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Tronhammer NZ

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  1. Tronhammer NZ
    The mountain path narrowed as cliffs rose on either side. The Mortifex hunting party halted briefly to assess the road ahead. Krellion Mortifex noticed strange, undefined shapes beginning to emerge from the rock face on the right. They were the colour of the rock themselves, and though incorporeal, he realised they were taking o the texture of the cliff face. Dankrock spirits.
    Krellion made to signal the advance when something else caught his eye on the left cliff. Emerging from a previously unnoticed cave, was a giant creature - a Dankhold Mourngul. A troglodytic hunger ghost. Now with a sense of urgency, Krellion ordered the party forward. The narrow confines of this pass was a deathtrap.

    Krellion urged the party forward in a spearhead, hoping to break through the spectral rock spirits before they were surrounded and overwhelmed. 

    As they progressed into the pass, the Dankrock ghosts were eerily still, as if observing. The group of spirits immediately blocking their way picked up a massive boulder, and hurled it towards Krellion. It missed, and landed in a crater in the midst of the group, kicking up a cloud of earth. 

    As the dust cleared, the Dankrock spirits swirled towards the group in a rush. The ghosts on the right flank swarmed over the Mortek Guard. The Hekatos fought on a growing pile of bodies that had been his unit until he was the only one left. The other group of the spirits were not so lucky, as a counterstrike for the Necropolis Stalkers banished two of the swarms. The remaining swarm failed to cause any damage, and Krellion finished it off.

    The loss of the Mortek on the right flank was a huge blow, and Krellion needed to get out of this trap before the malignant spirit on the cliffs decided to engage. He turned to look at the giant creature. It continued to stare down at Krellion with knowing eyes. Was it... grinning? Cursing, Krellion ordered the retreat, and the Hekatos collected what soul stones he could from his fallen Guard and dashed after him. 

    Krellion took one last look behind him, and his eyes met that of the Mourngul, which was continuing to grin down at him. Eventually, it withdrew back into its cave. Krellion had the feeling it would not be the last he had seen of it.
    Aftermath
    As the party finally left the mountain trail, they met a wandering Boneshaper with the Parrha icon on its armour. It was spouting gibberish about some great leader in the hills which the spirits were calling the Angel of Deliverance. Krellion knew then that his quarry was close. He threatened the Boneshaper with obliteration, and in return his Mortek Guard were reconstructed. He left the gibbering shaper on the cliffs, and its ramblings about the Angel followed him down the rocky path.

     
    Final Thoughts
    If you want to access the rules, they can be found on Warhammer Community.
    I ended up changing my mind about using Relentless Discipline. I realised I could use normal command points to use the command abillities on my unit warscrolls, so just went with that. 
    This scenario was a classic 'breakthrough' type situation where I just had to get my general to the other side. I needed to conserve my troops as much as possible for the final fight however.
    I was lucky that again the first round had very limited movement from the 'Troggoths', but they they won priority and charged, almost wiping out the Mortek Guard. By that point I was close enough to retreat to the end table edge, and was able to kill the other unit in order to make a gap for that to happen.
    I ended up rolling a 6 on the event table, which let the Mortek Guard heal back to full strength, negating the avalanche from the end of the last game. 
    I am going to chose the command trait that lets my general cast spells, and will have a think about the best spell to pick.
    The next battle seems like it will be a challenge...
  2. Tronhammer NZ
    The Soulmason glared down from his throne at Krellion Mortifex with baleful, glowing eyes. 
    "A Morghast Archai by the name of K'urst has stolen from our order."
    The Liege-Kavalos tilted his head slightly, his curiosity piqued.
    "Several dozen vials that were being prepared for the black phylacteries were taken from Emmissarian chambers some span ago, and we have been able to locate his wearabouts," continued the mason. "What K'urst intends with these vials is not clear. It is possible, his soul was not refined satisfactorily, and reached breaking point. He has very obviously gone insane.  Whatever his intentions, it matters little. K'urst is Parrha, and must be terminated. Terminate... with extreme prejudice."

    Several weeks into the journey, Krellion Mortifex and his hunting party found the first signs of K'urst's passing. In an area known as Strangleweed Swamp, an obelisk had been erected, which emenated similar enchantments to the vials of the Stonemasons. Monstrous swarms of spirits drifted through the gloom, drawn to the obelisk. These spirits seem to embody the surrounding area, almost as if they were part of the swamp themselves. Whatever the purpose of the obelisk, Krellion reasoned it would need to be destroyed. He motioned to the hunting party, and they assumed a spearhead, ready to enter the murky waters.

    A pack of Fellwater Spirits, ones that were nearest to the obelisk, began to drift forwards towards the interlopers. Two more groups of the twisted greateds floated listlessly in the gloom, and made no sign that they were aware of the hunting pack.

    With a wave of his blade, Krellion motioned the hunting pack into action. The Mortek Guard darted forward, taking a left flank, while the Necropolis Stalkers dashed to the right. Krellion spurred his Kavalos steed directly forward. Its hoof was caught in a sinkhole, and the beast stumbled. Accounting for this temporary weakness, he set to a brutal charge directly at the pack of spirits. One swarm was dissipated immediately.  Issuing a command, Krellion reminded his disciplined troops of their duty to slay in the name of the Undying King, and they leapt to the attack. The Stalkers's blades whirred through the water,  singing. The remaining spirit swarm raked at Krellion, their icy talons penetrating even his considerable defences. In response he slashed at the last of the Fellwater Spirits until it too faded into nothing.
     

    Seizing the initiative, Krellion ordered the party to form a defensive perimeter around the obelisk. The Soulreapers had given him a Shyishan Death-rock, an enchanted device containing a single grain of Grave Sand that would detonate in a blast of amethystine energy. He set it to the base of the obelisk. All Krellion needed to do now was buy time for the device to gather enough of the death magic in the surrounding area in order to do its work. He stood up in his stirrups and observed the behaviour of the Fellwater Spirits.

    The group of spirits skulking on the hunting party's left flank began to advance, perhaps drawn to the disturbance near the obelisk. The group on the opposite flank continued to lazily drift among some nearby ruins.

    Suddenly spurred on by new-found urgency, the Fellwater Spirits near the trees shrieked and charged the Mortek Guard, who adopted a Shield Wall formation as the Hekatos barked the order. Despite their efforts, three of their number were dragged below the water by the ferocious creatures. When they began to trade blows, the Mortek were confounded by the noxious miasma permeating the Fellwater creatures. Krellion was close enough to lend the Mortek some support, and was able to dispatch one of the swarms, his own steed lending assistance as it gnashed and stamped at any wisps it could reach.

    The Necropolis Stalkers did what they do best, and stalked along the flanks of the corrupt nighthaunt. Attacking from the rear, they sliced their way through the remaining spirits. Having seen the potential of these stolen soul-creatures for savagery and harm, Krellion muttered a thanks to the Unmaker that the Fellwater Spirits were attacking piecemeal. A coordinated attack would cause trouble indeed. All the more reason to end this madness, before it became a bigger problem for Ossia and beyond.

    The hunting party reformed to protect the obelisk and the ticking Death-rock. Wisps of ghostly light flickers through the trees.

    Finally sensing the presence of the Mortifex hunting party, the Fellwater Spirits near the ruins drift closer.

    However, their advance is tentative, and they pause again. Krellion straighened in his saddle with a growing satisfaction. The creature would be too late now to stop the device from destroying the obelisk. The hunting party hold formation themselves, not willing to advance until necessary, relentless discipline and centuries of battle-lore and protocol guiding them.

    The Fellwater Spirits advance further, but not quiuckly enough. They have exposed their flank. With the device about to explode, and not willing to suffer such creatures to continue to exist against the wishes of his overlords, Krellion once again raises, and drops his blade, and the Mortifex slough forward through the swamp.

    During his charge, Krellion's steed once again becomes entangled, this time in some roots below the surface of the water. Shrugging off the damage, he ploughs into the centre of the spirit host, while the Stalkers swirl through clouds of extoplasm in a spinning wall of blades. Behind them, the obelisk explodes in a purple haze of magic.
     
    Aftermath
    The fallen Mortek Guard were in a repairable state, and were able to rejoin the unit. Krellion discovered a small gem in the foundations of the obelisk, glowing with lambent power. On pure instinct he affixed the gem to his helmet, and discovered that it allowed him to radiate his own will into the nearby constructs. Satisfied, he strapped his steeds leg, and then set out. 
    Before long they had reached the edge of the swamp, and the foothills of Blackrock Pass. It was then that disaster struck. From the mountains that loomed overhead came an avalanche of rock and debris. Several of the Morket Guard were crushed. Cursing with rage, Krellion cast his gaze towards the mountian peaks. 
    "Terminate... with extreme prejudice." 
    Somewhere up there, K'urst was waiting.
     
    Final Thoughts
    I am surprised GW hasn't released more modules like this! I am having an absolute blast - the perfect way to scratch that wargaming itch in isolation, and a game I can set up and come back to when I find time throughout the day. More of these campaigns please!
    In the rules it says I cannot use allegiance abilities, but can use command abilities and gain command points as normal. I took a liberty in allowing myself the use of Relentless Discipline. I'm not sure it is the right call, perhaps I should be using actual Command Points and then just the general command abilities, but it does say that we can use whatever is on the warscroll! In anycase, Relentless Discipline is fun, and as I am playing on 'hard mode' (meaning an extra enemy unit on the table in each game) I figured why not.
    I think I got lucky when rolling the behaviour of the Fellwaters. As it turns out only one unit advanced per turn, and this allowed me to deal with each unit separately with the full weight of my force, leading to minimal casualties.
    And curse that avalanche!
     
    TO BE CONTINUED

     
  3. Tronhammer NZ
    Despite the simple core rules, Warhammer: Age of Sigmar is a deep and complex wargame, with most of the complexity found in the unit rules, or ‘warscrolls’. Metagame-defining combos are still being discovered, hidden in plain sight within (and between) the hundreds (and hundreds) of warscrolls available.
    Here in the land of Tron we have access to the ‘Rain Man’ of the Age of Sigmar, a mysterious figure known only as ‘Jim’. Jim has a sixth sense at finding combos, and I wanted to start a series to go over some of his list-tech.
    These will be lists that we haven’t yet seen much (if at all) in the international tournament scene. I suppose I should qualify that by saying that it is quite possible some of these lists have been discovered, and even used competitively, but our focus is on their lack of prominence for the purpose of this series.
    Without further pre-amble, I give you the first of the Undiscovered Power Lists - Order Draconis.
     


    Carrying on ancient traditions from a world long-lost, the Order Draconis range across the Eight Realms, 
    searching for other enclaves, and assisting the forces of light against the Mad Gods.
    Order Draconis
    Aelf lists are not heavily favoured in the competitive metagame at present. We think this list is an exception, as it can be built to perform as one of the most effective alpha-strike lists out there. In Warhammer: Age of Sigmar, games often come down to one crucial turn. This list takes advantage of this dynamic, pumping up the effectiveness of all models and enabling them to take maximum advantage of it for that one turn.
    The List
    Dragonlord Host (Battalion) - 80 Dragonlord  (General) - 400 Dragon Lance  Aelven War Horn Reckless (Re-Roll Runs and Charge within 10”) Quicksilver Potion (attacks before other models) Dragon Blades (x5) - 160 Dragon Blades (x5) - 160
      Dragonlord Host (Battalion) - 80 Dragonlord - 400 Dragon Lance  Aelven War Horn Quicksilver Potion (attacks before other models) Dragon Blades (x5) - 160 Dragon Blades (x5) - 160
      Dragonlord - 400 Dragon Lance  Aelven War Horn Quicksilver Potion (attacks before other models) Leaders: 3
    Battleline: 4
    Behemoths: 3
    Number of models: 23
    TOTAL POINTS: 2,000
     
    The Combos
    Deployment
    Three deployment drops - one Dragonlord, and the two battalions. This means you will almost certainly get the first turn. And if you don’t, it’s not the end of the world, just hand back and set up for the charge in a following turn. While this makes for a spectacular first turn charge, this army works just as well saving up for a decisive big turn later in the game if required.
    When deploying, a key consideration is making sure that your units are within 10” of the general at key moments - that will be the main skill of the list.
    Speed
    First up, the basic Move profiles are very fast; 14” for the Dragonlords and 12” for the Dragon Blades.
    Add to this the battalion ability, which allows each unit to make a full move in the hero phase. If they are close enough to charge, after this bonus move, they can do so on a 4+. However, what we are aiming for is a turn one charge, so you will be starting at least 24” away from your opponent’s models, meaning this charge will require a roll of 10+ for the Dragonlords and a 12 for the Blades. We will opt to save this ability for the Dragonfire instead - more on that later.
    The army now makes its regular move. By now, the Dragonlords have moved 28”, and the Dragon Blades 24”.  They should be within easy reach of key targets. Because Dragonlords can fly, you can even get over the chaff or terrain if needed.
    Then you get to do your charge, on average another 7”, but you also have the General’s Reckless ability to reroll your charge rolls within 10” of him if you have positioned carefully.
    The first turn charge is a big deal, but as mentioned, you can also save the big charge for later in the game - in which case charging in the hero phase might be a useful option.

    The upshot is, this army can move across the table for the turn one charge more reliably than Destruction armies using Rampaging Destroyer, and almost as well as the Lightning Strike Stormcast.
    Shooting
    A requirement of decent alpha strike armies is the ability to clear 'chaff'. Chaff are the annoying sacrificial units the enemy will throw in your way to slow you down, or ‘bubble-wrap’ more important units.
    To help deal with this, Dragonlords each have a ranged ability called Dragonfire.
    Remember how we passed up the opportunity of charging in the hero phase using that battalion ability? Instead, on a 4+, the Dragonlords can use Dragonfire in the hero phase, each potentially causing D6 mortal wounds. They can then do this again in the shooting phase. Pretty decent.
    Combat
    This is the meat-and-potatoes part of the list. Let’s assume you’ve managed to charge at least one dragon into key targets, which is quite likely. How much damage can you actually do?
    Each Dragonlord has an Aelven War Horn. When blown once per game, all units within 10” gain +1 attack with each melee weapon. The wording is important. If all three blow them in the hero phase, and are within 10” of each other, that is +3 attacks with each melee weapon.

    Suddenly, each Dragonlord attacks with:
    Dragon Lance: 6 Attacks, 3+ to Hit, 2+ to Wound, -1 Rend, 3 Damage Dragon’s Claws:  9 Attacks, 4+ to Hit, 3+ to Wound, -1 Rend, 2 Damage Fearsome Jaws:  6 Attacks, 4+ to Hit, 2+ to Wound, -2 Rend, D6 Damage And each unit of 5 Dragon Blades unit attacks with:
    Drake Lance:   25 Attacks, 3+ to Hit, 3+ to Wound, 0 Rend, 2 Damage Steed:    25 Attacks, 4+ to Hit, 4+ to Wound, 0 Rend, 1 Damage.
    Fearsome Jaws is the important one, but imagine a unit of 5 Knights doing 50 attacks! And half of them do two damage each!
    Now for the fun part. The General’s Command Ability, Lord of Dragons, allows every unit within 10” to reroll all failed Hit rolls for its combat attacks.
    OK I lied, THIS is the fun part; all Dragonlords have Quicksilver Potions. This is because you have two battalions in use, so you get an extra two artefacts. Most events allow duplicate artefacts (nothing against it in the GHB anyway). So you can attack with all three Dragonlords before the enemy gets to strike back. And as this is also your turn, you can even get in a unit of Dragon Blades.
    And that’s pretty much it. As an alpha strike army, you are getting the charge, doing an almighty ton of damage, and hoping there is not enough left to swing back.
    Army Cost
    The Dragonlord Hosts as a competitive 2,000 point army is one of the least expensive to collect. RRP directly from GW it is £177.50 - less if you purchase via online retailers. That’s a pretty good deal!
    Additionally, there are only 23 models to prepare, making it a good one for a beginner to get stuck into.
    Weaknesses
    There are some downsides that a canny opponent can take advantage of. The key one is that this army does its thing in one turn, while the Aelven War Horns, Potions, and charge bonuses are in effect. The Hit roll of the most important attacks (such as the Dragon’s) are only 4+, so anything that reduces the hit roll is going to throw a big spanner in the works.
    During turns in which these guys do not charge, the lance attacks lose +1 to Wound and 1 damage. Also, there is a lack of rend for a lot of these attacks.
    Objective play is a strength of the army, with a high threat range and speed.  But the army needs to throw everything at you in one go, and then go back for the objectives once they’re done. Perhaps keeping one or two units of Dragon Blades in reserve. So if you can keep out of their reach you might be able to score enough to take the game away from them. Easier said than done though.
    And lastly, just outlasting them if you can. Enough chaff ‘bubble-wrap’, a few missed charges from the Dragons, and things will start looking up.
    On the Table
    Jim and I had two games play testing the Dragonlord Host. My army consisted of:
    Nagash - 900
    4 x Morghast Archai - 480
    2 x Morchast Harbinger - 240
    2 x Morghast Harbinger - 240
     

    The Draconis force has been censored here due to unsightly proxies. Just use your imagination!
     
    I had been yet to lose Nagash in a matched play game so far, spanning three tournaments and a bunch of test games, so I was counting on Hand of Dust doing some good work.
    In the first game, Jim had the first turn, and by the end of that same turn I had lost Nagash and four Morghast Archai without striking back.
    In the second game, I took the first turn, got all my buffs off, and then tried to bubble-wrap Nagash a bit better. I moved the Harbingers to take some side objectives. This time Jim charged in the second turn, and again I lost Nagash and most of everything else in one round.
    Absolutely brutal!
    I would be keen to hear from anyone who has tried this! Please let me know your thoughts in the posts below. Can you think of any other counters? Would you be keen on giving the army a try?
  4. Tronhammer NZ
    Welcome to the second part of our list-tech series, wherein I explore the dark apertures of a mind so insidious, even the Lords of Chaos can’t come up with lists as broken as his. I refer of course to the mystical augur we know only as ‘Jim’.
    Jim comes up with thematic, non-legacy lists that we haven’t yet seen from the international tournament scene, or at least are not as prominent as we feel they could be.
    Last time we looked at a badass, Dragon-Riding ‘A(e)lfa Strike’ list. You can check out that post here.
    This week, Jim  gives us something far more sinister. Kneel, mortals, before Archaon Rotbringer.


    The Destroyer of Worlds is blessed by all the Dark Gods, often taking on their different aspects - including Nurgle.
     
    Archaon Rotbringer
    Archaon has been seen on the tournament circuit, but seldom, if ever, gets to a podium. Despite his intimidating stats, he is quite unwieldy, and can get taken out more often than is appropriate for a Destroyer of Worlds.
    This list will work probably better with small Archaon, but our goal is to find ways to make non-legacy warscroll lists viable. We think this is a great way to get value out of big Archaon.
    The basis for this combo is Archaon’s ability to trigger the Command Abilities for all Chaos Heroes nearby, and the fact that the effects of abilities can stack.
    It should be noted here that some tournaments add a house rule that stops abilities from stacking, so if you are looking at running this list, check the Player's Pack well beforehand!
    The List
    Archaon - 700 Festus the Leechlord - 120 Harbinger of Decay - 140 Harbinger of Decay - 140 Harbinger of Decay - 140 Harbinger of Decay - 140 Chaos Marauders (x10) - 60 Mark of Nurgle Putrid Blightkings (x5) - 180 Chaos Warriors (x10) - 180 Mark of Nurgle Chaos Warshrine - 200 Leaders: 6
    Battleline: 3
    Behemoths: 2
    Number of models: 32
    TOTAL POINTS: 2,000

    The Combos
    Deployment
    As a unit-heavy list, you have 10 deployments, and are unlikely to get the choice of first turn. This leaves you vulnerable to turn one alpha strikes, so deploy cautiously when up against alpha-strike lists by bubble-wrapping your heroes with the Marauders.

    Command Abilities
    Let’s crack straight into Command Abilities. Archaon’s Warlord Without Equal ability allows all other units in the army to immediately use their own command abilities. In order:
     
    Harbinger of Decay uses Morbid Vigour, allowing each model within 7” to ignore wounds and mortal wounds on a roll of a 5 or 6. A second Harbinger of Decay uses Morbid Vigour, allowing each model to within 7” to ignore wounds and mortal wounds on a roll of a 5 or 6. A third Harbinger of Decay uses Morbid Vigour, allowing each model within 7” to ignore wounds and mortal wounds on a roll of a 5 or 6. A fourth Harbinger of Decay uses Morbid Vigour, allowing each model within 7” to ignore wounds and mortal wounds on a roll of a 5 or 6. Let us pause here to explain how this works. In AOS, there is no such thing as a ‘Ward Save’. Listed above are four separate abilities, each of which lets each model within range ignore all wounds suffered (after saves) on a 5 or 6.
    For example; Archaon is within 7” of all four Harbingers. Say he gets hit by an arrow, and fails his 2+ armour save (he has Mystic Shield on of course). Now he has four more chances to ignore the wound on a roll of 5 or 6 - once for each Morbid Vigour ability in affect.
    This means that after Archaon fails an armour save, 19%, or roughly one-in-five wounds are actually going through. Effectively you would have to inflict 100 wounds to him to take him down. If you do factor in his save, which even up against -2 rend is a 4+ with Mystic Shield - that is 200 wounds he can statistically absorb. Plus he gets the extra save against mortal wounds thanks to the Chaos Runeshield.
    The rotten cherry on top of this disease-ridden combo is the Chaos Warshrine, adding an extra save on a six thanks to Protection of the Dark Gods.
    The Chaos Warshrine could then activate, allowing all units within 16" to re-roll failed Wound rolls with the Favour of Nurgle.
    Festus can then heal D3 wounds on one of your models with his Delightful Brews, Splendid Restoratives.
    The Putrid Blightkings can also heal nearby units D3 wounds with their Virulent Discharge.

    Magic Spells
    If you need to make Archaon invulnerable, Mystic Shield goes on him.
    Festus' Curse of the Leper is a nice debuff that can make key heavily armoured opposing units softer and softer. This combos very well with the Putrid Blightkings, who need the extra help with their lack of rend.

    Movement
    If you want to make the most of the protection combos, you need to keep your units pretty tightly grouped within range of the Harbingers. This is a disadvantage for when you have to divide your force for objective play, so you could divide the Harbingers between a few smaller pods if required.
    Marauders are a fantastic ‘chaff unit as they have Move 6, and can be very fast on the retreat, allowing you to block charges and then move on to contest objectives. As mentioned, they will not die in a hurry.

    Shooting
    None to speak of!

    Combat
    There isn’t much to say here. The synergy of the list is that the Nurgle units will not die. All units benefit from the combat buff from the Warshrine, but again it's the protective synergies that are taking you the distance.

    Army Cost
    This is a bit more of an expensive army to put together using the correct models. Archaon is the single most expensive model in the game at the moment (though if you can obtain the small version that might be an option), and the Harbingers are Finecast direct order only models. You can get around this by maybe converting some Chaos Knights. As is, however, the RRP is £321.50, and you will have 10 Marauders and 6 Chaos Warriors left over from their boxes.

    Unit Substitution
    This list could work well with a variety of Nurgle units. Epidemius is a great choice - hide him in your backlines somewhere. You could drop a few Harbingers for some more mobile troops like Plague Drones if the confined nature of deployment is too restricting. The Glottkin could be useful to double the amount of wounds the Marauder chaff can take to 100. You can even run the small Archaon if you want to be even cheesier than Jim -  as long as he can trigger the Harbingers, you’re golden. Or at least a sickly shade of green (it’s Nurgle after all).
    The list would scale very well up to Warhost sized games.

    Weaknesses
    Once the heroes start dying, your synergies fall apart. The good news is, this is very hard to achieve.
    Tactical flexibility is a big issue. To maximse the synergy, your units must all be in close proximity, relinquishing a lot of battlefield control. One way around this is to split your army into two pods, sending two Harbingers with each.
    A well-timed Hand of Dust or Curse of Years will also bring tears to your eyes.

    On the Table
    Jim and I had a game play-testing this list. My army consisted of:
    Nagash - 900 Wight King with Black Axe - 120 5 Black Knights x 120 20 Skeleton Warriors with Sword and Shield - 160 20 Skeleton Warriors with Spear and Shield - 160 20 Skeleton Warriors with Spear and Shield - 160 20 Grave Guard with Great Blades - 320 Legion of Death Battalion - 60 We played the Blood and Glory battleplan. It ended up being a poor example of how the Rotbringer army could play. Jim moved Archaon too far out of reach of the buffs. He charged some skeletons and fluffed all his dice rolls. I retreated my skeletons onto his objective, and charged him with my Grave Guard. Over the next few turns I was able to take him down, as he did not have the benefit of the Harbinger buffs. Plus his dice luck failed.
    I almost won the game, but missed a run roll with Nagash which would have allowed me to claim all four objectives. As a result, Nagash wasn’t involved in the game at all. Jim stayed in the game somehow, using his marauders and Harbingers to sneak through my army lines with canny use of retreats and piling in, and was able to snatch all four objectives by turn 5. An incredibly exciting and tactical game, which I’m still buzzing about, but not one that shows off the main synergies of Archaon Rotbringer!
     
    I am always keen to hear from anyone who has tried this! Please let me know your thoughts in the posts below. Can you think of any other counters? Would you be keen on giving the army a try?
  5. Tronhammer NZ

    Oldhammer Undead

    By Tronhammer NZ,

    I have always wanted to recapture some of that hobby magic from my formative years. As much as I love the kits GW are bringing out these days, I have always hankered after those classic figures from the 4th edition Undead book.
    I am fortunate in that I have been able to make a start on collecting this 'classic range', and I look forward to being able to share my progress.
    These models are from the era that I started getting into the hobby. I spent a lot of time wishing I had these models - my worn out 4th Edition Undead Army Book is a testament to that. And I have many more models yet to reveal.

    You might recognise this Gary Morley sculpt. The head is the original one. The story goes that the Marketing dept at the time wanted something more skeletal at the last minute, so he made a joke one, expecting them to reject it and go for the original. They didn't. However, one or two pre-production heads made it out into the wild...


    I'm not yet sure what my end goal is. I don't think I will field these on the table, but they will be painted and will have pride of place in my collection display. I plan to use the old 'red era' colouring used by 'Eavy Metal back in the day, rather than going for gritty and realistic.
    Massive thanks to @Antipodean7 for hooking me up with these dream models. I really hope I can return the favour someday.
  6. Tronhammer NZ
    A review of the results and general awesomeness of the Warhammer: Age of Sigmar event at the Wellington Warlord's Call To Arms convention.
    We had 11 entrants and one ringer player, making it one of the biggest events at Call To Arms.
    Unfortunately my tournament software failed me on the day, after using it successfully at several previous events. Luckily I had a backup spreadsheet handy, which worked very well. I tend to play at events as well as organise, so luckily this method wasn't too time-intensive.
    I'm going to look at the results first, then at how some of the lists performed. I will then go over my thoughts on the battleplans we played. Once I have a bit more time this week I will post a full battle report of my final game against Tomb Kings, which decided the tournament.
    Results

     
    Congratulations everyone! Campbell's army was particularly impressive:
     




     
    Army Performance
    Player army lists can be viewed in a previous post.
    Tomb Kings
    This was the winning list. The Necropolis Knights buffed by Settra and the Necrotect was the undoing of most armies, as they flew around the table doing crazy damage. Highly mobile, and highly durable with the unit banner. The Terrorgheists cry combined with the Bravery debuff from the catapults had more modest success, but were responsible for taking down a Treelord Ancient. Jim played the Freeguild, Sylvaneth, and Nagash lists, and had the most problem against the Undead. All up, the mobility served the army well with the objectives, and the 'deathstar' Necro Knights did the damage. Tomb Kings are very much a power army in Age of Sigmar.
    Freeguild
    Multiple Celestial Hurricana are a great combination, and Shaun's list had a lot of success. Only by missing out on a major objective did he come second - his kill points were not matched at Call To Arms. It's great to see the human troops do well, and suspect great things are in store for the faction going forward. Shaun says the mortal wound output was a key part of his success, and that the General on Griffon performed well with the extra attack and damage. His opponents tended to focus on his chaff units, allowing him to move on to table his opponent in most games. The game where he didn't push for the tabling cost him the event!
    Beastclaw Raiders
    This faction was only released on the day of the event, but thanks to the current release policies, the rules were available over a week beforehand. With only nine models, I was a little bit sceptical that the army could perform in battleplans that require quantity of models to capture objectives. In practice however, they did really well. Allegiance abilities allow the army to get across the table very quickly and hit hard, and so were able to neutralise opponents pretty well. I played this list in game two, and only Nagash was able to pull the game back. He would have won it easy had I not had the big guy.
    Moonclan Grots
    There were two armies that took Moonclan, and both had a mix of infantry and large creatures. The gribblies can be scary; I came up against the Troll Hag and Colossal Squig, which had some great abilities. The problem arose with Bravery and Battleshock. Once the infantry take a few models off, they crumble very quickly. The fanatics had some great rules, and it was great to see Skarsnik hit the table!
    Aelf Bows and Arrows 
    I was curious to see how this list performed, because it was almost 100% ranged attacks. With units that can shoot while in combat, it had the potential to be very powerful. It did do quite well, winning two of the three games with Major Victories. Bo never got the chance to play against the top three, so to some extent never got to fully test it. However, he went down against the Sylvaneth army, who were able to get across the table quickly. Once in combat their effectiveness was neutralised. I would like to see this matched against Tomb Kings. I think it would have done well against my army.
    Sylvaneth
    This faction is going to be one to watch. Being able to teleport across the board thanks to the Wyldwoods makes them a great alpha strike army, which is going to define the meta-game somewhat. Jim says if it wasn't for the fact that he spread his army a bit too thinly, and failed to focus on the priority targets in his army, Brendan would have won that game.
    The Nagash List
    It was great to be able to get my army down in two deployment drops, meaning I always got the choice of first turn. I probably made the wrong choice once or twice however. It was crucial on one of the games. The Legion of Death troops make excellent objective holders, with a ward save from the allegiance abilities and regenerating models. They are slow, but the battalion rule does help with that. The Wight Lord was very tanky. I found the Ring of Immortality useful - if he died I was able to resurrect him on an objective. But the true hero was Nagash. Simply put, he swings the game. He only came close to death once against the Beastclaw Raiders, but otherwise he serenely drifted around turning things into dust. He worked very well with a solid infantry core. The Grave Guard all got taken out before they could do anything.

    Battleplan Review
    Border War
    I played against Alistair's Moonclan. Taking the first turn allowed me to take the central objectives and score 5 VPs in turn one, which put Alistair on the back foot. He was able to retake them for a while in the middle of the game, but in the final two turns I was able to table him and take the back objective. I think getting that first turn and being able to capture the middle objectives early is a huge advantage, but you have to be able to weather the counter attack.
    Gifts From The Heavens
    Such a good scenario, one that I almost messed up. On each player's second turn an objective will drop in a random part of the battlefield. My opponent for this was the Beastclaw Raiders, who just focused on smashing me. My troops were quite slow, and I deployed them too far forward, so I got charged in turn one. However, without quick troops it's difficult to react to the objective drops. Requires a diverse list to cope with. Even tabling the opponent is no guarantee of victory if you can't get near the objective. Remember that you score more later in the game too.
    Blood and Glory
    This was my favourite. You can move off the objective and still control it, until your enemy comes and claims it. We slightly misinterpreted exactly when you can 'flip' it. We played it that you can only claim it at the end of your own turn, but the rules do say you can also do so at the end of your opponent's turn. We were consistent so it didn't effect the outcome. The most significant thing about this battleplan is that you can only score a major victory if you control all four objectives, which can be quite tough. My army for example is not very mobile, so I could only ever hope for a minor victory against an agile army like Jim's.
    Feedback
    I've had some fantastic feedback following the event, with gamers really pumped for more. Jim and I will have a rankings page up soon, so hopefully we can form a solid tournament scene out of the success of events like this. I can only see the game going from strength to strength.
    The General's Handbook rules get a big thumbs up from us!
    There are players who really want to play at 2,500 point level, while some are happy with the smaller point events. I hope to be able to test all sizes and formats this year to see how we go, so it's great to be able to test the waters.
    A massive thanks to Matthew, Luke and especially Nathan for supplying some of the most amazing GW store terrain they've put together over the years. Nathan brought his Legion of Azgorh as the ringer player, won two of his games, and most importantly gave people really fun games.
    Photos
    Here are some of my favourite photos. You can view a full album on my Facebook blog here.




  7. Tronhammer NZ
    The Wellington Warlord's annual gaming event Call To Arms is this weekend, and they were kind enough to let us run Warhammer as one of the events on offer. We ended up with 11 entrants (plus one ringer player), and it has been great to meet with all the new players (over the internet so far, but in person this weekend) and share in their enthusiasm in the build-up to this event.
    For some it will be their first tournament, and for others it will be their first games of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar. However, there are a few seasoned campaigners among us.
    This will be the first event in New Zealand to use the General's Handbook matched play guidelines.
    CTA 2016 AOS Players Pack_v3.pdf
    See the TGA event page here.
    I have been working to finish the last of my Deathrattle Legion of Death, who will be overseen by the Supreme Lord of the Undead Himself:

    The first round draw has been made, so I will list those here along with the army lists, and talk a little bit about each.
    Table 1
     

     
    VS


     
    Campbell's list has a mix of old and new, mixing Freeguild (along with some familiar faces from the World-That-Was) with some Stormcast Battleline units. I think it will rely on the General and Steam Tank to get the job done, while the Greatswords and Stormcast will be the objective holders. Gelt and Huss are not strong choices here, but I will be interested to see how they do perform over the weekend.
    James has a pretty hard list. He took Tomb Kings with great success at NICON, and has opted on two main combos at CTA; one that boosts the effectiveness of the Necropolis Knights, making them fast and very killy, and one that debuffs bravery via the Screaming Skull Catapults in order to make the Terrorgheist attacks more effective. The chariots have great regeneration, so he also has some objective holders. It's going to be a tough one to go against. The only weakness that I can see comes if we can somehow get Jimmy to kneel down during his games...
    Table 2

     
    VS
    Nathan Smith
    Nathan is the ringer player, so we don't have his list. He is very kindly supplying a TON of awesome terrain, which we are all excited to play on. Thanks Nath!
    Nick's army focuses around a core of Scourge Privateers. The Warscroll Battalion will allow him some extra flexibility with bonus movement. Nick will be well served by a solid infantry list if he keeps his eye on the scenario objectives, but it remains to be seen how he will cope with larger monsters. The lone Grimwrath Berzerker (a prisoner, we assume) is a good dark horse choice, as they always do more damage and stay around longer than you might think.
     
    Table 3


    VS


     
    A good old-fashioned Ogor-Off. Matthew is able to take the brand new Beastclaw Raiders allegiance, giving him the smallest army in the field at nine models. This army will be all about charging in and dealing mortal wounds up front. He may struggle with objectives, but that doesn't matter because this is one of those good old balls-to-the-wall table-or-be-tabled lists, and is going to be good fun to go up against.
    His opponent Fraser has a more traditional Gutbuster list, with a core of infantry along with some shooting from the Ironblaster. A solid, all-rounder that should do well if he focuses on objectives.
    Table 4

     
    VS


     
    I'm kind of scared of Alistair's list. The Moonclan are popular with players in AOS, and this guy has all the Forge World toys - Troll Hag, Colossal Squig, and even old Skarsnik! There is so much potential damage output here, I am going to have to rely on Nagash pulling his weight from a distance if possible, as I don't trust Alistair to not take him out in one turn. A solid battleline with the insane (damage-wise as well as mental health-wise) Fanatics to think my ranks. Whatever happens, it will be a blast.
    With my list, I took the Legion of Death Warscroll Battalion and Nagash, giving me just two deployment drops, so I should be able to have the choice of the turn order in all my games. I should be able to weather most of what people throw at my battleline, which are no slouches in the damage department either (the Grave Guard are seriously dangerous), but Nagash himself can take out half an army if he needs to. I am somewhat conservative with him though, as I have lost him in one turn before, but if I can keep him alive and score the objectives, his point cost alone should allow me to win any tie-breaks.
     
    Table 5

     
    VS


     
    Bo's list is going to be a good test to the notion that shooting-based armies are OP in Warhammer: Age of Sigmar. The Ellyrian Reavers being battleline units is quite beneficial, as they have excellent manoeuvrability, and can pump out shooting attacks as well. Great for getting to and sittin on objectives. Three bolt throwers... my goodness. Again, nothing stopping Bo from dropping these on objectives. Swordmasters are going to do some damage in combat, but success against this list will be determined by other armies ability to get across the board and wipe units out. Easier for some than others! 
    Brendan is taking the brand new Sylvaneth units, and I'm keen to see how they perform. The Warscroll Battalions add a bit more survivability to the Treelords, and allow some of the Dryads to recycle back onto the table, which will be great for objectives. Hopefully Brendan also has a heap of Sylvaneth Wyldwoods to cover the table with, as these will help create tactical advantages such as dangerous ground for his opponent, and unit teleportation for himself. A good chance at doing well against tough lists due to this flexibility.
     
    Table 6

     
    VS


     
    Luke is sporting another Moonclan list, and this one is focused on covering the table in grots. The larges model count by far at 145 models, it also has some fantastic damage dealers in the Mangler Squigs and the Fanatics. Hopefully the weight of numbers will be enough to survive on the objectives.
    Shaun has a Freeguild list that I really like. No less than three wizard-wagons, and two more wizards on foot, supported by infantry for objectives. That could equate to some serious magical damage output. The wizards on foot allow Shaun to choose a different spell lore for each at the start of each game, giving him some flexibility against his opponents. 
    As you can see there are some really interesting list out and about at Call To Arms, and I'm really looking forward to the aftermath.
    The entrants at this event will also be the first to be able to enter the national scoreboard, and more details will be forthcoming after the event.
    It is still not too late to enter the event as a last-minute entry, so please get in touch if you would like to participate. If not, and you are in the area, please come in and say hello! 
  8. Tronhammer NZ
    NICON 2016, less than a week to go - final touches are being made to armies, rules packs are being printed, scenarios are being scrutinised. Tournament week can be intense times!
    We finalised our field for the Age of Sigmar event last week, with a total of 8 players. I am encouraged by this number, as I had about 16 express interest but unable to make if for the weekend. Some would have to have travelled quite far, and some couldn't commit to the two days. I think future events will take the form of single-day events in future, once the General's Handbook has been released.
    What's more is that many of those playing AOS were not part of the 7th or 8th edition tournament 'scene', so good on them for giving it a go.
    Below are the lists, with some brief thoughts. As a reminder, we can bring up to 120 points to the event, but we can deploy only 80 per game. The exception is summoning, where you can summon 2 points worth of troops for every point less than 80 that you deploy.
    Army Breakdown
    This is a fairly small field compared to the big oversees events, so the diversity of armies is somewhat limited, with no Destruction armies at all - though the composition of each is quite different.

     
    Army Lists
    I'll start with my list. I have the option to go infantry-heavy, but as mentioned in my previous post, my main competitive 'trick' is based around getting the Mourngul and Morghast summoned in the first turn in order to quickly cause carnage and contest objectives. Arkhan will extend his spells to buff, but if I need to play a defensive game, Krell will lead with his Lord of Bones to give units extra attacks. 
    My potential Warscroll Battalion choice is the Legion of Death, giving my Deathrattle units and extra 4" move, and an extra body back each turn.
     

     
    The other Death army is mostly Tomb Kings, but with some of the newer units as well. Based around Settra's buffing ability, and that of the Priests, Necromancer and Tomb King, his aim is to turn the Necropolis Knights and the Tomb Guard into unstoppable forces. The smallest list, but probably the toughest nut to crack.
     


    This order list is making good use of the larger selection of units available to Grand Alliance: Order. Containing units of Free People, Duardin and Stormcast, the Warrior Lodge has a good mix of speed, shooting and armour. Potential battalion in the form of the Thunderstrike Brotherhood for the Stormcast would allow Tristan to 'deep strike' a large portion of his force, which could be handy for several of the objective-based scenarios.
     


    A pure-lizardmen list, led by none other than Lord Kroak himself, I'd say Carl will be making use of his summoning pool, with Kroak providing support from the rear lines. The area-of-effect damage potential is significant, and there are some excellent synergies to be had with his other heroes nearby his troops. Scary potential. I believe this list would allow him to take the Bloodclaw Starhost if he chose to.
     


    This Order list has also mixed it up, with Sylvaneth in a reluctant alliance with the Fyreslayers. Led by the damn-scary Durthu, Marlin will have to rely on the big tree damage, synergistic with the Sylvaneth Wildwood terrain features he is bringing with him and could potential summon with Durthu. Good use of that terrain could really mess with his opponents.
     


    A pure aelf exile list, replete with the one and only Malus Darkblade, returning to form post-End Times to bring the pain. Executioners are the stand-out unit, with Nicholas having the choice of deploying them as five separate units or as one host of suffering. It's got speed, magic, shooting, hitty-ness. How Nicholas works the force together will determine it's overall performance against lists with excellent individual units.
     

     
    Embracing the Blood God's own ethos, Byron has decided to field the best of what the Bloodhosts have to offer - no less than 13 heroes, including three unique 'special characters'. But with a cunning of Tzeentchian levels, there is also a ton of synergy here, with the Blood Reavers, Bloodsecrator, Wrathmongers, and Bloodstokers able to make his meat-shields dish out the hurt in their own right. Can't wait to see it on the table. Potential battalions include the Goreblade Warband, Gorechosen and Dark Feast.
     

     
    Another scary list, with a good mix of synergies and individual prowess. A myriad of potential summoning options, and the magical fire-power to make it work. Dan could flood the board with units, which will make of challenging games for his opponents, and the speed with which he can cross the board will serve him well with many of the scenarios. Another tough list to beat.
     

     
    So those are the lists. I will post some updates from the event on my Twitter feed and Facebook page if you'd like to follow along. The next post will probably be of the results, followed by a post-event write-up. I think I will be too busy to post anything before then.
     
  9. Tronhammer NZ
    With our North Island Gaming Convention just around the corner, it is time to make the hard choices about what to bring in order to sow death and reap souls in the name of the Great Necromancer.
    Here are my thoughts about what I'm bringing, what my overall strategies will be, and how I arrived to those decisions.
    NICON Army Composition
    At NICON we will be using the SCGT players pack, with the exceptions that we are allowing all legacy warscrolls, and that the pool choice restrictions are 120 for the army and 80 for the deployed warband.
    Starting Point
    My collection started with the Deathrattle faction. I love the models, and the Dark Lord of Despair has been leading my forces through our local escalation campaign. I had the following models:
    Wight King (Black Axe) - 3 Wight King (Infernal Standard) - 3 Necromancer - 4 20 Skeletons (Spears) - 8 20 Skeletons (Swords) - 8 10 Grave Guard (Great Blades) - 8 5 Black Knights - 5 I really love the synergies with these warscrolls. the Lord of Bones command ability (+1 to all attacks) and Vanhel's Danse Macabre (an extra pile-in) has proven very effective on my Grave Guard, and on occasion, Black Knights. My original plan was to add the Legion of Death warscroll battalion, and so started painting up another 20 Skeletons and 5 Grave Guard.
    I have the Nagash model, but felt he would be a bit too over-the-top for this tournament. I didn't want to put off anyone new to the game or the hobby, but I also didn't want to turn up and lose 6 games. So I selected his lieutenant, Arkhan the Black - one of my all time favourite characters, to lead in his stead. I also added other models from my collection in order to help fill out the points:
    Arkhan the Black - 18 2 Morghast Archai - 10 3 Spirit Hosts - 5 I'd love to get more Spirit Hosts. Those things are great value. So the plan at this point was to deploy the Legion of Death battalion, and then summon the Archai, Spirit hosts and some more Grave Guard. But then something happened.
    The Monstrous Arcanum warscrolls came out.
    Enter, the Mourngul.
     

     
    The Lure of Power
    The SCGT boys brought out a pool cost for this bad boy a week before the pool choice lock for NICON, so I was able to include the Mounrgul in my list. This would give my army some much needed punch, and also help with taking and holding objectives. But how best to fit him in? He is 18 points (exactly what my group predicted it would be), but by including him in my summoning pool I could halve this. The downside is that the Mourngul requires a casting roll of 10 to cast.
    Arkhan gets +2 to cast by default. When summoning, he gets an extra +1. With the Morghast Archai nearby, he gets another +1. I happened to have a Mortis Engine still on the sprue from one of the starter boxes. With it, I can give Arkhan a sweet + 5 to cast (before any terrain bonuses), making the Mourngul summon much more reliable. So I put the Mortis Engine together in an evening, and with 3 weeks left to go, set about painting it and the Mourngul. These new acquisitions meant I have to forgo the extra skeletons and Grave Guard, and not take the Legion of Death battalion. But I feel much better having including them.
    Mourngul - 18 Mortis Engine - 7 This left me with 2 pool choices left over. Luckily there is a 2 point option in the Death Grand alliance - the Cairn Wraith. Time to pick one up. The plan is to have it hang back behind the Grave Guard or Skeletons, smacking up big units with it's 2" range.
     

     
    The Summoning Pool
    I plan to keep the Morghast Archai and the Mourngul in the summoning pool. In scenarios and against opponents where I have to be attacking, I will use Arkhan as the general, his First of the Mortarchs command ability extending the range of his spells. I would summing both the Archai and Mourngul in the same turn if possible. This will place my hardest-hitting hammer where I need them in order to assault objectives. Arkhan can then sit back and try to get as many Curse of Years spells off as he can, adding Vanhel's or Mystic Shield along with the Necromancer as needed.
    The Leadership Conundrum
    Using First of the Mortarchs means passing up Lord of Bones, which has until now been a very successful ability. I guess it will come down to the situation need for it. I know for example there will be a Khorne Daemon army and a Khorne Bloodbound army at NICON, and they will be moving towards me as fast as possible, meaning Arkhan's extra range will be less important. In this case Lord of Bones could be the better option. Will have to take that on a game-by-game basis.
    Final List
    So that's the plan. I will be taking the Black Knights with me, but in all likelihood I will not be deploying them unless the extra mobility is absolutely crucial in the right circumstances - perhaps to help achieve the Breakthrough Hidden Agenda.
    Deployed Warband
    Arkhan the Black - 18 Wight King (Black Axe) - 3 Wight King (Infernal Standard) - 3 Necromancer - 4 Cairn Wraith - 2 Mortis Engine - 7 3 Spirit Hosts - 5 20 Skeletons (Spears) - 8 20 Skeletons (Swords) - 8 10 Grave Guard (Great Blades) - 8 TOTAL = 66
    Summoning Pool
    2 Morghast Archai - 10 Moungul - 18 TOTAL = 28
  10. Tronhammer NZ
    Over the weekend I had the privilege of playing in one of the best games of Warhammer this side of Morrsend. 
    We played using no points (the brief was to literally bring what we liked), and no extra rules restrictions or modifications other than what was clarified in the recent FAQs.
    The scenario was of course Convergence of Fate, which we only adjusted to make better deployment zones, and removed the extra re-rolls for Vow of Enmity.
    The battle took place in one of the Underworlds within the Realm of Death, where the memories of the souls who linger there have formed facsimile landscapes of the World-That-Was. This is why you will notice some familiar names. 
    The Forces consisted of:
    The Host of Light
    Eltharion the Grim (General)
    Tyrion - Avatar of Light (thank you @Mengel Miniatures for the Warscroll!)
    Teclis
    Korhil
    2 x High Aelf Mages
    1 x High Aelf Prince
    25 x Swordmasters
    15 x Lion Rangers
    2 x Chariots
    5 x Dragon Knights
    3 x Bolt Throwers
    20 x Archers
    1 x Great Eagle

     
    The Tomb Legions of Settra the Imperishable
    Settra the Imperishable (General)
    Royal Warsphinx
    2 x Tomb Kings
    4 x Liche Priests
    1 x Casket of Souls
    6 x Necropolis Knights
    20 x Tomb Guard
    40 x Skeleton Archers
    1 x Necrosphinx

     
    The Deathlords of Shyish
    Arkhan the Black (General)
    Nagash
    Wight King with Black Axe
    Wight King with Infernal Banner
    Necromancer
    2 x Morghast Archai
    3 x Spirit Hosts
    40 x Skeleton Warriors 
    10 x Grave Guard
    5 x Black Knights

     
    Deployment


     
    Turn 1
    Nagash allies with the Host of Light against the more threatening Tomb Legions, who need no ally.

    The mystical forest near the aelf deployment befuddles the eagle and the archers.

    The Swordmasters gain potent magical protection from the Eldritch council - 3 Mystic Shields and the Shield of Saphery.

    The Host of Light advances, laying claim to the Dais early.

    The buffs start spreading in a lengthy first Magic phase by the Tomb Kings. The alliance is troubled by the power developing down this end of the board.

    The Necrosphinx, with 2 Mystic Shields roars across the battlefield to engage Eltharion, and preventing the archers from releasing their mighty volley (whenever they awaken from their stupor).

    Eltharion takes heavy damage.

    Nagash unleashes his magic. Able to borrow the Liche Priest's spells, he imbues the Grave Guard with potent ability. The spirit hosts is destroyed by a round of shooting from the archers, and Nagash takes four wounds from the same unit.

    The Undead armies advance. Nagash summons another Spirit Host and moves to lend support to his Aelf ally.

    The Grave Guard make a huge charge into the Tomb Guard, though the skeletons fail, and so they are left without support. The combat is swift but brutal. They kill many, but are completely destroyed in return, despite their buffed ability.

    Turn 2
    Alliances stay in place. The Tomb Legion clearly need to be stopped.

    Eltharion is slaughtered by the Necrosphinx, and Tyrion wheels round to attack. The Dragon Knights move in to support.

    The Tomb Legion releases its second wave - the Necropolis Knights, while his super-buffed archers move to take out Nagash. Over 150 shots later, the Lord of the Undead is taken down.

    With the help of the Necropolis Knights, Tyrion is slain. The Heart of Avelorn shatters and he is brought back, but only briefly. The reanimants are too strong.

    The archers charge the skeleton warriors, braving the wrath of the Wight Kings.

    The Swordmasters pile in to the Necropolis Knights, but this foe is too strong even for them, with mystic shields in play and too many wounds.

    Teclis's Tempest blows the Necrosphinx off the battlefield, but still little headways on the Necro Knights.

    The Brave Aelven Prince seeks vengeance for the death of the High Lords, and charges Settra - wounding him twice. He somehow survives with 1 wound left. He is killed the following turn.

    The Dragon Knights charge into the battle, but are wiped out completely before they can attack. Yep, that's 3 Mystic Shields on the Necro Knights.

    The skeleton warriors ably cut down the archers, as Arkhan observes how his ally fares. The Necropolis Knights threaten to carve through the entire Aelf force.

    With a dismissive gesture, Arkhan casts Curse of years on the Necropolis Knights. The Aelves look on, astonished, as the seemingly invulnerable unit crumbles into corpse dust before their eyes. Such power!

    The Morghast and Black Knights turn to deal with the emerging Tomb Scorpions. This doesn't go as well as hoped, as the scorpions take down one of the Morghasts with ease.

    The first and second waves of the Tomb King assault have been vanquished, at great cost. However, having witnessed Arkhan's potent magical ability, Teclis begins to rethink the alliance...

     
    Turn 3
    Betrayed! The Aelf and Tomb Legion forces ally, and both armies take the initiative.

    The Liche Priests summon more Tomb Guard, and imbue them with Righteous power.

    The Spirit Hosts are charged by Settra. Miraculously they get past his defences with their ghostly attacks, and Settra is vanquished! Another turning point in the battle.

    The undead forces had been moving to position around the Dais. They had been hoping for the alliance to last another turn to better establish themselves. But now, caught on the back foot, they are surrounded by Lion Rangers and Swordmasters.

    Arkhan the Black is cut down by the Tomb Guard. Luckily, the Black Knights and Morghast begin to demolish the scorpions. The necromancer summons a few Grave Guard, but will it be enough?

    The Lion Rangers, led by Korhil, surround and butcher the necromancer. With his passing also goes the ability to summon more troops.

    Chariots and Bolt Throwers cut down the summoned Grave Guard. Suddenly the Aelves are in the ascendancy, very well positioned to hold the Dais.

    The Wight Kings attempt to consolidate by finishing off the Tomb Guard.

     
    Turn 4
    The alliance shifts against the Aelves, as the two Undead forces join.

    The Tomb Kings unleash a ferocious third wave. The Royal Warsphinx and Bone Giant are imbued with multiple Mystic Shields and Righteous Smiting.

    The elite Aelven forces are cut down in the face of such an assault. With numbers thinning, the result of the battle is in the balance. In return their magic and shooting drastically reduces the last of Nagash's forces.

    The Black Knights retreat from the chariot and great eagle. What's left of the skeleton warriors take advantage of the alliance pact (with no generals left to break the pact), and surround the Liche Priests.

     
    Turn 5
    The Wight King allies with the Aelves once again. Unable to take victory for himself, he chooses to fight against their shared hated foe, from battles long ago.

    Frantically hacking at the War Sphinx, the Dark Lord of Despair is unable to finish it off with his Black Axe. But he does prevent it from moving on to smash the Aelven allies. He even survives an extra round thanks to the Infernal Banner.

    More frantic positioning around the Dais. The Aelves are low on models remaining, but currently have the advantage.

    The final model in Nagash's army, refusing to let the banner fall.

     
    Turn 6
    Going into the final turn. There are no alliances. The Aelves refuse all help.

    The Tomb Guard retreat from the Wight King, and take the objective. Liche priests summon more archers, and the Bone Giant wrecks what is left of the Aelven forces.

    The Wight King is finally cut down in his attempt to kill off a few more Tomb Guard in order to give the Aelves a chance at victory. The Aelves need to kill two more Tomb Guard in order to claim the objective.

    Teclis and his Eldritch council line up their Arcane Bolts. They miss with the first two...

    But the last one kills two Tomb Guard on the Dais... and as the final turn ends, the Aelves have the victory!

     
    And so concluded an absolutely epic battle. It took about eight hours to play, but we figure about three of those hours were taken up by the casting buffing spells, and another 4 hours on re-roll archer's shots. So it wasn't THAT long really...
  11. Tronhammer NZ
    I've been gathering my army of Death since before the End Times.
    Out of context, reading that sentence back makes me sound quite epic. But within the hobby, I am sure I'm not the only one.
    For me it started with Nagash, my all time favourite special character, and has now grown to encompass the Dark Lord of Despair and his Deathrattle Horde - the Doomed Legion.
    It has been an absolute pleasure getting back to the nitty-gritty (mostly gritty) of an Undead army. I enjoyed my army from 4th edition, but the new models are just spectacular.

    My hope is to get 110 SCGT points done in time for NICON in June, and I am well on track. 
    Even more exciting is this weekend, where my old-school Warhammer buddies and I are getting back to what we did best in the old days - MULTIPLAYER BATTLES. We are going to try out the Convergence of Fate Battlescroll, no holds barred. And it will be the first time I will field the Supreme Lord of the Undead, and his top Lieutenant.
    There will be an entire contingent of scribes present for the battle, so there should be plenty to report, once the Deathlords have had the chance to survey their work. My opponents include the hated Settra and his legion of statue-fetishists from the Endless Desert, and Tyrion, Lord of Light, along with his brother and an army of foppish sycophants. I anticipate being on the receiving end of their alliance, at least to start with. Even now my spies are at work, spreading lies, and creating division.
     

     
    In future posts I will regale you with tales from the battlefield, progress of The Great Summoning, and propaganda true histories of the background of the mighty villains heroes of my corner of the Realm of Shyish.
    Until next time, mortal servants.
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