Cygnar smashed

Tom was visiting Martin from England last week and so he came along to the monthly war games night and as it happened he was drawn to play me. As it was only his sixth or seventh game I intended to be a bit instructional as we went along, but I think his background in other war games made him a little too untrusting to really listen.

I made a strong list based around Champions, the Stone Scribe and Madrak Ironhide. I am unfamiliar with Cygnar stuff but Tom had halberd guys, sword guys, Trenchers and four Jacks. I tried to give some advice, but he politely refused to heed my warnings about a few things and so I was able to beat him.

Tom didn't play poorly though and used his feat at the right time. I think the only thing he didn't do was prioritize threats appropriately. He focussed on the Totem Hunter (and eventually killed it) when he should have thrown his light Jacks in against the Champions. He also got really worried about the Longriders when he should have been focussed on the Trolls attacking the hill. I got the Champions into a great spot on the hill and with a Dire Troll and an Axer in Support I was able to throw him off and hold (the hill was the objective) the hill for the victory.

We both enjoyed the game and chatted for a while afterwards, which is a good indicator that no one felt miffed.

I am now looking forward to playing Martin this week. He has a bunch of new Menoth stuff that I haven't faced yet and I am interested to see what it can do.

Here is the base coloured Winter Troll. I was home sick from work today and all I could do was sit around, so I got a lot done.

Kriel Stone Bearer

I just finished this unit. I started them 13 days ago and am happy with the result.



Here is a detail shot



Detail from the back

Bad showing for the Trollbloods

I did very poorly in the tournament in Utrecht on Sunday. When I say poorly, I mean I cam last. Am I embarrased? A little perhaps. Am I annoyed? Not really. If I had won my last game (and I should have except for the rules my opponent broke) I would have finished fourth or fifth due to the decent amount of victory points I scored in my previous matches. Ah well.

It is difficult to explain to people why I lost without it sounding like sour grapes, but that's why I have a blog. Yay! Basically, my opponent was rolling an extra dice on the charge attack damage of her heavy warbeast. She did this three times and I didn't realise she couldn't do it. I am also sure she didn't know either. However this did mean that my stuff was falling apart rather quickly as she targeted it.

The worst mistake though was that she charged the same warbeast at my warlock, even though he was standing behind other figures that screened him. By this stage I was already trying to argue that the charge wasn't legal (according to the rules) for a different reason and after I lost that argument I didn't realise it was illegal from the screened perspective.

The arguing I was doing wasn't with my opponent though and this was the thing that actually pissed me off. Our game was dragging and so the other players filtered over to watch the end of our game as they finished theirs. Advice a plenty was wafting down from them to my opponent. I wonder if they would have been so keen to help if she had been a fat 40 year old man instead of a pretty 25 year old woman. Anyway, it was with them I was always arguing my case and it was clear that they wanted her to win. That is the only thing I am a bit sour about.

My Tournament Army

I have finally finished painting my 500 point Trollblood army for the Subcultures tournament in Utrecht tomorrow.



I am mostly happy with them, although I could be happier with the Fell Caller (Front Left) and the Pyg Keg Carrier (Front Right). I just didn't spend enough time on them. Also, I didn't paint the Earthborn Dire Troll (Back Right), I inherited it in a job lot that I paid almost (about 25% store price) nothing for.

Eventually I will get the camera settings correct so that stuff isn't so shiny. Maybe I should spray the big yellow guy with matt varnish.

Dire Troll Mauler

Here he is:



I just finished him and immediately took a photo. This is the guy that got swamped by those damned scouts of Martin's.

I am in the process of finishing my Fell Caller and my Totem Hunter as well, so that by Sunday I should have a fully painted force for the tournament.

Trollbloods vs. Protectorate of Menoth Hardcore

Last night I played a hardcore match against Martin. The only rule we ignored was that the miniatures had to be painted. I understand that painted miniatures are an integral part of a real Hardcore match, but in game terms it made no difference. We played 7 minutes turns and the objective was to kill the other persons Warcaster/Warlock.

The forces:

Martin (Menoth)
Amon (Warcaster)
Crusader
Revenger
Devout
Avatar
Exemplar Seneschal
Rhupert Carvalo
Reclaimer
2 Units of Knights Exemplar
Vengers



Me (Trollbloods)
Borka Kegslayer (Warlock)
Dire Troll Blitzer
Dire Troll Mauler
Earthborn Dire Troll
Trollkin Champions
Trollkin Longriders
2 Fell Callers



I would love to write a battle report, but there were so many rounds in our 90-100 minute game that I would get it wrong to try and recount it. What I will do is mention the main events.

Left mid table
The Vengers circled round our left flank but they were very cautious, possibly too cautious, so I charged my Longriders straight into the avatar. The fight there lasted the rest of the game, with the Avatar really messed up by my charge that it lost its ability to move. The Devout joined it and so the remaining longriders focused on it as they were out of the 1/2 inch reach of the Avatar. After a couple of rounds they managed to destroy the Devout's ability to move as well.

Left rear table
The Vengers threw caution to the wind as the rest of the battle was unfolding without them and advanced to close to the Earthborn that I had left back to watch them. On my next turn he charged in and ate the first Venger with his first attack. I riled him and left him outside the control radius of Borka. In my next turn he frenzied and polished off the remaining two Vengers that had done him some damage.

Mid table
I charged my Blitzer into the Revenger and trashed it, while the Gobber on his back nailed a few knights with his machinegun. Unfortunately, the knights charged in their turn and slaughtered the poor old Blitzer. I sent the Mauler in who took out the Exemplar Seneschal and what was left of the Revenger.

Right mid table
The Champions advanced and were charged by a half strength unit of knights and the Crusdaer, but because of some luck, the ones that were taken out made their toughness rolls and stayed in the game. A Fell Caller charged the Crusader as well, but did little to it and was soon dead.

After we tore each other to pieces over the course of about ten or 11 rounds the game came down to Borka Kegslayer, vs. Amon one knight and the Reclaimer. That was it, there was nothing left on the table Borka moved out of combat with the Reclaimer (not worried about the free strike, which Martin didn't think I would do) and blasted Amon to pieces. Then for good measure (spite) I shot the knight.

Victory! The closest game I have ever played. All I had left was my Warlock and Martin had a Reclaimer.