Marshes of Madness: Our Armies Are Coming Along!

Hey guys little update for you on our armies, I'm going to post a big update on every player soon as well as a photo of their army so far but these are just some pics that I took during the Turn 3 shenanigans :)

Marshes of Madness: Spring Campaign Turn 3

Spring Turn Three

Fighting in Full Bloom

All races of the known world have sent forth their greatest armies to the marshes of madness, each seeking out the Chaos God Morahngol K’tah for their own unique purposes. As colossal armies clash in the Deserts, Open Plains, Mountains and Coastlines to the North of Khemri the beast they hunt grows ever more powerful…

Turn Three

Morahngol K’tah moved away from the Great Mortis River this turn and burrowed his way north east from the river all the way to the eastern mountains. His great daemonic form burst out from beneath the ground bringing with it an almighty storm of magic in that area; would anyone dare to fight in this turbulent wind of magic?

The Players

• Adam’s Tomb Kings suffered another loss at the hands of the Lizardmen in Turn 2 but were able to push the Orcs & Goblins back to their homeland and finally get a victory that they were looking for. Adam had one army remaining and being a Tomb King managed to move his final force too the very north using some dark magic to allow them to attack the Ogre Kingdoms who were becoming quite comfortable in their secluded area.
• John’s Orcs & Goblins were pushed back at the last by the Tomb Kings, and found themselves looking around for the next thing to bash. From the south came the Lizardmen however and they’re looking for conquest over the foul Orcs, however they are sure to be met by the aggression that comes hand in hand with the greenskins. The Orcs also decided to make a break for the Tower of Pain, but found themselves in a three way against the mighty Dwarfs and anarchic Beastmen.
• Paul’s Lizardmen started Turn 3 rather annoyed after they failed to capture the Tomb Kings mine yet again! In their angst they decided to hit out at something else, and made their way for the kingdoms of Orcs & Goblins which were still plaguing the centre of the map.
• Animal was defeated by the Ogre Kingdoms in Turn 2 after they were pushed back from the beaches, however the army did manage to escape. Animal decided to play it safe this turn and build up his empire, however he ended up having to protect his allies empire as the Ogre’s had poured down into the Beastmen’s northern territory.
• Dan’s Skaven lost their Turn 2 battle against the Wood Elves but fortunately didn’t have their army scattered, and in a turn of events found themselves fighting the mighty Ogres of the North. The Skaven also started to scheme their upheaval and began to build as much as they possibly could.
• After Ollie’s Ogres managed to push the Beastmen back, they saw an opportunity to push forwards and take back what was rightfully theirs and charged into the undefended Empire of the Beasts. However with great Surprise, Ollie discovered that he was under attack from the Wood Elves who’d decided to invade from the north in an attempt to expand their newly forming second empire, but would the Ogres repel them?
• After beating the Skaven in turn 2, the Wood Elves would be on the offensive again after not losing any armies. They quickly turned their attention to the Ogre Kingdoms to their south attempting to expand their empire as much as possible and to take back their Treesinging Tower which had been abandoned by some form of plague. The Wood Elves are continually on the offensive!
• Andrew’s mighty Dwarfs had managed to secure a mine at the beginning of Turn 2 but were unlawfully pushed out of their new residence by the Beastmen who had just built it. Unfortunately the army was destroyed but the Dwarfs remained vigilant and decided to enhance their empire by building as best they could before the Summer started, however through bad intelligence the Dwarfs were moved to attack the Tower of Pain bringing them into a bloody three way.
• Mitch’s Ogres were victorious on the beach, and could finally get down to some serious summer holidays for once. But to the east the Ogres decided that it was time to attack the Skaven who had clearly annoyed the Ogres in some strange fashion – perhaps it was revenge for their battle at the Treesinging Tower? But out of the blue, a great host of Tomb Kings move forth to try and conquer their northern territory, it seemed that the Ogres would have to push this evil undead back before it took hold of their lands.
• Mark’s Beastmen had managed to win against the Dwarfs reclaiming their mine, before it undoubtedly decided to exhaust itself… However the Beastmen army to the north had been scattered by the Ogres and was left open to attack from all fronts, but luckily the Dark Elves were there to rescue the Beastmen land. The Beastmen army to the south however had different ideas and moved to the south in an attempt to conquer the Tower of Pain but they were met by marauding Orcs and begrudged Dwarves.

Marshes of Madness: Campaign Map as of Turn 1

Marshes of Madness: Spring Campaign Turn 2

Spring Turn Two

Drip Drop Little April Showers

All races of the known world have sent forth their greatest armies to the marshes of madness, each seeking out the Chaos God Morahngol K’tah for their own unique purposes. As colossal armies clash in the Deserts, Open Plains, Mountains and Coastlines to the North of Khemri the beast they hunt grows ever more powerful…

Turn Two

Morahngol K’tah himself moved out of the Beastmen Empire and burrowed his way to the Great Mortis River, still not showing his ugly face to the armies who were carving their lands into the map. The great beast clearly biding his time and becoming as strong as ever in his look for chaos and confusion, however above land a huge wave of war took hold of the Madness Marshes as armies clashed from the south to the north.

The Players

• Adam’s Tomb Kings suffered a major loss against the might of Paul’s Lizardmen in Turn 1, who then went on to conquer his mine to the very south of the desert. However through some divine intervention, Adam then rolled on the random events table to instantly reclaim it much to his joy. However Paul’s army was still present so Adam moved in swiftly to ensure he could retain his tile during this heated time. Adam, now with only two armies available had to use the other to repel an Orc invasion from John who seemed persistent to wipe out the Tomb Kings.
• John’s Orcs & Goblins were destroyed by the Dwarfs, but just to reappear again in the centre of his empire at the end of Turn 1. So in true Orc fashion, he turned his nose away from the Stunties and decided to bash something a bit squishier to get his confidence back – but it meant more woes for Adam’s Tomb Kings as the Orcs bundled into the desert.
• Paul’s Lizardmen had a confusing start to Turn 2 after they captured and then progressively lost it again almost instantly at the hands of the Tomb Kings. Paul decided to pull back and build up his empire but in the meantime would need to fight again for the mine he desired, once again making war with the Kings of Numas.
• After being defeated by the Dwarfs in Turn 1, the Dark Elf army was destroyed leaving Animal to fend for his empire with only two armies. However instead of consolidating his position, the evil Dark Elves set sail in search of prisoners and headed north up the coast – all seemed quiet where they had landed however it wasn’t long before Mitch’s Ogres clambered down to the ocean to frolic and sunbathe on the seaside, however instead they needed to fend off a druchii invasion.
• Dan’s Skaven took a pounding in Turn 1 but despite their early setback in their massive three way game, Dan continued to build up his empire only to find the Wood Elves doing the same. Again, annoyed with the Wood Elves intervening with their plans the Skaven pushed forward to squash these Elves of the forest; surely they won’t defy the wants of the council this time?
• After Ollie’s Ogres suffered a major defeat against the Beastmen and had lost an army, it seemed like it was time to sit back and consolidate his position. However the evil Beastmen seeing their advantage decided to push forward and attempt to push the Ogres out the way – however the Ogres wouldn’t be fooled so easily this time. This is their land you see!
• After their epic victory in Turn 1 against the might of the Ogres and the hordes of Skaven, the Wood Elves turned the Wizard Tower into a Treesinging Tower – a deity of all things good. Callum’s Wood Elves then continued to push their way into the north using their forest movement to take the armies residing there by surprise, perhaps the Asrai are building a second empire? But despite their expansion the Skaven, annoyed by their previous defeat, didn’t want any of it and stepped in to stop them conquering even more of the marshes.
• Andrew’s mighty Dwarfs hit out against two foes in Turn 1 casting them all aside, firstly beating Animal’s Dark Elves on the Great Mortis River and secondly pushing back a Orc invasion to the north of his Empire. Using their advantage the Dwarfs continued to push on, and rather strangely managed to conquer a mine deep within the Beastmen territory – much to the confusion of all… The Beastmen that were there were furious with this turn of events and persisted to do battle with the perpetrators.
• Mitch’s Ogres were defeated at the Treesinging Tower, a battle they’ll want to quickly forget as well as building a fort in Turn 1. The next turn started with a bang, as the Ogres were making their way to the seaside to eat ice cream and go to the arcades, they noticed a plethora of black ships making their way to the coast. Before they could say ‘Cribbin’s get my lunch’ the Druchii attacked, and began to mobilise on the seafront – annoyed by this occurrence and having to take off their arm bands and deflate their dingys…. Battle commenced!
• Mark’s Beastmen had defeated Ollie’s Ogres near the Underground Caverns in Turn 1 and had cut himself a sizeable empire. Turn 2 began where Turn 1 left off and the Beastmen seeing their advantage pushed into the Ogre’s empire hoping to push them back further – a grudge match of epic proportions it seems! However the Beastmen horde on the coast that had just finished building a mine got a bit confused when it was overtaken by Dwarf miners… Some kind of Dwarfen trick? Whatever it was the Stunties needed to be squished!

Game One: Lizardmen vs. Tomb Kings

Game Two: Orcs & Goblins vs. Tomb Kings

Game Three: Beastmen vs. Ogre Kingdoms

The great army of Gorgaronn’s Beastmen had won in their previous battle against the mighty Kleef Tulip Gorger and his Ogres just south of their land and had decided to continue their push north into the Ogres Empire. Without hesitation the encamped Ogre army moved south to quell this anarchic invasion, for if they did not then their whole empire would be open to attack for the rest of spring, a risk not worth taking. The Ogre army didn’t have a size advantage in this grudge match and after their offensive early in the month had failed to stop the Beastmen, the Ogres that survived were now in fear of what may happen to them this time.

Battle Report!

Ogre Kingdoms VS Beastmen (Blood & Glory)

The rain was falling hard on the battlefield, the mountains nearby had whipped up a storm in the day and by late eve was abrupted by the claps of thunder and the flashes of lightning. The Ogre’s had advanced to their position, rain running of their blood encrusted armour which had been put there by the Beastmen they’d tried to stop in earlier weeks. But they couldn’t forget the previous loss they’d suffered and the sight of the hill scape before them being filled with those same Beastmen who defied them, unsettled them greatly – this was going to be an almighty grudge match; one the Ogres desperately needed to win. A regiment of renown came into view; the now mighty Bestigor newly named the Ironsmashers after their crushing victory over the Ogres had made them infamous among the war herd. Their giant axes, rusted and bloodied were held high, taunting the Ogres as they set up their battle line; they wanted to continue their dominance over the fat ones. At the head was Gorgaronn, majesty among Beastmen, his breath condensing in the air in great plumes as he began to work himself into a frenzy, shouting orders and smashing his great Brass Cleavers together ordering his minions to taunt those before them.

The Ogres, although greatly demoralised by their foes, hadn’t come unprepared. They now had knowledge of this army and its leader and knew what they needed to do to beat them but the battle didn’t follow suite to their plans. The Beastmen advanced first, the great ranks of Gors and Bestigors marching down the hill, with the entourage of Chariots packed together on the left flank and the Minotaurs stomping a mean path on the right flank. Without hesitation the main bulk of the Ogres force moved forward with the Mournfang cavalry on the left restraining their mounts as they remembered all too well the pain of a Razorgor charge. The great Thundertusk sucked the very cold out of the air around it, making it snow on the battlefield for a few minutes as it did its ice blast attack on the Ungor warriors for it to fall short, rather annoyingly for its riders.

The Beastmen progressed to move forward attempting to slam the Tuskgor chariots into the stationary Mournfang for them to fail on both accounts. The Ungors however, worked up into a blind rage by Gorgaronn’s endless chanting charged off into the Ironguts taking the Ogres by surprise, and although the Ungors were beaten by the huge elite Ogres they held tight and did not flee. With the Chariots failing to charge the Mounrfang the giant cat riders saw the opportunity to smash through their nemesis’ with sheer strength of impact, the first chariot turned horn and fled whereas the second Tuskgor crew took the brunt of the impact. The Mounrfang smashed the wooden frame aside and trampled over it continuing on into the Razorgor chariot, the Beastmen had failed to get the essential charge off this time but the Ironsmashers bundled forward to assist their beleaguered comrades from the ensuing onslaught.

The Mournfang persisted to cast the Tuskgor chariot down, but the contraption ended up too tough to destroy, and seeing their chance attacked the Wargor carrying the Battle Standard attempting to gain the advantage on their enemies. But unfortunately for the Ogres the Mournfang were then cut to pieces by the mass of attacks the Bestigor could deliver and ran from the victors, the Bestigor then took this advantage to slam into the Ironguts flank and reignite the hatred between the two units – however the mass of Bestigor persisted to wipe out most of the Ogres down to a man, but the stubborn Ogre didn’t budge.

The Ogre’s right flank was doing a better job however; the great Thundertusk bundled into the swathe of Gors before it stamping many of them into the muddy puddles beneath their feet. However the Thundertusk’s impetus was not enough to cast the Gors and Gorgaronn down and got stuck in combat with the horde of Beastmen, the then fuming Minotaurs were able to rampage into the side of the beast and the combined might of these forces pulled the Thundertusk down. However this confusion helped the Ogres in the end as all the Beastmen units were out of sync and had spread themselves all over the place, the Ogres needed to break the army not defeat it in this case so the Kleef Tulip Gorger and his huge mob of boys charged off into the victorious Gor unit and with the huge volume of impact hits and attacks the Gors were completely disorientated and demoralised, not even Gorgaronn’s shouting and screaming could stop the unit from fleeing the impact of such a huge body of fat!

The remaining Gors and Gorgaronn did manage to rally in front of the pursuing Ogres, but due to the mass confusion with the rest of the Beastmen army the Kleef and his Ogres could not be stopped and persisted to wipe Gorgaronn and the Gors off the table in a final belly flopping charge. The Ogres had managed to pull victory from disaster in the end, and the Beastmen army that remained looked on in horror as their general was defeated, the Ironsmashers and their Wargor took the initiative and took the opportunity to flee the battle before the Ogres could call for reinforcements. A battle unjustly lost? Or perhaps revenge for the carnage the Beastmen had done to the Ogres earlier on in the Spring, whichever way you look at it, the Beastmen and the Ogre Kingdoms would now have a bitter hatred for one another – perhaps for months.

Victory for the Ogre Kingdoms             

Game Four: Dwarfs vs. Beastmen

Game Five: Ogre Kingdoms vs. Dark Elves

Game Six: Wood Elves vs. Skaven

The patrolling armies of the Wood Elves and Skaven met in the north just below the Marshes of Madness, the Wood Elves empowered by their earlier victory and the conquering of a mighty Wizarding tower strode forward with Great Spirit. The Skaven themselves riled by their defeat were out for revenge, they knew that the Wood Elves needed to be dealt with as they were intervening with the council of thirteenth’s malicious plan. Would the armies of the Skaven get revenge and turn the tide of invading Wood Elves or will the Asrai continue to push forward smashing all those before them?

Battle Report!

Wood Elves VS Skaven (Battle Line)

The Seer watched as one of his pathetic underlings ran towards him, stumbling and falling about like the imbecile he was. As the Clanrat approached the pathetic worm threw himself onto the cavern floor and prostrated himself before a being that could kill him in the swish of a tail.

For this seer was of the council of the thirteen.

This seer had returned from the netherworld, after standing unblinkingly in front of death, nibbling at its face then turning tail and fleeing.

This seer was the Artist Formerly known as the Horned One.

Thought to have perished in the bloody battle against the Wood Elves at The Tree Singing Tower.

He had returned, but didn’t see the weakling Skaven army at the Marshes as worthy of his presence…Not yet anyway.

The underling beneath him squeaked ‘Master, I bring news from the battle with the bark-lovers.’

The Artist Formerly known as the Horned One remained silent.

The Clanrat hesitated. ‘The…Erm…Master the army was routed from the field, Draxsqueak failed, the Elves beat us again.’

Warped electricity charged through the Seer as he prepared to show this scum how bringing such news to a member of the council was punished.

‘But the experiment!’ The rat quickly blurted out.

The lightening faded.

‘I think…SQUEAK!...I mean I’m certain that it was a success! Experiment 313 still lives! Not only that but it beat down the forest spirit known as Willow Smith my Lord.’

The Artist formerly known as the Horned One almost smiled, then only three words escaped his whiskered mouth.

‘Tell me everything.’

In the sparsely forested land near the Marshes of Madness the Skaven arose from their underground lairs, scrabbling to the surface. Their leader, the Warlord Slik arranged his minions into some resemblance of order and formed his battle line, preparing the Ratmen to face their nemesis in their campaign for Morahngol, the troublesome Wood Elves. The Skaven line spanned from the building to the far West of the battlefield to some ruins that lay in the East, forcing the oncoming Wood Elves into conflict if they wished to pass. As the Grey Seer leading one of the Skaven armies had been vanquished the remaining forces of the Ratmen had called down into their tunnels for a replacement, and replaced the Grey Seer was, by a Rat called Quirm. Pushed up through the tunnels, his arms bound behind his back, with such force that it was almost as if their fellow Skaven didn’t want him anymore.

Meanwhile the Wood Elves decided to accept the challenge made by their foes and set up their own battle lines in response. Naestara the life mage had experience in fighting these defilers and arranged her units to counter strike the Rat horde with forest spirits whilst raining arrows down upon their soft heads.

The Wood Elves took the initiative and sent their Dryad forces ploughing forwards towards the Skaven. The legendary Tree Man of the Wood Elf force Willow Smith watched the battle unfold patiently from the cover of a nearby wood, waiting for his moment to strike. Now Naestara closed her eyes and drew power from the winds of magic, managing to conjure up a decent 9 power dice, she began casting spells using the power of her magic to move woods around the battlefield, protecting herself and bolstering the toughness of her units. The Rats looked to their newly acquired Grey Seer expecting him to dispel the spells coming forth from Naestara. The seer simply cackled madly as the magic flew all about them unhindered followed by a hail of arrows, which mainly missed the Skaven forces due to the distance between the opposing armies. A little disconcerted by their new arrival the Skaven reacted.

Wood Elf fast cavalry, attempting to flank the Skaven by approaching their right flank via the ruins were taken aback as when they passed the rubble plague censor bearers flew out charging at the Elves and their mounts. However the Rats were disorientated and were unable to hit their prey. As the Wild Riders braved the noxious gasses brought forth by the censor bearers the cut through the Ratmen with the ease and grace expected of an Elf. Afterwards charging onwards towards the plague furnace and Draxsqueak the monk.

Meanwhile the Warlord Slik Ordered his units to advance, readying his blade to strike down the spirits of the forest that had thwarted him once before.

Then the eyes of Quirm lit with an eerie green glow and he laughed maniacally before sucking all the power he could from the winds of magic, throwing all of his strength into sending the 13^th spell at the Wood Elf Naesara and her squad of archers. The force of the spell was so immense that the Elves could do nothing but watch it happen. Naestara, the Wood Elven battle standard and the captain of the archers watched as the rest of their unit scream blood curdling screams before the fabric of reality around them was torn and they mutated into Clanrats, their hideous remains knotted together on the grassland they lay on as the effects of the spell proved too much and they died. Rather then be panicked by the decimation of his squad the captain roared in defiance at his now hated enemy, promising to take as many of them to the grave with him as he could.

However the spell also had major ramifications on the demented soul who cast it. Abusing the winds of magic in such a way that Quirm had would not go unpunished. The fabric of reality exploded around this suicidal Seer as he detonated, sending ten of the Stormvermin that were with him to their graves along with three unlucky nearby plague monks. However the warped mind of Quirm was not sucked into the abyss and he alone stood in the centre of a blackened crater, still cackling whilst he burnt. However the rats that had survived the detonation were used to Skaven weaponry backfiring and did not flee but trudged on forwards.

Shaken by the destruction of her squad Naestara called upon the magic of life to undo the hideous mutations of six of her archer companions and bring them back to the world of the living. While she did this the BSB, angered by the death of his comrades notched the Hail of Doom arrow into his bow and fired it at the Stormvermin, as the arrow whistled through the air it splintered into many shards and pierced nine of the already depleted Stormvermin who finally decided they’d had enough and turned their tails on the enemy, squeaking as they fled.

The few brave wild riders who charged the plague furnace launched themselves from atop their mounts onto the furnace with Draxsqueak and butchered him. The plague monks took umbrage and charged atop the furnace with them. Gladly sacrificing themselves for the good of the forests the Wild Riders fought and fell before the monks. As the last of their kin stood atop the furnace he heard a loud ‘CLUNK’ above his head, looking up just in time to see the wrecker ball fall from the furnace before it crushed his small fame to dust.

As this occurred Quirm let out an almighty Squeak (as almighty as a squeak can be) and swung back round to face the enemy, the stormvermin, very much fearing this nutcase, followed suit. As they did so The Hellpit Abomination Experiment 313 lurched forward in front of the Skaven battle line.

Now facing his foe again Quirm’s whiskers twitched as once again his eyes glowed their fell glow and the 13^th spell was once again irresistibly cast at those that remained in Naesala’s unit. The six revived archers fell to the spell. The Captain also fell. As did the BSB. Then Naesala herself hunched over screaming as the warped power of the dreaded 13^th spell tore her body apart and she, like her fellow comrades, collapsed onto the grass.

Quirm Screeched with unbridled glee at causing such devastation and as he did so imploded once more with the power of the Dimensional Cascade, incinerating seven foolish Stormvermin who came too close and five plague monks. After the explosion Quirm, still screeching in delight, was sucked away into an abyss of darkness for all eternity.

At the sight of this madness a unit of Dryads manoeuvred in front of the remaining Stormvermin ready to stop them in their tracks. Meanwhile the Treekin charged the plague furnace, ready to finish what their Wild Rider brethren started.

Seeing the Hellpit Emerging from the Skaven line a squad of Wood Elf Archers opened fire upon it, only one arrow penetrated the Hellpit, making it roar an unearthly roar that shook the ground, charging onwards towards the spirits of the forest.

The Treekin smashed into the wooden frame of the furnace, wrecking the structure and reducing it to splinters. The Plague monks reacted but were unable to penetrate the toughened bark of the Tree Demons, but the monks, angered by the loss of their machine stood firm to exact their revenge.

The thirteen remaining Stormvermin, along with the Warlord Slik, charged the pretentious Dryads standing before them. The Dryads cut through the remaining Stormvermin to reach Slik, as the Branchwraith saw the Warlord the Skaven called forth his two assassin bodyguards. The Dryad called out a challenge and one of the assassins stepped forth to accept, protecting his master and easily cutting the Dryad to pieces before the creature could lift a gnarled limb. The other assassin killed two more Dryads as they attempted to swarm the Warlord. However he was unable to kill many that ran past him to the Skaven Hero. Slik Squeaked in fear, he didn’t think he was actually have to fight! He drew his weapon and lashed out randomly at the Dryads, who simply stepped to one side then struck his Rat foe down. The other stormvermin were overwhelmed and seeing their commander die, scamper away as fast as they could.

Now the other unit of Dryads caught the Hellpit unaware and charged into its left flank but were unable to wound the monstrosity. Experiment 313, annoyed by the Dryads, decided they would be better flattened and, rearing up on its…erm…rearing up into the air proceeded to collapse down in an Avalanche of Flesh upon the Dryads, crushing nine of the spirits to dust, the Dryads then thought better than to continue attacking such a creature and ran for their lives.

The Treekin finished off the Plague monks and turn to see the destruction being carried out by Experiment 313 started moving in to combat it.

Before the Treekin could charge the Hellpit, however the Legendary Willow Smith burst out of his forested hiding place and moved to stop the Experiment’s rampage. The Hellpit slams into the Heroic Treeman, the ensuing wrestling match reached epic proportions, shaking the very roots of the trees in a nearby forest. Then the Hellpit grabbed Williow Smith, slamming his head into the earth, shattering the forest Demon into splinters. The hellpit then turned from its kill and slammed into the Treekin, ripping through them like paper.

‘That’s all I know Master SQUEAK!’ Chattered the Clanrat. ‘Experiment 313 ran off into the swamps after the battle, shall we sent a squad to recapture him?’

‘Yes…’ muttered The Artist Formerly Known as the Horned One ‘I had plans once you know…And soon they shall come to fruition.’  

Marshes of Madness: The Middle of Spring

So Turn 1 of the Marshes of Madness had been completed, the armies have settled and fought over new land and the stranglehold is beginning to fall on a few whereas the domination of others is beginning to take hold... However Spring is moving fast and it's now the month of May (Turn 2) and the armies of the marshes are beginning to try and take hold of as much land as they can whilst trying to hold on to what they've gained already.

Turn 2 began with a bang, with an already bitter relation ship between the Tomb Kings (Adam) and the Lizardmen (Paul) was kicked into life again, Adam and Paul would have to fight over the Tomb Kings domain once again. Adam was also beginning to be surrounded with an marauding Orc & Goblin (John) army smashed into his northern empire. It seems the Tomb Kings may have the home advantage but the invaders want them out!

Game 1: Paul Hickey (Lizardmen) vs Adam Chrimes (Tomb Kings) Deserts of Khemri tile
Game 2: Adam Chrmies (Tomb Kings) vs John Hampson (Orcs & Goblines) Deserts of Khemri tile

The Beastmen (Mark) to the west suffered a blow after losing their mine to the Dwarfs (Andrew) and instantly a battle broke out between the two on the coastline. The Beastmen then continued with their Turn 1 victory and hit at the heart of the Ogre's Kingdoms (Ollie) seeing an advantage to such anarchic behaviour.


Game 3: Mark Hampson (Beastmen) vs Andrew Bainbridge (Dwarfs)
Game 4: Ollie Whant (Ogre Kingdoms) vs Mark Hampson (Beastmen)


To the North in the Marshes themselves the slaving Dark Elves had sailed up the coast, and landed in an unclaimed area between the Ogre players, however the Ogre tribe to the north (Mitch) saw this as a threat and moved to dispose of this invading party. The Wood Elves to the east saw this as an opportunity to conquer more land and their armies used the woods to appear in the North, the Skaven nearby however didn't approve of this untimely upset to their evil plans and sent a force to crush the elves as quickly as possible.


Game 5: Mitch Worton (Ogre Kingdoms) vs Animal (Dark Elves)
Game 6: Callum Williams (Wood Elves) vs Dan Barnes (Skaven)

Marshes of Madness: Spring Campaign Turn 1

Spring Turn One

Let the Slaughter Commence!

All races of the known world have sent forth their greatest armies to the marshes of madness, each seeking out the Chaos God Morahngol K’tah for their own unique purposes. As colossal armies clash in the Deserts, Open Plains, Mountains and Coastlines to the North of Khemri the beast they hunt grows ever more powerful…

Whilst nine of the races are battling over the sodden ground of the marshes others are instead fighting up to the North the War of the Shield in some of the greatest and most gruesome battles ever fought in the history of Chaos’ existence. All available forces of Order are forming a defensive shield far to the North of the Marshes of Madness, preventing the overwhelming hordes of chaos gaining access to Morahngol. As Morahngol hit the earth the worshippers of Chaos began to hear voices in their heads, pushing and urging them to destroy the spawn of Morrsleib. The constant and urgent nature of the voices forcing every Warrior to make for war and head south with all haste, making an army of Warriors, Demons, Beasts and the Damned of such vastness they would span an entire horizon.

The forces of Order acted with admirable speed and courage, forming an alliance to prevent the forces of Chaos from entering the Marshes and slaughtering the armies that hunt for the Chaos God of Confusion. However as each day passes the forces of Order concede inch by inch of blood soaked ground to the Chaos alliance. “One year”; the armies in the south are informed, “One year to find and kill Morahngol K’tah or be thrust into an abyss of darkness forever.”

The Players

Time is of the essence as the armies in the south prepare their hunt for Moranghol, setting up cities to dwell whilst they campaign and quickly fortifying the surrounding areas, ready for battle and prepared for death. The ten armies vying for control of the marshes need ten supreme commanders; luckily we happened to have ten of the most grizzled veterans at the ready.

·         In the Purple corner, marching the undead hordes of the tomb kings to battle is High King Adam Chrimes, setting the Legions of the Damned down in the city of Numas to the south of the Great Mortis River ready to expand north and conquer the living that dare to fight there.

·         Your local not-so-friendly green horde bustled in on the campaign for Morahngol, led by Big Boss John Hampson, stuffing his Boyz into the thick of it (as any Orc Warboss worth his salt would) in the middle of the central plains north of the River.

·         The Mage-Priests of the Lizardmen found it wise to send the Sky blue army to destroy the Chaos God, they also found it in their wisdom to send Mage-Priest Paul Hickey to command them, his first move to begin their divine quest was to build a temple city just to the North of Numas, also bordering the mountains containing Karak-Zorn and the central plains.

·         The host of Dark Elves sailed under black sails to the mainland south of the marshes and landed on the north bank of the Great Mortis River near the coast. Led by the Dread Lord Animal they set up their city along the banks of the River, ready to sail and attack crucial locations along the coast if need be.

·         The massed sickly green armies of the Ratmen burrowed out of their under-empire to spread the tide of Skaven across the campaign map, appearing to the south of the Marsh their leader Grey Seer Dan Barnes prepared his plague furnaces and Hellpit Abominations and scurried forth to conquer.

·         A tribe of Ogres migrated to the badlands ready to spread their Blood Red flags throughout. Ready to smash and, whenever the mood takes them, to feast, they looked to their Overtyrant Ollie Whant who decided they should first set up Camp to the north of the open plains and close enough to feel the comfort drawn from the mountains.

·         A contingent of White Wood Elves bound from the forests went forth to the grasslands just north of the open plains, setting up their city south of the Skaven, ready to halt their tide and bring the death to Morahngol. High Born Callum Williams was charged with the task and was determined to do so by any mean necessary.

·         Even the Dwarves wandered forth from their great mountain halls, hammers and axes in hand; ready to bring death to Morahngol and any who would stand in their way. Dwarven Lord Andrew Bainbridge ensured his artillery was of a Dwarf standard, ready to hurl, shoot and fire at any who dare oppose the rise of the grumpy blue beards.

·         A fledgling Ogre tribe garbed in orange blundered its way towards the chaotic beast, finding themselves setting up camp to the West of the Marshes next to the Pirate City of Pinzence. Oddly enough they are led by Gnoblar Chinbiter Mitch Worton; beggars can’t be choosers I suppose.

·         The grey Beastmen of the forests appeared blinking into the sunlight, seeing the hideous display of organisation and the progression of society in the uninhabited Marshes filled Beast Lord Mark Hampson with a burning fury, ready to rampage through civilisation and return anarchy to the land his beasts moved south of the woods into the open plains where the hardest fighting was to be had.

Turn One

After the brief period of calm before the storm Morahngol K’tah made his move, burrowing under the surface and ploughing straight through the Grey Beastmen Empire…but not yet has he reached the surface…that is when true mayhem shall commence. Instantly the opposing armies across the board clashed giving no quarter and all the armies going immediately on the offensive.

Game One: Dwarves vs. Dark Elves

The Dwarves Led by Iorghen Ulventand charged (as much as Dwarves can) along the coastline of the Great Mortis River where a Dark Elf Force under the command of Uraithen Blackheart came forth to meet them in combat. After a charge at the Dwarven gun line both generals crossed blades in an epic combat. Whilst being far greater in speed and style Uraithen was simply unable to penetrate Iorghen’s armour and as a result the Dwarf was able to use sheer brute force and grim determination to deliver a knockout blow from his axe to the Dreadlord, as the Dark Elf force slunk away into the night the surviving Dwarves lifted their weapons to the sky and roared in victory.

Battle Report!

Dwarves VS Dark Elves.

With the Blessings of Ghyran stirring the Marshes of madness into life, Andrew's Dwarfs and Ben's Dark Elves took advantage of the warming weather and clashed on the coastline.

In typical Dwarven fashion, Andrew's army took up their buckets and fashioned crude bulwarks from the sand, whilst Ben let his army spread out, content to let his sizeable block of cold ones splash about in the sea.

In oddly brisk fashion (for a dwarf at least) Andrew went first with little (ok, no) movement and even less magic. The shooting phase saw a cannon and one grudge thrower sail over their targets (we can only assume the gunners failed to compensate for the brisk sea breeze). Their twins were much more obliging however, the other cannon wounding but not destroying a repeater bolt thrower. The Black guard were also greeted by a sizeable chunk of masonry; the rune etched stone landing on target and slaying ten out of the twenty elite warriors.

As the elves swept forward towards the dwarven position, The cold ones thundered ahead, the fearsome mounts baying for blood. As battle commenced, it became obvious that Dwarf's presence here was having an effect on the winds of magic- the flow of eldritch power being reduced to little more than an asthmatic wheeze. Under the watchful eye of Dreadlord Uraithen Blackheart, Ben's sorceress let out a series of curses as she realised the stunted targets in front of her were less than accommodating with regards to her black arts.

The shooting phase saw little improvement with the Dreadlord's sizeable battery of repeater bolt throwers failing to hit their mark. The ranks of repeater crossbow wielding warriors were slightly more successful, a smattering of dwarfs falling with black fletched bolts sticking out from beneath gorgets.

The dwarfs were equally hospitable, greeting the Druchii with a hail of missile fire, the quarrellers tearing through the crossbow men with such force that they were forced to take a panic check. However, under the steely gaze of the sorceress, they thought better of running. The Cannons failed to strike their targets, although this was redeemed somewhat by the grudge thrower continuing to dent the elven ranks.

With a feral shriek, the cold one knights charged into the Longbeards, the frenzied mounts leaping with bared talons as their riders couched lances. The bloodied Black guard made for the Hammerers, bolstered by the piratical corsairs. Ben aimed his shooting at the dwarven artillery that he had now decided had become somewhat of a pain. Sadly, the effect was a little lacklustre, the stunty crews hunkering down beside their stout war machines.

The combat round saw the Cold one knights tear into the longbeards with all the gusto to be expected of velociraptor cavalry. Though thoroughly beaten, the veteran warriors held by virtue of being steadfast. All the while, a chorus of moans echoed up from the dwarfs, complaining at the lack of skill displayed by their opponents and that “Dinosaurs used to be scarier back in my day.”

In his turn, Andrew attempted to charge the hammerers into the corsairs. The hammerers- having longer beards and therefore knowing better than he however, came up with snake eyes on their charge distance, deciding to have a scotch egg or something instead.

The artillery continued to chip away at Ben's bolt throwers with little results. The quarrellers continued their bullying of the crossbowmen, finally breaking the elves and forcing them to flee from the Dawi shafts (giggity). Combat saw more of the longbeards fall, though bereft of the added strength of their lances, the knights found carving through the dwarfs to be more of an arduous process than they originally thought.

The corsairs and black guard swept into the hammerers. Royal bodyguard to Dwarf lord Iorghen Ulventand, the dwarfs hefted their mattocks in preparation for the fight. The crossbowmen managed to catch Uraithen's eye and rallied as they realised the inventive torture their general might have waiting for them if they continued to leg it.

A barrage of bolt thrower fire saw the crew of a grudge thrower thoroughly spitted. In combat, the Cold one knights finally broke the longbeards, running them down and crashing into the grudge thrower ahead. Despite seeing his most veteran clansmen run down, Iorghen gripped his axe haft, sweeping the blade through a handful of elves. Despite the frenzied efforts of the corsairs, not nearly enough of the dwarfs fell and the druchii were pulped as dozens of hammer heads descended onto their skulls. The stunned few survivors took the decidedly wise initiative of buggering off. Snarling behind his fantastic ginger whiskers, the dwarf lord ordered his unit to restrain, turning them to face the marauding cold ones.

Racing to the aid of the grudge thrower, Iorghen and the hammerers crashed into the cold ones. With battle fully joined, targets for the quarellers were sparse and so they continued the campaign of intimidation, shaving a few more elves off of the crossbow squad.

Combat saw the knights butcher the grudge thrower crew and their  lance tips pierced the armour of a few hammerers, who repaid in kind.

Whilst their subordinates clashed, the two lords locked eyes, Uraithen raising his blade and letting out a sibilant hiss of challenge to the dwarf lord who raised his rune axe in reply. The nimble elf darted forward, his blade sweeping under Iorghen's guard. Unfortunately, the blade skittered off of the gromril plate of the dwarf lord's armour. Iorghen's rune axe landed more telling blows, cutting grievous furrows into the noble and his mount.

With the battle entering its final stages, the bloodied corsairs continued to limp to safety, whilst the elves shot down the crew of the cannon, already acknowledging that the engines had done their work. In the swirling melee, Uraithen's blade once again failed to land on anything remotely fleshlike. Iorghen had grown weary at this point and deciding to put the proverbial brick into the marigold glove (Had to nick that one Andrew), dispatched the Dreadlord, the runes etched onto his axe blade blazing as they cut into his body.

Seeing their lord cut down bodily, the Cold one knights felt the sneaking suspicion that something was amiss, begin to dawn upon them. This sudden pessimistic outlook was reinforced when the Remaining hammerers lashed out, knocking them from the saddle.

With a few final bouts of desultory shooting, the smoke cleared to find that Andrew had all but wiped the Druchii from the field. Save for the crossbowmen and remaining bolt thrower, his foes were routed. First Blood to Iorghen Ulventand.

Final Victory points:

Dwarves: 2055

Dark Elves 1084

Victory to the Dwarfs.

Game Two: Ogre Kingdoms vs Skaven vs Wood Elves

As the Ogre and Skaven forces charged towards the Wizards tower tucked away in the foothills of the mountains, each preparing to face the other, they both stood still in their tracks as they saw the tower was already occupied by the Wood Elves, a force they were sure was nowhere near this location. Undaunted both armies prepared to storm either side of the tower, surprised at how calm and collected their Wood Elf prey was being. As both sides charged relentlessly at their prize the occupying Wood Elf army mage stood alone in the tower and silently dominated the winds of magic, casting and dispelling incoming spells exactly as required. Meanwhile both forces charging the tower were set upon by ambushes, whilst the Ogres fell in their droves the Skaven grimly ploughed on, only to eventually being repelled by the heroic Wood Elf defenders.

Battle Report!

Ogre Kingdoms VS Skaven VS Wood Elves (Battle Royale)

With the winds of magic stirred by the presence of the vast edifice dominating the battlefield, Wood elf spellweaver Neastra- under the command of Callum, was the first to deploy, flitting from her pathways in the twilight realm, to take up residency within the wizards tower.

Next came the chittering, bearded hordes of Dan Barnes' Skaven, under the command of his grey seer- The artist formally known as the horned prophet (He was big in the 80's don't you know), erupted from their  subterranean lair, swamping the right table edge.

Last but certainly not least, the illustrious (And flatulent) Fatsplatter tribe of ogres under the command of Marek Fatback who himself is commanded by the Gnoblar Fez, who in turn is commanded by the handsome and wise Mitch Worton (It's like Inception up in here.), thundered onto the left hand side of the table.

The wood elves began by consolidating their position around the tower, the Glade guard putting strings to bows as they prepared to protect their mage. Over on the right, the wardancers and Willow Smith, the treeman, jumped into the woods next to the oncoming Skaven horde. The rat folk eyed the treeline nervously, paws gripping around spear hafts as they watched for any sign of moving bark.

The Skaven pushed forward, the throng of Plague monks pushing the pestilential furnace of priest Draxqueek, trundling into the forest. Dan's Grey seer showed a little more athleticism, his Storm vermin unit clearing the same forests and most likely flashing some rude gestures in the direction of their diseased brethren.

With typical gusto, Marek's tribe rolled forward, thighs the size of ale barrels, chafing together as the army surged towards the tower. Most of the army ended up inside the woods whilst staring down an army of Asrai (no doubt there was some cunning plan forming in Fez's cashew sized brain).

Taking advantage of the eldritch energies playing over the stonework of the wizard's tower, Naestra casts throne of vines over her army, only to find the spell dissipated by the efforts of The artist formally known as the horned prophet.

Buoyed by this success, the grey seer than attempts to cast warp lightning on the wood elves, the spell only stopped by virtue of Naestra's wand of wych elm. Returning the favour, the wood elf casts tree singing on the forest where the plague monks are residing, rolling irresistible force for the attempt. 4 monks are slain as the ancient trees are provoked into bloodshed whilst Naestra survives the backlash of magical energy released.

 Drunk with power now, she attempts to cast flesh to stone on the dryads, sadly, her previous exertions prove to be too much and she fails to cast.

The opening shooting efforts see the Branchwraith picking out Marek, attempting to snipe him with deadly grasping vines. The attack fails to scratch the tyrant's corpulent form however (we can only hope she was aiming for Fez.) The glade guard send a flurry of arrows at the stormvermin, dropping two of the elite rats. Deciding this is a poor showing, the noble carrying the battle standard, pulls out his hail of doom arrow. Flashing his comrades a cocksure grin, he lets loose, the arrow splitting into several as they speed towards the stormvermin. His expression falters however as only a single rat falls to the barrage. He hefts the banner once more, trying to blot out the laughter of the glade guard.

In the second turn, the Wardancers bamfed into the woods behind the ogres, talismanic tattoos shimmering in the gloom beneath the eaves as they readied their blades.

Over on the right, a rumbling heralded the arrival of the Hellpit abomination, it's crude sutures tearing as it hefted it's lumpen form through the tree line. A mass of slaves followed in the beast's wake, the downtrodden ratmen herded mercilessly towards the tower.

On the ogres flank, a woeful dirge began to sound as a mighty phalanx of gnoblars came storming onto the table, spoons and shoehorns glinting in the sunlight.

Harnessing the winds of magic once more, Neastra cast flesh to stone on the dryad unit, the power of Ghyran hardening the forest spirit's already formidable forms. Responding in kind, the grey seer tries to throw out a warp lightning but fails to seize upon enough eldritch power and his concentration is broken.

The Ogre butcher felt it was time to get in on this magic lark and so, hefting a cold platter of troll offal, he attempted to cast trollguts on the surrounding ogres. The wood elf sorceress, foreseeing what a pain regenerating fat could become, wisely chose to dispel.

Turning her attention back to the encroaching ratmen, Naestra focussed her wrath on the plague monks, casting Dwellers below on the unit and the pestilential soup tureen they were pushing. 27 of the poxed rats are dragged to their deaths by killer moles, the plague priest left staring down sullenly at his depleted unit. As if to add insult to injury, the magical backlash unleashed from the miscast then flits harmlessly over the waifish sorceress.

Nocking arrows to bow strings, the glade guard take down 5 plague monks, whilst their brethren on the left flank chip away at the leadbelchers, harming them enough to force a panic check. The dim witted ogres stared dully down at their cannons and realised they'd better fire before they went home and so decided to stay. Now a tad perturbed at the leaf wearing twiglets in front of them, the leadbelchers opened fire, 3 of the elves fall, forcing their comrades to flee in panic.

Turn three sees battle joined as the dryads sweep into the ogres, followed by the wardancers charging into the rear, leaving the ogres scratching their heads in confusion as they were sure they checked that wood on the way in. Bolstered by the sudden aggression from their side, the glade guard take heart and rally.

Over on the right flank, the musk of fear is verily squirted as the warpfire thrower crew fail to wound the treeman as it thundered into them.

The mournfang trot onto the board just in time to watch their perambulating comrades counter charge into the wood elves, possibly spurred on by the tinny yell of “Belly bounce!” thrown up by fez.

The plague censer bearers are over come with a sudden protective urge in regards to their clan skyre buddies and rush to their rescue, charging Willow Smith.

With the battle in full flow, Naestra attempted to find herself a centre of calm. Her attempts to shift the woods was easily dispelled by the artist formally known as, whilst the grey seers own warp lightning based efforts were similarly stopped. Finding herself besieged on both sides, the wood elf barely dispelled toothcracker on the ogres.

Naestra's concentration finally slipped as she rolled another irresistible as she cast shield of thorns on the dryads. Her luck finally ran out as the roiling energy swept her into the realms of chaos. As the tear in reality closed over, many could swear that the faint echoes of malevolent laughter could be heard drifting over the battlefield.

With the troublesome mage dispatched, the skaven felt their grip upon the winds of magic tighten, allowing the plague priest to cast wither upon the Treeman, the forest spirit's bark form becoming tarnished with rot.

Shooting saw the arrows of the glade guard take down 8 of the plague monks, severely diminishing the unit. The leadbelchers took aim at the dryads, two of the forest spirits being taken down by heavy shot.

The combat phase opened with the fanatics of clan pestilens swinging their censers bodily, wafting heavy clouds of warpstone based plague over their towering foe. Three of their number appeared to be significantly less devout than their brethren, succumbing to their own gas. Unperturbed by the spasming corpses of their brothers, nor the jellied remains of the former warpfire thrower crew; the plague censer bearers lashed out with their flails taking 5 wounds off of the treeman, reducing it to one wound. Grievously wounded though he was, the skaven made a fatal error in leaving Willow alive as he proceeded to tear apart the rat folk, over running into the stormvermin commanded by the grey seer.

Howling out a challenge, The branchwraith swiftly dispatches the ogre champion dense enough to accept. Her kin lash out with preternatural swiftness, taking a hefty toll on the ogres, the equally agile wardancers cut heavily into the rear ranks of the ogres also. However, considering the overwhelming mass of sheer mean fat surrounding them, it seemed that their efforts would be in vain.

Clutching at the dice, Mitch then proceeded to astound us all by simply not hitting very much at all. Even the famously violent (and corpulent) Marek, seemed disinterested in the mortal combat raging before him, barely striking down a single dryad. For all the ogre fluffage occurring, the ridiculousness of the melee was further compounded when Callum then decided to pass an obscene amount of ward saves. Clearly blessed by the spirit of Orion, he appeared to have not only survived by the skin of his arse, but had also won combat! Having assessed the situation from a tactical standpoint, Fez felt it was better if the ogres decided to cheese it, the lumbering brutes breaking in all directions, some even lucky enough to make it out of the reach of the vengeful Asrai.

Turn four commenced with the wardancers continuing their relentless pursuit of the ogres. The tattooed warriors leapt into the fleeing ogre unit, cutting them and the battle standard bearer to ribbons. Not particularly encouraged by the untimely death of their chums, the rest of the ogres politely declined to return to the battle, thighs chafing as they continued to run.

Over on the right flank, the roaming tree kin charged into the much depleted plague monk unit, the impact almost jarring the priest from his high platform.

Without the aid of his learned comrade, the wood elf magic phase was left to Willow who had a pop at tree singing, only to find it masterfully dispelled by Dan's grey seer. Trying his best to ignore the boisterous trees laying into the unit, priest Draxqueek decided to bestow his blessings upon his own men, gifting their blades with a patina of blessed filth.

In combat, Willow's rampage was sadly halted as the lumbering giant found himself pierced upon many halberds, his oaken form crashing to the ground before he even had a chance to strike. Breathing a sigh of relief, The artist formally known as the horned prophet, claimed that he had everything under control from the start and hissed at his troops to reform.

The treekin tear through the plague monks, paying no heed to their poisoned blades. Their triumph was short lived as the plague monk downed one of the creatures with a mighty swing of his flail, before yelling at his fume addled crew to unleash the smog wreathed wrecker ball attached to the plague furnace. Colliding bodily with the tree kin, the wrecker took a great toll though not enough to swing the combat in Dan's favour. However, drunk on poisonous fumes and filled with a sense of self righteousness, the priest remained unbreakable.

The game reaching it's final stages, the wardancers turned on the mournfang, their slender blades still slick with the blood of the monstrous cavalry's kin. With a mighty squeak, the gnoblars rushed to the aid of their heftier comrades, connecting with the wardancers. The Dryads charged into the remaining leadbelchers who could only watch dumbfounded as the forest spirits came upon them, shrieking hellishly. True to form, the rest of Mitch's ogres fled off the table, Fez shouting well wishes to the remnants of his battle line as he rode atop Marek's shoulders.

Despite having soul control over the winds of magic this turn, Dan's grey seer was unable to perform even the most paltry of cantrips. Shooting was hardly more eventful, the glade guard firing arrows into the approaching mass of the hellpit abomination, managing to take three wounds off of the dread creature.

In the combat phase, a clash of heroes ensued as Cribbins, the battle scarred gnoblar nipple biter mercernary, bellowed a challenge towards the branchwraith. Now, whilst it may have appeared to all participating that Cribbins was cut down grievously by the marauding forest spirit, we have it on good account that the nimble mercenary in fact evaded her blows by dint of his natural agility and was later seen scurrying towards the rear of the ogre ranks.

The nimble wardancers were noticeably fatigued after their earlier slaughter and so their blows fell short of the mournfang, who repaid the blood debt, crushing a few. Not to be outdone, the mighty gnoblars lashed out, taking down a further two!

The diminished Man eaters lash out at the dryads but find themselves unable to overcome the vengeful creatures. Their resolve breaks and they flee.

Over on the right, the wood elves impetus stalls as, unable to dent the plague furnace, the tree kin are felled (tee hee), leaving only one remaining.

Going into the final turn, the wizards tower was still in the hands of the wood elves, though they faced a mass of skaven that threatened to overwhelm them. To emphasise this point, Dan sent his slaves into the glade guard, trusting in sheer numbers to win over actual, you know...competency.

The magic phase was once again desultory, with warp lightning failing to go off once more.

In combat, the Gnoblars continued to excel themselves, cutting down more of the wardancers and swinging the combat in their favour. The agile glade guard cut deep into the skaven slaves, their natural skill making sure that their blades slipped easily past any form of guard the rats could muster. Though the roiling mass of teeth and claws dragged a few of the elves down, the Asrai still prevailed, though the vast amount of ranks supporting the skaven meant that their courage was sufficiently bolsterered.

The remaining tree kin was finally dispatched by Draxqueek who's squeaks of victory died as he realised he was fairly high up and bereft of followers to push him. Sadly his cries of assistance were lost amongst the din of battle.

With combat raging at the base of the edifice, the game drew to a close with the Hellpit and the slaves vying for control against the glade guard. With the tower looking to remain in no-ones hands, the mighty tome of rules was consulted where it was discovered that if anyone of the contesting players had slain an army general then that would count towards secondary victory conditions. With his army having herded Marek Fatback off the table, Callum's Wood Elves had just clinched it! The Asrai seized the tower just barely, Dan's grey seer sending up a barrage of inventive curses towards the victors.

Victory to the Wood Elves!

Game Three: Tomb Kings vs Lizardmen

            The next battle commenced to the south in the mighty desert of the dead with Adam’s Tomb Kings defending their realm from the cold blooded terror of Paul’s Lizardmen. King Raamket II had noticed this invasion and brought his mighty forces to bear down on the invading Lizards who were being led by a mighty Slaan-Mage Priest of the old ones. How would this battle in the desert end?

Battle Report!

Tomb Kings VS Lizardmen (Dawn Attack)

As the warriors of the Old ones marched relentlessly through the punishing desert heat, the ground beneath them began to shift. Disturbed from their slumber, the legions of Numas arose from the ground, sand running from their skeletal forms in heavy rivulets.

Despite rising to meet the enemy force encroaching upon their homeland, the incantations of awakening were flawed, with King Raamket II and his herald emerging away from their tomb guard. Similarly, the skeleton warrior horde found themselves separated from the main battle line. Offering his sincerest apologies, Alhazred, the army's Hierophant, kindly put out the pressing matter of the approaching dinosaurs.

The battle begun with the king and his retainer shuffling their dessicated limbs to the tomb guard. Alhazred urged his skeleton archer unit forward, whilst the skeleton warriors struggled to rejoin the main bulk of the army, bereft as they were of the liche priest's incantations.

Magic saw the master of the mysteries attempt to cast an incantation of protection upon the army, shielding them from harm until the divided force could gain a semblance of coherency. He found his best efforts effortlessly dispatched by the Slann mage priest, the ancient mage becalming the winds of magic, denying Alhazred the power required to cast. Raising a dessicated fist towards the enemy, the hierophant shook it vigorously in the toad's direction.

Shooting saw the blessed arrows of Asph take down a few of the saurus warriors, the enchanted missiles jinking and changing course mid air to strike their targets.

Taking advantage of the Nehekaran's disrupted battleline, the Slaan urged his army forward, Terradons swooping ahead on leathery pinions, preparing to drop heavy rocks upon the undead. Bands of skinks followed in their wake, blowpipes drawn (though what they hoped poison would achieve against an army entirely bereft of veins is anyone's guess). The saurus advanced more cautiously, the brooding warriors closing ranks around their glorious leader. On the right flank, several packs of salamanders sprinted ahead, preparing to unleash gouts of fiery breath on the somewhat flammable Raamket.

Were he still able to sweat, Alhazred would be perspiring like a proverbial, as he struggled to contain the roiling energies harnessed by slann. Despite his best efforts, the mage priest was able to cast wither on the tomb guard, desiccating further, their mummified forms.

The prowling salamanders took advantage of these turn events, one of the creatures slaying 15 of the tomb guard with a single breath. His packmates were less successful, choosing instead to snack upon the skink handlers constantly poking them in the nether regions. Justified some might say.

Still struggling to reach his embattled tomb guard, Raamket continued to shuffle, followed swiftly (ish) by his standard bearer. The skeleton warriors continued their march to the centre whilst the chariot block and necrosphinx continued their posturing.

The magic phase saw Alhazred fail to cast all but a small skullstorm. The raging vortex swept forward towards the lizardmen, halting just in front of the Saurus. The lack of protective incantations invoked however, left the forces of Numas extremely fragile as the battle line was unable to heal itself. Similarly, the drain on magical energies left the casket of souls unable to release the vengeful spirits enclosed within.

Shooting saw the chariots and archers pick off a few skinks but was otherwise a desultory affair. 

The lizardmen continued their advance, the terradons dropping their missiles onto the chariots as they swooped overhead, managing to damage one. The salamanders continued to pincer the tomb guard, whilst the stegadons thundered ahead.

The slann found himself hampered by his own becalming presence as he was unable to seize upon a significant amount of power. As it was, no spells were cast this turn and the magical vortex failed to dissipate.

The respite was short lived however, as the salamanders continued to barrage the tomb guard, though without the effects of wither upon them, the undead proved more durable. King Raamket and his general were both wounded by the attacks as the exuberant dinosaurs over shot their mark. Invoking the sacred of incantation of “stop, drop and roll” the monarch was able to avoid lasting harm.

The skinks opened fire on the chariots, dropping three of the machines as their darts found the mark, the crew dropping to an inanimate heap.

Almost at the Tomb guard, Raamket cursed as he saw the ranks of lizard folk sweeping around the flanks of his beleaguered force. Yelling vigorously at Alhazred (what's the ancient Nehekaran for “Get it together?”).

The chariots crashed into the skinks, weathering their hurried shots, whilst the rest of the army desperately consolidated.

Alhazred continued his stellar work in the magic phase, casting bugger all, leaving Raamket sighing with exasperation as even the skull storm drifted back their way.

Shooting found a few salamanders dropped, though the stubborn beats refused to panic. The chariots predictably ran through the skinks, the crew stopping for a moment only to hose the remains from their wheels.

The battlefield dominated now, the salamanders closed in on the forces of Numas whilst the skink priest atop the stegadon aligned the mirrors upon the ancient engine of the gods.

Unleashing the Aztec laser of doom, the engine of the gods destroyed the chariots utterly, prompting a victory squeak from the skink priest. The salamanders continued to bully the tomb guard, wiping the last out and consuming the tomb herald in fire. Filled with righteous anger (and annoyance at his slooooooow limbs), Raamket hefted his mighty kopesh, preparing to fall upon the salamanders. As he charged majestically forth, a shadow fell across the sun and pausing to look up, Raamket saw a terradon passing overhead, followed by a rock falling towards him with unerring accuracy. Thus was the Regent of the Northern marches taken out of the battle by the most slapstick of fates. His ruined body exploding into a swarm of scarabs, he slew the skinks who had such temerity to lay him though, before darting away to his necropolis, to rest and regrow his corporeal form.

Bereft of their king'S leadership, there was little the Nehekarans could do but delay the inevitable for as long as possible. Just when despair began to set in (Well an undead sort of ennui), the hierophant revealed he had an ace up his mothbitten sleeve. Pointing beyond the embattled saurus, he motioned to the ground behind them, the sand undulating as the trio of sepulchral stalkers prepared to emerge, petrifying all those who looked upon them. His triumphant expression was short lived however as the shifting stopped, the constructs deciding they'd rather not get involved at this juncture.

Unleashing a flurry of inventive swear words, Alhazred watched as the mighty necrosphinx was laid low by a rampaging stegadon.  The final blow came when the skeleton spearmen finally arrived from their ramble, defeating a small band of skinks. The idiotic grins plastered on their fleshless faces was more than the hierophant could take. With a mental command, he ordered the remnants of the force to retreat, abandoning the mine to the Slann.

Massacre for the Lizardmen!

Game Four: Beastmen vs Ogre Kingdoms

Game Five: Orcs & Goblins vs Dwarfs