As always, a fascinating re-iteration of the War Dollies I have at my disposal for the purposes of shenanigans and screw ups:
Gorten - Earthbreaker, Thor, Hawk, Madelyn, Gorman, Tinker, Anastasia, 2x Press Gangers, pAlexia + Risen, Gun Mages + The Dude
Objective: Effigy of Valor
Durgen - Gunner, Blaster, eEiryss, Rorsh + Brine, Dougal, Reinholdt, Rockbottom, Ragman, eAlexia, Acosta, Gun Mages + UA, Aiyanna + Holt, 2x Press Gangers
Objective: Effigy of Valor
This time is was Paulzenschreiber, also the charitable fellow who bought me an exhorbitant water so I didn't tip over mid tourney (As a genius of packing, I brought stuff to eat but not to drink. By stuff I mean apples. ALL YOU NEED IS APPLES.). He had Makeda 3 and pZaal. I'd mocked Mak3 the week before at our LGS, knowing it was his current favoured list and having never played against it old Macky seemed the logical choice for him.
Then the scenario was Destruction, so it was Gorten and supreme confidence all the way! Sure enough Makeda came down.
eMakeda + Backup Dancers - Molik, Bronze Back, Archidon, Gladiator, Extoler, Willbreaker, Taskmaster, Pain Givers, Croak Raiders
Objective: Bunker
Four rounds and the first of the two factions I perceived as being the most popular at the start of the day (Skorne and Menoth, it must be something about burning wastelands).
Mercs Deploy: I lost the die roll (Dammit Anastasia!) and got given first, which makes my game plan more elongated. Not a huge issue, merely a slight aggravation.
That weird tiered hill thing on the right we called an Obstruction for the sake of my sanity.
Skorne Deploy: Macky picked the side with the ginormous hill, after game discussion revealed it was that the bottom of 2 is easier to manage than a top of 2 or 3 for the list. Croaks out front, Archidon to the right, every other beast to the left.
Mercs 1: I did some math while deploying, and my rough figure came out that the Press Gangers could move two inches and not be in Croak range. Sod that, I'll just accept the Risen. Everything runs forward, Solid Ground and Strength of Granite pop up per the usual. Anastasia runs out to the far left.
Skorne 1: Croaks advance, create three future Risen and leave a fourth potential on fire. The archidon goes to an aggressive spot on the right, Molik goes to the left and sits on the hill.
Mercs 2: I hadn't seen the Mak3 feat + Molik with Beat back, but I feared it, perhaps inordinately so. I resolved to keep Gorten safe, do the usual flood of the zone and rely on tough/spacing to absorb the Moliking shenanigans.
I Intrigue Alexia forward and spawn the thralls in front of her, with one at the extreme edge to make a Thrall missile.
The Earthbreaker tunes up for attack rolls, kills half a dozen Croaks and gets a shot into the Archidon for a few points (The beast was at the extreme range of the nip guns).
The Gun Mages then split into two halves, line up through the gaps and kill more Croaks, leaving one alive. The Intrigue move let Alexia grab their sweet sweet Corpses.
The Gangers charge forward, three go into the final Croak and fail to kill him, a single charge with gang on teh Archidon does the perfect amount of damage to take out the Spirit.
Hawk runs out to the far right to attack the Objective if I need it, unless the Archidon gets distracted by her.
Gorten puts down a wall and moves to be just in charge range of the zone.
I forget to activate Anastasia.
Skorne 2: Infantry mulching time.
Macky feats, charges a Press Ganger, kills him. Blood Boons Ground Zero to pop another few Press Gangers, becomes aware of Alexias double cost awesomeness so finishes with a four cost Fatewalker.
Bronzeback puts Beatback on Molik, who also gets Puppet Strings and Enraged.
Molik, intending to kill the Earthbreaker, charges the Thrall for zero, then does his sidesteps and beatbacks into my Press Ganger swath. His first bought attack absorbs the Puppet Strings, then tough rolls and not getting the 6's to hit causes the murder machine to stop about four inches into the zone.
Macky optimistically backpedals to the hill.
Mercs 3: Gorten being so far back meant that instead of the usual scenario play, assassination was the better choice, as the Bronzeback and Gladiator were possibly out of feat range and could still get into the zone, where, if they kill Alexia and the breaker somehow I've thrown the match away.
Alexia goes to maximum Risen.
Gorten charges Molik. Feat drags in Makeda, Molik, one of her Dancing pals and hte taskmaster. I boost Forge Father out of optimism and get the crit, slamming Molik over Makeda, the Croak and the Taskmaster, killing the two drubs and knocking down the other two. least disturbance puts Makeda in the front, knocked down.
Press Gangers charge and kill the Objective for extra CP.
Earthbreaker gets Damage Tuned up, takes off the Transfers and the Shield Guard, leaves Makeda on a couple boxes.
Gorman and Gun Mages try to kill steal and fail. Alexia and the Risen horde go in and she does it with the charge attack.
Me on the left.
That played resoundingly in my favour, but I think there was an assassination he just didn't take. On his feat turn, if Molik just takes the Thrall free strike (obviously a risk, but a small one) to charge my objective, get a side step the Gun Mage going around the Objective, he then gets to Gorten off beat backs with three odd attacks, hitting on sixes, weaponmast dice off five. Good but dicey I think?
The proper play for me is likely to not claim the Croak corpses, but leave the Gun mages till last. Dirge them with Piper and spread them out in a blocking pattern to stop the Molik feat shenanigan, as Def 16 will force boosts.
