Adventure
09 Free Companies on a War Footing
Background
There are many discussions on how weak Goblinoids are. I have been exploring with them for a while. This game is one of my most interesting victories and the one with the highest winning margin. It depicts tales of how my Goblinoids avoided inevitable death against the seemingly Bold and Almighty Iron Dwarves.
Players Set Up
Me:
Burgundy (Pennant)
L3 Commander, L2 Hill Giant, L1 Cleric
Opponent:
d'Armagnac party (Standard)
L2 Commander, L3 Rogue, L1 Cleric
Prior Games
In all but two of my previous games involving Goblinoids, they got slaughtered real bad, regardless of whether they won or lost eventually.
My opponent had played the side with the Goblinoids just before this game and lost majority of his Goblinoids on his right flank to Iron Dwarves on the same flank. This made me believe that he will advance his Iron Dwarves in this game.
The Plan
1. Run.
Very early in the game, I pulled back my Goblinoids from the right flank using Green Banner. The plan was to make my opponent come to me and also wastes more turns in advancing. On top of that, I had no desire of losing my Goblinoids to him at all.
2. Stronghold.
Stronghold was placed near Goblinoid side to provide Bold. This was done in hope of reducing casualties lost to Flags/Panic Loss, as well as keeping the line.
3. Hill Giant's Rock Pile.
The Rock Pile was put in range of the starting Dwarves as well as center's heavy infantry. This was done to force my opponent to advance his troops. On top of that, the left flank was not a good place to put the Rock Pile since that area was mostly blocked by terrains.
The Mid-Game
I was able to successfully pull back the Goblinoids on my right flank.
I was also able to establish a pretty good Bold Formation starting from my Stronghold to the right, across the middle lanes in the center (see blue highlighted area below).
Should a need arise, the Green Banner Goblin Skirmisher units will join the center lines and provide support from behind, keeping Bold Formation.
I brought my Regular Cavalry and Heavy Infantry from the left flank into the center battle line. The plan was to push and break my opponent's center.
My three (3) Regular Cavalry and two (2) Hobgoblin Cavalry did their best to attempt Gain Ground + Pursuit as often as possible.
The center Regular Infantry hold the battle line by positioning in the favorable elevated terrains.
The End Game
The decisive moment probably came when the Hill Giant successfully pushed my opponent's Heavy Infantry back four (4) hexes. This broked their thinning line and Bold Formation.
After a few skirmishes, my forces were able to elimate most of his troops. The last moves involved my Regular Cavalry charging forward along-side my Heavy Infantry. The last banner was captured with the help of the unlikely hero, a particular Hobgoblin Cavalry unit. They came from no where, struck the opposition in their most vulnerable spot and claimed victory!
Final Score
6 - 2 (If I remember correctly; verified by the photo)
The Narrow Escape
On the top picture, you can see a Blue Banner Regular Cavalry at the bottom left hand side (you can only see its banner). That unit only had one figure left (if I remember correctly). My cavalries had done well in pushing for as many Gain Ground + Pursuit as possible... and I retired them by retreating them into the back.
However, it was my opponent's plan to open the Rogue's Secret Passage into the elevated terrain right at the back. This would allow him to quickly kill my weakened Cavalry and threaten the Goblinoids that I kept there. Lucky for me, I managed to keep him busy in the front line and ended the game before he could do that. ^^
Final Words
Overall, this is my sweetest victory yet. The Goblinoids indeed has potential. Its advantage lies in its speed. It can choose its battle and is highly maneuverable. The difficulty in execution probably lies in its large numbers. Thus, you'd need a good command card, or several, to move them all. Should the enemy successfully engage them, the Goblinoids will break formation like no tomorrow. O.O;
In the end, the honor goes to the Goblinoids, who knew their place in the army and was able to rise to the occasion when it was demanded of them.
\(^_^)/
Posted Sat Dec 23,2006 07:59 pm
