohan the necromancer used all his magical might to summon a long dead vampire from his restless sleep, Vlad the Slayer, riding atop his mighty zombie dragon. The effort cost Yohan a great deal of his magical power that would take months to regain, but as the armies drew up around the southern town of Waking Nightmare, would Vlad arrive?

Rules note: Vlad on his Zombie dragon arrives at the start of an undead turn if a 5 or 6 is rolled on a d6.

Vlad atop his Zombie Dragon...cool figure!

To Yohans delight, Vlad and his mighty dragon arrived at the very beginning of the battle! Yohan attempted to cast 2 fireballs at the sea elves, but the fireballs landed far short. Vlad summoned 22 skeletons. The sea elves shot at the zombie dragon but all 10 of them missed. However, Lomsec the elven mage hit the dragon with a lightning bolt causing it one wound. The zombie dragon then charged a unit of spearelves and Telor on his Hippogriff.  In the ensuing combat the zombie dragon tore the head off the hippogriff with one mighty mauling. Telor fell to the ground and pulled his favourite maneuver - running away! Vlad then cast "Total Control", allowing him to control undead anywhere on the battlefield and prevent them from becoming stupid. The Sea Elves killed 6 skeletons with shots from their elf-bows, and then the archers killed 2 more. The spearelves fought bravely against the dragon giving it one wound, but received 4 in return. Lomsec cast Zone of Steadfastness, affecting one spear unit, giving them x3 attacks. The zombies led by Yohan charged into the sea elves, eventually routing them. The zombie dragon defeated all the spearelves plus the elves armed with greatswords, only taking a few wounds in the process. Only the archer elves managed to retreat off the battlefield in good order.

Vlad and his dragon pursue the few remaining elves.

Thoughts: A vampire on a zombie dragon is powerful...too powerful! The elves took so many causalties they had no choice but to concede the campaign. If their entire army can barely touch the zombie dragon/vampire combo, then half an army has very little chance. So Vlad the Slayer has won the second lost valley campaign. I've made up more reasonable stats for zombie dragons (that cost half as many points) so hopefully in future battles things will be a little more balanced.

The Battle of Loudons Farm - Summer, Year 1

The undead having won the last battle, they advance north up the valley and attempt to conquer the elvish Loudons farm.

Skirmishing archers, the elvish right flank.

The summoned skeletons from last game, zombies and
Yohan the necromancer in the background.

As usual, the elvish archers started things off by shooting and killed 2 zombies. Lomsec the elven mage cast Zone of Steadfastness, which gives all allies within a 6" radius x3 attacks and +1 save. However, he cannot move or cast another spell without dispelling his zone. Yohan cast Hand of Death, powering up his melee abilities. The archers all missed on their next turn. Yohan cast four fireballs at the elvish spearmen, killing 5 and forcing the entire unit to flee in panic. Things were not looking good for the elves. The archers got their act together and killed 3 skeletons. Telor flew his loyal Hippogriff to land just inside Lomsecs Zone of Steadfastness. Yohan then made what was the most pivotal move in the game: He and his zombies charged Telor. Telor challenged Yohan to a duel, which was accepted. Telor, being in Lomsecs magical zone, had 3 times the normal attacks, as did his hippogriff. In one turn he caused 4 wounds on Yohan, removing him from the game. This left the undead army leaderless, subject to stupidity and without their only powerful figure. It was over. Telor harried the zombies off the table, while the archers, also in the Zone of Steadfastness, made short work of the skeletons who didn't manage to cause a single wound.

The Aftermath: The elves lost 2 spear elves. The undead lost 6 skeletons and 15 zombies. Since Yohan lost all his wounds in the battle, he had to roll on the hero causalty table. A simple d100 roll would reveal a result that could range from a mild concussion to out right death. It turns out that Yohan lost his left arm. Not a big deal for a necromancer (a right-handed necromancer) but the worst part was that Yohan would not be able to fight for the rest of the season. The elves moved south, reconquering the Bridge of Destiny, and then in the Autumn they took the undeads Cursed Farm in the south of the valley, virutally unopposed. Then winter came, Yohan eventually recovered from his limb loss, and each army had a season to buy new troops, ready for spring and the new campaigning season.

Battle of the Bridge of Destiny - Spring, Year 1

Wouldn't it be cool to have terrain this awesome?

The inaugural battle of Lost Valley Campaign II begins. The elven archers start things off by killing two zombies, then Lomsec the elven mage killed three with a lightning bolt. Yohan the Unpleasant summoned 17 skeletons. The cool thing here is that unlike the last campaign, Yohan is using Summon Skeleton Horde instead of Raise Dead. He can only summon skeletons, but they don't automatically crumble at the end of every battle, so he can actually increase the size of his army as the battles progress. We'll just have to see if this makes a difference. Lomsec then cast a Steal Mind spell on Yohan, powering it up with 10 extra constitution points. Yohan, taking no chances used 10 points to power his will save and resisted the spell. The advancing zombies then crossed the bridge, while Yohan cast Hand of Death. This would allow him to cause an automatic wound for every hit. The spear elves then charged the zombies while Telor on his Hippogriff charged the summoned skeletons. The spear elves killed 2 zombies, while Yohan - with Hand of Death - killed 3 elves. The elves routed and fled off the table next turn. Telor had better luck, pushing back the skeletons. At this point Telor realized the game was over and retreated with his few surviving allies - Lomsec and 4 archers. The undead were left in possession of the bridge of destiny!

Causalties: 8 elves dead or fled for good. Two zombies gone as well. However, 12 of the skeletons that Yohan summoned were still standing, and can be used in the next battle.

Lost Valley Campaign II - The Elves Strike Back

100 Years have passed since Telor the elf fled the sack of castle Hawkzen, letting his comrades die horrible deaths at the undead hands of Nagashors undead army. But much has changed in the past century. Telor got a job bussing tables at the roughest elven tavern in Lothern (so rough that elves sometimes forget to prance about), worked his way to manager, then became leader of an army. Now he seeks to reconquer the Lost Valley for the elves, and his own honour.

Nagashor ruled his Lost Valley for many decades. He taught a promising pupil named Yohan everything he knew about necromancy, but closely guarded the secrets of rug-hooking. Eventually Yohan used his necromancy to slay Nagashor, but never learned how to make a single stitch on a rug.

The Armies
Elves - Telor with Sword of Multiple Toughness Gain (+2 wounds), on a Hippogriff. Lomsec the Level 2 wizard. 16 Elven spearmen, 4 elven archers who skirmish.

Telor, Sir Fly-Away

Lomsec with his Skirmishing Archers. They REALLY know how to prance. 

Undead
Yohan the Unpleasant with his mega-sword of Leadership Drain, Multiple Attacks Gain (+3) and Sleep Attack (send a foe within 4" to sleep). He leads 32 zombies, with the ability to summon more skeletons that he can use in future battles.

Yohan the Unpleasant with his Horde of Bad Hygiene.

First Battle - The Bridge of Destiny!

The Battle of Nurfalor Village

Ignatius the Necromancer summoned his horde to fight Goroth the Chaos Lord for control of Nurfalor village, and its vast treasures of bouncy balls and plaid ribbons.

The Undead: Ignatius Level 3 necromancer, 15 Skeleton Minor Heroes, 30 Skeletons and 20 Ghouls. Versus:

Chaos: Major Chaos Hero Goroth, Azgul the level 2 wizard, 12 goblins led by no less then three minor goblin heroes (forced to take part by the threat of a mighty Wedgy of Khorne), and ten chaos warriors, who in second edition have 2 attacks and two wounds. Nasty! 1000 points a side.

Ghouls, skeletons, skeleton heroes.

Goblins with 3 heroes, chaos warriors with major hero and wizard.

The yellow pawns mark faded units - no attacks!

Chaos warriors fleeing ghouls.

Azgul the chaos wizard casts cause frenzy on his unit of chaos warriors. Frenzy makes you charge heedlessly, and get double attacks, but even if you want frenzy you still have to fail a Cool test, not likely with a Cool of 10! Ignatius then cast Hand of death on himself. Should he enter melee, any hits would become wounds automatically. Azgul cast a lightning bolt killing 3 skeletons. Ignatius raised a unit of 16 skeletons. The goblins manage to pass their fear test and charge the summoned skeletons, a minor miracle. Must have been worried about the Khorne wedgy, or worse, the Spicy Chili of Nurgle. The goblins even pushed the skeletons back. Then a game changing disaster struck: Instability! Every undead unit had to roll for a random and probably bad result: The unit of skeleton heroes AND the unit of skeletons faded from reality, leaving only their images behind. No attacks allowed, effectively useless for the rest of the game.  But the luck wasn't all one sided as the ghouls charged the chaos warriors who failed a fear test on a roll of 12 (only needed a 10) and ran. Ignatius summoned a unit of 27 skeletons that fought and routed the goblins. His next spell raised 27 zombies. The chaos warriors rallied, then failed their cool test and became frenzied! They charged the zombies and caused 20 wounds, and made the rest of the zombies flee. They then lost frenzy, and the ghouls and remaining skeletons charged them. A hard fight followed, but the ghouls ran at the first sign of trouble and the skeletons were slowly ground to dust. Victory to the forces of Chaos. The unhappy village of Nurfalor becomes a dreaded Chaos stronghold. The end.

P.S. It was fun to play a one off battle with different forces after my campaign ended.

Autumn, Year 2 - Siege of Castle Hawkzen

Castle Hawkzen besieged.

The undead legions inexorably marched down the lost valley until they had besieged the elves in their castle. The elves were surrounded with no way out, and they had to win to survive. They were their kingdoms only hope.

The brave defenders.

The elven archers fired a deadly volley of arrows, killing a bat swarm. Nozalor the mage cast fireball, which destroyed the other bat swarm as well. Nagashor summoned a Skeleton Major Hero into his unit to help with storming the gate. Zombies charged the north wall and managed to take it, pushing the elven defenders back. This was not good, the siege had barely started and the enemy was all ready within the walls.

Zombies swarm over the poorly defended north wall.

Nagashor summoned 27 skeletons, creating a massive force before the castles gates. Telor on his Hippogriff sortied over the castle walls and engaged some ghouls, but was routed and fled right off the table. The seaguard defending the east wall were then also overrun by zombies.

Zombies swarm into Castle Hawkzens courtyard.

Ghouls then stormed the western wall as well. The final nail in the coffin was when the two units of skeletons assaulted and took the main gate. All was confusion in doomed Castle Hawkzen. There was nowhere to flee, and every single elf was slaughtered and turned into unliving thralls. Only Telor on his Hippogriff survived, having fled long and far several turns ago. Nagashor became the unquestioned ruler of the lost valley, ruling a kingdom of unending death.

Of course, ruling over an entire kingdom of undead slaves gets boring after awhile, so eventually Nagashor took up rug hooking. He actually became quite good.

Nagashors favourite rug.

 Hope you enjoyed my little campaign! Second Editions campaign rules are straightforward and balanced. They are specifically designed for only two armies which was fine by me, and work well with any army configuration. There were six turns in this campaign, which is about what I would like. I had fun and I hope you had fun reading!

Summer, Year 2

This battle was fought in the southern elf village. The undead horde continues its march down the valley, getting closer and closer to the elves castle and last refuge.

The undead horde on the left approaches the elven village.

Nagashor the necromancer summoned a skeleton major hero into his unit. The elves replied by shooting 12 zombies dead(er) with their mighty elf bows, and the next turn shot again reducing the unit to nothing. The skeletons in the center charged the elves, the spearelves holding and the lonely knight galloping away. The zombies and ghouls charged the seaguard, which held firm. After a short combat, the skeletons routed the spearelves right off the table. The ghouls and zombies accomplished the same feat against the sea guard. The elf archers, turning to their flank were able to kill 4 skeletons. Instability reared its potentially terrifying head at this point, but the undead were safely able to ignore its effects. At this point the only elves remaining were the archers with Nozalor the mage, and Telor upon his Hippogriff, locked in a stalemate with a pesky bat swarm. Telor sounded the retreat, saving his archers for the next and most important battle, the defense of the elven castle.

Causalties: The elves had permanent losses of 8 spear elves, 5 sea guard and 1 knight. The undead lost 8 zombies, 3 skeletons and 2 wounds worth of batswarms. They could afford their losses much more easily than their elven foes.

The end of the battle. Archers in the foreground retreating,
in the distance undead relentlessly marching on.

Rules note: When attacking flying creatures, either from the ground or air, the opponent always defends as ws 10. Hmm. This means it is impossible to hit flying creatures for the majority of troops. I made an on-the-spot ruling saying you could hit a flyer on a 6 to-hit. Don't want bat swarms to be invincible!

Spring, Year 2, Part 2

The battle continues. Telor on his hippogriff routed his zombie foes off the table. A unit of Spear elfs routs off the table, as do the knights and the other unit of spear elfs. Telor sees the writing on the wall and orders the musicians to sound the retreat. The seaguard leave the battlefield in good order. Nozalor, embedded with the archers, creates an illusory building in front of the skeleton unit to buy the archers enough time to retreat in good order. This is important in the a Lost Valley campaign, because anyone who retreats in good order can be used in the next game, but troops who rout in panic lose 50% causalties permanently. Having done what he could, Telor flew away, already planning the defence of the elf village next in line down the valley.

Causalties: The undead lost 8 zombies completely dead, 1 ghoul, and five wounds of bat swarms (swarms are 10 wounds each). The elves fared worse because most of their units routed: 16 spear elves and 1 knight permanently lost. But the seaguard and archers escaped without harm, except possibly to their pride.

The archers march off in good order. In the background
is the illusionary building that delayed the skeletons.

The next battle is slated to take place at the elf village as the victorious undead push further and further down the valley.  

Winter Year 1 and Spring Year 2 - part 1

Winter is when armies in a Lost Valley campaign can muster new troops, depending on how many territories they own. The Undead have their castle, village, farm and the bridge meaning they can hire 900 points of new troops. The elves have their castle, village and farm giving them 850 points of new guys. I decided no new heroes could be hired, just troops. The undead got 15 more zombies to bring their total up to 60. 30 skeletons with spears, 20 ghouls, one tough skeleton and two (surprisingly expensive) bat swarms. The elves enlisted 28 new spearmen, 16 archers, 10 sea guard and 2 knights. The armies are now quite large and will fight on in the spring.

The undead right flank, bat swarm in the foreground.

Spring, year 2 (part 1).

Elf archers, because S4 elf bows are fun!

The entire battlefield. The elven farm in the foreground.

 

The building in the distance is the illusion that stymied the zombies,
Nozalor the Mages favourite trick.

Nagashor the mighty level 4 necromancer started things off by summoning a skeleton major hero and advancing his undead horde. The archers and the elven sea guard shot each bat swarm to pieces, making Nagashor think he wasted all the effort he put in to acquiring them! The elven mage summoned an illusionary building before the zombies of the right flank, halting their progress. The ghouls charged the elven spearmen, crashing into their lines. The left flank zombies attempted to charge Telor on his hippogriff but failed, ending up confused. The skeleton unit with Nagashor at its head charged the other unit of spearelves, causing them to flee, but the elven knights held firm. The skeletons then pushed back the knights but they held firm. The ghouls fought their foes to a standstill. Nagashor decided to cast Aura of Invulnerability on himself. This level 4 spell meant he could ignore the next 4 wounds from any non-magical weapon. Considering he hasn't yet received a wound in this campaign, that might be overkill. But who's going to argue with a maniac who summons dead people? On the last turn I played today, the elven knights were routed, the hippogriff routed the zombies and the ghouls managed to rout their spear elf foes thanks to extra causalties caused by their deadly venom. And that's all I had time for tonight. More to follow.

Lost Valley, Year 1, Autumn

After the last undead victory, the next battle takes place over the bridge.

Two units of 20 zombies with Nagashor in the far unit.

8 Spearelves, Nozalor the wizard and Telor upon his hippogriff, with the bridge in the distance.

How fast can zombies run anyway?

Nagashor orders the advance across the river towards the elves. The elven mage stays at a distance tossing fireballs at the zombies and frying many. Nagashor summons a major skeleton hero into his own unit. The elves stay put on the edge of the batttlefield until the zombie units have crossed the river. Telor charges one unit, while the spearelves charge another but come up short, leaving them confused and vulnerable. Telor upon his hippogriff routs his zombie opponents and pursues them off the table, while the other zombies charge the spearelves and send them fleeing. Nagashor also summons a skeleton minor hero into his unit. The stage was then set for the final showdown, Telor vs. Nagashor and his zombies.

Telor charged in and issued a challenge. The summoned skeleton major hero responded and they fought for two rounds. Telor lost both rounds, and on the second his hippogriff was nearly killed. So he fled the battlefield, leaving the undead the victors.

This ends the first year of the Lost Valley campaign. Over the winter each side can recruit certain points values of troops based on the territories they control. The undead have a slight edge because they own the bridge, but the elves will still be able to put a fighting force into the field come spring. I think I like this campaign system!

Lost Valley - Summer, Year 1

Abandoned farm in the background next to a field.

Since the elves won the last battle, the campaign pushes up into the undead half of the valley, and the battle will be fought around an abandoned farm. The undead advanced, hoping to use the farm to guard their left flank. Nagashor summoned a Skeleton Major Hero to give his zombie unit some much needed punch. Nozalor the elf mage created an illusory building in front of the smaller zombie unit, keeping the stupid creatures from advancing.   Nagashor then summoned 12 ghouls to help in the advance. The zombies and spear elves met in the center, with the zombies getting pushed back. To add insult to injury, Nozalor cast two fireballs into the ghouls, which caused them to panic and flee so far across the table that by the time they rallied they were too far away to have any effect on the battle. However, in the next turn the zombies, along with their skeleton hero, routed the elves who began to flee, only to be saved at the last moment by Nozalor casting a Hold Flight spell. He thanked the gods that he'd learned that spell from his old master. Nagashor, not to be outdone in the magic department, summoned a huge unit of 25 skeletons. Telor on his hippogriff attacked and routed a unit of zombies that was skulking about the rear, but played no other part in the battle. In the end the summoned skeleton unit routed the elves, winning the battle for the undead. The causalties  of the battle were as follows: Eight elves lost permanently. As they routed off the table instead of an ordinary retreat they lost 50% of their number, leaving only eight elves for the next battle. Five zombies were permanently destroyed, leaving 40. The undead successfully pushed the elves back out of their territory, meaning the next battle will occur back at the bridge. Unfortunately for the necromancer, all of his summoned creatures crumbled to dust after the battle.

The Lost Valley Campaign - Year 1, Spring

I thought I'd try and run a Lost Valley Campaign from the back of the Combat rulebook. In this campaign, the undead control the castle at the north end of the valley, while the elves control the castle and the southern end. Each half of the valley has a farm and a village, while in the center runs a river. Each army is 1000 pts, and I decided to try and use all of the advanced rules, especially for standards, special weapons, etc.

The Elves start with: Telor on his Hippogriff and Nozalor the Level 2 Illusionist. They lead a unit of 16 elves armed with spears. Opposing them are Nagashor the Level 4 necromancer and 60 zombies. Telor has a sword of initiative drain, and Nagashor has a sword that increases his toughness by 1, while draining his opponents toughness.

Zombies horde on the left, elven host on the right.

The first battle is fought over the bridge in the center of the valley. Nozalor casts illusionary buildings in front of the right flank zombies, preventing them from moving forward and effectively removing them for the entire game. Nagashor then summons 8 ghouls on his left flank. Telor swoops across the battlefield on his hippogriff, attacks and routs the ghouls, then overruns into the zombie unit with Nagashor in it. Nagashor quickly summoned a major skeleton hero that challenged Telor in a duel to the death. The hippogriff got wounded slightly, but in the end the skeleton hero was destroyed. Starting to worry, Nagashor created a Zone of Steadfastness, that would give his zombie unit 3 times as many attacks. But it was all for naught as the spear elves engaged them frontally and routed Nagashor and his zombies after a few turns of melee.

The Deathtoll
The elves suffered the loss of two spearmen, who recovered from their wounds ready to fight in the next battle. However Nagashor lost 15 zombies in his flight, leaving him with only 45. No characters were wounded in this battle.

Thoughts: These simple campaign rules were what originally drew me to this edition of warhammer. They seem fun!

Battle of the Tomb of Zorgar the Terrible

Caradryan the Hero and Nozalor the Illusionist spent days perusing forgotten tomes of lore, looking for any hint that might help them raise there lord and friend Telion from his curse of Undeath. In one particularly odious and musty tome bound in human skin, they discovered that an Orange Orb of Life was concealed in the Tomb of Zorgar the Terrible. Nagashor the necromancer and Gorlin the Liche summon a horde to battle them. The elves also bring along Elena the Mage, her magical obsidian rod may come in handy.

The dead horde assembled to defend the tomb of Zorgar

The glittering elven host.

An elvish volley of arrows from their elf-bows (S4!) slays several zombies, the first of many such volleys. Nagashor replies by summoning 13 venomous ghouls. Gorlin the Liche casts 'Cause Stupidity' on the swordmasters, making them almost helpless in the coming battle. Elven spearmen rout the zombies on the undead right flank, who then flee the table. The dragon princes engage in combat with skeletons and ghouls, eventually destroying them, but not without losing some of their number to the ghouls horrible venom.  Gorlin later summons more ghouls, while the swordmasters, still suffering from stupidity, wander aimlessly off the battlefield. Elena casts Zone of Steadfastness with a unit of spearelves within range, thus giving them and Caradryan their leader 3 times the regular number of attacks. They quickly rout their enemies. A unit of summoned skeletons closes in of the spearelves flank, when Nozalor saves the day by creating the illusion of a large building directly in their way, preventing the skeletons from completing their charge. Nagashor and Gorlin were low on magical power, while the entire elven army, minus the swordmasters, was still in fine fighting form. They fled the field, letting their creations be slaughtered to hide their escape. The elves held the battlefield and the tomb! Caradryan entered the musty tomb and returned bearing the Orange Orb of Life, giving hope to their cause. While in the tomb, recently disturbed both by Caradryans grave robbing and the slaughter and necromantic magic swirling about, something stirs...

This illusory building saved the spearelves from a flank charge.

Flank and rear protected, the elves pursue the poor, innocent ghouls.

Thoughts: In Warhammer 2nd, magic is really important! A successful cause stupidity spell can nullify a mighty unit, while zone of steadfastness can turn any unit into a killer. Plus I still think its funny when zombies rout and run for their 'lives'. Characters, especially wizards, cost a ton of points. The liche was 900 points, the necromancer over 700, and this out of a total army size of just 1800 pts. And there's lots of cool spells to choose from, the illusions are quite neat. Until next time!