I’ve been working on a multibased Fire Elementals *cough* Salamanders *cough* army since early January (2017), and recently got within (flame) spitting distance of 2000 points! And have remained 160 points shy for weeks now, because painting 18 tiny red lizard things is a big turnoff for me 😛
But two blank bases hasn’t kept me from finally getting in some full-sized games! All against clubmate Albanyadriel‘s own fledgling Empire of Dust. Needless to say, its been a learning experience for both of us
BLOODFIRE GAME 1: EMPIRE OF DUST
Salamanders 2000
Fire Elemental Horde
Fire Elemental Horde
Fire Elemental Horde
Fire Elemental Horde
Ember Sprites Regiment
Ember Sprites Regiment
Ember Sprites Regiment
Ember Sprites Regiment
Greater Fire Elemental
Greater Fire Elemental
Herald on Raptor - Blade of Slashing
Herald - Healing Charm
Mage-Priest - Surge, Inspiring Talisman
Clan Lord on Fire Drake - Healing Brew
Empire of Dust 2000
Skeleton Spearmen Regiment
Skeleton Spearmen Regiment
Skeleton Crossbowmen Horde - [Shooting Better Item]
Enslaved Guardian Archer Horde - [Shooting Better Item]
Swarm Regiment
Scavenger Regiment
Scavenger Regiment
Revenant Worm Riders - [Melee Better Item?]
Balefire Catapult
Balefire Catapult
Scorpion Husk
Bone Giant
Cursed High Priest - Breath Attak, Vicious, Mount
Cursed High Priest - Breath Attak, Vicious, Mount
This game was played on the cusp of COK’s release, hence the Brew on the CLOFD and the EOD shooters not having +1 to hit (most likely elite on Crossbows and vicious on Guardians).
We rolled up Invade and used COK’s changes to unit strength instead of point cost. I couldn’t tell you if my red dudes won the initiative typically in Invade I really want it (because shambling and setting up chaff screen vs shooting), but I have a feeling I didn’t get it.
I dont have strong memories of this game, as it was like a month ago, so this is going to be pictures and commentary.
BATTLE
So red!
Armies shamble towards each other, whilst CLOFD points at stuff! (L2R = Spearmen, Worm Riders, Bone Giant, Scavengers)
Redementals push forward, as the undead attempt to focus fire and the Raptor Herald (= gator, naturally) gets ready to go tie up the EOD shooters.
A battleline shot?! The red tide has deployed Sprite screen and is weathering shooting well.
The Scorpion and Swarms overextend (as seems to be the fate of vanguard troops) and get themselves killed by Elemental hordes. Meanwhile Snappy the Herald has launched himself out of the forest and into the unsuspecting Crossbows
and he lands his single 5+ to hit with aplomb! The Crossbows are shut down!
Meanwhile on the right, the fire dudes are in a standoff with Spears, Worms and Giant, but have plenty of inspiring and some healing to back them up, on top of abundant redness.
Unsure of what to do with himself, the CLOFD charges into the Bone Giant
and commences a long grind. Eventually some Fire Elementals flank in and wreck the Giant, which pulls in the Worm Riders, who kill those Elementals but are covered in boiling blood and killed in return.
Back on the left, things have degenerated into Sprites tagteaming some Spearmen spoiler: they didn’t get much done 😐 – as the Mage-Priest relentlessly chucks fireballs into a Priest who refuses to die (again). Eventually she burns him to cinders, but not before all those Sprites are speared or breathed to death. Also some Elementals made it into the Crossbow horde and smashed them apart over a couple turns, freeing up Snappy the Herald to pounce on the Guardian Archers, shutting them down for a turn.
The other EOD flank has collapsed under hot, flaming pressure. You can see Snappy doing annoying things to the Guardians (and getting a little beat up for his troubles he eventually gets clubbed to death with the second Guardian charge, but thats them not shooting the incoming fire things).
End game has some lucky EOD shooting finish up wounded Elemental hordes, dropping Salamander scoring strength fairly significantly. Despite these last gasps the Elementals win the match fairly handily.
BLOODFIRE VICTORY
Despite the victory, it was a weird experience playing an army so different from my Ratkin, with their oodles of attaks, massive nerve values, ability to project force (even in the striped down combat lists I play), and ability to at the double … I think what most gets me is how not tough an army of D5+ feels, vs my experience playing almost entirely D3+ or D4+, and how pathetic 18 attaks @ 4+ feels when I finally make it to combat. Plus I still feel like a total surge noob, though I frankly am! Which is all to say, more games please!
BLOODFIRE 
Author’s Note: This is not in fact the first outing of the Bloodfire, but is the first 2000+ point game. I played a handful of 1000 pointers before this one, including a 1000 point random team tourney at The Portal over in CT. So I suppose we could add at least three games to the final total, whatever that ends up being.
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