Outlast
Yikes, they'll let anyone be on a podcast these days. ANYONE.
The previous flubbing was over quick enough that we could throw in a re-rack, I'm happy with my Arkadius experiences/play even if the list is pending fine tuning, so let's get some literal Toad Quisling action going.
Rask1 (BC) - Wrastler, 3x Bone Swarm, 2x Croak Raiders (Max), Bokor + Shamblers, Sacral Vault, Totem Hunter, Mist Speaker, 2x Trawler
vs
Gorten1(Irregulars) - 2x Driller, 2x Gunner, Siege Crawler, Forge Guard, Herne and Jonne, Aiyanna and Holt, Horgenhold Artillery, Anastasia, Eiryss1, Orin1, Eillish1, Ragman1
I basically stopped giving the Thrullgs a chance and dropped the Swamp Horror, adding in the Wrastler and a pair of Trawlers (One free, one paid) to be ambushing contestors given most of the list doesn't want to get stuck in on things. If Gator CID releases were dropped in the short term I probably lose a Bone Swarm for a Croc Pot, pending doing a large change in the infantry make up.
This time is Outlast, so I have plenty of units and not so much with the disposable solos. Staring at these scenarios is what occasionally tempts me to put River Raiders in before my tenuous grasp on sanity re-latches.
I eventually lose the roll after Anastasia makes us attempt the process three times. Dangit. Where's the super spy frog/toad/gator/sentient slime for me?
Mercs pick first, so I take the side which can better hide behind the central obstruction. I also get a trench on the left and forest on the right, Mercs get a central hill and a forest on their left.
I dither around on Prey for a while, I end up selecting the Siege Crawler on the basis I have to kill it anyway, then I can select a relevant target. If I pick an Eliminator or solo they can potentially be hidden away somewhere annoying and deny me the bonus (I've done it enough times after all).
Bullsnappers proxying as Boneswarms.
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Merc 1: Stumpies attack!
Crawler moves up on the left, Dorf infantry and jacks up the centre. Gorten pops down a wall that doesn't really matter, charges up. Kayazy and super solos come up on the left, Eiryss pops a Croak Raider.
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Minion 1: The Croaks can fling stuff at the armour on the left, so lets do that. Also pop feat time to keep board space and allow Rask to be in position to chock up on the centre obstruction if Gorten tries the feat assassination.
Rask gets Guidance from the Mist Speaker, moves up and shoots down Anastasia. Sweet. Throws out Admonition and Fury on a pair of Bone swarms. Feats.
Orange Croaks on the left advance, Oil both the Crawler and the left most Driller, I get one shot on the Battle Engine and seven on the warjack. To my surprise I roll extremely well and kill the Heavy. Well, that was nice.
The Vault is in an awkward decision moment. The Crawler is it's foe, but the Hammer Dwarves next to it are it's natural food source. I opt to keep it on the left, figuring it'll draw the Crawler fire while my beasts can get up and kill the opposing Battle Engine.
All my beasts go up on the left, Wrastler in the back, Swarms around the Croaks.
Totem Hunter runs up to my flag, sits next to my flag behind the obstruction.
Shamblers run around Rask in the same vicinity.
Blue Croaks don't have much to do in their area, they run around into my feat and the right side forest.
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Merc 2: The Crawler moves forward, the Admonitioned Bone Swarm moves forward off of it. Half of the yellow Croaks unit die to the blasts and pew pew, plus the forward Bone Swarm takes some damage.
Eiryss goes to the Merc flag, Hammer Dwarves blob up next to her. A wall gets thrown out in front of said Hammererererers. Strength of Granite goes on the remaining Driller.
Kayazy mostly hang back on the right, aside from one that comes forward and engages some Shamblers and stuff on the right.
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Minion 2: By incidental spacing that I'm going to pretend was on purpose, the Crawler coming in to shoot was just enough for the Wrastler to have charge distance on it. Unfortunately it's not as simple as all, for Rask to buff said Wrastler he has to come out into the open where he doesn't want to be, plus there's a bunch of stuff in the way. Ergo it's miscellaneous attacks on the Crawler and hope it all comes together while I'm doing it.
Leftwise, it being the flank that matters, the remaining Croaks move around and oil/dart the Crawler for some damage. I then have a bone swarm kill to of them that couldn't get into the left zone to score without blocking the Wrastler.
The Fury'ed Bone Swarm (The angriest pile of knee bones you ever did see) charges the Crawler, maxing Fury to do some damage and eat a Hammer Dwarf for a corpse.
After that, the Crawler has 21 boxes remaining and I feel super awkward about the Wrastler activation. He ends up putting Rage on himself and charging, I remain super uncertain if that was the right move. He gets one bought attack which with the initials gets the job done by a couple of boxes (Self applying Animi suuuuuuuuucks. In the bad way.).
The Vault, feeling happier with it's life now, aims and kills three Hammer Dwarves. Those guys then go on to kill Aiyanna, Orin and crit slam Eiryss into Ragman killing them both.
Just....the best.....MVP even if it shits the bed for the rest of the game.
Right side, both Bog Trog Trawlers ambushed in, one tries to kill the Ogrun half of Herne and Jonne and flubbs it, the other kills the Dwarf.
I had planned to send the Totem Hunter after the Ogrun, who was his new Prey, then Sprint to somewhere mean. Alas placed Shamblers make it not doable so he just camps the flag.
Shamblers swarm and eat the forward Eliminator. Other SHamblers and Blue Croaks run around Rask to stop him being dragged to death.
Rasks actual activation is to put a disruptor shot into the Driller, knocking off Strength of Granite. Good times.
I get 2 CP from the left zone and my flag.
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Merc 3: Gorten goes down to the Merc flag and walls himself up. One Gunner kills a Trawler.
Forge Guard go into the beasts that killed the Siege Crawler, they kill the Wrastler and heavily damage the Fury'ed Bone Swarm.
Holt toes the left zone, shoots down the two remaining yellow Croaks, no easy scoring for me. Sad.
Eilish hides behind the forest on the left, having Puppet Stringed the Forge Guard Earlier.
Eliminators charge in, one gets to the Totem Hunter and manages to kill him. Dammit.
Herne? Jonne? The one with a gun that lived. Moves up and kill a pair of Blue Croaks.
Gorten scores his flag, now 2-1.
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Minion 3: Time for Rask to get out of dodge and continue the grind.
Left wise, the two Bone Swarms that do stuff kill off the Hammer Dwarves.
Vault toes the left zone and ensure it is contesting my flag, shoots down the Horgenhold Artillery guy and pings a Gunner for a bit.
Rask drops some Fury, runs over to be behind the Vault, then gets the last Bone Swarm hanging next to him.
Shamblers swarm around the two forward Eliminators, they kill one, alas it wasn't the contesting model so the Mist Speaker just runs to be near Rask.
The remaining Trawler charges Herne, toughs him out. He then gets killed by the Blue Croaks, who also set the Driller on fire.
I had insufficient attacks to kill everything I wanted to, so no scoring for me alas.
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Merc 4: Gorten charges a Shambler out on the right, feat pushes Shamblers and Blue Croaks backward. One Eliminator charges the Bokor, does some damage to him
The Driller and Artillery munchkins go beside the Merc flag behind a wall, Madelyn behind them ready to score.
Aiyanna and Eilish go into the forest of the left zone, plus a Gunner shot they kill off the Fury'ed Boneswarm at last.
Other Gunner pops the Trawler in the right zone.
Mercs go to 2-3, alas they clock out this turn.
Played it out a little bit, I can't contest the right but do score my friendly flag, Gorten scores the right zone due to an inability to contest, however from there I definitely clear the left zone and flood the rest of the board so we call it.
Should have kept a Trawler in reserve to run in the late game and contest a zone, whoops. That'd be ambush greed.
List hitting power remains a concern, looks like I'll consign Rask to not being my armour drop as it is to reliant on one Wrastler. Being able to give Corpses to the Boneswarms would be nice, get them up to P+S 21 with minimal barriers would make me a lot happier.
