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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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