Giants are large, lumbering brutes that wander the world seeking food, a fight, or both. They prefer to live solitary lives but can be coaxed to join an Orc and Goblin or Chaos Marauder tribe with the promise of a good scrap or some strong ale.
The Marauder giant is a classic model released by GW circa 1990, sculpted by Aly Morrison and is an icon for 90's warhammer.
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| Fighting a treeman at the outskirts of Loren |
October, or rather Orctober as it is known among most gamers usually means one paints orcs or at least greenskins this month. However for those not into the miniature gaming market, October is mostly known for Halloween, which usually means scary monsters.
I decided upon painting som monsters this month, the first one got finished last week, a varghulf for my Vampire Counts.
Within every Vampire's black soul lurks a slavering monster, driven to feed on the blood of the living time and again. Most Vampires seek control over this side of their existence, clinging to the trappings of aristocracy, privilege, or - in some extreme cases - a debased form of martial honor.
Yet not all Vampires care for the trappings of mortal life or seek to control their inner urges. There are a few Vampires who allow the animalistic hunter within them to consume their personality completely. These feral predators abandon their citadels in order to run unfettered through the forest, hunting at the head of packs of Dire Wolves or even stranger beasts
Those who revel in such behaviour become physically changed beyond recognition by the necromantic magic of the Vampiric curse. Hence are born the creatures known to the peasants as Varghulfs.
Varghulfs are the result of a Vampire repeatedly overfeeding on blood. Over the centuries, these most devolved of Vampires become blood-mad killers that exist only to feed. Like enraged, starved beasts, they run rampant, devouring whole villages and yet never sating their thirst. They slaughter without mercy, luxuriating in bloody carnage.
The breathless and tattered messenger staggered towards the entrance of the Dwarf hold, falling at the feet of the long bearded sentry. "The Skaven, they´re coming, he gasped, the Skaven are coming..."
During vacation, I went to meet a close friend of mine, we had decided on a weekend of wargaming, to give it a bit of a twist, we decided on playing a short campaign which would end with a siege game. We wanted a classic match-up so decided on Dwarfs vs Skaven.
First Scenario - Forlorn hope
A dwarf patrol is the first to encounter the vanguard of the Skaven, they immediately dispatch a messenger, while the rest of the patrol try to delay the Skaven so the messenger can warn the garrison.
The objective was simple, 500 points of Dwarfs most hold a pass vs 750 points of Skaven, if they manage, the Dwarfs will get a free bombardment on the Skaven troops in the Final Siege, if not, the Skaven will get to buy siege equipment at a discount.
It was a quick battle, the Skaven pushed towards the Dwarfs, the Spearmen held until the final dwarf was killed, however it had taken too long, the Crossbowmen were still alive & well, while Behram Gundarson was futile in his attempts at getting killed by the Rat Ogres (he was killing them).
A solid victory for the Dwarfs.
The Dwarf hold erupted into a frenzy as battle horns sounded the call to arms, stout dwarfs left their work to arm themselves, as the final soldiers found their places and the dust began to settle, Einar Dantesson, the commander of the hold, strode into the courtyard.
"Dawi" he said, our time for glory has come. Even now the foul Skaven horde approaches, we are all that stands between them and our loved ones.
He stared at each of his followers in turn, their grim faces showing neither fear or sadness - only resolution, a grim determination.
"The skaven are foul, honourless creatures, not strong like us, we will not waver, we will not tire, we will not falter and we will not fail!"
Scenario 2 - Infiltrate
Eshin Gutter Runners has managed to infiltrate the hold, their objective is to sabotage the food and ammunition stores, the dwarf sentries must try to stop them before they reach the storage.
If the Dwarfs win they get a few pieces of free Siege Equipment, however if the Skaven win, all siege equipment will cost twice as much for the Dwarfs.
It was a close battle, the skaven were just 1 inch away from winning the scenario, but the dwarfs managed to surround the Gutter Runners & kill them off.
He could feel the rumbling in his feet, it was a low quiet one, not many would´ve noticed, but Nori Craggenson wasn´t just a dwarf smith, he was also an experienced miner, he had been mining these tunnels for years and nothing out of the ordinary went unnoticed to him.
Skreech whipped his tail nervously, he didn´t like the idea of undermining the Dwarf walls, not only could the troublesome dawi show up, but if they did manage to accomplish their mission, there was a very huge risk of the tunnel collapsing right over them. "Quick-quick" he urged his slaves, "dig-dig, faster".
The dwarf miners moved down the long tunnel swiftly, Nori led them himself, he had been sure something was wrong, and as sure as any dwarf saying, he was right, in the distance he could see them, there they were, Skaven, in their mines! "Charge!" He yelled.
Skreech turned around at the sound of the booming voice, not quick enough, the dawi had intercepted them, well at least it was just a small mining party, perhaps they could kill them before the alarm went off, "Kill-kill the Dawi!"
Scenario 3 - Undermine
The third and final battle before the proper siege would see the skaven attempt to undermine the walls, if they managed they would inflict heavy damage on one of the walls, the dwarfs would have to stop them in time.
The battlefield is split in the middle, Nori led a unit of miners at the right side, while a champion led a unit of dwarf warriors armed with spears on the left side, they had 4 turns to try & break through the skaven lines.
As valiant & brave as any dwarf, all the units fought until the bitter end, but the frenzied plaguemonks led by Skreech was too much, they slaughtered the small unit of slayers as well as every last miner, only Nori was alive & fighting at the end of turn 4.
The left flank fared a little better, breaking the stormvermin, however they were unable to break the Plague censer bearers and therefore failed their mission. The skaven undermined the tunnels & left one of the walls heavily damaged before the final assault.
The skaven pushed back the dwarfs with sheer weight of numbers, while the dwarfs fought on stubbornly, they were slowly forced back by the relentless skaven. Pick-axe chopped at diseased skaven fur, rusted skaven blades crunched into dwarf mail, spatters of blood flew everywhere. The glow of the torches illuminated a scene of relentless savagery. No quarter would be asked, no quarter would be given... A great explosion was heard, the tunnels were filled by a green, toxic smoke, it was too late, Nori gave up a snarl and pushed further into the skavenlines, meanwhile Skreech had achieved what he came for and decided it was better to continue this fight another time, leaving his subjects to face the crazed dwarf, to report to his superiors of the missions success of course.
Scenario 4 - Assault the walls
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| The entrance to the Dwarf hold |
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| The skaven assault the walls |
In the final battle, a 2500 points skaven army assault the castle, which is defended by a small 1250 points Dwarf army (with a few mercenary ogres allied in). I forgot to take pics during most of the battle as it was just too much happening.
The dwarfs were fighting on the defensive, their orders were to protect the keep at all costs so their kin could get enough time to use the escape tunnels & reach Karak Eight Peaks. For every ratman that fell, another two fought each other to take its place. Einar Dantesson fought in the front lines, among the rubble of the fallen wall, his magical hammer killing a skaven with every sweep until they avoided him like the plague, the skaven stopped the assault, snarling and squeaking. The ratmen parted ranks to let a huge, black fured skaven through. His dirty robes were covered in mold, a jet black amulet was in place of one of his eyes and in his hands were a flail that ended with a pair of snarling skulls. "Die-die dwarf thing."
Einar was exhausted, but like any honourable dawi, he took up the challenge, charging the new threat, he quickly realized that every blow he struck against the rat spawn, hurt himself, wounds opened up on his body and soon he could barely move, the Skaven shouted out with evil glee and swinged his deadly flail above his head, hitting his mark. Einar was down...
Panting, blood from their many wounds dripping down their armour, the dwarfs didn´t break like most races would, instead they silently committed their souls to Grungni & renewed their efforts, they fought like in a trance, pushing back the skaven, which in turn panicked their entire line, one by one the skaven either fell down dead, or ran of the battlefield in a mass panic, victory for the Dawi, but at what cost?
The skaven made a full out attack, assaulting both the weakened wall, as well as the gate and the front part of the fortress. Meanwhile a skaven engineer with the Cloak of Mists and Shadows was running rampant in the castle, casting spells, however the valiant dwarfs stood their ground, despite the loss of all 3 characters (Dwarf Lord, Slayer champion & the Rune Priest, ironically I hadn´t lost a character in any of the 3 previous battles, but lost all of them in the final game). Toughness 4 & LD 9 on troops help a lot when defending. It was a great ending to the campaign, although if I am to be honest, I think the small battles leading up to the final siege were more fun than the siege itself!
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| Einar with his valiant bodyguards |
Mengil Manhide is the sadistic, cannibalistic leader of a vicious group of Dark Elf mercenaries known throughout the Old World as The Manflayers. They travel unseen across the lands under the cover of darkness, selling their skills to the highest bidder and adorning themselves with the flayed flesh of those they slaughter in battle.
Throughout the lands of the Old World, Mengil has plied his trade, and the band of Dark Elf warriors who follow him, known as the Manflayers, are rightly feared. They are employed as assassins and murderers, and are often used to eliminate rivals. He is often used by those who wish to make an example of the target, for Mengil takes savage pleasure in skinning his foes, often leaving the skinless bodies of his victims hanging from the trees or impaled on spikes in the ground. On occasion, Mengil's Manflayers will take to the battlefield, employed to infiltrate deep into enemy territory to spread terror and confusion.
For Hire: Any army except Bretonnia, High Elves, Wood Elves & Dwarfs may hire Mengil and his Manflayers using the rules for hiring Dogs of War units.
Points: Mengil and 5 Manflayers (including a standard bearer as well as a musician) cost a total of 250 points. This is the minimum sized regiment you can hire, the size of the unit can be increased by adding additional Manflayers at + 17 points per model to a maximum of 20 models in total.
Mengil Manhide M5 WS5 BS6 S4 T3 W2 I7 A2 LD9
Manflayer M5 WS4 BS5 S3 T3 W1 I6 A1 LD8
Equipment: Mengil and the Manflayers are armed with a handweapon, a repeating crossbow, light armour and carry a shield.
Save: 5+
Options: The unit may exchange their shields for 2-handed Greatswords at a cost of +1 point per model.
Magic Items:
The Banner of Kalad: The Banner of Kalad is enchanted, creating a nimbus of shadow around Mengil and his warriors, making them even more difficult to spot and allow them to approach their prey even more closely before they strike from the shadows.
Any unit attempting to hit Mengil or his Manflayers with a shooting or close combat attack suffers a -1 to hit penalty, combined with the skirmish rule, this means the Manflayers are very hard to hit with missile weapons.
Special Rules:
Scouts: The Manflayers are Dark Elf scouts and therefore suffer no movement penalty in rocky terrain, they may skirmish and use special deployment rules.
Manflayers: Mengil and his Manflayers are cannibalistic killers that skin their foes and wear their flayed hide as cloaks.
The regiment may never pursue, however each enemy unit that they break or wipe out in close combat gives them 1 additional victory point (even if a unit rallies later).
Hate High Elves: The Manflayers follow the normal Dark Elf rules and therefore hate any High Elves they fight in battle.
Bray-Shamans, known also as the Speakers of the Dark Council, are powerful, if primitive, sorcerers who occupy a unique and privileged position within the brutal and bitter world of the beastmen. They have no need to defend themselves from other members of their tribe, for none would dare assault them, the priests of the beastmen. Not even the mightiest Beastlord would harm a Bray-Shaman, for they speak the will of the Dark Gods, and those that defy the gods pay the highest price of all.
Kholthrag made his debut on the Warhammer Renaissance weekend, used as a lowly level 1 shaman with Van Horstmann's Speculum. While not doing as great as my discrider, he did kill a few Phoenix guard in the first game & managed to kill a Vampire Count in a challenge, pretty good start!
Mummies, also known as the Preserved Dead, are made from the corpses of ancient warriors that were wrapped in funeral linens and embalmed to prevent decay. Mummies are protected by powerful magics to preserve them and cheat death itself. Because of this they are of great interest to Necromancers. They are held in thrall by the magician who brought them back to life until destroyed.
This particular model I think was meant to represent Settra as he clearly carries the Flail of Skulls & wears a big Crown.
The Crimson Blades are a warband dedicated to the Crow, some say it's Nurgle, others say it's another aspect of Khorne, either way they welcome the chance of slaughter any day of the week.
The Crimson Blades roam the old world, they've been spotted as far up as the Northern wastes all the way down south to Tilea, some times they work as a mercenary force, at other times they join a battle just for the glory (slaughter). The Crimson Blades have become a notorious warband set out in the old world to raid and pillage in the Crow's name, and to claim whatever spoils of war remained.
Citanul Skulltaker:
In his early days, before Citanul became the leader of the Skull takers, he led the warband the Crimson Blades, he is a savage leader that leads by force rather than cunning, in battle he's a whirlwind of destruction, many foes final moment has been at the hands of his axe. Originally a member of a small Norse tribe, he dedicated his life to the Blood god after having been betrayed by a follower of Slaanesh, until this day, Citanul still seeks revenge.
Corpulax the foetid:
If Citanul is the brawn of the Crimson Blades, then Corpulax would be best descibed as the brain, displaying a horribly bloated body that are infected with all manner of virulent contagions. He takes great delight in spreading these ‘gifts’ to anyone and anything they encounter as they march across the old world, leaving nought but corruption in his wake. A former peasant from Bretonnia, who was gifted by the Grand father Nurgle too many times, he found his faith in his corruptor rather than the Blessings of the Lady. For this he was sentenced to death by a young knight, in desperation he killed the knight and fled northwards, coming upon the Crimson Blades, who rather than kill him, gave him a new reason to live.
Knights of Chaos within the Crimson Blades, they're towering brutes clad in the thickest plate armour, and whose dreaded reputation is known throughout as some of the World's most feared horsemen. Their charge will break any foe.
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The Crow brethren:
The Crow brethren are fighters of great prowess, raised from strong Northmen stock, their skills honed over the years by constant battle amongst themselves and against other races. Led by Corpulax himself, there's no foe they won't face in battle.
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| Glathrus the Reaper, sometimes used as a champion |
Chaos Chariots are more than just machines of war; they are symbols of status and power. They are drawn by a pair of huge destriers swollen to unnatural size by the corrupting energies of Chaos.
The Hunt
The Hunt is a group of Flesh Hounds gifted to Citanul by the Blood God Khorne after he killed the famous Grail Knight Galand of Aquitaine. Once the Hunt have scented something, nothing will stop them from catching their prey.
A pair of trolls named Hrungnir and Trym, goaded to battle by Corpulax, most of their time is spent wondering where they are & why they are there.
Harpies are scavengers and opportunists who prey upon the sick, weary, battle-worn and dying, they often accompany the Crimson Blades, knowing that after each battle they will feast like Kings and queens.
There's other beasts of Chaos that follow the Crimson Blades for various reasons, each one more evil than the last.
