Eventually part 1/3 of Turku Fanatic

Okay, it's been almost two weeks since Turku Fanatic tournament was held.

So it's really time for me to write down a small report of sorts.

I somehow ended up writing down these things in reverse order, so first two games are now being written last.

Tournament was 50 points with 1-2 lists and Divide & Conquer [2] and 10 point specialists.

I had never taken my Skorne to any tournament before, and I wanted to try how well they could do without Titan Gladiator or Molik Karn.

My lists were:

List 1:

Epic Hexeris
- 2x Basilisk Drake
- Basilisk Krea
- Cyclops Shaman
- Archidon
- Rhinodon

Maximum unit of Praetorian Swordsmen + UA
Maximum unit of Paingiver Beasthandlers
Minimum unit of Cataphract Cetrati
Agonizer
Aptimus Marketh
Feralgeist

Specialists:
Bronzeback Titan. (I somehow found it hilarious that there was a one huge 10 point beast as a "specialist".

List 2:

Dominar Rasheth
Basilisk Drake
Basilisk Krea
Cyclops Shaman
Bronzeback Titan
Archidon

Maximum unit of Praetorian Swordsmen + UA
Maximum unit of Paingiver Beasthandlers
Venator Flayer Cannon
Agonizer
Extoller Soulward
Orin Midwinter
Thrullg
Totem Hunter

Specialists:
Basilisk Drake
Bloodrunner Master Tormentor
Swamp Gobbers Bellows Crew
Ancestral Guardian


First game was against Circle of Orboros with Mohsar being the warlock.

Both lists opponent had included the Woldwrath and were construct & druid heavy overall. It was a tough choice between my lists, because Hexeris did fire damage with such low POW that it doesn't really interest any of the construct beasts, and Rasheth would be only able to aim for assassination with his feat and no other function whatsoever.

Opposing list was something like this:

Mohsar
- Woldwrath
- Woldwarden
- Woldwyrd

Druids of Orboros + Overseer
Maximum unit of Tharn Bloodtrackers + Nuala
2x Gallows Grove

Judging from the picture I think I got to start the game, and opponent is making his first turn. Ashen Veil was cast on Praetorian Swordsmen.

Well, there isn't much else to tell about first turn.

I advanced slowly, and scored first blood by killing a Druid of Orboros with Basilisk Drake. Whooppiedoo. And during this turn I start to look at my army a little more closely. Something had been bugging me about it, I mean... I had two heavy beasts and two light beasts... I had switched a few light beasts and feralgeist for Bronzeback Titan... but something was amiss.

Then I noticed it. I had not deployed Rhinodon. That was quite a face-palm moment, luckily opponent took it rather well and allowed me to place the beast somewhere in my deployment zone with no strategic elements to its placing whatsoever.

I guess I was a bit rusty with Skorne.

One heavy beast more was exactly what I needed, though, because on opponents next turn Mohsar used his feat Disjunction, and he used Woldwraths animus on himself. Then Druids of Orboros pulled Bronzeback closer to Woldwrath, and shortly after the gargantuan went and made my precious beast go splat.

Thanks to Disjunction Archidon went nuts and ate a beast handler that was standing on a hill, if you wonder that beasts placement.

Thanks to my Hexeris's feat I had a way of regaining Fury, but it was rather lame to use my feat that way.

Praetorian Swordsmen decided it was time for a suicide-run, and they charged whatever they could. Mostly Woldwrath, and then side-stepping for softer targets. This did remove a nice number of Druids from the field, but it was nothing but a piece trade.

Even Cataphract Cetrati charged, but did pretty much nothing thanks to missed hits and low damage rolls. I theoretically could have nailed Woldwyrd, but alas, it was not to be.

Upcoming turn from opponent was suprisingly merciful - I lost only 90% of Praetorian Swordsmen (only one was left standing) and 50% of Cetrati and a crapton of damage everywhere.

Mohsar advanced to dominate a flag to score control points.

That was my moment to try and win the game, because it looked like Rhinodon was within charge + reach distance. The old man did have 2-3 Fury for transfers, but better moment than this would probably not come.

So, Rhinodon became Enraged and Amuck was cast upon it by Hexeris. And then the beast charges and uses Thresher special attack.

I remember scoring one good damage roll that dealt something like 15 damage points in, but they were transfered right to the Woldwrath. Then there were a couple of crappy damage rolls that Mohsar took straight to the stomach muscles. I guess it's just too much for a giant tortoise-like enraged beast to kill a blind old man.

Luckily I still had Basilisk Drake who came to help Rhinodon with that awesome spray of his.

Either I missed or damage was transfered.

So, after trying everything I could I finally had to pass turn.

If I remember correctly, opponent actually won with scenario by killing off my objective marker and controlling & dominating different zones or something.

Anyway, it was quite nice game. And then on to the next one...



Game 2:

Then I was to be shocked once more.

I don't actually remember what opponents "other list" was, but I remember thinking that neither of them was "ok" for Rasheth, and if I ended up with epic Vyros, Rasheth would be all but doomed... I'm grateful I didn't pick him, since this was what I was looking at from across the table:

Epic Vyros
- 5x Griffon
- 2x Aspis
- Banshee

Maximum unit of Invictors + Unit Attachment + Soulless Escort
Sylys Wyshnalyrr
2x Arcanist

Not that the POW 10 damage roll from Ashes to Ashes would interest anyone on that list either, but still I felt a little bit more confident with epic Hexeris.

Scenario was Destruction, and I think opponent won starting roll and went first. Picture is probably from the end of opponents second turn.

I was quite sure that if I did nothing "big", all hell would break loose next turn. So, I charged. And maybe even used Hexeris' feat.

My grand plan in all its futility was to run Agonizer so that every warjack would be under the effect of "no focus allocation" agony and that way mitigate the upcoming crazy damage output.

It actually worked pretty nicely, but what worked even more nicely was absurd magic attack rolls I was able to pull off. Hexeris shot two fully boosted Hellfires to Vyros, and despite him being in melee (stupid me) they hit home and dealt respectable damage in. Not life-threatening, but certainly put up Vyros on his toes. Or his horse on its hooves.

Even without focus upkeeping of Synergy made more than enough damage.

Most Swordsmen were cut down, Rhinodon dead, agonizer released of its agony and plenty of Cetrati damaged. And all of this even when opponent constantly rolled very crappy damage rolls.

Vyros had also put up his feat. Funny thing here was that on my next turn it didn't trigger even once. Though that did mean that I destroyed not even one model in Vyros' control area...

Here is how it went.

Bronzeback Titan hammered one Griffon that was in melee, and threw it with chain attack to another griffon. I wanted to make Vyros burn focus somehow.

One Aspis in melee with Archidon was miraculously destroyed by godlike damage rolls from Archidon and a spray from Basilisk Drake. But that particular Aspis was outside of Vyros' control range.

Crazy damage rolls didn't stop there - I actually managed to destroy one objective marker with Praetorian Swordsmen. Though to be honest, that one had been softened up by Thresher attack from Rhinodon during last turn.

Aptimus Marketh shot a fully boosted Hellfire at Vyros, and the attack hit again. I was really expending all my available "above average attack roll" pool for whole tournament, it seemed.

Next turn opponent made a critical mistake with one of the griffons that Bronzeback had knockced down. Knockdown wasn't shaked off, and I think that was what "gave me" this game. Why?

That Griffon had been given a bit focus and had it been able to come into melee with Bronzeback Titan, there would've been a very real possibility of the Titan to die. After Synergy chain those attacks would've gone in with something like P+S 20-22.

But, instead, end result looked like this:

A couple of Griffons needed to be destroyed a bit first, or, the one in front of Basilisk Krea (black & white) and rightmost that was engaging Cetrati. Hexeris himself had to come and beat the warjack in front of Krea, but otherwise it went just fine. Hexeris even had the Fury to spare to cast Train Wreck on Bronzeback.

Bronzeback then charged one of the Griffons guarding Vyros, and three beat-backs later it was standing next to the warcaster.

It did take Bronzeback to max Fury, but finally Vyros fell down, as well as all the warjacks around him that had been such a pain in the rear.


Story of my Turku Fanatic warmachine tournament continues with part 2/3 here.