Intro and Lists
I was able to get a pair of introductory games in recently. My opponent from Battle 024 had purchased Mantic's own Ogre Ambush box after our previous game, and was wanting to try out that army now. I had a few introductory lists ready for the Ogres, each revolving around a small, similar core list and then swapping around units of Boomers, Berserkers, or Hunters. He wanted to run his own models, and we were able to make it work. The first list he chose to run looked at Ogre Berserkers as the fun unit, and consisted of the following:
He had assembled his Warriors with a split between the shields and the two handing variants, so we reflected that in these lists. Overall, it seemed like a good representation of an Ogre army to me: a potent force with a low model count. The Warlock and Sergeant can chip away at things from afar until the brutish units could get into melee. Having made a few army-specific goofs for the newer, opposing force in our previous game, I endeavored to do better this time around, paying special attention to try and remember and point out the Warlock's special rule, army-wide Brutal, and Elite on the Sergeant.
I opted to re-run my Kingdoms of Men demo list. He was tackling a new list, so it seemed like a good idea to present him with a familiar force. It had put up a decent fight last time, so seemed like a good power level to work around. Similar to the Ogres, the Kingdoms of Men hoped to get in some early damage from the Ballista and Crossbowmen, and then set up a situation where the Militia could take the hit and let me punch back with the Foot Guard and Bane Chant.
We were out at a local shop, which was really coming along after some recent renovations. They had added a number of tables, as well as a handful of play mats to use. We found a 4' by 4' mat, aligned it terribly to the 6' by 4' MDF board atop, and got to work. I brought my own terrain, consisting of two Height 3 Hills, one Height 9 blocking building, one Graveyard as height 1 difficult terrain, and one Height 6 Forest.
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| Deployment! As the game got going, the Ogre characters would be shifted a few inches to the right. |
Deployments were pretty simple. Left to right from my perspective the Ogres had Warriors with two-handers, the Warlock, Berserkers, Siege Breakers, Warriors with shields, and the Sergeant. The Kingdoms of Men deployed in two sections. My left had the Mounted Scouts, Ballistae on a hill, Crossbowmen, and the Mounted Hero. My right had the Militia out in front of the two Foot Guard regiments and the ASB with Lute.
We played a simple game of Kill last time, so I wanted to ease us into some of the scenarios. We talked over some scenario options, and settled on Control, with some modifications. With the smaller board, we'd divide the table into 4 quadrants. At the end of the game, each quadrant would be worth 1 point to the army that had the most Unit Strength there.
Top of Round 1: Ogres
During deployment, my opponent had opted to screen the Ogre characters with units. I reminded my opponent that Line of Sight was a thing, and we scooched both the Warlock and the Sergeant to my right by a few inches, to give them better options as the game progressed.
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| The Ogres make some revisions, then move out. |
For their turn, the Ogres moved up. But being the more elite force, they kept things rather cautious. The Warlock's spells were boosted by 2, and he threw lightning out against the Mounted Hero. Even with Individual, several bolts will land, and with an 11 on the Nerve check, the hero flees.
Bottom of Round 1: Kingdoms of Men
I wanted to try and get my Mounted Scouts up and safely along the flank of the Ogre line, but the inches are not there, and I can't quite get out of the Warriors and their heavy two-handed weapons. The Scouts dial it back, not even moving their Speed. They and the Ballista will shoot into those Warriors, landing 2 damage in total.
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| Not a bad turn for my shooting. |
The Crossbowmen opt to shoot the central Berserkers, since the shots will be clearer, and they manage to land 2 damage as well. Screened by the nearby woods, the rest of the human infantry waits.
Top of Round 2: Ogres
Having shown my desire run by, the two-handing Warriors will move up, and pivot 90 degrees to threaten that whole zone.
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| The Ogres start to fan out. The Sergeant is yet to move up. |
The Berserkers get a good Wild Charge roll, but still can't quite reach anything. So, they move up their full 12" to apply pressure and force a reaction out of me. They should have plenty of charge options next turn.
The Siege Breakers and shielded Warriors also position around the forest, while the Sergeant advances at the double to apply pressure in the coming turns. Just moving he had no shot given the forest, and by moving at the double, he could not shoot.
Bottom of Round 2: Kingdoms of Men
I take some nice charges this turn. The Mounted Scouts are indeed zoned out and prevented from doing a run-by, but I am neatly in the flank of the two-handers. Only 3 damage is done, and but the Nerve check is a high enough to get a Waver.
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| End of Round 2. |
Only one unit of Foot Guard are able to make it into the Berserkers. I didn't take great notes on my Bane Chant use. I think I actually forgot about it this round, but the Foot Guard was able to cut the unit down in the end despite my lapse.
The Militia advance, but do not charge. I think I was trying to keep my shooting options open. The Ballista and Crossbowmen eventually opt to shoot into the Ogre Warlock hiding in the graveyard though. It's in cover, but it seems like a good idea to try and remove the Ogre leadership. They do manage to score a few wounds, but the Warlock will stick around.
Top of Round 3: Ogres
The Wavered Warriors will disengage and then change facing, to stare down the Scouts. The Siege Breakers and Shielded Warriors will take the bait and multi-charge the Militia, with the Warriors hitting the unit in the flank. I forgot to make the Warriors take a Hindered Charge here, but realistically, it should not make much of a difference! Twenty damage is done in the melee, and the Militia do not stick around.
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| Top of Round 3, after movement. |
The Warlock is still slightly boosted by the nearby Warriors, and lands 3 damage from 4 Bolts into the central Foot Guard. The Ogre Sergeant makes his way into the woods, shooting at the other unit of Foot Guard, but no damage is scored.
Bottom of Round 3: Kingdoms of Men
Unfortunately, the Kingdoms of Men find their units a bit isolated, and all are forced into several isolated combats.
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| Not the way Kingdoms of Men usually want to fight. |
The Ballista and Crossbowmen will continue to fire into the Warlock, who is still in cover. Combined, they have done 1-2 damage over this turn and the last turn, but it's not yet enough to dissuade the Warlock from handing around and continuing to fight.
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| The Mounted Scouts come through. |
The Mounted Scouts are able to charge the Warriors again, and this time, are able to rout them with a good Nerve check this time. The wounded Foot Guard charge the Shield Breakers, and will slip a single wound in. Bane Chant is attempted on the other unit though, fighting against the Shielded Warriors. As I recall, this doesn't go off, but the Foot Guard are able to get a Waver.
Top of Round 4: Ogres
The Ogre Warlock tosses again the Crossbowmen, but fails to connect with any of the Lightning. With the Kingdoms of Men units isolated, the Ogres are able to bring some of their brawn to bear.
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| The Ogres retaliate. |
The Siege Breakers will smash up the Foot Guard, and will Waver them. The shielded Warriors are still dealing with being wavered, but the Sergeant is able to get a hindered flank charge into the Foot Guard, getting in an astonishing 7 damage before routing the unit. The Sergeant will then overrun.
Bottom of Round 4: Kingdoms of Men
The Ballista and Crossbowmen again fire into the skulking Warlock, and this time are able to land some damage and then see the spell caster off of the field!
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| A Wavered result against the mighty Siege Breakers! |
The Mounted Scouts make a long flank charge into the Siege Breakers, and Bane Chant is attempted to aid them, but I again to not remember the result of the spell. A few damage is done despite being Hindered from passing through the Graveyard, and the Siege Breakers are Wavered after the assault.
Top of Round 5: Ogres
The Ogre Sergeant charges the enemy ASB, dealing a surprising 4 damage, and getting the Waver. The Wavered tokens have certainly gotten a lot of use this game!
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| The bloodied Ogres continue to fight on. |
The Shielded Warriors change facing, looking to help clean-up the Foot Guard. Recovering, the Siege Breakers merely hold.
Bottom of Round 5: Kingdoms of Men
Out of targets, my Ballista is forced to pivot to reposition. The Crossbowmen are able to see the Sergeant though, and after the ASB disengages, will land two damage in against him.
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| The Kingdoms of Men fight on. |
The Mounted Scouts again hit the Siege Breakers in the flank, with the Foot Guard hitting the Ogres from the front. While a lot of hits are scored, the heavy armor of the Ogres protects them from the worse of it, and while the unit is Wavered again, they do stick around.
Top of Round 6: Ogres
With the end of the game coming up, the Ogre Sergeant opts to try his luck against the Crossbowmen, charging in. The Ballista has no Unit Strength, so if the Crossbowmen can be removed, this quadrant can be taken. The Sergeant deals 4 damage, but the ranged unit holds.
We check, and the Shielded Warriors would actually be in the flank of the Foot Guard. The Warriors take the charge, but will clip the woods. Hindered, they will only deal 2 damage to the Foot Guard, Wavering them now.
Bottom of Round 6: Kingdoms of Men
The remaining Foot Guard shake in terror. Playing the scenario, the Mounted Scouts disengage from the Siege Breakers, abandoning the Foot Guard. With just an inch, the Scouts unfortunately can't seem to pivot through the enemy unit, so are forced to move sideways to get the majority of their base into the next quadrant to score.
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| Mounted Scouts, playing the scenario as the Crossbowmen face down an insane Ogre Sergeant. |
The Crossbowmen should be Bane Chanted, and will land 3 damage onto the Ogre Sergeant. The Sergeant though is insanely courageous, and sticks around, eager for more.
As the round concludes, The Kingdoms of Men are up 2-1. I am winning in one quadrant with my Crossbowmen against the Ogre Sergeant, and my Scouts are uncontested in another. Both the Ogre Siege Breakers and Warriors are in a single quadrant.
Fortunately for the insane and eager Sergeant, we roll up a Round 7!
Top of Round 7: Ogres
The Sergeant counter-charges the Crossbowmen, dealing another 3 damage to them, but only getting a Waver with the Nerve check.
The Siege Breakers and Warriors will sandwich the Foot Guard again, seeing them off the table this time. I believe the Warriors try to overrun 1", while the Siege Breakers turn to intimidate the Mounted Scouts.
Bottom of Round 7: Kingdoms of Men
The Ballistae fires off against the Shielded Warriors, dealing 3 damage and getting a Waver!
The Siege Breakers are in double-digits of damage. The Mounted Scouts charge in, with Bane Chant attempted. The Mounted Scouts find themselves victorious over the Siege Breakers, and will back up d3 in victory to catch their breath, and are still scoring the other quadrant.
Nothing changes scoring-wise from the end of Round 6. So it is a narrow 2-1 victory for the Kingdoms of Men!
Game Conclusions
The plays weren't always ideal, and the dice were swingy with such small numbers rolled. Several minor rules missteps, but thankfully nothing determinative. Wavered played way more of a role in this game that it usually does, which was neat to see. It was an introductory game, so I won't harp on anything. I remembered all three of the Ogre-related rules, which was good. And my opponent agreed to re-rack and play another game, which is the best outcome I could get with an introductory game!
Testing Conclusions
Nothing was up for testing. Smaller games should be great for quick testing, but if I am demo'ing and trying to write a battle report, I think I really want to run familiar things to make it easier on me, in order to make sure I am getting the rules right and teaching correct things. That said, I think there are still a few things to look at post-game:
- Ogre Berserkers. Were the only brand new thing on the table. Unfortunately, they didn't survive long enough to even use the magic item I gave them. This was good targeting priority from me, but a sad result for testing. With Fearless, I think these could have a place in some Ogre lists as front-line chaffy regiments? Fearless is great for chaff units as they will either survive to help strike back, or die - none of this accidentally sticking around being Wavered business.
- Ogre Warriors. The Warriors are cheap and reliable and very nice units. I was liking a mix in my Ogre games, and my opponent seems to be feeling the same way. The two handers are a very nice way to get access to strong, CS2 attacks, while the shielded version is a nice, rounded performer.
- Ogre Siege Breakers. The Siege Breakers are still potent, even as regiments! Defense 6, if only in the front, is still definitely difficult to chop through. In these smaller, Ambush-level games, one cannot run hordes, but after trying out both sides a few times now, I think the best way to run this unit is as a horde.
- Ogre Warlock. The Warlock did ok? In such a small game, with so few units, it's bonus magics were depleted pretty quickly. Were I to run him again, I think I would give him an additional spell to try out? I think the Warlock can work for smaller games, but it needs to be built around, and I did not really do that here.
- Ogre Sergeant with Crossbow. The Sergeant with Crossbow is impressive! It is a very independent option, and in these smaller games, he seems more reliable than the Warlock, though more expensive. Dice were dice and he had some whiffs, but I was very impressed with him.
- KoM Mounted Scouts. With no real "soft" targets, this wasn't a great match up for them. They mostly got caught up in melee. As luck would have it though, nothing was able to strike back at them due to being Wavered, so they survived and did well. It was neat to see and they did work this game, but it was mostly luck.
- KoM Crossbowmen. They had some whiffs, but actually did some damage this game! This was an ideal scenario for them though, letting them stay put and still be able to contribute.
- KoM Ballista. I wish I was able to track hits and such, but I was a bit preoccupied. I think these did more damage than the Crossbowmen overall, though this was on an idyllic hill. I think these are worth exploring.
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