I am no major painter.  I love this hobby for the painting and the game.  The modeling is sorta secondary for me…unless I get inspired to do a conversion.  To that end, here is the biggest conversion I have attempted to date.  The inspiration was that a Dervish (the hardest working light in MkII) had just finished boxing an Argus.  It had finally taken out body arm of it’s life spiral, and sits down on it’s quarry to consider his victory…and let his boiler cool down a bit.

Ladies and Gentlemen…The Blessing of Break Time:

Feewwww....That Argus was tough as nails!

My what shiny teeth you have...er...had...

Baby got back...

Looks like that Argus lost it's movement system...or...Put, the Bone In

I sure hope you like the pictures. I sure had fun making the BoBT and it will be my primary Dervish. Even if he isn’t an official character jack…he can Take 5 for me any time!

When I wrote my latest post, about my panic around my list making for TempleCon, I had NO idea I would strike such a chord.  I have never written a post for Lost Hemisphere or for my old blog Getting Small that got such a response.  I must admit that I was pretty freaked out when eSevi folded like a house of cards.  I needed a confidence boost.  My primary list for TempleCon is an eFeora list.  One that, frankly, I expect to see from other people.  I also really like 50 pts better than 35 pts, since it gives me much more flexibility to field different tools.

I felt like my eFeora list was uniquely qualified to take on Legion.  Here is my list so you can understand why I feel this way?

Epic Feora

Don't hate me because I am beautiful...hate me because I just flamed you from 10" away...

Hierophant

Vanquisher

Redeemer (bonded)

Avatar

Bastions (5)

Vilmon

Choir (6)

Covenant

Rhovan and His Exemplar Honor Guard

Vassal (2)

And my Opponent was Jefferson Jorgensen.  For those of you who follow No Quarter, Jefferson is an exceptional painter and his Carnivean was featured in Beast about town in one of this years issues.  He is also a darn strong player and a heck of a nice guy to play against.  Always a GREAT sport and a challenge to play.  He brougt the following list:

pThagrosh, Pimp of Everblight

I am Thagrosh...and my pimp hand is STRONG.

Carnivean

Seraph

Angelius

Shredder (2)

Sheppard (2)

Forsaken

Legionnaires (10)

Warmongers (3)

Warchief (1)

Incubi (5 or however many come in a unit)

This game was a bloodbath.  The end game came with my forces of the Creator of Man left with 4 choir boys, the Hierophant, the Redeemer, and eFeora, and Jefferson was left with the Seraph and the Pimp.  His pimp hand was strong, but not strong enough this time.  Mistakes were made on both sides, but in the end, eFeora and her tough as nails armor and defense carried the day and she survived a charge by the Seraph and then killed the last member of Pimps army giving Feora the win.  Highlights and observations were made:

• Bastions are so bad ass I can’t stand it.  They killed the Carnivean in one activation with only 4 of the Bastions pulling off the charge.  They hit like a ton of bricks and with Ignite up on them, they really really hit like a ton of bricks.
• The Blessing of Break Time (Dervish) did great.  This is the first time I have put a Dervish on the table since the final rules were released, and consistently, until the Carnivean…who came back to life with the Pimps feat, did fantastic.  The BoBT killed several Legionnaires, and then tied up the Carnivean helping to keep Feora safe.  Had the BoBT not lost an arm one turn earlier, I am sure the Infused Dervish with its combo strike would have killed the Carnivean.  What a great jack.
• The Avatar really did well.  It eventually ended up killing the Warmongers and the War Chief earning its points in spades.  It eventually succumb to Seraph fire, but it just wouldn’t die.  :-)
• Epic Feora is so great.  She stuck her nose in where it was needed and killed what had to be killed, and then Fire Walked away.  She supports her army pretty well with Ignite, and I really enjoy her bond.

Slipping away, the moments that make up a dull turn...

The worst observation was…I AM IN BIG TROUBLE WITH THIS LIST IN A TIMED FORMAT.  This game took all of two hours.  The turns where I am using the Redeemer and the Vanquisher to lay down templates take forever.  They are SO effective, but I am really worried about running out of time.  Taking automatic losses due to running out of time would really irritate me.

That all being said, I couldn’t be happier.  I think I need to investigate an alternative to the Redeemer, but I just don’t know if I can find one that works as well as Bottle Rocket the Clown.  As second Vanquisher might be a solution.  I would be sending out 4 templates at 4″ each vs two 4″ templates and four 3″ templates.  It might be worth it given the time constraints.  It would mean bumping from a 6 pt jack to an 8 pt jack, so it would probably cause me to lose the Book…but I think it might be really worth it.  I just need to wait now to get my hands on a couple of those plastic kits so I can build a Vanquisher and a Templar.

Next game I will proxy the second Vanquisher to see how it performs, and then I will bond the Blessing of Break Time leading to a fire causing dancing Dervish.  :-)

Lovely…another jack to buy and paint…here we go again..

The real inspiration that led to the name of my original blog.

Most of you probably don’t remember my old blog Getting Small, but the reason I started my Warmachine blog was to work through the analysis and rational of the lists I was bringing to the party on my game nights.  I did quite a bit of list analysis, and I learned quite a bit in the process and met some new friends…Gdaybloke being one of them. 

 I am back in school now.  I have returned to the halls of academia in the pursuit of my masters in Food Science and Safety.  My mother, God rest her soul, always wanted me to get an advanced degree, and I have to admit it, after having just completed a semester of studies, I am having the best time.  The students here at Utah State University could not be nicer, the faculty is great, and I am having a ball. 

That being said…I am in a bit of a panic.  

 I am preparing for my first game convention…TempleCon 2010. 

I have one list pretty firm.  Big shock…it is an eFeora list.  I love me some caustic lady.  I have always gravitated to Feora and I am looking forward to playing her in a couple months for realz.  Here is the list…give or take some specifics.. 

• 

  Burninatin’ yer heraticz

  eFeora

• Vanquisher
• Redeemer (bonded)
• Heirophant
• Bastions (5)
• TFG + UA
• Vassals (2)
• Choir (6)

and then fill in the gaps as necessary…could be some Dannon and Bull, or whatever.  

This list is primarily geared toward melting relatively low armor troops utilizing the 6 templates this list can put out per turn.  It also should do well against ranged forces by bringing the fight to them instead of having to slog through the hail of gun fire in order to engage.  I envision this being my primary list for Cryx, Legion, Circle, and possibly Cygnar and Skorne.  The real problem comes from Trolls and Khador.  The Bastions give some great punch, but probably not enough sustained punch from enough different directions for me to be comfortable. 

I was thinking my second list would be an eSevi list.  I like eSevi best against living armies since I feel his feat is really geared toward taking control of an enemy army and beating it with its own models.  To that end, I wanted to see if the eSevi list would work against Cygnar.  Cygnar is capable of bringing some pretty high armor buffs and that might frustrate the eFeora list.  So, this is what I brought to my game on Wed.  

• 

  Holier Than Thou

  eSevi 

• Hierophant
• Blessing of Vengence 
• Reckoner (Bonded)
• Vassals (2)
• Bastions (5)
• Flameguard Cleansers (6)
• Choir (6)

and something or other else I can’t remember… 

This list faced eHaley with Junior, sword knights, gun mages, B13, squire, and Strangeways.  

It was a disaster.  Ok, I rolled terribly, but eSevi’s feat rolled 4 models..two of them attacked Haley and missed.   Two of them attacked Junior and missed.  0% effective feat.  The B13 took out two of the Cleansers, and the Gun mages took out the rest, but not before the only Cleanser in range whiffed on his spray attack.  

The Blessing of Vengeance got tore up by the Defender.  The Reckoner whiffed on 4 straight attacks against Thorn.  At this point I was completely demoralized.  I couldn’t believe how the dice had conspired against me.  I was so despondent that I left a gap for the Defender to fire on eSevi and then that was a dead caster.  

So here in lays the panic.  I am very worried about the lack of reliability in eSevi’s feat.  I need him to be able to have his feat make a difference or the game is in tough shape.  Since I feel like my primary list has most of the factions covered…I need to pick my back up caster.  Right now I am leaning toward two options:   

Option A:  Reznik with the Fire of Salvation and the Avatar 

Option B:  Kreoss with the Fire of Salvation and probably a Vanquisher 

I would sure like to get some input on this.  I think these two have some great potential against harder armor.  The rest of the lists will likely be built around weapon masters (Bastions and maybe a unit of KE) or possibly TFG due to their ability to so effectively tie up armies.  

I look forward to comments.

Time for Part Three of my continuing series on the Circle Orboros.  Once again this comes with the standard disclaimers around “I haven’t played them much” and “I am the closest thing to a Circle player we have for the blog” yada yada yada.  My format will remain the same.  I am going to go over what has changed on the stat line and what has changed for ability.  I want to make one thing really clear…

I am BEYOND ECSTATIC about my Circle Now!!!

Privateer Press…if you read this…and Bobaferret…if you would send this down the line…

Please oh Please oh Please…DON’T CHANGE A THING

First…a little old business.  Geomancy is not as bad as I thought it was.  Although the text in the rule that you have to force your beast to cast the spell (implying that you had to use a fury to turn the ability on, and then pay the full cost for the spell…THAT IS NOT THE CASE.  It has been clarified by one of the Infernals, that this ability was designed to mimic the Deathjack’s necromancy.  You ONLY have to pay the price of the spell.  That is really cool, because now, that leaves you fury to boost if you cast a 3 or less fury spell.  It also opens the door for casting 4 fury spells.  NICE.

Back to Units…

The Wolves of Orboros (and UA)

We might not look like much...what are those dogs over there doing?

The Stat Line: Unchanged on Base Unit, -1 MAT to Chieftain, -1 CMD, Wolf Pack is now mini-feat, lost wild hunt

If you take a look at just the stat line, one could make the argument that the WoO, arguably Circle’s most throw away troop was made worse.  The loss of the old mini feat, making them effective weapon masters for a turn, is clearly a loss.  The loss of Wolf Pack as a tactic, is clearly a loss.  HOWEVER…before one becomes despondant I have three numbers for you.  4, 6, 8.  These guys are freaking cheap.  They are a set up unit.  They seem to be there to provide a speed bump and to set up flank for the ONE POINT war wolves, and Morraig.  Let me walk you through a turn in my recent game.

On my opponents turn, he launched a lucky hit with his mortar crew (Khador) killing 6 WoO. (They do have paper thin armor)  My turn came and the WoO popped their mini-feat and charged a fully healthy Beast-09.  20 armor vs. The damage is 3d6+9.  On average roles against Beast, that is only 1 pt of damage.  Then the first war wolf charges in, 4d6+9.  Then the second 4d6+9 from my other war wolf.  Then comes Morraig…5d6+13 and a 2d6+12.  Now…I might have rolled slightly better than average, but at the end of Morraigs turn…there was no more Beast-09.  Morraig backed out and hid behind LOS blocking terrain.  That was very satisfying.

I think this sums up the WoO.  They are your fodder.  They are cheap.  They are there to bring the pain from Morraig and wolves.  There is every reason to believe I will find 2 – 3 war wolfs in every list where I have WoO on the table (not to mention my new favorite dragoon).

The Reeves of Orboros

Shot through the heart, and you're to blame...20 shots per turn!

The Stat Line: Unchanged

I picked up these models yesterday.  Why?  Because these models are awesome on their own?  Not really.  If you go stationary, you are talking about a RAT 7.  It’s 50/50 if you are going to hit a DEF 14 trooper.  Meh.  BUT…they do have CRA, and groups of 2 or 3 can do some nice work…BUT…like he WoO, the RoO it is all about the synergies.  There are two of note.

The War Wolf kept Sic Em.  If one of your group of 2 or so RoO hit something…here comes a War Wolf!  10″ charge…out of turn…and the way I read it, the War Wolf does NOT forfeit its normal activation.  BAM!  You can get 2d6 followed by a 3d6+11.  Nice.  I think given that ability, if the RoO hit the table, 3 War Wolves are required.

Ok…thats pretty good…but wait…there is more.  That more is Lightning Tendrils is very very different.  No only does it give your melee weapon reach (not +2 range anymore)…it grants ELECTROLEAP!!!  So…you are hanging back with your Reeves, and you start popping something big and easy to hit, and if there is something small and hard to hit (aka low armor), BAM you get POW 10 auto-hitting damage.  Its like a baby ashes to ashes.  He he he. The latest update of the cards took care of that.  :-(

Top Line…I am very happy I got these guys.  They are easy to assemble, and for a unit that can launch 20 shots per turn, triggers 3 war wolf charges, and possible electroleap.  For the low low price of 6, 10…they will see play…especially at higher point levels.

Tharn Ravagers (and UA)

Who are these guys?

The Stat Line:  How would I know

I never bought these units.  Why would I?  I already bought Gatormen.  Maybe they are better.  They kill things and get corpse tokens to boost and buy attacks.  That can’t be a bad thing.

Tharn Bloodtrackers

The Tharn Bikini Team - Eat your heart out!....Literally!

The Stat Line: +1 MAT, +1 RAT, Lost Ambuscade (Boo!), Lost Bushwack (whatever)

Before I get going on the Tharn Bikini Team, and before I lament the loss of ambuscade, before anything else – Unit of 6 / 10 is 5/8 pts.  Darn that is cheap for a 10 model unit with a ranged attack and 7 SPD.  That by itself is the hotness.

Ok…ambuscade…the reason I bought this unit.  It’s gone.  No more do you get the extra 3″ and the die of damage.  They still got to keep prey, and thats cool, but like I have mentioned…Lightning Tendrils on these girls and BAM…You have 10 models with a 14″ threat range with a potential 4″  leap… 18″threat range FTW. Not so much…

Overall, They are less cool by themselves, but it’s the synergy.  See a trend?

Thats all for now.  In the next part I will cover the rest of the units.  I think the overriding theme here is Synergy.  The units sync with the beasts and solos better than I have seen in my other factions (Menoth, Searforge, Khador, and Retribution).  There is just a ton of interaction going on, and it’s those interactions that make for a very powerful faction.

Welcome to part two of my series on how the Circle has remained unbroken in going from MkI to MkI Hordes.  I find myself almost giddy (as giddy as a 41-year-old guy with more grey than the old mare can be) with my dirty hippies.  Last article focused on the Beasts Orboros.  This article will focus on the solos.  Disclaimer:  I have ONLY actually played with the Warwolfs at this point.  This article is strictly looking at the solos from a theorymachine standpoint.  How did the stat lines change, how did the abilities change, yada yada yada. All this being said…let the wildly inaccurate advice begin!

The Blackclad Wayfarer

The Stat Line:  -1 ARM, Lost POW 10 spray

I am going to be very very honest.  I never understood how to get the most out of my Blackclad.  I used to run them in pairs, mostly to serve as a distraction and board control.  I would teleport them behind something, and make a solo or unit that was going to come down my neck deal with him.  For the most part, the new Wayfarer is a whole new model.

The Blackclad lost Invoke Wilding, Storm Beacon, and the full version of Shifter.  What he picked back up though is pretty darn impressive.  The Blackclad is immune to everything…cold, fire, and corrosion.  He picked up Battle Wizard so that after you charge in and kill one or more models it can make a magic attack.  In essence, the Wayfarer appears to be the Koldun Lord of Circle.

The new magic abilities are Hunter’s Mark (which gives +2 movement and beasts charge or slam without being forced).  Yet another Khador ability…  Phase jump is a toned down version of Shifter…but you can place him 12″ from his current position.  This is still one of the best teleports in the game.  Lastly, Stone Spray  is an 8″, POW 12 spray with critical knockdown.

Overall, it’s very hard to compare the new Blackclad with the old.  Honestly they are two completely different animals.  For my play style, I think I will find more use for this version.  He has great support abilities with the re-tooled Hunter’s Mark.  I can easily see him working one row back from the lead heavies providing fury efficiency by eliminating the need to force to charge.  He still has a good spray attack, and Battle Wizard is a great ability.  I call this an improved Blackclad.

Lord of the Feast

The Stat Line: +1 SPD, +2 RAT, -2 DMG

The Lord of the Feast…one of the most infamous solos in either game.  Almost universally hated by Circle players everywhere.  Probably for good reason.  There was about a zero percent chance of pulling off The Offering.  The LoF was going to kill almost any infantry it hit given the fact he has a P+S 13 flying steel attack.  The problem was that he was slow as molasses in January.  At SPD 4, he was the same speed as a Khador or PoM type 1 warjack…without the damage boxes.  His RAT was so bad that he could never hit anything with the Raven, and if he did, Flying Steel would fail him and he would get only the single attack.

This is a NEW LoF…one I will be getting.  He is now a SPD 5, still no speed demon by Circle standards, but…his RAT is now 7.  That means he is going to be able to hit what he wants with the Raven much more reliably.  So…given that, the LoF has a realistic threat range of 15″.  Thats pretty good.  Now, if he decides to settle for a mere 10″ threat range, he has Thresher…with a magical weapon.  Nice.

Gone is the impossible to pull off Offering, and in its place are corpse tokens that can be used to boost attack, damage, and buy extra attacks.  I draw many comparisons between the new LoF and High Paladin Vilmon…only more mobile.  This rewrite will, without doubt, make the LoF much more popular.

Sentry Stones and Mannikins

The Stat Line:  +6 CMD (on Stones…used to be zero)

Like so many models in Circle…especially the solos…the Sentry Stones (SS) are a major retooling.  Gone is invisibility, Recover, and Made of Stone…but oh what you get in return.

The SS now starts with 3 Fury AND 3 Mannikins.  It used to take 3 turns to build up 3 Mannikins and the only way you could get fury was to Devour Magic.  The SS pop out one Mannikin per turn still, so long as there are less than 3 on the board.  The SS recovers one fury per turn…assuming it has less than 3.  The Mannikins can still use the fury on the stones for boosting attack or damage roles.  This turns the Mannikin into the equivalent of weapon masters with two attacks…or if you are so inclined…you have three POW 12 sprays.  Now..the RAT still stinks on the Mannikin, but at least there will be fury to use if you absolutely need to hit something.

The Mannikins can still make forests, and with three of them on the board, you can really tick off a model without pathfinder by dropping three 3″ templates right in front of their face.

Oh…did I forget to mention the Sentry Stone can now move itself.  No more games with the shifting stones!  It can spend a fury to move 5″ during its activation.  Nice.  This is a 3 pt solo with a FA of 2…you WILL be seeing both of mine on the table quite frequently.  Like I spoke about in an earlier post…this is yet another tool of denial in the evolution of the Circle.

Tharn Ravager White Mane

The Stat Line: -2 ARM (ouch)

The White Mane is a real simplification of the eye chart that was the stat card from the MkI version.  Gone are Blood Assault (for the extra movement) but it has gained Sprint (full advance at the end of the activation if it killed something).  Gone is Grim Example but it has been replaces with Tactician for the Ravagers.  This ability gives Ravagers the ability to attack and move through other Ravagers.  It really gives some flexibility to the movement of the Ravagers…arguably one of the most maligned units in Hordes.

The White Mane gets corpse tokens like the LoF and can use them to boost or buy and attack.  It really makes for a more flexible White Mane.  I will clearly miss those two points of ARM.  I fear that he will die to a stiff breeze.  That remains to be seen, but using him correctly and not letting him hang out in the wind will be critical.

One other tactic bears mention.  The White Mane has Overtake.  If I read this ability correctly..when the White Mane kills, it moves 1″.  So…lets say you have a couple corpse tokens on the White Mane to start off.  You hit the first trooper in a series, and kill him.  This gives him a token.  Then he moves 1″, with his reach he is likely in range to kill again.  Wash, rinse, repeat.  Is this the new Kromac / Wolf Rider shenanigans?  I am going to ask this question on the forums.  If it is not like this, I will edit the post.  This does make the White Mane, at FA 2 and three points potentially devastating. Confirmed by the Infernals:  This is EXACTLY how it works.

Warwolf

The Stat Line: -1 SPD, -1 DEF

The Warwolf is 1 pt.  You have to temper what has happened to the Warwolf with the fact that it is a filler solo now.  Consider it a less cool version of the Souless Escort that works for the Retribution.  Gone is Kneel.  Gone is Scent.  Gone is the ability to Flank with other Warwolves.  It is now SPD 7 instead of the insane SPD 8.

It got to keep Sic Em with the Reeves.

The Flank that the Warwolf now has is only with Reeves and Wolves of Orboros.  That may seem a bit of a bummer but the War Wolf is much more of a weapon attachment than it is a solo.  I own three of these models, and as cheap as the WoO are, I will likely field two or three of them.  It is still 4 dice on the charge at P+S 11.  Thats a pretty darn good point well spent.  If I had something like that for TFG…I would be all over it.

People are claiming DOOM on the forums…and I think they are just missing the point.

Wolf Lord Morraig

The Stat Line: – 1 attack – Mount lost bite, Mount Attack +2 POW, +2 DMG on Mounted, +3 DMG on Dismounted

I own him.  He is still 5 pts.  He picked up 5 overall damage boxes.  He is still darn fast and still hits hard and has Reach.  Strategically this guy has changed quite a bit.  He used to be a lone wolf (pardon the pun) kind of guy…now this guy wants to be in the thick of it.  He is a beast killer with the WoO

Gone is his WoO cohort.  No longer do the WoO gain Prowl.  That was a nice ability for them to have.  His Flank is worded pretty much the same, but, since the War Wolf is no longer a WoO solo…he can’t flank with them.  This takes away the roving wolf pack that could have been done in MkI.  Now…lets be realistic.  That unit of 3 War Wolfs and Morraig would cost 8 pts, and you would have 3 models getting 4 dice on a charge.  Thats a lot of death for 8 pts.  I can’t argue.

He still has cleave, but now it only triggers one more attack.  Cleave used to be a controlled Berserk.  No more.  But…and this is a Big BUT…

HE IS NOW A WEAPON MASTER.  So…the WoO charge in and get on a beast.  In comes a War Wolf benefiting from Flank rolling 4d6+11, then comes Morriag…He is rolling 5d6+13 (Weapon master, boosted for the charge, additional die for Flank.  Whatever got hit, just took an AVERAGE of 51 pts of damage.

Please…if I am reading this wrong…correct me.  If it is right…I better stop writing this and go assemble my model becaus….

As most of you are likely aware, I am doing a series of articles for LH on the MkII version of Circle Orboros.  If you have read them so far, they have been overwhelmingly positive.  I genuinely enjoy the changes they have made to my secondary faction.  The combination of speed, power, and dirty tricks reminds me SO much of my beloved Menoth…but just so much faster!

Unknown to Warmahordes players...this is the REAL packaging for MkII Hordes...Or so say the Circle Forums.

That being said, I must take exception to the DOOM on the PP forums.  I know, I know…just ignore them.  Not me…I have to prove a point.  To that end, I asked my good buddy Dustin, a Khador player, to put together the nastiest list he could, and I would bring the red-headed step child of Circle…Kromac.  I wanted to prove that in the hands of a decent player, Circle was just as devistating as Khador.

Khador has been lauded as our most difficult match up.  The high armor hurts Circle because of our perceived lack of punch.  To that end, here is Dustin’s List

Epic Vlad
Beast-09
Drago
Man-O-War Shocktroopers (3)
Demo Corps (3)
Widowmakers
Mortar Crew (2)
Greylords
Great Bears of Gallowswood

And I brought the following:

Kromac
Gnarlhorn Stayr
Pureblood Warpwolf
Feral Warpwolf
Blackclad Wayfarer
Wolves of Orboros (10) +UA
War Wolf (2)
Wolf Lord Morraig
Sentry Stone and Mannikin
Bloodweavers

About the only thing that proved true from what I am reading from the forums is that Kromac might as well not come with a human form.  He is a beast of a fury battery.  As a 9 fury caster, he need only hang back and sponge up the fury from his 4 fury beasts that he can run hot as he wants.  I NEVER ONCE put Kromac in human form.  Why would you?

Badass...Table for one.

The Gnarlhorn was amazing.  He picked up Drago on one turn and threw him into Vlad.  Then, the next turn, after the WoO, a war wolf, and Morraig killed Beast-09 in one activation, the gnarlhorn slammed Vlad for free, knocked him into a cliff side, followed up, and punched him to death.  Darn he is so good.

The WoO really earned their points killing Beast-09 setting up the win.  The Blackclad worked great at allowing my warpwolves to charge and slam for free.  The sprays from the mannikins which can be boosted off the fury from the Sentry Stone killed two of the three Great Bears, and killed two of the four widow makers.

The Circle played great and really showed they had what it takes:

KEY COMBOS

WoO flanking Beast-09 so the war wolf could do 4d6+11…and then the second war wolf did 4d6+11…and then Morraig did 56+13 and 2d6+12.

Gnarlhorn slamming eVlad into a cliff side causing 3D6+15 damage from the slam (boosted), then 3D6+11 collateral damage, then follow up, auto-hitting 2D6+14 fist to the face for the win.

This post will begin with a disclaimer…I am the closest thing the LH has to a Circle player.  I consider them my secondary faction with Menoth being my first love.  I am writing this series of articles on the MkII version of Circle from a Theorymachine perspective as I have yet to try my dirty hippies out in MkII battle.  The intention is to look at the differences between old and new, and comment on how I believe play will be affected.

This episode will feature the Beasts.  IMHO, the beasts for Circle really came out to the positive.  Many new abilities with good uses.  Some animi have change and been replaced with animi I can see casting more often than before.  There are a few models I am a bit confused about, but we will get to that.

The Argus

The Stat Line:  +1 RAT, +1 DEF, -1 THR, +1 POW of the Jaw, Animus New: Tracker

I really like the changes to the Argus.  The increased DEF is a welcome addition moving it above the DEF 13 break point.  The increased Jaw POW gives it essentially a mouth with the bang of a hand cannon.  Given its 7 speed, it is like having a RNG 10 hand cannon with a ROF of 2.  Not shabby.  The decrease in THR appears to be a trend in all MkII beasts, and this appears to right the disconnect between the Fury mechanic and the Focus mechanic.  No longer will it be as easy to run beasts hot…long an argument by Warmachine players with their 3 focus max.

The new animus is really my favorite change.  The ability to grant pathfinder and ability to ignore forests, concealment, and cover make it an almost autoinclude with goat lists.  The Warpwolves will have their ghostly due to the pureblood, but the goats will love having the dog at their side.

These changes move the Argus up the charts significantly, and at 4 pts…ya have to love the cheap.

The Gorax

The Stat Line: +1 MAT, +1 THR

Minimal changes to the Gorax, but the bump in MAT is very nice.  MAT 6 puts the Gorax up in the range of being able to hit lower DEF targets without boosting.  Increase int THR allows you to run the Gorax more hot than before…if frenzying with this beast is even a concern.  With the animus up on this beast, he is taking two swipes at you at MAT 8, and P+S14.  That’s pretty good for a FOUR POINT LIGHT!!!  Almost as an aside, pain response kicks in way way earlier.  Now it kicks in any time it is damaged instead of waiting for each spiral to be damaged.  Way less complicated, way more useful.

The traditional role of the Gorax in a Circle army was as a fury battery, and a damage battery.  It can still fill that role, but, with the better MAT…the Gorax will be an important part of any assault.  I can see him being put in many of my army lists due to his cheap price, high fury, and great punch for his size.  I call this an improved Gorax.

The Woldwatcher

The Stat Line: -1 DAM on the Mind spiral

Not much to say on the Watcher.  The animus allows Vigilance to be case without regard to it being a Circle model or not.  That gives t a touch more flexibility in implementation of the Circle’s answer to the Devout.  The screening bonus given by stone form is gone, but screening is gone completely…so…there you go.  One less damage is a bit of a bummer, but the Warden’s little brother is still just pretty much as he was.  Meh.

The Woldwyrd

The Stat Line: +3 MAT (!?!), +1 ARM, Gunfighter

Oh…my lovely floating shrimp…how I love thee.  How subtle are your changes, but how significant.  Gunfighter has arrived for the Wyrd…That means it gets to fire that ranged weapon in melee.  The Shrimp now has a MAT.  Gone is the Non-Combatant disadvantage.  What does all this mean for our favorite shrimp…10″ charge, with a slam, followed by a ROF 3 POW 10 boostable gun with Arcane Killer.  He He He

The Gnarlhorn Satyr

The Stat Line:  -1 THR, +1 P+S15 initial Head attack, New animus: Bounding

Who even recognizes this model anymore.  This is now a three attack beast with two 14s and a 15.  A head butt power attack is not only knocking you down but inflicting 4 more points of damage automatically.  Gone is Ram, with its follow up, but this goat slams like a freight train.  With Bounding up, the Gnarlhorn is a MAT 8, with SPD +5 charge distance.  But wait…Ram is gone but Follow Up is now an innate ability!  And so too is Grand Slam with it the slam pushing the model an additional 2″.  This goat rocks.  Oh…and it still has counter slam.  The Gorax and Goats lists are coming…

The Shadowhorn Satyr

The Stat Line: +1 DEF, -1 POW for the claw attacks, but +1 P+S 13 attack with the head, -1 DMG on Mind Spiral

This beast is reworked much like the Gnarlhorn.  We get yet another initial attack.  Sure, the claws lost one POW, but having an entire third attack that increases slam attack damage is way better.  Bounding is still there.  Chain attack pitch is still there.  Set defence is still there…and it is CHEAP.

Lets put this in perspective.  The Crusader for Menoth costs 6 pts, one less than the Shadowhorn.  For one point, you have: 4 fury vs 3 focus, only 2 less armor, +2 SPD, +3 DEF, Bounding Leap, Reversal, Set Defence, one additional initial attack (although at a significantly lower P+S on all the attacks), and the capability to do two handed throws.  Thats a lot of value in my eyes.

The Pureblood Nightmare … oops … I mean Warpwolf.

The Stat Line: +2 RAT, -1 FURY, – one initial attack (P+S 15 bite), +1 Ranged Attack (POW 14!), New Animus: Phantom Seeker OMG

This is a COMPLETE rework of the Pureblood.  This beast resembles the original in NO WAY.  It is my new favorite beast (displacing Megalith for that honor).  Where do I start…well…GHOSTLY!!!  The ability to grant Ghostly to OTHER Ferals!!!  Holy C***!  POW 14 ranged with Phantom Seeker with the ability to grant Phantom Seeker to other beasts like….the Wyrd…or…the Watcher.

The amount of utility this beast gives is utterly amazing.  And it costs 9 freaking points.  Good Gravy.  It really hurts to lose the fifth fury, and the ability to take damage when at full fury, but honestly…who cares.  This model now makes EVERYTHING in your horde better.  NOTHING does what this guy does for its friends.  Behind the building?  Thats a shame…I’m ghostly and you are dead.  Not hidden?  You just got two P+S 16 claws to the face with the STR warp.  Hiding out of my range behind a building?  Sucks to be you eating my boosted RNG 10 POW 14 ranged attack with Phantom Seeker…and I am bringing my two shrimp to the party and you are seriously sad.

The Feral Warpwolf

The Stat Line:  +1 STR, +1 MAT, -1 THR,  Rework of the animus, +1 initial attack (bite at P+S 14)

The furries really got retooled in this edition, and the most basic of the furry heavys is no exception.  He is stronger, more attacks, and the same warp abilities.  He has the ability to gain Ghostly if the Alpha is lurking around, and a new, really cool animus.  Used to be that Baying of Chaos used to cause a terror check.  Now the whole take a fury off or add a fury thing was only 5″…now it is 7″ but the terror check is gone.  Whatever.  Fleeing in the new rules isn’t nearly as punative as it used to be.

He is 9 pts of bad ass.  The Warpwolf also grew a new modifier…the Feral Warpwolf.  This can only mean we are getting more warpwolves in the future…and since the Purebloods leadership deal works for any type of warpwolf…let the love begin.

The WoldWarden and Megalith

The WoldWarden Stat Line:  +1 Fury, Chain Attack changed to Smite (same as Druids Wrath), Spell Strike is now Geomancy

Megalith Stat Line: New Affinity for Baldur, Weight of Stone is a built in ability for any caster

I was initially really confused by these two.  Megalith costs 2 pts more than a Warden.  That is a significant bump in the cost difference between the two constructs in the MkI rules.  Spell strike is gone.  In it’s place is Geomancy.  Geomancy requires a Fury to invoke, and then you pay the full price of the spell to cast.  For example, for a Warden to cast Earth Spikes, you have to spend 1 fury to have the ability to cast it and then three to make it happen.   In other words…boosting attack or damage is NOT possible since you have now used all your fury to make it go.  This really hurts.  Maybe the old spell strike was too good, but damn I am going to miss that.

Megaliths deal always used to be having the ability to cast and still use your attacks.  Geomancy cripples this ability.  You do the same Earth Spikes and he is full also.  You have all your initial attacks left, but so does the Warden…so what is the difference between the two.

For two points on Megalith, you get weight of stone on his fists for free instead of having to have Baldur around to have the affinity kick in.  Thats nice.  You get +1 P+S on the fists.  You still can heal other constructs of a point if they are in base to base, and you get the ability to heal yourself.  The other bonus for the points is d3 auto heal for Baldur if Megalith is in Baldur’s control area.  Thats a good thing.

One could make a strong argument that the additional points get you proportional amounts of love.  It’s all good.  Mostly its meh when I think of these changes on the big constructs.

Overall Impressions

Circle War Beasts...made of bread, butter, AND Cheese.

I LOVE my beasts.  Almost every one of them was buffed…significantly.  They have all gained more usable abilities, and they are, in general, CHEAP.  I have not compared the other factions, but in the days to come, LH will be featuring other factions and you should get more impressions of how they have changed.

Next time, I will address the Solo’s of Circle.  There have been many interesting changes there too.  Until then, may the Devourer Wurm stay a long distance from you and yours.

Holy cow…I finally got caught up enough on my labs, and other homework (I am back to school after 18 years) and I I have an honest to God deadline to get some painting done.  The deadline?  TempleCon 2010.  It will be here before I know what hit me.  That being said, I am not going to be fielding my normal primer and pewter color scheme that many of my friends have become familiar with.  I WILL have a fully painted army for TempleCon.  My Eternal War lists might not be 100% fully painted, but the even lists will.

I wil be playing Menoth…but…I have all these Elves now…and I really wanted to do a test model for my new color scheme.  I usually do jacks or beasts as my test subjects because the size makes experimenting much easier.  All this being said…here is my Hydra.

Why shouldn't elf jacks be forest colored? I am going for a "fall" look for the base...its a metaphor for the impending extinction of the Iosians.

As seen from Vyros' point of view...15" of POW 15 coming at you...

I managed to get 6 models painted yesterday (remainder of my TFG and my Hydra).  At this rate I should have the rest of my armies done about 2013…assuming I don’t buy anything between now and then…yeah…right.

Never in my roughly year of blogging have I seen such an outcry for pictures of one of my models.  True…I teased it pretty well by posting a description.  When Gdaybloke’s computer went belly up, I had him post my incomplete article.  An incomplete post, we figured, was better than no post at all.

I have finally taken the pictures, and here they are…BEHOLD…

The Blessing of Break Time

Here we see BoB resting on his fallen opponent.  You will notice that the BoB has no arms at this point.  Given how I want to position the arms, it would make painting the argus impossible.  The idea is to prime this guy, black or grey likely, and protect where the arms attach with play-dough.

Here is a rear view of the model. I think it shows really well from this angle.  You can see how the Dervish is leaning forward of center kind of “catching his breath.”

Lastly, here is the model looking from the mouth side of the dead argus. The thing I like about how the pose turned out is that the one leg of the dervish is propped up on the now rigor mortised leg of the dead argus. The other leg is kind of kicked back relaxing on the heel of its foot.

So there you have it.  Its a pretty simple conversion so far.  Next steps are to paint the main section of the model, then assemble the arms and swords, paint, and mount them.  I am considering taking one of the arms, and having it laying propped up on the carcass of the Argus like it bit the arm of the Dervish off during the fight.  and then glue some small tubes to where the arms are supposed to be (wire insulation with the wire pulled out) to represent hydraulic lines.

More to come!

I want to start off this article with a few disclaimers.  This is not to minimize anything else you are about to read…but I think a few words need to be said.

1. Playing with a new faction is HARD.  Half the fun of Warmachine / Hordes is finding those completely insane combinations of forces that can drive literally any faction to above the curve performance.
2. Playing a new faction using COMPLETELY NEW RULES is freaking near impossible.  My opponent, TheGreatBlah, is a dyed in the wool Troll player.  He used to have a small Pirate force, but it was one of those “Bart / two Mariners and a Mule” lists that involves standing in place and hoping for crits.  If you are not used to the focus allocation mechanic…it becomes very very easy to leave your jacks swinging in the breeze.
3. TheGreatBlah is a great player and our press ganger.  He is also a heck of a good guy.  More times than not he beats me into the dirt, but our games are always fun and most times close.

That being said…

I freaking violated those elves  :-)

This is where Reznik took Kaelyssa for her whuppin...right behind there...

Here was my list…Reznik’s Roughnecks

High Executioner Reznik

Hierophant

Sunburst Deliverer Crew (x2)

Bastions (5 member)

Choir (6 member)

Avatar of Menoth

Fire of Salvation

Visgoth Rhovan and His Boys

He brought….

Kaelyssa, Night’s Whisper

Griffon (x4)

Chimera

Manticore

Mage Hunter Strike Force (full unit)

Narn

Eiyanna and Holt

Eiyrss, Mage Hunter of Ios

Damn it...I am all out of focus...AGAIN?!?!?!

I know for certain that this is a suboptimized list.  The Mage Hunters are not yet released and were being proxied.  The use of so many myrmadons was probably not his first choice, but he wanted to fill out to a 35 point level.  Kaelyssa is a 7 focus caster, but given the focus hungry nature of most myrmadons, running 5 lights and a heavy is a lot to ask unless the heavy is a Hydra…and he wasn’t.

My list was based upon the reworked spell list of MkII Reznik.  MkI Rez had some very major flaws.  I have detailed them in other posts, but  the fact that all his spells were battle group spells.  This really held him back from being effective with any kind of infantry and forget about bringing the Avatar and the FoS (dispel ruined his day).

My list takes advantage of three major aspects.

(1) Iron Aggression – Boosted melee attack rolls for free – plus charge, run, slam, and trample for free.  This is PERFECT for the Avatar.  The Avatar already had a good MAT but with a Choir and this spell, he is 10+3d6 to hit.  He is going to hit anything he wants and then follow it up with P+S19 that starts things within an inch of what just died.

(2)  Ignite – This is PERFECT for Bastions.  Bastions are MAT 7, good, but not spectacular.  Ignite gives +2 to MAT and DMG rolls.  That makes the Bastions MAT 9, with a potential P+S21.  On the charge they are delivering 21+4d6…with Reach.

(3) The Fire of Salvation’s imprint.  You spend 1 focus to get all your attack and damage rolls boosted.  He isn’t going to miss, and what you just hit is on fire if it is not dead.  3d6+20 with the Choir.

The game opened with Retribution coming forward quickly.  The Griffons are sick fast.  Narn and Eiryss moved way forward running after their advanced deployed.  I think that my opponent was expecting their stealth to do more to me.  4″ AOE’s don’t care about stealth.  One shot from my left Sunburst and Eiyrss was no more.  I shot my second Sunburst at some Mage Hunters…drifted into one…but it didn’t quite do enough damage (needed a 4 and rolled 3).  The Avatar then activated the Gaze, and ran toward Narn.  I couldn’t have him get behind my lines.  The Fire of Salvation moved forward and occupied the center left, and the Bastions ran right disbursing so that anyone trying to come in was going to get a huge suck of Free Strike.

I think this is where the game all came apart for Retribution.  One Griffon charged the Avatar and managed to take out the shield.  Narn charged the Avatar thinking he could sprint after his attack.  Narn didn’t destroy anything so no Sprint.    A second griffon charged the FoS, and failed to do any damage.  The Mage Hunters all attacked the Bastions and only managed to piss them off.  I had to kill one of them, but the other 4 were at full boxes save on.  P+S 21…mmmm

It was then my turn.  I drifted a Sunburst shot into the Mage Hunters killing 2.  The Avatar turned on the Gaze, killed Narn, and then reduced the Griffon in range to 2 boxes.  Choir activated and did the Jack Fight Song.  The FoS activated, activated its imprint and boxed the Griffon.  The Bastions activated, two charged a second Griffon, one charged a third, and the fourth hung back to make sure I kept unit cohesion.  The Griffon that was charged by the two bastions evaporated immediately.  The third Griffon was heavily damaged, and then subsequently boxed by Rhovan’s body guards.  Reznik moved up and popped his feat.  The Manticore was going to get any focus and neither was the Chimera.

On the Retributions last activation, What was left of the Mage hunters killed 2 more Bastions, and put points of damage on Reznik…and thats about all.  Kaeylssa attempted to cast a spell on the Avatar, but then she realized that it had Sacred Ward…and that was that.

I'm Freddy Mercury...and I approve of this Reznik win...

I put 3 focus on the FoS, rolled 3 focus for the Avatar…moved around Holt but stayed in his front arc to keep from ending up with a lucky free strike.  I boosted my attack roll, and hit Kaeyliss for 16 wounds.  Bought a second attack and evaporated her with a mighty blow.

Summary

It’s games like this that bring you back to the table.  Reznik is my favorite caster model.  The rework that MkII has brought to him means I get to play with him MUCH more.  The old Executioner’s spell list is magnificent.  He takes a properly laid out list and makes them able to hit ANYTHING and kill it right dead…right now.

I probably would have had more issues had there been higher armor infantry on the table.  The Sunbursts would have been less effective on the blast damage.  Mittens would have been tough.  Given that his guys can be made immune to blast damage, some of my key kills would not have happened.

Invictors or Sentinels would have really given me issues.  Their higher numbers probably could have overwhelmed my Bastions and opened up holes to CRA Reznik.  Invictors would also have been helpful in opening holes to charge SPD 8 Griffons into my midst…and they would have been much more effective against ARM 17 vs 21.

I don’t hold this game up as any example of Retribution sucks or Menoth is the best…as I said…the list I played against was suboptimal.  That will not last long.  The models for Retribution are being released very frequently and their effect will be noticed quickly.  That being said, it feels GREAT to have Menoth performing at the high end of the curve.  Thanks for the gumball Privateer!

Goodnight MkI...Don't Let the gate to Urcaen hit ya in the arse.

This is my one year anniversary playing Privateer’s pewter crack game.  I think it is appropriate to take a step back and talk a little bit about MkI, MkII, and the impending release of the play test of Hordes MkII.

First, let me start with an introduction…

“Hi.  I’m MenothJohn, and I have been a pewter-holic for one year.”  (hears “Hi MenothJohn” erupting from the readers)

MkI Warmachine was my first miniatures war game.  I had seen pictures.  I had heard people talk about Warmachine on podcasts like Fear the Boot, and D6 Generation, but I didn’t think that was my speed.  I was just getting into German boardgaming, and thought that might be where my gaming destiny lay.  That was all before I got introduced to Kreoss, the Crusader, the Repenter, and the Revenger.  I was hooked.  Before it was all over for MkI, I owned one of everything (at least) except Idrians and Deliverers.  I had 2000+ pts of Khador, and I was eyeing up Retribution with great anticipation.  Today I close the door on MkI.

MkI is dead to me.  Gone are the days of Focus 5 Amon, battlegroup only Reznik, and a Covenant that took longer to explain than it takes to play a 1000 pt game without it.  In one man’s opinion…good riddance.  My Menites are reborn in MkII into a sleeker, more powerful form.  Born of the ashes of MkI, screaming for vengeance…

The coming of MkII is just like this...only with pewter models instead of British guys in leather. Otherwise it's JUST like this.

All that being said…I did have some favorites…

Sevi and the BoV…A match made in Urcaen.  Ashes to Ashes at +2 you say?  Yes…it made for some good wins.

ToM and the Vengers…kill my horses will you!  Hey…look…they are all back, and they are mad…and they are charging your face.

eKreoss and the All Exemplar Marching Band…mmm…elite cadre…auto hit…4 die damage…extra attack.

but…there were some real low lights…

Sunburst Deliverer Crew…Rule #1 got its name for a reason.

Covenant…You could make it work…but it would extend your game by 2 hours explaining each of the passages

147 Point Avatar…so expensive it was damn near impossible to fit him into even a 750 list

Visgoth Rhoven and the Boys…for 71 points…meh.

I am content to dance on the grave of MkI.  My next game, I play against the Retribution with the caster that could win “Best Imitation of The Phoenix.”  High Executioner Reznik.  The caster that couldn’t shoot straight in MkI (Brand never worked, you couldn’t use the FoS because of Dispel, and you couldn’t use the Avatar because the SoB wasn’t part of the battlegroup).  Not so much anymore…

Now I drool for Iron Agression on the Avatar…boosted to hit and the new Reach sword will be tearing up large chunks of infantry and set those it doesn’t hit on fire.  I look forward to the FoS charging into the enemy using it’s imprint to boost all it’s attacks and damage rolls…for a single focus.  I long to play Ignite on the Bastions, and watch as all of a sudden they are MAT 9 Reach Weapon Masters with a possible P+S 21 and critical fire.  Finally I am giddy about running two Sunburst Deliverers and lighting up the sky with their RNG 16, POW 16 rods of death with RAT 7, and a 4″ AOE.  If only I had 4 points to put Rhovan in to make those AOE’s turn things on fire.  Hmm…maybe at 50 pts next time….

Goodnight MkI.  You brought me here…now MkII…It’s Ass Kicking Time…

The MkI list that I always wanted to try, but never gotten to try out, features everyone’s favorite maligned caster…Amon Ad-Bad Ass.  The list of infamy you might ask?  I like to call it …

Quad Dervish

Amon Ad-Raza

Dervish

Dervish

Dervish

Dervish

Do you get a theme growing here?  This is one of the only 350 Mangled Metal lists in Warmachine that can field 5 models.  Oh sure…your Cryx lists with their chicken jacks can field more…but…do chicken jacks have a P+S 17 combo attack that allows the chicken jack to move 2″ sans free strikes?  If you try to hit it’s sorry DEF 14 frame, and miss, does a chicken jack hit back?  Does a chicken jack have as many damage boxes as a Dervish?

No…chicken jacks don’t.

But…FOUR!  How in the heck do you make four of these darn models look really unique?  My first Dervish…as yet unnamed, is posed in the normal standing straight up pose.

The second Dervish…is in an action pose.  This yet unnamed Dervish is posed running with one leg back and the jack looking like it is in mid-charge.

The third Dervish…is a play on the second Dervish.  This yet unnamed Dervish is posed kicking it’s front leg up like it is in mid-reposte.  Some poor SOB just missed and is about to eat a face full of P+S13.

This brings us to Dervish number four.  I am out of normal pose options.  There are only so many ways you can pose big daddy Dervish.  Then, inspiration hit…I have never posed a jack…sitting down.  Everyone loves to have their jack looking like they are about to hand God himself his ass.  Jacks can’t ALWAYS be like that.  Even a hard working Jack like Dervish #4 needs to sit down, and take time to appreciate it’s latest victory while it waits to get a cortex full of focus shoved down it’s throat.

Ladies and gentlemen…let me introduce Dervish #4, The Blessing of Break-Time:

The Bless of Break-Time (BoB) is captured in a moment of repose after just vanquishing one of The Circle’s Argus warbeasts.  After taking a fatal blow, cleaving its rear leg resulting in massive blood loss and death.  Seeing the opportunity for a much needed rest, and awaiting a fresh charge of water and coal, the BoB takes a break on the fallen Argus…finding it surprisingly comfortable.

Here is the progress so far…

I was making some trades with a buddy of mine this weekend, and I ended up with a couple of extra Argus warbeasts for my Circle army.  Now, while four Dervish’s are very very cool.  Four Argus…not so much.  I mean…don’t get me wrong…I am a big dog guy.  Dogs with two heads…even better!  Then I noticed…an Argus…turned on its side…looks TOTALLY dead.  I started the conversion by removing the argus from the base.  In the process of taking the base off…I broke one of the feet off..slightly below the knee.  PERFECT!  That is how it died!  It bled out after the Dervish chopped its hind leg off!!!

So…this is where this I sit so far.  The Dervish is sitting on the dead Argus reclining with one leg kicked up in a reclined pose.

What’s next…

Stay tuned…

In my last post, I mentioned my success with my latest 750 list.  That list, headed by Kreuger, was successful mostly due to the above average performance of the Gatorman Posse.  It was the combination of Lightning tendrils, Beast Lore, and three attacks that allowed the unit to kill a fresh Typhon and Angelius in a single activation.

I also mentioned that the Tharn Bloodtracker unit continues to mystify me.  I have not failed, in the four games I have played with them to get them killed without getting anywhere NEAR their point value.  On paper, ambuscade, high defense, high speed, and stealth should be the goods.  In my game, a unit of Raptors took out half the unit on one turn, and then the Raptors killed the other half of the unit the next turn.  They did get off one ambuscade on Rhyas and a couple of them hit…which was nice.  This continued lack of performance has gotten them benched.  Who will be taking their place you ask…

The Wolves of Orboros

Dude...over there...MADE YA LOOK!!!

Stop trying to make us look!

I am going to tell the Tharn to take a hike and go for some good old fashioned furry lovin WoO and their UA and a War Wolf.  Here is what I am thinking..

• The WoO are cheaper.  No…they don’t have something as cool as Ambuscade…but they do have CMA.
• The WoO UA gives them ranked attack and a version of Flank.  Once again…more attack and damage buffs.
• I bring the War Wolf, and the War Wolf can be used to go after unit leaders utilizing buffs from flanking WoO.

The War Wolf Howling for Vengeance

So you add all this up, and while you are giving up the ranged attack, you are getting a unit that can very effectively deal with hard targets like Centrati and light beasts.

What are my worries…

It came up in the game with Rhyas.  Rhyas’ feat protects a large number of models from melee damage.  I was able to neuter this feat for the most part by using spell strikes, thrown spear attacks, and Pendrake’s snare bola.  Ahhh…the snare bola…you know what hates a a snare bola…Carniveans.  he he he

Anyhow…

So…that is the way I am going for my next game.  I am going to retire the Bloodtrackers in favor of WoO, UA, and a War Wolf.  Updates to come…

___________

When I woke, the dire wolf

600 pounds of sin…

Was grinnin at my window

All I said was, “Come on in”

-The Grateful Dead from the song Dire Wolf  :-)

In my last post, I teased that I was going to move up to my 500 pt Circle list…Ha…if you can expect anything from MenothJohn, it is the unexpected.  Take that readers!

I got a chance to bust out and get some gaming in this afternoon, and I decided it was time to get me some Circle love going against one of my favorite opponents…Jefferson Jorgensen.  Jeff is a a helluva guy.  A VERY talented artist (he had his Carnivean featured in Beast about Town in No Quarter issue before last) and a really good sport.  His only problem…he plays the Legion of Easybutton.  A fella of his gaming skills shouldn’t have to rely on the broken shinannigans of the flying snake brigade.

That being said, it is always a pleasure to play against him.  He is the kind of guy that will let you take a move back in a friendly game even if it screws him.  And, while what I am about to describe is a win for me, I have to give much of the credit to Jeff for allowing me to un-screw myself at least twice.  We have a cool local meta here I must say.

So…what is my new 750 list…Let me introduce you to Kreuger Wishes He Had Two WoldWyrds V2:

Faction: Circle Orboros
Points: 742
Model Count: 28
Victory Points: 25

Krueger the Stormwrath
Woldwyrd
Megalith
Woldwarden
Professor Viktor Pendrake
Gatormen Posse [5] (2 added)
Shifting Stones [3]
Tharn Bloodtrackers [10] (4 addeTharn Wolf Riders [5] (2 added)

The concept behind this list is mobility, mobility, mobility.  When I play my Menoth armies, or even the occasional situation when I trot out my Khador, I play an attrition game.  I expect to roll up on an opponent and use my superior numbers or survivabilty to whittle down his army until I can move in for the kill or remove his entire army from the board.  I don’t expect that from the Circle.

There are lots of things that work against that.  My hardest hitting beast in this list is a POW 16.  My lowest hitting heavy in my Menoth force is a POW 15, but it comes with auto-fire and a chain attack.  My heavy infantry in this list…the Gatormen…hit three times but a max of P+S13, non-weapon master.  But that is not what this list is about.  It’s about combo buffs.  It’s about multiple attacks.  It’s about prey and about preying on the already bloodied.

I was facing the following list…more or less…

Rhyas
Carnivean
Typhon
Angelius
Shredders (x3)
Warmongers (3) + The War Chief
Shepherds (x2)
Raptors (x3)

Jeff always tends to run very beast heavy, and this was no exception.

My strategy was as such.  I would use my Wolf Riders to prey the Carnivean, and use Pendrake’s Beat Lore to give them 4d6 on the charge.  Plus, If I could pull it off and get a back strike, It would be 5d6+13.  The Gatormen would have Lightning Tendrals up all game to give them all a 4″ attack and two more 2.5″ attacks.  When the time was right, I could put Beast Lore on them against damaged warbeasts, and I would be rolling 3d6+6 to hit and 4d6+13 for the first attack, 4d6+13, 4d6+9 on the third…for 5 gatormen.

I had Megalith and the Woldwarden out front on a flank spell striking with Forked Lightning against softer targets, and then when I got in range of the Shredders and any of the other beasts left standing, I would feat and put them in frenzy mode.

It worked pretty much perfectly.

I still continue to struggle with the Bloodtrackers.  I attempted to ambuscade the Carnivean, and I just couldn’t crack his high armor.  It ended up costing me much of the unit.  The only thing that saved me was putting up Windstorm to help against ranged attacks.  I will figure them out.  They are fragile, but I know against the right target they will be great.

The Gatormen were the stars.  They took out a fresh Typhon and Angelius in the same activation…after one of the gators had already died.

The constructs were wonderful as the Forked Lightning helped keep the Warmongers at bey.

The feat was wonderful as it caused all the Shredders and the Carnivean to Frenzy, and two of the Shredders ate each other.

In the end…I won be eliminating the entirety of Rhyas’ army.  I really crippled her by taking so many of her beasts down, and then rendering the Carnivean moot through a combination of frenzying and Pendrake’s snare.  I love this list.  The models are first on the block to paint.  Good enough little Kreuger…good enough.

—————

Lazy lightning
That sleepy fire in your eyes
Is that desire in disguise
I keep on trying but I
I can’t get through

-Bob Wier of the Grateful Dead…clearly talking about Kreuger the Stormwrath

The time has come and gone for summer rampage…my first.  I have to say that emotions ran higher than I personally would have liked.  I am a very competitive guy, and it brought out an ugly side that is most certainly there…and I am not proud of.  I suppose that knowing and taking ownership is the first step to getting better, but I wish someone would break that info loose on my ex-wife.  She could benefit from it.

Bottom line…I had relocated to..

.

One of the things I wanted to do following SR 09 was to put Menoth away for a few months and attempt to get better at Circle.  Playing Circle, compared to Menoth, is like doing a neutral drop in a Dodge Superbee from the early 1970’s…its abrupt, violent, and takes some getting used to.  Circle is about as opposite from Menoth as it gets.  Sure, Circle has some magic denial, but the speed and maneuverability is so far off the scale for Circle it takes a complete tactical rework.

Menoth, for me, is an attrition army.  I tried to run the army, at first, differently.  I would find myself consistently getting my arse handed to me because I would play my casters too far forward and would get their heads beaten in or blown off.  I still do it occasionally, but I have gotten much better by realizing all these guys that showed up for the battle are happy as a clam to die in the name of the Creator of Man.  So…why not let them!  Since then, Sevi has become my home boy, The Harbinger my cool little sister, and eKreoss my big brother that will kick you in the schnutz if you try to pick on me.

Now it is time to head into the Thornwood and hang out with the druids.  I am going to attempt to do things better with these guys.  I made the mistake with Menoth of trying to learn the entire army in one fell swoop.  That is too much to digest for anyone.  The way I plan to learn the army is by point level.  I have come up with four standard armies that I am going to play, and learn how to win with.  I will pick a different caster at each level so I get to see how they each play.  Each month, I will re-evaluate these lists, and tweak them based on my learnings.  Learnings I plan to share with my Lost Hemisphere readers.  Today I am going to share my two 350 lists.  One is an anything goes list…the other is a tooth and claw list.  So with no further delay…

At 350 points…anything goes format…

Faction: Circle Orboros
Points: 343
Model Count: 14
Victory Points: 14

Baldur the Stonecleaver
Woldwyrd
Woldwarden
War Wolf
Wolves of Orboros [8] (2 added)
> Wolves of Orboros Officer & Totem Bearer [2]

The 350 point level doesn’t give you a ton of points to work with.  I like running a unit when I get a chance, and I knew I wanted to bring constructs with Baldur…because everyone tells you to.  The WoO and the War Wolf are together to give some flanking love and the extra dice when it gets time to kill something a bit harder.  I am hoping this will be an assassination list with Baldur’s teleportation abilities.  The first tweak I can think of is trying to figure out how to get shifting stones and a sentry stone into this list for better forest placement.  I might make that tweak before the first game.  If I do, I will lock it in for the month.

The second list is my Tooth and Claw 350 list…

Faction: Circle Orboros
Points: 344
Model Count: 4
Victory Points: 13

Kaya the Wildborne
Woldwatcher
Gnarlhorn Satyr
Warpwolf