The Broken Crown: Tournament Report for Old World

This tournament report is a little different as it won’t be from a single players perspective, but instead, cover key moments across all 27 games.

Firstly I want to thank everyone for coming, I had such fun running it and all the players were an absolute joy and took the entire event in the spirit it was intended.

Event Background

First, a little background on the tournament. I actually don’t play as much as I’d like to (1k game every three or four weeks), and Dave and I had talked about running an event where I could have a few games myself for the craic. It was always going to be some kind of narrative event as that is our preferred way to play.

I started cooking up a plot line, which was essentially the usual bad guys invading the Border Princes, and the good guys gather to kick them out. But this eventually changed after pouring over a few old school maps of the Warhammer World. I spotted a small town/city named Mortensholm in what would be a very strategic location within the region.

Its location alone meant that if it came under threat, then the Empire, Bretonnia, Wood Elves, and Dwarfs would all want it to be protected. After looking into it’s history as well, it was founded by a Norscan pirate named Morten One-eye and so it wouldn’t be a far stretch to see Chaos trying to corrupt the ruling family (descendents of Morten) back to the Old Gods.

No battle would take place at Mortensholm. Instead, the various armies would campaign around the region and attempt to sway Ulrich Vael, the current Ruler of Mortensholm and the last of his line, towards their cause. After each victory, players would be able to roll for influence in the court, with the side having the most influence at the end of the weekend being the victor.

But here’s the twist, players also have a political agent they can use once per weekend to either steal D3 influence from another player, give themselves a guaranteed six on their influence roll, reduce another players influence by D6 or wait until the end of the tournament and gamble for a 2D6 influence roll.

All the players (of which we had 12) were encouraged to write some background and give their characters names so that they can appear in the campaign supplement we’ll eventually publish. Others can then attempt to decide the fate of Mortensholm.

Scenario 1 – The Crossroads at Valdorn

With the evil forces closing on Mortensholm from different directions, the forces of order attempt to stop these armies from linking up by securing the vital crossroads at Valdorn.

The scenario was simple, players had to be holding objectives at the end of the game. If either the evil or good players held more objectives then they would be victorious in this scenario and be the defender in the ambush scenario in the 2nd game.

Key Moments

The Wailing Dirge: A Symphony of Suffering

In a battle that had already seen its fair share of grim determination and Dwarfen resilience, Tom Corbett’s Vampire Counts decided to close things out with a truly soul-crushing finale… literally.

As the game neared its end, Gary Holden’s Thunderers and Organ Gun crew were holding the line, staunchly refusing to yield to the undead menace. Perhaps they thought their engineering prowess and black powder weaponry would be enough to send the undead scuttling back into the darkness. They were wrong.

With a cruel twist of fate and the worst possible timing, not one, but two nightmare-fuelled rolls for Wailing Dirge shattered any Dwarfen hopes. Rolling 11 twice in two turns, the first shrieking spectral energy ripped through the Thunderers, turning their disciplined ranks into a confused mess of beards and flying helmets. The Thunderers were not the only ones as the Organ Gun too had simply given up on life.

Some say the Thunderers were last seen wandering the battlefield with hollow, haunted eyes, unable to process the absolute nonsense that had just unfolded. Others claim the Organ Gun crew reappeared in a tavern later that night, drowning their sorrows and cursing “that thrice-damned screaming nonsense” between heavy gulps of ale.

The Duel of the Inept

Michael Appleton’s chariot-riding hero faced off against Lee Daniels’ equally chariot-mounted champion in a battle that tested the very limits of probability and endurance.

What followed was three full turns of the most inefficient, comically drawn-out combat imaginable.

A flurry of wild swings, glancing blows, and some truly embarrassing dice rolls left both warriors bruised, but very much alive. Their chariots, meanwhile, mostly just bounced off each other like particularly aggressive bumper carts.

Then, at long last, both heroes simultaneously landed a killing blow on each other. Their respective armies paused, looked at the wreckage, and collectively shrugged.

Battle Results

Court of Mortensholm

It was an early lead for the evil forces, with four wins to the Ravening Hordes and one to the Forces of Fantasy. Two evil players decided to use their political agent to guarantee themselves a six on the influence roll. The court of Ulrich Vael was swinging heavily towards the Ravening Hordes.

Scenario II: Ambush at Blackthorn Hollow

With the evil players’ success in the first scenario, it meant they would have to be the defenders of an ambush in the second scenario. The Forces of Fantasy lie in wait at Blackthorn Hollow, hoping to catch the Ravening Hordes by surprise.

To win, the Forces of Fantasy would have to either kill the enemy general or win on victory points. But this was no easy game for the Ravening Hordes. They would be deployed with their forces facing their right flanks table edge, with the general in the centre of the deployment area. They would also have to set up first, while th3 Forces of Fantasy would set up after them, up to halfway across the table and take the first turn!

Key Moments

The Deathshrieker Crew: Masters of Melee, Amateurs of Artillery

In a shocking display of battlefield incompetence-turned-heroism, James Viner’s Deathshrieker Rocket Launcher crew once again proved that their true calling in life was not launching rockets, but settling disputes the old-fashioned way: with fists, wrenches, and pure spite.

Tasked with delivering fiery death from afar, the Deathshrieker instead spent most of the game bravely whiffing its shots into irrelevant corners of the battlefield, ensuring the enemy had a clear and uninterrupted march directly towards them. By all accounts, Lee Daniels’ Dark Riders should have effortlessly cut them down, but no one told the artillery crew that they weren’t supposed to be frontline fighters.

Clinging to their last wound like a Chaos Dwarf clings to grudges, the crew stubbornly fended off the cavalry until the mighty Iron Daemon trundled up to finish the job. This moment in the second game cemented their reputation: in the first four games, they had officially done more damage in hand-to-hand combat than with their actual war machine.

Rumour has it, the Iron Daemon now carries an honorary banner for the ‘52nd Chaos Dwarf Close Combat Artillery Regiment’—because if the Deathshrieker can’t hit anything from range, at least it can punch it to death up close.

The Dragon Ogres’: A Masterclass in Self-Destruction

In what can only be described as an incredibly unfortunate turn of events, Matt Swift’s Dragon Ogres attempted to prove their might against Gary Holden’s stalwart Dwarf Miners—and instead, delivered a stunning performance in how not to execute a charge.

It all started with a majestic, thunderous advance across the battlefield. The ground shook, lightning crackled in the sky… and then two of them immediately tripped over some loose rocks, lost their footing, and faceplanted. With a spectacular double roll of ones on their dangerous terrain test, they reminded everyone that even mighty Dragon Ogres are not immune to gravity.

But the humiliation was only just beginning. As the remaining bruised and confused beasts tried to salvage their charge, the Miners—seasoned veterans of swinging pickaxes in cramped tunnels—responded in the only way they knew how: by hurling a bag of high explosives directly into the Dragon Ogres’ path. The result? One very dead Dragon Ogre and a lot of confused grumbling from the survivors, who suddenly realised that charging headfirst into an army of demolition enthusiasts might not have been the best idea.

Finally making contact, the Dragon Ogres mustered what little dignity remained and prepared to unleash their fury. But instead of rampaging through the ranks, they were promptly out-fought, outnumbered, and out-dug by the Miners. The Dragon Ogres lost the combat, failed their break test, and were promptly run down by a bunch of angry, soot-covered Dwarfs swinging pickaxes.

The Miners were last seen polishing their picks and debating whether they should start taking on actual dragons next.

Kalagan the Vile’s Homeopathic Cannonball Therapy

Legends are forged on the battlefield. Some through acts of heroism, some through sheer brutality. And then there’s Matt Swift’s Chaos Lord, Kalagan the Vile, who achieved immortality through a far more scientific method: daily microdoses of cannonball.

Across the weekend, Kalagan found himself directly in the crosshairs of not one, not two, but FIVE direct hits from cannon shots. Any other warrior(mortal, daemon, or otherwise) would have been reduced to a fine mist. But not Kalagan. Through some unholy combination of dark blessings, sheer audacity, and a truly ludicrous streak of ward saves, he shrugged off every single shot.

At first, his Chaos retinue assumed it was divine favour. But after some consideration, it was decided that the real reason for his resilience was his strict daily regimen of eating small amounts of cannonball to build up immunity.

By the time the first cannon shot hit him in battle, Kalagan’s body simply rejected the concept of ballistic trauma altogether. His Chaos Sorcerers have already begun marketing Kalagan’s Method™ to the other warlords of the north. Early trials, however, have been less successful, with multiple aspiring champions being rapidly turned into high-velocity pâté.

Meanwhile, the Dwarfs and Empire gunners who fired the shots are still coming to terms with the absolute nonsense they witnessed.

Kalagan remains undefeated by artillery and is now actively seeking larger calibre weaponry to see if his diet needs further adjustments.

The Sneaky Gits’ Masterclass in Backstabbing

In a move that can only be described as textbook treachery, Edward Turns’ Chaos Dwarfs executed one of the filthiest, most underhanded, and outright disgraceful assaults of the tournament, which, of course, made it perfectly on brand for a unit of Sneaky Gits.

With beady eyes glinting and poisoned daggers at the ready, these underappreciated goblin-sized bundles of betrayal slipped through the battlefield’s shadows, weaving their way behind the Dwarfen battle lines. The Thunderers, confident in their firepower, had little reason to suspect the incoming act of treasonous nonsense about to unfold behind them.

Then, without so much as a warning cough, the Sneaky Gits pounced, launching an absolutely disgraceful rear attack that went so horrifically well it left even their own Chaos Dwarf overlords momentarily stunned.

One unit of Thunderer’s gone and Thorri Doreksson (Runesmith) brutally murdered. Any sense of battlefield security the Dwarfs had was completely shattered!

The Dwarfs barely had time to register what had happened before they were either dead, running, or having their possessions looted by giggling goblins.

It’s not how strong your troops are, but how devious you are with using them!

The Scraplauncher That Could(n’t)

War is a game of grand strategy, cunning manoeuvres, and decisive moments. And then there’s the Scraplauncher, which operates entirely on hope, desperation, and the belief that something vaguely useful might happen if you fling enough junk at the enemy.

Kieran Symington’s Ogre Kingdoms had one golden opportunity to turn the tide against Tom Corbett’s Vampire Counts. The target? A necromancer, recently stripped of his ghostly protections, standing perfectly still, ripe for obliteration.

With the greatest of expectations, the Scraplauncher crew cranked back the firing mechanism, took aim, and let loose a possibly game-winning shot.

Instead of launching a storm of jagged metal, broken bones, and whatever else the Ogres had been too lazy to clean out of their junk pile, the Scraplauncher simply collapsed in on itself like a dying star of pure incompetence.

The Halflings manning the Scraplauncher (yes, Halfings), visibly confused, prodded the wreckage, perhaps hoping it would somehow change its mind and start working again. The Necromancer, meanwhile, looked down at himself in mild disbelief, realising he had just survived one of the most perfectly aimed yet catastrophically executed assassination attempts in history.

Battle Results

Court of Mortensholm

The Ravening Hordes repel the ambush, but despite this victory for the Hordes, the Forces of Fantasy manage to gain momentum in the Court of Mortensholm, increasing their influence overall.

Scenario III: Cut off the Head

This battle was a pitched battle with the twist of trying to kill as many enemy characters as possible (not including unit champions). With most people taking around 2 or 3, it was a chance for Order to catch up.

Deployment for James Viner’s Chaos Dwarf v My Dwarfen Holds

Key Moments

The Great Blood Knight Wild Goose Chase

In a game that will go down in history as the least productive use of Blood Knights ever recorded, Tom Corbett’s undead cavalry found themselves the victims of a masterclass in tactical avoidance, courtesy of Sam Payne’s Road Wardens.

The Blood Knights, Vampiric, terrifying, and bred for high-speed decapitation had one job: charge in and murder things. Unfortunately, the Road Wardens had one counter-strategy:

“What if… we just didn’t let that happen?”

And so began The Great Chase. Every time the Blood Knights turned to charge, the Road Wardens weren’t there. Every time they closed the distance, the Road Wardens galloped just out of reach. Every time they thought they had them trapped, the Road Wardens simply trotted away, politely shooting them in the face as they left.

It was a masterclass in frustration. The mighty, unstoppable vampiric cavalry, creatures of pure bloodlust and fury, spent the entire game looking like a bunch of grumpy, dressage riders getting increasingly annoyed at a group of traffic police on fast horses.

The Dwarfen Artillery School of Wildly Ineffective Point-Blank Firepower

In a battle that will go down as a cautionary tale for Dwarfen gunners everywhere, my own artillery crews managed to deliver one of the most bafflingly ineffective performances of the entire tournament, despite being close enough to poke their targets with the barrels of their guns.

It started off promisingly. Matt Swift’s Warriors of Chaos were bearing down, a mere 5 inches away. The Organ Gun and Cannon crews, knowing they had one shot at survival, let loose with a combined 16 shots of grapeshot. The result?

Absolutely nothing.

Somehow, the warp-forged armour of Chaos, dumb luck, and possibly divine intervention ensured that not a single wound was caused. The Chaos Warriors, completely unfazed, likely paused mid-charge to mock the Dwarfs’ marksmanship before resuming their rampage.

But just as it seemed the artillery was doomed, unexpected heroes arrived, Ironbreakers. Fresh off running down a Chaos Chariot on their stout little legs, these metal-clad Dawi battering rams charged into the rear of the Chaos Warriors saving the utterly incompetent gun crews from an extremely well-earned demise.

However, the Dwarfs were not done failing spectacularly.

Seeing an opportunity for redemption, the Cannon and Organ Gun crews turned their sights on a fresh target, three Chaos Knights who had just chased the King and his Longbeards off the battlefield. Now a mere 3 inches away, the artillery crews unleashed 20 shots in a last desperate bid to prove they were worth their weight in black powder.

And yet, despite being so close that the Knights could probably smell the gunpowder… They did absolutely nothing. Again.

The Ironbreakers, now officially carrying the entire battle on their backs, were last seen muttering under their breath about how “next time, we’ll just throw the bloody guns at them instead.”

Battle Results

Court of Mortensholm

Scenario IV: Rescue at Duskwatch

With the forces of Order having to rescue the hostage taken after the third scenario, things were looking bleak!

Key Moments

Sir Tiny, Slayer of Dawi-Zharr

Amongst the many noble knights of Bretonnia, there are paragons of virtue, masters of chivalry, and defenders of the weak. And then there’s Sir Tiny, the towering, bewildered, slightly malodorous giant in the service of Paul Shipman’s army.

Facing Edward Turns’ Chaos Dwarfs, who had barricaded themselves into the corner of the battlefield like particularly aggressive accountants, Sir Tiny found himself the primary target of their magical onslaught. As Edward tried with all his might to stop the giant reaching his castle. Sorcerous blasts of wind and curses beyond mortal comprehension were hurled at him, only for the enormous oaf to scratch his head and mutter, “No believe magic…”—a declaration that seemed to function as an anti-magic field powered by sheer stubbornness.

Undeterred by reality, Sir Tiny waded through the enemy lines in the final turn of the battle, his colossal feet reducing Chaos Dwarfs to unfortunate stains. Most critically, he squashed the regiment tasked with guarding the campaign’s captive, securing a victory for the forces of Bretonnia!

Unfortunately, in his enthusiasm, Sir Tiny’s mighty stomps may have also, technically, led to the captive’s untimely demise. A tragedy? Perhaps. But let the record show that Sir Tiny did free them. Permanently.

Thus, victory was secured, the Chaos Dwarfs were sent packing, and Sir Tiny was last seen trying to shake a very flat hostage off the bottom of his foot.

Zharduz Snarltusk: The Dawi-Dodging Duelist

Some Chaos Dwarf Sorcerer-Prophets command the battlefield with dark sorcery. Others lead from the rear, directing their infernal legions with calculated precision. And then there’s Zharduz Snarltusk, who upon finding himself surrounded, simply decided that he was built different.

Facing down Gary Holden’s miners and dwarf warriors, Zharduz and his trusty Lammasu should, by all logic, have been overwhelmed. The miners had the flank, the warriors had the numbers, and the forces of Order had one very well-inked grudge ready to be removed from the Dammaz-Kron.

But Zharduz had something stronger than logic, he had sheer bloody-minded stubbornness. He held his ground, shrugging off axe blows and miner’s pick strikes (the same miner’s that destroyed Matt Swifts Dragon Ogres) with the same casual indifference as a Dwarf Ironbreaker. The Lammasu, meanwhile, delivered hoof-based justice to anyone who dared get too close, turning what should have been a swift defeat into an increasingly awkward stalemate.

By the time the dust settled, Zharduz was still standing. While the Dwarfs were exhausted and slightly demoralised. Some say Zharduz has now entered Chaos Dwarf legend as “The Beard Who Would Not Budge.”

An Honourable Yet Completely Pointless Duel

Game 4 saw Tom Corbett’s Blood Knights charging gloriously into the fray, eager to spill blood, claim skulls, and do all the dramatic things that Vampire Cavalry are meant to do. But instead of a glorious rampage, they instead found themselves locked in the most tedious, legally binding duel in Warhammer history.

Caught in an unending cycle of challenges, the Blood Knights clashed again and again with Lee Daniels’ Dark Elf Battle Standard Bearer, a single, incredibly stubborn warrior who simply refused to die.

With Vampiric fury and Dark Elf arrogance locking blades endlessly, the rest of the battlefield moved on while these two units reenacted an eternal struggle of mildly disappointing dice rolls.

Meanwhile, across the field, actual progress was being made.

Tom’s Grave Guard and Wight King, realising that the Blood Knights were too busy dealing with duelling etiquette, took matters into their own skeletal hands. They proceeded to absolutely steamroll Lee’s General and his accompanying unit, smashing through with brutal efficiency before setting their unblinking, murder-filled sockets on the Hydra.

What followed was a relentless, undead beatdown of biblical proportions as the Wights methodically dismantled the Hydra not once, not twice, but repeatedly, smashing the regenerating beast all the way to the board’s edge. Escorting the Hydra off the battlefield like an embarrassing drunk relative.

Battle Results

Having secured three of the hostages it was a narrow order victory, putting everything on a knife edge going into the final game.

Court of Mortensholm

With Order trying to desperately catch up, three of order players took the opportunity to steal influence points from other players to attempt and swing the infleunce of the Court in their favour. Well, at least most of them did. Lee decided as a Dark Elf player, he’d rather steal influence from Gary’s Dwarfs instead….

Scenario V: Battle of Dreadmoor

The final game was an opportunity for us to create a dramatic battle with doubles of 3,000 points a side. Nothing fancy, just a simple pitched battle, 2v2.

Key Moments

The Overkill of the Century: How Many Undead Does It Take to Kill an Organ Gun?

By Game 5, Tom Corbett and Edward Turns had had enough of Peter Holland’s Dwarfen Organ Gun. No longer content to let it rain fiery death upon their ranks, they devised a foolproof strategy:

Throw everything, absolutely everything, at the problem.

Thus, in a spectacular display of excessive force, the Organ Gun found itself completely surrounded by Blood Knights, Zharduz Snarltusk, a Lammasu riding Prophet and Tomb Banshee.

This one lonely Organ Gun and its terrified crew suddenly had the distinct honour of being the most targeted, most aggressively over-killed war machine in the tournament.

However, Dwarfs do not go down quietly.

As the unholy horde descended upon them, the crew took one final, desperate shot in their Stand and Shoot reaction—and somehow, in a moment of sheer defiance, blasted the Lammasu down to just one wound!

Did it change the outcome? No. Did it make the incoming nightmare even angrier? Absolutely.

Seconds later, the Blood Knights, a prophet of Hashut, and a screaming undead wraith all collectively deleted the Organ Gun from existence in an over-the-top, apocalyptic display of murder.

– 1 Dead Organ Gun
– 3 Entire units committed to killing it
– 1 Near-dead but very annoyed Lammasu
– 0 Regrets

The Firebelly’s Fiery… Rescue?

Some heroes charge into battle, weapons drawn, ready to save the day. Others rally their troops with inspiring speeches, leading their comrades to victory. And then there’s Kieran Symington’s Firebelly, who, upon attempting to heroically rescue Peter Holland’s Runesmith, instead caused one of the most catastrophic ‘rescues’ in history.

It all started with the best of intentions. The Runesmith was in trouble. Dark magic loomed. The Firebelly, sensing an opportunity for glory and selfless heroism, stepped forward.

Then came the miscast. And with it, a catastrophic magical explosion that immediately incinerated half a unit of halflings (yes, halfings) who were presumably just stood there minding their own business and wondering why they were on a battlefield with Chaos Dwarfs, Dwarfs, Ogres and Vampires. Not only that, but he also managed to wound the very Runesmith he was trying to save. This ensured that the problem he had intended to fix, remained, very much, unfixed.

Battle Results

Court Influence

With the final battle over, the court was in favour of the Ravening Hordes and the Warriors of Chaos in particular. Ulrich Vael would retain his power by answering the call of the Old Gods that his ancestors left behind.

Final Positions

1st Place: Simon Stevens – Wolves of the Sea
2nd Place: Matt Swift – Warriors of Chaos
3rd Place: Michael Appleton – Beastmen Brayherds
4th Place: Edward Turns – Chaos Dwarfs
5th Place: Lee Daniels – Dark Elves
6th Place: Tom Corbett – Vampire Counts
7th Place: Sam Payne – Empire of Man
8th Place: James Viner – Chaos Dwarfs
9th Place: Peter Holland – Dwarfen Mountain Holds
10th Place: Kieran Symington – Ogre Kingdoms
11th Place: Gary Holden – Expeditionary Force
12th Place: Paul Shipman – Bretonnian Exiles