4th Edition: Battle #012 FoN (Herd) vs Goblins in Salt the Earth

Intro and Lists

With the Northwoods GT coming up soon, I have been trying to fit in some extra weekend meetups out at the shop for folks. More games in a brand new edition is great for everyone, and a little more time at the shop might draw in some new players over time too. Despite some very nasty weather, we did get another meetup on the books this weekend, with a pair of US Masters level players driving up from Chicago to throw down. For the first game, I got to play against Shannon Shoemaker and his Goblins:

Shannon showed up with a list, but decided to change things up, dropping a mount for (I believe) Hex and nothing else, as he was winging things and overall, was very confident in the abilities of the Goblins not to sweat 5 lost points. Facing us are a staggering 14 regiments of Rabble, four Bangits to toss grenades, four Sharpstick Throwers, a Flaggit with Wind Blast, a Wiz with Blizzard, and a Wiz I believe with Hex and Bloodboil. With essentially double my drops and unit strength, it's a lot of Goblins to chew through, and a lot of damage coming it at range too.

We are running the Herd still, prepping for Northwoods ourselves, and trying to narrow down our potential Champion choices. While these intros are getting repetitive (we'll be back to switching up armies regularly after Northwoods!), up to test and discuss is still, everything.

• Chieftain with Torc. The Chieftain is a tax to get the Brutes, but has definitely been pulling his weight overall. I think the item is good if you like your Command Orders, but I don't think I’ve really been leveraging the extra range, so we’ll try to keep an eye on that here.
• Mounted Druid with BC, Heal, and Amulet. I'm liking the Druid and the mount, but haven't got much use out of Scorched Earth, so we're dropping it for Heal. The spell should place nicely with Def5 Brutes and Def6 Herders, and can top off the Chieftain or champions too, should they take some hits. These are mostly combat spells in competition with each other, so we're trying the Amulet of the Fireheart, and we'll see if we can pull off a double-cast and swing a big fight.
• Centaur Chief with Banner. With heroes in shorter supply now, I think a variety of characters is probably desirable, and so we're bouncing back to the Centaur Chieftain for another test. I considered something like the Axe or Slayer or Scythe for Rampage... but my guts says those don't actually make him killy enough to add more than another damage in most fights. I do like my orders, so we're keeping the Banner to get an extra die. 
• Tribal Warriors with Ale. The basic Warrior unit is necessary for core taxes, and to free up points for the champions. They are mostly around to hold tokens and take up space as an expendable unit, but I think the Ale might be strong against shooting, so we'll try it out.
• Longhorns. I'm very much enjoying their return to 20-attack little blender units. They can struggle against high Defense or high Nerve, but tend to do very well carving up anything with Def4 or below. 
• Critters. Speed is still an issue, but I need cheap chaff. Layering behind them and using them as screens does not work well. Deploying them either behind and offset, ready to hop up and take up space, or alongside the line and looking to charge in too, seem to be good tactics, so we'll continue to attempt those and explore them more.
• Guardian Brutes. I am also very much enjoying the new Brutes, who are really excelling at bashing through high defense units. They and the Longhorns work well together, somewhat covering each others weaknesses, but both being very violent units.
• Tree Herders. The Herders have been fine support pieces, able to give the list a little extra reach with Scout, and some nice survivability with Def6 and Radiance of Life. They've been working well, but there is still plenty to improve on with their use, so we'll keep playing and learning!

Shooting was one of the many weaknesses of the Herd in 3rd Edition. We'll see if and how that has changed, and get to fight some Goblins!

Table and Terrain

We were out at Gamers Realm in New Berlin, WI, and the shop continued to pick away at my wallet, as they introduced a magical $3 bin for miscellaneous used minis, which I kept to a minimum this time, but is definitely going to be a downfall for me in the future.

We followed the new terrain rules. Woods and Buildings were Height 8, and we'd use the footprint for the buildings, as it was a little cleaner, even if the buildings were rather large. We played the Hills at Height 3, the obstacles at Height 1. The Pond is height 0, and the rough patch was Height 1.

A mess of half-hobbied Goblins shows up for roll call. Tokens are circled.

We were incredibly indecisive, and eventually settled on Salt the Earth for the scenario. There is a center, untouchable token, and then we each place three more, anywhere on the field.  I end up moving the building back a smidge, just so we can place the central token. At the end of our turn, we can remove anything but the central token, limiting the scope of what we need to fight over. 

I actually win the roll for sides. I opt to be a kind host and be lazy, as the Goblins are all very numerous and all unpacked on that side already. I do not think this is wise choice, but I am trying to stress test the list here and learn, so hey, that's what we do here.

Deployment is going to be bonkers, and the terrain isn't going to help much. The building is going to split my line, and there isn't much to hide behind on-approach. I don't think I have the space to go with my "own two-thirds of the field" approach, nor do I think I can layer up and risk a bunch of wavers by shooting and getting tripped up. As we are trading drops, I resolve to try and split my line 2:1 favoring the left. I will burn tokens as I go, and the right will likely get shot off, but the hope is that the left can get around the building, and hack through enough Goblins to make a difference in the game.

Stacks and stacks of Goblins, plus some Herd in the crosshairs.

The Goblins greatly out-deployed me, with all the characters, both Wingits, and a handful of Rabble Regiments arriving after I was completely set up. For deployment, the Goblins went with a layered approach. On the left is the Blizzard Wizard, three front-line rabble, the Flaggit, three back-line rabble. The war machines sat mostly in the height 1 terrain, though my opponent did donk up, and did not get the center point of the one on the left in terrain, and it will occasionally have cover penalties as a result. The right had four front-line Rabble blocks, an assortment of heroes, both Wingits, and then four more back-line Rabble blocks.

The Herd right has Critters, a Tree Herder blocking for the the Druid, Longhorns, Tribal Warriors, Brutes, and the Centaur Chieftain. 

The Herd on the left.

The Herd Left wing has Critters, Brutes, a Tree Herder, Longhorns, More Brutes, Critters, and the Chieftain. I forget my scouting moves, but my opponent lets me sneak these in. Unfortunately, I do lose the roll for turn order, and with long-range shooting, the Goblins kick things off for us.

While a seasoned player, as I understand things, Shannon hasn't played too much over the last few years. He's a player, and not much of a collector or hobbiest. The edition changes a lot, and without a deep collection, he wants to figure out a particular list and then build it and be done with it, so we're helping him test out some ideas. We are also playing with a clock, with 65 minutes apiece. We are not enforcing any kind of hard cap here though. Even if he builds it, he wasn't sure if he could run the list well, and within a time limit, so we're just using the clock to help gauge things for him. I think I am ok with clock time, but it will be good to see how I do as well!

Top of Round 1: Goblins

On the right, the shooting begins with some strong volleys. The Wingits have an "Eye in the Sky" roll, which lets them "spot" for Lobber unit, like the Sharpstick Throwers, and grant them elite. There is no range restriction that we saw, so two throwers with Elite, one normal, and one with cover shoot into the Longhorns, landing 10 damage and with a good check too, we'll find Herd units wavering already from the barrages.

Strong shooting to start!

On the right, Rabble run ahead as much as they can, getting around the woods when they can, and into it when they can't. The Wingits pull in behind the lead unit, and the hero-stack inches up too, maintaining a position behind the front line.

Blizzard still connects, but the damage is minimal on the left.

On the left, the Blizzard Wizard casts into the Critters, landing 1 damage, but they hold. The six units of Rabble inch up tentatively here.

Bottom of Round 1: Herd

On the left, the Herd needs to push. The injured Critters stay back, and get a command Heal from the Chieftain, and will delete the token back here. The Critters on the wing run up as far as they can. The Tree Herder runs his full 12", wanting to get into the second line next turn while the bulk of the Herd out her crashes into the front-line. The Brutes, Longhorns, and other Brutes run up as far as they can, supported by the Chieftain, and are threatening that front line of Goblins next turn. There is a token on the hill, which is removed by me.

The left wing of the Herd sprints ahead.

In the center, the Herder and Critters move up to draw fire. I keep the Herder out of charge range because I want to try and past the line and fight on my own terms, not fight the first thing I see.

The wavering Longhorns remove a token.

The vague hope on the right was to run the Tribal Warriors up and to the left, with the Longhorns over and behind them angling right, and using the Warriors for cover from the Throwers, but the shooting last turn tosses those plans. The wavering Longhorns sidestep to remove a token here, and the Druid tries a Command Heal with 3 dice, and a spell Heal with 4, but only gets 1 success in total, getting them down to 9 damage. They are still in sight, and likely doomed with another round like that.

The  Brutes inch up, not wanting to get charged, and the Tribal Warriors peel off towards the left. The Centaur Chief might be able to catch a Wingit if it tries to hop the lines, so he pulls in behind the Brutes.

Top of Round 2: Goblins

On the left, the Flaggit can see the very tall Herder, and Wind Blasts for 3 inches, pushing him out of range of the back field.

Rabble tentatively move out to fight and delay.

The Blizzard Wizard casts into the Longhorns, but lands no damage. The Rabble start to move out and will remove the token out by their hill.

The Longhorns break. But the rest of the shooting is weathered.

The Wingits grant another pair of Lobbers Elite, and those two land 9 damage onto the wavering Longhorns, which is enough to devastate them. 

The other Throwers toss into the central Critters (2), the Herder takes 1, I think from a Thrower and a Bangit, the Tribesmen take 1 from a Bangit, and the Brutes take a merciful 1 from the Wingits.

Bottom of Round 2: Herd

On the right, I'm floundering a bit, but see a way for the Tribal Warriors to contribute, with a neat, clean flank charge into the leading unit of Rabble. I take that, hoping to crisscross with the Brutes into another unit, but cannot get around the Warriors, and can't get in to help that fight. 

A flank charge from the Tribal Warriors!

I decide to shuffle the Brutes  a little bit towards the center, with the Centaur Chieftain hopping through the unit to keep him safe from the Wingits. I don't really know their stats, but don't want him charged. I didn't want the Brutes to get gummed up by my own Tribesmen, but this is a mistake, as it opens the Brutes up to a lot of shots next turn. Tucking them more towards the table edge would have been the better call, and I just was not thinking ahead here. 

The Warriors prevail, and the Herd right braces for another volley.

The flank charge underperforms a bit, landing just 6 damage, but there isn't much Inspiring in this list, and we luck out and do break the Rabble, and pivot here.

The Tree Herder can only get into the unit ahead of him, it doesn't have the inches to hit the unit represented by the monster, and is way to far to get into any of the war machines. Feeling like the right is largely lost already, he and the Critters charge some Rabble in the center, hoping to assist the Herd left in an expeditious breakthrough. The Critters land 2, and the Herder lands just 2 though, and the Rabble stick around. I am also so-so on this move. Charging with the Critters is ok I guess, but I think it would have been better to move the towering Herder up in front of the Throwers, even if I am not fighting them. Pulling Rabble in front of them to complicate line of sight for the war machines seems like a good idea. Expected damage from the Herder is just 5, so I'm not likely to break this unit anyways. Radiance of Life healed the Herder for 1, and a command order from the fleeing Druid gets him to 0 damage.

A few breakthroughs on the left, but there are plenty more Goblins ahead.

On the left, the Herd pushes as hard as we can. The more central Brutes hit a unit, land 8 damage, and break it with Brutal, and overrun. The Longhorns hit another unit, land 14 damage, break it, and overrun as well, and the Herder and Brutes don't have charges, but move up as far as they can. 

Both unengaged units of Critters flit about, getting as close as they can. I want to try to get the left unit past fights and into the war machines if I can, and not having a plan for the other unit, is hides, and aims to control the center for now.

Top of Round 3: Goblins

The Goblins are well, Goblins, but have some tricks up their sleeves. While the army lacks Inspiring, the bevy of characters are all Champions, and can issue orders, one of those being "Unleash the Mawpups", which grants the unit a flat 6 attacks that hit on 4's with CS1, meaning that even Rabble should be doing a few damage each combat.

Rabble, with ample Mawpups, smash into the Brutes with surprising force.

On the left, two units of Rabble charge the Longhorns, and both get Mawpups. The Rabble deal 3 total, with the Mawpups contributing another 4, but they hold.

The Sharpstick Throwers shoot into the looming Brutes over here. Two get elite and land 5 damage, one has clear shots and deals 1 more, and the fourth, with cover, contributes nothing, and Rallied and Inspired, the Brutes hold.

The central unit fighting Critters and the Herder get Mawpups too, and will opt to fight the Critters, will land 6 in total, and then pick them up. The Herder is still engaged with the unit though, and the Rabble cannot reform.

Fighting on the right.

Bangits from the right move into the center, but moved at the double and cannot toss this turn, and Rabble blocks move to protect them. On the right, I was imprecise, and some Rabble are just in range to get into the Centaur Chieftain. Well... nuts. They started in terrain and their charge is Hindered, but they do get a Mawpup and it lands 1 damage into the Centaur Chief.

Two unit of rabble charge the Tribal Warriors, each getting Mawpups. One is hindered, but 9 damage lands, and the Goblins get just what they need on the Nerve check to rout them. One unit overruns, and rolls well enough to just about hit my Brutes.

And another waver out on the right.

Wingits get into the woods and will shoot into the unengaged Brutes, joined by two Bangits and a Bloodboil at the end to take them up to 10 damage. And an 8 will waver them. Nuts. They won't be helping next turn.

I have never been good enough at the game to really branch out into wacky magic-heavy or shooting-heavy lists, but we learned this game that with the new edition, Inspiring also lets you reroll wavering results. This doesn't save the Brutes here though.

Bottom of Round 3: Herd

Yeah, the right is pretty well lost now. Both the Longhorns and Brutes got shot up and wavered without really amounting to anything, which is unfortunate. I did not have high hopes for the right, but it would have been nice to have fought a few more things. Still, the Goblins have committed a lot over here, and only one token to fight over, so we'll see what we can do.

The Herd tries to hold on out on the right.

The Centaur Chief lands 2 damage into the Rabble in front of him, but doesn't move them, and his order to wavering Brutes falls flat, again getting just 1 success, even with the Banner. Still, the Brutes could be charged, and might hold in a Melee, so we'll see, we'll see...

In the Background, the Herd starts to push through the center.

In the middle, the Herder is in the flank of the Goblins, and reforms. The Brutes cannot fit in between the Rabble front-line to get to the last reserve unit like I'd like, and are forced into a flank charge, to aid the Tree Herder, for a lot of overkill... and the Rabble are devastated and routed, with the Herder spinning to face the war machines, and the Brutes trying to overrun. The Brutes get a Command Heal 0 from the Druid, and 1 from her Heal Spell, going from 6 down to 5 damage.

I'd like to get the Chieftain into the backline, but trip myself up with the order of operations. He can't scooch past Brutes and Rabble, back to charge the back-line regiment either now, and because I'm doing this late in the phase, he can't run through the Brutes to threaten the war machines and then let the Brutes charge. I could have played this way better.

Charges and fights for the Herd.

The engaged Longhorns get a command Heal from the Chieftain, getting 1, and going from 7 down to 6. I've tossed every order at the heal command so far with not a lot of success. The hold, throwing their attacks into the unit in front of them, and will shred the unit and eventually overrun, as the Brutes charge the other unit of Rabble cleanly, will best them, and overrun for two inches as well. 

The Herder on the left is tripped up. The duo-charge of the Rabble left a unit juuuust barely in his way. He pivots, moves, and pivots to see around, but I probably should have gone further. I think I was trying to avoid a flank from the Rabble unit in reserve, but it's rabble, and I can take a flank from them, as the Command Order doesn't care about flanks, rears, or anything like that, but I didn't have the order in front of me, and was just too cautious here. 

The Critters on the far left hop up as far as they can, and the Critters in the center just hold for now.

Breakthroughs on the left and in the center, with three tokens remaining.

Checking in with the scenario, I guess things are going ok? I've removed three tokens, trying to narrow down what I need to fight towards, and the Goblins have removed one. We're fighting over the center one by the building, one by the war machines, and one out on the right. I've been trying to burn the one on the right, but he's kept it just barely controlled all game.

Top of Round 4: Goblins

On the left, the Wiz retreats a bit, backing up and out of arc of the Tree Herder. I think Blizzard is attempted, but doesn't stick, and I don't recall where the target was. Possibly the Herder, to slow him down? In any case, the spell doesn't do anything this turn.

Rabble start dishing it out.

The reserve unit of Rabble goes into the injured Longhorns, and gets a Mawpup, and they'll land 5 damage, taking the Longhorns to 11, but they just so happen to be Inspired and Insane and stick around.

The beastly regiment of Rabble is millimeters in arc to and inches of the Chieftain, and it hits him, in the flank. It gets a Mawpup, and deals a total of 4 to him, and unfortunately locks him up. 

Incredibly hot shooting, and Rabble picking great fights. 

Wingits from the right head towards the center, lobbing into the Druid, landing 5 damage, and getting a hot waver against her, again needing to roll twice to do so.

With the Herder looming large, the war machines light him up, with the Wingits granting two of them Elite, and with the help of a few Bangits, and some very spikey dice, the Herder takes a ridiculous 18 damage. If memory serves, Bloodboil is not in range even. However, all this does not exceed the Herders Nerve, and he's Fearless, so he'll stick around, much to everyone's surprise after all the damage suddenly accrued. 

Fighting on the right.

On the right, it looks like I maybe should have backed up with the Brutes, as two units of Rabble are able to get in against them. One of the Mawpup orders fails, but the other goes off, and with some more hot dice, the Brutes go from 9 to 16 damage, and are toast, with both units then turning to face the Centaur Chieftain.

Overwhelming victories on the right for the masses of Goblins.

The need not have bothered. This unit gets a Mawpups order as well, lands 3 damage to take him to 4, and then even more spikey dice this turn rout him. 

The Goblins start to stymie the Herd in the center too.

The right wing of the Herd has fallen, and unfortunately not really taken anything with it.

Bottom of Round 4: Herd

Things are slipping away, but the plan is still the same, and I need to keep fighting. On the left, the Critters actually have a charge into the Wiz, and I take it. It's actually in the flank, and we land 7 damage and actually, will pick him up. 

The Longhorns took a beating, but held, giving some back now.

The Insane Longhorns will fight against the Rabble, and will pick them up, all while the Herder and Brutes swing around, looking to fight their way towards the middle. 

Critters from the center flank the Rabble, trying to help the Chieftain out. A bit over eight damage is expected between the two of them, but only 6 lands, and the Rabble will hold.

The Herd need to be quicker. More Goblins are coming.

The Chieftain lands 1 from his order to help the Tree Herder, with also does a Radiance of Life. The dice get goofy this turn, as I forgot to add the Bangit damage, and he'll go from 18 down to 16, as he beats one of the war machines. It looks like the Brutes should be in range for Radiance of Life, but I seem to have overlooked this, and the Druid's commanded heal lands no successes for them, and she is wavering, and can't try the spell.

Top of Round 5: Goblins

The Goblins start migrating towards the other tokens, moving as quickly as they can to reinforce their war machines and claim the middle.

The Goblins transition to scenario play.

Wingits make it to the center, and lob into the Longhorns, rolling well, and landing 8 to devastate them, and will break them when it comes time to test. 

Sharpstick Throwers and Bangits toss into the Herder and central Brutes, and a Bloodboil into the Brutes will devastate and route them both as well.

Several hundred points of Herd units vanish in a haze of projectiles and explosions.

It's some big pick-ups for the Goblins, and the Herd is basically out of units and out of steam here, and I don't know how much more I can do.

Two noteworthy things happen here in Round 5 though. First, my opponent starts his turn with about two minutes on his clock, and so quickly clocks out this round as he's moving things around. Second, he realizes that he's been misreading his list, and taking three shots with each Sharpstick Thrower instead of two... Bangits have 3 attacks, but the Throwers only have two, and he missed that distinction until just now. It's a bit unfortunate for me, but I didn't catch it either as I was taking notes and not counting his dice.

Bottom of Round 5: Herd

I am not a big tournament goer, but my understanding is that in most competitive setting, if you clock out, you're units just hold. And in that scenario, I think we could have pulled this off, even now, as I have 25 minutes left on my clock. The Goblins hold all three tokens currently. I can't reach the one on the right, but it's only 3 US by the war machines, and 4 US in the center. With two turns of uninterrupted violence, the Herder should be able to take the war machines out and win there all on his own, and we should be able to beat the Rabble, reform, and then take out the Wingits next turn. But (for better or for worse!) this is a friendly game. We continue on, and things are not looking good for the Herd.

The Critters on the far left don't move, I think I intuitively know this game is a lost cause. They should be able to reach one of the tokens to help by Round 6, but they stay put, as I think I forget about them, nestled back near all the extra bases and game aids.

The Herd trip over themselves a bit.

The angles against the war machines are tough for me, and with just one pivot, the Herder can't get into any of the further ones. I apparently pivoted him too much last turn, and he should be pointed a little behind the battery in the front, instead of right at it. He'll charge the front one, and pick it up, and hold, as neither of the regiments have both the arc or inches to get into me.

Unable to get in to help the Herder's push, the Brutes come to the aid of the Chieftain and the Critters, and we'll easily pop this unit. The Critters reform, and the Chieftain and Brutes hold.

The Druid is no longer wavering, and hops away, healing the Chieftain with spells down to 2 damage.

Top of Round 6: Goblins

I haven't gotten to play against Goblins much, but I'm impressed. They are able to solidify their holdings by just a silly amount.

In the back, a war machine pivots and moves to block up the Herder. A Regiment of Rabble comes around the woods, and two Champions are able to get in range too. The Goblins jump from 2US to 6US out here.

All those scoring Champions are adding up. 

They didn't have the inches to charge, but I forget about blocking moves, and Rabble run up to try and prevent the remaining Brutes from contributing in the final turn. Only Sharpstick thrower can shoot, but it does, joined in by four Bangits and basically every attack hits, and blasts to the max. A Blood Boil at the end takes them up to 17 damage, which doesn't exceed their Nerve, so they stick around, but are wavering.

A believe Wingits along go into the Critters, which also have super-hot dice, is that barrage is enough to devastate them and break them. The Wingits are monsters, and so are US2, and with a Champion and regiment of Rabble coming in here, the Goblins suddenly have 7 US over here as well.

Bottom of Round 6: Herd

The Goblins are well over 20+ minutes over time. I am out of options, but have 17 minutes or so on my clock still, and spend a few appreciating my predicament!  

A final, desperate move from the Herd.

It's not a winning move, but I think the only play is throwing everything at the top. The Herder charges and removes a war machine, bringing the Goblins US down to 5. The Chieftain doesn't have a charge out here, but is a Warlord, and with the Druid coming too, the Herd match the Goblins here, narrowing the loss.

A 2-0 victory to the Goblins!

Game Conclusions

This game was still a lot of fun, but man, "What if?" Shannon has been a Masters-level player, and a frequent tournament attendee, but hasn't played KoW much the last few years, and to my knowledge, has only the two games today, and our club's two 1,000 point games from earlier in the month so far for 4th Edition experience. The Sharpstick Throwers being 50% more effective was just a goof and not malicious... but man. There were plenty of little errors from me, pointed out in the report as I saw them, but this being the first time experiencing an army like this, I am happy with my play and performance here.

Testing Conclusions

• Chieftain with Torc. Getting accidentally charged, he fell a bit short of what I needed him to do, but as noted, that was my error. He still held on to the end, and with smarter play, I could have gotten more out of him. That’s on me.
• Mounted Druid with BC, Heal, and Amulet. The Dice! We struggled to get any successes with the Command Order or the Heal spell. Against withering firepower, the heals couldn’t keep pace. Veil of Shadows would help, but I think most shooting is going to be niche, and I think BC/Heal is a better kit than Scorched Earth would have been here.
• Centaur Chief with Banner. Looking for a Wingit fight wasn't a bad idea, but I think even ideally here, the Centaur Chief was not going to remove the flier if he managed to catch it. I like the idea of the chief, but champion slots are precious, and he's not a good enough fighter. I think we're going back to double Druids, and just looking for supporting champions.
• Tribal Warriors with Ale. In retrospect, having them fighting in the woods while the Brutes pressed on and fighting as much as possible might have been the better call. I was really hoping to test out Headstrong against shooting, but instead they just died in combat. So it goes.
• Longhorns. Piercing shooting really did a number on them, and their Def4 showed, but these are discounted blenders, and that’s to be expected. They still did fine all things considered.
• Critters. Shooting tripped me up before, but going wide this time worked well against the Goblins, as the Critters were out of the way, and able to charge in and (try to) help. Going wider and trying to blitz the shooting seems like a good tactic for the Herd in particular.
• Guardian Brutes. I think getting them into combat right away would have been the better call on the right, as when they were able to charge, were able to eat unit after unit. All things considered, these did fine too, but there is plenty of room for improvement in my play and decisions.
• Tree Herders. Angles proved to be a bit of an issue here, and I struggled to get them where I wanted them to be, when I wanted them to be there. I think like my 3E fliers, as long as I am threatening things I am ok with not charging, and just using them to pressure over time, if they can’t instigate. Lots to learn from in this game, but these are still good picks for the list.

I have played Goblins only once before (a year ago, at the first Northwoods GT, actually) but that was a very different and rather friendly list. I considered buying their Champions Box for the guy and trying a Bangit-style for demo games, but had talked myself out of it. That would be a ton of Goblins to paint, and we have plenty of other armies to play and explore! It was definitely fun to see this style of list in action though, and a huge thank you to Shannon for braving the weather and getting this game in!

4th Edition: Battle #011 FoN (Herd) vs Northern Alliance in Plunder

Intro and Lists

Schedules opened up briefly, allowing for a potential evening game, and I jumped at the chance to throw down against Trevor of Data and Dice and his Northern Alliance. He ran the following:

We are both gearing up for the second Northwoods GT, coming up in early February. The first pass in his unit effectiveness analysis had identified the Human Tribesmen as a very efficient unit, and he was interested in trying to show them off. We have two Dwarf Clan Warrior regiments, a horde of Human Tribesmen, and a horde of Ice Naiads as core choices. Two Snow Foxes are around to interdict and harass, with two Hearthguard regiments around to smash things and two Ice Elemental blocks to shoot and surge around the field. Leading the Barbarians is a Thegn on Frostfang, monitoring the Elementals is a Skald with the Tome of Darkness, and an Ice Queen was present to lead everything else, and keep them in fighting form. The last pick was a Cavern Dweller, which despite some nerfs, Trevor is still keen on, due to the general stat-line, Lifeleech 3, and Strider.

I brought the Herd, which is largely dialed in for Northwoods unit-wise, though I’m still playing around with my two Champions slots and some various items. Here, we’re trying a double Druid approach, to hopefully finally explore my spell options sufficiently enough to see what I like.

• Warlord with Torc. I need the Warlord to get my Brutes, but that “tax” has been fine, as he’s been doing well in his own right. I think the item is good, but I’ve not been really leveraging the range, so we’ll try to keep an eye on that here.
• Mounted Druid with BC, SE, and Amulet. I still like SE, but have had trouble casting it, as Bane Chant kept winning out for priority. The Amulet looks like a great solution though, so we’ll see if we can get the combo off this game.
• Mounted Druid with BC, Heal, and Banner. I have good Command Orders, so think I want to fit in the Banner somewhere. We’ll try that here, alongside BC and Heal.
• Tribal Warriors with Ale. The Warrior unit is necessary for core taxes, and to free up points for the champions. They are mostly around to hold tokens and take up space as an expendable unit, but we’re trying out the Ale to help against wavering from shooting. Shooting has changed a lot, and Headstrong seems very strong against it.
• Longhorns. I like their return to 20 attack little discount blenders. They can do work, but can struggle a bit against high Nerve or High Defense, so we’ll try to find some good match-ups for them.
• Critters. They are my only chaff option, so I’m stuck with them. At least they are cheap! Speed 6 has been an issue, as if they waver, like from shooting, they can’t really get out of the way usually. We’re still figuring out how to use them, and I think behind (reasonably protected, and ready to run out as needed) or alongside (ready to join in charges, gum things up, and limit retaliations) seem like the best uses, but we’ll keep trying.
• Guardian Brutes. They were very fun Berserkers in 3E, but despite nearly halving the number of attacks, they feel more competent in 4E, and serve as a nice all-purpose hammer, and now with Def5, can be a decent anvil too. They are just a good generalist unit, and we’ll see how far they can carry me.
• Tree Herders. My Herd is unfortunately exclusively Speed 6, and I felt like I needed something to threaten and pressure, so everything could not be avoided all at once, and the Herders have fit the bill as a durable instigator. They need support, so I’ll try to give them a unit or two to help out, and we’ll see how we do.

Table and Terrain

Trevor was hosting, and we made use of his table and terrain. I gotta say I'm getting spoiled with the ping pong setup. It's so darn spacious! We tried to follow the new terrain rules. Woods and Buildings were Height 8, and we'd use the footprint for the buildings this time around, as it was a little cleaner. We played the Hills at Height 3, the obstacles at Height 1. The Pond is height 0, and the sowed Field could be Height 1 now if we were feeling adventurous, but I don't know if we explicitly gave it a value. Height 0 or Height 1 is immaterially different for this game, but I'll try to get a little better at addressing terrain and mixing it up a bit. 

Overview of the table.

We got Plunder for the scenario. We have a central Loot token, and each place 2 more on the dividing line, twelve inches away from other tokens, as-usual. Especially with larger 40mm tokens, I don't think there is much variation we can achieve with the setup here. Once placed, we each nominate a token to be worth 2 points, and the remaining three are just worth 1 if held at the end of the game. The edge tokens were both upgraded. 

Overview of deployment.

The Northern Alliance won the roll for sides, and was lazy, and wisely nominated the token protected by the building for the upgrade. He largely deployed from right-to-left, so we'll approach it this way too. We have Dwarfs in the corner looking to grab the 2-pointer, the Thegn nearby, the Human Tribesmen horde, both Ice Elementals, a Cavern Dweller, and Hearthguard. The Snow Foxes were both late drops out on the left. Behind the front line, again, right-to-left, was a regiment of Hearthguard between the Ice Elementals, the Skald, the Naiad Horde behind the Dweller, and Ice Queen out on the left.

Deployment on the left.

My left had Tribal Warriors and Critters, with a Tree Herder nearby, and the hope was to make use of the Warriors and grab the token out here without too much fuss.

The Herd center.

I had two buildings on my side, and tried to fit as much as I could between them. The building on the left split my line, and the Herd had Brutes with Critters, and then Longhorns with the Unicorn Druid, with the Banner, Bane Chant, and Heal. The Chieftain was central, and the line continued with Brutes and Longhorns in the pond (yay Pathfinder), and more Brutes, the second Druid, with Bane Chant and Scorched Earth and the Amulet, the Tree Herder, and more Critters in reserve.

The Herd right, with a scout move.

The Herders had Scout moves, and I remembered to use them. On the right, we hopped the full 6 inches to threaten the very valuable token. On the left, the Herder had come down out here to help, but up against just Foxes, moved up, pivoted, and then continued on ahead, passing the building to see around the woods. I can't get into the woods to see out of it, and Foxes can definitely hide behind the trees, but I am threatening the entire woods, and projecting more into the center, and this felt fine.

Scout move on the left.

I had lost the rolls for placing tokens and choosing sides, but won for deciding turn order, and happily took the initiative.

Top of Round 1: Herd

On the left, things go to plan. The Tribal Warriors run up their full 12" and pivot. They are just out of range of the Foxes. The Critters flitter up as well, and will also be safe. The Tree Herder moves cautiously into the woods, keeping the Foxes in front arc, and not moving up far enough to grab the token nearby. I can't let myself be scared of Foxes, so they have a charge into the Herder. Yes, I can be delayed with a sticky charge, but should be able to bring the Critters in to help if needed, and I'd rather thump on Foxes early then let them actually chaff anything important up. We're happy on the left.

Opening moves on the left.

On the other side of the building, things moves out. The Brutes and Longhorns slowly advance. I think I'm ahead about as far as I can while still being safe from the Foxes on the left, and Ice Elementals on the right. I want to be aggressive, but don't want to give Ice Elementals free shots if I can help it.

Moving up in the center.

Critters supporting the Brutes take the hill. My hope is that if the Foxes do scamper up, I can back up with the line and let the Critters scrap as-needed. The Unicorn Druid also takes the hill, but we have no Commands to cast, and no worthwhile spells either, so we're just looking to keep things Inspired and supported.

The rest of the center moves ahead, giving the Ice Elementals a good, additional half inch buffer for sportsmanship. They can move, but still can't shoot. Once could get Surged into range, but if they can fling I can charge, and this seems like the best way to engage them.

The Herd, moving up on the right. Unfortunately, the Herder is outnumbered here.

On the right, the Tree Herder moves up a bit. I am giving up a charge to the Then. The Critters flap onto the obstacle, and the Druid hops up. I cast Scorched Earth onto the Thegn, to make him think twice.

Bottom of Round 1: Northern Alliance

On the right, the Dwarfs move up as far as they can. The Thegn has a charge and stays put, safe and content. The Tribesmen move up their full speed, and then think better of it, inching back so that only the Herder has a charge into them next turn, and has a choice between the Dwarfs and the humans. 

Northern Alliance pressure on the right.

The Ice Elementals move up their speed, as does the slightly speedier Cavern Dweller. The Dwarfs spring ahead, eager to fight and start a piece trade.

An advancing center of Ice Elementals.

The reserve units of Hearthguard and Naiads inch up as best they can, slowed by terrain and the cautious front line of warriors.

The Foxes on the left, reposition, and don't charge anything just yet.

Top of Round 2: Herd

On the left, the Tribal Warriors should be slightly slowed by the loot they carry., but will run ahead and pivot to threaten the Foxes. Critters try to do the same, but don't have the inches to do this safely, and the nearer unit of Foxes can actually see and get into the front, if they choose. We are just trying to force them to do something this turn. 

The Herd presses up far on the left.

Nearby, the Critters move as far as they can. They hop up, so the Longhorns can multi-charge the Dwarfs. The Longhorns both align, both landing atop the token, and the unit on the left picks it up. I don't know what to do with the Chieftain, so tuck him in behind, so the the unit with the token can back up, if victorious.

No Command Orders are needed here, and the Unicorn Druid lands a Bane Chant onto the unit with the token. The Longhorns will savage the Dwarfs, each landing 9 damage, and best them. As-planned, the unit with the token backs up, 1", and then I measure. The Hearthguard on the hill are in front arc, as is the Dweller, and nearest Elemental. I should hold, but I sidestep 1" to let the Chieftain see things, and open up a flank to the Hearthguard because I was not thinking.

Rather poor reforms from the Herd.

Thankfully, the Longhorns are Inspired, and both Brute units are standing by, ready to thrown down on the open field, with the unit on the left moving and pivoting about to make sure they can move past them on the left. 

However, these are some big goofs from me. The second unit of Longhorns should have just held, and the Critters should have moved up further last turn, as they came very close to not being able to block for me here.

The Herder charges the Dwarfs to keep them from their prize.

On the right, I am feeling a little exposed. I think the Herder can probably beat the Dwarfs in two turns, and measuring things, the Thegn would be in front arc, so the Herder takes the solo charge here, with the Druid landing another Scorched Earth into him. The Herder lands 5, which seems right, but I think I've miscalculated, and am going to need some help or luck to break the unit in a timely manner.

Critters have the inches, but we agree that they'd end up to the right of the Herder, which I do not want, so they flit up to prevent the scarier Human Tribesmen from flanking the Herder, and more Brutes lurk, threateningly out here as well.

Bottom of Round 2: Northern Alliance

On the right, the Dwarfs fight, and the Thegn's order for viciousness falls flat. They land no damage into the bark. The Hindered Thegn rushes in to help, but also fails to break through the high defense of the tree. 

The Tribesmen make a hindered charge into the Critters. I am a jerk and do my my opponent roll this, just to test my gut feeling, as I don't think they are goners, but I don't think they're going to be devastated. A total of 10 damage lands, and they are indeed bested without being devastated. In victory, the Tribesmen back up an inch, trying to escape the Brutes.

Reforms from the Human Tribesmen.

Ice Elementals move up, and fling into a unit of Brutes. One rolls very hot and one rolls very low, with 7 damage landing in total, a shade less than expected. The Brutes are Rallied and Inspired, and hold. The Hearthguard behind the Elementals are slowed by their volleys, and the terrain. They try to just see behind the units to hopefully help out next turn, but it feels bad to have a combat unit gummed up like this.

After some hemming and hawing on how to engage the Longhorns, a safer two-on-one is decided upon, with the Hearthguard taking that flank, and the Cavern Dweller hitting the front. The Dweller lands 7, the first back of flank attacks land 10 more, and we fast forward, but the Longhorns are indeed found to be insane. Since I have healing, we need to backtrack, and the Hearthguard land 12 more, taking the insane Longhorns up to 29 damage. 

The Longhorns take a ton of damage, but are insane.

The Naiads can't really fit in anywhere to fight, and so reposition. The Foxes charge the blocking Critters with a front and a flank, and will pick the unit up. One overruns, and goes pretty far, hoping to block up some Brutes, and the other spins completely around to get the Herd coming from the left into front arc.

Top of Round 3: Herd

Having kept the reprisals to just two units of Critters, I am feeling pretty great going into Round 3. On the left, Critters move up, staying just over 11 inches away from the Naiads and their Wild Charge. The Tree Herder goes into the Foxes, lands 4 damage, and fails to remove them. They aren't even Inspired, but I am ok with this. The Tribal Warriors are again slowed a little, but start running through the woods, hoping to pick up a few more tokens before the game is done.

Charges from the Herd. The Hearthguard juust in frame are soon-to-be casualties on the blank base.

Brutes keep it simple and charge the Foxes, and will pick them up, and victoriously pivot to see and threaten the Naiads. 

The untouched Longhorns hit the flank of the Hearthguard, represented by the blank base. No Commands are needed, but they do get a Bane Chant, and will take the elite warriors of up 18 damage, and best them. They are out of arc of the Naiads, and so reform hard, keeping their corner behind the corner of the doomed Longhorn unit, which does manage to land a hot 5 damage into the Cavern Dweller, despite being devastated. The hard pivot puts the remaining Hearthguard into front arc, but no where to align.

Reforms from the Herd. 

In the center, the individual Chieftain can see the taller Ice Elementals, and he charges them, with the injured Brutes hitting the front, landing atop a token, and picking it up. The Heal Command Order is tried, landing 1, and the Heal spell from the Unicorn gets 1 as well, taking them down to 5. The Chieftain lands 3, and the Brutes overperform with 12, plus Brutal, and the first unit of Ice Elementals are popped. The Chieftain changes facing to stare down the Elementals, and the Brutes sidestep to their left. While a unit can pivot through things, it needs to end its pivot clear of all units and buildings and such, and as it stands, the Hearthguard are going to have a tough time getting in here to help, since they were angling to get past and behind the Elementals last turn.

A fuzzy photo from the right, with a semi-victorious Tree Herder.

On the right, the Herder should be able to reform, to align more with the Thegn. This puts the Dwarfs and their higher-attacks into the flank of the Herder if my opponent reforms, but without Bane Chant or innate CS, I am ok with risking this. The Herder throws all his attacks into the Dwarfs, lands 6 more damage to take them up to 11, and I do break them this turn. Already engaged, I don't get a reform against the Thegn, but he's in front arc already.

The mounted Druid pops the amulet, landing a Bane Chant into the doomed Longhorns and a Scorched Earth into the Hearthguard, which I immediate realize is dumb, as they are already going to be hindered by being in the woods. The Ice Elementals are not engaged and would be a better target here and I'm just spacing out.

Still on the right, the Tribesmen are troublesome, and could be flanking the Herder or my central combats if I am bot careful, so I send some Brutes in to tie them up. The Brutes have a clean charge, but underperform with just 8 damage, and the Tribesmen will hold strong and Iron Resolve down to just 7 damage.

Bottom of Round 3: Northern Alliance

On the right, the Thegn reforms to align with the Tree Herder, and he thumps 2 damage into the bark, finally. The Tribesman fight the Brutes, landing 7 damage, but also fail to rout the Inspired unit.

Fighting on the right.

The Ice Elementals fling into the Chieftain, hoping to damage him, then get Surged in to finish him off, and some of this goes to plan. The shards slice 5 damage onto the Chieftain, and there are a few successes on Surge to get the unit into combat, but the melee dice are cold, and no damage makes in into the Chieftain in the melee phase, so no test it taken.

More delaying form the Northern Alliance. They are on the back foot.

The Cavern Dweller shreds the doomed Longhorns, Lifeleeching 3 back. The Naiads opt to not charge the Herder, can't reach the Critters, can't fit in against the Brutes, and can't see the Longhorns with the token, so they reform on the hill.

Top of Round 4: Herd

On the left, the Herder fights the Critters, lands another 4ish damage, but will pick the unit up and reform to face the Naiads. I am not scared of the horde, and with things going well elsewhere, want to try and pin them down. The Tribal Warriors move a bit ahead, grabbing up a 1-point token, and they are too far away for the Naiads to reach. They could have squeezed another inch or two out of this move, and probably should have.

Charges from the Herd.

The Cavern Dweller is pretty tall, and with the doomed Longhorns gone, the Brutes and Longhorns are able to see it, and now get into it. It Lifeleeched down to 2 damage last turn, but the Longhorns land 9 and the Brutes land 11 to devastate and rout the monster, as-is proper. Any overrun gets the closer Brutes out of arc of the Naiads, and so both units overrun.

The Chieftain fights the Ice Elementals, landing a few damage, but can't move them. The nearby Brutes can see the Hearthguard, and can pivot cleanly past the Chieftain to then get into them with a clean charge. You can't charge through a friendly unit, but we can pivot through blocking terrain, and we treat friendly units as blocking terrain on a charge, so this feels weird but seems correct. Backing up the Chieftain could have been an alternative though, to allow this in move a cleaner fashion. The Chieftain tries to order the brutes to heal, but only 1 damage is absolved.

Fights on the right.

The Brutes connect cleanly, and will overperform a bit, and land 13 damage onto the Hearthguard, best them, and reform to face the Elementals.

On the right, the Brutes catch a Heal order as well, as well as a Heal spell from the Unicorn, and Radiance of Life from the Herder, to get down to 2 damage. Bane Chant is attempted by the nearby Druid, but fizzles. The Brutes deal another 8 damage to take the Tribesmen up to 15, which then gets Iron Resolved down to 14.

Before I roll the fight against the Tribesmen, the Herder does fight the Thegn, just in case we can remove Inspiring. The tree thumps 5 damage into the barbarian, who holds.

The Druid out here runs into the field to grab the 2-pointer, and all the tokens are in control of the Herd at this point.

Bottom of Round 4: Northern Alliance

On the right, the Herder got down to 1 damage, but the Thegn continues swinging, landing 2 more. The tree holds.

The Tribesmen are ordered to be Vicious, but the command fizzles. The Tribesmen land 9 damage, taking the Brutes to 11, and while they are Inspired, the Brutes do break with some even checks. The Tribesmen have some tough choices though. The Herder isn't holding a token, and it will be hard to catch the Druid with the token, so they reform to hopefully fight something in the center.

The Tribesmen break the Brutes.

The Ice Elementals withdraw 6", backing away from the Chieftain. They then fling into the Brutes, landing 5 damage to take them to 11, and while they are Inspired and Rallied, they do waver with their token, and are presenting a rear to the Tribesmen. The Skaald forgot to toss, so we let him roll against the Brutes too, and he'll add 1 to take them to 12, and we'll just leave the Brutes wavering still.

A clever withdraw move from the Ice Elementals.

The Ice Queen is on the hill, watching things fall apart. She lands a Vicious order into the Naiads, as well as a Bane Chant, as they charge down into the Tree Herder, landing 2 damage. The Tree Holds.

Top of Round 5: Herd

On the left, the Herder halts, fighting the Naiads and landing a few damage. The Tribal Warriors want to pivot move and pivot to spy the flank of the Naiads, but I do not mark their original position move them 6", realize they are holding a loot token, and so nudge them into the front of the Horde. There should be a way to get them to threaten the flank still, but having not marked their starting position, this seems unsporting, especially with how thing are going.

Positioning from the Herd.

The Critters don't charge, but get uncomfortably close to the Ice Queen. We're not fighting, just shooing her away. The Longhorns spin to threaten the rear of the Naiads.

We're chatting, and the Skald could be a nice target, but he's yielding, so the Ice Elementals ignore him, charging through and past him to hit the flank of the withdrawing Ice Elementals. It's a clean charge, and the Brutes will land 20 new damage to the Elementals, breaking them, and the Brutes will reform to spy the incoming Tribesmen horde.

Meanwhile, the Chieftain will charge the Skald after the other charges have transpired, and will land 3 damage into him, and tie him up. I'm in his flank, but we're both individuals, so it doesn't matter.

The Tree Herder claims another unit, ending the round on 1 damage.

On the right, the wavering Brutes drop their token, and reform to face the oncoming Tribesmen. The Unicorn Druid picks the token up, and tries to top off the Brutes with a Heal Command and a Heal Spell, and gets them down to 7 damage with some good dice.

The Tree Herder thumps 6 into the Thegn, taking him up to 11, and I will break the champion and reform, to face the rear of the Tribesmen.

Bottom of Round 5: Northern Alliance

Going into the Bottom of Round 5, the Herd have all the tokens, for a massive 7-0 lead, and the Northern Alliance have nothing but hard choices ahead of them. On the right, the Tribesmen could charge the wavering Brutes ahead of them, but even if they break them, we're looking at a Herder and more Brutes threatening them. 

On the left, the Naiads are fighting the Tree Herder and pinned down, with Longhorns threatening their rear. The Ice Queen is the only free piece, and my intent was to force her to charge the nearby Longhorns or Brutes, and force her to choose what unit she wanted to save... but she's Yielding too, and reading the rules, it looks like we can ignore her for moving and shooting, even if engaged with her, meaning she won't actually be able to delay anything.

My opponent concedes here, making this a strong 7-0 victory to the Herd! 

Game Conclusions

Basically everything went right for the Herd here, and what is left of my army roster is doing well for me in the new edition! The Brutes are really coming into their own now. The Herd had a good deployment here, fine scout moves, and then got first turn to really pen the Northern Alliance in and keep the pressure on.

On the opposite end of the field, essentially the opposite happened this game. For science, we've both tried to set up Withdraw moves the last few games, and that was the intent here with the layers and the Hearthguard behind the Ice Elementals. Unfortunately, the taller Elementals and terrain just kept that unit of Hearthguard out of the game, and withdrawing with Elementals though other units is not a great idea anyways, as they then cannot shoot, which is the typically the reason to Withdraw. 

We chatted, and deployment really did my opponent in here. The Ice Elementals still seem fun, and can really shred infantry, and should be a nice counter to anyone trying to skimp out on the core tax, or field multiple battalions with some mediocre unlocking units, but layering up with them, with them at the front, was not a good plan. They need space to operate. 

Testing conclusions

• Warlord with Torc. The Chieftain continues to do fine for me. He gave and took some hits here, as-usual, and largely did what I needed him to do.
• Mounted Druid with BC, SE, and Amulet. I really forced the Scorched Earth casts this game, and ultimately, they weren't impactful. Maybe putting her on the left with more open field would have been better. Overall, I like SE as a spell, as it feels nice to force that asymmetry with charges and lean into my strengths, but it just isn't vibing with me list.
• Mounted Druid with BC, Heal, and Banner. I think the Banner is still worth taking, and probably best on a Champion, where I can just get a little more consistency out of the Strider order in particular. Heal seems fine, though Bane Chant is still winning out a little more frequently.
• Tribal Warriors with Ale. The Warriors were able to live the dream this game, pressuring lightly and bullying chaff while grabbing tokens. They had a rather ideal game here, and validated a lot of me reasons for taking them.
• Longhorns. Against the higher-armor, it seemed like the right call to start the piece trading with them, so that the Brutes could come in and clean up. The reforms were bad but the insanity covered for my poor choices there. While keeping Rally around is nice, using them to instigate here does seem to be the correct one.
• Critters. The Critters that died tied up more than their points while doing so, and gave me some good positional advantages. These were used well.
• Guardian Brutes. The new Brutes continue to deliver, and are really doing great work for me, especially against Def5. They and the Longhorns cover each other’s shortfalls a bit, and are working well together.
• Tree Herders. The Herders did well for me, starting fights and taking hits. They have been a great pick for me and this list, and did good work here stalling pushes and penning the Northern Alliance in.

It's always a pleasure to throw down against Trevor. A big thanks to my opponent for fitting this in and for hosting us on short notice!