Game 136 - High Elves - 2015/05/28

Greetings!

By the end of February I had a great pleasure to play against Ulthuan own pkng! We tried to organize that game for quite a long time and finally it happened. Pkng wanted to test his ETC style army so we played on ETC maps too. I want to apologize for taking it so long to post the report but I had a lot to do in March before going for one month holidays and when I got back there was immediately a lot to do again. Hopefully I will have some hobby time now, especially that I have some plans for painting and gaming (check my army blog for details).

Pkng is not only a very good player (he is going to be part of the ETC team this year again) but I was about to have a chance to play against some special characters and the army I haven't had a chance to play so far. At a time of playing I was still writing reports from CanCon and as such I was not sure where I want to go with army list changes. Because of that I decided to go with the very same army anyway and see what I can do.

Here is the army Pkng selected for our game:

High Elves - Army List

Alarielle the Radiant, Star of Avelorn, Stave of Avelorn, The Shieldstone of Isha - 350
Tyrion, Dragon Armour of Aenarion, Heart of Avalorn, Sunfang - 410
Mage, level 1, Dispel Scroll - 110 - Lore of Light
Mage, level 1, Channeling Staff - 100 - Lore of Light
Noble, Battle Standard Bearer, Dragon Armour, Ithilmar Barded Elven Steed, Lance, Enchanted Shield, Luckstone, Ogre Blade - 178

15 Archers, Full Command - 180
5 Ellyrian Reavers, bows - 85
5 Ellyrian Reavers, bows - 85
10 Silver Helms, Shields, Full Command - 260

8 Dragon Princes of Caledor, Musician, Standard Bearer - 252
20 White Lions of Chrace, Full Command, Banner of World Dragon - 340
Great Eagle

My army list for the reference:

Outcasts - Army List

Loremaster, Obsidian Amulet, Armor of Fortune, Earthing Rod - 320

BSB, Dragon Armor, Great Weapon, Talisman of Preservation  – 154
Noble, Great Eagle, Dragon Armor, Star Lance, Potion of Foolhardiness, Enchanted Shield, Golden Crown of Atrazar – 184
Noble, Barded Steed, Heavy Armor, Lance, Lion Cloak, Potion of Strength, Dawnstone, Charmed Shield – 149

14 Archers, Full Command – 170
14 Archers, Full Command – 170
6 Ellyrian Reavers, Musician, Herald, Bows, Spears – 136
6 Ellyrian Reavers, Musician, Herald, Bows, Spears – 136

5 Dragon Princes, Musician, Standard, Banner of Eternal Flame – 175
5 Dragon Princes, Musician – 155
10 Swordmasters, Musician, Bladelord – 150
10 Swordmasters, Musician, Bladelord – 150
10 White Lions, Musician, Guardian, Gleaming Pennant – 165

Eagle Claw – 70
Eagle Claw – 70
Great Eagle – 50

So another episode of civil war, quite fitting for the End Times era, even if the match up had nothing to do with the story line :)

The army pkng chose is quite compact (at least for me as you can easily have even fewer units) and character heavy. That is always a warning sign as it means some nasty tricks. I must admit that it really felt like playing against completely new army with Tyrion and Allariele in particular. Let me have a look at pkng's choices from the point of view of my own army.

Allariele - She can pick her spells from Life, Light and High Magic but the fact pkng had also two level 1's with lore of light meant to me he would probably go for Light with her as well for that nice high S Banishment. She gives magical attacks to her unit but against my army it does not affect anybody. Chaos Bane special rule also does not affect my troops. 5+ ward save against non-magical attacks is very nice and combined with Banner of the World Dragon (as I assumed she will be with Lions unless something bad happens) means it will be much harder to hurt her and her unit. Healing characters at the end of the turn is very, very helpful. Ability to cast the same spell twice in the same turn (even if only once per game) is very useful too.

In general, she is a powerful wizard that will be backed up by 2 acolytes and well protected among Lions. She will also add useful protective/healing abilities. In order to get to her I would need to go through entire unit first.

Tyrion - Probably the best Elven warrior :) He strikes at S7 with Flaming Attacks so it looks like it can be exploited by some characters or units with 2++ ward save against such. He also have a breath weapon style attack that may come handy. 1+ armor with 4++ ward and 2++ against flaming as well as 4 wounds and nearby Allariele to heal him means he is very well protected. Add to that MR(2) and he is even harder to get as well as adding some extra protection to any unit he would join. For example, Dragon Princes would get 4++ ward thanks to his presence against magic. He is very fast with M10 too so the way to deal with him would be to tie him in combat with a unit or a character that has 2++ against flaming attacks and try to break with combat resolution or at least to keep him pinned down.

2 x level 1 Mage - Light acolytes are here to help with channeling in order to provide enough power dice to cast spells comfortably (also with Channeling Staff) and Dispel Scroll is always good to have. As I have mentioned before I assume they are also here to help with high strength Banishment.

BSB - mounted BSB with reasonable protection and trusty Ogre Blade. Always good to have 3 ASF S6 attacks to add to any combat, in particular in the subsequent rounds. He may fight in the shadow of Tyrion but will be important for the army nonetheless.

Archers  - good support units, full command helps it to fight other light troops. Potential place to hide for the characters if Lions are in trouble.

Silver Helms - option for Tyrion and BSB to join, adding some versatility to the army. Big enough to be a threat on their own too, especially for my elites against which they get re-rolls to hit. With S5 on the charge they have an advantage in such combat. On the other hand they will be vulnerable to counter attacks and my own cavalry, especially with nobles. Searing Doom is also a very good spell against them and a few magic missiles can dent their armor too.

Reavers - fast cavalry, with bows only. As always a priority for me to attack so that I have fewer enemy units that can interfere with my movement phase.

Dragon Princes - hitting harder than Helms and better protected, in particular with Tyrion. But if pinned down can be destroyed due to typical for my army swarming. In both cases (i.e. heavy cavalry) bolt throwers will be a main threat for them.

White Lions - very well protected against magic, good protection against shooting with pelts and Allariele. Any detonations due to miscasts will be saved thanks to the Banner. So thinning them down will not be easy. However, if I can isolate them and attack them with Swordmasters and Archers (yes, they can do harm especially when supported by magic) I can grind them down.

Eagle - a handy redirector, has to be eliminated quickly but I have tools for the job.

In general, pkng has a huge advantage in magic and I had a feeling he would try to use it as his main weapon with Lions as a mobile fortress and cavalry led by Tyrion and BSB as protectors and interceptors. My goal would be to use my own ranged attacks to kill reavers, eagle and maybe hurt heavy cavalry. Then divide and isolate his regiments in order to surround them and defeat them in combat.

Terrain

Map 4 - Andorran Opening

In ETC format there are particular rules concerning terrain. I am going to copy-paste them from the relevant document:

Hills - As per BRB description of an ordinary hill (p. 118 first 5 paragraphs, i.e. without the“Examples of hills” subsection) with following additional explanations :
 - Line of Sight: Hills block Line of Sight.

Forests - As per BRB description of an ordinary forest (p. 119 first6 paragraphs, i.e. without “Mysterious Forests” subsection) with following additional explanations:
 - Line of Sight: Forests are Interfering terrain providing Soft Cover for units, as described in BRB. For Line of Sight purposes Forests count as being of infinite height. This implies that units shooting trough forest will always suffer Soft Cover penalty, even if shooting from a hill or building.

Lake - As per BRB description of a Normal River (p. 120 first 5 paragraphs, i.e. without “Mysterious Rivers” subsection) with following additional explanations:
- Line of Sight: Lakes are non-interfering terrain features.
- Lakes are Water Features.

Obstacle: Wall - As per BRB description of an ordinary Wall (p. 123 with common rules for Obstacles,p.122) with following additional explanations:
- Walls definition of a unit “behind” is applied only to units actually defending the obstacle (i.e.aligned with it and touching it).
- Line of Sight: Obstacles are non-interfering terrain features.

Ruins - As per BRB description of an ordinary marshland (p.121 first 3 paragraphs, i.e. without “Examples of Marshland”
subsection) with following additional explanations:
- Ruins are NOT Water Features.
- Line of Sight: Ruins are non-interfering terrain features, providing Hard Cover for all units withmajority of their models in the feature.

Impassable
As the title says - infinite height, impassable terrain.

During our game only Obstacles: Walls were not present. PkNg won the roll off to pick the side and he decided to deploy South.

Deployment

Deployment of the armies

After Vanguard

Pkng won the roll off to choose the side and picked South. Deployment order was as follows:

1. Ellyrian Reavers - Ellyrian Reavers
2. Ellyrian Reavers - Eagle
3. Eagle - Ellyrian Reavers
4. Swordmasters - Archers
5. Archers - White Lions
6. Archers - Dragon Princes
7. Swordmasters - Silver Helms
8. Dragon Princes - Characters
9. Rest of the army

Wizards picked the following spells:

Allariele - Burning Gaze, Pha's Protection, Net of Amyntok, Banishment
Mage - Burning Gaze
Mage - Burning Gaze

Pkng won the roll-of for the first turn.

Edit: Since we played on UB I have more details about the game, even down to particular rolls of dice so whenever it is possible I will add them. I know not everyone is interested in these so the details are always after the narrative and I tried to make it descriptive enough to make it clear what happened. Feel free to scroll down to see how the game developed without being slowed down by numbers :)

At the same time I hope the details I provided would help to see what decisions were made, what spells were cast and which units were shooting at each other as well as how combats were resolved. I think these details can be as interesting to some as the game in general.

High Elves - Turn 1

Clenching the fist

Tyrion gave the order to advance and positioned himself at a tip of a spearhead formed from White Lions. The rest of the formation fell behind to guard the flanks and only Silver Helms moved forward somewhat alone. The barrage of magic begun. As a result entire unit of Dragon princes was banished from the existence but the noble bravely held his ground. Archers on the right flank were protected by the spell too.

Magic phase details

Winds of Magic: 5,5 --> 10:5 (no channels)
Pha's Protection at Archers: 9,3 --> cast, no attempt to dispel
Banishment at Dragon Princes (DP1): 2,4,6,6 --> Irresistible Force --> 9 hits, 8 wounds, 3 saved after 5+ armor and 6++ ward saves, unit wiped out.
Miscast result - 1,6 --> all wounds saved by the Banner of World Dragon

Shooting phase details

Archers at Bolt Thrower - move, long distance --> 5+ to hit, 1 hit, 0 wounds

Outcasts - Turn 1

Shy advance

Outcasts moved on the West to try and envelope the enemy. The rest of the army assumed positions for ranged attacks and unleashed all they've got on Silver Helms. However, their armor deflected all the incoming missiles, magical or mundane and only one single bolt went through the ranks unhorsing two knights.

Magic phase details

Winds of Magic: 2,5 --> 8:6 (one channel each)
Burning Gaze at SH: 2,6 --> cast, no dispel attempt --> 5 hits, 4 wounds, all saved
2d6 Fireball at SH: 1,4,5 + 2 = 12 --> dispelled on 1,3,5 = 4 = 13
d6 Searing doom at SH: 2,5,6 + 2 = 15 --> dispelled on 4,5,6 + 4 = 19

Shooting phase details

Ellyrian Reavers at ER2 - move, long distance, forest --> 6+ to hit, 1 hit, 1 wound, not saved
Bolt Throwers at SH - short distance --> 3+ to hit, 1 hit, 2 wounds, no armor save
All Archers at SH - move, long distance --> 5+ to hit, 12 hits, 8 wounds, all saved

High Elves - Turn 2

First attacks!

Dragon Princes charge enemy fast cavalry but both units perform feigned flight maneuver. In order to cover the flank, Reavers move in between heavy cavalries. On the East, Silver Helms charge bolt thrower and overrun into Swordmasters behind them!

Tyrion slows down the advance to wait for the resolution of the flank attacks and to give time for Allariele and acolytes to thin down the enemy further. Two enemy archers were burned down to the ground. Then Loremaster managed to dispel Banishment cast at Swordmasters (S2) and luckily for them, the second attempt with the use of Staff of Avelorn failed. Then the Archers shot at Bolt Thrower again and this time one crew member was dead.

Magic phase details

Winds of Magic: 2,6 --> 9:6 (one channel attempt for Pkng)
Burning gaze at Archers: 1,5 + 4 = 10 --> cast, no dispel attempt --> 6 hits, 3 wounds, 1 save due to MR(2), 2 dead
Banishment at Swordmasters (SM2): 2,2,3,3 + 4 = 14 (boosted version for extra range) --> cast, dispelled on 1,1,3,6,6
Banishment at Swordmasters (SM2): 1,2,5 + 4 = 12 (re-cast from Staff of Avelorn failed)

Shooting phase details

Archers at Bolt Thrower - long distance, 5+ to hit --> 10 hits, 1 wound
Ellyrian Reavers at ER2 - 3 short distance, 1 long, move, 5+ and 6+ to hit respectively --> 1 hit, 1 wound, failed save, 1 dead

Outcasts - Turn 2

Hitting back!

Fast cavalry rallied and together with the knights that accompany them, they continued harassing the flank. They shot down 2 of the enemy raiders but the survivors didn't panic.

On the East Loremaster, Eagle Rider and Archers rushed to help Swordmasters who were about to receive a hard punch. In the ferocious fight half of the regiment of warriors of Hoeth fell but they hit back hard and only 2 enemy knights were left standing. Surprisingly, they held their ground!

Magic phase details

Winds of Magic: 3,4 --> 7:6 (2 channels for Pkng)
Miasma at SH to lower WS: 1,3,4 + 2 = 10 --> dispelled on 1,3,4 + 4 = 12
Blizzard at SH: 1,2,5,6 +2 = 16 --> dispel scroll

Shooting phase details

Reavers at ER 2 - move, long range, 5+ to hit --> 4 hits, 3 wounds, 1 saved, 2 dead, panic test passed
Bolt Thrower at DP - long distance, flank shot, 4+ to hit --> missed on 3
Archers at Archers - long distance, 4+ --> 7 hits, 6 wounds, panic test passed

Combat phase details

Eagle Rider vs SH Champion - challenge, SH Champion in the top left corner - Eagle Rider hits once on 3+ and wounds with no armor save allowed, SH Champion strikes at the same time - no hits.
SH at Loremaster - 1 attack on 4+, misses
SH at Swordmasters - 4+ with re-roll - 6 attacks, 5 hits, 5 wounds (2+), no save, 5 dead
Archers at SH - 4+ to hit, 10 Attacks (due to challenge blocking some of them), 5 hits, 3 wounds, all saved on 2+
Loremaster at SH - Great Weapon, 3 attacks, 3+ to hit, 1 hit, 1 wound (2+), saved on 6 (needed 5+)
Swordmaster at SH - 11 Attacks, 3+ to hit, 9 hits, 6 wounds (2+), 1 saved (needed 4+), 5 dead
Steeds at Swordmasters - 2 attacks, 4+ to hit, 1 hit, 1 wound (4+), saved on 6 (needed 5+)
Combat resolution: 11:7 in Outcasts favor --> Break test passed on a roll 1,2

High Elves - Turn 3

Western flank is secured

Dragon Princes spotted the enemy knights trying to go around the flank and charged them. They retreated but in doing so were moved in the sight of Ellyrian Reavers and withdrawal turned into a retreat but heavy cavalry could not outrun fast horse and were destroyed in pursuit. (Edit: There is a slight mistake in a diagram but Dragon Princes could see my DP2 and that was my big mistake not to make sure they moved out of sight in the previous turn.)

Dragon Princes changed the direction of the attack and once again chased enemy fast cavalry but the Western flank was now controlled.

Silver Helms could not hold against more numerous foes now and brave knights were cut down to pieces. But magic was strong and Outcasts suffered some more casualties.

Magic phase details

Winds of Magic: 2,6 --> 8:6 (no successful channels)
Burning Gaze at Swordmasters (SM2): 2,6 + 4 = 12 --> no dispel attempt, 4 hits, 3 wounds, no saves, 3 dead, panic test passed.
Net of Amyntok at Archers (A1): 1,3,3 + 4 = 11 --> dispelled on the roll 1,2,3,5 + 2 = 13
Banishment at Bolt Thrower: 4,4,5 + 4 = 17 --> failed dispel on the roll 1,5 (needed double 6 anyway) --> 7 hits, 2 wounds, dead bolt thrower, panic tests for destroyed unit passed

Shooting phase details

Archers at Archers - long range, 4+ to hit --> 4 hits, 4 wounds, panic tests passed
Reavers (ER1) at Reavers (ER1) - short range, move, 4+ to hit --> 5 hits, 3 wounds, 2 saved, 1 dead

Outcasts - Turn 3

Premature attack

Reckless nobles decided it is a good time to attack. They wanted to use their opportunity to pin down and isolate the main enemy unit while the rest of the foe army was occupied elsewhere. Nearby troops were to advance at a double to be ready to create a second wave of an attack. However, they underestimated the defensive abilities of the unit protected by magic. Many of their attacks were deflected either by armor, everqueen's magic or banner's protection. Tyrion then stepped in and unleashed the fiery breath of his magical sword that incinerated enemy Archers. Outcasts lost combat by a smallest of margins but it was enough to break! They lost their regimental and army banner in retreat and eagle rider fled too! Tyrion and Lions chased him knowing that a single Archer and a Noble are not going to rally anyway. What a disaster for the Outcasts!

Magic phase details

Winds of Magic: 2,6 --> 8:7 (1 channel for Pkng)

Burning Gaze at the eagle: 1,4 + 2 = 7 --> dispelled on 3,6 + 4 = 13
d6 Fireball at the eagle: 2,4 + 2 = 8 --> 2,5 + 4 = 11
Miasma to lower WS at Lions: 3,4 + 2 = 9 --> dispelled on 3,4 + 4 = 11
Blizzard at Lions: 2,6 + 2 = 10 --> dispel attempt fails on 1 + 4 = 5

Shooting phase details

Ellyrian Reavers at the eagle - move, short distance, 4+ to hit --> 2 hits, 1 wound
Archers at the eagle  - move, long distance, 5+ to hit --> 3 hits, 1 wound

Combat phase details

BSB vs Mage - challenge issued by BSB, Mage accepts - Mage fails to wound - BSB with GW wounds twice - Mage saves both with 5+ ward save
Archers at lions - 8 attacks, 4+ to hit with re-rolls, 2 attacks at champ, 2 hits, 2 wounds, no save, dead champ --> 6 at regular lions, 6 hits, 5 wounds, 3 armor saves on 5+, 1 ward save on 5+, 1 dead lion
Eagle Rider at the Lions - could hit the Queen but chose Lions so he can have re-rolls - 3+ to hit, 2 hits, 2 wounds, both warded on 2+ thanks to the Banner
Mounted noble at Tyrion - 4+ to hit, misses all attacks
Allariele at eagle rider - 5+ to hit, hits, does not wound
Mage at archers - 5+ to hit, misses
Tyrion breath weapon at archers - 2d6: 3,4 --> 7 hits, 4 wounds
Tyrion at mounted noble - 4 attacks, 4+ to hit, 2 hits, one deflected by charmed shield, 1 wound, saved on 6+
Malhandir at archers - 2 attacks, 5+ to hit, 2 hits, 2 wounds (3+ to wound)
Lions at Eagle Rider - 3 attacks, 5+ to hit, 1 hit, 1 wound, saved by golden crown
Lions at Archers - 5 attacks, 4+ to hit, 2 hits, 2 wounds
Eagle at Lions - 2 attacks, 4+ to hit, 2 misses, 1 stomp, failed save and ward, 1 dead lion
Combat resolution - 8:9 in pkng's favor, break test Archers at -1, need 8 on re-roll, got: 4,6 and 3,6 --> flee, lose bsb and regimental banner --> eagle rider break test at -1, need 8 but no re-roll due to dead bsb, got: 3,6 --> flee --> 1 archer and noble flee to safety, Tyrion and Lions chase Eagle Rider but don't catch it.

Edit: That was quite a long and complex combat considering there were only 2 units engaged :)

High Elves - Turn 4

Tyrion finishes the job

Tyrion charges alone from the unit to catch fleeing Eagle Rider and catches him. Lions reform to continue magical attacks. The rest of the army reforms and converges towards the center. Outcasts are at huge disadvantage.

Magic phase details

Winds of Magic: 4,5 --> 10:5 (one channel for pkng)
Burning Gaze at Swordmasters (SM1): 2,6 + 4 = 12 --> no dispel attempt, 6 hits, 1 at champion, fails to wound, 4 wounds on the rest, 2 saves, passed panic test
Burning Gaze at Swordmasters (SM1): 3,6 + 1 = 10 --> no dispel attempt, 2 hits, 1 wound, 1 dead
Burning Gaze at Swordmasters (SM1): 6,6 = IF --> 1 hit, 1 wound, 1 dead
Miscast Result: 3,3 --> all wounds saved by the Banner, 6 dice lost, end of magic phase

Shooting phase details

Reavers at Reavers (ER1) - short distance, move, 4+ to hit, 4 hits, 3 wounds, 1 saved, panic test passed
Archers at Reavers (ER1) - long distance, move, 5+ to hit, 4 hits, no wounds

Outcasts - Turn 4

Fighting withdrawal

At this stage it was clear that the day was lost and it was all about trying to save what could be saved. Hence the regiments moved backwards and reavers tried to hunt down the wounded eagle while Loremaster and Archers tried to eliminate support troops.

Magic phase details

Winds of Magic: 1,3 --> 4:3 (no channels)
Burning Gaze at Reavers (ER1): 1,2 + 2 = 5 --> failed dispel on a roll of 2 --> 5 hits, 1 wound, no save
d6 Fireball at Reavers (ER1): 5,6 + 2 = 13 --> failed dispel on a roll of 2,6 +1 = 9 --> 4 hits, 3 wounds, no save

Shooting phase details

Reavers at Reavers (ER1) - move, short distance, 4+ to hit - 4 hits, 2 wounds, dead unit
Archers at Reavers (ER2) - move, long distance, 5+ to hit - 4 hits, 1 wound, 1 save

High Elves - Turn 5

Closing in to finish off the enemy

Outcasts were defeated but not broken yet. So Tyrion spurred his steed and raced forward to catch the enemy one more time. Lions advanced too while Dragon princes moved to form new battle line. Allariele targeted remaining Swordmasters but they survived and held their ground.
 

Magic phase details

Winds of Magic: 1,6 --> 7:6 (no channels)
Burning Gaze at Swordmasters (SM2): 3,3 + 4 = 10 --> no dispel attempt, 3 hits, 2 wounds, no saves, panic test passed
Banishment at Swordmasters (SM2): 1,2,2,5,6 + 4 = 20 --> failed dispel on a roll of 2,2,2,2,3,5 + 2 = 18 --> 4 hits, 2 wounds, no saves

Shooting phase details

Reavers at Reavers (ER1) - move, short distance, 4+ to hit --> 2 hits, 1 wound, no save, panic test passed
Archers at Reavers (ER1) - move, short distance, 4+ to hit --> 2 hits, 2 wounds, 2 saves (double 6!)

Outcasts - Turn 5

Pulling back

Outcasts continued their withdrawal and kept using whatever resources they had to hunt down enemy support units. Unfortunately, Reavers failed to finish their counterparts while Archers did a good job against enemy bowmen. They didn't panic though and remained on the hill.

Magic phase details

Winds of Magic: 2,3 --> 5:4 (1 channel for Pkng)
Spirit Leach on BSB: 2,2,2,3,5 + 2 = 16 --> dispelled on a roll of 1,4,4,4 + 4 = 17

Shooting phase details

Archers at Archers - long distance, 4+ to hit --> 8 hits, 5 wounds, panic test passed

High Elves - Turn 6

Mopping up

With Outcasts too far to attack directly it was up to Tyrion to charge alone and he did so against the Archers, cut down brave champion and surprisingly, his companions broke but were fast enough to flee to safety. Allariele used her magic to finish off the surviving Swordmasters though.

Magic phase details

Winds of Magic: 2,6 --> 9:7 (one channel each)
Burning Gaze on a lone Swordmaster: 1,2,5 + 1 = 9 --> no dispel attempt, 3 hits, 2 wounds, no save, dead
Banishment on Swordmasters (SM2): 2,2,2,5 + 4 = 15 --> dispelled on a roll of 3,4,5,6,6
Burning Gaze on Swordmasters (SM2): 1,6 + 4 = 11 --> failed dispel on a roll of 1,4 + 2 = 7 --> 1 hit, 1 wound, no save, 1 dead, failed panic test on 5,5 and fled from the table

Shooting phase details

Reavers at Reavers (ER1) - move, short range, 4+ to hit --> 1 hit, 1 wound, saved on 5
Archers at Reavers (ER1) - 3+ to hit --> 3 hits, 2 wounds, 1 saved, failed panic test on 4,5 and fled from the table

Combat phase details

Tyrion vs Archers - challenge, 4 attacks, 3+ to hit, 3 hits, 3 wounds, no wounds back, lost combat, steadfast, failed break test on 4,5 but escaped the pursuit.

Outcasts - Turn 6

All is lost

Outcasts lost the day and it was their last attempt to hit back to (slightly) decrease the margin of the defeat. However, the winds of magic were very weak and the fireball attempt was dispelled. Only Reavers could shoot this time and they tried to get their counter parts but failed.

It was a heavy defeat for the Outcasts.

Magic phase details

Winds of Magic: 1,2 --> 3:3 (1 channel for Pkng)
2d6 Fireball at Archers: 3,4,6 + 2 = 15 --> dispelled on a roll of 4,5,5 + 4 = 18

Shooting phase details

Reavers vs Reavers - move, 4+ to hit --> 1 hit, no wounds

Summary

Turn-by-turn summary animation

After-battle thoughts

First of all I would like to thank Pkng for a great game and congratulate him for a well deserved victory! I was really impressed by the way he used his fewer units to keep the tight but mobile formation. In particular, his use of characters is something I admire as it kept his options free and made his army very versatile. I would also like to add that it was very inspiring to see how he first advanced cautiously but eliminated main threats (such as bolt throwers) then secured his Western flank and followed up with a final push to collect many points in the last turn.

Unfortunately, I am not happy with my own performance and I made several mistakes that cost me a lot. Against a very good player like Pkng they are even more costly because he exploited them immediately. That turned an interesting game into a fight for survival and minimizing the losses. Because we played with ETC format I lost 1:19 as the VP difference was 1300+. By comparison, if that result was achieved at last CanCon it would have been "only" 4:16.

Let's have a look at the things that I believe contributed to the end result:

1. Deployment - it is always something to analyze. Even if the battle went your way. In this case, I know that I didn't use my assets well from the start. First, I exposed Dragon Princes and they could have been a target. I should have at least put them further away to force boosted version of Banishment.

I also exposed Bolt Throwers, although if I wanted to place them elsewhere, then I would probably have to re-arrange whole battle line.

I didn't use the Eagle Rider in particular, to create a danger zone and Silver Helms could approach close enough to threaten bolt thrower but be safe from my Star Lance.

2. Western Flank - I had more units in there to try and at least threaten the flank but due to the mistake with Dragon Princes positioning, I lost the unit and the flank. That allowed pkng to move forward aggressively later during the game.

3. Premature Charge - Despite the fact that I discussed options with pkng during the game (more what can be done if did A and what if I did B but still) I didn't do the right thing. First of all, I didn't take into account the possibility of mages accepting the challenge. My intention was to tie Tyrion in combat with a noble or BSB so I thought that with a frontal attack he cannot decline the challenge.

In addition, he could still use his breath attack against the unit of archers and that was what was needed to shift the balance. Another mistake. On top of that I completely forgot about the Banner and Star Lance attacks went for nothing.

It was not the end of the mistakes I made in that combat. I should have rolled break test for Eagle Rider first, when I still had BSB. That would gave me the chance to charge the unit with Swordmastes, Lions and possible another unit of Archers as a second wave I planned.

However, the main question is: was it a good idea to charge so early? I could have blocked WL with an eagle and position regiments even better for a combined charge with many more regiments instead. I lost 2 heroes, bsb and a unit of archers due to that reckless charge. It is 782 points from single failed combat!  

4. Lack of focused ranged attacks - I think I also made a mistake in terms of focusing my ranged attacks. For example, having a flank shot against Dragon Princes was tempting and I fell for it but even if I hit and killed entire rank of the knights they would not flee (not likely with BSB among them) but instead I allowed some reavers for survive when I could have got rid of them. I also left 4 archers alive that should have been eliminated earlier. These are minor things in comparison to blunder of my premature attack but would have given me points I didn't get.

I wish I could have put up a better fight and I am afraid this time pkng was not tested to the fullest of his potential. Hopefully we will be able to schedule a rematch at some stage and that I didn't miss the lessons!

I also hope you have found this report entertaining!

Thanks for reading!