Anyway, I was playing at Warmachine tournament there. I was playing Cryx, and it was a homebrew steamroller event. It had some scenarios from most recent steamroller format, as well as a few from earlier steamroller too.
And it had a requirement of having three army lists, all of which you had to play at least once, and all three had to have a different warcaster/warlock. Non-epic and epic versions were two different warcasters in this matter. 50 point lists.
My lists were:
List 1:
Epic Asphyxious
- Defiler
- Seether
- Slayer
10x Bane Thralls
6x Bile Thralls
3x Soulhunters
Withershadow Combine
Bane Lord Tartarus
Darragh Wrathe
Machine Wraith
Necrotech & Scrap Thrall
Orin Midwinter
List 2:
Lich Lord Venethrax
- Nightwretch
- Stalker
- Corruptor
- Harrower
6x Bane Thralls
10x Bile Thralls
10x Mechanithralls + 1 Brute Thrall
Withershadow Combine
Warwitch Siren
Gorman diWulfe
List 3:
Witch Coven of Garlghast
- 2x Nightwretch
- Stalker
- Corruptor
- Harrower
10x Satyxis Raiders + Sea Witch
3x Soulhunters
Bane Lord Tartarus
Warwitch Siren
Skarlock
Necrotech & Scrap Thrall
I wanted to construct my lists that there was a no single model that was in all three lists.
So, on with the game reports!
Game 1:
Venethrax versus Krueger, scenario was Capture the Flag.
I decided I'd take some pictures but as it was a tournament with 15 minute turn restriction, taking pictures kinda... dropped off. But a few shots were taken for the first game.
Krueger's deployment about: (Egregore and Machine Wraith were flags in case you're wondering)
Megalith was proxying another woldwarden.
Anyway, this was my third game ever with Venethrax and under new edition of Warmachine, first game against Circle Orboros too. I do play Circle as my second faction, but I think only models I use from his list myself were Shifting Stones, Lord of the Feast and Druids of Orboros.
That wolf you're seeing was Warpwolf Stalker.
Anyway. My opponent played Circle totally different way than I do. It was a bit weird to see myself humiliated with my own faction. I advanced cautiously, which was a mistake. Woldwardens were spamming Chain Lighting to my easy to kill -forces and I couldn't, well, do anything to his army. I think I killed one Druid of Orboros early in the game when I had lost already way too much stuff.
I got Harrower too much up front and it was pulled close to enemy lines, a trick I do myself too, but I haven't used THAT trick which was Warpwolf Stalker with sprint up. It just charged in, thrashed my Harrower and sprinted back to safety.
I decided if I wanted to do, well, anything in the game I should try something insanely risky. Because it was a scenario game, I thought that even if I got a serious beating by running towards enemy army, he could not fall back because he would've lost by scenario.
But I made a tragic mistake. I had my Venethrax at armor 23 then. Gorman diWulfe gave a cloud effect. I ran to cloud effect with Venethrax. Defense 17 against shooting and armor 23 against anything. I was feeling self-confident, though I realized my risk doing so.
But my stupid stupid mistake was running my Corruptor to screen Venethrax. Obviously I haven't been slammed to ground enough. Druids would've hit only on 10's to pull Venethrax closer, and every warbeast that would charge in would've needed to boost their hit rolls.
But, Woldwarden combo-slammed my Corruptor to Venethrax, knocking both of them down. Then druids pulled my defense 5 Venethrax to killing range.
To be honest, though... If the world would be a fair place, it would have punished me for such a mistake. Venethrax got a full beating from Woldwarden. Didn't die. Then Venethrax took a full beating from Warpwolf Stalker. Didn't die, though he was left with 2 health. Opponent even used his Feat then to kill Venethrax. Didn't die.
I attached a picture for you to see.
Venethrax had Dragon Slayer on, and you can see three warbeasts, maxed on fury, all that close...
On my turn Venethrax moved a bit, so that all beasts were within reach. He took a free strike from engaging Druid of Orboros, though, and even with arm 24 that was a risk because of two health.
But then started some serious ass kickind. I had earlier on that turn charged the other woldwarden with my Bane Thralls so that I had arm debuff on those two, too.
Venethrax killed all three heavy warbeasts. Warpwolf Stalker and another Woldwarden were undamaged.
After that he was still sitting at arm 23. Too awesome. Venethrax killed by himself 28 points worth of stuff in a single round and managed to camp on 5 focus still. Ah well. That joy was not to last for very long. Next turn Krueger himself charged in and nailed Venethrax. I think the damage roll was something like 5,5,6 or 5,6,6.
Well, it was only justice. I would have felt bad had I won the match, because the beating Venethrax took from all the automatically hitting beasts should have killed him. Maybe even twice. But dice went totally wrong.
So, I lost the first game.
It's kind of depressing to lose the first game in a tournament, because you really can't compete for the higher places after that. Unless you win all the rest and no-one manages to run entirely undefeated.
But onwards...
Game 2:
Witch Coven of Garlghast versus epic Thagrosh. Scenario being Convergence.
I have always feared Legion of Everblight. Ditto.
I advanced quite boldly on the first turn. I started measuring my control area, though. And Carnivean that was standing on a hill was just outside my control area of 18 inches. I had one of my witches a bit closer to Carnivean than Egregore was (from where I was measuring my control area). Carnivean could charge somewhere there and spray my witch dead easily enough because Carnivean's spray with assault threatens anything within 19 inches.
Witches were activating last or almost last, so I couldn't really throw anyone to block carnivean, or anyone who my opponent could destroy easily enough.
I had to use my feat. On turn 1. Baaaah.
Next turn some legionnaires ran real close to me. Convergence was from the non-updated steamroller so scoring victory points would've started on my second turn. Typhon, Carnivean and blighted nyss swordsmen were sitting there on the convergence area.
Well, legionnaires weren't that much of a problem. Corruptor blasted a few, Harrower threshered and with the following souls killed the rest.
They weren't a problem at all. However, incubi markers were.
Anyway, I launched my Satyxis Raiders up there somewhere. They were taking potshots with Power Swell here and there. Anyone I managed to kill was a bonus. I really needed a distraction and someone to contest convergence area. I killed a few swordmen and did a little damage on Typhon and Carnivean. Really not anything to write home about...
Well, come opponents turn.
Five appearing incubi destroy my harrower and cripple my corruptor. Thagrosh the Messiah himself charges to the Satyxis Raiders, and they have to test because of his abomination rules. And yeah, they fail the test and don't contest convergence any more. There was some kind of another contester there, I don't remember what, but not anything whole Legion of Everblight army couldn't kill. So opponent gained a control point.
Thagrosh was at the center with Carnivean and Typhon in front of him.
On my turn I didn't know what to do... I had to bring enough stuff down to center not to lose the scenario. I killed all three incubi that were at the harrower's wreck marker. Then I attacked with all I could the big beasts. Tartarus first, but damage rolls weren't impressive and did little. But maybe Dark Shroud was what was needed.
Then my soulhunters charged in, managing very little against Typhon. I think some branch was destroyed from it's life spiral.
After that Stalker charged Carnivean and did damage, yes. Carniveans situation was looking grim, but what I would have wanted was a broken branch, because stalker's attacks deny healing.
Those things were what mattered.
Opponent was aiming for the scenario victory, though he had lots of stuff to kill. And, he managed. Soulhunters, Tartarus, Stalker all gone. Then at the outskirts of convergence area were a few contesting models.
Typhon charged to kill something, don't remember what. Necrotech was standing in its way, though, and Typhon provoked a free strike from him. Necrotech killed Typhon there and then, which was a pretty awesome. Half point model killing a twelve or eleven point one?
Well, then Carnivean was just close enough to get all contesting models into its melee range, so the game ended in my defeat.
Game 3:
Epic Asphyxious vs. Morvahna, scenario Killbox.
Here is where my picture taking ended.
I started the game way too carelessly. Morvahna is my favorite warlock with Circle and I have used her spell Regrowth to great effect, how can I forget that losses to regrowthed unit don't actually count? I charged my Soulhunters to regrowthed Druids of Orboros and it accomplished nothing. Absolutely nothing, except maybe for a distraction.
Terrain was a bit difficult to navigate for my forces, but Caustic Mist templates allowed my bane thralls to skulk to the middle. More importantly at last Admonia got close enough to Druids to get rid of the Regrowth.
Morvahna re-cast regrowth on druids and launched a woldwarden against Admonia. But dice went wrong and Admonia didn't die. Next turn she could get rid of Regrowth again.
Tartarus had gone to the middle to thresher druids, but he mostly failed. He did die, though, and that was what I wanted.
Oh I've broken the chronology with this report but I guess it's all the same.
Asphyxious charged against a tharn ravager white mane, killed him, used his feat and brought back lots of dead bane thralls and Tartarus himself, and then teleported away to safety.
Tartarus cursed Morvahna and charged in. She died to that one shot, didn't need any help from other bane thralls.
So, first victory for me.
Game 4:
Venethrax vs Mordikaar, scenario Destruction.
Mordikaar hollowed praetorian swordsmen and cast banishing ward on ferox.
Both of whom were a total pain in the... well.
Ferox were on my left flank and swordsmen on my right, beasts were coming to face my main army from the middle. I mostly just sat on a hill in my side in the middle. I had huge problems with the ferox who were jumping up and down on my lines. At last when I manage to kill a few, they come back from the void by Mordikaar. Just... horrible.
Also, early in the game I managed to purge what, six praetorian swordsmen with my bile thralls? But, it wasn't that grand because four of them came back too because of Mordikaar. Also a void spirit was harassing my right flank where there were lots of mechanithralls.
Almost all mechanithralls died when praetorian swordsmen used their minifeat and side stepped my poor little thralls to death. Three or four survived.
Also, an enraged Titan Gladiator charged my Harrower and destroyed it. Razorworm charged my Corruptor and broke its melee weapon.
Well, Admonia upkeeped Dragon Slayer on Venethrax.
Sadly despite whatever I tried, the ferow on the hill just wouldn't die.
So I got only Titan Gladiator on my melee range (and that ferox) instead of Gladiator and Razorworm.
Venethrax charged in, used his feat and killed both that ferox and titan gladiator, and after that he was still standing with full focus.
Then I purged some praetorian again, this time causing lots of cloud effects from Venethrax's feat. I did quick math that can prove wrong, but there were something like 13-14 cloud templates there, because both mechanithralls and praetorians were dying, as well as other stuff on the board.
Well that was quite fancy, though all in all, it was really useless. I think all it did was giving a little concealment for Venethrax himself and denied few praetorian swordmen charging the destruction objective on my right.
I decided I didn't want Molik Karn to mess with anything, so I sent Gorman diWulfe on a suicide mission to throw black oil on him to make him blind. Which succeeded.
I really don't remember what I or my opponent did next turn. I guess opponent didn't do much, and all I did was moping up the ferox and praetorian swordsmen.
But that seems odd.
Well, then Molik Karn charges destruction objective and, well, it is pretty much decimated. Then Molik uses his animus to come back near to Mordikaar.
Mordikaar came within 11" of Venethrax, but there was no straight charge line. Too much stuff were on the way, one beast handler, one standard bearer and there was a tyrant also, not in way but tying up my models who could clear the charge lane.
Stalker killed the tyrant that was engaging corruptor, then corruptor advanced and shot the standard bearer to back, using area of effect shot. And corruptor hit and killed both the standard bearer and paingiver. It was a nice thing, all in all. Because it was something that the Slayer couldn't have done.
Well, then there was a charge line to Mordikaar, who had only one fury for transfer.
Venethrax had allocated two focus for the stalker to do it's business, so he was left with five.
He charged Mordikaar, boosting to hit. Did loads of damage, which was transferred. But Venethrax still had four focus. It took three to kill Mordikaar, don't remember which boosts I took.
So, a second victory for me.
End of games.
I placed to shared 11th place, there were 24 participants.
After that I was exhausted, I had slept less than three hours the night before tournament.
I wandered around, now and then going back to gaming table where there was a final round between two top players to determine the winner of the tournament.
It was quite late when I happened to come around, my friend was playing Battlestar Galactica nearby.
Funny thing was that the tournament organizer saw me and said I was needed at the prize sharing.
I was, should I say, a "Wtf?" moment, in every sense of the word. I must admit I was a bit suspicious too.
It turned out I had won the painting contest.
I haven't really grasped that yet, I'm still thinking "there must have been some kind of a mistake", but I guess I won with style if not with technique? One of the reasons for nominating me the winner was "cartoonish style".
I did some other stuff at ropecon, too, but they'll have to wait, this was a long write.
GRREAT! Congratulations! Our little painter champ :D
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