"Murder in Illstadde"

A DarkeStorme scenario for two players by Gavin Syme

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Heinrich Flass' Dwarves must defend against Kraker Eads' Orc Marauders in the village of Illstadde.

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The afternoon sun beat down on the Dwarves, bringing fresh sweat to their beards and hardening muscles already well used to exertion. Axe rang against axe and spear turned aside spear as the training continued under the summer sky. Time passed in a blur for the newly raised warriors of the Warlord Thorgrun; they would soon be ready for the continual war against the Orcish rabble that threatened the safety of the Krautan peoples.
Far off on a hill overlooking the sleepy village of Illstatte a group of scarred and hungry Orcs looked on as the Dwarves continued to practise their weapon skills. Without a word they followed their leader towards the Dwarves, taking out their own swords and bows as they stalked silently onwards.

The garrison of this village was supposed to be away this day on some fools errand that would give the Orcs the chance to make an attack and loot the fat peasants who lived in the little stone houses of the settlement. It seemed that some of Dwarves remained.

They would not remain, nor remain alive for long though. Kraker Eads the leader of the Orcs would make sure of that. After less than a minute the marauders reached the edge of the high hill that was nearest the village. Now they were in bow range.

Kraker thumped his three archers on the backs and pointed at the Dwarves. With a guttural mutter they raised their bows and notched an arrow each.

‘Don’t miss you buggers...’

The fight began.

Motivations

The village of Illstadde has had the fortune to be left out of most of the fighting in recent years in the province of Alevia. With the ongoing struggle between Thorgrun the Splitter warlord of the local Krautan Dwarves and Turnspike Retch mountain orc warlord of the Silver Toe tribe in a temporary lull time has been allotted to rest and training.

While most of the Dwarf garrison is away the few remaining veterans give spear and shield practise to the thin bearded new recruits. All is well...for a while.

Out in the open in mid practise the Dwarves are startled by a small group of Orcish marauders who seem intent on raiding the village before the garrison returns.

This scenario is a straight forward fight between roughly balanced forces. The Orcs have fewer characters but they are stronger and have ranged weapons. The Dwarves have more characters and an advantage in melee. The motivations for both sides is simple, to clear the field of the enemy and to control the village of Illstadde.

Terrain

This scenario is played on a standard size table of six feet by four feet using 28mm scale miniatures. It is perfectly possible to use 15mm miniatures converting the scale down as per the DarkeStorme rulebook.

The terrain for this scenario is as follows. The action takes place just to the edge of the village at the foot of the surrounding hills. There are few scenic features apart from two small stone buildings and some clumps of rocks. Due to this being a well settled region there is no roll for Special Terrain on this table.

Deployment

When play begins the Dwarves are sited in any order or place contained in the area marked ‘Set Up Area 1’. The Orcs are sited in any order or place in the area marked ‘Set Up Area 2’.

The first turn begins as normal once set up is complete.

Heinrich Flass’s Dwarves

A small unit of mixed experienced and raw Dwarves which finds itself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Training and resting in the small haven of Illstadde these warriors must repel the attacking Orcs who are attempting to feast on the fat bellies of the village. Will they succeed?

Heinrich Flass (Unit Leader)
The leader of this training detachment Flass is an experienced warrior who has fought against not only the Orcs but also the Undead. He is a patient and wise Dwarf who remains cool under pressure. He will do his best to keep all under his command aliveand un harmed...if he can.
Heinrich Flass is a Mountain Dwarf armed with Axe and Shield, he wears Armour which counts as ‘Quality’. As leader he is immune to Morale tests.
You can use this miniature: DH5 Pose 5

Dieter Manne (Sub Leader)
Manne is a solid and reliable solider who has served under Flass for seven seasons mainly fighting against the Orcs of the Silver Toe. It’s due to the ravages of the ‘Toe’ that Manne now finds himself training up these young beards.
Dieter Manne is a Mountain Dwarf armed with Warhammer, he wears Armour which counts as ‘Flimsy’. As sub leader he is immune to Morale tests.
You can use this miniature: DH5 Pose 2

Klaus Bearder
This fellow has not been with the unit for long, but he has proven himself already at the recent fiasco of ‘Juggers Bridge’ where Flass nearly came a cropper against the Undead.
A Mountain Dwarf armed with a Halberd, he wears Armour which counts as ‘Flimsy’.
You can use this miniature: DH5 Pose 1

Peiter Pann
Self belief is important for any Dwarf but this soldier takes it a bit far. Convinced that he is a swift as the wind and can almost fly he runs everywhere when possible.
A Mountain Dwarf armed with a Halberd, he wears Armour which counts as ‘Flimsy’. Special rule - This character may add +2 inches to all his basic movement rates at all times.
You can use this miniature: DH5 Pose 3

Gunter Hause
Not quite right in the skull is this fellows manner. Wild eyes and favouring a stinking cloak of animal hide over his back Gunter is kept at arms length. He is a good fighter though.
A Mountain Dwarf armed with a Spear, he wears Armour which counts as ‘Flimsy’. Special rule - This character may once per game use the Level 2 spell ‘Bilious Cloud’ due to his stink.
You can use this miniature: DH5 Pose 4

The rest of the Dwarf unit is composed of the young and inexperienced Dwarves he has been told to train. They are quite capable of fighting but are not as skilled as the other fighters.

Soldat Tahmner
A Town Dwarf armed with a Hammer, he wears Armour which counts as ‘Flimsy’.
You can use this miniature: DH1 Pose 1

Soldat Grimbal
A Town Dwarf armed with an Axe, he wears Armour which counts as ‘Flimsy’.
You can use this miniature: DH1 Pose 2

Soldat Anhalt
A Town Dwarf armed with a Sword and Shield, he wears Armour which counts as ‘Flimsy’.
You can use this miniature: DH1 Pose 3

Soldat Wendl
A Town Dwarf armed with a Sword and Shield, he wears Armour which counts as ‘Flimsy’.
You can use this miniature: DH1 Pose 4

Soldat Minher
A Town Dwarf armed with Pick Axe and Buckler Shield, he wears Armour which counts as ‘Flimsy’.
You can use this miniature: DH1 Pose 5

Kraker’s Orcs

Never miss a chance to make a killing. That among other things is an Orcish motto for life. Kraker intends to make his mark now, in the Dwarvish hovels of Illstadde. If he takes enough heads and steals enough the Warlord of the Silver Toe tribe might promote him. If he does not...well he might eat him instead!

Kraker Eads (Unit Leader)
This is Kraker’s chance to make a name for himself in battle. He has only just been given these lads to command and it will not do for him to muck it up. Picking these young Dwarves was a smart move for an Orc. Get stuck in!
Kraker is a Tribal Orc armed with a Pole Axe , he wears Armour which counts as ‘Quality’. As leader he is immune to Morale tests.
Special Rule - This character has the skill ‘Iron Skin’.
You can use this miniature: OH8 Pose 4

Thrusta Burrn (Sub Unit Leader)
Envious eyes. Thrusta wants the command of this unit for himself and he will take a chance or two to get it. But not now, not in the fight. Afterwards while Kraker sleeps...then the knife is the thing.
Thrusta is a Tribal Orc armed with a Spear and Shield , he wears Armour which counts as ‘Quality’. As sub leader he is immune to Morale tests.
Special Rule - This character has the skill ‘Nimble’.
You can use this miniature: OH8 Pose 3

Fudd
I see things in the sky, things what might be in the future. I see coats of red and explosions that kill. I see us Orcs being masters of the world. Poor Fudd...what a nutter!
Fudd is a Tribal Orc armed with a Sword and Shield , he wears no armour.
You can use this miniature: OH8 Pose 1

Grasper Hurtz
Not too quick witted Grasper is not likely to win any prizes for...well anything but mayhem and murder. Which is good really as its all you need for a fight.
Hurtz is a Tribal Orc armed with a Club and Shield , he wears no armour.
You can use this miniature: OH8 Pose 2

Skarkill
A Tribal Orc armed with a Crossbow and Knife , he wears armour counting as ‘Flimsy’.
You can use this miniature: OH10 Pose 1

Garg
A Tribal Orc armed with a Bow and Knife , he wears armour counting as ‘Flimsy’.
You can use this miniature: OH10 Pose 2

Toff
A Tribal Orc armed with a Bow, Shield and Knife , he wears armour counting as ‘Flimsy’.
You can use this miniature: OH10 Pose 3

Mutta
A Tribal Orc armed with a Bow and Shield , he wears armour counting as ‘Flimsy’.
You can use this miniature: OH10 Pose 4

Special Rules

This scenario is aimed at those starting out in the realm of fantasy and the war torn World of Valon and as a result there are no special rules beyond those listed with individual characters.

Victory Conditions

This scenario is not part of a larger campaign (though you may integrate it as such if you like) and as a result the victory conditions can be short, sharp and clear. A player wins by having his characters as the last alive on the table. The first player to have all of his characters killed or to flee the table loses.

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Special Scenario Bundle - DSS01

This scenario is for those starting out in the DarkeStorme game and in an effort to assist you in doing this Alternative Armies has created a special bundle for this scenario.

DSS01 - Murder in Illstadde

This bundle contains all the miniatures and plastic bases needed for this scenario (also providing a core Dwarf and Orc force for expansion in any direction) along with a print version of this scenario AND the follow up scenario ‘Illstadde at Night’ which brings these characters together again for a rather odd rematch. This second scenario will not be published digitally at any time and can only be had in the bundle. Miniature packs supplied are DH1 Young Dwarves (5), DH5 Dwarf Polearms (5), OH8 Orc Desecrators (4) and OH10 Orc Missile Weapons (4) a total of 18 miniatures plus bases. RRP £30.00 Bundle Price £25.00

Go to the Alternative Armies website where you will find this bundle under this code.

Super Value!

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Webmaster's Notes

The above article was originally published on Alternative Armies content portal, Barking Irons, and is reproduced here with permission.

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