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My Dwarfs (not Dwarves) are standing their ground. A line of heavily armoured infantry supported by crossbowmen, handgunners and around 50 flamethrowers. They wait patiently, as Dwarfs often do, for a much larger force of Greenskins to crash upon their ranks. Outnumbered and then some, but not yet outgunned, they've brought with them some rather formidable artillery: two sets of Organ Guns, named for their resemblance to the musical instrument... although instead of leading hymns down at the local Methodist, they shoot lots of tiny cannon balls at a pleasing rate of fire. (It makes sense when you see them in action.) My other cannon shoots flames and is called a Flame Cannon. That one is probably a little easier to picture.So here we are, fending off an ambush in one of the many lost underground tunnels that make up The Underway. 1300 dwarfs hold formation as a horde of Goblins (some riding spiders) rushes towards them. And we've got cannons! Wonderful, beautiful cannons! This, right here, is what I've been waiting for. It's what the name Total War: Warhammer always promised and I was delighted to find that it lived up to those high expectations.
As with the first battle we saw (but didn't play) back in June, this ambush is a part of a larger quest chain. Whereas the Battle of Black Fire Pass appeared to take place quite a way into a player's campaign, I was told this encounter is meant to be played earlier on in the story of Thorgrim Grudgebearer. If you're not familiar with ol' Thorgrim, the High King of the Dwarfs is carried around the battlefield on his throne, while he reads from his infamous Book of Grudges, an ancient tome that details every wrong done to his proud Dwarfish people. That's his whole thing, right there. He's just really mad all of the time.
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