Galadrin
Vassal
Played a game of Warhammer Fantasy Battle with the kids this afternoon and I thought I'd share the story here. The game was roughly 1,200 pts per side and we used 5th Edition with a handful of house rules: 1) I threw out the army composition rules and just set up two sides that seemed like they would be interesting for the scenario, 2) we did a magic item draw (one card per character) instead of purchasing magic items, 3) we allowed missile troops to fire in two ranks if they did not move and 4) we used all of the supplements (rulebooks, magic boxes etc.) from 4th Edition so that only the base game was technically the 5th Edition rules.
The scenario was set in the Grey Mountains between Bretonnia and the Forest of Loren. The evil Master Necromancer Grimmag had collected a motley company of foul creatures, promising them riches, power and domination over the peaceful lands that lay down below their evil lairs in the towering mountain peaks. Grimmag just needed time, a chance to conduct a baleful ritual at the depthless Slough of Despair. It was rumoured that this churning morass, hidden in a high mountain dell, was formed of the faint zephyrs of the Winds of Magic, gales of sorcerous energies that blew from the Realm of Chaos far to the north and became trapped amidst the crooked peaks of the Grey Mountains. If he could draw from the magical condensate hidden deep within the Slough, Grimmag was confident that his ritual of power would raise a mighty host of Undead with which he could rampage the sleepy lands below.
Fortunately for the peoples of those lands, word of Grimmag's misdeeds somehow reached the civilized areas beneath the Grey Mountains. First as hushed whispers, and then as worried chattering, the ominous reports of shadowy forces and strange lights in the mountainside spread to every tavern and hearthside until men resolved to act against the wicked conspiracy in the Grey Mountains. Estranged neighbors found common cause and together, a disparate troop marched into the mountains to find their fate and that of their communities.
Set-Up
The battlefield was set up as a high mountain vale, with a rocky prominence in the center under which lay the Slough of Despair, a morass of sticky, verdant ichor. The forces of darkness arrayed around the rocky mound included a Giant, an Ogre, nine Skeletons with spears led by a Wight, three Minotaurs, 13 Black Orcs led by a Boss, a Chaos Gorgon and another ten Skeletons with bows. Standing atop the outcrop was Grimmag himself, a Master Necromancer. The good forces came from all sides and included a group of 14 Dwarfs led by a Champion, 14 Wood Elf Glade Guard led by a Champion, four Empire Knights Panther led by a Champion, eight Dryads and a Great Eagle. The leader of the good contingent was Pinion, the Wood Elf Mage Champion astride her Elven Steed, positioned next to the regiment of Glade Guard. (Please click on the image to get a larger version.)

The battle would last between 4 and 6 rounds (to be rolled at the end of the 4th round). The objective of the good forces was to slay Grimmag and thus end his ritual. The evil side simply had to keep Grimmag alive. Further, Grimmag could not leave the rocky mount or his ritual would be ruined (if he then survived the battle, this would amount to a draw).


Next, we drew magic items.

The good side drew four magic items since it has four characters. The results were somewhat underwhelming but the Book of Ashur was a very good draw. I gave that (along with the Boots of Flight) to Pinion as I came up with my strategy. Pinion already had a fast mount, but I basically had to give her the Boots of Flight since all the other characters were champions (who couldn't leave their units). The Star Lance only made sense for the Empire Knights Panther Champion and thus the meager Blade of Leaping Copper went to the Dwarf Champion.

The evil side drew only three magic items as they only had three characters. The Shield of Ptolos had to be discarded and redrawn as the good side did not actually have any missiles. This was replaced by the Spelleater Shield, which was given to the Wight (sorry, I forgot to photograph this card!). The Black Orc Boss was gifted the covetous Blade of Leaping Gold as he faced down a fearsome swarm of Dryads. The Magic Mirror finally went to Grimmag.

Finally, we drew spells. Pinion decided to use her Book of Ashur (which had elevated her to a Level 3 Master Mage) to take spells entirely from High Magic. This was a somewhat risky choice... the Book of Ashur spells could not be discarded and redrawn (which is normally allowed for regular spells), but the decision paid off as the Wood Elf Master Mage drew the spell she was hoping for—Assault of Stone. There are many powerful High Magic spells, but this one in particular could be devastating, allowing an early way to kill off Grimmag and cause serious damage to his host. The other High Magic spells that were drawn—Drain Magic and Deadlock—looked like they might also be useful for controlling the powerful Necromancer.

Grimmag for his part drew a useful array of Necromantic Magic. Summon Skeletons would help bolster the regiments of undead fencing the rocky outcrop, while Hand of Dust and Gaze of Nagash would punish any enemies that strayed too closely to the ritual site.
Ok, stay tuned for Turn 1!
The scenario was set in the Grey Mountains between Bretonnia and the Forest of Loren. The evil Master Necromancer Grimmag had collected a motley company of foul creatures, promising them riches, power and domination over the peaceful lands that lay down below their evil lairs in the towering mountain peaks. Grimmag just needed time, a chance to conduct a baleful ritual at the depthless Slough of Despair. It was rumoured that this churning morass, hidden in a high mountain dell, was formed of the faint zephyrs of the Winds of Magic, gales of sorcerous energies that blew from the Realm of Chaos far to the north and became trapped amidst the crooked peaks of the Grey Mountains. If he could draw from the magical condensate hidden deep within the Slough, Grimmag was confident that his ritual of power would raise a mighty host of Undead with which he could rampage the sleepy lands below.
Fortunately for the peoples of those lands, word of Grimmag's misdeeds somehow reached the civilized areas beneath the Grey Mountains. First as hushed whispers, and then as worried chattering, the ominous reports of shadowy forces and strange lights in the mountainside spread to every tavern and hearthside until men resolved to act against the wicked conspiracy in the Grey Mountains. Estranged neighbors found common cause and together, a disparate troop marched into the mountains to find their fate and that of their communities.
Set-Up
The battlefield was set up as a high mountain vale, with a rocky prominence in the center under which lay the Slough of Despair, a morass of sticky, verdant ichor. The forces of darkness arrayed around the rocky mound included a Giant, an Ogre, nine Skeletons with spears led by a Wight, three Minotaurs, 13 Black Orcs led by a Boss, a Chaos Gorgon and another ten Skeletons with bows. Standing atop the outcrop was Grimmag himself, a Master Necromancer. The good forces came from all sides and included a group of 14 Dwarfs led by a Champion, 14 Wood Elf Glade Guard led by a Champion, four Empire Knights Panther led by a Champion, eight Dryads and a Great Eagle. The leader of the good contingent was Pinion, the Wood Elf Mage Champion astride her Elven Steed, positioned next to the regiment of Glade Guard. (Please click on the image to get a larger version.)

The battle would last between 4 and 6 rounds (to be rolled at the end of the 4th round). The objective of the good forces was to slay Grimmag and thus end his ritual. The evil side simply had to keep Grimmag alive. Further, Grimmag could not leave the rocky mount or his ritual would be ruined (if he then survived the battle, this would amount to a draw).


Next, we drew magic items.

The good side drew four magic items since it has four characters. The results were somewhat underwhelming but the Book of Ashur was a very good draw. I gave that (along with the Boots of Flight) to Pinion as I came up with my strategy. Pinion already had a fast mount, but I basically had to give her the Boots of Flight since all the other characters were champions (who couldn't leave their units). The Star Lance only made sense for the Empire Knights Panther Champion and thus the meager Blade of Leaping Copper went to the Dwarf Champion.

The evil side drew only three magic items as they only had three characters. The Shield of Ptolos had to be discarded and redrawn as the good side did not actually have any missiles. This was replaced by the Spelleater Shield, which was given to the Wight (sorry, I forgot to photograph this card!). The Black Orc Boss was gifted the covetous Blade of Leaping Gold as he faced down a fearsome swarm of Dryads. The Magic Mirror finally went to Grimmag.

Finally, we drew spells. Pinion decided to use her Book of Ashur (which had elevated her to a Level 3 Master Mage) to take spells entirely from High Magic. This was a somewhat risky choice... the Book of Ashur spells could not be discarded and redrawn (which is normally allowed for regular spells), but the decision paid off as the Wood Elf Master Mage drew the spell she was hoping for—Assault of Stone. There are many powerful High Magic spells, but this one in particular could be devastating, allowing an early way to kill off Grimmag and cause serious damage to his host. The other High Magic spells that were drawn—Drain Magic and Deadlock—looked like they might also be useful for controlling the powerful Necromancer.

Grimmag for his part drew a useful array of Necromantic Magic. Summon Skeletons would help bolster the regiments of undead fencing the rocky outcrop, while Hand of Dust and Gaze of Nagash would punish any enemies that strayed too closely to the ritual site.
Ok, stay tuned for Turn 1!