Like any wargamer who plays at an independent store (Firestorm Games for me), I can't help but be exposed to non-GW systems. I already play X-Wing, and a few of my friends suggest I give WMH a try. For a long time I wasn't particularly grabbed by any of the factions- I was tempted by Circle Oroboros, but decided on Wood Elves instead. I then investigated many of the playstyles, and Legion of Everblight seemed like a good starter faction- they get around some of the mechanics which makes them easy to play, and they have a "glass cannon" playstyle that I enjoy, as long as it's more cannon than glass!
So from here it was a matter of choosing some models to start with. Privateer Press produce "battleboxes" for new players, with a Warcaster/Warlock (essentially a HQ in 40k terms, but you instantly lose if it dies) and a few models for them to command. However, I went down my own route and bought a couple of Warlocks and several Warbeasts (fancy monstrous creatures that are controlled directly by the HQ) and Solos (support models that can act independently) so that I could mix and match. I chose one Warlock who was good at ranged combat, Lylyth 2, one good at melee, Thagrosh 2, and one all-rounder, Vayl 1. I assembled a small force to use with Lylyth 2- a few shooty Beasts and some Solos for support, so that I could have a 35pt game with someone. While I've played a couple of practice games with friends to learn the core rules and mechanics I wanted a proper "pick up game", and was able to have one on Tuesday against Sam and his Gatormen Minions!
My 35pts list was as follows:
Lylyth, Shadow of Everblight (-5)
Ravagore (10)
Ravagore (10)
Nephilim Bolt Thrower (6)
Naga Nightlurker (5)
Blighted Nyss Shepherd (1)
Blighted Nyss Shepherd (1)
Forsaken (2)
Strider Deathstalker (2)
Strider Deathstalker (2)
Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew (1)
35pts
Sam was using approximately:
Barnabas the Bloody
1 Heavy Bull Gator Beast (not certain about the name)
1 Light Gator Beast
2 units of 5 Gatorman Posse
2 Feralgeists
Wrong Eye and Snapjaw
We played a scenario called Incursion, which has 3 flags across the centre of the board, but either the left or right one disappears after the first round.
Deployment
As a beginner, it seemed far less nuanced than 40k- essentially line up either side before running into the middle. I'm sure there's more to it than that, but it still doesn't seem quite so important as in 40k.
Round 1
Sam went first, and moved his Gators up. He also created a few swamps to hide in, so that none of his models could be shot by mine. Sneaky!In return, I moved my models up but kept distance, so that I was pretty sure I couldn't be charged next round- there's no pre-measuring in WMH, so it's back to judging distances by eye. I was still able to fire at Sam's Feralgeists despite them being out of range, so I hoped for the AOE shots (blasts) from my Ravagores to scatter well into Sam's lines. They didn't, but they did produce some Scathers that caused damage if Sam moved over them.
The flag on my left disappeared.
Round 2
Sam moved stuff up and got ready to score some Control Points by controlling the 2 flags. He kept most of his Gators submerged in Swamps, but did push some forward to try and cause problems next round.
In my turn, Lylyth used her Feat (like a Warlord Trait that you can use once per game, but usually with a strong effect), which let all of my beasts fire an extra shot, and all my models got +4" of range. I blazed away and was able to kill a few of the Gatormen Posse models, as well as the Heavy Bull Gator. I couldn't directly targer Sam's Warlock due to the Swamp, however I was able to target the Bull Gator with the Bolt Thrower, pushing it back and knocking it down, so my Ravagores could catch Barnabas with their blasts and set him on fire! Neither of us were able to score points just yet, but Sam had a lot of models ready.
Sam moved stuff up and got ready to score some Control Points by controlling the 2 flags. He kept most of his Gators submerged in Swamps, but did push some forward to try and cause problems next round.
In my turn, Lylyth used her Feat (like a Warlord Trait that you can use once per game, but usually with a strong effect), which let all of my beasts fire an extra shot, and all my models got +4" of range. I blazed away and was able to kill a few of the Gatormen Posse models, as well as the Heavy Bull Gator. I couldn't directly targer Sam's Warlock due to the Swamp, however I was able to target the Bull Gator with the Bolt Thrower, pushing it back and knocking it down, so my Ravagores could catch Barnabas with their blasts and set him on fire! Neither of us were able to score points just yet, but Sam had a lot of models ready.
Round 3 Onwards
Sam moved most of his remaining Posse up to engage my Beasts in melee, and killed both of my Strider Deathstalkers. He scored 2 control points, while Barnabas hid in a swamp. He did take some more damage from the fire though.
In my turn, I realised I was going to lose next turn unless I could kill Barnabas. As I still couldn't shoot him and he hadn't left anyone nearby, I ran my trusty Gobbers next to him and targeted them instead. However I couldn't kill him, so contested with the Bolt Thrower. Sam scored another point, bringing the game to 3-0.
In Sam's turn, he just needed to kill 1 Gobber and my Bolt Thrower to win. He used Barnabas' feat to knock the Nephilim down, and proceeded to beat it to a pulp! He then killed my Gobber with his little Gator beast, clearing the zone and scoring another 2 points for a 5-0 victory!
Sam moved most of his remaining Posse up to engage my Beasts in melee, and killed both of my Strider Deathstalkers. He scored 2 control points, while Barnabas hid in a swamp. He did take some more damage from the fire though.
In my turn, I realised I was going to lose next turn unless I could kill Barnabas. As I still couldn't shoot him and he hadn't left anyone nearby, I ran my trusty Gobbers next to him and targeted them instead. However I couldn't kill him, so contested with the Bolt Thrower. Sam scored another point, bringing the game to 3-0.
In Sam's turn, he just needed to kill 1 Gobber and my Bolt Thrower to win. He used Barnabas' feat to knock the Nephilim down, and proceeded to beat it to a pulp! He then killed my Gobber with his little Gator beast, clearing the zone and scoring another 2 points for a 5-0 victory!
After Action Thoughts
Well that was fun! Although I lost 5-0, I felt the game was quite close- I managed to do a lot of damage to Barnabas and killed most of his battlegroup, but Lylyth 2's ranged playstyle was effectively neutered by the Gatormen's swamps and spells. I think moving forward I need to work much more on scenario play, and I'm quite keen to try out my other Warlocks, especially Thagrosh 2 and his Beast-heavy list!
Sam was a great opponent- letting me off a couple of mistakes here and there like forgetting to rile or managing fury, and he even took the pictures for me as my battery had died! We'll have to have a rematch in the future.
Comparing 40k and WMH, I think the main difference is that it's primarily a skirmish game, so everything can be more detailed. The beasts have awesome rules and are really fun to play, but they do have to be micromanaged quite extensively.
The scenarios seem really well thought out- scoring throughout the game is a good way to build missions and encourage aggressive play, and 1 flag disappearing was a nice touch. I also love the assassination mechanic too, as it ensures that even if you're losing heavily on the scenario, you can still try a "hail mary" play to pull out the win!
So that wraps up my first Warmahordes battle report! I hope you enjoyed my fumblings with Privateer Press, and I'll hopefully be playing more and more soon!
Thanks again for reading! If you have any comments, or tips about Warmahordes, then feel free to let me know beneath!
SimonW
Well that was fun! Although I lost 5-0, I felt the game was quite close- I managed to do a lot of damage to Barnabas and killed most of his battlegroup, but Lylyth 2's ranged playstyle was effectively neutered by the Gatormen's swamps and spells. I think moving forward I need to work much more on scenario play, and I'm quite keen to try out my other Warlocks, especially Thagrosh 2 and his Beast-heavy list!
Sam was a great opponent- letting me off a couple of mistakes here and there like forgetting to rile or managing fury, and he even took the pictures for me as my battery had died! We'll have to have a rematch in the future.
Comparing 40k and WMH, I think the main difference is that it's primarily a skirmish game, so everything can be more detailed. The beasts have awesome rules and are really fun to play, but they do have to be micromanaged quite extensively.
The scenarios seem really well thought out- scoring throughout the game is a good way to build missions and encourage aggressive play, and 1 flag disappearing was a nice touch. I also love the assassination mechanic too, as it ensures that even if you're losing heavily on the scenario, you can still try a "hail mary" play to pull out the win!
So that wraps up my first Warmahordes battle report! I hope you enjoyed my fumblings with Privateer Press, and I'll hopefully be playing more and more soon!
Thanks again for reading! If you have any comments, or tips about Warmahordes, then feel free to let me know beneath!
SimonW
No comments:
Post a Comment