Kings of War 3rd Edition: #017: Group Game [Push]

Intro and Lists

I recently had the pleasure of playing another larger group game with 3,000 points per side! The players were the same from Battle 005 with Cartwright and his boys, though this time the teams were switched up and the Brothermark had replaced the Northern Alliance as well. For this battle, the Brothermark had formed an unseemly alliance of convenience with the nefarious Undead to face a greater threat: a united cohort of Abyssals and Abyssal Dwarfs matching to war. This game was scheduled before the release of the Big Red Book, so we are not using that yet. We had also rescheduled into the birthday of the Undead player, so we'll have Team Birthday Entente vs Team Wet Blankets. As before, this game was more for fun and with youngsters. I am sure small errors abound, but I won't dissect anyone else's choices too critically.

Cartwright had produced his Brothermark for the game, led again by Sir Roderick Demonbane and the mighty Defenders of Righteousness, the two regiments of elite knights. Supporting this very potent formation were an assortment of specialist heroes and an unruly throng of Penitents that rejected authority to such a degree that they would not get organized into larger units. It was neat to see the Hunter and the Penitents again. The specialist heroes are a really neat concept, and I think this can be a neat way to run the Penitents as well.  If deployed in a bit of a checkerboard the Penitents can zone out a good deal of space, and the Exemplar Chaplain would grant Fury and Rallying to them, making them even harder to dislodge. With Crushing Strength any spikey dice can help them punch above their weight, and in being a regular unit, they are a very cheap way to get unlocks, and support the specialist hero build my opponent has going. This does seem like a very viable way to run some Penitents, with a good number of benefits. We'll see how they do!

Supporting his father was the birthday boy and youngest, notably bringing a mighty Vampire Lord on an Undead Dragon, two as-yet-unnerfed Soul Reaver Infantry units, and three sprawling hordes of Zombies. Supporting all this was an Inspiring Necromancer, Undead ASB, and a regiment of Skeleton Spearmen. I was very much digging the bog-'em-down , grinding attrition-style list until I flipped the page to find the Vampire Lord. This pairing now had two terrifying fliers!

However, aside from the fliers they had only had a few other threatening units apiece (the Defenders of Righteousness and the Soul Reavers), and those were just regiments. They did, however, have a ton of tar-pitting units with a great deal of Nerve, which would either need to be focused down and dealt with, or somehow avoided. All those zombies would requires a lot of space though, so I had my fingers crossed that all the zombies would complicate the deployment of this duo. If that was the case, and the advancing Zombies could then be delayed themselves, that should gum up quite a lot for our opponents.

My partner fielded the brutal Abyssal Dwarfs, with a nicely varied list. Though they had no artillery this time around, they brought a mighty Infernok, which I didn't know was a thing! The Abysaal Dwarfs are a really cool army in my opinion. The fluff is great, plus I think all the Dwarfs can run multiple small unit-style lists, so I was very excited to see more of the army try to learn a bit second-hand. 

And speaking of MSU-style lists, I brought the above. With my personal MSU definition now being "regiments at most" and with many noteworthy Abyssal units, such as the Flamebearers and the Abyssal Guard topping out at the Regiment size, well this seemed like an army worth exploring more! Not to mention needing to try out all of all the new Abyssal units I have hobbied up over the last few months! So, in addition to exploring MSU again with a new army, I am looking to test out the following:

• Triple Flamebearers. This is a fair amount of points tied up in shooting units. I have liked these, but are they strong enough to be the backbone of a list? 
• Oathbreakers. How does this legendary Abyssal Guard unit fare?
• Zaz'u'szu the Betrayer. Is he and the Bane-Chant option worthwhile, or is it better to pay more for the flexible individual Abyssal Champion with Lightning Bolt? Will line of sight be an issue?
• Abyssal Horsemen. I have struggled with using cavalry before, despite taking them in so many lists. They just get bogged down. With CS and the Lifeleech item, not to mention regeneration, these should grind more successfully, but ideally they will get into a few combats. Will I use these better this game?
• Imps / Gargoyles. I like really like the chaff for the Abyssals. Most of my army has low Defense, so I definitely need chaff. Did I bring enough to protect myself, and will I use these units well?
• Seductress. The Kingdoms of Men taught me that having a disrupting hero is great. Having a flying one is even better though! The Seductress seems very versatile, even without upgrades, and I think is one of the few tools I have in this list to really reliably disrupt and intercept the enemy heavy fliers. So, the question becomes will I use her well?
• Big Battle Reporting. I have struggled a bit to follow and remember everything that happens on the field in group games. I was working on a template for taking notes, but have not finished that yet, nor am I changing anything about my approach here. Will I be able to capture and convey all the action?

Scenario and Set-up

When I arrived, a table had already been generated and set up, so we quickly got down to it. Each participant deployed one unit at a time to speed things up. We rolled up the scenario Push, where we would be trying to secure some Loot Counters, and ideally getting them over into the opponent's half of the board where they would be worth two points instead of one. We rolled up 3 from the d3, with an additional one in the center, per the rules. The ruins are Height 9 Buildings, the hills Height 3, the obstacles height 2 and the forest Height 6, all as-usual.

The left side.

We deployed in pretty distinct quarters of the board, with the Brothermark opposing the Abyssals, and the youngster brothers squaring off against each other. The Brothermark deployed with three main battle groups, something my opponent tends to do very smartly and stems from good list building. The speedy elements of the knightly Defenders of Righteousness, the Villein Skirmishers and the mounted Priest took the far flank. The Exemplar Hunter and the Paladin on Dragon Sir Roderick took the center to go where ever was required. And the Penitents and Exemplar Chaplain took the center, with one Penitent unit hefting a Loot counter.

Opposing the Brothermark were my Abyssals, with my Horsemen and Gargoyles on the far flank, very closely supported by the Betrayer, the Oathbreakers, the Imps, and the Lower Abyssals with a Loot Counter. A building split my lines. The opposing Penitents came down first, so my three Flamebearers, the second Gargoyle and the Seductress held my center, with the Seductress coming down as my last drop to counter the big dragon as best I could. Despite the hill, I was pretty happy with my deployment.

The center.

A devilish Infernox continued the battle line for the Wet Blankets, looking to brawl for the central token. Nearby were some Immortal Guard and Gargoyles, the Decimator Horde (with a Loot Counter) with some Halfbreeds in reserve, and the Mastiffs with the second Immortal Guard (with another Loot Counter). The Iron-caster surveyed the woods, while more Halfbreeds and Gargoyles sat on the far flank beyond the terrain.

The right side.

Lastly, opposing the Abyssal Dwarfs were the shambling Undead. The Skeleton Spears held the flank with the necromancer. The three hordes of zombies screened for the two Soul Reavers and the Vampire on undead Dragon. The more central Soul Reavers and the middle unit of Zombies each got a Loot Counter. In the end, the zombies didn't take up nearly as much space as I was hoping for! Deploying all three as screens was smart as well. Pushing zombies forward to take the initial hits is kinda what they are there for after all.

The Birthday Entente won the first-turn roll. Since they had no shooting, and ours was shorter-range, they considered having the Wet Blankets go first, but ultimately decided that fortune would favor the bold. And with that, we are off to the game!

The Entente moved up, hoping to get some momentum going on their side of the table. While outside of charge ranges, the Brothermark would be within range of some shooting next turn.

The Light blesseth these holy units.

The Undead also moved forward, in a shambling fashion. The zombies emerge themselves from the treeline, with all the expensive units still protected and one horde taking the hill, for a potentially nasty charge off of it next turn. I believe this one was surged forward a few inches.

Slow and steady from the Undead side.

Generally, everything moved up about 5 inches, and that was that for the Entente.

Bottom of Round 1: Team Wet Blankets

The Wet Blankets ended up being far more aggressive. On my far left, the Gargoyles flew out about 8" and pivoted. Spacing-wise, none of the enemy cavalry could get around them, so the Abyssal Horsemen draw up close behind them. The Gargoyles should die, but I could hopefully start trading with the Brothermark's scary pieces.

Shockingly effective. Like, about 2x what would be expected from the Flamebearers.

The Betrayer utilized his special rule, and threw a Lightning Bolt 8 at the Villein Skirmishers, dealing 2 to them, and 2 to the Lower Abyssals. The former were Wavered, gumming up the Brothermark's heavy cavalry.

More centrally, the Seductress and Gargoyles zip behind the hill, taking advantage of their smaller stature. They should be able to fly around and interfere in the turns to come. My partner says I should focus-fire the dragon, and I ultimately concur - removing Penitents would be good, but they are no threat next turn and not all the Flamebearers can see the crazies anyways. The Flamebearers move up, forming a nice concave. Thirty flaming shots arc towards the living dragon, and 14 deal damage. The dice were hot! Unfortunately for me, the Nerve check was only a pitiful 3, and the living dragon and rider are only Wavered. 

A very good Round 1 for the Wet Blankets.

The Abyssal Dwarfs also move up with the Gargoyles and Halfbreeds moving pretty quickly, but keeping things in their front arc. The Decimators move and are just in range against the zombies on the hill. Those zombies must have been surged a few inches. They, with a bonus fireball from the Iron-caster deal a total of 16 damage, and the Nerve check is high this time, routing the Zombies here despite the Inspiring sources nearby.

Top of Round 2: Team Birthday Entente

The Undead retaliate, with the Skeleton Spearmen charging the Gargoyles and routing them, and the Vampire on Undead Dragon charging into the Decimators to disorder them. 

The Undead Vampire is a simple-minded bloodsucker is seems, just going after the biggest unit.

Another Horde of Zombies clamber through an obstacle in the center of the field, making way and allowing the Soul Reavers to charge the mighty and imposing Infernox. These Soul Reavers have the Brew of Sharpness, and without the Big Red Book, still have 25 attacks. The Penitents join in the melee and to their part, inflicting one wound against the monster. The Soul Reavers delete it. Hitting on 2's is no joke!

The Soul Reavers get ready to swing.

I must have been excited, and fail to document my side of the table. Sir Roderick and his dragon are headstrong, and shake it off, ultimately making a long charge against the Oathbreakers, and dealing 1 damage to everything nearby with the Cloak of Death. The Oathbreakers take 8 damage from melee, but thankfully hold. The Villein Skirmishers change facing, spinning sideways, allowing one regiment of the Defenders of Righteousness to charge my imps, and the little nuisances are easily routed. With the angles needed, the second regiment near the table edge is unable to progress around their wavered counterparts.

Bottom of Round 1: Team Wet Blankets

We agree that I also cannot sneak by the Skirmishers due to the table edge. The nearby Gargoyles catch the Skirmishers in the flank, rout them and overrun, boxing in the second regiment of Brothermark knights, with my Horsemen lurking safely beyond. The other unit of Gargoyles flies over the masses, jumping the lines of the Entente.

Scary, but handled. And thank goodness I have regeneration!

The Oathbreakers countercharge Sir Roderick, rout him and reform. The Lower Abyssals regenerate some damage, and charge the nearby knights along with my Betrayer. Some damage is done, but not enough to matter. The knights hold, and even heal 1 due to Iron Resolve.

The Flamebearers did around another 14 damage, but against Def3, this is far more expected.

In the middle, my Seductress opts to try and stymie the Penitents, charging a unit on the hill, and dealing 2 damage. I forgot the Blade of Slashing for her all game. Meanwhile the Flamebearers back up, and toss against the nearest Penitents group, and with their three volleys, manage to remove them. 

More spikey rolls against the Entente.

The Iron-caster throws a fireball into the zombies exiting the woods, and among the flames can be seen a mutated throwing mastiff. The horde takes a surprising 14 damage, but holds with the Inspired reroll.

On the far flank, the Halfbreeds charge the Skeleton Spearmen, with the Mastiff pack gnashing at the flank of the unit. Bones fly and the skeletons are scattered, with both Abyssal Dwarf units looking to intercept the injured zombies next turn.

Top of Round 3: Team Birthday Entente

The injured zombies side-step to pick up the token dropped by the other horde. The screened Soul Reavers do likewise, though they are still touching the forest. Moving forward was no better - the Soul Reavers would still be touching the forest. So the Zombies did gum the lines up a little. The Zombies probably could have charged the Mastiffs, and left the token for the Soul Reavers, but they were looking to draw out out Abyssal Dwarfs I suppose.

The brawl continues with some Dwarf losses.

The Undead dragon slams back against the Decimators, dealing an additional 5 damage, but the dwarf horde holds firm. The zombies fight the gargoyles around the obstacle, and the Soul Reavers clip the edge of the fence charging the clank of the Immortal Guard, shredding the unit. They are out of the charge arc of the Flamebearers, so the Soul Reavers decide to focus on the Dwarfs.

The Penitents countercharge the Seductress, and still manage to slip a wound despite Ensnare. A second Penitent Regiment drops the Loot Counter, and scrambles up to get in the way of some Flamebearers. The third Penitent Regiment stops over and picks up the dropped Loot counter.

The Defenders of Righteousness strike back. Though disordered, one manages to deal another 7 against the Lower Abyssals, though they hold, with Rallying and Inspiring helping them out. The regiments of knights other finally makes an unhindered charge against the Gargoyles, obliterating them. The Exemplar Hunter hits of the flank of the Abyssal Horsemen in an attempt to disorder them, as does so, dealing the requisite 1 damage and stripping away my Thunderous Charge.

Bottom of Round 3: Team Wet Blankets

The Betrayer sidesteps, casting Bane-Chant on the Abyssal Horsemen. The Abyssal Horsemen regenerate one as they disengage from the pesky Exemplar Hunter and charge the imposing regiment of the Defenders of Rightousness. I deal 7 damage, though the knights of the Brothermark hold fast.

Regeneration has been very important for my Abyssals.

With a little space, the Lower Abyssals disengage, pop the sacrificial imp, and then charge back in, joined by the Oathbreakers. Regeneration rolls are good for both these units each healing 4, and the combat rolls are good as well. Uninspired, the knights are cut down. The Lower Abyssals look to join the fight against the Penitents in the midfield, and the Abyssal Guard overrun to try and deal with the Defenders and enemy characters on this flank.

My Gargoyle continues to fly about behind enemy lines. They have no charge this turn, so decide to just face the center of the board, threatening the Penitents as well. The Seductress disengages, and as a plucky individual, charges the Exemplar Chaplain. I again forget the Blade of Slashing, but deal 6 to the preacher, though they hold fast. 

Line of sight being what it is, each Flamebearer unit takes on one Penitent unit, with the central Flamebearers deciding to charge the immediate threat while the others throw their fire. Charging was a mistake - the melee stats are terrible! They do no damage while the others do just fine. It is a very bloody turn in the center, though everything holds.

And that's why you should always focus fire. And read your stats. Definitely a mistake to charge!

The reinforcing unit of Halfbreeds charges the Soul Reavers, looking to delay them from joining the fight between the Undead Dragon and the Decimators and dealing 4 damage to the unit of vampire blenders.

I apparently get no pictures of the other side of the table here. I believe the Vampire on Undead Dragon is brought down by the Decimators, with the Iron-caster throwing another fireball into the damaged zombies and removing them as well. The latter will free up the Soul Reavers touching the woods, giving them a better field of view for their charges next turn.

Top of Round 4: Team Birthday Entente

The Soul Reavers in the center countercharge the Halfbreeds, and with a horde of zombies hitting them in the flank, and the mutant cavalry is removed. The Soul Reavers in the woods finally exit, picking up the token from the scorched zombies.

The faith of the Brothermark gives some decisive results... countered my counter unit.

The two Penitent units near the midfield hesitate, with one changing facing and the other backing up to avoid a charge from my Lower Abyssals. The third unit of Penitents countercharge the Flamebearers, doing 4 damage to them. The injured Chaplain countercharges the Seductress. He should be Ensnared and does not look to have Duelist, but looks to get a very spicy dice roll and one-shots the Seductress, much to my dismay.

This flank is not looking as dominant anymore. Those knights look angry...

My luck continues to sour, with the Defenders of Rightousness countercharging my Horsemen, doing 8 damage, and then routing them. I was certain this would be a good trade for me, but alas.

Bottom of Round 4: Team Wet Blankets

My opponent informs me that the Exemplar Hunter is mighty, not yielding. I opt to make a greedy and fluffy charge, attempting to charge the Hunter and then overrun into the remaining Defenders of Righteousness. I get Bane Chant off, forget to account for it in the melee phase, whiff on 7/12 of my swings to hit, and walk away with 4 damage and just a Wavered Hunter.

Oops.

This was a complete mistake on my part! Yes, the Hunter is Mighty. But I could still have charged the knights with the Oathbreakers, moving like an inch up to get just beyond him, then pivoting slightly, and moving the remainder straight ahead into the knights. I just blanked here and this is a total error on my part. 

The Lower Abyssals are too far away to charge the Penitents, and so just move out, lugging the Loot Counter towards the center line. My lurking Gargoyle unit has plenty of range though, and hits some Penitents in the rear. The rolls are not great, but damage is dealt and the unit is still removed, and the Loot Token they were carrying acquired.

One unit of Flamebearers throws against the Penitents on the Hill, and routs them, while the other two scrum with Penitents already fighting with some of my Flamebearers. With one in the flank and one in the front, I manage to claw them down.

Yep, Melee is not great for Flamebearers.

The Decimators, having been unbothered for a turn, reload, and blast the incoming Soul Reavers. They squeak about 6 new damage in, way below what should be expected. The horde has Elite from the Blessing of the Gods item, and innate Vicious for the ranged attacks, but a lot of 2's and 3's are rolled. 

Mixed results at the bottom of Round 4.

All is not terrible on this side though, and some Immortal Guard and trusty Mastiffs have managed to swing deep into the enemy side of the battlefield. They descend upon the groggy Soul Reavers emerging from the forest, and manage to break them, stealing the Loot Token.

Top of Round 5: Team Birthday Entente

The remaining Soul Reavers cut through the haggard Decimators, securing a second Loot Token for themselves and then turning to face the Flamebearers. The remaining zombie horde turns and shambles towards the center of the field, seeking to claim that central Token. The Chaplain charges a unit of Flamebearers, and does manage to disorder them.

A very very very costly mistake for the Abyssals not charging around the hero.

The Defenders of Rightousness make an unhindered charge and slay the Oathbreakers in one go. The knights are free and looking to exact some revenge for their fallen Brothers...

Bottom of Round 5: Team Wet Blankets

I don't have much to deal with the knights anymore. My Lower Abyssals cannot get away or out of sight, so they turn to face the knights, moving towards their doom. I am hoping to delay and blast them. They cannot get close enough to be hurt for my Betrayer, who tries a simple Lighting Bolt 4 against the knights to try and force a Nerve Check. I do sneak the expected 1 damage in, do not rout them, and that's that. I believe Insane Courage occurred once with these knights, either this turn or the bottom of Round 3 with the Abyssal Horsemen, but I cannot remember exactly when. It was an unfortunate roll, but not game-deciding.

I think something got bumped here. As I recall, my opponent was trying to keep the Betrayer in the front arc of the Knights? My plan was to Lighting Bolt them from the flank anyways, but writing the report, I think a frontal charge and somewhat sacrificing the Betrayer might have been a better call. Oh well, regardless of positioning, my plan was to Lightning Bolt, and that was a bad plan that did not work out. 

My Abyssal Dwarf partner doesn't have many units anymore either. The Immortal Guard are holding two objectives though, and they tuck themselves safely into the corner of my opponent's deployment zone, guarded by the Mastiffs. So we got that going for us.

My Flamebearers are disheveled. I believe one fights with the Chaplain, ineffectually, others throw ineffectual fire against the Soul Reavers, who shrug it off, as well as a fireball from the stalking Iron-caster. Wheat is left of Team Wet Blanket did not roll well this turn. 

Top of Round 6: Team Birthday Entente

The remaining Soul Reavers charge a Flamebearer unit, cutting them down with ease. The Exemplar Hunter gains Slayer, and likewise dispatches the Betrayer. 

I had forgotten about my Gargoyle unit last turn, and so they were flank charged by a Zombie horde, and slain. The zombies hoist the claimed token high, and also find themselves atop the central token one as well. The majority of the shambling horde is just over the center line. The Defenders of Righteousness charge the Lower Abyssals, and obliterate them as well, nabbing their token and overrunning a little over the line as well. Per the scenario rules, you need to be entirely on the opposing side to get the additional point, but we missed this distinction at the time.

Moments before another bloodbath.

It was a huge swing for the Entente. The Zombies had 2 Tokens, the remaining regiment of Defenders of Righteousness had 1. The Soul Reavers had 2 Tokens, and the latter were firmly on our side of the battlefield. All this was against our stout Immortal Guard with 2 Tokens, deep in the deployment zone of the Undead.

Bottom of Round 6: Team Wet Blankets

Our options are limited, as we are low on units. One Flamebearer unit is disordered, and they charge against the Chaplain, finally routing them. The second throws fire against the Soul Reavers, again joined by the Iron-caster. The latter was getting harried by the Undead ASB and Necromancer, though neither were landing damage to disorder the caster. The damage we do is again mediocre, but we do rout the Soul Reavers this time, and they drop their tokens.

Very, very close, but the center line is at the base of the far-side of the hill.
Neither of these Tokens should be worth the 2 points.

We had missed the part in the scenario where the unit needed to be fully on the opposing side to score an extra point. In reality, the score should have been 4-3 in favor of the Wet Blankets! Fortunately for the Entente, we rolled up a Round 7...

Top of Round 7: Team Birthday Entente

The Defenders of Righteousness continued their killing spree. They and the Zombies charged the Flamebearers, scouring them from the battlefield, and both getting firmly on our side of the battlefield. In victory, the Zombies choose to sidestep, covering the Loot Tokens dropped by the Soul Reavers...

There is no kill like overkill.

You are be able to pick up a token at the end of any of your phases. We didn't catch this at the time, but did find that passage while packing up. So, the Zombies here should be able to pick them both up, and are now holding 4 tokens on our side of the field and are completely undamaged. With the Defenders firmly on our side as well, the Entente goes from 3-4 loss to looking at a resounding 10-4 victory due to the surprise Round 7.

Bottom of Round 7: Team Wet Blankets

I go to charge my Flamebearers into the Zombies - their only possible charge. However, my partner wants to fireball them, so I elect to pivot my Flamebearers, and throw to avenging fire against the Defenders of Righteousness.

Sweet revenge!

As luck would have it, I do finally deal a few damage to the Knights, and manage to rout them. They drop their token, but the Zombies do have 4 more. The Undead and Brothermark manage to secure an astonishing 8-4 victory with a surprise Round 7.

Game Conclusions

This was a wild game! Many thanks to Cartwright and his boys for spending a Sunday afternoon with me rolling some dice. We knew it was close game, but rereading the scenario and writing all this up... man, that was certainly a swing at the end!

The Flamebearers were spiky in the beginning against the Dragon, but that ended up being mitigated by Headstrong. Overall, I was very happy with my play early on. Things certainly changed during Round 4 though. Losing my Abyssal Horsemen to the countercharge and all in one go was unfortunate, but I still had a chance to win that flank very decisively on our turn. Being a space case and not charging the Defenders of Righteousness directly at the bottom of Round 4 was a huge error on my part, and ultimately cost us the game I think, letting the knights run roughshod over three more units before the game was done. That's how you use knights properly! Our dice went a little cold as the game went on, taking additional turns and more effort to accomplish things, and making it harder and harder to claw our way back, but we had a very close game regardless. 

Testing Conclusions

• Triple Flamebearers. I think you need some chaff to intercept things for them, but these performed very well! Penitents are the best possible target for them though, so I may need to experiment with numbers and unit sizes for these in the future. But yeah, they seem like a good and decently reliable staple unit, if you can keep them out of melee.
• Oathbreakers. The unit was decent. A full 15 points for a conditional Rally aura and conditional Vicious might not be worth it, but this was fun and I will probably run them again.
• Zaz'u'szu the Betrayer. Bane Chant is very nice to have no matter the army. Unfortunately, while it did go off a few times, I continually forgot to account for it while rolling for damage. Line of Sight wasn't as big an issue as I was thinking it might be, and having the Lower Abyssals nearby with the sacrificial Imp worked well enough, so I'd give this setup another go. 
• Abyssal Horsemen. I think my trap with these and the Gargoyles was good. If they stuck around I think I had that flank won easily, but the dice had other ideas. They had healed down to 0 damage, so getting routed in one go and not getting to really use Regeneration and such was simply unfortunate.
• Imps / Gargoyles. The early use was good. Things took the hits they needed to. Forgetting about the second Gargoyle unit later on was rough, but they were in a rough spot. I wanted them around to fight, though they should have been running to play the scenario, so not backing up and such was probably an error on my part. Still, I used the chaff decently well.
• Seductress. I feel like I used her well enough, but did not have luck on my side. The ensnared Chaplain dealing multiple damage and knocking her out in one go was supremely unlucky for me. She's still good to have around for all her utility, so I won't hold this against her.
• Bane Chant / Blade of Slashing. I successfully cast, but then forgot about, Bane Chant in two important fights, and forgot about the item entirely. Not necessarily game-deciding, but I did myself no favors by forgetting to utilize those. I might need to consider a game-aid for Bane Chant in particular.
• Big Battle Reporting. I changed nothing in my approach, so unsurprisingly, some issues persist when trying to document group games. I caught most things, but missing some of the details like exactly what turn the Undead Dragon fell was unfortunate, and took some additional time to figure out while writing. I'll need to finish up my template for battle note taking and give that a try next time. 

Many thanks to my opponent and his boys for the game. I had a great time and hope they did too!