Mangled Metal : Scrapyard

Today's recommendation for a new game type is what, as of Monday Night, we've taken to calling Mangled Metal : Scrapyard.

The format is simple; 50 point Mangled Metal with 2 'casters.  No support, no solos, nothing but 2 battle wizards and their 'jacks or 'beasts - last person with both 'casters AND 'jacks on the table is the winner!

And, most importantly, there are a LOT of 'jacks on the table.

I know what you're thinking from that picture above and yes, you're right.  I DID get massacred.  Thing is, even as I got stomped into the ground, it still felt like a close game, where one wrong move on either side would spell the end of the game and a bit of Focus mismanagement will put you in a REALLY bad spot.

This has actually got some of us into thinking through proper lists for this format.  I genuinely believe Retribution can do well in this format, and am considering making a list around Kaelyssa and Ravyn that focusses purely on Assassination (Kaelyssa under the effects of Phantom Hunter and Ravyn's Feat would easily take three Focus off an enemy 'caster - and hopefully do some damage - on a vital turn...).

But more on that as it comes...  Next week...  Another game with the Ossyan theme force (probably!)

Iosans Unbound : Redux

"Humerous" epilogue to my last blog post.  As I was putting the minis back from taking the photo, I dropped them.  The Force generator and the 'jacks are fine, but the infantry is now a very expensive pile of broken metal.

Ho.  Ho.  Fucking.  Ho.

Iosans Unbound

So, I finally got a full 150 point army painted, and that means one thing, and one thing only...  SHITTY PHOTOS!

 

This is the full army - it contains all the minis needed to field Rahn, Ossyan and Vyros' Theme Forces up to Tier 4 with a few other minis for support (and because I PAID for the damn Force Generator so I will use it).

The "Core" of the army - Vyros, 2 Hydras, 2 Aspis, Halberdiers +UA, 2 Heavy Rifle Teams, a unit of Stormfall Archers, Epic Eiryss and a Mage Hunter Assassin (who I've just noticed was more than 5" from the camera.  Stoopid Stealth...) - plus 4 Arcanists who can be scattered around the army as needed.

This part of the force could also be referred to as "everything not in the other two bits".

The Artillery section - Ossyan, Hypnos and a Banshee, 2 units of Riflemen + UA, another unit of Stormfall Archers and the Arcantrik Force Generator.

These are the elements that will cover the main force.  While I'm still pissed about my Arcantrik Waste of £60, it may be useful in an Unbound game and at least won't need Focus to be effective.  Of course, it also can't use, say, Chronomancer to further boost the damage...

Lastly, the Shyeel contingent.  It's what it looks like - it's a Rahn Tier 4 theme force with an additional Artificer.

Oh yes.

The Artificer should move up with the Halberdiers to keep them safe before they charge.  Halberdiers charging kicks ass too much to let them die before they do it.

Now, I'm well aware setting up an Unbound game is a statistical impossibility when you could play approximately eighteen million regular 50 point games in the same timeframe, I'm just very, very happy that I've finally got to this point, and now I feel confident I could at least participate if the option ever comes up so...  Yeah.  Yay!

And I got to show off some minis - not the best work in the world, but admit it, all black looks better than iElf white!

Hammer Time

OK, I know it's been over a year since I posted, but I've been busy!  I've even get a full unbound army painted (pictures to follow at some point) but, right now, I'm posting a quick battle report with my newly completed Ossyan theme force.  I'm going to try to post up at least one battle report a week to keep me posting...  Stuff...  To this blog.

Today's list is...

Ossyan
 - Hypnos
 - Banshee
 - Sylys Wyshnallyr
3x Arcanist
2x 10 Riflemen + UA
4x 4 Stormfall Archers
2x Heavy Rifle Teams

And it went up against;

Karchev
 - The Behemoth
 - Beast-09
 - Torch
 - Devastator
 - Kodiak
6 Mechaniks

The scenario was Gauntlet, and I won the roll-off but chose to go second.

DEPLOYMENT

Karchev's deployment was...  About as subtle as a deployment with 6 Large based minis can be.  Legs is the Behemoth and the chassis with no limbs is Torch.

SPOILER : This turns out to be an effective foreshadowing...

I deployed with Ossyan, the 'jacks and their support facing off against Karchev's battlegroup, the two Heavy Rifle teams and Riflemen Unit 2 (the ones on the right) deployed to cover the centre objective, and Riflemen Unit 1 (left) set up to flank round the side of the massive building.  The two units of Stormfall Archers were set up in the middle left to go where they were needed.

Thanks to the theme force benefits, Hypnos started with Admonition, the Banshee started with Quicken and Ossyan started with Chronomancer.  You read that right.

TURN 1

Karchev moves up and uses Tow to drag the Devastator, Torch and the Behemoth up before casting Sidearms.  Torch uses his cloud centred on himself and Beast-09 and the Kodiak run up behind him, with the Mechaniks up behind him.

At this point, Karchev is DEF 109,695,149,741,097 and immune to knockdown.

The Ret army moves up, with nothing in range to shoot, the turn is over quickly.  So quickly, I forget to activate Sylys and the third Arcanist before passing the turn back.

TURN 2

Karchev and his cronies move up in formation, with Torch using his cloud slightly behind him.  The Behemoth fires off two shots at the Banshee and manages to take some chunks out of the ground and the hill.

The Arcanist bravely cowering behind the brick wall gives Hypnos a point of Focus, who then walks up and takes a pot shot at the Behemoth, hitting it before boosting for damage, doing a few points.  Ossyan arcs an Arcantrik Bolt at the Behemoth, also hitting but not doing enough damage to bother boosting.  He then walks up, feats and fires at Torch, catching him and doing a few points of damage.  The Heavy Rifle teams and Riflemen Unit 2 open up on the Behemoth leaving it damaged enough for two Stormfall Archers to finish it with Brutal Shot before turning on Torch.

 On the flank, Riflemen Unit 1 CRA Beast-09, taking out the axe and reacquainting me with the Hyper Aggressive ability.  Not wanting to bother TRYING to hit Beast-09 while he's in melee, the Stormfall Archers take some shots at Torch, leaving him on 2 points of cortex.

TURN 3

The Mechaniks fail pretty much all their repair rolls, but manage to get Beast-09's axe back online.  Torch walks up and fires his flame thrower through the Stormfall Archers, incinerating two and missing Ossyan.  Karchev pops his Feat, casts Unearthly Rage and sprays at Ossyan through Torch, missing everything.  The Spriggan charges the Banshee and is half an inch out.  Beast-09 charges the flanking Stormfall Archers, Threshers and murders everything within 2".

It's at this point we realise I have nothing in either control area, and am facing down a virtually undamaged Karchev who is 1 up on CPs.  Balls.

Ossyan puts three focus on the Banshee, and an Arcanist activates to put one on Hypnos.  Ossyan moves back, fires at Torch, hits and does no damage.  He then Arcantrik bolts it, hits and does no damage.  Hypnos moves across to cover Ossyan and Void Locks the offending barely mobile trash pile.

That's right - in three shots, I didn't dent it once!  On the plus side, it's blocking Karchev's charge lane.  Right?  Right?

The Banshee does some damage to the Kodiak's legs and hull, and the firing squad on the right start doing some damage to Karchev.  The Stormfall Archers move into Khador's scoring zone so I don't lose.

Not wanting to let Karchev heal (not even a little bit...), the Riflemen on the flank go round the side and pick off some of the Mechaniks

TURN 4

In the turn of Wrestling ninja attacks, the Devastator throws Torch at Hypnos, knocking them both down and, crucially, leaving Torch on 1 Health.  Torch gets up and uses his flame thrower, missing.  Beast-09 Threshers and kills a few more Riflemen.  The Kodiak throws the Banshee at the Heavy Rifle team, getting a bunch of Riflemen and killing the lot.  While he couldn't get a direct charge lane at Ossyan, Karchev "warped for speed" and charged an Arcanist, killing it with his fist and getting a free swing at Ossyan, fully boosted...

...Does 15 damage on a 16 health 'caster.

The last two Mechaniks charge the Stormfall Archers and whiff hilariously.

After cleaning my chair and changing boxers, I assign three Focus to the Banshee (one to Shake off the Knockdown) and drop Quicken.  The Riflemen walk up, use Whites of their Eyes and do a full CRA into Karchev, followed by the Banshee doing a fully boosted Hail Mary shot - hitting Karchev EXACTLY on 16 - and knocking him down and, more importantly, out of melee.  The two Heavy Rifle teams take Karchev down to 8 health, a charging Arcanist manages to get 16 on his damage dice (oh yes...) for another 5 and...

Ossyan walks up and stabs Karchev.

In the face.

Like a boss.

THOUGHTS
The much-maligned Chronomancer does me well with Ossyan.  One focus from an Arcanist means I can use Hypnos and the Banshee's guns more effectively - where the damage is a bonus to their special rules - and keep more focus for Ossyan himself.  Also, with Ossyan himself, it means I can see if it's worth boosting with his attacks, leading to at least one or two extra camped focus a turn.

I'm considering switching out the Stormfall Archers for a Daemon and a fourth Arcanist.  Hellmouth with Chronomancer and Ossyan's Feat should do a LOT of damage in the right hands ("Oop!  Didn't kill him?  BOOST!  MUAHAHAAA!  Die!  DIE MY DARLINGS!"), and I've only had grief with the Stormfalls getting in the way of each other, while a third Heavy 'jack should do something more noticable.

Lastly, yes.  I got VERY lucky with a few rolls in this game but, honestly, looking back I couldn't say I'd do anything different.