TURN 2
The Alliance won priority for Turn 2 and moved first.
ALLIED COMMAND PHASE
Empire Command
One unit of Empire Knights was within Initiative range of the Chaos Hounds and, having seen the Halberdiers mauled to a man, charged down the vial flea bitten critters.
The Empire Hero then attempted to move the Helblaster unit forward and into range of the tower occupied by the Ungor Raiders. Frustratingly though the Helblaster crews were deaf to his orders. No doubt years of working next to loud explosions from these rocket launchers had defended them!
Next the Empire Wizard ordered the Great Swords forwards and up the slope towards the NE entrance of the town.
The Wizard then ordered the separated units of Crossbowmen back into line formation, forming them back up as a brigade.
Captain Van Bekk of Marienburg, the Empire General, then ordered forward the second unit of Empire Knights (having had to determine line-of-sight with a die roll!). The Knights eagerly obeyed and charged the Chaos Hounds that their compatriots had just charged moments ago.
With that, the Empire forces completed their part of the Allied Command Phase and the Bretonnians began their manoeuvring.
Bretonnian Command
The Squires, having seen the Flagellates mauled to pieces in front of them, used their Initiative to charge the Chaos Hounds before them.
Duke Gisoreux (the Bretonnian General), mounted on his Pegasus, surveyed the situation before him. His allies had been badly mauled the previous turn and could soon be forced to retreat from battle. Worse still from the forest reinforcements of Beastmen were closing in their direction. Seeing this, the General hatched a daring plan to secure victory for the Alliance. He would lead his knights directly against the Beastlord General. If he could charge the Beastlord down and destroy him the Beastmen would become like a rudderless ship. Leaderless they would offer little cohesive resistance against the Allied forces. He must destroy the Beastlord, and quickly!
The Beastlord had crossed the river but was the only group of Beastmen reinforcements thus far to have done so. Leaving the rest of his forces to take the SE entrance to Arnesvelt, Duke Gisoreux urged his Knights forward to close the gap between themselves and the Beastlord.
Charge!
With this, the Allied Command Phase came to an end.
ALLIED SHOOTING PHASE
The Empire Cannons once again opened fire on the Ungor Raiders holed up in the ruined tower. This time however they scored only a single hit.
The Empire Crossbowmen then opened fire targeting the Ungor Raiders. However the Ungors had learnt from the previous turn and the crossbow quarrels ricocheted off the ruined tower's walls causing no damage.
The Empire Wizard however was not going to be phased by walls of stone. Also targeting the Ungor Raiders in the tower, he cast Ball of Flame. The fireball slammed into the interior of the tower causing 1 hit on the Ungors.
The Bretonnian Enchantress then cast Lady's Favour in an attempt to move a unit of Bretonnian Bowmen in to range of the ruined tower. However the spell failed and the archers remained where they were. As a result, the last stand of Ungor Raiders remained behind the tower walls with only 1 hit remaining. Given however that there was no combat about to take place at the tower this turn, the Ungors could bind their wounds and stay in the battle. The Allied Shooting Phase now closed.
ALLIED COMBAT PHASE
The Empire Knight's charge produced a devastating 12 hits to the Chaos Hounds 1 hit (after armour saves). This saw the Hounds loose 4 stands.
With only one stand left, and having lost the round of combat, the last stand of Chaos Hounds at the NE entrance to the town retreated 5cm's away from the Knights. The Knights, not wanting to be charged in the side by the Gor's holed up in the ruined chapel, elect to fall back. The fall back roll taking them 14cm back from the NE entrance to Arnesvelt, just outside on the Initiative range of the Gors in the chapel.
Next the Bretonnian Squires took on the last stand of Chaos Hounds at the SE entrance to town. The Squires, armed with a Sword of Fate, scored 8 hits to the Hound's 2 hits (after armour saves). The Hounds are subsequently crushed under the iron shod hoofs of the Squires charges. The Squires, not wishing to be separated from the rest of the Bretonnian forces and suffer a fate like the Empire Flagellates, elected to hold their position just outside of the SE entrance to the town.
With that, the Allies go in Turn 2 came to an end. The Beastmen were the ones now licking their wounds. They had lost 3 units and had two others down to a single stand each. However, with a Breakpoint number of 11 units, and the scenario Break Point special rule (see here), the Beastmen would need to loose a total of 12 units in order to be routed from the field of battle. With three units down, there was still a long way to go.
BEASTMEN COMMAND PHASE
The Beastmen Gors holed up in the ruined chapel were just outside of Initiative range of the Empire Knights. As such, they were unable to charge the Knights. Therefore Malagor, still inside the ruined tower that had copped such a beating from the Empire Cannons, attempting to order the brigade of Gors out of the ruined chapel. It would take Malagor two successful command rolls to get the brigade of Gors to attack the Empire Knights. Malagor's braying was heard on the first command roll, the Gors exiting the ruins. However Malagor's braying of a second command failed to be heard by the Gors and the stopped dead, right in front of the Knights!
Try as he may, the Centigor Hero back at the river crossing could not get his Centigors across the river. The brute beasts just kept frolicking in the cool waters and ignoring his commands to get across. Meanwhile Jim the Wargor encountered similar problems with his troops as they also steadfastly refused to leave the river and get stuck into the battle.
The Beastigor General, Khorgor of the Black Horn, resplendent (for a Bestigor) on his Tuskgor Chariot was not likewise frustrated. This dark creature's imposing stature easily inspired his Bestigor/Gor/Razorgor brigade forward. Not wanting to bring them within easy charge range of the Bretonnian Knights however, the Beastlord didn't push his troops forward a second time.
BEASTMEN SHOOTING PHASE
The Ungor Raider stand in the ruined tower was able to score a single hit on the Empire Crossbows. However Malagor failed to follow this up by shooting a Chaos Bolt. No other units were within shooting range so no Alliance stands were lost during the Shooting Phase.
BEASTMEN COMBAT PHASE
With no units in combat, the Combat Phase was over just as soon as it began. And with that, Turn 2 came to a crashing holt. The Beastmen had lost 3 units and two others were down to a single stand each. The Alliance hadn't lost any units this turn, much to the relief of the Empire General. But all this could change in the turn to come!
