A Savage Worlds Warhammer Fantasy Battles mashup.
Brief Summary: In the previous part, the party crawled through the sewers trying to find an exit, but instead reached a cavern with stale air. Disturbed from unknown decades of endless sleep, the undead are awakened. A lich is slowly revitalized in the center of the cave, while a score of his skeleton minions are animated to do his bidding.
Now, I need to define the scene a bit before continuing with the combat rounds.
Q: Do all the skeletons attack?
A: Yes. Considering the party’s set up, I define that even if all the skeletons join the fray, only 8 can attack at the same time. about 1-3, depending on positioning and orientation at each member of the party.
Q: Are the skeletons spread around the cavern? (Likely)
A: Yes, and some are spread at the far edges of the cave.
Q: Is the exit located at the other end of the cave?
A: No, it is located near them
Q: How many of the skeletons between them and the exit?
A: 1d6+2: 7
Q: How many of the skeletons between them and the lich?
A: 1d6+2: 4
This is going to be a long fight. I do present the mechanics below, but I understand that reading through these can be a chore. It is after all a combat between 4 party members and 20 skeletons (only 8 of which are locked in combat at the same time). I run the combat at a grid, so things that might have been evident to me visually are not so when reading through this. Therefore I suggest you go to the end of the combat and read the narrative excerpt instead.
Round 1:
Initiative: B: J♦️, E: 10♥️, G: J♥️, R: Joker
Skeletons: 5♠️
Considering that Rudiger got the creeps right before, I decide that he will try to to open a path towards the exit rather than try to fight with the skeletons in the middle.
Rudiger: Moves towards the exit and makes a sweep attack on 3 of the skeletons.
Rudiger: Fighting (d12-2): 12/5: Hit with a Raise: 20/7: Destroyed, 23/7: Destroyed, 6/7: No damage.
Gustav: Moves and attacks the skeleton that survived Rudiger’s attack.
Gustav: Fighting (d6): 5/5: Hit: 4/7: No damage.
Evie: Moves and attacks a skeleton from the group towards the exit.
Evie: Fighting (d8): 4/5: Miss, Benny: 11/5: Hit with a Raise: 30/7: Destroyed
Bianka: Moves and attacks a skeleton from the group towards the exit.
Bianka: Fighting (d8+1): 5/5: Hit: 6/7: No damage.
S1 vs Bianka: Fighting (d6): 1: Miss
S2 vs Gustav: Fighting (d6+1): 5/5: Hit: 7/5: Shaken
S3 vs Gustav: Fighting (d6+1): 6/5: Hit: 5/5: Shaken: Wounded
S4 vs Bianka: Fighting (d6+1): 6/6: Hit: 6/5: Shaken
S5 moves and attacks Gustav: Fighting (d6+2): 4/5: Miss
S6 moves and attacks Bianka: Fighting (d6+2): 3/6: Miss
S7 moves and attacks Rudiger: Fighting (d6+2): 6/8: Miss
S8 moves and attacks Evie: Fighting (d6): 4/5: Miss
The rest of the skeletons move closer to the party.
Round 2:
Initiative: B: Joker, E: 8♥️, G: 4♣️, R: A♥️
Skeletons: K♦️
Bianka: Spirit (d4+2): 5: Success. Benny: No longer shaken.
Bianka: Fighting (d8+3): 7/5: Hit: 9/7: Shaken
Rudiger performs an attack on the skeleton in front of him.
Rudiger: Fighting (d12-2): 7/5: Hit: 9/7: Shaken
S1 Shaken: Spirit (d4+2): 3: Fail
S2 Shaken: Spirit (d4+2): 3: Fail
S3 vs Gustav: Fighting (d6+1): 4/5: Miss
S4 vs Bianka: Fighting (d6+3): 8/6: Hit: 5/5: Shaken
S5 vs Gustav: Fighting (d6+1): 5/5: Hit: 5/5: Shaken: Wounded again.
S6 vs Bianka: Fighting (d6+3): 7/5: Hit: 6/5: Shaken: Wounded
S7 vs Rudiger: Fighting (d6+1): 5/8: Miss
S8 vs Evie: Fighting (d6): 5/5: Hit: 4/5: No Damage
Gustav: Soak Roll: Vigor (d6-1): 3: Fail: Benny: 15!: Soaked 2 Wounds and recovered
Evie: perform an attack on S8.
Evie: Fighting (d8): 7/5: Hit: 2/7: No damage
Gustav: Full Defend: Fighting (d6+1): 5: Parry until next round.
Round 3:
Initiative: B: 10♦️, E: J♥️, G: K♦️, R: 6♦️
Skeletons: J♠️
Gustav: Full Defend: Fighting (d6+1): 12: Parry until next round.
S1 Shaken: Spirit (d4+2): 3: Fail
S2 Shaken: Spirit (d4+2): 3: Fail
S3 vs Gustav: Fighting (d6+1): 5/12: Miss
S4 vs Bianka: Fighting (d6+3): 6/6: Hit: 17/5: +3 Wounds. Incapacitated
S5 vs Gustav: Fighting (d6+1): 5/12: Miss
S6 moves and attacks Gustav (d6+2): 5/12: Miss
S7 vs Rudiger: Fighting (d6+1): 2: Miss
S8 vs Evie: Fighting (d6): 8/5: Hit: 9/5: Wounded
Evie: Soak Roll: Vigor (d6): 5: Success. Not wounded
Evie: Fighting (d8): 4/5: Miss
Bianka: Soak Roll: Vigor (d6): 16: Soaked all wounds!
Rudiger: Fighting (d12-1): 5/5: Hit: 10/7: Wounded
Round 4: (The Lich awakens)
Initiative: B: 10♥️, E: 6♣️, G: 9♣️, R: Joker
Skeletons: 8♥️, Lich: J♦️
Rudiger will perform a rapid attack three times on the skeletons next to him.
Rudiger: Fighting (d12-3): 6/5: Hit: 4/7: No damage
Rudiger: Fighting (d12-3): 6/5: Hit: 14/7: Destroyed
Rudiger: Fighting (d12-3): 2/5: Miss
Lich: 3 Dark Bolts, one for each of the party members.
Spellcasting (d12-2): 3: Fail, 8: Success: 7/5: Gustav is Wounded again, 5: Success: 11/8: Shaken.
Bianka: Defend and Withdraw: Skeletons: 5/8: Miss, 7/8: Miss, 12/8: Hit with Raise: 14/5: +2 Wounds.
Bianka has fled the cavern.
Gustav: Defend and Withdraw. S5: 4/7: Miss, S6: 2/7: Miss
Gustav has fled the cavern.
S1 Shaken: Spirit (d4+2): 4: Success
S2 Shaken: Spirit (d4+2): 5: Success
S3 vs Rudiger: Fighting (d6): 4/6: Miss
S4 vs Rudiger: Fighting (d6+1): 4/6: Miss
S5 vs Rudiger: Fighting (d6+2): 7/6: Hit: 6/8: No damage.
S6 vs Evie: Fighting (d6): 1/5: Miss
Evie: Defend and Withdraw: S6: 11/5: Hit with Raise: 14/5: 2 Wounds
Evie has fled the cavern.
Round 5:
Initiative: R: 9♦️
Skeletons: 7♦️, Lich: 2♥️
Rudiger: Benny, isn’t Shaken anymore and can act.
Rudiger: Defend and Withdraw: 4/10: Miss, 5/10: Miss, 4/10: Miss, 14/10: Hit with Raise: 15/8: Wounded
Rudiger has fled the cavern
A dark sinister feeling overcomes the party as magical winds flow towards the corpse in the middle of the cavern.
Before giving anyone a moment to decide if they should go ahead and try to destroy the undead being in the middle of the ritual drawing, Rudiger evaluates quickly his tactical options, and heads towards what seems to be an exit. 7 of the skeletons block his way. He deflects a blow quickly with his shield, and with a mighty swing of his longsword, he cuts through the spines of two of the undead.
Evie has no choice but to follow her bodyguard, and with her short sword, she destroys another of the abominations. Gustav and Bianka come along, hoping to reach the exit. The skeletons gang up on them, and in the chaos of combat, Gustav is wounded by their sharp claws.
Unfortunately, even though the way to the exit is clear, the skeletons have caught up with them, and there is no way to leave without being exposed to their attacks. The company has made a line, trying to push back the skeletons, but they are severely outnumbered, and Bianka and Gustav who aren’t as well armored as Rudiger are wounded further. Gustav grits his teeth, and pulls through, the wound being less severe than he initially thought.
Rudiger destroys another skeleton with a quick slash of his blade, but Bianka receives a grievous wound. She doesn’t falter, she grabs her wound, and brings the fight back to the enemy.
An evil hideous laughter echoes through the cavern, and the corpse rises. It’s a rotting carcass of a man in robes, holding a black wood staff.
Rudiger tries to perform a flurry of blows to the skeletons, but in his hurry, only one skeleton is destroyed.
The undead wizard shouts something in an unknown tongue, points his staff, and three black arrows materialize from thin air and shoot towards Evie, Gustav and Rudiger. Gustav is wounded by the arrow, while Rudiger evades it in the last moment, and gets barely scratched. The wizard misses Evie.
Bianka realizes she has had enough. She prefers to be exposed to the skeleton strikes rather than the dead mage, and she withdraws from combat tactically. She has lost her nerve though, and one of the skeletons finds an opening and carves his fingers into her flesh.
Gustav follows Bianka through the newly opened path, and Evie disengages from her own assailant. The skeleton manages in the last moment to tear Evie’s side open, wounding her badly.
Rudiger has been left in the rearguard, and he knows that he too, must leave now or be killed, and join the skeletons in their undead mission. He uses his shield to cover his retreat, but he fights against 4 of the skeletons. He parries most of their blows, but one of them gets a strike to his leg. A small price to pay for escaping this hole. Up ahead he can hear his party mates footsteps, and he runs off after them.
Now I decide that the skeletons will make a quick chase after the party. It’s going to be a short chase of 3 rounds, since the skeletons can’t be expected to operate freely far from their creator.
Chase (Short: 3 Rounds).
Q: Does the Lich give chase? (Unlikely)
A: No
For each chase round I will also be drawing a card of the dungeon crawl rules. In case of an encounter I will roll for ambush of the encountered enemy, since the running party won’t stop for conflict unless their path is blocked.
Round 1:
Dungeon crawl: A♦️! Finally the exit!
I will roll 3d6 to find where in the Battlements map the exit lies.
3d6: 12: Moat/Drawbridge.
It makes so much sense. The river that surrounds the city and fills the moat has a side stream that is essentially the underground river that leads to sewers.
Skeletons: Agility (d8+1): 6: Success
Bianka: Agility (d8-3): 0: Fail
Evie: Agility (d6-1): 3: Fail
Gustav: Agility (d4-2): 3: Fail
Rudiger: Agility (d8-3): 12: Success with 2 Raises.
Skeletons: Q♥️
Rudiger: Q♦️
Both parties are at medium range.
Q: Do the skeletons now sport bows?
A: No
Round 2:
Skeletons: Agility (d8+1): 8: Success with 1 Raise.
Bianka: Agility (d8-3): 1: Fail
Evie: Agility (d6-1): 0 Fail
Gustav: Agility (d4-2): 2: Fail
Rudiger: Agility (d8-3): 6: Success.
Skeletons: 9♠️
Rudiger: 4♣️: Major Obstacle: Agility (d8-5): 0: Failure: Fatigued.
Round 3:
Skeletons: Agility (d8+1): 3: Fail
Bianka: Agility (d8-3): 1: Fail
Evie: Agility (d6-1): 10 Success with Raise
Gustav: Agility (d4-2): 2: Fail
Rudiger: Agility (d8-3): 2: Fail
Evie: 5♥️
They run off as fast as they can, the skeleton bones clacking behind them as the animated remains follow in pursuit. Quickly the cavern opens up to the surface. The river fills in from the outside, they’re at the most of Ostenhofen. A narrow path along the moat leads up and they keep running.
Despite the skeletons having the upper hand at speed they don’t manage to catch up enough to attack.
Abruptly the skeletons end their hunt. They come to a full stop as the party increases their distance, as if an invisible wall is holding them back.
“They, they stopped.” Gustav says.
“Let’s not wait to find out if they will continue.” Evie tells him.
They continue until the skeletons are out of sight.
Then each of them looks to their wounds. No one escaped unscathed.
Bianka: 3 Wounds
Evie: 2 Wounds
Gustav: 1 Wound
Rudiger: 1 Wound, 3 Bumps and Bruises
Good thing for them is that the hex that they’re in, doesn’t have Orcs.
Of course that’s where the skeleton army will set up.
If this draws long I will need to paint a battle map of the ownership of each hex.
The group moves to the village hex to recover.
The skeletons will start with an army of 1d6+2 thousand points: 8 thousand points!
It’s very likely Ostenhofen will fall to the dead instead, and maybe the Orc Warlord’s doom meant the Lich’s sorcery and not an imperial mage. Didn’t see this coming but it all falls into place.
They move slowly without any noise towards the settlement of Westenhofen, on the western bank of the river, across the city.
Back in the distance they see hundreds of figures crawling, and moving like puppets. An uneasy chill fills their hearts at the sight of the dead, walking in such great numbers.
Without any fatigue, the dead, in numbers, move dirt into the moat. Soon it’s filled with mud, and they move across.
Q: Are there any defenders?
A: No, they have fled to the walls of the inner city, not risking being cut off by the orcs.
The undefended outer gatehouse is soon conquered by the undead, whose Lich leader summons even more corpses to his cause.
Let’s see what happens the next siege turn then.
Undead Army: 2d6: 1,6=7: Goto 7: Wooden Palisade.
Orc Army: 2d6: 3,2=5: Goto 19: Inner Keep!
Since no one has attacked the party’s hex so far, I will start with them.
Q: Is Westenhofen abandoned? (Likely)
A: No, the Orcs have cut off the road and the Westenhofeners have barricaded themselves in.
Q: Does Westenhofen have a wooden wall and gate? (Unlikely)
A: Yes, and it’s manned.
Q: Do the guards shoot at the party?
A: No, and they see their sorry state, realize they’re friendlies and let them in.
Almost stumbling along, the company reaches the wooden walls of Westenhofen. Behind the wooden shutters of the gatehouse, a guard figure watches them and soon the gates open slowly in silent.
“Come inside! You’ve escaped from the siege? What news from the city?” Asks a young guard anxiously.
“Let them be Bertio! They’re wounded and weary. Let’s take them to the Physician.” Says another guard, older, with feathers on his hat. Probably the captain.
“I am captain Omund. Follow me. You will fill me in on our way to the Physician.” He tells the party. “Bertio! Shut this gate quickly!” He orders the guard who turns to his task.
I will roll on UNE for the physician’s power level.
I get 85: Slightly Stronger. So I decide they have a d10 on Healing skill.
Now I need to get their Bearing. I decide that they are friendly.
I get 22: gratitude.
I go to donjon to get some descriptions: Geri has black hair and soft brown eyes, and a straight beard. He wears modest garments and an amulet of luminous crystal.
Omund knocks on the closed door of the physician’s house. “Geri, it’s me Omund. Open up, I bring you wounded folk from Ostenhofen.
They hear the door unlock, and unbar. Geri, a man with black hair, soft brown eyes and a straight bear opens to them. He wears modest garments and an amulet of luminous crystal.
“You bring news! thank you. Come inside. I will tend to your wounds. I have a room to set you up.” He tells them and moves aside to help them. “Mari! Come we have patients!” He yells to his servant who appears in an instant to assist him.
“What happened? What is the state of Ostenhofen? How did you escape?” the captain starts asking questions as the physician and his assistant start cleaning them up to see their wounds.
“We are the entourage of Lady Evie Vogel. I am Rudiger, this is Gustav and this is Bianka. We got caught up in the siege as it started, and joined in every battle against the orcs. Things are dire. The supplies are dwindling, and only the inner city is still holding. Unfortunately, a misunderstanding regarding a past event, pressed us to escape the city.” Rudiger says in his bass voice. He pauses a moment and continues. “We used the sewers, who are infested with all sorts of creatures. It was by a thin hair that we managed to get out alive. We saw… we saw the dead walk.”
Now I will first roll on UNE regarding the Conversation Mood for friendly.
I get 16: Guarded.
I will now roll on Omund’s Bearing and Conversation Focus I get comfort enemy.
“You’re not our enemy Lady Vogel. We thank you for fighting the greenskins all along the way. It’s men and women like you that help the Empire stand it’s ground against all those foes. You can rest here as long as you need. The road to the west has been cut off.” Omund comforts them.
Q: Does he believe Rudiger about the dead?
A: False presupposition! He doesn’t need convincing at all. He has seen them with his own two eyes.
Q: Does he know about the Lich’s past?
A: False presupposition. He doesn’t know a thing about Lichs. He hasn’t even heard of such things.
Q: Has he faced the undead in the past?
A: Yes
“Rudiger. I.. I’ve seen the dead walk in the past. I was a young boy when my father told me to hide under the bed. Our village was under attack. He opened the chest and yielded his blade. I peeked from under the bed and I saw it. A corpse walking. My father hacked it to pieces and it fell down silently. The memory still haunts me. It was some witch. A necromancer they said.” Omund confesses. “I believe you.”
At last! a moment of calamity for our party.
For this week I will roll on healing attempts.
Healing Bianka: 3: Fail
Healing Evie: 2: Fail
Healing Gustav: 0: Fail
Healing Rudiger: 4: Success. One wound is removed.
Within the golden hour only Rudiger is back to his feet.
Now let’s go for natural healing for the entire week.
Bianka: Vigor (d6-3): 0: Failure. She remains at 3 Wounds.
Evie: Vigor (d6-2): 9: Success with a Raise. She heals completely.
Gustav: Vigor (d6-1): 8: Success with a Raise: He heals completely.
Also Rudiger recovers from his Bumps and Bruises.
By the week’s end, all but Bianka have recovered. Bianka’s health hasn’t improved, and Geri insists she has to stay for another week in bed.
I almost forgot about the Empire Relief troops. I will use the weather Hex Flower Game Engine from Goblin’s henchman to see if the weather improves or not. If there’s still rain, I doubt relief can arrive.
So I roll a 10. From heavy rain with clouds I go to thunderstorm. Relief is stuck, along with 1d6+2 x 500 = 2000 orc points.
The defenders won’t try to defend the palisade from the undead attack. I doubt there would be anyone there to defend it anyway, so we go to what might be the final battle of Ostenhofen.
So to recap:
Empire Points: 2381
Empire Relief Points: 3000
Orc Points: 6986, 2000 of which are poised against the Empire Relief.
Undead Points: 8000
So we have a battle of 4986 Orc points against 2381 Empire points.
I can’t run this in one go, so I will split it in 3 assaults happening at different parts of the keep.
It’s going to be 3 battles of 800 Empire vs 1600 Orc points.
If the Empire loses all 3 battles then they will perish no matter the fleeing units.
If the Orcs lose all 3 battles then they will be pushed back.
If there is a mixed result, then the survivors will fight again in a final battle. Imperial units that fled can join these battles but Orcish units will have fled the battlefield completely.
The bells are ringing loudly, non-stop. The prince’s commander of the guard enters the chambers. Prince Ingmar looks at him.
“My lord, the orcs have assaulted the northern part of the inner city, where the keep ends. We must push them back or all is lost.” He says worried.
“Call for my squire to dress me up. We’re going to battle! Let’s show those orcs some imperial steel.” The Prince keeps his resolve. “Call my personal guard to the courtroom. I’ll address them before we go to battle.”
The Orcs are attacking the northern keep from three points. The north-eastern tower, the Iron Tower is under attack by the Black Orc Big Boss Damuzu the Mean. The north-western tower, the White Tower is under attack by the Goblin Big Boss Golurtz, while the interconnecting walls in the middle are under attack by the Orc War Boss Baga himself. That’s where the Prince heads with his personal guard.
The battle for the Iron Tower
Q: Does the Iron Tower have a gate to the outside? (Unlikely)
A: Yes
Q: Do the walls have space for two lines of troops?
A: No
Q: Is there LOS for the crossbowmen to the Tower gate?
A: Yes
So the battle locations are the following.
South wall connected to the Iron Tower.
West wall connected to the Iron Tower.
Iron Tower gate/floor level.
Iron Tower roof/top level.
Empire army Roster:
Bolt Thrower with crew of 2 on top of the Iron Tower. 40 Points
20 Crossbowmen at South Wall with Light Armor and Shield. 220 Points. With battle standard +10 points.
20 Crossbowmen at West Wall with Light Armor and Shield. 220 Points. With battle standard +10 points.
20 Swordsmen inside the Iron Tower with Light Armor. 180 Points. With a Champion, 33 points.
10 Archers on top of the Iron Tower with Long Bow and Hand Weapon. 80 points.
Total 793 Points.
Orc army Roster:
36 Black Orcs at 4 ranks deep. Armed with two hand weapons. 360 points. With battle standard +10 points. With Black Orc Big Boss +92 points.
36 Orcs at 4 ranks deep. Armed with hand weapon, light armor and shield. 306 points. With battle standard +10 points.
36 Orcs at 4 ranks deep. Armed with hand weapon, light armor and shield. 306 points. With battle standard +10 points.
20 Orc Archers. Armed with light armor and bow. 190 points.
20 Orc Archers. Armed with light armor and bow. 190 points.
5 Ogres with double handed weapons. 210 points.
Total 1684 Points.
Battle Duration: 6 Turns.
I won’t be doing random initiative per turn like I did in the past. Instead, I will roll initiative at the beginning and rotate players each turn.
Initiative won by: Empire.
Starting combat distance: 5d6″: 15″
Combat edge: +12″=27″
Turn 1:
Empire:
The Bolt Thrower (2) shoots at the Ogres (5): No hit.
The Archers (10) shoot at the Orc Archers1 (20): 6 Hits: 3 Wounds: No Save. 3 Orc Archers Dead.
The Crossbowmen1 (20) shoot at the Orc Archers1 (17): 13 Hits: 5 Wounds: No Save. 5 Orc Archers Dead.
The Crossbowmen2 (20) shoot at the Orc Archers2 (20): 8 Hits: 5 Wounds: No Save. 5 Orc Archers Dead.
Test Orc Archers1 (12) for Panic: 11: It’s Panicked. They flee: 2d6″: 4″
Test Orc Archers2 (15) for Panic: 10: It’s Panicked. They flee: 2d6″: 8″
Orcs:
Animosity: 2. No effect.
Orc Archers1 (12): Rally: 9: Fail. They flee: 2d6″: 8″: They’re out of the battlefield.
Orc Archers2 (15): Rally: 9: Fail. They flee: 2d6″: 8″: They’re out of the battlefield.
Since the orc archer units are smaller than the Orc units, they’re not affected and don’t need to take a panic test.
The Ogres, Orcs and Black Orcs march in formation and move 8″ closer to the walls.
At first light, the Ostenhofeners see the orcs arrayed in battle formation across the battlements. As soon as they enter their weapons range, they load their crossbow and start shooting. The defenders aim first at the enemy’s archers, so that they can’t shoot back.
The crossbow bolts find true their targets, and 7 of the orcs fall down dead. Such is their weak will, that they turn tail and flee, away from the battle.
The other orcs seem uninfluenced by this turn of events and continue onwards.
Turn 2:
Empire:
The Bolt Thrower (2) shoots at the Orcs1 (36): No Hit
The Archers (10) shoot at the Orcs1 (36): 3 Hits: 1 Wounds: No Save. 1 Orc Dead.
The Crossbowmen1 (20) shoot at Orcs1 (35): 9 Hits: 7 Wounds: No Save: 7 Orcs Dead.
The Crossbowmen2 (20) shoot at Orcs2 (36): 15 Hits: 4 Wounds: No Save: 4 Orcs Dead.
Orcs:
Animosity: 3: No effect.
Ogres reach the Tower gate: They charge the gate. Toughness 7, 2 Damage Points.
Ogres: 1 Point of Damage.
The Orcs 1 and Orcs2 reach the walls and set up ladders. They will attack in the next turn.
The Black Orcs are waiting for the Ogres to charge inside.
The archers atop the tower and the crossbowmen keep shooting at the mass of orcs arrayed below, as the black orcs follow a handful of ogres that reach the reinforced gate of the Iron Tower. The ogres hammer down their mighty clubs and axes on the gate. The Ostenhofeners could not predict it, but the strength of the ogres is such, that the first cracks on the gate appears. The archer squad leader orders his men to the Ogres, but it may be too late.
The orc mass has reached the foot of the walls, and they have launched ladders on each wall to climb and assault it.
Turn 3:
Empire:
The Bolt Thrower (2) shoots at the Black Orcs (36+1): Hit: 1 Wound: 1 Wound: No Wound. 2 Black Orcs Dead.
The Archers (10) shoot at the Ogres (5): 6 Hits: 1 Wound. 1 Ogre Wounded.
The Crossbowmen1 (20) shoot at Ogres (5): 11 Hits: 3 Wounds: 1 Ogre Dead. 1 Ogre Wounded.
The Crossbowmen2 (20) shoot at Ogres (4): 10 Hits: 4 Wounds: 1 Ogre Dead. 1 Ogre Wounded Twice.
Orcs:
Animosity: 5: No effect.
Orcs1 (28): Charge at Crossbowmen1 (20): Crossbowmen1 Return Fire: 10 Hits: 6 Wounds: 1 Save: 5 Orcs Dead.
Orcs2 (32): Charge at Crossbowmen2 (20): Crossbowmen2 Return Fire: 9 Hits: 4 Wounds: 1 Save: 3 Orcs Dead.
Orcs1 (23): Melee Combat: 1 Hit: 1 Wound: No Save: 1 Crossbowman Dead. Score: 2 (Casualties + Standard)
Crossbowmen1 (19): Melee Combat: 2 Hits: No Wounds. Score: 2 (Higher Ground + Standard)
Orcs1 (23) vs Crossbowmen1 (19): It’s a draw.
Orcs2 (29): Melee Combat: No Hits. Score: 1 (Standard)
Crossbowmen2 (20): Melee Combat: 5 Hits: 2 Wounds: No Save. 2 Orcs Dead. Score: 4 (Casualties + Higher Ground + Standard).
Orcs2 (27) Break Test: 8: They’re broken and flee: 2d6″: 6″.
The Crossbowmen2 (20) do not pursuit.
Ogres (3) attack the gate: 2 Damage Points. The gate is destroyed.
The bolt thrower crew switches target and aims at the black orcs gathering below. The javelin shoots, and pierces through the thick hide of a black orc, and kills another one before stopping at its dead body.
The archers and all the crossbowmen shoot together at the ogres, killing two of the large creatures, but 3 more are standing. They bash down the door and it breaks in half.
As the orcs climb the ladder, a hail of crossbow bolts falls on them, sending many orcs down to the ground. Close combat ensues, with only a few casualties. One crossbowman at the south wall, and two orcs at the west wall. The orcs at the west wall can’t get a foothold, and fearful of their lives, flee.
Turn 4:
Empire:
The Bolt Thrower (2) shoots at the Black Orcs (34+1): Hit: 1 Wound: 1 Wound: 1 Wound: No Wound. 3 Black Orcs Dead.
The Archers shoot at the Ogres (3): 3 Hits: 1 Wound: 1 Ogre Dead.
Crossbowmen1 (19): Melee Combat: 6 Hits: 4 Wounds: 1 Save: 3 Orcs Dead. Score: 5 (Casualties + Higher Ground + Standard)
Orcs1 (20): Melee Combat: 6 Hits: 4 Wounds: 1 Save: 3 Crossbowmen Dead. Score: 4 (Casualties + Higher Ground + Standard)
Orcs1 (20) Break Test: 7: They’re broken and flee: 2d6″: 11″
Retrospectively I saw that I forgot to play the Crossbowmen2 unit in this round…
Orcs:
Animosity: 4: No effect.
Orcs1 (20): Rally: 4: Success.
Orcs2 (27): Rally: 8: Failure: Flee: 2d6″: 5″. (11″)
Ogres (2) charge at the Swordsmen (20+1): 2 Hits: 2 Wounds: No Save. 2 Swordsmen Dead. Score: 2
Swordsmen (18+1): Melee Combat (Only 4 can fight at the same time, 2 are dead): 0 Hits. Score: 0
Swordsmen break test: 5: Success.
The Swordsmen (18+1) hold.
Another ogre falls under arrows, but they manage to get inside. The imperial swordsmen clash their swords with the mighty beasts, and two of their brethren fall, but they do not falter.
Atop the south wall, the crossbowmen get the best of the orcs, who turn and flee as well, but soon they are rallied by their leader and regroup.
The bolt thrower crew aims better this time, and the projectile skewers through 3 of the black orcs in line.
The orcs near the western wall keep running away.
Turn 5:
Empire:
The Bolt Thrower (2) shoots at the Black Orcs (31+1): No Hit.
The Archers (10) shoot at the Black Orcs (31+1): 5 Hits: 3 Wounds: No Save. 3 Black Orcs Dead.
The Crossbowmen1 (16) shoot at the Black Orcs (28+1): 7 Hits: 3 Wounds: No Save: 3 Black Orcs Dead.
The Crossbowmen2 (20) shoot at the Black Orcs (25+1): 13 Hits: 6 Black Orcs Dead.
Swordsmen (18+1): Melee Combat (Champion joins instead of 1 Swordsman): 2 Hits: No Wounds. Score: 0.
Ogres (2): Melee Combat: 3 Hits: 3 Wounds. 3 Swordsmen Dead. Score: 3.
Swordsmen (15+1) break test: 4: Success.
The Swordsmen (15+1) hold.
Orcs:
Animosity: 6: No effect.
Orcs2 (27): Rally: 8: Failure: Flee: 2d6″: 11″. (22″)
Orcs1 (20): charge at the Crossbowmen1 (16)
Crossbowmen1 (16) Return Fire: 5 Hits: 1 Wound: No Save. 1 Orc Dead.
Orcs1 (19): Melee Combat: 7 Hits: 2 Wounds: 2 Saves: No Crossbowmen Dead. Score: 2 (High Ground + Standard)
Crossbowmen1 (16): Melee Combat: 3 Hits: 1 Wound: 1 Save. No Orcs Dead. Score: 1 (Standard)
Orcs1 (20): break test: 7: Fail. They flee: 2d6″: 9″
Swordsmen Champion Melee Combat: No Hits.
Ogres (2): Melee Combat: 2 Hits: 1 Wound: No Save. 1 Swordsman Dead. Score 1.
Swordsmen (14+1): Melee Combat: 1 Hit: 1 Wound. Score 0.
Swordsmen (14+1) break test: 9: they’re broken. They flee: 2d6″: 7″.
The Ogres pursuit: 2d6″: 2″. They don’t catch up.
The orcs near the western wall keep running away, while the mob near the south wall charges back again. They are met with a hail of crossbow bolts, and the firm defenders do not budge at all. Seeing the futility, the orcs flee yet again.
The black orcs are peppered with a hail of bolts and arrows, and their numbers start decreasing, but they seem too stupid or too brave to care.
Inside the Iron Tower close combat ensues. The ogres smash the skulls of two swordsmen who still try to hold their ground. As two more of their own fall, their morale is broken and they run away to flee. The ogres pursuit, but do not catch up.
Turn 6:
Empire:
Swordsmen Rally: 10: Failure: Flee 2d6″: 5″.
The Bolt Thrower (2) shoots at the Black Orcs (19+1): Hit: No Wound.
The Archers (10) shoot at the Black Orcs (19+1): 3 Hits: 1 Wound: No Save: 1 Black Orc Dead.
Crossbowmen2 (20) shoot at the Black Orcs (18+1): 11 Hits: 7 Wounds: No Save: 7 Black Orcs Dead.
Black Orcs (11+1): Panic test: 5: Success. They don’t flee.
Crossbowmen1 (16) shoot at the Black Orcs (11+1): 9 Hits: 3 Wounds: 3 Black Orcs Dead.
Black Orcs (8+1): Panic test: 4: Success. They don’t flee.
Orcs:
Animosity: 2: No effect.
Orcs2 (27): Rally: 7: They stop and rally.
Orcs1 (20): Rally: 5: They stop and rally.
Ogres (2) charge at the Swordsmen (14+1). Distance: 7+5-2-12=-2. The Swordsmen flee a further 2d6″: 5″. They are not caught.
The Black Orcs (8+1) enter the tower.
The missile defenders, without any harassment, keep shooting at the black orcs, who are reduced to less than a third of their initial numbers, and eventually enter the Iron Tower.
The swordsmen are pursued further by the two ogres, but they are not caught, as the tight corridors of the keep are an obstacle to the big humanoids.
Finally the night falls, and the Ostenhofeners have managed to defend this part of the city decisively. The breach at the gate is dangerous though, as the enemy could charge again here at any time with larger numbers.
The battle is over.
Points left:
Empire army Roster:
Bolt Thrower with crew of 2 on top of the Iron Tower. 40 Points
16 Crossbowmen at South Wall with Light Armor and Shield. 176 Points. With battle standard +10 points.
20 Crossbowmen at West Wall with Light Armor and Shield. 220 Points. With battle standard +10 points.
14 Swordsmen inside the Iron Tower with Light Armor. 126 Points. With a Champion, 33 points.
10 Archers on top of the Iron Tower with Long Bow and Hand Weapon. 80 points.
Total 695 Points. 98 Points lost.
Orc army Roster:
8 Black Orcs at 4 ranks deep. Armed with two hand weapons. 80 points. With battle standard +10 points. With Black Orc Big Boss +92 points.
20 Orcs at 4 ranks deep. Armed with hand weapon, light armor and shield. 170 points. With battle standard +10 points.
27 Orcs at 4 ranks deep. Armed with hand weapon, light armor and shield. 229,5 points. With battle standard +10 points.
2 Ogres with double handed weapons. 84 points.
Total 685,5 Points. 742 Points lost.
256,5 Points worth of archers are available for the orc army in general (they fled the battle but not the siege).
Despite the breach in the Iron Tower, this was a decisive victory for the Ostenhofeners.
Session Background: Had to stop here. With two or more battles pending this is going to be a long session.
So, back to the beginning. At the battle with the lich. I really miscalculated how hard it would be defeat the skeletons. Thankfully, I made the choice of trying to flee instead of heading for the lich while it was vulnerable. I think it made more sense. And although the higher risk might have been a higher reward, there was a good chance that the party would perish there.
In the end I had to make a tactical withdrawal. I know that it was not evident, but in the grid map I run, the party managed to kill all the skeletons to their rear. The problem was that they still were locked in combat and couldn’t leave without triggering attacks of opportunity. Faced with the sorcery of the awakened lich, I had to cut my losses and flee. Thankfully it was only wounds and no party members killed.
I love how eventually the dungeon crawl fit in in with the siege and the oracle and everything. I can’t think of how this could have turned better.
The Westenhofen village was a nice refreshing change for me, and using donjon and UNE together reminded me that I should be using these tools more, instead of relying on my inspiration only. Sometimes I go ahead with what is in my mind, but then things are quite limited. Especially when I’m tired an everything. Mental note taken.
Now to the battle. I was afraid of running such a big battle solo, but in the end everything turned out okay. Some luck on the defender’s part (all the orc archers fled, and thus the walls were nigh impregnable), and failure to utilize the black orcs correctly (they should have attacked a wall rather than wait for their chance to enter the tower), saved the day for the Ostenhofeners.
All in all, I am certain I made more than a few mistakes. Both regarding the RPG part of Savage Worlds, and the Wargaming part of the Warhammer Fantasy battles. I try to take notes as much as possible (hence why I listed the numbers of all troops remaining to help me), but I can’t remember all the rules all the times. Also the fact that it’s solo, means there’s no counter thought and counter argument to correct me when I’m wrong. When playing with others it’s in their best interest to remember the parts of the rules that will help them get the best results. When running solo, this is missed unfortunately.
Overall I had lots of fun so far.
In the upcoming session I expect to run the final battles for the keep.
Solo, Pen, Paper and Dice 
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