Lately I've played almost exclusively Asphyxious the Hellbringer & Vociferon, as I'm trying to get a feel for this particular warcaster.
I think I've began to find the core I'll be building Asphyxious3 list around wirh.
This time it was:
Asphyxious the Hellbringer & Vociferon
- Erebus
- Cankerworm
- Ripjaw
- 2x Helldiver
Maximum unit of Bane Thralls + Unit Attachment
Maximum unit of Satyxis Raiders + Sea Witch
Bane Lord Tartarus
Satyxis Raider Captain
Necrotech & Scrap Thrall
Warwitch Siren
Once I get the models I'm smuggling in Saxon Orrik and one more Helldiver.
Opponent, on the other hand, was playing:
Lord Commander Stryker
- Ol' Rowdy (Bonded)
- Lancer
Acrane Tempest Gun Mage Pistoleers + Officer
Maximum unit of Stormguard
Maximum unit of Horgenhold Forge Guard + Jonas Murdoch
Journeyman Warcaster
2x Stormblade Captain
Squire
Epic Eiryss
Rhupert Carvolo, Piper of Ord
Scenario was Into the Breach, and Cygnar started game. I kept forgetting to take pictures, so there's now one full round inbetween all pictures. First one is from the end of Cryx turn 1. Ashen Veil is on Satyxis Raiders and Scything Touch on Bane Thralls. Arcane Shield from Journeyan Warcaster is on Stormguard.
We played the fields as rough terrain that gives concealment to small and medium bases and doesn't block Line of Sight.
Eiryss is on the hill on the right, and a couple of Satyxis Raiders ran to engage her - that 16" run + reach is quite amazing to tie up things. Also Eiryss in melee with -2 to attack rolls is a lot less likely to remove Ashen Veil than an aimed RAT 9... and on Cygnar's turn she missed.
Stormguard with Tough and Fearless from Rhupert attacked Satyxis too, and I believe Ashen Veil was the saving grace here again. Lancer had come to engage main body of Satyxis and Stryker had cast Positive Charge on it, and still most of the Stormguards missed. Which was good, as those electro leaps might have easily doubled the number of dead Satyxis.
Ol' Rowdy came to contest the zone on left, and Gun Mages took shots at Ripjaw and Cankerworm, pushing them around a bit with Thunderbolts.
As Cygnar wouldn't be able to fix damage to warjacks I decided to launch Erebus at Ol' Rowdy (who had Imprint on), but that required quite a bit of shuffling around. Erebus took 3 focus from Asphyxious, Asphyxious upkept both Scything Touch and Ashen Veil and cast Mobility. Erebus charged Ol' Rowdy and made Combo-Strike... and missed. Oh dear. This might become messy.
Well, Erebus bought a new attack, hit and boosted damage and destroyed the hammer. All was not lost, maybe, perhaps?
Ripjaw, Helldiver and Cankerworm advanced to the zone and tried to tease Arcane Tempest Gun Mages, failing mostly.
Satyxis used Power Swell and charged. Two wanted to take care of Eiryss, three charged Lancer and the rest either charged Stormguard or ran. I think they killed Eiryss, Stormguard Captain, a couple of Stormguards and destroyed Lancer's arc node. Not bad.
Satyxis Raider Captain relocated herself to leftern front as Desperate Pace wouldn't be needed any longer. Bane Thralls continued to crawl - no other word can describe their movement. Forest was a lot bigger problem for them than I had initially anticipated.
I'm not entirely sure about the next Cygnar turn, as I noticed that an entire round is missing from the pictures. At least Erebus got wrecked by a combined effort of Ol' Rowdy and Horgenhold Forgeguard. On the right Stormguard and Lancer continued to struggle with Satyxis, not wiping them out just yet.
Gun Mages probably had to deal with the engaging bonejacks, but I honestly don't remember what they did.
My following turn is a bit hazy too, but Asphyxious dropped all upkeeps, advanced and used his feat and killed a Horgenhold Forge Guard and cast Carnage with Blood Boon. I think the Forge Guard passed one tough roll, so Asphyxious had to spend one Focus to ensure the kill, leaving him sitting at Arm 23 in middle of Forge Guard and within easy charge range of Ol' Rowdy.
Cankerworm advanced and tried to take a bite at Ol' Rowdy, but didn't wreck it. All Cryxian character warjacks seemed to be dying all over Ol' Rowdy. By the way, it might have been that it was Cankerworm's bite that dropped Rowdy's hammer.
But the rest... I just can't figure out what happened. Obviously Bane Thralls have had to form some sort of protective layer for Asphyxious there, and it might have been this turn where Tartarus advanced from the woods, cursed Horgenholds and threshered Stormguard, creating three Bane Thralls. But something seems wrong there... mostly the fact that Tartarus is still standing in the last picture!
Well, it's possible that Tartarus survived because opponent tried a devious plan to assassinate Asphyxious. Ol' Rowdy attempted a one-handed throw at Cankerworm and was going to throw Asphyxious' personal character bonejack back at his face. Attack roll is a hit, and then warjacks make a strength test. Ol' Rowdy rolls 1, Cankerworm rolls 6.
As far as I remember opponent had been looking that there might have been a good chance of getting Stryker to charge Asphyxious, but that would have meant expending a lot of Focus for Velocity - so throwing the bonejack at Asphyxious would have entirely negated the need to boost to hit. Well, that plan was ruined now and Ol' Rowdy had already wasted two of Stryker's Focus, so Stryker just wrecked Cankerworm and used his feat, I think? Or maybe it was last turn?
However that went, the Horgenhold Forge Guard formed a meatwall in between Asphyxious and Stryker.
I don't remember how many souls Asphyxious had gained from his feat, but I'd figure it was either four or five. Twelve seems like a familiar number, but I wouldn't bet on it.
Anyway, there were two Forge Guards directly blocking Asphyxious advance and/or charge, a couple more were threatening with a free strike and some random model was possibly blocking Line of Sight to Stryker. Forge Guard had Tough + Fearless from Rhupert going on for them. If Stryker would have had full hit boxes left I would have probably ditched whole assassination attempt, but Satyxis had given quite a few boxes of damage for a head start (another reason why Stryker didn't try a 3 die overload charge assassination) with their Feedback ability.
Shop was also closing quite soon, and the game would have to end soon anyway.
Easiest part was advancing Warwitch Siren to one of the Forge Guards, seducing him and going to beat another Forge Guard who was threatening with a free strike. Bane Thralls removed a block of Forge Guard from the middle of map and one ran to engage Stryker, but none could reach the rhulic who was blocking Asphyxious. Only model that was able to reach him was Satyxis Raider Captain, who then failed to kill thanks to a succesful Tough -roll. Chances of an overkill-assassination were rapidly dwindling.
As nothing else could even remotely get a swing at the Forge Guard, Asphyxious had to cast Bone Shaker on him - which luckily killed the dwarf. I believe Asphyxious then charged Murdoch, or cast Mobility and advanced, but either way the end result was that Asphyxious failed to kill Murdoch at first attempt, and had to buy an attack to get to use Blood Boon for casting Carnage.
The reason I was so obsessed with Carnage was the fact that three MAT 6 + 3d6 attacks could miss critically a Def 18 target, where two MAT 8 + 3d6 attacks seemed to me a better choice. Not sure if it's mathematically correct, but damn it if I believe in mathematical probabilities in this game any longer.
Bane Thrall lowered Stryker's armor, but he had Arcane Shield on and camped some Focus. I can see the Arcane Shield marker and one focus in the picture, which would have meant Arm 20 lowered to Arm 18. Well, whatever the actual details were the first attack was a hit, but the damage roll... the damage roll was a smashing success.
No comments:
Post a Comment