Call to Arms League Week 2

Game 1Vs. Cesar (Circle of Orboros)

 

Troll List:

Army Points: 495

Victory Points: 18

Name	Cost	VP
Grissel Bloodsong	70	5
Troll Axer	72	2
Trollkin Champions	106	3
Trollkin Champions	106	3
Krielstone Bearer and Stone Scribes (8 pts.)	50	2
Stone Scribe Elder	18	1
Trollkin Hero	38	1
Fell Caller	35	1

 

Cesar’s List (as far as I remember)

Army Points: 427

Victory Points: 16

Name	Cost	VP
Baldur the Stonecleaver	65	5
Woldwarden	116	3
Woldwarden	116	3
Shifting Stones	21	2
Sentry Stone	25	1
Druids of Orboros	84	2

 

Scenario was Cabin Fever.  You had to have a model/unit completely within 4” of the cabin in the center of the board by the end of the first player’s third turn, if you were within 2” you took damage.  I got first turn, Grissel activated, fell called Hoof It to the KSB, dumped all fury onto the KSB and walked up 5”.  Activated and walked the KSB up 5 inches, and dropped the +2ARM aura.  Champs units flanked the KSB on both sides with the Hero behind the center most unit.  Fell Caller and Axer flanked Grissel.  KSB activated again and walked up another 5”.  Then the hurt started.  He dropped a Sentry Stone near the cabin and close to me and started making Mannikins every turn and spraying me with pine needles.  He destroyed my KSB unit.  On his second turn he pops Baldur’s feat and locked me out of the objective area.  Bottom of my third turn I couldn’t get into the area and lost.  Good game Cesar, way to play the scenario.

This morning I realized I could have shut down some of his Woldwarden spellcasting if I had fell called Cacophony.

 

Game 2 Vs. Stephan (Skorne)

 

Troll List:

Army Points: 473

Victory Points: 17

Name	Cost	VP
Chief Madrak Ironhide	64	5
Earthborn Dire Troll	125	3
Troll Impaler	75	2
Krielstone Bearer and Stone Scribes (8 pts.)	50	2
Stone Scribe Elder	18	1
Trollkin Champions	106	3
Fell Caller	35	1

 

Stephan’s List (from what I remember):

Army Points: 499

Victory Points: 19

Name	Cost	VP
Master Tormentor Morghoul	57	5
Cyclops Savage	62	2
Basilisk Krea	64	2
Basilisk Drake	67	2
Titan Gladiator	109	3
Rhinodon	104	3
Paingiver Beast Handlers (8 pts.)	36	2

 

Scenario was to hold a line 4” wide across the center of the board, 2” from each side.  I played my new(ish) Madrak Brick list against this thinking I could have done better in scenario.  First turn I dumped all Maddy’s fury onto the KSB, ran all but the KSB up and bricked up with +2 ARM and the champs at the front just on my side of the scenario line.  Then he came.  He was too beast heavy for my list.  Only one unit of champs stood between two heavies and three lights and Madrak.  We both ended up in the center.  Where I could have held up his units a bit by charging with the champs and locking him into a drawn out melee I instead stayed in close to the scenario line and allowed him to charge me.  My Impaler went down HARD against the Rhinodon (note to self: don’t underestimate that horn attack again) later in the game the Rhinodon took out a majority of my KSB’s . 

Unfortunately I didn’t see the tarpit of champs running forward and blocking his charge lanes until just now, coulda been backed up by my KSB’s further mucking up his charges, leaving my Earthborn and Madrak the only models within 2” of the center line, winning by scenario. 

Lesson learned: pay closer attention to alternate win conditions on the scenario, rather than out-lasting him on the center line, prevent him from getting there in the first place.

In other news on this game the attrition game woulda been better played out with the Grissel list with 84 wounds on the champs plus the KSB +2ARM, plus Grissel’s +1 swing per champ, but the issue would have been the assassination I would have needed to do against Morghoul.

 

On to the next game.

Feralgeist Query

A Feralgeist can't be healed, but if it takes on the being of a Troll, can it regenerate?  Does regeneration say "heal" or "remove damage"?

Regen says "remove d3 damage points from anywhere on the life spiral".

Does the Feralgeist get the abilities of the beast it takes?

Charging question

Haley’s Temporal Barrier does not allow models to charge or slam, move at ½ speed, -3 DEF.

Axer’s Rush animus forces target model to make a charge that crosses rough terrain without penalty at SPD +5 as their next activation.

 

Whose rules win?

 

Grissel 500 point list

I'm working on improving my playing and I like to think I've improved quite a bit over the past weeks, however I'm still struggling in games.  I'm playing at 500 points with casters like Grim and Borka.  Anyhoo, my friendly neighborhood PG pulled me aside and gave me some sagelike advice which he had received from a more experienced Troll player.  Try Grissel.  It felt like the whisper you hear in Field of Dreams..."if you use her, wins will come..."

So, Gabe called me with an idea for a list that I am working through, here's the current version:

Army Points: 495
Victory Points: 18

Name - Cost - VP
Grissel Bloodsong - 70 - 5
Troll Axer - 72 - 2
Fell Caller - 35 - 1
Trollkin Hero - 38 1
Trollkin Champions - 106 - 3
Trollkin Champions - 106 - 3
Krielstone Bearer and Stone Scribes (8 pts.) - 50 - 2
Stone Scribe Elder - 18 - 1

And I like it with one exception: The Axer feels out of place.  I have to look up the animus rules, for some reason I think I can cast an animus on multiple models while only tapping a single warbeast for it.  For some reason I seem to think that once I cast it on another model, the previous model loses the animus.
Back to the subject, the Axer feels out of place, I understand using his Rush animus to allow my Champs to jump out of the trees with +5SPD but I think maybe a Pyre Troll would fit in better and give me a bit more ranged support.
The Pyre Troll would be able to use Grissel's Calamity spell to essentially bump up his RAT and the POW of the Pyre Troll's AOE attach to softn them up for the Champs to run in and wreckfacelawlz.  (sorry couldn't help it)
If I can spam the animus all over a unit the Rush animus will be good against most things, I think the Flaming Fists would be best against hard, multi-wound targets like 'Beasts and 'Jacks.

Troll Axer: +1 Wound, +1MAT, +3ARM, Thresher, Rush animus
Pyre Troll: +1DEF, Spew Fire (Crit Fire), 2x Claws, Flaming Fists animus

What are your thoughts between the Troll Axer and the Pyre Troll in this list?

Pretty Woman

I've been speaking with my local PG (aka: Gabe, aka: Obi Wan).  He's at a loss as to why i'm losing so often, and he's contacted a buddy of his who is a good Troll player.  He came back with at 500 points I should be playing the one caster I don't own.  lol.
 
I've given Grissel Bloodsong a closer look and I see some cool abilities with her.  I think she will be my girl at 500 points and Grim as well.
At 500 points Trolls don't do well because their cheapest warbeast is 68 points, beasts are necessary as damage transfers and fury generation, but at 500 points it is difficult to take more than two and not hamstring your army.  Grissel does better because she is a Fell Caller.  She is able to "cast spells" without using fury by singing her Fell Calls.  As a matter of fact she has more Fell Calls than she does spells.  She synergizes well with troops due to the nature of her Fell Calls, so those can be taken in abundance with her.
 
Speaking with him and reviewing the models in my collection and what models are available to the Trolls currently, he and I have worked up the following list:
 
 
Name Cost VP
Grissel Bloodsong 70 5
Troll Axer 72 2
Fell Caller 35 1
Trollkin Hero 38 1
Trollkin Champions 106 3
Trollkin Champions 106 3
Krielstone Bearer and Stone Scribes (8 pts.) 50 2
Stone Scribe Elder 18 1

 
So I'll be testing this list this Thursday if Gabe can loan me the Champs and Grissel I need (Grissel is on Order, Champs will be in my next order).
 
Tags: Purchases, Trollbloods

Vicious Cheater

So it looks like I squeezed in a Fell Caller by accident into my Borka list yesterday.  

fark.

so i ended up 35 points over.  shit.  

I lost that game horribly, probably a mixtureof contributing factors.

1.) Karma

2.) Poor playing

3.) Bad matchup for the list.

Anyways, sorry about that Chris.

Tournament #2 Recap

Didn’t meet my goal for tourney #2, went 0-3 again.  I played well in the first two games but my third game I fell apart, playing my second list thinking it would work better for the scenario.

 

List 1:

Grim Angus

Troll Impaler

Dire Troll Mauler

Fell Caller

Trollkin Champions

Kreilstone Bearer & Stone Scribes (6)

Swamp Gobber and Bellows Crew

Alten Ashley, Monster Hunter

 

List 2:

Borka Kegslayer

Pyg Keg Carrier

Pyre Troll

Pyre Troll

Trollkin Champions

Krielstone Bearer & Stone Scribes (4)

Stone Scribe Elder

Stone Scribe Chronicler

Fell Caller

Brun Cragback

Lug

 

In typing those out I do not have my books or cards with me, but I have a sneaking suspicion I was over on points on my second list.  Shit.

 

Game 1 vs. Khador:

I played list 1

Guy played Vlad

Scenario was Process of Elimination.  He capped the two territories on my right and almost had the last one on my left but his mortar crew never moved up allowing my Dire Troll Mauler to capture it and contest it from him.  We went to time, I had at that point thrown my champs at Vlad in the hopes of knocking him down a couple of hit points.  No. Such. Luck.  In charging Vlad I had to disengage the Doom Reavers who had charged my Champs which of course killed a few.  I played well, I bricked up from the get-go with the exception of Alten Ashley who was far out in right field.  He got smoked after one attempted shot @ Fenris.  When time was called he had two territory points to my one.

 

MVP: Kreilstone Bearer & Stone Scribes - +2 ARM essentially gave all my units an additional wound every turn.

 

Game 2 vs. Skorne:

I played list 1 again

Stephan played Makeda

Scenario was Control the Squares(?) (where there are two rows of three squares (16”x14”)  and you had to control two of the ones on your side and one on your opponents side at the end of your third turn)  And.I.Blew.It. The end of my third turn if I had move my Fell caller Back 3” I would have won.  The end of his third turn he could have won but instead charged in his Cyclops.  The remainder of the game was trying to figure out if I wanted his Praetorians to smack Grim with or without free strikes from my Earthborn.  Either way Grim got poked like a pincushion.

 

MVP: None.  Everyone underperformed after I fucked up the scenario.

 

Game 3 vs. Cryx

I played list 2

Chris (Lakeland) played Asphyxious

Scenario was Mosh Pit.  I for some reason continue to think that Borka is the caster to play for this scenario.  Anyways, I think I had too many models on the table in this scenario.  Or I just fouled up the points something hardcore.  Either way, we played, and just like the last game I played against Cryx I underestimated the Bane Knight shadow shift.  I boosted up the strength of my Champs and got ginsu’d.  I should have used my pyre trolls from as far as possible and just laid out AOEs until I was in melee.  Next time Chris, next time J  And I promise not to cheat next time (I need to recheck that list).

 

MVP: Brun & Lug.  Wow, those guys are beat-sticks.  Flank on both of them, Brun gets Weapon Master.  Basically Brun runs up and casts Bear Hands on himself, takes a swing at the target.  If he hits it’s knocked down.  Lug runs up and starts wailing away at it getting a flank bonus.  Alternatively Lug can run up first, bear hands, knock down the enemy, smack with the rest of his hits plus fury for 3 additional hits, then Brun runs up and gets a charge bonus, flank bonus, and weapon master bonus.    Things don’t live long with these two in melee.  The only thing is I need to remember when to rile and leech fury and upkeep his spells.

 

Tags: After Action Report, vs. Khador, vs. Skorne, vs. Cryx

Call to Arms League Week 1

Call to Arms League Week 1

Game 1 Vs. Cary (Khador)

Troll list:

Faction: Trollblood

Points: 500

Model Count: 18

Victory Points: 18

Grim Angus

Troll Impaler

Dire Troll Mauler

Fell Caller

Krielstone Bearer & Stone Scribes [6] (2 added)

Trollkin Champions [5]

Alten Ashley, Monster Hunter

Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew [2]

Cary's List (as close as I remember but i think it's complete):

Faction: Khador

Points: 493

Model Count: 20

Victory Points: 18

Kommandant Irusk

> Beast-09

Man-O-War Drakhun

> Man-O-War Drakhun (Dismounted)

Kayazy Assassins [10] (4 added)

> Kayazy Assassins Underboss [1]

Man-O-War Demolition Corps [5] (2 added)

I played decently.  Much better than my last round against Cary.  I got two shots @ Irusk one for 4 points another for 3, the second shot was a shit damage roll.  If i had rolled 3 points or so moer I would have had her, she left me with a slim line of sight to Irusk.  I did make some mistakes, the biggest of which was not asking which models had which abilities like stealth or cannot be knocked down.  Had I been playing in a tournament I would have really fucked myself with that.  Also Cary told me that it was easier to kill me because I kept my Mauler and Impaler so close so I should keep them a bit further from each other.

Troll MVP: Dire Troll Mauler - he is a good psychological piece to the game looking all mean and stuff.  The Mauler made my life a lot easier by tossing Drakhun and getting him out of the face of himself and my (at this point frozen) Impaler.

Game 2 vs. Ed (Cryx)

Troll list:

Faction: Trollblood

Points: 500

Model Count: 18

Victory Points: 18

Grim Angus

Troll Impaler

Dire Troll Mauler

Fell Caller

Krielstone Bearer & Stone Scribes [6] (2 added)

Trollkin Champions [5]

Alten Ashley, Monster Hunter

Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew [2]

Ed's List (as close as I remember but i think it's complete):

Faction: Cryx

Points: 500

Model Count: 33

Victory Points: 15

Pirate Queen Skarre

Scrap Thrall

Scrap Thrall

Scrap Thrall

Scrap Thrall

Scrap Thrall

Bane Lord Tartarus

Necrotech

Skarlock Thrall

Bane Knights [10] (4 added)

Bane Knights [10] (4 added)

Withershadow Combine [3]

Gorman di Wulfe, Rogue Alchemist

I rushed to get into this game in order to get in two games before the store closed (when I could have taken my time as my opponent misunderstood the meaning of "can you get a 500 point army together quickly?")

I played ok.  I wasn't 100% on how far Skarre's bomb would work and did not figure into account that I would have a bitch of a time counterattacking after her feat turn.  Bad move, I tried to counterattack, and got dick.  Grim got in a couple nice pot shots at her, once after her first turn, aiming, he left his Skarre way out in the open with only a smoke screen in front of her.

In the end he wrecked both beasts and Skarre bombed and killed Grimmy.

MVP: Grim, feat turn fouled up a lot if not all of his movement.  Taking those pot shots at Skarre and his reach kept him camping focus and not casting as many spells.

Tourney this weekend.  Not sure how it's looking for me to go 1-2 :)  Anyways I'm still having a good time.

The other woman...er casters

So I have been pretty loyal to using Grim and Borka as my go-to guys, only playing Madrak once in a battlebox match up (against Protectorate).  I’ve got Hoarluk built and based waiting for some Dire Troll goodness.  Grissel is on my next order from Sunshine (http://www.sunshineroleplayers.com). 

Tonight I think Grim will be my boy for Game 1 (I have a new list I want to try with him [see below]) and then maybe I’ll slap together a Madrak or Doomy list. 

I think this Call to Arms league is a good experience to flesh out the nuances of the other casters I’m not too sure about.

We’ll see how tonight goes.

Call to Arms League

Gabe (PG) has organized a Call to Arms league @ Sunshine. I'm playing my Trollbloods (well, because, it's the only army I own, but that's just a technicality). Last Thursday it started, I couldn't play due to short notice but I'll be there this Thursday. I let a couple people know I wanted to play them (Guy [Khador], Rick [Protectorate of Menoth], Cesar [Circle of Orboros]) so I'll try to get in a couple games. Thinking of playing the following:

Grim Angus - The Sausage king of Chicago

Troll Impaler - Shish (my other Impaler I think is gonna be named Kebab)

Dire Troll Mauler - Jeff Vader

Krielstone Bearer & Stone Scribes [Full Unit] - No funny nickname for them...

Trollkin Champions - Nothing to see here, move along...

Swamp Gobbers Bellows Crew - Yea ran outta steam...

Fell Caller - Nothing funny here either

Alten Ashley, Monster Hunter - Rambo

Each model has his own objectives to complete:

Grim is a sniper who kills unit leaders, solos, casters; Can also mantrap+tether pesky models.

Impaler is a utility peice, increasing Grim's range of his guns; also pretty reliable slams against beasts/jacks

Dire Troll Mauler - psychological warfare, he's a scary model to face on a table; can increase the damage of the impaler; can throw some models rather well.

Kreilstonebearer & Stone Scribes - Utility with ARM bonus to increase survivability

Swamp Gobbers - Utility unit, keep Grim behind smoke so he can shoot without getting shot (barring the Cheaters of Everblight)

Trollkin Champions - Beatdown with ARM bonus from KSB in melee base to base they're at DEF 14, ARM 19

Fell Caller - Great utility, Gives Grim a better chance to hit, increases Champs chance to hit, lets the champs walk through forest without wasting Fury, Reville to pick up knocked down models.

Alten Ashley - Sniper, kills unit leaders, solos, (maybe) casters; advance deployment.

I think and hope that this will do well on Thursday night.

Concerned

The last time a game company did new version of the rules for the game I was playing was Warhammer 40k and I got sick of having to relearn the rules and recreating my army because of it I pitched the game for Warmachine/Hordes.

The other reason I got out of 40k was the Ork Codex. I had a good sized army, then they released a new codex for them telling me that I can no longer play the tank i spent weeks working on and that I have to buy 30% more basic troops models at a higher price point than when i originally purchased them.

I hope that doesn't happen with Warmachine Mk.II

New Recruits

Picked up a couple new models @ Sunshine Friday.

Brun Cragbak & Lug
Dire Troll Blitzer
Alten Ashley, Monster Hunter

Unfortunately the Blitzer is missing his right hand. I emailed AJ @ Privateer Press to get my replacement ASAP.

Looking @ Brun & Lug they look slike a badass team, I am curious to try out an army with the minion casters. Maybe Brun & Lug will have a good synergy with Grim with their built in pathfinder.

First 750 Point Game

Played a 750 point game against Stephan yesterday.

His army:
Faction: Skorne
Points: 746
Model Count: 34
Victory Points: 27

Lord Assassin Morghoul
Basilisk Krea
Cyclops Brute
Titan Cannoneer
Ancestral Guardian
Ancestral Guardian
Extoller Soulward
Cataphract Cetrati [5] (1 added)
Paingiver Beast Handlers [4] (0 added)
Praetorian Ferox [3] (0 added)
Praetorian Swordsmen [7] (1 added)
Venators [8] (2 added)

My army:
Faction: Trollblood
Points: 741
Model Count: 27
Victory Points: 25

Borka Kegslayer
> Pyg Keg Carrier
Pyre Troll
Pyre Troll
Dire Troll Mauler
Fell Caller
Stone Scribe Chronicler
Trollkin Hero
Krielstone Bearer & Stone Scribes [6] (2 added)
> Stone Scribe Elder [1]
Trollkin Champions [5]
Trollkin Long Riders [5] (2 added)
Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew [2]

The game went well, I went against my better judgment and chose to go for straight caster kill as this was both of our first 750 point games.
At the end I was able to make my assassination run with Borka and would have made it if I hadn't sallied the first three swings.
Assassination went like this:
Pyg Keg Carrier activates - Gives Borka Liquid Courage
Dire Troll Mauler activates - Casts Rage animus on Borka (+3 STR) [2 Fury], Two hand throws Borka [3 Fury], Boosts to hit [4 Fury]. Borka deviates 2 inches to the 1 (woot! Borka ended within 3 inches of Morghul)
Borka Kegslayer activates - Borka charges (advances) to Morghul, Morghul takes his free swing from Liquid Courage, whiffs. Borka starts with a headbutt, needing a 10 boosts to hit [1 Fury], misses. Borka swings with Trauma, needing 10, boosts to hit [2 Fury], misses. Borka takes another swing with Trauma [3 Fury], needing 10, boosts to hit [4 Fury], HITS! Boost to damage [5 Max Fury], Borka swings and does 12 damage!

However, I failed to include the +3 STR from the Mauler and the additional Damage Die from Liquid courage.
Stephan chose *not* to transfer damage when he had 1 point of fury left on Morghul and had I remembered my additional buffs I would have easily killed him.

Lessons learned:
1.) Remember what buffs are on your models. I may need to pick up those WarCogs or WarClaws that GF9 is selling to help me with this.
2.) Keep your Fell Caller alive long enough to sing War Cry to Borka so he can smash those hard to hit casters like Morghul.
3.) Perhaps the ARM bonus is all you need from the Krielstone, the STR bonus was nice, but where his Ferox were riding up behind me the ARM bonus would have dragged out the KSB rearguard as a more tarpit than they were.

MVP's: the Trollkin Longriders. They took a beating and kept on hacking away, tough as nails.

Playing With Tabletop Commander

Read a quick post by Aslain Kehog (sp?) on Iron Agenda's forums talking about using all the new minion warcasters in one army. this is similar to the list he proposes:

Faction: Trollblood
Points: 740
Model Count: 15
Victory Points: 26

Grim Angus
Troll Impaler
Earthborn Dire Troll
Trollkin Hero
Trollkin Champions [5]
Brun Cragback
> Lug
Dahlia Hallyr
> Skarath
Rorsh
> Brine

i'd be very curious to see it on the table and see how it works

Steamroller 4 Scenarios in Friendly Games

Just a quick tip:
If you want to play a random scenario @ 500 points, there are 9 scenario types in SR4. Roll a d10. on a 0 you play straight caster-kill. On a 3 (Throw-Down) is a reroll.

1 - Mosh Pit
2 - No Man's Land
3 - Throwdown (Reroll)
4 - Destruction
5 - Contested Ground
6 - Break The Line
7 - Process Of Elimination
8 - Ridge Raiders
9 - King Of The Plateau
0 - (Caster kill)

Trolls 1, Khador 0

got a game against Guy tonight. He played:

Faction: Khador
Points: 500
Model Count: 14
Victory Points: 18

Kommander Sorscha Kratikoff
> Devastator
Kovnik Markov
Man-O-War Drakhun
> Man-O-War Drakhun (Dismounted)
Iron Fang Uhlans [4] (1 added)
Winterguard Mortar Crew [2]
Winterguard Mortar Crew [2]
Eiryss, Mage Hunter of Ios


(I think)

I played:
Faction: Trollblood
Points: 493
Model Count: 12
Victory Points: 17

Grim Angus
Troll Impaler
Troll Impaler
Dire Troll Mauler
Fell Caller
Trollkin Champions [5]
Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew [2]

We agreed on playing for scenario we chose No Man's Land. He went first. On my second turn I ran my Champions, an Impaler, and Dire Troll Mauler into the scoring zone. I popped my feat and kept all but his Uhlan's from being able to jump into the zone. The Uhlan's could have gotten into scoring but Guy decided to try for caster kill and didn't make it.
At that point I offered another game but Guy wanted to finish out the current game trying for caster kill. I think I did a good job of winning the scenario. The sole thing I should have done would have been to tether one of his Uhlans outside of the scoring zone to make sure I had the win.
I'm very happy with my performance and suspect it's my training sessions with the local PG that helped achieve this.

After the win, when we continued for caster kill he finished me off with Mortar fire, Sorscha feated and smoked most of my Champs, the Uhlans got off a charge on Grim which required quite a bit of damage transfers. He caster-killed me but I got this win :)