I'm already starting to feel the pull back to Mercs, so better get some Minions going before the enthusiasm dissipates entirely.
Cribbed a quick list off the interwebz, adjusted for models I had available.
Arkadius (Thornfall Theme) - 2x Road Hog, 3x War Hog, 2x Gun Boar, Battle Boar, Targ
Dat model count....
Into some sweet vision haters:
Morghoul3 + Escorts - Gladiator, Shaman, Despoiler, Legends, Pain Givers, Willbreaker, Marketh Puffinator, Swordsman + UA, Nihilators, Master Tormentor
Scenario is Epic Recon, one side has a large central defensive forest so we both pick the pathfinder one (I do like this change to the scenario rules, if few others).
I win the die roll and pick first, the forest of inconvenience presenting an issue for me either way, either as something to go around or for the Skornites to hide behind. Dominaidon correctly takes the defensivey side of the forest, as Rush and Mirage gives Skorne better options to use the forest against me.
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Round 1: My stuff runs up as a line, Road on either flank. Most of the beasts go in a line up the centre, with the right most Roadhog joined by one of the War Hogs to stop him feeling lonely.
I put up Guardian Beast, as the opposing list with sod all guns doesn't make Aggravator that appealing. I put Forced Evo on the Battle Boar based on no reasons of value (One of those any decision is better than no decision, it should have just gone on any of the heavies).
The Master Tormentor, feeling truly valued by management, runs up on the left and engages that sides Road Hog.
Nihilators go on the left, Swordsman on the right and everything else is behind the forest of defence.
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Minion 2: Time to feat and alpha. There's a few too many things I want to kill this turn, I end up deciding to pop Despoiler, the Legends, the Swordsman UA (Get rid of that Power Swell) and the Willbreaker (If Haidenon has dice fixing, how is he meant to tilt?!).
I start off by walking one Warhog back into the bottom of a trench, he's the reserve beater for all the stuff I'll lose in retaliation for the alpha. This also creates room for one Gun boar to move across into min scatter range, hit the Master Tormentor with blast damage, boost and kill.
The left Gun Boar hurts himself for speed, assaults into a Nihilator, the spray kills the Willbreaker. He then maxes Fury killing the Nihilator in melee then sprinting back with his Animus. He'll still get charged and punched up a bit, should be less than would otherwise happen hopefully.
Arkadius, moves across, primals the right War Hog and feats. Various hogs frenzy forward, in the midst of which I realise the far right Primalled War Hog can't actually get into Despoiler. Nuts. I send up the remaining Warhog and Battle Boar, who can get to the Skorne heavy.
The Battle Boar charges up and Adrenalizes, popping a Swrdsman in the way of Despoiler. He then Berserks across, turns out Legends are bad targets to go for as he taks a Defensive strike and hits nought. Needed that Primal elsewhere it would seem.
The right Road Hog Assaults in, sprays down the Swordsman UA, kills a Grunt and sprints back.
Both Warhogs then go, given their Primalled better to have them face that way. One easily bins Despoiler, if not for the MAT buff of Primal probably wouldn't have got it done. The other gets into the Praetorians, eats three of them.
The remaining Gun Boar then shoots at the Battleboar, misses and hits all the Legends, I boost the damage and kill none of them. Hmmm. Could have gone a little better, in the same way Pixel could have been a better film. Targ Ancillaries him to try another shot, this one scatters and hits a single Legend with a couple boxes left, doesn't kill him either. Phooey!
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Skorne 2: One the left, the Nihilators charge the Road Hog, four get in. Eyeballling that they'll miss once and do about 5 damage on each, so should have about a third of a Hog left. Nope. 2 boxes. The shaman then moves into the defensive forest and tries to finish off the Roadie, misses and knocks down a Nihilator.
One of Morghouls escorts walks around the Battle Boar, another goes into it while the big man himself goes into the War Hog. Blinds happen, Morghoul stabs the War Hog a fair few times, doesn't do that went.
The Legends stab the Battle Boar, they roll poorly, barely killing it.
The Gladiator charges said War Hog and finishes it off.
The few remaining Swordsman go into my right Road Hog, scratch it a bit. One positions to take the remaining Primalled War Hog attack to its face.
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Minion 3: I don't really have a lot of choices to make this turn, I pull in as much fury as I can. The Primal War Hog eats the snackrifice swordsman, the centre Gun Boar frenzies into my objective for a couple points, the left Gun Boar passes his frenzy roll, the Road Hog that is barely held together by some staples eats a Nihilator.
The right Road Hog eats the two Swordsman who stabbed him, then he sprints to the back corner of the zone. Targ ancillaries, misses the last Praetorian in the zone. Arkadius throws out a Primal Shock to clear out the right zone, Maltreats, Pscho Surgeries and a tries an unboosted Primal Shock on a Nihilator that misses.
Reerve Warhog Riles and runs to be near Arkadius.
The only other activation is the left Road Hog, it hits a Nihilator who toughs.
Minions go to 1 CP off the right zone.
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Skorne 3: Starting on the left, with the Shaman aiming and trying to kill the super hurt Road Hog. This is a pretty key event, if he screws this up then the Nihilators are gummed up around him and can't go into a Gun Boar. He got healed up to 5 boxes, with an aim it's a touch over 60% chance for him to live. He doesn't. Oh dear.
The Nihilators then charge the left Gun Boar and put it in the dirt.
Goodbye flank, it was nice knowing you.
Morghoul runs to be scoring both the flag and zone.
Marketh goes behind the forest of safety, which the Gladiator goes and sits in.
The Legends charge the up the board War Hog on the right, they roll in true underwhelm style, taking off about half his health. The Hog also gets slammed, but the dance are garbage and he stays in Arkadius control range.
Skorne pull ahead, 2v1.
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Minion 4: So........haven't played Minions in mark3 at all. What do we do at this point in a game again?
Targ Ancillaries the Road Hog, he sprays the Legends, killing one. Arkadius throws Forced Evo on the Gun Boar near him, puts out Psycho Surgery and Primal Shocks an Escort dead (Movie Pitch: It all starts when the evil mad scientist kills an Escort by psychically blasting her through his cyborg pig beast. Script writes itself.). He then walks across to cower behind a small forest.
The Road Hog advances a short distance, we have a short convo on the epic wonderness that is the Spray template and it's illogical shape to hit the Gladiator for some damage and be outside of its threat range. It does a mighty damage point.
The left War Hog tramples, killing two Nihilators and toughing another, he toes into the left zone.
Gun Boar goes, he throws the toughed out Nihilator into one of his fellows, killing both.
Both sides get a point (The right zone and the flag). 3v2 to Skorne.
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Skorne 4: Fire on teh Gladiator goes out. Morghoul goes into the War Hog contesting the left zone after the Nihilators do poorly, he manages to kill it without to much effort after it gets blinded.
Shaman moves up, pings my objective down to 9 health.
I ingeniously placed the Gun Boar to be exactly in the Gladiator's charge range. He goes in, struggles but eventually manages to kill it before smashing the Objective.
Skorne again gain two points, (left zone and Objective), now 5v2.
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Minion 5: I think this is the point we realise we didn't have a round counter? I hate having to that, feels like pointless minutiae.
I'm not in a terrible position, but contesting the left zone is really difficult. Time to just do things and hope I have a moment of cognizance at some point, I focus on clearing models that can contest to try to level the scoring somewhat. I can't put Arkadius on the flag, as he then gets Blinded and killed. Morghoul hasn't even feated at this point.
Arkadius goes in, Crippling grasps the Gladiator by poking my own small defence forest, then repoing out of it. He Psycho Surgeries and tries to kill the Paingiver on the War Hog, but misses. Alas.
The Road Hog walks across a bit, flamethrowers Marketh, leaves him on one box on fire. Targ Ancillaries him to burn a couple Paingivers. The War Hog eats the contesting Paingiver.
Scores go to 6v3, both off zones.
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Skorne 5: Fire goes out. Throw that Birthday Cake to the ground.
Gladiator frenzies into Morghoul, does 9 points that flock back to him.
Morghoul goes back to the flag, Marketh and the remaining Nihilator run in the way. Last Paingiver goes into the top of the right zone to contest.
The Cyclops Shaman moves up and tries to one shot Arkadius, lands the hit, needs a 17 on the dice to kill. Doesn't make it, puts him on about 6 boxes. Marketh is livid at Morghouls lack of a shitty nuke.
Now 8v3.....
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Minion 6: Targ Ancillaries the Road Hog, knocks down the Nihilator. Arkadius then has to go, Primal Shocks that dude away.
The War Hog goes up and kills the Skorne Objective.
Road Assaults Marketh, planning to Sprint into contest range of the Skorne flag.
The Assault spray misses Morghoul, hits and kills Marketh, ergo I can't Sprint and pay for my greed in trying to set Morghoul on fire. Dangit.
It goes to 9v4, Skorne autowin on scenario at that point so it gets called.
Well, screwed that up a few times. Need a few games of maximising that Crippling Grasp + Repo, definitely out of practice with Fury, specifically the right selection of whose frenzying and mitigating that Arkadius rolls into towns with.
