I’ve heard talk that magic is good. I’ve used it sparingly in the past (Skaven, Empire), but never as a real offensive weapon.

Along came Nurgle Chaos, and what a weapon it is.

My first game with my Nurgle Chaos didn’t go too swell. I squared off at 1,000 points with a High Elf army, and I came out with a minor loss. Some poor tactical decisions along with some cruddy luck with my magic left most of my army impotent until the last turn of the game.

Last Saturday, I met up with that same High Elf army for a rematch. The results were much different.

Deploying Differently

I was using the same list as the first time. A level 2 Sorcerer, a block of Warriors, a unit of Knights, two units of Marauder Horsemen, and a unit of Dogs. A little beef, a dose of speed, and some magic for fun.

I split the army up into two parts. The Sorcerer, the Warriors, and a unit of Marauder Horsemen occupied the left portion of the battlefield, while the rest of the army came up the right flank. My opponent deployed most of his army opposite my Warriors with his Bolt Thrower on a hill, but there was a lone unit of Seaguard waiting for my Knights.

I went first – allowing everyone to march forward and close ground quickly. He flew his Eagle over to march block the Knights for a turn, and his first volley of shooting decimated my Dogs. The next turn, the Warriors were able to keep marching, while the Knights slowly walked across the field.

With this second march, my Sorcerer was in the perfect position. For his two spells, he had the #1 spell (Magnificent Buboes, 5+, 1 wound on a single model) and the #6 spell (Rot, Glorious Rot, 12+). As it turns out, that #6 spell was going to be the deciding factor in the game. It’s effect reads:

Each enemy unit within 18″ of the caster takes D6 SD6 hits with no armour saves allowed (roll separately for each unit). This spell can even effect enemy units in close combat.

I threw three dice and the spell went off easily (Irresistible Force ftw!). When I measured out the range, almost the entire army was hit. I caught the Eagle, the Knights, the Swordmasters, the Spearmen, the Seaguard, and the hero on foot (standing by himself).

I initially read the spell wrong and resolved each hit at S6. I couldn’t believe the utter destruction that befell the High Elf army, so I read the spell over a few times – and I eventually noticed that it was a SD6, or a strength of D6. We went back and resolved the wounds a second time – rolling for the strength of each volley – and it was still pretty devastating. The Knights and Swordmasters were almost wiped out, and the character was killed.

From there, it quickly went downhill for the High Elves. A unit of Marauder Horsemen was wiped out by shooting, but the Knights managed to crash into the line. They wiped out the Archers with ease, and they pursued into the Bolt Thrower.

After a turn of moving up, the Warriors engaged the Spearmen and the lone remaining Knight. The High Elves didn’t pack enough oomph in that first round to break the Warriors, and they slowly whittled down the Spearmen. Warriors with hand weapon and shield and a Mark of Nurgle are very sturdy against strength 3 attacks. It’s laughable the amount of spear-pokes that simply bounced off the unit with minimal wounds.

By the end of turn 6, the battle had turned into a massacre. It took a few rounds of combat, but the Warriors broke the Spearmen and pursued them. The Knights had easily taken care of their side of the field – the Archers, the Bolt Thrower, and the Sea Guard – and the magic had done the rest.

What Worked

A lot.

The clear winner of the game was magic. Rot, Glorious Rot is a ridiculous spell. If your opponent is bunched up in one area, do whatever you can to get your wizard in range of a handful of units. It wouldn’t be as effective against swarms like Skaven or Empire, but against highly armored, expensive units… it’s a dream come true. No Armour Saves. Woot!

The Knights survived a couple rounds of shooting (with only two or three guys alive) and smashed into some small units. They did their job well – however I think I might beef them up with an extra Knight or two. Starting with only five Knights quickly takes them down in fighting strength, making them less effective against sizeable troop blocks.

The Warriors did great in combat. Their armor stood up to the puny spear attacks, and they slowly fought back. At first, it was a close combat – due to the Dragon Prince charging, the Spearmen ranks, and the High Elves outnumbering. It quickly turned the other way, though, when almost none of the Chaos Warriors died. Hooray survivability!

Lessons for Next Time

At full points, I’m definitely taking a Sorcerer lord, and I think I’ll take the magic item (gift?) that allows him to get a fifth spell. Along with Rot, Glorious Rot, there are several wicked spells in the Nurgle arsenal – and getting five out of six for the Lord should be very helpful.

At full points, I’ll also beef up the Knights a bit. I had thought about taking a second unit, but there probably won’t be enough points. Adding 2 Knights to the initial unit will probably be more cost effective – allowing them to reach the enemy with almost full fighting strength (4-5 Knights alive, 2-3 casualties).

Keep the Knights and Warriors split up. By putting them on opposite sides of the board, the Eagle was only allowed to march block one unit. It’s kind of daunting to look at a block of Warriors and a unit of Knights, but it’s not so scary if they’re stuck in place. Split them up, allow one of them to go full speed ahead, and force your opponent to make some tough choices.

That puts my record with the Nurgle Chaos at 1,000 points at 1-1. I suppose that’s acceptable. We’ll have to have a third match soon as a tie-breaker.

In the meantime, I need to paint some stuff. I did finish a Warrior (which I’ll photograph and post about over the weekend), and I think my next painting project will be to start the Dogs.