Grant was kind enough to open his Illinois home to a bunch of hungry ruffians, who arrived to eat chili and play wargames to celebrate the holidays. We had 5 Wisconsin players make the drive down, and 3 Illinois folks waiting for us. We tried to match up with new folks, but two Wisconsin players were going to be forced to duel, and that ended up being Rob and myself. Rob brought his Ravenous Halflings:
I was hoping to get two games in, so I brought the Herd, hoping for quick games to test out some ideas of mine. Their last couple of outings explored "unbalanced" ideas, committing to extremes like all Centaurs, Triple Spear Hordes, and Triple Guardian Brutes. The Herd requires a lot of finesse, and I want to explore some more "balanced" lists with a mix of units and trying to play in each phase of the game. Up to test are:
- Tribal Spears, Stone. The Spears have been good units to hold the line. While they hold items well, points were tight, so all they get is the Stay Stone. We’ll see if it is enough!
- Tribal Trappers. Scouting and applying early positional pressure has been a lot of fun. I’ve liked messing around with the Tribal Trappers, and want to keep trying them out.
- Hunters of the Wild Troops. I have not had success with regiments, which have decent stats, but didn’t ever seem to accomplish anything in-game. I noticed a long time back that the troops are 90 points, on-par with other chaff options for the Herd, so we’ll take them here and see if the Wiltfather and the Vicious Aura can do anything. I got the idea for Def5 "chaff" like this from Rob and his Stalwart troops, so it seems appropriate that they debut facing off against him.
- Guardian Brutes x3. I wanted to try some “balanced” lists for the Herd, but these ideas sprung out of my final “unbalanced” lists featuring triple Brutes. Triple Brutes is probably too unwieldy still, but I need to start somewhere!
- Centaur Bray Strider Troops. They've been good instigating units in the past, and if I am taking Brutes, I think need to take a few Striders to try and protect them.
- Centaur Bray Hunters. A nod to a balanced list. I think such a list wants to play a bit in every phase, so we're taking some shooting. I think running alongside Flaxhoof and his TC aura will let them punch above their weight in melee, so we'll try to deploy them together and see how the game unfolds.
- Great Chieftain and the Sacred Horn of the Great Migration. A newcomer! The Horn of Great Migration grants a dual aura of Dread and Wild Charge. That seems sneaky and interesting, so we'll try out the Sacred Horn as well, to pump those auras out further.
- Druid with BC. A common take for me. Most of the Herd units top out at CS1, and most of the units rely on TC to deal damage, so some Bane Chant seems necessary
- Flaxhoof. The legendary Centaur is a very neat pick with some "build around me" options that I really like. I don't know how to use him effectively yet, so we'll keep at it and see what we can learn this time with him.
- Wiltfather. Two Tree Herders have been fun, but very expensive. Celestial Restoration was fun, but clunky, and I wasn't making good / any use of the Radiance of Life from the duo. We'll try a single Wiltfather here and
- No Command. The Herd got some terrible Command Orders. While I was very sure we’d be playing with the new optional rule, I wanted to see if it was possible for a list to mostly ignore it.
Yes, this has triple Brutes, but they are (relatively) cheap for a hammer, seem good in multiples, and I wanted to explore them a bit more, while branching out into different hero picks. The Halflings are always a touch match up for my Herd since Striding Charges are better than Pathfinding Charges, and they're going everything I want to be doing a little better than me, but we've had some close games, and we'll see what I can do!
Table and Terrain
We arrived in Illinois after elevensies, but the halflings should feel right at home! Our table was a big, old school foam block set atop the largest breakfasting nook that I can remember seeing in recent memory. We removed the cool-but-massive medieval building, but played the rest of the table as-is, with two massive Height 3 Hills in opposite corners, the two tan wood pieces as Height 9 blocking, the forests as Height 6 Difficult Terrain, four green hedges as Height 2 Obstacles, and the pond as Height 0 Difficult Terrain.
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| The table. |
We got the straightforward Invade for a scenario, and we'll just need to get more unit strength across the center line than our opponent.
Rob won the roll for sides and was a lazy gamer, as all the obstacles were on his . The central stuff came down first, and then he went for his hill with his last drops like the Juggers. Left-to-right fore the Halflings are Wild Runners and their guns screening for Grenadiers, both Juggers and the Strider Captain, Poachers, the tinkering Heroic Staltwart horde blocking for the other Poachers and the Sauceror, the new Engineer was on the line next to the horde and both Harvesters. Then we had a Stalwart Troops, Iron Beast, other Stalwart Troop and the Grenadiers, angled and in reserve.
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| Deployment for the Halflings. |
The hills obviously made this table weird, but the narrow corridor, the impassible driftwood and the forest all pushing up into a hill made the left really unattractive to me. Four obstacles in the center felt really bad for the Herd, so I felt forced into committing hard on the right.
Left to right for the Herd are Trappers and Flaxhoof and the Centaur Hunters. In reserve are a troop of Centaur Striders to help delay. Tribals Spears deployed centrally supported by the Great Chieftain, along with Guardian Brutes supported by the Druid, and with some Centaur Striders in reserve.
The right had the Wiltfather flanked by Hunters of the Wild around the forest. Tribal Hunters were on the far right, and two more hordes of Guardian Brutes are in reserve.
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| Deployment, plus scouting in the center. |
We had a lot of Scout moves between us. We double-check the rules, and the Poachers hop up to touch the obstacle, which is enough to remove the shooting penalty for them shooting over it. Opposing them is one plucky troop of Tribal Trappers.
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| Deployment and scouting on the right, with the corner of the second horde in frame. |
On the right, I am more aggressive. I want to scout up hard to dissuade the Grenadiers from hopping my line. The Trappers hang back, but both troops of Hunters and the Wiltfather move forward. We'll see what the Grenadiers do, and adjust.
I won the roll for turn order, and being Invade and running the Herd, felt obliged to seize the initiative.
Top of Round 1: Herd
I roll up 3 Command Dice, which seems about right for no extra purchases.
On the right, the Trappers hold to block out space for the Grenadiers to land, and the scouting Hunters press on. I should not have any shots with these, so don't take any.
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| Movement on the right. |
The Guardian Brutes leave the hill and with a pivot, can get their leader point into the woods. The Wiltfather had scouted in, and now moves and pivots to apply more pressure. More Hunters move up to do the same, and more Brutes pull up as well, hoping to assist. With nothing to target, the Druid runs up at the double to keep pace.
Generally, I have been very reserved when facing the Halflings, often making sure to stay more than 13" away from infantry and the like whenever possible since their striding charges are so strong. I think I have been too reserved, so I should be giving up a couple of potential charges here, but at a place where the Sauceror will need move, need to go for Wild Charge and need to get 2+ successes. I generally like forcing decisions on my opponents, and so that's my approach here, and think I should be doing more of that against the Halflings.
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| Movement in the center. |
Centrally, The Tribal Spears move up, supported by the Chieftain, more Brutes, and Centaurs, the latter of which can see through the gap a bit, to make use of their longer charge range.
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| Moving out on the left. |
On the left, I need to delay I guess? I don't like the Poachers there, so make a bit of a desperate charge into them, hoping my opponent retaliates with both Regiments, and they're tied up for the turn. The hindered Trappers go in, and apparently understood the assignment. I give them a reroll to wound with the Strength Order, and they manage 4 damage, and get a waver against them.
The Centaurs and Flaxhoof run up, ready to charge into the woods to hold up the Juggers in the coming rounds. The Centaur Hunters don't have charges or any great shots this turn. Trying to deal with the Poachers seems like the least bad option for them, although I'm shooting into a unit in cover and with Stealthy. I need 6's giving them a reroll to hit with the Accuracy order, and they manage 1 damage.
Bottom of Round 1: Halflings
My opponent bought some extra dice, and gets 6 Swords for the turn.
The Sauceror decides to go for Wild Charge, but only gets 1 Success, preventing the longest and strongest charges from occurring.
On the left, the Wild Runners zip up in the gap between the forest and table edge, and the Juggers shuffle around. They have Strider from the nearby Muster Captain, but will still be slowed by terrain moving normally.
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| Aftermath of the Halfling's turn. |
The Captain does still let some Poachers make a striding charge off of the Obstacle and into my Centaurs though, and 4 Swords are spent to give them Low Blows for Thunderous Charge. They'll land 4 damage, and embarrass the Centaurs in front of Flaxhoof by wavering their resolve.
On the far right, the Grenadiers nimbly back up, looking to abandon any designs of jumping my lines on this flank.
Top of Round 2: Herd
I roll up another 3 Swords for my Command Dice.
On the right, the Trappers move up and pivot, still trying to zone things. The Hunters of the Wild head up, looking to chase and pressure.
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| Pushing out on the right. |
I think the Wiltfather can take a hit, so he continues to move up and pressure while keeping things in front arc.
The Guardian Brutes advance, as to the central Tribal Spears. The Centaur Strider Troop continues in a supporting role. The hope here is if the halflings commit, the Brutes can emphatically push back, and if the Halflings play it cool, the Centaur troop can hop up and instigate, and I can hopefully get the Brutes over the hedge for the big fights.
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| Positioning in the center. |
I am at a loss with what to do with my Centaurs. I can't get the wavering troop out of the way, and the Hunters don't have the inches for any other charge.
I take difficult shots (again needing 6's) into the Poachers by the obstacle and Harvester, landing 3 damage and bringing them to 7, but not wavering the unit this time.
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| A long charge from Flaxhoof. |
The Great Chieftain runs to the left, and is just able to get his Aura over to Flaxhoof, who makes a long charge out into the Wild Runners to stuff them up. I land 3, and they don't particularly care.
I am looking to delay, and if I can hold the Halflings up on their side of the table, that's amazing, but in retrospect, this should probably be considered an error, as Flaxhoof is unlikely to best them and ends exposed to multiple charges. The forest protects me from the scary charges, so I think Flaxhoof probably should have just gone into the nearby Poachers. Still, it was neat to see the impact of the Chieftain's Horn, and I can already see why folks like him with Wings of Honeymaze.
Bottom of Round 2: Halflings
My opponent rolls up another 6 Swords for his Command Dice.
As mentioned, Flaxhoof is exposed, and the Juggers on the hill have him in arc, and together with the Wild Runners, they'll easily best the centaur hero.
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| The Halflings are free, but congested. |
The Poachers will charge back into the wavering Centaur Striders and pick them up. The other Poachers will shoot into the Centaur Hunters, landing 6, with the Engineer contributing 3 with the long rifle, and Mindfog from the Captain connecting for Shattering, and the regiment is routed as well.
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| Charges from the contraptions of the Halflings! |
In the center, the Captain enables some Striding charges from the Harvesters into the Tribal Spears. though the deforested flat terrain. Damage is relatively low at 13, and they are inspired, but a pair of hot nerve checks bests them.
The Iron Beast makes a striding charge into the nearby Brutes, who take 5 and waver. Thankfully, they have Fury, and will be able to punch back.
Zoned out, the Grenadiers adjust slightly, and a Troop of Stalwarts get Low Blows to land 2 damage on to the Wiltfather.
Top of Round 3: Herd
I get lucky and roll up a strong 6 Swords for my Command Dice.
On the right, the Trappers and Hunters of the Wild mostly hold. I can't think of anything for them to really do to contribute, and the game feels like it should be over soon.
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| Rebuttals from the Herd. |
The Wiltfather counter-charges the plucky Stalwarts, beats them, and then changes facing. I believe if I go more than an inch the Stalwart horde would actually be in my flank, so I want to avoid that.
Unfortunately, I can't get all three Brutes into combat. With the directions I need to go, something either can't make it or cannot fit. So two head into the Iron Beast, with one counter-charging in the front, and the other hindered. I Bane Chant one of them, but I cannot recall which. The Brutes take it up to 14 damage, and will be able to drag the machine down.
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| The Iron Beast falls! |
I spend 4 Swords on Unshakable Will for Regeneration, and the injured Brutes miraculously go from 5 down to just 1 damage.
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| A delaying charge from the Centaurs. |
I need to try and protect the brutes if I can, so the Centaurs make a delaying charge into one of the Harvesters, and will deal the 1 damage to disorder it.
Bottom of Round 3: Halflings
My opponent gets another 6 Swords for his Command Dice.
On the left, the Runners and some Juggers will scoot around the woods. The injured Poachers will look for shots, but struggle to find shooting lanes.
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| The speedy Halflings start swinging towards the center. |
The other Juggers make a flank charge into the Centaurs tying up the Harvester. They are far enough away that they don't get Strider, but still this Herd troop will be devastated and routed.
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| More charges from the Halflings. |
The other Harvester is able to scooch on past and hit the Guardian Brutes, landing just 3 damage and taking them up to 4, and the Brutes are found to be Insane. I'll take it!
Another troop of Stalwarts gets Low Blows and lands another 2 damage into the Wiltfather.
The Muster Captain lines up a Mindfog into the remaining Hunters of the Wild out on the far right. The spell lands, and boxcars ignobly routes the undamaged but uninspired unit.
The rest of the Halflings shuffle about for position. They have the unit advantage for sure, and are bidding their time to press those advantages.
Top of Round 4: Herd
I roll up 4 Swords for my Command Dice.
Writing up the report, I don't know what I am thinking with the Great Chieftain here. His Dread Aura doesn't mesh well with all the Brutal on the Guardian Brutes. He starts near a Harvester, and should probably have joined that combat. I'm not sure why I didn't. He needed to move to get in other charges, but I might have been afraid to commit him to a combat, as the Harvesters can be rather tanky. I don't remember my thinking exactly, but in retrospect, I do not like that I did nothing with him here.
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| Starting positions for the Herd. |
The Wiltfather gets Accuracy, and thumps 4 into the Stalwarts, overrunning a few inches. This gets the Grenadiers into his flank facing.
The Brutes all make charges. Unfortunately, none are ideal.
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| Finally, all three Guardian Brutes make it into combat. |
One counter-charges the Harvester in the front. I feel like this is the most exposed one, so it gets the Bane Chant, does 6, and does not get lucky to remove the contraption.
Another makes a hindered front charge into the other Harvester. It does 4 damage, and fails to move them. I should be multi-charging, but there is a method to the madness...
I did spy an opening with the third horde, and charge the Muster Captain. If I can best him, I am less then 1 away from the Stalwart horde and can put some damage on them, and remove strider to give myself a fighting chance with the other combats. The Brutes are unfortunately coming off an obstacle, so I'm Hindered, and just do 5 damage, which is a little less than expected. I have Brutal, but the Nerve check is low enough that he doesn't even care.
Bottom of Round 4: Halflings
My opponent rolls up another 6 Swords, with some very consistent successes this game! I don't take any pictures.
The Grenadiers hit the flank of the Wiltfather, and actually do nothing. The Druid takes 1 from the Engineer's long rifle but holds.
The Muster Captain runs away, and Stalwart horde flanks the Guardian Brutes that had threatened him, and with a striding charge, and they will devastate and then rout the unit.
The center horde get a counter-charge from the lone Harvester. It lands some damage, and a pair hot 11's is enough to rout this horde.
The last horde is dog-piled by striding Juggers in the front with the Harvester and striding Poachers in the flank, it is brought up to 17 damage exactly and bested.
At the end of the round, I still have Tribal Trappers out on my far right. But the Wiltfather and my individuals aren't going to be able to pull this out, and I concede.
A victory to the halflings!
Game Conclusions
My Herd has been trying to do thing similarly to the Halflings, playing positional games and making sneaky charges. Unfortunately, over the last year, the Halflings have been much more effective than my Herd, and this is always a tough match up for me. Rob plays a great list and runs it well! I made a few risky plays, but was also trying out some new stuff, so we won't dwell on it too much.
Testing Conclusions
- Tribal Spears, Stone. The Spears hold any number of items well. The Staying Stone was a cheap option. It's fine, but I think I like Chalice more as a general pick.
- Tribal Trappers. Their shooting is negligible, but an option. I think bringing these plus Centaur Hunters / Scorchwings is a potential avenue to explore... though probably not great for my meta, given all the Abyssal Dwarf and Imperial Dwarf Def6 running around. Overally, I still like them, but they are really throwaway units.
- Hunters of the Wild Troops. I think these worked better with the Wiltfather than the Trappers, and as chaff they did fine.
- Guardian Brutes x3. Three proved to be a bit too unwieldy, and I struggled to get all of them into combats quickly. I like the models and the unit though. Three might be too much, but we'll continue to play around with these in the future.
- Centaur Bray Strider Troops. If I am bringing Brutes, I think I need at least two troops of Hunters as well. The extra charge range has been great, and they tend to do alright. Not a bad instigating unit.
- Centaur Bray Hunters. I didn't use these well, but Stealthy is hard to overcome, and my opponent positioned the Poachers very effectively. If I run Flaxhoof, I'll take a unit of these as well, and see what else we can do.
- Great Chieftain and the Sacred Horn of the Great Migration. It was a neat pick! I can see why folks really like him with wings. I don't think it's as-great a pick for my lists as I was hoping for though, as the Dread Aura doesn't play nicely with the Brutal of the Guardian Brutes. I think he needs to be with Tribal Spears or other Tribal units.
- Druid. Boring, but just the one proved to be just fine. I still like the repeatable Inspiring and Bane Chant package, and I think at least one makes it into any list. Having the Accuracy Command Order around is also really nice for them, and I'll try to remember that in the future.
- Flaxhoof. Was not used well again. I keep giving him impossible tasks. I like the concept of the unit though, and we'll try him out some more in the future with some different builds.
- Wiltfather. He's expensive, but powerful! I think the Herd is weird enough that I really can't double up on two Tree Herders. Since I don't have much innate healing, and my overall defense is so low (mostly 4+), I think one Wiltfather is the way for me to go.
- Herd Command Orders. I am not a fan of the Herd's Orders. The Regeneration one is the better of the two, but unfortunately reactive - something needs to be in dire straits before it becomes worthwhile. The Ferocious Charge one is pretty bad for how I run the Herd, and since it explicitly does not work with Pathfinding or Stridering charges, I don't know if I will ever be able to use it, since I am usually trying to line up those kind of charges.
- No Additional Command Dice. Since I don't really like the army's Orders, I wanted to try and ignore them. That really only works if your opponent does the same.
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