Game 293 - Rnd 3 Penrith SS Heat Gorten/Durgen

Game 3: When sell swords fight on behalf of the state.

Mercenaries and auxiliaries are useless and dangerous; and if one holds his state based on these arms, he will stand neither firm nor safe; for they are disunited, ambitious and without discipline, unfaithful, valiant before friends, cowardly before enemies; they have neither the fear of God nor fidelity to men, and destruction is deferred only so long as the attack is; for in peace one is robbed by them, and in war by the enemy.
-Machiavelli

Verily, screw thy long dead self in regards to my steampunk fantasy game, this was easily the hardest game of the day for me (The Bobliness game was easy because when you screw up that match against people that know what they are doing it's minimal mental exertion).

Bumped into Evan, the lone successful wolf of WTC Merc players. We've met in the later rounds of Sydney tourneys before, he's the opposite of me in that he plays Durgen in a competent manner.
On those previous occasions I've had MacBain! in my pairing, who I think goes well into Cygnar/Mercs/Ret (Excluding Rahn), I usually get a leg up then Evan works out a way to pop my caster. This will be relevant for a call I make in the game...

Evan is rocking Durgen with Earthbreaker boat and Bart double Galleon. It's Gorten no matter what, Evan drops Bart.

I think the matchup favours me, Solid Ground does a lot. I am certain that Durgen is a better play for Evan, wherein he can use Thor to boost attack rolls on the Earthbreaker until Eiryss can line up a shot on Gorten (Which I have no means of Shield Guarding) to open up an opportunity for a good feat turn.

Bart - Double Galleon of doooooooooom!!!, Wrongeye + Snapjaw/Bullsnapper, Dougal, Tinker, Orin, Ragman
Objective: Fuel

A note on the not so great photo angle: I'm average height at best, this was a taaaaallllll table.
The Barten phrase gleefully stolen from Master_Chris.

Gorten Deploy: During Advance Deployment I started spacing the Press Gangers out weirdly in case of Artillerist Hot shot scattering before Solid Ground is up. Then I remembered I was going first and stopped worrying about it. Out of frame is Pendrake on the extreme left of the AD line.

Bart Deploy: As flanky as Bart double goes really.

Gorten 1: Strength of Granite/Solid Ground goes up and Fearless/Tough on Alexia. Pendrake runs behind the clock on the left.

Bart 1: One Galleon runs directly forward to touch the zone that is Bart friendly. I wasn't sure if that worked, but ran with it for the tourney (Uncertainty rose over the clarification that being base to base with a Wreck Marker was not "within", out of curiosity I sought clarification later here, though that doesn't matter in regards to this game, decision on the day counts). Bart plonks Hotshot on the left Galleon and Bartens. Said Galleon plodded forward and kills three or so Pressgangers that were out of Solid Ground range. Wrongeye/Snapjaw Submerge themselves.

Gorten 2: Spells upkept, one to Earthbreaker. Pendrake walks into the forest and Lucky Bows Orin. Pressgangers jam up, Gun Mages run into the left zone, everything else follows up behind. Gorman walks up and Blinds the right Galleon.

Bart 2: Hot Shot Upkept. Blind Galleon swings wildly. Wrongeye puts out a Spiny and Submerges himself. Bullsnapper puts Spiny Growth on Snapjaw; who then tramples, knocking down a Pressgangers engaging him and killing another three. Bart walks behind the right Galleon, does a spray that doesn't hit much, feats and doesn't Barten.

Dougal mini feats and uses Artillerist on the left Galleon, who walks forward and shoots all shots at Gorten, doing eight damage in total.

Gorten 3: Spells upkept, three focus on Earthbreaker. Gorman aims, Black Oils the right Galleon. Piper charges and kills the Risen blocking Ragman, then gives them fearless and tough. Ragman walks forward and Dark Fields. I move around some of the Pressgangers around the right Galleon, they are outside of Solid Ground range so Barts feat knocks them down.

Gun Mages futilely stab Snapjaw, move out of the way of the Earthbreaker and shoot Ragman, who is hiding behind the left Galleon. The shots Sucker! onto Wrongeye and do a couple points.

Earthbreaker charges the left Galleon, under Bart's feat it is effective Defense twelve. I'm +5 on the damage rolls, but miss twice, so I believe I only take out one side. Alexia charges, keeping in Solid Ground range. She is effective minus 7 (Dark Shround cancels Spiny), burns all the Risen, leaves the Galleon on about ten damage I believe.

Gorten walks into the zone, Tinker body shields him. Pendrake charges the Bullsnapper, misses. Most of the rest of my stuff doesn't move due to Solid Ground not being that big an aura.

Bart 3: This is my favourite turn of the game. Evan went into the tank for about ten minutes, worked out what to do and completely turned it around.

Wrongeye frenzies and eats a Gun Mage. Alexia is within nine of Bart, so Hotshot is dropped. Three focus go on the left Galleon, two go on the right.

Right Galleon sacs movement, boosts a Power attack single handed throw, gets the eleven to hit the right Pressgangers, throws him and kill Gorman.

Ragman uses Death Field. Tinker repairs the Harpoon arm on the left Galleon, which then burns all his focus to kill the Earthbreaker.

Gorten 4: Upkeep Solid Ground. Ragman moves up, Death Fields. Piper puts Fearless + Tough on Alexia, who then burns her newly acquired Risen to kill the left Galleon. Gun Mages flail at Snapjaw and miss the Tinker. Pendrake stabs the Bullsnapper for a small amount. Remaining Red Pressgangers move in, miss enemy Ragman. Hawk charges Bart, misses the charge attack and does half a dozen damage points.

Anastasia goes in and Esponiages, the Gun Mages continue to fail at life. Madelyn walks halfway through the wreck marker of the Galleon. The Red Press Gangers kill Ragman. Anastasia falls back. Blue Pressgangers flail at the right Galleon for a bit more. Hawk swings again and misses Bart. Alexia misses Tinker.

Madelyn moves in, uses Seduction to send Wrong Eye backwards and turned around. Tinker twiddles his thumbs. Gorten feats, gets the Galleon and Snapjaw, starts walking the left board edge.

Bart 4: Snapjaw Frenzies, achieves nought. Tinker falls back. Galleon kills some Pressgangers . Bart gets missed by a freestrike, sprays Madelyn, Hawk and the Red forward Pressgangers dead. Wrongeye drops his focus and runs to the left hill, the Bullsnapper misses the Gun Mage he has moved to engage.

Gorten 5: Clock is TIGHT at this point. Tiger levels even. Solid Ground Upkept. Alexia has five Risen. Piper puts Pathfinder on Alexia and Risen. Ragman moves up and Deathfields. Gorman runs to the back corner of my friendly zone, Tinker runs to block LoS to him. Pendrake charges Wrongeye and kills him. The Gun Mages fail to achieve much. Blue Pressgang scratch at the Galleon. Alexia moves out of the Wreck marker, but gets blocked by the Galleon and Objective, the Risen miss Dougal/Tinker. The last Red Pressgangers chills out in the friendly zone.

Anastasia Esponiages, the Risen all miss again, the Gun Mages advance and bounce off the Galleon. The Blue Pressgang continues clawing at the Galleon.

Gorten goes to 1 CP.

Bart 5: Bart sprays Alexia and all but one of the Risen dead, Galleon tramples forward, falls just in the zone, one Blue Pressganger remains.


Gorten 6: Piper runs into the enemy zone, Gun Mages shoot the Objective twice with Esponiage and put it on half health. Tinker runs to claim next turn. I am certain that Gorten will die and run him behind the Obstruction on the left.

I go to 2 CP.

Bart 6: Bart runs to the right zone, the Galleon kills half the Gun Mages and claims the zone, Dougal kills the Piper.

Bart goes to 2 CP.

Gorten 7: Photo missed. Tinker runs into the enemy zone, the Gun Mages finally kill the enemy Objective. Gorten cowers away from the Galleon. Risen charges and misses Dougal.

Gorten goes to 4 CP.

Not sure exactly when I took this pic...

Bart 7: Photo missed. Bart kills the Risen, Dougal kills the Tinker, Galleon kills my Objective.

Bart goes to 5 CP.


Me on the left, Evan on the right.