Welcome back to the third and final part of my adventures at TEC.

I left off last time with me getting a big 20 win early into round 4, this left me on 73 points going into Round 5.The downside of finishing Game 4 so early is that I then had about 2 and half hours until Game 5. So I dithered about, set up my army for best painted watched some of @MatyPs game, had some lunch, watched some of the other top table to see how things were playing out there.

All 4 games below me were going o right until the end, which I thought was promising, mans they must be close games at least. I was hoping they’d all get 10 10s and I’d have a big lead gig into Round 5. However, the bloody Vermin Swarm somehow managed to batter some Infernal Dwarves with a Pyro master20 – 0 (I still have no idea how that happens). That meant that for round 5 I would be playing against the Vermin Swarm with a 4 point lead, 73 v 69.

Now before this game, I have never actually played against the new VS army book. None of my local opponents play the army and I’ve always managed to avoid them at previous tournies. I was happy that I finally got to play against them but why did it have to be the last game of a tournament when I was pulling off the rare feat of being in first place (A situation I have never been in before).

Let me tell you, this is no normal Vermin Swarm list being pushed about by some noob, this is Ciaran Dunne of Ireland ETC fame, a two time winner of TEC previously, so I’m up against it here (and his list is utter filth!)

555 - Swarm Priest, Sacred Platform (Whispering Bell), Wizard Adept, Thaumaturgy, Book of Arcane Mastery, Holy Triumvirate, Caelysian Pantheon

295 - Swarm Priest, Wizard Adept, Witchcraft, Crystal Ball, Obsidian Rock, Holy Triumvirate, Caelysian Pantheon

210 - Vermin Senator, General, Crown of the Wizard King, Cowl of the Apostate

125 - Duskblade Assassin

125 - Duskblade Assassin

125 - Duskblade Assassin

436 - 56 Vermin Legionaries, Shield and Spear, Standard Bearer with Eagle Standard (Rending Banner)

405 - 50 Vermin Legionaries, Shield and Spear, Musician, Standard Bearer with Eagle Standard (Bell of the Deep Roads)

436 - 56 Vermin Legionaries, Shield and Spear, Standard Bearer with Eagle Standard (Rending Banner)

280 - 25 Blackfur Veterans, Bloodfur Praetorians, Champion, Standard Bearer with Eagle Standard (Banner of Discipline)

229 - 15 Ignifier Grenadiers

229 - 15 Ignifier Grenadiers

229 - 15 Ignifier Grenadiers

185 - 3 Experimental Weapon Teams, Deepfire Thrower

185 - 3 Experimental Weapon Teams, Deepfire Thrower

160 - 4 Experimental Weapon Teams, Jezail and Shield

290 - Stygian Earthbreaker

4499

Ugh, just copying and pasting that list has made me feel sick all over again!

So when I saw the draw had gone up I had about 10 minutes to read the VS book and try and get my head around all that it does. The fact that there was 3 units of 15 Ignifiers immediately rang alarm bells, no one takes that many of a single unit unless it is very broken, and after looking at their stats and their shooting weapons I can confirm that they are indeed broken! Each unit has 30 S6 AP2 flaming shots that they can throw into combat, only an 8” range but it doesn’t really matter about that because whatever they are throwing them grenades at is going to be dead! They also March and shoot so they have a theoretical threat range of 18”!

The magic setup is immense too! Wizard adept with the book of +2, on Thaumaturgy and he gets to pick any of the spells! So you better believe he picked Wrath of God! Also, the bell lets him have an additional spell. Then another adept on Witchcraft this time, who also gets to pick 1 – 6 spells. Then the Senator with the Crown of the Wizard King and Cowl of the Apostate gets a random lore but from that lore he can pick spells 1 – 4. I really hope that’s just an oversight that will be corrected because that is some straight up &*!!%^*$ there!

Other than that nonsense we have 3 big units of Legionaries, one of which can ambush on through tunnel markers. The Blackfur Veterans are where the Bell, Adept and Senator sat. Then we have the 3 assassins which could appear anywhere and if they are in a fight with the Minotaurs I do not fancy Mr Minos chances of living long enough to kill them in return. Then 2 units of Deepfire Throwers, which aren’t great against me as I don’t have a lot of ranks and I’m res 4, so I should be safe enough. The Jezails are always a concern as they can just sit back and pick off my Soothsayer or the Giants. Lastly there’s the Stygian Earthbreaker with its 1+ Armour Save, making it an annoyingly tough nut for me to crack.

The deployment for this game was Dawn Assault and the objective was Hold the Ground. With a lead going into the game I basically decided to try and play defensively (well, as defensively as I can, which is to say not very because I don’t know how to). I wold march the Minotaurs onto the centre and start claiming the objective from turn… [Read More]

Hello again!

I’m back for part 2 of my time at TEC 22 with the Beast Herds. As I covered in part 1 I had 2 very fortunate games, amassing big wins in both, and had accumulated 36 points from the 2 games, this left me 3^rd position and for round 3 I was paired against the KoE! I have only played against the new book once before so I was looking forward to playing against the new KoE again.

As some of you know I am a long time KoE player, going all the way back to 8^th edition, so I know how the army plays and I know all their weaknesses all too well (well, the weaknesses of the old book). They like to charge and they don’t like being charged. Even with a 2+ Armour Save they will roll 1s constantly (if you ever have to make two 2+ armour saves, one of the dice will always be a 1!). They consistently disappoint you but every now and then you will pull off an epic combo charge that it is so glorious it makes you feel like the Rohirrim and keeps you going for another 20 games!

Anyway, my opponents list for this game is:

Damsel, Destrier, Wizard Master, Divination, Binding Scroll - 490

Folk Hero, General, Pegasus Charger, Shield, Heavy Armour (Prayer-Etched), Bastard Sword (Tristan's Resolve), Potion of Swiftness, Sainted, Castellan, Excellence - 435

Folk Hero, Destrier, Shield, Battle Standard Bearer (Castellan's Crest), Heavy Armour (Alchemist's Alloy), Crown of the Wizard King, Potion of Strength, Cleric, Bannerman - 370

Folk Hero, Heraldic Steed, Light Armour, Castellan, Generosity - 180

15 Feudal Knights, Champion (Knight Banneret (Castellan's Crest)), Musician, Standard Bearer (Banner of Elan) - 635

12 Feudal Knights, Champion, Musician, Standard Bearer (Relic Shroud) - 510

10 Knights of the Quest, Champion, Musician, Standard Bearer (Rending Banner) - 685

5 Pegasus Knights, Champion, Standard Bearer (Castellan's Crest) - 560

The Lady's Courtier, Courtier of the Dusk (Witchcraft) - 450

8 Naiads - 185

4500


I hadn’t really looked at the lists much before hand so I had to do a quick scan of the KoE book to work out what it all did.

So there’s a Divination master, which is a pretty good lore against the my list, the missiles are lethal to the big monsters and Know Thine Enemy is always a pain against my low Agility army. The general build is an interesting one that I had never seen before, basically a peasant duke with 5 S5 attacks and a 1+ Armour Save. The Tristan’s Resolve is a nice weapon and it’s good to finally see it get some use after years in the cupboard of every KoE Duke. The fact it can destroy my magic weapon enchantments has Mr Mino a little worried as well as the Soothsayer, both of which really need their weapons to be effective.

There’s a Folk Hero who’s essentially a mobile chaff piece and a BSB cleric who is good for being able to get bodies back and casting the Orisons.

Then there’s 3 knight blocks, a big Peg Knight unit that the General could go into if needed. A unit of Naiads who are mostly a nice chaff unit as there’s no champ in there to make them spell casters. Lastly there’s the Lady’s Courtier, who I’ve never seen before on the tabletop, so was interested see what she can do.

Deployment for this game was Battle Line and objective was Capture the Flags, not a great scenario for me as my ambushers may struggle to stay away from the very mobile Knight units and if the KoE don’t want to fight the Minotaurs then I’m really going to struggle to get any scoring units. My Giants in this game are just going to have to be expensive chaff pieces mostly as their AP0 trees aren’t going to do a great deal against the 2+ Armour of the knights.

I won the roll for sides and picked the side with a big forest in the middle of the deployment, basically so that the Minotaurs could stay in there and if the Knights want to charge them they will have to take some DTs for the woods.

My opponent dropped for first and put all 3 knight blocks in the centre, from left to right it was 12 Feudals, 15 Feudals + Wizard (4x4) and then Questing Knights + BSB. The Peg Knights were off to the right and the Naiads on the left. General and Folk Hero were off to the right of the 3 Blocks and Courtier to the left of the blocks.

I did my now bog standard deployment; 2 giants on the right, 1 Giant and Jabber on the left, Minos centre left in a wood facing the 3 blocks, Soothsayer to their right and Chariots to his right. Mongrels were to the left of the Minos and Gargoyles were hiding behind the Minotaurs.

One giant on the left vanguarded after the Naiads, the only thing in the list my Giants could fight. The other left hand Giant stayed behind my lines in case I needed some emergency chaff. The Right hand giant vanguarded around the Peg Knights arc to threaten them if they pushed. Meanwhile the Folk Hero on the Heraldric Steed bombed it forward.

The only spell of note was that the Damsel took Portent of Doom! A spell so rare that I had to look up what it actually did and it is actually pretty good… [Read More]

Hello one and all

I'm back, if only for a bit, to report on my latest adventures at The English Championships that I attended this weekend gone. As some of you know I have gone all in on the mightiest of armies, the amazing Beast Herds (Well, I really like them at least). For this event my list is as follows:

645 - Minotaur Warlord, General, Light Armour (Destiny's Call), Paired Weapons (Blessed Inscriptions)
550 - Soothsayer, Raiding Chariot, Wizard Master, Shamanism, Light Armour (Trickster's Cunning), Hand Weapon (Ancestral Carvings)
385 - Minotaur Chieftain, Battle Standard Bearer, Light Armour (Aaghor's Affliction), Great Weapon
315 - 3 Raiding Chariots
272 - 18 Wildhorn Herd, Paired Weapons and Throwing Weapons, Ambush, Standard Bearer (Banner of Discipline), Musician, Champion
235 - 15 Wildhorn Herd, Paired Weapons and Throwing Weapons, Ambush, Standard Bearer (Banner of Discipline), Musician
90 - 10 Mongrel Raiders
611 - 6 Minotaurs, Shield, Standard Bearer (Banner of Speed), Musician, Champion
165 - 10 Longhorn Herd, Ambush, Halberd, Musician
135 - 5 Gargoyles
280 - Jabberwock
270 - Beast Giant, Uprooted Tree
270 - Beast Giant, Uprooted Tree
270 - Beast Giant, Uprooted Tree

4493

Here's a pic of my army for the event. I never get to paint big beasties very often so getting to paint up 3 giants and a Jabberwock was something I really enjoyed.



I'm particularly happy with the three giants although I still want to add more freehand to the big bad boy!



As for the list itself, the heart of the army hasn't really changed too much from what I took to the UK Masters. A big block of Minos with the Mino Lord and Mino Chieftain (Hereby known as Mr and Mrs Mino). I did drop the Greater Totem Bearer from the BSB as I just needed the points to squeeze in the rest but I was very apprehensive about not taking any totems, as I always take some. The Shamanism Master isn't as kitted out as I'd like, I would like a Talisman of Shielding but I just can't find the points, he's still really good as he is I think.

I've then gone for triple Giants with trees as I absolutely love those auto hits and against some armies they are amazing (DL, VC, Elves) but against others they are terrible (WDG, KoE spring to mind). The vanguard on the giants is super strong I think and having three of them gives opponents some pretty tough decisions to make when it comes to deployment, they're also cheap enough to be used as emergency chaff. I went sober with the giants every game for the vanguard. I also love me a Jabberwock to make 4 Gigantic Monsters ready to stomp all over infantry lists and to try some terror bombs hopefully.

Then we have 3 scoring ambushing units to play the objectives with and it's another problem my opponent has to worry about too. The obligatory 3 Chariots made the list as they're great and then just one unit of Gargoyles for chaffing duties and some Mongrel raiders for much slower chaff (and to fill out core).

Going into the event I didn't really have much of an expectation having just returned from Espana the day before, so I was quite rusty. If I could finish top half I would be very happy but I think it's very match up dependent.

Game 1

So for game 1 I was drawn against Dread Elves and an opponent I had played Round 1 at my last tournament in Bristol. That time he beat me 20 - 0 thanks to Gorgons killing Mr Mino and Black Cloaks killing the Soothsayer turn 1! This time it would be different!

His list:
585 - Beastmaster, General, Manticore (Extraordinary Specimen), Shield, Basalt Infusion, Lance (Transcendence),Talisman of Shielding, Lucky Charm
350 - Temple Exarch, Divination, Battle Standard Bearer (Aether Icon, Aether Icon), Seal of the Republic, Paired Weapons (Shield Breaker)
290 - Warlock Outcast, Wizard Adept, Evocation, Binding Scroll
495 - 30 Silexian Spears, Standard Bearer (Executioner's Icon), Musician, Champion
270 - 15 Silexian Auxiliaries, Musician
190 - 10 Raiding Party, Beast Breaker, Champion
180 - 5 Shadow Riders
614 - 24 Obsidian Guard, Champion, Musician, Standard Bearer (Banner of Speed)
325 - 5 Warlock Acolytes, Champion
190 - Raptor Chariot, Halberd
190 - Raptor Chariot, Halberd
200 - Repeater Battery
200 - Repeater Battery
415 - Hydra

4494

So no Gorgons this time thankfully! I really hate those girls! Nice big blocks of infantry to stomp over as long as the giants can survive. BH v DE is a very tough match IMHO, the extra +1 to wound is absolutely horrible for us and makes everything they have that little bit stronger i combat against our weakly armoured troops. Still if I could double team some giants into the infantry blocks then I stand a chance.

Objective was Spoils of War and deployment was Encircle. DE picked sides and went big flanks leaving me with big centre and I then dropped everything to go first. I had 2 giants on the left flank and a giant and Jabber on the right, Minos centre left and Chariots centre right. My opponent put most of his stuff on the left,… [Read More]

Hello and welcome to the final game of the SmithF invitational. It's only been a month since i played this game so sorry it has taken so long to get this up. I've had to frantically paint my Beast Herds ready for the UK Masters, so Bat Reps had to take a back seat I'm afraid. Anyway, that’s right it’s Game 5 and this time it’s an epic 6000 point battle and to add to the epicness even more it’s a Beast Herd civil war! So no matter what happens, at least the Beast Herds will win a game (unless it’s a draw).

So my beastly opponent for this game is master of the Beast Herd forum and all things Beast Herd, @youngseward. I’ve never had the pleasure of playing against Yougseward before, so I am very keen to play this game and learn from the master about the correct way to use Beast Herds. As it’s the last game there’s no need to pick sideboards, it’s a straight head to head with all the sideboards. So let’s look at the list I'll be fighting against:

(A)
540 - Soothsayer, General, Wizard Master, Evocation, Light Armour (Aaghor's Affliction), Hand Weapon (Ancestral Carvings)
450 - Centaur Chieftain, Greater Totem Bearer, Battle Standard Bearer, Light Armour (Destiny's Call), Paired Weapons, Ranger's Boots
390 - 30 Wildhorn Herd, Paired Weapons, Standard Bearer (Banner of the Wild Herd), Musician, Champion (Totem Bearer (Blooded Horn Totem))
210 - 15 Wildhorn Herd, Throwing Weapons, Ambush, Musician
405 - 6 Razortusk Herd
105 - Razortusk Herd
160 - 10 Longhorn Herd, Ambush, Halberd
150 - 5 Gargoyles, Scout
295 - Beast Giant, Uprooted Tree
295 - Beast Giant, Uprooted Tree
3000

(B)
285 - Soothsayer, Wizard Adept, Shamanism, Hand Weapon (Ancestral Carvings)
325 - 3 Raiding Chariots
305 - Jabberwock
305 - Jabberwock
100 - Briar Beast
100 - Briar Beast
80 - 5 Feral Hounds

(C)
655 - Minotaur Warlord, Shield (Obscuring Fog), Heavy Armour (Wild Form), Hand Weapon (Supernatural Dexterity), Talisman of Shielding, Potion of Swiftness
325 - 3 Raiding Chariots
225 - 3 Razortusk Herd
295 - Beast Giant, Uprooted Tree

Here’s my list for this those that haven’t seen it:


(A)
Beast Herds
570 - Jaghorn Stoneskin- Soothsayer, Wizard Master, Shamanism, Light Armour (Trickster's Cunning), Hand Weapon (Ancestral Carvings), Seed of the Dark Forest
305 - Torgur the Wild- Beast Chieftain, Greater Totem Bearer, Battle Standard Bearer, Light Armour (Essence of Mithril), Great Weapon
290 - Rasczak the Emancipator - Beast Lord, General, Light Armour (Destiny's Call), Beast Axe
355 - The Liberators - 24 Wildhorn Herd, Paired Weapons and Throwing Weapons, Ambush, Standard Bearer (Banner of Discipline), Musician
265 - Jaghorns Guard - 25 Wildhorn Herd, Shield, Standard Bearer, Musician, Champion (Totem Bearer (Gnarled Hide Totem))
458 - Rasczaks Roughnecks - 22 Longhorn Herd, Great Weapon, Standard Bearer (Rending Banner), Musician, Champion
270 - Silent Death - 15 Longhorn Herd, Ambush, Halberd, Musician
246 - Liberty's Might - 6 Centaurs, Paired Weapons, Throwing Weapons
140 - The Vultures Claw - 5 Gargoyles
100 - Bogfoul - Briar Beast
2999

(B)
104 - 8 Feral Hounds
104 - 8 Feral Hounds
101 - Johan the Deceiver and his rangers - 11 Mongrel Raiders
405 - Volatile Vengence - 6 Razortusk Herd
405 - The Stampede - 6 Razortusk Herd
240 - Ghinghuz - Razortusk Chariot
140 - Vultures Talons - 5 Gargoyles
1499

(C)
325 - Rock Smashers - 3 Raiding Chariots
190 - The Swift Hooves - 5 Centaurs, Throwing Weapons
490 - Gorefist - Gortach
490 - Racker the Render - Gortach
1495


So our lists have a lot in common but some big differences, differences that will definitely determine the winner. First things we have in common, both have units of 3 Raiding Chariots, both have a lot of Razortusks running about to cause maximum carnage. We both have ambushers but mine are larger and thus more of a threat i would say now. Both got Briar Beasts too which is good to see.

Now for the big differences. The sheer volume of terror causers in Yousewards list is absolutely… err. .. terrifying! He will have 5 big monsters running around, constantly forcing me to take terror checks on my models (and my list loves to run away as soon as anything scary comes near them). The Jabberwocks lowering my discipline is going to be a real headache for me too and with their long movement and flying I have very little chance of catching them. When the threat of terror bombs is combined with an Evocation master with access to Whispers of the Veil and Echoes of the Dark Forest i think Youngseward has the perfect tools at hand to totally ruin my army. then there is that Minotaur Warlord, i don’t really have an answer for him at all. Maybe I can tie him up and keep him distracted, maybe run him over with a Chariot or a Gortach, that’s my only hope.

Speaking of Gortachs this is my ace in the hole. I really need these guys to shine because if they’re on fine form i think they can single handedly wreck Youngsewards army. I’ve had one Gortach win a game on his own, so I know they can do it,… [Read More]

Rasczak marched at the head of the remnants of his army, his head hung low. It had been a couple of weeks since the embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Ogres. The charge of the Rock Auroch still haunted his nightmares. Rasczak loved all the beasts of the world and wished only to end their servitude under the yoke of oppression of the various races, but he would make an exception for Rock Aurochs.

Since their defeat the herd had taken to raiding the lands of men; killing beleaguered peasants, freeing their livestock, drinking their alcohol and eating the plentiful bounties that the humans farmed. It wasn’t as glorious a path as he had hoped at the start of the campaign, but it kept his troops fed and they revelled in the mayhem.
As he walked through fields of wheat and rye, he spied a shape moving swiftly through the crops. He halted the advance of the line and smelt the air. He smelt the unique mixture of magic and Mongrel in the air but it was a familiar scent to him, Johan the Deceiver had come to rejoin the ranks.

“Come out Johan” bellowed Rasczak. Rasczak had been working with the unique creature known as Johan the Deceiver for a while now and had first been introduced to him thanks to Jaghorn Stoneskin.

Johan had been employed by a local Count to patrol the forests and report back with sightings of any monsters or beasts that may reside within. However, Johan had a secret that the Count never knew about, Johan was actually a member of the Beast Herd, born and bred. Johan was born without horns, which is not unusual amongst Mongrels, but stranger still he born completely furless too. To be born hornless was unfortunate and would lead to a life of mockery, but to be furless too would only arouse suspicion and scorn from his fellow brethren. Normally such a creature would be abandoned by the herd and left for dead but Jaghorn had a plan for Johan. Jaghorn cast various spells on the poor wretch, turning his hind legs from that of a beast into a more human shape and transforming his hooves into toes. After Jaghorn was done he had produced a beast that was very passable as a human, certainly to the untrained eye. His teeth would never be perfect, and his eyes would always glow red in the night, but as long as Johan was careful he could go undetected amongst the humans.

The humanoid shape of Johan moved through the crops and approached Rasczak, who towered above Johan. Johan knelt before the great Beast Lord. “I am glad I found you great leader of the Herd, me and my men have been searching for your horde for days. I bring grave news I’m afraid. Count Peralt has become increasingly concerned with the lack of sightings I have reported recently, especially when there are reports of your actions reaching his ears. I could hide your plans from within the forest but the destruction you bring upon the lands of men has become to great even for me to conceal.”

“Very well Johan, then you may take your position back ion the army as leader of the Mongrels”

“I’m afraid it gets worse my lord. Count Peralt is preparing an army and comes to face you in battle, he will be bearing down upon us anytime now.”

“Very well, then let the foolish man face me in battle, we will surround and crush his pathetic army!”

Hello and welcome to Game 4 of the SmithF Invitiational!

After the excitement of the last round with the army swap I am now back to pushing around the Beast Herds. My opponent for this game was the man himself, @SmithF. I’ve never had the pleasure of playing SmithF before but I’m super happy that I get to play against the legend, a man who surely knows Beast Herds better than me, if not the whole game of Ninth Age! He certainly knows how to write a battle report better than me and in more concise way, that’s for sure.

The Beast Herds will be up against the Empire of Sonnstahl for this round. Now I’m not sure how familiar SmithF is with the Empire but I don’t think it really matters, he can turn his hand to any army and get results.

I should say for this round it was random deployment and the objective is King of the Hill. For our armies we get to pick one of our sideboards, either B or C to combine with our A list. So here’s SmithF’s list and choices to make.

Empire of Sonnstahl
(A)
390 - Wizard, Wizard Master, Cosmology, Exemplar's Flame
380 - Knight Commander, General, Horse, Shield (Shield of Volund), Hand Weapon (The Light of Sonnstahl), Dragon Staff
335 - Marshal, Battle Standard Bearer (Legion Standard), Shield (Witchfire Guard), Blacksteel, Potion of Strength, Great Tactician
516 - 12 Electoral Cavalry, Shield, Knightly Orders (Cavalry Pick), Standard Bearer (Household Standard), Musician, Champion
353 - 41 Heavy Infantry, Parent Unit, Standard Bearer (Legion Standard), Musician, Champion
321 - 34 Heavy Infantry, Spear, Parent Unit, Standard Bearer, Musician, Champion
145 - 20 Heavy Infantry, Support Unit
315 - 20 Light Infantry, Crossbow, Standard Bearer (Marksman's Pennant), Musician
245 - … [Read More]

After the defeat at the hands of the Sylvan Elves life had become pretty miserable for Rasczak and his horde. Jghorn had fallen into a foul mode since the defeat and he could no longer hide his enmity towards Rasczak (who he blamed for the whole fiasco). Jaghorn had become closer with Torgur since rescuing him from the clutches of the Wild Hunt and had become to groom him for power within the horde but Rasczak was onto their scheme.

Rasczak knew that they could no longer just stay in the forest scoring small victories against trespassers and living off past victories. It was time for him to lead his army out of the forest to forge their own path towards victory and freedom for all subjugated creatures of the world.

As the army approached the edge of the forest the skin of the Firebrand on Jaghorn’s Skin Cloak began to awaken, a deep roar that only Jaghorn could hear. Jaghorn had a moments reverie to remember the time he slew the great hulking Ogre Shaman in hand to hand to combat, one of his many victories against opponents that underestimated him. A very deserved death for the Firebrand after the Ogre Khans had invaded the forest and stripped the land bare, eating anything they could find and ruining the delicate ecosystem for a generation. Now the Firebrand remained on the sin cloak, forever feeling the pang of a hunger he could never satiate.

Jaghorn begrudgingly made his way over to Rasczak to inform him of an approaching enemy, not out of duty but only to preserve his own skin. Having his own army get ambushed would serve no purpose and only endanger his own life.

“Ogres are nearby Rasczak, we must prepare for battle as they may not be far off”


Hello and welcome back to another battle report!

This time I’m writing up my recent battle in the SmithF invitational and it’s round 3 which means it is army swap time. Initially I was drawn against Prettyboy and his Cultists and I could have weeped. I have never played Cultists and I've never even fought against them so didn;t have a clue how they worked and I was absolutely dreading it. Unfortunately Prettyboy had to pull out of the invitational and there was another drop out so instead I ended up playing against @SirMC2015 (or Mark as i will refer to him from now on - you can check out his YouTube channel here - Green Dragons Gaming) and his Ogre Khans. An army I have never played with but one I have certainly played many games against and have always been impressed with. So this was the army I was going to use, I had to take the A list and had a choice of B or C.

(A)
635 - Shaman, Wizard Master, Shamanism, Light Armour (Essence of Mithril), Iron Fist, Magical Heirloom, Talisman of Shielding, Gut Roarer
535 - Great Khan, General, Light Armour (Destiny's Call), Great Weapon (Khagadai's Legacy), Obsidian Rock, Cult Leader
790 - 10 Bruisers, Standard Bearer (Pennant of the Great Grass Sky), Musician, Champion
445 - 3 Tusker Cavalry, Great Weapon, Musician, Champion
435 - 3 Tusker Cavalry, Great Weapon, Musician
80 - 5 Scrapling Trappers
80 - Sabretooth Tigers
3000

(B)
470 - Khan, Battle Standard Bearer (Banner of the Gyengget), Heavy Armour, Great Weapon, Rampager's Chain, Trolleater
355 - 5 Bruisers, Musician, Champion
175 - 2 Yetis
500 - Rock Aurochs, Ogre Crossbow
1500

(C)
210 - Khan, Light Armour, Great Weapon
210 - Khan, Light Armour, Great Weapon
210 - Khan, Light Armour, Great Weapon
383 - 6 Tribesmen, Iron Fist, Standard Bearer, Musician, Champion
104 - 2 Sabretooth Tigers
190 - 3 Bombardiers, Musician
190 - 3 Bombardiers, Musician
1497

There’s only one clear choice between B and C isn’t there? I obviously picked B so i could push around a Rock Auroch, a monster that has always caused me great pains when I've had to fight against it so I am very keen to see what it’s like from the other side. The Yetis are great too with the agility debuff they bring and the fact they cause fear could be a real headache or the Beast Herd ambushers. The Rampager’s Chain on the BSB is not an item I have ever seen before (it gives the bearer D3+1 stomp attacks and lets the unit reroll failed to wound rolls with their stomps) but given i am facing a predominantly infantry army it is going to prove incredibly useful.

There’s a lot of Fear causers in the army which could prove very useful against the Beast Herds, which in my experience they struggle against. The Great Kahn with Khagadai’s Legacy is an absolute beast and can easily crush any of the Beast Herd characters i've brought to the event. I get to use one of the best banners in the game too, Banner of Gyengget, what an amazing standard that is and something i have moaned about before but at least it's on my side this time. All in all it looks like a great list and I’m super excited to get to use it.

Mark on the other hand has to use my sub optimal Beast Herds list. he gets the choice between B and C below.

(A)
Beast Herds
570 - Jaghorn Stoneskin- Soothsayer, Wizard Master, Shamanism, Light Armour (… [Read More]

A humanoid shape moved through the forest, ducking under branches and leaping over fallen logs. It moved on two legs that ended in hooves rather than feet but its movements were just as graceful as any elf. It leapt over a small stream and onto a rock, where it paused to catch it’s breath and survey it's surroundings.
Torgur knew the forest better than anything else in the herd so he didn’t take him long to get his bearings and he was off again, this time running down a steep drop, holding onto passing trees as he made his descent.

Meanwhile Rasczak was resting in a clearing, his wounds from the battle against the Dread Elves were almost healed but the assassins poison was taking a far greater toll on his health than the stab wounds left by the dagger. For the first two days after the battle the poison had completely sapped his strength and endurance, if it wasn’t for his loyal bodyguard of Longhorn he had no doubt that a challenger to his rule would have struck him down in the night. He was making a strong recovery though and was already feeling the lust for battle and victory filling his thoughts.

Rasczak could hear something rustling in the forest, away from where his army was camped, the back of his encampment was protected by a cliff face so it was practically impossible for an enemy to approach from that direction. The more he focused his hearing the more certain he was that something approached. He hefted up his axe, ready to chop up whatever it was that dared to encroach on his ground. He lowered his axe as smelled the familiar scent of Torgur approaching just as he burst through the undergrowth.

“Enemies approach!” signed Torgur, with no sign of fatigue from his sprint through the forest.

Rasczak was not surprised by this news, he had been hearing reports of armies roving around the edges of the forest for weeks now, it was only a matter of time until one of them encroached upon his domain. “What foolish things dare to trespass on our lands?” spoke Rasczak.

Torgurs hands moved in a blur but Rasczak could always follow the words of his friend. “Tree Elves! They’re hunting on our lands, I saw their leader spear the Razortusk Prishy, she was with litter!”

The fur of Rasczak bristled all over his body at this news. His whole body tensed, his jaw clenched and he started to kick the ground with his hooves. He was overtaken with pure rage at not just the trespass but the needless slaughter of one of his subjects he had sworn to protect.

“I ran out to avenge her death but the leader spotted me and then more of their two faced kind appeared a top some of the Centaur brethren. They spotted me, I fled and the gave chase”

“Did they follow you here?”

“No, I ran through the thickest parts of the forest, over rocks, through our tunnels and swam through rivers. I lost them quickly.” Replied Torgur.

“There was a time when the Elves of the Forest were our friends and allies. We battled against the encroaching darkness together and won. But like all Elves their pride and arrogance got the best of them, despite us fighting side by side, they refused to share the spoils of our hard earned victory. The Elves will never recognise any race as their equal, they believe that everything on this planet is beneath them and is only here for their sport. The Sylvan Elves are no different.” Spoke Jaghorn.

Rasczak was so consumed with fury that he never heard the Soothsayer approach. Rasczak had never questioned the age of Jaghorn but if he remembered a time of friendship with Elves then he must be centuries old.

“Now that their leader has spotted you Torgur, you will be his next target for their pathetic hunt” said Jaghorn.

“Then we must march for war and face these elves in battle. If they want to hunt Torgur then they must get through all of us!” roared Rasczak.

“Tell Johan to bring the beasts of the forest to our side. Inform the Razortusks of the slaying of Prishy, that should get their blood boiling for the fight.”

Jaghorn pulled his hideous skin cloak around himself and placed his hand on the pale skin with the blue tattoo. “The Druid screams out for his kin to free him, but through him I can sense the approaching Elven forces. They bring many animals with them!”

“Slay the Elves and their animals if you must. The animals of the Elves will have heard our call by now and still [i]they have chosen to side with the Elves. I will shed no tears for any beast that has chosen to ferry around those arrogant fools instead of fighting for their freedom.” [/i]


Hello

It’s game 2 of the SmithF invitational and for this round I was cursed to fight against more Elves, this time it was a “fluffy” Sylvan Elf list being pushed about by the one and only @Henrypmiller. I’ve only fought against Henry once before, all the way back in the mists of time at the ETC singles event in 2019, a lifetime ago it seems now. It was my Warriors vs Highborn Elves, I actually wrote that battle report up so go and check it out.
For Round 2… [Read More]

Hello

I’m back at last! I’ve had a very long hiatus whilst playing more than a few UB battles and even a couple of real life tabletop battles! I have recently been invited to participate in an invitational event run by the one and only @SmithF This is an on line tournament where all the participants are content creators, particularly battle reports. I was absolutely delighted to be invited along for the ride!

So the format of the tournament is slightly different to your bog standard 4500 tournament. More info about it can be found on the forum post here. For the tournament you need 3 different lists, a 3000 point force that would be the backbone of the army (A) and then two side forces of 1500 (B + C). There will be games with just force A, then games with A+B or A+C, so they must be legal for core points and character allowance, etc. and then the final battle will be A+B+C, a mighty 6000 point smash-a-thon!

So I decided right away that I’ll be taking the Beast Herds because I am just loving playing with them at the moment and I’ve been getting some surprisingly good results. The brief for the tournament was to not take one of “those” lists, so I decided to play nice and create a super fluffy Beast Herds list without a Minotaur in sight.

(A)
Beast Herds
570 - Jaghorn Stoneskin- Soothsayer, Wizard Master, Shamanism, Light Armour (Trickster's Cunning), Hand Weapon (Ancestral Carvings), Seed of the Dark Forest
305 - Torgur the Wild- Beast Chieftain, Greater Totem Bearer, Battle Standard Bearer, Light Armour (Essence of Mithril), Great Weapon
290 - Rasczak the Emancipator - Beast Lord, General, Light Armour (Destiny's Call), Beast Axe
355 - The Liberators - 24 Wildhorn Herd, Paired Weapons and Throwing Weapons, Ambush, Standard Bearer (Banner of Discipline), Musician
265 - Jaghorns Guard - 25 Wildhorn Herd, Shield, Standard Bearer, Musician, Champion (Totem Bearer (Gnarled Hide Totem))
458 - Rasczaks Roughnecks - 22 Longhorn Herd, Great Weapon, Standard Bearer (Rending Banner), Musician, Champion
270 - Silent Death - 15 Longhorn Herd, Ambush, Halberd, Musician
246 - Liberty's Might - 6 Centaurs, Paired Weapons, Throwing Weapons
140 - The Vultures Claw - 5 Gargoyles
100 - Bogfoul - Briar Beast
2999

(B)
104 - 8 Feral Hounds
104 - 8 Feral Hounds
101 - Johan the Deceiver and his rangers - 11 Mongrel Raiders
405 - Volatile Vengence - 6 Razortusk Herd
405 - The Stampede - 6 Razortusk Herd
240 - Ghinghuz - Razortusk Chariot
140 - Vultures Talons - 5 Gargoyles
1499

(C)
325 - Rock Smashers - 3 Raiding Chariots
190 - The Swift Hooves - 5 Centaurs, Throwing Weapons
490 - Gorefist - Gortach
490 - Racker the Render - Gortach
1495

You can listen to my thoughts/ mad ramblings on our podcast here if you’re interested.

Basically the list revolves around a core set up of all foot characters and the most basic of the Beast Herd forces, Wildhorns. They’re then supported by some more elite Longhorn and some chaff for taste. Sideboard B is an all animal Beast Herds support army, with 2 units of 6 Razortusks bringing the pain, some chaff and the lads who had to round up the animals for the fight. Sideboard C is a bit more in your face, 2 Gortachs and chariots for if there’s any other lists out there that didn’t want to play nice. I will definitely try and use Sideboard B more than C as I think it’s more fun.

Anyway, onto Game 1 of the SmithF invitational which is a nice simple game to start off with, 300 points and the objective is Capture the Flags. It will be on a 60” x 48” table rather than the bog standard 72” wide. The deployment is random though.



So as Jaghorn and Rasczak have just explained I was to face Dread Elves, and not just any old Dread Elves, these were being push about by the illustrious @Bobo! A long time player and a very good player at that, but not someone I have ever played against, so I was looking forward to it.

Dread Elves
420 - Temple Exarch, General, Alchemy, War Smith, Essence of Mithril, Paired Weapons (Lacerating Touch)
325 - Silexian Officer, Battle Standard Bearer, Shield (Willow's Ward), Kraken's Hide, Alchemist's Alloy, Spear (Mastery of Slaughter), Seal of the 9th Fleet
230 - Warlock Outcast, Wizard Adept, Evocation
180 - Silent Assassin
492 - 33 Silexian Spears, Standard Bearer (Legion Standard), Musician, Champion
492 - 33 Silexian Spears, Standard Bearer (Legion Standard), Musician, Champion
260 - 10 Shadow Riders
240 - 15 Silexian Auxiliaries, Musician
190 - 10 Raiding Party, Corsair and Repeater Handbow
170 - 5 Black Cloaks
2999


A very infantry heavy list there. What Bobo had done when creating his A list is to get all the core in his 6000 points into his 3000 points list so he wouldn’t have to worry about filling up his sideboard with any core units, leaving him free to take what he wants in those. Normally, if I was facing an all Core list I’d be very happy but those Dread Elves are no push over for the Beasts. The best defence that Beast Herds have in general is their high… [Read More]

Hello, welcome back to my journey at the UK Masters 2021. This is Game 6 and this is the last game of the event! It’s been an epic tournie so far with giddying highs and soul crushing lows. I’ve had 2 wins, a draw and 2 losses, I’m currently sat on 40 points after 5 games so less than half points sadly. My losses have just been too big and my wins too small.

So for Game 6 I was drawn against Alistair Parren @Gingersmali and his Orcs & Goblins. After playing against Orcs already in this tournament and losing quite badly I am not looking forward to this game. Lets look at his list:

580 - Goblin King, Forest Goblin King, Gargantula, Great Weapon, Light Armour
470 - Orc Shaman, General, Feral Orc Shaman, Wizard Master, Thaumaturgy, Crown of
Autocracy
355 - Goblin King, Forest Goblin King, Huntsmen Spider, Shield (Dusk Forged), Heavy
Armour (Basalt Infusion), Hand Weapon (Hero's Heart)
220 - Orc Shaman, Common Orc Shaman, Boar Chariot, Wizard Apprentice, Shamanism,
Paired Weapons, Dragonfire Gem
305 - 30 Goblins, Cave Goblins, Shield, 2x Mad Gits, Musician
280 - 20 Orcs, Feral Orcs, Spear
270 - 20 Orcs, Feral Orcs, Paired Weapons, Champion
270 - 20 Orcs, Feral Orcs, Paired Weapons, Champion
569 - 8 Trolls, Cave Troll
145 - Orc Boar Chariot
125 - 5 Goblin Raiders, Common Goblin
90 - 3 Grotlings
450 - Great Green Idol, Battle Standard Bearer
370 - Great Green Idol
4499

Here is my list, if you haven’t already seen it enough with all these write ups:
705 - Minotaur Warlord, General, Light Armour (Destiny's Call), Paired Weapons (Blessed
Inscriptions), Obsidian Rock, Crown of Horns
570 - Soothsayer, Wizard Master, Shamanism, Light Armour (Trickster's Cunning), Hand
Weapon (Ancestral Carvings), Seed of the Dark Forest
475 - Minotaur Chieftain, Greater Totem Bearer, Battle Standard Bearer, Light Armour
(Aaghor's Affliction), Great Weapon
325 - 3 Raiding Chariots
303 - 29 Wildhorn Herd, Shield, Standard Bearer (Legion Standard), Musician, Champion
(Totem Bearer (Gnarled Hide))
273 - 18 Wildhorn Herd, Paired Weapons and Throwing Weapons , Ambush, Musician
642 - 6 Minotaurs, Shield, Standard Bearer (Banner of Speed), Musician, Champion (Totem
Bearer (Black Wing))
240 - Razortusk Chariot
170 - 10 Longhorn Herd, Ambush, Halberd, Musician
160 - 10 Longhorn Herd, Ambush, Halberd
150 - 5 Gargoyles, Scout
140 - 5 Gargoyles
115 - Raiding Chariots
115 - Raiding Chariots
115 - Raiding Chariots
4498

So there’s 3 big monsters and a unit of trolls to contend with, I worry that that is too much for the Minotaurs and the characters to fight through. It should be an interesting fight between the Trolls and the Minotaurs, the Minos should win that fight but you never know when it comes to special saves. The Goblin King on the Gargantula could prove problematic, the Minotaur unit on its own should be able to kill it pretty quickly but if the Mino Lord is in the unit I would most likely have to decline a duel to allow them all to attack, it outs the Mino Lord at risk but I think he can take one round of attacks from the Gargantula, providing the Venomous Fangs attack doesn’t go through. In my Game 2 against Ed I had to fight a Great Green Idol and that proved a tough nut to crack, having to fight two might be a little too much for the Mino Lord on his own. I’m thinking I need to keep the Minotaur characters in the unit for this game, there’s too much nasty stuff out there that they can’t risk getting into a fight with.

The real thing that concerns me in the list is that Goblin King on Huntsman Spider, he’s packing a 1+ Rerollable Armour Save! He has the Heroes Heart so he has 5 attacks at S5 AP3 with Poison attacks too! That King is super quick and mobile and if he gets around the back of my army then I’m in trouble as he could easily kill my chariots one by one. I don’t think he can stand up to any of my characters though, the Minos will make short work of him and the Soothsayer should be able to handle him so I’ll win from static combat res and break him.

The Feral Orcs units are too small to really concern me, they are the only real target for my chariots as the I can’t see the chariots doing any real damage to the monsters or trolls. The Minotaurs will go right through small units of 20 and the Wildhorn should be able to beat them in a one on one combat. The Shaman general is a real weakness in the Orc list I think, he is very susceptible to the being frenzy baited and he has no real defence besides his 5++ Aegis, I think a cheeky Totemic Summon could do a number on him if I’m lucky. With the Crown of Autocracy he’s a big point sink and is also the main caster, so killing him quickly would be a real plus.

The Scenario for this game is King of the Hill and the deployment is Encircle. With 4 scoring units in the Orc army it may prove difficult to stop all them from getting on their objective. I plan on just launching the Minotaurs straight at my objective as well as an ambusher or two.

Deployment

We roll for sides and Ali wins… [Read More]

Hello

Welcome back to my journey at UK Masters 2021. After a super embarrassing round 4 it’s time to pick myself up and crack on with round 5. This time I was drawn against the Infernal Dwarves being pushed about by Jake Corteen from Team England. This will be my third game against Jake’s ID in the last 6 months, we always seem to end up drawn against each other and in our two previous games he has beaten me both times (16-4 and 17-3). I’m out for revenge this time though, I have actually learnt a lot from our previous games and even though I think ID is a real bad match up for me I don’t think I will lose this one by as big a margin as last time.

So this is Jake’s list:
835 - Prophet, General, Prophet of Shamut, Great Bull of Shamut, Wizard Master,
Occultism, Infernal Weapon, Obsidian Rock
385 - Prophet, Prophet of Ashuruk, Wizard Adept, Alchemy, Pyromancy, Binding Scroll,
Essence of a Free Mind
330 - Vizier, Shield (Willow's Ward), Battle Standard Bearer (Aether Icon), Alchemist's Alloy,
Spear, Breath of the Brass Bull, Unflame
501 - 24 Infernal Warriors, Ziggurat Regulars, Blunderbuss , Musician, Champion
190 - 20 Vassal Levies, Paired Weapons, Standard Bearer (Banner of the Relentless
Company)
190 - 20 Vassal Levies, Paired Weapons, Standard Bearer (Banner of the Relentless
Company)
125 - 20 Shackled Slaves, Paired Weapons
125 - 20 Shackled Slaves, Paired Weapons
574 - 23 Immortals, Spear, Standard Bearer (Blessed Icon of Zalaman Tekash), Musician,
Champion
442 - 5 Kadim Incarnates, Champion
315 - 3 Taurukh Anointed, Great Weapon, Musician, Champion
485 - Infernal Engine, Naphtha Thrower (Steel Juggernaut, Kadim Blessed)
4497

Here’s my list for those that haven’t seen it:
705 - Minotaur Warlord, General, Light Armour (Destiny's Call), Paired Weapons (Blessed
Inscriptions), Obsidian Rock, Crown of Horns
570 - Soothsayer, Wizard Master, Shamanism, Light Armour (Trickster's Cunning), Hand
Weapon (Ancestral Carvings), Seed of the Dark Forest
475 - Minotaur Chieftain, Greater Totem Bearer, Battle Standard Bearer, Light Armour
(Aaghor's Affliction), Great Weapon
325 - 3 Raiding Chariots
303 - 29 Wildhorn Herd, Shield, Standard Bearer (Legion Standard), Musician, Champion
(Totem Bearer (Gnarled Hide))
273 - 18 Wildhorn Herd, Paired Weapons and Throwing Weapons , Ambush, Musician
642 - 6 Minotaurs, Shield, Standard Bearer (Banner of Speed), Musician, Champion (Totem
Bearer (Black Wing))
240 - Razortusk Chariot
170 - 10 Longhorn Herd, Ambush, Halberd, Musician
160 - 10 Longhorn Herd, Ambush, Halberd
150 - 5 Gargoyles, Scout
140 - 5 Gargoyles
115 - Raiding Chariots
115 - Raiding Chariots
115 - Raiding Chariots
4498

So this Infernal Dwarf list is quite different from what Jake has been using all year and I think this is the weakest list he has taken so far. I am not overly scared of the Prophet on the Great Bull as he is on Occultism and as the spell range is so short he will have to get close with him to do any real damage. So I need to make sure that the Great Bull can’t get around me by zoning it with Chariots and the Minotaurs.

The Infernal Engine is always a headache for the Beast Herds I find, the only answer I have to it is the Minotaurs. The Minotaur Warlord can solo it and should kill it in two rounds of combat but only if he’s given a chance to charge it. In the last game we fought Jake had two Infernal Engines, one with the Naptha Thrower and the other with the Titan Mortar, the Mino Warlord managed to kill the Titan Mortar but the Naptha Thrower was still going at the end of the game, so this is a continuation from our last game in my eyes with the Mino Warlord out for revenge against the horrid defeat I suffered last time.

Also in our last battle Jake had a unit of Immortals with the Vizier BSB in but with an Overlord. I a moment of madness I forgot about the Unflame on the BSB and ended up charging them with the Minotaurs and I got absolutely slaughtered as I was striking last due to the agility penalty from Unflame. I probably don’t want to repeat that this game but now that the unit doesn’t have the Overlord in with the Onyx Core the Minotaurs might stand a good chance of murdering the unit.

The Taurukh Anointed will be a tough nut to crack with their Res 5, I think that my Raiding Chariots will just bounce off them and as they have Great Weapons they’ll just murder a chariot in return. The Kadim Incarnates are also very dangerous for my army, none of my infantry can go anywhere near them, they will eat their way through the Wildhorn or any of my ambushers, even chariots will struggle against them. The Minotaurs can easily take down both the Kadim Incarnates and the Taurukh Anointed but, they can’t fight everything in the ID army.

The Slaves are there mostly to give flaming attacks to the Infernal Warriors and the Immortals, plus soak up some Dangerous Terrain checks. Although Jake doesn’t have the usual methods of giving out flammable markers like Vassal Levies with bows or the Vassal… [Read More]