Hordes of Things: KOW Abyssals

Showing posts with label KOW Abyssals. Show all posts

Saturday, 30 October 2021

Halpi's Rift - Empyrean Plane

Third game in Halpi's Rift Campaign - the Empyrean Plane. This is the "good" plane with forests that heal units in them, and chapels that inspire your nearby units (so allowing them to reroll break tests if they don't already have inspire). Plus the channeling table helps and heals your units. The magic is a bit weird in this one as your spellcasters heal if they are in the opponents half of the board, but they take damage equal to the turn number, and increase their spells by a level if on your side of the board.

I continued using my Trident Realms and Vaughan his Abyssals, though with changes to lists. My Trident Realms brought along some Orc allies, given I'd just painted them and was keen to use them! The Abyssals took a Warlock and more magic than last time.

Trident Realm and Orcs

2 Depth Horror Hordes
Riverguard Dambuster Horde
2 Kraken
Depth Horror Eternal
Riverguard Sentinel
Kyroqsh the Hunter
2 Orc Gore Rider Regiments
Orc Godspeaker
Orc Flagger

Abyssals

2 Succubi Regiments
Abyssal Guard Regiment
2 Flamebearer Troops
2 Hellhound Troops
2 Gargoyle Troops
Moloch Horde
Efreet
Warlock
Abyssal Archfiend
Succubi

The Game

Scenario was control, so the table divided into six 2 foot square sectors, and whoever controls the most at end of the game wins. The central sector of the opponents deployment zone is worth two points to you if you hold it, and other sectors are worth one point each.

With a smaller more punchy army I vacillate over deployment, but eventually put my Depth Horrors behind the Orc Gore Riders to help protect them from shooting, and to be a second wave to hopefully smash through the centre and capture this more valuable sector.

I win first turn and advance to charge range.

My big formation of death in the centre!

The Abyssals charge and position themselves to flanking or support positions.

Hellhounds do five damage in melee to my left Gore Riders, and fireballs and firebolts do six to my other Gore Riders. Luckily I have a Flagger here to help boost morale though!

My turn, and I kill the Hellhounds with the first Gorerider Regiment, and the second Gore Rider Regiment charges and damage the Molochs. My Depth Horrors charge through the forest and kill a Flamebearer troop. On the right, my Sentinel charges and destroys a flanking Gargoyle Troop.

Magic rockets back and forth. My Orc Godspeaker fireballs and wavers the Efreet, but then the Warlock blasts and kills him in turn.

On the left my Kraken and Kyroqsh have got themselves into an unfortunate position and are surrounded, and the first Kraken is killed.

The Abyssal Guard in the centre waver my Gore Riders and my Depth Horrors behind have to spend a turn sidestepping to their left to get into position to charge.

Molochs kill my other Goreriders, but are then finished off by my Depth Horrors, who have managed to survive a flank charge from the Hellhounds.

My other Kraken and Kyroqsh manage to kill the archfiend but then go down fighting attacked both flanks.

In the centre, the Warlock has blasted away a Depth Horror unit, and then been killed by my Dambusters, which join the other Depth Horror unit in attacking the Abyssal Guard. But a double one for the break test and the Guard stand firm and regenerate about a dozen wounds in their turn 5!

And turn six, and the game ends. I finish off the Abyssal Guard, but it is not enough. The Abyssals have captured both left sectors, and the bottom right in photo below. I have the bottom central sector and top right, and the central top sector is contested. Score is 3-2 to Abyssals!

Saturday, 25 September 2021

Halpi's Rift - Abyssal Plane

Vaughan and I played our second Halpi's Rift game today, with his Abyssals taking on my Riverguard on the Abyssal Plane. See this previous post for the first battle in the Material Plane.

I don't really have any super demonic evil looking Abyssal terrain, so making do I flipped over the mat and added cotton wool some steam to the lakes, and evil tree in the middle of the forests, and some old magical vortices to represent the magical obelisks. :)

The Hellfire lakes give -1 to Waver and rout values of any unit touching them.

The Magical Vortices are blocking terrain, and any unit within 6" gets the Brutal +1 for each vortex within that range. (I.e. +1 to nerve checks when trying to rout enemy units).

The Channeling Table results for the Abyssal Plane tend towards destructive effects!

Armies used were similar to last time but changed up a bit. My list was:

2 Riverguard Treeleaper Regiments
Riverguard Dambuster Horde with Brew of Sharpness
2 Kraken (Froghemoth)
Water Elemental Horde
Greater Water Elemental
Riverguard Sentinel with Tome of Darkness
Riverguard Dambuster Sentinel with Blade of Slashing
Ecktar

Vaughans list was:

Abyssal Guard Regiment
2 Succubi Regiments
2 Moloch Hordes
Gargoyle Troop
2 Hellhound Troops
Abyssal Harbringer
Seductresss with Bane Chant
Chroneas
Archfiend of the Abyss

The Game

Here's the terrain. I used Epic Dwarf Map generator, but replaced buildings and hills with magical vortices, and difficult ground for the hellfire lakes. Mission is Loot, with the three treasure chests to pick up and hold across the centre line.

First turn, Abyssals win and move first with me following. My units are mostly faster, so I move up to within strike range of the Abyssals in centre and on right, but out of their charge range except for the Archfiend which will be able to charge if it wants.

Turn 2 and the Abyssals charge the Archfiend into the Dambusters and move up with the Succubi to support.

The Fiend gets luckyish and wavers the Dambusters which is rather disastrous for me!

My turn and on the channeling table I get the "Abyssal Vengeance" magical effect, which means I chooose a unit to explodes when it dies, doing D6 Piercing 2 hits to any unit in combat against it. Naturally I choose the Dambusters and put a big explodey marker next to them to remind the Abyssals what will happen if they mess with them...

In the centre the Abyssals had thrown their Gargoyles forward to block my Krakens and Greater Water Elemental. The Gargoyles also had a Cloak of Death Channeling Table result on them which did a point of damage to four of my units, though two of them healed this with regeneration. Not seeing any better option I charge the Gargoyles down and overrrun, and get ready to face the return charges from the Abyssals. On my left the Treeleapers kill a Hound unit.

I charge into the Succubi on my right flank but fail to do much to them.

Turn three for the Abyssals and they care not about the exploding Dambusters and the Archfiend and Succubi finish them off taking three and two damage respectively from them. Treeleapers are finished off on my other flank too. Both my flanks have caved in, and I also lose a Kraken in the centre to Molochs thanks to the Magical Vortices either side of them... My Riverguard Sentinel who had jumped over Chroneas to hunt down the Abyssal Harbringer, is unfortunately wavered by firebolts shot by the Harbringer. Things are going... poorly...

My turn three and I kill off the Abyssal Guard which had tried a cunning flanking move on the Water Elemental, and I also manage to finish off Chroneas with the Water Elementals thanks to a Channeling Table result of "Fiendish Frenzy" (grants Elite so reroll ones to hit).

Turn four and the Abssyals smash through my flank units...

Leaving me with just a Kraken, my Water Elementals and two characters.

I counterattack and do a lot of damage but not enough to break any Abyssal unit...

Turn 5 my centre units are killed off but Ektar charges and kills the Molochs, causing them to drop the central treasure chest. Individuals can't carry these loot tokens but it stops the Abyssals having it! Also on my right my Water Elementals have survived against the first Succubi regiment and kill them with help of a Channeling Table result of "Fiendish Fury" yet again!

Turn 6, and the Succubus tries to stop the Water Elementals but fails. They pass through him and finish off the wounded second Succubi unit, grabbbing the chest from them. In the centre the Archfiend kills the Riverguard Sentinel, and Ektar charges him back but fails to do anything.

And the game ends turn 6. We both have a single Treasure Chest each, so the game surprisingly ends in another draw (though it would be a win to the Abyssals on killpoints!).

Conclusion

All the extra Abyssal Plane effects means battles here will be bloody! It was looking very grim for the Riverguard until Turn 5 when I got a slim chance for achieving a draw. The Abyssals had a chance to multi-charge my Water Elementals with two Succubi Regiments but favoured doing it with just the one Banechanted unit, that came to within one point of destroying them, but ultimately let them live and regenerate and fight back, killing the two Succubi regiments and snatching a chest for the draw. The Archfiend killed the Sentinel who was aiming for the Hellhounds holding the left side treasure chest, but this also meant it failed to reclaim the central chest.

Another fun game and more learning for both of us and we will be onto the Empyrean Plane (Good) for the third battle!

Saturday, 3 July 2021

Halpi's Rift - Material Plane

Vaughan and I played our first Halpi's Rift game today, with his Abyssals taking on my Riverguard on the Material Plane.

Halpi's Rift is a campaign supplement for Kings of War. You can play scenarios across a series of Magical Planes, where there are various magical effects in action, and extra magic abilities and mercenary units available.

These magical effects increase as you take more spellcaster levels, but here both Vaughan and I took minimal magic here so the effect was smaller. We used the Epic Dwarf Map, replacing the difficult terrain with freezing lagoons (you get frozen rule, -1 movement if you start your turn in them). The building on the right with the blue roof brought along by Vaughan is the Bard's Taphouse (can't be wavered if within 6" of it). And spellcasters within 12" of centre of table (marked by standing stone) can reroll their spell dice, but take a damage for each dice rerolled. Also start of each turn you roll dice equal to your spellcaster levels on a Chanelling table and you can get various random magical effects happening.

I used the Riverguard Trident Relams army I just used in the Oamaru tournament.

2 Riverguard Treeleaper Regiments
2 Riverguard Treeleaper Troops
Riverguard Dambuster Horde
2 Tidal (Frog) Swarm Regiments
2 Depth Horror Hordes
Kraken (Froghemoth)
Depth Horror Eternal
Riverguard Dambuster Sentinel
Ecktar

Vaughan's Army was:

Abyssal Guard Regiment with Dragonshard Shield
2 Succubi Regiments
Hellhound Regiment
Flamebearer Troop
Molochs with Strider Boots and Imp
Gargoyle Troop
Efreet
Seductresss with Bane Chant
Harbringer
Chroneas
Archfiend of the Abyss

We determined scenario and it was invade (player with most unit strength in opponents half of table wins at end of the game). Here is deployment.

Here's the start of the game on my left flank. The Abyssal army has some shooting units (like the flamebearers and Efreet opposite this flank) and some units also regenerate. So in theory I want to close into combat as quickly as I can, as my units will do poorly in a shooting or attrition grind.

On the right as I push forward, getting ready to take a charge from the Abyssal units, as their wings give them the advantage of first strike.

The Abyssals advance and charge...

I win on my left, wiping out the Abyssal units except for the annoying Efreet, losing a Riverguard Troop and Frog Tidal Swarm to Firebolts/Fireballs. On the right, I take out the Archfiend and Gargoyles, but lose all my units except the Dambusters.

The battle for the centre takes place on the freezing lagoon, with two Succubi units and a Seductress killing off a Riverguard Regiment and turning to face my oncoming Depth Horrors and Froghemoth/Kraken. Ecktar tries to hold up one of the Succubi units.

On the right my Dambusters have killed the Archfiend and get ready to take a charge. But Chroneas and the Molochs destroy them handily enough.

On the left the Efreet almost manages to kill my Depth Horrors with Fireball, but gets unlucky with dice and my Depth Horror Eternal hunts him down. Meanwhile the battle of the lagoon in the centre continues.

I lose Ektar and a Depth Horror Horde, but manage to take out the two Succubi regiments and Seductress as the game goes to turn 7. This means I end with the Depth Horror Horde and Depth Horror Eternal in the opponents half of the table (3+1 unit strengths respectively).

But the Abyssal Moloch Horde and Chroneas are in my half (3+1 unit strengths respectively), and so the first game of Halpi's rift is a draw!

Conclusion

A quick and bloody battle between these forces, with the game going to turn 7 allowing my Froghemoth time to destroy the last Succubi unit and secure the draw. An interesting matchup with the Abyssals having a range of units that can cause mine much trouble, but also having to deal with all my Ensare and speed. Meanwhile my frog units also found themselves struggling agains the ensare of the Succubi, especially when they were also in the difficult terrain of the lagoon!

The special magical effects didn't have a huge impact on the game. They slowed the Succubi down so they were unable to move as far as they wished, and chanelling ended up inflicting a few points of damage. Especially one turn each the five extra attacks option, that benefited the Depth Horror Eternal in killing the Efreet, and the Archfiend in killing my Dambuster Sentinel.

Next battle will be the Abyssal Plane...

Saturday, 3 April 2021

KOW Battlereport: Abyssals vs Free Dwarves

Holiday's here and gave my new Free Dwarves an outing in their first game today, against Vaughan playing his first game with his new Abyssals!

My Free Dwarf list was:

2x IronClad Regiments

2x Shieldbreaker Regiments with mastiffs

2x Ranger Regiments with mastiffs (1 Herneas's Elite Rangers)

2x Ironbreaker Cannon

1x Mastiff pack

Herneas the Hunter (using the new Female ranger for him this game, must be his sister, Hernietta)

Banick Kolearm

Vaughan's Abyssal list was:

2x Moloch Horde with Imps

2x Succubi Regiment

1x Abyssal Guard Regiment

1x Flamebearers Troop

1x Gargoyles Troop

Chroneas

Efreet

The Game

Here's the setup, with the plunder mission. Five objectives across the centreline, with the egg and the monolith two victory points each, and the other three one victory point each.

I win first turn, and have done my scout moves and had first turn. Realising I have a shooting heavy force with these Dwarves, I mostly hold back and concentrate on blasting the Abyssals. On my right I also have some good cover for Hernietta and her Rangers.

Molochs, Chroneas and Flamebearers in the Abyssal centre, some great looking units from the Wrath of Kings line Vaughan has here, including some nice 3d printed Abyssal looking terrain bases :)

Abyssal first turn sees a general advance, and I realise that most of their units regenerate (my own Abyyssals are mainly Succubi which don't!). Thus I really need to concentrate fire better and take them out one at a time to stop them doing this! Flamebearers flame my central Shieldbreakers doing some damage and the Cloak of Death from Chroneas also does a point.

Vaughan also has two Succubi regiments which are making their way towards my left flank.

Second turn and we are already in combat, I pound the Abyssal units ahead with shooting, and my Shieldbreakers thump into Chroneas doing some damage. On the left my other Shieldbreakers and Mastiffs charge and waver the first Succubi regiment, but Succubi have Fury ability so can still counterattack.

Abyssals second turn and almost their whole line charges, with Molochs crunching into my Ironclad doing ten damage to each unit and wavering them... Chroneas kills my Shieldbreakers.

On the left, Gargoyles break my Mastiff pack and Succubi waver my Shieldbreakers.

My turn 3, my three wavered Dwarf regiments all pass their Headstrong checks (Headstrong is the main Dwarf special ability!), and two charge back in, while the third falls back to let the Cannons blast away. The Cannons and Banick waver the first Moloch unit which won't be able to charge now at least. My Rangers and Hernietta also shoot down the Abyssal Guard on my right. My Elite Rangers charge Chroneas and damage but do not kill him.

My left Shieldbreakers take out the first Succubi unit (the 11 damage behind the Succubi below is from them), but are now about to be sandwiched between the next Succubi unit and the Gargoyles.

Abyssals turn 3 and my left Shieldbreakers and an Ironclad Regiment are lost, and the Efreet and Flamebearers pile damage onto my Rangers.

My turn four, Hernietta has had enough of the Efreet and jumps the hedge to give it a good smack. She doesn't kill it, but at least it won't be able to cast its 'Fireball 15' next turn! My Ironclads flank and kill the first Moloch unit (and thanks to Vaughan for pointing out this charge to me as I didn't see it!) with some assistance from Banick. My Elite Rangers manage to kill Chroneas with their two handed hammers, and my other Rangers shoot down the Flamebearers! Things have gone from looking terrible to rather optimistic!

Turn four for Abyssals and the Gargoyles swoop in and kill a Cannon, and the Molochs kill the Ironclads.

Turn 5 my remaining cannon gets lucky and hits and destroys the Gargoyles. My Rangers and Banick charge the Molochs hoping to kill them and claim the central two objectives....

But I fail to kill them....

And instead they kill my Rangers...

And that was the game! And reviewing it now I think I recorded the turns wrong and there should have been another one, but we thought it was turn six and rolled and failed to go to turn 7 so ended it there. We added up the victory points at this point, and Vaughan had 3 points and I had 2, so victory to the Abyssals! Well done Vaughan.

Conclusion

A fun and useful learning game for both of us, with Vaughan seeming to have a very good handle on things already despite this being his first game. And thanks to him for suggesting to me a potentially game winning flank attack on turn four!

Lots of lessons for my Dwarves here, like concentrate shooting on regenerating units otherwise it is wasted, and use your throwing Mastiffs (60 points wasted this game, though three of the four units with them ended up in combat before they could use them!). Edit: and as another local Dwarf player Gordon has pointed out, Free Dwarf Shieldbreakers have Pathfinder but not Headstrong, and giving the Rangers Mastiffs is pointless because you can only use one ranged attack a turn! Abyssals I thought could probably benefit from an inspiring source or two but they mostly managed ok without it this game.

Anyway overall a fun and tense game, good times thanks Vaughan :)