Battle Report: Makeda 3 vs. Jarl Skuld at 50pts

I played another game against my co-blogger, Caleb J this past Tuesday, and here's how it went:

I ran the Makeda 3 list I'm working on:

Makeda and the Exalted Court (+2)
*Molik Karn (11)
*Bronzeback Titan (10)
*Titan Gladiator (8)
*Basilsk Krea (4)
*Basilisk Drake (4)

10 Nihilators (Proxied with Immortals) (8)
Tyrant Commander and Standard Bearer (3)
4 Paingiver Beast Handlers (2)

Agonizer (2)

This is my first game with this list for Makeda 3.  The Nihilators are screening.  It's my first game in a while with them, but they're very solid troops for protecting my beasts.  Speed 6 will get them out on the front lines, and Reach and Tough will make them annoying to break through.  This is also my first time trying out the Drake with Makeda 3.  I'm thinking he'll be good on the side, where his spray can clear things up or get free boosted damage rolls against anything Makeda's fighting.  I also think his Animus will be situationally good with Makeda 3 if she starts her turn engaged, or has the option to move around before her action with Eliminators.  Overall, I'm optimistic about this one.


Caleb decided to try out Jarl Skuld:

Jarl Skuld, Devil of the Thornwood (+6)
*Dire Troll Bomber (10)
*Dire Troll Mauler (9)
*Troll Impaler (5)
*Rune Bearer (2)

10 Kriel Warriors (6)
*Piper and Standard Bearer (2)
*3 Caber Throwers (3)
3 Long Riders (7)
3 Runeshapers (4)

Horthol, Long Rider Champion (5)
Fell Caller Hero (3)

This is a deviation from Caleb's standard brickier lists.  It's got a quick and very durable jam with the Kriel Warriors, and a fast melee powerhouse with the Long Riders and Horthol.  Jarl and the Bomber can put in a good amount of work at range, and the Mauler gives it some finishing power in melee.  It seems quite well balanced and fun, especially with Jarl's mobility.


Deployment and Scenario

We played Fire Support (scenario 12), with 2 flags in the middle of the table, and a friendly and an objective on each players table half which counts as friendly to that player (and contests the flag near it until it is destroyed).

A shot of the table (and some Skorne).  The Heavy Myrmidons are our objectives, and the Ancestral Guardians are our flags.

I won the roll-off, and chose to go second.  Caleb deployed in a classic battle line, with the Long Riders and Runeshapers taking the center, the Kriel Warriors deploying slightly to the left, and the Warbeasts deploying in a supporting cluster slightly to the right.  Horthol went to the right of the Warbeasts, but not too far out.  Jarl and the Fell Caller took the center near the Long Riders and the Kriel Warriors.

The Trollkin deploy in a long battle line across the center portion of the table.

I deployed in my standard brick.  The Nihilators and two Titans went up front, though the Nihilators would quickly outpace the Titans.  Makeda deployed on the front lines as well, though the Exalted Court deployed just behind her and the Titans.  Molik, the Krea and the Tyrant Commander deployed behind the Nihilators, and the Paingivers deployed behind them.  The Drake went out on my left side near the wall, where it could help claim my flag, and spray down some Long Riders.

I deploy in a tight line to claim the center, and spread out toward my objective from there.

And with that, we were off.


Turn 1: Trollbloods

Jarl cast Tactical Supremacy on the Long Riders, and Quicken on the Kriel Warriors, and advanced.  The Long Riders and Runeshapers ran forward.  The Fell Caller used Overcome on the Kriel Warriors to help them get through the woods, and ran.  The Warbeasts and Horthol all ran.  The Kriel Warriors dashed 16" up the flank.  The Rune Bearer ran too.  At the end of the turn, the Long Riders used their Tactical Supremacy move to go laterally, in front of the Runeshapers.

Caleb's Trollkin dash up the table.

Yikes.  When did Trolls get to be the fastest faction?  Caleb's army was well deployed, and threatening far up the field.  Time to run up at take a few charges on the chin.  (When I finally buy the Nihilators, then I'll really have the chins for it).

A truly majestic chin.  I found this guy at Forge, Foundry and Crucible, a painting blog a lot of cool looking models on it.  (I don't know the blogger, I just used an image search, but he deserves credit.)



Turn 1: Skorne

The Nihilators ran, as did the Drake.  The Gladiator Rushed the Bronzeback and trampled up, and the Bronzeback ran.  The Tyrant Commander used Press Forward on Makeda and the Court, and ran up near the wall with the Standard Bearer.  Makeda and the Court advanced, and Makeda cast Vortex of Destruction, put 3 Fury on the Agonizer, and camped one for herself.  The Agonizer ran across the table (I'd misdeployed it pretty badly) to counter Caleb's Beasts.  The Krea cast Paralytic Aura and charged into a pocket I'd made near both Titans, as well as Makeda and the Court.  The Paingivers walked up and managed Fury.

I spread out and prepare to take the charge.

Not a bad turn of positioning.  Caleb's list was too fast for me to really snag any scenario points, but if he committed next turn, I'd be able to counter with all my Warbeasts intact, and do some serious damage to him.  I was also pretty sure he couldn't kill off all my Nihilators, so I'd have a bit of a screen left after this turn.


Turn 2: Trollbloods

Jarl upkept both spells.  The Long Riders activated first, and used Bull Rush to slam the leading Nihilators into the back lines.  They killed 3 overall, and knocked down Makeda with a flying Nihilator, inflicting 6 damage on her with a good roll.  The Fell Caller gave the Kriel Warriors Pathfinder again, and ran upfield.  The Kriel Warriors charged into the Nihilators' flank, and killed two more.  The Rune Bearer moved up, and cast Quicken on the Runeshapers.  Jarl moved up, cast Magic Bullet on himself, and shot Makeda One of her Guardians Shield Guarded the shot, and Caleb used Magic Bullet to kill a Paingiver.  He took another shot at Makeda, but did no damage.  Then he used his Feat to summon 4 clouds across his front line, and a 5th on top of the Runeshapers to lower my attack rolls if I could get to Jarl.

The Rune Bearers advanced, and killed another 2 Nihilator with Rock Hammers.  The Impaler advanced, and used Far Strike on the Bomber, which advanced, and killed a second Paingiver in a scattering blast.  The Mauler advanced to support the other trolls, and Horthol hooked around, ready to start damaging my objective next turn.  The Long Riders finished up by advancing just in front of the Runebearers with Tactical Supremacy, well behind the first line of clouds.

Caleb lurks behind a defensive line of clouds.

I had taken some damage to my screen, and Makeda had taken some damage as well, but I was still reasonably intact.  The Nihilators were expended, but now my heavy hitters - most notably Makeda and Molik - were in a position to do some damage.


Turn 2: Skorne

Makeda upkept Vortex of Destruction and shook off Knocked Down.  The three surviving Nihilators advanced, and two of them killed a Kriel Warrior a piece, while the 3rd walked into formation.  The Tyrant Commander used Press Forward on Makeda's unit, and ran up to the wall, while the Standard Bearer ran up to Horthol to engage him.  Makeda's unit walked forward, one Exalted Guardian engaging two Kriel Warriors, and Makeda herself engaging two Long Riders and two Runeshapers.  Makeda killed the one of the Long Riders, and Blood Booned Ground Zero, forcing both the Runeshapers to pass Tough checks, and scratching up the other Long Rider with a lowish roll.

At this point there was a question about Vortex of Destruction and melee range across an enemy base, and after that was settled, I'd completely forgotten about the push effect from Ground Zero (despite the fact that it had been a part of my plan originally), so everything stayed in place :P.  The turn would have ended up a bit differently if I'd remembered it, but probably not too differently.  Next time I'll keep it in mind.

Since everything was still there, and I didn't want Makeda taking Free Strikes on her way out, I decided to Feat, and she killed the second Long Rider and both Runeshapers with melee attacks, and her Exalted Guardian killed both Kriel Warriors she'd Engaged with, and gave Makeda 2 more points of Fury.  Makeda cast Fate Walker, put one on the Agonizer, and camped 3.

Molik barely had LoS around the edge of a cloud to the Bomber, and might be able to Side Step into Jarl, so I needed to clear a path for him.  The Drake advanced, and Sprayed the last Long Rider and Runeshaper, killing them both, and giving Makeda a Fury.  The Bronzeback ran on the diagonal toward the remaining Kriel Warriors.  The Krea moved up, used Paralytic Aura and shot at Jarl, but was just out of range, and Jarl Evasively dodged 2" away from other Trollblood models.  The Gladiator advanced and Rushed Molik to let him hop the wall and give him extra speed.  The two surviving Paingivers Enraged Molik, and Conditioned the Gladiator.  Then Molik charged the Bomber, and side stepped to where he could also attack the Impaler.  He killed both, and used Fate Walker.  Finally, the Agonizer advanced, and wailed Gnawing Pain, which might save Molik from the Mauler.  Then Makeda Fate Walked back to a protected pocket near the Krea, and Molik Fate Walked straight back to near the Agonizer.

A really strong turn.  It will be hard for Caleb to come back from this.

That had been a brutal turn, and Caleb was really on the the back foot now.  He hadn't rolled well with his Tough checks, and now his strong center units were dead, as well as two of his beasts and most of his firepower.  Makeda was out of reach and rocking 4 transfers now, so he had no angle to assassinate her.  He'd have to play for scenario, and hope to do enough damage to my heavies to be able to pull through.


Turn 3: Trollbloods

Jarl dropped his upkeeps.  The Runebearer put Harmonious Exaltation on him.  Jarl cast Magic Bullet on himself, advanced, and shot the Agonizer.  The shot was Shield Guarded by an Exalted Guardian, and Jarl directed the Magic Bullet into the Agonizer, doing some damage, but failing to kill it.  Jarl then cast Magic Bullet again, and shot at the second Exalted Guardian near the Kriel Warriors, but missed with a terrible roll.  He also put Quicken on the Mauler to give it range to Molik.  The Mauler put Rage on itself, and charged in.  It nearly killed Molik, leaving him at just 4 boxes.  The Fell Caller called for Pathfinder on the Kriel Warriors with Overcome, and sprayed at the Exalted Guardian and Nihilators blocking them, but missed.  The Kriel Warriors charged the Exalted Guardian and her Nihilator friends as well as the Bronzeback and Molik Karn.  The first one had to move at Molik, so the Bronzeback Counter-Charged it, getting further upfield, and close to Jarl, but failing to kill the Tough Kriel Warrior.  The Caber Thrower who'd charged the Bronzeback missed, but the remaining Kriel Warriors finished off the last 3 Nihilators.  Finally, Horthol charged in and finished Molik Karn.

The Bronzeback and Krea are in the classic "butt first" melee posture Paingivers instill in their beasts from an early age.

Caleb had done some damage, but not nearly enough.  He'd really needed to clear out the Exalted Guardian and two Nihilators near her to get his Kriel Warriors in to jam me, and his dice had deserted him at a critical juncture.  The Bronzeback was right next to Jarl, and that's never a good sign.


Turn 3: Skorne

Makeda upkept Vortex of Destruction, then the Krea and Drake both Frenzied.  The Krea killed the Kriel Warrior next to her, and the Drake chewed ineffectually at Horthol.  The Tyrant Commander advanced, put Press Forward on Makeda's unit, and missed the Mauler with his halberd.  Makeda and her Exalted Guardian advanced to make attacks on the Caber Thrower engaging the Bronzeback, and killed it, then the Bronzeback advanced, and killed Jarl (although it did come down to the last attack).

Being next to a Bronzeback is never good.

Victory to the Skorne!


Thoughts

I played a strong game this time, and while I made mistakes, they were generally pretty small (except lining Makeda up perfectly for a slam into her, no idea what I was thinking there).  I should have been decisive on Makeda's second turn, and Feated earlier.  In a timed format, Makeda's Feat is probably best used to eliminate a few critical pieces rather than try to live the dream and kill everyone with one or two models.  If I'd Feated right away, my activations with the unit would have been cleaner, and I would have been able to do more with Makeda than I did.  A possibility I ignored was to Fate Walker Molik toward Jarl on turn 2.  I'm not entirely sure it would have been better than dragging the Mauler into my threat ranges by forcing it to take out Molik, but it's a possibility I should have thought about.  I also might have considered ignoring my drive to assassinate on turn 3, and gone for the Mauler with my Bronzeback.  The assassination run almost didn't work out because of bad dice, and even though it seemed like a sure thing, it came down to the last Tough check.  If I'd charged and taken out the Mauler, Caleb would have been in an impossible position, with no answer to my heavies or Makeda.

I really liked the way this list fit together.  The Nihilators are a great screen, although I'd forgotten quite how low Cmd 7 is on the tabletop.  The Tyrant Commander was the MVP for me this game.  The extra movement on Makeda turned my second turn from a move up and consolidate sort of turn into a decisive one where I gutted Caleb's army and retreated to safety.  The Basilisk Drake also performed well.  I'm considering Hakaar instead of the Drake, because he'd make a good buddy for Makeda, but the magic spray and extra transfer sink might be too good.  I'll try it both ways and see.

Caleb's only big mistake was underestimating my abilities on his second turn.  He'd set up where he thought he would be safe, but I was still able to reach his Long Riders with Makeda, and his Warbeasts with Molik.  I have some thoughts about how he could have set up differently, but I'm going to see what other people think he should have done on his second turn in the first 4+ Tough Warmachine Puzzle [link to be added soon!].  He definitely should have checked Molik's line of sight, and placed his last cloud to block it.  Losing the Bomber and Impaler locked Caleb into a bad position, even though he killed Molik on his next turn.  Given how fast the big Kriel Warriors unit ended up being I might also have deployed them centrally, or opposite my flag.  They would have jammed the middle up, or locked me out of any scenario points on my own flag.  They might also have killed off my objective after a couple of turns.  Caleb wanted to try deploying the Long Riders in the middle of the table where they'd have full range of the field, and they're definitely a big enough threat for that to be a good move.  I don't know the army well enough to say, but I definitely would have felt more pressure from the Kriel Warriors if they'd kept a little more toward the center.

Caleb's list is good.  I'd say it isn't missing anything in particular, except that it really wants max Long Riders.  I'd drop the Runeshapers to fit them in.  The Runeshapers are certainly nice, but the Bomber and Magic Bullet are a good enough infantry sweeping team, and Critical Knockdown from Rock Hammer isn't a reason to take them in and of itself.  He had also originally written a slightly modified version of the list with Janissa and a light beast (a Slag Troll I think) instead of a Mauler.  I think this list can definitely do well with that setup, although I wouldn't take it against a beast heavy brick like my list without solid armor cracking like the Mauler provides.  Otherwise, this is a deceptively fast Troll list with a lot of jamming potential, strong firepower, and some very hard hitting melee models.  With a little more practice, I'd say Caleb has Jarl figured out.

Battle Report: Mordikaar vs. The Old Witch at 35pts

Here is a game I played this past Tuesday.  There's a 35pt tournament coming up soon, so Caleb H and I played a 35pt game.  The Skorne Community Forum is abuzz with talk of Mordikaar, so I decided to give him another whirl.  No pics this time unfortunately.  I got carried away and forgot about them.

I ran:

Void Seer Mordikaar (+5)
*Bronzeback Titan (10)
*Basilisk Krea (4)

6 Cataphract Cetrati (11)
10 Praetorian Swordsmen (6)
*Officer and Standard Bearer (2)
6 Paingiver Bloodrunners (5)
4 Paingiver Beast Handlers (2)

This is a lot heavier on the infantry than most of my 35pt lists, and I'm a little nervous at having only one heavy.  Mordikaar has a great attrition game, but he isn't one of the Warlocks who can get infantry to remove enemy heavies easily like Xerxis or Zaal.  I'll also have limited options against high-Def.  On the other hand, this list will be quite a slog for my opponent.  The Bloodrunners form an early jam, and get Mordikaar a couple of Soul Tokens from Hollow.  The Swordsmen and Cetrati follow up, getting in the way and being difficult to remove.  Revive can keep all three units around a lot longer than they otherwise would be.


My opponent, Caleb H, ran:

Zevanna Agha, The Old Witch of Khador (+3)
*Behemoth (13)
*Scrapjack (-)
*Sylys Wyshnalyrr, the Seeker (2)

Cylena Raefyll and 9 Nyss Hunters (10)
6 Iron Fang Pikemen (5)
*Black Dragon Officer and Standard (2)
Lady Aiyanna and Master Holt (4)

Gorman di Wulfe, Rogue Alchemist (2)

I consider this pretty standard for Old Witch.  There are two attrition units, either of which can be given annoyingly high Def with Iron Flesh, and both of which hit hard.  Behemoth provides good ranged support, and Old Witch gives it the ability to shoot through forests.  The Mercs are all solid, and help the list deal with heavy threats or augment the Witch's ability to sling Gallows around and camp.  Overall, this seems like a strong scenario list.  Old Witch brings a lot of denial with her Feat and Murder of Crows, and the list is pretty well suited to slogging it out with high-Def Nyss and high-Def and high-Arm Iron Fangs.  The only tool for countering another high-Def list is Behemoth, but two 3" AoE's is pretty good, especially for 35pts.


Scenario and Deployment:

We rolled up the first scenario: Everyone Run into the Middle and Stay There Until One 'Caster Falls Down Destruction.  There's one small rectangular zone in the center of the battlefield with a monolith at each corner - two friendly and two enemy.  Destroying an enemy monolith gets you a point, but you can only damage one enemy monolith per turn.  Controlling the zone gets you a point, and dominating it gets you two.

Caleb won the roll-off, and chose to go second.  The table was very symmetrical: each side had a low wall in front of the zone (but annoyingly outside of the killbox) and a forest and hill around the zone's corners.

I deployed my Swordsmen in the center-right, and my Cetrati, beasts and Mordikaar in the center-left.  The Idea was to jam the zone, and then continue to jam it using Hollow and Revive until I'd worn Caleb's army down enough to take a shot at the Old Witch.  My Bloodrunners went in front of the Cetrati when the time came for Advance Deploy.

Caleb deployed the Iron Fangs in the center with Aiyanna and Holt and Gorman behind them, and put Behemoth in the center-right (from my perspective).  Old Witch, Scapjack and Sylys went on the center-left.  The Nyss Hunters deployed on the left, to hook around the zone toward the Cetrati.


Turn 1: Skorne

Most of the army ran.  The Krea used Paralytic Aura and charged.  Mordikaar advanced and put Hollow on the Bloodrunners and Banishing Ward on the Cetrati.

The Bloodrunners were far up, and getting ready to jam the Khadorans on my next turn.  They might get me a bunch of Fury with Hollow if Caleb decided to attack them.


Turn 1: Khador

Old Witch allocated 3 Focus to Behemoth.  Most of Caleb's army ran.  The Old Witch teleported up behind one of the forests near the zone and used her Feat, Field of Talons, catching much of the area my army would be moving into.  She may have put Weald Secrets on Behemoth, but I forget.  Behemoth trampled forward, got some shots off on the Swordsmen, and killed one.

My one-wound infantry would be pinned in place by the Old Witches Feat next turn.  I'd start moving troops into the zone though, to prevent Caleb from jamming me out of it with Iron Flesh infantry on his next turn.


Turn 2: Skorne

Mordikaar kept up his spells.  The Cetrati moved up in shield wall, and toed into the Zone.  Mordikaar used his Feat to give me some defense against the Alpha Strike, and Revived the dead Swordsman into the zone.  The Krea used her aura and advanced, and the Bronzeback ran a little.  The Paingivers stayed out of range or still, and Medicated the beasts.

That was it.  I was pretty adequately protected by my Feat, but Caleb could still get to me.  We'd see what transpired next turn.


Turn 2: Khador

Old Witch allocated 3 to Behemoth.    The Nyss advanced, and fired two big CRA's at the Bloodrunners, but one missed, and the other Bloodrunner passed its Tough check.  Aiyanna advanced and cast Kiss of Lylyss on the Swordsmen to reduce their armor, and Holt aimed and killed one.  Behemoth trampled up and damaged the objective with Bombards, killing one Swordsman in the crossfire.  The Iron Fangs Shield Walled, and attacked the Cetrati, killing one with a big CRA, and coming up short on the other.  Scrapjack attacked some Bloodrunners, but missed, and Old Witch put Iron Flesh on the Iron Fang Pikemen, and summoned a Murder of Crows in front of the Nyss.  Gorman advanced, and put a cloud over himself.

That was reasonably painless.  I'd be getting my masses of infantry into melee next turn, and I hoped to do some damage.  It was down to the slog now.  And protecting our 'casters of course.


Turn 3: Skorne

Mordikaar upkept his spells.  The Bloodrunners attacked a few Nyss and some Iron Fangs, and killed one Iron Fang and one Nyss.  The Krea used Paralytic Aura, and walked up to debuff some Iron Fangs.  Mordikaar Revived a Swordsman into the Iron Fangs' rear arc.  The Swordsmen advanced, used Perfect Strike to ignore Shield Wall, and killed 2.  The Cetrati stayed in Shield Wall, did 2 2-Cataphract CMA's and killed one more Iron Fang.  The Bronzeback advanced to a better position.

The Nyss would be able to charge the Bronzeback next turn, but I was hoping they'd roll low, and it would live.  Otherwise, I was in an ok position.  Revive would put me ahead on the attrition war soon enough, and with back strikes, I was getting around Iron Flesh on the Pikemen.


Turn 3: Khador

Old Witch and Sylys upkept Iron Flesh, but let Murder of Crows drop.  Old Witch allocated 1 to Behemoth's cortex, and 3 to its subcortex.  Aiyanna threw Kiss of Lylyss on the Bronzeback, and Holt shot up another Swordsman.  Behemoth charged and destroyed the right objective, and lobbed some Bombard shots into Mordikaar, who transferred one solid hit to the Bronzeback, and took some damage from a second hit.   The Nyss charged into the Bronzeback, and killed it dead.  They also killed two Bloodrunners, so one Soul Token to Mordikaar.  The surviving Iron Fangs attacked the Cetrati, but didn't do enough damage to kill a second one.  Gorman advanced, and threw Black oil at an un-engaged Cataphract, blinding it and its neighbor.  Scrapjack continued to fight a Bloodrunner without results.

Note to self: never hope.  Losing the Bronzeback was bad.  It's the list's finisher, and I really needed something that could contend with Behemoth.  Well, I'd have to try to wrap this up quickly.  Unfortunately, the Old Witch was well hidden behind that forest.


Turn 4: Skorne

I had little choice but to slog on with the game.  Mordikaar let both Hollow and Banishing Ward drop.  The Bloodrunners took out another Iron Fang as well as a 5th.  The Swordsmen took out the last two non-Standard Bearer Iron Fangs.  I'd used a few Side Steps and Shadowplays to move my troops within Essence Blast range of the Old Witch.  I was thinking that if I hit with the Krea, I could possibly assassinate her this turn. The Cetrati tried to take out the last one with a 3-man CMA, but rolled snake eyes.  That was ok.  The Krea moved up, and shot at the Old Witch with Spiritual Paralysis, but missed.  After that, Caleb reminded me that I wouldn't have been able to attack the Old Witch with Essence Blast anyway, because my models didn't have LoS (which is good to keep in mind).  Mordikaar aimed, and killed the four Nyss who'd charged the Bronzeback with his Death Blast (regaining 6 hit boxes, thanks Life Drinker!), then cast Hollow on the Swordsmen, and Revived 2 of them into combat with Gorman and Aiyanna.

Holding on....  Behemoth was still a major problem, but I was winning the infantry war, and Caleb was running out of non-Behemoth models to kill them.


Turn 4: Khador

Caleb dropped Iron Flesh from the Black Dragon Standard Bearer, and Behemoth's Subcortex got 2 Focus.  Aiyanna cast Kiss of Lylyss at the Krea, while Holt charged and killed a Swordsman, and shot the Krea for moderate damage.  Gorman gave the Swordsman in combat with him some googly eyes.  Sylys put Arcane Secrets on the Old Witch.  The Old Witch channeled Gallows through Scrapjack and the Krea, doing more damage, and put Iron Flesh on the Nyss Hunters.  The Nyss advanced (one dying to a lucky Bloodrunner Free Strike), and CRA'd into Mordikaar, but rolled low for damage.  Behemoth aimed, and shot Mordikaar with the Bombards, forcing him to kill the Krea with transfers.

Ok.  Now I was out of beasts, which was really no good.  Old Witch was still hidden, and I still didn't have much to do about Behemoth.


Turn 5: Skorne

Mordikaar spent one of his precious remaining Fury points to upkeep Hollow.  The Cataphracts advanced in Shield Wall to screen Mordikaar from Behemoth.  The Swordsmen spread out to kill off Gorman, and Holt, and wound Aiyanna and Sylys.  They also did a few incidental damage points to Behemoth with Penetrating Strike.  Mordikaar aimed and shot the Nyss again, but missed this time.  No more hit points for him.  The Bloodrunners and Paingivers mobbed the surviving Nyss, and managed to kill one more.

Progress?  Next turn I'd charge the Cetrati into Behemoth and see if they could do enough damage, but I was a little doubtful.  They can pull something like that off in a couple of turns if a few are revived into good charge positions.


Turn 5: Khador

Behemoth's Subcortex got 2 Focus.  It turns out Behemoth has Arcing Fire, and it merrily shelled Mordikaar over the Cetrati's heads.  He exploded.


Victory to Khador!


Thoughts

I made one really serious mistake which ended up costing me the game, and that was exposing my Bronzeback early.  Losing the Bronzeback meant that I had no good answer to Behemoth.  That in turn put a lot of pressure on Mordikaar from Bombard shells I really had no answer for.  It would not have been too hard to gum Behemoth up with Swordsmen and get the Bronzeback into it.  Otherwise, I used my infantry well enough.  Revive is a fantastic spell, and just a few bodies started giving me the leg up on attrition.

I like the list, but I'm not sure the Bloodrunners have a place in it.  They're certainly good, and it's nice to have a Hollow target with AD to jam opponents that much earlier.  They might be the sort of thing I'd want to add in at 50pts though, and spend those 5pts getting myself some extra support at 35.  This game, an Agonizer would have been really helpful.  For that matter, so would a second heavy.  Mordikaar is a lot of fun, but I definitely need to practice and see what lists work best for him.

Caleb played a tight game.  He kept the Old Witch safe, and didn't expose her trying to get a bunch of Soul Tokens - she hid behind a forest and supported her army through Scrapjack.  He got an advantage on turn 3 when he killed my Bronzeback, and exploited it consistently until he was able to win.

I'm not sure about Caleb's list for Old Witch, and he wasn't 100% happy with it either.  I feel he may be spending too much on support with both Aiyanna and Holt and Gorman di Wulfe.  The Iron Fangs' attrition potential would definitely be significantly better if they could take a max unit.  Then again, Kiss of Lylyss is what let the Nyss finish off the Bronzeback (doing just enough damage with 4 charging in), so A&H definitely help out.  Behemoth is great with Old Witch, although I can see replacing him with a cheaper ranged 'jack.  Gorman's the only model who didn't do much this game, but that was mainly due to having no good targets outside of one shot at 2 Cetrati.

Sorry about the lack of pictures.  I really am trying to be better about them, but I keep forgetting once the game starts up.  Tomorrow is WM night again for me, so I'll try to remember then.

Thanks for reading.

Battle Report: Kaelyssa vs. pDoomshaper, 50pts

This is the second game I played last Tuesday.  I decided to try out Kaelyssa again, since I'm starting to get the hang of her, and I'm really liking her.

Here's the list I used:

Kaelyssa, Night's Whisper (+7)
*Phoenix (10)
*Banshee (10)
*Manticore (8)
*Sylys Wyshnalyrr, the Seeker (2)

10 Dawnguard Invictors (10)
*Officer and Standard Bearer (2)
10 Houseguard Halberdiers (7)
*Officer and Standard Bearer (2)

Mage Hunter Assassin (2)
Mage Hunter Assassin (2)
Arcanist (1)
Arcanist (1)

It's a little more 'jack heavy than I'm used to running with Kaelyssa, and it doesn't have the Mage Hunter Strike Force, which is normally a signature unit.  I do think this list will be pretty durable, as all its infantry and Warjacks are fairly tough.  The Mage Hunter Assassins will try to ambush Knocked Down targets that I shoot with the Banshee.  The Halberdiers will jam in the first wave, and the Invictors and Warjacks will advance behind them, laying down fire and waiting to charge.

Without the Mage Hunter Strike Force, I'm out my ranged troubleshooter, and I won't be able to cause mischief quite as far forward as usual.  I may also be Focus strapped on critical turns.  Kaelyssa really wants all the 'jacks in her battlegroup, and also wants to be slinging spells and taking shots, and 3 Myrmidons might be a little to much for her to handle without help.  We'll see.


My frequent opponent and co-blogger, Caleb J, played his latest pDoomshaper list:

Hoarluk Doomshaper, Shaman of the Gnarls (+7)
*Mulg the Ancient (12)
*Troll Axer (6)
*Pyre Troll (5)
*Rune Bearer (2)

5 Trollkin Warders (8)
3 Trollkin Long Riders (7)
3 Rune Shapers (4)
Kriel Stone Bearer and 5 Stone Scribes (4)
*Stone Scribe Elder (1)

Horthol, Long Rider Champion (5)
Fell Caller Hero (3)

This looks like a standard Troll brick.  It would be extra heavy on the Denial with Mulg's Animus and Doomshaper's Feat and general anti-magic abilities.  The Long Riders are nasty in any list, and Doomshaper has Fortune to help them hit more accurately.  The Warders make an imposing brick, and as always, Mulg hits like a truck.

The list's main vulnerability is its low model count.  Every casualty I inflict on it will seriously affect its ability to deal damage.  On the other hand, most of those models are hard to kill, so I'll have to work to eliminate them.


Deployment and Scenario

We played Process of Elimination.  There are 2 zones spaced 8" apart in the center of the table.  Each zone contains a monolith, which counts as an enemy model to both players.  Destroying a monolith grants 1 point, and controlling a zone grants 1 point while dominating it grants 2.  Only one monolith can be damaged in a given turn.

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

I deployed in a close formation where my infantry could spread out into both zones, and at least one 'jack could help control both as well.  The Halberdiers deployed in front of the Invictors in the middle.  When the time came for Advance Deploy, I deployed the Mage Hunter Assassins on my left opposite Mulg and Horthol.

My deployment.  The chicken will be holding down the left flank, while the Dr. Pepper may redeploy toward the center if needed.

Caleb deployed in a lose line with the Long Riders holding down his left flank, Horthol holding down the right, and the Warders and Warbeasts marching up the middle supported by the Fell Caller, Kriel Stone and Doomshaper.  The Runeshapers deployed in the center-right to support the brick with spells.

Caleb's Deployment.  Horthol is behind a building on his far right, past the Runeshapers.

Turn 1: Retribution

I ran everything except Kaelyssa and the Arcanists.  The Arcanists used Power Booster, while Kaelyssa put Phantom Hunter on the Banshee and Arcane Reckoning on the Halberdiers.  The Mage Hunter Assassins moved up cautiously, not wanting to be blasted by Rock Hammers.

Standard first turn unpacking, and pretty successful too.

I spread out and advance cautiously.

Turn 1: Trollbloods

Caleb ran up with most of his army, careful to stay out of my threat ranges for the most part.  Doomshaper put all his Fury on the Kriel Stone.  The Runeshapers fired a few Rock Hammers at the Mage Hunter Assassins, but they fell short and scattered wide.  The Kriel Stone used its Aura, and chose to make the affected Trolls immune to continuous effects like Fire.

Caleb was playing it safe rather than rushing in heedlessly.  I couldn't do much to his army, but a few ranged attacks might soften him up.

Caleb sets up mostly out of my charge ranges.  Horthol is still safe from the Mage Hunter Assassins behind that house.

Turn 2: Retribution

Kaelyssa and Sylys upkept both Phantom Hunter and Arcane Reckoning.  Kaelyssa gave 2 Focus to the Banshee.  The Halberdiers advanced and spread out.  The Banshee advanced, and shot Mulg, doing a little damage and knocking him down.  An Arcanist advanced, and Power Boosted the Phoenix, which advanced, and shot Mulg for a little more damage.  The Invictors advanced, used their Mini-Feat, Extend Fire, to get range to Mulg, and blasted him for a bunch more damage with a huge Combined Ranged Attack.  The Manticore lay down a Covering Fire template in front of the Warders.  Finally, the Mage Hunter Assassins charged Mulg, but did nothing to him.  Then Kaelyssa walked up, Feated, and camped the rest of her Focus.

I would have liked to take out Mulg, but now he was badly hurt.  Caleb couldn't charge me this turn, and I'd be able to capitalize next turn and finish Mulg.  With him gone, I'd probably have enough of an advantage in durable models that I could slug it out with Caleb.  The Long Riders and Warders can hit very hard, but I was pretty confident in my ability to take them out or go around to get Doomshaper.

Close, but Mulg is still alive.

Turn 2: Trollbloods

Caleb decided to launch Mulg at Kaelyssa.  Doomshaper advanced, healed Mulg's Mind and Spirit (twice), then cast Rush and Fortune on him.  The Fell Caller used Reveille to stand Mulg up.  Caleb's other troops focused on taking out most of the screening Halberdiers and one of the Mage Hunters, then Mulg Trampled up to the Invictors screening Kaelyssa.  He tried to buy attacks and Goad his way toward her, but didn't quite have the range to attack her.  He settled for smashing a few Invictors.  The rest of the army advanced.  The Long Riders charged and took out one of the Monoliths, but couldn't claim the zone.

Mulg couldn't quite make it to Kaelyssa, and now I had an opportunity to either finish Mulg or go for the assassination.

Hey there Elves! OM NOM NOM!

Turn 3: Retribution

I decided to go for the assassination first, and then see if I'd need to finish Mulg.  It would prevent me from playing attrition against the Warders and Long Riders, but I felt the odds were very good.  Kaelyssa allocated no Focus and dropped Arcane Reckoning, but Sylys upkept Phantom Hunter.  An Arcanist Power Boosted the Banshee, which slammed the Kriel Stone Bearer into Doomshaper.  Then the Mage Hunter Assassin charged in, and took him down to 2 health.  The Phoenix advanced (taking a Free Strike from Mulg which filled up its force field), and shot Doomshaper, but he passed his Tough check.  Then Kaelyssa channeled Arcantrik Bolt at Doomshaper and finished him off.

Arcantrik Bolt!  Doomshaper drops at last.

Victory to the Retribution!


Thoughts

I played another solid game with Kaelyssa, who is starting to become my favorite Ret Warcaster.  Her timing and playstyle are very intuitive for me, and it's really fun to see everything come together on the table.  My only big mistake was putting Kaelyssa just a little too far forward on turn 2.  I did not expect Mulg to be able to get that far into my lines.  I should have held her a few inches back.  She would still have covered the whole army with her Feat.  Meanwhile, Kaelyssa's assassination vectors are not easy to avoid.  She has a lot of flexibility between Phantom Hunter, Energy Siphon and access to the Phoenix and Banshee.

As for the list, the 'jack heavy version was a lot of fun, and the pair of Mage Hunter Assassins was great to play with.  They're very luck dependent models, but even if they don't go off, they're good psychological deterrents.  Caleb was definitely keeping Horthol back because the pair would slaughter him.  I'm not convinced the Manticore and 2 Assassins was better than the Strike Force and one Assassin would be.  Kaelyssa didn't do much Manticore fueling this game, although it was never really in the situation where it would want 2-3 Focus rather than dropping its Covering Fire template.  Definitely something to experiment with further.  I still want Sentinels for Kaelyssa, and I'm definitely starting to see what they could bring for her.  Maybe next time, I'll proxy them.

Caleb made just one or two mistakes this game, but overall did pretty well.  His math was off on the Mulg assassination run, and Mulg didn't quite have enough Fury to make attacks against Kaelyssa after Goading.  If he'd thought about it a little more, he could have sent Mulg after the Phoenix and Manticore, possibly killing both, which would have left me without 2 of the heavy hitters I'd need to deal with the Warders and Long Riders.  He also left Doomshaper exposed to my ranged game on turn 2, probably as a result of going full bore for the assassination.  If he'd played more conservatively, he'd have camped a few points of Focus, and my assassination attempt would have been a lot dicier.  Caleb played well until his assassination run though.  He knew my threat ranges, and stayed out of them, and he used both the Long Riders and Warders well.  Both units were threats I would have had some trouble with if the game had gone on.

As for Caleb's list, it seems good.  It does invest a lot of points into a low number of high-value models, but those models are good.  Warders are fantastic for the cost, and Long Riders are also really mean.  Mulg is good as pDoomshaper's heavy hitter.  If there's one thing this list could probably use, it's a fast jamming presence.  The Long Riders are spectacular models, but they're not good at jamming because they're relatively easy to kill and high in value.  I don't know what I'd drop from this list to make room for a jamming unit, but it would give the other models some breathing space to set up charges and position to screen each other and Doomshaper.

Battle Report: pMorghoul vs. The Butcher 3 at 50pts

Here's the first of two games I managed to play this past Tuesday.  After a little discussion on the Skorne Forum, I decided to give my pMorghoul shooty list another try.  Previous versions of the list have been moderately successful, and I was interested to try it out again.

The list was:

Master Tormentor Morghoul (+7)
*Bronzeback Titan (10)
*Titan Cannoneer (9)
*Titan Cannoneer (9)
*Titan Gladiator (8)
*Cyclops Raider (5)
*Cyclops Shaman (5)
*Basilisk Krea (4)

6 Paingiver Beast Handlers (3)

Mortitheurge Willbreaker (2)
Mortitheurge Willbreaker (2)

It's a combined arms list that wants to use the Cannoneer shelling early on to snipe solos and clear out infantry, then smash the enemy heavies with the Bronzeback and Gladiator.  It's hard to alpha strike this list thanks to Morghoul's long threat ranges, his Feat, and Admonition.  It is vulnerable to jamming, however, especially by high-Def models.  It also doesn't spread out very well for non-Center scenarios.


My opponent and non-co-blogger, Caleb H, is currently practicing his Butcher 3 list, and he played:

The Butcher, Unleashed (+4)
*Beast 09 (11)
*War Dog (1)

10 Iron Fang Pikemen (8)
*Black Dragon Officer and Standard Bearer (2)
3 Iron Fang Uhlans (7)
Great Bears of the Gallowswood (5)
Widowmakers (4)
Greylords Ternion (4)
Kayazy Eliminators (3)

Man O' War Drakhun with Dismount (5)
Iron Fang Kovnik (2)
Madeline Corbeau, Ordic Courtesan (2)

This list uses the Butcher's terrifying melee threat to get a leg up early on scenarios and keep the opponent from contesting them effectively.  So far it seems very strong, and the Butcher's lack of spell support is compensated for by his melee power.  It's vulnerable to casters who can threaten the Butcher while contesting scenarios.  The Butcher can't apply pressure directly if he'll be taken out in return, and needs to rely on unbuffed infantry to do the work, which may not be enough.


Deployment and Scenario

We played the Incoming SR 2013 scenario.  There are two objectives and two zones.  Destroy your enemy's objective, or dominate your own zone for 1 point.  Control your enemy's objective for 2 points, or dominate it for 3.  Caleb won the roll-off, and went second.

I deployed in a loose brick with the two Cannoneers looking to lob some shots into Caleb's zone on the right.  The Gladiator and Bronzeback went on the left, and my support went behind them.

I deploy between the zones.  The Sentry is proxying for a Cannoneer here.

Caleb deployed in an extended line with the Iron Fang Pikemen looking to occupy my zone, the Drakhun on the far flank, and the Great Bears and Uhlans in the middle ready to charge in where they were needed or just blitz me.  Butcher and Beast deployed to dominate Caleb's zone with Butcher's pit crew (Corbeau, the Greylords and the War Dog) behind them.  The Widowmakers spread out in Advance Deploy.

The bulk of Butcher's infantry deploy to claim and contest my zone.

Turn 1: Skorne

I ran forward with most things.  I Abused both Cannoneers to get a 12" run on them, then put Far Strike on both with the Raider and the Shaman, and lobbed some AoE's at the Widowmakers with Ancillary Attacks but they scattered wide.

I made the mistake here of putting one of my Cannoneers behind my objective - I should have known better, but I didn't think it through.  Otherwise, a standard turn 1 setup.

My turn 1 setup (Caleb has already moved the Great Bears and Widowmakers though)

Turn 1: Khador

Caleb tanked up behind the low wall with the Widowmakers and Great Bears, and advanced conservatively with the IFP and Uhlans.  The Drakhun started to run down my left flank.  The Butcher got in position to dominate his zone next turn, and Beast toed in.  The Greylords put clouds on the two War Argi and the

I have some opportunities here.  If a Cannoneer can peg that center Great Bear, I might kill a lot of models.  I also have to start contesting my zone to keep the Butcher from putting too much pressure on me.  Butcher 3 really wants to make me commit, which is not good, because he'll kill Morghoul if I do.

Caleb runs forward, Butcher's fury shaking the camera as he does.

Turn 2: Skorne

The Gladiator toes into my zone, and the Bronzeback retreats.  A Willbreaker puts Puppet Master on the Cannoneer, which aims, and shoots at the center Great Bear.  It needs an 11, and misses everything.  Morghoul puts Admonition on himself, and advances to a wall.  He Abuses the proxied Cannoneer.  Then the Shaman Rushes it, Paingivers Enrage it, and it hops the wall and kills Beast 09.

My position here isn't great.  I really needed the Cannon shot to hit the Great Bears, but I probably shouldn't have relied on it so much.  Now there was nothing I could do to stop the Butcher from scoring 3 points and putting me on the clock.

The Cannoneer scraps Beast, will I survive the counterattack?

Turn 2: Khador

The Great Bears kill the Gladiator and Krea.  Butcher charges and kills the Cannoneer while the Argi run up a bit, then Energizers to toe into the zone and dominate it, and Feats to camp at Arm 24.  The Iron Fangs march into my Zone Claiming it for Khador.  The Drakhun runs down my flank some more, threatening my support.

Caleb ends his turn and scores 3 points, meaning I am in a do or die situation.  Unfortunately "do" means stopping the Butcher from killing everything in the same zone as him.  Possible for Morghoul, but dangerous too.

Caleb gets up on scenario, just what Butcher wants.

Turn 3: Skorne

Although it's a long shot I decide to try to nab the Butcher rather than play out the scenario.  I'm way down on points, and feeling pretty disappointed with my play this game.  I try to clear out the Uhlan with my Raider, but he misses.  The Shaman clears him out, then the Cannoneer and Morghoul lob shots and Torments at the Butcher, but it isn't enough.

Assassinated!

Turn 3: Khador

Caleb could just win on scenario, but decides to charge in for the final dramatic picture.


Victory to Khador!


Thoughts

I made a lot of mistakes this game, and generally didn't position well.  pMorghoul is a pretty tricky Warlock, and every time I get out of practice with him, my play gets clumsy.  There were a bunch of situational mistakes I made, but I also think my basic approach was wrong.  I should have started by leaning toward my zone, and threatening the Butchers.  Turn 2 or 3, I could have launched my attack and used my Feat without giving up so many points.  pMorghoul's Feat means you don't have to worry about the Butcher too much for a turn, and Morghoul's Titans can threaten him pretty easily, even on a full camp.  I would have had to worry about the infantry for sure, but I also think I could have answered them with careful positioning and good use of Admonition.  Morghoul himself can kill a lot of Iron Fangs.

One thing I might have done to salvage this particular game was Feat with Morghoul on turn 3, and Abuse the second Cannoneer.  I might have been able to get it into the zone with the Butcher by running it, and it would probably have survived with Morghoul's Feat to back it up.  If I'd Feated on my second turn, and played Morghoul a little more aggressively, I might also have kept that 1st Cannoneer around.  Morghoul has a lot of cool tricks he can pull, and I actually don't think he's a bad matchup for Butcher 3, but I really need practice with him.

I don't have much to say about my list.  I misplayed it, but that just means it's not intuitive for me.  I need more practice before I dismiss it though.  I do think the Mammoth is more dangerous than the two Cannoneers in this list, and I may decide to drop the Cannoneers and a Willbreaker for one.  I also may drop some models for infantry.  I know pMorghoul can be played successfully without a screen, but I might not be skilled enough yet to pull it off.

Caleb played a tight, conservative game.  He put pressure on me early, took advantage of the scenario, and made my mistakes even worse.  I think he's got Butcher 3 down really well.  He wants to play a scenario game, and threaten people with the Butcher so they can't contest properly.  The rest of the list claims and contests scenarios while the Butcher stays relatively safe and dominates.  It's a hard threat to deal with effectively.

The list Caleb went with does seem to play to Butcher 3's strengths.  I'll have to get at least one more game against it where I don't just get steamrolled to decide if there's anything I'd change about it.  I do think the Butcher's pit crew of Greylords, Corveau, and War Dog is the way to run him and keep him safe.  I suppose the Greylords are optional, but their clouds definitely help ensure that the Butcher doesn't take charges or long ranged, high powered shooting that can kill him or mitigate his threat by putting him down hit points.

Quick Report: First Mammoth Game, pMakeda vs. eDoomshaper

I have enough battle reports with actual pictures on my plate right now, so I'm not going to do a blow by blow of this one.  Caleb J and I played a simple caster kill game at 50pts, and I got my first taste of the Mammoth.

I ran:

pMakeda (+5)
+Marketh (3)
*Mammoth (20)
*Gladiator (8)
*Krea (4)

6 Cetrati (11)
4 Paingivers (2)
Tyrant Commander (3)

Agonizer (2)
Willbreaker (2)


vs.


eDoomshaper (+6)
+Rune Bearer (2)
*Mulg (12)
*Earthborn (10)
*Mauler (9)
*Axer (6)

4 Kriel Stone + Elder (4)
Rune Shapers (4)
Farrow Bone Grinders (2)

Janissa (3)
Whelps (2)
Whelps (2)


The game:

I ended up going first.  The Cetrati hotfooted it upfield in Shield Wall, and managed to engage Doomshaper on turn 2, and Makeda used her Feat to bring them back on the next turn.  The Warbeasts advanced a little more cautiously, aiming to capitalize when Caleb killed most of the Cetrati.  The Mammoth didn't fire much because I didn't want any of the Trolls Snacking on the Cetrati to remove them from play.

Caleb retaliated by killing about half the Cetrati (he had some bad luck), and charging the Gladiator and the Mammoth with the Earthborn and Mulg respectively.  The combination of Defender's Ward and Gnawing Pain from the Agonizer ensured both beasts survived with all their aspects intact.

As I methodically munched through Caleb's heavies with the Mammoth, he tried several low-probability assassination runs on Makeda, but none of them panned out.  We ended up calling the game when Caleb was out of beasts, and I still had most of my models left, including a 2/3 health Mammoth and a 1/2 health Gladiator.


Thoughts

The Mammoth is very solid.  I didn't get up to as many Savagery shenanigans as I'd expected for this list, but that's largely because Caleb's list out-threated me significantly.  I played a really solid game, and I think the Mammoth works well for pMakeda.  Defender's Ward and Gnawing Pain made it a monster even Mulg couldn't take out in one round (Caleb's dice did him no favors either).  As for the list in general, the Cetrati are the only thing I'm not 100% sold on.  I could replace them with a big unit of expendable chumps who would provide a more spread out screen for the beasts.  I'm a little suspicious that a decent shooting game could just remove a lighter infantry unit, but I'll try it at least once to see what I think.

The Mammoth was also a lot of fun to play.  It's got a good Animus and some nice, scary abilities.

Battle Report: Makeda 3 vs. pGrissel at 50pts

Hi again!  It's time for another battle report.  I'm trying to be a little better with pictures when I play these days, so this report's going to have them.

I'm still tooling around with my Makeda 3 list, trying to get her down.  This time, I've gone with the following:

Makeda and the Exalted Court (+2)
*Molik Karn (11)
*Bronzeback Titan (10)
*Titan Sentry (9)
*Titan Gladiator (8)
*Basilisk Krea (4)

6 Farrow Slaughterhousers - proxied by Immortals (6)
4 Paingiver Beast Handlers (2)

Agonizer (2)

The things I'm trying with this list are the Slaughterhousers and the Titan Sentry.  The Slaughterhousers are pricey, squishy, and a little slow, but they do have a few things going for them.  First, they've got Tough, Reach, and Take Down.  Tough and Reach are always nice, and Take Down (which ignores Tough and removes boxed targets from play) is great on a unit.  Second, they are the only way to get any use out of Sunhammer, Makeda's least inspiring spell, because they have Finisher, giving them an extra die of damage against previously damaged targets.

The Sentry is an all around good beast, and I'm including it in the list to help me out against Alpha Strikes.  It has Locker and Reach, and takes a good deal of energy to destroy.  It can benefit from Makeda's Feat too, which is nice.  I'm expecting to use it more as a defensive piece to hold up the enemy while my main offensive pieces set up their attack from behind it.  Between the Sentry and the Slaughterhousers, I think I'm pretty well defended against hard-hitting first strikes, and I've got some extra synergy to play around with too.

The rest of the list is totally standard for Makeda 3: The Bronzeback, Gladiator and Molik Karn bring offense and utility.  The Agonizer adds some denial and defense for my heavies.  The Krea throws her Aura in for both defense and offense, and can zap some models with Spiritual Paralysis if I really need to debuff Def.  It's also got Makeda's weakness to denial.  Anything that can slow her movement or deny options to her army will hurt.  I think I'm pretty well defended against an alpha strike, but my screen doesn't consist of that many models.


My Co-blogger, Caleb J, decided to run pGrissel with a horde of mostly units:

Grissel Bloodsong (+5)
*Earthborn Dire Troll (10)
*Dire Troll Mauler (9)
*Rune Bearer (2)

5 Trollkin Warders (8)
3 Long Riders (7)
6 Kriel Warriors (4)
*Piper and Standard Bearer (2)
*2 Caber Throwers (2)
Kriel Stone and 3 Stone Scribes (2)
*Stone Scribe Elder (1)

Horthol, Long Rider Hero (5)
Stone Scribe Chronicler (2)

This list has two powerful heavies in the Earthborn and Mauler, and two tough, hard-hitting units in the Warders and Long Riders.  Long Riders are ghastly, and are probably the meanest unit in Trollbloods.  Warders are very tough for their cost, and have Reach and Weapon Master to top it off.  Both have great synergy with Grissel's Fell Calls (especially Hoof It).  Between those units and the screening Kriel Warriors, this list has the makings of a very solid brick.

The only vulnerability I see is a strong denial game.  The list doesn't have much shooting or Pathfinder, so shutting down its movement or forcing it to march through difficult terrain will slow it down considerably.  Heavy armor cracking, particularly expendable Weapon Master units, will probably also cause trouble for this list.  It's relying on a relatively low number of durable models, and anything that can trade punches effectively with them will wear them out quickly.



Deployment and Scenario

We played the SR 2013 scenario Fire Support, although we set it up a little wrong.  We set it up with two Objectives along the table's center line, and a Flag on each player's side of the table.  We also played that the Objective next to our own Flag was a Friendly Faction model for the opponent, and that we had to destroy it to score on our own flag.  Looking at the SR2013 PDF, I can't say why we decided this, but that was how we played it.

Here's the table.  We were ignoring the river this time around.

Those hands are going to be hard to maneuver around.

The terrain is pretty evenly set up, and we've got low walls and forests around the center, where the Objectives and Flags are situated.

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

Trollblood Deployment

Caleb set up the Long Riders on his right flank, and put the Earthborn nearby where it would get the movement bonus from the Wood.  The Kriel Warriors went ahead of the Warders and Kriel Stone, and Horthol went on the far flank where he could use the house to limit attack options against him.

Skorne Deployment - Those Immortals are Slaughterhousers

I set up around the forest, angling for a low wall with most of my beasts, and gunning for my own flag with the Slaughterhousers.


Turn 1: Trollbloods

Caleb ran up with everything, loaded down the Kriel Stone (which used its Warding Aura), and cast Hallowed Avenger on the Earthborn.  Grissel also used Hoof It on the Warders so they could keep up with the Kriel Warriors.

Caleb moves up and spreads out.

Turn 1: Skorne

I ran up, keeping my army safe behind the wall and the Sentry.  The Slaughterhousers ran up to get started on the Objective I'd need to destroy to start scoring.  Looking at the Warbeasts opposing me, I decided to have Makeda cast Vortex of Destruction rather than Sunhammer.  She also put 4 Fury on the Agonizer.

I'm pretty well out of the Troll threat ranges.

Turn 2: Trollbloods

Caleb ran most of his army forward to jam me.  The Kriel Warriors Got as close as they could to my beasts, and the Long Riders ran forward to make trouble for my Slaughterhousers and threaten slams on my beasts.  The Stone Scribe Chronicler put Hero's Tragedy on the Kriel Warriors to knock down any Warrior models who killed them next turn.

I haven't suffered any damage yet, but I need this turn to be a big one.  I need to drive the trolls back, and break through their infantry brick.  If I could destroy most of them, I'd be in a good position to trade heavies with Caleb and come out on top.  If I couldn't get far enough, Caleb would be able to start scoring with impunity on his own Flag.

This picture was taken after I'd charged with the Slaughterhousers on my turn, but before I'd started making attacks.

Turn 2: Skorne

I upkept Vortex of Destruction.  The Slaughterhousers charged the Long Riders, killing two and wounding the third.  Makeda and her Court advanced, Makeda used her Feat, and cast Fate Walker on herself and Train Wreck on the Sentry.  One of her Guardians killed off a Kriel Warrior, and was knocked down at the end of her activation.

Then my beasts did as much work as they could.  Molik killed off most of the Kriel Warriors and one of the Warders.  The Bronzeback put Train Wreck on the Sentry and advanced.  The Sentry killed off another Warder, and tried to kill a fourth, but it toughed out.  The Agonizer advanced, and used Gnawing Pain.  The Krea walked forward, and zapped the Earthborn with Spiritual Paralysis.  Makeda was all loaded up of Fury now, so I had her use her Fate Walker move to advance.

Not a terrible turn.  I'd started cracking through the line, and Makeda was pretty safe.  I hadn't started scoring, but I'd done decent damage instead.  I'd have to be satisfied with that, and work through the rest of the Trollkin next turn.

Turn 3: Trollbloods

Grissel started out by advancing and using her Feat.  The Rune Bearer used its once-per-game ability to hit the Knocked Down Guardian with Calamity.  The Kriel Stone advanced, and used its Aura.  The Chronicler used Hero's Tragedy on the Warders.  The Caber Throwers advanced, and one of them Knocked Down the Sentry.  The other Knocked Down and did some damage to Molik Karn.  Horthol and the remaining Warders finished off Molik.

Then the Earthborn sneaked past the Knocked Down Sentry, and started smashing Makeda.  It did a little damage to her, and she transferred some to the Krea.  The Mauler destroyed Caleb's Objective, gaining him a point and allowing him to control his Flag.  Finally, Caleb's army used its Hoof-It moves to jam my army up spectacularly.  Grissel used her move to retreat to Caleb's flag and dominate it, bringing his total Control Points to 3.

That was not good.  I had a bunch of problems.  I needed to kill the Earthborn and free up Makeda.  I also needed to get a model, preferably a tough one, within 4" of Grissel's flag, otherwise I'd lose at the end of my turn.

Trolls Everywhere!

Turn 3: Skorne

Okay.  Makeda upkept Vortex of Destruction.  Then her unit activated.  The Exalted Guardians failed to kill the Caber Thrower.  Then Makeda attacked the Warders, who I'd forgotten had Heroes Tragedy on them.  She killed two of the remaining 3, then fell over, denying the rest of her army the Vortex of Destruction bonus (since her melee range disappeared) and making herself horribly vulnerable to assassination next turn.  Fantastic -_-

Well, The Gladiator, Sentry, and Slaughterhousers killed or knocked down all the models who could Reach Makeda in melee.  The Bronzeback Beat Back its way through the Mauler, and got within 4" of Caleb's flag (whew).

Well, that hadn't been so terrible, but I'd forced my beasts to the max.  The Krea had been healed by the Paingivers, but still didn't have much health.  Caleb had a decent shot at Makeda's life, but no real shot at the scenario this turn.  We'd see how it turned out.

Just in range to contest!  My nerves were on edge when I took this pic, hence the shaky cam.

Turn 4: Trollbloods

Grissel upkept Calamity.  Then she walked forward, and shot Makeda with her sonic Spray and 2 Rifts.  At the end, both Makeda and the Krea were still alive.  Horthol tried to reach Makeda from next to the Bronzeback, but the Bronzeback dismounted him with a Free Strike, and he was half an inch out of range.

That was everything Caleb could throw at Makeda this turn.  Since Grissel was out of Fury and next to the Bronzeback, Caleb decided to concede.

The board at the end of Caleb's turn.

Victory to the Skorne!


Thoughts

Gah!  That was close.  I played a pretty solid game with one very dumb exception.  Makeda definitely should not have attacked the Warders on my third turn.  Caleb came very close to finishing her off, but the dice didn't come up in his favor.  I ended up hampering my own offense, and leaving myself horribly open to assassination.  Otherwise, I managed to grind down the brick.  I judged threat ranges well, and I got the first strike in despite being badly jammed.  I was way up on attrition, and had closed Caleb's window on winning via scenario pretty quickly.

The Slaughterhousers were consistently pretty good at offense, and they were at their best against low-Def and Tough Trollbloods.  I'm not sure they're quite what I'm looking for though, and I don't see their interaction with Sunhammer fitting my playstyle very well.  I might end up going for a cheaper, more expendable screen, and put another point or two into support.  The Sentry was solid.  It did moderate damage, and stayed alive, which was all I wanted it to do.  It wasn't an all-star, but I'm pretty happy with how it performed overall.

Caleb also played a solid game, and his move to dominate his flag on his 3rd turn really put me on the back foot.  He threw away the Long Riders on turn 2 - he should have held them back rather than let them be charged by the Slaughterhousers.  I also feel he jumped the gun going after Makeda on the third turn though.  If he'd focused on taking out my Sentry, and used his Hoof It move to keep his Earborn safe, he'd have been in a better position on turn 4.  Attacking Makeda was a long shot, and ended up costing him the Earthborn for no real gain.

I do really like Caleb's list.  Warders are extremely durable, and make a great second wave unit for Grissel.  I do feel that Grissel plays a little better with Troll lights than with heavies: her infantry hits plenty hard enough with all its ordinary power and Calamity.  I'd at least replace the Mauler with a light Troll, and add some infantry into the mix.  The Earthborn is really good, and brings a nasty animus with it, so I'd consider keeping it around.  Otherwise, the list's biggest weakness was a lack of pathfinder.  I'd really recommend throwing a Fell Caller Hero into the list.  It's true that the Fell Caller's Calls don't stack with Grissel's, but they add a lot regardless, especially Pathfinder.

State of the Lists August 2013: Caleb's Lists

Wow, I have not posted an update in a while... I blame myself. Sorry self -- apology accepted, self. Lets post something....

Trollblood Lists:

Since my foray into using pDoomy/Gunny, I've discovered several important things:
1. I really don't like Gunny that much. Fun warlock, but he has some issues that get in the way just a little too much to really savor the experience.
2. pDoomy is solid - more solid than I expected. However, he's got more of a learning curve than I expected as well.
3. Calandra is still by far my favorite Trollblood warlock, and I have more fun in games with her than just about anyone else.

So, that being said, here is my current top 5 list of Warlocks I plan on using more often:
1. Calandra
2. pDoomy
3. Jarl Skuld
4. eDoomy
5. eGrim

The last 3 are new to me - I have eDoomy but not Jarl or eGrim (yet), but I like how they play and I want to give them a good shot. Here are the rough lists I've been/will be using in the near future:


Calandra 50pts
Calandra Truthsayer, Oracle of the Glimmerwood (*5pts)
* Dire Troll Mauler (9pts)
* Earthborn Dire Troll (10pts)
* Trollkin Runebearer (2pts)
Krielstone Bearer and 5 Stone Scribes (4pts)
* Krielstone Stone Scribe Elder (1pts)
Pyg Bushwackers (Leader and 5 Grunts) (5pts)
Trollkin Champions (Leader and 4 Grunts) (10pts)
* Skaldi Bonehammer (3pts)
Trollkin Warders (Leader and 4 Grunts) (8pts)
Fell Caller Hero (3pts)

My Calandra lists are always the most in-flux, as I  tend to try out new things with her. This is no exception - forward line of Champs AND Warders, followed up by 2 heavies, and Bushwackers to make a nuisance of themselves. This is one massive brick, and should present a wall of high-ARM Weapon Masters and Beasts. The one issue I have with it is that there might not be enough shooting - I'm tempted to drop the EBDT for a Bomber, but we'll have to see how this incarnation works first.

pDoomy 50pts

Hoarluk Doomshaper (*7pts)
* Pyre Troll (5pts)
* Troll Axer (6pts)
* Mulg the Ancient (12pts)
* Trollkin Runebearer (2pts)
Krielstone Bearer and 5 Stone Scribes (4pts)
* Krielstone Stone Scribe Elder (1pts)
Trollkin Long Riders (Leader and 2 Grunts) (7pts)
Trollkin Runeshapers (Leader and 2 Crew) (4pts)
Trollkin Warders (Leader and 4 Grunts) (8pts)
Fell Caller Hero (3pts)
Horthol, Long Rider Hero (5pts)

I used the pDoomy list in a game vs Caleb-1 (my nominal counterpart at the game store, myself being Caleb-A), and it performed well - however, when I started writing up the battle report, it looks like Caleb-1 was playing about 10 points short, so I'm going to hold off on the battle report for now. Regardless, it was a fun list, and seems to have a lot of potential - pDoomy has 2 useful upkeep spells (Fortune and Banishing Ward) that help the (already pretty self-sufficient) Warders and Long Riders, and with Rampager, Stranglehold (spells) and Runeshapers in there for some board control and his feat to keep the really dangerous focus/fury users at bay when needed, it's a pretty direct list.


Jarl Skuld
Frequent 4+Tough contributor Ben (aka MacBen aka Our Merc Friend aka Mr.'Why are we making up funny names again?') likes Jarl, and I've let him use my models to proxy a Jarl army once or twice. However, the more I look at him, the more I like him - the movement bonuses are pretty huge, I am seriously digging the LOS-blocking feat, and he's running around with enough built-in tricks to be pretty survivable as a mid-range support warlock.

Since I have literally no experience with either eDoomshaper or Jarl, I'm giving them 35pt lists as well.

Here are some lists:

Jarl Skuld 35pts Option 1
Jarl Skuld, Devil Of Thornwood (*6pts)
* Storm Troll (5pts)
* Troll Impaler (5pts)
* Dire Troll Mauler (9pts)
Trollkin Fennblades (Leader and 9 Grunts) (8pts)
* Trollkin Fennblade Officer & Drummer (2pts)
Trollkin Long Riders (Leader and 2 Grunts) (7pts)
Horthol, Long Rider Hero (5pts)

Caleb-1 pointed out the other day that Longriders aren't best suited to the flank protectors or 2nd line hitters I've been using them for, and might honestly work best as a straight up down-the-middle sledge-hammer. In this case, the Fenns and Long Riders go side-by-side, advancing until they get a good angle for a charge, and one can support the other -- Long Riders charge in against heavy or tightly packed infantry and Fenns followup with a jam, or Fenns jam basic infantry while Long Riders maneuver to pick off the stragglers. 

Jarl Skuld 35pts Option 2

Jarl Skuld, Devil Of Thornwood (*6pts)
* Pyre Troll (5pts)
* Troll Impaler (5pts)
* Earthborn Dire Troll (10pts)
Pyg Bushwackers (Leader and 5 Grunts) (5pts)
Trollkin Long Riders (Leader and 4 Grunts) (11pts)
Horthol, Long Rider Hero (5pts)

Same philosophy, but dropping the Fennblades for min Bushwackers, full Long Riders, upgrading the Mauler to an Earthborn, and swapping in a Pyre Troll for that tasty damage buff. We'll see which one I end up liking... might honestly be the 2nd.

Jarl Skuld 50pts Option 1
Jarl Skuld, Devil Of Thornwood (*6pts)
* Pyre Troll (5pts)
* Troll Impaler (5pts)
* Dire Troll Bomber (10pts)
* Trollkin Runebearer (2pts)
Trollkin Champions (Leader and 4 Grunts) (10pts)
* Skaldi Bonehammer (3pts)
Trollkin Long Riders (Leader and 4 Grunts) (11pts)
Fell Caller Hero (3pts)
Horthol, Long Rider Hero (5pts)
Stone Scribe Chronicler (2pts)

This one is a bit of a different take - a Bomber and company to deal with infantry, and Champs and Longriders to deal with virtually everything else! Full Long Riders and a bomber might just be overkill in that category, so here's list option 2:

Jarl Skuld 50pts Option 2

Jarl Skuld, Devil Of Thornwood (*6pts)
* Troll Impaler (5pts)
* Dire Troll Mauler (9pts)
* Earthborn Dire Troll (10pts)
* Trollkin Runebearer (2pts)
Trollkin Champions (Leader and 4 Grunts) (10pts)
* Skaldi Bonehammer (3pts)
Trollkin Long Riders (Leader and 2 Grunts) (7pts)
Fell Caller Hero (3pts)
Horthol, Long Rider Hero (5pts)
Stone Scribe Chronicler (2pts)

Earthborn AND Mauler (hehehe...) plus Champs and Long Riders. I'm going to have to see which I want as a full unit - Champs for attrition, or Long Riders for a really terrifying first strike...

eDoomshaper
I've been waiting to give this blue bastard a try practically since I started Trollbloods - I love warbeasts, and the prospect of fielding 3 or more heavies in a 35pt list is practically 'squee'-worthy.

eDoomy 35pt
Hoarluk Doomshaper, Rage of Dhunia (*6pts)
* Troll Axer (6pts)
* Dire Troll Mauler (9pts)
* Earthborn Dire Troll (10pts)
* Mulg the Ancient (12pts)
Lanyssa Ryssyll, Nyss Sorceress (2pts)
Troll Whelps (2pts)

3 absolutely murderous heavy warbeasts, whelps to keep them going, and Lanyssa to boost their speed to even more horrendous levels. Oh, yes please! Lanyssa is a bit of a wild card in this list - for 2 points, I might be better off with a Runebearer, or (drop the EBDT) Rok and Swamp Gobbers, or even possibly more whelps, but I'm going to give her a shot. This is mainly due to one very important factor -- with her, Mulg has a 16" threat range (4" SPD + 3" feat + 3" charge +2" Rush/Transmute + 2" Hunter's Mark + 2" Reach). Ho-ly $@#%. Out-threat them apples, Gladiator! Combine that with Goad, and Mulg can potentially hit something up to 26" away (granted, that's ludicrously unlikely).

eDoomy 50pt - Option 1 
Hoarluk Doomshaper, Rage of Dhunia (*6pts)
* Troll Axer (6pts)
* Dire Troll Mauler (9pts)
* Earthborn Dire Troll (10pts)
* Mulg the Ancient (12pts)
* Rök (11pts)
* Trollkin Runebearer (2pts)
Krielstone Bearer and 3 Stone Scribes (3pts)
* Krielstone Stone Scribe Elder (1pts)
Troll Whelps (2pts)

This moves beyond "dangerous" and into "just plain silly" territory, but having 4 Dire Trolls in an army just sounds like waaay too much fun to pass up. Rök is off-the-damn-hook dangerous with eDoomy - boosted speed (feat), Wild Aggression (boost all melee attacks, charge for free), Primal (+2 atk & dmg) Goad, and Berserk mean he can chew his way through entire units with ease, and is almost single-handedly a good solution to the problem of how a heavy warbeast army deals with unit spam and high-def. The Krielstone's ARM (and STR) boost make it an auto-include at 50pts, and they make a good backup tarpit and charge-blocker for eDoomy while they're at it.

eDoomy 50pt - Option 2

Hoarluk Doomshaper, Rage of Dhunia (*6pts)
* Troll Axer (6pts)
* Earthborn Dire Troll (10pts)
* Mulg the Ancient (12pts)
* Rök (11pts)
* Trollkin Runebearer (2pts)
Krielstone Bearer and 3 Stone Scribes (3pts)
* Krielstone Stone Scribe Elder (1pts)
Trollkin Runeshapers (Leader and 2 Crew) (4pts)
Janissa Stonetide (3pts)
Lanyssa Ryssyll, Nyss Sorceress (2pts)
Troll Whelps (2pts)

This list is a little more toned down - dropping the Mauler, but gaining Runeshapers, Janissa, and Lanyssa. This gives me a few things: more protection for Doomy (rock wall, plus Steady LOS/charge blockers), a better ranged game, more Magic Weapons, and more of a threat range.

eDoomy 50pt - Option 3 (the Crazy Option)
Hoarluk Doomshaper, Rage of Dhunia (*6pts)
* Troll Axer (6pts)
* Dire Troll Mauler (9pts)
* Mountain King (20pts)
* Mulg the Ancient (12pts)
* Trollkin Runebearer (2pts)
Krielstone Bearer and 3 Stone Scribes (3pts)
* Krielstone Stone Scribe Elder (1pts)
Janissa Stonetide (3pts)

I... really, really want to try this list.


The Hunters Grim
It's going to be a while before I venture into Hunters Grim territory (mainly because the lovely folks at Trollblood Scrum are expected to release a full-blown community-supported Academic Tactica on him pretty shortly...), but here's my take on a 50pt list for him:

eGrim 50pts

Hunters Grim (*4pts)
* Troll Impaler (5pts)
* Dire Troll Bomber (10pts)
* Dire Troll Mauler (9pts)
* Trollkin Runebearer (2pts)
Pyg Bushwackers (Leader and 9 Grunts) (8pts)
Trollkin Fennblades (Leader and 9 Grunts) (8pts)
* Trollkin Fennblade Officer & Drummer (2pts)
Trollkin Scattergunners (Leader and 5 Grunts) (5pts)
* Trollkin Scattergunner Officer & Drummer (2pts)
Fell Caller Hero (3pts)

I've proxied the Hunters Grim in a single game so far, but I like how they hold up. The warlock unit is a bit tricky to get used to, especially considering they end up doing so freaking much just on their activation alone - knockdown gun, Grim's gun, trapper AOE, spells, movement, reform... there's a lot going on there, and it can be hard to keep track of it all.

What I'm most looking forward to is a good use for my Scattergunners + UA -- Mark Target, Mortality, and Mirage are all fantastic with them, and they go well with the Fennblades leading the charge. Ordinarily I'd focus more on ranged, but that would leave a distinct lack of heavy hitters, and since my primary opponent is Skorne, not having a solution to heavy warbeasts is out of the questions. Hence, the humble Mauler yet again finds a place in this list over the Pyre Troll.

Going forward, I'd love to swap out the Fennblades for Burrowers - not only would it give me 4 more points to play around with, but the Burrowers (like Bushwackers) are flat out perfect for eGrim (improved damage, improved accuracy AND range, lowered defense/arm with a spell, support with a good solid knockdown gun, and more). Until then, we'll see how this list does.


So, there we have it -- Caleb's State of the Lists. I'm going to be giving at least one of these lists a try tonight (probably a 50pt Jarl, and maybe an eDoomy!) so expect a battle report in the next few days.

Thanks for reading!