Here is another report of a game of 'Hordes of the Things' using GWs Epic figures. Again, the armies were Space Marines and Orks, 24AP on a 3' x 3' table.

The Marine army was: 5 elements of Marines (Blades, one of which was the general), 1 element of Dreadnaughts (also Blades), one Marine Chaplain (Hero), 3 elements of Land Raiders (Knights) and one element of Speeders (Riders)

The Ork army was: 1 element of Nobz (Warband general), 6 elements of Boyz (Hordes) 3 elements of bikes, buggies and battlewagons (Riders), one element of tanks (Knights), one Slasha Gargant (Behemoth) and a Weirdboy Battletower (Magician).

The Ork army defended. Terrain was used but had no effect on the battle; both sides had an area of brush in their rear, the Orks had a gentle hill on each flank, and the Marines had a gentle hill in their centre.

The Marines set up their infantry and the Dreadnaughts in the centre, with one element of Land Raiders on the left, and the other Land Raiders, the Chaplain and the Speeders on the right. Two elements of infantry were held as a reserve.

The Orks deployed with the Boyz in the centre, the bikes, buggies and battlewagons on their right, the Gargant and the tanks on the left. The Nobz and the Battletower deployed behind the line as a reserve.

The battle opened with the Ork bikes and buggies advancing to attack the Marine's left flank. The Marines responded by advancing their right flank, hoping to negate the Gargant that threatened the Land Raiders with their Chaplain. However, the Weirdboy Battletower flashed psychic energy and eliminated the Chaplain. (The Magician ensorcelled the Hero in other words.).

The battle now settled down with both sides attacking their opponent's left flank. On the Marine left, the buggies and bikes were countered by an element of Marines and one of Land Raiders. One element of bikes was quickly eliminated, and the other bikes and buggies held off. The Marine attack on the Ork left was also stalled as the Weirdboy Battletower was brought up to support the Gargant and the tanks. Unfortunately the Tower soon built up too much energy and exploded (the Magician rolled a second '1' when bespelling; I decided that the frog rule did not apply here, and eliminated it). However, the Gargant and the tanks made short work of the Speeders and Land Raiders, one Land Raider element surviving to fall back and cover the Marine right flank.

The explosion of the Battletower seemed to spell the end for the Orks. Their attack on the Marine left was repulsed, with the remaining buggies and bikes being eliminated. The Marines initiated a general advance, and were heartened when their Chaplain reappeared, next to the Ork stronghold. His attack was repulsed, but the Orks desperate attempts to stop him attacking again failed. The second attack was also repulsed, and by now the Orks had the tanks in a position to block a third assault. The Chaplain and the tanks settled into a fruitless slog that was to last the rest of the battle. The Ork Gargant was now attacking the Marine's right flank, eliminating the Land Raiders stationed there, and putting it in the Marine's rear. The Orks juggled their main line of infantry to meet the Marine assault, and the two lines clashed. Although the Orks had the longer line, their Boyz were no match for the determined Marines, and were driven back. The Nobz were isolated, and a final push by the Marine infantry eliminated them, winning the battle. The Orks had lost their general, but in doing so they lost half their army as well.

Ork losses were the Nobz, the Weirdboy Battletower and three elements of buggies and bikes. The Marines lost two elements of Land Raiders and an element of Speeders. In a hard fought battle, all elements engaged in combat at least once.

Technical details: My Epic forces are based for the old Space Marine game, so the infantry are on 20mm square bases. All troops were based on a 60mm frontage, and the 25mm groundscale used. The Blades and Warband consisted of three infantry bases or three Dreadnaughts, so were 20mm deep. Tanks, battlewagons and Land Raiders were based two to a 40mm deep base, the buggies, bikes and Speeders five to a 40mm deep base. The Battletower and the Gargant were on 60mm square bases.

All in all, the game looked good, and played well. Next; it's time for the Imperial Guard.

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