Curt and I after a fairly long delay needed to get in our last game of the winter Runewars League. The League has been great fun and a bit tip of the hat to Curt for putting it together. Any excuse to get some games in has always been most welcome.
For this last game, we drew from all the potential deployments and missions and ended up with:
I elected to be second player as I had figured that as Uthuk, I generally wanted the initiative in the ‘even’ round as I like to think I’ll be on my opponent by turn 2 ready to attack.
Of course the fun thing about being player 2 is we only get to use one of my terrain cards as opposed to 2 from Player 1 so there is an element of risk that larger terrain which I generally don’t want to see might pop up.
As luck would have it terrain wasn’t much of a factor in this game. Curt dropped the graveyard sort of next to my deployment zone but it wasn’t generally in the way of the long table edge that we .. well I would have to traverse. The two sets of spikes were pretty much out of the way as well so all set.
I took a time lapse of the game. Go ahead and watch and I’ll try and walk you through.
First for the bounty I selected my berserkers and Curt selected his reanimates.
Early on I decided with the narrow frontage I would have a couple of problems to face. First, I wasn’t going to get there to be ready to attack by turn 2 to take advantage of the initiative. Going with Player 1 would have been a better choice as getting there by turn 3 was definitely possible.
Next was what to do with Ravos. That bad boy likes to be fed and I hate feeding him with my own units. Sure I had the goblet going so that would heal the first turn damage he would take presuming he stayed away from others. Turn 2? Probably taking a damage.
Then there was the matter of everything else, so what I did was deploy the two 2 tray spined threshers in front but behind Ravos. The berserkers behind. Gotta protect losing 75 points unless it’s the last unit anyway.
The Flesh Rippers were kinda stuck in so much that I couldn’t fit them next to the Threshers and make it work, so I sent them to go past the Graveyard and then turn up towards Curt’s Waiqar. Given again the narrow frontage chances are they wouldn’t get a flank to attack but none the less, sometimes you kick units out just to keep the other player thinking.
After the first couple of turns it was fairly obvious Curt wasn’t going to aggressively move up, he wanted me to attack which gave me the benefit of picking my approach and somewhat dictating terms.
By turn 3 Ravos had 1 wound due to himself. He was right up close to both the Reanimate hoard that had been expanded by Maro. The Reanimates were sporting File Leader and Curt had both them and his archers using Raven-Standards for the initiative buff. That several times made to stop and think to do initiative math and reconsider orders.
So Turn 3 my Threshers were not ready to get into it and I didn’t have initiative, so I thought, why attack with Ravos, why not just sit there? If Ardus moves forward to engage in 1×1 combat, I should survive but better, with the attack I dialed and the berserkers getting into range with their Dispatch leader, I dialed it up such that in theory I could get a double attack.
So instead I took some arrows, and Maro ranged attack so all total 4 wounds, ouch. But for Turn 4 where I would have initiative, I figured I was all set. Ravos probably dead by the end of the round … o well. At this particular turn we had 3 green runes. Curt wind runes his archers back… distance 3, this took them out of range.
Across the turn, Ravos charges and gets to Ardus. Ardus at this point has 2 wounds due to some pre-fight snack attacks by Ravos. Ravos finishes off Ardus.
This sets up the next turn when the Spined Threshers could attack the Reanimates double teaming with the Flesh Rippers, Ravos gets to heal a wound thanks to the Goblet and death of Ardus.
The Flesh Rippers make it and whats more get onto the flank of the Reanimates. I didn’t think I’d have room and thought for sure the Reanimates would have adjusted or charged forwards but instead I lucked out and hit them. The file leader resulted in a loss of a tray before the Flesh Rippers could attack but non the less, 2 reds, 2 blues, rank discipline, there was blood, err undead parts flying everywhere, only to have a couple of trays come back thanks to Maro.
I’m sure Curt had a tough choice here… either attack Ravos or heal back his Reanimates which are the bounty.
Next turn, Threshers and Flesh Rippers on the Reanimates, I’m down to 1/2 of my Flesh Rippers and down to 1 Spined Thresher at the very end.
My other unit of Spined Threshers charge into the Reanimate Archers and take them down to 1 tray. Ravo charges Maro who is down to 1 health left due to amping up the Reanimates and he goes down.
With only one tray of Reanimate Archers left we call the game.
While a lopsided result, Curts dice when making attacks against Ravos probably should have resulted in his death. The Banner buffs made me have to time my initial attacks on rounds where I knew initiative was going to be mine. The 3 green rune turn messed up Curt’s use of the wind rune on his archers. Distance 3 is a long way to step back.
I think another factor that was in Curts favor was having to play the long way. Playing across the short edge an Uthuk army can pretty much be on the attack by Turn 2. Going the long way, not so much and with terrain it’s possible to constrict / control the avenues of approach easier.
All in all a fun end to the league and to get ready for the next league starting up in May. Hopefully this time across all the factions we’ll have new units to work in. I’d just like to retire ‘Sir Not Appearing in This Battle’ for 2 of my Spined Threshers. Sadly that means things need to be actually for sale. I’m just not buying 2 more core boxes, love ya FFG, just not love ya, love ya.