Epic Recon
Day of Moons! Return of one of our old nemeses, with ye old Elf Haters (Which makes them ok). Wait, Minions don't have Thexus and I have to play an actual game? (They are no longer ok).
Arkadius1 (WWfF) - 4x Road Hogs, 2x Gorax, 6x Razor Boars, Battle Boar, Orin, Hutchuck, Targ, Gatormen Witch Doc (CID), Swamp Gobber Chef
vs
Naaresh1 (IW) - 2x Gladiator, 2x Archidon, Agonizer, Cyclops Brute, Zaadesh + Krea/Agonizer, Siege Animantarax, 2x Pain Givers (One Max, One Min)
I theoretically had a Rask list, which is an awful Hodge Podge of models I wish I had versus Models I want to have for some kind of anti-Cryx build (Dammit Calaban! Speak to me! Why do you do nothing for my inner alcohol fuelled void?).
Ergo, the next version of Arkadius, with more Road Hog! Dropped another set of Rabo's, the Bog Trog Trawler and a Gorax.
List wise, it's all about trading carefully. I don't like my odds of assassinating Naaresh what with Fury and all, but eh, got to learn sometime.
Scenario is Epic Recon. I opted to try sucking it up, not like this isn't an optimal scenario for this list versus anything with Circle zones.
Skorne won the dice roll and picked first.
Extremely open centre table, I picked the side with an obstruction that can be used to contest the left zone with extremely minimal effort. I also get a semi-usefull wall on the edge of the right zone that should be handy defensively. The Skorne end of the right zone has a forest which could be annoying, that's just something I have to accept. My objective was Pathfinder, I genuinely have no memory of what Skorne had.
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Skorne 1: One Archidon goes behind the obstruction and postures offensively (some form of agresive mooning I imagine). There's then a line of Skorne stuff, with Naaresh popping up behind his Obejctive. Zaadesh is behind him in the trench.
The Animantarax barrels forward into the right zone, with the other Archidon to his side in the trees (His name wasn't Charlie. Mild dissapointment.).
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Minion 1: It's feating time, there's enough in threat range and it'll let me have reasonable board position. While emasuring out getting a Road Hog to Naaresh I flubbed ahrd, mid measurement forgetting the +2 Speed for my theme benefit, aka the sodding point of Will Work for Food.
Thankfully when I later calculated it out it was an extremely poor assassinatio by dint of Krea Animus and needing to use the charge attack on a Gladiator to get up to Naaresh.
In any event, Goraxi and the Battle Boar futx around and Primal three of the Road Hogs. Arkadius puts Forced Evo on one of the hogs, moves up and repositions to throw Crippling Grasp on the Animantarax. Frenzies everything forward.
One Primal Hog then goes into the Aradus, kills it and maxes Fury to do an attack on the Battle Engine. The Forced Evo/Primal Hog goes into the right Archidon, kills it and also maxes out to do an attack on teh Animantarax. The last Road Hog finishes the Battle Engine off with it's charge attack, then Sprints back to be behind the wall.
The non Primal Road Hog goes up behind the obstruction, Razor Boars go in various directions. One goes to the super safe contesting spot. Two charge into the Archidon on the left, flubb their rolls.
Not a bad Alpha, though I'll lose two Road Hogs in the Retaliation. The desire to Crippling Grasp also means I don't have Guardian Beast up, which would be nice.
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Skorne 2: Agonizers hover around at the tops of both zones, scream the strength penalty.
Naaresh hovers over to the Skorne flag, pops feat. All of his battlegroup bar the Agonizers hurt themselves in all aspects.
Various beasts get Enraged.
The Brute and one Gladiator kill the msot forward Road Hog after the Krea paralyzes it.
That's all good and expected. The Archidon then flies over the Obstruction and attacks the non-Primalled Hog. It takes some freestrikes and a RaBo Counter charge, all of which bounce off.
Maxes Fury, kills the Road Hog to the box.
Aside from that, Skorne holds relatively far back.
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Minion 2: Frenzy time!
After pulling Fury, a Razor Boar's only frenzy target is the left side Agonizer. Sweet. It goes in and does sod all.
The remaining Road Hogs frenzy, one is stopped by the wall, the other is a few mill shy of going into the Brute, gets enar enough to be engaged by him though. Sigh.
I'm in strife at this point, I should never have Primalled three of the Heavies, that was massive overkill. The Animantarax killer didn't need it, then he could have had a full active turn (albeit probably consisting of falling back while Naaresh' feat was up). Damn you Archidon!
Priorities are killing that Archidon and getting some scoring happening.
Goraxes get Primalled. Arkadius moves up, puts Forced Evo on one Gorax, maltreats the Battle Boar, puts Crippling Grasp on the right most Gladiator then repositions back (Love Repo. So good.).
Forced Evo Primalled Gorax goes into the Archidon. Maxes Fury, but kills it.
Um....so.....that other Gorax....
Well, he's Primalled, so he moves up into the right zone to frenzy on whatever kills the top most Road Hog.
Targ Moves into the left zone for Herding, another Razor Boar charges the left Agoniser. Another damage point. Such might!
Gator Doc runs to my flag, Orin moves up and Lightings the Crippling Grasped Gladiator, bounces a lightning off the Obejctive and into a Pain Giver.
Ayep. Dat Primal regret is savage, both Road Hogs are probably dead which makes the attrition game out of my grasp.
I get up a point via the Minion flag, 1-0.
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Skorne 3: Naaresh sits on the Skorne flag, kills a Razor Boar.
Krea tries to shoot the Road Hog behind the wall, misses.
Left Paingivers stabs at the remaining Razor Boar contesting the Skorne flag, defence 13 is to stronk for their puny MAT 5ness (Random aside: I loathe the phrase "5ever". It's Mimi I'mfurst levels of awful.).
Road Hog at the top of the right zone gets attacked by the Brute, however he left Naaresh' control area so only does a bit of damage (i.e. more than I'd like, being well in excess of 0).
The Gladiator then goes in, DEF 12 proves to be beyond it's means, it maxes FURY to leave the Road Hog on 6 boxes with all aspects. Well, this is suddenly going pretty good.
The other Gladiator then goes into the Road Hog behind the wall, maxes Fury trying to land unboosted 8's, manages to drop it with the last attack. Back to the status quo we go!
Nothing contests my flag, I go to 2-0.
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Minion 3: Goraxes Frenzy, one into my obejctive for five points, the other into the Brute for a scratch.
Awkard pickle situation here. Razor Boars on the left got the scenario game down, once they are dealt with Hutchuck can ambush in and start his own chain of annoyance, however attritionally I need to kill these Gladiators. That means getting buffs out on the surviving Road Hog, which puts Arkadius in a precarious situation. Those early turns were also super long, so not to much time is available to waste here if this game ends up going the distance, plus I had a good enough clock lead at this point for that to be to my advantage.
Crippling Grasp upkept, Arkadius moves up and puts Forced Evo/Primal on the Road Hog, repositions out to the right. Any assassination run involves Naaresh needing to leave his flag and extend his control area, so hopefully that's a suitable disincentive. Arkadius is camping 3.
The Road Hog then easily kills the Crippling Grasps Gladiator, sadly the attacks on the Brute roll poorly.
Orin walks up in the way of a lane on Arkadius, lightings the Skorne objective and kills the remaining Paingivers on the right. Team them to be unpainted smucks.
One Razor Boar and the Battle Boar go into the other Gladiator, scuff it up somewhat.
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Skorne 4: Insufficient disincentive, it's go to time for self whippy man (In a way, Naaresh is the idyllic ice cream man of Skorne).
The Krea moves through the forest, shoots Arkadius, lands the hit to Paralyse him. DANGER WILL ROBINSON.
Naaresh Cyclones across, charges the blocking Gorax, puts Rush on the Gladiator and just manages to kill the light beast. Sod. That clears a lane for the Gladiator to charge Arkadius, I get three free strikes that sadly take out the body instead of the Spirit. Gladiator maxes Fury, kills Arkadius on the final attack. Sod.
Even though that early assassiantion run was poor, forgetting that strong of a theme bonus is pretty bad play, so that's internally awkward. Could also have stopped that final assassination by just running the Battle Boar behind the wall.
Largest mistake on my part was definitely amount of Primals, doing that multiple times had a sever hamstringing effect on my later turns.
One day I will kill Agonisers again, but it was not this day. Nice to see Naaresh being played well, he's come a long way from those poor earlier edition days.
Oh, sprays without Raw Adrenaline suck and I completely forgot to put down my proxy for a Gobber Chef (Whose roll where I don't screw up with the third Road Hog Primal is to Comfort Food himself away to strip the Fury). I mean....I harshly enforced my minimal proxies rule. Yeah.
