2022-10-19, Warlords of Erehwon Campaign: The Battle of Temple Hill

It's been a while as I have been busy getting the living room ready for this Hell'O'Weekend, tidying up after several gaming sessions and decorating with all kinds of dead things.

But the day after Emil and I duked it out at Knightsbridge, Kevin visited my humble abode for an introduction to WoE.

After their defeat at Knightsbridge, the Dwarves of Hammerdeep fell back along the track towards the Heartlands of the Elven Realm, and at the intersection of Temple Hill they met the pickets of a Human force arriving from the Northwestern Jarldoms.

The two forces assembled just Southwest of Temple Hill and awaited the arrival of the Undead horde with grim determination.

And, arrive they did along the same path from the Northeast as used by the Dwarves.

While the Allies deployed from the Southwest.

Both sides used the first turn to deploy further. The Skull Chucker got a shot in on some Vikings with its Howling Horror ammo.

On Turn 2 I had a blunder. My Skeleton Riders advanced too soon, which made them vulnerable to an attack from the Hounds of Odin, who would soon annihilate my Zombies.

Lots of carnage on my right flank. The Skeleton Riders aren't all that tough when they don't get to charge (Str+1) with their lances (SV3), and their low number dwindles quickly against a numerous adversary.

A unit of Skeleton Spearmen finished off the Wolves, while the rest of my force attacked head on over Temple Hill.

Which, in retrospect, was a mistake; too many missile armed units on the other side got a chance to shoot at a single target all the time.

At the end of Turn 3, my army had taken serious casualties, and even my Undead Champion failed to do much damage in a brawl with the Dwarven Hero.

In Turn 4, my warband broke, and the Dice Gods did not let me have a last chance to even the score a bit. My Champion even got banished by some Vikings.

I made two grave mistakes in this game: Not keeping my shock cavalry back to strike at the enemy with a charge, and pressing on across the hill. Being heavily 'outgunned' by the opposing force I should have stayed behind the hill and let the enemy come to me, so I could chose how to respond, but I got cocky because of the three concecutive victories of the Undead, and I paid the price.

The Defiler fell back into the Northern Wilderness to regroup and plead for reinforcements from his master, the Necromancer.