Orcs Rampage in Lustria

Actually one of two games with my Orc and Goblin army I had in December, but the other is lost in the mists of time now, and although I have photo's I can only be hazy on the events of this one.

I faced a fairly new army to me, the only time I've played Lizardmen before they whupped my Dwarves. Orcs and Goblins are notoriously unpredictable in Warhammer, having some of the very best units, but also most of the very worst too; along with special rules which make them as able to destroy themselves as any enemy.

I went for a fairly typical list for me at 200 points, some of it cookie cutter in it's predictability (Black Orc Warboss in unit of Big un's carrying Morks Banner for upto +3 dispell dice, seems a no brainer to me; as does at least one fanatic in every Night Goblin unit). Other bits, less so; Wolf riders as medium cavalry with spears and shields in two ranks, for example.

My opponent used lots of Saurus' Skink skirmishers, a Stegadon and a Slann. Fairly standard stuff. I got first turn and advanced more or less across the board, there was a an exchange of magic, which did little, and then some excellent guided missile fire from my Doom Diver knocked out the Salamander unit he had.

On his turn,Ambushing Skinks ran at my Doom Diver and tried to destroy it, but just failed. His magic was effectively shut down by my huge base of dispel dice, bolstered by my three to two advantage in spell casters.

My advance activated all my fanatics (three), and they smashed his Skink scouts, leaving my bow armed Goblins free to bicker. On his second turn the Slann mage blew himself up summoning a comet, leaving him with a serious lack of magic. He began to send skink hero on a Terradon around my flank, hoping his other skirmishers could out shoot my wolf riders, whilst his Saurus led the attack.

As a plan it proved flawed, mostly by bad luck; I declared a big Waaaagh and rushed most of the army forward. Which allowed the goblin spear unit to charge; destroying their target in a frankly surprising victory.

His Stegadon had to charge at this point, and it made a fair fist of defeating the Savage Orcs, though it was almost killed in the process. His bad luck continued when his Skink failed to destroy the doom diver's lone defender in combat. And then the comet struck.

Goblins proved immune to it, and the Orc Big Uns took sustainable losses. The Army charged almost en masse, and made a real mess of the Lizzies centre. A flank charge by the Goblins destroyed a unit of Saurus! They outran the goblins and would rally, but by this point their rearguard of skinks was finished by the wolf riders and victory was looking comprehensive.

And so it proved, the Big Un's got ito the othe Saurus unit and my Warboss slaughtered his Old Blood Lord. The unit around him was killed and ran.

We called it there, as it was clear there was no coming back; everything seemed to go wrong for the Lizardmen, everything right for me. A solid plan, allowed the Orcs and Goblins to work as well as possible as a group, despite their inevitable randomness.

It seems a tradition that I win the last game of the year; or perhaps it's the case I elect to quit whilst I'm ahead?...