Midgard The Iron Valley Campaign Game 3

 We managed to fit in the third game in our campaign.

Scenario C: The Starkfurt Crossings,

Prinz Wuthelm tries to secure the critical crossings over the River Stark but the Mountainblood Orcs have other ideas. The river has a wide ford in the centre of the table and four other possible crossing points, if they can be found.

For this game I went for two units of elite Long Axes supported by five units of Dwarf Warriors, a unit of Bears and a unit of Old Warriors. I thought about taking a unit of archers, but in the end decided to try the Troll Breaker catapult.

Mark had given up on Goblins and led with a unit of Troll Bloods, a mass of  Soldier-Orcs, supported by three units of archers and skirmishers, a unit of Wolf Riders and  some Wolves.

Turn One

The orcs had the option to issue a challenge for single combat in the ford, which they did. Gebhard the Shield Breaker answered the challenge and stepped into the icy waters. The two champions battered each other without effect, but then Gebhard slipped on the wet rocks and fell to his knees.

Fangar the Swift took full advantage and cut the valiant dwarf down!

The opening situation. Fangar's contingent have raced forward in celebration of their chief's victory.

A view of the Dwarf deployment.

The Dwarves advanced, steadily and the Troll Breaker launched a rock into the nearest Soldier-orc unit. On the flank, Rolf the unstable rushed his troops up to try and find the ford, with no luck.

In the centre the orcs waited for the Dwarves to cross. They advanced on both flanks, also vainly looking for a crossing point.

Turn Two

The Dwarves kept up their steady advance, into the waters of the ford.

Rolf found the elusive crossing point and led his warriors across. The wolf riders hung back, waiting for the opportunity to charge.

Now the Orcs responded to the Dwarfs, launching an all-out charge across the entire frontage of their army! The ford ran red with blood as the two warbands clashed.

Orc skirmishers found another ford and rushed a cross, picking off some of the Troll Breaker's crew.

Turn Three

The two army commanders and their bodyguards fought each other to a standstill in the middle of the ford, but elsewhere the dwarves surged forward. On the right a unit of warriors destroyed a unit of Soldier-orcs and their supporting skirmishers in quick succession, while the Old Warriors followed up into a unit of orc archers. The veterans took heavy losses, but completely annihilated their foes. 

On the left the dwarf warriors took casualties but for the orcs back.

The orc skirmishers out-flanked the Troll Breakers and finished off the rest of the crew.

Out on the flank the Dwarves and Wolf Riders battled at the river's edge, but slowly the dwarves were forced back.

Turn Four

Across the battlefield the carnage  continued, as another Soldier-orc unit dissolved.

But this allowed a fresh unit to charge the battered dwarf warriors, now at half strength.

Now disaster struck the the Dwarves (or really bad dice rolling on my part). A unit of Long Axes and a unit of Dwarf Warriors were destroyed in the main ford.

And the last of the Long Axe unit on the flank were pulled down by a fresh unit of wolves.

The Dwarves could not survive the loss of 9 Reputation points in a single turn. At the end of Turn Four the Orcs still had 7 Reputation to the Dwarf -6!!!

An over-whelming victory for the Orcs! This will make it interesting for the the next battle, the main clash outside the Orc stronghold.

Mark seems to have got the hang of using the Orcs now.