HE MSU 3rd at MiniMe Tournament - Summary

[Swordmaster of Hoeth]

Hi Galdor,

Thanks a lot! I noticed your report too and will do my best to read it carefully and add some comments. It is great when people post the reports from their games, this section of the forum needs more activity!

BC is a great tool and I will be more than happy to share my experience. Give me a shout if you have any questions and I will do my best to help you out. It may take extra time but it is worthy!

Cheers!

[Swordmaster of Hoeth]

Game 3 updated

[alenui]

Very interesting and enjoyable read so far. The 3rd game fortune seemed to favor you with both flanks of your opponent stalling. I was wondering whether you could have positioned your Reavers either side of the ruin the turn the PG rallied so one unit could have reached the bolt thrower before it shot your eagle noble? How are you finding the nobles on Eagles? I'm planning on using a couple in a future list with MSU elements. The builds I'm planning on are:

Charmed shield, other's tricksters shard, star lance, GW, dragon armour, swift sense, sharp claws.

Golden crown, potion of strength, enchanted shield, lance. Dragon armour, swift sense, sharp claws.

The thought was that dragon armour would be better than lion cloaks as it protects against spells. I've gone for big hitting power on both so they can ignore armour on the charge to hopefully takeout characters without getting hit back. I thought the upgrades were worthwhile especially increasing the chance of a cheeky wound on a 1+ save character if needed. Do you think the upgrades could add value based on your experience with the nobles?

[Hinge]

Ah, I love starting my morning coffee with a Swordmaster report!

The Arch mage starting off the table really threw your opponent for a loop. Well played on your part and I feel like you were in control of the tempo of the match. My usual observations:

Anticipating a failed panic check.

I am refereeing to turn 1 with this point. You made a mistake when you moved the Reaver units up, you kept them to close. If your opponent could have killed one, the other would be forced to take a panic while sitting on a board edge. While it never came up, this is an avoidable risk and simple prudence will take the dice out of play.
The next step is where things get interesting. While unlikely, you could have planned for the Phoenix Guard to panic (especially with the BSB far away) and pushed them into a more advantageous position by ensuring one or the other Reaver units were closer. From the photo it does look like the ER traveled pretty far, however, if ER 1 was closer, the center to center flee would have pushed the PG away from the board edge and made it tough for the Archmage to join them. An alternative, ER 2 could have been sent more towards the center (but making sure it was closer to the PG then ER1) creating a panic towards the board edge and hopefully running them off.

Eagle Nobles-

I think there are several instances you could have placed the eagle nobles in a unit. This would protect them from MM and the Eagle Claws (though make sure there are 5 other models in the front rank with them). This would put them forward and the ability to charge out of units would create some nice threat zones. This would obviously slow down the infantry units so you may need to hop from one to another to keep speed up.


Well played as usual and congrats on the nice win.

Hinge

[Swordmaster of Hoeth]

HI guys,

Thanks a lot for fantastic comments! I really appreciate them and I am glad you like my reports!

@ alenui

Thanks! It is always great to know the reports are a good read. Indeed, some bad luck on my opponents side opened new opportunities for me. But I guess it is also part of the game. I just hope David was not disheartened by that too much.

It is a very good observation about the reavers. I should have done that so only one regiment is blocked. It would be still far away to the bolt thrower so I think that I would need to roll really well on the charge distance but the opportunity would be there and that is the most important thing. Thanks a lot, I will definitely try to remember that option, the shortest route to the target might not always be the fastest!

I am still learning how to use them well and I am sure I haven't used them to the full potential but I already love the sheer speed they provide and the fact their presence puts more pressure on the opponent. I missed both items, Charmed Shield and Crown and will re-adjust their equipment for future games.

I also considered upgrades for eagles. I think that they are worthy adding because eagles have only 2 attacks so why not make them count? If they can add a single wound to combat resolution it is already a bonus. And 15 points more is not that much for a noble that already costs almost 200 points.

Apart from speed these nobles add high strength attacks the army needs anyway and because they can punch with S7 but no armor saves or potentially S9 they can be fantastic monster hunters or monstrous cavalry destroyers (especially if they can charge from the flank). Thanks to the speed and high S attacks they are also very flexible and can either work individually or attack as a part of a bigger force.

I know I will be using them for sure in one form or another.

@ Hinge

Always happy to add something to read for your morning coffee!

Hm, indeed, that was reckless positioning of reavers on my part that could have resulted in losing both units. Thanks for pointing that out. I think I was just too eager to get to the bolt thrower.

Second point is even more interesting! I am ashamed I missed that completely! Indeed, forcing PG to flee in certain direction would have been a better use of the situation. Thanks a lot for that extremely valuable feedback!

The fact I haven't joined any unit with my nobles shows how much I need to learn in using them. Will need to remember it for the future games as during that tournament I used them as individual "units".

Thanks again for great feedback, guys! Keep it coming!

[Swordmaster of Hoeth]

Game 4 - Adam - Bretonnia - Blood and Glory

In game 4 I had a pleasure to play against another Master player, Adam. He almost made it this year too but the competition was tough and the final rankings was decided with the most recent tournaments. Interestingly, despite attending many tournaments together, we played against each other only once, during ANUWTF 2014 tournament. Adam had Beastmen army then and I was lucky to win so I was sure he was looking forward to even the score! Another thing you can be sure when playing against Adam is that he will do his best to give you run for your money but at the same time it will be in extremely sporty fashion!

We played modified Blood and Glory scenario. 400VP points were earned extra for breaking the opponent first. 200VP were earned for breaking the opponent second.

For this tournament Adam decided to bring Bretonnian army and this is how his list looked like:

Bretonnia - Army List

Lord, warhorse, Virtue of Heroism, The Heartwood Lance, Charmed Shield, Tress of Isoulde - 231
Prophetess of the Lady, Level 4, warhorse, Earthing Rod - 265 - Lore of Life

Paladin, BSB, warhorse, Biting Blade, Enchanted Shield, Dawnstone - 119
Paladin 2, Lance, Shield, Warhorse, Gromril Great Helm, Gauntlet of the Duel - 120
Paladin 3, Shield, Warhorse, Questing Vow, Sword of Anti-Heroes, Dragonhelm - 124
Paladin 4, Warhorse, Great Weapon, Questing Vow, Insignia of the Quest - 116
Paladin 5, Warhorse, Great Weapon, Questing Vow, Glittering Scales - 111

12 Knights of the Realm, Full Command, Banner of Swiftness - 327
18 Peasant Bowmen, Musician, Standard, Braziers - 128
6 Knights Errant, Full Command, Gleaming Pennant - 146

11 Questing Knights, Full Command - 335
3 Pegasus Knights , Full Command - 195

Trebuchet - 90
Trebuchet - 90

Swedish Comp: 14.6

Boy but Bretonnian armies can be heroic! So many characters it is really hard to count them and I wish I had a metal mage with Final Transmutation. Let me go through the list and all characters in more details as it would be good to actually see how their rich equipment improves their skills.

Lord - mounted general means that he comes with built in 2+ armor save and 6++/5++ ward save too. Standard for Bretonnian characters, leaves magic item allowance for weapons, talismans and enchanted items. Virtue of Heroism gives him heroic killing blow ability. Very handy indeed! Charmed shield is a good insurance against that failed look Out Sir! roll. Heartwood lance is another useful item as it allows re-rolls to wound on the turn the character charged while Tress ensures he hits on 2+ against single model. The General is made to kill characters and monsters alike. But of course his 4 attacks will be handy against rank and file for sure.

Prophetess - the only spell caster of the army. I assumed she will be protector of the army, as some life spells such as Flesh to Stone or Regrowth can be very helpful for keeping the expensive knights alive but Earthing Rod also ensured some brutal but effective 6-dicing of Dwellers Below.

BSB - first Paladin. 1+ armor save with re-rolls means that his main role is to survive and keep providing Ld re-rolls. Nothing wrong with it at all. He has his companions to fight and die for the Lady!

Paladin 2 - Great Helms improves his armor save to 1+ as well. He also seems to be the one to take tough challenges for the team if there is particularly dangerous enemy character to be contained for a turn at least and to allow the rest of the unit and characters strike at the enemy. All four above characters are going to join Knight of the Realm.

Paladin 3 - There seems to be plenty of magical Helmets and this Paladin benefits from that too. Another character with 1+ armor save. Sword of Anti-Heroes is a great addition in the time where one can expect more characters on the battlefield.

Paladin 4 - Great Weapon means he is less protected than other characters but Insignia of the Quest might make it hard to get him as if he is reduced to a single wound he gains 3++ ward save.

Paladin 5 - Another paladin with great weapon, this one puts some faith in his glittering scales so that the enemy has -1 to hit penalty. In general none of these Paladins is not possible to kill but they are definitely more survivable than regular knights and may protect the unit. Making way to the flank or even rare is a good option to prevent any damage. It will be hard to get them and they can hit back hard too so that any combat against the knights and their paladins is going to be bloody encounter indeed. However, my own eagle riders are well equipped to fight them and have a good chance to kill each characters on the charge. If I can arrange multiple charge then, even if bloody, I may have an opportunity to get a big prize. It will be hard though with infantry units and mounted enemy.

Knights of the Realm - standard Bretonnian unit. Hard hitting, with full ranks. Can go through any of my units and with good armor/ward saves can deflect many hits too. Paladins may overcome their weakness, which is S3 after charge. Banner of Swiftness makes them even more dangerous. Swordmaster and Lions can slowly open that can but as I have mentioned before, at a cost.

Bowmen - always annoying as they can harm lightly armored infantry but at the same time good target for my own shooting and even better for Dragon Princes due to the fact they have flaming attacks.

Knight Errants - a small unit of impetus knights cannot be underestimated. They can hit as hard as regular knights but there are only 6 of them so if attacking alone they can be contained. They can be very useful for supporting duties and can easily prevent combined charges so as in any other case they need to be dealt with quickly.

Questing Knights - they are not seen often among Bretonnian armies. They hit last and have worse armor save in combat but they have respectable S5 and are immune to panic which means they don't need BSB that much. Again, 3 Paladins will make sure that unit is not easily defeated. The key to victory would be to separate both lances and make sure they cannot help each other.

Pegasus Knights - my favorite unit, I am glad there is only one. Very fast and quite tough can be very, very tough unit to catch while constantly presenting a problem. In this case I had high hopes for Thunderbolts and Chainlightnings.

Trebuchets - this time usual suspects. They can hit hard or miss dramatically. They will be a priority to destroy. With expected first turn and the assumption that the knights will move forward, I hope my reavers can get to them quickly.

In Blood and Glory scenario armies are closer to each other thanks to deeper deployment zones and that meant I wanted to put more distance between the forces. At the same time I wanted to use the speed of cavalry and heroes to destroy enemy shooters and stay at the rear of enemy formation for the inevitable combat where I could attack with infantry from the front and with fast units from flanks and rear.

Deployment


Deployment after vanguard


Before Vanguard


After Vanguard

Respective wizards had the following spells:

Prophetess - Throne of Vines, Flesh to Stone, Regrowth, Dwellers

Archmage - Iceshard, Curse, Thunderbolt, Chainlightning

As usual Bretonnians prayed before the battle and Elves had the first turn:

Outcasts - Turn 1


Elves begin outflanking


Fast units lead the way

High Elves seized the initiative and moved fast on both flanks. The main weight of the attack was carried on the right flank but Reavers on the left were ready to attack Bretonnian trebuchers as soon as the knights moved forward. Shooting was aimed at vulnerable bowmen and Iceshard was cast on them too, to make their own shooting even less accurate.

(Edit: Please note I forgot to show Eagle positioning on the map as it moved towards the left flank. Apologies for inaccuracy.)

Bretonnia - Turn 1


Only one Lance moves forward


But first Bretonnian attack is brutal

Bretonnian lord gave an order and his trustworthy knights galloped forward. But it was not to charge the enemy but to let Prohpetess to get into the range of her deadly spell. She cast it with irresistible force and elven archmage was defenseless when he and half of his unit was dragged by mysterious creatures from below the surface of the earth. Prophetess suffered from magical feedback and few brave knights paid with life for her gamble but it was worth it. Elven Archmage was no more. (Edit: Adam moved his unit to get into range of a boosted version and promptly 6-diced the spell!)

At the same time Pegasus Knights flew towards the left flank in order to intercept Ellyrian Reavers. In a rare case Bretonnian Knights actually protected their peasants.

As if it was not enough Bretonnian shooting proved to be deadly as well. First, bowmen appeared to be the best marksmen in the entire kingdom and elven archers tasted their own medicine. Survivors decided to withdraw.

Last but not least, trebuchets opened fire and one of the large rocks landed directly on the head of eagle rider, leaving a bloody pulp where a second ago a pride knight was. (Edit: Interestingly, Adam aimed at one noble but the rock scattered and hit second one. As it was exactly on top of him he got hit with S10 and Adam rolled well for number of wounds).

Outcasts - Turn 2


Elves try to re-organize after heavy blow


Small success on the right flank

Some units were confused after that powerful early attack. Dragon Princes on the left decided to move back to support infantry and expecting Bretonnian Knights to push forward. Reavers danced away and tried to position themselves for an attack from different angle. Eagle Rider attacked Errants all by himself. He was challenged by a young knight and killed him easily while his companions lost heart and fled, only to be caught in pursuit.

Bretonnia - Turn 2


Bretonnians still don't charge


But they manage to land another heavy blow

Bretonnian army remains relatively static. Only Pegasus Knights keep blocking elves fast cavalry. Quating Knights protected left flank and even knights of the realm didn't move much. But Prophetess again cast a spell with Irresistible Force, yet again few knights died and this time it was elven BSB and half of the unit of Swordmasters who were destroyed. The rest of the unit could not stand the horror of it and fled. Nearby Lions thinking that all is lost without their leaders also withdrew from the battle field. Remaining regiments of the elven army were in big trouble indeed.

Outcasts - Turn 3


Elves keep trying to get to Bretonnian firebase


Maybe this time?

Ellyrian Reavers, the eagle and eagle rider all park on the left side of the hill ready to strike at trebuchets. (Edit: Note that ER failed their march test and I was unable to close to trebuchets to avoid being blocked again.)

Units on the left flank moved fast to run away from the knights of the realm. Units on the right flank did the same to avoid Questing Knights. Bolt throwers focused on Bretonnian bowmen but despite heavy losses peasants held their position.

Bretonnia - Turn 3


Bretonnians keep up the pressure


Yet another Dwellers!

Without any targets to charge and enemy units trying to get to the back yard, knights of the realm are ordered to turn around get back to their own lines. And yet again Prophetess casts her deadly spell and yet again, Elven noble dies.

Pegasus Knights one more time prevent elven cavalry from charging the trebuchets and in return the huge rock destroys one bolt thrower (Edit: Forgot to show that on a map/)

Outcasts - Turn 4


Elves finally made it to the hill


They now fight to make the defeat as small as possible

Bretonnians cannot block Elven troops anymore and Dragon Princes go through Bowmen and hit trebuchet. Another claw of Dragon Princes and remaining Swordmasters try to approach knights of the realm from both sides while bolt thrower kills one knight.

(Edit: I am a little confused what I did with the eagle, I think I might not even charge this time but maybe second trebuchet panicked?)

Bretonnia - Turn 4


Bretonnian Lord spots the opening


And charges Dragon Princes

Pegasus Knights try to charge Dragon Princes but the main goal is to move away to make room for galloping Lord and his retinue. Knights of the realm finally charge elven heavy cavalry. However, miraculously they don't inflict any casualties and elven knights hold. (Edit: I rolled some crazy amount of 6's for ward saves)

Questing Knights too charged but swift elven cavalry easily avoided more cumbersome human knights.

Outcasts - Turn 5


Pegasus Knights got caught


Swordmasters challenge Bretonnian Lord

Reavers block questing knights while the rest of the elven army tries to rush to aid Dragon Princes attacked by Bretonnian Lord. Unfortunately, elven heavy cavalry cannot hold any longer and the rescuing regiments are either too far away or, like in the case of second claw of Dragon Princes, they are held by Pegasus Knights. In these circumstances, Swordmasters positioned themselves to receive a charge of Bretonnian knights.

Bretonnia - Turn 5


Bretonnain General charges


and dies! Although Swordmasters cannot hold the line

Bretonnian General knows he has to charge so he attacks without hesitation. Swordmasters focus on him and do all they can to get to the enemy general. They succeed and he dies. Despite that, impetus of the charge is strong enough to break Swordmasters but they manage to flee to safety.

The fight between Pegasus Knights and Dragon Princes this time leans into the favor of Bretonnians but elven heavy cavalry holds.

Outcasts - Turn 6


Last charge


Light cavalry comes to the rescue

Ellyrian reavers charge for the last time. They attack the flank of Pegasus Knights and finally break them and kill them in pursuit.

Eagle Claw aim well and shoot a single bolt against Bretonnian Knights. It goes through the first rank but Lady Blessing saves the knight in the rear rank.

Bretonnia - Turn 6


One more Dwellers!

Bretonnians decided not to charge Swordmasters again as from the proud unit only champion, battle standard bearer, paladin and prophetess remained. Instead, Prophetess cast yet another spell that this time destroyed remaining eagle claw bolt thrower.

After that both armies disengaged and Bretonnians were clearly victorious this day.

Turn-by-turn Summary

Customary animation to summarize the battle turn-by-turn



After-battle thoughts

Adam clearly outplayed me and secured well deserved victory. Since he broke my army in the process he got 400VP extra and that gave him solid, 15:5 win. He didn't follow the usual pattern of attacking with knights and leaving peasants to their fate. He used efficient (although not subtle!) way of 6-dicing Dwellers against my characters with his first spell casting attempt almost each turn and that meant I lost all of my leaders. The only eagle rider that was not killed by a spell was squatted by trebuchet.

He used his Questing Knights as a blocker as long as possible. He did even better job with Pegasus Knights. He first lured me to one flank, vanguarded back and moved them to block Reavers on the other flank. Very well played, Adam, easily the best game of the tournament despite painful defeat!

I tried to fight back but didn't avoid mistakes. Let's have a look at what I think I could do better.

1. Deployment - I wanted to limit the impact of Dwellers so that I positioned my units as far away as possible and spread my characters. However, I made a mistake and positioned my Archmage and BSB where they could be reached turn two. Even by positioning on the deployment rear I could not avoid boosted Dwellers due to the speed of Bretonnian army. Because of that I should have deployed my infantry in the center and characters on the right flank.

The chain reaction of failed panic checks was unfortunate but should have been avoided by better positioning. It was a clear example of how risky staying so close to the rear can be.

2. Wrong assumption - I assumed Adam will move forward and abandon his peasants. If he did I would have been in good position to destroy trebuchets and bowmen quickly and be ready to counter attack or surround his lances. I didn't take into account the alternative. Because of that my units on the flanks were not in good position to attack by themselves.

3. Dragon Princes - I am in particular not happy with the way I used Dragon Princes. I should have either moved them through the center towards the firebase and force the following decision: to charge them with knights but in doping so open the path to trebuchets for reavers or not and let them charge bowmen next turn. I could flee from the charge thus opening the path too.

The unit on the left flank was completely wasted and I simply hesitated too much as I didn't want them to be charged by pegasus knights. I think I should have pressed forward instead and force Peg Knights to charge either them or Reavers, in both cases opening the path to the peasants again.

4. Charmed Shield/Golden Crown - I didn't equip my eagle riders with these and I paid the price.

There was a very interesting comment Adam made when we talked after the game. He told me that if he didn't play me before and if he didn't read my reports he would not use the tactics he did. He said he would have attacked as I have expected. I am fully aware that people may know how I play and can use that knowledge to have a good plan in the case we play again. This was clear demonstration how that works. However, I like it because it forces me to try and come up with new ideas. This time I lost but next time I will be better prepared and will know that I cannot assume the enemy will attack me in the same manner as it was before.

Thanks for reading!

[Hinge]

Hm, indeed, that was reckless positioning of reavers on my part that could have resulted in losing both units. Thanks for pointing that out. I think I was just too eager to get to the bolt thrower.

Second point is even more interesting! I am ashamed I missed that completely! Indeed, forcing PG to flee in certain direction would have been a better use of the situation. Thanks a lot for that extremely valuable feedback!

To be honest, I think my focus would have been the RBT as well, though keeping the 2 Reaver units 6" apart (I have gotten careful about that). Having the foresight to ask ourselves "what if xyz unit panics and how can I influence its direction" when it is a potential secondary objective is something I hope to do more frequently.

Now I have my coffee and Game 4 to look over.

Hinge

Edit-

Looks like you are set up to work the flanks. Reavers should have a free run into back field if you wish. Surpised those Peg knights did not back up to protect one flank. I am a little nervouse about how far back you placed several of your infantry blocks.

[Swordmaster of Hoeth]

Hi Hinge,

Thanks for more comments!

One of the many benefits of the report writing is that chance to have a step back and look at bigger picture. It also gives you time to consider many other options, secondary objectives etc. I had an interesting conversation with Jimmy when he mentioned that he played a game which had to be stopped after 3 turns and he continued the day after. He said that the situation he thought is hopeless for his Ogres turned out to be a new opportunity and he pulled out a victory in the end. It would be fantastic to have that ability to "step back" for a second during the game and have a clear view to spot new options.

I think it is possible to learn though and I guess it is part of being experienced. It is great then people like you come along and share their observations and suggest alternative moves to take advantage of the particular situation. This is type of a feedback I am always happy to receive.

As to Peg Knights I assure you they are used in fantastic way and it will be clear when I post the rest of the report. Sufficient to say for now it was all part of the plan.

In terms of infantry blocks, is it because they were on the very edge of the deployment and you are concerned with possible panic checks?

Cheers!

[Hinge]

Nah (though that is always a consideration). You will always have times when you have to risk a bad panic test, my comments from the previous game were just pointing out then when you can accomplish an objective and avoid potential panic tests, you should do so.

I look at the opposing forces and think that a reason for deploying on the back edge is to avoid Dwellers for as long as possible. However, with his speed I feel he will get into range quickly enough and at best you avoid Dwellers on the first turn only.

He is faster but you have more units. I think your normal “echelon” style formations would be effective. That is some in front of others. You can keep the Arch mage in the rearmost unit to stay away from Dwellers. This forces him into closer range of your elites to get that spell off on the best target (the Arch Mage). Also with no depth, you will need to accept any charge he declares when the time comes.

In the end, I feel you will need to sacrifice a unit to get a good charge, and this is always easier with some depth. In fact, since you can count on first turn, I feel you can dictate this decision point first or second turn. I am not seeing much advantage for you in being patient in this match. I think you should be able to use your more numerous units to push the action. As it stands, I feel the Brett player can dictate what type of game this will be. If he decides to wait a turn or 2 to see what his shooting does and accept a small win, you will be hard pressed to push the action. Or perhaps he aggressively push one side of your line and leave your foot sloggers trying to readjust. Of course if you have Comet, that may change things! He can also charge those cheap Pallies out to take your sacrificial unit or to block counter charges. So much going on in this match up, I am very excited to see how it plays out.



Hinge

[Swordmaster of Hoeth]

Hi Hinge,

As you predicted I didn't avoid Dwellers at all and was not able to pass a single strength test for my characters. That was really painful and the fact that Adam got these spells with IF 2 out of 3 times didn't help either. I summarized the things I could have done better despite that and I wish I did better job as the game was great. But I like to think I learned a few very valuable lessons and I hope to carry them to the future battles.

Cheers!

[RE.Lee]

Thanks for the reports, all were very exciting to read, the Lizardmen one in particular. I like the little step-by-step animation - I think it adds a nice summary.

The Bretonnians are converted from Chaos, I see. Quite unusual, but I think it worked well - no close-ups by any chance?

[Hinge]

Excellent game and well played on Adam’s part.

This is one where I could nearly predict how it would go based on the deployment (admittedly a little birdy told me the result before the Bat Rep).

The biggest error was your movement to the flanks. This left the middle wide open. This was the exact fear I had when I looked at deployment last night. He could move forward for an “alpha strike” Dwellers with no risk. Adam deftly used his Peg Knights to cover the gap caused by the Knights moving forward, keeping his Brettonian “castle” well defended.

I think in the end you were undone by your deployment and basic approach. Even with that, there are a number of things you could have done to try and grab the initiative back (use ER1 to block forward movement of the Knight bus and use all 3 flyers aggressively to put pressure on trebs come to mind).

You did a good job of scooping up points where you could in the second half of the game to minimize the loss.


Hinge

[alenui]

Interesting read.

The typical counter to MSU is to sit back to avoid being swamped at least until a few of the units have been removed. As you want your enemy to advance you need to deploy aggressively in case they don't do this whilst not opening yourself up to being overwhelmed by an aggressive enemy, with the speed in your army you should be ok. I don't think sitting back works as a counter against dwellers when it's mounted so I think you just have to accept the casualties.

In terms of the flanking moves pegasus knights tend to be used more defensively by Brets than aggressively in early turns in my experience as they have the 360 move to counter charges. Your Dragon Princes are key here so they can force a charge or be charged situation. The same is true on the other flank you can put something capable of going through the bowmen to force the questers to charge freeing up space to charge the trebs from that flank. With turn 1 already in the bag and 18 inch deployment you can set traps for the lances if they push forwards allowing you to swamp them.

It doesn't seem that you put much fire into the lances (maybe you didn't do any damage) with your fear of 6 diced Dwellers which usually means miscasts you can put extra pressure on this unit with your bolt throwers. A few extra wounds can put this unit on the defensive very quickly. Assuming he deploys before most of your stuff is down I'd be tempted to focus all your attention on one lance using faster units to offer a trade of questers protecting the trebs or moving to threaten other units. That leaves the Pegs to deal with but they have to be wary of lots of up your units and by going strong on the opposite flank he needs to reposition them which isn't easy if you've set up an aggressive arc against his koR lance. The Pegs can't really get charged by any of your units so have to play carefully.

[Eltherion2]

Great Batreps as always.

Just wondering if you are happy with your eagle Noble builds? what would you do to tweak these guys builds?

[Swordmaster of Hoeth]

Hi guys,

Great to see more comments, especially after a defeat where there is much more to correct.

@ RE.Lee

Thanks! It feels good to play again and write reports and I am glad new addition is considered helpful. I don't have any close ups but I contacted Adam so hopefully he can provide some. I will add them as soon as I get them.

What did you like about the game against Lizards that differentiate it from other games I have posted so far? I liked all my games from this tournament and my opponents were great too. I chose Brets and Adam as favorite because it was a re-match where I could observe how he learned from our previous game and how he found a perfect counter to what I would do. That, as I have mentioned before, helps me to move to another level and be able to come up with another approach.

@ Hinge

Isn't it interesting that all these Dwellers that crippled my army and took away almost all the characters are in fact a consequence of bad deployment and mistakes during the game? There is no doubt that Adam was prepared for that game and he perfectly predicted what I would do. But wouldn't it be great if I anticipated that too and played with better set up and different approach so that both of us would have to adapt during the game?

I am actually glad such games happen as they show I have still a lot to learn and as there is much to gain in terms of experience in the future it means I don't get to the point where there is nothing new to get.

Previously such outflanking worked. The knights moved forward full speed leaving peasants behind. That opened the back yard for elllyrians and presented the flanks of the lances to counter attacks already. Here, by moving fast elements forward and leaving my own infantry behind I lost the link between the units and even with the possibility to attack the enemy shooters I was not supporting units with each other.

I will prepare some pictures of improved deployment to discuss it with more details. I think it might be a good exercise to try and come up with some alternatives even if it is with the benefit of hindsight and assuming the enemy will be in the same formation.

Good points about ER1, they were in perfect position to block the knights and I simply let them move forward. As to the fliers, eagle riders were definitely not used well, I like them a lot but I am a beginner here for sure.

@ alenui

I had games like you described when the enemy refused to come to me and I either failed to catch up with them or was too late to get the charges from multiple directions. I didn't expect that from Bretonnians though. Obviously, my mistake.

I am also guilty for not using the advantage I had in terms of unit numbers to be able to catch Pegasus Knights. Adam did great with just a single unit, exploiting my indecisiveness and lack of mutual support between the regiments.

At the beginning I shot bowmen but considering the outcome of the battle I should have aimed at knights of the realm from the start and kept shooting at them instead. Dragon Princes and Characters are all protected against fire based attacks so I was simply unnecessarily cautious. And considering the fact there was only a single knight that survived the game it was a mistake that didn't allow me to collect 300+ extra points.

Live and learn I guess

@ Eltherion2

Cheers!

Not entirely. I left useful items such as Charmed Shield and Golden Crown at home and that cost me the noble in the game against Brets. I am currently considering the following (as kindly suggested by NonnoSte who mainly posts on Asrai.org):

Noble, Great Eagle, Heavy Armor, Lion Cloak, Great Weapon, Star Lance, Charmed Shield, Dragonbane Gem, Potion of Foolhardiness - 177
Noble, Great Eagle, Dragon Armor, Lance, Enchanted Shield, Golden Crown, Potion of Strength - 171

I would love to add both upgrades for eagles too but I would need to find 30 points to do so somewhere. The reason to include these characters is to add fast, mobile and hard hitting characters that can hunt down wounded monsters, some of the enemy characters and generally provide S6-7 attacks (or sometimes more with the potion of strength) where needed.

Cheers!

[Ferny]

Game 2: lizards

Having played both Skink Cohorts and Skrox, I find they are often underestimated, especially when there is a krox present.

Catching up on some internet time post Christmas. I did wonder what impact the Skrox units might have - when I saw the map initially I figured they were very very weak holding units out of position (presumably sacrificed to obfuscate deployment plans), but actually the addition of the krox makes the units have more teeth than your basic throw-away cohort, and gives them more resilience against small units of heavy cav which might otherwise enjoy such targets...

Overall this game looked really hard - lizards moved into you super fast and basically overwhelmed you. You did well not to lose spirit and keep fighting. Not sure what went wrong specifically but well played lizards. (Only comment on deployment, as noted, I think the RBTs were too far forward).

More to follow...

[Ferny]

Game 3: Helves

Shooting from both sides here seemed pretty impressive, but had the biggest impact on the bus. It was interesting watching him recover (or not) from those losses.

I wonder whether T5 you might have been able to charge the fleeing mage to force it off the board?

Between Game 2 and 3 I'm not sure you're getting the best out of your eagle nobles, though I don't have any advice on that.

Eagle Nobles-

I think there are several instances you could have placed the eagle nobles in a unit. This would protect them from MM and the Eagle Claws (though make sure there are 5 other models in the front rank with them). This would put them forward and the ability to charge out of units would create some nice threat zones. This would obviously slow down the infantry units so you may need to hop from one to another to keep speed up.

Wow, nice thinking.

[Ferny]

The Bretonnians are converted from Chaos, I see. Quite unusual, but I think it worked well - no close-ups by any chance?

I noticed this on the peg riders but wasn't sure about the other models - would be lovely to see more if you or your opponent have access to any additional photos?

[Ferny]

Game 4: Bretts

Congrats to your opponent. I loved watching him use the peg knights to continuously block and the questing knights just sat there and sat there and sat there, with such a long profile you couldn't possibly squeeze around them, before finally moving out when the time was right. I also liked seeing the bus move forward like a mobile fortress and then stop, deliver its payload, and turn back around to charge back again. Were you unlucky to fail so many dwellers tests? I realise you can't count on it but failing your test on 3/3 characters in a row seems unreasonable. I also wondered why you faced your swordmasters into it to recieve a charge where you couldn't then envelope them, but I see you killed his general so well played there.

I think it has all been said as to how to avoid this situation (and I wouldn't have come up with it myself) so I won't repeat it - but a fantastic game to learn from. I often like seeing defeats more than victories because there is more to learn from them in a way, so thank you for posting another great report.

[Swordmaster of Hoeth]

Hi Ferny,

Thanks for comments! I know one can count on you to provide some sooner or later!

Game 2 - Lizardmen

Kroxigors add a few nice options to cohorts. Obviously, high strength attacks but not only. They add fear (making skinks immune to it as well and they will not have to pass any terror tests - thus no auto fleeing if failed) and Ld7. Which with coldblooded rule makes them more reliable. They can operate outside of the inspiring presence area more comfortably then.

As it is often the case, mistakes in deployment and some in the movement phases were the reasons I lost. Consider these (even if it is a simplification as every change leads to a different outcome):

- Dragon Princes are not positioned to be charged but eventually they can hunt down skinks - not losing 155 points and gaining 200 points = 355 difference
- I don't forget to position lone Swordmaster to divert cold ones - they don't charge noble who does not flee the table - 180 points saved.

These alone would lead to 535 points swing and a draw.

Game 3 - High Elves

Hm, I am not sure at the moment why I didn't charge the lone mage, he was easy target for DP or SM to either catch him or chase him off the table. We were in a hurry to finish the turn. Another possibility is that two characters held during the charge and were broken in my turn. In any case it is well spot on and these things should not have happened (i.e. forgetting to move or attack single models).

Game 4 - Bretonnia

I send a message to my opponent but I haven't had any replies yet about possible close ups of his army. I will post them if I get any.

Yes, it was a harsh but good lesson and I am happy for my friend as he really was determined to even the score and showed he can come up with a very good counter plan. Now it is my turn to surprise him!

As to being unlucky, if my math is correct, the probability of failing 3 strength tests I had to take (one for S3 model and two for S4) is around 5.5%. But the main thing is it could have been limited or avoided with better deployment and better overall plan. Sometimes it is easy to get an impression that defeat is the consequence of unlucky dice rolls. This game is a good example that it just a consequence of prior mistakes.

Cheers!

[Swordmaster of Hoeth]

I came up with a different deployment that I think would have been better than what I did during the actual game. Here is the map:



Bretonnia has 6 units to drop so I would go with ER1, ER2, Eagle, Archers, Bolt Throwers and Swordmaster next to the hills to make sure my opponents deploys all his units. With such deployment I am already in a good position to use all the deployed units properly, no matter what as ER and Eagle are fast enough to move where they want to (also with Vanguard). Archers and Bolt throwers have good position on the hill and placing Swordmasters on either side of the hill is acceptable. Here is situation after vanguard.



The rest of the units are deployed on the right flank to put as much distance between my units and Prohpetess. At the same time I can use local superiority to tackle Errants and Peg Knights if they decided to stay where they are. But what I also spotted is a nice opening due to scenario.

As we have 18" between the armies I can move my Dragon Princes and Nobles in front of the Bowmen and out of sight of the knights. As all 3 units have dragon armor or similar as well as 2+ armor save they can actually be almost immune to bowmen fire. What is more the nobles at least should be in 12" from trebuchets to avoid being shot.

ER1 move to block the knights. They can of course ignore them and reform for Dwellers against any of the nobles but then my fast cavalry stays there to block them next turn. Or if they charge I can flee (no other target to redirect) and if I am lucky I can go through the toward to flee to safety.

Units on the right flank are at the moment safe to stay out of charge range of Questing Knights and can move forward and surround Bretonnian units in the movement phase. This is how I imagine it all could look like.



Would love to know what you think about that plan.

Cheers!

[Glonojad]

Well, an interesting battle an a nice batrep! Nice to see some Bretonnians on boards, it's not that popular thing nowadays..

Anyway, from my Bretonnian point of view, my first observation is thus: whenever I delay in movement - I lose; generally it seems that Bretonnians should move decisively and that is not my observstion alone (as my play experience is more than modest and really should not be generalised as thus :p ).

This time, however, exactly the opposite was the key to succsess. Why?

I think that it was superior firepower (however unusual that is). Two trebuchets are not of course equal to a pair of Hellcannons, or a Dwarven/Imperial artillery school, but against Your army spell certain disaster for any of Your units. What made matters worse, the Prophetess got a dangerous set of spells and - thanks to an early demise of Archie - could use it practically unopposed. So, surprisingly (though I guess according to Bretonnian plan) the knights had nowhere to hurry this time

Also - do I see right that You use a pair of Griffon riders as counts-as nobles?

[Hinge]

This is much closer to how I would have approached it. The B&G deployment allows your fast units to get into those blind spots much more quickly as you observed. Adam obviously has some counters, seeing you place the DP Eagle Nobles centrally he could have had the Peg Knights angle during vangaurd to cover that blind spot allowing for a turn 1 counter charge. Of course you would unload all your magic and shooting into the Pegs if he did.

With that said, it is a much better plan. Perhaps ER 1 could be angled such that a flee reaction allows them to run through the house and safety? This situation is where placing the GE with in panic range of ER1 is worth the risk. You want to have as many threats as possible on those trebs.

As you said, the game was a learning experience.

[Swordmaster of Hoeth]

Thanks for comments! Glad to see the discussion is going forward.

@ Glonojad

While not that popular, Bretonnians seem to be quite a strong army, despite having the most outdated book. Of course they are not that spoiled for choices as other armies but it seems some players do very well with them! The very tournament I attended was won by a Bret player (although not Adam, who thought me that valuable lesson ). What is more amusing is that they both played against each other at some stage too!

Current No.1 in Oz, regular tournament winner and ETC team member, Jamie Payne, was so successful with his Brets (he brought them to this and previous year Masters) that he got a nickname for himself (or his army) - "Payne-Train" Because of that I have quite a proper respect for Bretonnia and don't even assume I will have an easy game.

I would agree in general, that Bret Knights need to charge to get these points more often than not. But this does not mean they have to do it turn 2. Or that it is the only way they can win games, as this particular battle showed.

I agree that trebuchets pose a threat to my army as direct hit from one can easily destroy an infantry unit of 10. This game it destroyed "only" a noble and a bolt thrower. Considering the fact they had 3 turns to shoot it was not too bad. It is also true that Prohpetess had a great day without Archie around but Adam kept rolling IF anyway so even with his presence it would have been hard to stop these spells.

As I said before, the fact that trebuchets and spells in particular, resulted in heavy casualties on my part was a consequence of Adam's very good plan, excellent execution and mistakes on my part that could have at least make that margin of defeat smaller.
I think it is important to identify what was really cause and what was the consequence as that allows to make amendments to the plans in the future!

And yes, I borrowed IoB Griffon riders to proxy eagle riders. I have IoB griffon but it was not assembled. The models look absolutely fantastic and I am tempted to paint one just for the sake of doing so!

@ Hinge

What would you change in the alternative deployment I presented? I am aware it is a purely theoretical what I did here but at least it will stick and I will have another option ready. It is a good point about Peg Knights in terms of them being able to counter that bold move. I guess you are correct to use whatever shooting and magic I could to try and at least hurt them.

I wanted to show ER1 in a way that they would run through the tower. I also think formation 3 or even 2 wide would be good as that ensures they touch the tower earlier.

Thanks again for feedback! Keep it coming!

[Swordmaster of Hoeth]

Game 5 - Dave - Vampire Counts - Battle for the Pass

The last game of MiniMe tournament was Battle for the Pass. It is another scenario that poses an additional challenge as I need more space for these outflanking maneuvers. Fortunately I didn't draw a gunline that would sit in the corner and keep destroying me from the distance.

This time I played against Vampire Counts again, this time led by Dave. Dave organized a few tournaments himself (CanCon 2013 among others) and I played against him just after the release of DE army where he was running the army with Hellebron. It was great to see him at another tournament after a break and I hope he is going to be a regular participant from now on. Dave's VC were infantry based in the same way as Dustin's but with some notable differences.

Vampire Counts - Army List

Vampire Lord, General, Heavy Armour, Shield, Talisman of Preservation, Ogre Blade, The Other Trickster's Shard, Quick Blood - Lore of Vampires - 359
Master Necromancer, level 3, Dispel Scroll, Ironcurse Icon, Talisman of Endurance - Lore of Death - 225

Necromancer, Seed of Rebirth - Lore of Vampires - 75
Wight King , BSB, Armour of Destiny, Great Weapon - 165

40 Crypt Ghouls, Champion - 410
40 Zombies, Standard - 125
20 Zombies, Standard - 65

28 Grave Guard, Full command, Banner of Barrows, Great Weapons - 416
5 Hexwraiths - 150
4 Vargheists - 184

Terrorgheist - 225

Swedish Comp: 13.9

Ok, so let's see in more details what Dave decided to bring to the table:

Vampire Lord - as always a very good combat character with ASF, S7 and plenty of attacks. Fortunately some of my troops have ASF too but then the units who has a chance to harm him strike at initiative order. The good news is that I can kill him with combat resolution and given the opportunity that is the best way to do. He will also stay with his troops, at least at the start, to provide leadership and ability to march as well as to stay safe among his minions.

Master Necromancer - I think it is the first time when I played against Necromancer with Death Magic. It is a very good lore against characters and that in itself is an interesting choice. Also in addition to Vampire Lord skills in combat where he can go and kill enemy heroes too. I will have to be careful not to get too close.

Necromancer - Master Necromancer helper, he is already useful to provide one more channeling attempt. Additional spell from Lore of Vampires, even if it is "just" an invocation. Little regeneration is also of some value. Sure, it might not provide overwhelming protection but having something rather than nothing is always a good thing in my book.

Wight King - a solid choice for BSB, especially with Grave Guard. His 3 wounds, T5 and 4++ ward save. He strikes at good strength too and with Killing Blow on top of that too!

Crypt Ghouls - usual suspect in VC armies. No need for additional introduction, the question is which characters are going to accompany them Luckily for me I know I have the tools to deal with that unit, both at the distance and in close combat.

Zombies - two units, large and small. The advantage of having zombies is that they can grow very fast. They are also dangerous if you let them come at you from the flank. However, I also know that this type of unit can be grind down by my troops. In fact, spearelves or archers will be fantastic in that job as they have re-rolls to hit and they can destroy zombies faster than by shooting.

Grave Guard - Elite infantry of the VC army. Hitting hard with +1 to hit, S6 and killing blows. Can be dealt with by multiple charges (see game 1) and I will definitely look for the opportunity to do so. I expect them to do significant damage if fighting one on one.

Hexwraiths - Quite dangerous unit so I am glad there is only one and only 5 strong. I needed to make sure they cannot jump over my troops turn one and had enough magic missiles and magic weapons to actually hunt them down. BSB has Sword of Might while one of the Nobles has Star Lance. Both perfect to deal with them. But as I said, I have to keep them in my front.

Vargheist - hard hitting unit but quite fragile with T4 and no armor. Frenzy can be exploited but I assumed they will be either turned back to front or stay close to the general and BSB. Another unit I cannot afford having behind my back. Fortunately, these guys are also vulnerable to my shooting. I counted on Heavens magic here too.

Terrorgheist - another usual suspect and priority to kill. It will not be easy to hunt it down but shooting, magic and possible combat should eventually get him.

I admit I was aware of the standings among the players. I was unhappy to lose 2 games already and initially I thought I have lost a chance to place well. However, it seemed that if I won high there might be an opportunity to fight for better overall standings. I was 5th at this moment and the situation looked as follows:

Bretonnia that won 3 games and drew one was fighting against Daemons of Chaos that won 3 and lost 1 game.
Lizardmen that won 3 games and drew one was fighting against Bretonnia (my opponent from game 4) who won 3 and lost 1 game.

In terms of points 1st Bretonnia and 2nd Lizards were impossible to catch unless they lost 20-0. However, DoC and second Brets were close enough. I mention this because it is actually the first time when I entered the game with such thoughts! Seems like I am coming to the dark side!

I wanted to finish the tournament with a victory if possible (always good feeling) so I was determined to play aggressively. I knew I have quite a few models to hunt down and planned to engage as soon as possible, also with archers. I decided shooting is helpful but way too slow to tackle enemy units (although a wound or two against Terror always helps) and I know from experience that crumbling is faster than healing. I believed I had good speed to get into good combats but I also thought I needed to be bold and sometimes take the chances.

Deployment


Deployment or early 1st turn


After Vanguard

Respective wizards had following spells:

Master Necromancer - Spirit Leech, Soulblight, The Fate of Bjuna

Vampire Lord - VanHels

Necromancer - Invocation

Archmage - Harmonic Convergence, Curse of the Midnight Wind, Urannon's Thunderbolt, Chain Lightning

Vampires won the roll of for the first turn.

Vampire Counts - Turn 1


Vampires move forward


And stay close to their left flank

Vampire Lord gave the order to march forward and his minions obeyed without delay. However, some of the shambling hordes were a little too far away to feel the dark power properly. As a result Grave Guard and Zombies moved at a slower pace.

Outcasts - Turn 1


Elven right pulls back


Elven left pushes forward

Fast troops on the Elven left flank used the opportunity and galloped to surround undead. At the same time the regiments on the Elven right flank pulled back to keep safe distance from the Hexwraiths and don't allow them to jump to the back yard.

Elven shooters aimed at a Terrorgheist but failed to wound the beast this time.

Vampire Counts - Turn 2


Undead shift the direction of the attack


Terrorgheist claims first victims

Vampire Lord decided he will stop the Elves who tried to envelop his forces. He ordered his flying troops to spearhead the attack. He also drew deeply from the winds of magic and added some more vigor to his minions so that they moved even faster. Thanks to that, magically animated Terrorgheist moved over the heads of nearby Reavers and screamed at them. Four elven warriors dropped from their saddles but their companions were determined to keep fighting.

At the same time Hexwraiths attacked the Swordmasters who performed tactical withdraw and exposed them to the counter charge of nearby Spearelves.

Outcasts - Turn 2


First Elven attacks


Hexwraiths and Vargheists are gone

Elves attacked exposed units. Hexwraiths were charged by Spearelves and Star Lance wielding noble and between these two enough casualties were caused to destroy the unit. Spearelves tried to use the attack momentum to keep moving forward but their overrun was more like over-walk.

Swordmasters hit the flank of the Vargheists who foolishly landed in that area. Single beast stroke back but the magic keeping it alive was broken and soon it turned into dust.

Unfortunately, magic and shooting were still ineffective.

Vampire Counts - Turn 3


Vampire Lord attempts to break the encirclement


Terrorgheists strikes again!

Vampire Lord charged the Swordmasters who withdrew as otherwise they would have died for nothing and allowed undead to break the ring tightening around them.

Terrorgheist, now on its own, flew to land near Dragon Princes and another powerful scream killed entire unit. Nearby Reavers lost their nerve this time and fled to safety.

Outcasts - Turn 3


Elves continue their attack


Three powerful strikes

Elves kept attacking, seeing the opportunity to stall undead advance and secure the flanks. Spearelves engaged Zombies and with the assist of the Curse spell cast on brainless dead, they tore through the bodies as hot knife through the butter. Archers followed their example and showed they can be very efficient in combat too.

On the other flank, Dragon Princes enraged by the destruction of their companions, charged the Terrorgheist. Eagle riding Noble tried to follow but even he was not fast enough. However, Dragon Princes hit hard and managed to kill the monster on the spot (Edit: I was lucky to inflict 5 wounds this time.)

Vampire Counts - Turn 4


Zombies melt fast


Undead army is dangerously divided

Grave Guard, far away from the Master, stayed motionless, awaiting orders. Zombies, without any form of support, kept falling apart at alarming speed. Vampire Lord killed the Eagle that blocked his path and awaited Elven attack. But he was prepared as he ordered his Master Necromancer to make his enemies weaker with a Soulblight spell. That went off irresistibly and the feedback killed the necromancer's apprentice.

Outcasts - Turn 4


Setting the stage for an attack


A gamble

Dragon Princes and Swordmasters attacked regardless and hit both flanks of Ghouls simultaneously. Swordmasters suffered the brunt of the attack by Vampire Lord but Elves still managed to destroy enough Ghouls to win the fight. They now had to hold on one more turn before the reinforcements could relief them.

At the same time Spearelves were too enthusiastic in killing zombies and were now exposed for a counter attack by Grave Guard.

Vampire Counts - Turn 5


Dragon Princes and Swordmasters hold the line!


But Spearelves fail

Spearelves were determined to hold the line against Grave Guard so that Swordmasters could help them with a timely flank attack. BSB challenged Wight King but he was not able to destroy it and was killed in return (Edit: Killing Blow!). Spearelves suffered horrendous casualties and could not hold.

On the other hand, Swordmasters and Dragon Princes kept hacking Ghouls and won another round of combat. It meant that Vampire Lord was doomed as Elven reinforcements were about to strike at the rear of thin line of Ghouls.

Outcasts - Turn 5


The end of Vampire Lord


Only Grave Guard was left

Archers, Reavers and both Nobles charged in. Many spells were cast to support the Elves and despite the fact some troops were visibly shaken by the prospect of fighting against such a powerful enemy as Vampire Lord, undead were all turned into dust. Only Swordmasters didn't survive that combat.

On the other flank Swordmasters and White Lions prepared for coming back of the Grave Guard (Edit: While writing this I realized we made a mistake as in Battle for the Pass there is no way for units to leave the battle field through the sides. )

Vampire Counts - Turn 6


Grave Guard returns


Only to see there is no trace left of their master

Grave Guard returns to position themselves for incoming attack of Elven elite infantry.

Outcasts - Turn 6


Last charge of the Swordmasters!

With only one enemy regiment left the plan was simple. Both, Swordmasters and White Lions, charged in but only Swordmasters made it. Archmage rushed to help and managed to support warriors of Hoeth with Harmonic Convergence. Swordmasters were brutal, killing 11 Grave Guards but it was not enough to crumble entire unit and they disengaged. (Edit: It was the first time where Convergence really helped.)

It was clear that Elves won although they were a little disappointed they didn't destroy all the undead minions.

Turn-by-turn Summary


Turn-by-turn animation

After-battle thoughts

I was very happy the plan worked and that I got solid 17:3 victory. I pressed hard and that paid off, in particular in the turn where Soulblight affected Dragon Princes and Swordmasters. Unfortunately for Dave he made some mistakes that helped me in this game too. I am not sure, for example, why he exposed his Vargheists to flank attack. I think he didn't have to rush with his Hexwraiths either. In the end, the crucial mistake was to split his forces that allowed me to hit his units from many directions.

There were some issues in my game too. For example, I was way too optimistic I have a chance to hold Grave Guard so maybe some redirecting with reavers was more important. I was concerned my two regiments would not hold in second turn of combat against Ghouls so wanted to have fast troops to mount another attack. But maybe I was too cautious?

Even in that situation I should have fled with Spearelves. While I would lose points I would not lose both banners. Always important thing.

In any case I was happy to finish the tournament with a victory and many thanks to Dave for a great game as always!

Thanks for reading!

[Galharen]

I see there a beautiful flank attack:))
Always a pleasure to read your reports. Maybe i dont comment here very offen, but trust me, I read all your reports and.your topics are my priority in this section
I really like the game against Brets,well you have lost but I think everybody who read it, learned a lot. Brets tactic was awesome example who Players gain experience in time and use it to win. I would never thought that big lances would stay in place to block your troops and screening catapults, really like this move. However, having so many cowboys he could use them to redirect you or for example charge DPs.

[Ferny]

I think you should do well here - you have all the tools you need, you got a flank, and your mentality is aggressive.

[Hinge]

@ Hinge

What would you change in the alternative deployment I presented?

I actually think the deployment is quite good and would not change it. Given your greater number of drops, it is likely you could work to this outcome as well. I think it accomplishes keeping some separation from Dwellers and 2 aggressive axis of threats.

Your projected first turn will depend alot on if Adam would have seen the hole in his line the fast units could take advantage of as the vanguard move by the Pegs could still cover it. Even if he did I think I would be tempted to still push hard into the middle, shoot/magic all I could at the pegs and give up one unit if all else failed. I also think I would be tempted to move ER 2 to the right. You want resources to stall the Knight bus as long as possible. 2 Fast cav units will do wonders! I think this would force Adam to move his pallies out of the units to react to your moves.

As far as Bretts, there are some strong players that continue to play them here in NoCal. They are a very good point denial army with speed, strong artillery, and some decent items. I think they are flexible and can play a number of different games depending on match up.

[Swordmaster of Hoeth]

hi guys!

@ Galharen

Thanks, mate! I am glad you rate my reports so high, I do my best to keep them coming. Hopefully, it will be possible in the future.

I would love to get more feedback like the one you provided for the report against Star Dragon list but I am fully aware it takes time and that you may be busy with other things. Just saying that it would be fantastic if you managed to do that again

Yes, it was a great game despite the loss. And if that is true that the readers could learn from that example as well, then it is absolutely fantastic.

@ Ferny

I might not have time to finish the report today but there might be something on the first day of New Year!

@ Hinge

It would be interesting to have a rematch, who knows, maybe Adam will bring his Brets to another tournament. However, he tends to bring new force each time. Btw, he is the same guy who designed an army with 8 dragon slayers for Masters 2013

It is amazing that the army with such an old book can be so efficient. I guess it proves that it is all about the player to use even limited choices to have a successful army.

Cheers!

[Swordmaster of Hoeth]

Game 5 updated