Kings of War 3rd Edition: #113 Undead vs Goblins in Invade

Intro and Lists

Sunday saw the overnight temps drop to 0 degrees Fahrenheit, with a -21 degree wind chill, and the temps and wind did not really improve throughout the day. I sat down to breakfast and then the chair leg snapped beneath me, and my ice scrapper broke as I tried to dust off the car. Thankfully, the car started, so we'll take the wins where we can get them! I made it to the venue, and got matched up with Neil and his awesome Goblin army for the first game of day two.

We technically have a Goblin player locally, though I have yet to play them. She is often around, but rarely plays at the meet-ups, preferring to just hang out and bask in the general scene. So this was a fourth new player and another completely new army for me thanks to this event, which I was excited about. 

List-wise, I know the Goblin infantry are pretty low-tier. It's all the special stuff one needs to be wary of. I hear typically that is stuff like war trombones and war machines, of which Neil didn't bring. Instead we have flying, shooting Wingits, exploding chariots, a bunch of Bruisers, Troll Hordes, and a Giant. It was a fighty-Goblin list, which seemed a little more unique, and probably more interesting to play with and play against.

Model-wise, his army is extra awesome due to its age and incredible longevity. While some things are new and nodern, the infantry blocks are all metal, cast by a friend of his way back in the early 80's, and are all painted brown, from a Tolkien description, as the army predates green goblins were the norm. The minis-agnostic approach Kings of War takes makes this all possoble, and we are better for it. This was a cool army.

Neil had attended the Interstate Doubles Tournament back in June, and we had chatted briefly as attendees filed in, but did not get to play that day, or talk in any great depth. Even then he struck me then as a kind and joyful person. A constant, boyish grin clearly showed that he was here looking for a good time and not wins.

I brought my Undead MMU, featuring Skeleton Warriors with two-handers, Wraiths, Soul Reaver, and a pair of Burrowing Wyrms. Rather than blabber again and again for these reports, you can read more about the my thinking and prep here, if you are so inclined.

Table and terrain

The "gimmick" for the tournament was leaning into Wisconsin's historic forests, and running an extra forest, often in place of a flat piece of terrain. Overall, we were using our typical terrain rules, running the building as Height 9 blocking, all the forests as Height 6 Difficult Terrain, fences as Height 2 Obstacles, and Hills as Height 3, and the fields as Height 0. If the table looks familiar, it's because it is. I drew into the same table for Games 3 and 4, even getting the same side.

Overview of the table.

The tournament was using a veto/pick system for scenarios. Each round has three possible scenarios. The first roll off of the game lets the loser veto one of the choices, and then the winner selects what will be played from the remaining two. The options were not public until the start of the tournament, so one couldn't plan too much, and had to bring a more generalized list. The choices each round were varied, and I really enjoyed this method. 

View on the left.

The Goblins deployed in several groups. On the left we have a Sharpstick Horde blocking for Luggits, a Troll Bruiser, and a horde of Trolls with a Goblin Blaster in reserve. The center had a slayer Giant and two stacked Sharpstick Hordes, supported by another Troll Horde and another Troll Bruiser. Center-right had a very speedy contingent with all three Wingits, a Goblin Blaster and the legendary Magwa & Jo’os. The far-right had a Rabble regiment, Goblin Blaster and Troll Bruiser, hoping to draw some Undead out to face them, or otherwise just sneak past and put the Goblins way ahead for the scenario.

View from the center.

The Sharpsticks came down early, so I tried to match-up the Soul Reavers and Wyrms across, hopefully letting my flying Wraitjhs charge things without Phalanx. 

View from the right.

The Undead line was a little more continuous, and left-to-right we have Skeletons and Soul Reavers with Wraiths peeking through them. A Burrowing Wyrm towered over the hill, with the BC ASB nearby. I hoped this was enough to deal with the left group, so the line continued with Soul Reavers, hoping to make use of the blocking building in the midfield. The center had second Burrowing Wyrm and the Liche with eyes on the Giant. Skeletons supported them, with the BS ASB nearby. Wraiths peered around the central woods, with two more Skeleton regiments looking to occupy the terrain. More Wraiths and Mhorgoth were opposite the Wingits, and I deployed the Wraith regiment out on the far right to try and deal with the sneaky contingent.

I should note that our table did not have a chess clock; the event organizers had asked folks to bring extras, and I guess we were apparently short one clock. Neil was happy about this, and honestly, I was ok with it too. I was happy with my clock usage so far (hadn't clocked out yet!), and it seemed like we should be fine. I think they are good for tournaments, as one person can't slow play and stall their way out of a bad position. I think the official stance (dice down) is probably the correct one, but did like that it was not strictly enforced, especially on these lower tables.

My opponent won the roll-off and since this was Invade, he wisely chose to go first.

Top of Round 1: Goblins

My opponent rolls up 3 Swords for Command Dice, but has little to spend them on.

On the left, the Sharpsticks move up. To avoid any “gotchas” I stressed the ASB Wild Charge interaction with the Burrowing Wyrm, and the Sharpsticks stopped out of charge range, with the Luggits, Troll Bruiser and Trolls waiting in reserve.

The Goblins move up, gaining a lot of early ground.

Centrally, the Giant trudged through the woods. He had deployed smartly enough to give the titan a gap to get past the building. The Sharpstick horde moved up, keeping even with the Troll horde, who stopped short of the woods so they could still see a bit into the center. The second Sharpstick horde lagged behind, so that they’d have a little maneuvering room in the future.

The double stack of Sharpsticks advance.

I would have thought that stacking the hordes would be bad, but I guess these are poor quality hordes, just looking to take up space, and my opponent wants the second to be ready to step up immediately once the first one falls.

The Wingits take the hill.

Magwa & Jo’os is peculiarly sized, but counts are an individual, so scampers up, using the building as cover. The Goblin Blaster hangs back in reserve, and the Wingits all take the hill to see better.

The sneaky contingent on the right moves up with a little more caution.

Out on the right, the Rabble moves at the double to gain ground, while the Bruiser gets caught up on terrain. The Goblin Blaster hangs back. We were walking through our respective armies and I cannot believe how I’d never heard of these before. It’s a fun and fluffy one-use unit, but my opponent is hoping to use its unit strength rather than explode it.

Bottom of Round 1: Undead

I roll up 4 Swords on my Command Dice.

On the right I actually back up and nimble pivot to create more space between my flying Wraiths and the Goblins. I will probably lose this flank, but if I play it smart, I think the Def6 regiment can hopefully whittle this down to just 1 or 2 Unit Strength.

The Undead try to delay and dissuade things.

A regiment of Skeletons takes the woods, threatening blocking charges next turn. I read through his list, and know that the Wingits can be melee or ranged, and that he chose the ranged options, but still screen Mhorgoth with a Wraith troop. If anything takes the bait into the Skeletons, the Wraiths might be able to have some fun with surge.

The center lunches forward to meet the Goblins.

Mhorgoth risks a Surge into the bait skeletons, and I thankfully roll low, with just 3 successes, propelling them further into the woods. Normally I have learned to not do these charges, but since the goal is to bait a hindered charge, lose the unit, and pull the Goblin line apart a bit, I am ok if the Skeletons got too much juice. That they did not is lucky! I notice the Nerve on the Wingits, and Mhorgoth’s second spell is a Mind Fog, which doesn’t land.

Skeletons Surge forward a bit.

The weaker Undead center inches up. We should be out of range here, and I am just looking to gain a little ground before the coming fights. My note is “No Scorched Earth,” but I don’t think the Giant is in range, and this was choosing to not cast the spell rather than a failed spell.

Left-of-center the Wyrm and the Soul Reavers move up as far as they safely can.

Tricky balancing on the hill.

On the left, I use the 4 Swords to ignore shambling and march the nimble Wraiths up to block, and they pivot as well. The Skeletons move up to add bulk in the coming turns, and the Soul Reavers and Wyrm get leader points onto the hill to see and threaten.

Top of Round 2: Goblins

My opponent gets another 3 Swords for his Command Dice.

On the left, the Goblins rush in. The Luggits charge the Wraith Troop, and are joined by the Sharpstick horde. Poor rolls plus Goblin stats plus Def6 means that only 2 damage lands, and inspired by the Healing ASB, the Wraiths easily hold.

The Wraith troop hold things up.

Centrally, the Sharpsticks are there to die, so they move up to ready themselves. The Giant slides in behind, and the other horde sidesteps to allow this. When the first horde falls, both should be ready to plug the gap and push back.

The first horde of Sharpsticks offer themselves up.

The Troll horde near the woods does not take the bait. Hindered, my opponent doesn’t think his damage output will be enough to bust the regiment of Skeletons.

Goblin pressure on the right.

The Wingits move up a few inches and leave the hill, which the Goblin Blaster occupies. The Wingits have Ignore Obscured, and poke Mhorgoth, even though he is an individual and they’ll still take a bit of a penalty. They land 4 hits with blast into 11, and eventually 4 damage makes it through against the Unholy Levitating Arch-Liche. The Nerve check is a lucky 10, and Mhorgoth is unfortunately wavered.

Goblin pressure on the right.

On the right, the Goblins move up again. The Troll Bruiser secures the field and the Rabble move and pivot to force a landing into the field as well. The Blaster repositions.

Bottom of Round 2: Undead

I roll up 5 Swords for my Command dice.

On the right, I go into the Rabble with the Wraith regiment. My opponent forgot the Wraiths have Strider, so clever as the positioning was, my phantasms just don’t care. Unfortunately, this is still a regiment-on-regiment fight, and just the 4 expected damage lands against the Rabble, and they hold.

More delaying moves from the Undead.

The Wingits landed with no uniformity. On his turn, I had asked if that was the intent, and indeed it was, since it will greatly complicate alignment of any charging units. And indeed it does! He wasn't seeking to prioritize the protection of any particular Wingit, and the angles are a mess. I can only get a single unit of mine in, and opt to send the more-expendable Skeletons in, hindered. They unfortunately land no damage, and so that Wingit is free to fly next turn.

I spend 4 Swords on a Drain Life from the Wraiths into a another Wingit, and the spell lands 3, though the Nerve check is low and the unit sticks around. I think Mhorgoth is just out of range, or I forget about the healing aspect of the spell, and I think it is the latter. He regenerates 2 though.

Aftermath of the charge.

Centrally, we make a triple charge into the Sharpsticks with some Skeleton Warriors (4 damage), Burrowing Wyrm (3 damage) and Soul Reavers (11 damage) – none of whom care about Phalanx, and all of whom has some Crushing Strength to contribute. The horde is brought to 18 damage and popped in one combat. The Wyrm backs up, the Skeletons launch themselves forward, and the Soul Reavers advance as well, since I could not sidestep to protect the Wyrm.

I spend a Sword to reroll Scorched Earth into the Giant, and get it! My opponent initially questions this as the Giant is CS4… but then soon realizes that a hindered charge means the Giant is now hitting on 5’s which is bad news for a giant.

Aftermath of this charge. Two hordes in one turn feels great.

On the left, the Wraith troop gets a heal against the Luggits. They only deal 1, but do end the turn undamaged. They shuffle down, allowing things to get into the Sharpstick horde.

A regiment of Soul Reavers and a Wyrm go in the front, with the Reavers doing another 11, and the Wyrm doing 6, and this horde will be picked up as well. It’s jammed up, so the Soul Reaver need to overrun, and roll high, going a little too far. The Wyrm then just swivels.

Top of Round 3: Goblins

My opponent rolls up 5 Swords for his Command Dice, spending them on Endurance and rerolls.

On the left, the Luggits roll well and land 4 into the Wraiths, though the phantasms hold firm.

Charges into the Soul Reavers.

With the Soul Reavers overrunning a little too far, the Troll Bruiser gets into their flank, with the Trolls in the front. Luckily, all the Trolls roll poorly, and just 10 total damage lands. The Soul Reavers are found to be wavering in their resolve, but do have Headstrong from the Dwarven Ale.

Hindered by Scorched Earth, Giant tries his luck against the Skeletons.

In the center, things are still jumbled, but given another long overrun, the Giant has a flank into the Soul Reavers. Scorched Earth will make him hindered though, and with Slayer, my opponent doesn’t think he’ll do enough to best them, and if he doesn’t my Wyrm has an easy flank charge.

So instead, the Giant flanks the overrunning Skeletons, with the Troll Bruiser and reserve Sharpstick horde joining in. The Giant does 4, the Bruiser does 4 and the Spears do 11, and will break the Skeletons and reform. The Sharpsticks sidestep, allowing the Giant to swivel hard enough to get out of arc of the Soul Reavers.

Triple charges into the Skeletons.

Magwa hits the flank of the other sacrificial Skeleton unit, with the Trolls making a hindered charge into the other flank. Since the character is an individual and the Trolls are hindered, my opponent commits the Goblin Blaster as well, to make sure the unit is picked up. The Blaster does a strong 7, the character lands 5, and the Trolls will do enough to devastate the Skeletons, and dutifully pick them up. The Blaster is removed from play, and the Trolls reform.

Wingits hop over and shoot into Mhorgoth again. It's less effective this time.

The trio of Wingits hop over the Wraiths, and try to shot into Mhorgoth again. The Blasts are less big this time, and just 2 damage is done, bringing him back to 4 damage, and the Nerve check is just average this time, meaning Mhorgoth is safe, steady, and back online next turn.

A double-charge into the Wraiths.

On the right, the Rabble countercharge the Wraiths, doing 3, while the Bruiser makes a hindered charge into their flank, contributing 4 damage. The unit is grounded, and uninspired, but thankfully holds. Endurance was spent on the Rabble, putting them at 3 damage.

The Goblin Blaster out here adjusts, waiting to see how the fight unfolds.

Bottom of Round 3: Undead

I roll up 4 Swords for my Command Dice.

On the right, the Wraiths countercharge the Rabble, landing a ridiculous 7 to take them to 10, and I will rout the unit. With the Blaster repositioning last turn, I unfortunately need to give something a flank if I swivel, so I opt to back up after Lifeleeching down to 6 damage. Thankfully, I continue to luck out, and back up 3 inches to get both units into front arc.

Fight on the right. I'll back up to get stuff in front-arc.

With weak Skeletons, I need to try and shut the Wingets down. I’ve lucked out in that they were hunting Mhorgoth the last few turns instead of obliterating my support units. Mhorgoth sets up to bring Dread to the trio. Skeletons turn and move. Mhorgoth attempts a Drain Life 7 into the wounded unit, but nothing hits. I use my Swords on the Skeletons to cast Drain Life 5 into the wounded unit, and look to land 2. Mhorgoth’s second spell is surging the Skeletons into the center unit. I think I need 5 inches and get 4. I think it was 5 inches needed to get into either unit, and so I went for the middle and didn’t get it. Thankfully, the wounded unit does rout, so I made a little progress on dealing with these Wingets.

The Surge falls short, but Drain Life routs a Wingit.

The Liche tosses a Scorched Earth into the Trolls on the right, hoping to slow their progress.

The Wyrm charges the remaining Sharpsticks alone. I’m not going to break them, but the Wyrm is holding them up, and might be able to grind them out, since the titan doesn’t care about Phalanx. As-ever 4’s are swingy, and just 4 damage lands, but I still like my position here.

Fighting in the center.

The Soul Reavers hold for a moment, allowing the Wraiths to charge the Giant, but not slide down too far. I’m tying to limit the Giant’s options. With the Wraiths aligning as best they can, the Soul Reavers them move and pivot to get out of the Giant’s arc while threatening a flank charge next turn. The BC ASB tosses a Surge into the Wraiths, who carve 3 damage into the Giant.

Fighting on the left.

On the left, the Soul Reavers do pass their Headstrong roll. Phew! The counter charge the Trolls with the Wyrm joining in the front. The Soul Reavers do a reliable 8 damage, but the Wyrm goes crazy landing 9 damage, and we pick the Troll horde up before it can regenerate.

The Soul Reavers catch 2 from Heal and Lifeleech 2 back to get down to 6 damage. In victory they back up to get the Bruiser into front arc, and the Wyrm swivels.

Victorious reforms on the left.

The Wraiths pick up the pace a bit, and land 4 to bring the Luggits up to 5 damage.

Losses so far! Pretty good for Round 3.

Ending the round… I’ve lost just two regiments of Skeletons. The Wraiths have been underperforming and magic rolls haven’t been great, but I’ve have been doing great so far otherwise.

Top of Round 4: Goblins

My opponent rolls up something for his Command Dice. I don’t record what, but most of the Orders have been for heals and rerolls.

Charges into the Soul Reavers again.

On the left, the Luggits got back in, landing 3 damage to bring the Wraiths up to 6. They are inspired, but good checks see the troop off.

Reforms for the Goblins.

The Troll Bruiser and Goblin Blaster hits the Soul Reavers. The Bruiser rolls well, and the exploding chariot seals the deal, routing the vampires. The chariot is removed though, and the Bruiser looks awfully lonely facing down the Wyrm.

Fighting in the center.

Centrally, a Bruiser is just able to see the Soul Reavers, and charges in to try and save the Giant, which also happens to prevent the Bruiser from sliding down too far. The Bruiser does 3 damage.

The Giant fights the Wraiths, but my unit is infantry-sized, and Slayer does not trigger. The Giant lands 6, but this troop manages to hold on. The Sharpstick horde pokes the Wyrm for 4 damage, but the Wyrm is unbothered.

Aftermath of the Goblins

Losing a Wingit, my opponent re-evaluates the remaining units. Blast is unreliable, and he got lucky with the early waver against Mhorgoth. The Wingits nimbly fly over the Skeletons,. And shoot into the rear, blasting into 9 damage, though the Fearless Skeletons hold.

Magwa and the Trolls hit the Wraiths, and will best the unit and both reform.

On the right, the Bruiser goes into the Wraiths, and brings them to 8 damage, but they hold.

Bottom of Round 4: Undead

I roll up 5 Swords for my Command Dice.

On the right, I countercharge the Bruiser, landing 4 damage and will waver him.

Mhorgoth flies over, seeking revenge against the Wingits, and brining his aura of Dread. Each has a Unit Strength of 1, so it seems worthwhile to try and pick them up still. My Skeletons aren’t going to delay the Trolls at all, so they spend their movement turning around. They’ve still got the inches for a Command Order Drain Life, which does 1 into a WingIt unit. Mhorgoth’s Drain Life contributes 2 more. Thanks to Dread, I am just able to pick the uninspired Wingit up, and we’re down to 1 Wingit to deal with. 

Movement for the Undead.

Mhorgoth's second spell is a long-shot Surge to try and deal with the last Wingit. I need a Surge 6 to get the Skeletons into them, but only get the average result of 5 successes.

After the ranged phase.

The Wyrm continues against the Sharpsticks, rolling hot and landing 8 damage to bring them to 12.

The Wraiths get another Bane Chant from the ASB, and carve another 3 into the Giant to bring him to 6 damage. With stuff fighting, the Liche tries a heal into the Wraiths, landing 2 of 6. With the Heal and Lifeleech, the Wraiths are brought down to 3 damage, and should hold the Giant up for another turn.

Fighting on the left.

The Soul Reavers countercharge the delaying Bruiser, and will land just 6 damage.

On the left, the Skeletons charge off the hill into the Bruiser, with the Burrowing Wyrm joining in as well. Combined, they bring the Troll Bruiser to 10 damage, and will rout him. The Skeletons will side-step to block up the advance of the Luggits, and the Wyrm will swivel.

Top of Round 5: Goblins

My opponent rolls up 4 Swords for his Command Dice.

On the left, the Luggits can only really get into the Skeleton Warriors, so take the charge. Honestly, given the profiles, it’s not a bad fight, and even goes pretty well, with the Luggits dishing out 9 damage. But the Fearless Skeletons are Inspired, and hold.

The Luggits grind against a pretty ideal target for them.

The Bruiser counters the Soul Reavers, landing 1. It looks like I forgot to LL2 back on the Soul Reavers though, so they end on 3 damage.

The Giants gets “Tooth and Nail” for Lifeleech 2, and with smush the Wraiths this turn. It’s down to 4 damage, and will turn to face the Soul Reavers.

The Wyrm falls, unexpectedly!

The Sharpsticks counter charge the Wyrm, with the individual Magwa hindered and in the flank. The Wyrm is brought up to 8 damage, and Inspired, but two very hot Nerve checks seal his doom.

The last Wingit flies hard out towards the right, and the Troll Horde easily picks up the maimed Skeletons.

The exploding chariot runs in.

On the right, the wavered Bruiser disengages and backs away Nimbly, allowing the Goblin Blaster to go in against the Wraiths, and blast will claim the phantasms as the cost of the goblin chariot.

This was quite the turn! I wasn’t expecting to lose the Wyrm, and the Goblins are clawing their way back.

Bottom of Round 5: Undead

I roll up 7 Swords now, and do what I can.

The right is lost, but the Wraith Regiment did whittle that down to just the Bruiser (and the newly arrived Wingit). I'm happy with their performance.

Movement from the Undead.

I need to deal with Unit Strength. The ASB with Bane chant advances on the remaining Sharpstick horde, who started the turn on 12 damage. I spend 4 Swords on a Drain Life for damage into them, landing some while Mhorgoth lands behind them, doing the same, and finally spiking a Drain Life roll, and the Sharpsticks fall. Mhorgoth’s second spell should be a Bane Chant into the Soul Reavers, but I don’t recall if it actually lands.

The Soul Reavers fight the Troll Bruiser, and will now best him, and LL2 from 4 down to 2 damage. They swivel to threaten the Giant, while the lich moves up and is able to land a Scorched Earth thanks to a Command Order reroll.

Aftermath. 

On the left, the Skeletons fight on against the Luggits. Heal fails entirely, but they LL1 back. The Wyrm in the flank routs the Luggits, and ends the threat.

Top of Round 6: Goblins

My opponent rolls up another 4 Swords.

Magwa makes a hindered charge into the Soul Reavers to occupy them, landing a few damage and getting the disorder. Magwa is mighty, so I am not going to be able to catch the Giant now.

The Giant turns and runs, making it over to my side to score for the scenario.

The Goblins have the Giant (2), the Troll Horde (3), the Bruiser (1) and a Wingit (1) out on the right.

Bottom of Round 6: Undead

I roll up another 7 Swords for my Command Dice.

I’m scoring with the Skeletons (2) and Wyrm (2) out on the left, and the Soul Reavers (3) in the center. It’s a tie game.

The Soul Reavers cut Magwa down and overrun 1”, trying to catch the Giant if there is a Round 7.

The Liche steps up, but can’t block movement. I spend 4 Swords on Drain Life into the Giant, landing 3 damage. Mhorgoth flies up to bring Dread, and lands 3 with his own Drain Life too, bringing the titan to 10 damage. A lucky check sees the titan wavered at range. We’re scoring with majority footprint rules, and the titan is just over, so the Soul Reavers should be able to catch him and still score next turn, without needing to do any fancy or tricky reforms.

Unfortunately, I fail again to manifest the Round 7 that I need, and this game ends in a tie!

Game Conclusions

Another awesome game, but yet another heartbreaker for me. The last two games were great games and great showings for the Undead, but I wasn’t able to seal the deal for either.

Neil is a fantastic human, and ultimately ended up wresting my sportsmanship vote away from Game 1’s Hari. We had a new player, a new army and a hard-fought game resulting in a tie, and this is too hard to beat in my book! We were talkative throughout, and his grin and enthusiasm was infectious, and I just thoroughly enjoyed everything about this game. Hopefully we'll see Neil again soon!