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.