tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82016682275459103442024-03-13T07:56:30.435-07:00Warhammering and X-wingingTabletop and RPG tactics, discussion, and rumormongering!Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.comBlogger119125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-4191689550754261602022-02-22T23:20:00.004-08:002022-02-23T21:09:24.761-08:00AMG's Brave New World; List Building and Points in X-wing 2.5 <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgE_lh6dAVMxIBSklttAQw7EYSm9m3f-04xGCkv6xNV7Xih3p5djUi7CKqXNYi_MvPcBqrR569knSrZmZ0P6vwzZS335WH3YcjRCkY2vb_C_QjqzbYLfVy2VddPAnxJF2hHlAeEfog5yB7l1b1g81Oyo3N9__laPtdI6r66_O-3gXDzVpjVuhC72ESp=s418" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="300" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgE_lh6dAVMxIBSklttAQw7EYSm9m3f-04xGCkv6xNV7Xih3p5djUi7CKqXNYi_MvPcBqrR569knSrZmZ0P6vwzZS335WH3YcjRCkY2vb_C_QjqzbYLfVy2VddPAnxJF2hHlAeEfog5yB7l1b1g81Oyo3N9__laPtdI6r66_O-3gXDzVpjVuhC72ESp=w244-h339" width="244" /></a></div>WOO!<br /><br />What a DAY! <br />We get Scenarios, we get Points, we get the fabled Ban list - and possibly most of all, we get an *entirely new way* to build lists in X-wing Miniatures "2.5"<br /><br />It's still too early to use the proper list builders (although I know what heroes the developers of YASB and LaunchBay Next are, I imagine they'll catch up in the wee hours of the night) so I've been cranking on these by hand.<br /><br />I have a Standard list I've been tinkering with for some time now, and seeing as how it's freshest on my mind, I wanted to do an in-depth (but brief) breakdown of updating my current sandbox list to the new 2.5 format.<br /><br />For starters, all of the documentation can be found <a href="https://www.atomicmassgames.com/xwing-documents" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a><br /><br />Now!<br />My "old" list used the classic 2.0 system:<br /><br />You get 200 points in a pool to spend on your squad. You can take a minimum of 2 ships, a maximum of 8, and every single thing you put in the squad comes out of that shared pool. So you can spend 150 pts on one ship, then the remaining 50 on the other 1+<br />Here's what my list looked like:<br /><br /><b><u>Boba Fett</u> (Pilot, 85 pts)</b><br />-Cutthroat (Talent, 2)<br />-Concussion Bombs (Payload, 4)<br />-Overtuned Modulators (Illicit, 3)<br />-Shield Upgrade (Modification, 6)<br />-Jango's Slave I (Title, 3)<br />-Han Solo (Gunner, 9)<br /><br /><b><u>G4R-G0R</u> V/M (Pilot, 28)<br /></b>-Delayed Fuses (Modification, 1)<br />-Jamming Beam (Cannon, 0)<br /><br /><b><u>Sunny Bounder</u> (Pilot, 27)<br /></b>-Jamming Beam (Cannon, 0)<br /><br /><b><u>Ahhav</u> (Pilot, 28)</b><br />-Predator (Talent, 2)<br />-Precision Ion Engines (Modification, 2)<br /><br />This list is all about Boba Fett being the top-tier pilot he can be, leaning heavily on Modding upgrades. The other ships are as many ultra-efficient ships as I could cram in there, that are mostly there as a distraction and/or Cutthroat fuel to reload the Concussion Bombs or Overtuned Modulators, or just trim Stress off of Boba<br /><br />BUT<br />The new points system changes all squads to:<br /><br />1.) A base of 20 points, instead of 200<br />2.) Minimum of 3 ships, instead of 2 (still a max of 8)<br />3.) A split points pool - so each ship has a cost out of the 20 for the squad, but also has their own "free" pool of "loadout points" to spend on upgrades for that ship and only that ship <br /><br />So, my existing squad went from 200 points on the nose to 20. <i>Nice! Still legal!</i><br /><br />Except not. Boba's new cost is 10 pts, but his Loadout points are 22 (<a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ce432b1f9d2be000134d8ae/t/62150240368e122d0a8a1219/1645544001070/Ship_Points_Jan22.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">new Pilot points can be found here</a>) - Here's where the split pool comes in to play. Even with Jango's Title going down to 0, I had Boba's loadout up to 24pts, 2pts over my limit, and unlike the old method, I can't just shave points off of other ships to feed Boba's abilities<br /><br />I dropped Concussion Bombs (still 4) to added 4-LOM Crew (because Boba got his Crew slot back!) for a round 22<br /><br />As for the other ships, with a 10pt Boba, to round out my 10 remaining points, I could go 5/5, 5/3/2, or stick with what I had originally at 4/4/2. The ships I already had were 4/4/2, I just had more room for upgrades. It's also not listed on the available slots in the Pilot points sheet, but my assumption is that Scyk fighters will keep that flex slot they can fill with a Missile, Cannon or Torpedo<br /><br />G4R, with a points/loadout of 4/11, could take a nice Shield Upgrade (6) and Autoblasters (4) for 10<br /><br />Sunny, also 4, but 4/10, could take the same and not have an unused point<br /><br />Ahhav threw me, he's 2/0, so no loadout options<br /><br />That right out of the gate leaves me with a far more dangerous squad - adding Cannons to both Scyks, and the additional Shield for each, is no joke. While I lost Predator on Ahhav and Bombs on Boba, this is still a pretty major upgrade.<br /><br /><b><i>But that's still thinking the old way!</i></b> <br /><br />I took another look at the Pilots list, and noticed some major, major changes to pilots all over the place. Not only did Boba get his Crew back, but dozens of pilots got slots shifted, with many getting access to multiples, like the new 2x Talent slots on Fenn Rau.<br /><br />So I wanted to see what else I could build, and while I was at it it hit me that most of the upgrades I had on Boba were to compensate for the loss of Maul... So why not start with Maul?<br /><br /><b><u>Boba Fett</u> (10/22)</b><br />-Maul (Crew, 10)<br />-Jango's Slave I (Title, 0)<br />-Elusive (Talent, 2)<br />-Shield Upgrade (Modification, 6)<br />-Hull Upgrade (Modification, 4)<br /><br /><b><u>Serissu</u> (5/18)</b><br />-Heavy Laser Cannon (Cannon, 4)<br />-Shield Upgrade (Modification, 6)<br />-Hull Upgrade (Modification, 4)<br />-Elusive (Talent, 2)<br />-Predator (Talent, 2)<br /><br /><b><u>Foreman Proach</u> (3/10)</b><br />-Shield Upgrade (Modification, 6)<br />-XX-23 S-Thread Tracers (Missile, 4)<br /><br /><b><u>Ahhav</u> (2/0)<br /></b><br />And there's my new 2.5 tester squad. Still 3x semi-filler ships for grabbing Objectives and making noise, but just *look* at what you can do with Serissu!<br /><br />My one outstanding question is do you give up points for unspent loadout points as well as unspent squad points?<br /><br />I'll have to test and see if Maul really is the equivalent of all of those other upgrades, if I want Bombs instead of Hull Upgrade, and if I want to tinker with Ion Cannon on Serissu or Cluster Missiles on Proach, but this build really neatly illustrations how underused pilots have <i>dramatically </i>changed with the new building options, while other reliably powerful ones have had their wings clipped just a tiny bit.<br /><br />The addition of loadout points is also another lever that can be pulled to balance ships/pilots as needed for the health of the game, and already you can definitely see that the willingness to give different points/slots to different pilots of the same chassis makes for (potentially) very thematic list building.<br /><br />*As a note on scoring, Deficit Scoring is still in place - meaning any points under 20 you build your list to are free points to your opponent. <div>For example, say you take 3x 6pt ships for a total of 18 of your 20 Squad Points. In that case at the start of every match your opponents would start the game with 2pts. But, it's important to note that this only applies to your 20 Squad Points, not loadout points, so you can build ships with, say 10 out of 11 possible and it won't ding your score<br /><br />With the absolute mountain of new cards coming hot on the heels of this release from the Gauntlet, Razorcrest and card pack, I hadn't expected THIS level of a wild west list building landscape from "just" a points release.<br /><br />I'm tentatively very excited to see what people build in this system!<p></p></div>Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-60754613452872553892018-02-24T15:15:00.001-08:002018-02-24T15:15:55.102-08:0040k Spring 18, League Round 1: 750 Ynnari vs. Tyranids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-AfACaBbk0kiye-Q6JeTPtTCX9ki95yiRW4tRvkyriVIMB40g30SjXyWRMkzmyiL2acjmzL6fx7bqD3ttBRMy7uAwTs4_YvB9tRzr1h2jda7cktyELEVaD926CBWho62og2Gc0bSMjQ/s1600/Harlequins+Assault.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="877" data-original-width="1178" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-AfACaBbk0kiye-Q6JeTPtTCX9ki95yiRW4tRvkyriVIMB40g30SjXyWRMkzmyiL2acjmzL6fx7bqD3ttBRMy7uAwTs4_YvB9tRzr1h2jda7cktyELEVaD926CBWho62og2Gc0bSMjQ/s640/Harlequins+Assault.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Eldrad, exiled seer of Ulthwe, has seen a vision. A relic, a Savage greenskin totem, will be the flashpoint for a WAAAGH of terrible ferocity.</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>It falls to Zhar, Ynnari Autarch, and loyal follower of Eldrad, to lead a small strike force to retrieve the relic and keep it from falling into Ork hands...</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: left;">
And we're back! It's been a while since my last League, so I'm very excited to get back into the game :D without further ado, Mission 1-</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>Mission 1: No Mercy, modified</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
4'x4' table, 750 pts</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Kill Points, Slay the Warlord, First Blood, Linebreaker, and a single Objective in the center of the board worth 4pts in the final game turn.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here are the lists:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><u>Ynnari</u>-</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Battalion Detachment, 6 CP total</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
HQ - The Yncarne (Warlord), <i>Gaze of Ynnead, Word of the Phoenix</i> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
HQ - Autarch Skyrunner, <i>Fusion Pistol, Laser Lance, Banshee Mask</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
TR - 5x Kabalite Warriors</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
TR - 5x Kabalite Warriors</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
TR - 8x Storm Guardians, <i>2x Flamers</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
HS - Wraithlord, <i>Glaive, 2x Flamers, 2x Shuriken Cannons</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For my part, I really wanted to use the Yncarne, and I get miles worth of use out of Command Points, so I opted for a Battalion. Even at low points, Kabalites are so cheap it wasn't a big sacrifice. Still, I need the Yncarne to do some work to be even remotely worth bringing!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I came expecting Tyranids, so I opted for a spraying Wraithlord instead of a Raider. In case of big bugs, I left the Fusion Pistol on the Autarch, but also hoped the Kabalite's poisoned weapons would be useful there!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><u>Tyranids</u>-</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Patrol Detachment, 3 CP total</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
HQ - Neurothrope (Warlord), <i>Norn Crown Relic, The Horror, Trait: <b>Mind Eater</b></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
HQ - Trygon Prime, <i>Biostatic Rattle, 3x Massive Scything Talons</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
TR - 24 Termagants, <i>Devourers</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
EL - 6x Hive Guard, <i>Impaler Cannons</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><i>Hive Fleet: Kronos</i></b> (re-roll to-hit rolls of 1 if this unit did not move this turn)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
...Ouch. Hive Guard. I remember them from when I used to play Tyranids in 5th - and they still Ignore Line-of-Sight (beefy), but now they fire three shots per cannon instead of 2, and have a 36" range (which I believe used to be 24"?) on a 4'x4' table, that unit is perfectly capable of murdering my army by itself.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Right off the bat, without anything else there, I know that that unit *has* to die, and fast. I also know I'm going to have to go around/through the Trygon Prime and Devourer blob to get there.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
That is a perfect Tyranid list. It's possibly the best small-points list I've ever seen! And here I took a 337 pt Monster in a 750 pt game... But, can that Monster carry me to victory I wonder... ?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As extra gravy, that Detachment is built to deploy as three units (Gants deploying with the Trygon in Reserve count as 1 unit), so he's practically guaranteed to finish deploying first, and get first turn!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
* * *</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Zhar's band find themselves unexpectedly in the midst of a Tyranid incursion. Outgunned, unprepared, but fully committed, they choose to risk their mission, plunging deep into infested territory to seize the Ork totem.</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Unfortunately, when they reached their target, they found a Tyranid brood lying in ambush. Worse still, it is led by a soul-devouring creature that may very well be the Doom of Malan'tai - a psychic abomination of terrible power, capable of destroying an entire Craftworld by itself.</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87fcafOS888-OyAhAAFc-NbXjsVNuLGIB27tD67Gx0UT40Zle0fMpIPdYv343w8CFu8ZsjBSOxyAJ1m6WKVFL-L_lGPgd0VJu8jZZ3sAlfsyXygmY00aShJBXfB2d709Bj_MHaweKRsg/s1600/IMG_20180220_224418_829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1349" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87fcafOS888-OyAhAAFc-NbXjsVNuLGIB27tD67Gx0UT40Zle0fMpIPdYv343w8CFu8ZsjBSOxyAJ1m6WKVFL-L_lGPgd0VJu8jZZ3sAlfsyXygmY00aShJBXfB2d709Bj_MHaweKRsg/s640/IMG_20180220_224418_829.jpg" width="510" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Prepared to sacrifice themselves for their mission, Zhar's warriors call on their faith in Ynnead, and prepare their fury to face an overwhelming foe...</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
* * *</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhepXgIwgoYHRm9ySBaVtBZLXwab9dXtiDoJ_kpPe3v5MQwlEoRet5u5W4Uo7jK0hcLiGjGXglkPkNJ72aIKOjjpE0WXRyVLOLa1O7vl_6rGfCTz5Gu3clIXsc7B4rwus7vJ08OCKT-8Ew/s1600/IMG_20180220_194139888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhepXgIwgoYHRm9ySBaVtBZLXwab9dXtiDoJ_kpPe3v5MQwlEoRet5u5W4Uo7jK0hcLiGjGXglkPkNJ72aIKOjjpE0WXRyVLOLa1O7vl_6rGfCTz5Gu3clIXsc7B4rwus7vJ08OCKT-8Ew/s640/IMG_20180220_194139888.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
Both the Yncarne and the Trygon Prime, complete with DevilGants, start in Reserve - eyeing each other through the aether before the battle!<br />
This is my first time running the Yncarne, and his deployment is very weird. He has to start in Reserve, and then anytime a unit (friend or foe) is completely destroyed, I can add him to the board in the place, as close as possible without placing within 1" of enemy units.<br />
Now, he has to do this to deploy the first time, but then can also do it *any time* a unit dies in-game. The only downside is he ends up potentially exposed, and can't Charge that turn, even with a Soulburst.<br />
<br />
Terrain deployment was even, with plenty of LoS blocking terrain. Since I had no ranged shooting to speak of, a number of units that could Fly, and his guns ignored LoS, I didn't think too hard about what I was using<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIO1i4QLAG99TadNyhhhtx2XNrCq35enHxivtEJUYZkG3SwhJlx9vIPyJkj5Atyi8pB_kQh23So_eTXRP6X_ygu_-vZOrG7mZcsa1QYlnlEyKcSo_VQwogjLo6mvevjOi_RkjaIz7gX4/s1600/IMG_20180220_194148141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIO1i4QLAG99TadNyhhhtx2XNrCq35enHxivtEJUYZkG3SwhJlx9vIPyJkj5Atyi8pB_kQh23So_eTXRP6X_ygu_-vZOrG7mZcsa1QYlnlEyKcSo_VQwogjLo6mvevjOi_RkjaIz7gX4/s640/IMG_20180220_194148141.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
I expected the Trygon's brood to arrive Turn 1, so I tried to spread out to limit his options, knowing I was going to lose a unit when they arrived. I also poised the Autarch as close to the Hive Guard as possible. As the only unit in my army fast enough to reach them, and knowing I HAD to get to them, I opted for a bold strategy. Sneaking around my backfield was going to get me killed just as thoroughly, so I took the best chance I had and ran with it!<br />
<br />
*Note the "Ork Relic" in the photo above, I'm afraid I never got a close-up of it<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgroDjwwws7E0ge5zVPXbBovgW8mLXwLOdGWAJZaXQy6ZwB6OUWnLrzJNuiD-8mMLAmfeDQtJLInDAg0OjZM8a3KbwGMi3QRDlXSdiaQfJmgBvEF7p41JMZe_-xGPsaHz6Vq44CFQ7D-ck/s1600/IMG_20180220_194155885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgroDjwwws7E0ge5zVPXbBovgW8mLXwLOdGWAJZaXQy6ZwB6OUWnLrzJNuiD-8mMLAmfeDQtJLInDAg0OjZM8a3KbwGMi3QRDlXSdiaQfJmgBvEF7p41JMZe_-xGPsaHz6Vq44CFQ7D-ck/s640/IMG_20180220_194155885.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Doom, the Neurothrope, stayed back behind the safety of a wall, carefully watched over by his Hive Guard thralls...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEF-u1BJWGoWZZJpu1Yri8ID83GR2XOFiUEZif2U9npIZN4LR-ihSYafkZ7GD0z-5vrI2tWVFEWlBUk7eGpItUzCHP1BWdV9Sp_1FantB1yYdqOhZ_7IkqZYovyzg8kppgVGm480WFQ_Q/s1600/IMG_20180220_194655917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEF-u1BJWGoWZZJpu1Yri8ID83GR2XOFiUEZif2U9npIZN4LR-ihSYafkZ7GD0z-5vrI2tWVFEWlBUk7eGpItUzCHP1BWdV9Sp_1FantB1yYdqOhZ_7IkqZYovyzg8kppgVGm480WFQ_Q/s640/IMG_20180220_194655917.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Tyranids Turn 1!</span></b><br />
<i>Score: 0 - 0, tied</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOg1-ja5LUwVfftlCWRLZ_zAnG0INrmVA-SdoJeL-MbWPqZZnN-Bi54Z0CnKAxvEtMSRT2F9ViwFK9XYAcyY1jGo0F5tz4C_oidi2QufRIucOX06x8MY_KUvMEEwgJsM53am-8lUm-gA/s1600/IMG_20180220_194635843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOg1-ja5LUwVfftlCWRLZ_zAnG0INrmVA-SdoJeL-MbWPqZZnN-Bi54Z0CnKAxvEtMSRT2F9ViwFK9XYAcyY1jGo0F5tz4C_oidi2QufRIucOX06x8MY_KUvMEEwgJsM53am-8lUm-gA/s640/IMG_20180220_194635843.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Trygon Prime arrived as expected, force midfield rather than backfield, but still deployed within easy striking distance of my Kabalite Warrior units.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKXkF4YJLMlC1z_JIEPqNab_tlwB0ccpTAJo0tWBhoXWci3UwZ4yP1RTrKnQxWhzez1jp5IaYj9F_zXL30NFvLDZwTFzUeSBZJWmoNRRaBgoTYJMr2UnrPmh9OZTSjcUK_yS6lq2q0Sq8/s1600/IMG_20180220_194945792.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKXkF4YJLMlC1z_JIEPqNab_tlwB0ccpTAJo0tWBhoXWci3UwZ4yP1RTrKnQxWhzez1jp5IaYj9F_zXL30NFvLDZwTFzUeSBZJWmoNRRaBgoTYJMr2UnrPmh9OZTSjcUK_yS6lq2q0Sq8/s640/IMG_20180220_194945792.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
...Complete with DevilGant brood.<br />
I'd actually expected this, and hoped for it. I assumed he would try to avoid the Wraithlord and larger Storm Guardian unit, and opt to target my weak Kabalite units first. I knew when those Devourers dropped, I was going to lose a unit - and I hoped it would be my most expendable unit, sacrificing to buy me time to react.<br />
I also had hoped that he would deploy in a far corner, allowing my quicker units to zip away and get on with more important business.<br />
<br />
But. I had forgotten that 8th lets you split-fire, making a 24-blob of Gants waaaaay more dangerous than they used to be, because they can't be tied up killing fragile units one by one.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqI2Yvj09F5D-LNcwDSZxVzoXiUUotVXQTW5_miK1TWft9uum6PNKa5M0j4kD3bIqqtAwo92M69A2wgYT7mgfFVLJ2KCSbnQCo2uLnYcBqLpKJKkeoRfdK2nk9PKz9Xs95sJf-bouVtgE/s1600/IMG_20180220_195159695.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqI2Yvj09F5D-LNcwDSZxVzoXiUUotVXQTW5_miK1TWft9uum6PNKa5M0j4kD3bIqqtAwo92M69A2wgYT7mgfFVLJ2KCSbnQCo2uLnYcBqLpKJKkeoRfdK2nk9PKz9Xs95sJf-bouVtgE/s640/IMG_20180220_195159695.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
Predictably, both units of Kabalites were wiped out!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0rZz3JqF6YkA2khoh5GdzOnVJQRGI7PEjauJSmkCncmaxH68GOdddhRN_S33d8GCzkgCHASIQAaMfskESJBZKs-dV270AVpbh_EEhXtZ2WWYC-SaaalNLlotWbpeb1mNuWVNnod9lCY/s1600/IMG_20180220_195719705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0rZz3JqF6YkA2khoh5GdzOnVJQRGI7PEjauJSmkCncmaxH68GOdddhRN_S33d8GCzkgCHASIQAaMfskESJBZKs-dV270AVpbh_EEhXtZ2WWYC-SaaalNLlotWbpeb1mNuWVNnod9lCY/s640/IMG_20180220_195719705.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
In hindsight, I could have tried to give them more benefit from cover, but they took *so many* wounds, it's unlikely it would have made much difference. Ouch! First Blood and two Kill Points to the Tyranids<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg29KAQgoYUCo7_f87iQDxCjVFkSKB2sYF2gOUiROW2Ze0SRFe9BZeFrrYMABwO6-0H95tilsQya4IJOOxoUGVjEdnSuLXI6g2vtLGLPM-1KtvY4EZc3ouwVtgGqSmaZAfsLX4kB3aHYS8/s1600/IMG_20180220_195932904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg29KAQgoYUCo7_f87iQDxCjVFkSKB2sYF2gOUiROW2Ze0SRFe9BZeFrrYMABwO6-0H95tilsQya4IJOOxoUGVjEdnSuLXI6g2vtLGLPM-1KtvY4EZc3ouwVtgGqSmaZAfsLX4kB3aHYS8/s640/IMG_20180220_195932904.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
And, even my mighty Autarch took a beating in that first volley! I'd hoped to tempt the Hive Guard into shooting my Wraithlord, whose T8 would go a long way towards mitigating their fire - but, instead they laid into my Autarch, who managed to survive the turn, if barely.<br />
<br />
But, I survived! It was a much rougher turn than I'd been prepared for (and made the rest of the match look far more grim) but I was still free to carry out Plan A!<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Ynnari Turn 1!</span></b><br />
<i>Score: 0 - 3, Tyranids</i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
* * *</div>
<i>The Tyranid ambush struck lightning fast, coordinated by a terrible intellect well used to combating Aeldari at war. Zhar bared his teeth, dug his heels in, and blasted his Jetbike to mind-numbing speeds, racing up the field to engage the greatest threat: Doom itself.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Every move he made chafed against the Tyranid barbs that had found their way through his armor, and he could already feel the dread wounds sapping his strength. He had one chance, one hope: </i><br />
<i>To take the fight to them - and win.</i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
* * *</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-tdmvRdowkrHdbkScuYxtVyiybytufH49NzLQBKg-NbyRtWc2jEvQQ9BoblkL7xvJ2Y9fdiRLONgSovhkj-zaEUY7lCY8qTKm8gd9R8GehLQYDECN0JOgbI4DLSs7O-C5PIQe2BET0U/s1600/IMG_20180220_200108450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-tdmvRdowkrHdbkScuYxtVyiybytufH49NzLQBKg-NbyRtWc2jEvQQ9BoblkL7xvJ2Y9fdiRLONgSovhkj-zaEUY7lCY8qTKm8gd9R8GehLQYDECN0JOgbI4DLSs7O-C5PIQe2BET0U/s640/IMG_20180220_200108450.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
My entire army Advanced, with the uninjured Wraithlord moving a respectable 12", while my Storm Guardians rolled a 1. I opted to use a Command Point while I had the chance, and re-rolled it for a 6, and they positively barreled across the board.<br />
The Autarch went his bonus 6" for a full 22". Unfortunately, that was well out of firing range, and he couldn't Advance and Charge, so getting as close as he could was all I was able to do with him.<br />
<br />
The Wraithlord was able to fire off a long-range shot, and I used another CP re-rolling one of his 6 Shuriken Cannon shots. Which turned out to be absolutely worth it, and my first shot removed 5 DevilGants. Which was great! But seemed minimal considering the size of the unit.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpErD_ykRF9eemHlCNT8Y8dTLUUOTbLDOGjSy8wrVpu4U8PTg0K1gJP9kH-onmGI06oB9G6gMX8LZQhluLfs5aYruBIKmX5hAh5V9AbSx7fbnW-kYJhyDJ63fx0Kg66jhkm6ZedU0YHBo/s1600/IMG_20180220_200112530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpErD_ykRF9eemHlCNT8Y8dTLUUOTbLDOGjSy8wrVpu4U8PTg0K1gJP9kH-onmGI06oB9G6gMX8LZQhluLfs5aYruBIKmX5hAh5V9AbSx7fbnW-kYJhyDJ63fx0Kg66jhkm6ZedU0YHBo/s640/IMG_20180220_200112530.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Tyranids Turn 2!</span></b><br />
<i>Score: 0 - 3, Tyranids</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn021DZihVilnHbGiWIRgfgogtLFKhV1DCORFdP9JJ5AyTR7C-z7_rSqoZ7CX_7WsroZikZ0tsV36j9cHDDI4gV_1m3vbswrxXFniqsJPX3oUKNZMMLwmVR3fBi3DnM36ylQSc2fpM1kU/s1600/IMG_20180220_200339093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn021DZihVilnHbGiWIRgfgogtLFKhV1DCORFdP9JJ5AyTR7C-z7_rSqoZ7CX_7WsroZikZ0tsV36j9cHDDI4gV_1m3vbswrxXFniqsJPX3oUKNZMMLwmVR3fBi3DnM36ylQSc2fpM1kU/s640/IMG_20180220_200339093.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
Softened, but undeterred, the space bugs moved at full speed (without advancing) to make sure they weren't completely left out of the fight!<br />
That had been my plan all along, to leave them stranded on a board edge, but they'd done too much damage and I was too far behind to feel proud of pulling it off - it was too soon to tell if it would be worth it...<br />
<br />
Showing no hesitation at all, the Doom blasted off Smite, and with no Psyker on the table, I was forced to take it with no option to Deny. The Doom, that Neurothrope, also has a native ability to re-roll 1's when casting, so he pulled off a 10 for his Smite check (to get d6 damage) and easily killed my Autarch. Another Kill Point to the Tyranids!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
* * *</div>
<i>Zhar felt the foul crawling sensation of the alien intelligence invading his mind, and raged against the intrusion. He was prepared, when the beast's power started unraveling his spirit - and gave in fully to his own end, funneling his last ounce of strength into a terrible summoning call</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>As life left the Autarch's punished frame, Ynnead answered the dying hero's call, and his Avatar - the dread Yncarne - burst forth into realspace, fueled by the fall of a mighty Aeldari.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The Yncarne sprung fully fledged onto the field, his fury raging hot, and the foe easily within reach...</i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* * *</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8yF8HoQ83PN5F9Bh5-TYn4xvGkVWVEMhgPEhJRNoMlox5wjaBDKTkLWh8Xwv8YZtNn_02NNYSPek3GsW3Yomw_SndtKVK7w8tY5ayS4cUhcruPsqCsPRpqE9hC_v88SZSjxKwyDHfsfo/s1600/IMG_20180220_200559002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8yF8HoQ83PN5F9Bh5-TYn4xvGkVWVEMhgPEhJRNoMlox5wjaBDKTkLWh8Xwv8YZtNn_02NNYSPek3GsW3Yomw_SndtKVK7w8tY5ayS4cUhcruPsqCsPRpqE9hC_v88SZSjxKwyDHfsfo/s640/IMG_20180220_200559002.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
The Yncarne lives! And almost right where I wanted him! Here, I was in easy striking range of the Hive Guard. And, since I'd come in on my opponent's turn, I would be able to move and charge in my own turn!<br />
<br />
All was not well, however. Dying in the Psychic phase meant I still had to weather the Hive Guard's full might in the shooting phase. As monstrous as he is, his T6 was going to do me no favors this turn...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh13nglmwWD34ie_vohPYLDdx6IZckLHVUPXS7_Lhvs46hqk0qtwPvZZC4PP3LNGc31Ezin4x9RGoo5_5xKz7cueW17ioEefOhsgenrCTJZpgnHCgDqRxUk77HTqayWPS1CZCgM1FkS7fg/s1600/IMG_20180220_200721889.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh13nglmwWD34ie_vohPYLDdx6IZckLHVUPXS7_Lhvs46hqk0qtwPvZZC4PP3LNGc31Ezin4x9RGoo5_5xKz7cueW17ioEefOhsgenrCTJZpgnHCgDqRxUk77HTqayWPS1CZCgM1FkS7fg/s640/IMG_20180220_200721889.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
Of his nine Wounds, the Hive Guard only stripped one, with some profound luck on my part. I rolled some great 4++ saves, and then another several 6+ saves against the damage!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFeRpuL8eeGFdW-kOdr6_MN_vbPqREiIqrSExQwJ4_J0QtwyqJl8M9Wwch_nLMgl1i5rv72-aalLdG6QVekskQB1BWvQ5MHqccg0lqC3lMEZdvp4MFqXWNzAEn0t3NAB9bZet6QlYoMaY/s1600/IMG_20180220_200728382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFeRpuL8eeGFdW-kOdr6_MN_vbPqREiIqrSExQwJ4_J0QtwyqJl8M9Wwch_nLMgl1i5rv72-aalLdG6QVekskQB1BWvQ5MHqccg0lqC3lMEZdvp4MFqXWNzAEn0t3NAB9bZet6QlYoMaY/s640/IMG_20180220_200728382.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
But the Doom was not done. Using all of his remaining Command Points, he drove his Hive Guard to fire a second volley (!) and this time they were far more devastating, pushing several Wounds through the Yncarne's 4++, and then rolling a mighty 7 damage on three D3 damage hits.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjniGmKDJ1Qqa8ARyNYdLW4H6bjfQV5ANMq3-xfhHMoTFZ2L_G4UY4WN7fyt5ja_igJBYGGf7SMyJehNcD6lho9HsE6ZtuqnWsVupvFQhJBF62AYBlbiMZr6zf3Ir51l2JkU6s4usE5vLc/s1600/IMG_20180220_200910858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjniGmKDJ1Qqa8ARyNYdLW4H6bjfQV5ANMq3-xfhHMoTFZ2L_G4UY4WN7fyt5ja_igJBYGGf7SMyJehNcD6lho9HsE6ZtuqnWsVupvFQhJBF62AYBlbiMZr6zf3Ir51l2JkU6s4usE5vLc/s640/IMG_20180220_200910858.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
Ouch - but also WOO!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRkyU9keSCr0YvzV0HN6gDRt-nMvFZW9gTMJ1t2cMkfIV-hYtPZmTXqoa3sV5-aJ7skpXJXaTAjT76U079hN4JP7v2TM3EZhBnsSgi4fwbHqkFba5hLejvxuiCbTZXabZbfMhnGzWK7c/s1600/IMG_20180220_200915245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRkyU9keSCr0YvzV0HN6gDRt-nMvFZW9gTMJ1t2cMkfIV-hYtPZmTXqoa3sV5-aJ7skpXJXaTAjT76U079hN4JP7v2TM3EZhBnsSgi4fwbHqkFba5hLejvxuiCbTZXabZbfMhnGzWK7c/s640/IMG_20180220_200915245.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
Ynnead's champion was not ready to fold yet though. He tanked a full three of those Wounds with his 6+ vs. Wounds, dropping the damage to something reasonable!<br />
<br />
This turn was a sobering test run of the Yncarne. While it is fast, hits like a truck, and regenerates, when it comes to taking a beating, it's no Wraithknight. I have to be careful how I use him, and this was both exactly and not AT ALL where I wanted him to be...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUDb6ElJFyEaoHEHTqRW4w5NXGB_MuW_Jt2wftqzbFkW97GGGJXhf6n67TkLwrY08bATa30fdGmj1qNwGBIxvt4pIS1arl6GjEhhJVczSznGnJ2D8t8jQAUKGR3BOoiviBXkwSdWPOJo/s1600/IMG_20180220_200932788.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUDb6ElJFyEaoHEHTqRW4w5NXGB_MuW_Jt2wftqzbFkW97GGGJXhf6n67TkLwrY08bATa30fdGmj1qNwGBIxvt4pIS1arl6GjEhhJVczSznGnJ2D8t8jQAUKGR3BOoiviBXkwSdWPOJo/s640/IMG_20180220_200932788.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Ynnari Turn 2!</span></b><br />
<i>Score: 0 to 5, Tyranids</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
It's looking grim at this point in the game. I'm down to half of my starting units, and I only have a handful of Gants to show for it, plus I've done nothing to make dying even harder next turn less likely.<br />
<br />
So I've got ground to make up, and FAST.<br />
On that note, see below where the Yncarne moved to:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWkL2gTbygJVLwlOs_5qnTDq1BZX_aHb3XRaBN8R7Ung-Xp4qJk-KgDDb0MSG13WVfi7jPjfRUuwVGxf0-sJ-gP8CemzH0pNdCQJWRy_znox4-VhaElP1eSCtogiAdq80SxgISnOfiA0c/s1600/IMG_20180220_201348620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWkL2gTbygJVLwlOs_5qnTDq1BZX_aHb3XRaBN8R7Ung-Xp4qJk-KgDDb0MSG13WVfi7jPjfRUuwVGxf0-sJ-gP8CemzH0pNdCQJWRy_znox4-VhaElP1eSCtogiAdq80SxgISnOfiA0c/s640/IMG_20180220_201348620.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
First things first, I cast Smite, and used a Command Re-roll to make it harder to Deny (it wasn't denied) and also pulled of a 10, for d6 Mortal Wounds, which dealt the Hive Guard, being the nearest visible enemy, a whopping two Wounds.<br />
<br />
I then tried to cast Gaze of Ynnead, and failed. And since I'd already used a re-roll in the Psychic phase, no (more) dice :P<br />
<br />
This is where I found out what the "Mind Eater" trait does - if an enemy fails a Psychic test within range (18"?) they take d3 Mortal Wounds. I got lucky, taking only 1, but ouch!<br />
<br />
In shooting, the Wraithlord plinked a few more Gants, still not making a significant difference, but it's better than nothing. There's an interesting conundrum - I know the Wraithlord can more or less wade into those Gants without worrying too much, but that Trygon is a different story. A Wraithlord can kill a Trygon without half trying, but it won't, because it usually swings second and only has three attacks that usually miss...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZhYSVdwBPeHDNBdh_zbiFfAQY-rAYsMmFDNiUu_uGdKJxTOgWCQQZyGtDIxp3oaJhXXopK82EA6LwJGFXUrApcKNEWQ_lPGAtzgOWTcMG-xEDOs1BtCwUCxwOOoT6jbEfjzrBl0RJWdM/s1600/IMG_20180220_201633697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZhYSVdwBPeHDNBdh_zbiFfAQY-rAYsMmFDNiUu_uGdKJxTOgWCQQZyGtDIxp3oaJhXXopK82EA6LwJGFXUrApcKNEWQ_lPGAtzgOWTcMG-xEDOs1BtCwUCxwOOoT6jbEfjzrBl0RJWdM/s640/IMG_20180220_201633697.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
But, on to the Assault phase, and here's where things got interesting!<br />
I multi-assaulted the Hive Guard and Neurothrope, trying to tie them both up in combat.<br />
<br />
I managed to take no Wounds in Overwatch, which was a small but critical blessing, and easily made my charge.<br />
<br />
Now, I was sitting on a seriously depleted army, and all of the surprises up my sleeve had been shown - not only that, but my ultimate champion was sitting on a mere 4 Wounds.<br />
So, I needed this combat to count, badly. I multi-assaulted hoping to kill the Doom, and trigger a Soulburst to swing again at the Hive Guard as well. Since the Yncarne swings like an S6 Lascannon and re-rolls Wounds, I knew I was going to kill *something,* so I went for the Neurothrope/Doom, which only has 5 Wounds. With luck, I could kill it in two hits.<br />
<br />
I rolled all six dice, missed two, Command Re-rolled one, and wound up with a full five Wounds. I felt good!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdcd5185A0OLcSNyo6ZJlXArnmvV0z93e2zd73URYxg4lXFMtC1cZyMWm550h9bKGQ7Q9JSpA3G-Q1PKZTE5OphafsNkN4xH60Je7zAoIZQrSv8BXk06WmFaFi1PQyRUtMsq7_v2KU9w/s1600/IMG_20180220_202032050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdcd5185A0OLcSNyo6ZJlXArnmvV0z93e2zd73URYxg4lXFMtC1cZyMWm550h9bKGQ7Q9JSpA3G-Q1PKZTE5OphafsNkN4xH60Je7zAoIZQrSv8BXk06WmFaFi1PQyRUtMsq7_v2KU9w/s640/IMG_20180220_202032050.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
...and in a show of absolute space bugs heroic disdain, that terrifying little SOB saved every. Single. One.<br />
...<br />
<br />
......<br />
<br />
Uh oh.<br />
<br />
In return hits, the Hive Guard, despite being medium terrible, stripped two more Wounds off the Yncarne - swinging the combat wildly against me.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG2BR-xaVbZWs6D9JZyeZ_7RZ2HZYm-UbwzoOW8bnQE5Cuxun36S-G34CpawnGupc5VaETjsShwg0lnaA-rJINUWDZtaf44b77GNm2qQiNzLEdvSCvpm-g1Ffhq9Ln00w4l-3IK52o06s/s1600/IMG_20180220_202046631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG2BR-xaVbZWs6D9JZyeZ_7RZ2HZYm-UbwzoOW8bnQE5Cuxun36S-G34CpawnGupc5VaETjsShwg0lnaA-rJINUWDZtaf44b77GNm2qQiNzLEdvSCvpm-g1Ffhq9Ln00w4l-3IK52o06s/s640/IMG_20180220_202046631.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Tyranids Turn 3!</b></span><br />
<i>Score 0 to 5, Tyranids</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9-_XDj02dHRx5Tn1vT28335yF7Axk6AtfgvsXsLwBSHmo4dr87sxwk4YB7BLURQD6LHWYXaufemlttlsdM3P7P3-CeeYwdqg2utQ_ui_RjuZmRyp2xY0ywIh6CMzP4wnP6nsypbwBlM/s1600/IMG_20180220_202057383.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9-_XDj02dHRx5Tn1vT28335yF7Axk6AtfgvsXsLwBSHmo4dr87sxwk4YB7BLURQD6LHWYXaufemlttlsdM3P7P3-CeeYwdqg2utQ_ui_RjuZmRyp2xY0ywIh6CMzP4wnP6nsypbwBlM/s640/IMG_20180220_202057383.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
In movement, the Trygon and Grants moved to claim the Objective, and get within striking distance of the Wraithlord.<br />
<br />
In the Psychic phase, the Doom rolled for Smite, rolled a 6 and a 1, Re-rolled the one for a five. Eleven?!<br />
Here, I thought Shadow in the Warp affected Deny rolls, so I would need to beat his roll by two, an impossible 13. So I didn't even try - even if I had, I would have needed boxcars and was out of CP.<br />
<br />
The Doom rolled a mighty 5 Mortal Wounds, and while my 6+ saved two of them, it was still enough to kill the Yncarne where he stood.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkH3BXLJoJ28AuDKWBNCllHX-8kVBSiG2aaA68u21e5HVcfb8OetUteRQTmMMDtvWmRQOuOSZ8jKuGAVuAM2iVc8ygqyYjMj_pU2vtcnNQ1bcMOcvuMDM-Wf029OEhMqp8RtFEYvrNnys/s1600/IMG_20180220_202454394.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkH3BXLJoJ28AuDKWBNCllHX-8kVBSiG2aaA68u21e5HVcfb8OetUteRQTmMMDtvWmRQOuOSZ8jKuGAVuAM2iVc8ygqyYjMj_pU2vtcnNQ1bcMOcvuMDM-Wf029OEhMqp8RtFEYvrNnys/s640/IMG_20180220_202454394.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Uh oh. That freed the Hive Guard up to shoot, and ended my last Hail Mary attempt to stop them<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggmt9eKyGdPGvwPc05i3ZQDOw7BDpg4ggJjtBT35ZDZzzibhNOPg1etxNYG3yVfvifm-O8f6wHzF-uQbD11UFaGq6P0sYprd8iS0kpJG-8i2k_po2QQ2OWQgRjtNraUbXfPTsMc4PmRUw/s1600/IMG_20180220_202504607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggmt9eKyGdPGvwPc05i3ZQDOw7BDpg4ggJjtBT35ZDZzzibhNOPg1etxNYG3yVfvifm-O8f6wHzF-uQbD11UFaGq6P0sYprd8iS0kpJG-8i2k_po2QQ2OWQgRjtNraUbXfPTsMc4PmRUw/s640/IMG_20180220_202504607.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The Doom stands victorious in it's terrible victory, once again glutted on Eldar souls!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1U0nrswhULaIY1FKKrrCYGVP4HG9bUKWRfWD23yqVx5FK6WZoqthOj5eYVD6sqQUzFG8PB7u3Ho3HBsZ1WFA_oXue0r5Riy0RDvIXzgun4UTMyeDrNlRVGOnxx4g59ELYELBT4gpgAI/s1600/IMG_20180220_202649209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1U0nrswhULaIY1FKKrrCYGVP4HG9bUKWRfWD23yqVx5FK6WZoqthOj5eYVD6sqQUzFG8PB7u3Ho3HBsZ1WFA_oXue0r5Riy0RDvIXzgun4UTMyeDrNlRVGOnxx4g59ELYELBT4gpgAI/s640/IMG_20180220_202649209.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
The Pants easily wiped out my Storm Guardians, even without Re-rolled 1's, leaving my Wraithlord standing alone!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5p9vERKEa7vVbgUQ7BnEo2p51lgVfqe9so7FaBmQERatumAyBn_TXl1xAG0bMnmF9BVKSAtBQXe0ksYw-LV6Z5cjZ5RNWZ6TKjaW_Iu-qSmW_8T29PEzrJatMmNbpHgfjTWVUysh7b40/s1600/IMG_20180220_224418_854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5p9vERKEa7vVbgUQ7BnEo2p51lgVfqe9so7FaBmQERatumAyBn_TXl1xAG0bMnmF9BVKSAtBQXe0ksYw-LV6Z5cjZ5RNWZ6TKjaW_Iu-qSmW_8T29PEzrJatMmNbpHgfjTWVUysh7b40/s640/IMG_20180220_224418_854.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
<br />
Not one to simply give up, the mighty Wraithlord stood firm before the assault of the ravening Trygon Prime<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhnf6bQdedv8NGLbdzz-iAPVzhLa8wLbjwbDLq_bp_jTpdvUKNPDrr06hpoA3q-BK_szH9fHyamm0bHqE7S0QDbEnKdXwsH3PsLRRW1AShxtHVmAI4u0O0xah-HFuKageIQuppFo6rFHg/s1600/IMG_20180220_203307817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhnf6bQdedv8NGLbdzz-iAPVzhLa8wLbjwbDLq_bp_jTpdvUKNPDrr06hpoA3q-BK_szH9fHyamm0bHqE7S0QDbEnKdXwsH3PsLRRW1AShxtHVmAI4u0O0xah-HFuKageIQuppFo6rFHg/s640/IMG_20180220_203307817.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
...and actually pulled off one of the best combats of his career! Though it cost him dearly, he was not ready to go down just yet<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0EhnzGyV6XpEC-DHkl7LRF8wlvC2vIkzSkRDktZ4TJ7-i60-7YVFZUAWcS-79oxT-pFlQNuSWA3hYseSgmD7e3h2ZY3eLlG38YBUqQ3WwX1hQ3i4qsvXMMw9EMFC0LmUeUYuskoQVt2I/s1600/IMG_20180220_203338389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0EhnzGyV6XpEC-DHkl7LRF8wlvC2vIkzSkRDktZ4TJ7-i60-7YVFZUAWcS-79oxT-pFlQNuSWA3hYseSgmD7e3h2ZY3eLlG38YBUqQ3WwX1hQ3i4qsvXMMw9EMFC0LmUeUYuskoQVt2I/s640/IMG_20180220_203338389.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Ynnari- Turn 3!</span></b><br />
<i>Score: 0 to 7, Tyranids</i><br />
<br />
In my turn 3, all there was to do was swing back, and this time I whiffed (much more in character) and went down to return blows.<br />
<br />
Tabled in turn 3! Final score was 0 to 12 (?!) with the Relic's 4, Slay the Warlord, 6 Kill Points, and First Blood. I got Skunked!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
In hindsight, I should have started the game with the Webway Assault Stratagem. For 3CP, I could have deep struck two of my units (probably the Storm Guardians and Autarch). And, since I was going second, they could have deployed safely after the Trygon and his brood.<br />
The rest of my army would have to have been deployed spread out in the back field - where the Trygon couldn't kill them all on arrival, and out of range of the Hive Guard.<br />
<br />
The value of Command Points, beyond re-rolls, is that they let you tailor your tactics *after* you've seen what you're playing against, and in this game it would have made all the difference...<br />
<br />
I would have tried to land and shoot the Hive Guard, then do as much damage to them as possible, maybe even get a charge off with the Autarch, before bringing in the Yncarne.<br />
<br />
Ah well, lesson learned! And it was pretty awesome to see Tyranids using all of my favorite units - and what a list!<br />
<br />
Better luck next round :DNoah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-43292203096401560632017-10-24T18:09:00.000-07:002017-10-26T08:14:14.998-07:0040k: 8th Edition League Round 6: Ynnari/Aeldari vs. "Imperium"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHWUqqdYWXypq8WQFVQnn6GbZgDY59qxPS_WA-HjYRrAaXK-LGZZirVOrRqBXsUZDIf-cT5seoAmsQwlxGo7u0CrRWtqiX8O0qIJSwhYDCEB23JmOBLw-KC3T3V_pYl2UZc1TyGc1aow/s1600/Harlequins+Assault.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="877" data-original-width="1178" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHWUqqdYWXypq8WQFVQnn6GbZgDY59qxPS_WA-HjYRrAaXK-LGZZirVOrRqBXsUZDIf-cT5seoAmsQwlxGo7u0CrRWtqiX8O0qIJSwhYDCEB23JmOBLw-KC3T3V_pYl2UZc1TyGc1aow/s640/Harlequins+Assault.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Well folks, this is it! Round 6 - the final countdown! And once again, I face down the Imperium. The great mysterious morass that could be anything from Skitarii to Sisters of Battle and back. So, the question is - will I face another bug? Or a windshield?<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>2000 pts.<br />
<br />
Deployment:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL1GPuCjMDOMgPwa0njX-VEJeIc8MTOzyKXcOwJHqNNZkzv9yb2I9TBDMo9OKEZq4ZgjP9UU3IMH0Zc2fU0l27P2bXdEFULptQhUSdNyS4rDLSzQrSpLdVgHmAkBTC4DLeBoz1YzwJteQ/s1600/Front-Line+Assault+Deployment+%2528Round+6%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="207" data-original-width="292" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL1GPuCjMDOMgPwa0njX-VEJeIc8MTOzyKXcOwJHqNNZkzv9yb2I9TBDMo9OKEZq4ZgjP9UU3IMH0Zc2fU0l27P2bXdEFULptQhUSdNyS4rDLSzQrSpLdVgHmAkBTC4DLeBoz1YzwJteQ/s400/Front-Line+Assault+Deployment+%2528Round+6%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The Mission:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHy1AgZCg6b33PlyqGeV7viPCy5REqKNM7MeJzMwDQ8FHJIR7U0zv0lnPdJxPJN5aqrtVPqzhdchE30fCkI8lErCBFvYkVkr3oPQ7oTnbvVCuHd8LIXdYWtgu9XelFuH7e3eTVBUKKWk/s1600/The+Scouring+%2528Rount+6%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="380" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHy1AgZCg6b33PlyqGeV7viPCy5REqKNM7MeJzMwDQ8FHJIR7U0zv0lnPdJxPJN5aqrtVPqzhdchE30fCkI8lErCBFvYkVkr3oPQ7oTnbvVCuHd8LIXdYWtgu9XelFuH7e3eTVBUKKWk/s640/The+Scouring+%2528Rount+6%2529.JPG" width="470" /></a></div>
<br />
Modified-<br />
<b>The Fog of War:</b> The first time any unit attempts to arrive from Reserves, the controlling player must roll a d6. The chosen unit will only arrive on a 3+ (!) and otherwise can arrive in the following turn (or later) without a roll as normal.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>In Haze and Blood: </b>For the first Battle Round, subtract 1 from all to-hit rolls targeting an enemy more than 18" away<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Big Game Hunter:</b> At the end of the game, whichever player has killed the single unit worth the most points of all destroyed units gains 1 extra Victory Point<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Mysterious Objectives</b> are in effect:<br />
1 - Unit that identified this Objective takes D3 Mortal Wounds<br />
2 - Nothing of note<br />
3 - If you control this Objective, any enemy unit Charging a friendly unit within 3" of this Objective must subtract 2" from their Charge distance<br />
4 - If you control this Objective, any friendly unit within 3" may re-roll to-hit rolls of 1<br />
5 - If you control this Objective, any friendly unit within 3" may re-roll saving throws of 1<br />
6 - If you control this Objective marker, you may choose an enemy unit within 36", that unit takes D3 Mortal Wounds<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Across Battlefields unnumbered:</b> Battlefield Terrain rules are in effect!<br />
<br />
Here's our terrain:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39QJFfTtBF5v2x17TTWaU34rTUzH08J-K_fo3cjqGAWOsXrG3GQFdjLRgpb5X_OltcjP8QKqgh0RzD3UGrNnPOBXecMT9L9VgTt-u47Kt9xF1K16U62bo_uN0lhmD41nS1HmXA5yj5po/s1600/IMG_20171023_181654203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39QJFfTtBF5v2x17TTWaU34rTUzH08J-K_fo3cjqGAWOsXrG3GQFdjLRgpb5X_OltcjP8QKqgh0RzD3UGrNnPOBXecMT9L9VgTt-u47Kt9xF1K16U62bo_uN0lhmD41nS1HmXA5yj5po/s640/IMG_20171023_181654203.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Note the six Objectives; one on the far left, three roughly mid-field, and one on the far upper right in the ruins. We also rolled for a Superior Objective worth 4 pts, which turned out to be the far left, and for the Inferior Objective worth 1 pt, which happened to be on the far upper right! All the others would be worth two points, and any/all of them would only be scored at the very end of the game. No pressure :P<br />
<br />
We called the rocks "Hills" because it was the only rule set that sort of made sense, then called the buildings Ruins - so the would grant Cover to Infantry, and most units could only move on the bottom floors. But, neither really affected this game at all.<br />
<br />
Aaaand here is our Deployment-<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQctqy8OrDnXDxaZtNHHWgjbzHn7jdyLWASAGHSIWR1VbH1sw1NahMoNksLpai04tSdsoxTLLA0JPTmYlSSUZfjkerIDB06wuQb1WeibJxbGkPhe-Ui-ws81MtnPOX33bcK_8Tpnma1k/s1600/IMG_20171023_183358756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQctqy8OrDnXDxaZtNHHWgjbzHn7jdyLWASAGHSIWR1VbH1sw1NahMoNksLpai04tSdsoxTLLA0JPTmYlSSUZfjkerIDB06wuQb1WeibJxbGkPhe-Ui-ws81MtnPOX33bcK_8Tpnma1k/s640/IMG_20171023_183358756.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Oh! So that's "Imperium"!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nFI0OTPubXfXnzg53KlwM6WuQuapJIlOQuJPkKG92el1Emye1OBRv4EQZxF8oIQ21ZIMenqDUZzJRnH2G0Xc-ZaR2Tkq00vKYkKxUJ8tEoGUsx458WImoyH4QCK9hIcns4Il1gAx0iw/s1600/IMG_20171023_183413083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nFI0OTPubXfXnzg53KlwM6WuQuapJIlOQuJPkKG92el1Emye1OBRv4EQZxF8oIQ21ZIMenqDUZzJRnH2G0Xc-ZaR2Tkq00vKYkKxUJ8tEoGUsx458WImoyH4QCK9hIcns4Il1gAx0iw/s640/IMG_20171023_183413083.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
It's not a bug to my windshield! It's a wall of Windshields! ABORT! RETREAT!<br />
<br />
That's:<br />
- Tank Commander in Leman Russ (Autocannon, Lascannon, Heavy Stubber)<br />
<br />
- 3x Leman Russ (Battle Cannons, Lascannons, Heavy Stubbers)<br />
- 3x Leman Russ (Nova Cannons, Lascannons, Heavy Stubbers)<br />
<br />
- 2x Chimera<br />
- 1x Veteran Squad (Flamer, Meltagun)<br />
- 1x Veteran Squad (Flamer, Grenade Launcher, Grenade Launcher)<br />
<br />
- Baneblade (Main Cannon, Demolisher Cannon, Lascannon Sponsons, 3x TL Heavy Bolters)<br />
<br />
In 7th Edition or earlier, this wouldn't even be a game. It would be too easy to lose all the weapons that could actually damage that and be left flailing ineffectually while they slowly rolled over me. But, this is 8th, and in 8th, anything can happen!<br />
...Still. That's a veritable MOUNTAIN of T8 Wounds, and since my weapons top out at Strength 8, it's going to be an uphill struggle.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsgxx48IZVTkkhhsZgMl9ficznW-H2BBL5E4Ealk4AnQAX-ihCB13ilR69eNzcn3pGIkboDiNsHzTmzx7m0SsV1Nwi6FsKnZjDLfF-w7DH1uJY5jMd-w8YQFmBbyTiZpXNj-e1ZUmvSEg/s1600/IMG_20171023_183420274.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsgxx48IZVTkkhhsZgMl9ficznW-H2BBL5E4Ealk4AnQAX-ihCB13ilR69eNzcn3pGIkboDiNsHzTmzx7m0SsV1Nwi6FsKnZjDLfF-w7DH1uJY5jMd-w8YQFmBbyTiZpXNj-e1ZUmvSEg/s640/IMG_20171023_183420274.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Oh, we're already deployed? Well crap, let's see how this goes.<br />
<br />
My list is much the same as what I've been running:<br />
<br />
<b>Battalion Detachment (Ynnari)</b><br />
- The Visarch (Warlord, Tenacious Survivor)<br />
- Autarch Skyrunner (Fusion Gun, Laser Lance, Banshee Mask)<br />
- Eldrad Ulthran<br />
<br />
- Kabalite Warriors (5x, Agonizer, Grenade Launcher, Blaster)<br />
- Kabalite Warriors (5x, Blaster)<br />
- Storm Guardians (8x, 2x Fusion Guns)<br />
<br />
- Wraithlord (Glaive, 2x Flamers, Shuriken Cannon, Scatter Laser)<br />
<br />
- Raider (Disintegrator Cannon, Shock Prow)<br />
<br />
- Hemlock Wraithfighter<br />
- Crimson Hunter<br />
<br />
<b>Vanguard Detachment (Craftworlds)</b><br />
- Farseer Skyrunner (Singing Spear)<br />
- Windriders (3x, Shuriken Cannons)<br />
- Windriders (3x, Shuriken Cannons)<br />
- Windriders (3x, Shuriken Cannons)<br />
<br />
Did I say my guns topped out at S8? I've got D-weapons in this bad boy, S10 will make all the difference in the world in this match!<br />
<br />
Obviously I finished Deploying second, but went ahead and tried to seize-<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-2myiBsrYBKfCjqcCQVZal4lgqpJ-7bIS6RIuTeEJhghupSN3mSAGlOKZ00Ey2O_yQpeNq4IwuxGIb6kkfWJvlY2beD1pOjya0u8-zGDBrJI4nA4MylrfAoeFgNePxgwLGq3-J5lFhI/s1600/IMG_20171023_183433209_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-2myiBsrYBKfCjqcCQVZal4lgqpJ-7bIS6RIuTeEJhghupSN3mSAGlOKZ00Ey2O_yQpeNq4IwuxGIb6kkfWJvlY2beD1pOjya0u8-zGDBrJI4nA4MylrfAoeFgNePxgwLGq3-J5lFhI/s640/IMG_20171023_183433209_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Yup. I'm not going first. Brace for impact!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh7t9RBkIfddtZEQhCr1VF7k6sDIW0N03kMMkbGh_X2ChXddX1wXCbOuvcVX0l3P8BrSxiKwUgcwhvVeQBC_eSQrVU7hQIBd6104SRB6WZ3aGkIShRIeP0PrrvODHvsTctxPLbUFLGqBY/s1600/IMG_20171023_183447612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh7t9RBkIfddtZEQhCr1VF7k6sDIW0N03kMMkbGh_X2ChXddX1wXCbOuvcVX0l3P8BrSxiKwUgcwhvVeQBC_eSQrVU7hQIBd6104SRB6WZ3aGkIShRIeP0PrrvODHvsTctxPLbUFLGqBY/s640/IMG_20171023_183447612.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<u style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">Turn 1 - Imperial Guard (0 - 0)</u> (Let's call it what it is, shall we?)<br />
<br />
Remember that little rule at the beginning? In Haze and Blood? I was very glad I remembered that extra -1 to-hit for every shot fired over 18" during round 1. I mentioned that at the beginning of Turn 1, to which the *Baneblade,* "Eldar's Bane" (cute name, note the skull headlights) replied: "Oh right! Let me get closer!"<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBGdibuic2nUrG44Uq2V4jBQUJTO9T74xRZmhrv0SFmuQPJ677C3l58cNMhmQVYNcDMLOyMZXkjwHz5CwZAMjo-DL79rvWzMYltfHffMIOVYjx3XutBrfmuKdT6OLO2kIZv7tQc6Qs1kw/s1600/IMG_20171023_184147023_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBGdibuic2nUrG44Uq2V4jBQUJTO9T74xRZmhrv0SFmuQPJ677C3l58cNMhmQVYNcDMLOyMZXkjwHz5CwZAMjo-DL79rvWzMYltfHffMIOVYjx3XutBrfmuKdT6OLO2kIZv7tQc6Qs1kw/s640/IMG_20171023_184147023_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><i>"What I cannot crush with words alone, I will crush beneath the tanks of the Imperial Guard!"</i></b><br />
- Every Guard player ever ;)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUVwm5BkyPAfnUDBVodNhTN8db2AUP0XsvqthrpbS2HZBA2a9blRX1cke_IUljrvm9Vyj3d13nYDg896bRX7dY6hpDGs66qShkLSLoX-UD7hWwAKKNgUbQ3jKL6FRy9FJ1jvn7UFalzI/s1600/IMG_20171023_184617736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUVwm5BkyPAfnUDBVodNhTN8db2AUP0XsvqthrpbS2HZBA2a9blRX1cke_IUljrvm9Vyj3d13nYDg896bRX7dY6hpDGs66qShkLSLoX-UD7hWwAKKNgUbQ3jKL6FRy9FJ1jvn7UFalzI/s640/IMG_20171023_184617736.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
It was quickly apparent that a Guard tank wall puts out a LOT of shots. Especially with the latest FAQ in effect, allowing any Leman Russ that moves half move distance or less (including not move at all) to fire their turret *twice.* For half of these tanks, that means 2d6 shots with a Battle Cannon. Blast Templates may be gone, but those guns don't joke around.<br />
<br />
Still, turns out, Guard tanks are very bad shots!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPJyn1wk9cwqjuqEYS33NW_KeRKhR_DKdvzYRyaE63RA_5j-o5oVi7klsrWu4X1JoXDfKotFswep8lJPKX1ps_PrgcfPsaPzn0gAQyy8BSVmpgERrAA-Tv2oNPiytj-pvRMqUtuy6B-A/s1600/IMG_20171023_190852939_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPJyn1wk9cwqjuqEYS33NW_KeRKhR_DKdvzYRyaE63RA_5j-o5oVi7klsrWu4X1JoXDfKotFswep8lJPKX1ps_PrgcfPsaPzn0gAQyy8BSVmpgERrAA-Tv2oNPiytj-pvRMqUtuy6B-A/s640/IMG_20171023_190852939_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
...Although, not that bad. There were Storm Guardians there! First Blood to the Guard.<br />
Hitting on 4+ base meant a 5+ for nearly every shot fired, except from the Baneblade which closed to less than 18", and did most of the damage, ouch.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-JnPNOdtxfmUMGvWT6M5djFNLqMPgrT5t77H-WDMIhvpLCHGtnmiQf5n0nwDOHiO2dPHEBqx6CPktqP8FbiAmrULvxa5UTpW-a-GqvOOiaMTYYxGfRw3-J-lhEfNxinQN_XeM_iW2DE/s1600/IMG_20171023_190902208_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-JnPNOdtxfmUMGvWT6M5djFNLqMPgrT5t77H-WDMIhvpLCHGtnmiQf5n0nwDOHiO2dPHEBqx6CPktqP8FbiAmrULvxa5UTpW-a-GqvOOiaMTYYxGfRw3-J-lhEfNxinQN_XeM_iW2DE/s640/IMG_20171023_190902208_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
I was fortunate, in addition to the Storm Guardians, I lost a few Wounds scattered around. One Jetbike, a couple Wounds off the Wraithlord, the Raider, and a Wraithguard. But, the damage was light considering how much pepper flew my way. Not to mention, that the damage was so spread out was terrific for me. It was a good hard hit, but it didn't cost me much firepower!<br />
<br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Turn 1 - Aeldari (0 - 1)</span></u></b><br />
<br />
I had one thought in my mind: kill that Baneblade. Not only did it get First Blood, do the most damage out of the entire army, and demand vengeance for me Storm Guardians - but DAMN it's intimidating!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3pMa1W0wkPt6etVwj4b-32jacjzlNFgYuU-lRR49avUq-rinDqh3SuufLDfejA2lDRv1z-KTKC0mwe6QJk92Kbv7ccgtuyejzfo7BZMWuvFS6ZU7FsBqPHv9WllkoR_DPvPwF7HwO2fg/s1600/IMG_20171023_191839947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3pMa1W0wkPt6etVwj4b-32jacjzlNFgYuU-lRR49avUq-rinDqh3SuufLDfejA2lDRv1z-KTKC0mwe6QJk92Kbv7ccgtuyejzfo7BZMWuvFS6ZU7FsBqPHv9WllkoR_DPvPwF7HwO2fg/s640/IMG_20171023_191839947.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
There was good news on that count: I had almost all my guns, I had the weapons I needed to take even that wall of HP down, and - bonus! - it had moved closer!<br />
<br />
So, I went for it. My Wraithguard Advanced, and everyone else booked it up to center. I positioned to get as much coverage as possible with my Autarch's aura.<br />
Then, in a stroke of luck, *all* of my Psychic Powers went off - Conceal from the Hemlock, Doom on the Baneblade, Guide on the Wraithguard, and two shots of Smite. Although, true to form, Eldrad did Perils with a 12 on the final cast :P and take one Wound.<br />
<br />
What followed was the most devastating volley of firepower I have ever unleashed in a game of 40k, and even without my Storm Guardians and their two Fusion Guns, I'll be darned if I didn't bring that beast down. But! It's a Superheavy! So please please please don't-<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnIA7e1afNyzPn3r-HDjTAjplldBM64uV7b_OqKsPyHsD34dCUfMafdzPULDEJYEiDz4x1-ZXO-7FI524wcEtqO0TN3vvkR2tKLU7ZyHwEwxBjbyZxxZF_V__XahLcyDvi7RU2KkJezM/s1600/IMG_20171023_192446936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnIA7e1afNyzPn3r-HDjTAjplldBM64uV7b_OqKsPyHsD34dCUfMafdzPULDEJYEiDz4x1-ZXO-7FI524wcEtqO0TN3vvkR2tKLU7ZyHwEwxBjbyZxxZF_V__XahLcyDvi7RU2KkJezM/s640/IMG_20171023_192446936.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
DAMMIT BANEBLADE.<br />
It Exploded, and like a Superheavy, with a full D6 Mortal Wounds to every unit within 6" - yikes!<br />
<br />
I took some casualties:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaq-UQa4fHw4mYy0Vq4njUNZbg88IlEQjskjrjc_CHpOpJ-PzIpuButlRpqAmXMBgnvcuIIDwpFNJNh8H5xQQb6LP41AWtB5ESQ_169j4i09fxcNm6HTtrH81g6wQPGvd4z8Q9aBqaHjI/s1600/IMG_20171023_193138128_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaq-UQa4fHw4mYy0Vq4njUNZbg88IlEQjskjrjc_CHpOpJ-PzIpuButlRpqAmXMBgnvcuIIDwpFNJNh8H5xQQb6LP41AWtB5ESQ_169j4i09fxcNm6HTtrH81g6wQPGvd4z8Q9aBqaHjI/s640/IMG_20171023_193138128_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Not great. Could be worse, but not great. In addition to this, my Autarch got tagged for a full three Wounds. Not good!<br />
On the bright side though, a Leman Russ was close enough to take four hits as well!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUs3qodZ-hJqhY0N9uth698S3Kd9CnQtte-XeD4jzAr-y4oUJccqDRfqDsfupj9k4dEhG1wiNazf_kUJ9nOlcwoKLgQLPdglTx8IA4446bu_ds72NkjIQsZw3sxAVBzZYQM28XnNmJi4/s1600/IMG_20171023_193143209_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUs3qodZ-hJqhY0N9uth698S3Kd9CnQtte-XeD4jzAr-y4oUJccqDRfqDsfupj9k4dEhG1wiNazf_kUJ9nOlcwoKLgQLPdglTx8IA4446bu_ds72NkjIQsZw3sxAVBzZYQM28XnNmJi4/s640/IMG_20171023_193143209_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
(Note: <i>the black skull dice count up Wounds lost, then the gray normal dice count down Wounds remaining. It was a cool way to keep track, but took some getting used to</i>)<br />
<br />
Fortunately, that dying Baneblade triggered a Soulburst, which I used to tuck my Autarch back in among other units.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifzZ7ZJvhqVtA7TlwHpRigk_-OXYUJmVCkYuPTXXgFiDZDAo37tp0INSP_IZaPpC4UxerPYidrVz59jkjnZIR2kQKpsOO5CiDbL6PdF-C7K1twUi-SvIGVVP0cfg0IVZQ2K9HHbucnYlg/s1600/IMG_20171023_193149616_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifzZ7ZJvhqVtA7TlwHpRigk_-OXYUJmVCkYuPTXXgFiDZDAo37tp0INSP_IZaPpC4UxerPYidrVz59jkjnZIR2kQKpsOO5CiDbL6PdF-C7K1twUi-SvIGVVP0cfg0IVZQ2K9HHbucnYlg/s640/IMG_20171023_193149616_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I still had some shooting, and while it was lackluster compared to the first volley, I still put a significant dent in the Russ wall, with the Crimson Hunter tagging a tank halfway across the board for five damage.<br />
<br />
This was exactly the turn I needed, taking a huge bite out of the return fire I was going to have to weather, and taking Big Game Hunter for a point! I mean, no other unit in the game was worth that many points, so no matter what else died in the game, that point was mine :)<br />
<br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Turn 2 - Imperial Guard (1 - 1)</span></u></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxYdc2VNfwevu-yxPfhVxwZO-mf2dZztT2n6KZ50QUbLBAXNk2Ywq9L0p18z2Y4mKI3AiZUCPl8l1NFEvAxwdBYYKaOC_9xFROTbsr9FPA4v1Hgv8KIfMoVwr6A3ngoiTTro8COrf02nQ/s1600/IMG_20171023_193412642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxYdc2VNfwevu-yxPfhVxwZO-mf2dZztT2n6KZ50QUbLBAXNk2Ywq9L0p18z2Y4mKI3AiZUCPl8l1NFEvAxwdBYYKaOC_9xFROTbsr9FPA4v1Hgv8KIfMoVwr6A3ngoiTTro8COrf02nQ/s640/IMG_20171023_193412642.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
While I was proud of taking down the Baneblade, I was still facing down *seven* Leman Russes with 12 Wounds each, and my forces are not built for that kind of attrition. I also lost the protection of the -1 to-hit for some of my army (Conceal still covered most of it though!)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiogceLLLj3d6hGibAwxgBg03DU0vqNqgGhdEikrvZY1kKGVgkN-XB3VYkf26ihjN21V6i6vqTGJMQLVofQk4SWGkA7l_ZQfMHDO55Na6rJNWROSpIMoF44ZYYJAHVJPLYPGpuXQt3k7Ys/s1600/IMG_20171023_193416306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiogceLLLj3d6hGibAwxgBg03DU0vqNqgGhdEikrvZY1kKGVgkN-XB3VYkf26ihjN21V6i6vqTGJMQLVofQk4SWGkA7l_ZQfMHDO55Na6rJNWROSpIMoF44ZYYJAHVJPLYPGpuXQt3k7Ys/s640/IMG_20171023_193416306.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The Guard opted to spread out and try to encircle my forces, while covering as many Objectives as possible. All of the ones on the right turned out to be -2" to enemy Charge range, which was far from the worst that could happen.<br />
<br />
Most of his tanks chose to shoot at my Raider, since it was outside of the Hemlock's 3" Conceal bubble. -1 to enemy to-hit rolls is a terrific power on that monster :)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBXaoNtOGfuaqyhISxicLOExTwJNYPtSMNYiN0ft35Sb_d8mxYLhBlF8ZhwXTF2SAhnXH-G7dVTMwp0NqQFnuIphYN9tc02DqoTNdk77bLIatsAMGo5j8m_bWuiSC02T6PtZpv1ntYR8/s1600/IMG_20171023_193428378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBXaoNtOGfuaqyhISxicLOExTwJNYPtSMNYiN0ft35Sb_d8mxYLhBlF8ZhwXTF2SAhnXH-G7dVTMwp0NqQFnuIphYN9tc02DqoTNdk77bLIatsAMGo5j8m_bWuiSC02T6PtZpv1ntYR8/s640/IMG_20171023_193428378.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Turned out to be a good choice, because while it didn't Explode, the Raider did go down very quickly!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXv9hZsrDPVlqXob1-1dcil9hoYOuHpeTf_GRhUFCp0MC4q8xBsX-EQb6HaS9BdumST6n7fTkVb6ZkgRTc8mG_eq6scBYQ1_VeeeiiLBfLryJR7SsRqt4Du6vqsSb8G7etyhZld68bzfw/s1600/IMG_20171023_193833861_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXv9hZsrDPVlqXob1-1dcil9hoYOuHpeTf_GRhUFCp0MC4q8xBsX-EQb6HaS9BdumST6n7fTkVb6ZkgRTc8mG_eq6scBYQ1_VeeeiiLBfLryJR7SsRqt4Du6vqsSb8G7etyhZld68bzfw/s640/IMG_20171023_193833861_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Leaving my Warlord and his escort dangerously exposed!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyLhuSBZiMmBMlACqD2rDCG8th-Ob2ByYhssrPQYC4z1sNpfck9vGyhXNkMH4pbaf6mW00k0CYV-y3MRgBnxcDejfVB8b9jnEPJ8Ov_rm7PFFAKmb3Hqp2-U8JUpwMlciGWbPfKf0q_k/s1600/IMG_20171023_193910147_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyLhuSBZiMmBMlACqD2rDCG8th-Ob2ByYhssrPQYC4z1sNpfck9vGyhXNkMH4pbaf6mW00k0CYV-y3MRgBnxcDejfVB8b9jnEPJ8Ov_rm7PFFAKmb3Hqp2-U8JUpwMlciGWbPfKf0q_k/s640/IMG_20171023_193910147_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
...facing down, well, that...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybqJBW7w_ov5s8B_vNeP71sClI9FFQ9D9tsHqrhXPhiCj7V_be7MvUyK024tG-hQT0NdsUDXLvh0jaCYXF3RZj3OOfckdt9HZAbNI_YBoH4ya3iirn2K4g2qnPxyNAjGDALGuh3k_Uxg/s1600/IMG_20171023_195133269_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybqJBW7w_ov5s8B_vNeP71sClI9FFQ9D9tsHqrhXPhiCj7V_be7MvUyK024tG-hQT0NdsUDXLvh0jaCYXF3RZj3OOfckdt9HZAbNI_YBoH4ya3iirn2K4g2qnPxyNAjGDALGuh3k_Uxg/s640/IMG_20171023_195133269_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
More fire went into my Jetbikes and Wraithguard as well, and my forces started to dwindle, but not collapse just yet.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0N3FdxC94BYtWgJH7H6dLU4N5SaqFpiBgBILwrdU3SInqMB_7PtE_KQCJ2M1y50tLLLQN7vuosskztXxthurqOW2KTKQ6cYWFUaAv04BmfTSar6xBhgTkN_upTEj2wrS8OKNrJ5LtJkI/s1600/IMG_20171023_195140618_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0N3FdxC94BYtWgJH7H6dLU4N5SaqFpiBgBILwrdU3SInqMB_7PtE_KQCJ2M1y50tLLLQN7vuosskztXxthurqOW2KTKQ6cYWFUaAv04BmfTSar6xBhgTkN_upTEj2wrS8OKNrJ5LtJkI/s640/IMG_20171023_195140618_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
And the Visarch was brought dangerously low!<br />
We later realized that the Crimson Hunter was closer, and should have been targeted before the Visarch, but I didn't catch it in time, so I said to just roll with it.<br />
<br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Turn 2 - Aeldari (1 - 1)</span></u></b><br />
<br />
Here, I was in a pickle. I had some momentum and a lot of teeth, but I also had used all of my forces in a giant deathball, and now had to figure out how to tackle two different tank walls on opposite sides of the board. I needed enough fire to take both down, without losing my headwind and getting shredded in the crossfire.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaigeCnD86pNoG8hDlk6K4wQgLYmhBCYbgaMaeBlO-j4iZ08fDq65BpfMits7Qi1M9-PQlB_38vjpebQhRTOqEzLkeQH2SvX9KuhBIyTJu3IPKWrKSHhzgHbhSxZRgW8w77HVOIUrNPkk/s1600/IMG_20171023_201713091_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaigeCnD86pNoG8hDlk6K4wQgLYmhBCYbgaMaeBlO-j4iZ08fDq65BpfMits7Qi1M9-PQlB_38vjpebQhRTOqEzLkeQH2SvX9KuhBIyTJu3IPKWrKSHhzgHbhSxZRgW8w77HVOIUrNPkk/s640/IMG_20171023_201713091_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
(note my second unit of Warriors is down a few models - that's because that damned Objective they identified was a 1 and ate two of them with Mortal Wounds)<br />
<br />
So, my Infantry hooked left, backed by the bikers and the Wraithlord, while my Flyers and Wraithguard crossed their respective fingers and went right. I made a pretty major blunder here by not Advancing with my Wraithguard. I didn't want to lose the accuracy, but didn't realize I wouldn't be in range to shoot at all.<br />
<br />
This was my first game running Wraithguard in 8th, and that 5" move is a bummer! But I'm gonna say it's because they aren't painted ;)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqkD9vhWRzU44DVnllU8cMSj04s92gJ-2Vs9ve7B-gD9XnnsJA5vvjwoA_2qcR8mARjM1R0IdtK6x5Esh6CmyaBxa_2PDD-HFc9frFt-VD0xd4CfVxq7AV0Lw4IRsJCRxGHVLWyanR8ZY/s1600/IMG_20171023_201718097_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqkD9vhWRzU44DVnllU8cMSj04s92gJ-2Vs9ve7B-gD9XnnsJA5vvjwoA_2qcR8mARjM1R0IdtK6x5Esh6CmyaBxa_2PDD-HFc9frFt-VD0xd4CfVxq7AV0Lw4IRsJCRxGHVLWyanR8ZY/s640/IMG_20171023_201718097_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The 20" minimum move for my Flyers gave me a little less flexibility moving them than I'd hoped, but they did the job. Here. I went with baser instincts and chose to shoot within their firing arcs, and didn't opt to shoot the damaged tanks.<br />
Down side, I didn't kill any. Upside, I took the rear tank down to three Wounds! The Hemlock, despite being short-range, hits like a ton of bricks!<br />
<br />
Speaking of, go back two photos above to see how my left flank did, my Assaults were costly (Overwatch was a lot fiercer than expected), but I hit those tanks, and hit them hard. I wrecked one (it didn't explode), did five Wounds to another, and brought a third down to five Wounds. Turns out Doom and Smite really make a difference!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbnxPP3TCETqz3gZcB2xAsMYJvNz195nxVwK3VQUD0aKuyczzFzthM7kGGgN4JUCyflrdOheC5UZRR2T7nMuXHCDCTQbYQG9VIdGqsWpwqURmZaaeZbJFJLs1qgvTP2UVUkrqtF3A2WCk/s1600/IMG_20171023_201725233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbnxPP3TCETqz3gZcB2xAsMYJvNz195nxVwK3VQUD0aKuyczzFzthM7kGGgN4JUCyflrdOheC5UZRR2T7nMuXHCDCTQbYQG9VIdGqsWpwqURmZaaeZbJFJLs1qgvTP2UVUkrqtF3A2WCk/s640/IMG_20171023_201725233.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Turn 3 - Imperial Guard (1 - 1)</span></u></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwqq7I5ToiwXuGCZ9TVa6tcqobInbk_JfJUmOKZZnqxj8pY0c_uW9Xhpy5lAms_yKJsz2OwpXdGkzIk4A7YmcHzQa0qmp0NJezpfGFKVT8bYTNuIZADFkMVQnAEIsziCwLG0eGD2V1aE/s1600/IMG_20171023_202610328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwqq7I5ToiwXuGCZ9TVa6tcqobInbk_JfJUmOKZZnqxj8pY0c_uW9Xhpy5lAms_yKJsz2OwpXdGkzIk4A7YmcHzQa0qmp0NJezpfGFKVT8bYTNuIZADFkMVQnAEIsziCwLG0eGD2V1aE/s640/IMG_20171023_202610328.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Remember those Wraithguard? Me either. Because they're dead to me!<br />
Well, this game at least. Curses! Why didn't I Advance!<br />
<br />
In other news, the Chimera full of Veterans tried to sneak around me to capture the Superior Objective. While I had to deal with those Leman Russes, before long I would have to clear those Vets. And sooner than later or I would lose the Objective.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPIGaohrDHNniLXcEqX7SXbwC2xhEmcAS3eUm77JqsvsgfeXsXnN3o3v-kP9EI1pVPYXIWcxaFMxHFepLsNVTqcV_tsAv44JFYVI9QK5VjARCpHBFY-p6sumeqxsDyGf8JhqNxqBwAFw/s1600/IMG_20171023_202921570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPIGaohrDHNniLXcEqX7SXbwC2xhEmcAS3eUm77JqsvsgfeXsXnN3o3v-kP9EI1pVPYXIWcxaFMxHFepLsNVTqcV_tsAv44JFYVI9QK5VjARCpHBFY-p6sumeqxsDyGf8JhqNxqBwAFw/s640/IMG_20171023_202921570.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
On the right, the other Chimera tried to do the same, running from the 1 pt Inferior Objective towards the 2 pt one in no-man's-land<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNXtEu5j6NRLq1oiIg-3VQuvVlLofQoNovbMuPh1vti-7_CTLWxJpGSF9jkvaFWWx5Xb5Epj2FAQe8Z8eq-ps5RM8iyrEW6kjOgtFaz7HqvFCzqaruxdeBdEz_qo98WqF1gOWO6L_Uh0g/s1600/IMG_20171023_202925664_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNXtEu5j6NRLq1oiIg-3VQuvVlLofQoNovbMuPh1vti-7_CTLWxJpGSF9jkvaFWWx5Xb5Epj2FAQe8Z8eq-ps5RM8iyrEW6kjOgtFaz7HqvFCzqaruxdeBdEz_qo98WqF1gOWO6L_Uh0g/s640/IMG_20171023_202925664_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
It took most of their fire to take down the Wraithguard, so my Flyers were left at full strength for just a little longer.<br />
<br />
Close combat dragged here. The Russes had chosen not to fall back because I'd just Charge them again, but my Autarch was hitting at S3, so lost most of his oomph, while the Farseer/Eldrad's Witchblade Wounds were all saved.<br />
<br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Turn 3 - Aeldari</span></u></b><br />
<br />
Zip zip! I took another risky move, with the Farseer and Eldrad trying to cut off the Chimera, while leaving the Autarch and Visarch to, hopefully, "mop up" the Leman Russes. Totally fine, right? Of course the Visarch and Autarch sitting on one Wound each can "mop up" three Leman Russes!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP65nIwziGpPRaME_gbU5Idpvnvn3gxp-lQdjoSMSFWKqO5Cwu98Kj6H-9Ph83gLRDcLL622BaDc8d8pNwsFs86gLPa1YtQ-7_HBUAV12p1pdfPZOEYnphqO5qVHLypJCwwh8_HpqTVxY/s1600/IMG_20171023_203207205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP65nIwziGpPRaME_gbU5Idpvnvn3gxp-lQdjoSMSFWKqO5Cwu98Kj6H-9Ph83gLRDcLL622BaDc8d8pNwsFs86gLPa1YtQ-7_HBUAV12p1pdfPZOEYnphqO5qVHLypJCwwh8_HpqTVxY/s640/IMG_20171023_203207205.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
The 20" move on the Flyers got real here, with my Hemlock *barely* avoiding that table edge! I think I need to practice flying these things...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qmigAgIgmjzZ_LRjXb8_ko4SVgR6DyMCBUup9qB3HUkVD47VweQ_wrTI3j2CCxB2q_QMX4QeYlwgB4Ke4IY0zjEqOVu3_u4tqhue871Prvwdxoc7K7yn61gNDMce0zkbkVF5OSZJDd8/s1600/IMG_20171023_203212452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qmigAgIgmjzZ_LRjXb8_ko4SVgR6DyMCBUup9qB3HUkVD47VweQ_wrTI3j2CCxB2q_QMX4QeYlwgB4Ke4IY0zjEqOVu3_u4tqhue871Prvwdxoc7K7yn61gNDMce0zkbkVF5OSZJDd8/s640/IMG_20171023_203212452.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
This time, I'd talked through it, and my Flyers and I embraced 8th Edition, and those bad boys shot out of their butts. I know it represents strafing runs and such, but it still feels weird shooting out of arc with Flyers.<br />
<br />
Oh, and remember when I talked about "mopping up" those tanks?<br />
<br />
Well-<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNoE7aJlbgKP7gU5mRarTOEVVKXJrfu8SzyWqJ-LRIJxT6cEqNHQuHB95C5OsbutajPPZWUADIsY6jhN5L5eh4BWWemDHHHrAUb2ItjqO-s6Hg6B96QOTOpwYy-on-OFB9mEjuxXQwPS4/s1600/IMG_20171023_204800552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNoE7aJlbgKP7gU5mRarTOEVVKXJrfu8SzyWqJ-LRIJxT6cEqNHQuHB95C5OsbutajPPZWUADIsY6jhN5L5eh4BWWemDHHHrAUb2ItjqO-s6Hg6B96QOTOpwYy-on-OFB9mEjuxXQwPS4/s640/IMG_20171023_204800552.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The Visarch straight-up mulched one tank, and used the Soulburst from that to Charge the other, but the Autarch neatly mopped that one up in the same combat. Over at the Chimera, the Farseer Skyrunner took a whopping three Wounds in Overwatch (danger zone!) but both he and Eldrad got into combat and started working.<br />
<br />
At this point, I had spent all seven of my Command Re-roll points. All on *critical* rolls, and they hadn't all worked out...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhms0wHgkS42TTVkpzzqsso12R6d7YyFgImL7ltQYjE5YmZdArMWfrAtYE_edslcRGPNA7CNvqe0AaB9Tiuc9j8OJCgB85lDwOvUZWFdtdBA-gE1oNZjMur_iIMyCQLrHuuh9ujM00PScw/s1600/IMG_20171023_204835527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhms0wHgkS42TTVkpzzqsso12R6d7YyFgImL7ltQYjE5YmZdArMWfrAtYE_edslcRGPNA7CNvqe0AaB9Tiuc9j8OJCgB85lDwOvUZWFdtdBA-gE1oNZjMur_iIMyCQLrHuuh9ujM00PScw/s640/IMG_20171023_204835527.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Turn 4 - Imperial Guard (1 - 1)</span></u></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU7eHyFaLCFfvSM1ISWeGujbf8FT2oYTiK1LnbjeAUNFdJfErZhTwAIaOJkb9gHDZ4UBEKOhI4ebci7XDSRy7f7feq7r_CY4tlcznLwfzfApNoGbZNxrriIEPjXTEUuQXqXQ2xkP7Ygc8/s1600/IMG_20171023_205122995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU7eHyFaLCFfvSM1ISWeGujbf8FT2oYTiK1LnbjeAUNFdJfErZhTwAIaOJkb9gHDZ4UBEKOhI4ebci7XDSRy7f7feq7r_CY4tlcznLwfzfApNoGbZNxrriIEPjXTEUuQXqXQ2xkP7Ygc8/s640/IMG_20171023_205122995.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
At this point, I was doing the damage I needed to, and fast. And even though my Characters were all hanging on by the barest thread, my Flyers were both at high health, and the Leman Russes were dwindling rapidly. Now only the Tank Commander stood on the left, and all three on the right were down to a handful of Wounds.<br />
<br />
So, it was all coming down to Objectives!<br />
Since my Flyers were about to have to fly away, it was time for the right Chimera to move in and take that Objective!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyUVIOgNhJutZfTplSCy1uc9llcjUuVfqAskSFxRNxXsEqf2uf7awgfrVNhgHHkwE_5lMomVOyPG-1uTiPdEQ9dUr6I_v8DVEoNbalB1RZWtcDpmMR9pa51AOOqjcl42vIIrlqPImyfp8/s1600/IMG_20171023_205129914_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyUVIOgNhJutZfTplSCy1uc9llcjUuVfqAskSFxRNxXsEqf2uf7awgfrVNhgHHkwE_5lMomVOyPG-1uTiPdEQ9dUr6I_v8DVEoNbalB1RZWtcDpmMR9pa51AOOqjcl42vIIrlqPImyfp8/s640/IMG_20171023_205129914_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
In a hilarious twist on the left, the Tank Commander neatly dispatched my Visarch (Slay the Warlord to the Guard) and my last Windrider Jetbike, but that triggered a Soulburst, letting my Autarch nail the Commander square in the face with a Fusion Gun for 6 damage, even out of Melta range!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWePfbK83TaUoZ-n1tVPYGfPgBBy6leIBdU30rFxx-wv6EgUpUAAue7MmDsfChp8qtofrtET8UZXwozySkIdjM6McY5x8mzRr6GRHOF9pWqTSNL80lzhkd9-ZlyEnkSrDWRAhgGm70KI/s1600/IMG_20171023_205833463_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWePfbK83TaUoZ-n1tVPYGfPgBBy6leIBdU30rFxx-wv6EgUpUAAue7MmDsfChp8qtofrtET8UZXwozySkIdjM6McY5x8mzRr6GRHOF9pWqTSNL80lzhkd9-ZlyEnkSrDWRAhgGm70KI/s640/IMG_20171023_205833463_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Oh, and the Chimera split its fire, and while it failed to take down my Seers, it did take down my last Kabalite Warriors, taking me off of the Objective they'd been holding!<br />
<br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Turn 4 - Aeldari (1 - 2)</span></u></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq16Y3R4RRDTulh27IVswqZIiTV5qoiWxSvoj4rSDUDRHUeh7RLCVBlpdMshx7cnE_nU3zMBFXwJPIUxeb2-7OnIP8_U4hyy_VkB7CUohDvNFeS6R-lgtVEjm74nqrtM6IdvkqbZ527wo/s1600/IMG_20171023_210312319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq16Y3R4RRDTulh27IVswqZIiTV5qoiWxSvoj4rSDUDRHUeh7RLCVBlpdMshx7cnE_nU3zMBFXwJPIUxeb2-7OnIP8_U4hyy_VkB7CUohDvNFeS6R-lgtVEjm74nqrtM6IdvkqbZ527wo/s640/IMG_20171023_210312319.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Huff! What a turn! Everything hanging on a razor edge, with everything still on the board trailing smoke and blood!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstMkeZbgq08ifL6VMIXfqB2RxLDGaks_8aPzW5gHI2l6k09NPj2T6X_lm3ZKsoSBfSU6vXFpLXVzRUpbbXB_OBFFPbVJJu4TJ6h3VpCErBsAoOUt_8VlEP78DUcQ6mewVd_QMF3OV664/s1600/IMG_20171023_210316134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstMkeZbgq08ifL6VMIXfqB2RxLDGaks_8aPzW5gHI2l6k09NPj2T6X_lm3ZKsoSBfSU6vXFpLXVzRUpbbXB_OBFFPbVJJu4TJ6h3VpCErBsAoOUt_8VlEP78DUcQ6mewVd_QMF3OV664/s640/IMG_20171023_210316134.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
With little left to shoot, my Flyers finally started taking some heat, and the Crimson Hunter started falling dangerously quickly, and I was only the tiniest edge away from losing my Hemlock to a near board edge.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH73JOdCrFY7W2oCOBHASQsCs4qbJjnPrsskEcxSzteFGNu09A9nvLSBZx0zkrHd1L8Vteb1gRK05-vLwttF54gcOrHVzV2q7OsGjUzWjTU4BAiE4MrIf1MpH7ypw7mIqvhjScP0jGbik/s1600/IMG_20171023_210630856_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH73JOdCrFY7W2oCOBHASQsCs4qbJjnPrsskEcxSzteFGNu09A9nvLSBZx0zkrHd1L8Vteb1gRK05-vLwttF54gcOrHVzV2q7OsGjUzWjTU4BAiE4MrIf1MpH7ypw7mIqvhjScP0jGbik/s640/IMG_20171023_210630856_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
But, I made it! This was my minimum move, putting me more than 16" away, so no guns (curses) but within 18"! Smite time!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87A7N5CMx8c2JvE2epiFPL-uweSjhYMEsEWPUcSbWRoiyyvdvBxvxDhmsZ3pM5D-iM0O0JjJUQXfQK619j-dH2X4dcPN8h7qD0WD-9jb7Q-9U4gBBkhWwQpjFGVxQmj5SGM6qMd6LdP4/s1600/IMG_20171023_210724856_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87A7N5CMx8c2JvE2epiFPL-uweSjhYMEsEWPUcSbWRoiyyvdvBxvxDhmsZ3pM5D-iM0O0JjJUQXfQK619j-dH2X4dcPN8h7qD0WD-9jb7Q-9U4gBBkhWwQpjFGVxQmj5SGM6qMd6LdP4/s640/IMG_20171023_210724856_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Woo! Got one! And it Exploded too :D shaving a little extra damage off of those vehicles<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi114TnvTde6PNt3VvEjAGAy1Y2EqXhjG59qOWzmOCIh2tXuxCA3goTzTv3T55WlUiuOIr8ox4rBIoeOK_OiMeKN8rrzmDCUnJtbtGVCG3KE9olZ5pi_UvRbqE1jFHP-7sPEEYYDUD7nrM/s1600/IMG_20171023_210934408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi114TnvTde6PNt3VvEjAGAy1Y2EqXhjG59qOWzmOCIh2tXuxCA3goTzTv3T55WlUiuOIr8ox4rBIoeOK_OiMeKN8rrzmDCUnJtbtGVCG3KE9olZ5pi_UvRbqE1jFHP-7sPEEYYDUD7nrM/s640/IMG_20171023_210934408.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
The Crimson Hunter also proved its chops, handily dispatching the Tank Commander (Slay the Warlord to the Aeldari!), and triggering another Soulburst, so that my Autarch could bravely:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCow-CBng8rLm0rtO_1UaP4KkkZbDqaEIxw7aavOqYGVS_3t3Akp6UOB3_IsJRHMf31NshFCKBJCqMO_RyV9nBvx6NbOkeZe3O2Y8nGVS1Gxpb0AJkr9PluXMgAoGhOIFx1IK-t6NV0s/s1600/IMG_20171023_211434922_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCow-CBng8rLm0rtO_1UaP4KkkZbDqaEIxw7aavOqYGVS_3t3Akp6UOB3_IsJRHMf31NshFCKBJCqMO_RyV9nBvx6NbOkeZe3O2Y8nGVS1Gxpb0AJkr9PluXMgAoGhOIFx1IK-t6NV0s/s640/IMG_20171023_211434922_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Hide in a hole!<br />
<br />
I'd also managed to melt down the left Chimera, leaving my two Heroes facing down no less than ten Veterans. Oh, and the Chimera had Exploded too, bringing Eldrad down to one Wound. Now ALL THREE of my high-value Characters were sitting on 1 Wound, with Infantry blobs still holding the fort.<br />
Not good, not good at all!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ORcSA9af_QjymWEqokr_8-Kpp0sOITHYW9ZO_SZKSuQM7jWrfJF5btCEml5jfAOvcuzUPMspPGVfcOk1pwvNFPEjgyktZQ1YEFCykKzDXArZZTAWgWVBBp0jl5mAHbUFju2DQixD5Uo/s1600/IMG_20171023_211439375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ORcSA9af_QjymWEqokr_8-Kpp0sOITHYW9ZO_SZKSuQM7jWrfJF5btCEml5jfAOvcuzUPMspPGVfcOk1pwvNFPEjgyktZQ1YEFCykKzDXArZZTAWgWVBBp0jl5mAHbUFju2DQixD5Uo/s640/IMG_20171023_211439375.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
But, I had to shift them. This was too close to not take the Superior Objective. If I failed, it was game over!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguguArHJ5ZwJ2RJ57FOuM5rXxO_2TWuVrT86oQYVOaU94npsS5rUcb764_xtpwLXsGoHebyF4FataO2C5dcBKgITvBQ2qqv40H7tmCdU5lPxMSaFSc7_9POXrRoAQVjXiRN4GVc9uRdMc/s1600/IMG_20171023_211813238_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguguArHJ5ZwJ2RJ57FOuM5rXxO_2TWuVrT86oQYVOaU94npsS5rUcb764_xtpwLXsGoHebyF4FataO2C5dcBKgITvBQ2qqv40H7tmCdU5lPxMSaFSc7_9POXrRoAQVjXiRN4GVc9uRdMc/s640/IMG_20171023_211813238_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I charged, weathering a brutal Overwatch (barely!) and using the two Seers' terrific CC statlines, killing... two Veterans. Well, better than nothing. Brace yourselves, my warriors!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihB9DBEhY2BIBbpB9OFKzdEwZyvd18UkIBroOckebN6V70UlOlpf61IEAxZEW6iipZ5yHU_JtdbXGN4N4HVXwx4l_l2eYqjyz7xvarP2n-WvtA1V6AcPYqPAKAnhS20b3kZROWdLmOwf4/s1600/IMG_20171023_212008956_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihB9DBEhY2BIBbpB9OFKzdEwZyvd18UkIBroOckebN6V70UlOlpf61IEAxZEW6iipZ5yHU_JtdbXGN4N4HVXwx4l_l2eYqjyz7xvarP2n-WvtA1V6AcPYqPAKAnhS20b3kZROWdLmOwf4/s640/IMG_20171023_212008956_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
And I FREAKING SURVIVED! Not only that, but both Seers are still standing!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjad24EHABr8P80v8AvZTBcAhmPQTJcidZ-n3x05gv0r_ACmmPy7_CMyMmPyIHak_VAZQXzYUz1tPVhrL79Zw3CLzRr0QRR1lAFCzKrBDcZMLPDPF8GEvuId5l6lzsTH2eGZWQJ6cqgglo/s1600/IMG_20171023_212015997.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjad24EHABr8P80v8AvZTBcAhmPQTJcidZ-n3x05gv0r_ACmmPy7_CMyMmPyIHak_VAZQXzYUz1tPVhrL79Zw3CLzRr0QRR1lAFCzKrBDcZMLPDPF8GEvuId5l6lzsTH2eGZWQJ6cqgglo/s640/IMG_20171023_212015997.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Turn 5 - Imperial Guard (2 - 2)</span></u></b><br />
<br />
Turn 4 was a big turn for me, a really big one, and it left the Guard in a precarious position. It still could easily swing either way, how long could two Wounds worth of Seers stand up to even eight Guardsmen?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7k9LliJf1fqs9jZ-KwI2UqZryTY5Bb-OoEtaoNAJjYsmAYjXMRn2UuLC-qLolqLnv9DT7EJxEu9Hs3sHSsuTb7IpPYxJ-yjsJ58MuKvknAZsXGi5FF5r0WeabDVaSAuGZEBa53ptxVk0/s1600/IMG_20171023_212125473_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7k9LliJf1fqs9jZ-KwI2UqZryTY5Bb-OoEtaoNAJjYsmAYjXMRn2UuLC-qLolqLnv9DT7EJxEu9Hs3sHSsuTb7IpPYxJ-yjsJ58MuKvknAZsXGi5FF5r0WeabDVaSAuGZEBa53ptxVk0/s640/IMG_20171023_212125473_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Just to prove that they were there, the other Veteran squad swarmed out and formed a kilted scrum (yes, they have kilts - look closely!) on the Objective. Tanks and Veterans included, while we were at 2 - 2 in points, the Guard were sitting on 9 points of Objectives, vs my 2. And it was likely final turn, and everything I still had was as close to dead as you can possibly be without, you know, being dead. But it wasn't over yet!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoLFcn6JZEgiFGxdU3vPBsYuwNC8OmUrrC4a2i3Xb8Pp-5q4LcIAZgNIoHbsFhmbOUqv13IwwnQ1sWndlaUhK3DUQipXaAGSwaWm9lolgs8hgXEVXWwDMmVEr1-uvYiQ8-KIiZZIz0iI/s1600/IMG_20171023_212206818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoLFcn6JZEgiFGxdU3vPBsYuwNC8OmUrrC4a2i3Xb8Pp-5q4LcIAZgNIoHbsFhmbOUqv13IwwnQ1sWndlaUhK3DUQipXaAGSwaWm9lolgs8hgXEVXWwDMmVEr1-uvYiQ8-KIiZZIz0iI/s640/IMG_20171023_212206818.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The surviving Guard hit me and hit me hard, bringing my Hemlock down to three Wounds (!), with Guardsmen no less. Veterans or not, those are still Flaslights- er, Lasguns!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip5r9DVUGMRpCfubX-iR88saRii1psrHlHlIDlt19FaldClfJPO-SNYcEcRSr89RvmgOx3UIJyo5kWVfPsc92qRSSybVHKN3IffuErjjg6tSTKf5Sc-1lMei4o3atdOMh2ASa9R54LC0c/s1600/IMG_20171023_213317752_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip5r9DVUGMRpCfubX-iR88saRii1psrHlHlIDlt19FaldClfJPO-SNYcEcRSr89RvmgOx3UIJyo5kWVfPsc92qRSSybVHKN3IffuErjjg6tSTKf5Sc-1lMei4o3atdOMh2ASa9R54LC0c/s640/IMG_20171023_213317752_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Combat though, went decidedly my way! Once again I survived, and took down another few Veterans, now 5-0 in a combat I should by all rights have lost! I was finally making all of those fistfulls of 3+ saves, where even 1 failure would turn the tide, I wasn't failing any from the 4-6 rolls twice per turn...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYdx26rTPIi7cUEqOh66NAEeTKp0kiGqxg5vVVwsViPbpmE1fp0orDjHNOSl3MzWNKkmBsFWrcCd3ZAPAIDBB2vpVjNc-ALtcWEIT3MeZxrgxYwOuOZwaiwuObxJ_RXDQrwM-f8KDRsg/s1600/IMG_20171023_213338237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYdx26rTPIi7cUEqOh66NAEeTKp0kiGqxg5vVVwsViPbpmE1fp0orDjHNOSl3MzWNKkmBsFWrcCd3ZAPAIDBB2vpVjNc-ALtcWEIT3MeZxrgxYwOuOZwaiwuObxJ_RXDQrwM-f8KDRsg/s640/IMG_20171023_213338237.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Turn 5 - Aeldari (2 - 2)</span></u></b><br />
<br />
Well, it's Turn 5. It may be game turn, and I'm running on fumes. So I made my final move(s). I opted to Retreat with Eldrad, since he could still use his Powers, and the Farseer, who could Retreat without penalty. Both Seers pulled off Smite for a whopping 1 Mortal Wound each (bonus: Eldrad rolled an 11, and STILL did 1 MW :P)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISOy2IC7N7X9KogaE4gGS8myjaiEXrwhRnf-2v_EJ5O-31wP3CNhB8p8BcC74vkvRqhUlYFNCA_xao7OZLP_7_r8X5LvbLlLq-Ojf_0woQZdVXs_IVg8HbIZZTEesbn4TwaEH7cz0gvE/s1600/IMG_20171023_213535351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISOy2IC7N7X9KogaE4gGS8myjaiEXrwhRnf-2v_EJ5O-31wP3CNhB8p8BcC74vkvRqhUlYFNCA_xao7OZLP_7_r8X5LvbLlLq-Ojf_0woQZdVXs_IVg8HbIZZTEesbn4TwaEH7cz0gvE/s640/IMG_20171023_213535351.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
My Flyers were on their way circling back, and I moved the Hemlock to hold the center Objective, while the Crimson Hunter made a run for Linebreaker!<br />
<br />
I was trying for as many points as possible, just in case, so my Autarch decided to throw caution to the winds and tried to go out in a blaze of glory-<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRzoJP6KxU5XZLgupKtWqgeCWYckS_QXQqb7bTPxwQJ7ekRFVS1QgQ_B55kuQ0DGa2bJzhR971xgRxqu_ZYwKjb2DDahbCljy6Gn3Xlv4Bgy4LVBj6cRtchWBXnKOQmcDLyzc4g4NW3c/s1600/IMG_20171023_213539621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRzoJP6KxU5XZLgupKtWqgeCWYckS_QXQqb7bTPxwQJ7ekRFVS1QgQ_B55kuQ0DGa2bJzhR971xgRxqu_ZYwKjb2DDahbCljy6Gn3Xlv4Bgy4LVBj6cRtchWBXnKOQmcDLyzc4g4NW3c/s640/IMG_20171023_213539621.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
My Hemlock also fired off Smite, also doing a lowly single Wound (dammit) but it was enough. Between him, the Autarch, and the Crimson Hunter, I actually killed off the last two Leman Russes (!)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDSLaeElr5vnUAWhYQsBROlVJzcVmi6QJE-vuemJm_Z0rAyzY7Bom5BtR3-ufZqUskDsw1ffKelagBRbp7zPzk5iO3m3TMXqpkVDgPiN6puqNKI4fbQavL5StN1bI7UPNjhewvQqX_S8/s1600/IMG_20171023_214139493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDSLaeElr5vnUAWhYQsBROlVJzcVmi6QJE-vuemJm_Z0rAyzY7Bom5BtR3-ufZqUskDsw1ffKelagBRbp7zPzk5iO3m3TMXqpkVDgPiN6puqNKI4fbQavL5StN1bI7UPNjhewvQqX_S8/s640/IMG_20171023_214139493.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
This was a massive scoring turn in my favor, taking both the 4- and 2-pt Objectives, and pushing the Guard off of the 1-pt Objective. That made the final score <strike>11</strike> <span style="color: red;">9</span> Aeldari to 4 Imperial Guard, a score that's much, much more decisive than any part of the game was, right up to that very last second!<br />
<br />
The game did not continue - whew! What a game!<br />
<br />
This was an especially good game, although this league has been a terrific experience throughout, and left me finishing up at a more than respectable 4-2 overall!<br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: red;">**Update: the final score was 9 - 4, Aeldari. Flyers can't hold Objectives, my bad!</span></i></b>Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-13542464069749089092017-10-24T18:00:00.000-07:002017-10-24T18:00:05.187-07:0040k: 8th Edition League Round 5: Ynnari/Aeldari vs. NECRONS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrrFGpxC_JRCoCA0whQiPVzAIvRrlRxa1Ip0Up4FN0QR8kC3vw_0hTCnM3jrF_8ktGpD5_3N8JdJsM4MhL9kPN903T_PpaoC9G_W_W0KaakQ7NTafyjVfHAFhkx8H1BUw2qYbRgiW7T4/s1600/Necron-2BAvatar.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="384" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrrFGpxC_JRCoCA0whQiPVzAIvRrlRxa1Ip0Up4FN0QR8kC3vw_0hTCnM3jrF_8ktGpD5_3N8JdJsM4MhL9kPN903T_PpaoC9G_W_W0KaakQ7NTafyjVfHAFhkx8H1BUw2qYbRgiW7T4/s400/Necron-2BAvatar.png" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
The hated nemesis! The Necron menace! This would be one hell of a match. I've only played Necrons a handful of times even in 7th, and in 8th... They're a different animal entirely.<br />
<br />
Are y'all ready for Round 5??<br />
<a name='more'></a>To make matters worse, this is a Board Control mission - so not only do I have to not die, but I have to stand my ground and hold points. My chances of being overwhelmed on the ground are high, but being pushed off multiple Objectives on a big board is pretty much guaranteed. That said, I stuck with my list more or less, since it's both what I've been playing and what I have. Here's the Mission:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6x3gjvF8IzmSVwH7TIXtMb5zTl5qgzaN2PwINFC9Y1W3SO-jA-zEoYMc8EvmUsL5gGj4dpwyHCBHrx1qTDioUUTr9CAgkjYQYCQbauUqFsZq-N4FUGfJ3buPr3kHfMciqzKr52ZaZR4/s1600/Deployment+Round+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="426" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6x3gjvF8IzmSVwH7TIXtMb5zTl5qgzaN2PwINFC9Y1W3SO-jA-zEoYMc8EvmUsL5gGj4dpwyHCBHrx1qTDioUUTr9CAgkjYQYCQbauUqFsZq-N4FUGfJ3buPr3kHfMciqzKr52ZaZR4/s400/Deployment+Round+5.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
The trick is that Objectives are scored at the end of every single Player Turn. Two points for the left and right Objectives, 1 point for your home Objective, and four for your Opponent's home Objective.<br />
<br />
"Standard" Dawn of War Deployment, with a 12" Deployment Zone on each long table edge. The Scenario is Big Guns Never Tire:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf0hNwis0Nu3viHXWIBEsA6Fc4HZTZvBVPjulX2VxXWrAgwXyBrRFkwt_LbFyXrncyyk3uDAA2M-reC_OnswLNh-TMFo9-ph4AJUMxQ3qFjSyUFdlzy11KN-loYn2iR1pIgNerC8gM6Rg/s1600/Big+Guns+Never+Tire+%2528Round+5%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="571" data-original-width="356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf0hNwis0Nu3viHXWIBEsA6Fc4HZTZvBVPjulX2VxXWrAgwXyBrRFkwt_LbFyXrncyyk3uDAA2M-reC_OnswLNh-TMFo9-ph4AJUMxQ3qFjSyUFdlzy11KN-loYn2iR1pIgNerC8gM6Rg/s640/Big+Guns+Never+Tire+%2528Round+5%2529.JPG" width="392" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
...Long story short, BGNT has Linebreaker, normal First Blood, Slay the Warlord - but then every Heavy Support choice you kill grants an extra Victory Point at the end of the game.<br />
<br />
Again, I didn't have enough prep time before this round. So it was lucky for me that I only have 1 Heavy Support choice at all, let alone in my army!<br />
<br />
Here's my list:<br />
<br />
<b><u>Aeldari, 1750 pts</u>.</b><br />
<b><i>Battalion Detachment - Ynnari</i></b><br />
<br />
<b>HQ-</b> The Visarch (Warlord, Tenacious Survivor)<br />
<b>HQ-</b> Eldrad Ulthruan<br />
<b>HQ-</b> Autarch Skyrunner (Banshee Mask, Fusion Gun, Laser Lance)<br />
<br />
<b>Troops-</b> Kabalite Warriors (5x, Blaster)<br />
<b>Troops-</b> Kabalite Warriors (5x, Blaster)<br />
<b>Troops-</b> Storm Guardians (8x, 2x Fusion Guns)<br />
<b>D. Trans-</b> Raider (Disintegrator Cannon, Shock Prow)<br />
<br />
<b>Heavy-</b> Wraithlord (2x Flamer, Ghostglaive, Shuriken Cannon)<br />
<br />
<b>Flyer-</b> Hemlock Wraithfighter<br />
<b>Flyer-</b> Crimson Hunter<br />
<br />
<b><i>Outrider Detachment - Craftworld</i></b><br />
<br />
<b>HQ-</b> Farseer Skyrunner (Singing Spear)<br />
<b>HQ-</b> Warlock Skyrunner (Singing Spear)<br />
<br />
<b>Fast A.-</b> Windriders (3x, Shuriken Cannons)<br />
<b>Fast A.-</b> Windriders (3x, Shuriken Cannons)<br />
<div>
<b>Fast A.-</b> Windriders (3x, Shuriken Cannons)</div>
<br />
<b><u>Total</u>: </b>1749<br />
7x Command Points<br />
<br />
A little backstory I didn't cover in my Round 4 report - I added a second Detachment because I wanted more HQ's, especially the Farseer, and Command Points. In the end I opted for the Outrider Detachment because it's small and points efficient, and makes use to the Jetbikes that I have in my collection. Since I don't have any Ynnari HQ, aside from the Visarch, it couldn't be an Ynnari Detachment, so naturally it had to be a Craftworld Detachment.<br />
<br />
Which, once I'd put some thought into it, a Jetbike blob is a perfect example of Aeldari synergy, especially in 8th. You get aura abilities from an Autarch, Warlock and Farseer, and with the changes to the damage chart, Shuriken Cannons are suddenly far more adaptable weapons than they used to be. And they go terrifically with Battle Focus.<br />
<br />
But, what about the Necrons I was about to face?<br />
<br />
<b><u>Necron, 1750 pts</u>.</b><br />
<b><i>Outrider Detachment</i></b><br />
<br />
<b>HQ-</b> Catacomb Command Barge (Tesla Cannon, Voidblade)<br />
<br />
<b>Fast A.-</b> Canoptek Scarabs (5x, Feeder Mandibles)<br />
<b>Fast A.-</b> Canoptek Wraiths (3x, Vicious Claws)<br />
<b>Fast A.-</b> Destroyers (4x Dest, 1x Heavy Dest.)<br />
<br />
<b>Heavy-</b> Doomsday Ark (Doomsday Cannon)<br />
<br />
<b><i>Vanguard Detachment</i></b><br />
<br />
<b>HQ-</b> Cryptek (Chronometron, Technomancer, Staff of Light)<br />
<br />
<b>Elite-</b> C'Tan shard of the Nightbringer (power: Antimatter Meteor)<br />
<b>Elite-</b> Deathmarks (6x)<br />
<br />
<b>Heavy-</b> Triarch Stalker (Twin Heavy Gauss Cannons)<br />
<b>Heavy-</b> Tesseract Ark (2x Tesla Cannons) *<i>Forgeworld</i><br />
<br />
<b><u>Total</u>:</b> 1747<br />
5x Command Points<br />
<br />
Some background on this list, my opponent brought big guns because he expected me to bring big stompers like a Wraithknight or tough nuts like Wave Serpents. While I didn't bring any of those, in fact I brought quite a bit of Infantry, what I did bring is vulnerable to that kind of firepower. Last round I got lucky, my weaker tank and monster standing up multiple rounds to a half a dozen Lascannons. This round, I had no reason to expect I'd be so lucky<br />
<br />
I'd planned for that, somewhat. With the twin Flyers, and hopefully Conceal, I hoped to soak fire and take some heat off of the more fragile elements of my army.<br />
<br />
But. I had no idea what kinds of heat those guns were packing! Yikes!<br />
<br />
Our game started off in the most auspicious possible way: we tied on the Deploy First roll. Three times. Dun dun duuuuun!<br />
In the end though, the Necrons did Deploy first, and since my army has so many small units, I took considerably longer to deploy. So, Necrons got first turn, and I failed to seize.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6QL1pvfT-WgAADe0LpD62yAexZ0_Fts1oE0HfCvqv-jUf-qBe2KWpcoMOyXXnojJIaV6FD4KnsOkmKrY_aUeiFCkvYqH5rpPcnwVWMJjTZb58pH9UOO7aQnR61X9lDP8PayyIMylYec/s1600/IMG_20171008_172038616_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6QL1pvfT-WgAADe0LpD62yAexZ0_Fts1oE0HfCvqv-jUf-qBe2KWpcoMOyXXnojJIaV6FD4KnsOkmKrY_aUeiFCkvYqH5rpPcnwVWMJjTZb58pH9UOO7aQnR61X9lDP8PayyIMylYec/s640/IMG_20171008_172038616_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The above is Deployment. You can barely see some of the Objectives, my home one in the trees, Necrons home Objective behind the black wall center. Left Objective in the rocks, Right Objective in no-man's-land. My two Flyers are in Reserve, to keep them out of harm's way at first, and to make sure I knew where I needed them.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyv1kX-HSre_eO1QxiT5lo0qdXTGXzlIVBDL2NP1dCmucoWhaFboB5aRejEfL6Gz36fERf3rMl1F00FrUux4lhe574Q-QGMX0hH97vwBRin6vh0BOWCqL3UUv4QKzTcYPdH5hincMLKb8/s1600/IMG_20171008_172047859.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyv1kX-HSre_eO1QxiT5lo0qdXTGXzlIVBDL2NP1dCmucoWhaFboB5aRejEfL6Gz36fERf3rMl1F00FrUux4lhe574Q-QGMX0hH97vwBRin6vh0BOWCqL3UUv4QKzTcYPdH5hincMLKb8/s640/IMG_20171008_172047859.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Cover was limited, but I kept my forces split. Once again the Visarch and the second Warrior unit are in the Raider.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ5r_mI3ePbkqP9mgjatLEAOKgn6dusKKckiKshYEqE1C3invky3_yzIMks7qedDtE-1jfecsXNYZkwv9XzqnNk70o-AidVSWUs5MHdHZUZqPBB7Z1mOzk5l8ZRNji8Hx0MVXsyDKoWJ8/s1600/IMG_20171008_172055853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ5r_mI3ePbkqP9mgjatLEAOKgn6dusKKckiKshYEqE1C3invky3_yzIMks7qedDtE-1jfecsXNYZkwv9XzqnNk70o-AidVSWUs5MHdHZUZqPBB7Z1mOzk5l8ZRNji8Hx0MVXsyDKoWJ8/s640/IMG_20171008_172055853.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
That Stalker is awfully intimidating over there...<br />
Based on how we both Deployed, I originally assumed he was treating my infantry/Wraithlord as the greater threat, but now that I know how many points a C'Tan is, I think I had it backwards!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Necrons Turn One-</span></b><br />
<b><i>0 - 0, tied</i></b><br />
<br />
This was eye-opening. What I saw when I looked over the list was *not* a super-heavy shooting list. I was a bit rushed and unfamiliar with the units, but I also had an overblown idea of my list's durability.<br />
<br />
In movement, the Wraiths moved up to take the left side Objective, while the Scarabs screened the C'Tan moving onto the right side Objective. He had the Cryptek camp on his home Objective, while everything else just shot the living hell out of me.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Q6qJIYDMCC2NrVTfewxOU5cqRqV_-NgtYRjX_9lTay3HU6rsvbX5KKq4cQggeXhqD3GFd-F9R4YyG2NTMqwxg8sMa5H_i7_G1ZClQ9PhPzfgRiWONpRfZXDaIiBzU-fc4iCT7gi4ens/s1600/IMG_20171008_173513760_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Q6qJIYDMCC2NrVTfewxOU5cqRqV_-NgtYRjX_9lTay3HU6rsvbX5KKq4cQggeXhqD3GFd-F9R4YyG2NTMqwxg8sMa5H_i7_G1ZClQ9PhPzfgRiWONpRfZXDaIiBzU-fc4iCT7gi4ens/s640/IMG_20171008_173513760_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Of my nine Windriders, two died outright, and another one and a half of another unit went down too.<br />
<br />
Much worse though-<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzsY16sryy2e4suWbZoiaFSJnP6mzBc0FNYM3GW4WVQOeQPWM_mBPA4G-Sfsi-IVFDewdygSOaTDs12B8n5bRN-6exBGak8Tbze2XkIUeAvR5dKGwIIw9dzjK3MSrUXVb2E317S6bRrE/s1600/IMG_20171008_173529096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzsY16sryy2e4suWbZoiaFSJnP6mzBc0FNYM3GW4WVQOeQPWM_mBPA4G-Sfsi-IVFDewdygSOaTDs12B8n5bRN-6exBGak8Tbze2XkIUeAvR5dKGwIIw9dzjK3MSrUXVb2E317S6bRrE/s640/IMG_20171008_173529096.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
My Wraithlord! I barely knew ye!<br />
That one did trigger a Soulburst, and my Warrior unit actually sniped a Wraith!<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Aeldari Turn 1-</span></b><br />
<b><i>0 - 7, Necrons</i></b><br />
<br />
I took, what felt at the time, like a pasting. It made very clear very quickly that I needed to make up the difference, fast. I couldn't weather firepower like that for long, so I had to cross the table and do some damage!<br />
<br />
First - the Wraiths.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilVHUob5dy_QXSofujE_iSn_Ox2FzIJlmXeShdj6tPyGEYnq_yMh5O8y4S0RB7lK7ipTkCl0PmZ4qhXrqKB2kaY2jdc1EH0xccm-NpCC8_gpp0j-LlB8xNKwPGLlL3EKVTjKjpBgAveX4/s1600/IMG_20171008_175622945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilVHUob5dy_QXSofujE_iSn_Ox2FzIJlmXeShdj6tPyGEYnq_yMh5O8y4S0RB7lK7ipTkCl0PmZ4qhXrqKB2kaY2jdc1EH0xccm-NpCC8_gpp0j-LlB8xNKwPGLlL3EKVTjKjpBgAveX4/s640/IMG_20171008_175622945.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
My shooting here proved very effective, with Guide on the Storm Guardians making them actually hit very hard. Plus Eldrad's Smite and the Disintegrator Cannon.<br />
<br />
...Although, you will note that Eldrad has suffered three Wounds. How, you ask? Perils.<br />
Didn't you use Eldrad's re-roll, you ask further?<br />
Yes.<br />
And he took THREE Wounds and failed all of his 5+ Ghosthelm saves?<br />
Yes<br />
Did you at least try to re-roll the Wounds with a Command Point?<br />
Yes...<br />
<br />
WHAT THE $%#@, Eldrad?!<br />
<br />
Sigh. I love Eldrad, he kicks butt even when his Powers only trigger maybe a third of the time. When it works, it's worth it all, even in a game where he nearly kills himself in turn 1 by rolling three 1's in a ROW.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjPjgt992uBmaKdwvEzUhVUtjldltkA2qM2WWET5auZqqmZgYlinqw647QQR_HDBPakJrBDF3lra6euB1lvPKsAo5cYGfAThoWLVGCS46qAjj8bhQcde2Qk50y-5Aujc6WMgI-UNBVXo/s1600/IMG_20171008_175630146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjPjgt992uBmaKdwvEzUhVUtjldltkA2qM2WWET5auZqqmZgYlinqw647QQR_HDBPakJrBDF3lra6euB1lvPKsAo5cYGfAThoWLVGCS46qAjj8bhQcde2Qk50y-5Aujc6WMgI-UNBVXo/s640/IMG_20171008_175630146.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
My bikes moved up very aggressively, knowing I had to take the point to make up the difference. I also flew my Flyers in, assuming my Crimson Hunter could make short work of the Stalker, especially with my Autarch's aura. My Hemlock successfully cast Conceal, which is great on that big of a base. My Farseer hit the Stalker with Doom and fired off Smite, doing some damage to the Scarabs.<br />
<br />
As you can see here, I made short work of the Scarabs, even with all those Wounds. However, I had brought in units from Reserve, so those Deathmarks came in too in response. I got lucky there though, because they weren't able to hit the Hemlock.<br />
In all the chaos here, killing the Scarabs did trigger a Soulburst, and allowed by Autarch to take out a couple Deathmarks too! I wanted to tag the Nightbringer, but as a Character with 8 Wounds... Nasty customer, that one!<br />
<br />
Around here is where I learned how important Doom is, because apparently I can't roll a 4+ with Bright Lances :P<br />
THEN I learned what exactly the new "Quantum Shielding" does. So, anytime a Necron Vehicle takes an unsaved Wound that does multiple damage, if the owning player can roll under the amount of damage dealt on a d6, all of the damage is ignored (!?)<br />
So, I was proud of myself for hitting that Stalker with a brutal nine total damage (a six and a three), but it took zero damage.<br />
<br />
OH SHIT. How many tanks are in that army?!<br />
<br />
I'd done ok. I wound up taking both side Objectives, since I had more models on each. I didn't hold my own home Objective though, and I was down a Heavy Support point and First Blood<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Necrons Turn 2- </span></b><br />
<b><i>4 - 7, Necrons</i></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxshNhHDCl0seqki6664LOZpAu-bjru23eihfw2xRAl1uFR_nY9X4ahF19q_fgJPMJ1NVZKibBG1N5GkU_PIf4tdZnWU992NIh4hlmTyiZsLDpdT8El1N0qfSDfLjymgpb9HbMeRiEMmE/s1600/IMG_20171008_175641806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxshNhHDCl0seqki6664LOZpAu-bjru23eihfw2xRAl1uFR_nY9X4ahF19q_fgJPMJ1NVZKibBG1N5GkU_PIf4tdZnWU992NIh4hlmTyiZsLDpdT8El1N0qfSDfLjymgpb9HbMeRiEMmE/s640/IMG_20171008_175641806.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Oh hey! Necrons:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2a275Pf-zHgU0dQl0rlq2LE1yzjmE6OOyYKIXcm4ZsBmrT2MMVLBWpeqqBmx7OLkXfEoQsJFbGt-SmDP-prnkpX76XYwSc1Wg4GIGW-7IR69LVrfkJgGD2Zwi3ogRDcSsgnJW781I5U/s1600/IMG_20171008_175646765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2a275Pf-zHgU0dQl0rlq2LE1yzjmE6OOyYKIXcm4ZsBmrT2MMVLBWpeqqBmx7OLkXfEoQsJFbGt-SmDP-prnkpX76XYwSc1Wg4GIGW-7IR69LVrfkJgGD2Zwi3ogRDcSsgnJW781I5U/s640/IMG_20171008_175646765.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Man! They both came back!<br />
So the new rule for Necron's old "We'll Be Back" is that any Infantry or Biker model that's killed can come back at the beginning of any Necron player turn on a 5+, as long as the unit still has any models left standing before you make the roll. It's a terrific rule, and far more powerful than the last few versions.<br />
<br />
I'd done a lot more damage, and gotten a lot closer, than I think the Necrons had expected. Those Wraiths and Scarabs were both supposed to gum up Objectives well into later turns, especially the Wraiths (I was surprised how quickly those went down this game too...)<br />
The natural response from the Necrons was to push my army back, but shooting the living hell out of it. And it worked for the most part, but several of my units were total rockstars, including the Hemlock with Conceal, which took fire from the entire Destroyer blob. Even though it went down to two Wounds (making it essentially a slow-flying brick, hitting on 5+) it protected the rest of my army from truly devastating firepower for at least one more turn!<br />
<br />
The Snipers though, yikes. I'd forgotten Deathmarks were Snipers, but remembered very quickly when they started directly targeting my Autarch! They didn't roll terribly well, but getting those extra Mortal Wounds on 6's to-Wound made a big, big difference.<br />
<br />
That Nightbriner... Yikes, he Charged my Jetbikes and started chainsawing through my Characters, Farseer and Warlock first, although they held up admirably.<br />
Last, but not least, the final surviving Wraith zipped around my Raider and charged Eldrad (!) who made me so proud. He not only didn't take any Wounds (3++ ftw!) but proceeded to slap that Wraith square in the robot face and take it down in one round of combat. Woo!<br />
<br />
All things considered, I held. I took some damage, but not as much as the first turn, and I protected both side Objectives, conceding only a single point to the Necrons. I needed that, after that first turn!<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Aeldari Turn 2-</span></b><br />
<b><i>4 - 8, Necrons</i></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Without the Wraiths, that left flank was allllll mine! There were still some heavy guns pointed at it, but nothing compared to the far side. I had to worry about that Tesseract Ark, very weird tank, and the Annihilation Barge...<br />
<br />
I was still leaning heavily on my Fusion Guns and Blasters, so I needed to get in close ASAP. Most of my Infantry Advanced, Eldrad and my Raider moved to secure the left Objective. I was taking a lot of pepper on my right flank though, and I was in that awkward spot where my Flyers had to move, and had to bank hard not to fly off the board. So, I naturally split my forces.<br />
To get away from the Nightbringer, I flew my Autarch and remaining 3-man Windrider unit over the rock to engage the Stalker.<br />
<br />
Since the Destroyers had had little trouble tagging my Hemlock despite Conceal, I opted to cast Smite instead, and got lucky enough to drop a 3-Wound Destroyer! But that was about it for what the Hemlock did.<br />
On the left flank, Eldrad cast Doom on the Tesseract Ark, and Guide again on the Storm Guardians.<br />
<br />
In shooting, my Flyers did respectable damage to the Annihilation Barge, but nearly all of it was saved or Shielded. I was on fire rolling 6 for Damage, but that made it really easy to negate with Quantum Shielding. Curses!<br />
In better news, I brought down the Tesseract Ark! Hilariously, my Kabalite Warriors and their Poisoned weapons did the most damage. Since I couldn't get through Quantum Shielding with most of the heavier guns, the single-damage small-arms did most of the work.<br />
<br />
Once again though, I held both side Objectives for another 4 points.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Necrons Turn 3-</span></b><br />
<b><i>9 - 8, Aeldari take the lead!</i></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUheZV422vJhAEB61doG09xZj2uQHzxL-78VY_3UJ5E1n-IWeY63PyXWlcl0TDaqUVL2fG9cLBu1Hb3c9fmSH9e6VV-wasRPcQ3XyojqlS5UROo3BfMEYFTP6ureGUHCFm97KbJJi2JI/s1600/IMG_20171008_183912287_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUheZV422vJhAEB61doG09xZj2uQHzxL-78VY_3UJ5E1n-IWeY63PyXWlcl0TDaqUVL2fG9cLBu1Hb3c9fmSH9e6VV-wasRPcQ3XyojqlS5UROo3BfMEYFTP6ureGUHCFm97KbJJi2JI/s640/IMG_20171008_183912287_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I had taken the lead, by a narrow margin, but my forces were dwindling. And while I was giving as good as I got (probably even better) I was still taking attrition, and it was taking most of my units' fire combined to bring down one target per turn!<br />
<br />
In their turn, the Destroyer unit (I was lucky in that the one I'd killed didn't come back) moved to take my Home Objective (!) and while he wasn't getting the Left objective, we were trading the right one back and forth now. Those same Destroyers also handily obliterated my Hemlock, no surprise there, but it didn't Explode!<br />
<br />
The Nightbringer once again pushed back my Jetbikes, so we both were getting the right Objective nearly every turn.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Aeldari Turn 3-</span></b><br />
<i>9-15, Necrons bring it back!</i><br />
<br />
I'd been sniping and holding my left Objective, while trying to get the rest of my forces in range to tackle that Annihilation Barge. With one Warrior squad back in the weeds and the other creeping around the rocks behind my Storm Guardians.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7QIiocUy9sn5LVHr7F8MzFE-SNsC6PoNZ6cpC78TPOvk9xx_CcXEFIEjE77fL0rf2E21CksKeD05vN4zHh4QDXzQcR3KShwd_byfQN830pNxQQiwFRNEonskntqLSFUOLB98ZwKzGRGA/s1600/IMG_20171008_183805229_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7QIiocUy9sn5LVHr7F8MzFE-SNsC6PoNZ6cpC78TPOvk9xx_CcXEFIEjE77fL0rf2E21CksKeD05vN4zHh4QDXzQcR3KShwd_byfQN830pNxQQiwFRNEonskntqLSFUOLB98ZwKzGRGA/s640/IMG_20171008_183805229_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
These damn Deathmarks just keep getting back up...<br />
<br />
But! On the plus side, finally took down that Triarch Stalker!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ti8bvSvPPjxdBTnf6JWyb1wDWVUPp4OHRj-vSmX2mMoor6RWtC4h-f_-BDDvuWLeMCcxGdUhhKfRgDx5uzeC9oyXnaA37atgjBcQXvvMoS43qseugywM-w6JkytKzMtTEhKt-bYCEog/s1600/IMG_20171008_183813465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ti8bvSvPPjxdBTnf6JWyb1wDWVUPp4OHRj-vSmX2mMoor6RWtC4h-f_-BDDvuWLeMCcxGdUhhKfRgDx5uzeC9oyXnaA37atgjBcQXvvMoS43qseugywM-w6JkytKzMtTEhKt-bYCEog/s640/IMG_20171008_183813465.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I kept feeding the Nightbringer units here, managing to keep just *one more* model on the Objective most turns, and doing some damage, but he was quickly chainsawing through most everything I had even so. And, I wasn't doing anything to keep him from scoring, so at best here I was treading water...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Still, I got both side Objectives, so I managed to pull out another four points, for-</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Necrons Turn 4-</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>13 - 15, Necrons still in the lead...</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Necrons didn't do much, but the Annihilation Barge moved up aggressively, knowing that it was going to take fire anyway, he opted to bring it in closer to make use of those broadside guns! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'd moved back with my remaining Jetbikes, one full unit and my Autarch to hold the right Objective, and as scary as the Nightbringer was, he wasn't able to shift them. The Destroyers ripped on my Hunter and the Annihilation Barge fired a *lot,* but fortunately did minor damage.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
At the end of the turn, the Necrons easily held my Home Objective and theirs, for 5 new points...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Aeldari Turn 4-</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>13 - 20, Necrons easily carrying, with my Home Objective</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Now, I was watching those 4-pt Objectives quickly rack up, so I knew I had to make some big moves, and do it fast. So the Visarch jumped out of the Raider, and the Raider itself gunned it top-speed for the back field, hoping to shift that Cryptek from the Objective, and even more hoping to take it myself!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAA8lFjvSKZySyLSGiCy55qAN4yez74lCWoI4bvyM3Y2FUAFyyxEaC5jFXDBpLAN1o-VD2S9dCKfbIh6zHg5c86W6OE3eyjfA8Yius3JZd6FagshsC_pku5RGw9m_d4kr-MlQc34fQRBo/s1600/IMG_20171008_185242489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAA8lFjvSKZySyLSGiCy55qAN4yez74lCWoI4bvyM3Y2FUAFyyxEaC5jFXDBpLAN1o-VD2S9dCKfbIh6zHg5c86W6OE3eyjfA8Yius3JZd6FagshsC_pku5RGw9m_d4kr-MlQc34fQRBo/s640/IMG_20171008_185242489.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA19GqxyUdqQ-gjsUmOW3Aw32bKVVPVajyAIZPPvZtdY2GNieFTTfB0uGQ2NfW_S0Pl6L-C-fH1CTN9Vcxx7DZG2kbiJBrzIkJpdrY3niod5BSjWM5dJAprb3_ZhuOO32snHCyEHCwEOg/s1600/IMG_20171008_185245680.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA19GqxyUdqQ-gjsUmOW3Aw32bKVVPVajyAIZPPvZtdY2GNieFTTfB0uGQ2NfW_S0Pl6L-C-fH1CTN9Vcxx7DZG2kbiJBrzIkJpdrY3niod5BSjWM5dJAprb3_ZhuOO32snHCyEHCwEOg/s640/IMG_20171008_185245680.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
On the right, my Jetbikes hit as hard and fast as they could, and in shooting I actually managed to kill the Nightbringer! Even better, it died in shooting, and triggered a Soulburst that allowed my Autarch to finally take out those damn Deathmarks!<br />
<br />
Even my Assaults went well here, with the Raider actually managing to take out the Cryptek, and my other combined forces bringing down the Annihilation Barge.<br />
<br />
Now... This was an odd moment, because at this point I was hit, and hard, with a 24-hour flu that knocked me flat on my ass. I was still in the game, and really enjoying myself, but the notes I wrote at the time say I only got 6 points here - which means I took one side Objective and the Necron Home Objective. Near as I can tell, I should have gotten both side Objectives, but I'll just trust the notes and say I got six points-<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Necrons Turn 5-</span></b><br />
<i>19 - 20, Necrons</i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJIu9_Gw96akW1SW2nLEeBkdVJD9C8-bsMveCJ5rr5P9W9nqlDo0Ihb9RzcI71ikXmtT_-0nSAzFkIVfyOPfEYGEg3823W-sSlGxU_BeMA3nx9Fqu-u2yWCIdPnLnjZIKaQ8OMIXwPVY/s1600/IMG_20171008_193834560.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJIu9_Gw96akW1SW2nLEeBkdVJD9C8-bsMveCJ5rr5P9W9nqlDo0Ihb9RzcI71ikXmtT_-0nSAzFkIVfyOPfEYGEg3823W-sSlGxU_BeMA3nx9Fqu-u2yWCIdPnLnjZIKaQ8OMIXwPVY/s640/IMG_20171008_193834560.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I was closing the points gap, but couldn't hold on forever, as proven very quickly by the Command Barge that rolled in and played merry hell with my forces. My Autarch, weakened as he was, fell quickly.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQ4hyphenhyphenj6tmya2h4rQonDSMNzRaQSlv9in56-w1nahu8KelH0-sgox4qSt1h01rIcTTgVHC6hFHvoa_LpsroI-eUf1kI-tNmZxkNVFPiUVhfwB6v2SM11fPzD8mfzWBpnzbt6vK4ztDptQ/s1600/IMG_20171008_193822555_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQ4hyphenhyphenj6tmya2h4rQonDSMNzRaQSlv9in56-w1nahu8KelH0-sgox4qSt1h01rIcTTgVHC6hFHvoa_LpsroI-eUf1kI-tNmZxkNVFPiUVhfwB6v2SM11fPzD8mfzWBpnzbt6vK4ztDptQ/s640/IMG_20171008_193822555_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
*The Annihilation Barge in this photo below was dead, just moved out of the way-<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8HMmiy125JMmgNYttTzknYKArmeorGcwYSFnCkw7lnb1-s5Ow-vu6_nqreCh225RsIDe6pRqLaRLUiSg5DjhrhP5JcglXE9amgfNKQgB3h4s2DA1jVCfGGsU-DJJBAUMkNA9UwZQyw0/s1600/IMG_20171008_193830819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8HMmiy125JMmgNYttTzknYKArmeorGcwYSFnCkw7lnb1-s5Ow-vu6_nqreCh225RsIDe6pRqLaRLUiSg5DjhrhP5JcglXE9amgfNKQgB3h4s2DA1jVCfGGsU-DJJBAUMkNA9UwZQyw0/s640/IMG_20171008_193830819.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Aeldari Turn 5-</span></b><br />
<br />
And here is where the game ended, with very little left standing, and nearly even board control, it looked like a super even game. And we hadn't been tallying points throughout the game, just keeping track of how many points we each earned each turn, so it was time to math it up!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYc_BIxp106lY6tvLnDVHJnCopP6hOkJXOTu_EGFeD3ga7hQIM-MWbfuz66wR3U9w4jqr0R4uJHHVFOO_ZpwKrhuPM28hWba6nvKF9KOql6Y-d92NDPoDPl0pno9FY_f92Yd3ODXIyQeM/s1600/IMG_20171008_194821472.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYc_BIxp106lY6tvLnDVHJnCopP6hOkJXOTu_EGFeD3ga7hQIM-MWbfuz66wR3U9w4jqr0R4uJHHVFOO_ZpwKrhuPM28hWba6nvKF9KOql6Y-d92NDPoDPl0pno9FY_f92Yd3ODXIyQeM/s640/IMG_20171008_194821472.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Our final scores were tallied, and on Objectives the Necrons had it. They had some strong early turns, but the one turn where I'd denied them all but 1 point really made it neck and neck. At first accounting, the Necrons scored First Blood and 24 Objective points, plus Linebreaker.<br />
<br />
I had 24 Objective points, plus Linebreaker.<br />
<br />
Total stood at 25 to 26, Necrons (!!) but then we remembered the bonus for destroying Heavy Support units. I'd destroyed three and lost 1, making the final score:<br />
<br />
28 to 27 Aeldari win! What a squeaker!!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZu1gEI2PjnUZjju2jGJMJBsOyXSpOZd_MZ-CAZqmRq6YO68LIHNTM08PMzJul3_wszYIfbp7ITeAcc4YLQ1UExAQ2dfSvNUt15CkO3CxsASxPWxuJbWGlXNxwnN9-dpCj43-hEbCOpk/s1600/IMG_20171009_090813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZu1gEI2PjnUZjju2jGJMJBsOyXSpOZd_MZ-CAZqmRq6YO68LIHNTM08PMzJul3_wszYIfbp7ITeAcc4YLQ1UExAQ2dfSvNUt15CkO3CxsASxPWxuJbWGlXNxwnN9-dpCj43-hEbCOpk/s640/IMG_20171009_090813.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Huff! Necrons are scary as crap!Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-78733873825423188222017-10-15T17:19:00.002-07:002017-10-15T17:20:30.642-07:0040k: 8th Edition League Round 4: Ynnari/Aeldari vs. "Imperium"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dojBUHJCg7fqJJPTosInfMxm2bX8ltOlgL_xBdB2faRtsKo28JcdN6ua01tiGmxwG5dfGOnUceGhkDO6oDbv5huR6XqksxqLeFCgm11IUXuwVV64kVyLc4StvVlW2joekLqCN0imEGI/s1600/Eldar-Cover2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="768" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dojBUHJCg7fqJJPTosInfMxm2bX8ltOlgL_xBdB2faRtsKo28JcdN6ua01tiGmxwG5dfGOnUceGhkDO6oDbv5huR6XqksxqLeFCgm11IUXuwVV64kVyLc4StvVlW2joekLqCN0imEGI/s640/Eldar-Cover2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
What's up, folks! It's time for ROUND FOUR! This round I was coming off of a crushing defeat last round, and a hilarious explosive cataclysm-defeat the one before that. I came in a bit more ferocious than previous rounds, but also less prepared because life got in the way of researching the Mission rules. But, let's see how it went, shall we?<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><i>*A caveat at the beginning here, it's been quite a while since that game as of my writing this, so forgive me if it's a bit slapdash/light on details, but I should get the gist</i><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
First, this round brought back Vanguard Strike - which any gamers I play with will know I seriously dislike, because the measurements provided are pretty unhelpful for figuring out where exactly the lines are...<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Deployment - Vanguard Strike,</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZdqLitGSJVyd5FmYqlv-TU2xcyZ9SY-YPDB34IgtubCHOXf2dGCo_Cqa_Wc0dyupQu0zelLHSnRVpDL2Px6Z56Ex70HiCdeJ3tw1bmXg7YKvfLi1hFbVaSd4t_S6mPsuF2e8m-yXGn8/s1600/Vanguard+Strike+%2528%2528Round+4%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="473" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZdqLitGSJVyd5FmYqlv-TU2xcyZ9SY-YPDB34IgtubCHOXf2dGCo_Cqa_Wc0dyupQu0zelLHSnRVpDL2Px6Z56Ex70HiCdeJ3tw1bmXg7YKvfLi1hFbVaSd4t_S6mPsuF2e8m-yXGn8/s320/Vanguard+Strike+%2528%2528Round+4%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
For our mission, we had<b> The Relic,</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjwxLNo7pn5N15-YlRvWh5yTdczWauKrEaPUPlBI-3mZpnBGNYU8reHpn5TKA7JYtkXgoasFYBo-Er4q1rG80mNZp7PZYuHY1PGJqEhfpKCIFX1mFzWQPv5knKtYQj2QYhqOJ23kUM1w/s1600/The+Relic+Mission+%2528Round+4%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="510" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjwxLNo7pn5N15-YlRvWh5yTdczWauKrEaPUPlBI-3mZpnBGNYU8reHpn5TKA7JYtkXgoasFYBo-Er4q1rG80mNZp7PZYuHY1PGJqEhfpKCIFX1mFzWQPv5knKtYQj2QYhqOJ23kUM1w/s640/The+Relic+Mission+%2528Round+4%2529.JPG" width="552" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Modified -</b><br />
First Blood is only awarded for killing a Non-Troop unit<br />
<br />
The Unit controlling the Relic takes 1 Mortal Wound at the start of the Morale Phase<br />
Advanced Battlefield Terrain rules are now in effect (this we largely skipped over in-game, because neither of us had had time to really brush up on them)<br />
<br />
Points - 1500, 4'x6'<br />
<br />
I brought an updated list to this one. I used pretty much the same list I had the previous round:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0tWTODvBRYi9PMdEzNlJdyFVRe8Div6ZsULlVgQAJvEW3LmfKGVtTz4L0h4oDD1pN9wt1id439zFovFn4RtKdEjfJaPxXveZooAdS3fktXWPNVF1KH8VgWjPdKafhnPsa7zJ94Xgy6g/s1600/1250+pt+Ynnari+list.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="843" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0tWTODvBRYi9PMdEzNlJdyFVRe8Div6ZsULlVgQAJvEW3LmfKGVtTz4L0h4oDD1pN9wt1id439zFovFn4RtKdEjfJaPxXveZooAdS3fktXWPNVF1KH8VgWjPdKafhnPsa7zJ94Xgy6g/s640/1250+pt+Ynnari+list.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
...but I made the change of having my Jetbikes (except for the Autarch) in a Craftworlds Outrider Detachment, and tweaking the list to add a Farseer on Jetbike, Warlock on Jetbike, as well as a third unit of Windriders with Shuriken Cannons, and taking out the Crimson Hunter for this round. I wanted more bodies on the table.<br />
My intention was to use a blob of all of the Jetbikes, with the Autarch's re-roll 1's to-hit aura, the Warlock's Conceal, Farseer's Doom, and the Craftworld's Battle Focus to great effect. While the Autarch would wind up the only unit in the blob with Strength from Death, it made the Jetbikes insanely effective, and much more durable. Battle Focus lets them rocket around the board 22" per turn without any loss of accuracy on those Shuriken Cannons. Doom is there to make sure they do work on hard targets, and the Autarch makes them even more pinpoint accurate, while Conceal makes enemies hit every unit within 3" of the Warlock at a -1 to-hit.<br />
<br />
My opponent turned out to be Space Wolves! A new player, who I've seen at the shop all the time, but had only just gotten into 40k for 8th (woo! New blood!) and was going pure-Space Wolves in what I would call a fluffy and "gentlemanly" list.<br />
He brought some teeth too:<br />
<br />
Logan Grimnar on Chariot (Warlord, Tenacious Survivor)<br />
Bjorn the Fell-Handed<br />
Rune Priest in Terminator Armor<br />
<br />
5x Wulfen<br />
3x Thunderwolf Cavalry<br />
5x Long Fangs (2x Lascannons, 1x Missile Launcher, 2x Heavy Bolters)<br />
<br />
Predator (triple Lascannons)<br />
<br />
Sadly, I didn't take detailed notes on wargear and such, but that's the gist. He hadn't picked powers for his Rune Priest ahead of time, so in a show of sterling sportsmanship (although I did offer to let him pick anyway) he rolled for a random power from the table and got Jaws of the World Wolf. Which, while not as scary as it used to be, is still real scary.<br />
<br />
He won the roll to pick sides, and we started deployment. Since his list was largely Elite and very small, it took me quite a bit longer to deploy my MSU (Multiple Small Units) army, and he got first turn easily, and I wasn't able to seize (curses!)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgXgCA6rXfKIqSzR98yhVQIvI5E3V-slcVzUgEmO3R0XK92K0RW1ajmrbDUqfw7RgpvZJccS5blAJ-UpM4Snuo5OOfWogtLXL0D7YWzxNabJppawgUYj0XpykRtB_Lu3CeCBzOLWxKsE/s1600/IMG_20170926_182536386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgXgCA6rXfKIqSzR98yhVQIvI5E3V-slcVzUgEmO3R0XK92K0RW1ajmrbDUqfw7RgpvZJccS5blAJ-UpM4Snuo5OOfWogtLXL0D7YWzxNabJppawgUYj0XpykRtB_Lu3CeCBzOLWxKsE/s640/IMG_20170926_182536386.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
See above for Deployment and the Dab - rar!<br />
I've tangled with Space Wolves before, and while I haven't gotten steamrolled by them as badly as some other armies, they've got my number in CC without any effort at all. This is my first time facing them in 8th though, and I had the advantage of numbers.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7AQ3j8J_yRO092mmT4jBV-2YHVGFxyEcNQjg3xHyXXnpXnFRxyftE0Q7-cCLfMLQOCkSlfYOC5S_pFDnMBr7nZIVr2XCoz0Zgr7SPOnsakTrYwqRDE83nbjHeqasBKfIKpjygBo_g1UQ/s1600/IMG_20170926_182540714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7AQ3j8J_yRO092mmT4jBV-2YHVGFxyEcNQjg3xHyXXnpXnFRxyftE0Q7-cCLfMLQOCkSlfYOC5S_pFDnMBr7nZIVr2XCoz0Zgr7SPOnsakTrYwqRDE83nbjHeqasBKfIKpjygBo_g1UQ/s640/IMG_20170926_182540714.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
But. I was also facing down no less than five Lascannons and Bjorn's Assault Cannon, so I was fully expecting my Wraithlord and Raider to go up in puffs of smoke real fast. I deployed to bring my jetbikes to bear on those Long Fangs ASAP, but wasn't sure how I was going to deal with the Predator, screened as it was behind so many hard-hitters.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiD513BZiz5WLgi4dtXfeZlx6VfHLAbmf_JkL4-oFurYjjIG9IaYGvQEa3dq2_2aN5sdG_65_d_GS7aHH_Lz9aT0hvDKE21O5zza5fYtdd_ML2kldiLAj8NQ1utblEPZ7-awEkJRg8t1g/s1600/IMG_20170926_182544804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiD513BZiz5WLgi4dtXfeZlx6VfHLAbmf_JkL4-oFurYjjIG9IaYGvQEa3dq2_2aN5sdG_65_d_GS7aHH_Lz9aT0hvDKE21O5zza5fYtdd_ML2kldiLAj8NQ1utblEPZ7-awEkJRg8t1g/s640/IMG_20170926_182544804.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
So, fingers crossed, right? Let's see how this goes!<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Space Wolves, Turn 1-</span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2R7n3RMsAmyQyAf24dkMHLTxboUoLx06U7tecNKep9rUFhtlVixowSvk-QZ8xujpF9Dsce7kwngL6NrLvu23OVegfTmLA_dlUcPf60DukbYkSP5Gg-BYHkqEyW1br7-0FJyCMQK4InwM/s1600/IMG_20170926_183028088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2R7n3RMsAmyQyAf24dkMHLTxboUoLx06U7tecNKep9rUFhtlVixowSvk-QZ8xujpF9Dsce7kwngL6NrLvu23OVegfTmLA_dlUcPf60DukbYkSP5Gg-BYHkqEyW1br7-0FJyCMQK4InwM/s640/IMG_20170926_183028088.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
As one would expect Space Wolves to do, he rushed forward at top speed with everything but the Long Fangs, Advancing with just about everything except the Predator. Moving the Predator was maybe an odd choice since it meant getting the -1 to-hit with it's Lascannons, but it did give him a cleaner field of fire on my lines and the Objective, so it certainly wasn't a bad move. And doing it early meant that he had less loss of accuracy later in the game.<br />
<br />
...That said his to-hit rolls were *terrible,* some of the worst I've ever seen (and that's me talking) and I wound up taking zero casualties (!) and only a single Wound on the Raider (!!) with that 5++ vs. shooting seriously doing some work.<br />
<br />
He'd been out of range for Psychic powers and Assaults, so it was a very short first turn, and a huge amount of breathing room for me since I'd expected to take a pasting to that first volley.<br />
<br />
So, on to:<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Aeldari, Turn 1 -</span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjyO02ZaiQykqwe7CS2i7AQZ75PreOGBM8kE_qoGRRqw2zb4nZ9W4TKrHPRjLRVyKBIAgi-snuKKy_ohjO4NAED_6jzs4FmgIhBMdX5LhwuB8GREvVtaAJMQwxqwfsoDhTcIpsV_ZFhnI/s1600/IMG_20170926_185011567.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjyO02ZaiQykqwe7CS2i7AQZ75PreOGBM8kE_qoGRRqw2zb4nZ9W4TKrHPRjLRVyKBIAgi-snuKKy_ohjO4NAED_6jzs4FmgIhBMdX5LhwuB8GREvVtaAJMQwxqwfsoDhTcIpsV_ZFhnI/s640/IMG_20170926_185011567.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
I was almost as predictable, leaving most of my lines back behind the pipes (but not retreating) while Advancing with my Jetbikes at top speed. I managed to trigger Conceal on my Warlock and Eldrad failed Guide AND Fortune on my Wraithlord. Sigh.<br />
<br />
Still, my dice were average, with all the re-roll of 1's and tons of shots, so my Disintegrator Cannon and Shuriken Cannons doing terrible damage. The Wolves rolled some hot saves, but I pulled off some casualties where I needed them, taking down two Wulfen and a Long Fang. The Wulfen were a big victory, although with a 4+ they shouldn't be too hard to bring down, they're the ones I did *not* want making it to my lines at full strength.<br />
<br />
I couldn't (didn't want to) make any charges, so all of Turn 1 was fairly quick. Going on to -<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Space Wolves, Turn 2 - </span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0BQMNLU01aHSRh_G-AgysZdw2KTdSD7IN708hxmmJZTl1w8U2mHvcuRVdwW8GN9uoJgGf6_wLLhHCgwjzxMtNwIAKnzWl_KkDU_KjZhtRI58PKeauq0HaBbM_ocYGqWCb1U8H1aeHAA0/s1600/IMG_20170926_185154316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0BQMNLU01aHSRh_G-AgysZdw2KTdSD7IN708hxmmJZTl1w8U2mHvcuRVdwW8GN9uoJgGf6_wLLhHCgwjzxMtNwIAKnzWl_KkDU_KjZhtRI58PKeauq0HaBbM_ocYGqWCb1U8H1aeHAA0/s640/IMG_20170926_185154316.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Here is where the Wolves stood:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMk9YnbiSeB22fuG3fUARbcRvnVdzRJP-knsK10q0TpxNAXripNDLZE5kNqxl-wYq5ELYZetPfn-Y3Xczxgltjqt6GkB14YuL_ob3WWmMQ28JjkZkrzVIUb0xVXN8c51KD_KrR4zkCYkw/s1600/IMG_20170926_185016389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMk9YnbiSeB22fuG3fUARbcRvnVdzRJP-knsK10q0TpxNAXripNDLZE5kNqxl-wYq5ELYZetPfn-Y3Xczxgltjqt6GkB14YuL_ob3WWmMQ28JjkZkrzVIUb0xVXN8c51KD_KrR4zkCYkw/s640/IMG_20170926_185016389.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Some minor casualties, and not necessarily where they'd wanted to be Turn 1, but still not much diminished, with most of their CC oomph still intact, and that Predator promising to threaten me all game long.<br />
<br />
And here they are in the Shooting phase of Turn 2:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxC1zyMsfehVh3kd_ojnbYBSx4_GAxqLGL1vlNXRpZ2gx8Ct9UR0gPntOAvWcvWzwYwkhDmQ9Zsr6O-EV1XytUCcBY0ETuenmajkkptURhG9xoIk0bU9R-WbryVdt50L-rPgxo0-XJfKg/s1600/IMG_20170926_185402869.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxC1zyMsfehVh3kd_ojnbYBSx4_GAxqLGL1vlNXRpZ2gx8Ct9UR0gPntOAvWcvWzwYwkhDmQ9Zsr6O-EV1XytUCcBY0ETuenmajkkptURhG9xoIk0bU9R-WbryVdt50L-rPgxo0-XJfKg/s640/IMG_20170926_185402869.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Here's where I started to sweat. While I was confident I could deal with the Wulfen, I wasn't sure how much of my lines they would chew through first, and/or whether or not I would still be able to deal with the Thunderwolves or Wolf Santa (fuuuuuuu-). And to make matters a bit more urgent, it was very clear I was getting charged this turn. With their ability to Advance and Charge in the same turn, and ability to re-roll Charge and Advance dice, those Wulfen were getting to me no matter what.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQYxpDuAk5elb_GdWqNn4RcEZNvsrOyUHwn81Ee4fGNA0BWdLwqjMnrwpTE7stJEQSFfOsc9d5kmdWTLqAJ4XyHXYPU1iGTNKv62QtRUYGGkHg7Madvj1rgU8w56ckA35RSl-PphPxro/s1600/IMG_20170926_185409354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQYxpDuAk5elb_GdWqNn4RcEZNvsrOyUHwn81Ee4fGNA0BWdLwqjMnrwpTE7stJEQSFfOsc9d5kmdWTLqAJ4XyHXYPU1iGTNKv62QtRUYGGkHg7Madvj1rgU8w56ckA35RSl-PphPxro/s640/IMG_20170926_185409354.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
My experience in 7th led me to believe that Grimnar and Thunderwolves are very durable, more so than I was prepared to handle. Especially since I'd had a relatively easy time taking down a few Wulfen, I figured the rest of the list had to be WAY tougher.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXuXZoiBSJRy9CWlYhy3vSEwyLlM0be0GXgolYK0hxh9nTz0uJZZTZu0n89UCL13YKbu2_TPeLAqlWR6pAtglGJ6CI3gYLWPY6bsz1X3P7jJRZmm4NYZU-jQuXK6bNKZy-X1lqNqZ1b8/s1600/IMG_20170926_185414591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXuXZoiBSJRy9CWlYhy3vSEwyLlM0be0GXgolYK0hxh9nTz0uJZZTZu0n89UCL13YKbu2_TPeLAqlWR6pAtglGJ6CI3gYLWPY6bsz1X3P7jJRZmm4NYZU-jQuXK6bNKZy-X1lqNqZ1b8/s640/IMG_20170926_185414591.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Can we take a second to appreciate those models though? Even in a grainy photo and just primed, damn. Such feral majesty! Such poise!<br />
<br />
Anyway, before the inevitable face-punching was yet another volley from this monster:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfqnxgRYwuO2Co_3kkpkbBkYnhznQ_lsmOxoagrbaG90a7t3IBJUZZkhpH-OSd8l92DU-6R1UHuMytJlSikK0e9X-PHk2s3GlEY1CYHVViaceL69Gb1kbnJ87ejWaqJa9GCnplJ1kPPkA/s1600/IMG_20170926_185608115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfqnxgRYwuO2Co_3kkpkbBkYnhznQ_lsmOxoagrbaG90a7t3IBJUZZkhpH-OSd8l92DU-6R1UHuMytJlSikK0e9X-PHk2s3GlEY1CYHVViaceL69Gb1kbnJ87ejWaqJa9GCnplJ1kPPkA/s640/IMG_20170926_185608115.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
While I'd been lucky Turn 1, that didn't make the odds of a dead Raider or Wraithlord any less in later turns, with every single volley from this thing potentially turning the game. So when he Hit and Wounded my Raider with all three Lascannons, I was (I think understandably) worried.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRIru2jnB0HqLNF0cn-Ytjp4jyYUua4L8emr-Xv-3CMrpsA95S19F0y4_fmur0ahc5HbBHKLuw82hm6ui28TH2CkPsJDxr1eFgQZQCdEmvMunEzKQaMl0jR7re2eP2AJPzvW3AWoqsm0E/s1600/IMG_20170926_185614006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRIru2jnB0HqLNF0cn-Ytjp4jyYUua4L8emr-Xv-3CMrpsA95S19F0y4_fmur0ahc5HbBHKLuw82hm6ui28TH2CkPsJDxr1eFgQZQCdEmvMunEzKQaMl0jR7re2eP2AJPzvW3AWoqsm0E/s640/IMG_20170926_185614006.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
But then that happened! If I'm gonna roll triple sixes, that was a pretty ideal moment for it. I breathed a hefty sigh of relief, and everyone else in the game shot burst out laughing. Even one more turn with the Disintegrator Cannon was a big deal for me!<br />
<br />
It was short-lived though, because then this happened:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnwcAoGob0p0tjoAVqcoScy-9vMP_2IwEYLDbfgO8hBhyXM2Dn6zE-EiAI4uxjGdt5IKbNXz3xcXsbVIi_JrpD-bBmUaIRO6OoeezBdaubMDpnMKTFTZgnT5UFbCv__zpvsSwV1UbpMc/s1600/IMG_20170926_190431076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnwcAoGob0p0tjoAVqcoScy-9vMP_2IwEYLDbfgO8hBhyXM2Dn6zE-EiAI4uxjGdt5IKbNXz3xcXsbVIi_JrpD-bBmUaIRO6OoeezBdaubMDpnMKTFTZgnT5UFbCv__zpvsSwV1UbpMc/s640/IMG_20170926_190431076.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
In Overwatch, I was lucky enough to bring one more Wulfen, and Logan failed his Charge (it's not Christmas yet, Santa!)<br />
<br />
They made quick work of my Storm Guardians, unsurprisingly. For a brief moment, I thought one of them would actually survive, but that was before the Thunderwolves swung, so not sure why I got excited :P<br />
<br />
on to <b><span style="font-size: large;">Aeldari Turn 2 -</span></b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcHBqhBKga7En9axsD9ImvmycFajSln5ySygCnmwATtz3jw0f6nbmGD0bC8eNkjkqNMQ-YXOgQEN8Jwte55piocmcFSdXNTnRpgDhLlkOSXhB_0xS_srkzSQhHEIOTHHpucUnLIlUebY/s1600/IMG_20170926_191317757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcHBqhBKga7En9axsD9ImvmycFajSln5ySygCnmwATtz3jw0f6nbmGD0bC8eNkjkqNMQ-YXOgQEN8Jwte55piocmcFSdXNTnRpgDhLlkOSXhB_0xS_srkzSQhHEIOTHHpucUnLIlUebY/s640/IMG_20170926_191317757.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
The Wolves' charge was a critical point in this game - when it happened, where, and how bad it wound up being were the biggest questions right from the start. And as it happened, I got incredibly lucky. I did lose my Guardians, but they were barely 100 pts from my list, and pretty much doomed from the start (sorry guys :/)<br />
What was extra fortunate was that the Wolves had chosen to engage on the edge of my lines, so only one of my units had been in combat, so even though it was wiped out, my overall firepower was undiminished, and all the Wolves were in the open to be shot. That could not have gone better for me.<br />
<br />
The Storm Guardians' death had triggered a Soulburst, but whatever I chose to do, it didn't make any difference. Per the photo above, it doesn't look like it did anything at all!<br />
<br />
In any case, also seen in the photo above, the Visarch and my Kabalite Warriors hopped out of the Raider and prepared to make a stand.<br />
Also, since obviously the main threats were right up my nose, my Jetbikes swung back up to make their presence felt.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyCjFKgiExIvlgPwNuioQ0KvtaSn1UAE4kJtWvOjiYGWn3zM6D2CA6PGjK7UPvNUkPbTV1QjXxpqfMoj37qyg-IaNZIPr4WcWHMjCUcRuRn6zi_oEVR8MZutmvoXHknk5FDO-GZkz_BQ/s1600/IMG_20170926_191450120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyCjFKgiExIvlgPwNuioQ0KvtaSn1UAE4kJtWvOjiYGWn3zM6D2CA6PGjK7UPvNUkPbTV1QjXxpqfMoj37qyg-IaNZIPr4WcWHMjCUcRuRn6zi_oEVR8MZutmvoXHknk5FDO-GZkz_BQ/s640/IMG_20170926_191450120.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Long story short, between my entire army's shooting, some very successful Psychic Powers, and a possibly unwise Charge from my Wraithlord, not only had I wiped the Wulfen (all two of them) and the Thunderwolves, but with Doom and some really hot dice on my side, I'd dropped Logan down to three Wounds left!<br />
It made a big difference there that my first shot was the Autarch's Fusion Gun, and I'd rolled a smokin' hot six Damage after he'd failed his 4++<br />
<br />
While my shooting dice were pretty good and his saves were atrocious, even with amazing dice it would have been difficult to weather that much cheddar on so few units/models.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BsdjQj5ot1ToFS6jABNZVyeZtNCL424M1-orHD6Ywkz-ByWCCYKqY8iR6qf-zIypUeEOOlJUwue1gvTQuFVNEPyDmtYpaivgzn4kNNvP3PMTVpEsOKW1xa9ERLH-SqZZk44OJDX3ebI/s1600/IMG_20170926_193157546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BsdjQj5ot1ToFS6jABNZVyeZtNCL424M1-orHD6Ywkz-ByWCCYKqY8iR6qf-zIypUeEOOlJUwue1gvTQuFVNEPyDmtYpaivgzn4kNNvP3PMTVpEsOKW1xa9ERLH-SqZZk44OJDX3ebI/s640/IMG_20170926_193157546.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><i>First Blood to the Aeldari, 1 - 0</i></b><br />
<br />
This was one of those turns that could not have gone better for me. I played correctly and got some hot rolls, but my luck there was off the charts good. The game was mine to lose as of that moment, even with the Lascannons still standing.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Space Wolves Turn 3 -</span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlnTjW_N8LLHRHgY241qzcANpBm7IF4UYXx9J5GQ7Ml29tPLucDT3fZKo99K5ZYlzoV8oItj-8DckIodnGVGn8H4s_gTYxLdlraj6eme11LTwV2y6tw-_87MFG-0O2XoR5Z5cbfmIVLM/s1600/IMG_20170926_193202333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlnTjW_N8LLHRHgY241qzcANpBm7IF4UYXx9J5GQ7Ml29tPLucDT3fZKo99K5ZYlzoV8oItj-8DckIodnGVGn8H4s_gTYxLdlraj6eme11LTwV2y6tw-_87MFG-0O2XoR5Z5cbfmIVLM/s640/IMG_20170926_193202333.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The Wolves were in a tough spot at this point. What was once an intimidating melee line was now Logan teetering on three Wounds. They weren't gone by any means, with ferocious shooting still covering a third of the board, but the majority of their hitting power was gone.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmJynWinzeOj5Ey24hTFItolfcswRD_wGG9GjVzadjhWdhLw1en-GmFdoMh3EDExOqrwzMOaf7OApDyWNOdt24mOqogJtwhJ02Whr-Ug_quFXDoW6w6RI2hxs2hSZAMWZKNFD1XCxILU/s1600/IMG_20170926_194917709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmJynWinzeOj5Ey24hTFItolfcswRD_wGG9GjVzadjhWdhLw1en-GmFdoMh3EDExOqrwzMOaf7OApDyWNOdt24mOqogJtwhJ02Whr-Ug_quFXDoW6w6RI2hxs2hSZAMWZKNFD1XCxILU/s640/IMG_20170926_194917709.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Still, Logan is no slouch, and he came in swinging against my Jetbikes, being the closest obvious threat. I opted for the Autarch no to pile-in, and let one of my Windrider units hold him off as best they could. They were quickly ground to a paste, but in dying they triggered a Soulburst from Eldrad, who pulled off Smite for a single Wound on Logan.<br />
<br />
Backtracking a bit - in shooting, Bjorn put a dent in another Windrider unit (an Assault Cannon hitting on 2+!) and the Predator finally made a dent in my Raider, but still not quite enough to bring it down.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWYGcuiHqHNGoYR32-PtDYdPozVZxmAJzESPjWsHbPW0DRcaH_il_97J13zyLBerry5YIXECdDM_yjnpP8cG2ayBjEbANxp2ZdX714i7aQoEs7ngqDET6fsq5NyFxW1i7gqGKtVwzxAqM/s1600/IMG_20170926_194927362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWYGcuiHqHNGoYR32-PtDYdPozVZxmAJzESPjWsHbPW0DRcaH_il_97J13zyLBerry5YIXECdDM_yjnpP8cG2ayBjEbANxp2ZdX714i7aQoEs7ngqDET6fsq5NyFxW1i7gqGKtVwzxAqM/s640/IMG_20170926_194927362.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Aeldari Turn 3 -</span></b><br />
<br />
It was pretty much a foregone conclusion that poor Logan was going down, but I still put a lot of fire into it, not wanting to leave it up to chance. Eldrad and the Visarch - being the slowest of my hard-hitters - stayed back with the Raider to finish off Logan, while my Wraithlord moved to get closer to the Predator, and what was left of my Jetbikes went to see if I could clean up that back-field a bit.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEsK1S5Qtj-WGZzdF5UG-Ke01wN8yumWQQKApQjIHUfM74bjAK6uOAB-G3DPLGBMGnBYN6G9MwL1eHo9wYXAVI3Tm4YB8EaSxkpXqjk0Oyy-zFm_xao89fBbiH_-Rw2lUFixz2iY7pkzI/s1600/IMG_20170926_200750532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEsK1S5Qtj-WGZzdF5UG-Ke01wN8yumWQQKApQjIHUfM74bjAK6uOAB-G3DPLGBMGnBYN6G9MwL1eHo9wYXAVI3Tm4YB8EaSxkpXqjk0Oyy-zFm_xao89fBbiH_-Rw2lUFixz2iY7pkzI/s640/IMG_20170926_200750532.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
My photos get a bit confusing here, but I'll try to keep track of what happened as best as possible. I also moved my Kabalite Warriors, both units, to hold the Relic, and hope they wouldn't get shot as they were chipped away by the "Curse."<br />
<br />
Some of my bikes made quick work of the remaining Long Fangs, but around here is where I learned some valuable life lessons. High on that list being that Bjorn the Fell Handed is Toughness 9. Now, T9 is whole worlds different than the T7 I'm used to topping out at, or even the extreme edge case of T8. But T9, hoo boy. Even in the "everything dies" edition that is 8th, Toughness 9 is not something I want to tangle with.<br />
<br />
All of those thoughts occurred to me *after* I chose to Charge him with my Autarch. Oops?<br />
<br />
Logan did go down though, I'm sure he'll be back for Christmas!<br />
<br />
<b><i>Slay the Warlord to the Aeldari, 2 - 0</i></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixruec8o0VBo0JAnj0sZn_tSgUQAwu9NzIPIpb4jPbNiXit2wTdoZBU2QKfHPwEnTDDQcHYLkdGjS_B446Eu75T8AAS0AJ4nTNpzETAkw2hZ4zX9ncWS4JEOGbEa8eQlrgtPMbHIuWPrc/s1600/IMG_20170926_200753842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixruec8o0VBo0JAnj0sZn_tSgUQAwu9NzIPIpb4jPbNiXit2wTdoZBU2QKfHPwEnTDDQcHYLkdGjS_B446Eu75T8AAS0AJ4nTNpzETAkw2hZ4zX9ncWS4JEOGbEa8eQlrgtPMbHIuWPrc/s640/IMG_20170926_200753842.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I did a whopping total of 1 Wound to Bjorn with both my Warlock and Autarch in both shooting and CC. In return, he very nearly murked both of them with massive damage, but I rolled smoking hot saves - again. Boy was that lucky!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWe1NIljJAkKj_FsbPm2lvC7eIEFBV1xb4hZJ0dLF5ahkdooRIdSzQ50POdwJA24kGjzNWcwMkSy0Ui-a30tLjWEjEwTOdGmo440ljtjPGTjNL-hnIu0qZG95fsZJY-JU4lhCCn3x44QM/s1600/IMG_20170926_200801364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWe1NIljJAkKj_FsbPm2lvC7eIEFBV1xb4hZJ0dLF5ahkdooRIdSzQ50POdwJA24kGjzNWcwMkSy0Ui-a30tLjWEjEwTOdGmo440ljtjPGTjNL-hnIu0qZG95fsZJY-JU4lhCCn3x44QM/s640/IMG_20170926_200801364.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Let's look at the state of the game here, going into Turn 4. In the above photo, you can see that my Raider has taken some damage, but the Predator decided to start shooting my Wraithlord and is making short work of it. Also the 2+ on the Rune Priest is proving very resilient, on top of Bjorn's ungodly durability.<br />
<br />
While I am in the lead, and by quite a bit here, I'm also uncomfortably aware of how little it would take for even those few units (and some unlucky rolls from me) to turn the tide back against me.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHRLWBNM7U5Hn3T67lIpows1SnC0u17nPTd8KsuLQBy74yj0HKw4B4wlsILHC3h3a04ZjGwLZYFzQsrK2UL9oAXjwoR2TiE0GuIgI7SUlqNwftYAiaUSrrpi-hUtYNvMXC0da8yVHibtY/s1600/IMG_20170926_201126001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHRLWBNM7U5Hn3T67lIpows1SnC0u17nPTd8KsuLQBy74yj0HKw4B4wlsILHC3h3a04ZjGwLZYFzQsrK2UL9oAXjwoR2TiE0GuIgI7SUlqNwftYAiaUSrrpi-hUtYNvMXC0da8yVHibtY/s640/IMG_20170926_201126001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Space Wolves Turn 4 -</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh1gbA3thObEbtKkD-pZSCs25QWg_dDJYDj-bDcBeNe8NvqIt8F2qrssIJmioeHww8upPfDM1AqWwcFGRgVkzIr_J-raCHT1JRhvJ0Zgk8dRpFqjaIB2LdD4wTOriTJp9oPpEZ8Yml7O4/s1600/IMG_20170926_201828893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh1gbA3thObEbtKkD-pZSCs25QWg_dDJYDj-bDcBeNe8NvqIt8F2qrssIJmioeHww8upPfDM1AqWwcFGRgVkzIr_J-raCHT1JRhvJ0Zgk8dRpFqjaIB2LdD4wTOriTJp9oPpEZ8Yml7O4/s640/IMG_20170926_201828893.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
With nearly everything in combat, movement for the Wolves was a non-issue, so he went right to the important stuff: shooting. Here we can see my Wraithlord being quickly whittled down, as I'd expected to be happening from the start, but now that I needed him to, you know, do things he was going to die very quickly.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSpG7p9K3NkCq3IcjN-7TNy0bFZ99bZ9h_LOmsE6X-6PIH7mFWTyuwkqvkpCKymKEI727er3IIxw4VQvTAXvmc1PHD8hNeKBhr8YkfebMUykVvXVNyRbZJ5qUEs0LEoBiBnaixXPlXv8/s1600/IMG_20170926_202038215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSpG7p9K3NkCq3IcjN-7TNy0bFZ99bZ9h_LOmsE6X-6PIH7mFWTyuwkqvkpCKymKEI727er3IIxw4VQvTAXvmc1PHD8hNeKBhr8YkfebMUykVvXVNyRbZJ5qUEs0LEoBiBnaixXPlXv8/s640/IMG_20170926_202038215.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Combat was a nail biter, with my Autarch going down to *one* Wound, and that only barely with a 6+ from Tenacious Survivor after already losing the damage. This was very lucky that he survived at all, and I knew I needed to get him the heck out of there in my turn.<br />
I'd only stayed there as long as I had because I was trying to keep Bjorn from shooting, and that at least worked, although it was at serious cost. Could have been worse though!<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Aeldari Turn 4 -</span></b><br />
<br />
First things first - get that Autarch outta dodge! Here was my tricky move: I zoomed him out of Combat and within 6" of the Predator. Rear armor too, just out of 7th Ed. habit ;)<br />
<br />
Then, I got every single surviving unit in my army ringing the last few Wolves. Well, everyone except my Warriors, who were slowly getting eaten by the cursed Relic. Still, they were doing their job, and they were holding!<br />
<br />
In the Psychic phase, I spammed Smite, with the Warlock doing 1 Wound, the Farseer getting Denied by the Rune Priest, and Eldrad chipping a few Wounds off. The Farseer then succeeded in getting Doom on Bjorn, and Eldrad threw Guide to the nearest Jetbike unit on the tower, just in case.<br />
<br />
Turns out, even Bjorn can't stand up to that kind of firepower, although it was close. He made quite a few saves and I failed a lot of Wounds, even with the re-roll from Doom, but in the end I did get him. My Autarch, who I'd expected to make short work of the Predator, kept rolling 1's for Damage, and in the end did very little, but did make it nervous.<br />
<br />
For good measure, the Visarch Charged the Rune Priest, but quickly found himself outmatched against the Force Axe and 2+/4++. It didn't go too badly, but hardly as decisive as I'd hoped!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16nm5Vd99fCEIxnoibuUrPEJl7hnM3w2sWoPWMho81TNb47M5Iif_eJr0stqthVrajBl9d9XFwmK6Tkb6crxLedRdKUE3cZ_RvBOPKh_C9u-vZnvjoBplv6nQFmFqnqfoQhNp4_kn0gQ/s1600/IMG_20170926_203448845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16nm5Vd99fCEIxnoibuUrPEJl7hnM3w2sWoPWMho81TNb47M5Iif_eJr0stqthVrajBl9d9XFwmK6Tkb6crxLedRdKUE3cZ_RvBOPKh_C9u-vZnvjoBplv6nQFmFqnqfoQhNp4_kn0gQ/s1600/IMG_20170926_203448845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16nm5Vd99fCEIxnoibuUrPEJl7hnM3w2sWoPWMho81TNb47M5Iif_eJr0stqthVrajBl9d9XFwmK6Tkb6crxLedRdKUE3cZ_RvBOPKh_C9u-vZnvjoBplv6nQFmFqnqfoQhNp4_kn0gQ/s640/IMG_20170926_203448845.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Space Wolves Turn 5 -</span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ubK3YNQL3YW3YUARE6DD6qUSroLCbwIy9HB4VP9-DCRe1lpj8aBH51_1eOOlOrH6z5oBvcrVBO47Ld3GPLff4juCkd5IqpicWYCAh9wak4NYqDbo759ihVTRLRl_B4V6SYmnkxdbxe0/s1600/IMG_20170926_203401023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ubK3YNQL3YW3YUARE6DD6qUSroLCbwIy9HB4VP9-DCRe1lpj8aBH51_1eOOlOrH6z5oBvcrVBO47Ld3GPLff4juCkd5IqpicWYCAh9wak4NYqDbo759ihVTRLRl_B4V6SYmnkxdbxe0/s640/IMG_20170926_203401023.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
With only two models left on the table, the Wolves turn was pretty short, and I did get a reprieve because the Predator was hitting on 4+. Still, it was enough to paste my Wraithlord :P<br />
<br />
Combat with the Visarch continued, but neither of us was victorious<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Aeldari Turn 5 - </span></b><br />
<br />
I kept chipping down the Predator, survived the fight with the Rune Priest, and at the end of the day, held the Relic.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIx0yeFUj2UHivK9xKXOlOJ_1lN0fT8aS9a127XyjZlLuPJrlbCRgLUSTAjR-OH0i4amGS-0sed7NLUbQ9uAQQF_f1s-G6ePT5RpSAQUNhmKtUvjQp3ue4T0qSRoG-E4toa4HTdOMY88E/s1600/IMG_20170926_203405453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIx0yeFUj2UHivK9xKXOlOJ_1lN0fT8aS9a127XyjZlLuPJrlbCRgLUSTAjR-OH0i4amGS-0sed7NLUbQ9uAQQF_f1s-G6ePT5RpSAQUNhmKtUvjQp3ue4T0qSRoG-E4toa4HTdOMY88E/s640/IMG_20170926_203405453.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
This mission was all-or nothing, so the Relic was an automatic win. But even without that, I was sitting on Linebreaker and Slay the Warlord against First Blood.<br />
<br />
It was a good game, but I got spectacularly lucky, and literally everything went my way (aside from failing all kinds of Psychic tests). Even in list-building, the Wolves in that list are hard-hitters, for sure, but it was an army made up of most of the most expensive single models in the Index, meaning that I had a massive advantage in bodies on the table. That was hugely in my favor.<br />
<br />
Still, had the Predator not whiffed for the first two turns, had Santa not failed his first Charge, had the Wulfen and the Thunderwolves tied up multiple units in Combat... Heck, even Bjorn having been in front and soaking fire while I tried to kill him first. There were plenty of ways my luck could have run out, and any one of those changes would have made the game far more difficult for me.<br />
<br />
As it was though, everything went my way, and I pulled out my first win in three rounds! Great game, great opponent good to see the Wolves again - although I certainly wish them better luck in for future.</div>
Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-68648074303955222722017-09-08T13:12:00.002-07:002017-09-24T12:40:24.970-07:0040k: 8th Edition League Round 3: Ynnari/Aeldari vs. "Imperium"<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOoy8x5ijAg5s1YBJzYKUsXyLM1MaZW_EPjs4dTsn42RHbs0hTDyH8JCEkyArH8es-59uz8OULkppm88g6b0yJ0UUxo3djuIfff1QVAobBo7VjVQA6CYNshoVVDeNBwAGXEz8JNNDNyM/s1600/IMG_20170905_184625021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOoy8x5ijAg5s1YBJzYKUsXyLM1MaZW_EPjs4dTsn42RHbs0hTDyH8JCEkyArH8es-59uz8OULkppm88g6b0yJ0UUxo3djuIfff1QVAobBo7VjVQA6CYNshoVVDeNBwAGXEz8JNNDNyM/s640/IMG_20170905_184625021.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Hey folks! It's that time again - Round 3!<br />
Please bear with me on this one, while I still have plenty of commentary, I didn't take notes (!) and it was a super-fast game this round, so this will be less detailed than usual. But should be shorter?<br />
<a name='more'></a>The map - Spearhead Assault:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJKgBmplhIXla7hbTZRYkkmThqY5fhv8xq_6bOcKcnw9Mu0cXlqcDGPCmmShrIgFqp1k0OzZMiQk0Q469JfszGlQovUDGrIoZ_uPo4BEdUmPs5GsYONz1U8xjWN2oMGNI1MW_C5bf8rs/s1600/Spearhead+Assault+Deployment+%2528Round+3%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="212" data-original-width="313" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJKgBmplhIXla7hbTZRYkkmThqY5fhv8xq_6bOcKcnw9Mu0cXlqcDGPCmmShrIgFqp1k0OzZMiQk0Q469JfszGlQovUDGrIoZ_uPo4BEdUmPs5GsYONz1U8xjWN2oMGNI1MW_C5bf8rs/s400/Spearhead+Assault+Deployment+%2528Round+3%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The Mission - Secure and Control:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeHPpQ0T6F_db2GYoWz91rlW8Nai1kKy84UH5AUbIFsDJq7jF2URE5gzjanZXIDjQcn-NjwghZWKMpprGnsxz6b2dItdexuTy-291oq9D0S8ZIykLjI1Ndrwotu1ZSCQC1fOULBvKE_o/s1600/Secure+and+Control+Mission+%2528Round+3%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="357" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeHPpQ0T6F_db2GYoWz91rlW8Nai1kKy84UH5AUbIFsDJq7jF2URE5gzjanZXIDjQcn-NjwghZWKMpprGnsxz6b2dItdexuTy-291oq9D0S8ZIykLjI1Ndrwotu1ZSCQC1fOULBvKE_o/s640/Secure+and+Control+Mission+%2528Round+3%2529.JPG" width="410" /></a></div>
<br />
Two Objectives (Home and Away) worth three VP each if held in the final turn. Secondary Objectives are the same, except the mission is Modified so that First Blood can only be claimed on or by a Flyer - THE FLYER MISSION! YES!<br />
<br />
No Kill Points is good for me, and this is finally a chance - both in Points level and Mission - for me to stretch my wings with my revamped Crimson Hunter! I've wanted the model to "work" since it was released, I'm hoping 8th is where that happens. It now has a Save and far more Wounds, and can't be denied shooting from being Stunned or Shaken like in the old Edition. Maybe even more importantly, it now can be deployed at the start of any turn at my call, I don't have to roll for it. That's big!<br />
<br />
But, will it be enough to counter the Stormraven I expect to see across the table?<br />
<br />
Then again, I can also shoot at full BS and Charge a Flyer with any unit that can Fly - Jetbike Autarch, anyone?<br />
<br />
Here's my list:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd1dG2rrwes4OWL52dcKgtj0oj1hZ9pBYoP4QCLy19s9e0h8m3ljGE4P-4zHYIOrkHt2uyXJnjo05kVB1PWwCgZMNq_mP2Oby_T1Lz3E43H4Co4JN34vDmzTx_oIM3yP1NZehZ7rCYqqc/s1600/1250+pt+Ynnari+list.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="843" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd1dG2rrwes4OWL52dcKgtj0oj1hZ9pBYoP4QCLy19s9e0h8m3ljGE4P-4zHYIOrkHt2uyXJnjo05kVB1PWwCgZMNq_mP2Oby_T1Lz3E43H4Co4JN34vDmzTx_oIM3yP1NZehZ7rCYqqc/s640/1250+pt+Ynnari+list.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Note I brought back all the big guns after last game. High-damage, high-Rend guns are just *so* good, they seem to outperform volume of shots every time. The changes from last round are leaving the Raider with the stock Dark Lance (especially since I read the rules that DA Vehicles don't treat them as Heavy), gave the Wraithlord back his Bright Lance, gave the Storm Guardians back their Fusion Guns, gave both Warriors units Blasters, and gave everyone who could take one a Fusion/Blast Pistol. Not to mention the Crimson Hunter's punishing loadout to boot.<br />
The cost of those upgrades still left me with some points to spare, so I changed the single unit of 4 Jetbikes to two units of 3 - more triggers for Strength From Death, more Objective holders, a better screen for my Autarch.<br />
<br />
I'm also going to be doing an experiment this game - I'll be rolling as if my Autarch had Mandiblasters. It won't impact this game, but I want to see if it has more of an impact than the Banshee Mask. The Mask hasn't come into effect even once since I've been running it, because my Autarch is never in combat for more than a round. It's a nice insurance policy, but the Mandiblasters may actually wind up performing better.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<i>Note: In this match, it did nothing. But neither did the Banshee Mask, will test further.</i><br />
<br />
My mysterious "Imperium" opponent revealed himself. I saw a tray full of tanks. I figured, sure! He's running some of those transports, but he just brought his whole collection just in case!<br />
Then I saw the list-<br />
<br />
Chapter Master (Bike, Armor Indomitus, Warlord, "Storm of Fire" trait)<br />
Razorback (TL Heavy Bolter)<br />
Razorback (TL Heavy Bolter)<br />
Razorback (TL Assault Cannon)<br />
Razorback (TL Assault Cannon)<br />
Razorback (TL Assault Cannon)<br />
Venerable Dreadnought (TL Lascannon, Missile Launcher)<br />
Venerable Dreadnought (TL Lascannon, Missile Launcher)<br />
Dreadnought (Assault Cannon, Fist, Flamer)<br />
Whirlwind (Anti-armor)<br />
Whirlwind (Anti-infantry)<br />
<br />
*Salamanders Chapter Tactics, 1 CP (lol...)<br />
<br />
Well... Shit! I know I even wrote an article about how 8th Edition Detachments allow you to field just about any unit combination of units, but this was my first time seeing that in action. I mean, ONE Biker model and zero Infantry in 1250 points?<br />
Not to mention - it's long table. With the changes (esp. making my units faster) to moving and Charging, it's realistically not that far to slog, but just far enough that I'm going to be on the back-foot. Here's Deployment:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEq-52tw1Kde7CoJJ6Q6BF3DbYc9_Vq9VlFO20QNBdh_x42pwnxJZmgMZEJHRfAVysHI7-IChlqNZhuQqmlQTdPi9ucQjtxcM0DDg_4LdKObWXsLvpugyTWkjf9UQbPdklSPkxpinAes/s1600/IMG_20170905_173438217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEq-52tw1Kde7CoJJ6Q6BF3DbYc9_Vq9VlFO20QNBdh_x42pwnxJZmgMZEJHRfAVysHI7-IChlqNZhuQqmlQTdPi9ucQjtxcM0DDg_4LdKObWXsLvpugyTWkjf9UQbPdklSPkxpinAes/s640/IMG_20170905_173438217.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Note the two Objectives, one in each deployment zone. Also note, all those tanks are red :P<br />
First Yellow Raven Guard, now Red Salamanders! Also note that the orange ramp on the upper left-ish had another Dreadnought deployed in it, I snapped this photo too soon.<br />
<br />
I finished deploying first, holding my Crimson Hunter in reserve, and got first turn, and he did not Seize. Or choose to use his one and only Command Point to try again.<br />
<br />
Now, I already made several major mistakes that hurt me badly this game: first, nearly all of my stuff is short to medium ranged and up-close focused. I KNOW I should always deploy on the very, very edge of boards like this. And in this game I should have Advanced everything first turn and eaten the shooting, just to be in a better position turn 2. It also hurt me a lot that we mostly placed terrain as if it wasn't a long-table mission, I didn't even think about Line of Sight blocking during that step (which is blindingly stupid in hindsight :P)<br />
But, this is my first time facing Razorbacks in 8th, and I had no idea how ineffectual my shooting would be early on.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Turn 1: Aeldari</span></b><br />
<br />
Another mistake - I ran my Crimson Hunter off to the side. While it was absolutely the right choice to bring it in turn 1, it was real dumb to not put it close to my Autarch to benefit from those re-rolled 1's.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZXJmDBwA0-Z58j4BmAXr58gQltbL2GDlkP58vF6wCAAHR1zmpbVoR0qpumaI9Dcg760hbzrej66RZhnnz6LfWzqrpGzKOzFgqU2mTLS7EirBpvlqOuuCmOpva2SqEB04Y3oyR1z6gao/s1600/IMG_20170905_175133090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZXJmDBwA0-Z58j4BmAXr58gQltbL2GDlkP58vF6wCAAHR1zmpbVoR0qpumaI9Dcg760hbzrej66RZhnnz6LfWzqrpGzKOzFgqU2mTLS7EirBpvlqOuuCmOpva2SqEB04Y3oyR1z6gao/s640/IMG_20170905_175133090.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
But, in my Turn 1 I moved everything up, shot all of my longer-ranged weapons, and Advanced with my Infantry on the right. I got up the board at a good clip, but I was still barely in range with most weapons. In the Psychic Phase, I Guided and Fortuned my Wraithknight, hoping to get some use out of that Bright Lance.<br />
<br />
I split all of my shooting between the double-Assault Cannon Razorback (center) and the nearest one behind the wall (because that's the one I wanted to be shooting at first, with the 2+ :P)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglVxFCWYUKqtEFSpYeifrzokhio4s3YV99USrN9XF_WpF92lTGGIyO8_40SCte0xU5btvjc_nKTczqqx4O9e-ri_7KB8HciayC2Xw0p9-VknQMlDmRGZIJyCYuQGmUvCVG3J-uaXUOMkQ/s1600/IMG_20170905_175142814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglVxFCWYUKqtEFSpYeifrzokhio4s3YV99USrN9XF_WpF92lTGGIyO8_40SCte0xU5btvjc_nKTczqqx4O9e-ri_7KB8HciayC2Xw0p9-VknQMlDmRGZIJyCYuQGmUvCVG3J-uaXUOMkQ/s640/IMG_20170905_175142814.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
I brought the double-cannon one down to 2 HP, which was pretty good, but I had *atrocious* rolls. A Crimson Hunter's loadout should be enough, with decent rolls, to take out a Razorback in a single round of shooting. I did not have good rolls, missing half of my shots and failing to Would with one of the Pulse Laser hits. Then rolling 2's for damage. The Dark Lance on the Raider and Bright Lance on the Wraithlord plinked off some of the last, barely failing to drop that one, while the Jetbikes shaved a few HP off of the one in cover.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Turn 1: Marines</span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zgOiObFJMzvK2uMAt5idVOS2TBrHnBGGx_4JzYMAqkpMvWuNlTPOd8Kygl62UDXGpGM85MU3mQRxOMXKZB-960M7HDD6MnmNvLRamC9aQoltYFHCyS0biv1KW9DUketgYbeHMwanTHo/s1600/IMG_20170905_181304996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zgOiObFJMzvK2uMAt5idVOS2TBrHnBGGx_4JzYMAqkpMvWuNlTPOd8Kygl62UDXGpGM85MU3mQRxOMXKZB-960M7HDD6MnmNvLRamC9aQoltYFHCyS0biv1KW9DUketgYbeHMwanTHo/s640/IMG_20170905_181304996.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Return fire was predictably brutal, with the above being my casualties from Imperium Turn 1. Losing the Infantry was expected facing that many heavy-shot guns, but losing that many Jetbikes was bad. I couldn't roll saves at all!<br />
<br />
Losing the full 3-man unit granted Imperium First Blood (since they Fly), and gave me the option to Soulburst, which I used to shoot with the surviving unit of Jetbikes, because my other option was to Advance my Autarch and have him be hanging by himself for a turn.<br />
<br />
I also got to see those Lascannons in full fury, with the Dreadnoughts putting out 2 Lascannon and 1 Krak Missile shot each, and re-rolling 1 to-hit and 1 to-Wound every turn thanks to Salamander's Chapter Tactics. That came up every. Single. Time they fired, netting a truly massive increase in damage output. The rest of those units were also re-rolling to-hit because they were within the Chapter Master's bubble, and he had the Storm of Fire Warlord Trait, meaning any to-hit (or was it Wound?) roll of a 6+ was at one better Rend (Rend -1 becomes Rend -2, etc)<br />
<br />
Aside from the casualties above, he also tagged my Crimson Hunter for a full 10 HP, leaving it with 2 (!) and significantly de-clawed. Crap.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Turn 2: Aeldari</span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUgdvAhL-NGQ7_QvZYCJVl2Tfbi2aVDQ99kXXtsuLUQmndRpQoWBhq8Ch9y0Thtt2vScozFmwsP1N__fdWqYPTJzUMfcW5IUjxTQWbsBUsFs67DJW30ylPDPo5Y0fSSl1Pq13tsnsKIbA/s1600/IMG_20170905_182634093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUgdvAhL-NGQ7_QvZYCJVl2Tfbi2aVDQ99kXXtsuLUQmndRpQoWBhq8Ch9y0Thtt2vScozFmwsP1N__fdWqYPTJzUMfcW5IUjxTQWbsBUsFs67DJW30ylPDPo5Y0fSSl1Pq13tsnsKIbA/s640/IMG_20170905_182634093.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
In my Turn 2, I again came up fast, Advancing what was left of my Infantry (after losing two Storm Guardians to a Morale check), and fired again. This time I'd Guided my Crimson Hunter and was able to cast Smite on the in-cover Razorback, as well as Fortune on my Wraithlord. With Smite, I was super proud to have rolled 10+ for the D6 damage, and rolled a 2. I was so grumpy at my dice at this point that I Command Re-rolled my D6 and got a 3. SMDH - worth it!<br />
<br />
In the picture above, you can just barely see my Jetbikes and Autarch behind the Hunter. My Autarch shot at the Dreadnought, doing respectable damage, while the Hunter, damaged as it was, was able to finish off the 2 HP Razorback - barely. And it didn't Explode, sadly.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Turn 2: Marines</span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6mD9uH2HZwWs9zzZBCZi8NdIFE-jK4rqrOcyhDsLtTkOMeEElbEzJhqIQz3R4Hdo6zpbMfR5ZbuVen4P1UIyeRFD4yBbctEbR2tWZ4z-fddipYbd8IOPE1XWU6faFJWPjGKvY7SEijhg/s1600/IMG_20170905_183213434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6mD9uH2HZwWs9zzZBCZi8NdIFE-jK4rqrOcyhDsLtTkOMeEElbEzJhqIQz3R4Hdo6zpbMfR5ZbuVen4P1UIyeRFD4yBbctEbR2tWZ4z-fddipYbd8IOPE1XWU6faFJWPjGKvY7SEijhg/s640/IMG_20170905_183213434.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
In the Imperium's Turn 2, the Dreadnought here jumped down, and shot at the Jetbikes, along with some other units, trying to clear them so heavier guns could shoot the Autarch. The Crimson Hunter was easily taken down by a Whirlwind, but didn't Explode (whew!)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_bp-uAxKczECQRdTdS_zdUnsBv50BzUeNuFtbYdXUIxFpjf8IuEyL3mvOgf7y-97__aDmx2xVYA_gkWrpX2EIap6sNhOvuorrWAhgnaeBl3nNqgJgr1XpptDq-KWHdjPcIoHMGGc4Dw/s1600/IMG_20170905_183610943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_bp-uAxKczECQRdTdS_zdUnsBv50BzUeNuFtbYdXUIxFpjf8IuEyL3mvOgf7y-97__aDmx2xVYA_gkWrpX2EIap6sNhOvuorrWAhgnaeBl3nNqgJgr1XpptDq-KWHdjPcIoHMGGc4Dw/s640/IMG_20170905_183610943.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
He also cleared my Raider, with that increased Rend and re-rolls to-hit making an enormous difference in damage output! The resulting explosion killed two of the Warriors embarked in it - yikes.<br />
<br />
On the plus side, the Soulburst from losing the Jetbikes allowed me to shoot the Dreadnought with the Autarch again, bringing it to dangerously low health. And the Soulburst from losing the Raider let Eldrad polish off the other damaged Razorback with a lucky Smite!<br />
<br />
Shortly after this, he easily finished off both Infantry units, leaving my Visarch to Soulburst away. Here, I would have preferred to Advance forward, but where he was at the time, the two surviving Jetbikes were still just a tiny bit closer to units that hadn't fired, so I opted to leave him further back to save from some of the shooting coming his way.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSAQP0HJxgkuZbR0HTClU5Jg6RS0KOcAg5I0-50mCMRGyBZWyiDirPkpaA3-I1_qkodB_T7WbIVpUBlQS-pUjcsORP2wxKSKItKQxd7Jw1ErohXXo2VxI22N7hznexV3tyBvTQZJKICA/s1600/IMG_20170905_185337890.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSAQP0HJxgkuZbR0HTClU5Jg6RS0KOcAg5I0-50mCMRGyBZWyiDirPkpaA3-I1_qkodB_T7WbIVpUBlQS-pUjcsORP2wxKSKItKQxd7Jw1ErohXXo2VxI22N7hznexV3tyBvTQZJKICA/s640/IMG_20170905_185337890.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
Then, the Dreadnought Charged (!) and used it's S... 13? Power Fist to really punish my Autarch. I got lucky here in that he failed a couple hits, but landing for 3 Damage each, I still took too many hits. I got SUPER lucky making all but 1 4++ Invul save, but since that one Wound going through would do 3 Damage (half of the Autarch's health), I opted to CP re-roll it - and passed! WOO!<br />
<br />
I want to point out that this is my final CP re-roll of the 6 I started with, and at the bottom of TURN 2 - I'd been rolling so badly that I had to use them, and still was getting awful rolls, with this one exception :P<br />
<br />
But, here's the kicker. In return Combat, my Autarch finished off the Dreadnought, and the #$%@ing thing Exploded! For THREE Mortal Wounds! Had I not re-rolled that one save, that would have outright killed my Autarch! Hence why I took that photo above, and why I kept it even though it's blurry as crap.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFlxz56aEuquielT4Z_r7mr5pRraMOJJ1zYbY7jd-SDoUjuY46em4VncEArSF-v2JD8roOYW-030OxkD9_Qt_t_Vnkm5fprj7uctZg7bcrvgMIueKQYTzsdXgzyaYeMpyMLEsk0D0Ibs/s1600/IMG_20170905_185331866.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFlxz56aEuquielT4Z_r7mr5pRraMOJJ1zYbY7jd-SDoUjuY46em4VncEArSF-v2JD8roOYW-030OxkD9_Qt_t_Vnkm5fprj7uctZg7bcrvgMIueKQYTzsdXgzyaYeMpyMLEsk0D0Ibs/s640/IMG_20170905_185331866.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Top of 3, my turn with my much-reduced army. I still have my Autarch, mostly, an undamaged Wraithlord, Eldrad and the Visarch. It's not much, but it's something. And, barring the Crimson Hunter, it's all my toughest and hardest-hitting units still standing. So there's hope?<br />
<br />
On the downside though, all I've taken out are three Razorbacks and a Dreadnought, there's plenty more where that came from. And I'm quickly losing the battle of attrition. What's worse, I can't even fall back on my home Objective because it's smack in the middle of a killing field (oops).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7aQkK2qrsPcyPohVmRn7VpjxSy6qSfba3gPKQubjNb4YRot3ACPgKqS7NaxjqWzVLHCSBmmMq37pF5uu0qP0Ipql-PlVz2H2oVmehSz2Xl9bjEuuf9WDsXuH0xFUS6GRHEnL1XId6M1I/s1600/IMG_20170905_185343603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7aQkK2qrsPcyPohVmRn7VpjxSy6qSfba3gPKQubjNb4YRot3ACPgKqS7NaxjqWzVLHCSBmmMq37pF5uu0qP0Ipql-PlVz2H2oVmehSz2Xl9bjEuuf9WDsXuH0xFUS6GRHEnL1XId6M1I/s640/IMG_20170905_185343603.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
My only option is to play very aggressive, which I'm perfectly happy to do. But will it be enough?<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Turn 3: Aeldari</span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVuv6I4bs44kJas1abPQFqHpuXCJ6Odmcv1Ho4B7Q7Cid7BE3xSri_dolPVHZj1xswdzu_zBSz0mYqgfSeix7kd4BCq74d2N6u0FWVdJak0_MRr_lknI-chTq-A1i-lMGsVlkatgax2Y/s1600/IMG_20170905_190330192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVuv6I4bs44kJas1abPQFqHpuXCJ6Odmcv1Ho4B7Q7Cid7BE3xSri_dolPVHZj1xswdzu_zBSz0mYqgfSeix7kd4BCq74d2N6u0FWVdJak0_MRr_lknI-chTq-A1i-lMGsVlkatgax2Y/s640/IMG_20170905_190330192.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
This shot perfectly sums up my positioning all game - just a little too far back, just a little too late. Not going fast enough on that first turn killed me, because I needed to be making my Charges and firing, with without Advancing, I was juuuuuust out of position. When I first moved my Autarch to shoot the first Dreadnought, he was 2" out of Melta range AND out of range to shoot with the Laser Lance. Same situation here, so I missed out on two turns where that critical 2d6 Damage and whole extra shooting attack might have turned the tide, just a little.<br />
<br />
Then, to make matters worse, I failed Fortune AND Doom, and *barely* pulled off Smite with exactly a 5, and dealt a whopping 1 Wound to the nearest Razorback. Goddammit.<br />
In shooting, the Wraithlord whiffed, the Autarch did very little damage.<br />
<br />
Last, but not least, I failed the Charge with my Autarch, meaning he's just there with his wounded butt hanging out and a still-quite-potent wall of guns in his face. On the other hand, my Visarch did make the Charge, but largely failed to Wound (dangit, Doom...) leaving me in an arguably worse position than before.<br />
<br />
I'd been getting really bad rolls all game, but this was the turn where it really felt like it. Holy hell.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZK8V-QtxXzsXWCHJ1T7tje9BhKsKBrGmrUnzkhE_TIwg-mCrdrv9U5QK2ZFsNlZUlLeKPpBu3dcZ2ciamb1qTkYp270wK3-LH2_GnsSmlKmgxghwHlytVirXXQhTXFuN4EV5SOrmmL9U/s1600/IMG_20170905_190626882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZK8V-QtxXzsXWCHJ1T7tje9BhKsKBrGmrUnzkhE_TIwg-mCrdrv9U5QK2ZFsNlZUlLeKPpBu3dcZ2ciamb1qTkYp270wK3-LH2_GnsSmlKmgxghwHlytVirXXQhTXFuN4EV5SOrmmL9U/s640/IMG_20170905_190626882.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Turn 3: Marines</span></b><br />
<br />
In the Marines turn, the one saving grace was that the Razorback the Visarch was engaged with had to Retreat, so it wouldn't be shooting. That was good, but I should have been able to knock two of them out of shooting with the Autarch's Charge.<br />
<br />
In shooting, the Visarch tanked nobly, but went down in the first volley from the anti-infantry Whirlwind. That left other shooting to neatly polish off the Autarch, and a single Dreadnought nailed the Wraithlord for EIGHT damage (!)<br />
Only Eldrad was spared. And now I'm going in to Turn 4 with nothing but a mostly-dead Wraithlord and Eldrad. Balls.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Turn 4: Aeldari</span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGdR4BLZNdyxHGS-KCvdUcqM0wFNDhsAmJ_Y4D0gMbD91lj_9j2mBIDNJogjUfTLJPXIVyqUL-8gsAJNmpzgo9dwCiSpNvVd-l6-Mkl9pfSTejkTz9KO366hG_kIWQpUjOXbuXUwt6W0/s1600/IMG_20170905_191843596_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGdR4BLZNdyxHGS-KCvdUcqM0wFNDhsAmJ_Y4D0gMbD91lj_9j2mBIDNJogjUfTLJPXIVyqUL-8gsAJNmpzgo9dwCiSpNvVd-l6-Mkl9pfSTejkTz9KO366hG_kIWQpUjOXbuXUwt6W0/s640/IMG_20170905_191843596_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I hit the Wraithlord with Fortune - or tried, before failing again. And then got but one more lowly Wound with Smite, and failed Doom. Theme, much? Keep in mind, these Psychic Phases include Eldrad's mighty once-per-phase re-roll of 1 or both dice. Harrumph.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQfDA9HMafsupaeiR3Bv9IU7mCCgIs3IS4xEj7a9uqUtK4h2C3Wb8ePfxiuqzqMby8MFnjv7sQ4Z-3Gzgk_fk7_NXZTForOT8AkiLKrvxZI_rpW6ofKvDo4bMQaM0Fu8kydEsiGZ5eKY/s1600/IMG_20170905_192144627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQfDA9HMafsupaeiR3Bv9IU7mCCgIs3IS4xEj7a9uqUtK4h2C3Wb8ePfxiuqzqMby8MFnjv7sQ4Z-3Gzgk_fk7_NXZTForOT8AkiLKrvxZI_rpW6ofKvDo4bMQaM0Fu8kydEsiGZ5eKY/s640/IMG_20170905_192144627.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I Charged, this time mercifully making the Charge with all that was left of my battered army, and actually did a significant amount of damage, with Eldrad's weapon doing the lion's share, while the Wraithlord hitting on 5+ fell a bit short. But still, it wasn't enough to bring it down.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2Yuut0sUO6MlHIymBFvD6CVbo17iEIZ_i4kX7Fto9NvDyHhuDeD_jwc0UejOHQ6gT5LAthYRQUB_slOAR9oYVK0KwSbWujHWPYEW5KlFlQThMH8d7K437sxwJFhyphenhyphenlbwAaSh32QO7asw/s1600/IMG_20170905_192257941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2Yuut0sUO6MlHIymBFvD6CVbo17iEIZ_i4kX7Fto9NvDyHhuDeD_jwc0UejOHQ6gT5LAthYRQUB_slOAR9oYVK0KwSbWujHWPYEW5KlFlQThMH8d7K437sxwJFhyphenhyphenlbwAaSh32QO7asw/s640/IMG_20170905_192257941.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Turn 4: Marines</span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
This is my final shot of the game - predictably the Marines were easily able to polish off my forces, with so much firepower still left on the table. Even the last Assault Cannon Razorback did some damage, hitting on 5+ after taking that much damage.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Final score:</i></b> Eldar 0, "Salamanders" 5, having gotten First Blood, Slay the Warlord, and the 3 pt Objective they'd held all game. Huff!<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Closing thoughts</u>-</span></b><br />
<br />
Holy Magnus' flaming ballsack was that BRUTAL!<br />
8th Edition is all about synergy - I have some in my army with the Autarch and Soulburst, and it's potent, but this was the first time I'd seen a list build with this dramatic a single-minded purpose. The Salamander's Chapter Tactic on those Dreadnoughts came up *every single turn,* much to my detriment. And the Chapter Master's re-roll bubble on that many guns was nuts. The gravy that was Storm of Fire played a role as well, removing more than a few of my saves with "weaker" guns.<br />
<br />
The Mission also played well to this. The narrow Deployment Zones allowed that boxy deathbox to have clear shots to all the important places, while easily staying within the Chapter Master's aura. Our choice of terrain also fed right into those tactics, I really don't know what I was thinking.<br />
<br />
But let's talk about some other things - who the HELL thought TL Assault Cannons needed to be Heavy TWELVE?! Especially while rocking Rend -1? What were you thinking, mysterious far-off stranger! Didn't AC's use to be Heavy 4? Or am I mis-remembering that? Heavy 8 would be bad enough, but freaking TWELVE?<br />
And Salamander's Chapter Tactics are incredible, especially on Dreadnoughts, but just in general really. While most of the vehicles in this army didn't benefit, the Dreadnoughts sure did - and a flat re-roll to hit and to-Wound on that kind of heavy ranged firepower is ludicrously good. Seriously, every single volley a failed Hit and a failed Wound were turned into successes. It was enough of an uphill fight without that, but that really did me in. It didn't help that he kept rolling 6's for Damage - but hey, dice game :)<br />
<br />
As for my army... You know, it's not a stellar list, missing most Transports and long-range, but I did have the tools to take on an enemy list like that. Had I gotten right up in his grill a turn, or even two turns, before I did, it could easily have been a different story. But I didn't.<br />
There are a dozen what-ifs in this one, but the long and short of it is that I felt like a *could* have won, and what actually happened is the absolute worst the game could have gone for me. And even with that, I face a hard-counter, long-table, where I'd screwed up Terrain, Deployment, and the first turn, and I still took it down to half-strength. Even if that took everything I had.<br />
<br />
This was a very brutal, very quick game against a brand-new opponent who I enjoyed meeting and playing. I just brought a big pack of coyotes against a guy who'd come loaded for multiple armies of bears, which is my fault.<br />
I'll chock this one up as my kharmic retribution for last League I played, where we played almost this same mission but I brought 800 points of Dark Reapers against Harlequins. Ouch. I still feel bad about that one, Schneider!<br />
<br />
Ah well, I'll get my head in the game for the next round!Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-10906389645261373682017-08-30T21:47:00.002-07:002017-08-30T21:52:48.128-07:0040k: 8th Edition League Round 2: Ynnari/Aeldari vs. ORKS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcH5AyKF3VLEzMW1WW035OQc_mXSlw_IGNU5L8BohPxsuih8k21x2rEv7ARVuP1FCyxbfZAeDS482ytSRaMQm1Rrfb3pjkCr3pXfURaNUXxcxkwQsiX6XJ0ys4hA9cYT8v4RneJjaHL44/s1600/IMG_20170828_145433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1183" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcH5AyKF3VLEzMW1WW035OQc_mXSlw_IGNU5L8BohPxsuih8k21x2rEv7ARVuP1FCyxbfZAeDS482ytSRaMQm1Rrfb3pjkCr3pXfURaNUXxcxkwQsiX6XJ0ys4hA9cYT8v4RneJjaHL44/s640/IMG_20170828_145433.jpg" width="472" /></a></div>
<br />
Hoo, boy! With the climactic clash that was Round 1, it's time for Round 2 - this time, I faced the Green Menace, the terrible chaos of the Orks!<br />
<a name='more'></a>Round 2 - 1000 points<br />
4'x4' table<br />
Deployment: Dawn of War<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT33lWgIRQRKfg3VC0fHLxKkRrKBSkKR0hyphenhypheniA-c-IvTLcg3bT5jmFm9CHmdDfUzPGM4R84ds_0vvef65QdKf3JoTa965Zs-jmhj97tprAUQ8N4KMYASlBnQOwMEwxXIoN8PpQyw6nBIfA/s1600/Dawn+of+War+Deployment+%2528Round+2%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="169" data-original-width="238" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT33lWgIRQRKfg3VC0fHLxKkRrKBSkKR0hyphenhypheniA-c-IvTLcg3bT5jmFm9CHmdDfUzPGM4R84ds_0vvef65QdKf3JoTa965Zs-jmhj97tprAUQ8N4KMYASlBnQOwMEwxXIoN8PpQyw6nBIfA/s400/Dawn+of+War+Deployment+%2528Round+2%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Mission: Retrieval<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDdDQZP8CH4Z0miKEoNQiSgbeBJieqTasKLGjAi0l9ltVYe8Elq3bGy2OGvQrAq080GPpsCEI-X2OeRm9o7tHgdUUHFQyBZ94Fn8gksm0KQvqbW3GjdiwwEiY9F0DfGomz3WuIQ4H_Vg/s1600/Retrieval+Mission+%2528Round+2%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="411" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDdDQZP8CH4Z0miKEoNQiSgbeBJieqTasKLGjAi0l9ltVYe8Elq3bGy2OGvQrAq080GPpsCEI-X2OeRm9o7tHgdUUHFQyBZ94Fn8gksm0KQvqbW3GjdiwwEiY9F0DfGomz3WuIQ4H_Vg/s640/Retrieval+Mission+%2528Round+2%2529.JPG" width="450" /></a></div>
<br />
Modified: First Blood is only awarded for first Non-Troops unit destroyed<br />
<br />
Four Objectives, worth 3 points each at the end of the game, held by the player with the most models within 3" of one.<br />
<br />
...Against ORKS? Balls. I'd better kill a whole lot of them, real fast!<br />
Then again, this is 8th edition. These are the new Orks. Do they even play the same? I'd better load up on Flamers just in case.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIovJM7PA6HIvmxqP_64LeiE_-l1zB_bUuV2TenpnlMZv-6phRsyV3jSvgbkFGOo2EhUe-ROstGyBX2r8aUXAVUZTH187QHvCZ7VvAQEL7r-mE_MXuakGcqKv71l6oCavUXkzND845Wc/s1600/IMG_20170828_114748737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIovJM7PA6HIvmxqP_64LeiE_-l1zB_bUuV2TenpnlMZv-6phRsyV3jSvgbkFGOo2EhUe-ROstGyBX2r8aUXAVUZTH187QHvCZ7VvAQEL7r-mE_MXuakGcqKv71l6oCavUXkzND845Wc/s640/IMG_20170828_114748737.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I made some tweaks here, with another 250 points this round, I dropped the Wraithlord's guns down to one Shuriken Cannon, swapped the Guardians' Meltas for Flamers. All told I wound up with the points to add in four Windrider Jetbikes with Shuriken Cannons, Eldrad, and bring back my Disintegrator Cannon.<br />
<br />
While Orks are a new wrinkle, I've faced my opponent before. Last time he commanded AdMech against my Seer Council, and it wasn't pretty. However, it was a great game, and my Striking Scorpions brought down a unit of Ruststalkers AND a Dunecrawler. No small feat! So I went into this optimistic and ready to have fun :)<br />
<br />
I wasn't disappointed! I was, however, caught unprepared. Turns out, Ork Walkers are all the rage in 8th! Here's the list:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><u>Ork Spearhead Detachment</u></b></div>
Big Mek (Warlord, Choppa, Kustom Force Field)<br />
Weirdboy<br />
30x Ork Boyz (Nob)<br />
1x Deff Dread<br />
3x Killa Kanz<br />
Gorkanaut (or Mork? The shooty one - Gork!)<br />
<br />
Armor?! And I swapped out all my Meltaguns!<br />
<br />
The Orks won the roll off the pick Table Sides, so I placed the first Objective. It was a Goff banner, and in honor of the Orks, I slapped that sucker dead-center of the board!<br />
Orks finished deployment first, and I failed to seize. Ach, nein!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQbelqcgmugBSZ66b33Lakx5hW9MCjEXZjM8cqR1d23X9ulXu0MS4ku8aL1VxGgGAFwz0cBrJAbjFQnE5vjIE5cbk2dKgsv9U7nU8RhBfZiPqNh1CVscOe24nuyj1qGQuLdCy8Bh9LlMM/s1600/IMG_20170828_175058933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQbelqcgmugBSZ66b33Lakx5hW9MCjEXZjM8cqR1d23X9ulXu0MS4ku8aL1VxGgGAFwz0cBrJAbjFQnE5vjIE5cbk2dKgsv9U7nU8RhBfZiPqNh1CVscOe24nuyj1qGQuLdCy8Bh9LlMM/s640/IMG_20170828_175058933.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Note the Objective placement - I placed the center one, and the one in the upper left. The Orks placed the two on either side of my army. But, before Deployment, he'd opted for the other table side. Which was gentlemanly, but also very much in the spirit of playing "Orky." That is, not wanting to leave anything in his Deployment Zone!<br />
<br />
A nastier opponent would have stuck one right behind the big rock in the upper right corner and sat a throwaway unit on it. Don't be that guy :P be like these Orks!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b><u>Turn 1</u> </b></span><span style="font-size: large;">(Aeldar - 0, Orks - 0)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjumbMURJOlAbhdOqCTKF33f7ytK7JCZ7cUK6LbF5ilQCCWnWKxxshdd9duKK93CRrtF_kFVROzBDcy9uxQniL6jTnxVBsgoDTOtb_2qzbXgN_kfEnPqrpaFjjfnb9Q1p-5ADWGo1_3La8/s1600/IMG_20170828_175107584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjumbMURJOlAbhdOqCTKF33f7ytK7JCZ7cUK6LbF5ilQCCWnWKxxshdd9duKK93CRrtF_kFVROzBDcy9uxQniL6jTnxVBsgoDTOtb_2qzbXgN_kfEnPqrpaFjjfnb9Q1p-5ADWGo1_3La8/s640/IMG_20170828_175107584.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The Orks moved up across the board, with the Deff Dread choosing to Advance. But the big move was the Weirdboy using DA JUMP to fling 30 Boyz clear across the table!<br />
<br />
The idea was that he thought my Wraithlord was the biggest threat to his Walkers. The one he could poach off the edge of my army at least. Both true - he could get to it since it was exposed, and it was swinging at S9 with Rend -4 and D6 Damage per attack. He was banking on being able to kill it in one turn. And with 30 Boyz, plus the army's shooting? I bet he can!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljbFLhAvLOFTGUG3A3HuQg3u7EjWwt83-EmwIZuwyiYIllQ0D3Wrf-d2f2bMKeud-aCRUrciHBHHmPvC6iek3wAp6CEibm45QCPirPC5ay5S-4xGWjIZgVB_FpSpOYsBh9HETs4mWmpA/s1600/IMG_20170828_175859205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljbFLhAvLOFTGUG3A3HuQg3u7EjWwt83-EmwIZuwyiYIllQ0D3Wrf-d2f2bMKeud-aCRUrciHBHHmPvC6iek3wAp6CEibm45QCPirPC5ay5S-4xGWjIZgVB_FpSpOYsBh9HETs4mWmpA/s640/IMG_20170828_175859205.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Yikes, that sure is intimidating...<br />
And true to Orky form, they used 'Ere We Go to make the charge with little trouble-<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFjLpgy6XklB8HugdKvgAxqT9IQ3fcpDYz9xNlnllA8rk3QswpiNt1yYlRP-1un6ZDplpQdRWAloIlg1VFE8v2dNId2akCds29i7sDSRMMWx5XUb_f_uOAQs68actnVlArSVl93S7yokE/s1600/IMG_20170828_180913703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFjLpgy6XklB8HugdKvgAxqT9IQ3fcpDYz9xNlnllA8rk3QswpiNt1yYlRP-1un6ZDplpQdRWAloIlg1VFE8v2dNId2akCds29i7sDSRMMWx5XUb_f_uOAQs68actnVlArSVl93S7yokE/s640/IMG_20170828_180913703.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I got lucky - surviving the over 60 dice thrown at me! Turns out the Wraithlord is no slouch. Between shooting and the Assault, he did take some damage, going down to 5 Wounds (half strength), even with a Command Re-roll (how dare you fail again, re-roll!)<br />
<br />
There was a learning moment here. During Overwatch, I fired my Shuriken Cannon, but missed, but the big lesson was that my Flamers have 8" range, and he was Charging from beyond 9", so my Flamers didn't get to fire Overwatch. That's a big change from 7th where "Wall of Death" let you always Overwatch with Template weapons.<br />
<br />
Now it's my turn!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3a88BlEdFSiY_-pMuTqEyRzpz7brD32HNFK-Osgpg-bM-2wGevHKBlJvelrwfq2paQIsKNtWf0MZVgmyalb_LsUsMBo_9xHLP9hM_RqB89La5DqOJbWnVRVQstzAmJUdrX9DR3M6DEpQ/s1600/IMG_20170828_183830097_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3a88BlEdFSiY_-pMuTqEyRzpz7brD32HNFK-Osgpg-bM-2wGevHKBlJvelrwfq2paQIsKNtWf0MZVgmyalb_LsUsMBo_9xHLP9hM_RqB89La5DqOJbWnVRVQstzAmJUdrX9DR3M6DEpQ/s640/IMG_20170828_183830097_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Now I knew I had to clear out those Boyz ASAP, or the Walkers would be right on me before I could act - but also the Boyz alone could clear my lines if I left them, so I played aggressive.<br />
<br />
The Visarch disembarked, moving to Assault range, while my Autarch and Windriders pulled out of the way, and the Wraithlord retreated. The Wraithlord sacrificed any chance to swing again, and still couldn't shoot, but I figured he was in the most danger of not making it to the next turn - but more importantly, I wanted to shoot the Boyz, so he had to break out of combat.<br />
<br />
This was Eldrad's time to shine, popping off Doom on the Boyz which allowed* him to fire off Smite on 10+, for D6 Mortal Wounds - netting three.<br />
<i>*Eldrad gets a +1 to cast a Psychic Power once per turn after passing a Psychic Test</i><br />
<br />
Then my entire army laid into those Boyz!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSUpDIgVRxf7lf8q4Kq0USwO2J8eE52tsUWPzFWyY7HTGbitcQnHlgG45LbdCtIfiXbKCz2Nt1-pQsKWfpXC8d3n4eJPNjH0FDWafN7GUvHTIv2KVcYZZ4l_bGjXlj9mtgBxUkGKarKY/s1600/IMG_20170828_183836571.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSUpDIgVRxf7lf8q4Kq0USwO2J8eE52tsUWPzFWyY7HTGbitcQnHlgG45LbdCtIfiXbKCz2Nt1-pQsKWfpXC8d3n4eJPNjH0FDWafN7GUvHTIv2KVcYZZ4l_bGjXlj9mtgBxUkGKarKY/s640/IMG_20170828_183836571.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Now you see them, now you don't. Turns out, Doom is real good! It took all of my shooting, and both the Visarch and Autarch charged in, but I wiped 30 Boyz in one turn!<br />
In all seriousness though, I can brag and be all excited, but it was close. Really close. It took every single shot I had, AND both of my beatstick Characters Charging. Even then, the Nob went down to the very last attack, and had I not had Doom up there's no way I could have done it. Before that moment, I'd thought Eldrad may have been a bad choice, but he made up his points right there.<br />
<br />
The resulting Soulburst had me repositioning my faster units to brace for the 'Naut, and taking some ineffectual pot-shots with my infantry.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="text-decoration-line: underline;">Turn 2</b> (Aeldar - 0, Orks - 0)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihq98VxB53dUK_FKGDYJkTPvodYx12A2AXic2YgiwRHrDfyulj3ESJJs646Xcsp53KuvdenBIAbSEIipsjJkMEUu06_w8dAhRCLiF0W5O0SLMY1phoLJGnJBV-nqJzR5LsTsD_P9TgysU/s1600/IMG_20170828_183851913_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihq98VxB53dUK_FKGDYJkTPvodYx12A2AXic2YgiwRHrDfyulj3ESJJs646Xcsp53KuvdenBIAbSEIipsjJkMEUu06_w8dAhRCLiF0W5O0SLMY1phoLJGnJBV-nqJzR5LsTsD_P9TgysU/s640/IMG_20170828_183851913_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Woo! So, I felt pretty good after taking out the Boyz, and better after the Orks shooting proved as harmful as very loud rain.<br />
<br />
That feeling evaporated VERY quickly when a rampaging Gorkanaut crashed into my lines...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcw5UjlImHfBZepx2xmZHWYNRJc4KB0YVumiga-L5XeOxzuM5AA_baCbCW3YhobzeAaykIKG4ZyPXQIHH3nyFFax7cGaRVd0JogvKjZliFKKMRHDZUyajS_EIJ2I7w-AX4bqtJsEIV7Kw/s1600/IMG_20170828_185047603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcw5UjlImHfBZepx2xmZHWYNRJc4KB0YVumiga-L5XeOxzuM5AA_baCbCW3YhobzeAaykIKG4ZyPXQIHH3nyFFax7cGaRVd0JogvKjZliFKKMRHDZUyajS_EIJ2I7w-AX4bqtJsEIV7Kw/s640/IMG_20170828_185047603.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Huff! He multi-assaulted my Windriders and the Visarch, and I risked using Heroic Intervention to pile-in and take some swings with the Autarch. Since he wasn't Charging, he would only be S3, but it would be attacks before I otherwise could have. Plus, he can Fly, so he can Retreat and still shoot normally. Although, I hadn't thought about the fact that a unit that Retreats can't Charge again in the same turn. Uh-oh.<br />
He split his attacks evenly between Windriders and the Visarch, and quickly showed just how gnarly that monster is! Killing the bikes gave the Orks <b>First Blood</b>, and killing the Visarch gave them <b>Slay the Warlord</b> for a 2-0 lead<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYM7pSv8HF-DmcjYCQbwCgsWsY0cZ7ruOgHNaFtESQAUpWIrI-LK1kIVa1mGVtgo2UZEE-4inVRd7yU2fXF8xeIdgVZF0A2U-CThs-VyHFwiHCrJ3wBVoBK2APFUL697SSmAqBTh6YFs/s1600/IMG_20170828_190054263.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYM7pSv8HF-DmcjYCQbwCgsWsY0cZ7ruOgHNaFtESQAUpWIrI-LK1kIVa1mGVtgo2UZEE-4inVRd7yU2fXF8xeIdgVZF0A2U-CThs-VyHFwiHCrJ3wBVoBK2APFUL697SSmAqBTh6YFs/s640/IMG_20170828_190054263.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Well that went from bad to worse! The Visarch's 4+ Invulnerable was a great defense, but the few Wounds he didn't save did three damage each, and he failed all of his Tenacious Survivor rolls. Damn. I used another re-roll with the 4++ to try to save at least one, but failed it. Again!<br />
<br />
Double damn, since I'd charged in with the Autarch, he wasn't able to Soulburst to shoot where the Autarch would really shine. I hadn't assumed he would get the chance, because I didn't think the Gornanaut would kill *everything.* The double Fight the Autarch did with his Soulburst instead did nothing :P<br />
After a decisive combat, it was my turn again!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOOQiCfSBAD5kozqYeDI-k9Ei7epte0PhG81QGDcaffaNrvavYJfbRCD2NLEmyegb-ohEALCgDP6TGPQz3j6LVihTN4eX3sHQohfVr9fScf2Aky9DYX4W2TdgTTYva98crqAFS0-3SG8/s1600/IMG_20170828_191937426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOOQiCfSBAD5kozqYeDI-k9Ei7epte0PhG81QGDcaffaNrvavYJfbRCD2NLEmyegb-ohEALCgDP6TGPQz3j6LVihTN4eX3sHQohfVr9fScf2Aky9DYX4W2TdgTTYva98crqAFS0-3SG8/s640/IMG_20170828_191937426.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Obviously I was pretty sure I needed to kill this thing, and despite my ferocious army, I was anything but confident I could do it. My Wraithlord moved up, and Eldrad tried to repeat the magic of DOOM.<br />
...and failed, even with his stock re-roll. He did, however, cast Smite for two Mortal Wounds. He then cast Fortune on the Wraithlord, but Perilsed in the process, took three Mortal Wounds and failed all of his Ghosthelm saves.<br />
I even used a Command Re-roll to re-roll one of the 6's, and it came up 6 again.<br />
<br />
Dangit, Eldrad! Get your head in the game!<br />
<br />
Not getting Doom was bad, but follow-up shooting from the entire rest of the army chipped wounds off a few at a time, with the Autarch doing a whopping *ten* damage between all of his guns (!?)<br />
Best. Character. Ever. The re-roll 1's bubble is amazing by itself, but the volume of epic guns AND how often he can shoot them is utterly jaw-dropping.<br />
<br />
But then - something bad happened.<br />
You figure that a 6+ is rare, so there's a 1 in 6 chance the vehicle will explode at all, and I 'd played a few games with the Raider, so I thought all vehicles blew up the same way.<br />
<br />
But the Gorkanaut Exploded. I was so shocked that I didn't even realize that I could re-roll the Explodes result. Why was I shocked? Because that heinous bucket of bolts explodes 9" in all directions. And for D6 Mortal Wounds, not D3. I suddenly visualized my entire army going up in smoke after being *too* good at killing things.<br />
The Big Mek that had been hiding in the Gorkanaut used his Disembark to run behind a wall, while my units used Soulburst to shuffle and took more pot-shots at the Walkers. About this time was when I realized just how terrible my Poisoned weapons were going to be against even light tanks. Even S3 is better against a T5 Walker :P<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbj6Fre-MtSvb9nj6fPhugg5Fn4JR3EyqLcWIBxphx9mjMiKqAp9rO7LybPlp8m5tyZSg2A_1EK8lHrFI8QN_tmQhQ61MkN3E2YlaEA9uN7JYeKxVZ3KigSSc7krBTincUFFjDBSgvqQg/s1600/IMG_20170828_192309912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbj6Fre-MtSvb9nj6fPhugg5Fn4JR3EyqLcWIBxphx9mjMiKqAp9rO7LybPlp8m5tyZSg2A_1EK8lHrFI8QN_tmQhQ61MkN3E2YlaEA9uN7JYeKxVZ3KigSSc7krBTincUFFjDBSgvqQg/s640/IMG_20170828_192309912.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Ouch.<br />
Ouch, ouch, ouch. I lost two Kabalite Warriors, three Storm Guardians, Eldrad straight-up died (after I used another Re-roll to try to get his Ghosthelm to keep him alive with one Wound), my Autarch went down to one Wound (!) and my Wraithlord went down to 2.<br />
On the plus side, the Big Mek took two Wounds, with only two left, he was in a very precarious position.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Turn 3</u> </span></b><span style="font-size: large;">(Aeldar - 0, Orks - 2)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCDS6CkDCru-HxnZCfz7ATAS4PtLWfRhJVoUIx8TJ-PLuqC75J3L-Z2W190C5ObZxibGB7PJ7kTw1rWbwxDDd34gec40LJtupDslwwETWWBeYz1UFTxaM1OiMBSAk2qS37wJzvFFXUy0/s1600/IMG_20170828_192317154_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCDS6CkDCru-HxnZCfz7ATAS4PtLWfRhJVoUIx8TJ-PLuqC75J3L-Z2W190C5ObZxibGB7PJ7kTw1rWbwxDDd34gec40LJtupDslwwETWWBeYz1UFTxaM1OiMBSAk2qS37wJzvFFXUy0/s640/IMG_20170828_192317154_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
The end of Turn 2 made me both feel like I had real teeth, and then realize all too clearly just how precarious my position was. I could, feasibly, kill of nearly all of the rest of the Orks next turn. The Autarch and Wraithlord were more or less guaranteed to kill something they pointed at, and the Raider could pick off the Big Mek or Weirdboy without too much trouble. But all of that was assuming they all survived the turn.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcrmBo6DCfCaw6WYhztGFXkyo5cSOA7hegXg3Mj2cyoGxnxmRlqii0GJ1qul6uyt6TZXLDloKjPmeVNCXbsl7ekelXZeD3S9qhTsEzrbCiKGDb8UG4ZUXlECl1HhArqaq8noG4xVT36A/s1600/IMG_20170828_192657552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcrmBo6DCfCaw6WYhztGFXkyo5cSOA7hegXg3Mj2cyoGxnxmRlqii0GJ1qul6uyt6TZXLDloKjPmeVNCXbsl7ekelXZeD3S9qhTsEzrbCiKGDb8UG4ZUXlECl1HhArqaq8noG4xVT36A/s640/IMG_20170828_192657552.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
First things first, the Deff Dread moved up into easy Assault range, and the Big Mek Advanced to get right on the Objective here on the right. The Weirdboy moved into those industrial ruins, in cover, but within range of the Objective.<br />
<br />
In the Psychic Phase, with Eldrad out of the way, the Weirdboy was free to Smite like the dickens, and successfully cast it. I considered using a Command Re-Roll to make him fail it, but with 2/3 showing, it was unlikely I could force a roll under 5. So I saved the re-roll for the more critical die: damage.<br />
<br />
In a rare streak of luck, he rolled his D3 and rolled a 1. He then used a Command Point to re-roll it, and it rolled a 1 again! Huzzah!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQcwdB3m64jvsuaNmhQSGTuvR8z-crCyWTj3XrC8JQiGc9_EtQ6LdAghnnkkawz_2I54LcVOfQYnOq-I_roBVs06MPhgBkfaxf5KP0VtiAfD3qqVxD71SuRCaZ3wqjKz4zJsBYlauO_k/s1600/IMG_20170828_193415526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQcwdB3m64jvsuaNmhQSGTuvR8z-crCyWTj3XrC8JQiGc9_EtQ6LdAghnnkkawz_2I54LcVOfQYnOq-I_roBVs06MPhgBkfaxf5KP0VtiAfD3qqVxD71SuRCaZ3wqjKz4zJsBYlauO_k/s640/IMG_20170828_193415526.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
The Wraithlord lives!<br />
After that, Grotzookas and some shooting from the Deff Dread put a dent in the Raider, although I used another Command Point to blunt it (and did save it!) but he saved most of his gumption to Charge my remaining foot Infantry, multi-Assaulting both units and easily killing them all. I opted not to do Heroic Intervention this time, because I was fairly certain I was going to get some Soulburst shooting this time.<br />
<br />
And I did!<br />
The Deff Dread Consolidated after combat to get into cover. It was blocked/too far from getting out of line of sight, but he was able to get entirely into cover for the bonus Save.<br />
It didn't save him<br />
The Blaster from the Raider-mounted unit and the Disintegrator Cannon made a dent too. The Wraithlord didn't get Soulburst, but the Autarch - as he is wont to do - annihilated what was left of the Deff Dread.<br />
<br />
Then it exploded.<br />
It's no Gorkanaut, but I was barely hanging on by a thread here, so I didn't want it to explode. So, I used a Command Re-roll!<br />
<br />
...It Exploded again. Another 6!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-pzFYweLKbK-YFOdAB5xGkSHYspL4JRyYubUvQtbAcqT0CA5etAKlYKUsOU6J1fOoV2U4ABFbAhhtUx8uXLmSdQfXeUrSVGTZcmk1IPG98p9jCkVkkkF0CGH9XqftIRgGmj4TriOeHg/s1600/IMG_20170828_194418602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-pzFYweLKbK-YFOdAB5xGkSHYspL4JRyYubUvQtbAcqT0CA5etAKlYKUsOU6J1fOoV2U4ABFbAhhtUx8uXLmSdQfXeUrSVGTZcmk1IPG98p9jCkVkkkF0CGH9XqftIRgGmj4TriOeHg/s640/IMG_20170828_194418602.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
#^&*%@#&*^%#@*^#&*%*(#%^!!<br />
Balls. Crap. Curses. Arg. ACH NEIN!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw20sPhptMbM5Y92KQT6vNamhe57AWlDeBN3WZxjqwqL82xZdql2PAyI-zuJCQEw_-4JDstoWy9co6F1QUznfPxrYawEkOfIju9tR7djFLJOFa3BYeusGTCxhUiq90z2tfcOY2kjGpI1k/s1600/IMG_20170828_194453808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw20sPhptMbM5Y92KQT6vNamhe57AWlDeBN3WZxjqwqL82xZdql2PAyI-zuJCQEw_-4JDstoWy9co6F1QUznfPxrYawEkOfIju9tR7djFLJOFa3BYeusGTCxhUiq90z2tfcOY2kjGpI1k/s640/IMG_20170828_194453808.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
With no defense against Mortal Wounds and guaranteed at least one, both the Wraithlord and Autarch just died. Then, small favors, the Big Mek died as well, taking two Wounds. What a blood bath!<br />
<br />
Now it was my turn, with nothing but a Raider and five Warriors to my name left on the table. Yikes.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAdNtm314iU6xei5SuluPMxxeiZ0kn-9yVvJObtFdaO6tXpTzv_62ps4ohblgnz2-b5PRjEEexg-D1Ubm8oJSxBwnOYsgODc9uO-3NaJ-OB3XNgPsjcBpZdLBAxtXNp0rsv2qBqmxaAe4/s1600/IMG_20170828_194537938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAdNtm314iU6xei5SuluPMxxeiZ0kn-9yVvJObtFdaO6tXpTzv_62ps4ohblgnz2-b5PRjEEexg-D1Ubm8oJSxBwnOYsgODc9uO-3NaJ-OB3XNgPsjcBpZdLBAxtXNp0rsv2qBqmxaAe4/s640/IMG_20170828_194537938.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Here's where I stood:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3Cdhi0nik2habaYCU5ryvaYIaFkJRrwbp3usyfXussE3PH9PqJJO1IZK65JHbAG0U0c68j-SHZP7opRzsIWSdYI2Fhy8PBOe4s7PVsnzVqnNNGor8XyoJvIdCn1Ik8NG8LjxKP0VOUg/s1600/IMG_20170828_194542496.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3Cdhi0nik2habaYCU5ryvaYIaFkJRrwbp3usyfXussE3PH9PqJJO1IZK65JHbAG0U0c68j-SHZP7opRzsIWSdYI2Fhy8PBOe4s7PVsnzVqnNNGor8XyoJvIdCn1Ik8NG8LjxKP0VOUg/s640/IMG_20170828_194542496.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The one thing I absolutely didn't want to happen was for the Kanz to corner my surviving units while his Weirdboy held the Objective. I also really wanted that Weirdboy dead to avoid Smite. So I opted to play more aggressively.<br />
I moved the Raider's 10" to within range of the Objective, then threw everything at the Weirdboy, and missed so many shots that he survived! I even used my final Re-roll to try to get another Wound through, but failed the re-roll. So, I was forced to Charge, using my Shock Prow. I managed to hit with the Prow, and the Orks used their final Command Re-Roll to re-roll it, and it passed anyway! (<b>Slay the Warlord </b>to the Aeldari as well). This gave me a Soulburst for my Warriors to shoot at the Kanz, but the Poisoned weapons did nothing, and the Blaster missed.<br />
<br />
No more Command Points. Brace yourself for-<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Turn 4</u> </span></b><span style="font-size: large;">(Aeldar - 1, Orks - 2)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLziSyd0Ro1NL5arCx_qdI5p58Wgx2VE5pUL5yPSMnArYi1rwXzRYYWdaAPbJpt120mh-44YCLLmKB1pnjTnhSP3AuBlS8TkCdctrUAdKYQXUr1Ovg84kZWPGLE5JbJVRunQxhjpnX3c/s1600/IMG_20170828_195313651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLziSyd0Ro1NL5arCx_qdI5p58Wgx2VE5pUL5yPSMnArYi1rwXzRYYWdaAPbJpt120mh-44YCLLmKB1pnjTnhSP3AuBlS8TkCdctrUAdKYQXUr1Ovg84kZWPGLE5JbJVRunQxhjpnX3c/s640/IMG_20170828_195313651.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
The Orks were in similar straights. With only one unit left alive, he had to keep me from taking Objectives or getting where I would be too hard to catch. The Grotzookas weren't cutting it, but the Kanz in Assault...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpmf6OqJa87tO7ScKQCB16Dt9iHbAaJt0ZbzLqrRIUPYarB1uZtTq6978BNon273N9vOgD3OyNcmbDcqascWWSXtF53R7bBZLM7HIrGx2CuW2CKHPZUIGkFy-93nMSAnAAWUyvcymYL0/s1600/IMG_20170828_195318271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpmf6OqJa87tO7ScKQCB16Dt9iHbAaJt0ZbzLqrRIUPYarB1uZtTq6978BNon273N9vOgD3OyNcmbDcqascWWSXtF53R7bBZLM7HIrGx2CuW2CKHPZUIGkFy-93nMSAnAAWUyvcymYL0/s640/IMG_20170828_195318271.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
He opted not to shoot, and instead to just got straight for Charging (!)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLRSZ8-4COAb6Vfr7IsQLJz96HHwdp3wp7hgp6HrJCOPJ5WwQnkW0cs5U-9kP6hBlAqMqtkHebQEu5utoMRHsg6tiNevz-OZTQCYJpG1gDUzeD7GVVbhZJgnQ87K-oHaOIf-66H6Hl3Y/s1600/IMG_20170828_195503391.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLRSZ8-4COAb6Vfr7IsQLJz96HHwdp3wp7hgp6HrJCOPJ5WwQnkW0cs5U-9kP6hBlAqMqtkHebQEu5utoMRHsg6tiNevz-OZTQCYJpG1gDUzeD7GVVbhZJgnQ87K-oHaOIf-66H6Hl3Y/s640/IMG_20170828_195503391.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Overwatch did nothing, sadly, and the Kanz easily peeled five Wounds off the Raider, which did not Explode. The passengers disembarked, and Soulburst!<br />
...And missed completely :P<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnslH7Q8m2Lo8qNP9OTlld07-Wbtsr46L-kj5bgwnZ_C9Yai9JOWsF8rkVSlNfV15ANO4WXuH16-RPOsas1EyMFC2fiPBTvoc26k3cMWJ4qgjhN2Rrn4NUsG0RtJgB2YFMryM6l0uyUo/s1600/IMG_20170828_195635252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnslH7Q8m2Lo8qNP9OTlld07-Wbtsr46L-kj5bgwnZ_C9Yai9JOWsF8rkVSlNfV15ANO4WXuH16-RPOsas1EyMFC2fiPBTvoc26k3cMWJ4qgjhN2Rrn4NUsG0RtJgB2YFMryM6l0uyUo/s640/IMG_20170828_195635252.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
There was some hope here. I had a Blaster, and a lot of shots (even Wounding on 6), but also my Close Combat attacks would Wound on a 5+<br />
But even better, Kanz still have to take Leadership. And their Leadership is a tragic 5, so kill even one and the unit has a 1 in 3 chance of losing at least one more model. On a 6, the whole unit would be wiped. So I took my hail-mary last turn!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTaecTrvPJ34fE5G001RIsbew8ZG7Xe1nnnRdJ9pIV-IYMzgMQPHgIlH9RbogDfmIcn0vt89flavw5c91K_aT_zUTEFy69kjwWQq24a4hb8PPix1Vi_UTydAsX0LaXynW6_jj1QAD2bRg/s1600/IMG_20170828_200319437_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTaecTrvPJ34fE5G001RIsbew8ZG7Xe1nnnRdJ9pIV-IYMzgMQPHgIlH9RbogDfmIcn0vt89flavw5c91K_aT_zUTEFy69kjwWQq24a4hb8PPix1Vi_UTydAsX0LaXynW6_jj1QAD2bRg/s640/IMG_20170828_200319437_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I shot, the Blaster missed *again,* and I didn't do any damage with anything else, including on the Charge. In return attacks, the Kanz didn't do that much, but it was enough to kill four of my Warriors. The one standing Blaster STILL had a chance to kill a Kan and win the game - but I rolled a 6 for Morale. Which, with base Leadership 7 minus 4 for lost models, would have been enough to kill three models. So, oops? Game over!<br />
<br />
I was tabled and the Kanz easily had the center Objective, for another three points.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjuPNaHJqY_0F4p7bPyFhPX9ZnOcOtOibbr2mG00ED2xBwS0_nZlovHkja9cia8172aub-TkrWUGSteyOMzp-_IFfsGQbXy-ivYpffrL8Dem-lbYYuIwRB5NJ81r6yl4MlrqocO6QfFhs/s1600/IMG_20170828_200337191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjuPNaHJqY_0F4p7bPyFhPX9ZnOcOtOibbr2mG00ED2xBwS0_nZlovHkja9cia8172aub-TkrWUGSteyOMzp-_IFfsGQbXy-ivYpffrL8Dem-lbYYuIwRB5NJ81r6yl4MlrqocO6QfFhs/s640/IMG_20170828_200337191.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Final Score</u>: </span></b><span style="font-size: large;">(Aeldar - 1, Orks - 5)</span><br />
<br />
Huff! What a game!<br />
I probably should have played more to Objectives (duh), but my strategy was sound. I got the kills, and did absurd amounts of damage to a lot of units very, very quickly!<br />
<br />
But, it was a great game :)<br />
The Explosions hurt - a lot - and my opponent spent most of the game telling me I'd won, handily, except for repeatedly blowing myself up. Which was generous of him!<br />
<br />
In terms of Orks in 8th, they sure are different. But their Close Combat punch is really something, particularly now that they swing first if they Charge (yikes) and hit on 3+ most of the time in Close Combat (double yikes!)<br />
They also have the new faux Fearless of Mob Rule, as well as 'Ere We Go for very reliable Charges. The Weirdboy was a surprising perk too, significantly impacting the game with Da Jump, and but for an unlucky roll, nearly killing my Wraithlord. Heck, even just being there he was a spoiler for Eldrad with the constant threat of Denying my powers.<br />
As for weaknesses, Leadership is still a thing. Orks have new ways to mitigate it, but once the dominoes start to fall, the Orks start running away in droves. Also, they're slow, with a 5" move on most Infantry, and clunky slow Walkers as many of their vehicles.<br />
<br />
For my part, I should have kept my Meltaguns. What I'm finding in this edition is that even against hordes, the weapons that reliably do Wounds outshine the volume of shots weapons. Both against enemies in Cover and hard targets, but also simply by not wasting shots. And of course so you don't wind up shooting Poisoned weapons against tanks!<br />
<br />
I'll go in loaded for bear for Round 3!Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-79430055542701154292017-08-16T14:18:00.002-07:002017-08-30T21:58:27.714-07:0040k: The Aeldari Autarch in 8th Edition<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIsQdFIDHXXAHndCeYzH0aFAFfgxBp_5H8Bp4Prjp_-Ae5kdZLApM0q_7I4TfZnSagrh8YsZEpBsIF3kj0jJ9eA37JYtlBu4cVIGe5f10tTtmTENgLQtD3l8N9Q7l1-BYFtF1Rlqmesw/s1600/CoolMiniOrNotAutarch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1148" data-original-width="886" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIsQdFIDHXXAHndCeYzH0aFAFfgxBp_5H8Bp4Prjp_-Ae5kdZLApM0q_7I4TfZnSagrh8YsZEpBsIF3kj0jJ9eA37JYtlBu4cVIGe5f10tTtmTENgLQtD3l8N9Q7l1-BYFtF1Rlqmesw/s320/CoolMiniOrNotAutarch.jpg" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of <a href="http://www.coolminiornot.com/362459?browseid=3028288">Razyel</a> and <a href="http://www.coolminiornot.com/">CoolMiniOrNot</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Hello folks! As part of my re-introduction to 8th Edition 40k, I am finding a lot of units have completely different characteristics/gameplay than they used to in 7th, so I'm giving each a closer look/breakdown and thought I'd share it while I'm at it.<br />
See my Eldrad coverage <a href="https://eldradhallett.blogspot.com/2017/07/40k-eldrad-in-8th-edition.html">here</a><br />
<a name='more'></a> To me, the Autarch was in a weird spot for the last couple editions - not bad, not great, and outshone and overpriced compared to nearly all of the other options in the Eldar HQ section. His Reserves Manipulation was tragically weak compared to Formation bonuses, and just about anything offered by other factions, and it was all he had going for him to justify his points.<br />
<br />
Enter 8th Edition, where he comes in with a near identical profile, but with the now-standard Aeldari 7" base Move, hits on 2+, and has been upped to 5 Wounds with the same Saves and Wargear options. Still sticking with the 3+ Save and the 4+ Forceshield Invulnerable save.<br />
<br />
All Autarchs also come with "The Path of Command," which allows you to re-roll 1's to-hit for any friendly Asuryani units within 6" of the Autarch. A very nice improvement over the old rule, especially since it works in Shooting and in Combat, and applies to him as well!<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Flavors</u>-</span></b><br />
The Autarch still comes in four flavors: Base, Skyrunner, Hawk Wings, and Jump Generator.<br />
<br />
The <b>Skyrunner</b> offers a 16" base move, +1 Toughness, an extra Wound and automatic 6" Advance and the <b>Fly</b> keyword for 29 points extra. Plus the 4-shot Shuriken Catapult from the Jetbike and access to the Laser Lance*, which is the best close combat weapon an Autarch can take at the moment.<br />
The Skyrunner is, simply put, real good. Offering the best combination of speed, durability, and the extra oomph of the Laser Lance and stock Catapult. It's expensive, but if you're putting any points at all into an Autarch, consider this version. Especially since the models and kit bash options are amazing ;)<br />
<br />
<b>Hawk Wings</b> offer Skyleap, Deep Strike, the <b>Fly</b> keyword for 20 points extra.<br />
Skyleap makes the "Haw-tarch" actually the fastest of all the options, since he can re-deep strike every single turn, and has a base move almost as long as the Skyrunner at 14" base vs. the Skyrunner's 16"<br />
Another super sweet model, and the ability to be anywhere on the battlefield in any turn is really nice, especially on bigger tables. Being only 9 points cheaper than the Skyrunner hurts, but since you're likely to put fewer, cheaper upgrades on him, it's actually a bigger points difference than it may seem.<br />
<br />
The <b>Warp Jump Generator</b> comes in at 12 points extra, making it the cheapest mobility option. During movement, the "Jump-tarch" may move 7+4D6" and gains <b>Fly </b>until the end of the phase, for the cost of not being able to Advance or Charge that turn.<br />
At only 12 points, this is a nice budget option, and one to consider if your army is already using Warp Spiders - but note that the random move can just as easily be 11" as 31", and you may far outstrip, or be left behind by, your spiders depending on who moves first.<br />
The Jumptarch is probably best as a budget gunboat - Jump Generator, Reaper Launcher, and call it a day. Other builds will struggle to initiate combats, over invest in gear they won't use, or get little to no use out of the WJG.<br />
<br />
One thing that all of the above builds do offer (if I'm not mistaken on the WJG), is that they grant the Fly keyword in the Movement phase - which means any non-base Autarch can Retreat in the Movement Phase and still shoot. A super nice perk considering how awesome he can be in shooting.<br />
<br />
<b>Base</b> is the cheapest of course, putting him in the lower end of Aeldari HQ options, still granting the re-roll Aura, and filling the HQ slot nicely. He's pretty cheap, and a worthwhile force multiplier, so you can keep your options open here.<br />
<br />
<b> <span style="font-size: large;"><u>Points</u>-</span></b><br />
The Autarch has had a nice points discount from the old version, being in the mid-70's at minimum builds, and topping out around 150 for a Lance/Reaper Launcher Skyrunner. But the discount is most noticeable at the higher end, because most wargear options are considerably cheaper.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Wargear</u>-</span></b><br />
All four options can take a Mandiblaster or Banshee Mask, a Fusion Pistol, a Melee Weapon (Scorpion Chainsword, Power Sword or Laser Lance*), and Ranged Weapon (Fusion Gun, Reaper Launcher, Avenger Catapult, or Death Spinner)<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<b>Mandiblasters</b> inflict one Mortal Wound on a single Enemy Unit within 1" on a 6+, at the beginning of each Fight Phase.<br />
A <b>Banshee Mask</b> makes the Autarch always Fight first, regardless of who Charged that turn.<br />
<br />
Both are free at zero points. Of the two, the Banshee Mask is just better. A 6+ is rare, and although it happens in every Fight phase, the Mandiblasters far less reliable than the Banshee Mask - pass.<br />
Unless of course you want to be thematic with a bunch of Scorpions, more power to you :) the new Mandiblasters are terrifying with a unit of Striking Scorpions, dishing out up to 10 Mortal Wounds a turn for free, but it doesn't translate for the lone Autarch.<br />
<br />
<i> *Update: There is a case to be made for Mandiblasters. That is, the Banshee Mask rarely triggers with the Skyrunner with Lance, because either whatever you charge is dead, or you Retreat in the following round. Either way, you're not staying in Combat for those subsequent rounds where the Banshee Mask would matter at all. With that in mind, the Mandiblasters don't seem as crazy.</i><br />
<br />
Of the Close Combat weapons, the <b>Scorpion Chainsword</b> offers +1 Strength and is the cheapest at 2 points, followed by the <b>Power Sword</b> at 4 points and Rend -3.<br />
The <b>Laser Lance</b> is only available to the Skyrunner, and comes in at 9 points. While it's more than twice the cost of the Power Sword, it is simply better. On the Charge, it's S6, Rend -4, 2 Damage. Off the charge, it has the HUGE buff of still keeping the same Rend and Damage, but being the Autarch's base Strength 3.<br />
But, it also works as a gun with the S6 profile. Just find the 9 points ;)<br />
<br />
For ranged weapons, it's a bit more of a tossup. The <b>Avenger Shuriken Catapult</b> offers an extra 6" shooting range, which with the Autarch's to-hit rolls and the price point is nothing to sneeze at, and it's an Assault weapon, so the Autarch can Advance with it and still shoot with 3+ to-hit, and on 6's to-Wound it becomes Rend -3.<br />
But, it's also 7 points. For 2 more points, coming in at 9, you can get a <b>Lasblaster</b>, for 24" range and Rapid-Fire 3, but at a lowly S3, so you'd better be facing hordes - although the Autarch's to-hit is so good, and the to-Wound chart is more lenient than it was, so it's not the worst choice.<br />
Backtracking a bit, 8 points gets you a <b>Death Spinner</b>, at 12", S6, Assault 2, and where the Catapult becomes Rend -3 on 6's to-Wound, the Death Spinner goes to Rend -4. Pick a hard target with a Farseer's Doom on it, and the Death Spinner can do some work - although it still only does 1 damage.<br />
Next up, my personal favorite, at 17 points you get the <b>Fusion Gun</b>, which is 12", Assault 1, S8, Rend -4, and D6 damage. Plus, if you're at 6" or below (half range) you roll 2d6 and take the highest for how much damage it does. Devastating!<br />
Last, but not least, the <b>Reaper Launcher</b> rolls in at a hefty 31 points, offering two 48" firing modes with either 1 shot at S8, Rend -2, and *3* damage (yikes), or two shots at S5, Rend -2, 2 damage. A gun made to do damage at long range and no joke. It is, however, by far the most expensive, and it's a Heavy weapon. Since most Autarchs want to move, that makes it a tricky choice, unless you're very sure you want to stay on the back field or don't mind hitting on 3+ when you do move. Still, 3+ with re-rolls of 1 is gnarly, so this is a strong contender - if you have the points.<br />
<br />
The ability to Advance and Shoot makes the Fusion Gun a winner in my book, especially on a Skyrunner who can also make full use of his Laser Lance and Shuriken Catapult at 6" range - but your mileage may vary, of course. <br />
<br />
The final option is the Fusion Pistol. It's 9 points, only 6" range, and has the same profile and rules as the Fusion Gun, but if you use it, you can't shoot any of your other guns. Which sucks - but the reason you take it is because you *can* still shoot it in Close Combat. Gnarly.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Faction Rules</u>-</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyqLSOQhn09oBMr8i5d_LQ9mbcXqKV4FqlHVH6_WFexuLqWKIUxdXE2cMJXYQv4ng5EUqmTsh_D1gGzVRigCTHU9Re3_HXBqwPuV5SxaSTEvmybhjBkKSNXJSC9Ei0_nQ4dowwvwoAXjo/s1600/IMG_20170815_184357451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyqLSOQhn09oBMr8i5d_LQ9mbcXqKV4FqlHVH6_WFexuLqWKIUxdXE2cMJXYQv4ng5EUqmTsh_D1gGzVRigCTHU9Re3_HXBqwPuV5SxaSTEvmybhjBkKSNXJSC9Ei0_nQ4dowwvwoAXjo/s640/IMG_20170815_184357451.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
An Autarch can be either a <Craftworld> Autarch and use Battle Focus, to Advance and Shoot as if he hadn't moved (except Heavy weapons, lame). While it can be good, Advancing with a 22" Jetbike move and spraying fire on a 2+ is very potent - the fact that it doesn't affect Heavy weapons makes it a very limited benefit.<br />
A <Craftworld> Autarch also has Ancient Doom, which is a +1 penalty to Morale Checks when within 3" of any Slaanesh units, but also you can re-roll to-hit if you Charge or were Charged by a Slaanesh unit that turn.<br />
<br />
The other option is Ynnari, trading Battle Focus and Ancient Doom for Strength from Death - which is STUPID good. Sure, your Craftworld bro can fly in 22" and let loose with his Shuriken Catapult, Laser Lance gun, and Fusion Gun all hitting on 2+ -<br />
But your Ynnari version can fly in 16", shoot at the same 2+, then if he kills something, shoot *again.* Or, barring that, Charge, murk something, and then either Fight twice, Shoot, or move that 22" wherever the heck he cares to.<br />
Strength from Death is REALLY good, and a gunboat Autarch benefits from it much more than most - being fast, tough (ish) and very hard-hitting, he's an ideal unit to SfD all day long.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Builds</u>-</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGNrMlrmlc-ZPlHkh1wQiLWGRQoJOj_yv3wfUCdpm9OfI3OYUskku8HbH2rDff6IaMLhDq9e8cC33JJJXledTxW49np9CoLbq9t-y4jMPU2jzp5FB2Sbkr8lDEb22437W938qkB_rrLVw/s1600/IMG_20170815_175544411_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGNrMlrmlc-ZPlHkh1wQiLWGRQoJOj_yv3wfUCdpm9OfI3OYUskku8HbH2rDff6IaMLhDq9e8cC33JJJXledTxW49np9CoLbq9t-y4jMPU2jzp5FB2Sbkr8lDEb22437W938qkB_rrLVw/s640/IMG_20170815_175544411_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I have a custom kit-bash model that fits my favorite build to a T: Skyrunner, with Banshee Mask, Laser Lance and Fusion gun. He makes an ideal unit to charge around the battlefield hitting things where he can do the most damage, then rocketing off to do it again. He's kitted entirely with Assault guns, so he can move 22" or 16" and still shoot all the things. And, if he moved 16", Charge and make some use of that Laser Lance, which really is devastating now.<br />
If I have the points to spare, I also throw in the Fusion Pistol. For only 9 points, it can make a huge difference in a prolonged combat, but it's not always necessary.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, I would built a Warp Jump Autarch with Reaper Launcher and probably a Scorpion Chainsword. This is the guy you keep out of Combat, but he'll do the work at range, and for a decent price point. He can Jump to reposition, and rocket out of combats whenever you need him to.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Final Thoughts</u>-</b><br />
Having played a few games with my Autarch, he is a whole different animal than in previous editions. The increased speed, addition of multi-damage weapons, advantages of Fly, changes to Rend, Pistols, added ability to Split Fire, to fire all weapons and still charge, and - of course - Strength from Death have combined to turn the Autarch into a terrifying combatant.<br />
This is an HQ that finally matches the fluff, rocketing across the battlefield and almost casually raining precision death on the enemies of the Aeldari.<br />
Where Autarchs have somewhat struggled in previous editions is getting stuck in combat where their Lance went limp, or being a little bit too slow, or just having the damage they dealt shrugged off and getting gut-punched in return. The basic changes to 8th have fixed their major weaknesses, and supercharged their strengths in ways I hadn't fully realized until I got them on the table!<br />
<br />
That's all for now! I hope my breakdown of the Autarch has been helpful :)Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-83921711428333402262017-08-16T09:21:00.003-07:002017-08-17T11:44:28.491-07:0040k: 8th Edition League Round 1: Ynnari/Aeldari vs. Raven Guard Space Marines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqnTY8gaquByIIcv-fJRFgHq5iq7TorOlGCHf7O-dffDmq_tgne3bRWsARx5asGeIwO0pVOg2-HS8jSate24pNtnKNgbl98fy2xTUznzGlkcJeBuPN538ONwJPjrop_yUHIA3ttx4je8/s1600/IMG_20170807_155621079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqnTY8gaquByIIcv-fJRFgHq5iq7TorOlGCHf7O-dffDmq_tgne3bRWsARx5asGeIwO0pVOg2-HS8jSate24pNtnKNgbl98fy2xTUznzGlkcJeBuPN538ONwJPjrop_yUHIA3ttx4je8/s640/IMG_20170807_155621079.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Hey all! We're back in to it - 8TH EDITION LEEEEEAAAGUE!<br />
I'm excited. Super excited. Pumped even. Ready? I'm not ready. Too bad cuz we're going anyway!<br />
ROUND 1 - Ynnari vs. Space Marines<br />
<a name='more'></a> The League this time around is real big, folks are very excited about 8th dropping and ready to jump in or back into the game - and my Ynnari are ready to see the table for the first time :)<br />
<br />
Here's the breakdown-<br />
750 pts.<br />
4'x4' table.<br />
Search And Destroy Deployment<br />
No Mercy Mission<br />
<br />
Here's that mission again:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqnTY8gaquByIIcv-fJRFgHq5iq7TorOlGCHf7O-dffDmq_tgne3bRWsARx5asGeIwO0pVOg2-HS8jSate24pNtnKNgbl98fy2xTUznzGlkcJeBuPN538ONwJPjrop_yUHIA3ttx4je8/s1600/IMG_20170807_155621079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqnTY8gaquByIIcv-fJRFgHq5iq7TorOlGCHf7O-dffDmq_tgne3bRWsARx5asGeIwO0pVOg2-HS8jSate24pNtnKNgbl98fy2xTUznzGlkcJeBuPN538ONwJPjrop_yUHIA3ttx4je8/s640/IMG_20170807_155621079.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Modified: also includes a single Objective on the center of the table, worth 4pts to whoever holds it at the end of the game. The Deployment map is the one here on the very bottom left-<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGv02BAWWybG5z9y2oUd1Zl2k9oxrbJT8F1TYXH_HccI3THT5hhRJkUHiuF_D6vRGJwSJAqtp87iW6-CtvIfe_Ybrlt232-b1p3nCO3VOrGFzLyDzizLfqF9y0WooHbIR4GN4a1us_OHQ/s1600/IMG_20170807_155705029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGv02BAWWybG5z9y2oUd1Zl2k9oxrbJT8F1TYXH_HccI3THT5hhRJkUHiuF_D6vRGJwSJAqtp87iW6-CtvIfe_Ybrlt232-b1p3nCO3VOrGFzLyDzizLfqF9y0WooHbIR4GN4a1us_OHQ/s640/IMG_20170807_155705029.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Right before going into this game, I double-checked the most recent FAQ, and the major thing I learned was that I *have* to have one of the Triumvirate of Ynnead (Yvraine, the Visarch, or the Yncarne) as Warlord to run an Ynnari Detachment. So, last minute, I had to borrow a Visarch day-of. Which worked out!<br />
On the plus side, the same FAQ gave the Visarch a 4+ Invulnerable Save, which also helped out magnificently.<br />
<br />
Here was my list:<br />
<br />
<b><i>Ynnari Battalion Detatchment</i></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpBm9gHqadXGZ9O2dlVI5bAbxU9SaZcpfoWzgb7O0ypBwr448h2x9MgR7MbNzhJsAkINMQvydCcBUM170Dr2xvvSgCV4ycuDolgtQOj2aXdZEwQMcXA5vWSqvqGDt_aYlbhn7ZlpADqY/s1600/IMG_20170815_175544411_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpBm9gHqadXGZ9O2dlVI5bAbxU9SaZcpfoWzgb7O0ypBwr448h2x9MgR7MbNzhJsAkINMQvydCcBUM170Dr2xvvSgCV4ycuDolgtQOj2aXdZEwQMcXA5vWSqvqGDt_aYlbhn7ZlpADqY/s640/IMG_20170815_175544411_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Visarch (Warlord, 6+ FNP trait "Tenacious Survivor")<br />
Autarch Skyrunner (Banshee Mask, Laser Lance, Fusion Gun)<br />
5x Kaballite Warriors (Blaster, Sybarite Grenade Launcher and Agnozier)<br />
5x Kaballite Warriors (Splinter Cannon)<br />
8x Storm Guardians (2x Power Swords, 2x Fusion Guns)<br />
Raider (Disintegrator, Shock Prow)<br />
Wraithlord (2x Flamers, Bright Lance, Missile Launcher)<br />
<br />
750 pts on the nose, I was proud of that :D and 6x Command Points<br />
<br />
I showed up and found out I was facing-<br />
<br />
<b><i>Space Marines Patrol Detatchment</i></b><br />
<br />
Techmarine (Armor Indomitus Relic)<br />
Scout Squad (5x Scouts, 4x Sniper Rifles, Camo Cloaks)<br />
Tactical Squad (10x, Combi-Plasma)<br />
Redemptor Dreadnought (Icarus Rockets, Redemptor Fist, Heavy Onslaught Gattling Cannon, 2x Storm Bolters)<br />
Redemptor Dreadnought (Icarus Rockets, Redemptor Fist, Heavy Onslaught Gattling Cannon, 2x Storm Bolters)<br />
<div>
Rhino (Storm Bolter)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
749 pts, 3x Command Points</div>
<div>
*Raven Guard Chapter Tactics (!)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvFOjEUC8PzXIm6z2o5CRaZ_f2IU1ksSFG6hYOI-QgAWsRSXKu2K-Q8jFBjWrd4qKnNf18sFaWXAed988GfYhR8KNUKpUUl8n-51rcfVKnVW2hQAmTPnQKdFWsrEdtRYHDIwCO2ZH5DI/s1600/IMG_20170815_183138482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvFOjEUC8PzXIm6z2o5CRaZ_f2IU1ksSFG6hYOI-QgAWsRSXKu2K-Q8jFBjWrd4qKnNf18sFaWXAed988GfYhR8KNUKpUUl8n-51rcfVKnVW2hQAmTPnQKdFWsrEdtRYHDIwCO2ZH5DI/s640/IMG_20170815_183138482.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
...what the hell is that? And two of them?!<br />
<br />
We rolled for terrain, and Marines got the first go, deploying in their corner and determining which corner I got. We alternated deploying units until we both were done. Both of our lists were small, but his was enough smaller that he finished deploying first even with placing first unit - and since he finished deploying first, that gave him first turn.<br />
But! I had the chance to seize! And I rolled a five! This was my first time to use a COMMAND RE-ROLL, so I spent that 1 Command Point and rolled a two.<br />
<br />
Well, worth a try, right?<br />
Brace for the MURDER RAIN...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8ezkrDIGrGhyphenhyphenHgsKMS4fBeGIzGhubk7vzbwlDoL6ej8S997T5z8RplPcwSUS2OYonkTXrY48dlNQJ1kehgRx_9v2pyNmfpq8FqEx9xsWUeRQy6ZCqTVm_RdsDJwxzxfTshCSWpLIYxU/s1600/IMG_20170815_175527673.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8ezkrDIGrGhyphenhyphenHgsKMS4fBeGIzGhubk7vzbwlDoL6ej8S997T5z8RplPcwSUS2OYonkTXrY48dlNQJ1kehgRx_9v2pyNmfpq8FqEx9xsWUeRQy6ZCqTVm_RdsDJwxzxfTshCSWpLIYxU/s640/IMG_20170815_175527673.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There's some Cover, but it's mostly clear firing lanes. I was expecting this turn to hurt, but I'd wanted to be a little bit forward to get up close quickly. My list was chock full of Melta Guns, but on squishy frames, so I had to be aggressive. Also, I kept my list somewhat close together to take advantage of Strength from Death if the first volley was as furious as I worried it would be.</div>
Note the Blaster unit of Warriors and the Visarch are in the Raider.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6AN2ml1JYQIA7iEmQ9jH7o1cXAIla0YsnEs4TAS5CRZq9t9VMwRlt4sLz84ktwSKhI_bUC9t83dXEUjHFwL9b8Nz3I-Jf7i-siJZjalTlWr3fyjWAuFFsTEP45eAq0K31YdUtP-lSoQ/s1600/IMG_20170815_175551760.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6AN2ml1JYQIA7iEmQ9jH7o1cXAIla0YsnEs4TAS5CRZq9t9VMwRlt4sLz84ktwSKhI_bUC9t83dXEUjHFwL9b8Nz3I-Jf7i-siJZjalTlWr3fyjWAuFFsTEP45eAq0K31YdUtP-lSoQ/s640/IMG_20170815_175551760.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Here's that terrifying gun line. Rhino in cover, one Dreadnought more or less in cover, the Techmarine behind those horrifying monsters. The Scouts can be seen in the center right on the photo above this one - placed very aggressively to give them a clean line of fire on my army.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrxjGdLG2MbmOV99q-W8olnlGQ-GisDccF2kC8jndaC8umbpLGGtBOAs2rj4pESB0dRSzPxdk7MrwuGAhHi0h6EkOgHNcTBtCb0q6CbMkUIuYhRcxRv0k1J81UopVIKwIQgMFeV7-NAU/s1600/IMG_20170815_175614515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrxjGdLG2MbmOV99q-W8olnlGQ-GisDccF2kC8jndaC8umbpLGGtBOAs2rj4pESB0dRSzPxdk7MrwuGAhHi0h6EkOgHNcTBtCb0q6CbMkUIuYhRcxRv0k1J81UopVIKwIQgMFeV7-NAU/s640/IMG_20170815_175614515.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
...They may look like Reivers, but they're Scouts, I swear<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Marines Turn 1</u>!</span></b><br />
Boy, that was brutal. Combined fire from the Dreadnoughts took down my Raider, although fortunately it didn't Explode, that would have been bad. After the first Dreadnought fired, the Raider only had 3 Hit Points left (I was making Saves on a 5+), so I opted not to even use a Command Re-roll because the other Dreadnought hadn't even fired yet, I could only save one, and the first volley had easily stripped seven Wounds.<br />
But! The Raider going down triggered an Soulburst! My Storm Guardians Advanced and moved for the big rock on the center right, their 7" base move giving them a great leg up, even with the 1 I rolled for Advancing, for an 8" move total.<br />
It also triggered a Soulburst for my Visarch and both units of Kaballites, who took a shot at the Scouts, killing one with the Blaster.<br />
After that, his Snipers managed to pick two Wounds off of the Visarch (!) leaving him with only three remaining. This was my first time facing Sniper weapons, and clearly they're every bit as scary as I thought they'd be. Plus, they have a Strength now, so instead of Wounding on flat 4+ like they used to, they Wound my T3 Visarch on 3+ (!)<br />
<br />
As nasty as losing the Raider is, that being nearly all of the damage I took was a hell of a lot better than I expected, or than it could have been. With all units being able to Split Fire, I almost expected to be half-wiped because of how fragile my Infantry are. Plus, I killed a Scout in his own turn, that was a nice bonus. All in all that left me in a pretty good position going into-<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b><u>Eldar Turn 1</u>!</b></span><br />
My Autarch and Storm Guardians Advanced for dear life behind the rock, getting them safely out of line of sight of those Dreadnoughts, positioning me for the next turn.<br />
My Wraithlord fired with both Missile Launcher and Bright Lance, stripping one Wound off of the nearer of the two (one?!) at the cost of another re-roll - those are going fast!<br />
<br />
This is a bit of a pickle with the Wraithlord. He has two anti-tank guns, both with the potential to strip quite a few Wounds. But, they're both Heavy, so if he moves I get a -1 penalty to-hit. To make matters worse, those Marines are Raven Guard, so I have a -1 to-hit penalty already if they're more than 12" away. Which means at best I'm hitting on 4+, but if I move at all, it's a 5+. It's already only two shots, so I had to stay put more than I liked this game...<br />
<br />
The Warriors shot the Scouts again, this time actually dropping one with the Splinter Cannon, but easily dispatching one with the Blaster. Turns out the Blaster is real good at taking out units in deep cover. Who knew? Doesn't matter if those Camo Cloaks are granting a 2+ Save, the -4 Rend on a Blaster easily pops them out.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_retMboo73dFHIN9leGhITmLjOtTxLOh_TYtQtT3aC_fMuMefY9TxAPvS2prVUr5HBSDCaf9MsX1YUe_nfNQbWyjk5vSfLQDgzkJs_ww_unvwHdMIUnBv5voepfbmHFyEZ5EyyBh6Vfs/s1600/IMG_20170815_182130907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_retMboo73dFHIN9leGhITmLjOtTxLOh_TYtQtT3aC_fMuMefY9TxAPvS2prVUr5HBSDCaf9MsX1YUe_nfNQbWyjk5vSfLQDgzkJs_ww_unvwHdMIUnBv5voepfbmHFyEZ5EyyBh6Vfs/s640/IMG_20170815_182130907.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
After the above, the Visarch tried to Charge the Scouts. While he weathered Overwatch, he did take a Wound (dammit bro...) and failed the Charge. That is, until I used another Command Re-roll, and he made the charge! Woo! Three Command Points left.<br />
He easily obliterated all of them. Turns out five attacks hitting on 2+ at S5 with Rend -3 is, you know, pretty good!<br />
Bonus: killing the Scouts triggered Soulburst! The Visarch used it to Advance down the far side of that ruin, safely out of sight. The Splinter Cannon unit of Warriors was also in range, and took a pot-shot at the Dreadnoughts, but missed. Dammit.<br />
<br />
Using Soulbursts for the extra mobility means a hell of a lot of movement between rounds of getting shot at, and it makes a big difference. If I had this turn to do again, I would have Advanced with my Splinter Cannon unit behind the wall to their left, they would easily have been out of sight there - but that would have left my Wraithlord as the only target on the table, so I opted to leave them out as bullet bait (sorry guys...)<br />
I felt pretty good about this turn, killing the Scouts was a load of stress off me. Plus, hiding my scary units behind rocks was a good position to be in for next turn.<br />
<br />
But is it enough?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b><u>Marines Turn 2</u>!</b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8eWVr71mjAdB2gWWxTLAv6DdlaiU_2YbElT6_I1EisGuteGDIDU3B6zaQeqLjADJMlfby4Gh8z3pAnjP8C5R-5Rm4jJPF6hXMZkbIq5OKp1XiKXnsjFwHnauDPyptZ239Nqe0p6KRdw/s1600/IMG_20170815_183054121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8eWVr71mjAdB2gWWxTLAv6DdlaiU_2YbElT6_I1EisGuteGDIDU3B6zaQeqLjADJMlfby4Gh8z3pAnjP8C5R-5Rm4jJPF6hXMZkbIq5OKp1XiKXnsjFwHnauDPyptZ239Nqe0p6KRdw/s640/IMG_20170815_183054121.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The Marines moved up en masse, capturing the Objective, obviously with the intent of holding it for the rest of the game. Oh, but first, that damned Techmarine healed the one Wound I'd inflicted on the Dreadnought! Curses!<br />
He also used most of his Command Points for a Stratagem, Wisdom of the Ancients, allowing his Dreadnoughts to re-roll to-hit rolls of 1. Considering how much fire they were already putting out, that was not good news.<br />
His shooting was predictably terrifying:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQFbg6ga29OHAEG0N18t6FmFWDvEBD7ToKp0hYwqYBQBXEZJARsIXhlrs1uTfOERkt4k6tAxdmAfktMy4l6W37mgXz9NQcqoCozfarA7f1nwGAhni5YyOJ7XQbiGj-JFlFwD1ihLhiyA/s1600/IMG_20170815_184215401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQFbg6ga29OHAEG0N18t6FmFWDvEBD7ToKp0hYwqYBQBXEZJARsIXhlrs1uTfOERkt4k6tAxdmAfktMy4l6W37mgXz9NQcqoCozfarA7f1nwGAhni5YyOJ7XQbiGj-JFlFwD1ihLhiyA/s640/IMG_20170815_184215401.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
See, there *were* ten Warriors there...<br />
On the plus side, it actually took quite a bit of shooting to take them out, and since shots all have to have declared targets before you roll, they saved me from some shots even after they died.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8QYDfcChn9FEdPiEQjSPL3k6tY_Vx2xG3UZah9ezmZbFeKFJx43d3Fd-HfJAf9OLJ9LZPiL785cVgGIyrkoqBxVpoDWlZ7jT1tzaYJwiyY-Z2rEc-xD94i9XJEZNpeRXL2nX8jJpuIE/s1600/IMG_20170815_184220481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8QYDfcChn9FEdPiEQjSPL3k6tY_Vx2xG3UZah9ezmZbFeKFJx43d3Fd-HfJAf9OLJ9LZPiL785cVgGIyrkoqBxVpoDWlZ7jT1tzaYJwiyY-Z2rEc-xD94i9XJEZNpeRXL2nX8jJpuIE/s640/IMG_20170815_184220481.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
These things. These things are scary.<br />
After wiping my Warriors, they still had enough firepower to drop my Wraithlord by *six* Wounds, but I used one of my last three Command Re-rolls and saved one, just barely keeping ol' Wraithbone-head from going down by half, which would have been the first level of big de-buffs for being damaged!<br />
<br />
Again, a bad turn for me, but could have been considerably worse- The Warriors were a shield unit, and the only thing in there that was going to help me for the rest of the game was that one Blaster, but I think they did more good soaking fire than they would have later.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Eldar Turn 2</u>!</span></b><br />
That move up by the Marines was everything I could have hoped for. While it was the logical move for taking the Objective, it was also perfect break I'd needed to set the world on fire!<br />
And I did - right off the bat, my Autarch with a 16" Fly move and Storm Guardians with a 7" move popped over and around the rock, getting not only in shooting range, but in half range with no less than three Fusion Guns.<br />
<br />
An undamaged Redemptor Dreadnought is no joke though, so I crossed all my digits!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigUA4K6E1O-5XTjLSvm3nQX_TUe1t4yM3xdACItVzVH1PwUn-X6IfzugPXrZoGHAax6uN1gMOx-ZpQYE84aXTx8Tg25seh4cvOTB5ogvvvstxtTJw7sbc2eCggUovl6Lo-bS42ZXlLQgI/s1600/IMG_20170815_184357451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigUA4K6E1O-5XTjLSvm3nQX_TUe1t4yM3xdACItVzVH1PwUn-X6IfzugPXrZoGHAax6uN1gMOx-ZpQYE84aXTx8Tg25seh4cvOTB5ogvvvstxtTJw7sbc2eCggUovl6Lo-bS42ZXlLQgI/s640/IMG_20170815_184357451.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
The other part of my pincer moved up as well, leaping from hiding on the side of the board-<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGzWpdQy9GCnKRPoZCNPlWgE247Ol2fuGJxgxldKBfdu-spDaFDLxUVobg9FfuJHxla2yiVLwYWz0YUikVMkCHF0OvZsIy7uCnLhYxzgWEb7k5N0U6CEMcyFu9MfXjy0dZoqb_Lp2dCQ/s1600/IMG_20170815_184403025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGzWpdQy9GCnKRPoZCNPlWgE247Ol2fuGJxgxldKBfdu-spDaFDLxUVobg9FfuJHxla2yiVLwYWz0YUikVMkCHF0OvZsIy7uCnLhYxzgWEb7k5N0U6CEMcyFu9MfXjy0dZoqb_Lp2dCQ/s640/IMG_20170815_184403025.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I laid into those suckers with everything I had, starting with the Wraithlord, who peeled off two Wounds, then the Storm Guardians busted out a Grenade, their Shuriken Pistols (and actually did a Wound. In what world does a Shuriken Pistol would a Redemptor? I freaking love 8th!)<br />
So, long story short, all three Meltaguns hit, and all of them rolled 2d6, keeping the highest, for Damage (that was a whole bunch of 6's!) and I killed the crap out of that closest Redemptor. Like, wrecked it good. And it did not Explode, which was a huge relief.<br />
<br />
Know what it did do though? Triggered a Soulburst.<br />
<br />
Is Soulburst cheating? Feels kind of like cheating, because that second volley allowed me to easily drop the second Redemptor down below half health. And make it nervous. Very nervous.<br />
<br />
To follow up, everything tried to Charge that Redemptor to finish it off, the Storm Guardians first - and that glorious, lumpy, grey son of a bitch killed all of them. ALL of them in OVERWATCH. The hell?? That re-roll to-hit Stratagem was still in effect, and that did make a difference, but even so, that was an unreasonably large number of 6's...<br />
<br />
Well now I was nervous. And I guess it showed, because the Visarch failed his Charge (but didn't get Overwatched to death, making both Saves). So I used second to last Command Re-roll to try again, and I'll be darned if I didn't make it. Those things are really handy!<br />
But the Autarch failed. Shucks. And since I'd already used one in the Charge phase, I couldn't use my last one there. At least he didn't take Overwatch, since the Visarch was already in combat.<br />
<br />
In combat, the Visarch did a couple Wounds, dropping the Dreadnought down precariously low with his D3 Damage, but it wasn't out of the fight yet. What's worse, the Techmarine used Heroic Intervention and a Pile-In to get into combat as well!<br />
But, my Visarch held out :) that 4++ keeping him alive through some very unlikely tricks of survival.<br />
<br />
Win some, lose some. I'd showed myself - and him - that those Dreadnoughts are far from invincible, and I was turning the tide in terms of kills to deaths. But losing my Storm Guardians was bad, real bad, and left me sitting with a mere 7 Wounds in the center between the Autarch and the Visarch. Not only that, but the Visarch was getting hit, and hard. I wasn't at all sure he could hold out for any length of time.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b><u>Marines Turn 3</u>!</b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVe31yREfxWci3N_3BJCjJExe5hsrHy6c8nlgxKwRRdnri4LMZNyt1aGY3URwd_UejkSVVvfFmAjUw8LPO4rbRkowq7ymRb1madIGf1yGN6-kj_2VHR2JlHqFx7xJ1NKHr5I4JzUktSPQ/s1600/IMG_20170815_185942704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVe31yREfxWci3N_3BJCjJExe5hsrHy6c8nlgxKwRRdnri4LMZNyt1aGY3URwd_UejkSVVvfFmAjUw8LPO4rbRkowq7ymRb1madIGf1yGN6-kj_2VHR2JlHqFx7xJ1NKHr5I4JzUktSPQ/s640/IMG_20170815_185942704.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
This was a nasty surprise. I'd forgotten that Codex Space Marines had given Tactical Marines back their Objective Secured. So that Rhino full of them moving up meant I had to kill *all* of them, or lose the point, and likely the game. On the plus side, since the Rhino moved before the Tactical Marines disembarked, they were stuck in it for the moment. And, there are no Fire Points in 8th, so they were effectively out of the fight at this point.<br />
While I was in the best position I'd been all game, it could still collapse any moment. After the Rhino moved, we went straight into Combat, where the Dreadnought whiffed most of his Attacks, and the Visarch, spectacularly, still lived. In my return swing, I chose to swing at the Techmarine, hoping to kill him handily and get a Soulburst to go after the Dreadnought.<br />
<br />
This was when I learned what the Armor Indomitus does. It grants the bearer a 2+ Invulnerable Save for a turn, once per game. Shit. Well, predictably, he saved all of the many Wounds the Visarch did, denied me the Soulburst, and swung back. Luckily though, the Visarch lived again! Although it cost him his second to last Wound, and a Command Re-roll to keep him alive. Sitting precariously on one Wound, he had one final chance to turn that combat before he was out of the fight.<br />
<br />
That's it for my Re-rolls too, and I'd been seriously leaning on those this game!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b><u>Eldar Turn 3</u>!</b></span><br />
My Autarch jumped over the Rhino, and the Wraithlord Advanced, finally getting off the back lines to actually get into the fight, but unable to fire this turn. Then, my Autarch shot the bejeesus out of the Dreadnought, nearly killing it. The Visarch then followed up in combat, this time easily dispatching the Techmarine (Indomitus having worn off), and granting himself a Soulburst to mulch the Dreadnought, once and for all.<br />
That also gave the Autarch a Soulburst, which he used to shoot the Rhino, but with some atrocious rolling and good saves, wound up dealing it only two Wounds.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfJGZoyWFicnGGEOnaNgmLV1VEXOK8Cb01FYqvCuUAH_-3ME206LnI46RWvpFi1HHjIPrIw7eKtpp9v_AZ4H6MgAawnwzY1B6mnzaWm-bcHapfxLe9AFjV_Efs8egs6zzBCc9Ulxgr8M/s1600/IMG_20170815_190953582.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfJGZoyWFicnGGEOnaNgmLV1VEXOK8Cb01FYqvCuUAH_-3ME206LnI46RWvpFi1HHjIPrIw7eKtpp9v_AZ4H6MgAawnwzY1B6mnzaWm-bcHapfxLe9AFjV_Efs8egs6zzBCc9Ulxgr8M/s640/IMG_20170815_190953582.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Marines Turn 4</u>!</span></b><br />
With the Dreadnoughts gone, the Marines got gutsy - the Tactical unit piled out, then the Rhino moved to block my Wraithlord. If he could hold out, he had the Objective, and the win (for now), so he had to do some serious damage to me, and do it quick.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpgAm5pCCt_gSTSvHOro69uVjlVA_3xIi-nXc6gbiEJq6cHCns9_JN1op3TcVDTQfIyp2BZMVHi8Pkq_vlfkf4d8IIKEWCqldRCLHqMy7WbJrxPWrAM3sZEEGfmsd6iTCl6rtGwkvS40/s1600/IMG_20170815_191513005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpgAm5pCCt_gSTSvHOro69uVjlVA_3xIi-nXc6gbiEJq6cHCns9_JN1op3TcVDTQfIyp2BZMVHi8Pkq_vlfkf4d8IIKEWCqldRCLHqMy7WbJrxPWrAM3sZEEGfmsd6iTCl6rtGwkvS40/s640/IMG_20170815_191513005.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Insanely enough, with some bad rolling and some hot 3+ saves, the Visarch actually survived that shooting, including with the Combi-Plasma, and then was Charged by the Marines. I chose not to use Heroic Intervention to pile-in with my Autarch, because I wouldn't get the bonuses for Charging with the Laser Lance, or get to shoot in my turn (or shoot with a Soulburst!)<br />
So, although the Marines did handily finish off the Visarch, ending his heroic survival streak, in the Soulburst that followed the Autarch killed a full half of them in shooting. Then it was my turn, and he got to shoot again, along with the Wraithlord's two Flamers, wiping the unit entirely.<br />
<br />
At that point, we called it. Because my Autarch was going to get a Soulburst shooting attack on the Rhino, and then he and the Wraithlord would charge it, and there was no question they would wreck it - so I actually tabled the Marines (!)<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Wrap-up</u>!</span></b><br />
Hoo! That game felt close, up until maybe the final turn. Tallying points we had Slay the Warlord, Linebreaker, and First Blood for 1 point each. Then Kill Points, for 1 point per enemy unit killed, and then the Objective for 4 points to whoever held it at the end of the game.<br />
During the game we hadn't been keeping track, so here was our moment to see just how close it was-<br />
<br />
<b><i>Marines:</i></b><br />
First Blood<br />
Slay the Warlord<br />
5x Kill Points (Raider, 2x Warriors, Visarch, Storm Guardians)<br />
<b>7 Points Total</b><br />
<br />
<b><i>Eldar:</i></b><br />
Slay the Warlord<br />
5x Kill Points (Scouts, 2x Dreadnoughts, Techmarine, Tacticals)<br />
Objective<br />
<b>10 Points Total</b><br />
<br />
I actually had 6 Kill Points, counting the Rhino, but since we called it before that happened, and already turned in our official score sheets - meh :)<br />
Neither one of us had Linebreaker, having duked it out in the Objective zone in the end. Without the Objective though, I would have either lost, or we would have tied had we counted the Rhino. SUPER close game!<br />
<br />
And, it was an absolute blast of a game! The cunning General/Chapter Master of those bright yellow Raven Guard is an awesome sport, and a joy to face across the table.<br />
For all the dirty tricks I pulled this game, he'd also come prepared to just paste me across the table, rocking two of the shiniest, newest murder buckets in the Space Marine lineup, and taking Raven Guard Chapter Tactics to make it that much harder for me to shift them. So we both came loaded for bear, and it really showed.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Ynnari/Closing thoughts</u>:</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHYNRqTgpYoCg7AMLm2ms-mxT0lDpXWSJ2hknd-zN2_kMHXwclunRYx-76RbAVA77k0wNdx_pN3Vm22BmTZg4rVIxEWPBAeWSzH1MHVVcqJt0_CFSsr5vUldMA32YTrs2XCESXwmNuBlc/s1600/b36cb9afce31ce14ab142b42adfccaf1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1115" data-original-width="1536" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHYNRqTgpYoCg7AMLm2ms-mxT0lDpXWSJ2hknd-zN2_kMHXwclunRYx-76RbAVA77k0wNdx_pN3Vm22BmTZg4rVIxEWPBAeWSzH1MHVVcqJt0_CFSsr5vUldMA32YTrs2XCESXwmNuBlc/s640/b36cb9afce31ce14ab142b42adfccaf1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
This was my first time running Ynnari with all of their rules, including Strength from Death, as well as the Visarch.<br />
Soulburst is insanely good, and it makes the army far more aggressive, advancing as a group to get the most benefit from it. It makes a lot of those squishy glass cannon units twice the cannon, or twice as fast when they're already some of the faster units in the game. It did feel like cheating, but had even one or two rolls gone against me, I would have been wiped off this table without a second glance. As it was, Soulburst made this game an actual game.<br />
Plus, one of the things I've always struggled with is playing aggressively. Strength from Death almost forces me to, and it compliments my favorite units beautifully, while making the army feel like it should: like a group of warriors who have spent their entire centuries-long existence fighting for merest survivial, under constant threat from Slaanesh, only to now, finally, be able to unleash their full fury. They play like vicious warriors now, rather than the canny snipers they've felt like in the past.<br />
<br />
The Visarch, for his part, really held his own. Again, largely through lucky saves, and entirely because of the FAQ (thank you 4++!) but having no ranged weapon at all sucks, as did having so few Wounds. But that's on me, he heals a lost Wound on a 4+ every time an Ynnari MODEL within 6" dies, so he should have been regenerating Wounds, had I not run him forward and then hid - that will make a huge difference in future games.<br />
<br />
As for 8th in general... Man, what an improvement! Multi-wound weapons, Saves being simplified and streamlined, and holy hell, Command Re-rolls? I've always struggled with terrible rolls at the worst possible moments (statistically much more often than I should), having the option to try again is huge for me. Usually I lean on Farseers for that, but this time I was able to do it without one - although you can be damn sure I'll add a Farseer next round!<br />
In 7th, I would have wasted gallons of fire trying to shift those Scouts, where this time, Rend made it much more reasonable (although maybe not for the poor Scouts...) the new Melta rule, at first I was unimpressed by it, but now having used it, it makes a huge difference, and makes those guns even more devastating than they were before.<br />
Remember, space elves - don't leave home without your Fusion Guns!<br />
<br />
And that's that! Very much looking forward to Round 2 :DNoah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-55831248214399916242017-08-12T23:55:00.000-07:002017-08-16T09:25:36.045-07:0040k List-Building in 8th Edition Part 3: Using Command Points<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKKHiQF-MrT8yTdgeQdvusEJLB6wdY9wupIP5zhqyLOnqcmxB1-U-yeEUFDdhqRRqmJTF1OJxxQiheM1V8fz1zXMsYNQ-aO0gnv12PT1WfaxvNtvbbLiaVHTfT-7tLbFusoWC-hoNt2o/s1600/850px-40k-header-8th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="850" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKKHiQF-MrT8yTdgeQdvusEJLB6wdY9wupIP5zhqyLOnqcmxB1-U-yeEUFDdhqRRqmJTF1OJxxQiheM1V8fz1zXMsYNQ-aO0gnv12PT1WfaxvNtvbbLiaVHTfT-7tLbFusoWC-hoNt2o/s640/850px-40k-header-8th.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Hello all!<br />
Before I got into more detailed prep and reports on my first 8th Edition 40k League, I want to take a quick second to walk through one of the newest mechanics in the game: Command Points<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>So, if you have a Battle Forged army - meaning composed of legal <a href="https://eldradhallett.blogspot.com/2017/07/40k-list-building-in-8th-edition-part-1.html">Detachments</a>, all with the same Faction Keyword (Imperium, Aeldari, etc.) then you get 3 Command Points to spend (8th Edition Rulebook, pg 242), and some Detachments and even Characters grant more.<br />
<br />
You spend these points on <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/14/new-warhammer-40000-stratagems-may14gw-homepage-post-4/">Stratagems</a> before or during the game, so they allow a considerable amount of tactical flexibility. The only real limitation is how many Command Points you have to spend, and you can only use the same Stratagem once per Phase (in Matched Play).<br />
<br />
Strategems are different, with three main options in the Core rulebook, and new Faction-specific ones being released in Codexes.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNgthvw3FkDDhbM4pO2X-WyL3U91qbxT3hOQwP5SJ5owqXsgkRFWChyuE-FJC-bxsUTSHLcoTd1JUyzXiiwtzsc9CxSHqHS1yeTcDtQT5j7koDLmDmP5ril0nMV40gn4yHbIlqNJbpCo/s1600/New40kStratagemsTable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="1200" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNgthvw3FkDDhbM4pO2X-WyL3U91qbxT3hOQwP5SJ5owqXsgkRFWChyuE-FJC-bxsUTSHLcoTd1JUyzXiiwtzsc9CxSHqHS1yeTcDtQT5j7koDLmDmP5ril0nMV40gn4yHbIlqNJbpCo/s640/New40kStratagemsTable.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
So, for my list, I have a Battle Forged 750 point list for 3 Command Points, and it also uses a Battalion Detachment, which grants an additional 3 Command Points, for 6 total.<br />
<br />
Because there isn't an Aeldari Codex yet, I'm still limited to these three - which isn't bad, but I look forward to some flavorful faction-specific Stratagems. Although, re-rolls of dice is very fluffy for an Eldrad-centered army. Just as planned!<br />
<br />
With these stock Stratagems, the one I'm most drawn to is the Command Re-Roll. It's like an on-demand Kairos Fateweaver for any army, and it's the most flexible and efficient of the three. It also can be used against your opponent. Did they nail your precious Transport and roll 6 Wounds on their D6? Re-roll that!<br />
That said, a re-roll is still a roll, so for the 1 extra point, Insane Bravery may be more valuable when it's a Morale Check you want to re-roll. That said, it's tricky to know when to use it, because it specifically says you have to use it *before* rolling.<br />
<br />
All in all, this is a brand-new game mechanic that I'm excited to try, and curious to see how it affects the game :)Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-66597216446728225802017-07-12T22:46:00.001-07:002017-07-25T12:21:53.382-07:0040k: Eldrad in 8th Edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28HFSS51FfXxhw06cRprAlVhkAqN612AM6q4Sbr8ohkojSb6jmo7W71ljmzExE9r2Fjjx3_jt-Z56xAQjHJsCW8NV6KotZXQNnn3lcxeXcEF1s_h_1ugiweyTemK_RzUBD5KCiftlnGM/s1600/IMG_20170711_205214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1373" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28HFSS51FfXxhw06cRprAlVhkAqN612AM6q4Sbr8ohkojSb6jmo7W71ljmzExE9r2Fjjx3_jt-Z56xAQjHJsCW8NV6KotZXQNnn3lcxeXcEF1s_h_1ugiweyTemK_RzUBD5KCiftlnGM/s640/IMG_20170711_205214.jpg" width="547" /></a></div>
<br />
What's up folks! In my continuing re-embrace of 40k, I'm going back to the Character, the visionary General, the cool dude who got me into Eldar in the first place: Eldrad!<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a> In 7th, Eldrad suffered as a competitive choice. He was powerful, but he was slow, had no real Transport options, and didn't have a great choice of units to be a part of, was fragile, and expensive.<br />
<br />
So, has anything changed? Let's look at his shiny new Datasheet (sorry about the picture quality):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjWgtiOLZ-NvPx5iOtcQ88gsUkVkaBFbrJAr9VAAKbNXqyzGkKbRyU_qUQz9LdJgPDpqelVFM4rWXZIx_mAF4bgstFCcS6uobL5e_sRxYT97d7HMg4MKtlStnmdSB-sI4lkquBgd39hA/s1600/Eldrad+Datasheet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="510" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjWgtiOLZ-NvPx5iOtcQ88gsUkVkaBFbrJAr9VAAKbNXqyzGkKbRyU_qUQz9LdJgPDpqelVFM4rWXZIx_mAF4bgstFCcS6uobL5e_sRxYT97d7HMg4MKtlStnmdSB-sI4lkquBgd39hA/s640/Eldrad+Datasheet.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
So his to-hit is now the stellar 2+, meaning those 2 CC Attacks are more than likely to hit. He loses an Attack effectively, because while he can still use that Shuriken Pistol in Combat, it's nothing compared to his Staff.<br />
Speaking of the Staff though, effective S5 at -2 Rend and D3 Damage is no joke. That will carve through a lot of enemies very easily. Especially with the improved to-hit.<br />
He also keeps T4 and his 3+ Invulnerable Save which are nice boosts over other Eldar Infantry and Farseers/Warlocks respectively.<br />
<br />
He gets a 7" Move, and gets a bump to 6 Wounds. Being a Character with fewer than 10 Wounds, he can be insulated by other Units without having to be a part of them. Nice!<br />
Note the changes to the Ghosthelm. It's similar to what it was in 7th, but now applies to *any* Mortal Wound. While it's not quite as reliable against Perils as it was, having the save against other Mortal Wounds is awesome. Plus, you can use it against Perils more than once in a turn, in case you're just that unlucky ;)<br />
<br />
Eldrad also knows all of the new Powers without rolling, and can re-roll one Psychic Test per phase, once to Manifest and once to Deny. And he can Manifest three powers/turn (each Asuryani power once) add 1 to the roll if he passes the one before, and Deny two each turn.<br />
<br />
Now here are the updated Farseer Psychic Powers:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhObYBfG7ODHUJNwEnD2GwR-Oce2xdH_4pLDuluPP3IzdcsYVzcDxY2HKRZn1b2rvcR5mCXu1gmoYR5pPJOfV8PRik0taLkgcDhxz3TvJDKSBK6qQ-wg0X5R8f-S_Hm1ovZNrHhg1RZqQE/s1600/Aeldari+Powers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="283" data-original-width="315" height="574" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhObYBfG7ODHUJNwEnD2GwR-Oce2xdH_4pLDuluPP3IzdcsYVzcDxY2HKRZn1b2rvcR5mCXu1gmoYR5pPJOfV8PRik0taLkgcDhxz3TvJDKSBK6qQ-wg0X5R8f-S_Hm1ovZNrHhg1RZqQE/s640/Aeldari+Powers.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Guide is exactly the same, unchanged for at least three editions now. WC7 makes it actually fairly difficult to pull off, and you can only cast it once per turn, but it's still a handy tool to have in the box.<br />
<br />
Doom is also the same, and assuming "you can re-roll" refers to any shots from the controlling Player, it's also the only one of these powers that can affect non-Asuryani Aeldari. So it's a huge boon for Dark Eldar or Harlequins, if you happen to have them in your army.<br />
<br />
Fortune is completely re-worked, now acting exactly like old-school Feel No Pain, granting a 5+ "Save" against unsaved Wounds. Which is straight-up amazeballs. It's especially better on chaff units like Guardian blobs, whose base Armor save is bad and vulnerable to Rend.<br />
<br />
There's also just a little bit more - the new Aeldari Rules:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxjO7YmGoVIQATwp81Cj11S0b247oVl0CH1Kk0qdu4eMf0zQIaRXEQg_Lj9HNRSBS0wTGrukz01PwTHo2ZHJFbDBIFtq7LZyoWXI_0SyShLS8pafKRbEqMKjkPok173l07Gr14TtzNwo/s1600/Aeldari+Special+Rules.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="171" data-original-width="252" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxjO7YmGoVIQATwp81Cj11S0b247oVl0CH1Kk0qdu4eMf0zQIaRXEQg_Lj9HNRSBS0wTGrukz01PwTHo2ZHJFbDBIFtq7LZyoWXI_0SyShLS8pafKRbEqMKjkPok173l07Gr14TtzNwo/s640/Aeldari+Special+Rules.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Ancient Doom is more or less the same, I think it's a little bit better, but not much. The downside is nastier with the changes to Morale, but overall there's very little difference.<br />
<br />
Battle Focus on the other hand is quite a bit different. It still grants your Asuryani units a little bit of extra shooting/maneuverability. But you lose on the ability to shoot, then move *after* shooting. It's a good change, but a bummer if you were used to the old 7th edition hijinx.<br />
Advancing already doesn't keep you from casting Psychic Powers, so Eldrad gains very little from this one.<br />
<br />
You do also have the option to drop Battle Focus for Strength from Death by taking him in an Ynnari Detachment. The extra Actions may be useful to a Pysker of Eldrad's power, or to give him twice as many Attacks in Combat each turn.<br />
At the end of the day though, Strength from Death is better, but you're likely to get limited use out of either with Eldrad, they're not really what he's for.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTg0sMPmptBQgasCGdUHcosDZMx7b_20lXh1w591zVw2DA31Zs9XkAZCz8AKC5nUhNPU4nTzYNpB6iZ9aUoa4HtySR1jhUKWFYyTRjvbGVTFfwRmN2H-j3ISpJlzj6Ss7tgrx68Yr4XoE/s1600/IMG_20170711_205255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1197" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTg0sMPmptBQgasCGdUHcosDZMx7b_20lXh1w591zVw2DA31Zs9XkAZCz8AKC5nUhNPU4nTzYNpB6iZ9aUoa4HtySR1jhUKWFYyTRjvbGVTFfwRmN2H-j3ISpJlzj6Ss7tgrx68Yr4XoE/s640/IMG_20170711_205255.jpg" width="473" /></a></div>
<br />
He also rolls in at 180 points. He just keeps getting a little bit cheaper in each edition, and now he has a nice price savings over a Farseer Skyrunner, with quite a bit of extra utility (and durability with the 3++) over the Skyrunner as well.<br />
<br />
Now, my confession here is that I was going to run him anyway. Because, come on! It's Eldrad! So I'll be able to tell fairly quickly if he performs better on the table or not. But, with the cost savings, increase in durability (especially with Character rules) and hitting quite a bit harder with that 2+, I think his rules have taken several strong strides towards being worth taking.<br />
<br />
Let's try it!Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-71539079072826293662017-07-10T16:25:00.002-07:002017-07-25T12:43:37.095-07:0040k: List-Building in 8th Edition Part 2: Wargear and Points!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgjWzSICus3CSm070IquihIHS6ZVjMDUWxdQ6QMbyRjEjwqdZVpj-k7B1F5WOt5wqQVGAiBznWRXAL02-kfjwWu-w8New_UtkblY_U5RYxGeXcN9ueU6X3ixZQLhfrmWKazegCzTFZZE/s1600/b36cb9afce31ce14ab142b42adfccaf1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1115" data-original-width="1536" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgjWzSICus3CSm070IquihIHS6ZVjMDUWxdQ6QMbyRjEjwqdZVpj-k7B1F5WOt5wqQVGAiBznWRXAL02-kfjwWu-w8New_UtkblY_U5RYxGeXcN9ueU6X3ixZQLhfrmWKazegCzTFZZE/s640/b36cb9afce31ce14ab142b42adfccaf1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Games Workshop</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Hello again! And here we are, NoName1 with the children's book "my first list." Please see my Aeldari post <a href="https://eldradhallett.blogspot.com/2017/07/40k-eldaraeldari-in-8th-edition.html">here</a> for background, and my List Building Part 1 <a href="https://eldradhallett.blogspot.com/2017/07/40k-list-building-in-8th-edition-part-1.html">here</a> for where I came to this list.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
To recap, here's the list I came to from my previous post, but with Base Points Cost added:<br />
<br />
<b><u>Ynnari Patrol Detachment</u>-</b><br />
Eldrad - <b>180</b><br />
Archon - <b>54</b><br />
10x Kaballite Warriors - <b>70</b><br />
Raider - <b>95</b><br />
Wraithlord - <b>103</b><br />
Crimson Hunter - <b>143</b><br />
Hemlock Wraithfighter - <b>211</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b> <u>Asuryani Supreme Command Detachment</u>-</b><br />
<b> </b>Farseer Skyrunner (on Jetbike) - <b>154</b><br />
Autarch Skyrunner (on Jetbike) - <b>94</b><br />
Warlock - <b>30</b><br />
<br />
Subtotal: <b>1134</b>.<br />
Not a bad total pre-upgrade for a minimal collection, I should be easily able to hit 1500 for mid-size games.<br />
<br />
Let me say again: this list is bad. I put it in softer terms before, but that's it. It's small, and has so few bodies that all of those Characters are unable to hide behind other units effectively. It also gives me only 1 Command Point and lacks a lot of the teeth I would prefer to have. That said, it's what I've got!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, first, let's get the easy stuff out of the way. The Farseer Skyrunner gets a Singing Spear (+14), as does the Warlock (+14), and that's it for them. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Running total: <b>1162</b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
Then, I need to make sure my Heavy Weapons get in there. So I give the Wraithlord a Bright Lance (+20) and an Aeldari Missile Launcher (+25), plus a Ghostglaive, just because (+10).<br />
I also give the Raider a Disintegrator Cannon instead of the stock Dark Lance (+30) and a Shock Prow (+1)<br />
...Seriously, 1 pt? Who *wouldn't* get a Shock Prow?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Running total: <b>1248</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The total is getting up there, so if I want to keep it under 1500, I want to keep any eye on those points. But, also if my wish-list upgrades pop the list up to 1850, more's the better!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Let's look at the leaders, the Archon and the Autarch will have the most options here. </div>
<div>
Sidebar: Archons come stock with Shadowfield and Huskblade? Not bad! But because mine is modeled with an Agonizer, I'll pay for that (+4) but have to test out both options in-game. We'll also give him the Blast Pistol (+10) and the Grenade Launcher because it's dirt cheap and gives him something longer range than the Pistol (+3)</div>
<div>
I'm opting for the Blast weapon because he needs some anti-Armor/Anti-Monster, and the Pistol so he can't be denied a shot for being in Combat - all the more critical here in 8th because vehicles can Charge.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now the Autarch is going to be tricky. Do you kit him for punching, shooting, or both?</div>
<div>
Personally, I opt for the Banshee Mask (+0) over Mandiblasters - attacking as if you Charged every turn (re: first) is awesome, and way better than a Mortal Wound only in CC on a 6+. Unless you're in combat with something you probably shouldn't be trying to punch to death...<br />
Next, I go with the Fusion Pistol (+9), for the same reasons as the Archon. I also opt for the Laser Lance (+9) because it's the best CC weapon you can get. On top of that I add the Reaper Launcher (+31) because despite the price, it's amazing, and on a dead-eye shot like the Autarch, worth every penny!<br />
<br />
Running total: <b>1314</b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b> </b>Hmm. Maybe those aren't quite as many points as I thought. Upgrades and Weapons in 8th are far, far cheaper than they have been before, so I'm finding myself with many more points to spare. At this point the only thing I have left to spend points on is Unit Upgrades.</div>
<div>
For one, I can make the Crimson Hunter a Crimson Hunter Exarch (+40). Then, the Kaballite Warriors can get a Dark Lance (+20), a Blaster (+15) and the Sybarite can take a Blast Pistol (+10), Agonizer (+4), and Phantasm Launcher (+3)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Running total: <b>1406</b></div>
<div>
Let's recap-</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><u>Ynnari Patrol Detachment</u>-</b><br />
Eldrad - <b>180</b><br />
Archon - (Agonizer, Phantasm Launcher, Blast Pistol) <b>71 </b><br />
10x Kaballite Warriors - (Dark Lance, Agonizer, Blast Pistol, Blaster, Dark Lance) <b>122</b><br />
Raider - (Disintegrator, Shock Prow) <b>126</b><br />
Wraithlord - (Bright Lance, Aeldari Missile Launcher, Ghostglaive) <b>158</b><br />
Crimson Hunter - (Exarch) <b>183</b><br />
Hemlock Wraithfighter - <b>211</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b> <u>Asuryani Supreme Command Detachment</u>-</b><br />
<b> </b>Farseer Skyrunner (on Jetbike) - (Singing Spear) <b>168</b><br />
Autarch Skyrunner (on Jetbike) - (Banshee Mask, Laser Lance, Reaper Launcher, Fusion Pistol) <b>143</b><br />
Warlock - (Singing Spear) <b>44</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b> 1406 is no 1500, but it'll have to do for now! Maybe I can dig up some junky models and throw together some Storm Guardians...</b></div>
Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-31547947941049298202017-07-05T15:35:00.001-07:002017-08-17T13:41:15.852-07:0040k: List-Building in 8th Edition Part 1: Detachments!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrfS8MegnsjBlC6YXgiPny8lsg8eFSHwPAlZBIFZNpUXEotMrp74rIQ2htkWmn4kzpKsrWOeyEz12q-Yjk3fYPsqstqmJvZe-cxuyVWUI6KA_HQKgr2slgQu6DlVZ_ncPqMZ2_T5t8Qo/s1600/Patrol+Detachment.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="647" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrfS8MegnsjBlC6YXgiPny8lsg8eFSHwPAlZBIFZNpUXEotMrp74rIQ2htkWmn4kzpKsrWOeyEz12q-Yjk3fYPsqstqmJvZe-cxuyVWUI6KA_HQKgr2slgQu6DlVZ_ncPqMZ2_T5t8Qo/s640/Patrol+Detachment.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spoiler alert!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Hello Folks! NoName1 here chronicling my discovery of 8th Edition 40k. This time around, list building!<br />
<a name='more'></a> *See <a href="https://eldradhallett.blogspot.com/2017/07/40k-list-building-in-8th-edition-part-2.html">Part 2</a> for points values on this list, and <a href="https://eldradhallett.blogspot.com/2017/08/40k-list-building-in-8th-edition-part-3.html">Part 3</a> for a bit on Command Points<br />
<br />
Now, if you've been following me for any length of time, you know that I actually "got out" of 40k entirely. Done-zo. Out. Gone.<br />
<br />
This was some time ago, well before we knew details about 8th, and I was simply tired of the complexity (and frankly, drama) that 7th Edition grew into most of last year.<br />
<br />
Rather than focusing on that though, the point of the story is that my collection shrunk, drastically. I kept some custom models, some I really wanted to paint, and just a couple in case of Kill Team games. So, here's what I have now:<br />
<br />
Farseer on Jetbike - (HQ)<br />
Autarch on Jetbike - (HQ)<br />
Eldrad Ulthran - (HQ)<br />
Farseer (can be used as a Warlock) - (HQ)<br />
Wraithlord - (Heavy Support)<br />
Crimson Hunter (Flyer)<br />
Hemlock Wraithfighter (Flyer)<br />
<br />
Archon - (HQ)<br />
Haemonculus - (HQ)<br />
10x Kaballite Warriors - (Troops, 1x of 10 or 2x of 5)<br />
Raider - (Dedicated Transport)<br />
<br />
This puts me in something of a pickle. All of my Troops are Drukhari (Dark Eldar), and I don't have any double-slot units I would need to run my Asuryani (Craftworld Eldar) without Troops. That is, there are Detachments where you can run 1-3 HQ's with a minimum of 3 of any non-Troop role - 3 Fast Attack, 3 Heavy Support, etc.<br />
Aside from requiring a *lot* of HQ's, list-building in 8th is nicely flexible. See the Index at the end of this post for images of all the available Detachments and a glossary for the Symbols for Battlefield Roles.<br />
<br />
That "a lot of HQ's" trend actually works very much in my favor though, since my collection is mostly HQ's. And, since Aeldari have access to the new Ynnari Faction as a list-building option (see my <a href="https://eldradhallett.blogspot.com/2017/07/40k-eldaraeldari-in-8th-edition.html">previous post</a> on what that means), I can actually almost field everything I have in a Patrol Detachment:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrfS8MegnsjBlC6YXgiPny8lsg8eFSHwPAlZBIFZNpUXEotMrp74rIQ2htkWmn4kzpKsrWOeyEz12q-Yjk3fYPsqstqmJvZe-cxuyVWUI6KA_HQKgr2slgQu6DlVZ_ncPqMZ2_T5t8Qo/s1600/Patrol+Detachment.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="647" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrfS8MegnsjBlC6YXgiPny8lsg8eFSHwPAlZBIFZNpUXEotMrp74rIQ2htkWmn4kzpKsrWOeyEz12q-Yjk3fYPsqstqmJvZe-cxuyVWUI6KA_HQKgr2slgQu6DlVZ_ncPqMZ2_T5t8Qo/s640/Patrol+Detachment.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Here I can field my Archon and Eldrad, with the Kaballite Warriors as either 1 or two Troop units, the Raider as a Dedicated Transport, and all the other non-HQ's in slots here.<br />
<br />
Here's where it gets tricky though - that's an Ynnari Detachment, so my units are trading Battle Focus (Asuryani) or Power from Pain (Drukhari) for Strength from Death. It's a shame to lose Power from Pain on those Kaballites, but it's the only way I personally can field my collection in full.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b> </b>That said, I did find one Detachment where I can field my remaining HQ's:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2fUsCN8CK43VRNH95pEwRwA2HG6Ygvz-AuqJhn9wdFeatnxYqykKOwEigtOLXlYEj8cn532Sx8b-oip5WnOpxF8mK4Tv0CskoHrJU5tfM01aFRgVeuom7js0DeSPmu_xUPM7-4v8OeA/s1600/HQ+Detachment.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="257" data-original-width="634" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2fUsCN8CK43VRNH95pEwRwA2HG6Ygvz-AuqJhn9wdFeatnxYqykKOwEigtOLXlYEj8cn532Sx8b-oip5WnOpxF8mK4Tv0CskoHrJU5tfM01aFRgVeuom7js0DeSPmu_xUPM7-4v8OeA/s640/HQ+Detachment.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b> </b>So that's where my Warlock, Autarch and Farseer on Jetbike will fit into the picture. The added benefit there is that all of those units can still keep Battle Focus, if I choose to make them an Asuryani Detachment. This is particularly powerful on Jetbike units since they don't roll for how far that Advance, and instead just move the full distance.<br />
On the downside, they won't be Ynnari and won't get the added bonus of Soulburst actions. But I can also run this as an Ynnari Detachment if I want to try out different rules interactions.<br />
<br />
That makes me final list (without wargear):<br />
<br />
<b><u>Ynnari Patrol Detachment</u>-</b><br />
Eldrad<br />
Archon<br />
10x Kaballite Warriors<br />
Raider<br />
Wraithlord<br />
Crimson Hunter<br />
Hemlock Wraithfighter<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b> <u>Asuryani Supreme Command Detachment</u>-</b><br />
<b> </b>Farseer on Jetbike<br />
Autarch on Jetbike<br />
Warlock<br />
<br />
It's not the best composition, and I get a grand total of a whopping 1 Command Point for it, but it's a start. And it allows me to field my entire collection (barring the Haemonculus) while I get a handle on 8th and before I pick up any new models/units.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;"> Index: Detachments</span></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRR4HR3DNmijr7WOpHFz-cWRmDrJeUXonVx88D-7cYHcL5MeDreB5WbcjGEymq_fxANjXTgXPq8e_MHzC1U8w5wquiGWMr7Ky5gc7D53kt2rwyQ1vMI-DB3cJi9p1rr40oMjCAUInecbg/s1600/Battlefield+Role.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="482" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRR4HR3DNmijr7WOpHFz-cWRmDrJeUXonVx88D-7cYHcL5MeDreB5WbcjGEymq_fxANjXTgXPq8e_MHzC1U8w5wquiGWMr7Ky5gc7D53kt2rwyQ1vMI-DB3cJi9p1rr40oMjCAUInecbg/s640/Battlefield+Role.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-nj3Ru029BLTWtIQfF5qpyB0i2aReITBeYhNPLdWzMIAOvC7NWptTEwfTPeV5LGJTKov2rBNfgr1qiY0k_33DNRU5vAJ0aBZvrfPtUqgax6DTK2KoB4de_3A1Mxg_tYE3YxKcRBWG1U/s1600/Basic+Detachments.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="543" data-original-width="386" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-nj3Ru029BLTWtIQfF5qpyB0i2aReITBeYhNPLdWzMIAOvC7NWptTEwfTPeV5LGJTKov2rBNfgr1qiY0k_33DNRU5vAJ0aBZvrfPtUqgax6DTK2KoB4de_3A1Mxg_tYE3YxKcRBWG1U/s640/Basic+Detachments.JPG" width="450" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
These are the more "standard" ones we're a bit more familiar with</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_eNiZnDljmweCNJMTyoNsEYL5pCFnrW79f7BBQK-9BbA1Y7qsScvraL4GibSI6ktyVhY2aDv1Jglse7xAPL5o2x1dz0x2fevas7gb4GGNxFaFFhNScWO-8m7az_nHhGJI_PvUCG35Lo/s1600/Advanced+Detachments.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="766" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_eNiZnDljmweCNJMTyoNsEYL5pCFnrW79f7BBQK-9BbA1Y7qsScvraL4GibSI6ktyVhY2aDv1Jglse7xAPL5o2x1dz0x2fevas7gb4GGNxFaFFhNScWO-8m7az_nHhGJI_PvUCG35Lo/s640/Advanced+Detachments.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
So many options!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_nAVUTEk9MQzaqyATZ9p2ox8xxr9fbHaoxb-apNhxC0Ym_RFicnR5OAl-TpFSMfMcVIINJUdF0jSE50qI78X6EqdynT_JWzdN2w_XX0lSGcZjWjD-DH9vMJ8Bk6SeIOnficQqAnkcps/s1600/More+Advanced+Detachments.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="487" data-original-width="331" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_nAVUTEk9MQzaqyATZ9p2ox8xxr9fbHaoxb-apNhxC0Ym_RFicnR5OAl-TpFSMfMcVIINJUdF0jSE50qI78X6EqdynT_JWzdN2w_XX0lSGcZjWjD-DH9vMJ8Bk6SeIOnficQqAnkcps/s640/More+Advanced+Detachments.JPG" width="430" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This is a blown up version of the right side of the above</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-54036131073688337492017-07-05T13:21:00.002-07:002017-07-28T12:37:48.287-07:0040k: Eldar/Aeldari in 8th Edition<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjntLsuE8aHyvdEoqP4B602Jh124LdVC42tOcGqsOsfS9pvbb8JCdqkD6Clu-qDeCOAFJBPKXYKNiLX-rnbuf1yiqIwO0gn4OFnkTP0CV56_U5Y_mQ7c5cMqMQ-7CZGlzOCh216eMK9jIs/s1600/40kFFYnnariForce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="1000" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjntLsuE8aHyvdEoqP4B602Jh124LdVC42tOcGqsOsfS9pvbb8JCdqkD6Clu-qDeCOAFJBPKXYKNiLX-rnbuf1yiqIwO0gn4OFnkTP0CV56_U5Y_mQ7c5cMqMQ-7CZGlzOCh216eMK9jIs/s640/40kFFYnnariForce.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Warhammer Community</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
What's up folks! NoName1 here with the first in a series of articles chronicling my return to 40k after a brief hiatus, and going through the Eldar/Aeldari piece by piece as I relearn my Space Elves for the new edition<br />
<a name='more'></a> Basics first: Aeldari (as they're now called) can draw from three different Factions outside of Forgeworld - Craftword, or Asuryani, Dark Eldar or Drukhari, or Harlequins - or they can mix and match between all three under the umbrella of Ynnari.<br />
<br />
Any of these can be combined in separate Detachments in a single army, but that quickly limits your options, and all of them now have a lot of internal synergy that works best if they're run in groups together. A lot of Craftworld Characters and Psychic Powers, for example, provide various re-rolls specifically to Craftworld/Asuryani units but not to other Aeldari. Ynnari allow you to run nearly any Eldar unit in any combination, but they lose their signature special rule.<br />
<br />
But, there are strengths and weaknesses to any combination. First off, here's a quick summary of each Faction as they stand now:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3RmSylf58IA2irqc4qX6iu4HgtiyldeWObzUKSxAbAOQvzrlfYc0lB1JX-efAOp3Uw2WVxknJja5ou5xzTFfulEdcHaL-Y3C0yqY3kIBCHZrRfF6tqYxfB6LHQWOdQQSwi3FLd-WdSw/s1600/Eldar-Cover2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="768" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3RmSylf58IA2irqc4qX6iu4HgtiyldeWObzUKSxAbAOQvzrlfYc0lB1JX-efAOp3Uw2WVxknJja5ou5xzTFfulEdcHaL-Y3C0yqY3kIBCHZrRfF6tqYxfB6LHQWOdQQSwi3FLd-WdSw/s640/Eldar-Cover2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><u>Craftworld/Asuryani</u>:</b><br />
<b><i>Ancient Doom</i></b> - You can re-roll failed to-hit rolls in a Fight Phase in which this unit Charged or was Charged by a Slaaneshi unit. You must add 1 to any Morale Tests for this unit if it's within 3" of a Slaaneshi unit.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Battle Focus</i></b> - This unit can shoot in the Shooting Phase as if it hadn't Moved or Advanced (except heavy weapons)<br />
<br />
<b><i>Psychic Powers (Farseer)</i></b> -<br />
<b>Guide:</b> WC 7, Friendly <i>Asuryani</i> unit within 24" may re-roll failed ranged to-hit rolls<br />
<b>Doom:</b> WC 7, re-roll all to-Wound rolls against single target Enemy unit within 24"<br />
<b>Fortune: </b>WC 7, Friendly <i>Asuryani</i> unit within 24" rolls a die for each Unsaved Wound, and ignores it on a 5+<br />
<br />
<b><i>Psychic Powers (Warlock)</i></b> -<br />
<div>
<b>Conceal/Reveal:</b> WC 6, Enemy units must subtract 1 from to-hit rolls vs. Friendly Asuryani Biker/Infantry units within 3" of the Warlock <b><i>-or-</i></b> Target enemy unit within 18" does not benefit from Cover.</div>
<div>
<b>Embolden/Horrify:</b> WC 6, add 2 to Leadership of friendly Asuryani Biker/Infantry units within 3" of the Warlock <b><i>-or-</i></b> Target enemy unit within 18" has -1 Leadership</div>
<div>
<b>Enhance/Drain:</b> WC 7, during the Fight Phase add 1 to all to-hit rolls for friendly Asuryani Biker/Infantry units within 3" of the Warlock <b><i>-or-</i></b> Subtract 1 from all to-hit rolls for target enemy unit within 18"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Craftworld armies probably benefit the most from running all-Craftworld units. The amount of Synergy Warlocks/Farseers add is crazy, and Doom is the only ability any non-Asuryani Aeldari will benefit from. However, Battle Focus isn't great compared to what it used to be. It makes a fast army even faster (nice), but no longer allows units to shoot and then move, which was the real secret sauce (although incredibly obnoxious, so good change!)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioCr38Pz1zGjmmWc73-0OUXfc-6eK1_WChbq0_Z8B7QHxIaumXWKn0QecxibyMT2ATj_nWgxgFSMdbVtOiHbwZylas_O5ErgB_Dw3s85eayL26D89uokK_97Kw0oKeyyf6G9gi5e4Dtgo/s1600/vect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="844" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioCr38Pz1zGjmmWc73-0OUXfc-6eK1_WChbq0_Z8B7QHxIaumXWKn0QecxibyMT2ATj_nWgxgFSMdbVtOiHbwZylas_O5ErgB_Dw3s85eayL26D89uokK_97Kw0oKeyyf6G9gi5e4Dtgo/s640/vect.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<b><u>Dark Eldar/Drukhari</u>:</b><br />
<b><i>Power from Pain</i> -</b><br />
<b>Turn 1:</b> Ignore an Unsaved Wound on a 6+<br />
<b>Turn 2:</b> Re-roll Advances and Charges<br />
<b>Turn 3:</b> +1 to-hit in the Fight Phase<br />
<b>Turn 4:</b> Automatically pass Morale<br />
<b>Turn 5+:</b> Subtract 1 from Leadership of enemies within 6"<br />
<br />
<b><i>Combat Drugs</i> -</b><br />
Can be rolled for or picked, but if picked, you can't choose the same option twice until you've used all the options once. Results are +1 Attack (1), +1 Strength (2), +2" Move (3), +1 Toughness (4), +1 WS (5), or +2 Leadership (6)<br />
<br />
Gaining that 6+ on Turn 1 is a big buff, even if it never goes down to a 5+ the way it used to. The other buffs are all very scary, especially cumulatively and with Combat Drugs on top (!)<br />
Dark Eldar/Drukhari have gotten big buffs in this edition, and the latest Edition's focus on frailty by itself brought them more in-line with other armies by making most armies more fragile.<br />
I also really like the new rule for Combat Drugs - that you can pick you results, but you have to make them all different, or you can roll for them as before.<br />
With some careful list building though, getting each result on different units actually works out really well, by letting you make sure the units that need +1 Attack, Toughness, or Strength are the units that get them, and guaranteeing that <i>someone</i> gets those bonuses at all. If you roll, on the other hand, you could roll a fistful of 6's and be sorely disappointed.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkTSPD0g-i83gL3e7dAdSFJacfjVsEqzPWnatOC39HitriuDmvoix3Ov7S6Wh9QepLfYgYDD2kz-saDAxtKWvJDFLwqixSHhgMbVR1ccyfV5UNS5f-NnQZwjPJJ5FSoCwxGa1NfXXcgEA/s1600/harlies2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="300" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkTSPD0g-i83gL3e7dAdSFJacfjVsEqzPWnatOC39HitriuDmvoix3Ov7S6Wh9QepLfYgYDD2kz-saDAxtKWvJDFLwqixSHhgMbVR1ccyfV5UNS5f-NnQZwjPJJ5FSoCwxGa1NfXXcgEA/s640/harlies2.jpg" width="446" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><u>Harlequins:</u></b><br />
<b><i> Rising Crescendo</i></b> <b>-</b> Units with this rule may Advance and Charge in the same turn. In addition, they can Retreat and still shoot and/or Charge in the same turn.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Psychic Powers (Shadowseer)</i></b> -<br />
<b>Twilight Pathways:</b> WC 6, Visible Friendly <i>Harlequins</i> unit within 3" may immediately move as if it were the Movement Phase (included Advance). This can only be cast once per unit per turn<br />
<b>Fog of Dreams:</b> WC 7, Target visible Enemy unit within 18" must subtract 1 from all to-hit rolls targeting <i>Harlequin Infantry </i>Units<i>.</i><br />
<b>Mirror of Minds: </b>WC 8, Psyker and an Enemy unit within 24" each roll a die. If the Harlequin's roll is higher, the target takes 1 Mortal Wound. Repeat until the enemy unit is Slain or the target rolls higher than the Harlequin Psyker.<br />
<br />
<i>*Note for list-building:</i> Troupe Master's and Shadowseers are now HQ options for Harlequins, and Troupes no longer have a Master in them. The Solitaire is still an Elite option.<br />
<br />
I really love how Harlequins have weathered the transition to 8th Edition. In many ways, they're the same, since it's likely the army was designed while 8th Edition's rules were already well underway - but now their insane mobility and flexibility from Rising Crescendo are permanent, not tied to awkward bulky Formations the way they used to be. Also, their ability to bounce in and out of Combat has been, if anything, beefed up even more. I am strongly tempted to run pure Harlequin Detachments in any army I run, if not just run Harlequins period.<br />
On the table (having played very little so far, so salt this) Harlequins are likely to be more fragile than ever, but hit much, much harder than before, more quickly, and from starting further away.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinr8WwCkV1MHkwVSPF7YnhYIoYnopBZs5dPvkXWtu-INCNLAYIJmHibyiO_2GlfbjZ-hoKX6lmJpguhDtQPpeJ94qygBawj_WgtRR4mJpdGkPTJA-S7o8o6fz6qe9-5s9iSujxsHTA8_w/s1600/b36cb9afce31ce14ab142b42adfccaf1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1115" data-original-width="1536" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinr8WwCkV1MHkwVSPF7YnhYIoYnopBZs5dPvkXWtu-INCNLAYIJmHibyiO_2GlfbjZ-hoKX6lmJpguhDtQPpeJ94qygBawj_WgtRR4mJpdGkPTJA-S7o8o6fz6qe9-5s9iSujxsHTA8_w/s640/b36cb9afce31ce14ab142b42adfccaf1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><u>Ynnari:</u></b><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;"> *</i><i>An Ynnari Army can be composed of any combination of Aeldari units, but may not include Haemonculus Covens units, Urien Rakarth, Drazhar, Mandrakes, or the Avatar of Khaine. Units that are chosen for this army gain the Ynnari Faction Keyword and lose Battle Focus, Power from Pain, or Rising Crescendo. <b>Infantry</b> and <b>Biker</b> units gain the Ynnari Strength from Death ability below:</i><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i> Strength from Death</i></b> <b>-</b> Any time an enemy unit is completely destroyed within 7" (except in the Morale phase) of one or more Ynnari Biker or Infantry units, pick one of those units to make a Soulburst action. That unit may immediately do one of the following (even if it had already done so this turn):<br />
- <b>Move</b> as if it was the Movement Phase (including Advance or Fall Back)<br />
- <b>Manifest</b> a single Psychic Power (if it has one) as if it were the Psychic Phase<br />
- <b>Shoot</b> as if it was the Shooting Phase (even if it Advanced or Fell Back this turn)<br />
- <b>Charge</b> as if it were the Charge Phase (even if it Advanced or Fell Back this turn), unless it is already within 1" of an Enemy unit. Overwatch is fired as normal<br />
- <b>Fight</b> as if it was the Fight Phase<br />
<br />
*These do allow units to perform the same action twice per turn<br />
*Any Unit may only make a Soulburst Action once per turn<br />
<br />
<b><i>Psychic Powers (Revenant Discipline)</i></b> -<br />
<b>Gaze of Ynnead:</b> WC 8, Visible Enemy unit within 18". Roll a D6 - on a 1, that unit suffers 1 Mortal Wound. On a 2-5, it suffers D3 Mortal Wounds. On a 6, it suffers D6 Mortal Wounds.<br />
<b>Ancestors' Grace:</b> WC 5, Target visible Friendly Ynnari unit within 18", that unit may re-roll to-Hit rolls of 1.<br />
<b>Word of the Phoenix: </b>WC 6, Friendly Ynnari unit within 18" may immediately make a Soulburst Action (if it hasn't done so already this turn)<br />
<br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">Ynnead's Will - </i>Units with this special rule may Embark on any Aeldari Transport (following normal restrictions otherwise) even if that Transport normally doesn't allow non-Asuryani/Harlequin/Drukhari passengers. This is a nod to let Yvraine and the Visarch have access to Transports in any Ynnari army.<br />
<br />
Ynnari are an interesting beast. I have a very mixed Aledari collection right now, so I'll be running Ynnari armies as a way to make what I have Battle Forged/legal to field, meaning I'll have much more to say on them in the near future.<br />
In general though, losing Power from Pain and Rising Crescendo is a hell of a tax. Power from Death is good, really good, but limited in that you have to be within 7" of an enemy unit when it dies, which most Aeldari units don't really want to. Harlequins will really like this rule, even if it costs them a lot of mobility, and things like Incubi, Striking Scorpions, and Howling Banshees will love it.<br />
One good news/bad news situation here is that Psykers from each faction retain their own Powers, so if you have Eldrad in your Ynnari army, he can still Doom the crap out of enemies and Fortune your valuable units. On the other hand, Guide and Fortune will only work on Asuryani units, even in an Ynnari army, so your utility is more limited than usual. Likewise for Shadowseer powers, although their Twilight Pathways power can help Harlequin units mitigate the loss of Rising Crescendo. Likewise, the Word of the Phoenix power helps mitigate that loss as well (and works on all Ynnari units, which is awesome!) but you *have* to take Yvraine to get it.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: red;"> This is supposed to be a quick post, so I'll leave it here for now. But I'm excited to dig further! </span></b></div>
Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-4762930784464446502017-06-26T00:31:00.001-07:002017-06-26T14:47:16.552-07:00X-wing: The State of the Game<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0RZh7LxHLgejrM-8bjFB1JMyZgQyDWdAUQZI306cZyOlx0dN9WjlQ_d7LBDc77c6oJAQRl4RcVtWIam6i6JN2xAoDJ1bD-biWkxlMGy5zSDM7vuQk92FmKGAWtSec4c5tVcTdRi79p7o/s1600/x-wing_title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0RZh7LxHLgejrM-8bjFB1JMyZgQyDWdAUQZI306cZyOlx0dN9WjlQ_d7LBDc77c6oJAQRl4RcVtWIam6i6JN2xAoDJ1bD-biWkxlMGy5zSDM7vuQk92FmKGAWtSec4c5tVcTdRi79p7o/s400/x-wing_title.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Hi folks! NoName1 here again to talk about my beloved X-wing, how close it is to (and far from) a perfect Meta, and where the game seems to be sitting right now in my opinion<br />
<a name='more'></a> First off, while my love of the game has hardly tapered at all, X-wing is in a bit of an odd spot right now. A lot of players are experiencing wave fatigue, and it seems like there's an unprecedented game-wide drop in enthusiasm among long-time players.<br />
<br />
The way I see it, there are a couple reasons for this, and they've been floated all over the forums and various gaming sites already, but the biggest one for me personally was <a href="https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2017/3/6/bringing-balance-to-the-force/">FAQ-mageddon</a>. The FAQ did a lot of great things, and fixed some of the most unhealthy upgrades/ships in the game. The biggest rollbacks were Manaroo, Palpatine, the x7 Title, and Zuckuss Crew.<br />
<br />
These changes were dramatic, and they were needed. They represent a big step forward in how FFG wants to engage with the Meta, and makes it at least look like they see they have some fixing to do. But, at the same time, I believe strongly that these changes don't go far enough.<br />
<br />
X-wing as a game right now is only using a small fraction of the ships in the game. Even Casual play is feeling ripples from this, because even semi-casual players can see very quickly that some things are *so good* that they're overwhelming all the other options. The E-bay price for a K-wing is a strong indication of what some of those are.<br />
<br />
So, what's still broken, and how would I (your humble author) fix it?<br />
<br />
<b> Atanni Mindlink - </b>Is simply too good. I really don't know how to fix this one, but ultimately it's the ships it's run with that make it so nasty. The card itself is really not bad, and I'm still shocked at how powerful it's been. As it stands, making it more points is really the only change I can imagine making, and I'm not sure if that would fall under too much or good enough.<br />
<br />
<b> Biggs Darklighter</b> - Is a beast, single-handedly keeping the T-65 in play. His ability is both very powerful and very flavorful, but has badly warped the meta around Rebel lists.<br />
I had a couple ideas for how to fix Biggs, but my first instinct is to make his Pilot Ability an Action. That opens up Stress Control, Blocking, limits Token Stacking, and forces a player to make sacrifices/choices about how and when to use his ability. He's still a powerhouse, but slightly less auto-pilot than he is now.<br />
<div>
<b><br /></b>
<b> Fenn Rau</b> - I have heard listed as another problem ship, and he is, but like Mindlink, it's the other damaging bits of the meta that make him so nasty right now. Without Manarroo or Mindlink, he's just another expensive PTL ace. But more to the point, I'm not sure there's any way to fix him without breaking him, as basic as he is.<br />
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b> Jumpmaster 5000</b> - Keeps getting nerfed, keeps on kicking. It's such a good ship, mostly because it can do everything better than everything else can, cheaper (I mean, call it like it is, right?)<br />
The fix I would still do to this one is twofold - first, take away the EPT slot on the Contracted Scout. There's no reason for that, it's too powerful on a baseline ship. Second, I would tie the Barrel Roll to the Title, so only one Jumpmaster in a list could do it, and it would cost 12 points to "unlock" it. That leaves Dengar as scary as ever, while reining in some of the worst abuses of the ship.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b> Kyle Ren Crew</b> - Shouldn't ignore Shields. If a ship isn't going to take a Damage Card at all, the ability to give them a card AND pick the result through shields is potentially game-breaking. It's not winning Tournaments, but in general, it sets a bad precedent for the game. Either make his ability like Boba Fett's, or make him cost 10 points or something equally outrageous.</div>
<br />
<b>Miranda Doni</b> - Is, and should be, a top-notch Pilot of a great ship. Her ability lends itself to multiple abuses as is, all relating to secondary weapons or Sabine (more on that later). How to fix Miranda? Make her Ability Primary-weapon only. That removes TLT-regen, that removes Homing Missile abuse, that makes her still very powerful, but not able to game the game, as it were.<br />
<br />
<b>Sabine Crew - </b>Never should have added damage to Bombs. Adding a slot, or additional slot, to a ship is already very powerful and in line with what she should be doing, turning every bomb her carrier drops into a bomb + Seismic Charge is game-breaking. She is now, let's face it, the only way Bombs are run in any serious sense, and can be so abusive in games. Heck, drop her points cost even, but get rid of that bonus damage.<br />
A fix to Sabine is absolutely critical - and soon - because of the Scuurg. The Bomblet Generator Upgrade that comes with it already drops and unlimited number of double-damage Seismic Charges for 1 pt more, that can potentially do 2 Damage (or two Critical Damage) each. With Sabine, that goes up to potentially 3 to every ship at R1. That's a problem, and it hasn't even happened yet.<br />
<br />
<b> Twin Laser Turret - </b>Give back the R3 bonus on Defense for Turrets. For now, this only affects the TLT. But Turrets already pay the premium for 360-degree fire, they don't need to strip defense as well, especially not on the TLT. While this is a very minor fix to the TLT (and frankly may not be enough) it's some defense against ships that will just stay at R3 and pick away at enemy ships from behind rocks (etc). <br />
This is also somewhat pressing to fix because both the Scurrg and TIE Aggressor have access to Turrets, and the Aggressor especially can potentially abuse these.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<b> </b>That's a short list of the ships/cards that are really screwing up the game right now, and were missed in the most recent FAQ clearing. These are things that stand out as way better than everything else, even as new Waves are coming out largely in-line with the rest of the game, but not competing with these powerhouses. Which is ultimately good, because it means the overall game playing field is much more even, once a few of the outliers are reined in a bit more.<br />
<br />
FFG is in kind of an awkward spot though, with this game on their hands that's exploded worldwide in terms of popularity and competitiveness. It must be hard to keep up with the expansion of the community, playtesting new Waves and content, and dealing with the Meta live.<br />
They sent a very positive message with the most recent FAQ. It was admission of some balance mistakes, and actual fixes to solve the problem. It set a precedent for taking a narrow/broken meta more seriously and acting to level the playing field.<br />
At the same time, they may very well also be working on X-wing 2.0, or wondering if their drastic FAQ stance was the correct choice after all.<br />
<br />
Only time will tell, but I hope they opt to dive in and curate the meta aggressively. Even as they try hard to keep new waves and new content relevant without pushing out the older ships.<br />
<br />
I expect these opinions will create the same amount of contention they have everywhere else, but please sing out if you do have an opinion on the matter regardless!Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-5567480570967531592017-05-22T11:48:00.001-07:002018-01-03T21:11:35.310-08:00Warhammer 40k 8th Edition Changes: What we know (compilation)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRItwerpNP_8RZnmr7jMwCo-9SzUM98n1doqPgRBQDfLvSLuEmsCNJ8nZ4cFqu2Q2imNrkwuKIZYaLxqimkQP5r9O1NK3VYa4_-c11E6v2z7H-hpPgMcYNYZ_ZKezb_21HUa9_2f8QrII/s1600/850px-40k-header-8th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRItwerpNP_8RZnmr7jMwCo-9SzUM98n1doqPgRBQDfLvSLuEmsCNJ8nZ4cFqu2Q2imNrkwuKIZYaLxqimkQP5r9O1NK3VYa4_-c11E6v2z7H-hpPgMcYNYZ_ZKezb_21HUa9_2f8QrII/s640/850px-40k-header-8th.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
What's up folks! With the whirlwind of reports coming out about Warhammer 40k's upcoming reboot, I wanted to put together a compilation of what we know so far - I'll make an effort to keep this updated as we learn more, but mostly it should be a resource for keeping track of what's already out there. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a>**Update! This is still a list of Changes, but I now have a rulebook in-hand, so I've cleaned it up and tried to cover what has and hasn't actually changed. Please call me on anything you find that I've missed :)<br />
As repeated below, there is a free basic rules PDF, the "<a href="https://www.games-workshop.com/en-NZ/Battle-Primer-2017-ENG">Warhammer 40,000 Battle Primer</a>"<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>- Basics</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>- Format & General Changes</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>- Points & List Building</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>- Missions</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>- Deployment/Reserves</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>- Moving</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>- Psychic Phase</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>- Shooting</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>- Cover</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>- Charging/Combat</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>- Leadership/Morale</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>- Characters</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>- Vehicles</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>- Transports</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>- Superheavies</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>- Faction Specifics (Spotlights)</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>- Final Thoughts</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Ready? Good. Let's rock!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Basics</u>:</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
At it's most basic, 8th Edition promises to take the best of 7th Edition with considerable streamlining, then sprinkle in elements from older editions and some of the proven winners from Age of Sigmar's rules. The major emphasis is on games being faster and more balanced, in theory. The biggest changes to Saves and Shooting and streamlining phases will go a long way towards this, but players may suddenly find their games going really fast. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Personally, I'm excited from what I've heard. I jumped ship from 40k to Age of Sigmar, and the major reasons why have all been specifically called out by the designers as things 8th changes. Since 40k is my first love, I'm particularly eager to see it re-worked, and am pretty likely to jump right back into that ship :)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I think the biggest thing for me is that EVERY SINGLE UNIT, for EVERY ARMY is getting a complete update AT THE SAME TIME. That's big. Super big. No more waiting a full edition for your time to shine, or getting a Codex that's immediately outdated when a new 40k edition drops two months later - I don't know how we've put up with that for so long :P</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Fluff is advancing too! That's a big one, we know Guiliman is has created a new breed of <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/15/a-new-breed-of-hero-may15gw-homepage-post-1/?utm_source=WarhammerCommunity&utm_medium=Post&utm_content=New40kDarkImperiumMay16">Space Marines</a>, and launched a new <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/16/new-warhammer-40000-the-dark-imperium-may16gw-homepage-post-4/">Indomitus Crusade</a> as well as begun the <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/29/new-warhammer-40000-the-ultima-founding-may29gw-homepage-post-4/">Ultima Founding</a>, reinforcing existing Chapters with Primaris Marines and creating whole new Chapters. There's also more information on the <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/13/new-warhammer-40000-war-zone-damocles-may13gw-homepage-post-4/">Warzone: Damocles</a>. The Eye of Terror has also split wide open to <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/06/new-warhammer-40000-war-zone-cadia-may6gw-homepage-post-4/">engulf Cadia</a>, splitting the galaxy in half, divided by the <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/04/new-warhammer-40000-the-great-riftgw-homepage-post-4/?utm_source=WarhammerCommunity&utm_medium=Post&utm_content=New40kDarkImperiumMay16">Cicatrix Maledictum</a>. Among other things, that split has cut whole swathes of the Imperium from the Astronomicon - including the Blood Angels homeworld of Baal...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And the Eldar, or Aeldari, have brought their God of the Dead into waking, if only partly so far.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Fluff interlude: the information we have on Primaris Marines leaves the door open for them to have the genetic quirks of their Chapter - such as the Blood Angels' flaw - and specifically mentions that they may not be more resistant to the Warp, leaving the door open for Traitor Primaris Marines:</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i> "</i><span style="font-family: "droid serif" , serif; font-size: 16px;">These Chapter’s still trace their genetic lineage back to the gene-seed of the First Founding, and scions of all nine loyalists Legions emerged from the vaults beneath the red planet. They benefit from three additional organs and larger size, but it still remains to be seen if Cawl was able to successfully stabilise any of the known genetic deviations or impart any additional resistance to the effects of Chaos.</span><i>"</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Also, custom scenarios and game types (my favorite part of 5th Edition) are coming back in the main rules. <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/22/new-warhammer-40000-cities-of-death-may22gw-homepage-post-4gw-homepage-post-4/">Cities of Death</a> and <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/20/new-warhammer-40000-stronghold-assault-may20gw-homepage-post-4/">Stronghold Assault</a> in particular have been spotted, but I'm also quietly hoping for Planetstrike!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Format & General Changes</u>:</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There is a free basic rules PDF, the "<a href="https://www.games-workshop.com/en-NZ/Battle-Primer-2017-ENG">Warhammer 40,000 Battle Primer</a>"</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
From a format perspective, we're being promised a cheaper base rulebook (<i>now confirmed, $60 hardback</i>), easy access to the basic rules with regular updates. <b>Units' rules</b> will now be on <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/11/new-warhammer-40000-datasheetsgw-homepage-post-4/">Datasheets</a>, like Warscrolls in Sigmar - which I'm all for. See below for a full example of a Datasheet.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Notice on those Datasheets that the <b>Initiative</b> stat is gone. Now combat's alternate with units that Charged swinging first, then everyone else swinging, but combat alternates between players, with the player whose turn it is choosing who swings first.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Let's break down the datasheet a bit - </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLV62NdxTad0kH169F66Gu4I1O37kZZhU99cdQ1YM1EFOJOztaGMuHViOuEAWYnHRUlOTse1YlQbyGHXlKUP8ZR4YoOjYafYMMSlBy_Cldc19sCpyNZwnhQNWEuifmeSF3UPIknCav8i0/s1600/New40kDatasheetsRubric-1175x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="556" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLV62NdxTad0kH169F66Gu4I1O37kZZhU99cdQ1YM1EFOJOztaGMuHViOuEAWYnHRUlOTse1YlQbyGHXlKUP8ZR4YoOjYafYMMSlBy_Cldc19sCpyNZwnhQNWEuifmeSF3UPIknCav8i0/s640/New40kDatasheetsRubric-1175x1024.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
You have all the rules for the unit in one place: <b>Weapon profiles</b>, <b>To-Hit</b>, <b>To-Wound</b>, <b>Toughness</b>, <b>Wounds</b>, <b>Attack(s)</b>, <b>Leadership</b>, <b>Save</b>, and <b>Special Rules</b>. It also has <b>Keywords</b> added, which (we know from Sigmar) are used as reference for other units' Special Rules. Some things will only target Chaos units, or Psykers, or even specifically Rubric Marines.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
These new 40k Datasheets are slightly more complex than Sigmar, in that they've added a second line for "<b>Faction Keywords</b>" as well as just "Keywords"</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Also check out some other examples such as a general breakdown <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/04/25/warhammer-40000-unit-profiles/?utm_source=WarhammerCommunity&utm_medium=Post&utm_content=New40kDatasheetsMay11">here</a>, and some general info on a few types of <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/04/25/warhammer-40000-unit-profiles/?utm_source=WarhammerCommunity&utm_medium=Post&utm_content=New40kDatasheetsMay11">Marines</a>. Two-Wound Terminators? </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Now, let's break down the big differences. First a <b>Unique Move</b> statistic - units now move as far as their Datasheet allows, rather than all Infantry moving 6" or all Bikes moving 12", etc. This is cool, because it's going to make a ton of units feel more unique than they have in the past. That said, in general we're going to see units getting slower - as with these Rubric Marines - but some units (such as probably Howling Banshees) will get faster.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But, in the ongoing trend of making units "feel" different, note the <b>All is Dust</b> rule. Against most weapons in the game, the now slow-moving Rubric Marines will now have a 2+ Save, especially powerful against things with no AP, and will stand out as far more durable that most other Troops in the game. I could use some clarification on whether or not that applies to their Invulnerable Save as well...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Then, there are <b>Universal To-Hit</b> stats. Rubric Marines always hit on a 3+ in Shooting, but also always hit on a 3+ in Combat, regardless of the skill of their opponent.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Also note the Flamer weapons - <b>Templates</b> are gone, now those weapons automatically hit their target and inflict D6 hits. This gives them a similar effect to what they used to have, but they're potentially far more dangerous against single models.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Finally, <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/04/26/warhammer-40000-weaponsgw-homepage-post-4/">let's look at AP</a>. <b>AP</b> now modifies <b>Saves</b>, so an AP -1 will turn a 4+ Save into a 5+ Save. This is functionally similar to what they used to be, but now Saves will be WAY less reliable. A 2+ Save in particular, against even fairly basic weapons will now be a 3+ or worse.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's not entirely consistent, but in general re-tooled weapons follow the pattern that what was AP4 is now AP -1. Anything that was AP5 or worse generally now has no AP value, and most AP3 weapons are now AP -2. Note though that the humble Power Sword is rocking an AP -3, which will wreck a Terminator's face :P</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Continuing the trend of most units getting more fragile, here's the new to-Wound chart:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCaY3J9GSl9axDJNKA3DGnB97QUEuAckhQEtyoPQ1e9-kFaTF2BYsA9PJoE4wFEHPc8b2B93AAf62CBLWYnm2NdUGLBLaT9aij-hp3_eAnlWEljSCJTljKSwqf8o3Q17jqRzFd0MjMVY/s1600/18360890_10101756736692931_2051965501_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCaY3J9GSl9axDJNKA3DGnB97QUEuAckhQEtyoPQ1e9-kFaTF2BYsA9PJoE4wFEHPc8b2B93AAf62CBLWYnm2NdUGLBLaT9aij-hp3_eAnlWEljSCJTljKSwqf8o3Q17jqRzFd0MjMVY/s400/18360890_10101756736692931_2051965501_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The basics are the same, but most of the ratings are expanded, with the 5+ and 6+ ranges being MUCH larger. Now nearly any weapon in the game can hurt anything. <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/08/17794gw-homepage-post-4/?utm_source=WarhammerCommunity&utm_medium=Post&utm_content=New40kDatasheetsMay11">Even a Guardsmen blob *can* bring down a Land Raider.</a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Probably won't, but they can!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This makes every weapon in the game effectively a 7th ed. Gauss weapon.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
New new To-Wound chart also comes with a basic guideline, that should make it much easier to remember in-game-</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Weapon Strength twice (or more) Target's Toughness: <b>2+ roll to-Wound</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Weapon Strength more than Target's Toughness: <b>3+</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Weapon Strength equal to Target's Toughness: <b>4+</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Weapon Strength less than Target's Toughness: <b>5+</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Weapon Strength half (or less) Target's Toughness: <b>6+</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We've also been told that <b>Universal Rules</b> (such as Tank Hunter or Infiltrate) are out. Units have their own unique rules on their Datasheets, adding in a little more complexity, but removing that mid-game rulebook shuffle when you both ask "What does that one rule do again... ?"</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>Mortal Wounds </b>have been lifted directly from Sigmar, now especially powerful weapons and abilities will cause Wounds that can't be saved against. Even Invulnerable Saves are ignored, keeping the trend of making 8th Edition games much faster by making everything in the game far more fragile.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here's another change: No <b>Scatter. </b>That's for weapons that used to be Template weapons, but also includes Deep Strike and any kind of summoning - we can assume they're getting rid of Scatter Dice, so there won't be any randomized placement (<a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/25/warhammer-40000-faction-focus-orks/">Source</a>, near the end)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Points & List Building</u>:</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/12/new-warhammer-40000-points-power-levels-may12gw-homepage-post-4/">Points are staying</a>. There are three "ways to play," just like Sigmar. The first being Open Play, where you can use whatever you want (duh). The second being Narrative Play which focuses more on story than points, but there is a simplified points - or "Power Points" - system for this. The third and final one is Matched Play, with a points system that is as balanced as they could get it, and is more or less the same as the current standard for 40k in 7th.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/30/new-warhammer-40000-choosing-your-army-may30gw-homepage-post-4/">Here's some detail</a> on "Choosing an Army" from Warhammer Community.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"<a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/05/new-warhammer-40000-battle-forged-armiesgw-homepage-post-4/">Battle Forged</a>" is still the defining term for a Fluffy or as-intended Army, and gives benefits similar to how it does in 7th. <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/05/new-warhammer-40000-battle-forged-armiesgw-homepage-post-4/?utm_source=WarhammerCommunity&utm_medium=Post&utm_content=New40kDatasheetsMay11">Detachments</a> are now the default Force Organization "Chart," providing guidelines for how much you can field in what combinations, with various bonuses for "fluffier" options, ala not min-max lists. These bonuses include a new thing called <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/14/new-warhammer-40000-stratagems-may14gw-homepage-post-4/">Stratagems</a>, which you get separate Command Points for, and you earn more points for more Narrative/more complex Detachments. So, for example, the Detachment that forces you to take Tactical Marines as 3/4 of your army is going to give you far more Stratagem points than, say, your buddy's Detachment of four Daemon Princes.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Also, any Battle Forged army starts with 3 Command Points, before any bonuses or penalties are applied.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here are some examples of Detachments we've seen so far:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZtQJGutTSZABSHkNv_hsCN5YEm5elad8lmbN8obB6X02bUOv3P_2aRrne2eOn3xKM17WvJdo4SrOLQp-JAe2LBTXOP1ZXv03Mi_ld-FzbxhM0em_BWxYm7q1Km8Kn4dCU93ocA0jI3A/s1600/New40kBattleforgedDetachment1-500x194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZtQJGutTSZABSHkNv_hsCN5YEm5elad8lmbN8obB6X02bUOv3P_2aRrne2eOn3xKM17WvJdo4SrOLQp-JAe2LBTXOP1ZXv03Mi_ld-FzbxhM0em_BWxYm7q1Km8Kn4dCU93ocA0jI3A/s640/New40kBattleforgedDetachment1-500x194.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
*Red squares are required, gray optional<br />
<br />
Notete the Command Benefits, that the smaller, simpler Detachment (which need only be 1 Troop and 1 HQ) grants no Benefits, while the larger, more complex one below will be the majority of an Army, but grants 9 Command Points.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAK7gtm9JzsXHWMg1Iruh_Pd_2a9aiCUkciFeGO9ETdUP4QAdK-DEcWG4shlL7GBdIq3EA55iplifo999d4LhBVMSfPdBOaeAy-OXsQLEZDPd75EsqQsHrZcn3Wf-cRZ3T3ITPSzmjqA/s1600/New40kBattleforgedDetachment3-500x358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAK7gtm9JzsXHWMg1Iruh_Pd_2a9aiCUkciFeGO9ETdUP4QAdK-DEcWG4shlL7GBdIq3EA55iplifo999d4LhBVMSfPdBOaeAy-OXsQLEZDPd75EsqQsHrZcn3Wf-cRZ3T3ITPSzmjqA/s640/New40kBattleforgedDetachment3-500x358.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Some Special Characters are also famed for being expert tacticians and leaders, and these Characters grant additional Stratagem points as a benefit of fielding them, Bjorn the Fell-Handed being the highlighted one.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here's the first basic table we've seen:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnIyjjA4PDlT3QrH5bPhFlZymLxhfjUMI1bTgvwvlzFyQfuGB-r850Th87xPeGSEAU2-rQYrgrMNFOWDhXvLxBX35oR4kJjbytZk7mTTf5pFbDBVShtZuUHiDWK29OVXi2Zs1FQwzw5Y/s1600/New40kStratagemsTable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnIyjjA4PDlT3QrH5bPhFlZymLxhfjUMI1bTgvwvlzFyQfuGB-r850Th87xPeGSEAU2-rQYrgrMNFOWDhXvLxBX35oR4kJjbytZk7mTTf5pFbDBVShtZuUHiDWK29OVXi2Zs1FQwzw5Y/s640/New40kStratagemsTable.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
They're actually going to be a fairly significant benefit, if limited, and no doubt we'll see some very dramatic high-cost, maybe even limited-use Stratagems come into the game at some point (heh). In Matched Play there are some limitations. The major limitation is that you can't use the same Stratagem more than once in any single Phase - only getting one Command Re-Roll per Fight (Combat) Phase, for example. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
What's kind of cool about these is that you spend them during the game. So it's a pool you can pull from, without having to commit to what you're going to use before the game starts.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Codexes that are being released now also use Faction-specific Stratagems as a way to make each army feel more unique, which is a cool way to add-in flexible Universal Rules that reflect the character of an army in how they play. Some examples of these can be seen in Warhammer Community's <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/?s=Legion+Focus">Legion Focus</a> and <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/?s=Chapter+Focus">Chapter Focus</a> Articles.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Missions</u>:</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/25/new-warhammer-40000-missions/">Missions</a> have been re-worked. We have confirmation that the old missions will be returning - six <b>Eternal War</b> and six <b>Maelstrom of War</b> Missions. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
One part that will affect them, there are now 6 <b>Deployment Maps</b>, and for the Maelstrom missions, there's a new <b>Maelstrom Objective Deck </b>(and we can assume there will be unique ones for Factions again as well).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
One of the biggest issues with Maelstrom Objectives was getting stuck with bad ones just sitting in your hand preventing you from scoring, they've added a Strategem specifically for discarding and replacing Objectives, in games where you used Command Points. Not a terrible idea, but we'll have to play to see how much the changes actually fix.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
They've added a new Mission, intended to be the baseline introductory Mission for any play type:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJhtmr0obhyphenhyphenrDySO7YpnXkmq0o1N2oFmVSVXKrQ6OoeAnachLo1w-X684I42-ihZ1U-PwUPNA3ojDu6AjfSbYtCG7shfHEkGP637Scaf4tP40Og0L4VQ-jP6mbWoWJXGiJY_z64uggJc/s1600/New40kMissionsOnlyWar-680x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="680" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJhtmr0obhyphenhyphenrDySO7YpnXkmq0o1N2oFmVSVXKrQ6OoeAnachLo1w-X684I42-ihZ1U-PwUPNA3ojDu6AjfSbYtCG7shfHEkGP637Scaf4tP40Og0L4VQ-jP6mbWoWJXGiJY_z64uggJc/s1600/New40kMissionsOnlyWar-680x1024.jpg" /></a></div>
We've also been told there will be three <b>Open Play</b> missions (Annihilation, Hold at all Costs, and Death or Glory) and six <b>Narrative Play</b> missions (Meatgrinder, Ambush, Patrol, Blitz, Sabotage, and Rescue)<br />
Those sound fun :)<br />
<br />
Lastly, here's one of those new Deployment Maps:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBMYUNYGPklCCLtFBTbignlQYPaSrIhQ4-Xev2ir0jr-LfOoy-SBIydQKjPkOkOXIIwZqYwRTDt55VDL1q3SjM3ExOV0rOwO4OLsCKrn6h3M-ms5Gp1b5WgJgl6uIysvyYqtBph8wAuY/s1600/New40kMissionsMap-500x334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBMYUNYGPklCCLtFBTbignlQYPaSrIhQ4-Xev2ir0jr-LfOoy-SBIydQKjPkOkOXIIwZqYwRTDt55VDL1q3SjM3ExOV0rOwO4OLsCKrn6h3M-ms5Gp1b5WgJgl6uIysvyYqtBph8wAuY/s640/New40kMissionsMap-500x334.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
And some new Strategems specifically for Narrative Play (note they're different options for Attacker/Defender):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCe7zCcfepg2bIEJ4SOZNOYSEgP7owYsKqYsEm_LXRz0pvNfXM6aW9U3fS0WWe-ZVPFJ5fJs9fGvhWMEAINtSPiTocnBx1QrBzU-KrMgSJablVunovaG5GXKFdUtFi6w219mizAt8gkY/s1600/New40kMissionsSabotageStrats-1183x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1183" height="552" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCe7zCcfepg2bIEJ4SOZNOYSEgP7owYsKqYsEm_LXRz0pvNfXM6aW9U3fS0WWe-ZVPFJ5fJs9fGvhWMEAINtSPiTocnBx1QrBzU-KrMgSJablVunovaG5GXKFdUtFi6w219mizAt8gkY/s640/New40kMissionsSabotageStrats-1183x1024.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Deployment/Reserves</u>:</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
In short:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
- No Scatter, at all, units arrive where you place them</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
- Units must be placed more than 9" away from any enemy models</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
- Units are placed at the start of any of your player turns, you choose when</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
- Any unit may Charge on the same turn it arrives</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/17/new-warhammer-40000-reserves-and-deep-striking-may17gw-homepage-post-4/">Tactical Reserves</a> is now a blanket term for Deep Strike, Infiltrate, Outflank, Summoning and simply holding units back. These are largely similar to how they functioned before, but with some key changes. Here's one example-</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd9a_ksJTaFW1rIpusUDY4UyDh6HOlG7cBkyQ6_irZAVJKYA7mvod0v2-62xreJbz4yGYxpnRcbvAwPWFJXu-dBMtrNFyd7jAY3y16Y4UES1vQ0nCaHzPcr4tyPwYK8EXGWDNbz84PcAs/s1600/New40kReservesSubterrain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd9a_ksJTaFW1rIpusUDY4UyDh6HOlG7cBkyQ6_irZAVJKYA7mvod0v2-62xreJbz4yGYxpnRcbvAwPWFJXu-dBMtrNFyd7jAY3y16Y4UES1vQ0nCaHzPcr4tyPwYK8EXGWDNbz84PcAs/s640/New40kReservesSubterrain.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The Trygon and Trygon Prime is/are one of my favorite units in the game, hands-down. That they're underused in play in 7th is a darn shame, but this single rule should be enough to get them back on the table for two major changes. First, the Trygon can be deployed with another unit that uses its tunnel *on the turn that it arrives.* That's big. But second is bigger still: <i style="font-weight: bold;">the Trygon can Charge the turn it arrives.</i> This is a Sigmar thing too, the 9" Deployment limitation does seriously limit your Deployment options, but having the chance to attempt a Charge on arrival is a HUGE change. This should make things like Raveners, or anything that can re-roll Charges or Run and Charge in the same turn positively devastating.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Here are some additional clarifications on Reserves in general:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtUw2q1N2GZs2zR5Y7jsO14D9pn7aFKA1oYG9iABDmQGOgPedijG_pPemoGyQ2jEonInzse9Y0aOBT6iAy3Erk71zu81ngchg2J9RgY0KM8Cnds2rCncObEU2Y3Ve-wU90mnZGio3-xs/s1600/New40kReservesRule-500x276.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtUw2q1N2GZs2zR5Y7jsO14D9pn7aFKA1oYG9iABDmQGOgPedijG_pPemoGyQ2jEonInzse9Y0aOBT6iAy3Erk71zu81ngchg2J9RgY0KM8Cnds2rCncObEU2Y3Ve-wU90mnZGio3-xs/s640/New40kReservesRule-500x276.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
So officially no Null Deployment. Some armies may be able to get around this rule, but with 8th being far more restrictive than 7th, I wouldn't bet on it. Also, that anything not on the table by the end of Round 3 is a fairly brutal change. Gotta get those units in ASAP! That actually is harsher than even Sigmar.</div>
<div>
<br />
<b><i> *The recent FAQ also excluded Flyers from counting against this number. So if all you have left on the table is Flyers, you lose at the end of that turn</i></b><br />
<br />
Here's the quick and dirty:<br />
Any Player may choose to Deploy Reserves at the start of any of their turns. Units that don't come in from a table edge may be placed anywhere on the table more than 9" from an Enemy unit. Units that arrive from Reserves may Shoot, Run, or Charge (and use applicable unique rules) on the turn they arrive.<br />
Awesome.<br />
<br />
Very nice changes, that also offset the "dead by turn 3 rule," so just don't forget to deploy your Reserves.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Moving</u>:</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The big news here is two-fold - Units/Models will have <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/04/27/new-warhammer-40000-movement/">unique Move</a> distances, and some big units will get slower as they take damage. While that will have dramatic impact on how the game is played, functionally, this seems largely unchanged.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Running is now part of Movement, where you simply roll a d6 and add it to your total when "Advancing." This is different for some units, with things like Flyers and Jetbikes adding 2d6" or a flat 6" or 20" (etc) when they Advance.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
You still can't Shoot after Advancing (unless your rules state otherwise, such as Asuryani Battle Focus)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Also, in the Movement Phase, your units may "Fall Back," out of Combat just by moving away from Enemy units, ending more than 1" from Enemy Units. Units that do this can't Advance, Shoot, or Charge in the same turn - but your other units can shoot the unit you just pulled out of Combat from.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
That's huge, now being "Locked in Combat" is a much more fluid state. That said, some units (like Wyches) who can force a unit to stay in Combat with them. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
**Units that can <b>Fly </b>can still shoot after Falling Back.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Flyers still have Minimum Move distances, but will also have unique Move characteristics to better represent the difference between faster and slower Flyers.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Psychic Phase</u>:</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/04/28/new-warhammer-40000-psychic-phase/?utm_source=WarhammerCommunity&utm_medium=Post&utm_content=New40kDatasheetsMay11">Psychic Phase</a> has been re-worked. While I enjoyed seeing Psykers get their heyday in 7th Edition, it 's gotten out of hand with later releases. I'm particularly frustrated by the Librarius Conclave, which is up there among the Top 5 Most Abused Formations of 7th.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Now, instead of Mastery Level, Psykers will be able to cast as many powers as their Datasheet states, and they'll have to use 2d6 to beat the Warp Charge Value of a Power. Enemy Pyskers within 24" will have the chance to Deny the Witch (exactly like Spells in Sigmar, but with longer range) - by rolling 2d6 and trying to beat the Caster's result.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Perils of the Warp triggers on a double 1 or double 6, causing the Psyker to suffer D3 Mortal Wounds. If this kills the Psyker, every unit within 6" must also take D3 Mortal Wounds and the power they last tried to cast (that caused the Perils) automatically fails on the double 1 or if they are killed by Perils.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Every Psyker will have their own flavorful powers from their Faction, in addition to knowing this one Universal power:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkYYId_7t4m6yK4KboFmxzpimx0Ltk6egp6XkLyn3Z-0WnMPsLGN-u8oa13OeeQ6E4bWoAK3FuO7XvbJSM3f6ho29thxk3hPpaMPTbcceaYLS_hDp9fxuQy2NhbPCloDgXiNhO-AAWMI/s1600/New40kPsychicFeatureSmite-500x389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkYYId_7t4m6yK4KboFmxzpimx0Ltk6egp6XkLyn3Z-0WnMPsLGN-u8oa13OeeQ6E4bWoAK3FuO7XvbJSM3f6ho29thxk3hPpaMPTbcceaYLS_hDp9fxuQy2NhbPCloDgXiNhO-AAWMI/s320/New40kPsychicFeatureSmite-500x389.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Similar to what it was before, and we see an example where succeeding beyond what you needed grants additional benefits, which is cool :)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Since Mortal Wounds ignore Invulnerable Saves, this makes even the most basic Psyker a very nasty opponent against small units or single models. However, this power is limited in that you can only cast it at the closest visible unit.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
**All Grey Knights Infantry (as Psykers) know the modified Rites of Banishment version instead of Smite, which is only 12" range and causes 1 Mortal Wound instead of D3</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
...Although it cause an automatic 3 Mortal Wounds against Daemons, so that's nasty.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In <b>Matched Play,</b> any given Psychic Power (except Smite or Rites of Banishment) may only be cast once per Player Turn, not once per Psyker per Player Turn.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There seems to be no limit to when and where Psykers can Cast or Deny, even if they're in-combat, have Advanced or Fell Back in that turn.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Shooting</u>:</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Moving and shooting a <b>Heavy</b> Weapon now <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/04/30/new-40k-shooting-phase-apr30gw-homepage-post-4/">incurs a -1 to-hit</a>, for everything from Infantry to Vehicles. Also, no shooting into, or out of, Close Combat. You also <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/04/30/new-40k-shooting-phase-apr30gw-homepage-post-4/">can't shoot</a> if there's an enemy unit within 1" of your unit (since that counts you as in Combat) except with Pistols.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Also, you can Charge after firing any weapon - big change.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
*The Heavy Weapon to-hit penalty even applies to <b>Flyers </b>and other units with a minimum move (that have to move), but their base BS is increased to offset this in most Flyers' stat lines.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
All weapons are now Assault weapons, there aren't types that cause a unit to not be able to Charge after firing them. <b>Assault </b>Weapons now can be fired after Advancing, but at a -1 to-hit penalty.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Here's a huge change: <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/08/17794gw-homepage-post-4/">All Units can now split-fire</a> (declare before rolling of course). That's big, it means adaptable units won't be shoehorned into a single Role per turn, losing the benefit of being adaptable.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The rules also state that a Model with multiple weapons can shoot all of them (nice! Great for Autarchs) and target different enemies with each weapon.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTEwHihWRnZBdJQsSSvTs7po4sklifqrCtIBHdFhzZrlEl_mSrz31lSnz4sN6BSUzqBJwqRIIeetYvIrcek98vzk5woxJYRGC33YVoccLYkF9wh4w85VY71uT2Cii3fOT62PAh60vcsU/s1600/New40kWeaponProfiles-1600x205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="82" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTEwHihWRnZBdJQsSSvTs7po4sklifqrCtIBHdFhzZrlEl_mSrz31lSnz4sN6BSUzqBJwqRIIeetYvIrcek98vzk5woxJYRGC33YVoccLYkF9wh4w85VY71uT2Cii3fOT62PAh60vcsU/s640/New40kWeaponProfiles-1600x205.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b>Twin-Linked</b> now means fires <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/10/new-warhammer-40000-weapons-part-2-may10gw-homepage-post-4/">double the shots</a> (total number of shots shown in the weapon profile is already doubled). Hurricane Bolters are now silly, twin-Linked Assault Cannons utterly devastating, and Bright Lance Wave Serpents hit with Guide now vastly more dangerous. Orks will now need TWO buckets of dice. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
This is a particularly dramatic change with the new variable Damage that weapons can do, so a TL <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/04/26/warhammer-40000-weaponsgw-homepage-post-4/">Lascannon</a> in 7th could do 1 Wound (or Instant Death a single model, or get a Penetrating Hit on a Vehicle, etc). In 8th, a TL Lascannon can do as much as *12* Damage to a single target, while dropping the target's Save by 4. It probably won't, but every time one shoots at you, keep that in mind.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b>Pistols</b> can be fired even while in Combat, but still in the Shooting Phase. Also if a model is firing multiple weapons, it must choose all Pistols or all other weapons, not both.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b>Grenades</b> also work the same. If a unit fires, and they have Grenades, one model in the unit may throw a Grenade instead of firing any other weapon. Grenades are better though, with beefier profiles and more damage output, especially melta bombs.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b>Rapid-Fire </b>Weapons are the same, firing an extra shot if you're firing at below half-range</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b>Combi-Weapons</b> now can be fired either as one gun of whichever two they're loaded with, or as *both* simultaneously at -1 to-hit. Chaos Terminators suddenly gained one hell of a punch in shooting.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDKeacPsklNEOsOflIqLFGuZAW_LJdFGkdmHnIdVmfZTKIXhJWetVmf8_RahHuP1TRawMN9r7HpII62XsLp6_VFWB51Icn43EHZw-vhFH-znvOtmJrFtn0WGq52EqRq5NA_PK0DEVHQaM/s1600/New40kWeapons2CombiMelta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDKeacPsklNEOsOflIqLFGuZAW_LJdFGkdmHnIdVmfZTKIXhJWetVmf8_RahHuP1TRawMN9r7HpII62XsLp6_VFWB51Icn43EHZw-vhFH-znvOtmJrFtn0WGq52EqRq5NA_PK0DEVHQaM/s640/New40kWeapons2CombiMelta.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Also note in the chart above the changes to the Melta rule, making it do comparable damage to a Lascannon, but much more reliably at close range.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b>Grav</b> has been changed:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhHopndqY1W8z00A2ZAAGp-7opBO2113cE5nRX2dM_NvkqqAhmA5Mf-aXvjShYBkO3Oe-_E5J2zwFxjMiV5UMLBAe8BFhpC5lKoqvLkQ_8x6C3O95tHSyMGOhtQC-dZTGMUUYpRhr6i4/s1600/grav+changes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="42" data-original-width="867" height="30" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhHopndqY1W8z00A2ZAAGp-7opBO2113cE5nRX2dM_NvkqqAhmA5Mf-aXvjShYBkO3Oe-_E5J2zwFxjMiV5UMLBAe8BFhpC5lKoqvLkQ_8x6C3O95tHSyMGOhtQC-dZTGMUUYpRhr6i4/s640/grav+changes.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Note that this is with the Grav-Amp included. My biggest problem with Grav previously was how easy it was to get re-rolls to-hit, and the plentiful re-rolls to-Wound negated the difficulty of getting Wounds against horde/bad Save units. These changes make the weapon slightly less terrifying, and far worse against 2+ Saves and tougher units (since it now has a Strength characteristic rather than straight Wounding vs. Save). So, Tyranids and MCs rejoice!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Any way you look at it, this is a huge nerf. This was probably needed because no one was taking other weapon options when Grav was on the menu, but it still hurts.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b>Sniper</b> weapons are still around, now allowing the firer to target a Character even if they're not the closest model.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b>Templates</b> are gone, with <b>Blast</b> and Flamer weapons now getting a variable number of hits instead. This saves a lot of time and arguments in-game, and functionally will be similar, except they'll be far more dangerous to smaller units and single models. Also, they will no longer Scatter - making BS a factor again, but meaning it's less likely you'll outright miss and impossible to hit your own units.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGziSc3efqJePxsD4kO5k-_8kinDnreeE8iLY0nCYEldA8gePego-jPOsdBDNgb8sZ6BLk7vkiS0CkJqhh6osJqRb8pCUy__1mwv9TmoRx6RgIT9WgT2v-_riXs2Bljvk2kq2aKDahWCQ/s1600/New40kWeapons2BatCan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="32" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGziSc3efqJePxsD4kO5k-_8kinDnreeE8iLY0nCYEldA8gePego-jPOsdBDNgb8sZ6BLk7vkiS0CkJqhh6osJqRb8pCUy__1mwv9TmoRx6RgIT9WgT2v-_riXs2Bljvk2kq2aKDahWCQ/s640/New40kWeapons2BatCan.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
While I will miss the hilarity of nuking my own unit of Dark Reapers with a bad scatter, this will also streamline gameplay considerably and cut down a lot of fights and rules debates. It also, if I'm not mistaken, means Blast weapons now work in Overwatch.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b>Overwatch </b>functions as before, with defending units <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/01/new-warhammer-40000-charge-phasegw-homepage-post-4/">hitting on 6+</a>, but also units that aren't locked in Combat may fire Overwatch as many times as they're charged. T'au Fire Warriors FTW!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Cover</u>:</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Cover is dramatically different. Now, instead of gaining a separate Cover Save, <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/04/30/new-40k-shooting-phase-apr30gw-homepage-post-4/">Cover instead modifies your Armor</a> by +1 - so, for example, Eldar Guardians in a Crater (assuming they still have a 5+ Base Save) will now have a 4+.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The biggest change there though is that it's still modified by weapons' AP as a single Save, so an AP -2 Weapon will still make that 4+ a 6+. This is a very positive change in my opinion. While Cover is an important tool in the game, 7th is dominated by units running around the table with a 2+ re-rollable Cover save that few things in the game can modify. If you're charging a Lascannon gunline, you should be in danger and rightly scared of it. And, you shouldn't be shooting a fistful of Missiles at something only to have all your shots stopped by a tree.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
There is a benefit too though. Against weaker, more common weapons a Save-modifier is quite a bit better than the classic Cover Save. What Marine doesn't want a 2+ Save against Ork Shootas, rather than a 4 or 5+ Cover Save?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Also, Cover will have Types that will only affect certain kinds of units. The above-mentioned Crater example will only provide a benefit to units with the Infantry keyword, while something like a Forest will be more universal.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Unlike in Sigmar, Cover has no benefit in the Fight sub-phase.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Charging/Combat</u>:</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/01/new-warhammer-40000-charge-phasegw-homepage-post-4/">Charging</a> is essentially unchanged, with a 2d6" roll to determine whether or not a Charging unit reaches their target. But now you have to get within 1" of base-to-base for a successful Charge, making it a 13" Charge range, with one free inch.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Units also can't move within 1" of an Enemy Unit they aren't already in Combat with, or that weren't declared as a target of their Charge, except for <b>Pile-In</b> moves, but you are free to declare multiple units as the target of your Charge without penalty.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Changes to <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/19/new-warhammer-40000-close-combat-weapons-may19gw-homepage-post-4/">Close Combat Weapons</a> mostly fall in line with other changes. That is, weapons are more unique in terms of having different, strengths, and AP modification, but also they now do variable Wounds, which makes some options that used to be sub-par have different qualities that now make them more viable compared with some of the more devastating options.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
As mentioned above: No shooting into, or out of, Close Combat. That's a big difference from Sigmar, and absolutely the correct one. One thing we have seen though is that Pistols are actually fired in Combat (in the Shooting Phase), so that Plasma Pistol is now much more dangerous than the +1 Attack it used to be - and there's finally a reason for that Autarch or Harlequin to take that expensive Fusion Pistol.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
One of the more dramatic changes is one I've already mentioned earlier, that all units have a set to-hit in Combat, no matter who or what they're fighting. That takes an entire, fairly complex, chart out of the game and saves a lot of looking up and is one less thing for new players to memorize.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Speaking of, we actually have quite a few <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/19/new-warhammer-40000-close-combat-weapons-may19gw-homepage-post-4/">basic weapons</a> leaked-</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSxqefiLNmeiXBJQqFXNAvJZAQHAFYjClj3zxG5mgs3nm5sgX0JtORUDBV9Zody2btS7aQgVa4kwep_JZoNrSFba9J8dHISy5ADQxKU8ZFwF1hhkHCRvipmi8h-YPn5Y9ndKAVxZCZzM/s1600/New40kCCWChainsword.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="44" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSxqefiLNmeiXBJQqFXNAvJZAQHAFYjClj3zxG5mgs3nm5sgX0JtORUDBV9Zody2btS7aQgVa4kwep_JZoNrSFba9J8dHISy5ADQxKU8ZFwF1hhkHCRvipmi8h-YPn5Y9ndKAVxZCZzM/s640/New40kCCWChainsword.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
No, Chainswords don't have any AP. For cryin' out loud, just let it be! But, where they do shine, is getting an additional attack. For the most basic units, this could be double their base number of attacks, which is nothing to sneeze at.<br />
Wielding multiple Close Combat weapons no longer grants extra Attacks, so that extra Attack is a bigger bonus than it may at first appear.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs12-4Nbx7RQ8t68iTd7e44-2PutQEJazTyTyci2HKMMZi4nbz5lewMkTTdklS01YqBPIoNLvPPBw1KPEUe7v3wI7q0ftMQNzLYFH1OMbcA760miSEVCfpFfQBljOFaSbjuud33ad8CJE/s1600/New40kCCWPowerfist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="46" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs12-4Nbx7RQ8t68iTd7e44-2PutQEJazTyTyci2HKMMZi4nbz5lewMkTTdklS01YqBPIoNLvPPBw1KPEUe7v3wI7q0ftMQNzLYFH1OMbcA760miSEVCfpFfQBljOFaSbjuud33ad8CJE/s640/New40kCCWPowerfist.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The Power Fist is quite different, with the same Strength bonus, but now boasting extra damage, AND not necessarily striking last (!) the awkwardness of a sparking metal cinderblock on the end of someone's hand now represented as a to-hit penalty, which makes more sense in the end I think.<br />
Note that AP -3 is slightly worse than the old AP2, in that units with a 2+ will be getting a 5+ Save still, and even 3+ turns to a 6+ rather than outright having no save at all.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjixThGy0kzqNE9qsjk0jiS1y6oVoBQ70B19ib7kXv_GbN2jCjY-4fECcEnYuu-GXZ9MMWoTxbuGAla39tzU0A6c6OMsNaq8kltZC_UyaSzgRoSe8-utDWVeCrc0hDXL2jlQpcdivHyZzg/s1600/New40kCCWPowerWeapons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjixThGy0kzqNE9qsjk0jiS1y6oVoBQ70B19ib7kXv_GbN2jCjY-4fECcEnYuu-GXZ9MMWoTxbuGAla39tzU0A6c6OMsNaq8kltZC_UyaSzgRoSe8-utDWVeCrc0hDXL2jlQpcdivHyZzg/s640/New40kCCWPowerWeapons.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Oho! Here's a cool chart! The humble Power Sword is now a pretty devastating weapon, especially if you have any way to boost the wielder's Strength. But even if not, AP -3 is a devastating blow against any opponent.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Here's a big change: ALL <b>Transports</b> are now <b>Assault Vehicles</b>, and units may act normally, including Charge the same turn they disembarked, although they count has having Moved even if they don't move further.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Also, <b>Overwatch</b> is still definitely a <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/01/new-warhammer-40000-charge-phasegw-homepage-post-4/">stated part of the game</a>, and seems to function exactly as before with one change: as long as the unit isn't locked in Combat, any unit may for Overwatch multiple times. So don't bet on that Burna Boyz unit running out of Promethium after you feed them your Cultists.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Leadership/Morale</u>:</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Morale is getting Sigmarized. That is, many more units will be affected by it in 8th than previous Editions. <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/03/new-warhammer-40000-morale/">Here's the new version</a>:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Once per Player Turn (nice), at the end of the Turn, every Unit that suffered casualties must roll a D6 + # of Models lost, then subtract the unit's Leadership stat. If you have a positive number at the end, that many Models are removed from the unit.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
So, your 10-man Marine unit lost 3 Models in Shooting. You roll a 6 (ouch), and add 3, then subtract your Leadership of 8. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
6 + 3 = 9, </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
9 - 8 = 1</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
One more Marine model is removed from play.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
This is simplified and streamlined, and is meant to represent everything from Strategic Withdrawal, to a squad member leaving to tend the wounded, to a Cultist fleeing the field screaming. It's a big boost to units with lower Leadership, since they won't be outright Swept in Combat if they fail Leadership, and hurts combat bruisers, because even if they win Combat, they can still lose Models to Morale.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Functionally though, it will act similarly. A unit with 30 models but Leadership 6 that takes a beating in Combat is going to flee the field much more quickly than a smaller, tougher, braver unit. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Characters</u>:</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/09/new-warhammer-40000-characters-may9gw-homepage-post-4/?utm_source=WarhammerCommunity&utm_medium=Post&utm_content=New40kDatasheetsMay11">Characters</a> can no longer be placed in Units - that's straight out of Sigmar. Your Leaders and Champions will now be going solo, making them more mobile and flexible, but also much more fragile. Since 40k is a much more shooting-oriented game though, the vulnerability of Characters has been mitigated a bit by the rule that Characters with less than 10 Wounds can only be fired at if they are the "Closest enemy model." So, careful maneuvering and positioning is going to be big for keeping them alive.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsapmwA_laO7Z4HZO-ztH0iuOv77RIME6bfFNUP89vNrsfeuy55bpstzcNeukcfLpziOh9vnCefCdlRu_ul-q3ygiRQuwWMd8IOw4Vdy-c2VhulD3nGlXTcKcj1tICp10Ezywwlp0x9XY/s1600/New40kProfilesRobouteGuilliman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsapmwA_laO7Z4HZO-ztH0iuOv77RIME6bfFNUP89vNrsfeuy55bpstzcNeukcfLpziOh9vnCefCdlRu_ul-q3ygiRQuwWMd8IOw4Vdy-c2VhulD3nGlXTcKcj1tICp10Ezywwlp0x9XY/s640/New40kProfilesRobouteGuilliman.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Heroic Intervention is a new rule for Characters. If your Character is within 3" of an enemy unit after <i>enemy units have completed their charges</i>, even if the weren't directly Charged, they are able to pile-in up to 3" as long as that get's them closer to the Enemy Unit. That's kind of neat, and gives players a bit more flexibility in that positioning, allowing them to insulate Characters from fire without getting them too far removed from Combat.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b>Challenges</b> are gone. Since Characters run solo now anyway, their rules purpose is gone, and you can still have your Heroes go toe-to-toe in epic death duels anyway :)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Vehicles</u>:</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Vehicle Damage Table is gone.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/18/new-warhammer-40000-vehicles-may18gw-homepage-post-4/">Vehicles</a> now have a Toughness value and Wounds. This is a HUGE change. Not only does it make it easier to damage them, but they also in some ways become more durable. Where some vehicles could only take three Glancing Hits or a singe Penetrating Hit, now they'll likely be rocking 8-10 Wounds instead. Dedicated anti-Tank weapons such as Lascannons will still drop them super fast, but most weapons will have an easier time doing damage, but it will take more time to finish them off.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
One of the bigger changes too is that all vehicles now get a Save, most of them pretty good Saves. The T7 and 8 Wounds a basic Dreadnought looks pretty good, but throw in that it also has a 3+ Save and it gets quite a bit scarier against most weapons. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY7C6DHl6nx6XCkfSF4rbR6wDG9Xk5LF8-NkkNedSiw3JY83eYUGbUiiQ80YY6tKrjcFms8yhn82sUmYci8c5MqzB8amAqB7xjjlDVkag67H9cc4-S9kmZCGsQwsftbeOd01C9f1Wwvxk/s1600/New40kProfilesDreadnought.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY7C6DHl6nx6XCkfSF4rbR6wDG9Xk5LF8-NkkNedSiw3JY83eYUGbUiiQ80YY6tKrjcFms8yhn82sUmYci8c5MqzB8amAqB7xjjlDVkag67H9cc4-S9kmZCGsQwsftbeOd01C9f1Wwvxk/s640/New40kProfilesDreadnought.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Vehicles can also now Charge, like any other unit, and be Locked in Combat and have a Strength, to-hit, and Attacks like any other unit. While this does make them somewhat less unique in-game, it also makes the game much more approachable, and it will make games go faster - both things I think are more important than keeping things like Facings and AV.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is easy to see in some of the above references, with the <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/04/25/warhammer-40000-unit-profiles/?utm_source=WarhammerCommunity&utm_medium=Post&utm_content=New40kDatasheetsMay11">Marines</a> dump having basic rules for a Dreadnought, and the <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/19/warhammer-40000-faction-focus-imperial-knights/">Faction Focus: Imperial Knights</a> having quite a bit of detail on... Well, Imperial Knights!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
One thing to note, is that Moving and firing Heavy Weapons now incurs a -1 Penalty to hit even for Vehicles. It's not quite a Snap Shot, so it's less of a penalty, but it's going to hurt on some vehicles (sorry, Orks!)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Another major change to Vehicles is the <b>Explodes!</b> rule. Most vehicles I've looked at have it, but I'm not sure all do. The rule reads that once the model is reduced to 0 Wounds, roll a D6. On a 6, the model Explodes, and every unit (friend and foe) within 6" suffers D3 Mortal Wounds.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This seemed like a small change, but having played games with it now, it's big for several reasons: - <i>First</i>, Vehicles can Charge now, so they're a lot more likely to be in the middle of things when they're wrecked. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
- <i>Second</i>, that radius is always 6", no more rolling to see how far the explosion goes. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
- <i>Third</i>, it happens on a 6+ no matter how the Vehicle is wrecked, so it's considerably more common to make those rolls. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
- <i>Fourth</i>, and most dramatically, these are Mortal Wounds, and with a D3 roll, each unit is guaranteed to take at least one without a normal or Invulnerable save. That's a huge difference - especially since you can lose the full 3 Models and get pushed into a bad Morale Check, snowballing into devastating losses.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Transports</u>:</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Most <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/21/new-warhammer-40000-transports-may21gw-homepage-post-4/">Transports</a> are now (we're told) faster, and they're more durable with the addition of Wounds and Saves. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here's a big change though: Units now Disembark at the *start* of the Movement Phase, but can Move, Shoot, and Charge normally in that turn. That's big. So now all Transports are Assault Vehicles - sort of. While this is a big boon, tactically it also means that enemy units get a turn to move away from your scary Embarked units while you ready your assault.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And here's another change: Transports may now carry multiple units, up to their total capacity. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Ready for some craziness? Check out this Harlequin Starweaver:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1Mm6TJavBAU_zMgMbnT8RTBnRSQUOqZqt7iEOiBlvm_Y4xMt8upG3-qnP1_jriukAbxB7LnsiNU89_JEDCwaKCUfV3hTHGxgXu_Z3NaI0KLvTfNe69a-oMh2BRmHT3z-B_-dYSbcZIY/s1600/New40kTransportsStarweaverCrop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1Mm6TJavBAU_zMgMbnT8RTBnRSQUOqZqt7iEOiBlvm_Y4xMt8upG3-qnP1_jriukAbxB7LnsiNU89_JEDCwaKCUfV3hTHGxgXu_Z3NaI0KLvTfNe69a-oMh2BRmHT3z-B_-dYSbcZIY/s640/New40kTransportsStarweaverCrop.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Now consider this: Since Transports, as Vehicles with the new rules, can also Charge alongside their passengers, armies like Harlequins are suddenly carting double the Wounds, and double the number of units that can Charge and get others in Combat. Also, since it's T5, this Starweaver is as tough as a low-level Monstrous Creature, and swings very hard for a Vehicle.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But the caption on the excerpt above gives us several other tidbits as well. First, <b>Open Topped </b>vehicles allow their passengers to fire without penalty out of them after a normal move. So this sucker is trucking 16" in a move, and then the passengers can shoot. Furthermore, since they're armed with Pistols, the Harlequins on a Starweaver can shoot a unit it's in Combat with, even if they're not in Combat themselves.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Now apply that same logic to a Battlewagon loaded to the gills with Slugga Boyz.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Mind. Blown. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Vehicles can also fire Overwatch</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Superheavies</u>:</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Stomp is different - see this excerpt from the Faction Focus: Imperial Knights -</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>"<span style="font-family: "droid serif" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Now called Titanic Feet, these are still fearsome weapons, but do not simply remove models from play. And if kicking and stomping models isn’t enough, you’ve always got your trusty </span><a class="external" href="https://www.games-workshop.com/Knight-Gallant" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Droid Serif", serif; font-size: 16px;" target="_blank">reaper chainsword or thunderstrike gauntlet</a><span style="font-family: "droid serif" , serif; font-size: 16px;"> to fall back on, both of which do an automatic 6 damage per successful attack. Ouch. The thunderstrike gauntlet also has the ability to chuck a destroyed Monster or Vehicle at another enemy unit within 9″ to do D3 mortal wounds on a 4+. Splat!"</span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here's a snapshot from the Wraithknight Datasheet:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcADkGP_g0y3kRG4lfZS59dhSryIjxOIiIJvcIafo4ZynS7n8QsE9Yc0TIaEQh6uv5K7Ly2l6LfuZxhAV25KB5x_C_zrBnp01b8JafG0eySZJCHU1K54M-9Zl9ZkSSP5uwvx9khtz9k_s/s1600/Titanic+Feet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="56" data-original-width="522" height="66" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcADkGP_g0y3kRG4lfZS59dhSryIjxOIiIJvcIafo4ZynS7n8QsE9Yc0TIaEQh6uv5K7Ly2l6LfuZxhAV25KB5x_C_zrBnp01b8JafG0eySZJCHU1K54M-9Zl9ZkSSP5uwvx9khtz9k_s/s640/Titanic+Feet.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If I'm reading that correctly, if you use your Titanic Feet with a Wraithknight, which has four Attacks, you will instead roll 12 dice when attacking. AP -2 and D3 Wounds is a whole lot different from instant removal or Mortal Wounds, so it's a volume weapon now, which makes a lot of sense.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The biggest change is that most will no longer get unique rules, they'll get Datasheets and Stats to match their big scary nature, while having rules that fit better with the general rules of the game. Generally these are treated as "<a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/07/new-warhammer-40000-big-stuff-may7gw-homepage-post-4/">exra large units</a>" or "big stuff."</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Superheavies and Gargantuans now will be similar to Imperial Knights - something in the range of 20 Wounds, with Saves, and losing BS/WS and Move as they take more and more damage. These are good changes, making them still incredibly potent, but more in-line with the rest of the game, and less all-or-nothing, in that hurting them matters (no more 1-Wound remaining Wraithknights rocketing across the board like nothing is wrong)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Faction Specifics</u>:</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We've gotten specific looks at several individual armies, here's the list-</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
*Update: these are still coming out, and faster than I can keep up, but here are several major post-Codex ones worth checking out - <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/?s=Legion+Focus">Legion Focus</a> and <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/?s=Chapter+Focus">Chapter Focus</a> Articles.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>Imperial Guard</b>! I mean, <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/09/warhammer-40000-faction-focus-astra-militarum/">Astra Militarum</a>! The Guard are no slouches in 7th, you could argue that they're doing just fine, but in the interest of updating all factions at once, the proud Guard are also getting updating to match everyone else. If not in valor or raw strength, then in walls of steel and flashlights!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But seriously, that new to-Wound chart and the changes to Vehicles make Guardsmen blobs - especially loaded with Orders - now an absolute nightmare to face. Re-roll to-Wound vs. an Imperial Knight, and you may actually kill it now (!!)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Bullygryns, Rough Riders, Heavy Weapons Teams, and Scout Sentinels are all referenced as getting major love in 8th.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/13/warhammer-40000-faction-focus-chaos-daemons/"><b>Chaos Daemons</b></a> are coming back in a big way. A lot of the announcements we've had have hinted that Chaos is going to be pushed back up to their rightful status as THE big bad of 8th, and while CSM are likely to get most of the love, Daemons have gotten some too!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
One big tweak though: Pink Horrors. If you want your Pink Horrors to split into Blue- and then Brimstone Horrors, you will need to have the Reinforcement Points saved to do so. That's cool because it makes them less crazy good at holding Objectives, and saves Tzeentch players quite a bit of cheddar should they choose not to get the models for splitting ;)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Some of the nastier Daemon combos - ScreamerStar most notably - will be gone. Mortal Wounds and the general changes to the game will make that just not a thing anymore. Instead, many Daemon units get tweaks and buffs to make them stand on their own better, while the super-combos are removed.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
One big note here: Slaanesh has gotten some love! Daemonettes are showcased, but it's just proof that Daemons will have FOUR gods to reasonably use on the table, not just one or two.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/07/faction-focus-chaos-space-marines/"><b>Chaos Space Marines</b></a> are, as I said earlier, THE big bad in 8th. The big focus here is that there will actually be reasons to take CHAOS SPACE MARINES in CSM armies. One of the biggest head scratchers of the last two Editions was that normal CSM (marked or not) have been terrible. Time to fix that!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In addition, Havocs and Daemon Engines are mentioned, as well as Abaddon the Armless himself. I personally am particularly curious to see new rules for Defilers, another of my top 5 favorite Models!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We have a focus; <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/23/warhammer-40000-faction-focus-death-guard/">Death Guard</a> now, it most of it refers to the sheer toughness of the Death Guard - most of them have Disgustingly Resilient, which is functionally like Feel No Pain was and exactly like Death saves work in Sigmar: 5+ to Ignore an Unsaved Wound. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
(<i>Update - even the Foetid Plague Drone in the new Starter box gets Disgustingly Resilient, on top of its 5++ and 10 Wounds).</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But hey! We even got models for Plague Zombies, now called Poxwalkers. Not only are they resilient, but they completely ignore Morale (nasty!) and when they kill an enemy Infantry model, they can add a model to their own unit. Oh, and Typhus gives them +1 Strength and +1 Toughness while he's in play. Not bad for 6pts each ;)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There's also a highlight to Death Guard's Psychic Powers, one of which makes enemies suffer -1 to-hit against one of your Friendly Nurgle units, and their ranged weapons. The signature special gun of Death Guard Marines units being a very nasty 24", Assault 2, S6, AP -2, D3 Damage. Yikes! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b><a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/11/warhammer-40000-faction-focus-eldar/">Eldar</a> (Aeldari)</b>. This focus comes right out of the gate and says what we're all thinking: Eldar played on top tables use the same handful over units <i>ad nauseum, </i>while the rest of the excellent options on the shelf gather dust. Reece, the author of this article, is a long-time Eldar (and Foot-dar, even) fanboy, so he is all ready to re-balance the Eldar. The classics are there: Battle Focus, the signature Psychic Powers, etc. But, added in, are things like an all-Ranger army (!) or Phoenix Lords, a "Fixed" Avatar of Khaine, and much-buffed Striking Scorpions (one of my absolute favorites) that now do Mortal Wounds in Close Combat (!!)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
I truly hope this is the end of the reign of Scatterbikes. Those have been terrible for the game since they came out, and I also hope those ranged D-weapons were tweaked to be, still potent, but not as ridiculous.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Eldar also get a significant buff from the changes to Transports, now they any Transport is an Assault Vehicle, they actually have viable delivery options for their Close Combat units which, up to now, were seriously hamstrung. Storm Guardians anyone?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b>Eldar Harlequins</b> - while we haven't had a Faction focus as yet, the changes to Vehicles, <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/21/new-warhammer-40000-transports-may21gw-homepage-post-4/">Transports</a>, Pistols, and Combat, plus unique Move Characteristics, have already had a HUGE impact on the dancing space-elf clowns. Not only do their Neuro Shredders and Fusion Pistols now work in combat, but now their Transports effectively double the number of units that have that can Charge and tie up enemies in Combat.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b><a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/17/warhammer-40000-faction-focus-drukhari-may17/">Dark Eldar</a> (Drukhari)</b>. Unlike the Eldar and T'au, the Dark Eldar have fallen tragically out of favor for quite some time. This is ultimately a shame since so many people collect and love their DE, and Frankie (who wrote this Faction Focus and is one of the major Playtesters of 8th) is one of their most ardent supporters. As such, this spotlight hits all the high notes. The first unit he mentions is my single favorite model in the game: the Dark Eldar Raider.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The reference to Vehicles having Saves is big here, and it's noted that DE vehicles now have a 5+ Invulnerable Save against Shooting by default, which is also big. They also ignore the penalty to firing Heavy Weapons after moving, which is nice! There's also a nod that Passengers can fire normally after an Open-topped vehicle makes a normal move, which is also great for DE.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
A HUGE win for DE is that re-tooled To-Wound chart, meaning now those Poisoned weapons do actually have a chance to hurt just about anything in the game. Also the Dark Lance is now a frightful S8, AP -4, and D6 Damage, while even the "lowly" Disintegrator Cannon is S6, AP -3, and <b>2 </b>Damage. Huge buff. Warriors toting Dark Lances are going to be vastly more dangerous than they were.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Also mentioned are Wyches, the current shelf-hogs of 7th, having significantly boosted damage output, and gaining back their 4+ Invulnerable Save while in Close Combat. They also have a special rule that makes it much harder for units they're engaged with to Retreat, which is a big boost - not only keeping squishy units in combat, but also protecting the Wyches themselves from getting shot!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b> <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/27/warhammer-40000-faction-focus-genestealer-cults/">Genestealer Cults</a></b> were the most recent Faction added to 40k, and as such a lot of how their rules were written already reflect some of the changes in 8th. Their focus on Assault and tricky Deployment is still more or less the same, although a little more effective now that all units can Charge out of Reserves. They also get a huge benefit from Vehicles being able to Charge, especially with the rules for their signature Goliath Rockgrinder, which now gets 6+D3 S8, AP -3, D3 Damage hits on the Charge. Youch.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
They also gain all the benefits already granted to T-shirt saves (more weapons in the game will allow them), and Genestealers now have a stock 5+ Invulnerable Save.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
One big mention here is also that making Cult Astra Militarum armies is streamlined - they're Traitor Guard, of course, but they're allowed to Ally with Genestealer Cults more easily than before, which will make for much more functional and fluffy Cult armies.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/15/warhammer-40000-faction-focus-tau-empire/"><b>Imperial Knights</b></a> are different beasts entirely. With a Toughness and Wounds stat now (and a Save, can't forget that!) and an insane 24 Wounds, they're hulking monstrosities, but not the way they were. They're both more and less fragile, now able to be hurt by almost any weapon in the game, but rocking T8 with enough Wounds and a Save (3+ no less) to mitigate it. Also, their firepower is ludicrously devastating.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Here's a basic profile of one:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQ1W1Ne4opMgBOv3z9cRBEQAEgSgeJSnZaum2iE9tW0qgmGOYW1fV4pM_sMq9JVSBV4e5VFKJzrlYmLSIciPn6Ffsp4A0n_hEPl0R_thPGAyzRTXaQsBzYrPlxjVZjWcXR4-le-wXGPM/s1600/40kFFKnightssProfile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQ1W1Ne4opMgBOv3z9cRBEQAEgSgeJSnZaum2iE9tW0qgmGOYW1fV4pM_sMq9JVSBV4e5VFKJzrlYmLSIciPn6Ffsp4A0n_hEPl0R_thPGAyzRTXaQsBzYrPlxjVZjWcXR4-le-wXGPM/s640/40kFFKnightssProfile.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Note that as a Knight takes damage, they get slower and less accurate, although they don't lose raw damage potential. This goes a long way to balance the changes, in that they can't be one-shot and take a long time to kill, but as they're damaged they get less effective, so the enemy army wailing on them gets some benefit to weakening them, rather than just outright killing them.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
A huge change here is the Ion Shield. Now it's a flat 5+ Invulnerable Save, regardless of facing. This ("which Armor Facing am I hitting?") was undoubtedly one of the biggest NERD RAGE debates of 7th, and it's a welcome removal.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b><a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/25/warhammer-40000-faction-focus-orks/">Orks</a></b> have gotten a Faction Focus now - but without that, the changes to Twin-Linked weapons and Transports (being tougher, able to Charge, all being Assault Vehicles, etc) are huge, huge, huge for the Mean Green Tide. Also, as an army already used to not getting Saves, the changes to make Weapons more deadly can only benefit the Greenskins. And let's not forget the new Morale system. That crappy Leadership is still going to see a lot of Orks go down, but they're not going to see a 20-man blob Swept by 5 Marines anymore.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The Faction Focus assures us that their Save will be more valuable, since AP5 and AP6 weapons (which are very common) now are AP -0. Plus, Big Meks provide a 5+ Invulnerable Bubble, and Painboys give nearby units a 6+ Save vs. Unsaved Wounds. And they stack. That's lovely!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The big love also is that they can stack Morale buffs, have the ability to Advance (Run) and Charge in the same turn, plus re-roll Charges, making them very hard to avoid/keep out of Combat.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The Weapons changes we've seen all benefit the Orks impressively. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b>Sisters of Battle</b>, or Adeptus Sororitas we have it on reliable authority are sticking around, and are a big part of the update in 8th. With the recent release of Sisters of Silence and Saint Celestine, that's no surprise! Can it be that the long wait is over??</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/29/warhammer-40000-faction-focus-space-marines/"><b>Space Marines</b></a> have gotten their Faction Focus now, and the very first mention is that right now they're run almost exclusively on competitive tables as either SuperFriends Deathstars or Battle Companies. The long and short of it is that Battle Companies may not be "as efficient," and a lot of work has been done to do away with Deathstars (see earlier sections). The emphasis here is that Space Marines have a ton of options, and good options, to build from, and many different builds and combinations should be equally potent. There are nods here to Predators (a lesser used unit/model), as well as Grandpappy Smurf, Guiliman, who gets a 3+ Invul and comes back to life on a 4+ the first time he dies. The final nod is to Dreadnoughts, which many players love, but didn't fare well in 7th Edition. It remains to be seen how well they do in 8th, but we're being promised that they're quite a bit better than they were.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The changes to Grav are highlighted here again as well. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/26/new-warhammer-40000-primaris-space-marinesgw-homepage-post-4/"><b>Space Marines (Primaris)</b></a> get a little more time in the sun too. Again, these guys can be their own Chapter/army, or they can be sprinkled into any Space Marine army. There seems to be particular emphasis on making these guys more dangerous in Shooting and a little bit tougher than ordinary Space Marines. While they are very cool, I hope some effort has been made to make sure they're not just outright better than normal Marines. I.e., I hope they're as noticeably more expensive on Points as they are more powerful. So far they're T5 with better guns (the 18" Assault 3 Rend -1 Pistols on the Jump versions stand out) and one more Attack than your average, but even those small modifications really matter in-game.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/15/warhammer-40000-faction-focus-tau-empire/"><b>T'au Empire</b></a>. Quite possibly the most abused/overused Faction in 7th Edition, and most hated by new players for being remarkably un-fun to play against, T'au are getting a re-work. Big changes seem to be that they have the Fly keyword all over, allowing them to Fall Back and still shoot - both Fluffy and obnoxious. It also sounds like their firepower may be getting beefed up, although the one reference to Markerlights is that a single Markerlight allows one unit to re-roll 1's in shooting. That's a major nerf, and is probably healthy for the game as a whole. While T'au will still be devastating, we can at least hope their terrible BS will actually matter for once :P</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Also, in the broader trend, since survivability has been reduced across the board, and Assaulting is much easier, T'au should see a marked decrease in their own durability - which was my least favorite thing about them in the past (I rarely kill a Riptide now :P) </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/21/warhammer-40000-faction-focus-tyranids/"><b>Tyranids</b></a> have been seriously suffering in 7th, and the designers and playtesters of 8th are well aware of the problem. For starters, check out the re-tooled Swarmlord:</div>
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYpV74J3T3Au8yAyT2S8i69h57LiCM_zeSTqYJG62qxkRoGbUUqGeXLXebek2-ZwxAgyKPaHN6KvecXGQ5d7Fzy9tYM3dCAh0n2wtkYYipzeeknTXRq8dq11n9qCi6bqzprniuFpVNbE/s1600/40kFFTyranidsSwarmlord.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYpV74J3T3Au8yAyT2S8i69h57LiCM_zeSTqYJG62qxkRoGbUUqGeXLXebek2-ZwxAgyKPaHN6KvecXGQ5d7Fzy9tYM3dCAh0n2wtkYYipzeeknTXRq8dq11n9qCi6bqzprniuFpVNbE/s640/40kFFTyranidsSwarmlord.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Not too shabby! A 9" base Move makes him actually quite quick, and that's an insane number of Attacks. While he won't get the benefit of having fewer than 9 Wounds, he does almost certainly benefit from Tyrant Guard somehow, and definitely hits like a ton of bricks.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
He also brings us our first Command Ability (something lifted from Sigmar) - he can let a friendly Tyranid Unit move twice per turn. Including himself. What was that about delivery options?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Genestealers also get their moment to shine, with a beefed up Move of 8", and a flat 5+ Invulnerable Save, and they gain a bonus to-hit from a Broodlord, giving them a 2+ to-hit in Combat (!).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And don't forget, units can now Charge when they arrive from Reserves!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Remember how Synapse worked? Now it provides Immunity to Morale, which in 8th is a huge, huge benefit. We already saw the Trygon's changed rule, these others stack on to make Tyranids obviously a much-changed faction.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Did someone say Pyrovore... ?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
*<i>See above for <a href="https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/05/27/warhammer-40000-faction-focus-genestealer-cults/">Genestealer Cults</a></i> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Final Thoughts-</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is everything I wanted and more. Deathstars gone, Factions all balanced at once, Vehicles tweaked, huge numbers of fiddly charts and rules removed, and - above all - it's going to be WAY faster. Seeing as how 40k is my first love, nearly everything I've seen has convinced me in no uncertain terms that I will be (gradually) making the jump back over to 40k once 8th hits and settles in. I already have a very small force, but two Troops units and it's legal to field as a Battle Forged army for very small games.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-70645665036056629382017-04-29T22:35:00.002-07:002017-06-18T21:07:09.659-07:00Sigmar League Round 6: Death vs. Stormcast Eternals!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEike1akusjFQws0bKRmHmD0nxVLtAC8GSL2D0eL7ZPRxBni3ZrthncBSaWLWGwQkaZZD_3N3dR0HY6tiuBIP1mPGUxQDCdKLcUqmBYbEBJ9dCvhMQ-cYJu2gvFx9IHxLKZTmkO4Yk5nrs4/s1600/IMG_20170429_194716382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEike1akusjFQws0bKRmHmD0nxVLtAC8GSL2D0eL7ZPRxBni3ZrthncBSaWLWGwQkaZZD_3N3dR0HY6tiuBIP1mPGUxQDCdKLcUqmBYbEBJ9dCvhMQ-cYJu2gvFx9IHxLKZTmkO4Yk5nrs4/s640/IMG_20170429_194716382.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The stage is set, the final match! The Mortal Realms will tremble at the titanic clash of mighty armies!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
What's up folks :) I'm feeling particularly dramatic on this one, because it's the final round, I just played the game, and I happen to be writing this in the middle of an EPIC THUNDERSTORM.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
That said, ready for League Round 6? Yes? We're starting anyway!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a> First things first, the Scenario.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
This Round we played "Gifts from the Heavens," a wildly random scenario played over two Objectives, but the Objectives arrive in a random table 6th on Turn 2. At the start of Turn 2, one Objective arrives on each player side. On a 1-2, left 2'x2'. On a 3-4, center. And on a 5-6, right.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The Objectives are Controlled if a Player has the most models within 6" of it, and there are no Enemy Models within 6" of it. So even one model can contest. What's more, each Objective is worth as many points as the current Round turn, so on arrival, each is worth 2 at the end of a Player's turn.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
But what's this? My opponent? Why, what in Nagash's name is this? These golden warriors are real??</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I didn't do my due diligence this time, so going into the game I actually didn't know what army I was facing. When I saw Stormcast Eternals come out of the box, I was immediately elated and deeply concerned. There's a lot of chatter among Sigmar players about how powerful the "Sigmarines" are, and I had no doubt that I was in for one tough game.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_o_gRFo96ndqAhBJy5ijiPyYQ6S0ZMqCrVm0apPsjYb3uSxWTD0Ozgz0BCi23x42AQYAam_hzqIb3O4QTr367ZzgGAAKFwuOiNWsd9gOkHrULb_MFONgLGTlj1TJqhNDmQCl1_Er1yE/s1600/IMG_20170429_144725403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_o_gRFo96ndqAhBJy5ijiPyYQ6S0ZMqCrVm0apPsjYb3uSxWTD0Ozgz0BCi23x42AQYAam_hzqIb3O4QTr367ZzgGAAKFwuOiNWsd9gOkHrULb_MFONgLGTlj1TJqhNDmQCl1_Er1yE/s640/IMG_20170429_144725403.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The above is after Deployment, where the Sigmarines placed first Unit, and finished placing first, giving them First Turn.<br />
<br />
<b>Here's his list as best as I remember it:</b><br />
Lord-Celestant on Stardrake (General)<br />
Lord-Celestant<br />
Lord-Celestant on Dracoth<br />
Lord Retributor<br />
Concussor (on Dracoth)<br />
<br />
Liberators (Battleline, Hammer/Shield)<br />
Liberators (Battleline, Hammer/Shield)<br />
Vanguard Raptors (Long-strike Crossbows, and one ANGRY bird)<br />
Paladin Retributors<br />
Kurnoth Hunters (Bows)<br />
<br />
Please forgive any errors, I know nothing at all about Sigmarines, and while I looked up these units names, I'm reasonably confident I missed something and/or got something wrong. Still, this is most of it - some serious heavy-hitters (especially the Stardrake, shit that thing is scary) and some rather ferocious teeth, considering it's a melee army.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX88AB4CCTj3GSTuYwxlmiqTu7J5PpZYLQgZ5a3gq67dDHLKKvX_npSS_T49HuZeOyX-qR6LRoON0XnzYWHbQtnG_vRELT15iU8x1ZTfuO7da-2Y86tbuyjAf85tPHyR_i9RLcd4glDbk/s1600/IMG_20170429_144731025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX88AB4CCTj3GSTuYwxlmiqTu7J5PpZYLQgZ5a3gq67dDHLKKvX_npSS_T49HuZeOyX-qR6LRoON0XnzYWHbQtnG_vRELT15iU8x1ZTfuO7da-2Y86tbuyjAf85tPHyR_i9RLcd4glDbk/s640/IMG_20170429_144731025.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
These Paladin Retributors are somewhat familiar, being in one of the first Stormcast waves, but those Archers in back are brand-new. They're Battleline too, and while in game they didn't seem particularly overpowered, they will annihilate your average ordinary Hero with little trouble.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd8jodfhd2-pAWdrDENW8t0nTVlSREKbC-ZZZzPtPMb9tKU_74D28IXz8arYJoiyAXa89aDVMTZow2FbHdGECi_Ot_jOabp5Y_3EafXT-_Epvm8O1aE8nWaF4eZG0Vh0L09YHu8CUx-4Y/s1600/IMG_20170429_144737605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd8jodfhd2-pAWdrDENW8t0nTVlSREKbC-ZZZzPtPMb9tKU_74D28IXz8arYJoiyAXa89aDVMTZow2FbHdGECi_Ot_jOabp5Y_3EafXT-_Epvm8O1aE8nWaF4eZG0Vh0L09YHu8CUx-4Y/s640/IMG_20170429_144737605.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I'm particularly unsure what those Dracoth Riders were - pretty sure they were both Heroes, because they were both their own units, and the partially-painted one had more Wounds, but otherwise they were very similar. I know that's a Lord-Celestant on foot on the right.<br />
...And I definitely recognize those da' gum TREES. To hell with those prickly bastards! Seeing those in a list of otherwise Stormcast was a nasty shock, but I did appreciate the chance to see them and the Stormcast Archers side-by-side to make a real comparison.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yypOKUJ4tkWp2lnHmaj6_RaH9eromk1-d2WROvwLHIVFvSVhKVYOjLuRSIbSOuzgBMVOaLyhV9b0Q5uC3byUVRTu0xk8fAkng5NRlmvPIEiAFLAVQC34Kc-QQs0AkTT_2iiL0apDdoU/s1600/IMG_20170429_150134965.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yypOKUJ4tkWp2lnHmaj6_RaH9eromk1-d2WROvwLHIVFvSVhKVYOjLuRSIbSOuzgBMVOaLyhV9b0Q5uC3byUVRTu0xk8fAkng5NRlmvPIEiAFLAVQC34Kc-QQs0AkTT_2iiL0apDdoU/s640/IMG_20170429_150134965.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
My list was pretty standard for me, with some slight variations. For one, I have Vargheists that Iron Stubble generously graced me with. I couldn't wait to put paint on those suckers and try them on the table!<br />
<br />
<b>My list:</b><br />
Arkhan the Black (BWAAAHAHAHA!)<br />
Count Mannfred (Barbed Nightmare)<br />
Vampire Lord (Nightmare)<br />
Wight King (Horse, Infernal Standard, Cursed Book Relic)<br />
Necromancer<br />
<br />
30x Skeleton Warriors (Swords/Shields, Banner, Musician)<br />
<b><i>*The Skeleton Champion was my General, with Ruler of the Night for those 5+'s</i></b><br />
10x Skeleton Warriors (Swords/Shields, Banner, Musician)<br />
10x Skeleton Warriors (Swords/Shields, Banner, Musician)<br />
10x Skeleton Horse Archers (Banner, Musician)<br />
5x Hexraiths<br />
5x Black Knights (Banner, Musician)<br />
3x Vargheists<br />
<br />
This, again, is more or less the same thing I always run. But I traded Kemmler for a stock Necromancer to get Varnhel's Danse, and kept in the Vampire Lord to right with Mannfred. In my limited experience, having a Vampire Lord partner makes Mannfred waaaaay more likely to do the damage/stick around through the game.<br />
The Vargheists, of course, I wanted to try. And the Hexwraiths I keep in there, because those suckers with Ethereal and Mystic Shield stick around like none other - plus they're one of my few units with any sort of Rend.<br />
Making a Skeleton Champion my General is new, while it costs me the Command Ability of the Wight King, it does make that 5+ Deathless Minions far more durable. Plus, I was banking on the Infernal Standard going a long way to make my Skeletons stick!<br />
<br />
Which it did, starting right off in-<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Turn 1</u>!</span></b><br />
<br />
First things first, right after Deployment, on their first turn, the Stormcasts dropped Meteors on me. Because they can do that (?!)<br />
They get D6 shots (he rolled a 6, like you do) and pick that many enemy units on the board, regardless of the range, and each one suffers D3 Mortal Wounds before the game starts. The hell? If that hit a normal, on-foot Hero, that could half kill it before the game started! As it was, it killed three of my Skeletons outright:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis6cKeTqeq8ECPGMuJZ5aMcmK7oAnQRIKEtwmNNgTR-YYFNY0c3oxHKYergZ_xNT6gO7ybp1HJ7PB6NDS-oTZrb3x2wreKma8igc-OMDeLIqKIgD2a95f7TgDL8Z6tUclbS8Di0y5G3W4/s1600/IMG_20170429_150746255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis6cKeTqeq8ECPGMuJZ5aMcmK7oAnQRIKEtwmNNgTR-YYFNY0c3oxHKYergZ_xNT6gO7ybp1HJ7PB6NDS-oTZrb3x2wreKma8igc-OMDeLIqKIgD2a95f7TgDL8Z6tUclbS8Di0y5G3W4/s640/IMG_20170429_150746255.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Plus various small damage to some of my Heroes and Cavalry, including one Wound on my Hexwraiths and two on my Vampire Lord (ouch!)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfGees0F-4xidfZtvHOjQd4ZGwDaD_TG2OPh1xny9FitFX2lPC42Qa5Ls1ra9BkCF9_M49On7oxBP__w1kkznukgbhi_-7Wid-eNeh-tSTRf7M40k5kYxvMT3Hy4IEv22iQwcIbs1A-wA/s1600/IMG_20170429_150754446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfGees0F-4xidfZtvHOjQd4ZGwDaD_TG2OPh1xny9FitFX2lPC42Qa5Ls1ra9BkCF9_M49On7oxBP__w1kkznukgbhi_-7Wid-eNeh-tSTRf7M40k5kYxvMT3Hy4IEv22iQwcIbs1A-wA/s640/IMG_20170429_150754446.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Above is after Stormcasts Turn 1, you can see several dice marking wounds from that Starfall, but I made quite a few saves more than I reasonably should have. I got very lucky, for the most part. Aside from that, Turn 1 was quite uneventful for both of us, I made loads of saves and regenerated a few models that had died.<br />
In my turn, I played VERY aggressively, with every single unit booking forward. My Archers did two Wounds to the Paladins, but otherwise very little happened - in large part because I started the turn well outside of Spell range.<br />
<br />
I did make the Charge on those Dracoths with my Hexwraiths, and hit them with Mystic Shield, and boy did they stick! They also did a Wound or two, but nothing dramatic.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYvSENOyDWDf8FEkrF0Ex-k6CfV3-_xAgv-qoRF8ERChPSiEuUTdnvOD_7KhyZmUNipgbAQ3xpItnFHpn2lvc0qK9-RtENW_yR7eHgAHBeBq4S2Slwr2poJHxu4nXnNMyg6s_seAOito/s1600/IMG_20170429_153321043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYvSENOyDWDf8FEkrF0Ex-k6CfV3-_xAgv-qoRF8ERChPSiEuUTdnvOD_7KhyZmUNipgbAQ3xpItnFHpn2lvc0qK9-RtENW_yR7eHgAHBeBq4S2Slwr2poJHxu4nXnNMyg6s_seAOito/s640/IMG_20170429_153321043.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
It was a very aggressive turn for me, trying to compensate for my usual weakness of letting my opponents dictate where and when Combats happen in these games.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiCiLWuYz3C2rf6zmo1qJ_bOL9_AEzqGxi8G3rV6BMBWCjw7umgUYHvzENFQAk1CgCWvbcepqb4J7MYQa_8B9zjJ272aTbRRmhkaLGIKB58enNyBM-1DHP9YcGzKPKTyxMTw3PvQaSLYQ/s1600/IMG_20170429_153317092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiCiLWuYz3C2rf6zmo1qJ_bOL9_AEzqGxi8G3rV6BMBWCjw7umgUYHvzENFQAk1CgCWvbcepqb4J7MYQa_8B9zjJ272aTbRRmhkaLGIKB58enNyBM-1DHP9YcGzKPKTyxMTw3PvQaSLYQ/s640/IMG_20170429_153317092.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
The Dracoth Riders are particularly nasty, here are my four surviving Hexwraiths after that second round of Combat. While I had held way, way better then either of us expected, I did almost no damage (the Blue dice count Wounds up, while my yellow ones count down). That 6 is to mark that they still have Mystic Shield!<br />
<br />
So, on to:<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Turn 2</u>!</span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ZQrl9iIeHxT1tkYlFp4gFKpNk6gz8clLbmqgQk3gfjE1JKxbR-tNNRRTTYDT1aEzvXnXMoYAJpEWEtbOidVlMDF91tK8zVMpYYpCgxihyBRPAn8A7_XRf0OBlwhxGjy7C3eE5p1-HTg/s1600/IMG_20170429_153307878.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ZQrl9iIeHxT1tkYlFp4gFKpNk6gz8clLbmqgQk3gfjE1JKxbR-tNNRRTTYDT1aEzvXnXMoYAJpEWEtbOidVlMDF91tK8zVMpYYpCgxihyBRPAn8A7_XRf0OBlwhxGjy7C3eE5p1-HTg/s640/IMG_20170429_153307878.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
First things first, our Objectives arrived - and we both rolled 1's, and the way the Scenario is written, "1" is defined on one side of the table, not player-by-player, so we wound up with both Objectives right up on each other, and right under the feet of his troops.<br />
<br />
This is one weakness of this Scenario: the randomness of Objectives is cool, but essentially controls the outcome of the game, and can make a game immediately one-sided. While the location of mine isn't the worst possible thing, it's pretty bad, especially with Stormcasts going first. Plus, it screwed my Deployment.<br />
I'd counter-deployed for the Stardrake, hoping to pin it between wheeling Cavalry and my hard-tarpit. And I'd moved up aggressively to catch that Stardrake and the Paladins early, to keep them out of my Deployment Zone. But, what that did was leave me in position to take a Charge from both of those units, and be more or less rooted, while his free Liberators unit swooped in to take my Objective, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.<br />
Now, I could string my units back to be within 6", but at best that would leave me Contesting my home Objective, because I wouldn't be able to handle all three Stormcast units at once with what I had there, and all it would take is 1 Stormcast model to lose the point.<br />
That said, it would deny him the points, so I should have put more though in to that...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh42KD7wsfjsUjCcbAW52gd322tat9GUnNW967SNohQNJDR2DmUJmziDVSRkikrIYtDxN4BVmoCDLYHiykyU6VWT-kVrA4d5TdLI2srDkujblFSxhlHQ1BZUm5254PoQKFdG8hNuCkDJ2U/s1600/IMG_20170429_153311795.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh42KD7wsfjsUjCcbAW52gd322tat9GUnNW967SNohQNJDR2DmUJmziDVSRkikrIYtDxN4BVmoCDLYHiykyU6VWT-kVrA4d5TdLI2srDkujblFSxhlHQ1BZUm5254PoQKFdG8hNuCkDJ2U/s640/IMG_20170429_153311795.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
I could also have Retreated with my Archers, but I didn't get the chance.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpSs5YqUBnEOknCQgVa4MH8ysJWVuJVkHE5G187Vaa9ShUfikANBn1h5mywyii-0Jk8Z1TD5s2DPNwC76-Sq0U_wLzjJfzSyzGMv6On6B3QotqJ8KlH26Zypz3GTFTl1jLNHUE7uIepyw/s1600/IMG_20170429_154636720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpSs5YqUBnEOknCQgVa4MH8ysJWVuJVkHE5G187Vaa9ShUfikANBn1h5mywyii-0Jk8Z1TD5s2DPNwC76-Sq0U_wLzjJfzSyzGMv6On6B3QotqJ8KlH26Zypz3GTFTl1jLNHUE7uIepyw/s640/IMG_20170429_154636720.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
So this guy! See his cloak of flying hammers? Apparently those are a weapon, not just decoration. Because who doesn't like flipped their cloak around in the middle of a fight... ?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlQcxNCn5otcPwysH0GGXepqKuxK2jI4DkWXcDYvd77nGGUSWBHtrDlalMCJckr4fB0GGtoW8nVhDDJR2NuVRYVQKNVd8eZCppYgdmVmu-a5RFALPOcbJ4yO5oPLdoCmUthlESWFrMOs/s1600/IMG_20170429_154641417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlQcxNCn5otcPwysH0GGXepqKuxK2jI4DkWXcDYvd77nGGUSWBHtrDlalMCJckr4fB0GGtoW8nVhDDJR2NuVRYVQKNVd8eZCppYgdmVmu-a5RFALPOcbJ4yO5oPLdoCmUthlESWFrMOs/s640/IMG_20170429_154641417.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Turn 2, between flying hammers and slightly more successful shooting saw Arkhan start to shed Wounds. Based on past experience against long-shooting armies, this is about the point where I expected Arkhan to die within the next phase. Being a ginormous target with a 4+ Save and only 11 Wounds quickly gets you pin-cushioned into oblivion :P<br />
<br />
Around this point I started seeing that Stormcast Eternals just kind of... Shrug Mortal Wounds. The Dracoths both could throw out a lightning strike that hits every unit within 2" of it D3 Mortal Wounds on a 4+, the Starfall on the first turn, the Hammer-Cloak, and the Retributor had some sort of lightning strike as well. Not to mention, many of their units have Shields that let them re-roll Saving Throws of 1, and if they succeeded on the re-roll, the resounding reflection causes a Mortal Wound on the unit that hit them.<br />
Add to that, Paladins cause 2 automatic Mortal Wounds on a 6 to-hit in Combat, and the Angry Bird on the Vanguards has an Overwatch-type mechanic, where if its unit is Charged, it can potentially deal Mortal Wounds to the Charging unit.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ZO2mJzo4meSimLPHE6AsVBrXy_HHBC9n_WUuHUt1R1ucnHmW6FlEd2OFQupnKj2_SiJLWndCuN2RkyIg-UaDn1kwvZam0Up-hLdv7sNf8TZ5MdCfKoLDBjTTLj7nhsKKb3uAhzIakik/s1600/IMG_20170429_154645256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ZO2mJzo4meSimLPHE6AsVBrXy_HHBC9n_WUuHUt1R1ucnHmW6FlEd2OFQupnKj2_SiJLWndCuN2RkyIg-UaDn1kwvZam0Up-hLdv7sNf8TZ5MdCfKoLDBjTTLj7nhsKKb3uAhzIakik/s640/IMG_20170429_154645256.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
In Turn 2, I knew the Stardrake was coming, and while I hoped the Paladins weren't going to make their Charge, it looked pretty dang likely.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYOBmb28v7RFmhzcYvxI-mZYnUF8U1PiY_4BPjnu2oOdQd50OtrPz9fMliJENl3MqKFKVTiolfx-1V82NSl67JZtlCh_PvlDrBISWz8ILwpTwqmzz1v6-hLsFfJ4MUXvWUmqZoqh9OtYo/s1600/IMG_20170429_154649896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYOBmb28v7RFmhzcYvxI-mZYnUF8U1PiY_4BPjnu2oOdQd50OtrPz9fMliJENl3MqKFKVTiolfx-1V82NSl67JZtlCh_PvlDrBISWz8ILwpTwqmzz1v6-hLsFfJ4MUXvWUmqZoqh9OtYo/s640/IMG_20170429_154649896.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Here's where I was, I'd used the Archers to Screen my Skeletons, and hopefully bait the Stardrake into the nigh-indestructible Tarpit. I knew if he got both the 'Drake and Paladins in there at the same time, there was a strong chance he could kill Skeletons faster than I could bring them back. But if I could hold the Paladins off long enough to hurt that Drake...<br />
<br />
These were my Casualties from the shooting phase-<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisyyvFqVglL0KTzpGM-iqaVkayTlykiiWyn46pZuilG944vpAPhEhJbeZZSWd9O3C0lMkQScL7zLteN2z0cBkH4F0MR9Tht9lBdor5a67tr75ZdIcMkLA2iXnBHNh3Zcvvk2MkapSPPfI/s1600/IMG_20170429_154658091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisyyvFqVglL0KTzpGM-iqaVkayTlykiiWyn46pZuilG944vpAPhEhJbeZZSWd9O3C0lMkQScL7zLteN2z0cBkH4F0MR9Tht9lBdor5a67tr75ZdIcMkLA2iXnBHNh3Zcvvk2MkapSPPfI/s640/IMG_20170429_154658091.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Having taken those casualties, I was already nervous. My Skeletons' durability was untested, and I wasn't sure what to expect from 500-pts of face-eating monster.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVV52rXSQ3gXUTJc3Ej11k32tahfo94oan2469YDyoRkDs0Nms0bizYO2rOykNkkVUJEs3bztZE-jZWMcGHUSQUz3_2HSy74wUuUh2Ym78IDcC4iJXFNQzoxczx0sncNdRU6skKUEOvE/s1600/IMG_20170429_160157248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVV52rXSQ3gXUTJc3Ej11k32tahfo94oan2469YDyoRkDs0Nms0bizYO2rOykNkkVUJEs3bztZE-jZWMcGHUSQUz3_2HSy74wUuUh2Ym78IDcC4iJXFNQzoxczx0sncNdRU6skKUEOvE/s640/IMG_20170429_160157248.jpg" width="640" /></a> But, at least to start, my plan worked to a T! The Paladins charged my Archers, and the other Stormcasts *barely* made it in to that combat, while the Stardrake Charged my oh-so-fragile looking Skeletons by itself.<br />
Yesssss, come to me, my pretty!<br />
<br />
But wait - this is where I started my study of the Stardrake. And the first thing I learned was that it is hungry. Very hungry.<br />
At the start of the Stormcast Player's Combat Phase, it can pick any *model* in Combat within 3", roll a D6, and if it rolls higher than that model's current Wounds, that model is eaten and killed. Period.<br />
Uh - WHAT.<br />
Remember my genius plan of stashing my Skeleton Champion General in the middle of my blob? Well, here's how that went:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXEf9a3nFIwkNXGAOdLuyGY4BRPrBcjpCQIhyphenhyphenTQnlWsJgyiQckBH9dVbp0pUsF3d1UzdiNI_unHcQbw6uacBzUqKZwmtMm6VXLgsZyYy_V-R-8zmpR98Pq4aMGtT8m73MvJXaaNHNGSL0/s1600/IMG_20170429_160524024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXEf9a3nFIwkNXGAOdLuyGY4BRPrBcjpCQIhyphenhyphenTQnlWsJgyiQckBH9dVbp0pUsF3d1UzdiNI_unHcQbw6uacBzUqKZwmtMm6VXLgsZyYy_V-R-8zmpR98Pq4aMGtT8m73MvJXaaNHNGSL0/s640/IMG_20170429_160524024.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Om nom nom nom... CRUNCH.<br />
OH HOLY HELL.<br />
In Sigmar, since Wound Allocation is always (almost always) done by the Controlling Player, it was fair to assume that wouldn't be an issue, except for some very few special abilities. This was a serious shock, and not only threw a monkey-wrench into my plans, but seriously weakened my lines right where I needed them to stick the hardest.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKF5Xbj2YTPBUPsGg7lp8vyINTuAWUI1ENXeRK21WU3dw2SepuoCRheyjSFsg9fV9gnUm3Yal15uxqqpqC_Drm-L9cJwZzoIEeDwm6eXH0ii717dIJPxlKzuwFyW8uoEPxFFoyo9WfMtY/s1600/IMG_20170429_162642977.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKF5Xbj2YTPBUPsGg7lp8vyINTuAWUI1ENXeRK21WU3dw2SepuoCRheyjSFsg9fV9gnUm3Yal15uxqqpqC_Drm-L9cJwZzoIEeDwm6eXH0ii717dIJPxlKzuwFyW8uoEPxFFoyo9WfMtY/s640/IMG_20170429_162642977.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
With my General gone, my Skeleton Horse Archers were stuck relying on a 6+ save and a 6+ Deathless Minions. Since those Paladins hit at Rend -1 for 2 Damage, and will do 2 Mortal Wounds on any 6 to-hit (which they did quite a bit). Even my Infernal Standard wasn't enough to save most of them. I did save 1, just barely!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNxlb44HdfcX6fpOU1XZ3WQtZwZTaIPg8wfMSNnM2oysPRz98eKo8G2AWg6fYn0NRlad_IIjbE-VbHVLBCap9WjkchFtGMaxHGuau-ELjVkK-A3t3NIr8G_oGIOgZfsiCg8KJo-W9cB8/s1600/IMG_20170429_162852139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNxlb44HdfcX6fpOU1XZ3WQtZwZTaIPg8wfMSNnM2oysPRz98eKo8G2AWg6fYn0NRlad_IIjbE-VbHVLBCap9WjkchFtGMaxHGuau-ELjVkK-A3t3NIr8G_oGIOgZfsiCg8KJo-W9cB8/s640/IMG_20170429_162852139.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Annnnnd Battleshock :P<br />
Losing 9 Models makes it danged hard to pass Battleshock, so the failure was no surprise.<br />
<br />
At the end of the Stormcasts' turn, they held both Objectives uncontested, having killed my Archers. I was actually in a decent position going into Turn 2, but at the end of it my Scoring was bordering on hopeless. As it was, both Objectives were worth 2pts each, so Stormcasts started off strong with 4 points.<br />
<br />
<br />
In many of my games, I've started slipping once Combat started. The units I run with aren't very durable compared to most others in the game, and don't really hit hard enough either, so... This was desperation moment #1 - time to make up some ground! With a fast enough turnaround, I could maybe, *maybe,* make up the difference and be able to take some points.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy5mIB7IO7RHWYpU-3tYUvVIV2kSX7xmXt6zNNbv5MDMj2vUTTsJEk21hgtaTM9bWM-yr0OTGZXpjNwkYi92PcORFR6m8reeN21GPINxHNKvEuN5As7QvCpZogPvwBQjtCk3YtU0__ci8/s1600/IMG_20170429_155706703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy5mIB7IO7RHWYpU-3tYUvVIV2kSX7xmXt6zNNbv5MDMj2vUTTsJEk21hgtaTM9bWM-yr0OTGZXpjNwkYi92PcORFR6m8reeN21GPINxHNKvEuN5As7QvCpZogPvwBQjtCk3YtU0__ci8/s640/IMG_20170429_155706703.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
So, the moment you've all been waiting for! The Vargheists first round of combat! They're only rocking a 5+, despite their impressive Wound count, so I wanted to thin the Stormcast unit out before they were able to strike back!<br />
With 3 Attacks each (4 for the Champion) at 3+/3+ with Rend -1 and 2 Damage, these suckers hit like a ton of bricks, so I started off relatively strong with a pile of six Hits. That's going to be a solid couple Wounds-<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrz7nVa6NZWiHSE0VPkd6wDrRaIwYV0OsXkbvWd-o-4C_E67G_iX9OS-3rwzYdZtyimzZIhlFtA1alQnWZ7FTmZDqVAj9gW1MUA6quLREz8t52sHK27hYiMRtcvG5YkG4dCFKqBHA3xgE/s1600/IMG_20170429_155702106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrz7nVa6NZWiHSE0VPkd6wDrRaIwYV0OsXkbvWd-o-4C_E67G_iX9OS-3rwzYdZtyimzZIhlFtA1alQnWZ7FTmZDqVAj9gW1MUA6quLREz8t52sHK27hYiMRtcvG5YkG4dCFKqBHA3xgE/s640/IMG_20170429_155702106.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
WHAT THE DAMN HELL. Yes, I really did roll that. Yes, I realize how wildly unlikely that combination of dice is in a single roll. No, I was not pleased!<br />
Yeah, I know, I know, I shouldn't rely on performance-based impressions from one roll in one game, but holy hell, seriously?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1JLHXqhNwow0jcprnjxFqQVI2Jzj5WVJQH37ZLjOkKlt_Ltat3P9dDDgFkA3z9svlaWuWKnV1uJ75eKbQidAXx-AhxgkZ4_B8-1pZCvFlYTLJBdvsIJb49NPynVVvxqBrKUIKfhCt78E/s1600/IMG_20170429_162611747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1JLHXqhNwow0jcprnjxFqQVI2Jzj5WVJQH37ZLjOkKlt_Ltat3P9dDDgFkA3z9svlaWuWKnV1uJ75eKbQidAXx-AhxgkZ4_B8-1pZCvFlYTLJBdvsIJb49NPynVVvxqBrKUIKfhCt78E/s640/IMG_20170429_162611747.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
As for the Stardrake, despite the damage it had done, it didn't get anywhere near as much damage through as either of us had expected, and my Skeletons were ready to return the favor!<br />
Now, some ability on the Stardrake gave me a -1 To-hit it, but my Wight King and his Cursed Book did the same right back :)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipP1mAaB25I4dF93VbP7tFo7EptGRz8HihLhLDfwWuRQTAU3ikUbuIpWWsubgp2KvT6dESzC_Jc4_Dp6zkBGnr-adQay2di0SfeStSv4L3Rf2CftB95J6tVnKkIG5K8kVei7quF0KuTDs/s1600/IMG_20170429_163003694.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipP1mAaB25I4dF93VbP7tFo7EptGRz8HihLhLDfwWuRQTAU3ikUbuIpWWsubgp2KvT6dESzC_Jc4_Dp6zkBGnr-adQay2di0SfeStSv4L3Rf2CftB95J6tVnKkIG5K8kVei7quF0KuTDs/s640/IMG_20170429_163003694.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Here's the state of the game, this was after Combat in the Stormcasts' turn, and gives a solid idea of where the board was around this point. From right to left - in return attacks, one Vargheist was killed by the Stormcasts, and several Hexwraiths finally succumbed, as well as the dramatic damage to my Skeleton blob and the loss of my Archers.<br />
<br />
Still. My turn :)<br />
We did our combats, I cast some spells (and rolled *no* 6's on my first cast of Curse of Years, true to form.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
But the best part about this? After my Turn 2, I won Initiative. Double-turn, baby! YEAH!<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Turn 3</u>!</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrKBpAd9O7nWEnWnhBY7AjsxN86fH4Uxd6EfX311yk3GNtZez5yy7EcPCcQ_1q3rxGMuMMBaTKuvlewZsPqj6wF2VelaJYOBzVrBiP70nWriD8ny63R_4H0A7iztwp8lhigyHkiqMPtQ/s1600/IMG_20170429_163826186.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrKBpAd9O7nWEnWnhBY7AjsxN86fH4Uxd6EfX311yk3GNtZez5yy7EcPCcQ_1q3rxGMuMMBaTKuvlewZsPqj6wF2VelaJYOBzVrBiP70nWriD8ny63R_4H0A7iztwp8lhigyHkiqMPtQ/s640/IMG_20170429_163826186.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
First things first, I rolled to get my Skeleton Warriors back. And since there's no limitation on which model can come back, it just has to be one that's died previously that game, look who's ba-aaack:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3X94TrxoCHGqtwtr1ZkjfM3RY4CxNIkHiTrWMZnu_D9qOZOrSDU3KANeH-HPRAXWPc0AkIDAZo0NhRrNMk_Gd2_hnK-Sg7_tM-R2MGSQ7pvEhA-4xxuO7W0CUN19u_6t4p6dIQHVI-o/s1600/IMG_20170429_163836079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3X94TrxoCHGqtwtr1ZkjfM3RY4CxNIkHiTrWMZnu_D9qOZOrSDU3KANeH-HPRAXWPc0AkIDAZo0NhRrNMk_Gd2_hnK-Sg7_tM-R2MGSQ7pvEhA-4xxuO7W0CUN19u_6t4p6dIQHVI-o/s640/IMG_20170429_163836079.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Hail to you, Champion - the best of the best bonebags comes back to the fight! And, he returned to the unit a healthy 3.5" from that big blue mouth :P<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI927ykOBLYwxx1NRLj6_HVxS63UTWU2fLszax6D_CcPTQdndjhF1s_2rrlyeCArdp8KXpq1CvKYMsuUvKU9YAWL9xKtWblB9yQh3Lkdv1d9fe_RxNUY4JA2RgX3FeruBtSWPkJPKXK_c/s1600/IMG_20170429_163843020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI927ykOBLYwxx1NRLj6_HVxS63UTWU2fLszax6D_CcPTQdndjhF1s_2rrlyeCArdp8KXpq1CvKYMsuUvKU9YAWL9xKtWblB9yQh3Lkdv1d9fe_RxNUY4JA2RgX3FeruBtSWPkJPKXK_c/s640/IMG_20170429_163843020.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Here's a follow-up big picture of my turn. My Skeleton units ran for all they were worth, while Mannfred joined the combat on the far right, my Vampire Lord joined the combat on the upper-right, and Arkhan made the Charge to pile in against the Stardrake, supporting my freshly-bolstered Skeletons (who also were Varnhel'd again to pile-in and attack twice!) My Black Knights, center, had moved up, and miraculously made their Charge against the Vanguard! At the same time, my smaller Skeleton unit moved up and engaged the Dracoths, and also made that charge (See below for photos of those last two Charges, I took this picture too soon).<br />
<br />
The Hexwraiths, as usual, have Mystic Shield, and while it's not making them invincible, it is making them frustratingly tough to shift!<br />
<br />
In our I-go, you-go Combats, I'd been doing serious work on the Stardrake, so a number of its attacks were dramatically weakened, but it was still a beast. I was a bit cocky that my Champion was back, good as new, and out of reach of that fanged maw. Felt pretty good, that is, until this happened:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnwC7BhfDWUenZSD3qQbIRpVCFEN9rz84UOLOU_dGd0sJkmzyPBJOTmJQdZDJgq-R_wQQlg9gQsNg0Z18xWjpVpqpEfFhRWhsXbmbXy4egdNnA-dTZVViKkWpkZNB0foK13XcV01SweN8/s1600/IMG_20170429_164236345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnwC7BhfDWUenZSD3qQbIRpVCFEN9rz84UOLOU_dGd0sJkmzyPBJOTmJQdZDJgq-R_wQQlg9gQsNg0Z18xWjpVpqpEfFhRWhsXbmbXy4egdNnA-dTZVViKkWpkZNB0foK13XcV01SweN8/s640/IMG_20170429_164236345.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Aw man, he got another one!<br />
...That's my Banner.<br />
.......The Banner that's the only way my Skeletons are hanging on, by getting models to return to the unit.<br />
.............................<br />
GAH.<br />
<br />
While I'm getting over re-living that moment of shock, let me talk about my Scoring situation. Obviously, I didn't score any points, even with a double-turn. The reason is, while I could get units to Contest (maybe), since they're starting in Combat, it would mean Retreating, and giving up Attacking, while staying close enough that anything I left Combat with would just Charge me again and get another free swing without me having swung back.<br />
Even more to the point, all of my units were blocked - there was nowhere they could move that would be closer to the Objective that didn't put them more than 3" from an Enemy unit. Even Arkhan had taken a couple Wounds, and his base was so large, he never would have fit anywhere without being within 1" of an enemy unit.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcM6aeVQWVHM4xhSGmlIgFXY3KzIsG6l5wB2TO29Tq1WV2m7UGEW4J1fvBbP42qaEC1EgfwixkBPJphrjxBU9CeqgjlFV8PS0Y0WD9NRL6nKCpNRboaGkr6PMIOLdrjQMMFGYdbCi3Nu8/s1600/IMG_20170429_171032683.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcM6aeVQWVHM4xhSGmlIgFXY3KzIsG6l5wB2TO29Tq1WV2m7UGEW4J1fvBbP42qaEC1EgfwixkBPJphrjxBU9CeqgjlFV8PS0Y0WD9NRL6nKCpNRboaGkr6PMIOLdrjQMMFGYdbCi3Nu8/s640/IMG_20170429_171032683.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
That said, note that my Skeletons are running full-tilt (a mighty 6"-8" a turn) and avoiding Combat, in the hope that my fights go well and my engaged units are able to clean up enough to let them claim the Objective.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7zf1rnDYDqkuqfJ9PXcfOwtivBR5UkQ9zlYRV5mhu5FD9f2juAS1v2rkCOQtAyg3Yb-cN9MhK5HgkraJ5IZGcYdDAy6tVBp8yzkBQjqlmnpruf3iz_pCQk2B7upuMxZvIbbK2ilPYjMQ/s1600/IMG_20170429_171733906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7zf1rnDYDqkuqfJ9PXcfOwtivBR5UkQ9zlYRV5mhu5FD9f2juAS1v2rkCOQtAyg3Yb-cN9MhK5HgkraJ5IZGcYdDAy6tVBp8yzkBQjqlmnpruf3iz_pCQk2B7upuMxZvIbbK2ilPYjMQ/s640/IMG_20170429_171733906.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Here's the picture I referred to above. This is only a 10-man unit, without the benefit of either my General's 5+ Deathless Minions or my Wight King's Infernal Standard. Still, I expected them to do something, and wanted to give them the chance before those Dracoth's finished off that last Hexwraith.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1lE8ExW-l00aMfoNWgm52YRbHujaANJ-F2PT4yGs8KrydCAMN_KafTb2jfj4sMQOeGq7KRMIH_S9c3vdgIcCPhBgFPE8QFYACc4wyo1Wa_fqAlpc9_JRrK1DVw8uADZL6QgWJZDHSvI/s1600/IMG_20170429_171738879.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1lE8ExW-l00aMfoNWgm52YRbHujaANJ-F2PT4yGs8KrydCAMN_KafTb2jfj4sMQOeGq7KRMIH_S9c3vdgIcCPhBgFPE8QFYACc4wyo1Wa_fqAlpc9_JRrK1DVw8uADZL6QgWJZDHSvI/s640/IMG_20170429_171738879.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
These Black Knights made one heck of a Charge! But notice how there are four of them? Yeah. That angry-ass bird *ate one* when they Charged, somehow doing me TWO Mortal Wounds just because I got close. Screw you, bird! Another example of Stormcasts sweating Mortal Wounds.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSbb6GQ0e2YKelBvVWB5XA-9pqX3gNPemqjzQ92Nl6Ajfyzgc69J2_VsQnuSHm2hyA55tEt4bd86K_JzqSD3f-HPQfucecpkMIS4YNnsvd1aemYyoHiJvgofbzPiESUOWzUY44t4u8PU/s1600/IMG_20170429_172046192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSbb6GQ0e2YKelBvVWB5XA-9pqX3gNPemqjzQ92Nl6Ajfyzgc69J2_VsQnuSHm2hyA55tEt4bd86K_JzqSD3f-HPQfucecpkMIS4YNnsvd1aemYyoHiJvgofbzPiESUOWzUY44t4u8PU/s640/IMG_20170429_172046192.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
But! The real star of the Combat; between a particularly unsuccessful Curse of Years (two Wounds) and a very successful Arcane Bolt (three Wounds!) and very, very lucky rolling from Arkhan as the first attacker this turn, I was able to kill the Stardrake before it could strike.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3EHfWjKSAJx9j-dIJMPcdPedSTRZXMqs3NCa6viJiyluofMEBtgUGU8oGmA05zrOCBvTT-Ic7_CcFjMAN8_h4UOfBqkDEn0brgy0ka24QEJPaGP7SkSc_5PmHzz4_9uY6331p1I3QUg/s1600/IMG_20170429_174134017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3EHfWjKSAJx9j-dIJMPcdPedSTRZXMqs3NCa6viJiyluofMEBtgUGU8oGmA05zrOCBvTT-Ic7_CcFjMAN8_h4UOfBqkDEn0brgy0ka24QEJPaGP7SkSc_5PmHzz4_9uY6331p1I3QUg/s640/IMG_20170429_174134017.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Then, after some other Combats, I had the opportunity to Pile-In on the Paladins. They do insane damage, but I have no unit better suited to tanking it than my Skeletons, even without their Banner.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5YOxZun1Ee7qVDydzfCiav5_Ep4AIwlqwKvQ5FjxFvLQU3pfHYJv3nKtuNJRXsHPpi3Cerjs-WfCQN8xJ_NvQXb4XB-Tf_kpa1nM23-sLOa4MNGeUFjQwJ4wflYkTK0QdUJo_fRLypY/s1600/IMG_20170429_174138343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5YOxZun1Ee7qVDydzfCiav5_Ep4AIwlqwKvQ5FjxFvLQU3pfHYJv3nKtuNJRXsHPpi3Cerjs-WfCQN8xJ_NvQXb4XB-Tf_kpa1nM23-sLOa4MNGeUFjQwJ4wflYkTK0QdUJo_fRLypY/s640/IMG_20170429_174138343.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
These Combats in Turn 3 were brutal. My Vampire Lord killed the Celestant on foot, the Dracoth's took out my Hexwraiths and Skeletons each, and Mannfred and the Vargheists polished off the Stormcast Battleline unit. Both Vampires eagerly gained a Wound back, wounded badly as they are.<br />
<br />
In turn 3, I again scored no points, while the Stormcasts scored a mighty six more points, for a total of 10.<br />
<br />
And then, what goes around comes around, because the Stormcasts pulled off a double-turn going in to-<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Turn 4</u>!</b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCHWUN8gFMUPntaiK6jj5D-zsllGNjVBN1stCLw5ZVK0YTd_Pjetst2stNfkQCz4x4ctMfWUg8JKSLd76MZsbDyGJ_HShlY17PqtFuYzY3hWfXnEZ-s-7L_67fgu5n46LvQu_LIJ5U9ds/s1600/IMG_20170429_175948443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCHWUN8gFMUPntaiK6jj5D-zsllGNjVBN1stCLw5ZVK0YTd_Pjetst2stNfkQCz4x4ctMfWUg8JKSLd76MZsbDyGJ_HShlY17PqtFuYzY3hWfXnEZ-s-7L_67fgu5n46LvQu_LIJ5U9ds/s640/IMG_20170429_175948443.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Yikes! While not as devastating as the Double Turn I took earlier, this does give the Stormcasts a chance, first to choose which Combat to strike first in, and second, a chance to Score again immediately before I get a chance to react. Curses.<br />
Oh, and to shoot. Shooting is real bad with Double Turns. It means a full round of Shooting to thin my units before Combat even starts, which can make all the difference in a fight.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_NfTwrJTkGBIdqdUu3Fib4eg1YYDVvWNTpaODCOajvVL8uMi3bnYpgdY862lmLu1AwbshJkhNUyMMyHEf-0aR3cTzmW4ipQ2vTd_pRRGKBvdX1NTB9-7BplyBfyg0lf7b472OP5xNpjA/s1600/IMG_20170429_175953922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_NfTwrJTkGBIdqdUu3Fib4eg1YYDVvWNTpaODCOajvVL8uMi3bnYpgdY862lmLu1AwbshJkhNUyMMyHEf-0aR3cTzmW4ipQ2vTd_pRRGKBvdX1NTB9-7BplyBfyg0lf7b472OP5xNpjA/s640/IMG_20170429_175953922.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
You can see, right to left, my Skeletons and Vampire Lord fell, as did most of my Black Knights, and a huge number of my Skeletons. Arkhan felt the burn, with both many of the arrows and some lightning juju from the Lord Relictor.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEnMnAPSd5r2CfwJHDmOPErsHGxOtZ4I0z-8mM_iOMFOMglvnicdPSwH91D1RKMCVJ0dEbTYCbtBpngF2maJdPjUJRXYlPGsMN8v9IXGsePZ1bUO6hdEmRmbz6VmkmHz8623muJ6Igzpw/s1600/IMG_20170429_175958447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEnMnAPSd5r2CfwJHDmOPErsHGxOtZ4I0z-8mM_iOMFOMglvnicdPSwH91D1RKMCVJ0dEbTYCbtBpngF2maJdPjUJRXYlPGsMN8v9IXGsePZ1bUO6hdEmRmbz6VmkmHz8623muJ6Igzpw/s640/IMG_20170429_175958447.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
And, here is that scoring situation again. He's deployed his units perfectly- maintaining contact with his own units and holding the Objectives, while at the same time engaging me in Combat and blocking me from moving past them, because of a sheer wall that keeps me from getting beyond 3"<br />
But, even if I could jump over them, I needed to kill them to take those Objectives. Which was taking much too long...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BSDdhsZjckZ26-dLczj7BPwjEccuUjcGExZ8gjjyeVjpCXwVsh7YnPo6ErfRgSlWp8p4sFwwVGnQAAH5NHn1j2eP25Q_YG-EgPH5EqmoVhvZ_Fd3u0lMt8rLHYvgsopLxCCYE-Y6aX0/s1600/IMG_20170429_180532587.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BSDdhsZjckZ26-dLczj7BPwjEccuUjcGExZ8gjjyeVjpCXwVsh7YnPo6ErfRgSlWp8p4sFwwVGnQAAH5NHn1j2eP25Q_YG-EgPH5EqmoVhvZ_Fd3u0lMt8rLHYvgsopLxCCYE-Y6aX0/s640/IMG_20170429_180532587.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
He made his Charges after shooting. This was deeply concerning:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5TnsFUkqP3AEB0Va8j2CLfRMRe1i-IbsE-FrJ4uOLXD5LsZtZtH-nN2l3rfQzJUyNt7Fbzp-e4gMMmwWv0KFeQrF3ITZeVw-qF_6Uz-lFo0Z35kPFR8QlDSYMI-rHedIETJYnBbaI5C4/s1600/IMG_20170429_180545188.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5TnsFUkqP3AEB0Va8j2CLfRMRe1i-IbsE-FrJ4uOLXD5LsZtZtH-nN2l3rfQzJUyNt7Fbzp-e4gMMmwWv0KFeQrF3ITZeVw-qF_6Uz-lFo0Z35kPFR8QlDSYMI-rHedIETJYnBbaI5C4/s640/IMG_20170429_180545188.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I needed Mannfred to live. While he wasn't really important for points, he was distracting half the table. And, he granted Deathless Minions to my Vargheists as long as they were alive.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Having already seen how potent those Dracoth Riders were, and with Mannfred having only three Wounds left, I was not optimistic.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Fast forward a bit, not only did Mannfred successfully beat that Dracoth rider, but in my follow-up turn (bottom of Turn 4), between Curse of Years, Wind of Death, and some very lucky rolling from Mannfred's Sword, Mannfred killed the *other* Dracoth Rider as well. Daaaaaaamn!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuevr6qGEGw36eI9h_2mvVLQmQD1yxrM2sniKUAPcHVFKZ5h-qh76R0LQ_ZsxBnzkM3WMeC6FwiNQ4k9gt_E8nEoEv15FnXdIFGOZnlWObphGkgHAjPaCmOLWpjHjhkXlj8NlWASq8QAE/s1600/IMG_20170429_183153216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuevr6qGEGw36eI9h_2mvVLQmQD1yxrM2sniKUAPcHVFKZ5h-qh76R0LQ_ZsxBnzkM3WMeC6FwiNQ4k9gt_E8nEoEv15FnXdIFGOZnlWObphGkgHAjPaCmOLWpjHjhkXlj8NlWASq8QAE/s640/IMG_20170429_183153216.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Woo! Got him! Mannfred wins again!<br />
This guy. On paper, he's incredibly powerful. In-game, he tends to be a bit lackluster. But in my last few games, he's seriously rocked out. I keep taking him for his Signature Spell, Wind of Death, but the fact that he's much tougher than the average Vampire Lord, and hits harder, is a welcome bonus.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ1lN2cgJqZRnLlzPZaXnQhz74RfD787g3oG5Qm1RT5Z16fvIgQK3Uiu60Owj80jy95rUOU9GmSkkIbqBmKAPi9Fo6da8n5NakGt33Nnu5HR4qRlGiajn8LQmkbs0K4Xrr0I0Qg34UmTU/s1600/IMG_20170429_184919022_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ1lN2cgJqZRnLlzPZaXnQhz74RfD787g3oG5Qm1RT5Z16fvIgQK3Uiu60Owj80jy95rUOU9GmSkkIbqBmKAPi9Fo6da8n5NakGt33Nnu5HR4qRlGiajn8LQmkbs0K4Xrr0I0Qg34UmTU/s640/IMG_20170429_184919022_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
This I just thought was a super cool picture, the Stormcast Liberator standing against the tide of Skeletons that threatens to overwhelm him!<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Turn 5</u>.</span></b> The final turn.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj83NvMJ2AoNPUkzrZC1RZ6S-pP4xfnWhqebEU7mo5UV6u1ujUbxfmh-nq1xWJcbukRqZbqeFsXE0b-du2hHR7umOUedqsJgW-sG9e7fcga-zpa40gghPthjqsLAKp8mVNiq4Bl3MWC574/s1600/IMG_20170429_185816141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj83NvMJ2AoNPUkzrZC1RZ6S-pP4xfnWhqebEU7mo5UV6u1ujUbxfmh-nq1xWJcbukRqZbqeFsXE0b-du2hHR7umOUedqsJgW-sG9e7fcga-zpa40gghPthjqsLAKp8mVNiq4Bl3MWC574/s640/IMG_20170429_185816141.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
And, as luck would have it, I got the double turn this time!<br />
I made some Charges, fought some combats, but the big standout moments here were my Black Knights restored back to full health (woo!) and Arkhan pulled this off:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9j_mpnZBD3XLnb_FuOz5_H5EnV03GRROVssx1tPmvL5BsNwBOHi-Hyja82zA4P_ouli71kCqPZMDwW-IFl53rngBMD83McnwN51gPLQ6thQ0xNWl-Wb7PhVlcY2A_1dytNKbZdln4vc/s1600/IMG_20170429_191428856_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9j_mpnZBD3XLnb_FuOz5_H5EnV03GRROVssx1tPmvL5BsNwBOHi-Hyja82zA4P_ouli71kCqPZMDwW-IFl53rngBMD83McnwN51gPLQ6thQ0xNWl-Wb7PhVlcY2A_1dytNKbZdln4vc/s640/IMG_20170429_191428856_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
This move here, and finally killing the Stormcast Battleline unit, I finally netted 5 pts.<br />
As of right now though, the Stormcast Eternals had pulled off a full 8 points from Turn 4, giving them 18 to my 5.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgINeTdj3QBeFHjargdZ_0zzxEA5qXkgdZTWs90wPxwNrsq3_LRx8oFR7nANJzC0DLBGS9dpcfoajwlmoT6TZxAFYrnfS1GtdzwhVKddZqJ727Oq90KxHNTH67-wWXjCBZM9vbXUzYIwP8/s1600/IMG_20170429_182359059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgINeTdj3QBeFHjargdZ_0zzxEA5qXkgdZTWs90wPxwNrsq3_LRx8oFR7nANJzC0DLBGS9dpcfoajwlmoT6TZxAFYrnfS1GtdzwhVKddZqJ727Oq90KxHNTH67-wWXjCBZM9vbXUzYIwP8/s640/IMG_20170429_182359059.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
This Combat above was my only other hope to do better. Not win, but do better - it was very, very unlikely, but if - IF - I'd managed to kill enough models to pull them back and get the Objective... But not only did I not do the damage, but then my own unit was killed right back down to one :P<br />
<br />
I didn't even manage to contest this point! They were killed back down before scoring both rounds where they made it that far. Shaaaame!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHoIOyv3HpZfokFOTOqu75uxjFUiSacgy_VUsBWcseuo5ZIobzXXKQcRtJsiCjBsFmSU2MKKwJ2q2y3AMgA7iYKasXGrGPnPAxrm8sYgPxDECE_MGNjGT1tmzPIM9dFnn3YXKonxboMY/s1600/IMG_20170429_191433930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHoIOyv3HpZfokFOTOqu75uxjFUiSacgy_VUsBWcseuo5ZIobzXXKQcRtJsiCjBsFmSU2MKKwJ2q2y3AMgA7iYKasXGrGPnPAxrm8sYgPxDECE_MGNjGT1tmzPIM9dFnn3YXKonxboMY/s640/IMG_20170429_191433930.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
But it was SO CLOSE.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVX0jRsuF_oEJ6R5jF8Tvbe_vxfPgSTdipwL36sNEfl6UUEYMWQSp7tN0pLOqzY29Tg-S2s03EvTqyHLspk_x0-JBGSXGQWaBZhn3msYcMjf4RnAGxUEj5GHbE7iedczO4pV2RxFSr6Q/s1600/IMG_20170429_191438398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVX0jRsuF_oEJ6R5jF8Tvbe_vxfPgSTdipwL36sNEfl6UUEYMWQSp7tN0pLOqzY29Tg-S2s03EvTqyHLspk_x0-JBGSXGQWaBZhn3msYcMjf4RnAGxUEj5GHbE7iedczO4pV2RxFSr6Q/s640/IMG_20170429_191438398.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="color: red;"> <b>**Rabbit-hole Analytical Rant**</b></span><br />
Now this. This was a moment I'd also been waiting for. So I'm told Kurnoth Hunters and those Vanguard Archers are the same points, with Vanguards being Stormcast Battleline. Their shooting is similar range, although Vanguards have less range if they move, while Kurnoth's are unaffected.<br />
<br />
The Sniper Vanguards one Attack each, 24" (30" if they don't move) at 2+/3+, Rend -2, and 2 Damage. They have a 4+ Save and 2 Wounds. In Combat, they do 1 attack at 4+/3+, no Rend, and 1 Damage.<br />
The Angry Bird does: When the Unit is Charged, roll a D6 for each model in the unit. And 6 causes 2 Mortal Wounds. I guess I was lucky to only lose 1 Black Knight?<br />
<br />
The Hunters, by contrast, have two Attacks each, 30", at 4+/3+ (3+/3+ for the Huntmaster), Rend -1, and D3 Damage each. But, they also have a 4+ Save and 5 Wounds (huge!) and, more importantly, can easily Root to re-roll that Save. In Combat, they get 3 Attacks at 4+/4+, no Rend, 1 damage.<br />
Also, they can Trample, to do a Mortal Wound on a 4+ at the end of any Combat - which is CRAZY for a cheap archer unit.<br />
<br />
While the Attack on the Vanguards is scarier, it's a single shot each. That can miss, and/or be Saved, even if it is Rend 2. The extra Attacks on Kurnoth's make the considerably more reliable, even if they don't hit as hard, more often than not Rend -1 is plenty.<br />
Where they really differ is in durability and combat. Hunters have more than double the durability in Wounds alone, but being able to re-roll their saves skyrockets that to insane levels. Because of the higher Wounds, they're much less vulnerable to Mortal Wounds. Because of the re-roll, they're far more resilient to normal Wounds as well. Because they hit harder in CC, they're much harder to steamroll, or shifted quickly.<br />
<br />
While Vanguards are very scary, I feel like making them the same points as Kurnoth Hunters, and giving them a combination of limitations and abilities similar to Hunters, it seems like the Vanguards are the "fixed" version of what they were going for with the Hunters...<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">**Rabbit-hole Analytical Rant**</span></b><br />
<br />
In any case, my Vargheists rolls were ice-cold all game, barely making 1/3 of rolls that should have been 50/50, but even that was significant damage. By contrast, Mannfred was rolling for murder, and hit like a ton of bricks. Even with that, it took two rounds of Combat to kill *one* Kurnoth Hunter, so that's where my wheeling Cavalry spent the rest of the game :P<br />
It was a remarkable showing of re-rolling 5+ saves (with my Rend -1), but it's a shining example of how damned powerful a re-rollable Save is.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEplQmpjzhCJ2dvK5y4HZ1LkEx9h_cmnB8Ddzf2v70cjjBXrDzgKRJ6X9v2OShKv2TGjAJqfmop820e8pRtYjQ_5gK0C-6xa1f4CVTyMHEoNo02vg625sQvNiQygJsx_gcSl9WvIfwYM/s1600/IMG_20170429_192421211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEplQmpjzhCJ2dvK5y4HZ1LkEx9h_cmnB8Ddzf2v70cjjBXrDzgKRJ6X9v2OShKv2TGjAJqfmop820e8pRtYjQ_5gK0C-6xa1f4CVTyMHEoNo02vg625sQvNiQygJsx_gcSl9WvIfwYM/s640/IMG_20170429_192421211.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
The final showdown - dun dun! I can't believe my Wight King A.) Survived, and B.) Survived with *four Wounds* still on him. That's nuts!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1X2uiSTBS-FZxJC2m0GVTzvh4RBZ78ZWbTmgQ9YY2lgkFmh79f6i7gPYkDWhZp_Ak6KNX5cLXgD6mIwLAWOB4kYaJzWQLPbZQEveFKP5YfEoHcrAfyfutsYKLWK3L2yTo9ODNvQFJZxE/s1600/IMG_20170429_192944139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1X2uiSTBS-FZxJC2m0GVTzvh4RBZ78ZWbTmgQ9YY2lgkFmh79f6i7gPYkDWhZp_Ak6KNX5cLXgD6mIwLAWOB4kYaJzWQLPbZQEveFKP5YfEoHcrAfyfutsYKLWK3L2yTo9ODNvQFJZxE/s640/IMG_20170429_192944139.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
The above is an incomplete picture of the final turn, there was one more Paladin with a single Wound still standing against the Wight King, and both Vargheists had survived. Still, this is mostly what was left on the table!<br />
Oh poor, poor Black Knights...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPheA50HPtRLojN9mkUJKKpYTUI6f8GgFfP2raLArkkCNzlnExJ55OHt8GltZFFgcnv4rOR4KMMhcb3_c9GenjY_jIl0jUiyN4HR9NTWuiACbZfM1e8_9G6f2ojk-kWiYEpoPQMN2N0yI/s1600/IMG_20170429_193158712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPheA50HPtRLojN9mkUJKKpYTUI6f8GgFfP2raLArkkCNzlnExJ55OHt8GltZFFgcnv4rOR4KMMhcb3_c9GenjY_jIl0jUiyN4HR9NTWuiACbZfM1e8_9G6f2ojk-kWiYEpoPQMN2N0yI/s320/IMG_20170429_193158712.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The final score. In the last moments of that final turn, I cleared - and took - my Objective, but I just wasn't able to shift his. That would have given me a 10-18 loss. More respectable, but far from a victory.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"> Closing Thoughts:</span></b><br />
<br />
Yikes. I know I complain about dice a lot, and this being a dice game it's entirely expected that the dice will turn on you at some point. But, they may also turn in your favor, you never know.<br />
Playing against Stormcasts, you really get the strong sense that stats matter. All their units have rock-solid stats across the board (except Bravery), with their Saves and Hit/Wound being especially robust.<br />
<br />
This time, I got Scenario-screwed real bad. I mis-played the first turn in that for once I maybe *should* have held back, but I underestimated how quickly the Stormcast infantry would reach me, and was too focused on taking down that Stardrake.<br />
When I deployed, I counter-deployed the Stormcasts, but also spread out so I could reach an Objective in any section of the board. But, What I was not prepared for was for both Objectives to be allllll the way on one edge of the board, where half of my forces would have no chance to get there, and the other half would be in danger of being overwhelmed. He got pretty lucky, the preponderance of his forces had been on the side of the board that wound up getting the Objectives, where I'd split more 50/50.<br />
I may have had a chance if, as soon as those Objectives dropped, I ran my Cavalry and Vargheists straight for that side of the board at full-tilt, but I fully expect they would have gotten bogged down just as badly, and that would have allowed his Dracoths to pile-in and possibly have saved the Stardrake. Even then, with hot dice and good maneuvering, I was already on the back-foot, so it was on my to shift him off rather than the other way around.<br />
<br />
Also, my Stormcast opponent was truly on the ball in terms of holding me off. Once those Meteors landed, he had it all figured out how to keep me off the Objectives, and I didn't have the speed or the position to make it past.<br />
<br />
In list-building, this is my most successful list yet, with the Skeleton Horse Archers being a hard dud and, Black Knights not being that well-suited for this scenario, but a great deal else working fairly well. The Infernal Standard and Skeleton Champion were baddass, and would have been far more successful if not for getting snipe-eaten.<br />
<br />
Still, all in all, it was a truly great game :D and, not only did I finally face Stormcasts, but I also killed a Stardrake! Personal goal for the win!Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-7662394856663627182017-04-28T00:29:00.001-07:002017-06-18T21:07:33.022-07:00Sigmar League Round 5: Death vs. Chaos Undivided<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkZy8_vharRLW9v8phPoI5vU8VRQViQO5iY0yW40wjaEmsIuGYFZ8HTgi7na2VAqoNcAWEZNaWKdssM4T1IIOzHslhpealFdP518GB7bys_b3stKsFOrDNTbnXV_gblqKgFpyvRA7b97Y/s1600/IMG_20170412_193054735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkZy8_vharRLW9v8phPoI5vU8VRQViQO5iY0yW40wjaEmsIuGYFZ8HTgi7na2VAqoNcAWEZNaWKdssM4T1IIOzHslhpealFdP518GB7bys_b3stKsFOrDNTbnXV_gblqKgFpyvRA7b97Y/s640/IMG_20170412_193054735.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Mmm, taste the Chaos! I was told that my opponent had been told ahead of time he wouldn't need anything super powerful to face me, and should run a fun, balanced list he wanted to try out (thanks for that, Webb!) because I kind of suck as a player, but I'm great to have a fun, less-competitive match with :)<br />
<a name='more'></a> Same Scenario as my last post:<br />
Four Objectives - one in each Deployment Zone, two dead center in each 4x4 table half. At the end of each player turn, that player got 2 points for each central Objective they held, 1 for their Home Objective, and 4 for the Enemy one if the held it. I believe the Objective went to whichever player had more models within 6" of it, no Contesting.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwq7AXvwdFBPYWkiInwvYKPc0i__uvMEIEQztQdecOTzaHRa8q6zW2v_HxE4CbPDWyMpZ5nuy6xgSj2qrfJ4al6_Legg8sm48fzmcdkBBh1Tt7AajG0XNQDWSOjq3C9JamDaZglxVCoEU/s1600/IMG_20170412_194327597_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwq7AXvwdFBPYWkiInwvYKPc0i__uvMEIEQztQdecOTzaHRa8q6zW2v_HxE4CbPDWyMpZ5nuy6xgSj2qrfJ4al6_Legg8sm48fzmcdkBBh1Tt7AajG0XNQDWSOjq3C9JamDaZglxVCoEU/s640/IMG_20170412_194327597_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I ran the same list as last post: 50x Skeletons (30/10/10), Arkhan the Black, Vampire Lord on Horse, Count Mannfred on Nightmare, 5x Hexwraiths, 10x Skeleton Horse Archers, 10x Black Knights, and my Wight King General with Tomb Blade Relic and Ruler of the Night trait.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
His list is that cover photo, a beautifully printed and typed list!<br />
That last Hero - Sayl the Faithless - is a Forgeworld Wizard that he was particularly eager to bust out, because of his signature spell. He can pick a friendly Chaos unit within, I believe, 18", and that unit can then immediately Fly up to 18"<br />
He just picks up units and chucks 'em around the table. Holy crap.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeiu5JevUe2GNNXWGfynlHO7iWQBxrX7ACHg7RTrh4G4sbTuwukcnUr006JTJQi-_egARWeMTKJEOGWoXPS6uuLfy4NoI86YWHGLZNogH0I_jqh_HHH6TDjptOBiSiLRnP-e5igHCCpuM/s1600/IMG_20170412_194421616_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeiu5JevUe2GNNXWGfynlHO7iWQBxrX7ACHg7RTrh4G4sbTuwukcnUr006JTJQi-_egARWeMTKJEOGWoXPS6uuLfy4NoI86YWHGLZNogH0I_jqh_HHH6TDjptOBiSiLRnP-e5igHCCpuM/s640/IMG_20170412_194421616_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"> <u>Turn 1</u>!</span></b><br />
I had fewer units, so I went ahead and gave him first turn. I didn't want to make it any easier for him to railroad me, so I hung back.<br />
<br />
In hindsight, since he didn't have much shooting, I should still have taken first turn, just to swing in my Black Knights, cast a defensive Spell or two, and reposition to be more aggressively on at least one center Objective.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmY3aGsO1718-kBUX3RaMvxKwG5spOVCFFarvoRn_rV9q2sZsnctVnTX0D5_rypEF9Pw7phBri9ojHjytpj909XPfMUn5JPf8cPFJnjp5Die6s9wZ1pf2VpRY_W_YmpLXAEZtTIXpUNE/s1600/IMG_20170412_194632182_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmY3aGsO1718-kBUX3RaMvxKwG5spOVCFFarvoRn_rV9q2sZsnctVnTX0D5_rypEF9Pw7phBri9ojHjytpj909XPfMUn5JPf8cPFJnjp5Die6s9wZ1pf2VpRY_W_YmpLXAEZtTIXpUNE/s640/IMG_20170412_194632182_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Oh boy oh boy oh boy - a Bloodthirster! Personal goal for this game: I'm gonna kill me a Bloodthirster.<br />
This was a less than random personal mission, I've struggled against Monsters since I first picked up Sigmar, and if there's every a tough sucker to take down, it's ol' tar-face up there.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio4QD6RPDt5vHv_kz_SKhZjZlKO2CPVb6ky8eoTGdRqmIO_EMlvpVkTiwgduOwvyRlDvdMF-fCELOEZIXsUgvX-xAcXtjIxT3BagmW2tYKTIF7vAxC0wW9M0qnePokoGpDWziVA95tTX4/s1600/IMG_20170412_194649103_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio4QD6RPDt5vHv_kz_SKhZjZlKO2CPVb6ky8eoTGdRqmIO_EMlvpVkTiwgduOwvyRlDvdMF-fCELOEZIXsUgvX-xAcXtjIxT3BagmW2tYKTIF7vAxC0wW9M0qnePokoGpDWziVA95tTX4/s640/IMG_20170412_194649103_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Oh, they spew Mortal Wounds like nobody's business? Well, that sounds bad. Oh, only 8" range? That should be no problem!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFRbaQzxyxlyYz2p6y3sEQnbuUcUJKhQ9Z_M_GoK-aFbyHSooUMKbQAPy7KUCJ-hZwkvyjx4dLkKj29ONgS4UDgaWk-n8Lfu1l7rwbzrOdGyPSpsOBAbp4iM_NXYgOe0g-DFJU8n-DcNw/s1600/IMG_20170412_195252313_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFRbaQzxyxlyYz2p6y3sEQnbuUcUJKhQ9Z_M_GoK-aFbyHSooUMKbQAPy7KUCJ-hZwkvyjx4dLkKj29ONgS4UDgaWk-n8Lfu1l7rwbzrOdGyPSpsOBAbp4iM_NXYgOe0g-DFJU8n-DcNw/s640/IMG_20170412_195252313_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
...Oh, they just flew 18"<br />
Well shit.<br />
At this moment it became quite clear why that Wizard was so exciting - to be able to move a unit like that quickly across the board is very potent, being a unit that usually struggles badly with mobility. That's one hell of a delivery system!<br />
Those being his only Ranged unit really, everything else Ran - with varying success. A lotta 1's for running, but they made do :)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEONjLg3cu-n4yP19NzycvFthl0fwcX3rXXu2KeIElt-ocxD7CFggvnQWfpLHCmZOq4lQ0sHFzVbPpeYAYIiCVuDjjwMwMpbEg1MVeFndSlm8vWYyFJUE4nSVVU_icARGiiLOQONFPAxg/s1600/IMG_20170412_195300925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEONjLg3cu-n4yP19NzycvFthl0fwcX3rXXu2KeIElt-ocxD7CFggvnQWfpLHCmZOq4lQ0sHFzVbPpeYAYIiCVuDjjwMwMpbEg1MVeFndSlm8vWYyFJUE4nSVVU_icARGiiLOQONFPAxg/s640/IMG_20170412_195300925.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Those Skaven monstrosities being what they are, they shot the bejeezus out of me, but since Chaos is Fickle, they rolled far fewer attacks than they could have. And despite the potency of the attack, my 30-man unit of Skeletons suffered a half a dozen casualties, but were more or less unbroken.<br />
So the Rat-monsters decided to Charge!<br />
<br />
While the rat-monsters aren't "great" in combat, they do have a ton of Wounds and a not negligible save, so I didn't want to underestimate them. And I needed to get my butt in gear, because in Turn 1, Chaos had managed to get that side Objective with the Blightkings, giving him 3 points of a lead.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJzDoYgNyClTu_YqBPiFMm4IdvlSo_S7V1nb86R9RL1nT0t754n4h6b2Jc5A6Mu0GyYDbpbmx1AU4lEBlDbt0R_LHNVPoDCyX8_m6tzctKyuEIc0UYp0TJqcuiO3W4QEAxI0VyxNQyTo0/s1600/IMG_20170412_195602936_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJzDoYgNyClTu_YqBPiFMm4IdvlSo_S7V1nb86R9RL1nT0t754n4h6b2Jc5A6Mu0GyYDbpbmx1AU4lEBlDbt0R_LHNVPoDCyX8_m6tzctKyuEIc0UYp0TJqcuiO3W4QEAxI0VyxNQyTo0/s640/IMG_20170412_195602936_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The above is in my turn, showing that nearly all (if not all) of my Skeletons hopped right back up from the ground, as they are wont to do :)<br />
<br />
All too often in my games, I've been hit with a unit like this. Scary, but not overwhelming, so I've split my fire and forces and more or less let them be. Only to find that in turn 3 or 4 one member of the unit is still running around my lines making my life merry hell - so not this time. My Skeletons weighed in in full-force, and Arkhan popped over to tag them with some nasty spells too.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivqXYAnVChgPgJTaIiZU-Qb9WUQ_pMjKbhSYYkjW5DhmmbkRxwRjy8lpdW7zNtZeZELeirlU7i2bQEIYCJEibOFBxd_Redvch-wZGAc-x9sTe2ir6dLYEhLZn0tRe_Ss-xMlJGGVm2tc/s1600/IMG_20170412_202641309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivqXYAnVChgPgJTaIiZU-Qb9WUQ_pMjKbhSYYkjW5DhmmbkRxwRjy8lpdW7zNtZeZELeirlU7i2bQEIYCJEibOFBxd_Redvch-wZGAc-x9sTe2ir6dLYEhLZn0tRe_Ss-xMlJGGVm2tc/s640/IMG_20170412_202641309.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
And voila! That's how you deal with a nasty rat problem! One of my most successful moves in Sigmar, ever. You can see here that my Knights pushed up the side as well, challenging those Putrid Blightkings, and actually killing one on the Charge.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGrDqtjeqyjkzHLrMxii0G0SMpvjDGQnHWwoXUZYt82pZVVx564WuJwMxl5NKChH_RKOyC9fGjbm2PWymLSVqlsCND8U4jzXkxs8-B4gSxgFIveDnl8UL8oEZYXmZYxF6mc1vlMt2bsPA/s1600/IMG_20170412_202939643_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGrDqtjeqyjkzHLrMxii0G0SMpvjDGQnHWwoXUZYt82pZVVx564WuJwMxl5NKChH_RKOyC9fGjbm2PWymLSVqlsCND8U4jzXkxs8-B4gSxgFIveDnl8UL8oEZYXmZYxF6mc1vlMt2bsPA/s640/IMG_20170412_202939643_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
All in all, this was a good turn for me. Taking out the Skaven monsters was a big deal, and I pulled off three points here in the end. I was still dealing with a tiny portion of his army (and not the scariest stuff) but it was going... all right so far.<br />
<br />
On to-<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Turn 2</u>!</span></b><br />
Starting off at 3 to 3, with him down a unit and me so far largely undamaged.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJp0lFAdfYCtshKeTzRyteB79Bi5n-Ddll9vvv3aC86Rm1SR6nXeL-nyiSB-L99LgR_BJizWUyfHQCIyWlYkNlYLU61EhTjSu78KUJgna-f9BV7MKFWN5YPRWF_5ENvFWeC9SwXKfm9nQ/s1600/IMG_20170412_203010609_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJp0lFAdfYCtshKeTzRyteB79Bi5n-Ddll9vvv3aC86Rm1SR6nXeL-nyiSB-L99LgR_BJizWUyfHQCIyWlYkNlYLU61EhTjSu78KUJgna-f9BV7MKFWN5YPRWF_5ENvFWeC9SwXKfm9nQ/s640/IMG_20170412_203010609_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Oh look! Flying Blightkings! Those were *not* supposed to get here that fast...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNvqZwgCgyx1a7kkS3imiYcXVQYL6vFtt3qIsFeqfLigQ6zeWDKM_7poOaOdjHlX3MQtv2mtNPZ0y-MD7tqxWuMhw8pSr7x87OvRc-6WZUOg_aDU5NI-M9smBcy3Jq8294mGib8cFM58/s1600/IMG_20170412_203233509_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNvqZwgCgyx1a7kkS3imiYcXVQYL6vFtt3qIsFeqfLigQ6zeWDKM_7poOaOdjHlX3MQtv2mtNPZ0y-MD7tqxWuMhw8pSr7x87OvRc-6WZUOg_aDU5NI-M9smBcy3Jq8294mGib8cFM58/s640/IMG_20170412_203233509_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
GAH! BLOODTHIRSTER!<br />
That kind of was supposed to get here that fast, doesn't mean I was ready for it!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMADGkaN2oTNy_RJrfiw_f4HGvHxOaNlxpwTK2Rqjr4YuG34StPIrzPKXs8asMdngtLoYpDH4W5PoxG9a0ZxLC3ZExQxQ5wZH8IHse5qMCBZJzRyZvlxj2cCEHGLH8jEwujFJwb8wktoc/s1600/IMG_20170412_203343387_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMADGkaN2oTNy_RJrfiw_f4HGvHxOaNlxpwTK2Rqjr4YuG34StPIrzPKXs8asMdngtLoYpDH4W5PoxG9a0ZxLC3ZExQxQ5wZH8IHse5qMCBZJzRyZvlxj2cCEHGLH8jEwujFJwb8wktoc/s640/IMG_20170412_203343387_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Already knocking down walls and junk, what a jerk...<br />
About here is where he pulled of his Lash attack (that's not the right model, as shown in the Army List) which pulled my Wight King several inches closer, making it an easy Charge:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfg7qDKarjGscAPln1fA7Ly5jvc8eNUvVpkxO3K9OXysEROxNpadEJmOlAmdNHqepmRnCq6vULnXhJqgo3VttbVe04ACHl8rQuvPezAsIZcaSw0ChN-xl8i0DAgLDZhB9KDAVavOlRbY/s1600/IMG_20170412_203903835_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfg7qDKarjGscAPln1fA7Ly5jvc8eNUvVpkxO3K9OXysEROxNpadEJmOlAmdNHqepmRnCq6vULnXhJqgo3VttbVe04ACHl8rQuvPezAsIZcaSw0ChN-xl8i0DAgLDZhB9KDAVavOlRbY/s640/IMG_20170412_203903835_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Despite my plucky Wight King rocking a 3+ Save and a 5+ Death save, I had no illusions about how this little scrap was going to go. He'd already taken two Wounds from the Lash alone...<br />
<br />
These other Charges, on the other hand, were quite a bit less predictable:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixCCWkqCj6WFEIjxuYy0W9z3BnPGXAUq_TaFXXaFyGvTsGJExcd4R8I6MEniEUC1gjrDfq3B5tn1olotQmCaXx8pbzBNq25prYNu9XV9ExwmYT7lBH-mFoedNepPi5QtCwstk5FpW8HgE/s1600/IMG_20170412_203911985_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixCCWkqCj6WFEIjxuYy0W9z3BnPGXAUq_TaFXXaFyGvTsGJExcd4R8I6MEniEUC1gjrDfq3B5tn1olotQmCaXx8pbzBNq25prYNu9XV9ExwmYT7lBH-mFoedNepPi5QtCwstk5FpW8HgE/s640/IMG_20170412_203911985_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
The Blightkings here really want at Arkhan, but they'll deal with the Skeletons first. Still, Skeletons will surprise a guy ;)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimt_YaK6WbL0xs9QndksJ0na9P_QWraIpizfRlI-G0Rq7uOBdLRMpZgpX9hZhyKf6yoLeevyenyvyxtLXVvg8AZNfE8PU6vFOBlrtQd4MZnYyn5heGtshOHgWQxpO_W-d305ufYYetp5Q/s1600/IMG_20170412_203919244_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimt_YaK6WbL0xs9QndksJ0na9P_QWraIpizfRlI-G0Rq7uOBdLRMpZgpX9hZhyKf6yoLeevyenyvyxtLXVvg8AZNfE8PU6vFOBlrtQd4MZnYyn5heGtshOHgWQxpO_W-d305ufYYetp5Q/s640/IMG_20170412_203919244_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
You can see here my Black Knights doing... All right, despite getting a Lord of Change up the wazoo. The Blightkings had had trouble making headway, their ludicrous volume of attacks coming up a little short against my astounding Death durability - Deathability? Dura-eth? Whatever, moving on!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYu5GCcD8nFNr7do7yrzquobF1hW5qKnQQ7bLX-54A6HPMYocHJy1nT_3aPw576JDxTpaiKm-zdUIgXVf59xfxUZmX1hPZeQDBgyn191TXcvz0Pq1EVMM6Qn69Jcj2hFE8SahXlRx7Mso/s1600/IMG_20170412_211513733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYu5GCcD8nFNr7do7yrzquobF1hW5qKnQQ7bLX-54A6HPMYocHJy1nT_3aPw576JDxTpaiKm-zdUIgXVf59xfxUZmX1hPZeQDBgyn191TXcvz0Pq1EVMM6Qn69Jcj2hFE8SahXlRx7Mso/s640/IMG_20170412_211513733.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
In my turn, you can see everything rotating around the board - my entire right flank and been running towards the left to keep distance from those ravening Chaos Hordes barreling down there, while the bulk of my forces wheeled inward to tackle the Bloodthirster in my face.<br />
<br />
Between spellcasting and my Skeletons doing fairly well (and Kemmler being a baddass), the Blightkings were having a bad day. They'd seriously weakened my Skeleton unit, but they hadn't managed to kill it, and they'd taken a serious beating in return.<br />
<br />
The game was very exciting at this point, so my photography is less than great, I'll try to fill in the gaps and figure out what's happening/when as best as possible. Combat with the Bloodthirster was brutal, but Arkhan's spells made a huge impact, Curse of Years in particular, and the Skeletons did quite a bit of work on their own.<br />
<br />
In the end, I brought it down (Huzzah!) although it cost me the entire Skeletons unit and my Wight King.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Turn 3+</u>!</span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXNKeu4ndMb7_tI4v3_IEDd7vfROv2FNn9Q61N_tkqLFWGWKo2uhkpjUkvH_5IzTvtmNsoyYZR7TZBD2LM-z2grVjG7xyY5Gdfw3d83UmEfFMuiQDqhHd8m4NBH-aM_t1IjwDzo7zZKo/s1600/IMG_20170412_215030203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXNKeu4ndMb7_tI4v3_IEDd7vfROv2FNn9Q61N_tkqLFWGWKo2uhkpjUkvH_5IzTvtmNsoyYZR7TZBD2LM-z2grVjG7xyY5Gdfw3d83UmEfFMuiQDqhHd8m4NBH-aM_t1IjwDzo7zZKo/s640/IMG_20170412_215030203.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Around this point, turn order gets fuzzy - but the long and the short if it is pretty straightforward. It cost me my Tarpit and some of my most powerful units to bring down the Bloodthirster, and it allowed his other units to catch up, most notably his Khorne Daemon Prince. That KPD isn't as hard to kill as the Bloodthirster by a long shot, but hits almost as hard!<br />
<br />
What's worse, I don't have the numbers to contest my home Objectives, especially since those Daemon units are finally getting into the fight. Up to now, I've been getting 1 pt/turn from my Home Objective, and usually keeping the nearer Center Objective. But that was, at best, keeping the score even, especially since the Daemons started with a 2pt lead by taking "my" Central Objective on Turn 1, and maintained it by (easily) holding the other with their Plaguebearers.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtgsU4TY5OG-1eUnydRqQYLuRAuKAwj0Hor-wjpdvsK7u9wRL3IbSdZGZxwK9jAg0NiXAQ9Ku75Kf1ucFBqpXg4JQhmgOPM6i-MpmwLsLObie0hcgcs_48-EmrwdUG3qEXRmqVDseDVTw/s1600/IMG_20170412_220153211_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtgsU4TY5OG-1eUnydRqQYLuRAuKAwj0Hor-wjpdvsK7u9wRL3IbSdZGZxwK9jAg0NiXAQ9Ku75Kf1ucFBqpXg4JQhmgOPM6i-MpmwLsLObie0hcgcs_48-EmrwdUG3qEXRmqVDseDVTw/s640/IMG_20170412_220153211_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Here you can see my losing my hold on my Central Objective, and the Daemons easily taking my Home Objective, for an additional 4pts, and denying me 1pt, for a five-pt swing in their favor in a single turn (!)<br />
At this point, I had a combat advantage. Between Arkhan and my two Vampire Lords being about to dish out serious damage in both the Hero and Combat phases, I wasn't worried about losing my home Combats. But because there's no Contesting Objectives in this scenario, unless I could wipe out the Daemons VERY quickly, I just didn't have the models to get those points back.<br />
<br />
To make some headway, I swung my Skeleton Horse Archers up to replace the Black Knights and engage the units still holding my Central Objective, while I quickly dispatched the Daemon Prince.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKjXMg0ESQksRcj0yftgjs6AectkWa9xthxmgDbcppHEnUwqzTk3Y8fIj_zfVljtj0KVx67ZmVUFJL6hlwQ4km0q2ctXBRikrhx3YmbjE1s1279IQ0cKuVnHjd4ThsoDNUcA1TFRRKjU/s1600/IMG_20170412_220728104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKjXMg0ESQksRcj0yftgjs6AectkWa9xthxmgDbcppHEnUwqzTk3Y8fIj_zfVljtj0KVx67ZmVUFJL6hlwQ4km0q2ctXBRikrhx3YmbjE1s1279IQ0cKuVnHjd4ThsoDNUcA1TFRRKjU/s640/IMG_20170412_220728104.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Those Plaguebearers (primed black) proved to be no match at all for Mannfred and a Vampire Lord, I killed them in droves while they were unable to push damage through. But they, and the Bloodletters, still vastly outnumbered my units.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-KjrNh_9-7LduF32lUSVxkhdiKPtkQihDOk2b4j60mC7SkzaG6mWTnxoU9pw0WH4vXhZr64enRlyuq9JBBS2dMOlLsJaSxdpZXAD6k9UiMh1FuLUvqCWXsZ5ynmEArBPO3JHyjFLU3Y/s1600/IMG_20170412_220735943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-KjrNh_9-7LduF32lUSVxkhdiKPtkQihDOk2b4j60mC7SkzaG6mWTnxoU9pw0WH4vXhZr64enRlyuq9JBBS2dMOlLsJaSxdpZXAD6k9UiMh1FuLUvqCWXsZ5ynmEArBPO3JHyjFLU3Y/s640/IMG_20170412_220735943.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
These little buggers did their job, and did it well. They capped this Objective on Turn 2, and valiantly stood on it :P<br />
<br />
In the final few turns, I mopped up quite a bit, but he held my Home Objective easily for a full two turns, gaining 8 pts and denying me two, for a 10pt swing on that alone. My Archers also very quickly found they were no match for Gutrot Spume and the Lord of Change, and Chaos forces quickly took back that Central Objective as well.<br />
On the plus side, Arkhan was able to jump over the board and flatten that Wizard, taking the Chaos Home Objective in the final turn, giving me something that looked a *little* bit less like a total shutout ;)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRRvOy_mXXcwvY7aueUReGG914EtpkFikli857udPIdLJkG0mhcmVumpJpouFxfH4lZc6UKYBCM65ZCqgg26QHRv_hlXscYo2Nn_qinw1pzSSdRo35_7iU4xWlSrSZQsVStawnbOU4T0/s1600/IMG_20170412_223110716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRRvOy_mXXcwvY7aueUReGG914EtpkFikli857udPIdLJkG0mhcmVumpJpouFxfH4lZc6UKYBCM65ZCqgg26QHRv_hlXscYo2Nn_qinw1pzSSdRo35_7iU4xWlSrSZQsVStawnbOU4T0/s640/IMG_20170412_223110716.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
While the game didn't go at all in my favor, I am rather proud of how much of a brawl it was, and that I still had most of my most valuable models still in play. Plus, I killed a Bloodthirster, AND took the Daemon home Objective!<br />
<br />
I think I (again) didn't learn the same lesson: Be more aggressive. While I probably would have taken a major beating, taking the fight to the Chaos units much, much earlier would have kept the main engagement(s) away from my Home Objective for much longer - and it would have forced him to dedicate more forces to actually defending his Secondary Objective, rather than letting it sit entirely uncontested for so long.<br />
One critical thing I should have done is have the Black Knights withdraw from combat with those Putrid Blightkings after the first engagement. I could have pulled them off and used their superior speed to bum-rush that lone Wizard, and taken his Home Objective for another turn or two so the Daemons would have had to dedicate some forces to remove them.<br />
<br />
That alone would have been big, but actually engaging on the far-right early on, rather than running, would have helped. A big reason I didn't is because I vastly overestimated Bloodletters and Plaguebearers, and the Bloodthirster. Yes, a Bloodthirster and murder the hell out of a unit - nearly any unit, but only one unit per turn, and can only move so quickly. Spreading out may have cost my chance to take it down, but would have cut down significantly on how much impact it could have had on points, etc.<br />
<br />
All of these are solid tactical options that would have made a major difference in my game, but I probably would still have lost. A big reason I didn't do a lot of these things is because of the relative weakness of many of the units in my army, as well as the mixed nature of being half Skeletons (with a 4" move) and half Cavalry (with 12" move or better). I keep leaning on clustering my army to compensate for the weak individual punch of units, but ultimately that limits their impact of the overall battle, even if it does make them stick and hit way, way harder.<br />
<br />
Still, great game! And I do feel as though I'm improving, even if it highlights just how far I still have to improve :)<br />
<br />
My opponent was a joy to play with too, really great dude running a really great list!<br />
<br />Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-56108619139137311972017-04-26T17:20:00.000-07:002017-06-18T21:08:05.732-07:00Sigmar League Round 4: Escalation - Tzeentch vs. Death<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcSB2rS0u59RmNUZSt4B1hub0VC2CetOd6xtt_OWXtbyP9LgZYGrHiXLNt9YQ1LKjeUc-brGWs8UEmoND9S-GtDjkUUYdXVWagFLiMrLVDitPa2V286amgZzCPcF7aXvmf17JXB9tIv8/s1600/IMG_20170412_160515181.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcSB2rS0u59RmNUZSt4B1hub0VC2CetOd6xtt_OWXtbyP9LgZYGrHiXLNt9YQ1LKjeUc-brGWs8UEmoND9S-GtDjkUUYdXVWagFLiMrLVDitPa2V286amgZzCPcF7aXvmf17JXB9tIv8/s640/IMG_20170412_160515181.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
What's up folks! A much-belated write-up for my Age of Sigmar League, Round 4!<br />
No match this time, my League opponent wasn't able to make it out to two different times we agreed on, so he fell on his proverbial sword and offered the Forfeit, like a true gentleman.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a> Escalation is one of the cooler scenarios, so I was bummed not to play it - but I grabbed a pickup game at the store instead, a prep game for Round 5.<br />
<br />
Good ol' Iron Stubble stepped up to the plate, he'd been hankering to try out his Tzeentch army. Tzeentch being my personal favorite of the Chaos Gods, I eagerly accepted. I must admit I was also somewhat eager to face an army that was worse in Combat than mine (which is saying something...)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFivTnk5ivDizZeibD_mLjbLNR-LIV0ULfFIhvyqIMa9XwRAwT7_qrTultTf5FoyI6fbLTsTrrmVJN_STJXYqkebBM6krsUg3aF1-aAlU0wGrAKfuzA8v1DO0fbNNSkru6Gmi3OaDU8C8/s1600/IMG_20170412_160522206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFivTnk5ivDizZeibD_mLjbLNR-LIV0ULfFIhvyqIMa9XwRAwT7_qrTultTf5FoyI6fbLTsTrrmVJN_STJXYqkebBM6krsUg3aF1-aAlU0wGrAKfuzA8v1DO0fbNNSkru6Gmi3OaDU8C8/s640/IMG_20170412_160522206.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
This wasn't a League game, and I only decided too late that I wanted to do any sort of write-up, so I have very few pictures. Several of them Glamour shots. Also expect this to be a bit shorter and less detailed than my usual, it was a super-fast game.<br />
<br />
The quick-n-dirty of the Scenario is that it's four Objectives - one in each Deployment Zone, two dead center in each 4x4 table half. At the end of each player turn, that player got 2 points for each central Objective they held, 1 for their Home Objective, and 4 for the Enemy one if the held it. I believe the Objective went to whichever player had more models within 6" of it, no Contesting.<br />
<br />
That said, the cover photo for this post is Army Deployment. Here's a recap:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcSB2rS0u59RmNUZSt4B1hub0VC2CetOd6xtt_OWXtbyP9LgZYGrHiXLNt9YQ1LKjeUc-brGWs8UEmoND9S-GtDjkUUYdXVWagFLiMrLVDitPa2V286amgZzCPcF7aXvmf17JXB9tIv8/s1600/IMG_20170412_160515181.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcSB2rS0u59RmNUZSt4B1hub0VC2CetOd6xtt_OWXtbyP9LgZYGrHiXLNt9YQ1LKjeUc-brGWs8UEmoND9S-GtDjkUUYdXVWagFLiMrLVDitPa2V286amgZzCPcF7aXvmf17JXB9tIv8/s640/IMG_20170412_160515181.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
I was running more or less my usual: 50x Skeletons (30/10/10), Arkhan the Black, Vampire Lord on Horse, Count Mannfred on Nightmare, 5x Hexwraiths, 10x Skeleton Horse Archers, 10x Black Knights, and my Wight King General with Tomb Blade Relic and Ruler of the Night trait.<br />
<br />
The Tzeentch list was an unusual one compared to anything I've seen before, and had two Battalions in it. I'll never remember all the details, but in short, it was 3x 10-man units of Pink Horrors, 3x Heralds of Tzeentch (one on Disc), two Lords of Change, two Exalted Flamers, a Sorceror on foot and a Burning Chariot.<br />
<br />
In short, it didn't really look like much. It's a small list, and mostly made up of Pink Horrors, which players love to talk smack about!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVdX0ML4uzXsP9_1fF8qIRwtgVkC3e6E1fn4VCtggnsTmagVNSejGJQrEISotqR6ge5DuySpCS3lJVzSd3DQl2jqfRW8-12Nzp4dY3C_rC613_WQ2zafeDJUnTevO8Z46s4yszK5JmKw/s1600/IMG_20170412_160528701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVdX0ML4uzXsP9_1fF8qIRwtgVkC3e6E1fn4VCtggnsTmagVNSejGJQrEISotqR6ge5DuySpCS3lJVzSd3DQl2jqfRW8-12Nzp4dY3C_rC613_WQ2zafeDJUnTevO8Z46s4yszK5JmKw/s640/IMG_20170412_160528701.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I had fewer units to set up, so I had the choice of first turn. I chose to give it to him, because neither of us would be in range to Charge or Shoot, so I wanted him to move first on the off chance I could make some of those Charges in my follow-up.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7pOjNOWmh7i1akNo_n_qQHdhWM1MNV1KcA1_Be0ByjgTv-vVP7FgcIuPLG8MUrXvAggGsYkXK8b4jot7izvFKhpPUrOgkstD-GvrXS4CMt1b471Aow6_qC9FwiopwoWBbSBnB_3Fkf1s/s1600/IMG_20170412_162602064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7pOjNOWmh7i1akNo_n_qQHdhWM1MNV1KcA1_Be0ByjgTv-vVP7FgcIuPLG8MUrXvAggGsYkXK8b4jot7izvFKhpPUrOgkstD-GvrXS4CMt1b471Aow6_qC9FwiopwoWBbSBnB_3Fkf1s/s640/IMG_20170412_162602064.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
As it so happens, I did! My Hexwraiths, buffed with Mystic Shield made the Charge on the unit of Pink Horrors holding that Objective. Count Mannfred, who is a little bit slower, did not make the Charge, but hoped to do some mop-up.<br />
<br />
He'd gotten two points for this Objective and one for his Home Objective, so started first turn with 3 points, and in such a way that it would be hard for me to take this one. Still, I tried, the Hexwraiths dropped these little buggers down to a handful of models (four, I think) but the little buggers stuck their Bravery.<br />
<br />
After this Combat, we rolled off for Turn 2 and I double-turned. That would have made for a very, very different game had we decided to play it out that way, but we didn't. We decided to keep the turn order the same as we'd started because we didn't want the game to just *end* right there.<br />
That said, considering how the rest of the game went, we probably should have played it with my double-turn. Because...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBHZzM47bd6DLAoERQGuZcMthD-iQ1cvVX3PZN6yxUUkNV0wS5lhyjGXHSg1CWY8-fYQpNhd5QJVwMgO4DUCD2sGvq1BYsebalf2yGT-tmsnIXpS270_Zvjz8mdYlizdrEoBJpVLGm1A/s1600/IMG_20170412_164141904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBHZzM47bd6DLAoERQGuZcMthD-iQ1cvVX3PZN6yxUUkNV0wS5lhyjGXHSg1CWY8-fYQpNhd5QJVwMgO4DUCD2sGvq1BYsebalf2yGT-tmsnIXpS270_Zvjz8mdYlizdrEoBJpVLGm1A/s640/IMG_20170412_164141904.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Then THIS happened. I knew his list was a Shooting list, but I was totally unprepared for the sheer volume, accuracy, and devastating damage it's able to blast out. The Pink Horrors alone put out quite a few shots as a normal Attack, but the Exalted Flamer and the Chariot, plus spells from the Herald, just wiped my Hexwraiths instantly.<br />
<br />
In a hilariously Tzeentchy moment, they also laid into Count Mannfred and brought him down to a single Wound (uh oh), but, because Chaos and a particularly bad (or GREAT!) roll, the crazy-ass spell that should have done that final Wound and then some wound up *Healing* Mannfred for d3 - which turned in to 3. So he went from full health, down to 1, then back up to 4 in the same Hero Phase. That about made my week!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOwECZ1P_rvoNe4-HR93uFcp6t0SMng6xDFR1wdoMhpeBypNaA7aM8AkfnuLo_880KXgHdEHSwyvZK9wcjt2jmeA9h4kGQnUgmEUPeDgIpeMWOVKJFbx2VER21mR5_Bb0x7KiQfTXQxI/s1600/IMG_20170412_172725972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOwECZ1P_rvoNe4-HR93uFcp6t0SMng6xDFR1wdoMhpeBypNaA7aM8AkfnuLo_880KXgHdEHSwyvZK9wcjt2jmeA9h4kGQnUgmEUPeDgIpeMWOVKJFbx2VER21mR5_Bb0x7KiQfTXQxI/s640/IMG_20170412_172725972.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
My Black Knights and Vampire Lord also made the Charge. This is where lack of pictures get's problematic, because I don't remember if this was my Turn 2 or my Turn 3. Probably 2 - moving on.<br />
<br />
My Knights rolled in juiced up on the Charge (where they get +1 to Wound and Damage), rolled a mountain of mighty, mighty attacks!<br />
...And did three Wounds. And killed two Horrors. Sigh. As much as I tell myself before every game "Black Knights are bad in combat, don't expect too much" it's still comedic just how terrible it can go. They stuck in and won Combat, but that was about all I can say for them. The Vampire Lord, on the other hand, killed half of the unit she Charged, but took three Wounds in the process (after healing).<br />
<br />
The turn after this, those Lords of Change got involved. They're not as good as a lot of heavy-hitting units, but they're still Monsters, and they had very little trouble dealing with my poor Cavalry.<br />
<br />
The game went badly very quickly. Every unit I put within 18" lasted a turn, maybe too, with the rare exception of my Archers who were shot at less and rolled some screamin' hot Death saves and my Skeletons, of whom there were a giant mountain, so they just took time to dig through.<br />
Even there though, the ranged superiority of a pure Tzeentch army shined. I like to put Heinrich Kemmler in my Skeletons unit, so he can be almost un-killable with his 2+ shunt to Skeletons. But, those Wounds he takes are Shunted as Mortal Wounds, so they actually become far more potent against the Skeletons than they would have been, which Iron Stubble used to great effect to trim down my Skeleton unit more quickly with things like the Pink Horrors basic attacks. I would normally have gotten a 5+ save (no Rend on Ancient Shields) followed by a 5+ Death save (from Ruler of the Night) - but shooting Kemmler forced me to shunt or let him die (which might have been a better option?)<br />
Arkhan was wiped in a single round of shooting, per usual. Even in armies with far less shooting, that tends to happen :P<br />
He did, however, successfully fire off Curse of Years and just obliterate a Herald (and fortunately a Lord of Change didn't Unbind it!) We even rolled it out after though, and it would have done enough wounds to one-shot a Lord of Change. Ah well, missed opportunity!<br />
<br />
Because everything that got within 18" of his walls of death just disappeared, he was also wrecking me on Objectives, getting 3-5 per turn where I was getting 1, and 3 on some rare lucky turns.<br />
<br />
Near the end of the game though, I got bold. My Archers peppered that lone Sorcerer holding his Home Objective and Kemmler busted out the hail-mary of all hail-mary Arcane Bolts, killing the Sorcerer. He then used his 2d6" teleport to jump up and take the home Objective. Woo! Personal goal!<br />
When I'm losing, I like to have a specific goal that isn't necessarily about winning, but about accomplishing *something* cool and difficult. This was a good one :)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFCDrF_BUb-CH_BgG8f8hrVPF8Cx-IL0Qn272UXh_U8d_FvpK84AubJ9wlsE6WxepfZlIHN-3CZAvs3oT2QK0dyYCFQM5OvB9lWp8524eZQ9y7AJ7_hiltMbkgRjA1qm3f6Yt4aPcf7I/s1600/IMG_20170412_181434011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFCDrF_BUb-CH_BgG8f8hrVPF8Cx-IL0Qn272UXh_U8d_FvpK84AubJ9wlsE6WxepfZlIHN-3CZAvs3oT2QK0dyYCFQM5OvB9lWp8524eZQ9y7AJ7_hiltMbkgRjA1qm3f6Yt4aPcf7I/s640/IMG_20170412_181434011.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
It helps when it's a particularly dramatic moment :D<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOh_4n8ps6Vo7piw_SnZzKmC0oAAiVakiduDRukT1SD4fEs6HXO1gX5Ks5xRMS8nakQ-X0teHRm894yGki8w1xMmiz1LPQS90EX20x8lKzDxRHP-2G4NuvPRGzS8t2VQY_1g0PYsB4HE/s1600/IMG_20170412_181450688.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOh_4n8ps6Vo7piw_SnZzKmC0oAAiVakiduDRukT1SD4fEs6HXO1gX5Ks5xRMS8nakQ-X0teHRm894yGki8w1xMmiz1LPQS90EX20x8lKzDxRHP-2G4NuvPRGzS8t2VQY_1g0PYsB4HE/s640/IMG_20170412_181450688.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Note my Wight King is still alive here, but that didn't last long...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4PStri5N-OdgQyceg1iB7kkWaWKq0ouES87SDWSeIzPVQ1Cgj-omqqosU8STXoPPImnmQSH_bMackBbw1D99jaKUi9Wn2xpH7aiHsolPSahMwAjaRxeq4U2TysobAeGVuFJIbiGAJIc/s1600/IMG_20170412_181458222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4PStri5N-OdgQyceg1iB7kkWaWKq0ouES87SDWSeIzPVQ1Cgj-omqqosU8STXoPPImnmQSH_bMackBbw1D99jaKUi9Wn2xpH7aiHsolPSahMwAjaRxeq4U2TysobAeGVuFJIbiGAJIc/s640/IMG_20170412_181458222.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
OOoooOOOoooHhh! Swirly green magic ball!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMDMpAHcrhUTkhB0QfHkefOpv_KI3L993R0-HvHtYkxFM40NLS-LRSJ_INTG8wV2I1cs-DRtfdhe0GduDj9EOC_WyyPcdCWXkHKgwgZ4pR5_fV2-cOEvnfwlL8xVfTG3p4eF2wqZ8sNVQ/s1600/IMG_20170412_193009657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMDMpAHcrhUTkhB0QfHkefOpv_KI3L993R0-HvHtYkxFM40NLS-LRSJ_INTG8wV2I1cs-DRtfdhe0GduDj9EOC_WyyPcdCWXkHKgwgZ4pR5_fV2-cOEvnfwlL8xVfTG3p4eF2wqZ8sNVQ/s640/IMG_20170412_193009657.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
And, scene.<br />
It was a real fast game, and tons of fun! But holy hell did I get my ass kicked. Not the usual ass-kicking either, but a sound, resounding, smack right on the chin. Tzeentch is a very unusual army, and while I'm sure there are many armies out there that won't struggle with it so much, I sure did.<br />
<br />
One thing we were both bummed about, if a Lord of Change Unbinds a spell, it learns that spell and can cast it freely for the rest of the game. The only time his Lords of Change successfully unbound my stuff it was Arcane Bolt (but it was a close thing with Curse of Years!)<br />
<br />
I know my army isn't as competitive as it easily could be, and I'm still a real n00b player, but this was a particularly challenging (and fun!) game. It was also back-to-back with my League match Round 5, which was also against Chaos. A solid 6-7 hours of CHAOS!<br />
<br />
Hope you liked this one :) wait for my rematch against the greater threat of Chaos beyond Tzeentch!<br />
<br />Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-91007860193640611402017-03-09T20:18:00.002-08:002017-06-18T21:08:27.770-07:00Sigmar League Round 3: Death vs. Sylvaneth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs183vSYR2bixTa1mWYH5cYdpa9ahC_3BcIyiQ78lGXeTpRzF7oQ7fVgEGeQQIhCLL07EWosrrk5NUk_16t9WYXlJlU-tSsUxIa7DtrHF9hHCx9JFPxYdYa2GlJ9_ZOD1ydwEZnFqudMk/s1600/IMG_20170308_170723698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs183vSYR2bixTa1mWYH5cYdpa9ahC_3BcIyiQ78lGXeTpRzF7oQ7fVgEGeQQIhCLL07EWosrrk5NUk_16t9WYXlJlU-tSsUxIa7DtrHF9hHCx9JFPxYdYa2GlJ9_ZOD1ydwEZnFqudMk/s640/IMG_20170308_170723698.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Hey y'all! It's that time again! I'm here, fresh out of my Sigmar League Round 3 - and my very favorite Mission: Three Places of Power!<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a> Three Places of Power, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways!<br />
Here's the skinny: three Objectives, one dead-center of the board, with two others at 18" out from the first along the long center line. These Objectives can only be held by Heroes, on a first-come, first-served basis (no contesting), and with each successive turn an Objective is held by the same Hero, it's worth an additional point.<br />
<br />
I love it. Love it, love it - because the Objectives are center-field, no backfield camping to score, they can't be held by Mobs or Tarpits, and require players to commit their fragile Heroes to gain points for victory. It's a scenario that makes for particularly interesting games, and I'm all about it :)<br />
It's also set up so you earn points during the game, no just at the end, so there's a tallying aspect that makes each turn more tense and more exciting.<br />
<br />
This time, it was the first 1500 pt round, and knowing I was facing Sylvaneth, I wanted to lure them in and load up on my most powerful Spellcasters, and save points for Summoning to put units where I wanted them when I needed them. So here's my list:<br />
<br />
Arkhan the Black (General)<br />
Count Mannfred (Barbed Nightmare)<br />
Necromancer (Nightmare, Cursed Book relic)<br />
Skeleton Warriors (30x, Sword/Shield, Banner, Musician)<br />
Skeleton Warriors (10x, Sword/Shield, Banner, Musician)<br />
Skeleton Warriors (10x, Sword/Shield, Banner)<br />
<br />
*480 pts reserved as Reinforcement Points (for Summoning)<br />
<br />
The Skeleton blob bubble-wraps my Heroes at first, preventing Forest-teleporting Treemen from getting at my Heroes first turn (as happened last time I fought Sylvaneth). I have Count Mannfred and Arkhan, allowing me to cast Wind of Death, Arcane Bolt, and Curse of Years in a single turn, which should make short work of any single hard-targets that get too close. And since I'm using Arkhan as my General, "too close" is my casting range of 24"<br />
The Necromancer is there as a fast, cheap Hero, another source for Summoning, and the Signature Spell that allows my Skeleton units to Pile-in and Attack twice in a Combat phase.<br />
<br />
The Sylvaneth list, I'm still only vaguely aware of them, but I'll do the best I can here:<br />
<br />
Treelord Ancient (General, Oaken Shield relic, stock Command Ability) <br />
Branchwych<br />
Kurnoth Hunters (3x, Scythes)<br />
Kurnoth Hunters (3x, Bows)<br />
Kurnoth Hunters (3x, Bows)<br />
Dryads (20x)<br />
Dryads (20x)<br />
<br />
There was also a Warscroll Battalion included, but I'm still unclear on what it was. I do know that somehow, his Casters were able to Cast and Unbind two spells per turn each, he got to roll for a "free" Wildwood at the beginning of each turn, and he was able to cast a spell to add D3 to the Branchwych's next Casting Roll.<br />
The Treelord Ancient's Command Ability I'm all too familiar with. It allows him and any Sylvaneth Unit within 10" to re-roll saves of 1. The bubble automatically reaches any Kurnoth Hunter unit in his army, and extends to any Sylvaneth unit within 8" of them. Also, his Relic gives him a 2+ base save, and he's re-rolling 1's.<br />
Grumble grumble...<br />
<br />
Here's how Terrain and Deployment shook out:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhSv6jdpp9q6JpCQD7qX07ryxgxMAYn8UlnlaX8j_onGe9rokNJteHz65-npQ3hj_XlKapBCVjbDUlAPrtqUp7JE07oI0mL9NzyruQBzko_G5ux9E-fMu8bZkcyw2IhccyIz7QssGsi0/s1600/IMG_20170308_170708092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhSv6jdpp9q6JpCQD7qX07ryxgxMAYn8UlnlaX8j_onGe9rokNJteHz65-npQ3hj_XlKapBCVjbDUlAPrtqUp7JE07oI0mL9NzyruQBzko_G5ux9E-fMu8bZkcyw2IhccyIz7QssGsi0/s640/IMG_20170308_170708092.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
As a Terrain piece, he chose one Wildwood as a piece to place, and slapped it right around the center Objective. Well crap. If anyone (my Wizards included) casts a spell within 6" of a Wildwood, on a 4+ it will "Waken" and deal D3 Mortal Wounds to any non-Sylvaneth unit within... I think 3"?<br />
I hear I have Webb to thank for that little tactical tidbit. Well played Webb, well played!<br />
<br />
On the plus side, that shrine smack in the middle of my Wizards grants +1 to Cast within 3" of it, and that rock next to my rightmost Skeleton unit gives them Fear, for a -1 Bravery to any unit they end up in Combat with, if they began the turn within 3" of it. Sylvaneth's only real major weakness is their Bravery, with the normal value being around 6, so that's a nice boost. On another bit of luck, the Shrine in the middle of *his* lines is a 5, so if he rolls a 1 on those Dryads, they're sitting on their hands for a turn.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVGMaGOvmaKDTVIqMjaMQN5siqdIsDcnjjoqWAbe4FEURMet0JbPU_HpF6OJz8W1oTLylM54c6DhrKUGFyYvY2mnJJfWIUnPVike2IyqZRszMh8TfxQsWcz3PM-rssHbK6AfPSFjl9dA/s1600/IMG_20170308_171746144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVGMaGOvmaKDTVIqMjaMQN5siqdIsDcnjjoqWAbe4FEURMet0JbPU_HpF6OJz8W1oTLylM54c6DhrKUGFyYvY2mnJJfWIUnPVike2IyqZRszMh8TfxQsWcz3PM-rssHbK6AfPSFjl9dA/s640/IMG_20170308_171746144.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Those Hunters though are *bad.* With five Wounds each, and a 4+ save re-rolling 1's, they're hard to shift. Those bows have a 30" range, two attacks each, Hit on 4's (3's for the unit leader), Wound on 3's, and do D3 damage at Rend -1. Jesus.<br />
Even worse, the Scythes have 3 attacks each, Hit on 3's (*2's* for that unit leader), Wound on 3's and do D3 damage at Rend -2. Rend -2 makes my Saves all but worthless, no matter how good of a unit I through at them.<br />
I'm not fond of that Branchwych either. Sylvaneth has a spell that lets them return D3 Dryads or 1 Kurnoth Hunter to a unit, up to max unit size, and she can Waken the Woods at significant range. Plus, she's a Hero, so a Scoring unit.<br />
<br />
Sylvaneth got first turn, so on to <b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Round 1</u>!</span></b><br />
First things first, this happened:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUgqnRGJJIM7mcvncRkBYA0jvCCTzVPZLFFpGeq46pf0lUAfD1Vl6TPx-DC9mc_1XCex7k2OdEs7GZgq5MjI1ENoz_H5mspVJpG4ycOboyYEAOE0nQvQwBtuKYhDMVWJuklrkB436Y7Y/s1600/IMG_20170308_171756214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUgqnRGJJIM7mcvncRkBYA0jvCCTzVPZLFFpGeq46pf0lUAfD1Vl6TPx-DC9mc_1XCex7k2OdEs7GZgq5MjI1ENoz_H5mspVJpG4ycOboyYEAOE0nQvQwBtuKYhDMVWJuklrkB436Y7Y/s640/IMG_20170308_171756214.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Score! Act like real trees for once, you angry sacks of sticks!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwF1MaBTgmUklmQaKhM60vqsDTdcHhwG8zik1Gr7cRF1vR-9-PTzg08s_pyATG6btodpM5cXWM8try85azzXR3XvJIDIJkt0-aAO3wtxOQJ032Oz_mTvRzmpGgMJpQY4gaTDY0u4FGV4/s1600/IMG_20170308_172628365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwF1MaBTgmUklmQaKhM60vqsDTdcHhwG8zik1Gr7cRF1vR-9-PTzg08s_pyATG6btodpM5cXWM8try85azzXR3XvJIDIJkt0-aAO3wtxOQJ032Oz_mTvRzmpGgMJpQY4gaTDY0u4FGV4/s640/IMG_20170308_172628365.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
His other Dryads and Scythe Hunters Ran, while his Bowmen took their normal slow move, which was plenty to get 30" range on my Necromancer, but just barely out of range of Arkhan. He rolled three Hits on my Necromancer, but she used her 4+ "Skeleton Save" to pass those hits to Skeletons, and I rolled three 6's for their Death save, so I wound up losing 3 from my unit of 30.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrh09NgpHSstMCpqPiP4o1EBfi8KlfD4H8DUucIruTm6eXeXZMTFrS6ZwlznwsOWvSDZdWXTV0i7t_GlRrrDrMqX9k2WuGpXJbEy2264ULs9RiWT-BO9cuzLMEFt4E4NKhepe-y4nOsAA/s1600/IMG_20170308_172633536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrh09NgpHSstMCpqPiP4o1EBfi8KlfD4H8DUucIruTm6eXeXZMTFrS6ZwlznwsOWvSDZdWXTV0i7t_GlRrrDrMqX9k2WuGpXJbEy2264ULs9RiWT-BO9cuzLMEFt4E4NKhepe-y4nOsAA/s640/IMG_20170308_172633536.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
You'll be back, my pretties! Those bases are WIP, please forgive their rough appearance...<br />
<br />
His other Hunters had easy range on Arkhan, and moved up slowly (cautiously) with his Treelord, and did several Wounds to him. It was quickly apparent that I wouldn't be able to outrun then, and they would *easily* pick off my Heroes from beyond the range where I could effectively respond. I was getting very concerned here.<br />
He'd kept most of his units out of range, so I had limited options, but I started by Summoning the first of my Reinforcements:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj12EDRW2J_ztURz8Eu35i4JhbKW6vJiKKgDA08xOIGSv7-wSmW4MHuuBtJLsno3rja-VTQFrX2uM5HMvope2HOqnIz8gAmW8nZ7lh6O7_zzZT2GPQhGKTw2fTUBfFkiLzP9fWIThjeZPU/s1600/IMG_20170308_174102004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj12EDRW2J_ztURz8Eu35i4JhbKW6vJiKKgDA08xOIGSv7-wSmW4MHuuBtJLsno3rja-VTQFrX2uM5HMvope2HOqnIz8gAmW8nZ7lh6O7_zzZT2GPQhGKTw2fTUBfFkiLzP9fWIThjeZPU/s640/IMG_20170308_174102004.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
5x Skeleton Horse Archers, to respond with some arrows of my own, and a Cairn Wraith to fight for that Objective. Unfortunately, because his Dryads were so close to the Objective and I had to summon 9" away from enemy units, my options here were limited. Still, the Cairn Wraith is a real threat to those Dryads, and in range to reach the Objective next turn.<br />
<br />
I also *failed* to summon my Hexwraiths, which I was going to send against his Kurnoth Archers. I was pretty miffed about that, because I was summoning them on a 5+ with my Necromancer, and could have easily gotten them well up-field. But, at the same time, I wasn't too upset, because they would have been engaged with the Archers AND surrounded by 20 Dryads and a Treelord. So I let that slide without much sadness.<br />
<br />
It was here that I realized my first mistake - there is no "Summon Wight King" spell, so I had no option to bring my Wight King into the battle. He was a Hero I'd been counting on having in this fight, and I was not pleased to find out that he would be sitting this one out.<br />
But I wasn't done with my casting, I also hit the Scythe hunters with Wind of Death and Curse of Years, bringing one of the three down to 1 Wound. I was about to hit them again, then my good sport of an opponent reminded me that, if one died, his Branchwych could bring one back with full Wounds. So I left him at 1 Wound instead, since he had no way of healing.<br />
I'd hoped to take out at least one, before I'd realized they could reinforce, but had been hoping to do more damage too. They durability is no joke, and having to remove ten Wounds to do any lasting damage to the units is brutal...<br />
<br />
My lines were mostly static here, my 30-man blob and Wizards stayed put, while my left-most 10-man Skeleton unit Ran (a mighty 1") towards the Archers, Cairn Wraith, and Dryads to add a little fodder to that scrum.<br />
<br />
As shown below, my Archers also took two Wounds off of the Branchwych, and Wind of Death was in range to take one Wound off of those Archers as well.<br />
All in all going in to Turn 2, I had given decidedly more than I'd gotten, but that was more to do with luck and most of his stuff being around of range than anything.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmAk10hAzkQgo62ouf9ON4Rl6PcgGulhBWcM-6WBxlGv93MAk30U9fJlWAFAKcHqvRIGUwlB_CMBrRV5kkYEsqxiGRbf39kCFby7RhaMzunmkOWIcmWHRWzRnN1FYhfVzTdcM5mzBRls/s1600/IMG_20170308_174106791.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmAk10hAzkQgo62ouf9ON4Rl6PcgGulhBWcM-6WBxlGv93MAk30U9fJlWAFAKcHqvRIGUwlB_CMBrRV5kkYEsqxiGRbf39kCFby7RhaMzunmkOWIcmWHRWzRnN1FYhfVzTdcM5mzBRls/s640/IMG_20170308_174106791.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Even when Sylvaneth got first-turn again, I was cautiously optimistic going in to-<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Round 2</u>!</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCkQWZu4WSXa_w4Q7UAYEiH-dYbf29Bnt2fznsrqHg57CCuQU5Z-HY2k29ZnSN3p-VgdqRkVeg6mWvDBlURdAwH6SdfhtGSLxdwnGa0GhKALiTXJC79VOOa-Ku28dFuxHbIq3MBh_U6rg/s1600/IMG_20170308_174534579.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCkQWZu4WSXa_w4Q7UAYEiH-dYbf29Bnt2fznsrqHg57CCuQU5Z-HY2k29ZnSN3p-VgdqRkVeg6mWvDBlURdAwH6SdfhtGSLxdwnGa0GhKALiTXJC79VOOa-Ku28dFuxHbIq3MBh_U6rg/s640/IMG_20170308_174534579.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
He started off the round blasting my Cairn Wraith with Arcane Bolt, who failed both Death saves. Not a great start, but if he dies, I just Summon another one!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zyx7Ci_whV5pBHPhX1Akan_Ep8UWF3kSFTWRPALqBWRIl7NKzy4j7H_zHyMMZEOU0qSN0pnuwxGSUrGC5UXWaLtRqQxpFOlRBakBhesKQuulW2yuQUKn1RA2O8U77MIeL7jPh4bBWxc/s1600/IMG_20170308_174538675.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zyx7Ci_whV5pBHPhX1Akan_Ep8UWF3kSFTWRPALqBWRIl7NKzy4j7H_zHyMMZEOU0qSN0pnuwxGSUrGC5UXWaLtRqQxpFOlRBakBhesKQuulW2yuQUKn1RA2O8U77MIeL7jPh4bBWxc/s640/IMG_20170308_174538675.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
This turn, those other Dryads made their roll, and in his Hero phase he successfully cast that Wildwood, placing it in range for his Dryads to do their weird tree-teleport into my lines. The gimmick here is that the Warscroll Battalion gives him that first shot at a Wildwood (on a 4+, I believe) and then he also has the spell to create a second, and then - still in the Hero phase - can move a Sylvaneth unit from one Wildwood to the other.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0G_uxlornsPoqj6HxpJdpV1tOmKOJq2kqlEQOGpGiYYYCO33XnVwJn2AV2KxDKVJbNNrRWuZUWEGI8OB_IpsNer3ZMGUcH-j5ZVAWollS91ROHVfUzS3tBQn2ABzGUS99tK0Wfh5eOss/s1600/IMG_20170308_174558618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0G_uxlornsPoqj6HxpJdpV1tOmKOJq2kqlEQOGpGiYYYCO33XnVwJn2AV2KxDKVJbNNrRWuZUWEGI8OB_IpsNer3ZMGUcH-j5ZVAWollS91ROHVfUzS3tBQn2ABzGUS99tK0Wfh5eOss/s640/IMG_20170308_174558618.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Step 1 above, step 2 below. There's some penalty where rolling a 1 means that can't then do any other action, and they can't be within 9" of an enemy unit when they come out of the tree. They can be *in* it though, no problem.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdChQ6KnuqicmxOwIasiiMrfC_asp3R_je9RT4uV89lVvmGgwwFmgvXCTnyDvxR8BVj0yrwFS8L4ywMh2CoUAtazR19LQS3b5cz1JuWymRSK1RUArdE3GgSZD11ZEvmgTieJKndaUr8Ok/s1600/IMG_20170308_175109839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdChQ6KnuqicmxOwIasiiMrfC_asp3R_je9RT4uV89lVvmGgwwFmgvXCTnyDvxR8BVj0yrwFS8L4ywMh2CoUAtazR19LQS3b5cz1JuWymRSK1RUArdE3GgSZD11ZEvmgTieJKndaUr8Ok/s640/IMG_20170308_175109839.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
He also had some Spite Revenants that are allowed to enter from any table edge, again 9" from any enemy units:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkbeYZ_Mr8pvCkxcMNxUS2m3m1bqkNl_fi7GDBVAnT2uSbInZWj41UQIDb-VooofaZBxeyCiFJ7HCDi-0ZPNZPczK4k4BwAXL6h92XE3pEd-3cqcqFjg10cWfgP2rnp4Rrh_525X6AV8/s1600/IMG_20170308_175105936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkbeYZ_Mr8pvCkxcMNxUS2m3m1bqkNl_fi7GDBVAnT2uSbInZWj41UQIDb-VooofaZBxeyCiFJ7HCDi-0ZPNZPczK4k4BwAXL6h92XE3pEd-3cqcqFjg10cWfgP2rnp4Rrh_525X6AV8/s640/IMG_20170308_175105936.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
His Branchwych ran away, obviously concerned about my Archers. While no match for Kurnoth Hunters, they're more than capable of killing a weaker Hero.<br />
<br />
Here's where things got bad. He was able to move both Archer units within range of Arkhan, easily. And with those above-mentioned stats on those bows, had no trouble breaking through my respectable 4+ save (a 5+ with that BS Rend) to do this:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCnp40FmVS3TY-6PuV_S_n3txM1n_OBvaJQqyRmrfJV7yelbIcusVKdKt5bYrdUqQZfas58ypnQpJk5rbtSOzddmDsXh8BCBLDgO0jRVIXEE4oMVvyI-vzRBPGt7sX3tDdoRx2-3XR_MU/s1600/IMG_20170308_175551217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCnp40FmVS3TY-6PuV_S_n3txM1n_OBvaJQqyRmrfJV7yelbIcusVKdKt5bYrdUqQZfas58ypnQpJk5rbtSOzddmDsXh8BCBLDgO0jRVIXEE4oMVvyI-vzRBPGt7sX3tDdoRx2-3XR_MU/s640/IMG_20170308_175551217.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Oh. Shit. Oh shit shit shit.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DfnAc2ojwYM3Q66Aco9qhWLJcgdNx-WTNtQ_bWNBT-ITN-wslWWehn1FRvaNLImte2LlU2i40vT5O2xIrrJdWJF_EnfwDWPcpFdf1_Exx4X09CI5tiqm9KcpfdcAVYEPZCLBQv63vew/s1600/IMG_20170308_175557052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DfnAc2ojwYM3Q66Aco9qhWLJcgdNx-WTNtQ_bWNBT-ITN-wslWWehn1FRvaNLImte2LlU2i40vT5O2xIrrJdWJF_EnfwDWPcpFdf1_Exx4X09CI5tiqm9KcpfdcAVYEPZCLBQv63vew/s320/IMG_20170308_175557052.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Here's my early rant - these things are too good. For a measly 180 points, these things easily annihilate Heroes at well beyond anyone's effective range to respond. Even a big, beefy monster like a Mortarch could have been killed in two turns by these horrors. Their range is too long, their frame too durable, and their damage too high. Even if you get them in combat, they're very hard to kill, and until they're actually dead, getting them in combat does nothing to stop their shooting.<br />
Plus, even when they're in combat, even the Archer versions get a Stomp or Stump attack, which on a 4+, does a Mortal Wound to an enemy unit in base-to-base with a Hunter model. So a unit of 3 can do 3 Mortal Wounds, for free, at the end of combat. What!<br />
<br />
Add to their wicked damage potential that they also extend the General's Command bubble, can have 5-Wound models brought back with minimal effort, and can Root to make their save full-on re-rollable with negligible penalties. Even at this point in the game, it was painfully obvious that I just had no options to effectively counter these things.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2ROMAhM5jKRGnaz864UOTXKlG-O7C9UmhbNPC6b-vYONR_HStfowNwlrFaXxiUzxW0gCUy8oPZ_3vp9qsKDuIl9Fb8hTvoRIraxMFiy7AJfuCDNX3aeKdpD6oilWYithnaJfcb9mUz8/s1600/IMG_20170308_180207413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2ROMAhM5jKRGnaz864UOTXKlG-O7C9UmhbNPC6b-vYONR_HStfowNwlrFaXxiUzxW0gCUy8oPZ_3vp9qsKDuIl9Fb8hTvoRIraxMFiy7AJfuCDNX3aeKdpD6oilWYithnaJfcb9mUz8/s640/IMG_20170308_180207413.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
In the Charge phase, his Dryads both made their Charges, both multi-Assaulting my units.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZk2_35RqvIeSLdaXnkgkLgxjx7YsS0CTiwcdXHbWr5zhjxVjWSQdr1qeGEGbkAV-7CDkkVsFdRMWmeQ8nnP4Jm8ShSQqORMhdGZ3cu6Bk9j_G7M5FbYYIs71B24UAeihrxlZCtazjFg/s1600/IMG_20170308_180217479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZk2_35RqvIeSLdaXnkgkLgxjx7YsS0CTiwcdXHbWr5zhjxVjWSQdr1qeGEGbkAV-7CDkkVsFdRMWmeQ8nnP4Jm8ShSQqORMhdGZ3cu6Bk9j_G7M5FbYYIs71B24UAeihrxlZCtazjFg/s640/IMG_20170308_180217479.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Spite-Reventants, however, did not make their Charge, which was a small favor, but not insignificant.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
These Charges were actually a blessing for me, because while Hunters are quite good and durable in combat, Dryads are not. Skeletons, on the other hand, kind of are. Especially when backed up by Death Heroes. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And, if I can manage to get Arkhan into combat, he should be easily able to kill a Dryad to get his two Wounds back, which would be absolutely critical if he was to have any chance of surviving the following turn.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's also an opportunity for my Cairn Wraith to actually do some damage, before going up in a puff of sickly green smoke.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzvWvE8eb8tROJAwTcDqCSUDkhW7BALsUomu6lpVZLUB9LoinN-QwNy2l846nGYG4hD59WtB5-gcgQTnepifyrCSwpHRHR7wYN4iJjSTXZNX-iSZ8-czawZmdJMkbaKFdYocXk64Kub-o/s1600/IMG_20170308_182040748_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzvWvE8eb8tROJAwTcDqCSUDkhW7BALsUomu6lpVZLUB9LoinN-QwNy2l846nGYG4hD59WtB5-gcgQTnepifyrCSwpHRHR7wYN4iJjSTXZNX-iSZ8-czawZmdJMkbaKFdYocXk64Kub-o/s640/IMG_20170308_182040748_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
His Charge was fairly uneventful, I rolled smokin' hot on my Saves, and lost only three Skeletons and one Horse Archer, all of whom gleefully came back in my Hero phase.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie24b0V8Lvq83iHONIRIK75nG4R6aE-5TtYCLoSCWsKDESjiIvnIVBqeX-kpXGkUtX9pPiffBWB6GRILEQ-8PF3UMcsfB446_MpxB54qT6f8HFAFKjp-dNMXWzwQ_kP_rP5HXmm777CEQ/s1600/IMG_20170308_182048504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie24b0V8Lvq83iHONIRIK75nG4R6aE-5TtYCLoSCWsKDESjiIvnIVBqeX-kpXGkUtX9pPiffBWB6GRILEQ-8PF3UMcsfB446_MpxB54qT6f8HFAFKjp-dNMXWzwQ_kP_rP5HXmm777CEQ/s640/IMG_20170308_182048504.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Here above you can see where this combat wound up in my Hero phase - he'd done three Wounds to my Archers, but with the Banner one came back at full health anyway.<br />
<br />
At this point, I wasn't at all concerned about either unit of Dryads. I fully expected my units to be easily able to mop them up. What I *was* concerned about was that damn Treelord and his Archers. I had the 24" range I needed to summon my dastardly Hexwraiths and, with a little luck, get those Archers in combat with something actually dangerous.<br />
<br />
But I failed to Summon them.<br />
On a $#%@ing 4+. DAMMIT Arkhan!<br />
This time, it was bad. I had every reason to expect Arkhan to die, seriously hampering my Summoning. And since the Dryads were now in my lines, the Archers were more exposed, and I needed to do work on them fast. So, I needed to Summon while I could, but had very limited options. The only unit I could summon this turn was Black Knights, so I did, and rolled an 11.<br />
<br />
Well... Dammit. A 10+ means I could set up a unit of 10 - which is good, because a unit of 5 wouldn't last long. But bad, because it ate up twice as many Reinforcement Points on a lackluster unit, meaning I now *couldn't* summon Hexwraiths because I didn't have 160 Reinforcement Points still kicking around.<br />
In hindsight, I should have summoned more Archers, but oh well.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZHJj8gulqQsoKIQhi0M9Ml1i6GNdNUd-8-mKQiYJmjCjDb-QK7oOy7ievGEz_Isrb8M_SmkR0lW7zI8YtL5KI8fKU1ttOXSBLlXIhFLWVIQt-NyPio0n32J-bip9wgaqMaLdZXsQ_1w/s1600/IMG_20170308_182930793.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZHJj8gulqQsoKIQhi0M9Ml1i6GNdNUd-8-mKQiYJmjCjDb-QK7oOy7ievGEz_Isrb8M_SmkR0lW7zI8YtL5KI8fKU1ttOXSBLlXIhFLWVIQt-NyPio0n32J-bip9wgaqMaLdZXsQ_1w/s640/IMG_20170308_182930793.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Continuing the bad news, because of where all of his units were, this was the only place I could put those Knights within 24" of Arkhan, and 9" away from any enemies (his Kurnoth Scythes were keeping me from being on the side of the Archers, very bad).<br />
<br />
I used what little casting I had left to hit Arkhan with Mystic Shield and tried to cast the Necromancer's spell on him too, but failed to cast it.<br />
<br />
But, I kept up the fight. Mannfred went full-tilt towards the Spite Revenants, determined to wipe them out so I didn't have to worry about them any more, and my Skeleton unit there joined him.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKNL3XewBzej3k50U4o0gc1giLTVCPX_jOOHzG8hDN9ks57bgrrYriqs7DBSiyQav4hJLEkYsDGnxon31Bczk7RKfYvx9ovfyFIM7ohfADpdaCVwC9xo8wXS-uCzgJiRW604iQFiueo8/s1600/IMG_20170308_184349381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKNL3XewBzej3k50U4o0gc1giLTVCPX_jOOHzG8hDN9ks57bgrrYriqs7DBSiyQav4hJLEkYsDGnxon31Bczk7RKfYvx9ovfyFIM7ohfADpdaCVwC9xo8wXS-uCzgJiRW604iQFiueo8/s640/IMG_20170308_184349381.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
My Cairn Wraith retreated from combat here, Running for the Objective, and netting me a point. You can see him just behind the Realm Gate in the photo above.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6lwDozfR6vEGJEOsaFGj8PmyHQfm619TNberDn3xQJ-VVIVHlVqtzoxIYn1n96REmrFz7ReJMbgLBzPI8RLQNsI6o6YLLYK2r4hc7MIEzH2nvqUSbh0YgsPYs1cKmFM1Tn5lJURdeGM/s1600/IMG_20170308_184358638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6lwDozfR6vEGJEOsaFGj8PmyHQfm619TNberDn3xQJ-VVIVHlVqtzoxIYn1n96REmrFz7ReJMbgLBzPI8RLQNsI6o6YLLYK2r4hc7MIEzH2nvqUSbh0YgsPYs1cKmFM1Tn5lJURdeGM/s640/IMG_20170308_184358638.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Arkhan also made the Charge, and was able to get within 1" (Huzzah!)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM99yEIGtah6o5jEDVlYJYa5a6dQ5PYaewU045vLC8NaRefDzE-XbTEwyE6425_2gSroiWZNO0zqIZYbD96bv3ULH0w_WdiA6PAVHmdIfxZqqrF5uDdIAG4gSNVXs2SC6T78l6-HbLlwU/s1600/IMG_20170308_184404010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM99yEIGtah6o5jEDVlYJYa5a6dQ5PYaewU045vLC8NaRefDzE-XbTEwyE6425_2gSroiWZNO0zqIZYbD96bv3ULH0w_WdiA6PAVHmdIfxZqqrF5uDdIAG4gSNVXs2SC6T78l6-HbLlwU/s640/IMG_20170308_184404010.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
My Black Knights even made their Charge, although because of where I'd had to place them, they had to charge the Treelord. Which was SO BAD. But I hoped I could maybe hurt him?<br />
I should have just not Charged. Had I kept them where they were for a turn, they could have looped around and hit the Archers at full strength, or at least lured the Treelord away from the Objective.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4sqo0K5Hm_o0jCwMoumUUbx8firuFCv_6gPjSGvHImZv-xQTQbeXIpwIIFctRU6IRPybZvcfrvullPZCT46RTutHLcnJDPEfD21sW0BvBCTR5kzHGyt43cuIKlLsGfaIzHEFo83pRbek/s1600/IMG_20170308_190913885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4sqo0K5Hm_o0jCwMoumUUbx8firuFCv_6gPjSGvHImZv-xQTQbeXIpwIIFctRU6IRPybZvcfrvullPZCT46RTutHLcnJDPEfD21sW0BvBCTR5kzHGyt43cuIKlLsGfaIzHEFo83pRbek/s640/IMG_20170308_190913885.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
My Skeletons did some work, but Arkhan was the star of the show (for once) not only getting two Wounds back, but doing terrible damage. The Dryads lost around 7 models, and were close to the Fear Skeletons, so lost several more in Battleshock, in addition to the few they'd lost in their turn.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyhM2vmU_w-tmgq8I63idJ6OHLQI6CMk1fnkUJGLbmGZr2RLXpp3i_cwwrZl0ZXZtCkpvL7bjYMHC9WrUsXeKIFGSwMV4VvXjCFqBO9z2Pzt0tg9d3eXxL8StRh-_cXjVfHdfoHrDM9w/s1600/IMG_20170308_190916539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyhM2vmU_w-tmgq8I63idJ6OHLQI6CMk1fnkUJGLbmGZr2RLXpp3i_cwwrZl0ZXZtCkpvL7bjYMHC9WrUsXeKIFGSwMV4VvXjCFqBO9z2Pzt0tg9d3eXxL8StRh-_cXjVfHdfoHrDM9w/s640/IMG_20170308_190916539.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
In return, I lost two Black Knights. Not bad, not great.<br />
That said, this was their Charge, where their Lances would have done 2 damage each, and where they had +1 to-Wound. But, if the entirety of last League taught me anything, it's that Black Knights actually suck. Even their horses - usually top-performers - didn't score a hit this turn. And to get through a 2+ re-rollable, I needed to do a *lot* of Wounds.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8I43YOvy1uYNXIDeiMtCGtyStU6e8XC04ttPgZfaFEcqiFEiOafMzb7H-VUKNc1gZKFkNKWCg32m7SUQF5nhIVxt9NytuHpCdlexm2ksWgTNYqz0IJGpUu-s1Uaeq5ySvuAndZPjYZO0/s1600/IMG_20170308_190920693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8I43YOvy1uYNXIDeiMtCGtyStU6e8XC04ttPgZfaFEcqiFEiOafMzb7H-VUKNc1gZKFkNKWCg32m7SUQF5nhIVxt9NytuHpCdlexm2ksWgTNYqz0IJGpUu-s1Uaeq5ySvuAndZPjYZO0/s640/IMG_20170308_190920693.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
But Mannfred and the Skeletons wiped out the Spite Revenants before they even had the chance to strike.<br />
My Archers killed some more Dryads, in both shooting and Combat, and again lost 1 model in return.<br />
<br />
My Cairn Wraith scored me a point, while his Treelord Ancient scored one for him as well. Technically tied up 1 to 1 going in to-<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Round 3</u>!</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDn8PbwunFq68KAlxBHLn65fHv8ClpCS7aLuoWsGcF6cKVztt_Pk2TqGbnSc0gZ5i3lMhNkesHQGzqWI4J68VHELc74ySpayD_VeKacrI1Hk3T1KpUYFxhJiwISNAohv3TLs3OZ0Zw0Rk/s1600/IMG_20170308_190926321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDn8PbwunFq68KAlxBHLn65fHv8ClpCS7aLuoWsGcF6cKVztt_Pk2TqGbnSc0gZ5i3lMhNkesHQGzqWI4J68VHELc74ySpayD_VeKacrI1Hk3T1KpUYFxhJiwISNAohv3TLs3OZ0Zw0Rk/s640/IMG_20170308_190926321.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Huff. Turn 3. Technically tied on points, but I'd handily won most of my Combats, and not lost completely to the Treelord. But those Scythes were getting close, and Arkhan was still about to face the full brunt of their shooting.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdHCL-vJYyf3LuyaRRnetu9_aGZmKovbLfOpnDHP4P0Zw9umjHE6nWkKMfAzbfYsEgw88Fi-v7dL7ZTjJiALTlayszMIgdn16RaGeT25SpTwgtMAqs7Wdsub1T_UHVcmZXOo4djpKT5dA/s1600/IMG_20170308_191731241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdHCL-vJYyf3LuyaRRnetu9_aGZmKovbLfOpnDHP4P0Zw9umjHE6nWkKMfAzbfYsEgw88Fi-v7dL7ZTjJiALTlayszMIgdn16RaGeT25SpTwgtMAqs7Wdsub1T_UHVcmZXOo4djpKT5dA/s640/IMG_20170308_191731241.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Breathing room. But don't breath or he's going to die!<br />
But, in a spectacular turn, the Hunters whiffed their shots. Between cold rolls and hot saves, I had one turn of highly unlikely reprieve, and Arkhan lived to fight another day.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_oiNE9hsbg4JZtD2-ZnINirfF9eDJYDCl29h0ed9aYR9cMJTUixilLrHgi-bc2GLtQAFC8y-RboXqcYomLtjafMbuNCtnVa_7eCJgUVeNabsSM-RILGW22iUU6k5wfvNM3g6tDKlqQhk/s1600/IMG_20170308_192026246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_oiNE9hsbg4JZtD2-ZnINirfF9eDJYDCl29h0ed9aYR9cMJTUixilLrHgi-bc2GLtQAFC8y-RboXqcYomLtjafMbuNCtnVa_7eCJgUVeNabsSM-RILGW22iUU6k5wfvNM3g6tDKlqQhk/s640/IMG_20170308_192026246.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The Kurnoth Hunters decided to join the fight, in a combat that would tell me just how effective Black Knights would have been against them, even at full strength.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrQ0Uj5zKAf46wUfZq9-FMGNZkbr84Pvy-m2VVLd2Kcg06ei9U4-TJtYAXlVZMdVAZ_p1le4ZHfhzlCUvK8EjiA_qdkr-d_gp7tz6n7TWTaGOekP7CHWqZyBEYDorkLzpe2UnVSuAey9E/s1600/IMG_20170308_192030985.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrQ0Uj5zKAf46wUfZq9-FMGNZkbr84Pvy-m2VVLd2Kcg06ei9U4-TJtYAXlVZMdVAZ_p1le4ZHfhzlCUvK8EjiA_qdkr-d_gp7tz6n7TWTaGOekP7CHWqZyBEYDorkLzpe2UnVSuAey9E/s640/IMG_20170308_192030985.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
His other Hunters also decided to finish off my Cairn Wraith, dealing him two Wounds, while he dealt none back in return. The Cairn Wraith is another Hero who is pretty good on paper, but whose 4+/3+ three attacks often miss. Add to that that even these Archers re-roll their saves and, well, bad juju.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQljm5GlTuu7VhgibvUfQgbCQgbarTfaXa8RKGGGK9jVbwnsbPb4lWeKRM5wpGQqc0ONFrnOoKF72OfvVfmvQI34L4yRwVF4vKn8MgUgnuCZefI85qURNBsvoSB1-_fyQ1iii3lv7NKA/s1600/IMG_20170308_192833552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQljm5GlTuu7VhgibvUfQgbCQgbarTfaXa8RKGGGK9jVbwnsbPb4lWeKRM5wpGQqc0ONFrnOoKF72OfvVfmvQI34L4yRwVF4vKn8MgUgnuCZefI85qURNBsvoSB1-_fyQ1iii3lv7NKA/s640/IMG_20170308_192833552.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
And this combat proved decidedly (and predictably) one-sided, leaving my Black Knights dwindling fast.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30GGrEv43YQ-qywqN27ON5jbk_3ykBvrDegswDdpamS7oaWnb858m8tQcsIuiiaX06UzzrxC4L9ujzVBKBDUBsiBMnExyjagNm9L70Ot563gtAlJJbXJP8MClwtoqC5dSOoIk4-yzS6c/s1600/IMG_20170308_192840977.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30GGrEv43YQ-qywqN27ON5jbk_3ykBvrDegswDdpamS7oaWnb858m8tQcsIuiiaX06UzzrxC4L9ujzVBKBDUBsiBMnExyjagNm9L70Ot563gtAlJJbXJP8MClwtoqC5dSOoIk4-yzS6c/s640/IMG_20170308_192840977.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Here, my Cairn Wraith actually survived! Dealing a single Wound, but not dying either. That said, this is Top of turn 3, so he has to survive one more round of Combat in the Bottom of 3 to score me more points.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKQd3y9AiR6S2qZ0Bj7YjoNtQw7Lu2UCobP2aOaE6puaXcHZimASK3S4b4BglbMTxaCkqwbefpEJzavz_bQJv03ftEoNDjIdOMoXv7SnuElTMPge9A4MwI6v-QPueWmjSq9x8VPZlfYE/s1600/IMG_20170308_194349784.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKQd3y9AiR6S2qZ0Bj7YjoNtQw7Lu2UCobP2aOaE6puaXcHZimASK3S4b4BglbMTxaCkqwbefpEJzavz_bQJv03ftEoNDjIdOMoXv7SnuElTMPge9A4MwI6v-QPueWmjSq9x8VPZlfYE/s640/IMG_20170308_194349784.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Here's the middle of my turn, above. The Branchwych had moved into the Wildwood, granting him another point, plus two for the Treelord. As of now, he's sitting on four points to my 1.<br />
This was a tough Hero phase, since both of his Wizards are in range to counter my Casters, and Arkhan is hurt enough to have casting penalties. So I believe Arcane Bolt and Wind of Death were dispelled, but Arkhan did manage Curse of Years to kill the Branchwych. Take that, firewood!<br />
<br />
I also managed to re-cast Divine Shield on Arkhan, and get him in to combat. But still, had I gotten all of my spells off, I might even have put a dent in that damn Treelord. As it is now, I've been dealing with other targets and trying to stay alive and haven't had the chance I'd hoped to annihilate it.<br />
<br />
Still. My far Skeleton unit and Horse Archers ran, while Mannfred closed on the Scythe Hunters, while my big Skeleton Blob and Necromancer moved to take the Wildwood Objective.<br />
My Archers managed to do a single Wound, and killed one of the Scythe Hunters. With some hot rolls, I hoped Mannfred might actually be able to kill another one and give me some breathing room.<br />
Arkhan moved in to polish off the small unit of Dryads, getting dangerously close to the Treelord, but desperately needing to win some Wounds back.<br />
<br />
In hindsight, my Skeleton Blob should also have charged those Scythe Hunters, but I'd Run with them to screen the Necromancer on the Objective. That wasn't exactly a bad call, but since they were going to be in combat anyway, the Charge might have made a difference.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjax_MN5KJSjHYPTUd4nTZvCtTJ4_TjWNC7iltpz0X9qRkWQu1mK6AWNY5rryjGBCrClEz9p88A6cGLHo3W94vwwXFNnFzD_ICDgq0qazcVCjZ6arTDk0ZJ990S_72FrniMko5sziCLTnU/s1600/IMG_20170308_200339030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjax_MN5KJSjHYPTUd4nTZvCtTJ4_TjWNC7iltpz0X9qRkWQu1mK6AWNY5rryjGBCrClEz9p88A6cGLHo3W94vwwXFNnFzD_ICDgq0qazcVCjZ6arTDk0ZJ990S_72FrniMko5sziCLTnU/s640/IMG_20170308_200339030.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Here's part-way through those combats, you can see my Black Knights doing very poorly, the Dryads looking real bad, and Mannfred has taken some Wounds from the Hunters, and their #$@%ing re-rollable save keeping even his hot, Rend -1 rolls from doing anything at all. Hogwash.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SB1FGE1xrT4dzV4ZMCvfstjCcwmVDnbftsViJCMcjjaJwfWTs3GL0zdSPakKMSUCw8Ba711q5Y8bXJd1C194b-4Ok5EVWpzCCy5bHPBhjUtn0n8-vza5W2bnRTpT7LwnHG2YlT9sbI8/s1600/IMG_20170308_200347063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SB1FGE1xrT4dzV4ZMCvfstjCcwmVDnbftsViJCMcjjaJwfWTs3GL0zdSPakKMSUCw8Ba711q5Y8bXJd1C194b-4Ok5EVWpzCCy5bHPBhjUtn0n8-vza5W2bnRTpT7LwnHG2YlT9sbI8/s640/IMG_20170308_200347063.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Here was another mistake. In my turn, my Cairn Wraith should have Run, retreated around the Archers and held the point, at least for my turn, to give me another two Victory Points, and just one shy of the lead. My thought was, if he died, I could re-summon another Cairn Wraith at full health. While that was true, it was just as true if I'd taken the two Points first. The fact of the matter is, I was underestimating their Stomp attacks, against which he only had a 6+.<br />
As it was, he did more damage than I'd expected, but in the end fell to the "not great in combat" Kurnoth Hunters.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBip02TkgWCfUfgIK-0EYhZj5n71Kwn4JKm8mHoN0QvMWH-_ND_dxZmv92e_Dc42PLKeF2sPuTIhUI66g_NvHnpdhxi-E9DU9BaEVn30VTDDvVnaj_uKAd97Qha1b0NazNq-B393eT3Jw/s1600/IMG_20170308_200351744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBip02TkgWCfUfgIK-0EYhZj5n71Kwn4JKm8mHoN0QvMWH-_ND_dxZmv92e_Dc42PLKeF2sPuTIhUI66g_NvHnpdhxi-E9DU9BaEVn30VTDDvVnaj_uKAd97Qha1b0NazNq-B393eT3Jw/s640/IMG_20170308_200351744.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
This... Was not good. The Armor of Templehof had saved him from dying outright, but he'd done practically no damage in return (which is ridiculous) and their Stomps, with some hot rolling, killed him at last. In one round of combat. Dammit.<br />
What's particularly tragic is in that combat he did eight Wounds, six of which were Rend -1 and D3 damage, and those stupid logs saved SEVEN of those Wounds. Seven of 8. On mostly 5+. Dude.<br />
<br />
Now that was largely exceptional rolling on his part, but still, that's insane durability on a unit like that, and against possibly the best attack rolls I've ever had from Mannfred.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSOlpVJi5DmOu-EBwClpvWpPlQmCatpbtP-BBI4wzWHam_b4BjrD9kXdvUU5W484htUrNsnsnhbkjg4ZQXHOzQN4CVqC6OAtUJozE8GrtyS43jC-bRJJk4GcY5z3rwVpCifKPFREiMpY/s1600/IMG_20170308_200356021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSOlpVJi5DmOu-EBwClpvWpPlQmCatpbtP-BBI4wzWHam_b4BjrD9kXdvUU5W484htUrNsnsnhbkjg4ZQXHOzQN4CVqC6OAtUJozE8GrtyS43jC-bRJJk4GcY5z3rwVpCifKPFREiMpY/s640/IMG_20170308_200356021.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
In combat vs. the Treelord (etc.) I removed models to remove the Treelord himself from combat, and was whittling down the Kurnoth Hunters. In this combat, without the Treelord, my Black Knights probably would have won in the long haul, especially if their Charge had been on the Archers and not the Treelord, but that was my bad. Still, the Hunters were dealing damage far more reliably that they had any reason too, and making crazy saves (also rooted for the 4+ re-rollable).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQs_BiJ5tNqfINJawWKEzz_tqaoWu8jb33leDLpdjKKkHWmE4JVKJqJNaAWmXrBy1lDz-oN_6bZZq1APkWESeoI_T-bvRn8Mdzp8nTimJ0mXHGSPFv6J724dlanN7495EdT6BoTqb33A/s1600/IMG_20170308_200359252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQs_BiJ5tNqfINJawWKEzz_tqaoWu8jb33leDLpdjKKkHWmE4JVKJqJNaAWmXrBy1lDz-oN_6bZZq1APkWESeoI_T-bvRn8Mdzp8nTimJ0mXHGSPFv6J724dlanN7495EdT6BoTqb33A/s640/IMG_20170308_200359252.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Arkhan, however, was doing all right. He'd lost one Wound in combat, but gained another two, bringing him back above half health, and into safer/more powerful territory.<br />
<br />
I also got another point for my Necromancer, bringing me up to 2, but still well behind with no real hope of catching up. But what the hell, let's see this through. Time to make some more firewood!<br />
<br />
On to <b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Round 4</u>!</span></b><br />
Woo! I got first turn!<br />
Since most of play was pre-existing combats, whose turn it was in many ways was blurring. But, It was nice to finally get first for once :)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGXNRtoxq89m9p9XuKyMGfK3uggDxXLDoKUGOnyEG1PudTGf0odZz71_FYPslB7Ku_VFfcWigIOh5ZlzV6zi0jbkzwJIwp6izGcWOIT7xdzMekcAOB70gQmzQ_4ST27mwF2tMI0ZBqRg/s1600/IMG_20170308_200406586.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGXNRtoxq89m9p9XuKyMGfK3uggDxXLDoKUGOnyEG1PudTGf0odZz71_FYPslB7Ku_VFfcWigIOh5ZlzV6zi0jbkzwJIwp6izGcWOIT7xdzMekcAOB70gQmzQ_4ST27mwF2tMI0ZBqRg/s640/IMG_20170308_200406586.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Ok, so here's where we're at - that Treeman is about to get *three* points. I have two Heroes alive on the table, one of whom (if she lives) is going to net me two from the middle Objective. If I get my Cairn Wraith summoned, I can take the far Objective no problem.<br />
That nets me three points, in addition to the two I already have, for a total of five. Round 3 left the Trees with four already between the Treeman's two and Branchwych's one, so if I did manage my full five, I would be in the lead.<br />
If, however, I wasn't able to shift the Treeman, he was going to get another three points by himself.<br />
<br />
So I tagged that Treeman with Arcane Bolt, which he easily dispelled, then I hit him with Curse of Years, rolled an 11 to cast, and had a solid roll, knocking him down to 7 Wounds.<br />
Huzzah!<br />
...Now what? Seven is a crapton of Wounds on that frame, and I was out of offensive spells, and no way were the Black Knights going to make up that difference (although they had whittled down one of those Archers!) Worse still, I was within 3" of a Wildwood, and it did Waken, doing D3 Mortal Wounds to all of my units within 3"<br />
My Skeleton Warriors lost one, my Black Knights lost one (two Wounds), and Arkhan fubbed a save, going from seven Wounds to six.<br />
<br />
In further worse news, the Necromancer failed to summon another Cairn Wraith. So already I wasn't going to get the full three.<br />
Arkhan was sitting on six Wounds, enough for a 10" Move, right through that Wildwood, straight into that Treelord Ancient. I would have to Charge out of/through a Wildwood, roll high on my Charges, and try very hard not to get flattened like a bug on a windshield against that 2+ re-rollable. Even my Rend attacks would only make it a 4+ re-rollable at worst. And that's only with four of my Attacks...<br />
If I'd had the Casting to hit him with Vanhel's Danse to pile-in and Attack twice, or even Mystic Shield - ideally both - I... Still probably wouldn't have done it. Even juiced up to holy hell, Arkhan is no match in Combat for a Treelord. While he dishes out more and more powerful attacks, he just doesn't have the Rend to push that damage through, or the durability to weather even weaker return attacks.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixCXzceZ4TD7naFBUEfBU3nD5V4zwRAhcNDAQs7eH0anhHKIlyBed6akEPWKr0o4BKxu2_WrKs2NJAR5F5yX7DW2LKUCx20BErIa4xvf1xvs3thxWb4aon64TCe-Pd1FbcsPqdm5Izw-c/s1600/IMG_20170308_203055700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixCXzceZ4TD7naFBUEfBU3nD5V4zwRAhcNDAQs7eH0anhHKIlyBed6akEPWKr0o4BKxu2_WrKs2NJAR5F5yX7DW2LKUCx20BErIa4xvf1xvs3thxWb4aon64TCe-Pd1FbcsPqdm5Izw-c/s640/IMG_20170308_203055700.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
What I did instead was run, and run a mighty 6", for a 16" total move. A solid run, but where? Towards to far Objective for the final turn, away from the Treeman (for whatever reason), but still in range of both units of those damn Archers. I was sitting on six Wounds, but one or two failed Saves with hot rolls...<br />
Maybe he would have been safer against the Treeman? Who knows. <br />
<br />
Arkhan was in range to Charge, but needed 10", and just didn't make it. The Skeletons did, rolling the 10 he'd needed. My far unit of Skeletons also charged the other unit of Archers, because why not?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstSXTnvZcyAm1r6iVLip6trMkVhG_Gc-7hMpejNgHBZZREJ-mRa_C8VmZ12Cwr8owW5NLx3jSpxub31dn5mWnHASGKrZx9-F7oQ0jZf5zhJ8tofHfVWzTo7CNNysyqLJmZKejP4F06y0/s1600/IMG_20170308_203059293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstSXTnvZcyAm1r6iVLip6trMkVhG_Gc-7hMpejNgHBZZREJ-mRa_C8VmZ12Cwr8owW5NLx3jSpxub31dn5mWnHASGKrZx9-F7oQ0jZf5zhJ8tofHfVWzTo7CNNysyqLJmZKejP4F06y0/s640/IMG_20170308_203059293.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I didn't have much hope that they would accomplish anything, but you never know! And they weren't doing anything else, so it made sense to charge rather than be charged.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Jm4biet47Qh0CcRmB1qIWWlBDeE5Ic2X3U0v2o3jOIDAKCNSgrVdkv4b9J4O4BPPzzxYMk1LXOBHq3naPM7GL5zJY6XsZ8tnR1wvy-i8Z0QtV2VKlAdFoHuuf3GyR4AzZ63pteplPiU/s1600/IMG_20170308_204237146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Jm4biet47Qh0CcRmB1qIWWlBDeE5Ic2X3U0v2o3jOIDAKCNSgrVdkv4b9J4O4BPPzzxYMk1LXOBHq3naPM7GL5zJY6XsZ8tnR1wvy-i8Z0QtV2VKlAdFoHuuf3GyR4AzZ63pteplPiU/s640/IMG_20170308_204237146.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
RAR! GIT 'EM, BOYS!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TGtqatRObegXANbFVEj0P2RJtiht7CA-uLQBa115Qsyw6NxiWVjlO3wkPW-4avcvv6rn2eDVikCTF2_bLks73f2SuSQmH5tmC_Z0fMjHLM9DzwOv8VNWLRBUI8RTZ0ud1iH0IaTgWRo/s1600/IMG_20170308_204240398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TGtqatRObegXANbFVEj0P2RJtiht7CA-uLQBa115Qsyw6NxiWVjlO3wkPW-4avcvv6rn2eDVikCTF2_bLks73f2SuSQmH5tmC_Z0fMjHLM9DzwOv8VNWLRBUI8RTZ0ud1iH0IaTgWRo/s640/IMG_20170308_204240398.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
These Skeletons were doing some work, pumping 24 Attacks per round at 3+/4+, I freaking should be! That stupid thing was taking one-Wound per round of combat, if that, and was doing the same to my Necromancer, who was heroically throwing Skeletons in the path of the Scythe to save Wounds.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyjZxzZEDJX2HFOI6PkTuaxaaLehrgC6WWX2Bv0pWkKEOPYhc4lwEwWhzeBFia_lLU92In5EsKiptgCuW23OxmmnzTZcoyv_LrPeml1pJgeVDZKe9tArCyaEAtyGfCkDNBYQIPHIBoj8k/s1600/IMG_20170308_204245599.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyjZxzZEDJX2HFOI6PkTuaxaaLehrgC6WWX2Bv0pWkKEOPYhc4lwEwWhzeBFia_lLU92In5EsKiptgCuW23OxmmnzTZcoyv_LrPeml1pJgeVDZKe9tArCyaEAtyGfCkDNBYQIPHIBoj8k/s640/IMG_20170308_204245599.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
This was a mistake, at one point I'd put a single Wound on my Bannerman in the Black Knight unit. It was a long game at that point, I wasn't thinking. Being already Wounded, I had to give him further Wounds before anyone else, meaning no more D3 models coming back per turn - oh no!<br />
<br />
Long story short, I scored my two points with my Necromancer, he scored three with his Treelord, giving him a more than commanding lead. I was pretty much hosed, but, we played it out. On to-<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Round 5</u>!</span></b><br />
<br />
Sylvaneth went first again,<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhucZHYCa4UJypGdMlPnfhOhnacdVSdAiJgMREnQRAKYSC8OCd10aMqGXdHT7A4mhAymK-pmxu-67MI4ju8wdI0uAbUhOnELDkPUQmzXlgFeK_t3bk-CvgAU77Bd348asfejn_IiWuXpoA/s1600/IMG_20170308_204257012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhucZHYCa4UJypGdMlPnfhOhnacdVSdAiJgMREnQRAKYSC8OCd10aMqGXdHT7A4mhAymK-pmxu-67MI4ju8wdI0uAbUhOnELDkPUQmzXlgFeK_t3bk-CvgAU77Bd348asfejn_IiWuXpoA/s640/IMG_20170308_204257012.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Still got Skeletons!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHclRujY6hbLxOySHEjsPof6B_5oPBS1ILprqdmZEWYNarVRrjzkysLZtrhF5NgFGBOEOTSACRK9RhMopck4eF2oWBiOHcVTkOo0AEcoT9FhvOCaBW2nfMWcVK-_EjZegjtgL1ZSDYTSA/s1600/IMG_20170308_204803240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHclRujY6hbLxOySHEjsPof6B_5oPBS1ILprqdmZEWYNarVRrjzkysLZtrhF5NgFGBOEOTSACRK9RhMopck4eF2oWBiOHcVTkOo0AEcoT9FhvOCaBW2nfMWcVK-_EjZegjtgL1ZSDYTSA/s640/IMG_20170308_204803240.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
...But no more Arkhan! Shit! I took something like 8 damage worth of Wounds, between failing 5+'s and high D3 rolls for Damage. Brutal. Granted, it was a straight-up miracle that he'd lasted this long, but still. It was tough losing him whenever it happened.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhne760PlgyaoYTk_7MYYWYiPYeuY0YpICiQ8zZwdWQzWSWEHPcz4sGK1Zm1-MXAo-LTN5AaDP8cGX2lKfQBzEQf9K6TfLNbPw_8oILxlvJ3a_9UmNak5fCCyIb3mB7hZ76nVMF73yTUog/s1600/IMG_20170308_204812713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhne760PlgyaoYTk_7MYYWYiPYeuY0YpICiQ8zZwdWQzWSWEHPcz4sGK1Zm1-MXAo-LTN5AaDP8cGX2lKfQBzEQf9K6TfLNbPw_8oILxlvJ3a_9UmNak5fCCyIb3mB7hZ76nVMF73yTUog/s640/IMG_20170308_204812713.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Yeah, you better just... Stand there looking menacing, you magnificent model, you!<br />
But seriously, I'd been so effective against those Dryad blobs, wiping all fourty of them in two Rounds, and then been kicking these things in the shins for the entire rest of the game while they calmly, casually murdered all of my important stuff :P<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkk6ZF8PTQ-w1Q_vurkCr8hJwsUFkHAsqazTdXY2JpY1s3pbcHlwEU4vowDCleM20z6QawMyN-k9FQI1rMhJieqt151KIdDF3mz96N4qy-9eppVxN8amn7FJ7TMYxf_kdTeWSIqKqDAMk/s1600/IMG_20170308_210557491.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkk6ZF8PTQ-w1Q_vurkCr8hJwsUFkHAsqazTdXY2JpY1s3pbcHlwEU4vowDCleM20z6QawMyN-k9FQI1rMhJieqt151KIdDF3mz96N4qy-9eppVxN8amn7FJ7TMYxf_kdTeWSIqKqDAMk/s640/IMG_20170308_210557491.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
In my turn, I Charged with my Archers, and finally summoned that Cairn Wraith. But, again having to be 9" away from enemy units, he's way off in the woods and not much help.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGXMJ3qqHwpdpHJnqAA1RPJXKfM2aPb-bgMlyC_M_4LiOgYrR4C4asxdXr9YFMuH-g555J55bq5-bU3-uwDvt55mE__KhPbajj52LltNqwNxhf7aVZ4UK02fiZeV0Yt5iYPgiskPCeck/s1600/IMG_20170308_210601568.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGXMJ3qqHwpdpHJnqAA1RPJXKfM2aPb-bgMlyC_M_4LiOgYrR4C4asxdXr9YFMuH-g555J55bq5-bU3-uwDvt55mE__KhPbajj52LltNqwNxhf7aVZ4UK02fiZeV0Yt5iYPgiskPCeck/s640/IMG_20170308_210601568.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
And this bugger finally killed off my Necromancer with a lucky Stomp, still standing with no less than three Wounds remaining. Huff.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhOW3jV7MB1Z93-4xiE_vWscGFgdfo1mnaOhj3wpeIPViCWQECinnyOjcEo0_e7Q6-o9ECfhx1HuHJoO88N0GwsiICkgp1evUfsFo08Zs1EFfBkknmMIyJkmn1Rv1K6QAhktmprdoYfw/s1600/IMG_20170308_210605134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhOW3jV7MB1Z93-4xiE_vWscGFgdfo1mnaOhj3wpeIPViCWQECinnyOjcEo0_e7Q6-o9ECfhx1HuHJoO88N0GwsiICkgp1evUfsFo08Zs1EFfBkknmMIyJkmn1Rv1K6QAhktmprdoYfw/s640/IMG_20170308_210605134.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
But hey, I still got Skeletons!<br />
<br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Wrap-up</span></u></b><br />
Welp, that was brutal. Still my favorite scenario! And nowhere near as crushing as my last game against Sylvaneth, yikes. I actually killed all the Dryads this time.<br />
<br />
My plans always seemed to be too little, too late. While my Summoning was fun, and I got *most* of the units I was hoping for, the fact that I couldn't Summon a Wight King was real bad planning on my part. Failing completely to cast my Hexwraiths (twice), and that final Cairn Wraith one turn too many. The real kicker was accidentally Summoning ten Black Knights, sealing my Hexwraith-free army for the rest of the game.<br />
During the game as well, I made several small mistakes - not Retreating/Running with that first Cairn Wraith. Not Charging the Scythe-Hunters one turn earlier. Not Running the Black Knights around the Treelord to engage the Archers on their first Charge. And probably even not Charging the Treeman in the end. these were snap decisions I could have done to make the game slightly more favorable. But, it's hard to think of anything major I did in-game that I could have done significantly better...<br />
But also, I was out-played. The murder-Trees spread out, used the Terrain, denying me the best Summon spaces, keeping me from Summoning directly onto Objectives. That was great playing a number of times. I can talk all I want about how those damn Archers are broken, and how you shouldn't have a re-rollable 2+ save in a dice game (ever), but he did play brilliantly with what he had.<br />
<br />
Seriously though, what the shit. That was a *lot* of dirt-cheap, re-rollable saves. And a re-rollable 2+? I can get a 2+/5+, but that's on a Hero, with a Spell, and a Relic all in one. Not just a 2+/2+ with a Hero and a Relic. That's crazy.<br />
<br />
In any case, it was a really great game! It was yet another reminder that I need harder-hitting units in my collection, and that's becoming a priority more and more each time I get murdered :P<br />
<br />
ONWARD, TO ROUND 4!Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-3979186909913668952017-03-05T12:23:00.002-08:002017-06-18T21:08:40.562-07:00Sigmar League Round 2: Skeletons vs. Ghouls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKfFqCcRii2aa5w2FYuKfZMnGqSDRpBEJxVoor40ueCcZ5VEZhuV_9E4HeuNNzwpn3bsv_WBSdYFjwnXIxjsD4nOsSft7A9B20P5CmVnZQbnCEGKSTU0w5NDzAPd_T3S7mdPVpJaPxJc/s1600/IMG_20170305_120426518_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKfFqCcRii2aa5w2FYuKfZMnGqSDRpBEJxVoor40ueCcZ5VEZhuV_9E4HeuNNzwpn3bsv_WBSdYFjwnXIxjsD4nOsSft7A9B20P5CmVnZQbnCEGKSTU0w5NDzAPd_T3S7mdPVpJaPxJc/s640/IMG_20170305_120426518_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
What's up folks! It's on to ROUND 2! This time, my first Death mirror-match, although going into it, I didn't know exactly what kind of smelly grave-spawn would be facing down my dainty skeleton hordes. In the end, it turns out, it was GHOULS of the terrifying Flesh-Eater Courts.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a> First notes: this was Round 2, and since the General's Handbook is setup so nicely with scenarios in approximate order, it was the truly uninspiring Blood and Glory scenario. Four Objectives, one in each corner, most Models within 6" holds it, and whoever holds the most Objectives at the end of Round 5 wins.<br />
Blah. Booooring.<br />
<br />
However, this match promised not to be boring. Flesh-Eater Courts are the current darling of Undead players, having received the most new rules and Warscroll Battalions, along with a lot of the latest new models, a lot of players gravitate to them for obvious reasons. Personally, I've always found them to be a little bit too gooey - but to each their own, right?<br />
<br />
Hilariously, both of us were really excited to use the Cursed Book Relic, and both had the unhappy discovery that it doesn't work on Death units, and so would be wasted in this game. Same for the Black Amulet, but oh well.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I went with a fairly standard list, a slight variant of my last 1k list:<br />
<br />
Wight King (Skeletal Steed, Ancient Shield) General, Ruler of the Night, Tomb Blade relic<br />
Count Mannfred (Barbed Nightmare)<br />
Necromancer (Nightmare)<br />
Skeleton Warriors (20x, Sword/Shield, Banner, Musician)<br />
Skeleton Warriors (20x, Sword/Shield, Banner, Musician)<br />
Skeleton Horse Archers (10x, Banner, Musician)<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0dTio-D4Gku4T_KVHou-g-7YxSY3_hlqgP1si64Fypi7NUehEgqXfjcECrwKXir5YD4aeRCu2MsrkEGo3YDfziTzrl-N2nBZxVVuCAAG66uSMRbzIsAmGkMrJn4E_8l2AHhEaTo2B9JM/s1600/IMG_20170304_121444909_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0dTio-D4Gku4T_KVHou-g-7YxSY3_hlqgP1si64Fypi7NUehEgqXfjcECrwKXir5YD4aeRCu2MsrkEGo3YDfziTzrl-N2nBZxVVuCAAG66uSMRbzIsAmGkMrJn4E_8l2AHhEaTo2B9JM/s640/IMG_20170304_121444909_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I swapped out Kemmler to save some points, and the third unit of Skeletons, because only two Battleline units are required and units of less than 20 aren't very reliable. The Wight King is a new inclusion, I wanted Ruler of the Night, and the Wight King is the most durable of Death's budget heroes. Especially rocking the Wound-stealing Tomb Blade, the Ancient Shield for a base 3+, and the 5+ Deathless Minions from Ruler of the Night, he's a beast. On paper.<br />
<br />
My opponent pulled some fresh ones out of the graveyard:<br />
<br />
Vampire Lord (Nightmare) General, Tomb Blade relic, Vampire Lord stock trait<br />
Vampire Lord<br />
Ghoul Courtier<br />
20x Ghouls<br />
20x Ghouls<br />
20x Ghouls<br />
<br />
Nasty!<br />
The Ghouls were also part of a Warscroll Battalion, but I don't remember the name. It allowed them to arrive from any table edge on Turn 1 more than 9" from any enemy models - that counted as their move, but they could still Charge. A 9" Charge isn't impossible, but it's on the long side, so I was hopeful about that. That same Battalion also let his Ghoul units roll their "Return D6 slain models to this unit in the Hero Phase" even if they weren't within range of a Courtier. And, as an extra nasty bonus, the unit that *was* within range of the Courtier could do that twice - returning 2D6 models/turn.<br />
It's a powerful Battalion for sure, but it also cost him 100 points, and he was 20 under 1000 in the end, so I had an advantage of 20 pts technically, but 120 point lead in models. He rolled on the Triumph table and got an extra Wound for his General.<br />
<br />
The Terrain was uninspiring this game, and here's where I wound up (this is in the middle of his Deployment of his Ghouls for Turn 1). <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItOVuKoLuFYpEJ9xVB5kUHBiyPlOKRa6sNDucbe9vZyQ7exNAoqtsvWjzA4W1SzFWMoIpUS2EXt5_Frgz_cEooiIfGTj4a8e6d4ktx3pkceyAqWW0xPdcjwFTplWDY5joFYBw5wAHNjA/s1600/IMG_20170304_121342982.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItOVuKoLuFYpEJ9xVB5kUHBiyPlOKRa6sNDucbe9vZyQ7exNAoqtsvWjzA4W1SzFWMoIpUS2EXt5_Frgz_cEooiIfGTj4a8e6d4ktx3pkceyAqWW0xPdcjwFTplWDY5joFYBw5wAHNjA/s640/IMG_20170304_121342982.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
We had no Deadly terrain, and only one Mystical (that Realmgate). The Serpent Gate was the Fear-Generating one, and the others had no meaningful impact on the game.<br />
In Deployment, I wanted to solidly hold one Objective, to spread out a little and limit where his Ghouls could arrive from, but also be close enough for my units to reinforce each other.<br />
<br />
You can see his General up there on the top left, the other Vampire Lord is to the right of him.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQp0uoRNaeomrfnSazKGbm0oSyTmTDFfKccRd_-Y-jIzJffCJ-NjzJ6X3N95uztuGCYVzoqLCZocVr70nCu89_A0G0pFx4SJV3otpo_r58zGmHidI1TWnkPoGCDhhthip-SOCMYfyyes/s1600/IMG_20170304_121355082.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQp0uoRNaeomrfnSazKGbm0oSyTmTDFfKccRd_-Y-jIzJffCJ-NjzJ6X3N95uztuGCYVzoqLCZocVr70nCu89_A0G0pFx4SJV3otpo_r58zGmHidI1TWnkPoGCDhhthip-SOCMYfyyes/s640/IMG_20170304_121355082.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
One unit of Ghouls deployed in front of my Archers, while another deployed to the far right of my lines (I took a bunch of pictures here because my army looks pretty good these days, if I do say so myself!)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZF_PUTCm8gS0iYyE9-mWNgiSzB1F-zQCuSvhLFIlPs4831k0JKEeW6YIApfrIKlUpaUszPbz-Rms2FUGdB5NUE3Z_oxX8xXWEjZkq6Gb_oR51f1PljoZLJKJ4ffUSsCTTJ1HF2ojzlgw/s1600/IMG_20170304_121431229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZF_PUTCm8gS0iYyE9-mWNgiSzB1F-zQCuSvhLFIlPs4831k0JKEeW6YIApfrIKlUpaUszPbz-Rms2FUGdB5NUE3Z_oxX8xXWEjZkq6Gb_oR51f1PljoZLJKJ4ffUSsCTTJ1HF2ojzlgw/s640/IMG_20170304_121431229.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Pictured below is a more complete photo of his final deployment. That unit on the right has the Courtier (modeled for this game with a footslogger Wight King). Shortly after I took this picture, he put out his third unit of Ghouls up just under that little flat hill.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHiiStqQUi2GT_8ejXGf2aP7nuOWUZ_bByC9Z7wWAL4sU3lTkWS-E_KmtK6pTbDOGPj2-5VbmJIDD4ikId7jMDU8kDcsnuAI4WK2p-jmK3Yi0Y0F5BIULvms7ScdYBusUZhk0TEs54Ug/s1600/IMG_20170304_121548987.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHiiStqQUi2GT_8ejXGf2aP7nuOWUZ_bByC9Z7wWAL4sU3lTkWS-E_KmtK6pTbDOGPj2-5VbmJIDD4ikId7jMDU8kDcsnuAI4WK2p-jmK3Yi0Y0F5BIULvms7ScdYBusUZhk0TEs54Ug/s640/IMG_20170304_121548987.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Huff. Ghouls.<br />
This being my first match, I was concerned that the Ghouls, with their 2-attacks each base (3 in a unit of 20), would be able to overwhelm my slower Skeletons.<br />
<br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Round 1</span></u></b><br />
On to Ghouls Turn 1:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBt9g7P2kvDSfxo6VeCrpzaLPBH7bSWrCUBJDcxoaLMVcTAdN6wQy0oMjPOzEHUK14bQeab7nKPwVkLkh1xsaxXPAKOOtXACiWh3cyylWpB8dykg0hpjlexlsc3ag2b2PMb2jv_H9e4g/s1600/IMG_20170304_121806194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBt9g7P2kvDSfxo6VeCrpzaLPBH7bSWrCUBJDcxoaLMVcTAdN6wQy0oMjPOzEHUK14bQeab7nKPwVkLkh1xsaxXPAKOOtXACiWh3cyylWpB8dykg0hpjlexlsc3ag2b2PMb2jv_H9e4g/s640/IMG_20170304_121806194.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
In the Hero Phase, he used the Vampire Lord's trait to give his left Ghoul unit an additional Attack this turn (2 base, +1 for 20x models, +1 for the trait = FOUR each) and then failed to cast Mystic Shield on them (whew!) and failed the charge with both them and the Courtier-escorted unit on my right flank.<br />
<br />
Thank goodness for small favors! My turn :)<br />
<br />
In my Hero Phase, I got magical. Mannfred had a shining golden moment of glory and landed both Wind of Death and Mystic Bolt, doing 3 Mortal Wounds each, dropping the Vampire Lord General to a single Wound, and killing one Ghoul with Wind of Death (handy!)<br />
My Necromancer tried to cast Varhel's Danse Macabre to allow my far-right unit of Warriors to pile-in and attack twice, but I failed to cast it.<br />
<br />
Here, I had a choice to make. I wanted to get first-charge so I could kill at least one Ghoul to drop their Attacks from 3 to 2, that was huge. The Ghoul unit on my left was weaker, not having the Courtier, but also backed up by two Vampire Lords, and my Skeleton Warriors were too far away to make that Charge on my turn. So, I opted for the Charge I knew I could make and went right. My Wight King, Necromancer, and center unit of Skeletons ran as far right as they could get (my Warrior unit ran a mighty 2", for 6" total :P)<br />
My Skeleton Horse Archers, being the most excellent shots they are, scored three Wounds on the General, he failed one, and died Turn 1. Boom! Then, those horsemen, being the total cheating bastards they are, ran away. 16" away no less. Mannfred ran as well, and while not quite as zippy, did make a respectable 14"<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDArk6gHVBLx9YfK-hYFtxkuu50b1BV5yK6dq7hB3dJwKC8-EcLFE7HTaEWIP5ysHpbNJpzkMQ4DkZrCRZoyuthz3WhVViSu73Dp9KiMd2EDkszqFtVL-cbgAGwhrysVfdFq_L8Hy3PiE/s1600/IMG_20170304_123538539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDArk6gHVBLx9YfK-hYFtxkuu50b1BV5yK6dq7hB3dJwKC8-EcLFE7HTaEWIP5ysHpbNJpzkMQ4DkZrCRZoyuthz3WhVViSu73Dp9KiMd2EDkszqFtVL-cbgAGwhrysVfdFq_L8Hy3PiE/s640/IMG_20170304_123538539.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Then came the charges. Being about 6" away, my Skeletons were guaranteed to make the charge because of their Musician. They pulled off an 8" Charge, so I was able to squeeze a few more than just the front row in, and being a unit of 20, they each got two Attacks. At 3+ Hit/4+ Wound, they can do a lot of damage. Or, they can not. This was the devastating alpha strike I needed to do a lot of damage on to gain an early lead. What I did wasn't awful, but it wasn't great either. In the end, five Ghouls went down. Enough to drop an Attack, not enough that all the little bastards weren't coming right back on 2D6 in his next turn. Hope for a double turn, right?<br />
<br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Round 2</span></u></b><br />
Sadly, I did not get my double turn. Ah well. His Ghoul's return attack was pretty nasty, and at the end of his Turn 2, my 20-man Skeleton unit was looking a little thin. All five Ghouls had come back, and in the combat in his turn, I killed another four.<br />
His other units tried to catch me, running top speed, but I'd successfully pulled back to where they couldn't reach me. Yet. I still had time to take out this one unit before his other two landed on my head. The only eventful change in his Turn 2 was his Crypt Ghoul Courtier made it into combat and did some atrocious things to my Skeletons.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQgzDDU-6Hy0FiVYT_0v9O8YA5uwQ-0hpFw3r0U9VclvZyuDiRHen0yLTJB9EXPjw2p5zCMBOBANtW4Jcqnc3WIZiexexOBTIEjvumsdKJC0lSjlqh3cImCZJIn1EJ_2uwU3J2M3XIwo/s1600/IMG_20170304_130320705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQgzDDU-6Hy0FiVYT_0v9O8YA5uwQ-0hpFw3r0U9VclvZyuDiRHen0yLTJB9EXPjw2p5zCMBOBANtW4Jcqnc3WIZiexexOBTIEjvumsdKJC0lSjlqh3cImCZJIn1EJ_2uwU3J2M3XIwo/s640/IMG_20170304_130320705.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
In my Turn 2, I failed to do Varhel's Danse (again), and failed to cast Wind of Death AND Arcane Bolt with Mannfred. So much for my epic Wizards!<br />
I was doing fairly well, but I knew I had to kill the Crypt Ghoul Courtier, and fast. My Wight King completely missed him, rolling four 1's to-hit. My Necromancer likewise missed with her Staff, and he saved the one Wound caused by her Nightmare.<br />
My Archers also pin-cushioned him, doing the only two Wounds I actually landed on him that round.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2V9dLCNP-z3zM_AwrPXFwG9I71hUFUAhyphenhyphenSWAp2kdMOqVy1giAxyMVhM_TSOY4gvNlOGIuEw5l-jdevZgfxS_yWp3J6ED_AOXnfRjmVTVUOFEL39PxoTyEA56mlq1DlakijcyXaIxxjyk/s1600/IMG_20170304_130340943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2V9dLCNP-z3zM_AwrPXFwG9I71hUFUAhyphenhyphenSWAp2kdMOqVy1giAxyMVhM_TSOY4gvNlOGIuEw5l-jdevZgfxS_yWp3J6ED_AOXnfRjmVTVUOFEL39PxoTyEA56mlq1DlakijcyXaIxxjyk/s640/IMG_20170304_130340943.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The above is where we were at the end of Round 2. I'd successfully gotten away from one flank, and was preparing to just flatten the other, but it was proving more difficult than I'd expected. My Wight King should have been doing work, but in two rounds of combat hadn't done a damn thing. My Skeletons were doing all right, but attrition wasn't being kind to them. I was putting four or so back a turn (solid) but losing 6-7 each turn, while his unit was almost fully reinforcing every turn. Yikes!<br />
<br />
On to <b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Round 3</span></u></b><br />
So far, our Initiative rolls had been very consistent, he was getting first turn most of the time, but neither of us was getting the dreaded double-turn.<br />
<br />
He did get that first off, and the reinforcements finally arrived. The grey Ghouls piled in to try to finish off my Wight King in one fell swoop, both them and the Courtier hitting him for all they were worth.<br />
Here, his rolling was terrible, but I also failed *every single* 3+/5+, dropping my Wight King to a single Wound (uh oh). The picture below though is from the end of my turn, and you'll note that that Crypt Ghoul Courtier is gone. Huzzah! My Archers did their work, with a little help from the Necromancer. Her staff finally hit, and as always, we were both a little shocked at how devastating it was when she actually hit with the darn thing.<br />
Then again, my oh so might Wight King missed all four of his attacks. Again. So much for regenerating with that Tomb Blade :P his horse did eat two Ghoul's faces from the white unit, just to make the King himself embarrassed.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQy-La65YDfw0R9V5LzsioiWw4sQviATllNDCwsVUq7BWvdXKxi5ssvDxZs6SsQZ_Y0Sl2ysQsWanhT8g-xdGkPKAbS1veoAUpLDXZiTnEoPXbW0KpWcgRroNtW2Os8zINmUGUwXa-ZI/s1600/IMG_20170304_132741708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQy-La65YDfw0R9V5LzsioiWw4sQviATllNDCwsVUq7BWvdXKxi5ssvDxZs6SsQZ_Y0Sl2ysQsWanhT8g-xdGkPKAbS1veoAUpLDXZiTnEoPXbW0KpWcgRroNtW2Os8zINmUGUwXa-ZI/s640/IMG_20170304_132741708.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
His other unit of white Ghouls also was catching up, and I was at the point where I had to figure out if I would keep wailing on the one unit, or split up to try to blunt the pincer that was bearing down on me. In my Hero phase, Mannfred again lashed out with Wind of Death at the surviving Vampire Lord, and again hit him for three Wounds. He saved two, but was still hurting. Mannfred also cast Mystic Shield on the Wight King, hoping a 2+ would mean he could actually make a damn save. The Necromancer also stepped up, at long last landing Varnhel's Danse and letting my remaining 8 Skeletons pile-in and attack twice. The Ghouls were still regenerating D6 per turn, but not 2D6, and they had no Heroes nearby, so they were denied their Deathless Minions save, which was a huge swing in my favor.<br />
<br />
In the end, I opted for a Counter-charge. My full unit of Skeletons did an about-face, and led by Mannfred, charged the full unit of Ghouls. I'd tagged one with spray from Mannfred's Wind of Death, so he already wasn't at full strength, so I opted to hit the rightmost Ghouls with my small unit of skeletons first.<br />
He swung back with his gray Ghouls first, trying to finish off my Wight King - who again missed all four $%#ing attacks, but did manage to cling to his 1-Wound with the 2+/5+<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHCbUzWCZgnhSi57j78A9vsApMb_7CSEGQZMAm8UHfegn_vpKBOSLY8sq3RVld9bWxbOWEWMj0Z_-YUlQWmc5dJgNfJtg1pNcoDHl2Nf2IJ1GKTvlUlIWE2tR1FsJEsqg1FZRFyb_uyc/s1600/IMG_20170304_132752128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHCbUzWCZgnhSi57j78A9vsApMb_7CSEGQZMAm8UHfegn_vpKBOSLY8sq3RVld9bWxbOWEWMj0Z_-YUlQWmc5dJgNfJtg1pNcoDHl2Nf2IJ1GKTvlUlIWE2tR1FsJEsqg1FZRFyb_uyc/s640/IMG_20170304_132752128.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The Vampire Lord is coming around the side of the Serpent Gate here, my Archers had dropped him another two Wounds in my turn, so when his turn rolled around his Vampire drank from his Blood Chalice in a moment of panic, going back up to full Wounds.<br />
When the dust settled, I'd hit back much harder, and was starting to gain a lead. Mannfred, for the first time since I've started playing him, really kicked some butt, landing a devastating number of Wounds on those Ghouls. In return, my larger Skeleton unit took three Casualties, and Mannfred saved/Armor of Templehof'ed to take no damage.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9vnHhy4kM3Qy0fIguCJVAPtov0gyCXe-gQQBa7XgpaC0PC6Cv5lqz1qHzb5AdgK-JjtWQXvw4MUcQ1q82oUxQMoPgiFew50sXB7SGx5jFh64iuTCyLaCXyP_nXyg1GuHlDCBtFk1WiA0/s1600/IMG_20170304_133604289.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9vnHhy4kM3Qy0fIguCJVAPtov0gyCXe-gQQBa7XgpaC0PC6Cv5lqz1qHzb5AdgK-JjtWQXvw4MUcQ1q82oUxQMoPgiFew50sXB7SGx5jFh64iuTCyLaCXyP_nXyg1GuHlDCBtFk1WiA0/s640/IMG_20170304_133604289.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I was both emboldened and bummed here. That my Wight King had survived was great, that Mannfred had hit so hard was also great, and I was doing some work on that first unit of Ghouls that I'd been duking it out with since Turn 1.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeB6LB98YajNCe0oeQ1TmA9g_bVmUD3jyKIFafTDIiF-tqN5XSG1V2AKYg5scwfdSrkAUf7vvIXfPWKnRcqXyJQzREXSQzUi-SEqrjtclzIjwFCAevmWjM0ZJuPcH9XRc-YIK60WbBhmc/s1600/IMG_20170304_133613989.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeB6LB98YajNCe0oeQ1TmA9g_bVmUD3jyKIFafTDIiF-tqN5XSG1V2AKYg5scwfdSrkAUf7vvIXfPWKnRcqXyJQzREXSQzUi-SEqrjtclzIjwFCAevmWjM0ZJuPcH9XRc-YIK60WbBhmc/s640/IMG_20170304_133613989.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
At the same time though, there was an almost unhurt unit of Ghouls, and my Skeletons were hurting bad. One set of bad rolls would set me way back.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KUEXSOJIj_-k2dFmm39Iqc0f93sq6xzEuUjHwFwrwc8ZMoPueQBOfH2ATnswEFwjRYPpoOxpeJNXuVPKP4aQI8rNMt5TEw9BOV1ZzHKhaWh4SXrLqdZsPcZqXFfSnL9zXepCOw5TeCc/s1600/IMG_20170304_133621510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KUEXSOJIj_-k2dFmm39Iqc0f93sq6xzEuUjHwFwrwc8ZMoPueQBOfH2ATnswEFwjRYPpoOxpeJNXuVPKP4aQI8rNMt5TEw9BOV1ZzHKhaWh4SXrLqdZsPcZqXFfSnL9zXepCOw5TeCc/s640/IMG_20170304_133621510.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
...And this jackass, who I'd been so proud to field, was the worst fighter I have *ever* seen. A grand total of 12x 3+/3+ attacks and he hadn't landed a single freaking one.<br />
<br />
Ah well. <b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Round 4</u>!</span></b><br />
Down to the wire here. Second to last turn, and we were all mucked up in each other's lines, with very little progress on either side. My excellent turn was a mixed blessing, because it arrested my painfully slow slide and gave me a small advantage, but I still wasn't getting anywhere either.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCD40XVpISKEdGz_afAjdWG960jvHyGOa-YFR0e7vmCsBY48peZ6FO9leCIGQtpBpAqRRbnwS-Y3T61LxFmU_ztGtMOkdUxk5QLRtN9GOFYVQdvi8yFpvJGpF9db__-BqxllKZKSxdenA/s1600/IMG_20170304_134317116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCD40XVpISKEdGz_afAjdWG960jvHyGOa-YFR0e7vmCsBY48peZ6FO9leCIGQtpBpAqRRbnwS-Y3T61LxFmU_ztGtMOkdUxk5QLRtN9GOFYVQdvi8yFpvJGpF9db__-BqxllKZKSxdenA/s640/IMG_20170304_134317116.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The Ghouls went first, with that Vampire Lord finally getting into the fight-<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6FK5F-75G4LJG_do5DGo0TglfqyLcjzGENheAztUKL1KK1FtturHiFDydlhBmfDKx5o1qlKZAR7_phnkiF612j9vstuL6sEKI3CoMrP0kPGUg32OBj9_7g2INby0wHk2Xodo9smlhDGs/s1600/IMG_20170304_134322720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6FK5F-75G4LJG_do5DGo0TglfqyLcjzGENheAztUKL1KK1FtturHiFDydlhBmfDKx5o1qlKZAR7_phnkiF612j9vstuL6sEKI3CoMrP0kPGUg32OBj9_7g2INby0wHk2Xodo9smlhDGs/s640/IMG_20170304_134322720.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
All of this was state-of-the-game at the start of Turn 4:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnj68cLZlhO83umlwgmQReKjXebeNFeswMQlPh1wdmop_38twyqIs7xQFf_gv6yacJcY7uAh5fhoTnLvIRJZ7eq5LZsNptZnGREgCAs2UqZVD4jEDXima5kt7tsOvh5gxRQt57jcrZFfw/s1600/IMG_20170304_134331788.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnj68cLZlhO83umlwgmQReKjXebeNFeswMQlPh1wdmop_38twyqIs7xQFf_gv6yacJcY7uAh5fhoTnLvIRJZ7eq5LZsNptZnGREgCAs2UqZVD4jEDXima5kt7tsOvh5gxRQt57jcrZFfw/s640/IMG_20170304_134331788.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
That 6 is to mark that I did, again, get Varnhel's Danse off, but I'd opted for that instead of Mystic Shield, so I was pretty sure my Wight King was going down. Especially since a lot of those grey Ghoul's had come back on his turn:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BYO1m66dDuGiZiJJnfK9WsTQb26GDhVyevz0zt2aKosu5UYX05sV2aiHPRcqiuvvoSvyFwq50UpqRoJtjm0LAQPHUVha7p0WAwnA0BfX_CMlJYT7QxtuhQJy8-A0-RVBTt_qYgQtzzI/s1600/IMG_20170304_134439265.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BYO1m66dDuGiZiJJnfK9WsTQb26GDhVyevz0zt2aKosu5UYX05sV2aiHPRcqiuvvoSvyFwq50UpqRoJtjm0LAQPHUVha7p0WAwnA0BfX_CMlJYT7QxtuhQJy8-A0-RVBTt_qYgQtzzI/s640/IMG_20170304_134439265.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The grey unit was up to full-strength, for their full 3-attacks each. In the end, they did get him. After he, again, missed ALL OF HIS ATTACKS. AGAIN.<br />
DAMMIT Wight King. You are the worst champion/general/worthless sack of bones ever! What the shit!<br />
<br />
I did get another saving grace:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Et2XcHYnWxDGakgsub-7KdemLrgcx6gPMtMaGdtzzcwLRkh0H_NBj5L_lUfTd1aZhIMLhFyI3iZqnil22A_2FneYNfNA3RZJVIuCy12Z-XG4wPW4bbZ40x0gE4ky5zBBb5kuHJIg428/s1600/IMG_20170304_134812408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Et2XcHYnWxDGakgsub-7KdemLrgcx6gPMtMaGdtzzcwLRkh0H_NBj5L_lUfTd1aZhIMLhFyI3iZqnil22A_2FneYNfNA3RZJVIuCy12Z-XG4wPW4bbZ40x0gE4ky5zBBb5kuHJIg428/s640/IMG_20170304_134812408.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
This one Ghoul hadn't come back, so his big what unit of Ghouls wouldn't be swinging at Mannfred with three attacks each. But, between his Ghouls and Vampire Lord, he was actually able to finish off my second Skeleton's unit (!!) with the massive damage from the Lord. In return, Mannfred annihilated 3/4 of the white Ghoul unit, leaving it in sorry shape.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiztKIQGEGS3onbAZiaHG4N6cIvZP_cjzBSd_FycbnsRkzKJLa09Re4KCi3J0SsOxdupV9qSg_bkpSMtGfnLbtp7_SUMzWTUjdId5Rjrv9GKqS82Rb0XqUPv6GiMyCyZVHwiTFGzeGpgBw/s1600/IMG_20170304_140508182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiztKIQGEGS3onbAZiaHG4N6cIvZP_cjzBSd_FycbnsRkzKJLa09Re4KCi3J0SsOxdupV9qSg_bkpSMtGfnLbtp7_SUMzWTUjdId5Rjrv9GKqS82Rb0XqUPv6GiMyCyZVHwiTFGzeGpgBw/s640/IMG_20170304_140508182.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
You can also see on the right there, my Varnhel's Skeletons had actually killed that first unit of Ghouls down to *one model,* but I just couldn't land that last wound. He rolled a miraculous two 6's to save himself.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP43AC5vsECfLjPrYxRqWqnDXlWTHjvFyXTudYaL27W4H3sIdir3c6UhBIfUWG0qKeRkFkpmO8KGF0F9Hi-aRST1j1Tlaqn1GanurdeTXsjNW1jX6qpAgAtIrjaAJyzrBOURwll1bPdiU/s1600/IMG_20170304_142442123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP43AC5vsECfLjPrYxRqWqnDXlWTHjvFyXTudYaL27W4H3sIdir3c6UhBIfUWG0qKeRkFkpmO8KGF0F9Hi-aRST1j1Tlaqn1GanurdeTXsjNW1jX6qpAgAtIrjaAJyzrBOURwll1bPdiU/s640/IMG_20170304_142442123.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
So here we are at last, <b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Round 5</span></u></b>-<br />
And this time, I finally got that double turn! I did terrible damage to those Ghoul's across the board, but *still* couldn't bring them all down. I also completely failed to factor in where we were in the game, and decided not to have my Archers run for the upper-left Objective, because I figured he couldn't get the points either. In hindsight though, that was incredibly stupid.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioOuJtmsmnC4MEF4X5Y7iibam_gSK986hvNNYJUGunHvm4k9AwfFCGkQ-Ct8nGmf97gZcr81a-RYApSQipznktryLK6jF6lGow3MmdkkGUMjwR_bM2yXSCgzZOw832ikHs6n5vbMpBTro/s1600/IMG_20170304_142446365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioOuJtmsmnC4MEF4X5Y7iibam_gSK986hvNNYJUGunHvm4k9AwfFCGkQ-Ct8nGmf97gZcr81a-RYApSQipznktryLK6jF6lGow3MmdkkGUMjwR_bM2yXSCgzZOw832ikHs6n5vbMpBTro/s640/IMG_20170304_142446365.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
You can see in the photo above how he had his Ghouls return to the unit. He pulled a solid 6 back, and added them back to the unit in a daisy-chain towards the lower-right Objective. I hadn't expected that either! And since I'd gone first that turn, I was caught flat-footed when he Ran them, and did this:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi18uMHqBqth6EQ1kkdBeRPNJcr7Y25HwqsUVrZBLxIE7Jq1kAv54vqIKNWy-CK2fyv4rn3_Ji36ClE8FoQwcD53-zWjv7-BaYB9beKxX9CIbujC08mszDv0IJ2one1wRIN9IqL8PihuPg/s1600/IMG_20170304_142644921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi18uMHqBqth6EQ1kkdBeRPNJcr7Y25HwqsUVrZBLxIE7Jq1kAv54vqIKNWy-CK2fyv4rn3_Ji36ClE8FoQwcD53-zWjv7-BaYB9beKxX9CIbujC08mszDv0IJ2one1wRIN9IqL8PihuPg/s640/IMG_20170304_142644921.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
And here's that Run:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74stIBWOkAznfoUEHvIizdCCxeuRdmoBnE7SShnO7r5T-Ssk8mk6-l4FHRXwp68HSsyvJryuimqWA5uwltm3fVLa4hnWIfRNLfkgURPku5V__QdNIe5e5IGkts6p0YxHw536fsSuMm-I/s1600/IMG_20170304_142649127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74stIBWOkAznfoUEHvIizdCCxeuRdmoBnE7SShnO7r5T-Ssk8mk6-l4FHRXwp68HSsyvJryuimqWA5uwltm3fVLa4hnWIfRNLfkgURPku5V__QdNIe5e5IGkts6p0YxHw536fsSuMm-I/s640/IMG_20170304_142649127.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Those two moves got him those two Objectives, barely, and the win. Curses!<br />
<br />
I'd gotten cocky/distracted, and didn't play for the Objectives. I, again, got caught up in the various melee's and somehow thought my opponent wasn't playing for the Objectives either, but in the end he very much was. Well played!<br />
<br />
In hindsight... I wonder what I would have done differently. This was a game where I failed a *lot* of critical rolls. That Wight King did nothing, where he should have been putting down 5-6 Ghouls per turn by himself. Failing that first Varnhel's Danse also hurt, not giving me that initial crushing Charge on Turn 1.<br />
I definitely would have Run my Archers for the one Objective, and Retreated with Mannfred to the other, after blasting that white Ghoul unit with both Arcane Bolt and Wind of Death, rather than Mystic Shield on Mannfred. That said though, it's very unlikely I could have had more models on that Objective than he did in the end, since he only needed a measly two to take it from Arkhan. There was no way I could have gotten to the lower-right Objective.<br />
<br />
My options were limited a lot, and very quickly, by his Ghouls deploying in my face, and then the sheer weight of their numbers. Over the course of this game, I killed his army at least twice over, including that second Vampire Lord, but he still outnumbered me badly by the end. Testament to just how potent that Warscroll is, especially in a small game.<br />
<br />
All of this is also why I poo-poo'ed the scenario in the beginning. It's flat Objectives, each one can't be contested by fewer foes, and all that matters is who has more of them. In other words, it's one of those Scenarios that's lacking in subtlety that if you're winning, you're likely to keep winning.<br />
If I were to re-play this same scenario, I would run all three of my Heroes as Wight Kings, and filled the list with as many small units of Black Knights as I could, then just run around the board and forced the Ghouls to really split up and chase me. Maybe it would work, maybe not. Oh well.<br />
<br />
But! I am particularly excited for the next League Round, because the scenario Three Places of Power is by far my favorite :)<br />
<br />
More on that later - I'll leave you with some pictures of another player's absolutely top-notch Beastclaw Raiders!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3i8lcG6EM9OlYb8rQ35t3LD1LGu9HKvPVgR4NJ57Tw96i_Jj7z4U8ASc6ZQP1YR0n0HWPo-_HuOYgAEL4LEeC9mRVwEXkCduuVVEtY30evzjN0cZ3wRz0MYDYAoZBwnPQdy8fnHb9q0/s1600/IMG_20170304_144341491_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3i8lcG6EM9OlYb8rQ35t3LD1LGu9HKvPVgR4NJ57Tw96i_Jj7z4U8ASc6ZQP1YR0n0HWPo-_HuOYgAEL4LEeC9mRVwEXkCduuVVEtY30evzjN0cZ3wRz0MYDYAoZBwnPQdy8fnHb9q0/s320/IMG_20170304_144341491_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5G3CUvZ5QkUfKQavCL-I1Q3JdpZgNhT5_zBmOOvdfzAl4Q2mIm2l4oiooCjvSTeWjORvUKZs-6TlyBvQH94n-PeigGNJMYrnQeWKX_8Y8VAcVX2Im6H1NsZnZ_SGTJH3ETiTCAavJG0/s1600/IMG_20170304_144353376_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5G3CUvZ5QkUfKQavCL-I1Q3JdpZgNhT5_zBmOOvdfzAl4Q2mIm2l4oiooCjvSTeWjORvUKZs-6TlyBvQH94n-PeigGNJMYrnQeWKX_8Y8VAcVX2Im6H1NsZnZ_SGTJH3ETiTCAavJG0/s320/IMG_20170304_144353376_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsH7dGyzhMxbe97VoaX1n0FgGi7QWWc9l_W-iHx_Uy1R41Ojfqq_5gj9a0OY8BiZPuTVUfDaB68fDg60OxOHgC9yH1ke4m6Gpn8ow2p4VxTDzsRT-aDGIGOYqr_wSRp-RQ4AbsCLVDsYM/s1600/IMG_20170304_144359194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsH7dGyzhMxbe97VoaX1n0FgGi7QWWc9l_W-iHx_Uy1R41Ojfqq_5gj9a0OY8BiZPuTVUfDaB68fDg60OxOHgC9yH1ke4m6Gpn8ow2p4VxTDzsRT-aDGIGOYqr_wSRp-RQ4AbsCLVDsYM/s320/IMG_20170304_144359194.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-4800057648293121652017-02-27T17:28:00.002-08:002017-06-18T21:08:59.033-07:00X-wing Regionals - Tulsa 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOd7ck7HBpIqqM7ae4qVBykYZMOftw1CRyTUwtRDFCRY5Wvj-FFOwiDoWBeoS-gwO67w7oQ3Gdik9GC7KOUj24zgA8qBw46nEdDl5rEr3p0Z8iz1nieOYr0LUufQOrKd2rPasgG-tL3E/s1600/IMG_20170225_111117557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOd7ck7HBpIqqM7ae4qVBykYZMOftw1CRyTUwtRDFCRY5Wvj-FFOwiDoWBeoS-gwO67w7oQ3Gdik9GC7KOUj24zgA8qBw46nEdDl5rEr3p0Z8iz1nieOYr0LUufQOrKd2rPasgG-tL3E/s640/IMG_20170225_111117557.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Hey Folks!<br />
I'm fresh back from my run at the 2017 X-wing Regional Championship in Tulsa this past weekend. There was no Regional in the great state of Arkansas, so I had an excuse to go meet Team Covenant on a wild day-trip, and got to get my butt royally kicked by some very impressive players!<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a> I've been to a fair number of competitive X-wing events, and all of them have been really good. It's a game that, for the most part, lends itself to a competitive Tournament very well, and there's enough support from FFG and various fan groups that most places do just fine.<br />
That said, the Team Covenant crew in Tulsa, being old hats at this, ran a truly terrific tournament. Everything went like clockwork, right on time, pairings were quick and clean, and the very few ref calls were resolved very quickly. It was also a smaller event, 42 players total, which helped things go smoothly.<br />
Plus, beer on tap, that was a big plus!<br />
<br />
I didn't want to spend the night, so I got up at 5 a.m. Saturday morning (my car pre-loaded with apples, cliff bars, a couple varied energy drinks, and my whole X-wing collection) and drove out to make it in time for the 10 a.m. registration. All things considered, I was actually feeling pretty good when I got to the event, but I'll blame my poor performance on the early morning ;)<br />
<br />
During my drive, I listened to 4+ hours of X-wing Podcasts I'd loaded up on, with an emphasis on recent Regionals (this being the last one of this cycle) and the current meta. There was a lot of talk of the dreaded Paratanni (Manaroo, Fen Rau, Asajj, with Attani Mindlink), a lot of talk of Triple-Defenders and Palpfenders (Palpatine in a Shuttle and two Defenders) as these were the lists, supposedly, dominating the top tables at Regionals. There was some chatter about Wave 10, particularly the Upsilon Shuttle (please people, it's UPsilon. Y'all gotta stop saying "OOPSilon," it's making Zeus cry) and little to no talk about Rebels, although Miranda/Dash was mentioned a little.<br />
<br />
So, I took mental notes, and worked out my tactics. I'd been practicing against Defenders and Mindlink variants for months. I felt pretty good going into this. Here was my "VenGar" list:<br />
<br />
<b><u>Dengar (Jumpmaster 5000)</u></b><br />
- Attanni Mindlink EPT<br />
- Punishing One Title<br />
- K4 Security Droid Crew<br />
- Engine Upgrade Mod.<br />
- R5-P8 (painbot)<br />
- Inertial Dampeners<br />
<br />
<b><u>Asajj Ventriss (Lancer-Class Pursuit Craft)</u></b><br />
- Attanni Mindlink EPT<br />
- Gyroscopic Stabilizers<br />
- Latts Razi Crew<br />
- Inertial Dampeners<br />
<br />
It's quick, it packs a punch, the Attanni was a late change - I wanted the action economy, and it replaced Lone Wolf on Dengar, because I wanted synergy, not to wait for Asajj to die to use my EPT. It also helped me token up, because if Dengar did a green, he'd get a free TL from K4, and if Asajj Focused, he'd have the coveted TL/Focus and be free to Boost or Barrel Roll into a better position. Latts Razi is too good. I tried not using her, but damn. She replaced a second K4, switching my impressive damage potential for ridiculous tankiness.<br />
I also brought big Asteroids, because I'm very good at flying through them, having practiced with them for years. I figured Debris might help Asajj, but I'd be more likely to misjudge and clip it when flying. Fly what you know, right?<br />
<br />
With my beer in hand, I went to my first table and found my <b><span style="font-size: large;">Round 1</span></b> match!<br />
An experienced player, and really nice dude (Eric Riddle), he'd brought a weird list, with the intention of making pros scratch their heads and wonder WTH he was thinking. But, it was actually really clever-<br />
<br />
Ten Numb (B-wing) with Blistan, Ion Cannon, FCS<br />
Biggs Darklighter (T-65 X-wing)<br />
Nien Nunb (T-70 X-wing)<br />
<br />
So. I didn't know what to make of that at first. I did know it was a *terrible* matchup for him. Large ships, turret/semi-turret, and his Regen, while not zero, was not great. He had Integrated Astromechs and some other upgrades to mitigate it, but right off the bat he admitted it was an uphill battle.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotEbz2aQJhGgwb2AIU93MN85s6OCcTR7fc0IJcQ1Hmy06fQcrT6EPbkt19FQF16ChKgcRbMo9al0laQ0gcHS7aVnftCCgzN7hOrmB0h4cZghzx5QI91hsxCirtWc88EqAZq9SmrOe2ME/s1600/IMG_20170225_111308899_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotEbz2aQJhGgwb2AIU93MN85s6OCcTR7fc0IJcQ1Hmy06fQcrT6EPbkt19FQF16ChKgcRbMo9al0laQ0gcHS7aVnftCCgzN7hOrmB0h4cZghzx5QI91hsxCirtWc88EqAZq9SmrOe2ME/s640/IMG_20170225_111308899_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
But, I played like an idiot, and it worked because I had every advantage. I more or less flew straight at him and did more damage than I took.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjInXQxf5viSVr6BhF7ebP1wEBcvEdsFRV9XraXY8AnjLxbUX7V8cIOWd_kNPr_IrLE5B6YjMipLDEiYJnCU4nWGvf5_j0Q9iP-19xT9HVkPnVfdVA4Zc9dwBvaGY0r6Nyd7iAlRVJpGQc/s1600/IMG_20170225_114723633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjInXQxf5viSVr6BhF7ebP1wEBcvEdsFRV9XraXY8AnjLxbUX7V8cIOWd_kNPr_IrLE5B6YjMipLDEiYJnCU4nWGvf5_j0Q9iP-19xT9HVkPnVfdVA4Zc9dwBvaGY0r6Nyd7iAlRVJpGQc/s640/IMG_20170225_114723633.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The photo above was the final move. Asajj was around half HP with an Ion token, Numb was down to I think two Hull with Stress, tough spot. At the end of the previous turn, I'd rotated my Mobile Arc to the left side - I'd assumed that was broadcasting my intentions, when I did the 2-bank to the right for a broadside, he blurted "I didn't think you'd be that stupid!" then turned beet red and apologized profusely. But he quickly explained, with 1 Ion token, at that range, I was basically guaranteed a second (Blistan allowing Ten to change one Hit to an un-cancellable Crit) and would fly off the table. In planning his maneuver, he'd assumed I was bluffing with my Arc turn.<br />
As it was, he rolled cold, I rolled hot - not only did Asajj not take any damage (or Ion), but she finished off Ten. So ultimately, it was a bold risk, but not an awful one.<br />
Still, despite starting off with a loss, he went on to do considerably better than me in overall rankings. I'm glad he had a good day!<br />
<br />
Had I been at least a little cautious, I would have had a very good chance of going 100-0 in this match. As it was, I lost Dengar, and Asajj was down by half for 100-57, so my MOV (margin of victory) was 143.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVegCICPg-V2BxsOHKoItsp9IylJgAJ5eS2Jeh6Z-Ub2zlAEF6t71Ln4FeJ2slmk4tb_HL_P3M5CcrVXXJhnVRSzSul9wtr4HFNff-LEUz6zCQp8hAOcKfajTZTuqawxrxNXkhhpoarLE/s1600/IMG_20170225_115650844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVegCICPg-V2BxsOHKoItsp9IylJgAJ5eS2Jeh6Z-Ub2zlAEF6t71Ln4FeJ2slmk4tb_HL_P3M5CcrVXXJhnVRSzSul9wtr4HFNff-LEUz6zCQp8hAOcKfajTZTuqawxrxNXkhhpoarLE/s640/IMG_20170225_115650844.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Our match was very quick. Because I pushed the first engagement recklessly, and I was flying 2-ship to his 3-ship, we had a solid half hour to banter and grab a beer before Round 2-<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"> Round 2</span></b> was, predictably, a much tougher match. My Opponent (Logan Jones) and I had each won our first round, and he'd only lost one ship, where I'd lost 3/4 of my list. He was running a three-ship, Sabine in her TIE with Adaptability, Jake Farrell with the usual VI/PTL combo, Autothrusters and Proton Rockets. He also brought my most hated nemesis, Miranda Doni, with Twin Laser Turret (TLT), Conner Nets, and Homing Missiles.<br />
Ordnance. And bad Ordnance for me - that's two ships custom built to eat Large Ships for breakfast.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTlxhFhqiekFBbrFcuDu3pyCWDcAd9C3wo93E3M17BqM8JnDWvfBPgD3Z1l6jQYOQQmpo0I52V03S1iAJTmD7-Xx7PkyMFMaaiVy-2Jo3rIQ_5XMkoBJmxG1tQ2j-li7HoWYMT6zdnLy8/s1600/IMG_20170225_123305918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTlxhFhqiekFBbrFcuDu3pyCWDcAd9C3wo93E3M17BqM8JnDWvfBPgD3Z1l6jQYOQQmpo0I52V03S1iAJTmD7-Xx7PkyMFMaaiVy-2Jo3rIQ_5XMkoBJmxG1tQ2j-li7HoWYMT6zdnLy8/s640/IMG_20170225_123305918.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I was more cautious this time. Not only because I wanted to avoid those missiles, but because I was somewhat aware of how I'd screwed up my engagement in the first game. With the TIE and A-wing's 2-die Primary attacks, I wasn't really worried about those, but I knew I had to take down Miranda if I got the chance, and I could finish Jake next.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSZO7jTl08Bod7rpnp2_YveLvBxo2IFeIAFqMD_58kT28QH5nISHCNwuIKz4OIUEUetcYaz435x9FuYY5pW9gLkPa1lM4BTl0qYcfVpKR6WgFXFEe03BCxyUJ0lqNrcTLQp6KPSPbhkg/s1600/IMG_20170225_123517389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSZO7jTl08Bod7rpnp2_YveLvBxo2IFeIAFqMD_58kT28QH5nISHCNwuIKz4OIUEUetcYaz435x9FuYY5pW9gLkPa1lM4BTl0qYcfVpKR6WgFXFEe03BCxyUJ0lqNrcTLQp6KPSPbhkg/s640/IMG_20170225_123517389.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Now, I knew about Sabine's ability - before revealing a maneuver, you may perform a Boost or Barrel Roll - but I hadn't fully grasped how fast she was, or how good of a blocker she could be in the right hands. You can see in the picture above, Asajj is poised to overshoot and flank his mob, while Dengar is pointed to Joust, but my Maneuver was a right bank, to try to get around the hard-Left I assumed Jake was doing.<br />
<br />
What happened though was that Ahsoka Boosted Left, then pulled a 3-Left Bank to land smack in the middle of where Asajj was going (block), which then pushed her back far enough to stop Dengar's slow-Bank (double block!)<br />
The one saving grace was that Jake had done some harder-left dancing to wind up in front of Asajj at R1, but out of his Arc, so no Prockets this turn. I wound up taking the Adv. Homing Missiles square in the face with Dengar, although that gave him two rounds of shooting and the Painbot at Miranda, all of which he took. He went down to mid-hull, shields down (yikes!) but her shields were down and she'd taken some Hull damage as well. Asajj took a shot at Jake and dropped his Shields as well. Things looked kind of ok, but not great.<br />
Shortly thereafter, Jake finally got that Procket shot, and between that and the TLT, Dengar went down, and Asajj was hurting. She kited and tanked, doing well. In one turn, Miranda rammed her (saving grace!) and so was unable to drop the Conner Net that would have ended the game right there. However, in the following turn, she led with a 1-straight and did drop the net, but misjudged by the tiniest margin:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPaoE36wx853bn2pVb9xwt_YIicsVPPsEY4LbVJu_MtC6qiQkNKw2ZGMD3VDGabQsydd1TXsiPm9aaWZ57kakC5W8C4pSq_WB3zGGt6zphvvHxfDr7UwXjmQW8uIz45O8WLPZHt2yaVQ/s1600/IMG_20170225_125949405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPaoE36wx853bn2pVb9xwt_YIicsVPPsEY4LbVJu_MtC6qiQkNKw2ZGMD3VDGabQsydd1TXsiPm9aaWZ57kakC5W8C4pSq_WB3zGGt6zphvvHxfDr7UwXjmQW8uIz45O8WLPZHt2yaVQ/s640/IMG_20170225_125949405.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Woo! No flying off the board for me!<br />
After this was taken, Asajj took some damage, but finished off Miranda, before Jake and Sabine finished her off. Tough game, those missiles really messed me up, and although I'm sure I could have done better, this was going to be a very hard match for me no matter what. I did get some points, so I wasn't doing so badly (yet) with a 51-100 loss. This one wasn't surprising, and it some ways I'd lost in list-building, but more than anything that one Block, getting me totally out of position and a full turn with no Actions on the first engagement... ouch. In short, I was brutally out-flown, no shame in that!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9IqqJjTeyrdo-uMt6ixeGaBnRUxzodfEi1S3N8tqk2ZuZjJz0tcfArAizbBs5jeOzFmxqQy9fUQ3KthLZuZS1Ru9j4by27xXJYEc1AjfiFNY5U2s7JpPwFJjJYiDAxIzV7VNO7bM0o4/s1600/IMG_20170225_140000961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9IqqJjTeyrdo-uMt6ixeGaBnRUxzodfEi1S3N8tqk2ZuZjJz0tcfArAizbBs5jeOzFmxqQy9fUQ3KthLZuZS1Ru9j4by27xXJYEc1AjfiFNY5U2s7JpPwFJjJYiDAxIzV7VNO7bM0o4/s640/IMG_20170225_140000961.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
On to <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Round 3</b>!</span><br />
A really nice guy named Tim (didn't catch the last name), we'd both gotten beat up Round 2, but were still doing all right at Table 11. At Round 3, really good performances from here on out could still get us in good standing.<br />
But, right off the bat, I felt kinda bad. He again brought Miranda, with TLT, but this time with Sabine Crew, Conner Net, and two TLT Gold Squadron Y-wings, one with a Stressbot. Not a bad list, but one that mine should just bulldoze straight through. Lacking quick damage options, his TLT's would be hard-pressed to take my ships out before I took them down.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNkYwMDR8Gy-6uaW9L6p2_EDRSOrjAdNXBcjrC_mcz2MPsQn0tG8mRT_npTSflCRy1XzzbexDOEfQiZr5oYhFx6Br7IqeIJpyKOlQveY7j4M18dM6ukLLIhNFXwt137r7ojhMCPv4PDQ/s1600/IMG_20170225_140424893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNkYwMDR8Gy-6uaW9L6p2_EDRSOrjAdNXBcjrC_mcz2MPsQn0tG8mRT_npTSflCRy1XzzbexDOEfQiZr5oYhFx6Br7IqeIJpyKOlQveY7j4M18dM6ukLLIhNFXwt137r7ojhMCPv4PDQ/s640/IMG_20170225_140424893.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
First Engagement, a few pot-shots, Asajj lost some shields, and Miranda opted not to shoot at Dengar, so as not to be shot twice. I took two shields off her, but had to be satisfied with that. Then, this happened:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kTlIiFfFZdRNhZ_cqXr7qFE7y5oKKd2t93ruFZE6rULJMyDw1cvXJl2ilBDqSaboertwHCc7AZ99WPGpx_Gl3i5U0ohthHOk8FhaS13MSKfaUsf2lY_KITGRmv3kOVd6g89Cm2n_DtU/s1600/IMG_20170225_141053606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kTlIiFfFZdRNhZ_cqXr7qFE7y5oKKd2t93ruFZE6rULJMyDw1cvXJl2ilBDqSaboertwHCc7AZ99WPGpx_Gl3i5U0ohthHOk8FhaS13MSKfaUsf2lY_KITGRmv3kOVd6g89Cm2n_DtU/s640/IMG_20170225_141053606.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Dengar had pulled a Hard Right 1, which was going straight through that Conner net and bumping Miranda. I *should* have just done it, but I opted for the R1 shot at Miranda and popped my Inertial Dampeners. I got a volley at Miranda, took her shields down, and stripped shields off the Y-wing that had shot Dengar, and lost shields on Asajj in return (Miranda and one Y-wing both shot at her, the one shooting Dengar whiffed).<br />
I was doing fine here, and I was more than a little cocky, especially since his last maneuver hadn't gone at all to plan, so I had Dengar pull a left 2-sloop (white) and cleanly avoided the Conner Net.<br />
<br />
...But that clipped the corner of the board, and I lost a full-health Dengar in one fell swoop. Easily my bottom, worst, most shameful and stupid moment *ever* flying in X-wing. And with a ship I've flown for years straight, no less. God. Dammit. Not only that, but it handed an out-matched opponent and easy win. Asajj took out one Y-wing, and almost the second, but Miranda kited, and I just couldn't pull the game out with 1 ship.<br />
I was now sitting at 1-2, with a 26-100 loss in Round 3. Ouch. So much for doing well.<br />
<br />
But, what the hell, I was here to see it through, and I played on.<br />
That said, I was feeling the hours by this point, so I dragged myself a few doors down to get a mammoth burrito, and I ate that sucker like it was my first meal in a year. During that (my last game had ended REALLY fast) I checked out a neighbor's list. He'd been having an absolute blast all day with this malarky:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTBJA0QvWWYAxQWJjdbLc8QlzTdkqcQO8hsKokEVkC6Au-wbl9WofMh9ph4aJuFRIZqHUKiaEm9ljYeDlfbs5OG0BDQu8FazXNTWDQkuq3aIcF73_mDyRw47XTtH9_oVMbhdueZ8Ih6hU/s1600/IMG_20170225_150432974_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTBJA0QvWWYAxQWJjdbLc8QlzTdkqcQO8hsKokEVkC6Au-wbl9WofMh9ph4aJuFRIZqHUKiaEm9ljYeDlfbs5OG0BDQu8FazXNTWDQkuq3aIcF73_mDyRw47XTtH9_oVMbhdueZ8Ih6hU/s640/IMG_20170225_150432974_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Now, he wasn't winning much, but he was putting up a good fight and really enjoying himself. So rock on, man!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We shared a good laugh, and I went on to <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Round 4</b>.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Twin Falcons.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
What the shit.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My opponent was Matt Dykes, and he was simply the nicest guy in the world, but he had built the single most frustrating list I've ever played against, and played it well. It was a Rebel Sympathizer, with Rey and Threepio Crew, and the Evade Title. Flying behind him was Lando Calrissian, in another Falcon, rocking Luke Skywalker and some other upgrades I don't remember. What he did was deploy both Falcons on one corner of the board, pointed directly at the far corner, then slow-shark his way around the board. He used Green maneuvers at R1 to let Lando feed Focus tokens to the mook, who was also Focusing and feeding Rey all day long. I knew attrition was not my friend here, so I rocketed out and went straight for the Sympathizer, intending to chainsaw through it as quickly as possible. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
What he did from here on out was fly in a tight line, the Sympathizer staying out of easy range taking pot-shots and forcing me to shoot at Lando, who flew a little more slowly. I took Lando down fairly quickly, but in the exchange I lost Dengar (theme, much?) </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The rest of the game was just frustrating and sad. With Rey, the Evade action, and Threepio, I had to deal three hits *minimum* to even push a damage through. Rey's constant Focuses were spent for defense, shooting back, or re-banked. It was his 8-hull to my 7, then 7 to my 5, then 6 to my 3...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And so on.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In the end, predictably, I lost. I wasn't rolling hot enough on Offense and rolling garbage on Defense, but I lost the second Dengar died. 1-on-1 there's almost nothing out there that can out-attrition that ship, and I hated everything about it. I mean, it was clever. It was flexible. It was forgiving to fly, and staggering Lando and his "mook" that way was top-notch play for that list, but it just didn't feel like playing.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Sigh. I did so much damage, I wound up with a respectable 78-100 loss, my best since Round 1, but I didn't feel good about it, myself, or my list at all :/</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Last but not least, <b><span style="font-size: large;">Round 5</span></b><span style="font-size: large;">!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Oh look. More Rebels.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
No shame on Tim Shaefer here, he made a great list, and he flew it really well. I was depressed as all hell from my crushing mistake and throwing away my first truly easy match of the day, and then punching a metaphorical wall until it fell on me. Also, I'd played four rounds that reinforced my same critical mistake: Dengar is not a Jouster. He's an Ace, an Arc-Dodger, a murdery survivor and a game-closer. You should *not* fly him face-first into three-ship Rebel lists, and he shouldn't be the first ship to die unless you screw up or get caught off-guard.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Matt's list was Braelyn Strahm, Biggs, and the PS9 Poe Dameron, a truly classy Rebel three-ship designed for damage output in ways I'd never seen before. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh85l2_6LKUwnKqYIZ0qNeKyx6Li8nXrIXoZNNsE48r3IJSUNO8NwpJR5czxM4GTvhuMAgKUu1lLbbBrwTUV1u4Lb_dYAFRMx8VWsr9uDsYDMbZofXnvSei2eLzJXyv667HDN-8M4zjNSQ/s1600/IMG_20170225_165716326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh85l2_6LKUwnKqYIZ0qNeKyx6Li8nXrIXoZNNsE48r3IJSUNO8NwpJR5czxM4GTvhuMAgKUu1lLbbBrwTUV1u4Lb_dYAFRMx8VWsr9uDsYDMbZofXnvSei2eLzJXyv667HDN-8M4zjNSQ/s640/IMG_20170225_165716326.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
You can already see my classic mistake: Jousting. Round 1, I Jousted, and I got lucky. Round 2, I'd tried not to, and was brilliantly blocked and forced into Jousting. Rounds 3 and 4, I'd been facing Turret ships, so it didn't matter if I Jousted or not.<br />
This time though, I should have known better, and tried harder to control that first engagement. As it was I was tired, grumpy, sad, and still a little cocky seeing another three-ship Rebel list.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9l1VilHCCKYs_uFQv2v9zzGIQS9VVsvWLloFmkTTAqlksfTibDTZw6DQn2BGjqc8VzNrgekV9wARt91Dff-zIWw5Tty7ZSe0nRlvAuY63YwNztfSv3GJvAloqZ2_H7YbEIQ9hhOd-b9E/s1600/IMG_20170225_165721270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9l1VilHCCKYs_uFQv2v9zzGIQS9VVsvWLloFmkTTAqlksfTibDTZw6DQn2BGjqc8VzNrgekV9wARt91Dff-zIWw5Tty7ZSe0nRlvAuY63YwNztfSv3GJvAloqZ2_H7YbEIQ9hhOd-b9E/s640/IMG_20170225_165721270.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
In hindsight, it is not remotely surprising that I got murdered this game, 0-100. Tim was amazing, leap-frogging Biggs and Braelyn so I had to split-fire between them, allowing him to keep both alive. Poe was every bit the Ace I expected, and neatly finished out the game. This one was never even close.<br />
Kudos to Tim for writing and playing that list, and I'm surprised he didn't wind up higher in the rankings than Table 10.<br />
<br />
At the end of the day, Defenders, Mindlink, and Party Busses were all over the top 10 tables, with some few Rebels (like Eric Riddle from Round 1, swooping up to 8th seat!) squeaking in. I never even saw another Scum or Imperial ship on the table, where I was sitting, it was all Rebels all day long, and I was totally unprepared for that.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b><u>Final thoughts-</u></b></span><br />
But, at the end of the day, I'm still really happy I went :)<br />
I always learn something at these events, but also it was just nice to say I did it. I got one of the Red Ace alternate-art cards, which is a cool thing to take home, and I was the only person from all of Arkansas who made the hike. I still think my list is very potent, but it doesn't fit my play style all that well, and frankly after the better part of a year practicing it, I'm ready to fly something different. That said, if I were to fly it again, I would fly it like this:<br />
<br />
<b><u>Dengar</u></b><br />
- Push the Limit<br />
- Seismic Torpedo<br />
- Engine Upgrade<br />
- Punishing One Title<br />
- K4 Security Droid<br />
- Scavenger Crane<br />
- Unhinged Astromech<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b> <u>Asajj Ventriss</u></b><br />
- A Score to Settle<br />
- Latts Razi<br />
- Inertial Dampeners<br />
<br />
If I'm going to fly like an Ace, let's really fly like an Ace! Action economy makes Dengar what he is, and PTL lets me get some of that Mindlink economy, while also allowing me to Boost/Barrel Roll in the same turn for those critical repositions. Unhinged Astro. is one of my favorite cards conceptually, and if I'm going to be stressing, I need to have more Green maneuvers - which also makes K4 more flexible.<br />
Seismic Torpedo/Scavenger Crane were impulse adds, I may swap them out for Gyroscopic Targeting and some other Illicit on Dengar. I used the heck out of GT in my tournament, but I also want to try Seismic Torpedoes for their "free" damage, ability to remove obstacles, and potential to reduce kiting by Dash or Miranda, and deal a little damage to both massed ships and beyond Range 3.<br />
<br />
Asajj is still in it because she is a good Wingwoman, and a solid ship. Latts and ID are cheap and powerful, and A Score to Settle is a cheap way to amp her damage output, which is what I found I was most lacking while flying her. It's also very much in-character, which helps ;)<br />
<br />
That's what I've got for now, I hope I haven't bored you too much, and I'll be writing more about X-wing along with my other posts in the near future!Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-36560024730476674032017-02-16T09:24:00.003-08:002017-06-18T21:09:10.760-07:00Sigmar League Round One: Death vs. Seraphon!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsf5ViR-zInEzlVhUcEdsBzvvNxuPtY_TRx-KOVTb3uJiEYZpInM6KKC7aSv0zSGe-98BdB0XfDPiGkDLL7G4WUGn_e-AjbwkssrsZ_1nPDhnOnrTu2l8wdaiFrxASVy4Yd8EHGEoeZk/s1600/IMG_20170215_174452561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsf5ViR-zInEzlVhUcEdsBzvvNxuPtY_TRx-KOVTb3uJiEYZpInM6KKC7aSv0zSGe-98BdB0XfDPiGkDLL7G4WUGn_e-AjbwkssrsZ_1nPDhnOnrTu2l8wdaiFrxASVy4Yd8EHGEoeZk/s640/IMG_20170215_174452561.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Hello everyone! Long time since I've written a proper Battle Report, so consider this my apology :)<br />
We just fired up my second Age of Sigmar League at our local FLGS, and I'm tackling it with a (at last!) fully-painted Death army!<br />
The photo above is the first scenario, it's played at 1000 points on a 4' x 4' table.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a> I've been tinkering with lists, but so far haven't found one without glaring weaknesses. One of the biggest of which is a total lack of non-magical Ranged attacks, so this time I brought out a ten-man unit of Skeleton Horse Archers (!)<br />
They're custom, old-school Black Knight chassis with heads from the Shattered Dominion bases set (who knew that came with so many skulls?) and Mantic Mounted-Archer arms. Without further ado, here's the full list:<br />
<br />
Count Mannfred (General, riding Barbed Nightmare)<br />
Heinrich Kemmler, the Lichemaster<br />
Skeletons (20x, Shields/Swords, Musician, Banner)<br />
Skeletons (20x, Shields/Swords, Banner)<br />
Skeletons (10x, Shields/Swords, Musician, Banner)<br />
Skeleton Horse Archers (10x, Banner, Musician)<br />
<br />
The idea is maximum bodies, since this scenario requires minimum five-models to hold an Objective, and Skeletons are fragile in small units, so I opted for MOAR Skeletons! After those, I was low on points, so I filled in with my Archers - in part, because I want to take them out for a spin, and in part, because I'm expecting a Hero or Monster that will need a bit of pin-cushioning before it reaches my more vulnerable units.<br />
I also made Count Mannfred my General because his "target Friendly unit re-rolls 1's to-hit and to-Wound" is a godsend for inaccurate units like Skeleton Archers, or makes massed Skeletons hit like a ton of bricks ;) and more generally, I took Mannfred because he's cheap, hits hard, and his signature spell (Wind of Death) gives me a second Arcane Bolt (ish) per turn. Kemmler I brought because I like him, and because he's astoundingly durable if surrounded by Skeletons.<br />
<br />
I got to the table for my match, and saw the Lizardmen in all their glory-<br />
...Sorry, sorry, Seraphon :P<br />
<br />
Saurus Scar-Veteran on Carnosaur (General, Relic Blade, stock Trait)<br />
Saurus Cavalry (5x, Champion, Musician, Standard)<br />
Saurus Cavalry (5x, Champion, Musician, Standard)<br />
<div>
Saurus Warriors (20x, Champion, Musician, Standard)</div>
<div>
Razordon (1x, 3x Skink Handlers)</div>
<div>
Chameleon Skinks (5x)</div>
Chameleon Skinks (5x)<br />
<br />
Yikes. I've fought mixed Seraphon before, but in 2k games where they were backed up by Frostheart Phoenixes, and Elf Battleline. It was a blob of Veterans/Oldbloods on Cold Ones too, so I was *really* scared of those Cavalry units, and had to consciously remind myself that these were the basic/Battleline version and nowhere near as scary. The Carnosaur I knew to be scared of, there was one of those in the previous list and it tag-teamed me with the Phoenix. What a mess!<br />
The Razordon was new, my opponent had printed out lovely full-color copies of his Warscrolls, which was a great resource. It was enough to see that, left unchecked, that Razordon would be a serious problem.<br />
The Chameleon Skinks are able to enter-play anywhere on the play area in any Movement phase, and able to go back into Reserves in any Hero phase. It was immediately apparent that these little buggers are there to poach (or hold/contest) Objectives, so I knew right away that I would have to keep close watch on them.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszy5NKevYY3t7FelFdWHirlg64HLfsFg1VV-IERDfMEGXlUVYxZeQqitRM_rsL0Kg4bXHvJmdzNx42SqD432fCA7iOSc3rK9_AAMIbHq2FZdluwXuNFRTmFhopiJaw-9oqRfTVynPj5k/s1600/IMG_20170215_174500545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszy5NKevYY3t7FelFdWHirlg64HLfsFg1VV-IERDfMEGXlUVYxZeQqitRM_rsL0Kg4bXHvJmdzNx42SqD432fCA7iOSc3rK9_AAMIbHq2FZdluwXuNFRTmFhopiJaw-9oqRfTVynPj5k/s640/IMG_20170215_174500545.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I won the roll-off for Sides/Deployment, after we'd set up terrain, and opted for the side I was on already, for both our sakes so we didn't have to move our various boxes. This was a risky choice, since as you can see in the photo above, *all three* of those Terrain features in the lower-left are Mystical. That means, at the start of every Hero phase, a player has to roll a D6 for each unit within 3" of one or more Mystical terrain features. On a 1, they can't move, use abilities, cast spells, or attack until the next Hero phase. But, it was a calculated risk, because on a 2-6, that unit gets to re-roll to-Wound rolls until the next Hero phase. I hoped to use those re-rolls and lure enemy units in with my Archers, and do as much damage as possible or get them to run afoul of a few 1's<br />
<br />
The other Terrain pieces matter less, the ones on the top left and bottom right are both Deadly (any Model finishing a move on, or Running or Charging through is removed as a casualty on a D6 roll of 1), while the Realm Gate in my zone causes Fear (-1 Bravery to enemy units within 3" of a unit that started within 3" of a Fear terrain feature). The skull puddle in the upper middle is Arcane (+1 to Casting rolls) and the forest is Inspiring (+1 Bravery to units within 3")<br />
<br />
In my first turn on Round 1, I was relatively aggressive. My Skeletons, Mannfred, and Archers all passed their Mystical roll, and Mannfred used his Command Ability on the Archers, who Ran and shot (which their Musician lets them do!) and re-rolling 1's to-hit and re-rolling to-Wound, that managed to snipe three Saurus Warriors. Enough to force a Bravery/Battleshock check. Not that 17 Saurus are going to fail Bravery, but it's enough to make an opponent nervous!<br />
My rightmost Skeleton unit (one of the 20x's) moved up to the Fear gate. The intent of both moves was to move up, weaken the Lizards, then pull back and lure them into my lines.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVnhIrQzDluHnua9QtUEWX8jA4yku3cYGGadviJ1deT7X9oY1lYlqA8kuX8813spmVlhEoZCqZRQMJmiXMV4C2tJk_xo6zWUHivRiIAhy6xRozYWgZrqP_wpic3krYnDdiP017rKdVYM/s1600/IMG_20170215_175926738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVnhIrQzDluHnua9QtUEWX8jA4yku3cYGGadviJ1deT7X9oY1lYlqA8kuX8813spmVlhEoZCqZRQMJmiXMV4C2tJk_xo6zWUHivRiIAhy6xRozYWgZrqP_wpic3krYnDdiP017rKdVYM/s640/IMG_20170215_175926738.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
In the Seraphon turn, my first-shot worked wonders, and a very nervous unit of Warriors hid behind the Deadly Serpent Gate, hoping to close without being too exposed, but also since the gate was Deadly, not wanting to stand in it for the Cover bonus, just in case of 1's.<br />
His Cavalry Marched, both units trucking down the right-side of the table at double-speed, followed closely behind by the Razordon (eee...)<br />
The Carnosaur, also made a bit gun shy by my scary, scary arrows, promptly hid in the bushes. Which made me oh so happy!<br />
<br />
In slightly worse news, the first unit of Chameleon Skinks deployed to the lower-left terrain, and let loose with an unsettlingly accurate volley into Mannfred's backside, dealing two Wounds through the Armor of Templehof and my atrocious saves. That was bad.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhzsXI6GGuu_V_jvKW-syU2AUx7c5OgOC4bm6ZOTt71q_S1CnS1HNeSv1CIpM76iCfuAVvB3hbgXAr0srn9pLxnWfLoxJFbrU5gpqGUhZUPInKsENfKDoo2IYrfFQCEenVcgw_V5Xw24/s1600/IMG_20170215_175949835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhzsXI6GGuu_V_jvKW-syU2AUx7c5OgOC4bm6ZOTt71q_S1CnS1HNeSv1CIpM76iCfuAVvB3hbgXAr0srn9pLxnWfLoxJFbrU5gpqGUhZUPInKsENfKDoo2IYrfFQCEenVcgw_V5Xw24/s640/IMG_20170215_175949835.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
Fear Mannfred, he is unconcerned with your piddly blowdarts! Even if they do seem to be hurting rather a lot!<br />
<br />
At the end of the Round, we rolled off for Initiative, and I held on to it! Woohoo! First things first, I hit the Archers again with my Command Ability, and then let Mannfred's true power shine a bit. I fired off both Wind of Death and Arcane Bolt straight at those pesky Skinks. With near-perfect rolling, I could wipe them entirely, which was the hope. They'd been deployed for that 3+ Cover save, but since Magic deals Mortal Wounds, a Wound was a kill. I'd kind of hoped they would deploy early and in range of my spells so I could eliminate them early, get those Kill Points, and hopefully not worry about them later.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEf2HQxhJDfv-5N3NiEq6MIm3mEbw6ujkX_Mas8Togf62JH2HC1OseMjak2Mufagpb9DjDYIsaYoURTFJ_wCLPCmHd6YCk5PJwuYD4n2zdH1qDZFczQNniMy3PtVxQOMaeUCbAEFiSbw/s1600/IMG_20170215_181506121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEf2HQxhJDfv-5N3NiEq6MIm3mEbw6ujkX_Mas8Togf62JH2HC1OseMjak2Mufagpb9DjDYIsaYoURTFJ_wCLPCmHd6YCk5PJwuYD4n2zdH1qDZFczQNniMy3PtVxQOMaeUCbAEFiSbw/s640/IMG_20170215_181506121.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Huzzah! Not perfect, but nicely above average. 4/6 possible Wounds means but one lonely Skink survives!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9usxuuQqDtdBCynVWSn-ufLGmEpk61bFAB4K6G1RmWiEQEvkrcI0kiUTHTwUUSpztGkV9oF7zql9aVETNN4hecA7QM-E7sh73ZnI9XiQ5HKg2oAlG3oxqfpWG8cLTfL71KMbmnbAnlko/s1600/IMG_20170215_181502288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9usxuuQqDtdBCynVWSn-ufLGmEpk61bFAB4K6G1RmWiEQEvkrcI0kiUTHTwUUSpztGkV9oF7zql9aVETNN4hecA7QM-E7sh73ZnI9XiQ5HKg2oAlG3oxqfpWG8cLTfL71KMbmnbAnlko/s640/IMG_20170215_181502288.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The above photo is in the middle of my turn, my Archers laid-into the Razordon. I had been just out of its range on Round 1, and I didn't want to find out just how scary it could be. So my Archers, again re-rolling 1's to-hit and all to-Wounds, laid into it and were able to kill the beast itself, leaving a piddly unit of three Skinks. My scary unit of Skeletons charged the nearest unit of Saurus, hoping to deny them the Charge, and to whittle them down a bit before they got to swing back. Sadly, I play WYSIWYG, and I only have two Musicians, so my "Always charge 6" minimum even if you roll less" didn't apply to that unit (sad!) but luckily, they did pass their roll. Hooray!<br />
<br />
...Although, also sadly, I rolled *terribly,* and I only did a single Wound. In return, they killed three Skeletons.<br />
<br />
Fast-forward a bit, I was into the game and forgot to take pictures. The second unit of Skinks popped out of the shadows and hit Mannfred again, doing a single Wound this time, but bringing him down to two (!!) The Saurus hiding in the ruins came out and charged Mannfred, including the Archers in the charge, and the Carnosaur came out and joined the charge against the Archers. The second unit of Cavalry charged my embattled Skeleton unit.<br />
I was doing... All right, but this was a bad charge at a bad moment. The Carnosaur did predictably awful things to my Archers, and the Saurus swung but failed to break through Mannfred's defenses. He killed two in return (enough to get a Wound back) and eight Skeletons of the larger unit went down to bring down one Saurus. That skirmish was not going as well as I'd hoped.<br />
<br />
Worse, we rolled for Initiative again, and the Seraphon won Initiative. Yikes! Of all times to get a double turn!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmsgdvLkFYeIonkAd18-K8diESiJSec9pd_2exD88CuBlrwadr-PKrTFjRzcnbvNoPkn2PiySgw5Mrt39FfTINeeC-5Q3OWm68UrzcSuJHGMz-tVvkCQAhaoiDux6qVmzpJW1tF4oI7_s/s1600/IMG_20170215_190143715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmsgdvLkFYeIonkAd18-K8diESiJSec9pd_2exD88CuBlrwadr-PKrTFjRzcnbvNoPkn2PiySgw5Mrt39FfTINeeC-5Q3OWm68UrzcSuJHGMz-tVvkCQAhaoiDux6qVmzpJW1tF4oI7_s/s640/IMG_20170215_190143715.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
That was a critical moment, because had I gotten a good roll, my Skeletons and Archers would have gotten D6 and D3 models back respectively, and Mannfred would have had time to cast some spells. But, getting a double-turn allowed the Seraphon to hit me first without any of my buffs or fresh units. Ouch!<br />
Had I gotten the first turn, my Archers would have taken whatever reinforcements that got and Run as close to his Objective as they could get, then shot at whatever target seemed squishiest. With a great reinforcement roll and a good Run roll, I could have taken his Objective and, at worst, gotten him to send a unit back to deal with them. At best, I could have taken both Objectives in Round 3 and won!<br />
As it was, his Saurus/Carnosaur were easily able to mop up my Archers and poor Mannfred, and put a serious dent in my Skeleton unit, taking maybe one Cavalry model in return. His Skinks popped back into ongoing reserves.<br />
<br />
This was a very critical moment. Bottom or Round 3, I'd lost my Archers and my General, who was also my "beatstick" Hero. Or, as close as I had to one in this list. So, at this point, I was looking at losing one of my biggest Skeleton units, and being hit with two relatively-fresh units of Saurus Cavalry, and an angry Carnosaur (unhurt, no less). Plus, a Saurus Warrior unit Marching would easily be able to back up the Carnosaur and force me to double-Charge them, even if they couldn't initiative the Charge on a March.<br />
So, I made a choice. Hit hard, hit fast, plan to pull back to my Objective ASAP. At this point, he'd returned that one surviving Chameleon Skink to his Objective, but it was otherwise unclaimed. I was sitting pretty with thirty Skeletons and Kemmler on mine, but in the case of a tie (which seemed likely here) I was losing Kill Points and needed to make up ground, fast.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEai4JhcAPjLNYXx06XbAQmvRccjAR36gy359-sgIKQ_tcxbgzorcY4WMn1m_01IILwoOTTx9cVcQg0f2H64tMQiVi1owO9WbqQ4-2JVhbiOAxXfml8hwTEsFbqUNEvngckBB6Q0TRLgg/s1600/IMG_20170215_193043003_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEai4JhcAPjLNYXx06XbAQmvRccjAR36gy359-sgIKQ_tcxbgzorcY4WMn1m_01IILwoOTTx9cVcQg0f2H64tMQiVi1owO9WbqQ4-2JVhbiOAxXfml8hwTEsFbqUNEvngckBB6Q0TRLgg/s640/IMG_20170215_193043003_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
My Skeletons rolled to get some of their models back, and rolled an almighty 1. Shit. Kemmler fired off Mystic Shield on my now much-depleted 20-man Skeleton unit, and nailed the Carnosaur with Arcane Bolt, hitting it for two Wounds. Then he used his Cloak to teleport 2D6" and got as close to the Carnosaur as I could.<br />
This put me dangerously exposed, and more than 10" from my two weaker Skeleton units, denying them their 6+ Death save (uh oh).<br />
<br />
My second 20-man unit of Skeletons passed their Mystical roll, so they're now re-rolling to-Wound, and rocking two attacks each because they're a 20-man unit. And, with their Musician, they were almost certainly going to make the Charge (I needed 5" to reach him and would go 6" minimum).<br />
The ten-man unit went after the nearest Cavalry, hoping to reinforce them and keep the Cavalry off my home Objective.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigNi7qAZ77stvncTw2HQYuweDva0O-yc7fZZHsYFt-AgXqi2zAKzXXlZ37q2JYhfplXyvfORDrV_j_bz4IZci_KLe3ekliwJ7My6F2E9z6KTAl4i0Os4A-qiNEtxuk4_zQa44EiQn2Rqk/s1600/IMG_20170215_193048915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigNi7qAZ77stvncTw2HQYuweDva0O-yc7fZZHsYFt-AgXqi2zAKzXXlZ37q2JYhfplXyvfORDrV_j_bz4IZci_KLe3ekliwJ7My6F2E9z6KTAl4i0Os4A-qiNEtxuk4_zQa44EiQn2Rqk/s640/IMG_20170215_193048915.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I hit that Carnosaur, and hit it hard. Knocking it down to a mere six Wounds with my Skeletons. In return, it swung at Kemmler, who shunted all but one Wound onto the Skeletons, killing quite a few of them, and saving the one Wound he'd taken with a 6!<br />
Them Kemmler himself struck back, with some lucky rolls bringing the Carnosaur down to a mere two Wounds!<br />
My Skeletons also started doing some work on the Cavalry, finally. But, the loss of my Death save hurt, and hurt bad. Even the 4+ save on the smaller unit was no replacement for a double-save. Both units survived, but I lost quite a few more than I would have otherwise, and that hurt.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPwPX4i7fhoDjDMnMPaSiBwCo2ZyNHny4szE11OFhK7JcEqrCZeF1iFppM64xxl09ezDPtK-NgDR0gvs4zVL5AUbTYILswnilWpAf-DMo-wrIXA_wP14wSW1y9iAJyrublOipkB7s3t-c/s1600/IMG_20170215_194048407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPwPX4i7fhoDjDMnMPaSiBwCo2ZyNHny4szE11OFhK7JcEqrCZeF1iFppM64xxl09ezDPtK-NgDR0gvs4zVL5AUbTYILswnilWpAf-DMo-wrIXA_wP14wSW1y9iAJyrublOipkB7s3t-c/s640/IMG_20170215_194048407.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
This is the last in-game picture I took, this is the top of Round 4, and I'd lost Initiative. Again. Just after I took this, the Chameleon Skinks (the full-strength unit) Deployed directly onto my Objective, while the smaller Saurus Cavalry Marched back to his Home Objective and the Skinks ran, getting all of them within 6" to allow him to Control that Objective.<br />
<br />
That was a brilliant move. It was the top of Turn 4, and he controlled both Objectives, uncontested. I had been expecting that - the plan was to finish off the Carnosaur, then retreat at maximum speed back towards my Objective.<br />
What I hadn't figured on was that the rules say "At the end of ANY turn..." for the Major Victory condition. And I'm so used to thinking of a "Turn" as being both players complete actions, but in Sigmar, a "Round" consists of one "Turn" for each player. So, that was game! Gah! I'd been thinking the whole time, that I would be able to pull back and recover my Objective, but I was left flat-footed out of position. I also hadn't counted on March getting his Cavalry that far, that fast. That's an incredibly powerful ability!<br />
Embarrassing.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkhrTcvh3-oZwPilqddOEriko0bpDf2iIrUvh94zqangM2PQoH0hzHSwWr8RwTFaarreRb7PJi-s1QkXpAcfKjwch3qlt9rmq7p4e_ZfEfCQMy3ijRvHR_ad_G_Q0CrpzNUi_X7o6n9QU/s1600/IMG_20170215_200210978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkhrTcvh3-oZwPilqddOEriko0bpDf2iIrUvh94zqangM2PQoH0hzHSwWr8RwTFaarreRb7PJi-s1QkXpAcfKjwch3qlt9rmq7p4e_ZfEfCQMy3ijRvHR_ad_G_Q0CrpzNUi_X7o6n9QU/s640/IMG_20170215_200210978.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
This last photo is mid-cleanup, sorry about that. But it shows the final position of his Objective holders.<br />
We finished off our combats just to see how they went. Kemmler did me a solid and first-thing nuked that Carnosaur for those last two Wounds. Hilariously, he did so with his Tomb Blade, so I got to add a free Skeleton to my unit (I guess he found something to animate in the Carnosaur's massive gullet?) and most of my rightmost Skeletons did fine, and killed off two more Saurus Cavalry, but took a lot of casualties in return. The leftmost skeletons killed a couple Saurus, but didn't do anything exciting.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b> Endgame Analysis:</b><br />
I knew what was the Mission was and exactly how those Skinks were going to play it, but the confusion between Round/Turn was obnoxious :P also, the reliability of March made a big, big difference several times during this game, as did the Seraphon's "Ignore Rend -1" shields - that nerfed Mannfred in his desperate battle, but Kemmler was lucky enough to do the damage anyway. Seraphon are an unusual force in that they actually are very points efficient, durable, surprisingly mobile, and above all, reliable. March is better than Run, especially on Cavalry, and their shields, high Bravery, and high volume of Attacks all combine to mean that they're forgiving to command and difficult to put on the wrong footing. In a match like this one (or any one where Objective grabbing is key and can be done with small non-Hero units), Chameleon Skinks are incredible. Yikes!<br />
<br />
For my part, I got overconfident (as usual), and still haven't quite gotten the knack of positioning. Skeletons are quite something in combat, but they're slow, and to make up for that I've been stretching out units to make sure they make their charges. But, the downside is that means only a fraction of the unit gets the Alpha strike, and then the unit gets depleted in return attacks before ever hitting with their full strength. Also, because they're slow, I haven't quite gotten the knack of getting my units in the same combats at the same time.<br />
The Archers, I really, really like. They're a great unit, and add a ton of speed and flexibility that I'd been lacking before. As their first run, that was very impressive, but I now know (which I should have already) to keep them the hell of away from face-stomping monsters :P with their ability to shoot first, then run, that should be easy, but I underestimated how fast the Carnosaur caught them and ate the whole unit. Shucks. Better next time!<br />
The next round is also 1000 pts, but with a different scenario, I'll have to look at it and see if I want to change up my list.<br />
<br />
But, sidebar, kudos to Kemmler! Little scamp did a full *eight* Wounds to a Carnosaur!<br />
<br />
All in all, a good Round 1. I'll come back in Round 2 ready for sweet vengeance!<br />
<br />Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-62973127484637674602016-12-21T16:04:00.000-08:002017-06-18T21:09:39.982-07:00Age of Sigmar Battle Report: Death vs. Sylvaneth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OE0KvauqTCabgCHzrMmhNzHCGhyphenhyphencWxzpWCRkd-UPBwzdjIyi_d2XyOIRGORQqIAY6aav4uyM6bWNVL-lGszbfME9FXTr9qMJnpgHiX2iz50DgfYFMng76YLIu0wu296hWixXs6QUaMw/s1600/IMG_20161115_174426623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OE0KvauqTCabgCHzrMmhNzHCGhyphenhyphencWxzpWCRkd-UPBwzdjIyi_d2XyOIRGORQqIAY6aav4uyM6bWNVL-lGszbfME9FXTr9qMJnpgHiX2iz50DgfYFMng76YLIu0wu296hWixXs6QUaMw/s320/IMG_20161115_174426623.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
Escalation League: The Final Round!<br />
NoName1 here to talk about my long awaited grudge match with my Death army against their polar opposite, the life-fueled forces of the Sylvaneth!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8eyD9txDXMcxbK-QFplFwheEg3ihvGfnbQksrAAURRrPPzVnYS2wu3iAOzlPic4D8zhWkv9bvwZTQMTXst08lujxlK98Ki2ddOzX6KQcgLDQa4Ef2JXQklQxuQpYVpJ8mQ-MRad1gIo/s1600/IMG_20161115_174434025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8eyD9txDXMcxbK-QFplFwheEg3ihvGfnbQksrAAURRrPPzVnYS2wu3iAOzlPic4D8zhWkv9bvwZTQMTXst08lujxlK98Ki2ddOzX6KQcgLDQa4Ef2JXQklQxuQpYVpJ8mQ-MRad1gIo/s320/IMG_20161115_174434025.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmFkT07DvhcWE5QJBP_HBFTKDolEq9wAcDHh0Qqy_vMYeh4lDEvfTN2ZOxl5i0CutCiO5ZFlun1NWM9akst7CunZRzrR08yhN9hTIPpBB_YQBFxoqM-OwqGF8NasUBNkvEX27zrWrlVM/s1600/IMG_20161115_181949957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmFkT07DvhcWE5QJBP_HBFTKDolEq9wAcDHh0Qqy_vMYeh4lDEvfTN2ZOxl5i0CutCiO5ZFlun1NWM9akst7CunZRzrR08yhN9hTIPpBB_YQBFxoqM-OwqGF8NasUBNkvEX27zrWrlVM/s320/IMG_20161115_181949957.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibUe3tajfppRFrgOeGksHKpbJ1T2lu43Vo_iAjUWYn5QAXBn5PMG9MP7Qp3HP2Tg2_M2X3amN8Lax4qTuRVTVxAk1JtdbdvvovrtHADRpfE7hnEhcoAvzacHV-9EqBSKsroMHlqW-Zo6k/s1600/IMG_20161115_182004412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibUe3tajfppRFrgOeGksHKpbJ1T2lu43Vo_iAjUWYn5QAXBn5PMG9MP7Qp3HP2Tg2_M2X3amN8Lax4qTuRVTVxAk1JtdbdvvovrtHADRpfE7hnEhcoAvzacHV-9EqBSKsroMHlqW-Zo6k/s320/IMG_20161115_182004412.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPYtEjCrCsICQY5FepZWuW3j4VU3gWnH_3_sD3bakoG3AqPiatUu6wzJ4QFxYyfTjYHsrWARB-SWCb4ZdOurwEviiK6exvbkqQxdeG208ovGl0wYsxThK4KHvHxLngYAK2LsYzhZ9j144/s1600/IMG_20161115_183242056_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPYtEjCrCsICQY5FepZWuW3j4VU3gWnH_3_sD3bakoG3AqPiatUu6wzJ4QFxYyfTjYHsrWARB-SWCb4ZdOurwEviiK6exvbkqQxdeG208ovGl0wYsxThK4KHvHxLngYAK2LsYzhZ9j144/s320/IMG_20161115_183242056_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8QqHDAhPmP7FxqEqRCvJedEflaSq6WNFI4fy2eXV9w5mnQSucwyKcjbFMfCHKHjvpP33o4I6Kx9T5xyhSPH66gRnRlIgEqe5e2DdiNnbhQNb2Rrk7wqZLekCx6VeJm3X3hGL5MTaztk/s1600/IMG_20161115_191249307_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8QqHDAhPmP7FxqEqRCvJedEflaSq6WNFI4fy2eXV9w5mnQSucwyKcjbFMfCHKHjvpP33o4I6Kx9T5xyhSPH66gRnRlIgEqe5e2DdiNnbhQNb2Rrk7wqZLekCx6VeJm3X3hGL5MTaztk/s320/IMG_20161115_191249307_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywOLTPtXqwzpH70UHm1h_pSnWZJQ0oljQUcxxHLeGgpvZHNSk05OnRZbSCXs97pIlO0Wc41sdrXGuB-ZS0ZyDE9UOWrXcrp1SAbT6u5IFske_076PAzTpz1eZliLk-dNzRhlqrvkER9g/s1600/IMG_20161115_191302427_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywOLTPtXqwzpH70UHm1h_pSnWZJQ0oljQUcxxHLeGgpvZHNSk05OnRZbSCXs97pIlO0Wc41sdrXGuB-ZS0ZyDE9UOWrXcrp1SAbT6u5IFske_076PAzTpz1eZliLk-dNzRhlqrvkER9g/s320/IMG_20161115_191302427_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVaBaZOPaBGv1MGgkghoT_cwepgaUSWwdMRpJv0DVj0qylgEqnzWSh32AgfonH_8GmzwVszAxVQsvb9rYw0DPy3Dq9FMiBX29cjbyr_S1tdk5v49AIm-_veE5XMlZgZJUsO9K52H8p7aY/s1600/IMG_20161115_191317464_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVaBaZOPaBGv1MGgkghoT_cwepgaUSWwdMRpJv0DVj0qylgEqnzWSh32AgfonH_8GmzwVszAxVQsvb9rYw0DPy3Dq9FMiBX29cjbyr_S1tdk5v49AIm-_veE5XMlZgZJUsO9K52H8p7aY/s320/IMG_20161115_191317464_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTKVpVr51igzmcbFei9VLEoL99tblUVuwjzkDe7F6iFQqBXB-iGv88tp9bU0uZwSKNuz9SfJD6MyBeLuaP0F2UeJReHRIYw_SIgzbX-c346Vk1lMpB3-4VDq2zZFhMqaInt4miR5BBy6c/s1600/IMG_20161115_191326890.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTKVpVr51igzmcbFei9VLEoL99tblUVuwjzkDe7F6iFQqBXB-iGv88tp9bU0uZwSKNuz9SfJD6MyBeLuaP0F2UeJReHRIYw_SIgzbX-c346Vk1lMpB3-4VDq2zZFhMqaInt4miR5BBy6c/s320/IMG_20161115_191326890.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhicWejB3J91lVHvNphmF0ngW39d70umcaP0yjcupyxj6XyIy_gonnUUYwoYOl1mCB5sJmT7v0kLu2ugFMLWvYWy8FBjOgRqjA6Lik3J73CRLlvsWjk9jxX1ADxfx9MH8VWVW2ss5fAqMk/s1600/IMG_20161115_194101980.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhicWejB3J91lVHvNphmF0ngW39d70umcaP0yjcupyxj6XyIy_gonnUUYwoYOl1mCB5sJmT7v0kLu2ugFMLWvYWy8FBjOgRqjA6Lik3J73CRLlvsWjk9jxX1ADxfx9MH8VWVW2ss5fAqMk/s320/IMG_20161115_194101980.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtFHjK1c5qT4J3ysRfZ0T0guKeAhQsUh5OkI5yvtzGb7FJlyc893QNUdVHfBMA8E35LBjJuRPfqFf1RAriF0tiKsKiaRlEbIOnAh2pFGplweWz__WPpJUA9TSKZoQ-HmEnsHisto0wFE/s1600/IMG_20161115_194543632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtFHjK1c5qT4J3ysRfZ0T0guKeAhQsUh5OkI5yvtzGb7FJlyc893QNUdVHfBMA8E35LBjJuRPfqFf1RAriF0tiKsKiaRlEbIOnAh2pFGplweWz__WPpJUA9TSKZoQ-HmEnsHisto0wFE/s320/IMG_20161115_194543632.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6oFoOLxH6hNdC-uXZgv14qZ9XaE1molkl2vFuZken-qV7015a6wMbfc4PoVfLyYeqErgcMinZa11qVJQvTEoUxRtfrxcI8I59Zqeb7SkaTmv6GC-ug9AGJsrC_r2x3AEioJFK70egxyo/s1600/IMG_20161115_201331496_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6oFoOLxH6hNdC-uXZgv14qZ9XaE1molkl2vFuZken-qV7015a6wMbfc4PoVfLyYeqErgcMinZa11qVJQvTEoUxRtfrxcI8I59Zqeb7SkaTmv6GC-ug9AGJsrC_r2x3AEioJFK70egxyo/s320/IMG_20161115_201331496_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IiLjkkt1xkOFC176gInZUAKIRT66rX4KR7h4Y681xuOa5slqBFhTVCobefQsT2zoWx22Fy8EwKysAh6rep5MLD8TUXrVeTFVGxR7Tvkd_bCK1LJ7NSrkcUBb86TwSar-okLFkiobJ6M/s1600/IMG_20161115_201456383_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IiLjkkt1xkOFC176gInZUAKIRT66rX4KR7h4Y681xuOa5slqBFhTVCobefQsT2zoWx22Fy8EwKysAh6rep5MLD8TUXrVeTFVGxR7Tvkd_bCK1LJ7NSrkcUBb86TwSar-okLFkiobJ6M/s320/IMG_20161115_201456383_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfub7GqSeSCeudd_BVH9lsbdB0bdbLSLBK62gSFTdCSHdmB9m_R0V5zstSUG7jk4NObupedS7qzT64Rt8qRxP4YfIeyf8Kcux1sNcz8biTVEUR2GuPkZNcP_ZRwFx3w2uhBnqXGZnLCSQ/s1600/IMG_20161115_201504837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfub7GqSeSCeudd_BVH9lsbdB0bdbLSLBK62gSFTdCSHdmB9m_R0V5zstSUG7jk4NObupedS7qzT64Rt8qRxP4YfIeyf8Kcux1sNcz8biTVEUR2GuPkZNcP_ZRwFx3w2uhBnqXGZnLCSQ/s320/IMG_20161115_201504837.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiADPVpnEva3vbggdpHxNz4alJHSXyGvsuujW4G3q_7Il7hfcMeJYwgqXL-ZQjqybY6781RMYd2Bv1s_SywPQeK9iWuKQG3EN4Gzx_hU-XzNMhZlt1ELUwa7Fkqvnn4jir7YuCQZawLEIQ/s1600/IMG_20161115_201516771.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiADPVpnEva3vbggdpHxNz4alJHSXyGvsuujW4G3q_7Il7hfcMeJYwgqXL-ZQjqybY6781RMYd2Bv1s_SywPQeK9iWuKQG3EN4Gzx_hU-XzNMhZlt1ELUwa7Fkqvnn4jir7YuCQZawLEIQ/s320/IMG_20161115_201516771.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEtTsDg-XeFYIJ7P4dzI-6EQqlTmLptg9uKRzehv8KS0MdRHTWNg1Pux99Lh7Orr17QFOo3zK7WR1F7aU3yUrTzC9WqFzbzxNB71ihgiPlVQSGTXIvgGRuu4hZ3Xp0YEmQoKEXKDq2-w/s1600/IMG_20161115_210206675_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEtTsDg-XeFYIJ7P4dzI-6EQqlTmLptg9uKRzehv8KS0MdRHTWNg1Pux99Lh7Orr17QFOo3zK7WR1F7aU3yUrTzC9WqFzbzxNB71ihgiPlVQSGTXIvgGRuu4hZ3Xp0YEmQoKEXKDq2-w/s320/IMG_20161115_210206675_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDMcC64Jzcz0uTlV702Lrw9RkMqMmsna6V5eaq7G__V0iBTDjWmegsx1cG-TY3MaJgD-UQjW25762Pg_XgkxhZ8jwcdrLXKNTKb0aY7SbevjWpy0Hedezne0FHkiLXU8QMzftbrQes7E/s1600/IMG_20161115_210214723_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDMcC64Jzcz0uTlV702Lrw9RkMqMmsna6V5eaq7G__V0iBTDjWmegsx1cG-TY3MaJgD-UQjW25762Pg_XgkxhZ8jwcdrLXKNTKb0aY7SbevjWpy0Hedezne0FHkiLXU8QMzftbrQes7E/s320/IMG_20161115_210214723_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10IYWpAWhStM5NT7iZo7ClXmZAyT_-kDDB4dJdnB6LrT0lyktKNCDsOGQTfD77mS72TOZUMKYJfDPy_oC-22-H7EZMOkuIDV7tdTFYuyPM5_qzfhoax3EGtbwXqBRYw6lCH75IH-2s7E/s1600/IMG_20161115_213626972_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10IYWpAWhStM5NT7iZo7ClXmZAyT_-kDDB4dJdnB6LrT0lyktKNCDsOGQTfD77mS72TOZUMKYJfDPy_oC-22-H7EZMOkuIDV7tdTFYuyPM5_qzfhoax3EGtbwXqBRYw6lCH75IH-2s7E/s320/IMG_20161115_213626972_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhquqBZb5d3MXAdWyy26eTgVJieMJ7pcuIP4i57oa3vCti8Q4Hzqey2XdEqs9F9YPpQbY5UHWEVcHTVu_RlS6lJeFKxuc1VkCNTyquE8WId1RQ_nmlmpDa3laOXKpylPZJLKBv8oxxCNBc/s1600/IMG_20161115_213631749_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhquqBZb5d3MXAdWyy26eTgVJieMJ7pcuIP4i57oa3vCti8Q4Hzqey2XdEqs9F9YPpQbY5UHWEVcHTVu_RlS6lJeFKxuc1VkCNTyquE8WId1RQ_nmlmpDa3laOXKpylPZJLKBv8oxxCNBc/s320/IMG_20161115_213631749_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlg0HQ71E5urj4-7VLNzP2PgeK0dAQMuy-yhb_QcE8dCfHJx0k_uMpkLRvakN2Zl7f0EoNzqahJzrZoOEiEbxIDMvTAYP-XGfdmeAJ17Y95A4BIKtJlv2hqeumw4z8qsFyKeRvOzpLJUU/s1600/IMG_20161115_213714721_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlg0HQ71E5urj4-7VLNzP2PgeK0dAQMuy-yhb_QcE8dCfHJx0k_uMpkLRvakN2Zl7f0EoNzqahJzrZoOEiEbxIDMvTAYP-XGfdmeAJ17Y95A4BIKtJlv2hqeumw4z8qsFyKeRvOzpLJUU/s320/IMG_20161115_213714721_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8201668227545910344.post-74398286213895592382016-12-16T17:25:00.002-08:002017-06-18T21:09:55.894-07:00Age of Sigmar: A Love Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ndAXKlzMpT2Wa6ek4EZE0M-9Wf39pHR92bDpvACr0fj3EYb4njFsgVI7e8_XuYwUskKsXr81n3MuQi3uxpBSOfTl5Ac2BMWx_80aJDF4MJCht03fHRWe8xEJG8XDEfrsWwespbAagIE/s1600/IMG_20161010_242731441_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ndAXKlzMpT2Wa6ek4EZE0M-9Wf39pHR92bDpvACr0fj3EYb4njFsgVI7e8_XuYwUskKsXr81n3MuQi3uxpBSOfTl5Ac2BMWx_80aJDF4MJCht03fHRWe8xEJG8XDEfrsWwespbAagIE/s400/IMG_20161010_242731441_HDR.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">WIP Arkhan the Black eating some poor schmuck's soul!</span></div>
<br />
What's up gamers!<br />
NoName1 here again - after a long hiatus - to talk about my latest crush: Age of Sigmar!<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Now, I get the criticism. I was right there with you, especially when the game launched with no points values or any other way to even sort of "balance" the game. I saw balancing by Wounds, balancing by number of Models, rough Force Organization Charts - but nothing really came close. It was either limited to a few specific armies, or just straight-up didn't work.<br />
<br />
No, this entire post is about the state of Age of Sigmar (AoS) post General's Handbook. That sucker was (how can you not?) an absolute game changer (yeah I did!)<br />
The addition of Points, Pitched Battle Profiles that include Force Organization charts/requirements and limitations not only for all factions, but with different numbers based on game size. The perfect framework for us to actually try the dang game.<br />
<br />
Plus, the main book includes all the rules, and the points for *all* armies, plus those sweet Faction or Grand Alliance-specific bonuses and wargear. All for a measly $25 for the book - especially since the actual unit rules are free in the really quite impressive app.<br />
<br />
If it sounds like I'm gushing, I am. I actually bought the GH just to read it, and to support GW in their new magical price-point. THEN I decided to try playing.<br />
<br />
From a 40k player's perspective, here are the things I was most struck by:<br />
<br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">1.) It's cheap.</span></u></b><br />
Between E-bay and those rather excellent Start Collection boxes they've been releasing for AoS (you know, the ones where the models are actually discounted?) I busted out a full 2000 pts. for something like $200, including the book. No joke. Here's what I did:<br />
<br />
<b>First-</b> Start Collecting Box "Skeleton Horde"<br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQ7VGvk3gtuL8mCMfDBtLKP3J9Qj77vZ8kIZ4wWhgrkCRt3fimr0W7WpWbc86OUVGy9HAzMbRTuNi7h0vwjP1IHoYNhhYiq0Ccp0o-n1LDzfpKTSNSjGe2ozH5SpQLnNgjgdRpwVKDGc/s1600/IMG_20161115_181949957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQ7VGvk3gtuL8mCMfDBtLKP3J9Qj77vZ8kIZ4wWhgrkCRt3fimr0W7WpWbc86OUVGy9HAzMbRTuNi7h0vwjP1IHoYNhhYiq0Ccp0o-n1LDzfpKTSNSjGe2ozH5SpQLnNgjgdRpwVKDGc/s640/IMG_20161115_181949957.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">This is just a random shot of some of those pieces</span></b></div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Second-</b> E-bay a lot of Skeletons; 40 basic Warriors, 20 of the old school naked Black Knight cavalry, and a lone Chariot. These are the ugly old models, but they serve.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Third-</b> E-bay two Chaos Marauder Horses, and ten more Black Knights from the latest kits.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Fourth-</b> Here's the secret sauce. In the Skeleton Horde box, you get a Mortrarch - I assembled mine as Arkhan because I love skeletons and Wizards, win-win. Then I took the other two riders, Neferata and Mannfred, and modded them onto the Chaos Marauder Horsemen. Voila! Two Vampire Lords, or Count Mannfred and a Necromancer. They came out terrific. Next I built the Skeletons, and assembled the Hexwraiths (fantastic models), and took the extra Black Knights sprues and put them over the horse bodies of some of the old Black Knights horses.<br />
They look like they're doing the cavalry-equivalent of wearing flip-flops, but they wound up looking awesome painted. Also kit-bashed a Heinrich Kemmler/Necromancer from an Empire Wizard and some green stuff.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0b_B5J39EG-eizr1Lrm8humQf0K_8Yj3CjRFvIhzjBFeCp0cJrlOnFShhoeR2-h9bY9zpCYXu5ivm70uOzTpFQkteV_d1gc-tLZ2z0_WEl620JUNfox7IJ_VwgroJtVNaavB3OjoUtbI/s1600/IMG_20161115_213626972_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0b_B5J39EG-eizr1Lrm8humQf0K_8Yj3CjRFvIhzjBFeCp0cJrlOnFShhoeR2-h9bY9zpCYXu5ivm70uOzTpFQkteV_d1gc-tLZ2z0_WEl620JUNfox7IJ_VwgroJtVNaavB3OjoUtbI/s640/IMG_20161115_213626972_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Fifth-</b> I picked up a Cairn Wraith (you know, more heroes) and the Shattered Dominion Bases boxed set to re-base my Skeleton Warriors. After re-basing, I also had a bunch of sleek new Skulls that I used (with some Kings of War Elf Archer arms) to turn ten more old Black Knight models into Mounted Skeleton Archers.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWTuxcvInxsA1YY9OtvAptbpHmOQDbLmcJxnG8Wj-BOCgOs8uS1_KyibY878AFwzjDodQOQxka1zuPOjEXwIN8JZu0gCNEuez3fY4WwcgibpbsVfPAAmTc7ZwNJzBZxHiBUABN8ZAFDw/s1600/IMG_20161115_201456383_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWTuxcvInxsA1YY9OtvAptbpHmOQDbLmcJxnG8Wj-BOCgOs8uS1_KyibY878AFwzjDodQOQxka1zuPOjEXwIN8JZu0gCNEuez3fY4WwcgibpbsVfPAAmTc7ZwNJzBZxHiBUABN8ZAFDw/s640/IMG_20161115_201456383_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">You can see some of my "barefoot" Black Knights here, including front-and-center</span></div>
<br />
That's just what I did for my army, but it went together super fast, was a blast to paint, and was both easier and cheaper than I'd ever dreamed going into it. It's a healthy 2000 pts with room for upgrades and a little proxying. AND I have a ton of extra bits - next project is to turn that lone Chariot into a Tomb King on Chariot!<br />
<br />
Yes, that part was particularly rewarding :) and brings us to-<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>2.) The Models.</u></span></b><br />
These are the same GW quality models we're used to from the latest 40k releases. Some of the recent Fantasy/AoS models are easily GW's best work. I would have gotten some of them just to paint them, but it's a major perk being able to get some play out of them too!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPL_6yWcS_pXdHEpS9AayjqGaskpZJ6SHvy2flXlB-K3oN4FE0orunjyAXEmieuCzy33vinN2Tr-ii6MsN3yQiIvLIEI7_bl5n2ZX1VjNYNr1l94zCMeBr-Urmi2i2URE9sBP70aDX2yw/s1600/IMG_20161115_213714721_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPL_6yWcS_pXdHEpS9AayjqGaskpZJ6SHvy2flXlB-K3oN4FE0orunjyAXEmieuCzy33vinN2Tr-ii6MsN3yQiIvLIEI7_bl5n2ZX1VjNYNr1l94zCMeBr-Urmi2i2URE9sBP70aDX2yw/s640/IMG_20161115_213714721_HDR.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">3.) It's Fast.</span></u></b><br />
In terms of how the game plays, it's quick and brutal! A 2k game is still long, but with less rules-referencing and a set five-turn limit, I find my games go about half as long as a 40k game. With two players who know what they're doing, it's entirely possible to bang out a 2k in an hour.<br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></u></b>
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">4.) The Rules.</span></u></b><br />
Playing off of #3 there, a big part of what makes the game fast is that it's simple, streamlined, and straightforward. It's not perfect of course, and it's no 40k, but I found that the rules for individual units and the scenarios worked to make playing with these rules every bit as fun and satisfying as the massive tomes that are 40k rules. Often even better. Here are the biggest Rules Wins in my book:<br />
<br />
<b>First</b>, any piece can hurt any other. Every model has a set To-Hit and To-Wound threshold, no matter what they're fighting. This means you actually will run those basic Mook units (and some of them are the best units in the game. Skeleton Warriors, man!) and if you play them well, they can take down the biggest monsters in the game. Put in Chess terms, even a Pawn can take a Queen. Which I think is good for the game - it means everything is a potential threat, and you'll never be up against an opponent you can't hit or hurt. That kind of openness makes it a lot more flexible what units you can play, and means a "Bad Matchup" isn't an automatic loss. No Flyer Spam or Knights stomping on your poor anti-Infantry list.<br />
<br />
<b>Second</b>, Heroes. Heroes are cool in this game! They feel epic, they feel like Heroes, but they also can never be part of a unit, so no hiding, no someone else soaking that damage for you. Heroes hit hard, but are very fragile on their own. But I really like that aspect, it makes them fast and flexible, but you have to be very careful with positioning. It also really sets off some of the more spectacular models :)<br />
<br />
<b>Third,</b> Scenarios. Back in 5th edition 40k, GW knocked it out of the park with custom Missions and Scenarios in the Core book. This is the first book of theirs since then that I really enjoy. All the matches are Objective Based, but with different Deployment, and dramatically different ways to score them. For example, in one Scenario, only Heroes can hold Objectives - considering my Second point above, that makes for a very interesting game. In another, a minimum of six units hold an Objective, so you had to make sure to buffer your point grabbers, and couldn't poach a point with a small unit. In another, the Objectives arrive in a random table sixth on Turn 2, so no predicting where they'll be at Deployment. Lastly, there's one where you get one-third of your army's units (rounded up) each turn, starting with your Battleline - that made for a super awesome game!<br />
In short, the missions are varied and interesting, and with different builds and opponents, they keep the game much more fresh than I expected. Top marks!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifyRtrbYN2VZpMZYVutSpk4YzrVZJKX-5pCs30AA2-ZM6O5WzmbOB4AiI6cTK7XK1agIql_WxH885a1YfK-Q3MDLvweM4yFxZBn_x9NvNLkKash2a7fsFyWMkzxpQszL0uID04lnYELWs/s1600/IMG_20161115_191317464_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifyRtrbYN2VZpMZYVutSpk4YzrVZJKX-5pCs30AA2-ZM6O5WzmbOB4AiI6cTK7XK1agIql_WxH885a1YfK-Q3MDLvweM4yFxZBn_x9NvNLkKash2a7fsFyWMkzxpQszL0uID04lnYELWs/s640/IMG_20161115_191317464_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">In Conclusion-</span></b><br />
Is it perfect? Of course not. But man, it really is good :)<br />
If you haven't, catch a learning game, try an Escalation game, split a starter box with a buddy - try it out. Even if it's just a short break from 40k during the Holidays, I bet you'll find it's just the thing!Noah Halletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03072991887362770442noreply@blogger.com0