Shadowflame Shard – The Greylord Archives

Trikhymaerax, face the thing that should not be

Igor Khador — Sun, 29 Jun 2025 18:20:00 +0000

Shadowflame Shard has gotten their gargantuan. It is a fantastic model. However, It must have been a fantastic party with a open bar, when it was decided to give a model with 50 boxes rapid healing. So who and how do we deal with the hangover from a bunch of drunk designers? Can the Motherland actually do anything or do we need to look at some of our allies to deal with this menace?

The Trikhymaerax

The Trikhymaerax is a beast, which it obviously should be since it is a gargantuan. To begin with, it is a fast one. SPD 6 is one inch faster that all other gargantuan or colossal out there. This gives it an unassisted engagement range of 12″ (base 6″ + charge 3″ + 3″ reach). All of its potential four initial melee attacks has reach 3″. Obviously, 12″ engagement range is not sufficient. So, add a Vypex at 10 points and you have an additional 2″ from Hunter’s Mark, which can hit an average of DEF 16, boosted. Extra sugar on top is Kyrrax as a Warlock, who has Alpha Hunter for an additional 2″ of movement. That is 16″!

It has a multitude of options for heads and tails: 3 heads and 3 tails. If build for maximising attacks it can have 3 initial ranged attacks (POW 14, 15/10, and 13), 2 at range 14″ and one at range 8″; and 4 melee attacks (POW 17, 22, 14, and 15). So it’s fast, has long range and is a brute. It ticks in at MAT 6 and RAT 6. With 4 fury that is a lot of damage.

It comes base at DEF 11, which is fine; and ARM 19, which is also fine. 50 boxes is on the low end for a 120 mm. But there is a reason for that, which actually makes in on the high end. It has Rapid Healing d3 (When this model is damaged by an enemy attack, immediately after the attack is resolved remove d3 damage points from it.). In a worst case scenario it kind of brings it to ARM 22 without spending resources. Thus, if you can’t do a minimum of 22 points of damage on an attack you should seriously think about hitting it. I’m not sure only alcohol was involved in this decision. Mushrooms might have played a role for the design team.

To add insult to injury, Shadowflame Shard has Dragon’s Blood on their rack. That is an extra 2 to the ARM, which for all practical purposes brings it to ARM 24! So, if you can’t do at least 24 points of damage per attack, perhaps you shouldn’t bother — you might be healing it instead of damaging it. Oh, and if it is fighting living models, why not park Ryvyn behind it for an additional 2 points of (pseudo) ARM. That is now ARM 26, which rapid healing. So, dear Steamforge, say after me: “Do not give a 50 box model Rapid Healing, Do not give a 50 box model Rapid Healing, Do not give a 50 box model Rapid Healing“.

In many ways. This could be then end of the analysis. Basically don’t face the thing that should not be. There is actually a rather enthusiatic analysis by Dice Down Gaming here. That is obviously see from the other side of the table.

However, let’s dig into it a bit more. It has, and rightly so a lot of options on heads, tails and animi. However, the prime concern for any opponent is how to deal with it. It is so fast and has so much range that it most likely just can’t be ignored. So, it must die!

Who can actually kill a Trikhymaerax?

The main concern is Rapid Healing; secondly ARM 22 under Dragon’s Blood. The latter is perhaps the simplest to deal with. There is a universal access to Blessed on the card Blessing of the Gods. This obviously only works for one model. Some models have Blessed build-in. I can only think of House Kallyss’ Mage Hunter Assassins, who are not going to damage it anyway. Our own Ilari can do Dark Unravelling. There might be others?

Rapid Healing is the culprit here. To circumvent this we need someway of denying removing damage. Since Grievous Wounds doesn’t work on 120 mm bases the options are scare. The options for dealing with Rapid Healing across armies are summarised below.

Table 1: Options for removing Rapid Healing
Army	#1	#2	#3	#4	#4
Necrofactorium	Carver Ultimus Torment	Maulgreth Entropic Force	Lich Lord Dekathus Entropic Force
Gravediggers	Carver Ultimus Torment
Storm Legion	Carver Ultimus Torment
House Kallyss	Carver Ultimus Torment	Maulgreth Entropic Force	Israfyl Entropic force	Seeker Warden Fell Curse	Morayne Mortality
Winter Korps	Carver Ultimus Torment
Old Umbrey	Let’s hope that Entropic Force or similar is ubiquitous.
Shardowflame Shard	Carver Ultimus Torment
Sea Raiders	Carver Ultimus Torment	Maulgreth Entropic Force	Orsus Horn of Woe
Brineblood Marauders	Carver Ultimus Torment
Crucible Guard	Vulcan Miasma of Death

So, basically only three armies have good options for dealing with this. House Kallyss being the prime candidate for handling the Trikhymaerax menace. Everybody else is left with taking Big Pig, or actually Little Pig. I was hoping that he would not be as pervasive as he was in 2024. Boy, was I wrong. I’m so happy that I actually did get one and painted him. The problem is of course to get, not Big Pig but Carver within 10″ to actually cast Torment. This is within 7″ if the beast has Many-Eyed Head equipped or even worse if it is equipped with Negation Tail, you can just forget it. The short story is that five armies probably can’t deal with a Trikhymaerax; most importantly Winter Korps can’t — or can we?

Winter Korps dealing with a Trikhymaerax

The Winter Korps is left in a bad place for this gargantuan. We could obviously go the Carver way and hope that there is no Negation tail. We do have Blessing of the Gods. So how to deal with it?

Following the logic from above, a Trikhymaerax having ARM, for all practical purposes ARM 24 we need to inflict a lot of damage (50 boxes) and be sure to deliver somewhere between 21 and 24 points of damage per attack to stand a chance (I know that ARM 24 is not the exact truth. It is more likely only 23. However, for the purpose of this, worst case scenario is assume).

What are our options? We are clearly in a Warjack environment, which also negates Ryvyn. We haven’t got any troops that can deliver this type of damage. The closest we get are actually Shock Trooper Pikemen, who can get to POW 22 (15 base + 3 model CRA + Puissance + Positive Charge/Kill Order/Fury’s Strength) under optimal conditions. So, they might fill a role despite my earlier argument that they are an unpolished gem and likely to stay like that). However, even four full unit are not going to take a Trikhymaerax out.

In my view we have three potential ‘jack configuration for Trikhymaerax hunting: Medveditsa, an AAA (Agressive head, Battle Mace and Battle Axe) Great Bear, and of course the, formerly known as mighty, Mastodon.

Medveditsa

Mother Bear can deliver quite a lot of damage under the right conditions. Her two claws are base 18 POW. She can do Hand of Vengeance, if some cannon fodder is killed nearby for and additional 2 POW. She can take Superiority for speed, Puissance (Rack) and Positive Charge (Tatiana) for extra damage, and of course Kill Order (Valerii) for even more damage.

Yet, she can’t really do anything against a fully buffed Trikhymaerax unless she gets some help. POW 18 will only take her to 20 and 21, which is 3 below the required minimum damage. The table below summarises the damage output from Medveditsa if she is under 1 to 3 of the 4 buffs available (Positive Charge and Kill Order are mutually exclusive due to belonging to different ‘casters).

Table 2: Mother Bear attempting to deal with a Trikhymaerax
Buffs	Charge	2. initial	Grab & Smash	Focus	Focus	Sum
1 out of 4	0	0	0	0	0	0
Blessing of the Gods	8	5	0	5	5	23
Torment	9	6	0	6	6	27
Both	11	8	2	8	8	37
2 out of 4	8	5	0	5	5	23
Blessing of the Gods	10	7	0	7	7	31
Torment	11	8	2	8	8	37
Both	13	10	4	10	10	47
3 out of 4	10	7	0	7	7	31
Blessing of the Gods	12	9	0	9	9	39
Torment	13	10	4	10	10	47
Both	15	12	6	12	12	57

The good news is that Medveditsa can kill a Trikhymaerax — under perfect conditions. That is: Hand of Vengeance is triggered; she has Puissance on her; she is either under the control of Tatiana who has put Positive Charge on her or Valerii giving a Kill Order; Blessing of the Gods has been played; and Carver has put Torment on the Trikhymaerax. This does not account for a probability of less than 1 for hitting, getting there and assumes average damage.

Getting there is somewhat difficult. Medveditsa “only” threatens 11″ (base 5″ + charge 3″ + Escort 2″ + reach 1″), which is less than the Trikhymaerax’ 12″, 14″ or 16″. This is under Valerii. Tatiana can only do 9″. Obviously, Avenging Force can give an additional 3″ (to 14″ or 12″) if the opponent is cooperating.

She most likely needs help. Unfortunately, brining a friend will result in the friend not having access to Blessing of the Gods, or the combination of Puissance and Kill Order due to order of activation. Tatiana bringing Damien, or positioning correctly, will allow the friend to have acces to both Puissance and Positive Charge. Ilari can fix the lack of more than one Blessing of the Gods, but can only do one damage buff.

Great Bear (AAA)

The AAA Great Bear, with the Aggressive Head, Battle Mace (POW 19) and Battle Axe (POW 18) is a mighty beast. It is comparable to Medveditsa, perhaps even slightly better in damage output, a bit slower and not as good at hitting. This is not surprising as it is one point cheaper at 14 points.

As with Medveditsa, the AAA can’t do anything to a Trikhymaerax without help. POW 19 will only take it to 22 and 21, which is below the required damage output to deal with Rapid Healing. The table below summarises the damage output of an AAA under 1 or 2 of the 3 buffs available.

Table 3: An AAA Great Bear attempting to deal with a Trikhymaerax
Buffs	Charge	2. initial	Focus	Focus	Focus	Sum
1 out of 4	7	0	0	0	0	7
Blessing of the Gods	9	5	6	6	6	32
Torment	10	7	7	9	7	37
Both	12	8	9	9	9	47
2 out of 4	9	5	6	6	6	32
Blessing of the Gods	11	7	8	8	8	42
Torment	11	12	8	9	9	47
Both	14	10	11	11	11	57

The good news is that an AAA can kill a Trikhymaerax — under perfect conditions. That is: Puissance is on it; it is either under the control of Tatiana who has put Positive Charge on it or Valerii giving a Kill Order; Blessing of the Gods has been played; and Carver has put Torment on the Trikhymaerax. This does not account for a probability less than 1 of hitting, getting there and assumes average damage. A small bonus: it does not take Critical Amputation on the Battle Axe into account either. However, there is only a roughly 14% of that on two dice, roughly 40% on three dice. So, to boost or not to boost? That is the question.

Again, the bad news is getting there. The threat range for an AAA is even lower than for Medveditsa. It can do 11″ (base 5″+ charge 3″ + reach 1″ + Escort 2″), under Valerii. Again, Tatiana can only do 9″. An AAA will also be far inside the charge range of a Trikhymaerax before it can do anything.

Help is needed. Either from Mother Bear or another AAA. It is conceivable to have to ‘jacks under 2 our of 4 buffs. Puissance can be cycled and Kill Order will obviously help everybody. So will Positive Charge, if positioned correctly.

At least two ‘jacks working in concert

If we bring two AAAs, or one AAA and Medvedtisa we could potentially kill a Trikhymaerax. Actually, the best option is to bring two AAAs. The first ‘jack would benefit from 2 out of 4 buffs, and Blessing of the Gods; the second would benefit from only 2 buffs. The first AAA would deliver 42 points of damage and the second 32. For a grand total of 74. We could even live without Blessing of the Gods, which would result in two times 32 points of damage.

Getting them there is still an issue. They max out at 9″ (base 5″ + charge 3″ + reach 1″), which is significantly less than, both the charge and shooting range of the Trikhymaerax. A Trikhymaerax is not going to shoot a Great Bear to death. Yet, in melee it is going to trivially kill one ‘jack and with a bit of help two.

Mastodon

Finally, what used to be the pride and joy on the Empress’ army, the Mastodon. Without doing any maths it is clear that one of these should be able to deal with a Trikhymaerax. Yet, for completeness sake let’s do the maths.

The table below summarises the damage output of a Mastodon under 0, 1 or 2 of the 3 buffs available. I have not counted any of the ranged weapons as the either can’ deal a sufficient minimum damage or can’t hit in close combat.

Table 4: A Mastodon attempting to deal with a Trikhymaerax
Buffs	Charge	2. initial	Focus	Focus	Focus	Sum
0 out of 3	10	0	7	7	7	31
Blessing of the Gods	12	6	9	9	9	45
Torment	13	7	10	10	10	50
Both	15	9	12	12	12	57
1 out of 3	12	6	9	9	9	45
Blessing of the Gods	14	8	11	11	11	55
Torment	15	9	12	12	12	60
Both	17	11	14	14	14	70
2 out of 3	14	8	11	11	11	55
Blessing of the Gods	16	10	13	13	13	65
Torment	17	11	14	14	14	70
Both	19	23	16	16	16	90

It is clear that a Mastodon is a safe bet. Even with just one buff and Blessing of the Gods or two buffs it will take down a Trikhymaerax. As with most other Khador Warjacks, it is the problem of getting there. A Mastodon will have a charge range of 10″ (base 5″ + charge 3″ + reach 2″), 12″ under Escort from Valerii. Still to short compared to the Trikhymaerax. So the question remain: can we take an alpha and still kill back?

What can a Trikhymaerax actually kill?

There is no risk to our Warjacks when it comes to shooting from the Trikhymaerax. All though, a dent will obviously be made. However, not enough to kill one of our ‘jacks. So the main threat is from a Trikhymaerax charging us.

It is trivial to get a Trikhymaerax to reach out and touch something at 14″. It has a base of 12″ (base 6″ + charge 3″ + reach 3″) and we can either add a Vypex for Hunter’s Mark for 2″ or Alpha Hunter if under Kyrrax. For the full monty, both can be available for a threat range of 16″.

If we build a Trikhymaerax for maximum melee damage (which might not be the best), it will have 6 initial melee attacks and 2 ranged. The table below shows the expected damage.

Table 5: Expected damage output from a charging Trikhymaerax
Weapon	POW	Damage	ARM 20
Bite	17	24	4
Arcane Bite (assuming upkeep on target)	19	29	9
Gulper Head (charge)	22	32	12
Void Tail	14	21	1
Spine Tail	16	23	3
Barbed / Toxic Tail	15	22	2
Immolation Blast	15	22	2
Frost Head	14	21	1
Sum	34
Gulper Head (focus)	22	29	9
Gulper Head (focus)	22	29	9
Gulper Head (focus)	22	29	9
Gulper Head (focus)	22	29	9
Sum	36
Sum	70

A charging Trikhymaerax can trivially remove two Khador ‘jacks or one Mastodon. This is assuming that it can charge for free under e.g. Kyrrax. This makes perfect sense, since it is a huge and pricey gargantuan. So, something like that is to be expected.

Our main issue here is the threat range. We have to counter around 14″ charge range from the Trikhymaerax. Assuming we need as many buffs as possible. It is hard to get beyond the 8″ mark (base 4″ + charge 3″ + reach 1″). Escort from Valerii can add 2″, Superiority 2″ (we are loosing a buff), Conferred Rage from Yana 2″, we might skip a 2. initial from a Great Bear for another inch. On paper we can get 13″ on a ‘jack, if we skip one buff (base 4″ + charge 3″ + Escort 2″ + Superiority 2″ + reach 2″). Avenging Force could be a trick up the sleeve.

The other option is overwhelming force. That is enough ‘jacks. Some for the Trikhymaerax to eat and some for killing it. Screening might be an option to see if we can lure it closer. However, there are probably other stuff in the army as well. It is a difficult situation.

A list for killing a Trikhymaerax?

To kind of think about a list to kill a Trikhymaerax, our first intuition is: ‘jacks, and lots of them. We need a ‘caster that can stack damage buffs. One could think about Ilari for Drak Unravelling. However, he can only do Puissance. I think the two real options are either Valerii or Tatiana. They can both swing damage with 4 points. Let’s just pick Tatiana as an example.

Kommander Tatiana Sikora

– AAA Great Bear [14]

– Medveditsa [15]

– Battle Mechanik [2]

– Arkanists [4]

That is 89 points, which is 11 points for having fun. The list obviously needs to include the card Blessing of the Gods. I’m not sure such a list would be good for anything else.

The second option is of course to just play around a Trikhymaerax. I think that is difficult. Oh, and did I mention that they have FA:2?

Summary

So, I think it is a cool model. It is expenssive and a center piece. So, it should be dangerous. However, Rapid Healing is just plain stupid. Without it, it would probably still have be a fantastic model.

Anyway, this is perhaps just me being grumpy about the thing that should not be. Unless there is something obvious I have missed, I think Rapid Healing here is what we all fear the most: a negative play experience. I can’t see that there is a real point in putting models on the table if there is a Trikhymaerax on there other side; let alone two. If anybody has a solution, I’m all ears.

Until next time.

For the Motherland!

The Motherland going to Rhein Con (day 1)

Igor Khador — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 15:49:00 +0000

This is the first time this part of the Motherland goes to Düsseldorf, Germany and Rhein Con. It is going to be so much fun. I already know the location from WTC last year. It should be slightly less rusty that Conquest in January. Yet, who knows. It seems that every time I go to a major event, I’m taught new ways of playing Warmachine. So, as always I’m aiming for not being last and winning at least one match.

This is my first time at Rhein Con. It is three days of tournament play. Some of them are solo, some of them are teams. It is my first tournament since Conquest in Oslo (for coverage se here, here and here). I already know the venue and hood from WTC last year (see here and here for coverage). It is always nice to meet old and new friends, and being taught how to actually play Warmachine.

My ambitions is as always to win at least one and not come last.

I’m brining my Valerii list, which has been stable since Conquest. The second list is, at least for me the new kid on the block Zahara. I’m quite confident playing Valerii. I just need to figure out how to pick the right opponents. I have next to no idea how to pilot Zahara. This will be interesting.

Khador – Winter Korps
Kapitan Zahana Vilkul

   – Fog of War

   – Puissance

   – Superiority

   – Avalanche [15]

     HEAD – Hyper-Aggressive

     RIGHT ARM – Pneumatic Lance

     LEFT ARM – Wedge Shield

   – Great Bear [15]

     HEAD – Aggressive

     RIGHT ARM – Deep Freezer

     LEFT ARM – Battle Axe

   – Razor [18]
AC-2 Bison [10]

AC-2 Bison [10]

Battle Mechanik [2]

Sergeant Goran Lazarenko, the Jackal [2]

Winter Korps Officer [3]
Arkanists [4]

Ths Hounds [8]

Winter Korps Infantry [6]

   – Auto Cannon

   – Auto Cannon

   – Winter Korps Standard [1]

Winter Korps Snipers [4]
Command cards

    – Blessing of the Gods

    – Lucky Penny

    – Old Faithful

    – Put the Fires Out

    – Sapper
Total Points   100/100

Khador – Winter Korps
Kommander Valerii Savaryn

   – Puissance

   – Superiority

   – Avalanche [15]

     HEAD – Hyper-Aggressive

     RIGHT ARM – Pneumatic Lance

     LEFT ARM – Wedge Shield

   – Avalanche [15]

     HEAD – Hyper-Aggressive

     RIGHT ARM – Pneumatic Lance

     LEFT ARM – Wedge Shield
Kontroller [4]

   – Dire Wolf [10]

     HEAD – Shield Guard

     RIGHT ARM – Long Axe

     LEFT ARM – Plow-Shield

Sergeant Sergie Krol [5]

Winter Korps Officer [3]

Winter Korps Officer [3]

Battle Mechanik [2]

Battle Mechanik [2]
Arkanists [4]

Man-O-War Suppressors [11]

Man-O-War Suppressors [11]

Man-O-War Wrecking Crew [10]

Winter Korps Snipers [4]

   – Winter Korps Hunting Dog [1]
Command cards

    – Blessing of the Gods

    – Hit & Run

    – Lucky Penny

    – Old Faithful

    – Sapper
Total Points   100/100

Winter Korps under Kommander Valerii Savaryn

The Empress’ best boy is leading the first list. He has been allowed to field, not one, but two of the Motherland’s new toys: the Avalanches. They look so good on paper. They can trivially reach out and touch something between 14″ and and 16″ away. Add a bit of Kill Order and let the mayhem begin. They have, so far been a lot of fun, and a good way of keeping opponents honest. He will also field two units of Suppressors, who are just good. Although in my experience they either kill everything or nothing. There doesn’t seem to be an average day in a Suppressors life.

A Wrecking Crew is also there. They are a good target for At All Cost, due to Vengeance. The Combination of Puissance and Kill Order allows them to actually Wreck stuff. Add a bit of support and a unit of snipers with a dog, and I think the infantry line is good to go.

I’m brining the Kontroller Module. So far it has been working wonders. The Kontroller brings a spray and as a ‘jack Marshal with the Shatter Drive, and Dire Wolf with a Long Axe and Shield Guard seems to be the natural choice. These two BFFs can also baby sit a 50 mm objective in either Color Guard, Trench Warfare or Best Laid Plans; in particular with the support of an Officer and a Mechanik.

Winter Korps under Kapitan Zahara Vilkul

Zahara is the new kid on the block. She can reach out a touch things at ridiculous distances. Most ‘casters being at the end of Zahara’s charge will die. However, she might be a one trick pony. She doesn’t really do a lot for her army and I suspect that the savvy opponent will be able to protect against a Vilkul Whirlwind. Let’s see.

She is brining an Avalanche, because. A Great Bear with a Deep Freezer and Razor. The latter seems odd and too pricey on paper. However, there is a rumour that it over performs. I’m curious to see what it can do.

Finally, there are two Bisons for speed and board presence. The normal support from Arkanists, an Officer and a unit of Snipers. She is also bringing all the other new toys: the Jackal and the Hounds. They will also be interesting to observe on the table. Finally, inspired by my mirror match at Conquest, I’m experimenting with Infantry. So, all in all a lot of new toys that I only have a theoretical understanding of.

Battle 1 — Brineblood Marauders

My first battle is against the drunk pirate trolls. I always seem to be struggling with them. There is always a lot of Marauders, who on paper looks bad. But somehow thy manage to layer all sorts of buff and then kill my models. Also, the Lochabash Brothers are in the list. They are brand new and I haven’t seen them before.

My lovely German opponent is bringing an untraditional list — there are only three units of Marauders. How odd. It is lovely painted. As a small fun fact, he has actually done a battle report from his side of the table. It can be found here.

Southern Kriels – Brineblood Marauders

        Admiral Boomhowler

        – SPELL – Rough Seas

        – SPELL – Fortify

        – SPELL – Fury’s Strength

        – Great Old One [16]

        – Reef Troll [8]

        	– HEAD – Matey

        	– BOOZE – Ale Tankard

        	– RIGHT ARM – Ship’s Gun

        	– LEFT ARM – Boarding Axe

        – Vorogger [12] 
        Booty Boss [2]

        Booty Boss [2]

        Fire Guardian [1]

        Fire Guardian [1]

        First Mate Hargor Stormjaw [4]

        Fugue Walker [4]

        Fugue Walker [4]

        Greygore Boomhowler [4]

        Madame Moriarty [3]
        Lochabash Brothers [9]

        Marauder Crew [6]

        – Marauder Crew Bosun [3]

        Marauder Crew [6]

        – Marauder Crew Tapper [1]

        Marauder Crew [6]

        – Marauder Crew Tapper [1]

        Pyg Boarding Party [6]

        – Pyg Coxswain [1]
        Command Cards

        – Blessing of the Gods

        – Break Through

        – Careful Reconnaissance

        – Defenses

        	– Barrier

        	– Barrier

        	– Fire Pit

        – Lucky Penny
        Total Points   100/100

We are playing playing Two Fronts. This looks like a job for Valerii. The Kontroller Module can keep an eye on my 50 mm, whilst the rest of the army deals with the opponent. The two Avalanches should keep the opponent honest, if not sober. The should give the Suppressors time to deal with the medium based infantry. Let’s see how it fares.

Deployment

The game is Two Fronts. That is two 50 mm objectives (cohort, battle engine and leader) across from each other on one flank; two 40 mm objectives (unit and leader) across each other on the opposite flank; and a flag (two models) in the middle. Valerii wins the dice roll and deceides to go first.

The Marauders deploy two beasts on the right side of the board, near the 50 mm objective. Also, a unit of Marauders join them, and I think a Fugue Walker. On the opposite of the board, the last two Marauder units deploy. Every else goes in the middle along with the Warlock. The Fire Guardians near their 40 mm and 50 mm objective.

Valerii deploys the Kontroller Module on the right flank to deal with the 50 mm objective. The Snipers advance deploy on the left to put some pressure on the 40 mm objectives. The middle is deployed according to doctrine.

End of deployment

The picture above shows the board after deployment. We shake hands and kicks off into round 1.

Round 1

The exiting round begins with Valerii advancing everything. There isn’t anything to be scared of yet. So, it is full steam ahead to grab as much board as possible and put the pressure on the opponent. As always, he drops Superiority on one of the Avalanches, Escort on himself, and Puissance on the Wrecking Crew.

My opponent is on to the Avalanches. So, despite this round also being full steam (or whatever beast run on) ahead, it is with an eye on the two fast guys. Not to mention a certain respect for the Suppressors as well.

On the left flank, all the Marauders moves forwards and to the left, mostly staying behind the cloud. On the right flank, stuff clumps up around the Great Old One, along with the Admiral. The middle is almost empty with the brothers behind the Vorogger.

The Admiral puts Fortify (+2 ARM) on the Vorogger and Storm Rager (+2 MAT, ARM and melee damage) on the Fugue Walker to the left. Rough Seas (roll three die on ranged attacks, remove the highest) also goes up. And something else I forgot.

End of round 1

The picture above shows the situation at the end of the shuffling round before everything properly starts. Let the second round commence.

Round 2

Now the action can begin. Valerii is attempting to get some shooting done. However, Storm Rager is kind of messing up the plan. I know Marauders can somehow go from not hurting a fly on paper, to kill everything (I have still not understand the mechanism. It must be magic), I’m taking the chance and positioning them to take the alpha. This might be a mistake.

On the left flank, I manage to get rid of on of the pesky Fire Guardians and remove some Marauders. Not too impressive. The two Avalanches position to be a threat in the next round. Either against the two heavies or perhaps against the Admiral herself.

On the right flank, the Dire Wolf attempts to position to score the home objective and contest the enemy objective. However, after quite a lot of converting inches to millimeter (why not just one type of units?) and chatting to the nice judge, it turns out that a 50 mm (or 1.96850394 inch, if you prefer) is too small to do that.

Let’s do the maths:

The board is 4 feet = 48″
The 50 mm, or 1.96850394″ objective is 18″ in. So the front of the objective will be at 19.96850394″.
This is also true for the other objective.
This leaves 8.06299212″ between the two objectives.
You have to be within 3″ to either score or contest. That leaves a required base size of 2.06299212″.
A 50 mm base is 1.96850394″.
That means we are missing 0.09448818″.
or ~2.4 mm in sensible units.
Thus, a 50 mm base cannot score and contest both 50 mm objectives in Two Fronts.

From now on I’m going to refer to the 50 mm objective as a 1.96850394″ objective: “Where are we placing the 50 mm objective in this scenario?“. “What are you talking about?“. “The largest objective“. “Ah, you mean the 1.96850394″ objective. The one with the large base size?“…. I’m going to be so popular.

Anyway, in the middle, the Suppressors prepare to receive the alpha with the Wrecking Crew behind to retaliate. The Avalanche prepares to threat something. Valerii hangs back. The picture below shows the end of Valerii’s turn

End of turn 1

The drunken troll pirates strike back. The Admiral readies her forces and feats (+2 DEF and Rapid Healing inside her 14″ control). On the right flank, the Great Old One walks up and trivially eats the Dire Wolf (the one on the 1.96850494″ base). A Fugue Walker kills the Mechanik. Marauders clean out the Suppressors

On the left flank, more Maraduers pile in. They kill the Snipers, but only one of the Suppressors. In the middle, more Marauders join the frey, along with the three brothers. Two Suppressors and two Wrecking Crew go down. The Vorogger rush through the forrest to be an annoyance. The picture below shows the result of Marauder Mayhem. Scenario score is 3-0 in the drunk trolls favour.

End of round 2

OK! So, that was rough. I did the major error I often do, in particular during my first game in a tournament. I overextended the army and over estimated their resilience. I was actually thinking that during the first round. I get existed and was stuff to happen. As so often, stuff did happen. Let’s see if there is anyway of getting back from this?

Round 3

It is not completely lost yet. There is always an assassination probability where there are two Avalanches on the table. However, that is for all practical purposes zero in this round. So, a bit of cleaning up perhaps.

On the left flank, the two remaining Suppressors in concert with an Avalanche cleans up a bit in the horde of Marauders. Should be sufficient to score my 40 mm and contest the other one. On the right flank, the Kontroller has to contest the opponent’s objective, whilst a Mechanik and an Officer contest my objective.

In the middle, attempts are made to hurt the Vorogger. That turns out to be next to impossible. It has ARM 18 (base 16 + Fortify), Impervious Flesh, and is under Storm Rager. It is like hitting a rock. Despite Valerii feating for a few Kill Orders. Nothing really happens.

That is basically is. I made a single scenario point, so I’m still in the game. The picture below shoes the lack of result.

End of Valerii’s turn

I have basically lost. So, I’m arguing for an assassination. I’m taunting the Vorogger a lot to get it to assassinate Valerii. It is surprisingly difficult to goat a German into anything. But af some name calling and referring to a specific breed of birds, I’m successful. The Vorogger deceides to assassinate Valerii.

Before the assassination run the Pygs on the left flank advance to contest the objective. On the right flank, models are removed so both objectives can be scored. The the Vorogger stares down Valerii.

A Vorogger might be very difficult to kill, but that is nothing compare to how bad it is at killing stuff. Six attacks are made. Valerii is still standing. The Brothers are called into help. Only two of them can reach Valerii. They do an impressive amount of damage. Yet, he remains standing. This does obviously not put an end to the taunting. However, flipping the clock does. I loose on scenario. The picture below shows the loss of Valerii.

End of game

I lost. Not a huge surprise. My opponent was clearly a superior player. Also, I did my usually mistake in my first game. I rush the enemy hoping to get into the action fast. Khador simply does not survive an alpha. It should play better tactical.

Nevertheless, we had a lot of fun and my opponent was lovely.

Battle 2 — Storm Legion

Next up is Storm Legion under Caine 4. I have always found Storm Legion quite boring to play against. I can’t put my finger on why. They just are. Luckily, the Polish player is a very nice guy and have made some really cool tokens.

Despite having had the best Januar update in the history of the game, it is Caine 4 staring at me. He is quite difficult to get rid of and they tend to shoot a lot. We are playing Tench Warfare, which is kind of fitting thinking about the next Cygnar army. It is a bit of a odd Caine list, but just a bit. The list is as follows.

Cygnar – Storm Legion

        Major Allistr Caine

        – Arcane Shield

       	– Calamity

       	– Deflection

       	– Heightened Reflexes

       	– Teleport
       	– Courser

			– Storm Thrower

        	– Voltaic Punching Spike

        – Courser

			– Storm Thrower

			– Voltaic Punching Spike

        – Courser

			– Storm Thrower

			– Voltaic Punching Spike

        – Courser

			– Storm Thrower

			– Voltaic Punching Spike
        Legionnaire Officer

        Lieutenant Sara Brisbane

        – Deuce

        Zephyr
        Arcane Mechanics

        Storm Lance Legionnaires

        Storm Lance Legionnaires

        Storm Vanes

        Black 13
        Command Cards

        – Careful Reconnaissance

        – Defenses

        	– Barrier

        	– Barrier

        	– Barrier

        – Hit & Run

        – Lucky Penny

        – Sapper
        Total Points   100/100

I should probably play Zahara for the wild assassination run; she will trivially take out Caine if she can get there. However, with all the electric leaping going on, I’m opting for Valerii. More Armour, the Kontroller Module for handling one of the 50 mm objectives, and Avalanches to threat Caine.

Deployment

We are playing Trench Warfare. Caine wins the roll of and decides to go first. He deploys a unit of cavalry on each flank. The Zephyr in the middle with Caine and the Coursers scattered across the line. Brisbane and Deuce go to the left and the Black 13 Advance Deploy in front of them.

End of deployment

Valerii deploys the Kontrolle Module to the left to focus on the enemy 50 mm. A unit of Suppressors tag along eyeing the cavalry. On the far right, the unit of Snipers deploy. Most other stuff goes in the middle, with a slight overweight to the right flank for working the friendly 50 mm objective.

The deployment is shown in the picture above. Onwards to the first round.

Round 1

In general, Cygnar’s first turn is a bit cautious. The cavalry advances, but stays hidden behind buildings or woods to avoid the hail of lead the Suppressors are preparing. Most other stuff advance in the middle to stay behind the Barriers. The Zephyr hangs back.

Valerii does his usual thing. Escort goes up, Superiority on one of the Avalanches, Puissance on the Wrecking Crew along with At All Cost. On the right flank, the Snipes run up behind to house, trying to stay away from any lightning. On the left flank, the Suppressors move up behind the woods, avoiding the cavalry. The middle shuffles forward, attempting to stay of out charge range; shooting range is unavoidable when playing Cygnar.

The picture below depicts the situation before the lightning storm breaks out.

End of round 1

This is the situation. Let’s see how much pain Cygnar can bring when engagement begins.

Round 2

Cain starts by ordering Deuce and a Courser to move in and spray, and shoot the Suppressors on the left flank. I now notice that I manage to line them up perfectly for spraying. The combination of Powerfull Attack and Reload makes Deuce a brute. What remains in the smouldering pile of slag is taken care of by the Black 13. No more Suppressors. The cavalry moves a bit forward, but stays behind the woods.

On the right flank, the cavalry moves around the house and remove the Snipers and dog. Everything else stay nice and cozy behind the Barriers.

Revenge is best served cold. So, the Kontroller moves up and attempts to spray the two ‘jacks on the left. It doesn’t really work. Yet, the Dire Wolf charges. It is a bit risky, yet I’m aiming to put a lot of heavy around into the Cygnar line to give them something to deal with. Both ‘jacks survive.

On the right flank, the Avalanche moves up and kills a guys on a horse. The second Avalanche is fules up, and after removing the Barrier in front of Cain slams it way there. It does manage to get a single attack to land in the face of the gun mage, which is not enough. But enough for Cain to think about getting a new pair of pants. The Wrecking Crew follows suit and one of them connects with the Zephyr. Everybody else moves forward.

The picture below shows the situation after Valerii’s big advance.

End of round 2

This is my plan. Put a lot of heavy armour into the front line of the enemy. I just hope that it is difficult to deal with. I do hear a lot about Khador’s huge armour — I’m usually disappointed.

Round 3

Cain feats. On the left flank, the cavalry moves to my flag and kills the Kontroller. The Officer stands strong. On the right flank, the other cavalry unit attempts to take out the Avalanche, without any luck. All the action is in the middle.

Through some clever order of activation, Cain mange to basically remove everything. An ARM 22 Avalanche evaporates, an ARM 21 Dire Wolf disappears faster that you can say Powerfull Attack, the wrecking crew melts in front of a Zephyr and Courser, Sergei falls to the Zephyr. ARM 20 base doesn’t really do it when the DEF is like an immovable object. I was hoping for less.

Not all is lost, just most of it. There is a chance that I could pull out an Avalanche rabbit again. That is why I have two. The last Avalanche moves around the corner of the house, attempting to take out the Course and line up for slamming into the lines the next round. It does not kill the Courser. The Mechanik moves into the way between the cavalry and the Avalanche. The Suppressors move to the objective to score and attempts to shoot another Courser. Not a lot of luck here either. The Officer to the left moves into the terrain to at least contest for one round.

That is it. The picture below shoes the sorry remains. Scenario score is 6-4 in Cain’s favour.

End of round 3

As predicted, I got disappointed. ARM 20 doesn’t really cut it when DEF is like a welded shut door. It was a gamble that did not payoff. Let’s see how horrible round 4 can be. On the bright side I can’t loose that many more models.

Round 4

Cain and his troops being on the right flank. I’m a bit unsure how it happed, but the cavalry somehow got past the Mechanik or he got killed. Either way, the two Storm Lancers arrive next to the Avalanche. That is not good news. With a bit of help from a fully fuelled Courser, it goes down. Deuce and the Zephyr easily remove the last unit of Suppressors. Finally, the cavalry on the left flank kills the valiant Officer.

Game is done. I loose on scenario 10-5. The picture below shows the sorry state of play.

End of game

Hard match, nice opponent. I still find Storm Legion pretty boring to face. I think it has to do with all the: “This thing can do this“, “OK, not too bad“, “But if this guy is near, and this other one does this, and oh, by the way my weapon has this special ability“, “Ok, that is bad“. I’m reminded why I loved Butcher 1’s card. Not extra rules! I’m old, I dose off from all the rule interactions…

Anyway, onwards to the next battle.

Battle 3 — Shadowflame Shard

Next up is Shadowflame Shard. Traditionally, this can go either way. As long as I don’t get hit by them, it’s ok.

It is Kyrrax staring at me from the other side of the table. I haven’t played that one before. I’m told it is kind of like Shadowflame’s Butcher. There is the usual twin Paragons to mess up shooting. Skylla is manageable. I donøt like Incarnate Knights. They seem to always be better on the tabel than their rules dictate. The list is a follows.

Khymaera – Shadowflame Shard

        Kyrrax, the Unrelenting Night

        – Skylla, The Abyssal Fury [16]

        – Vypex [13]

        	– HEAD – Viper

        	– TAIL – Hunter’s Mark

        	– ARMS – Cleavers
        Bellighul, Master of Pain [4]

        Pythia [3]

        Ryvyn, the Onyx Rampant [6]

        Wraithwing Paragon [5]

        Wraithwing Paragon [5]
        Incarnate Knights [11]

        Quick Fang Stalkers [7]

        Shades [9]

        Talon Death Dealers [7]

        Talon Lashers [7]

        Talon Lashers [7]
        Command Cards

        – Blessing of the Gods

        – Defenses

        	– Barrier

        	– Barrier

        	– Brrrier

        – Duck and Cover!

        – Lucky Penny

        – Put the Fires Out
        Total Points   100/100

I think this will be a job for Zahara. Her list is not relaying so much on shooting, and her massive charge range might take Kyrrax by surprise. That was at least the thinking untill my lovely opponet says: “There are so many Khador players in my meta, so I know exactly what all of you models do. No need to explain.“. This is my second or third game with Zahara. So, there is a high risk of my opponent knowing my list better than I do.

Anyway, we are playing Best Laid Plans. My opponent wins the roll-off and decides to go first. I pick sides. The two sides are quite alike. The opposite side has the obstacle more in the middle and two on both sides, forcing the enemy to gather between them. This might be an advantage, or not. Let’s see.

Deployment

The game is Best Laid Plans. There are two 50 mm objectives (cohort, battle engine, and leader) in the middle of the board. 40 mm objectives (unit and leaders) to the left, two cashes on the right, and two flags behind their corresponding 50 mm objectives.

As projected, the Khymaera player makes almost a brick in the middle. Kyrrax in the middle, and Lashers on each flank. Besides that, the deployment is infantry heavy to the left, which is no surprise as that is where the 40 mm objectives are. Finally, the Shades advance deploy in the middle.

End of deployment

Zahara deploys her troops in a slightly different manner that before. According to imperial standards, a unit of Snipers go on each flank. One of the Great Bears go to the right to mess with the cashes and the 50 mm. Heavy deployment to the left with both Avalanches and the Bison, supported by the Wrecking Crew. The small figures go in the middle with Zahara.

The picture above shows the situation after deployment, and just before everything kicks off.

Round 1

First round is as most often quite uneventful. Kyrrax moves everything forward in a nice brick, except for the Quick Fang Stalkers who wish to ambush.

End of round 1

Zahara orders both the Snipers to move far ahead. Lorenzo moves into the cloud to get Stealth. Volkova and an Offices moves into the scenario terrain to be ready to score. Everybody else shuffles forward, staying outside charge ranges. The Wrecking Crew moves in front of Zahara to keep her safe.

I forgot to take a picture after the first turn. So, the picture above shows the end of the first round.

Round 2

This is round when stuff normally happen. Let’s see what Kyrrax can come up with.

I did manage to over extend the Snipers on the right flank. A unit of Lashers take advantage of that a kill one of them, whilst tying the rest of the unit up. Something kills Lorenzo. I can’t remember what. A Paragon and the Shades move into the trench for all the bonuses they can get.

On the left flank, there is a much more cautious advance. The forces gather and even Kyrrax moves a bit to the left. Everybody stays out of Avalanche range.

The picture below shows the end of Kyrrax’ turn. Let’s see what Zahara can come up with.

End of turn 1

On the right flank, the Great Bear charges the Lashers and only manage to kill one of them. I’m not sure it was the smartest move. But I think I had a plan. The Hounds move in front of the big rock, whilst Zahara moves behind it.

On the left flank, models just shuffle around to stay out of charge range. I hoping to force Kyrrax to take the first initiative. The Snipers move into the woods to work as bait. Finally, the Wrecking Crew moves just up behind the cloud.

The picture below shows the end of Zahara’s turn.

End of round 2

Now it is getting interessting. We have both be playing rather defensive, except for my right flank. This can not go on forever. On to round 3.

Round 3

This is probably the round where something hits the proverbial fan. Let’s see what Kyrrax can throw at Zhara’s fan.

On the right flank, a clean up takes place after I overextended. The Great Bear is trivially removed. I also learn that the Shades have Fortune Hunter (additional die on attack and damage rolls against character models). The Hounds also learns this. One is left alive.

On the left flank, the Stalkers arrive from ambush. The Lashers, expectedly removes the Snipers. But, that was the Snipers’ job. The Knights move in front of Kyrrax to protect it. That is about it. The left flank was as expected and planned. Whereas, the right flank was poor play from my side.

The picture below depicts the end of Kyrrax’ first really violent round.

End of turn 1

Zahara needs to get stuff done. However, the right flank is lost. So she moves to the trench on the left flank. Everybody else tag along.

On the left flank, the Wrecking Crew clears out the Lashers and an Avalanche moves in behind them for a bit of protection and hitting back in the next round. The second Avalanche backs off a bit to stay away from the Knights. Finally, the Bison attempts to do stuff to the Quick Fangs, without a lot of luck.

End of round 3

The picture above shoes the end of round 3. We somehow managed to end at a scenario score of 6-6. I’m not quite sure how. But it is impressive.

Round 4

The right flank is lost to Zahara and Kyrrax can easily exploit that. I’m pretty sure the left flank will be hit with everything.

On the right flank, everything moves towards the left flank. The only ones hanging around are the Shades. They go after Volkova and the Officer. Not surprisingly, Volkova does not survive. The Officer does, though.

On the left flank everything piles in. A Paragon and the Knight clean out the Wrecking Crew, and the Quick Fangs pile in to score the objective. Luckily, the Avalanche survives. Kyrrax itself plays safe and stays behind the house.

The picture below shows the result on the mayheim on the left flank.

End of turn 1

Zahara is in trouble. The left flank is done for and she can’t bring herself in a position for an assination run. She needs to pull some sort of furry animal out of some sort of apparel.

She is going to feat, however. I can’t remember the exact order of activation. Yet, the combination of her feat, and some killing; the Avalanche and Great Bear in concert; and the Bison; most of the stuff on the right flank goes away. Only two knights are left.

The scenario score is now 10-8 in Kyrrax’ favour. So, Zahara is still in the game — barely. The picture below shows the situation at the bottom of 4.

End of round 4

Kyrrax has 11 minutes on the Clock, Zahara 14. So, we have plenty of time. However, it is not going her way. Let’s see how Kyrrax ends the game.

Round 5

The Knights charge in a does a bit of damage. However, the main purpose was to make room for the Vypex to charge Zahara. The Vypex dispatches Zahara.

End of round 5, end of game

The picture above show the end of Zahara’s attempt at facing the Shadowflame Shard. In some way it was OK. Except for over extending on the right flank. Lovely game and opponent. My initial assumption was right: he knew my models better than me.

One more loss under the belt. Onwards to the next game.

Battle 4 — House Kallyss

Last game of today is against House Kallyss. This could be promising as I have a pretty good track record against them. Nice German guy is piloting the dead elves. Very nicely painted model as well. That is always nice. I have good experience running Valerii against the elves; and I just had Zahara killed, so he is the choice.

The Dusk player is playing Morayne, who can be quite some trouble. There are two units of Cavalry, which rarely is a problem when there are Suppressors on the table. The list is a follows (from memory).

Dusk – House Kallyss

        Morayne, The Blade of Twilight

        – Ghast[8]

        	– HEAD – Arc Node

        	– RIGHT ARM – Heavy Blade Fist

        	– LEFT ARM – Battle Shield

        – Israfyl [17]
        Dyssiss, the Eye of Darkness [4]

        Krueger, Wrath of Blighterghast [7]

        Mage Hunter Commander [4]

        Mage Hunter Commander [4]

        Mage Hunter Sniper Team [3]

        Mage Hunter Sniper Team [3]

        Void Shaper [2]
        Dreadguard Archers [9]

        Dreadguard Cavalry [11]

        Dreadguard Cavalry [11]

        Mage Hunter Rangers [7]

        Seeker Adepts [4]

        Soulless Blademasters [6]
        Command Cards

        – Careful Reconnaissance

        – Duck and Cover!

        – Hit & Run

        – Lucky Penny

        – Old Faithful
        Total Points   100/100

We are playing Wolves at Our Heels. This is where we are supposed to move the 40 mm objective across the middle line. So, aggressivenes is advised.

Deployment

Finally, I win the roll-off and decides to go first. We need some scenario pressure.

Valerii deploys in accordance with empirical standards. Snipers on the left flank. The Kontroller Module on the right flank. Everything else nicely distributed around Valerii in the middle.

End of Deployment

Morayne deploys in a pattern to be expected from dead elves. No straight lines. The Cavalry go on both flanks. Morayne in the middle with all the important stuff around her. The Ghast behind the house, and the Archers on the right flank.

The picture above shows the end of deployment.

Round 1

First round is as always the positioning app or extended deployment, if you prefer. Valerii needs to grab board and be ready to kill some dead elves. Preferably without being charged by them.

He does his standard spell casting sequence: Superiority on an Avalanche, Puissance on the Wrecking Crew, Escort on himself, and the order At All Cost on the Wrecking Crew.

On the left flank the Snipers move up and position around the 40 mm objective. They are probably going to stay there for the entire match. A unit of Suppressors move up behind them ready to control the Dusk cavalry on that flank.

On the right the Kontroller Module moves up along with an Avalance. Same procedure here: a unit of Suppressors move up to control the kittens.

In the middle, everybody else just moves forward. Valerii remains behind the big rock in the middle. It kind of ruins the view. However, probably his safe zone.

The picture below shows the end of The Motherland’s first round.

End of turn 1

The elves move forward. On the right they advance cautiously, just up to the objective. They would like to stay out of threat range from the Suppressors. The kittens prey the Suppressors. The Ghast hides behind the house.

On the left, the unit of Rangers move up and clear out gunnes the Snipers. They kill all the Snipers and the dog! I don’t like Snap Fire. The kittens move just a bit forward and prey the Suppressors.

On the middle stuff just moves a bit forward and towards the middle. The picture below shows the end of Dusk’s first round.

End of round 1

End of round one. Next round the killing can begin (eventhough the Rangers couldn’t wait). Let’s see what happens.

Round 2

Round two is all about baiting the enemy without giving the too many charge options. So, in the left the Suppressors fill the hole left by the Snipers, heat up their gatlings and wait. On the right, the Suppressors advance, attempting to stay out of charge range of the kittens and also spin up the gatlings.

In the middle, the Wrecking Crew moves up behind the cloud to get close, yet stay out of trouble. The Dire Wolf and his BFF moves towards the 50 mm. An Avalanche does the same for the other 50 mm. Everybody else just shuffles forward.

Valerii thinks he is in control. Scenario pressure is on without being in too much danger. The picture below depicts Valerii’s happy moment.

End of turn 1

The initiative is now on Morayne. She is going to use it. On the left flank, the kittens run to the Suppressors and the Blademasters ambush behind them.

On the right flank, it turns out that Morayne has rack’ed Mirage, which enable the kittens to move a bit forward. This brings them in a position to charge the Suppressors, killing two. Nice play from my opponent. Israfyl joins the party and removes the last Suppressor and the Dire Wolf. The later was not in my plan.

Morayne hangs back along with Krueger. The picture below shows the state of play after the elves having been naughty.

End of round 2

That was not in my plan. Loosing the Suppressors is what happens, but also the Dire Wolf was not good. Luckily, the Avalanches have been hanging back for situations exactly like this.

Round 3

It is feat time. Valerii moves up and feats. He goes Precision Strike to make manoeuvring easier, Kill Order on Israfyl and Morayne. He then cast Tides of War to get our of too much trouble. The Avalanche to the left slams Krueger into Morayne, killing him and two Adepts. Morayne is knocked down. It does not follow up to avoid getting out of control. There is not a lot that can threaten it there.

On the left, the Suppressors shoot away on the kittens, managing to kill (only) two of them.

On the right, the second Suppresor can now slam Israfyl into the house and follow up. Somehow it manage to survive but is heavily damaged. The Wrecking Crew can now charge the kittens to the right. They kill the kittens and one of them gets within 3″ of the 40 mm objective to contest. Finally, the Kontrolle charge Israyl but does not manage to kill it.

I think Valerii manage to turn the tide. He is quite happy with himself. The picture below shows Valerii having fun.

End of turn 1

Can Morayne recover from the mighthy blow from the Empress’ hammer? She can deffinitely try.

Having two ARM 22 Avalanches in the middle of your line is not fun and difficult to deal with when only Israfyl can crack armour. She starts on the left. The Archers charge the Wrecking Crew and kills the one contesting. Israfyl get back in the game but can’t really deal with an Avalanche. The second Avalanche needs to be tied up, which becomes a job for Dyssiss.

On the left the remaining kitten and the Blademasters hack away at the Suppressors. They manage to kill one. Finally, the Rangers move into the forreste to score.

The picture below shows the result of attempting to kick back.

End of round 3

So far Valerii is in control. Scenario score is 3-2 in Morayne’s favour. Let’s see if Valerii has more tricks up his sleaves.

Round 4

It would be nice to clean out the 40 mm objective to the left. The Suppressors attempt but only manage to remove the last kitten and one Blademaster. The Officer must step up, charges and kill another Blademaster. Still one left.

The Avalanche in the middle moves to the woods to contest. Good use of 15 points, I think.

On the right, the Wrecking Crew mop up the Archers. The Avalanche removes Israfyl. Everybody else moves up behind them. Valerii moves into the woods and camps a lot. He really would like to survive this. It is looking good. But, I have often snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

The picture belows shows Valerii avoiding jaws and having a scenario socre of 5-3 in his favour.

End of turn 1

Morayne is under a lot of pressure. She can basically only drag out the pain and perhaps look for an assassination possibility.

On the right the Ghast finally comes out of hiding to contest the 40 mm objective and kill a single Suppressors. it is joind by Morayne who thinks this is a safe spot. The Void Shaper contests the 50 mm. Dyssiss moves to the other 50 mm.

That is about it. The picture below shows the state of play now.

End of round 4

Scenario score is now 5-4 in Valerii’s favour. He has 17 minutes left of the clock. The dead elves have almost 2 minutes. I think Valerii is going to win. Let’s see.

Round 5

This is basically a clean up turn. The left flank is cleaned up. The two Rangers are killed by the Avalanche. The other Avalanche cleans up what is around it, and the last of the Wrecking crew plus Sergie remove the Ghast. Unfortunately, Morayne is left alive. Vaelyss becomes a ghost.

The picture below depicts Valerii’s de facto victory. The elves only have Morayne and the angry ghost left. With a scenario score of 7-4 in Valerii’s favour and only 1:50 left on the clock the game is over.

End of turn 1, round 5. End of game

Hurrah! I managed to win one game. I’m so happy. Very nice opponent and a fun game. I should not have lost the Dire Wolf, though. However, a win is a win.

Summary & Lessons Learned

Dear reader, if you made it all the way down here, I’m impressed. I was a long day. Four games is a bit hard. Yet, a lot of fun. As with all Warmachine tournaments everybody were lovely and we had a lot of fun.

I met my goals. I won one! Most of the reason I lost three games is clearly that they are better players than me. On my side, It is clear that I still get to impatient and have not lost faith in the old descrition of Khador as being slow, yet able to take to alpha, and then hit back. It hasn’t been true for many years (if ever). Yet, I still think so. More patience is the way to go. Also, I need to know my opponenets bettter.

Anyway, tomorrow is another day with new possibiliets. So, onwards till tomorrow.

For the Motherland!

The Motherland goes to Conquest (day 1)

Igor Khador — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 21:43:00 +0000

This is the first time the Motherland goes to Conquest in Oslo, Norway. It is also my first proper tournament since WTC 2024. There is new hardware on the table, new lists, and new opponents. I have no idea how this is going to go. Except a clear knowledge that I’m rusty. First day (of 3) is going to be tough. I’m sticking to my normal ambition: Win at least one and don’t end up last. Let’s see how the Motherland fares.

This is my first time at Oslo Conquest. It is three days of tournament play. Also, my first time after the big January update of 2025, which did some sad things to Khador (you can see my whining here) and some good. Since it is a new year and a new update, I might as well try things I haven’t tried before.

My ambitions is, as always to win at least one and not end up last.

I’m going for Valerii. I have never actually tried him before. According to “common knowledge” he is now, after the January update, bad. I’m not convinced. So, I’ll give him a try. I’m also bringing Yana with a Mastodon and all the Pikemen. She has taken over from Baranova in the list I brought to last year’s WTC (for a report on WTC, see here for day 1 and here for day 2). I would so much like the Pikemen to work. I do think they are an unpolished gem. Let’s see.

Khador – Winter Korps
Kapitan Yana Kovoskiy

   – Fog of War

   – Puissance

   – Mastodon [32]

     HEAD – Shock Assault

     RIGHT SHOULDER – Deep Freezer

     LEFT SHOULDER – Deep Freezer

     RIGHT ARM – Great Axe

     LEFT ARM – Grinder Fist
AC-2 Bison [10]

AC-2 Bison [10]

Battle Mechanik [2]

Battle Mechanik [2]

Magziev Zarivah Volkova [4]

Mortar Team [2]

Winter Korps Officer [3]

Winter Korps Officer [3]
Arkanists [4]

Shock Trooper Pikemen [7]

Shock Trooper Pikemen [7]

Shock Trooper Pikemen [7]

Shock Trooper Pikemen [7]
Command cards

    – Blessing of the Gods

    – Duck and Cover!

    – Lucky Penny

    – Old Faithful

    – Put the Fires Out
Total Points   100/100

Khador – Winter Korps
Kommander Valerii Savaryn

   – Puissance

   – Superiority

   – Avalanche [15]

     HEAD – Hyper-Aggressive

     RIGHT ARM – Pneumatic Lance

     LEFT ARM – Wedge Shield

   – Avalanche [15]

     HEAD – Hyper-Aggressive

     RIGHT ARM – Pneumatic Lance

     LEFT ARM – Wedge Shield
Alexia, Queen of the Damned [4]

Kontroller [4]

   – Dire Wolf [10]

     HEAD – Shield Guard

     RIGHT ARM – Long Axe

     LEFT ARM – Plow-Shield

Sergeant Sergie Krol [5]

Winter Korps Officer [3]

Winter Korps Officer [3]
Arkanists [4]

Man-O-War Suppressors [11]

Man-O-War Suppressors [11]

Man-O-War Wrecking Crew [10]

Winter Korps Snipers [4]

   – Winter Korps Hunting Dog [1]
Command cards

    – Blessing of the Gods

    – Lucky Penny

    – Old Faithful

    – Put the Fires Out

    – Sapper
Total Points   100/100

Winter Korps under Kapitan Yana Kovoskiy

What can I say? A lady on a bear and a huge stumpy robot. How can that not be marvellous? She is fast and somewhat hard hitting. She is probably more brittle than she looks. I think she really wants infantry with more that one attack, due to her Feat. She would also like something to drop Battle Lust on and Dash. All three things could point to the Shock Troopers.

Her main build in ability is Conferred Rage, which on paper might suggest many ‘jacks. However, I think that is a trap. So, she’ll only be equipped with a Mastodon. A Mastodon under Yana is actually slightly better now that if Superiority was available. It is no speed 7 if Conferred Rage triggers. So, that must be the plan.

The plan is speed. Under Dash and Conferred Rage, Yana is SPD 8; Shock Troopers are SPD 6, the Mastodon SPD 7, and the mighty Bisons are SPD 8. Everybody else just have to keep up.

She is most likely going to have to avoid the Scenarios: Color Guard, Trench Warfare and Payload as they kind of expect more than one ‘jack. That leaves her to cover: Wolves at our Heels, Two Fronts, and Best Laid Plans. With respect to opponents, I really haven’t got a clue. I’ll have to stay away from stuff that can trivially remove a Colossal. I just have to figure out what that is.

Winter Korps under Kommander Valerii Savaryn

Yana’s best boy is leading the other list. He has been allowed to field, not one, but two of the Motherland’s new toys; the Avalanches. They look so good on paper. They can trivially reach out and touch something between 14″ and and 16″ away. Add a bit of Kill Order and let the mayhem begin. He will also field two units of Suppressors, who are just good. Although in my experience they either kill everything or nothing. There doesn’t seem to be an average day in a Suppressors life.

After the January update, the Kontroller actually looks promising. He might actually be able to hit something with his spray and as a ‘jack Marshal with the Shatter Drive, and Dire Wolf with a Long Axe and Shield Guard seems to be the natural choice. These two BFFs can also baby sit a 50 mm objective in either Color Guard, Trench Warfare or Best Laid Plans; which are quite bad scenarios for the Yana list.

I have never played Valarii, Avalanches nor a Kontroller before. What could possible go wrong?

Battle 1 — Dark Operations

First battle of the day is agains a nice guy from Poland and all the BDSM guys he could dig up in Poland. I haven’t see the Cephalyx in a very long time. On the one hand, it makes me happy to see them, because they are rather cool; on the other hand they look kind of scary. I haven’t got an intricate knowledge of they capabilities. So, this is going to be interesting.

He is bringing Thexus with a whole horde of little guys — and a huge pig! The list is a follows (base on my memory):

Mercenaries – Dark Operations

        Exulon Thexus

        – Subduer [10]

        – Subduer [10]
        Carver Ultimus [20]

        – War Boar MMD47
        Cephalyx Agitator [2]

        Cephalyx Agitator [2]

        Cephalyx Agitator [2]
        Cephalyx Mind Bender & Drudges [6]

        Cephalyx Mind Bender & Drudges [6]

        Cephalyx Mind Bender & Drudges [6]

        Cephalyx Mind Slaver & Drudges [6]

        Cephalyx Mind Slaver & Drudges [6]

        Cephalyx Mind Slaver & Drudges [6]

        Dominated Hammerfall High Shield Gun Corps [6]

        Dominated Hammerfall High Shield Gun Corps [6]

        Dominated Horgenhold Artillery Corps [5]
        Command Cards

        – Blessing of the Gods

        – Careful Reconnaissance

        – Lucky Penny

        – Old Faithful

        – Put the Fires Out
        Total Points   99/100

I think the obvious choice here is Yana. Valerii haven’t got the tools to deal with a horde of models. Yana has all the Shock Troopers; and the Bisons and a Mastodon for shooting them. We are playing Trench Warfare, which was not on her list. However, I think the horde outweighs the scenario here. Let’s see how she fares.

Deployment

We are playing Trench Warfare. Exulon won the dice roll and decided to go first. He deployed in the middle of his deployment zone, with a Subduer on each flank and all the little men in a bunch surrounding Exulon.

End of Deployment

Yana also deploys in the middle, next to the Mastodon. The Mastodon is there to focus on the right most 50 mm objective. The left one will only be attempted to be contested by a Bison and two units of Shock Troopers. The second Bison-Shock Trooper module deploys to the right of the Mastodon, to support. Everything else deploys in the middle. The picture above shows the situation at the end of deployment.

Round 1

First turn is as always rather uneventful. Everything shuffles forward, taking great care of staying out of the shooting range of the Mastodon. That is basically it. The picture below shoes the careful advancement.

End of turn 1

Yana also moves up, putting everything into position for the second round. Some attempts are made to stay out of charge ranges of the Subduers and all the little men. She casts Fog of War and Puissance on one of the Shock Troopers. The picture below shows the end of round 1.

End of round 1

That was it. The first round is typically over in a jiffy, without much hassle. Let’s see what the second round brings.

Round 2

This is when is action begins. It turns out that little BDSM guys can really move fast. Somehow, a unit manage to get down and tie up my Mastodon. All the other little guys just move forward. One of them gets Quagmire on them. Also, the big pig moves forward and shoots at the Mastodon. Crippling Grasp is arced through something onto Yana. That’s it. The picture below depicts the end of Exulon’s second round.

End of turn 1

OK. Small men are fast. That is kind of annoying as the Mastodon doesn’t have Gun Fighter. So, no shooting out of combat. A clean up is required. Yana starts off by casting Dash and then makes a Cygnar-advance further into the trench. She drops Fog of War. The Arkanist move to score the home objective and feed the Mastodon some more focus

The Shock Troopers on the right flank is on clean up duty. The charge forward and removes the BDSM guys irritating the Mastodon. The Bison also moves forward a shoots more little guys. This makes room for the Mastodon to advance towards the rightmost objective. It moves there, and starts shooting at the big pig and some of the BDSM guys in front of it. In front of them is the second unit of Shock Troopers, attempting to remove som guys.

On the left flank, a unit of highly motivated Shock Troopers charge towards the big pig. The do some damage. But he is a tough cookie. The Bison moves forward to contest the objective and fires into the big pig. The picture below shows the end of round 2.

End of round 2

Exulon manage to score his home objective. Yana manage to score her home objective and the rightmost 50 mm objective. All the rest are contested. This leaves the score at 2-1 in Yana’s favour. I somehow managed to use 35 minutes on the turn. Leaving my clock at only 19 minuets. That is really not good. Anyway, Yana can now only lean back a wait for the wrath of the Polish BDSM community.

Round 3

Exulon and his band of merry BDSM guys are a bit grumpy (I would have thought that they enjoyed thins kind of behaviour).

On the left flank, the Subduer casually moves forward and subdue the Bison of the board. Big pig is also ushered forward to put some shots into Yana (I think). Two small groups of BDSM guys also moves forward. Somehow in all the mayhem, two Shock Troopers also beats the dust.

On the right flank, the “persuaded” Hammers and a group of BDSM guys removes a unit of Shock Troopers, two Battle Mechaniks and put some hurt into the Mastodon. The last of the litte guys take out the last unit of Shock Troopers and basically swamps the Mastodon.

This leaves the scenario score at 3-3. Luckily, it takes a while to move little men around. So, Exulon only has around 8 minutes left on the clock. Let’s see what Yana can do about this sea of little men. The picture below shows the end of Exulon’s turn.

End of turn 1

OK. Yana is only a bit in trouble. She can conceivable score the home objective; with a bit of cleaning up, she can also score the 50 mm to the right; The 50 mm on the left can be contested; and Exulon’s home objective, and the little box of extra BDSM equipment is out of reach. Let’s go.

The left flank is pretty easy. The last Shock Trooper just needs to go and contest. He does that by charging the Subduer. The Officer shoots something.

On the right flank, the Mastodon are being fuelled up by the Arkanists; who then remain near the objective. The Mastodon can then go to work, chopping and shooting on all the little men in front of it. It cleans up enough to be able to score the objective and gets at least one shot into the big pig.

Yana is not really into this whole BDSM thing and feels a bit exposed where she is. So, she moves in behind the Mastodon. The Bison moves a bot forward and also shoots at the sea of little men. The sea is now slowing becoming more of a pond. The picture below shows the end of Yana’s turn.

End of round 3

This ends what Yana could do in this round. It leaves the scenario score at 5-4 in Yana’s favour. Unfortunately, she only has 2:51 left on her clock.

Round 4

OK. Most likely final round for Exulon. Let’s see what he can pull out from his leather attire.

On the left flank, some small me kills the Officer. This is two scenario points in Exulon’s direction. The Subduer kills the remaining Shock Trooper; that is another point.

In the middle, more little men makes it to the Arkanists and kill them. That is another point.

Finally, on the right flank, the Subduer move to the Mastodon and contests; and a lot of little men ends up behind the Mastodon.

The clock is passed and the scenario score ends at 9-5; which is basically a win in my turn. The picture below shows the end of the turn.

End of turn 1, end of game

That is basically it. Yana has less than three minutes on the clock. She needs to score two points and deny any points to the opponent to just stay in the game. That is simply not possible. On a good day, she can contest two objectives and the terrain. This means that she has to score four. There is nothing to do. Whilst she complains about the world, the clock runs out.

OK. So, what did I learn. First of all, I should perhaps have picked the other side. The two tanks were pretty nice. Also, Big Pig is still rather dangerous. But now he is only good. I like it. I might even get one now. Finally, a sea of little men is difficult.

However, we had a lot of fun. Very nice opponent.

Battle 2 — Shadowflame Shard

Next up are Shadowflame Shard in a Swedish version. I’m always a bit scared when I see these across the table. However, the two ubiquitous Wyverns are not there. That is pretty nice to see something different. I might have a shot. Let’s see.

The nice Swedish guy is bringen Rassyk and his slithering side kicks.

Khymaera – Shadowflame Shard

        Rassyk, Spawn of Shadows

        – SPELL – Carnivore

        – SPELL – Curse of Shadows
        – Drakyon [11]

        – Drakyon [11]

        – Hydrix [13]

        	– CENTRAL HEAD – Toothy Maw

	        – SMALLER HEAD – Blockhead

        	– SMALLER HEAD – Blockhead

	        – DORSAL FEATURE – Bladeback

        – Skylla, The Abyssal Fury [16]

        	– CENTRAL HEAD – Skylla

        	– SMALLER HEAD 1 – Horned Piercer

        	– SMALLER HEAD 2 – Gnashing Fangs
        Bellighul, Master of Pain [4]

        Ryvyn, the Onyx Rampant [6]

        Wraithwing Paragon [5]

        Incarnate Knights [11]

        Incarnate Knights [11]

        Talon Lashers [7]

        Wyrmspine Shadowmancers [4]
        Defenses

        – Defense 1 – Barrier

        – Defense 1 – Barrier

        – Defense 1 – Barrier
        Command Cards

        – Blessing of the Gods

        – Defenses

        – Hit & Run

        – Lucky Penny

        – Put the Fires Out
        Total Points 99/100

This could potentially be a game for Yana. Also, Wolves at Our Heels is a scenario for a Mastodon. However, I’m under the impression that the Khymera beasts can easily deal with the Mastodon. So, Valerii will get his first game ever. Let’s see what he can do.

Deployment

We are playing Wolves at Our Heels. Rassyk won the dice roll and opts to go first. Valerii picks the side of the battle ground without the house. Rassyk puts out defences. I really wish I had the Sapper card. A unit of Incarnate Knights goes on each flank. The rest of the army are all in a big group in the middle.

End of deployment

Valerii might have a plan. The Avalanches are to do what they do bedst: threaten quite far. One group of Wrecking Crew have their eye on the right most objective. The Snipers are ready to at least contest the right most objective. Everything else gathers in the middle. This will be interesting. The picture above depicts the quiet before the storm.

Round 1

Rassyk starts by sending his Incarnate Knights to the objective on the right flank. They are probably going to stay there forever. The Incarnate Knights on the left flank move forward and is joined by Drakyon. All the rest moves left around the cloud towards the annoying barriers. The picture below shows the result of Rassyk’s first turn.

End of turn 1

Valerii better adhere to the “plan” decided upon. On the left flank the unit of Suppressors, supported by an Officer moves to the Objective. Thinking the are safe.

On the right flank, the Snipers move up (the dog and and one of the grunts are outside the picture) to be ready to at least contest the objective.

In the middle, everything else moves up. Escort is up and Superiority is on one of the Avalanches. Valerii goes into the trench. I’m not sure that there is any shooting worth mentioning. But it is always cozy in a trench. The is the very exciting first round. The picture below shows the situation before something hits somebody’s fan.

End of round 1

Onwards to the round that matters… Let’s see what Rassyk can come up with.

Round 2

Somewhat surprisingly, the Incarnate Knights and the Drakyon managed to get all the way down to my objective on the left; not to mention the surprised Suppressors. Luckily, it is a run.

On the right flank, the other unit of Incarnate Knights, predictively consolidates around that objective.

In the middle, the Wyrmspine Shadowmancers steps into the swamp to hug the flag. Everything else just eases forward. The picture below shows the end of Rassyk’s “advance”.

End of turn 1

Except for the jamming surprise. The first turn of round 2 was uneventful. It seems the initiative is on Valerii. Let’s start with the boring bits. On the left flank, the surprised Suppressors attempt to shoot their way out of trouble. That is not too impressive. Only one of the Knights goes down. On the right flank, the Snipers move to contest and hopefully a few will survive.

It is in the middle all the action is. The (not surprised) Suppressors move up and shoots the Talon Lashers until they are go. This leaves room for Valerii to move up and gives a Kill Order on the Hydrix. He also moves Superiority to the other Avalanche. He then uses Tides of War to shuffle back into the cozy trench.

The Arkanists fule the Avalanches and the Superiority one slams the Hydrix and pushes it all the way into the flames. It obviously follows up. It does put some hurt on the Hydrix. But not as much as I had hoped for (Hydrix is Steady). The other Avalanche will not be bested and charges Skylla. Some hurt also goes into Skylla. This leaves room for the Wrecking Crew to fill the hole left by Hydrix. The Dire Wolf tags along, and for some reason the Kontroller is enjoying himself and remains put. Finally. Sergei moves up to put his Tough boubble around the Man-O-Wars in the middle. The picture below shows the battlefield after Valerii’s mighty push.

End of round 2

That was fun. I’m pretty sure I have overextended myself. But Avalanches… The scenario score is 2-1 in Valerii’s favour and everything is (too) far up the field. Let’s see what Rassyk can conjure up.

Round 3

Rassyk is pissed — except he is in a Swedish incarnation. So, that comes out as “…slightly upset about the whole situation“. Yet, it is Feat time (everybody now gets Defensive Strike and Reposition [3”]). I wonder if he should have feated a round earlier?

On the left flank, the Incarnate Knights and the Drakyon easily wipe out the Suppressors and the Officer. Only Alexia is left, somewhat nervous. On the right flank, the Snipers did not manage to place themselves cleverly and are removed (except for the dog!). The Drakyn over there thinks it is better to move to the middle of the board to contest the objective. It does kill one of the Suppressors in the process.

All sorts of stuff happens in the middle. Skylla kills the Avalanche and Hydrix put quite a lot of damage into the overextended one. Hydrix and Ryvyn wraps Rassyk in a protective wall against the remaining Avalanche.

That’s it. More than enough if you ask me. Scenario score is now 4-2 in Rassyk’s favour. The picture below shows the situation.

End of turn 1

OK. Perhaps it was not surprising that I lost on of the Avalanches. Yet, it always hurt. What hurt even more was the complete wipe out of the left flank. That is a problem. Some clever manoeuvring must happen now.

The two flanks are easy. On the left one, Alexia just hist a Knight and contests. On the right flank the surviving dog moves to contest. Easy peasy.

The knot that needs to be untangled is in the middle. The Wrecking Crew is Unstoppable. So, they ca, after being told Pathfinder by the Officer move out of engagements with Skylla. They move to contest the Flag and even manage to kill one of the Shadowmancers; just for good measure. Valerii can now move forward. I can’t remember if he Feated or just put a Kill Order on Skylla. This now allows the Kontroller to move up and freeze Skylla. The Dire Wolf should now have killed it — but did not.

The Avalanche moves in a hits Hydrix; whilst receiving some Defensive Strikes (perhaps it was the right round to feat, anyway). Everybody else is more or less focused on killing the Drakyn. Apparently not sufficiently focused.

End of round 3

This ends Valerii’s turn. Scenario score is now at 5-3 in Rassyk’s favour. I only have 8 minutes on the clock. Rassyk has 23. I’m in trouble. The picture above shows the troublesome situation.

Round 4

The initiative is on Rassyk’s court. The easy stuff first. Alexia goes away on the left flank. The poor dog is send to a farm up north on the right flank. The Drakyn removes two of the Suppressors. I would argue that this must be sufficient for one turn. Apparently, I was wrong.

In the middle, Skylla attempts to slide along the Dire Wolf and kill Valerii. Luckily, that is unsuccessful. However, Ryssak and Ryvyn trivially takes out the last Avalanche. The Hydrix moves over the barrier.

This, more or less ends Rassyk’s turn. The scenario score is now 8-3 in Rassyk’s favour. The picture below shows the sorry state of the battle.

End of turn 1

OK. I’m at 7:51 on the clock and there is no way I can win on scenario. There is sufficient problems with just surviving on scenario. So, I just have to kill Rassyk.

Valerii moves up and put a Kill Order on Rassyk (he might actually have feated here. I can’t remember). Superiority goes on the Dire Wolf. The Arkanists move up and puts focus on the Dire Wolf. All is set up for success…

The combined might of the Kontroller and the last Suppressors takes out Skylla. The Dire Wolf takes out Hydrix. Unfortunately, the Wrecking Crew can’t get a charge. So, they just have to walk up to Rassyk and surround him. Unfortunately, he is at DEF 12 and ARM 20 under Battle Formation. Although, he only has 18 boxes. This should be doable when effective MAT is 9 and POW 16. However, Rassyk can transfer. I really dislike transfer. The Wrecking Crew fail.

This ends the game. The final situation can be seen in the picture below. We end 10-3 in scenario score, in Rassyk’s favour.

End of round 4, end of game

This was fun. I’m pretty sure that I over extended in round two. It was hard to resist the lure of very far moving Avalanches. Of course it is an issue when the opponent can’t be knocked down. I was also surprised by the jamming on the left flank. I have no idea what Alexia is doing in the list.

Battle 3 — House Kallyss

Final game today is against House Kallyss. This should be manageable. I have some experience against Dusk, and even though Hazaroth can make the pretty robust and make model return, this is almost what Valerii’s list is made for. Lots of large bases for the Suppressors. The Dusk list is a follows.

Dusk – House Kallyss

        Hazaroth, Narcissar of Ruin

        – Ghast [9]

        	– HEAD – Fleet

        	– RIGHT ARM – Heavy Blade Fist

        	– LEFT ARM – Battle Shield

        – Ghast [9]

        	– HEAD – Fleet

        	– RIGHT ARM – Heavy Blade Fist

        	– LEFT ARM – Battle Shield

        – Israfyl [17]

        	– HEAD – Israfyl

        	– LEFT ARM – Serpentine Blade

        	– RIGHT ARM – Serpentine Blade

        	– BACK – Death Whisper
        Dyssiss, the Eye of Darkness [4]

        Eiryss, Shadow of Retribution [5]

        Mage Hunter Sniper Team [3]

        Void Shaper [2]

        Dreadguard Archers [9]

        Dreadguard Cavalry [11]

        Dreadguard Cavalry [11]

        Dreadguard Slayers [8]

        Seeker Adepts [4]

        Soulless Guardians [6]

        Seeker Warden [2]
        Command Cards

        – Blessing of the Gods

        – Careful Reconnaissance

        – Lucky Penny

        – Old Faithful

        – Put the Fires Out
        Total Points 100/100

This is a game for Valarii. No questions asked. Suppressors against large bases and Payload. If he can’t do this, I would probably have to agree with the “common knowledge”, that he is now unplayable.

Deployment

We are playing Payload. Hazaroth wins the dice roll and wants to go first. I’m lazy and stay on the side where I’m already is.

Hazaroth deploys the kittens on each flank. Himself in the middle with all the shield guards next to him. Everything else is distributed in a nice line. There is one Ghast on the left flank, probably to hug the objective.

End of turn 1

Valerii deploys, more or less in the middle. The Kontroller and his Dire Wolf deploys on the right flank to be ready to hang out near the objective. The snipers are on the left flank to move towards the other 50 mm objective. Everything else goes in the middle. The picture above shows the situation before everything kicks off.

Round 1

Hazaroth kicks off the show. Everything moves forward, more or less towards the left. Partly to avoid the house on the right flank. Escort goes up. That is basically it. Yet another eventful first turn. The picture below shows the state of the game.

End of round 1

Valerii is obviously not going the be worse than Hazaroth. So, he also casts Escort. Puissance goes on the Wrecking Crew as well as At all Costs. Superiority goes on one of the Avalanches. He then moves into the rubble, which is a nice place to be.

On the right flank, the Kontroller and friend moves to the objective and prepares camp. On the left flank, the Snipers move up. Everybody else moves forward, outside the range of the kittens. The picture below shows the situation just before everything goes off.

End of turn 1

The boring round is done. Lets see what Hazaroth can do, and if “common knowledge” is correct.

Round 2

All of Valerii’s troops moved forward and stayed outside the range of the kittens; except the Snipers who was apparently not informed about the manoeuvre. Death by kittens happened (except for one guy).

Everybody else moves forward, cautionary one might argue. Except for the kittens on the right flank, who for some reason decided to attempt to jam some of Valerii’s troops.

The picture below shows the strange kittens and the rest of the dead elves.

End of round 2

Hey ho! Lets go! (Valerii has always been a fan of Blitzkrieg). Valerii upkeeps everything, save Superiority, which he swaps to the other Avalanche. He is quite happy in the rubble. So he’ll just stay there. He will, however put a Kill Order on the jamming kittens. The Kontroller is the rist to hear the Kill Order. He fires up the freezer (if that is a thing) and freezes two kittens. His Dire Wolf then kills the first one. The two others are left to the Suppressors, who remove them.

It is Avalanche time. It slams the Ghast in front of it. It seems that it is vaporised. I would have though that it got slammed across all the shield guards. But, apparently not. The Wrecking Crew follows up and ends up just behind the Avalanche around the 40 mm objective. They take care to stay out of sight of the last unit of kittens.

The Suppressors to the left moves up and spreads out to bait the kittens. Sergei tags along to give them Tough. That’s it. I liked this turn. The scenario score is 3-2 in Valerii’s favour. The picture below shoes the result of Blitzkrieg.

End of turn 1

So far, so good. Pressure is on Hazaroth. I don’t think I have overextended this time. We’ll see.

Round 3

The pressure is on Hazaroth. The kittens charge the Suppressors and manage to kill all of them, and one of the Wrecking Crew. That was more that I had expected. So, measurements were apparently not precise enough. The Archers move along the left flank and kill the last of the Snipers. In the mosh pit everything piles in and tries to kill the Avalanche. However, ARM 22 is a tough nut to crack. It remains alive. I love Avalanches.

That is everything that Hazaroth could muster. Scenario score is 5-4 in Valerii’s favour. The picture below shows the result of Hazaroths effort.

End of round 3

Valerii is absolutely still in the game. I would perhaps even say more than just in the game. This turn is actually kind of fast. Wrecking Crew and Suppressors remove the kittens. The Avalanche is filled up. It tramples the shield guards and kill Hazaroth. Easy peasy. The picture below depicts the Motherland’s glorious victory.

End of round 4, end of game

This was fast, furious and fun. It should be said that my opponent has probably played even less games that I have during a long period. So, I’m basically preying on the weak. We did both have fun, though.

Summary & Lessons Learned

So far, the vision to Oslo has been really nice. The venue is absolutely fantastic. Nice big and bright rooms; smack in the middle of Oslo. The hosts are very nice. So are all the other players. There is something very nice about the Warmachine community.

I still can’t get Yana to work. Valarii on the other hand is a beast. I have no idea what Alexia is doing in the list. I’m pretty sure I’ll exchange her for something useful. Oh, and I might want the Sapper Command Card.

Onwards till tomorrow. For the Motherland!