Another Page in the Book of Grudges

The thirteen robed figures, faces obscured by ragged hoods, horns growing from their heads, gathered in a circle around the Great Rune of the Great Horned One.

"Much warp stone found in east mountains, yes-yes!"

Whispers as they discussed the new find.

Another voice: "Stunted man-things have many burrows there, yes-yes! They fight. Deny warp stone to servants of Great Horned One."

Agitated chittering and whispers as this new wrinkle is examined. 

A third voice in the shadows: "Send 

Bloodclaw with many Clan Rats! Kill Stunty-Things! Take Warp stone for the Horned One! Yesyes!"

And so Dangar Foe-Hammer's doom was sealed in shadows far from his halls.

Pasha Dan was pretty excited when I started painting Skaven and issued a challenge from his Dwarves. Pasha Dan loves Dwarves in every incarnation. "You should play an army that looks like you!" he always says. His dwarves are a lot of old school Warhammer Fantasy figures. He has more than enough to match my Skaven verminhorde. Even when I expand the verminhorde, he'll be able to match me without painting any more.

Crossbows and a gyrocopter

Warriors with his red mohawk crested army commander

Warriors with another gyrocopter

Scratch built balloon, which worked the same as the gyrocopters. Stupid gyrocopters.

Massed shooters with handguns

My left wing, Gutter Runners on the flank, Rat Ogres and Storm Vermin

Center; artillery and jezzails. Right flank is Clanrats. You'll notice I don't have any grey plastic now. All of the figures have at least the requisite 3 colours on them.

 The plan is to shoot things in the center. Hold on the right and then smash with my left. I should have given the right more support.

Darktan Bloodclaw gets stuck in

Rat Ogres don't need much encouragement to smash Dwarf warriors!

Ka-blooie! One of my cannon explodes even with a reroll from Hamnpork. Oops. Surprisingly little harm to surrounding units. Although it'd have been nice if one of the pesky gyrocopters had been nearby to catch some shrapnel. 

The fighting is furious between the two commanders and their troops. The stormvermin are wiped out but Dangar is wounded. Smelling blood, Darktan challenges the Dwarf king to single combat!

Rat Ogres keep smashing, destroying the line of warriors and then killing the two heroes

Stormvermin advancing. Darktan and the Dwarf King dueling. Dangar Foe-Hammer is killed by Darktan! The Dwarf Reputation plummets into the negatives. 

It's all over. The Dwarves try mightily during their turn to push the Skaven Reputation below their own, killing off a few units of clanrats, but at the end of the turn they are at -10 Reputation and the Skaven are only at -4.

Center. My Stormvermin are starting to turn the Dwarf flank

Right wing is a shambles with 1 unit of Clanrats facing 3 units of Dwarves! But I'm sure it would have been worse if they didn't have any paint on them at all!

I did better against Dan's wall of Armour 4 warriors than I thought I would. Better positioning for my artillery and remembering my Grey Seers really helped. But I need more shooty units. More jezzails for a base of fire and more Gutter Runners to help secure the other flank. Even some skirmishers with slings would be useful. Long range missile fire could certainly help suppress dwarven artillery. Some Swarms of Rats (Horde unit with Relentless) would be useful to pin things down, or absorb missile fire and initial charges before my Stormvermin get stuck in. Some sort of mobile element like a Doomwheel could be fun too.

Game 36!

The Council of Thirteen gathered again to examine the reports from the battle. Each member had their own spies and sneaks reporting to them, embellishments woven to curry favor. The squeaking and chittering rose and fell as each claimed their part in the victory and argued for a bigger share of the warp stone.

One figure was silent, pondering the rent armour and robes that had once been worn by his protégé Darktan Bloodclaw. He would have them examined for poison. He reached a clawed hand out and picked up the Doomglaive, still glowing with arcane magiks, that Darktan had used to send many sacrifices to their Horned God. Dangar Foe-Hammer would be a worthy offering and gain Darktan a place in the Horned One's Retinue. Yesyes, he would have the remains examined for poison, and if any were found there would be another offering made right here.