And now for something completely different... Part 2 : Mercenary Tendencies

The coming months are all about slow-grow here in Chip's Warmachine land!  I'll be building a 50 point Baldur the Stonesoul theme force for a Dark Sphere slow grow league (NOT Journeyman) from June to September, and a 50 point McBain and Lord Carver theme force at my own pace.

Today, I'll be talking about the initial 15 point lists for my mercs and minions!  I WOULD also post pictures, but PP decreed that I would have a legless War Hog, so actual pictures will be coming sometime soon. Still, I'm currently in the possession of;

Drake McBAAAAIN!
-2xNomad
-Mule
-Reinholt (meh, I had a point left...)

And

Lord Carver BMMD Esq.
-2xWar Hog
-Gun Boar

The hope is that, over the next few months, these battlegroups will spawn armies that will allow me to switch battlegroups to field every faction in the game (except Ret, who I have, and, like, Searforge.  But no one cares about them...).  It's a dream I've had for a while, and have never REALLY got round to actually doing it - so here's the mission statement - next few months are dedicated to getting the armies together.  No distractions!

Apart from Baldur.

And now for something completely different... Part 1 : Epic Kaya!

As some of you may remember during the heady days of the Western Immoren Economy Tour, I started a small Circle army and, now that I've managed to scrape together the cash for the plastic Warpwolves...

...I've finished it!  Currently, the force is;

Kaya the Moonhunter
-Laris
-Pureblood Warpwolf
-Feral Warpwolf
-2xWarpwolf Stalker
-Wilder
Druids of Orboros + Overseer
Shifting Stones + Stone Keeper
Min Warpborn Skinwalkers

I've truly messed up the painting of the Druids, but I've signed up for a slow-grow league where I'll be making an epic Baldur list, so I'm considering picking up a new unit for that to try again.  Still, the army is nice to pull out when I want something to brutalise some poor bastard - it's fast, it hits hard, it's fast, it hits hard, it's fast and, last but not least, it hits really, really hard.

I'm still looking for ways to keep Laris alive for a full battle, though.  Answers, as always, on a postcard to;

THAT DAMN DAWG!
42 Orboros Avenue
South of Bainsmarket
Wilds of Cygnar
CY9 1PP

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.

Blogs, Battle Engines and Badass Blade-wielding Boss-elves.

First things first, I have to plug a new blog I'm a part of - The Western Immoren Economy Tour is a blog from my local gaming group as we build up new forces over the year on a budget of £30 (roughly US $50) a month.  It's a bit wordy at the moment, but we're gonna start making it more about the pictures and the story soon!  Should be good!

Secondly, if you haven't seen it, the Retribution Battle Engine was put up on today's (yesterday's?) Insider, and it's suh-weeeeeeeeeet!  From the looks of the concept art from Matt Wilson, it'll have a Deathstar style mega doom ray and, even if it doesn't, I'm sure it'll be awesome.  I'll be getting one, maybe two if FA and my current finances allows.

Finally, I've been playing around with a great fun list recently;

Dawnlord Vyros
2 Hydras
2 Phoenixes
Narn

It looks like it should be rubbish, but it's actually very effective.  Load the Hydras up on the first turn and send them against the 'jacks.  Send the Phoenixes against the infantry, and Narn against solos/support.  Narn has yet to actually kill anything, but he has created a bizarre level of fear among my group and serves as an excellent distraction.  I'll be playing this for a while alongside my Circle, but one of the players in my group is getting Zerkova, and I may have to break out Kaelyssa...

Anyway!  Next time on Preventive Measures...  Here's hoping I can shanghai my mate's digital camera so I can show you guys some awful fit-induced paint splatters on otherwise beautiful minis!