Bay Area Open – Round 2 – Rich Waters – Lizardman

I hadn’t met Rich before (the only round this was the case), and he turned out to be a nice guy. His list ranked as the most preferable of the 4 ‘I don’t want to play these lists’ list. Having only mostly skinks, and not a lot of flamers, I wasn’t too worried about the shooting match up, but it was the double slann that had me worried. His list was:

Slann, General, BSB, Lore of Metal, Becalming Cogitation (no 6s) and Focused Rumination (free die).

Slann, Lore of Death, Focus of Mystery (all spells)



Skink Priest, Level 2, Lore of Heavens, Dispel Scroll, Opal Amulet, Ironcurse Icon

Scar Vet, cold one, sword of striking, dragon helm, dawnstone (2+ reroll, 2+ ward vs. fire)

Scar Vet, cold one, halberd, charmed shield, luckstone, venom of the firefly frog (2+ reroll once)



24 Saurus Warriors, full command

24 skinks/3 kroxigor, full command

10 block skinks, musician

10 skink skirmishers

10 skink skirmishers

10 skink skirmishers



8 Chameleon Skinks

6 Chameleon Skinks

6 Chameleon Skinks

3 Terradon Riders

3 Terradon Riders



2 Salamanders



For spells Rich rolled Comet and Harmonic Convergence on his priest and Final Transmutation, Golden Hounds, Searing Doom and Enchanted Blades. Death of course got them all. I’m not so sure about his set up; I think I would rather have the extra die with the all death lore, though I agree that Death/Metal is the best. I think besides that one switch he had a great list. I was not feeling any better after having looked at the list.



The mission was plain old battleline. The terrain was ok, a building in Rich’s left flank deployment, a very small impassable near it (small but played a big role), a center hill, a block of impassible in Rich’s right flank deployment, a forest in my right flank and center deployment and a little ruin just outside my left most deployment.



This deployment was interesting as Rich had way more units, I had way more vanguard and then we were close on scouts; but with us having to roll before each stage to figure out who did which first. Rich won deployment and I won scout deployment and vanguard.

For deployment Rich placed a unit of skinks on the left flank, joined by the death slann. Behind them went the flamers and a unit of terradons. Then, moving right, another unit of skinks, followed by the non-skirmish unit with the halberd non fire save saurus. Next came the warriors with the metal slann and the skink/krox block. Lastly, on the other side of the impassible was the last unit of skinks and the other unit of terradons.



My left to right was a unit of dark riders, my bsb (facing left, not forward), my hydras with my general behind for panic support and a unit of dark riders between, two more units of dark riders, my metal wizard and the last unit of dark riders on the right most flank. I had intentionally left a space on my left for some skinks, hence the BSB facing left. I’m not sure if he left space on purpose on his left, but I took the bait anyways. He then took my bait, which followed with my other unit to trap him. He doubled down and put the large unit into the gap.



Vanguards saw the trap fully close as my dark riders turned to face, his terradons advanced to be able to drop rocks and my dark riders moved up a little to avoid move penalties into the skinks in case I went first. All of this is included in the pictures.



We rolled off and Rich took the first turn. He advanced the two chameleons up, putting one in the ruins and one just into close range. The left most unit of terradons dropped rocks on my scouts in the center board, and the other unit hit the dark riders on the far right flank, killing them off. His trap closing chameleons moved into the building and the rest of his army advanced to try to get into shooting range of the dark riders. So first blood to him during the movement phase, costing me a unit of dark riders and 3 shades. In his magic phase (6PD/4DD), Rich put 3 wounds on the left hydra. Shooting killed 2 more shades and some dark riders. I also lost the rear unit of shades.

On my turn and I made Rich suffer for his advances. My BSB charged and ran down the 8 man chameleon unit. My dark riders charged and ran down the 6 man chameleon unit. My dark riders charged and ran down the 10 pack skirmishers with the death slann, the right most unit of skinks fled and got away and I flanked the right most unit of terradons. So just my movement phase netted me 513 points, and another 90 in combat (terradons). My magic was ineffective at a 3PD/3DD phase. In shooting I killed some terradons and skinks and did 3 wounds to the salamanders (also killed some handlers). In combat I killed that terradon unit.



Lizardman turn 2 and the now leftmost skinks advanced center into woods to shoot at the wounded hydra. The right most skinks rallied and the blocks advanced. The block skinks with rider turned to face my advanced dark riders as the salamander rallies. Thankfully the impassible terrain prevented him from advancing to block my dark riders from access to the salamander. Rich rolls an awesome 12PD/6DD magic phase, which forces me to use my dispel scroll on searing doom but skill allows golden hounds to get through and put another wound on the dying hydra. The skinks then finish off the hydra.

Dark Elf turn 2 and I charge and catch the center 10 skinks with some fancy multi-charge push after a failed terror test from the remaining hydra. The dark riders that had caught the slann charge the remaining salamander but fail to kill it. Another wasted 4PD/3DD magic phase, and I shoot up some skinks.

Lizard turn 3 seem the skink block charge my dark riders, killing them off. A 4PD/4DD magic phase and his remaining shooting out of position leaves the rest of the turn uneventful. His blocks continue to advance.

Dark Elf turn 3 sees an 8PD/7DD magic phase that still allows me to kill the skink priest and block skinks with rider off with combined shooting and magic.

Lizard turn 4 sees move advancement with the blocks, the last skinks joining the party (that last terradon from the left has flown off and is hiding in the back somewhere, chameleons are still hiding in the building). With searing doom and a 7PD/5DD magic phase Rich puts 2 wounds on the last hydra.

Dark Elf turn 4 seems the Warriors charged with a dark rider unit, the last hydra and flanked by my BSB. I get both doom and darkness and soul blight into the combat on a strong 10PD/6DD magic phase. The dark riders put all their attacks into the slann, ending his life. Rich bows out without finishing the combat and the turn. He would have most likely lost the combat with a 5 cold blooded stubborn. It was probably the correct call, though I always play it out.