4th Edition: Battle #050 Kingdoms of Men vs Abyssal Dwarfs

Intro and Lists

It had been a ridiculous week for me both at work and otherwise personally, but I had made it to the weekend, and was incredibly happy to be able to relax rolling some dice against Will and his Abyssal Dwarfs, who were practicing for a tournament next weekend. After a tasty home-cooked meal, we set up for a rematch.

As mentioned before, I like Golekh's angle of play for the Abyssal Dwarfs. Again, were were looking to get Will some practice with his list for a tournament, which was locked in already, despite neither of us really liking the fiddly items on the Gargoyles and such. 

Opposing me we have the splendidly painted Golekh on his chariot, two Iron Casters (without Surge) to heal and support things, a Horde of Blacksouls with CS1 weapon-swap, and the Brew of Sharpness to hit harder, two regiments of Lesser Obsidian Golems to take hits, two Gargoyles to interdict, and then Ratkin Death Engine and Tunnel Runners to round things out as other hammer-like units. 

I was running the Kingdoms of Men! While I have a large collection of humans, and considered this my “main” army for a quite a while, I really cannot make that argument anymore. So far in 4E they’ve seen the table just twice for me!

While I like a lot of the underdog human units, a “good” build has been hard for me to wrap my head around. The Warlords and Champions all felt really limiting and underwhelming. Reviewing my collection, I can’t really spam anything – I mostly have a varied collection for the humans, with a single horde’s worth of a lot of different units. Still struggling to find my own footing with the army, I decided to just embrace that variety, and channel some “Mantide” play inspired by things the Goblins or Ratkin can do these days. The Battalions are organized like a crazy person would, but essentially we have two of just about everything, some basic Champions to support us, Dogs of War and Knights as hammers, and a lot of counts-as Siege Artillery for indirect fire. We’re hoping to fill the board up with sticky regiments and hopefully just outlast our opponent in whatever the scenario happens to be. As-usual, up to evaluate is everything:

• ASB, Torc of Command. With a lot of regiments, Inspiring coverage might be an issue, so we’re trying the ASB for Very Inspiring, and the Torc to give out a longer Indomitable Will just in case.
• Mounted Hero, Trickster’s Wand. I like the kit, and the height of the Mount should help the Hero get line of Sight with the Wand. The Wand no longer forces a unit to halt to cast these days, and we’ll see how that feels. The Wand/Hex has shown up in a handful of lists opposing me, but I don’t think anyone has really gotten good uses out of it yet.
• Mounted Hero, Banner of Command. We don’t have a lot of Commands, but I hobbied up a Mounted ASB before realizing that the human ASB’s can’t take mounts, so we’re putting the model to use here. We’ll see how this feels.
• Uninspiring Wizard, Periscope, Celestial Restoration. An admittedly wild pick! Celestial Restoration is a siren song, and I wanted to try it out here. I don’t think it will be great here, but I feel the need to try. If we can have a regiment unexpectedly hold, and then get healed too,
• Shield Wall Regiments x2. I hobbied mine up as individual regiments, each with a standard back in the day, so we’ll put them to use here, and see how these base regiments feel for me.
• Halberdier Regiments x2. I like Halberdiers, as the cheap source of CS is really nice to have around. I’m excited for troops to return, but I just don’t have any hobbied up. We’ll split the old horde in twain, and see if these can’t cause some damage for me.
• Crossbowmen Regiments x2. We’ll split the dependable Crossbowmen horde up as well, and see if a little extra counter-shooting could be fun.
• Militia Mob Hordes x2. I just finished up a fourth regiment, so we’ll take two hordes, emulating the Ratkin Wretches. We don’t have great Orders for them like the Ratkin, but a horde is still a horde, and we’ll try to be a good tarpit.
• Knights, Boots. An odd pick, given the rest of the list. Splitting the hordes up, I needed a fourth Core unit, and just went with these. I felt like I needed some kind of hammer, and if I’m taking a regiment of Knights, I want to take the Boots too, unfortunately. We’ll try to play them more as a second-line or a sweeper.
• Dogs of War, 2H, Stone. I really like the basic Dogs of War. They aren’t crazy-strong, but they are a very cheap horde that you can then customize. Leftover points are wacky here, so we’re just giving them the Stone, to boost their Nerve just a bit. We’ll run these as a second line as well, and see if we can’t survive the game.
• Siege Artillery x4. Eh, we’ll succumb to some support spam here while we can. While the Goblins have been able to use Sharpstick throwers against me, and I would also like to run my old Ballistae, I am not practiced with this kind of list. We’ll try the potentially easier-to-use artillery and their Indirect Fire. We’ll deploy these last and just hope we can see something tall.

Table and Terrain

Will and his wife were kind enough to host the practice session, and we made use of his table, very thematic matt, and home terrain, with the help of an extra hill from the terrain box in my car. We had nifty basalt rock Forests (back left and middle) with Height 10, a ruined statue head and a skull monument for blocking terrain at Height 7, Hills with Height 3, two neoprene mats for Height 1 difficult terrain, and the Obstacles as Height 2. 

It was a weird generation, with the Skull monument largely in one deployment zone, and a hill in the other zone.

Overview of the table, with some units scattered about and not yet deployed.

We got Loot for the scenario, and will have three tokens along the center line we can fight for and pick up. Each token we hold at the end of the game will be worth 1 VP apiece. Nice and easy!

The Abyssal Dwarfs had won the roll for side choice and for tokens. They were lazy for sides, and I believe placed on the far left. 

View of the left.

Left-to-right for the Abyssal Dwarfs are Golekh and the Death Engine in reserve, Tunnel Runners perpendicular behind the woods, then both units of of Golems with the Iron Caster in reserve.

View of the center.

Both units of Gargoyles were hidden behind the skull monument, and then the Abyssal Dwarfs line continued beyond, with both hordes of Ratkin, and the horde of Blacksouls in reserve, along with the supervising Iron Caster, with Bane Chant, Heal, and the Crown.

View of the right. 

I greatly out-dropped my opponent, but without a clear game-plan, struggled a bit. I wanted to play for the narrow in, threatening the left but not expecting to take it, brawl for the center, and sweep through on the right. 

The delaying left got Militia and Shield Wall on the front, supported by the ASB, with Knights and Halberdiers in reserve. The center got Shield Wall, Halberdiers, and Militia supported by the Hero with the Banner, and then the Hero with the Trickers' Wand to the right of the Militia. The Dogs of War continued the line, and we had a strong shooting contingent on the right, with Crossbowmen, all the Siege Artillery jumbled on the hill, and more Crossbowmen on the far right.

Playing many regiments, the main goal was to split them up, so that like units were not fighting alongside each other. With Kings of War, larger units have a discounted price, so having two Halberdier units deployed or fighting next to each other is a very inefficient use of points, and something to be avoided,. I did well on this front, generally splitting stuff up and giving myself some options and a mix of units, but there are some larger goofs of mine to point out.

• I did not do a great job with my Champions / Inspiring coverage, and indeed even forgot to deploy the Celestial Wizard! (I will catch this quickly, and my opponent will graciously let him arrive on my turn). 
• I fixated on the hill. With my opponent giving me this side, it felt wise to put my war machines there, but ultimately do not like how I did this. Firstly, with these having Indirect, I don't need to get center-points on the hill like I was trying to, and just need to get a bit of the front-facing on the terrain to see. I'm ignoring Cover anyways, so I could have deployed these much better on the hill, and gotten a straighter line of war machines. Secondly, I out-deploy my opponent, and could have stuck these anywhere. We're wasting a lot of Piercing by targeting the infantry, and sticking them on the far left to target Golems might have been better. 
• The Knights came down late as well. With Thunderous Charge (3), they were one of my few options against the Golems, and I felt compelled to put them down out here, since the war machines were already down. However, the Scorched Earth Iron Caster is out here as well, so I'm playing into the strength and plan of my opponent, which is generally something wise generals try to avoid.

I bounce between armies wildly, but this was a very hard shift from my more usual playstyles. We've still learned a lot already though, and we'll see how the game unfolds! I win the dice roll for turn-order, and will kick things off for us.

Top of Round 1: Kingdoms of Men

On the right, I'm realizing some of my goofs already. I like the Crossbowmen against the Ratkin, but we've got all of our shooting out here, and don't have great early shots with the hill. The regiment from the far right moves as far as they can with their pivot, eyeing to token nearby. The other regiment just moves up normally, and looses into the inner unit of Ratkin, landing 2 damage.

Human shooters take position on the right.

The artillery have possible shots into any of the infantry, and I choose to focus on the Blacksouls. In retrospect, fishing for a waver at the inner horde of Ratkin might have been a better strategic approach right now, as three hordes is going to be hard to for me to deal with, given my disposition of units out here. The artillery shots hit twice, and will result in 6 damage. 

The Dogs of War squared up opposite the Blacksouls, and inch ahead for now.

The human center trudges ahead.

The Hero with the Wand tries to hit the Iron Caster with his Hex, but the spell flubs and misses completely. Terrain slows me down in the center, but the Militia start their trek forward. The Halberdiers and Shield Wall keep pace, and the Hero with the Banner stays nearby.

The human left is more daring, but probably shouldn't be.

On the left, the Militia sprint ahead with a slight pivot at the end, looking to grab some early space and take some early hits. The terrain good me up a bit here too, with both the Shield Wall and Halberdiers unable to clear it. The Knights hang back on the left, waiting to see what happens, and the Celestial Restoration Wizard joins near the edge of the table, behind the ruined statue head.

Bottom of Round 1: Abyssal Dwarfs

Golekh hangs back, but distributes a Mutated Mastiff to the Death Engine, and it inches up to toss into the Militia. The Tunnel Runners get a Mutated Mastiff from the Iron Caster, and 7 damage total hits the Militia, though they hold.

Mutated Mastiffs maul the Militia.

The Golems shuffle ahead, and one of the Gargoyle units flaps over the skull monument.

The other unit of Gargoyles flies out to the right, looking to cause some future trouble, and out on the right, the Ratkin units move up, though a bit tentatively. With their greater speed, they don't want to give my infantry a chance to charge first.

The Ratkin advance, making good use of their greater speed.

The rounded hill proves to be a bit of a problem for one of the hordes, but was can talk through intentions and agree that they are doing the same, threatening some charges while staying safe.

The Blacksouls keep pace, and get a hot 3/3 Heal gets them down to 3 damage. 

Top of Round 2: Kingdoms of Men

Yeah, against three hordes, we really don't have enough over here. The Ratkin have their choice of charges, so the inner unit of Crossbowmen run up to block, and will get the other Ratkin horde in arc as well for good measure. Unfortunately, the Hero with the Wand will land an Indomitable Will on them to help them out.

The Kingdoms of Men try to slow the opposing hordes.

The other unit of Crossbowmen hold, and take aim at the blocked Ratkin, firing, and landing 2 damage. Clean shots into them seemed better than penalized shots into the Gargoyles.

Overview on the right.

Short on units, I realized I need to be fishing for those wavers to buy time, and the artillery all loose into the Ratkin blocking for the Blacksouls, landing 8 damage. The Dogs of War either hold or adjust slightly. I think the blocking Ratkin do have a charge into them, but there is nothing I can do about that.

The human centers tightens up.

Centrally, the Militia move ahead, and the Halberdiers and Shield Wall consolidate, moving towards them. The Hero with the Banner tucks in behind. With Gargoyles right there, we are trying to limit what they can get into. The Hero tries a Brace Command for the Shield Wall, but fails.

The Kingdoms of Men take a looser approach on the left.

I forget that the Wizard can issue Commands, despite being uninspiring, so he does not help out the cause in this regard. He is able to land a strong Celestial Restoration onto the leading Militia on the left though, bringing them down to just 2 damage. The ASB with the Torc tries to give them Indomitable Will, but fails. I was hoping to move them up aggressively again, but it was not to be.

As a result of the failed Command, the Militia are cautious, making sure to stay Inspired, and the strong heal should test their durability well, I think. The Halberdiers are able to get out of the terrain, and the Knights lurk nearby as well. The Militia adjust to face front a bit, though everything should still be in front arc, even the nearest Golems. The plan here was to eat the charges next turn, and leave open the potential to Withdraw, and let the Knights and Halberdiers cycle into the fights and give the Militia a chance to heal.

Bottom of Round 2: Abyssal Dwarfs

On the left, the Death Engine charges in against the Militia, accompanied by the Tunnel Runners, who I believe pop their Boots, looking for a quick victory out here. The Engine rolls up 10 extra Attacks, and the Militia take 18 new damage, and will break. 

The chariots punch right on through.

In victory, the Death Engine falls back, hoping to let other units block for it, and indeed the Tunnel Runners overrun a fair amount. Unfortunately for me, the Iron Caster is able to get into the woods, and barely glimpse the Knights, and does land a Scorched Earth against them.

The Lesser Golems press out, and we are able to clean things up to prevent some potential flank charges into them. I don't have anything that can really hurt the Def6 units, but I know this is something my opponent really tries to prevent, so we're trying to help him out here.

Ope, a blurry picture, but the only one I have this turn. Sorry!

Centrally, the Ratkin charge in, hindered against the Militia, and the Gargoyles flap in behind them, landing atop the Loot token and grabbing it. The Blacksouls then lock-in behind the Gargoyles. While this is fine, I don't really like this, as this is a heavy stack of units. It's nice to grab the token, but there is no rush right now.

The Ratkin poke 2 damage onto the Militia, who hold. 

And the Ratkin claw through as well!

On the right, the Ratkin get a Bane Chant, and body the Crossbowmen, landing 10 damage (7ish expected, even with the Bane Chant), and the Rats are able to shred the unit and then reform. The Gargoyles from the far right are in range of the other unit of Crossbowmen, and take this charge as well, clawing 3 damage in, though this regiment holds.

Top of Round 3: Kingdoms of Men

Yeah, things could be going better, but we're trying a new playstyle, and the game is definitely not lost yet! We'll persevere. I need to clean up my backfield, so the Crossbowmen fight on against the Gargoyles, landing 3 damage, while the Hero hits the unit in the flank, contributing 1 damage. 

The Kingdoms of Men attempt to push back.

The output is not amazing, but looks to be about as-expected, and the uninspired unit does break, with the Crossbows overrunning for 1, and the Hero side-stepping for 1 as well.

The humans are only moderately successful...

The Heroes are no longer Very Inspiring, so this Hero lands an Indomitable Will onto the Dogs of War, who charge out into the Ratkin Horde ahead of them. This horde doesn't have Last Breath, so if we can pop them here and then face the injured Blacksouls, that would be great. The humans smack 15 new damage onto the Ratkin, taking them up to 17 damage, but the Rats are found to be Insane!

I forget my Siege Artillery, but while it is a practice game, it's still a friendly one, and my opponent lets me backtrack and fire into the Blacksouls as I had intended to. The artillery hits a few times, and takes the Dwarfs up to 9 damage, but they do hold on. At the end of the .. uh.. adjusted Ranged Phase, I realize that in efforts to hurry up, my brain had defaulted to d3 hits instead of d3+1, but I must roll with that mistake now. 

The Militia do as good as they can on their own.

Celestial Restoration heals the Militia completely, as they strike 5 damage at the Ratkin, taking them up to 13 damage, but we don't break them. This isn't great, but at least we don't trigger the explosion.

The hindered knights and Halberdiers struggle against the Tunnel Runners.

The Hero with the Banner hangs around, and I believe issues a Tenacious Command to help out the Militia in their fight. I could have charged in with the Halberdiers, but it would have been Hindered, so I don't. They Halberdiers are close to the Golems, and I don't think I had a good reform to keep them safe, so we trust in the Militia alone, and it doesn't work out. The Shield Wall and Halberdiers don't do much this turn.

Out on the left, the Shield Wall do get a Brace Command, though the Wizard fails and the ASB is forced to try it again, and the regiment gets things into front arc.

On the far left, I feel like my hand is forced. The Death Engine is Height 5, so can see over the Tunnel Runners, and has enough of a channel to get in against the Knights if they hold back, so under the effects of Scorched Earth, they charge the Tunnel Runners, joined by the Halberdiers. The Runners are uninspired, but dealing 3 damage apiece, the Nerve check is not high enough to break the unit and help me out.

Space are tight, but looking at the pictures, I probably could have played this more cagey. The Halberdiers can charge in, and not slide too far. Then then Knights should be able to change facing, keeping the Death Engine in front arc, but denying space for it to align. That said, with Golekh lurking and reforms possible, I could still be caught out here. I opt to go down swinging here, and it doesn't pay off.

Bottom of Round 3: Abyssal Dwarfs

On the left, the Tunnel Runners hold, with the Death Engine slamming into the Knights, and Golekh hitting the Halberdiers, and the Engine and the Runners both get a Tenacity Order, and the Tunnel Runners getting a Heal 2 as well, ending on just 4 damage.

The Knights are broken.

The Death Engine rolls up a lot of extra attacks, and cuts well into the Knights. The Tunnel Runners throw almost all of their attacks into the Knights as well, and will pick them up, with the free Death Engine backing up. A few attacks go into the Halberdiers, but don't wound, and Golekh only manages 3 damage onto the Halberdiers, who hold.

The Golems tentatively press ahead, but don't grab too much ground due to Shambling. 

Centrally the Rats hold, and get Last Breath from the Iron Caster. They'll roll hot and carve up 8 Damage onto the Militia. With the stack of Ratkin, Gargoyles, and Blacksouls, the Gargoyles can't get away with their prize, and my opponent starts puzzling over what to do which puzzles me, so we pause and talk it out.

Referring back, this is why I would not have grabbed the token with the Gargoyles - with everything flush, even with the wacky FAQ saying you can just ignore stuff, the Gargoyles are causing a headache here, and there was no time crunch to grab this. My opponent is trying to create space with the Blacksouls to let the Gargoyles out, which is not a wise decision to me, as he is giving up the huge gift of the Insane Rats against the Dogs of War. 

There we go! The Blacksouls take advantage of the Ratkin's moment of insanity.

The Blacksouls will be treating the Gargoyles and Ratkin ahead of them as Blocking Terrain, but while units can't move straight through this terrain, units can pivot through Blocking Terrain, even while charging, so the Blacksouls should definitely be taking the flank into the human mercenaries. The Gargoyles will sidestep to make this pivot a bit easier, but still keep safe from the Halberdiers nearby, by keeping their corner behind the Ratkin. Then the Blacksouls will come to the aid of the Insane Rats, pivoting through the back corner of the Gargoyles, and then moving straight ahead to hit the flank of the human unit, and then slide down to align properly.

It's hindered, but they'll get a Bane Chant, and will land 24 damage onto the Dogs of War, and we don't bother rolling the Ratkin. The humans are broken, and my other hammer-like unit is now gone. 

Reforms for the Ratkin.

The Ratkin reform, and the Blacksouls initially spin around, to face the center of the field. Again, we talk it though, and I suggest that they stay put or even overrun. He's got enough on the left and right going well, and if he is going for a strong victory, should be prepping for the fall of the Insane Ratkin.

Top of Round 4: Kingdoms of Men

Out on the right, things aren't going well, and I look to have forgotten to move the Hero, but we have some prayers and ideas to keep this competitive? The Crossbowmen charge the insane Ratkin, land 3 damage to bring them up to 20 damage, and do break the horde. While doing so, they end atop this Loot Token, and pick it up, technically tying the game up for me.

The Crossbowmen charge! This isn't ideal.

The Crossbowmen will reform, to face the rear of the Blacksouls. I recheck line of sight, and one of the Siege Artillery actually can't see the Blacksouls any more, and is forced to move off of the hill. The remaining three fire, will land a combined 5 damage, and take that horde up to 14 damage, though we don't get lucky to the waver.

The Militia will get a Celestial Restoration for just 3, and then land 8 against the Ratkin, taking them up to 21 damage. The Ratkin rout, and then explode, dealing 7 damage to the Militia and taking them up to 12 damage. I was hoping for a big heal and low explosion, but so it goes.

The Kingdoms of Men are ... trying.

I think the Mounted Banner Hero tries a Brace Command and fails. The Halberdiers move up, and the Shield Wall attempted to Brace against the Golems and such. There is only three tokens in-play, so the hope is to make things messy, and eventually trap the Gargoyles to get this middle one before all the Abyssal Dwarfs on the left can come and help.

Stuff in the center.

On the left, the Shield Wall do have a flank charge into Golekh... but realistically, that's not going to do anything. The long-shot hope is to just tie things down for a turn or two, so I'm trying to engage as many enemy units as I can, and the other Shield Wall charge the Lesser Golems with the Pipes.

Sheesh, another Insane unit.

On the far left, the Halberdiers land another 3 damage onto the Tunnel Runners, taking them back up to 7 damage, but instead of just holding here, they are round to be Insanely Courageous as well. 

We were unlikely to break the Inspired unit, but this is just putting me further and further behind. The list isn't killy, and I've definitely struggled to take units, but am also not losing mine slowly enough to feel good about the direction of the game.

Bottom of Round 4: Abyssal Dwarfs

The Death Engine can see my ASB, and makes a charge out into the flank of my Champion. It's hindered, but a silly amount of extra attacks are rolled, and then doubled, and the Champ takes 12 damage, being devastated and routed, as is proper.

The bloodied left of the human line basically evaporates.

Golekh and the Tunnel Runners are able to shred the Halberdiers as well, with the runners able to back up several inches to land atop the Loot Token and secure it, and the extra space being enough for Golekh to reform comfortably. 

The Golems manage only three damage onto the suddenly-uninspired Shield Wall, and thankfully, they hold for me. The Golems are healed completely thanks to the Iron Caster's spells.

The Golems clean up the Militia, instead of fight a fresh unit.

Centrally, the Gargoyles turn and run, and the Golems make a surprise hindered charge into the Militia, who start on 12 damage. The humans take 5 damage, and will break, with the victorious Golems turning to face the remaining regiments.

The Blacksouls claim a token.

On the right, the maimed Blacksouls continue on their bloody path, landing 13 damage onto the Crossbowmen while getting a small heal themselves. In victory, they'll claim the token the humans were holding, putting the Abyssal Dwarfs in a strong lead with all three Tokens.

Top of Round 5: Kingdoms of Men

It's certainly rough, but I do still see a glimmer of a chance, so we're playing on! Per the July FAQ, individuals can gain claim / carry Loot Tokens, though while carrying them, they can only be given a Halt or Change Facing movement order. The plan is to pen in the Gargoyles now and break them next turn with a hero, as well as waver/rout the Blacksouls this turn, so the other Hero can get their token next turn. The Heroes will be grabbing tokens, and the units will be blocking, and then we pray the game ends.

The Heroes for the Kingdoms of Men get nice and central.

The Celestial Restoration Wizard can't heal anything because it's all dead. He'll spring on, heading out to my right, and will try to help as the game goes on.

The quarter of war machines fire into the Blacksouls, and we'll land a combined 7 damage, taking them up to 20, and getting a waver, as-planned. 

The mounted Heroes get central, and the Halberdiers charge the Golems, looking to occupy their attention. They are given Indomitable Will, to hopefully help them out. The Halberdiers deal no damage, but that's doesn't matter to the plan.

The unengaged Shield Wall sprints after the Gargoyles, looking to pen them in, or charge the Blacksouls next turn.

Humans on the left do their best to delay.

Buying-time for the shenanigans on the right, the other unit of Shield Wall fight on against their regiment of Obsidian Golems, actually landing a few damage against them! Hoping to exacerbate the delays to the Abyssal Dwarfs, the departing Wizard is able to grant them Indomitable Will.

Bottom of Round 5: Abyssal Dwarfs

The Tunnel Runners have done great, and are moving with their token out into the back left corner. I don't think there is any way I can reach them with the artillery, but we're not on a clock and it pays to play it safe and such. 

The Shield Wall will fall. 

The Death Engine slams into the flank of the delaying Shield Wall, and the human unit will be dutifully obliterated, and in victory, the wide Golems hold, to allow the speedier Death Engine to overrun a few inches, getting closer to the final fights of the game.

Golekh scoots around this fight, also looking to get close enough to help as the game concludes.

The Gargoyles turn to face the Shield Wall, and drop their token in their right corner, from my perspective.

The Golems fighting the Halberdiers suddenly roll hot, landing a surprising 10 damage, and will break my regiment. Only around 7 damage is expected, so this is unfortunate, but not the end of my gambit just yet.

The Blacksouls retain their token, and while wavering, turn around, and an attempted Heal fizzles, keeping them on 20 damage.

Top of Round 6: Kingdoms of Men

I was really hoping the Halberdiers would hold. There is actually no Surge on the other side of the table, and Shamblers only get one pivot, so probably just moving the Halberdiers and demanding a hindered charge from the Golems might have been better. Alas, it did not occur to me, and just charging it to get them engaged seemed sufficient.

The Humans make their final play.

With the Halberdiers falling, I cannot devote a Hero to charging the Blacksouls now, and we transition to playing for a draw, playing for the token beneath the Gargoyles, and shooting the Blacksouls off this round.

Positioning for the humans.

The Hero with the Wand charges the Golems to get them engaged. The Shield Wall Charge the Gargoyles, with the Hero and the Banner of Command flapping as he hits the fliers in the flank. The Hero looks nice, but contributes no damage to the fight, though thankfully the Shield Wall roll hot and stick 6, making up for their leader. 

With the token dropped in the corner the Hero is in, I can just pivot in victory to pick it up. However, the Inspired Nerve check results in a 3, and the Gargoyles hold on, though technically without their token.

The Siege Artillery all fire into the Blacksouls, but dice abandon me. Seven of the eight shots miss, and that one only blasts into 3, and while all 3 deal damage, the Blacksouls are just wavered again.

Bottom of Round 6: Abyssal Dwarfs

The Shield Wall take a flank from Golekh, and a rear from the Death Engine, and their blood greases the Gears. The Gargoyles get a Bane Chant, pick their token back up, and claw 4 damage onto the Hero, who holds.

The last Shield Wall falls.

The Golems will land some damage onto the other Hero, and the wavering Blacksouls will hold. 

We do not get a Round 7, and the Abyssal Dwarfs maintain their lead for a 3-0 Victory over the Kingdoms of Men!

Game Conclusions

Across the table, we gotta give Will his flowers. He took the learnings from the previous game, and applied them here, punching through unit after unit for the win. Basically everything in his list worked this time: Scorched Earth nullified my Knights; Golems shrugged off multiple waves of men; Gargoyles were tricky; Ratkin exploded gloriously; chariot contraptions smashed; and the Blacksoul horde was an absolute powerhouse of a unit against me and my lower defense.

On my side of the table, we had plenty of errors, misplays, and little mistakes, which we've touched on already here and there in the report, and I won't dwell on, as this is a pretty new style for me. Overall, we adapted well as the game progressed, and I'm actually pretty happy with this! My list was intended to be a bit scrappy, and despite the errors and incredibly heavy losses, we actually still had a decent chance to claw our way back to that narrow victory right at the end there! Unfortunately for the humans, the dice absolutely forbade it!

Testing Conclusions

• ASB, Torc of Command. It worked ok? We attempted some longer Commands, though they weren't always successful. Not a fantastic pick here, but a sensible one.
• Mounted Hero, Trickster’s Wand. Again, not a bad item, but we just could not successfully cast the spell. Not a bag buy for 15 points, and not a bad kit, even if it was unimpactful in this particular game. I forgot Heroes Rally until midway through the game. It doesn't work with Militia, and wouldn't have saved any combat that I was aware of, but it's a bummer to overlook.
• Mounted Hero, Banner of Command. Again, not a bad item at all, and the Extra Dice should help with the Brace Command and such in the short term. It's a bummer ASB's cannot take mounts, but it looks like we'll get some use out of the model after all. 
• Uninspiring Wizard, Periscope, Celestial Restoration. He surprised me, and overall, I liked ths little wizard. Unfortunately, my plan for him failed. Nothing important of mine could hang around for him to heal, and despite some nice early boons to Militia, he wasn't very impactful. I like the idea, but not great here. Go figure, but the ever-popular Barkskin or Blizzard might have been better choices for me here.
• Shield Wall Regiments x2. The Shield Wall did ok? They took some hits, dished out a few damage, and were generally ... whelming. Which I think is the feeling Mantic wants to have when dealing with Core units - good, reliable, but not the stars.
• Halberdier Regiments x2. They had a rough time against Def6 Golems and such, but they likewise did fine for a basic, cheap Core unit. 
• Crossbowmen Regiments x2. I am a little less sold on these. Honestly, I do like them, and have a soft spot for my Crossbowmen, but they were not used well, and I really needed some other unit on that side of the board to run up and take those hits. 
• Militia Mob Hordes x2. This list didn't quite have the hammer tools to treat these like the Undead would treat their Zombies, and they were awkward, but generally, I liked them. I think some cheap US plopped here or there might be useful nowadays, and we'll keep testing them out.
• Spears. No, I didn't take any, but it does seem worth commenting on. Up against a bunch of Chariots, Spears would not have helped me here at all. Phalanx only works when taking the initial charge now, and at 20 pts a Regiment, I don't think MMU spears is going to be a wise investment, and I think it's going to be hordes of Spears or not at all for me.
• Dogs of War, 2H. I still like the Dogs of War conceptually as a cheap, quality hore, and the item was fine, though not needed. They just got very unlucky this game! We tried all we could, but the dice just weren't there this time.
• Knights, Boots. It was a big conundrum where to put these, and ultimately I chose to play into my opponent's list and plan and try to fight the Golems. That was a big mistake, and the Knights paid dearly for it. Neat to see Scorched Earth doing work though!
• Siege Artillery x4. Admittedly I had one round of Blast errors, but I gotta say these felt very unreliable and underwhelming, but such is the curse of most war machines, even when taken as quartets, it seems. I think these should have been deployed elsewhere, and really leaned into Indirect for a better test, but so it goes. We'll give them another chance sometime, and see how they do with a little more experience! I am a little reluctant to spam war machines, but these definitely did not seem overpowered or oppressive. 
• Goblin-Style. I was just using what I had, and not really pulling deeply from any Goblin lists or tactics. We don't have the Wingits or the Mawpups command or a lot of the little synergies that make Goblins so scary, but I think there are definitely some things a KoM player could learn from studying or emulating a more Goblin-style of play. I don't think 

During some good-natured grumbling about a month or so back, Will had informed me that he had never won a game against me. Despite that apparent record, he's always been an incredibly good sport, and a great opponent. My luck finally ran out against him, and so we'll give a hearty congratulations for the well-deserved victory here, and wish him the very best at the tournament next weekend. Thanks to Will and his family for the game, and for their wonderful hospitality!

4th Edition: Battle #049 Abyssals vs Abyssal Dwarfs in Raze

Intro and Lists

It had been a crazy-tough week for me both with work stuff and with home stuff, and I was running on fumes at best. Kings of War Wisconsin semi-recently set up a little Discord, and someone had posted, looking for practice games to help with a tournament coming up, and I blindly agreed, looking forward to a little respite thanks to gaming. Had I used a solitary brain cell, I could have remembered who this was, but they were in short supply this week. I thought I was gearing up for a beating from Rob, but as we got to planning the details in the days immediately prior, it was Will was attending the same tournament, and was the one looking for games. He had his Abyssal Dwarfs with the following:

I really like Golekh's vector for play - the exploding prisoners with jobs just seem super-cool, and I'm glad he's pursuing this! We have the splendidly painted Golekh on his chariot, two Iron Casters (without Surge) to heal and support things, a Horde of Blacksouls with CS1 weapon-swap, and the Brew of Sharpness to hit harder, two regiments of Lesser Obsidian Golems to take hits, two Gargoyles to interdict, and then Ratkin Death Engine and Tunnel Runners to round things out as other hammer-like units. Neither of us really liked the assortment of tiny items on the Ratkin or the Gargoyles, but the list was already submitted, so we can't really tweak it, and it's an awkward amounts of points left to paly with. 

For the first game, I brought the Abyssals, as I am eager to start exploring the buffed, returning Abyssal Guard more myself, as they were a pet unit of mine for quite some time. I think Rob’s approach with CS2 Hordes is really strong, but my aim for each collection of mine is to explore the army roster as fully as I can, so I gotta do my own thing, especially early on. We're using what we have painted, and going with a MMU approach with lots of regiments. Up to discuss here is everything.

• Abyssal Warlord. That's right, we’re giving the Warlord a try! The (slightly) longer Commands are ok, but we’re taking him mostly to unlock some different Core units, namely the Abyssal Guard. Stat-wise, he seems similar to the Herd’s Chieftain – with good stats and abilities, but too few attacks to matter much in a fight. Individual combat heroes have often been hard to justify, and we’ll see if that general assessment holds.
• Warlock, Veil and Sacred Horn. I really liked this used against me, and with Trevor’s NA also using lots of shooting via Javelins, this doesn’t feel explicitly tailored, so I wanted to try it out. It’s a bit of a miss this time, but that’s totally fine, and we’ll see if and how this Warlock can still be useful.
• Warlock, Dark Pit. I quite like the Dark Pit (when it goes off - the 4+ can be a little fickle). I explored it previously with Flame Bearers, but I don’t think the Abyssals quite have the volume of fire to make this work at range. I think it will work better supporting a melee push or grind, and so that will be the aim here – overwhelm with units, and then drop this for Cloak of Death and Dread to swing the fights my way.
• Lower Abyssals. With very expensive Guard regiments, we still need some blockers and token-holders, so here we go, as regiments to be more expendable.
• Abyssal Guard. And then there are the stars of the show and build, the returning Abyssal Guard. I went with a split between the Def5 and CS2 ones, as I couldn’t quickly find a tray to use, and this assortment are the full single-based regiments I have hobbied up right now. We’ll see how they all do and get a benchmark going for our understanding.
• Gargoyles. I have four troops of Gargoyles hobbied up, and I don’t think they’ve all hit the table together before, so we’re taking the lot of them! We’ll see what havoc they can cause.
• Berserkers. We had some spare points, so trying to really embrace the MMU idea, we’ll take some troops of Fearless Berserkers to prowl the battlefield.

Table and Terrain

Will and his wife were kind enough to host the practice session, and we made use of his table, very thematic matt, and home terrain, with the help of an extra hill from the terrain box in my car. We had nifty basalt rock Forests with Height 10, a ruined statue head and a skull monument for blocking terrain at Height 7, Hills with Height 3, two neoprene mats for Height 1 difficult terrain, and the Obstacles as Height 2. 

Overview of the table.

We got Raze for the scenario, which we have played recently. There is an immutable Objective token in the center of the board, and then we each place three tokens into deployment zones. Oddly, you can place in either zone, but only Raze tokens not in your deployment zone. If you control a token not in your deployment zone, you can "Raze" it for 1 point, and ideally, you whittle things down to fight over the center, as you get nothing for just contesting stuff in your own deployment zone.

View of the left.

Left-to-right for the Abyssal Dwarfs, we have Golekh and the Tunner Runner regiment, pesky terrain, both Golems flanking the Scorched Earth Iron Caster with perpendicular Gargoyles hiding behind them, as well as the Death Engine. On the right, we have Ratkin hordes screening for the Blacksouls, and the second Iron Caster.

View of the right.

I had won the roll for sides and for first token placement. I wanted to go wide, and to try and use my Gargoyle advantage to slow things down, and then nab some tokens once the lines closed.

View from the right.

Left-to-right for me we have two units of Gargoyles and some Berserkers, then Garboyles and the Dark Pit Warlock, then CS2 Guard, Lower Abyssals, the Warlord, the Def5 Guard, more Def5 Guard, the Veil of Shadows Warlock, Berserkers, and more Gargoyles. 

Overview of the table. 

I have a decent spread of Gargoyles, and while the Def5 Guard are both right next to each other, but I can play either side of the blocking ruined head. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the deployment, though it is hard to effectively fill the board at this points level. 

Will wins the roll for turn order, and happily kicks us off. 

Top of Round 1: Abyssal Dwarfs

Will is one of the most decisive players I know, with blisteringly quick turns, and this one was no exception! Keeping a tight line has been a trademark of his, and so each battle group moves with purpose.

The Abyssal Dwarfs inch out.

On the left, Golekh and the Tunnel Runners move up, but only slightly, wary of getting bonked / pinned by the the Gargoyles, and then smashed by the Berserkers. 

The center units inch ahead as well, slowed by Shambling or the terrain.

Centrally, the Golems trudge forward in concert, still flanking the Iron Caster, and pulling the Death Engine behind them. The Gargoyles each peel off to zone out my tokens, as the line moves up. The terrain slows the Ratkin hordes, up, which in turn slows down the Blacksouls, but all the hordes make some forward progress this turn.

Bottom of Round 1: Abyssals

On the right, the Gargoyles zip up, betting behind the skull shrine, and out of sight. I really want them to grab this token out here. 

The Berserkers peel out towards the right. I'm too far back to technically threaten anything yet, but if the Ratkin move at all, I should have a charge next turn.

The Abyssals start setting up a concave line, of sorts.

The Lower Abyssals are tentative, moving up, but not at the double, and staying on the hill. I should have another inch or two left to work with, and could have been a bit more assertive with them, but it's not a big deal. The Warlock hangs back, safe, and tosses at the inner Ratkin with Firebolts, but into cover, lands no hits. Regarding the ruined dwarf statue head, the Guard move up, staying out of range of the Ratkin, but looking to try and plug the gap between the ruins next turn.

A cautious advance from the Abyssal center as well.

Panning towards center the Def5 Guard hand back, with the Lower Abyssals taking the lead, and the Warlord staying protected between the infantry units.

The CS2 Guard and the Dark Pit Warlock inch up, with the Warlock landing a Dark Pit ahead of the Golems, hitting them and the Iron Caster. Gargoyles stand ready in reserve.

An assortment of troops on the left.

On the left, the Berserkers stay just out of 16 inches, just trying to deter the advance of the Abyssal Dwarfs. Using a laser line, I can get one unit of Gargoyles hiding behind the woods, and the other near the table edge, safe, and not in the woods, and threatening a delaying charge. 

We're not really using units efficiently out here, but we're just hoping to make my opponent think twice before running ahead, so this is probably fine.

Top of Round 2: Abyssal Dwarfs

On the left, the intent is to protect Golekh, who pivots and moves to effectively side-step. The Tunnel Runners do the same, with Golekh ending slightly behind the Tunnel Runners, safe from the Gargoyles. Technically, that's not how angles work, and the Tunnel Runners should be pivoted slightly towards the center, but whatever. I don't mind nor catch this at the time.

The eeeeevil chariots basically sidestep.

Centrally, the Golems inch ahead again, staying off the hill and out of charge range of the Abyssal infantry. I believe the Iron Caster heals the Golems from their experience with the Pit, putting them back down to 0 damage. In the back-field, the Gargoyles stay put, still zoning out my tokens.

The Golems inch up, again.

On the right, the Iron Caster gets clear of the woods, while the Blacksouls start their trod through the rocks. Departing the basalt forest are the Ratkin, who are awkwardly stacked up, due to the forest and the statue's noggin. 

The Ratkin swarm, in between the blocking terrain pieces.

He ultimately commits all three hordes to face the right, and try and push through the pass and towards that token. The Rats are slowed, but the leading unit is given the Last Breath Command, to explode if I hit them too hard. The Gargoyles actually had a charge into the flank of the leading Ratkin, but we'll catch that and adjust so that the fliers cannot fit. 

Bottom of Round 2: Abyssals

On the right, the Gargoyles sidestep, sliding behind the skull shrine, hiding. They can't see anything now, and the plan is to try and jump the line next turn? We'll see.

The Lower Abyssals offer themselves up.

The Berserkers force the angles, going wide and to the right, while the Lower Abyssals run ahead. We'll strive to keep both Ratkin hordes in front arc, which will only let one through the pass at a time. I consider the Ultimate Betrayal Command here, but the Ratkin are just as flimsy as the Lower Abyssals, so it's not really worth it.

More caution in the center.

We'll try and scorch the stalled Ratkin unit. The Warlock is Inspiring the Lowers, so he holds, and sticks a Fireball Command on the nearby Guard, getting 1 success for Fireball 3, which will result in 1 damage due to bad blasts. His Firebolts contribute a hot 4 damage. The Warlord gets 2 successes to help the other Guard Regiment on the other side of the ruined head, and their Fireball 4 results in 2 successes, gain due to low Blasts. The Ratkin end on 7 damage, and hold. With Def3, the Rats are a pretty ideal target, but the dice just weren't as cooperative as I could have liked.

Abyssal Fireballs are distributed across the line.

The Golems aren't a threat yet, and I don't want to move in and get charged, so the center of my line adjusts, but stays safe. The Dark Pit Warlock sticks it in front of the Iron Caster, damaging the Caster, Golems, and the Death Engine, and then gets two success gets the CS2 Guard a Fireball 4, which lands 0 into the Obsidian Golems.

More adjusting from the Abyssals on the right.

On the left, we're still awkwardly dancing, but we're doing a fine job of slowing things down, so I don't adjust too much. With the sidesteps made last turn, the Berserkers can safely adjust a bit, to face the center a bit more while avoid the terrain, and the Gargoyles behind the woods do the same, eyeing things in the center a bit more. The Gargoyles on the far left aren't threatened, so just stay put. 

Top of Round 3: Abyssal Dwarfs

On the left, the Tunnel Runners move up, and are granted a Mutated Mastiff from the Warlord, and the dogs manage to munch 4 damage against the gargoyles and get the waver against the fliers.

Mutated Mastiffs are flung.

The Death Engine spins up, putting its center point on the obstacle, and with a Mutated Mastiff from the Iron Caster, lands 3 damage onto the Berserkers, while baiting a charge from them as well.

The standoff in the center... continues.

The Golems continue some cautious play, shuffling around the hill. They are poised to take the hill in the late game, but don't commit just yet.

The Ratkin charge in, still gummed up.

On the right, the lead Ratkin unit charges, getting the Last Breath Command but staying alive for now, and claw 5 damage onto the Lower Abyssals. The second line of Ratkin adjust, and the Blacksouls trudge ahead, making progress through the basalt forest. The Iron Caster presses onward and tucks in behind the skull monument to land a Bane Chant to help the Rats, and both Gargoyles continue to hold in the backfield, still guarding some of my tokens.

Bottom of Round 3: Abyssals

It's been a slow game, but now is the time for me to start pushing just a bit. On the right, the Gargoyles can fly out from behind the skull monument, landing on and Razing the token at the end of the turn.

Charges.

I consider Withdrawing the Lesser Abyssals, but backing up doesn't really help me. They get a Fleshknit Command, and Regenerate 2 to get down to three damage against the Rats. The Berserkers come in with the flank charge, slamming 14 damage, and the Lower Abyssals contribute 2, and we will pop the Rats here, with both the Berserkers and the Lower Abyssals taking 7 damage for the trouble.

The Abyssal Guard have a charge into the second-line of Ratkin. These do not have Last Breath, and I decide to take it, carving 7 new damage onto the horde and taking them up to 14 damage, but it holds. I believe the Warlord tried the Blessing of the Dark Gods here, but failed. This surprise assault failed, but both the Fireball dice and the Guard's attacks were a little low for me, unfortunately.

The defeated Ratkin explode, landing 14 damage!

The Center is still a standoff, which I am ok with. My regiments are more numerous, so if that math doesn't change, I should be able to bully the center in the late game. 

The Abyssal Gargoyles here back up and pivot, just looking to see other things, and try to prevent my opponent's Gargoyles from snagging tokens freely in the late game.

More standoffs in the center. I am not eager to let the Golems hit me first.

The Dark Pit manifests for a third time, out to the left of the Golems. I waffle with Commands, but ty Fleshknight for the Berserkers instead of the Blessing of the Dark Gods. I stick the Command, but get no Regen successes. I don't want to just get charged by the Death Engine, so send in the Berserkers, with a hindered charge. They manage just 2 damage, and even with Cloak of Death and the Dread from the Dark Pit, the Death Engine isn't going anywhere.

The Gargoyles do what they can on the left, with one claiming another token.

Out on the left, the Wavering Gargoyles change facing, and Regenerate a strong 3, getting down to just 1 damage. The move makes sure that aggressors will be in the woods. Meanwhile the other unit of Gargoyles flies out from behind the forest, and is able to claim a second token for me this round, putting the Abyssals ahead, 2:0 for the scenario score. As I start claiming tokens this round, my opponent is realizing that his slow approach is not in his favor.

Top of Round 4: Abyssal Dwarfs

Both Golekh Skinflayer and the Tunnel Runners charge the Gargoyles on the far left, looking to finish them off. I angled a bit poorly, so that Golekh isn't hindered, due to the large footprint of the unit of chariots. The Runners (wisely) do not pop their Boots here, and indeed, the duo is able to land 10 damage combined, and break the unit. Reforms are a little messy, with the Tunnel Runners parallel with the long edge of the table facing the center, and Golekh spinning about, hoping to race back around the forest.

Chariots crash in against the Gargoyles.

In the backfield, there wasn't a way to better position my Gargoyles, so they take a hindered flank charge from the opposing Gargoyles, who land a strong 6 damage, and scatter my uninspired troop. 

Several victories for the Abyssal Dwarfs over lowly Gargoyles.

The Death Engine whirs to life, and grinds 6 more damage onto the Berserkers, who do mange to hold, thanks to a low Nerve check. 

The Golems take the hill.

The Golems take the hill, still flanking the Iron Caster. The intent is to be locked in and flush with the spellcaster, but that is a little hard to do with a rounded hill and metal models.

More Ratkin explode, and the Blacksouls make it into combat.

Also in the backfield, more Gargoyles fight in the back right corner, with the Abyssal Dwarf troop clawing 3 damage onto the Abyssal troop, and the latter holds.

Out on the right, the injured Ratkin are exploded, with the Abyssal Guard taking 5 damage from the Last Breath of the horde. With the Rats gone, the Blacksouls then make a hindered charge into the Guard, getting a Bane Chant to help out, and the melee will land 9 damage, taking the Guard up to 14, and they will break. The Blacksouls run ahead, getting a strong overrun to bump into the Lower Abyssals. Ouch! Had we been a little luckier last turn, the Guard might have survived and prevented this breakthrough.

Bottom of Round 4: Abyssals

On the right, the Abyssal Gargoyles regenerate down to 1 damage while clawing 3 onto the opposing Gargoyles, though the latter are Inspired and don't budge. Good thing I brought some extra Gargoyles, as I am not winning any fights against them!

The fighting continues!

The Lower Abyssals get another Fleshknight, and regenerate down to 4 damage, and charge the Blacksouls, landing just 2 damage, and taking the Abyssal Dwarfs them up to 3 damage total. The Berserkers shuffle ahead, getting into the flank of the enemy horde. Charging is an option for the Berserkers, but since we're tying to just delay things here, I think this is fine. Getting this flank charge is probably ultimately unlikely, but will occupy the attention of the Blacksouls and hopefully keep them off the tokens.

Fights against the Gargoyles.

The Warlock moves up 6", and lands another Dark Pit behind the Iron Caster on the hill. I can't really get good coverage trying to get the Death Engine, so just focus on the hill. And on said hill, we try to tidy things up with stairs, with some marginal success. 

The individual Abyssal Warlord can see and charge the Iron Caster. Lower Abyssals charge in to delay Golems on the left, and the Betrayal Order fails from the Warlock. Both Abyssal Guard variants chage the Golems out on the right. Gargoyles fly up and pivot, tying to cove the center, and see what can be done.

A brawl on the hill.

The Warlord lands 3, and with several Dark Pits over the turns, we're able to fell the spellcaster, and remove Inspiring from the center here. The two-handing Guard land 4 damage onto the Golems, with the Def5 versions contributing nothing, with my low rolls continuing. The Lower Abyssals manage a single damage onto their regiment, and both units of the Lesser Obsidian Golems hold.

The fight against the Death Engine continues.

The Berserkers got a Fleshknit from the Warlord, but are just out of range of being Inspired by the Warlock. I did not do Commands well this Round, and should have had the 3-dice Warlord attempt the harder Betrayal order. Oh well. The Berserkers regenerate just 3 of their 9 damage, and slam 6 damage onto the Death Engine, taking it to 12 damage. The contraption is uninspired, but a darn 3 on the Nerve check will have it sticking around.

The left is lost, but there are no tokens out here, and Golekh and the Tunnel Runners are stymied by the rocky woods. We'll hope it is enough.

Top of Round 5: Abyssal Dwarfs

Golekh swings around the woods for the most part, and the Tunnel Runners pop their boots to jump from one piece of terrain to the other, and they are just barely able to end and raze this token, putting the Abyssal Dwarfs on the score board.

The Tunnel Runners claim a token.

In the backfield, the Death Engine spins up again, and with Gargoyles in the flank of the Berserkers, the crazed unit of Abyssals is brought down. 

The Abyssals on the hill hold.

The Golems evidently don't need Betraying. The Brew of Strength is overkill, and they only thump 4 damage onto the Lesser Abyssals, who hold firm. The other regiment slams 5 onto the Def4 Abyssal Guard, and Brutal is involved, though the elite Abyssal unit holds.

The Abyssal Dwarf Gargoyles claw good damage onto the Abyssal Gargoyles, and will win that scrum, and reform to face the rear of the Abyssal Bersekers. The Iron Caster goes in, but can't land a damage against the injured unit.

The Blacksouls claim another unit.

The Blacksouls can't get Bane Chanted, but still slice 9 fresh damage onto the Lower Abyssals, who break. Maybe Betrayal would have been a better Command for the Lower Abyssals last turn. The Blacksouls overrun, trying to make plays for the tokens still.

Bottom of Round 5: Abyssals

The Iron Caster is Yielding, so the Berserkers can just ignore him, and take the flank into the Blacksouls. The Warlock tries to give them the Blessing of the Dark Gods, but fails, though the Berserkers hit hard anyways. With 10 damage expected, they deal 12, which is great, but not uite enough to break the inspired horde.

The Berserkers hit the Blacksouls in the flank.

The Warlock ties to tuck up to get nearer to the Berserkers. I did not measure, but the intent was to deny the Gargoyles a place to land. The fliers can't reach a token next round, so we'll see what I can do as the game concludes.

Gargoyles move in to delay.

On the hill, the Warlord hits the Golems the Guard regiments are fighting in the flank. The attackers will roll well to add 11 more damage onto the Golems, and will break the uninspired unit. The Warlord spins around, and the regiments turn to face the center of the board, and the oncoming Abyssal Dwarf units coming from the left.

The Lesser Abyssals regenerate down to 1 damage, and I think got a Fleshknit from the Warlock to accomplish this. 

We toss the Warlock out into the opposing Gargoyles. It is a bit of a desperate play, with the thinking being that shooting / Pit isn't going to do much here. The Warlock lands 2 damage, and we fail to break the unit. 

The Gargoyles can't delay too much now, but move up to block up the Tunnel Runners.

Top of Round 6: Abyssal Dwarfs

The Gargoyles fight back against the Warlock, with Golekh hitting him in the flank, the the Abyssal spellcaster will be easily broken.

Clever charges from the Abyssal Dwarfs.

The Tunnel Runners make their hindered charge into the Gargoyles, who get flanked by the Death Engine. I was not checking flanks, and this is a clever move to get the Death Engine more central. The Gargoyles are absolutely obliterated.

The Golems claim the Lower Abyssals.

The Golems on the hill slam an unexpected 9 damage onto the Lower Abyssals, and will break them. I was a bit complacent here, but the Golems are still fine at bashing through weaker units like this. They will spin around with their victorious reform.

The Blacksouls thump the Berserkers down and overrun.

The Blacksouls won't bother to reform as it would pull them away from the tokens, and will just throw all their attacks into the flanking Berserkers. They Dwarfs catch a Heal, getting down to 13, and land 15 new damage against the Berserkers, who are truly devastated, and will break. They overrun a few inches and are stopped by the Warlock. 

The Gargoyles fly over on 1 damage, but can't claim a token this turn. 

Bottom of Round 6: Abyssals

On the right, we're still trying to delay. The Warlock pivots to toss at the Gargoyles, and lands just 1 damage from the Firebolts, and they hold firmly on 2 damage. It's not a bad idea, but I was unlucky, and positioned  poorly, I think. I wanted to keep the Blacksouls in front arc, but they can just pivot through me, and I should be nearer to their mid-point. 

The Warlock attempts to delay.

Centrally, I have some options. The Warlord could run up and raze my last token, but that seems a bit risky if there is a Round 7 as he is way out of position. I am currently winning, and decide to just play for the center. 

The Warlord charges the Golems to tie them up, and add his US to the center. The Def5 Guard move up alongside, but do not charge, as their role here is to prevent the Death Engine from shooting the gap and Razing a token back here.

Charges from the Abyssals.

The 2H Guard charge the Tunnel Runners, who have their frontage out of the terrain, allowing for a clean charge. The Warlord misses a Blessing onto them, and the Guard only manage 7 damage, but the Runners are Uninspired, and we do get a lucky break against them, and are able to victoriously turn.

The CS2 Guard gift a surprise victory!

The Abyssal Dwarfs have Razed 1 token for 1 VP, while the Abyssals have Razed 2, and control the center objective currently, for 3 VP. At the end of the Round, the Abyssals are still holding onto their lead, and we do not roll up a Round 7.

A victory to the Abyssals!

Game Conclusions

It was a tough match-up, but I had a good plan going into the game, and was able to execute it pretty well, and without too many hiccups. 

We agreed that my opponent just misplayed strategically, hanging way too far back with everything for far too long. By the time he really started moving out and up, there was not not much too be done as the tokens and such were a bit too far away to reach in the late game.

Testing Conclusions

• Abyssal Warlord. Yep, he is a decent combat individual, with all of the "just okay" feelings that come along with that type of unit. Fighting alongside the Abyssal Guard regiments, he seemed fine, and did contribute. I don't know if the slot swaps are good outside of silly MMU play, but it is a nice avenue to explore, and the longer Commands can be helpful, to get off the harder-to-issue Orders, though I didn't utilize that well here.
• Warlock, Veil and Sacred Horn. He did ok, despite having the dud spell. The Firebolts are nice, but were not very impactful. The 'bolts do still have nice synergy with the Fireball Command though, so yeah, he's still got his uses and the Warlock is a nice Champion to have around.
• Warlock, Dark Pit. All the other Warlock comments apply here, and the Dark Pit is still a great spell when it goes off, and a lot of fun! The Dark Pit did pretty well this game, forcing heals, weakening the Iron Caster a bit over a few turns, and eventually helping me break through some units too, thanks to Dread.
• Lower Abyssals. They did ok - mostly just around taking up space. They play nicely with the Orders, even though I wasn't very successful with said Orders. I still miss their 4+ attacks, and reasons to give them CS1, but begrudgingly, the weaker versions of these units are working nicely with the new Commands and army as a whole. 
• Abyssal Guard Regiments. They all did ok, but not particularly great. As regiments, they are very much generalists trusting in their stats. We struggled against the Def6 Golems, and with our own staying power. We were asking a lot of them to be our line units as well, and while it worked out here, as regiments probably need to be supporting hordes of Lower Abyssals, and/or regiments of Molochs, letting them help out, but not needing to take the weight of doing everything.
• Gargoyles. Having four troops to play with did give me a lot of options. They didn't win any of the opposing Gargoyle fights, but did snag most of my objectives for me like I had hoped for, thus setting me up for the scenario win. I can't really complain about that.
• Berserkers. The troops were ok, and had a decent showing, but like the Abyssal Guard, we were asking an awful lot of them in this game. Like the Guard, these troops should ideally be supporting larger or scarier things, so they can fly under the radar a bit. 
• Commands. We got use out of most of them this game, though I didn't do a great job at giving myself good chances to stick the most-important 5+ Commands like Betrayal or Blessing. Those really seem to requires a Warlord or something with the Banner to be able to issue them more reliably. We'll try to take put general knowledge to use in future builds across all armies.

The game was a pleasure, and I felt right at home in the nerdy abode. It was really fun to see it all play out on such a thematic battle mat too! The Abyssal Dwarf army was making sense to me overall, it just needed to be a bit more aggressive, I think. We'll see if we can coax them towards a little more violence in the rematch!