My 50 point list was:
Lord Tyrant Hexeris
- Bronzeback Titan
- Archidon
- Cyclops Shaman
- Basilisk Krea
Maximum unit of Cataphract Cetrati
Maximum unit of Beast Handlers
Tyrant Commander & Standard Bearer
Maximum unit of Bog Trog Ambushers
Mortitheurge Willbreaker
Gatorman Witch Doctor
Opponent had:
Lieutenant Caine
- Ol' Rowdy
Maximum unit of Stormguard
Arcane Tempest Gun Mage Pistoleers + Officer
Black 13th
2x Stormblade Captain
Journeyman Warcaster
Stormcaller
Harlan Versh
Gorman diWulfe
Sylys Wyshnalyrr
Rhupert
Mage Hunter Eiryss
Scenario was Supply and Demand, and Cygnar got to start the game. First picture is from the end of turn 1.
Harlan Versh has Snipe and Storm Lances have Blur. Arcane Shield was on Stormguard.
On the Skorne side of things, both Basilisk Krea and Cyclops Shaman has Paralytic Aura on. Death March is on Cetrati and Soul Slave on Archidon.
Turn 2 seems I've forgotten to take a picture from the end of Cygnar turn. Well. Harlan Versh nearly kills Archidon all by himself, which is quite horrifying. Storm Lances charge Cetrati and two get into melee. Or perhaps one ran to engage. However it went, they didn't cause any serious damage to Cetrati. Though it's likely that Black 13th activated first and shot Cetrati with brutal damage shots. And not even one dead Cetrati.
Ol' Rowdy moves to annoying position. Annoying because of the Counter charge. Hmm. I wonder if you can Counter charge a Counter charge? And afterwards make a full activation? Just as a side thought, didn't matter here.
Skorne pulled Bog Trogs from ambush, because there wouldn't be any better turn for that in any case. Scenario was bad for ambushers. They killed two members of Black 13th.
Then I wondered if I should feat or not. My plan was to bring Archidon forward, and then if Ol' Rowdy chose to counter charge, I wouldn't feat. If Ol' Rowdy didn't counter charge, I would shoot Obliteration on the Stormguard, hopefully eating the unit dead from within. Looking back now it was a good thing I didn't get to use feat. The result would have been disappointing most certainly. Anyway, Rowdy counter charges. Damn it took long time to explain that.
Cyclops Shaman charges Ol' Rowdy for no apparent reason. Possibly I wanted to make an ancillary attack with evil eye and contest the zone better.
Ol' Rowdy was just within charge range of Bronzeback Titan, so Ol' Rowdy suddenly disappeared from the battlefield. Yet again I, however, underestimated badly how far I would be able to move Bronzeback with beat back. It would have been nice if it got to Stormguard especially after having spent only two Fury, but alas. It stopped at least an inch short, literally in the middle of enemy army.
Cetrati struggle with the two Storm Lances and don't manage to kill last Storm Lance, so the Tyrant Commander had to come and help. Rest of Skorne just shuffles around, not doing much. Hexeris at least has Krea's aura on, as does the basilisk itself.
Turn 3 Gorman blind oils the Bronzeback. But all in all Bronzeback miraculously survived from the charge of Stormguard and everything else opponent tried to throw againt it. I believe there was some incredible attack and damage rolls going on that turn. Mortitheurge Willbreaker and one Cetrati and one Bog Trog looks like the only actual casualties that turn. Models with damage boxes, however, had been injured. And Bronzeback was blind.
But for Skorne it was time for feat.
Hexeris used feat and charged in to Stormguard. They weren't passing their Tough rolls all the time, so I did get quite a few extra attacks from the Stormguards. A lucky roll killed the Stormblade Captain, who tried to take a shot at Caine, but missed. Anyway. As Hexeris was in a really bad position there, I thought it best to save three Fury for transfers. But I didn't play best, and bought yet one more attack, and thanks to beat back he got to engage Harlan Versh. I don't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Bronzeback just crawls in the wreck of Ol' Rowdy to get out of the way for other troops, mainly the Cyclops Shaman. Cyclops was enraged by Beast Handlers, and then it cast Train Wreck on itself and charged a Stormguard. I was afraid of charging Caine, because he might be just outside of Shaman's threat range. But with a beat back move he would be most certainly be in. Well, the charge attack missed. Not that a light warbeast would one-shot a warcaster anyway.
Cetrati and Bog Trogs just charged in, killing what was left of Black 13th and taking a few Gun Mages down too. Eiryss, however, survived. Krea used it's animus and charged something, possibly Gorman diWulfe. Zombify had been cast on Beast Handlers, and that was it.
Turn 4 starts. All enemy models move away from Hexeris' melee range. Gorman moves away from Tyrant Commander's melee range, but gets killed in the process even with defense bonus from hitting over an obstacle. That was pretty much a life saver.
Caine casts Deadeye on Gun Mages, and uses feat, walks a bit and shoots as many shots against Hexeris as possible. Then he teleported away, and out of the Killbox. Feat didn't do much, as most of targets were under Krea's animus and possibly even engaged in melee.
Gun Mages tried to shoot Hexeris next with critical brutal damage, but there were quite a few misses and non-critical hits. I think even Journeyman Warcaster tried to shoot Hexeris, but I forget the result.
It looks a bit grim for Cygnar when turn 4 started for Skorne. I figured if I destroyed the objective and dominated the zone, it would be a scenario victory. It seemed easier than trying some weird shenanigans to get to Caine. It really seemed so.
Bronzeback Titan lurches forward and tries to beat Eiryss. It boosts all initial attacks and buys extra attack and boosts it. Nope. Not even one 9+ on four tries. Cyclops Shaman kills a Stormguard who had been left contesting the zone.
Well, I got two Cetrati within reach of Eiryss. Other Cetrati had to beat some Gun Mages. The Gun Mages died to MAT 9 hits, but Eiryss survives from two. Really? Really??
Bog Trogs wouldn't be able to charge Eiryss anyway, so they charged the objective. I had really counted on them destroying the pesky arm 18 target, I mean, seven of them got into contact with it. I think I did two big CMA's, and damage dealt was horrifying. For me. Ugh.
Well, perhaps Tyrant Commander would do the trick, after all he's a P+S 12 Weapon Master model. And sure, he did more damage than the Bog Trogs combined, but yet the objective stood. I don't remember how many boxes it had, but it wasn't much.
So. Basilisk Krea and Hexeris are the only models left to activate, and there's a def 16 target in melee and behind a wall, and an arm 18 objective with a few damage points left.
I did something I should have done very first - Krea activated, moved as close to Eiryss as possible and used her animus. She even tried to shoot the paralysis on her, but missed.
Hexeris has six Fury. He charges Eiryss, and with all bonuses and penalties combined it was MAT 7 attack versus DEF 16. Please, dice, I really get it. I do. I have to respect you and believe in you, and not take you for granted. But please. Roll first 9+ on 3 dice that turn.
And it's a hit. Thankfully I didn't have to roll damage, since even triple 1's would have killed Eiryss.
But then there's still the objective. Hexeris shoots it with Obliteration. He had one Fury for boosted damage, so the objective should easily die to average rolls, but I believe my hands were shaking from other things than caffeine on those rolls, as whole turn had been such a terrible affair.
But he does hit, and boosted damage takes the few remaining damage points out. Absolutelty nothing could have made any kind of attack any more against the objective. But anyway, that was the "easy" scenario victory. I still see nightmares from that final turn and wake up in cold sweat.
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