4th Edition: Battle #029 Abyssals vs Basileans in Plunder

Intro and Lists

I have a seemingly ever-growing list of things I want to test out in the new Edition, and was fortunate to get in some games recently involving Trevor of Data and Dice fame to help chip away at some of those ideas. The first game was a demo game for a friend of his, which was very enjoyable, but won't be reported on, as I have found the reporting and picture-taking a bit too much to juggle while answering questions, and that second focus spoils the new player experience. Demo done, they also wanted to see how a larger game actually worked, and so we obliged, with Trevor running a very slick Basilean war machine build:

It's intriguing to me, as it is a mix of war machines, which is unique and unusual. With the shooting changes, both the Arbalests and Cannons now will be hitting on 4's which is a lot of firepower to deal with, while providing some variation in Piercing and target selection. It's also neat as it is a one Battalion approach. We have the Mother of Phoenixes to lead things, and a War Priest with Blizzard and one with Bloodboil, which seems like the right approach for a shooty list, as both spells are amazingly powerful.  Supporting all this are four regiments of basic Men-at-Arms for core tax and unlocks, a regiment of Paladins, two regiments of Ogre Palace Guard to smash, a troop of Elohi to pressure, and he still has the points to run two Gur Panther units too! It's a strong looking battalion!

I brought out the Abyssals again, trying to catch up on some ideas and explore some more of the army's befuddling Core options. Up to explore and comment on is everything:

• The Bloody Cardinal. I still like what he brings to the table, as a Dread bubble can be very useful, but I am not quite set on how to use him. We'll continue keeping him as a bit of a second-line fighter and opportunist, and not a front-line fighter or instigator.
• Warlocks with Bane Chant. I still quite like Warlocks, and they are our only versatile spellcasters. We are just taking Bane Chant to help out the rest of our units.
• Succubi. Every one of our Core choices has at least one big draw-back. The Succubi don't regenerate, and have terrible Defense, but Nerve 17 intrigues me. They aren't super-expensive, so we'll try them as the bulk of our Core this time, and use them to instigate and pressure.
• Hellhounds. We're going to give the Hellhounds a try here too. They don't regenerate, and don't hit particularly hard with just TC and just hitting on 4's, but I like the speed, and they might even be able to hold something up and survive. We shall see how they do.
• Gargoyles. Speaking of speed, I am very bullish on the Gargoyles. Speed 10 is harder to come by now, they are header to deal with at range, and sticky combats make them even more annoying than they were previously. We're taking three again, and seeing what mischief we can cause.
• Berserkers with items. I like the Berserkers, and their dialed down speed feels way more appropriate now, though they are still very scary, having kept their 30 attacks. I like them, and we'll try them now with items! 
• Tortured Soul Regiments. We're testing out some weird stuff this time, so we'll fit these in as well! I quite like the troops, and the unit does nicely now with the extra pivot. We'll see how the regiments and their extra attacks do.

Table and Terrain

We were out at the fabulous little store known as Oddwillows, in Mukwonago, WI. While an excellent and quirky little shop, it doesn't have a lot of wargaming spots, but just needing one table, was great for our forays here. I need to do an inventory of my terrain, so brought out my desert mat and terrain box to use. We had some a trio of Northwoods Height 10 Forests, the blocking Buildings were Height 7, Hills were Height 3, and we two height 2 obstacles.

We got Plunder for our scenario, which is a loot token one. There are five loot tokens spread along the center line, and we'll have to fight, and grab them as the game goes on. We will nominate two tokens to each be worth 2 points (the white tokens), and the remaining 3 black tokens will be worth one point each if held at the end of the game.

Overview of the table. White tokens are worth 2 points.

My opponent split his forces up. On the left we have two regiments of Men-at-Arms, the Blizzard Wizard and Ogres with the boots. The center was two cannon and an Arbalest way way back, with the second Arbalest hiding a but behind the hill. The rest of the army stacked up the right, with Panthers screening for the Bloodboil Priest and Ogres with the Brew of Sharpness, Men-at-Arms screening for the Mother of Phoenixes, Men-at-Arms in reserve due to slightly not enough room on the line, then Panthers screening for the Paladins and Elohi.

I will mention a few things about my opponent's deployment. I like that the Gur Panthers and Elohi are on the line. They are very speedy, and with sticky combats, this makes use of all that speed. Previously, he's had the Elohi in reserve, but I think they need to be on the line. Second, he deployed his war machines first. We've both often saved these until later, looking for targets, but with direct fire, I think this is wise.

I was at a bit of a loss how to approach the game. In the lists I tend to run, I generally think it wise to commit to about 2/3s of the table and aim for the narrow victory. That was the original intent here, wanting to play for the left side, but with sparse cover and the war machines all coming down immediately, and zoning out the left, I am struggling to formulate a game plan. We're still taking our first steps into the Abyssals, and I opt to split things up, and unwisely try to fight and play all over the place.

Out on the left.

On the left we have Succcubi with the Pipes, Gargoyles and Tortured Souls on the line, with a BC Warlock supporting. We've got a similarly small force opposing us, so we might be able to fight through here on the left.

In the center.

The center were my first drops, with two Succubi, Gargoyles hiding behind the building, and the other BC Warlock supporting. My opponent kept the center very clear, to focus on having good firing lanes, so we'll see if we can maybe blitz on through.

View from the right.

My right got everything else of mine, though it didn't seem to match up well against everything arrayed against them. We've got both Berserkers on the line (white weapons are the Brew of Sharpness, and the big clubs are the Brew of Strength, and they are supported by the Bloody Cardinal. The speedy Gargoyles and Hellhounds ended up on the far right, with Tortured Souls supporting. We've got a deficiency of both units and chaff over here, so unfortunately, we'll likely be playing more cagey here instead of brawling, as we don't want to risk multiple multi-charges.

Overall, the Abyssals start the game without a solid plan, but we're spread out and will have plenty of testing to do! And luck begins on our side, and with our 6 beating Trevor's 5 for determining the turn order, I'll gladly take the initiative, mitigate some shooting, and kick things off for us.

Top of Round 1: Abyssals

We’re only a few games in with the Forces of the Abyss. I don’t have a real plan here, and against shooting, we’re basically defaulting to being aggressive and just seeing how things go. 

Moving up on the left.

On the left, we move up. The Succubi started back a bit, so can’t quite make it far enough to grab the token yet. The Gargoyles flap ahead but stay safe, and the Tortured Souls move up as well, looking to project threat. With no shooting potential, and nothing needing a Bane Chant, the Warlock just moves up, keeping pace with the group.

Succubi running into the center.

Centrally, I feel a bit constrained by the Gur Panthers from the right. The Gargoyles can get up and immediately threaten the war machines, but the Succubi can only go so far, and one will be exposing a flank if it moves the full 12”, so does not, saying just out of range. This might seem over-cautious, but I don’t have a lot here, and don’t want to get needlessly caught up. 

...and some restraint out on the right.

On the right, I feel greatly outgunned, so try to be cautious here as well. With all the speedy Panthers and Angels on the line, I feel greatly constrained. With the unit disparity here, trading any one of those to just slow up my potential reprisal charges would be worth it, so we are going to bide out time and see how things unfold. 

The Berserkers move up, trying to threaten, and the Bloody Cardinal stays near them. The Gargoyles and Hounds creep up too, with the Tortured Souls in reserve.

Bottom of Round 1: Basileans

Keeping on the right, my equally speedy Gargoyles and slightly less speedy Hellhounds give my opponent pause. If I can gum something up with the Gargoyles, the Berserkers and such should be able to pick up some units and even the odds a bit, so my opponent is equally cautious on how to approach things.

The Basileans push out.

On the far right, the Gur Panthers move up, with the Elohi setting down nearby, and the board edge and the Panthers will protect the Elohi. The Men-at-Arms adjust near the hill, making sure to stay out of range of the Berserkers, though they can be seen. The Paladins  remain in reserve, screened from sight and protected. The Bloodboil Priest, Ogres, and Mother of Phoenixes wait in reserve, and with the spacing, my Gargoyles can’t sneak in against anything. Gur Panthers are screening, and if memory serves, they are giving the Gargoyles a flank, though I can’t align. It’s very thoughtful positioning! 

Shooting commences. The first Arbalest maxes out against the Gargoyles, landing 6 damage, while the other misses. A cannon deals another 7 damage to devastate the unit, opening it up to breaking. Bloodboil 13 will add another 5 damage, taking the Gargoyles up to 18 damage, and they will eventually rout. It’s overkill, but there are no other targets for Bloodboil, and my opponent way wary of the Gargoyles being insanely courageous, and then regenerating to un-devastate themselves and careen into the war machines. That outcome hadn’t even occurred to me, so kudos for planning ahead!

The left contingent bars they way, buying time for the war machines.

The other artillery will shoot into the nearest oncoming Succubi unit and miss, while Blizzard will hit them for 3 damage, and slow them.

On the left, my opponent is trying to play with the woods. The Ogres stay in reserve, with the Men-at-Arms screening. Both are safe from the Succubi, and although one facing is clear, I don’t have the frontage to get both the Gargoyles and Tortured Souls in, so I don’t have any easy charge decisions next turn.

Top of Round 2: Abyssals

With no good charge options, I try to bide some time out on the left. The Succubi inch up to grab a token, while staying out of 10 inches from the Men-at-Arms. The Tortured Souls adjust on the hill, looking for an angle, and the Warlock just sits tight.

Movement on the left, with Gargoyles hopping ahead.

I would love to try and pick off the Blizzard Priest, but don't quite have the space to align for a legal charge. The Gargoyles instead opt to jump the line here, to threaten the war machines.

Centrally, the injured (and Frozen) Succubi move up, to threaten the war machines. The second unit wants to move at the double to do the same, but will be opening up a flank to the Gur Panthers, who have been patient. They inch up, offering the Panthers their ensnaring front, while still having an angle to threaten an Arbalest. The Warlock moves up, keeping both Succubi units Inspired, and will pick up a 1-point token. 

The Succubi press in.

On the right, the Berserkers try to set traps, but I don’t do a great job. The one hiding behind the woods has the Brew of Strength, and is hidden from the Gur Panthers… but the angle is wrong. I will need a pivot to clear the woods, and this is just an error from me, that I did not double check as it was awkward and in the middle of the board.

The other unit is open to the Gur Panthers, which sill need to choose between them or the Succubi. 

The right gets messy.

I move the Gargoyles up to screen for the Hellhounds, doing the same trick my opponent used last turn to protect his Elohi, as between the Gargoyles and the table edge, nothing can reach the Hounds. After some consideration and before moving to the next phase, we move this arrangement up more, to better block in the other unit of Gur Panthers.

Bottom of Round 2: Basileans

My opponent pulls the trigger on the right, sending in Gur Panthers and flanking Men-at-Arms into the Gargoyles, who will take 12 damage from the flank alone, and break. The Gur Panthers overrun to grab the attention of the Hellhounds, and the Men-at-Arms to reform. It occurs to me though that the Panthers and Gargoyles have the same frontage, and the Spears are wider than they are deep, so the Panthers would have needed to sidestep to create the reform space for the humans. We’ll blame the hill, and I don’t think this goof really changes anything – it’s be the same arrangement, just an inch or so over. All good.

Charges from the Basileans.

The Paladins and Elohi stay put in reserve, allowing for reforms. The Mother of Phoenixes lurks, tossing a Firball into the Hounds that results in a single point of damage. The Ogres stay back and safe as well. While I do have charge options next turn, the expendable Men-at-Arms are doing their job waiting, on the front line.

And a victorious reform over the Gargoyles.

The other Gur Panthers choose to go in against the Succubi, and slips 1 damage in past Ensnare.

The artillery roars again. Two volleys of Grapeshot hits the Gargoyles, taking them up to 10 damage, which is close, but not quite enough. An Arbalest shot lands another 2 into them, to devastate them, and the Gargoyles will break.

More Gargoyles are shot off, with the Succubi shot up and delayed.

The other Arbalest shoots at the Stealthy Succubi landing 1 damage, Blizzard will land another 1, and Bloodboil 6 will contribute 1 as well, taking them to 6 damage. They will hold, though I think I need the Inspired reroll here from the Warlock.

The Basileans press onward.

On the left, the Basileans have a unit advantage, and inch up to bully me. Men-at-Arms hold the front, while the Ogres wait in reserve.

Top of Round 3: Abyssals

It feels like go time. Multi-charging is usually a good idea in Kings of War, but on the left, at a unit disadvantage, I think I need to be greedy and paly risky with some solo charges.

The Succubi with the Pipes and Tortured Souls each charge a unit of Men-at-Arms, with the Warlock moving in to prevent a big slide, as I want to set up a concave here, with the Succubi and Tortured Souls protecting one another, assuming they win. 

Greedily charging in against the Men-at-Arms.

Bane Chant into the Succubi fails, and 5 damage lands, and even a hot 9 on the check keeps them around. The Tortured Souls land a hot 10 damage, and will break their unit. Examining things, I can’t prevent the Ogres from getting into the Succubi, so the Tortured Souls overrun, hoping for something low-to-mid to get in and block up the Ogres… but they roll hot with a 5, and with the angle, end up just about touching the Ogres (with the J Boots) and giving them a flank. 

I then remember that the Succubi have the Pipes with Brutal, so we actually do break the uninspired unit, and my opponent obliges. We’re now trying to protect the Tortures Souls and while we overrun 6 and are doing the same, with the angles, the Ogres can still get into their flank, due to some overhang. The left is a dumpster fire now. We were playing and discussing like we normally do, while fielding questions from the demoee, and some passersby in the shop, which did a number on my focus and memory. I had a ok plan here, great luck, and then donked it all up.

A double victory, followed by miserable reforms after some mental whoopsies.

Centrally, the blasting units have done a number on my Gargoyles. The unengaged Succubi are free but Frozen, and can only reach the Arbalist by the building. We’ll take that charge, land good damage, pick the war machine up, and threaten the rest.

The other Succubi slam 10 damage back into the Gur Panthers, and then overrun, looking to help on the right, as I don’t have the inches to threaten any war machines next turn.

The Succubi rack up two more small wins.

We’re going in across the board, and make a series of charges on the right as well. The angles are a little rough, and I don’t think I can multi-charge much, if anything. Given the donk up with the Berserkers and the woods, they just move and use their two pivots to get clear of the woods and into a supporting position. 

The Cardinal moves up, brining Dread to some of the combats. The Berserkers with Sharpness charge Men-at-Arms in the center of the line, the Tortured Souls charge out into the other unit, and the Hellhounds charge Gur Panthers, and will slide down, ending atop a 2-pointer, and will pick it up.

Three more brawls on the right.

The slaughter continues. Dread lets the Tortured Souls pick up the Men-at-Arms, the Berserkers and the Brew of Sharpness are able to hew through the Men-at-Arms, and the Hellhounds chomp down on the smaller unit of Gur Panthers. Reforms here are funky too, as I think I rolled the combats in a poor order, going Hellhounds, Berserkers, and Souls. The Tortured Souls end up overrunning, and everything else is unfortunately a bit bummed gummed up. I really wanted to be backing up with the Berserkers and minimizing what can get into them next round, but I don't think far enough ahead to let that happen.

Three more wins, but three more doofy reforms.

The flanks are messy, but we are holding 4 points worth of tokens, and have hewn through all four Men-at-Arms regiments, both Gur Panthers, and an Arbalest this turn, which all feels good.

Bottom of Round 3: Basileans

The feeling will not last though. On the right, with my bad reforms, the Berserkers are exposed, and the Elohi and Paladins are able to get in with a multi-charge. The hit dice are crazy, with only 2 misses between the duo, and while not devastated, the Berserkers are easily routed here. Checking the math, the damage dice skewed in the other direction, but still resulted in the expected 13 damage. I was right to want to protect the Berserkers, but couldn’t cut it here due to my reform errors.

The Ogres on the right here have the Brew of Sharpness, and on 2’s and 2’s, will carve 14 damage into the Souls, and best them.

The Basileans push back with gusto.

The Mother of Phoenixes will fly up to block up the Berserkers with the Brew of Strength, and will toss a Fireball on them for good measure, resulting in just 2 damage.

Succubi are shot off.

The remaining war machines shoot into the nearest Succubi, who start on 6 damage. The cannons are in arc and range for Grapeshot, and 6 damage lands from that, with Blizzard landing another 2 damage. The Bloodboil Priest adds another 9 to take them up to 23 damage, and the Succubi fall! Stealthy is nice, but with all these shooters hitting on 4’s and having Piercing, Defense 3 is just too much of a liability. 

A flank charge with the J Boots will easily break the Tortured Souls.

On the left, the Ogres use their boots, and land 19 damage into the flank of the Tortured Souls, will break them, and reform to face the Succubi.

Top of Round 4: Abyssals

My reform errors from the previous round have caught up with me, and I am feeling on the back foot on all fronts. 

On the left, our only option is to make a hindered charge into the Ogres, and the Succubi drop their token and then do so. Due to our goofy overruns, we’re fighting in the woods, and while Bane Chant lands, just 5 damage makes it in, which is Iron Resolved down to 4. Not knowing what else to do, the Warlock runs up to grab the token.

The Succubi go in, to little avail.

I can’t threaten the artillery pieces anymore, so just need to try and avoid them now.

The Succubi were eyeing up the Bloodboil Priest, but they are just in range of the Ogres, and will take that flank charge to tie them up. The Warlock enters the woods, but Bane Chant fails here. They’ll land 9 damage, but can’t break the Ogres.

No successes on the right either.

The Berserkers with the Brew charge the Mother of Phoenixes, underperforming a bit, but still managing 8 damage. We fail the check by 1, I remember Dread a few moments later, which would have made that a rout, but she does hold with the reroll anyways. 

The Bloody Cardinal has options, but I felt it important to bring Dread to all of these fights instead of flanking the Elohi or trying to delay the Paladins. I think that’s the right call, unfortunately nothing broke my way. 

The Hellhounds are forced to charge the Elohi. It’s clean, but their stats aren’t the best against armor. The expected 6 damage lands, and the Elohi (unsurprisingly) hold. I’m running out of steam.

Bottom of Round 4: Basileans

The Elohi and Paladins will put down the Hellhounds, with the Paladins grabbing the token in victory, and both will reform to face the remaining Abyssal units.

The Ogres Reform, landing 8 new damage onto the Ensnaring Succubi, who will hold.

The Abyssal units continue to fall on the right.

The Mother of Phoenixes will regenerate some, Radiance of Life herself, and ends the round on just 5 damage, while dealing 1 damage back into the Berserkers, who end the turn on 3 damage.

The Warlock is in the terrain, but cannons still land 4 damage at range, Bloodboil contributes 2 more, and Shattering 3 leads to a poor waver for me.

The Blizzard Priest makes his way towards the token instead of shooting at the Warlock. This is a small error. The new FAQ prevents individuals from picking up tokens. 

A bit unexpectedly, the Succubi fall on the left.

Ensnared, the Ogres on the left still manage to overperform, landing 10 damage, plus Brutal 1, and the Inspired checks break for the Basileans. The Succubi rout, the Warlock is exposed, and the Ogres overrun to keep the pressure on.

Top of Round 5: Abyssals

The wheels have just about come off, but Kings of War is a scenario-based game, so we’ll keep on trying. After all, we are still technically winning 3-2 right now.

On the left, the sole-surviving Warlock pivots moves and pivots, getting out of arc of the Ogres, and the artillery while still jealously guarding his token. 

The Warlock dodge, ducks, dips, dives, and dodges.

I have nothing in the center, and the wavering Warlock can’t cast Bane Chant to help out on the right. He pivots to face the artillery, and then backs up, getting out of the woods while landing atop another 1-pointer for me. 

Charges on the right.

Hemming and hawing, I could toss the Bloody Cardinal away with a delaying charge. Into the Paladins is the high-risk play. If the Succibi and Berserkers can best their units, the Paladins will be stuck, and the ELohi can only stop one of them. However, without Bane Chant, he’ll ultimately join the Succubi with a flank charge into the Ogres, improving my chances of picking them up, and I do, but it is still close. The Succubi reform, as does the Cardinal, though we can’t really mitigate much coming our way.

Reforms on the right.

The Berserkers make up for their slight underperformance last turn, landing a hot and fresh 14 damage into the Mother of Phoenixes, routing her. They still lack good reforms. Backing up will get the Paladins out of range, but keep the Elohi in their flank, so I choose to change facing and see what happens. Maybe we’ll get to make use of Retaliate?

Bottom of Round 5: Basileans

Seeking to protect the token, the Paladins decline to fight. They pivot and back up, getting off the hill and using it to block sight from the Succubi.

The Elohi go in against the Berserkers, some damage will stick, but they’ll hold.

Positioning for the Basileans. And a missing Warlock.

Centrally, an Arbalest moves to line up a future shot into the fleeing Warlock on the far left. 

The cannons just barely have sight to the other fleeing Warlock on my right. They’ll land a combined 7 damage, Blizzard will go 4/4 and blast into 11 hits, and ultimately the Warlock is blasted to smithereens, dropping his tokens.

Positioning on the left.

On the left, the Blizzard Priest moves to grab a token, and we realize he cannot. My opponent had been considering using the Ogres to try and chase down the Warlock on the left, but this revelation changes that approach, and instead they’ll start moving out of the woods, intending to grab the 2-pointer out here in Round 6.

Top of Round 6: Abyssals

On the left, the Warlock hides behind the woods. He’s got a token, and is doing great, but he’ll toss some Firebolts into the Ogres, looking for a waver. He’ll land a hot 3, taking them to 7 damage, but they’ll hold, and Iron Resolve down to 6.

The Warlock fishes for a waver with some Firebolts.

The Berserkers fight the Elohi, will luck out and break them, and then reform, looking to pick up the two tokens dropped by the Warlock nearby.

The Abyssals need a Round 7 now...

The Succubi don’t have a charge, but will move to threaten the flank of the Paladins, and the Bloody Cardinal charges in to tie them up. He’ll land 2 damage, with will Iron Resolve down to just 1. We’re down now, and hoping for a Round 7.

Bottom of Round 6: Basileans

My notes get fuzzy here, and it looks like I failed to take pictures. I know the cannons can just spy the Berserkers, and with cover penalties, will contribute 6 more damage onto them. Blizzard lands 2 more, taking them up to 13, and they are wavered.

I believe Bloodboil is blazing hot, landing all 8 possible into the Succubi, who don’t break, but regardless of the new damage incurred, are wavered as well by shooting. 

I believe the Cardinal is dispatched by the Paladins. His Nerve and Defense is not great, and the Paladins hits were hot all game.

The Ogres on the left do move out to grab the second 2-pointer, making this 4 points for the Basileans, and just 1 for the Abyssals.

We do actually get the Round 7, but with the Basileans wavering everything with hot shooting, we can’t make use of it to battle on, and I concede.

Game Conclusions

My most grievous errors were the poor combat reforms, due to lapsing memory on the left, and a poor order of rolling the combats on the right. Zooming in, these cost me the game, although wow, we scrapped hard and it was very close all the way to the end.

Zooming out, I don’t think I approached this wisely, though it is awkward. I had a drop disadvantage, and my opponent was wise to drop the war machines first, exacerbating it. Plunder incentivizes you to spread out, and I felt I needed to so, so he didn’t completely overload a flank, but I think my list would have done better with a 2/3rds of the board approach. Against shooting, that can be a bit rough, but generally, I think this list would benefit from layering up more, using the Succubi to instigate and have scary things supporting them.

I should also note that we didn’t utilize Command Orders this game – we fell into old habits and forgot about them until a few turns in. By the time my opponent remembered, all the Faithful and infantry units for the Basileans had been broken, depriving them of any chances to use their orders. For me, Burn the Sinners and Fireball could have seen some play in the midgame against some Men-at-Arms units to soften them up, but slipped my mind as I really wasn’t factoring in any shooting attacks into my game plan. My Unholy Shield really only would have been effective against Grapeshot (or Blizzard), but it probably wouldn’t have been enough for anything to survive. It’s use is restrictive, but we had a surprising amount of Upper Circle units this game, and not trying to utilize the orders is definitely an error on my part. If you have tools, use them!

Testing Conclusions

• The Bloody Cardinal. I think the approach of using him a second-line opportunist seems to work well. Dread is just too helpful to risk. Keep him back from the initial fights!
• Warlocks with Bane Chant. I still like Warlocks, and I think this game was a good showcase of their versatility. They cast some Bane Chants, flung some Firebolts, and played the scenario well enough, all while keeping things Inspired. They are still a good pick for Abyssal players.
• Succubi. They actually seem ok as core, but I think they are going to function similarly to my opponent's Men-at-Arms here: and just be the expendable front-line with some layered threats behind them. Ensnare and Stealthy are nice, but Def 3 is indeed a huuuge liability.
• Hellhounds. I like their speed, and that's a lot of attacks, but they are rather expensive for what you get overall. They don't have regeneration, and with TC being what it is, you probaly need several units working together to make these worthwhile, breaking opposing units in one go. With slots now, a one-of regiment might see play pressuring and slowing things down, but troops seem outclassed by Gargoyles most of the time. The Hellhounds have uses, but are really expensive.
• Gargoyles. I kinda just trickled them in against the war machines, which doesn't seem wise, as they just got blown up one at a time. However, it felt necessary to draw fire for the opening turns, and they each took most of a full volley on the approach, saving other things. The jury is out on if that was worthwhile or not, but the unit on the right was used very well to block things up and give my fighting units a fighting chance. These are still a great auxiliary pick for the Abyssals. 
• Berserkers with items. I liked them and the loadouts here, but did not use them to their full potential, or protect them very well. For heavy-hitters in the specialist slot, these did very well.
• Tortured Soul Regiments. I was surprised, but in-game I liked these too. However, they both overperformed in their combats, and then got lucky with the checks to eat those regiments, and then could not survive the counterpunch themselves. In short, they are not hammers. They are probably best in a build with more threats, so they can support and aim for flanks and such, instead of charging right into the thick of things. With Fearless, these might do well against shooters, and I'd definitely run the regiments again, though probably won't prioritize them over something like the Berserkers. 

As-ever, this was a great game with a lot to learn from and consider, and a surprisingly amount of back-and-forth swings! The preceding demo game was equally enjoyable. Thanks for arranging this Trevor!

4th Edition: Battle #028 Abyssals vs Basileans in Pillage

Intro and Lists

I was fortunate enough to be throwing down with Trevor of Data and Dice fame, after far too long away from the table. The Northwoods GT was long passed, and Trevor had shifted gears to explore the Basileans with a one battalion list:

As we tend to do, our rematch lists were very similar to our initial lists. He's got two hordes of Spears, and two regiments of Paladins to hold the line and pay the core tax. Then, two regiments of Ogre Palace Guard to smash things, with one even having the Brew of Sharpness to hit on 2's. There was a troop of Elohi to threaten and pressure, and now two troops of Gur Panthers to chaff up opposing scary units. Two War Priests were to inspire and cast spells, including the trusty Bane Chant and devastating Blizzard, with the Mother of Phoenixes lending her support as a Warlord doing the same. Adding to the ranged potential are two Cannons, which can hit on 4's, which seems powerful and unique for war machines. For Commands, the Basileans can heal and grant Elite, though both have limitations, and will mainly hit human units. I unfortunately forgot to get a shot of the Mother of Phoenixes for the cover page, but we'll try to remedy that in the future, as it is nicely painted and deserves the spot!

For the second game I continued on with the Abyssals, again running largely the same list. I liked the variety of units I had, and wanted to keep those and get more experience with them, but dropped the very expensive Warlord for more heroes. The Command Orders for the Abyssals aren’t great, but I really wanted to explore those a bit more here while I had the chance. Up to discuss and evaluate is everything:

• Efreet with the Talisman. With Fireball now having both Shattering and Blast d3, it feels much more distinct than Lightning Bolt, and I like where it is at. The shorter range is still an issue, as you can really only safely target infantry, but we’ll see how it does. With characters in shorter supply now, we’ll take the Inspiring Talisman too, just to squeeze a bit more utility out of him.
• Harbinger. I really want my ASBs to be doing more than standing around looking pretty. The Lute and Bane Chant was my go-to though, and it is gone now. I don’t want to run them stock but they do have a small ranged attack already, and we’re taking a lot of other shooting, so we’ll take the opportunity to try them out as-is and see how they do here.
• The Bloody Cardinal. He’s a weird little guy but my comparable Depoilers are all on the old monstrous 50s instead of 40s, so we’re taking him. No regeneration on him, but Lifeleech 3 compensates and Dread plus good offensive stats makes him versatile. I had him used against me to good effect at the semi-recent Northwoods events, where he was held back to make use of Dread, and then charged in on subsequent turns to finish off units. That seems wise, so we’ll try to mimic that here.
• Warlock with Bloodboil. Unfortunately, this is the only spellcaster in the army. We’re taking a lot of shooting, and while the Warlock can contribute with Firebolts… Bloodboil seems like it will be more impactful. 
• Flame Bearers Corps. The Core units of the Abyssals are a bit perplexing to me, and I wanted to kick off my testing with the most simple approach to the Core Tax, taking a lot of Flame Bearers. The 18” range is really tough though, and usually precludes any Round 1 shots. They are much more immobile than 3E, so we’ll see what we can do here.
• Gargoyles. I think the Speed 10 Gargoyles are in a really strong place. With good positioning they can be a terror at disrupting enemy lines. I hobbied up a few more units, but with a focus on shooting instead of melee, we’ll take just three units. 
• Berserkers. They were over-tuned in 3E, and seem far more reasonable now. We’re taking a stock regiment to hopefully nail down the changes in my noggin.
• Tortured Soul Troops. I liked these a lot in 3E, but lacking Nimble prevented them from being too bonkers. With the movement changes now, I think these could be really strong. I think these will do best in a melee list, where everything is pushing up and being scary, but we’ll try them here with shooters, with the idea being that the Shooting can soften things up and the Souls can finish it off.
• Abyssal Horsemen. They came out ok with the 4E changes, getting the extra attacks, losing their CS but kept Regeneration. It’s a mixed bag. With Just TC they need clean charges, so we’re going with the one unit of cavalry and the J Boots approach again, which I still think will be the standard for using cavalry a while. As-mentioned in the forum’s Tactica, charging, withdrawing, and then using a Command Fireball with them seems clever, so that will be a goal of ours!
• Molochs. With the shake-ups in the new edition, there is much more of a choice to be made between them and the Berserkers now. They look like a very solid hammer unit and so we’ll try them out agaon, and with the same leftover points as before, we'll give them the Blessing of the Gods again and see how we do.

As before, we have two combined-arms lists clashing, which should make for another fun and interesting game!

Table and Terrain

Trevor was hosting, and we made wonderful use of his table and terrain and spacious ping-pong table setup. I think we are still intuiting the terrain, but I don't think there were any impactful game moments, so we can say that we had some Height 10 Forests, the blocking Buildings were Height 7, Hills with Height 3, fields as Height 0 and Obstacles as Height 2.

Overview of the new table.

We got Pillage for the Scenario, which is a weird one. Instead of taking the tournament maximum, we rolled, getting 5 Objective tokens to scatter about and then fight over. I think I lost the roll, and don't recall who placed what token. They are objectives, so cannot be picked up and carried around, so we'll see how this all works. 

And the table, with deployment.

My opponent won the roll for sides, and after some consideration, was lazy, staying put. He deployed rather centrally. On the left we have Gur Panthers screening for the Taller Elohi, and some Spears supported by the Mother of Phoenixes. The hill meandered a bit into the deployment zone, and we agreed to treat the center points on the hill to help out with things getting jostled. The center had the Blizzard caster, both Paladins, and Spears on the line, with both Ogres in reserve to help the Paladins, and the second unit of Panthers and War Priest supporting the Spears.

Not having a real feel for the army or list yet, but fighting for objectives, I tried the same approach as in the previous game, trying to keep shooters pretty central, and spread out to pressure from elsewhere.

View from the left.

The left third of the board didn't have any tokens to fight over, but it seemed like there might be some good vectors to pressure and tie things up. We have Gargoyles and Tortured Souls on the line, and more Gargoyles in reserve. While some folks have adamantly argued that fliers can still fly out of difficult terrain without issue, like in 3E, I do not agree with that interpretation. Charging is the most lenient move, and fliers are hindered entering or exiting difficult terrain, so I don't think they can be issued "At the Double" move orders out of terrain. So, until we get an FAQ that is actually useful, this is my default, for now, unless agreed to while setting up, and is why my fliers are actively avoiding the field.

View from the center.

I want to pressure from the left, so we have Horsemen in reserve, and a rather mobile Efreet to Inspire and hopefully issue orders and toss Fireballs. We then have two Flame Bearer regiments, the Warlock, and other two Flame Bearer Regiments, with the Harbinger on the other flank.

View from the right.

On the right, we have cowering Gargoyles, Molochs and Tortured Souls, with angled Berserkers, and all overseen by the Bloody Cardinal. I slightly out-dropped my opponent, and was able to save the Molochs and Berserkers until the last, and so hopefully this push is a little more better supported than last time.

Overall, I am not thrilled with my deployment, but I think it is more uncertainty and unfamiliarity with the scenario. A bit oddly, I again win the rolls for turn order again. I was hoping to compare / contrast going first and second with short range shooting, but seeing the commanding hill with the artillery pieces facing me, I feel forced to again take first turn and try to relieve the ranged pressure against me and pen the Basileans in.

Top of Round 1: Abyssals

On the left, the speedy Gur Panthers can cause some trouble for me, as can the equally speedy flying Elohi. I have essentially just chaff way out here, so the plan is to deny charges for now, and hopefully use Fireballs from the Efreet and command Fireballs from the Efreet to deal with them, and then sweep over. 

Positioning on the left. Hopefully Fireballs are in the forecast.

The Gargoyles and Tortured Souls stay back, and the Efreet and Horsemen use the forest to gain some ground. With the Boots, I can ignore the terrain, so as long as I don't charge the Spears in the front, I should hopefully be able to get some use out of them. Using the Efreet, I try out another Command Order, boosting defense of the Horsemen from Shooting into their front facing next turn.

The Abyssals move... forward?

I don't really know what to do in the center. I obviously don't have shots and have a pretty exposed Warlock. I am a big proponent of learning lessons from other people. Usually these are life lessons, but the mentality does bleed over into many aspects of my life. I've been very interested in Rob's Halfling Rifles, as they also with 18" shooting. He can get Round 1 shooting with fancy command orders, but generally, his approach for going first had been to jam the shooters up far enough that folks can't back up out of it. He's got Bear Trap Orders to punish aggression though, and I don't think that's viable here, and after some hemming and hawing, I move my 5" up and call it a day. 

The Abyssal Right pushes in.

On the right, we are a little more daring, as with nothing really opposing us we are moving up! The Tortured Souls move their maximum and pivot, joined by the Molochs. The Berserkers move their maximum as well, but starting a few inches back, they lag a bit behind. 

Bottom of Round 1: Basileans

The Basileans ... hold. We both comment that it seems weird, but both think it is the right call. We've got a whole game ahead of us, and with all the tokens in the middle, units shouldn't need to move too far to secure them, and you only need to hold 3 to win. If he holds, I don't have any great shots next turn and will need to inch up again, while I am in range of his longer shots already. It feels weird, but is a good plan.

Positioning for the Basileans.

On the right, Gur Panthers zip out to zone out the space behind the building, and the Ogres pivot to face the oncoming threats. The center holds, and on the left, the Elohi and Gur Panthers back up and pivot.

For shooting, both Cannon and the Blizzard rain down on the Warlock. I couldn't figure out a way to protect him, having deployed him out in the open. I need to eat these shots, learn my lesson, trust in Regeneration, and hope I can keep the damage down to just wavering for a few turns.

Top of Round 2: Abyssals

On the left, I spy opportunities to try out my orders. The furthest unit of Gargoyles stays out of range of the Gur Panthers, but the other unit hops into the woods. The Efreet tries to grant them a Fireball... but fails. The Efreet moves into the woods, and the wavering Warlock grants a Fireball to the Abyssal Horsemen. Everything stays over 10 inches away from the Spears, and we throw a combined Fireball 10 into the Gur Panthers, which has alright rolls, and results in a waver, on what I think is 9 damage.

A lot of effort for a few Fireballs.

The Flame Bearers are forced to inch up. I choose to move up far enough to get shots (2 inches?) and that's it, with the left-most unit moving up to touch the obstacle to ignore it, as we think that rule still applies. Two units throw into the nearer war machine, landing 6 damage, but do not waver it.

Two more regiments and the Harbinger toss into the right-most Paladins, landing 6 damage, which will be Iron Resolved down to 5 when they are found to be steady.

More Fireball Orders on the right.

On the right, we have another chance for Orders. The Harbinger grants a +2 Fireball to the Molochs, and the Cardinal does the same for the Berserkers. A combined Fireball 8 goes into the Spearmen, landing just 5 damage, which is Iron Resolved down to 4. It's a bit underwhelming. 

Still, the Tortured Souls should be able to hop the line next turn if they want, we have Gargoyles waiting in reserve, and both the Molochs and Berserkers have charges into the Spears next turn, which could be big.

Bottom of Round 2: Basileans

On the left, the Panthers inch back, just looking to zone things out. The Spear horde moves up, getting both Molochs and Berserkers in front arc. The Ogres move up to protect the Spears, and the War Priest orders them to heal, and then casts a spell for an additional 3, getting them down to just 1 damage. Between Iron Resolve, command Heals, and Spell Heals, the Basileans sure are tough!

Positioning for the Basileans. The center jumps ahead!

The center of the Basilean line has waited long enough, and springs into action, moving at the double. All my weak shooters are threatened now. 

The cannons roar, and despite moving and cover, Blizzard hits all 4 times, blasts into 8, and the Warlock is brought to 14 damage combined, and routed. Hot dice, but bad positioning from me, and face-tanking is not a great plan!

The Horsemen are bonked.

On the right, Spears move up, joined by the Mother of Phoenixes. Gargoyles in the woods take 1 damage from her Fireball... and despite being Inspired, both Nerve checks are blazing hot to waver my fliers.

The Elohi take a hindered charge into the Abyssal Horsemen, looking to tie them down and strip Thunderous Charge. They land just 1 damage, but they don't even need that! The mission is a success.

Top of Round 3: Abyssals

The game seems like a bit of a lost cause already, but we're here to explore. From the left Gargoyles fly out to menace the war machines, but the wavering Gargoyles are really bad for me. Ideally, they charge the wavering Panthers, it's hindered, but likely to break them, putting a second unit towards the war machines next turn. Then the Horsemen disengage, the Efreet moves to Fireball elsewhere, and the Tortured Souls charge in against the Elohi to pin them down in turn with some judo. Ideally. The Wavering Gargoyles changes all this, as I can't deal with the Panthers, nor effectively tap out the Horsemen. 

A darned mess.

Instead, we go for more tests, really stretching and seeing what we might be able to do. We aren't playing on a clock, but golly, I have spent a lot of time this turn, as I am really on the back foot already. The Gargoyles from the far left fly out, as planned. Tortured Souls move up to box out the Spears from helping the Elohi, and the Efreet grants them a Fireball to toss at the wavering Panthers. My wavering Gargoyles back up and pivot. The Efreet is boxed in and will just throw at the Spears, and the Horsemen are left to see what they can do. I have Regeneration, and nearly twice as many attacks, so I could catch up, theoretically, at least!

Nothing turns out. Fireball 3 from the Souls lands 1 on the Panthers to take them to 10, and I have Shattering... but that just brings their Nerve down to 10, and since I don't exceed it, this is just a waver again. The Efreet is stuck throwing into the Spears, with Cover since things are so jammed up. He lands a few damage, but it is against a horde, and immaterial. I believe they end the turn on 3 Damage, thanks to Iron Resolve.

The Horsemen land 3 damage into the Elohi, though Iron Resolve immediately kicks in. They do regenerate their 1 damage away, but the left is a bust.

The Basilean center is scary, and I spend even more time stressing here, lining up what feels like half a dozen last stand attempts, which is not where you want to be in Round 3!

The Flame Bearers on the obstacle fling into the nearest war machine, and take it up to 9 damage, and secure a waver. Another Troop moves up to block the Ogres in, and then everything flings into the nearest Paladins. Dice are low, and the regiments contribute a combined 5, with the Harbinger doing nothing. The Paladins hold strong.

Everything that was accomplished on the left this turn. Uh-oh.

Now that we can choose our path, I consider charging both the Molochs and Berserkers in, but space is tight, and sliding down, I'd still be hindered. I need to relieve the pressure on the center. I have a ton invested in Flame Bearers, and need to but them some time. I can see the flank of the Paladins near the woods, and will take that charge.

The Molochs get a flank charge!

The Harbinger grants the Gargoyles a +2 Fireball and they Gargoyles fly up to toss into the Spears, hoping too pile on some damage. The Cardinal keeps everything Inspired, and the Berserkers lurk. The Gargoyles land 2 into the Spears with some lowish dice.

But the reform is worthless.

I do not like this, as the Molochs aren't really being protected. I should have forgone the Fireball for better blocking by the Gargoyles. We can ignore the old 1" rule, so I should be in the face of the spears, and protecting the flank of the Molochs, just in case.

This error gets worse, as while I do pick up the Paladins, when I go to victoriously change the facing of the Molochs, I can't get the woods in front of any part of me. I think compound the error by giving up, but should have pivoted harder back, the gargoyles are doing no blocking at all for my frontage. It's the middle of the table and hard to see, especially feeling so behind already, but yeah, this is a lot of cascading errors here, stemming from trying to toss a Fireball into a horde.

The Fireball pursuit continues though. The Harbinger gave that one to the Gargoyles, and the Cardinal gives his to the Tortured Souls, who can't fly over the building, but can get around, and toss into the waiting Gur Panthers. It's a Fireball 3 with no cover, and just 1 damage lands, and the Nerve Check is quite reasonable. 

Bottom of Round 3: Basileans

The Gur Panthers charge the Souls, dealing just 1, and I do hold out behind the building, but all the mistakes outlined above manifest here on the right. The Spears aren't blocked, and my positioning of the Molochs lets both them and the Ogres into my front, cleanly. The Molochs take 20 damage and rout, with the War Priest granting them Elite and giving them a Bane Chant.

Charges on the right, from the Basileans.

The War Priest with Blizzard lands 2 into some Flame Bearers, and the Cannon contributes 3, taking them up to 5 damage. I am Inspired, but again, another pair of hot dice waver me. 

Aftermath on the right.

The Paladins get Elite and carve up the Flame Beaters for 9 damage, and the Nerve check breaks their way, and the Ogres here have the Brew of Sharpness, with 17 hits and 16 damage to davastate and rout the other unit, as is proper. The Paladins look to butcher the wavering regiment, and the Ogres turn their eyes towards the Horsemen fighting the Elohi.

Fighting on the left.

The Elohi land another 1 into the Horsemen, and the Spears make a hindered charge into the Tortured Souls, landing 7 damage, but the Inspired check breaks my way, and for what it is worth, they do hold.

The Mother of Phoenixes I think tries another Fireball into the Gargoyles, with another 1 damage, but they look to hold as well.

Top of Round 4: Abyssals

The situation has not improved! I also look to make an illegal move. It looks like from the woods, the Gargoyles charge out into the ever-wavering Gur Panthers, with the others charging a war machine, however, the unit in the woods cannot see over the brawl. We could have flipped those charges, though the positioning would change in the war machine fight, with the Gargoyles into the front instead. Oops. I've been struggling all game for ways back, and my brain is mush by now, and apologies to my opponent!

Ope, bad Gargoyles! Charge only what you can see.

The Gargoyles do land 3 into the Panthers, and will finally pick them up. The other Gargoyles flub, I think landing just 3 damage into the War Machine, which holds without an immediate care, and Iron Resolves down to 2 damage.

The Spears are on just 2 damage. The Tortured Souls are fliers, but aren't charging, so are fighting as cleanly as they can. We will land a few damage, but it is immaterial. We're still fighting against a horde with heals.

The Horsemen take the Elohi up to 4 damage total, and this race is not going well, or quick. With the Ogres lurking nearby, I cannot safely withdraw now, and am really stuck in for the long and tortuous grind. Prolonging the inevitable, Flame Bearers move up to protect the flank of the Horsemen, and fling into the Ogres with Sharpness, fishing for a waver. The Efreet moves around, and tosses a Fireball into the Ogres as well, but they end the round on just 2 damage, with their armor proving very effective.

Fights across the field.

On the right, the Tortured Souls fight the Gur Panthers behind the building, taking them up to 5 damage, and luckily getting the rout. We overrun for a mighty one inch.

The Cardinal grants a Fireball +1 to the untouched Gargoyles, who fly over, and look to toss into the Ogres with Sharpness as well, but as described above, that shooting was a bust, with a regiment of Flame Bearers, the Harbinger, and a combined Fireball 10 barely touching them, as they are not an ideal target, and Inspired, so are hard to waver.

The Cardinal then moves up to bring Dread, and the Berserkers slam into the Spear Horde, headless of their points. I think the Spears are fresh by now, but we roll well enough to take them up to 16 damage, and have Dread, but can't get the break here.

Bottom of Round 4: Basileans

I think the Basileans got for Elite orders, and then Bane Chant to help out the Spear horde, who hold and fight the Berserkers, poking a defiant 10 damage into them. I am Inspired, and do manage to hold here.

The Berserkers hold, but are far from the objective.

The Baslieans commit both the Paladins and some Ogres to mopping up the injured and wavering Flame Bearer unit in the center, and will easily do so. 

The Mother of Phoenixes and Blizzard caster will shift to target the Gargoyles behind the spears on the right, each will land 5 damage, and with Shattering, my Nerve becomes a 9, and the Gargoyles are routed.

One war machines is engaged, and can't do anything. One can shoot, but has no targets, now that the Basileans are hacking their way through my lines.

The Gargoyles are obliterated.

On the left, the Spears get Elite from the Mother of Phoenixes, and fight the Tortured Souls again, and manage to pick them up. The Elohi roll well and smack 5 new damage onto the Horsemen to take them up to 6 damage total, and the Ogres with the Brew of Sharpness completely shred the blocking Flamebearers.

Top of Round 5: Abyssals

Stuck and cornered, the Horsemen continue their slap fight. We Regenerate down to just 2 damage, but but the output is not here. The Angels are on 4 damage, and not going anywhere.

Fights for the Abyssals.

A second unit of Gargoyles makes it into the second war machine, and with the previous fight continuing, we'll pick both up this round. This would be nice, being Round 5 and with objectives to claim, but with everything central, and with Blizzard still online, I think I've been rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic all game.

The Efreet moves back towards my deployment done to claim an objective, and lobs a Fireball into the Paladins, landing 2 damage. The Harbinger holds, trying to help, but contributes nothing with her two Fire Bolts. I don't think she's contributed a point of damage all game, so in retrospect, trying to prioritize her shooting is an error. She should be doing other things right now, like moving over towards the unclaimed objective on my right. Still, I get a boxcars result on the check, the Paladins are uninspired, and will waver.

Several victories, but they don't seem impactful.

The Spears start on 15 damage, and fight the Berserkers again, with Tortured Souls charging into the flank to help, as they can't reach anything else. We do devastate and rout them, as is proper, but reforms prove to be difficult again. The center point of the Berserkers is like, 11 inches from the Ogres, and they can see around the woods, and I can't figure out a way to reform to escape, so they square up.

Bottom of Round 5: Basileans

The Basileans focus on the scenario. they are in a pretty commanding position, but don't want to goof it and lose the game. With all troops 1 US and all Regiments 2 US now, the math is a little more difficult, but they only need to claim 3 objectives over the next two turns to win here. 

Instead of making the hindered charge into the Berserkers, the Mother of Phoenixes moves over to Fireball the Berserkers, and the War Priest with Blizzard joins in the barrage. Thankfully, just 4 damage lands, and back on 10, the Berserkers hold.

The Basileans spend the turn setting up.

The wavering Paladins hold, and the Ogres adjust to lock down this objective with them.

The Spears join the Elohi fighting in the front facing of the Horsemen, hindered, with the Ogres and their Brew of Sharpness hitting the Abyssal unit in the flank, albeit hindered as well. I don't even make him roll this though. With the Brew of Sharpness, the probability of holding is miniscule, and we're just playing for fun.

With the reform to make way for the Spears, the Elohi can victoriously reform to end clear of the forest. The Spears pivot to try and clain the nearby token in the coming turns, and the Ogres turn to face the Efreet, and secure that for the Basileans. With those three tokens, the Basileans should be able to take the game.

Top of Round 6: Abyssals

It's not quite over, but it's not looking great. The best I can seem to do is be annoying. The Tortured Souls hang back, just barely claiming the top-right token for me.

I felt like I probably should have pivoted the Berserkers more last round, to let the Tortured Souls have a flank if the Ogres came in and I survived, but because I didn't, even Frozen, they can pivot once and run at the double over to the bottom right token for me.

Having not moved, the Harbinger unfortunately can't make it to the bottom-right token, and in the woods, neither can the Cardinal.

Pretty good positioning for the Abyssals! Unfortunately, we're at the top of the turn order.

Gargoyles run up to annoy the top-left token. They are holding it for now, and out of range of the Spears, and with the woods the Spears will not be able to claim it in Round 6. So the Elohi will need to charge them.

The other Gargoyles rear charge the Mother of Phoenixes, land a silly 7 damage, and will even pick her up with some hot checks! It doesn't change much, but is nice.

The Efreet is out of range of the Paladins, but currently claiming this token, and will toss a Fireball in against them. They received some nice heals last turn, and start on 2 damage. Fireball takes them back up to 5, and the Harbinger contributes nothing. The Abyssals are holding 4 to the 1 of the Basileans, at the end of the round.

Bottom of Round 6: Basileans

The Spears move up, but cannot secure an objective. The Elohi will dutifully charge out and shoot the Gargoyles away, securing that one. 

Ogres and a Priest will advance, wresting control of a token away from the Tortured Souls.

Blizzard will hit the remaining Gargoyles for 2 damage, but they will hold.

Paladins adjust and secure the center token.

Ogres and their Brew will shred the Yielding Efreet, to claim that token. 

The planning of the Basileans pays off, with a commanding reversal.

The lead of the Abyssals was tenuous, and the Basileans flip it completely, ending their Round 6 with the 4:1 lead instead.

A victory to the Basileans!

Game Conclusions

I stumbled into the rematch just as ignorant as I was in the initial game, while my opponent actively applied a lot of lessons learned from the first game to our rematch here. This was a well-deserved win for him, and I was on the back foot starting in the deployment phase! Still, Kings of War is a scenario-focused game, and despite all my missteps, we made him work for it. That feels good, and we got a lot of insight and testing in for the Abyssals too!

Testing Conclusion

• Efreet. He is a neat character, and seems like he could be very fluffy, but darned if he is awkward. Overall, I really like the new take on Fireball, relative to Lightning Bolt, as the spell really feels unique now. Or felt, unique? Blizzard but now it is head and shoulders above Fireball, though you are limited to just one. Nuts. With all the hits to Individuals in the FAQ, he's really hard to find a place for. He doesn't Inspire, can't take additional spells, and our Orders aren't giving us much to work with either, though the barrage of Fireballs was a lot of fun. 
• Harbinger. Three shooty champions was a bit much. With the Lute, Aura, and accompanying Abyssal Guard, the Harbinger was very neat in the latter stages of 3E. Now, all those things are gone, and you really need to be desperate to fun him. The two attacks don't do anything, and the only way I could see him run is with Shroud of the Saint to try and heal things instead of shoot.
• The Bloody Cardinal. I think we used him well enough, coming in to bring Dread but not risk himself, but this was another rather inconclusive result. Dread didn't tip anything over, and he didn't really get into combat to do any real work. 
• Warlock with Bloodboil. I stuck him out in the open and was suitably punished. He was not used well this game, and did not get to contribute much. Seeing Blizzard in action though, especially compared to my new Fireballs, that spell does seem super-strong, and it might be the better choice for a Warlock in a ranged build. We'll need to compare and contrast sometime, and maybe one with Bloodboil and one with Blizzard would be a good call with a shooty core.
• Flame Bearers Corps. This game highlighted for me how hard they are to use, and what a difficult time "mobile" shooters have in the new edition too. Lots to consider! Running them up super-far doesn't seem wise, but I think I need to at least move them into shooting range for the following turn to give myself some options. I should also try and be more cagey with them. Front and center might not be the best approach, even if it is the shortest shooting vector. 
• Gargoyles. All things considered, they did great! They are really versatile and really fun picks and do seem really strong in this edition. 
• Berserkers. They feel like a more balanced unit now. They still command some respect, and did fine this game. They are easier to use than the Horsemen, and seem like great picks to bully a lot of weaker core units.
• Tortured Soul Troops. I like these! The troops are great with the extra pivot and they seem like they can still punch above their weight. Definitely worth exploring more in the future.
• Abyssal Horsemen. These were definitely not used well since I was trying to be fancy with the Command Orders and risked them. Cavalry without TC can't do much, as demonstrated here. 
• Molochs. Seems like a good unit, but they not used well since I did not protect them well. YOu can't trade these 1:1, they should be cleaning up at the end of the game. I should have prioritized using Gargoyles to chaff and block for them instead of trying to be fancy, but so it goes. This was all good stuff to test out early.
• Abyssal Command Orders. We actually used both this game! In a shooting list, Burn the Sinners / Fireball has some play to pile on a little extra damage, and seems like the better of the two orders. Burn the Sinners interacts with a lot of your basic units, just not Flame Bearers, and it's hard to get the necessary coverage of the Order to mitigate incoming damage. It could be useful, but seems awfully niche. But niche orders are probably better for game balance. The Fireballs are fun, but neither order is amazing, and I think I will be generally better off playing a normal game and sprinkling these in as I can, rather than try to force use out of them. I tried the latter approach this game, and it just didn't work well.

Two great games, and a lot to go home and think about. It was a great day and a great time. A big thank you to Trevor for hosting and for the games!