Orcs in the Webbe

After ten minutes of careful movement the platoon had come within close rifle range of the position and went to ground, observing the slow movements of the Undead troops inside. Every Dwarf made sure he was in a position to have a clear shot at the Zombies; any that didn't fall at the first volley would have to be finished hand-to-hand. Steiner carefully noted the positions of his Dwarves then, motioning Kruger to follow, began to crawl even closer to the breastwork, surrounding the enemy position. He marvelled that they hadn't seen him yet, but then reasoned that the Undead weren't that good at soldiering in the generally understood sense of that word. Sure, he thought, they're great at massed assaults, but their initiative and small-unit tactics leave a bit to be desired. It was only their Vampyre officers that gave them something of an edge; thank Blookha this unit just had a rather battered-looking Liche in command. He reached the base of the breastwork and checked the priming of his rifle carefully. Kruger was about two yards away, pistol at the ready. They looked at each other and Steiner held up his hand, the five digits splayed. He turned his head to look towards the rest of the platoon. They were prepared, watching his hand. His fingers began to mark off the seconds; five…steady lads…four… three… the click of a rifle's hammer… two…one…NOW!

Eight rifles crashed out in a single, shattering volley, straight into the Undead position from almost point-blank range. Jerky, nightmare figures were sent tumbling, blown off their putrid feet by the Dwarven bullets. Steiner and Kruger were on their feet in an instant, picking out the enemy troops missed by the initial volley and discharging their own rifles and pistols into the twitching bodies of their foes. Then the rest of the platoon were charging out of cover, leaping the breastwork and wading in with bayonet and clubbed rifle. The hand-to-hand fight was short and one-sided. With their Liche officer one of the first to fall, the Zombies were disorganised and vulnerable, and the Dwarves suffered only a few minor wounds before the last of the enemy crumpled to the offal-stained snow. Steiner glanced around at the carnage in the Undead position and nodded his approval to the platoon. He began to reload his rifle and spoke his first words since they had begun their approach,

"Good kill".

Brandenburg Jägers

Part of the forces of the Principality of Brandenburg, one of the Confederation states large enough to provide troops comprising infantry, artillery and cavalry of almost exclusively Dwarf composition, Brandenburgers have a high standing in the Confederation army and are considered to be among the best Dwarf regiments available, their Jägers being particularly in demand.

Brandenburg Jägers are Elite, and unlike most formations, take the platoon rather than the section as the basis of their organisation. Each platoon comprises thirty Dwarves, with three platoons forming a company and three companies a regiment. All companies in a Jäger regiment are armed with rifles and trained as light infantry so there is no distinction between companies as their would be in a Regular Line regiment. Training places considerable emphasis on personal initiative and the role of junior officers and NCOs, and on a number of occasions Jäger companies and even regiments have fought successful actions under the command of lieutenants or captains following the deaths of the senior officers. The Confederation Legion involved in the Witchlands campaign included two Brandenburg Jäger regiments and they proved particularly adept at this sort of action, forming a number of what the Dwarves refer to as KampfGruppe, or Battle Groups, under the command of junior officers.

Uniforms are grey with bottle-green collars, epaulettes and facings piped white. In hot weather on campaign they often wear a very pale green fatigue uniform without the bottle-green additions but still piped white, and it has been observed that the two uniforms are occasionally mixed. Thus a Jäger may be seen wearing a grey tunic and pale green trousers or vice versa, although it is far more common to see the former. This can be put down to pride in their distinctive grey, much as Orc Rifles are protective of their green jackets.

Welcome to Second Platoon

The unit in this scenario is the 2nd Platoon, No.3 Company of the 2nd Brandenburg Jäger Regiment. The 2nd Regiment fought in the short Krautia campaign and is now heavily engaged as part of the Confederation Legion in the ill-fated Witchlands expedition. Reduced to barely a tenth of its strength in the fighting retreat, the regiment has managed to avoid fragmenting but has been forced to reorganise into battle groups as as losses continue to mount. Part of one of these battle groups is 2nd Platoon.

The platoon is led by Sergeant Steiner, an Experienced Dwarf who saw action in the Krautia campaign and has also fought against the Ostrarians. He is armed with a rifle, bayonet and pistol. The remainder of the platoon are all privates and their details are as follows

Name / Status / Weapons

Kern 
Experienced
Rifle, Bayonet & Pistol

Kruger
Experienced
Rifle, Bayonet, Pistol & Knife.

Hartwigg
Average
Rifle, Bayonet & Knife

Hollerbach
Average
Rifle & Bayonet

Schnorrbart
Average
Rifle & Bayonet

Anselm
Raw
Rifle & Bayonet

Dietz
Raw
Rifle & Bayonet

Hartmann
Raw
Rifle & Bayonet

Zoll
Raw
Rifle & Bayonet

None of the platoon members have any magical ability.

The platoon is currently part of KampfGruppe Eisenstein, a collection of detached platoons and the remains of two regiments and a cavalry squadron which forms the vanguard of the Confederation Legion. Steiner has been tasked with scouting ahead of the main body, reporting large enemy concentrations or eliminating small ones. His platoon have found an Undead section, positioned to detect and attempt to block Elf moves to outflank major Undead positions further to the south. Steiner has decided that the enemy force is small enough for his Jägers to handle alone, and opts for a stealthy approach and surprise attack to deal with them.

Outpost Seven

Under the leadership of the dread Star Wraith Alexander, Czar of all the Witch Kingdoms, the Undead have successfully halted, blunted and turned back the Elven invaders. With the Elven Grand Armee on the run and fragmented into a thousand desperate bands of survivors, all that remains is for the Undead to mop up. To this end outpost lines are established to detect Elven troops and then draw down overwhelming forces to obliterate them one group at a time. Many of these outposts are led and controlled by Liches from the Kommisariat Graveski Bureov, others by Vampyres, but all are single-mindedly determined (as only the Undead can be) to destroy as many of the hated Elves and their allies as possible.

Outpost Seven is one of a line of thirteen located in a dense belt of forest which lies in the path of the northern flank of the retreating Elven forces. The outpost is in a static position and, like the others in its line, an expendable 'tripwire' to force the Elves to deploy or change direction, thus allowing nearby lancer and Cossack regiments to catch their enemy off balance. The position is commanded by Kommisar Andropov, an Experienced KGB Liche who is armed with a sword and pistol. Under his control are twelve Zombies from the 7th Sankt Petersburg Regiment, all armed with a musket and bayonet. One is a Corporal and' the rest are all Privates, their details are as follows:

Corporal Smirnoff
Experienced
2 Wounds

Vladivar
Average
3 Wounds

Stolychnaya
Average
1 Wound

Vostock
Average
3 Wounds

Soyuz
Average
2 Wounds

Mir
Average
2 Wounds

Energia
Average
2 Wounds

Sputnik
Average
3 Wounds

Voodstock
Average
1 Wound

Lunokhod
Average
2 Wounds

Game Set-Up and Notes

The game should be played on a flat and fairly featureless terrain with only a few low hillocks and rises in the ground here and there. None should be more' than one contour high. There should however be lots of trees, in large open clumps with clearings here and there. The Undead outpost should be located within a clump of trees, not in a clearing and should have a low breastwork around it. This can be anything - stone wall, wooden fence, piled-up snow etc., and should be low enough to allow troops to cross it in a single move.

The Undead all start the game inside the perimeter of their position the Dwarves start at least 6Dcm away. Every move the Undead player should roll a d10 and consult the following table:

Move / D10 Score Required to Spot Dwarves
1 / 10
2 / 10
3 / 9 or 10
4 / 8 or Above
5+ / 7 or Above

This table is intended to reflect the poor observation skills of the average corpse. If the Dwarves are spotted on their approach they obviously lose any advantages to be gained from a surprise close assault. If however they manage to reach the position undetected, they may fire their first rounds as aimed fire, even if they don't spend a move aiming. This is to take account of the element of surprise, the close range and the fact that the Undead don't move very fast. As an alternative to this brief table, players might like to use a variation on the percentage-based system outlined in 'I Woz Wheeling-Turn's Double' in Orcs In The Hills Issue No. 2. This modified system is as follows:

Sneaking Up On Things System MkII

Base Chance When Approaching

Type / Percentage
Zombies, Skeltons, Liches / 55%
Wraiths / 50%
Vampyres / 45%

Modifiers
Elite +20%
Experienced +20%
Guerilla +25%
Average +10%
Regular +10%
Raw -
Militia -

Take the base chance percentage for the type of Undead being stalked and modify according to the troops sneaking up. Then roll a d20 and score less than the modified total to succeed. So for example, an Average Elite would have an 85% chance of successfully sneaking up on a Zombie (base 55%, plus 10%, plus 20%). You will notice that technically an Experienced Guerrilla has a 100% chance of successfully stalking Zombies, Skeletons and Liches. However, if 01 or 00 are rolled the attempt fails regardless (well, you have to give the bad guys some chances...) Vampyres and Wraiths have a better chance of spotting a sneak attack because they are alive (well, more alive than a festering corpse anyway) and aware and have heightened powers of observation compared to mortals and to the Undead in general.

Webmaster's Notes

This scenario was originally published in Orcs in the Hills, Issue 3.

If you're looking for the Flintloque Reloaded version including troop breakdowns, points costs and set objectives then click here.