"Of Beasts & Burdens..." Brawlmachine Batrep March 12, 2022: Circle Orboros vs Skorne
About a month into us first getting into Warmachine, it became clear that we were hooked. We'd worked our way up from a Battlegroup game to adding solos & then finally adding in a unit or 2 each. At that point, we decided that we wanted to (eventually) dig deeper to play more factions, including each of us finding at least 1 Hordes faction that we enjoyed.
After getting our first mystery boxes (Protectorate & Skorne), we got a few more including Circle & Legion. Donna chose Circle and made her first list with them so that could get to work putting them together / painting them. This game was our first full game where we both played a Hordes faction.
Scenario & Terrain
We rolled a d6 to choose the scenario & played Brawlmachine Scenario 4: Singularity. There is a circular zone in the center of the table with a rectangular zone overlapping it. Centered on both ends of the rectangular zone are objectives; each one belongs to the army whose starting table edge is closest to it. There are 2 flags with 1 on either side of the zones and offset so that each is closer to one of the starting table edges.
An L-shaped forest was offset to the left-middle of the battlefield with a 5" patch of dense fog to the left of it & a large boulder (obstruction) about 14" to the right of the forest.
A rubble pile (1/2 obstruction - left side, 1/2 obstacle with cover - right side) was just to the left of the zones closer to the near-side table edge. About 14" to the right of it was another stone wall by the near-side flag. A second large boulder was a few inches to the left of the 2nd stone wall & closer to the near-side table edge.
The overlapping zones represent a ritual site held sacred by the Circle Orboros. Each flag represents a leyline node connected to the network of Orboros. The objectives represent a cache of weapons / supplies belonging to each side.
Lists & Deployment
I won the starting roll & chose to go 2nd. I wasn't sure what to expect from her having an army full of SPD 6-7 beasts & wanted to force her to have to deal with the worst of the terrain to hopefully slow her down & limit her from advancing into prime positions early on. I chose the side with the rubble pile & 2nd boulder; forcing her to contend with the only building on the table.
I didn't have her Warpborn Skinwalker Alpha or War Wolf painted by the time we played this game. This allowed her to play exactly 25pts without using a theme. I offered to leave Mortitheurge Willbreaker & the Aradus Scarab off of my list so that I'd also be fielding 25pts without a theme, but she wanted the challenge of having me run my full "Masters of War" list.
Circle Orboros (Donna) - no theme: Kaya the Wildheart with a Pureblood Warpwolf, Rotterhorn Griffon, Winter Argus, & Argus Moonhoud, Lord of the Feast, and a full unit of Warpborn Skinwalkers.
Skorne (me) "Masters of War": Beast Master Xekaar with a Titan Gladiator, Cyclops Raider, Cyclops Savage, Razor Worm, & Aradus Scarab, Ancestral Guardian (req option), Extoller Novitiate, Hakaar the Destroyer, Mortitheurge Willbreaker, and a full unit of Paingiver Beast Handlers.
Circle deployed in a line formation to the right of the battlefield: Rotterhorn, Moonhound, Winter Argus, Pureblood, Kaya, & the Skinwalkers.
Skorne deployed in 3 formations. On the left of the battlefield in line with the dense fog was Hakaar, Novitiate, & Ancestral Guardian. About 6" to their right & centered across the battlefield was the Gladiator, Savage, Xekaar, & the Raider with the Beast Handlers offset between them in a herringbone formation. About 6" to their right was the Scarab & Willbreaker.
Lord of the Feast was advanced deployed to the left on the opposite side of the wooden house from the rest of the Circle army. Razor Worm was advanced deployed in front of the Savage.
"Skorne...not a lot, but they're on the move headed west.", Alten Ashley reported. "Here...", he continued as he pointed to the map Baldur was studying. "Word is they looking to do some damage to the site just east of here", Alten explained.
The Stonecleaver furred his brow; shaking his head in frustration. He had enough problems at the moment, as several small skirmishes with Trollkin were keeping his own forces occupied. The last thing he needed was the added trouble Skorne would bring into the region.
Finding & nullifying the problem before it grew out of hand was key. The invading Skorne would need to be dealt with swiftly & with extreme brutality. Reaching through the leyline network, the elder blackclad called on Kaya the Wildheart.
Baldur sought to have her lead the mission to search for the invaders and stop with them before their evil tainted the land the blackclads held sacred. Kaya gladly accepted the charge, not only out of respect for her father-figure & mentor, but for the opportunity to once again embrace the wilding & hunt with a savagery that left even the most stalwart of the druids unnerved at times...
Circle Turn 1
Kaya nodded to Remus, the Pureblood Warpwolf standing at her side. Letting out a low growl, the Pureblood warped "Spell Ward*" & Kaya forced him to run. Remus leapt over a stone wall and came to a stop near the far-side objective toeing the edge of both zones.
The Warpborn Skinwalker leader, Jaha, raised his Pole Axe high overhead and signaled to his unit with a snarl. As he gave the order & ran forward, his loyal warriors followed suit. One of the leyline nodes lay across from them on the battlefield; marked by a small flag waving in the wind. Jaha could smell Skorne in the distance moving towards the area and hoped to cut them off before they could desecrate it.
Lord of the Feast moved forward to contact the node closest to his position. The dense fog that lay between he & the Skorne gave him confidence in his ability to ward off the Exalted warriors and protect the node.
Next, Kaya forced her Rotterhorn Griffon, Aquila, to fly out over the wooden house. She wanted to get a better vantage point to calculate their enemies movements & plan for the coming assault. With Aquila now positioned between the house & small forest, Kaya could see through his eyes to recon the Skorne advancement.
* The Rotternhorn Griffon, Aquila, hovers just between a house & small forest *
From the sight granted to her from Aquila, Kaya identified a Cyclops Raider in the ranks of the invaders. Raising her hands toward the moon, the warlock closed her eyes & inhaled deeply before releasing a breath through pursed lips. As she did, the beasts & warriors in her control range became enveloped in a light, low-hanging cloud.; casting "Fog of War*" to give her army as much protection from the Cyclops' cursed Heavy Reiver as possible. She then discarded 1 fury & nudged Laris, her faithful mount, to reposition up next to the Pureblood on the edge of the sacred ruins.
With the rest of her army in place, Kaya waved on to the pair of Argi to join them. Lumi, the blue-skinned Winter Argus, was the first to run up just behind Remus. She positioned herself to allow a clear path to spray her Frost Breath if any Skorne dared venture into her field of fire. Following right behind Lumi was a ferocious Argus Moonhound, Neoma. She ran up to the right of the wooden house to get close enough to support Aquila once the fighting began.
* Spell Ward - This model cannot be targeted by spells.
* Fog of War - Models gain concealment (+2 DEF vs ranged / magic attacks) while in the spellcaster's control range.
Skorne Turn 1
A loud clang rang out as Hakaar crossed his Great Swords before him; an eerie light aglow from his eyes. The chance to once more taste combat enlivened the former Lord Tyrant and he ran toward the dense fog. While he couldn't see through the clouded mist, he knew a leyline node was just beyond it & would derive great pleasure from cutting down any who dared to protect it. Alale, a revered Ancestral Guardian, ran up beside Hakaar; her halberd at the ready. Running up to aid the Exalted warriors in his care, the young Extoller Novitiate, Uras, readied his mallet. Whether he was needed to repair the stone facade that served as their "bodies" or embolden them with greater strength, he would do whatever he could to see their enemies laid low before them.
The Aradus Scarab ran up to the stone wall between it & the near-side node. The Cyclops Raider, Theran, walked up near the large boulder in front of him & raised his Heavy Reiver towards Kaya. Xekaar forced him to cast his animus, "Far Strike*" & also to boost the attack. With the blackclad warlock now in his increased range, Theran squeezed the trigger to unleash a burst of deadly needles. Needing an 11 to hit, he rolled a 7 & volley of metal struck the ground around Kaya; leaving her unscathed. The "Fog of War" was working just as she'd planned.
Xekaar then sent his Razor Worm burrowing into the soil headed towards the forest. With only its head coming up out of the soil, the serpentine beast was "Dug In*" on the edge of the sacred site just ahead of the Rotterhorn. Next, the mighty Titan Gladiator, Kuros, was forced to cast his animus, "Rush*", and run through the rubble pile. Shards of rock were sent flying under the Titan's immense weight as he trampled over the rubble; coming to stop just behind the Razor Worm. Xekaar then sent his Cyclops Savage, Agon, running towards the center of the hallowed grounds. Agon came to a stop just behind the right side of the forest, steadying his Falchion blade as he caught sight of Kaya.
* With their beasts leading the way, the Skorne advance into battle *
The Beast Master looked to keep his beasts around him while getting close enough to inflict as much pain as possible on the followers of the Devourer. He discarded 4 fury & ran up next to the near-side objective, just a few inches to the right of the Titan, Kuros.
With the rest of his army advanced to take the center of the battlefield, Xekaar commanded Salaic to bring his Paingiver Beast Handlers forward to support them. The Beast Handler leader issued the "Press Forward" order to send his troops running toward the beasts. Salaic & 1 other Beast Handler ran to the right of the near-side objective in order to keep the rest of the unit in formation as they spread out. Two ran up B2B with Kuros, while the other two moved B2B with Theran, the Cyclops Raider.
Lastly, Xekaar's most trusted Mortitheurge Willbreaker, Tuquir, walked up behind the Scarab. His right hand outstretched towards the nearest Beast Handler, Tuquir spoke an enchanted, archaic phrase & energy flowed from him into the unit. Each warrior among the Beast Handlers stood a bit taller as they postured boldly; being bathed in the energies of Tuquir's "Flesh Hardening* spell.
* Far Strike - The spellcaster's ranged weapons gain Snipe (+4" RNG) for 1 turn.
* Dig In - Gains cover, does not suffer blast damage, & does not block LOS; remains dug in until it moves, is placed, or is engaged.
* Rush - Gains +2" of movement & "Pathfinder" for 1 turn.
* Flesh Hardening - Continuous effects immediately expire & gain "Tough" for 1 round.
Circle Turn 2
Kaya leeched fury from her beasts to replenish back to 6. She then spent 1 to upkeep the "Fog of War" & forced Aquila to charge the Skorne beasts between the forest & the rubble pile. The Rotterhorn let out a terrifying screech, his wings beating into the air sending him into a nose dive toward the Titan. With surprising swiftness of foot, Kuros managed to dodge the attack. Kaya forced Aquila to boost his second attack as well as booting the damage. This time his claws dug into the Titan's hide. Kuros roared out in pain as the Rotterhorn's attack did 5 damage to spiral 6.
Remus warped "Strength*" & Kaya forced him to charge the Savage, Agon. His "Assault" advantage allowed the Pureblood to unleash a SP10 Death Howl into the Savage's face as he charged in. The spray also caught Kuros & the 2 Beast Handlers that were B2B with him. One of the Beast Handlers was able to survive the attack. Agon was hit for 8 damage to spiral 2 & Kuros suffered 3 damage to his spiral 1. The second Beast Handler was utterly destroyed. Failing a "Tough" check, his body was wracked with unimaginable pain as the sonic attack fractured his spine & caused his heart to stop on impact.
The Pureblood continued his charge, slashing into Agon with his claws. The attack hit & the damage was more than the Cyclops could withstand. At dice +1, Remus struck Agon down; doing 14 damage to spiral 3. Kaya's "Field Marshall*" ability then allowed the beast to reposition 3"; moving him closer to the Beast Handlers at the right of the near-side objective.
Xekaar cursed to himself; disgusted that he had not managed to inflict even a single wound upon the enemy, yet one of his own beasts now lay dead before him.
* The Rotterhorn & Pureblood charge in to the Skorne warbeasts *
Running as fast as they could, the Skinwalkers hoped to surround the near-side node before any of the Skorne had a chance to disrupt it. Two of them ran to the right side of the boulder in the center. Jaha lead the other 2 around the left side; closing in on the Scarab & the Willbreaker.
The Argi were both forced to run next. Each one ran to an opposite side of the forest. Lumi ran towards the right side near the Pureblood, while Neoma, ran to the left to support the Lord of the Feast & Aquila.
With their path cleared to Xekaar, Kaya need not speak a word to Laris. The druid & the wolf were bonded as one. Claws dug into the soil as they charged the Skorne warlock. Boosting to hit, Kara stabbed the blade of her spear, Mistral, towards Xekaar at dice -2 for damage. Crimson energy surrounded the Beast Master, as he spent 1 fury to divert the would be damage to the Scarab. The giant beetle recoiled in pain; suffering 9 damage to spiral 5 and having both its mind & spirit crippled simultaneously.
Kara then cast "Flashing Blade*" & swung Mistral in a wide arc. While Xekaar was able to deflect the attack, the Razor Worm & Kuros were both hit. The Worm suffered 4 damage to spiral 5, but the Titan's armor was able to protect him from any harm. Kaya then sang a "Soothing Song*"; removing 1 fury each from Aquila & Remus.
Expecting a fierce retaliation, the blackclad wanted to give her army as much protection as possible. Circling her right arm overhead, she cast, "Moon Shadow". As a darkness fell upon her army, she repositioned back near the forest alongside Remus. The protection from "Moon Shadow" robbed Xekaar of any chance at a free strike as Kaya moved away.
* Warp Strength - Gains +2 STR.
* Field Marshall [Reposition 3"] - Warbeasts in this model's battlegroup gain Reposition [3"]. At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, a model can advance up to 3". Then, its activation ends.
* Flashing Blade - Immediately make 1 basic attack with each of its melee against each enemy model in its LOS & in the weapon's melee range.
* Soothing Song - Once per turn, spend 1 fury to remove up to 1 fury from each friendly living Faction warbeast in its control range.
* Moon Shadow (feat) - While in Kaya's control range, friendly Faction models gain +2 DEF & cannot be targeted free strikes. Friendly Faction models can advance through enemy models if her control range if they have enough movement to move completely past their bases. Lasts 1 round.
Skorne Turn 2
Xekaar leeched fury from his beasts to replenish back to 5. He then used "Spirit Bond" to gain 1 more fury from his fallen Cyclops Savage.
Infuriated by the brashness of the defenders, Xekaar wanted so much more than to hurt them. He wanted to humiliate them. He commanded Tuquir to invoke the dark magic of mortitheurgy. The Willbreaker was all too happy to oblige.
Despite benefiting from +4 DEF ("Fog of War" + "Moon Shadow") against the magical attack, the Warpborn Skinwalker's were unable to withstand Tuquir's control. Casting "Influence*", the Willbreaker took control of the nearest Skinwalker; who felt his muscles contract against his will. He slashed his Pole Axe into the warrior next to him for 2 damage. As Tuquir's control over him faded, the Skinwalker was awash in shame & disgust at his inability to combat the arcane magic.
Taking matters into his own hands next, Xekaar charged Kaya. He boosted the attack & his Barbed Whip slammed into her for 8 damage. Spending a fury to ward off the damage, she channeled it through to Neoma. The Argus Moonhound yelped. Her body was crippled as the damage went into spiral 3. Xekaar then boosted his 2nd basic melee attack & hit Kaya for another 2 damage.
He contemplated using his fury to continue attacking Kaya, but felt it was better spent in support of his battlegroup. He cast "Psycho Surgery*" to heal the 3 beasts that were injured. Both Kuros & the Razor Worm were healed for 3. The Scarab was healed for 2. The warlock cast, "Whispers of Torment*", & then repositioned back behind the near-side objective.
* Lashing out at Kaya, Xekaar exacts revenge for his slain Cyclops Savage *
Theran stood still to aim as he took Kaya into the sights of his Heavy Reiver. He was forced to boost the attack & was just barely able to connect due to the combined protections of "Fog of War" & "Moon Shadow". Forced again to boost the damage, the Cyclops Raider shot Kaya for another 8 damage. Out of fury to ward it off, she had no choice but to take the damage herself.
The Scarab ran to go B2B with the 2 Beast Handlers that had been supporting Agon. The other Beast Handlers then moved into position to assist the beasts nearest them. The 2 that were B2B with the Scarab used "Medicate*" to heal 4 damage total from it & the troop B2B with Kuros healed him for 3 damage. One last Beast Handler that was a few inches from Kuros "Enraged*" the indomitable Titan.
Kuros then suffered the worst string of misfortune as he tried to destroy the Rotterhorn. Despite boosting to hit on all 3 attacks, the Titan was unable to land a single blow to Aquila. Needing an 11 to hit, the attack rolls were 9, 10, & 10.
With so much fury building up on his beasts, Xekaar reigned Kuros in & did not force him to make another attack. Instead, he directed the Razor Worm to attack Aquila. Again, needing an 11 to hit, the Worm was just short; rolling a 10.
The Novitiate moved around behind Hakaar to ensure he cleared Hakaar's charge path to the Rotterhorn. From there, he cast "Stones' Wrath*" on the Exalted swordsman. Next, Alale lowered her halberd & charged the Griffon. Where the beasts failed, the Ancestral Guardian demonstrated why she was so venerated among the Skorne. Striking into Aquila, she did 18 damage to spiral 2 at straight dice; crippling the Griffon's body.
* The Ancestral Guardian lands a devastating blow to the Rotterhorn Griffon *
Hakaar charged the Rotterhorn; having no doubt that his swords would land the killing blow. Somehow, beaten & barely hanging on to life, Aquila managed to dodge both attacks. Needing an 8 to hit, Hakaar came up short; rolling a 4 & then a 5. Alale shook her head in disgust at his failures.
With the Lord of the Feast in position near the far-side node and no enemies within range to disrupt his connection to the network, Circle's power in the area grew; even if just slightly.
Circle Orboros 1 - Skorne 0
* Influence - Take control of an enemy non-warcaster, non-warlock warrior model to force them to make 1 basic melee attack.
* Psycho Surgery - Heal d3+1 damage from each model in your battlegroup that is currently in your control range.
* Whispers of Torment (feat) - While in Xekaar's control range, enemy models suffer -3 STR, MAT, RAT, & THR for 1 round.
* Medicate - Remove d3 damage from a warbeast you're B2B with.
* Enrage - Target warbeast gains +2 STR for 1 turn.
* Stones' Wrath - Target construct model gains +2 STR for 1 turn.
Circle Turn 3
Kaya leeched fury to go back up to 4 & let "Fog of War" expire.
Thorin, the Skinwalker who had been injured, dug his toes into the dirt. The Devourer's power surged from the ground & coursed through his body. With his health restored through "Hyper-Regeneration*", he & his brother beside him charged Tuquir as Jaha gave the "Press Forward" order. Of the other 3 Skinwalkers, Jaha charged the Raider, Fynn charged the Scarab, & Drogo was forced to run up as close as he could; as there was no clear path to charge an enemy.
Safely out of range of "Whispers of Torment", Thorin's Pole Axe made quick work of Tuquir; cleaving the Willbreaker in half. At the sight of such a violent showing, all 5 Skinwalkers howled in unison. Despite being riled into a bloodlust, the rest of his unit was not able to overcome Xekaar's feat. Both Jaha & Fynn missed their targets.
* The Skinwalkers viciously swarm the Willbreaker *
Lumi walked through the forest to get Xekaar in range of her Frost Breath. Needing a 14 to hit the warlock, she boosted and rolled exactly that. Boosting the damage, she did 8 damage. Xekaar spent a fury to send it to the Scarab's spiral 6. The damage was enough to cripple the beast's mind. The Winter Argus attempted to spray Xekaar a second time, but was unable to hit him.
Delirious from the immense pain his body was wracked with, Aquila unleased a "Death Shriek*". Hakaar, Alale, Kuros, & the Razor Worm were all hit, but the damage wasn't enough to overcome any of their armor. Aquila then lashed out at the Razor Worm with both claws, but in his weakened state, the Griffon could not land a single blow.
Next, Kaya forced Neoma to charge Hakaar. Forced again to boost to hit, the Moonhound bit into the Exalted warrior, but wasn't able to do any damage. Her second bite again failed to hurt him.
Remus warped "Ghostly*" to stave off free strikes as he moved in to attack Theran. Clawing at the Cyclops, the pureblood first did 1 damage to spiral 2 & then another 10 damage to spiral 5; crippling the Raider's spirit.
* The Pureblood Warpwolf attacking the Cyclops Raider *
Next, Kaya charged the Scarab. The blade of her spear pierced the beast's carapace; killing it outright. Once more, she sang a "Soothing Song" to remove 1 fury from each of her beasts. She repositioned to move back behind the Skinwalkers, but this allowed one of the Beast Handlers to get a free strike. His whip cracked at her for 5 damage, but she spent a fury to send it to her Pureblood; who took the damage to spiral 5.
Lord of the Feast was still maintaining his position from the far-side leyline node. While the Skorne were stuck in the thick of the battle, Circle's power continued to grow.
Circle Orboros 2 - Skorne 0
* Hyper-Regeneration - Remove d3 damage points from this model at the start of each of its activations.
* Death Shriek - Enemy models currently within 2" suffer an unboostable POW 8 damage roll.
* Warp Ghostly - Can advance through terrain & obstacles without penalty and can advance through obstructions if it has enough movement to move completely past them. Cannot be targeted by free strikes.
Skorne Turn 3
Xekaar replenished his fury back to 6 between leeching from his beasts still in battle & spirit bond from those who'd fallen.
Kuros boosted to attack & slammed his right War Gauntlet into the Rotterhorn. Aquila cried out as the blade of the Titan's gauntlet pierced his chest. As the Griffon died, Kaya cried out. The bond between the druid & her beasts was unmatched. She chose not to reeve his fury; feeling confident in the 2 fury she had left to ward off any damage.
Wanting to stave off Lord of the Feast's ability to continue to build power from the leyline, the Razor Worm ran as close at it could to the far-side node. Uras the Novitiate then moved up to Hakaar to bless him with "Stones' Wrath" once more. Hakaar raised his onyx blades as he moved to attack Neoma. Using his Great Swords' "Combo Strike*" ability, Hakaar swung both blades at the Moonhound with destructive force. The attack hit Neoma for 12 damage to spiral 3; leaving the Argus with only a single health remaining.
* Hakaar the Destroyer attacking the Argus Moonhound *
Alale then walked around the Novitiate; convinced she could easily finish off the Moonhound. Needing a 5 to hit, she rolled a 3. In a bitter turn of events, it was now she who was ashamed, as Hakaar looked down upon her failure.
With his army unable to gain any ground in their plans to disrupt the nodes or destroy the ritual site, Xekaar shifted his focus solely on the destruction of Kaya. This was easier said than done however due to the Lumi standing in the way; protecting her mistress. Xekaar charged the Winter Argus with both Barbed Whips snapping down toward her; boosting both attacks to hit. The first slashed into the Argus' right side; doing 11 damage to spiral 3 & crippling her body. The second whip tore across Lumi's back; ending her life as it did 10 more damage to spiral 3. Kaya's very soul ached as she felt the pain of Neoma's death. She chose not to reeve the fury; having exactly 6 left between herself & her remaining beasts.
* Xekaar destroying Kaya's Winter Argus to clear a path to the druid *
Now that he'd cleared a path to Kaya's right flank for his beasts, Xekaar cast "Psycho Surgery" in hopes of keeping them in the fight long enough to charge into the blackclad. Both the Razor Worm & Kuros were healed completely. Theran was the most severely injured, but Xekaar was able to heal the cyclops enough so that his spirt was no longer crippled; healing 2 from spiral 5 & 1 from spiral 2. Not wanting to risk a charge from either Kaya if he stayed inside the ritual grounds or Remus if he moved too far back, Xekaar repositioned just a few inches back to the protection behind the near-side objective. From there, he felt relative safety from both the druid & her Pureblood.
Salaic moved closer to Theran & also commanded the 2 Beast Handlers nearest him to adjust their positions B2B with him. The 2 now B2B with the Cyclops used "Medicate" to heal him for a total of 5; 2 from spiral 1 & 3 from spiral 5. Salaic then "Enraged" Theran in hopes of helping him inflict as much damage as possible to Remus.
Theran boosted to hit as he drove his punching spike into the Pureblood's side. Even with boosting the damage & his enraged state, the Cyclops Raider was only able to do 5 damage to Remus' spiral 5. Xekaar forced Theran to attempt another attack, but the Pureblood easily deflected it this time.
With the Razor Worm's presence disrupting Lord of the Feast's connection with the far-side node, the balance of power seemed to stall with neither side gaining an advantage...at least for the moment.
Circle Orboros 2 - Skorne 0
* Combo Strike - Make a single melee attack where the POW of the damage roll is this model's STR plus twice the POW of the weapon.
Circle Turn 4
Kaya leeched fury to go back up to 6.
Without needing to speak a word, Jaha & his Skinwalkers knew what needed to be done. They moved to form a wall of protection around Kaya while also cutting into the Skorne ranks where they could. Jaha, along with the 2 who had killed the Willbreaker, ran to shield Kaya from any potential charges. The other 2 Skinwalkers were in position to attack, with 1 charging Kuros & the other charging the Beast Handler leader. Salaic was able to dodge the attack, but Kuros was hit; suffering 3 damage to spiral 1.
* The Skinwalkers move to protect Kaya &
attack the Titan Gladiator & Beast Handlers *
Remus warped "Strength" & Kaya forced the Pureblood to heal via "Regeneration*." Slashing at Theran, Remus boosted to hit. Razor sharp Claws tore into the Cyclops' chest plate to do 8 damage to spiral 1 at dice +1. Boosting to hit with his second Claw along with boosting the damage, Remus did another 10 damage to spiral 1. The Raider was barely hanging on to life with only a single health remaining and both his mind & body crippled.
Neoma lashed out at Hakaar; biting into his arm for 4 damage with her first attack. As she struggled to hold on to life, she attempted to bite him a second time, but wasn't able to stir the strength to injure the Exalted warrior anymore.
Kaya discarded her excess fury & rode Laris back to the near-side node. With the Razor Worm interfering with with Lord of the Feast's work, she needed to reconnect with the network of Orboros. Moving back & entrusting the fight to her beasts & warriors went against her very being, but she leaned on Baldur's wisdom imparted over the years. Some battles were to be won not by her blade, but by cunning strategy & tactical maneuvers in combat.
Lord of the Feast sent his Raven forth towards the Razor Worm. As the ebony bird marked its prey, the ghostly figure of its master suddenly appeared behind the Worm in contact with it. Swinging his Wurmblade, the Feast Lord cut into the Worm's chitin for 9 damage to spiral 4.
* Lord of the Feast slashing his blade into the Razor Worm *
Now that Kaya was connected to the leyline network through the near-side node, Circle's advantage in the area began to grow again.
Circle Orboros 3 - Skorne 0
* Regeneration - Can be forced to remove d3 damage once per activation.
Skorne Turn 4
Through spirit bond & leeching, Xekaar replenished back up to 6 fury.
He instructed Salaic to shift his Beast Handlers once more between Kuros & Theran, with 2 going B2B with the Titan & the other 3 going B2B with the Cyclops. The 3 in contact with Theran were able to "Medicate" him for a total of 7, spread as evenly as possible among his spirals. When they were done, none of his aspects were crippled. The 2 who were B2B with Kuros were able to heal him completely.
With his most powerful beast & warriors tied up with Neoma & the Skinwalkers, Xekaar sought to give Theran as much help as possible in dealing with Remus. He attempted to cast "Mortality*" on the Pureblood, but even with boosting the magic attack, he found it impossible to weaken Remus. There was just too much movement to get a clear shot due to the Warpwolf being engaged in close combat with the Cyclops.
Without enough fury to attempt the spell a second time, Xekaar decide to charge Remus. The tip of a Barbed Whip plunged deep into the Warpwolf's right shoulder. Remus grunted in excruciating pain as the attack hit him for 13 damage to spiral 2. After Xekaar's second attack missed, the warlock repositioned 5" away near the rubble pile. Content for now to have crippled the Pureblood's body, he hoped Theran would be able to finish off what he had started. He forced the Cyclops to boost an attack with his Punching Spike as it raked across Remus' abdomen; the boosted damage hitting him for 4 to spiral 1.
The Novitiate moved up to place "Stones' Wrath" on Alale. Imbued with boosted strength, the Guardian drove the blade of her halberd into Neoma. As the Moonhound collapsed onto the battlefield, Kaya reeved her fury; holding back the mixture of anger & pain that washed over her in seeing her faithful Argus be killed.
The Razor Worm slid around to face Lord of the Feast near the forest. Biting into the him, the Worm caused 5 boosted damaged. Hakaar considered attacking the ghostly Feast Lord himself, but recognized the need to disrupt Orboros' power if they had any chance of eventually winning the day. He ran through the fog, staying just outside the range of free strikes, & came in contact with the far-side node.
Kuros turned his attention to the Skinwalkers protecting both the hallowed ground & Kaya. He struck the first warrior with a War Gauntlet for 5 damage. The Titan attempted to finish the Skinwalker off with his second War Gauntlet & Tusks, but both attacks failed. Needing a 6 to hit, he rolled double 1s and then a 4. Xekaar forced Kuros to make another attack with his right War Gauntlet. The spiked gauntlet stabbed completely through the Warpborn warrior; killing him instantly with another 4 damage.
* Titan Gladiator decimating a Warpborn Skinwalker *
With Kaya connectedg to near-side node & Hakaar attempting to dismantle the one furthest away, the struggle to dominate the sacred land continued.
Circle Oroboros 4 - Skorne 1
* Mortality - Target model / unit suffers -2 DEF and ARM, loses "Tough", and cannot have damage removed from it. Lasts 1 round.
Circle Turn 5
Kaya replenished back to 6 by leeching & spirit bond.
Remus warped "Strength" & Kaya forced him to heal with "Regeneration"; taking 1 damage from spiral 3. Channeling the raw emotion Kaya was embattled with at this point, the Pureblood savagely attacked Theran. His Claws ripped into the Cyclops with an unabated rage. Xekaar reeved the fury as Theran died.
* Pureblood Warpwolf destroying the Cyclops Raider *
Jaha commanded his Skinwalkers to charge into Kuros. Their blood boiled at the sight of seeing the Titan strike down their brother. All 4 were able to hit the beast, but only 3 of their Pole Axes got through Kuros' armor. As blades tore into the Titan's armor to gouge his rough, grayed flesh, they struck him for 4 damage to spiral 1, 6 to spiral 6, & another 6 to spiral 3.
Lord of the Feast backed away from the Razor Worm slightly. This allowed him to attack the serpentine beast & get close enough to Hakaar for his presence to strengthen the node the Destroyer was attempting to dismantle. His Wurmblade connected with the Worm, but at dice -2, he rolled a 2 and did no damage.
* Lord of the Feast attacking the Worm & preventing Hakaar from scoring *
Kaya continued to work with the near-side node & trusted what remained of her army to hold off the Skorne.
Circle Orboros 5 - Skorne 1
Realizing there was no way to complete his mission in time, Xekaar left Kuros, the Razor Worm, & the Beast Handlers to distract Kaya's forces so that he could retreat along with Hakaar, Alale, & Uras.
After Action Review
This game really took me by surprise. Being that it was not only Donna's first game with a new faction, but also her first time playing with beasts / fury, I really expected to have a big advantage. I say that taking nothing away from her as a competitor. I just didn't think she'd grasp the new concepts SO fast and SO effectively. She used a lot of strategies that I'd come to love as a Cryx player: getting up on points early & using your army to essentially "wall off" the enemy. She not only blocked me out from scoring positions, but also blocked out my chances of getting an assassination beyond round 2.
Of course, we both made mistakes and one of the biggest that I made early on was having my beefy solos tied up working around the fog to futz with her Rotterhorn & Moonhound. I should have deployed Hakaar & the Ancestral Guardian to deal with her Pureblood. I don't have much as far as Exalted Skorne go, but when I play them correctly, I can get a solid ROI out of Hakaar & the Guardian with a single Novitiate in support.
The synergy between the Novitiate giving "Tough" to Exalted models, Hakaar's POW 20 "Combo Strike" when given "Stones' Wrath", Hakaar giving the Guardian +1 to hit, & with both 2 Exalted solos being ARM 18 goes a long way to keeping them in the battle & allowing them to wreck heavies.
I deployed them with the intention of taking out Lord of the Feast to leave the Novitiate on the flag while the other 2 flanked whoever was by the forest. Unfortunately, by the time I got them moving, the Rotterhorn & Moonhound were becoming a nuisance & I realized that they couldn't see through the fog to charge Lord of the Feast like I originally planned.
Once I did get them involved with her light beasts, I got my order of operations out of whack. I should have had them take the Rotterhorn out first in round 2 so the Titan & Razor Worm could charge Kaya. No guarantee that it would have worked, but I wasted an opportunity to go for an assassination by having the beasts deal with the Rotterhorn before activating the Exalted solos.
As for Donna, she pointed out that in round 2, she used "Soothing Song" to pull fury off of her beasts when she shouldn't have. She started the next round without much fury to leech and no beasts killed yet to benefit from spirit bond.
She also said that she wondered if she would have been better off having the Warpborn Skinwalkers deal with my beasts from the outset instead of having them go after the Mortitheurge Willbreaker & Scarab. On one hand, they may have been able to cut through the Titan Gladiator if they all got an early charge in. They're Hyper-Regeneration hopefully keeping enough of them alive to tie the Gladiator up long enough to eventually kill him. On the other hand, they took out the one solo I had set to score the near-side flag before he ever got there. They more than paid for themselves in preventing me from scoring any early points & then keeping Kaya alive in the late game.
She also lost out in choosing not to play a theme. She could have played "The Wild Hunt" and just been down a few points, but didn't realize the benefit she was passing up until the next day. We were looking info on possible themes for once I got her last 2 models painted & saw that if she'd have played in theme with TWH, her beasts would have been able to cast their animi at a discount of 1 fury when inside Kaya's control range.
Comments
Post a Comment