Kings of War 3rd Edition: #068 Herd vs Imperial Dwarfs [Dominate]

Intro and Lists

The escalation league for Kings of War Wisconsin continues apace, with increases every month. One of the impromptu meetup days happened to coincide with a free day of mine, so I made the trip eastward, getting in a pair of very enjoyable games! The first of which was against the Imperial Dwarfs, who were trying out some new units and tactics! My opponent ran the following:

The Imperial Dwarfs continue to be tough battles for me. Lots of Defense 6 has been hard for most of my armies to contend with, and his lists are pretty strong generally speaking. For this game, he fit in the Royal Guard without further improvements, a Warsmith and Flame Belcher, two Ironguard, two Mastiff Hunting Packs and one fancy new unit of Berserker Brock Riders to test out. Some scary stuff, but points are tight he wasn't able to take any Throwing Mastiffs! I'll count my blessings.

I brought the Herd. With me not being part of the League officially, they seem like splendid marauders and party crashers! I came up with a few iterations on a general list, including some new units of my own! Unfortunately, I haven’t written up the Hobby Update posts for anything besides the Chariot-riding Chieftain so far, so we’ll operate in reverse for these new Centaur units; testing them a bit blindly in-game first and then analyzing things instead of theorizing in their Update posts. Up to test are:

• Tribal Spears w/ Dwarven Ale. I think Tribal Spears are a great starting point for a list, providing unlocks, good nerve, and some good damage potential if you buy TC. They had some unfortunate Wavers in the previous games, so we’ll see how Dwarven Ale and Headstrong treat them here. 
• Harpies. The Gur Panthers have been great chaff, but for just 5 points more, gaining two extra attacks and Fly is probably worth it. I think Harpies are our best chaff, but I only brought one unit, so we’ll see how I do with them.
• Guardian Brutes w/ Chalice of Wrath. The Brutes are one of the few hammer units the Herd can run, so I feel compelled to bring them. Wavering is an issue for them too, arguably more so than the Spears, so we’ll give them the classic Chalice of Wrath to mitigate that. Hopefully, they Waver the midst of combat!          EDIT: Boss_Salvage of the forum and Bloodfire fame let me know in the kindest of ways that I am a dummy. Brutes have Fury innately, and this was a waste of points.
• Centaur Bray Striders. A new unit! They are the Herd’s melee cavalry, but trade for a very peculiar stat line in exchange for the potent Pathfinder special rule. We’ll dive into that and some comparisons more in their eventual Hobby Update post. Generally speaking, even generic KoM Knights will outperform them in the open field, so I want to try and use Pathfinder whenever possible. 
• Centaur Bray Hunters. Another new unit! They are cavalry with bows, and fall into a similar role as Scorchwings as a multi-purpose unit for the Herd, but are cheaper since they lose out on Fly and have worse combat stats. I love the concept for this style of unit, but have continually struggled to get good results on the field. We’ll follow the usual playbook and try to use them to harass and pressure and distract my opponent, and see what happens.
• Druid. My go-to unit for Inspiring and support, and they have been great alongside the Tribal Spears. Given the points-level, I can only run one, but that’s actually a good thing for me, as I really need to explore some other sources of Inspiring, and I am forced to do so here!
• Chieftain on a Chariot. I like the model, but do not have high hopes for the performance of the Chieftain here. He lacks Pathfinder (and Strider), so doesn’t synergize well with the rest of the army, but as-theorized, there may be a lane (har har) for him in a terrain-light meta. Anyays, he’s new and I need to test him out, so here he is!
• Centaur Chief. I think the Chiefs could be nice as a go-to melee supporting character for me. Like the Centaur units, the hero version has some peculiar stats, but at 110 points base, one or two might not be bad to have around to help keep my line covered or add in a few damage here and there. We’ll see how he does!
• Scrying Gem. I had the points and didn’t want to juggle things around anymore, so opted to take it and call the list done. Hopefully the rolls are high! I think the plan will be to preserve the Centaur units for the final drops, to maximize the chances of flanking with them.  

Table and Terrain

We were out at Oddwillows, though making use of my opponent's homefield. We followed our usual terrain rules, playing the buildings as Height 9 blocking terrain, the forests as Height 6 Difficult Terrain, the fences as Height 2 Obstacles, and the Hills as normal Height 3 hills. We are unfortunately a little light on usable terrain for the Herd!

The scenario of the month is Dominate, which is not great for the Herd either. Precious little in the army is truly defensive, and I don't really have effective heals or grinding units. Additionally, while focusing more on units than I had been doing previously, the Imperial Dwarfs still had a massive advantage in Unit Strength. All in all, this was not looking like a promising match-up for me at all!

For deployment, I immediately forget about the Scrying Gem. There is a reason I have such a strong aversion to magic items, though running a new list for each game doesn't help. The Imperial Dwarfs out-deploy me, with the Brocks coming down last.

Deployment for the Imperial Dwarfs, with the token marking the approximate center.

Left-to-right we have both Bulwarkers, the Warsmith and Flame Belcher hiding behind the house. The Ironclad horde take the woods (for all the good it does them against the Herd), with the ASB beside them, the Iron Guard units continuing the line, and the Berserker Brock Riders out on the far flank.

Deployment for the Herd.

The Bulwarkers were pretty early drops as I recall. Phalanx pretty decisively counters my Herd, and hitting on 3+ the formation Bulwarks could even do good damage to my low Defense. Overall, I hoped to avoid them! Left-to-right, I had Centaur Bray Hunters, Centaur Bray Striders, Guardian Brutes with Harpies in reserve, the Chieftain on the Chariot, the Tribal Spears supported by the Druid, and then more Centaur Striders and the Centaur Chief. With the Brocks as late drops, I wanted to try and have the Centaurs out on my wings to be ready to interdict, where ever they might show up.

The Dwarfs won the roll for the decision, and stuck the Herd with the first turn. I counted my blessings and readied up.

Top of Round 1: Herd

Knowing how stalwart Imperial Dwarves can be, I tried to be aggressive, but not overly so. I knew I couldn't box them into their deployment zone, but having speedier units, I could hopefully make him think twice about advancing. Again, the Herd doesn't have the best grinding or defensive units, so if I can create some odd spacing or delay combats, I think that's generally a win for me.

Opening moves for the Herd.

On the left, the Centaur Hunters moved through the woods, taking a penalty while loosing their arrower into the inner Bulwark unit. They greatly overperform, landing 3 damage.

The Brutes advance the most aggressively, hoping to bully the central Dwarven infantry and make them think twice about advancing up. The rest of the herd line moves up, with the Centaur Chief and Striders taking the hill.

Bottom of Round 1: Imperial Dwarfs

The Bulwarks back up, with the Warsmith and Flame Belcher maneuvering behind the building. I don't have any charges into them, but should the Bulwarks be threatened, the Flame Belcher awaits.

Opening moves for the Imperial Dwarfs.

The Ironclad horde move up to protect the flanks of the advancing Ironguard.

My opponent had noodled out beforehand that if he deployed the Mastiffs behind the infantry, they could hop over the latter quite effectively while still letting the infantry advance at the double, so he does that here, though the units are now flush. The Brocks lumber up to threaten anything that threatens the layered defensive line.

Top of Round 2: Herd

I hem and haw for a long while. With the Bulwarks backing up, I feel like I need to ignore them, and take advantage of them, the Warsmith and Flame Belcher being out of the immediate fights. The Centaur Hunters nimbly pivot and move their max towards the center of the field.

It's not the best of moves, but with the Ironguard and Mastiff packs being flush, I felt like I needed to try and punish that and block the Ironguard up. The Centaur Chief and Harpies each charge a Mastiff Pack, hoping for wavering results. 

I screw up the order of charges a little bit, so I am unable to get the Tribal Spears into anything. I looked at the Spears last, and I was aiming for the more central Mastiff unit, but cannot fit with the Chief's Chariot and Centaur Chief already having charged, so they sidestep onto the hill, and the Harpies go into their target instead. The Centaur Chief does 0 damage, and the Harpies deal 2 to their respective Packs.

Lots of charges in Round 2!

The Centaur Striders on the right charge the Brocks, hoping to get some early damage in. They deal 5 damage, and get a spicy Boxcars for the Nerve check, but the uninspired Brocks are -/18, and do not care. This rout would have been glorious, but was unfortunately just not to be!

The big play is a triple charge into the Ironclad horde. Their frontage is most out of the forest, so the Chariot's charge is actually unhindered. The Brutes charge in too (with a Bane Chant failing), and the other Centaur Striders make a hindered charge over the fence in as well. If I am ignoring the Bulwarks, I figure I might as well commit as much as I can.

Unfortunately, it is not enough. Unbuffed, the Brutes do 10, the Chieftain does 3 and the hindered Centaurs do 0. The Ironclad horde survives, but my opponent isn't in a good position to do much next turn, so at least there's that. 

Bottom of Round 2: Imperial Dwarfs

The Herd have limited the options for the Imperial Dwarfs, and they are forced to just counter charge things. Unfortunately for me, Dwarfs are Dwarfs, and their counter-punches hit pretty darn hard.

The Brocks seek to pop their Dragonshard Shield, as my opponent was reading "Change Facing" as "Charge" on the item. Pesky glasses. The item can only be used on a Halt or Change Facing order, so the item is unused, and the Brock Riders counter-charge in, and deal 7 damage to the Centaur Striders out on the flank and secure a waver against them. The Mastiffs counter the Centaur Chief, and get CS1 since they are fighting a cavalry unit. I believe this originally appeared in the Historical book from 2nd Edition, so that's neat to see. They deal 4 and secure another waver along the Herd line. The other Mastiffs roll hot and trounce the Harpies and then overrun. 

The Ironclad opt to charge the Chariot, hoping to remove it, but the Dwarfs flub their rolling and only land 3 damage, and the Chieftain on the Chariot holds.

Elsewhere, the Bulwarks move out, making use of Ordered March. the Warsmith repositions around the building to take a shot at something, but misses. The Flame Belcher moves around. I can't remember if it changed facing or moved backward here. Regardless, it is still stuck behind a building and not contributing.

Top of Round 3: Herd

With the Ironclad countercharging the Chariot, the Brutes and Centaur Striders are popped free. The Centaurs are going to have a hindered charge again, so I get greedy and throw them at the Warsmith. Angles-wise, if they can best him, and overrun, they should be able to take out the Flame Belcher too, and that seems worth the risk. Unfortunately, hindered charges are still rough, and Dwarf leadership is still formidable with good Nerve and Def5 here. I only deal the expected 3 damage, and the Warsmith survives.

The Brutes and Chariot fight the Ironclad horde, and best them. The Chariot needs a 2 to get even with the Ironclad and out of their charge arc, so I promptly roll a 1. The Brutes are safe, so they change facing to fight the next threats. The Bulwarks are advancing, but shouldn't be able to fight anything for a turn or two, so I can continue to ignore them.

Combat, top of Round 2.

I can't get them into anything worthwhile, so I opt to keep the Tribal Spears on the hill, and preserve their "charging off the hill" potential bonus. They do pivot though, enough to have their arc cover up to the building.

The Centaur Hunters don't have good shots against all the Dwarf armor, so I send them into the flanks of the victorious Mastiff Pack. I do 10 damage to take them to 12, but they are inspired, and we get some Insane Courage, and the pack isn't even devastated!

Aftermath of the combats. The horde of Ironclad falls, to that's a start.

The Centaur Chief stays engaged to hold up the other Mastiff Pack. The Centaur Striders disengage, but we are talking things out, and there is no real mechanical difference here. They'll be getting TC1 no matter what.

Bottom of Round 3: Imperial Dwarfs

The Dwarfs continue to brawl, and brawl well. With the Centaur Striders wavered, the victory of the Beserker Brock riders is all but assured. They charge in, and mop them op. Mastiffs go into the Centaur Chief again, deal another 4 damage, and secure another waver. This has been a terrible fight for the new Chief! The blocked up Ironclad back up now, to give them slightly more options next turn.

Charges from the Imperial Dwarfs.

The insane Mastiffs disengage and withdraw from the Centaur Hunters, and charge uphill into the Tribal Spears. They continue to roll out of their little doggy minds, and with penalties, will steal deal 5 damage to my Spears!

The goodest of disposable boys choose to ignore the bell curve and probability.

Unable to overrun and escape, the Chieftain on Chariot takes a flank charge from the Ironclad, who also roll dealing 8 damage (closer to 5 is expected), and will rout the Chieftain. The Ironclad will reform to get both the Brutes and the Hunters into their front arc.

The Flame Belcher now changes facing to see the Centaur Striders, but he Warsmith opted to stay engaged with them, I think to protect the war engine? The Warsmith fights back, dealing 2 damage, and disorders the Centaurs.

The Bulwarks continue to make great use of Ordered March, and one moves into scoring position, though astute readers may notice that the unit seems to have abandoned its damage-tracking dice a few rounds ago.

Top of Round 4: Herd

I wouldn't say things are going well. The Imperial Dwarfs have had a few hundred points of stuff "uncommitted" for most of the battle, but I was hoping for more from the Centaurs guys on my right, and I am still struggling hard here.

Combats in the top of Round 2.

The Centaur Striders go into the Warsmith, deal an average 5, but this brings the hero to 8 damage, and I am able to get the rout. I need a 2 on the overrun too reach the Flame Belcher, but roll up a second 1 for my second overrun this game. 

The pain! So close.

The Brutes go into the Ironclad, and I commit the Hunters in as well. I believe Bane Chant finally goes off this round, and the Herd manages 12 damage against the Ironclad, and will luckily get the rout here. The Brutes change facing and the Centaur Hunters back up, but are blocked by the Druid.

The Tribal Spears countercharge the insane Mastiff Pack, and will rout them, finally.

After combats.

The mighty Centaur Chief will disengage and withdraw from his pack, and while wavered, back up, trying to prevent the Brocks from charging past him into my spears, as I really want to get a charge off this darn hill.

Bottom of Round 4: Imperial Dwarfs

The Mastiff Pack and the Brock Riders charge the Centaur Chief, and with these charges declared first, the Ironguard have juuuust enough space remaining to charge in against the Centaur Hunters too. Some great awareness from my opponent here!

The Dwarfs continue to roll amazingly hot, and the Ironclad hit with 11 of their 12 attacks, and translate that into 8 damage against the Centaur Hunters. Fortunately, the Inspired reroll keeps me around and unwavering.

The Mastiff Pack and Brock Riders devastate and then rout the Centaur Chief. My opponent continues to make some wise positioning moves here. The Ironclad are stalled, and stuck there. The Mastiffs turn and the Brock Riders change facing as well. With the building right there, my spears cannot fit in to fight the Brock Riders.

Very clever reforms from my opponent! I can't get in against the Brocks.

Both Bulwarks move up and are now both in scoring position.

We realize at the end of the turn that the Flame Belcher didn't shoot, so rewind to let that happen, and 5 damage hits and painfully slow Centaur Striders, but they hold.

Top of Round 5: Herd

Spears and Phalanx really counter my army quite hard. The plan was to ignore the spears and fight everything else, but I am running out of time! With some unfortunate wavers and low overruns, I don't think enough has broken in favor of the Herd, and the road to victory looks very steep.

Starting positions for everything.

The Centaur Striders go in against the Flame Belcher, and will manage to devastate and then rout it, which is good. They will victoriously turn to face the center, and are looking at another Hindered Charge next turn.

The Brutes have a charge into the Bulwarks. I need to head forward a ways before I can pivot for the charge, but with a 120mm wide frontage, I will still clip the fence for a Hindered Charge. I will get a Bane Chant off on them, and deal 6 damage to Bulwarks. The Nerve check is a 7, which is not enough. Astute readers will recall that this unit abandoned their damage dice a few rounds ago. They should be at 9 damage prior to the check, which is really unfortunate for me, and I did not catch that at the time.

After combats.

With the Brutes charging, the Druid slips up to support them. With the extra space, the Centaur Hunters opt to disengage and withdraw from the Ironclad. That unit is fresh and Def6, and the Hunters will absolutely not be able to break them. Withdrawing and disengaging, they are able to pivot, and run along the frontage of the Tribal Spears and into the Brock Riders. The manage just 2 damage, but the goal is to block the riders up for a turn, so mission accomplished.

This move lets the Tribal Spears on the hill charge off the hill and into the flank of the Ironguard. Fourteen damage is done (about as expected) and I am able to pick the unit up. Victorious, the Spears change facing. They are scoring for me, and the Mastiffs and Brocks will need to chew through them to score, giving me some hope for the scenario.

Bottom of Round 5: Imperial Dwarfs

I don't get pictures. The Brocks obliterate the Centaur Hunters on the counter charge, as expected, and change facing. I believe the Mastiffs go in against the Hunters as well, so they could reform to prevent my Spears from charging the Brocks.

The Bulwarks hit the Brutes in the front and flank, landing 12 damage (slightly lower than expected.. the Bulwarks are hitting on 3's and the Brutes are just Def4), but the Inspired Brutes are still taken off the field, and the both Bulwarks reform to face the Centaurs.

Top of Round 6: Herd

The Centaurs need to charge to give me a chance, and at this point, trying to do some quick math, I realize that we have abandoned the previous damage dice. This was really impactful, but definitely not malicious. We decide to put the unit at the 9 damage it should have had, and play on from here. The Centaurs charge in. We're going over a fence again, and the unit is hindered for the third time this game. So much for Herd and Pathfinder! Thankfully, even hindered, I slip in a few damage in thanks to Crushing Strength, and will rout the unit.

Movement for the Herd in Round 6.

The Druid tries to Bane Chant the Centaurs, but I believe fails. I consider moving up to Inspire the Centaurs too, but my opponent graciously points out the Spears are more important. It's great advice, and I take it, with the Druid buffing the Centaurs and moving over to Inspire the Spears.

If I charge the Mastiffs, It's dicey if the Spears will still be scoring. With it being Round 6, I decide to just stay put with them, and zone out the remaining Dwarf units.

At the end of the Round, I have the Centaurs scoring for 3, and the Tribal Spears scoring for 4, for a toal of 7 points.

Bottom of Round 6: Imperial Dwarfs

The Imperial Dwarfs start battling their way to the center of the field.

Bulwarks charge the Centaurs, dealing 4 and securing a Waver, but the unit is still around.

End of the game.

The Mastiffs and Brocks charge the Tribal Spears, but fail to break through, with Phalanx really shutting down the Beserkers. I want to say more than 1 damage was done this combat, but this is the last picture, and that might have actually been it with some very cold dice to end the game. The Tribal Spears end the game unwavering, and blocking out the additional Dwarf units.

At the end of the round, the Herd units survive, and only the Bulwarks are scoring for the Imperial Dwarfs, with 3.

We don't roll up a Round 7, making this an incredibly hard-fought 7-4 victory to the Herd!

Game Conclusions

The Herd had a lot against it, but having more units around seemed to be the right direction for the army. Ignoring the Bulwarkers was the right general call, and realizing that I just needed to zone out the Dwarfs and not rout them at the end was a clutch realization on my part. Despite some setbacks here and there, I was able pull out the win with some luck and smart plays near the end. There are always things to learn and improve from, but overall, I am quite happy with my play here.

Testing Conclusions

• Tribal Spears w/ Dwarven Ale. The MVPs for me! They continue to just exist and somehow still impress me. I think Thunderous Charge is going to be a must-buy most of the time, and I think these are a great place to start a Herd list as they can do a bit of everything for you.
• Harpies. I think charging to block was the right call with them, they just got unlucky with the dice. Still good chaff for the Herd.
• Guardian Brutes. With no real shooting opposing me, protecting them was a bit easier, and they had a good game up until their meeting with the Bulwarkers! Unfortunately, forgetting the damage dice was very impactful for them, and ultimately spelled their doom. Still not a terrible showing for them, and I feel like most Herd players are going to be forced into taking them most of the time. One neat interaction I haven't explored yet is the Longhorns, which do Rally the Brutes, so that might be something to look into sometime. 
• Centaur Bray Striders. I didn't get any Pathfinding charges with them, and only one clear charge. These were not used well and terrain (well, the obstacles) got the better of me.
• Centaur Bray Hunters. I was afraid Dwarf armor would be too strong for them, but these were used much better than the Striders, and just got unlucky with those insane Mastiffs. I do really like this style of unit. I think the lack of TC really hamstrung my Kingdoms of Men Mounted Scouts, so having it here is a game-changer, despite their defense still being low.
• Druid. They are not flashy, but I still like them, particularly alongside the Brutes or the Spears, where a Bane Chant can really come in clutch.
• Chieftain on a Chariot. He unfortunately did not get away, but still did surprisingly ok. With sparse terrain, Chariots could have some uses. His stats are good, but with just 5 attacks his damage output isn't ever going to be much. 
• Centaur Chief. Not a great showing for him, but the Mastiffs do have that conditional anti-cavalry CS, which was neat to see in action, even if it was against me! I'm not quite sure how I feel about him or what his best uses would be yet.
• Scrying Gem. Magic items are only good if you remember them! With my opponent goofing the Dragonshard Shield as well though, this wasn't that bad. I still feel like I am getting out dropped as the Herd a bit. I'd rather just run more units, but this might be nice to run in the future if that continues to be a trend. I'll need to remember it though! 

The Imperial Dwarfs are tough, but have been very fun to play against! My opponent has been devouring online content and tactics and continues to run some very serious and very scary lists, especially for these smaller-sized games. I am sure we'll see him across the table again soon, and maybe with more Brock Riders! Thanks for the game, I had a great time!