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

Maelstrom of Chaos

  I was able to get quite a few games in a short period of time.  But them I took forever getting the pictures uploaded and blogging about it.  This time my son and I were going to play a unique 40k game.  While it was still going to use a Maelstrom of War mission, we were going to use an army list that my high-level tournie-player buddy made for my son.  This army is meant to claim objectives and put out high damage without depending on static Devastators and expensive characters. 

By Ameeeeba on Deviant Art

  Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of the armies.  His Dark Angels consisted of two Battalions- Scouts as Troops in one and Combat Squads in the other, armed with heavy bolters and missile launchers to take advantage of the mortal wound-based strategems.  There was also a blob of Deathwing Terminators led by Belial and a Terminator Librarian, and a blob of Black Knights led by Sammael in Sableclaw (his Land Speeder).  Toss in an Ancient and Apothecary and a flyer with Rift Cannon and suddenly the mysterious marines have a lot of options.   

  My army was my typical Word Bearers using Red Corsairs rules (for the obvious reason that Word Bearers' rules suck!).  A single Battalion led by Huron, a Daemon Prince with wings, and a Sorcerer, it included two small squads of marines with heavy weapons and a massive blob that was for dying and recycling using the Red Corsair strategem, plus the obligatory autocannon Havocs.  I added a horde of Possessed led by a Greater Possessed, a unit of Obliterators, and a couple of Heldrakes.  This force is all too familiar and has been destroying the Dark Angels for some time now. 

  The battlefield was going to be our typical 'Cityfight' board with the Mechanicum stuff in the middle.  But my son chose a different mat- not a problem but interesting and so obvious that I kind of felt embarrassed.  That's why fresh eyes are good.  When it came time for deployment, I chose the diagonal style to keep control of how he placed his army.  This was very important because I don't want to have that entire wall of firepower gutting me before I even get a turn.  

  The Dark Angels deployed in buildings where possible, and clustered his Terminators and Bikers around their bosses to start with and keep the buffs.  The Chaos marines deployed with their firepower and Possessed int he middle and the blobs of marines and flyers out on the flanks.  This was in an effort to avoid as much of the loyalist pressure as they could to start. 

Deployment

Battle Round 1

Dark Angels draw

  The Dark Angels, having deployed first, chose to take the first turn.  The flyer immediately jetted forward and launched a salvo into the enemy forces.  Unfortunate dice rolls and great saves meant that the damage was very minimal.  The Ravenwing rapidly jumped out to get in range of one of the Heldrakes, pumping loads of plasma with rerolls from nearby Sammael and knocking the daemon-machine from the sky.  The marines with heavy bolters and missile launchers contributed, using up a number of command points, but easily worth it. 
  The rest of the Chaos forces were ignored, using the 'hammer' tactic and putting pressure right in the middle.  At this point, the Dark Angels had scored First Strike and two of the objectives, giving a respectable score of three to end the turn.   

End Dark Angels Turn 1

Chaos Space Marines draw

 The Chaos marines responded with force.  The Possessed, still nearly full strength after the onslaught by the loyalist flyer, sprinted across the battlefield, took some Warptime from the nearby Sorcerer, and immediately charged the Ravenwing element to wipe out all the Black Knights with the Daemon Prince.  It was a glorious moment to be a daemon!  Behind them, the heavy weapon Marines and Havocs opened up with Veterans of the Long War and knocked the enemy flyer out of the sky.  Finall, the surviving Heldrake flew over the huge mob of advancing Marines on the far flank and engaged the sniper Scouts hiding in the ruins to give allied characters more freedom of movement. 
  Having wiped out the Black Knights, killed the flyer, and even caused some damage to another unit, the forces of Chaos were very happy indeed.  With gathering a couple of objectives as well, the Word Bearers took the lead 4-3. 

End Chaos Space Marines Turn 1

Battle Round 2

Dark Angels draw

  The game was still very close and the Dark Angels had not lost all their teeth yet.  Sammael took the opportunity to fly over the heretic lines to mow some down, then rammed the Daemon Prince in the back and killed him.  It was a very strong reminder of just how powerful the Master of the Ravenwing really is.  The rest of the army had fewer targets and concentrated on killing Havocs and heavy weapon marines.  Again, poor dice rolls meant everyone but the Havocs suffered minimal damage.  The Havocs, however, took mortal wounds after mortal wounds from strategems and heavy bolters/missile launchers and lost almost all their number.  It was brutal, despite cover save bonuses and such.  

  A couple of the objective points were out of range, so the Dark Angels had to focus on killing the Heldrake.  Having evaded the massive amount of firepower from the loyal firebase and weathered the Storm Bolter doom from the nearby Terminators, the Heldrake was annoyingly resilient.  Bravely, the Deathwing Apothecary charged and survived the baleflame attack, assuming that those nearby Terminators would join him.  Unfortunately, the rough terrain of the ruins slowed them down and they just couldn't make it.  Without enough attacks or a powerful enough weapon, the medic was unable to do enough damage to the daemon-flyer and those objective points became impossible.  A perfect example of dice telling a story...

End Dark Angels Turn 2

Chaos Space Marine draw

    Continuing their implacable advance, the Chaos Marines showed no mercy and continued their slaughter.  The Possessed, watching their Daemon Prince get cut down, counter-charged and slammed Master Sammael into the dirt.  The Heldrake jumped into the teeth of the Dark Angels' firebase and feebly tried to flame some to death.  Even with firepower from surviving heavy weapon Marines and Havocs, the attempt was fruitless.  The huge mob of marines continued their swarming through the area and peppered the building with a sniper Scout, finishing the unit off and guaranteeing Huron's safety.  The Sorcerer even emerged from the ruined Shrine to watch the loyalist Master meed his end.
  The biggest problem for the loyalists was when the Obliterators teleported behind the Deathwing and unleashed a volley of firepower that nearly wiped out the unit even with their invulnerable Terminator suits.  Just like that, the Ravenwing and Deathwing were destroyed and the firebase was the only hope.  Unfortunately, the Chaos Marines also couldn't score many points, and now the game was tied. 

End Chaos Space Marines Turn 2

Battle Round 3

Dark Angels draw

  The Dark Angels aren't able to score a ton of points, but they are still in the game with a tied score and plenty of firepower to manage the threats.  Unless the Chaos Marines do something perfidious again...

  Putting as much firepower downrange as they could, the Dark Angels' firebase was able to destroy the remaining Heldrake and remove that immediate threat.  Master Belial and the Librarian decided to handle the Obliterators and turned to face them.  With their combined might, they were able to cut down one of them and severely wound the other.  But their daemonic fists were powerful and destroyed the Librarian.  These daemonic bests were vicious!

  The Dark Angels scored some points despite losing such important models.  But the Chaos Marines also earned points by defending an objective, denying the Imperial forces from pulling away in victory.  The heretics were frustrating...

End Dark Angels Turn 3

Chaos Space Marines draw

  The Word Bearers had Possessed and heavy weapon Marines to hold objectives around the now-cleared battlefield.  The Obliterators killed Belial and finished off the loyalists' command elements.  The firebase was still out of range, until Huron ordered the massive mob of Chaos Space Marines to 'sneak around the back'.  Using the strategem, the full squad suddenly appeared just outside the firebase and began laying bolter death into the ones they could reach.  The Dark Angels suffered many casualties, but most importantly saw their final line of defense breached.  The perfidiousness!
  Scoring plenty of objective points in this Battle Round, including slaying the Warlord and dominating nearly the entire battlefield, the Chaos Marines pulled ahead in the game. 

End Chaos Space Marines Turn 3

  Unfortunately, Chaos now being so far ahead and the Dark Angels have so few forces left, it meant that the Dark Angels had to quit the battlefield.  Another Chaos victory!  It was a truly brutal game and really depended on being able to deal enough damage while also taking it.  We discussed a couple of things after this game-

1.  While this army was a fantastic army considering what we have access to, it's made more for ITC missions where you can control your objectives.  In this Maelstrom, the Dark Angels performed very well but they simply lost the war of attrition and couldn't keep achieving random objectives. 

2.  This Chaos Space Marine army is a blast to play!  It's not nearly as optimized as it could be (and my tournie-bro buddy has already proven it with his own Possessed-bomb force) but it still puts out some insane damage each turn.  With the mobility of the flyers and Legion trait, plus the buff on daemonic Possessed, this army is actually effective AND fun! 

3.  My son isn't interested in this level of gaming.  Using army lists with imbalanced consideration for effectiveness over fluff isn't his jam (I'm so proud- I've trained him well) and he wants to just use good, fluffy forces.  The intricate tactics and advanced army-building concepts are cool, but the story is much easier to enjoy. 

  This was a very good game and it motivated my son to pull out his other army and ask for a game already.  Unfortunately, this other army includes a Mortarion and I'm not sure my Word Bearers can handle something like that.  Gotta give it a go, though...