Journeyman League - Barnabas

A few days ago, I posted that my gaming group (small though it is) has started a Journeyman League. This was to get us old veterans into checking out a new army and, hopefully, bring in some new players. We did get one new player (he played back in Mk I), and we have two newer players that are restarting their learning experience from the bottom.

One of the perks of the being a veteran in the group, and to provide a little more variety, is that a veteran can run two armies - one from each of the systems. So, in this article, I'd like to run through the Journeyman progression for my Barnabas list.

First, to review, our modified Journeyman rules are as follows:
1) A player may start using any prime warcaster/warlock (which means they have a '1' next to their name). You must start with a 0-point army, and must spend enough points to be within 4 points of each point level.
2) Character warjacks/warbeasts are not allowed in the first week. However, provided you have the points, you may add them at any point increase.
3) Every two weeks, the army will increase in points by 15 points. The first increase in points is still battlegroup only (only warjacks/warbeasts).
4) Points will not be scored, as participation is encouraged more as we attempt to add new players. In future JML's, we will revisit scoring.
5) All other rules for the JML are followed.

For my Hordes army, I decided to run Barnabas. I did this for several reasons:
- One of my goals for 2018 is to have all of my Minions fully painted by the end of the year. This list (more on it later) will have me painting two full units of Posse (I do have two painted, but need a "reason" to paint the other two), as well as many of the new units coming out in a couple of weeks. It will also force me to paint my unit of Bog Trog Swamp Shamblers. :-)
- I really like Bloody Barnabas, but the model for Barnabas, Lord of Blood is amazing! I am relatively sure he is going to be my new favorite.
- I am really familiar with Minions, even the Gator side, and so will be able to concentrate more on the new models, rather than having to stress a completely new army.

With all of that being said, let's delve into the army as it progresses from a 0-point battle box to a fully fledged (and hopefully fully painted) 75-point army.

@ 0-points
Bloody Barnabas [+28]
- Blackhide Wrastler [16]
- Boneswarm [7]
- Bull Snapper [5]

This is straight out of the rules as one of the battle boxes for Minions. Truthfully, though, it's not very good for Barnabas. Barnabas likes infantry with his spell list, and he likes shooting with his Feat. Neither of those are present in this list. However, this sets up Barnabas2 really well! With a couple additions to his battlegroup, Barnabas2 will do well. So, I will just have to weather the storm until I reach 45 points.

@ 15-points
Bloody Barnabas [+28]
- Blackhide Wrastler [16]
- Boneswarm [7]
- Boneswarm [7]
- Boneswarm [7]
- Bull Snapper [5]

As you can see, I simply added two Boneswarms - again with the Barnabas2 list in mind. Boneswarms are going to be good, I think, as soon as the Boil Master/Spirit Cauldron are released. With the ability to easily get corpse tokens, these relatively light-hitting warbeasts become as hard-hitting as heavy warbeasts! And as hard to remove! :-) Again, this is not really optimal for Barnabas1, especially without the ability to easily gain corpse tokens (an Ironback Spitter would probably be better), but the intention is to change to Barnabas2, so they work.

@ 30-points
The Blindwater Congregation theme
Bloody Barnabas [+28]
- Blackhide Wrastler [16]
- Boneswarm [7]
- Boneswarm [7]
- Boneswarm [7]
- Bull Snapper [5]
Gatorman Posse [16]

Playing one point down during the last session helped, as it allows me to add a Posse. And being able to add the Blindwater Congregation theme makes those Posse members bigger and nastier! With 40 wounds in the unit, they become an excellent target for Death March (+2 MAT and Vengeance never hurts anybody) but, more importantly, they are still excellent under Barnabas2, becoming much more survivable thanks to Execration of Blackest Night and faster with Onslaught.

@ 45-points
The Blindwater Congregation theme
Barnabas, Lord of Blood [+23]
- Gatorman Soul Slave [0]
- Blackhide Wrastler [16]
- Boneswarm [7]
- Boneswarm [7]
- Boneswarm [7]
- Bull Snapper [5]
Gatorman Posse [16]
Gatorman Bokor & Bog Trog Swamp Shamblers [10]

Awesome-sauce! It's time to transition into Barnabas2 and get ready for the excitement to start. While still not completely optimal, it's getting closer. While 5 points are lost in the transition to Barnabas2 (due to warbeast point differentials), it's (kind of) made up for by being able to take the Soul Slave for free. At this point level, a unit of Shamblers is added (making great Feat targets), which allows me to add the Soul Slave for free. The Soul Slave, I think, is going to be very common with Barnabas2, allowing him to upkeep Onslaught for free and casting Hunter's Mark or Blood Rain as needed. And while his Magic Ability [4] is kind of disappointing, he can boost if he needs to. :-)

@ 60-points
The Blindwater Congregation theme
Barnabas, Lord of Blood [+23]
- Gatorman Soul Slave [0]
- Blackhide Wrastler [16]
- Boneswarm [7]
- Boneswarm [7]
- Boneswarm [7]
- Bull Snapper [5]
Bone Shrine [2]
Bone Shrine [2]
Gatorman Posse [16]
Gatorman Bokor & Bog Trog Swamp Shamblers [10]
Boil Master & Spirit Cauldron [5]
Boil Master & Spirit Cauldron [5]

The list is starting to come together! :-) The Boil Master is now here, two of them in fact, fueling Barnabas, the Boneswarms, and the Bokor with his Shamblers. The hitting power and survivability of this army has amped up, and the Bone Shrines give the ability to channel spells (probably situational) and Fury for Barnabas to more fully whack an opposing army.

@ 75-points
The Blindwater Congregation theme
Barnabas, Lord of Blood [+23]
- Gatorman Soul Slave [0]
- Blackhide Wrastler [16]
- Boneswarm [7]
- Boneswarm [7]
- Boneswarm [7]
- Bull Snapper [0]
Kwaak Slickspine & Gub, Croak Sorcerers [4]
Bone Shrine [2]
Bone Shrine [2]
Gatorman Posse [16]
Gatorman Posse [16]
Gatorman Bokor & Bog Trog Swamp Shamblers [10]
Boil Master & Spirit Cauldron [5]
Boil Master & Spirit Cauldron [5]

Again playing a point down last level allows me to bring in a max unit of Posse - increasing both my hitting power and my survivability. This also allows me to take the Bull Snapper for free, letting me put Kwaak Slickspine & Gub into the list. I'm not completely sold on these guys, I think Mud Foot is likely a trap and not being able to avoid free strikes makes Enliven less appealing, but I'm willing to give them a shot. Heal [D3] is always nice, especially when cast twice, as is a SP8, POW10 magic attack that causes Corrosion. But I'm also looking at Long Chops - RNG12 POW14 is tailor-made for solo hunting. Or I could just add the Bull Snapper's points back in and take a Totem Hunter. As stated, this will require some testing.

All in all, this will be a fun list. Lots of bodies to provide scenario pressure, the ability to trade up warbeasts and infantry recursion to help in the attrition game, and a 'caster who provides a serious melee assassination threat make this a fun list - especially in a JML - that has all of the tools to handle multiple situations and win conditions. And while he's not a Butcher3, I think Barnabas2 is going to be a melee monster!

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave any comments you may have!

Journeyman League 2018

We have officially started our Journeyman League here on the Palouse, and it's off to a ... slow start. :-) When I started this, there were three new people interested in joining us, as well as two people who've played only a little, and then three veterans. On the first day, we had three people come. :-(

But, this next week should go a lot better. One of the new people is coming (I don't think the other two are, but hopefully), one (maybe both) of the "journeymen", and hopefully all three veterans. It will be fun!

For this league, the veterans have the option of playing two armies - one from Hordes and one from Warmachine. Mainly, this is because we have large enough collections that we can build armies that are diverse enough to give everybody a different army, as well as the experience to be able to effectively do it. We are mostly following the Journeyman League 2017 rules (found here), with a couple modifications:
- Battle box armies are not required at the start. You can build any 0-pt army you want, with the caveat that your warcaster/warlock has to be a Prime version (so have a '1' after their name).
- No character warjacks/warbeasts in the first week.
- Two weeks between each point increase.

So, with all of that said, we had two games happen this week (I went back on Friday and played my game). The first was a Cryx vs. Cryx slugfest! Skarre1 faced off against Asphyxious1:

Pirate Queen Skarre [+28]	Iron Lich Asphyxious [+28]
- Seether [13]	- Reaper [13]
- Deathripper [6]	- Ripjaw [7]
- Defiler [8]	- Ripjaw [7]

In a wild ride, Asphyxious won by assassination, but we found out later that there are two victory conditions - assassination or killing all of the enemy's warjacks. This would have resulted in a Skarre victory.

The second (my game) was Barnabas1 into Reznik1 - which when I looked at the models facing me, had me really worried! The lists consisted of:

Bloody Barnabas [+28]	High Executioner Reznik [+28]
- Blackhide Wrastler [16]	- Castigator [12]
- Boneswarm [7]	- Reckoner [16]
- Bull Snapper [5]

As you may have noticed, there's a distinct lack of ability to handle the two heavies the High Executioner is bringing to the table. Luckily, I won the roll to go first, moving up into Barnabas' Swamp Pit the first turn. The second turn, he moves up base-to-base with an obstruction and puts the Swamp Pit right in front of the two Protectorate heavies. The Blackhide then moves up within 9", so he will be able to charge the next round. The two lights move up beside him, to provide some support.

Reznik moves up on his turn and attempts to hit Barnabas with the hopes of dropping the Swamp Pit (still not sure if this would work). However, due to the obstruction giving cover, he misses! Realizing Reznik is exposed, he runs the Castigator into melee range of the Blackhide and the Boneswarm, and covers Reznik with the Reckoner.

Barnabas then moves over (on turn 3), puts Rage on both the Boneswarm and Bull Snapper, and feats. The Blackhide demolishes the Castigator (though it took all of his Fury), and then the two lights charge Reznik, killing the Protectorate priest! Wahoo, Gators win their first game! :-)

So, as stated earlier, veterans get to run two lists. Below are my two lists, with their (expected) progressions through the Journeyman League:

@ 0-points
Bloody Barnabas [+28]	Orsus Zoktavir, the Butcher of Khardov [+28]
- Blackhide Wrastler [16]	- Kodiak [13]
- Boneswarm [7]	- Kodiak [13]
- Bull Snapper [5]

@ 15-points
Bloody Barnabas [+28]	Orsus Zoktavir, the Butcher of Khardov [+28]
- Blackhide Wrastler [16]	- Kodiak [13]
- Boneswarm [7]	- Kodiak [13]
- Boneswarm [7]	- Ruin [17]
- Boneswarm [7]
- Bull Snapper [5]

@ 30-points
Bloody Barnabas [+28]	Orsus Zoktavir, the Butcher of Khardov [+28]
- Blackhide Wrastler [16]	- Kodiak [13]
- Boneswarm [7]	- Kodiak [13]
- Boneswarm [7]	- Ruin [17]
- Boneswarm [7]	Man-o-War Shocktroopers [10]
- Bull Snapper [5]	- MoW Shocktrooper Officer [4]
Gatorman Posse [16]

@ 45-points
The Blindwater Congregation	Armored Corps
Barnabas, Lord of Blood [+23]	Orsus Zoktavir, the Butcher of Khardov [+28]
- Gatorman Soul Slave [0]	- Kodiak [13]
- Blackhide Wrastler [16]	- Kodiak [13]
- Boneswarm [7]	- Ruin [17]
- Boneswarm [7]	Man-o-War Kovnik [0]
- Boneswarm [7]	Man-o-War Drakhun [9]
- Bull Snapper [5]	Man-o-War Shocktroopers [16]
Gatorman Posse [16]	- MoW Shocktrooper Officer [4]
Gatorman Bokor & Swamp Shamblers [10]

@ 60-points
The Blindwater Congregation	Armored Corps
Barnabas, Lord of Blood [+23]	Orsus Zoktavir, the Butcher of Khardov [+28]
- Gatorman Soul Slave [0]	- Kodiak [13]
- Blackhide Wrastler [16]	- Kodiak [13]
- Boneswarm [7]	- Ruin [17]
- Boneswarm [7]	Man-o-War Kovnik [0]
- Boneswarm [7]	Man-o-War Kovnik [0]
- Bull Snapper [5]	Man-o-War Drakhun [9]
Bone Shrine [2]	Man-o-War Shocktroopers [16]
Bone Shrine [2]	- MoW Shocktrooper Officer [4]
Gatorman Posse [16]	Man-o-War Shocktroopers [10]
Gatorman Bokor & Swamp Shamblers [10]	- MoW Shocktrooper Officer [4]
Boil Master & Spirit Cauldron [5]
Boil Master & Spirit Cauldron [5]

@ 75-points
The Blindwater Congregation	Armored Corps
Barnabas, Lord of Blood [+23]	Orsus Zoktavir, the Butcher of Khardov [+28]
- Gatorman Soul Slave [0]	- Kodiak [13]
- Blackhide Wrastler [16]	- Kodiak [13]
- Boneswarm [7]	- Ruin [17]
- Boneswarm [7]	Man-o-War Kovnik [0]
- Boneswarm [7]	Man-o-War Kovnik [0]
- Bull Snapper [0]	Man-o-War Drakhun [9]
Kwaak Slickspine & Gub, Croak Sorcerers [4]	Man-o-War Drakhun [9]
Bone Shrine [2]	Man-o-War Shocktroopers [16]
Bone Shrine [2]	- MoW Shocktrooper Officer [4]
Gatorman Posse [16]	Man-o-War Shocktroopers [16]
Gatorman Posse [16]	- MoW Shocktrooper Officer [4]
Gatorman Bokor & Swamp Shamblers [10]
Boil Master & Spirit Cauldron [5]
Boil Master & Spirit Cauldron [5]

That's the next three months - hopefully by the end I will have two fully painted 75-point armies!

Masters Barnabas List

As mentioned yesterday, I am hoping to up my Warmachine/Hordes game in 2018. This includes participating in Masters events, and maybe even Champions. To that end, I need to be playing the ADR warlocks for Minions. The warlocks for 2018 (at least the first half) are:

As previously stated, I don't really like the Farrow warlocks. In fact, they are my least favorite (even though Sturm & Drang are supposed to be good). However, the two Blindwater warlocks are my favorite of that side of the faction, so it's an easy decision to choose to play those two.

In designing my lists, I took a hard look at the warlocks and their capabilities, as well as having a hard and fast rule - ONE of the lists (at least) had to have the DRACODILE!! Now that it's an official model, I will be playing it. Heck, it's even pretty close to the home-brewed version I made at the beginning of the year (that may be a blog post in the future!)

So, to start I'll talk about the old trusted and true - Bloody Barnabas! While I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on Barnabas, Lord of Blood this Saturday (I had someone ninja him at PAX, and get him Saturday), his first incarnation has always been one of my favorites.

His spell list first:
Death March: Upkeep spell that gives +2 MAT and Vengeance to a unit. Sounds perfect to put on Gatorman Posse, as they will be hard to remove, and then get free attacks.
Flesh Eater: Offensive spell (POW 13) that allows some healing of the warlock or a beast in his battlegroup.
Swamp Pit: Upkeep spell that makes Amphibious models completely in its 5" AOE untargetable by ranged attacks. This is AWESOME! It allows important models to get across the board without taking ranged damage. And coincidentally, the Dracodile's base is 5" :-)
Warpath: Upkeep spell that allows extra movement to his battlegroup if enemy models are destroyed in his control range. This is really good as well, because giving extra movement to a heavy warbeast is always good!

Barnabas' feat is Black Tide:
- Enemy models without Amphibious currently in Barnabas' control range become knocked down.

This is really cool, as knocked down models (especially melee models) are easy prey and basically lose a turn of usefulness. However, I need to watch out for abilities like Steady (which is more prevalent than you would think), since they basically negate my feat.

Finally, the abilities on the back of his card:
- Countercharge - Allowing him to charge out of activation seems nice on paper, but really - I don't generally want to get my warlock into the enemy for him. Mostly because I tend to run my warlock on empty (no Fury).
- Unyielding - This is awesome! While engaging enemy models (not engaged by), he gets +2 ARM. Takes his already great ARM into the upper reaches.
- Critical Consume - This is only on his bite, and only works on small-based warrior models - but on a critical hit he simply removes the model from play. That can be powerful, but not something to base a list around.
- Blood Boon - On his big axe (Bone Cleaver), this allows him to cast a spell of COST 3 or less (which is all of his spells) for free after he destroys an enemy model. It can only be done once per activation, and while free spells are nice, I don't see myself using it much.

So, with all of that, what models would be really good for him? I've come up with:
- the Dracodile. Duh! With Swamp Pit, you can't remove, or even damage, the monster with ranged attacks. That raises his survivability greatly, and will allow for all types of shenanigans with the Dracodile's animus.
- the Ironback Spitter. Hitting knocked down models with a 4" corrosive AOE is always awesome-sauce.
- Gatorman Posse. Perfect recipients of Death March, and can easily fuel Warpath.

With all of that in mind, I'm ready to start list building. However, a quick shout-out to LOS Warmachine during this, as I got a lot of the inspiration from listening to their podcast on list building for SR 2017 and their podcast on list building for ADR. My new Barnabas list will consist of the following:

The Blindwater Congregation theme force
Bloody Barnabas - [+28]
- Dracodile [36]
- Ironback Spitter [14]
Sacral Vault [17]
Totem Hunter [0]
Bog Trog Mist Speaker [0]
Feralgeist [2]
Feralgeist [2]
Gatorman Posse [16]
Gatorman Posse [16]

So, let's analyze the list, going from bottom to top:
- Gatorman Posse - these guys are here for two reasons: 1) They are very resilient and can easily hold or contest a zone. With two attacks, one with 2" range, and prayers they can deal major damage to most opponents' infantry. And with 8 boxes (due to theme), Snacking, Tough, and ARM 18 (due to Unyielding) they can take a hit and shrug it off. Very powerful! 2) They are naturally awesome targets for Death March and can also be used to proc Warpath very easily. This gives some great synergy with Barnabas.

- Feralgeist - these little guys are there for one reason - they are difficult to remove. Being incorporeal, they can only be damaged by magical attacks. On top of that, they are DEF 14. This means they are perfect for camping a flag - both mine and my opponents, creating scenario pressure and/or disrupting my opponent's plans.

- Bog Trog Mist Speaker - again, a guy in the list for a very specific reason - helping the Ironback Spitter. While having the ability to Summon a 3" AOE cloud is nice for hiding Barnabas, it's much more important to put Guidance on the Spitter, to keep him running at maximum efficiency.

- Totem Hunter - a high MAT (8), high DEF (8) model with Stealth, he's there for solo hunting. I want to be able to take out their support solos, and he gives me a pretty resilient option. If necessary, he can also hold a flag fairly well.

- Sacral Vault - I'm a little hesitant on this, but the ability to handle a swarm of infantry if needed is pretty nice. Dealing an automatic 1 point of damage will easily deal with infantry, and it's gun can do some good damage as well. Finally, while I've never used it, Arcane Vortex is an interesting tool in the toolbox.

- Ironback Spitter - he is there for that massive AOE. A 4" AOE is awesome, and with Corrosion and Continuous Corrosion, it the kind of damage that keeps on giving. He synergizes extremely well with Barnabas' feat, and with help from the Mist Speaker, his effectiveness is even better. I really thought of putting a Blackhide Wrastler in, but I think the versatility of the Spitter outweighs the Wrastler's animus.

- Dracodile - really, the main focus of the list. He's a huge, giant crocodile monster that can do almost anything. He has a 10" spray that deals Corrosion damage, with Continuous Corrosion (though his RAT 5 is a little disappointing). He also has assault - so he can charge and spray. And last (but definitely not least), his spray causes Blind. Yes, you read that correctly - anything he hits with that RAT 5 will be insanely easier to hit by everyone else, and basically be losing a turn of activation!

For melee, he has FOUR initial attacks, one at P+S 19 and three at P+S 17. With MAT 6 (actually average for a Gargantuan), FURY 4, and Territorial (charge large and huge based models for free), he is a monster (pun intended) in melee. With his ARM 20 and 54 boxes, along with Snacking, it will be extremely difficult to kill him. Finally, his animus makes a huge amount of mobile shallow water, granting cover to any amphibious model with 5" of him (or possibly Barnabas).

Anyways, there's my first list ready for the coming year. There will be changes, probably - especially with the Gatorman Soul Slave (free upkeeps) and Void Leeches coming out. This will be played tomorrow at a Steamroller, so we'll see how it goes!

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!