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

Intro and Lists

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

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

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

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

Table and Terrain

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

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

Overview of the table. Not my mat. 

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

View on the left, with probably too many Dwarfs.

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

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

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

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

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

Scout moves!

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

Top of Round 1: Free Dwarfs

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

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

Dwarfs, moving out from the left. 

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

Crossbows gain some early ground at the expense of shooting.

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

A tentative move up from the Dwarfs on the right.

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

Bottom of Round 1: Abyssals

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

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

The Abyssals full-send.

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

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

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

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

Top of Round 2: Free Dwarfs

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shooting manages to scare a few units of Imps.

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

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

Bottom of Round 2: Abyssals

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

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

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

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

Gargoyles fly in to disrupt the Rifles.

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

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

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

Top of Round 3: Free Dwarfs

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

The Dwarfs keep advancing on the left.

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

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

The dwarfs fight in the center.

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

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

The Dwarfs ready themselves for the next wave of assaults.

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

The Dwarfs fail to best the Imps in melee though.

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

Bottom of Round 3: Abyssals

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

The Abyssal assault begins in earnest.

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

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

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

The lines prepare to clash.

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

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

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

Top of Round 4: Free Dwarfs

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

The Ironclad arrive to blunt the Abyssal push.

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

The Dwarfs fight back on the right.

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

Oh, we manage to kill some Imps!

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

Bottom of Round 4: Abyssals

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

The Abyssals push hard on the right.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Top of Round 5: Free Dwarfs

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

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

Charges from the Dwarfs!

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

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

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

The Nagarri fall!

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

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

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

Bottom of Round 5: Abyssals

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

Charges from the Abyssals.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Top of Round 6: Free Dwarfs

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

The Rangers use Pathfinder to grab an objective.

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

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

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

The Warsmiths deal with the Gargoyles.

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

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

The Dwarfs brawl.

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

The Crossbowmen do very well!

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

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

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

Bottom of Round 6: Abyssals

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

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

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

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

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

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

Game Conclusions

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

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

Testing Conclusions

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

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

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

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

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