It's some SR2017, using the last public version of the CID rules (so 12 inch kill box and so forth).
I was locked into Thexus, worried my brief myopia over the game the fortnight before had limited the specific skill set of pushing dollars as fast as possible and hammering the clock.
Thexus, pair of Wreckers/Agitators, loads of Drudges,Alexia and two free units of Overlords.
It's a very different Rahn to the ones that I usually get schooled by, built on an attrition basis.
Rahn - Hyperion, Elara1 + Disco, pair of the Whipsnap Mage solo chumps, three Arcanists, Spears + Eiryss3, Sylyss, Noisy Cricket.
It's Outflank, so two Warrior model circle zone and a pair of central flags for warnouns.
Terrain was just thrown out rather than placed via the method, making it not tournament legal and yet more likely to be worth practicing with. Unfortunate reality of TO's having to set up a large number of tables in limited time (There's an argument to be made that automatically setting up tables for the next round should become a warmachine social norm).
Do you wear a tie like Richard Gere?
There's a pair of walls in the centre of the table, each side has a forest off to the side, then differs by by one having an inconvenient water blob while the other has a pair of hills.
The Walls are effectively neutral to the sides, while the hills are far enough back that it isn't going to help the swarm all that much. Ergo when i win the roll I get first, so I get the side with the water in the way.
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Merc 1: My Greylord proxies are finally farewelled!
Ret has Electromancers (Spell check suggestion: "Elect romancers". In the current international climate this is sadly highly relevant advice) serving as the Spears and some random infantry as an Arcanist and another as Sylyss.
Risen go up front to absorb attacks that would otherwise go on Drudges, I forgo my recent practice of always spawning a thrall turn 1 as it always screw with Alexia being positioned properly to grab corpses. Most of the Drudges run up after them, funneled somewhat by the water and forest. One unit of Benders goes to the left of said overblown garden feature.
Overlords go extreme flank, because it usually works out.
Thexus casts Deflection and just walks up, as do the fueled up Wreckers.
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Ret 1: Hyperion moves up into the left zone, not having targets of opportunity (Inadvertent saving graces of speed 5!). The spears go up behind the Ret side's flag, followed by Discoball and Elara.
The Arcantrik goes up toward the right zone, cresting the hill and doing a pinging shot of rough terrain in front of all ma doodz.
Rahn hangs behind the Hyperion, throws out a random Lightning scatter that kills a Risen and knocks down a couple other undead from tough rolls.
Positive Charge goes on Hyperion.
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Merc 2: The small centralised footprint of the opposing list that can still contest the zones forces me to drop the ambushers, I elect the right side with the intent of distracting shots from the Cricket (well, hypothetically anyway, given the Arcantrik model resembles an invisible dweeb rather than a chirping insect this game).
Otherwise primary plans is to hide Thexus and begin plan Zulu.
Alexia goes into the trench and spawns a Thrall Warrior, who charges and misses Disco.
Every other model just runs and spreads out, the unit leaders being sure to not be in potential Hyperion Black Hole crit range (Shuddering memory of Dilsharn blipping Alexia out of existence using Greygore last edition....).
One Wrecker runs far to the right into the forest to be a Sac Pawn target, Thexus walks across, casts Decel and TK's himself out of the killbox. The other Wrecker stays backfield but central, in case he's needed to throw damage/arc spells on the Hyperion.
Right Overlords just toe that sides zone, as they are the pieces most likely to be long term scoring/contesting. The left Overlords run up behind the Ret sides forest with intent to murder some Arcanists.
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Ret 2: Ah, blurry pic, we meet again. Been good man? Got that promotion yet?
Rahn sticks around in a safe spot behind Hyperion, pops feat and kills some Drudges with some attack spells, then TKing the Cricket.
Elara clears out the Thrall Warrior then falls back, the Spears and Eiryss kill the front few Drudges.
Hyperion and Disco both mulch a bunch of Drudges but spend their focus on attack rolls on Alexia, she ends up taking a damage point and having a single Risen left.
The Cricket contests the right zone courtesy of the distance granted by the TK and throw out rough terrain at the Drudge blobs, the blast damage being insufficient against the Drudges sweet oil aaaaaaaabsssssssss.
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Merc 3: Plan is to keep Thexus is super hidey land, score the right zone and kill some support models.
The right Overlords move around and try to spray out two of the Spear members, they need 8's and fail to get a hit. Expected, but would have made other moves simpler.
The Right most Wrecker runs forward, Thexus then arcs a TK to move him up then does another to move the Cricket out of the right zone andspinning it around, nullifying it's Positive Charge nonsense.
Deflection goes up again.
The ambush Drudges charge forward, four go into the Cricket and put it on five boxes.
The right side Drudge units then go, three Slavers get Adrenalled. One goes into the Cricket and finishes it off, the other two get CMA's into the Spear guys. Their DEF proves to be strong enough again, as I only pop one and fail to clear the zone. Oh well.
Left Drudges go, Adrenals happen again, once more they fail to kill the Spear guy though they do pop Eiryss.
The far left Overlords get up and spray down two of the Arcanists and put Sylyss on a couple boxes.
Risen jam up, no Thrall due to Disco's Brain Damage preventing the spell cast.
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Ret 3: Elara and the Shiplashy guys kills some Risen. Hyperion and Disco again kill some chump infantry incidentally while boosting attacks on Alexia. She takes a big enough hit that I take all the damage on her and she toughs. One of the Spears leaves melee, survives the pitiful freestrikes with my rubbish non-CMA MAT and stabs her. Spikes really low, just clears out the backfield Risen.
Rahn just kills some of the left Drudges.
One Whiplash dude tries to clear out a Risen, botches it, ends up doing three points of damage to Discordias shield. Ill advised.
That last ditch attempt to kill Alexia leaves no one to contest the right zone, so I gain a CP.
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Merc 4: Clocks are low, but to my advantage. This will be the last turn I make serious attacks on attrition, after this it'll just be zone clearing actions and running to engage.
Three of the ambush Drudges charge Elara, CMA and land it. I roll poor on damage, managing one box through the focus spend.
Right Drudges go, the Benders throw out Adrenals. The Slaver unit kills the Spear that got to Alexia and does a good hit on Discordia, stripping his Shield and doing some damage on the grid.
The left Bender/Slaver team also Adrenal, they however once again fail to kill the Spear member on their side. The various Overlords just stick in zone holding rolls to ensure the round timer win if it comes up.
The Wreckers advance timidly, waiting to clear the right zone if needed.
I go to 2 CP.
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Ret 4: The last Spear member stabs down a Risen. Hyperion finally rolls less than maximum shots, though manages a crit off his main gun that absorbs the last Spear unit guy and half a dozen Drudges. He then clears off Disco.
Elara kills some of the ambushers.
Discordia moves forward to get Alexia back into range after she backpedalled an inch, takes a free strike from the Drudge that charged it which takes out the Movement and ends its activation. Weird for that rue to come up two games in a row.
Ret concedes, which is utterly fair. I have 12 minutes left on the clock and Ret have no way of contesting the right zone, I can easily fluff my way to a "Mercy" win. Wouldn't feel very merciful though, which is where I feel SR2017 fails badly in comparison to previous scenario packets.
