Battle Report #3 - Minions (Maelok) vs. Khador (Irusk2)

So, this game was played last Saturday - sorry for the slow report. It's been a rough week. Also, you will notice several "mistakes" - my opponent was playing Mk III for the first time (he was a fairly consistent Mk II player), as well as playing Khador for the first time (he was a Minions player in Mk II - I actually got about half of my Minions from him).

So I was really wanting to play my dojo'd Barnabas list, to see if my theories were correct. However, my opponent had either Butcher1 or Irusk2 available, and there's no way I was going to take the chance that he'd put Irusk2 down (I've already run into Solid Ground with Barnabas, and it's not fun). So, I swapped out the Barnabas list for Maelok (it's actually fairly similar) and sure enough, my opponent played Irusk2.

My list:
The Blindwater Congregation theme
Maelok the Dreadbound [+28]
- Blackhide Wrastler [16]
- Blackhide Wrastler [16]
Gatorman Witch Doctor [0]
Gatorman Witch Doctor [0]
Wrong Eye [17]
- Snapjaw [0]
Gatorman Posse [17]
Gatorman Posse [17]
Gatorman Posse [17]
Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew [2]

It's pretty straightforward - Witch Docs keep Zombify on two Posse, until it's time to Sacrificial Strike one of them (probably after being Revived by Maelok). Maelok makes the other Undead with Death Pact. This limits souls harvested (which doesn't matter against Irusk) and gives a huge ARM swing during Maelok's Feat turn. I have three heavies for dealing with my opponent's armor, but realistically, if he's going warjack heavy, this list will have to rely on Gatormen Posse and Mortality to get work done.

My opponent's list:
Supreme Kommandant Irusk
- War Dog
- Kodiak
- Kodiak
- Destroyer
Man-o-War Drakhun
Man-o-War Kovnik
Widowmaker Marksman
Doom Reaver Swordsmen
- Greylord Escort
Man-o-War Shocktroopers
Widowmaker Scouts

We were playing the Incursion scenario with three obstructions (the two buildings and the large hill) and two forests. Two walls were placed on one table edge. I won the roll, and elected to go second, choosing the side without the walls.

My opponent's deployment, after Advance Deploy placements:

I deployed my three Posse at the edge of my deployment zone. The left side - red Posse (behind the large hill) - was supported by Wrong Eye, the right side - blue Posse (which I assumed was only going to have Widowmakers close) - had the Swamp Gobbers (which I placed REALLY poorly - they should have been in front) and the central - green Posse - had Maelok and his Wrastlers. This would allow me to put pressure on all three flags during my second turn.

Khador - Turn 1:
Irusk activates, casts Energizer, casts Fire For Effect on the Destroyer, and casts Solid Ground. Then advances behind the wall. Both Kodiaks run, filling the hole between the central building and the forest. Doom Reavers run, filling the hole between the two buildings. Drakhun runs up behind the Doom Reavers. Shocktroopers and Kovnik run. Destroyer runs up behind the central building. He forgot to move the Widowmakers and the Marksman, but I let him move them into the forest before I did anything.

Minions - Turn 1:
Well, dang - he's a lot further across the board than I thought he would be. After some measuring, and realizing I was going to get charged no matter what on the left side, I charged the red Posse into the Doom Reavers. Only one makes it (after praying for 2" extra), and he whacked a Doom Reaver. However, the homicidal maniac rolled his Tough check, getting knocked down (he was just out of Irusk's Solid Ground). The Gators' supporting Witch Doc moves up and Zombifies them. On the right flank, I realize my mistake after advancing the Posse - the Gobbers are not going to be able to advance and put down the cloud in front of them. So, they pray for concealment, and the Gobbers move up and put down a cloud anyway. The Witch Doc moves up in the middle of the Gators (don't ask why, total brain fart) and Zombifies them. In retrospect - I should have just run the Gators, but I was worried about the Kodiaks. The green Posse advances cautiously, looking to support either side in anticipation of getting charged. Snapjaw advances, and casts Submerge and riles for three. Wrong Eye moves up, casts Star Crossed and Submerge. Both Wrastlers run (though really I just needed the fury) and Maelok moves up behind them and puts Death Pact on the green Posse.

Khador - Turn 2:
So, the knocked down Doom Reaver rises (didn't see that coming) and the unit charges into the Posse. Thanks to Star Crossed and eight damage boxes, only one dies (though another had to Tough to stay). Irusk moves up behind the building (he had upkept Fire For Effect and Solid Ground), and casts Energizer, moving up next to the building and out of sight. The Destroyer walks around the building and takes a shot at the green Posse. The shot misses (thanks to Dirge of Mists), but scatters into s position to still kill one and wound another. The Widomakers plus Marksmen move to the edge of the forest and take shots at the blue Posse, after killing their supporting Witch Doc (why did I move that guy there?). A Kodiak charges the blue Posse as well, curb stomping the poor guy that he contacts. The second Kodiak charges the green Posse, killing another Gatorman. Drakhun and accompanying Man-o-Wars advance further, and he passes turn.

Minions - Turn 2:
Mistakes are made - that's the theme.

First, before I go into the mistakes made, a little background on me. I have a neurological condition that really affects my ability to concentrate and stay focused. This also affects my memory, and ranges anywhere from really annoying to completely disrupting. While not an excuse for the mistakes made, it does contribute. So if you're reading this (and you don't know me), realize two things - #1 I'm not a hard-core tournament player. Don't get me wrong, I like to win, but this is a social game for me (and it's important). It's one of the few opportunities I have to interact with friends, and I relish every chance I get. #2 I have a hard time remembering everything MY army can do (and frequently forget things many times) - there's no way I'm going to know what my opponent's army does.

So, the Doom Reavers having Rise was a little surprising, as was losing two Posse members from the middle. And the stupid positioning on the Witch Doc AND the Gobbers cost me. Oh well, hopefully I remember better next time. Time to get some work done.

The painted Wrastler charges the Kodiak and proceeds to pound on it. However, I forget to cast Rage (that's the whole reason I bring these guys!) first, so he leaves the Kodiak on a few boxes. Not good, I don't want that guy alive. So the blue Posse charges, praying for distance. I get to the Widowmakers and their Marksman with two of them, and the other two hit the Kodiak. This was unnecessary, one of them put the big guy down. This also ended up being a cheating moment (sorry) as I completely misread the command range on the Posse (I thought it was 8, not 7). Those two guys way out there on the Widowmakers are out of command. :( They kill one of the Widowmakers (I never did realize they were out of command) but whiff on the Marksman.

I'm really wanting to get into the back arcs of those Doom Reavers (and maybe even into the Destroyer) so Maelok moves up, Revives two Gatorman (one in the green Posse, one in the blue) and pops his Feat. The green Posse get ready to move past the Doom Reavers, clearing the way for the Wrastler to the second Kodiak and engaging the Drakhun and Destroyer, when my opponent informs me that Doom Reavers have magical weapons. Ah crap! Ok, change of plans - red Posse activates, moves up and starts whacking Doom Reavers. Half-way through my slaughterfest, my opponent remembers he has Solid Ground up, which means the Tough Doom Reavers aren't getting knocked down. I let him take back the auto-kills and the Posse doesn't do near as well as the first run-through. However, I forgot their prayers - all those misses that could have been hits if I had remembered! Needless to say, the red Posse didn't kill the Doom Reavers, so the green Posse comes in to help. One of the green Posse (the one Revived) engages the Destroyer - which triggers counter-charge on the Drakhun. He can't hurt it, but he can get closer.

The Doom Reavers still survive, so Wrong Eye moves up (this was a bad decision!!). He takes a whack, but the Doom Reaver Toughs. The second Wrastler charges the second Drakhun (I remember Rage this time), but leaves him on just a couple boxes. Snapjaw activates, charges the Kodiak, and puts it down.

Khador - Turn 3:
My opponent wanted to concede here, as he thought he had nothing left, but I talked him into playing it out. He had a lot more left than he realized.

Needing to get shots off, the Widowmakers move away from the Posse engaging them. Both get hit by the free strikes, but the standard Widowmaker makes his Tough roll. What happens here? He can't be knocked down, but he should have been. We played that he stopped moving as soon as he left the front arc of the Gatorman. The Marksman died a horrible, horrible death. The remaining Widowmakers shoot at the blue Posse, killing the Revived one and doing a damage point to the leader.

Irusk dropped Solid Ground, puts Battle Lust on the Man-o-Wars, and pops Feat. Doom Reavers activate, whacking some Posse - including poor Wrong Eye :( However, Wrong Eye Toughs his death roll, keeping him (and Snapjaw) on the table. The Greylord Escort charges the Gator engaging the Destroyer, whacking him (I mismanaged this, I thought I was in the back arc of the Escort) and he Toughs. The Drakhun turns around, rides up, and lays the smackdown onto Snapjaw. The Man-o-Wars activate and charge, doing horrendous damage to the Posse, and more damage onto Snapjaw.

Minions - Turn 3:
Hmm, SPD 2 across the board. That isn't good. The painted Wrastler activates and charges the Drakhun, unhorsing him. The blue Posse get the Press Forward order (run/charge) - two charge the dismounted Drakhun, two run to the flag. It takes both Posse on the Drakhun to kill him, but they get the job done. Snapjaw advances and munches on a Man-o-War and a Doom Reaver, healing Wrong Eye both times. The green Posse activates, whacking a Doom Reaver and the Greylord Escort (the knocked down one stands up and gets his retribution).

Wrong Eye stands up, and whacks at a Man-o-War, doing nothing. I didn't remember to load Snapjaw up on Fury the previous turn, so he only had one. He kept it for transfers. The Witch Doc charges the Man-o-War, killing him. Red Posse members move in to engage the Man-o-Wars, but whiff (I forget to pray again, dang it!). Gobbers run to base the flag, and the silver Wrastler moves 2" towards the Man-o-Wars. Maelok moves up, puts Death Pact on Wrong Eye, and I pass turn.

My opponent concedes again, and this time I don't try to talk him out of it. His army is fairly depleted and Irusk really isn't going to get an assassination (Maelok is sitting on two Fury). He's only got five models left, with a good chunk of my army looking down his throat. And he was clearly frustrated with how things turned out.

Minions victory!

Lessons learned:
- Remember the frickin' prayers!! Gatorman Posse are very versatile, and can do amazing things - but only when you remember their abilities! I think I forgot Snacking half the time, as well. Very frustrating on my part. Also, they are only Command 7 - not 8 like I was playing the whole game.
- I think one of the best features of the new theme list is the +2" deployment. Don't get me wrong, I love 8-box Posse, but being 2" further up the field is really good, too!
- I really like running Wrong Eye. Several times Star Crossed saved Posse members and Snapjaw did good work as well. It would probably be a good idea to drop a Posse in the Barnabas list and add him there as well, but I want to try it with four Posse first.
- Irusk2's Tactician only affects Command range, not Control range - this is much different than we were playing it. Same with Total Obedience. And while his command is 10", that's a lot less than 14" and would have changed several outcomes. But as I said, I have a hard time remembering what my army can do, I depend on my opponent to understand theirs.

Thanks for reading!

Barnabas List Dojo

#dojochallenge time!

With the new Blindwater Congregation theme now official, it's time to really sit down and take a look at what I want a Gator list to look like. Part of this is going to involve looking at my play style, but it also involves understanding where each model/unit in the army fits (I don't do this well - I mainly go "hey, that looks cool, let's use it!").

So, I have sat down and crafted a new army list for Barnabas, one that I think will do well. First, how will it match up to my play style? What is my play style? I kinda need to know that first. So, I spent an afternoon (not really, only about 10 minutes) reviewing army lists I have enjoyed playing, why I enjoyed playing them, and what makes them so fun. To answer these questions (and hopefully not waste all that introspection), I came up with the following:
1) I enjoy mashing it up. My favorite Minions lists to date involve Lord Carver and Dr. Arkadius, both running a large number of melee beatsticks. I don't have the patience or the mentality to sit back and shoot my opponent. I just want to apply axe to face!
2) To complement that, I also enjoy running lots of warbeasts - specifically heavy warbeasts. The two warlocks I mention above both have at least three War Hogs (usually four) in their lists. And while light warbeasts have their place (I do like Battle Boars, as well), they are at a minimum.
3) Speed is important! Slowly moving 4" a turn does not do it for me. Lord Carver has Mobility, giving all of his 'beasts SPD7. Dr. Arkadius has his Feat, giving all of his 'beasts an extra charge (thanks to targeted Frenzies).
4) On that note, Feats are important - but only in a straightforward way that helps with the first point. Lord Carver gives extra die on attacks and Overtake. Dr. Arkadius gives a free charge. Helga (another Farrow 'caster I enjoy) lets her whole army Slam!
5) Some way to damage at range is important. Road Hogs, Brigands, and the occasional spell are all used in my Farrow lists, even though they aren't the main focus. Of important note is that all of them can also be used effectively in melee!

Before I look at the list, let's look at the theme requirements and benefits.
Only the following models can be included:
- Minion warlocks with Amphibious
- Non-character warbeasts with Amphibious
- Warrior models/units with Amphibious (catching a trend here?)
- Gobber models/units
- Feralgeist solos
- Raluk Moorclaw, the Ironmonger (though this makes no sense to me)
- Totem Hunter solos
- Viktor Pendrake
- Wrong Eye & Snapjaw
- Sacral Vault battle engine

Benefits include:
- Can include one non-character Mercenary warjack controlled by Raluk (because he can be in the list, make sure he has a 'jack!)
- The field allowance for Gatorman Posse units become U (whoa!)
- For every full 20 points of units and battle engines in the army, add one Bull Snapper or solo without the Lesser Warlock rule for free
- Gatorman Posse units gain Snacking
- Gatorman Posse trooper models increase their damage boxes from 5 to 8 (double whoa!!)
- Deployment is extended 2" forward

With the above in mind, let's dig into the new army list!

Blindwater Congregation theme
Bloody Barnabas [+28]
- Blackhide Wrastler [16]
- Blackhide Wrasterl [16]
- Bull Snapper [0]
Gatorman Witch Doctor [0]
Gatorman Witch Doctor [0]
Gatorman Posse [17]
Gatorman Posse [17]
Gatorman Posse [17]
Gatorman Posse [17]
Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew [2]

The list really starts with the Gatorman Posse - the main beneficiaries of the theme. In theme, they gain an extra three damage boxes each and Snacking. Snacking is situational at best, but is really important for removing models before opponents can gain souls or corpses - this helps limit an opponent's effectiveness! I've always thought Gatorman Posse were effective with 5 boxes, but 8 boxes really push them above everybody else. That gives 40 damage boxes per unit!

Also, for every 20 points of units (or battle engines), I get to add a solo or a light warbeast for free - talk about points saved! However, that many points being spent on units limits the number of warbeasts I can take. And as seen in point #2 of my play style, I like warbeasts, especially heavies. This is a slight concern, until I view the advantages of these guys:
- SPD 5, with a Prayer (Predator's Prayer) allowing them an extra 2" of movement. This means they can charge as far as they run, if they charge a living model (10"). And with their halberd, they threat 12". That's a good distance, and means they will get into combat relatively quickly. Not SPD7 quickly, but good enough.
- Two attacks each - this means a full unit (if they are full when they reach the enemy) is attacking with 10 attacks. And while not incredibly strong, their P+S 13 will still do damage. And with the Prayer Offerings of Kossk, they get to re-roll misses when attacking living models. Since it's a Prayer, they can't use it and the Predator's Prayer at the same time, but once I get into melee, I'll hit more frequently (or if I'm close enough I don't need Predator's Prayer).
- Dirge of Mists allows me to Pray for concealment, boosting the average DEF 12 to a much harder to handle DEF 14. This increases their survivability. Another boost their their survivability is the eight damage boxes they all have now. Along with Tough, it's going to make it difficult for an opponent to remove models at range (and ARM 16 helps, too!).
- Once melee is reached, their survivability doesn't suffer too much. They still have eight boxes and Tough, but now they have ARM 18 thanks to Unyielding. While that's not going to stop a heavy 'jack from squishing one, it should slow down anything else.

Basically, I can count on the Gatorman Posse to kill anything short of heavy warjacks or warbeasts by themselves. With help, they can even manage to hurt those monsters. Also, with their defensive buffs, they can hold a zone and deny it to an opponent. Four units might be overkill, but I'm going to need four units of something to get the free solos, so it might as well be four units of Posse.

Witch Doctors kinda took a hit in MkIII. Since Gatorman Posse now have Tough as a base ability, people say that the Witch Doc doesn't have much of a place. And I was in that camp until a couple of games ago. There, I took one because I wanted to see how he worked with Maelok and discovered something really cool - auto-hitting POW 16 attacks hurt, even from only 8" away! So I include two in this list, to provide a bit of ranged attack when needed most. Sacrificial Strike an already mostly dead Gatorman to auto-hit a 'caster within 8" and there's going to be some hurt applied. Do it twice and watch the opponent cringe!

The warbeasts are minimal - not at all what I usually like. However, with a free Bull Snapper, I get a hunter-killer missile. But Rage on him and you get a P+S 15 bullet that attacks from 11.5" away. I plan on using him to kill important solos - and once he's done his job, it doesn't matter if the opponent kills him. He didn't cost anything. :)

The Blackhide Wrastlers are the heavy lifters of the list. However, their speed is a limiting factor, so they are probably going to be the second wave, following the alpha strike presented by the Gatorman Posse.

Barnabas is hopefully what is going to help the Wrastlers see combat. With Warpath, the Blackhides (and the Snapper, too) get a 3" move. However, this is dependent on something dying first, which reiterates their role as the second wave of attackers. He also helps deliver them by using Swamp Pit, allowing his battlegroup (the most likely recipients) to advance without being shot. Finally, Death March will help that first wave of Gatorman by allowing one unit of Posse to have Vengeance - getting them there a little bit quicker, in case they do get shot.

Barnabas also has a Feat I really like - everything gets knocked down! Well, almost everything, but there's not a lot out there that is Amphibious, except other Gators (and a small selection of Cryx). That's great! Auto-hit in combat, or having to sacrifice your attacks or movement if out of combat.

Finally, the lowly Swamp Gobbers. Really, they are here for cloud cover, to keep pesky shooting from my Posse (or maybe limit charges from targeting my battlegroup). And because I had a couple points.

There's the list - something I think will work well. It's got survivability, melee output, a little bit ranged (magical) threat, and a few ways to speed everything up. Time to get some games in!

Battle Report #2: Minions (Barnabas) vs Trolls (Doomshaper)

Well, the previous game with the theme list definitely didn't go as planned, but I have a feeling that was much more due to user error than anything else.

I decided again to run Barnabas and only use models I currently own (I think I will be picking more up sooner rather than later). The list contained:
Bloody Barnabas [+28]
- Blackhide Wrastler [16]
- Ironback Spitter [15]
- Ironback Spitter [15]
Bog Trog Mist Speaker [4]
Feralgeist [2] (not pictured, because I forgot him originally)
Croak Hunter [0] - bonus model from theme
Croak Hunter [0] - bonus model from theme
Gatorman Posse [17]
Gatorman Posse [17]
Croak Raiders [17]

Basically, it's the list I've been running with Barnabas, but now in theme so a few free models. Hopefully, it will do better this time.

My opponent was playing Trollbloods, and running the following:
Hoarluk Doomshaper, Rage of Dhunia
- Dire Troll Blitzer
- Dire Troll Bomber
- Dire Troll Mauler
- Earthborn Dire Troll
- Mulg the Ancient
- Troll Axer
- Winter Troll
Northkin Shaman (free from theme)
Northkin Shaman (free from theme)
Troll Whelps (free from theme)
Troll Whelps (free from theme)

No picture of these guys.
I face this opponent a lot, so I know how each of the beasts work (I thought) and what the solos will do. However, I've never played against Doomie2 - at least that I can remember - so this is going to be a small problem.

Trollbloods win the roll-off, and choose to go first. I chose to have the same side I had been on. We were playing the Outlast scenario (same as last game), with each zone able to be Controlled for 1 CP or Dominated for 2 CP. The areas with a tree on them were forests, the areas without trees are hills.

My opponent deployed his battlegroup slightly left, with the Shaman behind. The Whelps were not deployed - they were going to be deployed whenever I wounded a Beast. :)

I deployed my battlegroup to the left, with my Gators to the right. My Croak Raiders would Advance Deploy in front of the Gators, while the Croak Hunters Advance Deployed into forest in front of the battlegroup. The Feralgeist and the Mist Speaker deploy close to Barnabas.

Trollbloods - Turn 1:
Everything runs. The Earthborn goes into the edge of the forest, the Mauler, the Bomber, and the Axer behind the wall. Mulg and the Blitzer move around the wall and towards the zone to the left. The Shaman move up behind and put out clouds, hiding Doomie.

Minions - Turn 1:
Feralgeist and Croak Hunters run, toeing the edge of the zone. Wrastler runs into the zone, Spitter runs into the zone, second Spitter runs close to the zone. Croak Raiders run into the right zone, some hiding behind the trees. Both Gator units run up behind the Croaks. Barnabas moves up, casts Warpath and then Death March onto the closest Gator unit.

Trollbloods - Turn 2:
Trolls advance, with Mulg running to toe into the zone. Earthborn stays put. Doomie moves up behind a cloud wall created by the Shaman.

Minions - Turn 2:
Barnabas forgot to rile his warbeasts, so he's only got three Fury. He upkeeps both his spells and only has one Fury. Raiders move around the forest and to the edge of the zone. First one throws an oil gourd onto the Earthborn. The next misses with his Dart, but second hits! And then I find out the Earthborn is immune to fire. That ... hurts. :( The others turn and throw at the Mauler, but since he's behind cover, they all miss.

One squad of Gators move up behind the Croaks, the second (with Death March) move into the trees. Croak Hunters move up and shoot the Blitzer, doing minor damage. Feralgeist runs to engage Mulg (because my mind wasn't functioning and I forgot Incorporeal models aren't roadblocks). Wrastler moves up and riles. Spitter moves up and shoots Mulg, missing. The AOE drifts back onto one of the Shaman, failing to break armor but giving him Corrosion. Mist Speaker then gives the other Spitter Guidance, he walks forward and targets Doomie. Boost the attack roll, hit, boost the damage roll knocks 11 damage off Doomie. Winter Troll gets Corrosion, Shaman gets Corrosion, second Shaman gets Corrosion again :) Barnabas decides to do nothing and stays a long ways back, with his one Fury. Minions score 1.

Score 0-1
Advantage Minions

Trollbloods - Turn 3:
I knew I had missed something when my opponent didn't care that I had scored a point. Northkin Shaman moves up and sprays my right-hand Spitter. Winter Troll moves up and sprays the same Spitter. Bomber casts Far Strike and shoots the Spitter twice (almost killing it). Doomie moves up and Feats (he cast a couple spells, but don't remember which) - he's sitting on one Fury. Earthborn charges into the Raiders, killing half the unit thanks to [Field Marshal: Overtake] from Doomie. Axer puts Rush onto the Mauler, then moves to engage the remaining Croaks, but misses his attack. Mauler charges the almost dead Spitter, killing him on the charge attack. He then moves into the Gators, whiffing on three attacks and finally killing the poor guy on his last swing.

Mulg then activates and charges through the Feralgeist into the Wrastler. After his initial attacks, the Wrastler is dead and he moves into the last Spitter, doing some damage. Then the Blitzer activates, charges the Spitter, and beats him into the ground, shooting at Barnabas in the meantime (doing minimal). He then Overtakes into the Mist Speaker, pulping the innocent bystander. He then tries to Overtake into Barnabas, but is just short. Whew!

No picture taken - too much scary just happened! Score 0-1, advantage Minions.

Minions - Turn 3:
Gatormen move up around the Mauler with Vengeance (from Death March), trying to get out of the woods. Barnabas activates, moves around the Blitzer (but staying in his front arch, since I had to get within 1" in order to get in position) and Feats, knocking everything within 12" (including Doomie) down. He then casts Flesheater at a Northkin Shaman (blocking the only charge lane), killing it. Croak Hunter moves up, hits Doomie, but fails to beat armor (on three dice!). Second Hunter moves up, hits, does good damage but it's transferred to the Winter Troll. Things are getting scary! If I don't get this, Barnabas has two angry Dire Trolls right in front of him. The unit of Posse offers a Predator's Prayer, and charges Doomie. One makes it into 0.5" melee (I wanted two attacks since no others were making it). Autohitting POW13's kill Doomshaper. Victory Minions!

Lessons learned this game:
- Never take anything for granted. Sometimes, what seems far away can get into your face very quickly!
- The list needs to change. With the combined arms approach, I don't think it works well. Going to tinker with it some tonight.

Thanks for reading!

Battle Report #1: Minions (Barnabas) vs Skorne (Mordikaar)

Well, the theme force for the Blindwater Congregation dropped today, and I just had to try it out. First, I fully realize my list is not optimized, but it was a first run-through and would give me an opportunity to see if I wanted to pursue it further.

For my list, I decided to run Barnabas and only use models I currently own (I think I will be picking more up sooner rather than later). The list contained:
Bloody Barnabas [+28]
- Blackhide Wrastler [16]
- Ironback Spitter [15]
- Ironback Spitter [15]
Bog Trog Mist Speaker [4]
Feralgeist [2] (not pictured, because I forgot him originally)
Croak Hunter [0] - bonus model from theme
Croak Hunter [0] - bonus model from theme
Gatorman Posse [17]
Gatorman Posse [17]
Croak Raiders [17]

Basically, it's the list I've been running with Barnabas, but now in theme so a few free models. We will see how it turns out.

My opponent was playing Skorne, and running the following:
Void Seer Mordikaar
- Cyclops Savage
- Despoiler
- Titan Cannoneer
- Titan Gladiator
Extoller Soulward
Void Spirit
Cataphract Arcuarii
Praetorian Swordsmen
- Swordsmen Officer & Standard
Paingiver Beast Handlers (min)

I had never faced Mordikaar, and it's going to show very quickly. Definitely a learning experience! ;)

Minions win the roll-off, and I choose to go first. My opponent chose the side with the walls. We were playing the Outlast scenario, with each zone able to be Controlled for 1 CP or Dominated for 2 CP. The areas with a tree on them were forests, the areas without trees are hills.

I deployed my battlegroup centrally, with my Gators to my right and my Croaks (and the Feralgeist) Advanced Deploying into the woods on my left. The idea was the two units of Gators would be able to support themselves/control that zone by themselves and the battlegroup would take the left side, supported by the Croaks. The Mist Speaker was between the Spitters, ready to give support to either.

My opponent deployed his battlegroup central as well, with the Swordsmen to my left (across from where I would place my Croaks - good, because I expected the Croaks to be able to kill a bunch of them) and the Arcuarii to my right.

Minions - Turn 1:
Everything runs. Well, almost everything runs. This is also where I realize I had not deployed the Feralgeist, and my opponent graciously let me put it down behind the Croak Raiders. Everything runs but Barnabas, who put up Warpath on himself and cast Death March on the far Gator unit, then simply advanced.

Skorne - Turn 1:
This is where things started to get interesting. At least, it sets up for things getting interesting. Swordsmen run up the flank, keeping within 6" of a certain spot on the field (I'll find out why in a bit). The two heavy beasts in the middle run up, with their support behind them. Arcuarii move up behind a wall, and the Soulward puts Guidance on the Cannoneer, then moves up. Cannoneer advances, puts Far Strike on himself, and shoots the Gators along the woods. He hits and kills one, and slightly damages another. Then Mordikaar advances and casts Hollow on the Swordsmen (remember that 6" range that was necessary - this is why) and Essence Blast, removing a Swordsmen to spray down a Croak Hunter and a Croak Raider - killing them both. :( He then Feats. Void Spirit runs into the zone.

Minions - Turn 2:
Mordikaar's Feat gives all of his models within 14" of him +3 Def and Poltergeist - not good. However, Barnabas can pop Feat and negate that +3 DEF (knockdown!). After some measuring, though, I decide against it (bad, BAD decision). I can't really catch much in my Feat, so I decide to save it for one turn.

One Spitter stands still, aims, boosts into the Swordsmen and kills two, putting Corrosion on two more. The second Spitter lines up a shoot, aims, boosts and shoots into the Swordsmen but misses. The scatter hits three Swordsmen (killing one) and the Cyclops. They get Corroded and he is then pushed 3" back due to Poltergeist. Barnabas moves up, casts Swamp Pit on the other side of the forest (he upkept Death March and Warpath) and camped two. The Mist Speaker moves up in front of Barnabas, putting out his cloud. Gators move into the zone (the four man unit into the Swamp to avoid being shot) and the Croak Raiders run to engage all of the Swordsmen (I figure some would survive the inevitable attacks).

Skorne - Turn 2:
With all the souls Mordikaar reaped from last turn (remember Hollow? Yeah, killing dudes is not a good idea), he is sitting on 12 Fury (thanks to two more dieing from Corrosion). However, this is unnecessary. Swordsmen kill and clear a few of the Croak Raiders, and then the Cannoneer gets Guidance from the Soulward again. Turning, he casts Far Strike, aims, and calmly shoots my Mist Speaker off the board - this is bad because that was the protection for Barnabas!

First the Cyclops come charging in, then the Despoiler come charging in, and the end result is Barnabas lying on his face in the mud, playing dead until the big, bad elephants go away and let him lick his wounds.

Result: Skorne victory through assassination

Lessons learned:
- Even if it's not going to catch the whole opposing army, use Barnabas' Feat! Knocking everything close down would have limited what he could have done. Or stay back - things can go a long ways in this game. If you are going to commit to being up close and personal, multiple layers of protection are necessary.
- Either play aggressive or play defensive, don't try to do both at the same time. And really, aggressive would have most likely been a better bet.
- If you've never played against the 'caster, take a moment and look at their cards. Both the Hollow spell and his Feat really surprised me. But what really got me was ignoring Guidance that second time - I know about it ignoring clouds, so should realized that Cannoneer would shoot the Mist Speaker.

Thanks for reading!

Cryx Journeyman League

As mentioned earlier, my wife has decided to start playing Warmachine with me. She has decided to play Cryx, building and painting the Cryx MkII Battlebox. On one hand, this makes for a fun toolbox to introduce her to MkIII, including 'jack interactions, spells, arc nodes and what drew her to Cryx in the first place - glass cannons!

One thing she has been pretty adamant about is playing with painted models. This one another reason she was interested in playing Cryx - I had a NIB MkII Cryx Battlebox :) So, first she assembled all of her models (well, all but the Defiler, which I did). Then, we spent a few days browsing the internet looking for a good color scheme. After finding several, and then discounting most of them due to the advanced techniques, we settled on a scheme that I was fairly confident a new painter could recreate.

With the scheme determined, the models built (and primed), it was time to start painting. I didn't take any in progress photos, so it's just the finished models.

Warcaster: Deneghra

Heavy Warjack: Slayer (she calls him Twitch)

Light Warjacks: Deathrippers (she calls them Clank and Gimpy)

Light Warjack: Defiler (she calls him Spew)

And her battlegroup

She named all of her 'jacks (because my wife is funny that way). She called the Slayer "Twitch", because she liked the name. Her two Deathrippers are Clank (because one of them has a crooked jaw, so she says he rattles when he attacks) and Gimpy (because his leg broke during assembly, so is pinned/glued together). The Defiler is Spew - it was her favorite synonym of vomit :) Finally, for our anniversary, I bought, assembled, and painted Deneghra's character warjack, Nightmare. This is the next step we will advance to - our 25-point lists will be the Battlebox + character 'jack + a solo (hers will be a Satyxis Raider Captain).

Character Warjack: Nightmare

Now ready to play a game - though her work schedule has been crazy lately so we haven't had much time to play. Hopefully we will get the chance in the next couple of days.

Khador Journeyman League

I recently (actually, it's been a month, holy cow!) talked my wife into playing Warmachine with me. After a lot of discussion over armies, models, and aesthetics, she decided she wanted to play Cryx (I think mostly because I had a MkII Battlebox unassembled at home). Since trying to teach two systems to her would be overwhelming, I decided I would play my Khador against her.

I then discovered I had married a gaming snob. She won't play with unpainted miniatures! She also won't play against unpainted miniatures! Oh, man - that means I actually have to paint my Khador! (Man, that's a lot of excitement there) She wanted to learn the complete hobby process, and I think she wanted me to pick up my brush because I've been missing it for a while (shaky hands to not make for perfect miniatures). So, as we start on this journey, I paint my Khador.

First, the scheme. I don't like all red armies, so I spent a lot of time thinking of what scheme I wanted my Khador to be. I kept coming back to the 5th Border Legion. So, rather than fight it, gave in and picked that scheme!

In another post, as I paint more of these guys, I will discuss the colors used to paint my Khador. For now, just pictures!

Since my wife was using Cryx's MkII Battlebox, I thought I would use Khador's MkII Battlebox. However, she has a distinct advantage, as the MkIII points puts her way ahead. Oh, well.

Warcaster: Kommander Sorscha

Heavy warjack: Destroyer (they call him Thumper!)

Heavy warjack: Destroyer (Boom-shakka)

And a group shot of her battle group (yes, I do realize it's not quite the MkII box, but it's close enough):

And finally, just because I'm that kind of guy, I've magnetized both of the heavy 'jacks! That's right, I can run them as Juggernauts or Destroyers (or Decimators, when I get the bits) :)

On another front, when we jump up to 25 points, each of us will be adding our 'casters Character Warjack (in my case, Beast09) and a solo. I already had Beast09 - painted even! This was done as a commission a couple years ago, and the model is a conversion onto the plastic chassis. The only part of this model I did was the base!

Thanks for reading, and expect battle reports soon!