We're #2! Retribution Success at Blood, Sweat, and Tiers

Blood, Sweat, and Tiers happened yesterday in Flint. Having never played them up there, I decided to pack my Retribution. The lists were required to meet Tier 1 minimum. I ended up taking Tier 2 Rahn and Tier 4 Dawn's Talon Vyros (from No Quarter 35). The metagame was pretty varied this time around. (1 Cygnar [Kraye], 1 Khador [eIrusk], 2 Cryx [Mortenebra, Mortenebra/Terminus], 2 Retribution [Kaelyssa/Vyros Book, Vyros NQ/Rahn], 2 Trollblood [pDoomshaper, Calandra], 1 Circle [Kromac], 2 Legion [eThagrosh, Vayl/Rhyas NQ].) I happened to draw the bye first round; I seem to have a thing for doing that lately. (Remember Hardcore?)

Second round I'm up against epic Irusk. I chose to use Vyros (though in hindsight Rahn would've been nice considering Force Field versus Bombards). We were playing Gaining Ground. Rifle Corps try to bog up the middle of the board with Suppressing Fire, but the army isn't really moving forward. I get my first point after the Phoenix fries a bunch of Winter Guard and my other 'jacks claim the first zone. His Kodiak comes in to try to take care of them, but can't quite squeeze enough damage through. It takes me 2 rounds to counterattack (since Houseguard have trouble breaking armor and my Manticore needed its cortex repaired), but I managed to take care of it. The gun line still wasn't moving to take scenario, though.

The Destroyer, powered by Fire For Effect, was not helping. It did more than enough to that Manticore, and now the Phoenix was getting bombarded. In my last ditch effort I sent it at Behemoth, managing to take out 4 columns and more importantly keeping it away from Vyros. He did drop one boosted bombard on Vyros, but rolled horrible (1-1-2) on boosted damage. I trash the Kodiak finally and manage to keep everything else out of the middle zone, ultimately winning on scenario after attempting some VP-sniping.

It wasn't until after round 3, pairing Rahn and Rhyas, that I realized we were the only 2-0's. This game didn't go so well for me, though. I got way too aggressive with the Phoenix, opting to Combust rather than launch the Halo Cannon after arcing a Chain Blast to take care of some of Rhyas' troops. (I easily could've had Houseguard take care of them while keeping the Phoenix safe.) Discordia didn't fare too well on the other side. I got a War Chief and a good chunk of Typhon with the spray, but I didn't have enough in the way, and it became Carnivean bait from Rhyas' feat.

I counterfeat to attempt to clear out the rest, but my dice were giving up at this point. I roll boxcars on a Repair check to bring my Chimera's arc node back, and I couldn't hit the Harrier on a boosted roll until it was too late. I manage to get Force Hammer off to send the Carnivean back into a wall, but that was the high point of the turn. The Battle Mages weren't rolling too hot either. I ended up losing everything save my free Arcanist, but my other tiebreakers were enough to maintain second.

It feels cheap getting second on technically one win, but I'll take it. My Vyros list worked really well (its own access to Covering Fire helped a lot against those Winter Guard), and while Rahn didn't perform exceptionally well, a lot of it involved bad tactics on my part. So really I can't complain. It is time to take the Retribution off the battlefield for a little while, though; I need to get painting them!

Unbinding Unbound

No Quarter released a new variant format for Warmachine/Hordes in their latest issue. (#36 – get it!) The format, called Unbound, is an alternate way of playing games of 150 points and higher using 3 or more warcasters/warlocks. However, instead of using the typical turn structure, each player takes a number of turns in each round equal to the number of starting warcasters/warlocks per side plus one. A few things about the round change as a result (for instance, focus allocation is at the beginning of a turn rather than during the control phase), but you can check out the magazine for the specifics. I want to deal with tactics. Specifically, how it can affect feats.

The timing of your feat in a game is always key, but Unbound brings about a whole new dimension to this. Because there are now multiple turns in a round and you can only activate so many models (and only one warcaster-/warlock-controlled battlegroup) in a turn, you do lose some of the power a feat can provide in a multicaster game. For instance, in the 150-pt non-Unbound tournament I was recently in, I was able to combine Prime Butcher's feat while also barreling Sorscha in, reaping the effects from Blood Frenzy. This is impossible in Unbound. Because Blood Frenzy lasts for one turn only, other battlegroups don't benefit from it. It's restricted to The Butcher's battlegroup and models you activate during that turn. Privateer is pretty lenient on what you can activate during a turn (in fact, a decent number of non-battlegroup models can still activate), but you still have to be careful about what you activate when. Of course, turn-length spells such as Rhyas' Dash, Irusk's Battle Lust, or Caine's Deadeye are affected by this as well, but since those typically go on one model/unit (Dash being the exception here), it doesn't affect them too much; you're just activating a specific unit right away.

Round feats have less timing restraints. You typically want them to go off early, considering using them on the last turn of a round will have very little effect, since the round will reset right away and all those benefits will go away. Some feats, like Mohsar's Disjunction, received Unbound-specific errata to deal with this. Many did not, so these have to be kept in mind.

The turn structure brings about a lot of interesting points, though. While only one battlegroup goes, a good number of other models/units can activate with them, and often times you're spending your round tailoring each turn to a certain number of units while making sure not to overcommit or undercommit models and make later turns in the round very quick and/or very devastating. You also have to keep in mind that your opponent can keep track of what hasn't activated, concentrate on killing them, and leave you clueless as you have very few models to activate and all your plans ruined. The alternating turns brings about a lot of tactics that must be considered, and games might actually take a little longer as a result. Do you be “that guy” who kills everything before they activate? Does your opponent activate a section of the board on the opposite flank in order to try to gain an advantage there? Which battlegroup gets to do the smashing? Which battlegroup do you need to be afraid of? There are lots of questions surrounding an Unbound game.

I'm not sure what to think on the format yet. I like big games, but I rarely have time to get one in. I do want to try a few Unbound games, though. I like the combinations you can make in a normal 150+ better because of how feats can be combined, but I'm willing to give it a go. It's really more of a matter of when. In theory, it seems to be a pretty good way to keep players in the game in large games with long turns. But on the other side, there's a bit more bookkeeping involved, resulting in a bit more brainhurt. But I'm going to try it before I bash it.

Satyr in the Shadows

Often, when I play Circle, I draw a fine line between the users of living warbeasts and the users of construct warbeasts. Sometimes, they intermingle, but typically I'll stick to one or the other. (Kaya, Morvahna, and Kromac prefer living beasts in my eyes, while Baldur, Krueger, Cassius, and Mohsar tend to prefer constructs.) Typically, when I use living heavies, I tend to favor Warpwolves. This isn't too surprising. All 3 flavors of Warpwolf are very versatile, and they tend to hit harder because of their ability to augment their strength on top of other effects Circle can provide. This tends to leave me neglecting the Satyrs. Sometimes, I don't know why.

The Gnarlhorn's fairly good in its own right. It has a very useful animus (Bounding can be devastating in conjunction with Epic Kaya's Dogpile and/or the Wayfarer's Hunter's Mark), it's a huge threat if it can get a slam off, and it can hit relatively hard with enough support. But we're not talking about the Gnarlhorn here. I want to talk about the oft-maligned Shadowhorn Satyr.

The Shadowhorn has a reputation of being Circle's “light heavy.” With a 13/17/24 defensive spread and relatively low POW attacks for a heavy, it's often called a large-based light much like the Seraph was in Hordes MkI. It does serve its own purpose, though. It's tied with the Rhinodon for the cheapest heavy warbeast in the game, and low cost has its own benefits. It also has a lot of abilities that can directly support Circle's hit-and-run tactics. It might not hit as hard as a Warpwolf, but it can certainly be an enabler for one of the harder-hitters.

One of my favorite Shadowhorn tactics is to use it to set up a kill for a big target. With Bounding Leap, it has greater versatility than other Circle heavies, who generally can only go directly at their target. Bounding Leap opens up a number of possibilities. One such tactic is to leap behind a warjack or warbeast and lock an arm or weapon system, causing them to be unable to break the lock as the attacker is not in its front arc, thus disabling it. I'm more of the one for destruction though. I'll typically activate its animus and throw the target toward my army. This way, I can both knock the model down and get it into the range of a heavier hitter while keeping the heavier hitter safe. Typically, this will result in your opponent being distracted by a heavy up in their grill. I recommend a Druid Wilder when employing this tactic, as not only can she use the animus for free, but you can also wander a little farther due to her Herding ability. With Kaya the Wildborne, this becomes even more brutal, as she can then use Spirit Door to bring the Shadowhorn back so you can wash, rinse, and repeat the procedure next turn.

Epic Kaya can provide some good options for it, as well. While Forced Evolution is typically best used on a Warpwolf due to their higher DEF and the fact that it augments their strength better, it's definitely not wasted on a Shadowhorn. With Gorax support, the Shadowhorn now hits ridiculously hard, and your opponent isn't going to want to charge a DEF 17 warbeast that grants some dire consequences (Reversal) if you miss. Besides, they'll probably underestimate the Shadowhorn anyways.

The Shadowhorn also has good synergy with its beefier cousin. While you lose the additional movement provided by Bounding or the extra hitting power a Gorax could provide, you also get a very powerful slam that will move a minimum of 5 inches (2 from Virility, 2 from Grand Slam, and a minimum of 1 on the distance die). From there, following up is optional; after all, you might just be knocking a model out of a control zone.

The Shadowhorn is cheap, but unlike Circle's other heavies, it's not about picking a target and murdering it. The Shadowhorn plays a more tricky style. It sets up the kill or disables a threat. It also provides support for other living warbeasts in your army. It might not hit hard. It might not make anything else hit hard. But what it does do is create openings for your army. And when Circle sees an opening, they'll not only take it, but they'll take advantage of it. And that's what makes the Shadowhorn worth using.

Charging Into the Dawn

I've been putting together my Dawnguard Destors (finally... took a month to get them in), and in the meanwhile I've been looking over ideas on getting them on the field. Retribution's still relatively new, so compared to other factions there are a limited number of synergies available to specific models/units as opposed to, say, Cygnar, since Retribution only has one book's worth of models while Cygnar has six (not including Wrath, obviously). This is a blessing and a curse, as you have less to think about, but fewer options. Regardless, though, I've thought of quite a few.

Destors are heavy cavalry, of course. Their speed is average for cavalry, and their MAT is actually slightly higher, which goes along with the Dawnguard theme. Even their RAT is decent (and also on par with the Invictors), and their ARM is pretty good, especially once you put unyielding into the mix. Destors can play a varied role in the army, as well. On the one hand, they have a pretty good POW charge attack, and they have gunfighter to use their cannons in melee. On the other hand, if they're out of melee, they can take advantage of Dual Shot. (Remember, you cannot gain an aiming bonus if you're in melee, and you can't get your second shot if you don't get an aiming bonus.) It really does go along with the Retribution's theme of having a versatile, dual-threat army.

Some warcasters get better use out of them than others though. Vyros is a fairly obvious choice, as Dual Shot can rack up kills for his feat, plus they can get up to ARM 21 in melee with Inviolable Resolve upkept on them. Vyros is also the only warcaster with a theme force that features them currently (and only in his “Legions of the Dawn” force in Forces of Warmachine: Retribution of Scyrah). Ravyn is also a pretty good pick, since they can get pretty good range with Snipe, and due to Tall in the Saddle can be screened behind pretty much any front-line infantry, letting them get ample shots in before joining the charge. Obviously Ravyn's feat works very well with Dual Shot as well.

I'm going to mention Rahn too, because of a tactic that allows them to get the charge off that I learned from a friend of mine (only he used eNemo and Storm Lances). Using Polarity Shield will almost guarantee they get the charge, unless the opponent has a ridiculous advancing threat range or superior ranged firepower. (Or pretty good luck... I actually thwarted this plan with Trollkin Scattergunners, who rolled godly on dice, killing 4 and forcing the last to flee from casualties – appropriate, considering the luck I had.) Kaelyssa and Garryth don't get as much from them, though Kaelyssa's feat does help get the charge off in a similar nature to Rahn (while also granting Stealth to avoid having them shot to death), and Garryth can play around with their threat ranges with Mirage upkept on them.

I plan on using them in a gaming session this weekend, at least once with Rahn and possibly with Ravyn as well. (Appropriate, too, since I've just finished painting those two warcasters.) I might throw in a battle report if one of them happens to go well. In either case, the Destors have me excited about cavalry again, and I'm ready to finally let them loose.

War: What Is It Good For?

Last weekend there was a War at the Store: a huge 150-point (non-Unbound) tournament that featured 12 solid hours of gameplay that only that point level can offer. I've already discussed my list in pretty decent detail. I'm just going to look at the metagame for the 8 people that turned out (number of asterisks * denoting the top 3):

• 2x Khador (pSorscha/pButcher/Bart, eButcher/eVlad/Strakhov)

• 2x Cygnar (pStryker/Siege/Sloan, eStryker/pHaley/Siege)

• 1x Protectorate (“Epic Prime:” eKreoss, ToM, eSeverius***)

• 1x Skorne (eMakeda, Hexeris, Rasheth)

• 2x Legion (eLylyth/Vayl/Bethayne*, eLylyth, eThagrosh, Bethayne**)

Not that varied, but with a smaller turnout like this, that isn't horrible.

How'd I fare? Round 1 (Scenario: Incursion) I was up against the Skorne player. This one was my learning experience, as my whole point was to stack feats, and my deployment spread out my casters. My inexperience with Bart showed as well, since my failure to pop his feat turn 2 resulted in my left flank swarmed by Arcuari and Ferox, and Bart quickly got Molik Karn'd from eMakeda's feat. The right flank worked out better, as the Kayazy were holding their own against Hexeris' beasts, especially once Fury went up. Sorscha feated to try to get a flag back and keep the game alive, but Beast-09 flubbed damage majorly on the following Thresher. One Nihilator made his tough roll, and I rolled 3 and 4 on damage against 2 Gatormen, and one of them then made a Taskmaster-granted tough roll against my bought attack. They were frozen and my opponent forgot to shake his Titans, but Hexeris still managed to arc a Soulfire through the frozen Titan to finish Sorscha and take the last point.

Round 2 was against the second of the Cygnar players on Diversion. I go first again and get Bart on the right flank to go after my flag. I have a few solos take the left, as I'm pretty certain Yuri and Fenris, with Manhunter support, could take on Stormblades. A few 'jacks clashed in the middle, but Khadoran artillery remained superior to Cygnaran firepower. (Wait... what?) Bart's feat keeps Stormguard and Thorn off the flag for my first point, and the following turn Sorscha (with Fury on her) and Butcher double feat and quickly take care of Siege and Haley, and Stryker is forced to regroup. This allows me to contest the last zone with my Mule and win on scenario.

Last round was Grind. Lots of people complained, because Grind is nearly impossible to score on. (The whole room erupted when the eventual winner, as time was winding down, shouted “GOOOAAAALLLLLL!” upon somehow actually scoring.) I was against the Thagrosh flavor of Legion, and my front line got battered by his feat. I lost Behemoth, Beast, and both of Bart's heavies early, but countered with Butcher feating to take care of a Scythean, 2 Angelius, and a few Warmongers that made the mistake of getting too close. Drago was key here, as he took out a Carnivean and Belphagor later on in addition to the Scythean early. Bart then fell to Lylyth, and it became a battle of attrition to the end. Normally Warmachine wins this battle, but Legion had enough guns going for them that I couldn't get too close. Once Butcher fell to Lylyth's arrows, I just had Sorscha go out in style.

The whole thing was amazingly fun, though. I'd do it again. After all, I don't normally play large games. I don't usually have time to. This was one blast of an experience because of all the interactions that could take place. Having multiple feats in play (or even just the possibility of it) brings about a whole new level of strategy. Plus, you get some really cool combos. I mentioned putting Fury on Sorscha and double-feating. Bethayne can feat and give Vayl an auto-boosted Hoarfrost, which is devastating. Epic Kreoss can make a hard-hitting 'caster with Engine of Destruction like Reznik auto-hit. I love seeing these combos. The possibilities just get my head popping.

I need to play more large games like this.

War at the Store

The Detroit area is hosting the first ever (to our knowledge) 150-point tournament this Saturday. My Khadorans are coming to play for this one. I was thinking about scenarios on this one; obviously if I can get to the zones first, I can have a fairly good chance of winning. But how can I guarantee this? I started thinking about warcaster combinations, and one stuck out. I would have to borrow models to do it, but it could be devastating.

Remember how, a little while ago, I blogged about my first game using Bart? Under the original plan, he was to be step 2. My original combination was to use Old Witch's feat to test the waters, then have Bart come in and knock anything down that approaches. I'd then finish up with prime Sorscha, kicking my opponent while he's down. Because we all know how fun being simultaneously knocked down and stationary is...

I've since modified my combination as I was worried about hitting power and model count (as both Sorscha and Old Witch are primarily infantry casters, and I wanted to limit the number of models I needed to borrow), so I replaced the Old Witch with the Butcher. I still get some of the same support (Iron Flesh), but I get a feat that directly benefits my army (sans Bart and crew), and a caster that can run a few warjacks efficiently. And unlike Karchev, who I was also considering, Butcher offers more support for his army, not just his battlegroup, as he also has access to Fury. I have him running 5 'jacks, which is a bit steep, but in a bigger game I don't have to send them all in at once.

I round out the army with some Doom Reavers to tangle up with the front lines, Kayazy to hold a flank, Demo Corps to clog the middle after the Reavers, Dirty Meg running a Freebooter, and a fair number of support units and solos like Widowmakers, Manhunter and Yuri, a Koldun Lord, Fenris, and the like. I tried to maximize my support options while also maintaining a reasonable 'jack count and not duplicating anything (as there's a prize for not duplicating anything and winning a lot). With that feat combination possessed by Sorscha and Bart and the support to keep the flanks busy, I should be able to do pretty well tactically.

I've never played any games on this scale before. I've played a couple of 100-pointers, but that's nothing compared to this. The combinations are bound to be brutal. (I know that a Bethayne/eLylyth/Vayl combination is coming, for instance. Auto-boosted Hoarfrost, ew.) It's going to be chaotic. It's going to be a really long day. But it's going to be a blast. I can feel it already.