Unbound Scenario

After the last post, I figure I ought to do what I actually logged on to do, and that's post up the Unbound scenario I have been preparing to play with Dave.

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Fire and Advance

The rain was miserable, but oddly fitting for the current circumstances. Captain Amador Damiano sat in his command bunker warming himself by the fire emanating from an old Nomad boiler set against the wall when Stannis Brocker came in. He was soaked to the bone and clearly unhappy, but he was a soldier first and foremost, and he was being paid a ludicrous sum of money to be there, just like everyone else.

“Just got word that we attack as soon as the rain lets up. Better start prepping your 'jacks. I already let Magnus know.” A nod from Damiano and he slipped back out the door of the bunker. They had all been hired by a mysterious benefactor, who had turned out to be Cryx, to attack a Khadoran fortification. They had rather dismally poor information about their true objective, but what they lacked in information they had been compensated for with gold. Cryx always paid its mercenaries extremely well, and they had hired an army this time. Between Damiano with his warjacks, Magnus with his, and Stannis Brocker and his full contingent of Steelhead Halberdiers, Riflemen, and Heavy Cavalry, Damiano shuddered to think at the full bill for the services of the mercenaries here, and that did not even include the not insubstantial Cryxian forces that accompanied them as well.

It was good that they had an army, though – when they had gotten to their objective, it was an army that they sought to attack. Both sides had dug in quickly, and the rains set in before anyone had the chance to make a move. It had been three days now and the rain was finally letting up a bit, even though much of the battlefield had been turned to mud.

They were woefully short on information about their foe, but they knew about what lay between them – a maze of obstacles, barbed wire, craters, and trenches, with the looming remains of a great cathedral that was now mostly torn to bits. Regardless, taking that structure and digging in would be almost as valuable as taking the command trench the Khadorans were camped in. Further away, Damiano knew that there was a large Khadoran artillery piece that was theoretically still operational. While exposed and not as important for taking the field of battle by itself, commanding the canon would allow them to turn it on their enemies, shelling them with high explosives and clearing the way for their other forces.

Damiano listen to the rain lightening on the roof of the bunker and looked out. Visibility was improving, and he could make out the shadow of the cathedral ruins ahead of him. He mentally connected with his warjacks and prepared them for battle, their furnaces roaring to life. His troops began to stir from their shelters and ready themselves, and he was sure the Khadorans were doing the same. It would be a bloody day, and one that he felt would end with their gold being hard-earned.

Synopsis:

Two armies try to take the opponent's command trench as well as fight over a ruined building in the center, all while under heavy shelling.

Terrain and Objectives:

See map below. Each side has a command trench 14” from the side table edge, with the front of it 10” from the back of their deployment zone. There is a 50mm objective in the center of the table, surrounded by a large ruined building. There is a Khador Avalanche-class canon on the far side of the field (opposite the trenches). Terrain should be trench warfare type and/or ruined city type (barbed wire, sandbags, ruined walls, shallow water, etc).

A player scores 1 point when he has models in the opponent's command trench at the end of the round and his opponent has no models in the trench.

A player scores 1 point when he has a model in B2B with the center objective at the end of the round, and there are no enemy models within 4” of the objective. If the model is part of a unit, all remaining members of the unit must be within 4” of the objective to score the point.

The first player to score 3 points, and have more points than the other player, wins.

Special Rules:

Heavy Artillery: If there is a friendly non-incorporeal model in B2B with the Khador canon and no non-incorporeal enemy models in B2B, the model can perform a Fire! Special Action. Designate a point on the map. This point cannot be closer than 12” from any part of the canon's base. Roll a d6 for deviation direction (oriented facing directly away from the canon) and a d6 for distance. Center a 5” AOE on the resulting spot. All models in the AOE take a POW 14 blast damage roll.

UNBOUND! Rules

A player gains +1 to round initiative for each territory he controls (has models in it and there are no enemy models in it).

My dad, and my relation to Warmachine

So for those of you who read my blog and don't know, my dad died on Sunday. It's been a real shock - he wasn't sick or anything, had gone into the hospital the Monday previous for some gastrointestinal surgery, and was doing great. He was supposed to come home on Sunday. I got a call early Sunday morning from my mom saying that he had died. The autopsy revealed that he had a pulmonary aneurysm. He died very quickly, and was not in much pain. I'm still in shock about the whole thing - it doesn't really seem real. I haven't really been able to figure out what to do, or how to handle it, so my plan for the time being is to just try to keep myself in as good of spirits as possible.

And that generally involves Warmachine.

It's kind of amazing to me what kind of effect this game has on my mental health. I've had a lot of hobbies over the years, especially computer games, but I've never had one that allowed me the kind of all-encompassing mental involvement and peace of mind that playing and painting Warmachine and Hordes does. The day he died I spent upwards of 8 hours working on my website on Obsidian Portal for an upcoming Iron Kingdoms D&D game I want to play with some friends. I've spent several hours already this week painting models at my dad's work station in the garage, and have moved a lot of my painting and terrain-making stuff back to my parents' house. I don't know, I guess there's something therapeutic about working on it now where I started it years ago - in my parents' garage, at my dad's workbench.

I guess since I'm in a writing mood, and I've never really talked about it, I'll talk a little about how I got started with Warmachine, and how my dad fit into it. I had several friends who played, and they had been spreading the Good Word of this little wargame among the rest of the group of friends. This would have been...early to mid 2007, I think. Joe played Cygnar (and had some Khador, even though he never played them), Robby had a little Cygnar, they convinced Brian to get into Protectorate, James to buy into Khador, and finally they sold me on Cryx. It wasn't actually a hard sell - they just kind of told me about a faction that had steampunk zombies and showed me a little of the art and I bought a battlebox the next chance I got. I've loved Cryx ever since. I've picked up other factions (I think the total's now 4: Cryx, Trolls, Mercs, and Cygnar, respectively to when I got them), but my heart will always be the Dragonfather's. Not to mention my skin (I got the Cryx symbol tattooed on my left shoulder. I was always so careful to avoid my dad seeing it. Now I wish I'd shown him, even if he would have been upset).

I bought some Apple Barrel paints from Wal Mart and painted the battlebox on my dad's workbench in the garage (he was a huge model railroader, and the garage is about 60% giant HO scale railroad). As I finished the last model, I played a game with them right there against Brian, who beat the tar out of me. That was how it went for months. We played several times a week, almost exclusively at my parents' house (where I still lived at the time), and mainly in the garage. We helped my dad lay carpet in there, and then played games on it. We played on a wobbly card table. We played on the living room rug. There was something kind of pure in those days, something I kind of miss now. It was that "new love" feeling, where everything is exciting and all of us were thrilled to play all the time.

I tried on a couple of occasions to get my dad to play with me, but his poor eyesight meant that reading the cards was next to impossible. He was happy I wanted to share my hobby with him, but he never was able to participate in that way. He taught me bits and pieces about model building, though. He had decades of experience with making scenes in miniature, and what he could give to me he did. He was never stingy with his things, he just always made sure that I gave them back when I was done. I still have a bottle of Solvaset he lent me last month because I had just started using decals, and he wanted to show me how much better they would look when they had set down nice and flush. I suppose it's part of my inheritance now.

Over time the warmachine group slowly faded out. Joe and I were the last holdouts, but eventually even he mostly lost interest. I still burned for the game, but now it took so much effort just to find a game, and for quite a while I couldn't. I didn't paint much during that time either. Finally last year I started getting more involved with Brookhurst Hobbies' newly reopened Warmachine game nights (I had been a part of the Friday night Warmachine nights when I first started out, but I'd never really felt as welcome in that group - they had their own groups, and they weren't as inclusive with newcomers). I went to the first KingdomCon and the first SoCal Smackdown. I started painting more. I got most of my Trolls painted, and now I'm nearing the light at the end of the tunnel for my Mercs. I went to KindomCon 2 and am ready to go to SoCal Smackdown 2 in 2 weeks.

I suppose this rambling post is just my way of saying that for a long time, Warmachine has been very near and dear to me. It's a world I love, and a world I feel I can fall back on when things get bad. When I was lonely, when my friends left to do other things, or when my dad died, it's a place where I can go to get away. I can still paint models and get lost in my thoughts, and for that time, no matter how brief it lasts, things are all right and I can pretend that when I'm done I'll still get to show off my painted model to my dad, who would dutifully admire my work, no matter how sloppy or amateur, and then ask "So what's this guy do?"

I'll miss you, dad. You were my inspiration, my teacher, and my friend. This is going to be really hard without you.

Scaverous/MacBain 50 pt. fluff

If Lord Exhumator Scaverous had still possessed flesh, it would have been quivering in anticipation. He had recently learned about the final resting place of a Koldun Lord from a hundred years earlier, who had been renowned for the protection of his village from a huge undead plague. He had supposedly utilized powerful magic that no Greylord since had mastered, and now the Lord Exhumator planned on peeling open his mind like a ripe fruit and learning how to defend against such magic in the future.

The town had been the site of a battle earlier in the year between the the Khadoran and Ordic Militaries, and most of it was reduced to rubble. Ultimately the Khadorans had been pushed out, but the town was mostly lifeless now, with only a few stragglers to be found. His scouts had told him that the location of the crypt was still intact, and now it was his time to take it. He had even hired the unscrupulous Jarok Croe and his cutthroats to cover his forces while they made off with their bounty. The mercenaries were surprisingly acquiescent to keeping the company of the dead, and the Lord Exhumator was paying them amply for their services. With a subdued glee that only the sentient dead could really understand, he ordered his men into the ruins of the town.

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Drake MacBain swung his sword Undertaker in a high arc, and was intercepted by the Greylord's axe. Another swing broke through the man's defenses, and Undertaker connected at his collarbone and cut down to his sternum. MacBain kicked the man aside and looked around at the rest of the fight. His customized Nomad Brutus was in the process of finishing off a Juggernaut that had been marshalled by a Man-o-war Kovnik, who was now resting in several pieces nearby, courtesy of the other Nomad which was now moving to assist Brutus.

The fight had been remarkably brief, and a quick tally revealed that his men had not taken any casualties. There had been a small expedition of Khadorans investigating the town after the recent fighting with Ord, but as per his contract he was guarding the region against a return. They had achieved the element of surprise, as well as a significant numerical advantage; the handful of Winterguardsmen had been cut down by a halberdier charge, and the rest were being finished up now. MacBain had heard that there were still supply caches and military hardware scattered throughout the city, and he did not think it was a coincidence that the Khadorans were pushing back there. MacBain figured he owed himself a bit of a bonus, expending his coal and ammunition in such a manner, and since his contract specifically did not prohibit scavenging he thought it best if he try and take it. It would make the rest of his work that much easier.

That last clause stuck in his mind and looked with a feeling of unease at the girl standing by the dead Winterguard, the sword Witchfire in her hand. As she moved her hand in an arcane motion, the sword began to glow, and the bodies began to twitch. They stood up again, they eyes glowing in a macabre reflection of the Witchfire's color, and began to follow around her. Alexia turned, and for a moment her eyes caught MacBain's and what he saw looked almost less human than the Risen she had just summoned. He was uneasy about hiring her in the first place, but she charged relatively little for her services, and the ability to use a dead enemy against his former comrades was an advantage not easily ignored.

He rallied the men together, his halberdiers now sharing his uneasiness about the presence of the walking dead, but faithfully following orders. They headed toward the town, making their way through the ruins toward a large supply cache he'd heard about. As he did so, something felt strange about the situation. In a moment, he realized why. Forms moving through the ruins materialized out of solid walls, and he saw the green glow of necrotite furnaces moving through the rubble. He had no idea why Cryx was in his ruins, but his contract stated specifically to defend the town from all aggressors, and given the danger represented by Alexia and her own Risen, he could only imagine the threat from an army of the walking dead taking the town.

He ordered his men to take up positions, and mentally began pushing his 'jacks forward. They had to succeed.

Ending the Campaign

The campaign ends after the Showdown for the Autumn season of the second year (8 campaign rounds from now). At this time, whoever has the most Campaign Points will be the winner.

Campaign Points are gained through holding territory.

- Every territory held grants 1 Campaign Point

- Holding your Faction Headquarters Territory is worth an additional Campaign Point.

- Holding any of the 3 Town territories (The territories containing the Great Temple [GT], the Field Hospital [H], and the Repair Yard [Y]) is worth 1 additional Campaign Point for each territory.

- Holding ALL 3 Town territories is worth 1 additional Campaign Point, in addition to the bonuses for each territory. (This means that holding all 3 Town territories at the end of campaign is worth 7 points, 8 for the Protectorate Player).

I'll see about trying to come up with some sort of sweet victory prize for the winner if we want, but you guys will probably need to chip in 5 or 10 bucks depending on how sweet we want it to be.

Campaign Warchest Template

All right, so here is the Campaign Warchest Template for the King and Country Campaign. Feel free to download it, copy it, and use it. To preserve the integrity of the original, I don't want to give out editing rights, but let me know if you can't copy it for some reason and I'll amend that.

Campaign Rules Updates and fluff

NEW RULES:

Vae Victis!
- When a player destroys an enemy warcaster, his turn does NOT immediately end. He can continue activating all his models and try to score as many victory points as he can.
- NOTE: At the end of the battle, the winning player DOES NOT get d6 victory points, and the losing player DOES NOT get d3 victory points. This replaces that rule.

Showdown
- At the end of a campaign round, after all players have played their battles, there is a showdown between all 4 players.
- This battle is a 4-way scenario battle, fought in a territory chosen by the player LOWEST in the campaign initiative order.
- The winning player gains control of the territory.
- The winning player also benefits from Vae Victis (see above).
- A player MUST use a detachment that was not defeated earlier in the round, if possible.
- All attrition from the round applies to the showdown, and the players may not pay victory points to negate it or buy new models (since that can only be done between campaign rounds).
- The 3 losing players each receive d6 victory points.

Territories and initiative
- When fighting a campaign battle, add up how many adjacent territories each player has to the territory being contested, not counting the contested territory itself. That number is added to that player's initiative roll at the start of the battle.

Negating Attrition:
- When paying VPs to negate all attrition on a warjack or warbeast, the cost of the warjack is reduced by 1 VP

RULES CHANGES

Attrition
- All attrition is cumulative.
- A unit brought down to half strength starts the next game with 1 fewer grunts in the unit (unit attachments are counted as just part of the unit).
- A unit completely destroyed starts the next game with 2 fewer grunts in the unit.
- A warjack or warbeast that is destroyed starts the next battle with 1 box in EACH column marked.
- A non-warcaster, non-grunt warrior model with more than 1 box of health that is destroyed starts the next game with 1 damage point marked. (this includes solos, unit attachments, character units, etc)
- A warcaster or warlock that is destroyed cannot be used for the rest of the campaign round (and by extension, neither can the rest of their detachment).

New Detachments
- Buying a new 35 point detachment costs 50 VPs.
- There can be no duplicate characters with another detachment. If you include a character model or unit already present in another detachment, remove it from the the other detachment. (basically this allows you to move a character model/unit to a new detachment when you create it).

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Purple flames licked out from Fiona the Black's fingertips and consumed a man in Exemplar armor, tearing at his soul as he died and feeding her a portion of that power. She looked around her and ducked behind a low wall for protection as the Protectorate's ordinance pounded her position. Her army was in full retreat, harried by the Menites as they tried to escape back to friendly territory. They had accosted themselves well, but High Exemplar Kreoss had pushed her forces out of the forest and into the open. They needed to get back to friendly ground, and his army was clearly not trying to annihilate them as it was just making sure they retreated fully.

Fiona looked through the eyes of her Mariner and fired another shot into the wall of Exemplar Bastions, feeling satisfaction in seeing on of them finally crumple beneath the onslaught. It wasn't much, but any chance she had to inflict pain on the servants of the Lawgiver was a moment of pleasure for her.

As her forces broke through the trees into an open field, she saw the Menites turn back and retreat into the depths of the forest. Her forces were much reduced - Steelhead halberdiers and warjacks alike were limping, and she would have to return to the battlefield later to salvage her Mangler and get it up and running again. She herself was using all her sorcerous power to hold herself together after a Crusader had nearly crushed her with the now destroyed Mangler. She had barely rolled out of the way in time, and the arcane fire sent at her by the High Exemplar had informed her decision to flee.

Her forces marched for most of the rest of the day. Morale was low, and were it not for the lucrative contracts that had hired the men to her in the first place, she doubted many of them would stay. They reached Magnus' camp by nightfall, and she was surprised to not see MacBain's forces with him. She made her way to the command tent and found Magnus there, conversing with two men, one in Trencher armor, and another with his head wrapped in cloth, a rifle slung over his shoulder. Seeing Fiona, Magnus muttered something lowly to the men and they both walked out past her, eyeing her suspiciously as they did so.

Magnus leaned on the wooden table in the center of the room with his mechanikal arm and looked at her, "What news Fiona? Tell me something good."

She shook her head slowly, gesturing at the scorch marks on her armor, "The High Exemplar was a stronger foe then I predicted. His Exemplars showed a resistance to my sorcery that I did not expect. We took...heavy losses."

Magnus glowered at her for a moment, then nodded slightly, "Very well. I am reassigning you to the northern front. We need to push to the town, and I need you there. I have already made arrangements to replace your...predicted losses, and need you to leave at dawn."

Fiona bristled a little at the implied insult, the prongs on her staff Viper twitching as it sensed her irritation, but knew that of all the men in Western Immoren that she should treat with a degree of fear and respect, Asheth Magnus was arguably at the top of the list. "Of course. The men will be relieved that they are allowed some rest. Was there anything else?"

"No. Winter is coming, and we will need to be ready for the brutal fights ahead of us." He turned his back on her and she glared at him for several seconds before turning and heading toward her forces.

The stars shone brightly overhead as she said a prayer to Thamar and her Scions to leave nothing but ashes and the lamentations of her enemies behind her. She felt the Dark Goddess smiling down at her and knew that her prayers would be answered.

New Campaign rules/notes

New Campaign Notes

New warcasters
- A player can add an epic (or non-epic) version of a warcaster to a detachment by paying 20-warjack points.
- This caster is now part of the roster, and either can be selected when playing a game.
- For obvious reasons, characters cannot be in more than one detachment, so you cannot buy a new detachment with an epic version of a warcaster you are already using.
- Tier list models can be included in the detachment even if only one warcaster can use them. They can only be PLAYED when that warcaster is the one used in the game.
----- FOR EXAMPLE: Epic Magnus can take many Cygnar models for his Bad Seeds tier list. They can be purchased and added to the detachment containing both Magnus and Epic Magnus, but can only be included in an army list in which Epic Magnus is leading.

And now a little fluff!

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Drake MacBain sat in his command tent nursing a wound on his head while Asheth Magnus looked over the maps. MacBain had been ambushed by a force of the elves that were apparently fighting over the region as well, and Magnus' own ambush on the Khadorans had fallen apart and he had been forced to flee. Fiona the Black was moving to intercept a force of Menite zealots, and they both hoped that she would fare better than they had.

Magnus shook his head and looked at Macbain, "We need to take this little settlement over here," He points to a region on the map, "There is a chapterhouse for the Steelheads there, and we can replenish our forces. They also have some better warjack repair facilities. If we stay here we will just keep getting pushed back."

MacBain nodded a little, and winced from the pain that caused, the leaned over and pointed to the objective circled in the center of the map, "What about this damn town? We're supposed to be securing it, and those repair facilities would go a lot further toward repairing some of our 'jacks, I think."

Magnus rolled his eyes a little and growled, "The Syndicate hired me, and I'm paying you, so I will make the strategic calls." MacBain glowered at him, but nodded. Magnus continued, "We take the Steelhead depot, then blaze a path through this Khadoran territory and take the town. Winter is falling and will provide good cover for our movements. We can get all the way to the hamlet without being detected, and once entrenched can hold it and use it resupply. That damn Thamarite has been fighting the Menites too much - I think she's developing a vendetta. I'm pulling her further north for the winter, and either you or I will strike that hamlet and take the outpost."

MacBain stood up, towering a fair bit taller then the other warcaster and nodded, "Whatever you say, boss. I'll get my lot fired up on your mark and ready to go. You know I'm a stickler for my paper, but Fiona's less predictable. Take some advice and be careful with her. She's not in this for the money." And with that he pushed the tent flap open and walked out, bellowing "Steinhammer! Get your pint-sized ass in gear and fire up that tin can of yours! We leave within the hour!"

Magnus watched him go and just shook his head. Winter would not be kind to him and his, and he wondered how badly things would go before his underlings decided that coin wasn't enough motivation to fight any more.

Weather Conditions

Weather Conditions

Winter

2D6	Result
2	Blizzard: All models gain stealth.
3 to 4	Cold Snap: Warrior models without Immunity: Cold that did not move and are not engaged in melee suffer a POW 6 damage roll at the end of their controlling player's turn. Warjacks without Immunity: Cold that did not move and are not engaged in melee suffer -1 DEF.
5 to 9	Clear Skies: No Special Weather effects
10 to 11	Ice Storm: Any models that are hit by a successful Slam or Throw power attack are moved +2. A knocked down model must roll a d6 anytime it tries to stands up during its activation. On a roll of 1 or 2, the model slips and falls down and remains knocked down.
12	Deep Snow: Models without Immunity: Cold and Pathfinder suffer -2 movement, but can still charge and slam.

Spring

2D6	Result
2	Flash Flood: Roll a d6 each round before the first player's turn. On a roll of 1 or 2, the battlefield is flash flooded. All non-elevated terrain becomes Shallow Water for the round.
3 to 4	Heavy Rain: All models suffer -2 RAT. Additionally, living models suffer -1 CMD.
5 to 9	Clear Skies: No Special Weather effects
10 to 11	Powerful Winds: All AOE ranged attacks that miss their targets deviate one extra inch and have no minimum deviation range. All cloud effects leave play at the end of each turn.
12	Thunderstorm: Models with Immunity: Electricity gain +1 CMD. Attacks with the Electricity damage type have +1 POW.

Summer

2D6	Result
2	Cyclone: Place a 5” Cloud effect in the center of the table to represent the cyclone. At the beginning of each player's maintenance phase, the cyclone moves 1d6” in a random direction determined by the deviation template. Any model touched by the cyclone is thrown 1d6 inches in a random direction with the same effect as a Throw power attack, suffering a POW 12 damage roll. The cyclone leaves play if any part of its template moves off the table.
3 to 4	Flash Fire: A flash fire begins on a randomly determined table edge to the right or left of the deployment zones. At the beginning of each player's maintenance phase, the flash fire moves 1d6 inches toward the opposite table edge in a line running the length of the table. Any model crossing or crossed by the flash fire suffers a POW 12 Fire damage roll and the Fire continuous effect.
5 to 9	Clear Skies: No Special Weather effects
10 to 11	Dust Storm: Roll a d6 each round before the first player's first turn. On a roll of 1-2, a dust storm hits the battlefield. All models suffer -1 on ranged attack rolls and cannot give or receive orders. The dust storm lasts for 1 round.
12	Any models without Immunity: Fire that run must forfeit their movement during their next activation and suffer -1 DEF

Fall

2D6	Result
2	Corpse Candles: Divide the table into 4 separate quadrants, assigning each a number of 1-4. Roll a d6 each round before the first players turn. On a roll of 1-4, corpse candles appear in the quadrant with the corresponding die roll. On a roll of 5 or 6, nothing happens. Models in a quadrant with corpse candles must pass a CMD check or flee. Corpse candles remain in play for 1 round.
3 to 4	Creeping Mist: All models gain concealment.
5 to 9	Clear Skies: No Special Weather effects
10 to 11	Stygian Wind: All living models suffer -1 STR and ARM
12	Baleful Moon: All warrior models that are boxed must roll a d6. On a roll of 1-2 the model is removed from play. On a roll of 5-6 it can make a full advance, followed by a melee attack.

King and Country Update

All right, so I made some quick updates to the Campaign rules, mainly to add Strategic objectives as points of interest on the map to fight over. I'll get to those in a second.

I also wanted to clarify something that I feel is unclear. You can have more then 35 points in a detachment, but you can only use 35 points in each battle (unless both players agree otherwise). Example: I have a minimum unit of Steelhead halberdiers in my detachment. Between campaign rounds I purchase them up to their full unit size(costing 2 more points), and also pick up a 2 point solo. I now have 39 points in my detachment, but when I fight a battle I can choose 35 points of that. You can add warjacks, units, solos, whatever you want, so long as when you make your list for battle, it only includes models from that detachment.

I also wanted to say that it's possible to "transfer" character models and units between detachments (with the exception of warcasters). Basically, just pay the cost to buy it for the new detachment, and erase it off the old detachment sheet and add it to the new. It's expensive to do with any degree of frequency, but it allows for some options if you want to make a tier list later down the road and maybe put a character solo in a different detachment.

So here are the strategic objective rules as they stand now. Basically there's something for everybody, and the Faction-specific ones are conveniently not in their Faction's controlled territory right now. Gotta have goals, right?

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Strategic Objectives

There are various areas of the battlefield that have strategic importance to one or more factions. If the site is in a faction’s controlled territory, they gain the benefit. Site bonuses are cumulative, unless noted otherwise. Strategic Objectives are marked on the map with a single letter or abbreviation.

NOTE: The term “recruit” includes both purchasing new models or units for a detachment and repaying the cost of a model or unit because of attrition.

• GT: Great Temple: Whenever a Protectorate player recruits living Faction models/units, reduce their point cost by 1.

• SC: Supply Cache: Whenever a Retribution player recruits living Faction models/units, reduce their point cost by 1.

• MC: Mercenary Camp: Whenever a Mercenary player recruits living Faction models/units, reduce their point cost by 1.

• KP: Kommand Post: Whenever a Khador player recruits living Faction models/units, reduce their point cost by 1.

• H: Field Hospital: Between campaign rounds, a player controlling a Field Hospital chooses one detachment. That detachment negates 1 point of attrition on each living model/unit in it. (Example: heal 1 point of damage from a solo, return 1 model to a unit, etc)

• Y: Repair Yard: Between campaign rounds, a player controlling a Repair Yard chooses one detachment. That detachment negates 1 point of attrition on each warjack in it. (Example: one point of damage from each column, as caused by attrition)

• F: Farmland: Whenever any faction recruits living models/units between campaign rounds, it gains a free army point, which must be spent on a living model/unit.

• S: Scrapyard: Whenever any faction recruits warjacks between campaign rounds, it gains a free army point, which must be spent on a warjack.

Impossible Dream

Yeah...so basically my whole "gonna have all my mercs painted in June!" thing hasn't materialized. Turns out I've been way more depressed about losing my job at the end of the month then I predicted, and it's been really hard to get motivated to do much of anything. I'm extending my deadline through July, figuring that I should have more days available to work on it next month (which is in and of itself a depressing thought), but basically I don't think I'll get much done by the end of the month.

I got Epic Magnus painted, and he looks really good. I started a unit of Halberdiers, and I think I'll try to finish them up and throw some pics of both completions by the end of the month. Maybe a couple solos to boot. We'll see.

Man, I really need a job.

Campaign Round 1

So I got most of the campaign worked out and we wrapped up Round 1 and started Round 2 this past Saturday. After an exhausting day I played 4 games, 2 in Round 1 and 2 in Round 2. Unfortunately, I lost the ones in round 2, and what's worse, I rolled last for initiative, so I was defending each time. This means that I lost 2 territories right off the bat, and I have another game to play where I have a chance to defend, but not chance to gain anything. Rough round.

That's all right though. Mercs are scrappy and I'm sure I'll bounce back. I have no warjack bonds yet, but I haven't rolled for round 2 yet, so there's still a chance for that. I'll be adding a couple more balancing rules:

- The number of territories lost by a player in the previous round will add to their initiative roll for the following round. This represents tactical retreats and preparation to strike back while the enemy is overextended. Functionally, it gives an advantage to the underdog and gives them more of a chance to push back.

- After determining initiative order, the second player will get to place 1 linear obstacle-type of terrain within 20" of any game they are defending, the third player will get to place 2, and the fourth player will get to place 3.

Campaign Map

So I finished up the campaign map. I'll be doing some writing on it by hand, but this is the idea at least. A place to wage epic wars!

King and Country Campaign

So I recently got involved with a warmachine campaign with a few friends, and so far I'm really excited. We had our first session last week, and despite not getting very many games in, it was pretty cool. For the time being I thought I'd write up little bits of fluff for my Merc armies as they fight battles (and as the mood strikes me).

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Asheth Magnus tightened the nuts on the underside of the Mangler's arm one last time and took a step back to admire his work. He had reconstructed most of the working parts after the last battle, but there were going to be some critical compromises in his armor that he would not be able to deal with until he could get into a real repair shop. The makeshift setup he had running would only go so far - but such was a mercenary's life.

He had been contracted by one of the High Captains of Five Fingers to engage in a protracted campaign for some seemingly worthless little patch of land in Eastern Ord. He had no vested interest in the area whatsoever, but the money they had offered him would pay for a lot of his own schemes when this was all over. They had also hired the gregarious mercenary Drake MacBain, as well as the enigmatic Fiona the Black, and though they did not work terribly closely together they coordinated their actions to try and maximize their gains.

Magnus was not used to working with other warcasters, but he had hired Stannis Brocker to come with him from Ternon Crag to manage his continent of Steelheads. He had worked with many of these men before, and after their latest engagement he knew that he would have to figure out a way to replenish their ranks - they had taken many casualties. He had spotted a force of what turned out to be Iosan elves moving toward a small hamlet on the outskirts of the main town. He had hidden the smoke of his warjacks within the hamlet and ambushed the elves before they could call for reinforcements. He had no idea what Iosans were doing this far away from their homeland, but he was not being paid to take such things into consideration. His attack had decimated their ranks, even as their rifle fire had cut down his halberdiers and one of their strange warjack-like machines had reduced his Mangler to scrap.

In the end his casualties had been relatively light compared with how badly he had inflicted losses on the elves, but he knew that he had just encountered a vanguard force. He had already spotted Khadoran formations, Protectorate zealots, and some Cygnaran dogs in the area as well, and knew that whatever this patch of land was worth, there were many who were willing to fight and die for it.

Unbound edit

I changed the scenario wording to read:

The table is divided into 12 control zones (see map). A player controls a zone if he has models in it and there are no opposing models in it at the end of a round, starting on the second round. A player earns 1 point for controlling a zone on his side of the table, and 2 points for controlling a zone on the opponent’s side of the table.

The first player to 20 points wins. The death of all the opposing warcasters/warlocks is NOT a win condition (though it'll probably help you considerably).

Ambush in the Eastern Thornwood

Ambush in the Eastern Thornwood

An Epic UNBOUND Encounter

Supreme Kommandant Irusk looked out over the ruins of the village of Birchwood disapprovingly. His intelligence had told him that this was a thriving town that would make a good forward kommand post and base of operations for the Eastern Thornwood south of Northguard. What met him when he arrived, however, was anything but thriving – a desolate, eerily silent graveyard of broken walls and smoldering ruins next to the quietly gurgling river. His scouts reported that there were still a number of supply caches in the town, but that there were no signs of life anywhere to be found.

After thinking for a moment, Irusk decided that the town would still suit his purposes – it was ideally located, easily defensible, and could be easily repopulated once he achieved control of the area – the farmlands he had passed still looked largely intact. He had brought a large contingent of his army with him with the intention of using them to establish his base camp here, and it would make little sense to leave now.

He ordered his troops forward, and they began to advance on the town, weapons drawn but not as alert as they probably should have been. That changed when he heard the screams from up ahead. There were terrifying shrieks, an explosion of green balefire, and suddenly the mystery of what had happened to the town became much more easily solved. From the far side of the ruins and from the edge of the forest came hordes of Cryxian thralls and helljacks, charging forward like things possessed. Irusk mentally stoked his warjacks to full combat readiness and began yelling out orders to take positions. Today was going to be bloody indeed.

Summary:

The town of Birchwood is a strategically vital area on the edges of the eastern Thornwood Forest, situated near a small river and surrounded by farmland. Control of the town would be a huge strategic boon to whoever held it, allowing control over both the interior of the Thornwood from there, and also the surrounding countryside. Khadoran forces are moving in to solidify their grasp on the town, but when they arrive they find the town destroyed, and Cryxian forces laying in wait for them. A pitched battle commences, with two massive armies fighting for control of the ruins of Birchwood.

Scenario: Control the City

The table is divided into 12 control zones (see map). A player controls a zone if he has models in it and there are no opposing models in it at the end of one of his turns. A player earns 1 point for controlling a zone on his side of the table, and 2 points for controlling a zone on the opponent’s side of the table.

The first player to 20 points wins. The death of all the opposing warcasters/warlocks is NOT a win condition (though it'll probably help you considerably).

NOTES:

- This is an UNBOUND scenario, and follows the rules presented in No Quarter magazine.

- Be wary of effects that last for a turn, as the turn structure is different!

- Terrain is largely determined by the scenario. One side of the river is ruined city, one side is forest and farmland. Don’t whine about it, plan your army around it.

Impossible Dream 2

All right, after the success of my Trollblood Impossible Dream back in December (pretty much everything but my Fennblades got painted - woo fully painted lists!) I've decided to apply the same pressure to myself to get my mercs painted. I don't have a huge amount of them to do, but it comes out to 51 points that needs my love and attention so that I can field them and not feel like such a tool. The Goal is to have these all painted by the end of June (technically I shouldn't start until June, but we'll see if I have time).

Impossible Dream 2

Merc Country

Stannis Brocker 4pts

Steelhead Riflemen (10) 9pts

- Painted to match Macbain's Traitor Green

Steelhead Halberdiers (10) 6pts

- Painted to match Magnus' Exile Blue

Steelhead Halberdiers (10) 6pts

- Painted to match Macbain's Traitor Green

Drake Macbain (+6pts)

Nomad 6pts

- Painted to match Macbain's Traitor Green

Blythe and Bull 4pts

Dougal Macnaile 2pts

Magnus the Warlord (+6pts)

Kell Bailoch 2pts

51 pts

Cage Match, v3

C-c-c-caaaage Match!

Gladiatorial Combat for Warmachine and Hordes

Concept: A gladiatorial arena where cheering onlookers scream as warcasters and warlocks bring titanic ‘jacks and ‘beasts together in a brutal shower of blood and oil for their amusement.

Game Size: 15 points, Mangled Metal/Tooth and Claw rules, 2-4 players (ideally, though technically more COULD fit if everyone wants a crowded field...)

Deployment: For two players, 10” deployment on opposite sides of the board. For 3-4 players, each player deploys in a 10” by 10” square in a corner of the board.

Scenario: The Octagon: Mark a circle with radius 12” from the center of the table. This functions like a Killbox starting at the end of the last player’s 3^rd turn.

Terrain: There should be a rough ring of hard terrain (walls, rocks, etc) marking the edge of the Killbox, as well as other pieces that encourage throws, slams, and other things to get bonus damage and points.

Scoring: Unlike a normal game, the goal here is to please the onlookers with violent displays, rather than just quick kills. Whoever has the most points at the end of the match wins! In the case of a tie, whoever got the most caster kills (or the final kill, in the case of yet another tie) wins.

Points can be gotten in the following ways:

- Performing a successful Slam, arm/headlock, headbutt, or one or two-handed throw: 1 pt

- Gaining an additional damage die from collisions with terrain or other models: 1pt

- Destroying a model with a Slam, one- or two-handed throw, or headbutt: 1 pt

- Killing a warcaster/warlock in Round 1: -3 pts

- Killing a warcaster/warlock in Round 2: -2 pts

- Killing a warcaster/warlock in Round 3 or later: -1 pts

Ending the game: The game is over when there is only one warcaster/warlock in play. Alternately, players could agree on a point limit.

NOTE: Only actual power attacks grant the point bonuses. Weapon or spell effects that have effects like power attacks (Combo Smite on a Marauder or Thunderbolt on Caine) do not provide points by themselves – but they could generate a point from inflicting an additional die of damage! Furthermore, power attacks generated from chain attacks still count as power attacks for the purposes of generating points.

OPTIONAL RULE: The Whim of the Crowd

Roll a 2d6 at the beginning of each round to see what the Crowd demands! Apply the effect to ALL players for that round.

- 2: Give him mercy!

o If a player destroys an enemy warcaster or warlock, they suffer -1 pt.

- 3: Kick him when he’s down!

o Weapons with the Open Fist ability gain Trash (additional die of damage against knocked down models)

- 4: Two Enter, One Leaves!

o You get +1 pt if your most expensive remaining warjack/warbeast destroys an enemy’s most expensive remaining warjack/warbeast.

- 5: Clobberin’ Time!

o Friendly warjacks and warbeasts gain +2 to Slam, headbutt, or one or two-handed throw damage rolls.

- 6: Hold him back!

o Arm/headlock power attacks give an additional +1 pt.

- 7: Pump the Crowd!

o Your warcaster or warlock can forfeit his activation to pump up the crowd. Because of their cheering and support, all your warjacks or warbeasts do not spend focus or be forced for power attacks, and get +2 to Slam, headbutt, one or two-handed throw, and arm/headlock power attack rolls.

- 8: Drive Him Down!

o Headbutt power attacks give +1 pt

- 9: Use the Chair!

o A warjack or warbeast with the Open Fist ability can choose to use a melee weapon in one hand during its activation. The weapon has a POW of 5 and the Knockdown ability.

- 10: Get Him Outta Here!

o Slams and throws move models an additional 2”

- 11: The Walls Have Spikes!

o Models slammed or thrown into obstacles or obstructions take an additional point of damage (on top of the normal additional die, but does not give an extra pt)

- 12: Finish Him!

o If a warcaster or warlock destroys an enemy warcaster or warlock, they receive +1 pt.

C-c-c-cage match!

All right, so after some initial playtesting, I've created what I feel to be a pretty fun and functional set of rules for the Cage Match game type. I made it almost as a joke at my LGS, but it's gotten really popular, with frequent games, almost never with fewer than 4 players. It's simple, brutal, and relatively fast, while showcasing those fun wrestling move power attacks that most players ignore in larger games. Anyway, here are the version 2 rules:

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C-c-c-caaaage Match!

Gladiatorial Combat for Warmachine and Hordes

Concept: A gladiatorial arena where cheering onlookers scream as warcasters and warlocks bring titanic ‘jacks and ‘beasts together in a brutal shower of blood and oil for their amusement.

Game Size: 15 points, Mangled Metal/Tooth and Claw rules, 2-4 players (ideally)

Scenario: The Octagon: Mark a circle with radius 12” from the center of the table. This functions like a Killbox starting at the end of the last player’s 3^rd turn.

Terrain: There should be a rough ring of hard terrain (walls, etc) marking the edge of the Killbox, as well as other pieces that encourage throws, slams, and other things to get bonus damage and points.

Scoring: Unlike a normal game, the goal here is to please the onlookers with violent displays, rather than just quick kills. Whoever has the most points at the end of the match wins! In the case of a tie, whoever got the most caster kills (or the final kill, in the case of a tie) wins.

Points can be gotten in the following ways:

- Performing a successful Slam, arm/headlock, headbutt, or one or two-handed throw: 1 pt

- Gaining an additional damage die from collisions with terrain or other models: 1pt

- Destroying a model with a Slam, one- or two-handed throw, or headbutt: 1 pt

- Killing a warcaster/warlock in Round 1: -3 pts

- Killing a warcaster/warlock in Round 2: -2 pts

- Killing a warcaster/warlock in Round 3: -1 pts

Ending the game: The game is over when there is only one warcaster/warlock in play. Alternately, players could agree on a point limit.

NOTE: Only actual power attacks grant the point bonuses. Weapon or spell effects that have effects like power attacks (Combo Smite on a Marauder or Thunderbolt on Caine) do not provide points by themselves – but they could generate a point from inflicting an additional die of damage! Furthermore, power attacks generated from chain attacks still count as power attacks for the purposes of generating points.

OPTIONAL RULE: The Whim of the Crowd

Roll a d6 at the beginning of each round to see what the Crowd demands! Apply the effect to ALL players for that round.

- 1: Hold him back!

--- Arm/headlock power attacks give an additional +1 pt.

- 2: Use the Chair!

--- A warjack or warbeast with the Open Fist ability can choose to use a melee weapon in one hand during its activation. The weapon has a POW of 4 and the Knockdown ability.

- 3: Kick him when he’s down!

--- Weapons with the Open Fist ability gain Trash (additional die of damage against knocked down models)

- 4: Clobberin’ Time!

--- Friendly warjacks and warbeasts gain +2 to Slam, headbutt, or one or two-handed throw damage rolls.

- 5: Give him mercy!

--- If a player destroys an enemy warcaster or warlock, they suffer -1 pt.

- 6: Finish Him!

--- If a warcaster or warlock destroys an enemy warcaster or warlock, they receive +1 pt.

Last Night's Battle Report

So I played a really good game last night against Sean's Legion. I was playing Epic Skarre and he was playing Absylonia. I haven't played eSkarre in MKII and never played against Absylonia, so it was a learning experience all around for me.

The 35 pt lists were something like:

eSkarre

Reaper

Seether

2 Nightwretches

Skarlock

20 McThralls

Necrosurgeon

Pistol Wraith

Absylonia (tier 4)

Ravagore

Angelius

Scythean

3 Shredders

Raek

2 Forsaken

Shepherd

It was a brutal game. He went first, and his tier bonuses let him run his beasts extra far up, getting right in my face. A lucky deviation from the Ravagore killed the necrosurgeon (but not the stitch thralls...useless bastards) and set a Nightwretch and Skarre on fire. He ended up outside of charge range, but if I moved up at all I'd be in range of his charges next turn.

Luckily, Skarre is well-equipped to deal with that. Fire went out on her and damaged the 'wretch a little bit, and I put 3 focus on the Reaper. Ran the node up and arc'd perdition through it to damage a shredder and move the Reaper up 6". Then she popped her feat and made her 2 heavies, her, the skarlock, and the pistol wraith immune to enemy attacks. The Reaper moved up and reeled in the Scythean, doing some pretty solid damage and feeling quite safe due to the feat. I ran most everything up, being well within charge range, but with all the key pieces immune to attacks.

This was the turn that probably shifted the game in my favor, in the sense that he decided to fall back instead of pressing the advantage. The Scythean killed the flaming Nightwretch and the rest fell back. Absylonia threw out a blight field to prevent allocation to either the Seether (including his freebie!) or the Reaper.

While that's all well and good, it meant that I had now gained the initiative. I killed the Scythean, perditioned to move the Seether closer, where it could charge Absylonia. She transferred the damage, but now her beasts were pretty torn up, she had a Seether with Death Ward in her face, and Skarre had Admonition on herself and was in cover, making any shooting next to impossible and any melee attempts prone to failure.

Still, the Angelius, 2 Shredders, and Absylonia killed the Seether, the Raek jumped behind Skarre so she couldn't retreat (but was out of Absylonia's control, so it couldn't grab her or boost at all), and the Ravagore got Playing God on it to kill 4 or 5 McThralls.

The rest of the game was a grindfest. I killed the Raek, Ravagore, and a Shredder, a Forsaken exploded and killed something like 7 McThralls, and eventually Skarre was able to Perdition the Reaper closer to Absylonia with 3 focus to charge and kill her. In the end I had something like 5 models left, and he had 2 (not counting his dead warlock).

Lessons learned:

1. Eyeless sight doesn't ignore cover!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is huge news to me, and makes fighting Legion in the future about a million times easier.

2. The Reaper with Seas of Fate is just sicknasty.

3. Absylonia is kind of crazy good with beast attrition. Very different from the offensive beast style of epic Doomshaper or epic Kaya.

4. There's a reason eSkarre was my favorite in MKI, and I think she'll continue to see table time. My main concern? She might be TOO good. I don't want to have another situation like Mortenebra, where she's just so insane that I never put her on the table in casual games.

Illerian Realms

So I'll be starting to DM a new campaign for realsies this time, based on the West Marches campaign. There will be an overlying storyline, stronger or weaker depending on the way players are enjoying the game. The continent the game takes place on is the Illerian Realms, and the characters start out in a town called Dragonhead Bay. I've taken a lot of ideas from Dragon Age for some stuff, and borrowed liberally from the DMG for the town itself, but I think it makes it something new and exciting.

The big thing is the campaign map. Taking a cue from West Marches and Penny Arcade's experiences, I'll be using a Chessex hex mat to let the characters explore the world. Each hex represents "1 day's travel", and over the course of this game I seriously doubt the characters will explore much more than their starting area. Since I intend to re-use this setting later, I'll still keep it, though. The rules will be 4e, and there will be 3 characters (played by Jackie, and our friends Dave and Tanya), and hopefully I'll be able to expand on that later.

Anyway, here is the starting history the characters get when they start the game.

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The History of Dragonhead Bay

Your characters don’t know much about the history of the area. They know that Dragonhead Bay used to be part of the Illerian Empire, a human empire from the west that spanned the continent. The Empire was the light of civilization until the Plague of the Ten Sufferings. The plague swept through the Empire and wiped much of it out. Even worse, most of the plague victims rose again as the walking dead, and terrorized the countryside. A horde of these undead attacked Dragonhead Bay 20 years ago and breached the city walls. They destroyed many of the buildings and slaughtered most of the people of the town, though a few managed to hide and survive. Eventually the Templars rallied against them and defeated the horde, and the town was able to begin rebuilding itself.

Now there is a rather decent town built on the remains of Old Dragonhead Bay, though the inhabitants know little about the history or the surrounding area. The population is mostly poor farmers and artisans, and is mainly human, Halfling, and dwarf, with some elves, eladrin, and half-elves. Dragonborn aren’t native to the area but might have travelled through, and Tieflings are considered to be infernal agents and are generally unwelcome.

Magic is distrusted and feared by many of the common people, and is tightly controlled by the Society Arcanus, the Circle of Magi, a mystical order which regulates what magic can be learned, and by whom. They also are intimately tied to the Church of Pelor, especially its military arm – the Templar Order. These holy knights seek out infernalists and necromancers and kill them and their minions at every opportunity to protect the populace from their depredations. While they generally don’t interfere with the day-to-day occurrences of the town for the most part, they are an ever-present force, acting as a shield for the town against the dark things in the world.

The town is run by the Governor Arcanus, the Lord Mage of the local chapter of the Circle. Most towns exist with a similar structure of the Governor Arcanus, supported by the might of the Templars. She is the most powerful wizard in the local chapter, and the politics of the Circle are secretive and dangerous to anyone who gets involved.

The old Imperial Road runs through the town and connects it with the Dwarven city of Hammerfast to the south. Many of the Dwarves in Dragonhead have connections with Hammerfast, and trade moves between the two over the Road. Not much is known about the lands further away, and no one really knows what happened to Illeria, the capital city of the old empire.

Grumble Grumble Battle Report

Well, I fell into a lava pit in Minecraft and lost all my items, so now I'm cranky and figured I'd do a blog post.

That being said, I'm going to try and start writing a little more on here, since Patrick said he'd like to see some battle reports, and I don't mind waxing poetic about getting owned.

So last night was a fight against Brian and his Cygnar at 50 points. He was playing pHaley and I was playing Borka, and we ended up with the Supply Lines scenario. The game went...poorly for me. His army consisted of 20 Sword Knights, 2 units of Storm Blades, a Centurion, Thorn, Squire, and Gun Mages. Mine was Kriel Warriors, Krielstone, Fell Caller, Chronicler, whelps, and then a Blitzer, Bomber, 2 Impalers, and a pyre troll.

Right off the bat I was really outnumbered. Kriel Warriors are a great tarpit, but there was just too damn many Sword Knights and I got chewed up. All 20 SKs were ARM 19 with Arcane Shield (from Haley and Jr.), so blast damage was useless against them. On the upside, the Gun Mages were kind of useless (their POW 10s just couldn't cut through my armor), but they ended up being useful. More on that in a minute.

Round 1 went roughly along the lines of "He runs all his stuff up, I run my Kriels up, slap Iron Flesh and Hero's Tragedy on them, position beasts for maximum boomage next turn."

Round 2 was brutal. Haley ran Thorn up behind my lines and popped her feat, then arced chain lightening (can be engaged and still arc!) into my back lines, killing the Kriel Standard, some of the warriors, and one of the KSB unit. Sword Knights charged, needed 9 to hit, got 2 attacks, and just had a huge numbers advantage. I didn't make a single tough roll, and lost about half the unit. Storm Blades were right behind them, meaning even if I chewed through that many SKs I had a world of pain in store. My counterattack was less than awesome. Blitzer killed 3 or 4 SKs, Bomber got a couple gun mages Pyre lit some SKs on fire, Kriels whiffed up and down the field, Fell Caller got 7 SKs in a spray and didn't kill a single one...it was bad news bears. Worse, I had one supply point and he had 2.

Round 3 started and he basically continued the death spree. I was down to 3 KWs, and he charged the Blitzer with the Centurion, doing some solid damage but not killing him. I was losing ground and if I couldn't get Haley it was gonna be all over. I could see that with Far Strike, the Blitzer could probably shoot her, but there was an angry Centurion in the way, and Thorn's Reach would also hamper the effort. I worked it out as best I could, clearing out SKs and casting Mosh Pit, then having the Pyre knock down Thorn. With Far Strike ready, the Blitzer activated. By my calculations, two boosted damage rolls would probably do it. All I needed to roll was 3 or better on my d3 shots with him, then get 11 to hit with a boost. This was doable. I rolled a 1. Shit. Well, gotta make do with what I got, I guess. Blitzer walked up, smacked the Centurion to knock him down, then took his shot at Haley - and missed. One chance, needed 11 on 3 dice, rolled about 5 if I recall correctly. I sighed, ended my turn, he got 2 more points, then won by just ending his turn and getting the requisite points.

Basically I feel like I got diced pretty hard. I only made 1 or two tough rolls for the entire game, and flubbed vast numbers of attacks which should have tipped the odds strongly in my favor. The Fell Caller's spray alone should have eaten up a chunk of the SKs and pushed the attrition back in my favor, but it just didn't happen.

That being said, I'm glad Brian got a chance to see that Sword Knights are awesome. They're tough, cheap, and plentiful - a great combination no matter how you look at them. They can clog up the board and hold important points, tie up enemy units and hold their own even against relatively durable infantry. They performed well enough that I expect to see him fielding them a lot more now, at least a single unit, and I'm always happy when I can give someone new reasons to put pewter on the table.

Stupid Blitzer...