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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
An overview of the battle. |
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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. |
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. |
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
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.
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