Unlikely Alliance

Hi,

I'd initially expected not to play this week, but was able to get in two games instead, a 300 point Impetus game (to be saved for a later post), and a game of Warmahordes.  I had so much fun playing the latter, I couldn't hold off until Sunday to post.

We had three players, so it ended up with ernieR and I teaming up against Clawz, one of the local Flames of War stalwarts at the THMG.  The latter has a similar background with the game to me; tons of play in Mk I, but much less in the newer incarnation of the game.  We matched 13 points of ernieR's Trollbloods (pMadrak, Axer, double Impaler, Fell Caller) and 11 points of my Skorne (pHexeris, Savage, Gladiator, Soulward, min Paingivers) against 23 points of Clawz's Menoth (pKreoss, Crusader, Templar?, Choir, Fist Ninja Dude, Full Bastions, Paladin).  With two warnouns on the table vs. Clawz's one, we had a decided advantage, but one balanced by our commitment to the side of righteousness and justice.

Interesting.  In this pic, you can't see the shiny on the paingivers and extoller; they'd just been finished the day before, and were waiting for their glosscoat.

Clawz's Menoth.  Too pretty to die?

The first few turns were relatively uneventful.  ernieR and I moved up, he in the open on the left of our side, me towards a small wood that provided cover.  This was more to discourage Clawz from concentrating against me (no Pathfinder for him), than to provide Concealment, as there was no range threat from the opposing table edge.

ernieR's growing Troll force.  Apparently, Fennblades are inbound.

By about turn three, we began jockying for position.  While I'd not been impressed with the Savage the last time I took him out, he does have a pretty nasty threat range, and I hoped to at least use him as bait to pull in a target for the Gladiator.  With the warbeasts at the front, followed by Paingivers, the extoller, and Hexy, I figured I could cover a fair bit of the table.

If you go out in the woods today . . . actually, no.  Just don't.

Clawz had shifted his 'jacks over to our left, and placed his Bastions opposite me.  I figured I had a few turns before they became an issue, due to the massive ruins in the way.

You'd figure they'd be used to ruined temples by now?

When it became clear that Clawz wasn't going to attack across the difficult terrain, I shifted out to consolidate with ernieR, and we closed the distance on the Menoth fanatics.

Tactics, now with extra strategery.

I opened the festivities by enraging and rushing both the savage and the gladiator, which between the two of them tore the Templar to shreds, and but a bit of damage on the Crusader.

That Templar is actually a wreck marker.  Heffalumps for the win!

I also tossed out an Obliteration on, I think, Kreoss, damaging him, and smoking a choirboy.  ernieR then unloaded with his Impalers, getting the crit on both, and slamming two Bastions back through their lines, one of which nailed Kreoss for a knockdown and more damage.

Impaler shenanigans.  Crit slam is fun when it happens to other people.

From Clawz side of the table, things probably looked a little grim.  He was down a heavy, his lines were in disarray, and thanks to all the knockdown, his ability to hit back was compromised.

Kreoss, shaking in his boots.

Undaunted, Clawz responded by going to town with his Crusader, mauling, but not quite killing my Savage, while his Bastions Charged where they could (at least two were knocked down) and getting in some damage on my gladiator and one of the Impalers.  He also snuck his Order of the Fist Ninja down the side, looking to get into my backfield.

It took me years to get the whole "Fist Ninja" reference.

What he didn't do, however, was engage my gladiator.  I know from a few comments he made he had kept an eye on the charge lanes; he'd moved up a choirboy and Bastion to cut down my linear movement options, but he'd apparently forgotten that I could just advance as well.

Un-engaged soulslave Gladiator.  What to do?

We established I had LoS to Kreoss from the Gladiator, and then Hexy unloaded another Obliteration, boosting to hit Kreoss.  The POW 15 took him down to his last hit point (and nuked the choir boy).  I rushed the gladiator, moved him over the wreck marker and into the space previously blocked by the choirboy, and boosted to hit, killing him.

Ah, right.  Remove Kreoss from the table.

Clawz wanted to keep playing post-assassination, so I ran my heavily mauled Savage back out of danger (the only spiral left was Spirit), and moved my paingivers to block charge lanes for the Fist ninja, with the extoller behind to collect souls.  I was so excited by the assassination run, I forgot to use the rest of the Gladiator's attacks!  On the other side of the table, ernieR sent his guys in, damaging up some Bastions, and I think, killing the Paladin.

Claws retaliated, but while he did some damage, it wasn't enough to kill anything critical (though he took my gladiator down to about half health).  His fist ninja took out a couple of my Paingivers (the others just made their command check), granting two souls to the extoller.  On the following turn, ernieR took out another Bastion, I gazerbeamed the Fist Ninja after the Savage gave him presience, and then I moved up Hexy, healed the gladiator so all spirals were functional, and then popped his feat.  The gladiator shifted position slightly, and then started beating on Bastions, which with the feat up, was enough to clear the table.  One choir boy fled before the last undead bastion could finish him off.  I like to think he took back tales of an alliance even the might of Menoth couldn't hope to challenge.

Post-game conference.  

Wicked fun.  It's been ages since I played Warmahordes, and the prospect of getting in games with the Wednesday night gang has me giddy.  I'm starting to get the hang of pHexeris, as well, I think.  He's basically a spellslinger with lots of situational utility.  Skorne's been moving up the painting queue of late, and now is jockeying for position in the top 3 with Bloodbowl and Impetus.  More on the latter another time.

FMB