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

Intro and Lists

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

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

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

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

Table and Terrain

Trevor was hosting us, and we used his Kings of War App to quickly generate another map. We were using our typical terrain rules, running the buildings as Height 9 blocking terrain, the forests as Height 6 Difficult Terrain, fences as Height 2 Obstacles, and Hills as Height 3, and the ponds s as some Height 0 difficult terrain. The map was again a little unusual, but interesting, with both buildings on one side of the map, and both ponds on the other.

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

Overview of the table.

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

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

The Brothermark line.

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

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

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

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

The Herd right.

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

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

Top of Round 1: Brothermark

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

Very confident Brothermark moving out!

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

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

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

A big advance from the layered Brothermark center.

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

    

Concerning shooting from the Phoenixes.

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

Bottom of Round 1: Herd

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

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

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

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

The Herd take the hill.

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

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

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

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

Top of Round 2: Brothermark

The advance of the Brothermark continues. 

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

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

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

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

Delaying charges and repositioning.

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

The Brothermark turn to face the oncoming Herd.

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

Bottom of Round 2: Herd

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

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

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

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

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

The Herd push back into the Brothermark.

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

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

Reforms for the Herd.

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

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

Top of Round 3: Brothermark

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

Movement and charges on the left for the Brothermark.

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

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

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

Other charges for the Brothermark.

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

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

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

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

Aftermath of the round.

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

Bottom of Round 3: Herd

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

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

Charges from the Herd.

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

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

Reforms from the Herd.

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

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

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

Top of Round 4: Brothermark

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

The Brothermark look to leave with their loot.

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

Charges for the Brothermark.

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

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

Reforms for the Brothermark.

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

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

Bottom of Round 4: Herd

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

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

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

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

Aftermath of a VERY big turn for the Herd.

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

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

Top of Round 5: Brothermark

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

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

Positioning that the Brothermark inherit.

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

Game Conclusions

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

Testing Conclusions

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

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

Kings of War 3rd Edition: #140 Herd vs Brothermark in Dominate

Intro and Lists

Trevor of Data & Dice had a surprise free evening, and was looking for a game. He had arrived just a smidge too late and unfortunately got iced out from a game at the meetup last weekend given the odd number of players. I owed him a game so I was extra happy to hit the road to unexpectedly play on a weeknight. Trevor was hosting, and fielded another iteration on his high unit strength Brothermark:

Momentarily gone are the Penitents, replaced this time by stickier Veteran Spearmen, who still have the Villein keyword, and thus can benefit from Rally and the Fury aura he had been utilizing. Providing some oomph are Paladin Monster Slayers with two-handers and the Healing Brew, and two hordes of Ogre Palace Guards. Supporting all this are three normal Phoenixes in order to retain Nimble for scenario play, along with two Ogre Palace Guard Captains. High Chaplain Augustus was around to do a little bit of everything, there was a Exemplar Chaplain to buff, a flying Dictator to interdict, and a neat War Wizard with Veil of Shadows and the Sacred Horn. If the spell resolves, it does grant an aura, so the Horn is a very clever upgrade, and if he deploys compactly, should be able to cover most of his army.

I brought the Herd. I had a few more sensible builds queuing up to more methodically explore some of the triple Guardian Brute build ideas I have brewing, but I also had just a wild shooting list idea that pushed its way to the front of the line here. Up to comment on, is everything:

• Guardian Brutes. I like my models, and since we’re exploring triple Brutes, we’re taking triple Brutes. It’s basically mandatory! The thinking is that with Brutal and Fury, these should be ok to brawl, provided I can protect them a bit.
• Centaur Bray Hunters. Triple Brutes unlocks a lot, but I think I want at 4-5 sources of Inspiring at this points level, so I needed to bring another unlocking regiment in this build, and went with Hunters and a lot of shooting. 
• Scorchwings. Speedy and tall, I like the unit, and have liked it best at the regimental level, where they are a little easier to maneuver.
• Beast of Nature. These are powerful monsters if used well... which I have struggled to do. I’ve demonstrated a few times now that these really need flank charges and multi-charges in order to break stuff, so that’ll be the goal here. Don't charge unless it is a multi-charge will be the motto today, as pressuring with fliers can still be really good.
• Mounted Druid with Staff and BC. I like Druids, and I like Mounted Druids as they can safely keep pace with long charges while still Inspiring and casting. The Brutes are Height 3, so we should be able to protect them a bit too. 
• Druid with BC and Veil of Shadows. Again, I like Druids, and after enduring some withering fire recently, decided that it was time to do something about that. Much of the Herd is Def4, and very vulnerable to shooting, so we’re taking a Druid with Veil of Shadows. Her job will be to Inspire and cast Veil, with BC as a back-up spell.
• Moonfang. I liked the Lycan Alphas, but Hero slots are tight for the Herd and this build, and their speed has not been utilized well previously. So we’re taking the best Lycan we can. Regen4+ is strong, and hopefully he can hold stuff up and do some good pressuring for me.
• Silent Hunt Trappers. We’re trying the formation again! The Trapper Troops have been fun, but I know I don’t want them in this build. But if we’re exploring shooting, a few regiments for some area-denial might be fun. 
• Silent Hunt Softhoof. I haven’t been super-fond of him, but he comes with the formation, and we’re going to see what he can do with the new Dualist rules.

Instead of escorting the Brutes into combat by sacrificing a troop or three, we’ve got some 56 shots to fight chaff, trade fire, or hopefully soften things up as my meanies approach. I did not realize it until I went to pack, but I have also left Harpies out of my list, so we’re really going all-in on this approach. I am wary of the lower 18” range on everything, but 14 drops and 22 US is pretty good for the Herd, and it will be fun to see if this kind of “combined arms” Herd works at all. 

Table and Terrain

Trevor was hosting us, and had set up a quick table with his Kings of War App. We were using our typical terrain rules, running the buildings as Height 9 blocking terrain, the forests as Height 6 Difficult Terrain, fences as Height 2 Obstacles, and Hills as Height 3, and the ponds s as some Height 0 difficult terrain. In an unusual turn of events, one of the obstacles was on a hill, and we decided to go with it.

Overview of the table.

The app had kicked out Dominate as the scenario, which he was apologetic for. Between the scenario and Veil of Shadows, this could potentially be a lopsided game, and offered to switch up scenario or his list. We went with it though. If it was quick, we just increase the chances of getting a second game in.

The compact Brothermark deployment.

For deployment, the Brothermark have the winged Dictator way out on the left, with a lonely Ogre Captain out there as well. The bulk of the Brothermark all came down in the center, as one would expect, given the scenario. Left-to-right we have a frontline with the second Ogre Captain, a Phoenix, and all four Spear regiments. The supporting individuals hid behind the spears, and then the hammers took the second line, with Ogres flanking the Paladins. The remaining Phoenixes sat in the rear, ready to heal. A building helped secure his right flank, and the Brothermark was ready to push up hard.

Herd deployment from the left.

I had won the roll for sides, and opted to be a tryhard with this list, making him switch so that I could make use of the woods. The Herd spread out, looking to make use angles as best we could. On the left we have an angled Rimewings, a dead-on Flying Beast, angled Brutes with the mounted Druid supporting. The Bray Hunters were dead on, with the formation ready to take the woods. 

Herd deployment in the center, with my building.

Centrally, we had two more Guardian Brute hordes with the foot-Druid and Veil of Shadows and Bane Chant at the ready. A building helped anchor this flank for me as well. 

Herd deployment out on the right.

However, the Herd had a small force out on the right, consisting of a flying Beast, and then an angled Moonfang and the other unit of Rimewings. All the Herd shooters are actually better in melee, so the plan was to envelop the Brothermark and hope for the best.

    

Scout moves for the Herd.

I had scout moves, and indeed, the formation units take the woods. With the Dictator out on my left, Softhoof, the formation Tracker, moves out that way, hoping to make use of Duelist.

The Herd then secure the roll for turn order, and being the Herd, happily take it, and kick us off here.

Top of Round 1: Herd

The Herd moves out. On the left, the Beast inches up, wary of the Dictator, and the Druid gallops up to support and Inspire. However, the Rimewings and Bray Hunters move up to get shots into the Dictator. Softhoof does as well, though we do double-check, and find out that Duelist doesn’t apply to ranged attacks – it only triggers in Melee. Still, shots are shots. The Dictator is an individual, so all my 4’s got to 5’s, but we still land 7 damage, need 7’s to rout, and luckily pick off the flier before he can do anything.

Shooters converge.

Nearby, the Guardian Brutes storm ahead, but do keep out of range of the Brothermark units. The Formation in the woods holds, and does nothing, as they have no shots with their 18” bows. 

The Brutes move up, with reinforcements coming in from the right.

Centrally, the Guardian Brutes move up to menace. The Druid attempts Veil of Shadows, and misses. 

On the right, we are aggressive. Moonfang pivots and speeds towards the center, the angled Rimewings zip up, and the Beast outrides, heading straight ahead with a pivot at the end to spy the center.

Bottom of Round 1: Brothermark

The Brothermark begin their advance, but are a bit wary. Veil of Shadows is cast, covering most of the army. 

The Brothermark use the building to protect their advance.

Most of the Spear line moves up, though one pauses by the building, very hesitant to expose a flank. The others are far enough away they can indeed advance into the middle. A Phoenix pivots to try and zone out the fliers, and everything of the Brothermark should be safe from my units on the right. 

The Brothermark center approaches, with a smidge of shooting.

The Paladins and Overs move ahead. The other two Phoenixes are in support, and are able to get up and fling into a unit of Brutes. I did not get my Veil up last turn, but thankfully the damage is low, and I end the turn on 3 damage.

The Ogre Captains warily shuffle towards the center to try and consolidate.

On the far left, the lonely Ogre Captain pivots, flees a bit, and then pivots back, looking to block and interdict whatever he can.

Top of Round 2: Herd

On the left, with the Dictator gone, the Herd kick it into gear. The Beast flies up and pivots to face the center. The monster is out of sight or out of arc of the Ogre Captain here. The Rimewings and Bray Hunters move up, and loose into the lonely Ogre, landing just 1 damage which is immediately Iron-Resolved back. The nearby Brutes inch ahead, but stay out of range of the other Captain. 

A big concave from the Herd.

The entire formation shoots into the nearest Spear unit, but with the Brothermark's Veil up, the units are hitting on 6’s, and only 4 damage sticks. The Spears are rallied, and hold, Iron-Resolving down to 3 damage.

The Brutes inch back.

Centrally, the Brothermark Spears had moved up enough to get charges next turn, meaning that I have charges this turn. However, this does not seem wise. The Brutes have the spacing to back up and deny the Spears their charges, so I do that. With my slightly greater speed, I am still pressuring the Spears though, and should hopefully be able to force some reaction next turn.

A close up of Moonfang and his feathery strike team.

On the right, Moonfang zips up by a building, while the Rimewings and Beast hop it, getting into the Brothermark deployment zone. The building is intervening, but Moonfang is close enough to still be Inspiring to this push.

Bottom of Round 2: Brothermark

A second Phoenixes now pivots and flaps out to dissuade my strike force on the right. Both spray sparks into the weaker Rimewing unit, landing 6 damage, but it holds, unbothered, on the Inspired reroll. The Phoenixes are a towering Height 6 though, and block line of sight from the Beast to everything else.

The Brothermark move up, using math and angles to protect themselves from Moonfang.

The hesitant Spear regiment moves up, tentatively. They are now offering a flank, but are just denying the space for Moonfang to run by them next turn.

The individuals cluster together, keeping central and safe.

The rest of the Spears move up, also tentatively, angling, but keeping a flush line and preventing overhang and accidental flank opportunities for the Herd. It is close, but I believe we measured, and the angles just keep Moonfang in the flank of the other nearby Spear unit. 

The Brothermark keep a tight line, and turn to face.

The Ogres and Paladins shuffle about, waiting, and the one unit is able to get its leader point onto the hill to see things, precarious as it may be. 

The Captains continue to cower, setting up what traps they can.

The free Phoenix ignores my Veil, and sprays into the Bray Hunters, landing another underwhelming 3 damage. The flying, fiery titans have a ton of utility, but their ranged output has been lower than normal so far.

On the far left, the Ogre Captains are wary. One hides behind the woods, out of sight, and the other turns to face.

Top of Round 3: Herd

On the left, I’m ready to instigate, but not fully pounce. The flying Beast repositions, to safely threaten. The Rimewings move up to poke again with shooting, and are joined by Softhoof, but only land 1 damage into an Ogre Captain, which is again immediately Iron-Resolved.

Charges and ineffectual shots from the Herd.

The Bray Hunters have a longer range, and have some options, though the fence means anything will be hindered. The Phoenix and the disorders is a tempting target, but I choose to go into the flank of the Spears. The Hunters get some Bane Chant help, and after much thought, support from some formation Trappers too, though the Spears will strip TC from the Trappers. In all, the Spears are brought to 10 damage, and wavered. 

The remaining Trapper unit side-steps, as does the Guardian Brutes on the left. The latter is wary of getting bonked and held up by the Ogre Captains, so we’re pressuring, and looking for a second wave of attacks next turn.

Big charges in the center.

The middle is a mess. The Spears are flush, so I can charge whatever I want, but multi-charging anything is rough as they are essentially shoulder-to-shoulder. Phalanx will strip my TC, and with the Spears all Inspired, Rallied, and with Fury thanks to the nearby characters, moving them is going to be tough. After a lot of thought, I just engage down the line. Everything is so tight, that I think I am ok to make things messy this turn, and hope for help from my fliers next turn.

The Trappers and Centaurs hit the unit on the left, as mentioned. Brutes solo-charge the Spears in the center, Bane Chant misses, but 9 damage still connects, which is Iron-Resolved down to 8. The right unit is multicharged by Moonfang in the flank and more Brutes in the front. This fight goes better, with the Brutes getting 13 damage through thanks to Vicious from Moonfang, who brings a hot 9 from the flank, devastating and breaking the unit, as is-proper. Moonfang pivots to face-front, and the Brutes back up.

Reforms for the Herd.

In the backfield, the wavering Rimewings change facing, peering past the Phoenixes, and hoping to command their attention for another turn.

The Beast can only charge Phoenixes, and doesn’t want to. It flies past them, landing behind the enemy battle line and eyeing up a ton of rear-charges.

Bottom of Round 3: Brothermark

Things are indeed messy. In the back, one Phoenix stays to deal with the Rimewings, spraying firesparks, but lands just 1 damage, to bring them to 7. A cold 3 on Nerve check means the Rimewings are sticking around for another turn, though their line of sight is going to be complicated by the towering Phoenix again. The other Phoenix turns to Heal up one of the Spear units a bit.

Charges from the Brothermark.

The Paladins reform to face the Beast behind the Brothermark lines.

Some Ogres and Spears go into Moonfang. On a hill is dicey already, but the obstacle makes it really tough. We rule that the Spears are hindered, but the Ogres are not, though if I had been measuring, I probably could have pivoted a little harder towards to right to make both hindered. The Ogres overperform for 10 damage, while the Spears flounder and contribute nothing. Moonfang is only wavered… until we remember Brutal from the Ogres, and Moonfang will eventually fall after some rerolls. Still, things are messy. The Spears overrun slightly, and the Ogres change facing. Spacing-wise, we agree that the Ogres should be able to reform in a way that prevents alignment. I’m not sure we achieved that physically, but it’s now we ruled it.

Reforms for the Brothermark.

The center spears got Healed down to 3 by the Phoenix, and catch a Bane Chant from Augustus. They stick a concerning 6 damage on my Brutes here to take them to 10 damage, but the Brutes hold on.

The Spears countercharge the Centaur Hunters, and are joined by some Ogres hitting the flank of the Herd cavalry unit. The Ogres are hindered, but the Centaurs are devastated and routed, as is proper. One Ogre Captain holds nearby, looking to protect the Guards.

The Other Captain runs ahead, getting out of arc of my flying Beast on the left.

Aftermath of Round 3.

The Phoenix on the left charges the Rimewings out here, looking to tie them down, and 1 damage does land, getting the desired disorder.

Top of Round 4: Herd

My reserve Trappers move up and pivot, to spy the Phoenix, hoping to delay it later in the game. The Rimewings counter-charge the Phoenix, looking to ground it. They land a nice 5 damage, and get a surprise Waver here.

The Ogre Captain Guarding the Ogres has left himself open to a flank charge from the Beast, and I think it is worth it. I believe I land a Bane Chant here, as the Beast lands 9 damage, and the Nerve check does break my way for the pick-up. 

The big charges from the Herd.

The Brothermark are a little shy on Inspiring now, Softhoof the Tracker goes into the Ogre unit, with the other Beast descending with menace into the rear. Softhoof contributes 1, while the Beast spikes to land 13 damage against the unit, and the uninspired Ogres are picked up. 

Centrally, Brutes and Trappers go into a Spear regiment already on 10 damage. Phalanx does work, but the unit is picked up. 

The Brutes on 10 countercharge the Spearmen, catching a Bane Chant as they fight back. They land 13 damage to bring the unit to 16, and despite the supporting heroes nearby, the Spears are scattered.

Reforms for the Herd.

We agreed that the other Brutes can only get a proper charge off into the Spearmen, so I do that. It is in the flank though, bypassing Phalanx. The expected damage is 25, so we fast-track the fight, and the Spears are not insane, and the Brutes reform.

Other reforms for the Herd.

In the rear, the lucky Rimewings fly past the blocking Phoenix, and spray into the Paladins on foot, landing 1 damage, which is Iron-Resolved back when the Paladins are found to be Insane. It was a good result, but on the wrong unit for the Brothermark.

Bottom of Round 4: Brothermark

On the left, the delaying Phoenix regenerates a few damage, but wavering, just holds. The Ogre Captain goes in, landing 2 damage against the Rimewings, but on just 3 damage, the birds manage to hold.

In the backfield, a Phoenix about faces to again interfere with the line of sight of the Rimewings. I believe the bird sprays again, but is unable to remove the unit for a third time.

Charges for the Brothermark.

The Paladins charge the Beast in front of them, but aren’t able to get any other support. Their two-handers hack 9 damage in, but the Beast holds. 

I believe Augustus goes into the central Trappers, looking to hold them up and protect the flank of the Paladins. The Trappers have Ensnare, but 1 damage lands. 

The third Phoenix flies into the damaged Brutes, looking to pick them up with help from the Chaplain. The Brutes are brought to 14 damage, and unfortunately for the Brothermark, are found to be Insane.

End of Round 4.

The Ogres charge the Brutes on the hill, but we forget about the obstacle, having removed it for simplicity last turn. We let the dice decide, and the Ogres are unhindered… but thankfully roll like they were, landing just 6 damage. 

Top of Round 5: Herd

The Brutes on the hill catch a Bane Chant, and will thump 13 damage back into the Ogres, who are uninspired, and will rout. 

The insane Brutes counter-charge the Phoenix, looking to remove unit strength, and with all the attacks, we are able to break the bird as well. The Chaplain can try the Brutes again on my opponent's turn.

Charges from the Herd.

The Trappers fight Augustus, while Softhoof charges downhill into the Brothermark commander, finally getting to use duelist. The Trappers land 2 and Softhoof contributes … 1 damage, but a hot check will waver Augustus. 

In the backfield, the Rimewings take the flank of the Phoenix, landing 5 damage and getting the disorder. 

Middle of the Melee Phase.

Both Beasts and a unit of Brutes go into the Paladins. The Beasts deliver the expected 9 damage, but the Brutes choke, landing 7 instead of the expected ~12. Rallied and Inspired, the Paladins hold, and Iron Resolve down to 15 damage.

On the left, the Trappers have a flank into the Phoenix like I was hoping, and they and the Rimewings here will fight the bird, and rout it.

Bottom of Round 5: Brothermark

My opponent surveys the field. He can probably pick up a few things this turn, like the injured Beast with the Paladins, and Brutes with the Chaplain and/or Augustus, but the scenario is Dominate, and he is essentially out of Unit Strength to play the game as we are in the bottom of 5 already. 

The position for the Brothermark proves to be untenable for the scenario.

Wanting to try and squeeze two games in, my opponent concedes here, and we look to rerack. A surprising victory to the Herd!

Game Conclusions

This was not how either of us expected this one to go! In melee, the Herd rely a lot on Thunderous Charge to deal their damage, and I had an odd build here with a lot of semi-effectual bow shooting. This was playing into a Spear-heavy Brothermark build that brought Veil of Shadows and a ton of unit strength. This On paper this is not a good match-up for the Herd!

Getting first turn was tremendously consequential, and the Herd made very good use of it, gaining a lot of ground quickly and setting up for future engagements. I was able to engage the Dictator cautiously, keeping the Beast out of charge range while still shooting at him, and was lucky enough to come away with the rout there.

Starting Round 3, the fights in the middle were just a mess, but these were pivotal. The close formation of the Spears was daunting to engage with, but I think the key was getting units into the flanks of the line of Spearmen regiments. All the rallying and closeness actually then ended up complicating his rebuttals. I was able to protect most of my Guardian Brutes from most of those rebuttals, and then hit back even harder on the next turn with both the Brutes and flier support, and that gave me the advantage to break through. Then, two injured hordes of Guradian Brutes both surprisingly holding in the bottom of 4 let me close this out convincingly. I was lucky, but that was just compounding with the overall good choices I was making this game, letting me close it out quickly.

Testing Conclusions

• Guardian Brutes. They were definitely lucky to all stick around for the entire game, but I dare say they were used well! They do really want something to go in with them, and then hopefully block for them when it is time to victoriously reform though. That seems like a tall order for the Herd, which is generally low on drops and unit strength, but we got the win here, and we'll see what we can do in the future with other triple Brute builds!
• Centaur Bray Hunters. They had to get offered up and were forced to instigate, which wasn't ideal for a shooty cavalry unit, but definitely the right call for the state of the game. A neat unit, but a bit fragile. Nothing the Herd has can shoot more than 18", making a big ranged build a bit awkward. I still like the unit at the regimental size though.
• Scorchwings. Their shooting was not impactful, but I still really like the unit at their smaller regimental size as I don't feel the need to get value from their shooting to get value out of the unit, if that makes sense. They hit harder in melee and have fly, so are a far better positional piece, and they really worked well with the Beasts.
• Beast of Nature. I was a little fast and loose with my multi-charge or bust goal... Softhoof barely counts but he was just trying to hit and prevent the Ogres from moving ahead; and the flank into the Ogre Captain was risky but I lucked out. Multiple fliers are hard to deal with, and the Scorchwings really added a lot here, drawing fire and attention from the Beasts and letting them get some big charges this game.
• Mounted Druid with Staff and BC. I still like Druids, and still like having the mount to drop on my wings in case things need to go fast. A pretty basic pick with just Bane chant, but it seems worth it for the Herd.
• Druid with BC and Veil of Shadows. Veil wasn't really impactful for me this game, but I do still like it in theory. With these builds I want 4 heroes for Inspiring, and they all need to help out in other ways. Veil can really change the math for shooting, and seems like it could really cover a weak point of the Herd.
• Moonfang. I pressured well with them, and still think the flank charge was the right call to pick the Spears up and then protect the Guardian Brutes from Ogres rebuttals. I could have reformed him better though, and he wasn't lucky enough to hold. So, I used him alright, but still have room for improvement.
• Silent Hunt Trappers. Ensnare really helped them out with holding other middling (Me4+) units up, but the bows were garbage, and needing to move out of terrain, I wasn't able to make use of Deadly Snares. For the bows, hitting on 5's is tough, and no Steady Aim with 18" Range is really tough too. The Trappers just don't have the rules to run and gun nor hold a position well. 
• Silent Hunt Softhoof. The Vicious Aura from the Formation was nice, and it did convert a few damage throughout the game since I kept him pretty close to the units, but the Tracker / Softhoof also suffers from underwhelming and disjointed rules. I learned that Duelist only applies in Melee, and while he is a hero he doesn't have CS or TC (even Goblin Biggits and Stinggits both get CS... c'mon Mantic.). The Tracker also only hits on 4's... so Duelist is not a good purchase for him. I think I had tried him with the Scythe for Rampage before, but I don't think he should get priority for any upgrades since the base unit is so awkward. 

It was a really interesting game, with each of us trying out a bit of an odd build. The Brothermark missed their usual shooting components, like the Villein Bowmen, while Herd rediscovered why most of their shooting units are better left on the shelf, though the Scorchwings/Rimewings were really run as smaller units. I have had a lot of list ideas swirling around recently, so it was great to fit in a surprise weeknight game and cross a few ideas off the list. A big thank you to Trevor for reaching out when he had the time, and for hosting! Amazingly, we fit in a second game the same evening, and that should be up soon. Thanks for the game!