Back to Mercs, saved by lack of monies for Dynamo or a second Centurion from indulging in my Nemo3 terribad lists.
Time restrictions also meant I hadn't sorted out the stuff for the Shae list, so Carey will have to wait :p
Wanted more fun lists, so paired Thexus with the shonky Durgen double Siege Crawler list (Still can't envisage a good looking model that utilises 50% of the boot like official version). Fun might be a misapplied term. Fun for me?
Into the Greatest of Springs, dropping either Irusk1 or Harkevich1. I rolled a dice and got Thexus, no Spray donkeys so it'll be a game for me regardless.
It pans out as Harkevich on Recon.
Most important terrain is the zone has a blob of water and two forests next to it. There's some walls and other stuff around, they don't matter as much.
Thexus1 - Subduer, 3x Wrecker, 3x Warden, 3x Agitator, 2x Dominator + Eliminators
Objective: Stockpile
Good old 7 Monstrosities. Still 30 Drudges short of running that other spam list, which I feel no impetus to. I knocked up a version at some point that was 8 Monstrosities, but you do that by losing Wreckers which is an awful plan.
The reds decide to make it a heavies on heavies bash:
Harkevich - Ruin, Black Ivan, Torch, 2x Kodiaks, Mechaniks (Max), Kell, Alten, Widowmaker Marksman, Ragman
Objective: Stockpile
This is an excellent matchup for me. I can happily trade down initially without losing attrition, minimal tools though there are some to threaten my support, excellent scenario advantage.
I win the roll and go second to get the opening score in.
Round 1 is both armies running toward each other and the pic gets discarded so I don't have to do an extra post for the PP boards image limit.
The Kodiaks lead out, doing the Vent Steam reposition behind trick (I did explain that my list is 80% eyeless sight). The Sniper crew go way out right.
In reply I try the new thing I want to do of not bothering with the turn one power up. Thexus casts Deflection and hands out focus for the non-Wardens to run up, putting two Wreckers in charge range of the end of the zone/opposing objective. A Wrecker also goes far right, he'll get Snipered to shit but that means the important guys in the zone are safe.
I spread the Wardens throughout for Shield Guard goodness.
[img]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDcKIB2LQrbJ3tnWsD84VXwPhEpY5YxdSlu5Od2hhFZ6wTQhqWkwS_vgaN2plgDBnpFzPs1UNW6CHdhzzJcBCHUC6xTrvUuJhxgEn6MSyvhM095TrKoUtgM7WpjChXOWJp4zttry1iDV_U/s1600/002+%2528800x450%2529.jpg [/img]
Khador 2: The Kodiaks trample forward, Vent and reposition back again. Not really sure why. One stays toeing the zone. Torch hides out behind the house, Ivan sits behind the right Kodiak. Ruin stays way up the back to party (If the Khador army is a skull, he'd be the mullet).
Sniper patrol out on the right dings up the distraction Wrecker, I'm not unduly phased. I don't bother Hyper Aggresiving forward, that'd be a waste. Alten actually hangs out in the back forest, which would be a useful advance, but he fails to do any damage. Foiled by my opponents awful dice! he then repositions behind the forest, which is certainly cute.
[img]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfe-XZpm8oEPRWbyWQVBbQo5KK_z_U_dXCWt3O-RWxJMCNCqoZ_W8kuRFRQQntmyq09DZzg-C6T9BBxOXu8U5UbtWZrvKIM4VLpMsBd_LYdzxYJzYAB7TlMWcDQAfs8eIW3QPBp4YTBtJW/s1600/003+%2528800x450%2529.jpg [/img]
Merc 2: Well there isn't a wall of feated jacks to deal with and Ruin is way up back, so I settle for sacrificing a Wrecker and Agitator in order to get in a dominant scoring position.
Eliminators move around and some stabs.
Agitator moves up in the forest nearest to me and Instigates. Wrecker charges the contesting Kodiak, in the first iteration of me remembering the rule he Beatbacks the Kodiak out of the zone then easily pops the Objective. I roll sweet sod all damage on the jack, but that hardly bothers me at this juncture.
The other Monstrosities move up in clear the zone or shield Thexus positions. Deceleration goes up, Thexus camps 3.
Mercs go to 3 CP.
[img]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8B8dwZgxGygkyWtsLJpsewT28f39y7ziUzZj3h0sPPVHeoYaMVigIyRz25PpUBgXk6iWJy7oI4_BWc9gL5XkwZ0T9Kb8AUEmH9jSA4RCKh_R43bclXq_GEqi3g0Iv7hrGPOG5uOhmCyTp/s1600/004+%2528800x450%2529.jpg [/img]
Khador 3: Harky stays in the back, feats and kills a Mechanik blocking Torch. Raggles pops Deathfield, the back Kodiak goes into the zone and just annihilates the poor Wrecker for whom I showed a clearly unethical disregard for their continued existence.
The other Kodiak charges the Wrecker in the Merc end of the zone, does some woeful punches but manages to chain attack throw him away. Vent Steam also kills the forward Agitator.
Ruin runs way to the left, thinking he needed to contest the flag, I offer a change of position as it was based on a misunderstanding but Great Weather was content to try the flank.
Torch flares an Eliminator that Ivan blows up, Should have Shield Guarded, but oh well.
Sniper patrol does some more dings on Monstrosities on the right.
[img]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2uwbQdkiko8fAQrMaIbyIf9QgY-0tt4tMVZGCoEb7tcbiZKM3qgurTriRDSNCLFt18ePqTN2a7-4vDRTtOTQbLSlZGazBn8r-lOg2qacjZ7D4bsgWfyYGKQdKkOaQ2V4DEDTZzpI4115k/s1600/005+%2528800x450%2529.jpg [/img]
Merc 3: Plan is to clear out the two Kodiaks in the zone and score to win.
way left Agitator moves in and Instigates, Subduer goes left, hits and drags the forward Kodiak out (I was originally planning on just knocking him down for a warden slam, turned out the distances were just serendipitous for the range 6 gun). Thexus feats, moves the other Kodiak out of the zone and we're done.
Ideally we'd re-rack and I'd try out the Durgen list, but I didn't have the time or enthusiasm for it alas.
just an awful matchup for Khador. They could have pushed up further, but without easy ways to fuel Ruin I can easily drag forward a couple heavies, pop them, wait out/control on Hark's feat, then continue trading up.
Not fueling up early on creates some awkward eliminator placements, but when I'm not going into stealth mitigating shooting it's probably the right play, if only for clock and mental borking reduction reasons.
