Kings of War 3rd Edition: #145 Undead vs Halflings in Plunder

Intro and Lists

September was downright exhausting for me even before all the 4th Edition rumors started and reveals started happening. I've wanted to hobby and play and post but I just did not have the time to do any of those activities to the extents that I wanted to do them. Thankfully, the monthly meet-ups are pretty regular and so hard to budge on my calendar now, and the impending new edition has not yet dashed our drives to play! We had a good showing, and I got to throw down against Rob and his Halflings, who were fresh off a 1st place finish at the Michigan GT! Rob had the following:

Frequent readers will recognize everything in the list. We have an upgraded Horde of Stalwarts to hold ground, some troops of Stalwarts to block, two Harvesters and two units of Grenadiers to interdict, two regiments of Poachers and a Gunnery Sergeant to shoot, an upgraded Iron Beast to smash and support, three regiments of Juggers, and the enabling duo of the Muster Captain for Strider, and the Sauceror for her toolbox of Auras. The list has been fine tuned over the last two years, and is quite versatile and fearsome, as frequent readers will know!

The Halflings are hard, but thankfully, I was at least not running the Herd into them this time. With 4th Edition coming soon, and my Triple Brute tournament hopes probably dashed, I had changed gears from trying to fine-tune that list back into more generalized tomfoolery, and trying to knock out the last few list ideas I had for each of my armies before the new edition drops and changes everything. It may seem silly, or futile, but fun is fun and anytime is still a good time to be rolling dice! For this game, I had more Undead MMU, running the following:

I've really enjoyed my forays with Undead MMU. We're continuing on with my heavy scoring character approach, and up to test and evaluate are:

• Skeleton Warriors with Two-handers. I really like the unit! The CS lets them stick a damage reliably, and otherwise it's a nice, cheap block of Fearless 15 that can take a turn or two to get through.
• Wraiths. Def6 can catch people out, and Strider is fantastic to let them actually get in and instigate well. The Undead have some good options around this points-level (Mummy Troops, Revenant Cavalry Troops, and Zombie Troll Regiments all at 115), but the Wraiths have been my favorite pick.
• Soul Reaver Infantry. I have three regiments, so we're taking all three to try and close out this idea for 3rd Edition. However, this makes points pretty tight, and since I don't want to stress about items and where they go, we're trying a "no toys" approach, spending 0 on artifacts and hoping the plain units can carry the day for us.
• Deathpack. The debut! They seem like good chaff, if a little on the slow side. With so much of the Undead being Shambling units though, this won't usually be an issue, and they can still keep pace with the Soul Reavers, and use Nimble to get ahead to block as needed. Height 1 is also nice on them, letting units see over them... though they can waver, so we'll need to be pretty careful with them.
• Mhorgoth the Faceless. He's brought a lot to the table previously, and is definitely a powerful pick for the army. The spell selection is very nice and provides a little something for any style of Undead list. We'll see what he can get done here.
• Double Lykanises. Square-based scoring characters are strong, and speedy threat projection can be very nice to have. They are a bit of odd pick, but one I wanted to explore more, as Speedy Undead isn't that common to run into. 
• Double Vampires on Undead Pegasi. Quadrupling down on the square-based scoring characters is a duo of Vampires on Pegasi. These are rather expensive for what you get, but will hit a little harder than the Lykanis units and fly can be nice to have for easier charges. 

It's regiments-max MMU, but is a very elite force. The Undead are actually at both a drop and unit deficit against the Halflings, so we'll have our work cut out for us! 

Table and Terrain

We were out at Gamer's Realm in New Berlin WI, making use of their tables and terrain. We were using our typical terrain rules, running the ruined 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.

Overview of the table.

We used the Kings of War App from Data and Dice to help generate a table layout for us, and got Plunder for our scenario. For Plunder, we have 5 grabbable Loot tokens spread across the middle of the board between us. We each nominate a token to be worth 2 points if held at the end of the game, with the other three each worth 1 point if held. I won the early rolls, and was lazy for choosing sides, and also picked the far-right token for my two pointer, thinking the building might help me control it, while my opponent did the same with the far left token.

A very lopsided arrangement on the left.

As-ever, the Halflings saved the Juggers and Strider Captain for their late drops. For deployment, the Halflings had the three Jugger Regiments on the left, with Stalwarts to chaff and the Strider Captain nearby to support. The Iron Beast lurked, with the Poacher regiments and Troll ready to stalk the woods, with the Grenadiers in reserve. The Halfling center had the Stalwart troop, then the Heroic Stalwart horde flanked by Harvesters and supported by the Sauceror. The second unit of Grenadiers kept close to the battle line, in reserve.

The center.

The Undead were at a deficit for drops and Unit Strength, though things weren’t too bad, and with the tokens mirrored, my overall plan was to delay on the left and then fight for the right and play for a narrow win. I deployed a Lykanis way out on the far left, hoping to bully the Stalwarts and threaten that token, but the Juggers did arrive in force shortly thereafter. Fighting for the second token on the left would be the flying Vampire, striding Wraiths, and a regiment of Soul Reavers. I don't expect them to win with the Juggers nearby, but hopefully they could slow things down so I can grab the other three tokens for the win. 

The right.

The Undead center hoped to use the hill to block some incoming fire, and had both Deathpack units screening for the two remaining Soul Reavers, with Mhorgoth and some Skeletons between them. We then had Wraiths to threaten the woods, and the flying Vampire to do the same. Skeletons started in the pond since they Shamble, and the far right had the Lykanis and Wraiths to help claim my two-pointer. I haven’t played in a month, and this was a bit of a unique list, but overall I was happy with my deployment.

The Halflings had some scout moves from the Poachers, and then nabbed the first turn for themselves. Drat!

Top of Round 1: Halflings

On the left, the Stalwart Troop moves ahead, with the Grenadiers and a unit of Juggers supporting. The other two Jugger regiments and the Strider Captain shuffle about, looking to turn their attention towards the center. While the Lykanis does have a long charge range, nothing will be in range for me next turn.

The Juggers move out, though aren't as aggressive as they could be.

The Iron Beast moves into the woods, but doesn’t have yet any shots with its gun. Poachers hold and end up splitting fire. The first unit shoots into Wraiths, landing just 1 damage, as my opponent didn’t realize they were Defense 6. The second unit shoots into a unit of stealthy Deathpack, landing 3 damage, but both Undead units hold firm.

The Halfling Center is patient as well.

The Sauceror goes for Rally, getting Rally 1, and the Halfling center inches up, not eager to fight, with the Stalwart troop, both Harvesters and Stalwart horde keeping a tight line.

Looking for future angles, the Grenadiers hopped out and behind a building, projecting threat into the center.

Bottom of Round 1: Undead

On the right, the Lykanis sprints ahead, hoping to get around the terrain and be threatening in the coming turns. Wraiths moves up, and the Skeletons shamble out of the pond.

Pushing up on the right.

The flying Vampire also hides behind the building, projecting threat much like the Grenadiers, and the striding Wraiths enter the woods, ready to try and hold something up.

Against shooting I am on a bit of a clock, and with the Juggers on a flank, I think I need to get some decisive fights going against the Halfling’s center, so things start moving ahead, with the Deathpack screening. After some indecision, I decide to stay more than the Halfling’s maximum charge range away. I won’t have charges, but I also won’t be caught up on anything.

Two very different centers approach.

Mhorgoth keeps pace, trying to be patient. He Surges the Skeleton Warriors ahead a bit, getting three successes with the unit stopped by the angled Deathpack. He attempts a Mindfog into the Stalwart troop, but Spellward is in effect, and now needing 5’s, the spell fails to connect. It is not a big turn for spells.

The second flying Vampire repositions onto the hill, with the Wraiths screening for the Soul Reavers. This trio is going to need to keep the Halflings occupied in the woods for a turn or two.

Units trying to delay on the left.

Also on delaying duties is the lone Lykanis on the far left. I believe he makes sure he is safe from the Grenadiers and their slightly longer charge range, and then just pivots towards the center. As-mentioned, I don’t have any charges yet, and it’s a 3v1 fight here, so I am just looking to delay the Juggers from committing to the center.

Top of Round 2: Halflings

On the left, the trio of Halfing units box the Lykanis in. The other two Regiments of Juggers and the Strider Captain shuffle towards the center again.

The Halflings isolate the Lykanis.

The Iron Beast lands another point of damage against the Wraiths to bring them up to 2, but the phantasms hold. The Poachers and Gunnery Sergeant shoot into the nearest Deathpack, will land 7 damage against the stealthy undead swarm, and rout it.

Aftermath of the Halfling shooting phase.

The long alternating line of Stalwarts and Harvesters reposition slightly, and the Sauceror goes for Rally, getting Rally 2 for the battle line. 

Out on the right.

The Grenadiers to the right of the long line hold behind the building, still patiently looking to support in the coming turns.

Bottom of Round 2: Undead

On the right, the Lykanis does swing around the obstacle, and get behind the Halfling lines. Hopefully he can do some heavy lifting in Round 3!

The shambling Wraiths and Skeleton Warriors both shuffle ahead towards the token. I don't like this over-commitment, but it's hard to reposition with Shambling, and the Wraiths aren't going to have the speed to swing around the building like the Lykis. . 

The Undead press in on the right.

The Wraiths leave the woods, keeping things in front arc, and the flying Vampire does the same. The flying Vampire will be protected from the Grenadiers, and hopefully have a pretty free hand next turn.

The Soul Reavers can’t move any further ahead without being seen by the Harvester on the far right and simultaneously exposing their flank, so they rein it in slightly, but should still have a charge into something next turn.

The centers meet, and the Soul Reavers should have charges next turn.

The Halfings want a straight battle line, to prevent any corner flank charges, so maimed but surviving Deathpack has choices. They go into the Harvester on the left, as it should box in the contraption, the Stalwart horde and the Stalwart troop. They will land no hits.

One of my last movement decisions is to send the flying Vampire out into the Stalwart troop. In retrospect, I probably should have sent the Deathpack here too, just to increase my chances of breaking them, if only slightly. Mhorgoth hops ahead, bringing Dread, and lands a Bane Chant for the Vampire, but lands no hits with a Drain Life into the Spellwarded Stalwart troop. The Troop takes 4 damage, and wavers. This isn’t ideal, but my main goal is to shepherd the Soul Reavers into combat, so I think that plan is still going ok as the Halfling center is gummed up nicely.

The Skeletons move ahead as well, taking up space, as the other unit of Soul Reavers pushes towards the Halfling line, eying up future charges.

The Lykanis dips out.

On the hill, I am still looking to delay, and the Wraiths post up to protect the Soul Reavers.

It’s a game of inches and angles out on the far left, and the Halflings were just the right amount of aggressive. I can’t reach the Juggers with my pivots; can’t back up to mitigate any incoming charges; and can’t be tricky and move up as the Juggers and Grenadiers are still going to be able to charge me no matter where I end up. I know I’m not going to get close to picking up even the Grenadiers, so instead of a hopeless charge, the Lykanis cuts and runs, putting as much distance between him and the Halflings as possible for now, and getting safe for a turn.

Top of Round 3: Halflings

On the left, the Grenadiers pursue the Lykanis, and the Stalwarts claim the 2-Point token.

The Muster Captain brings his strider aura, allowing a slick multi-charge into my blocking Wraiths by Juggers and the Iron Beast, which ends the phase atop a token, and will pick it up. The Wraiths are dealt 10 new damage and scattered. The Iron Beast tries to overrun, but lurches just 1 inch ahead in victory. The Juggers go much further, and are essentially touching the front of the Soul Reavers, and will prevent the Vampires from charging anything else next turn, since they cannot pivot away.

Charges from the Halflings.

Another unit other Juggers queues up behind the fight, and the third unit enters the woods to see out of it, and line up a striding charge of their own next turn.

Reforms for the Halflings.

A unit of Poachers loose into some Soul Reavers, landing 2 damage. The Gunnery Sergeant charges the Skeletons to delay them, and is hindered, but still thumps 4 damage in against them.

The other unit of Poachers flank-charge the flying Vampire, dealing 5, while the wavering Stalwarts back up. The Vampire holds, but barely, as was nearly wavered with the checks.

View of the center.

The Sauceror goes for Rally again, though I don’t note the successes.

The Harvester will counter-charge the injured and intrepid Deathpack, with the Stalwarts flank-charging them. The Harvester will devastate the unit, and we speed through and don’t roll the Stalwarts. The flank-charge creates a lot of space, and both the Harvester and horde are able to reform nicely.

The right, with Wraiths holding strong for the Undead.

The other Harvester and Grenadiers go into the Wraiths, but they prove to be quite sticky. The Harvester is hindered, and just 2 damage in total sneaks in, and these spirits hold fast.

Bottom of Round 3: Undead

On the right, Wraiths grab my token to tie the game up, while the Skeletons can just see and then reach the Grenadiers, and they’ll deal the 1 damage I need to ground them.

Charges on the right.

The Wraiths will grab the token beneath them and then countercharge the Harvester, with the Lykanis joining in the flank. The Harvester takes 5 damage, and shrugs off the Nerve check, holding firm.

The Soul Reavers make a hindered charge into the Stalwart horde, joined in by the flying Vampire with a clean charge. 10 damage lands, but the horde holds strong.

Charges on the left and in the center.

Mhorgoth flits about, landing a Bane Chant into the flying Vampire, and sticking 1 from Drain Life into the Stalwart Troop to further aid the Vampire, which will excuse itself from the Poachers and continue pursuing the Stalwarts. This time, the Vampire is able to best the troop, but only barely, thanks to Mhorgoth’s Dread. The Vampire is able to reform to get out of arc of the Harvester, and thanks to Drain Life and Lifeleech, will end the round on just 2 damage.

Soul Reavers will flank the Poachers that are threatening the flying Vampire, and will absolutely shred the unit, devastating and routing it, as is proper. The vampires will struggle a bit to reform though, and I think opt to back up, but only go 1 inch.

The Skeletons will fight against the Gunnery Sergeant, but will only land 1 damage. Still, they are holding ground, and will Lifeleech down to 3 damage total. They're doing what I want the unit to be doing and just gumming things up.

Reforms for the Undead. 

On the left, the Soul Reavers take their only charge into the Juggers, while the Lykanis tries to find a way to help. Had I not run so far away, I might have had better options for him this turn. Instead, the Lykanis will eventually choose set up to avenge any flank charge against the vampires. With a clean charge, the Soul Reavers will butcher the Juggers. Unfortunately, they cannot pivot to get both the Grenadiers and Iron Beast into front arc. 

Top of Round 4: Halflings

On the left, the Stalwart troop stays put, firmly grasping their loot.

The Grenadiers hit the flank of the Soul Reavers, with the Iron Beast rolling into the front, adding 5 additional attacks. The damage is kept to “just” 10, but the Grenadiers get Brutal 3. A mere 3 on the Nerve check means the Soul Reavers are just wavered, though since I am running them without toys, this is just a bump for my opponent. Their fate is essentially written now.

Pictured: many doomed Vampires... 

Another unit of Soul Reavers takes Juggers in the flank and a Harvester in the front. It’s incredibly close, but since I didn’t back up enough, the Harvester can just spy a corner of my unit, and is just able to finagle a path to hit their corner too. The Juggers in the flank are rough enough, but the multi-charge easily breaks this unit.

Supported by the Muster Captain, the Juggers from left make a long, nimble, striding charge around several units and into the flying Vampire. They’ll land just 7 damage, but this brings him up to 9, and the Halflings will get the rout against him.

Aftermath of the Halfling's turn on the left.

Poachers move and shoot into Mhorgoth, needing 7’s, and thankfully failing to wound.

The Sauceror goes for Brutal, getting Brutal 1.

The Gunnery Sergeant counter-charges the Skeleton Warriors, but only lands 1 damage this time, bringing them back up to 4 damage.

The Stalwart horde decide to countercharge the flying Vampire in hopes of grounding him, and will land a good 8 damage, and them rout him too with some good Nerve checks. Nuts.

And the aftermath on the right.

The Harvester fights against the delaying Wraiths. I’m Def6 as well, but the Harvester manages to roll up the maximum attacks, and land 5 damage and then rout the phantasms. For better of for worse, the Harvester is a Chariot though, and can’t really reform, and so the Lykanis will have another chance in the flank next turn. The Wraiths had a token, and the Harvester will pick it up.

The Grenadiers also roll well, landing 4 damage onto the Skeleton Warriors, though they hold.

Bottom of Round 4: Undead

I lost both flying Vampires, and one Soul Reaver regiment, and have another wavered and on the proverbial ropes. That's 800+ points of undead taken stuff out of the fight in one turn, and this is likely decisive and crippling, but we press on, hoping to luck out with some clever scenario play.

On the right, the Grenadiers have a wider base than my Skeletons, and the Wraiths have lost Nimble and flying by carrying the token, but can see them, so I will multi-charge. They’ll each land 3 damage to bring the Grenadiers to 7, and waver them.

The Lykanis has another try at the Harvester, but flubs it, dealing just 4 damage in the flank, and just wavers the contraption too.

Just about everything left for the Undead charges out.

The Soul Reavers again charge the Stalwart Horde, but are again hindered since the halflings charged the flying Vampire last turn. The Vampires are angry though, and manage to land 9 damage, and pick the unit up.

Mhorgoth does something, but I can’t remember what, and don’t note any successes. I think I tried a Bane Chant into the Skeletons and Drain Life into something? But yeah, Spellward has mostly shut him down this game, netting just 1 DL damage so far.

The Skeletons thump a few more damage onto the Gunnery Sergeant, and will waver her too.

On the left, my wavering Soul Reavers hold. I know I am toast, but I probably should have been cagier here and disengaged and backed up, hiding behind the hill. The Iron Beast will probably still run me over, but you never know.

....and we get 4 wavers. Which is not going to be enough.

The Lykanis takes his flank charge into the stalled Grenadiers, lands 5 damage, and only wavers them.

I’ve made some progress, but the Undead started out outnumbered. The striding Juggers are breaking through to the center, and four wavers here feels nice, but isn’t going to be enough to keep me in the game long-term, and I am short on units to capitalize on any of the stuns here.

Top of Round 5: Halflings

On the left, the wavering Grenadiers disengage and back up, allowing the Iron Beast to charge in against the Lykanis. The extra attacks are low, and undead hero will take just 3 damage, but still wavers with a hot Nerve check.

A Harvester makes a long charge into the cowering Soul Reavers, and will mop them up. Had I moved off the hill, I could have prevented this and forced some tougher decisions.

Charges for the Halflings.

The Sauceror goes for Brutal, getting Brutal 1.

Poachers charge Mhorgoth and land a wild 4 damage, and then spike the dice to waver him.

The wavering Gunnery Sergeant backs up, and a regiment of striding Juggers will smack through the Skeleton Warriors, and then overrun a mighty 6 inches to land atop a token and claim it.

Aftermath of the combats.

More Juggers will make a clean charge into my last unit of Soul Reavers, but their armor proves to be too much, and crazily only 3 damage slips in here too, a smidge less than half the expected damage.

The wavering Grenadiers and Harvester will only hold, hoping for help soon.

Bottom of Round 5: Undead

Wraiths and Skeletons will charge the Grenadiers again, and best them this time, reforming as best they can. The Skeletons will grab this 1-point token now.

The Lykanis gets a third attempt into the flank of the Harvester, and finally rolls hot, brining the contraption to 17 damage… and then the driver is found to be insane.

The Undead claim some units, and do hold some tokens.

The lone Soul Reavers counter-charge the Juggers, landing 9 damage. Mhorgoth is wavering, but regenerates 1 and withdraws, bringing Dread to help break the Juggers.

The other Lykanis is wavering. I can't back up out of arc of the Grenadiers, but I really should have backed up and pivoted to get both the Iron Beast and the Grenadiers in front arc.

Top of Round 6: Halflings

The Iron Beast will thump the Lykanis and the Grenadiers will his the flank, and the lycanthrope is devastated and routed.

The Lykanis falls.

Poachers charge Mhorgoth again, will land 1 damage, to again bring him to 4 damage, and we’ll see another unbecoming waver for the Arch-Liche.

The Muster Captain goes in with a delaying charge against the Soul Reavers, and will land the 1 damage to fully tie them up. He’s Mighty anyways, so we’re stuck no matter what, but a boxcars on the Nerve check will stun the Soul Reavers and take them out of the game.

And everything is wavering... for the Undead.

The insane Harvester will countercharge the Lykanis, roll hot to deal 4 damage, and then spike the Nerve check a third time this round to stun this unit as well.

The remaining unit of Juggers will stride in and catch a corner of the Skeleton Warrior unit, and pick them up and steal their token.

Bottom of Round 6: Undead

While I am holding a 2-Point token, my opponent holds all of the other tokens. The Wraiths are around, but with everything else of mine wavering on the table, I concede.

Game Conclusions

The club is all living a bit vicariously through Rob and his tournament travels, as he's the only one making those trips out and about. And it's been great to see him do well. Paraphrasing one of our clubmates, it is nice to have a tested, hard-as-nails list  floating around the group, so we can throw stuff against it and see what sticks. Running unique lists for multiple armies, the fine-tuned Halflings are always a hard match-up for me, but it's always a fun time, and indeed neat to see how different approaches fare against them.

My last game was at the last meetup, so after a full month away from the game I was a bit rusty, so there are plenty of minor errors of mine to pick apart, but generally, I think I engaged well early on. The Soul Reavers were protected, and got into their initial fights well enough. After the Soul Reavers got into those initial fights though, I did not have enough other other units around to help them out, and started to struggle with reforms. My downfall here was list building. While the double-duo was successful before, against such a wide and quick list, they were outmatched and could not accomplish much. While one Lykanis did make it around to flank, clearly the ~700 points of scoring characters just did not deliver the pressure or the kills they needed to here. 

Testing Conclusions

• Skeleton Warriors with Two-handers. I didn't take as many units of these as I have done before, and that may have been a bad call. These continue to be nice, unique picks for me, taking up space for cheap, and landing a damage or two every turn.
• Wraiths. These continue to be marvelous takes for the Undead, as Fly, Strider, Def6 and hitting on 4's are all very welcome abilities in the army! 
• Soul Reaver Infantry. Lesson learned: if I run them without items, I need more units. They are a nice hammer unit, but I did not support them well, and they got isolated and picked apart. The game was a prime example of why things like Chalice of Wrath and Dwarven Ale are such popular items for so many players.
• Deathpack. They worked well screening for the Soul Reavers, so overall, this was a good debut for them! With cheap frontline units and lots of tar pit units at their command, the Undead don't often seem like they need dedicated chaff, but these served that roll well. 
• Mhorgoth the Faceless. Dread helped in a few instances, but was countered a fair amount by the Sauceror's Rally. Still, there is something to be said keeping her on that mode for so long instead of switching to something like Brutal. My dice trended a bit towards the cold side, and that in conjunction Spellward really shut him down hard, so while he didn't have the greatest game here, begrudgingly, he's still a very strong pick for the Undead, especially for this style.
• Lykanises. In the right circumstances, they can pressure and do stuff, but against so much opposing speed, there was not much they could do. Even with one flanking, his performance was no where near where I needed it to be.
• Vampires on Undead Pegasi. The other duo did not fare much better here. They did get into  their fights easier, but unfortunately they also didn't have the output or straying power to hard-carry the rest of the list. Lifeleech is ok to recoup a few wounds against early shooting as you bounce from combat to combat, but it wasn't enough to keep them in the fight here. 

The Halflings are a fine-tuned buzz-saw. I'd like to sneak a win in here and there, but it's unlikely, and I've made my peace with that, especially since I don't want to be stressing over millimeters with line of sight and such. The army is splendidly painted, and always a pleasure to try my ideas against. Congrats on the Michigan GT performance, and thanks for the game here!

Hobby Update: Undead Werewolves

Up now are some Werewolves for the Undead! The unit caught my eye way back in January of this year, after a few battle reports of DarkBlack on the Forum, who was using them on Universal Battles against Trevor's Penitent-focused Brothermark in some long-distance gaming. Those games happened about the time the new Abyssal Berserkers really started gaining popularity in my view, and about the same time that I found out about, and then really started thinking about, Keith Conroy's Lycan-heavy Herd. Playing around with Speed 9, Nimble units has been a lot of fun for me this year, and it's about time I hobbied these up for the Undead!

The unit.

The unit is a pack of werewolves from Veselaya Zateya / Fantasy Battles, which I believe is a Russian company. I've used them before for Varangur Snow Trolls and also way back for the Barrow Wights from 2nd Edition. Online, I have seen other folks use their Dwarfs for themed  Earth Elementals, and they just seem to have a great selection of of large infantry units we can use for Kings of War. Their pricing is hard to beat, but be warned that the models are cheap plastic, a bit hard to heavily convert, and do need a lot amount of cleaning up before you can prime and paint. Mold lines are the biggest issue, though there are come circular "spots" on some models, I believe from the injection process that will need sanding or filling. 

The unit again.

Hobby-wise, I did what I thought was a fair amount of cleaning up, but even still, I missed a few areas and had to go back and scrape a bit more. Painting-wise, I wanted to keep them dark, so they were primed black, and then hit the bodies and fur with a drybrush of Skavenblight Dinge. (This showcased the mold lines and such that I missed, as dry brushing so often does...) I didn't want bright metals, so used an old Leacbelcher and a new Sycorax Bronze for some contrasting, but somewhat muted, metal colors. I liked the way these turned out, and am digging the softer bronze color. I tried a dark red for around the mouth and bared fangs but it ended up looking like Lady Tottington, but I ended up covering it up with a blood effect. The last hobby thing to note is the shield, which was painted blue with the intent of sticking a decal on later. With the unit already glued to the base and the fog effect added... I decided I didn't like that original plan, and so attempted an awkward free-hand as a homage to the inspiration for the unit, copying their forum-picture. (Thanks DarkBlack!) The fangs aren't as sharp as I would like, but this still reads ok from far away.

Believe it or not, the unit, a third time. 

On the table, this should be a neat unit for the Undead! Speedy units with Nimble are a lot of fun, and no one really expects this kind of unit from the Undead. Hopefully we'll be able to catch a few people out when they hit the table!

Hobby Update: Herd Beast of Nature

Up now are some terrestrial Beasts of Nature for my frigid Herd!

It is many months away, but we will have the second annual Northwoods GT early next year. I did not bring the Herd last year to do Command Orders being in use (the Herd's were pretty terrible), and I could not settle on a list or even a style that I liked. Time and money have both been tight the last year, and I don't anticipate being able to travel much to any tournaments the coming year either, so I want to bring the Herd to our little GT. To do that, I need to put a little more effort into figuring them out in the coming months.

The new duo.

Big picture, I know I want to bring the Avatar of the Father, as it is a nice centerpiece model, and that want to try and fit in some Brute play, presuming that I can make that work well enough for me in the coming months. I've been kicking around a number of ideas on that front recently, but points are always very tight. If I need to drop the third horde of Brutes and take Lycans or something else instead, then I need to free up a lot of points, and my thinking is that I could drop Flying from one or both of my Beasts. It's pretty sacrilegious, as I think Fly does bring a lot to the table, and multiple fliers would help out the Avatar of the Father, but I wanted to have the option, and explore it sometime, so jumped on some Wizkids Owlbears that I liked the look of.

Hiding the seams.

Hobbying-wise, these got some special prep since they are WizKids models. First, they got a nice soapy wash and rinse were allowed to air dry overnight. Then, the following night, I used some green stuff to try and hide the seams and joins of the model. The readied arm had a vey obvious one; around the head was another, and there were more by the legs as well. I am still not great with green stuff, but did ok here, first rolling out a rope, then pressing it along the seam, and then messing around with it using some tweezers and a dull knife to sculpt a quick fur effect.

One of the newbies.

I am a big fan of how uh... "traditional" arctic owlbears look, presenting them as essentially snowy owls, but I felt that much white would be off-putting with the rest of my army. So, painting-wise, I tried to draw inspiration from my original flying Beasts, though the feathers here aren't as distinct. Instead of hard striations, we have a slightly more gentle transition with grey feathers around the legs and body, and then pale teal feathers around the head and arms, with white dry brushed harder and harder into the face and upper extremities. It turned out well enough. The eyes in particular look a little goofy or cartoonish, but again it all works well enough overall.

The other newcomer.

As-mentioned, these are a bit of a hedged hobby project. Flying Beasts are one of the stronger and scarier things a Herd player can bring, and I typically do make use of the extra speed. I don't think these will hit the table too often, but being me, it'll be nice to have them around just in case! That's what collections are for!

Kings of War 3rd Edition: #144 Herd vs Kingdoms of Men in Dominate

 

Intro and Lists

We were out at the Kings of War Wisconsin September meetup. We had an odd number of attendees, and we were all too polite, and so let the dice decide the match-up for the second game. I won the all-important roll, and so the Halflings packed up and we braced ourselves to fight Joe and his new, Pike-heavy Kingdoms of Men. Joe brought the following:

It is neat to have someone play an army you are familiar with, and yowza! I quite like the Kingdoms of Men Pikes, and this is some serious commitment to that unit. Joe plays a lot on UB and apparently has 20+ wins with the list, though this was the first time piloting it in person. He has have four regiments and a horde of Pikes, and a horde of Foot Guard with the Hammer of Measured Force, all to hold ground. A regiment and a horde of flightless Beast Cavalry are around to smash anything that gets held up, and three flying Generals and a flying Monarch are around to do the same while playing a positional game. The last pick is a Wizard on Pegasus, with Bane Chant to support and Hex to disrupt. Lacking other shooting elements in the list, I think this is a fine kit for the wizard. I like Pikes, but I myself only have 3 regiments currently, so overall, I was intrigued by the list concept here, as it was really neat to commit that hard to a unit.

This was just a regular game, and I brought the Herd, with a slightly different list from the previous game, as I tend to do. I am still exploring Triple Brutes, and up to comment on is everything since we're still trying to explore and fine-tune this idea:

• Spirit Walkers with Speed. I need one more unlock, and we're trying out Spirit Walkers again to get some extra Nerve into the list. They have some good reach with their variable wild charge, and are expensive enough to warrant an item, so we're reverting to the Brew of Haste for a little extra speed to hopefully initiate trades and pressure things. 
• Triple Brutes. With Pathfinder and Fury, these have innate terrain and waver mitigation. Usually items cover those deficiencies for units, so having a unit with both covered seems like something worth exploring. Speed 6 and lacking Nimble has been a little concerning, so we're now trying to deploy them centrally to mitigate that. 
• Harpies. I need chaff units and Harpies are great. Preserving them until the just right time is always an issue with chaff though, so we'll see how I manage with them this game.
• Flying Beasts. The flying Beasts with extra attacks are some of the stronger things a Herd player can field. Points are tight though, so I'm considering dropping fly in some future builds. They are strong, but we'll keep an eye on how I'm using them to see if some optimization or points trimming can be done.
• Mounted Druid with Scorched Earth and Bane Chant and Amulet of the Fireheart. Even Druids are nice, but I'm demanding a lot of my heroes these days. Scorched Earth is the big thing here, trying to play into the Herd's terrain advantages, and giving it to the mounted Druid with their extra height and speed to hopefully get the spell off easier. I gave her the Amulet hoping that I can double cast something for a little extra oomph, and we'll see how that item does.
• Gladewalker Druid with Veil of Shadows and Bane Chant. It's a weird loadout, but I need a Spellcaster 2, and I want Veil of Shadows on her since she's going to be nearer the slower Brutes. 
• Moonfang. The legendary Lycan can take hits like a champ thanks to Def5 and Regeneration 4+, but it has been hard for me to thread that needle and give them something they can tank but not die to. We're getting better at using them though, so we'll see what Moonfang fights this time.
• Avatar of the Father. This is effectively a 3rd flier in my list. Fliers are better in multiples, so hopefully we can force some hard angles, get good multi-charges, and hopefully avoid insanely courageous units!

It looked like a heckuva match-up on paper. We each had some gnarly fliers, but the Kingdoms of Men  has a ton of unit strength, and Phalanx and Ensnare are going to give the Herd a lot of trouble if I am not smart about engaging the numerous humans.

Table and Terrain

We were out at Gamer's Realm in New Berlin WI, making use of their tables and terrain. We were using our typical terrain rules, running the ruined 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.

I used the Kings of War App from Data and Dice to generate a new table layout for us, and we got Dominate for the scenario. I won the roll for sides, and was lazy, though this also seemed like the better choice, as I had a little more space.

View from the left.

The Kingdoms of Men went wide, apparently hoping to outflank and encircle the Herd. From left-to-right we have the Beast Cavalry with the Brew of Strength, the Monarch, and a flying General. The Building and forest ahead split the line. Continuing on, we have stacked hordes with the Pikes in front and Foot Guard behind. Then the green flying General with the Wand tentatively back and in the pond, Pikes in the pond too, and then the right had Pikes, the Wizard back slightly, a general on the line, and Pikes on the far right, with Pikes and angled Beast Cavalry in reserve.

A lot of Humans on the right.

With the obstacle in the center, I hoped to minimize it, opting to ignore it and about half the board, and focus exclusively on the left.

Almost all of the Herd in one picture.

The hill was a little awkward and was causing slippages all day. From left to right for the Herd we have a flying Beast, slightly angled Spirit Walkers with Harpies in reserve, angled Brutes with their leader point on the hill, the mounted Druid with Scorched Earth just behind, the Avatar of the Father on the line, then Moonfang and two Brute hordes angled towards the center with the Gladewalker Druid and second unit of Harpies in reserve, and the second flying Beast on the line to project threat out into the center.

Overall, I was happy with my deployment. It is dicey with so many fliers, but I felt like I should be able to safely project threat into the center quickly if needed, and I had enough on the left to hopefully contain the scary Kingdoms of Men units in that lane. I won the roll for turn order, and went first, hoping to use my fliers to better contain his. 

Top of Round 1: Herd

On the left, the Beast of Nature moves up and pivots. I don't think I should have pivoted, nor pivoted that much, but it's not a big mistake. The flying Beast is threatening the Beast Cavalry, but safe from the Monarch.

The Spirit Walkers inch up, giving the imposing Monarch a charge but avoiding everything else from the human battle line.

The Herd moves ahead!

The Guardian Brutes take the hill, and the Avatar and Moonfang inch up, but stay safe. Moonfang doesn't have great arc to the left, but is zoning out the woods and center nicely. 

The Herd eyes up the center.

Centrally, the Guardian Brute hordes advance, with the Gladewalker hiding behind. With no shooting opposing me, I do not cast Veil of Shadows. The second Beast and Harpies move around to get line of sight.

I know Pikes, and the Pike Horde is going to be especially tough to move. The general plan here is to run the Harpies out in front of something to let me fight just the Pikes for a turn or two. Against this much unit strength, I need to be smart about my engagements and pick up units with every charge if I can.

Bottom of Round 1: Kingdoms of Men

On the right, a unit of Pikes moves up, looking to outflank the Herd in the coming turns, and the Wizard hops up behind the building. My Beast lacks line of sight to the Wizard and lack range to the Pikes, and won't be able to bother them next turn. The flying General out here flies up a bit, nimbly pivoting to threaten the center.

The humans move and pivot, heading towards the center.

Three other Pike regiments pivot and move toward the center, and the Beast Cavalry regiment brings up the rear, still in reserve. With three intervening Pike Regiments, it's going to have a tough time getting into any fights anytime soon.

Centrally, the Pike horde moves up, but I think stays more than 12 inches away. If it is within range, only one horde of Brutes can reach. The flying General with the wand hops behind, threating the woods should anything enter; just out past it on the left, should the Spirit Walkers run up; and should be able to cover anything that charges the Pikes as well. The Foot Guard advance slightly.

The Beast Cavalry back off.

On the left, the General and Monarch hold, and the Beast Cavalry inches backwards, in order to get out of range of the Herd's flying Beast.

Top of Round 2: Herd

On the left, I need to pivot, but can shove the flying Beast ahead, just getting out of arc of the Beast Cavalry, while still threatening them in the flank if they do not move. Had I not pivoted in Round 1, I could be in a much more threatening position, but I am still threatening something, and this is still fine in my book. Had I not been able to do this, the Harpies should be able to block for the Beast while it threatens, so we've got some nice pressure here.

The Spirit Walkers and Moonfang try to tempt the humans out to fight.

The Spirit Walkers force the issue a bit, moving ahead slightly. They are now giving up charges to both the Monarch and the flying General, but are safe from the Beast Cavalry and the General between the infantry hordes.

Moonfang steps up as another possible charge, though I think I am able to limit it to just the flying General near the Monarch. The charge ranges are pretty close, so if memory serves, I am threatening the General too, while being safe from the Monarch.

Safe, and in reserve on the left are Harpies, the Druid, and Brutes, all ready to pounce and react.

The Herd line up some threatening charges for next turn.

Centrally, the Avatar sidesteps, just zoning stuff out. I don't think he has the angle to aid or avenge Spirit Walkers, but can avenge Moonfang, threaten the center, and depending on positioning next turn, could hop the woods to really threaten stuff next turn.

The Brutes inch up. Both are now definitely threatening the Pike Horde while staying safe from the infantry. The flying General between the infantry hordes has a solo charge into either of them, but there isn't much I can do about that. 

The Harpies and Beast shuffle about for angles, although I think the Harpies should pivoted to zone out the landing zone between the building and forest, if I am being critical of my play.

Bottom of Round 2: Kingdoms of Men

We're still vying for positions. Out on the right, the Pikes move ahead and pivot, while the Beast Cav also pivots, and the Pegasus hides behind the building.

The humans make use of the buildings to advance into the center.

Nearby, the General continues to try and project threat into the center, and the three regiments of Pikes shuffle ahead. The Pike Horde moves up to threaten the Brutes now, and the Foot Guard Horde Holds.

The Monarch flees, flying towards the center of the field.

Under pressure, my opponent attempts to abandon the left. The Monarch flies away, hiding behind the nearby General, who needs to inch ahead to let the Monarch land.

The Beast Cavalry do what they can to make themselves scarce. 

The green flying General, with the wand, flies back behind the building, but stays just out of range of threatening my Beast. On the far left, the Beast Cavalry are able to move and pivot to get out of arc and project threat, but can't quite reach the Spirit Walkers.

Top of Round 3: Herd

Out on the left, my opponent said my Beast isn't threatened, so we move the monster ahead a few inches, and then pivot 90 degrees, spying the rear of the Beast Cavalry now. Since the distance between the fliers didn't change, I'm not threatening the flying Captain in the backfield, but we're still applying pressure against the Beast Cavalry, and preventing them from doing anything meaningful. 

The Spirit Walkers go in against a flying General.

I may have been able to reach the Beast Cavalry with the wild charge on the Spirit Walkers, but do not remember for sure. The cavalry are isolated though, and with the fliers flying away, and so many humans approaching the midfield, now is the time pressure. The Walkers can get in against the General blocking for the Monarch without issue, and make the charge, while the Harpies move to protect them from the Beast Cavalry.

Moonfang positions to zone out escape paths for the Beast Cav or landing zones for the green flying General behind the building, and the Avatar moves into the woods, out of arc of the Monarch and out of range of the Foot Guard, and being quite threatening. If this push goes poorly for the Walkers, he'll be around to assist next turn against the General or anything else that might unfold. The mounted Druid does manage to land a Bane Chant to help the Spirit Walkers, and they'll deal 12 damage to the General, break him, and then reform slightly.

The Spirit Walkers reform, threatening the human infantry.

Centrally, the Guardian Brutes try to form a concave line to threaten the center. The horde on the left moves up, while the two hordes in the center move back, getting out of charge range of Pike Horde while still threatening charges themselves. 

The plan is still to gum something up win the Harpies on the right. But the time is not now, and they reposition again, along with the flying Beast, and both are safe from the human units advancing on the right.

Bottom of Round 3: Kingdoms of Men

My opponent does not like his options or the game's trajectory. I've got 120-some attacks pointed and the center from multiple angles, and the Herd is really applying some nice pressure.

In the backfield, the green General with the Trickster's Wand mimics my Beast, side-stepping, but then pivots to get a better arc. The pivot should actually put him into range of my Beast. 

Needing to get some use out of the unit, the Beast Cavalry make a hindered charge into the Harpies, and will easily pick the unit up. The cavalry are threatened from multiple angles, but reform to keep Moonfang in the front, while turning the Beast's rear-charge into just a flank charge.

The Kingdoms of Men feel forced to make some charges that are less than ideal.

The Monarch is threatened in the rear, and continues to flee. The Foot Guard have one doubly-bad charge, into the Spirit Walkers, but my opponent feels the pressure to take it, as I don't have healing in my list, so and damage against my units is sticking. The Guard is hindered, and with the Hammer, the Def3 of the phantasms works in my favor, though the Guard still over-perform and land 9 damage. 

The Pike Horde doesn't have any charges, but still needs to move up to let the Foot Guard make their charge. It doesn't look like they moved far enough to get out of arc of the Avatar. Wary of the Beast on my right, another Pike unit steps up to protect that flank. 

The Monarch flies far and pivots to face the center. Two Pike regiments wait in reserve, and the Blue General moves to let the Monarch land while using the building to protect itself from the Beast on my right.

The Wizard flies around again, and on the right, the Beast Cavalry regiment moves and pivots to start outflanking, and the Pikes trudge through the forest.

Top of Round 4: Herd

The pressure is on from the Herd. Finally threatened by the outflanking Pike regiment, the Harpies back up, getting out of range. As it turns out, I still don't need them to instigate, so they reposition again, as I want to keep them around for the late game now. One Brute horde also backs up, getting out of range of the Pike units in the center, but still threatening them.

Multiple flank charges from the Herd.

The angles against the human infantry hordes are brutal. The Brute horde in center of my line is able to flank charge the Foot Guard, joined by the Beast from the right in their rear, and the Spirit Walkers Counter-charging. 

With the charges into the Foot Guard, the Brutes on the left can still fit and fight the flank of the Pike Horde.

The horde of Foot Guard is devastated way before all the Herd units can resolve their attack rolls, but unfortunately, I space out for a moment and start to roll this combat first, and the Brutes cannot reform, though the Spirit Walkers overrun and the Beast spins around. The other flanking Brutes pick up the Pikes too, and then back up. I think my thinking was to protect the flank of the stuck unit here. Had I rolled the combats in a better order, I would have needed a 2 on the D3 to let the now-stuck unit reform, but I still should have realized that I should have rolled this combat first.

Reforms for the Herd.

The Avatar has a flank into the Monarch, and takes it, trying to bully the titan. I deal 9 damage, but don't waver or remove the Monarch. 

Out on the left, Moonfang will make a hindered front into the Beast Cavalry, with the flying Beast hitting their flank. The Mounted Druid gets a Bane Chant onto the Beast, and we are able to pick that unit up as well. Both reform to get the green flying General into front arc, if he charges either unit, the other will be in his flank.

Bottom of Round 4: Kingdoms of Men

The green General flies away, hiding behind the other side of the building. A unit of Pikes charges in to disorder the Beast in the center, and will ground it.

The blue general from the right pounces on the stuck units of Brutes, landing 8 damage with a clean flank charge, and getting a waver.

The Kingdoms of Men retaliate with some flank charges of their own.

A Pike regiment makes a flank charge into the Avatar, and the Monarch turns-to-face, but the dice go cold. Bane Chant does not land to help the flanking Pikes, and only 6 damage lands. 

Out on the far right, the Beast regiment trudges into the woods, and the Spears continue on.

Top of Round 5: Herd

I miss turning the turn tracker, but we are in Round 5. Unfortunately for me, it is the Herd's turn to be a little gummed up.

On the right, the Harpies reposition again, just dancing around at this point, and the nearby Brutes move and turn to face the remaining humans coming from the right, though is far enough to deny them a charge still.

With a lucky reprieve, the Avatar of the Father fights the Monarch again, and will get the rout this time, besting the opposing centerpiece model, and will then turn to face the regiment of Pikes.

Combats for the Herd.

Some Brutes have another flank charge into a Pike Regiment, and will devastate and rout them, as-is proper. They back up to potentially fight the remaining outriding humans too.

The injured Brutes are furious, and will countercharge the General. Bane Chant from the Mounted Druid fails, but the Bane Chant from Gladewalker Druid comes through. The Brutes land the expected 10 damage with the spell, and with Brutal, are able to pulverize the flying General and then reform. 

Reforms for the Herd in Round 5.

The flying Beast that rear-charged the Foot Guard is tied up by Pikes. I lose Nimble, and can't reform or get out of the way, so the monster fights on, landing an astonishing 5 damage despite Phalanx and Ensnare. The Spirit Walkers are blocked out of any combat, but will trudge forward a few inches.

Moonfang is tripped up and slowed by the obstacle, but moves over to support the Spirit Walkers, and with nothing else to fight on the left, that Beast flies over to fight on, and is facing the ride side of the board.

Bottom of Round 5: Kingdoms of Men

We're still in Round 5, despite the erroneous tracker.

The green General flanks the flying Beast while the Pikes poke at it from the front. The Pike contribute 2 while the General does 9, and the Beast is uninspired and is picked up. There is a smidge of space for the General to slightly change facing.

Aftermath of Round 5 for the Kingdoms of Men. Pay no attention to the turn marker!

The Wizard on Pegasus repositions slightly to try and Hex the Gladewalker, but I don't think it connects. 

The Pikes fighting the Avatar land 3 damage against him, but he holds. And the Pikes and Beast Cavalry regiment continue to skulk around the far-right.

Top of Round 6: Herd

We catch the turn order goof finally. It is indeed Round 6, and the pressure is truly on!

The Harpies and Brutes charge the Pikes, looking to box out the outriding humans. I believe the Gladewalker gets a Bane Chant onto the Brutes, and just 8 damage lands in total, but the Pikes are uninspired, and a good Nerve check routs them. The Harpies overrun to block out the cavalry regiment for the scenario, and the Brutes reform. This was going to be a nice block anyways, but the Rout is going to make it very hard for the Beast Cavalry to score for the scenario.

Charges from the Herd.

Aiding the Avatar, more Brutes front charge the Pikes, and a flying Beast hits the humans in the flank, and we will devastate and pick the unit up, as-is proper.

The Spirit Walkers are still tripped up, so move ahead, keeping the General in front arc, and I make certain they are scoring for the scenario. 

I really want to test and use the mounted Druid's Amulet, but targets are spares. She attempts Scorched Earth against the flying General, but I do not recall if it connects. The nearby Brutes do not need the help from Bane Chant, as they have a clean charge into the flank of the Pikes. The Brutes will devastate the regiment with their first round of attacks... but the unit is found to be quite insane. It will be devastated, but hanging around.

Bottom of Round 6: Kingdoms of Men

The Herd have jammed ~15 unit strength of stuff into the center. My opponent might be able to pick up the maimed Brutes, but even still, there is not nearly enough left for the Kingdoms of Men to fight for the scenario, and my opponent concedes after surveying his options.

A victory to the Herd the the triple Brute build!

Game Conclusions

As-ever, I had some minor misplays and a few things could have been pivoting to marginally better positions throughout the game. I tried to highlight those situations in the report, and won't nitpick myself here. Overall my approach was patience and pressure, and it paid off big-time, with me being able to put my opponent on the back foot early on, and then crack the game wide open.in after Round 4.

My opponent has played his list a lot online. It has an overwhelmingly winning record there, and so he was surprised by its performance here. We chatted a bit, and having played a fair bit of the Kingdoms of Men over the years, my advice would be to split up the Pike regiments (you pay extra for the flexibility of the regiments, so never want them fighting side-by-side) and to be aggressive with them. The army doesn't really have chaff, so aggressive Pike regiments would have helped him gain ground while keeping more important units safe. I think my opponent got blinders on trying to protect stuff like the Monarch, which led to errors in the positioning of the hordes that should have won him the game. 

Testing Conclusions

• Spirit Walkers with Speed. They got a little gummed up, but all the multi-charges were worth it to deal with those hordes. I don't like to copy folks, but Brew of Haste seems to be invaluable to them! Speed plus Wild Charge really let them threaten a lot of ground. Deploying them on a flank also proved to be pretty nice here, like Jon had suggested a few games back.
• Triple Brutes. They all survived the game! And didn't even need Insane Courage! They had a great time, and deploying them more centrally did work out well for them.
• Harpies. I traded one for the Beast Cavalry horde which seemed worth it, and the other got into a combat and was set to sacrifice itself to block the Beast Cavalry regiment out of the center. These were used very well, and I was able to preserve them because my opponent had no shooting. 
• Flying Beasts. They continue to be strong picks. Fly and the extra range was integral here against other fliers, and this is an upgrade I really don't want to drop if I can help it.
• Mounted Druid with Scorched Earth and Bane Chant and Amulet of the Fireheart. The spell kit was ok, and the Amulet could have some easier play around the Height 2 Spirit Walkers, and facilitate some big turnsbut I don't think the item is worth prioritizing.
• Gladewalker Druid with Veil of Shadows and Bane Chant. Veil of Shadows was not needed, so a normal Druid would have sufficed here, but I still think the kit is decent, and the Arcane Library spell worth exploring in an all-comer's style list.
• Moonfang. He did not have the biggest combats, but I was able to use him to dissuade and pressure well, which is a decent use of him.
• Avatar of the Father. He got a bit lucky, but did survive the game, and was able to beat out the opposing Monarch while doing so. Without healing though, I need need to be more mindful of how I'm using him, and should be trying to multi-charge whenever possible. Still, the third flier provided a lot of pressure, and this was a good game for him. 

A mixed-day for the Herd, but this mainly solidified my feelings that Rob's Halflings are a particularly tough match-up for me and this army. A big thanks to both of my opponents for making it out to the meetup, and hopefully we'll have some more on the calendar soon!