List altered from the OTC variant, dropping the Wreckers and Agitator to add in toolbox heavies and give a better option to arc node with. Drops the ability to apply force in a single point, think the Drudges can lift that without to much issue.
Thexus - 2x Wardens, Subduer, Agitator, 3x Max Slavers, 2x Max Benders, Alexia1 + Risen + Dominator, 2x Free Overlords
Initially lined up against Abe's Gearheads, alas they rusted out, so German Traveller to the rescue!
It's Canberra, ergo when it's not a pre-arranged match there's a 55% chance of it being Skorne.
Zaadesh2 - Sentry, Aradus Soldier, Gladiator, 2x Cyclops Savage, Immortals (Max), 2x Ancestral Guardian, Karax (Max), Pain Givers (Max)
SR2017 with the Insider Updates (Solos score flags, units score Circles, win by 5 points up). Each side gets a flag, a rectangle zone and a central circle to shove each other over.
I threw out Cluster terrain, because at this point I'm addicted to LoS blocking stuff in the centre of the table. If we get a slam think I'll explicitly avoid that for training purposes.
Additionally I have a bad habit of putting obstructions as the initial terrain piece, so I explicitly wasn't going to do that. At first I put down a cloud, then looked at my Eyeless Sight army, decided that was a tool move to make and made it a forest.
Irrelevant nonsense aside, the most applicable terrain ends up being the central forest and an obstruction that pinch access to the circle zone, or at least make it awkward. I will happily admit that the rest of the terrain I put on the board ended up not being relevant (Trench, two hills, a wall, a cloud).
I lose the roll, Skorne take first. Ultimately I choose the wrong side, giving to little weight to the fact that the opposing list not only has no guns, it doesn't even have a shitty nuke, so I take the side with the forest pinching for unnecessary LoS blocking purposes.
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Skorne 1: The Evil totes-not-Elves deploy and run up with a slant toward the right side of the board. Karax are on the left, the Beasts are central and the Immortals are on the right. Ancestrals divide themselves between the units.
Battle Charged spell up on Zaadesh, Inviolable Resolve on the Immortals.
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Mercs 1: Thexus allocates everything out, with the extra heavy and no weak opposing attacks to accidentally fuel them I had some concern about their focus thirst in future turns.
The Drudge blob essentially mirrors the Skorne list in board position, with the same rightward slant. I put a few Drudges in charge ranges, the odds of them successfully baiting are miniscule but it costs me nothing. I purposely have one Bender unit in position on the right flank to affect the ambushers popping in next turn, the Skorne deploy essentially makes the Ambush side pretty clear.
Overlords stay super flanking per the usual, Alexia walks up in the centre and crafts a Thrall, intending for him to be the scoring model on that left flag.
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Skorne 2: Spells upkept.
The Karax Shield Wall, most go behind the obstruction with a grouping of four behind the forest. Also behind the Obstruction goes one of the Savages to score the Rectangle zone in the future and Ancestral Guardian
Immortals run up the right side, mostly ending up between the Skorne flag and my rectangle zone. The other Ancestral Guardian camps the Skorne flag behind them.
The remaining Beasts go up behind the forest and Immortals, Zaadesh plonks a couple clouds in front of them. Zaadesh feats.
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Mercs 2: So, I'd planned this super malicous kill everything turn, right up until Zaady feated at the very end of the Skorne turn. Plan sunk.
I thought through a couple plans that all came unglued. The ambush Drudges came in on the right, I tried to get a position where I could Adrenal two ambush Drudges, have them use the move up to charge the right side Ancestral Guardian in the back. Fell apart on positioning.
The next consideration was Rampager being used to pull the Aradus forward and around, drag him in with the Subduer and kill it with his attacks plus some Adrenal charging Drudges. I should have done this plan, I essentially pulled out of it because I'd maxed the time I'm willing to spend in the tank on a list where clock is always a consideration.
The Thrall Warrior goes to my flag for sweet scoringness. The far left Overlords run, one of them toes the Skorne rectangle to contest.
Centre zone wise, on the left against the Karax Pink Slaver Drudges run up. The Subduer walks into the forest, knocks down the grouping of four Karax.
Right side, Risen run up to be in front of the Skorne Beasts/Immortals, as do some of the Green Slaver Drudges.
The other Overlord unit literally hugs the table edge.
The ambush Drudges run around to be behind the Skorne flag, one of them in contesting range.
Thexus chills up the back, toeing outside of the killbox. Arcs a Rampager on the Aradus to turn him around and away, then Psycho Surgery heals the channel damage.
I get up by a point off my flag.
Wasted turn, though I am content that I at least did some stuff rather than sink into analysis paralysis.
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Skorne 3: Time for the delayed Alpha smash.
On the left, in Skornes Rectangle the Ancestral charges across and kills the contesting Overlord. The Savage on this side stays in hiding behind the Obstruction.
The Karax reassemble and Shield Wall, the knock down ones joining their bros in a blob, they get a few ineffectual attacks on Drudges, DEF 11 turns out to be OK. Three of them go around the other side of the obstruction, get up to my flag and stab down the Thrall Warrior. Sadness.
Centre wise, the Aradus Tramples to the Subduer after getting Enraged, drags him in with the Pull attack, buys some bite attacks. Rolls very well on damage, leaves the Subduer on one box of Brain. The other Savage (Note: I defaulted to thinking of them as Brutes the entire game. My only knowledge of Cyclops Savages is gained by proxy, via the medium of owners of the Skorne battle box complaining about them) moves up to the Subduer and easily bins it.
The Sentry walks behind the forest, can now see the luscious, glistening abdomen of the Aradus.
The Immortals shuffle forward, staying in command range of the Ancestral Guardian. They kill a couple Risen and the sacrifice Drudges.
Behind them on the Skorne flag the Guardian sits on the flag, turning to face the ambushing unit. The contesting Drudge died earlier in the turn to a Paingiver, who are pretty elite combat troops when you fight against Drudges.
Skorne score their flag and rectangle zone, getting up 2v1 in CP's.
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Merc 3: If I wrote a gaming self book at this juncture of life I guess it would be called "How to handle throwing away your Subduer". Sort of anyway, lining up a Hex Blast on Zaadesh is annoying and few things hurt a measly range 6 gun like Countercharge.
This is feat turn, though it won't be a super impressive use comparatively speaking. Things to keep in mind are Countercharge and using Hex Blast to strip the Immortals immunity to pushes in the right order.
On the far left, the Overlords move up, one of them toes the zone, the other keeps back to make it impossible for hte Ancestral to kill both. They spray the Guardian, do reasonable dmage but don't kill him.
Thexus moves across and forward a short distance in order to get the Gladiator under feat. It wasn't super vital, but it's a small effort for potentially forcing Rush to be cast. Thexus arcs a Hex Blast on the Immortals and TK's the Aradus and Savage forward and turned around. Feat pushes split up the Karax Shield Wallers, plonks the one nearest the flag out of command. The Aradus and Savage move forward, the Sentry and Gladiator go backward. Only 2/3rds or so of the Immortals are in range, they get pushed toward the right and bunched up.
Looking at the pics, it seems I spaced on activating the left Bender unit. Whoops. Not terrible, all they'd have done is kill the out of formation Karax member.
The Pink Drudges shuffle to not make attacks from Zaadesh' cloud, they eat three karax and do some sweet Prepping for Surgery. Enter the Rainbow Drudge!
The Agitator advances and Instigates. The left Warden charges the Aradus, leaves it on about six boxes. The Aradus is in range of Thexus so has to die, I had wanted Alexia to spawn a Thrall to score on my left flag but oh well, she charges in and kills the Aradus with her initial attack, however I also sent some Risen forward into the remaining Immortals, which triggered the Sentinels Counter Charge. The Risen toughs, more to the point I become super concerned about him being to near to Thexus. Even after a trample an enraged Sentinel still gets a low odds one shot assassination chance.
In any event, the other Warden goes into the savage and toes my right rectangle zone, he kills the Savage with just his initials.
On the right, the Overlord unit leaves the edge of the table and sprays down most of the Immortal unit. The Bender unit then moves up and sprays down the remaining four. The Green Slaver Drudges run around lamely in the backfield, three of them running to deny the Sentinel a trample spot.
In Ambush land, half of the Drudges charge into the Paingivers/Ancestral around the Skorne flag. One does to Defensive Strike as I definitely planned, he owed me money and wasn't ever going to pay up. They make the pair of Paingivers they got to don Fish Bowls, one gets into the Ancestral and spikes the roll, leaving him on a handful of boxes.
I score on my rectangle zone, scores level at 2 apiece.
Yeah, that went super sweet for me. Thexus feat remains a great spray enabler.
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Skorne 4: On the lonely left side of the board, the Ancestral on Rectangle zone clearing keeps at it, hacking down the contesting Overlord once more. The Savage that keeps scoring that zone sticks behind the obstruction, chilling in his vital yet distinctly boring job. He would go on to be an accountant.
The Karax form up again in the space between the forest and obstruction, Shield Walling and finally gaining some overall competence as they put down three Slaver Drudges.
Also in the centre, the Enraged, Rushed Sentry walks up to Alexia and the left Warden. He does some light damage on the Warden, plus a fully boosted attack on Alexia. It hits, alas the damage is paltry considering the P+S and I lose a few Risen and put Ciannor on 1 box.
Zaadesh hangs out in the cloud.
Around the Skorne flag, the Ancestral Guardian starts swinging as efforts to clear out the 6 contesting Drudges begin. Tough rolls suddenly leap to the fore, so he ends up only killing a couple and blowing his load of Souls. The Gladiator, after Rushing the Sentry, wanders backwards to said Drudges and maxes Fury to be super unimpressive, as tough and low hit rolls neuter it considerably, it kill a Drudge and leaves one Knocked down. Lastly one of the Paingivers makes it over and roll their eyes at the Heavy Beast as they easily pop a Drudge.
The flag clearing efforts falling short alas means that both sides only score their Rectangle zones and go to 3 points apiece.
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Merc 4: Grinding on!
On the left, the last Overlord on that side toes the zone to contest, sprays the Ancestral that murdered his comrades and kills it, saving him from that imminent demise at least.
Right side, the Overlord move up and spray at the Skorne stuff around their flag, managing to kill one Paingiver. Imph.
The Ambush Drudges charge in to finish things off, one pops to the Defensive Strike, they CMA and manage to finish off the Guardian over here as well. The Gladiator is slightly damaged, it isn't really in a position to affect the win conditions though.
Green Slavers and Purple Benders just flood forward around the Rectangle zone.
Centre land:
Thexus Pschyo Surgeries and heals the more damaged Warden, then Spell Drivers a TK through him to turn the Sentinel around (The healing was required to ensure that the Spell Driver damage didn't take out the Brain system).
I send the left Warden into the Sentinel. I foolishly didn't Instigate first, so his damage is garbo.
Instigate then happens, the other Warden comes in and manages the kill.
Alexia spawns a Thrall that runs to my flag.
Pressed for time, the Pink Drudges just shuffle and make a couple attacks on the Karax that don't do a great deal.
I get up 4v3, it was definitely a turn affected by rushing. The Sentry should have died to the Instigated Warden and three Adrenalled Drudges, allowing the other Warden to score.
Nothing can get to Thexus, my clock is low but so is Skorne's, I'm winning on scenario. I've got just over six minutes, I can cram some Garbo turns in of mostly running and scoring, using TK/Rampager to get rid of contesting stuff to get to the 5 point lead.
Didn't Adrenal once all game. Something went wrong. Horribly wrong.
Liking the new mixed battlegroup. And enemies that can't attack Thexus, need more of those. Definitely feel a long way from getting good with the chewed up Redskin (I was so much happier with his model till Shep converted him to have a sensible body. Sigh.).
