Hobby Update: Undead Skeletons

Back in 2021 and 2022, I hobbied up a bunch of Undead on round bases. The idea was to buy into some movement trays, and then have a nice multi-system army to play around with. I like the idea, but am not playing any other games, and do want to explore the Undead more in Kings of War. So the bulk of these are being moved onto unit bases, and next up are some hordes of appropriately Mantic Skeleton Warriors and Skeleton Spearmen!

The Warriors, with a bonus ASB. Deus Vult, I guess.

I originally hobbied these up in 2022, aiming to build up a base for a multi-system Undead army. However, after sitting in a box, unused for nearly two years, I decided to commit, and use the Mantic skeletons for Mantic’s game. I can always buy more skeletons if I need them, and the Oathmark and Wargames Atlantic models are looking really great.

The Spearmen.

The minis all have stands, and having done up bases for them already, I decided to just snip the edges of the base away, sand things down a bit, and glue them to a new unit base as this approach required the least amount of work! Things were glued down, some terrain paste was applied here and there to help hide the worst joins, and then all the spots in between the minis were painted up with the usual grey rocks and varied brown muds. It took a session to clip and sand everything, an session to paste bits in between, a session to paint, and then a final session to add the fog effect.

The Spearmen again, I guess? I had two pictures.

Crunch-wise, the Undead Skeletons have the same mechanical split as general infantry units for oh so many other armies. Skeleton Warriors are the baseline, and the Spearmen have Phalanx. Phalanx can be very strong against certain lists (strongest so far it seems against my own Herd, unfortunately) and getting some recent discounts, they will likely get the nod more often than the basic Warriors for most Undead Commanders if Ii were to hazard a guess.

The Warriors recently got an update as well though, to let them swap weapons as well to get some CS. Because they have beat up on my so often, I can’t help but notice the similarities between CS Skeletons and Brothermark Penitents. For just 10 points more you get Lifeleech, and bump to Nerve as well as Fearless. This seems worth exploring as well, though I will likely need to convert the minis to make this happen. 

I am absolutely not an Undead whiz, but I am quite bullish on Skeletons, generally. In metas where bow shooting is prevalent, I think Skeleton blocks could edge out Zombies as go-to units for cheap unlocks and main-line units, as the survivability is noticeable. While Mhorgath does seem like the more competitive unique pick, ASBs and Zuinok both play very nicely with the basic, non-Revenant skeletons. Skeletons definitely look to have their uses, and with so many units of them in my collection now, I will endeavor to get them all on the table soon!

Hobby Update: Undead Ghouls and Ghast

Back in 2021 and 2022, I hobbied up a bunch of Undead on round bases. The idea was to use movement trays, and thus have a nice multi-system army. That idea is still loosely appealing, but has been tempered a bit in the intervening years. 

All the Ghouls.

I am not playing any other games these days. I like Kings of War, and have liked the few games I have gotten in with the Undead. Some of the multi-system stuff will persist and will be covered soon, but the bulk of those generic Undead units are being officially moved over into Kings of War and stuck on the usual unit bases. First up on that front are some Ghouls!

A troop. Led by an old Ghoul King.

These were hobbied up in late 2021, and I was just having some fun with the skin tones and washes. I was doing these up as two troops, and five minis was going to be a little light on a unit base, so I stopped by an online shop and picked up two more older Warhammer Ghouls, and one newer one, to be a Ghast. With ten of the thirteen minis painted up already, these just needed some unit bases and were all finished up very quickly.

The other troop.

Ghoul seemed to be very popular back in 2nd Edition and could still have some utility in 3rd. Troops seem like the best way to take these, as cheap drops to swiftly grab objectives, since they are not Shambling, and can move at the double. If you aren’t utilizing their speed though, I think Zombies and even Skeletons could edge them out for spots in most lists. They have a role in the roster, but it does seem to be a little niche.

Old and new.

I wanted to hobby up the Ghast just because I wanted to check it off of the army roster. It’s good to have options! The mini I received was random, from a newer GW kit, but I like it overall. Ghouls and weapons are a fun idea, and the mini depicts a female ghoul, which is a neat twist as well! The only downside is that it is victim to GW’s over-engineering, and I was gluing parts of torsos and legs together to build up the model. Even that isn’t all bad though, as the arm slots fit much nicer and cleaner here than on the older models.

The new Ghast.

Crunch-wise, the Ghast is an intriguing pick. It’s got a good number of attacks, and decent offensive stats. They have Lifeleech 2, but that doesn’t really keep them in fights if they get wavered, and at 12/14 for Nerve, they are more the throwaway beserker style of hero. You can upgrade them to give an Aura TC1 to themselves and Cannibals… but I think to get the most out of this you’d want to run the Ghouls as hordes or as part of a distinct Ghoul-centric battle group. It’s neat, it’s fluffy, I want to try it… but I think the hero slots for the Undead are just too precious and competitive to spend on a Ghoul Ghast most of the time. 

Still, it's good to have options, and we'll try to get these on the table sometime and see what Ghouls are all about. More Undead units coming soon!

Kings of War 3rd Edition: #080 Abyssals vs Brothermark in Control

Into and Lists

My August filled up with many other things besides wargaming, but I did have one free weekend, and was able to pack four games into it. These two were against Trevor, friend, forum-goer, and blogger behind Data and Dice. He’s been kicking around a playstyle idea for a bit, and we decided to test it out. 

He discusses his thinking in depth on his own recent blog post, and that is worth checking out for some additional insight. Summarizing the history and the thinking here, he likes Penitents, as they are dirt cheap while still providing surprising utility on the battlefield by just taking up space and threatening spiky rolls with their innate Crushing Strength. For the playstyle idea, he likens it to Goblins, with lots of large and expendable units, supported by a few characters and a battery of war engines. For the second list, he brought the following:

For the second list, all our favorite infantry units return, with a horde of Villein Bowmen, three hordes of Penitents, and four regiments of Penitents. Supporting the line was three Phoenixes, three Siege Artillery to see over the heads of the Penitents, and a slew of individuals. Most were for healing and support, but there was a small toolbox of offensive heroes, including a War Wizard with Alchemist's Curse, and two Exemplar Hunters from the Order of the Hawk for some fluffy slayer fun.

My second list was meant to stress-test the Brothermark a bit, but given my unexpected victory in the first game, we decided to do something very unusual for me, and I ran the same list as before, meaning I had the same kinds of things to test:

• Lower Abyssals with CS and Brew of Sharpness. My tournament partner ran a horde and the Brew with BC support. Knowing Penitents were coming, I opted not to run my usual ASB, and just see what a brawling, regenerating unit could do.
• Succubi with and without Lurker (Pathfinder). My partner kitted his out with both Lurkers and magic items. They delivered, but I think if you toss 50+ points of upgrades on something it probably will do some good work regardless of the situation? I hobbied up two more regiments recently, so wanted to see how they did stock, though gave one the Lurker upgrade for a comparison. We’ll test out as much as we can while we have the chance. 
• Abyssal Ghouls. Their debut! We just saw them recently across the table. They are a relative cheap unlock, and while they don’t hit hard, they should provide some decent holding power to sneak around and grab tokens and play the scenarios. We’ll see what trouble they can do.
• Imps. I had the points, so fit in the Imps as well. It’s been a long while since they hit the table. Again, these are more for blocking charges and playing the scenario than anything else. 
• Chroneas. These have been wonderful monsters, and all-stars in my lists. They provide lots of utility to a list with high CS, Cloak of Death, and heals, and Fearless means your opponent really needs to commit to taking them off. 
• Abyssal Fiend. The titanic Fiend also provides some great utility, with Inspiring, a Fireball and decent combat stats. 
• Abyssal Warlock. I have liked the Warlock, but Drain Life was underwhelming at the tournament for me… because I didn’t see that the spell had Piercing 1. We’re taking two this time, and giving them a more proper showing. 

Table and Terrain

We were still out at his place, utilizing his table and terrain, and using our typical terrain rules, running the buildings as Height 9 blocking terrain, the forests as Height 6 Difficult Terrain, fences as Height 2 Obstacles, and Hills as Height 3, and the field as Height 0.

We got Control for our second game. For the scenario, the board is divided up into six 2’x2’ sections, and each section is worth 1 point at the end of the game, except your opponent’s central zone, which is worth 2 points to encourage some aggression.

I won the roll off for sides, liked the lazy side, and we got down to it.

He didn’t like his hordes being multi-charged last game, so he tried checkerboarding things slightly this time, with the hordes back an inch or so, to try and mitigate incoming charges.

Very slight checkerboarding from the Brothermark.

The Brothermark deployed pretty wide again, which makes sense, given the number of hordes they brought. Some Penitents sat in the corner to sit tight and secure that zone. Nearby was the Exemplar Paladin on foot, and a Phoenix.

Deployment for the Brothermark.

Left-to-right the main line was a Penitent horde, regiment, horde in the forest, regiment, Bowmen horde, and regiment with a supporting Phoenix. The central forest had the last Penitent horde in reserve, as well as the AC War Wizard and a Hunter. Augustus was nearby (to the left of the Bowmen) and the second Hunter was in front of the Bowmen, on the line.

He had sprinkled his war machines around the field last game, trying to give himself options and just focus-firing with whatever was at hand. This game, all three pieces came down after I had finished deploying, and were sequestered in the corner. A Phoenix came down here as well.

Abyssal deployment on the left and in the center.

On the left I put some Tortured Souls, hoping to wrest control of the top-left. The Fiend and a Chroneas were here as well, intending to use the blocking buildings to protect them a bit while they pushed into the center. Lastly, the Abyssal Ghouls sat here, intending to just relax and hold this corner for me.

The building split the line a bit, so my center had some Succubi, the Lower Abyssals, the second Fiend and second Chroneas, with the Gargoyles and Warlock in reserve. I am doubling up on the Inspiring bubble here, but I figured the center zones were going to be pounded by artillery, and I wanted to make sure I had a backup source on hand for the Chroneas and Lower Abyssals.

Deployment out on the right.

The right had Tortured Souls behind a hill with the Gargoyles. I had angled the Gargoyles and the Warlock in the hopes of making a quick push should the war machines arrive in the corner, which they did! From the previous game, Height 2 limited them a bit as well, so I was hoping being quick would let the Gargoyles be aggressive and hop the battle line.

I couldn’t get the non-pathfinding Succubi to not be touching the woods, so two units of Succubi, one with Pathfinder and one without) occupied the woods The advance wouldn’t be as uniform, but I would do what I could, and the Warlock and Succubi arrangement would be a good test of Drain Life and how the two worked together, since one of the drawbacks to the Succubi is that they do not have innate regeneration like so many other Abyssal battle line units. Lastly, Imps were deployed nice and early out on the right, hiding behind the hills to just sit there and score this scenario.

Generally, I was hoping I could lock down a few zones with the Ghouls and Imps, and fight for a few more zone and look for a narrow win. So, fight first and then see what could be salvaged as the game went on. 

My opponent again won the roll for determining first turn, and with war machines, wisely opted to go first to try and leverage his shooting units.

Top of Round 1: Brothermark

Seeing double-Succubi out and largely uncontested on the right, the reserve horde of Penitents pivots and moves that way while the rest of the central line advances.

Movement for the Brothermark.

Seeing how effective the Chroneas was last game, my opponent tried to prioritize those over the Fiends this game. The Brothermark line moved up, and things shot.

Probably insane due to all the temporal manipulation.

All three Siege Artillery fired over into the central Chroneas. Two missed entirely, one hit, dealing 2 damage. The Bowmen move-and-shoot with a penalty, but manage 2 against the temporal monster as well, bringing her to 4 damage. She is found to be insane, but she’s -/18 so this is pretty immaterial.

Bottom of Round 1: Abyssals

Out on the left, the Tortured Souls fly up. The Chroneas moves up aggressively, but stays out of charge range of the Penitents. The Fiend won’t be able to Fireball anything this turn, so he moves up as well, but pivots to get closer towards the center where Inspiring might be more helpful in the long run. The Ghouls over here just hold.

Movement on the left in Round 1.

Centrally, I push up, trying to use the hill to shield my units. The normal Succubi, like the Chroneas is threatening things while being safe, and the Lower Abyssals move up, opting to hide behind the hill for a turn. The Gargoyles join the Lowers. I want to use these to block a horde up, if I can, and have nothing for them to do currently. 

The central line-ups.

The Fiend moves his speed, but is just shy of contributing a Fireball to anything. The Chroneas moves up, and the central Warlock attempts some Firebolts into a Hunter, but he’s an individual. I land only 1 damage, which is immediately Iron-Resolved back.

Movement on the right, with the Succubi trying to be quick.

Out on the right, Tortured Souls safely take the hill to see what they can threaten. The pathfinding Succubi race up 10 inches to threaten things while being safe themselves. The stock Succubi just exit the woods. The Warlock isn’t going to be able to shoot anything worthwhile, so he nimbly runs up to keep the Succubi Inspired. The Gargoyles fly up, and are considering a run at the war machines next turn.

Top of Round 2: Brothermark

On the right, the Brothermark pulls back, denying charges to the Succubi units and attempting to draw them out more.

An overview of the battle.

Phoenixes  on the right focus their sparks onto the Gargoyles on the right, landing 6 damage. It’s Inspired, but it is chaff, and will Rout.

The Alchemist Wizard is kept back to prevent them from being charged, and does nothing this turn.

The Bowmen inch back to prevent some charges, take a penalty, and land 1 damage into the Tortured Souls out on the hill.  

Hot shooting for the Brothermark.

Centrally, two of the three Siege Artillery hit the Chroneas, with one dealing 1, and the other contributing a whopping 7 damage. A Hunter lands another 3, bringing her to 15 damage, and securing the Rout.

The other Hunter lands a staggering 5 damage into the Fiend, and secures a Waver.

A little extra damage slips in against the Succubi.

The final Phoenix has nothing better to do, so spews as the stealthy Succubi near the center of the board, getting 2 damage through.

Bottom of Round 2: Abyssals

The Brothermark have had some good shooting so far, but the battle lines are drawing nearer.

Start of the turn, for reference.

Over on the left, the Tortured Souls pivot and move, looking to get in a more meaningful fight first before they try to bully the Penitents in the corner.

Movement on the left, with some blocking courtesy of the Gargoyles.

The Gargoyles fly up to block in the Horde, allowing the Chroneas, Fiend, and Succubi to advance. The Fiend is out of Fireball range here, which is a bummer.

    

The Lower Abyssals take the hill. Their charge distance is equal to that of the Penitents, so they take advantage of the checkerboarding, getting in range of the nearest regiment, while avoiding the hordes. 

The Warlocks focus fire, doing very well against the Penitents!

The wavering Fiend holds. The central Warlock steps up, and along with the other Warlock, throws some Firebolts into a Penitent regiment, dealing a total of 7, and getting a waver.

Movement on the right, with the Succubi booking it.

Out on the right, the Tortured Souls on the hill charge into the nearest Penitent regiment, indending to block them up. The Souls are wider, and will prevent the Bowmen from moving up next turn. This blocking charge lets both Succubi units and the Warlock move up a bit. The Warlock helped sling some Firebolts, and the Succubi both moved up as far as they could, trying to reach the war machines next turn.

View from the table edge at the end of the round.

However, the Souls deal 5, and the Penitents are actually not Inspired right now, and I get a lucky 9 on the dice to rout them unexpectedly! Their job is to block, so they will victoriously pivot, to try and protect the advancing Succubi still. 

Top of Round 3: Brothermark

The Brothermark makes use of all their Penitents, using just a regiment to charge in and disorder the Gargoyles. The Horde advances a bit, but does not charge. The aim is to Waver and/or disorder the Gargoyles. With the spacing, this would prevent too many things from being able to charge in and slide down against the horde, and given the starting positions, the Succubi in particular are going to have a hard time fitting.

Movement for the Brothermark in the center.

The charging Penitents started slightly in the woods, so this is Hindered, and they actually land 0 damage into the Gargoyles.

The two central Penitent hordes position themselves for the onslaught.

Movement on the right, with the Phoenix well-protected.

The reserve Penitent horde again pivots and moves to try and deal with the springing Succubi.

The Bowmen pivot to face the Tortured Souls and offer a charge, while shooting with a penalty and landing 1 with their bows.

A few small heals pass through the Brothermark line, but coming from characters and the Phoenixes are busy spraying sparks. Both Phoenixes and a Hunter will shoot into the Warlock on the right, landing 10 damage and routing him.

The Fiend is nowhere to be seen after the shooting phase, and the Warlock is in danger as well.

The other Hunter will charge into the other Warlock looking for the disorder and will land 4 damage, but the caster holds steady.

The Alchemist’s Curse War Wizard pop out to try his luck against the Fiend, but with some poor hits, lands just 2 damage. The Siege Artillery all hit against the wavering Fiend, landing 3, 2, and 1 damage, and brining him to 13 damage, and will pick him up.

Out on the right, the Phoenix flies down to get out of the way of the rushing Succubi.

Bottom of Round 3: Abyssals

Unfortunately for me, this rush against the war machines is a bit of a bust. The Succubi moved up as far as they could last turn. I eyeballed it, and neither happen to be in range when we check this turn. That lapse is definitely a bit of error, though I still needed to be moving them up last turn, and not quite sure what I could have done differently. Gaining that ground seems worth it, so I am hesitant o be too hard on my self here.

Unable to silence the war machines, and now uninspired, the Succubi do what they can.

The flying Tortured Souls don’t want to charge the Bowmen with Phalanx. They could still sneak a few damage in, but being unlikely to break them in one turn, they decline to charge. They can see the Phoenix, but can’t land to connect with a charge, and being Height 2, they unfortunately see anything else, like the inviting flank of those wavering Penitents. They just side-step to let the Succubi get line of sight to make the charge here.

Unable to get into the war machines this turn, one regiment crashes into the Bowmen, and the other unit moves up, threatening some charges next turn into the war machines or the Bowmen.

A very lucky waver!

The charging Succubi land 9 damage, and with a very lucky 11 on the dice, secure a very lucky Waver against the shooters.

Big charges in the center.

Centrally, since the Gargoyles  aren’t disordered, so they retain Fly. They ignore the Penitents and make a flying charge into the Phoenix. The Phoenix will take 1 from a Cloak of Death trigger, and then the Gargoyles will land 3 damage and actually disorder it.

With the space freed up, the Chroneas, Fiend, and Succubi then triple charge the Penitents, sliding down as far as they can, and with the multi-charge completed, the Lower Abyssals charge off the hill into the Penitent regiment. 

Combats for the Abyssals go well here. The multi-charge results in 24 damage to the Penitents, who are devasted and then routed, as is proper. The Chroneas changes facing, along with the Succubi. The Fiend backs up.

Victorious reforms after starting to crack the left wing of the Brothermark.

The nearby Tortured Souls opt to do nothing. They can’t fit into the big combat, and the Penitents are pointed at the table edge, ready to charge in should the Souls try and sneak in. It’s Round 3, so the Souls will just bide their time.

The Lower Abyssals also win their combat. They just hold, happily facing off against the Penitent horde, who would be coming at them with a hindered charge.

The Warlock harassed by the Hunter pivots and runs, hoping to hold on to life 

Top of Round 4: Brothermark

The Penitent horde in the woods repositions a bit, and my opponent spies a charge I had accidentally overlooked. The nearby Penitent regiment makes a hindered flank charge into the Lower Abyssals… but lands just 1 damage. 

Movement for the Brothermark, as they try to hold on the left.

The Penitent regiment in the corner spins around to face the Gargoyles and try to free the Phoenix. The Phoenix strikes back at the Gargoyles, but surprisingly lands no damage against them! These Gargoyles have been very lucky this game.

The Phoenixes engage the Succubi from smart angles, hoping to drag the uninspired unit down.

Over on the right, the Phoenixes flank and rear charge the Succubi. This avoids their Ensnare. Seven damage is done (a pip or so shy of the expected output), and a 6 on the Nerve equals 13, and at 14/16, they are surprisingly (and luckily!) just fine.

The Succubi and the Tortured Souls both manage to hold.

The Siege Artillery target the nearby Tortured Souls, but all miss. The AC Wizard joins but the Souls aren't that heavily armored, and he lands just 1 damage. It’s not his preferred target either, and the Hunter only manages to contribute 1 as well. On just 3 damage, the lucky phantasms hold.

The other Hunter stalks after the more central Warlock, shooting at him, landing 3 and bringing him to 7 damage, but the Warlock holds on a low check, and is not disordered, since the damage came from shooting.

Bottom of Round 4: Abyssals

Since they are not disordered, the Gargoyles on the left slip away, flying out to threaten the Penitents here, along with the Tortured Souls. The Penitents had turned to try and help the Phoenix, and now have two fliers threatening them with impunity. 

The Fiend opts to charge the Phoenix, wanting to keep it disordered, and hits it for 5 damage, it's uninspired, accrued some damage, and hasn't regenerated nearly enough. A hot nerve check takes the bird off the field, and the Fiend reforms to face the Penitents.

Combats for the Abyssals.

The Warlock continues to flee. I've lost half of my Inspiring sources to shooting. He moves up to take the hill, and attempts a Drain Life into a combat for healing, but lands no hits.

The Lower Abyssals countercharge the upstart Penitants, and the Tortured Souls from out on the right join in with a rear-charge, Lifeleeching 2 damage back. The Penitents are obliterated. Given the scenario, and the central location of this fight, both simply spin around. 

The Succubi make a hindered charge into the central Penitent horde, with the Chroneas assisting with a striding charge. Cloak of Death triggers, the Chroneas contributes another 9 damage, and the Succubi roll crazy adding 10. At twenty damage... the 18/21 Penitents are found to be certifiably insane.

Fighting over on the right.

Out on the right, the Succubi fight on. One makes it into a war machine, besting it. The ladies will reform to face their next target.

The pathfinding Succubi continue on against the Bowmen. They got a heal, and the ladies only deal 6 more damage here, bringing them up to 12 damage. The Nerve check for the horde is low, and the Bowmen stick around, but are disordered.

Top of Round 5: Brothermark

On the right, one of the Phoenixes pursues the Succubi, hitting another rear-charge, but dealing only 3 more damage. On 12 damage, they are found to be Insane.

The ladies like it from behind.

The other unit isn't as lucky. The Bowmen back up, opening the Stealthy, Pathfinding Succubi up for some shooting. The AC Wizard strikes out, but one of the remaining Siege Artillery hits, landing 3 damage, while the nearby Hunter contributes 3 as well. 

Shooting prevails over the Stealthy Succubi.

The other Phoenix looks to play the scenario. It heads towards my side of the table, landing in the back-right zone. The Imps are holding the zone, but are just US1. As a titan, the Phoenix is US2, and the bird will wrest control of this zone from me.

I'd probably cower from a giant flaming creature too.

Having taken the hill, the remaining Warlock near the center can been seen by the Hunter, who charges in, and ends the spellcaster, removing my source of Inspiring here.

Shooting into the Lower Abyssals, apparently.

The insane Penitent horde is not devastated, gets some healing, and countercharges the Chroneas since she cannot heal herself. They spike some dice, and land a strong 7 damage, but the monster holds.

The other Siege Artillery piece has some line of sight issues, but can spot the Lower Abyssal Horde on the hill in the center of the field. A shot lands, and 3 damage is done, brining them up to 4 damage.

Bottom of Round 5: Abyssals

Over on the left, the Penitents charging the Fiend actually get them out of the charge arcs of both the Gargoyles and Tortured Souls. Oops. The Fiend smacks them for 5 damage, and both fliers take rear positions. I don't want to charge with both next turn. One should be enough, but I want the other positioned to zip over to the center in round 6 to help with the scenario and claim the central zone.

Fighting the Penitents.

The Chroneas and Succubi charge in again, with the Succubi making another hindered charge since they were not countercharged and were popped out of the existing combat. We take them to 29 damage, and pick them up.  

Combats in Round 5.

The Lower Abyssals regenerate nothing, and just pivot. Their base is majority in my opponent's zone, but should be able to side-step to get a majority into my central zone, should they need to for the scenario.

The Tortured Souls finally charge the Bowmen, tearing into the flank of the shooters. The Bowmen had not gotten healing (the spells are small casts, and I think the recent one failed). The Souls roll a little low, and just deal 5 to take the Bowmen to 17 damage. The Nerve check is good though, and the unit is bested. They are safe form the last horde of Penitents, and change facing to see my side of the table. The thinking was that all the units near him shoot, so if they survive, they can get them back to my corn and negate the Phoenix there.

Positioning on the right as Round 5 ends.

The Insane Succubi charge away from the Phoenix, slaying another war machine. Victorious, they will turn to face the final one, and in so doing, also get the Phoenix into their front arc, to maximize their chances of surviving another dive-bomb from the giant bird.

As Round 5 concludes, my center zone is unclaimed. I am winning in the bottom left with my Ghouls; tied in the top left against the Penitent regiment; winning my opponent's center; winning in top right with the Succubi and Souls vs the Phoenix, and losing in the bottom right. with the Phoenix winning against my Imps.

Top of Round 6: Brothermark

The Penitents strike back against the Fiend, who holds. 

The Exemplar Paladin on foot charges the Chroneas, landing 2 damage. The monster holds on by the skin of her teeth.

Combats in Round 6.

My opponent chooses to focus on the Lower Abyssals. The final Siege Artillery misses a shot into them, the AC War Wizard lands 3, and the Hunters deal a combined 5, bringing the horde to 12 damage.  Late in the game and uninspired, the Lower Abyssals are shot off!

Trying to play the scenario, the Phoenix cedes my zone back to the Imps, and flies into my center. My plans to contest my zone with the Lower Abyssals is no more.

The other Phoenix charges the Succubi, but lands no damage. The ladies have lucked out again!

Bottom of Round 6: Abyssals

We are casual and supportive players, and it's been a taxing day, and we've been talking each other through things as the game wraps up to make sure we're doing this all right.

The Fiend counter charges the Penitents, with the Tortured Souls hitting them in the rear. I opt to leave the Gargoyles just where they are, just in case of Insane Courage. That doesn't occur, and with the Penitents gone, I claim the top left for 1 VP. 

In my opponent's center, I have the victorious Fiend (US2) Chroneas (US1) and Succubi (US3) against the Penitent Horde (US3). I control this zone for 2 VP. 

In the top right, the Succubi (US3) held on, and scenario-wise, beats the titanic bird (US2). I control this zone for 1 VP.

In the bottom right, we just have the Imps (US1), but against nothing, just the Imps is enough here. I control this zone for 1 VP.

In my center, the Tortured Souls make a hindered flank-charge the bird, but don't pick it up. The Phoenix (US2) ... is equal to the Tortured Souls (US2), and no one controls this. 

In the bottom left, the Ghouls haven't moved all game, and I control this zone for 1 VP.

Conclusion of the game.

We call it here. He can probably pick up a few units, but turning the tide and securing even a draw seems like too tall and order. We talk it through, can't think of a path the victory, and so just call it here.

It's an astonishing 6-0 victory for the Forces of the Abyss!

Game Conclusions

Games with Trevor are always a great time no matter the outcome. We both approach things with a similar demeanor and have learned a lot of good habits and good tactics squaring off against each other. It was a lot of fun to workshop a list idea with more dedication. 

This game was another upset though! A lot came down to luck, like the very lucky Gargoyles who were able to bounce around unharmed, and the very lucky Succubi, whose insanity helped them take out two of the three artillery pieces. Some things bounced the Brothermark's way for sure, but it was not enough.

Testing Conclusions

• Lower Abyssals with CS and Brew of Sharpness. Didn't regenerate anything, and got a very unfortunate rout. They were good up until the end though, pressuring areas and battling a few units. The Brew of Sharpness looks really good on the CS Horde.
• Succubi with and without Lurker (Pathfinder). Pathfinder was a little less impactful here, though it did let the one unit sprint out in Round 1.
• Abyssal Ghouls. Given the scenario, they hid and held. I should have repositioned them during the game, so they could zip into my central zone if needed, but otherwise, they were used well.
• Imps. Unit Strength 1 isn’t a lot, but the Imps also hid and held and contributed to things.
• Chroneas. Learning from the previous game, my opponent prioritized shooting off the Chroneas this game. Unfortunately, I was never in range to heal them with a Drain Life, and while their effectiveness was more limited in this game, one did manage to stick around and do some good work for the Forces of the Abyss. 
• Abyssal Fiend. I unfortunately didn't get to Fireball much - I was always just out of range. Still, the Fiend is a fantastic pick for the army, and is able to help support any playstyle.
• Abyssal Warlock. The newcomer is winning me over. Drain Life was less impactful this game, but did some good throughout the day. I have really like the ASBs since they work well alongside the Abyssal Guard... but Warlocks make a compelling case.

Playstyle Conclusions

The idea with the Brothermark list was to hold with the Penitents and blast with war machines.

While most of my tall things were slain or at least maimed by the end of both games, it was not enough, and was not a clean sweep here. In short, the war machines were as effective as was hoped, and I think that generally jives with Trevor's opinion on war machines generally. They can spike dice and such, but are not reliable. 

The Penitents failed to hold, but I think that is more on me than the list concept. As it turned out, the mid-tier but kitted Lower Abyssals and higher-tier Succubi were really able to get in and devastate the Def3 Brothermark lines. I figured the Lower Abyssals would do well here, but the Succubi did real work here as well, often besting regiments in one go. They proved to have a decent niche against lower-tier infantry like the Penitents, and were more effective than I thought they would be. 

Goblins have a slew of war machines and other units with Blast to choose from, including some that move, the versatile Winggit, the mighty War-Trombone and the powerful Goblin Slasher's War Trumpets. It's hard to replicate or compete against that toolbox.

In the second game, the Hunters from the Order of the Hawk, with their ranged Slayer attacks proved to be relentless and pretty reliable at picking off my larger monsters. The various Individuals are expensive though, so I don't know how viable that is. I think the playstyle has some merit, and can probably catch some folks off-guard, but I think I accidently teched a little too hard against it today with the multiple Succubi units, and I think the approach is missing an ingredient or an aspect to make it more powerful and more consistent. Not sure what that might be yet. We'll just need to play some more games I guess!

A massive thank you to Trevor for fitting these games in, in addition to hosting us. I am down for this kind of stuff anytime!

Kings of War 3rd Edition: #079 Abyssals vs Brothermark in Raze

Into and Lists

My August filled up with many other things besides wargaming, but I did have one free weekend, and was able to pack four games into it. These two were against Trevor, friend, forum-goer, and the blogger behind Data and Dice. He’s been kicking around a playstyle idea for a bit, and we decided to test it out. 

He discusses his thinking in depth on his own recent blog post, and that is worth checking out for some additional insight. Summarizing the history and the thinking here, he likes Penitents, as they are dirt cheap while still providing surprising utility on the battlefield by just taking up space and threatening spiky rolls with their innate Crushing Strength. For the playstyle idea, he likens it to Goblins, with lots of large and expendable units, supported by a few characters and a battery of war engines. He brought the following for the first list:

For the first list, he is running all the war engines he can, accompanied by all his favorite infantry units, including a horde of Bowmen to compliment the Penitents. Characters are pretty light, mostly around for support, though there is one mounted Exemplar Hunter around to fight things and interdict.

I ran the list above, drawing inspiration from the Interstate Doubles games. How my partner played his Abyssals is not how I typically approached the army. So this is my take on some of his thinking, to try and understand his approach better. Up to test are:

• Lower Abyssals with CS and Brew of Sharpness. My partner ran a horde and the Brew with BC support. Knowing Penitents were coming, I opted not to run my usual ASB, and just see what a brawling, regenerating unit could do.
• Succubi with and without Lurker (Pathfinder). My partner in the tournament had kitted his out with both Lurkers and magic items. They delivered, but I think if you toss 50+ points of upgrades on something it probably will do some good work regardless of the situation? I hobbied up two more regiments of Succubi recently. I need a baseline, so two are stock, though gave one the Lurker upgrade for a comparison. We’ll test out as much as we can while we have the chance. 
• Abyssal Ghouls. Their debut! At least on my side of the table, since we just saw them recently across the table. They are a relative cheap unlock, and while they don’t hit hard, they should provide some decent holding power to sneak around and grab tokens and play the scenarios. We’ll see what trouble they can do.
• Imps. I had the points, so fit in the Imps as well. It’s been a long while since they hit the table. Again, these are more for blocking charges and playing the scenario than anything else. 
• Chroneas. These have been wonderful monsters, and all-stars in my lists. They provide lots of utility to a list with high CS, Cloak of Death, and heals, and Fearless means your opponent really needs to commit to taking them off. 
• Abyssal Fiend. The titanic Fiend also provides some great utility, with Inspiring, a Fireball and decent combat stats. 
• Abyssal Warlock. I have liked the Warlock, but Drain Life was underwhelming at the tournament for me… because I didn’t see that the spell had Piercing 1. We’re taking two this time, and giving them a more proper showing. 

The Abyssals are bit spoiled for scoring supporting pieces, so I committed to those here so that the Brothermark would have good shooting targets for the first game. Stock Succubi vs Penitents would be an interesting match-up as well, and should give me an ok baseline for evaluating the unit on my own terms. Interesting as well, while my opponent had a significant drop advantage, I had the edge in Unit Strength, essentially due to all of my scoring support pieces.

Table and Terrain

My opponent was graciously hosting us, and we utilized his table and terrain, using our typical terrain rules, running the buildings as Height 9 blocking terrain, the forests as Height 6 Difficult Terrain, fences as Height 2 Obstacles, and Hills as Height 3, and the field as Height 0.

We rolled up Raze for the scenario. There is a central objective token, and then we each place 3 tokens on the opponent’s side of the board, 6” from the center line. If we control one of the tokens we placed, we can burn them for a point, and then that token goes away, so we should be whittling down the points of interest on the battlefield down to a final clash in the center. 

We felt the scenario should favor the Brothermark approach of filling the board with Penitents. After all, if I can’t secure my tokens, I can’t claim them! Given the scenario and all the shooting and bodies opposing me, I felt I needed to be quick to have a chance here. I won the roll for sides, liked where I was, and we got down to deployment.

Deployment for the Brothermark.

Left to right, the Brothermark had a Siege Artillery piece in the corner. A horde of Penitents supported by the mounted Examplar Hunter and Phoenix and Chaplain, with a regiment of Penitents, Arbalest, and more Penitents. The Center had a regiment of Penitents, Arbalest with their leader point just in the woods to see, the Bowmen, the Exemplar Paladin on foot, and another Penitent regiment. The right contingent had two hordes of Penitents and the third Arbalest, with High Chaplain Augustus and two Phoenixes to support. Lastly, the final two Siege Artillery pieces sat in this corner. 

Being me, I took a lot of duplicate picks to try and maximize my testing opportunities. Given the scenario and the shooting, I decided to split my forces and ignore the center. I felt that I needed to push up and win some decisive fights first, hopefully trounce some war machines, and then see what I could cobble together at the end of the game.

Deployment on the left.

On the left I had Tortured Souls, the Chroneas, Fiend, Succubi and Gargoyles in reserve. The Warlock, Pathfinding Succubi and Imps held the woods. 

Deployment on the right.

The center was empty. On the right, protected a bit by the building and the hill was a front line of Succubi, Fiend, Tortured Souls and Chroneas, with the Warlock to further support. This contingent had a reserve of Gargoyles, Abyssal Ghouls, and the horde of Lower Abyssals.

My opponent won the roll off for deciding turn order, and with lots of war machines, opted to seize the initiative and go first.

Top of Round 1: Brothermark

After some consideration, the Brothermark generally moved up to make sure they were holding most of my tokens immediately.

The Brothermark starts to stake their claims.

The contingent on the left moves up, with one regiment handing back to preserve a shot for the Arbalest. 

The Fiend is felled.

The same happens in the center, with some Penitants holding back while the Bowmen and some other Penitents started making their way out of the woods.

With two hordes, the right of the Brothermark line is pretty solid. They chose to stay put to let the Arbalest shoot. The obstacle there is a bit of a bother, but shouldn't matter as long as the machine is targeting some towering monsters.

On the right, the Arbalest lands 1 into the Fiend, with the Siege Artillery both landing hits as well. The Fiend is brought to 8, and with a 10 and a 10 on the Nerve checks, the Fiend is the first casualty of the game!

End of the Brothermark's opening turn.

On the left, the Siege Artillery misses against the Tortured Souls, and both Arbalests miss when shooting at the Imps, who have cover from the woods. The Bowmen have moved, but gotten their leader point out of the woods. They shoot at the Imps on "7's", and manage 1 damage. 

Bottom of Round 1: Abyssals

With one Fiend down already, I try and move quickly. Out on the right, the Tortured Souls move up quickly, while avoiding charges from the Penitents. The Chroneas advances as well, along with the Warlock, to make sure she stays Inspired.

Aggressive, but safe.

The Succubi here move up, but end short of the hill to the Penitents near the Bowmen can't see or charge them. The Ghouls, Lower Abyssals and Gargoyles move up as well.

Out on the left, I move up a bit more aggressively. The Imps leave the woods, trying to use the building to block line of sight. The Pathfinding Succubi zip up around 11 inches, threatening a charge into the Penitent Regiment, while being safe themselves. The non-pathfinding unit of Succubi moves similarly. They cannot see over the hill, but should have a charge into the Penitent regiment as well.

The Abyssals are very aggressive on the right.

The Tortured Souls move up, threatening a charge into the Horde, along with the Chroneas (who has Strider and can charge over the obstacle, and the Fiend, who would be going over the hill.

The Warlock just moves his speed, and lands 1 Firebolt into the threatened Penitent regiment.

Top of Round 2: Brothermark

On the left, the Penitents are healed with magic, and the line shuffles to the side. They don't have the inches to back up and escape, so shuffle to preserve a firing line for the Arbalest. I believe the Siege Artillery missed, but the Phoenix and Arbalest land 4 damage onto the Chroneas.

Centrally, the Arbalest repositions, and will be unable to shoot. The Bowmen continue to advance, and land 2 more damage onto the Imps, who are then wavered. The Penitents take the hill, and are out of charge arc of the nearby Succubi unit.

On the right, the Arbalest lands 1 on this Chroneas, but both Siege Artillery miss. The Phoenixes opt to shoot into the Tortured Souls, landing 4 damage, but the phantoms hold. 

Bottom of Round 2: Abyssals

With a lighter round of shooting, the Abyssals make it into combat. Out on the right, we triple charge the Penitents on the right with the Chroneas, Tortured souls and Succubi. The Warlock casts Drain Life, healing the Chroneas for 1 damage. The Gargoyles fly up to protect the flank of the Succubi for this fight.

Charges on the right.

The Ghouls and Lower Abyssals can move and pivot to get out of charge arc of the Penitents on the hill, and so we do so.

Victory on the right.

I didn't track all the damage here, but it ends up being enough to pick the horde up. The Chroneas will change facing, looking to help out with the fighting rather than go off and try to fight the Siege Artillery. The Tortured Souls got healed from the Chroneas, but I forgot about Lifeleech. They overrun, looking to entangle things here. The victorious Succubi just change facing.

Charges on the left.

The Abyssals go in on the left as well. The Gargoyles fly up to threaten a charge into the war machine next turn, while the Tortured Souls, Chroneas and Field go into the Penitent Horde. Cloak of Death hits them for 1, and we deal 13 combat damage or thereabouts, but the horde sticks around. 

Some Succubi charge into the Penitent regiment. They took 1 from Cloak, took 11 in combat, and are bested. They victoriously back off, to get the Penitent horde into arc.

Partial victory on the left. The Chroneas is on 5 damage, my notes may have missed something hitting.

The Pathfinding Succubi charge in against a different Penitent Regiment, who were hiding in a field. Pathfinder helps out, and the ladies deal 10 damage here, and are able to pick the unit up. They victoriously turn to face the other nearby Penitent regiment.

Top of Round 3: Brothermark

On the right, the Phoenix sidesteps to block line of sight from the Tortured Souls to the war machines. That was a slick move. Meanwhile Augustus charges them, hoping to just take them off. Two damage is done, but the Souls Stick around.

Charges for the Brothermark on the right.

The Penitent Horde charges the Gargoyles to remove them, and will victoriously change facing to get things into their front arc.

The Phoenixes on the right spray into the Stealthy Succubi, but land 6 damage, which is enough to get a Waver against them.

Post-combat on the right.

The Penitents opt to leave the hill, and will secure and burn a token.

The Bowmen take the center, taking another movement penalty to shoot into the Imps again, but landing a damage and will rout them this turn.

The Arbalest that moved last turn looks to have shot into the Stealthy Succubi, landing 2 damage.

The nearby Penitent Regiment charges the Pathfinding Succubi, but Ensnare is too much, and no damage connects.

Out on the right, the Penitents counter-charge the Chroneas, and bring her to 12 damage, but fail to rout her off. This countercharge pops the Tortured Souls and the Fiend out of this combat. The Siege Artillery and Arbalest hit strong, and deal 9 damage to the towering Fiend, who is wavered.

The mounted Exemplar Hunter charges the Gargoyles to protect the Siege Artillery, deals 4 and secures a waver here as well.

The Phoenix hops the line to grab and burn a token, making this 2-0 in favor of the Brothermark.

Bottom of Round 3: Abyssals

On the right, the Tortured Souls were hit buy Augustus, but have a front charge into the Phoenix. They take that to disorder the bird, and Augustus should be popped free. He's tough, but I choose to send the Chroneas in against him, which results in a bit of a jam. 

A messy series of charges.

Augustus has taken one point from Cloak of Death, and the Warlock is able to sneak 1 damage in with Drain Life, healing the Succubi to 5. The Chroneas deals a fresh 4 in combat, brining the High Chaplain to 7, but I am unable to get the rout. Temporal Ruptures will heal the Succubi from 5 down to 2 damage.

The Tortured Souls disorder the Bird, but I don't track damage in my notes since it kept healing to full.

Charges and movement over on the right.

The Abyssal Ghouls pivot strongly and move to threaten the nearby Penitent regiment. The wavering Succubi look to pivot, I think to better accommodate the Lower Abyssals in the charge into the Penitent horde. The Lower Abyssals deal just 9 damage (13-14 expected), but we do get the Waver against the Penitents.

Between the Lower Abyssals and the Succubi, I wrest control of this token, and burn it.

Over on the right, the wavering Gargoyles do nothing. The Tortured Souls and Chroneas go into the Penitent Horde again, and will deal enough to pick them up. The Chroneas will pivot towards the mounted hero, and the Tortured Souls will overrun well enough to threaten the Siege Artillery next turn. Temporal Ruptures from the Chroneas will heal the Fiend for 3, taking him down to 6 damage. 

Charges and movement on the left.

The Pathfinding Succubi countercharge the upstart Penitents, with the Warlock arriving to contribute a strong 5 damage. Unfortunately, only the stock Succubi can benefit from the spell, but still, they are healed to full, and won't be wavering next turn. The victorious Pathfing Succubi will overrun, looking to threaten the central Arbalest next turn.

We find that I am controlling my two tokens on the right, and burn them too, making this 3-2 in favor of the Abyssals.

Top of Round 4: Brothermark

Out on the left, the war machines converge on the Fiend, landing 8 damage, bringing him to 14, and securing the rout. The Phoenix will shoot at the Gargoyles, and rout them as well.

"Yeah, shooting at this guy right here."

The Exemplar Hunter charges the Chroneas, and is able to best her. With the Fiend falling in the shooting phase, it doesn't take much to pick her up too.

Aftermath on the left.

The Bowmen change facing and move to get out of charge range of the Succubi. The Penitent horde disengages from the Lower Abyssals, allowing the Bowmen to shoot into them, landing 5 damage.

Both Siege Artillery will shoot at something, but I don't know what. The Phoenix is blocking line of sight to the Chroneas, so I think they shoot at the Lower Abyssal Horde; some of the damage may have come from them.

It's messy, but we think Augustus can see the Tortured Souls still, and will individual about to get into them again, but this will pop the Chroneas free. 

Aftermath on the right.

The Penitent regiment turns to face the Abyssal Ghouls pursuing them, and the Phoenix flies up to seize and burn this token, making it 3:3.

Bottom of Round 4: Abyssals

Losing the Chroneas and Fiend is rough, but both were injured. I still have some healthy units here though. The Tortured Souls charge the Siege Artillery and pick it up, spinning to face the center; the Succubi make a hindered charge but to the same to the Arbalest in the field, and the Pathfinding Succubi charge the Arbalest in the woods to leap-frog their way to get within striking distance of the Bowmen in the center, since that is what we are fighting over now.

Three charges into three war machines.

The Warlock opts to flee, making his way towards the center as well.

On the right, the Chroneas is free, and charges in with the Lower Abyssals against the Penitent horde, picking them up this turn. I don't make any regeneration rolls, but Temporal Ruptures heals the Abyssals from 5 down to 2, and the Chroneas rolls strong to overrun, while the Lower Abyssals roll 1, and should be just out of charge range next turn, unfortunately.

The Ghouls fight the Penitents, landing 3 damage.

Charges for the Abyssals.

Keeping on the far right, the Warlock casts a Drain Life into Augustus, landing a few damage and picking him up with some great Nerve rolls. I think the healing effect goes to the Tortured Souls, and I think I forget about their Lifeleech again when they go back into the Phoenix.

Aftermath for the Abyssals.

The Succubi make a hindered charge into the Arbalest nearby, and will pick that up, and then overrun to try to fight the two remaining Siege Artillery pieces as the game concludes. With the obstacle here, I don't think I can get them to the center as the game concludes. With just the Warlocks, I am down to two sources of Inspiring, so I think it is best to try to silence the war machines to prevent spikey dice hitting my units in the late game. I think they overrun 1" as well, not even getting free of the Obstacle.

Top of Round 5: Brothermark

The Brothermark holds the center with an untouched horde of Bowmen, so their goal is to slow the Abyssals down as I try to race towards the center.

The Penitents strike back into the Ghouls, dealing 5. The unit is uninspired, but holds. 

Positioning around the center, and a newly maimed Chroneas.

The Bowmen change facing, and are able to get the Succubi into their front. Neither the Lower Abyssals or the Chroneas is close enough to get in next turn. The Examplar Paladin tucks in to support the Bowmen.

The remaining Siege Artillery land 8 damage into the healthy Chroneas, but fail to break her.

The right way to engage Succubi!

Over on the left, the Phoenix, Chaplain and Exemplar make a triple charge into the flank of the uninspired Succubi. They take 8 damage, but hold.

Bottom of Round 5: Abyssals

It's a battle for the center. Not everything can make it, but most things can still contribute to the general effort.

Fighting out on the right. 

Over on the right, the Tortured Souls go into the Phoenix again to ground it, and the Succubi goes into the war machine to remove it. Just one Siege Artillery piece remains... 

I think the Warlock shoots with cover from the Phoenix into the final Siege Artillery, but isn't able to remove it.

It's a jumble out on the right with the other Succubi and their trio of suitors. As we understand it, I get to pick which unit to counter-charge. Having counter-charged, the other units are nudged free, and should be nudged the same distance away. On an overrun, I'd bump into both units at the same time, and we think I'd get to pick which unit to overrun into. Being in the field, the second combat would be hindered, but potentially, we think the Succubi could kill both characters and then hit the Phoenix.

Starting positions in the bottom of 5.

The Succubi opt to charge the wounded Chaplain, best him, and then overrun. I choose to play it safe and go for the Phoenix, in order to disorder and ground it, for the scenario. 

Combats in the bottom of Round 5.

In the center, the Warlock moves up, and casts Drain Life for 4 into the Bowmen, healing the maimed Chroneas. The monster needs to pivot and move to face the center for Round 6, and does so, and just barely has a charge into the Bowmen.

The Succubi in the woods have Pathfinder, and make a charge into the Bowmen contributing a pitiful 4 damage. The Bowmen are disordered, but hold.

Positioning at the bottom of Round 5.

The Lower Abyssals moves up, threatening a charge into the Bowmen next turn as well.

The Abyssal Ghouls land a few more into the Penitents and waver them.

Top of Round 6: Brothermark

The Bowmen disengage and withdraw from the Succubi, gaining an inch. They then move back their speed, and get 12.5 inches away from the Chroneas, avoiding a charge from her.

The Exemplar Hunter can see the taller Warlock, and charges out to disorder him, landing the requisite 1 damage.

The Brothermark move to block things up.

The remaining Siege Artillery lands a fresh 3 into the Chroneas, but she holds. 

The disordered Phoeninx on the left disengages from the Succubi on the left, looking to help in a possible Round 7 and moving towards the center. The more central Phoenix blocks up the Lower Abyssals, preventing a charge from them into the Bowmen, but exposing their rear to the horde as they shoot into the Succubi, landing 4 damage. 

The last Phoenix tussles more with the Tortured Souls.

The wavered Penitents do nothing against the Ghouls.

The Exemplar makes the Succubi think twice.

Out on the left, the Exemplar fights on, landing 1 more damage on the Succubi despite their Ensnare, and securing a Waver against them.

Bottom of Round 6: Abyssals

The wavering Succubi have Fury, and will countercharge the Exemplar, and injure him but don't remove him.

The Tortured Souls will rear-charge the Phoenix, and remove it.

Combats at the end of the game.

Over on the right, the Tortured Souls will attack the Phoenix, with the Warlock in the titan's flank, but won't remove the bird.

The Succubi slay the last Siege Artillery piece out on the right as well.

More of the final combats.

The Abyssal Ghouls charge the Penitents a third time, and finish them off. 

The Lower Abyssal Horde rear charges the other Phoenix, and will devastate and then rout it, as is proper.

The Chroneas can's make it into the Bowmen, so vents her frustration out on the Examplar Paladin on foot. The Warlock joins in, and the hero is slain. 

I probably should have withdrawn with the Warlock and charged the Bowmen, but I either didn't see it at the time, or didn't have the inches or something. Doing so would have contributed some damage towards the rout... but even just his presence and his 1 additional Unit Strength would have tipped that into my favor for the win. That's an error on my part for sure.

Positioning at the end of the game.

So, it all comes down to the pathfinding Succubi. They charge in again, deal a still underwhelming 6, to bring them to 14 damage, and just even money to rout. Thankfully, I do get the rout here, and do steal a victory! 

Game Conclusions

I knew a bit of what was coming, but we both figured the initial game would be favored towards the Brothermark, so we were both surprised by the result here.

The Penitent hordes proved to be a bit unwieldy at times, and they all ate some multi-charges as the game went on. I didn't tech hard into CS, but the still damage accrued quickly and Trevor wasn't able to heal the Penitents up as much as he thought he'd be able to. While the war machines started strong and were able to spike some dice throughout the game, they were not consistent with their damage output, and only half of my things taller than Height 3 were routed by the end of the game.

The Succubi are an odd pick generally, but had some really good luck here. Math-wise, even without CS, with just their volume of basic attacks they should outperform my normal Abyssal Guard with two-handers against stuff like the Penitents, which was intriguing. Only about 8-9 damage should be expected here, but that is enough to get them to a bit better than even money to rout a regiment. It's not a sure thing, but they do appear to have a bit of a niche against lower defense units, and with some warm roller here, they really did work against the backbone of the Brothermark list.

Testing Conclusions

• Lower Abyssals with CS and Brew of Sharpness. Well, Data and Dice posited that CS Lower Abyssals were a good buy. The Brew makes them a more significant threat, put really put over the top in this matchup, since they were wounding on 2’s against everything.
• Succubi with Lurker (Pathfinder). Pathfinder actually made a difference in most of that unit’s combats. It’s a steep cost, but did seem worth it in these instances, since the unit was able to go from combat to combat quickly and not be bogged down by hindered charges.
• Succubi without Lurker (Pathfinder). Plain Succubi actually worked well too, though running the math my dice were a little on the hot side in most of these combats… until they met the Bowmen. 
• Gargoyles. Height 2 prevented any crazy blocking charges. They moved to block blocked, drew some fire and died. I think they did fine here as chaff.
• Abyssal Ghouls. I wasn't quite sure what to do with them, but beating up and blocking a Penitent regiment is probably the best they could hope for, so I think they did fine.
• Imps. Hiding seemed like a good idea, but the Bowmen had their number. Still, it was a cheap unit that drew fire, so good on them.
• Chroneas. The opposing War Machines were still War Machines, and swingy. Neither Chroneas was focused down early, which let them get in and do work.
• Abyssal Fiend. My opponent is most familiar with the Fiends for my supporting units. Being Height 6, I couldn’t really escape, and he prioritized taking them out, and did so. Removing the Inspiring Titans definitely hurt as the game went on. We figured it was going to be a rough match-up for them, and that’s indeed how it shook out for them.
• Abyssal Warlock. Go figure, but Drain Life with Piercing 1 is more effective that Drain Life without it! The damage wasn’t consistent, but even just a few damage swings here and there definitely helped out, and picking up Augustus was a very welcome surprise!

A big thank you to my opponent for hosting and fitting these games in for me. Our second test game exploring this playstyle for the Brothermark should be up soon!