1st Encounter with Dark Elves

Game 12 came and went.

One of the guys that I roped into this hobby recently made a rather large purchases of Dark Elves models. The least I'll say is that he should be good for near the duration of the hobby when it comes to Dark Elf models. My girlfriend was surprised that he had spent so much on the hobby and yet hadn't touched the game. Her comment gave me a little pause. For us the hobby is just as important as the game, if not more so. I love learning new paint techniques, painting and cutting models from a fresh sprue. The time spent on my models directly impacts my attachment to my army when playing a match. There is some sentiment, and I can't help but think during a game, those are my knights, and I don't want them losing to some druchii witch.

So Game 12 was set at 1500 points, and I was excited to see how the knights of Bretonnia would fare against Dark Elf raider scum. Watching my friend played I remembered my first game. I didn't know what the hell was going on, and attempted to develop tactics centered around where terrain was located. As a new player I was overly cautious against shooting and magic. 3d6 potential wounds from a spell or a volley from 12 archers seems much more devastating before the dice are rolled, especially for a new player. My friend seemed to follow in my shoes when it came to maneuvering around terrain. By turn 2 his Sorceress, War Hydra, and unit of Black Guard were entrenched around or within a forest, while my Pegasus Knights and Yeoman flew/moved circles around his units. Meanwhile my Knights were shaping up to crush his left flank while my Peasant Bowmen and Trebuchet were trying to earn their points. We were trying to play a quick match and made several mistakes along the way (remember Rank Bonus!!!). All in all it was a good learning experience, and we are hoping to play this Sunday.

Speaking of Sunday, my brother is headed into town before he disappears for his senior year of college and he is bringing his Woodelves. I'm hoping tomorrow will see a lot of painting and a couple matches - a full day of Warhammer!