Old World Wednesday #1: 4-Way Battle

 Last night, I played in my first "real" game of Warhammer: The Old World. Readers might recall I played a 500-pt "learning" game back in April. Yesterday was the inaugural "Old World Wednesdays" at Harlequin Hobby; I brought a thousand points of my Oldhammer Orcs & Goblins, and met up with three other guys for a 2 vs 2 game.

Besides myself, there was:

• Reece, with 1000 pts of Beastman Bray-Herds
• Vinnie, with 1000 pts of legacy Skaven
• Derek, with 1000 pts of Orcs & Goblins!

Derek and I teamed up on one side of the board, our armies complementing each other nicely, and being similarly comprised of older models with paper banners. Reece and Vinnie deployed opposite us. We picked a mission from the new Matched Play book; both sides deployed on a diagonal with victory points scored based on units in proximity to the tower at the center of the table.

Also pictured - my original Warhammer dice from 2001!

We didn't manage to finish the game before the store had to close for the night, but we had a great time along the way. Some highlights:

• I cast the spell "Foot of Gork" right off the bat, instantly eliminating Reece's "Razorgor" under the stomping fury of a spectral green foot. The spell was not dispelled all game, and after multiple semi-effectual stomps on Reece's Dragon Ogres, it turned around and stomped half of Derek's Black Orcs out of existence! Oops!
• Reece had deployed two regiments of beastmen one in front of the other; I used my Doom Diver catapult to target the front regiment, and managed to land a direct hit. It scored enough casualties that the survivors needed to make a panic test - which they failed, despite having their general with them. The front unit turned and fled into the back unit, forcing it to take a panic test as well, which it also failed, sending them fleeing as well. They managed to rally before they fled off the table, but it still put them out of position and on the back foot for the next two turns. 
• A unit of Stormvermin charged into Derek's Night Goblins; they managed to survive the initial charge and deployed their Fanatics directly into the massed Skaven. 

This game was everything I ever dreamed of a game of Warhammer being when I first came into the hobby in 2001. I was entranced by Warhammer Fantasy Battles 6th edition, though I never managed to build an army or play a game at the time. The sportsmanship and camaraderie on display last night was second to none. We were all laughing at the Foot of Gork every turn, and we were all reading and interpreting the rules collaboratively to ensure no one was unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged. 

With this game I also feel like I finally hit a point where I was thinking and playing tactically, instead of hoping for the best while spinning in place playing the Major General's Song on a kazoo. Getting a perfect shot with my Doom Diver catapult that sent two regiments of beastmen fleeing in panic is going to carry me for a while. 

It ended up being a much later night out than I've had in a very long time, so this morning necessitated twice the coffee as usual to get me into some semblance of functional humanity, but I'm glad I did it, and I can't wait for next week's game.