Return of the Lichemaster

I finally managed to pull myself together after a long period with absolutely NO energy and initiative, due to a mystical ailment making my stomach hurt after each meal, and preventing me from getting more than 3-4 hours of sleep per night.

I have been in a programme at 'Center for Functional Diseases' in Vejle, and am now in medical treatment, which has helped me overcome the problems associated with eating (and that alone has helped my mood a LOT, as I am very fond of good, well cooked food), and a physiotherapist helped ne get off the couch and become more active - which has also given me more energy.

Summa Summarum, I think I am almost back in the saddle, I have played a couple of games and I have been buying quite a few things - and promise to start posting pics here!

The last week I have been unpacking and sorting two small crates and two large boxes worth of assorted purchases. A lot of it is now taking up all the space I currently have available for it in the living room, and I am in sore need of some boxes to store the goodies in!

As you can see, I have been purchasing both terrain and minis ...

... and as you can also see, Lyra, the Terror of the Lichemaster, would very much like to get up there and push everything over the edge ...

That guy is HUGE! 

Quite a few biggies, actually, 

The yellow school bus! I've been wanting to get one for my Scoobycalypse Walking Dead project (which has been on hold for quite a while). Fred and Daphne are both sitting on one of my Hammers-invented cork-handle faquir-beds, awaiting further attention.

I've got painted minis for several Deadzone factions (at least Enforcers, Asterians, Forge Fathers, Rebels, Plague, maybe Marauders), and unpainted minis for GCPS Troopers and Veer-Myn.

I own a copy of that game, so I am very happy about having acquired those!

I also got a lot of painted and nearly painted Necrons, along with a bunch of Adeptus Mechanicus Scitarii Vanguard/Rangers (hmmm) and as I am just creating Space Marine and Eldar profiles for 'Warlords of the 41st Millennium' (W41M) - my own adaption of Warlords of Erehwon/Bolt Action rules for the Grimdark Universe, I couldn't get a better motivation for pressing on with that project!

I promise to get better pics of the various groups and Items when I get started putting them away in some nice sturdy boxes (I need to procure some shoe boxes or the likes, until I can get enough priter paper boxes).

For now: May Your Dice Favour You!

The Halloween Display

Most of last week and all of the weekend, our living room, hallway, and conservatory (used as main entrance) has been decorated for Halloween (our daughters both had several parties to attend, and some of the friends of the oldest one were coming here to prepare).

When entering the conservatory, this was the sight that met the eye:

Our living room (that dark thing in the corner of the first pic is a clàrsach).

On the sideboard, I had placed a lot of my horror-related painted minis:

A lot of those headstones were painted tyhe last week, and I shall take a separate photo with those for my 'October Output Post' one of the next days.

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.

2022-10-18, Warlords of Erehwon Campaign - The Defense of Knightsbridge

After the defeat at the ancient watchtower, the surviving Elves fell back to the hamlet of Knightsbridge where they met up with a contingent of Dwarves from the mountainhold commonly known as Hammerdeep (situated in the mountains somewaht east of Desolation Pass.

Hoping that the heavily forrested terrain would slow the advance of the Undead host, the allies took up position in and around Knightsbridge.

Unbeknownst to the defenders, though, the Defiler had called upon the foul magic of the Necromancer and made most of his warband 'Spectral', so the woodland did not hamper the advance of the restless dead.

Early on there were clashes on the defenders right flank; the Skeleton Riders and the Dwarves duked it out repeatedly.

A small detachment of Zombies and Skeletons made rapid advance along the trail, being met with a hail of arrows and Baruk Khazâd.

It was clear that the defenders were relying on the hegderows for a defensive perimeter - and for now they succeeded in keeping the shambling horde from entering the fields around the hamlet.

But not for long - to the surprise of the Elves the hedges did not pose any hindrance to the Skeleton Warriors. The archers routed after a brief melee.

Then, the Skellies ran into the Dwarven Hero.

Something happened on the trail ... I need to set the camera to flash in this kind of light condition.

At the end of Turn 3 the defences still held - but for how long?

At the end of Turn 4, the Allies were broken, and the Dice Gods did not favour their attempt to stand fast. The game ended with an Undead victory, but a close one this time, as the forces of Darkness were only one unit away from breaking, too.

The Dwarves fell back along the south-western trail leading from Knightsbridge, hoping to meet up with reinforcements from the Elven heartlands.

Making almost the entire warband 'Spectrtal' was quite expensive, points-wise, and I don't think that is something I am going to do very often, as I prefer using my points for extra troops instead.

This batlle was close, and had the dice allowed for another turn, my warband might well have been broken, which would have meant that we would have to count points to determine the winner.

Emil seems quite keen to get another go at defeating my Undead, and I shall have to find a day for us to get together again for a tussle. In the meantime, I had an encounter with Kevin the day after which I shall write up during the upcoming weekend (we have friends over tomorrow, so I shall not have much time on my hands).

2022-10-14, Warlords of Erehwon Campaign - Battle of the Watch Tower

After the narrow defeat in the Battle of Desolation Pass where the cream of the Elven society in the Northern Province was all but annihilated, the young heir to the fiefdom rallied whatever troops were available, including the Rangers guarding the ruins of the ancient Watch Tower beneath Desolation Pass.

He also sent envoys to the Royal Court, the Jarls of the human settlements on the Western Coast, and to the Dwarven Kingdom of Karakhând in the mountains some leagues east of the Desolation Pass, bringing gifts and pleas for assistance.

The Elven force advanced on the double to meet the shambling hordes under control of one of the Necromancer's vile Captains, the Wraith known to the living only as The Defiler, at the now abandoned Ranger camp close to the old Watch Tower.

Here you can see the two warbands deployed:

Emil took on the role as the young and fairly inexperienced Lord, which was only fitting, as he had not played WoE ever before.

Of course, his inexperience also made him not be fully aware of the importance of using the terrain to cover his units from the Undead Stone thrower ... 😟

Turn 1 was more or less a general advance by the Undead Horde, some Zombies soaking up a hail of arrows, and the stone thrower landing a hit on the Elven Guard.

The Defiler raised the skeletons of five lomg forgotten warriors to bolster a five-skeleton Warrior unit.

Turn 2 saw another direct hit on the Elven Guard, and the Elves kept pouring arrows into the ranks of the Dead.

The Elves manuevered a lot, but still managed to get a lot of bows to bear.

The Stone Thrower Template was just forgotten om the table.

On Turn 3, the Skeleton Riders charged the Elven Rangers - and were beaten back!

The Zombie mob in the center finally fell apart under the constant hail of arrows.

On the Elves far right, the Elven Warriors clashed, first with a mob of Zombies (whom they destroyed), then with a unit of Skeleton Warriors (and were annihilated themselves).

The Skeleton Warriors closest to the camera failed to respond to an order to charge the Rangers, and went Down. They never recovered from this for the rest of the battle.

The Stone Thrower missed its target this time, but The Defiler killed some Elves with Chill Wind.

On Turn 4, once more, the Stone Thrower missed the Elven Archers.

The Skeleton Riders charged the Lord's Retinue - and were beaten back again!

The Elves were obviously giving up their right flank and trying to consolidate on their left.

As far as I remember, The Defiler  killed another Elven Guard with Chill Wind.

Turn 5 saw some heroic antics by the young and unexperience Lord, but he ended up skewered on the spears of the Dead.

At the end of Turn 5, the Undead Host had three Down units, but the Elven Warband was Broken, and the die decided that the game was over.

The Sun was really challenging my trusted Canon at this point.

Another Victory for the vanguard of the Necromancer. Will the Free Peoples of the north respond to the call to arms by the now fallen Lord, or will the Royal Court send reinforcements in time?

Stay tuned for the next chapter of this ever-growing saga!