Hobby Update: Redone Undead Necromancers

Having finally gotten around to restocking some 40mm squares, up now are some redone Necromancers for the Undead!

Two redone necromancers.

The first one is a Reaper mini, Darkrasp, I believe, sliced off his stand and stuck atop some greying cork rocks and brown muds. He was painted up way, way back when I was trying to link all my armies together with some aesthetic threads, and originally had a purple robe similar to the human Regnum. I figured I’d take the time here to touch him up and give him a new color, going for a gray tunic under a yellow cloak, as I wanted to get some experience with rough highlights. It turned out well enough.

A yellow necromancer.

The second one is also a Reaper mini, with some new additions. I painted the original model years ago in homage to Warcraft 3, and its Necromancers and to Kel’Thuzad. The staff and the new, larger base encourages a little “extra” though, so I added in a Mantic Skeleton coming up out of the ground, and extra bits for a Skeleton Mage doing the same, in further homage to the Warcraft 3 Necromancer, which raises Skeleton Warriors and Mages from corpses. The base is a little crowded now, but overall, I really dig it. Like the other Necromancer, this one got some rough highlights for practice, on the robes and shield in particular.

Ooo, a Warcraft III necromancer.

Overall, these are decent first-steps for highlights. I think mixing my own paints (lordy, nothing truly fancy, just adding just a bit of white as I work my way up with the highlights) would help with a smoother gradient here, but I was impatient and using Citadel pots, which aren’t great for mixing anything up. Still, this worked and looks fine. It was good to get in some practice, as I want to try adding more highlights to some future units, as I think that is my next big hobbying skill to try and master. More to come soon!

Hobby Update: More Abyssal Gargoyles

Up now are two more Gargoyle units for the Forces of the Abyss! The models are Mantic, picked up second-hand after 4E was revealed. I originally used a drywall compound to dirty up the original duo of units, since I don't like the pillars, but I think that little tub was actually used as-intended for some home repairs over the last few years at our new place. I used some milliput here instead, and having only 9 models, went with a 5-4 split for the new units, which still works as the models are so ridiculously ungainly to multibase.

The new duo.

Paint-wise, as-before we primed in black, added the minis and more paste to the bases, painted all that black, and then hit it all with over-brushed dark gray, and dry-brushed gray, with a red wash on the wings. Lava is still an orange base with some layers of yellow. Nice and easy here.

The first new troop.

Looking at the rules, lots of heavy-hitting fliers slowed down, and with sticky combats, I figured some extra Speed 10 flying Gargoyles would be strong in the new edition. They can play the scenario, or I can use them to pin things down for a turn, letting heavy hitters get into place. Chaff is still great and a few more units should be able to do well in the new edition!

Yeah, 4 models looks good enough!

My opponent in Game 4 at Northwoods also thought they had promise, and while he could have been more aggressive in his follow-up moves, these were still used to good effect against me there. The Abyssals are still a funky army, but I am hoping to line up a few games with them soon to start exploring them!

4th Edition: Battle #024 NA (Varangur) vs Halflings in Loot

Intro and Lists

We were at the March meetup for Kings of war Wisconsin, still struggling a bit with Daylight Savings, but I was lucky enough to get in a second game, this time against Rob and his Halflings! Even I will admit that the Halflings got hit pretty hard in the new edition, and Rob is still trying to adjust his old approach. He ran the following:

We’ve got Mama Beata to issue double commands with three dice, a special Champion Engineer with the Banner, and a normal Engineer to assist. We have a horde and two regiments of rifles, a horde of Spearspikes, four units of Grenadiers, which the FAQ says can stack variable Brutal to their little hearts content, and then two Harvesters, and two Iron Beasts around to smash.

I continued on with the Varangur! The army has lost essentially all of its uniqueness, and as a result is not likely to see too much play in 4E from me until and unless they get a book, but there is a little bit worth exploring still, and up to comment on is everything:

• Magnilde of the Fallen. She’s ok, with good fighting stats, though has lost a bit in the edition transition, including the one-time Fly and an attack, going down to just 6. I need the Warlord Magnilde to run the Varangur properly though, so we’re forced into taking her, thankfully, she is not too expensive.
• Thegn on Frostfang. I liked the leaders on Frostfang before, and they are neat in 4E. You can’t buy additional attacks anymore, but you do get Rallying, which should be neat, and we’ll try building around a bit.
• Human Tribesmen. With good stats, these impressed me in my early, learner games. Data and Dice showcased them as an efficient unit, and so we’re testing them out ourselves, with some regiments, as well as a horde with Elite.
• Snow Foxes. A list needs chaff, but the list is wonky, so we’re only taking one. We’ll need to use it well!
• Snow Trolls. This time we’re leaving the more-straightforward Hearthguard (heavy) infantry behind and taking two units of Snow Trolls to better explore the weaker unit. The Trolls don’t hit as hard, but I think they might do alright as a grinding anvil unit. We’ll put them in danger and see what happens.
• Hearthguard Thunderers. One of two Varangur-only units, and by far the least interesting. They are boring, no-frills Knights. They lost the Brutal/Stealthy options, lost CS, all knightly units were bumped up to their attack profile now, and you can only take these as Regiments. I just don’t think there is much here worth getting excited about, but we’ll take them for a spin and see. As one does in 4E, we’re giving our one unit of Cavalry the J Boots. How original.
• Fallen. I like a lot of their stats and rules, but 4E spun down their attacks to just 16, and still just CS1 is a little rough. Sure, they can pin stuff down, but that doesn’t seem worth it, so we’re taking the Brew of Strength (again) to make them more dangerous.
• bn. They have Strider, which is even better now in 4E! They are rather expensive though, and in the very demanding Support slot, so we’re only taking one unit, and giving them the Brew of Sharpness to try and make the most of things.

Table and Terrain

We were out at Gamers Realm in New Berlin, WI, and making use of their tables and terrain, Unfortunately the store's selection seems to be in a bit of flux, and I couldn't find any obstacles, but we had some Height 10 Forests, the blocking Buildings with Height 7, Hills with Height 3, and a field and rough terrain as Height 1.

We got Loot for the scenario, with a token in the center, and then we each play one more token on the center line. My opponent wins the roll and places to one side, and after some measuring, I double down on that same side. We’ll see what happens!

Overview of the table.

My opponent wins the roll for sides, and chooses to switch! We’re playing the structure and not the base, but the lane is still a bit troublesome on the edge for his liking. Left-to-right the Halflings had an Iron Beast and a Harvester, with Grenadiers in support, an Engineer (I think the normal one), a regiment, then a horde, then another regiment of Rifles, with two units of Grenadiers and Mama in reserve, then Spearspikes in the woods, then I believe the named Engineer, Harvester, and Iron Beast on the right, with more Grenadiers in reserve.

The building was indeed a bit troublesome! I deployed Trolls there early, and then later reinforced with a reserve unit of Tribesmen and a Thegn nearby. The Tribesmen horde came down near the middle token, with Trolls and Thegn in the woods with their center points in the terrain, then Tribesmen and Hearthguard Thunderers, struggling to see around the hill. The Frostfangs were next, with the Foxes in support, and Fallen out on the far right flank.

The half-baked plan was to deploy wide, and then try to collapse into the Halflings. Winning the roll for turn order, the Halflings chose to seize the initiative and kick things off for us.

Top of Round 1: Halflings

On the right, the Iron Beast chugs forward, but stays safe. The Harvester pulls in behind, and the right contingent with the Spearspikes and such all inches ahead.

The Halfling contraptions move up on the right.

Centrally, Mama uses the Nimble Feet command on the horde of Rifles, getting 2 successes, which lets the horde move up 7" and then shoot with their 18” weapons since things are just now in range. Neat move! They shoot with a cover penalty into the Snow Trolls in the woods, and with Fire-Oil, they eek out 2 damage against my monstrous unit.

The rest of the right moves up, with the horde of Rifles taking some surprise shots.

Nearby, the remaining Rifle regiment, and Engineer move their speed and set up for next turn. On the far left, the Harvester, Iron Beast, and Grenadiers do the same.

More contraptions steam ahead on the left.

It was a neat opening round! With an eye for my Abyssals and the Flame Bearers, it's been neat to see how Rob has approached the shorted-ranged shooting. 

Bottom of Round 1: Varangur

On the left, it’s not great distance hopping the Tribesmen ahead, so the Trolls take point, moving ahead and touching and picking up a token. We’re trying to test their durability after all, and might as well force the issue. The Tribesmen pull up to support, and the Thegn positions to help. I’m pretty sure he could have gotten closer – I think I was measuring 20” off the Grenadiers out of habit. Oh well, this is good enough.

Movement on the left. The Varangur take the lead!

The Tribesmen horde moves up, a little over their Speed. The building is awkward, but eyeballing things, I think I can still see anything that hits the Snow Trolls, and that could be a nice trap.

The center inches up, and the Snow Trolls regenerate.

In the woods, the Snow Trolls regenerate 1, getting down to 1 damage, and they move up as far as they can while keeping their center point in the woods. The Thegn cautiously does the same. He has fighting stats, but with just 5 attacks, keeping him around to Inspire and play the late game is much more important to me than threatening any early charges.

The Varangur try to pressure and contain out on the right.

The Tribesmen move up. The Thunderers touch the very beveled hill, as we are playing the full piece as elevated, so they can now see things. The Foxes though cower behind the hill, hiding from the Grenadiers, who I believe are just within range of things. They can be shot, but are out of charge range of the Iron Beast too.

With slightly longer charge ranges, the Fallen and Frostfangs pivot move and pivot, threatening but staying safe themselves out on the right.

Top of Round 2: Halflings

The Iron Beast backs up, and pivots, denying I believe both charges out here. The Harvester likewise hangs back. The Beast is still just within range to hit the stealthy Foxes though, and fires, landing 2 damage.

The Foxes take some shots.

After some discussion, I reiterate that the Thunderers are trying to touch the hill and see, so the Grenadiers go in. I am ok with this. I’ll be disordered, but likely to survive and should (hopefully) be able to push back and pick them up. The Grenadiers land no damage, and while the knights are engaged and will lose TC, we’re otherwise fine and unbothered.

As do Snow Trolls, and the Tribesmen.

I believe the named Engineer dings the Tribesmen regiment for 1, while all the Rifles and the other Engineer shoot into the Snow Trolls. I have cover, but 11 new damage piles in, and I am wavered. The Bear Trap command hits the Rifle Horde.

The Snow Trolls take a multi-charge and hold.

On the left, the Iron Beast and Harvester to go into the Snow Trolls, but when we're checking things on his turn, my Tribesmen are out of position, and the fight is just out of arc. Whoops! I should have double-checked that. If I was back an inch I’d have the flank of the Harvester. If I was ahead another inch, I’d be threatening the Rifle horde, and if I have pivoted slightly, I could be doing both. Alas.

The mechanical duo flub though, and with low rolls only 5 damage makes it in against the unit of Snow Trolls. As-mentioned, I can’t punish the commitment here, but at least I am holding. 

Bottom of Round 2: Varangur

The Snow Trolls thump a surprising 4 damage back against the Harvester, despite the Big Shield. I can’t get the Thegn into the fight here due to the darn table edge, but he runs up. The Grenadiers can’t fit, and we’ll be threatening things next turn.

The Varangur adjust on the left. Not off to a great start, but we are holding.

The Tribesmen horde now move up and adjust slightly, actually threatening things with confirmed arcs and inches.

The Snow Trolls regenerate a few, ending on 8 damage. They are wavering though, and I opt not to do anything with them. They have a Wild Charge and should be able to hit something next turn, if they stick around.

Tribesmen move up to instigate.

The nearby Thegn and Tribesmen move out, threatening things. And meanwhile the unblemished Hearthguard Thunderers strike back against the Grenadiers, with Magnilde joining in, and the knights roll well despite no TC, and we’ll pick the unit up. Both units sidestep, and the Thunderers remain touching the hill and seeing over it.

Foxes get in against the Iron Beast!

On the far right, the Foxes go in against the Iron Beast. The Foxes have some overhang, and the Harvester will need a pivot to get around, so both the Fallen and Frostfangs hide behind that line, trying to be safe.

Top of Round 3: Halflings

On the far right, the Grenadiers make use of flying, leaving the woods, moving at the double and block out my Fallen and Frostfangs while the Harvester and Iron Beast crush the Foxes. Fliers and terrain came up at the first meetup for 4E. With charging rules being more lax, and fliers not being hindered when ending on or starting in terrain, I don’t think fliers can move out of terrain at the double, and the FAQ has been poor so far. We’re playing it this way, though I disagree.

Ope, the Halfling contraptions break through.

Spearspikes and Grenadiers hit the Tribesmen, with the former hindered, and the latter getting a Brutal +1 from a command. The duo will take them up to 5 damage, but the Tribesmen will grimly hold.

Some surprise charges from the Halflings. 

Another salvo fires into the wavering Snow Trolls. I was a bit surprised that the Grenadiers weren’t “Brutaled” and flown in instead, allowing for shots elsewhere, but they would have been Hindered, and with the Snow Trolls regenerating down to 8 damage, that does seem chancy and greedy. It's good for me though, as the Snow Trolls eat up a third round of shooting. 

With the Snow Trolls confirmed devastated, a few errant shots hit the Tribesmen horde, taking them up to 3 damage, and Grenadiers fly out to block them up.

The Foxes break and Grenadiers interdict.

The Snow Trolls on the left had regenerated down to 3 damage, and take 7 more, going up to 10. They are Inspired, but will break all the same. Nuts. The Iron Beast confiscates the token and then sidesteps to create space, and the Harvester pivots as much as it can with the Thegn taking up space so nearby.

Bottom of Round 3: Varangur

On the left, the reinforcing Tribesmen step up to delay things, will charge the Harvester. It received some heals from the Engineer, but the barbarians will do well and take it up to 8 damage. Not bad! But it is inspired, and does hold.

Charges from the Varangur on the left.

The Thegn moves to go into the rear of the Grenadiers. I can see a darned third or their rear facing, but we’re playing by intent, and my opponent had measured them safe on his turn. I must not have been paying attention here and agreed, rather than check things myself. I acquiesce, and we’ll charge the Engineer instead… dealing just 1 damage. The Thegn's 5 attacks just don't really cut it.

Only the horde gets to victoriously reform, which tracks.

The Tribesmen charge the Grenadiers, and are ordered to be Vicious. My opponent is a carpenter, and after finagling, had put the leader point of the Grenadiers 4” from the terrain, meaning, I will overhang the field by what ~0.07 inches and be hindered here, which is clever, but why I wanted the Thegn in the rear. Sheesh. I don’t like messing with millimeters. With Vicious, we’ll thump them and reposition, getting the Rifle Horde into front arc. I don’t want the horde to be pinned down.

The Frostfang Cavalry find a good flank charge!

Centrally, the Tribesmen held against the Spearspikes and the Grenadiers. The Tribesmen hold, and Thegn comes to their aid against the Grenadiers. After some measuring, I can get the Frostfangs into the flank of the Spearspikes, and that becomes a priority this turn. I think that will do it, so opt to hold the Hearthguard Thunderers back in reserve.

Magnilde will join the Fallen as they brutalize the Grenadiers.

Reforms on the right for the Varangur.

It is very close quarters out here. I am excited and roll the Frostfang fight first, but can’t really pivot them since Magnilde is so close. My choices are to hold, spin around and face the contraptions out here, or overrun. Given the tokens are all on the left, I overrun, getting just an inch or two. The Thegn I believe sidesteps, and the Tribesmen get all the good dice for a ridiculous 6 on their overrun.

The Grenadier fight is last, with Magnilde in the flank and the Fallen in the front. We’ll break them. The Fallen try to change facing, trying to block the contraptions in, but aren't quite touching the leading Harvester. I think Magnilde steps back, trying to create some space for the Fallen, and avoid the hill.

Top of Round 4: Halflings

The Frostfangs are giving a rear and have a small corner in-arc of the Iron Beast since I rolled so low on the overrun. Where there is a will there is a way with Rob, I will give him that! He can’t back up or move around, but after we’ll say several minutes of thinking, the Harvester will nudge ahead, enough to pivot and then move ahead more to park itself in front of the Fallen, flank exposed. The forward motion lets the Iron Beast make a full 90 degree pivot to steam ahead and connect with the other corner of the rear of the Frostfangs, landing 14 damage when all is said and done. The Frostfangs will rout. It was a lot of fiddling over millimeters here, but it is what it is, and kudos are due for figuring out a solution to the goal here! Had I just rolled better on the overrun this could have been avoided!

The Iron Beast crushes the Frostfangs.

A regiment and the horde of Riflement shoot into the overrunning Tribesmen, taking them up to 12 damage, but they are Rallied and Inspired and hold. They end atop a token, but don’t pick it up.

Both Tribesmen units endure some heavy fire.

A Rifle regiment moves into the small field, and will shoot the Tribesmen horde. The Engineer will withdraw from the Thegn and do the same, taking them up to 6 damage.

On the left, the Harvester will get a Brutal 2 but just 1 damage, and Iron Beast will roll hot with 9 damage, and while also Rallied and Inspired, this regiment will break. The Harvester and its treads will comically sidestep, and the Iron Beast will reform to face the center.

Bottom of Round 4: Varangur

There are only 3 Tokens in play this game. The Halflings hold one, and I am not doing well to grab the others. The surprise rear-charge and subsequent breakthrough on the right changes things for me, and removes a big striding hammer that was set to get into the center of the board for me. It being Round 4, the plan now is to just fight, and hope for a Round 7, as I think I need more time to fight for these tokens.

A hindered flank charge into the Harvester.

The Tribesmen horde takes the flank charge in the damaged Harvester. The Engineer has brought Radiance of Life over and tried the Running Repairs order a few times, healing a few damage. The Tribesmen started a bit in the terrain, so this is hindered, but it’s still 50 attacks into the Def4 flank, and we will pick the unit up, and hold, as we are Rallied and Inspired for now. I am not going to be able to fight this Iron Beast, so the horde’s job is to get in its way and prevent it from grabbing a second token.

The Thegn originally went far enough ahead to threaten a rear-charge into the rifle horde next turn, but needs to back up an inch or so to keep the Tribesmen supported. Threatening the flank seems ok too.

The Varangur pin down the Rifle horde.

The other Thegn hits the horde in the front, with the severely injured Tribesmen regiment hindered, but hitting the horde in the flank, which will prevent any withdraws or reforms. The duo land 13 damage, but the horde holds firmly.

And the other Harvester is flanked and felled on the right.

On the right, we’re fighting for positioning for the late game. The Hearthguard Thunderers make a front charge into the Iron Beast, hitting cleanly, while Magnilde hits the flank to prevent withdraws or reforms here, and 9 damage lands, which seems pretty good against Def6.

The Fallen take the flank of the parked Harvester, and will then reform. Their leader point is in the rear arc of the Iron Beast, and with it stuck in, we should be able to pick it up next turn.

Top of Round 5: Halflings

The Iron Beast on the right crunches its gears and grinds 4 damage into the Hearthguard Thunderers, who hold strong. The named Engineer here hops out to shoot at the white Thegn on the other side of the board, joined by the other Engineer and the regiment of Rifles, who move up and double-pivot to spin around to grab a token while shooting. Just 4 damage lands against him.

The Hearthguard Thunderers hold.

The Rifle horde gets Brutal 1, and lands 2 damage into the Thegn. Ther other regiment of Halfling Rifles makes a hindered flank charge into the maimed Trimbesmen regiment, lands 1 damage to take them up to 13, and my opponent gets what he needs to break this unit. They will overrun to get nearer to the token, and protect their flank from the white Thegn.

And the Tribesmen horde hold too, though the maimed regiment does break.

On the left, the Iron Beast grinds against the horde of Tribesmen, taking them up to 10 damage, but they hold.

Bottom of Round 5: Varangur

We get Vicious on the horde again, and they bonk a few damage into the Iron Beast, but again, we just need them to hold, and hopefully the can do so for just one more turn.

The Thegns fight the injured horde of Halfling Rifles.

The Thegns double charge the horde, and will that them up to 22 damage, about as-expected, and the horde will break. Both will turn to face the middle token and that fresh regiment of Halfling Rifles.

The Iron Beast and Riflemen horde are both picked up!

The Fallen take the rear charge into the Iron Beast, and we’ll break it this turn, though Def6 makes it closer than I’d like! The Fallen sidestep, facing the center and moving toward the opposing deployment zone, Magnilde overruns onto the hill, and the Hearthguard Thunders wheel around with their victorious reform, eager for another charge before the game ends.

Top of Round 6: Halflings

The named Engineer enters the woods, and the other Engineer does his free individual pivot and then receives the Halt order. They and both regiments of Rifles will shoot into the more damaged white Thegn, landing 6, but they fail to waver him.

The Tribesmen horde hold fast!

The Iron Beast on the left grinds against the Tribesmen horde, but only produces 5 new damage, and the horde is Rallied and Inspired, and does hold.

Bottom of Round 6: Varangur

I don’t quite have the inches to get the Hearthguard Thunderers into a good charge. They move up as far as they can while still touching the token, when they will stop and then pick it up. Agonizingly, I am just over 10 inches away from the flank of the Rifles.

Charges for the Varangur to close out Round 6.

Also fighting for position, the Fallen make a striding rear charge into the departing Rifles in the woods, will pick them up, and reform, also eager to fight for the middle token, though time is short.

...and only one regiment of Rifles breaks.

Both Thegns charge the Rifles holding that middle token. We have Strider, but flub, dealing just 3 damage, about half what is expected. The Rifles here hold on, clutching a token, and the Iron Beast on the left still has one, making this 2:1 in favor of the Halflings at the bottom of Round 6.

…but I manifest a Round 7 for us!

Top of Round 7: Halflings

The FAQ basically says you can just ignore Yielding individuals in all cases unless you happen to share space and overlap with them. Unfortunately, sticky combats won’t help the Halflings here. If seems the Halflings need units to actually tie my units up, and those are in short supply for the tinkerers.

The Halflings best the horde but not the Thegn.

The Iron Beast gets a Brutal and grinds out the Tribesmen horde. The Saucer charges in, hindered, into the rear of the injured white Thegn, hot soup flying in every direction. She contributes no damage, and the Rifles also fails land a blow through the armor.

Bottom of Round 7: Varangur

I can only fit two units into a units facing nowadays. The Thegns aren’t cutting it, so I want to practice some of the new options. I aim to Withdraw with the black Thegn, to let the Fallen get in, do grisly work, and win the game. I’m on 2 damage and… roll boxcars for the Nerve check. We’re reading through things, and I still pass, but take an additional 1d6 of damage as self-doubt creeps in. (We’re at the bottom of Round 7 and don’t actually roll the damage). I then roll up snake eyes for the distance traveled, which will prevent the Fallen from getting into the front here. Ugh.

Final charges from the Varangur.

Very fortunately, I have a backup plan here. The Thegn flubbed it, but the Hearthguard Thunderers can drop the token, pop their books and make a glorious flank charge into the Rifles. The Fallen are then able to hop over to pick up the dropped token.

Thanks to the Boots, it’s a clean flank charge on a damaged unit, and we fast-forward, and the Rifles are not found to be insane. The Thunderers hoist the loot high.

The Iron Beast holds a token for the Halflings, but the Thunderers and Fallen each hold one for the me now at the bottom of Round 7, making this a 2:1 victory for the Varangur!

Game Conclusions

As-ever, it was a hard-fought game against Rob! It's been neat to see the Halflings play more into their shooting components. I was outplayed early, but the list the list has some staying power, and I was lucky enough to get the extra turn I needed to endure everything and to come away with the victory here.

Testing Conclusions

• Magnilde of the Fallen. Again, Magnilde is just ok now in 4E. She’s strong enough to add a damage or two into most combats, and getting her into a flank (preventing reforms and withdraws) seems like a good use of her, though that can be hard to do. She did very well both games but individuals, particularly fighty individuals, are in a very rough spot right now.
• Thegn on Frostfang. As in the previous game, being stuck on 5 attacks really limits their potential output, and two damage feels like the most I can ever really expect out of these. With only two units fighting per facing, adding these into fights is a bit dubious, unless the unit is relatively weak, or you are just trying to tie them up, or you are finding flanks. Rallying plus Inspiring is quite nice though, making them a little more impactful as a supporting unit lurking behind the main line. With the new FAQ really limiting individuals now, and 4E already hitting the type with cost increases and all sorts of limitations, I think the Frostfang mount is quite desirable, letting the character fully play the game. They really should have just done away with Individuals.
• Human Tribesmen Horde, with Elite. As in the previous game, I completely forgot about the item and Elite here. The Vicious order was used a few times though, and I was lucky enough to have it go off on just two dice several times. The Blessing still seems like a nice item for a horde, despite my forgetfulness. And still, the horde did well for itself and does indeed seem like a great pick for the army help anchor down a line.
• Human Tribesmen Regiments. The regiments really shone in smaller games. In “proper” games, they lack the attacks to really carry a list, but again, the a few simple regiments were able to each take some hits and each hold their own. They are very fine for filling out a battle line or core tax.
• Snow Foxes. They got to charge in and tie something very scary up for me. I couldn’t quite get the follow-up and contain accomplished, but they at least did their jobs and were used well.
• Snow Trolls. I totally forgot about Vicious, which can definitely help in the grinds that I was hoping for. I’ll try to remember that in the future! Here though, they took a fair amount of punishment, regeneration was actually decent, and they were able to endure it.
• Hearthguard Thunderers. These actually impressed me this game. I used them as bait against some Grenadiers, but they were still able to get two clean charges off and gave me options at the end to win the game. One unit, aggressive and on the line with Boots seems the most common, but I’m wondering if aggressive, expendable infantry units paired with second-line knights might be viable. I think this could be something for the Kingdoms of Men to explore, as I am still overwhelmed by all their playstyle options.
• Fallen. They are decent pressure piece for the army, but unfortunately really need the Brew to be an effective threat, and even then still aren’t that great of a hammer. They are still the more fun and interesting of the two Varangur units to field though, as Strider is so valuable now. I could see maybe a “quality” build, with Tribesmen and Fallen and going wide maybe.
• Frostfang Cavalry. Where there is a will there is a way it seems! Sheesh. I couldn’t quite protect them here, but the overrun was still the right call I think, I just needed to roll average. Overall, these were still used well though, and their sacrifice set up the charges for the late-game piece trades I needed to win, and thankfully the extra turn let me get there.
• Varangur, generally. The Varangur lost a lot of their uniqueness with the transition to the new edition. Magnilde is just ok, and the two units she unlocks are neat, but I’m not sure is worth getting too excited about. Despite the grumbling, this was still a very fun list with a little more depth than I was anticipating. There are definitely some fun ideas to still explore, but from a Varangur-perspective, I don’t think it’s really worth digging in or trying to optimize anything or dig too deep until their book comes up. This is a big shortcoming of the new edition. I know a lot changed, but I really hope the codex-lite approach is done away with once all the armies are brought up to speed, and the yearly Clash update returns. That wholistic approach to the game and to balance was a huge selling point for the game, and I hope it comes back.

The shift of the Halfings over to Rifles and heavier shooting combined arms has been really intriguing to me, as I know from my own Abyssal play over the years that 18” shooting can be unforgiving to work with! Taran Bligh or the striding Aeronauts and a more Tinker-heavy and positional game could be neat for Rob to explore though, and we’ll see where the Halflings go next. It's always a tough game, but always lots and lots to learn from. Thanks for the game Rob!

4th Edition: Battle #023 NA (Varangur) vs Abyssal Dwarfs in Seek and Destroy

Intro and Lists

The March meetup for Kings of War Wisconsin was upon us, along with the less fun side of Daylight Savings. I was a bit groggy, and up against Will and his slow but implacable Abyssal Dwarfs. We are all still adjusting to the new edition, and facing us today was his newer take on his army, with the following:

The Abyssal Dwarfs were led by Golekh Skinflayer, and some Iron-Casters. Triple Lesser Obsidian Golems return, as does a Greater Golem. Golekh brought forth a Ratkin Slave Horde, slave Orc Regiment, and a Ratkin contraption. A horde of Blacksouls were around to hold the line, and a regiment of Decimators, a Dragon Fire weapons team, and two troops of Gargoyles were around to support efforts. I still really like the slave angle here, and will note that he was taking advantage of the new FAQ, and the Rakin have taken the Crystal Pendant of Retribution, which now officially combos with the Last Breath command, potentially putting out a lot of one-time damage to anything engaged with the Ratkin.

I brought the Varangur! The army has lost essentially all of its uniqueness, and as a result is not likely to see too much play in 4E from me until and unless they get a book, but there is definitely are some neat things to explore. I brought a bit of a variety pack, dabbling in a lot of things, and up to comment on is everything:

• Magnilde of the Fallen. She’s ok, with good fighting stats, though has lost a bit in the edition transition, including the one-time Fly and an attack, going down to just 6. I need the Warlord Magnilde to run the Varangur properly though, so we’re forced into taking her, thankfully, she is not too expensive.
• Thegn on Frostfang. I liked the leaders on Frostfang before, and they are neat in 4E. You can’t buy additional attacks anymore, but you do get Rallying, which should be neat, and we’ll try building around a bit.
• Human Tribesmen. With good stats, these impressed me in my early, learner games. Data and Dice showcased them as an efficient unit, and so we’re testing them out ourselves, with some regiments, as well as a horde with Elite.
• Snow Foxes. A list needs chaff, but the list is wonky, so we’re only taking one unit. We’ll need to use it well!
• Hearthguard. The Hearthguard are one of the only CS2 infantry units to survive into the new edition, besting Undead Soul Reavers and Dwarf Shield Breakers. They are quite strong, and I think most lists will battalions from taking the two allotted units, but I really like when units cost the same, so…
• Snow Trolls. We’re taking the same-cost Snow Trolls to compare them to the Hearthguard, and make this a real variety-pack list. The Hearthguard should hit much harder, but without wavering in the melee, I think Snow Trolls could have a nice niche as a git of a grindy anvil unit.
• Hearthguard Thunderers. One of two Varangur-only units, and by far the least interesting. They are boring, no-frills Knights. They lost the Brutal/Stealthy options, lost CS, all knightly units were bumped up to their attack profile now, and you can only take these as Regiments. I just don’t think there is much here worth getting excited about, but we’ll take them for a spin and see. As one does in 4E, we’re giving our one unit of Cavalry the J Boots. How original. We’ll see how they do.
• Fallen. I like a lot of their stats and rules, but 4E spun down their attacks to just 16, and just CS1 is still a little rough. Sure, they can pin stuff down, but that doesn’t seem worth it for such an expensive unit, so we’re taking the Brew of Strength (again) to make them more dangerous.
• Frostfang Cavalry. They have Strider, which is even better now in 4E! They are rather expensive though, and in the very demanding Support slot, so we’re only taking one unit, and giving them the Brew of Sharpness to try and make the most of things.

Table and Terrain

We were out at Gamers Realm in New Berlin, WI. While it continues to be a lovely little shop, the owner was unfortunately out ill. Thankfully for us, there is a second collectable store housed within the building, and folks were able to get in and access the gaming areas. I am in dire need of a few paints, but unfortunately couldn't buy anything with the main store closed. We'll need to make up for this another time!

Able to get into the gaming area, we made use of the shop's table and terrain. The store's selection seems to be in a bit of flux, and I couldn't find any obstacles, but we had some Height 10 Forests, the blocking Buildings with Height 7, Hills with Height 3, and a field and rough terrain as Height 1.We got Seek and Destroy for the scenario. Seven Loot Tokens will be distributed around the board, able to be picked up and carried. If we best an enemy unit with a token, we can chose to delete the token instead of picking it up, and tokens held at the end of the game are worth 1 point apiece. Being an aggressive army, I tried to keep everything outside any deployment zone. A bit surprisingly, my opponent did the same, so we ended up with a cluttered midfield, with a lot of oversized terrain and a lot of tokens!

Tokens and overview of the battlefield.

For deployment, my opponent has the Decimators, Dragon Fire Team and both Chariots out on the far left, and were all very late drops. We were treating the building not the base as the terrain, but it was still very big. More centrally we had all three Lesser Golem regiments, and the Greater Golem, supported by both Gargoyles and the Surging Iron-Caster. The other building forced a bit of a lane out here, with the Ratkin horde, supported by the slave Orc Regiment and the Blacksoul Horde, as well as the second Iron-Caster, with Bane Chant and Heal.

View on the right.

I didn’t have any grand plan here, but I am an aggressive army with some decent terrain mitigation, so figured I should be going wide. Left-to-right for the Varangur are the knightly-but-generic Hearthguard Thunderers and a Thegn, both in terrain. The field is massive, and I don’t have the inches to escape it in round one, but that still felt like a decent area to take and try to pressure the center from – before the opposing chariots and such showed up. The line continued with Tribesmen and Snow Trolls, the second Thegn, Frostfangs with their Brew of Sharpness and babysitting Foxes, Hearthguard, a Tribeamen horde, a Tribesmen regiment, Magnilde, and the Fallen with their Brew of Strength on the other side of that difficult terrain.

The center.

My developing plan is to delay on the flanks and murder the center, as the center has the most tokens. If I can keep the chariots and all of the big infantry blocks occupied for a few turns, I think we can break some Golems and then adjust as the game progresses.

And the view from the left, with some worrisome chariot models...

Luckily, I win the roll for deciding turn order, and being an aggressive army with plenty of tokens to fight over, do opt to go first.

Top of Round 1: Varangur

On the right, the Tribesmen move up a bit, as does Magnilde, as to the Fallen. We don’t want to grab the token, and with a regiment and two hordes out here to contest just two tokens, I just want to delay here.

Positioning on the right, trying to make use of the building.

Centrally, the Thegn and the Frostfang unit move their speed, unable to get out of the woods, and while not threatening anything yet directly, are threatening a nice chunk of board. The Foxes tuck in behind the Frostfang Cavalry.

The Tribesmen horde move up, and pivot. The speedy Gargoyles should have a charge, but the Golems are all too slow. The Hearthguard are out of position, stuck a bit behind the hill. They will pivot move and pivot out towards the right, to see anything tall around the hill.

Positioning in the center.

The nearby Tribesmen start on a token, but would need to hold in order to grab it. I want their bulk around to assist instead. Instead they move up, and the Snow Trolls will move over to pick the token up.

Movement on the left.

With stuff out on the left now, the Thunderers and Thegn move ahead to delay it. Against shooting, I opt to slow down a smidge, to keep my center point in the terrain piece for cover. I am far enough back that I don't think I am actually threatening a charge, which is wise, but accidental.

Bottom of Round 1: Abyssal Dwarfs

On the left, the Chariots shuffle about, and the Decimators and Dragon Team move up and shoot into cover. Still, the dice are blazingly hot, and 7 damage lands against the Thunderers (about twice what should be expected)! Thankfully, the northern knights hold.

Abyssal Dwarf shooting starts off ridiculously strong.

Centrally, the second unit of Gargoyles does run up, not to charge, but to expertly gum up both the Thegn and Frostfang unit. This lets the trio of Lesser Golems all Shamble ahead and gain some ground.

The Golems lurch ahead, but keep an even, orderly line. The hill makes it look messier than it is.

The nearby Gargoyles hesitate, wisely not wanting to solo-charge a Tribesmen horde for nothing.

The Ratkin eye the token, but can't make any crazy moves thanks to the woods.

On the right, the infantry blocks all trudge ahead, though the Blacksouls don’t shift around to pick up the nearby token. The Greater Golem commits to the right as well, hiding behind the building.

Top of Round 2: Varangur

On the right, things back off. I am ok if he claims both these tokens, and just need to delay all this so that that is all they do this game. The Tribesmen back up slightly, and I think I am safe from the Greater Golem, but pictorially, am very clearly not. I had the inches and should be moving back more I think. Magnilde moves back as well, as does the Fallen. With their greater Speed, the Fallen are threatening things nicely out here.

Slight repositioning on the right.

Centrally, the Tribesmen horde inch up, and will grab a token. We’re within 10” of the Golems, but I should be able to tank it for a turn or two. The Hearthguard touch the hill, and can now see things better. The bevel is very strong, so we’re playing the whole thing as the hill, not just the crest.

Curious Foxes take the hill.

I don’t really know what to do here. I was hoping to toss the Trolls into the Gargoyles, but I forgot that the terrain was woods. I am not in the woods and so I cannot see. I choose to send the Foxes ahead, shuffle the Frostfangs around, and send the Thegn in solo.

I don’t like this. It is overkill, but the Frostfangs should probably have charged in too, with the Foxes scampering ahead and to the right, to minimize anything getting into my expensive hammer. There might have even been the inches to hit the Gargoyles and back up, denying a charge to the Golems, but I didn't think of measuring it. I figured it was best to try and keep the Frostfangs free and unengaged for now, and they should be out of range of the other unit of Gargoyles too.

The Thegn trips, lands just 1 wound, and doesn’t budge the Gargoyles.

The Snow Trolls enter the woods now, ready to add their bulk to future fights. They’ll be hindered, but I am trying to test them out as a bit of an anvil, and just want them pinning things down so the Frostfangs and Hearthguard can smash though, so that seems ok. Any damage they deal is just a plus.

The Tribesmen move ahead and finally get out of terrain. They should be safe from the Golems, but are threatening a lot of board space.

A mess on the left, with ultimately only the maimed     Hearthguard Thunderers going in.

The left is a mess, and the play mat is curved, further complicating things. The Thegn can’t reach the Dragon Engine, and measuring things, it seems to me like the Thunderers will be off the table edge by a few millimeters, so that charge is also a no go. Unable to get into that, I want to multi-charge the Decimators with both the Thunderers and the Thegn, but space is tight. My opponent questions if I can fit, and since I have already bumped the Dragon team, we’ll acquiesce here. I was not making good use of my undo corners or spare bases, so this is all me getting in my own way. I haven’t really played much since the tournament, so am already getting rusty with best practices.

Only the Thunderers go in, popping their boots for a clean charge. The expected 10 damage lands, but the shooters have good Nerve, and I can’t break them. The Thegn impotently moves up, and lends moral support, but can’t really contribute. I land atop the token, but do not pick it up, which I think is a mistake. I could always drop it next turn if-needed, and with the Thunderers delaying here, I should pick it up and be threatening to run away.

Bottom of Round 2: Abyssal Dwarfs

On the left, the Dragon Team inches up, and shoots over the fight into the Thegn, landing 2 damage. Golekh supervises while the Rat Engine joins the Decimators against the Hearthguard Thunderers. The Decimators contribute 1, and low rolls from the Engine only take the knights up to 14 damage. This should be a rout, but the knights hold on, so they are either insane or we screwed up the Nerve math.

The Abyssal Dwarves continue ahead, but the Varangur hold, for now.

The Thegn has Rally, but it is conditional and only for Barbarian units. Back in 3E the cavalry here had the keyword, but apparently lost it now in 4E. The Hearthguard Thunderers could be insane (we had a few results this game, and I did not do a good job at recording them in my notes), but I think it is more likely that I screwed this up, and we/I mistakenly let the knights hold with a not-quite-insane 3 on the check, thinking they were rallied. If so, my apologies to my opponent.

Centrally, most of the Golems inch up. The Gargoyles elect to hold and fight the Thegn, somehow stabbing 2 damage into him, and regenerating their one off.

The Foxes on the hill get charged by more Gargoyles, but somehow only 1 damage lands here, and the Foxes hold.

The Abyssal Dwarf center actually connects first.

The final unit of Lesser Golems take their charge into the horde of Tribesmen, and overperform a bit with a strong 8 damage.

Oops, the Greater Golem gets in as well.

On the right, my shoddy positioning of the Tribemen gets them caught by the Greater Golem. Still, I should hold, and do, with a concerning 6 damage landing here.

The Ratkin move up and out of the woods, with the Orcs and Blacksouls still supporting, and the Blacksouls have yet to grab the token over here.

Top of Round 3: Varangur

I’ve been bloodied, but am holding on. On the right, the Fallen flank charge the Greater Golem. The Brew lets them contribute the expected 10 damage, with the Tribesmen overperforming to add in a few more, and we luck out and we are able to break the Greater Golem when the Nerve checks bounce do our way. 

A flank charge into the Greater Golem over on the right.

The injured Tribesmen hold, and the Fallen end atop a token, and will claim it, and spin around to face the infantry. Wary, and worried about the Tribesmen horde, Magnilde tucks in behind the injured Tribesmen, choosing to keep things Inspired instead of fighting herself.

And a flank charge into the Lesser Golem unit in the center!

Centrally, I want to use the Foxes to continue blocking and making things messy, so having held against the aerial assault, the Foxes continue to hold and paw back against the Gargoyles, though don’t move them. Thankfully They were still far enough ahead that the Hearthguard can flank charge the Golems fighting the Tribesmen Horde, contributing 13 damage while the horde lands another 5-6 to devastate the Golems. The horde holds and the Hearthguard, on the hill, spin to spy other targets.

The Frostfangs cavalry able to pivot and flank the other Gargoyles, now coming to the aid of the Thegn with some gratuitous overkill here. In victory, they will pivot, and still trying to protect them, the Thegn opts to overrun, though only goes an inch or so.

Reforms for the Varangur.

I have a multi-charge into the Golems, but after some waffling, opt to only send the Snow Trolls in, with a delaying charge. Even if the Tribesmen joined in here, I am unliky to break them, and the other unit could still be Surged into the flank of the Trolls anyways.

The Tribesmen instead move out to the left, making use of the extra pivots to grab the token out here while still facing the action and keeping their options open next turn.

Reforms on the left, after routing the Decimators.

With the knights probably erroneously holding, they reform to shuffle down to allow the Then to charge in. The Thegn lands 1 into the Decimators, and the knights are forced to split attacks, throwing 4 into the Decimators, landing 0 additional damage, and 14 into the Ratkin Death-Engine, landing an astonishing 7 damage despite no Thunderous Charge. We luck out, and are somehow still able to pick up the Decimators, and the Thegn backs up 3” to be protected, though the Thunderers are still stuck in against the contraption.

Bottom of Round 3: Abyssal Dwarfs

After some measuring with spare bases, the Dragon Team has the space to move up a bit and zaps 3 damage into the Tribesmen out here. Golekh joins the Ratkin Engine against the Thunderers, and easily picks them up now. Both units back up, with the maimed Death Engine going further, and protected by the warlord as the Thegn can’t get in with just 1 pivot.

Reforms for the Abyssal Dwarfs on the left.

The Obsidian Golems decide to go for the kill against the Snow Trolls, with the front unit slamming a silly 10 damage back, and the second unit coming in with 12 damage from a hindered flank charge. It’s hot dice, but even with normal dice, I think I still loose here. The initial unit backs up, bumping into the spellcaster but creating space so that the regiment with the Blade of Slashing can change facing with their reform. The Iron Caster attempted Heal this turn, though had no successes.

Reforms for the Abyssal Dwarfs in the center.

Gargoyles tear into the Foxes, rolling much better this time for a fresh 5 damage, and they’ll overrun, for a solitary inch.

And just more posturing out on the right.

On the right, the Orcs move out into a more threatening flanking position, and the Ratkin charge the Fallen. We’re noodling out the math for attacks and what the needed rolls are, and I think I remember asking if the Ratkin charged out of the woods, and my opponent reflexively agrees. Writing up the report, they were not. Still, they catch a Bane Chant, and their output is on-par with not being Hindered, so maybe we did catch this and my memory is incomplete. The Ratkin land 4 damage, which is Iron Resolved down to 3.

The Blacksouls continue their march onwards, leaving the token in the back still-unclaimed...

Top of Round 4: Varangur

Magnilde is an individual, and is able to change facing, get line of sight to, and then charge out into the Slave Orc regiment. She’s not as powerful as she once was, but I think she can tie them up for a turn or two. She lands a respectable 4 damage and grabs their attention.

Charges for the Varangur. Sticky-outy bits on the Fallen prevent good alignment. My bad.

The Fallen then drop their token, then reform, allowing the Tribesmen to come to their aid, landing atop the token, and picking it up. The Tribesmen land a solid 6 and the Fallen Contributed 10 damage and we are able to break the Rats!

…unfortunately, the Crystal Pendant still triggers here. I forgot all about it! The Ratkin detonate, with the Tribesmen taking 6 damage back and the Fallen taking 5! With a phyrric victory, the Tribesmen change facing and the Fallen overrun, getting into the face of the Blacksouls. Previously, the Crystal Pendant prevented overruns, but it does not look to do that anymore. 

A cacophonous kaboom emits from the right flank and the Ratkin are MIA...

More centrally, the Tribesmen Horde moves up as far as they can, but are stopped by the back corner of the Gargoyles. 

The horde of Tribesmen hoof it.

The Hearthguard go into the Gargoyles here, and are able to devastate and route the flying chaff, as is proper. The Thegn and Frostfang Cavalry charge the Golems with the Blade, with the former contributing 1 and the latter 10 damage. It’s a decent showing, but not enough to move the heavy constructs.

The Frostfang Cavalry stall out against the Golems.

Wanting to pin the other unit down for a turn, some Tribesmen charge in, and will land a very surprising 3 damage onto the Def6 unit, adding to the swipes from the Snow Trolls, and taking them up to 6 damage. I’m Inspired and (legally) rallied by the nearby Thegn, and think I can tank this for a turn, and if nothing else, this gets a token more centrally to where I can better fight over it.

The black Thegn pivots and backs up. I think my corner might be exposed to the chariots (I moved as far back as I could), but my opponent eyeballs it and disagrees. The Thegn will be safe from charges next round.

Bottom of Round 4: Abyssal Dwarfs

On the left, both Chariot units are able to Tokyo-Drift around the Thegn, getting out of his arc, and are now threatening a lot of my stuff in the middle. Solo-Chariots look like fun!

Golekh's Chariot is splendidly painted.

The Dragon Team scorches the awestruck Thegn, but the beast and armor are tough, and the champion holds, taking just 2 new damage.

The Golems roll hot again, landing 9 damage into the Tribesmen and taking them up to 12 damage, though the warriors hold.

Lots of hot dice from the Lesser Golems this turn. Will it be enough?

The other unit of Golems also roll hot, also landing 9 damage onto the Thegn, taking him up to 11, and getting the rout against him! They are still stuck on the Frostfang unit though.

On the right, the Blacksouls make a hindered charge into the Fallen, and Bane Chant fails. Just two damage lands, taking them up to 10, but we hold and Iron Resolve down to 9 damage..

The Orcs land 3 damage onto Magnilde, who Iron Resolves down to 2 damage.

Top of Round 5: Varangur

With the Blacksouls declining to pick up the back token in the previous turns, I decide to do a bit of a risky play on the right. The Orcs are occupied, so the idea is to really tie the Blacksouls up as well, and prevent them from grabbing any tokens as the game concludes.

The Tribesmen drop their token, and charge in, with the Fallen reforming. The Fallen land 7 damage and the Tribesmen contribute 1, and the horde holds on 8 damage.

A multi-charge into the Blacksouls! It's ... not very effective. But Magnilde slays some slaves.

Magnilde lands another 4 damage onto the Orcs, who are out of range of Inspiring, and will break. I hold no tokens out here, but neither do the Abyssal Dwarfs.

Some big flank-charges into the Golems.

The center is a bit messy. The Tribesmen Horde can’t quite reach their fellows, so the Hearthguard flank charge the far unit, and the Tribesmen flank charge the more injured, nearer regiment of Golems. Both start the round injured, and both units fall.

The Tribesmen horde hold a token, as do the Frostfang Cavalry, which can’t get out of the woods, so just victoriously pivot to get the chariots into front-arc. The Hearthguard steal one from their Golems, and victoriously spin, but can’t get to the unclaimed token. Their positioning is wonky due to the hill. The very injured Tribesmen regiment holds a token, and spins around to face the oncoming chariots.

Reforms in the center, and a disappointed Thegn on the left.

The bewildered Thegn doesn’t have great options this turn. He chooses to charge and fight the Dragon Team, which does count as a War Engine, but he lands only 4 damage, and failed to break them, and he won’t be able to help against the Chariots next turn.

The Varangur hold 4 tokens by various units in the center. One token is unclaimed in the center, and two are unclaimed on the far right.

Bottom of Round 5: Abyssal Dwarfs

The chariots charge in against the wounded Tribesmen, abandoning the Fire Team. The Fire team then tries to withdraw, rolls high, fails, and is routed. We all swiftly realize that the Withdraw move should have been the first move, to let the team make use of Inspiring. It’s a bummer, but the Thegn is still facing the wrong way.

The Dragon Fire Team breaks, but the two chariots prevail, securing a token.

Golekh and the Ratking Engine charge the maimed Tribesmen, and will easily mince them. The token goes to the Ratkin Engine, who backs up while Golekh defiantly overruns.

The Blacksouls emerge victorious!

I kinda forget that the Blacksouls can split attacks now. The Iron-Caster goes for Heal over Bane Chant, Healing 2 and taking them down to 6 damage. Twelve attacks go into the Tribesmen, resulting in 2 more damage and taking them to 14 damage, and thirteen attacks go into the Fallen, landing 3 more damage and taking them up to 12. Magnilde is around, but both the Tribesmen and the Fallen break, with the Blacksouls victoriously overrunning 3” towards a token!

Top of Round 6: Varangur

The Blacksouls are out of position, and Magnilde goes in to tie them up as the game winds down. They can’t withdraw to grab the token behind them, and they’ll need to beat Magnilde and get a Round 7 to grab the token in front of them.

Magnilde charges in now.

We measured on his turn, and the Chariots are in trouble. While the Frostfangs are awkwardly in the woods, and have issues with line of sight since I can’t see out of it, I can still see the Rat Engine corner-to-corner around the intervening woods, and am in the flank. We’ll take the charge, best the contraption, and the Frostfangs will steal their token.

Two more big flank charges into what remains of the Abyssal Dwarf forces.

The Hearthguard charge Golekh, and the Tribesmen horde has the inches to get into his flank. The Hearthguard end the movement phase atop the token here, and will pick it up as they carve into the Abyssal Dwarf Warlord.

The Varangur hold 5 tokens, and just two are unclaimed on the right.

Bottom of Round 6: Abyssal Dwarfs

The Dwarfs land 6 damage into Magnilde, taking her up to 8 damage, but fail to best her. She will Iron Resolve down to 7 damage.

We do roll up a round 7, but this fails to materially change anything. I didn't really reform last turn, and can’t reinforce Magnilde even if I did. In the bottom of Round 7, the Blacksouls will best her, but can’t reach the token.

The Varangur still hold 5 tokens, and two are still unclaimed on the right.

A victory to the Varangur!

Game Conclusions

Wrapping up the game, we realized that neither of us did any commands! The Abyssal Dwarfs didn’t get much of a chance to sacrifice their slaves, nor much of a chance to throw Mutated Mastiffs, though maybe the Height 3 Fallen could have caught one or two in the midgame from the Blacksouls if we had been more mindful of the Commands. My Vicious for infantry could have been useful though, several times, but all of the Varangur footsloggers still did well enough this game without the order being given.

I think my opponent committed a little too much on my right, and had the Greater Earth Elemental headed into the center instead, I would have been in serious trouble. That over-commitment on the right for just two tokens that ultimately weren’t claimed let me hit the center hard like I was hoping, get lucky elsewhere and come away with the win.  

Testing Conclusions

• Magnilde of the Fallen. Still just ok. Despite the new edition, individuals are still in a very rough spot, fighty heroes in a worse one, and this position is now exacerbated by the FAQ. They really should have just done away with Individuals as a concept instead of the mess they have now. She did great here, and showcased some nice moves, but I don't know I would be bothering with her if I didn't need to take her to officially run the Varangur. 
• Thegn on Frostfang. In 3E you could buy an extra attack for them, which can be impactful, given their stats. They really weren’t able to deliver much by way of damage this game, though admittedly they might to better against stuff with lower Defense.
• Human Tribesmen Horde, with Elite. I wrote the lists up a month or so ago. Maybe more. Elite still seems like a good buy for them , but my brain was mush and completely forgot about it. I did not use the item, or the aforementioned Vicious command this game. The horde still did very well though, taking a beating and giving out a few of their own!
• Human Tribesmen Regiments. The regiments did fine, providing some durability and some punch. They aren’t going to carry a list, but can hold their own.
• Snow Foxes. Just one piece of chaff is risky, and they were outclassed by the opposing Gargoyles, and weren’t used the best, but we still got some value out of them.
• Hearthguard. These terrors are largely unchanged, and still hit hard. I used them well, and was able to get into multiple good and quick combats with them. They are still a terror, and this is without items and without the Vicious Command.
• Snow Trolls. We tried, but did not support them well. I also seem to have overlooked their Vicious. Head-to-head, the Hearthguard seem like a better unit in many respects, since they hit harder and are easier to understand and use well. I still think the Trolls could have a role as an anvil or grinding unit, so we’ll explore them more another time.
• Hearthguard Thunderers. They definitely got the short end of the stick in 4E. In 3E they had a mix of CS and TC, options for Stealthy or Brutal, and already had 18 attacks. Now, in 4E, they are just generic knights. Having access to them is nice, and Speed 8 give the Varangur army a bit more reach and threat range, but these did not feel game changing here, and definitely are the less interesting of the two unique Varangur units.
• Fallen. Strider is always nice to have, but they lost Nimble (and some attacks) in the Edition transition. They weren’t a hammer before, but Nimble let them be a flanker and outrider and apply a lot of pressure previously. The new movement rules are nice, but these are still not a hammer. The Brew of Strength is a good buy for them though, and Strider does seem valuable enough to give them some attention.
• Frostfang Cavalry. The Brew of Sharpness makes them very expensive but also very dangerous! For a one-of unit, the item seems worth it, and the Frostfang Cavalry are going to put a dent in anything they can catch.

The Abyssal Dwarfs are looking slick, and I hope we can see them across the table again soon. Personally, I would love to see the Decimators bumped up to a horde and some more slave Orcs to bring some cheap US to bear. We will see what the future holds for the army though! It is always a pleasure playing Will. Thanks for the game!