WFB3 [Warfork Fantasy Battles] Ambush on the Old Dwarf Road

Warhammer Fantasy Battle 3rd Edition

2024-05-21_Ambush-on-the-Old-Dwarven-Road.png


Ambush on the Old Dwarven Road

The Dwarves of Karaz Gaiaz Bok (Hold of Gold with low tunnels where
you often bang your head), which is situated somewhere north of the
High Pass, at the northern fringes of the World's Edge Mountains, have
a hard life. Their relatively small hold is under constant attack,
both from above and from below ground, by greenskins, skaven and
marauding chaos bands.

The outcome of their mining isn't that great, both because of the low
manpo... dwarfpower in the hold, the many dwarves that need to guard
and defend the hold instead of being able to work the mines, as well
as because the gold veins are rather thin and long, requiring a high
mining effort to outcome ratio. As the name of the hold suggests, they
mine mostly gold, but occasionally also discover veins of other
metals.

Once they get enough gold mined and processed, they transport it south
to other dwarven holds, and to trade with humans from The Empire.

One such convoy just started its dangerous trek southwards, led by
Khirgrurd Silverstriker (a poor prospector who never managed to
discover the profitable gold veins). As the dwarfpower in the hold is
so low, sending enough dwarf guards with the caravan would weaken the
defences of the hold too much, so the dwarves often employ the
services of norse mercenaries for caravan guard duty.

This is true for the current caravan as well. Unfortunately, one of
the norse has fallen under the influence of Chaos. He revealed the
exact route of the caravan to Dietbert the Wicked, a champion of
Chaos, who is in need of gold to finance the cults he is trying to
spread and grow throughout several small villages of Kislev.

While the dwarves are moving their caravan south, Dietbert is waiting
in ambush to take the gold and use it for his own dark purposes...

Battlefield

The place for the ambush chosen by Dietmar, is at the place where the
old dwarf road leading to Karaz Gaiaz Bok meets the road running
through the High Pass, part of which is also still of old dwarven
construction.

The road is lined by evenly spaced dwarven statues on plinths.

The edges of the forest the road cuts through, mark the Chaos
deployment zone, here they are lying in ambush.


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Batallions


Khirgrurd Silverstriker’s Gold Caravan [1,500 points]


Batallion Commander, Khirgrurd Silverstriker
  • Level 15 Hero "War Forger", hand weapon, double-handed weapon, mithril armour, shield
  • Snorri Spangelhelm's Master Rune
  • Rune of Fury
Batallion Standard Bearer, Thrarod Flatfist
  • Level 5 Hero "Foe Smiter", hand weapon, mithril armour
  • Rune of Resistance
Red Section, 11x Warriors
  • hand weapon, light armour, shield
  • Thungrilot Grudgefists
    • Level 5 Hero "Foe Smiter", hand weapon, light armour, shield
    • Rune of Stone
    • Rune of Striking

Turquoise Section, 11x Warriors
  • hand weapon, light armour, spear
  • Dathrargror Broadshoulder
    • Level 5 Hero "Foe Smiter", hand weapon, light armour, spear
    • Rune of Stone
    • Rune of Parrying
Orange Section, 5x Crossbowmen
  • hand weapon, crossbow, light armour
Grey Section, 5x Crossbowmen
  • hand weapon, crossbow, light armour

The Doomed, 10x Giant Slayers
  • Hand weapons, double-handed weapons

The Caravan, Dwarf coachman
  • hand weapon, light armour, leading pony and wagon full of gold

The Caravan, Dwarf coachman
  • hand weapon, light armour, leading pony and wagon full of gold

Norse Mercenary Contingent


Commander, Brynjar
  • hand weapon, light armour, shield, double-handed weapon

Ubbe's Company, 11x Warriors
  • hand weapon, double-handed weapon, unit standard
  • Ubbe
    • Level 10 Hero, hand weapon, double-handed weapon

Frode's Company, 11x Warriors
  • hand weapon, double-handed weapon, unit standard
  • Frode
    • Level 10 Hero, hand weapon, double-handed weapon

Dietbert's Marauders [1,001 points]


Slaanesh Batallion Commander, Dietbert the Wicked
  • Chaos Warrior, hand weapon, shield, heavy armour, barding
  • Warhorse
  • Chaos Runeblade
  • 1D6-2 Personal Attributes

Chaos Sorceror of Tzeentch, Bykalgroar the Cunning
  • Level 5 Wïzard "Initiate", hand weapon, chaos armour
  • 1D6-3 Personal Attributes
  • magïck power level 3D6
  • S1.1 Boon of Tzeentch, B1.10 Immunity from Poison, B1.6 Fire ball
  • Disc of Tzeentch

The Defilers, 5x Chaos Warriors
  • hand weapon, shield, heavy armour, double-handed weapons

The Corruptors of Nurgle, 7x Beastmen
  • hand weapon, unit standard
  • 50% Chance of 1D3 dominant attributes
  • Ghuzzuk
    • Level 5 Hero "Banebeast", hand weapon
    • Biting Blade
    • 65% chance 1D4 personal attributes

The Hunters
  • Beastmaster
    • hand weapon, shield, light armour
    • 50% Chance of 1D3 personal attributes
  • 3x Chaos Hounds
    • 1D6-4 dominant attributes

The Bashers, 2x Trolls
  • big ol' clubz

Scenario Objectives

  • Dwarves
    Move the two wagons off the map via point B or C. The
    dwarf player notes down the point he wants to exit through before
    any units are deployed, but keeps that information secret from the
    Chaos player.
  • Chaos
    Move the two wagons off the map via point A.

Victory Conditions

  • Dwarf Victory
    Both wagons have been moved off the map via the
    chosen exit point.
  • Draw
    Both sides move off one wagon via their respective exit
    points. The dwarves also score a draw, if they move both wagons off
    the board though the opposite point from the one chosen
    (e.g. through C when B had been chosen).
  • Chaos Victory
    Both wagons have been taken over from the dwarves
    and moved off the board via point A.

Deployment

The dwarves deploy first. The dwarf commander, Khirgrurd, did order
his troops into a certain formation, but the longer the trek the more
this inital formation gets disturbed, one unit stopping to take a
leak, a second moving past, the first then reigning in at the end of
the column, etc. Also, the Chaos player lies in ambush, therefore has
some advantages, initiating the ambush at a convenient time. This
includes waiting until certain units have passed certain points on the
road, etc.

To represent these aspects, the deployment of the dwarven force's
deployment is subject to some random elements, both in their own as
well as in the Chaos deployment phase.

Dwarves

The first two units to be deployed are the two wagons. The dwarf
player chooses any point along the line between A and D, declaring to
deploy one wagon there. He then rolls 2D10, one after the other. The
wagon is moved a number of inches equal to the score of the 1st D10
towards point D, then a number of inches equal to the score of the 2nd
D10 towards point A. At points A and D, the wagon bounces back.

This is the final deployment point of the wagon. The process is then
repeated for the second wagon. Should they end up overlapping, move
both the least distance possible to place them with a gap of 1".

Once both wagons have been placed by this method, the dwarf commander
can place the rest of his troops as he sees fit, adhering to the
following restrictions:
  • All units must be placed on the road between points A and D.
  • All units must be placed completly on the road, no part of a unit
    may be deployed off the road.
  • All units must be placed facing along the road in the direction of
    point D.
  • All units must be placed at least 1" away from any other unit.
If, for whatever strange reasons, not all units can be placed on the
board following the restrictions, they have become stragglers. During
each dwarven Turn Begin Phase, starting with the second turn, these
units may take a LDS test; if passed they can move onto the board from
point A in their movement phase. Only one unit of stragglers may
arrive per turn.​

Chaos

The Chaos commander deploys his units anywhere in the three wooden
areas. He then rolls 1D10 per dwarven unit, including the norse
mercenaries. On a roll of 8+ (6+ for the norse), he may swap this
unit's position with another unit's position from the dwarven
batallion, obeying the following rules:
  • No unit may be repositioned more than once; regardless of whether on
    its own roll, or as swapping partner on another unit's roll. Mark
    swapped units in some way.
  • The wagons may not be rolled for, nor chosen as swapping partner.
  • The dwarven commander (if deployed alone) or the unit he is deployed
    with, may not be diced for or chosen as swapping partner.
  • The point for swapping is the unit leader. The two leader's
    positions are swapped, then the unit is deployed around them as they
    were before the swap.
  • Only in case a 1" gap cannot be maintained, the dwarven player may
    change the formation of the unit, still keeping its leader in place.

First Turn

The Chaos player starts the first turn.​
 

Scenario Rules

Woods in the first turn

As the Chaos commander prepared the ambush, his troops are hiding in​
places convenient for initiating the ambush. Therefore, during the​
first turn, the Chaos units do not suffer any movement penalties from​
moving through the woods. This allows them to leave the woods without​
any penalty.​
Starting with the second turn, normal movement penalties apply for all​
woods.​

Wagons

The wagons start the game with one dwarf assigned, who leads the​
pony. The dwarf player has full control over that unit.​
If the dwarf leading the pony gets killed, the pony will follow the​
movement of the dwarf unit directly in front of it. The GM has the​
last word on the exact movement.​
If a Chaos unit kills the dwarf guide in hand-to-hand combat, or moves​
into contact with a leaderless pony/wagon, that unit takes control of​
the pony/wagon. It is placed at the rear of the unit, and is let by​
them from now on (remember that mixed units move at the MOV of its​
slowest member).​
The dwarves can regain control by killing the controlling Chaos unit;​
or routing it in hand-to-hand combat, in which case the wagon is​
placed at their rear and moved by them.​
The wagon and the pony itself will not be attacked by either side,​
after all both want to keep/gain posession of it and move it off the​
board.​
Due to the weight of their freight (2.2 pounds of gold weigh about 1​
kilogram after all, a bit more in leap years), the wagons cannot leave​
the road, they would get stuck in the fields surrounding the roads. If​
they are lead by unit, this means also the unit cannot leave the road,​
unless they abandon the pony/wagon.​
 
Last edited:
Hello forum,

above scenario I intend to play probably end of the month, using my new Dwarven Road Set.

Can you please let me know your comments, if on pape... screen in your oppionion this scenario is about balanced?

Some points that lead to above scenario:

  1. Batallion Points Values
    • Dwarves are slow
    • Dwarves' deployment is restricted/random
    • Chaos can exploit the Dwarves deployment by repositioning units
    • Chaos can charge before Dwarves can react much (see #2 below)
    -> Dwarves have 1.5x the points of Chaos
  2. 1st Charge
    The first chage likely happens on Chaos' 2nd turn; perhaps even on 1st near point D, potentially
  3. Dwarves are under pressure, in first turn they need to frantically reposition, probably can't shoot (as crossbows can't move and shoot) if Chaos does not deploy in their arc of fire
  4. Chaos units can fully exploit any weak part of the caravan, with the drawback of being probably spread out and able to support each other; or they can attack in bulk at one point, which makes manoeuvre and organising a defence probably easier for the dwarves.
With this in mind I have hopefully created a challening scenario.

Awaiting your critical thoughts :)

Thank you
 

jon_1066

Member
Why give the dwarves 50% more points?

The points are a guide to what is balanced. Currently the dwarves can use 2/3 of their force to engage the Chaos 1:1 and still have 1/3 left guarding the escorted wagons. Likewise Chaos has seven units and Dwarves eight. Again the dwarves can just match them 1:1.

I think what might happen is that the dwarves ignore getting the wagons off and just fight a straight battle, one which they should win being 50% over matched to the Chaos force. They have time to react to anything coming from the north or south woods. There needs to be some pressure for the dwarves to get the wagons moving and off the board - either through less points (ie we will all die soon) or additional Chaos coming (eg from point A dice to add a new Chaos unit each turn.)
 

ManicMan

Member
early warhammer wasn't... quite balanced points wise and if you look at alot of early scenarios, you don't Balance the points that well.

Plus story wise, it makes sense. Chaos using surprise and physical strength.. Also Chaos starts right on top of the Dwarfs really, which means they don't have a lot of time to set up guard or anything. I would wonder if Chaos could destroy the wagons and loot the gold more then having to move the wagons but.. that would be fair enough.
 
Okay, gents, you are not helping me :-p One agress, the other disagrees... hmmm...

I think I will add some points to the Chaos Force, like 250 points or so, not sure yet; but not as units, but as points available to modify the mercenary test. This way there is a chance for chaos to take over one or both units of the norse mercenaries; one of which includes the traitor, which would also make sense story wise.

I will report how it goes with that approach.
 

Batallions


Khirgrurd Silverstriker’s Gold Caravan [1,500 points]


Batallion Commander, Khirgrurd Silverstriker
  • Level 15 Hero "War Forger", hand weapon, double-handed weapon, mithril armour, shield
  • Snorri Spangelhelm's Master Rune
  • Rune of Fury

Batallion Standard Bearer, Thrarod Flatfist
  • Level 5 Hero "Foe Smiter", hand weapon, mithril armour
  • Rune of Resistance

Red Section, 11x Warriors
  • hand weapon, light armour, shield, standard, musician
  • Thungrilot Grudgefists
    • Level 5 Hero "Foe Smiter", hand weapon, light armour, shield
    • Rune of Stone
    • Rune of Striking

Turquoise Section, 11x Warriors
  • hand weapon, light armour, spear, standard, musician
  • Dathrargror Broadshoulder
    • Level 5 Hero "Foe Smiter", hand weapon, light armour, spear
    • Rune of Stone
    • Rune of Parrying

Orange Section, 5x Crossbowmen
  • hand weapon, crossbow, light armour

Grey Section, 5x Crossbowmen
  • hand weapon, crossbow, light armour

The Doomed, 10x Giant Slayers
  • Hand weapons, double-handed weapons

The Caravan, Dwarf coachman
  • hand weapon, light armour, leading pony and wagon full of gold

The Caravan, Dwarf coachman
  • hand weapon, light armour, leading pony and wagon full of gold

Norse Mercenary Contingent


Commander, Brynjar
  • hand weapon, light armour, shield, double-handed weapon

Ubbe's Company, 11x Warriors
  • hand weapon, double-handed weapon, unit standard
  • Ubbe
    • Level 10 Hero, hand weapon, double-handed weapon

Frode's Company, 11x Warriors
  • hand weapon, double-handed weapon, unit standard
  • Frode
    • Level 10 Hero, hand weapon, double-handed weapon

Dietbert's Marauders [1,151 points]


Slaanesh Batallion Commander, Dietbert the Wicked
  • Chaos Warrior, hand weapon, shield, heavy armour, barding
  • Warhorse
  • Chaos Runeblade
  • 1D6-2 Personal Attributes
  • Warchest of 150 points; can be used to bribe the norse mercenaries


Chaos Sorceror of Tzeentch, Bykalgroar the Cunning
  • Level 5 Wïzard "Initiate", hand weapon, chaos armour
  • 1D6-3 Personal Attributes
  • magïck power level 3D6
  • S1.1 Boon of Tzeentch, B1.10 Immunity from Poison, B1.6 Fire ball
  • Disc of Tzeentch

The Defilers, 5x Chaos Warriors
  • hand weapon, shield, heavy armour, double-handed weapons

The Corruptors of Nurgle, 7x Beastmen
  • hand weapon, unit standard
  • 50% Chance of 1D3 dominant attributes
  • Ghuzzuk
    • Level 5 Hero "Banebeast", hand weapon
    • Biting Blade
    • 65% chance 1D4 personal attributes

The Hunters
  • Beastmaster
    • hand weapon, shield, light armour
    • 50% Chance of 1D3 personal attributes
  • 3x Chaos Hounds
    • 1D6-4 dominant attributes

The Bashers, 2x Trolls
  • big ol' clubz


Scenario Objectives

  • Dwarves
    Move the two wagons off the map via point B or C. The
    dwarf player notes down the point he wants to exit through before
    any units are deployed, but keeps that information secret from the
    Chaos player.
  • Chaos
    Move the two wagons off the map via point A.

Victory Conditions

  • Dwarf Victory
    Both wagons have been moved off the map via the
    chosen exit point.
  • Draw
    Both sides move off one wagon via their respective exit
    points. The dwarves also score a draw, if they move both wagons off
    the board though the opposite point from the one chosen
    (e.g. through C when B had been chosen).
  • Chaos Victory
    Both wagons have been taken over from the dwarves
    and moved off the board via point A.

Deployment

The dwarves deploy first. The dwarf commander, Khirgrurd, did order
his troops into a certain formation, but the longer the trek the more
this inital formation gets disturbed, one unit stopping to take a
leak, a second moving past, the first then reigning in at the end of
the column, etc. Also, the Chaos player lies in ambush, therefore has
some advantages, initiating the ambush at a convenient time. This
includes waiting until certain units have passed certain points on the
road, etc.

To represent these aspects, the deployment of the dwarven force's
deployment is subject to some random elements, both in their own as
well as in the Chaos deployment phase.

Dwarves

The first two units to be deployed are the two wagons. The dwarf
player chooses any point along the line between A and D, declaring to
deploy one wagon there. He then rolls 2D10, one after the other. The
wagon is moved a number of inches equal to the score of the 1st D10
towards point D, then a number of inches equal to the score of the 2nd
D10 towards point A. At points A and D, the wagon bounces back.

This is the final deployment point of the wagon. The process is then
repeated for the second wagon. Should they end up overlapping, move
both the least distance possible to place them with a gap of 1".

Once both wagons have been placed by this method, the dwarf commander
can place the rest of his troops as he sees fit, adhering to the
following restrictions:

  • All units must be placed on the road between points A and D.
  • All units must be placed completly on the road, no part of a unit
    may be deployed off the road.
  • All units must be placed facing along the road in the direction of
    point D.
  • All units must be placed at least 1" away from any other unit.

If, for whatever strange reasons, not all units can be placed on the
board following the restrictions, they have become stragglers. During
each dwarven Turn Begin Phase, starting with the second turn, these
units may take a LDS test; if passed they can move onto the board from
point A in their movement phase. Only one unit of stragglers may
arrive per turn.

Chaos

The Chaos commander deploys his units anywhere in the three wooden
areas. He then rolls 1D10 per dwarven unit, including the norse
mercenaries. On a roll of 8+ (6+ for the norse), he may swap this
unit's position with another unit's position from the dwarven
batallion, obeying the following rules:

  • No unit may be repositioned more than once; regardless of whether on
    its own roll, or as swapping partner on another unit's roll. Mark
    swapped units in some way.
  • The wagons may not be rolled for, nor chosen as swapping partner.
  • The dwarven commander (if deployed alone) or the unit he is deployed
    with, may not be diced for or chosen as swapping partner.
  • The point for swapping is the unit leader. The two leader's
    positions are swapped, then the unit is deployed around them as they
    were before the swap.
  • Only in case a 1" gap cannot be maintained, the dwarven player may
    change the formation of the unit, still keeping its leader in place. This is the
    only situation in which a unit may be deployed off the road; if it does not fit
    into the space between two other unit and keeping the 1" gap, models are
    placed left and right off the road.

First Turn

The Chaos player starts the first turn.

Scenario Rules



Woods in the first turn

As the Chaos commander prepared the ambush, his troops are hiding in
places convenient for initiating the ambush. Therefore, during the
first turn, the Chaos units do not suffer any movement penalties from
moving through the woods. This allows them to leave the woods without
any penalty.

Starting with the second turn, normal movement penalties apply for all
woods.


Wagons

The wagons start the game with one dwarf assigned, who leads the
pony. The dwarf player has full control over that unit.

If the dwarf leading the pony gets killed, the pony will follow the
movement of the dwarf unit directly in front of it. The GM has the
last word on the exact movement.

If a Chaos unit kills the dwarf guide in hand-to-hand combat, or moves
into contact with a leaderless pony/wagon, that unit takes control of
the pony/wagon. It is placed at the rear of the unit, and is let by
them from now on (remember that mixed units move at the MOV of its
slowest member).

The dwarves can regain control by killing the controlling Chaos unit;
or routing it in hand-to-hand combat, in which case the wagon is
placed at their rear and moved by them.

If a unit takes control of the wagon, it can detach 1-n members of the
unit to lead it; it can be the whole unit, but this is up to the
player's choice. Once detached, these models form their own unit until
the rest of the game (or their existence).

The wagon and the pony itself will not be attacked by either side,
after all both want to keep/gain posession of it and move it off the
board.

Due to the weight of their freight (2.2 pounds of gold weigh about 1
kilogram after all, a bit more in leap years), the wagons cannot leave
the road, they would get stuck in the fields surrounding the roads. If
they are lead by unit, this means also the unit cannot leave the road,
unless they abandon the pony/wagon.

Turning a wagon in place by 180° uses up one complete movement phase.

 
Last edited:
This is the revised scenario as we played it today. Main change is the extra 150 points for chaos to use in the Mercenary Loyalty check. The 150 were chosen based on:

  • Dwarves get 2D6 (full 1,000 points of non-mercenary troops)
  • Chaos gets 2D6 as well

Possible results of the roll-off (3e rules):
  • Dwarves score 1/2 of Chaos score or more: mercenaries remain loyal
  • Chaos score more than double Dwarf score, mercenaries retreat off the board (are in the way, but don't attack anyone)
  • Chaos score more than thrice the Dwarf score, mercenaries switch sides

With the 150 extra points:
  • Dwarves 2D6, highest probability = 7
  • Chaos 5D6, highest probability = 17/18, so just shy of the 3x dwarf score

I am sure the mathematicians among you tell me that you cannot calculate it like that :)

Battle report coming up in the coming days.

I really liked the scenario. It does not make any impression of being balanced, so much can go right/wrong (depending on your point of view) with the deployment/re-deployment, with the mercenary loyality test...
You can play it 10 times and it won't be the same.

Currently the dwarves can use 2/3 of their force to engage the Chaos 1:1 and still have 1/3 left guarding the escorted wagons.
That is the theory, turned out otherwise due to the way of deployment, the dwarves couldn't do any such thing as they had planned. Might work differently, if the set-up turns out any other way.

Also Chaos starts right on top of the Dwarfs really, which means they don't have a lot of time to set up guard or anything.
This was my initial thinking when coming up with the scenario, which turned out to be true in our game.

All of this makes the scenario a hit for me, you don't know what you get, you will get something different every time. You can luck out or run out of luck... I like that. Feels oldhammery to me.

early warhammer wasn't... quite balanced points wise and if you look at alot of early scenarios, you don't Balance the points that well.
Q.E.D. :)
 
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