Sunday, July 1, 2012

Burn, Wolf, burn! ... wait, you didn't?

Yesterday (or, technically the day before yesterday) I played a game of Warmachine, or should we call it Hordes?

It was my Skorne vs opposing Circle.

I continued to test around with epic Hexeris, and this was my 35 point list:

Lord Arbiter Hexeris
- Rhinodon
- Basilisk Drake
- Basilisk Krea
- Cyclops Shaman (bonded)

Maximum unit of Praetorian Swordsmen
Maximum unit of Paingiver Beast Handlers
Venator Flayer Cannon
Extoller Soulward
Bloodrunner Master Tormentor
Thrullg
Feralgeist

The idea this time was that I'd be having enough warbeasts to properly use Hexeris' feat even if only I had warbeasts on board. A couple of games earlier have proved that Hexeris can very well starvate himself on Fury with lousy planning.

Then, opponent was playing:

Epic Kaya + Laris
- Feral Warpwolf
- Feral Warpwolf
- Warpwolf Stalker

Shifting Stones
Druid Wilder
Lord of the Feast
2x War Wolves

Well, the game started with a sort of an omen. We rolled three times the same number on starting roll, when finally opponent rolled better than I and got to start the game. Things like that, if you're even a little bit superstitious, usually mean a tough game.

First picture is from the end of my first round. Kaya has Shadow Pack on and Forced Evolution on one of the Feral's (the unpainted one). Skorne has Ashen Veil on Praetorian Swordsmen. Oh, and Arcane Reckoning on Beast Handlers.

Well, then Circle closes a little bit in. Two War Wolves just stand there, annoying Skorne forces. Lord of the Feast throws his Raven to Cyclops Shaman, and he kills two beast handlers and the marksman from flayer cannon.

That wasn't too bad after all, considering what he could have done. Ashen Veil was a lifesaver first time during this game.

Circle had only two fury points on warpwolves, which was a bummer, because I used Hexeris' feat.

First, a lucky attack from Extoller Soulward killed Lord of the Feast exactly by dealing 8 points in. Then all of Skorne warbeast advanced a little and riled to full fury. Hexeris activated and shot Ashes to Ashes twice on a Shifting Stone. They were actually about the only models that Hexeris could target.

First Ashes to Ashes has 6 additional damage rolls. Second one has 5. Quite awesome, especially when Kaya was within 5" of target stone.

Game would obviously have been too easy if I'd been able to fry Kaya there - one of the two boosted POW 10 damage rolls came out as 1, 1, 1. Second one was better, which dealt 9 points in, which were then transfered away.

Laris took some serious damage here, and it was the reason why I charged the beast with Thrullg. With a good roll Laris would have went down, but the wannabe-Cthulhu didn't even hit, and it has Reach with only one attack. The other two attacks destroyed a shifting stone, so it did at least something.

I anticipated a feat from Kaya and was a little worried.

And - the feat did come. I lost Rhinodon and Thrullg. It could have been a lot worse, but I still lost my heavy warbeast, and had three heavy warbeasts against me.

Stalker tried to kill Praetorian Swordsmen with Berserk, but Ashen Veil saved their bacon again. Only two died.

Image is taken from the end of my next turn, because Circle warbeasts all teleported deep into the huge forest, and I did not much else except close in.

What was notable was that basilisk Krea paralysed the Warpwolf Stalker.

Extoller had given Guidance to Hexeris, so he was able to cast Ashes to Ashes on Warpwolf Stalker. Stalker didn't mind too much, but it took Druid Wilder down.

Next picture is taken again after one full round.

Opponent backed up to a nearby hill and healed up the warbeasts. Paralysation expired.

On my turn Krea tried to place it back on Stalker, but missed. It rolled 11, when it needed 12.

I tried the same shenanigan as earlier, giving Guidance to Hexeris and casting Ashes to Ashes to Warpwolf Stalker. However, the attack roll woefully missed.

And then I expected heavy losses on my warbeast front.

I just didn't expect it would go so badly. I lost all of them.

I juggled with Feralgeist in Cyclops Shaman and Basilisk Krea, but even that didn't help. It just made opponent to force Kaya's beasts a little more.

So I was left with pesky p+s 9 or 12 swords, my warcaster, rat 5 cannon and extoller to deal with three heavy warbeasts in middle of my army.

I did try my best, though!

Praetorian Swordsmen try to attack warpwolves with combo-strikes, and beast handlers charge enemy warbeasts now they don't have any of their own to handle...

Extoller tries to shoot the Feral Warpwolf at the start of turn, but as it was found out, it was engaged in melee with a swordsman. Def 20 Feral vs RAT 5 +3D6. It was a miss, let me tell you. A good miss.

Finally Hexeris himself tries to come and beat up the Forced Evolution feral, but no, it just didn't want to go down.

Then it was opponents turn, and Ashen Veil bought me another turn, really. Though swordsmen suffered heavy casualties, they weren't wiped out.

Extoller shot the Forced Evolution feral warpwolf down, and swordsmen tried to bring down Stalker. Well, they didn't manage to do that.

Venator Flayer Cannon tried to shoot almost dead Laris, but missed all attacks. It did roll a nice number of 9's, but without marksman it needed 10's.

With Laris and Warpwolf Stalker alive, I just couldn't risk charging Hexeris to Kaya. If I had killed either Stalker, I could have risked attacking Kaya even with Guard Dog bonuses (though even that would have been desperate), or with Laris dead I might have taken the small chance of surviving a free strike from Stalker.

But when situation was like this, Hexeris advanced to melee with Stalker and slayed it himself, after which Feralgeist jumped straight in.

A nice gesture, but it was game over.

Feral Warpwolf came and tasted Hexeris just a little. Only a couple limbs.

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