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

Intro and Lists

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

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

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

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

Table and Terrain

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

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

Overview of the table. Not my mat. 

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

View on the left, with probably too many Dwarfs.

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

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

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

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

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

Scout moves!

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

Top of Round 1: Free Dwarfs

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

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

Dwarfs, moving out from the left. 

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

Crossbows gain some early ground at the expense of shooting.

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

A tentative move up from the Dwarfs on the right.

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

Bottom of Round 1: Abyssals

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

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

The Abyssals full-send.

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

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

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

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

Top of Round 2: Free Dwarfs

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shooting manages to scare a few units of Imps.

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

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

Bottom of Round 2: Abyssals

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

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

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

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

Gargoyles fly in to disrupt the Rifles.

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

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

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

Top of Round 3: Free Dwarfs

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

The Dwarfs keep advancing on the left.

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

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

The dwarfs fight in the center.

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

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

The Dwarfs ready themselves for the next wave of assaults.

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

The Dwarfs fail to best the Imps in melee though.

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

Bottom of Round 3: Abyssals

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

The Abyssal assault begins in earnest.

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

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

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

The lines prepare to clash.

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

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

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

Top of Round 4: Free Dwarfs

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

The Ironclad arrive to blunt the Abyssal push.

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

The Dwarfs fight back on the right.

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

Oh, we manage to kill some Imps!

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

Bottom of Round 4: Abyssals

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

The Abyssals push hard on the right.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Top of Round 5: Free Dwarfs

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

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

Charges from the Dwarfs!

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

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

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

The Nagarri fall!

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

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

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

Bottom of Round 5: Abyssals

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

Charges from the Abyssals.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Top of Round 6: Free Dwarfs

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

The Rangers use Pathfinder to grab an objective.

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

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

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

The Warsmiths deal with the Gargoyles.

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

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

The Dwarfs brawl.

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

The Crossbowmen do very well!

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

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

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

Bottom of Round 6: Abyssals

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

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

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

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

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

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

Game Conclusions

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

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

Testing Conclusions

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

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

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

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

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

4th Edition: Battle #043 Abyssals vs Northern Alliance

Intro and Lists

Schedules aligned for a moment, and Trevor of Data and Dice and I were able to line up a solitary game. Fresh off of recapping US Masters 2026, Trevor was riffing on a Northern Alliance list inspired a bit by attendee and fellow Midwesterner Jeff Schiltgen, with the following:

Jeff's list used a quirk of the Pack Hunters to apply some disproportionate pressure at range, since the Javelin-swap actually helped their Shooting value. In games, they were on the front line along with a Lord on Frostfang, all blocking and pressuring for the very-very killy CS2 Tribesmen, with some Ice Queens supporting them. There is no Barkskin to be had here though, and Trevor has swapped out even more Tribesmen hordes for the comparably-killy-but-easier-to-position Hearthguard regiments, as well as his pet Cavern Dweller monster unit. 

There was a mighty pull for me to run the Herd and atone for some rules goofs from our last match, but as you can see, exploring the also-new Forces of the Abyss won out. I'll try to be more diligent on these changes, particularly with the new Commands. The triumphantly returning Abyssal Guard look super-strong, gaining the ability to play as a horde, while inexplicably picking up an innate CS1 while still keeping the ability to swap to two-handers. My old pet unit unfortunately has a lot going for them now, but I couldn't noodle out a good list here, so we're running plenty of other things to explore! Just about everything here got some kind of change with the update, so up to comment on is everything:

• Bas'su'su the Vile. We already like this Warlord. He's quick and strong, but also pretty survivable. With Fracture, he got a nice list-building buff, turning one Gargoyle Troop into a Core unit. This is weird - typically infantry-sized troops don't count as core, but given the reclassification for 40mm Large Infantry, there is a precedent for unlocking troops. I think this is mostly a nod to "Bas'su'su's Vile Brood", a unique upgrade for a unit of Gargoyles from 3E, which made them better combatants.  
• Efreet, Talisman, Fireball, Dark Pit. I don't think the Efreet is all that strong. I think he needs to either Inspire, be able to drop the Fireball, or be moved over to something like Specialist. I really wanted to try the Dark Pit, but our spellcasters are so darn limited. I think the Warlock is by far a better choice overall here (the Warlock has Regen, better Nerve, and is not Yielding, nor an Individual), but we're giving the Efreet a chance to prove me wrong. 
• Hellequin Blood-Masque. The newcomer! I hobbied him up just in time. With the Warlord's Gargoyle swap, I wanted to try the new Horsemen swap as well. He's a decent combatant too, and we'll see what trouble he can get up to.
• Flame Bearers. I needed a few Core units, and went with the Flamebearers, even though, like the Efreet, I am not sold on them. They are supposed to be a mobile shooter, but their Shooting value got dinged with only a points decrease to compensate, making them really underwhelming. Depending on the match-up there might be some play with the Dark Pit and them though, which I wanted to explore. 
• Gargoyles. With Speed 10 being rarer now, I still really like the Gargoyles, and still want to incorporate a few units whenever I can.
• Berserkers, Brew of Strength. I do like where the Berserkers ended up - they feel like a fair unit ever since the reduction to their speed, and they are still quite useful for the army. They apparently lost Retaliate in the revamp, and do still like carrying an item, and so they got the Brew of Strength this time. 
• Tortured Souls. The Souls were also tweaked in the revamp, losing Fly and 1 Speed; trading Fearless for Headstrong; trading CS1/TC1 for a flat TC2; and gaining Strider; all resulting in a teeny-tiny discount. Strider is always nice, but this seems like a real downgrade. The theme of the list is being open to being proven wrong though, so we're giving them a try.
• Abyssal Horsemen. The Horsemen also got a small tweak, unfortunately trading Fearless for Headstrong, while also getting a small price hike. Booo. The switch to full TC was already tough, but a regiment of cavalry with the boots can definitely be strong, 
• Molochs. For better or for worse, these are still essentially a staple for the Abyssals. They hit hard, and if you can support them, their high Nerve and Regeneration can work wonders in a grind. We're taking only two, and we'll see how they do.

Oof. The Abyssals are up against a shooting-heavy list while a number of my important units have lost Fearless, and my own shooting contingent was not only outclassed, but most likely going to be stuck firing into Stealthy units too. It was looking like a tough match-up. 

Table and Terrain

We were at his place, making use of his luxurious table-top setup, and home terrain. We had Forests with Height 10, the blocking Buildings at Height 7, Hills with Height 3, fallow field and shallow pond as Height 0, and Obstacles as Height 2.

We got Loot for the scenario, and it's been a long time since we played it. We have a Loot token in the center, and two placed on the center line. All can be picked up, and all are worth a VP if held by a unit at the end of the game. Easy enough!

Overview of the table.

My opponent won the roll for tokens, placing the one nearest the building, and then won the roll for sides, forcing a switch. He played rather compactly, looking to play hard for the middle token, and what will be the token on the left for this report.

View of the left token.

Left to right, we have Pack Hunters, the Lord on Frostfang, Pack Hunters and more Pack Hunters, screening for both Hearthguard units. The Def5 Tribesmen were dead-center, supported by the Healing Ice Queen. A Cavern Dweller was on the line with the Def4 Tribesmen in reserve. Near the woods were two troops of Pack Hunters and the Blizzard Wizard, with the units juuust able to get into the terrain to see out. Snow Foxes ended up on the far right.

View of the center token.

For the Forces of the Abyss, we have angled Molochs on the far left, with the Blood Masque, and Tortured Souls screening for Gargoyles behind the hill. The woods blocked for the Gargoyles, and Abyssal Horsemen were nearby, seeing around the terrain feature into the center of the field. Centrally, we have Tortured Souls screening for Molochs, and Berserkers here too. The building split the line a little, but we have Bas'su'su, and then both Flame Bearers, the Efreet, and more Gargoyles on the far right.

View of the right token.

Jumping from army to army and list to list can make deployment difficult, but overall, I was happy with mine here. The Flame Bearers are finally not front-and-center. The Molochs are a little too spread, but within a turn that should be fixed. The hardest thing was the positioning of my heroic choices. It works, but it's a little rough, and my Inspiring coverage isn't great.

I win the roll for turn order. While sticking the Northern Alliance with a turn or two of lost shots is tempting, I have a speed advantage, and feel like I need to take ground and try to pen the tundra fighters in as much as I can. I'll kick things off for us.

Top of Round 1: Abyssals

On the right, my Gargoyles have a speed advantage against the Snow Foxes, and move up as far as we can to force some tough decisions. The Efteet isn't going to be able to do much this turn, so he too runs ahead. I suppose I could be getting a few more inches

Most of the Abyssals move up. Ba'su'su is busy directing and delagating, apparently.

I was unsure how aggressive to be with Bas'su'su, and ultimately forget to move him. I should have moved him up near the center line.

Everything else moves up, but stays a bit over 17 inches away. The Berserkers move up zone things out and force some decisions from my opponent. The Building has a bump in the footprint that I want to respect, so we pivot them slightly to clear it in a future turn. Tortured Souls move up with Molochs in tow.

Pressure applied around the other two tokens.

I think my play with Cavalry right now is to stick them in terrain to help with deployment, and then make sure I use the boots. This should give them Cover against any shooting, and make deployment a bit easier. They get into the woods, and are joined by the Gargoyles, and both should be safe from Javelins.

The Gargoyles reposition.

Tortured Souls on the left move up, basically safe from Javelins. On the left, the Molochs move up, staying safe, and the Gargoyles use their prodigious Speed to get to their left and see around them.

Technically, range is drawn from closest point, so a max move and pivot could maybe get a throw or two off down the line of battle, but all of the Abyssal units like, 12 and a half inches away, and any serious pivots could put units in danger, or really mess up the line, so overall, this feels fine for this turn.

Bottom of Round 1: Northern Alliance 

On the left, the Pack Hunters move up, and choose to keep a tidy line, and forgo any tosses. The Lord on Frostfang hangs slightly back, to prevent a wild charge out from me, which could gum up all three units.

The Northern Alliance inch up, but hold onto their javelins.

The reserve Hearthguard mostly keep pace, keeping room to pivot too, in case the need to reposition arises. Centrally, the other Pack Hunters move up and keep pace, and the Cavern Dweller moves up as well, blocking for the Tribesmen hordes. If memory serves, I have solo charges into the Pack Hunters or Cavern Dweller, but my opponent is very keen to prevent any multi-charges yet.

More advancing Pack Hunters, plus a Cavern Dweller!

The troops of Pack Hunters enter the woods, and prepare to camp out for a bit. The Blizzard Wizard enters as well, and with her center point in the terrain to ignore it, attempts a Blizzard into the inner unit of Flame Bearers, but no hits land.

The Snow Foxes choose to retreat.

The Snow Foxes are able to cleverly back up, and be out of range of the Gargoyles, while still covering just beyond the token with their own charge range.

Top of Round 2: Abyssals

I've still got the charge range advantage out here, and am ok with slowly shooing the Foxes away. The Gargoyles again fly up to threaten the Foxes, while staying safe from them. The Efreet hops up and hides behind the hill, and summons a Dark Pit near the Ice Queen, and Cloak of Death is able to hit her, both troops, and the 2H Tribesmen in reserve.

The Abyssals press ahead.

The Flame Bearers don't need to move, so don't, and fling into the inner troop of Pack Hunters. I'm still tossing into Stealthy and Cover, so need 6's, but am able to land 4 damage with my shooters, and even get a waver, thanks to Dread, courtesy of the Dark Pit. 

I remember Bas'su'su this time, and get him up nearer to where he should have been last turn. We're running a turn behind with him, and it would be nice to have jumped the hill this turn, but it's fine. We're just being cautious...

A standoff is forming over these two tokens.

Centrally, I am safe from charges, and with staring down so many combat units, I am not eager to fight in the slightest. Javelins are going to do what they're going to do, and I just need to endure for now, and see what happens. 

The Berserkers and Tortured Souls inch ahead while staying safe from charges, and the Berserkers get a Fireball 3 from a Command. I think they landed 1 damage into the Troop of Pack Hunters, but do not recall exactly. The Horsemen likewise inch up through the woods. The Lord actually has a charge into them, but that doesn't seem like a good play for him, so I risk it. The Gargoyles will inch back to stay safe though.

The Gargoyles reposition again.

After a lot of hemming and hawing, the Tortured Souls get the Betrayal Command and move up, daring a charge from the Pack Hunters and opposing Lord. If things fight them, one opposing unit will be using my Melee score and CS. This screening move lets the Molochs move up a bit, and the Blood-Masque can get into the hill.

On the far left, the Gargoyles again use their speed to reposition, now threatening to jump the building, or flank charge some Pack Hunters if they get aggressive.

Bottom of Round 2: Northern Alliance 

The reservist Hearthguard are wary of the Gargoyles jumping the lines, and will pivot and move to block this off. A 20 inch fly will land atop the infantry, and I don't think I can draw line of sight to the unit to just charge them. 

Javelins fly!

The Pack Hunters near the Lord hold, and toss into the Tortured Souls, landing 11 damage. I am Inspired, but they do get the waver, and we'll be forced to hope for Headstrong next turn. 

The center regiment inches up and tosses into the Tortured Souls, but scores no damage. The Cavern Dweller sidesteps towards the left table edge, again, trying to make charges awkward. Had the Dweller not moved, my Horsemen had a flank, and things could reach the horde of Tribesmen, but now I am again presented with Pack Hunters of the Cavern Dweller to fight. 

More impactful shooting out on the right.

On the right, the wavering Pack Hunter Troop gets the Tactical Retreat order, and gets out of the forest, and they get a small Heal from the other Ice Queen too, going from 5 down to 3 damage. The remaining troop holds, and tosses into Ba'su'su', landing 3 damage against the Individual, with the Blizzard Wizard landing 3 as well. My Warlord is Frozen, but holds.

On the far right, the Foxes decide to force the issue. They cannot charge, but scamper ahead, seeing around the hill to threaten the Efreet, and a decision from me.

Top of Round 3: Abyssals

Thankfully, I have the little corner undo markers, but I probably spend a good 20 to 30 minutes trying to decide stuff, and fortune punishes the shrewd. The easy play is Ba'su'su into the Snow Foxes. He'll Regenerate 2, getting down to 4, but only lands 3 damage into the Def2 Foxes, which looks about right, math-wise, but feels bad. 

A 10 inch fly from the Gargoyles can't clear the Foxes, so they fly 20 inches ahead, to force a reaction from my opponent. The Gargoyles aren't going to pick anything up, but can stick it up for a combat. In retrospect, I probably should have joined Ba'su'su in the charge. I forgot about the second pivot on the move, but another option would have been getting by the hill for a Command Fireball. Oh well, the pressure still seems ok. 

Charges against the Cavern Dweller.

The Efreet jumps the hill, and we try a Dark Pit at the far edge of the woods, to hit everything again, as well as the Cavern Dweller, but the spell fizzles.

The Flame Bearers hold, and toss into the other troop of Pack Hunters. We're fishing for 6's again, and again land 4 damage, but we do not get the waver here this time.

The Tortured Souls don't shake it off.

Centrally, if I am clever and lucky, I could actually fight several things, though I ultimately choose not to. The central Tortured Souls and Horsemen can get in against the Cavern Dweller, and do so. Berserkers could get in against the nearby Pack Hunters, but with Hearthguard and Tribesmen on standby, that doesn't seem like a wise play, and so the Berserkers and the Molochs reposition, staying out of charge range of all the Tribesmen units, though that means I cannot pick the token up yet.

The Cavern Dweller falls!

Hoping to buy time, the Blood-Masque needs to reposition for a command, but fails to land the Betrayal one on the Gargoyles as they charge out of the woods into the Pack Hunters, with the goal being to protect the Horsemen. Hindered, the Gargoyles will claw just 2 damage onto the Hunters, but are still taking up the space I need them to.

The Cavern Dweller is just barely not Inspired, and the Souls will land 3 damage thanks to Striding, with the Horsemen contributing 10 on their clean charge, thanks to the Boots. We didn't get the Dark Pit like I had hoped for the Cloak and Dread, but do manage to luck out and break the Dweller before it can contribute to the game, which feels amazing. 

The victorious Abyssal Horsemen back up an inch, and reviewing thing, the Tortured Souls just hold, as nothing can get in against the Horsemen, which is the goal for these reforms.

Headstrong fails on the wavering Tortured Souls, and so they just slightly change facing, allowing the Molochs to gain a few more inches of ground. The Blood Masque needed to get out and risk a charge from the Lord to get the command off, but that seems ok.

Positioning on the left, with the Gargoyles adjusting yet again.

The Gargoyles on the left are sorely tempted to flank charge the inner Pack Hunters. They would tie them up, and block up the Lord on Frostfang, but that doesn't quite seem worth it, so they just inch ahead, safe from the Hearthguard, any maybe out of arc of the Pack Hunters near the building, but still threatening a fly over and good pressure.

Bottom of Round 3: Northern Alliance 

On the left, the Hearthguard decide to ignore the Gargoyles, and turn their attention back towards the center of the field, and the tokens. They position behind the building, and are able to get out of line of sight of the pesky Gargoyles.

Charges from the Northern Alliance!

The Lord on Frostfang does take the charge into the Blood-Masque, and will land 2 damage. The Pack Hunters pounce on the wavering Souls. One is Hindered, but the other gets a Vicious command, and they will easily devastate and rout the troop of spirits, as is proper. The goal is to overrun with the outer unit, and on a 2+, my Molochs will be boxed in and unable to pivot past to flank the Lord on Frostfang. They get the successes needed, and bump into my monstrous infantry unit, and the other will back up.

The Northern Alliance commit hard to removing chaff while they can.

Centrally, the Def5 Tribesmen reposition, and Hearthguard charge in to help the Pack Hunters against the Gargoyles, who are obliterated. The 2H horde of Tribesmen make a hindered charge into the Tortured Souls. They have Elite and get a Vicious command, and the Souls take a ridiculous 19 damage, and are devastated and routed, as proper.

Reforms for the Northern Alliance.

Reforms are a little rough though. The Hearthguard hold, wary of the Molochs. Pack Hunters overrun, bumping up against the Abyssal Horsemen. They are offering up a flank to me now, but I also can't pivot past and will be stuck fighting them. The horde reforms a bit, trying to ensure that the Berserkers will be hindered, should they charge in. 

The outflanking Gargoyles are shot off.

Out on the right, the Snow Foxes claw 2 damage onto Ba'su'su, taking him back up to 6 damage, though my Warlord does hold.

Both Troops and the Blizzard Wizard turn to face the outflanking Gargoyles. The troops land 7 apiece, and a nice 5 damage from Blizzard will devastate the Gargoyles, and they break. 

Top of Round 4: Abyssals

We've claimed some units, and really just lost chaff so far, so things are not too bad? I still have a lot of very scary units in front of me though, and I am still hesitant to commit to any big fights.

On the right, Ba'su'su fights on against the Foxes, and will land another 3 damage, and will manage to pick them up this time. He regenerates 2, and will sidestep to his left, trying to get closer to the real fights. I see an opening, so one Flame Bearer unit wades out of the pond and towards the token, and the other moves ahead at the double, ready to offer itself up as a sacrifice later. 

The Berserkers make a cheeky charge.

The opening is a rear charge into the Blizzard Wizard from the Berserkers. That seems like a good idea, and the Efreet takes the hill to gain some ground and land a Dark Pit in the woods for good measure, pinging the Tribesmen, both troops of Pack Hunters, and the Ice Queen too. Things are damaged already, and 25 new damage is expected, so my opponent offers to fast-forward things here, since we have spent a lot of time thinking and talking in the early turns. The Ice Queen is no insane, and the Berserkers need less than an inch to connect with the rear of a Pack Hunter troop, and with similar expected results, the Hunters are also not found to be insane, with the Berserkers now spinning around to keep the remaining troop in front arc, and threaten some other nasty charges if they decline to fight.

Reforms, after besting a few units.

The Abyssal Horsemen take the flank charge, which we agree is their only option. We'll land 22 damage, but they are found to be insanely courageous. The Horsement are going to be in for a rough time, but were going to be in this position anyways, so it's not terrible.

The Molochs could get in hindered against the Hearthguard or hindered against the 2H horde of Tribesmen, and neither option is appealing. With the Berserkers breaking out, they inch back, getting out of charge range of the Hearthguard.

The flanked Pack Hunters are found to be insanely courageous...

Out on the left, I feel like my patience has somewhat paid off. The Gargoyles have a clean flank charge into the Pack Hunters, and take it, while getting the Betrayal Command from the Blood-Masque, who fights the Lord on Frostfang. The Molochs also luck out with a clean frontal charge into the other Pack Hunters.

The Abyssals push back on the left, with the patient Gargoyles taking a flank charge.

The Gargoyles land 11 damage, and will shred the Hunters and reform. The Molochs underperform with land 9 damage into the Pack Hunters, but also luck out on the Nerve Check and break them. In victory, they sidestep to get out of the way of the obstacle.

Reforms for the Abyssals.

We had to look up the rules for Duelist, as neither of us have encountered it before. Apparently it was changed, targeting "Heroes" now, which is a unit super-type, I guess. Ba'su'su is a Hero (Infantry), and the Lord of Frostfang is a Hero (Large Cavalry), so it looks like it triggers, and I must say, I like this change. Fighting already, I've lost TC, and the extra attacks don't amount to much, with the Blood-Masque regenerating nothing, and only landing 2 damage against the Lord on Frostfang.

Bottom of Round 4: Northern Alliance 

Wary of the Molochs again, the Lord on Frostfang decides to withdraw, after we determine he won't hit the Gargoyles. He passes, but only rolls up 4 inches. It could be worse though, as he does make it into the field, gets the nearby Molochs in front arc, and will be forcing hindered charges, and the other Molochs are too far away.

A tiny, but successful Withdraw move. It could be worse.

The Hearthguard go in against the Gargoyles, and the Ultimate Betrayal hits them... The Hearthguard are hindered, and forced to use the Gargoyle's stats for the fight, and just 2 damage lands. The Nerve check is a warm 8 though, which unfortunately is still enough to break my troop, and the Hearthguard will reform, keeping slightly in the field to force a hindered charge into them.

The other Hearthguard move up, and then think better of it, as they can't keep a Moloch unit out of their flank, and they end up holding. 

Meanwhile, the upstart Abyssal Horsemen are assailed from every direction, with Tribesmen hindered and in the rear, in the flank cleanly, and with devastated Pack Hunters continuing on from the front. While I am curious if we could break the damage record of 61 (looks like 50+ damage is expected, though this could be pushed higher with Vicious Commands or a Bane Chant), my opponent opts to fast forward the combat when I offer, and the Horsemen are bested.

The Horsemen are quickly bested.

Reforms again prove tricky. I belive the flanking horde backs up, while the hindered horde in the rear reforms. The insane Pack Hunters hold.

The Pack Hunter troop fights to delay the Berserkers.

Out on the right, the Pack Hunters do their duty and charge the Berserkers, landing 2 damage, and commanding their attention.

Top of Round 5: Abyssals

Out on the right, the Flame Bearers happily grab a token, putting me in the lead for VP. Ba'su'su flies 20" while regenerating another 2 to get down to just 2 damage. He's had a slow start, but is poised to be a hassle in the late game.

The Flame Bearers grab a token or get in the way, while the Berserkers brawl.

The Berserkers will fight the troop, break them with ease, and then victoriously sidestep, getting out of arc of the horde of Tribesmen in the woods. The other regiment of Flame Bearers will run their 5 inches up, and box them in while bein ready to throw.

The Molochs are still safe, and get a Fireball order from the Efreet for Fireball 4, and we have three units staring down the insane Pack Hunters... The Molochs hold, and throw, landing 1 hit, which blasts into 1, which results in 1 damage, and on 23 damage, the Pack Hunters are considered dealt with. 

The Flame Bearers toss into the Tribesmen Horde in front of them. They are Def4 with the two-handers, but we only manage 1 damage. Wanting to actually try and cast something other than the Dark Pit, the Efreet does try his Fireball 7 into the horde, taking a cover penalty. We get 1 hit, blasting into 1, which fails to wound. Ouch.

Reforms, after another cheeky charge into an unexpected unit.

On the left, I still feel like I need to be cagey. Any charge into the Lord on Frostfang will likely be fighting both him and at least one unit of Hearthguard. I can manage a strong multicharge against the Hearthguard by the building, and so forgo the token to fight them instead, with the Blood-Masque taking the hindered charge by the field, allowing the Molochs to hit cleanly. 

I forgot all about it, but we could be using the Blessing of the Dark Gods for Elite and Vicious, but don't. The Molochs land 11 damage, with the hindered Masque contributing 2, and we'll manage to pick the Hearthguard up. We luck out further, as both units are out of arc of the other Hearthguard unit. We've done a surprisingly good job at hitting the Northern Alliance from odd angles. For reforms, the Molochs pivot 90 degrees to threaten the token - anything wanting to pick it up will be threatened. The Masque is very close to the Lord on Frostfang, so just also pivots 90 degrees, eyeing up the center token with a charge.

Bottom of Round 5: Northern Alliance 

The Hearthguard get into the field, threatening things, while the Lord on Frostfang grabs the token, and positions to force a hindered charge from the Molochs.

The Northern Alliance secure two tokens.

The Berserkers are causing a headache. The Ice Queen moves to prevent good alignment into the rear of the Def5 horde of Tribesmen as they run ahead to grab the middle token, and put my opponent in the lead. 

The Northern Alliance struggle to defend the center.

The horde with two-handers makes a hindered charge into the Flame Bearers, which getting a Vicious Command and a Heal spell. They'll carve 13 damage onto my shooters, and then pivot, to get the Berserkers in front arc, and better protect the rear of the other horde.

Low on units and options, the Northern Alliance mange to take the lead!

Top of Round 6: Abyssals

The Abyssals also do not have a lot of units or options at this point, and are now playing catch-up. 

The Berserkers need to play for a Round 7. They don't have the inches to reach the rear of the Hearthguard, and we agreed that the Ice Queen and the Hearthguard prevent a proper alignment into the rear of the Tribesmen with the token. So, the Berserkers make a hindered charge into the Queen.

Big charges and a Dark Pit from the Abyssals!

The Queen didn't move far, and was able to present the front facing. After charging, I remember that the Queen has Ensnare, and suddenly my Berserkers are fishing for 6's. I get four hits, and manage just 1 damage. It's an underperformance, but it is what it is, and it is not the important combat.

The Efreet moves in close, and is able to land a Dark Pit at the edge of the field, hitting the Lord of Frostfang, Hearthguard, and Tribesmen with the token.

The Molochs charge the Def5 Tribesmen in the front, with Ba'su'su hitting them in the rear. I again forget about the Dark Gods. The Ice Queen has been Healing well, and Cloak of Death is the only damage on them as combat starts. The Molochs swing hard, landing 12 damage, but the Individual Ba'su'su flubs, contributing just 1, and even with Dread, the horde holds with ease, and I'd need a Round 7 to try and wrest this away.

The Blood-Masque gets in the face of the Hearthguard, but doesn't charge, as the Molochs take their hindered charge into the Lord on Frostfang. We neglect the Dark Gods here as well, due to forgetfulness. The Molochs flub, landing 5 damage to take the Lord up to just 8 damage. Dread is in play, but we fail to remove this unit too, and firmly need a Round 7 to win.

Bottom of Round 6: Northern Alliance 

The Hearthguard make their hindered charge into the Blood-Masque. Vicious fails, but they will still deal 11 damage, pick the unit up and reform. We're talking it out, and we think it is best for them to mostly spin around, as this will again prevent the Beserkers from being able to align into the Tribesmen with the token.

Very strong rebuttals from the Northern Alliance as they defend their positions!

The Lord on Frostfang defends his token, slashing 3 damage into the Molochs, but they hold.

A horde of Tribesmen spins around to protect and potentially avenge their comrades, but the horde is able to defend their token as well, getting a Vicous order, and carving 14 damage onto the Molochs, and besting them in one fight. Ba'su'su is still engaged with them, so no reform, but it seems unlikely he'll be able to break them by himself. 

We do not roll up a Round 7, and this is a well-deserved win for the Northern Alliance!

Game Conclusions

It was a loss for the Abyssals, but I can't complain in the slightest. It was a very tough match-up, but we had a pretty clean game with our decisions, and really made Trevor work for this. As a plus, we got to explore a lot of stuff from the update as well! The Dark Pit is inconsistent but amazingly fun, and there are some neat options here for builds.

Testing Conclusions

• Bas'su'su the Vile. He had a slow start due to my forgetfulness. His output wasn't great, but you can't really carry as an individual, and he still got around and was disruptive, which is that you want from him. He's still fun, and the Gargoyles slot swap seems very useful.
• Efreet, Talisman, Fireball, Dark Pit. The Dark Pit was a LOT of fun, if a little unreliable on two dice. Fireball was used just once, but was a dud due to dice, which happens. The Efreet themselves were just ok. We had good mobility with them, but I'd still like it if they were innately inspiring; had Fireball as an option; or were in a different slot. 
• Hellequin Blood-Masque. Duelist is a neat change, but my Inspiring coverage and Command coverage was very taxed this game, and the new Blood-Masque was just ok as well. 
• Flame Bearers. It was a stark comparison to see them across from the Pack Hunters, but we still managed to get some great use out of them. There was some play with the Pit, and I think I will try mass Flame Bearers at some point, but I just don't think the output is going to be there when you are hitting on 5's innately, and being a middle Circle unit, we don't have much synergy with the Commands.
• Gargoyles. Overall, they did great. They ultimately all broke, but did so while delaying things and forcing some weird angles from my opponent, which is what you want from chaff. 
• Berserkers. I will still praise the speed change, and these had a nice game, and both the Brew of Strength and Brew of Sharpness are great on them. 
• Tortured Souls. They downgrades work nicely with the Betrayal Command, but that's about the only nice thing I can say. We got some use out of them, but the stat changes are rough, and eating up a precious Specialist slot now instead of just being a troop is also a bit of a bummer. I think Regiments might be the way to play these now, but I think you'd end up with a very elite list, and 
• Abyssal Horsemen. In terms of damage-dealt, they did amazingly! They found an insane unit, but we had offered them up to die and delay, so that discovery wasn't too bad. The 4E and Fracture changes are a bummer, but they only had Fury for a long while, so the downgrade from Fearless to Headstrong isn't outrageous or anything. It is however a big step down with regards to game mechanics. As a more normal cavalry unit right now, their utility in the new Edition is likely going to be much more limited. 
• Molochs. Overall, I did well to protect them, and they entered Round 6 completely healthy. Unfortunately for me a fighty horde beats a fighty regiment it seems! Without the old upgrade for Brutal and Vicious, they output has suffered a bit, and we didn't have Bane Chant to help with the Def5 either. Still a decent brawler, and cheaper now, but perhaps not as potent as they once were for the army.

It's been a busy summer, but I'm immeasurably glad that my opponent and I have still been able to make some time for games. A big thanks to my opponent for this one, and for hosting!