Yada yada, this:
Ashlynn1 - Mangler, Rover, Rorsh and Brine, Dahlia and Skarath, Wrongeye and Snapjaw, Eliminators, Acosta, Gorman, Gibbs, Tinker, Ragman
Objective: Bunker
After a sojourn of making Kings, we have a Pain Whippy guys return to plague us:
Makeda2 - Molik Karn, Gladiator, Archidon, Krea, Swordsman + UA, Ferox (Max), Rhadeim, Pain Givers (Min)
I didn't realise at the time but the random solos aren't present (Extollers/Willbreakers and so forth). Can't even recall if that ever happened in Mark 2, but it feels both normal and correct here.
Then again my list is practically an Oceans, so there you go.
The Skorne are gun resistant if they want, but that doesn't really matter with what I'm packing (Too small to be threatening......my gun ranges and POW's that is). This was played just after witnessing the Brine murder death kill on Reznik, so there's a hyper awareness on the opposing side for that shenanigan. Stay Death Ferox.....do not want....the Cats waiting out my feat then chasing after Ashlynn/Lesser Warlocks is something I'll have to address.
The present of the Rover drew a comment regarding my lack of worldy ambitions. It wasn't wrong, at least not when I'm playing this....."list"
I think I lose the roll and get given first?
My side has a blob of Rubble and a hill.
Dead centre has a block of water with an obstruction taking up most of it.
Skorne have a forest in their zone, a hill that I don't think comes up and on their side of my objective a double wall arrangement, which I suspect was the reason for that side being taken for cats to hide behind.
[img]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99HpHm0ZrkypHez83WxGpF3Cp62qpWCQuUnMsaFktMkXIZozkfTghCFkyjxhVdXKBkBZTLWWcCYAR-HBofhWoHj8uMic44kkr3Qy897lNsNQNQNh1tXQBj7YNHrw-PoHefx9PXVMc9gxw/s1600/018+%2528800x450%2529.jpg
[/img]
Merc 1: On the far left up go the Pigs with Quickened on Brine (Never seen that move before! Original! Unique! Fierce!). Current plan, dependent on Skorne Heavy placement, is to pop the objective top of 3 and Souie backward.
Dahlia puts up Haunting Melody and goes up with the Snake, who gets behind the Rubble. Thinking here is that the Skorne list have sweet sod all options to deal with Dahlia, so she can contest their zone to my hearts content.
In front of said Snake go the murder squad of Elimiantors and Acosta.
Onto my hill go Ashlynn and her Battlegroup, Admonition on the Mangler. My various support solos are also around her.
Crocs are on the right to contest and clear my zone.
[img]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeqACxxOy4-EKEynegArt4cDS0rHlNd9N4kXheNq-ku1Aw0rmKVXZqeFBtoDLjxKM7Szarxcm6R2n1JhnhbJ4Wm-QPdScFruN2h7V9nG0tl5JblDEpGsf8BOzIOuULv62-b5Cr5LieqLWg/s1600/019+%2528800x450%2529.jpg
[/img]
Skorne 1: No radical redeploys, though the Krea goes to super bait position on the far left beside the forest. Archidon, Molik and Gladiator then make a line on the right of said forest.
Swordsman are up the guts behind the obstruction with a leaning toward my zone.
The Feroc and Radhei (Who has Storm Rager).
[img]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZV8WKLgY9tlYl74tCRnRXuLKoqb8P6ZnaA_SbL0OKK97dUy7E5eBsxqK_bQBiNZ7vQGNBnDVznTOPpW8-G81a7CIgNv7R0rCsCrfj8XNfxuCjV-J079AUbOP-3Ucap-3qJgmOcbxkz20/s1600/020+%2528800x450%2529.jpg
[/img]
Merc 2: This is feat defensively turn, need to buy time to try to pop the Ferox before they hunt out my nearest and dearest.
I agonise for a while about the Krea. So clearly bait, and killing it doesn't do that much for me. On the other hand Ninja Pig can't be left alone, which means its likely Molik get distracted that way so the Mangler can get up the board to counter kill.
Ergo, Brine gets Smoked up into the Krea and easily kills it with his initials.
Centre wise, Ashlynn walks up and feats, camps three. Pops a Swordsman with a Gunshot, I cna live with Vengeance attacks.
The Kayazy and Acosta charge the Archidon in the Skorne zone, easily slaughter it.
Mangler runs up behind with Admonition up, Skarath stays behind him as Dahlia runs to contest the Skorne zone.
In my zone the Rover moves up, shoots down a Ferox outside of Stay Death range.
Snapjaw toes the zone behind him, Wrongeye runs into the backfield cause Ferox.
The various solos go around Ashlynn to try to deny Cat landing zone. Gibbs does a Grenade shot that kills another couple Swordsman.
[img]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgalCQDZ5dsl3COKp-7rG1a2EojIaDWs3xSlh7dtjkF4Y15YRoMxFCSnEWNmPsexwlV4VolonlFjd7fhw89cGdbBCCef1OlrsM_B_L9xF7gPuyJrFr4hPdAHEAA1F4NegjpcaBGsY0a0Mvo/s1600/021+%2528800x450%2529.jpg
[/img]
Skorne 2: The Vengeance moves are just reshuffles, so those random attacks were fine.
Makeda counter feats and hangs back, puts Rush on Molik.
The Paingivers Enrage, one whips the front most Eliminator and kills her. Stupid support models.
Molik walks through the forest, stabs Brine to death. About right.
The Swordsman then go, pop mini feat and charge the Rover, aside from one who runs next to Acosta and another that charges him in the back.
I pop Admonition off the Acosta ones and move the Mangler to be in charge range of Molik, just shy of the Gladiator charge range.
The Swordsman don't have to much trouble killing the Rover, because DEF 10 is a waste on Ashlynn.
Acosta gets missed and guts said fellow.
The Ferox then charge, one dings the Objective for a measly few points, most run and one gets into Acosta and manages to land the kill. Shame, Makeda is right there taunting him on not huge camp.
Rhadheim goes in, easily kills the Objective and repo's back to the right side of the wall blob.
Skorne go to 1 CP.
[img]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA93UPN-VT_DpgWJo82eikYyzmP9uVZuy2RZE0QY2MoGOhDXUOIgFUhptJkowclFoc23rgd_zdpQzlbLrYoYvFAw9iki48F9AEug7jH_u_RsA8QVv4YbzIJsn5E1hJVvHI2fFH-siAXwYJ/s1600/023+%2528800x450%2529.jpg
[/img]
Merc 3: The Rover dying doesn't elicit much reverence or emotion. Dude shouldn't have stood there.
Makeda is only hovering on a couple transfers, so if I can trigger a couple Stay Deaths maybe some Handcannon assassinations can happen.
Starting out on the left, killing Molik is always good. Rorsh moves in to soften him up with Gun shots, I prioritise boosts poorly and only do a few points.
The Eliminator kills the potentially annoying Swordsman, then steps up to the Gladiator for a couple damage.
The Mangler charges into Molik, Threshers on the Objective and Gladiator as well. In sweet dice retribution for my opponents luck previously, I then do sod all to the Objective and miss every attack on Molik (One was re-rolled, but still. 7's are hard and MAT 6 is bad).
That cause is lost, onto other things.
There's a couple Ferox in behind the obstruction next to the Swordsman Standard Bearer, lets have a go. Gorman walks up, hits the bearer with a Corrosion bomb to kill him and draw out a Stay Death from Makeda. He then Repositions out of the way.
Dahlia runs up to tag those Ferox and Makeda with her control area.
The Snake advances as little as possible, sprays down one Ferox, leaves the other on a box and corroded, hits Makeda for a few points that don't require the transfer.
Looks like Stay Deathing probably isn't happening, so now I can kill stuff. Should htat Fury be burnt I can always move up Ashlynn and try some spelling/Handcannoning.
In the fight on my zone, Gibbs misses, kills a couple Swordsman and hurts a Ferox with his Grenade. Repos backward out of the way. Dude is mad sweet, mini-Llaelese model is quite good (That's where you take Llaelese models and stop before Ashlynn and the Thorn Gun Mages).
Snappy goes in, eats most of the Swordsman. I leave a Fury spare. Wrongeye charges and kills a Swordsman, camps most of his Fury as he is a very inviting target.
Ashlynn then charges over into my zone, kills a Ferox and tries a wild Gun shot that fails to break a Ferox' armour.
I left a Swordsman alive in the zone, seeing as I was never going to score this turn with Radheim around that's fine. obviously Molik dying would be preferred, good turn outside of that anyway.
[img]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSRdg7mfMeu7PFGh6KLCUKPHripMPZm3oBNEZhQeCyj1VJFeHl7eHwLmBwZncQhnVhYb7Plz7vqSE0AHbQ_VPoneldAzobrYfmcjY-Yq78xTshwHWuJFriBJltX-vYV24HeXzOx_p0xpy/s1600/024+%2528800x450%2529.jpg
[/img]
Skorne 3: Hordes players asking about Haunting Melody is an emotional opiate whose ingredient list includes the phrase "abusive" in it somewhere.
On the left, Molik and the Gladiator get enraged. The Paingivers fail in their Kayazy murder plans this time.
Molik walks to the other side of the forest, blats the poor Mangler.
The remaining pair of Ferox come bounding over into Skarath, they roll poorly and do nought.
The Gladiator has a go, trampling over Dahlia, then maxes Fury trying to land unboosted 8's on the snake that don't work out.
Backfield, Makeda walks over and flails at the Eliminator, missing boosted attacks twice and giving up.
Lastly, in my zone the lone Swordsman swings at Snappy to no effect.
Radheim comes out, goes into Wrongeye. On the one hand the transfers fix my Fury management, on the other Snappy gets pretty messed up and loses his Mind.
[img]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYa1cX2wwFf_82G5okTUAfJVJBFpXo7BW1dtWVzdDkynQn5MA3aF4rw1rcMyEJ_myLYV66-SLNdGABR_mMPlgTsB2XzlSyn_FFuW-tlsAJj5X4Z0quT5A4vTsuqYNCXABFAYEvzPkLWdGV/s1600/025+%2528800x450%2529.jpg
[/img]
Merc 4: Attrition looks....sketchy. Molik can pick off a heavy at a time. I have the scenario edge in that Dahlia can sit in the Skorne zone for eternity while Ashlynn/Crocs clearout my zone and keep it safe, my edge on time doesn't feel that great however and there are some assassination vectors so we'll see how that goes.
Ragman Death Fields, then Skarath maxes his Fury attacking the Gladiator, puts him on a couple boxes.
As he's Paralysed, Rorsh easily shoots him with a Pig Iron and kills him. Little Pig then tries some shots on Molik as I need to wear him down for any chance should this go for more turns. I hit, which Molik maxes his Fury to force the reroll miss. There's now no transfer targets, so kill Makeda is go. Rorsh also throws a bomb to explode a Paingiver.
The Eliminator moves away from engaging Makeda, as Ashlynns gun should do more damage. She pokes down a beast handler.
Ashlynn then charges the Swordsman, coping a freestrike for 13 from Radheim. Ow. I burn a focus to reduce it, though this all or nothing becomes even more so. Ashlynn stabs the Swordsman, Makeda Stay Deaths him. Ashlynn shoots Makeda for half a dozen points, then burns her Fury to get past Stay Death and kill the Swordsman.
Wrongeye needs to get his control area up, so he walks up. Takes a freestrike from Radheim. If he rolls a 14 on three dice then the Crocs die no matter what and I've probably lost. It's a 10% chance.
He gets 13. Wrongeye transfers the damage, leaving Snapjaw on 1 box. He then heals Snapjaws Aspects.
Snapjaw charges Makeda, boosts the to hit, I roll my own 14 on the damage dice and eat her.
That was a high odds assassination in the end activation's, but the failure chance isn't the loss of a piece, it's the loss of the game. I don't like that as a gambit.
I could have maintained time parity by killing Radheim with Ashlynn and Wrongeye, the crawl from 0 to 5 feels like a long one. Feels like the right choice ultimately, but still an Ashlynn choice.
