Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Battle Master Report

 Here's a wargaming battle report you don't see, at all.  My son (at the enlisting age of 6) and I sat down for a game of the old Battle Masters.  But since I have a problem we are using custom armies of rat-men and Dwarves!  The armies are as follows:





Rat-Men

Unit

Combat

#

Warriors

2

3

Elites

3

2

Plague Rats

4

1

Snippers

3(Ranged)

2

Rat Cavalry

3

1

Giant Ratman

5

1

Roll 3 dice when moving, moves once for each skull rolled

Rat Wheel

1D6

1

Moves twice, if a 6 is rolled for combat amount attacks all adjacent hexes and then is removed.




Dwarves

Unit

Combat

#

Thunder Muskets

3(3 range)

1

Spears

3

2

Miners

4(3 defending)

2

Warriors

4

2

Berserkers

4(2 defending)

1

Cavalry

5

1

Juggernaut

5 - damage

1

Starts with 5 combat, each time it is hit it loses 1 combat and is destroyed when reduced to zero combat.  Moves at double speed.



We were also playing with a slight change where each player keeps their own deck of cards instead of just shuffling all of them together.  This makes sure that we alternate turns (at least until the units begin to dwindle and turns get skipped for drawing destroyed units).


The first several turns are the usual advancing as the dwarf spearmen got left behind and the Giant ratman and wheel charged quickly ahead!


The rat man especially got up close and personal right away though perhaps a little unsupported.


Early on the Dwarf army pulled their 'Move whole army' card and put wounds into the Giant Ratman with the warriors and berserkers.


Luckily for the Rats nothing else could get into combat just yet!




In a fit of angry rat energy they too pulled their own move army card!  The Giant Ratman did nothing sadly as the warriors held firm.


The Wheel on the other hand rammed into the side of the Juggernaut and did 3 wounds crippling the mighty war engine!


On the other side of the river the Rat Cavalry smash into the dwarven cavalry and deal minor damage.


The Rats overcharged their wheel rolling a six on the next turn and blowing up taking the Juggernaut with them and damaging the miners, a troubling early loss indeed. Meanwhile the berserkers traded blows with the warriors and storm vermin as the rats advanced.




The cavalry counter charged into the rats nearly routing them but they still hold!


Now the battle has truly joined and the forces clash in the middle.


The berserkers, though brave, lacked the ability to hold out for long as the Giant Ratman terrorizes them into oblivion.






The muskets finally make it into position to unleash a volley into the Elite rats.  


A pox falls upon the tower though as the plague rats take control gaining the only literal high ground!


Though the spearmen held out against the tower's onslaught the warriors that snuck around the flank swooped in to finish them off.


The Giant Ratman had done its damage but was felled by the brave dwarven warriors.  Another terrible loss of the cheese lovers!


With the miners coming in to avenge the fallen spearmen things were looking bad for those covered in fur.




The snipers across the river did manage to wound the dwarf cavalry again, one more and a very powerful unit would be removed!  


As much as they tried though the snippers would be charged, and charged again being driven back to whatever hole they first emerged from!


Though having only a lowly two dice the ratkin rallied and struck a major blow against the miners!






At this point the Rat line was beginning to encircle the dwarves but suddenly the earth itself shook!


The deadly board gaming cat has emerged to ravage the tower!


As the creature is chased from the battlefield the war continues with the elites charging the dwarven fire line. and breaking the center!



Originally we were playing with the snippers having 3 range to their attack which has been dialed down since.  This was super powerful and may have changed things a bit.






It didn't help that they acted in quick succession blowing a whole warrior unit off the board!




With their center line crushed the rat line moved in for the kill as the dwarf cavalry and spearmn had finally arrived from destroying the rat flank!


The rat men were wise to this sending their deadliest two dice attacks in to damage the spears!


Though wounded and exhausted the cavalry came to the rescue and removed the rat warriors with a single charge!




The final hold outs on the dwarven right flank were taken out but both sides had suffered dire casualties at this point.



The plague rats took up the high ground again ready to make a last stand against the stunty agressors.




Again dwarven cavalry prove their worth though and in a single charge route the infestation from the tower!


Now only the spearmen and the cavalry, both heavily wounded, are left to desperately charge the snippers.  In the end their resolve and skill proved no match for the hail of lead and were shot down before being able to cause a single wound.