Tuesday, February 17, 2026

4th Edition: Battle #022 FoN (Herd) vs Orcs in Control


Intro and Lists

We had two big wins and two big losses so far, and in a very tough room, we were still somehow in the middle of the pack. Our opponent f-+r the last game was Dan, the only Chicagoland player that was able to make it up to play in the GT. He had a wonderfully painted Mantic army that really pops on the table with the pale basing and bright skin, and he was running some very fun Orcs:


It is a scary list! My prediction was that folks would be starting the edition with regiments, but move over to hordes as builds got more optimized, but Dan was there already! Two hordes of Riftforged are scary with Rage involved, not to mention four Regiments of Morax! The Gore Riders and Tundra Wolves were smart additions, with some nice speed to interdict as-needed to protect the infantry.


I was running the Herd, and gave some more detailed thoughts on the list here. The Hordes and cavalry were going to be trouble for me here. I’d need to apply pressure with the Herders, hope they survived, and then try to pounce.

Table and Terrain

The event was in Reedsburg, WI, and we were throwing down at the neat, multifunctional community center. The Forests were Height 10, the Buildings Height 7, Hills 3, Obstacles were actual sticks as Height 2, but just for cover purposes. Being a Northwoods event we had an extra hill or forest, getting the former in this case. It looks like we're missing a flat piece of terrain here, unless it is under my notes or something.

At some previous Northwoods events, we had used a nifty veto and pick system for scenarios here, but that was tossed this time. If players were playing different scenarios, scoring needed to distill things down to just Win / Loss / Draw, and led to a lot of ties, even with a separate attrition score. This time, we were using the Mantic Companion, the most okayest tournament program, and all playing the same scenario, which was revealed as the match-ups were announced.

Game 5 was the final game of the GT, and we were ending things with Control. The board is split into six 2’x2’ squares. The middle one on your opponent’s side is worth 2 Points to you, everything else is worth one point. After some ties, I won the roll for sides. I was indecisive, so I was lazy here.

Deployment on the left and in center.

On the line, the Orcish left had the Stormslayer, with the horde of Riftforged, and Morax ni the field. Gore-Riders were on the flank, and Morax, a Riftforger, Tundra Wolves and the Godspeaker were all in reserve. The line continued with the second Riftforged Horde with J-Boots and Morax on the line, with Tundra Wolves behind the horde, and Morax and Thonaar in reserve, with more Gore-Riders on the flank.

Deployment on the right.

My gut said to commit hard to the left, and not but anything to the right of the building on my side… but I’ve had a good run, and wanted to experiment a bit with the list. We’re going a little rogue as the GT concludes…

For the Herd we have Tribesmen with Critters in reserve, angled Brutes with the Unicorn Druid and the big Heal in reserve. The Chieftain is in the woods nearby, with Longhorns, Brutes, and a Tree Herder to the left of the building, with Critters in reserve.

My right had Brutes, Longhorns, a Tree Herder, and Critters all on the line, with the Druid and the Banner in reserve.

Scout moves! I remembered in 4 our of 5 games.

I remember my Scout moves, and then win the roll for turn-order. While there is an argument to be made for going second in a scenario like Control, especially with Pathfinding units now, against the speed of the Riders and Wolves, I think I want to try and apply my early pressure.

Top of Round 1: Herd

On the left, Tribal Warriors take the hill, and Critters take the inside track. The building is more or less the dividing line for the left zones, so we’re trying to pressure a bit here while scoring.

The Unicorn Druid hides behind the building. We’re a supporting spellcaster, so just trying to keep her protected for now.

Positioning on the left.

Guardian Brutes move up and out of the woods, as do the Longhorns, and the second unit of Brutes. We’re all threatening charges next turn, and I don’t think we even need the Wild Charge from the Chieftain. The Tree Herder gets up to threaten as well, and should be just over 10” away, so my opponent would need to use his Wild Charge Command instead of Green Rage, if he’s going into the Herder. I also make sure to keep the Horde with the J-Boots in front arc.

Obstacles slow the Herd down on the right, because I am a forgetful dummy sometimes.

On the right, I go to move up and am called out for going at the double-over an obstacle. After several days of gaming, my brain is mushy, we pause, check Pathfinder, and indeed, obstacles still trip me up, so these moves are less aggressive than I’d like.

Bottom of Round 1: Orcs

My opponent spends a fair bit of time thinking. On the right, the Gore Riders get just atop the hill, trying to threaten the Tree Herder. The hills on this table are Styrofoam and slippery, so despite several attempts, we leave them off the hill. Even the blank base wouldn’t stay where he wanted it. Morax get onto the hill to see better, with more Morax in reserve.

The Orcs inch up on the right.

The horde of Riftforged with the J-Boots inch up, insuring that the Tree Herder will end in terrain (though I don’t care, thanks to Strider on my barky monster). The Wolves and Thonaar alight in a tight, flush stack.

On the left. We are doing great for clock time.

The orcs on the left back up, getting out of my maximum 13” charge range. The Moraxes and Riftforged horde are still in terrain, as are the Tundra Wolves, who again, are aligned flush up with the horde.

Top of Round 2: Herd

On the left, the Tribal Warriors adjust slightly on the hill, and should be safe from the Gore-Riders. I am ok with a bit of a standoff out here, as it takes a very speedy thing out of the engagement equation, so the Critters flit over by the building, will stay protected, and will be ready to run up to help me gain some ground next turn.

Positioning on the left.

I don’t need much, so again, the Brutes inch up to threaten charges. We keep things in front arc, and the weaker Longhorns stay just a bit back so the wide Riftforged Horde on the left can’t somehow get in against them with a spicy wild charge. I think the Horde on the right would get in with a spicey Wild Charge, but the math feels like I should still survive that, since they won’t be getting any Rage to help them out. Rallied and Inspired, that seems like a risk worth taking.

Positioning in the Left and Center.

The Tree Herder finagles his positioning a bit. I don’t recall the specifics. The Morax on the right on the hill can’t see him, and I think he’s just over 10” to force the J-Boot horde to both use their boots and get a Wild Charge Order if they want to engage.

Stuff out on the right.

On the right, we try to pressure a bit more, hoping to draw something out. Critters hop up, easily keeping the Gor-Riders in front arc, and are blocking for the Tree Herder. The Brutes inch up, but I think are still on the fence, though we toss the terrain to the side. The Longhorns move up, staying just out of 16” from the Gore-Riders, who technically have a front face on the hill and can see things.

Bottom of Round 2: Orcs

After more consideration, the Orcs continue to back away. This is not the game I was anticipating, and we seem to have found the most conservative Orc general ever! In chatting, he admitted he is often against Ogres, and with my Brutes very reminiscent of Ogres, he’s wary of engaging.

The Gore-riders on the hill back up, as do the Morax regiment in reserve, and Morax regiment on the hill.

Sheesh, more hesitant orcs.

Thonaar sidesteps, and the Tundra Wolves blink through the line. I point this out, but my opponent asserts that we ignore friendly units in the movement phase. Consciously trying not to sweat the small stuff for the weekend, we let this slide, but with the Riftforged horde also backing up, and the Wolves and Orcs starting the turn stacked and flush, there is no way the pivots for the Wolves could be clear to get them here.

Bottom of Round 2, I was trying to take pictures exclusively on my turn, and have advanced my die already.

Again, the Morax and horde of Riftforged inch back to safety, and the Stormslayer, Morax, and Gore on the left all move to get safe if they need to as well.

His turn order tracker fell off the building in Round 2 here, leading to some eventual confusion later on as to what round we're on. Thankfully, I have notes. 

Top of Round 3: Herd

I consider suggesting very gentlemanly draw game with no losses… but c’mon, it’s Orcs and Herd in Game 5! We should be brawling here! I try to force the issue this round.

The Critters screen for the Tree Herder.

The Tribal Warriors on the left pivot, move, and pivot, getting out of arc of the Gore Riders, and with Pathfinder, they should be able to get into a nice position next round, either to threaten, or to play the scenario. The Druid tucks in harder behind the building.

More screening Critters in the center.

The Critters hop up and pivot, and the Brutes get behind them, keeping the left-facing flush to deny the Stormslayer a cheeky charge. The Longhorns inch up to threaten, the Chieftain stays safe. More Critters hop with Brutes bulling in flush and behind, and the Tree Herder adds to the geometry puzzle up here as well. We’re so close that the Orcs have lots of options, but with hindered charges and no great spots for the horde, I’m mostly happy here.

The Tribal Warriors can't quite reach yet, but set-up to be annoying later.

On the right, the Brutes inch up and clear the obstacle, and I remember that I do have some old official Kings of War sticks with me, and use them to mark the footprint of the obstacle. The Longhorns inch up as well, but stay just behind the Brutes, to try and prevent the Tundra Wolves from getting into the Weaker Longhorns. The Druid is in-tow. The Critters and Tree Herder inch up as well, looking to keep the pressure on over here, or at least try to keep the Orcs in their corner.

Bottom of Round 3: Orcs

The pivots through friendly units comes up again, and we pause the clock early in the turn to nail this down. You can move through friendly units, but pivots need to be clear, and this is clearly stated in the accompanying picture for Unit Interpenetration on p17. After the event, Dan shared with me the source of his perspective, which was a FAQ in process, coming out of an Australian group, saying units ignore friendly units entirely in the movement phase. I get trying to let players make the moves they want, but the FAQ is not official, and I don’t think likely to stand or get much traction or adoption if it ever is published. Fliers could be making these pivots as long as they are still landing clear, but not ground units, and we’ll hold my opponent to that this round.

(Update on February 26th, after the 1.0 FAQ: Amazingly, the FAQ snip shared with me seems to have both been legit and have been published without any additional clarification. The answer that you can “effectively more through the friendly units as if they were not there” is a wildly irresponsible and unhelpful reply, and being able to start a pivot while overlapping a friend unit is also bizarre to me. That said, since neither the FAQ nor the Errata are striking the rules on p17,  while you can now apparently overlap a friendly unit and then start a pivot for some reason, we still need to END any pivot clear of friendly units.)

On the right, the Gore-Riders and Morax units go into the screening Critters, and the Tundra Wolves, who erroneously made it to the front-line last turn cleverly decline to charge, and instead just move up to gum up responses from the Brutes and Longhorns. Nice move! The Morax regiment stays in reserve, and Thonaar moves into the woods to aid the Horde of Riftforged. 

Aftermath of the orc clashes on the right.

The Gore-Riders and Morax easily pop the Critters, and the Gore-Riders reform to try and make things awkward for the Tree Herder. I have front charges into both, but could be exposed if I engage and don’t break something.

The Horde of Riftforged with the Boots pop them, and makes their front charge into the Tree Herder, and the Orcs have more tools here than I anticipated. Fortunately, I luck out a bit. A Rage fails, but another attempt succeeds, and importantly, Bane Chant fails over here as well. The Blasts are big and the damage rolls hot though, and even with Def6, I’m taking 8 damage, and I am a little scared.

Orc breakthroughs in the center.

The Tundra Wolves are hindered into Critters, and I think I should be good, but they land a ridiculous 6 damage of 7 attacks, will break them and overrun to block me up. Things get a little jumbled, but I concede that my Brutes can’t pivot around here.

The Longhorns take a hindered charge from some Morax, and a charge from the Stormslayer. I have a copy of the list, but was thinking that the Morax hit on 4’s innately. They hit on 3’s innately, and I am in trouble. I think the Riftforger lands a Rage, and the Morax spike, landing 19 hits despite being hinndered, and the Longhorns will be shredded between those and the Stormslayer. Yikes! In victory, one of the units sidesteps to create a little space, but I don’t recall which one.

View from the left.

On the left, the Gore-Riders have a flank charge into the Critters, and the Morax have front charge, but both will be hindered by the obstacle, which was replaced with another one of my sticks. A silly 18 damage lands against the Critters, with the Gore-Riders side-stepping towards their deployment zone, and the Morax overrunning to face the Brutes.

To allow all these charges, the second Horde of Riftforged, out on the left of the formation, need to spin awkwardly in the terrain to make way.

The Movement Phase took around 30 minutes as my opponent hemmed and hawed. I think he passed the turn here with something like 18 minutes or less left. I still have 45+ minutes on my clock, and make the decision that I don’t want him clocking out in the last game of the event, and offer to share time or figure out some kind of other accommodation so we can actually get a full game in and end the event more properly.

Top of Round 4: Herd

I wanted to fight Orcs, but may have bitten off more than I can chew here with those darned Morax regiments… All the overruns have made things a bit awkward for me, and I’ll need some luck to punch back effectively.

On the Left the Tribal Warriors move up as far as they can, staying safe for now, but applying pressure , and threatening charges next turn. The Unicorn Druid near the building stays put, trying to help where evert she is needed.

Charges from the Herd.

The Brutes charge the Morax, and I need to pick them up to be save here. They fuddle slightly, landing just 8 damage instead of the expected 10. I have Brutal, but can’t manifest the 6’s twice to break the unit. Fortunately, the Stormslayer is just in front arc here, so I still have a chance to survive.

....and only a troop is picked up on the left.

I need to try and utilize sticky combats and lock things down. The Chieftain charges another regiment of Morax, lands 5, but expectedly also doesn’t break them. The nearby Brutes blow through the Tundra Wolves, and pivot, to face the left, though I arguably turned them a little too hard, and could be threatening the nearby horde as well… oh well.

Some risky combats for the Herd.

The Tree Herder is in a bad spot, but can reform, to align to the Riftforged Horde and prevent a wraparound. He is also out of arc of the Morax regiment out on the right. We have Radiance of life, and toss a 3-dice Command Heal and a 6-dice Heal spell at him, and the Tree will end the round on just 2 damage.

I could probably argue the contrary, but the intent was to box my Brutes aand Longhorns with the Wolves, and I accept this. The Brutes hit the flank and Longhorns in the front. We’ll pick them up, and the Longhorns will sidestep to create space and the Brutes change facing.

Lucky breaks, and the Herd keeps the pressure on!

I opt to send the Tree Herder into the Gore-Riders, and slide down with my corner in front of the Morax. I land 5 damage, thanks to the Mace of Crushing, and do luck out and pick the troop up, allowing the Herder to reform.

For reforms, I was just trying to present front faces and possible reprisals to the Morax regiment, but I think we accidentally boxed them out rather effectively. While they can pivot past the Herder to charge something else, they shouldn't be able to fit and align against the weaker Longhorns.

Bottom of Round 4: Orcs

On the right, the Morax staring down the Herder makes a charge into the Guardian Brutes, and gets some great Rage rolls here, slicing 9 damage into the Brutes. However, I am Inspired and Rallied, and do hold.

The Orcs fight, but don't break through.

The reserve Morax then get a rage and charge the Herder out here. There are a staggering amount of 6’s to hit, and the Tree Herder ends on 7 damage, but does thankfully holds as well.

The Riftforged Horde fights the Tree Herder again, gets a super-rage from Thonaar, and blasts out into 23 hits, but Def6 comes in clutch, dragging that down to just 5 more damage, and on 7 damage, the Herder holds.

Guardian Brutes fall to the Morax and Stormslayer.

The Morax regiment fights the Chieftain, without Rage or spells, and hacks just 3 damage into him. The Riftforgers lands a Rage into the Morax fighting the Brutes, and the Stormslayer gets in to help. Rage continues to be spikey, and the Guardian Brutes are Inspired, but slaughtered.

The second Riftforged Horde inches around, and the Gore-Riders pivot and run away to create more space.

Top of Round 5: Herd

Well, we have a proper game on our hands, and the Orcish Rage is strong!

The Tribal Warriors go in against the injured Morax, and get a Bane Chant from the Druid. They land just 3 damage, but they are already injured, we’re luckily still able to pick the unit up. I forget that the Gore-Riders are still in-play, but they are facing the wrong way, and I sidestep, toward the opposing deployment zone, trying to contain the horde.

Charges from the Herd in the center.

The Chieftain fights on against the Morax, and the Guardian Brutes choose to join with a flank charge here, and we’re able to pick the unit up. If memory serves, The Brutes try to back up out of arc of the horde, but get just 1 inch, and are still able to be seen. I would have loved to have sent them in against the other horde and helped out the right, but due to my earlier reforms, that is just not an option.

The Treed Herder is on 7, Radiance of Life takes him to 6, and a Command Heal from the Chieftain helps for 1, getting him down to 5 damage. He’s still soloing the Riftforge horde ok, but I am losing ground here.


And charges on the right.

Guardian Brutes get the 1 from Radiance of life to go down to 8 damage as they thump against the Morax regiment. Technically, I have a sliver of frontage that I could use to help the Tree Herder’s fight, but I hate those tiny charges, so the Longhorns make the charge to help the Brutes, and we’ll easily pop this unit and reform.

Reforms from the Herd.

The other Herder starts on 7 damage, with Radiance taking that down to 6, and a Command Heal from the Druid with the Banner gets him down to 5, but the Heal Spell fizzles entirely. The Herder will land 6 damage, but not move the Morax regiment.

Bottom of Round 5: Orcs

Thonaar runs to the hill on the right, granting his super-rage to the Morax fighting the Tree Herder. The Blasts continue to be nuts and the dice hot, and the Morax will land more hits than their base attacks, and take the Herder up to 11 damage. It’s essentially even, but the Herder is found to be Insane!

It’s been several rounds, and the Riftforged Horde are on something like 15 damage? They opt to Withdraw, and try to make sure they hold the center for the scenario. They pass their test, and roll ridiculously high to escape. The Tree Herder should technically have a charge, but the intervening forest gest them safe from the Guardian Brutes.

The Herd is Insane, and largely holds.

We’re chatting, and as he’s waffling, I suggest he send the Stromslayer into the Brutes, to you know, make use of Slayer. He agrees, and the monster goes in, with the Riftforged horde making a hindered charge. A Rage lands, but not Bane Chant for them, and 14 damage combined lands, with the Brutes also being found to be Insanely Courageous.

Top of Round 6: Herd

We are one of the three final tables, though I still have 20 minutes on my clock. We’re are one of the last three games going on still, and the other tables are being broken down to get a head-start on the cleaning up after ourselves. While we have time, we are both getting a little anxious, and I suggest we just call it at the end of Round 6? That will make it a full game, and it’s been fun regardless of the outcome. My opponent agrees.

More fighting from the Herd.

The Druid on the left casts no orders, and simply moves into my left zone to score it. The Tribal Warriors make a rear charge into the stalled Riftforged horde. I think I’m clean, but in the melee phase, my opponent points out that I should aligning just a smidge more towards him, and thus be hindered, and we’re a little too late to back this up and let me Druid issue an order, unfortunately. In my defense, it is on the far side of the table, but this is still obviously my error for moving too quickly and not checking. 

Hindered now, their output is minimal. The Tree Herder charges in the front, and with low damage accrued so far the Brutes are forced to throw everything into the horde as well, and we will pick the horde up.

The Chieftain charges the Riftforger, landing 6 damage, but failing to break him, even with the Brutal Pipes. It is close, but when we’re taking quick measurements, the Chieftain and Riftforger are found to be just barely on my side. The Druid from the right hops into this zone as well to bring here unit strength here as well.

Reforms from the Herd.

The Brutes and Longhorns join the Tree Herder against the Morax and will pick them up. The Herder slides down to accommodate, and we do pop the unit. I spin the Brutes for my first reform, and realize I should be measuring and thinking ahead... The spin blocks out an overrun for the Longhorns. The Herder and Longhorns sidestep, but if we’re ending it in Round 6 here, the centerpoints for the Longhorns and Brutes are still stuck on my side.

Bottom of Round 6: Orcs

Thonaar holds, and is bringing his Warlord US to the back right corner. That is US2, which should equal the Tree Herder’s US for a wash, but we miss this, and give this zone to the Orcs. I had several chances to take this zone, and just failed to.

The withdrawing Riftforged horde hold the center, along with the Godspeaker and Stormslayer for 7, beating my Tribal Warriors (and Herder), as the Insane Brutes will be picked up by the Stormslayer oin the second attempt.

The Gore-Riders reposition, staying in the back left corner to control that for the Orcs.

Nothing can threaten my home zones, and messing up on the back right zone… we record this as a tie game!

Game Conclusion

I think my gut was right, and I should have deployed harder on the left. The Gore-Riders and Wolves both outrange my charges, so overloading one flank would probably have been wiser, but hey, we still put up a good fight, and it was a good game.

Unfortunately, I seem to have had several ways to win the game and failed to grasp any of them.

The first way was clock time. We were very good on swiftly pausing as our few questions did arise, but as-mentioned, Round 3 drained my opponent’s clock time. If memory serves he clocked out either late in Round 4 or in the movement phase of Round 5, probably the latter, but I don’t recall exactly when. A round, or two, or even three, with a potential Round 7, without Orc reactions would have been a cakewalk for us. I could have been a jerk or stickler here, but I’m glad we played it out.

The second one is math. I forgot about the Tree Herder and Monsters being 2US now, and didn't realize our goof until writing the report. With that zone tied-up, that's a win for us. That’s a bummer, and literally a bookkeeping error that literally cost me the game.

The third is positioning. Even with the above, I could have been smarter in Round 6. We could have, for example, flank-charged with the Brutes, and just the Longhorns out and into the back right zone instead of charging in and making reforms messy. And then even with my choices as-is, we could have tried to reform better since we shouldn’t need much to win this, overrunning with the Brutes, for example. 

The fourth is playing for a Round 7, which is what I was doing when I went to reform the combat on the right, despite having agreed to wrap-up in Round 6. One more round of fighting, or just Pathfinding moves could have enabled something here.

All this to critically point out that this was my game to lose at the end, and we did. Oh well. We report the tie, and despite killing slightly more this game, Dan has the better records, and does inch ahead of me in the final standings. It’s definitely a bit of a bummer, but I’ve had a great time and had done well enough all weekend to be very content with how things played out here. It was a great game to end the event with, even if we were both a bit frazzled. A win is better, but a tie, particularly against a new face, is completely welcome. Thanks for the game and for making the trip, Dan!

Testing Conclusions

The list largely worked as intended, fighting very well against regiments. Unfortunately, like my earliest games with the list in 4E, we struggled against speedier lists and didn’t quite get the match-ups or scenarios we would have liked for a super-strong showing. Previous Northwoods Events used a veto-and-pick system, which was not in use here as it greatly complicates bookkeeping for anyone looking for Masters points, so being unable to avoid something like Stockpile made things a little tougher for us.

  • Chieftain. I need him to make this a legit Herd list now, but I still like him. I was worried the Pipes would be redundant, but it really helped with solo-charges and kept guiding him into helping Longhorns and adding Brutal there, which generally worked out well for me. I like the Warlord and the item!
  • Mounted Druid with Shroud, BC, and Heal. Great kit, and although I am not making use of the Elemental Rally, the Druids are great buys for the Herd, and miles ahead of the odd Songweaver option. I didn't track this too carefully, but the Big Heal only had one or two big payoffs all weekend with 4+ successes. But those are my dice, and it still seems like a fine buy, particularly with Def5 Brutes and the Def6 Tree Herders.
  • Mounted Druid with Banner, BC, and Heal. She usually ended up on the weaker wing where I wanted that third die for any Command Dice. I think Heal could be something else (Veil, Barkskin, Scorched Earth) if needed, but this kit was also fine, and a little extra Heal definitely helps things go smoothly in the list.
  • Tribal Warriors. They just never seemed to attain even average combat results, but that's biases again, I suppose they were still fine, as the list didn’t need them to do any hard carrying for me. They took up space and that’s what they needed to do.
  • Longhorns. They do great on the charge, but Def4 was a little dangerous at times! I’m still very happy they’re back to their fighting form with 20 attacks though. Rally is nice too. 
  • Guardian Brutes. My pet units all got to see a tournament table! If only the Avatar of the Father survived the edition change… They were very strong here, though did flub from time-to-time with greedy solo charges from me.
  • Critters. I’m taking them because I have to, not because I like them! Ouch. Slow chaff makes instigating very hard, and Speed 6 was a drag all weekend, and really made me miss the Panthers and Harpies. 
  • Tree Herders. High-performers for me all weekend, as-expected. Defense 6 is still Defense 6, and these are hard to reliably crack in 4E. Add in Command Orders and Druids for healing, and these were doing great work for me all weekend.

Event Round-up

I had a great weekend-plus. The Doubles event was very casual but also very enjoyable, and was quite happy with how the GT went for me! Looking back at my goals:

  • Enjoy all 5 games. I definitely did! The big losses just meant more to learn, and it was very enlightening to fight the Elementals in particular. I got a little food for thought from each game, and just had a blast overall.
  • Play one new person. We got to play two new people, each with splendid-looking armies too!
  • Win one game. We won two games, with a third that should have gone our way if we weren’t rushing to finish up. Still, we’re after fun not wins, and I am 100% ok with our record.
  • Be the Best Herd / FoN General. Despite a massive loss in Game 2 to Patrick… we actually finished just a bit ahead of him, as well as ahead of the other two FoN players, who were all running Elementals. Somehow, we not only pulled this off, but we were also the highest-finishing Wisconsin player at the event as well, and in the top-half of all players. It was a tough room, and this was a great performance from us overall.
I don't make it to many tournaments, so this was a real treat, with 5 great opponents, wonderful games, and lots and lots to think about. In a supremely charitable move, our TO, Squirmin Vermin, who moved away last summer, flew back to run this for us. We are spoiled, so a massive thanks go our to him for coordinating and making the trip back to make this an extra-special success.

Monday, February 16, 2026

4th Edition: Battle #021 FoN (Herd) vs Abyssals in Stockpile


Intro and Lists

Going into Game 4, we were somehow back near the top tables, and started the new day out in a silly 5th place against a familiar face. We were up against Jon and his Forces of the Abyss!

Jon has a wonderfully painted army with a creepy farm theme. They were Ogres last year, but embracing the minis-agnostic part of the game, he was running the same models as before, but they are now Forces of the Abyss. This is one of my armies, and I got to chat with him about the state of the army at the doubles game, at dinner, and again here. Essentially he doesn't like the Core options all that much, and feels they are a genuine tax to do what he want to be doing. His list is very unusual with only one source of Inspiring in the Bloody Cardinal, and no other real spellcasting, ranged, or buttressing units. We have two Succubi and two Lower Abyssal Regiments to take up space, four Gargoyles for positional play and chaff duties, three kitted Bersserker regiments, one Horsemen Regiment with the Boots (a trend I've been predicting but not seeing much yet) and one unit of Molochs. Of most interest to me personally were the additional Gargoyles, as there were a unit I identified wanting 1-2 more copies of in my own Abyssal ideas. They seem strong with the new movement rules, as so many other fliers have lost a little speed.


I had the Herd, and you can read more about my thinking here.

Going into the game, I was a little wary. While more manageable than their previous incarnations, the newer, fairer Berserkers are still very strong, and still outrange me by a few inches while keeping all 30 of their attacks. With no real Inspiring across from me, one good check is all I'd probably need most of the time, but I knew I'd need to close and find some quick, decisive fights, or be picked apart bit by bit by my opponent's longer charge ranges.

Table and Terrain

The event was in Reedsburg, WI, and we were throwing down at the neat, multifunctional community center. The Forests were Height 10, the Buildings Height 7, Hills 3, Obstacles were actual sticks as Height 2, but just for cover purposes. Being a Northwoods event we had an extra hill or forest, getting the former in this case. It looks like we're missing a flat piece of terrain here, unless it is under my notes or something.

At some previous Northwoods events, we had used a nifty veto and pick system for scenarios here, but that was tossed this time. If players were playing different scenarios, scoring needed to distill things down to just Win / Loss / Draw, and led to a lot of ties, even with a separate attrition score. This time, we were using the Mantic Companion, the most okayest tournament program, and all playing the same scenario, which was revealed as the match-ups were announced.

Overview of the table, and tokens.

For Game 4, we have Stockpile. It is a Loot-token Scenario, and we have a central stack of 3 Loot Tokens, and then two additional stacks of 2 tokens that we place, all on the center line. A unit can grab one token a turn from a pile, but if multiple units are touching a pile, each unit can grab one. Each Loot Token is worth 1 point at the end of the game.


Jon wins the roll for sides, and chooses to commit very hard to the left, with a lot of angled units. In the far left, we have angled Berserkers with the Blessing, and some Lower Abyssals, screened by some Gargoyles. On the other side of the building, we have more screening Gargoyles with angled Abyssal Horsemen with the boots. The center has angled Lower Abyssals, eying the central pile, with Berserkers and the Brew of Sharpness behind. We then have a stack of two Gargoyles and the Berserkers with the Brew of Strength, then both Succubi regiments, the Cardinal, and Molochs in reserve.

Overview of deployment.

If it is not apparent, we are on the infamous phallus map! Which I am not liking here. I can't really make use of the left with the big building and obstacles, line of sight is problematic in the center, and I have obstacles on my right too. I do not have a good idea of what I want to do here. Ultimately, I want to aim for some token (heh) resistance on the left, and to try and play harder for the center and right.

The Herd has Tribal Warriors and Guardian Brutes on the line, with two units of Critters and the Unicorn Druid and the Shroud of the Saint supporting. A Tree Herder is on the line, starting down the central stack. We have Longhorns, then the Chieftain, then Brutes and more Longhorns on the line. A Tree Herder ends up on the obstacle in order to Scout up and avoid it, and we have Brutes, the Druid with the Banner, and some Critters on the far right.

Scout moves!

The Tree Herders scout up, and then I win the roll for turn order, and gladly take it. I’m still not sure what I want to do here, but we’ll grab some early ground at least!

Top of Round 1: Herd

On the left, the Warriors and Brutes move up, but should be safe from the Gargoyles. The Tree Herder moves up, seeing over the hill but is tucked in and protected.

The double balls forest really starts tripping me up. I can safely get into the closer one but not the further one, as the Berserkers outrange me, and if I pivot at all, the Succubi could get into me as well. I opt to hold in the closer woods, and the Chieftain hangs back as well.

Movement from the Herd.

On the right, Longhorns run up and touch a pile but don’t do anything, and are supported by the Druid. The Tree Herder Presses on, eyeing the flank of the Succubi, and the Guardian Brutes move up to offer support, with Critters in-tow.

Bottom of Round 1: Abyssals

There’s a while lotta measuring going on. We had agreed that the ball forests were two separate terrain pieces, and since there was a gap between the two hills while we were setting up, agreed to play there here, making it harder to hide for both of us.


About 10 minutes were spent planning out some very aggressive moves, before my opponent things better of it, walks it all back, and largely just shuffles to the left with everything.

Everything stays out of my maximum 13” charge range, since the Chieftain is nice and central and could support a push anywhere.

Top of Round 2: Herd

I am still floundering. I guess we continue pushing up? We want to try respect the charge ranges of the Berserkers and Horsemen, and they are all in the second line, so that makes it a little easier. I don’t think there is anything we can really do about the Gargoyles though, especially with four troops of them. The plan is to keep the Critters safe, and if Gargoyles come in with aggressive delaying charges, hopefully the Critters can fly up and over to get into some blocking positions themselves.

On the left, the Tribesman and Guardian Brutes just present front facings to the Gargoyles, with the Critters back a bit, and come to think of it, the Critters on the left might be chargeable. I do not recall.

Inching ahead again.

The Tree Herder hops atop the hill, and pivots, to get his edge even with the Longhorns, to prevent any flank charges into them. From the hill, I’m hoping we can pressure things.

The Chieftain and Guardian Brutes are able to dip corners into the further forest, now seeing out and threatening.

On the right, the Longhorns, Guardian Brutes and Tree Herder all stay safe, just out from the Succubi and Molochs, and well out from the reserve Berserkers. The reserve Berserkers make things really hard, for me, as they pretty far, and I am not comfortable with how far up I need to go with the Herder to get just a charge from the Molochs, who I am already scared of. The Druid pulls behind the Longhorns, and with both ending atop the pile, both grab a token. Had the Longhorns picked one up last turn, they could have dropped it this turn so the Druid has two tokens… that’ll be the plan next turn.

With no Gargoyles on the right, the Gritters move up with everything else, ready to flap up so we can try and push with some mitigation next round.

Bottom of Round 2: Abyssals

Most of the Abyssals continue to retreat, and my opponent is trying to whirlpool me again, making use of his greater speed.

While examining stuff, the central hills are bumped. They are cheap Styrofoam, and bowing a bit… the Tree Herder and Longhorns are both knocked over, with the Herder taking a full tumble. Setting back up, I am apparently a bit imprecise, and leave a millimeter edge for Gargoyles to hit Longhorns in the flank, as other Gargoyles hit the Herder in the flank.

Some Gargoyles charge, but the Abyssals are still holding back a bit.

This is frustrating, with small connection points and both units having been physically knocked out of their starting positions for the turn. I didn’t vocalize the situation here on my turn, and it was my bad for not getting it right when setting it all back up, but this is irksome. The Herder takes 1 and the Longhorns 6, but both hold. It’s definitely not the end of the world, and honestly, getting two Gargoyles for "free" is probably good for me. The hill is definitely a pain though, and we move two of the tokens out into the woods, so they stop falling over.

As mentioned, most of the Abyssals are still shuffling out towards the left, and trying to delay things. Abysasl Berserkers are slowly waking over to better positions though, and the Abyssals do look to want to start pushing my left…

The Horsemen on the hill get my far-left Critters into their flank, so I can’t align, and the other Critters here I believe are just out of range of the Horsemen, since the Critters aren’t all that speedy.

Gargoyles block for Berserkers, who start pushing towards my line. I will point out that there is a little bit of space between the Gargoyles and the Berserkers, and I think this is wise. 

All the while, I believe a Lower Abyssal and Abyssal Horsemen regiment are each able to touch the pile, and each pick up a token, tying things up currently.

Top of Round 3: Herd

The surprise flank charges from the Gargoyles is irksome, but I held and can deal and I feel ok. He could have been much more aggressive in following-up with these charges, and I do have a chance to push back in a few places now. The plan is to engage all three Gargoyles this round, complicate things, and then hopefully get into some piece trading.

Charges and pushback from the Herd.

The Critters on the far left charge out into the rear of the Gargoyles fighting the Tree Herder, and drawing line of sight between the Warriors and Brutes, the other unit is able to join the Tribal Warriors with a charge into the screening Gargoyles. We land a combined 6 damage, which feels low, but is actually about as-expected. There is no Inspiring over here, but a wimpy 3 on the Nerve check does me in, and I fail to break this unit.

Only a few reforms, but some Gargoyles are gone. It is not nothing.

The Critters aiding the Tree Herder land 7 damage, and the Herder is able to hold position, add some more to pick the unit up, and the Critters will spin around to be annoying. Radiance of Life gets the Herder down to nothing, while aiding the Longhorns.

Radiance and a Command gets the Longhorns down to 4 damage, and a nice Heal washes off the rest. They hold, as I do not want to reform, let the Gargoyles be found to be Insane. They throw all their attacks into the spooky things in their flank, will pick them up and reform ever-so-slightly, with the Tree Herder covering their flank for real now, and I expressly point this out.

With the Abyssal right wing backing up again and again, I'm having difficulty effectively closing. I can’t get the Critters into a nice blocking position like I was hoping, so they just hop my own line for now. My opponent doesn't have shooting, so I hope to try this again next turn with my Critters having just a few more inches to utilize. Everything staying just over 12” away from the Molochs and Succubi. The Longhorns drop their token and inch ahead, and the Druid inches up and picks it up.

My opponent notices that the phrase “non-scoring units” is used in the passage covering Loot Counters … and we pause to investigate. We look up Yielding, and several other rules, but can’t find anything. that prevents my Druids from picking things up, as the presumption is with a US and such now, the design goal was to get individuals playing scenarios now. That passage about non-scoring units is the same language as 3E, and my assumption would be they just copied and pasted over the old stuff, and never tidied up the language. 

(Update on February 26th, after the 1.0 FAQ: Individuals are still scoring units, but they cannot carry Loot tokens! That language was added. The individual rule should really have just been done away with, considering all the other changes. What a mess.)

Bottom of Round 3: Abyssals

The Gargoyles on the left regenerate 1, and attempt to withdraw, fail, and are routed! Horsemen drop a token, and it is picked up by the Lower Abyssals, now holding 2 tokens.

Charges from the Abyssals.

The Berserkers with Blessing of the Gods slam into the Tribal Warriors; Horsemen go into Critters, and a unit of Succubi go into more Critters. The Berserkers overrun for the full 6 inches, blocking up the Guardian Brutes, and the Horsemen sidestep or otherwise victorious arrange themselves to just be out of arc of the Tree Herder. The Succubi reposition slightly too, though I don’t know exactly what each unit does. The massive overrun is the big reform this turn, and very troublesome for me, my chaff here is gone and my options dwindling.

A string of victories, and great reforms.

Elsewhere, the Abyssals continue to retreat. The Molochs and the right wing of the Abyssal line continues to sidestep and backpedal.

Top of Round 4: Herd

We return the 3-stack to the central pile, where it teeters on the hill.

The Guardian Brutes are fresh, and charge the Berserkers with the Blessing. We roll just a little low with 9 damage, and have Brutal… but the Berserkers are tough with an 18 Nerve. We roll a three, and don’t break them. Shucks, I really needed to luck out here.

The Herd make a lot of solo charges.

I don’t have the units or inches to do this methodically. The Tree Herder can’t charge the Horsemen, and with them 7-8 inches away, I only get one pivot. I don’t like it, but we just move the towering Herder in front, and double dog dare the Cavalry to make a clean front charge…

…it’s not my best plan, but with Def6 still, the maths feels like it is slightly on my side to tank this? I still don't like it, and the Herder should be helping the Longhorns against the Succubi instead. They are Ensnaring, but I’m still wounding on 2’s and could get lucky… I underperform with 7 damage, and deliver another 3 on the Nerve check, my third for the game. I am growing to respect the Succubi more though, for my own future Abyssals games. The buff to 17 Nerve is nice, and they are very hard to shift without committing multiple units to fighting them.

We’re stalled out on the left, and engaging on the right is hard with the retreating Abyssal line. I already have the tokens from the right, but can’t really cut my losses here. I don't have the speed to reposition.

The Critters hop up, keeping the Molochs in front arc, and protecting the front facing of the Tree Herder. The Guarding Brutes are pressuring as well, and while the Succubi could charge them, that is probably a bad plan for them. The Longhorns and Guardian Brutes in the woods stay just 12” away, hoping the issue gets forced next turn.

Bottom of Round 4: Abyssals

The Molochs do charge the Critters, and will pick them up. Succubi will charge the Guardian Brutes, landing an above-average 6 damage, and the final Gargoyles, are able to use just 10 inches to get into the woods and chaff up both the Longhorns and Brutes there. Nuts.

It is a complicated turn for movement in the center. Behind the Gargoyles, the Berserkers with the Brew of Strength then flank charge the Longhorns, with the Succubi withdrawing.

Much better charges, and moves, from the Abyssals...

Once this is done, the Lower Abyssals here pivot and march away, creating enough space for the Berserkers with the Brew of Sharpness to get in against my Tree Herder with a smart charge, with the Abyssal Horsemen connecting and then sliding down.

The Berserkers on the left regenerate 2 damage, getting down to 7, and fight back against the Brutes. They land a strong 9 damage, and get back-to-back 10’s on the Inspired Nerve check to pick them up…

The Tree Herder takes 10 from Horsemen and 10 from the first batch of Berserker attacks, and is devasted and routed, as it proper.

Roughly a third of the Herd flees the field... having accomplished nothing.

The flanking Berserkers land 28 damage into the Longhorns, picking them up to. I was trying to make things messy, and just got swept by clever movement. The game is clearly over, but unfortunately I still have stuff on the field, and need to try and play it out.

Top of Round 5: Herd

The Herder charges the Molochs, landing 5 damage, but we not going to shift them given their 19 Nerve. The Best I can hope for is to finally pin them down for a turn.

Yuck. What else can we really do?

The Brutes fight against the Succubi, land a hot 10 damage, and we are actually able to pick them up. Command Heals and spell Heal from the Druid only net 2 off, bringing the Brutes down to 4 damage.

Fortunately, we do pick up a few units.

The Longhorns and Brutes are forced to fight Gargoyles, and thankfully, we pick them up too, but reforms are dire.

Bottom of Round 5: Abyssals

With Wild Charge, two units of Berserkers are able to get into the Guardian Brutes. The Cardinal gets close enough to bring Dread. Both charges are Hindered, but with 60 attacks, with Strength and Sharpness involved, I’m devastated and routed here and it's not even close despite being Hindered. 

The Abyssals finally commit, and press their advantages.

The Cardinal, Horsemen, and Berserkers are all able to arrange themselves to juust touch the central pile, each picking up a token, and skyrocketing the Abyssals to a 5-2 lead for the scenario.

More big overruns and tough angles from the Abyssals.

The Molochs regenerate down to 3, and fighting the Herder gets them down to 2 from Hann’s Sanguinary Scripture, while unit carves 10 damage into the bark.

Top of Round 6: Herd

We can't really stop the bleeding. The Herder goes back into the Molochs, with Guardian Brutes joining them, and we are able to pop them.

Longhorns charge Lower Abyssals and amazing pick them up, but mostly because we land a lot of damage. The Abyssals only have one source of Inspiring, but my Nerve checks have been ice cold all game.

Small victories for the Herd.

Charges done, I try to move my characters, and realize I cannot really get the Druid with my tokens to safety. I should have moved her over before the Longhorns charged and kept her better protected. With these being the last moves, and me starting about 4" away form the Berserkers, there's nothing I can do now to save her.

The Unicorn Druid and Chieftain just run away, trying to preserve points in the attrition score.

Bottom of Round 6: Abyssals

The Druid is bested by some Berserkers, and her tokens stolen, as I was pretty resigned to the loss here, though there was probably a way to tuck her in between the Brutes and Longhorns. 

The Horsemen pop their boots, and along with Berserkers, multi-charge the Longhorns, who accrue 33 damage, and are bested.

I was not as cagey in the end here, and could have finagled a living Druid and some Scenario Points, but do not. 

Thankfully, we do not roll up a Round 7. I routed some Gargoyles, the Molochs, and one unit of Lower Abyssals. Not much. I lose the scenario, hard, but keep about a third of my points alive to staunch the attrition scores.

Game Conclusions

It was both an awkward scenario and map for us. The Herd wants to be moving around aggressively and fighting quickly, and the double forests made things difficult. My opponent had to rein it several times in in the early rounds. Had he pulled the trigger and been more aggressive, I think things probably go better for us.

I knew uniform Speed 6 was a weakness of my list going in, and this highlighted that, as both his chaff and hammers outranged us. With the backing-up, we struggled to start fights, and then just got multi-charged (and routed) after a few turns of smarter positioning. A tough game, a neat list, a beautiful army, and a good time. Thanks Jon! On to Game 5, the final game!