Spoiler: The Armies === Venertalli's Elite [1996 pts] Warhammer: The Old World, Lizardmen === ++ Characters [680 pts] ++ Venertalli [420 pts] (Slann) - Hand weapon - General - Battle Standard Bearer - Lore Familiar (monsoon, Tempest, walk between worlds, fiery Convecation) - Ruby Ring of Ruin - Becalming Cogitation - High Magic Aeontezin [260 pts] (Old Blood) - Hand weapon - Heavy armour (Scaly skin) - Shield - Cold-One - Horned One - Bedazzling Helm - Giant Blade ++ Core Units [920 pts] ++ 20 Saurus Warrior [321 pts] - Thrusting spears and shields - scaly skin (counts as heavy armour) - Spawn Leader (champion) - Standard bearer - Musician 20 Temple Guard [334 pts] - Hand weapons - halberds - and shields - scaly skin (counts as heavy armour) - Revered Guardian (champion) - Standard bearer 10 Skink Skirmishers [50 pts] - Hand weapons - Javelins - Shields - Light armour (Calloused hides) 10 Skink Skirmishers [55 pts] - Hand weapons - Javelins - Shields - Light armour (Calloused hides) - Vanguard 4 Jungle Swarms [160 pts] - Hand weapons ++ Special Units [196 pts] ++ 4 Kroxigors [196 pts] - Great weapons - Heavy armour (Scaly skin) ++ Rare Units [200 pts] ++ Troglodon [200 pts] - Venomous talons - Venom spray - Heavy armour (Scaly skin) - Skink Oracle with Hand weapon --- === Skaven [2000 pts] Warhammer: The Old World, Skaven === ++ Characters [633 pts] ++ Grey Seer [475 pts] - Hand weapon - Warpstone Tokens (D3) - Level 4 Wizard - General - Screaming Bell - Brass Orb - Paymaster's Coin - Battle Magic Warlock Engineer [35 pts] - Hand weapon - Warpstone Tokens (D3) - Battle Magic Skaven Chieftain [123 pts] - Halberd - Heavy armour - Shield - Battle Standard Bearer [War Banner] - Skavenbrew ++ Core Units [961 pts] ++ 30 Clanrats [272 pts] - Hand weapon - Thrusting spear - Light armour - Shield - Clawleader (champion) - Standard bearer - Musician - 1x Weapon Team [Hand weapons + Warpfire Thrower + Light armour] 21 Clanrats [182 pts] - Hand weapon - Light armour - Shield - Clawleader (champion) - Musician - 1x Weapon Team [Hand weapons + Ratling Gun + Light armour] 18 Stormvermin [325 pts] - Hand weapons - Halberds - Heavy armour - Fangleader (champion) [Cautious Shield] - Standard bearer [Grand Banner Of Superiority] - Musician - 1x Weapon Team [Hand weapons + Doom-flayer + Light armour] 21 Clanrats [182 pts] - Hand weapon - Light armour - Shield - Clawleader (champion) - Musician - 1x Weapon Team [Hand weapons + Ratling Gun + Light armour] ++ Special Units [261 pts] ++ 9 Warplock Jezzails [171 pts] - Hand weapons - Warplock jezzails - Pavise 9 Poisoned Wind Globadiers [90 pts] - Hand weapons - Poisoned Wind globes - Light armour ++ Rare Units [145 pts] ++ Doomwheel [145 pts] - Hand weapons (Claws and fangs) Knowing Skaven aren't the most competitive, my plan was to go infantry heavy. It's more fun anyway! We got the normal battle scenario so that kept things easy. The last game he won by 114 (so 14 off a draw), so I had to win, Venertalli the Defender of Lustria was keen to keep them out of the sacred temples. Turn 1 & Deployment I was happy with the set up. My jungle swarms would try to take the doom wheel. My Saurus and TG would block the centre. My trog could hide behind the trees while my krox ran up and secured the left flank before they both swept around. Stall the right flank, win the left, that was the plan. My shooting was disappointing, got a jezail down and got monsoon in front which scattered away missing them... meanwhile his shooting contained a surprise, I didn't realise those jezails had magic attacks! Walk between Worlds and Ethereal was for nothing perhap, and my Slann took 3 wounds. However - I had totally forgotten why I took the TG and skipped over the 2+ Guardian rule! A turn later when I remembered, my opponent was gracious enough to allow me to sacrifice one TG for one wound, so essentially the Slann was down to 3 wounds. My trog took a wound from the globadiers. His doom wheel rolled well and was happy to connect with the jungle swarms, however this was my plan! Let him take down 20 unbreakable wounds with such a good unit while I mop up the left. The doom wheel wins combat but not by as much as I expected. Turn 2 - me My Troglodon charges and wins though not by a lot (easy dispel of hammerhands) My conveyance spell continues to impress. My jungle swarms shocks everyone by sinking 4 poison wounds in a round, and killing the doom wheel! Didn't see that coming. Turn 2 - him His Bell charges my skinks. He does smash and break them but at the cost of his magic for the turn. His shooters take another wound off the Slann now on 2, and a couple of TG too. He charges my Troglodon in the flank with his rats, I think doing another wound and I FBIGO, he tried to resist following and can't and his globadiers are in combat. The skinks on the left get shot at, a few die and they break. Turn 3 - me Aeontezin charges and wins combat, the clanrats FBIGO. The jungle swarms charge the Bell and I'm loving this, my magic will be unhindered for a while. I continue to fireball the jezails and do a wound or two... Fiery Convecation goes off on the storm vermin and it brutalizes them, killing 6! The trog slowly wears down the globadiers taking another one or two out and they GG. Only bad thing is TG are blocked from getting into combat! Turn 3 - him He's still stuck in combat with the swarm and deprived of magic so the clanrats charge to help out. They do damage but of course they are unbreakable so we GG and his units restrain. Aeontezin takes a wound, does damages but loses by 1 and flees... Lol well he'll be back I'm confident. The globadiers slowly slowly slowly die. The trog isn't that good obviously but good enough. Turn 4 - me Aeontezin rallies and moves up to get back into things. The trog finishes the globadiers, now into the clanrats and they are outmatched. The swarm charges the bell to prevent him dispelling, I had 3 wounds and really was hoping to stall him his turn but unfortunately the swarm dies. The swarm has been unbelievably good. Wounded the bell a few times too. Fiery Convecation kills a few jezails. He's down to 4. At this point in the game I'm completely in control. I remember I told my opponent we were going to have to play handicap points because I can't run lower power than this list and all infantry! But it appears I have answers for everything and I'm actually pitying Skaven... Turn 4 - him His Bell and some clanrats charge my Saurus and he rolls a 6 on impact hits, the Saurus are decimated and they break and are run down. Tempest is dispelled and the storm vermin charge Aeontezin, combat is even despite the old blood taking no wounds. The trog gets hammerhands off, wins combat and runs down the clanrat. I forget to test to restrain and reform, damn. Turn 5 - me The krox mop up the weapon teams. The TG charge the storm vermin, Aeontezin takes a wound (down to 1) but we win combat and run them down. The TG try to pursue which turns out to be a disaster... Turn 5 - him The bell rings out and leadership tests are required to avoid damage.... Aeontezin fails and takes a wound, enough to kill him! The TG are out of place! Mistake by me and 4 jezails shoot, two hit, both wound, and... Zero ward success! The Slann is dead! His Bell charges the TG in the flank, winning easily however we have stubborn and shieldwall. What a last turn. We go to turn 6 & 7 My Trog charges, passes his initiative save against the magic weapon, however the rat ogre sneaks a wound through and it's dead. Even so the TG win the combat by 1, the Bell breaks entirely, I easily rolled enough to run them down but I positioned those skinks in the way!! The Bell never managed to rally after 2 more shots at leadership 7, it is still fleeing at the end of the game. The jezails get charged and flee but rally right at the end. We both suspect it's a draw but adding it up... the VP's are a 1530 to 1639! I missed the draw by 9 points! Recap Man jungle swarms are good! I did roll well but vanguard, poison, skirmish, unbreakable... Just super useful anvils, that can pack a punch if you get lucky with poison. Hasn't tried High in a while and Walk is a really underrated spell. Fiery is of course purely anti infantry and Tempest is great control for fast armies (that just didn't work this game). Monsoon is far better than I give it credit for, it helped it was always cast. I don't have too many regrets, I probably shouldn't have charged with the Trog at the end but stalling for VP's with a massive monster in a casual game isn't my style. For now. Definitely should have remembered guardian with the Slann, and getting the skinks in the way of that pursuit cost me the game. Infantry heavy social games are a lot more fun than the monster/skirmish heavy competitive games in my opinion but there is a place for both I think. But this was one of the more fun games I've had.