Kings of War 3rd Edition: #156 Varangur vs Kingdoms of Men in Loot

Intro and Lists

We have a second secret battle report coming to light! Rob wanted some secret prep for a one day speed tournament attached to the Renegade GT in late November. The event rewards wins and time left on your clock, and a swift, elite meta has evolved around it. Rob was trying to attack the meta, taking the Kingdoms of Men:

The idea is that his shooting should outrange any hammer, giving him at least one volley of withering rifle-fire along with the Ballista and maybe even the Wizard too. The Hero and Chariots around to interdict and buy time for the shooting. And expecting monsters and large infantry / cavalry, the Giant with Slayer would smash anything that got close. Minimizing the movement and melee phases should save precious clock time, and hopefully this would all be enough for him to come out ahead in the event.

Our first game was me throwing something together on the spot with the models I had. The second game here was a little more thought out from me, though getting in the game when we did was unexpected and I needed to make one model substitution. I brought the Varangur, and up to test was:

• Draugr. They are a great unit, but against so much shooting, they will not last long, and probably won't even be threatening enough to draw a round of fire away from the rest of the list. We're taking them for the unlock, and to play the scenario, whatever it may be.
• Fallen. I like the Fallen, though haven't gotten to use them very much. I felt like a Speed 8 Nimble unit with Iron Resolve and Pathfinder would be good at pressuring the gunline, so we're taking them for a spin, and giving them the Staying stone to increase the odds of Iron Resolve coming into play.
• Tundra Wolves. I also like Tundra Wolves, and wanted to explore them. Again, we have a speedy unit with Pathfinder, and hoped I could bring some good Pressure. 
• Snow Foxes. I felt like the list needed chaff, so brought one unit of trusty Snow Foxes.
• Cavern Dweller. When I've faced them, if they are supported at all, I often feel like I have one chance at picking them up, or Lifeleech 3 starts contributing too much and they start running away with the game. I think Monsters can dominate small games, and wanted to bring the Cavern Dweller to test that out. 
• Thegn. The Varangur can take some nice scoring heroes, but the points means I cannot take any multiples. So we have a few singletons. We'll try to get the Thegn up front, making use of his longer charge range and Strider. Getting in this game was unexpected, so the Thegn is the counts-as Frostfang model with the raised sword.
• Snow Troll Prime. We'll take a Prime as well, and see what they can tank for us. The Prime will have double axes.
• Kruufnir. We had the points, so we'll give Kruufnir an outing as well, and see if we can't get him rampaging into some of the Riflemen.

Astute readers might notice that this list is very similar to my Northwoods Melee list. I was trying to build for that event and explore some units like the Wolves and Fallen, but doing my own secret testing and trying not to tip my hand to anyone attending the event. I had hoped to squeeze this game in during October, with some time to think on it, but my weekends filled up, and this game was played the night before the Northwoods Melee, after I had driven over to Milwaukee to help set up.

Table and Terrain

In preparation of the Northwoods Melee, we had set up all the tables. But since the speed tournament will be played on a square, 4 foot area, we randomized and then voided a chunk of it. We'll be ignoring the left-most section, and Rob blocks it off with game aids. We opt to try 20 minutes on the clock this time, getting in some practice for Game 2's time limit.

We got Control for the scenario, and went with it. On the smaller table, we'll have four 2'x2' zones, each worth 1 point, making it a little easier to tie.

Overview of the table. We're playing on Rob's farm table.

I lose the roll for sides, and after consideration, Rob stays where he's at. This is an actual choice and not just being lazy.

With a nice lane on the right, I was curious to see if he would go with his predetermined plan for deployment, with the Giant flanked by the two rifle hordes, and he did. Left to right for the Kindgoms of Men we have the Riflemen on the hill with the hero on Pegasus behind, Giant, and more Riflemen, with the ASB near as well. The Alchemist Curse Wizard on Pegasus hit behind the building. The Chariot Legion sat angled to see past the building, and the lone Ballista held down the firing lane.

Deployment.

Again, I had been hoping to pull double-duty here, helping Rob practice while getting in some secret practice of my own for the Northwoods Melee. It was going to be a weird list without any real battle line units, so I wanted to take the opportunity here to try and noodle out my general deployment for the list. 

Not being Nimble, I think I generally wanted the Cavern Dweller central, and to play a bit of a refused flank. Hopefully I could support the Dweller long enough for it to start feasting well, and then start pressuring from odd angles.

For the Varangur, I hiding behind terrain to minimize that first round of shooting. On the line we have the Cavern Dweller and Kruufnir, with Tundra Wolves hiding behind the woods as best they could, and Draugr back here as well. The idea will be to just leave the Draugr here for an easy point, while the rest of the list tries to brawl.

On the right, and we can't quite fit it all through the gap, so we have a stack of characters with the Thegn (sword) and Snow Troll (axes), and then Fallen with the Snow Foxes behind, to protect them from shooting. We do not want them wavering and holding things up, so we'll protect them until it is time for them to become a speedbump.

I win the roll for sides. It is tempting to make the humans go first and have a bad round of shooting, but ultimately I decide that I probably need to be aggressive, and grab what early ground I can. The Varangur will seize the initiative.

Top of Round 1: Varangur

The Cavern Dweller has Strider, but not Pathfinder. It pivots and moves it's 6" up, staying in the woods to get the cover bonus. Kruufnir tentatively approaches, keeping the Dweller Inspired. 

The Wolves just peak into the woods as well. I won't have charges, but they should actually be safe from the rifles, unless the shooters move. I was trying to give my opponent bad choices between a regenerating Kruufnir, a stealthy Cavern Dweller, and the Wolves.

The Varangur move up, but slow play the middle.

The Draugr sidestep, using the woods to hide from shooting. We'll try to keep them here all game if we can to play the scenario.

On the right, the Foxes zip ahead to block and protect the Fallen from the Chariots. The Thegn pulls up alongside the Fallen, with the Snow Troll proxy a bit behind the Thegn. The Chariots should have a possible charge into the Thegn, but will need to use their Boots, and will be giving up a flank to the Fallen if they don't remove my character. 

Bottom of Round 1: Kingdoms of Men

The Ballista shoots into the Fallen, but lands no damage. The Chariots pivot and flee, and the Wizard will eventually come out from behind the building.

M-dmovement from the Kingdoms of Men. The Wizard will move to the left of the building.

The Riflemen move out, supported by the Giant, but take penalties for moving, and fail to damage anything. The Hero on Pegasus hides behind the hill.

Top of Round 2: Varangur

The Varangur try to keep the pressure on. The Snow Foxes can't charge this turn, but run ahead to threaten the Ballista next turn. The Thegn with the sword hops ahead as well, peering behind the building to pressure the Chariots and encourage them to flee more. 

The Fallen enter the woods, trying to use the terrain to their advantage, and the counts-as Snow Troll behind them will hang back and zone out the flier a bit.

Movement for the Varangur.

The Cavern Dweller moves up, threatening a charge next turn, with Kruufnir supporting.

The Tundra Wolves also move ahead to threaten charges from the woods, meaning all my important units (Wolves, Dweller and Fallen) are threatening multiple charges next turn. That fees good for pressure.

The Draugr hold, playing the scenario and holding this zone.

Bottom of Round 2: Kingdoms of Men

The Chariots continue to flee / reposition, getting past the building and out of line of sight of the pursuing Thegn. The Wizard flaps around the building, and shooting is exceptionally hot this turn, with . Alchemist Curse landing 6 damage onto the Thegn, and the rest going into the Cavern Dweller, taking him up to 16 damage, and routing the monster.

The Cavern Dweller is gunned down.

The Hero on Pegasus is able to fly over, and get out of arc of the Tundra Wolves. I had honestly mixed up the fliers, thinking the Wizard was on the left. They are clearly modeled, I just goofed. With just 3 attacks from him, this isn't the biggest deal, but it is good positioning and pressure from him.

Top of Round 3: Varangur

I'm starting to crumble a little bit. I was hoping for more from the Cavern Dweller. The Snow Foxes will charge the Ballista and barely pick it up, landing the expected 6 damage but getting a good Nerve check.

The Thegn will hide behind the building now, wounded, but continuing to threaten things. The Fallen use the building to block. The Chariots should be in the flank, but not be able to align. Kruufnir repositions to tank. 

Positioning for the Kingdoms of Men.

The other Troll enters the woods. He's threatening the Wizard, and continuing to try and support as best he can.

The Wolves have charges, but nothing great. Their best charge is into the far Riflemen, but the Giant is there. Currently the Giant has no charges, so I opt to just reposition slightly. No reason to bring the Giant into the mix just yet.

The Draugr pivot, still using the trees to block.

Bottom of Round 3: Kingdoms of Men

The reposition of the Wolves is not great, as I put a majority of their base outside the woods. One of the hordes of Rifles hits them for 6 damage, but they do hold. The other Horde has been shooting through the weird but charming gap in the obstacles, but has no shots this turn.

The Hero on Pegasus flaps to interdict, and the Wizard on Pegasus flaps behind my lines to cast Alchemist Curse on the Snow Troll Prime hiding in the woods, dealing 1 damage.

Positioning for the Kingdoms of men.

The Chariots charge Kruufnir. I don't remember if my opponent uses the Boots. I would. With so many units surrounding them, this is probably going to be their only instigating charge. They'll deal 4 damage, and the legendary Troll will hold.

Top of Round 4: Varangur

The Snow Foxes go and hide behind the building, while the Thegn is able to get out of arc of the Giant to pressure things.

Overkill into the Chariots.

Kruufnir will counter-charge the chariots, joined with a hindered charge from the Snow Troll Prime, and a clean charge in the flank by the Pathfinding Fallen.

In a snap decision, we discuss, and the Wolves should be able to Nimble charge around the Hero, pivoting one to get around, moving a big ahead, and then pivoting again so they can hit the other flank of the Chariots. 

In retrospect, I do not like this decision - it is overkill, and the Chariots are devastated before I can roll for the Wolves. I would have been better off charging the Hero and trying to bully him a bit. He's uninspired, and looking at expected damage, I should be able to waver him at least.

Reforms from the Varangur.

The Giant is not Nimble, so will be a little gummed up next turn. The Snow Troll overruns, and the Fallen and Wolves change Facing. Kruufnir holds, as I want to baby him a bit, and hope that he can regenerate something next turn, as he did nothing this turn.

In my backfield, the Draugr change facing to spy the Wizard, though they cannot reach him. It just seems sensible to not give him an open flank. 

Bottom of Round 4: Kingdoms of Men

The Kingdoms of Men charge out! The Giant hits the Snow Troll Prime while some Riflemen make a hindered charge into the Fallen. Looking at the arrangements, I believe I had the proxy Troll slightly ahead, so the Riflemen are crammed over, allowing the Giant to sneak in his charge. I could have been a jerk, or adjusted things slightly better to prevent this, but the pressure is on with the time contraint, and fights are fun. Bring it on!

Positioning from the Kingdoms of Men.

The Riflemen shoot into the Tundra Wolves again, landing a hot 10 damage, and will pick them up. The Wizard will land 3 more damage onto Kruufnir with Alchemist Curse, and the Troll barely holds, and is surprisingly unbothered.

The Wolves break, but everything else holds firm.

The Giant rolls poorly overall, hitting the Snow Troll Prime for just 4 damage, and the Troll holds firm.

The Riflemen are hindered, and deal no damage to the Fallen.

Top of Round 5: Varangur

We got Riflemen to charge, so I feel like we're doing ok! The Fallen counter-charge the Riflemen, landing 9 damage, but they are a horde of dudes, and hold on.

Positioning for the Varangur.

The Thegn makes his way up a bit, threatening rear charges into the Giant and a flank charge into the Riflemen. Kruufnir hops ahead, regenerating a few damage to end at 5, and is pressuring the Riflemen as well. I am playing quickly and just trying to pressure and make him do math

For the scenario, the Snow Foxes continue to cower behind the building, and the Draugr continue to hide in my deployment zone.

Bottom of Round 5: Kingdoms of Men

I miss a picture. The Riflemen counter-charge the Fallen, and will land 1 damage, which will be immediately Iron-Resolved back. I will admit, that does feel great, and it is nice to be on the other side of that for once!

The Giant thumps into the Snow Troll Prime again, taking him up to 7 damage, but the Prime holds on bravely.

The maximum pressure approach doesn't work on my opponent. Measuring, the Thegn is in range of the Hero, the Thegn is charged. Just 1 damage makes it through though, but the Thegn wavers.

The Rifles roll hot again into Kruufnir, and with Alchemist Curse adding a few as well, the legendary Troll will need Insane Courage to stay, and doesn't get it. 

Top of Round 6: Varangur

If memory serves, Rob learned after our initial practice game that the tournament doesn't actually roll for Round 7, so this is it.

The Fallen fight and best the Riflemen. I don't think they do anything, given this is the last turn.

Final positioning for the Varangur.

The Thegn does nothing, and not knowing we were only playing to Round 6, the Foxes have been a little too patient. The hope was to leave them here, and throw the Fallen into my opponent's left corner in a possible Round 7. Oh well.

The Snow Troll Prime bravely fights the Giant. We've taken far more than we've dealt, but are still holding on.

Bottom of Round 6: Kingdoms of Men

The Rifles move and shoot into the Fallen, but land no damage. I believe the Fallen were getting a cover benefit, making this really hard on the shooters.

Looking to save time on the clock, the Hero doesn't roll attacks against the Thegn.

Final positioning for the Kingdoms of Men.

The Giant does thump 4 more damage into the Snow Troll Prime to bring him to 10 damage, but again, the Snow Troll Prime is a glutton for punishment.

The Wizard flies over into my left corner to score it for the humans. The Riflemen, Hero, and Giant all score his left corner. Fallen and Foxes hold my opponent's right, and Draugr hold my right.

With a hard cap after Round 6, it is a tie game!

Game Conclusions

Against Rob, I am always happy with a tie. And heck, if the speed tournament only goes to Round 6, then the previous practice game for this would have also been a tie! Great news for me, especially considering all my misplays in both games, but less so for him. I still think his approach has merit though. It’s a small event, and the list is sure to catch someone off guard, and it doesn’t take much for all of that shooting to start doing work against an elite list.

This game was also quite helpful for me. Still coming away with a tie despite losing the Cavern Dweller before it could contribute anything felt great. I didn’t have much time to really reflect on my tactics in detail, but this game validated my list and general approach for the Northwoods Melee coming up the next day, and was a big confidence boost.

Testing Conclusions

• Draugr. They hid and simply played the scenario. I might have been able to eek a little more value out of them moving them up and zoning out and threatening the Wizard and such, but these already did great this game, doing just what I needed them to do.
• Fallen. They are relatively quick and relatively durable, and can apply some great pressure with smart positioning. They were used well enough this game, and were certainly a fun unit to have around! 
• Tundra Wolves. I should have been more mindful with them, and was pressuring when I should be cautious, and cautious when I should have been pressuring harder. They were definitely not used well here, but they were definitely fun to use! I can see squeezing them into more lists, as without shooting to scare them away they can really get into nasty positions thanks to Nimble and their good speed.
• Snow Foxes. Had I known we were stopping at 6 earlier, I maybe could have gotten a little more use out of them, but they killed a war machine and played the scenario and they had a very good game.
• Cavern Dweller. Like the Wolves, the Cavern Dweller was also not used particularly well, and the monster didn’t get to contribute at all to the violence, but the dice against them were pretty hot. My opponent took his chance to deal with the monster, and it worked out for him this time.
• Thegn on Frostfang. The extra speed was good and it was fun to see him zipping around the table being a menace. Strider didn’t come into play here, but it can be very strong. 
• Snow Troll Prime. The game was a nice showcase of the durability of the Snow Troll Prime. The Giant was getting his Slayer d6, but the results just weren’t there and the Nerve checks kept swinging low on the Inspired rerolls.
• Kruufnir. Not regenerating anything really damped what the legendary Troll could accomplish, btu he still took the charge from the Chariots like a champ, and enabled that strong (if overzealous) pushback into the center. He did fine.

I was really hoping to get one more practice game in for the speed tournament, trying the 15 minute timer and running yolo Abyssal Berserker spam, or Lycans or some kind of flying circus... just something more elite and in-line with exactly what Rob was expecting to see at the event, just to better gauge how his plan was, as well as tie these reports off neatly, having played at every time limit. Alas, this was it for the secret games for Rob.

I tidied up our first practice game and posted it last night once the tournament was officially underway. Tidying this second report up the morning after, I read that Bob not only won the speed event, but won it decisively, being the only one to go 3-0! The attack on the meta worked out. Congrats Rob!

Kings of War 3rd Edition: #155 Undead vs Kingdoms of Men in Loot

Intro and Lists

When I started writing more numerous reports for the Blog, I had a worrisome moment. With each battle report being numbered, what would keep things from posting out of order? Thankfully, the madness was momentary, and reality quickly asserted itself.  I am a one person operation, so I can number things and schedule posts as I darn well please. No worries. Nonetheless, here we are with an odd, secret battle report!

While I have not been able to travel around to tournaments, my clubmate Rob and his Halflings have been all over the place this last year, and we have helped him prep whenever we can. Having placed 1st at the Michigan GT back in October, Rob was already eyeing up his next big tournament, the Renegade Open in November. It’s a 2-day weekend tournament with special character rules, and with a 1-day speed tournament tacked on Friday evening, and Rob wanted to practice for the latter. The speed tournament is three games at 1200 points, with less time on the clock each round. The scoring for the event is a combination of your wins and your remaining clock time. The event and the speed tournament have been going on long enough that a bit of a meta has materialized around it, with speedy and elite lists. Rob played last year, and wanted to bring a list to attack that meta, but didn't want me blabbing about it. I think he overestimates the reach of the blog, but we did accommodate his wishes, and the tournament should be underway (or even finished) by the time this actually posts. For the event, Rob settled on an army dear to me, the very versatile Kingdoms of Men:

The points level makes things a little tight as you can only run one of a hero or monster or war machine. It's a neat list, running two hordes of Rifles, a Giant with Slayer since he’s expecting a lot of monsters, a Chariot Legion (!) with J Boots to interdict things, and then singletons of an ASB for Inspiring, a Wizard on Pegasus with Alchemist Curse, a Ballista, and a Hero on Pegasus. The idea is that all the shooting should be able to maim or even delete a unit a turn, really punishing the very elite builds, and everything else in the list should be able to interdict or buy time for the shooting to do the heavy lifting..

I was not gearing up for this event, nor did I see his message before I left home earlier that day. But after Battle 145, we still had some time before the shop closed, so I cobbled together an Undead list with the models I had, for him to fight and test out his ideas before he spent more time hobbying things up. I brought the following:

I was limited by the models I had with me, but still, a little more insight on Undead MMU wouldn’t hurt for me to have! Up to evaluate was:

• Skeleton Warriors with two handers. These are my pet unit for the Undead. They are a great chunk of Nerve for their points, and a cheap, versatile drop. The two-handers and CS1 are nice, as they have just enough attacks to be able to disorder things reliably, and clever Surges and such can let them punch above their weird. With no Surge casters here... I don't think we're going to pull off anything tricky with them, so they are around to eat a turn of shooting. If they can do that, I'll be happy.
• Wraiths. I like Wraiths, but without Surge, these are also around for chaff and blocking duties., and we'll see if Def6 can eat a round of shooting or catch my opponent off guard at all.
• Soul Reaver Infantry. These were the best units I had with me, so needed to at least double-down on them. Wary of shooting, one got the Dwarven Ale to hopefully let them shake off any wavers from shooting, and the other got the cheaper Staying Stone.
• Deathpack. I wanted more experience with them after their debut, so we squeezed in both units. 
• Lykanis. I was limited by my models, and my opponent was anticipating a meta of speedy things, so I like like the Lykanis and Vampire would be better than something like Mhorgoth, especially given the rest of the list. We'll see if we can utilize the speed to do anything cool.
• Vampire on Undead Pegasus. Same as above, it's not ideal, but it's what we have, and we'll see if we can use these to pressure.

Going up against heavy shooting, I wanted to try and play more of a refused flank, and be aiming for a narrow win on half the table. Hopefully my concentration of force would let me punch through and do things.

Table and Terrain

We set up a full table, but since the event will be played on a square, 4 foot area, we then randomized and voided a chunk of it. We'll be ignoring the left-most section.

I won the roll for sides and was lazy, though this side did give me some nice terrain to hide behind.

Rob had given a lot of thought to his approach. The Kingdoms of Men deployed with a strong brick of Rifleman, Giant, and Riflemen, supported by the Wizard and ASB. With not a lot of firing lanes, the Ballista set up shop nearby in the backfield, looking to shoot around the forest, and the Chariots eyed said forest. The Hero deployed behind the building, safe, and ready to interdict.

Deployment, for everyone! There are some benefits to playing on a smaller table.

Knowing a bit about his plan, the Undead castled pretty hard in the corner, tying to use the terrain to my advantage. We want to push up, grab two tokens, and call it good with a narrow win. Skeleton Warriors and both Soul Reavers, were on the line, with the Lykanis and a unit of Deathpack in reserve. I only need two tokens to win, so this group would push for the center. On the right, I had a stack of flying Vampire on the line, non-shambling Deathpack, and slightly angled Wraiths, and this group would try to push up the far right of the table, grabbing the token here and hopefully negate the enemy flying Hero.

There were no Scout moves, and I won the roll for turn order, eventually opting to go first. Yes, would unfortunately give the riflemen some shots by moving up, but the hope was that the extra ground gained and pressure applied will be worth it, especially with my flying Vampire on the far right.

Top of Round 1: Undead

On the right, the flying Vampire races ahead. The Deathpack lingers behind a bit, with the shambling Wraiths behind them. The layered positioning would hopefully deny the Hero on Pegasus any safe landing zones. At the end of my turn, I ended up pivoting the Vampire pretty hard, in order to face the center, assuming that the rest of the stack can proceeded and apply pressure.

The Undead move up. Some of them go pretty far!

The Soul Reavers trudge forward, keeping the forest between them and most of the enemy shooting.

On the left, the Lykanis stays pretty close, and the Skeletons and Deathpack scoot ahead a bit at speed. Hopefully, the Skeletons could tank a turn or two of shooting, and the Deathpack can gain enough ground to chaff for the Soul Reavers, and get them into a combat.

Bottom Top of Round 1: Kingdoms of Men

The Wizard flies ahead and pivots, looking to get safely behind enemy lines before casting spells, and the bloc of Riflemen and Giant reposition a bit. Shots flew out into the Lykanis, but only 3 damage hit, and he was found to be steady.

Movement for the Kingdoms of Men.

We check, and there is actually only about 90mm between the table edge and the building out on the right, so the Hero on Pegasus is able to get in and threaten charges for free now, which is not ideal for me. I wasn't going to be able to reach him next turn, but being able to eventually get past the building is something I had just assumed. Now, the effectiveness of my stack is pretty diminished, especially with the pivot of my Vampire last turn.

Top of Round 2: Undead

I try to keep the pressure on. The flying Vampire pivots and flits over the building, and will have charges into the Chariots, Ballista, or a horde of Riflemen, unless my opponent does something.

Wraiths hang back to deny a landing zone to the Hero on Pegasus, while the Deathpack from the right moves up to block. The Skeletons advance too, and the line is jumbled enough that the Chariots can’t see the Deathpack, can’t fit into the Soul Reavers, and can only charge the Skeletons.

Movement for the Undead.

The other Deathpack reposition, looking to zone out the Wizard on Pegasus for another turn.

The injured Lykanis is brazen, and runs ahead. I am out of the Giant’s arc, so am hoping to just cause some trouble out here.

Bottom Top of Round 2: Kingdoms of Men

Trying to play fast, I apparently miss a picture. The Riflemen just unload into the Lykanis, landing a hot 6 damage, while the Wizard veers back and Alchemist Curse contributes another hot 5, and the lycanthrope is obliterated.

The Giant repositions, but is careful not to block the leader point of the other Rifle horde. This other horde will hold, and shoot into the stealthy Deathpack, landing 6 damage. The Ballista tries as well, but lands no shots, and the Deathpack do amazingly hold.

The Chariots change facing, preventing a charge into the Ballista since my flier won’t be able to align. The Hero on Pegasus spins around, landing near my Vampire on Pegasus, to force a decision out of me.

Top of Round 3: Undead

The flying Vampire hops around, getting out of arc of the flying Hero and Chariots.

The Wraiths pick up the token on the right.

The Vampire on Pegasus gets into another threatening spot.

The maimed Deathpack scoot ahead, blocking for both Soul Reaver units, and the Skeletons shamble ahead as well, threatening a charge next turn if they are not dealt with, and to make things interesting, they move far enough to get out of arc of the Chariots.

Movement for the Undead.

The other unit of Deathpack scamper ahead, and should be threatening a charge into the Riflemen on the left, or the Wizard if he doesn’t move. The pressure is on!

Bottom Top of Round 3: Kingdoms of Men

The Hero on Pegasus inches ahead but out of arc of my Vampire on Pegasus.

The Ballista shoots and misses at some Soul Reavers as I think it takes a penalty from the intervening melee. The Chariot charged the Deathpath, but did not use their boots. They will sidestep in victory.

Good pick-ups for the Kingdoms of Men.

The Giant backs up, and both hordes of rifles shoot into the Skeletons, joined by Alchemist Curse from the wizard. A total of 9 damage lands, and the Skeletons break apart as I am low on Inspiring coverage with the cobbled-together list.

Top of Round 4: Undead

I guess the Deathpack might not be threatening a charge into those Rifles, as they zip out and grab a token for some reason. This is not a great play from me, and I think an error from clock pressure.

In the back field, the Vampire continues to dance around the hero. We flit around again, threatening other units while avoiding his charge arc.

Movement for the Undead.

The Soul Reavers make a pair on hindered charges into the Chariot Legion. One rolls hot and one rolls cold to end up at the expected 16 damage, and unfortunately we only waver the unit.

The Wraiths and their token move up, ready to assist next turn.

Bottom Top of Round 4: Kingdoms of Men

I miss another picture due to time pressures. Thankfully, it's a small game and things should still be relatively easy to follow.

The Deathpack with the token did not get out of arc of the Riflemen, so the infantry horde charges out, beat them and steals it. Oops. Really not sure what I was thinking there.

The Giant and Rifle horde turn to face the flying Vampire. I think the Riflemen shoot, but land no damage into the Vampire.

The Ballista lights up the Wraiths, landing 4 damage and following up with Boxcars to best the uninspired unit.

The Charioteers disengage, and withdraw an inch, to force more hindered charges from me.

Top of Round 5: Undead

I’ve been too weird with my flying Vampire, and with the Hero and Giant starting to constrict him, I fly away, landing on the token so I can pick it up if needed.

Movement for the Undead.

The shooting has indeed whittled me down, and both Soul Reaver regiments again go into the Charioteer Legion, to hopefully pick them up, and I do. In retrospect, this is crazy overkill, and one should have considered doing something to threaten the central token.

Reforms for the Undead.

In victory, one will sidestep towards the center, and the other will back up 2 inches, land atop to token here as well, and pick it up.

Bottom Top of Round 5: Kingdoms of Men

The hero can spy the tiniest sliver of the Soul Reavers from around the building, and takes the charge, ending up in the flank of the Soul Reavers. The Giant is also just in, against them, and charges in to bully them for their token. Fortunately, the Hero misses entirely, and while the Giant rolls up some extra attacks, few connect, and the Soul Reavers survive on 5 damage. These have the Staying Stone, and are just shy of wavering, but hold steady, thanks to the item.

Charges and positioning for the Kingdoms of Men.

Both Rifle hordes and the Wizard fire into the other regiment of Soul Reavers, though the Rifles take boatloads of penalties, and Alchemist Curse only lands 1 damage.

Top of Round 6: Undead

It’s top of 6 and I should really be playing the scenario better, but am struggling to do so.

The flying Vampire pivots, hoping to cleanup in a round 7. It's Round 6, and I think he should be flying out and grabbing the central token perhaps.

Movement for the Undead.

In retrospect, I probably should counter-charge the Hero, as I have a better change of routing him and removing opposing unit strength, but I do not. I charge the Giant, land the expected 8 damage, but do not budget the titan. They Lifeleech down to 3 though, and I am feeling ok about a grind here. Having used Giants a lot, 4's are swingy, and he's not kitted out to fight infantry, so this grind could definitely work out for me.

The other regiment of Soul Reavers make a hindered charge out into a horde of Riflemen, landing 9, but do not waver them either. 

This charge is a little dubious as well. It's Round 6, so I should probably be trying to grab the token. However, I don't have any other charges, and am wary of shooting, and think I can keep this evened up and get a tie. 

Bottom Top of Round 6: Kingdoms of Men

The Wizard lands just 1 damage with Alchemist Curse against my flying Vampire.

The Giant and Hero multi-charge the Soul Reavers again, and again we are able to keep the damage low with just 6 new damage. Still, this puts me at 9 damage, and I unfortunately waver, even with the Staying Stone.

Movement for the Kingdoms of Men.

One horde of Riflemen countercharge the Soul Reavers, landing 2 damage, and the other start trudging towards the central token to grab it in a potential Round 7. I had forgotten that units could take multiple tokens, so I'm suddenly really worried.

It’s shaky, but a tie-game in the bottom of 6. I’d be happy with this, but we do roll up a round 7…

Top of Round 7: Undead

I didn’t give myself a great shot here, so there isn’t much I can do with the extra round.

The Soul Reavers butcher the Riflemen horde on the second attempt, Lifeleeching down to no damage, which admittedly feels good. Had this happened a turn or so earlier (like breaking the Chariots on the first attempt), I'd be feeling great, but this is a pretty empty victory now.

The conclusion of the Undead efforts.

The other Soul Reavers are wavering though, and there isn’t much I can do to help them. They back up, and the flying Vampire is able to make a clean charge into the Giant. Unfortunately, I look to have done just 1 damage here. With 7 quality attacks, this feels pretty bad.

Writing up the report, this could also a questionable play, as the Soul Reavers are so very hurt. I could have dropped the token and then backed up, and then picked it back up with the flying Vampire... but the Vampire on Pegasus is exactly what the Giant is geared up to fight. Either move is a gamble, and my opponent put me on the ropes with that waver and the extra turn.

Bottom Top of Round 7: Kingdoms of Men

The remaining horde of Riflemen take the center token, and are now holding two for the easy win. The flying hero hops up to delay the Soul Reavers out of habit.

Pay no attention to the Soul Reaver casualties! The Kingdoms of Men close out the game.

Alchemist Curse finally skews towards average dice again, and the wavering Soul Reavers are melted, dropping their token.

The Giant charges the Vampire Lord, but my opponent realizes that he's playing on auto-pilot. The tournament apparently gives some incentive for remaining clock time, so he taps out in the ranged phase, and we don't get to see how the Giant performs against the Vampire on Pegasus.

The Kingdoms of Men win this 2:0 with a Round 7!

Game Conclusions

Like many of our games, I'm taking a goofy list into something much more thought out. It was fun, but the pressure definitely got to me a few times as I tried to cobble together something resembling a cohesive strategy. Mistakes were made, and I couldn't quite get things done.

Testing Conclusions

• Skeletons with two-handers. They are still a neat unit. They are cheap, and took the hits well enough, with even chances to stick around, luck just didn't break their way this time.
• Deathpack. Definitely a mixed bag, with one getting thrown away for nothing, and the other holding long enough to die well like a good chaff unit. I got lucky with these not wavering, but if the protected unit is back a bit, these can nimble-pivot and back away, creating a space. These are still fine chaff for the Undead, and as long as I am taking Soul Reavers, I will likely take a unit or two of these going forward.
• Soul Reavers. Hiding in the woods and being hindered wasn’t great for their output, but I protected them well enough I think, and got them a decent opening engagement. Giving them items the mitigate wavering also proved very worthwhile this game. They just weren't quite good enough to hard carry me with my other errors.
• Lykanis. Not used particularly well, though he did draw some fire, and that is ok since I was focusing on the Soul Reavers. Of the two speedy units I’ve been exploring, these are budget buys, and clearly struggle. I think they can have their place, but I’ve been asking them to do way too much, and should invest into more units for my MMU.
• Vampire on Pegasus. Not used particularly well either – it’s been a while since I had an aerial standoff! I should have zipped ahead and pivoted to outrun the human Hero, but we ended up dancing all game, and they favored the cheaper hero. Fun to use, but not used well here.

A speed tournament is a really neat idea, and this was a lot of fun to try out. This will probably post mid-tournament, so we'll hope Rob is doing well!

Kings of War 3rd Edition: #154 Kingdoms of Men vs Forces of Nature in Control

Intro and Lists

We had pushed the November monthly meetup back a week to accommodate the exciting Northwoods Melee. Unfortunately, holiday conflicts are starting to creep in for folks and 4th Edition existing in this weird, mostly-revealed-but-not-actually here-yet state is killing for the third month now is also having an impact on attendance and interest. Fortunately, Joe answered the call, and was ready to throw down and see off a few of his armies in style. For our second game, he brought his magnificent Forces of Nature army:

It's just a gorgeous army. Everything is vibrant and all the bases are packed full, which really sells the "verdant" theme, and the basing with the grasses is top-notch and something I want to try and emulate in the future. It's all 3d printed, with many different files printed at different scales to "sell" the dense overgrowth of lush vegetation. It's a little visually busy, but that is limited to the Hunters: the Forest Shamblers are actually full but dull trees, and only they and the Air Elementals can be surged around, so once you understand that, it makes more sense on the table.

I brought out the Kingdoms of Men out for what will certainly now be their last game of 3rd Edition. We are still goofing around with Chariots, but at the wider horde size now, and per usual, up to discuss is everything in the list:

• Pike Regiments. Even at the regimental size and even with Def4, Pikes have done very well holding things up. This list is only slightly more sensible than the previous list, and with some extra points, we were able to fit in Indomitable Will this time, which should help them be even stickier, provided we keep things hitting their front facing!
• Foot Guard with Hammer of Measured Force. The Hammer has been a very common pick in our meta for anvil units, as it turns them into something that can grind and usually get some value back against hammers. I had the points for it, so we're taking it here.
• Crossbow Horde with Scrying Gem. I haven't run the Gem in a while, and decided to take it, as the list has a good number of drops and pressing this likely advantage might be worthwhile for me. We'll see if it pays off. Otherwise, the Crossbowmen are a pet unit of mine, able to hold ground and can actually do work in many scenarios, as they are a horde with good Nerve.
• Chariot Horde with Bows. We're trying out hordes of chariots this time, and continuing to take the bows. Hordes are wider, and chariots rely on TC to deal their damage, so we'll try to prioritize their positioning, and aim for clear charges. Like in my other chariot games, with just middling stats they can struggle to actually deal damage, even in ideal conditions, so we'll likely be using them as deterrance. 
• Triple Ballistae. It's still third edition, so we're taking all three. I still quite like any of the bolt thrower war machines, as hitting on 4's makes them more consistent, and they are a cheap source of good ranged pressure.
• ASBs with Lute and Shroud. I like ASBs, and thought the Aura buff was a neat idea for them, even though I don't like Lifeleech on my humans for fluff reasons. Still, my ASBs need to do a little more on the table, so we are taking the trusty Lute and trying out the Shroud, hoping to make that Lifeleech a little more impactful.
• Wizard on Pegasus with Lightning Bolt. We're taking a pair of Wizards because we can, and adding in Lightning Bolt to hopefully play well with all the rest of our shooting. Any shooting damage will likely be a bonus though, as they are absolutely splendid units for many scenarios and chaff units as-needed.
• Triple Generals on Winged Beasts. Again, it's still third edition, and fliers are better in multiples, so we're taking all three. I love the units, though they have not always performed well for me. They are quick and can apply a lot of pressure, so the goal will be to do that, and hopefully get some multi-charges when I actually want to break units.

Joe has had this army for a few months now, though I had yet to play against it. It features good Defense and mass scout, which can be very hard for many armies to handle. I had an advantage in that I knew the gist of the plan (scout up and fight), and with shooting I could deploy back to give myself a fighting chance here. However, with lots of points in shooting, low instances of Piercing, and several hundred points in chariots too, this was going to be a tough battle!

Table and Terrain

Our monthly meetup was back at Gamers Realm in New Berlin, which continued to tempt me with more super-affordable used minis... For my wallet's sake I kept the purchases to a minimum. We were the only real wargame going on during the day, and made use of the shop's terrain and mat. We set up a quick table with the Kings of War App from Data and Dice, and 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 fields as some Height 0 difficult terrain. 

Neither of us had strong opinions of a scenario to play, and when the app gave us Control, we opted to roll with it. For this scenario, the board is split up into six 2'x2' square zones. Whomever has the most Unit Strength in a zone controls it, and each zone is worth 1 point at the end of the game, with your opponent's center zone worth 2 points if you can seize it.

Overview of the table, and deployment.

My opponent won the roll for sides, and I had the Scrying Gem, and even remembered it! So down came several Hunters of the Wild, all on the line, to kick things off for our immediate rematch. On the left we have his late drops, with the Air Elemental regiment and Greater Air Elemental. We then have Shamblers on the hill, with a Warden close behind, three Hunters of the Wild Regiments on the line, the second Warden nestled an inch back, and a fourth regiment on the line as well. Behind the front line was the Wiltfather behind the hill (white bark and purple leaves), the very nifty Kapoka with an aura of Phalanx and spells, and then the normal Tree Herder out on the right. In reserve were two more regiments of Hunters of the Wild.

I had a great advantage in drops, but struggled to make use of it, given all the terrain and my wide and unwieldy list. My center came down first, then the Pikes, then the rest. 

View from the left.

Left to right the Kingdoms of men have a flying General in the woods, along with the BC ASB, because I again forgot I have the hammer over here, and a second flying General lurker on the line, wary of the Air Elementals.

The weak human center.

I knew enough about the army to know that it really wanted to scout up. I had two forests on either flank, so with so many Hunters coming down centrally in a great lane, I felt like I had to commit my shooting to the center. We have angled Chariots ready to interdict, Pikes in reserve, the three Ballistae, the Crossbowmen with healing ASB, and more angled Chariots.

The right.

On the right, we ended up with two Pikes, both Pegasi Wizards, and an angled flying General. Ideally one Pike would hold this corner, and one would march up into the opposing corner, and with no surging units out here, the General should have a free hand to pressure.

Overall, my deployment felt risky. I really wanted to get the Wizards opposite the Air Elementals, but the Foot Guard came down before the Elementals, and there just was not space out on the left. We have a lot of wide frontages with the Chariots, and things could get messy quickly. We've got a lot of shooting, and we did deploy back a bit, but it's mostly bow fire into mostly Def5, which doesn't bode well, even before we consider all the Scouting moves to come. 

Aggressive scout moves!

And scout they did! Everything that could Scout ahead did, but inches of the speedy Tree Herder types were limited by the slower Hunters of the Wild in front. Wary of a flanking General coming from the far left, the Shamblers held back as well.

I am incredibly fortunate and secure the roll for determining turn order, and up against all this scouting, gladly take first turn to try and leverage my shooting.

Top of Round 1: Kingdoms of Men

On the left, the Foot Guard, flanked by the flying Generals, all moved up a bit, though we are careful not to give the Air Elementals any charges. The Shamblers don't have a charge either, and will need some significant Surge successes to reach anything, and will still be coming over the obstacle and in the front, so that seems fine. 

A tentative advance on the left.

In the center, everything holds, and I try to leverage shooting as best I can. The Chariots on the left hold, and loose into something, but land no hits. Everything else shoots into the Hunters of the Wild on the hill. That's the only real unit out there, so the hope is to pop this and then pressure from the right while securing both zones on the right with the Pikes.

The center holds and shoots.

The Crossbows land 5 damage, the Ballistae land a combined 2, the Chariots on the right land 0. Coming from the right, both Pegasus-riding Wizards zap as well, landing another 1 damage, combined. On 8 damage, we get a waver on them, but this is not great output for such a high investment into shooting elements.

A waver. Good but not great.

On the right, Pikes shoot the gap between the building and the woods, and more Pikes secure the woods. Slowing figuring out the details of the army, he only has a few Surge-able units, so the angled General is able to safely fly ahead his 20" and start pressuring the flanks of the trees.

Bottom of Round 1: Forces of Nature

On the right, the wavering Hunters on the hill change facing, to help protect the flanks of the rest of the Forces of Nature as they continue their central push. The Tree Herder, apparently with Brew of Haste turns, as well, trying to zone things out. Kapoka joins the Hunters on the Hill, Healing them for 2 while the Herder's Radiance of Life heals them for 1, taking them from 8 down to 5. Before we pass the turn back to me, I check to make sure that the Warden is actually safe from the General on the right, as my opponent did not check, and did not vocalize it, and I know this is a potential blunder that would drive my opponent nuts if he's actually giving up a flank. With a very slight nudge, we'll prevent possible alignment from the General.

The verdant push slows and fans out.

Centrally, two regiments of Hunters of the Wild move up, threatening charges into my shooting and forcing decisions from me next turn. One of the reserve units moves up as well, creating a second line and even more pressure.

The trees on the left slow down.

On the left, the remaining regiment of Hunters move ahead slowly, along with the Shamblers, as they are wary of the Generals and Foot Guard, and the Shamblers pivot to protect the flank of the Hunters. 

The Warden and Wiltfather and reserve regiment of Hunters pull up immediately behind to support, and are joined by the Greater Air Elemental, who stays just over 20 inches away, and is just threatening surging reprisals. 

In the back, the Air Elemental Regiment side-steps, just zoning space out.

Top of Round 2: Kingdoms of Men

I think I am actually ok with the standoff between the Air Elementals and my Generals. I have shooting, so any reduction in pressure along the line feels ok. My General shuffles and pivots. The Foot Guard are threatened, but have the obstacle in the way. They side-step, which should complicate the angles for any Surge charges into them. The ASB sidetseps as well, and the tan General repositions, backing up for the moment.

A flank charge from the chariots on the left.

It is bait, but bait I need to take. The Chariot horde slams into the flank of the Hunters of the Wild, and gets a Bane Chant from the ASB to help. We land 14 Damage, and have Brutal, and are able to bust the regiment, and then are able to change facing pretty hard, avoiding things from the right, and getting everything on the left into front arc.

The shooting continues, but continues to struggle to be impactful.

The other horde of Chariots simply move up to block and protect my shooting center, and loose into the Hunters in front of them, landing no hits. The Ballistae fire, contributing 4 damage, and the Crossbows land 4 damage as well. On 8 damage, the Hunters hold firm. 

A concave on the right.

Out on the right, the fliers all reposition slightly, and the Pikes leave the forest. The Wizards throw lightning into the Hunters on the hill again, landing 2 damage to take them up to 7, but they hold firm this time. Shooting has yet to really deliver results yet and the pressure is still ramping up as the trees close in.

Bottom of Round 2: Forces of Nature

On the right, the Hunters move to the edge of the hill,q threatening charges next turn, and the Tree Herder out here adjusts slightly. Radiance of Life heals the Hunters down to 6, and a massive Heal 4 from Kapoka brings them down to just 2. The Hunters are admirably holding the line here and outpacing my damage with all the support. The unit is doing work out here.

The Hunters on the hill brace themselves. 

The Hunters of the wild in the center multi-charge the delaying Chariots, and overperform a bit, taking them up to 13 damage, and then will break the unit. The one nearest the building overruns for the full 6 inches, while the maimed unit gets 4. The Forces of Nature have broken through!

Movement on the left.

On the left, we have many edge markers at our disposal, but are not using them, and everything is getting bumped and shuffled around. The Air Elementals to just sidestep again. The Forest Shamblers move up and pivot, and originally both Hunters charge the Chariots, until I point out that with the moves and angles, the surge would have the Shamblers hitting his own unit right away. 

Surges on the left.

Several attempts later, the Chariots are charged by the just one unit of Hunters, with the other waiting in reserve. Shamblers do move and pivot, will be surged into the corner by the Wiltfather, and align into the flank with a hindered charge. The Greater Air Elemental will fly over and be Surged into the front by the Forest Warden. 

And then reforms on the left.

In victory, the Shamblers pivot and barely get out of arc of the Foot Guard, while the Hunters and Greater Air Elemental overrun for one inch apiece, which is lucky, considering the positioning of the tan General.

And the Hunters of the wild trounce the other Chariot horde.

Both Chariots are gone, and I've only claimed a unit of Hunters so far. Shooting has not delivered yet this game, and is being hampered by the Healing from the Forces of Nature. The pressure is on!

Top of Round 3: Kingdoms of Men

On the right, the Pikes take their double charge into the Hunters of the Wild. They start on 2, and the Pikes underperform, dealing a combined 3 damage to them, taking them back up to 5 damage, and failing to even waver them, due to all the healing they have received so far this game.

It's a real scrum on the right.

The General does not want to fight the Tree Herder, and so hops the line, and pivots, to threaten flank and rear charges into other things.

I also don't want to shoot anything out on the right, so the Pegasi Wizards retreat, They try to zap the overrunning Hunters of the Wild, but I believe some cover penalties are in play for at least one of them, and nothing connects for hits.

Ballistae shoot into the maimed Hunters of the Wild, will land 2 damage to take them to 10. The Crossbows are greedy and shoot into the Greater Air Elemental, landing two damage. The Hunters are uninspired, but only waver, and on 2 damage, the Greater Air Elemental is obviously completely unbothered. It's greedy, but the Greater Air Elemental is just Def4, and there is no healing out here, so any early damage against it might snowball into something later.

Charges for the Kingdoms of Men.

The overrun last turn does expose the flank of the Hunters to the tan General, and he is miraculously able to land a clean flank charge into them, will over-perform to land 9 damage and will get the rout. We are just safe of the Wiltfather, and turn to face the reserve Hunters and Air Elementals.

Reforms for the Kingdoms of Men.

The Pikes charge the Shamblers, and will poke 3 into them. The Foot Guard have no charges, and will move ahead and then pivot, keeping the Air Elementals in front arc. 

Things are a little exposed for me, but there are only a few Surge casters, and think I just need to try and weather this. My shooting has been a bit ineffectual so far, but the core of it is still online, and we might be able to pick something off yet.

Bottom of Round 3: Forces of Nature

Over on the left, the Air Elementals are still lurking, and don't take the bait against the Foot Guard. I don't remember if they hold or just shuffle about again.

The Hunters of the Wild make a hindered charge into the front of the tan flying General. The Air Elemental will nimbly position to have his flank, and then be surged in by the Forest Warden. In a surprise move, the Forest Shamblers change facing, so spin about, and then are surged into the rear of the flying General by the Wiltfather. It is a very clever move, and one I did not see coming! The General is obliterated. 

Several Surge charges from the Forces of Nature.

It is almost 3x the points of the General bearing down on him in the combat, plus over 400 points of Surge casters enabling this move. This is clever, but a crazy amount of overkill, and a huge investment. 

In victory, the Shamblers spin back around, and the Greater Air Elemental just holds. The Hunters on the obstacle look to get a very generous pivot that should not be possible, given the positioning of the charges and the Great Air Elemental. They should be able to back up, but not pivot here. The obstacle is goofing us up.

Reforms for the Forces of Nature.

In the center, one of the Hunters does not have any charges, and so makes a break for it, moving and pivoting out towards my right to control that zone for the scenario. The wavering Hunters hold, looking to take yet another round of shooting.

The Hunters of the Wild are struggling.

Out on the right, Hunters go into the outer unit of Pikes. They are ensnared, but will roll hot and land 6 damage, and we have a hot boxcar on the Nerve! As we are going through the victorious reforms, though, I realize that the General is Very Inspiring over on his griffon, and my opponent is a good sport, and we rewind this, and the Pikes will hold, but I think are wavering.

The Hunter unit out here gets another Heal 1 and Radiance of Life, to end on 3 damage. And the Tree Herder will spin around to face the flying General.

Top of Round 4: Kingdoms of Men

On the right, the very lucky Pikes pop their Indomitable Will and counter-charge the Hunters. The other Pikes have their leader point in the flank, and will pivot to connect and slide down.

Charges from the Kingdoms of Men.

The General has a rear charge into the unit, but reforms will be tough. With the Tree Herder pivoting to face the General, I think the best move is to fly away, and go fight elsewhere. He instead makes a rear charge into the maimed Hunters looming large in front of the Crossbowmen. He will break them, and pivot to face stuff out on my left.

Mid-combat for the Kingdoms of Men.

Throwing us for a loop out here, the Pikes will land a combined 6, taking them up to 9 damage, and we will get lucky and rout this unit. The maimed unit sidesteps, thinking the Herder is in front-arc, and hoping to draw the Herder away, and the other unit will to their best, changing facing, and threatening the characters on the hill, and the Herder if he engages.

The Ballistae all fire into the exposed Forest Warden, will spike some dice to land 8 damage. I think that's good enough to risk, and we will indeed pick the supporting spellcaster up.

The Crossbowmen shoot into the Greater Air Elemental, landing 2 damage and taking it up to 4 damage, but it does not care. The Wizards from the right moved over to the center, but I think one had to move at the double to clear the building. So only one flings Lighting at Greater Air Elemental, but doesn't land any damage. This is definitely greedy. Part way through the game I realized / remembered that the Air Elemental was only Def 4. With a lot of pressure evaporating in Round 3, I'm trying to be greedy here, pinging it for a few in the hopes we can take it out later.

The Forest Warden falls as the Kingdoms of Men charge in.

Out on the left, I need to utilize the Foot Guard, but will be hindered no matter what. We measure, and relative to the Shamblers, the General's leader point is actually closer to me than the Foot Guards, so a multi-charge will put my flier close to me. With the Flier protected, I do want to make that double charge into the flank, with the Pikes hitting the front for good measure. Bane Chant will miss, we do land enough to devastate and rout the horde of Forest Shamblers, and then reform.

Reforms for the Kingdoms of Men.

Reforms are quite the bother though. The General sidesteps, and gets a lucky 1 to create space for the footmen to change facing, but just the 1 inch does not expose him to any easy flank charge from that looming Greater Air Elemental.

Bottom of Round 4: Forces of Nature

On the left, the Greater Air Elemental doesn't like his charges, and I have multiple flying Generals and shooting arcs making things difficult. The Surge sources are few and far between, so he hopes the line and flies away, safe from charges next turn.

The Foot Guard eat a triple charge.

The Air Elementals charge the Foot Guard in the front, joined by the Wiltfather, and Hunters of the Wild, who end atop the obstacle and are hindered. Cloak of Death hits the Foot Guard, nearby General, and the Pikes, and then the trio will land an additional 11 damage onto the Guard, but they will hold firm, as they are a pretty sturdy horde.

The Foot Guard hold.

On the right, the Hunters in my deployment zone move ahead, and the pivot 90 degrees to see past the building, and could swing around to fight Pikes as the game concludes, but are otherwise claiming my back right zone.

Kanoka hides between the arcs of the Pikes, and wwill tap the gray flying General with Weakness. The Warden abandons the hill as well. The Tree Herder runs away escaping the Pikes with his greater speed, and additional  bonus from the Brew.

...and the Pikes cause a Tree Herder to flee.

...this scattering confused me at the time, as I was expecting the maimed Pikes to be charged. But as figured out above, the Herder had turned to face the General last turn, and has rear and flank charges open from the Pikes, and no charges himself. With just Kanoka around, this makes more sense, though is an unfortunate predicament to be in. I still think against Pikes, he should be staying and fighting though. 

Top of Round 5: Kingdoms of Men

Out on the right, the maimed Pikes pivot and move towards the far right corner, and the Pikes trudge onto the hill, and should already be scoring the center zone on my opponent's side.

The Pikes transition into playing the scenario.

The Wizards fly 10" and pivot to see the Greater Air Elemental, they'll flick bolts but land nothing. The Ballistae don't have good arcs, and only one shoots into the Elemental, also missing. The Crossbows land 5 damage though, to take the tricky Elemental up to 9 damage, but it holds.

Charges for the Kingdoms of Men.

The orange flying General does not have great charges here. Yes, he can charge the nearby Hunters, but it'll be a mess. Instead, he pivots and flies past the Crossbowmen. He's threatening the Hunters in my back right corner, and I'll just force a move from him next turn.

The ASB steps up to prevent a slide from the Pikes as they charge the Hunters. Bane Chant fizzles, but there is a flying General helping out in the flank, and we'll bring the Hunters up to 10 damage, with some nice rolls. They do stick around, but are wavering.

Reforms for the humans.

While it is very tempting to thump on the Wiltfather with the Hammer of Measured Force, I need to try and remove unit strength, so the Foot Guard counter charge the Air Elemantals instead. We should deal the expected 8 damage, and do get the rout out here. In victory we change facing.

In good news, I remember Lifeleech! The Pikes remove their damage from Cloak of Death, and the Foot Guard end the turn on 10 damage.

Bottom of Round 5: Forces of Nature

In less good news, the victorious change of positioning was a probably a mistake for the humans. ith the close quarters, we had the Wiltfather penned in, and now he has options. 

The wavering Hunters want to disengage and withdraw and back up, but are fighting on two facings, and cannot. After some thinking, my opponent chooses to remove unit strength, and flank charges the Pikes, hitting everything over here with Cloak of Death.

Great use of Cloak of Death.

The Greater Air Elemental flier behind the Foot Guard, but with the Wiltfather charging, has no Surge spellcasters around to help make good on the threat this turn. The Wiltfather will pick up the unit. In victory, he turns to face the Foot Guard, and ends on the Obstacle. The General is in his flank, but cannot align, and the Foot Guard will be hindered if I take the bait.

The Pikes scatter.

The other Tree Herder continues to flee from the Pikes. He unfortunately did not have the inches to reach the gray general this turn. We decree that he should not be in arc of the gray General either. So he's still fleeing, but safe.

The Tree Herder continues to flee.

Out on my right, the threatened Hunters move ahead and pivot to face the building. They are safe from the flier, and still scoring the zone, and I'm not quite sure what the thinking is here.

Kanoka pulls close, and heals the Forest Warden as it turns again to escape the Pikes by doubling-back.

Top of Round 6: Kingdoms of Men

Out on the right, the Pikes are safe from charges, so stay put in my opponent's corner. The other Pikes are also safe, but continue on, traveling along the hill to be well into my opponent's center. Each with US3, it will be tough for my opponent to contest these zones at this time.

The Pikes fan out, easily securing two zones.

The orange General nimbly pivots around and flies 10", I believe just looking to help in a potential Round 7. The Crossbows hold, and I don't think anything happens with shooting this round. The store closes early on Sundays, and we are running short on time. With my positioning, and against Tree Herders, moving the trees at all seemed unlikely. Still, the shooting battery survived, and the Crossbowmen are indeed holding my center.

Wizards on Pegasi fly into my left zone to claim it. 

The Kingdoms of Men are taking a lot of zones...

The Foot Guard choose to cleanly flank charge the remaining Hunters of the Wild, who start the round on 10 damage. The horde will pick up the regiment, and should be scoring my opponent's left zone.

The General that had been fighting the Hunters charges the Greater Air Elemental. My opponent thinks I should be taking a withdraw penalty here, but I did not think so since combats are not sticky. I do see where he's coming from though.

In the Top of Round 5, the General charged the Hunters, didn't break them, so stays engaged. The Hunters couldn't withdraw since they were engaged on two facings, and could, but did not disengage, meaning in Top of 6, the General still starts the turn engaged. 

Our meta has tended to shorthand this to "I disengage, and I withdraw. I get my 1" and then do my actual move." However, there is no move order to formally disengage. Any move order (other than Halt or Countercharge) will break engagement as you do on to do those other things. The Withdraw move doesn't need to be used if I don't need the inch to do what I want to do (like pivot). Here, the General is not disordered, so he retains fly, and meet all the criteria for a normal charge move. Even the blurb in the Disengaging section (Big Red Book p 18) warns about monsters getting away into other combats. So, no penalty, and he's fighting other things now.

The dices are 1's, 2's, 5's and 6's so the disagreement doesn't actually come into play. We land a few damage, and will pick the monster up. 

Bottom of Round 6: Forces of Nature

The Wiltfather angrily charges the Foot Guard, and will smash them to bits. This gives the Forces of Nature their left zone for a point. 

The Hunters of the Wild and Forest Warden control my right zone for a second point.

However, the Kingdoms of Men claim my left zone, my center zone, my opponent's center zone, and my opponent's right zone for a total of 5 points. 

It's a victory for the Kingdoms of Men!

Game Conclusions

Given all the aggressive scout moves, I felt incredibly lucky to get first turn. Even if the early shooting wasn’t as impactful as I would have liked, just being able to adjust the inches and angles gave me a fighting chance as the trees sprinted across the field.

Joe’s army is neat and impressive, and I can’t hype up how much I like the hobbying approach he took with it. The list as well is super interesting to me, as I have tried Double-Herders and Hunters of the Wild in several forms with my Herd and really struggled with both, but somehow it all works very nicely together here, and even Kanoka is a really intriguing option that I had never heard of in detail before today.

Setting all this hype aside, I disagree with how he played this. He applied a lot of great pressure early, only to take his foot off the gas in Round 3 and 4. Keeping things brief, I don't think he utilized the Wiltfather / Tree Herder well. Both started out back, in a supporting role, and struggled to transition out of that role. They continued to be reactive all game, casting, and pivoting to zone things out instead of applying pressure and dictating the pace of the game themselves. Those supporting actions are roles for cheaper Wardens, not Tree Herders. I don't think I had any business winning this game, and if he was just a little more aggressive he would have crushed me.

Testing Conclusions

• Pike Regiments. I felt bad with the one sticking around, but we do try to be accurate with our games and did catch it basically immediately. The Hunters rolled hot there, but 2v1 and with a flank we were able to get lucky, and run away with the zones on the right. The Pikes did their jobs all game and had good showings today.
• Foot Guard with Hammer of Measured Force. The unit again did fine, taking hits and holding ground, but I again struggled to get use out of the item. Fighting the Wiltfather would have been a more worthy or exciting match, but it was smarter to remove the Air Elementals so they couldn’t possibly hop over and Surge into the rear. 
• Crossbow Horde. They were largely left to their own devices, which I think was a mistake from my opponent. Their shooting did do ok as the game went on. They shot some stuff, played the scenario, and even survived! You can’t ask for much more than that from a unit like this.
• Chariot Horde with Bows. I still wish Chariots could pick up Loot tokens without reducing their speed. I think that would have been a neat buff. The unit is still interesting to me, but still really struggles with a “master of none” role on the battlefield. I think hordes are my least favorite size, but I used them well enough here. 
• Ballistae. They were also left to their own devices all game. Shooting wasn’t great, but they were able to get a nice pick on a Forest Warden, and apply good pressure all game. 
• ASB with Lute. Again, I managed to deploy him next to the Foot Guard, but again, I managed to squeeze some use out of him this game. 
• ASB with Heal. They did just ok here, and I think he needed to be with the Footies and if I have an ASB with the Crossbowmen, he gets the Boomstick or something that can help them out. 
• Wizard on Pegasus with Lightning Bolt. Lightning Bolt 3 was all over the place again, but as in the previous game, the spell was more of a bonus attached to a phenomenal scenario-oriented unit. They did the jobs they needed to do here.
• Triple Generals on Winged Beasts. These were both great games to see them off. As always, minor misplays from me, but in each game they proved to be winged terrors once the lines started clashing.

My Kingdoms of Men really leaned into unlocked toys as Third Edition rolled on. Triple Giants, Triple Generals, Triple Ballistae were all pretty common in my lists, and will not be viable. I think 4th Edition is going to drastically change how this army is played, but they still haven't been covered or spoiled yet, so we'll have to wait a bit longer to get any ideas about how I might play them in the future. Outside of tournaments, I've overwhelmingly kept to my style of never running the same list twice, so I am excited to tackle 4th, whenever it drops, and see what can be learned and shared!

Again, a big thank you to my opponent Joe for taking the time to play juuuust a few more games of 3rd Edition with me. It was a wonderful day rolling dice and pushing models around!