Month: April 2023

THE HALLOW 26-27: UNDEAD

On By SalvageIn THE HALLOWLeave a comment

My next tournament was Pilgrimage GT in Philadelphia, PA which marked a welcome return to 2300 points. I threw down a couple times with my buddy Jeff in the name of practice, though in truth I kept my list additions exceedingly simple over my 2150 point list. Here are both games in one post in the name of completeness and mayhem.

Herd 2300
Lycan Horde – Brew of Strength
Guardian Brute Horde
Guardian Brute Horde
Minotaur Chariot Regiment – The Stampede [1]
Tribal Warrior Horde – Brew of Sharpness
Tribal Warrior Regiment
Tribal Warrior Regiment
Tribal Warrior Regiment
Centaur Bray Striders Troop
Centaur Bray Striders Troop
Lycan Alpha – Trickster’s Wand; Hex (2)
Great Chieftain – Horn of the Great Migration [1]
Centaur Chieftain – Blade of Slashing
Druid – Conjurer’s Staff; Bane Chant (2), Heal (2)
14 (27)

Compared to my 2150 list, I’ve simply added another regiment of Tribal Warriors and splurged on some casting insurance for the Druid and a spell for the Alpha. She actually had the Zephyr Crown in the first game below, but I swapped to the Trickster’s Wand by the second and ended up using it in the tournament. I do love windblast but hex is a hard counter to the really efficient (or awkwardly tall) casters out there.

GAME 26

Undead 2300
Revenant Horde – Undead Giant Rats
Revenant Horde – Undead Giant Rats
Soul Reaver Cavalry Regiment
Soul Reaver Infantry Regiment – Chalice of Wraith
Soul Reaver Infantry Regiment – Dwarven Ale
Revenant Cavalry Regiment – Brew of Sharpness
Wraith Troop
Wraith Troop
Vampire on Undead Horse – Knowledgeable; Surge (4), Host Shadowbeast (3)
Vampire on Undead Pegasus – Surge (4)
Vampire on Undead Pegasus – Surge (4)
11 (24)

Jeff’s list is constantly changing as he learns the game better and/or hyper-fixates on certain units. This iteration sees him wanting to polish a Rev Cav regiment into a functional hammer, while also doubling down on the hot sex that is the Vampasus. He’s also discovered that a vamp with shadowbeast behind it can do 10+ wounds in one swing … possibly an edition too late, but still a menace!

We played Raze, and I think he let me go first out of indecision.

BATTLE

Battlelines! My Lycan Alpha is hard to the left. His Vamps on Pegasuses are repped by the Goreblights in the upper left.

Turn 1: The Hallow sprints off the line, with my right flank beginning the long trek into relevance thanks to the Undead refused flank. The Lycan horde burns a token (1-0). The Undead advance in response, keeping Wraiths to the fore and putting both Vampasuses in a frankly weird position just in front of the house on the left. In Jeff’s defense, I don’t have any true hammer to threaten them, just a lot of chaff to sit them down eternally. Which is my plan anyway.

Herd 2: Mmmm second turn fighting is best fighting. The Lycan Alpha and some Tribal Warriors sit the Vampasuses down; Centaur troops hit the sharp Revenant Cavalry regiment in the front and flank, routing them before Jeff got to see if they’re any good (sorry buddy); Brutes flank and obliterate one of the Revenant hordes; and the Tribal Warrior horde stalls out on some Wraiths but that’s not unexpected given De 6+. Bane chant had gone on the Brutes but failed (no thanks to the conjurer’s staff). The Lycan horde burns another raze token (2-0).

Undead 2: The Undead clap-back is strong. Those overextended Brutes are killed by Soul Reavers and the horse Vampire (who failed his Host Shadowbeast on 1-1-1); the Centaur troops are both driven off by the Revenant horde and other Soul Reavers, respectively; and through the magic of nimble square bases, one Vampasus flanks the Tribal Warriors fighting the other Vampasus. The regiment wavers. Speaking of frustration, the free Wraiths dive into the waiting Brutes, dealing token damage but stripping their TC and dooming them to a game of struggling to clear a De 6+ chaff troop. Spoilers.

Herd 3: The Hallow is starting to bog down but I’ve still got plenty of hammers on the right to get into the fight. The Stampede helps the Tribal Warrior horde out with their Wraith problem, pounding them up to 14 damage before rolling snake eyes. Balls. Elsewhere, the Lycan Alpha flanks her Vampasus but only does a few damage; the wavered Tribal Warriors back up to let the Great Chieftain ground the other Vampasus; more Tribal Warriors jump on some Soul Reavers (5 damage); and the Brutes struggle with their Wraiths. It looks like I healed them for 1 damage instead of bane chanting to get them back in the game (30 attaks on 4+ / 5+ is only 5 damage, me). Heal (2) is proving to never be the answer if there are combats happening.

Undead 3: Jeff capitalizes on my bad dice by flanking the Tribal Warrior horde with his surviving Revenant horde. They die. My Brutes also bite it when Soul Reavers power downfield to help the Wraiths holding them in place. The other Soul Reavers one round their Tribal Warrior annoyance with ease, and the Vampasuses counter-charge the Lycan Alpha and Great Chieftain for some damage. Note that all these vamp units are lifeleeching 2 damage every time they fight, so I’ve done next to nothing to them. Finally, the Wraiths fighting the Stampede do 1 damage, striping its TC2.

Herd 4: I can still dig this out, but I’m going to need really any cooperation from the dice. Vampasuses are sat down again, that’s easy enough. A second regiment of Tribal Warriors hits the Soul Reavers in the woods – snake eyes but whatever (4 damage). I grab the flank of the other Soul Reavers with another Tribal Warrior regiment – snake eyes despite bane chant (8 damage). Sweet hell, can we stop? The Stampede tosses into the Wraiths again – zero damage with 15 attaks on 3+ / 5+. This ensures the Stampede will be flanked by Revs and shattered. Notice the Centaur Chief who could have safely booped the Wraiths in the flank (1.3 damage avg) or the Lycan in their rear (18 damage avg), although that might have exposed the big worm to the Soul Reaver Cav it’s holding back. Regardless, what a turn.

Undead 4: Both Soul Reaver regiments dismantle Tribal Warrior regiments and continue their rampage. The Revenant horde does smash the Stampede in the flank, as the damn Wraiths cruise away to win the scenario – the unit to the left burns a raze token this turn (2-1). The Vampasuses savage their opponents a bit.

Herd 5: We’re officially in damage control now. The Lycan Alpha and Great Chieftain attak the same Vampasus, but 4 turns of fighting (including 1 flank) only adds up to 6 damage, resulting in nothing. The Lycan horde can either die against the Revenant horde or scoot around and threaten the Soul Reaver Cav. I do the latter. The Druid jukes the central Soul Reaver regiment because life.

Undead 5: One Soul Reaver regiment flanks and kills the Lycan Alpha and the other grudgingly claims the center point. The horse Vamp blends the cowardly Druid. Wraiths and the flying Vampasus burn raze tokens (2-3).

Herd 6: The Lycan horde slams into the Soul Reaver Cavalry at long last, dealing a stellar 10 damage but failing the uninspired 7 needed to rout them. Which would have allowed it to overrun and burn another raze token. Ah well. The Great Chieftain sits his Vampasus down, and the Centaur Chieftain finally kills those mangled Wraiths on the right.

Undead 6: The Lycan horde is flanked by Soul Reavers (and countered by the SRC) and strewn across the battlefield. The horse Vampire runs down the Centaur Chief, while the Great Chieftain is cuddled by a Vampasus.

Turn 7: Wheeeeew one more round then. The Great Chieftain stabs his Vampasus up to 6 damage, achieving nothing. She rocks him up to 12 but snake eyes the rout. Thanks Jeff. With 4 points to my 2, this is a clear …

HALLOW LOSS

Three snakes in a row, coupled with the total Stampede flop, really gutted this match for me. It’s especially hard to come back against an army that hits so hard. I’m here to jam and piece trade and generally make a mess against other combat armies, but bad dice set me further and further back and there’s a limit to how much junk I have :/ Anyway, props to Jeff for seizing opportunities I didn’t even see, like the Wraiths into the Brutes, he deserved a win after being a punching bag for so long.

GAME 27

Jeff and I met up at my house a week or so later for another go after the last game’s flop fest. His list had of course changed again:

Undead 2300
Revenant Horde – Sanguinary Scripture, Undead Giant Rats
Soul Reaver Cavalry Regiment – Boots of Striding?
Soul Reaver Infantry Regiment – Chalice of Wraith
Soul Reaver Infantry Regiment – Dwarven Ale
Revenant Cavalry Regiment – Brew of Sharpness
Wraith Troop
Wraith Troop
Wraith Troop
Vampire on Undead Horse – Knowledgeable; Surge (4), Host Shadowbeast (3)
Vampire on Undead Pegasus
Vampire on Undead Pegasus
Necromancer – Inspiring Talisman; Surge (6), Bane Chant (2)
12 (21)

The single Revenant horde LL3 anvil this time around, freeing up points for even more Wraiths (the dude is now running 4+ troops last I heard) and the return of the Necromancer. I’m not sure about the SRC’s item (I convinced him to do Sp 9 or nimble recently) but I don’t think they had anything that would have helped with Nv. Spoilers.

We played Plunder this game, because it’s great. I went first one way or another.

BATTLE

Battelines! Goreblights still playing the part of Vampires on Pegasuses.

Turn 1: The Hallow scampers forward, the Wraith’s 14″ charge range keeping me slightly at bay after last game. Tribal Warriors central-left grab a 2 point token – I’m pretty sure the Revenant Cavalry could charge them (hindered) but my Brutes are waiting. The Lycan Alpha hexes the Necromancer for good measure. In return, the Undead mobilize Wraiths and advance cautiously.

Herd 2: What did I say about fighting on the second turn? The Stampede and a Centaur troop aggro the poor Soul Reaver Cav, wavering them on 9 damage. The rightmost Wraiths disappear under the fury of the Lycan horde, but not before the bane chanted Tribal Warrior horde nabs a Vampasus and rends it apart. I am not mucking about. The Rev Cav are triple charged by Centaurs, Tribal Warriors and the Lycan Alpha but unfortunately hold on 10 damage. Also I send some hindered Tribal Warriors into the leftmost Wraiths to sit them down … but do no damage on 5+ / 6+ 😐 Finally, the Tribal Warriors on the far right pick up a token, content to win the game for me.

Undead 2: The Unjammening. The Revenant horde (hindered) flanks those Tribal Warriors pestering the Rev Cav, with said cavalry hitting them in the front. The green bois evaporate, the Rev horde takes their token and faces the Brutes while the Rev Cav sidesteps in front of the Lycan Alpha. Meanwhile, the horse Vamp wavers the Centaur troop on 5 damage and the un-disordered Wraiths on the left hop their Tribal Warriors and scoop up a token. Over on murder hill, Soul Reaver infantry and the surviving Vampasus do 16 damage to the Tribal Warrior horde, but it holds solid (I’m not sure why the other Soul Reavers didn’t join in? He might have thought it was a sure thing and wanted them pointed at the Stampede / Lycan for next turn? In which case they would have been able to reform after combat? I dunno). Remember last game when Wraiths dove some Brutes and we hung out all game? Yep, some Wraiths dive some Brutes and disorder them. I guess it’s good to understand how to counter Guardian Brutes, helps them feel a little less god tier 😛

Herd 3: I gleefully flank the Soul Reavers fighting the Tribal Warrior horde with Brutes, with the horde counter charging to they slide and make room for the Lycan horde to charge the other Soul Reavers. 85 attaks turns the one Soul Reavers into red mist, while the Lycan only manage 8 damage even with bane chant. The Stampede detonates the Soul Reaver Cav, however, and turns to face the rest of the vamps in need of pounding. Over on the left, the Lycan Alpha finishes off the Rev Cav, turning to face the center, and I don’t turn the wavered Centaurs around to menace the Wraiths over there. The Tribal Warriors do though. Finally, the Brutes fighting ghosts do 5 damage and are stuck. Oh, and the Tribal Warriors on the right pick up another token. I’m down 2-3 but there’s plenty of time.

Undead 3: Thanks to the Necromancer’s surge, the Revenant horde joins the (host shadowbeasted) horse Vampire in (hindered) charging the Brutes on the Undead half of the board. 8 damage is solid but not enough to matter. Meanwhile, the Vampasus charges down the very damaged Tribal Warrior horde the old fashioned way, and the Soul Reaver infantry one round the Lycan horde. Yeesh. The Wraiths fighting Brutes do 3 more damage (7 total), and the token-bearing Wraiths on the left befuddle Jeff for a while before he just turns them around. So many options if they don’t have a token, so few if they do. On that point, it’s worth noting that the Rev horde had to drop their 2 point token to surge the Brutes.

Herd 4: The violence reaches a crescendo here at the midpoint, with the Stampede kicking things off by flanking and pulping the Vampasus (TC3 off that hill). The Centaur troop who had escorted them in flanks the Soul Reavers, routing them with the help of the Great Chieftain in the front. The Revenant horde is reared by the Lycan Alpha and countered by the Brutes, to the tune of 13 damage. The other Brutes fight their way free of the Wraiths, and the leftmost Wraiths are (hindered) charged by the same Tribal Warriors again, this time taking a single damage and disordering.

Undead 4: Jeff counters the Lycan Alpha with the Revenant horde, trusting in the mounted Vamp to finish off the Brutes – which turns out to be well founded, as they are indeed blended. The Lycan Alpha takes 6 damage thanks to the Necro’s bane chant but she doesn’t care.

Herd 5: The other Brutes flank the Revenant horde in the name of vengeance, with Centaurs in the rear and Lycan Alpha in the front. They are pounded into the swamp upon which they stood. The other Centaurs flank and kill the last of the Wraiths, giving their token to the Tribal Warriors who spent 5 turns trying to get it, and the Stampede deigns to pick up a 2 pointer itself.

Undead 5: Jeff only has his mounted Vampire left, but thankfully he’s a one man army. The poor Centaur Chief is turned to mulch (18 attaks @ 3+ / 2+).

Turn 6: The Lycan Alpha picks up a token and forgets to hex the Vampire. In response, he zips in (hindered), hosts up, and doesn’t kill her. With all 7 points, this is a …

HALLOW VICTORY

The Undead’s over-extension on the right was punished with extreme prejudice … and decidedly functional dice. I myself didn’t expect the Stampede to max out their WC and grab the Soul Reaver Cav in the second turn, but I couldn’t turn it down, especially when I had a shot at removing their inspiring Vampasus as well. Jeff’s list feels really good, elite punchy Undead seems like the way. If you want to do trash, other armies do it better (because they can march), while Undead have some of the most extreme hammers in the game. I think Jeff’s most current version is double Lykanis instead of Vampasus? And quadruple Wraiths, for obvious reasons.

Anyway, that’s all the practice I got before Pilgrimage! The tournament report should be up in a week or two.

THE HALLOW 24-25: DEAD OF WINTER DAY 2

On By SalvageIn THE HALLOWLeave a comment

(Months pass, seasons change, and yet these reports remain unsung … no longer!)

After a stellar first day, my green Herd are on Table 3 up against another familiar face but with some new toys courtesy of the Big Red Book.

GAME FOUR: BASILEANS

Basileans 2150

Elohi Horde – Wine of Elvenkind, Celestial Fury
Ogre Palace Guard Horde – Chalice of Wrath
Ogre Palace Guard Horde – Staying Stone
Sisterhood Scouts Regiment
Sisterhood Scouts Regiment
Paladin Foot Guard Regiment – Orb of Towering Presence
Paladin Knights Troop – Skirmisher’s Boots, Aegis Fragment
Heavy Arbalest
Heavy Arbalest
Phoenix
Phoenix
Gnaeus Sallustis [1]
Priest – Conjurer’s Staff; Heal (3), Bane Chant (2)
13 (23)

I love Chris’ army, and Kings of Warmachine armies in general. He’s added a lot of shooting since my crabs last faced him, which is somewhat concerning, but fewer Elohi is a win? I tell myself as I prepare to overthink the single horde he has brought.

The fourth round was Booty, a modified Push where each token carried after the first gives -1 Sp down to a minimum of Sp 1. The tokens are otherwise standard loot tokens (so Sp 5 max, no surge, no nimble, no windblast, etc). Basilea\ went first because shooting.

BATTLE

Battlelines! Or slightly after the scouting phase anyway. He’s got two tokens in the hard left Paladin Foot Guard and one in the Sisterhood Scouts near them. I’ve got two in my Tribal Warrior horde and one in the Tribal Warrior reg on the right.

Turn 1: The Basileans form a #murdercrescent, with shooting removing the Centaurs protecting the Brutes and doing 7 damage to the Tribal Warrior horde and 2 to the regiment to the left. Ouch. The Hallow punches it up the center and baits with the Centaurs on the right.

Basileans 2: Chris’ forces largely drift around the left or back up, with the Knight troop flanking the bait Centaurs on the right. Shockingly they survive and are unwavered! Shooting wavers the Tribal Warriors in the central woods but crucially leaves my advanced Brutes holding on 7 damage.

Herd 2: My Lycan Alpha charges off to the left, grounding a Phoenix. The damaged Brutes power up the field into some Sisterhood Scouts, dunking them and spinning to face the Ogre Palace Guard duo. On the right, the Centaurs charge off to bother Gnaeus and the Knight troop is flanked themselves – again to limited effect! I had held the Lycans back as I didn’t want to get charged in response by the Elohi. The Stampede, assuming the right is in my control, heads off to pressure the center.

Basileans 3: On the left, the Phoenix waddles away to let the Foot Guard have a go at the Lycan Alpha. Meanwhile on the right, the Elohi swoop in and one round the Tribal Warriors (with a token), and the Knight troop gets in the way of the Lycan horde, poking some damage through in the process. Gnaeus finished off the Centaurs and prepares for next turn. Centrally, shooting clears off the rampaging Brutes and the OPG back up.

Herd 3: But they don’t back up far enough, thanks to the Great Chieftain’s WC aura. Tribal Warriors and Brutes charge the Palace Guard, with the Brutes wavering theirs thanks to bane chant (and kind of floppy dice). The Lycan horde on the right nukes the Knight troop in its way, with the Centaur Chief grounding the Elohi as the Stampede changes direction again and heads back to the right. Finally on the left, the Lycan Alpha withdraws and rears the orange Phoenix, keeping it disordered.

Basileans 4: The Basilean left slinks backward, with shooting largely whiffing against the Tribal Warrior horde. The Lycan Alpha is lightly pecked by the orange Phoenix and the Tribal Warriors downfield are wrecked by the functioning Palace Guard. On the right, the Elohi and Gnaeus assault the Stampede and only manage to waver it. Hell yea.

Herd 4: It’s officially on, dear readers. The surviving Brutes withdraw and charge the other Palace Guard, making space for the Tribal Warrior horde to plow into the mangled horde of ogres – they had to shed 1 booty token to go back to Sp 5 but worth. Both Palace Guard units are smashed. The Lycan Alpha continues grounding the orange Phoenix, as the Great Chieftain charges and shuts down the blue Phoenix. On the right, the Stampede bips some damage onto Gnaeus (only CS1 when disordered) but the Lycans rear charge the Elohi, decimating them (and taking my token back).

Basileans 5: The Sisterhood Scouts advance to block for the Foot Guard token caddies, but their shooting (and maybe the arbalests’, tho they had been cooling down over the course of the game) successfully wavers the Tribal Warrior horde. Gnaeus finishes off the Stampede and faces the Lycan horde. I’m sure the orange Phoenix slapped away at the Lycan Alpha.

Herd 5: The Brutes leapfrog the retreating Tribal Warrior horde, sadly unable to charge (I might have been able to turn the horde sideways and gotten the Brutes into the Sisters? But this would have offered a flank to the Foot Guard and given them a token, as well as gotten them closer to the central token) but picking up their token in the process, as I can see the writing on the wall. The Lycan Alpha continues disordering the regenerating Phoenix, with the Centaur Chief grounding the blue one this turn. The Lycan horde blends Gnaeus and the Great Chieftain heads off to kill some war engines.

Basileans 6: The Tribal Warrior horde is finally shot down. Phoenixes caw in distress.

Herd 6: The Brutes make contact with the Sisterhood Scouts, detonating them. The Great Chieftain flips over one Arbalest and both Phoenixes are disordered again. The Lycan Horde sails forward 10″ to be on the other side of the table.

Turn 7: We talk things over going into this extra round, and Chris is looking at a loss unless he can roll wildly and kill the Brutes in his turn. He can’t escape their charge with Sp 4 and we’re on his side of the table, so my 2 tokens count double compared to his 2. He goes for it but the Palace Guard don’t work any magic. My Brutes shatter his unit and scoop their tokens up, for a decisive …

HALLOW VICTORY (19-2)

This was a wild game that I didn’t feel particularly in charge of, thanks to his early shooting and the existence of Elohi 😛 I’m happy to have pulled it off, and I think Chris and I are now even in our matches? He might still be a win ahead with his damn Basileans.

GAME FIVE: SALAMANDERS

Salamanders 2150

Rhinosaur Cavalry Horde – Healing Brew
Rhinosaur Cavalry Horde
Scorchwings Horde – Fire-Oil
Scorchwings Regiment
Kaisenor Lancers Regiment – Boots of Striding
Salamander Primes Regiment – War-Bow
Ghekkotah Hunters Regiment
Komodon
Komodon
Rakawas, The Pale Rider [1]
Artakl [1]
Ghekkotah Skylord on Scorchwing
Ghekkotah Skylord on Scorchwing
13 (24)

After a slow start, Eric had gradually pushed up the tables throughout the event, and would turn out to be an exceedingly nice dude (and my favorite opponent). Of the Salamander armies at the tournament, Eric’s was the one I was hearing the most about, in particular the bonkers numbers of shots it has. Obviously, charging into a wall of highly mobile shooting isn’t great for a Herd army but needs must!

The final round was Kill, modified so that units drop loot-esque tokens when they are killed. These tokens have no effect on movement in any way, however a unit must still have US to pick them up. You can hold friendly tokens and indeed should grab them, as the scenario was designed to punish shooting, as units killed at range drop their token into their footprint per usual. Ultimately I don’t like this scenario as it punishes individuals while benefiting US1 heroes, which the meta already does, and could be written to do the opposite but this is all academic. The Salamanders took first turn because shooting. This marks four games in a row where I went second not by choice.

BATTLE

Battlelines! Or rather Scouting Phase, as Artakl has scurried forward.

Turn 1: The Salamanders advance wearily and unleash a startling amount of shooting, with the 10 damage done to the right Brutes being the standout (5+ from the Komodons alone). The Hallow holds firm, then pushes up in response, with the leftmost Centaurs getting the party started by grounding the Scorchwing regiment. I’m a little at a loss for what to do overall but am hoping the Lycan Alpha can dive in from the left and help me open up that flank.

Salamanders 2: Which makes it an extra bummer when Eric 10+ wavers her! Shooting removes the right Brutes and continues hurting Tribal Warrior regiments. The Ghekko Hunters scamper into the right Centaurs and waver them, which is especially annoying when I realize I didn’t put the Lycan horde a full 1″ behind the Centaurs. Bleh.

Herd 2: I attempt to unjam the right by flanking the Hunters with hindered Tribal Warriors, but 24x 5+ / 3+ is too much of an ask and the Hunters are fine. The other Tribal Warriors charge Rakawas for a few damage and to block him up, as 300 points of Lycan mega-hammer picks up the Brutes’ kill token and waits. I think for a very long time about the left, and notice that if the Stampede helps those Centaurs out with the Scorchwing regiment, it can rotate after combat and disappear from the Rhinosaurs’ LOS, leaving only the milksop Lancers to take it on. It’s an easy kill and I go for it … and roll snake eyes. This disastrously gives said Rhinos the Stampede’s flank, and Eric the game. Ah well.

Salamanders 3: The Stampede is obliterated. The other Rhinosaurs flank and explode the Tribal Warriors who fluffed against the Hunters, as Rakawas nimbles around the other Tribal Warriors and helps the Hunters finish off those pesky Centaurs. Rakawas’ abandoned Tribal Warriors are cheerily wavered by the war-bow Primes (off a hill), and the Lycan horde does get shot a bit. Finally, Artakl jams the Tribal Warrior horde, doing token damage in the process.

Herd 3: I melt my clock and eventually realize I can charge Artakl with the Tribal Warriors horde, overrun 5″ into the central Rhinosaurs, and flip them over thanks to the Lycan Alpha in the flank. It’s not great odds (2/3 of a chance the overrun is no good!) but it’s what I got to open the left back up. I make a very real mistake and heal 1 damage off of the Tribal Warriors instead of bane chanting them (I didn’t realize Artakl is De 5+ and not 4+ but more importantly forgot I was aiming to fight the Rhinos, who definitely are De 5+ and I’ve got no TC behind the horde). I do next to no damage to Artakl on 3+ / 5+ yet I hot hand the Nv roll and rout the lizard twice, and I make the 5+ overrun, even if it’s hindered. The Rhinosaurs take 9 damage from the flanking Lycan Alpha, the Great Chieftain in the front, and the overrunning horde (match says 9-11, +2 if I hadn’t messed up bane chant), dread pushes this to 10 and I fail the break. Eric had offered to let me rewind and count the horde’s dice with bane chant on there but I couldn’t, that was well and truly my fault.

Elsewhere, the Lycan horde kills the Hunters (possibly because that was all I was offered, possibly because I didn’t fancy one rounding Rakawas) and turns to be out of Rakawas’ LOS but very much in the Rhinosaurs’. The Centaur Chief disorders the Scorchwing horde, and way over on the left the Centaurs finish off the Scorchwing regiment they had been fighting for 3 turns.

Salamanders 4: Lancers flank and kill the Lycan Alpha, Rhinosaurs (with Skylord in the flank) charge and kill the Lycan horde, Komodons light up the central Brutes a bit, and the Tribal Warrior horde survives the attention of the central Rhinosaurs. Eric hands me two snake eyes of my own this turn, with the blessed Centaur troop surviving against the left Skylord and the Centaur Chief bravely living to disorder the Scorchwing horde again.

Herd 4: The central Rhinosaurs are torn down by the Tribal Warriors and Brutes, as is the left Skylord by the Centaur troop. The Great Chieftain charges the Lancers to hold them down, and that lucky Centaur Chief disorders the Scorchwing horde again.

Salamanders 5: Rhinosaurs run down the central Brutes, the Lancers kill the Great Chieftain (!), and otherwise shooting pummels into the Tribal Warrior horde in the forest, pushing them well into the danger zone. Somebody shoots the Druid to death this turn.

Herd 5: The Lancers are mobbed and torn apart. I continue giving as many kill tokens as I can to the Centaurs, as I know the Tribal Warrior horde is not long for this world and I’m hoping I can get more than 1 point.

Salamander 6: The Tribal Warriors get properly Rhino’d, and the extreme range of the Salamander shooting drops the Centaurs at long last. Their 6! tokens drop in their footprint but even without a Turn 7 the Sallies have plenty of their own, making this a foregone …

HALLOW LOSS (1-20)

Not gonna lie, having a tough match up fall apart so immediately thanks to a snake eyes is a bad feel, but let’s be real, I haven’t been properly boned by snakes in a long, long time. Combined we actually had 5 snake eyes this game, making it all feel very weird, however Eric was a pleasure and I appreciate how accommodating he was as my game disintegrated before it could begin. He would go on to win Best Sports.

Dead of Winter 2023 turned out to be a far more eventful run for me than expected, with a lot more time spent on the top tables than I would have thought my Herd deserved. Ultimately I placed like I always do (just above the halfway mark), which checks out with the big wins and big losses. Great games all the same, and I appreciate my clubmates who pulled the event together with next to no help from me 😅

I’m super behind on reports at this point, but up next I’ll blast through some 2300 practice games, from when my Herd were training for the Pilgrimage GT. Stay tuned!