Game 20 (Whoo hoo!) - 2400 vs Regular Dark Elf Guy (Game #6)
Date: January 8, 2014
Opponent: Dark Elves (the regular opponent)
Point Value: 2400
Scenario: Battleline
Overview
Well, here we are at game 20. I suppose that's something of a milestone. The temperature outside was -4 F, but the action on the table top was hot!
I've been settling in to a fairly standardized list now, and I don't see that changing much. I'm starting to get the hand of how it works. I would like to play some 3000 point games so I could use more toys, but until then, we have what we have.
My army:
1 Oldblood on Coldone - Glittering Scales, Dawnstone, Sword of Battle, Egg of Quango
1 L2 Beasts Skink (Wildform, Spear)
1 Scar-vet BSB - Carnosaur (Loping) - Armor of Destiny, Great Weapon, Shield
12 Skink Skirmishers with Javelins and Shields
12 Skink Skirmishers with Javelins and Shields
12 Skink Skirmishers with Javelins and Shields
29 Saurus - Full Command
5 Ripperdactyls
8 Kroxigore
1 Bastiladon - Solar Engine
1 Ancient Stegadon with Engine of the Gods
His army (sort of) :
Hag BSB on Cauldron with 15 witch elves
General on Cold One with +3S Blade
Hero on Cold One with +2S Blade
10 Cold Ones
L3 Wizard (Doombolt, Bladewind, Soul Thingie)
5 Shades
16 Corsairs with handbows
16 Crossbowmen
Bolt Thrower
Hydra
Kharybdiss
My opponent is continuing to tweak his list a but, adding a few new things from game to game. I think that's fun. For his game I would have to try to handle the two monsters instead of just one. With his 2 and my 3, the table was full or roaring fun!
The table had a hill in his zone, a few woods here and there (one of them in my zone put a wound on my Bastiladon to start the game....grr), and a farmstead with some bushes off to my left.
His deployment, from my left to right, was: Corsairs, Kharybdiss, Cold Ones+Mounted Characters, Witches+Cauldron BSB, Shades scouted in the center of the table, hydra back in the line next to the witches, crossbows, bolt thrower on hill.
My stuff, left to right: Skinks+Shaman, Bastiladon, Kroxigor, Rippers behind Krox, Skinks, Saurus+General behind Skinks, CarnoBSB, Stegadon in woods (causes Fear!), skinks.
The Rippers smelled a toad in the Cold One unit.
I won the roll to go first.
Summary of Events
Turn 1 -
I advanced my central skinks toward his scouts and put them at an angle so that if the witches or cold ones charged I would send them across my lines where I could engage with my units in his flank. The skinks+shaman on the left advanced into the farmhouse. The skinks on the right made a beeline for the bolt thrower. My center shuffled a bit for position and range adjustment.
Magic went well. The Bastiladon got a Total Power doing 5 S4 hits to the witches, killing 2. The Shaman got a boosted Total Power Spear and sent Kharybiss back to the briny deep in one shot! The miscast killed two skinks.
Shooting had pretty much no effect.
In his turn he moved the scouts to the right, out of the way. Other stuff advanced. He was not sure what to do about the Krox/Cold One looming confrontation and advanced just a bit.
Magic came around and Soul Thingie killed two skinks, adding two wounds to his sorceress. This was done with Total Power, which cost him a level, that spell, and the ability to cast anything more that turn.
He shot his bolt thrower at the CarnoBSB and missed. The corsairs killed a skink in the building and the crossbowmen killed 2 skinks on the right.
Turn 2 -
My Kroxigor charged his Cold Ones. The central skinks created better overrun lanes should he charge. Also, if the Cold Ones won combat, they would have to hit the skinks. Other stuff in the middle got into better spots. The skinks on the right got to close range on the bolt thrower.
All I really cared about in Magic was getting Wildform on the Krox. His knights are S4, so I needed to get the help. I opened with the Bastiladon, which got the 6 result but only killed 3 scouts (who then panicked). My Wildform got stopped with a scroll.
Shooting eliminated the Bolt Thrower.
Combat was ugly. Before I could swing, his Cold Ones killed 4 Kroxigor. Keep in mind, I charged him, not the other way around. Still, when you get to reroll all to hit rolls and all to-wound rolls (nearby Cauldon), it's not pretty. Of the wound rolls he made, three would have failed if I had Wildform up. That's one full Krox that died because that spell failed. I knew my unit was toast, so I opted to see if I could take out the characters before I went. With 6 S7 attacks at each guy I managed to totally miss his general and put 2 wounds on the Hero. The Hero had a 1+ save and could re-roll one failed save. He rolled a 5 and a 2, re-rolling for a 1. He lived. Had the Wildform been up, the 5 would have failed and the Hero would have been dead. The lack of Wildform was a 4 point swing in combat resolution. The Krox failed their break check and were run down, but the Cold Ones had to hit the skinks.
In his turn, he charged the witches at the skinks as well and tossed the hydra at the Stegadon. The Coarsairs failed a charge against the skinks in the building and lost one of their number to my stand and shoot reaction for their trouble.
The scouts rallied and the wizard left the crossbowmen to join them.
Magic did nothing put Frenzy on the Cold Ones.
The Crossbows shot and killed a bunch of the skinks on the right, who fled.
My skinks died in combat, drawing his Cold Ones into my killzone. The witches only went 2 inches.
The battle between the hydra and stegadon went poorly for the stegadon, but he held his ground.
Turn 3 -
It was time! The Rippers went into the flank of the Cold Ones and the Saurus hit their front. I also tried a long distance charge of the Bastiladon into the flank of the witches, but it failed.
My skinks on the right rallied.
Magic did nothing.
Shooting killed another Corsair.
In combat, my Stegadon (on its last wound) did three wounds to the hydra. It ran and I chased it down. Last game a dragon, and now a hydra. Yeah!
The other combat went stupidly well. Two Rippers died before they could fight due to ASF and Murderous Prowess. In return, they killed the champion and 2 other knights. His knights also killed 8 Saurus, but my Saurus killed all his knights and his hero in return. The general fled and was chased down. My pursuit slammed the Saurus unit into the Cauldron.
In his turn the Corsairs finally made it to the building.
Magic was nothing.
Crossbowmen killed my last two skinks on the right.
It was combat time again,, and I did not have to deal with impact hits from the Cauldron for one. Here's the thing. We got into a challenge between the Cauldron and the Oldblood and my opponent revealed that he had followed my advice and put the Obsidian Blade on his Hag. With 5 attacks rerolling all to hit and to wound rolls, and me getting no armor save (bye bye re-rollable 1+), I knew it could be over for me. He did his best and only managed 1 wound (plus zero more from the other ladies on the cauldron). I swung back with 6 S5 attacks and...hit with 1, which was not even predatory. I did get the wound past her ward though. The other witches killed 1 Saurus before I could swing, but then I killed a pile of witches, taking the unit down to 4. It broke, costing him the BSB/Cauldon and his unit standard.
He conceded the game. It was my turn next and I could chase the last three witches while keeping my other stuff safe. He could not come back with only the Corsairs, Crossbowmen and his wizard left.
Result: Massive win to Lizardmen, in honor of game #20.
Post-game Thoughts and Unit Evaluations
Wow! What wild swings. I can't say it enough times. In 8th edition it's almost never too late for fortunes to change. Hang in there! When Kharybdiss went down so early and then the Krox charged his knights, I felt I had the game. Then the Krox died and I thought I was lost. Then the combo charge cascaded death in my favor. Exciting!
Skink Skirmishers with Javelins and Shields
They really helped today. They shaped the flow of events in the center, protected my shaman (other than from my own stupidity), and took out a bolt thrower. Javelins+skirmishers are the right combo.
Saurus Warriors
Yowza! I did not expect that! The sheer volume of S4 attacks meant that even his armor could not stand up. If the Oldblood and his Egg (used it and got 4 S5 hits that killed just one knight) had done average, it would have been even more lopsided. Then they hit the witches, who were unable to kill much despite getting 10 poison hits. Armor and parry (or Stegadon aura) for the win!
I know I keep harping on it, but PF in more than the first rank is just not needed. If we get it some day I'll take it (and go with spears instead of hw+sh), but until then, it's just greedy to try to play it that way (against the rules).
Ripperdactyls
I screwed up or it would have been even better. They had 5 Attacks each and I rolled them first, meaning half had to hit his champion. The riders should have gone first and may have killed the champion first, allowing the Rippers to wade into the normal troops. Even with that goof, they punished the knights, with 3 dying to killing blow alone.
I kept them behind my lines, waiting for the right moment, something I saw in Lizardmatt's post somewhere I believe. That totally worked out.
Bastiladon
His blasts were useful but not game-winning. He just keeps on proving to me he deserves his spot in the list.
Ancient Stegadon
I was conservative with him as well this game, keeping him near my lines for support and ward saves. It paid off, though I think I may have been lucky to live vs. the hydra. He's next up on my painting table.
That aura of his may just be enough to convince me that spears are the way to go on Saurus. If they ever modify PF, they can sell me 3-5 boxes of Saurus the next day so I can make spearmen.
Kroxigor
I have got to remember that his two characters will easily kill 2-3 Krox on their own before I swing and that the rest of the unit will do another 1-2. I should expect 3 dead and often 4 before I swing, and that means their attacks would have to do well above average to make up the difference. I'm not saying I should not get into this fight, or others like it, but I need to set expectations and a mission before engaging. Also, Wildform. Grr.
Saurus BSB on Carnosaur
Keeping him back in my lines, offering an 18" BSB bubble is really useful. He can support early, and then contribute where needed if the situation comes up. I think I am seeing how to best use him in my list and with my style.
Oldblood on Cold One
He survived well enough, but his offensive output was miserable again. I really need to look more closely at this guy and how I am using him.
Skink Shaman
That Amber Spear just proved what I've said all along - cannons are too good. This was, in essence, a cannon. I actually felt a little bad killing his monster with it, but part of me felt oh so good as well.
Thanks for reading!
