Kings of War 3rd Edition: #037: Herd vs Brothermark [Raze]

Intro and Lists

I am in the middle of a bit of a protracted move, and in a much-needed boon to my sanity, I was able to squeeze in a game with the ever-accommodating Cartwright! He opted to run some of his powerful Brothermark for our meeting:

He's dabbled a few times before with the Defenders of Righteousness formation: a legendary Paladin atop a dragon and two buffed Paladin Knight regiments. This time, all three have Aegis Fragments for a slight temporary buff to their Iron Resolve. Thankfully though, these knights are just knights, and while still dangerous on the charge and buffed from the formation, are not from the fearsome Order of the Abyssal Hunt. I think an older version of a list builder dropped the dragon's breath attack for this legendary option, but that looks to be fixed now. We'll see if that gets used and how the heavy flier does this time around!

Assisting the formation is a horde of Paladin Monster Slayers with two handed-weapons, four mobs of Penitents, two Mean-at-Arms Spearmen regiments, a normal, nimble Phoenix and a troop of mounted Villein Skirmishers. Four heroes also support the list: a fighting Paladin (with a Rallying aura), a Chaplain with Hymns (Fury and Rallying aura), a mounted Priest (with heal and Bane Chant), and a mounted Exemplar Hunter, a combat hero.

I also ran a formation, deciding to explore some titanic Hydra monsters and some Herd MSU. Still being a very new army for me, up to test is everything and then some:

• Tribal Spears. I'm trying a little MSU, so these are generalist supporting units. Hopefully I can internalize my regimental lessons and not run these side-by-side! Phalanx should hopefully dissuade enemy cavalry while the extra attacks (over say, Tribal Warriors) should help a bit on the offense, but we'll see where they end up contributing.
• Spirit Walkers. The horde did well in the previous game, but had a good magic item and a ridiculous amount of support, about equal to the cost of the unit itself. We'll see how these naked regiments fare. 
• Longhorns as Regiment. I think running troops and trying to max out Rallying is probably a bad call. The Longhorns look to hit quite hard though, and are a little comparable to Huscarls, so we'll try them as a regiment of fighters and not worry too much about Rally.
• Hunters of the Wild. Debuting now are some verdant newcomers with Scout! They have good general stats, but will really want a Bane-Chant at some point. We'll see how they do holding the line, and what use I can get out of their Scout move.
• Wild Gur Panthers. These are my chaff right now. They don't hit particularly hard, but they are speedy. They might be one of the only things quick enough to potentially ground the enemy heavy flier. We'll see what they die to and how they perform for the scenario.
• Hydras. It's a monster with good nerve, and while most of the army has Thunderous Charge, it has Crushing Strength. It think it has potential to hold the line and grind out smaller units, but as mentioned in the hobbying post, I don't think these will be competitive picks since the special rules of Regen and Multiple Heads work against each other. Still, monsters are fun, so we'll give them a try!
• Great Chieftain, Cat and Horn. My opponent has several sources of Rallying, so the Dread  aura shouldn't be that impactful this game. The aura for Wild Charge should be nice though, and with duelist, the Chieftain should be able to find some way to help out.
• Druid with Bane-Chant and Heal. I still think these are good buys and likely a go-to source of Inspiring for my versions of the army. Being only the second game though, we'll see how they get used though. Will Heal or Bane Chant be cast more?
• Silent Hunt Formation. Tribal Trappers and Tribal Tracker. This formation grants the Ensnare and Deadly Snare special rules, with the latter damaging enemy units if a formation unit is charged while touching difficult terrain. This combination seems like a lot of fun, but will be highly dependent on the table terrain. With Scout, they should hopefully be able to make it into some terrain to claim it, but the bows of the Tribal Trapper units and Softhoof, the Tribal Tracker are probably going to have a tough time against all the Iron Resolve and heals across the table. Still, the formation seems fun, so we'll see what they can accomplish.
• Scout. I still don't know what I am doing with Scout moves, but I have a few more chances to try things out this time! We'll see if any of the fights I instigate go my way and if we have any Turn 1 charges this time.
• Herd MSU. I really do like the playstyle of lots of regiments, and so I must try it out with a new army. I think the Hydras will give the list some oomph, and Scout opens up a whole new aspect of play, so we'll see how I do.

My list actually had an edge in both drops (18:16) and Unit Strength (30:27), but the Penitent spam and multiple heroes have done very well for my opponent before, and with so much Nerve, it can be hard to break through the Brothermark's lines. On the plus-side for me, there is no Bowmen horde to pressure me and camp objectives this time! I don't feel like I have much to contain the enemy heavy flier though, so we'll see how it is used and what the scenario is. Perhaps I can just ignore it...

Table and Deployment:

We played at his place, with his usual terrain assortment. Fences are Height 2 Obstacles, forests are Height 6 Difficult Terrain, hills were Height 3 and the ruins are Height 9 Blocking terrain, though they may not look it.

We rolled up Raze for the scenario. In brief, there is a central objective token that can be controlled at the end of the game. We each spread three additional tokens on the opponent's side of the board, six-inches off the center line. From Round 2 onward, if we happen to control one of our placed tokens, we raze it at the end of the turn for a point. As the game progresses, our attention should narrow down towards a showdown in the center.

The table. My opponent favored my left, while I favored my right with our respective tokens.

I won the roll off for deployment, and my tokens favored my right-hand side, which held the table's only two forests. Playing with the Herd, I felt I should try to make use of the terrain.

The left, with all the Brothermark's speedy units.

Left-to-right, my opponent deployed both knightly regiments, the mounted Priest, and the Villein skirmishers. The legendary Sir Roderick and the dragon lurked nearby. The middle was the four Penitent units, mounted Exemplar Hunter, and Chaplain, with the Paladin Monster Slayers as a second line. The Spearmen stuck around the forest, and the Phoenix took the far-right flank. 

The center and right.

I wanted the Silent Hunt in the woods, and the Hunters of the Wild out on the flanks, so those were all early drops, while my opponent deployed all the Penitents and Spearmen. I ended up saving the Longhorns for last. I originally intended to place them alongside the Chieftain, near the center, but I was wary of the dragon opposite me, so deployed them in reserve. 

View of the whole table, prior to any scout moves.

I opted to use all my scout moves. Wary of the long-charges of the knights and dragon, the Hunters on my left moved up to just get over the obstacle and sit on the objective. 

Just a little on the left.

In the center, I was timid, and moved the Silent Hunt units up, but made sure to still be touching the woods. The Hunters on my far right took the initiative though, moving the full 10 inches forward.

More aggressive on the right.

I won the roll off for first turn, and took it, hoping to apply some pressure early. 

Top of Round 1: Herd

The ruin over on the left is actually a very tall blocking building. Largely save from the dragon, my layered line moved up. Not wanting to give multi-charges on the first turn, the Hunters of the Wild opted not to move at all after scouting.

Let's go! There are traps to set!

In the center, the chieftain kept out of range of the dragon as well, moving up just a few inches. The Spirit Walkers did the same.

The Hydras each moved their max move, looking to instigate. Unfortunately, due to some sloppy play, the Tribal Trappers of the Silent Hunt were out of range for their bows. I opt to keep them where they are, in the hopes that I can use their special rules, and so the Longhorns awkwardly shuffle about behind them. 

The Silent Hunt units are hesitant to leave the woods...

In retrospect, I should have given up on the Deadly Snares, given the sparse terrain on the table, and either moved them up further during the Scout moves to make sure they had shots, or move them now to free up the Longhorns. I had two chances to figure this out, and have missed both so far. Minor mistakes with a new army.

On the right, On the right, things press on with more gusto. I offer up the Gur Panthers as a bit of bait, and should be able to start pushing up this flank next turn.

Forward!

The Tribal Trappers are an inch out of range with their bows, and I have no offensive magic. The only shots are Softhoof, the Tribal Tracker, into the opposing Chaplain. Two damage is scored, but Chaplain continues his hymns unbothered.

Bottom of Round 1: Brothermark

Over on my right, the Brothermark's Spearmen charge out, piercing the hides of the Panthers. The Phoenix throws some Firesparks into the Hunters of the Wild as it nimbly shuffles towards the main line of the Brothermark, .

The Spearmen charge, hoping to delay on my right.

The mounted Exemplar Hunter charges out from the battle line and into a Hydra, dealing 5 damage to the beast.

Oh yeah,, he's living his best life right now. 

While the building does screen my units somewhat, my opponent is still able to make contact. Sir Roderick's presence is felt, with 6 damage done to the surrounding units! The Cloak of Death on the menacing legendary lord seems like some nice tech against MSU play...

The dragon's presence is felt before it even gets to swing.

The knightly regiments move up, with the dragon and the skirmishers cutting down each of their Gur Panther units. The Villeins overrun, boxing out the Tribal Spears, and the victorious Sir Roderick moves back, preventing the Hunters of the Wild from getting a flank charge into the dragon.

The Brothermark's swift cavalry achieves the first kills.

It's the bottom of turn 1, and I've already lost all of my Gur Panther chaff, in melee no less! The Herd is an aggressive army, so I am unsure if these losses are good news or bad news for me. 

Top of Round 2: Herd

On the left, Sir Roderick withdrawing to avoid the flank actually opens the lane a bit, letting the Tribal Spears and Hunters of the Wild attack the knights. Unfortunately, the Druid is too slow to get out of the charge arc. Defiantly, she sits herself in front of the paladin and dragon. Heroically, she attempts to Bane Chant on the verdant Hunters, but the magic fails to connect.

The Druid is is trouble, and with that casting result, should have just ran away...

Thinking the Druid will soon be pulped, the Chieftain joins the other unit of Tribal Spears in a charge into the Villein Skirmishers. The cavalry troop is routed, and the Chieftain should be around now to inspire this flank as the game unfolds.

Final positioning on the left.

The Spirit Walkers near the Chieftain charge and cut down one regiment of Penitents. Thankfully, they are hiding behind a hill to avoid all but one Penitent unit next turn. 

Speaking of Penitents, my center is a bit of a mess. The Hydra's height actually prevents me from seeing the plucky hero attacking him, gumming up my lines and preventing any units from aiding the monster. The Hydra regenerates 2, and it and Softhoof, the Tribal Tracker attack the Exemplar Hunter, dealing 2 and 1, respectively. 

I finally shuffle the Tribal Trappers around to free up space for the Longhorns to move up. The trappers shoot with penalties into the Penitents screening the Paladin Monster Slayers, dealing 3 damage to them. 

Poor deployment plus stubbornness leads to a bit of a traffic jam.

I charge the second Hydra into the Spearmen defending the woods. While I have Crushing Strength to avoid the Phalanx penalty, I've taken no damage, and have no support for this charge. I also have nothing to occupy the nearby Penitents or Paladins. This is a mistake. I got excited to fight things.

Let's put the Hydra's regeneration to the test...

Our on the right, the Spirit Walkers and Hunters go into the Spearmen. The Walkers will get a penalty from Phalanx, so the Druid attempts a Bane Chant on the Hunters... which fails to manifest. Still, they are able to bully the Spearmen off the table. In retrospect I should have just reformed both, as there is nothing worthwhile in the back field, but the Hunters will overrun and only the Spirit Walkers will choose to reform. The Hunters are also able to secure a token here at the end of my round, making this 1-0 in favor of the Herd.

Bottom of Round 2: Brothermark

Centrally, the remaining Penitents all make charges. One regiment goes into the Spirit Walkers to avenge their brothers, dealing 6, but the Spirits hold fast. One regiment goes into Softhoof, the Tribal Tracker, deals 2 and get a waver, but fails to punch through for any fun overrun moves. The final regiment goes into the pinned Hydra, joining the Exemplar Hunter, but the beast only takes a few damage and dutifully holds. 

Wow. Probably the blurriest picture I've had to use yet!

The Phoenix flies over, hopping my lines, but I don't think any of the firesparks connect. I may have had to move at the double. Meanwhile, the remaining Brothermark descent upon the Hydra in the woods. The Spearmen countercharge, joined by the Paladin on foot and the horde of Paladin Monster Slayers in each flank... and the Hydra is ignobly sliced down. That's a consequence of my poor choice to charge, but is also why I like taking two copies on units to test out! 

Over on the left, Sir Roderick begrudgingly shuffles towards the Druid, his only charge. Cloak of Death pings 4 units, but he only lands three combat damage on the Druid, and fails to rout her. Having failed to break the stalwart knights on the flank, that unit counter-charges the Hunters of the Wild, doing 6, and the other knightly regiment gets a flank charge into the stalled Tribal Spears, and is able to remove them with ease.

Top of Round 3: Herd

The Druid is shocked, but extricates herself from the weapons and claws of Sir Roderick and the dragon. I feel like ignoring the dragon isn't going to be possible given Cloak of Death, and that this is my best shot at beating him, so while the druid scampers away the Chieftain and remaining Tribal Spears hit Sir Roderick in the flank, dealing 10, though the legendary lord stays put. I felt like the Chieftain needed to get in on the action, but in retrospect, he is mighty and it may have been wise to send him into the untouched Knights to tie them up.

Alas, Sir Roderick holds. The shrubs will best the knights though.

The Hunters of the Wild manage to claw a few more damage onto the knightly regiment they've been fighting with, and a little unexpectedly, are able to cut them down and reform, threatening to join in some combats next turn. The nearby Spirit Walkers fighting Penitents are able to deal 6 damage in response, and then manage a very lucky rout on the uninspired Penitents, claiming their second unit of crazies. They would be able to see a bit of Sir Roderick's base from around the ruin, and so will reform to face the left as well, also threatening to charge in next turn.

Pre-combat over on the right at the top of Round 3.

The right flank is a mess, but I think I have the edge here. The Tribal Trappers are just able to just squeeze through things and smack the Paladin Monster Slayers, while also getting into the woods. I don't do much damage, but I will tie them up for a turn. 

The Hydra regenerates nothing, but counter-charges the Penitents, sliding down, and landing a few good hits. The slide allows the Longhorns to attack the mounted Exemplar Hunter, and cut him down, though the wavered Softhoof prevents any overrun. One unit of Tribal Trappers is able to get the corner of the remaining Penitent unit, landing a few more damage on them as well.

Lots of messy combats here.

The Spirit Walkers charge the Spearmen in the woods, but Bane Chant fails to manifest again, and stripped of their Thunderous Charge from the Phalanx, the battered Brothermark regiment remains thanks to Rallying from the nearby Paladin on foot, but is wavered while the Hunters of the Wild nearby just turn and move. This highlights the mistake it was to overrun with them. Had they changed facing too, breaking the Spearmen this turn was very likely.

Bottom of Round 3: Brothermark

I am apparently not taking many pictures on my opponent's turns. The Paladin Monster Slayers counter charge the Tribal Trappers, taking one from the Deadly Snares. Chaplain has an aura granting Fury and Rallying, and the holy man charges into the flank Tribal Trappers to bring the aura to the Spearmen to  then let them counter charge, though he also takes 1 damage for his trouble. Ensnare proves to be of little help, and the Trappers are routed. 

Thanks to the aura, the Spearmen are inded able to countercharge the Spirit Walkers, and joined by the Paladin on foot, break them. Ouch. One Penitent unit continues to strike the remaining Hydra, while the other lands 1 damage in a counter charge against the Tribal Trappers, with Ensare negating a few hits from the crazies. The Phoenix repositions to shoot into the Longhorns, dealing 4 damage this time.

Sir Roderick continues to get good value from the Cloak of Death.

Over on the left, Cloak of Death again hits 4 Herd units, and the dragon receives a small heal from the Priest before going into the Chieftain, but will only waver him. The knights charge into the Hunters of the Wild, and trample them, reforming to face the remaining Herd units.

Top of Round 4: Herd

The Spirit Walkers and Tribal Spears join the fight against Sir Roderick. The Druid has recovered her wits and attempts another Bane Chant to help the Spirits, but it fizzles again. She must be concussed or something. Still the units are able to topple the mighty Paladin from his dragon mount. The Tribal Spears overrun a strong 6, limiting the choices of the Brothermark's remaining knights.

Sir Roderick is bested!

On the right, things continue to be messy. I am hoping to box out the Paladin Monster Slayers for a turn, so charge Softhoof into the Chaplain. The Chaplain has taken some hits, and unexpectedly I get a rout and remove his aura. Unsure what to do, I opt to overrun, rolling well and am pushed an inch away and in front of the Paladin Monster Slayers.

The Hunters of the Wild take their turn charging into the Spearmen in the Woods. Bane Chant is again attempted, and again fails, and the Spearmen fail to be even wavered this time.

My unfortunate final positioning over on the right.

The Hydra regenerates some, but still manages to deal enough damage to rout the Penitents, and then attempts to withdraw, though I cannot remember my thinking here. The Longhorns join the Tribal Trappers against the Penitents, and just smash through them. The Trappers overrun. We talk things out, and determine that Softhoof is not mighty, and with the carnage wrought so far, my Longhorns are a bit exposed. I opt to overrun with them as well, but roll only a 1 for the distance. On a 2+ for the overrun, Softhoof, though Yielding, would have been in the way of the Paladin's final positioning against the Longhorns, preventing a charge. Nuts.

This whole flank was just... messy. I had a few earlier mistakes, all covered already, but I didn't realize how exposed the Longhorns were until it all came down to their overrun roll. I could have instead overrun with the victorious Hydra, for example, to try to deny the Paladins space, rolled less with Softhoof or an inch more with the Longhorns and the unit would have been totally safe. No luck and lots of minor misplays here on my part.

Bottom of Round 4: Brothermark

The Paladin Monster Slayers do indeed charge past Softhoof and into the Longhorns, who are thoroughly dismantled. The Spearmen continue their fight against the Hunters of the Wild in the woods, and with the Paladin on foot, manage a 4 damage and a waver against the living foliage. 

The Longhorns meet their end.

Over on the left, the knights take their charge into the Tribal Spearmen, but only deal 3 damage, and are kept at bay. Still, they are just within range to claim the token, and claim it. If memory serves, the Phoenix repositions now as well to take a second token for the Brothermark, taking it to 2:1 in their favor as the round concludes.

Top of Round 5: Herd

Things are not looking good for the Herd! On the right, engaged on two fronts, the wavered Hunters cannot disengage to free up space, and my Tribal Trappers have no good charges. 

The nail in the coffin on my right.

They take the only legal charge into the Paladin on Foot, joined by Softhoof. They deal only three damage, and then we get Insane Courage for the resulting check.

"For the lulz!"

The Hydra is also in a bit of a pickle. I could try to play the angles game and skirt around the Paladins, but it won't be able to beat their unit strength for the central token when it comes to that. If I delay, I may regenerate too much and miss out on extra attacks. With how the last turn went, I don't know if I'll have any units coming to the rescue. So, for fun, I opt to charge the Hydra into the Paladins. I deal only 1 damage, which is immediately Iron Resolved back, which is fitting.

The Chieftain and Spirit Walkers charge the remaining Knightly regiment, and Bane Chant finally connects, buffing the Spirits. However, I roll abysmally, missing with most hits and dealing only 4 damage on 3's and 3's from 20 attacks. The knights are unimpressed.

Bottom of Round 5: Brothermark

The knights are disordered but receive a Bane Chant from the priest, and with 14 of 16 dice hitting, proceed to obliterate the Chieftain, and then overrun the 1 inch into the Spirit Walkers, and dispatch them as well. On the second overrun, they get within 3 inches of the Brothermark's final objective, and claim it. 

The knights should have shuffled to the center of the Chieftain, but that would not have changed the outcome here. 

The Paladins counter charge the Hydra, and the Phoenix joins in too, and the Hydra is slain. 

...and that looks like the end to me!

Down 3:1 with to just two Druids, Softhoof, and one unit of scoring Trappers remaining on the table, I concede. 

Game Conclusions

Being a new army, I had a fair amount of misplays, and my dice felt cold. Still, it was a very close game for a while there! Not being able to protect the Longhorns Turn 4 and then failing to break anything on Turn 5 ultimately did me in without a way to recover, but I still think I put up a pretty good fight, and I really enjoyed how speedy and threatening the Herd can be!

My opponent persevered through a lot of early pressure, played a crisp game and managed to wrest momentum back for a decisive win. Sir Roderick did over a dozen damage with Cloak of Death before he was brought down, which is probably the best that he has done in any of our games. Special mention should also be made about my opponent's usage of heroes: the combat heroes did well to stymie and tip the combats, and the supporting heroes along with their spells and auras were put to very good use. The Penitent spam continued to serve my opponent well. As-ever, it was a very enjoyable army to play against, and I had a great time. Thanks for the game, and congrats on the victory!

Testing Conclusions.

• Tribal Spears. I did end up deploying them together, but with not enough room to go on the other side of the Hunters of the Wild, and with all the enemy cavalry on that side of the field, this felt acceptable. They did not have a great game, but did their generalist job well enough. They took up space and charged a few times, but luck just wasn't with them for any big plays.
• Spirit Walkers. Playing with Defense 3 is pretty stressful, and they only have Thunderous Charge 1 to help out on the offense. Still, they did ok, and if more of the Bane Chants had landed or the dice had been a little better, I'd probably be singing a different tune. I don't think these are worth the points in more serious lists, but I do like my paint job, so we'll definitely see them in some form again sometime.
• Longhorns as Regiment. True to my word, I ignored Rallying. So much so that I never took it into account for any combat, despite being surrounded by eligible units. We had a few close checks, but I don't think any would have been changed. They indeed performed like cousins to the more fearsome Huscarls, and I really liked them. We'll try them again sometime too.
• Hunters of the Wild. They never got their Bane Chant. I had some minor misplays with them (like not victoriously changing facing in Round 2), but I liked them. Without any offensive bonuses, they definitely need support, but they tanked things ok. Again, if any of the Bane chants had landed on them, I would probably have an even better opinion of them.
• Wild Gur Panthers. They all died in Round 1. I don't think this was ideal, and they did not get to play the scenario or frustrate my opponent's movements, but they did block for me well enough. I really enjoyed their speed, and they are growing on me as chaff.
• Hydras. Dice were just not on their side either, and I threw one away on a very ill-advised charge. With a little more restraint, these probably could have done much more for me. Their damage output wasn't that high, and I think they need support, but being so cheap, they still have potential I think, and so I'd say more testing is warranted. 
• Great Chieftain, Cat and Horn. The Great Chieftain was a little underwhelming. Duelist never came into play, and a combat character with low Nerve proved to be a liability as the game progressed. I think either Cat or Horn might be the way to go in the future, to give him a more definite role? But I think he's worth testing out again sometime.
• Druid with Bane-Chant and Heal. One unexpectedly rebuffed Sir Roderick in Round 2, and  gave me a fighting chance on that flank, but that's about the only positive thing I can say about their performance. Theoretically, they are still very good options, but only one out of six spell attempts was successful, and the dice were just not with them this game either.
• Silent Hunt Formation. I did not use the formation well. There wasn't much terrain to take advantage of, and I stubbornly held back and misused them while the rest of the army tried to move forward. It still looks like fun and worth trying again, but I didn't use it well this time.
• Tribal Trappers. I did not use these well. Knowing I was against infantry, I should have scouted up enough to get opening shots in, and instead I prioritized cheekily sitting just inside the woods to maybe take advantage of the formation's rules. Additionally, knowing I was against infantry, once I got the first turn and so much else moved up, I should have moved up with them as well, since they hit better in melee than they do at range. Given the table and terrain, I should have just been more aggressive with them. 
• Tribal Tracker / Softhoof. He charged more than he shot, and that seems bad as he has Piercing but doesn't even get Thunderous Charge. The character did well tying some things up, but was not used well. I'll need to give the formation another attempt sometime.
• Scout. The Hunters did just fine, but the Trappers didn't move up far enough to get any first turn shots. Knowing I was against infantry, this was a blunder with the Trappers. I am still figuring out Scout moves, so some mixed results like this are expected. I think I am making progress in my understanding though.
• Herd MSU. I felt strong early on, and then bled away a few too many units too quickly to make it to the end of the game. So, I guess it worked about as well as usual for me, which I guess isn't very high praise! Still, some of the neater units (Trappers, Hunters, Longhorns) all top out at regiment-size, so I think the potential is there for some MSU shenanigans. With a little better deployment and decisions, I could have won this game, so we'll see what the future holds as I get more familiar with the army.
• Battle Report Template. I missed a few key pictures on my opponent's turn again, so that is something I will need to work on. I kept the sheet (and a pen) handy though, and mindfully jotted down at least something every turn to help keep pace, and overall, this went quite well. I still have a few  of the original printouts to use up, and then I'll tweak and share.

I had a great time exploring the Herd a little more. Many thanks to my opponent for fitting in the game, and congrats on the win!

Hobby Update: KoM Fanatics

These dudes are a few years late. Back in 2018, I hobbied up some old Berserkers (now termed Fanatics) for 2nd Edition. I hobbied up two regiments and had some leftover miniatures that never quite reached the hobbying table. In 2022 I used some of the bits to make some Varangur Draugr. Still having some human bits left, I did some recalculating, and picked up some individual sprues to replenish the ranks enough to make some more units. So, here are two more regiment's worth of crazed Berserkers Fanatics for the Kingdoms of Men.

Hey, that's enough for a horde!

The units are a mix of bodies and bits. There are a handful of helmeted heads and shields from Warlord's Roman Legionaries. Some of the older bodies are from Warlord Games and various Celtic lines, and the additional sprues I picked up were Irish Warriors from Wargames Atlantic, who have been kicking out a lot of great releases the last few years. I wish I had more time to game and more space to store armies! Alas. Still, all these various bits and bodies mixed nicely together, and I was able to get a nice, disorganized unit, on par with the older regiments. 

Two troops, with Sam Elliot and his commanding rock.

Hobbying-wise there isn't too much going on, though I am getting a better handle on painting white. The key, as it turns out, is to paint not white for several layers. Layer after layer is usually not my jam, but the results are worth the extra effort, even finishing up with cheap craft paint like I did. I used a tan base coat (Usabti Bone) then off-white layer covering everything but the lowest folds, then a white highlight on the highest creases and the unit "pops" much more than usual. At least in person.

The other troops.

The Fanatics are not my favorite unit type, but it won't hurt to have a few more of them around. We'll get some more testing in and see how they do. I hobbied them up as troops for flexibility, but I think these are most likely going to show up initially as a full horde. My Kingdoms of Men have had a hard time playing that regimental MSU style that I like, and I think I'll use this army to explore hordes more for their next few games. I mean, I have yet to run a horde of Knights, and that seems a "must-try" at some point since I have the army. We'll see if I can figure out how many hordes is too many for the Kingdoms of Men!

Hobby Update: Abyssal Warlocks

I let myself make a few purchases in early May. Unfortunately, the majority of them did not pan out as well as I was hoping, and are back in the storage bins for now. These ended up being a bright spot though: two "counts-as" Abyssal Warlocks.

The faces... could honestly use some work. But these are still good enough for the table.

Last I had checked, the Warlock was only sold as part of a Abyssal Warband Booster, so I had been watching for alternative models that could fill out that 40mm base ok. I look to have missed the timing, and Mantic's model appears to now be sold individually. Still, I got both of these for less than one of their models, and I can't be upset with some frugal hobbying. These will work just fine.

The model is from Reaper, which continues to be a good source of monsters and characters. This model has a weird, long, oval stand about equal to the robe's edge, and with the thickness of a normal Mantic infantry base! The stand is too thick and integral to easily cut away, but the odd shape fills the larger base well, and some crumbled cork board disguises it to my satisfaction. The paintjob is honestly below average for me, but is acceptable for now. 

The Warlocks seem like wonderful caster units for the Abyssals, providing a handful of 18" Firebolt attacks and a source of Inspiring base, plus access to a number of useful spells if you wish to spend the points. Their larger base gives them a unit strength to score for scenarios, which can be a big plus as well! The Warlock has been suggested to me a few times now, and I have really liked the legendary version of the unit in Zaz the Betrayer. I think the base warlocks could go well with some of the MSU things I still want to try with the Abyssals, so it's nice to have some available now.

While putting some of the dud purchases away, I found the second bard mini from the two-pack I bought to do up my Varangur Skald. I don't really like that particular mini, but wanted something else to work on. I added some green-stuff fur and replaced the head with a spare from the kit I made my Oathbreakers from, turning it into an Abyssal Harbinger with a Lute of Darkness. 

"Anyways, here's Wonderwall."

I like aiming for wysiwyg, models, but I try to draw the line at magic items. The various Lute-toting miniatures (this, but also previously my KoM ASB, and the aforementioned Skald) have been been exceptions to the rule since they have all been done for cheap. 

The Harbinger is a fancier Flamebearer. It has Inspiring, and two 18" Firebolt attacks to offer up, plus the option to mount-up. It's not a terrible hero, but it doesn't have great chances to damage anything, so seems mostly to be picked for just a cheap source of Inspiring. The Abyssals have no shortage of character options these days! With such stiff competition in the hero slot, I think Ambush might be the most likely place we'll see him? This year has been crazy though, so we'll have to wait and see what develops and see when this guy may actually hit the table with my schedule.

Hobby Update: More Abyssal Flamebearers

About six months ago, I picked up a second-hand Archfiend as well as some Flameberers from a local game shop. Almost immediately I was hobbying up the Archfiend, as it was new and exciting. The Flamebearers were prepped and re-primed, but mostly left for later, which I guess happened to be around mid-May, as I was looking to wrap up a few of my older hobbying projects. 

Two more regiments...

The models here are Mantic's, and they have shown up several times before in the blog. The hobbying here is nothing fancy, with a Pink Horror base color and Carroburg Crimson shade for achieving the flesh tones. I had briefly toyed with the idea of replacing the firebolt effects with a greener Hexwraith Flame paint-scheme for these, but ultimately decided against that. I wanted all of my regiments to look the same, and I did not want to repaint all the other units... so, these should look quite similar to the other units in the other posts.

The first new regiment.

The second new regiment.

These were based as troops, as I had done up the bases long ago, but these will likely be run as regiments. These will be my fifth and sixth regiments of the Flamebearer unit, which should make them one of the most spammed units in my entire collection. I think they are tied only with my two legions worth of Zombies if my memory serves me well. Why so many? Well, I have a hard time declining deals when I'm on the fence about a purchase. These were second-hand buys that came in around $1.50 per mini, which was hard to say no to as long as I was already picking up a few things from the shop. Kings of War is a great game that scales up very well, and I still have delusions of playing some very large games at some point. These units put me well over 6000 points of Abyssals without any upgrades, which should be a very strong starting place for any large, narrative game I may happen to play at some point. Hey, a man can dream!

Hobby Update: Touched-up Avatar of the Father

I am still catching up on what will be a handful of hobbying posts from all my May efforts. Life has been busy lately, and unfortunately not in the best ways. On the happy hobbying front though, I officially out of new units for the Herd, but have a few things in need of touchups that I've been chipping away at. Most of that is just a little paint to hide some yellowing super glue, and will not be documented, but I do have one model that got a lot of attention: the Avatar of the Father.

Back in 2019 I did up an Avatar of the Father, which at the time was just a fighty monster. In the transition to 3rd Edition, the unit remained, but gained a permanent Fly. My wingless version wasn't wysiwyg, so I despaired a bit. Recently, I found some wings from Scribor in a local shop, picked them up and got to work touching up this legendary leader option for the Herd. So I guess I have a legitimate centerpiece model for the Herd again? Yay?

All done, for now.

The updates are pretty good! I don't usually trust myself to do eyes on any mini, but felt that something white or bright would be a nice final touch here. Not being great with eyes, it's not perfect, but does give a nice feeling of an "empowered" being, I think. Seems fitting for an Avatar.

I had a lot to do, and then the head popped off... so the whole mini got touched up.

For hobbying, just about everything needed some work done. Aside from adding the new wings, I saw a few mold lines that I missed previously; the base was oriented wrong and could not make use of the leader point divot; and the base needed some more work with some tufts and a bit more paint after removing the miniature. Then head popped off, so I set about just touching up all the paint. 

From the back, before adding the final tufts.

The wings are one big piece of solid resin, so the model is now quite heavy. For now, I just filed down the connections and applied a fair amount of super glue, but this will probably be in need of a pin or two in the near future. The extra weight might also require a pin into a hoof or two to provide more support. He's vertical for now, but I'm not sure how sturdy just cork board will be long-term and if the wings will hold against any accidental torqueing force or in-game bumps. 

I am always excited to finish up a unit and eager get them onto the table for testing, but that is especially true in this case.

My tiny, pseudo-local meta has been exploring what I think of as "heavy fliers" over the last year or so. These are things like the Vampire Lord on Undead Dragon for the Undead; the Clan Lord on Fire Drake for the Salamanders; the High Paladin on Dragon for the Brothermark; or the Archfiend of the Abyss for the forces that hail from there. A heavy Flier is a titan, something that costs around 300 points, has good stats, as well as some extra ranged ability tacked on, like a breath attack or a spell. I have not played with them too much myself, but the general consensus is that these kinds of heavy flying units just have not been worth it. One wants to get the beast into combat, so the ranged ability is often paid for but not used. However, once it gets into combat, the damage output just isn't there, and it's a 300 point investment that then needs assistance to get things done. No matter the situation, you're paying for things you are not using, so the heavy fliers just have not been delivering for my opponents, and do not seem to be regarded as good picks online.

As a rather combative flier, the Avatar of the Father is in that same lane, but still a bit different. It drops the ranged attack, making it little leaner points-wise, and is only on a monster-sized base, making it easier to squeeze into any gaps your opponent leaves for you in their battle line. I have not messed with true heavy fliers much myself, but I am hoping the Avatar of the Father might provide some more tactical insight into that unit type after a few games. We'll see what uses and insights I can come up with. The Herd seems like a fun and aggressive army, and hopefully I can squeeze in a few more games with them soon!

Hobby Update: Herd Tree Herders

I have some hobbying posts to catch up on! Next up for the Herd are two powerful Tree Herders. The models are variants of Verdant Ancients, originally from Archvillain Games, but I purchased mine via Crypt Monkey Games on etsy.

Ta-da! The overhang is ridiculous.

Judging by the pictures from various vendors online, they seemed like they should fit on 50mm bases. Technically the feet do, and the bodies look good at this scale. The minis came with unique bases though, which are HUGE and don't even fit nicely on 75mm squares. It's a bit of a shame, as the bases would have protected the swords, but yeah, it's just not reasonable for wargaming, and I didn't want to run these with exceptional base sizes option. Additionally the bottoms of each of the scenic bases are bowing out, so.. even if I wanted to use them, there would have been some issues to affix them to any base. Best to just leave them for now. They might make good scatter terrain in a skirmish game or something though, so I tossed them into a box.

See? The scenic bases are just too massive.

The minis came with scenic bases, but the bases barely fit on 75mm squares! They are HUGE. It's a bit of a shame, as the bases would have protected the swords, but yeah, it's just not reasonable for wargaming, and I didn't want to run these with exceptional base sizes. Additionally the bottoms of each of the scenic bases are bowing outward, so.. even if I wanted to use them, there would have been some issues getting them to not roll around a base. Best to just leave them for now. The bases might make good scatter terrain in a skirmish game or something though.

The first. I will probably run this one the most often, as the sword is mostly off to the side.

Instead of the scenic bases they came with, I resorted to scraps of insulation foam, following the steps for my craggy hills, but on a smaller scale. Even with the protective glue / Mod Podge coat, the foam still has enough give to hold the oddly shaped feet (which were meant to slip neatly into specific spots of their scenic base). Each mini is taking a step up, so that foot got superglued to the foam rock, and the other foot got glued with normal white glue to the base and snow effect, to hopefully prevent the yellowing side effect we finally seemed to track down with the Forest Shamblers. 

The second. The sword is positioned as best I could, and unfortunately the creature is closer to a 3/4 profile than I would have liked. I might change the facing if/when the sword breaks.

I am expecting the swords to break eventually, so I tried to keep the painting simple. It's mostly all cheap craft paints: a base coat of burnt umber, then dry brushing Deathclaw Brown, and then went back to the cheap craft paints with beige and grey dry brushing to finish them off. Keeping it to just a bunch of dry brushing should be able to help camouflage any repairs needed down the line. The cycloptic eye was just whatever blues I had nearby; the exact coloring there wasn't important to me. Just a darker watered down base layer for a bit of a glow, and a brighter blue applied more sparingly and centrally to sell the effect. 

On the table, these are expensive, but do seem to offer a lot for a Herd player. They have a good number of attacks, CS3, and with Scout, Strider and Pathfinder, as well as a smaller, monster-sized base, they should be able to hit what you want them to and survive a strike back from your opponent. They are Fearless, and with Defense 6 and 18 for their Rout Value, they should be quite difficult for your opponent to dislodge with certainty. They seem like great anchors for the Herd's lines. With Radiance of Life and Surge, they look like they could be nice supporting pieces as well, though generally I think it will be best fight stuff with them first, and only look to support in fringe cases. There are cheaper ways to get Surge and such if you need it.

The Tree Herders also have a unique upgrade option, promoting one of their kind to be the mighty Wiltfather. This boosts some stats, and swaps out Radiance of Life to gain Cloak of Death and a Vicious aura to Verdant units, like the Shamblers and the Hunters of the Wild. The Wiltfather looks  like a neat unique character and worth checking out at some point. 

Wiltfather or no, the Herders are expensive units. They do seem like strong options for the Herd, but running even one is quite a commitment. Testing needs to be done! We'll see how long it takes the swords to break!