AGAINST THE OGRES PART II: HUNTER AND THE HUNTED

Overview

Immediately after the chaos from the Gorger incursion into the mines had settled, the Dwarfs sent out a small party of Rangers to investigate how the ravenous beasts got into the tunnel system. Many days passed, and the Dwarf scouting party never returned.

With a lost band of Dwarfs and still no information on the deadly invaders, you – one of the bravest Thanes of the Hold – have been asked to organize a large scouting party to search the tunnels and find out what happened to the missing Rangers.

You quickly discover a break in one of the deeper mine shafts that leads to a large system of caverns. Your expert Rangers follow the tracks of both the Gorger and those of the previous scouts through the catacombs. Soon, your party finds itself above ground upon the snowy mountains. Not long after you set off through the falling snow do you discover why the other Rangers never returned...

Battlefield

This scenario takes place on a 4’x4’ table that has a 6" to 12”-wide mountain pass that runs diagonally from one corner to the opposite corner. Flanking both sides of this wide pass are two large snowy cliff faces. The cliffs should cover all but the corner 12" of each board edge. Feel free to scatter a few small (2"-4" in diameter) snow-cover rocks along the mountain pass.

If you don't have cliffs available, use trees, tape, novels, or other objects to mark off the area where the cliffs would be.

Objectives

Before objectives can be set, you must determine who is the ambusher (Attackers) and who is getting ambushed (Defenders). Whoever won the last scenario, Devourers in the Darkness, gets to be the Attackers. For example, if the Dwarf player won the last scenario, then the Dwarfs are the Attackers in this scenario. If the result of the last scenario was a draw, dice off to determine who gets to be the Attackers.

The Attackers win this scenario if they kill at least half the number of Defenders (round up) by the end of the game. Defenders that leave the table fleeing count as killed, but those that voluntarily escape off either of the open table corners do not.

The Defenders win the scenario if the Attackers fail to meet the objective above, or if the Defenders manage to kill 50% of the Attackers’ numbers (round up). As soon as half the Attackers have been slain or run off the table, the ambush is called off and the rest of Attacking force retreats.

Keep track of who survives this scenario as models that are not killed or pursued off the table edge will make an appearance in the final Against the Ogres scenario.

Deployment

First, the Defenders set up all of their forces in the 6”x6” deployment area in the middle of the table.

Next, the Attackers deploy. Place the Attacker models anywhere on the mountain pass, but they must be at least 12” from all Defenders. The exception to this rule is that Attackers can be set up atop the cliff path (see the map) even if that places them within 12” of a Defending model.

If the Ogre Kingdoms player is the Attacker, he can hold back the Hunter and deploy him during the Movement Phase of the Ogre Kingdoms' 2nd or 3rd turn. Deploy the Hunter from any table corner (anywhere along either 12" edge) as if he had pursued an enemy off the battlefield in the previous turn.

If the Dwarf player is the Attacker, he can hold back the Thane and deploy him during the Movement Phase of the Dwarfs' 2nd or 3rd turn. Deploy the Thane from any table corner (anywhere along either 12" edge) as if he had pursued an enemy off the battlefield in the previous turn.

Who Goes First?

The Attacker goes first.

Length of Game

The game lasts 10 turns.

Special Rules

Skirmish. This battle is a Skirmish game. All the rules on pp. 242-246 of the Warhammer rulebook apply. Also, due to the fact that all Gnoblar Trappers are units unto themselves, they have no one in their unit to Bicker with. Do not use the Gnoblar Bicker rule for this scenario.

Ice and Snow. On a good day, the cliff faces flanking the mountain pass would be considered very difficult terrain. However, today, they are quite impassable due to icy conditions. In addition, due to the depth of the snow on the mountain pass and the cliff path, all models get -1" to their base movement rate to a minimum base movement of 3”.

Keep Yer Powder Dry. Blackpowder weapons fire their first shot as normal. However, any roll of a 1 to hit on the second or subsequent shots indicates that the powder has gotten wet from the snow and has caused a jam. The blackpowder weapon is useless for the rest of the game.

Part of a Larger Battle

The results of this scenario will have a significant effect on the next Against the Ogres scenario.

If the Dwarf scouts win the scenario, they follow the fleeing Gnoblars and discover the Ogre camp at the base of the mountains while avoiding detection. To represent this tactical edge, in the next scenario, the Dwarfs get to choose who deploys first, and who goes first.

If the Hunter and the Gnoblars win the scenario, the Dwarfs are forced back into their hold without discovering the whereabouts of the Ogre camp. To represent the fact that the Dwarf army will need to send out more scouts to find the source of the threat, the Dwarfs lose 50 points of troops in the next scenario.

Remember: Keep track of who survives this scenario, as models that are not killed or pursued off the table edge will make an appearance in the final Against the Ogres scenario.

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