Master Engineer #1. This model is actually a Squat from 40k, an army that was removed from the game (which makes me shudder about some current rumors about 9th edition Warhammer). But he's a great Gyrocopter pilot who was grounded in a crash from excessive drinking on the job.
Master Engineer #2. This model uses the Grimm Burlocksson body but with a weapon swap, head swap, and different backpack to make him a "mining-style" Engineer. The tokens beside him are the things that I use to indicate which War Machine he's entrenched for the battle (the crashed Gyrocopter pilot's markers are not finished yet).
Master Engineer #3. This is the bonus miniature for subscriptions to White Dwarf for a number of years back: a Dwarf movie director. I'm treating him as an engineer who's focused on camouflage and trickery: things like unexpected magic combos and the Master Rune of Immolation on War Machines.
Dwarf Warriors with great weapons and shields. Third from the left is my Thane Battle Standard bearer, and to the right of him is a Runesmith.
The unit of Irondrakes. One of my favorite additions to the new Dwarf Armybook, as they have good projection of force but with resilience.
Unit of Quarrelers. They are actually my Rangers, but for this game I fielded them as basic Quarrelers with great weapons. These are great alternative sculpts to Games Workshop from the Avatars of War range--again keeping with my rule for this army that every single model must be different either in sculpt or in painting. Now when I add a Games Workshop unit of Quarrelers I will have two different looks.
The game for the day was a Triumph and Treachery match-up between my Dwarfs (and their Daemon mercenary), Undead with Beastmen Mercenaries, and another army of Dwarfs with Empire Mercenaries. I fielded a true gunline: my general was even a Master Engineer. It was three Master Engineers, a Thane BSB, a Runesmith, a horde of great weapon Warriors, a small unit of Quarrelers, small unit of Irondrakes, five artillery pieces, and a Dwarf Ancestor statue (I used the rules for a Daemon Prince of Khorne with Chaos Armor and a greater gift to represent him).
The Undead Army was scream heavy: Banshee, Mortis Engine, Terrorgheist with Strigoi Ghoul King rider wielding Scabscrath, and a Casket of Souls... plus a Jabberslythe mercenary from Beastmen for good measure.
The other Dwarf force. Thunderers, Organ Guns, Longbeards, Ironbreakers led by Belegar, and some Empire mercenaries (Steam Tank and Battle Wizard from the Light Order).
My Dwarf force lined up... at the opposite end of the table from the other two. I had a solid battle line, and a solid 30+ inches between me and the nearest other unit. (Credit and thanks to Tom for the photo, as I completely forgot to take a photo of my own deployment)
With Undead and the enemy Dwarfs right up on each other, they were mixed on the very first turn when the Jabberslythe flew into the center of the Dwarf army. It's horrible screeching killed a few Dwarfs, but more importantly completely destroyed the Light College Wizard. We joked that what actually happened was that some Dwarfs shanked the wizard and took command of the Steam Tank for themselves.
Given that the foe Dwarfs were under immediate and relentless assault, I was faced with the weird dilemma that Triumph and Treachery gives: do I help one opponent to balance them, in order to later sweep up their remains. In this case, I had my Animated Dwarf Ancestor Statue (rules as a Daemon Prince of Khorne) who possessed the Rock of Inevitability--a silly item that can spawn huge sections (16") of barricades and even buildings. I triggered it in hopes of placing terrain between the enemy Dwarfs and the Undead units lining up their charges, so that one side didn't triumph over the other and then turn to face me intact on a later turn.
Within the gunline, this particular Cannon crew --and the nearby Master Engineer "Director"--proved to be the most effective. While the first shot of a cannonball the bounce stopped an inch short of the lone Mercenary Beastman Shaman behind the Terrorgheist (a Dwarf Achievement), the later shots were spot on--inflicting a whopping number of wounds on the enemy Steam Tank before a dead-on shot from the Grudge Thrower finished it off. This crew also placed a precise shot right into the casket of the Casket of Souls, annihilating that source of dark necromantic energy.
The foe Dwarfs charged the Mortis Engine. While it took two turns to defeat it, the resultant explosion (all the souls escaping and striking nearby units friend and foe) was worth the wait. Not only did it inflict heavy casualties on the Undead forces and minimal on the foe Dwarfs, but it completely killed the Beastman Shaman Mercenary in a fusillade of screeching souls.
Being so heavy on artillery, I had to figure out ways to protect myself against the usual types of units directed at them: ambushers, flankers, fast cavalry, scouts, skirmishers, etc. The fact that my deployment zone was absolutely on the other side of the board from all the action stopped almost everything, but finally the Undead player summoned some zombies to threaten my artillery. It was my Master Engineer "Director" who bravely charged out and intercepted them: revealing that he had two Runes of Fire which gave him a nasty breath weapon. Combine the flank charge and inflicting a wound himself, he destroyed the unit of zombies in a single attack--leaving my battle lines safe again. The forward-deployed Bolt Thrower crew breathed a sigh of relief, because the Master Rune of Immolation trap went un-sprung (and the crew not slain in a flaming explosion at the end of a combat).
More of the foe-Dwarfs being effective: this time Belegar and his unit of 20 Ironbreakers managed to reach the enemy Terrorgheist with Strigoi Ghoul King rider. In a flurry of destruction, Belegar finished off the massive winged terror. The Vampire managed to land one wound on the Dwarf, but he died to combat resolution: crumbling into dust and stirring no more.
However, my shooting then took its toll. Thanks to the Irondrakes shooting, the Organ Gun, the Grudge Thrower, and even a few lucky crossbow shots, the Ironbreakers were slain to a man by they time they actually reached the Irondrakes in melee. All that remained was Belegar and a Runesmith. The smith was killed quickly, and Belegar proved unable to have his strikes hit my warriors. While he hung around for a round thanks to his Stubborn nature, a charge from great weapon-wielding Dwarf Warriors in the flank finally did enough wounds to finish him.
The game ended with a slight victory for my forces. I was shocked because I was so removed from a great deal of the early action of the game. Yet I was able to get my points when I could via shooting, and the sheer rain of hellfire I brought down on the Ironbreakers was what turned the tide. A great game and a good change of pace from my Skaven--it will be tough to choose which to field next time!
Fully Painted Models
Skaven: 78
Dwarfs: 50
Battles
Total 2015: 8 (Win/Loss/Tie: 4/3/1)
Total 2014: 15 (Win/Loss/Tie: 8/6/1)
Skaven:
5 Wins (Undead 1, Empire 1, T&T Daemons and Dwarfs, Siege Dwarfs and Bretonnians, T&T Daemons and Empire)
7 Losses (Skaven 1, Empire 1, Dwarfs 1, Daemons 1, T&T Daemons 1, T&T Dwarfs 1, Special Game Nurgle)
1 Tie (Empire 1)
Dwarfs:
5 Wins (Dwarfs 2, Wood Elves 2, T&T Undead and Dwarfs)
1 Loss (Dark Elves 1)
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