All Aboard The Ambush Ship!

This game also dates about a week back.

This time game was 75 points Skorne versus Protectorate of Menoth, and I continued with the ambush madness.

My list was:

Dominar Rasheth
- Agonizer
- Basilisk Krea
- Tiberion
- Titan Gladiator
2x Bog Trog Trawler
Extoller Soulward
Hutchuck, Ogrun Bounty Hunter
Paingiver Bloodrunner Master Tormentor
Bog Trog Ambushers (max)
Paingiver Beast Handlers (min)
Venator Reivers (min) + Venator Reiver Officer & Standard

Opponent had:

The Faithful Masses (War Room version, which means it is missing one free solo)
The Harbinger of Menoth
- Devout
- Templar
- Hierophant
2x Allegiant of the Order of the Fist
Anastasia di Bray
Initiate Tristan Durant
- Templar
The Covenant of Menoth
Wrack
Choir of Menoth (min)
Horgenhold Forge Guard (max) + Attendant Priest

Idrian Skirmishers (max) + Idrian Skirmisher Chieftain & Guide

Scenario was Recon II, and Protectorate started game.

I lose Master Tormentor straight away when I moved her behind a house to take cover from any random shots Idrians might come to commit within 5". Otherwise a sound plan, but somehow I managed to place Master Tormentor just within charge range. Woopsie.

On turn 2 I did get both Trawlers and Hutchuck on board. My plan was to throw knockdown bomb and drag some Idrians away from Martyrdom range. I got their command attachment officer this way, but considering I just threw 12 points to kill two models. Ouch. At least second Breath of Corruption deviation protected Tiberion from charging dwarves almost perfectly. However, those two missed attack rolls did give Allegiant the chance to walk to contest my flag.

Opponent did surprisingly little damage on their turn 3. Hutchuck and one of the Trawlers died, but miraculously one Trawler survived with one hit box remaining.

But yeah, now opponent scored two points and I was still sitting at zero, thanks to Rasheth's Breath shenanigans.

On my turn 3 I get the Bog Trog Ambushers on board. Harbinger had come just a little too close to Tiberion - she was within charge range with Rush. Now, there were quite a couple of enemy models on the way that needed to be removed. I really wanted that charge, because trampling would give me only one or two swings at her. And that feels quite a risky business for assassinations.

Rasheth is one of the first models to activate, and he uses feat. He casts Carnivore on Tiberion plus Rush on it and if I remember correctly, also on Titan Gladiator. I don't remember where the last two fury points went - possibly a random Sunder Spirit against Idrians.

Basilisk Krea manages to kill one Forge Guard, and then Venators activate and use their minifeat. I decided to try and clear Forge Guards from board instead of taking shots against Harbinger who had three shield guards at her disposal. Opponent started rolling some mighty three points of damage from nearly every Martyrdom roll Harbinger had to take. But the two models remained that were causing trouble to me.

Bog Trogs charge but their output was inconsequential.

The few models I still had to activate tried to kill the Tiberion blocker. These were the Extoller and a Beast Handler, as I couldn't figure out a way to get Gladiator anywhere that wouldn't block Tiberion from trampling.

Then Tiberion trampled and had to take two Weapon Master free strikes along the way. With a good roll there might be a spiritless, enraged Carnivorous Tiberion starting furiously at Harbinger. But the damage rolls didn't yield anything meaningful.

Tiberion had to buy attack and boost to hit. Awe + hitting behind a wall were negated by Rasheth's feat and Carnivore. After all the unlucky Martyrdom rolls Harbinger had four damage boxes remaining, which confused me. Also I always overestimate the Mk3 focus camping benefits especially on low armor warcasters. I thought I still needed to roll something a little below average to kill Harbinger, but after all calculations it turned out Tiberion was at dice +1 even after counting in the removal of damage points. So even triple 1's would have done it, or something abysmally low anyway even if I don't remember the involved hit boxes correctly.

Yay. Rasheth did it. Won against Harbinger.

(Though honestly I think I would have lost the game if Harbinger wouldn't have exposed herself.)

All Aboard The Ambush Boat!

A game from about a week ago.

I played Skorne, toying with ambush madness:

Dominar Rasheth [+28]
- Agonizer [6]
- Aradus Sentinel [16]
- Basilisk Krea [7]
- Titan Sentry [15]
Bog Trog Trawler [3]
Bog Trog Trawler [3]
Hutchuck, Ogrun Bounty Hunter [6]
Paingiver Bloodrunner Master Tormentor [4]
Bog Trog Ambushers (max) [16]
Swamp Gobbers Bellows Crew [2]


Opponent had:

Grim Angus [+29]
- Rök [21]
- Winter Troll [8]
Kriel Warriors (min) [7]
- Kriel Warrior Caber Thrower (2) [4]
- Kriel Warrior Standard & Piper [3]
Northkin Fire Eaters [7]
Scattergunners (max) [14]
- Scattergunner Officer & Standard [4]
Sons of Bragg [11]

Scenario was Spread the Net, which was relatively funny, considering it's the same name as Grim Angus' feat.

Skorne started, and the first picture is from the deployment phase. I thought it would be funny to take a picture when most of my army list isn't even on the table yet.

Bog Trog Ambushers got a nice charge against Scattergunners. Master Tormentor was being used for channeling an Influence on a Scattergunner, plus a Breath of Corruption. It was a shame I didn't realize to bring one Trawler for the flag on my side. I mean, opponent would have most likely been busy with Ambushers in the first place.

If Ambushers had been brutal on Scattergunners, they paid back in full. Only three Bog Trog Ambushers survived that turn. Grim Angus took a scenario point, but so did Aradus Sentinel.

It's time for Rasheth's feat next. I bring the rest of my ambushing models, two Trawlers and Hutchuck, on board. One Trawler takes a flag on my side of the board, and Hutchuck and Trawler come to contest Angus' flag.

First Rasheth uses feat and casts Influence on a Northkin Fire Eater, plus gives Carnivore for Titan Sentry.

Swamp Gobbers go and try to block the advance of some remaining Kriel Warriors. Titan Sentry succeeds to kill Northkin Fire Eaters.

Hutchuck lobs a knockdown grenade on Winter Troll with Wild Shot and walks to take a hit against it. Troll had used its animus, so Hutchuck went stationary.

Trawler takes a shot at the knocked down Winter Troll, but doesn't kill it. Aradus Sentinel shoots it finally, though this meant it got easily within charge range of Rök. Anyway, Skorne scored two points. It was 1-2 for Skorne now.

Grim Angus uses his feat next. He gives Primal for Rök and tries to kill Hutchuck, but fails thanks to some poor rolls.

Rök just manages to kill Aradus Sentinel, which was a bummer since now scenario went 2-3 for Skorne.

Next Sentry fails to do pretty much anything to Rök even when it had Blood Mark on it. And I had hoped to score a point from there.

However, I got to 2-4 anyway. And opponent got to 3-4 next, but importantly neither Rök was able to harm Sentry in any meaningful way.

Trawler ran to contest Angus' flag, and I manage to clear both zones. Sentry takes a point from rectangular zone and Rasheth from the circular, getting Skorne to 3-6. It was getting a little late, so we decided to end the game here. Opponent wouldn't be able to contest rectangular zone, and even if Angus would secure flag for himself opponent needed to kill the other Trawler from my side of the board without being able to start scoring points there himself. It could have taken a couple of turns for Titan Sentry to chew through the few infantry models opponent still had, but it would have required atrocious rolls to destroy the titan.

Oh well. It was rather a gritty game. It was a relatively good scenario for ambushing units, since flags were within run distance of ambushing solos.

Just a quick note of a round of Love Letter that was played a few days ago.

It was a close game of two players with the wooden hearts never being more than one point apart.

Figures actually DO paint themselves

Remember all of those who told "motivational" half-jokes about how your minis ain't gonna paint themselves no matter how long they sit on the paint station.

WELL THEY LIED!

I got undeniable footage over how Bog Trog Trawlers gather paint on them despite no effort whatsoever on my part.

Neither -2 arm nor +3 def does the trick

Maybe, then, I am trying the wrong trick?

Alrighty, I'll edit a new game right into this one. The games here have about a week in-between them, but since opponent had exactly same list and I had the same faction, I thought I wouldn't need a new post.

Two 75 point games of Warmachine with Skorne and Protectorate.

Game 1:

My list was:

Dominar Rasheth
- Agonizer
- 2x Basilisk Drake
- Basilisk Krea
- Tiberion
- Titan Sentry [
Paingiver Beast Handlers (max)
Venator Reivers (max) + Venator Reiver Officer & Standard

Ancestral Guardian
Aptimus Marketh

Opponent had:

The Harbinger of Menoth
- Devout
- Redeemer
- Vigilant
Choir of Menoth (min)
Flame Bringers (max)
2x Knights Exemplar
Visgoth Juviah Rhoven & Honor Guard
2x Allegiant of the Order of the Fist
Anastasia di Bray
Nicia, Tear of Vengeance
Hierophant
The Covenant of Menoth
Wrack

Scenario was Outlast and Protectorate started game.

Menite forces parked themselves, contesting both zones and well within Martyrdom range, waiting for me to commit.

And sure I did commit!

I rushed forward with Tiberion and Titan Sentry, and actually with pretty much everything I got. I placed Agonizer so that both heavies would benefit from Gnawing Pain, even if they would be attacked from maximum reach. Rasheth used his feat defensively, so that anything that would try to attack focal point would get -4 for damage rolls. Lucky deviations from Breath of Corruptions screened Skorne forces nicely, too.

Now, it looked and felt quite sweet to be impervious there, with two big guys closing in with opponent unable to do anything to them.

However, it wasn't that sweet when the 22 and 15 point warbeasts were tied up by two Allegiants of the Order of the Fist, with me being unable to do anything to them thanks to way too high defense.

If it wasn't for them, my bold plan of grinding control points from flag might have been a little more feasible. Now I just put Rasheth in the way of continuous assassination attempts, or at least possibilities.

Slowly and steadily Exemplars were clearing zone on the right, so my scenario victory didn't look like it would happen any time soon.

Frustrated, Tiberion trampled forward, hoping to survive long enough to somehow get to Harbinger.

Well, Tiberion was killed. Game had dragged on for quite a while by now, and there didn't seem to be any chance for a win to me, only to prolong the inevitable. I did something most unheard of: I conceded.



Game 2:

Void Seer Mordikaar
- Agonizer
- Aradus Soldier
- Archidon
- Cyclops Savage
- Titan Gladiator

Cataphract Cetrati (max)
Paingiver Beast Handlers (min)
Praetorian Swordsmen (max) + Officer & Standard
Swamp Gobbers Bellows Crew
Paingiver Bloodrunner Master Tormentor
Void Spirit

Scenario was The Pit II, and Protectorate started again.

I figured I had very little options, as Harbinger would have absolutely no trouble at all at removing Hollow from Swordsmen. I did get a couple of souls from the spell when Harbinger chose not to cast Purification, but all in all I think I lost more Fury in upkeeping and re-casting the spell than what I gained from souls.

So I decided to rush in with all I got and hope +3 defense would give a chance to do something, somewhere, preferably via charging, ghostly Archidon at Harbinger.

It kind of worked, except for the charge part. I did manage to navigate in the thick of Protectorate forces for quite a while, and Harbinger went dangerously low on her health thanks to Martyrdom a few times during game. Mordikaar was able to annoy her a bit with Manifest Void, too.

Now, for some reason it didn't even cross my mind during game that I might have tried to assassinate her during those turns of low hit points with Essence Blast targeted somewhere else so that Devout wouldn't be able to protect her. Instead I tried to win Harbinger with attrition and scenario. A choice well made!

But somehow, at the height of my power, I was at 3-0 control points. Then the downfall began and I started to run out of, well, everything, and so I did not contest nor did I score points any longer.

It's nice to know I did have the chance here, even if feeble mind didn't realize it.

Nemesii

Since I finished The Hand a couple of days ago, I thought I might take a picture from all the Nemesis encounters of Kingdom Death. Well, all but the final. But even reaching that far in the campaign seems like a distant dream.

In a Night at the Court

A recent two player game of Love Letter, which was categorized by me either having the Princess in my palm every round, or Princess not being there at all. I suppose it wasn't that big of a surprise then, that in the end, it was my letters that reached the royal heart.

Battlefield Comes to Life

... and it isn't pretty.

I've been practicing stop motion animations lately, and I had this thought how it would look like if I animated a Warmachine match.

It came out rather crude, but it was quite fun to make it. The 140+ frames spread out to a minute and a half didn't turn out so well and it's a bit too hectic to make much sense. For a slightly more enjoyable experience I suppose one would need to take a different take each time a model changes facing, as well as maybe try to make some sort of damage overlay for each hit.

While we are at it, leaching and allocating focus would give a greater pause between turns if each leached or allocated point was it's own frame.

But yeah. Considering my experience (or the very lack of it) result isn't that bad. Let's see if Blogger know's how to Avi, or do I need to youtube this thing posthumously.



Yup, new to these things. But there's the video now.

Oh, and the actual battle report. It was a fast game with Hexeris using feat to clear Mechanithralls off the board, and then warbeasts and warjacks failing to do anything useful.

I decided Hexeris needed to attack Asphyxious when he had only one focus point left for damage mitigation. Two attacks hit Asphyxious, but then I didn't score 8+ with three dice with two attempts. Maybe that's fair, because Asphyxious forgot to take souls from Archidon and Titan Sentry.

Asphyxious hit with his first attack, which spelled doom for Hexeris even if Asphyxious tried really hard not to kill the skorne warlock. Twice there were double 1's for damage, and twice damage roll was something like 1,3.

But once more Hexeris went splat.