La Bataille de Hel Fenn

[Dreadaxe]

La Bataille de Hel Fenn par EvC tiré du Watchman 2

Battle at Hel Fenn

- EvCBattle at Hel FennRe-enacting the final battle of the Vampire Wars

EvC is the closest thing the Watchman has to a proof reader. When not doing this for the Watchman, he can be found dancing in graveyards and giving salsa lessons to Zombies, or to use their daytime name - old people.

In this article he details one of the most famous of the battles of the Vampire Wars - Hel Fenn - the battle where Mannfred Von Carstein met his end.

Overview:

The Battle of Hel Fenn took place in 2145, signalling the end of the Wars of the Vampire Counts. After countless battles including those at Altdorf and Marienburg, Mannfred and his forces were driven back into the forests of Sylvania. However by this time the Count had managed to replenish his entire army and had mustered one of the greatest forces ever seen in the Old World. Mannfred even made an unholy pact with the Lahmian vampire cult of Nuln before invading the lands of the living and had their favour too. Martin von Kristallbach, the Elector Count of Stirland, readied his forces to stem the tide of undead, as both a force of Dwarfs and the Knights of the Divine Sword marched to battle, both ready to avenge ancient grudges. Mannfred had the utmost confidence in his own victory at this point, but other forces were at play that night, with many egos on the battlefield and enmities to be resolved. Although records greatly exaggerate the aid given by the Elves, in fact their help was more spiritual rather than physical, the Mage Finreir trying to halt Mannfred’s evil magic. Mannfred was supposedly killed when the battle took place, but who will triumph when you re-enact this battle?

Armies:

The army of the Vampire Counts is lead by Mannfred

von Carstein, with his two must trusted lieutenants (Or rather, two that have survived until this point) Adolphus Krieger and Gothard, both fierce fighters. His army consists of countless

numbers of the walking dead plus a large proportion of Black Knights, including the Black Hand lead by Krieger himself.

Mannfred von Carstein leads 4000 points of von Carstein bloodline Vampire Counts, the troops selected from the Warhammer Armies: Vampire Counts book as usual. The army contains the following characters, whose rules can be found from pages 62-70 of the army book:

Mannfred von Carstein. The General of the Vampire

Counts Army, costing 690 points. He may NEVER lose his last Wound from crumbling as a result of losing combat- he will fight on until finally being put to the sword.

Adolphus Krieger. Krieger is a Vampire Count and carries a Lance, rides a Barded Nightmare and has the von Carstein Bloodline Power Walking Death. A Level 1 Wizard, he costs 264 points.

Gothard, the Undying. He is a Wight Lord and wears Heavy Armour, rides a Barded Nightmare, wields a Lance and carries The Cursed Shield, which has the same effect as The Cursed Shield of Mousillon (See page 50), except that it causes Knights of the Divine Sword to hate Gothard rather than Bretonnians. He costs 105 points.

This leaves 2941 points for the rest of the army. The army may include no more than two more characters, who must be Heroes. If taken, each may only spend up to 25 points on magic items. The Vampire Counts army must include at least two separate units of Black Knights, one of which must be lead by Gothard, within which he must stay as long as they survive. This unit carries the Hell Banner for free. Krieger must start the game within another unit of Black Knights, who carry the Banner of Doom for free, though he is free to leave as usual.

In addition to the units in the main troop selection section of the army book, Sylvanian Levy units from the “Legions of the Dead” von Carstein army list at the back of the Vampire Counts Army Book (Page 78) may be taken. Although these Alive! units are Core, they will not count as Core units for the purposes of the five core units required in a 4000 point army. Undead characters may not join these units.

Skeletal Chariots may also be taken in the army as a Special Choice (Two Chariots may be taken acting as a single Special choice), which use the following rules:

Skeletal Chariot Points/ Model: 80

M WS BS S T W I A Ld

Chariot - - - 5 4 4 - - -

Crew - 2 2 3 - - 2 1 3

Skeletal Horse 8 2 - 3 - - 2 1 -

Unit size: Each Skeletal Chariot is a separate unit, with two crew pulled by two Skeletal Horses.

Weapons: The crew carry hand weapons, spears and bows. The chariot has scythed wheels.

Armour save: 4+

Special Rules:

Undead: These chariots follow the usual rules for undead units (See page 25) of the Vampire Counts Army Book.

Chariots: All rules governing chariots apply to Skeletal Chariots (See pages 62-64 of the Warhammer

Rulebook).

Dark Blessing: The arrows of the crew are cursed by the Lahmian Vampire known as “The Eternal”, and will always hit their targets on a roll of 4+, regardless of other modifiers negative or positive. The chariots have 360 degree Line of Sight for the purposes of shooting.

Opposing the Vampire Counts are 3000 points of Empire and 1000 points of Dwarfs, to be selected from their respective Warhammer Armies books. Although on the same side, these are separate armies for the purposes of Army Composition (So they must both have the usual number of Core Choices, for example) and the effects of individual Characters, who may not join or affect others armies’ units.

The Empire army contains elements from many different provinces including Ostland and Talabecland

though the bulk of the forces hail from Stirland, with the Count Martin von Kristallbach leading his troops. Included in the army are the dreaded Ostland Black Guard, armed with wicked two-handed swords, and cavalry lead by the disgraced Dietrich Jaeger, who seeks to regain his status in battle after numerous follies in war. The infantry is lead by Ackim Brant and Vorster Schlagener, while Priests of Taal try to protect the troops from the spiritual evils of the battlefield.

Martin von Kristallbach leads 3000 points of Empire, including the following characters:

Martin is an Elector Count (Empire General), and is armed with a Runefang. He wears Full Plate Armour and carries a Shield. He has the blessing of the Arch Theogonist of Sigmar, giving him a Ward Save of 4+. He costs 250 points. He may ride a Barded Warhorse for an additional 20 points.

Ackim Brant is a Captain, wearing Full Plate Armour and carrying a Great Weapon. He wields the Rod of Command, and costs 112 points. Two Warrior Priests of Taal follow the army; they use the rules from The Watchman Issue 1, pages 80-81. Each costs 99 points and is armed with a Hand Weapon, Longbow, Light Armour and a Shield. Remember that the presence of the Warrior Priest means that a unit of Flagellants

may be taken as a Core choice.

Up to 750 points of Empire forces must be set aside as the Knights of the Divine Sword, lead by their Templar Grand Master. He rides a Barded Warhorse, wears Full Plate Armour and carries an Enchanted Shield. He wields the Sword of Fate, which must be targeted at Gothard. He costs 220 points.

The Knights of the Divine Sword contingent must include at least one unit of Knights of any kind, and may only include other units of Knights. None of the units count towards the number of Core or Special choices in the army composition.

All units in the Empire army that are lead by a character may re-roll failed Psychology tests.

The army must also include at least one unit of Greatswords, representing the Ostland Black Guard.

With the remaining 2200 points (Other than those spent on the Knights of the Divine Sword), the main army must include one unit of regular Empire Knights with Full Command, armed with Great Weapons. However, this unit does not have the “always strike last” rule for using the Great Weapons, and fight according to initiative/ charge order as usual. This unit of Cavalry is lead by Dietrich Jaeger, who replaces the unit Champion; he also carries a Pistol at no extra cost. However, once Jaeger has caused at least one unsaved wound to an enemy in close combat, from the next phase he and his Knights will be subject to Frenzy (Remember that this means the Warhorses will also increase the number of of their attacks by one!). No other character may join this unit of Cavalry while Jaeger is alive, but if he is killed and another character manages to join the unit, then the unit will lose its Frenzied status as it comes under the character’s

leadership. Other units of Empire Knights follow the usual rules.

One unit of infantry must purchase a unit Champion to represent Vorster Schlagener. He is armed with a Great Sword and wears Full Plate Armour. He has an additional Wound on his profile, and adds +1 to his side’s Combat Resolution when fighting. The unit he is with may re-roll failed Psychology tests.

Because the battle takes place in 2145, the Empire Army may not include Helblaster Volley Gun, Helstorms or Steam Tanks. Great Cannons and Mortars may be included in the army as either Special or Rare choices. The army may include one additional Hero-level Character, but it may not be a Battle Wizard or Engineer.

The Empire is aided by the Elven Mage Finreir. Although he has no physical presence on the battlefield, the Empire player may add one to each dispel dice he rolls; a double one is still a failure, of course. For example, rolling a 3 and a 5 to Dispel will give a combined score of 10 (3 +1 + 5 + 1). In addition, when the Priests attempt to utter their Prayers, the Prayers are cast automatically at a power level of 2D6. If any double is rolled (Even a double one!) then the Prayer is cast with Irresistible Force and so cannot be dispelled that turn. However if two or more Prayers are cast with Irresistible Force in one turn, then Finreir’s power is burnt out, and he no longer aids the Priests, who utter their Prayers at the usual power level.

Dwarfs from a number of holds march to aid the Empire and finally put paid to the menace of the Vampires, lead by Kallad Stormwarden, the last survivor of Karak Sadra. His runic axe Ruinthorn has already dispatched several Vampires, and he and his kinsmen have many grudges to avenge. His comrades include Mologon Durmirasonm, Othtin Othdilason, Belamir Kadminasson and Cahgur Ullagundinasson.

Kallad Stormwarden is a Thane. He wears Gromril Armour, carries a Shield and a Great Weapon inscribed with the Rune of Fury and the Rune of Cleaving. He also has a Talisman with the Rune of Fate engraved upon it. In addition he hates all units with the Undead rule, as will any unit he is with. He costs 170 points.

The remaining 830 points of Dwarf troops must be selected from the Dwarf Army Book, but may only include Infantry choices- no War Machines or Gyrocoptors! Nor may the army include any Miners or additional characters.

Four units of infantry must be taken, and must have unit Champions purchased to represent the four comrades of Stormwarden described above. They have the usual stats for the unit Champions,

but one additional wound on their profiles, and these Champions and their units hate all undead in the same manner as Stormwarden.

When the Dwarf contingent arrives, their Dispel dice will also gain Finreir’s magical dispel bonus and may be combined with Empire Dispel dice.

The Battlefield

The game should be played on an 8 x 4 table. If a smaller table is used then the flanking forces should roll to arrive one turn later (See later). Hel Fenn is a desolate area, but the terrain should include one hill with ruins on it partially in the Empire’s deployment zone, plus scattered areas of marshland (Difficult terrain) and a couple of forest areas partially in the Vampire Counts deployment zone. Remember to keep all areas within 12” of the centre of the table free from terrain.

Deployment:

The Vampire Counts and main Empire armies deploy as usual at least 24” from each other. Gothard and Krieger should be deployed with their separate Black Knight units when they are set up, as should Jaeger and Schlagener. The Knights of the Divine Sun are held back, as are the Dwarfs.

Who goes first:

The Vampire Counts take their turn first. The game last 8 turns in total.

Victory Conditions:

Add up victory points as usual; despite the victory

points, the Empire and Dwarfs can only win if they have killed Mannfred von Carstein, otherwise the best result they can achieve is a draw. The Vampire Counts can still win if Mannfred is dead, however (It’s just very unlikely!).

Scenario special rules:

Reinforcements!

The Knights of the Divine Sword and Dwarfs both enter from turn 3 or later. The Empire player

should secretly decide and write down which flank each force will arrive on before the battle. Roll a dice for both contingents on the Empire player’s turn 3, on a 4+ they turn up that turn, arriving between the two armies’ deployment zones; add one to the Knights’ roll if Gothard has killed anything so far. If either contingent fails to arrive, roll again in each subsequent Empire turn, adding one to the roll for each turn that passes. When they arrive the Knights may not March or Charge that turn, but the Dwarfs can March. If both contingents arrive on the same turn and have selected the same flank, then the Dwarfs will move on from their chosen side, but the Knights will have gone round the other side and enter from the opposite flank.

Attack from the shadows!

Not only are powerful forces watching the battle from afar, but other more shadowy characters lurk around the battlefield and have their own agendas. At the end of each player’s movement phase from the turn after the Dwarfs have arrived, roll a D6, and on a 1 Mannfred von Carstein is attacked by a ferocious enemy! If he is in contact with any other models, immediately move him to the closest spot that he can be 1” away from any other models. He remains there fighting a duel against a mysterious enemy until the Empire and Dwarfs’ turn is over, and will not be affected by anything in the game until then; he may not be charged, shot, etc. and will ignore anything, even a rogue cannonball!

The attack on Mannfred results in the loss of his hand- Mannfred permanently loses a Wound (If he is already down to one Wound it will not reduce it further. Either way Mannfred may only be healed back to a maximum of three Wounds) and loses his Ward Save. The attack also dismounts Mannfred- he counts as being on foot and is on a 20mm base from the start of his next turn. His attacker retreats and Mannfred is free to move once again.

EvC

This scenario was only intended as a guideline of how to re-enact the battle at Hel Fenn. If you wish to alter it then do so accordingly with your own miniature collection. This scenario was created

to be fun.

If you want to do further reading on Hel Fenn or generally about the Vampire Count wars then the best thing to do would be to look up the Von Carstein trilogy of novels written by Steven Saville. This scenario bases a lot of its detail off the book, it also reveals who the being attacking Mannfred Von Carstein in this scenario is.

[rochpt1]

D'accord merci, mais en francais ca donne quoi et pourquoi tu postes?

Sinon j'ai pas lu mais je vais le faire, ca m'a l'air interessant...

[Dreadaxe]

D'accord merci, mais en francais ca donne quoi et pourquoi tu postes?

Babel Fish et Google Traduction sont tes amis

[rochpt1]

Mais moi j'aime pas Google Traduction Je m'en sers pour mes exposes d'allemand et ils me donnent des phrases a la :"Mais il gentil etant la riviere entre les jambes" ou des trucs dans les genre. Enfin bon quand l'envie me prendra je le ferai

[Dreadaxe]

[size="+4"][/size]Merci à Patatovitch d'avoir recoipié la version pour WFB5 de Tuomas Pirinen pour le superbe article le[i] Livre des Jours[/i].
[quote][size="+4"]LA BATAILLE DE HEL FENN[/size] [b]2145 CI[/b]

[right][size="-1"]White Dwarf Fr #35 p44-45[/size][/right]
Note de Patatovitch : On notera l'attention accordée par Rick Priestley et Tuomas Pirinen au contexte de l'époque (pas de magiciens des collèges, pas trop d'armes à poudre).


Ce scénario vous permet de reconstituer l'une des plus célèbres batailles de l'histoire du Vieux Monde. Il est simple, car peu de détails exacts sur cet événement nous sont parvenus, mais rien ne vous empêche de l'enrichir de règles spéciales. […]

[img]http://verrahrubicon.free.fr/images/_index.gif[/img] [indent][b]LE SCENARIO[/b][/indent] La bataille de Hel Fenn apporta une définitive à la longue guerre que l’Empire et les Comtes Vampires de Sylvanie se livraient depuis des décennies.

Les armées impériales et celles de Mannfred von Carstein s’y affrontèrent en un combat décisif qui mit fin à ce conflit. Les nains vinrent renforcer les rangs des humains et Mannfred, qui avait amorcé une manœuvre de retraite vers la Sylvanie, se retrouva accule et bel et bien piégé à proximité du Fleuve Stir.

Rassemblant ses dernières troupes, le Comte Vampire décida alors de faire face à ses ennemis et de tenter de se dégager afin de regagner sa forteresse ou il espérait pouvoir lever de nouvelles légions de ses sombres serviteurs afin de préparer une campagne de revanche.

[indent][b]Règles spéciales[/b][/indent] Ce scénario est une adaptation de Percée (page 31 du Livre des Batailles). L’armée des morts y est celle qui tente de se dégager et sa particularité essentielle est que les troupes pouvant être utilisées sont limitées à celles données dans les listes [ci-dessous]. Cette restriction résulte de la nature des armées impliquées, mais aussi de période concernée. Les collèges de Magie, par exemple, n’existaient pas encore à l’époque et l’armée impériale ne pourra donc pas comprendre de sorcier.

[img]http://verrahrubicon.free.fr/images/wfb_scenario/scenar19_carte.jpg[/img] Ces restrictions sont dues aux circonstances inhabituelles de la bataille. Vous pouvez augmenter ou réduire la valeur totale des armées afin de les adapter aux quantités de figurines dont vous disposez, mais les deux armées doivent être modifiées équitablement et rester de valeurs égales. Cette bataille est idéale pour trois joueurs, chacun ayant le contrôle d’une armée.

A moins que le contraire ne soit précisé, vous pouvez équiper vos troupes comme vous le désirez du moment que vous vous conformez aux limitations spécifiées dans les Livres d'Armée de chaque race. Toute exception sera indiquée ci-dessous.

[indent][b]L'Alliance (3000 points)[/b][/indent] LES IMPERIAUX (1500 à 2000 points)

Martin, Comte Electeur du Stirland
Martin de Stirland commande l’armée impériale. Son profil est celui d’un seigneur humain (voir le Livre d’Armée de l’Empire). Il chevauche un destrier caparaçonné et doit être doté d’un Croc Runique. Le reste de son équipement et de ses objets magiques peut être choisi librement.

Champions
Chaque régiment de l'armée impériale peut être accompagné un champion. Tout champion devra être armé et équipé les hommes du régiment dans lequel il se trouve.

0-2 Régiments de Chevaliers

N’importe quel nombre de régiments de Hallebardiers

N’importe quel nombre de régiments d’Archers

N’importe quel nombre de régiments d’Arbalétriers

N’importe quel nombre de régiments de Lanciers

N’importe quel nombre de régiments de Joueurs d’Épée

0 - 1 Régiment de Flagellants

0 - 1 Régiment d’0gres

0 - 1 Chariot de Guerre

0 - 3 Grands Canons

LES NAINS (1000 à 1500 points)

Gurni, le Seigneur Nain
Gurni commande l’armée des nains. Son profil est celui d'un seigneur nain ordinaire (voir Livre d’Armée des nains). Il peut être doté de l’équipement normalement disponible pour les personnages nains et posséder jusqu’à trois runes magiques d’une valeur maximale de 100 points chacune.

Champions
Chaque régiment de l’armée des nains peut être accompagné par un champion. Tout champion devra être armé et équipé comme les nains du régiment dans lequel il se trouve.

0-1 Maître des Runes
L’armée des nains peut comprendre un seul Maître des Runes. Il pourra être de n’importe quel niveau, comme expliqué dans le Livre d’Armée des nains. Il pourra être doté de l’équipement disponible pour les personnages nains et avoir jusqu'à trois runes d’une valeur maxi de 100 points chacune.

0-1 Régiment de Longues Barbes

N’importe quel nombre de régiments de Guerriers nains

N’importe quel nombre de régiments d’Arbalétriers nains

0 - 1 Régiment de Tueurs de Troll

0 - 3 Machines de Guerre naines

[b] [/b] [indent][b]Les morts-vivants (3000 points)[/b][/indent] Mannfred von Carstein
Il commande l’armée des morts vivants. Il peut avoir jusqu’à quatre objets magiques, d'une valeur maximale de 50 points chacun. Notez qu’il ne peut pas porter l’Anneau des Carstein qui lui été dérobé un siècle plus tôt.

0-2 Comtes Vampires
L’armée des morts vivants peut comprendre jusqu’à deux Comtes Vampires. Ils pourront être dotés de l’équipement disponible pour les personnages morts vivants et avoir chacun jusqu’à deux objets magiques d’une valeur maxi de 50 points. Les Comtes Vampires peuvent de plus chevaucher des montures squelettes.

Champions
Chaque régiment de l’armée peut être accompagné par un champion. Tout champion devra être équipé et armé de la façon décrite dans le Livre d’Armées des Morts Vivants.

N’importe quel nombre de régiments de Squelettes

N’importe quel nombre de régiments de Cavaliers Squelettes

N’importe quel nombre de régiments de Zombies

N ’importe quel nombre de régiments de Goules

N’importe quel nombre de régiments de Revenants

N’importe quel nombre de régiments de Fantômes

N'importe quel nombre de regiments de Charognards

0-1 Régiment de Spectres

0-3 Catapultes à Cranes Hurlants

0-3 Chars Squelettes

[/quote]