Bretonnia (Agincourt List & Grail Star) vs. Dwarfs

Hey guys,

So I played my proposed 'Agincourt' list at the last game day with my league, and it actually proved to be a pretty interesting game. I figured I would write a battle report if it wasn't a completely one-sided slaughter of the smallfolk, and as it turned out the army held up pretty well despite several errors on my part. I wanted to see if I could run a peasant-heavy army that didn't need to pray, and before anyone else mentions it, I did get permission from my gaming group not to run Knights of the Realm. Actually they've given me permission to dispense with the with the 0-1's and the 1+'s altogether since Bretonnia is the only army that still has to contend with them, but I typically abide by them regardless, this particular case notwithstanding.

I'll drop our group's house rules here as well:

Here was my list:

++ Standard (Bretonnia - Army Book (2013-4) -V8.6.6.) [3000pts] ++

+ Uncategorised +

- Army Size: Grand Army (3000+ points)

+ Lords +

Bretonnian Lord [259pts]: Barded Bretonnian Warhorse, Grail Vow        (General)
. Magic Items and Virtues: AB - Armour of Agilulf, AB - The Lance of Artois (Mounted only), BRB - Dawnstone, Virtue of the Joust (1st)

Prophetess of the Lady [265pts]: Lore of Life, Wizard Level 4
. Magic Items: AB - The Verdant Heart

+ Heroes +

Damsel of the Lady [130pts]: Lore of Beasts, Wizard Level 2
. Magic Items: AB - Prayer Icon of Quenelles

Damsel of the Lady [130pts]: Lore of Beasts, Wizard Level 2
. Magic Items: BRB - Dispel Scroll

Paladin [151pts]: Barded Bretonnian Warhorse, Grail Vow, Lance, Shield
. Magic Items and Virtues: BRB - Dragonhelm, BRB - Potion of Foolhardiness, Virtue of the Impetuous Knight (1st)

Paladin [151pts]: Barded Bretonnian Warhorse, Grail Vow, Lance, Shield
. Magic Items and Virtues: AB - Gromril Great Helm, BRB - Sword of Might

Paladin (Army Battle Standard Bearer) [124pts]: Barded Bretonnian Warhorse, Knights Vow
. Magic Items: AB - The Ruby Goblet, BRB - Enchanted Shield, Virtue of Empathy (1st)

+ Core +

Men-at-arms [272pts]: Champion, 49x Man-at-arms, Musician, Pole-arm, Standard Bearer

Men-at-arms [272pts]: Champion, 49x Man-at-arms, Musician, Pole-arm, Standard Bearer

Peasant Bowmen [65pts]: Braziers, 10x Peasant Bowman

Peasant Bowmen [125pts]: Braziers, 20x Peasant Bowman

Peasant Bowmen [125pts]: Braziers, 20x Peasant Bowman

Peasant Bowmen (Skirmishers) [75pts]: Braziers, 10x Peasant Bowman

Peasant Bowmen (Skirmishers) [75pts]: Braziers, 10x Peasant Bowman

+ Special +

Mounted Yeoman [80pts]
. 5x Mounted Yeoman: 5x Shields

+ Rare +

Field Trebuchet [100pts]
. Peasant
. Peasant
. Peasant: Yeoman Craftsman

Field Trebuchet [100pts]
. Peasant
. Peasant
. Peasant: Yeoman Craftsman

Grail Knights [501pts]: 12x Grail Knight
. Musician
. Standard Bearer: BRB - Banner of Swiftness

++ Total: [3000pts] ++

Created with BattleScribe

And my opponent's:

++ Standard (Dwarfs - Army Book (2014-2) -V8.8.0.) [2915pts] ++

+ Uncategorised +

- Army Size: Grand Army (3000+ points)

+ Lords +

Lord [276pts]: Great Weapon        (General)
. Ancestral Heirlooms and Runes: Master Rune of Adamant, Rune of Preservation

+ Heroes +

Runesmith [108pts]: Shield
. Ancestral Heirlooms and Runes: Rune of Spellbreaking (1st rune), Rune of Spellbreaking (2nd rune)

Runesmith [113pts]: Shield
. Ancestral Heirlooms and Runes: Master Rune of Balance

Thane [153pts]: Shield
. Battle Standard Bearer: Master Rune of Grugni

+ Core +

Dwarf Warriors [430pts]: Champion, Musician, Standard Bearer
. 40x Dwarf Warrior: 40x Great Weapons

Dwarf Warriors [430pts]: Champion, Musician, Standard Bearer
. 40x Dwarf Warrior: 40x Great Weapons

+ Special +

Cannon [145pts]
. Cannon: Rune of Forging

Grudge Thrower [145pts]
. Grudge Thrower: Rune of Accuracy, Rune of Penetrating (1st rune)

Gyrocopter [80pts]: Brimstone Gun

Gyrocopter [80pts]: Brimstone Gun

Gyrocopter [80pts]: Brimstone Gun

Hammerers [225pts]: 10x Hammerer
. Standard Bearer: Master Rune of Groth One-Eye

Miners [255pts]: 20x Miner
. Champion: Steam Drill
. Musician
. Standard Bearer

Miners [255pts]: 20x Miner
. Champion: Steam Drill
. Musician
. Standard Bearer

+ Rare +

Rangers [70pts]: 5x Ranger

Rangers [70pts]: 5x Ranger

++ Total: [2915pts] ++

Created with BattleScribe

The remaining 85 points went towards a five man unit of Lumpin Croop's Fighting Cocks, using the rules for Regiments of Renown produced by the Warhammer Armies Project.

Two of the other guys from the group set up the terrain, and we rolled Meeting Engagement as our scenario. The two pieces of magical terrain that ended up on the battlefield didn't amount to much - the Acropolis of Heroes was too out of the way to be relevant, the mysterious forest ended up being a Fungus Forest, but the unit of skirmishing archers I had in there for most of the game passed every leadership check it was called upon to make thanks to the general's inspiring presence. Two of my Bowmen (one twenty man unit and one ten man unit) had to come in from reserves, and my opponent's Grudge Thrower had to do the same. My opponent kept a tight deployment as far forward as the scenario would allow, with his Gyrocopters flanking his central formation. There's a Runesmith in each unit of Warriors, and the BSB in one and his Lord in the other. The small unit of Hammerers stand behind the infantry formation granting stubborn to the 40-Dwarf Warrior units.  The cannon was deployed to the right of the main body of his forces. For my own part, I deployed my two blocks of Men-at-Arms to one side of the peasant farmstead in my deployment zone (appropriately enough), arraying the Trebuchets behind them with a screen of archers. The Empathy BSB with the Ruby Goblet went in one unit of Men-at-Arms with my dispel scroll Damsel (the unit mostly consisting of Men-at-Arms painted in the colours of Couronne), while the Templar peasants had the Damsel with the Prayer Icon. The Prophetess started in the unit of archers screening the Trebuchets, but she moved around quite a lot throughout the battle. The Grail star (including my Lord, and the two Paladins) is deployed to the right of the peasant farmstead, not ideal, but there wasn't really space for it anywhere else. My Mounted Yeomen deployed behind the forest near my opponent's cannon, but were counter deployed by the scouting Lumpin Croop and his unit on the other side of the forest, guarding the cannon, while the Rangers scouted up to harass and/or redirect.

I did not pray, and actually managed to roll a six to 'seize the initiative' at the start of the battle as per the scenario instructions, meaning that I was able to go first - a rarity for Bretonnia. My units of Bowmen came out of reserve along my long table edge, ready to send volleys of arrows into the advancing Dwarfs. Both of the Trebuchets shot at the Warrior block nearest the Grail star, and one managed to score a direct hit. Several of their number were saved by the 5+ ward aura provided by the BSB's Rune of Grugni, but ultimately eight Dwarfs were slain by the falling stone. All the Bowmen (50 of them, because 20 were hanging back out of range to screen the trebs) that were able shot into one of the Warrior blocks or the other, but even so, they didn't manage to do more than one or two unsaved wounds altogether. Initially I thought this was a somewhat tragic performance, but really the stats are against you when you're trying to wound Dwarfs with strength 3 shooting so I shouldn't complain. The Mounted Yeomen danced around the forest using their free reform, sending a spray of arrows into Lumpin Croop's unit, and slaying two Halflings.

During the Dwarfs' first turn, we realized that I had left my Mounted Yeomen slightly in the front arc of the remaining Fighting Cocks, so they successfully charged despite my stand and shoot (which achieved nothing), and the ultimate grudge match of peasant vs. Halfling began. My opponent's Grudge Thrower arrives on the battlefield in the ruins at his back corner of the table. Otherwise the Dwarfs advanced, one of the Gyrocopters jumped in front of the Grail star to redirect it, and the Rangers moved into position to prevent me from crossing the bridge without obstruction. None of these units are seriously dangerous for the Grail Knights, but they could have kept me chaffed up for several turns. Both units of Rangers put a volley of crossbow bolts into the Grails, and the Gyrocopters fired their brimstone guns into them as well. Luckily I manage to pass my armour and ward saves, so for the moment at least, the unit has sustained no casualties. The Cannon fired in the direction of my block of Men-at-Arms, but fell somewhat short, only managing to rake one of my units of skirmishing Bowmen. Three archers were slain, and the unit failed its panic check, being an inch or two outside the range of the Empathy Paladin's leadership aura. Luckily the nearby units of archers did not succumb to their base and ignoble natures despite the cowardice of their friends, and with a little help from the BSB stood their ground. In the epic melee between the Yeomen and Halflings, two of the latter were slain, and, surprisingly, none of the former. Despite being leadership 9 (or 8, if we're counting the meager penalty for lost combat) with Lumpin Croop, the Halflings failed their leadership check and the Yeomen overrun into the Cannon.

During my second turn, the Paladin with the Sword of Might (henceforth, the Might Paladin) charges from the Grail star into the redirecting Gyrocopter, while his unit reforms to move around it and then passes the swift reform leadership check, so they move forward somewhat, preparing for a long bomb charge into the unit of Warriors that earlier suffered some casualties at the proverbial hands of a Trebuchet. The skirmishing archers rally. The archers shoot somewhat ineffectually at various targets, managing to inflict the odd wound here or there, but really accomplishing very little. The Trebuchets both scatter off-target. I'm actually not going to say anything else about the Trebuchets here, because they managed to scatter off-target or misfire for the remainder of the game, and one was actually destroyed by an untimely roll of '1' on the misfire table during turn 3 or 4. The Mounted Yeomen slay one of the Dwarfs crewing the Cannon, but one of their number falls in turn. However, they charged, so they win the combat by 1, and amazingly, the Dwarfs fail their stubborn leadership 9 break test. The Cannon is destroyed, and the Yeomen, proving themselves to be the champions of the people, overrun into the fleeing Lumpin Croop who had earlier escaped them, impaling the hapless Hobbit on their spears as they pass, and leaving them close enough to the ruins to threaten the Grudge Thrower. The Might Paladin manages to whiff colossally, and fails to inflict any wounds on the machine, despite his having a lance for the first round of combat. The Gyrocopter does lose combat by 1 because the Paladin charged, but its pilot manages to pass his break test.

Both units of Miners arrive on my opponent's turn, deploying to threaten my backfield and the Trebuchets it contains. The Dwarfs shoot most of their firepower into the Grails, including the Stone Thrower as I recall, and only manage to kill two knights despite getting a direct hit, which was very lucky for me. The Warriors continue to advance and one of the Gyrocopters is rerouted to intercept my Mounted Yeomen. The Might Paladin inflicts a wound on the Gyrocopter, and it actually breaks this time, although the Paladin neglects to run it down, looking rather to reform and charge one of the units of Rangers harassing the Grail star and, ultimately, get a flank charge into the Warriors that, if all goes well, the Grails will hit in the front next turn.

During my turn, the Grail star manages to charge the Warriors even without the Virtue of the Impetuous Knight on my second Paladin, and my opponent has to close the door with the corridor of units around the Grails. However, two casualties are sustained due to dangerous terrain. One of the units of Men-at-Arms (with the BSB & Ruby Goblet) reforms to receive the inevitable charge of the Miners (and to make going after the archers a less inviting prospect with a potential charge of my own) while the other unit of Men-at-Arms keeps watch on the advancing Dwarf Warriors. I dance around the Gyrocopter with my Mounted Yeomen, still trying to get at the Grudge Thrower. The Prophetess attempts to over-cast the Dwellers Below on the Miners, but it's dispelled by one of the Dwarfs runes. Thankfully my opponent does not roll the 4+ required to make the Prophetess forget the spell. As I recall my archers guarding the Trebuchet managed to inflict a wound or two on the nearest unit of Miners. One way or another, the shooting also managed to clear one of my opponent's five-Dwarf units of Rangers. The Grail star kills 14 Dwarfs on the charge, and I have to confess I was expecting a bit more, but this is still not terrible. In return, however, the Impetuous Paladin cops a great axe to the face and expires. Amusingly the other Grails manage to make their saves. The Grails reform to maximize their attacks in response to my opponent's change of formation.

During my opponent's turn, the Gyrocopter that had previously fled from the Might Paladin fails to rally and flies off the board. However, my opponent leaps another Gyrocopter in front of the Might Paladin to forestall his arrival at the combat between the Grails and the Dwarf Warriors. Both Miners attempt to charge the Men-at-Arms with the BSB, and the closer unit succeeds. The remaining Rangers charge the flank of the Grails. The grind begins between the Warriors and the Grails, and I was surprised by how well the Grails actually held up with their two attacks and strength 4. Despite the Ruby Goblet not being up as yet, the Men-at-Arms handily win combat against the Miners and run down the ambushing Dwarfs in the ensuing pursuit. Even with WS2, you can't argue with 22 strength 4 attacks, including the extra from the unit champion, against an enemy unit ranked five wide. I'm never talking trash about peasants again, because both times I've used Men-at-Arms they've rocked majorly with some knightly support for a leadership boost and the right magic items. Unfortunately, quite a few of the loveable dirt farmers gave their lives for the cause with the Miners hitting on 3's and wounding on 2's, but on a more positive note, the Ruby Goblet it now up and running, so their deaths were not in vain.    

During my fourth turn, my archers continue to shoot (largely ineffectually), although as always, they manage to do a wound here or there - I've started shooting at the Hammerers with my remaining archers because even with only 10 of them they have 15 strength 6 attacks and if they get into the Grails that combat will turn against my very quickly. My Men-at-Arms ready themselves to receive the charge of the second unit of Miners. Everything I attempt to cast is dispelled. The Might Paladin charges the Gyrocopter blocking his path, lancing the infernal machine and inflicting two wounds before running it down. The Grail grind continues, although notably my Lord does strike down the Dwarfs' BSB with a killing blow courtesy of the Lance of Artois. The BSB fails his 4+ ward save and so is slain outright. At some point the flanking Rangers are slain to a man, and and the numbers on both sides continue to dwindle. The Grails are actually managing to win combat each round, and even with the Runesmith granting his unit armour piercing the Grails are proving surprisingly difficult to put down with a 5+ armour save and a 5+ ward, but the Dwarfs are stubborn, so even without a reroll they're unlikely to fail their leadership 9 break tests.

My opponent decides to charge the other Warrior block into the archers into one of the 20-man archer units on my long table, and the Miners charge into the Men-at-Arms. My opponent gets sick of trying to block the Yeomen and dive bombs them, slaying three of the remaining four and causing them to panic. The single remaining Yeoman flees, but is mowed down by the brimstone gun on the Gyrocopter regardless in my opponent's shooting phase. The Men-at-Arms and Miners slug it out, and this time the Miners actually manage to narrowly win combat by 1 or 2 points, but the peasants are steadfast on rerollable leadership 8 thanks to my BSB, so they stick around. The first unit of archers is massacred unceremoniously by the Warrior block that charged them, being put to the axe to a man, but the Bowmen beside prove their worth and roll a 1 and a 4 on their panic test. However, my opponent reforms to charge the second unit of archers next turn. Meanwhile, the Dwarf Warriors reform to continue rolling down the line. The Grails and Warriors on the right side of the battlefield continue to slug it out, and my opponent is trying to bring his Hammerers into combat to swing the engagement in his favour.  

My Might Paladin marches 16 inches so that he's one inch away from the Grails-Warriors combat, in order to guarantee a charge in turn 6. My surviving archers continue to shoot at the Hammerers, although even without a good save their toughness 4 ensures that most of the arrows fail to wound. The Men-at-Arms win combat against the Miners this turn (the flipping champions), having whittled down the unit enough to deprive it of ranks, and run them down. They reform to face the advancing Warrior block that's currently carving its way through the archers near my table edge and my Prophetess casts the Dwellers Below on that second unit of great weapon Warriors currently moving along my table edge. The spell procs, and thanks to the Verdant Heart my opponent narrowly fails to dispel it. The Warriors' unit is virtually cut in half, although unfortunately both the Runesmith and the Dwarf Lord pass their strength tests.  

At some point during turn 5 a whole bunch of archers were cut down, although I don't recall the precise order of events. Suffice to say that every unit of Bowmen the second unit of Dwarf Warriors comes into contact with is either slain to a man or run down. If I recall correctly I believe they overran such that they were in the river facing my Men-at-Arms. My opponent also shoots his Grudge Thrower into the Ruby Goblet Men-at-Arms, and if I recall the shot scattered somewhat but still managed to crush several unfortunate peasants. Even so they're not quite reduced to half strength, so they will yield no points (since we use the 7th edition victory conditions, units reduced to half their strength or below yield half points to one's opponent). 

The Might Paladin charges what remains of the Dwarf Warriors who are fighting the Grails, and at this point not much is left of either unit. The Lord manages to inflict a single wound on the Runesmith, and the Might Paladin seals the deal by lancing him on the charge. The Grails and their warhorses manage to slay the few remaining Dwarf Warriors, so that melee finally concludes after four turns and seven rounds of combat. I back up with my peasants, hoping to make the charge a bit more difficult for the Warriors in the river. I also move up my last unit of skirmishing archers to chaff  the Hammerers.

My opponent shoots his Stone Thrower at the unit of Grails, hoping to snipe my Lord with a strength 10 stone that will inflict D6 wounds. I don't actually have enough knights left for Look Out Sir! anymore, but thankfully the shot scatters somewhat. It scores several wounds, but all the Grails pass their saves except for one. The Warriors charge the Ruby Goblet Men-at-Arms, but fail their charge, and so simply stumble forward a few inches. The Hammerers charge the chaffing archers, but amazingly the archers manage to inflict two wounds in the ensuing melee and the Hammerers whiff and only strike down three archers in return. The archers fail their leadership 7 break test despite the Inspiring Presence of my general, but it turned out they were just within range of my BSB and passed their leadership test on their second attempt, so they remain in combat. The game ends, and Bretonnia scores a victory on points!

Some takeaways, for me:

1. Peasants are actually really good if they're properly supported, but they at least need leadership mitigation and the Prayer Icon/Ruby Goblet to succeed. This is the second game where Men-at-Arms with support have punched way above their weight. They're also worth very few points - tons of peasants were slain by my opponent's Dwarfs, and my 'dead pile' was immense, but when we tallied up the points for it all, it actually didn't amount to much. As for the 'Agincourt' build itself, shooting actually did very little, but the archers double as chaff and redirectors, and occupied the second unit of Dwarf Warriors for much of the game, so I really can't complain too bitterly. Dwarfs are a tough nut for strength 3 shooting to crack without poison.

2. Not praying as Bretonnia is pretty gimmicky. I thought giving myself a chance at an additional round of shooting would make a big difference, as it turned out it was largely irrelevant. Even if I play a defensive build in the future I would probably invest in more knights and just pray.

3. The Grail star was good, and it was actually able to grind remarkably well even against great weapon Warriors with armour piercing from the Runesmith (yikes!). I went all in with that unit though, in terms of upgrades, characters and unit size, and they were still stuck in combat for the entire game. This reinforces my prior impression that your knights are probably only going to charge once in a game, if they're charging anything of substance, or maybe twice at most if you're lucky. Better make that charge count. In reality, I should have been less aggressive with the Grail star, and I feel as though I should consider myself fortunate that the ensuing combat didn't turn against me.