Witch Hunters vs Reiklanders! The Third Skirmish!

On Monday, May 15, 2023, the Witch Hunters, The Flames of the Redemption, resumed their patrols of the City of the Damned, this time through the West Gate and near the Memorial Gardens. In the meantime, the Reiklander mercenaries, Dietrich's Dogs, were exploring the dwarven district and also making their way towards the Memorial Gardens. Rumours of wyrdstone in the area had reached both warbands, and so it was inevitable that they would run afoul of each other! Scenario 3: Wyrdstone Hunt commenced!

This was one of the standard scenarios from the book: Four pieces of wyrdstone (represented by very cool models created by our friend Mark many, many, MANY moons ago) were placed on the board, and then Greg set up his Witch Hunters and Perry set up his Reiklander mercenaries on the opposite side.

The objective was to grab the wyrdstone (by a miniature coming into contact with it), and hold onto it, until one of the warbands routed, thus ending the game. Once a miniature picked up a piece of wyrdstone, they could not drop it/pass it/or run off the board with it. If they held onto it at the end of the game, it was worth +1 Experience points to that Hero or Henchmen group. Huzzah!

Standard set up, but we used a giant King Kong log as our centre piece, something I had built for my D&D Tomb of Annihilation game several years earlier. The Reiklander mercenary company of DIETRICH'S DOGS was led by none other than Dietrich Grossenheimer, accompanied by his son Pieter Grossenheimer a young blood. Along with Dietrich's best friends, and known Champions for the Empire, Wolfgang Baur (with his third son, Reinhard Baur) and Hermann Reichert. Wolfgang had brought along a duo of cutthroat warriors, who called themselves the Sneidklingen: Franz Baumann and Otto Klein (Otto was a new recruit, a replacement for Karl Muller who had been killed in the last skirmish). The trilogy of bowmen, literal Marksmen of fine shot, the Wiebe Bruders, also accommpanied Dietrich: Jurgen and Stefan Wiebe and their friend Hans Schmidt. As a company for hire, Dietrich's Dogs were still under contract with a noble with ties to the Grand Prince of Reikland.

For this particular outing, they had hired the services of a dwarf trollslayer, Boki Flinthead! The crazed dwarf was more than ready for some blood shed!

On the opposite side of the square, The FLAMES OF REDEMPTION, a Witch Hunter group led by Werner von Halstaff and his war dog Daisy. With him were the two witch hunters, Frederic and Maghilda, as well as the warrior priest, Brother Dagmar. The priest had brought his followers with him, a crazed flagellent named Hans, and four zealots: Selig, Anna, Rudiger, and Gerwalt.

In the first round both warbands moved up into better positions. One zealot, Rudiger, moved to grab a wyrdstone beside a clock on a nearby rockface, while witch hunter Maghilda moved up to cover him.

Zealot Gerwalt tried to cleverly clamber down a rubble pile, twisted his ankle, and fell on his ass (and not on his sickle) - alive and okay thankfully, although Brother Dagmar and Captain Werner scoweled at the pathetic follower as they moved up themselves. Frederic the witch hunter decided caution was the better part of valour, and took the long, and safer way, around the rubble pile.

The Reiklanders likewise moved up. Boki the trollslayer was let loose, and the dwarf raged forwards towards the giant fallen tree in the middle of the square, while Dietrich, his son Pieter, Champion Hermann Reichart and warrior cutthroat Franz "hard head" Baumann moved up more cautiously.

The Weibe Brothers moved into position, and took a few far shots at Maghilda and Werner, but missed. Hans Schmidt, the other bowman, clambered up a ramp and secured a wyrdstone lying on the second floor of a ruined building.

And finally, Wolfgang Baur and his (third) son, Reinhard, along with new recruit henchmen warrior Otto Klein, moved behind buildings to try and sneak up on Maghilda.

On Round 2, Zealot Gerwalt got up and moved up on orders from Werner and secured the wyrdstone in the square by the old tree.

Maghilda moved up into a better sniper position, zealot Rudigar hid behind the clock, while Werner and group carefully moved up to reinforce zealot Gerwalt.

The flagellent Hans with zealots Selig and (new recruit) Anna, scurried from ruin to ruin to get closer to Dietrich.

Meanwhile, both the young Pieter and warrior Franz attempted and failed to climb up a pile of rubble to the wyrdstone that lies above. Boki clambered up on top of the fallen tree and charged forwards, his eyes wild, his mouth beginning to fleck with foam at the sight of Daisy the war dog!

The Wiebe Brothers took shots at zealot Gerwalt, with at least one arrow catching his leg and knocking him down for the moment!

Champion Wolfgang Baur and third son Reinhard, along with Otto Klein, ran through the ruins, reaching witch hunter Maghilda's position.

On Round 3, Captain Werner, Brother Dagmer and Daisy the Dog held their ground. Werner shot at the dwarf with his pistol, but missed! Zealot Gerwalt then scrambled back to his feet and ran back to safety. The two zealots and the flagellant Hans moved up, behind some ruined buildings, to try and get the drop on Dietrich.

Witch hunter Maghilda set her crossbow sights on young Reinhard, but held back, sensing greater danger nearby! Henchmen Otto Klein scrambled up the side of the building and confroted Maghilda, and the witch hunter aimed her crossbow at the Henchmen's chest! Young Reinhard fled to the rockface, but failed to climb the crumbling wall. His father Wolfgang blasted away with his dueling pistol, but the shot went wide.

Young Pieter in the meantime managed to scramble up the pile of rubble, and secure the wyrdstone on top! Dietrich spotted flagellent Hans and the two zealots, and Champion Herman shot his brace of pistols at them but missed. Henchman Franz Baumann charged them, and Stunned zealot Selig with a vicious blow!

With a blood curdling cry, Boki the trollslayer scrambled down from the great oak tree and charged Daisy the wardog, knocking the poor pup on her ass! The fight was on!

On Round 4 things got nasty. Daisy the war dog shook herself up, just as her master Captain Werner von Halstaff moved in to engage the crazed dwarf! With Boki distracted, Daisy ripped into him, shaking the dwarf like an old toy, Stunning him! Werner laughed as he shot the dwarf point blank, taking him Out of Action!

Brother Dagmar and Frederic the witch hunter strode boldly forward, towards Dietrich and Herman. The flagellent Hans and zealot Anna charged Henchmen Franz and slammed him to the ground, Stunned! Witch hunter Maghilda tried to shoot Otto Klein point blank, but missed, and the new recruit Henchmen attacked back and took her Out of Action!

Champion Herman Reichert noticed Brother Dagmar and blasted him with his brace of pistols, hitting him in the chest and taking him Out of Action!

Bowman Hans Schmidt, still guarding the wyrdstone on the second storey, watched as Boki the dwarf trollslayer was taken down, and managed to shoot Daisy the dog with an arrow, Stunning the nasty mutt! The Weibe Brothers launched a few arrows at Frederic but missed, and Dietrich wondered if he was wasting his crowns on these "marksmen" of the Empire!

Dietrich noticing Franz was in trouble, hefted his halberd and charged the flagellent Hans, but the two fought each other off.

Meantime, the young Reinhard at the far end of the battlefield managed to clamber up the rockface and scramble closer to zealot Rudiger and the wyrdstone he held!

Round 5! The witch hunter Frederic charged Champion Hermann Reichert! A flurry of gun fire from the braces of pistols, but there can be only one master of pistols, and this day it is Frederic! Hermann is Out of Action!

Zealot Anna smasheed the Stunned Franz Baumann Out of Action! Dietrich managed to hold his own against Hans the Flagellent! The others in both the warbands keep their distance, safe for the moment. Bowman Hans Schmidt tried to finish off Daisy the war dog, but failed miserably, and the pup managed to shake off the stun and fully recover.

Round 6! Zealot Rudiger and the young Reinhard Baur fight, and the young blood takes the zealot Out of Action, dropping the wyrdstone to the ground!

The young Pieter watched in fear as his father Captain Dietrich Grossenheimer was surrounded by zealots Anna and Selig and Hans the flagellent, but managed to hold his own against the three Witch Hunters!

The Weibe Brothers released arrows at Frederic and a lucky shot Stunned the witch hunter!

But then, horror for Round 7! The zealots manage to get a lucky shot on Dietrich and Stun him, and then take him Out of Action! His son Pieter, helplessly watching, screams!

The Weibe brothers failed to take out Frederic the witch hunter with their arrows, who then managed to recover from his stun and escape. Young Reinhard Baur scooped up the dropped wyrdstone from zealot Rudigar and fled off the rock, back to his father Wolfgang Baur and Otto Klein. And both warbands decided it was time to retreat from the battlefield as the sun set on the streets of Mordheim, the City of the Damned...

POST BATTLE 

For DIETRICH'S DOGS, thankfully for them Dietrich Grossenheimer made a full recovery, as did Boki the dwarf troll slayer. Unfortuantely, Franz Baumann was killed, his chest cavity caved in by the powerful flail of the flagellent Hans. And Champion Herman Reichert's leg was so badly smashed from the pistol shot of Frederic the witch hunter, he fell into a fever and would need to miss the next expedition! But thanks to a bone doctor in the small encampment of Cuthroat's Den, he would make a full recovery.

Of THE FLAMES OF REDEMPTION, Brother Dagmar's wound from the pistol bullet to his leg would never heal right, and he'd walk with a limp (-1M). Maghilda and the zealot Rudiger would both make full recoveries. Although Brother Dagmar had zealot Rudiger flogged a dozen times for losing the wyrdstone that had been in his possession.

Both warbands left with some loot: Dietrich's Dogs managed to secure 3 of the 4 wyrdstones from the battle, and find two more  amidst the ruins for a total of five! The  Flames of Redemption left with only 1 of the 4 wyrdstones, but also managed to scrounge up two more from rubble for a total of three! 

The combatants on both sides had also gained more experience from this last excursion into the City of the Damned, so Experience rolls were made:

THE FLAMES OF REDEMPTION:

Captain Werner von Halstaff +1 Weapon Skill

Maghilda learned the skill Nimble, to enable her to shoot her crossbow while moving

Frederic learned the skill Step Aside (a dodge during combat)

Flagellent Hans +1 Initiative

The Zealots: +1 Strength!

DIETRICH'S DOGS:

Captain Dietrich Grossenheimer learned the skill Strongman, enabling quick fighting with his two-handed halberd

Pieter Grossenheimer: +1 Attack

Reinhard Baur: +1 Wound and +1 Initiative!

Herman Reichart learned the new still Eagle Eyes, extending the range of his pistols by 6"!

The Weibe Bruders: +1 Leadership

Otto Klein, once a new member of the Henchmen warrior group, Schneidklingen, seeing as he was the only survivor, was promoted to a Hero Henchman by Dietrich! He also increased +1 Leadership.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Another fun game! After seven rounds, we called it quits as it was 10pm (that's our hard end time for our games to give us enough time to roll post-battle stuff, and get home in time since we play on a school night!). Perry voted that Greg's Witch Hunters won because they knocked down Captain Dietrich, but Greg, Jay and Matt said that the Reiklanders won because they had gotten 3 of the 4 wyrdstone. As the rules of the scenario technically declares the loser as the one that routs, and since neither of our warbands routed, we called it a draw (so, no +1 Exp for a winning Captain). 

All wyrdstone was sold (90 gold crowns for the Reiklanders and 60 gold crowns for the Witch Hunters).

Recruitment, and resupplying continues. Rumours are that the Reiklanders are searching for a wizard!

Next up: Matt's Skaven vs. Jay's Possessed!