It's been a while since I've done a battle report, so I thought I'd jump back in with a big one - fifty points, and two large based Warlocks! It's been a while since I've played a 50 point game, and I felt a little bit weird with so many models on the board, but it gave me a chance to see how a lot of the models worked together. Since I'm currently leaving Saeryn on the sidelines, I went with the caster that got me into Everblight in the first place, Thagrosh the Messiah:
Thagrosh, the Messiah (+3pts)
*
Shredder (2pts)
*
Shredder (2pts)
*
Shredder (2pts)
*
Shredder (2pts)
*
Shredder (2pts)
*
Carnivean (11pts)
*
Scythean (9pts)
Blackfrost Shard (5pts)
Blighted Nyss Hex Hunters (Leader and 9 Grunts) (8pts)
Blighted Nyss Striders (Leader and 5 Grunts) (6pts)
*
Blighted Nyss Striders Officer & Musician (3pts)
3
Spell Martyrs (3pts)
I know I'm not supposed to be using Striders, but I was curious to see what it would be like to have this many infantry models on the board. I also decided to avoid playing too many Shredders, since while it can be a viable strategy with Thagrosh I wanted to try something different, so I went with my two heavy hitters, the Carnivean and Scythean.
My opponent brought Dominar Rasheth's theme force, running all the way up to tier 4:
Dominar Rasheth (+5pts)
*
Basilisk Krea (4pts)
*
Bronzeback Titan (9pts)
*
Titan Gladiator (7pts)
*
Titan Gladiator (7pts)
Gatormen Posse (Leader and 4 Grunts) (9pts)
Paingiver Beast Handlers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (2pts)
Venators Reivers (Leader and 9 Grunts) (9pts)
*
Venators Reiver Officer & Standard (2pts)
Agonizer (2pts)
Agonizer (2pts)
Paingiver Task Master (2pts)
Interestingly, this is one of the few games I've played where I have more models than my opponent, and where I have fewer heavy warbeasts. My goal off the bat is to use my infantry to soften up his warbeasts and screen for my own. If I can take out the Titans, I should be able to finish off Rasheth without too much trouble.
Terrain:
We decided the fence would provide concealment and block charges like a linear obstacle, the wall was a standard linear obstacle, and the houses were impassible and blocked line of sight. The lack of quantity and variety of terrain concerned me a bit, but I was glad there were 2 large obstacles to help block line of sight to Thagrosh. I won the roll and opted to go first.
Deployment:
Thagrosh and his warbeasts deployed on the far left, behind the house, hoping to use it for cover. The Hex Hunters deployed in the middle of the board, with the Blackfrost Shard on the right, hoping to hide behind the other house until late game, when they could help my infantry weaken the enemy warbeasts. I split the Spell Martyrs up, leaving one near Thagrosh, one behind the Hex Hunters, and one between the Hex Hunters and the Blackfrost Shard. Since I didn't know my opponent's placement it seemed prudent to be able to arc spells on as much of the board as possible.
My opponent's deployment was pretty similar to mine. Rasheth and his beasts deployed directly across from Thagrosh as his beasts, with the beast masters and Agonizers directly behind them. The Gatormen and task master lined up directly to their right, while the Venators formed a block in the middle of the board.
I placed my Striders on the right ahead of the Blackfrost Shard, as far as Advance Deployment would allow them. I hoped they would be able to whittle down the Reivers quickly enough before sweeping around the back of my opponent's force to remove the Paingivers.
Thagrosh Hellbourne let out a low growl in annoyance. So far the journey south had been uneventful, but from his vantage point he could not see a way past the small contingent of Skorne now blocking their path. His draconic blood surged, and he made up his mind - these pathetic creatures would not live long enough to curse the day they crossed paths with the Messiah.
Everblight, Turn 1:
Like most turn 1's everyone runs. My Carnivean and Scythean run up so they can get protection from the house and fence, while Thagrosh puts
Dragon's Blood on the Hex Hunters before moving up to join them, giving himself Spiny Growth and both beasts Tenacity. The Hex Hunters ran forward and spread out in the middle, hopefully forcing my opponent to make some hard choices as he advances into their charge range. Some quick math tells me they won't be in range of the Venators (16" Advance Deploy + 7" Move + 12" Range + 10" Opposing Deployment = 45", less than the 48" board), so I run them forward, trying to stay far enough back to make sure I'm safe with stealth. I start running into a bit of a trouble keeping them spaced apart to avoid AOEs, and two end up being interspersed with the Hex Hunters. The Spell Martyrs all run forward, making sure to stay far enough back to avoid getting shot, and the Blackfrost Shard walks towards the house on their side of the field before giving themselves stealth, since I was wary of the Venators.
Skorne, Turn 1:
My opponent's turn is similarly uneventful. Most of his forces run forward, though the Krea and Rasheth walk so they can use the Krea's animus, and Rasheth places Carnivore on the Gatormen before casting
Breath of Corruption at the Hex Hunters. It scatters into one of the Striders, killing her and leaving a cloud thats turns out to be a problem for my Hex Hunters' charge lanes. The Reivers move up and use their minifeat so they can perform a massive CRA on the Scythean, rolling box cars for 9 damage - ouch! I'm thankful that Thagrosh didn't run and was out of range, since that would've taken a painful chunk out of his life. The Gatormen run up in front of the Titans while the Task Master gives them tough.
Dominar Rasheth's first warning of the enemy was a bloodcurling roar that echoed over the fields. Even as the Agonizers carrying his dais struggled to turn so he could face the threat, the corpulent warlock began barking orders to the paingivers, who in turn urged their charges forward. As the enemy drew close, he caught the glint of metal hurtling through the air as the Venators unleashed a volley towards one of the malformed beasts, which let out an unnatural cry in reponse - whether in anger of pain, Rasheth could not tell. He followed suit by unleashing a poison cloud into the swarm of elves closing into their position, causing one to collapse to the ground twitching before going still.
Everblight, Turn 2:
Three of my Striders are in range of the Venators, and forfeit their movement to aim while the res shift up to get in range and draw line of sight. Despite needing 6's to hit (4's for the aiming ones) and 4's to kill, only two Reivers fall to 7 shots. I'm forced to walk my Hex Hunter's into melee since the Breath of Corruption cloud is blocking a lot of charge lanes, but their high speed means I still get 4 in melee, who thanks to battle wizard bring down 5 more Reivers. The rest try to Hex Bolt the Gatormen, softening them up so the Carnivean and Thagrosh's sprays force tough checks on 3 of them, though only one dies. Thagrosh also arcs
Scourge onto the Krea, dealing a bit of damage to it and an Agonizer thats a little too close, as well as killing off a Beast Handler. Three Shredders mill around the back and cast Tenacity on Thagrosh and the heavies, while the last one goes Rabid and moves around the house to attack a Gatorman, but only deals 4 damage across 2 attacks. ARM 18 is a pain!
Skorne, Turn 2:
My opponent's Bronzeback steps up to crush the Shredder attack the Gatorman, allowing the remainder of the Posse to charge my Hex Hunters. They bring down 4 Hex Hunters, though Dragon's Blood manages to take one of the 1 HP gators with them. An Agonizer runs forward to allow Rasheth to cast
Blood Mark on Thagrosh before popping his feat and the remaining Reivers CRA Thagrosh, dealing 2 damage. I think he was going for an assassination, but -4 armor didn't help much when 2 are in range. His Gladiators hang back, not wanting to feel the wrath of my Carnivean and Scythean.
A twisted smile crossed Thagrosh's face as his Nyss tore into the Skorne ranks before they were snapped up by the powerful jaws of the Gatormen. Several of the feral minions came a bit to close, and he relished the smell of frostbitten flesh as he unleashed a torrent of draconic flame at them, prompting the Carnivean to do the same. Though several seemed on the verge of death, the crack of a Skorne whip brought two of his victims back to their feet. He momentarily lost focus as the remaining pistol wielders hit him with a barrage of needles. He was momentarily caught off balance as they dug deeper than the should have, though a slight signal from Everblight directed him towards the Warlock. His draconic vision allowed him see the magic flow around the enemies torso and down through the base of his platform, wrapping itself like a translucent black cloth over his warriors. Call upon the dragon's power he reached out to the Skorne's mind, and while it was not as receptive as those of his elf servants he was able to break his enemies concentration and halt the flow of ribbons from the sorcerer.
Everblight, Turn 3:
The Striders advance and finish off the unengaged Reivers, while the Hex Hunters wrap up the engaged ones and start launching Hex Bolts at the Gatormen and Agonizers. Even with support from Thagrosh and the Carnivean, all 3 gators survive thanks to tough checks, and because of the Task Master aren't even knocked down! Annoyed I run a Spell Martyr forward to arc
Flesh Eater onto the Task Master to make the Gatormen a bit easier to finish off! The Shredders also stay back - I want to clear the Gatormen before sending them out for the kill.
Skorne, Turn 3:
Each Gatorman claims a Hex Hunter, but my opponent is starting to get concerned. His units are all but dead while I still have my full unit of Striders to peck at him as long as he keeps his Titans back. He decides to charge one of the Gladiators across the field to kill a Strider, hoping to put some pressure on me to commit my heavies. Rasheth sends an Agonizer to the right to arc Breath of Corruption into my Striders, and manages to kill the leader and a grunt with a lucky scatter and some boosted damage rolls.
Dominar Rasheth scowled as his magic faded. Normally the ritual would have lasted longer, but the draconic magic was providing too much interference. Though his Reivers had fallen, along with the Task Master, his prized beasts were still standing, as well as some of the Gatormen slaves. With a wave of his hand he sent another poison cloud over their heads as they tore into the Nyss Sorcerers battling them, further reducing the enemy's numbers. Once enough of them were down, he would be able to march forth with his beasts, and bring down the warlock leading them. He couldn't help but smile at the prospect - apparently Lord Arbiter Hexeris had managed to catch one, but it had managed to escape before he could study it. Another specimen would surely fetch a high price.
Everblight, Turn 4:
My opponent's gladiator is too sweet a target to pass up, so I bring the Blackfrost Shard out from hiding to help my Scythean devour it. Thagrosh feats and casts
Manifest Destiny, then sprays to take out 2 of the Gatormen. The Carnivean, now with the feat move to retreat back, steps up and kills both Agonizers and the last Gatorman. The Striders move up and perform a large CRA on the Krea, and the Hex Hunters try to pile more damage on with their Hex Bolts. The Shredders run up to the Bronzeback and Gladiator, blocking charge lanes while taking a few boxes off the warbeasts. I use my feat move to pull back the Carnivean, but the Scythean can't make it to the cover of the building. I opt to leave it close, since I'm hoping to survive if one of the Titans has to trample the Shredders to get to him. Worst case, it dies to a heavy, and Thagrosh and my Carnivean should be more than enough to avenge it and deal with the other one.
Skorne, Turn 4:
The Bronzeback tramples the Shredders near him, but is unable to kill the one engaging the Gladiator, so Rasheth uses
Breath of Corruption to free it up. Hilariously, he's forced to spend a FURY to heal the Gladiator after some high damage rolls finish its last dot of mind, but the beast is certainly healthy enough to charge and dismember my Scythean with its full complement of attacks.
As the Nyss mopped up the last of the enemy infantry, Thagrosh turned his focus to the Titans. One managed to crush a Strider under its massive bulk, but barely had time to savor the victory before his Scythean tore it limb from limb. Feeling the battle reach its zenith, Thagrosh unleashed an earth rending roar, which was echoed by his beasts as they felt his power flow through them. His Shredders viciously attacked the enemy warbeasts, tearing chunks of flesh from them even as they were trampled in retaliation. Despite his efforts, Thagrosh lost himself in the symphony of blood and wrath.
Everblight, Turn 5:
I send my Striders after the enemy Beast Handlers, realizing its what I should have done in the first place, but one manages to survive. Nonetheless I send my Carnivean after the Gladiator, and thanks to Manifest Destiny and support from the Blackfrost Shard it has enough fury remaining to put Spiny Growth on itself.
Skorne, Turn 5:
My opponent is forced to send both his Bronzeback and Krea kill the Carnivean, though the Bronzeback takes a decent amount of damage from Spiny Growth in the process. The remaining Beast Handler moves forward so Rasheth can arc
Breath of Corruption and catch two members of the Blackfrost Shard as well as a Strider I accidentally left between them because I forgot I lost reform. Interestingly, Rasheth is now in charge range of Thagrosh.
With most of the warbeasts down, Rasheth gestured his personal Agonizers forward, wanting to be close to enough to collect the enemy personally. As he got in sight, his breath caught in his throat. Rather than the elf he had expected, he faced what could only be described as an abomination. Muscle and bone wove into unnatural shapes, and if not for the insight granted by his mystic powers he would have thought it was a new type of dragonspawn. His confusion soon gave way to pleasure as he considered how much more valuable this trophy would be, and pulled on his remaining warbeasts to focus on the target.
Everblight, Turn 6:
I've got a conundrum: Rasheth is within charge range of Thagrosh, but he has
Blood Mark on me, and I don't have anywhere to transfer the damage, so I could end up killing myself with the charge if I roll a 14 or better on 3 dice. I decide its not worth the risk, so Thagrosh charges the Bronzeback, hoping to finish it off quickly enough to also get the Krea, but thanks to bad to hit rolls the light warbeast survives. However, I am now out of Rasheth's line of sight thanks to eruption of ash, so I run two Striders up to him so I can get free strikes if he tries to get me, using the remaining Striders to block off the Krea. My Hex Hunters try to finish it off, but to no avail, and I realize too late I've blocked the charge lanes for Rhyliss, the last member of the Blackfrost Shard.
Skorne, Turn 6:
The Krea kills off 2 Striders, but they keep her from getting to Thagrosh. Rasheth is forced to use
Breath of Corruption to free himself from my Striders, and then shifts to get line of sight to Thagrosh and use the Breath again on Thagrosh. Fortunately he only manages 6 points of damage on me, enough for me to spawn a Shredder, but leaving me alive at 12 health.
Thagrosh
Everblight, Turn 7:
I move my Striders so Rhyliss can get a charge and he combines with the remaining Hex Hunters to finish of the Krea. All my opponent has left now is Rasheth. Thagrosh cuts himself for 6 fury and walks up to the fat man, and though I roll a 5-6 for damage and he transfers to me, I am able to send the damage to the Shredder, killing it and taking 2 points off Thagrosh. Two more blows from Rapture later and the game is finally over.
Rasheth desperately tried to pull himself away from the demonic beast that has just carved through his palanquin, though he found his head spinning from blood loss. Oddly, his opponent seemed to have paused, surveying the carnage rather than finishing the Dominar. His gaze particularly lingered on the remnants of the Nyss, where the handful of survivors where picking through the fallen, helping those they could and collecting the corpses of those they couldn't. Despite his injuries, he couldn't help but be intrigued. While his people valued the finely trained warbeasts over any individual grunt, the corrupted Nyss seemed to do the opposite. Rasheth was shaken back to reality as a rough claw dragged him off the ground. The beast's voice was like a noxious cloud, sending spasms through Rasheth's body. "Let this serve as a warning to your masters. We are the children of Everblight, and those who do not bow will be reaped." Rasheth's vision swam, and he was unconscious before hitting the ground.
Aftermath:
Wow, that game took a while! I've never had an attrition match drag out like that, though it ended up being in my favor since I had more combat units. The Gatormen helped keep my opponent in the game, especially with all the tough rolls they made. Gotta remember to make the Task Master a priority in the future. I did learn a few things:
-
Dragon's Blood isn't nearly as good on the Hex Hunters as I'd hoped. ARM 14 is pretty much the same as ARM 12 when the vast majority of attacks are at least POW 10, and while the damage did take down a Gatorman, its not reliable enough to count as a plus. I think in future games I'm just going to drop it on one of my heavies - combined with Spiny Growth it can bring them up to ARM 22, which pretty much demands dedicating a heavy + support to killing it, and even then bad rolls mean he could survive.
-The Carnivean's spray is actually really good. Sure his RAT is only 4, but if he boosts to hit on key targets he hits DEF 14 on average, 16 if he can stand and shoot like he could this game. Still, his primary purpose is melee, so while he can provide some nice utility with the spray and Spiny Growth, I wouldn't hesitate to throw him at another heavy.
-I'm still trying to figure out Epic Thagrosh. This game he arced some spells and helped out with Manifest Destiny and his feat, but otherwise was a backline caster most of the game. I actually think this was the right way to play him - despite his stature he's not tough enough to take blows in the front, though his excellent hitting power makes him good for cleanup. In the future I'd like to get a little more out of him - I think I can probably run a little lighter on fury since I'm keeping him back, and my target selection could use work.
Overall it was a pretty fun game, and I'm excited to try out more at 50 points!
I'm really excited to have her since she should really help with my lower fury Warlocks like Kallus and Rhyas, who often don't have enough fury to upkeep, cast spells, and save some for transfers. She not only helps with upkeeps, but also lets me put Tenacity on my casters for a little more survivablility, which is something I've always struggled with.
Its a really good book, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in the Iron Kingdoms. The combat system feels really familiar, since its basically the same as Warmachine/Hordes. While I'm probably going to end up as a player in a game, I kind of want to run my own. While the enemies section is a bit thin, I'm thinking that almost any model from WM/H can be used since the stat line is almost the same. It'd be cool for my Legion to have some more heroic adversaries to consume!
