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alekith's
armies are gathering for a new assault on Ulthuan and smoke from the forges
of the Druchii darken the skies. Raiding parties of Dark Elf Shades are
on the hunt once again across the plains of Ellyrion in search of the
finest mounts in the Old World. Will the evil Dark Elves obtain the mounts
they desire or will the Ellyrian Reavers be able to protect their charges
from a hideous life in the stables of the Witch King?
A 24" x 24" area is ideal for this type of game. The terrain represent the plains of Ellyrion and as such will be somewhat bare but you will need to add a few terrain features for the scouts to spring forth from. We suggest a few small stands of trees, some tall grass, rocks, or even a small pond.
You will need 20 Elven horse miniatures without riders or 20 tokens to represent horses on the tabletop. Players alternate placing horses anywhere they wish on the battlefield.
The game lasts for 10 turns. The Dark Elves will win the game if they control/have captured 5 or more horses by the end of Turn 10 or if they wipe out all of the Ellyrian Reavers. The High Elves will win if they drive off the Shades, destroy their forces or prevent them from capturing a sufficient number of horses by the end of the game. Rules for capturing horses can be found in the Special Rules section below.
Place one Ellyrian Reaver in the centre of the table. One after another, use a Scatter die to deploy each of the 4 remaining High Elves 2D6" from the centre of the board. This represents the random movement of the group amongst the horses.
The Dark Elf Shades start out the game in hiding as detailed below in the Special Rules section.
The Dark Elf Shades use their uncanny stealth to gain the surprise and get the first turn.
This scenario uses the special rules detailed below:
Camouflage
Dark Elf Shades are masters of stealth and deception. Not even the rolling plains
of Ellyrion can prevent them from infiltrating among the herd and they have
used clever camouflage techniques and guerrilla methods to creep up on the horses
right under the noses of their shepherds. During the first turn of the game,
up to 3 Shades may reveal themselves from camouflage 4" away from 3 randomly
determined terrain features. On the second and subsequent turns, 2 more Shades
may enter the battle from a randomly determined table edge. This continues until
all 10 Shades have been deployed.
Roundup!
Although each Dark Elf Shade has a lasso which enables them to capture the Elven
steeds, they also have the capability and skill to wrangle them under control
by hand if need be. Any Shade may capture a horse by ending their movement next
to the model. A horse may also be captured by lassoing during the Shooting phase.
A lasso has a range of 6" and normal modifiers to shooting apply. After
being captured, move the Shade and horse together as one model at the movement
rate of the Dark Elf. A Shade may lead a horse off of the table (preventing
it from being freed) but may not return. If a Shade with a captured horse is
Stunned or goes Out of Action the horse will flee 3D6" inches
in a random direction but will stop if it reaches a board edge.
This scenario is a classic battle described in the Warhammer Armies: Dark Elves book. However, it could just as easily be played with other armies such as:
• Goblin Wolf Riders attacking a flock of sheep which is protected by
Empire Pistoliers or Handgunners.
• Lizardmen Chameleon Skinks attacking a Dark Elf Cold One pen.
• Hobgoblin Wolf Riders assaulting a Halfling village.
This scenario can be used as the precursor to a full-scale Warhammer battle. If the Dark Elf Shades are successful in their raid, the loss of so many steeds is a heavy blow to the High Elf army. In the following battle, the points cost of Ellyrian Reavers is doubled.
If the High Elves manage to hold out against the Dark Elf assault, the resulting punishment of the Shades by the furious Witch King will result in them becoming a 0-1 choice in the following battle.
