SAWS – Round 3 – Cary Hegna – Tomb Kings

The Mission: Wildwood

My Objective: Kill all spellcasters (includes anyone who channels or casts spells and cannot be taken if they have none)

King, Chariot, Death Mask, Talisman of Endurance, Charmed Shield

Lich High Priest, hierophant, Level 4, Talisman of Preservation, Cloak of the Dunes

Herald, Chariot, Armor of Destiny, Spear, Shield

Liche Priest, dispel scroll

6 Chariots, Full command, banner of swiftness

3 Chariots, Champion
23 Archers
5 Skeletal Horse Archers

3 Sepulchral Stalkers

3 Carrion

Skull Catapult

Skull Catapult
Casket of Souls
Casket of Souls
Necrolith Colossus, extra hand weapon

First I want to note that I should have lost this game.  I strongly feel that.  I know that gives away what happens.  I think my opponent was tired and perhaps a little drunk.  I asked him many times if he wanted me to explain what my list did and how it worked and he said no.  I do know at one point I did say it worked similar to his Sepulchral Stalkers but I don’t think he really understood what I was doing.  There were some things in the game that won’t make sense, and some of this was my not wanting to push on rules to my utter advantage given the mistakes and the following advantages to me that had already occurred.

Cary rolled Move, Killing Blow, +1 Attack and Vortex spells on his level 4 and movement on his level 1.  Sorry, didn’t make note of the names and don’t own a Tomb Kings book anymore.

He deployed center table.  He put his hierophant in the archers right up front center joined by the other caster.  He placed his scout archers in his deployment zone in front of the two caskets, which were next to the catapults.  The chariots then took each flank with the small unit joined by the Colossus.  I hid my general behind a hill in my deployment zone – if he had known how my list worked my guess is the chariots would have been in front of the archers and warmachines, forcing me to go through them, and the archers would have scouted for shooting my general.  Because of his actual deployment he left all his vulnerable parts front and center and unprotected.

Once again I went first and didn’t do anything, not even move my general.  On Cary’s turn 1 he shuffles around a little and indirect fires at my general, but only once.

On my turn 2, 5 night runner units and 2 gutter runner units come on the table.  1 unit of night runners kills itself completely on my first misfire of the day.  With the night runners I charge into the catapult with its weapons team flanking the hierophant.  A unit of night runners goes into the fast cavalry.  Two units go into the hierophant, one in front and one in flank (joined by a weapons team).  I put 2 other weapons teams in with the fast cavalry.  The gutter runners come on, one out of rank to shoot.  I put 5 of 6 wounds on the carrion.  In combat I kill off the catapult and 5 archers.  In the combat with the archers, I don’t target the hierophant directly and forget to attack with the flanking unit.  This forgetting (which actually happened) is follow up by not moving the unit up when the skeletons die off, nor counting the flanking in the crumble (nor do I reform the unit, I just leave it there like it was placed there and not into combat).  Later Cary would say he was surprised he didn’t lose his hierophant and the game right there, and it wasn’t an accident.  I was afraid he would concede and trash my soft scores (which is a really sucky way to have to play warhammer).  Also the catapult dies.

On Cary’s turn 2 the Colossus and small chariot unit charge.  A 10/6 magic phase has the general miscasting the move spell which to move out the herald from within the big chariot block (didn’t understand this – perhaps because of space or to make 2 chargers?), kills a few skeletons, 2 night runners and wounds both wizards (failing the lookout sir on the smaller wizard).  He loses 1 dispel die.  I then dispel 1 casket while the other one fails to go off (yay!).  Catapult goes after the general, hitting him off center but fails to wound.  I do 1 wound to the small chariot unit, and my unit dies on the pursuit.  2 weapons teams die based on panic distances.  I kill 4 skeletons and leave just the hierophant with 1 wound after overkill.

On my turn 3 the rest of the army comes on without mishap.  The gutter runners rear charge the big chariot block with night runners in the flank.  Night runners also charge the casket.  I shoot off a chariot on the small unit.  In combat I roll hot on the large unit and kill 3 chariots.  He kills the assassin and overkill puts 2 wounds to general and disappears the unit.  I also kill the casket, which then goes on to kill the other catapult (until we remember its T7 in which case it does 2 wounds), does a wound to the BSB, kills a weapons team and 5 night runners.  Do a wound to the hierophant which then dies to crumble, doing 2 more wounds to the small chariot unit and the rest passing their tests – not that there is much left.  Another weapons team kills itself as its unit gets away from it.

On Cary’s turn 3 the small chariots take 2 more wounds, leaving a model.  The other casket takes a wound.  He charges the chariot and BSB into a night runner unit, BSB in the rear.  A 10/6 magic phase has im miscasting the casket with all dice and does 2 wounds to the center night runners (getting off easy!).  It then fails to redirect.  I fail to wound the chariots, break from combat and get away.  I lose 3 to the terrain.  IN the BSB combat I lose and flee off the table.  The general’s combat and I fail my fear but pass a ward save to only lose by 1.  The gutter runners still run off the table and the night runners hold.  Wishing for a chariot to beat on in that combat.

On my turn 4 and what I have fleeing rallies.  I fail to poison the last catapult.  I put a wound on the hero and 5 onto the casket.  The casket then kills the last chariot, 1 gutter runner, 4 other gutter runners that panic the unit and 1 wound to the colossus.

On Cary’s turn 4 the crumble puts 3 more wounds on the colossus.  I fail to hit the general, which then runs down the night runners.

On my turn 5 and 11 night runners flank the BSB.  I poison off the catapult, the BSB then makes all his saves in the combat.

On Cary’s turn 5 the colossus gives up and dies due to crumble.  The general rear charges NR because fleeing would make them dead anyways.  I fail the fear with the hero and he passes all his saves.  I flee and he passes his dangerous terrain test.  I fail to wound the general who then kills off the unit.

On my turn 6 the night runners don’t rally, but stay on the table.  The gutter runners do rally.  Another unit of gutter runners then kills the general’s chariot.

Cary’s turn 6 and the gutter runners don’t hit on the stand and shoot, he does 1 wound on impact and the game ends.

So a win, but I feel this should have been a loss.  Cary actually scolded me at the end of the game for not telling him what my list did, when I know…I know I asked at least 4 times if he wanted me to explain it… before the game started after I told him about my list building issue, when he deployed his scouts (first deployment!), when I deployed my engineer (and he asked why character first and I told him I had no others) and when I put down my tokens.

Also, Cary never rolled for his Stalkers.  I didn’t notice until his turn 3, but when I asked he asked why bother?  I then asked him every other turn and he chose not to.  I’m not sure it’s a choice to roll, and also at the end of the game he actually added them to his points left alive, which I think was really not cool – not on the table should be dead.  Otherwise why wouldn’t I just take the easy tie every time? (well actually my engineer is worth 115 points – but I bet I could earn enough with some gutter runners while the engineer kept him distracted.  Still, not cool.