Hobby Update: Abyssal Despoiler Champions

Up now are some new Despoiler Champions for the Forces of the Abyss!

Despoiler Champions come from the ranks of the Molochs, and are both a potential upgrade for the unit on the monstrous infantry, as well as a square-based hero unit themselves. With the army revamp in late 2024, the separate Champions gained Inspiring, and so became much more attractive to me. I wanted to pick up some new models, so that I could run some multiples, as I tend to do. I had one “counts-as” model before, which I will rebase and repurpose at some point.

The trio of Despoiler Champs.

My Molochs were sourced long ago, and are Trollkin Champions, and so I decided to continue on, using similar models for my new heroes. Exploring the same line of miniatures, I found some Trollkin Axers on ebay for cheap, and pounced as a little treat to myself early this summer, though it took quite a while to sit down and paint them up fully, and even longer to sit down and write up a hobby post for them.

The minis were all second-hand. One plastic one was painted; one plastic one was assembled but not primed; and one metal one was primed, but scraped up and in pieces. I opted to just retouch the painted one, then then prime and paint up the other two.

The heavy metal guy.

Hobbying wasn’t too intense, and was knocked out over a few evening sessions in early August. The skin is again Army Painter’s Wicked Pink, the basic equivalent for Citadel’s Pink Horror, which has been used before across my Abyssals collection, but everything else was pretty generic for metals and cloth and such. Nothing really worth diving into for techniques or colors, though I do like the more steely spikes on the bronze bits.

One of the plastic champs. 

I took 50mm bases, primed them, and then pasted them. The metal mini had nubs in the feet which I didn’t want to cut or wrestle with, so his base got built up with some cork board, and a thin coating of PVA glue to make the cork stronger. Everything was primed again in black, then hit with dark grey and light grey drybrushing, as well as the lava pool colors. The pools are getting better over time. I’m not quite wet blending anything, but am doing layers here, with an orange around the outskirts into more vibrant yellows. Adding a drop of white into the final layer does sell the glow more, and I think I will want to add that to the rest of the army at some point.

The second plastic Champ. 

The unit itself is intriguing, but a little peculiar. The Moloch units are Def4 and have great Nerve, but the Champions here have pretty terrible Nerve but Def5. At 12/14 for Nerve, they seem a bit fragile, though do still have the hallmarks of the Abyssals with Fury and Regeneration. It just seems odd that they are not 14/16, or even 13/15 like the new Apostate, as the Moloch and new Berserker units have identical Nerve, but perhaps there is a lore reason I am missing when it comes to the heroes. The low Nerve is concerning though, and so while I will try all three at some point, I think we'll need to dial it back to 1-2 for more serious lists.

On the table, I think I want them interspersed among my line to provide Inspiring, as well as a little extra punch in combats. I think these and the Abyssal Guards of any kind would go well together, but list ideas are still swirling around and not quite there yet . Hopefully we’ll see these on the table soon!

Kings of War 3rd Edition: #142 Herd vs Abyssals in Protect and Raze

Intro and Lists

I recently found myself in Minnesota, visiting friends and family over the holiday weekend, and while on the road, I had the pleasure of connecting with Jon for a game. Jon fielded the Forces of the Abyss, bringing the following:

Oof. I have run the Abyssal Berserkers a bit myself, but I have not nearly gone as hard as this iteration. We have five (!) Hordes of Abyssal Berserkers, pathfinding Succubi with the Hammer, some Gargoyles, some Tortured Souls, the standard high-end Seductress, Mau'ti-bu-su, the legendary Seductress with her Brutal d3, and a Berserker Apostate to bring a vicious aura to any of the nearby Berserker units. Overall, this is an incredibly tough list for a pick-up game! The Minnesota folks are much more tournament-oriented though, and playing against tough lists can be good, so we'll see what I can learn.

Jon's Abyssals had started long ago, originally pulling from Warhammer units. After a long time away, he's picking them back up, so was proxying some units, as the real deals are not fully painted up yet. I'll touch on the big substitutions here, and try to add little reminders in the report as well. The Gargoyles look extra mean and are GW Bloodletters with converted wings. Two units of the pumpkin-headed Ogre Berserkers (that we saw before and greatly admired from Battle #112) are back as Abyssal Berserkers; and the three awesomely converted fiery units (I am no expert, but they remind me of K'daai Fireborn, though I forgot to ask if that was an inspiration) are formerly Tortured Souls, back from when they were bonkers (probably back 2nd Edition, with CS2 and Speed 10), but now are also  being run as Abyssal Berserkers, bringing that horde count up to 5. Two Ogre Warrior regiments are being proxied as new Tortured Souls, and an Ogre Bully is serving as an Abyssal Apostate here as well. 

I brought the Herd. Earlier in the year I had a wonderful time playing Jon at the Northwoods GT, where he ran a strong Ogre list featuring a big commitment to the melee phase (no crossbow Sergeants and no Walocks) and the very neat aforementioned pumpkin-headed Berserker hordes. With the Berserkers and Brutes being similar units I was hoping to solicit some advice on my triple Brute approach, but the Abyssal Berserkers are contenders as well, and it looks like we'll have a bit of a berserker brawl on our hands this game to add some additional discussion points! Up to comment on from the Herd side of things was everything:

• Spirit Walkers with the Blood of the Old King. I like the item and think it might have promise on the phantasms here, letting them get in one excellent combat before grinding or succumbing. I forgot about the item last time, so hopefully we'll get some use out of it here and see what it and the unit can do! 
• Harpies. I definitely need some chaff in the list, so we're bringing the Herd's speedy flying chaff just like normal.
• Triple Guardian Brutes. I'm still on this silly idea, and still committed to exploring it. If they can close they can do some really good work, so we'll see if we can make that happen. The idea with the list is to use the longer charge range of the Spirit Walkers and the Stampede to maim and pin stuff down for the Brutes to smack on the following turn. 
• The Stampede. My Herd tends to get caught up on obstacles a lot, and so we're trying out the Stampede again. It has Strider to help with those obstacles, and some extra oomph on the charge to deal with high-Def lists. But we're also interested in the higher speed. Hopefully, this can help  instigate for me, hold with Def5, and then Brutes can come to the rescue as a second wave. 
• Flying Beasts. I like them, and while they are expensive, I think I need to keep these in here. The extra speed and pressure is really good for the Herd. I don't always use them wisely, but if I can remember to wait for multi-charges, hopefully these will continue to do well for me as hammers.
• Mounted Druids with BC. We're taking a step backwards here, running multiples and trying out the basic Druids again. Points were just too tight to fit in 4 sources of Inspiring. However, this should give me some personal feedback to see whether I want these with big spells or not.
• Gladewalker Druid with Lute and Barkskin. It's still a goofy loadout, but I just don't like her normal spells. I think it's a decent kit for these Herd builds. As long as we were taking Spirit Walkers I wanted to try out Barkskin again, and start exploring the Arcane library spells more. 
• Moonfang. He's got good speed, good attacks, good defense and even Regeneration 4+. In the right hands, he can be a menace and a powerhouse, but using him effectively has been difficult, as it has been hard to calibrate ,

Table and Terrain

We were out at Gamezenter, and odd little gaming Mecca that I had only heard of about a week before, via a youtube rabbit hole regarding board gaming and game design. Apparently Fantasy Flight Games is based out of MN, and a founder opened up this massive shop, with two gaming halls, a separate bunch of large tables for wargames, numerous private rooms (mainly for RPGs it seems) and oodles and oodles of games of all kinds, as well as paints and hobbying supplies galore.

My apologies to my opponent, but I arrived first and did squat to set up. The shop had a lot of terrain, but they were in the midst or reorganizing it, and larger mats were a little sparse. Rather than cobble together overlapping mats, we played on the bare table, and tossed together some terrain. Low, difficult terrain was particularly hard to come by, so we added in a 3rd small crystalline forest. The crystal terrain pieces were really neat. They appeared to be from some terrain package, and looked to have spots for LEDs to go in from beneath to light them up. Over the winter I had been musing about hobbying up some icy or crystal terrain from insulation foam. I think I need a foam-cutting table or at least a handheld cutter though to get the required clean cuts, so had shelved the idea, but these crystal piece were still very neat to see! Maybe we'll resurrect that idea sometime as crystal forests would make for a really unique feature.

Terrain acquired, I used Data and Dice's Kings of War App to set up the table. We were using our typical terrain rules, running the buildings as Height 9 blocking terrain, the crystal forests as Height 6 Difficult Terrain, fences as Height 2 Obstacles, and Hills as Height 3, and the crater as some Height 0 difficult terrain. 

The app gave us Protect and Raze for the scenario, which to my surprise, my opponent said he was actually unfamiliar with. For Protect and Raze, there is a central objective token, and then we each place 3 more objective tokens on the opponent’s side of the board, 6” from the center line. If we control one of the tokens that 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. The new(ish) twist here is that we can control but not burn the tokens our opponent placed, and we can score them if we happen to hold them at the end of the game, providing for a little more interplay than the original version. We talked through the scenario, and settled on it.

Table and tokens! I placed Blue, my opponent placed Red, and Yellow is untouchable in the center.

I won the roll for sides, and was lazy. With obstacles on the left and center, I wanted to try and play a refused flank focusing on right, which had more space and less to worry about. However, the scenario paired with the terrain foiled those plans, as when I went to start placing my tokens, the building on the right blocked off so much of the right that I could only fit one token there. I ended up with two on the left while my opponent ended up with two on the right.

Overview of the table.

For deployment, my opponent dropped his chaffy Gargoyles and Tortured Souls early, filled out the center slightly, and then committed hard to the right. From left to right we have Gargoyles back a bit, the Seductress and more Gargoyles hiding behind the crystalline forest. The right was a massive blob of units and angles. The Ogre-looking Tortured Soul Regiments protected the flanks of the blob, which had the Apostate and Mau'ti-bu-su central. One horde of Berserkers angled into the center, with four more ready to head wide right to outflank.

The beserker blob is unopposed on the right.

I had originally planned on a bit of a refused flank holding the right, but the terrain paired with the scenario foiled those plans. Not having a set deployment for this style yet but knowing Brutes were relatively slow, I deployed on the line, and tried to focus on figuring out my own plan rather than counter deploy my speedier opponent. Most of my hordes were committed early to make sure I had them on the line with room to move at the double first turn, and that I would be in a good place to fight for the two tokens on the left to start.

The Herd left, ready to fight nothing...

On the far left for the Herd we have a flying Beast, and two Brutes on the hill ready to run past a building. supporting this is a Mounted Druid and some Harpies. I let the building split my line a bit, and the center has angled Brutes and Moonfang, with Spirit Walkers and Stampede on the line, with the Barkskin Gladewalker druid, and an angled beast supporting the walkers, and a Mounted Druid and Harpies supporting the the Stampede.

The Herd center, also ready to fight nothing.

The token wrinkle was rough for me mentally, though based on our discussions, I suspect if I was able to go on the right, my opponent would have gone on the left instead, as he was quite eager to make use of Speed 9 on all his units, and that we would be gearing up for a swirl battle still. 

Neither of us had scout moves, and winning the roll after grabbing a very dark beer that I had overlooked from their offerings when I grabbed mine, my opponent opted to go first and apply pressure.

Top of Round 1: Abyssals

The Abyssals pushed out, but not nearly as quickly as I would have anticipated. On the far right, the Tortured Ogres moved at the double. The legendary Seductress zipped ahead, landing near the woods, and the blob moved out conservatively. All the Berserker hordes moved up, making use of nimble pivots but surprisingly, most did not make use of Speed 9, preferring to stick together and utilize Nimble to set up for future turns.

The Abyssals move, committing more to the right corner.

On the left, both speedy Gargoyle units repositioned rightward as well, pivoting to help cover the shuffle of the Berserker hordes in the corner of the table.

Bottom of Round 1: Herd

I had set up to fight hard for my two main tokens, but all my hordes ready to fight nothing. I at least realize that I shouldn't dispatch hordes to claim the tokens now, and do my best to reposition. While I can't contest the majority of his tokens, he will also have a hard time keeping me off of mine, so the hope is to put everything into the center and brawl.

Change of plans!

It is a little premature since I can't raze any tokens until Round 2, but Harpies zip up to hold a token now, a flying Beast moves up and pivots (I think behind the building), and Moonfang zips ahead to hold my more central token on my left, while peering around the woods and trying to dissuade the Abyssals from running into the middle just yet. 

Overview of the repositioning, though I still can't remember where the Beast from the left got to.

All three of my Guardian Brute Hordes move and pivot, heading out toward the right. They are unfortunately stacked a bit, so I move up the Spirit Walkers and Stampede ahead to make room and project some threat. 

Top of Round 2: Abyssals

On the far right, the Tortured Ogres move ahead and will eventually raze my opponent's token on far right. Two fiery Berserker hordes now make better use of their speed to gain ground, getting around the woods and very near to my deployment zone. 

The Abyssals start pushing around the woods.

Succubi take the woods, with the legendary Seductress in the woods and projecting threat thanks to fly.

Two more Berserker hordes cover the avenue between the woods and the building, with the Shadowbeast Seductress nearby as well. A Berserker horde here razes my opponent's second token out here on the right. 

In the backfield, Tortured Ogres coming from the left secure my token over here. With Fearless and US2, they will be hard to move. My opponent's final Berserker horde eyes the center token, supported by two Gargoyles covering angles of approach. 

Bottom of Round 2: Herd

I should note that while a lot of ground was gained by my opponent, he was making exceptional use of his greater speed while doing so, and nothing I have can threaten his units on my turn, while several of the Berserker hordes ho have some long charges open to them already. His approach to my Wild Charge was also enlightening, as he just it completely out off the table for me by staying away. 

On my left, the Harpies linger to raze a token, and Moonfang repositions, joined by the flying Beast to raze another, making this a tie game. Both square-based units will use the woods to block line of sight from the Berserkers. In retrospect, I think this is a mistake. Putting Moonfang into the woods to pressure would have been the better call, as everything the Abyssals might have going against him would have been Hindered, and Moonfang would be very likely to survive. 

The Herd presents itself.

Centrally, the Spirit Walkers inch ahead, now threatening a charge of their own. They get a Barkskin 2, and I believe I inch up to give the Berserkers a charge. It will be a lot of damage, but if my opponent takes it, I think I should hold, and then be able to pick them up with stuff on my turn, so the risk is worth it. The three Guardian Brute units press on, getting what ground they can while trying to preserve line of sight and future options.

The Stampede pressures.

On the right, I try to instigate. The Harpies move up, trying to prevent a good pivot into the Stampede, which runs up to get out of arc of most of the Berserker units while relying on the Harpies to block for me. The Stampede is giving up a flank to the Gargoyles, but I am hoping to just take a stand, grind with the unit, and then reinforce in the coming turns, relying on Def5 and Fury to keep the unit around. 

Top of Round 3: Abyssals

As it turns out, I positioned about the worse I could. My opponent was great at vocalizing what he was doing and measuring, and confirming things he was doing before ending phases. I try to do so as well, but should have definitely talked this out more. It is tight, but the pumpkin-headed Berserkers are still able to pivot to move around the Harpies, then nimble pivot to face back, and connect with the corner of the Stampede, then pick up and place to complete the charge. Had the Stampede moved up another inch or two, or the Harpies not gone nearly as far up, I could have prevented alignment to my unit. So, this is a large mistake from me. It's unfortunately, but this will still be a good test for the Stampede as an instigator and possible anchor.

So, the Stampede is triple-charged.  The pumpkin-headed Berserkers need to pass through the crystalline forest and are hindered, but do land the expected 5 damage. Gargoyles hit cleanly in the flank, contributing 2 damage. Mau'ti-bu-su lands 3 as well as Brutal 2, and the Stampede is wavered, but stays on the field. Mission accomplished I suppose, but that damage is not great for the longevity of the unit for this particular game.

Two triple-charges from the Abyssals.

The Harpies have a slightly larger base than the Berserkers, and so the Herd ladies are triple-charged by Berserkers, with the Seductress and Apostate on either side of the attacking horde. We fast-forward, and the Harpies are obliterated.

One unit of Tortured Ogres hangs back to protect my sole objective over on the right, while the other moves up to project threat to my long edge of the table, threatening the Beast should it try to run by and hop the Abyssal lines.

Succubi more securely take the crystalline woods, and two hordes of Berserkers move around it to project threat. My opponent can't get out of range of the Beast, but easily avoids my slow Brutes and prevent some multi-charges from me.

Aftermath of Top of 3. Could be worse!

In the center, the second unit of Gargoyles enters the woods. They are just out of range of my Harpies, and out of arc of both Moonfang and the Beast. The Berserkers here decline to charge the Spirit Walkers, and then inch out of my Walker's maximum charge range of 17" while continuing to threaten with their own 18" range. Additionally they shuffle about to stay out of line of sight of Moonfang.

Bottom of Round 3: Herd

On the left, having razed my token last turn, Harpies zip ahead this turn, looking to pressure as the game goes on. The flying Beast nimbly flies over the crystalline forest to threaten things. Moonfang adjusts, but largely stays put. Again, in retrospect, I am not thrilled with my use of him, as he could be pressuring for me by being in the woods, and not just hanging back and playing so reactively.

Charges from the Herd.

In the center, I get the corner of a unit of Brutes just past the Spirit Walkers, with the goal being able to get around and then pivot around the phantasms no matter what next turn. The Brutes are within range of the pumpkin-headed Berserkers eyeing the central token, and they should be able to charge my unit cleanly, without worrying about the Spirit Walkers at all for any potential pushback. If I were in my opponent's shoes, I'd be down to charge the Brutes, so they get Barkskin 2 to help them out.

The Spirit Walkers can't get past the Gargoyles to do anything meaningful, so are forced to just flank charge the Gargoyles. Wary of the Seductresses, my various Druids lock in, with the mounted one preventing a slide down from the Walkers, which means that unless my opponent does something similar, if those central Berserkers charge the Spirit Walkers, they will land atop the obstacle, and be hindered. That all seems ok, though the Druids locking in so hard prevents any meaningful reform from the Walkers when the Gargoyles do scatter.

My opponent engaged the Stampede smartly, with nothing hanging over, so I cannot aid my unit. The other Brutes swing out towards the right, with the second Mounted Druid hiding. With the heights of the intervening units, she is safe from the short Seductresses.

A lack of reforms due to tight spaces.

There is the potential for the Stampede to hit one of the individuals and overrun, but I don't like my chances with Ensnare in-play and only 15 attacks from my disordered unit. So the Stampede catches a Bane Chant and counter-charges some Berserkers, landing 8 damage and wavering the unit, though they have Fury. 

There aren't great options for the flying Beast. He's angled a bit already, and I can't land clear of the Berserkers with the current facing. I could pivot and fly, but it will be pivoting more towards the corner, and then I'll be facing the corner, while giving up a clear flank to the Tortured Ogres. I could charge either horde in my deployment zone, but do not recall if I will be giving up a flank to do so, and even if not, I can't stop both, and that doesn't seem like enough of a delay. I opt to charge the Beast in against the Horde that bested the Harpies. This holds that unit up, and no other horde can get in against the Beast. I will likely lose both the Stampede and a unit of Brutes next turn, but this seems like the least worst option as things will be fighting, and I'll be ready to close with my remaining units in Round 4. The Beast does a decent 4 damage, but it's immaterial against the Horde.

Top of Round 4: Abyssals

Out on the left, it's super close, but the Gargoyles playing in the woods are just able to get behind the Brutes and raze the token. This was not something I had double-checked or had considered, so should be considered an error. With the score 2:2, I had been angling to just brawl for the center and hope for the best, but now down in the scenario point, I think the best I can hope for is a lot of luck and a potential draw.

Two more triple charges from the Forces of the Abyss.

The Abyssals make two more sets of triple charges this turn. Against the very injured Stampede, a horde of hindered Berserkers goes into the flank, with another horde counter-charging in the front, and pathfinding Succubi joining in from the crystalline forest. Any one of these units should pick the Stampede up, and indeed the unit is easily devastated and routed after the attacks of just one unit, though I don't remember who got the honors. 

The Apostate is just able to draw line of sight to the Brutes nearest my table edge, and he hits my Brutes in the flank while both sets of fiery Berserkers in my deployment zone hit the unit in the front, and this unit is easily devastated and routed as well. 

The Abyssals are ahead for the scenario, and out on the right, Tortured Ogre units look to zone out possible fliers. The last combat for the turn is Berserkers fighting back my solo-charging Beast. Mau'ti-bu-su joins with an attack into the Beast's flank. The legendary Seductress lands no damage, but contributes Brutal 2. The Berserkers underperform and land 5 damage, but a hot check still finds the Beast wavering...

Bottom of Round 4: Herd

Things are not going great, but the goal is still to scrap and hope for the best. 

My opponent is far more experienced than I am. About now I'm part-way through my second beer by now, and I'm realizing that my fliers were the only things I had a real edge with. My opponent realized this from the start, and has actively been checking and double-checking ranges with an eye to planning around where the Herd can go and how to contain me. I am not likely to get an easy backfield steal of my final token like he just did to me, but the Harpies continue their journey towards the right. I won't be able to fight for this token without help (Tortured Souls are have better stats and are stronger with US2), but I can threaten this, keep and see how the rest of the game plays out.

The Herd fight back!

I'm doing what I can to strike back. Losing both the Stampede and a unit of Brutes was expected, but still not great. Unfortunately neither the Spirit Walkers nor the Brutes nearby have great charges this turn, and both are forced to go into a horde of Berserkers, with the Brutes tripping on the obstacle. Still, the unit is picked up and that's something. With taller intervening units, the various Druids support, and we get a Barkskin 4 on the Spirit Walkers.

In victory I opt to do nothing. Angles are tight, and I just can't think things through. I am most worried about the Brutes. Ideally, I want to get them off the obstacle, but they just can't. An overrun won't do that, and could easily open them up to flank charges from nimble Berserkers. In retrospect, side-stepping the Brutes and then pivoting the Spirit Walkers would be slightly better than doing nothing. 

...but the fights are not as effective as I needed them to be.

The final remaining Brutes have some charges, but also no good ones, as they are all front charges with multiple options for my opponent to retaliate. I need to try and remove whatever I can as safely as I can, so the Brutes charge into the Berserkers most behind my lines, as a victory should be able to get everything back into front arc to mitigate incoming damage. It's a clean charge, so we're wounding on 2's with Brutal, but the hit roll is very underwhelming, and only 9 damage lands. The Berserkers are wavering, but that doesn't matter. 

The Herd's wavering Beast does nothing, and I am running out of steam.

Top of Round 5: Abyssals

With things flush in the center, my opponent can do what he wants, and triple charges the Spirit Walkers with two hordes of Berserkers and the pathfinding Succubi. Barkskin proves to be immaterial, and I don't think we even make it through all the units before the horde of Phantasms is devastated and routed, as is proper. The Berserkers are just made for killing a unit like this. 

A fifth triple-charge from the Abyssals.

The horde fighting the Beast regenerates 2 to go from 4 down to just 2 damage. It and Mau'ti-bu-su fight again, with the legendary Seductress contributing a few plus Brutal 1, and the Berserkers cleaning up to rout the monster.

The Guardian Brutes fighting in my deployment zone take a rear charge from the Apostate, and a furious front from the Berserkers to end on 20 damage, devastated and routed, as is proper. The Berserkers also regenerate a big 5, to go from 9 down to just 4 damage.

Bottom of Round 5: Herd

At this point, the game's inevitable conclusion is beyond glaring, and while I admit that to my opponent, I still have some beer left, and I want to throw 30 more dice and at least take two hordes with me.

So, the Brutes charge the Berserkers in front of them, and are hindered. However, Moonfang and the Beast hit the horde in the flank, and we will still pick the unit up. My opponent also suggest that I move the Harpies over as well. Had we continued playing, they can still threaten a run-by to pick up my token, while reinforcing my Unit Strength on the central token. Ok fine.

With the Berserker horde routing, instead of reforming, I concede on the spot, because this game is well and truly out of my reach.

A victory to the Forces of the Abyss!

Game Conclusions

Jon and I apparently share a love of very dark and very potent beers, and it was a real treat to have a few while playing. And at a game shop no less! The Gamezenter was a neat place. I immensely enjoyed this, though unfortunately my gaming performance did not match my enthusiasm.

I made the whole game very difficult for myself. Both the initial scenario set-up and then the subsequent deployment both got the better of me. While I have played a fair amount of alpha strike lists lately, I haven't been on the other side of that style much before. I had the right idea to reposition, but struggled to do so given my slower speed, and did not execute it well, as I didn't realize just how valuable my Harpies were in this match-up until it was all too late. Multi-charges win games, and the Herd was just not able to get any momentum, nor luck to make this a seriously competitive game at any point. 

Testing Conclusions

• Spirit Walkers with the Blood of the Old King. I remembered the item, but did not use it. Using it while flanking Gargoyles seemed downright ridiculous, and against the Berserkers it seemed like it would be overkill, so I got greedy, hoping to somehow hold and get some "good" use out of the item later on. I still like the item and the unit, but it doesn't seem to be the best arrangement with the current build. Elven Wine for Nimble, the "staple" Brew of Haste to bump them up to Speed 7, or just naked are all the options to explore next.
• Harpies. They were not used optimally. In retrospect, I need something to blunt the speed of the Berserker hordes and let me approach unscathed, and I should have brought both into the center to block and then engage. Token grabbing is normally great, but I really needed to limit my opponent's multi-charges since I had fewer combat units and less speed.
• Guardian Brutes. I fell short of optimal use with the Brutes as well; ultimately needing to sacrifice one to get the others into combat. It was hard to deal with so much Speed 9, and this sacrifice is why I think I should have slowed down to bring both Harpies over before engaging. I needed them to kill hordes, and did not set them up for success.
• The Stampede. Technically, the Stampede did exactly what I wanted it to do for me! It moved up, instigated (but didn't charge), and held thanks to Def5. Unfortunately it still felt underwhelming. Strider is nice, and these are high-quality attacks, particularly on the charge, but with just 15 attacks, they aren't going to kill anything on their own. They are an interesting unit, but I think they want Centaurs or something speedier for getting multi-charges - the Stampede is neat, but not what I think I need here.
• Flying Beasts. As with the rest of the list, these were not used well. If they are to be used as hammers, they need to be multi-charging. The delaying charge was a bit desperate, and not terrible, but the rebutting waver there very unfortunate for me. They can be a great utility piece, I just did not use them well. 
• Mounted Druids with Bane Chant. As-always, the basic Druids did good work for the Herd, keeping things Inspired and powered up with Bane-Chant to be wounding all the Berserkers on 2's... but with my hero slots so tight, I need more from these, and I do think the Arcane Library Spells are where I need to go now.
• Gladewalker Druid with Lute and Barkskin. It's still a weird loadout, but I think the Lute is worth it. I like the idea of Barkskin, particularly with the Spirit Walkers. It does seem effective alongside the Walkers, but I don't know if saving 2-3 damage is worth it. I think Veil is the better pick, with something like Scorched Earth on a Mounted Druid a good second spell to look at.
• Moonfang. I did not use Moonfang well either. I was trying to preserve him in order to get some use out of his conditional Vicious, but I should have been more aggressive and proactive and threatening with him. He should be able to bully Gargoyles and take a hit from hindered Berserkers.

Honestly, I was not expecting to win when I scheduled this, but I still wish I could have put up a better showing. The beating was downright clinical though, and I was able to learn a lot. I still enjoyed the game, the beer, and our chat afterwards immensely. The flame effect on those opposing hordes was really cool and I think I took half a dozen reference pictures. A big thanks to Jon for stepping up when I was planning my recent trip, and for being flexible on the day so we could get started just a little bit sooner than originally planned. I had a wonderful trip overall, and getting in a surprise game definitely  helped. Hopefully we'll see him across the table again soon!

Kings of War 3rd Edition: #141 Herd vs Brothermark in Plunder

Intro and Lists

Trevor had a surprise free evening, and had reached out for a game. Further adding to my delight was that we were playing quick, and able to fit in a second weeknight game, something I don’t think we have accomplished before. Trevor was hosting, and fielded another iteration on the Brothermark:

It’s very similar to his previous list. Momentarily gone are the Penitents, replaced this time by stickier Veteran Spearmen, who still have the Villein keyword, and thus can benefit from Rally and the Fury aura he had been utilizing. Providing some oomph are Paladin Monster Slayers with two-handers and the Healing Brew, and two hordes of Ogre Palace Guards. Supporting all this are three normal Phoenixes in order to retain Nimble for scenario play, along with two Ogre Palace Guard Captains. High Chaplain Augustus was around to do a little bit of everything, there was a Exemplar Chaplain to buff, a flying Dictator to interdict, and this time the neat War Wizard has Celestial Restoration, to hopefully keep all the units around and fighting longer.

I brought the Herd, finally going with what I think is a slightly more sensible approach to early lists running triple Brutes. I enjoyed my Keith Conroy throwback lists, so am taking that core and essentially just swapping out Lycans for the Brutes. See, sensible! It's only my third attempt at a triple Guardian Brute build. Up to evaluate is everything:

• Spirit Walkers with Blood of the Old King. With Speed 6 Brutes, I feel like I need something to instigate and grab my opponent’s attention so that the Brutes can actually get in. Keith Conroy really brought these to everyone’s attention, and I think they could work well here. They are Fearless and Height 2, so should hopefully be able to start some fights for me. Keith really liked the Brew of Haste on his, but without Lycans, I don’t think I need the speed boost, and will just try to get one good fight in with them.
• Harpies. These are great chaff units, and good picks for the Herd. 
• Guardian Brutes. The thinking is that with Brutal and Fury, these should be ok brawlers. 
• Beast of Nature. These are powerful monsters if used well... which I have struggled to do. I’ve demonstrated a few times now that these really need flank charges and multi-charges to break stuff, so that’ll be the goal here. 
• Mounted Druid with BC and Barkskin. I like Druids in all forms, but with Hero slots at a premium for the Herd in these lists, I think they need to do more than just Bane Chant, and I’m overdue for playing around with Magic in all my armies. We don’t quite have the super-low defense to abuse the spell, but Barkskin looks ok for absorbing some damage, so we’ll try it out. 
• Gladewalker Druid with Lute and Veil. You can only take Knowledgeable once, but I wanted to try out some more spell support, so have a Gladewalker Druid. They are the highest caster we can get at 2, and unfortunately are geared more towards Elemental support, but this still lets us try out Veil on a foot character, alongside Barkskin. Their spell selection is also weird, and while it feels slapdash, I think the Lute is probably a good idea, just to give them some extra utility. 
• Moonfang. I like Lycan Alphas, but don’t think I can afford to run multiples, so we’re taking just the legendary one. He seems like a strong pick, and we’ll continue to take him and try and instigate with him.
• Avatar of the Father. I like my model, so am stubbornly trying to fit him into some of these builds. Fliers are stronger the more of them you take, so we’ll see what he and the two Beasts can get up to here.

Table and Terrain

Trevor was hosting us, and we used his Kings of War App to quickly generate another map. We were 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 ponds s as some Height 0 difficult terrain. The map was again a little unusual, but interesting, with both buildings on one side of the map, and both ponds on the other.

We got Plunder as the scenario this time, which is good, as I need to play more token-based scenarios especially with the Herd. For Plunder, there are 5 Loot Tokens spread across the centerline of the battlefield, each worth 1 point. We each nominate one token to be upgraded to 2-Points, and we score whatever our units are holding at the end of the game. I won the roll for sides, and was lazy, and then nominated the the middle token on the right, and my opponent then picked the one on the very far left, hoping to spread me out. 

Overview of the table.

The white tokens are worth 1 Point, and the purples worth 2 Points. The Brothermark nominated the left-most token, while the Herd picked the one on the far-right. 

The Brothermark won the roll for sides this time, and he stayed put.

The Brothermark line.

For deployment the Brothermark went wide, with two Spear regiments on the far left with an Ogre Captain betwixt, the Rallying Chaplain in the pond, and then two more Spear Regiments. Augustus was next, with a Phoenix, the flying Dictator, and the Paladin horde taking us to the center, with the second Ogre Captain and both Phoenixes finishing the front line. Both Ogre units were in reserve, in the center of the battlefield. 

The Brothermark went pretty wide, trying to leverage their greater unit strength into plenty of options to contest things, but Herd wanted to play hard for the narrow win. With a narrow corridor and a building on my left, I wrote off the 2-Pointer out on the left.

The Herd center, with the Harpies on the left just out of frame.

Left to right we have a unit of Harpies lurking, ready to block and delay. We have a Beast on the line to project threat, with the Barkskin Druid in support. The central hills were troublesome, but I have Brutes and Spirit Walkers just to either side, so they can at least see part the hill. The Veil of Shadows Druid and Moonfang finished up the center. 

The Herd right.

I didn’t think I had the space to cleanly fight for the center, so the rest of the Herd was on the right. We have Harpies on the line with the Avatar behind, and then two units of angled Brutes and an angled Beast, all ready to run up the field as fast as they could.

We had no Scout moves between us, and there was much rejoicing (for my opponent) when the Brothermark won the roll and secured the first turn.

Top of Round 1: Brothermark

The Brothermark moved up aggressively. On the left, the Spears moved at the double, and the Ogre Captain kept pace with a curt pivot at the end. The Brothermark are all over their 2-Pointer.

Very confident Brothermark moving out!

The rallying Chaplain was slowed by the terrain, but inched out towards the center, while the remaining Spear units approached the woods. 

With nothing injured yet, the Celestial Resto Wizard inched towards the hill, hoping to use it as the game progressed to get line of sight to Brothermark units in need to aid. 

From reserve, the Ogre units advanced, with one angling to meet the Herd soon to be pressuring from the right.

A big advance from the layered Brothermark center.

Centrally, the Paladins and an Ogre escort move the full 10” up, but I eventually point out my Wild Charge on the Spirit Walkers, and they ease up slightly, denying me any possible charge. Hmmm. Maybe Keith is really onto something with the Brew of Haste!

    

Concerning shooting from the Phoenixes.

The Phoenixes should all just be in range to shoot, and are tall enough to ignore the hills, and will land 9 damage into the Spirit Walkers.

Bottom of Round 1: Herd

On the right, the Herd moves as fast as they can, trying to match the aggression of the Brothermark opposing them. Had I gotten first turn, this positioning would be ok, but I did not, and with the Brothermark moving up so aggressively, I am worried. It will still probably be two more turns before the Brutes out here can join any fights.

The angled Brutes move as swiftly as they can, but it’s still not great positioning. Harpies flit up, trying to spy things between the building and the Brutes.

The Herd advances, with the fliers already in positions to flank the Brothermark.

With Pathfinder, the Avatar of the Father is able to zip up and hide in the woods, grimly evaluating the Brothermark line. Will his streak of finding an insanely courageous unit continue? The Beast likewise hopes up the full 20”, spying the center of the board.

The Herd take the hill.

In the center, I am flummoxed. The Spirit Walkers really need to get some value here, but are already pretty injured, and unlikely to survive another volley. I opt to inch up, giving a possible charge to the Ogre Captain, but not the Paladins. I am on the hill, but not majority on it with both the Spirit Walkers and the Brutes, but am threatening charges next turn. 

The Druids try to support things, and one casts Veil, covering the units in the center, while the other lands a Barkskin 3 into the Spirit Walkers. The Spirit Walkers are still hurt, but this should complicate things for my opponent next turn.

Harpies get into position to help the center. Not much they can do against four regiments of Spearmen...

The nearby flying Beast pivots, looking to threaten stuff and look for flanks next turn, and the Harpies on the left flap up, safe from charges and looking to make some delaying charges next turn.

Top of Round 2: Brothermark

The advance of the Brothermark continues. 

Having gained a lot of ground, the Spears from the left all move and pivot, making their way towards the center. The Spears offer a lot of Unit Strength here, but are prioritizing movement, grabbing only the single 1-Pointer a unit lands on. The 2-Pointer can easily be grabbed next turn. The Phoenixes opt to ignore Veil of Shadows.

The Spears push towards the center, though one is already carrying a token.

One Phoenix shoots into Harpies, and lands 4 damage, but the fierce flying ladies hold. Another charges the Guardian Brutes partially on the hill to tie them up for a turn. The final Phoenix sprays into the nearest Brutes on the right, landing 2 damage.

Other delaying charges are made, with the Dictator flying out to ground the flying Beast on the left. He’ll catch a Bane Chant from Augustus, and smack the Beast for 4 damage.

Delaying charges and repositioning.

The reserve Ogres gain some ground and pivot more to face the Herd on the right, while the Paladins grab the center token, worth 1-Point and do the same.

The Brothermark turn to face the oncoming Herd.

An Ogre Captain charges the Spirit Walkers, and lands a hot 4 damage… but Barkskin negates 3, and on 10 damage, the Walkers hold. 

Bottom of Round 2: Herd

On the right, the far Brutes reach my 2-Pointer with a move and a pivot, but I do not pick it up. With only Speed 6, I was wary of picking up the token and further slowing myself down… but I think this is an error, and I probably should have picked it up since I landed on it. I could always drop it later if I need to do so in order to charge.

The Herd on the right moves up, trying to contribute.

The Harpies out here reposition, ready to pick up the 2-Pointer for me next turn. The delaying charges seemed weird to me at the time, but realistically, the Brothermark are already effectively controlling 4 points worth of tokens (the hold two 1-Pointers, and will easily pick up the 2-Pointer on the left next round), which is a win. If they can delay the Herd or endure some charges, it will be a win for the Brothermark.

The injured Brutes move up around the building, threatening the Paladins but stay safe themselves.

In the backfield, Moonfang goes in to disorder the Phoenix. He scares me with his hit rolls, but does land 2 damage to get the disorder. 

The Herd push back into the Brothermark.

Moonfang can’t quite reach, but the Beast and Avatar have charges into stuff, and opt to charge the Ogres, as they are uninspired, and given the angles, my opponent will not be able to help the unit. They deal 8, which feels underwhelming, but is about right for averages. The Nerve check is unfortunately now, and the Ogres Iron-Resolve down to 7 damage, and are ready to brawl.

The Spirit Walkers catch a Bane Chant and will land 8 against the Ogre Captain, best him, and reform. I cast with the Barkskin Druid, and regret it. Only one Phoenix is free to shoot next turn, and I think Barkskin would have been a better spell than Veil. Alas, I have nothing also to Bane Chant, and do get Veil of Shadows off.

Reforms for the Herd.

The Brutes counter-charge the Phoenix, with Harpies in the flank, and through weight of attacks, the Phoenix is devastated and routed. The Harpies reform, as-do the Brutes, who are able to get out of arc of the Paladins in the center.

The Beast claws 5 damage into the Dictator, but he Iron-Resolves down to 4.

Top of Round 3: Brothermark

On the left, the Spears move slightly, and grab the 2-Pointer out here, and officially put the Brothermark in the lead with 4 points worth of tokens being carried currently. The other unit nearby saunters into the woods. The Ogre Captain doesn’t have the inches to help in combats yet, but gets around the woods, and ends touching the obstacle. 

Movement and charges on the left for the Brothermark.

Two Spear units make hindered charges into the Harpies, and will easily pick them up. 

The Dictator does into Beast again, landing 2 damage this time, but keeping the bird grounded.

Augustus can spot the Brutes partially on the hill, and after some other charges are made, will charge in to tie them up again. The Brutes are scary, but less so if you can keep them disordered.

Other charges for the Brothermark.

The War Wizard was hoping to get on the hill, but with fighting here, distances become rough. He cannot get far enough away to heal the Ogres in the backfield, and little else has taken damage. I think the only option is a Phoenix, though I don't recall or note the outcome of the spell.

The Phoenix wants to disengage, and pivots and moves to avoid Moonfang. The Phoenix was tall and protecting my wolf, but now line of sight is clear, and Ogres charge off the hill, landing 10 damage. We remember Brutal, but Moonfang holds, wavering. Perhaps my disordering charge was not the smartest.

The other Ogres countercharge the flying Beast, as it has a lower Nerve. They spike their dice, landing 12 damage, and will rout the Beast.

The untouched Phoenix will fly up and get in front of the nearest Brutes coming from the right. With a titanic base and Height 6, I can’t see past the fiery bird.

Aftermath of the round.

Centrally, the Paladins are holding a 1-Point token, and will charge the Spirit Walkers. There is nothing to support them, but the Paladins underperform, landing another 10 damage, and on 20 damage, the Spirit Walkers are found to be insanely courageous.

Bottom of Round 3: Herd

On the right, I need to leave my 2-Pointer behind. I need to get these Brutes into the fight! They move ahead, careful to stay safe from the Ogre units.

Rather than grab my 2-Pointer, I think I need to press on and fight, and the Harpies fly up to block for Moonfang as the shaken heroic unit disengages and backs up. The Harpies are able to hop ahead of him, and with the angles involved, he is safe from the Ogres next turn. Moonfang also spikes his regeneration roll, going from 10 damage down to 1. I can see why people like him!

Charges from the Herd.

The Brutes can’t see past the Phoenix, so just charge him. Through sheer weight of attacks, the Brutes land 13 damage, and will pick the bird up. They are safe next turn, and slightly reform, in order to pick up a 1-Pointer nearby.

In the back, the Avatar has a clean charge into the uninspired Ogres again. They are on 7 damage, but I don’t trust my dice. The Avatar flies over them, and then nimbly pivots twice to spy the rears of Brothermark units. With both Ogre units limited to charging the Harpies next turn, I am fine with this.

Reforms from the Herd.

The Brutes catch the a Bane Chant, and counter-charge Augustus. The hope is to break him, and then any overrun will get me into the flank of the Paladins. I only land 7 damage (10 expected), and Augustus is found to be insane. 

The insane Spirit Walkers catch the other Bane Chant, and I roll this fight after the Brutes and Augustus, as the hope was to get the Brutes into the flank here. The Spirits slash 12 damage into the Paladins, who Iron Resolve down to 11. The insane hold has really turned the tables on the Brothermark, who were hoping to block, grab tokens, and back away. With everything delayed by a turn, the Herd is regaining momentum now.

The Beast continues against the Dictator, and does claw a few more damage against him, taking him up to 9 damage, and I am able to rout him this turn. Reforms are tough, so I do nothing. I believe a sidestep would bring the Spears into range; pivoting to face the Ogre Captain doesn’t seem great, with other Spear units able to get a flank. I think I should have backed up or overrun, but ultimately do nothing.

Top of Round 4: Brothermark

With the tide beginning to turn, the Spears on the left start hauling their 2-Pointer away. Two other units of Spears continue making their way towards the center to fight, with two unfortunately unable to get into fights this turn.

The Brothermark look to leave with their loot.

The Ogre Captain does make a hindered flank-charge into the Beast, landing 5 damage and brining the monster up to 8, though it holds. If memory serves, the Beast is found to be insane here.

Charges for the Brothermark.

Insane Augustus counter-charges the weak Brutes, with a unit of Spearmen joining in. With the starting positions of all the units, this is the best the Brothermark can do, leaving two Spear regiments sitting in reserve. Together, the Brothermark brings the Brutes up to 11 damage… and then the Brutes are found to be Insane, which is another big setback for the Brothermark. They are delaying, but the Herd units have been rudely overstaying their welcome in these comats.

The War Wizard is able to see things this turn, and casts Celestial Restoration on the Paladins… for just 2, and the Paladins end the turn on 9 damage. The Spirit Walkers are not found insane a second time however, and are picked up this turn, with the Paladins now stuck turning to face some oncoming Brutes.

Reforms for the Brothermark.

In the back, the Phoenix booped by Moonfang wheels about, getting on the hill to block line of sight from the Avatar into the Paladins. 

The Brutes multi-charge the Harpies, and we fast forward the fight, and they are not Insane. Both Overrun 3 inches, starting down Moonfang.

Bottom of Round 4: Herd

I unfortunately don't take good pictures here. Moonfang has a nice flank into one Ogre horde, but cannot fit. So he and some Brutes go into the injured horde, and will devastate and rout them. Moonfang reforms to spin around, looking to run back and grab my 2-Pointer, and the fresh Brutes face the center of the field looking for their next fight.

The Avatar of the Father can’t see the Paladins, but can see both Ogres. He rear-charges the other unit, and lands what turns out to be the expected 15 damage. The second uninspired Ogre horde is broken.

The Brutes that bested the Phoenix and grabbed a token are able to fit between the building and Ogres to charge the wounded Paladins. It’s a clean charge, and with the meager Celestial Restoration, the Brutes are able to bring the Paladins up to 20 damage, and break this horde as well, stealing their 1-Pointer in victory, and are now holding 2 1-Point tokens for the Herd. They will reform to get the Ogre Captain in front-arc.

The other horde of Guardian Brutes, who are insane, catch another Bane Chant, and then a Barkskin for 3, and will countercharge Augustus. They land just another 7 damage, but this still brings him to 13, we rout him, and then an overrun of anything takes the Brutes into the assisting Spear regiment, who will take 12 damage, and break as well. The Brutes will steal the 1-Pointer from the Spears. 

Aftermath of a VERY big turn for the Herd.

Disordered by the Ogre Captain in the flank, but with an open front, the grounded flying Beast also presses on, lurching forward and charging out into the flank of the Spears, landing 9 damage, and then getting the rout as the Chaplain is not a source of Inspiring.

It’s a back-breaking turn, with the Brothermark loosing some 16 Unit Strength all at once. The Herd now holds all three of the 1-Point tokens, with Moonfang eager to secure the 2-Pointer on the far right in round 5.

Top of Round 5: Brothermark

It was a devastating turn of events for the Brothermark. My opponent surveys the field, and eventually concedes after we are talking things through.

The Brothermark safely hold their nominated 2-pointer, but things are dire. The Herd hold three 1-Point tokens. We measure, and with the woods, Moonfang and his Pathfinding skills will be able to double-back to reach my 2-Pointer before the Phoenix can grab it. 

Positioning that the Brothermark inherit.

Even the remaining fights are dire. The flying Beast is wounded, but is in the way, preventing the Spears from charging past and into the Brutes with a token. The Ogre Captain has a front charge into the unit, but needs to actually damage the unit to force a Nerve check, and with Barkskin 3 on the Brutes currently, a check is not even guaranteed, and either the Brutes and/or the Avatar should be able to avenge things. In short, things are dire, and the Brothermark concede again.

Game Conclusions

I had high hopes and a good feeling about this list, and am elated I was able to take the win here, though it needs to be stressed how much Insane Courage helped the Herd here. Insane last-stand Spirit Walkers helped me maim and then claim the Paladins to get some real momentum going, and insane last-stand Brutes help close out the came conclusively. Round 4 was going to be tough for the Brothermark, but the dice were one-sided and let me get away with an absolutely massive turn. So, the list worked, but I was also pretty lucky here.

Testing Conclusions

• Spirit Walkers with Blood of the Old King. …On the drive home I remembered that I never popped the Blood in their combats. I’ll need a token or something for the future. I want to try them with the Blood again, because I think it will help me get the most out of the unit before it breaks, but I think this game did showcase why Keith liked them with the Brew, as I would have absolutely yolo'ed these into the Paladins to see what would have happened. Overall, these seem like a great instigating unit for the Brutes. I haven't tried it yet, but if I am clever, I can probably park Brute behind them for tricky multi-charges. We'll explore that another time, but off to a good start with the horde of phantasms here.  
• Harpies. I was lucky to have the one hold after getting shot, but both were used well to block and delay here, and were exactly what I needed to gain momentum over on the right by blocking up both Ogre hordes..
• Guardian Brutes. Against the odds, all my Brutes survived this second game too. This is still obviously a fluke, and again I lucked out with an insane unit holding to help me decisively close the game out here too. Even angled, Speed 6 and not getting first turn proved to be a liability, though my opponent had similar problems with his Spears. I think this is an argument in favor of running an outriding unit of Lycans or something instead of the third horde, but conversely, I would not have wanted Lycans way out on a flank just holding a token. I have a handful of triple Brute lists to explore yet before I start fine-tuning, so we'll see how the future games go. 
• Beast of Nature. We tried deterrence and one multi-charge with them, though without a flank  charge they did not break that unit. They only had decent games, with one grounded and one routing, but my opponent wasn't able to capitalize on the grounding, and survivor lucked out at the end for a bit of a rampage to close things out. 
• Mounted Druid with BC and Barkskin. Mounted Druids are fun and useful, but I've felt like the Herd hero slots are limited, and the caster need to be doing a little more. Barkskin could be really helpful here. It wasn't the best test or showing, but looks promising, especially with Spirit Walkers around. One other big spell to look at is Scorched Earth, as it could really drive home the Herd's terrain advantages.
• Gladewalker Druid with Lute and Veil. Last Game my opponent introduced me to the idea of Veil with the Sacred Horn item. While it is awkward, I still think she needs the Lute, as that spell really does help the Herd out a lot. It's weird, but yeah, overall I liked the Gladewalker here.
• Moonfang. The disordering charge into the Phoenix was reckless - I kinda forgot that the Phoenix could just ... move and clear the way to charge him. Moonfang lucked out this time and with that luck, really delivered for me. If I can rein in the recklessness and start leveraging that 4+ Regen, he could indeed be really powerful, and I am understanding more and more why he rates so highly among Herd players. A good showing for him!
• Avatar of the Father. The Avatar finally failed to uncover an insanely courageous unit! I think I finally used him mostly well? The big decision was whether or not to solo-charge and continue against those Ogres. Statistically I think I should bring them to 12 damage and have good chances to pick them up, but I did not trust my dice. Since I was able to limit their charges, avoiding them for the turn seemed sensible. To then get a rear charge and a rout on something the following turn was really gratifying, and it felt like the Avatar finally had a good game and a good showing. 

Getting in a weekday game has been rarer this year, and I don't think we have ever snuck in two over an evening, so this was a real treat. A huge thank you to Trevor for hosting our games! If you are not already a regular visitor, be sure to check out his insightful Data & Dice blog for some great Kings of War analytics.