Shadowmancer Spam

So, I got to play my first game against Convergence of Cyriss.

Opponent is a newly started player, and any and all infantry and support choices for him hadn't arrived yet. That meant tons of vectors in a 35 point game.

My list was:

Goreshade the Bastard & Deathwalker
- Nightmare
- Reaper
- Helldiver
- Stalker

Maximum unit of Mechanithralls + 2x Brute Thralls
Necrosurgeon & Stitch Thralls
Cephalyx Overlords
Warwitch Siren
Gorman diWulfe

I'm not entirely sure on the opponent's list, because I really don't recognise the Convergence warjacks just yet. But it was something like:

Forge Master Syntherion

- Assimilator
- Cipher
- Monitor
- Corollary
- Mitigator
- either 2x Diffuser & 1x Galvanizer
- or: 2x Galvanizer & 1x Diffuser

Five light warjacks and three heavies to take down. I knew that would take quite some time, but I didn't realise how long...

Anyway, we played without a scenario, as main focus was just in practicing.

It was quite dreadful to look how eight warjacks ran with one focus. Hot Shot was on Cipher (the one who shoots 2x AoE 4 blasts) and Reconstruct was on Mitigator, that was also Nightmare's prey, and the closest model to Cryx. Synergy was on, too. Damn I missed Purification from Morvahna the Dawnshadow.

Monitor had scored a lucky critical hit against Reaper, which had dropped its harpoon. Ground Pounder from Assimilator was able to just clip both Stalker and Reaper, and it was a hit against Stalker. Suddenly def 16 warjack with almost negative hit boxes was a def 7 warjack.

I was quite sure I would be able to drop two light vectors, though Mitigator had Reconstruct. And I priorised to destroy completely whatever I can. Nightmare could have charged the Assimilator, but it wouldn't destroy it. I didn't want it to slowly repair itself, so Nightmare went and wrecked some light vector in front of Assimilator with one focus point Goreshade had allocated.

Goreshade activates, backs off a little and uses Soul Gate to bring Nightmare back to safety. I overdid the safety part, though - I was very uncertain about the threat ranges of Convergence, so I really made it sure that nothing would harm Nightmare. Payback here was that Nightmare wouldn't harm anything next turn either, so far it had been teleported.

Goreshade also casts Shadowmancer.

Then Stalker tried to do at least something to the Mitigator, though the important part was getting Mitigator to Dark Shroud. Then Mechanithralls charge Mitigator and wreck it. Reconstruct triggers, and then Reaper tries to come and finish it. One damnable Mechanithrall slowed down Reaper enough that after advancing it was a couple of millmetres away (even with Reach) from Mitigator. Warwitch Siren had Power Boosted one focus to Reaper, and the only thing it could do was to shoot with the destroyed Harpoon. Yay... Well, RAT 5 + 2d6 is enough to hit the vector. POW 12+1d6 isn't enough to damage it.

Cephalyx Overseers oversee the battlefield. At least they had a good view from the hill.

Then it's Convergence turn, and I'm a little worried that I had only managed to punch one vector down.

Ground Punder kills Gorman diWulfe, and Mitigator shoots knockdown on a mechanithrall that is next to Reaper. Down went the Reaper.

Cipher pulled off a blast damage against Necrosurgeon, boosted damage and killed her. That was a nasty blow, especially when most of Mechanithralls had already died that turn.

Unknown light vector wrecked Stalker, and then there is Monitor. It could be in charge range to knocked down Reaper, or then again, it might not. Monitor decided to try and charge, but the charge fell short. That was pretty much one of the turning points in the game.

Oh, and Syntherion cast Reconstruct on Monitor. Then it was a turn for Cryx.

Well, I had removed Nightmare from play all by myself, so it didn't need focus. Reaper took three, and shook off knockdown (a little posthumously, but the intent was quite clear.)

Goreshade advanced, cast Shadowmancer and summoned a unit of Bane Thralls.

Then Reaper advanced a little and took most of its melee attacks against Cipher. Damage rolls were rather poor, and it started to look like I wouldn't be able to remove as many warjacks as I needed to.

Well, then bane thralls charged. Only one got to strike Cipher, two charged the light vector and two attacked Monitor. Only light vector was wrecked.

Mechanithralls charge all over the place, and Brute Thrall is a hero of the day when it smashes Monitor. Again I dealt much less damage than I had hoped, and despite a fresh unit of Banes attrition game didn't look that good. I'd have to be extra careful with Nightmare now.

Next Syntherion uses his feat, and all the banes suddenly disappear from a multitude of melee and ranged attacks. Reaper also goes down, and last remaining Mechanithralls are the unit leader and two brutes.

Nightmare is allocated three focus, and Helldiver gets one. Then Goreshade advances away from Nightmare's way and casts Shadowmancer.

Nightmare charges Assimilator and wrecks it. The 3" placement took Assimilator out from Nightmare's melee range, but placement was tricky for the opponent. There seemed to be no place where it wouldn't get at least one attack. It placed itself behind Nightmare, so it would get only mechanithralls and possibly one spray from a Cephalyx Overseer against it. Last attacks go to Cipher.

Mechanithralls charge, and they manage to wreck both Monitor and Cipher. Warwitch Siren charges Corollary and hits, which triggers Shadow Bind.

Helldiver charges Syntherion next, but it's outside of Goreshade control area, so doesn't get Shadowmancer bonuses. Either there was no damage done, or it was only one or two points.

I had picked the last non-corollary light vector as Nightmare's prey, which now, looking back, was not a clever thing to do.

There's not much Convergence can do right now. Diffuser or Galvanizer tries to kill a brute thrall, but fails.

Syntherion wrecks the Helldiver, and Corollary just hangs around.

Game is nearing end? Well, in a way, yes. But not quite yet.

Mechanithralls wreck the light vector on the right, and new prey for Nightmare is Syntherion. Nightmare had 3 focus, and Shadowmancer had been cast. Syntherions was camping quite a lot of focus, so it wasn't a 100% sure caster kill, especially when Nightmare had to spend a focus to charge and to use Imprint: Ghostly.

Before all of that Warwitch Siren charges Syntherion, and Shadow Binds him, too.

Then Nightmare charges Syntherion and charge attack deals... no damage. MAT 10, effective P+S 20 attack deals no damage with three dice against arm 20+ target. Attack roll was double 1.

The other initial attack doesn't fare much better, so I ditch whole assassination attempt for that turn and buy extra attack against Corollary. At least the Super-Squire falls down.

Syntherion doesn't have Reach and he was Shadow Bound over 0.5" away from both Nightmare and Warwitch Siren. Syntherion casts Convection on Warwitch Siren just for giggles. Those giggles were lethal, since it was a hit even without a boost. Warwitch Siren died.

And then. THEN game finally ends, when Nightmare was able to unload all initial attacks with three focus against its prey target, which was in Dark Shroud.

In future games there will probably be one less light vector in the list, and a couple more arc nodes, as well as some other support options. Then it will be really tough game, as even spd 4 non-reach vectors won't fail 'less than 8"' charges. Convergence must be the Legion of Warmachine.

As a side note, Goreshade cast Shadowmancer every single turn.