Oblivion: A Prologue

Hello, again, everyone!  Well, in the time since my last post, things around the world have changed rather rapidly, haven't they?  Sadly, with the current Corona virus pandemic, getting some games in is going to be impossible... for those of you who are computer minded, there are several virtual platforms that can allow you to play Warmachine, Hordes, and even Blood Bowl (I hear) on line!  Sadly, I am not so savy with the tech side of things, and so will not be taking part in such games.  Japan has yet to receive any sort of stay-at-home orders, so the Fukuyama Gaming Club is still able to meet and play, but of course, we are trying to decide if we should or not.  Anyway, the next meeting isn't until May 6th, in the week long holiday of Golden Week.

Luckily, before the pandemic really got started, we of the Fukuyama Gaming Club had begun the new Warmachine/Hordes narrative campaign, Oblivion!!!!  Woo-hoo!  So, to take your mind off of the stresses of 2020, join me as we start off the decent into madness and damnation that is.... OBLIVION!!!

Oblivion Campaign
Yes!  I have been looking forward to doing any of the wonderful campaigns that come out of workshops of Privateer Press!  Allow me to set the scene...

Long, long ago, Thamar the dark twin made a deal with a devil (literally) to save humanity from the Orgoth.  Now, the devil is due, and true to her nature, Thamar, with help from her brother Morrow, is going to try and weasel her way out of payment.  Of course, in the meantime, gates to the demon realm are being assembled, heroes are taking to the field, and all Hell is breaking loose!

The campaign is designed for between 2 and 4 players, though 4 is the best.  The 4 players break into 2 teams... the Guardians (good guys) and the Corrupters (bad guys).  The campaign has them fight through 5 rounds of battles, the end of which is a giant free for all that will decide the fate of Immoren!  This story begins with three prologue skirmish battles, all played against the same opponent and keeping track of wins and losses.  After the Prologue has been completed, the players play through 3 tiers of increasingly large battles, with wins and losses determining the scenerio for that players next battle.  In each tier, every player must play their scenerio as the protagonist, and it can be against any other player as the antagonist, even their own teammate.  And finally, as I mentioned, everything comes to a head in a four person mega battle for the sould of Immoren!  Dun-dun-DUN!!!

So...let us begin!

Prologue: Scene 1
On a dark night, two patrols stumble upon each other in the woods.  Fighting breaks out as the two frightened teams lash out against their perceived enemies.

First, we had to seperate into teams... DTB and his Grymkin teamed up with moi, Kommissar Koala and my Protectorate on the side of good, so we are the Guardians.  Leland (with several guest appearances) with Cygnar and Sarge with his Cryx became the Corrupters.  Then, we had to go head to head against one of the members of the other teams... I faced off against the Leland conglomerate, and DTB took on Sarge.

Army Lists:
 

     Grymkin - Piggybacks (maximum)
                        Piggyback Officer
                        Cask Imp X 2

     Cryx -        Bane Warriors (minimum)
                        Bane Knights (minimum)

     Menoth -   Exempar Errants (minimum)
                        Elias Gade
                        Exemplar Warder

     Cryx -        Cephalyx Overlords
                        Cephalyx Mindslaver and Drudges

Okay, so I know what you're thinking... Kommissar, you said that there was a Cygnar team?  What's with the two Cryx teams?  And you would be correct!  Sadly, the day that we started the campaign, Leland was out of town, and so the Cryx team using the Cephalyx that I was facing was actually being run by a new member of the Fukuyama Gaming Club, TG#1.

Being used to 75 point battles, this little 30 point skirmish was awfully quick!
     Grymkin Vs. Cryx - Piggybacks are too strong for these little games, and quickly overwhelmed the Banes that swarmed them.  Victory for Grymkin
     Menoth Vs. Cryx - I foolishly moved the Errants up much to far, only to get mulched by the Drudges that were waiting for me.  Victory for Cryx

So, were are now tied, 1-1 for each team!


Prologue:  Scene Two
Routed, the losing team breaks and runs until they come across another of their own patrols and team up, returning to the scene of the origional skirmish.  Alas, the opponent has also received reinforcements, and is ready to get back into the fray.

Now, all the prologue scenes are supposed to be played against the same opponent, but we decided to switch it up and change our foes, so for this scene, I take on Sarge and DTB faces against TG#1.

Army Lists:

     Grymkin - Piggybacks (maximum)
                        Piggyback Officer
                        Lord Longfellow

     Cryx -        Cephalyx Overlords
                        Cephalyx Mindslaver and Drudges
                        Orin Midwinter

     Menoth -    Exemplar Errants (maximum)
                         Exemplar Errants Officer and Standard Bearer
                         Elias Gade

     Cryx -         Bane Warriors (minimum)
                         Bane Warrior Captain and Standard Bearer
                         Bane Knights (minimum)

So, this mission, the losers from last round have to try and get three models off the board from the opponents deployment zone to win, while the winner from last round have to keep them from doing that.  Because of the new pairings, it was loser Vs. loser and winner Vs. winner, so we randomly determined that TG#1 and I were the losers.

This round the point costs went up to 35, but still pretty quick games!
     Grymkin Vs. Cryx - As the Piggybacks slaughtered the Drudges, the Overlords panicked and made a beeline for the escape zone.  Victory for Cryx
     Menoth Vs. Cryx - Several Errants had almost made it off the edge of the escape zone, but realizing their brothers were still in trouble returned only to be destoryed. Victory for Cryx

Yikes!  I've lost both of my games!  Team scores are now 1-3, in favor of the Corruptors!

Prologue: Scene 3
Chaos ensues as the two forces continue to spar across the moonless night.  Finally, the two forces face off in a pitched battle.  If the defender from the last round (the loser of the first round) managed to get all three models off the board during the last round, they recieved three intelligence tokens that could be used to either re-roll one of their own rolls, or force their opponent to re-roll one of their rolls!  Eep!  Also, as this is the final round of the prologue, each army had to select a solo to be their "Commander" for the round.  If the Commander falls, the game is lost!

With this round, Leland had finally returned!  Yes!  So, back to our original pairings, DTB and Sarge and me with Leland.

Army Lists:

     Grymkin -    Piggybacks (maximum)
                           Piggyback Officer
                           Hollowmen (maximum)
                           Lanternman -> the commander for the round
                           Hollow Holden

     Cryx -           Bane Warriors (minimum)
                           Bane Knights (minimum)
                           Bane Riders (minimum)
                           Bane Lord Tarterus -> the commander for the round
                           Scrap Thralls X 6

     Menoth -       Exemplar Errants (maximum)
                            Exemplar Errant Officer and Standard Bearer
                            Exemplar Errant Seneschal
                            Elias Gade -> the commander for the round
                            Vassal of Menoth

     Cygnar -        Piper of Ord
                            Sword Knights (maximum)
                            Lynus Wesselbaum & Edrea Lloryrr
                            Archduke Alain Runewood -> the commander for the round
                                 -Firefly
                            Trencher Engineers

Well... these lists are certainly a bit more hefty than they have been!  This is a pretty straightforward round, kill off the opposing commander and win the game!
     Grymkin Vs. Cryx - The Bane committee was just too much for the Grymkin, especially with the Vengeance on the Bane Riders.  Victory for Cryx
     Menoth Vs. Cygnar - The Errants ALMOST had Runewood... they left him with only one health box, but in missing that last one, left themselves vunerable...Victory for Cygnar


Conclusion:
Awww, man!  I lost every single prologue battle!  Still, good times were had by all, so I guess its fine.  The final team score is Guardians 1, Corruptors 5 (yikes!!!)  A resounding victory for the bad guys!  Luckily, this has no bearing on Tier 2, but from here on out, victory or defeat will decide what our next scenerio's are, so we'll all do our best to come out on top!

Stay tuned!  The Oblivion Crisis in Fukuyama continues soon!
Stay safe, wash your hands!  So says the Kommissar!

AAR - Bumps in the Night

Happy New Year!!!!

Did everyone have a great vacation?  I had so many, many plans for my two weeks off, like getting my Exemplar Errants completely painted, taking part in the traditional Japanese big cleaning of the house, more blogging since I fell behind a little bit last year (oops, sorry, everybody!).  Sadly, a dislocated thumb and a slipped disk in my spine made sure that I did nothing but a lot of sitting at my kitchen table, unable to do anything but sit still and pray for a miracle!  No painting, no blogging... no nothing!  And well just in time for real life to return.  Curses!  At least my second half was around to help with the poliwogs, or else I would have been completely out of luck!

A few weeks before the end of the year, the Fukuyama Gaming Club had our last meeting of 2018, and we got in some great games.  Leland and DTB look like they're heading to Osaka for a tournament in the middle of January, and are really working hard on getting their lists ready for a good fight!  We didn't just get in some Warmachine/ Hordes practice, though... oh no!  Take a look at what got thrown down on the board!

Ghostly warband FTW!

That's right!  The Thorns of the Briar Queen, the ghostly warband from Shadespire (or actually Shadespire's expansion, the Night Vault) is now mine!  Muahhahahahahaha!  This time, Sarge, DTB, Leland and I got in a four player game of Shadespire.  I'm not totally sold on multiplayer games yet, but I could see how it might be fun.  At the moment, I don't think we're quite getting 3 or 4 player games just right.

This month, DTB and I paired off for a Warma/Hordes battle, leaving Sarge and Leland to their own battles, and was I in for a surprise!  Instead of pulling out his tried and true Trollblood army, he threw a whole new bag up on the table... one with swirling purple patches... and I knew that DTB had fallen to the Defiers!  Perfect!  My Menoth worshipers were just dying to get their hands on these heretical nightmares!  But in reality, I love love love the Grymkin, and was super excited to see a new army across the board from me!  I guess DTB wanted to surprise everyone, so he put the army together and painted it up without telling anyone, until he had a fully painted, complete army up and ready to go.  Amazing!

So, without further ado, your army lists for today!

Army List, Grymkin:

A scattered bunch of Nightmares!

     Defier - The Child
          Cage Rager
          Skin & Moans X 3
          Rattlers X 3
          Crabbits X 2
          Gremlin Swarms X 3
     Lady Karianna Rose
     Death Knell
     Glimmer Imp

So, this is the Dark Menagerie theme force, which is pretty much like most Heavy Metal themes.  Ultra beast heavy, no units, and a couple of solos are what DTB has to work with, but in return, the theme allows him to take Gremlin Swarms, usually not acceptable in the theme force, and the Gremlins get Serenity, that will help him with Fury control.  Also, all non trooper models that can carry corpse tokens begin the game with one, so his Skin & Moans and the Death Knell are already tough coming out of the gate.  The good news for me and the bad news for DTB is that while the Gremlin Swarms would be devastating to most armies, my force is literally awash in magical weapons, so getting rid of them won't be AS tricky as it could be for most opponents.

Army List, Protectorate:

Line up for a fight with the darkness!

     Warcaster - High Exemplar Cyrenia
          Judicator
     Exemplar Bastions
     Exemplar Bastion Seneschal
     Exemplar Cinerators
          - Officer
     Exemplar Errants
          - Officer & Standard Bearer
     Exemplar Errant Seneschal
     Exemplar Warder
     High Exemplar Gravius
     Visigoth Rhovien
     Vassal Mechanik

This is the new Exemplar Interdiction theme force that I wanted to try out, along the the brand spankin' new caster, Cyrenia!  Woo, is she a great addition to the Protectorate!  I've only played her in a few games, but MAN!! I love her!  This theme gives me the benefits of having all warjacks (so, only the Judicator, who already has it naturally.... sigh) Blessed on all their weapons, meaning that they will ignore spell buffs to ARM and DEF, and also gives me a +2" on my deployment zone.... now, usually that would be invaluable to me, but this army is surprisingly fast!  Cyrenia has a spell to move her troops along, and Gravius also has an action he can take that also gets Exemplars moving... but still, I'll take it!

Setup, Grymkin:

Things that go bump in the night

We came up with the Mirage scenerio, so that means two large, unit scoring zones, one on each side, with an objective in the middle of it, and three flags across the center of the table.  This is going to be a difficult scenerio win for DTB, because wow, Dark Menagerie does not get a whole lot of models and NO units!  DTB started with a Gremlin Swarm off to the far left, next to the Blue Rattler and Blue Skin & Moans (did that thing skin a Trollkin???) Lady Rose was off the line just a bit behind the S&M, and next came the White Rattler and the White S&M protecting another Gremlin Swarm, the Black Crabbit hiding behind The Child, and the Glimmer Imp on the other side.  Next, the Death Knell, the White Crabbit and the Red S&M and Red Rattler lined up, with the Cage Rager on the end.

Setup, Protectorate:

And now for the fastest list in Menoth

Yikes!  I know the Judicator is an amazing 'jack, but I don't know how I feel about having only ONE warjack in the whole army!  Still, Cyrenia has other things she need to do with her focus, so I guess we'll try and make it work.  I had to use a couple of proxies in this battle since I haven't quite gotten all of the new models yet, so I have Kreoss 2 as Cyrenia, Durst as the Cinerator Officer, and Reznik as the Exemplar Warder... bear with me, haha!

I started with Cyrenia and her Judicator in the center.  To their left, I placed the Cinerators and Gravius (he's going to help them along since they're SO SLOW!!!) To the right I had the Mechanik behind Cyrenia and the Warder next to her, then the Bastions with their Seneschal behind them.  Since DTB doesn't have any advanced deployment, I went ahead and put out the Errants and their Seneschal in the middle of the field. 

Our Story:

Shudder

On a mission to Tower Judgment, Cyrenia, followed by her interdiction of Exemplars, came upon a small girl standing in the shadows of a copse of trees.  Smiling at the little girl to try and calm her, Cyrenia knelt down and extended a hand to lead her from the darkness.  The little girl regarded her quietly for a moment.  "Are you a one of Menoth's?"
"To be sure," Cyrenia replied.  "Are you lost?"
A dark light flashed behind the child's eyes.  "I'm not lost.  Dolly's with me."  Behind her, something huge began to push through the trees.  The girls features twisted in a horrible grin.  "And Dolly HATES the worshipers of the false one!"
Cyrenia moved back towards her forces as Dolly loomed behind The Child, and the Exemplars prepared their weapons as the chittering, moaning horde of Grymkin appeared, ready to rend them all until they joined the Wicked Harvest.


Round 1,  Grymkin:

Oh, man, they're coming!

The Glimmer Imp ran 12" to in front of the rubble.  The Child put on Tantrum, then Abused the White S&M for 1 damage and also Abused the Blue S&M for one damage.  The White S&M then ran behind the lake, and the Blue S&M followed it.  The White and Blue Rattlers ran to keep up with their buddies.  Lady Rose ran to just behind the White S&M.  The far left Gremlins ran over the wall, the middle Gremlins ran behind most of the pack, while the Black Crabbit walked behind Dolly and then Lept to next to the Glimmer Imp.

You don't want to meet these guys down a dark alley!

The Red S&M moved next to the objective, while the White Crabbit walked forward and then Lept into the zone.  The Cage Rager ran 8" to lip the zone.  The Red Rattler also ran to the objective with its buddy.  The far right Gremlin Swarm moved between the S&M and to finish up, the Death Knell walked 6", then repositioned into the zone.

Round 1, Protectorate:

For the Flame and the Wall

Cyrenia started off as she likes to do, giving Heroic Call and Inviolable Resolve to the Errants before moving forward and casting Dash.  The Warder moved forward next to her before the Errants moved up, shooting A WHOLE LOT at the White Crabbit and failing to kill it.  The Errant Seneschal moved onto the flag, the Bastions ran forward, and Gravius on the other side moved behind the cloud and gave Desperate Pace to the Cinerators.  The Judicator moved forward and sent two rockets at the Grymkin.  They deviated since the target was too far, but managed to kill Lady Rose!  First blood to me!  Woot!  And then I forgot to make the damn thing get it's second bound... damn!  Cinerators ran into the middle of the table, and Rhoven & Co finished to round by running forward.

Round 2, Grymkin:

Fear not the darkness!

In the maintainance phase, DTB moved the Cage Rager due to Tantrum, and the Gremlin Swarms removed two fury from the S&Ms, and then round 2 began!  The Glimmer Imp ran to the flag and stared down the Errants giving them a -2 DEF.  The Black Crabbit moved and Lept to the front of the zone.  The Child Abused the White S&M for 2 damage, then healed the White Crabbit, fixing all of its aspects, and then moved forward.  The Red Rattler charged an Errant, killing it and triggering Berzerk... sigh... my poor Seneschal hanging onto the flag, and no one close enough to die for him...three more lost their lives to the Rattler...that thing is scary!

Mmmmm, Errant, nom nom nom

The White S&M charged over the lake to an Errant, killing it, but it was TOUGH thanks to Heroic Call!  Yes!  But, sadly, he died to the monster's second attack.  It bought another attack on the next Errant, and the Errant WAS TOUGH!!!!  Woohoo!  And it died on the S&M's last attack.  The White Rattler ran up to another Errant, while the Cage Rager moved to the edge of the zone.  The Red S&M walked in front of the objective, and the White Crabbit walked and the Lept into the cloud, biting an Errant, but could not break his armor!  The Blue Rattler moved behind the lake, put up it's animus "Still As Death," which gave it Countercharge.  The Blue S&M walked behind the lake, and the Grymkin finished up with the Death Knell moving forward next to the objective.

Round 2, Protectorate:

Stand strong, guys!  They're only as scary as they look!

Well, to start, I forgot all about my Vengence movements and all the good stuff that I got to do in my maintenance phase... what a waste!!!  That's okay, it's my first time with this army.  I'll have to remember in the future, though!  The surviving Errants pressed forward, putting damage on the Red Rattler, White Crabbit, White Rattler, and killing ONLY the Glimmer Imp... What???? How did I only kill one tiny solo!  Rhoven moved forward and shot Cleansing Fire on the Gremlins scoring the Flag, but MISSED on a roll of two 1's.  Sigh.  Gravius ran around to the wall behind the front lines.  The Cinerators made a charge order, putting the pain on the White S&M before the Officer used his Defensive Formation ability and allowed them to use a second order in the activation, falling into a Shield Wall for more DEF on DTB's activation.

Casualties of war!

The Bastions charged the Cage Rager and the Red Rattler, bringing the Rattler down to 3 damage and giving 6 damage to the Cage Rager.  The Warder charged the Rattler (I had to murderize that thing!), finally killing it.  The Judicator moved forward, bombing the Blue Rattler, leaving it barely alive (and again, I FORGOT THE SECOND BOUNCE!!!) Finally, the Mechanik moved up behind the Judicator just in case, and Cyrenia stepped forward to...... BEEPBEEPBEEP!  Time over!

Conclusion:
Victory for the Grymkin!

This monster must not be allowed to survive!

The Child giggled maniacally as her monsters tore through Cyrenia's Exemplars as though they were untrained chaff.  Unwilling to risk more of her brothers-in-arms, the High Exemplar sent the signal to withdraw, a vanguard taking the brunt of the retreat as the monsters continued their depraved games.  "Go hide behind your wall, little knight,"  she heard the voice of the Child call over the wails of the dying.  "We'll see you soon enough."

A very fun game with DTB!  The Grymkin play style is still a little unfamiliar to me, and I had a great time learning just how devestating a Rattler on the lose could be!  I made a lot of mistakes, forgetting important rules and tricks of my models, but most of them I'm using for the first time, like the Errants, and I'll pick it up soon!  I'm looking forward to more Defier Vs. Menoth fights in the future!  Thanks, DTB!!!

AAR - Fishing for Cryx

June has brought with it summer.... Oh, Japanese summer... my immortal enemy.  Heat, humidity, cottonmouth snakes, poisonous centipedes, and bees that can quite literally kill you.  Oh yeah, what's not to love, right?  Luckily for us, there was also another meeting of the Fukuyama Gaming Club.  And luck was with us, as Sarge made his second appearance this year!  And then she promptly left us again as Leland was stuck at work all day at his school's sports festival.  Ugh!  Well, we missed having him, but were glad to see Sarge again!  We were really hoping to get another board game in, but as our friend The Kid says, we've entered "War Season."  With Boundless Charge and the Japan Open coming up quickly, side games are being pushed to the, well, side, and tournament prep is taking over.  In a great use of time, all three of us managed to get two games in!  Sarge Vs. Kommissar, Kommissar Vs. DTB, and DTB Vs. Sarge... and we did it all in time to grab dinner before heading home!  SUCCESS!

My first match of the day was against Sarge, and it was a pretty good game!  I'm still working to get comfortable with my Tristan list, and am once again tweaking it to see if I can get a little bit of a better fit before go time... All of my units are pretty set, but I seem to have a little bit of a revolving door on what 'jacks I'm going to go with.  I felt comfortable enough with the new set I used in today's game, but... I'm not sure if I'm totally happy with it.  We'll see.  My next game was against DTB, and though I lost again, I did feel a bit more comfortable with the list, and I managed to spear me a big ole' bear!

A nice bear skin for Tristan's new cloak!

Announcements:
The next gaming days for the Fukuyama Gaming Club are July 22 and August 5!
Registration for the Japan Open Team Tournament in October is rolling along!  Make sure that you reserve your place if you're want to join!
And now, the big news... in just three weeks, my polliwogs and I are going to visit family in America!  Yeah!  Because of this, August may see some breaks in our regular posting schedule... and content!  I may not be able to get any games in , but I will definitely be visiting some of my favorite local gaming stores, and they may find themselves with a write up in the Duty Log!
Look forward to it... that's an order!

For the first time in... boy, maybe three years, I finally got a game in with Sarge!  Woot!  The last few years he hasn't been able to make it up our way for anything except the Japan Open, which he has been running.  It is a long way from Fukuyama to Iwakuni, and if he brings up some of the boys from the base, there are a lot of restrictions on them, especially that they have to make curfew (and I really mean HAVE TO.... the American military does NOT mess around with that kind of thing).  But the last two meetings he has made it up, and much fun was had!  I decided to take one more turn with Tristan to face off against his new Cryx army... sadly, Menoth is not a great match up against the undead horde!


Army List, Cryx:

The Bastard's Dark Host

     Warcaster - Goreshade 2 (Goreshade the Cursed)
          Desecrator
          Death Ripper
          Defiler
     Skarlock Thrall
     Wraith Engine
     Bane Lord Tartarus
     Scrap Thrall X 2 (that's 6 thralls, y'all!)
     Bane Warriors (Maximum) X 2
          + Officer X 2
     Bane Riders (Maximum)

This list uses the Dark Host Theme Force, which will give Sarge's Bane models prowl (they'll get stealth when they have concealment) and he'll also get 2 4" fog clouds, which of course, will help his prowling Banes!

Army List, Protectorate:

Tristan's Guardians of the Temple

     Warcaster - Sovereign Tristan Durant
          Reckoner X 2
          Templar
          Crusader
          Purifier
          Redeemer
     Daughters of the Flame
     Temple Flameguard (Maximum)
          +Officer and Standard
 
This is, naturally, a Guardians of the Temple theme force, which will give my Daughters of the Flame the ability to Ambush (and let me tell you, that has really come in handy a few times!) and the Temple Flameguard will gain Tough and can't be knocked down when in B2B with models in their unit.

Setup, Cryx:

A ghostly horde

 We ended up rolling the Spread the Net scenerio, so that means we had a unit scoring zone in the center of the board, and a Jack/ Beast scoring zone on each side of it, and flags on opposite sides from the 'jack zones.  Sarge set his two fog clouds touching each other right next to the obstruction on the edge of the middle zone, and then proceeded to flop down that giant awful monstrosity of a Wraith Engine right in the middle!  Next to it on the left, his unit of Black Banes, with the Defiler on the outside and the BLT (Bane Lord Tartarus) a little behind them.  In front of the Engine came Goreshade and his Scarlock, with the Colorful Banes next to them on the right.  The Desecrator and the Bane Rides came next, with the Death Ripper finishing out the right flank.  Behind everything, six Scrap Thralls brought up the rear...okay, I know in the picture it looks like five Scrap Thralls and one blue marker, but use your imagination! Haha!

Setup, Protectorate:

Flameguard, ready to go!

I started with my Temple Flameguard in the Shield Wall order in the middle of the board.  Behind them, the one of the Reckoners started far on the left to try and deal with the Bane Riders that were going to be charging at me.  Then, the other Reckoner, the Redeemer, Tristan, and the Templar lined up with the choir filling in where they could fit.  On the hill behind the wall of Flameguard I set the Crusader, and finally the Purifier on the edge.  Usually I would then take the chance to set up my Daughters with advanced deployment, but since they have Ambush now, and Sarge has, like, a million Bane Warriors that are going to KEEP COMING BACK TO LIFE, I think they'll Ambush.

Our Story:
After stealing the sword of Nyssor, Goreshade and his troops are hastening back towards the Thornwood to reach the relative safety of the Cryxian tunnel system.   Under cover of night, the eldritch was moving in the direction of Bainsmarket, when suddenly a force of Flameguard from the Protectorate appeared before him, cutting him off from his destination.  Several Scrap Thralls that had been following his Wraith Engine shuffled forward and informed him that more Flameguard were moving up on all sides, trying to catch the Cryxians in a net of spears.  Sovereign Tristan Durant was in the lead, having had a vision from the Creator of Man commanding him to stop the undead horde before they could escape.  If Goreshade was to keep his prize and reach safety, he was going to have to cut that net open and lose himself and his forces in the looming woods.

Round 1, Cryx:

Forward, to the concealing fog!

The Desecrator accumulates for one focus (stupid rule!  What does it think it is, a Cyrissian?)  Then it ran 10" into the fog.  The Colorful Banes ran next to the Desecrator.  The Black Banes ran behind the obstacle.  The Defiler ran in front of the Black Banes, between them and the rocks.  The Bane Riders ran into the left zone, while the giant Wraith Engine ran between the two units of Bane Warriors.  The Skarlock did a little cross and ran to the other side of the Wraith Engine.  Goreshade moved up and cast Occultation on the Riders, and BLT ran behind the Colorful Banes, and the Scrap Thralls moved up to not be left behind.

Round 1, Protectorate:

For Menoth against the zombies!

To start things off, the Flameguard moved forward and got into three groups of Shield Walls.  Tristan moved up and FORGOT TO ALLOCATE FOCUS!!!! Haaaaaaaa, okay, this is going to be a long game.  He put Inviolable Resolve on the Flameguard and then hung his head in shame for the rest of the turn.  The Light Reckoner moved up, followed by the Choir who put Battle Prayers on the Dark Reckoner, the Redeemer, the Purifier and the Crusader.  The Dark Reckoner moved up and.... just stood there, looking intimidating.  The Redeemer took three shots with it's very inaccurate rocket and managed to kill one Bane Warrior!  Yeah!  First blood to me!  The Templar ran to join Tristan to give him some of the good Shield Guardness, and the Crusader ran behind the Flameguard.  Finally the Purifier ran into the right zone.

Round 2, Cryx:

Banes, Banes, everywhere...

The Desecrator accumulated again, then inched forward and shot at the left hand group of Flameguard, killing 1 and leaving behind a cloud of corrosion.  The Bane Riders ran forward to block both of my Reckoners, which is going to be a huge pain in the butt... how am I going to get into the zone now?  The Defiler moved to the edge of the right zone, spraying the right Flameguard shield wall with acidic goo.  They all survived, but 2 got stuck with continuous corrosion.  The Black Banes ran forward, spreading out, and the Colorful Banes followed suit in the central zone.  The Death Ripper nudged forward to lip the zone.  BLT moved into the fog, and the Wraith Engine moved a smidge closer to the zone.

Ooooooh, scary!

Goreshade moved up, and using the arc node of the Defiler he shot the Purifier with an Abyssal Gate, dealing 8 damage and moving the light 'jack out of the zone and facing backwards... ugh!  Stupid Goreshade!  The Scrap Thralls continued to shamble forward like good little zombies, trying to keep up.

Round 2, Protectorate:

Step one... get in the way!

Ambush!  Aha!  I remembered!  Yes!  Okay, pack up the game, I already won!  Oh, no, wait, that's right... let's keep going.  The Flameguard pressed forward, charging into the mass of Bane Warriors... while 3 died in a corrosive mist, they managed to kill off 2 Warriors.  The Choir got their activation right!  yay!  and put Battle on the Light Reckoner, the Redeemer, the Crusader and the Templar.  Then, the Light Reckoner killing the Bane Rider up in it's face, as did it's Dark brother.  Tristan lipped the right zone and cast Manifest Destiny!  Oh my gosh, you guys, I'm getting my activations right this game!  This is going great!  The Redeemer shot BLT for 2 points of damage and killed another Warrior.  The Crusader ran forward to guard Tristan's left, and the Templar did the same in the zone on Tristan's right.  Finally, the Daughters charged into the Black Banes, killing 4.  Sadly, as this is the bottom of the 2nd round, Cryx will score a Control Point for the left zone that I couldn't get to thanks to those meddling Bane Riders!

Round 3, Cryx:

And a point goes to the Skarlock on the right!

The Black Banes retaliated against my Daughters, killing 5 of my girls... and then the Officer used his mini-feat, bringing back 4 of the Banes I killed.... NOOOOOO!!  BLT then charged the middle huddle of Flameguard, putting 4 damage on the Captain.  Then the Colorful Banes had their chance, putting 24 damage on the Redeemer and killing 4 Flameguard... oof!  The Bane Riders ran forward to get in the way again, and then.... then the worst.  Goreshade moved forward and FEAT!!!  Damn!  Those 6 Scrap Thralls that were shambling in the back?  Goreshade killed all six of them and used their corpses to revive EVERYTHING THAT I KILLED LAST TURN!!!!  No!  Nonono!  The Desecrator moved into the left zone to torment me, and the Skarlock moved into B2B with the Flag... giving Cryx another 2 Control Points... 2 to go to win the game... I've GOT to disrupt his control game, or I lose at the end of my turn!

 Round 3, Protectorate:

Step 2... revive your ENTIRE ARMY!!!

The Flameguard started my comeback by killing 3 Banes.  Then, the last remaining Daughter killed one Bane and knocked down another.  Tristan moved up and cast Manifest Destiny, and then FEAT!!!  Then, he took Veritas, his trusty spear in hand, and killed a Bane Rider, and cast Hand of the Creator to heal 3 points to all models in his control area.  So, I realized my mistake... the Redeemer couldn't get a focus from Tristan's feat because it's Cortex was broken... I should have cast Hand of the Creator first instead of Manifest Destiny, and then cast Manifest Destiny after the feat... live and learn!

Tristan fears no death horsey!

The Choir moved up and prayed for Battle on both Reckoners, the Redeemer and the Templar.  Both Reckoners again killed the Bane Riders that kept harassing them, the Light Reckoner edging around to try and get closer to the zone, but he's not going to make it this turn to stop the Desecrator from getting another control point... I MUST make it to the Skarlock at the flag!  The Templar charged the Defiler and killed it, along with one Bane Warrior.  The Purifier killed the Bane in front of him, then used his Overtake ability to move up to the next Bane... killed it and Overtook again, then killed another and Overtook again!  Wow, MVP for the game!  He didn't make it to the Skarlock, but he got within 4" of the flag, so the Skarlock can't get a point from it this turn!  The Crusader ran into the middle zone to keep it safe from scoring, and the Redeemer knocked down one of the Bane Warriors attacking him... Cryx scores 1 more Control Point... one left until game over!

Round 4, Cryx:

Step 3 ... stall, stall, stall

The Black Banes spread out into the right zone.  The Wraith Engine FINALLY did something and charged the last remaining Daughter, killing her and spawning a Machine Wraith, which then took over the Purifier, forcing him to move out of jamming range of the flag.  2 Control Points and the game to Cryx!

Conclusion:

Victory for Cryx!


Tristan fought valiantly, but with Goreshade and the Bane Officer's abilities to reanimate the fallen, he was being overrun... quickly it became apparent that he was not going to be able to hang on until the rest of his trap was sprung, or risk the lives of his remaining men and women.  Though it hurt deep in his soul, Tristan signaled his last few troops to fall back, clearing the way for Goreshade to escape.

A punishing blow for Menoth, but a fun game nevertheless.  I really enjoyed my first game against Cryx in many many a year!  Long long ago we had two Cryx players, but the Dark Lady had to return to Spain, and our other player got a new job that really ate into his playing time, and he had to stop coming.

Thanks for the game, Sarge!  Next time, the light of Menoth's holy flames will prevail!

AAR - Cygnus Recon

Welcome again, everybody!  April 1st was a busy busy day, let me tell you!  April Fools Day combined with Easter, and me with a couple of pollywogs led to an interesting holiday (did anyone else wrap up grapes like chocolate eggs?  Cause it's pretty funny!).  But on that same day, the Fukuyama Gaming Club held its April meeting!  Luckily we managed to get through several rounds of Warmachine/ Hordes and another chapter of Widower's Wood without anyone trying to prank anyone else.  Phew!  A win, in my opinion!  Sadly, we did have a little happening that I would like to take this moment to talk about for the good of the wargaming community at large.  Let me explain...

In an effort to help me complete my lists for the upcoming Japan Open Team Championship Tournament, DTB found someone on ebay selling two Choir members for my Protectorate of Menoth army, since I only needed two figures and therefore didn't want to buy a whole new unit and get stuck with three extra models.  The models were being sold as is, out of package (no big deal), and there was a picture of them, much like this (but not yet painted).

Looks okay, right?

At the April meeting, DTB handed them over to me, but there was something wrong... Something.  Very.  Wrong.  Here... a view from behind...

Hmmm?  What the heck?

Now, those of you who don't play Menoth may not notice, but as you can see, there is a little dimple in their backs... Choir members do NOT go unprepared into the fires of battle, you see, but carry scrolls of prayers to Menoth in cases hanging from straps just above their butts.  Like this guy here, from my already painted unit.

Tada!  Scroll Case to the rescue!

And this brings us to my new segment...

Don't Be A Jerk
Seriously, man.  Don't be a jerk.  For the good of the whole wargaming community, just don't.  From players throwing hissy fits because they start losing a game to sellers trying to be sneaky to make a few extra bucks, the jerks really can put a damper on a good gaming experience.  Could it be an innocent mistake?  Yeah, I guess it could be, but who are we kidding?  That seller on ebay KNEW that the models were missing pieces, and he tried to cover it up.  Ergo, "sold as is" without mention of missing bits or a photo of the back of the models, where there are clearly parts missing.  Missing parts is not as big a pain in the butunkus as it used to be, so for the right price I may have bought these anyway.  That's not the problem.  The problem was this dude was being intentionally devious, and that's not cool.  Remember, kids...it's just a game, and we're all trying to have a good time, so think before you decide to ruin it for everyone.

Anyway... parts have been ordered from the Privateer Press Online Store, and should be here soon, and then my Choir will be in good shape.  Painting on them is really coming along!  They should be finished by the next meeting of the Fukuyama Gaming Club.  (Actually, they're finished now!  Surprise!)

Announcements:
The Fukuyama Gaming Club will be meeting on May 20, June , and July!  Come join us!
The Japan Open Team Championship is still accepting registration for the upcoming Tournament in October!  Sign up as a 3-person team, or as a single, and we will help place you in a team!

All this brings us to today's battle!  BATTLE!!!  Between the fighting Greenies of Leland's Cygnar army and Kommissar Koala's (that me!) Interdiction of the Dawn Protectorate army!  Leland has done a really good job of getting his models painted up, and they're looking pretty good!  The last couple of games he's been running the same Heavy Metal theme force list, which is a great idea for a new player to really get a feel for how the army works together.  I seem to be in the habit of switching back and forth on my two armies to get some good practice in, so today I decided to run with my Testament of Menoth list since Tristan had a chance in March... and I was still a little mad at Tristan for performing sooooo badly last game, hahaha!  We rolled the Recon II senerio, but OH NO!!!  We forgot to bring any zone markers!!  Thank goodness I had these little brackets from waaaaay back in the day, so we tried pretty hard to make to rectangular zones, and agreed to be pretty lenient when it came to "is that guy in the zone or not" moments.

Army List, Cygnar:

Stryker Heavy Metal, reporting for duty!

    Warcaster - Stryker 1
          Lancer
          Ironclad X2
          Ol' Rowdy
     Trencher Journeyman Warcaster
          Charger X2
     Alison Jakes
          Cyclone
     Sword Knights (Maximum)
     Runewood
     Field Mechanicks (Minimum)

This is a Heavy Metal theme force, so Leland is going to get +2 to his deployment zone, and his solos and mechanics gain Reposition 3".

Army List, Protectorate of Menoth:

Peasants and Paladins

     Warcaster - Testament of Menoth
          Avatar of Menoth
          Reckoner
          Sanctifier
     Choir of Menoth (Maximum)
     Idrian Skirmishers
          -Officer and Guide
     Deliverer Skyhammers (Maximum)
     Paladin X3
     Champion of the Order of the Wall
     Dartan Vilmon

This list is a Faithful Masses theme force, so all my heavy warjacks will gain Hand of Vengence (if a friendly warrior model dies within 5" of a heavy jack, it gets +2 Melee and  Damage rolls for one turn, and I can put a wall template anywhere within 20 inches of my deployment zone.  Also, with Dartan in the list, all Paladin solos will gain Righteous Vengeance (if a friendly models dies in 5" of the Paladin, they get a 3" move and a melee attack in my maintenance phase.

Setup, Cygnar:

Ready to go!

Ohhh, those brackets are going to be hard to keep in place!  Anyway, Leland set up at 9" due to his benefit from the theme force.  He had Runewood and the Sword Knights all the way to the left, with the Lancer next to them.  Then came the Trencher Journeyman Warcaster with his two Chargers.  Next, the light colored Ironclad (Hulky), Ol' Rowdy, and the Dark Ironclad (Rusty), and the last on the skirmish line, Jakes and her Cyclone.  Behind the line, Stryker set up behind Rowdy, and the Mechanics unit spread out next to him.

Setup, Protectorate:

Wide deployment...

Before setting up any of my models, I set out my wall between me and the left side zone, hoping my Deliverers would be able to use it for a little protection to shoot their rockets off from.  Then, set up time!  The Deliverers went behind the wall, with the Reckoner in the middle.  Dartan, one of the Paladins and Tom took the center, with the Sanctifier, the other two Paladins and the Champion of the Wall finishing off the line.  Behind the Champion I put the Avatar, and the Choir spread out behind to give their chants to all the 'jacks.  Then, since Cygnar had no Advanced Deployment this game, I went ahead and set my Idrians next to my objective on the right side to balance out my firepower with the Deliverers on the left, and made the Sword Knights their prey.

Our Story:
Ever since his near death during the invasion of Sul, Stryker has harbored an almost obsessive hatred of the Protectorate.  Returning from a mission along the Dragon Tooth River, the red headed warcaster decided to take a detour and do some reconnaissance on the border of Protectorate held lands.  However, the Harbringer had seen his deviousness and sent her protector, the Testament of Menoth, to confront him and eject him from the holy lands.

Round 1, Cygnar:

Into the cloud with you!

Jakes moved forward and put Energizer on the Cyclone to edge it forward just a bit.  Rusty (the dark Ironclad) ran to the edge of the zone, and Rowdy ran up next to him.  Stryker moved into the cloud (COWARD!) and cast Snipe on the Cyclone.  He then channeled Blur onto the Sword Knights through the Lancer, and Arcane Shield onto the Lancer itself through its own arc node.  The Cyclone moved up and put down 2 covering fire templates.  The Lancer ran until just outside of the zone.  Runewood gave the March order to the Sword Knights, giving them Pathfinder before moving up behind the forest.  The Sword Knights then ran up behind the Lancer.  The Black Charger ran to the back of the forest, while the White Charger ran next to the Sword Knights.  The Trencher Journeyman walked up and used Dig In.  To finish up, the Mechanics ran up behind the line.

Round 1, Protectorate:

Wow, Menoth can shoot!

The Idrians kicked things off by moving up and using 3 combined ranged attacks to kill off 3 Sword Knights (wow, good job guys!) before Repositioning back 3".  The Deliverers moved up behind the created wall and did one 6 man CRA on Rusty for 6 damage.  Two more CRA's went out, but missed.  The Champion ran forward around the lake.  Dartan and the Paladins moved up and used Stone and Mortar Stance to gain additional ARM against the bullet barrage that's certainly coming.  The Sanctifier and the Reckoner ran forward as the Choir came behind them and prayed for Passage on them to make all the 'jacks untargetable by ranged attacks.  TOM moved forward and cast Cloak of Ash on the Idrians.


Round 2, Cygnar:

And into the cloud again!

The Mechanics, showing bravery in the face of danger, moved forward and healed Rusty for 3 points, then repostitioned back 3".  The Cyclone took 4 shots at the Deliverers, managing to kill 2 of them.  Jakes then moved into B2B with her lovely 'jack and cast Sidekick.  Striker moved behind the gobbers from the Mechanic team and arced an Arcane Blast into the Idrians, killing two, and triggering Hand of Vengence on the Avatar and the Sanctifier and ALSO triggering Righteous Fury on the two Paladins on the right (sadly, they look like they will not get to use the extra 3" move this gives them, since they are BLOCKED IN BY THEIR OWN FRIENDS!!!  Yeesh!  I have got to stop blocking in my own models, I do it literally ALL THE TIME!!!  Runewood moved behind the Sword Knights and made sure they still have their Pathfinder.  The Sword Knights then bravely ran into the cloud....uh, okay... going straight into the charge range of the Idrians who have them as Prey?  Alright!  Come at me, man!  The Trencher Journeyman took the opportunity to move toward the forest, putting Fire Group on his Chargers.  The White Charger then move laterally toward the forest, shooting at an Idrian but missing twice!  The Lancer edged forward a little, looks like he might be getting into position for something devious next round!  The Black Charger moved into the zone and shot the Champion 2 times dealing 6 damage!  Ouch!  Hulky (the light Ironclad) moved around the forest, Rowdy ran for the flag, and Rusty ran up next to Rowdy.


Round 2, Protectorate:

Charge!

The Idrians pressed forward, jamming up the Sword Knights and making sure that they wern't going anywhere, while managing to kill off 2 of them in the charge.  The Deliverers killed off the entire Mechanic crew with 3 seperate CRA's and also put 3 damage on Stryker!  Woot!  I'm coming for you, Red!  The Paladin paling around with Dartan ran forward into the forest, and Dartan followed him, much to the ammusement of Leland... don't worry, Leland, you'll see what's coming soon enough!  Sadly, Rowdy has Counter Charge, and when Dartan finished his movement 5" from him, it triggered, and he unceremoniously squished the High Paladin into goo... oops!  Forgot Rowdy had that!  That's a punishing blow, but it doesn't ruin my plans!  The other two Paladins also ran up, one of the getting into the forest too.  The Champion ran into B2B with the flag, and even though he's surrounded by some heavy hitters, I think he'll be okay.  The Avatar moved up and used Menoth's Gaze to keep everything in 8" of him from being able to move away, hopefully keeping a lot of the models that I have painstakinly positioned safe.  The Sanctifier decided he didn't need to wait for the Choir to charge Rowdy... if only he had waited!  He did manage to do moderate damage, but he could have really put the hurt on!  Then, the Reckoner got super excited and forgot to wait for the Choir ALSO!!!  Do'h!!!  He did a little tiny bit more damage, but if those two idiots had waited for their Choir to boost them, they could have taken Rowdy out!  Rolling their eyes, the Choir picked up their robes and ran to catch up with their wayward charges... TOM moved forward and brought back a Deliverer in B2B with Rusty and also brought back an Idrian in the back of the circle of death that the Sword Knights got themselves into.


Round 3, Cygnar:
Leland by now had realized his danger... I think I'm pretty well set up for TOM's feat turn next round, where all my models in his control range will become incorporeal!  That means that he's looking at 2, possibly 3 (one horsey) Paladin charges, as well as possibly one or two heavy warjacks closing in on Stryker.  He's got to kill off all the things I got in charge range or risk an assasination run.  So!  To start, he let all upkeep spells except Sidekick go down.  The Black Charger shot at the purple Paladin and killed him.  The Lancer then unhorsed the Champion, but being a dragoon solo, he was replaced by his unmounted self, so Leland has to try to kill him again!  Jakes moved forward and shot one Deliverer.  Her Cyclone then wound up, getting 3 attacks and killing 2 Choir members and 1 Deliverer.  Stryker edged up and used his FEAT!!!  Everything is going to be super hard to kill next turn, but I think I'm still in a good position.  Rusty left combat (taking no damage from the free strike) and charged the Reckoner, and BEAT IT UP!  Holy smokes!  That was a lot of damage!  Rowdy then helped finish off the Reckoner... ugh!  The Trencher Journeyman shot the Champion for 3 damage, but he's still up and running!  The White Charger shot 2 Idrians, while Runewood killed another.  Hulky jiggered forward just a little.  The Sword Knights moved around trying to break free of the Idrians (one died from a free strike as he left combat), managing to kill 2 Idrians.

And with that, the game clock ran out.

Conclusion:
Draw!

Stryker, overconfident in the back field, was suddenly surprised as the Testament's forces began to close in on his position... suddenly, with the cold realization that Menoth's troops had begun to take the upper hand, Stryker signaled his troops to withdraw, and return to Cygnarian soil. Silently, the Testament watched them leave.  The Harbinger had told him it would be so, and so it was.  Glory to Menoth.

Well, that makes this game a draw!  But I was in a super good position for the next turn.  With Stryker's feat up I'm not sure that I could have killed him in the feat turn, but I could have really put pressure on him!  I'm pretty pleased with how I did except for letting the heavy 'jacks getting away from the Choir.  I did a good job remembering Hand of Vengence on my heavies and Righteous Fury on my Paladins, so that's a good improvement!  Thank you for the game, Leland!  I had a good time!

One thing I did notice was that I forgot to take a lot of up close photos this game!  Oh noes!  To make up for it, here is a little show of my Mardi Gras Gators!  Enjoy!

Gallery:
Today we'll take a look at one of the models from my Mardi Gras themed Gatorman Minions force.  Sorry, no Farrow for this Commissar, it's gators all the way.  I went to school in New Orleans long long (oh my god was it THAT long ago) before the Minions forces were released.  When it came time to chose my Hordes faction, I was debating between a Circle of Oroboros (fiercely protested by DTB, who was absolutely against my using Circle for some reason...) and Skorne.  But just before I had made up my mind (let's be honest, it was going to be Circle, if for no other reason than to spite DTB, HAHA!) the Minions forces were released, and all debate was DONE!

First up in this new feature, my favorite of the Gatormen warlocks... Maelok the Dreadbound!

Zombie Gators??!!  Heck yeah!

Sorry... not the best picture quality, but you get the idea... so, we have here a Dreadbound created by Caliban.  This is a sort of zombie of a powerful bokor that keeps his powerful mojo, but is completely dominated by the bokor that created him.  So!  The rotting corpse of a magical gator?  Awesome!

I gave the gator hide a little bit of a more light finish than most of the gator skins that I've been working on to kind show that the skin is fading the longer Maelok has been dead... also, the inner flesh that is visible through the cuts and tears in his skin are mostly red/pink, since the skin does flap back to protect it from the ravages of decay, but the open flesh around his mouth I wanted to be a bit darker, like rot had really started to set in and the meat "had turned."

He's wearing a Bog Trog skin loincloth, haha!  No wonder the Trogs hate the Gatormen!

Uh, Maelok?  You okay there, buddy?

Man, those candles were a pain in the booty!  I wasn't sure how to keep them looking like they were actually lit and causing a glow, but it worked out okayish.  I am super proud of my bone work, however... and I think the fleshy bits came out alright, too!  Again, visible flesh on the outside is darker due to the rotting taking a firmer hold, fleshy bits on the inside are more reddish as they are more protected from decay.

Fell magic makes footsteps glow!

And a final look at the base work... naturally, I'm trying to do a swamp base for them, so I have some muddy ground and a LOT of water effect to try and make it look like Maelok is trudging trough the bayou.  I may have mentioned before, while I love the basic "dirt and small rocks" bases that most people use for their armies, I have never liked it for myself... I really enjoy making unique bases for my armies in any game (my Warhammer fantasy army had snow bases!)  For most of my Gator army, the base will end there, but Maelok is an undead fiend risen from the grave by fell magics, and so I put a little "zombie glow" around his foot in the water... all the undead in this army will use it!  So, Swamp Shamblers, the Blind Walker, and a few of the new models that I don't have yet are going to use this basing techinique... an easy way for my opponents to know what models are undead, and which are just COLD BLOODED!!!  Mua-haha!

That's it for today!  Join us, May 20, for some Fukuyama Gaming Club shenanigans!