Brad and I had never played before, but of the Midwest warhammer
players I have been in contact with Brad the longest. Brad used to have a skaven army and with that skaven army
came a blog of his own. This was
back in the first two years of 8th edition. ‘Ard Boyz still existed and both Brad
and I were playing Skaven and looking to be the region champion. I had found his blog and posted
comments occasionally and we had talked Skaven tactics. I went 3rd in the region one
year and 2nd the next. I’m not sure how Brad did. Another year or so after that I decided to travel outside
California for an event and finally met Brad at Northstar and Adepticon in 2012
and again in 2013. I knew going in
Brad was a great player, like me having started focused on winning (including
in list design) and only coming to the other aspects of the hobby later. I knew, because Brad still posts on a
blog that he built a hard Warriors of Chaos list, and I knew I had brought
Flamespyre phoenix.
Deployment: Dawn Attack
In addition, the
player who has traveled the farthest decides who pick sides (and who deploys
first) and the person who deploys first also decides who goes first.
Man of Intrigue: The chosen core unit does not roll to deploy.
Scenario Points:
4
Points – Win by 100 points
3
points – Tie (within 100 points)
2
Points – Lose by less than 300 points
1
point – Lost by more than 300 points
Objective (1 point): Your MoI unit is in your opponent’s
deployment zone, without theirs being in your deployment zone.
The List
Sorcerer Lord, Mark/Disk/Lore/Third Eye of Tzeentch, Level 4, Enchanted
Shield, Talisman of Preservation, Ruby Ring of Ruin, Chaos Familiar
Throgg
Exalted Hero, Mark of Tzeentch, BSB, Daemonic Mount, Armor of Destiny,
Scaled Skin
7 Trolls (received MoI)
Chariot, Mark of Slaanesh
5 Marauder Horseman, Mark of Slaanesh, banner, flail
5 Warhounds
5 Warhounds
5 Hellstriders of Slaanesh
3 Skullcrushers, musician, banner, ensorcelled weapons
3 Skullcrushers, musician, banner
Dang, look at that list. A
bastard nearly Level 5 wizard with 6 spells (ring), channeling on a 5 and
rerolling a 1 and able to add more dice every time he casts. And I have a dispel scroll. This game was going to hurt. Thankfully though, I also knew it was
really only the magic that was going to hurt me. He has a few fast things, but mostly things I could
avoid. I saw an easy few hundred
points in the fast cavalry and dogs that I could pick up, if I could kill or
distract the wizard sufficiently.
If things went well, I hoped to be able to focus my phoenix late game on
the trolls and clean up his MoI.
Magic
I took fireball and flaming sword.
Brad took Treason, Glean Magic, Bolt of Change, Infernal Gateway and
Blue Fire.
That’s a lot of spells that could easily plink off reavers. Glean magic scared me a little as I
already only had 2 spells. Treason
didn’t really scare me as you still didn’t use mounts leadership (except for my
dragon and phoenix) and I didn’t have a BSB.
Deployment
Brad deployed his fast stuff… well the entire list was fast… on the
left; the marauders and a unit of dogs.
The first skull crushers took the building on its flank with the
chariot. Throgg decided to hold
the center, joined by the BSB. The
other dogs and skull crushers took the right with the hellstriders holding the
far edge.
I deployed heavy phoenix on the right and the dragon on the left. I spread the reavers around. My goal was to try to pull him to the
center, blow through the fast stuff and then move around/fly over.
Brad vanguards up, and I do as well but hold back with the units on the
right as I know I’m going first and he has to move his units before finding out
if mine will vanguard.
Since the mission gives me the offer, I choose to go first.
Turn 1 – High Elves
I start out with 2 charges on the hellstriders. He flees the second, which allows him
to flee parallel to the board edge.
I move around a little.
I roll a 12/7 magic phase, giving +1 ward save to the phoenix. I throw 3D at flaming sword which he
allows. I then 6D fireball which
he dispels.
In shooting I find out that my reavers bows are only 24”… its my second
game. I still kill 3 marauders
with breath weapon and finish with some reavers. This causes a unit of dogs to run off the table and clears
the left flank.
Turn 1 – Warriors of Chaos
For Brad’s first turn he doesn’t have any charges. The hellstriders fail their rally test
and run off the table. He moves
little, but does move the wizard out.
A 7/7 magic phase as me scrolling his first cast and dispelling the 6D
gateway.
Turn 2 – High Elves
For my turn 2 I don’t have any charges. I fly around but doesn’t do any wounds.
An 11/6 magic phase sees me 4D flaming sword and him dispelling a 6D
fireball.
My shooting kills 2 dogs and he passes his panic.
Turn 2 – Warriors of Chaos
No charges again and little more movement. The trolls take 2 wounds from the water as they move towards
my deployment zone.
A 7/4 magic phase has him casting a 2D Blue fire (8/4, thanks to
rolling a 6) which I allow. He
rolls 5 S2 hits and kills 1 reaver (MoI unit). I then allow a 2D Bolt of change at another unit of reavers
which kills another on a different unit.
He then casts a 4D gateway (9/4) which I fail to dispel. It does S9 and 3 hits and kills some
more reavers. The ruby ring gets
the last die but doesn’t do anything.
I pass both toughness tests to earn some regeneration on my two reaver
units.
Turn 3 – High Elves
My turn and I take a charge at the dogs, which flee. Brad uses his reroll to ignore the flee. Dangerous terrain kills 2 dogs. I move around some and do 5 wounds to the trolls with flame.
I roll a nice 5/4 magic phase and he dispels my fireball attempt.
My shooting does nothing.
Turn 3 – Warriors of Chaos
Skullcrushers charge some reavers, which flee. Skullcrushers fail 1 dangerous
terrain. The chariot tries to rear
a phoenix. I flee. He attempts to redirect to general but
fails.
The dogs fail their rally and run off. The trolls take another dangerous terrain wound.
A 6/4 magic phase starts out with a bolt of change at the dragon, which
I dispel. He then 4D gateway (7/4)
at the MoI unit for S4 and 3 hits but doesn’t kill anything. A 1D fireball at the dragon does 1
wound to dragon.
Turn 4 – High Elves
So as of this turn I am winning.
I got my 100 points and I only need to kill the trolls to gain the
bonus. I don’t expect my MoI to
survive, so its not a 100% requirement.
What I do know is that wizard is going to clean up a few reaver units
and that will cost me points. So I
decide I need to clear a few others, given that I’m only maybe at 500 (2x dogs,
marauders and hellstriders).
So I attempt a rear charge on the chariot. Brad flees with the chariot, hits the water, fails his
dangerous terrain and blows up. I
find myself in a position of overrunning without being able to reform, versus
catching the chariot and reforming (or winning combat and reforming). This is obviously not what I
expected. I don’t want to get
flanked by the Skullcrushers. So I
decide that the better option is to change my charge and flank the
Skullcrushers in turn. I pass my
redirect and make the charge.
Now stuck in the position of trying to save my wizard, since I expected
to be counter charging midfield and not charging myself, I declare a charge
with my general. I need an 8 to
make it. My dragon makes it in
automatically, so I only need to roll for the general… a 7 with the highest die
being a 4. I decide to use my
reroll, needing a 4+ but only roll a 3 and my general fails the charge. The dragon takes a dangerous terrain
wound for landing in the water.
My fleeing phoenix doesn’t rally. The reavers do.
I roll a 9/7 magic phase.
I 6D flaming sword on my dragon.
In combat he makes all his saves but fails to wound my wizard. Brad makes his steadfast but fails his
reform.
Turn 4 – Warriors of Chaos
No charges again.
A 10/5 magic phase has a 2D bolt at reevers which I dispel. A 2D treason (11/5) on my dragon is
allowed making him LD7 (but I won combat before so allow it). A 5D gateway goes at a phoenix, rolling
S4 and 9 hits with 2 wounds through.
A 2D blue fire (12/5) on a phoenix does 6 S4 hits but no wounds. A 1D fireball does nothing to reavers.
The dragon gets 2 wounds through on crushers but takes 2 wounds. My two wounds and a flank to his 2
wounds and a banner causes me lose by musician but I hold.
Turn 5 – High Elves
Seeing my chance to clear some points, I put my general and a phoenix
into the flank of the Skullcrushers.
The fleeing phoenix rallies.
I roll a 10/7 phase and use 6D to put flaming sword on my general.
Brad passes all saves from my shooting.
In combat I do 5 wounds to the Skullcrushers but the dragon dies and
rider takes a wound. My general
holds but the rest pursue and take off the Skullcrushers.
Turn 5 – Warriors of Chaos
Brad, now in a good position to charge pounces. His BSB and other skullcrusher unit
charge my general who is forced to hold.
The BSB makes it but the Skullcrushers fail and take a wound (and lose a
model) to the water.
An 11/6 magic phase starts with a 2D Blue flame (12/6) which I fail to
dispel and takes off the wizard. A
5D gateway (13/6) on a phoenix is also failed to dispel, but with only 2 S6
hits I get off without a wound. A
3D bolt of change (14/6) kills the phoenix. A 2D treason (15/6) goes on my general reducing him to
LD8. A 1D fireball then kills a reaver.
In combat the BSB makes all his saves from my general but takes 2 from
my phoenix. My phoenix makes all
his saves. Phew, nasty 3+ ward
save gives it up easy (1 wound left thanks to mount).
Turn 6 – High Elves
For my last turn and I flank charge the BSB. It is after all a combat, and the 3 static might come in
handy. The last phoenix rear
charges the Skullcrushers (it’s a gamble but I feel I need the 250 points for
the win).
No magic phase so I just roll the +1S on my phoenix (its been all 4+
wards so far, I know I haven’t said).
In combat I fail to kill the BSB but he doesn’t do anything either and
we sit. I win combat with the
Skullcrushers but he holds and reforms.
Turn 6 – Warriors of Chaos
To end the game the trolls fail stupid, but are still in my deployment
zone.
A 9/5 magic phase starts with a 2D bolt of change I fail to dispel. It kills 2 reavers and the MoI
unit. A 4D gateway (10/5) kills
another unit of reavers. A 1D
treason goes on my general.
The phoenix and Skullcrushers shake hands. The big swing is my general kills the BSB.
Turn ends and we are tied… but for the fact that at the end of the turn
my Phoenix stands up, giving me an almost each 225 point lead and win. Brad did earn the objective.
I unfortunately was unable to capture the objective, but the priority
needed to be taking the win, so a 4 point game for me and a 3 point game for
Brad. My first game with Brad was
as awesome as I expected it to be.
Great way to start the weekend.
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