Jump to content

Num

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    296

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Blog Entries posted by Num

  1. Num
    Clan Prepnik marched out of its aqshian farm to raid and plunder Idoneth Deepkin fishes... Was defeated and fled back to its farm quick-quick!
    I did a 2000-point battle against Idoneth Deepkin today. This was my army (one WLC missing in the picture):

    The list was:
    Including fresh recruits from Clan Skryre

    A warlock bombardier converted from a Spire of Dawn warpfire thrower kit:

    SPELLS, ALL THE SPELLS FOR BOULDRAK YES-YES

    And of course some humble farming rats devoted to Clan Prepnik

     
    The opponent was Idoneth Deepkin. His list was more of less the following:
    The Skaven troops are boxed in a metal box and the spells in a small shoe box. All 2000points in a backpack!

       
    THE BATTLE BEGINS

    The scenario is Shifting Objectives, the first main objective lands on the far right of the picture, and Idoneth gets the first turn
    Turn 1 - Fish
    The whole army runs for the objectives. They do some shooting and kill 2 clanrats on the far left, and 6 on the far right.
    End of turn, Idoneth controls all 3 objectifs and scores 5 points
    Turn 1 - The Mighty Skaven Horde of the Magnificient Grey Seer Bouldrak
    Grey Seer Bouldrak is ready to unleash some cunning tricks on the clueless fishes. The plan is to Skitterleap the Arch-Warlock against his will in the middle of a Akhelian Corps to dump a Balewind Vortex and Soulsnare Shackles before scurrying away through a Gnawhole.
    Grey Seer Bouldrak rolls a double 1 on Skitterleap.

    He manages to get on top of a Balewind Vortes though, which is next to useless.
    Shooting phase: An overcharged WLC deals 4 damage to the Eidolon (down to 12 life), but 4 damage to itself too. The other WLC damages an Allopex.
    Oh boy that Idoneth rule that only the closest unit can be targetted is complicating placement!
    The Stormfiends get boosted with Vigourdust Injector, Deranged Inventor and a Warpstone Spark and wipe an Allopex.
     
    Movement phase: Bouldrak can't let the objectives go away! He sends two units of clanrats to a certain death to claim some points! 20 clanrats charge the main objective to score 3 points, and 20 other clanrats charge the Eidolon to score 1 more point:

    End of turn: 4 points for me and 5 for the Idoneth.
    I get to start turn 2!!! The main objective remains the same (far right)
    ---
    Turn 2 - The Mighty Skaven Horde of the Magnificient Grey Seer Bouldrak
    Grey Seer Bouldrak is now ready to unleash the cunning combo of skitterleaping the Arch-Warlock on top of the main objective to lock the Akhelian Corp.
    Grey Seer Bouldrak fails miserably with a 1 and 2.
    Note to self: Consume warpstone tokens to make the combo work, even if it means dying!
    There is absolutely no spell to range. I can't cast anything besides a shield on the bombardier and a mystic shield.
    Shooting phase: Stormfiends receive vigordust, deranged inventor and a spark again. They send the Eidolon back to the very bottom of the abyss with 17 damage despite the save, the ward save, and the boat wreckage ward save.
    Sidenote: The Eidolon was named Alain Deleau (translation: Alain From the Water) due to his ressemblance to French actor Alain Delon

    A cannon cleans the other Allopex, making the left flank totally empty and the objective secure.

    On the far right, clanrats get wiped so the main objective goes back to the Idoneth.
    1 more point for me. Total of 5 for me and 5 for Idoneth.
    Turn 2 - Fish
    The Idoneth leaves the central and right objectives (secured already) and rush Grey Seer Bouldrak on his vortex, the 20 clanrats in the center and the 15 Acolytes (who did not do anything since the beginning)
    Note to self: Use the acolytes! But the Stormfiends were better positioned so they received all the buffs. The Acolytes movement is cool (run and shoot) but it was not enough to threaten the Idoneth.
    Grey Seer Bouldrak dies escapes through a Gnawhole back to his farm
    19 clanrats die! Not 20 but 19!!!!
    3 Acolytes die.
    I decide to use the arch-warlock CP (left on the picture) to save the single clanrat instead of the Acolytes for some cunning plan!!! Wait-see!
    4 points more for Idoneth, for a total of 9.
    I get to start the third turn! The objective again stays on the far right...
    ---
    Turn 3 - The Mighty Skaven Horde of the Magnificient Grey Seer Bouldrak
    The Arch-Warlock casts Warp Lightning Vortex on top of the Akhelian Corps, but it is too late in the game to make a large impact...
    Here comes the cunning plan! Which I realized later on that in fact it was not supposed to work...
    The single rat that was saved Turn 2 is 6'' from the gnawhole. The Arch-Warlock is 11'' from the Gnawhole. I spend another command point to run to the gnawhole, and teleports the single rat on top of the unattended main objective to score 3 points.
    But later on I realized this was not supposed to work because of the Gnawhole teleporting is for the beginning of the movement phase... My mistake
    Shooting phase: The stormfiends wipe the 20 thralls and the Souldrender. The WLC wipe 3 Ishlaen Guards. Looking good!
    I score 4 points for a total of 9.
     
    Turn 3 - Fish
    Idoneth has a Leviadon, a Tidecaster and 3 Ishlaen Guards left.
    The boosted Leviadon rushes the Stormfiends and kills 4 of them! Misery!
    With no hero nearby, the 2 other run away...
    The arch-warlock dies.
    The Tidecaster charges and kills the single clanrat that was securing the main objective.
     
    End of turn, 4 more points for the Idoneth, for a total of 13.
    I am left with 2 WLC, a warlock bombardier, and 6 Acolytes.
    We decide to stop there. The WLC don't have enough movement to secure objectives. The Acolytes are locked into combat with an Ishlaen Guard. There was no way I could win on points, even if I somehow got a triple turn and wiped the Idoneth player.
     
    Summary
    The battle was very close and tense. Each turn saw some big and important units being wiped on each side. Despite the double turn, Idoneth getting the first turn and the first 5 points really got me in a bad position. I had to do several suicide moves to catch up on points. My army lacks mobility. I don't feel the Acolytes and Gnawholes are enough. Gnawholes were locked by the Idoneth player anyway. On the other hand, Idoneth had plenty of mobility. I need to get either a Doomwheel or a Warp Grinder team. Stormfiends were absolute beasts! What really did the difference was their huge survivability. They managed to wipe an Eidolon, 2 Allopexes, 20 thralls and a Soulrender before losing a single model! As a consequence, I babysitted them heavily instead of the Acolytes, thereby making the Acolytes quite subpar. The problem with the Acolytes is that they cannot survive a charge. They can wipe a single unit but then have to pray for not being charged back by another unit nearby. On the other hand, the stormfiends can stay in the center and absorb the hits (as long as they can be immuned to battleshock). I'm considering adding 3 more stormfiends for a total of 9 and a warp grinder instead of the 15 acolytes. But I'm still hesitating... I need to take more risks with magic. Failing Skitterleap twice made my endless spells useless. Next time I will make the grey seer consume warp tokens to make sure the spell gets through. I feel it is crucial to at least have a chance to land a WLV or shackles early. I think I will have the opportunity to take revenge next week.
    Any idea about what to change in terms of units or strategy?
     
    Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the battle report.
    I don't get much opportunities to play unfortunately, as I live very far from any player group or GW shop. I spend much time theorycrafting and painting but not much actually playing. My strategy and placement still need improving...
     
    Cheers
  2. Num
    Clan Prepnik
    This blog is dedicated to my Skaven clan. Please excuse me in advance for the language errors, as I am not a native speaker. I am French but I will do my best to share my clan tales in English. I intend to combine fluff, hobby and play in this blog with stories, pictures of my models, battle reports and list building. I warmly welcome any feedback and hope you enjoy the read.
     
    The story of Clan Prepnik originates from the one of Grey Seer Bouldrak, its chieftain. A long time ago, Bouldrak was imprisoned by his sneaky-treacherous acolyte, and consumed with a powerful spell of Black Hunger. For weeks, Bouldrak was left with nothing but his basest instincts, devoured by a terrible need to feed. But he resisted. “Bouldrak is destined to great success, yes-yes. A confident of the Horned Rat cannot starve like a weak-foul skavenslave! No starving anymore, never-never”, he swore. The fear of hunger was born, and it led Bouldrak ever since.
    Grey Seer Bouldrak, chieftain of Clan Prepnik

    The birth of Clan Prepnik
    Once Bouldrak escaped his prison and exterminated his treacherous acolyte, he began to build the largest and greatest food supplies of Skavendom. There will be so much food in this reserve, he thought, that all Skaven, Human-things, Dwarf-things and other weaklings will swear allegiance to him once the Black Hunger strikes all. They will have no choice but to beg Bouldrak or die of starvation.
    Bouldrak recruited dozens of gullible and starving Skavens of the streets of Blight City and they all fled for Aqshy, the Realm of Fire. This was the perfect place to build a secret stockpile. Nobody would suspect Skaven farming on some arid aqshian land, he thought. Clan Prepnik was born.
    Thanks to the devoted clanrats and the dangerous power of warpstone, Clan Prepnik managed to farm black corn on Aqshy to a very successful and profitable extent. The supplies grew exponentially, along with the clan population. Aside from farming, Clan Prepnik further increases its supplies through raids, extortion, blackmail and trade in Aqshy and elsewhere. The resources allowed to build a fortified place to keep all this food safe.
     
    The organisation of Clan Prepnik
    Clan Prepnik lives off its tremendous amount of food. Some is traded for warpstone, weapons, resources, machines, slaves and beasts. Most of the supplies comes from black corn farming, which no other Skaven clan masters more than Clan Prepnik.
    The black corn is kept in gigantic silos guarded by the Grainkeepers, elite stormvermins completely consumed by fear of the black hunger. Bouldrak prematurely expose them to the same treatment he has received: being imprisoned with a spell of black hunger until they either die or escape loyal to Bouldrak. They are no Skaven more loyal to him than the Grainkeepers, and they are thus the ones who are trusted (more or less) to guard the supplies. The leader of the Grainkeepers is Clawlord Snut Grainsplitter. The legend tells he can split a black corn grain in the air.
    Clawlord Snut Grainsplitter

    The silos are often the target of great envy, including among some low rats of Clan Prepnik who do not always understand why food must be kept safe rather than eaten quick-now. If a thief were to be caught stealing from the silos after having avoided the Grainkeepers, Clawlord Snut Grainsplitter, Grey Seer Bouldrak (who lives in the silos) and the various traps, he would be condemned to die of starvation in the very silos of his envy.
    Bouldrak monitors the population of Clan Prepnik very closely. With this much food, it would be easy to expand to a very large number of Skaven, and this is sometimes done before battle to provision for the dead to come. Yet having too many members would put the food supplies on stress and run the risk of not having enough food in reserve. The members of Clan Prepnik are given just the food they need, served as some sort of foul black porridge. Females are genetically bred to have small litters, and carefully monitored by experienced Packmasters and Bouldrak himself. When the population gets too high, a certain number of clanrats are imprisoned and left starving together, until one Skaven emerges as the sole survivor and gets promoted to Clawleader.
    Clanrats of Clan Prepnik


    The banner and rune of Clan Prepnik

    When clanrats are not at war, they endlessly toil in the black corn fields. The manual labour is eased to some extent by the machines and foul brewages of Clan Skryre. Arch-Warlock Deerik supervises these unholy inventions to the greatest yet suspicious satisfaction of Bouldrak. Warpfire Throwers burn what is left to burn on Aqshy to make space for the crops. Gas-masked rats known as the Cornraisers throw globes of foul warpstone-infused pesticide all around to kill whatever or whoever wants to stop the never-ending cycle of black corn. Curiously, the life expectancy of clanrats toiling the fields is quite low, even to Skaven standards...
    Arch-Warlock Deerik

    The Cornraisers spreading foul pesticides

    Clan Moulder provides Clan Prepnik with huge beasts to run enormous mills. When they are not a war either, Rat Ogors and Stormfiends push millstones in circle all day and night to transform black corn into some sort of dark flour used in ignoble preparations.
    Rat Ogors bred by Clan Moulder

    Bouldrak is currently considering involving Clan Pestilens and Clan Eshin to begin his masterplan of spreading Black Hunder throughout Aqhsy and the Mortal Realms. Gnawholes are being pierced throughout the Mortal Realms as you read this story. Perhaps one has even appeared in your backyard while you were asleep...
     
     
    <To be continued on this blog>
  3. Num
    The explorer who dared to venture outside Pigbarter, along the River Ruin and then south, would come upon an amazing landscape. He would see fields of black corn stretching as far as the eye could see, but would find no farms. "How could such barren, polluted land support such vegetation?" he would ask himself. No matter how hard he searched, he would not find the hidden caves in the middle of the fields that led to the underground farmland of Clan Prepnik.
     
    For there is nothing natural about these fields of Black Corn - the aridity of the Dark Lands and the stench of the River Ruin would never have allowed such an abundance of crops. This abomination is the work of the Skaven of Clan Prepnik, living in tunnels dug and hidden beneath their own fields. The Black Corn cobs are not fertilized and watered on the surface - the environment is far too hostile and the enemies far too numerous - but underground, right at the roots. In the same way, the ripe corn is harvested from underneath, pulled by its roots. No one can therefore suspect the intense agricultural activity of the Skaven on these inhospitable lands. Let us live happily, let us live hidden.
     
    But how and why did the Skaven start farming? To understand this, we must go back to the origins of the Clan Prepnik's master, Grey Seer Bouldrak. Long ago, Bouldrak was locked up and cursed with a Dark Hunger spell by his former traitor-sneak disciple. For days he was faced with insatiable hunger, reduced to the most primal instincts of common sewer rats unworthy of a descendant of the Horned Rat such as himself. "No more hunger, never-no" Bouldrak swore to himself, traumatized by the experience. Once he had escaped and his traitorous disciple was exterminated, Bouldrak set out to build the largest food supply a Skaven clan had ever known. He will have so much food, he thought, that all Skaven, humans, dwarves, and other enemies will have no choice but to pledge allegiance to Clan Prepnik, once the Black Hunger consumes them all. They will then beg Bouldrak, or die on an empty stomach.
     
    Clan Prepnik stores their precious crops in huge underground silos guarded by Grainkeepers, shock vermin with an absolute fear of the Black Hunger. Bouldrak exposes them at an early age to the same treatment he once endured: locked up with a Black Hunger spell until they die or escape loyal to Bouldrak. At their head is the Warlord Snut Grainsplitter, Bouldrak's loyal servant and rumored to be able to split a black corn kernel in flight.
     
    These silos are sometimes coveted by certain Prepnik rats, who don't understand the point of storing food rather than devouring it quickly. If a thief gets past the Grainkeepers, Warlord Snut Grainsplitter, Grey Seer Bouldrak (who lives in the silos), traps scattered outside and inside the silos, but gets caught, he is immediately condemned to starve to death in the very heart of the silos of his lust.
     
    In order not to put the reserves under pressure, the Prepnik clan carries out a drastic management of its births. The females deliver small litters, regulated by Bouldrak and his Packmasters. If overpopulation should inadvertently (or treacherously?) occur, members of the clan are locked up together and condemned to kill each other until only one remains, who is then released and promoted to unit leader. In the event of an impending war, the abundance of food allows the population to increase in anticipation of losses.
     
    The lifespan of the Skaven of Clan Prepnik is relatively short, even by Skaven standards, probably because the ceiling of the galleries, made of Black Corn roots, oozes with the pesticides spread daily and concocted from Warpstone and polluted water from the River Ruin. Perhaps also because the work is hard and all the members of the clan work tirelessly to cultivate the unlikely Black Corn in these desolate lands.
     
    After years of cultivating hidden and ignored by all, Clan Prepnik is beginning to emerge from its burrow. To increase his supply, Bouldrak now reluctantly finds he must interact with other clans. He needs beasts from Clan Moulder, muscular but genetically modified to be frugal. He needs brains from Clan Skryre to design new and more efficient agricultural machines. They need to diversify their food sources, so they don't have to rely solely on Black Corn, and so they trade. Emissaries from Clan Prepnik are about to be sent to the markets of Pigbarter, Under-Delberz, Under-Altdorf and Skavenblight...
×
×
  • Create New...