Game #2 for the night, still running this junk I nabbed from someone else's thinky thing (CareyBear):
Bart1(Kingmakers) - Galleon x2, Rangers, Steelhead Halberdiers, Dirty Meg, Orin
Objective: Stockpile
This time we go into Bocaj, local master of the IK's dispossessed natives, having put to rest his urge to serve the wanky God (Thamar is evil, which is at least better than active disinterest in your creations).
Now free from running into the floaty people and their greasy slaves, out pops Doomy in another of his Get-off-my-lawn incarnations:
Doomy2 - Mulg, Rok, Mauler, Earthborn, Warders, Stone w/UA, Lannyssa
It's the Pit, both flag are mired in trees. One side gets a cloud, the other gets a hill near their deploy and a chunk of rubble on their side of the zone.
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Merc 1: I win the roll, pick first. Outside of Broadsides shenanigans I don't threat enough to let the opposing list get the early move up. Not really worth doing that stunt, result in a dead Galleon and a slightly wounded Warder.
Rangers leg it for the opposing flag.
Trolls are just a solid Wedge in different layers of crunchyness, with a dessert side of Lannysa.
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Troll 1: The Trolls could have used a movement tray as they advance forward in their block.
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Merc 2: Plan is to kill the Dire Troll (Right most beast in the front line) and pop Lannysa. The Former gives me my feat without Troll options from the Earthborn Animus, the latter is because I'm not insane.
Start off, the Rangers advance. Four get into range of Lannyssa, it takes one. The other three then try to off a Stone member at the back of unit out of Shield Guard range, they manage to knock him down. The last shot manages to miss the Troll rolling around on the ground. You lose some marksmanship skill when you go Merc alas (Even Eiryss gains Weaponmaster when she gets all loyal again).
Goal #2, pop off the Dire Troll.
The left Galleon has Hot Shot, so its first on the bang bang moves. I don't want to pop my feat and popping the Dire Troll isn't guaranteed, so keep at 14 out of threat and Harpooning. More likely I'll hurt him a bit and pop a couple Warders.
Roll an average number of shots, shoot the Dire Troll. Does about half his health I think, no Shield Guards.
The Steelheads are in front of the right Galleon, so I run them up in lines to get in the way. I completely forget the plan and engage the Dire Troll. The Bacon has turned sideways.
Bart moves back and gives over Hot Shot. Casts Batten as originally intended.
I decide to feat. I could have tried to shoot the Dire Troll, but a few scatters wipes out my infantry I can't afford to bin and without reliable hits the Heavy isn't going to get hurt that much.
Galleons still need to do work, the only available unengaged Target is a Warder I have a Slither of sight to, so the Colossal advances into range. Feat was needed as now he is in the Heavies threat range.
The shots go out, kills one Warder and puts another on one box.
Obviously a silly decision there and eminently avoidable. The feat and Galleon advance were the wrong moves, I'd need the feat later on to get the Galleons up the board and threatening.
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Troll 2: The Heavies kill 5 Steelheads and a Ranger, including Mulg using his club to reach into my feat area.
The Warders form a base to base brick with Rok in case of electro leaps, Doomy goes on the hill, Stone unit behind him away from the Rangers, as far as is practical.
Regen and Psycho Surgery restores the Dire Troll somewhat.
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Merc 3: Plan at this point is to try to keep distance and whittle the Trolls.
Rangers move up, kill a couple Stone Members.
The right Galleon starts with Hot Shot, moves back and pings the Dire Troll. No Shield Guards are taken, he goes down to two boxes.
I decide to leave the finishing it off to the Steelheads, further shots might be Shield Guarded and that seems to be something Jacoom is avoiding, I presume fearing a later turn assassination attempt.
Bart moves Hot Shot across, continues to twiddle thumbs on edge of killbox.
Left Galleon shoots up the Mauler, rolls average shots and does some damage.
Steelheads charge in, first two man kills the Earthborn.
I moved a ranger forward for Mark Target, sadly preventing the top flag score.
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Troll 3: Overtake moves and Berserk clears out my front row of infantry, Doomy and Warders go behind the beasts in the zone. Beasts heal up a bit.
Trolls go to 2 CP.
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Merc 4: Sod, I've got to contest the zone now. Also way behind on clock resolving the AoE attacks on the grouped up Trolls.
Bart is now in feat range of all the Troll heavies, Bart is going to have to run to safety. Can't afford to killbox myself.
Remaining pair of Rangers charge the zone to get Marked Target on everything. They pop another couple Stone Members, only the rock and the UA are left.
Galleons get max focus, start with the right one. Sadly no way to get Hot Shot, so he moved up and tried to pop the Warders boosting the direct damage rolls. Gets minimal shots, when all is said and done he kills one Warder and one Ranger (The Ranger casualty was inevitable from Shield Guards anyway, though it happened from a missed shot instead. Foiled).
Left Galleon advances into zone, shoots the Mauler for some not great damage, Harpoon gets Shield Guarded.
Bart runs to the left into the forest, seems bad Jim.
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Troll 4: The photo is from the chair position, didn't think I'd have much to do after this.
Mauler/Doomy give out Rage to the character beasts, Doomy kills the last Ranger.
Mulg goes into the left Galleon, Rok into the right.
Both Galleons live. Didn't expect that.
Left on still has most of its left side, right one has a single box of movement and cortex.
Feat or running up the stone would have done the right one for sure, the left Galleon had a single Cortex box left so could have lost that. as it is I have a chance!
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Merc 5: No choice, had to go for an assassination. Doomy has four or so transfers, and two Warders. One Warder is on a single box however, and the only beast that can be transferred to is the Mauler I already hurt somewhat.
Both Galleons get fully loaded, Hot Shot on the left Galleon drops.
Orin goes up and lightnings the one box Warder. Boosts the damage roll, sadly doesn't get it. Bounces to Doomy, I boost and do a couple points that gets flicked to the Mauler.
Meg repairs the right Galleons arms.
Left Galleon moves up to the Mauler, misses with his crippled arm but starts swinging his healthy left arm. I sadly neglect the Galleon's Mark 3 strength increase, which becomes potentially relevant as I only land two of the four non-crippled attacks. No wonder the Skornites miss Def 12, it's totally op.
Of the two hits, the first is pathetic, but I crank the second, Mauler has about a third of its health left so there's a chance.
Bart charges Mulg. Retaliatory Strike puts him on four boxes. That's new. Puts Hot Shot on the right Galleon.
Hot Shot Galleon moves across to get the drag angle.
I roll minimum shots. Hu hum.
Boost first little shot, hits, takes it, transfers to the Mauler. Second shot I boost to hit, lands, healthy Warder Shield Guards it. The blast kills the one box Warder, so I have a chance! Harpoon boosts the hit with my final focus, hits, Doomy takes five points and gets dragged in. If I land the seven I'll need low numbers to force the tough check.
I roll a six and all is sadness.
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Troll turn, Galleons get popped then Mulg dissipates Bart into the Aether.
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Me on the left.
The feat pop was my largest of several mistakes. I would have been better served backing the right Galleon up, then feating next turn and pushing the Galleons forward, killing the Earthborn then while setting up the Galleons eating the two Beasts in melee the turn after, on average with stone they more than kill a Heavy. Would probably Power slam one to ensure the hits, whatever Heavy is left will hurt but won't kill both Galleons and I'd be fine.
To my surprise if we replayed it I think with proper play the advantage swings to me, then swings away again on a more spread out scenario, though the Troll list doesn't want that either it can space its heavy hitters out far more.
List has more legs than I was expecting, I think the keys to working the machine are feat timing, Galleon positioning and always finding the point where it is time to commit the Galleons to melee.
The infantry is easy, jam when you need to jam, if they are to easily cleared hold them back until they become useful, I can picture Galleons being the front line in some matchups. Clearly not this one...
Even approaching potential changes, once you go double Gall the selections of Rangers, Orin and Dirty Meg are essentially mandatory as far as I'm concerned. That leaves the Halberdiers, or the unlikely prospect of Rangers being made 10 point which would suit this list and few others. Bizarely enough, I'm contempalting min Boomhowlers. They don't jam as well, but get the benefit of feign death, Cacaphony under Bart feat or terrain has outlier uses (i.e. 1 in 20 games), in matches where they would be deleted out of hand or widespread scenario's they can ambush in. Will give the Steelhead variant more plays anyway.
