Recently I played a pair of games in anticipation of the arrival of Tristan Durant and the upcoming tournament at PAX East. My first game (the battle report is here) was against Cygnar, my second game was against Mercs - specifically Durgen.
Here are the lists:
Feora, Protector of the Flame - Protectorate Epic Warcaster
- Templar (bonded)
- Vanquisher
Initiate Tristan Durant (played by the esteemed Dartan Vilmon)
Redeemer
Vassal of Menoth
Saxon Orrick
The Covenant of Menoth
Choir of Menoth (min)
Temple Flameguard + UA (max)
Specialists:
Visgoth Juvian Rhovan & Honor Guard
Eiryss, Angel of Retribution
Wrack
Gorman Di Wulfe
Durgen Madhammer – Rhulic Mercenary Warcaster
- Wraughthammer Rockram
- Basher
MacNaile (the Doogs)
Rhupert Carvolo
Reinholdt
Thor Steinhammer
pAlexia
Nyss Hunters
Tactical Arcanist Corp
Specialists:
Aiyana and Holt
Taryn
Anastasia
Gorman
The scenario was Supply and Demand (the ammo dump). Menoth swapped the Vassal for Gorman, Mercs made no substitutions. Menoth won initiative and elected to go first.
DEPLOYMENT:
Menoth was eying a convenient linear obstacle near the zone and therefore parked the Vanquisher and Feora on the left. Tristan took up the right flank, with the Redeemer eyeing another piece of terrain. The TFG planned on moving right up the middle with the Templar backing them up. The Mercs deployed in a brick with the TAC on their left flank. No one was interested in the forest.
TURN 1: MENOTH
The Redeemer gets Fortify and runs for the linear obstacle. The Vanquisher moves up. Feora casts escort and puts ignite on the TFG. She moves up. Gorman advances and puts up a cloud. The TFG shield wall and advance six inches. Everything else tucks in behind.
TURN 1: MERCS (not pictured)
Everything advances. Durgen attempts to drift some deviations … lots of deviations but nothing sticks. The TAC drop clouds. The Basher heads for the center of the field. The Nyss Hunters get Primed which is a sick and evil thing to do. Rhupert makes them Fearless and they all spread out nicely. Alexia holds up the rear.
TURN 2: MENOTH
The Redeemer gets a full load from Tristan. Feora upkeeps two spells, gives one to each Jack and camps a few. The Choir battles the Jacks. The Redeemer attempts to drop some shots into the Nyss, cleans out a few, but doesn’t accomplish much. The TFG mini-feat and run to get some sort of jam going on those Nyss. Menoth makes a mistake by accidentally engaging one (while they are Fearless). The Templar runs up behind the TFG and toes into the zone.
TURN 2: MERCS
Mercs activates the Nyss before Alexia or Rhupert. If they had not been engaged they would have had to pass a terror check when they started run/charging past the TFG front line. Menoth weighs some options, decides to attempt the lethal free strikes. Some hit (exploding the Nyss and the TFG), some don’t (letting the WM charges land). One of the Nyss runs to engage the Redeemer. Many TFG are killed. The Basher attempts a slam but fails. There are some explosive shenanigans and move TFG die as well as a Nyss. The exploding Nyss boxcars damage on the Basher dealing 7! Durgen and his friends demolish the Objective for a point. The TAC hide Durgen again. Alexia makes a Thrall … it advances and kills a TFG.
SCORE: MENOTH 0, MERCS 1
TURN 3: MENOTH
The Templar gets three focus, the Redeemer gets two focus. Tristan upkeeps Fortify and camps 1 (to boost later on). Feora drops Ignite, upkeeps Escort, and gives one to the Vanquisher (for boosting damage), camping 1. The Choir advance and battle the Jacks. The Templar beats the Basher into the ground and takes out another Nyss (and a TFG from the exploding Nyss). The TFG declare a shield wall and fail to kill anything. Saxon advances and murders … something important? The Nyss leader, perhaps? Alexia is finally starting to get corpses. Tristan activates, advances and drops the Nyss jamming the Redeemer. The Nyss explodes … and against an armor 19 Redeemer, manages to hit it for 7 … in the 1. There goes the Rocket. Craaaaaap. The Redeemer aims and tries to take out a few Risen … poorly. The Vanquisher tries to drift a shot into Durgen, but fails. If the Templar can withstand the next round, things will turn around. If not, the Vanquisher can finish the piece trade and things will still turn around. Gorman advances and tries to obscure Feora with a cloud, aware that a Nyss hunter is out there on the loose. Feora tucks in near the Vanquisher to keep her armor high.
SCORE: MENOTH 0, MERCS 1
TURN 3: MERCS (not pictured … it’s getting late)
The Rockram gets three focus. Durgen scratches the paint on the Templar for 2. The Rockram gets Redlined and charges the Templar and needs at least one roll to go above average on damage. The assault misses. The charge hits and deals below average damage. The first buy misses (hope!!), the second buy hits and does average damage, but takes out the shield (noooo), the third buy (Redline meant the charge was free) hits and the damage is absolute fire. Hits the Templar for 17 of its 17 remaining boxes. Le Sigh. It’s ok, Menoth can one round it with a Vanquisher … maybe. Then the Mercs go to work figuring out how to clear the zone. The Nyss run/charge and the two engaged TFG are murdered. The free Nyss runs around the zone to engage Saxon. Then the TAC activate. One advances centrally and pots the TFG standard bearer. One puts up a protective cloud near Durgen to block the attack vector from the Vanquisher, and one shoots the Nyss hunter in the back, which explodes killing Saxon and clearing the zone. Alexia and the Risen run into the zone and look around. Durgen has a toe in and so the Mercs dominate for two.
SCORE: MENOTH 0, MERCS 3
TURN 4: MENOTH
There are a number of lanes open to Menoth to get at Durgen, but none of them are awesome. The Redeemer gets a full load, the Vanquisher gets two. Feora upkeeps Escort and camps three. The Choir Battle the Jacks. The Redeemer sidles out from cover and draws a line on Durgen … but can’t hit because even with Boosting the RAT is crap. The shot goes sideways and the followup goes even more sideways. That’s ok, the Redeemer was a chance thing anyway. Next the Vanquisher attempts to out vector the cloud … and it does, but it comes up 11 inches away from Durgen. Rolls for deviation, and floats it onto the dwarf! Boost damage! *sad trombone* The Vanquisher only scratches him (poor damage roll on blast damage). But everything else is on fire. The Vanquisher uses the second focus to boost damage on the Doogs, killing him. Now its time for Feora to try to close it out. She advances into the zone and feats, bringing her up to 6 focus. She spends 1 to boost the hit and 1 to boost damage on her spray. She hits for a moderate amount. She casts her nuke, boost to hit and damage and … Rolls a five. Durgen is left at 5. (These damage rolls were so very very sad). But he is on fire and cranking the fire damage roll might do it. The Book advances to contest, Gorman advances to contest and cloud? Menoth passes turn and warms up the fire dice.
SCORE: MENOTH 0, MERCS 3
TURN 4: MERCS:
Menoth rolls a seven on the fire damage, dealing two points of damage bringing Durgen to 3. Gorman is murdered, the Book is murdered. Mercs dominate the zone and win on scenario.
SCORE: MENOTH 0, MERCS 5
VICTORY FOR THE MERCS!
It was a fun game. My opponent suggested that I should play Feora more aggressively, and he is correct. I am not used to having a caster who doesn’t die instantly if they get hit. It turns out that keeping a cloud around and Escort up means that Feora is kinda difficult to hit and difficult to damage. Plus if you get near her, that’s when the party starts. The fire party. Overall I like this list enough to play it several more times as is. I think I need to start playing Tristan and the Redeemer more centrally. I did not give myself enough targets with the Redeemer. Primed Nyss Hunters are freaking evil…just...evil. I felt like I was handling the heavy piece trade well, but I shorted myself on pieces to contest the zone and fell behind. I need to get fire on my opponent’s caster sooner and overall I need to be slightly more aggressive without just walking into my opponent’s charge range.
Thanks for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment