NFL League Game 4: A Civil Disagreement (Skorne vs Skorne - 35pts)

Pre-Game Thoughts

Here's the report for my fourth NFL league game, and this time, I'm up against Skorne.  Since I'm also playing Skorne, I have a pretty good idea of what to expect.  Skorne tends to run heavy armor with warbeasts, and tends to break heavy armor pretty well with those same beasts.  We usually run at least one unit of infantry for screening and killing other infantry, but we have some great infantry options against most opponents too.

The three 'casters I'm most worried about from Skorne are Xerxis, Zaal, and Morghoul 1.  Xerxis runs a mean brick, with armor I'll need serious commitment to crack, and the damage buffs to let ordinary infantry kill just about anything.  Zaal is kind of similar: he can buff infantry to the point where they'll kill warbeasts, plus he has some very deceptive ways to assassinate.  Morghoul 1 runs beasts that move very fast, and hit very hard, and has a denial Feat that can completely shut down warbeasts for a round.

For my 'casters, I went with Makeda 3 and Mordikaar.  Makeda 3 can crack armor very easily in case I see a brick of some kind.  I would have liked to take Zaal instead of Mordikaar, because as I said above, he's good against Skorne.  But Mordikaar still has some decent armor cracking potential, and has a lot of flexibility and attrition power for scenario play.  He's also a decent answer to Zaal.

Void Seer Mordikaar (*5pts)
*Despoiler (10pts)
*Archidon (7pts)
Cataphract Cetrati (Leader and 5 Grunts) (11pts)
Praetorian Swordsmen (Leader and 9 Grunts) (6pts)
*Officer and Standard Bearer (2pts)
Paingiver Beast Handlers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (2pts)
Agonizer (2pts)

Despoiler is cool, especially with Mordikaar, since the Void Spirits it creates can have all kinds of interesting angles, and Mordikaar helps them out a lot.  Otherwise, the list is an infantry slog.  There will be lots of Reviving Swordsmen, and a few Reviving Cetrati.  I've got decent armor cracking power with the Cetrati and the heavies, but no real specialists there.  I am counting on Despoiler's Dark Shroud affinity to crack armor if it comes to that.

Makeda and the Exalted Court (*2pts)
*Molik Karn (11pts)
*Titan Gladiator (8pts)
*Cyclops Brute (5pts)
*Cyclops Brute (5pts)
*Basilisk Krea (4pts)
Paingiver Beast Handlers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (2pts)
Agonizer (2pts)

And here's my Makeda 3 brick again.  It's proven reliable against several kinds of lists so far, and I trust it against both Arm-skew and infantry heavy Skorne.

My opponent, Braden, obviously went through the same thought process I did when picking lists, and brought Morghoul 1, and Rasheth, both warlocks who can run an armor cracking Titan brick.

Master Tormentor Morghoul (*7pts)
*Tiberion (11pts)
*Bronzeback Titan (10pts)
*Titan Gladiator (8pts)
*Titan Gladiator (8pts)
Paingiver Beast Handlers (Leader and 5 Grunts) (3pts)
Mortitheurge Willbreaker (2pts)

Well this list isn't messing around.  Four Titans is a lot of beef to chew through at 35pts (heck, it's kind of a lot at 50pts).  Besides that, they'll have Abuse and Rush to get them an 11.5" threat range, 13" for Tiberion, and a really solid denial feat against 'jack and beast heavy opponents.

Dominar Rasheth (*5pts) - Chain Gang Tier 4
*Bronzeback Titan (9pts)
*Titan Gladiator (7pts)
*Titan Gladiator (7pts)
Gatormen Posse (Leader and 4 Grunts) (9pts)
Paingiver Beast Handlers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (2pts)
Agonizer (2pts)
Agonizer (2pts)
Paingiver Task Master (2pts)

Chain Gang is a scary list I didn't expect.  The Tier benefits make Titans cheaper, increase the FA of Agonizers, give Minion units a Spd boost on turn 1, start the Agonizers off with Fury, and expand the Deployment Zone 2" forward.  Rasheth also gives some great support against many different enemies, but especially living models.


Scenario, List Selection, and Deployment

We rolled up Balance of Power, a center scenario with a 12" by 6" rectangular zone in the middle of the table, and a flag on each player's side of it.  Controlling the zone is worth 1 point, dominating it is worth 2, and dominating the friendly flag takes away one of your opponent's points.  A strange scenario, but a cool one.

We set up terrain, and revealed out 'casters.  I picked Makeda 3, and Braden picked Morghoul 1.

Against two beast bricks, I'd need all the armor cracking I could get, and my Mordikaar list just doesn't have enough.  To top it off, Makeda's good at center scenarios because she likes the brick formation to stay tight.

I didn't ask Braden why he picked Morghoul over Rasheth, but I suspect he knew I'd have to go with Makeda 3, and Morghoul shuts her beasts down better, and his Feat and Torment can deny her transfers, which she needs to stay alive at the front lines.

Braden won the roll-off, and chose to go second.

I deployed in my standard brick in front of the zone.  The Brutes went on the flank, the Krea and Makeda went in the middle, and Molik and the Gladiator went just to the side of my center pieces (Molik on the left, the Gladiator on the right).  The Paingivers and Agonizer went behind the front line of beasts along with Makeda's Exalted Guardians.

Braden deployed in a similar group, with Tiberion on the right, the Bronzeback and Morghoul in the middle, and one of the Gladiators on the left.  The Willbreaker and the Paingivers went behind that line, along with the second Gladiator, who went right behind Morghoul.

Neither of us had any AD, so that was the setup.

The Gator models are our flags for the Scenario.

Turn 1, Makeda

I ran with the Brutes, Molik, and the Krea, Rushed and Trampled with the Gladiator, and had Makeda cast Vortex of Destruction and put 4 Fury on the Agonizer before charging up to keep pace with her army.  The Paingivers advanced, but I'd deployed them a little too far back, and I'd have to take a Threshold check next turn.

I was painfully aware of how much longer Morghoul's threat ranges generally are than mine.  Hopefully next turn, I could force Braden to commit to killing the Brutes so that I could mob his heavies and bring them down.


Turn 1, Morghoul

The Gladiator behind Morghoul Rushed Tiberion, who ran 10" up the table.  Morghoul put Abuse and Admonition on the Bronzeback, and advanced on the center-right of the table, about opposite his flag.

The Gladiator on the left Rushed the Bronzeback, and trampled up 7 inches.  The Bronzeback sprinted 14" up the table, sticking its toes into the zone.  The Paingivers moved up, and managed Fury on the beasts they could reach.

Braden was in a solid defensive position here.  His lead Bronzeback was well defended by Admonition, and threatening a huge area past the zone.  Tiberion and the left Gladiator were threatening into the zone, and I'd have to contest it this turn, or Braden would start scoring points.


Turn 2, Makeda

Makeda upkept Vortex of Destruction, and leached Fury.  One of the Brutes had to take a Frenzy check, but passed due to Molik making them all Thr 10.

The Krea advanced, and boosted a Spiritual Paralysis shot at the Bronzeback, but missed.  The right Brute advanced into the zone, and used Safeguard to prevent itself from being smashed around by slams and crit-Smites.  Braden decided to use Admonition to duck the Bronzeback to the left a bit, giving it a better charge lane at Molik Karn.

However, this also gave Molik a good charge lane at the Bronzeback.  Makeda and her Court got out of the way, the Guardians positioning themselves to hamper Tiberion if he came after anyone except the right Brute.  The left Brute advanced to the edge of the zone.  The Gladiator shuffled forward, and Rushed Molik, and the Paingivers Enraged him, and managed Fury.

Molik charged the Bronzeback, and killed it with his 2 initials, and 3 bought attacks, then used Fate Walker on himself.

The Agonizer advanced, and used Gnawing Pain to debuff Morghoul's beasts a little.  Finally, Molik took his Fate Walker move to step out of Morghoul's threat ranges.

Killing the Bronzeback was huge for me, since it had been the core of Braden's offense.  I still had Tiberion and 2 Gladiators (plus Morghoul's Feat to deal with), but now I was in a better position to deal with his threats.


Turn 2, Morghoul

Morghoul leached in his Fury.

He activated first, walked to the right corner of the zone, and cast Abuse on Tiberion, and Admonition on himself.  The Paingivers walked up, and Enraged Tiberion and the left Gladiator.

Tiberion charged the central Brute, and turned it into a red smear.  He'd scored two critical hits with Tetsubo, but Safeguard kept the Brute in place, if not alive.  The Willbreaker advanced, and used Ancillary Attack to have Tiberion smash the right Exalted Guardian too.

The left Gladiator Rushed itself, and charged at Molik, but was out by a little over an inch.  The rear Gladiator advanced, trying to get into Morghoul's CTRL or the Willbreaker's Command range.

Braden's beasts were committed now, and vulnerable.  It would take some planning to kill them off, but I had the opportunity to gain a huge leg up on attrition and scenario.


Turn 3, Makeda

Makeda leached, and upkept Vortex of Destruction.  There was still a Fury left on Molik, and he failed his Frenzy check, taking a fully boosted attack at the left Gladiator for moderate damage.

Now was my time to get the most out of my offense, so even with Molik out of commission, it was time to Feat.

The Agonizer used Gnawing Pain, and ran out of Makeda's way first.  Then she used her Feat (whenever a model in her battlergroup destroys an enemy model, she can gain a Fury or remove one from a warbeast in her battlegroup), and issued a Run/Charge order.  She charged the Gladiator, and her remaining Exalted Guardian charged the Willbreaker.  The Guardian killed the Willbreaker, and did a little damage to Tiberion.

Makeda finished off the Gladiator, used Blood Boon to cast an Eliminator at a nearby Paingiver, then used the 2" advance to get range and LoS on another Eliminator at another cluster of Paingivers.  She boosted the attack roll, and got another advance to get within melee range of Tiberion.  Rather than take attacks, I decided to have her camp her remaining 2 Fury.

The Paingivers Enraged the Gladiator and the Krea.  The Krea used Paralytic Aura, and charged Tiberion to drop his Def.  She also did a little damage with her bite.  The Gladiator charged Tiberion, and took advantage of Vortex of Destruction to kill him off.

Finally, the remaining Brute ran to screen Makeda from Morghoul a little better.  I ended my turn, and scored 2 points for dominating the zone.

I'd done everything I set out to do, and Braden was in a very tough position.  He basically had to kill Makeda this turn, or I'd quickly be able to win one way or another.


Turn 3, Morghoul

Morghoul was already full on Fury.

The last Gladiator advanced into Morghoul's CTRL, and Riled itself for Fury.  Morghoul used Maltreatment to take it for a 6th point of Fury overall.

Then he started his assassination run on Makeda by popping his Feat to deny her transfers to any beast in his CTRL.  Since the Brute was in the way, he had to go around, and couldn't quite reach her with a 7" walk.  However, he was in melee range of the Exalted Guardian, and if he could destroy it, he could Overtake into Makeda.  However, his Anatomical Precision doesn't work on statues, and he couldn't roll enough damage to kill the Guardian before running out of Fury.

With Morghoul so exposed, Braden decided to concede, and we counted it as an assassination.  Makeda lightly tapped Morghoul with her sword to let him know why she's in charge of the Empire.

Victory to Makeda!


Post-Game Thoughts

I didn't make any serious mistakes, and I judged my threat ranges and plays well.  Braden made two major mistakes that I was able to capitalize on to gain the advantage, and both of them revolved around using Morghoul's defensive tools offensively.  Both Admonition and Morghoul's Feat are mainly defensive tools.  While they can be used offensively, their main function is to give Morghoul's army more staying power against the types of enemies who can best take it out.  If Braden had kept Admonition on the Bronzeback rather than using it to get a better charge angle, it would have been able to dodge Molik.  If he had used Morghoul's Feat defensively on his second turn, Tiberion would very likely have lived (due to my beasts being unable to force), and Braden would have had another chance to rally.

Molik is the MVP this time around.  His long threat range and hitting power allowed him to kill off Braden's Bronzeback on turn 2, and put Braden on the defensive from then on.  Molik really is a power piece in any list, and he's extra terrifying under Makeda.

Braden's list was almost pure beef (elephant?), and is very close to what I would run with Morghoul at 35pts.  The only change I'd make is to possibly switch the second Gladiator out for a little more support - maybe a Krea and a Cyclops of some kind, or an Agonizer and a min unit.


That's it for now.  Stay tuned for next week's game, when we move up to 50pts, and I play against Circle.

Thanks for reading!