Gorten1 - 2x Drillers, 2x Blasters, 2x Gunners, Wrongye/Snapjaw, Rorsh/Brine, Ragman, Tinker, 2x Eliminators, Acosta
vs
Butcher (Winter Guard Kommand) - Ruin, 2x Juggernaught, 2x Mad Dog, 2x Mortar, Field Gun, WGI + UA, WGRC + 3x Rocketeers
I lose the roll, Khador take first. Talked it out after the game, I consider this the primary mistake in the matchup, as the Butcher list doesn't get up the board offensively enough to force me to feat on the defence, so I can save it to try to win out the scoring game. I'm not super down for attrition in the matchup, as Butcher is one of the rare dudes the Dwarf doesn't want to go toe to toe with. Lola says no.
Scenario is Outlast, in that convenient middle ground that is neither The Pit nor Incursion.
Terrain wise, the Khadoran left zone has a blob of water, a small hill in their Advance Deploy line, then between the zones a blob of Rubble, lastly an obstruction on the top edge of the right zone.
On my side of the board, the left zone has a large forest on the bottom right "corner". Across from the forest on the same point of the right zone is a pair of walls in a T formation, some of the wall poking into the zone. The extreme right edge of said zone has a Trebor style trench (As in, it's a combination of Trench and Water).
Deployment wise, the Mortars go either flank with the Field Gun in the centre. The jacks evenly spread out, Ruin in the centre then a Juggernaut either side, Mad Dogs on the left and right edge of the formation. The Rifle Corp go on the left, Infantry on the right.
I essentially select the relevant side as it denies the best anti Gorten feat option, being the T shape wall formation. I swap around my initial deployment plan, as the Rifle Corp will blow up the Rhulic jacks over a couple rounds. Ergo Wrongeye/Snapjaw go on the far left where Submerge will be difficult to deal with, everything else goes on the right. Various bits go centrally (Ragman, kayazy, Gunners, Aiyanna, Tinker), then Gorten and the rest of the battlegroup are placed to only slightly telegraph my push for that zone, Pigs and Acosta go on the far right. The Acosta/Tinker placements aren't especially good, the Gobber should be a bit further right. Acosta is only on the edge in order to not die to an early WGRC CRA.
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Khador 1: All the jacks Advance Move. The left most Mad Dog, the one liable to go into Snapjaw, receives Fury. Butcher gets Iron Flesh. Ruin charges up to get into the Rubble, leaning toward the right zone. Everything otherwise just runs forward, the Field Gun goes up on the hill in the Khadoran backfield.
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Merc 1: Set up to push for the right zone. Wrongeye moves up and Submerges, I opt to have Snapjaw charges a far right Winter Guard chump, ending up Submerged and part of the Centre group.
Stuff runs up, Red Eliminators stay Central with one of each Rhulic jack, Ragman and Aiyanna behind them.
Gorten, other half of his jacks, Green Eliminators and Pigs move up to the edge of the right zone. Acosta runs into the water logged Trench.
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Khador 2: The Fury'ed Mad Dog runs up into the left zone, using the forest to stay out of Snapjaw's charge range. One Juggernaut follows up behind.The Rifle Corp then move up behind them, the Rocketeers along with the right Mortar dings both Drillers for some surface damage.
Butcher toes the left zone.
Ruin moves outside of the Rubble, stays out of Gorten walk and feat range.
The WGI run up, the officer stays in the Rubble, five Grunts go into the right zone as does the other Mad Dog while the Juggernaut on this side toes the zone in the vicinity of the obstruction. The Mad Dog is careful stay just shy of Driller charge range.
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Merc 2: Apparently my face went all Duran Duran in the middle of the Khadoran turn based on a mistake being made. I find that a fascinating observation, because I wasn't particularly thinking such at the time, indeed it was at the point prior to more models coming in to contest the right and I thought my initial impulse wasn't doable. Ends up looking manageable though, the ultimate plan being that if I can clear the right zone this turn without feating I've conceivably won flat out, providing I don't make any silly mistakes.
Simple plan, shoot down the Mad Dog, kill the five WGI Grunts and use Brine to throw or Slam the Juggernaut out of the zone. Leave Gorten last and feat to score instead if necessary, though I'd really prefer not to I have found not having a backup plan for these single roll make or break things is awful.
Aiyanna moves up, misses the Harm on the Mad Dog. Well, damn. Holt, Gunners, Blasters all do shots, popping off a couple WGI and leaving the Dog on 6 boxes.
Gorten then moves behind the wall, uses a Molten Metal to kill the Dog and pings the Jugger.
One Eliminator unit goes in, kills the remaining WGI in the zone.
Pigs go, Rorsh pops smoke to get Brine up. Big Pig then advances to and throws the Juggernaut toward the right Mortar, outside of Butchers control area.
Left side wise, Snapjaw turns to face the zone and otherwise doesn't move as Wrongeye stays out of Mad Dog charge range. The leader of the Red Eliminators runs into the forest and contests the left zone as the Grunt runs into the backfield to contest in the future.
Mercs go to 2 CP and it's already looking good.
I commit a few errors here. I got greedy with Gorten and didn't time his activation as an appropriate failsafe. Brine could have just Slammed without the Strength roll risk for the Throw, though putting the Jugger outside of the Khador Control Area and knocked down was inherently better.
I contemplated throwing down a wall, decided that my primary lose condition was assassination and camped two instead.
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Khador 3: Butcher barely moves, upkeeps the relevant spells and pops his feat.
The remaining Mad Dog in the left zone tramples into the forest over my contesting Eliminator, boosts to hit and easily kills her. The Juggernaut on this side run a up to my edge of that zone, presenting an imminent threat to the Crocs.
The Rifle Corp move up as a blob to be above the forest, combined with the Mortar and Field Gun they shoot a Driller off the board and take out a Gunners movement.
The remaining WGI kill off one of the Green Eliminators, feeding a Soul to Ruin.
The Jugger dusts himself off and walks back, just managing to toe the right zone.
Ruin charges in, toes the right zone as well and obliterates a Blaster.
Scores level at 2 apiece.
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Merc 3: By the numbers at this point, feat to clear and delay contesting, win out on control points.
The Green Eliminator walks away from the Jugger, kills the two WGI in the right zone. Aiyanna then harms that Jack, Holt kills two of the Rocketeers. The Movement lacking Gunner shuffles, kills the third Rocketeer. Those guys needed to die anyway, their deaths also conveniently allow Ruin to be feat pushed as desired.
Rorsh with aimed shots, the other Gunner and Acosta all shoot/charge the Jugger and mess it up pretty badly.
Gorten then moves up and pushes Khadoran stuff across to the left, the Jacks end up in a forest/Rubble and will be unable to contest, I also get a bunch of the Winter Guard. Gorten's death being the primary win method for Khador is now hyper obvious so he camps four and keeps Solid Ground ticking over.
On the left I need something to contest and Snapjaw is no longer in the position to be Coy about his involvement, so he gets Ragman to Death Field then charges into the left side Jugger, knocking out the Cortex and right arm. Wrongeye Star Crosses and Submerges. The remaining Red Eliminator runs into the left backfield, her services not yet being required.
Mercs get the leg up 4 to 2.
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Khador 4: Khador's leaves have turned Brown, so everything shuffles at best and shoots at Gorten. Rifle Corp CRA, Mortars and the Field Gun take pot shots, Butcher double boosts an Obliteration, Joe fires his Handcannon. When the dust blows over Gorten has spent two focus and taken three damage.
As a last ditch screw you the crippled Jugger and Mad Dog try to kill Snapjaw, it doesn't work out.
Gorten still good, does great against those unable to stop him bullying them. More world shattering news at 9. Few niggling things I'd change, otherwise content. I'd venture that Butcher probably didn't need to feat when he did and should have kept it for the assassination run, though in that circumstance I hopefully have the awareness to run Jacks in front of him to block line of sight. The Driller should have done that anyway, so not super impressed with that decision to have him float around pointlessly.
