Wednesday, 30 December 2009
Centurion
This model involved a fair amount of conversion. I extended his ridiculously short spear, added some piping to power the piston action, and pinned the banner from the Stomclad on top. 
Sword Knights and Unit Attachment
December has been pretty busy with all the usual holiday stuff. I did manage to finally finish my Swordknights and the UA though. I've been working on this unit off and on for about three months so it's nice to get them out of my hair at last.
Friday, 27 November 2009
Vyros vs Stryker
Retribution of Scyrah vs Cygnar – 35 Points
Still no Hordes field test so it’s Warmachine again. This time we’re actually doing a scenario – No Man’s Land.
Retribution
Cygnar
Set Up
The table had two hills on the left side with a stand of trees beside them. The far right of the table was a large skull hill with a ruin on top of it.
Defenstrator won the roll to go first so he placed the Long Gunners just behind the hill with the Lancer beside them. Stryker and the Centurion were in the middle of the board and the Sword Knights and Storm Blades formed a block on the right of the field with Rupert.
On my side I placed the Invictors below the hill with their jack marshalled Griffon and the Soulless Escort beside them. Vyros took the middle of the table with the Manticore a little behind him and the Phoenix beside him. The Arcanist, Narn and the Magistar were to the right of the deployment zone.
Cygnar Turn 1
Stryker gave 1 Focus to the Centurion and to the Lancer. The Centurion used the
Focus to run forward to the skull hill. The Sword Knights ran forward to surround the Centurion and the Storm Blades followed them. The Long Gunners ran onto the hill and the Lancer ran through the trees.
Stryker cast Snipe on the Long Gunners and Blur on the Sword Knights before moving behind the Storm Blades. Rupert followed him and piped Dirge of Mists to give the Sword Knights +1 DEF and Terror.
Retribution Turn 1
Vyros assigned 2 Focus to both the Manticore and the Phoenix. He then cast Mobility and moved forward.
The Invictors ran to the hill and the Soulless Escort moved into the trees.
The Manticore walked forward and shot at the Sword Knights but missed. The Phoenix walked forward to shoot the same unit but it also missed. The deviation on its weapon wandered off harmlessly.
Narn moved in front of Vyros, the Arcanist moved behind the Phoenix and the Magistar moved up beside it. The Griffon followed up behind the Manticore.
Cygnar Turn 2
Stryker upkept Snipe and Blur and assigned no focus.
The Long Gunners attaked the Griffon with two Combined Ranged Attacks but only did 11 points to remove its generator.
Stryker cast Arcane Shield on the Centurion and Snipe on himself before moving behind the Sword Knights and shooting the Manticore. He didn’t do any damage to the Myrmidon but he did disrupt it.
The Centurion walked out from the skull hill and activated its Polarity Field to prevent charges. The Sword Knights moved toward the Manticore and the Storm Blades fanned out between the Centurion and Stryker. Rupert continued giving the Sword Knights +1 DEF and Terror. The Lancer moved behind the Sword Knights.
Retribution Turn 2
Vyros gave the Phoenix 2 Focus.
The Magistar gestured toward the Centurion and moved it forward 1”. It was a critical hit so the ‘jack was now knocked down. Narn moved toward the Manticore and shot the Sword Knights but missed.
Vyros cast Mobility and then cast Inviolable Resolve on the Invictors. The Arcanist encourage the Phoenix to do +2 DAM and then the Myrmidon walked forward to the Centurion. It did an uninspiring 8 points of damage.
The Invictors tried to shoot the Long Gunners but discovered they were short on the first volley and switched to the Sword Knights where they were able to kill two Knights.
The Griffon simply moved forward. The Manticore moved forward to engage the Sword Knights. Following the example the Phoenix had set, it did no damage.
Cygnar Turn 3
Stryker upkept Arcane Shield and gave 3 Focus to the Centurion. The ‘jack immediately shook off being knocked down.
The Lancer moved forward to engage the Manticore and did no damage. The Centurion attacked the Phoenix for 24 points, removing the energy field and both arms. The Sword Knights charged the Manticore, Phoenix and Narn. Most of them did no damage but they did manage to disable the Phoenix. The Storm Blades charged the Manticore for a total of 12 points of damage. Rupert changed his tune to give the Storm Blades Tough and Fearless.
Stryker chose to use his feat to give his army Invincibility and cast Snipe on the Long Gunners. The Long Gunners shot the Invictors some more and killed 5 of them.
Retribution Turn 3
Vyros upkept Inviolable Resolve and chose not to assign Focus.
The Invictors ordered the Griffon to charge the Lancer but it missed. Vyros charged the ‘jack and was able to do enough damage to leave it with 2 points. He then used his feat to give the Manticore Perfect Execution. The Invictors moved forward and the Soulles Escort trailed behind toward the Griffon. Unfortunately they were still too far back to do anything.
Narn charged the Sword Knights and killed one. He then leapt over all Defenstrator’s Cygnar to engage Rupert and a Storm Blade. The Arcanist charged a Sword Knight and killed it with his wrench. The Magistar charged and killed another Storm Blade but missed the second. These three models managed to fill the Manticore with Focus. The Myrmidon used one of those to give itself +3 STR and then killed two Storm Blades and two Sword Knights.
Cygnar Turn 4
Stryker assigned 3 Focus to the Centurion and dropped all his upkeep spells. He then moved in beside the Storm Blades and cast Earthquake to knock down the Griffon, Manticore, Vyros and the Lancer. The Strom Blades surrounded the group of fallen Retribution and shot Vyros with their POW 14 ranged attacks.
Afterword
Myantek
I was utterly unimpressed with my ability to judge distance with my Invictors. I made the mistake of trying to get involved with a shooting war and failed miserably. Once I saw the Long Gunners were going for a hill I should have put my shooting unit on the other side of the table. They probably could have done something to the Sword Knights. I’m not sure about jack marshalling the Griffon to them either. I thought that with Vyros’ small amount of Focus that I could save him some grief by taking the light ‘jack on. Next time I think I’ll leave it in Vyros’ battlegroup.
Vyros, on the other hand, is more of a beat stick than I’m used to. I’m going to have to be careful not to overextend him and leave him defenceless. Narn’s the same. I could get used to those two.
Defenstrator
Well that was a pretty straightforward game. I got to shoot stuff up and switch up various upkeeps with Stryker, and finished it with a classic pop and drop. One thing I liked was the straight forward nature of the army. With only one UA and one solo I felt I had a good sized force. With two reach jacks flank even came up a bit, although the damage output of the superior Stormblades overshadowed the Sword Knights. I do have to say that Myantek’s army was one that Stryker is suited to fight. I fought another Retribution force with this army and Mage Hunters tore it apart, since Blur did nothing and their shooting unit had Stealth which I could do nothing about.
Still no Hordes field test so it’s Warmachine again. This time we’re actually doing a scenario – No Man’s Land.
Retribution
- Vyros
- Griffon
- Manticore
- Phoenix
- 10 Invictors with UA and Soulless Escort
- Arcanist
- Magistar
- Narn
Cygnar
- Stryker
- Centurion
- Lancer
- 10 Long Gunners
- 10 Sword Knights
- 6 Storm Blades with UA
- Rupert
Set Up
The table had two hills on the left side with a stand of trees beside them. The far right of the table was a large skull hill with a ruin on top of it.
Defenstrator won the roll to go first so he placed the Long Gunners just behind the hill with the Lancer beside them. Stryker and the Centurion were in the middle of the board and the Sword Knights and Storm Blades formed a block on the right of the field with Rupert.
On my side I placed the Invictors below the hill with their jack marshalled Griffon and the Soulless Escort beside them. Vyros took the middle of the table with the Manticore a little behind him and the Phoenix beside him. The Arcanist, Narn and the Magistar were to the right of the deployment zone.
Cygnar Turn 1
Stryker gave 1 Focus to the Centurion and to the Lancer. The Centurion used the
Focus to run forward to the skull hill. The Sword Knights ran forward to surround the Centurion and the Storm Blades followed them. The Long Gunners ran onto the hill and the Lancer ran through the trees.Stryker cast Snipe on the Long Gunners and Blur on the Sword Knights before moving behind the Storm Blades. Rupert followed him and piped Dirge of Mists to give the Sword Knights +1 DEF and Terror.
Retribution Turn 1
Vyros assigned 2 Focus to both the Manticore and the Phoenix. He then cast Mobility and moved forward.
The Invictors ran to the hill and the Soulless Escort moved into the trees.
The Manticore walked forward and shot at the Sword Knights but missed. The Phoenix walked forward to shoot the same unit but it also missed. The deviation on its weapon wandered off harmlessly.
Narn moved in front of Vyros, the Arcanist moved behind the Phoenix and the Magistar moved up beside it. The Griffon followed up behind the Manticore.
Cygnar Turn 2
Stryker upkept Snipe and Blur and assigned no focus.
The Long Gunners attaked the Griffon with two Combined Ranged Attacks but only did 11 points to remove its generator.
Stryker cast Arcane Shield on the Centurion and Snipe on himself before moving behind the Sword Knights and shooting the Manticore. He didn’t do any damage to the Myrmidon but he did disrupt it.
The Centurion walked out from the skull hill and activated its Polarity Field to prevent charges. The Sword Knights moved toward the Manticore and the Storm Blades fanned out between the Centurion and Stryker. Rupert continued giving the Sword Knights +1 DEF and Terror. The Lancer moved behind the Sword Knights.
Retribution Turn 2
Vyros gave the Phoenix 2 Focus.
The Magistar gestured toward the Centurion and moved it forward 1”. It was a critical hit so the ‘jack was now knocked down. Narn moved toward the Manticore and shot the Sword Knights but missed.
Vyros cast Mobility and then cast Inviolable Resolve on the Invictors. The Arcanist encourage the Phoenix to do +2 DAM and then the Myrmidon walked forward to the Centurion. It did an uninspiring 8 points of damage.
The Invictors tried to shoot the Long Gunners but discovered they were short on the first volley and switched to the Sword Knights where they were able to kill two Knights.
The Griffon simply moved forward. The Manticore moved forward to engage the Sword Knights. Following the example the Phoenix had set, it did no damage.
Cygnar Turn 3
Stryker upkept Arcane Shield and gave 3 Focus to the Centurion. The ‘jack immediately shook off being knocked down.
The Lancer moved forward to engage the Manticore and did no damage. The Centurion attacked the Phoenix for 24 points, removing the energy field and both arms. The Sword Knights charged the Manticore, Phoenix and Narn. Most of them did no damage but they did manage to disable the Phoenix. The Storm Blades charged the Manticore for a total of 12 points of damage. Rupert changed his tune to give the Storm Blades Tough and Fearless.
Stryker chose to use his feat to give his army Invincibility and cast Snipe on the Long Gunners. The Long Gunners shot the Invictors some more and killed 5 of them.
Retribution Turn 3
Vyros upkept Inviolable Resolve and chose not to assign Focus.
The Invictors ordered the Griffon to charge the Lancer but it missed. Vyros charged the ‘jack and was able to do enough damage to leave it with 2 points. He then used his feat to give the Manticore Perfect Execution. The Invictors moved forward and the Soulles Escort trailed behind toward the Griffon. Unfortunately they were still too far back to do anything.
Narn charged the Sword Knights and killed one. He then leapt over all Defenstrator’s Cygnar to engage Rupert and a Storm Blade. The Arcanist charged a Sword Knight and killed it with his wrench. The Magistar charged and killed another Storm Blade but missed the second. These three models managed to fill the Manticore with Focus. The Myrmidon used one of those to give itself +3 STR and then killed two Storm Blades and two Sword Knights.
Cygnar Turn 4
Stryker assigned 3 Focus to the Centurion and dropped all his upkeep spells. He then moved in beside the Storm Blades and cast Earthquake to knock down the Griffon, Manticore, Vyros and the Lancer. The Strom Blades surrounded the group of fallen Retribution and shot Vyros with their POW 14 ranged attacks.
Afterword
Myantek
I was utterly unimpressed with my ability to judge distance with my Invictors. I made the mistake of trying to get involved with a shooting war and failed miserably. Once I saw the Long Gunners were going for a hill I should have put my shooting unit on the other side of the table. They probably could have done something to the Sword Knights. I’m not sure about jack marshalling the Griffon to them either. I thought that with Vyros’ small amount of Focus that I could save him some grief by taking the light ‘jack on. Next time I think I’ll leave it in Vyros’ battlegroup.
Vyros, on the other hand, is more of a beat stick than I’m used to. I’m going to have to be careful not to overextend him and leave him defenceless. Narn’s the same. I could get used to those two.
Defenstrator
Well that was a pretty straightforward game. I got to shoot stuff up and switch up various upkeeps with Stryker, and finished it with a classic pop and drop. One thing I liked was the straight forward nature of the army. With only one UA and one solo I felt I had a good sized force. With two reach jacks flank even came up a bit, although the damage output of the superior Stormblades overshadowed the Sword Knights. I do have to say that Myantek’s army was one that Stryker is suited to fight. I fought another Retribution force with this army and Mage Hunters tore it apart, since Blur did nothing and their shooting unit had Stealth which I could do nothing about.
Sunday, 8 November 2009
Siege vs Kaelyssa
Cygnar vs Retribution of Scyrah - 35 points.
The Phoenix is truely an awesome Myrmidon. This was my first opportunity to field it and I don't think it'll be the last. I don't know if it's really the best 'jack for Kaelyssa's force as I've really enjoyed the shooting from the Manticore. I certainly don't need a Chimera and a Phoenix in the same army. So for the 'jack I'm least impressed with is the Griffon. I'm still looking for how to use it.
Myantek and I played a straight caster kill game. I tried out Siege again with a slightly modified list, while she loaded up on jacks to bulk out her army.
Cygnar
Major Markus "Siege" Brisbane
Squire
Reinholdt
Defender
Black 13th Gun Mage Strike Team
Trenchers (Minimum)
3xGrenediers Weapon Attachment
Officer and Sniper Unit Attachment
Trencher Cannon Crew (Chain Gun Proxie)
Trencher Cannon Crew (Chain Gun Proxie)
2xStromsmiths (Stormguard Proxie)
Captian Maxwell Finn (Journeyman Proxie)
Retribution of Scyrah
Kaelyssa, Night's Whisper
Phoenix
Manticore
Griffon
Chimera
Dawnguard Invictors
Dawnguard Invictor Officer and Standard Unit Attachment
Souless Escort Weapon Attachment
Arcanist
Setup
The game was caster kill. On eah side was a small hill, with a forest in opposite corners and rough terrain and a building in the centre. Myantek set up first and put the Phoenix on the left flank with Kaelyssa central and the Chimera, Manticore and Griffon on the right. The Invictors were behind the Griffon while the Arcansit supported the Manticore
I set up with a Stromsmith and the Defender facing off against the Phoenix, Siege/Reinholdt/Squire centre right, and then the Black 13th and other Stormsmith. The Trenchers, Trencher Cannons, and Finn were advance deployed in front of them.
Turn 1
Retribution
The Griffon and Chimera are assigned 1 focus each. The Phoenix advances forward while the Griffon and Chimera run to the centre building. Kaeylssa casts Phantom Hunter on the Manticore and advances. The Manticore and Arcanist advance as well while the Invictors run into position on the hill.
Cygnar
The Defender is assigned 1 focus. Trencher Cannon #2 shoots at the Invictors but is just short and the deviation hits nothing. Trencher Cannon #1 shoots through an opening in the building at the Chimera but also does nothing. The Defender advances but is still shot is still short of the Phoenix. The Trenchers Cautiously Advance while the B13th run up behind them. Bothe the Stormsmiths adavnce forward, with Stormsmith #2 moving inot the forest template. Finn moves in ahead of him. Siege them goes and advances, puts Foxhole on the B13th, and manages to shoot the Chimera, only doing a point of damage. Reinholdt and the Squire move up behind him.
Turn 2
Retribution
The Chimera Apparates around the corner of the building. Kaelysaa upkeeps Phantom Hunter and assigns 2 focus to the Manticore and 1 to the Phoenix. The Phoenix advances and shoots Stormsmith #1. The Invictors begin by using their mini-feat to gain 4" of range. They then advance and kill one of the crew members of Trencher Cannon #2 and 2 Trenchers. The Manticore advances as well and with a bit of luck manages to kill 3 Trenchers with unboosted shots. Kaelyssa arcs an Arcantrik Bolt at the Trenchers through the Chimera in order to try and force a CMD check, but it misses due to them being Dug In. She then feats with the Vanishing, meaning that models in her CTRL area have Stealth and cannot be charged. The Chimera then retreated to safety behind the building while the Griffon advanced to screen the Invictors.
Cygnar
The Defender recieves 2 focus and Siege pulls 1 focus off the Squire. Finn advances and guns down two Invictors which are out of range of Stealth. Trencher Cannon #2 kills another non-Stealthed Invictor. Reinholdt reloads so that Siege can shoot twice this turn. Siege casts Mage Sight and shoots twice at the Manticore. The first shot misses while the second does 8 points to its generator field. The Defender follows up with a boosted shot at the Manticore which destroys its generator. The B13th are trapped behind the Trenchers and can't get close enough to get a shot at the Manticore, so the Trenchers throw Smoke to block LOS. Stormsmith #2 Disrupts the Manticore while Trencher Cannon #1 shoots, but with Stealth the shot misses and the AOE scatters to hit nothing.
Turn 3
Retribution
Kaelyssa upkeeps Phantom Hunter and assigns 1 focus to the Phoenix. The Chimera Apparates back around the corner again. The Arcanist advances and fixes 5 points of damage on the Manticore putting the field generator back on line. The Manticore aims, shoots, and kills Stormsmith #2. The rear Invictors move up and then the unit shoots at Finn, who makes three tough rolls but then fails his fourth and dies. The Phoenix runs to engage the Defender but is not engaged himself due to reach. Kaelyssa then arcs Arcantrick Bolt through the Phoenix and makes the Defender Stationary after doing 6 points of damage. The Griffon moves up beside the Chimera.
Cygnar
Siege pulls a focus from the Squire and then assigns 3 focus to the Defender, which then spends one to shake off Stationary. Reinholdt lets Siege shoot twice. Siege feats with Breach which halves a targets ARM on its first hit, casts Explosivo on himself, and vaporises the Manticore. The Explosive 3"AOE kills the Arcanist and 1 Invictor. Siege's second shot does 8 points to the Griffon, although 6 points of that are just the generator field. Trencher Cannon #1 shoots the Chimera and does 13 points to it. The Trenchers then Assault the Chimera and Griffon. Their attacks overwhelm the Chimera and scrap it but the Griffon hangs tough behind its ARM 18. The B13th advance and Ryan kills 4 Invictos with her 4" template. The other two B13 manage to pick off the Invictors officer. The Invictors test against CMD for caualties and pass. Trencher Cannon #2 misses the Invictors and its AOE bounces off since they are out of Siege's CTRL area. The Defender pounds on the Phoenix and manages to cripple its open fist.
Turn 4
Retribution
Phoenix is assigned 3 focus and regenerates 6 points of its power field. Kaelyssa moves to the building, gets line of sight through the gap, and Arcantrick Bolts the Defender for 6 more points. The Phoenix hammers the Stationary Defender but doesn't manage to cripple any systems. The Griffon manages to kill the Trencher Sniper. while the Invictors aim and pick off Ryan and Watts.
Cygnar
Siege pulls a focus from the Squire and then assigns 3 focus to the Defender, which then spends 1 focus to shake off Stationary. The Defender keeps pounding on the Phoenix but only manages to cripple its cortex due to the shock hammer. Trencher Cannon #2 manages to kill an Invictor. While Lynch, the remaining B13th member, picks off another Invictor. Trencher Cannon #1 tries to hit Kaelyssa but unsurprisingly misses. Reinholdt lets Siege shoot twice. Siege then Ground Pounders Kaelyssa for 8 points and then shoots into combat to pick of the Phoenix. The Squire stands in front of Siege. The Trenchers all bounce off the Griffon.
Turn 5
Retribution
Kaelyssa casts Phantom Hunter on herself and advances into the open. She shoots Siege for 8 points of damage. The Invictors miss the last Black 13th member while the Griffon impales another Trencher.
Cygnar
Siege assigns 3 focus to the Defender. Reinholdt lets him shoot twice. Siege aims but his first shot misses and his second only does 4 damage. Trencher Cannon #1 misses and the AOE hits nothing. The Defender walks over and misses its boosted attack, buys another one and hits with its second boosted attack, killing Kaelyssa.
Afterward
Defenstrator
Well I did alot better than game than I did against Indy, but then again I didn't have to deal with Mage Hunters either. I also kept Siege back more this game which let his shooting come more into play. I have to say that Reinholdt + Siege seems kind of wrong. It's one thing to get even another hand cannon shot. A range 14" POW 14 after Ground Pounder just seems like insult on top of injury. He did a huge amount of damage to Myantek's army by himself.
The Trencher Cannons yet again did almost nothing. The first one got the one good hit on the Chimera while the other killed 2 Invictors. Not a 6 point return in my opinion.
The B13th gutted the Invictors but their DEF 15 wasn't enough to save them from return fire. I had planned to use Trencher smoke to have their Prowl give them Stealth, but the Trenchers were all occupied. In the past I have used Gorman as a dedicated smoke provider and I think I may again in the future.
The Trenchers were alright vs lower ARM but that ARM 18 Griffon proved too much for them. Again they seemed a bit too expensive considering how much they added to the fight.
Myantek
Too many Myrmidons. It's all I have together for the moment (and still so the next game is more punishment for slacking on building) so I made due. Unfortunately there were too many times were I felt hamstrung by lack of Focus; either on Kaelyssa or on the 'jacks.
The Phoenix is truely an awesome Myrmidon. This was my first opportunity to field it and I don't think it'll be the last. I don't know if it's really the best 'jack for Kaelyssa's force as I've really enjoyed the shooting from the Manticore. I certainly don't need a Chimera and a Phoenix in the same army. So for the 'jack I'm least impressed with is the Griffon. I'm still looking for how to use it.
The Arcanist and the Invictors didn't disappoint but I'm not sure about the Souless Escort. I don't think the Invictors are the best unit to attach him to, especially considering Defenstrator's lack of offensive magic. Once I get the Sentinals built I think the Souless will get more use.
All in all, I think this battle was closer than it looked. The only thing that was really doing damage was Siege. It had turned into a grindhouse and I was slowly being ground down.
Monday, 2 November 2009
Siege vs Adeptis Rahn
Cygnar vs Retribution of Scyrah- 35 point battle
Indy and I have had a few more games now and started to try out some of our less used stuff. This battle had a fair amount of proxied models in it
Cygnar
Major Markus "Siege" Brisbane
Squire
Reinholdt
Defender
Black 13th Gun Mage Strike Team
Trenchers (6)
2xGrenedier Weapon Attachments
Officer & Sniper Unit Attachment
Trencher Cannon Crew (Chain Gun Proxie)
Trencher Cannon Crew (Chain Gun Proxie)
Captain Maxwell Finn (Journeyman Proxie)
Eiryss
Retribution of Scyrah
Adeptis Rahn (Holt Proxie)
Phoenix
Manticore
Mage Hunter Strike Force (10)
Force Commander Unit Attachment
Dawnguard Sentinels (6)
Officer and Standard Unit Attachment
House Shyeel Magister
House Shyeel Magister
Arcanist
Setup
The scenario was No Man's Land. A strip 8" wide goes across the baord. Starting at the beginning of turn 3 if you do not have models in the strip and you opponent does you lose the game.
The battlefield had a rise on each side along with a forest template. In the centre were rock formations and a building which bisected the battlefield. On the far left was Finn (played by Junior), then Siege and his posse of Reinholdt and the Squire behind a Trencher Cannon. On the other side of the building were the Defender and Black 13th, with the Trencher unit and second Cannon in front of them. Eiryss held the far right.
The Retribution had the Mage Hunters opposite Siege with the Manticore centre and behind them. Rahn (Holt) is in the centre with the Sentinels and Phoenix further right. The Arcanist and Magisters are behind the Sentinels.
Turn 1
Cygnar
Siege assigns 1 focus to the Defender. Finn runs to the far left while Eiryss runs to the far right. Siege & Co. advance along with Trencher Cannon #1. Siege casts Mage Sight in front of the Mage Hunters to discourgage them from advancing too far. The Trenchers Cautiously Advance, which lets them move and Dig In, while the Defender runs up behind. I forget to move the Black 13th for some reason.
Retribution
Rahn assigns 1 focus to the Manticore. The Sentinels run. Arcanist advances and gives a focus to the Phoenix. The Phoenix runs. Rahn moves into control range with the Phoenix and casts Chain Blast at Eiryss. It misses due to stealth but the blast catches her. A bad damage roll means that she only takes 2 damage points. Rahn then casts Polarity field on the Sentinels and camps on 1 focus. The Magisters advance as do the Mage Hunters, who then proceed to shoot straight through the building to kill the Sniper and a Trencher.
Turn 2
Cygnar
Siege assigns nothing as it turns out I ran my Defender just out of range. He also grabs a focus from the Squire. Eiryss begins by backing off and shooting a Disruptor Bolt into the Phoenix. Reinholdt gives Siege the ability to shoot twice, and then Siege advances forward to Ground Pounder the Mage Hunters into submission. The dice are against me though, and even when boosting all my attack rolls I only kill 2 Mage Hunters, although one is the Commander. Sieges second shot then proceeds to miss the Manticore. Trying to kill them while he can, and knowing they ignore camped focus, Siege casts Rift at the Mage Hunters. It misses due to Stealth and then manages to perfectly deviate so that the AOE hits no one. Trencher Cannon #1 then shoots at the Mage Hunters but also misses with its AOE. Finn runs forward to help take the heat of Siege. On the other side Trencher Cannon #2 kills a Sentinel. The Trenchers Cautiously Advance and pump CRA death into the Sentinels, killing 5 and doing a wound to the Officer. The Defender aims and shoots the Officer, but a terrible damage roll leaves his target at 1 wound, which means the remaining 3 still have Vengence. The Black 13th advance and Lynch picks off a Mage Hunter with Snipe.
Retribution
Rahn assigns 3 focus to the Manticore and the remaining Sentinels advance 3" due to Vengence. The Mage Hunters kill two Trenchers, bounce off Siege, and box Finn, but the good Captain makes two Tough rolls and survives. The Phoenix advances and Combusts, incinerating two more Trenchers. The Sentinels follow up and charge, killing two more Trenchers, who fortunately pass their CMD check. The Arcanist puts Concentrated Power on the Manticore, giving it +2 to melee damage rolls. Rahn then uses Arcane Alignment (his feat) and uses Telekinesis to move the Manticore and Magister #2. Magister #1 advances and shoots Siege with a Force Bolt, hitting due to the extended range and boosted attack roll granted by the feat. Siege is not hurt but is dragged 3" towards the Magister. Magister #2 attempts the same but misses. It is still enough. The Manticore, now in range, charges Siege. The first boosted attack knocks him down to one wound, but the second boosted attack misses and the game goes to round three.
Turn 3
Cygnar
Siege has been dragged out of range of both the Defender and the Squire. All he can do is camp on his focus. Finn stands up and manages to miss the Mage Hunters standing in front of him with his machine gun. Trencher Cannon #1 shoots at the Mage Hunters but again its deviation catches nothing. The Squire advances to provide benefit to Siege again. Siege feats with Breach, meaning that all enemies in his control area are at half armour against the first hit. He then opens a can of whup ass on the Manticore, using all his focus but managing to scrap it. Reinholdt shows uncharacteristic bravery and runs to try and block access to Siege. On the other side of the battlefield Eiryss Disrupts the Phoenix again while the three remaining Trenchers only manage to kill one Sentinel. The Black 13th use Black Penny to pick off the remaining two. Trencher Cannon #2 manages to miss the Phoenix while the aiming Defenders shot goes wide of the Arcanist.
Retribution
Rahn assigns nothing due to disruption on the Phoenix. The Mage Hunters end the game by first doing 11 points of damage to the Defender, and then a single point to Siege.
Afterward
Not to take away from my opponent, but I really didn't play well that game. The idea was to make the Cannons effective by making them effective RAT 9 with Siege. But the Cannon that was +2 RAT was auto missing due to the Stealth on the Mage Hunters. I forgot to move the Black 13th first turn and that hurt as well. They might have been able to finish off the Sentinels or put more of a hurting on the Mage Hunters. Plus running the Defender out of Siege's control area was just careless. That said I'll do a quick run down on the units.
Siege- Kicked ass. I had some bad luck on hitting the Mage Hunters, but he still killed more than anybody else in my army and single handedly destroyed the Manticore. I thought I was safe advancing him and sure enough the Mage Hunters did nothing. I didn't count on suddenly being dragged forward, something I will have to watch out for against Rahn in the future.
Trencher Cannons- Did almost nothing. On the one side it auto-missed and on the other it got one shot off against a decent target before everything was engaged. They didn't die, which is something, but I can't help but feel that their survival had less to do with positioning and more to do with how unthreatening Indy found them.
Finn- Lived which is something, but didn't do a whole lot either. He's pretty easy to kill aside from those tough rolls.
Eiryss- Was solid. She Disrupted the Phoenix and was able to count as being in No Man's Land while circling around to get a money shot on Rhan.
Reinholdt & Squire- were both solid. I have to say that I would dump the Squire before Reinholdt with Siege.
Defender- Didn't do alot, but part of that was because out of three rounds he was only in Sieges control area for the first.
Black 13th- I forgot to move these guys first turn and they still accomplished more than both of my Cannons combined. Hard to argue with that.
Trenchers- The UA was nice becuase it meant that the Trenchers were always Dug In. Unfortunately being Dug In didn't mean much against the Retribution army. The Mage Hunters didn't care, the Sentinels go for melee, and the Phoenix has Combustion. It would be probably better against another army, and it did mean that Rhan wasn't casting Chain Blast at them. I did find that having the UA means you are unlikely to smoke though. If you Cautious Advance then making a regular combat action is all you can do after Digging In, so it felt like I didn't really have smoke at all. The Grenediers were nice and I can recommend them. Not because I used their pathetic AOE, but because they have one and are cheaper than regulr Trenchers. If you want to bulk out a Trencher unit always buys them before paying 11 points for the full 10 Trenchers. Because of them and the UA I was able to have a ten man unit for 12 points that had two AOE attacks, a Sniper, and an Officer, compared to ten ordinary Trenchers for 11 points.
Thursday, 29 October 2009
Stryker, Squire, and Battlegroup
So after having my Cygnar box for years I have finally painted Stryker. I did the Squire at the same time because he is easy and gets used pretty often. The silver metals were done with GW paints. Boltgun Metal was washed with Badab Black, then highlighted with Boltgun Metal, Chainmail and Mithril Silver. The bronze was Privateer Molten Bronze highlighted with Brazen Brass, then washed with GW Ogryn Flesh. All the metals were then washed again with Badab Black. The blue is a base of Necron Abyss, highlighted with Mordian Blue and a Mordian Blue/Enchanted Blue mix. The Yellow is a base of Macharius Solar Orange covered with Golden Yellow and highlighted with Sunburst Yellow.
Friday, 23 October 2009
Battle Box Battle II - Kaelyssa vs Ashlynn
MK II Retribution vs Highborn Covenant
So I'm still putting together my Retribution force and still learning to play Warmachine so we stuck to the simple yet again. Defenstrator is testing out his various warcasters under the new MK II rules as well so it's a learning experience for both of us.
Retribution
Kaelyssa, Night's Whisper
Chimera
Griffon
Manticore
Highborn Covenant
Ashlynn D'Elyse
Vanguard
Talon
Mule
Set Up
Defenstrator set up the table and left a lot of open space on it. On the near left there was a small ruin with a stand of trees near it. The trees were mirrored on the far side. On the right the was a large hill with a set of ruins on top of it.
The roll to go first was won by Defenstrator but he elected to go second so that left me trying to figure out where to set up. The Manticore was placed on the far left by the trees and Kaelyssa, the Griffon and Chimera were placed on the other side of the trees.
On Defenstrator's side the Vanguard was placed closest to the trees. Ashlynn, the Talon and the Mule all lined up beside it.
Retribution Turn 1
The Chimera Apparated its full 2" forward before Kaelyssa gave one Focus to all her Myrmidons. She then walked into the trees and cast Phantom Hunter on the Manticore. The Mymidons all ran forward to the top of the trees.
Highborn Turn 1
Ashlynn gave one Focus to all her warjacks and then cast Quicken on herself. She moved forward and shot the Chimera for 8 points. The 'jacks all ran forward with the Talon staying behind the Mule and the Vanguard moving in front of Ashlynn.
Retribution Turn 2
The Chimera once again Apparated its full distance forward. Kaelyssa gave three Focus to the Manticore and then walked through the forest. She cast Rift through the Chimera and did 10 points of damage to the Vanguard. This probably would have been just the right time to use her feat but I forgot.
The Chimera and the Griffin then moved back out of range while the Manticore shot at the Vanguard. Unfortunately its shot fell short.
Highborn Turn 2
Ashlynn chose to upkeep Quicken and then gave one Focus to all her 'jacks.
The Vanguard charged the Chimera and shot it with its gun for just one point of damage. Ashlynn moved forward to attack the light Myrmidon as well and also did just one point of damage. She then cast Admontion on the Vanguard.
Retribution Turn 3
The Chimera Apparated forward and Kaelyssa assigned 3 Focus to the Manticore and 1 to the Griffon. She cast Arcantrik Bolt through the Chimera at the Vanguard to do 2 points of damage and render it stationary.
The Manticore blasted away at the Talon and managed to wreck it in two shots. The Griffon charged the Vanguard for 5 points and the Chimera retreated to the trees.
Highborn Turn 3
Ashlynn upkept Quicken and then gave 2 Focus to the Vanguard and 2 to the Mule. The Vanguard immediately shook off stationary. She then used her feat Roullette, which forces all models in her control area to add two extra dice to their attack rolls and then drop two chosen by her controler. She then moved around to attack the Chimera leaving the Myrmidon with one point of damage.
The Vanguard attacked the Griffon for 5 points and the Mule shot the Manticore for 9 points of damage.
Retribution Turn 4
Kaelyssa assigned 3 Focus to the Manticore and 2 to the Griffon.
The Manticore returned the Mule's fire doing a total of 8 points of damage on two shots. The Griffon flailed uselessly at the Vanguard. The Chimera moved out of combat and was wrecked by Ashlynn on the free strike.
Kaelyssa cast Phantom Hunter on herself and, with the Chimera out of the way, was able to move out of the trees and shoot at Ashlynn. Unfortunately, she missed. She used her feat.
Highborn Turn 4
Ashlynn continued to upkeep Quicken. She gave 1 Focus to the Mule and kept the rest for herself.
The Mule moved forward but thanks to the Stealth of The Vanishing couldn't see the Manticore. The Vanguard continued to attack the Griffon, doing another 3 points of damage.
Ashlynn cast Admonition on the Mule and then moved toward the Griffon. She attacked the Myrmidon for a total of 10 points of damage.
Retribution Turn 5
Kaelyssa upkept Phantom Hunter and gave 2 Focus to the Manticore. She then moved into the forest and cast Arcantrik Bolt at the Mule. She hit it easily. However, she did not do any damage to make the 'jack stationary.
The Manticore backed up amd shot at the Mule for 2 points of damage on two shots. The Griffon continued to whiff on the Vanguard.
Not exactly my best turn.
Highborn Turn 5
Ashlynn continued to upkeep Quicken and chose not to assign Focus.
The Mule shot the Manticore for 13 points of damage, taking off both the Myrmidon's arms. At least one of the heavies knows how to use its cannon. The Vanguard continued in epic battle against the Griffon doing 1 point of damage.
Ashynn knows that the best way to get something done is to do it herself. She moved in on the Griffon and wrecked it.
Retribution Turn 6
Kaelyssa upkept Phantom Hunter and kept all her Focus for herself.
The Manticore shot the Mule for another point of damage.
Kaelyssa lined up Ashlynn and shot her for a total of 13 points, leaving a single wound on the enemy warcaster.
Highborn Turn 6
Ashlynn continued to upkeep Quicken, she gave 2 Focus to the Mule and 1 point to the Vanguard. At this point Defenstrator remembered that the Vanguard not only has a shield, but can perform Shield Blocks and probably should have stood in front of Ashlynn for some of Kaelyssa's shots.
The Mule shot Kaelyssa for 15 points, leaving just one wound on the warcaster. Ashlynn moved in front of the trees to shoot at Kaelyssa and missed. As the shock fades the Vanguard simply ran into the trees to engage Kaelyssa.
Retribution Turn 7
Kaelyssa dropped the upkeep spell and didn't bother assigning any Focus. Instead she cast Rift on the Vanguard. The spell destroyed both arms and caught Ashlynn in the blast. With enough focus to boost the damage Kaelyssa was able to do 1 point of damage to the warcaster. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough. Kaelyssa was caught in the area of the Rift as well but no damage was done.
Afterword
Myantek
OK, I got lucky. I thought I was done for when the Arcantrik Bolt bounced off the Mule. Everything was going OK until that point and then the dice just failed me. On the bright side, Defenstrator's dice failed him to leave Kaelyssa with the one point. His forgetfulness worked in my favour as well. I didn't realise that the Vanguard could stop shots like that. I was hoping to kill her that turn.
Defenstrator
So boys and girls, what's the first rule when it comes to winning games? Remembering what your models do. This was the second time I had used the Vanguard in MKII, and I was all excited that I would be able to stop a shooty enemy warcaster from just pegging Ashlynn. So what do I do? Forget about it in the crucial moment. It's especially galling because it wasn't like the Vanguard was the full two inches away or anything. No it was right next to Ashlynn. It could have knocked that shot out of the air with a flick of its wrist. That left me vulnerable enough to be finished by Myantek's long shot at the end, and that was game.
It was all fun though. We had lots of manuevering on both sides and it was interesting to see how things played out. The Manticore continues to impress me as an all around solid warjack. Smashing my Talon at range made me wary of it and it was engaging the Mule in a solid gunfight. Like Myantek I thought the turning point was when her Arcantrik Bolt bounced off, preventing the Manticore from simply coming in and smashing the Admonished Mule. But instead it came down to a messy gun and magic fight in the centre. The Talon on the other hand hasn't been impressing me that much, and I think absorbing the Manticore's fire was about the best role for it.
So I'm still putting together my Retribution force and still learning to play Warmachine so we stuck to the simple yet again. Defenstrator is testing out his various warcasters under the new MK II rules as well so it's a learning experience for both of us.
Retribution
Kaelyssa, Night's Whisper
Chimera
Griffon
Manticore
Highborn Covenant
Ashlynn D'Elyse
Vanguard
Talon
Mule
Set Up
Defenstrator set up the table and left a lot of open space on it. On the near left there was a small ruin with a stand of trees near it. The trees were mirrored on the far side. On the right the was a large hill with a set of ruins on top of it.
The roll to go first was won by Defenstrator but he elected to go second so that left me trying to figure out where to set up. The Manticore was placed on the far left by the trees and Kaelyssa, the Griffon and Chimera were placed on the other side of the trees.
On Defenstrator's side the Vanguard was placed closest to the trees. Ashlynn, the Talon and the Mule all lined up beside it.
Retribution Turn 1
The Chimera Apparated its full 2" forward before Kaelyssa gave one Focus to all her Myrmidons. She then walked into the trees and cast Phantom Hunter on the Manticore. The Mymidons all ran forward to the top of the trees.
Highborn Turn 1
Ashlynn gave one Focus to all her warjacks and then cast Quicken on herself. She moved forward and shot the Chimera for 8 points. The 'jacks all ran forward with the Talon staying behind the Mule and the Vanguard moving in front of Ashlynn.
Retribution Turn 2
The Chimera once again Apparated its full distance forward. Kaelyssa gave three Focus to the Manticore and then walked through the forest. She cast Rift through the Chimera and did 10 points of damage to the Vanguard. This probably would have been just the right time to use her feat but I forgot.
The Chimera and the Griffin then moved back out of range while the Manticore shot at the Vanguard. Unfortunately its shot fell short.
Highborn Turn 2
Ashlynn chose to upkeep Quicken and then gave one Focus to all her 'jacks.
The Vanguard charged the Chimera and shot it with its gun for just one point of damage. Ashlynn moved forward to attack the light Myrmidon as well and also did just one point of damage. She then cast Admontion on the Vanguard.
Retribution Turn 3
The Chimera Apparated forward and Kaelyssa assigned 3 Focus to the Manticore and 1 to the Griffon. She cast Arcantrik Bolt through the Chimera at the Vanguard to do 2 points of damage and render it stationary.
The Manticore blasted away at the Talon and managed to wreck it in two shots. The Griffon charged the Vanguard for 5 points and the Chimera retreated to the trees.
Highborn Turn 3
Ashlynn upkept Quicken and then gave 2 Focus to the Vanguard and 2 to the Mule. The Vanguard immediately shook off stationary. She then used her feat Roullette, which forces all models in her control area to add two extra dice to their attack rolls and then drop two chosen by her controler. She then moved around to attack the Chimera leaving the Myrmidon with one point of damage.
The Vanguard attacked the Griffon for 5 points and the Mule shot the Manticore for 9 points of damage.
Retribution Turn 4
Kaelyssa assigned 3 Focus to the Manticore and 2 to the Griffon.
The Manticore returned the Mule's fire doing a total of 8 points of damage on two shots. The Griffon flailed uselessly at the Vanguard. The Chimera moved out of combat and was wrecked by Ashlynn on the free strike.
Kaelyssa cast Phantom Hunter on herself and, with the Chimera out of the way, was able to move out of the trees and shoot at Ashlynn. Unfortunately, she missed. She used her feat.
Highborn Turn 4
Ashlynn continued to upkeep Quicken. She gave 1 Focus to the Mule and kept the rest for herself.
The Mule moved forward but thanks to the Stealth of The Vanishing couldn't see the Manticore. The Vanguard continued to attack the Griffon, doing another 3 points of damage.
Ashlynn cast Admonition on the Mule and then moved toward the Griffon. She attacked the Myrmidon for a total of 10 points of damage.
Retribution Turn 5
Kaelyssa upkept Phantom Hunter and gave 2 Focus to the Manticore. She then moved into the forest and cast Arcantrik Bolt at the Mule. She hit it easily. However, she did not do any damage to make the 'jack stationary.
The Manticore backed up amd shot at the Mule for 2 points of damage on two shots. The Griffon continued to whiff on the Vanguard.
Not exactly my best turn.
Highborn Turn 5
Ashlynn continued to upkeep Quicken and chose not to assign Focus.
The Mule shot the Manticore for 13 points of damage, taking off both the Myrmidon's arms. At least one of the heavies knows how to use its cannon. The Vanguard continued in epic battle against the Griffon doing 1 point of damage.
Ashynn knows that the best way to get something done is to do it herself. She moved in on the Griffon and wrecked it.
Retribution Turn 6
Kaelyssa upkept Phantom Hunter and kept all her Focus for herself.
The Manticore shot the Mule for another point of damage.
Kaelyssa lined up Ashlynn and shot her for a total of 13 points, leaving a single wound on the enemy warcaster.
Highborn Turn 6
Ashlynn continued to upkeep Quicken, she gave 2 Focus to the Mule and 1 point to the Vanguard. At this point Defenstrator remembered that the Vanguard not only has a shield, but can perform Shield Blocks and probably should have stood in front of Ashlynn for some of Kaelyssa's shots.
The Mule shot Kaelyssa for 15 points, leaving just one wound on the warcaster. Ashlynn moved in front of the trees to shoot at Kaelyssa and missed. As the shock fades the Vanguard simply ran into the trees to engage Kaelyssa.
Retribution Turn 7
Kaelyssa dropped the upkeep spell and didn't bother assigning any Focus. Instead she cast Rift on the Vanguard. The spell destroyed both arms and caught Ashlynn in the blast. With enough focus to boost the damage Kaelyssa was able to do 1 point of damage to the warcaster. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough. Kaelyssa was caught in the area of the Rift as well but no damage was done.
Afterword
Myantek
OK, I got lucky. I thought I was done for when the Arcantrik Bolt bounced off the Mule. Everything was going OK until that point and then the dice just failed me. On the bright side, Defenstrator's dice failed him to leave Kaelyssa with the one point. His forgetfulness worked in my favour as well. I didn't realise that the Vanguard could stop shots like that. I was hoping to kill her that turn.
Defenstrator
So boys and girls, what's the first rule when it comes to winning games? Remembering what your models do. This was the second time I had used the Vanguard in MKII, and I was all excited that I would be able to stop a shooty enemy warcaster from just pegging Ashlynn. So what do I do? Forget about it in the crucial moment. It's especially galling because it wasn't like the Vanguard was the full two inches away or anything. No it was right next to Ashlynn. It could have knocked that shot out of the air with a flick of its wrist. That left me vulnerable enough to be finished by Myantek's long shot at the end, and that was game.
It was all fun though. We had lots of manuevering on both sides and it was interesting to see how things played out. The Manticore continues to impress me as an all around solid warjack. Smashing my Talon at range made me wary of it and it was engaging the Mule in a solid gunfight. Like Myantek I thought the turning point was when her Arcantrik Bolt bounced off, preventing the Manticore from simply coming in and smashing the Admonished Mule. But instead it came down to a messy gun and magic fight in the centre. The Talon on the other hand hasn't been impressing me that much, and I think absorbing the Manticore's fire was about the best role for it.
Thursday, 15 October 2009
Legion Army Oct 15, 2009
With MKII coming I've started to concentrate on my Highborn and Cygnar armies. My Legion army which had been my main focus is going on the back burner for awhile until I get more painted from my oter armies. This is the group shot of where I am so far. 
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