OLD SCHOOL FANTASY GAMES

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Last weekend I had the good fortune of returning, after a long hiatus, to one of my favourite hobbies – tabletop battle games. But this wasn’t any old game; it was a game of sixth edition Warhammer Fantasy, developed by Games Workshop.

Those of you that have come to know Games Workshop products more recently may be familiar with Age of Sigmar, and may have even played it. But the original tabletop game of fantasy battles has its origins back in 1983, when the first edition: WARHAMMER: The Mass Combat Fantasy Role-Playing Game was released. Since those early days the hobby has gone from strength to strength, with Games Workshop stores and hobby shops around the world bringing the magic and wonder of Warhammer lore and game-play to millions.

It was more than twenty five years ago that I discovered the fun of my local hobby store; the injection moulded plastic and lead miniatures, accompanied by fantastic concept art, pouring gasoline on the fires of my young imagination. But once I’d reached my late twenties I had all but given up on the treasured game of my youth, only holding on to my collection of models out of sentiment… until earlier this month!

The internet is a strange and mercurial place, and after reaching out on Facebook to see if anybody was interested in taking a trip down memory lane with me, I found an Australian gent who was more than willing. So, we met on Sunday at our local hobby store and reminisced as we unpacked our vintage 90s and early 2000s models. What follows is the account of that epic battle, for it was a grudge match begun thousands of years ago, between the hardy Dwarfs of the World’s Edge Mountains, and their diabolical cousins, twisted by the evil magic of the Northern Wastes; Chaos Dwarfs.

BATTLE REPORT

1000 points per army.

Dwarf Army:

1 Thane (general)

1 Runesmith

23 Warriors

10 Quarrellers (crossbow dwarfs)

20 Hammerers

1 Cannon with engineer

1 Organ gun

Chaos Dwarf Army:

1 Lord (general)

1 Goblin Chieftain (mounted on wolf)

7 Centaurs

20 Chaos Dwarf Warriors

13 Chaos Dwarf Blunderbusses

13 Hobgoblins

16 Hobgoblin archers (with short bows)

1 Death Rocket

1 Hobgoblin bolt thrower (masquerading as a chunky heavy mortar!)

So, after a brief meet-and-greet while we set up the table, the Australian gent and I rolled off to see who went first. Having deployed first (having a smaller dwarf army – no pun intended) I got a +1 to my role and won the toss.

Adopting a ‘hold the line’ strategy I didn’t advance, but chose instead to take a potshot with my cannon at the Centaurs. With a lucky role on the artillery dice I managed to kill three in one go – first blood to the Dwarfs!

Next, having seen their comrades blown to smithereens by Dwarf gunnery, the four remaining Centaurs charged the Dwarf left flank, while the Chaos Dwarf melee units marched forward; their artillery support proving inaccurate. What the Centaurs hadn’t considered, however, were the Dwarf quarrellers and organ gun waiting for them behind the woods. In one volley from each, the Centaurs were gunned down once and for all in a literal blaze of glory (maybe because a Centaur’s cojones are bigger than their brain).

The Chaos Dwarfs continued to advance toward the centre of the Dwarf line, but with stealth and speed, the Hobgoblin Chief (who, to avoid the difficulty of translating from Goblin into English, we shall just call Murray) hurried along the edge of the board; rapidly closing in on the lonely cannon and crew out on the Dwarf right flank.

With classic green skin comedy, at the beginning of the next turn the hobgoblins failed their animosity test and ran even faster toward the regiment of Dwarf warriors. The Chaos Dwarf blunderbusses advanced into the woods to grab some cover and the Death Rocket missed again. With another leap and bound, Murray’s wolf steed brought him into hand-to-hand combat with the Cannon crew; felling the engineer without suffering a wound from the stubborn defenders.

Now the Hobgoblins were in charge range and they smashed into the Dwarf warriors. What the green skins had in enthusiasm they lacked in martial skill, the Dwarfs winning the combat soundly though the Hobgoblins managed to pass their leadership test. Murray continued to dice up the cannon crew, leaving only one to defend the artillery piece.

In the next round of combat the Hobgoblins finally broke, the Dwarf warriors chasing close behind. After taking a punishing volley from the Organ gun, the Chaos Dwarf blunderbusses broke cover from the trees and dashed forward, blasting away in return at the multi-barrelled dealer of death without result.

In the next turn the Chaos Dwarf warriors, led by their general, finally made it into hand-to-hand combat charging the Hammerers; the Dwarf Thane squaring up to his opposite number in a challenge of single combat, the Chaos Dwarf Lord inflicting a wound. Murray finished off the artillery crew and proceeded to steal the cannon, before turning his gaze to the fray ensuing in the middle of the battlefield; the Dwarf warriors running down and destroying the Hobgoblins.

Seeing the Chaos Dwarf centre was wavering, the Hobgoblin archers came forward to take up a position beside the macabre alter, loosing at close range into the Dwarf warriors. This didn’t deter the stunties however, as they charged the Chaos Dwarf warriors’ flank, inflicting significant casualties alongside the Hammerers, though their evil cousins refused to flee. Murray, cannon in tow, full of blood lust from his recent victory, charged the dwarf warriors in the rear; the Hobgoblin archers just too far away to charge in support. Another volley from the now significantly reduced blunderbusses managed to finish off the Organ gun; revenge for the toll it had taken on the Chaos Dwarf right flank.

Finally, in the next turn, the Chaos Dwarf warriors broke. The Hammerers took off after them and the Dwarf warriors reformed to face Murray. Seeing his luck had finally turned, the cheeky Hobgoblin Chief did a runner; a throng of enraged Dwarfs stomping after him determined to get their cannon back!

In the final turn the Hammerers ran down what was left of the Chaos Dwarf warriors. Afterwards, with a bit of lucky shooting that came too late to make a difference, the Death Rocket scored a direct hit on the Hammerers, killing enough to force a panic check; though the elite Dwarf warriors held firm.

It was then with sporting grace that the Australian gent conceded defeat, with a vow to return soon and lead his Chaos Dwarfs to victory! It was plain to see that Murray had won man-of-the-match hands down, having taken out the Dwarf cannon crew single handedly and made of with the big gun as booty!

If you live in the Reykjavik area and are interested in having a game of old school Warhammer fantasy, please contact me for further details.

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