AAR - Standoff SNAFU

Well, well, well... Spring has arrived in full force!  And with the warm breeze has come, for the first time... the information for the 6th Annual Japan Open Team Tournament!  We are officially getting underway, and here, in a Duty Log exclusive, is all the information you need to join us! That's right, it's almost time for the Crash at the Castle... the Rumble 'round the Ramparts...

We wanna join the tourney!

Japan Open Team Tournament:
     Date:  Sunday, October 7th, 2018
     Location:  Fukuyama Civic Center, behind Fukuyama Castle
     Time:  Doors open at 9, Registration at 9:15, First round begins at 10:00
     Players:  8 teams of 3 players each (24 participants total) will battle it out for the Championship.

     Cost:  4500 yen per team (1500 per person)  This amount will include the fee for renting the room, all mats, terrain and zones that will be used in the tournament (provided by the Fukuyama Gaming Club), as well as prizes and trophies.  After the tournament there will be a dinner party for those who wish to attend, more details on that to follow!  Also, there will be an open gaming day the day after the tournament at the same location (October 8th), which will cost 500 yen per person (you absolutely do not HAVE to come to the open day, but we'd love to see you there!).

     Armies:  This tournament will be played according to the 2018 Steamroller rules, so make sure you check that on the Privateer Press site to see what requirements for army creation are.  EACH PLAYER must bring 2 75 point lists from their corresponding Factions (team members do not need to field the same faction, but both lists for every player must be from the same faction).  These lists MUST be submitted by email to the Tournament Organizer by Midnight, Monday October 3rd, and each player must bring a written or printed list to be made avaliable for your opponents.  ALL MODELS IN BOTH LISTS MUST MUST MUST BE PAINTED AND BASED WITH FRONT ARCS MARKED AS PER THE HARDCORE RULE SET.  There will be no exceptions, unpainted models will forfeit the match, so PAINT YOUR MODELS!!!

     Teams:  This is a team tournament.  Teams will consist of 3 player.  Teams may assemble themselves, or, if a person needs help finding a team, we can assist them in finding teammates.  If you would like to participate and need help being place on a team, contact the tournament organizer.  There will be no geographical restrictions on teams so a team can include a player from Tokyo and a player from Fukuoka (for example).   TEAMMATES MAY NOT ASSIST EACH OTHER OR OFFER ADVICE WHILE BATTLES ARE IN PROGRESS.

     Prizes:  Trophies/medals will be awarded to each member of the top three teams, as determined by Steamroller 2018 criteria.  There will be additional prizes for "Best Painted" and "Best Sportsmanship", as well as a special prize for our most unlucky team.

     Contact: To register or make any inquiries, please contact the following people...
          Eric Perez - Tournament Organizer -vigilantecowboy@hotmail.com
          Daniel McCartney - English Coordinator - rodserling@hotmail.com

Working Hard or Hardly Working:
I am pleased to announce that finally... FINALLY... Sovereign Tristan and the remaining 4 Deliverer Skyhammers are FINISHED!  And because I wanted to be done DONE with Deliverers, I also finished the Delieverer Arms Master and the 2 grunts for my unfinished Deliverer Sunburst Crew, leaving the actual Sunburst itself as the final Deliverer model left for me to paint!
     Working Hard:  Sovereign Tristan Durant and 4 Deliverer Skyhammers

And with that, both of my warcasters for this year are complete!  Now, just a few solos left to have 2 fully painted lists.  With the Skyhammers finished, the Testament of Menoth's list is only a few models from completion!  The Champion of the Wall (mounted and unmounted), a Paladin solo, and 2 Choir members are all that's left to reach full paint!

Announcements:
The Fukuyama Gaming Club is meeting next on May 20!
Also, our buddies down at the Saijo Gaming Club in Hiroshima City will be meeting April 15.
But even more important, get your teams together and register for the 6th annual Japan Open!
 

The Winter Witch is come!

And with that, let's take a look at one of the epic battles that we had at the March meeting of the Fukuyama Gaming Club.  This month we had a standoff between one of the newest Trollblood warlocks, Kolgrima Stonetruth, the winter witch, and Sovereign Tristan Durant, who recently became a fully fledged warcaster for the Protectorate.  I had really high hopes for this battle...I'm super interested in all the new Northkin stuff that's coming out for the Trollbloods, so I was really happy to face this army, which also included the new Lookout models!  Tristan is also one of my favorite of the Protectorate warcasters as far as story goes... that whole "good guy trying to save as many as he can in a bad situation" kind of thing really calls to me.  Unfortunately...this was definitely not one of my great battles.  Not by a long shot.  As DTB said, "You were your own worst enemy."  Yeah, it was really.... not pretty... Well, you'll see.  We ended up with the Standoff scenario, and sadly, since DTB gets to add +1 to his starting roll due to his theme force, he won the starting roll and chose to go second.... NOOOO!!!  I like going second!  Dang!

Army List, Protectorate of Menoth:

Tristan's Guardians of the Temple

     Warcaster - Sovereign Tristan Durant
         Vanquisher
         Reckoner X 2
         Repenter
         Revenger
         Redeemer
         Temple Flameguard (Maximum)
           - Officer and Standard Bearer
         Daughers of the Flame
         Choir Of Menoth (Minimum)
         Phyrrus, Flameguard Hero

Okay, so first of all, we noticed after the game was completed that this is actually not a valid list... too many points... oops!  Not that it helped me, haha!  Phyrrus is floating in there for no good reason.  He just tagged along with the rest of the Flameguard.  Any-hoo, so this is a Guardians of the Temple theme list, it will give me Ambush for the Daughters of the Flame (who also have Acrobatics and Anatomical Precision, which will make them devestating in the backfield, especially against Trollkin since they can't make Tough rolls!).  Also, my Temple Flameguard will get Tough and cannot be knocked down in B2B.

Army List, Trollblood:

Kolgrima's Kriel Company

     Warlock - Kolgrima Stonetruth, the Winter Witch 
          Runebearer
          Glacier King
          Pyre Troll
          Scattergunners (Maximum)
            - Officer and Standard Bearer
           Pyg Lookouts (Maximum)
           Bushwackers (Maximum)
             - Officer and Moarter
           Sluggers (Minimum) X 2
           Pummler Crew
           Thumper Crew

Ahhh, nostalgia... this is a list that reminds me of a lot of DTB's old Mk. 2 lists (and my old lists, to be honest), which means LOTS OF DUDES!!!  This is a Kriel Company theme force, which gives DTB a +1 to his starting roll, and all of his warrior models can see through other friendly warrior models to draw line of sight and he can shoot through them and all kinds of stuff... something about being unable to accidentally shoot his own models, or something that sounds a bit cheatery to me...

Setup, Protectorate:

We fear no Witch!

I started by placing a skirmish line of the Temple Flameguard (and the illegal Phyrrus model) as far forward as they could go, with the Revenger on the right side of them to try and get my arc node as far into the field as it could go.  Behind the Flameguard were the three heavy 'jacks, the two remaining light 'jacks, Tristan next to the Vanquisher, and the Choir mixed in to get as much coverage as possible while still maintaining formation.

Setup, Trollblood:

Trolls are ready to go!

DTB started by banging down a GARGANTUAN right in the middle of the board... ugh!  In front of them went the Scattergunners in a skirmish line, with the Pummeler Crew on the right flank, and one unit of Sluggers between the heavy gun and the Gargantuan.  On the other side of the Scattergunners, Kolgrima set up next to her Pyre Troll and Trollsus.  Left of the flaming troll was the second set of Sluggers, and finally the Thumper Crew.

Advanced Deployment, Protectorate:
My Daughters of the Flame have advanced deployment, but since the theme force grants them Ambush, instead of normal deployement, you can choose to have them come onto the board from any table edge (except your opponent's deployment zone), in any of your maintainence phases.  So, I'll keep them back for now!

Advanced Deployment, Trollblood:

Pygs are speedy!

The Lookouts went right in front of the ice wall near the central rectangular zone, while the Bushwackers hid behind the forest on the left.  Mighty Pygs, out in front!  Have I mentioned lately that I love the new Lookout models?  They are DELIGHTFUL!  How can I actually try and take out that dude hanging out in the snowman?  Privateer Press really does a good job on their models...

Our Story:
The Northern Crusade has ended.  Tristan, in his new role as Sovereign, was sent to escort several unis of Flameguard from Lael back to the heart of the Protectorate.  As he and his forces passed through the last of a winter storm, they were ambushed by the Winter Witch, on one of her many patrols to protect her fellow Northkin and their territory.  As the standoff between the two leaders intensified, a skimrish between the two was the only possible outcome.


Round 1, Protectorate:

Get to the zone!

The Flameguard ran toward the edge of the zone and broke into 3 groups in B2B.  Phyrrus, ignorant of the fact that he shouldn't be there, ran to join the far right group.  The Revenger ran into the fog.  All of the other 'jacks ran to the edge of the zone, except the Vanquisher, who is S.L.O.W. and wasn't able to keep up, though he ran as far as he could.  The Choir moved up behind them and put passage on the Revenger, the Vanquisher, and both of the Reckoners.  Tristan moved up behind the Vanquisher and cast Inviolable Resolve on the Flameguard through the arc node on the Revenger.

Round 1, Trollblood:

Curse those troublesome Menites!

The Bushwackers took the lead by moving into the zone and taking 2 combined ranged attacks into the Revenger for 13 damage... Yikes!  Not a good start for me!  The Lookouts moved into the forest in the middle zone, while the Sluggers on the right ran forward.  The Pummeler Crew moved up and took a shot at the Flameguard, but missed... they were awfully far away!  The Scattergunners ran into the zone, and the second set of Sluggers also ran, as did the Thumper Crew.  Trollsus moved behind the wall, and put Harmonious Exaltation on Kolgrima.  The Glacier King used his Frozen Ground animus before charging the Vanquisher, which of course failed... the big frozen dummy!  Kolgrima cast Freezing Mist twice to make two cloud effects that would block line of sight to her troops and cause a -2 to attack rolls from living models that enter the cloud.  Cause it's cold... then she moved up behind the wall, before casting Vanish, letting her move in front of the wall before ending her turn.

Round 2, Protectorate:

Ohhhh, the horror... THE HORROR

Okay, this is where my defeat of myself began.  Turn one was a standard, strong turn.  Turn two is more of a ... well... you'll see.  The Temple Flameguard moved up a little and got into two large shield walls, and Phyrrus joined them.  Tristan moved forward and cast Manifest Destiny, giving an additional die on melee and damage rolls, drop the lowest die, to his whole battle group.  Then... FEAT!!!  Immediately, all his 'jacks gain 1 focus, and Tristan gets one focus from each of his 'jacks!  Yowza!  Using that extra focus, he cast Hand of the Creator on the Revenger to heal it for 3 points, and then cast Cleansing Fire at the Bushwackers, but missed.  The Choir moved up and put Battle on the Vanquisher, Redeemer, and both Reckoners.  Okay, so far, so good, right?  Well, this is where it all goes wrong...The Revenger moved to the edge of the zone... my poor sacrificial lamb... The Repenter used all three shots, and managed to knock down 1 Scattergunner and killed a Slugger... but I completely forgot about Manifest Destiny, and could have done so much more!  The Repenter flamed another Scattergunner, but even though it caught fire, it was tough and so was just knocked down.  The Vanquisher missed his shot against the Scattergunners because I forgot about Manifest Destiny again, while the Reckoner on the left did 10 damage on a shot to the Glacier King (again forgetting Manifest Destiny, so it could have been even better), and the right Reckoner completely pasted a poor little Pyg Bushwacker.  So, round 2, I paid for Manifest Destiny but didn't use it even a single time in six activations, didn't do anything useful with the Revenger except leave it out in the open to die, and FORGOT TO AMBUSH WITH THE DAUGHTERS!!!!  Nice!

Round 2, Trollblood:

The beatdown begins!

Okay!  So, there is a guy on fire, he's knocked down, and therefore cannot make a tough roll...all I need is a 3 or better to kill him off...DOUBLE ONES!  Haha, of course.
The Thumper Crew scooted up and took a shot at the Flameguard, killing two by pushing one through another before slamming into the Repenter.  But wait... if only I remembered my own rules!  And I quote "Inviolable Resolve - target model (ie, my Flameguard) cannot be moved by a push or a slam."  Wow.  So that's two spells that I spent the focus for but didn't remember to get any of the benefits for.  Sometimes I disappoint myself!  Oh well... I didn't remember at the time, so to the Creator of Man those two boys go!  The Scattergunners moved into the zone and opened fire!  They failed to kill the Standard Bearer, but did put 7 damage on the Redeemer.  The Glacier King aimed at the Repenter and did 6 damage, then reloaded and did another 10!  whaaa!  That's not good!  The Lookouts moved up to the very edge of the forest and opened fire, somehow managing to miss absolutely everything!

Look at this guy!

Yes!  Luck may be swinging my way!  The right Sluggers got three shots each and loaded them into the Revenger, but came away doing only about 4 damage!  The Bushwackers did 2 more CRA's (those are dangerous!), leaving 1 single damage point on the Revenger!  The Pyre Troll moved into the zone and finished off the poor Revenger that I sent off die for no appreciable gain.  At least he kept those guys busy instead of harrassing my other models.  The Pummeler took a shot at the left Reckoner, and missed!  It's an AOE, so it deviated back onto one of the left Sluggers and killed him!  Woot!  Kolgrima moved forward to the front edge of the zone and cast Freezing Mist two more times, trying to block line of sight and keep my guys from charging into her troops.  Then, she reached way down deep inside herself and FEAT!  In this feat she gets to push all enemy models in her control area 2" back and cannot make ranged attacks for one round (marked in this game by the lovely snowflake tokens DTB used!)  Trollsus and the other Sluggers moved forward, and that's 2 CP's to DTB!

Round 3, Protectorate:

No ranged attack for me this turn!

Okay...I'm not going to lie... last round, on both of our turns, I made a LOT of mistakes.  But that's okay!  Never give up!  I'm going to turn this game around, starting NOW!!!  First thing, Daughters Ambush onto the table!  I've got them staring down the backs of the Thumper Crew... not wanting to leave those poor Trolls any chance to notice their danger, they took the first activation.  One girl got into the backs of the Thumper Crew, and the others spread out into the Scattergunners.  Both Thumper grunts died horrible deaths (each Daughter gets 2 attacks), and 6 Scattergunners also fell.

Hey, did you hear something behind us?

The Flameguard charged, doing amazing work and dispatching the other 2 left Sluggers, 3 more Scattergunners, and one of the Lookouts (not the snowman, thank Menoth!).  Phyrrus walked into the Frozen Mist, for he fears no witchcraft, and killed another Lookout.  The Repenter brutally mauled another Scattergunner, while the Redeemer ran into the zone... gotta disrupt those zones or DTB will simply win on scenerio!  The Choir moved up and put Battle on the Vanquisher and the Reckoners.  The Right Reckoner FINALLY REMEMBERED THAT TRISTAN'S BATTLE GROUP CAN SEE THROUGH CLOUDS and charged the right Sluggers, taking out one and putting 10 damage on the Pyre Troll.  The other Reckoner watched his buddy go, remembered that he, too, can see through the clouds and followed his lead, charging another Slugger and putting 10 more damage on the Pyre Troll.  And.... BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP!  Game Over!

Conclusion:
Victory for the Trollkin!

Though his forces were finally hitting their stride, Tristan had his Vanquisher vent a blast of steam, calling his forces back from the fighting.  He had no desire to risk any more of his troops to Kolgrima's magic.  His mission lay to the south, and he would gladly leave the north to its native kin.

Okay... so my main missteps -
     1) Spending lots of focus on spells and then not using the benefits of those spells
     2) Sacrificing my Revenger for no return
     3) Forgetting to Ambush with my murderous Daughters
     4) Most damning of all... spending all of the game staring at Kolgrima's Frozen Mist clouds thinking, aww, I can't shoot anything, I can't charge anything, what am I going to do when in reality, ALL of Tristan's battle group has True Sight, which ignores clouds for LOS and also ignores Stealth.
I roll my eyes at myself.  The good thing is, I learned a lot, and I mean, a LOT this game.  Next time I use Tristan, I guarentee I'll correct the problems and have a well oiled killing machine of an army, hungry for a win!

Thanks for the game, DTB!  Sorry you had to put up with my bumbling, but next time, I'll give you a run for your money!

AAR - Negotiations Breakdown

Hello, everybody!  Spring is finally upon us, and I cannot explain how happy that makes me.  Aside from all the goodness that spring in Japan brings, like cherry blossoms and great weather, it also means that the devastating grip of coldness is finally loosening... and that means that instead of cowering under a zillion blankets on my couch, I can look forward to picking up my painting during my few and far between moments of down time. I'm zeroing in on hitting full paint status on both of the lists that I'll be using in the Japan Open Team Tournament this October... In fact, once the models on my table right now (4 Deliverers and Soverign Tristan Durant) get finished, that list will be complete!  I suspect that in a mere three painting sessions (nap time is a fickle thing, and it's length varies every time) those models will be done!

This month, DTB and I had a really great game between Horgle 2 using a Storm of the North Northkin theme force and TOM using a Faithful Masses theme force.  It was a great game that came right down to the wire with POM eeking out a victory right before the time ran out.  But what was even better than gaining the victory was feeling like I was coming to understand how to play the list much much better.  Instead of playing defensively and not really knowing what it was I was trying to do, I felt much more in control of what models needed to move where, overlapping skills and benefits (which is the bread and butter of the Protectorate), and resource management.  So!  Great game!  Gives me a little hope for the tournament.  But today, I will bring you, for the first time, a battle that did NOT involve the Protectorate!  That's right, it was a rumble in Blue, Trollkin Vs. Cygnar!  But first...

Cygnar Vs. Trollkin

Announcements:
The Fukuyama Gaming Club will be meeting again at the Community Center behind the castle on March 18, April 1 and May 20.  We'd love to have a couple more people join us, so if you feel like getting your game on, come on by!
And in exciting news, things are starting to come together for the 6th Annual Japan Open Team Tournament!  Sarge has agreed to run things again this year, and the teams are starting to form!  It looks like this year's teams are going to be totally different from last year's, as Sarge has decided to do away with region restrictions!  Beru and Tetsu, my partners from last year, are going to make a university team by picking up a third alumni from their school.  DTB and I are teaming up and currently looking for a third player.  Rantei, one of the winners on DTB's team from last year is going to team up with a couple of Tokyo players and go for the win again!  More on the JOTT6 as it gets closer!

Working Hard or Hardly Working:
This month I had a very important mission... to get the models ready for my painting exchange with DTB.   As I mentioned last time, I've taken on painting some Cryxian models for DTB's extra army, and in return, he's going to paint up two heavy jacks... the last unpainted heavy jacks in my army!  That's amazingly exciting.  The only jacks that are left for me to paint are the Purifier, a light jack that I'm not using this year, and the Revelator, a Collossal that I don't have yet, and won't have a chance to pick up until my next trip to the states (shipping charges on a collossal to Japan is BRUTAL!).   So, I put on the speed to get those two jacks up and ready for DTB by  the 18th.
     WIP:  The Hand of Judgement and the Eye of Truth

There they are!  Look good, right?  These are going to look amazing!  These are some of the newer models, so their lower bodies (legs and so on) are metal, but the upper chassis are made of resin, which means really amazing detail.  It's up to you, DTB!  Make 'em sparkle!

New Northkin model, Volka the Curseborn

In today's battle, Leland brought forth his Heavy Metal theme force, lead by the infamous Stryker 1 (a war criminal against the Protectorate, if you ask me!) against DTB's new super Northkin list, a Storm of the North theme list, lead by Horgle 2!  The fact that DTB is playing a Storm of the North list with a NON Northkin warlock seems a little funny to me, but it may work for him!  I really like a lot of the new Northkin models, like the Pyg Lookouts that have one of the little Pygs hiding in a snowman!  And the Hooch Hauler, which looks like a true beast of a model to put together and paint, but will be so amazing when done that it'll be worth it.  I've never had the desire to play Trollkin, but I sure do like their models and back story.   DTB rolled the Breakdown scenario, which gives them a rectangular zone scoreable by 'beasts and 'jacks in the center of the board, with a circular zone on each end, scoreable by units.

Army List, Trollkin:

Feel the winds of the North

   Warlock - Horgle, The Anvil
       Rok
       Dire Troll Brawler
       Axer
       Runebearer
       Northkin Raiders (Maximum)
       Trollkin Champions (Maximum)
            - Skaldi
       Northkin Fire Eaters X 2
       Northkin Bear Handlers (excellent models)
       Trollkin Champion Hero
       Volka Curseborn
Storm of the North is the new theme list for the Trollkin, and it's benefits are pretty good!  You get two 4" Snowdrifts within 20" of your table edge, you can upkeep spells on Northkin models for free (OMG, that is SUCH A GOOD BENEFIT) and all warrior models gain immunity to cold!

Army List, Cygnar:

Heavy Metal Cygnar

   Warcaster - Commander Coleman Stryker
       Ironclad X 2
       Ol' Rowdy
       Lancer
       Journeyman Warcaster
          Charger
       Trencher Journeyman
          Charger X 2
       Sword Knights (Maximum)
       Runewood
       Mechanic (Minimum)
This is a Heavy Metal theme force, which means lots and lots of 'jacks!  Leland is getting to use the new Trencher Jouneyman, this is the first time that I've ever gotten to see it!  The benefits are ok, pretty basic but not great... +2" on your deployment zone and solos gain a 3" reposition.

Setup, Trollkin:

Budge up, Budge up!

Horgle, finally a fully fledged warlock, set up in about the center of the deployment zone, with the Champs and Skaldi on his right.  The Champ Hero went on his left, with Rok, the Brawler and the Axer coming next, and Volka a little separate off to the left.


Setup, Cygnar:

Form Ranks!

Stryker and Rowdy set up almost exactly opposite Horgle, but Leland put out a skirmish line of the Sword Knights in front to keep him safe-ish.  Runewood went on the right edge of the line, next to the Jouneyman Warcaster hiding behind his Charger.  Both Ironclads took the left edge of the line, with the Lancer behind them, and bringing up the end of the line were the 2 Chargers and the Trencher Journeyman behind them.  Finishing things off, the Mechanics spread out a bit behind Rowdy.


Advanced Deployment, Trollkin:

Woah, speedy Trollkin today!

In response to my mockery last time, DTB brought a TON of advanced deployment this game.  The Raiders went ahead of the group of 'beasts in a skirmish line, and a set of Fire Eaters went on opposite sides of the Raiders.  The Bear Handlers still didn't deploy, as DTB decided to use their Ambush ability later on in the game, giving them the ability to come in at any place on any table edge (except Leland's deployment edge).


Advanced Deployment, Cygnar:

N.O.T.H.I.N.G!!

Strike while the iron's hot, amirite?

Our Story:
Heeding a call from their native son, mightly Warlock of the Kin, Borka Kegslayer, Horgle brought a force of Northkin down from the Frostspires.  In an attempt to honor previous Cygnarian treaties, Horgle met with Commander Stryker to negotiate for passage across a small streach of Cygnaran territories, but as tensions escalated, a fight broke out between the Raiders and the Sword Knights.  All thought of dipolomacy aside, both armies races to control the strongest position in the center of the field.

Round 1, Trollkin:

Ready, Set, Go!

Trollsus moved forward and gave Harmonious Exaltation to Horgle.  The Hero ran forward around the back of the cabin, while the left hand Fire Eaters ran into the zone.  The Raiders took their lead and also ran forward into both the left hand and middle zones.  The other Fire Eaters also ran, ending up behind the wall in the right hand zone.  Volka ran into the forest, just a little outside of the zone.  The Champs ran into the snow drifts, ignoring the cold since they're Northkin and due to the theme force benefit they ignore any penalties from the drifts.  Horgle cast Solid Ground on himself and Firestarter on Rok.  Then, he moved about 5" forward and and put Inviolable Resolve on the Champs.  The Axer used his Rush animus on Rok, and then moved 5" to the edge of the fog.   The Brawler riled and ran into the fog, while Rok ran 12" thanks to Rush to pass the Brawler as he almost made it to the middle zone.

Round 1, Cygnar:

Go Blue!

The Journeyman's Charger (hereby known as JW Charger) moved around the forest that was blocking his view and took a shot at the Fire Eaters in front of him.  He managed to kill off one and knocked down the Pyg.  JW Charger's Journeyman wriggled forward a bit and took a shot at the Raiders, managing to kill 1 before repositioning back.  Runewood gave the Sword Knights Pathfinder before taking a shot at the Raiders himself.  Alas, he missed, and repositioned back.  The Sword Knights ran forward to engage the Raiders to keep them from throwing bombs all over the field, but kept a second wave back just in case (good move, Leland!).  The leftmost Trencher Journeyman Charger (Outie TJ Charger) moved up "a squish" and shot at the Fire Eaters behind the wall, also killing one!  The other Trencher Journeyman Charger (Innie TJ Charger) "squiggled" forward, staying on the hill for a little defense boost, missed a shot at the Fire Eaters.  Dark Ironclad moved up, followed by the Light Ironclad, and behind them, the Lancer.  "Sometimes I play like I'm not dumb" our intrepid Leland remarked, and he's not wrong, this is a good start to his game!  Stryker moved up, cast Arcane Shield on the Lancer, and then channeled an Arcane Bolt through the arc node on the Lancer at the Fire Eaters, dealing 3 damage.  Ol' Rowdy moved up next to Stryker, while R2D2 snuggled up right behind them.  The Mechanic's moved up to keep pace, while the Trencher Warcaster Dug In on the hill.

Round 2, Trollkin:

The Bears take the field!

BEARS!!!  Two Ambushing bears and their Khadoran manhunter looking Trollkin handler are a terrifying sight to be seen!  DTB chose the table edge near the Trencher Journeyman and his Chargers, and they will get to activate this round!  The Hero ran around the cabin and into the zone, while the Fire Eaters left the safety of the wall to charge the Lancer with Assault.  The big guy sprayed the Chargers, but missed.  The Champs ran into the zone behind the wall the Fire Eaters had left.  And then, it was time... BEARS CHARGE!!!  The Handler and one of the Bears left only 1 damage on the Innie TJ Charger, while the second bear forced the Trencher Journeyman to spend a focus to take only 2 damage.  Trollsus moved forward and again gave Harmonious Exaltation to Horgle.  The Axer ran up behind the Raiders to support them, while Horgle moved behind the drifts, casting Ornery on himself and Rush on Rok.

Knights Vs. Raiders

The left hand Fire Eaters charged the JW Charger, dealing 5 damage on the Assault shot.  Rok ran to the front edge of the zone, while the Brawler followed at a run into the back corner of the zone and riled.  The Raiders looked the Sword Knights in the visor slits and fought back, killing 2.  Turn over!  But hark!  What's this?  Volka, feared leader of the Northkin, didn't activate this turn!  Just hanging out in the forest, eh?  His curse seems to be getting worse!

Round 2, Cygnar:

Oh noes!  Leland made a mistake that we all make.... and forgot to allocate!  D'oh!  Don't give up, you can get over this!  The Mechanics moved up to fix some of his jacks, healing one damage on the Outti TJ Charger.  The Trencher Journeyman hit the bear for 2 damage, used a focus to buy a second attack... missed.  Used a focus to buy a third attack... missed... ugh!  Outti TJ Charger killed off his own bear, and the Innie TJ Charger killed the other one... aww, no more bears!  The Dark Ironclad walked over to the Handler, mourning his dead bears, and put him out of his misery.  The Lancer then took a stab at one of the remaining Fire Eaters BUT... missed all three attacks.  Runewood moved forward, giving Pathfinder to the Sword Knights, shot the Pyg Fire Eater, and repositioned back.  The JW Charger moved up and finished off the last Fire Eater before putting his second shot on a Raider.  The Sword Knights killed 2 more Raiders and knocked down another 2.

Stryker bravely hides behind the forest

The Light Ironclad charged Rok, dealing 4 damage... yikes!  That's a brave Ironclad!  If Leland can't kill Rok off, I'm not sure the Ironclad is going to make it!  Ol' Rowdy walked around the forest to get a look at the rest of the field, and Stryker moved team up with him, shooting an Arcane Bolt at a Raider and killing it as he went, and then.... FEAT!!!!  To finish off, The Journeyman Warcaster cast Arcane Shield on the Light Ironclad to try and keep it alive.

Round 3, Trollkin:

The Raiders started the round by trying to fight back against the Sword Knights, but did NOTHING!!!  Stryker's feat saved the day.  The surviving Fire Eaters just kind of stood around the Lancer, not doing much.  Rok, much to my surprise, decided not to smash the Ironclad into scrap, but instead threw the warjack at Rowdy.  He missed hitting Stryker's buddy, but the Ironclad was knocked down after the throw.  Horgle moved up and put Primal on the Axer, who then charged straight into the Sword Knights, using Thresher, which lets him make one attack against every model in his front arc.  He got a great set of rolls, killing 2 Storm Knights and one Raider.  The Axer then bought 2 more attacks to kill off 2 more Knights.  Trollsus ran forward to keep up with the action, and the Basher inched over to set up for next round....and DTB ended his turn.  But WAIT!!!  Who is that still hanging out in the forest???  Volka?  WHAT ARE YOU DOING BACK THERE?  Two rounds in a row, the Curseborn was forgotten.

Round 3, Cygnar:
The Lancer attacked the Fire Eaters, killing one more.  The Mechanics went to work, moving forward to repair the Outtie TJ Charger for 3 points.  The JW Charger moved into the zone and shot another Raider, killing it.  The Journeyman herself moved up to hide behind her 'jack, while Runewood shot the Axer, sadly doing no damage.  The Sword Knight pressed their attack, killing off two more Raiders.  The Innie TW Charger moved, and took a shot at the Hero for 2 damage, followed by the Outtie TW Charger doing the same, who managed to kill the Hero, BUT the Hero is Tough, and can't be knocked down thanks to the Solid Ground spell that Horgle has had up the entire game (a good plan, since models lose Tough if they are knocked down, and that's one of the Trollkin's strongest points in the attrition game).  The Light Ironclad stood up and walked forward next to Rok again... my, what a brave 'jack!  Rowdy turned his attention on the final remaining Fire Eater and hits it twice, but oh no!  It is also Tough!  Sadly, luck can only run so long, and on Rowdy's third attack, he finally managed to squish it into a yucky blue paste.  Stryker walked up next to Rowdy and took a shot at one of the upcoming Champs hiding behind the wall, dealing 3 damage.  The Dark Ironclad charged another Champ, dealing 13 damage that got shared around a bit.  The Trencher Journeyman Warcaster moved up behind his Chargers, and R2D2 went next to Stryker and ....... BEEPBEEPBEEP!!! Game over!


Conclusion:
Victory for the Trollkin.

What... is the fight over?

As the war of attrition began to swing against Stryker, the red haired warcaster signaled his forces to stand down.  If Horgle and his troops wanted to simply move through the area on their way to meet up with Borka, he would allow it, if it meant keeping his remaining warriors alive.

Great game, guys!  I especially love the way a very expensive solo just kind of hung out all game.  No wonder he's called the "Curseborn", his curse is so strong he got lost in the woods on his way to the fight!  Ha!  Thanks for letting me chronicle this epic battle!  Can't wait to throw my models down on the 18th!  If you're spoiling for a game, meet us there!

AAR - Outlast the Enemy

Welcome back, everybody!  Well, we finally had our first gaming meeting at the Fukuyama Gaming Club of the new year, and we had a great time!  It was very productive, and I'm pleased to announce that my decisions have been made!  The two warcasters that I will use for the Japan Open Team Tournament in October are going to be the Testament of Menoth, using a Faithful Masses theme force, and Sovereign Tristan Durant, using the Guardians of the Temple theme force.  Phew!  It's actually a really great feeling to have that decision made.  As you will see, I had a great game against DTB using Malekus, and while I liked using him and I think he could make a great army, I decided that Tristan is going to make the cut this year, and maybe I can bust Malekus out next year.  I've got a couple of decisions left to make, a few tweaks to units or 'jacks, but for the most part everything is set... and my painting list is set.  And those lucky models to hit the painting table are... (drum roll, please...)
     1 - Sovereign Tristan Durant (most important... have to have painted 'casters)
     2 - Paladin Order of the Wall solo (making the 3rd paladin in the list)
     3 - Champion of the Order of the Wall dragoon solo (which just got delivered, woot!)
     4 - Deliverer Skyhammers x 4 (6 already finished, 4 to go for a full unit)
     5 - Deliverer Arms Master solo
The Deliverers and the Arm Master are a list addition I'm toying with... it's going to be probably either them or Zealots with a Monolith Bearer.  My goal for next month's meeting is to run TOM with both these ideas and deciding which I'm going to go with.

Guns Vs. Flamethrower

Announcements:
The next meeting for the Fukuyama Gaming Club will be on February 11!  Come play!
Also!!! and this is exciting... some of our good friends from the Iwakuni Air Base are currently at Bally's Casino for the Las Vegas Open.  Sarge is joining in the Games Workshop Blood Bowl Tournament, and some of the other marines will be joining in the Warhammer 40K and Warmachine/ Hordes events.  Good luck, everyone!  I can't wait to hear how it went!

And this is going to bring us to a new segment!  For the first time, welcome to.... dun dun dun....

Working Hard or Hardly Working
In this segment, we'll be looking at projects that finally got finished, WIP's that I'm currently working on, and models that are getting ready to go.  And today, I present to you 2 models.  One is finally complete!  My first warcaster for the year, the Testament of Menoth is done!  And the second model was just delivered to my door and is going to be getting put together and painted up ASAP, the PoM model from the 12 Factions of Christmas that Privateer Press put together for the holidays, the Champion of the Order of the Wall!
     Completed, TOM:

Aw, yeah!  He looks ready to shepherd some souls to Urcaen.  I'm rather pleased with the way he came out.  My new painting technique is coming along!
     Getting Ready, Champion of the Order of the Wall

Fresh to my doorstep, the newest model for the Protectorate has arrived!  I can't wait to get started, and the model looks like a lot of fun to put together!

This month, I was hoping to get a game in with Leland, but with this and that and some other things we didn't manage to face off against each other.  Next time, I'm really going to hope for a game against Cygnar!  I did get two games in against two of DTB's Trollkin lists.  Both times I used my list for Malekus, but was never really able to make it work the way it was supposed to.  I'm hoping with a little more time, I'll get Malekus to be the super badass that I know he can be!  Gunnbjorn came out guns blazing to try and take him down, but Malekus was not afraid!  I used the Guardians of the Temple theme force, which means that my Temple Flameguard cannot be knocked down while in base to base, and a Daughter of the Flame unit gains Ambush... but, I didn't use a DoF unit in this list, so alas, that will go to waste!

Army list, Trollkin:

Grrr, growl, snarl!

Uh, okay... that's a whole lot of Troll...
   Warlock - Gunnbjorn
                    Mountain King
                    Dozer & Smigg
                    Dire Troll Bomber
                    Dire Troll Blitzer
                    Swamp Troll
                    Runebearer
                    Janessa
                    Dhunian Knot
                    Whelps
This is a Power of Dhunia theme force, which means that DTB can start the game with Gunnbjorn's
upkeep spells in play, so he put Explosivo on the Mountain King and Snipe on the Dire Troll Blitzer.  Also due to the theme force, the Dhunian Knot can calm one beast per model (so, up to three) for 1 fury... wow!  Good stuff!

Army list, Protectorate of Menoth:

A force full of Menoth's might!

 Finally, Malekus is on the table!  I've been looking forward to this for a long time!
 Warcaster - Malekus
                    Eye of Truth (proxied by the Indictor)
                    Reckoner
                    Vanquisher
                    Purifier
                    Phyrrus, Flameguard Hero
                    Nicia
                    Mechanik
                    Choir of Menoth (minimum unit)
                    Temple Flameguard (maximum unit)
                          - Officer and Standard bearer
                    Flameguard Cleansers
                          - Officer
This is a Guardians of the Temple theme force, so as I mentioned a minute ago, Temple Flameguard can't be knocked down while in B2B and my non-existant Daughters of the Flame unit gains Ambush.

Setup, Trollkin:

Ready for Round 1

So, when you put a bunch of beasts in your list and only one unit, your setup is pretty compact!  The front line had the Swamp Troll on the left, next to the Dire Troll Bomber, the Blitzer, the Runebearer, Dozer & Smigg, and the Mountain King on the right.  Behind them, Gunnbjorn took the middle, with Janessa between him and the Mountain King and the Dhunian Knot spread out behind him.

Setup, Protectorate:

Not the best set up in the world...

Alright...so, problem number one to winning this game was this set up.  Do you see this?  What the heck was I thinking???  The Cleansers should have been in the middle, followed by a skirmish line of the Flameguard, with the 'jacks bringing up the rear.  Did I do that?  NO I DID NOT!!!  Ugh.  Instead, I came up with this master plan to spread my forces out as far as possible.  Temple Flameguard and Phyrrus on the left flank in two groups, starting the game in Shield Wall.  Next to them, the Purifier, the Eye of Truth, Malekus, the Reckoner and the Vanquisher, and the Mechanik in base to base with the Vanquisher.  The Cleansers took the right flank, and the Choir spread out behind the jacks.

Advanced Deployment, Trollkin:
Hahahahahha... none.

Advanced Deployment, Protectorate:
Nicia set up at the corner of the cottage, ready to swoop in to kill some Troll! 

We rolled the Outlast scenario, which is not that great for DTB since it consists of two zones that can only be controlled by units.  There are also two flags that can be held by solos and 'casters/ 'locks.  Good for me, if I can keep his beasts out of the zones.

Our Story:
As the Protectorate tried to strengthen its boarders after the conclusion of the Northern Crusade, Malekus the Burning Truth was ordered to take a force of Flameguard along the Cygnar boarder.  As they neared their destination, a force of Trollkin from the north appeared, intent on the same mission.  The two forces appraised each other across the field for a moment before Malekus raised his sacred flamethrower and motioned his Cleansers to destroy the army of Dhunia.

Round 1, Trollkin:

Here they come!

Trollsus (the Runebearer) moved up and put Harmonious Exaltation on Gunnbjorn.  The Mountain King and Dozer & Smigg ran forward.  Gunnbjorn moved up and made a rock wall next to the flag before casting Swarm on himself.  The Blitzer, Bomber and Swamp Thing ran forward.  Behind them, Janessa walked forward and made a hill for Gunnbjorn.  Finally, the Knotts Berry Farm ran forward to be near the beasts.

Round 1, Protectorate:

Forward, mighty army!

The Cleansers ran forward, followed by the amazingly speedy Nicia.  The Flameguard also ran, getting into B2B to prepare for Shield Guard next round.  Phyrrus followed them, also in B2B to activate his special ability to ignore normal damage while he is in B2B.  The Purifier, Vanquisher and Reckoner ran forward.  The Eye of Truth moved up, keeping one focus on himself just in case he needs to use Orracular Vision.  The Choir moved up, giving Passage to the 'jacks, and the Mechanik ran up to stay in B2B.  Malekus walked into base to base with the Eye of Truth and cast Ignite on the Flameguard.

Round 2, Trollkin:

Brave Trolls, hiding behind a wall

Gumbjorn upkept all three spells, leaving him with 3 fury.  Yikes!  That is not a lot!  Luckily he has a Runebearer, who walked forward and gave him Harmonious Exaltation.  Knott's Berry Farm spread out to cover as many beasts as possible and put Puppet Master on the Mountain King, Dozer, and the Blitzer.   Swamp Thing ran towards the wall, and Gunnbjorn walked up after him and cast Guided Fire.  I really hate that spell.  DTB already rolls with unholy luck... he doesn't need a boost on every roll!  And then the murder began.  The Mountain King moved forward and killed 3 Flameguard.  The Blitzer moved up to the wall as well and killed off a Cleanser and 2 Flameguard and Dozer killed another 2 Cleansers, right before the Bomber killed Nicia.  Oof... I thought that her stealth would keep her safe... alas.

Round 2, Protectorate:

No Retreat!

I'm not gonna lie... I got a little frustrated at this point.  Nicia's death hit me pretty hard, and add to that the feeling like I really didn't know what I was doing with all the new models I've never played in my list, I wasn't having a great time... but that's when my Commissar training took over.  Never retreat!  Time to regroup and fight back.  The Cleansers began by setting Dozer & Smigg on fire.  Take that!  The Flameguard charged the Mountain King and made a combined melee attack for 7 damage.  The Vanquisher shot Dozer and the Blitzer doing no damage, but setting them both on fire as well.

How's that fire, guys?

The Purifier charged the Mountain King (I'm going to KILL THAT GUY SO BAD!!!) doing another 9 damage... not too bad!  And, with the Purifier's special rules, setting the Mountain King on fire was a little bonus.  Malekus moved up behind the Vanquisher and FEAT!!!!  The Eye of Truth and the Reckoner double charged the Mountain King, finally killing it.  VICTORY!!!  Oh, wait... the game's still going... Phyrrus ran into B2B with the flag, and the Mechanik finished up by moving forward.  And at the end of the turn, I took one CP for the central flag.


Round 3, Trollkin:

Troll-venge!

 First thing this turn, fire damage... mua-hahahaha!  Thanks to Malekus' feat, it has no chance of going out, so now time to roll some damage!  The Blitzer takes 5 and Dozer took 6.  Then Trollsus moved forward, giving Harmonious Exaltation to Gunnbjorn.  The Dhunian Knot moved up and put Puppet Master on all three heavy beasts, which the Blitzer promptly used as he moved forward and took a shot for 9 damage at Malekus.  Swamp Thing charged the Cleansers, killing 2.  Gunnbjorn cast Guided Fire again and Snipe on himself.  Then he moved up and took some shots at Malekus for another 7 damage... eep!

Galloping Whelps!

The Bomber put Far Strike on himself and threw two bombs, killing 2 Flameguard and the Officer and putting 2 damage on Phyrrus and breaking the gun on the Reckoner.  Then the little Whelps ran around, trying to be annoying and getting in the way in my zone!  And a second CP comes my way with Phyrrus still sitting on the flag.


Round 3, Protectorate:

Time to win on scenerio!

The Flameguard started the round by killing 2 Whelps.  The Cleansers charged (with Assault!).  One killed one Whelp..another charged Swamp Thing... and a last one charged the Blitzer.  The Purifier, ugh... I wanted to do something useful with him but I had to get that last irritating Whelp out of MY zone, so off he went to squish himself a mini-troll.  Only one Whelp left on the board... the best of them all, the Party Whelp.  I almost can't bring myself to kill him, he's so awesome!

Party on, brah!

The Mechanik fixed 3 points on the Reckoner, fixing his gun just in time for him to shoot with it.  And shoot he did, slamming Gunnbjorn for 2 damage.  The Vanquisher followed, shooting Gunnbjorn as well and dealing another 6 damage!  The Eye of Truth readied his massive Eye Beam, aimed at Gunnbjorn and BEEBEEBEEBEEB!  Time up!
(But 2 more CP's go to me!)

Conclusion:
Victory for Trollkin!  Malekus lowered his flamethrower, and gazed around at the fires his Cleansers had set in the Troll flesh... but the Trolls were already beginning to regenerate their burning limbs, while his own forces were falling one by one.  Finally he had the Eye of Truth send a rending blast of steam, calling his men back.  If the Trollkin wanted to take on the Cygnaran troops at the border, he would let them, and follow at a distance to clean up the remnants of both armies...

Most valuable model!

MVP for today totally goes to the Dhunian Knot!  The Puppet Master was so important for DTB, his already suspiciously good rolls becoming oh so close to 100%!  He never even used the theme force benefit for removing fury, Puppet Master was so good!  Good game, DTB!  I look forward to another game against the blue horde, but next time, I'm going to win!

See everyone on February 11th!