Ghost vs. Greenskin

  My wife has been asking for a larger game in Age of Sigmar for some time.  She has everything for the Death allegiance, including the Lord-god himself- Nagash!  I unfortunately, do not have updated rules or even enough modern units in most of my armies to stand up to that.  I've been using my Ironjaws because they are simple and I don't have to worry about constant re-dos (looking at you, Bloodbound).  Unfortunately, I only have 1440 points of Ironjaws, but I DO have some regular Orcs from the old Warhammer days kicking about.  Adding that bit of extras, upgrading the Maw-crusha to the special character version, and following the 'allies' rules, I brought my Ironjaws force up to 1980 points.  Now I can give my wife the 2000 point game that she wants. 
 

  She had the brilliant idea to lay out the board as though it was near a drying-up or low-tide coast.  With a mausoleum nearby and a shipwreck not too far away, it made sense for the spirits of the deceased to consider this their territory.  It was a fantastic table and an even neater little narrative that added to the game. 

The battlefield

  Finally being able to bring some toys, her force was led by Reikenor and included a couple of unit of Hexwraiths, some Spirit Hosts, a battalion of Chainrasp Reapers, some special Banshees, and then a Mourngul.  Following the 'allies' rule, the Nighthaunt force is able to bring this Forgeworld-created monstrosity of unkillable horror.  Great...

  My army list was really just adding some stuff to this list I normally use- this time led by the Gordrakk Ironfist or whatever that main character's name is (a super-Megaboss on Maw-crusher), a Warchanter, a Warcaster, a Megaboss on foot, all tending to a unit of 'Ardboyz, two units of Brutes, some Gore-gruntas, and now including a mob of 20 orc choppa-boyz and a mob of 10 orc arrer-boyz.  To top it all off, an Aleguzzler Gargant followed along...

  The undead had more command points than the Ironjaws due to including a battalion.  It would be interesting to see how they get used.  Remember that the Ironjaws do nothing but call their buffing command ability every turn, so theirs is simple to predict.

  We rolled up a mission from the General's Handbook 2018 (if I remember correctly and I'm not real sure...) and came up with Border War.  There were four objectives on the table, one in each players' zone and two on the centerline.  The players gain points by controlling objectives, each worth more depending where they are on the table.  Simple- kill and control.

  The Ironjaws deployed in a line across the battlefield.  The Mega-Megaboss on Mawcrusher stood in the center of the line, flanked by a giant and Gore-gruntas to one side and Brutes on the other.  To the far left mobbed the Choppa-boyz, ready to leap forward and take the centerline objective, while the Arrer-boyz guarded the right flank while hiding in the woods.  In between those woods and the Brutes stood the 'Ardboyz, ready to answer the charge of super-quick ghosts. 
  The Nighthaunt forces also deployed in a line, from the other woods to the shipwreck, nearly tracing the old coastline.  To their left flank was placed the Spirit Hosts and terrifying Mourngul, with cavalry and Banshees screening Reikenor in the center.  To his right was the mob of Reapers and the Dreadblade Harrow to sweep the flank if needed.  More, they kept a unit of Reapers in reserves.
  Both armies had their generals planted atop their own objectives, and each mirrored units to move and take objectives in the middle.  This was going to be a tug-of-war at this point. 

Deployment

Battle Round 1

  The Ironjaws wisely chose to hold the line and allow the Nighthaunt to go first.  They would need to understand how the ghosts were going to stretch to get those objective points before unleashing their rage.  Plus, the option of the back-to-back turn is the goal on every first turn (unless you're a ranged army)!

  The Nighthaunt forces started their turn by rushing everything foward to take the objectives and set up for charges when they became possible.  The final unit of Reapers turned up just in front of the Choppa-boyz, but chose not to charge so they could instantly claim that middle objective.  The cavalry formed a wedge right up the middle toward the 'Ardboyz, and the Spirit Hosts moved up to take the other middle objective.  With control of her and both of the middle objective points, the Nighthaunt army immediately gained 5 victory points.  Plus, her army had to solid waves of invulnerable ghosts to wade through- this was going to be hard...

End Nighthaunt Turn 1

  The morning mist still clung to the wet and rocky landscape, and this was further sullied by the incorporeal warriors floating above it.  But the greenskins simply licked their teeth, eager to see just how similar 'incorporeal' is to 'unkillable'. 
  Gordrakk bowled forward and crushed a unit of Hexwraiths nearly to death, which allowed the 'Ardboyz to get into a frenzy and charge both the Spirit Hosts and the nearby Hexwraiths, nearly wiping out that second unit with the help of the Arrer-boyz garrisoning the woods.  The Choppa-boyz happily took the bait from the Reapers and charged into combat, which then urged the Aleguzzler to stop all the way around and charge the rear of the enemy line.  The Dreadblade Harrow counter-charged and invited the attacks of the giant, only to fail all the way around.  The giant just wanted his presence known for the moment...
  While those units of mayhem wreaked their havoc, the Brutes and Megaboss firmly held their objective, and the 'Ardboyz had maneuvered in just such a way to steal control of one of the middle objectives.  This only gave the greenskins three points this turn.

End Ironjaws Turn 1

Battle Round 2

  The all-important die roll to get initiative in the turn resulted in the Ironjaws getting a back-to-back turn.  Taking full advantage, Gordrakk continued his rampage and destroyed the Banshees, but was then locked up by that unnoticed survivor from the last charge, keeping the orc Lord from getting to Reikenor.  Brutes quickly caught up and charged alongside the Gore-gruntas into the second unit of Reapers, locking them up and keeping them from reinforcing the flank. 
  The Choppa-boyz hacked down most of the first unit of Reapers while the giant kicked and 'eadbutted the Dreadblade Harrow, almost killing him.  The other side of the Battlefield saw the Mourngul lazily attack and fail to kill many of the 'Ardboyz, while still losing most of the unit to the frightful touch of the Spirit Hosts. 
  With clever maneuvering and timely casualties, the Ironjaws were able to take control of both middle objectives and gain five points this turn.  That put the greenskins clearly in the lead and in position to obstruct the undead in every direction. 

End Ironjaws Turn 2

  The Nighthaunt were now stretched too thinand had too many combat-oriented beasts to deal with.  Unfortunately, the magic was very weak again and the resurrection of ghosts was minimal.  The back unit of Reapers was completely wiped out by buffed Brutes and Gore-gruntas, while the first unit was nearly destroyed as they killed a few Choppa-boyz in return.  The Dreadblade Harrow actually hurt the giant, forcing him to turn and 'eadbutt the undead officer to death.  The center and right flank of the Nighthaunt line just completely vanished.
  In desperation, Reikenor charged into Gordrekk, hoping to severly wound the big monster.  Instead, his ethereal weapon somehow bounced from the impenetrable hide of the Maw-crusher, which then noticed and stomped him into the ground.  An irritated beast had just effortlessly killed the Nighthaunt general and now the home objective was open to Brutes and a barely-distracted Mega-megaboss on Mawcrusher. 
  Luckily, the Mourngul and Spirit Hosts exerted their power and killed all but the champion from the 'Ardboyz, retaking control of that objective.  This act of defiance would get the undead three points, tying up the game. 

End Nighthaunt Turn 2

Battle Round 3
  Unfortunately, this game mirrored last week's game in that the final turn would be determined by the priority roll.  And again, that irony came in whether my wife won the roll or lost it and the timing issues it would create.  If she won, then my models would finish off their combats and have their next turn to destroy the rest of her army.  If I won, then I would have to waste my turn finishing combats and she can then move her survivors and attempt to salvage the situation.  After all, that Mourngul is insanely powerful and can easily kill the orc general.

  So we roll the die, hoping for an orc priority for any chance of victory, and...

  The Nighthaunt wins the roll-off.  That's it- the game is over.  There's no conceivable way, based on numbers of models and units and simple order, regardless of perfection of tactics and miraculous dice, that the Nighthaunt would be able to pull it out now.  This was an Ironjaws victory. 

  This was a very intense game right from the beginning, but everything went really well for the Ironjaws.  Besides missing out on the opportunity to use the general's 'bowling ball' trait, every charge roll was made and priority always fell in their favor.  Rather than the strategic errors from the last battle, this one was simple luck.  And Ironjaws like luck too!

Any good but way too one-sided in the blessings games lately?  Please leave a comment below and fill me in- I always dig a good story.  Otherwise- Happy Gaming

Glory for the Ironjaws!

  Like I said in the last post- I haven't posted a lot lately because I have a gazillion projects going right now and other commitments that keep me from gaming.  But I haven't been totally absent and finally got a couple of games in that I could post about.

  After a quick game of 40k with my son, my wife got off work and we set up for a 1500 point battle of Age of Sigmar.  She has everything for death ever and a massive love for the Nighthaunt forces, so that was what she wanted to run.  I, of course, brought Ironjaws.

  Her army consisted of a battalion that included Hexwraiths and the Black Coach, for mobility, and another detachment with a ton of Chainrasps with some Guardian of Souls magic for support.  It didn't look terribly mean, but this force is fast and happens to spam some mortal wounds sometimes.  For an elite force like mine, that can end really badly.  

  My force never changes because I only have 1500 points in Ironjaws.  A Megaboss on Mawcrusher (with the artifact that increases his second weapon's damage), a Megaboss on foot, a Warchanter, a Warcaster, some 'Ardboys, a couple of  units of Brutes, and a few Gore-gruntas all make up this force and even gets me an extra command point for being so few points.  It's elite, but it hits hard!  Plus, the army's Allegiance traits are ridiculous, and that helps...

The battlefield

  My wife loves the terrain aspect of the game and set up the table.  With realism in mind (in a game world where realism is an ideal and not at all a reality), she set up an ancient site with ruins of unknowable origins scattered about.  This meant that the battlefield would have some cover (even though neither of our armies have ranged attacks) and there would be 'corridors' that forces would have to move through. 

  The battleplan was "Gifts from the Heavens".  This means that each army gets an objective that randomly appears somewhere in their deployment zone starting their Turn 2.  Each turn after that of holding those objectives gets you points and the player with the most points wins.  Simple and random.  

  My army was deployed in a line, with the Maw-crusher holding the center and the Brutes rallied around him.  The Gore-gruntas were out on the flank with the plan to scout around and possibly take the objective if it appears on the far side of the battlefield.  The 'Ardboyz were deployed on the other flank with the idea to protect it.  

  Her army deployed with her speed in mind.  The Chainrasps held the flank and the cavalry made up the center for a spearhead.  Her Black Coach anchored the strong side next to the tower and supported the battalion's riders.  More Chainrasps remained in the other realm and the plan was to pressure the Orcs quickly and hold objectives when they appeared.  

Battle Round 1

  Since the Ironjaws were deployed first, they chose to let the ghostly legion take the initiative in the first round.  With that, the army glided forward as much as it could and awaited the enemy's move.  The second unit of Chainrasps appeared in front of the 'Ardboyz to tarpit that flank in case the greenskins got brave.  Now it was just the waiting game...

End Nighthaunt Turn 1

  As soon as the Nighthaunt forces paused, the Maw-crusher bellowed and charged into the nearest unit of Hexwraiths and the Black Coach.  With the force of a mountain, the beast and his rider dispatched four of the cavalry models, leaving one behind, and wounded the Coachmaster before suffering some minor damage in return.  Unfortunately, none of the abilities of the Ironjaws or Maw-crusher itself were triggered.  Despite the disappointment, the 'Arboyz followed and charged into the newly-arrived Chainrasps and killed all but one of them.  Again, it was disappointing because the special army rules don't trigger.  It was also scary because undead have a frustrating habit of returning hordes of slain models and making life very difficult...  

  Other parts of the force simply advanced as they were planned.  The Gore-gruntas took a wide approach to avoid the Black Coach and head for that table quarter, while the Brutes slowly moved to be able to react.  It was exciting, but not yet the crescendo of the might Ironjaws' attack.  

End Ironjaws Turn 1

Battle Round 2

  With the all-important priority roll for the second Battle Round, the Nighthaunt were very happy to be able to go first and established an early lead.  The objective, er, meteor descended and appeared on her right flank, behind the tower and within reach of some of her cavalry.  Unfortunately, the magic wasn't very strong for the ghosts yet and their resurrections were minimal.  Despite that, the rest of the Chainrasps positioned themselves to further tarpit the orcs' on that flank, and a second unit of Hexwraiths came in to support their buddies and the Black Coach.  

  And that charge was devastating.  Between mortal wounds and piercing lances, the Mega-boss on Maw-crusher was instantly devastated.  The damage caused on the way out was negligible and the center of the line was irrefutably under the control of the undead.  

End Nighthaunt Turn 2

  The Ironjaws weren't easy to intimidate and pressed their attack even harder, even as their meteor objective descended on their right flank.  Despite the Megaboss on beast falling, there was still another Megaboss to direct the attack.  Brutes were buffed and attacked the Chainrasp horde from the rear, disrupting their cunning plan and allowing the 'Ardboyz to finish the first horde.  This opened a direct line to the Guardian of Souls and the orcs were thirsting for exactly that kind of glory. 
  Strategically, this distraction allowed the Gore-gruntas to sneak around and attack the cavalry holding the objective, causing enough casualties to take control.  This also allowed the other unit of Brutes to sneak around, planning to lend support, but they became too frenzied and turned to charge the Black Coach.  This would keep the massive vehicle still for long enough to give the rest of the greenskins time to do what they had to do. 

End Ironjaws Turn 2

With control of both objectives, the Ironjaws scored more points and took the lead. 

Battle Round 3

  Gorkamorka was definitely paying attention to this army and gave them the priority.  At this crucial point in the game, having back-to-back turns can be the deciding factor, and it certainly looks that way for this battle.   The Brutes fighting the coach simply retreated towards the objective and the rear of the cavalry that had just caused enough damage to take their meteoric objective back.  They couldn't charge... yet.  The Brutes on the other side of the battlefield finished off the Chainrasp horde and took control of that side.  Unfortunately, the rest of that line couldn't get to the Guardian of Souls but there was more then enough to guarantee his destruction by this point.  The Warcaster maintained control of the orcs' objective, at least keeping them in the lead for now.  

End Ironjaws Turn 3

  The undead were not to be denied.  The Guardian of Souls stole the initiative and jumped the Megaboss, hoping to cut the warleader down.  The resilience of the Megaboss is amazing and he suffered very little, but the caster didn't suffer much damage in return.  Surrounded, the undead general's goal was now to hold up the enemy as long as he could.  

  Meanwhile, trying to use cunning and sneak around the distracted greenskins, the Hexwraits tried to rush towards the enemy objective.  Unfortunately, they caught the attention of the Warchanter, who then tied them up and called for help.  This was a key mistake in the Nighthaunt strategy.  The Black Coach, appalled at the developments in the battle, was paralyzed and couldn't decide which way to support its forces.  This was the key mistake that cost the undead the battle.  Unable to score any more points, the Nighthaunt force finished their turn two points behind.  

End Nighthaunt Turn 3

Battle Round 4

  This turn was heavily discussed.  Here's the weird part- if she wins the roll for priority, the undead will lose.  If she loses priority, there is still a decent chance of pulling out a victory.  The reason for this ironic pairing was based on the order of casualties.  Is the Ironjaws go first, they have to kill those models they are in contact with and effectively lose their turn, when then the Nighthaunt army gets to react and snatch points.  But if the ghosts go first, then they have to retreat and give the orcs the ability to do what they want during their turn, effectively wiping out all the undead forces.  

  So this was an important roll-  And the Ironjaws won!  That meant that the game could go on with some hope...

  The Ironjaws were already in their favorite position- in combat or about to be.  The Ironjaws running from the Black Coach charged the cavalry and immediately slaughtered their way to control, while the Warchanter held up the Hexwraiths and allowed his allies to reposition and guarantee control of the objective.  This immediately jumped the Ironjaws ahead by so many points that even a perfect game could only lead to a tie due to lack of forces. 

End Ironjaws Turn 4

    With that, we ended the game with an Ironjaws victory!  The scenario is an absolute blast and I still like the size of the battles.  But we did come to some conclusions from this game-

1.  It's all about the moral victory of killing the Maw-crusher so easily.  That scary beast has the ability to wreck entire days and the Nighthaunt proved that they shouldn't be worried about it anymore.

2.  The single most powerful rule in Age of Sigmar is the random priority each turn.  No matter how many games we play, we find that the winner and loser of that single roll matters more than movement oftentimes. 

3.  The Nighthaunt army isn't as resilient as the Legions of Nagash.  While they have invulnerable saves and the 6+ FNP, they are still less wounds and some units don't even have a good save.  Chainrasp hordes only have a 5+ invuln and one wound each.  Without the amazing resurrection rules of the Legions, there are so many more models lost and so many less models recovered.  However, this army can cause a lot of mortal wounds if built correctly.  I think that Nighthaunt might be a glass cannon force.

  All that being said- it was a great game!  My wife loves AoS and all this game did was fuel her need for revenge and another game.  Oh boy...

Happy Gaming!