Anyway, Jeffergeant is running Xekaar, modded since our last match to include the Darius slayer.
Xekaar1 - Bronzeback, Gladiator, Shaman, Brute, Marketh Puffinator, Animantarax, Slingers, Dakar, Paingivers, min Bloodrunners
Take and Hold was on the table and I was to lazy to move, so bam, scenario selected.
I went with Bart, a traditional list that I'll now have to reconsider with Rangers being kosher in Kingmakers, who knew tramping around as suicide scouts would be so attractive?
Bart1 - Galleon, 3x Nomad, Reinholdt, Taryn, Devil's Shadow Mutineers, Rockbottom
I won the roll and picked second, the better for scoring and getting more rounds of Galleon shooting (First part of statement true, latter half probably meaningless. I was already on that side dammit and has been a running theme the Sloth is my spirit animal, especially in regards to jogging).
Key points being the Commodore Cannon line of fire was slightly restricted by a forest not far from it, my flag had a nice wall of protection, Skorne had the Animatarax put down centrally then the whole force went heavily on the left side offset on the AD line by the Bloodrunners, in Hindsight I wish I'd asked Jeff what the overall plan was as it looks like the less preferential side to go for the refused flank.
[img]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOmsTzqjRz2xDx6pBvlrT-C1OYj6o2ULIMLDald2C_oQJDw6OjaYtMMX4VoHhwSxtpcKKSR_6i4dI_CAP8BfKsBB6pFpmKSuD-ma4SQZKUcib39u1ix-z2SJv4MhPyVe98wZODqq3XWs/s1600/014+%2528800x450%2529.jpg [/img]
Skorne 1: Blood Runners run up and spread out in front of the Animantarax, who gets whipped, Medicated and advances behind them.
The rest of Skorne move forward, leaving them on the far left. The Slingers in particular are a spectacular distance from where is preferable, I have another turn at least before they are relevant to me. In examination, my deployment was necessarily compact by dint of the forest near my deploy, potentially had I deployed without that constraint the Skorne deployment would have been far more effective than it looked at this point.
[img]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTNqGYUza3WUVTmkRVK66PumZZYdnnPZTVF82mAAQ27ofN8_HCmNFFZ9HbMhDrV7GiCvn5Nvs38vSYcFeJpuF2ok_A8qDqc6Qy6w-yO_Is3Il95Y8XrV7CnMK8WFabMKzu8xWKY6HJpM/s1600/015+%2528800x450%2529.jpg [/img]
Merc 1: Plan is to move up and shoot down the Animantarax, then kill heavies as chance permits. The Brute Animus is annoying, but oh well.
Bart does the old Batten, Hot Shot and advance. He then sprays down a Bloodrunner with a boosted hit roll (Should have been Reinholdted instead of boosting, but I failed to notice it until Bart had already been activated and moved).
Galleon advances, rolls average amount of shots, launches at the Animantarax, sadly without a harpoon having any chance of getting involved. I miss one shot, which scatters and kills a Blood Runner. The Siegenoceros is left on one box, and I am left on a small hillock of woe.
The Commodore is sadly out of range to shoot the Animantarax by a couple inches, though the Brute looked to be in Shield Guard Range anyway. He fires off an AoE that kills another Blood Runner.
Money Shotted Zira moves up, manages to kill the Blood Runner behind the wall, sweetness.
The two Nomads on the right then run to shield the zero camp Bart, having been scarred by the Ossrum games.
I then run the left Nomad on erroneous math. I internally calculated the Animantarax threat at 14 in on the charge, making the old "Rush only on Warbeasts" mistake. The Nomad therefore goes to a silly spot in front of the Galleon where he most certainly should not have been. More on that shortly.
Taryn stays behind the Galleon, because I clearly still don't know how to use her.
[img]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQRtCCFmbEFe3gjcT2q06nLLk0MFJnPu9I_C9sSEknQbuLzYAEGFP80co9TTorHlzp4A6HM3Fln1dWIIlemmJJVjJdjwfd0Jh-Hz-Ro0xsXwhkRlxEZS_ir9aGjYfGP_ChBKJ65EXeoHs/s1600/016+%2528800x450%2529.jpg [/img]
Skorne 2: The remaining pair of Blood Runners get the hell out of the way, presumably they'll be the first throwaway pieces to stop me scoring in turn 3.
Marketh proves to be out of useful range, so Xekaar rolls up his sleeves. First he gets a benediction off the Shaman for more range on his magicness. Xekaar leasurely strolls up, in a contemplative mood more suited to a Japanese Meditation garden. he then confounds the left and the nearer of the right Nomads with the conception of Id, as they realise they suffer a form of Mortality. Metal is weak as flesh I guess? He then thanks the Shaman for his blessing by punching him in the face to get a Fury back. It's even called Maltreatment, RSPCA friendly Skorne are not.
Huh. Can you tell I started writing this at 3am?
The Animantarax has his moment in the sun, charging the Nomad of Inept placement. Spends its Fury to eat the poor chump, then rolls max gun shots and has a go at the Commodore. The Bronze Barrel piloted by Shae's former el Capitan is saved by some atrocious damage rolls, living on two health.
The rest of the Skorne empire runs up, the Slingers now in a position to murder a Nomad and Commodore next turn. The Brute pops his Animus and walks to be within Shield Guard range of whippy man.
[img]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPBrFhgz1PvkvkGJGF34sDT9SMFQhpZz7_oh3wSqxOn9x7wZkM6K3FUBmPBogX_-8DgQHCZ6Eh0IqXFQr9q-h1dY_FJZpAACjEJ1TDDgsmhwvWpjF4WEA7_bwFyMdAKM15Wch_NwOy88/s1600/017+%2528800x450%2529.jpg [/img]
Merc 2: So the attrition play involves the the Commodore slamming the Bronzi away, the Galleon moves up and a little to the right, from where it decimates the Slingers and Harpoons in the Gladiator, which it should be able to do while being just out of Xekaar's feat range. The pair of Nomads then go in and finish off the Gladiator, Bart probably stays behind them to keep out of Xekaar's threat and feats. Wouldn't be a Batten turn, I'd feed the Nomad and Galleon a point each and camp two.
All that aside, Xekaar looked a bit greedy with that second Mortality. His feats up, he has one transfer and a Shield Guard.
The Nomads try to clear off the Animantarax and both fluff it, Xekaar's feat easily keeping it's one health box stomping on.
Galleon tires of his smaller brethrens failures, lines up on Xekaar out of his feat. Harpoon kills the Animantarax. I roll average shots, so we'll have three double boosted ab attacks and one with just damage boosted that'll be praying I roll the ten to hit.
The very first shot lands and does 10 points, taking away that transfer to the very much abuse victim of the Skorne empire, the Shaman.
The second shot misses and kills a Paingiver, not ideal.
The Third hits, the Brute shield Guards. The plan looks outright awful now.
The last shot goes, lands the naked 10 to hit and does about eight points.
Rockbottom Moneyshots both Pirate units.
Zira moves up, has to go into Xekaar's feat, misses the first shot, lands the second one for another bunch of damage.
Blocking Rhino Walker out of the way, the Commodore lines up a Slam Ball, hits Xekaar and explodes him.
That was a dicey assassination. I'd rather not calculate the odds, the attrition play was more in my favour than that hot mess. Bart could then feat to stave things off, but the Slingers would do early ping damage and I have to kill both Skorne heavies in my next turn, doable but Jezzeron would make it difficult.
