During Black Friday I caved and bought not one but two neoprene game mats I ended up going with FLG Mats because USA + decent quality + sick discount.
And yesterday I finally busted one out for a game 😐
BLOODFIRE GAME 23: EMPIRE OF DUST
Salamanders 2000
Fire Elemental Horde
Fire Elemental Horde
Fire Elemental Horde
Fire Elemental Horde
Ember Sprite Regiment
Ember Sprite Regiment
Ember Sprite Regiment
Ember Sprite Regiment
Ankylodon Battle Platform – firebolts
Herald – Banner of the Griffin
Mage-Priest – Surge (8), Heal (3), Inspiring Talisman
Mage-Priest – Surge (8), Heal (3)
Clan Lord on Fire Drake – Dwarven Ale
Gotta say, 2k is bit awkward with the new item costs, compounded by my new double priest list taking up more hero points. Came down to BOTG or Healing Charm, and I had to go with Rally. Just makes too much sense in general, but especially when youre running high defense / low nerve (relatively) monstrous things. Dwarven Ale because I had an awkward 10 points and the CLOFD wavers way more than Id like, especially in an army of fearless things.
Empire of Dust 2000
Skeleton Spearmen Regiment
Skeleton Spearmen Regiment
Skeleton Crossbowmen Horde – Banner of the Griffin
Mummy Regiment
Mummy Regiment
Enslaved Guardian Horde
Swarm Regiment
Revenant Chariot Regiment – casket
Balefire Catapult
Balefire Catapult
Balefire Catapult
Bone Giant
Cursed High Priest – fireball & vicious, mount
Cursed High Priest – fireball & vicious, mount
Bones are as tuned up as theyve been, with lots of tried and true choices, including the horrific possibilities offered by triple catapults. Chariots were the new inclusion, pretty sweet package or 125 points with casket, and rally on the Crossbows instead of a mediocre shooty item is a neat choice.
We diced up Scavenge (COK17), a mission Id not even heard of until the last week or so. Markers went down center and 12 to either side. On the terrain, my home collection isnt great, so the books are hills.
BATTLE
Battlelines!
Bloodfire seizes the initiative and rolls out, not keen to weather more catapult fire than needed. Fire Elementals hard right are surged forward 4.
The wall of bone shambles forward, Mummies cresting the facing hill as all the undead firepower targets one of the central Fire hordes.
Double catapult hits (8 + 7 blasts X_X) and a smattering of crossbow bolts slam into the elementals, but they hold thanks to the Griffin Banner! Meanwhile, the Ankylodon is shoved a few inches backwards by the Enslaved Guardians.
Salamanders count their blessings / Ember Sprites and jam the center with chaff, as the Ankylodon crashes through the forest into the Chariots and the CLOFD likewise uproots some trees on his way into the Swarm:
The Fire hordes all trudge forward, getting off the hill and slooooowly hooking in from the right.
The hindered CLOFD and ABP manage to trip and cause a few wounds to their targets, neither of which care. Combined with the lesser Mage-Priest healing a single wound from the battered Fire horde and that was a pretty lackluster turn.
The Empire responds by pouncing all over the poor central Sprites (spoiler: they die) and hammering down into the mangled Fire horde (6 blast catapult hit gets them up to snakes) and the Ankylodon (combo of crossbows + catapult puts 5 (-1 for Iron Resolve) wounds on him). The towering ABP is also shoved like 5 back by the Guardians.
The rightmost Spear regiment charges a flanking Fire horde as well, doing a couple points of damage, and the Swarm nibbles a wound off of the CLOFD.
Turn 3, time to increase the grind with charges down the line: CLOFD back into Swarm, ABP (hindered) into flank of Chariots, Fire horde surged into flank of Mummies, Fire horde into Spears and more Fire into more Spears.
And you know, despite that wave of raw boiling blood smashing into the deadites not much actually happened? The CLOFD managed to splatter the Swarm (-_-) and the Mummies died to the flank, but both Spearmen survived with average or below damage (5 + 7), and the Ankylodon continued to show how much he needs Strider. 20 attaks = 2 wounds, which happened to be the same or worse than what he did to the front (also hindered). And now he was going to get himself flanked.
Or not! The EOD piles on the central Fire horde, as Spears counter-charge their Fire bros and the Guardians make it personal and charge the Ankylodon. The Crossbows shamble towards the center to make their big rally bubble relevant
and a surge ensures it is. A catapult kills the right Sprites (Rest in Pepperonis, lil buddies), but its really about fighting. The besieged Fire horde survives with 9 wounds, largely thanks to the Chariot flank doing no damage and the Bone Giant fluffing hard. Neither of the Spears can make headway against their Fire hordes either, and the Ankylodon stands tall with 7 wounds (after IR).
Sallies retaliate as hard as they can. Fire hordes counter-charge Spears and Chariots (going for at least a kill in the latter case, and to free up some board real estate, though they may have been better punching the Bone Giant? Even knowing thats a grind they wont win), and for the first time all game the Ankylodon gets to fight something without being hindered, as he counter-charges the Guardians. The CLOFD digs up a loot token and charges through that damn forest to help his pal out.
The ABP is healed for two and a High Priest takes a fireball to the face, then all the Dust regiments are exploded. Unfortunately, 500 points of Salamander monster barely puts a handful of wounds on the Guardians, who hold with no issue. Holy hell guys.
The Empire piles on the pressure, throwing Mummies and Crossbows (!) into the smoldering central Fire horde, slamming the Bone Giant into the Ankylodons flank and counter-charging Guardians into CLOFD this time around.
Kaiju Big Battle 2: Monster Chiropractor
Catapult fire rains down across the board, wounding the last Sprites (on the left, looking to dig up more loot next turn) for 6 but for no waver, then slamming a Fire horde which, combined with multiple High Priest fireballs, nukes the unit. In combat, the Mummies + Crossbows manage only 2 wounds on their Fire Elementals, which cant get through the Griffin Banner boost. The Bone Giant goes in with just 16 attaks, with which he stuffs it and only wounds the ABP 4 times (healed down to 9 with IR). Likewise the Guardians rip the CLOFD for 4 damage but he doesnt care.
Turn 5 and its becoming apparent that the Bloodfire loot needs to be protected ASAP. The CLOFD and ABP (yay hindered!) head back into the Guardians looking to pop them or at least shut out the Bone Giant from the Clan Lord, while the remaining Fire hordes double team the Crossbows to remove a very big unit thats contesting multiple markers (also rally, etc). Sadly the flanking horde had to sploosh over a barrier, so would also be hindered. Magic sees two wounds healed from the Ankylodon and a few wounds from a fireball into a catapult, for no lucky break.
After a lot of smashing, the Empire holds strong. 17 damage to the Crossbows isnt enough to pop (Ive really lost my ability to roll average on rout tests, especially rerolled ones), thanks in large part to the flanking horde really struggling to hit on 5+. The CLOFD + ABP again team up to do token damage at best to the Guardians. Cripes.
Oh, those last wounded Sprites totally did dig up more loot, so theres that to manage now too.
Dust get another shot at blunting what really felt like a Bloodfire lead and happily take it. Bone Giant heads back into the Ankylodon flank, Guardians into the CLOFD, Mummies flank the rapidly dissipating Fire Elementals and the Crossbows counter-charge their buddies because reasons. High Priests fireball some wounds into the lesser Mage-Priest and Herald, wavering the Herald – but catapults either missed the Sprites or didnt have a shot. All the wounded Salamander stuff dies in combat (the horde fighting the Crossbows takes no damage), and the Guardians take the CLOFDs loot.
Sally Turn 6 and, after the last Fire horde digs up some loot of their own, its 2 to 1 on markers, with the Mummies clearly set to do some of their own mining next turn.
The Fire Elementals flame out and melt the Crossbow horde, the inspiring Mage-Priest fireballs off a Catapult, and the lesser Mage-Priest and Sprites combine to finish off the Guardians, destroying their loot in the process. 2:0 loot, at least for now.
Clearly the champion of the match, the Bone Giant powers into the Sprites, shattering them and stealing their loot. Meanwhile the Mummies dig up fresh loot, swinging the score to 2:1 in favor of the undead. The last Fire Elementals take 4-5 points of damage from Catapult lovin but dont pop.
And with that the game ends.
BLOODFIRE LOSS
All told this was a great game. It was a bit frustrating to see the lead I had Turn 3-4 just fall apart through incompetence on my monsters parts (ABP Strider plz!), but Scavenge is a really cool mission that Im happy to have finally played. I have no idea if its in COK18 but heres hoping.
BLOODFIRE 