Attritioooooon, Attrition!

A lot of Warmachine/Hordes boils down to trying to destroy the opponent's most threatening models without losing your own.  Since both players are always trying it, however, many games work out as a series of trades which leave one player in control of the battle (the ones that don't usually end in an early-ish assassination).  In this post I go over how to trade effectively.  Generally, when I initiate a trade, I intentionally put one of my own pieces at risk, and hope that when I lose it, my counterattack will more than make up for the value of what I lost.  When I put a piece at risk like this, I'm generally thinking about 3 things:
1).  Make Them Work
Ideally, your trading pieces will be tough to remove, especially if you have to move into an area the opponent is threatening.  The ultimate example of this is Kayazi Assassins with Iron Flesh.  They're Def 17 base, Def 19 against melee attacks.  And oh yes, there are 11 of them.  Most armies have some similar attrition tricks which make a target model or unit very hard to remove.
Skorne have a lot of ways to make opponents work hard to remove our trade pieces.  What I've been doing lately with pMorghoul is throwing some combination of Admonition, Diminish, Gnawing Pain, and Paralytic Aura on my Titan Cannoneer depending on what I'm up against.  It takes a lot to power through that much defense.  I've lost my Cannoneer even protected by all those abilities, but it took a lot out of my opponent to get her.  Nearly every Skorne warlock has some spell or ability which makes the opponent work harder to destroy a specific target, and there are a lot of other models in the faction which help out as well.
2).  Make Them Worry
A prospective trading piece isn't very useful if it doesn't threaten the enemy.  If I've protected my Titan Cannoneer up to the eyeballs, my opponent doesn't have a whole lot of incentive to commit a bunch of resources to killing it.  I have to make the consequenses of leaving the Cannoneer alone worse than the consequenses of attacking it.  Make sure the model or unit you're putting in jeopardy isn't just expendable chaff.  It has to present a real threat in its own right, or the opponent will just try to outmaneuver it rather than commit to engaging it.
Fortunately, most models are useful enough in Warmachine/Hordes that they're all somewhat threatening.  As long as the unit you're using can project a credible threat against something within its threat range, it should work.  Most opponents would rather try to engage you on their own terms than wait for you to punish them for hesitating.
To continue with the example of the Titan Cannoneer, it projects some threat against almost everything within range of its gun, supported by the Extoller.  My opponents often have to close with it to prevent it from grinding down their armies, even though they know it's going to be tough, and they know it's well supported by the rest of my army.
3).  Make Them Suffer
Support your models well.  Before sacrificing a model to the enemy, make sure that whatever hits it is likely to be destroyed by the backup you have waiting right behind it.  This is where making your opponent work hard to take out that first piece pays off.  The more they commit to the unit you've left out for them, the more will be in range of your counterattack next turn.  The more of your opponent's army you can take out, the better prepared you'll be for their counterattack.
If there are any counterattackers who are especially well equipped to take out your remaining threats, go after them first.  If, for example, my opponent had killed off my Cannoneer with their only two heavies, I should try to take both of them out (assuming I have heavies left) before other targets, because then, my opponent's options against my surviving heavies will be very limited.
Skorne used to specialize in Making Them Suffer back in MkI with our so-called "Damned if You Do, Damned if You Don't" playstyle.  In honor of the good old days, when Ancestral Guardians were bargain heavies, and Basilisk Kreas could do everything the best, I'll make an old school style list.  Here goes:
*Titan Gladiator (8)
*Titan Cannoneer (9)
*Basilisk Krea (4)
10 Praetorian Swordsmen (6)
*Officer and Standard (2)
6 Cataphract Cetrati (11)
Tyrant Commander and Standard (3)
4 Paingiver Beast Handlers (2)
Ancestral Guardian (3)
Ancestral Guardian (3)
Extoller Soulward (2)
Agonizer (2)
Backed up by the Agonizer and Krea, the Titans and Cetrati will be tough enough to make a lot of enemies work hard to finish them.  The Swordsmen will go down more easily, but there are a lot of them.
The main units I'll be putting up for trade with this army, the Swordsmen, the Cannoneer, and sometimes the Cetrati, are all threatening to their preferred targets.  The Swordsmen and Cetrati can also threaten to jam the opponent's battle lines, which can let other models access the enemy more easily.
So who is the Warlock, you ask?  Well, I'm going to switch it up among three old school warlocks who all do attrition well in different ways. 
PMakeda is fast, maneuverable, and a champion of making the enemy struggle to score meaningful kills between her feat and Defender's Ward.
Xerxis also makes the enemy work hard by toughening up his army with his feat, Defender's Ward, and Inhospitable Ground.  He also makes anything in the army hit like a truck with his Feat and Fury, which makes counterattacks devastating.
Finally, PHexeris adds a special kind of suffering to the Attrition game with Death March, his spectacular feat (against infantry anyway), and sometimes Psychic Vampire to bleed out spellcasters.  PHexy also adds extra threat to one of my beasts by channelling spells through his Soul Slave target.  I have an extra point in the Hexy list, which I'm tempted to leave open.  I may end up swapping out the Krea with a Cyclops of some kind.
So that's my Attrition list.  Some of you may recognize it from the Skorne Forums (or the tabletop if you're Caleb) as a list I ran back in January.  As I experiment around with Mordikaar and eHexeris, I'll be taking some time out to focus on this list, these three warlocks, and my Attrition game.  I'll write at least one full report on it.

New Casters, New Lists

I've had a blast focussing on pMorghoul for the slow-grow league so far.  In particular, I've been delighted at how well the Titan Cannoneer is doing.  However, it's time for a change of pace for me.  I'm thinking of picking up a new warlock, and learning the ropes all over again.  Right now, I'm thinking either eHexeris or Void Seer Mordikaar.  Here are the lists I'm considering.

Lord Arbiter Hexeris (+6)
*Bronzeback Titan (10)
*Titan Sentry (9) (bonded)
*Titan Gladiator (8)
*Cyclops Savage (5)

6 Venator Rievers (5)
*Officer and Standard (2)

4 Paingiver Beast Handlers (2)

A tough list with a lot of beasts, and some very cool synergies.  I'm looking forward to using Black Spot in conjunction with Train Wreck and CRA.  I may decide I'd rather have the Cannoneer than the Sentry, but I'd like more experience with the Sentry, and I feel like I have enough ranged support in the list between the Venators and eHexy's spells.  Other swap-out options include an Agonizer or Extoller for the Venator UA.  We'll see how it goes.

Void Seer Mordikaar (+5)
*Titan Cannoneer (9)
*Basilisk Drake (4)
*Basilisk Krea (4)

10 Praetorian Swordsmen (6)
*Officer and Standard (2)
6 Cataphract Cetrati (11)

Extoller Soulward (2)
Void Spirit (2)

I'm not as sure about this list - I'm a little worried about dealing with heavies.  All told, I might rather have Arcuarii than Cetrati, and I'll probably proxy Arcs and a second Void Spirit at some point.  I really like the idea of respawning, shield walling, maybe even undead and tough/spell immune (against those awful Druids for sure) Cetrati though.  What an annoyance.  Arcs are cheaper, and have a good ranged attack they can throw around.  I'll miss the Agonizer in this list.  Mordikaar seems like he can use the extra attrition and denial, but I want support for the Cannoneer.  I'm looking forward to running the basilisks together, which I don't do enough.

Thoughts?

A Mohsar List by a non-Circle Player

I've been asked to build a Mohsar list for Caleb using the Team Building method I outlined a while back.  This will be a little less in-depth than my pMorghoul Team Building exercise, but hopefully will cover all the bases.  Here's the list:

Mohsar, the Desert Walker (+5)
*Warpwolf Stalker (10)
*Wold Warden (9)
*Gorax (4)

10 Tharn Bloodtrackers + Nuala (10)
Shifting Stones + Stone Keeper (3)

Gallows Grove (1)
Gallows Grove (1)
Blackclad Wayfarer (2)

I've decided to split this up into 5 teams, which will operate in 2 rough groups.
Team 1:  Warpwolf Stalker, Wold Warden
Team 2:  Gorax, Shifting Stones, Blackclad Wayfarer
Team 3:  Tharn Bloodtrackers
Team 4:  Gallows Grove, Gallows Grove
Mohsar can be anywhere, but he'll probably stay behind Team 2 most of the time.

Team 1's jobs will be to Kill Heavies, Hit and Run, and Assassinate, although they'll have a secondary ability to Clear Infantry as well.  The Wold Warden and the Stalker provide good support for each other here.  The Wold, while offensively sort of a wet blanket, provides great spell support.  Curse of Shadows both increases the Stalker's damage potential against hard targets, and lets it move through or disengage from an infantry unit safely.  Mirage is good on either beast.  Crevasse means that both the Stalker and the Warden have something effective to do against infantry.  Finally, the Warden's animus is a good way to give the Stalker Prowl.  The Stalker, in addition to being an offensive powerhouse, lets the Warden make use of Lightning Strike to sprint after charging into melee.
I see Team 1 as a skirmishing formation.  The Stalker will hit and run with Lightning Strike, while the Wold Warden will stay around where the Stalker wants to end up, providing support and doing damage with Geomancy.  Mohsar will often be covering them with a couple of Pillars of Salt for protection.

Team 2 is mainly support for Team 1.  The Gorax is there to buff the Stalker's offensive potential, although it will probably also make supporting charges in the mid-game.  The Blackclad is there to buff the charge range of both heavies, although it too can do some damage with Stone Spray.  The Shifting Stones are mainly around to heal and manage Fury, although they should always be in a position to teleport a beast, especially the Stalker, before it activates.  Teleportation is fairly situational, but if the opportunity is there, it's great to have.

Team 3's jobs are to Eliminate Support, Kill Heavies, Clear Infantry, Hit and Run, and Alpha Strike.  Like Team 1, Team 3 is good against a variety of targets, and Reform gives it a similar ability to play offensively and retreat a bit.  If it's better to charge in, Bloodtrackers are incredibly fast.

Team 4 will give Mohsar a way to provide Spell Support to the Bloodtrackers, who can benefit a lot from Mirage, or having Curse of Shadows and Crevasse ready to hand.  Running both Groves together lessens the chances of losing that support to a stray cannon ball.

Mohsar will mostly hang just behind Team 2, where he can cast Animi on key models if he needs to.  He'll also throw out Curses of Shadows and Crevasses to support Team 3 as needed.  His main job, though, is to cast Pillar of Salt.  This will let both Team 1 and Team 3 skirmish effectively.  Mohsar should generally cast 2 to 4 pillars per turn depending on what he's upkeeping, and should generally activate late in the turn to do it after all the mainliners have retreated.

Theme-wise, the list focuses on Flexibility and Denial.  It has no trouble with rough terrain, and Mohsar's Pillars of Salt can really slow the enemy down.  Between the Tharn and the Stalker, it has great hitting power as well.  I might swap the Wold Warden and Blackclad for Megalith, but with character restrictions, I'd take the Warden.
No doubt it will need some refinement as Caleb finds out if it'll work for his playstyle, but there it is.

The Second Caster Dilemma, pt 3 - eKrueger

Mohsar has settled into position as my go-to second caster, however he's a little trickier to learn than I had first guessed, and his feat doesn't seem to mesh well with my more defensive style of play.

Since I already have the model, I figured it was time for a write up on the next caster I'm considering - Krueger the Stormlord (or eKrueger, for those of you savvy with the shorthand).




Pros:
- Fury 7
- VERY Strong spell list (Gallows, Storm Wall, AND Telekinesis? holy crap)
- Great ranged attack (Sustained Attack and ROF 3)
- Ludicrously powerful feat, but also universally useful
- Flight makes him hard to pin down
- Strong stat line - he's going to be tricky to kill!

Cons:
- Bit of a one-trick pony (movement shenanigans)
- Can't pump out a lot of damage on his own
- Spells have relatively short ranges

eKrueger is pretty much the master of movement shenanigans - Gallows to pull enemies closer, Telekinesis to move enemies and friendlies into better positions, and his feat to push the enemy back (literally) and seriously slow them down. Storm Wall makes a great addition to the party as well, since it'll help protect my important models as they advance to face the enemy and seriously hinder enemy shooting. Storm Wall also illustrates the trend of "random powerful large scale defensive spell" that I'm seeing in every Circle caster so far; Deflection on pKrueger, Solid Ground on pBaldur, Sunhammer (sort of) on Mohsar, etc. I'm going to break up my review a bit to focus on what I feel are going to be his strong points.

1. Feat.
eKrueger's feat is a good one - enemy models in his control area are pushed slightly back and have their SPD reduced by 2. Not only will this push enemy models off control points, it will prevent just about everything the opponent has from charging on the next turn, allowing friendly models to get in closer and get the jump on them next turn. Given the quite squishy nature of Circle models, getting the charge will often mean the difference between victory and defeat.  It also helps that his feat plays almost straight into my style of reactionary play.  All in all, superb feat.

2. Spells
I'm looking forward to playing eKrueger simply to be able to use Gallows more. The Old Witch is one of my main Khador warcasters, so I know how much of a game changer it can be if used correctly. It also means that I won't be taking eKrueger without at least a geomancer and a gallows grove (or several), as it's range leaves a bit to be desired. Telekinesis is also a wonderful spell, and both it and Gallows mesh so wonderfully with the Gnarlhorn's abilities that I can easily see taking the big goat with eKrueger for some well positioned grand slams. Storm Wall is going to be useful in keeping enemy shooting off of me, though again spells like this are a bit of a staple of Circle casters. Lightning Storm is a good AOE infantry clearer, however I don't see myself using it too much where there are Gallows targets available.

3. Weapons and Abilities
On his own, eKrueger has some powerful abilities and a nice feat, but he's got some big gaps in what he can and can't handle. Unlike pKrueger, he looks to be pretty good against multi-wound heavy infantry or light beasts thanks to his lightning bolt ranged attack - ROF 3, Sustained Attack, and POW 12 means that for 3-4 focus (boosting to hit), he can be reasonably expected to take out single targets like Tyrant Vorkesh, Bane Lord Tartarus, and most light warbeasts with decently lucky rolls. However, he lacks any spells that boost friendly infantry (though he does have Inspiration), and beyond Lightning Storm he's going to have a tough time dealing with lots of infantry if they spread themselves out. Luckily, I recently picked up a Lord of the Feast....

4. Synergies
- Woldwarden/Megalith: his spell list is practically tailor made for Geomancying, so one of these two will likely be in every list I've got. I can see more utility with the Woldwarden, as I'll undoubtedly be using it mainly as a gallows-slinger, and Megalith's face smacking abilities won't see much play.
- Woldguardian: All the movement shenanigans eKrueger can dish out pretty much negate this guy's main downside (low SPD). Combined with the durability and transfer-when-full-fury ability, this guy is going to see a lot of play time with eKrueger as my second heavy hitter.
- Gnarlhorn Satyr: I doubt any warlock (besides Mohsar) can make better use of his slamming abilties, and the ability to realllly line up the shots makes the Gnarlhorn a good choice. Unfortunately, he'll be vying with the Woldguardian for his spot, so I'll have to see which I like better.
- Warpwolf Stalker: berserk and reach solves most of my anti-infantry worries, and this guy's ability to absolutely maul an enemy heavy on a single charge makes him my first choice in heavy hitter.

- Druids of Orboros: more movement shenanigans! eKrueger's feat will also let them get in closer to make use of their spells, so they're a good choice in any list that can afford them.
- Stoneward and Woldstalkers: they're a pretty self contained unit that can fry infantry or lights pretty well, and they come with their own speed boost! I actually think they'll do well with eKrueger, if for no other reason than they don't really need much from him except Storm Wall for protection.

- Lord of the Feast: solves most of the infantry issues if the Stalker has bigger fish to fry. I don't have much experience with him.
- Blackclad Wayfarer: more speed boosts are always welcome, and his spray will help quite a bit with enemy infantry.

5. Army Lists
Here's the lists I'm going to start him with:

eKrueger 15pts
Krueger the Stormlord (*5pts)
* Warpwolf Stalker
* Woldwarden
Gallows Grove

All the basics in one package.  The only thing I worry about is that I'll be running the beasts pretty hot just to keep the warlock full on fury.

eKrueger 35pts
Krueger the Stormlord (*5pts)
* Warpwolf Stalker
* Woldguardian
* Woldwarden
Stoneward and 5 Woldstalkers
Blackclad Wayfarer
Lord of the Feast
Gallows Grove

... I really want to play this list.  It's compact, chock full of heavy hitters, and just about everything will mesh very well with what eKrueger beings to the table. It lacks fury management, but with 2 construct warbeasts (one of which will be on geomancy duty), I shouldn't have much of a problem with frenzy.

eKrueger 50pts
Krueger the Stormlord (*5pts)
* Warpwolf Stalker
* Woldguardian
* Woldwarden
Druids of Orboros (Leader and 5 Grunts)
* Druid of Orboros Overseer
Shifting Stones
* Stone keeper
Wolves of Orboros (Leader and 9 Grunts)
* Wolf of Orboros Officer & Standard
Blackclad Wayfarer
Gallows Grove
Lord of the Feast

The 50pt list sees a pretty significant change - I've dropped the Woldstalkers and added full units of Wolves of Orboros + UA, Druids of Orboros +UA, and Shifting Stones + UA. The reasons for this are a little complex, but essentially boil down to the fact that I had 3 points left and it was either drop the Woldstalkers (Druids are better at the job anyway) and pick up a big unit of Wolves of Orboros, or spend 3 points on models I didn't think would add much (Wilder/2nd Gallows Grove or Sentry Stone & Mannikins). While eKrueger doesn't really give much to the Wolves, they can give quite a bit to the rest of the list -- they're quite self sufficient, cheap, can act as a screening unit that won't get in the Druids' way (yay Ranked Attacks!), delivery a punch on the charge thanks to Power Swell on their UA, and give me an expandable melee unit to tie things up in combat (see "tarpit" or "throw under the bus without a second thought").


All in all, I'm looking forward to using him in my next few battles. Unlike Mohsar, eKrueger is going to play MUCH more aggressively thanks to his spell list, and seems like he'll play a bit like a more in-your-face version of pBaldur.

Thanks for reading!

Battle Report: pMorghoul vs Mohsar 25pts

Co-blogger Caleb and I got a game in over the weekend for our slow grow league.  Here's how it went down.  Further discussion in the comments.  Enjoy!

PGrexy:

I was running my usual pMorghoul list for 25pts.

Master Tormentor Morghoul (+7)
*Titan Cannoneer (9)
*Titan Gladiator (8)
*Cyclops Savage (5)
*Basilisk Krea (4)
4 Paingiver Beast Handlers (2)
Agonizer (2)
Extoller Soulward (2)

This list has some good durability with the Cannoneer's Diminish and the Agonizer's Gnawing Pain, and it has very high damage output against warbeasts between Enrage and Abuse.  It's also pretty maneuverable with Abuse and Rush, and has some ranged options with the Titan Cannoneer's gun.  After a couple games with this list, I'm really liking it.

Caleb:

I decided to give my Mohsar list a crack after picking up the Warpwolf Stalker the other week.

Mohsar the Desertwalker (+5pts)
* Gnarlhorn Satyr (8pts)

* Warpwolf Stalker (10pts)
* Woldwarden (9pts) (proxied by Megalith, as my Woldwarden isn't based yet...)
Druid Wilder (2pts)
Gallows Grove (1pts)

Compared to my pBaldur lists, this list is possibly overcompensating a bit to deal with enemy heavies/that damn cyclops savage. The wilder is a nice addition to give out either Lightning Strike or Bounding as it's needed, and the Gallows Grove means Mohsar can keep himself farther back and still threaten a pretty big area. Mohsar's spell list is practically tailor made for Geomancy, so I couldn't help but put a Woldwarden in there (Between Crevasse and Curse of Shadows, I see a lot of geomancy going on this game). The downside to this list is that it has very little ranged that can effect his beasts, and I'm relying on the Stalker to kill both heavies -- the Gnarlhorn can knock them around and head butt them a bunch, but when it comes to sheer killing power (especially against all the shenanigans he can and probably will put up around that Cannoneer), he's quite pillow fisted.

Deployment:  pGrexy won the roll off, and decided to go second. 

Caleb: The board looks pretty even - I've got a nice forest to hide in and some walls to block my approach, but he's got that hill for the Cannoneer. I figure he'll also be angling to my left to take advantage of those walls and plop his Cannoneer on the hill. I decided on a pretty straightforward setup - Satyr on the right to slam anybody coming around those walls, Stalker in the middle (Prowl = awesome) with the Wilder between to start slinging some animi, and the Woldwarden on my right to do some counter-battery geomancy against Candice the Cannoneer.

   

pGrexy:  Caleb had deployed his forces in a pretty tight formation around Mohsar, so I mirrored him.  Morghoul has to run a fairly tight formation due to his low CTRL, and I'm fairly confident of my list's ability to win in a slugging match.  The Stalker can hit hard, particularly with Curse of Shadows boosting its damage, but the Wold Warden and Gnarlhorn will bounce off me if I'm protected by Diminish and/or Gnawing Pain.  My rough plan was to lure the Circle Beasts in with my cannon, and focus on taking them out, then finish Mohsar off when he has no support.


Turn 1:

Caleb: Right off the bat I figured out I'd erred - the Satyr was on the wrong side. I'd wanted the big goat going after the Cannoneer, but instead I'm going to have to keep him on the left and possibly intercept that savage. The Gallows Grove began it's slow, 5" plod up the field, hoping to be ignored long enough to get behind that far wall. Everything else advanced up to the edge of the woods, hoping that with a little extra DEF (or Stealth) from concealment the Cannoneer will miss. Mohsar put Mirage on the Gnarlhorn, cast Sunhammer on himself, and ambled forward as well. Not much to do now but wait....



pGrexy:  I advanced pretty conservatively.  Thinking I might be able to get a shot off at the Stalker in the woods, I used the Gladiator to Rush the Cannoneer, then Trample forward.  Morghoul Maltreated the Gladiator, Abused the Cannoneer, then transferred the remaining 3 Fury to the Agonizer, then advanced.  The Cannoneer advanced 8," and shot at the Stalker.  It was barely out of range, which was ok, since I'd forgotten about Prowl.  The Savage and Krea ran, as did the Soulward and Agonizer.  The Paingivers advanced, Conditioned the Savage and Krea, and Medicated the Cannoneer and Gladiator, healing them back up.

I would be in a pretty good position to advance next turn.  I was hoping to do some real damage with the Cannoneer, then bait Caleb's beasts in piecemeal.  I didn't have to worry about the low walls much because of Rush, but Caleb had no similar source of Pathfinder in his army, so the Gnarlhorn wouldn't be able to charge across them.  I was a lot more comfortable not having to soak a possible Grand Slam in addition to a Stalker charge.

Turn 2:

Caleb: The correct phrase at this point is "crap on a cracker" -- his beasts (including that glorified elephant-with-a-boomstick) are firmly entrenched on a hill, and I've got a good 14" of open ground and some walls between us. Thankfully, I have a solution - the liberal application of Pillar of Salt, and I do mean liberal. Mohsar paid the upkeep on both Mirage and Sunhammer, then ambled up and dropped 3 pillars right in front of the Cannoneer and Gladiator, blocking their advance/LOS, and essentially forcing my crafty opponent to deal with at least 2 of them before he could do anything meaningful (at least I hope). On my left, the tree continued it's sneaky advance, while the Gnarlhorn ambled around a bit to find a better position if the Gladiator or Savage decided to make a run on the Stalker next turn.

The stalker positioned himself for a good charge on the Cannoneer next turn, and the Woldwarden advanced up behind him for some curse-of-shadowsing when the time came. For some reason beyond my comprehension, I failed to put the Woldwarden's animus up, leaving the Stalker quite exposed... maybe it wouldn't be noticed?

pGrexy:  Caleb was seriously harshing my mellow with those Pillars of Salt.  Turn 2 is often when I do a lot of crucial positioning before charging in, and he'd blocked both my heavies with his pillars.  I activated Gladys, who Rushed herself, advanced, and destroyed the two pillars blocking Candes from advancing.  The Extoller advanced, and used Guidance on the Cannoneer, who aimed, and shot the Stalker for moderate damage, then used Diminish.  Morghoul cast Rush and Abuse on the Cyclops Savage, advanced, and Feated, camping 1 Fury.  The Paingivers advanced, Enraged the Savage, and conditioned the other beasts.  The Cyclops charged the Gnarlhorn, and killed it with 3 attacks!  This was much more than I'd hoped for.  I also ran the Agonizer out of Mohsar's CTRL because I forgot that Mohsar's Feat would prevent Morghoul from leaching, not just prevent his beasts from being leached from.

I was feeling pretty cocky at the end of Turn 2.  I'd killed one of Caleb's heavies, and prevented retaliation with Morghoul's Feat.  But I'd made a terrible mistake.  I had done nothing about the Gallows Grove, and by not Maltreating to camp a second Fury, I'd effectively left Morghoul hanging (see what I did there?).

Turn 3:

Caleb: 3 Attacks?! All it took was 3 Attacks?! You wretched little goat! (ok, in fairness, those rolls were pretty gross). My general fury at the Gnarlhorn (heh, puns...) was tempered by the fact that I had, indeed, noticed that my stealthy little redwood wannabe was one short hop away from Crevasse range of Morghoul. Mohsar leeched, dropped Sunhammer (I was going to need the fury) and I teleported the Gallows Grove forward, lining up along the wall and giving me a good angle on Morghoul. I activated the Woldwarden first, moving him juuuust a little forward and geomancied a Crevasse onto the Krea but failed to do much damage. Mohsar activated, popped his feat (why not, really?), maltreated the Warden, ambled forward just a smidge, and unleashed a boosted Crevasse on that little Skorne git -- it hit! The damage was lackluster, but I still managed to drag him down to half health, so a good start. The second boosted Crevasse also struck home (lucky rolls, actually...) but managed to flub the damage pretty severely, leaving Morghoul alive and kicking. Uh-oh.

Thanks to Morghoul's feat, there wasn't much for my Beasts to do - knowing it's going to result in a gladiator charging it, I moved the Stalker over to the Cyclops and ripped an aspect off of it with the sword. The Wilder proved it's worth by loading the Warpwolf up with fury for me to leech next round, and walked forward to hopefully distract the (probably frenzy-ing) Savage - an exciting, if somewhat lackluster, turn.

pGrexy:  Well, I'd barely survived that, and I needed a plan to kill Mohsar now.  He was empty on Fury, and Morghoul could not survive another turn taking multiple Crevasses.  I couldn't leach, so my Savage frenzied, but failed to hit the Druid Wilder.  Well, he'd earned a bit of a break.  The Krea, crucially, did not frenzy.  I advanced the Paingivers, and did some Conditioning and some Medicating.  The Krea advanced, and shot Mohsar with a Spiritual Paralysis, hitting him, and reducing him to Def 7.  The Extoller put Guidance on the Cannoneer, who blasted Mohsar with a mighty cannon ball for... 6 damage.  Well, I knew I'd probably need two hits.  My Gladiator Rushed herself, and advanced on the Warpwolf Stalker, planning to Double Handed Throw it into Mohsar... and missed with its attack.  Hmm....  Now for damage control.  The Gallows Grove had to die, so Morghoul Maltreated Candes, and charged it, burning his single point of Fury to finish it off.  He then Sprinted as far away from Mohsar as he could.  The Agonizer used Gnawing Pain, and ran forward to protect my Gladiator.

At this point, I was hoping that Mohsar couldn't get a decent Crevasse angle on Morghoul.  If he could, I'd probably die.  If he couldn't, I had a pretty good chance of killing Mohsar or his Warbeasts on my next turn.  Caleb wouldn't get another shot at Morghoul like this one - I'd be camping 2+ Fury every turn from now on.

Turn 4:

Caleb: The brave little tree was now mere kindling, but I still had a good shot - the problem was getting far enough forward to do something. Best bets at this point was to either do something about that Gladiator or move the Savage somehow. Deciding on the former, Mohsar leeched all the fury he could, cut himself for 1, and got ready. The Woldwarden made the first move, geomancyied Curse of Shadows onto the Gladiator and charged, doing some marginal damage but failing to knock out a single aspect. The Warpwolf Stalker followed, warping for strength and throwing every attack he could into the giant elephant -- but again, failing to kill it! For lack of a better plan, the Wilder clubbed the Savage, actually doing a point of damage or two but failing to do much else.

Mohsar was in a bit of a pickle now - he had no way around the two beasts in front of him (even with Curse of Shadows on the Gladiator, he couldn't quiiiiite get completely around/through it). But he had little other choice, so he maltreated the Woldwarden, moved right up to the Gladiator, and cast Crevasse on the Agonizer -- it did significant damage, but failed to kill it! No spray onto Morghoul! A second try also failed to even hit it. There was zero chance of Mohsar living through a thorough beat down by the Gladiator, so at that point we called the game.

Victory to the Skorne!

Slooow Upates

Sorry for the lack of updates in the last week or so, dear readers.  I'm a tutor, and right now, it's Finals season.  I'll start posting regularly again after around June 10th.

The Titan Cannoneer: Methods

The Titan Cannoneer doesn't usually get a lot of love from Skorne players in general, but it's gradually become one of my favorite beasts.  In many of my lists, the Cannoneer is the lynchpin of my advance, giving my army the edge it needs to outmanuever my opponents in the early and middle stages of a game.  Here's how I've been using it.

I play the Cannoneer as a front line warbeast supported by at least one other heavy, usually a Gladiator.  At the front, the Cannoneer threatens a large area with its gun (16" to 18" radius depending on whether it has Rush cast on it). Its main jobs in this position are to kill off support models, bait the enemy into charging it, and attack high value models like 'beasts/'jacks and casters.

The cannon is instrumental in all these jobs.  The Cannon is one of the best weapons available to Skorne against support units and solos.  It can cover most of my front line, meaning that whenever a solo or support piece is in position to give me grief, I'm usually in position to shoot it.  In fact, I started using the Cannoneer so I'd have something to do against the support pieces a Cryx-playing friend of mine kept using to ruin my day.  Because this is perhaps the Cannoneer's most important role, an Extoller Soulward is a necessary support piece for Guidance.  Many enemy support models will have Stealth or Incorporeal, or will use Forests and Cloud effects to protect themselves.  Eyeless Sight and Magic Weapons let's the Cannoneer ignore all these restrictions, and the Soulward is the only model I routinely take whose main job is supporting the Canoneer.

The cannon also projects attrition against bigger targets like Warjacks, Warbeasts, and mainline infantry.  This doesn't end up killing many targets, but does help the Cannoneer bait charges.  A single cannon ball doesn't really threaten either mainline infantry or enemy heavies, but can do moderate damage consistently, forcing the enemy to find some way of dealing with the the Cannoneer, usually charging it.

The Cannoneer, however, is quite good at taking charges.  Its animus, Diminish, though generally pretty weak, makes the Cannoneer slightly tougher than a Gladiator against melee attacks.  Stacked with other defensive abilities like a Def or Arm buff, or the Agonizer's Gnawing Pain ability, the Cannoneer can (and does) shrug off multiple charging heavies.  In fact, stacking defensive tech on a Cannoneer can force opponents to retreat and try to set up a better charge.  Far from being a bad thing, this just gives me more of an opportunity to shoot more, and set up my own charges.

Once the Cannoneer draws a charge, I can use both it and whatever other support it has to kill off its attacker.  Enrage from a Paingiver puts it at Pow: 18/17 with its weapons, which will kill a lot of low def heavies pretty reliably.  Boosting to hit makes it decent against nimbler heavies, as well as lights and high-def solos.  The Cannoneer's backup is usually another heavy, often a Gladiator.  Even if the attackers survive the Cannoneer, there's a much lower chance they'll survive the Gladiator too.  The Cannoneer is also a little more expendable than the Gladiator in melee, so it's a more acceptable trade-off to kill one of my opponent's heavies.

This isn't to say I won't charge in with the Cannoneer.  It's just as effective, if not more so, leading the charge itself.  Backed up by Rush and/or other movement buffs, the Cannoneer is fast enough to get the first strike in on a lot of things in its weight class, and can do significant damage while debuffing enemies with Diminish for the followup turn.  Good positioning with supporting warbeasts lets me charge them into whatever targets Diminish is affecting, which is nice when I can pull it off.

Overall, I treat the Cannoneer as a melee/attrition heavy which happens to have a gun.  Skorne doesn't usualy have the firepower to support a mostly ranged strategy, so the Cannoneer is always moving toward melee.  The cannon is there to put pressure on enemy lists by removing support, and grinding down heavier targets.  While the gun pressures my opponent to engage me, the toughness I achieve by combining Diminish with other defensive abilities makes engaging the Cannoneer a bad proposition for a lot of models.  Whatever the Cannoneer can't finish itself is likely to be destroyed by the other models supporting the Cannoneer.

Using the Cannoneer this way supports my playstyle well.  I like the ability to advance cautiously, and play an attrition game, attacking and grinding down my opponent's army.  The Cannoneer let's me position my models without worrying too much about harassment from enemy solos, and snipe out support pieces which let my opponent match my maneuverability.  This lets me set up the engagement as much on my own terms as I can.

Most of the support I use has been mentioned, but I'll include more detail, as well as a couple of my army lists, in the comments.