Gideon turned up at my door with 2000 Points of Wood Elves, Who am I to say no!
I chose to play my High Elves over my Goblins as I didn’t fancy an evening of fanatics crashing into trees and units fleeing at the mere hint of a Dryad or Wild rider! Let alone the potential appearance of Treemen and Tree-Kin.
Below is my army list. This is my standard 2000 point army slightly tweeked for this battle. I don’t have the complete Wood Elf list but have included and outline of what I faced.
High Elves.
* Enarbrin-Taine, Level 4 Archmage, High Elf general. - 340 Forindraths Rode, Jewel of Dusk, Dispel Scroll.
* Yeremi-Valace, Level 2 High Elf Dragonmage - 435 Sun Dragon, Silver Wand, Ring of Fury
* Dhanesk-Varne, High Elf Noble, Battle Standard Bearer - 124 Dragon Armour, Great Weapon
* 10 High Elf Archers - 110
* 19 High Elf Spear Elves - 216 Full Command, Warbanner
* 12 White Lions of Chrace - 235 Full Command, Lion Standard.
* 14 Phoenix Guard - 290 Full Command, Banner of Sorcery.
* 2 Bolt Throwers - 200
* Great Eagle - 50
Wood Elves.
* Lord on Great Eagle
* Noble
* 2 x Level 2 Mage
* 10 Archers
* 10 Archers
* 5 Way Watchers
* 9 Dryads
* 9 Dryads
* 9 Dryads
* 5 Glade Riders
* 6 Wild Riders
* 6 Wider Riders
* 2 x Great Eagles
The Battlefield
The centre of the battlefield was dominated by three hills, restricting line of sight and also movement as we had designated all hills as difficult terrain. Gideon also decided to set up his free Wood in this area which brought the flanks for the battlefield into play.
The High Elf army split in two, with both offensive and defensive units on both sides of the battlefield. My shooting was pretty evenly spread throughout the deployment zone to try to cover what lines of sight there where available. Unfortunately having lost the roll for table edge I was left without a hill to work with. The Wood elves spread fairly evenly across the battlefield using the wood and hills in the centre as cover and putting out two strong flanks with wild riders, 2 units of dryads and the lord on great eagle on one flank and Wild Riders and glade riders on the other.
Having +1 for the first turn roll due to being set up first I was hopeful of closing the gap before at least one of my units got shot to pieces but alas it was not to be as I managed a measly 2 on the dice while Gideon came up with a 5!
Wood Elves Turn 1
The Glade Riders and Wild Riders on the right flank advanced with the obvious intent of flanking or even getting round the back of the High Elf line. The Wild Riders advanced with the glade riders shielding the more expensive combat unit behind them from possible repeater bolt thrower retaliation. The left flank advanced in much the same manner with the Wild Riders with a unit of Dryads in support advancing and stopping just short of the wood and out of sight of both the White Lions and the Mage on his Dragon. The Wood Elf Lord moved out from behind the hill to draw a bead on the dragon with his Bow of Lorien. In the centre, both units of Dryads advanced on the Elf lines trying to stop the High Elf units being able to turn to meet on the oncoming Wood Elf flanking units.
The Wood Elf magic phase was spectacularly dull with both mages unable to cast power level 8 spells on three dice. This would be a trend that continued throughout the battle as the Wood Elf magic was constantly countered by bad dice rolling or the superior dispelling ability of the High Elf mages. In fact the Wood Elves did not get a single spell off all battle!
Unsurprisingly however the shooting phase was a lot more successful. The Noble took careful aim the dragon and promptly removed a wound from the beast but left the mage on top unscathed. The way Watchers having advanced to the edge of the wood slew 2 of the un-armoured archers where as everything else in the Wood Elf host that could shoot targeted the High Elf Spears. 27 shots from the Archers and Way Watchers plus an additional 14 hits from a Hail of Doom arrow resulted in 11 dead Spear Elves, fortunately due to the proximity of the General the High Elves where going no-where and passed their panic test on a roll of 9.
High Elves Turn 1
The High Elves started their first turn by countering the advances of the Wood Elves. Edging forward the Spears realigned to take any charge from the right flank in the front of the unit instead of the side which would have spelt disaster. This left the Phoenix guard potentially facing 2 units of Dryads alone but the Elves where fairly confident in their ability to take on and beat the jumped up twigs as both the Archmage and Battle Standard Bearer had joined the unit from the severely depleted Spear Elves.
In the centre only the Eagle advanced, careful to stay out of potential harms way and looking to get in behind the Wood Elf lines and have a go at those units of Archers. The White Lions and Dragon on the left flank both advanced to bring targets into range. This resulted in the White Lions ending up 2 inches in front of a unit of Wild Riders but I was confident they could take the charge.
The High Elf magic phase was a lot more effective than the Wood Elf one. Generating 12 power dice between the mages and the army with an additional ‘free’ dice for every spell the Dragon mage attempted this gave me potentially 15 dice verses 4 dispel dice. What the High Elves would discover over the next few turns was that the Wood Elves had come prepared with 4 Dispel Scrolls! In this turn, one of the Wood Elf Eagles fell to Enarbrin-Taines spells from the Lore of Light. Fireball and burning gaze where dispelled but Blinding Light and Guardian Light got through. The Ring of Fury also drew out the first of the cursed Dispel Scrolls.
In the shooting phase the High Elf archers did nothing of use while the Repeater Bolt Thrower on the right slew 2 of the Wild Riders closing in on the flank. The Bolt Thrower in the centre scanned the battlefield for targets and found that the Wild Riders on the left flank had, in their efforts to avoid being charged by the Dragon, left their flank exposed. Looking forward to ‘elf kebab’ the crew lined up a beautiful single bolt shot hitting the flank of the unit on a roll of 5. The Bolt then proceeded to bounce off the leaves and feathers that the Wood Elves use for armour and fell harmlessly to the ground. Anything but a 1 was the cry from the High Elf side.
Wood Elf Turn 2
Declaring charges on the right flank the Wood Elves took the fight to the High Elves in Turn 2 with Glade Riders charging the remnants of the Spear Elves and the Wood Elf noble leaping into combat with the Phoenix Guard, lining himself up to attack the Archmage with this great weapon in the ensuing combat. Unfortunately for the Glade Riders it turned out that they where about half and inch short on their charge and ended up sitting in front of a beaten up but still very much alive unit of Spear Elves.
More surprising however was the left flank where neither the Dryads nor the Wild Riders charged the White Lions facing them, obviously content to sit and watch what the High Elves would do in their next turn. In the centre the Great Eagle declared a charge on one of the Repeater Bolt Throwers, only to discover that it could not actually see the target due to the footprint of the hill it was hiding behind. Both remaining units of Dryads advanced on the High Elf lines, threatening the Phoenix Guard from both the front and side.
The Wood Elf magic phase was a non-entity, but this time their shooting did not make up for it. With only much better protected targets to fire at and no Hail of Doom Arrow the entirety of the Wood Elf shooting managed 1 dead Archer.
The first close combat of the game commenced with the Wood Elf noble accepting the challenge of the High Elf Archmage. Swinging his great weapon three times he was highly surprised as was Gideon that he couldn’t hurt the Mage as he counted as ethereal and the Noble didn’t have magical attacks! Sufficed to say the Noble lost the combat by a lot and needed a double 1 as he was outnumbered by a fear causing enemy. He promptly ran and escaped the pursuing unit although this now meant that the Phoenix Guard now couldn’t be charged in the flank by the Dryads as they where hidden behind the hill.
High Elf Turn 2
Having pursued the Wood Elf Noble in the last turn the Phoenix Guard charged him to force another flee reaction. He got away but the failed charge move brought the Phoenix guard into contact with the waiting Dryads. The remnants of the Spear Elves charged the Glade Riders who failed to get into combat with them last turn. Figuring that they would flee off the table if they ran 3D6, the Glade Riders opted to stand and shoot and managed to take down one of the elven spears but not enough to panic them and stop the charge.
Having a unit of Wild Riders sitting 2 inches in front of them was too tempting for the White Lions. It didn’t matter that the Dryads where poised for a flank charge as the White Lions where sure they would hold with their Ld 8 Stubborn, immune the Fear and Terror. The Wild Riders Fled the charge and managed a disappointing 7 on their 3D6 flee move and where promptly caught by the White Lions and destroyed. Meanwhile the Great Eagle and Dragon both flew over the on-rushing Wood Elves and set up potential charges in their next turn.
The High Elf magic phase drew out 2 more dispel scrolls and still managed to get Guardian and Blinding Light into play for the combat between the Phoenix Guard and the Dryads.
The last Wood Elf Great Eagle was shot from the sky by a Repeater Bolt Thrower and 2 Wild Riders took two more wounds from its twin. The High Elf Archers switched targets and tried to wound the Wood Elf General on his Great Eagle, 4 shots struck home and the Wood Elf Lord needed his 4+ ward save to avoid damage. Having flown round the back of the Wood Elf line the Dragon enveloped the Way Watchers and 1 of the Mages in flames only to leave them with a nice tan having failed to hurt any of them.
The Phoenix Guard fluffed all of their attacks against the Dryads but where helped by the fact that Blinding Light was still in play meaning the Dryads could only cause 1 wound on the Archmage with their 12 attacks. Needing a 5, the Dryads failed their Ld test and promptly ran 6 inches which wasn’t enough to escape the pursuing Phoenix Guard.
Back towards the High Elf deployment zone, the Spear Elves crashed into the Glade Riders and wiped them all out before the Wood Elf cavalry could even raise their swords. The Spear Elves ran through the unit looking to turn and make a difference in potential fight in the centre of the battlefield in the coming turns.
Wood Elf Turn 3
With the White Lions flank exposed the Dryads on the left charged, while the Last 2 Wild Riders charged the Bolt Thrower on the right flank forcing the crew to flee and cursing as they rolled high enough to escape being destroyed. The remaining unit of Dryads advanced on the Bolt Throwers and Archers back in the High Elf deployment zone. The Wood Elf Archers in the centre turned to face the new threat of the Dragon in their rear as did the Wood Elf Lord on his Great Eagle.
Once again the Wood Elves manage nothing in the magic phase, unable to overcome the superior High Elf mages and their +1 to dispel.
The Dragon was now prime target for all the Wood Elves not staring a unit of phoenix Guard in the face. The one unit of Archers of the hill that where poured shots into the unit but found the combination of heavy armour and a 4+ Ward save too much and didn’t cause a single casualty. The 10 Archers facing the dragon let loose and took a wound from the mage while the Way Watchers took the other. Neither of these units or the Lord with his Bow of Lorien could roll high enough to harm the beast itself. The Dragon proceeded to fail its Ld test for losing its rider and whimper meaning it wouldn’t be going anywhere for the rest of the battle.
The Dryads in the flank of the White lions lost one of their number to the elven great weapons and managed to miss all of their attacks in return. Losing the combat by 2 the Dryads rolled a 5 on 2D6 and held, extending this combat into the following turn.
High Elf Turn 3
Apart from the Dragon being immobilised at the rear of the Wood Elf Lines the High Elves could sense the battle turning in their favour. The Phoenix Guard charged the unit of Archers in front of them on the hill. Proving to be just under half their charge range away the Wood Elves couldn’t even stand and shoot as the elite infantry closed on them. The 5 remaining Spear Elves wheeled and marched towards the centre of the table and the remaining unengaged Wood Elf units.
The Archmage set to work in the magic phase with 9 power dice at his disposal. Drawing out the last of the Wood Elf Dispel Scrolls with Cleansing Flare he was then free to cast Guardian and Blinding light, the latter of which he failed on a miscast but avoided taking a wound.
The last crewed repeater Bolt Thrower turned and let loose at the Wild Riders hoping to wipe out the unit before it was destroyed by the on-coming Dryads. 4 hits and 2 wounds should have spelt the end of the unit but 1 ward save later there was still 1 Wild Rider closing in on the embattled war machine.
The combat between the White Lions and Dryads continued, this time the White Lions where able to take down 2 of the forest spirits, taking no casualties in return. Even with their bonus for being in the flank the Dryads lost the combat badly and fled from the White Lions. Once again the Wood Elves ability to fail break tests was not matched by their ability to run away and the Dryads where caught and killed.
The Wood Elf Archers on the hill never really stood a chance against the ranks of elite Phoenix Guard. Between the unit and the Battle Standard bearer 4 archers where killed, leaving only one to strike back how promptly missed. Once again another Wood Elf unit found itself outnumbered by a fear causing enemy and fled being caught and destroyed.
Wood Elf Turn 4
The battle was slipping away from the Wood Elves and they knew it. But they still had one combat unit left as well as their Lord and a fire base from which to try and inflict as much damage as possible on the High Elf host. The last Wild Rider charged the Bolt Thrower crew that had rallied in the previous turn while the unengaged Dryads charged the remaining war machine which passed its fear test with ease.
Unexpectedly, what was left of the Wood Elves fire base remained fixated on the immobilised Dragon, hoping to take it down and claim its full points. The magic phase might as well have not existed and the same can be said for the shooting phase where for all their combined firepower the Wood Elves couldn’t even scratch the Dragon despite hitting it 16 times! The two Wood Elf Mages having nothing else in the battle decided to draw their bows and shoot at the High Elf Eagle. Hitting twice and wounding twice the Mages may find themselves being converted into Archers for future battles.
In combat the Wild Rider ran over the machine-less crew and overran into the existing combat between the bolt thrower crew and the Dryads. The last of the war machine crew being High Elves struck first and by some miracle took down a Dryad. In return the forest spirits could not strike the crew and the combat was a draw.
High Elf Turn 4
Finding themselves bereft of targets the Phoenix Guard turned back towards the centre of the battlefield and the remaining Wood Elf Units. The Spear Elves continued their advance and found themselves facing the rear of the Wood Elf Archer unit that was currently intent on the Dragon. The Great Eagle, although wounded was still in the fight and charged the flank of this remaining Archer unit hoping to forestall another turn of shooting at the very least.
The White Lions found themselves the only unit of either side left on the left flank. Turning round they started to head back towards the embattled Bolt Thrower, knowing that they wouldn’t arrive in time to save the crew but may well be able to take some sort of revenge.
The High Elf magic was all out of range or without targets and the only shooting available was the remnants of the Archers at the Wood Elf Lord on his Great Eagle. The Archers promptly missed with all their shots taking us straight into combat.
As expected the Bolt Thrower crew where quickly overwhelmed by the combined Wild Rider and Dryads. The Wild Rider carried on through the combat but found that his overrun move missed the rear of the High Elf Archers. The Great Eagle Took down an Archer but drew the combat due to the unit’s superior numbers.
Wood Elf Turn 5
The Dryads charged the Archers who fled from the on rushing Wood Elves and managed to get away. Whilst on the other side of the battlefield the Way Watchers decided that they had had enough of trying to hurt this seeming impregnable Dragon and charged into the combat between the Great Eagle and the Archers, hoping to take the Eagles last wound.
Once again the Mages proved to be better shots than they where wizards, but this time the High Elf Armour intervened and none of the Spear Elves where hurt. The Lord still proved completely inept when it came to wounding the Dragon with his Bow of Lorien.
Eager to actually kill something in this battle the Way Watchers took the Eagles last wound in a flurry of feathers and blood. Choosing to overrun the great birds corpse to try and get out of the spear elves charge arc they elite scouts managed to roll just enough and escape being charged in the following turn.
High Elf Turn 5
As night drew in the battle drew to a close. The Phoenix Guard charged once more into the rear of the last unit of Wood Elf Archers who passed their fear test. The Spears declined to charge, not wanting to be reduced below unit strength 5 while the High Elf Archers who had fled from the Dryads charge in the previous turn rallied. Wanting to deny the table quarter to the Wood Elves the White Lions continued back towards the last Dryads unit.
In the magic phase, Cleansing Flare slew 4 of the Archers in combat with the Phoenix Guard and made their defeat almost a certainty. It then didn’t matter that the Phoenix Guard missed with all of their attacks as did the Battle Standard Bearer. I return the Wood Elf archers managed to wound one of the elite High Elf infantry but it was too little too late as the unit broke and ran from the fear causing Elves.
At this point Gideon surrenders.
The Aftermath
Victory for the High Elves then, with only 1 functional combat unit left on the table for the Wood Elf army by the end. The Lord was still flying about on his Eagle and there where still 2 Mages/Archers hiding in the woods but with nothing left to oppose the 3 combat ready High Elf units the battlefield would belong to the elder race.
If I was a Wood Elf General -I would defiantly have taken Wardancers. Their awesome combat prowess and ability to negate the High Elf always strike first rule is a must. I would also have approached magic differently. Either get two level 1 ‘scroll caddies’ or invest more points in some decent/powered up spell casters that are actually going to make a difference. Going ‘half way house’ with the mages cost the Wood Elves throughout the battle. [/img]
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sounds like a nice battle 
