Intro and Lists
We recently had a July meetup for Kings of War Wisconsin. It was a great time, and I even got two games in! The first game was a league game against Will and his Abyssal Dwarfs. He had the following:
Will’s been really leaning into Immortal Guard recently, and I gotta say I understand the appeal! They are a tough nut to crack for an infantry regiment, and the Infernal Wardens granting CS makes them a phenomenal all-rounder unit, similar to the Varangur Tribesmen that I had been enjoying myself earlier in the league. I really like the list overall. Immortals and Lesser Obsidian Golems will be hard to shift, and the latter is supported well by the Iron Caster. He’s got Gargoyles and Mastiffs to screen, sacrifice, and play the scenario, and he was even able to fit in some of his pet units like his custom Dragon Fire-Team, Ironmonger Infernox and Taskmaster on Chariot. It’s a nice, strong, focused list designed to grind things out, and I really dig it.
I brought the Kingdoms of Men for this meetup. While their actual attendance has been sparse, we still have a few newcomers orbiting, so I've been trying to keep the league lists pretty casual and/or experimental. Here I wanted to play some more with Chariots, and brought two regiments, and aimed to play a shooting and positional game. Up to test and comment on is everything:
- Pikes with Indomitable Will. Pike regiments can be great takes and really shine in the right circumstances, like against monsters with 4+ to hit, or against cavalry, or things with Thunderous Charge, but can suffer against shooting with their overall middling stats. I've really liked my regiments overall though, and they can get a lot of mileage out of Indomitable Will, which I think should be taken whenever you can find the points. I had the points, so I took them here, and we'll see what they end up fighting.
- Crossbowmen horde. I like my horde, and wanted to get more experience with them, with eyes to good deployment, with good shooting lanes and minimal moves.
- Charioteers regiment. Chariots are a very weird unit type, and seem to get outshined by pure cavalry options, but the weirdness intrigues me, so I want to explore them more. I donked up a Chariot footprint in a recent game, and realized that my understanding of the unit sizes was completely wrong, so wanted to try to double-down and run them some more in the coming months and adjust my thinking and get a feel for how they work at each unit size.
- Army Standard Bearer with Heal. An ASB with the Lute, for Bane Chant, has been a must-take for my humans for a long time. Things need to be inspired and the item lets unit punch above their weight a bit. With no real hammers here though, I wanted to try out Heal instead. The hope is that the Lifeleech 2 Aura + Heal could make for some very sticky Pikes, so we'll see if we can make that happen.
- Generals on Winged Beasts. The League games are up to regular-sized boards, so I wanted to take advantage of that a bit and take double-Generals. This could be mean to a new player, but I think the rest of the list is soft enough that things should be ok.
- Wizards on Pegasi with Wind Blast. After a strong showing last game, I wanted to take the wizards again, but experiment a bit, since this was a league game. I decided to give Wind Blast a shot here, hoping for some interplay between my shooting and flying Generals.
Table and Terrain
We were out at Gamer’s Realm in New Berlin, WI, and if you find yourself in the area, you should check them out. As mentioned in other reports, they moved into a new shop at the start of the year, one which is far larger than their old place. It’s a bit of a labyrinth, with separate rooms for board games, card games, war games, role playing games, in addition to being a normal shop selling all those products, plus hobbying supplies, and all sorts of things. They also have a (very dangerous) second-hand room, and now a bidding room, with new items monthly. All this to say, we were there, and making use of their tables, mats, and terrain for our meet-up.
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| Overview of the table. |
We got Pillage for our scenario, and rolled up all 7 objectives markers. I won the roll for distributing first, though I don’t remember who placed what token. I do remember my opponent placed one dead-center on the table, and that I placing both the central ones near the obstacles, since I wanted to make sure my Crossbowmen had something to camp.
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| View from the left, with the heavy Abyssal Dwarf line. |
For deployment, my opponent mainly castled. The three Immortal regiments ended up in the corner, along with the Ironmonger Infernox behind the central unit. This was a league game, with the central unit being veterans who had gained an unconditional Rally 1 through their previous valorous actions, turning all the Infernals into Fearless 18 bricks. This promotion is marked by a card with an erroneous "Fire Oil" written on it, but that's the story. Hiding behind the hill were the Lesser Obsidian Golems, with Gargoyles and the Taskmaster in reserve. On the far right flank were the Mastiffs and Flame Dragon Fire team, the only units not castling in the corner.
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| The center of the field |
My opponent has his army all in one box. When pulling units out for the game, he grabbed the Infernok titan as well on accident, confusing it with the Ironmonger Infernox. We’ll catch this in Round 1, and let him adjust things so he doesn’t have a big hole in his line, but it starts the game on the field with the Abyssal Dwarf line looking extra scary.
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| The right of the battlefield. |
For the Kingdoms of Men, From the left we have a flying General, angled Chariots, and flying Wizard on the left. With Chariots and some reserve Pikes on the other side of the building, a bit back. The Wizard and Crossbowmen were deployed centrally, with Pikes on the right ready to inderdict, and supported by the healing ASB. On the right I had more Pikes and the second flying General, though up against the wall and having wings, he is actually the spare black base.
I do not like my deployment overall. I wanted clean lanes for my Chariots and got them, but my first drop was the Crossbowmen with Fire Oil. The goal was to threaten the midfield, but this scared the Immortals away, and I now had an intervening obstacle to contend with for shots. The bright spots for me are that I have Generals on the both wings to threaten angles, and that there are not many objectives in the corner my opponent really committed on.
My opponent won the roll for turn order, and being mostly Speed 4, took first turn to start trudging out.
Top of Round 1: Abyssal Dwarfs
The Abyssal Dwarfs move out, but are slowed by terrain. The Immortals begin the game with good habits, and all keep the line and tight enough to prevent any Generals from aligning to flanks as they all make their way up the field.
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| A slow, inexorable advance. |
The non-existent Infernok keeps pace, and the Lesser Obsidian Golems take the hill, with the Gargoyles and Taskmaster repositioning behind the hill.
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| The Mastiffs position to protect the Dragon Fire-Team. |
Out on the right, the Mastiffs maneuver, allowing the Dragon Fire-Team to stage using the building for cover. Nothing is in range for shooting, and so it’s a quick round.
Bottom of Round 1: Kingdoms of Men
On the right, I realize that I need to be decisive and quick and decisive, as the longer the weapons-team can fire the worse it will be for my Def4 units. I will take some damage, but I think I should be able to quickly bully these two units, and can probably even heal through it if I can get the ASB over.
So the Pikes advance at the double, and the flying General slips in behind. The General should even be safe from the Fire-Team. The Def4 on the Pikes isn’t great against the shooting, but with Indomitable Will I think I can face-tank these and still come out on top.
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| Pressure on the right. |
The ASB moves around, hoping to heal and support the Pike push on the right. He hangs back here instead of running into the woods, as I don't want to take a Throwing Mastiff to the face. Yes I am Inspiring and all that good stuff, but I just don't want to risk it.
The slightly more central Pikes near the Crossbowmen move up, aiming to zone out the Taskmaster on Chariot and eventually grab the token in the opposing deployment zone be the end of the game.
Trying to figure out what to do, on the left and center, we realize the Infernok goof. I magically routs, and the Kingdoms of Men improbably draw first blood! I’ve got some very speedy stuff, so to compensate, we let the Golems adjust to keep his line tight.
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| The Infernok falls! And the Crossbowmen are forced to move. |
The Crossbowmen dominate the empty field… but have no shots. They have no shots, so move and pivot, still claiming the token back here. With a movement penalty, they can shoot into the Lesser Golems, but get no hits.
The Dwarfs are slow, so the central Wizard tries to Wind blast the Golems, and pushes them two inches, but the unit is stopped by the Iron Caster after about an inch and a half. Still, the spell is about sending a message...
The central Chariots move up, projecting a lot of threat, and the Pikes lock in behind them, able to see around. Stacking so hard can be bad, but with no threatening charges, and minimal shooting, I am ok with the risk here.
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| Positioning on the left. |
On the left, I am wary of triple Throwing Mastiffs, so keep out of throwing range with everything.
Again, wings prove to be an issue, and the Wizard is represented by the blank base, with the real deal nearby. He Wind Blasts an Immortal Guard unit back two inches, while the General and Chariot project threat.
Top of Round 2: Abyssal Dwarfs
On the left, the Immortals push out. The hill has a significant taper, so we’re playing the base of the hill as being “on the hill”, so while precariously perched, the Immortals on the left use Ordered March to indeed get on it, and threating a strong charge off of it now.
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| The Immortals use Ordered March to move up threateningly. |
Still slowed by the terrain, delayed by Wind Blast, and wary of flank charges, the other two units of Immortals continue to trudge through the forest trying to keep a tight line. If memory serves while the Golems are not part of the line, the Immortals are just out of range for the Chariots, so there is no flank charge opportunity for me against them.
The Iron Caster slots in behind the Golems to prevent more blowback, and the Taskmaster and Gargoyles reposition again behind the hill.
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| Shooting and a waver on the right. |
On the right, the my opponent plays with inches. The Dragon Team gets within 14 inches to shoot, and the Mastiffs back up to stay 11 inches away from the Pikes to throw their Mastiff, resulting in 6 damage to the Pikes and a waver.
Bottom of Round 2: Kingdoms of Men
The Waver is rough, but I have Indomitable Will, and pop it so I can gain more ground. The Pikes have no charges, but still advance, and since the General cannot fit in against the war machine, he charges the Mastiffs, who take 4 damage and are found to be wavering.
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| Not as quick or decisive as I was hoping for. |
The ASB enters the woods, but I forget to cast Heal on the Pikes. I’m really not used to having multiple ASBs and something other than Bane Chant to do with them!
The other nearby Pikes continue a slow push towards the objective in the opposing deployment zone.
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| More interdicting Pikes. |
The Crossbowmen hold, and loose into the Lesser Obsidian Golems, their only target, landing a surprise 4 damage. The flying Wizard repositions, and Wind Blasts them 4 inches sideways.
The Pikes hop ahead to interdict and threaten and the Chariots move in behind. They’ll shoot into the nearest Immortals and land 1 damage.
On the left, I am not going to prevail against all this armor, so my only hope is to delay and play the scenario. Fortunately, there are only three tokens out here, so if I can keep the Abyssal Dwarfs contained, I do have a decent shot at winning.
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| A tactical retreat on the left. |
So, I back up. The Wizard backs up, nimbly pivots, and then continues backwards, safe from throwing Mastiffs. He’ll attempt to push the threatening Immortals on the hill away, but 2 inches is not enough to get them off the hill in any sense. They are still majority on it, and can definitely still see off of it.
The Chariots and General back up, with he Chariots shooting and landing another 1 damage into the same Immortal unit, bringing it to 2 damage total. I think the General is safe from Mastiffs. If memory serves, only the Immortal unit on the hill has a potential toss, into the Chariots.
Top of Round 3: Abyssal Dwarfs
We’re both a little rougher for wear today, and I fail to produce any usable pictures for this turn.
On the left, the Immortals will consider the angles, and present a strong line while keeping things in front-arc. The Golems move up and pivot, getting their corner even with the Immortal line, and preventing the infantry from a flank charge from the central human chariots.
Centrally, a throwing Mastiff and shots from the Golems thump into the Pikes, bringing them to 7 damage, but they hold. The Golems get Healed for 2 from the Surge Caster
On the right, the wavering Mastiffs hold. The Dragon Fire-Team shoots into the flying General, lands 3 damage, and… gets a hot 11 on the check to waver him.
Bottom of Round 3: Kingdoms of Men
The General still can’t take Indomitable Will. However, he was wavered at range, so he can back up and nimble pivot to get out of the way. I pull towards the center, but should have flipped it and backed up towards the right instead. I also didn’t need to move as far as I did. Small errors.
The Pikes charge in, land 7 damage against the mutated Mastiffs, and will pick the unit up and reform to face the Dragon Fire-Team. The ASB enters the woods, and lands a Heal 2 into the Pikes, bringing them back down to 4 damage.
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| The General retreats to recover, but positions very poorly for a flier. |
The other Pikes continue on towards the token in the opposing deployment zone, supported by the Wizard. The Crossbowmen don’t have shots, but move up to shoot with a movement penalty into the Taskmaster, landing 2 damage before the Wizard Wind Blast him away again. I believe we also get a lucky waver here, so there's that.
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| A delaying charge in the center. |
I melt my brain, doing a lot of measuring. It can charge the remaining Pikes into either the Immortals or the Lesser Golems, with the Chariots multi-charging the remaining unit. I don’t think I will budge either, so charge the Pikes into the Golems to disorder and delay them, though I do not recall if any damage actually connects.
The central chariots reposition to loose into the nearest Immortal unit again, and the other Chariots back off and do the same. I think a few damage slips in, but between Heal and Regeneration I am had trouble tracking my progress.
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| More retreating on the left. |
On the left, the Wizard backs up again slightly, and tries to Wind Blast a unit of Immortals, I think the ones on the hill, but the spell fails to connect.
On the far left, after some consideration, the flying General nimbly pivots, moves 10 and pivots again. He’s my only source of Inspiring out here, but things should hold against just two throwing Mastiffs, so he’s trying to force angles instead of just looking pretty.
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| End of the round positioning. |
My shooting isn’t working out well, but I just don’t think I have the oomph to break any of the opposing units this turn either. He’s still only really playing for 3 objectives, so containment is still the plan for me for now.
Top of Round 4: Abyssal Dwarfs
Another unit of Immortals takes the hill, and a throwing Mastiff goes into the flying General out here, landing a surprising 5 damage. The two Immortals on the hill keep it tight and even, and the third unit pivots, to get its leader point even with the line, preventing a flank from the central Chariots into the Rallying regiment in the center.
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| The Pikes miraculously waver, and remain on the field. |
Ensnare pays dividends, and some bad dice limit the Golems to just 3 new damage in melee, and the Pikes waver, but remain on the field.
The Immortals regenerate again, and the Golems pop their Healing Brew, and I believe both units end the turn on 0 damage.
The Ironmonger Infernok faces the table edge, looking to zone out my flying General.
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| The Dragon Fire-Team prevails against the Pikes. |
The Gargoyles get their leader point into the woods, looking to help, and the presumably wavering Taskmaster just backs up, using the hill to hide from my Crossbowmen.
On the right, the Dragon Fire-Team backs up, moving similarly to my General’s retreating move. They roll hot, and incinerates the Pikes with double-digits of damage and good Nerve checks too.
Bottom of Round 4: Kingdoms of Men
I donked up my positioning with the General here. Had I backed up towards the edge of the field, this would be better. Had the Pikes held, he could fly away more easily. With them falling, he's in an awkward spot. Fortunately, my General can still just get line of sight to the Fire-Team, and will charge in and pick them up.
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| The General is victorious out here. |
The ASB heals the General down from 3 to 1 damage.
The Pikes make it to the objective in the opposing deployment zone, and the Wizard flies nearby, pushing the Taskmaster on Chariot back.
With melees, the Crossbowmen don’t have shots, so back up to reclaim the objective in my deployment zone.
The wavering Pikes pop Indomitable Will to again fight the Golems, though again don’t land any damage.
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| The big charge worked! One regiment of Immortals down. |
It’s do or die time, and with the Pikes holding, I multi-charge the Immortal regiment after doing some measuring. One had pivoted to face the chariots and protect the flank of the central, rallying regiment, but in so doing, my tall General can spy them, and get into their flank, with both Chariot Regiments hitting the front of the unit. The Chariots average out to contribute 8 together from the front, and the General flubs with just 5, but we are still able to pick the unit up, though I think we needed Brutal from the Chariots to do so. The General reforms to face the flank of the central Immortal Guard, and the Chariots hold, as they are relatively safe where they are.
They are safe because the Wizard is able to Wind Blast the Immortals on the far left, pushing them sideways 2 inches, and getting the Chariots out of arc where they would be after charging, so there is that, and only one unit of Immortals can fight them next turn.
Top of Round 5: Abyssal Dwarfs
The Immortals on the left pivot and move to face the flank of the nearest Chariots while still controlling the nearby token. The Rallying regiment charges the unit, landing 6 damage and disordering them, though they hold.
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| The General is felled. |
The Gargoyles make a flank charge into the General, and overperform, clawing 5 damage on him to bring him to 10, and then spike the Nerve check to see him off the field.
It’s close quarters, but the Ironmonger should be able to just spot the Chariots through the flapping wings of the Gargoyles, and will shot with a cover penalty and land 1 damage against them.
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| The Kingdoms of Men control the right half of the board. |
The Taskmaster on Chariot turns and runs. Charging Pikes is not wise, so maybe he can hide and grab a token before the game ends.
The Golems are quite angry, and will pick up the Pikes this turn, and then overrun strongly, which boxes in the Chariots.
Bottom of Round 5: Kingdoms of Men
I am struggling immensely to do damage, let alone have it stick, but the positional game is going ok for me, as the majority of the opposing force has been contained and is only holding two tokens currently.
The disordered Chariots countercharge, hitting the normal number of times, but without Thunderous Charge, fail to damage the Immortals.
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| The Chariots try to keep to the plan and delay things. |
The unbothered Chariots can’t help here as they don’t have the space to spin due to the overrun of the Golems. Charging is better, but they can’t squeeze past to fight the Gargoyes, and aren’t likely to shift the Golems, who are on no damage. They adjust slightly to get clean shots while respecting a 1” space from the Golems now, and try to plink a few damage into the Gargoyles. I think they land 2, but fail to remove them.
The Wizard hopes over the line, currently struggling in vain against the Immortals to control the token on the far left by the hill, but really has he sights on the objective in the back field behind the forest, as between terrain and pivots, the Abyssal Dwarfs will have a hard time falling back to secure this one.
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| The Kingdoms of Men still control the right. |
Pikes hold, controlling an objective in the opposing deployment zone, with the Flying General coming in to assist and project threat. He might even have a potential rear charge into the Taskmaster.
The Wizard flies away, looking to get central this turn and then claim the objective on the far right as the game concludes.
The Crossbowmen hold, protecting a token, and shoot into the Golems, landing a surprising 3 damage.
Top of Round 6: Abyssal Dwarfs
The Immortal Guard on the left hold. Any charge will take them off the token, and my opponent doesn’t want to risk Insane Courage and giving up a token.
The remaining Immortal Guard regiment then charges the Chariots again, landing another 6 damage, and will rout the unit this time.
The Golems shoot and then are surged into the remaining Chariots, and the chariots are devastated and routed as is proper. The Golems are atop a second token.
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| The Abyssal Dwarfs break through, but it is Round 6. |
The Ironmonger Infernox pivots and scrambles, but cannot reach the token behind the woods. Still, if there is a Round 7, he can fight for it, so this seems like a fine play.
The Taskmaster and Gargoyles each have a unit strength of 1, and indeed run out to play for a token in the middle, and by the end of the turn here, the Abyssal Dwarfs are holding 3 objectives.
Bottom of Round 6: Kingdoms of Men
The Wizard on the right flies over to secure the token on the far right. The Pikes still hold their token in the opposing deployment zone, and the Crossbowmen still hold the token near my deployment zone, making this a tie game.
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| Three tokens for the Kingdoms of Men. |
The Crossbowmen shoot against the Taskmaster, roll ridiculously and turn 12 hits into 8 damage against him. At 10 damage, the chariot-riding leader is routed. The Abyssal Dwarfs still control the center, but holding it with just Gargoyles seems risky.
The flying General slow plays it this round, pivoting to threaten the central objective, but should have the distance with his one flying pivot to alternatively support the Wizard making a play for the token behind the woods on the left, who does move up to take that this turn.
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| A sneaky Wizard flies out and nabs a fourth objective for the Kingdoms of Men. |
At the end of the Round, the Kingdoms of Men have claimed 4 objectives to secure the win, but I do roll up a Round 7 for us.
Top of Round 7: Abyssal Dwarfs
My opponent pushes hard, aiming for a risky tie.
The Immortal Guard on the left continue to hold, securing this token. The other unit moves to secure the one nearby, relieving the Golems.
The Golems lumber out, looking to make a play for the central token, but are awfully far away. They move closer, but still need a significant Surge to get close enough to claim this, and the spell doesn’t spike and deliver, so they actually lose this objective. I think he needed a Surge 6 or something, so this was indeed risky.
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| A hindered charge from the Ironmonger Infernox, but the Nerve check is merciful. |
The Gargoyles flee, I guess wary of just dying to the flying General. They end up charging the Crossbowmen, and land a strong 5 damage and disorder the shooters.
The Infernox makes a hindered charge out into the Wizard. He’s still just a 5 attack fighter, and while 2 damage does connect, he fails to spike the dice and remove my uninspired little flier.
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| A strong 5 damage from the Gargoyles, but the Crossbowmen hold. |
It ends up being some very risky plays from my opponent since the Kingdoms of Men are at the bottom of the turn order. While he does pry one objective from the wizard, Surge failed to give him the center, so the score is 3:2 in favor of the Kingdoms of Men as we go into the bottom of the final turn.
Bottom of Round 7: Kingdoms of Men
I guess technically, I need to do nothing and would still win this. I do want to fight the Gargoyles though, and will take my final turn.
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I let the contest continue between the Infernox and Wizard. Given the spacing, I could be very pedantic and disengage and withdraw, and them pivot and move past the Ironmonger to still contest this while denying a charge... but it's Round 7. The flying General makes his way to the center of the field to just claim the token here. I could also be far cagier here, positioning so that I am barely claiming the token, and making it so that the Lesser Golems would need to best me in melee and then overrun a bit to claim it... but again, this is Round 7.
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| Four objectives for the Kingdoms of Men. |
The Crossbowmen counter-charge the Gargoyles and will land 5 damage in the melee, but it’s still enough to pick the Gargoyles up. I really just wanted to do this to say I got some use out of Fire-Oil.
Now picking up the center, the game ends 4:2 in favor of the Kingdoms of Men, who secure the victory!
Game Conclusions
Without any real hammers, I was very hesitant to get into combat. Delaying was wise, but my shooting also struggled to do anything against high defense and the healing, with the Crossbowmen struggling to even find targets most turns. Still, I was fortunately able to recognize my predicament early, and delaying proved to be the right call as it forced a slow positional game, which I was able to capitalize on late with my fliers. We each had some misplays and lucky dice, but the high mobility of the flying heroic units really came through for the Kingdoms of Men.
Testing Conclusions
- Pike regiments with Indomitable Will. Pikes with the Will are far stickier than Pikes without, as even with Ensnare, Def4 and 13/15 is just not that sturdy against dedicated hammers or even grinding units. My trio of regiments continues to be a backbone for so many of my lists and despite an awkward match up with no cavalry against me, still did good work here. Had the right side gone a little smoother, they would have had a fantastic game. As it stands though, they still got the job done.
- Crossbowmen. Technically, they got to make use of Fire-Oil, and actually exactly made their points back by the end of the game by eliminating both the Taskmaster and Gargoyles in the final turns. Holding a token at the end, they obviously contributed well to the result, though they really struggled to do anything at all for most of the game. I bemoaned deploying them so early and their struggling early on, but my opponent reacted to them, and castled, and that let me delay and contain him for the win, so all this to say that these really do find ways to contribute in my games, even if it is not via damage.
- Charioteer Regiments. Chariots are still a weird unit. I did like the instigating troops from a few months back, as it was a decent amount of reach and frontage for a rather meager investment. The regiments here were ok, and the frontage was manageable. I liked the output of the recent horde, though I do need to retry that with the proper, wider footprint. Overall, I feel like these chariots are not something you want to spam or overly commit to - they just don't do enough - but they can be useful. More testing is needed, and I think running them more as a one-of would be the way to go, especially with the larger units.
- Army Standard Bearer with Heal. More clever use probably could have saved the Pikes on the right and make my life easier, and that could have either been running him around or remembering to cast Heal. Positioning with the Aura is hard if he’s not babysitting the unit and needs to relocate elsewhere. I did not use him particularly well, and got no use out of the Lifeleech 2 Aura.
- Generals on Winged Beasts. As mentioned, I could have used the one on the right better, to make my life easier, but it still worked out. They were my heaviest hitters, and still got the job done overall.
- Wizards on Pegasi with Wind Blast. I still like the concept of Wind Blast, but am still finding it hard to utilize the spell well. I griped and struggled in-game with using them, but honestly, slow dwarfs (of any kind) were pretty ideal tests for the spell, as Lightning Bolt wasn’t going to really do much against all the high defense either. With my opponent playing conservatively and trying to keep a tight line, the spell was actually able to delay him and help me out, such as with the eventual charge of the Chariots. I think putting the spell on a flier or something mobile like this is the way to go, but the spell is so niche it is hard to evaluate it, let alone advocate for its inclusion.
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