Friday, June 8, 2012

Gallopin’ Centaurs!


When I mentioned to the kids I’d finished up a Centaur Army for Hordes of the Things they immediately started arguing about who would get to play with it first! So this afternoon, after our meeting with the Home-school coordinator to prove that I edumacated the boy good this year, I busted them out and each got a turn at playing with them…


GAME ONE

FORCES

Centaurs (Keira)
1x Magician General – Sorceress Queen of the Centaurs
8x Riders - Centaurs
1x Kngiths – Armoured Centaurs
1x shooters – Allied Satyr Achers

Orcs (Finnegan)
1x Knight General – Fearsome Wolf Riding Orc Cheiftan
6x Riders – Smelly, Smelly Wolf Riders
3x Beasts – Wolf Packs
1x Behemoth – Trolls

THE GAME


(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)

Queen Keira sets out her Centaur host to defend the Happy Horsie Lands

Finnegan the Foul whips his warhost into a fury!

Satisfied with the infallibility of his deployment, Finnegan the Foul gives a chuckle of amusement.

The Centaurs approach the invading orcs – not wanting the to take one step further into their precious steppes…

The Centaur stronghold stocked with centaurs ready to defend against any foolhardy wolfriders that try to make a break for the prize.

ZZZZZZZAP! First bound brought the terrifying Sorceress Queen of the Centaurs into magical-zappy range and The Heroic general faltered before her display of sparks and whizzbangs!

Waiting for the general to catch up the wolfriders approach cautiously and the wolfpacks wheels out in search of “goat meat”

The Centaur crash into the Orc Horde.

The Centaurs are driven back by the putrid stench of their opponents – only the Orc General (classified as “knight”) is brave (foolish) enough to try and follow up this “success”

The Wolves smell that tasty, tasty goat meat and rush up the hill for their meal…

The main line pushes back and forth.

The Sorceress Queen of the Centaurs lays waste to the surly pack of wolfriders before her.…

Immediately to their flank other turn and flee from the field…

…leaving a bit of a gap in the center of the Orcs line. (Orcs are down two)

The next bound the Orcs close once again with their opponents.

It proves to be the wolves undoing and they die in droves before the withering archery of the Satyr on the hilltop. 

At the other end of the line, however the orcs get their first whiff of success – an element of Centaurs is driven of back to the corral.

Orcs down three, Centaurs down one.

To relieve the pressure on the Centaur knights (which had been flanked the previous bound, but fought their attackers to a standstill) two elements of Centaurs attempt to surround the flanking wolf pack.

Another pack of wolves is driven off by the Satyr Archers.

Elsewhere, a pack of Wolfriders are flanked and annihilated by Centaurs

Orcs down five, Centaurs down one. Not looking good.

The following bound the Centaur Knights ride down some Wolfriders, effectively ending the game.

At the other end of the line the Orcs flanked and destroyed an element of Centaurs, but it was too little, too late.

Finnegan never got his Behemoth in on the action…? I’d nipped out of the room while hey were selecting armies to fetch my camera and I think when Finnegan chose to take a Behemoth and told Keira how it was going to utterly destroy her horsie-people she started to cry. Ever concerned for the feelings of his younger sister I think he more or less threw the game and didn’t engage with the trolls just so she wouldn’t end up crying again…

GAME TWO

FORCES

Centaurs (Finnegan)
1x Hero General – Heroic King of the Centaurs
8x Riders - Centaurs
2x shooters – Allied Satyr Achers

Amazons (Keira)
1x Hero General – Queen Libby of the Amazons
1x Magician – Elvish Sorceress
4x Shooters – Amazon, African, and Elf archers and slingers.
3x Spear – 2x Greek Mercenary Hoplites, 1x Amazons
1x Warband – Wild Celtic Warrior Wimyn

THE GAME

This time it is the Amazons attacking the Centaurs….

Finnegan strikes an archer pose…

Ready to do battle – unfortunately the Centaur army is split by the river.

The advantage of an all-Rider/Hero force – first bound brings you just bout into contact!

ZWOOOSH!

(I think I forgot to remind Keira that her archers should have shot here…)

On the Amazon bound they held and the Elvish Sorceress worked her magic…. With little effect…

One the next Centaur bound they were in contact!

The results were mixed… the Centaur lost one element.

On the Following bound the Amazon’s General pursued the fleeing centaurs and on her nimble lioness slew many and set the rest to flight. (Centaurs down two)

The remaining centaurs on the side of the river where the battle was taking place charged back in and a few of the centaurs on the other side attempted to cross and reinforce their beleaguered comrades.

Finally some small success for the centaurs – the Hero General and company rode down the Amazon Spear… (Centaurs down two, Amazons down one)

On the next bound General Libby Wheeled around and flanked another unit of centaurs while one band of Greek Mercenary Hoplites contacted them to the front. Elsewhere Amazons rained down arrows and sling stones and magical lightning bolts on other centaurs.

The arrows and sling stones drove back two elements of centaurs, while the sorcery destroyed another. In their moment of desperation, however, the flanked centaurs drove back the Greek mercenary hoplites and the wild flanking attack by the Amazon’s General (Centaurs down three, Amazons down one)

Things continued to go south for the Centaurs (perhaps they were tired from slaughtering all the orcs previously… or maybe they were just hung over from the celebrations that has followed…). Another Element of Centaurs was destroyed as they tried to charge home against he Amazons allied African archers. (Centaurs down four, Amazons down one)

Others were driven back where ever they attacked.

Then in the epic conclusion – Libby charged into to drive of for good the group of centaurs she’d been doing battle with for the last few bounds and the Elvish sorceress blasted a second element to bits… (Game over: Centaurs down six, Amazons down one)

A couple of staggering defeats fro the lad, which he seemed to take in stride.

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Hmmmm…. With the game table totally cleared off I should play some more games… and when I get back to paintin ONLY GET OUT ONE THING AT A TIME THAT I’M GOING TO PAINT UNTIL IT’S FINISHED BEFORE GETTING ANYTHING ELSE OUT (We’ll see how long THAT lasts…)

8 comments:

  1. Amazing looking game - really great to see the next generation getting into it too. Best, Dean

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great stuff. Looks like a load of fun and good to see the kids having a good time.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Looked like great fun for all.

    ReplyDelete
  4. "I think he more or less threw the game and didn’t engage with the trolls just so she wouldn’t end up crying again"

    Good lad. Nice to see him looking out for his sister.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great couple of reports Tim. Really nice to see your kids getting into Dad's hobby!

    ReplyDelete
  6. agreed, great-looking game, looks like the kids had fun, and they're using "stragety and stuff"!

    ReplyDelete