4th Edition: Battle #037 Undead vs Kingdoms of Men in Seek and Destroy

Intro and Lists

Time flies! It had been a full, busy month since Trevor and I had last played. Luckily our schedules opened, allowing for a meetup. However, in addition to Rob, Trevor was running some Kingdoms of Men now, and with Cannons too! I thought I was the KoM guy, but I suppose that I have been seriously slacking and exploring other armies in 4E instead, and deserve this. Trevor had the following:

While several of us are experimenting with various war machines, Trevor has been doing do while pursuing one Battalion, taking less shooting, but also less Core and more actual hammers and other toys. Here, the Core were filled by cheap Halberdiers, supported by three hordes of Militia. I have more models for both on my painting table myself, so I was eager to see how they performed! In the specialist slots we have Light Cavalry to interdict and Foot Guard to add some support, and these are both units I can appreciate. Beast Knights on the ground were around as very serious hammers, and had also caught my eye. I expected these to be in reserve, much like his traditional Ogre Palace Guard. And then we had double Cannons, along with a slew of Champions. The weak-spot of the list were the slew of Champions, but that seems common for KoM - there just aren't any really great options with the Hero being so expensive and the Wizard lacking Inspiring. Overall though, the list had a ton of units I was interested in myself, and I excited to see it all on the field! 

I brought the Undead! While I thought they were well-poised for 4E, Shambling is in a very rough spot with just the one pivot, and it doesn't seem properly costed, nor can the Undead make good use of it with fewer heroes, more expensive heroes, and smaller and fewer instances of Surge overall. I wanted to give the new Barrow Wight a try, along with the redone Zombie Troll regiments though, and really commit to a grindy list to see how that felt. Up to discuss is everything:

• Barrow Wight. We’re taking the new model for a spin. With Disordered not a thing, being able to cast Host Shadowbeast onto himself in existing combats is neat. With CS3, he could even be some nice tech against high Def units, and could maybe hold the Scythe or Axe of the Giant Slayer pretty well, if you meta has any tempting targets.
• ASBs, Tome, Shroud. Undead Characters are all in a rough spot, so we’re going with what I feel is the budget option until the army gets some more love and attention. The Very Inspiring ASBs should cover just a bit more with their slightly larger bubble, and Heal and Surge should be good utility spells for the army. We’ll see how they do.
• Necromancer, Talisman, Heal, Surge. Necromancers not being Inspiring is rough for the Undead. Characters got cost increases and are twice as hard to unlock now, so non-Inspiring characters are very hard to justify. We’re trying them with Heal and Surge here. Having access to Bane Chant is nice, but I couldn't quite fit it in, and Heal seemed better for grinding.
• Revenants, with Hann’s. I needed a fourth Core option, and for a grindy list, went for the Revenants, with Hann's for some boosted Lifeleech. Without Bane Chant, they are on their own, but hopefully can still claw back enough between the item, Command Order and innate Lifeleech ability to survive the game. 
• Zombies. Zombies seem like a great option in Core, bringing a lot of Nerve to hack through. Any CS or TC your opponent has is wasted on them. They are cheap and seem like good tar pits. We'll put them to the test again here.
• Wraith Troop. I like Wraiths, and want to explore them a little more, especially in competition with Zombie Trolls in the specialist slot. We’re taking just one troop here though, and will probably run them alongside the Barrow Wight to try and be disruptive.
• Zombie Trolls. Zombie Trolls got hit with the Large Infantry changes, now having fewer attacks and less US than they did in 3E. The changes have been noticeable, but I’d like to commit hard to the unit here, to get a better idea for how it is faring. It doesn't seem like a good "hammer" or grinding unit, but does seem good at 
• Wights. Wights can be good, but they did get hit with the Large Infantry changes as well, resulting in less US and less attacks than in 3E. These are less effective hammers now, but we’ll revisit them here and see how they are feeling. I think the new edition has lessened a lot of "fighty" units, so while in a vacuum these and the Trolls are worse, they both might still be ok.

Table and Terrain

Trevor was graciously hosting us, letting us make use of the very luxurious table tennis table set-up again, along with all of his terrain. We had Forests with Height 10, the blocking Buildings at Height 7, Hills with Height 3, fallow field and shallow pond as Height 0, and Obstacles as Height 2.

Terrain and Tokens.

We got Seek and Destroy for the scenario. We have seven Loot Tokens scattered throughout the battlefield, which can be picked up. If one routs a unit that was holding a token in combat, the victor can choose to pick it up, let it drop, or even destroy the token, removing it from the board. Each token held at the end of the game is worth 1 VP. 

On the left.

Trevor won the roll for tokens, but we kept them all rather central. He then won the roll for sides, was lazy, and kicked deployment off for us. With tokens all spread out, both of us went wide. For the Kingdoms of Men, the left had a Cannon in reserve, and some Light Cavalry screening for Beast Cavalry.

Left of center.

The center had Militia, the ASB, more Militia screening Halberdiers, and the Hero, Foot Guard were on the line blocking for Halberdiers, and then more Foot Guard screening for more Halberdiers near the hill. The second Cannon was on the hill, with the Blizzard Wizard hiding behind the third Militia horde. 

Right of center.

Then, on the right, was the second units of both the Light Cavalry and the Beast Cavalry. Overall, the Kingdoms of Men greatly out deployed the Undead, with all of the very important Beast Cavalry coming down after I was fully committed. 

And an overview of the board.

The Undead went wide as well. On the left we have a contingent of Zombies, Wights, and the Surging ASB, as the wing seemed like a good place to have Surge. The Building split my line, with Zombie Trolls, Zombies, the Necromancer, two more units of Zombie Trolls, Revenants in Reserve, Zombies on the line, the Healing ASB supporting things, and Wights on the end. The Pond split the rest of my line a bit, with the Barrow Wight and Wraiths coming down on my far right.

I was a little surprised that my opponent went so wide, but the Militia do fill up the board nicely! With so many tokens strewn across the center, we have a lot of incentive to close in and fight. With Shambling, I was hoping for first turn so I could gain some early ground, but it was not to be, and my opponent won this roll as well, choosing to go first.

Top of Round 1: Kingdoms of Men

On the left, the Light Cavalry gallop ahead landing atop the token and staying just out of range of the Zombies. Without multiple sources of Surge, there is no way I can sneakily catch them. 

The humans push up aggressively on the left.

The skirmishers pick up the token, and keep things in front arc, and the Beast Cavalry lurk, ready so smash in and help any fights in the coming turns. 

The Militia move their five inches up, but neither can exit the woods, though on a smaller base, the ASB can. The Militia Mob on the left lands atop a token and collects it. And just to the right, the Halberdiers remain as a second line, with the Hero on foot supporting things.

The Militia take their time getting out of the forest, while the Foot Guard press ahead.

Foot Guard moves at the double into the center, each with a unit of Halberdiers in tow. The Wizard with Barkskin is close by, though with nothing threatening things, he doesn’t cast any spells this turn.

Everything shoots into the Zombie Trolls.

On the hill, the Cannon holds, and fires into some Zombie Trolls, landing 7 damage with a shell. The Cannon from the far left corner can draw line of sight as well, and with a cover penalty, lands 2 as well. It’s not bad, but the Zombies Trolls are Fearless, and shrug off the shells. The Blizzard Wizard was deployed conservatively. With the battle line moving up, they are quickly without good targets. They move, and eventually move onto the hill to join the war machine, hoping to just avoid this problem in the coming turns by using elevation.

The humans are more reserved on the right.

The Militia move up, as do the nearby Halberdiers, staying close to the building, and on the far right, the Light Cavalry move up, but stay safe from the speedier Wraiths. The Beast Cavalry out here mirror the ones on the left, and let the Light Cavalry screen for them, with them waiting around to counter-punch.

Bottom of Round 1: Undead

On the right, we try to use the building to our advantage. The Wraiths get an “Ignore Shambling” order, and float up pretty far ahead to box the Light Cavalry. There’s just barely not enough space for them to squeeze past, so they’ll be stuck fighting ghosts.

The Wraiths fly up to block things up.

The Barrow Wight hides behind the Wraiths. My original plan had these much closer to my line, where the protection was warranted… here though, I could be more aggressive with him, and he could be closer to the Militia.

The delaying Wraiths also let the Wights move up just a bit more, and they are able to threaten Militia without getting into charge range of the infantry. Zombies take the hill, also not giving up a charge, and that is the approach throughout the center, gaining a smidge of ground while staying safe.

The Zombie Trolls are tended to.

The Healing ASB takes the hill, and I arrange things so that he can see the injured Trolls, healing them for… 1. The Revenants hang back to help line of sight, but do land atop a token to pick it up. 

The Necromancer likewise goes for a narrow angle, healing 1 to the injured Trolls as well, taking them down to 7. Terrain is going to slow things up a lot out here, so his charges amble forward. The Zombies pick up a token, and start stumbling into the fortified field, and the Zombie Trolls move up and pivot towards the left. I don’t think the Light Cavalry have many options next turn, so we’re trying to threaten the Militia out here, zone out the woods, and threaten to commit the Trolls against the Beast Cavalry in the coming turns.

On the far left, we had determined that there is just not the space to fit both the Light Cavalry and the Beast Cavalry against the Zombies, assuming I don’t move them up outrageously far. However, I am in real danger of being jammed up here myself.

The Undead push move to contain the aggressive humans on the left.

The Surging ASB keeps pace, and I do opt to Surge the Zombies up a few inches, though don't get a picture of them on my turn. This opens them up to the multi-charge, but will  give my opponent a lot of headaches next turn, as the multi-charge would bring a unit into charge range of the Zombie Trolls, and the Wights are still around too, along with two sources of Surge. 

Top of Round 2: Kingdoms of Men

Wary of losing it, the Light Cavalry do drop their token and charge the Zombies, carving up three damage. The Beast Cavalry inch forward to pick up the token and threaten reprisals again, but the Zombie Trolls will be unable to reach them, and with the solo charge, the Light Cavalry are safe from the Trolls as well. 

The Light Cavalry charge in to delay.

The Militia with the token move up to threaten the Zombie Trolls, but move from one forest to another. I believe both Militia stay out of charge range of the Zombies. It would be some hindered charges, but I think my opponent is worried about starting a grinding fight against an army with Lifeleech and sticky combats. 

The Kingdoms of Men move up.

With the Militia on the left dawdling, the Foot Guard move up aggressively again, but keep a tight line to prevent any silly flank charges. Their Halberdier understudies move up, with one of them picking up another token. 

The Militia Mob on the right pushes ahead, with more Halberdiers picking up yet another token, and the Kingdoms of Men are holding 4 tokens already.

Cannons roar, firing into the injured Zombie Trolls again, but the shells take them up to just 10 damage. Blizzard does very well, contributing 4, but the Zombie Trolls are still Fearless, and holding firmly. 

Wary of fighting, the Barkskin Wizard gets two successes for the Militia Mob on the far right, bolstering them for now.

I gummed things up better than I thought on the far right. The Light Cavalry can’t get past me, but also, there is not enough frontage to share for a multi-charge, given the edge of the table. I luck out!

The Beast Cavalry charge in, but the dice deny them victory.

The Light Cavalry pivot twice and run away, allowing the more potent Beast Cavalry to charge the plucky Wraiths instead. It’s a clean charge, but Def6 proves a little too strong. Only 6 damage lands, and a low check lets the Wraiths stick around too. This is a serious statistical fluke, and really bad luck for my opponent.

Bottom of Round 2: Undead

With the ridiculous hold from the Wraiths, they reform, and the Wights slam in to help. Eyeballing it last turn, my opponent was hoping to break the Wraiths and back up, but that wasn’t a guaranty, as I am just over 12 inches away with the stronger Wights. The Wraiths flub and contribute 1 damage, while the Wights land 6 damage, brining Brutal as well. The Beast Cavalry are unsupported, and despite the low damage, one good Nerve check is all it takes. The Undead have broken through on the far right. 

The infantry lines are already clashing in Round 2!

Thinking the Light Cavalry have a token (they don’t) the Wraiths overrun to chase them down. The Wights just change facing, staring down the flanks of all of the Kingdoms of Men infantry blocks. 

The Barrow Wight can’t reach the hill, so after some hemming and hawing, they go into the back-line, flank-charging some Halberdiers holding a token. We get 2 on Host Shadowbeast, and we’re able to carve 5 onto the unit. Coming off 6 attack rolls, that is great for my dice results, but still feels really bad for a 200+ point Warlord. The Halberdiers hold. 

Reforms on the right.

The pressure is on in the center. Zombies and Revenants charge the Barkskin Militia. The Zombies will claw 3 damage in, with Barksking blunting 2 of that, and the Revenants contribute 9 to take the Militia up to 10 damage. The Militia hold, but I was expecting a grind, and this isn’t bad at all.

The Zombie Trolls try to bully some Foot Guard.

With sticky combats and seemingly endless infantry, the Kingdoms of Men have a messy line. I think I need to whittle down their more effective units while I can, so the Zombie Trolls multi-charge a unit of Foot Guard. A pair of heals go out to the injured Trolls again, brining them down to 10 damage, and they get a Lifeleech +1 Command. Both will roll well, and we’ll land 16 damage onto the Footies, and break them. The injured Zombie Troll unit ends the turn on 8 damage.

We measure and just declare that the other Foot Guard are threatening the flank of the injured Zombies, but just barely, so in victory they side-step to put them back into front arc, and the other unit holds. 

The Zombie Trolls were successful

Zombies enter the fortified field. Looking at this, I probably should be pivoting, as it looks like the Halberdiers are in the flank, though they would be coming over the fence still. Hindered Militia in the front and hindered Halbs in the flank I probably still hold, but better to be safe than sorry.

The other Zombie Trolls can get in cleanly against the Militia on the left, but aligning and sliding down puts them ever-so-slightly in the field for a hindered charge. They land 3 damage, and the Militia hold. 

Fights on the left.

On the right, I’m measuring, and realize I can be sneaky with the Wights. From their left, they can see over the Zombies into the Beast Cavalry, and then have plenty of space to fly over and hit the cavalry in the front. The Wights only land 6 damage, but I think with the early start, I have a chance at winning this grind, and the ASB keeps up to keep the Wights Inspired.

The ASB grants Lifeleech +1 to the Zombies, who claw an insane 10 damage onto the horses, and will break them and then overrun, apparently very eager to join the fight.

Top of Round 3: Kingdoms of Men

The Beast Cavalry on the left opt to hold and fight. My opponent is measuring, and if they reform, that’s enough for the Zombies to join in, so staying put will box them out. The Beast Cavalry slam a strong 10 damage back onto the Wights. I have good chances to hold, but I as a player am a little shook by the damage output. Thankfully the Wights are found to be insane. 

The Wights hold, and the grinds continue.

With sprawling fights, the Cannon in the corner doesn’t have many shots. I think the only one is into the ASB. The boney flag bearer is an individual, but the Cannon blasts through him for 3 damage.

The Militia give it as good as they took it, smacking 3 damage onto the Zombie Trolls while defending their token in a good slap fight.

The injured unit of Zombie Trolls finally succumb.

The other Militia make their hindered charge into the Zombies in the field, and smack 5 damage into the opposing horde. 

The center is indeed a mess, and not quite everything can get in. Halberdiers and Foot Guard charge the injured Zombie Trolls, and then more Halberdiers charge the other unit of Zombie Trolls on the left. The solo-fight results in three damage, while the multi-charge brings the Zombie Trolls up to 13, and then finally breaks them in the melee.

The Zombies get doomed.

On the hill, the Blizzard Wizard blows 3 damage onto the Wights, though the cannonball misses. Frozen will slow the Wights, and will actually prevent them from reaching the Blizzard Wizard with a potential charge next turn. 

The reserve Halberdiers turn to face the right, and the unit manages to cut 1 damage onto the Barrow Wight Warlord.

The Light Cavalry are definitely not carrying a token, and expeditiously get around the building, looking to help and delay the dead next turn.

The Militia wisely focus on the weaker Zombies, and cut 5 damage into them. Boxcars for the Nerve check results in an additional 5 damage, taking them up to 10 damage, which is a bit concerning for the longevity of the undead throng.

Bottom of Round 3: Undead

The Barrow Wight is just out of range to assist the Wraiths with commands, to they are forced to shamble ahead, giving chase still. It is just Round 3, and I think I can always spin around to pick the token up later. The Wraiths have fly, so I am mostly worried about line of sight around the building. We’ll pressure with them now and should still be able to reach it by the end of the game if needed. 

Movement on the right.

I want to toss the Wights in to help the Warlord, but reforms will be very messy, and I don’t want to lose the unit. I decide to play conservatively, and throw them into the flank of the Militia, and leave the Barrow Wight exposed. 

The Barrow Wight gets 2 Host Shadow Beast attacks, but can’t break the Halberdiers. My dice are abysmal, and no damage makes it in this round, so no check is taken.

The Undead continue to roll through on the right.

The Warlord grants the Zombies Lifeleech +2, and the ASB heals them for a hot 3, and claw their way back down to 5 damage, and the Wights get down to 2, as the Militia are dragged down. The Wights are wider than they are deep, and so reform slightly, the Zombies sidestep, and with intervening units, the Revenants change facing as well. The Undead are breaking through!

Lots of boosted Lifeleech this turn!

The Zombie Trolls in the center get a Heal for 1 from the Necromancer, as well as a Lifeleech +1 from the ASB, and smack 8 damage onto the Halberdiers, who hold. The Zombie Trolls are freshened up, and are on zero damage, but they are outnumbered, and one Halberdier regiment is going to be in their flank, which doesn’t bode well in the long run.

And it is pretty effective in the grinding combats!

Zombies fighting in the field get a Lifeleech +1 from the Necromancer, and claw some damage onto the Militia, while the Zombie Trolls get a Lifeleech +1 from the Surging ASB, thump 6 damage onto their unit, bringing them up to 9 damage, and the Decaying Hordes are swinging these grinding combats into their favor.

Fighting on the left.

The Surging ASB hides from the Cannon. The Zombies can’t join the fight, so don’t do much, and just patiently wait. The Wights have another go at the Beast Cavalry, will Lifeleech down to 9 damage, and will best the uninspired unit this turn. They let the token fall – token-carrying is a Zombie job, and they can grab that next turn.

And the Wights break through!

The Wights have some choices. With the Militia stuck in combat and partially in the woods, turning to face them would probably be the most wise, but I overrun, playing greedily and hope to utilize Fearless to break the isolated cannon next round. 

Top of Round 4: Kingdoms of Men

The endangered Cannon roars, landing two hits and Blasting into 6 damage against the oncoming Wights, but Fearless really helps me out, and on 15 damage total, they don’t care.

All the Undead are damaged, but enduring.

The Militia in the woods smack another 3 onto the Zombie Trolls this turn, but that only takes them up to 4 damage now, and the Trolls hold. 

The Militia in the field continue against the Zombies, landing 7 damage and will take them up to a concerning 10 damage, but the Zombies hold for now.

The Zombie Trolls hold strong in the center!

The Zombie Trolls in the center take the Hero in the front, and Halberdier regiments in both the front and flank. The humans get the expected 9 damage, but the Trolls are Inspired and do hold. 

The Wizard tries to Bane Chant the Foot Guard, but fails with double 1’s. The Revenants take charges from both the Foot Guard and Halberdiers, who both roll hot, landing 12 damage combined against my horde, but we do hold on. 

The Barrow Wight warlord holds, as does the horde of Revenants!

The Halberdiers continue against the Barrow Wight, and are joined by Light Cavalry in the flank of the Undead Warlord. He’s got Def6 though, and ends the round on just 5 damage.

On the hill, the Cannon fires into the nearby Wights, and Blizzard contributes some damage as well, taking them up to 8 damage and making them Frozen again.

Bottom of Round 4: Undead

With the fights as they are, I think I can commit the Wraiths to assaulting the hill, but I don't have a charge right now, and I am again just barely too far away to command the Wraiths to get into a truly threatening position. They fly up over the building, and try to threaten things, or at least draw fire for a turn.

Fighting and positioning on the right.

I want to claim the token here with the Zombies, but am just barely too far to reach the token with a sidestep. They merely pivot, and we’ll back them onto it in the coming turns. I could be moving forward to grab it, but with Shamblers only getting one pivot, and me having plenty of time, this is the plan, in order to give me options.

The Wights fly in against the light Cavalry, will land 7 damage, but not break them. The Barrow Wight gets 2 Host Shadow Beast successes, and takes the Halberdiers up to 9 damage, but I fail to break them as well.

And only one unit of Halberdiers falls...

The Revenant horde is badly injured, and we get a Lifeleech +2 onto them I believe from the Warlord. I forget about Hann’s. The ASB heals them for 2, taking them down to 10 damage, and then they slash 9 into the Halberdiers (10 expected), and manage to pick them up with good checks while Lifeleeching down to just 7 damage, as they ready-up to continue against the Foot Guard.

The ASB grants a Lifeleech +1 to the beliegured Zombie Trolls, and the Necromancer Heals them for 2, getting them down to 7 before the combat starts. I need to try and remove unit strength while I can, so throw into the maimed Halberdiers in front, taking them up to 15 damage, and removing them. We’re able to get down to 5 damage, but still have Halberdiers in the flank, which isn’t ideal.

Very grindy combats!

Zombies in the field land 3 damage and take the Militia up to 11, and I look to have forgotten Lifeleech for them. 

The Zombie Trolls will continue against the Militia. The ASB gets them a +1 Lifleech, and they’ll get down to 2 damage while taking the Militia up to 16. The Militia are then found to be insane, as they zealously guard their token.

The Zombie Trolls claim the wounded regiment, but are still being flanked.

The Zombies are able to grab the token and still get into the Woods to see the Militia. The Insanity result isn’t great for me, but with Zombies able to get into the flank next turn, that seems fine, as they should be able to grab control of that token by the end of the game.

A Cannon falls, but the Wights are awfully far away now.

In the backfield the Wights easily dispatch the isolated Cannon, and then victoriously change facing to face the center of the field. The Surging ASB is prioritizing keeping the Zombie Trolls Inspired, so I don’t know if we can actually get the Wights into the game by the end of it. Still, they’ve helped me claim this side and a token, bested Beast Cavalry and a Cannon, endured some cannonballs, and are still around, so they’ve already done a lot for me.

Top of Round 5: Kingdoms of Men

The Militia with their corner in the woods continue on against the Zombie Trolls, again landing 3 damage, taking them back up to 5, but again, the Zombie Trolls hold firm. With 16 damage dealt to just 5 sticking to me after my heals, we’re really winning this grind right now.

The Militia carry on.

The Militia in the field take the Zombies up to 17 damage, but now my Zombies are found to be Insane, as they defend their token. 

In the center, the Hero and the flanking Halberdiers are able to drag down the Zombie Trolls. The Halberdiers overrun towards the Zombies in the Field.

The Zombie Trolls fall, and the Undead center collapses.

Bane Chant fails again, again with double 1's, and the Foot Guard manage to get just 3 damage past the armor of the Revenants. On 10 damage, the horde holds.

The Light Cavalry count their blessings, and use Feint to disentangle themselves from the Wights. They head pretty far back, and are exposing a flank to the Wraiths, but with Feint, they get a pivot, and will get the Wraiths in front arc. Rereading the rule now, it's actually a full, free Change Facing, which is really neat.

Desperate defense from the Kingdoms of Men.

The withdraw lets the Kingdoms of Men try to pick the Wights off with shooting. The Cannon lands 2 damage, and Blizzard lands 2 as well, but on 11 damage, the Wights aren’t devastated, and are still looming, menacingly.

The Halberdiers fight against the Barrow Wight, but Def6 is too much, and none of the strikes land true against the Undead Warlord.

Bottom of Round 5: Undead

I kept the Zombies facing forward to give me options, and I initially want to shift gears and charge Zombies into the Halberdiers to help out the Barrow Wight and claim that token, but ultimately choose to stick with the plan and back up, to claim the unclaimed token instead. It’s Round 5, and the Barrow Wight can hopefully eventually win this and burn it if necessary.

Continuing fights, with the Undead making their way to the hill.

Coming from the right, the Wraiths can get into the Cannon or the Blizzard Wizard. With triple attacks, we choose the Cannon, and land 8 damage, but it is found to be Insane.

The Wights choose to charge the Light Cavalry, and will hew through them and reform to spy the hill and the Halberdiers, ending the turn on 10 damage. 

The Barrow Wight gets 2 successes for Host Shadow Beast, will land 5 damage, and we will break the Halberdiers, finally. Short on units, we’ll choose to destroy the token.

Aftermath of the right, with the Cannon holding on.

The Revenants start on 10 damage against the Foot Guard, but get a pair of Heals, and a Lifeleech +2 from the Warlord (again, forgetting all about Hann’s), and they’ll land 7 damage onto the Foot Guard while getting down to just 3 damage themselves.

The insane Zombies drop their token in their back left corner, and then fight on against the Militia. The insanity will continue onto this turn where they’ll claw 8 damage onto the Militia, take them up to 19, and break them. They’ll reform to face the center.

The Undead continue clawing at the Militia Mobs...

The Zombie Trolls get a +1 Lifeleech from the Necromancer before he moves out to help the Revenants. The horde of Zombies comes in through the woods, into the flank of the Militia. Their damage isn’t needed, but when we do break this unit, the Zombies will grab the token. The Zombie Trolls will also turn to face the center of the field.

...and will break them both!

With the charge of the Zombies complete, the Surging ASB tries to skirt the woods, moving at the double, but we are either too far away, or the command to have the Wights ignore Shambling for a turn fails to manifest, and the Wights just shamble towards the center.

Top of Round 6: Kingdoms of Men

The Kindgoms of Men at getting rather enveloped by the masses of the dead. A regiment of Halberdiers holds a token, one token is up for grabs in the field, but the Undead now hold the remaining four, with Zombies holding two on the left, and Revenants and Zombies holding one each out on the fight. Things are dire for the humans.

The left of the human line has disappeared, and while there is a token free in the field, the nearly-bested Zombies are still being used well, and being a nice roadblock. The Halberdiers nearby are holding a token, but will need to make a hindered charge, best the Zombies, and then need a 5 or a 6 to claim the token that was dropped in the field.

The insane Zombies are dispatched.

Out of good options, the ASB hits the flank of the Zombies, with the Hero and Halberdiers hitting the Undead in the front. The Zombies are dispatched, but the overrun is just a bit low from the unit.

Bane Chant fails for a third time (and for a third time with double 1’s!), and the Foot Guard will land 4 damage onto the Revenant horde, taking them back up to 7 damage. I believe the Wizard gets into this position to protect the flank of the Foot Guard from the Wights, but I can't recall for sure, and that looks like a long charge.

The Foot Guard fight on!

The insane Cannon attempt to withdraw, because why not, but fails and breaks. It needed Insane Courage again, but with the Bane Chant dice... why not try? It just breaking is not great, but at least the Wraiths don’t have any innate charges next turn, and I don’t have Surge to help them either, so this was a long-shot play with no real downside. 

Blizzard goes into the Wights, and they are taken up to 13 damage, but are hanging around still.

Bottom of Round 6: Undead

I've noticed that I sometimes get tunnel vision in games. We’re doing very well, but this isn’t quite registering for me, and I’m still thinking hard and trying to optimize my moves.

Charges from the Undead. 

Holding the token, the Zombies shamble forward, just trying to get in a place to be helpful in a Round 7, like fighting the Foot Guard.

The Wraiths have no charge, so position awkwardly on the hill, threatening the Blizzard Wizard for now.

The Wights make a rear charge into the other Wizard, and will pick him up, and then change facing, keeping the Foot Guard in arc.

The Blizzard Wizard stands alone.

The Revenants get a strong Lifeleech +3 from the Warlord (again, forgetting Hann’s). They’ll continue on against the Foot Guard, with the Barrow Wight getting 2 from Host Shadow Beast and sneaking into their flank. We’ll take the remaining Footies up to 17 damage, and break them. 

The Zombies Trolls charge in to reclaim the dropped token.

The Trolls will charge the Halberdiers, landing atop the token and will reclaim it for the Undead, making this 5:1 in my favor. The are hindered, and will land 4 damage, but the Halberdiers are fresh, and will hold.

The Undead press hard from the left, threatening a devastating Round 7.

The ASB gets the Wights to ignore Shambling, and they are able to nearly make it back into the center of the field, and threaten charges in a Round 7.

The Zombies on the left Shamble up, safely holding their tokens, but moving out of habit. 

We don’t get a Round 7, and one would not have changed anything. The Halberdiers could have potentially gone ham to carve up the Trolls for a second token, but the Undead would still have more. 

As it stands, it is a 5:1 victory to the Undead!

Game Conclusions

Excluding the cannons and Blizzard, it was a rather similar match up, with three hordes of trash apiece, and then assorted grinding and hammering units. I had to dip into some spare dice to track all the damage, but the Undead were admirably tenacious!

While I don’t think I played a bad game by any means, we both felt the game largely swung on the Beast Cavalry just utterly failing to deliver. I expected them as a reliable second line (and that was indeed the original plan of my opponent), but a wild pincer play proved to be a siren song for both units. Both expensive cavalry units got caught out, were uninspired, and largely unsupported, and so just could not assist in the way the Kingdoms of Men list really needed them to. 

Testing Conclusions

• Barrow Wight. He was neat, but the damage output was atrocious! He seems best at just taking a charge, which is not the most interesting use of a 200 point Warlord. We'll hopefully get some more testing in soon.
• ASBs, Tome, Shroud. These are not great choices, but feel like the best we have for Champions? Minimizing Champs and prioritizing units seems like a good idea to me, and both items / spells are helpful, if a little limited and lackluster.
• Necromancer, Talisman, Heal, Surge. It is a double shame that Necromancers are capped and also not Inspiring by default. This seems like a fine kit for a grinding list though. Not having access to Bane Chant was actually helpful, as I just focused on surviving and healing.
• Revenants, Hann’s. As noted in the report, I forgot about the item all game! They still did well, but would have done even better if I had remembered the item. This was a pretty good game for them though, without a lot of opposing armor to bonkers through.
• Zombies. They took up a lot of space and took a lot of hits for me, all while playing the scenario and holding tokens. The Zombies are a fine Core choice these days!
• Wraith Troop. I liked him alongside the Barrow Wight, and think they should do well alongside a list with heavy fliers, and the latter can actually keep them Inspired, which has always been their shortcoming.
• Zombie Trolls. They have the list a lot of extra bulk, and each unit did really well all game. They certainly don't hit as hard anymore, but grinding against Core units went really well for them.
• Wights. Fearless did save them from shooting, and although their damage output has also lessened, they still felt strong and dangerous on the battlefield. They don't seem to be able to reliably one-shot a unit by themselves anymore, but if you initiate fights we'll, they should be able to swoop in and start carrying for the rest of the list.

This was a great game with a lot of neat stuff to show off! Fearless really proved its worth against shooting, with the Wights and Trolls enduring a lot, and both the Militia and Zombie hordes all did well with playing the scenario and taking up space. Going wide was fun for both of us, but the Lifeleeching Undead took it in the end. Thanks for the game!