High Elf Rookie at Runefang

I just enjoyed the most fun weekend of gaming away I have ever had. Not to rain on the other events I've attended but Runefang's fun campaign format and the 2 40K games I had on friday really set this weekend apart.

I stayed with my usual gaming host (cheers Wil) and had long discussions about the game systems, where we want our individual projects/forces to go and general gaming nonsense. In the evening we had a quick game of 40k in 40 minutes which involved my Dire Avengers being butchered at range via an Immolater, large Sisters heavy bolter squad and some sisters on foot. However turn 2 saw my warwalker and scorpion unit outflank and in promptly clear the table of the Emperors armoured ladies.

Shortly another player arrived to team with my host and we set to a 3000pt game of 40k with 1500 of new Grey knights and 1500 of Sisters of Battle go to war vs my 2 1500 Eldar lists for a random objective game. A few cokes, beers, American Idol insulting and hours later saw the Imperial Alliance wrest a desperate victory from the clawing hands of the Craftworld. Awesome destructive game.

Things to know - Grey Knight Terminators with varied assault weapons = wound allocation ftw and Riflemen Grey Knight Dreadnoughts are just horrible. Still tempts me to make my own variation of a Grey Knoght army but well see...

Onto the main event - RUNEFANG

I am not an experienced fantasy player in regards to the last couple of editions but as I am enjoying the fun and speed of 8th ed I jumped at the oppurtunity to play in a fun non-competitive event and it paid off.

After scouring the net for tips and advice on High Elves it all looked the same to me and as I like to play lists a little different fromm the current norm I ended up taking stuff I liked which included a Prince on a Dragon, couple low mages, BSB, swordmasters, LSG, spearmen, archers, dragon princes. Very small army and it showed at deployement in all 5 games. So with some encouraging words from my team mates on Team Resplendant I set off to defend our northern territories from the depredations of the Old World.

I played Neil's Brettonians first in a Watchtower game and learnt that I had to get the Dragon into combat asap otherwise hes just a big target, also the fine points of movement were clarified in my mind over the game as I have only played 8th with friends at home. With a bare handful of Elves left on the table at the end and still holding the Watchtower I lost as it was only worth bonus victory points under the campaign rules. First game as I'd predicted with a loss to me but I was here to learn.

Game 2 saw me play Pete Dunns Panzer skaven force with Battle for the Pass. An awful lot of rats opposed me on the board and a brief account of my forces destruction can be read here http://thefieldsofblood.blogspot.com/2011/04/skaven-runefang-wrap-part-one.html having the small amount of models really had me doubtful of the lists performance over the rest of the rounds but learning a few tips from Pete and Team Resplendants constant strategising had me enjoying myself immensely.

Game 3 was against Jack Dunn's Goblins. Again the Elves faced a mass of greebly creatures vastly outnumbering them but I knew my list would only work aggresively had me deploy as such and a mass punch up ensued. The Dragon terrorized a flank keeping the Arachnarok at bay while the Bolt thrower granted to me from my teams pool shot the giant arachnid dead over the course of 4 turns. Jack suffered some unfortunate animosity results and the usual goblin shenanigans of exploding squigs and fanatics made a mess on both sides until the Elves declared a victory much to my suprise!

Day 2 had my Dragon led army puch further into the Realm of Mens central regions. I fought Kent's Wood Elves and was determined to show him the folly of allying with the younger races. A first tunr Dragon charge into one of the Wood elf archer blocks had my general 'safely' in combat and as the rest of my forces advanced in support a long long long... combat ensued. Most of the game then involved a good part of each sides forces moving into the fight with the High Elf Prince who eventualy lost his scaled mount and struggled against a +4 toughness buffed Eternal Guard unit. Finally the High Elf forces broke the combat and the Prince ended the game taking refuge from Wood Elf arrows in a ruin. With Seaguard patrolling the forest borders harrasing dryads and warhawks the points were tallied and the High Elves had won again hoorah.

Finally I played Joel and his wonderful looking Empire army, he was the final member of the Realm of Men trio I had to face and my Prince and his army were set to put all the tactical knowledge theyd gained over the weekend to practice.

We got Watchtower which I had possession of and the Seaguard set up within. With a burst of flame and smoke a cannonball sailed across the battle field smashing into the scaled form of the Prince's Dragon severly wounding it. Pistoliers harassed my archers. Unsuprisingly a large unit of fanatics charged at the tower slaying most of the Elves within but the lone surviving champion held on as the Imperial Knights surged toward my flank. In retaliation my Dragon and Dragon Princes charged the knights while my forces headed toward the massed Imperial ranks of infantry. The Prince and knights broke the human cavalry and ran them down ending up across the centre lines in front of the halbedier horde. The watchtower was taken by the fanatics then reclaimed by the Swordmasters while in spite of his dragon being worn down the Prince endured with support from his Spearmen and broke through the halbediers to face the last block of human infantry, the swordsmen with the human mage lord. A game of great rolling from me including pretty consistent channeling, horrific rolling from Joel and a lot of laughs saw a final High Elf victory with few humans left standing on the table.

So I won 3 of 5 games!?! with my elite team of fashion models, flower pickers, tree huggers or whatever else Team Resplendant got called over the weekend ;) A lot more than I thought I would have. A final land grab and muscling over terrain saw the High Elf nation broke into 3 clusters of territory which we designated to each Elven general and we placed 3 of 7 for the teams hoorah.

In conclusion I still dont think my list is very good and I learnt that Death magic is rubbish on a high elf mage. My playing and rules improved greatly over the event with help from all my opponents and team mates. I really want to play a lot more fantasy now and having made some good contacts through the event I should be getting some more regular games in. I don't know if I'm really sold on the Elves but I'll finish the army and hopefully get a nice big unit of White Lions or Phoenix Guard at some stage but I do have a large painted Vampire Count I could 'resurect', a FW Keeper of Secrets who could use a team of daemonic deviants to keep company and with the incoming Tomb Kings looking all shiney and alluring I may have 2-3 armies before I know it.

Thanks heaps to Pete Dunn for running Runefang and I will be doing my best to attend anything similar