Breach the line - Skaven vs Bretonia - Campaign game 4

The last piercing scream echoed in the cavern, then silence. Grey seer Xylo walked out of the workshop licking blood from his clawed finger's. An impatient Trask waited for him. "Well? Did the breeder-witch talk?" Asked the Arch Warplock.

"Of course, it did," Xylo replied. "The horse-men are taking it their, woodland fortress." 

Trask optics light up. "To the west! The horse-men will need to swing back that way."

"Indeed. The gnaw holes will allow us to get into position and ambush them as they approach." Xylo said.

Turning to his leuitentants, "Warlord Hack-paw, bring the Verminius hordes, Chieftain Stab-fang rally the weapon teams" Trask orders. 

Xylo adds "And call up an Rat Ogor pack. We must not let them gain the fortress."

Originally when planning the campaign we had pegged the Skaven as the attackers in this game, But last games Skaven lost threw the story in the air, so a quick re-shuffle, and a story fix we have got the skaven trying to stop the bretonians once again from escaping with the Artifact, but instead of a chase, the Ratmen have set up an ambush and will try to stop the horse lords getting the artifact to their fortress. 

This will be an 85 pool choice game using the SCGT pools. And playing the Breach the line scenario.

Table

Here is the table set up, Bretonians are riding hard to reach the fortress, when the skaven use the gnawholes the get ahead of the horses. And before the fortress can respond they must try to smash and steal the Artifact away.

Deployment
Bretonians left to right - 10 Grail Knights, Bretonian Lord, Damsel, 15 Knights of the Realm (this unit carries the Artefact), 10 Knights Errant, Durthu.

Skaven - Three units of 10 clanrats staggered back in deployed lines, Ratling gun, Arch warlock, Cheiftain with Battle Standard, 2 poison wind mortars, 20 stormvermin. Grey seer, 3 Jezzials, 6 rat ogres, 2 pack masters.

Turn 1 Bretonian
Durthu creates 2 wild woods, casts mystic shield on himself, and steps through the woods on to the Skaven flank.
Durthu charges the middle Clanrat unit stomps and slashes 10 rats flat, Bretonian lord charges the flank of the front clanrat unit and impales 4 rats on his lance.

Turn 1 Skaven
Chieftain plants his banner. Warlord commands his verminus units to gnash and gnaw the enemy. Grey seer casts mystic shield on the Rat Ogors. Arch warlock summons the warp storm, It wounds Durthu, misses the lord and the blast aimed at the artefact unit is saved. The Skaven guns aim at the Artifact unit and start whittling it's numbers down.

Rat Ogors run forward, the final line of clanrats, swing left to block the flank. Mortars back step, Arch warlock joins them. Stormvermin run through the thin line of clanrats. Stormvermin go against the battle plan and charge Durthu. 16 of them are in weapon range, they outnumber there opponent, and are in range of both the chieftain and the warlord, So 3 attacks each, 3+ to hit, re-roll 1's. Massive hand fulls of dice later and only 8 wounds are on a mystic shielded Durthu. In return the Bretonian Lord kills of all the clanrat unit, and Durthu stomps 12 Stormvermin.

Turn 2 Skaven
Double turn! Arch warlock casts mystic Shield on the vermin, but fails to summon the warpstorm. Seer casts his shield on the Rat Ogors. Skaven guns fire into the artifact unit and continue to pick the odd knight off. Rat ogors charge the Errants.
But I choose to use the vermin first and i'm glad I did, still buffed the 8 remaining vermin hack the final 4 wounds of Durthu.

Errant's the kill a Rat Ogor, in retailiation the rat ogors kill 3 knights. Knights of the realm find themselfs in range pile in and wound another Ogor.

Turn 2 Bretonia
Realm Knights retreat with the Artifact. Lord Aims at Arch warlock who unhorsed him last battle. Grails run forward looking for revenge for the killing of Durthu.

Lord charges and knocks down the Arch Warlock. Grails smash into the Stormvermin and Clanrats, and wipe out both units.

Furious rat ogors seeing the prize escape, use the campaign Inspired buff, and rip apart the Errants.

Turn 3 Skaven
Chieftain pulls up his banner, together with the warlord and poison wind mortars, they pull back to the building. Jezzials and Rattling gun, open fire and pluck out a few more knights. Mortars have been in effective every shot so far. Rat Ogors slam into the Artifact Knight unit, A pack master gets in front of the knights to try and hold them up. The packmaster takes down one knight and the Rat Ogors kill serveral as well.

Turn 3 Brettonian
Artifact knights retreat again while the Grails cross behind them to take on the Rat Ogors. Bretonian lord charges the Jezzials. Grails kill the rattling gun, packmaster and all but 1 Ogor. Lord rides down a Jezzial team, the rest flee the field.

Turn 4 Skaven
Remaining Rat Ogor flees, no need to give the grails a free kill. Second packmaster chases down the Artifact. The mortar teams are finally on target, and kill 3 of the knights. The chasing pack master is kicked out by a horse.

Turn 4 Bretonnia
Lord charges the Seer, Grail knights go after the Skaven artillery.

Mortar teams and Seer are taken out. But the warlord hacks down 4 Grail knights and then scurries away.

Turn 5 Skaven
Last ditch attempt if the chieftain and warlord can charge they might be able to kill the last of the Artifact Knights. But are unable to make the big charge distance.
Turn 5 Bretonnia
The Artifact enters the fortress. And the Bretonnians win.

So close, I am done under estimating the Bret's they are brutal on the charge, I keep using the verminus formation but small units of infantry cannot withstand massed cavalry.

Hack-paw and Stab-fang can only watch the knights bear the artifact into the fortress as the gates open to allow it's defenders to Sally forth. With a nod the pack brothers know it is time to save their own hide. Scurry-hurrying back to the gnaw-hole. They spot the inert from of their master Trask, and quick inspection later find he is alive inside the mangled armour, without hesitation they grab him and bear him to safety.