4th Edition: Battle #045 Free Dwarfs vs Abyssals in Compass Points

Intro and Lists

We were having our July Meetup for Kings of War Wisconsin. I was ready to tap out for the day, but folks wanted a second game, and I was needed to even the numbers, and acquiesced, readying-up to face off against Rob, who was back from his US Masters sojourn, and was unexpectedly fielding the new Abyssals, albeit as a proxy force:

Rob likes his Kingdoms of Men, and though he had a string of bad luck at US Masters, the last has largely been working as intended. However, we both think that the Cannon-centric shooting is likely due for a nerf in some form, and he's looking to diversify ahead of time, as he still really doesn't like the Halflings these days. The shiny new Abyssals and their tricks caught his eye though... and with the exception of the Nagarri and Moloch troop, it looks super-scary. We have two Hordes of fearless Abyssal Guard with two-handers, triple Imps and Gargoyles to interdict and chaff, two regiments and a horde of Lower Abyssals to take up space, and then Bas'su'su, and Warlocks with assorted powerful spells to support.

I had brought the Dwarfs to the meetup, looking to get some more experience with them. I wanted to avoid Warlords and focus more on units and Champions, with troops of Ironclad being the quirky take this time, instead of fancier support-slot slots. This was essentially the same list as the previous game, with one swap, so apologies in advance for repeating myself, but up to discuss is everything:

• Stone Priest. I still think Stone Priests are good casters for the Dwarfs, particularly if you need Surge, or have a fancy spell you want to cast alongside the Bane Chant. I still don't know what that fancy spell might be for the Dwarfs, so we're trying out Bloodboil alongside all the shooting.
• Flame Priests. I am bullish on the Flame Priests. While they can't really drop Fireball, this does synergize nicely with any shooting units, as well as the Throwing Mastiffs from the Command Orders. I think these are a decent buy, and we'll see how just one performs, compared to the duo in the other game.
• Warsmiths. These are really useful if you have any shooting units, as the Elite Aura can be very beneficial to boosting their damage output. We have a fair amount of shooting units, so we're taking two Warsmiths, and seeing what we can accomplish.
• Ironclad Troops. The quirky pick for this build! I few opponents have used similar units against me, so we're trying to borrow those ideas and apply them here. The hope is that they can cheaply play scenarios, or be troublesome screens for something like the Shieldbreakers. I have four troops, so we're really committing to the idea and taking them all. 
• Ironwatch Rifle Horde. They've done fine previously, and I want a healthy shooting component right now, so we'll keep trying them out. I tend to stick they very centrally, which has not been great, so we'll try to avoid that this time.
• Ironwatch Crossbowmen Regiment. I had an odd 125 points left, and instead of more Ironclad, opted for some Crossbows. The Ironwatch have 4+ for Melee and Defense, so they are surprisingly sticky.
• Shieldbreaker Regiments. I've had to eat some crow, and the regiments have done quite for me as a second-line. We'll take a few of them again, and see if I can have any success behind the Ironclad troops.
• Shieldbreaker Horde, Stone. We're taking a horde, and hoping to get the charge! We're trusting in the Ironclad troops, so will try to devote two troops to protecting the horde. With some extra points, we'll give them the Staying Stone, and see if they can't brawl just a little bit longer for me.
• Ranger Regiments. These have had some tough games previously, but have still done what I needed them to do, and performed well overall. While they haven't had any breakout performances yet, I am still bullish on them, and so we're taking them to supplement the Ironwatch picks. 
• Berserker Brock Riders. I wanted a little bit of speed to project threat, so we're taking the Brock Riders and the Boots, as one does with cavalry regiments these days. Fearless has been amazing, and they can do good work. However, they are an obvious threat, and usually need to be traded away for something. Still, these guys have really been a good distraction for the rest of the list in other games, so we'll see how they do here.

Table and Terrain

We were out at Lost Trove in New Berlin, a nerdy collectables shop. They snatched up a lot of the banquet-style folding tables and even a bunch of terrain from Gamers Realm when they closed, and have been very welcoming to us. Thanks John! Check them out if you are in the area. 

Not sure of the store's terrain situation, I had brought my own mats and terrain, which we utilized somewhat, though probably can pare a bit in the future.  We had Forests with Height 10, the blocking Buildings at Height 7, Hills with Height 3, and the battlefield as Height 1 and and shallow pond as Height 0, and Obstacles as Height 2. I will note that we should probably experiment more with higher terrain, and I'll try to do that in the future, maybe with the graveyards for my spooky board.

Overview of the table. Not my mat. 

We got Compass Points for the scenario, which can be neat, as it can he hard to break the stalemate, and a good challenge can be fun. It is an objective scenario with two outer objectives, a home objective, and an away objective. At the end of the game, the outer objectives are worth 1 VP, the home objective worth 2, and the away objective worth 3. 

View on the left, with probably too many Dwarfs.

The Abyssals deployed rather centrally, with a token resistance on the left, and slightly more on the right. Left-to-right for the Abyssals, we have a horde of Lower Abyssals, Ba'su'su hiding behind the tower, Lower Abyssals screening for Gargoyles, Imps with Guard behind, and Nagarri behind them, the Warlock with Veil of Shadows, then more Imps with more Guard and Gargoyles behind them, then the Warlock with the Dark Pit, and Imps, a Lower Abyssal Regiment, and the Moloch troop out on the right.

View in the center, with a concerning amount of Abyssals.

For the Dwarfs, we have Ironclad, both Rangers, with a Warsmith supporting, Ironclad screening for Shieldbreakers, the Shieldbreaker horde behind the hill, the other Warsmith, the Ironwatch Crossbow Regiment, the Ironwatch crossbow horde partiall in the woods, the Stone Priest, the Berserker Brocks, Ironclad, the Flame Priest with Shieldbreaker support, and the last Ironclad troop out on the right as some token resistance.

The left, with still a lot of Abyssals in-frame

While I had literally just played a game with them, my brain was done, I was largely at a loss for what to do here. Given the scenario, I figured the center would be important, and then it could be wise to grab one side. We largely did that, and even have some token pressure on the weaker side, but everything is just a bit of a mess here.

Scout moves!

I do remember my Scout moves, and the Rangers hop up to surmount the obstacle, and get some early shots downrange.

Top of Round 1: Free Dwarfs

On the left, the Ironclad run up. They might eventually camp this, but gaining ground early is important.

The Rangers hold, and it is about this time that we are discussing terrain. Even if the pond is flat, it is intervening terrain, and the Lower Abyssals should be getting cover. The Dwarfs are some of our first attempts at a shooting heavy list. This makes sense, but I’ve not positioned the Rangers really poorly. They shoot, landing a combined 5 damage into the Lower Abyssal horde, who obviously hold.

Dwarfs, moving out from the left. 

The Ironclad troop and Shieldbreaker regiment move at the double, jostling around on the hill. The Shieldbreaker horde gets up there as well. I am a little light on blocking units for them though, and so the Ironwatch Crossbowmen move at the double, to get up and take a forward position. The Ironwatch Rifles enter the woods, and the Stone Priest camps out here too. With Reload, there are not shots in the center.

Crossbows gain some early ground at the expense of shooting.

The Brocks move up, projecting threat around the hill and into the center. I have a few extra inches, and could just clear the woods, or I could be pivoting or drifting. Seeing everything in front of me though, I am already feeling the pressure. I am probably only going to get one fight with these, and am resigned to using the boots.

A tentative move up from the Dwarfs on the right.

The right is a bit of a mess. The Ironclad inch up, to maybe help the Brocks. The other troop is Inspired on the other side of the building, and just wants to prevent any outflanking from the Abyssals. The Flame Priest hangs tight, and the Shieldbreakers wait patiently as well, to see what rob has in store.

Bottom of Round 1: Abyssals

I am flabbergasted, but the Abyssals go hard. There is nothing in the middle to remotely slow them down and the whole line lunges forward with ill-intent.

On the right, the Molochs moves as far as they can, stopped by some terrain, while Lower Abyssals wheel around the woods, and plucky Imps move at the double and stay in front of things. They’ll get a Betrayal order later on from the Warlock with the Dark Pit, who is hiding in the woods, wary of shooting. Instead of the Pit, Barkskin is cast on the Imps as well, with three successes.

The Abyssals full-send.

With no terrain to slow them down, the stacked center of the Abyssals scream forward at the double, with the Imps leading the way and kinking slightly to prevent the Brocks from charging passed them. They’ll each get a Betrayal Command as well, making the Imp front line very uninviting to charge.

Oh, bless Rob and his laminated markers. There is a lot to track.

The Warlock with the Veil of Shadows cast it successfully, and the Sacred Horn extends the aura’s bubble to the entire scary center.

The Lower Abyssals realize they probably can’t really contest the left, even as a horde, and back up, trying to regenerate, and they’ll get one success, going down to 4 damage.

Top of Round 2: Free Dwarfs

On the left, the Ironclad will advance again, joined by the Rangers, who make use of Pathfinder to hop off the obstacle.

Shooting with cover penalties into a regenerating unit is not wise. We gotta move!

The other Ironclad troop out here will also move at the double, and pivot. With the Shieldbreaker regiment doing the same. The Shieldbreaker horde hangs back. I can’t really target the Gargoyles, and don’t want to move too far up, bonked, and stuck. The aim is to use the far building to anchor and push, to threaten my opponent’s home objective, while hopefully keeping mine with my Rifles.

The Brocks go in, sacrificing themselves for tempo and positioning.

The Brocks are unfortunately trapped. I am too far forward to get away from the Imps, but don’t really want to charge the Imps either. Since I did not pivot, I actually have the Lower Abyssals on the far left in arc, and in range. I pop the Boots, and gallop out, as fast as the Brocks can go. We slam in, deal 11 damage, and will break the regiment. Reforms are rough, and we’ll pivot hard. This gets the Guard in front arc, but also exposes a flank to Gargoyles, should my opponent want to just tie them up for a turn.

We don’t want to charge the Imps, but can hopefully waver them and slow things down? The Ironwatch Crossbowmen just barely do not have cover penalties, and they shoot into the nearest unit, along with the Ironwatch Rifles. …Unfortunately, Veil of Shadows is in play, and I’m still fishing for 6’s. We have Elite, and even convert one or two, and we manage 4 damage in total, and luck out on the Nerve checks for a waver.

Shooting manages to scare a few units of Imps.

On the right, the Stone Priest tries granting the Ironclad troop a Throwing Mastiff, but fails, but the Flame Priest does manage to grant one to the other troop, who inches back to be safe from the Molochs. The Flame Priest holds, and lobs a Fireball into the Imps, rolling well and landing 4 damage. The Dogs contribute just 1, but we luck out here with a waver as well.

It ain’t much, but I guess we technically drew first blood by routing the Lower Abyssals? Though I’m not sure trading the Brocks for them would be considered wise…

Bottom of Round 2: Abyssals

Wavering the Imps definitely helps, but the pressure is still on.

On the right, the Molochs inch up, I believe staying out of range of the Ironclad troop. The wavering Imps back up, under their protection, and the Lower Abyssals march forward to block as well, getting the Betrayal order. The Warlock stays central, but very well protected, and will land another Barkskin 3 on the Imps, as they charge Ironclad troop guarding the Flame Priest.

Imps move up, eager to give the Dwarfs a switcheroo with the Ultimate Betrayal.

The center is a mess, with Ba’su’su taking the hill and the Abyssal Guard screening for him. The Wavering Imps back up, letting the other Abyssal Guard horde hit the Brocks better. The Brocks will take 13 damage, and break, which is very close to the expected 14 damage. The new Abyssal Guard hordes are not playing around!

Gargoyles fly in to disrupt the Rifles.

Gargoyles hiding behind the obstacle charge the Ironwatch Rifles to silence them, and will claw 2 damage onto them.

The Lower Abyssals inch back, wary of the numerous Dwarfs heading their way.

Veil of Shadows manifests again, covering most of the line. The Warlock commands them to regenerate better, and they will, getting 2 back, and ending on just 2 damage. They inch ahead, using the building to anchor the line, and hopefully protect the backfield for the Abyssals.

Top of Round 3: Free Dwarfs

On the left, the Ironclad move up again, getting in between the pieces of terrain. The silver-helmed Rangers wade into the pond, and the loose into the Lower Abyssals. The gold-helmed Rangers move at the double again, looking to get in to help the brewing fights in the center.

The Dwarfs keep advancing on the left.

An Ironclad regiment runs up to block for the Shieldbreaker regiment and the horde, who adjust slightly.

The Crossbowmen hold, and fire into the Imps. Veil of Shadows is still up, and we land just one damage. We attempt to Bloodboil them too, but with Veil, and a cover penalty, land no hits. My dice are still hot for checks though, and we get another waver out of them.

The dwarfs fight in the center.

The Ironwatch Rifles have the Fire Oil, and thump good damage into the Gargoyles, win, and then reform slightly.

The Stone Priest grants a Fury of the Ancients to the Ironclad. My opponent claims this don’t work, and only magic can change stuff after the stat-change, but reading the rule now… I’m forced to use the Abyssal unit’s Melee and CS. Magic items, like the Brew of Strength or Sharpness still apply. The stats are changed, but a Bane Chant would be a further modifier, and I think still apply, and I think Fury of the Ancients should apply here too, as it is another modifier outside the unit’s stats. Oh well.

The Dwarfs ready themselves for the next wave of assaults.

The Ironclad troop hold, letting the Shieldbreakers join in against them Imps while staying out to protect the Rifles. I let the Ironclad be betrayed by the Imps, but they don’t seem to notice. The land 3 damage into the unit, and then the Shieldbreakers are able to hit normally, landing 7 damage, but we do fail to rout the unit.

The Dwarfs fail to best the Imps in melee though.

The Flame Priest holds, and lobs with cover over the Imps and into the Gargoyles. I roll hot, hitting with all 5, blasting into 9, and then ending up with 7 damage. The Priest tries to get Dogs over to the unengaged Ironclad unit to help, but the command fails. The Gargoyles waver, but are not devastated, so are not picked up.

Bottom of Round 3: Abyssals

On the right, the Molochs make a hindered charge into the Ironclad, landing 3 damage, but the checks are hot and the Dwarf troop breaks with some unfortunately hot checks.

The Abyssal assault begins in earnest.

The wavering Gargoyles are yelled at, and they regenerate 4, getting down to 3 damage, as they back up and make way for other units, like the Lower Abyssals, who are gearing up for the next assault into the Dwarven lines.

Some Dwarf units hold, but not the one's you'd expect.

The Abyssal Guard charge the Shieldbreakers … and seriously underperform with just 8 damage. We roll, they live, and then we catch that the Imps should have a) allocated their attacks before any checks are done, and b) would definitely want to throw into the Shieldbreakers. I allow it. No damage is done, and we keep the hold result from earlier. The Imps also get a Barkskin 4 from the Warlock.

The lines prepare to clash.

The wavering Imps slow down the Nagarri and the other Abyssal Guard horde. The former sulks on the hill, while the latter tries to use the building to protect itself. Ba’su’su still sits o the hill, surveying things while handing out 3-dice orders.

Veil of Shadows goes off again, but with the line stretching out, doesn’t cover as many units as it once was.

On the other side of the building, the Lower Abyssals are on 1 damage, and holding the line.

Top of Round 4: Free Dwarfs

On the left, the Ironclad move at the double, boxing the Lower Abyssals in. The Rangers in the pond hold and loose, with the other Rangers moving and shooting, landing a total of 8 damage, and the Lowers Abyssals hold.

The Ironclad arrive to blunt the Abyssal push.

Ironclad move up to instigate, and block for the Shieldbreakers, and the breaker regiment is granted a Mastiff to throw at some Imps, landing 4 damage. The Crossbows are impacted by the Veil and land nothing, while the Rifles manage 2. Slightly on the hill, we can see them with the Stone Priest, and are just within range to hit them with a Bloodboil. We held, but are tossing into Stealthy with a cover penalty. We contribute 4 with the spell, and are able to pick up the unit, though that was nearly 500 points of shooting…

The Dwarfs fight back on the right.

The Shieldbreakers opt to throw into the Abyssal Guard. The Guard has regeneration, but fighting the Imps seems like a waste. We attempt a Fury of the Ancients but fail with both champions. Still, we’ll land a solid 8 damage.

Oh, we manage to kill some Imps!

Surprisingly, the Ironclad, while betrayed by the Imps, still manage 5 damage into them. That is some very hot dice rolling! Barkskin will mitigate 4, but the one additional damage will trigger a test, and we’ll pick them up this time, and turn to face the Molochs. The Flame Priest had snuck back to Fireball the Molochs, and we’ll land 2 damage against them.

Bottom of Round 4: Abyssals

The Molochs book it to help push the middle, and the Imps shuffle about, trying to stay safe from Fireball while eyeing up the objective on the right.

The Abyssals push hard on the right.

Lower Abyssals charge the Ironclad, but can land no damage against the dwarven armor.

From the hill, Ba’su’su descends upon the Flame Priest, hitting me in the flank. This could be bad, but the demon is an individual as well, and only 2 damage lands.

The Dark Pit appears in the middle of the Dwarf lines.

The Abyssal Guard fight the Shieldbreakers again, and will easily pick them up on the second try. A command order for better regeneration fails, but they’ll still regenerate half their damage this turn, going from 8 down to just 4.

The Warlock on the right summons a Dark Pit, hitting 6 of my units. Nicely done! The Pit supports a strong push from the Abyssals too. The Nagarri charge the Ironwatch Rifles, and hindered, land 9 damage with very hot dice.

Gargoyles get the Betrayal order, and gum things up, and the Abussal Guard make a hindered charge into the Ironclad, though you wouldn’t know it from their output of 13 fresh damage. The Ironclad troop is devastated … but Insanely Courageous!

The Lower Abyssals take their charge into the Ironclad rather than be shot up again, and they’ll claw the troop up to 3 damage. I’m uninspired, but hold.

Top of Round 5: Free Dwarfs

It’s Round 5, and in think the insane result puts me in a spot to actually tie this?

The Ironclad fight on against the lower Abyssals, with both units of Rangers hitting them in the flank. One is hindered, but the flankers land 19 damage on their own, and the unit is broken.

Charges from the Dwarfs!

The Ironclad pivot, to line up to get around the building. The gold-helmed Rangers opt to overrun, hopping to roll big, get past the building this turn, and then be able to pivot and run towards my opponent’s home objective… but we roll a 1. Turning to face the Guard might have been better, but I don’t think the Ironclad troop can do it on their own unless there is a Round 7.

A few reforms. The Crossbowmen are slipping away though... darn table edge.

The Gargoyles are trickly, but I have enough space to turn and flank charge the Abyssal Guard instead. The devastated Ironclad land 1, the Shieldbreakers land 6, and the flanking Crossbowmen contribute 5, taking the Guard up to 12 damage. This simultaneously feels great and terrible. The damage is expected – and the Guard easily holds, it’s going to cost us a lot, but we might be able to best the horde here, and I’m wishing the Rangers we facing this way now...

The Nagarri fall!

With the Crossbowmen avoiding the Gargoyles, the Shieldbreakers are able to make a clean flank charge into the Nagari, picking them up and saving the Rifles, who had a Radiance of Life to get down to 9 damage. The Rifles swivel their left corner forward, and then the Shieldbreakers swivel their left backward.

The Stone Priest and Flame Priest try to grant Fury of the Ancients onto the Ironclad fighting the Lower Abyssals, who for once are not Betraying anyone. We’ll land a hot 5 damage, but do not break them.

The Flame Priest opts to stay engaged, hoping to keep Ba’su’su from doing anything else the rest of the game.

Bottom of Round 5: Abyssals

On the far right, the Imps are able to move back and claim the objective. Ba’su’su the Warlord continues, swinging against the Flame Priest, landing 2 more damage, while a Betrayal order on the Lower Abyssals fails, though they regenerate 1, getting down to 4 damage, and claw 1 into the dwarf troop.

Charges from the Abyssals.

A Warlock tries to summon the Dark Pit again, but fails.

Molochs regenerate both their damages while they make a hindered charge into the Ironwatch Rifles, and will land 3 damage, taking them up to 12, but my horde will hold.

Aftermath of Round 5. The Ironwatch damage is just out of frame.

The Abyssal Guards regenerate 3, getting down to 1 damage as they come to the aid of the other horde. I offer to speed this combat, Rob accepts… but the Crossbowmen are found to be insanely courageous! Instead of rolling the attacks, I just dump a pile of dice near them. I will treat them as devastated, and beyond saving.

Gargoyles from the center hop the line, and pivot to face the objective on the left.

The other horde of Abyssal Guard splits its attacks, looking to fight their way out of things. Four attacks are allocated to the devastated Ironclad, two strikes hit, but no damage makes it through. The other 21 attacks result in 12 damage to the Shieldbreakers, and they will break.

Top of Round 6: Free Dwarfs

On the left, the Rangers make use of Pathfinder to go grab the objective on the left. The Ironclad troop get as far as they can, but yeah, absolutely cannot contest my opponent’s home objective this round.

The Rangers use Pathfinder to grab an objective.

Realizing the error of my ways, the other Ranger unit turns to face the bogged down Abyssal Guard. Moving, and with cover, they’ll shoot over and into the Warlock for kicks, landing 2 damage.

The devastated Ironguard and devastated Crossbowmen fight on against the Abyssal Guard, halving their attacks, and landing 3 damage still. Not bad!

The Warsmiths look to deal with the Gargoyles, and their pistols clip the fliers for 3 damage, and we do get the waver against them.

The Warsmiths deal with the Gargoyles.

The tables are a little uneven. With the reforms after the Shieldbreakers came to the aid of the Rifles, I was trying to give myself some options, but things are sliding around for me, and I can really get the Shieldbreaker horde in anywhere. With both Abyssal Guard hordes locked in, I decide I am fine playing for the tie, and them doing nothing.

Had I been going for the win, I think the Crossbows withdraw, fail, and the Shieldbreakers take the flank, to likely pick up the Guard, allowing the devastated Ironclad to overrun towards thee objective, while the shieldwall scramble to 

The Dwarfs brawl.

In their fight against the Molochs, the Rifles get a Fury of the Ancients, which is an illegal Command, as they have the wrong keyword. However, I also land a Bane Chant, and they have Fire-Oil, so it all works out. They get a nice Radiance of Life for 1, and swing hard for 10 damage onto the Molochs, will break them, and reform.

The Crossbowmen do very well!

Again, I am just playing for the tie here. Playing for the Win, I think they pivot less, and make sure we can see the Imps. I am already out of arc of the nearby Abyssal Guard. It's a long shot, but a Round 7 and some luck could pick up the Imps.

The Ironclad get a Fury of the Ancients from the Flame Priest (Holdfast, a legal target!) and land 3 more damage onto the Lower Abyssals, taking them up to 7 damage, but we do not get the break.

The Flame Priest swings on Ba’su’su, and fails to wound again, though is doing fine by keeping him occupied.

Bottom of Round 6: Abyssals

I completely forget about Yielding. The Flame Priest is Yielding, meaning she can just be ignored, and Ba’su’su does just that, changing facing as an individual, and charges something else, this being the Ironwatch Rifles. This was a very sneaky play lulling me into this, but for the life of me, I just don’t know why they kept individuals in the game. Rebasing is half the band-aid pull, but Individuals are just frustratingly complex now. (Also, apparently there is a new FAQ out as of July 1st, and for what it is worth, Individuals can pick up a loot token again, their speed just becomes zero. Fine, I guess? But again, so needlessly complex…)

Ba'su'su is tricky! I love it.

The warlord charges the Ironwatch Rifles in the flank, looking to remove my unit strength on my own home objective… he lands a silly 5 damage, taking the horde up to 14, but the horde holds.

Neither the devastated Ironclad nor the devastated Crossbowmen are not found to be insane again, and the Guard simply pick them up and reform. The Guard fighting on my home objective regenerates the last bit of damage, and ending fresh. The other Guard go from 10 down to just 2 damage with hot Regen, and they reform, ready to fight.

The Warlock regenerates 1, and lands 2 damage with their Firebolts onto my outflanking Ironclad troop behind the building, taking them to 5 and getting the waver, saving and securing my opponent’s home objective in a potential Round 7.

We do not roll up a Round 7. We each hold our home objective, and then split the objectives on the wings, for a tie game. I was playing for a tie, and will gladly take it!

Game Conclusions

I had inklings on how to play the scenario, but I basically did not deploy well, and totally missed that there was no terrain that would slow the Abyssals down in that important central corridor. Being able to scout up to the obstacle became a goal that the rest of my deployment had to adjust for, but that position was foiled with our Cover discussion, which happened after deployment... It happens. I should have put the Rangers on the hill instead, and had a few more units a little more centrally. My brain was mush and I was winging a newer army against a brand new army.

Ever-competitive, Rob was wondering if there was a misplay of his anywhere, and honestly, not that I could See. I’m not a fan of Moloch troops nor Nagarri, but two Insane Courage results on doomed units is what kept him from winning this. Luck kept me alive this game, and I am happy to acknowledge that.

Testing Conclusions

• Stone Priest. I still think he’s a good purchase if you need Surge or a fancy spell, but Bloodboil is probably not the best fancy spell for him. Without a mount, the range is just too short for easy use. Blizzard is obviously up there for both power and utility, but I am purposefully trying to avoid it. I think Veil of Shadows might be fun for some defense if shooting picks up more, and Scorched Earth also looks nice, and would be fluffy.
• Flame Priest. The Flame Priest was again an ok general supporting spellcaster. The Fireball is alright, and having access to Bane Chant is still nice.
• Warsmiths. The Warsmiths are more limited, but still great at supporting Ironcraft units like the Rangers or the Ironwatch shooters. They even got some good uses out of their Pistols this game! If taking any shooting units, consider taking them to help out.
• Ironclad Troops. They were not used particularly well, and I think they should have been more centrally deployed. Still, they found uses, and I enjoyed running them.
• Ironwatch Rifle Horde. I committed the sin of deploying shooters centrally, and they struggled a bit. They ultimately held, but were not used particularly well.
• Ironwatch Crossbowmen Regiment. The regiment was ok? I liked being able to move and shoot (sorta, 6’s are needed at best), and they obviously struggled against Veil of Shadows as well. I don’t mind them though, as with their 4’s in Melee and for Defense they are ok generalists for their points.
• Shieldbreaker Regiments. They did fine. I think two hordes would be a bit too unwieldy for me right now, so I’m digging the current split while trying to improve and learn.
• Shieldbreaker Horde, Stone. Bumping up the Nerve with the Stone is fine if the points are there, and while the horde wasn’t used particularly well, there is protentional there. I like it, and seem like d good way for me to anchor a line and future lists. Focusing on and figuring out where this horde goes, and then dropping some supporting pieces to assist and protect would probably help me with future deployments.
• Ranger Regiments. They had a tough time with cover, but Pathfinder was a lot of fun. I was able to use Pathfinder for positional gain and scenario play well, and I do think that is how to think about using the ability these days.
• Berserker Brock Regiment. The aggression caught me off-guard, but was wise. I couldn’t back them up or save them, and the actual trade wasn’t great, but it did start gumming up that side of the board. If I only have one speedy unit (Berserker Lord on Brock, etc), I think it needs to primarily be used as deterrence – they can do work, but you don’t want to send them in alone, if you can help it. I’ll try to be more cautious in the future… or alternatively, run more speedy things!

We’ll continue blabbering. Since I had recently played the Abyssals myself, this was a very interesting match-up, and really got my inter-disciplinary brain thinking along a lot of odd paths, and I think there are a lot neat comparisons to be made between the Herd Guardian Brutes, Abyssal Guard, and Molochs. I knew the returning Abyssal Guard were going to be strong, but yowza! It kinda sucks to have your pet unit inexplicably buffed and suddenly on everyone’s radar.

Trying to keep this somewhat on rails though, for me, we’ll wrap things up a little more generally. For my games with the new Abyssals, I was pulling from my existing collection and trying to evaluate how some units had changed and see how they might be used, and for Rob, he was zeroing in a new list and style great for tournaments.

Rob was generally happy with the list, and the core of Imps, Gargoyles, Lower Abyssals, Abyssal Guard and Warlocks is definitely there, and very strong. He said this felt like playing his old 3E Halflings, which is odd, but after writing all this up, I’d actually agree.

The Halflings were a nightmare for an opponent to evaluate and effectively engage. There were multiple auras to weigh and consider, and 19” Striding Jugger Cavalry, Stealthy Poachers, and pesky Grenadier fliers to account for. These Abyssals were definitely playing in that same vein with different tools (Regeneration, Gargoyles, and stuff like the Ultimate Betrayal and Barkskin) – overloading the opponent with variables to consider and just waiting for me to make a mistake they could really capitalize on. I’m going to have my work cut out for me in the coming months! My brain was mush but  there was a lot to think about after all this. Thanks for the game Rob!

4th Edition: Battle #044 Free Dwarfs vs Abyssal Dwarfs in Wrack and Ruin

Intro and Lists

Scheduling has been a bit difficult over the summer months in particular, but Kings of War Wisconsin is still meeting up about once a month, which I'll count as a win. We had a decent showing for July, and my first opponent was Will, and his implacable Abyssal Dwarfs:

Will has always liked his Obsidian Golems, and for 4E, he's been implementing Golekh Skinflayer's ... uh... conscripted Ratkin and the like alongside them. The Golems lost their cannon but got a height decrease, if memory serves, so currently he's playing around with Golems and some taller Chariots as some of his heavy hitters, and because he had the points, he's proxying in a troop of Grotesques as well.

I brought the (mostly) Free Dwarfs to the meetup, looking to get some more experience with them. I wanted to avoid Warlords and focus more on units and Champions, with troops of Ironclad being the quirky take this time, instead of fancier support-slot slots. Up to experiment with and discuss is everything:

• Flame Priests. I am bullish on the Flame Priests, so we are doubling-down on them. While they can't really drop Fireball, this does synergize nicely with any shooting units, as well as the Throwing Mastiffs from the Command Orders. I think these are a decent buy, and we'll see how they perform.
• Warsmiths. These are really useful if you have any shooting units, as the Elite Aura can be very beneficial to boosting their damage output. We have a fair amount of shooting units, so we're taking two Warsmiths, and seeing what we can accomplish.
• Ironclad Troops. The quirky pick for this build! I few opponents have used similar units against me, so we're trying to borrow those ideas and apply them here. The hope is that they can cheaply play scenarios, or be troublesome screens for something like the Shieldbreakers. I have four troops, so we're really committing to the idea and taking them all. 
• Ironwatch Rifle Horde. They've done fine previously, and I want a healthy shooting component right now, so we'll keep trying them out. I tend to stick they very centrally, which has not been great, so we'll try to avoid that this time.
• Ironwatch Crossbowmen Regiment. I had an odd 125 points left, and instead of more Ironclad, opted for some Crossbows. The Ironwatch have 4+ for Melee and Defense, so they are surprisingly sticky.
• Shieldbreaker Regiments. I've had to eat some crow, and the regiments have done quite for me as a second-line. We'll take them out again, and see if I can have any success behind the Ironclad troops.
• Shieldbreaker Horde, Stone. We're taking a horde, and hoping to get the charge! We're trusting in the Ironclad troops, so will try to devote two troops to protecting the horde. With some extra points, we'll give them the Staying Stone, and see if they can't brawl just a little bit longer for me.
• Ranger Regiments. These have had some tough games previously, but have still done what I needed them to do, and performed well overall. While they haven't had any breakout performances yet, I am still bullish on them, and so we're taking them to supplement the Ironwatch picks. 
• Berserker Brock Riders. I wanted a little bit of speed to project threat, so we're taking the Brock Riders and the Boots, as one does with cavalry regiments these days. Fearless has been amazing, and they can do good work. However, they are an obvious threat, and usually need to be traded away for something. Still, these guys have really been a good distraction for the rest of the list in other games, so we'll see how they do here.

It's some Dwarf-on-Abyssal Dwarf violence! What's not to love?

Table and Terrain

We were out at Lost Trove in New Berlin, a nerdy collectables shop. They snatched up a lot of the banquet-style folding tables and even a bunch of terrain from Gamers Realm when they closed, and have been very welcoming to us. Thanks John! Check them out if you are in the area. 

Not sure of the store's terrain situation, I had brought my own mats and terrain, which we utilized today, though probably can pare a bit in the future. We had Forests with Height 10, the blocking Buildings at Height 7, Hills with Height 3, and the battlefield as Height 1 and and shallow pond as Height 0, and Obstacles as Height 2. I will note that we should probably experiment more with higher terrain, and I'll try to do that in the future, maybe with the graveyards for my spooky board.

Overview of the battlefield.

We got Wrack and Ruin for the scenario, which is a messy one, and also uses progressive scoring, which is neat, but complicated... There are two "objectives" with 12" radius scoring zones on the center line. Starting in Round 3, at the end of the Round, we check to see who controls each, using majority footprint for calculating unit strength, and thus control of the zone. The victor gets a VP for each zone held. This scoring happens at the end of Round 3, 4, and 5. These zones do not score in Round 6 or beyond. At the end of the game, (maybe in Round 6, maybe in Round 7) there is an basic Objective Marker with a 3" radius scoring zone in the exact center of the battlefield. If a player controls this at the very end of the game, again with majority footprint and unit strength, one more VP will be up for grabs.

View from the left.

Left-to-right for the deployment of the Abyssal Dwarfs we have Ratkin and Raktin on the line, with Blacksouls in reserve, and an Iron Caster with Heal, Bane Chant, and the Crown of the Wizard King overseeing things. 

View from the assorted Crossbows, to the left of center.

The center had Golems with Liliana's Tear, perpendicular Gargoyles and a Death Engine Chariot behind, then the Golems with the Blessing of the Gods with the Surging Iron Caster behind, then the Golems with the Brew of Strength, and another perpendicular Gargoyle with another Death Engine Chariot, and another angled Gargoyle. I believe he was wary of shooting, with regards to the slightly-wider Gargoyles. On the right, wary of my Brocks ending up out here, he dropped the Grotesques, as well as Golekh himself.

View on the right.

I won the roll for sides, and was lazy, as things looked very fair with the table. Left to right for the Free Dwarfs is a troop of Ironclad, Rifles on the line, a Warsmith supporting and Shieldbreakers in reserve. The center had Crossbowmen with a supporting Warsmith, and then both Ranger units. 

We then have an Ironclad Troop with Shieldbreakers behind, more Ironclad blocking for a Flame Priest and the Ironclad Horde, more Ironclad, the second Flame Priest, and finally, the Brocks were my last drop. I considered putting the Brocks behind the pond but, with the Grotesques down, opted to try and bully them with my longer charge range. 

Scout moves!

I remembered my Scout moves for the Rangers, and moved up those 4 inches, ready to take some early shoots into the Ratkin. I then luck out, winning the turn roll. Given how the scenario scores, having the bottom of the round can be very beneficial, as you can react and potentially fight your opponent off the objectives before things calculate and score. Waiting should also net me some better shots, but I was eager to fight, and went with the first turn.

Top of Round 1: Free Dwarfs

On the left, the Ironclad move ahead at the double, positioning to intercept the opposing hordes, and the Shieldbreakers do the same. The Ironwatch Rifles move up, pivot, and continue on until they are touching the obstacle, and can ignore it for determining Cover in future turns. With Reload though, they cannot fire this turn.

The Free Dwarfs grab ground while they can.

On the other side of the building, The Crossbowmen move up to join the Rangers. The need 6’s to hit the Ratkin nearer the middle of the table, but do land 2, which converts into 2 damage. The Rangers hold and take aim, though one has a cover penalty. They land a combined 8 damage, taking the Ratkin up to 10 damage.

A cautious center. We don't want to fight the Golems.

Elsewhere, the Dwarf line moves up, but only slightly. We can’t score until Round 3, and I don’t fancy my chances grinding against three Def6 regiments, so we’ll try and be patient.

The Brocks attempt to encourage the Grotesques to leave.

On the far right, the Brocks move their eight inches up and then pivot. Since we’re measuring from the nearest points for distance calculations, I am threatening a charge into the Grotesques, while being safe from the slower unit.

I think if I angled the other way I could still zone things out effectively, but this isn’t bad. I’m trying to force a decision from my opponent, and pressure him into cutting and running.

Bottom of Round 1: Abyssal Dwarfs

My opponent decides to commit on the right, tossing up Gargoyles to complicate things. I’ll need a pivot to get around them, so he then hides the Grotesques in a spot I can’t reach, while keeping Golek back and safe.

Gargoyles come to the aid of the Grotesques.

Additionally, in their cozy nook, the Grotesques gained a few inches, and being so tall, can see the Brocks and are them with a charge now, which is a good play.

The line of Golems scooch ahead.

Centrally, the Golems all scoot forward, keeping a tidy line. The Death Engines stay close behind, peering above them, and the Iron Caster keeps pace, and casts no spells.

The Ratkin are let loose in the general direction of the Free Dwarf lines.

Out on the right, my opponent opts to blitz. Both Ratkin hordes scamper out, stopping just shy of their max move, so that they can line up their front corners and prevent any larger units from getting any flanks.

The Blacksouls are hesitant to fully commit to the hill with all the shooting, and so while they have a bit of their front facing on the hill to see, their center point is not on the hill, so they’ll have cover.

Top of Round 2: Free Dwarfs

We have multiple hordes of Ratkin Slaves staring us down, but I think we have the tools to deal with this.

The Ironguard move to block-

From the far left, the Ironclad troop sprints ahead, stopping just short of the Rats and bracing themselves. The Shieldbreakers move up, and the Warsmith grants them a throwing Mastiff, which is soon tossed at the blocked horde.

The Mastiff chomps 2 damage onto the Rats, and the Warsmith’s takes aim with his Pistol, contributing 2 damage as well. The Rifles unload, and do ridiculously, landing 10 damage (6ish is expected from them, even with Elite). The Rats are fine, but suddenly, this horde is on 14 damage.

-and shooting does its thing.

The other horde starts on 10 damage. The Rangers loose, and actually underperform, landing just 8 damage instead of the expected ~11, but the Crossbowmen contribute 4, and cumulatively, this is enough to break the Ratkin horde. I was expecting a waver, but their nerve is pretty low, and the early damage from the Rangers really paid off here.

The Golems scooch ahead again, keeping a tight line.

Centrally, the Free Dwarfs continue scooching up, staying well out of charge range of the Golems. I am happy to play things slow here.

On the right, the Brocks back up and pivot a bit, getting out of charge range of the Grotesques, and trusting their brothers in arms to deal with the Gargoyles. Unfortunately, since the Ironclad only moved up 4” last turn, we are just barely out of charge range to get them in the flank. Shooting is called for.

The Brocks fall back while dogs are distributed.

Dogs are granted to the Ironclad on the hill, and the Ironclad that cannot charge. The Flame Priest in the woods holds, and has their center point in the forest. They lob a strong Fireball, landing 5 damage, and the Mastiff from the nearby troop gnaws a 2 onto them, and a waver is looking strong.

More Gargoyles dispatched.

The second Flame Priest is not actually in range, which I think is just how short dwarf legs work. I don’t think there was a way to get them in to cast. However, the Ironclad on the hill toss their Mastiff, and it’s apparently death from above, with the Mastiffs rolling blisteringly hot with 4 more damage onto the Gargoyles, devastating them, and routing them at range.

Bottom of Round 2: Abyssal Dwarfs

My opponent is on the back foot. He needs to move up to have a chance at scoring the scenario, but the early shooting has been hot.

The Grotesques try to maximize their changes here.

On the right, the Grotesques do their best, getting up by the obstacle. The Ironclad can’t reach, and the Brocks will be hindered unless they pop their boots. Golekh also stays safe, while granting the Grotesques the Last Breath Command, meaning if I break them in melee, my units will take damage.

The Golems continue trudging forward. The Iron Caster grants a Mutated Mastiff to the Death Engine, and the Ratkin eagerly fling it over the Golems and into a troop of Ironclad, landing 2 damage.

Gargoyles fly up to try to distract the shooters for a turn.

Gargoyles now fly up to gum up my Rangers, though since it kept it’s perpendicular alignment on approach, this is not a charge.

The Ironclad hold the line against the Rats.

The left is messy. Originally, the Ratkin get the Last Breath command and charge. The rule was updated, and instead of needing to survive, the unit can alternatively immediately sacrifice themselves to blow up. In the end, my opponent winds this back, choosing to Bane Chant them instead, and stick them in combat.

The Rats will cut 4 damage onto the Ironclad troop, but the troop holds. The Blacksouls stay relatively where they were, still watching and waiting, menacingly.

Top of Round 3: Free Dwarfs

On the left, we’re going with a shooting approach to try and sidestep the potential explosion from a melee. The Shieldbreakers inch up, staying more than 8” away from the Blacksouls. The Warsmith attempts to pass them a Mastiff, but fails. Ironclad troop attempt to withdraw, passes, and stagger through their comrades, wavered.

The Ironclad troop withdraws.

The Rifles fire, and land their more reasonable 6 damage into the horde, with the dogs contributing 3, and the Warsmith landing 2 damage, and the Rats are shot off.

Over here, the Rifles are actually scoring for me, as are the Crossbowmen, so it will be tough for my opponent to score this zone this round.

The Rangers prep some dogs instead.

I am measuring, and all but the golden rangers are actually safe from the Golems this round. The Rangers move back to safety, but this puts their center point outside of the terrain. The Warsmith grants them a Mastiff instead, which lands 3 damage onto the Gargoyles. The Rangers land a solid 6 damage (about as expected), and the Crossbows roll slightly hot again, landing 4 damage instead of the expected 3, and in total, this is all enough to devastate and rout the Gargoyles too.

Ironclad block in the center.

Centrally, the injured Ironclad move up, and parallel with the Shieldbreaker regiment. Against all this Def6, I really need to protect my Shieldbreakers. They are granted a Mastiff, and toss it defiantly into the Golems, but nothing lands.

On the right, I really don’t want to charge the Grotesques. Thankfully, since the Brocks have been shuffling around, they have a possible charge into the Golems near the building. Extra nice, an Ironclad troop also has a charge, and both go in, with the Brocks using their boots.

Victory for the Berserker Brocks!

The Ironclad troops should be able to block things up, so a Flame Priest approaches to grant a Bane Chant onto the Brocks.

The Shieldbreaker horde moves up, but stays out of range of the Grotesques, though there probably isn’t a way they can get in. another Ironclad troop moves up a bit, and is granted another Mastiff. We get 6 hits but only 1 damage. This Flame Priest tries to lob a Fireball into the Grotesques with a cover penalty, but lands no hits.

The charge goes well. The simple Ironclad land 1 damage, though the Bane-Chanted and Boot-wearing Brocks do the heavy-lifting, with a hot 14 damage, and we break the Golems. It’s some hot dice here – looks like the Brocks were only expected to do 10ish damage, even with the Bane-Chant, which makes sense hitting on 4’s.

In victory, I forget about the proxied chariot. The Brocks reform fine, but the Ironclad should probably be angled differently.

Bottom of Round 3: Abyssal Dwarfs

Golekh sees the time to strike, and swings around the obstacle. The Grotesques don’t like it, since the Shieldbreaker horde is right there, but they do in against the Ironclad troop, while getting another Last Breath command. They land 4 damage, and some good Nerve checks will break the troop.

The Death Engine’s cloak is active, but it will whir to life and slam into the Berserker Brocks, landing 5 damage due to some low attack dice.

The Grotesques make a charge, and win their fight.

The Golems are penned in by the Ironclad Troops, and each will charge one. The first is hindered, going into the troop trying to protect the Brocks, and will land 4 damage, and the troop will hold.

The second will make a clean charge into the troop blocking for the regiment of Shieldbreakers, though the alignment is messy due to the other combats. The screen will take 8 damage, and break, but reforms are greatly limited. Unless something got bumped, and overrun might have been possible, but they look to just change facing, wary of a rear charge from the Rangers.

The Death Engine slams in.

With the Golems lurching into combat, the other Death Engine is free to charge, and sputters ahead, slamming cleanly into the silver-helmed Rangers. Five damage lands, but we’re Inspired, and hold.

On the left, the Blacksouls can’t escape the hill, but can use it to their advantage. With their center point not on the hill, they’ll still be getting cover as they inch forward. The Iron Caster grants them a Mutated Mastiff, and it gnaws 3 more damage onto the Ironclad troop, and I believe they are wavered.

Mutated Mastiffs mangle the Ironclad troop.

At the end of the Round, there is Golekh (2), Grotesques (1), the Death Engine (2), and one unit of Golems (2) for 7 US for the Abyssal Dwarfs. The Free Dwarfs have Shieldbreakers (4), Flame Priest (1), second Flame Priest (1), Brocks (2), and Ironclad (1) for 9 US, and the Free Dwarfs score this zone.

On the left, the Abyssal Dwarfs should have the Death Engine (2) scoring, but the Free Dwarfs should have the Ironwatch Rifles (4) and Crossbows (2), so the Free Dwarfs should score this zone as well, putting me 2-0.

Top of Round 4: Free Dwarfs

On the left, I believe the Ironclad troop are wavered, but actually make a Headstrong roll to shake it off. They gather just enough of their wits to move at the double towards the dangerous Blacksouls.

The left continues to try and delay the arrival of the Blacksouls.

The Shieldbreakers are granted a Mastiff, which lands 3, with cover, the Warsmith contributes nothing, and the Rifles only land 2, taking the Blacksouls up to 5. It’s damage, but it looks like I’ll need help out here.

Everything does into the Death Engine.

Ultimately, I charge everything into the Death Engine. With the little hammer on the board, I looks like I tried a Fury of the Ancients to help the Rangers out… which would be illegal as they are keyworded for Ironcraft, and not Holdfast nor Berserker. My apologies to my opponent! This was tweaked recently, but even jumping between armies I should know better, as while the rule changed a bit, the valid targets had not. I deal 13 damage in total (looks like without the Fury, 12ish should be expected, so 4's to hold), and uninspired, the Death Engine does break. The expected outcome is still the same, but again my apologies for goofing this, as I absolutely hate making errors in my favor.

Messy reforms.

For reforms, the Crossbowmen sidestep toward the middle of the field, getting an inch. The silver-helmed Rangers sidestep towards the left to create some space, and the gold-helmed Rangers are able to change facing, to get the Golems in front arc.

Centrally, the Shieldbreakers ignore the Golems in front of them, and come to aid of the Ironclad, hitting the other unit of Golems in the Flank, with a Flame Priest landing the Bane Chant.

The Flame Priest from the far right is able to land a Fury onto the Brocks (Berserkers, a legal target!), and will also hit a Bant Chant for them too. With the command landing, the more central Flame Priest attempts and lands one on the injured Ironclad (Holdfast, also a legal target!), and lands a Bane Chant on the flanking Shieldbreakers too… Lots and lots of hot dice from me, passing a Headstrong check, three 5+ commands, and two 4+ Bane Chants.

The last positional thing is the Flame Priest on the right being able to adjust, and prevent the Shieldbreakers from sliding down and being hindered when they go in against the Grotesques.

A bit o a blurry picture, but you get the idea.

The Shieldbreakers wallop the Grotesques, and overrun, blocking Golekh out. The Berserker Brocks, with Fury and Bane Chant, land 8 damage, and will actually pick up the Death Engine, though it explores, hitting the Brocks for 6 in return.

The Ironclad are out for sweet revenge and land 3 to the Golems in front of them, and the Shieldbreakers, buffed with ancestral Fury and Bane Chant, deal 11 in the flank. On 14 damage, the Golems are found to be insane.

Bottom of Round 4: Abyssal Dwarfs

The Blacksouls get a small Heal, going down to 4, and they’ll thump an unfathomable 17 new damage onto the Ironclad troop. An overrun doesn’t do much with the table edge, so they reposition, with the Iron Caster staying safe.

The Blacksouls fell the Ironclad, and reform.

Some Golems flank the Shieldbreakers, landing a bonkers 20 damage, and will pic the regiment up and reform again, still wary of a rear charge from my Rangers, though I look super far away here. I don't know for sure what the thinking was.

The Golems smash, and then reform.

The insane Golems get a Heal 3, going down to 11, and bash the Ironclad troop away for good. They are still injured, but staring down Brocks. Still, my opponent is able to reform, and the Brocks will be forced to fight them, instead of getting a juicy rear charge into the fresh regiment.

Aftermath of the brawls on the right.

Golekh considers fleeing, but moved up so close that he cannot get away from the Shieldbreakers, so he feels forced to charge in, and he’ll land 5 damage, but the horde will hold.

On the right, the Abyssal Dwarfs have Golems (2) and Golekh (2) for 4 Unit Strength The Free Dwarfs have Brocks (2), Flame Priest (1), the Shield Breakers (4), and maybe even second Flame Priest (1), easily controlling this zone.

On the left, the Abyssal Dwarfs are not contesting, but the Free Dwarfs should have Ironwatch Rifles (4), Ironwatch Crossbows (2), and maybe a Ranger unit now as well. We win this, putting the Free Dwarfs up 4-0.

The other game is still going, so we continue on as well. Unfortunately, given that the scenario has progressive scoring, and the most my opponent can possibly score now is 3, the game is out of reach for him, which sucks all around.

Top of Round 5: Free Dwarfs

On the left, we can’t really fight the Blacksouls in melee, so are forced to offer up the Shieldbreakers as more bait. They get a Mastiff, and it will happily chomp 4 damage on them. The Warsmith’s Pistol lands 2 damage, even with cover, and the Rifles land a few as well, taking the enemy horde up to 12 damage.

More shooting into the Blacksouls.

It’s ok progress, but I am almost out of delaying units. I’m going to need more help to break the horde, so Rangers book it from the center, coming to aid the left, but cannot fire this turn.

In retrospect, while this approach sorta works, I don't like it. I was really trying to focus on my shooting, but I had blinders on. I'm shooting with cover penalties here, with how I've been chaffing the horde up, the Rifles are almost out of position! I should be moving and pivoting the Rifles now, taking the turn to reform, while the fighty unit does its thing. The Shieldbreakers should not be chaff here.

The Crossbowmen move towards the center.

In the center, the Golems do have a charge into the Rangers, but I don’t think I have one into them. The Crossbowmen move up to block. The Rangers fire with a cover penalty, but land nothing into the obsidian skin of the constructs.

The Brocks take their charge into the injured but insane Golems. We fail a bane Chant, but starting on 11 damage, we’ll still pick them up, and then reform, to threaten the rear of the remaining Golems.

The Brocks break a second group of Golems.

The Shieldbreakers will punch back against Golekh. Fury of the Ancients is attempted and failed by both Flame Priests here, though Bane Chant does land from the spellcaster in the forest.

The horde will thump the expected 11 damage onto the Abyssal Dwarf Warlord, but Golekh will be found to be insanely courageous, even as the rest of his army crumbles.

Bottom of Round 5: Abyssal Dwarfs

Golekh lands another 2 damage onto the Shieldbreakers, taking them to 7 damage, but they hold, as should probably be expected.

The Free Dwarfs hold against Golekh's mighty swings.

The central Iron Caster has nothing to help the Golems right now, so flees, getting out of the way. The Golems charge the Crossbowmen, landing 8 damage, but fail to break them.

The Golems fail to break the Crossbowmen.

The Blacksouls get Bane Chant, and carve 14 damage onto the Shieldbreakers, breaking them and reforming. They continue to use the hill well, keeping their center point off it for cover, and are able to reform to keep doing that here. If I was more diligent, I might have been able to position the Shieldbreakers better to prevent this, but we’re doing better than fine.

The Blacksouls claim the Shieldbreakers, and reform.

At the end of the round, the Abyssal Dwarfs have Golekh (2) on the right, while the Free Dwarfs have the Shieldbreaker horde (4), plus plenty of other things, scoring this zone for the Free Dwarfs.

On the left, the Blacksouls are still not in a position to score this, and the Free Dwarfs have this as well, putting me at 6-0.

Top of Round 6: Free Dwarfs

On the left, the Rifles are threatened, by the Blacksouls, and I think the Abyssal Dwarfs are even lined-up for a flank charge. The Rifles move up and reposition, with the Warsmith sprinting to get to safety near the building. They cannot fire, but the Warsmith grants them a Mastiff, and the Rangers take aim, but only 1 damage lands out here.

The Brocks come crashing in.

Stalled up on the Crossbows, the Golems are rear-charged by the Brocks, who hit cleanly. We fast-forward this combat, as 30ish damage is expected from the rear charge.

The Shieldbreakers end the contest on the right.

The Shieldbreakers fight on against Golekh, and will break him this round, and reform.

Bottom of Round 6: Abyssal Dwarfs

On the left, the Blacksouls are injured, but can charge the Ironwatch Rifles, getting a Bane Chant to help, from the Iron Caster. I don’t record the damage in my notes. They take a lot, but the Rifles hold, and are looking to get flanked by Rangers if there is a Round 7.

The Blacksouls fight the rifles, though the objective isn't worth anything now.

Centrally, to his credit, the Iron Caster (1) is contesting the objective, but with a small radius and just needing to touch the zone, the Brocks (2) are here as well, and will wrest control of it, should the game end here...

The Iron Caster defiantly swings his staff menacingly at the Berserker Brocks.

...and it does, making this a 7-0 win for the Free Dwarfs.

Game Conclusion

Progressive scoring is a neat idea, and in theory, can provide for a neck-and-neck game, but it can also get out of hand, and really spoil the experience if there aren’t ways to catch-up in the late game, as clearly demonstrated here. Additionally, it does create a lot of extra bookkeeping, which was a little bothersome.

My opponent absolutely played a good game. He had plans and plays for each zone, and even had a go at the center objective at the end. Blitzing with the Rats was actually a strong option, and it would have been very stressful had he gotten to go first, as he could have been threatening my scouting Rangers in Round 2! Even on the backfoot, he was able to get value out of his Blacksouls, and had good decisions and positioning calls throughout the game and across the battlefield.

My particular list, it was all about shooting and tempo. The scenario demanded movement, and the shooting definitely carried me, letting me deal with Gargoyles and such without being forced to trade units away early on. Going first was ultimately wise, and very impactful for my outcome here. It let me start to accrue damage immediately on the left, even though not everything was able to shoot; while also gaining enough ground on the right to give myself some engagement options as the game progressed. I had pretty good decisions throughout, but also better-than-average dice throughout. This plus a favorable scenario for my kind of list, led to a strong victory here.

Testing Conclusions

• Flame Priests. A little wonky, as Fireball is so erratic, but they did great supporting the wider line, and are a nice all-rounder supporting character.
• Warsmiths. These did well supporting all my shooters, and Elite, as-ever, was very useful. A great supporting character for the Ironwatch!
• Ironclad Troops. I was expecting to not like these, or at least not like having four of them. With such a wide line though, all four were actually useful, and were hard for my oppoent to deal with. Shooting dealt with the opposing Gargoyles well, allowing these to really gum things up.
• Ironwatch Rifle Horde. We had to reposition twice, and they had some cover penalties, which was not ideal. Still, they held ground, did the damage I needed from them against the Rats, and played the scenario well for me.
• Ironwatch Crossbowmen Regiment. Surprisingly useful! A little extra shooting was very welcome against the Rats, and decent fighting stats meant they did ok all around. 
• Shieldbreaker Horde. We got an unhindered charge off against the Grotesques, which is no easy task! They need chaff, but these were used well.
• Shieldbreaker Regiments. They both did well, each taking up space and giving me options as the game progressed. The one on the left didn't really get to fight, but got to throw a lot of Dogs and slowed thing down for me.
• Ranger Regiments. Still fun! Useful, but they really lucked out being against low-Nerve Rats early on.
• Berserker Brock Riders. A charge, buffed counter-charge, and a rear charge too! They really lucked out on the first engagement, and then were able to snowball things for me. An MVP for this game, but incredibly lucky to get to that point.

It is always a pleasure to see Will. He is one of the most decisive players I have played, and I still love the look and am digging the new theme of his Abyssal Dwarfs. He’s working on a slick new Ogre army, a faction that actually doesn’t really show up too much around here. I’m looking forward to seeing those, and him again soon! Thanks for the game!