Sunday, June 19, 2011

The Living Cryx vs The Dead Cryx

Once again the ashen cryxian necrotite fields were contested.

We had agreed to 35 point game, and this time we were going to play a scenario game, which had a weird result in the end.

However, in my list I wanted to use only living models, except for the warjacks of course. And it came out as:

Witch Coven of Garlghast
- 2x Nightwretch
- Ripjaw
- Reaper

Maximum unit of Satyxis Raiders + Sea Witch
Cephalyx Overlords
Satyxis Captain
Warwitch Siren
Ragman

And opponent had the same list he used in last warmachine post.

Scenario was randomised to Outfight, Outflank, Outlast (or whatever the actual name was?) and the green beads in zone mark the center spots for the areas.

In this scenario you gain one point for controlling one of the areas and whoever has three points first wins.

I won the starting roll, and because of scenario play, scoring turn and bile thralls I decided to give the start to my opponent.

First picture is taken from the end of round 1. Not much to tell about it, except that I had an idea of trying to secure rightmost objective by scaring everyone away with Satyxis' threat range.

I did, however, forget about Caustic Mists. So what? I play epic Asphyxious, too, and this is no first time for me against epic Asphyxious either and I forgot about Caustic Mist. What's the big deal here?

Well, picture is taken from end of round 2. Opponent had moved Tartarus close to where my right nightwretch is, which dispatched the big guy.

Picture is way too vague, but there up on the hill is a fight between Pistol Wraith and Nightwretch. I thought that Tartarus was a bigger consern and after getting him down the Coven had only 2 focus left, which wasn't enough to get a boosted attack roll on the Pistol Wraith.

Harrower, by the way, was just contesting the scoring area on the left.

Then, uh.

Something disgusting happened.

I hadn't learned my lesson when I played with my Skorne first time against epic Asphyxious.

A picture from the end of opponents turn...

The bile thrall came out of nowhere... or, to be exact, it came from an excarnated Satyxis Raider.

And resulting purge took away 12 points worth of models. Minus one satyxis, who was excarnated.

That must be the most horrible purge I have absolutely ever even seen. And it was inflicted upon me... Me, jealous? Not the least!

Luckily I had brought one Nightwretch to zone on right, as without it I wouldn't have been contesting it.

As we were playing scenario game I had to try to secure at least the zone on left on my turn.

At least here my synergies were working. Opponent was contesting the zone with Harrower and Pistol Wraith. First Nightwretch takes and aimed, boosted shot at defense 18 wraith and scored a hit. Damage roll was double 1's, so wraith was left alive with 1 wound. I had to sacrifice some precious focus to kill it with a boosted stygian abyss though nightwretch's arc node.

Ragman moves forward and puts up Death Shroud or whatever the dark shroud ability was. Then Reaper, who had Ghost Walk cast upon it, charged Harrower, and proved to be about exactly 3 inches away from Ragman.

Reaper didn't wreck the thing, but dark shroud gave bonuses to the overlords who came to shoot their sprays at it and it was destroyed.

I had cleared one area and scored one point.

Then it was opponents turn, and Asphyxious had whopping 12 focus because of souls gained from the Thing That Shall No Longer Be Mentioned.

Opponent started by purging away Ragman and what was left of my Ripjaw, which had been damaged earlier by a random Bane Thrall.

Zone on the right was still contested by my Nightwretch, as Bane Thralls couldn't hit it well enough.

And then Deathripper, that had been engaged by Reaper, took a run. Needed to roll 6 with two dice to hit the thing. Obviously failed.

Actually it was the turn where Witch Coven's feat was in effect, too.

But then, in horror I realised that an arc node was sitting next to my Witches and there was epic Asphyxious with 11 focus still available.

Picture shows it all. Asphyxious even feated and wrecked my Reaper.

However, the stupid thing here was that opponent, first time playing scenarios since Mk1, hadn't realised to bring models to zone on left, which meant that at the end of his round, I would win by scenario.

But really.

Somehow the situation doesn't feel all that much "victory" to me.

Only possible conclusion here was that I had won the "scenario", yet my opponent really won the "game". I had a focus 3 warcaster and a nightwretch and one cephalyx overlord with one wound left and on corrosion.


In the hindsight I really need to start paying attention to purge range on epic Asphyxious and upcoming Scaverous. If we hadn't been playing scenario that huge purge (that I wasn't to mention again...) would've been a true game winner.

On the other hand, I like Ragman + Reaper + Overlords combo. Effective pow 14 sprays to Reaper's reach, ignoring shooting into melee bonuses, is just lovely.

2 comments:

  1. I find many of the Warmachine scenarios have that effect - the game is just starting to swing one way or the other and then it's suddenly cut short as someone realises they've missed an area or a point or don't have anything that can hurt something occupying a crucial space.

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  2. Brilliant battlereport, and I'm honoured to have caused the most horrifying purge you, a Cryx specialist, have ever seen!

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