So I cleared off the Frostgrave terrain and put out some terrain to start my first Oathmark campaign game. If you read my preamble you should note that I changed the armies from that earlier post. I looked at them and they didn’t seem to make a lot of sense. The updated forces are:
The Dwarf Champion is still equipped with the Sword of Starsilver which puts the Dwarves and Goblins ahead of the Elves slightly in points.
This first game takes place in the Elven Iron Mines. The Dwarves are attempting to capture them and put a crimp in the Duchy of Florid’s weapon production.
These first set of photos are a bit poor. I played this at night and the light in my game area isn’t that great. Hopefully I can get a turn or two in tomorrow in the day so the light is better. There are a lot of unpainted miniatures which I tend not to do and there are a bunch of cardstock movement trays that are making do while I wait to get some proper ones laser cut.
I have some mine terrain pieces that I am working on but they aren’t even close to finished yet so this had to go for the area around the Iron Mines. Since the Dwarves were attacking I let them pick a table side and begin to deploy first.
From left to right the units are:
Goblin Catapult, Dwarf Spellcaster, Dwarf Warriors, Goblin archers behind Goblin Spearmen, Dwarf Soldiers behind Dwarf Linebreakers and the Wolf Riders on the far right.
Elven Linebreakers and Spellcaster, Elven Soldiers in front of Elven Archers and then the Elf Cavalry.
The Elven force looks like a patrol when compared to the size of the Dwarf and Goblin army but lets hope that the better quality of the Elf troops evens things up.
Turn 1
For the first turn I used the Forward Unto Battle optional rule from page 24. As long as they were doing simple actions I didn’t roll for activations. Everyone moved forward without activating. The Elf spellcaster did activate since I wanted to cast Earthlines. They passed and I was able to get the spell off. Now they would roll 3 dice to cast spells. I totally forgot about the Dwarven spellcaster but I did roll to activate the catapult since it wanted to fire. It passed and then lined up a shot against the Elven Linebreakers.
The catapult got 1 dice plus two for each rank of the Linebreakers. Because it was a flank shot it got another 2 dice for a total of five. The base target number was 7 (D10 – S3) and there were no modifiers. The catapult rolled two wounds and the Linebreakers, even with the extra dice from the Captain’s Command ability and the +1 modifier for a shooting attack failed and were disordered.
The Elven cavalry activated last and made a daring move to get within charge range of the Wold Riders. If the Elves won initiative it would be a glorious charge. That was the end of turn 1 but it started well for the Dwarves and Goblins.
Turn 2
The initiative roll was a tie with both sides rolling 2 & 1. The Dwarves won the reroll and it was obvious what was going to happen first. The Wolf Riders succeeded in their activation and flung themselves at the Elf cavalry. Since it was not their activation the Elf cavalry didn’t get their Charge(3) ability so they were quite hampered. The Goblins had five dice and needed 7s to hit (D12 – F2) for a base 10. They reduced this by 2 for their Charge(2) ability and by another 1 for an additional rank. Needing 7s they rolled 3 wounds. The Elves needed 7s as well (D11 – F4) and they got no modifiers. They also scored 3 wounds.
Both units were pushed back 1″ and while they had numbers on their side the Wolf Riders failed their morale and were Disordered. The Elf cavalry made their morale roll, even with a -4 to the roll, but with only 2 models left they are a pale comparison to their original selves.
The Elves attempt to activate their Soldiers. They are within 6″ of the Captain so they roll 3 dice for activation but get triple 1s and just move forward 6″.
The Dwarf Captain with the Linebreakers activates and then uses his Command ability to activate the Goblin Spearmen. Both units move forward.
The Elves activate their archers to try to get them to shoot at the Wolf Riders. They pass their activation but they don’t have an LOS to the Wolf Riders since the Officer can’t draw a line to half the Wolf Rider’s frontage. They wheel to get an LOS and this means they will have a positive modifier to their target number when they shoot.
They need a base target number of 8 (D11 – S3) which is decreased by 1 for the extra rank but then increased back to 8 because they had to move. They score 3 hits which leaves the Wolf Riders with less than a full rank. The net modifier for their morale roll is a -5. Three for the wounds, 1 for being disordered and 1 for having less than a full rank. They can’t pass the roll (they’d need an 11) so they break and are removed from the table.
The Dwarf Linebreakers are within 8″ and so have to take an unmodified morale roll which they pass easily.
The Dwarf spellcaster, who is next to the catapult to protect it, attempts to activate but fails and so stands still watching the fight from afar.
Te Elf spellcaster activates, moves forward and tries to cast Confound on the Dwarf Warriors. It fails even with the additional dice due to Earthlines.
The Dwarf Soldiers activate and move forward and Pivot to try to move to guard the Linebreakers flank in the next turn.
The Elf Linebreakers activate even with the -1 modifier for being disordered. Its fun being an Elf. They rally but only do a single move forward because they started the turn disordered.
The Goblin archers attempt to activate. They are now more than 6″ away from the Dwarf Captain so they don’t get the bonus dice. They fail and move forward 6″. This leaves them close enough to use Fire Over next turn to shoot over the Goblin Spearmen in front of them.
The Goblin catapult fails its activation roll but still can shoot but with a modifier. It needs an 8 to hit this turn rolling 5 dice since it still has a flank shot on the Linebreakers. They roll two hits and the Linebreakers make their morale check this turn.
Finally, the Dwarf Warriors activate and move directly forward twice.
Things are a bit tense at the end of the turn as there are two potential combats and whomever wins activation will be able to pick the combat they want to do first.
Turn 3
As it turns out the Dwarves win initiative again and decide to charge the Linebreaks at the Elven Soldiers. The Linebreakers need a base 6 to hit (D9 – F3) with a -1 modifier for an additional rank for a final target of 5. The Soldiers decide to use Shielding and remove a dice from both attacks. All four of the Dwarf attacks hit. The Soldiers need a base of 8 (D11 – F3) with a -1 modifier for the additional rank. Even with the champion and his magic sword they fail to hit with any of their four dice. The Soldiers are pushed back 1″ and they pass their morale check.
The Elven cavalry is perfectly poised to hit the Linebreakers in the flank but they roll a double 1 for their activation test and are only able to move forward slightly.
The Dwarven spellcaster once again fails to activate and looks longingly at the battle in front of her.
The Elven Linebreakers, with Captain, activate easily to charge the Goblin Spearmen. They need a base target number of 5 (D9 – F5) with no modifier. The Goblins decide to use Shielding to remove a dice from each combat. The Elves roll average and get two wounds. The Goblins reply and have a base target number of 9 (D10 – F1) but get a -3 modifier for their additional three ranks taking it down to a 6. The benefit of ranks is making itself apparent. They also roll four die and get three hits. They push the Linebreakers back 6″ to get them back in line for another shot from the catapult. The Linebreakers again fail their morale roll and the Goblins pass theirs.
The Elves activate the archers who Pivot to get an LOS to the Goblin Spearmen. They have a base target number of 6 (D9 – S3) and this is reduced to 5 for the extra rank but then increased back to 6 because they did an action before firing. They only get a single hit and the Goblins pass their morale test.
The Goblin archers are activated to fire. Since they are within 3″ of the Spearmen they can use Fire Over to draw LOS through them and fire at the Linebreakers. They need a base of 9 (D10 – S1) and this is further modified by -3 for their additional ranks. They do two wounds leaving the Captain alone as a unit of one. The Captain passes his morale test but wonders where all his friends have gone.
The Elven Spellcaster activates and once again fails to cast Confound on the Dwarf Warriors. Maybe she cast it on herself and doesn’t know it?
The Dwarf Soldiers are successfully activated and move and then pivot to try to get into position to protect the flank of the Linebreakers.
The Dwarf Warriors move slowly through the rough ground in front of them but they are rapidly running out of Elves to fight.
The catapult has had a great line of fire against the Linebreakers so far but with the unit removed and the Captain the only one standing they have nothing to fire at. Instead they activate and move towards the Elf lines to try to get a better line of fire.
Things look pretty bleak for the Elves at the end of turn 3. They started the game outnumbered but have been rapidly cut down by the superior numbers of the Goblins. Rank bonuses are starting to take their toll.
Turn 4
The Elves win initiative and decide to strike with their cavalry before those noble horsemen are wiped out. They activate and charge into the flank of the Dwarven Linebreakers. Even though there are two of them they still roll 4 dice as the cavalry have a CD of 2. They have a base target of 7 (D11- F4) with a modifier of -3 for their Charge ability and one for the flank charge giving them a net target number of 3.
The elves roll very well and score a total of four hits. Three for their rolls and a further +1 because one dice rolled more than 5 higher than the target number.
The dwarves get two dice in return because they have two full ranks and a CD of 1. Their base target number is 9 (D12 – F3). They get no rank bonus because they are being attacked in a flank. They get no hits in return. The Dwarves are pushed back into the Goblin Spearmen. They pass their morale test by rolling triple 8s. Many elves are disappointed in that roll.
The Dwarves activate their Warriors who do a wheel. Since this was in rough terrain they end their activation after the manoeuvre.
The Elves then activate their archers. They are just outside of the 6″ command range of their Captain so only get two dice to activate. They pass and fire at the Goblin Spearmen. They get 5 dice and have a target number of 5 (D9 – S3) with an additional -1 for ranks. They get two hits and this removes the last of the third rank of Spearmen.
The Spearmen are within range of the Captain (he is practically in their laps) so they roll three dice for their morale check. The bonus for ranks and a shooting attack balance out their wounds but they still fail and are disordered.
The Dwarves activate the Goblin archers. They Pivot and then move to try to get away from the congestion and find a target.
The Elven soldiers now charge the Linebreakers. They have 5 dice with the Champion dice. They use Shielding and reduce both combat rolls to 4 dice. The Soldiers need 8 to hit (D11 – F3) and have no other modifiers. The only hit is the Champion dice and it is also a 10. The elves direct all the damage (two points) to the Dwarf Captain who is killed. The additional hit is lost. The Linebreakers have now lost an officer but the Captain isn’t a high enough rank to cause a cascading panic roll.
The Dwarves return combat roll needs a 6 to hit (D9 – F3). They no longer have an additional rank so there are no other modifiers. They succeed with two hits even rolling four dice. The Dwarves have to make their Morale roll on a single dice since they lost their officer. They fail and are disordered. The elves roll three dice and even with the -3 modifier they still pass.
The Dwarves activate their spellcaster who moves into position to throw a Lighting Bolt at the Elven spellcaster. The spells fails to go off.
The Elves activate their spellcaster who also moves and then fails to cast Confound. This is a continuing pattern.
The Dwarves activate the Soldiers. They waited this long to do so since they couldn’t get at the Elven Soldiers and the cavalry had already activated. They wheel and then flank charge the cavalry. They get five dice and have a base target of 10 (D12 – F2). They get a -1 modifier for an additional rank and another -1 for a flank attack. They roll two hits which is enough to kill the cavalry.
The Elven cavalry get 2 dice in return. Their CD of two multiplied by the single rank of troops. They have a base target number of 6 (D10 – F4) with a +1 for having been activated in the turn. They get no hits in return. At least they don’t have to pass a morale test now. Small victories.
The Elven Captain activates and move towards a more ‘rearward’ position.
Finally, the Goblin Catapult tries to activate and fails so it just moves again to try to get a line of fire to anything.
Turn 5
With almost none of their army left, the Elves suffer another initiative failure and the Dwarves attempt to activate the Goblin Spearmen. The idea is to avoid having the Elf archers fire on them and break them. They pass their activation and are no longer disordered. They stay where they are so as to not interfere with the Warriors when it is their turn to move.
The Elves decide to activate their Soldiers and get them to charge into the remains of the Dwarven Linebreakers. They still have 5 dice in combat because the Champion has a CD of 2. They need 8s to hit (D11 – F3) and have no additional modifiers. They get three hits as the Champion dice hits as does one other dice. The Dwarves have five dice. They have a base target number of 6 (D9 – F3) which is increased to 7 because they are disordered. They get a single hit.
Without their officer the Dwarves roll a single dice for morale. They have a total modifier of -5: -4 for casualties and a further -1 for not having a full rank. They fail their roll and are broken. The Elven soldiers are still in command range and so roll three dice. They a -2 modifier (-1 for the casualty and -1 for not having a full rank) but pass their check.
There are four Dwarven units within 8″ of the Linebreakers which need to make a cascading panic test. There is no Commander for the Dwarves so everyone tests on two dice. The Soldiers fail and are disordered, the Goblin Spearmen, archers and Dwarf Warriors all pass.
Feeling vindictive, the Dwarves activate the Goblin archers. They pass and shot at the remains of the Elven soldiers. They get 5 dice and need a base of 8 (D9 – S1) with an additional -3 for their three full ranks. They roll three hits and eliminate the Elven soldiers.
The Elven archers activate next and attempt to drive the Dwarven soldiers from the field. They have taken no casualties so have an additional rank still. Their base target number is a 7 (D10 – S3) with a further -1 for the additional rank. They get three hits. The soldiers take a morale check with a -3 modifier (-3 for casualties, +1 for shooting and -1 for being disordered) which they surprisingly pass. The elves are not amused.
The Dwarves activate their Warriors who Pivot and then move forward. They have sadly missed all the fun in this game. They are moving towards the archers to try to put the hurt on them next turn.
The Elven spellcaster activates and finally casts Confound on the Warriors. Sadly they manage to roll over their activation value and the spell still has no effect. The spellcaster begins to think that a career change is in order.
The Dwarves activate the soldiers. Passing the activation removes their disordered state and they move forward.
The Elven Captain takes this opportunity to activate and move even further away from combat.
And in a final spiteful act, the Dwarven spellcaster not only activates but manages to cast a Lightning Bolt at the Elven spellcaster who is fried into a pile of dust.
At that point I decide to call the game as any sensible elven general would run for the hills.
Aftermath
At the end of turn 5 the Dwarves had lost 605 points of troops and the Elven forces were down 1074 points. So a clear victory for the dwarves. There are a few things that I could have done that would have helped the Elves.
The Elven spellcaster was useless. Confound is a difficult spell to cast and it needs to be cast on Goblins and not Dwarves. She should have had better spells. A spell with a CN 0f 9 needs to be left to someone rolling four or five dice when casting.
The Elven cavalry should have held back a bit and let the archers take the rank bonus from the Wolf Riders and maybe even disordered them. I forgot that a significant amount of their punch is in their Charge(3) ability which doesn’t do anything when it isn’t their activation.
The standout unit in the army were the archers but the Elven Champion was a hero for taking out the Dwarven Captain and severely reducing the potential effectiveness of the Goblins.
The Dwarven Warriors were put too far onto the edge of the battle and it was all over before they even got into combat. They needed to be better positioned.
The catapult did a very good job and I didn’t need to position the Dwarven spellcaster to buff it with Exploding Ammunition or protect it. It managed to get flank shots on the Elven Linebreakers and it was probably the main reason that the unit wasn’t more effective.
Flank charges are deadly. Especially when your unit gets a charge bonus. Don’t let anyone hit your flanks.
The Elves are pretty fragile. But then Elves are supposed to be. I need to keep this in mind in the next game. I also think that the Elves need more archers next time.
Thoughts about the game
Let’s start off by saying that I hate playing games solo. I used to spend a lot of time writing reviews and, for many reasons, often had to do so on my own. I hated it. I also don’t game on my own even when the game is meant to be played solo.
That said, I actually enjoyed this game. Alternating activations and rolling to activate meant that I didn’t have the game mapped out in my head. I stopped at the end of turn 5 because the game was decided not because I was bored or tired.
Rolling multiple D10s for combat, activation and morale meant that sometimes you had some surprising results that upended the flow of the game. The Elven cavalry missing their first chance to flank charge the Dwarven Linebreakers was a game-changer.
I actually left as if I was playing a mass-combat game. There were wheels and ranks and more troops made bad troops slightly better than the better quality troops. I had a morass of troops in the middle of the table and I had to plan how to move. And the beauty of it was that I did that without feeling constrained by the rules.
I don’t think I made any large errors with the rules. They made sense, they were consistent and the QRS helped in those situations where I needed a reminder. There aren’t a lot of modifiers and it quickly became second nature to do the math in my head as I was picking out dice. Most of the target number calculations in my notes were done without checking and when I double checked them all while writing this I didn’t find any errors.
I had a fun time playing the game, even solo, and I’m looking forward to playing the second campaign game.
Pile of dice 
Excellent report, I love the way you write. Will glad read any more Oathmark reports you upload
Thanks! I have the battle type and scenario picked for the next one