Four games into the WoffBoot tournament, and my winning streak went down the Escalation escalator.
But here comes a chance at redemption - a Border War scenario against another Stormcast army!
This match is against Yalfrezi Minor (who has attended a number of past WoffBoots, but this is his first solo command - I daresay he was a lot more experienced by the end of the weekend).
The scenario we're playing is Border War. There are four objectives to take, and since the aim is to project your lines, get into the opponent's centre,and secure both flanks, it seems to work out as the most 'conventional' of the battleplans.
Leaders
This is a combination of the Starter Box set and the Storm of Sigmar box set - so it's 'classic' Stormcast Eternals with a good backbone of Liberators and the big general on his Dracoth. I reckon I can handle each unit in isolation, but I certainly want to keep those Retributors away from my Chimera.
Leaders
With fewer unit drops, I'll have the initiative, and can react to Yalfrezi's first move. With fast moving Gor/Tzaangor on each flank, I reckon I can outpace the armoured Stormcast and seize both flank objectives, racking up some early points and forcing them to come to me.
The Chaos Warrors can sit tight on my own objective, and the Chimera can sweep to wherever he can pick on smaller units while keeping out of range of the Lord-Relictor's prayers or Retributor's hammers.
In my turn, I race forward on the flanks, and by the second turn I'm crashing into both flanks.
The herd of Gor pull down two of the Prosecutors, securing their flank objective. The surviving Prosecutor-Prime wisely withdraws to the safety of the centre.
On the left wall, the Tzaangor and Chimera charge in together and wreck havoc on the two Liberator retinues. One after another they fall to teeth, claws and beaks, until only the Liberator-Prime is left to hold the gate.
By mid-battle, the table looks like this: both Stormcast flanks have collapsed and I'm siting on the two flank objectives, as well as my own back one.
With most of my army intact, I gear myself up for a push on the centre.
The Chimera flies over the wall and swings around the back to indulge in its favourite pastime: killing isolated units of Liberators.
The Chaos Warriors march upfield and take on the more daunting prospect of attacking the Lord-Celestant on his Dracoth.
And, flushed with success at the wall, the Tzaangor charge into the Retributors and the Lord-Relictor.
But here comes a chance at redemption - a Border War scenario against another Stormcast army!
This match is against Yalfrezi Minor (who has attended a number of past WoffBoots, but this is his first solo command - I daresay he was a lot more experienced by the end of the weekend).
The scenario we're playing is Border War. There are four objectives to take, and since the aim is to project your lines, get into the opponent's centre,and secure both flanks, it seems to work out as the most 'conventional' of the battleplans.
Lightning Strike: Stormcast Eternals
- Lord-Celestant On Dracoth - General - Tempestos Hammer & Thundershield
- Lord-Relictor
Units
- 5 x Liberators - Warhammer and Shield
- 5 x Liberators - Warhammer and Shield
- 5 x Liberators - Warhammer and Shield
- 3 x Prosecutors with Celestial Hammers
- 5 x Paladin Retributors
Battalions
- Thunderhead Brotherhood
This is a combination of the Starter Box set and the Storm of Sigmar box set - so it's 'classic' Stormcast Eternals with a good backbone of Liberators and the big general on his Dracoth. I reckon I can handle each unit in isolation, but I certainly want to keep those Retributors away from my Chimera.
Coalition of Chaos: Disciples of Tzeentch/Brayherd/Monsters of Chaos
- Ogroid Thaumaturge - General
- Beastlord - Man-render Great Axe
Units
- 20 x Gors - Two Gor-Blades
- 10 x Tzaangors - Pair of Savage Blades (4), Savage Greatblade (3), Savage Blade & Arcanite Shield (3)
- 10 x Chaos Warriors - Hand Weapon & Shield - Mark of Chaos: Tzeentch
Behemoths
- Chimera
With fewer unit drops, I'll have the initiative, and can react to Yalfrezi's first move. With fast moving Gor/Tzaangor on each flank, I reckon I can outpace the armoured Stormcast and seize both flank objectives, racking up some early points and forcing them to come to me.
The Chaos Warrors can sit tight on my own objective, and the Chimera can sweep to wherever he can pick on smaller units while keeping out of range of the Lord-Relictor's prayers or Retributor's hammers.
Game 4: Border War
I set up evenly across the field: Tzaangor - Chaos Warriors - Gor, with the Chimera at the back and the Ogroid hiding behind a building.
The Stormcast went for a weighted flank: two retinues of Liberators holding the wall on the left side, Retributors and leaders in the centre, another Liberator retinue holding the back objective, and Prosecutors on the right side.
Stormcast have the first turn and advance cautiously, throwing a few Prosecutor hammers that downs a couple of Gor.
In my turn, I race forward on the flanks, and by the second turn I'm crashing into both flanks.
The herd of Gor pull down two of the Prosecutors, securing their flank objective. The surviving Prosecutor-Prime wisely withdraws to the safety of the centre.
On the left wall, the Tzaangor and Chimera charge in together and wreck havoc on the two Liberator retinues. One after another they fall to teeth, claws and beaks, until only the Liberator-Prime is left to hold the gate.
By mid-battle, the table looks like this: both Stormcast flanks have collapsed and I'm siting on the two flank objectives, as well as my own back one.
With most of my army intact, I gear myself up for a push on the centre.
The Chimera flies over the wall and swings around the back to indulge in its favourite pastime: killing isolated units of Liberators.
The Chaos Warriors march upfield and take on the more daunting prospect of attacking the Lord-Celestant on his Dracoth.
And, flushed with success at the wall, the Tzaangor charge into the Retributors and the Lord-Relictor.
What follows is something of a bloodbath: the Chimera chomps through the Liberators, the Chaos Warriors eventually grind down the Lord-Celestant, and the Tzaangor and Retributors wipe each other out.
All that remains is the Lord-Relictor, surrounded by chaos and refusing to fall.
But I've racked up enough objective points - so a major win to Disciples of Tzeentch!
If our positions were reversed, I'm not sure what I would have done differently: maybe playing for all the objectives was stretching the Stormcast line too thin. If they had held the back one, and moved for just one of the flank objectives, their forces would have made a tougher prospect to break down. As it was, I was able to get local superiority over them, due to a generally faster-moving army.
Fifth and final battle tomorrow: I take on the Nighthaunts!
All that remains is the Lord-Relictor, surrounded by chaos and refusing to fall.
But I've racked up enough objective points - so a major win to Disciples of Tzeentch!
Post-match thoughts
There's always one battle where everything falls favourably, and Yalfrezi Minor was unlucky that both the scenario and the dice favoured me in this one.If our positions were reversed, I'm not sure what I would have done differently: maybe playing for all the objectives was stretching the Stormcast line too thin. If they had held the back one, and moved for just one of the flank objectives, their forces would have made a tougher prospect to break down. As it was, I was able to get local superiority over them, due to a generally faster-moving army.
Fifth and final battle tomorrow: I take on the Nighthaunts!
I'll say General Y Minor got more experienced over the weekend. By the time I played him, he knew all his rules off by heart and beat me quite cheerfully!
ReplyDeleteNB Beating me is not generally taken as a measure of experience or skill, more of a base level entry requirement for wargaming
If you can pass your initiative roll when all about you,
DeleteAre losing theirs and blaming it on the dice...
Alexa! Roll for initiative!
Delete