Warmachine play is slowing a bit as my gaming cycle turns towards other games, but I'll still be getting table time in here and there. This past week gave me a chance to put Irusk2 on the table again, and I decided to change the list up a bit by dropping Conquest in favor of the Behemoth.
Will this new list configuration work out? Or will dropping Conquest prove to be a colossal mistake? Find out after the break!
Lists:
Will this new list configuration work out? Or will dropping Conquest prove to be a colossal mistake? Find out after the break!
Lists:
My List:
Supreme Kommandant Irusk (*5pts)* Behemoth (13pts)
Great Bears of Gallowswood (5pts)
Iron Fang Pikemen (Leader and 9 Grunts) (8pts)
* Black Dragon Officer & Standard (2pts)
Kayazy Eliminators (Leader and Grunt) (3pts)
Man-o-war Shocktroopers (Leader and 4 Grunts) (9pts)
Tactical Arcanist Corps (4pts)
Widowmakers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (4pts)
Winter Guard Mortar Crew (Leader and Grunt) (3pts)
Iron Fang Kovnik (2pts)
Iron Fang Kovnik (2pts)
This list is still very similar to the one I've been running recently. The biggest change (so many puns, intentional or otherwise) to the list is that I decided to drop Conquest and the Mechaniks. Conquest has done alright by me with Irusk2, but I've been wanting to return to Behemoth and those 8 extra points give me a lot of options. For this iteration I opted for even more melee overkill with the Great Bears, and the Mortar to keep around a good Fire For Effect (FFE) target.
* Blessing of Vengeance (7pts)
* Reckoner (8pts)
* Hierophant (2pts)
Avatar of Menoth (11pts)
Choir of Menoth (Leader and 3 Grunts) (2pts)
Flamebringers (Leader and 4 Grunts) (10pts)
Temple Flameguard (Leader and 9 Grunts) (6pts)
* Temple Flameguard Officer & Standard (2pts)
Gorman di Wulfe, Rogue Alchemist (2pts)
Rhupert Carvolo, Piper of Ord (2pts)
The Covenant of Menoth (2pts)
Vassal of Menoth (2pts)
My Friend's List:
Grand Scrutator Severius (*6pts)* Blessing of Vengeance (7pts)
* Reckoner (8pts)
* Hierophant (2pts)
Avatar of Menoth (11pts)
Choir of Menoth (Leader and 3 Grunts) (2pts)
Flamebringers (Leader and 4 Grunts) (10pts)
Temple Flameguard (Leader and 9 Grunts) (6pts)
* Temple Flameguard Officer & Standard (2pts)
Gorman di Wulfe, Rogue Alchemist (2pts)
Rhupert Carvolo, Piper of Ord (2pts)
The Covenant of Menoth (2pts)
Vassal of Menoth (2pts)
This is a list my friend came up with as another way to try out the Flamebringers. His reasoning was that Eye of Menoth and even possibly Death Sentence can help their relative accuracy issues, and with Defender's Ward (plus Carvolo's +1 DEF if need be) they can be a very effective jam element. The rest of the list is pretty standard fare for Protectorate, which means its scary battlegroup elements and support that helps them out, and TFG to get in the way.
In addition to the scenario, we also opted to use Deathclock timer rules for this game (standard 60 minutes per player.)
Irusk wins the die roll and opts to take first turn.
Notes about terrain: the circular tan/green things are hills, the brown blobs with green blobs are forests, and the red walls are....walls.
Standard "everything runs" turns for both players. Irusk gets out FFE on the Mortar and Tactical Supremacy on the Shocktroopers.
Severius puts Defender's Ward on the TFG and Eye of Menoth on himself. The TFG also get Tough and Fearless from Carvolo. Gorman shuffles up and places a cloud to reinforce the bunker.
Irusk Turn 2:
Irusk upkeeps FFE, drops Tactical Supremacy, and keeps all of his remaining focus.
The Mortar leads off by lobbing a shell towards Severius to hopefully scatter into the clouded support staff. The gamble pays off as the shot scatters over two Choir, Gorman, the Heirophant, and Carvolo. The resulting blast damage kills all but Carvolo who managed to survive with 1 damage box remaining.
The two Iron Fang Kovniks (IFK) give the Shield March buff to both units, both of which shuffle up the table in Shield Wall. The IFP also pop Iron Zeal for the extra ARM. The Great Bears move into position behind the Iron Fang Pikemen (IFP).
The Widowmakers aim and put shots into the TFG, killing two. The Tactical Arcanist Corps (TAC) advance and place clouds. which Irusk and the Behemoth shuffle up behind. After advancing, Irusk places two Artifice of Deviation templates in front of the Protectorate battlegroup to stifle their advance. The Eliminators move over to get closer to the core of Irusk's army.
Severius Turn 2:
Severius upkeeps both spells, allocates one focus to the Reckoner, then keeps the rest.
The Avatar puts up Gaze of Menoth, then advances forward while the Blessing of Vengeance sidles up next to it. The Reckoner shoots one of the Shocktroopers, doing some damage with a boosted roll. The Choir put up Passage (no shooting) on the Avatar and Blessing of Vengeance and the Vassal puts Enliven on the Avatar.
On the right flank, two of the Flamebringers charge into combat against the IFP, but they are unable to cause any damage between ARM 22 and Tough. Those that make charge distance do use Side Step to move into blocking positions, while the other three hang back.
Severius channels an Ashes to Ashes through Blessing at the IFP, hitting the initial attack and generating three additional bounces. Unfortunately, even the effective POW 13 damage of the spell isn't enough to crack the ARM of the IFP.
The TFG advance in Shield Wall and pop Iron Zeal while the Covenant puts up it's Knockdown/Stationary prevention aura, and Carvolo gives the TFG +1 DEF and Terror.
Irusk Turn 3:
Irusk upkeeps FFE, keeps the rest of his focus. The TAC advance and put down clouds, then Irusk follow up behind. He pops his feat (catches everything but Carvolo, Severius, and the Covenant,) and casts Battle Lust on the Eliminators and the IFP.
The Eliminators charge the Avatar, pinching it between the two of them. After the second Elminator ends its movement in front of the Blessing of Vengeance, it attacks her via Defensive Strike and connects, killing her. The remaining Eliminator Combo Strikes the Avatar for 6 or so damage, then Side Steps behind it to limit it's retreat options. The Avatar uses Enliven to move 3" to the left (relative to my perspective.)
Both IFKs charge Flamebringers in an effort to free up the front lines, but both miss. The Great Bears follow that up by advancing and Back Swing'ing into the Flamebringers, killing the two that are engaging friendly models. Due to the rules of Back Swing, the Great Bears also end up doing some friendly damage - 4 to a nearby Shocktrooper and a kill on the IFP Standard Bearer (Tough check succeeds.)
The Mortar shoots at the Reckoner, connecting directly for 5 or so damage. The blast damage kills the nearby Choir and almost kills the Vassal. Widowmakers aim and shoot at the advancing TFG, killing none.
The IFP get the charge order and spread out, charging the Avatar, the Blessing of Vengeance, and two of the Flamebringers. After the dust clears, the Avatar is badly damaged, the Blessing has it's Arc Node and Cortex removed, and one more Flamebringer is dead.
The Shocktroopers advance in Shield Wall, moving up far enough to melee the Avatar and turn it into a wreck marker. Behemoth launches two shells at the Reckoner, one of which connects for mild damage.
Severius Turn 3:
Severius upkeeps both spells, allocates two to the Reckoner, and keeps the rest. The Vassal leads off by having the Reckoner swing at the Eliminator with Ancillary Attack, though the attack misses.
The remaining Flamebringers attack nearby IFP but between misses and Tough checks they do not kill any. Blessing of Vengeance attacks two IFP, killing one. The Reckoner shuffles up into the wreck marker and clubs several IFP to death under the effects of Battle.
With some of their members already stuck in against the Shocktroopers, the TFG advance as far as they can and CMA into one of the Shocktroopers. The attack does 3 damage and sets it on Fire. Carvolo continues to give them +1 DEF and Terror.
Severius tosses an Ashes to Ashes into one of the unengaged IFP and connects, generating 5 jumps. The resulting attacks kill the remaining Eliminator, the nearby IFK, and 3 more IFP. The Covenant advances and puts up it's spellcasting denial aura.
Irusk Turn 4:
During the Maintenance phase, the Fire effect on the previously stabbed Shocktrooper continues, doing 3 more damage to it. Irusk upkeeps FFE, allocates 3 Focus to Behemoth, then keeps the rest.
The IFP continue to pile attacks into the Flamebringers, with the Officer and one Grunt IFPcharging the Flamebringer Sergeant and the other IFP combining up on the other Flamebringer. When the Grunt IFP near the Blessing finishes it's movement, Blessing kills it via Defensive Strike. Both sets of attacks connect against their targets, killing the remaining Flamebringers.
The Great Bears charge in against the Reckoner and Blessing, with one hanging back. The damage from Yarovich carves the Cortex and Movement off of the Reckoner, while Kolsk finishes off Blessing.
The Widowmakers aim and take shots at the TFG, killing three, and one shoots at the Covenant for one damage. The remaining IFK gives the Shocktroopers Shield March, who then advance and pile attacks into the Reckoner, leaving it damaged but still functional. One TFG is also chopped up in that melee.
The TAC continue to put down clouds, while one tries to fire off a Flame Blast, but ends up in the Covenant's spell denial aura. Irusk casts an Energizer using 3 Focus and moves himself behind the smoke wall while the Behemoth shuffles towards Severius. Behemoth then fires off two shots at Severius, one of which connects with a boosted attack roll, and the boosted damage roll does a decent chunk of damage (8-10.)
Severius Turn 4:
Severius drops Defender's Ward, upkeeps Eye of Menoth, then keeps the rest of his focus.
The Reckoner advances and swings at Yarovich, but misses. The TFG charge in against the Shocktroopers and Widowmakers, though the only models actually charging are going against the Widowmakers. One Widowmaker is stabbed to death (Terror check passes, Tough check does not,) and the TFG engaging the Shocktrooper stab it for some damage.
Severius attempts to toss an Ashes to Ashes into the cluster of Khador models, but he unfortunately snakes the attack roll and misses. He then retreats to the nearby hill and puts Defender's Ward on himself with his remaining focus.
The Covenant continues to advance and push the anti-spellcasting aura up the table. Carvolo maintains his +1 DEF/Terror buff on the TFG.
Irusk Turn 5:
Irusk upkeeps FFE, allocates 3 to Behemoth, then keeps the rest.
A combination of Mortar shot and IFP charges destroys the enemy objective (+1 CP,) and between the remaining attacks in the zone all of the enemy models are cleaned out. Irusk advances into the zone under the cover of TAC smoke to dominate, while Behemoth lobs shells at Severius with little effect. The Widowmakers pick off Carvolo and the TFG flag.
End of turn, Irusk earns 2 CP for dominating the zone.
CPs: Irusk 3 - Severius 0
Severius Turn 5:
Severius is mostly out of options - there is only one TFG left that can contest the zone. Next turn Irusk can easily dominate again to win the game.
Scenario: SR2014 Supply and Demand
In addition to the scenario, we also opted to use Deathclock timer rules for this game (standard 60 minutes per player.)
Deployment:
 |
| Deployment |
Notes about terrain: the circular tan/green things are hills, the brown blobs with green blobs are forests, and the red walls are....walls.
Round 1:
Standard "everything runs" turns for both players. Irusk gets out FFE on the Mortar and Tactical Supremacy on the Shocktroopers.
Severius puts Defender's Ward on the TFG and Eye of Menoth on himself. The TFG also get Tough and Fearless from Carvolo. Gorman shuffles up and places a cloud to reinforce the bunker.
Round 2:
 |
| Start of Round 2 |
Irusk upkeeps FFE, drops Tactical Supremacy, and keeps all of his remaining focus.
The Mortar leads off by lobbing a shell towards Severius to hopefully scatter into the clouded support staff. The gamble pays off as the shot scatters over two Choir, Gorman, the Heirophant, and Carvolo. The resulting blast damage kills all but Carvolo who managed to survive with 1 damage box remaining.
The two Iron Fang Kovniks (IFK) give the Shield March buff to both units, both of which shuffle up the table in Shield Wall. The IFP also pop Iron Zeal for the extra ARM. The Great Bears move into position behind the Iron Fang Pikemen (IFP).
The Widowmakers aim and put shots into the TFG, killing two. The Tactical Arcanist Corps (TAC) advance and place clouds. which Irusk and the Behemoth shuffle up behind. After advancing, Irusk places two Artifice of Deviation templates in front of the Protectorate battlegroup to stifle their advance. The Eliminators move over to get closer to the core of Irusk's army.
Severius Turn 2:
Severius upkeeps both spells, allocates one focus to the Reckoner, then keeps the rest.
The Avatar puts up Gaze of Menoth, then advances forward while the Blessing of Vengeance sidles up next to it. The Reckoner shoots one of the Shocktroopers, doing some damage with a boosted roll. The Choir put up Passage (no shooting) on the Avatar and Blessing of Vengeance and the Vassal puts Enliven on the Avatar.
On the right flank, two of the Flamebringers charge into combat against the IFP, but they are unable to cause any damage between ARM 22 and Tough. Those that make charge distance do use Side Step to move into blocking positions, while the other three hang back.
Severius channels an Ashes to Ashes through Blessing at the IFP, hitting the initial attack and generating three additional bounces. Unfortunately, even the effective POW 13 damage of the spell isn't enough to crack the ARM of the IFP.
The TFG advance in Shield Wall and pop Iron Zeal while the Covenant puts up it's Knockdown/Stationary prevention aura, and Carvolo gives the TFG +1 DEF and Terror.
Round 3:
 |
| Start of Round 3 |
Irusk upkeeps FFE, keeps the rest of his focus. The TAC advance and put down clouds, then Irusk follow up behind. He pops his feat (catches everything but Carvolo, Severius, and the Covenant,) and casts Battle Lust on the Eliminators and the IFP.
The Eliminators charge the Avatar, pinching it between the two of them. After the second Elminator ends its movement in front of the Blessing of Vengeance, it attacks her via Defensive Strike and connects, killing her. The remaining Eliminator Combo Strikes the Avatar for 6 or so damage, then Side Steps behind it to limit it's retreat options. The Avatar uses Enliven to move 3" to the left (relative to my perspective.)
Both IFKs charge Flamebringers in an effort to free up the front lines, but both miss. The Great Bears follow that up by advancing and Back Swing'ing into the Flamebringers, killing the two that are engaging friendly models. Due to the rules of Back Swing, the Great Bears also end up doing some friendly damage - 4 to a nearby Shocktrooper and a kill on the IFP Standard Bearer (Tough check succeeds.)
The Mortar shoots at the Reckoner, connecting directly for 5 or so damage. The blast damage kills the nearby Choir and almost kills the Vassal. Widowmakers aim and shoot at the advancing TFG, killing none.
The IFP get the charge order and spread out, charging the Avatar, the Blessing of Vengeance, and two of the Flamebringers. After the dust clears, the Avatar is badly damaged, the Blessing has it's Arc Node and Cortex removed, and one more Flamebringer is dead.
The Shocktroopers advance in Shield Wall, moving up far enough to melee the Avatar and turn it into a wreck marker. Behemoth launches two shells at the Reckoner, one of which connects for mild damage.
Severius Turn 3:
Severius upkeeps both spells, allocates two to the Reckoner, and keeps the rest. The Vassal leads off by having the Reckoner swing at the Eliminator with Ancillary Attack, though the attack misses.
The remaining Flamebringers attack nearby IFP but between misses and Tough checks they do not kill any. Blessing of Vengeance attacks two IFP, killing one. The Reckoner shuffles up into the wreck marker and clubs several IFP to death under the effects of Battle.
With some of their members already stuck in against the Shocktroopers, the TFG advance as far as they can and CMA into one of the Shocktroopers. The attack does 3 damage and sets it on Fire. Carvolo continues to give them +1 DEF and Terror.
Severius tosses an Ashes to Ashes into one of the unengaged IFP and connects, generating 5 jumps. The resulting attacks kill the remaining Eliminator, the nearby IFK, and 3 more IFP. The Covenant advances and puts up it's spellcasting denial aura.
Round 4:
 |
| Start of Round 4 |
During the Maintenance phase, the Fire effect on the previously stabbed Shocktrooper continues, doing 3 more damage to it. Irusk upkeeps FFE, allocates 3 Focus to Behemoth, then keeps the rest.
The IFP continue to pile attacks into the Flamebringers, with the Officer and one Grunt IFPcharging the Flamebringer Sergeant and the other IFP combining up on the other Flamebringer. When the Grunt IFP near the Blessing finishes it's movement, Blessing kills it via Defensive Strike. Both sets of attacks connect against their targets, killing the remaining Flamebringers.
The Great Bears charge in against the Reckoner and Blessing, with one hanging back. The damage from Yarovich carves the Cortex and Movement off of the Reckoner, while Kolsk finishes off Blessing.
The Widowmakers aim and take shots at the TFG, killing three, and one shoots at the Covenant for one damage. The remaining IFK gives the Shocktroopers Shield March, who then advance and pile attacks into the Reckoner, leaving it damaged but still functional. One TFG is also chopped up in that melee.
The TAC continue to put down clouds, while one tries to fire off a Flame Blast, but ends up in the Covenant's spell denial aura. Irusk casts an Energizer using 3 Focus and moves himself behind the smoke wall while the Behemoth shuffles towards Severius. Behemoth then fires off two shots at Severius, one of which connects with a boosted attack roll, and the boosted damage roll does a decent chunk of damage (8-10.)
Severius Turn 4:
Severius drops Defender's Ward, upkeeps Eye of Menoth, then keeps the rest of his focus.
The Reckoner advances and swings at Yarovich, but misses. The TFG charge in against the Shocktroopers and Widowmakers, though the only models actually charging are going against the Widowmakers. One Widowmaker is stabbed to death (Terror check passes, Tough check does not,) and the TFG engaging the Shocktrooper stab it for some damage.
Severius attempts to toss an Ashes to Ashes into the cluster of Khador models, but he unfortunately snakes the attack roll and misses. He then retreats to the nearby hill and puts Defender's Ward on himself with his remaining focus.
The Covenant continues to advance and push the anti-spellcasting aura up the table. Carvolo maintains his +1 DEF/Terror buff on the TFG.
Round 5:
 |
| Start of Round 5 |
Irusk upkeeps FFE, allocates 3 to Behemoth, then keeps the rest.
A combination of Mortar shot and IFP charges destroys the enemy objective (+1 CP,) and between the remaining attacks in the zone all of the enemy models are cleaned out. Irusk advances into the zone under the cover of TAC smoke to dominate, while Behemoth lobs shells at Severius with little effect. The Widowmakers pick off Carvolo and the TFG flag.
End of turn, Irusk earns 2 CP for dominating the zone.
CPs: Irusk 3 - Severius 0
Severius Turn 5:
Severius is mostly out of options - there is only one TFG left that can contest the zone. Next turn Irusk can easily dominate again to win the game.
Result: Irusk wins via scenario!
Post-Game Thoughts:
This was pretty much what you expect from a super-central scenario like this: an absolute grind fest where the last person with models still standing is probably going to be the winner. The restriction on Dominating makes scoring in any large amount difficult unless you can really bully the scenario.
Conversely if you have a 'caster with really strong control elements you can probably engineer a 3 point turn pretty reliably if your opponent doesn't commit very strongly (since it's just one zone.) As such, its probably best to approach this scenario aggressively; at the very least you can try and force a grind, which is better than getting zoned out and losing before the game really gets going.
Although the Flamebringers didn't work out super well for my friend during this game, I think his theory has plenty of merit. If, on Turn 3, he had switched Defender's Ward over to them, given them +1 DEF and Terror, and jammed them into my front lines, I'd have had one helluva time chopping through them on my turn (17/17 with 5 wounds.) That would have stalled me out for at least one turn (I'd have to CMA heavily to have decent to-hit chances,) and depending on dice it may have taken me even longer to dig out.
I think the biggest thing that threw him off was wanting to protect the TFG on the advance from the Widowmakers. Those defensive measures worked very well - I killed very few of them in the early turns despite tossing aimed Sniper shots at that unit exclusively - but the TFG also didn't end up doing a lot due to the way the game played out. Again I think he could have gotten a better ROI on the unit by at least running it up in front of my army to try and logjam me.
Granted, Irusk2 has a much easier time digging out of jams due to Martial Discipline (you don't need to worry about blocking your movement and you have much more flexibility in where you can make attacks from,) but any amount of jamming would have made it that much harder for me to get to his battlegroup. Once they started to drop, things went south for him due to the durability of the Shocktroopers and Behemoth lurking around.
Plus, more jamming would have probably caused me to take longer to resolve the game, and I did not end the game with a lot of clock time left. But more on that in a minute.
Conversely if you have a 'caster with really strong control elements you can probably engineer a 3 point turn pretty reliably if your opponent doesn't commit very strongly (since it's just one zone.) As such, its probably best to approach this scenario aggressively; at the very least you can try and force a grind, which is better than getting zoned out and losing before the game really gets going.
Although the Flamebringers didn't work out super well for my friend during this game, I think his theory has plenty of merit. If, on Turn 3, he had switched Defender's Ward over to them, given them +1 DEF and Terror, and jammed them into my front lines, I'd have had one helluva time chopping through them on my turn (17/17 with 5 wounds.) That would have stalled me out for at least one turn (I'd have to CMA heavily to have decent to-hit chances,) and depending on dice it may have taken me even longer to dig out.
I think the biggest thing that threw him off was wanting to protect the TFG on the advance from the Widowmakers. Those defensive measures worked very well - I killed very few of them in the early turns despite tossing aimed Sniper shots at that unit exclusively - but the TFG also didn't end up doing a lot due to the way the game played out. Again I think he could have gotten a better ROI on the unit by at least running it up in front of my army to try and logjam me.
Granted, Irusk2 has a much easier time digging out of jams due to Martial Discipline (you don't need to worry about blocking your movement and you have much more flexibility in where you can make attacks from,) but any amount of jamming would have made it that much harder for me to get to his battlegroup. Once they started to drop, things went south for him due to the durability of the Shocktroopers and Behemoth lurking around.
Plus, more jamming would have probably caused me to take longer to resolve the game, and I did not end the game with a lot of clock time left. But more on that in a minute.
Things That Went Well:
The "rolling brick" approach worked very well, which is good because that's kind of the main reason to play Irusk2. The flexibility of Martial Discipline really makes this a fun force to use, and the addition of No Sleeping on The Job (could they have named that ability anything any longer?) on the IFKs makes it oh-so-satisfying whenever the IFP make a Tough check.
I had a wonderful, wonderfully lucky moment early in the game with that Mortar shot. On one hand, you can't really hope for that; he blocked a "direct" shot as best he could, and I only got that juicy of a shot due to a lucky scatter. On the other hand, it's one of the biggest advantages of using a Mortar as a FFE target: between the long range and Arcing Fire, it's very hard for your opponent to deny you at least a speculative shot at the things you want to try and kill.
Eliminators continued to reward my affection by being just all around excellent, useful melee models. The Side Step shenanigan the one Eliminator pulled off did a lot to make sure that the Avatar couldn't retreat very far, which in turn allowed me to keep the Shocktroopers in Shield Wall (which is crucial in maintaining their durability.) It would have been even sweeter if the one Eliminator hadn't been bopped by Blessing, but that's what I get for a) forgetting rules, and b) getting greedy. Plus the one Eliminator did a solid bit of damage to the Avatar, all things considered. In a force like Irusk2's that has such a strong tendency to brick up, having fast, flexible models is a godsend sometimes.
This was the first game in my recent run with Irusk2 where his control elements finally felt like they kicked in. The ability to place big patches of difficult terrain were a huge help in keeping my opponent's battlegroup in check, and Irusk2's feat finally managed to tag a large portion of my opponent's list (and thus finally feel like a real feat.)
I had a wonderful, wonderfully lucky moment early in the game with that Mortar shot. On one hand, you can't really hope for that; he blocked a "direct" shot as best he could, and I only got that juicy of a shot due to a lucky scatter. On the other hand, it's one of the biggest advantages of using a Mortar as a FFE target: between the long range and Arcing Fire, it's very hard for your opponent to deny you at least a speculative shot at the things you want to try and kill.
Eliminators continued to reward my affection by being just all around excellent, useful melee models. The Side Step shenanigan the one Eliminator pulled off did a lot to make sure that the Avatar couldn't retreat very far, which in turn allowed me to keep the Shocktroopers in Shield Wall (which is crucial in maintaining their durability.) It would have been even sweeter if the one Eliminator hadn't been bopped by Blessing, but that's what I get for a) forgetting rules, and b) getting greedy. Plus the one Eliminator did a solid bit of damage to the Avatar, all things considered. In a force like Irusk2's that has such a strong tendency to brick up, having fast, flexible models is a godsend sometimes.
This was the first game in my recent run with Irusk2 where his control elements finally felt like they kicked in. The ability to place big patches of difficult terrain were a huge help in keeping my opponent's battlegroup in check, and Irusk2's feat finally managed to tag a large portion of my opponent's list (and thus finally feel like a real feat.)
Things That Did Not Go Well:
The fact that Backswing demands you make both attacks, friend or foe, is irritating. I still haven't really figured out why PP changed Backswing to work that way - it could be a rules interaction I haven't heard about yet, or just a general consistency thing - but it forces some ugly situations. This isn't so much something that I could help (there was almost always something friendly that was going to be in melee range, thanks to Circular Vision) but more of a general gripe and something to be mindful of.
For as helpful as they were, I could have used the Eliminators more carefully and thus more effectively. I ended up moving them close enough to the Protectorate lines that they were both caught in the Avatar's Gaze of Menoth, which forced me into an awkward situation that led to the Side Step shenanigan. One of the primary reasons I have Eliminators in the list is to do things like prevent that sort of defensive movement by running in place to prevent it (14" Acrobatics moves are very hard to stop,) and as such I really didn't need to have them that far up.
For as helpful as they were, I could have used the Eliminators more carefully and thus more effectively. I ended up moving them close enough to the Protectorate lines that they were both caught in the Avatar's Gaze of Menoth, which forced me into an awkward situation that led to the Side Step shenanigan. One of the primary reasons I have Eliminators in the list is to do things like prevent that sort of defensive movement by running in place to prevent it (14" Acrobatics moves are very hard to stop,) and as such I really didn't need to have them that far up.
Key Mistakes/Things To Do Differently:
In addition to putting the Eliminators too far up, I made a big mistake in placing the other Eliminator in melee range of the Blessing. Although it was unlikely it would hit - needing an unboostable 8 on the Defensive Strike - it wasn't so unlikely that it was worth risking that, just to have a chance to attack with that Eliminator. Point of fact, if I had piled both Eliminators on my left side of the Avatar, after that first Side Step it probably wouldn't have been able to move anywhere other than closer to my army. Which would have been even better than the limited retreat I allowed it.
I absolutely wasted the Behemoth during most of the game. I was overly cautious with it during the early and mid-game (once the Avatar went down and the Reckoner had Shocktroopers in front of it, nothing was happening to the big guy,) and kind of tripped over myself a few turns by placing TAC clouds before getting shots with Behemoth. Part of it is lack of familiarity - I haven't run a lot of lists with Behemoth in the past few years so I'm not used to having those two shots to fire off - and part of it is trying not to trip over myself with this list. Martial Discipline offers you a ton of flexibility with almost all of your army, but it also means that you need to be very careful with any ineligible models (in this list, the TAC and Behemoth) so you don't inadvertently logjam yourself.
The lack of good use of the Behemoth was particularly egregious due to the scenario. Any scenario that features an enemy objective marker automatically gives him something to do - putting two (even unboosted) 14s into an objective will destroy it pretty quickly - which is an early source of CP. That could have been a very big deal depending on how the game played out due to the presence of Deathclock. Making the most out of all my army's output like that is something I need to continue to work on.
Although the game ended strongly, I was starting to sweat the clock. By the end of the game I was getting down to a dwindling pile of minutes, and that would have been a damn sad way to lose the game after all that. Which is another reason Defender's Ward jamming could have been a very big deal for my opponent: any time I spent digging out of that is time I wasn't going to spend winning the game, and I needed almost all my time just to grind it out. Part of that time drag is general slowness - I could have a blazingly fast first turn with this list, and even my second turn could have been very quick - and part of it was unfamiliarity/indecisiveness messing with me. All of those things can be fixed with practice, and it's something I need to keep working on.
I absolutely wasted the Behemoth during most of the game. I was overly cautious with it during the early and mid-game (once the Avatar went down and the Reckoner had Shocktroopers in front of it, nothing was happening to the big guy,) and kind of tripped over myself a few turns by placing TAC clouds before getting shots with Behemoth. Part of it is lack of familiarity - I haven't run a lot of lists with Behemoth in the past few years so I'm not used to having those two shots to fire off - and part of it is trying not to trip over myself with this list. Martial Discipline offers you a ton of flexibility with almost all of your army, but it also means that you need to be very careful with any ineligible models (in this list, the TAC and Behemoth) so you don't inadvertently logjam yourself.
The lack of good use of the Behemoth was particularly egregious due to the scenario. Any scenario that features an enemy objective marker automatically gives him something to do - putting two (even unboosted) 14s into an objective will destroy it pretty quickly - which is an early source of CP. That could have been a very big deal depending on how the game played out due to the presence of Deathclock. Making the most out of all my army's output like that is something I need to continue to work on.
Although the game ended strongly, I was starting to sweat the clock. By the end of the game I was getting down to a dwindling pile of minutes, and that would have been a damn sad way to lose the game after all that. Which is another reason Defender's Ward jamming could have been a very big deal for my opponent: any time I spent digging out of that is time I wasn't going to spend winning the game, and I needed almost all my time just to grind it out. Part of that time drag is general slowness - I could have a blazingly fast first turn with this list, and even my second turn could have been very quick - and part of it was unfamiliarity/indecisiveness messing with me. All of those things can be fixed with practice, and it's something I need to keep working on.
Noteworthy Model Thoughts:
For as much as I love Conquest, it was very, very nice to lose that Huge base. It made it much, much easier to get the majority of my list inside of Irusk2's command aura, and it doesn't hurt that Behemoth can do wondrous feats such as advance over a linear obstacle or be moved via Energizer. I still think Conquest is a fun model to use with Irusk2 (FFE on the Main Guns is a hoot) but using one "normal" warjack is much easier to work with.
I had forgotten just how excellent of a FFE target the Mortar is. I had kind of lumped it together with the other AOE 4's and sort of diminished it's rating in my head, but Arcing Fire is a tremendous boon when trying to line up shots. Even if you can't shoot directly at what you want to, you can probably find something nearby to try and tag. Plus it's a nice cheap, safe investment that you don't need to worry about.
Every time I make a Tough check on IFP with an IFK nearby I want to mail a dollar to whomever finalized the rules on the IFK.
Having the Great Bears as a roving goon squad was great. They're amazing melee models and when you can hold them back, then fairly effortlessly deliver them through your lines, they really shine. Plus Battle Lust for double Weaponmaster if you ever want to kill something via pure hate. I've wanted to fit them into an Irusk2 list for awhile and I'm glad I did.
I had forgotten just how excellent of a FFE target the Mortar is. I had kind of lumped it together with the other AOE 4's and sort of diminished it's rating in my head, but Arcing Fire is a tremendous boon when trying to line up shots. Even if you can't shoot directly at what you want to, you can probably find something nearby to try and tag. Plus it's a nice cheap, safe investment that you don't need to worry about.
Every time I make a Tough check on IFP with an IFK nearby I want to mail a dollar to whomever finalized the rules on the IFK.
Having the Great Bears as a roving goon squad was great. They're amazing melee models and when you can hold them back, then fairly effortlessly deliver them through your lines, they really shine. Plus Battle Lust for double Weaponmaster if you ever want to kill something via pure hate. I've wanted to fit them into an Irusk2 list for awhile and I'm glad I did.
List Changes/Tweaks:
Not many. The "problem" with how I have the list configured right now is that there isn't any chaff/wiggle room; I freed up most of what I could by downsizing Conquest and leaving the Mechaniks at home. Any changes would require cutting something, and I rather like where the list is at now.
All of that can of course change with the next release cycle. I really liked the way my list played previous to Vengeance, then the IFK and TAC showed up and encourged me very strongly to find 8 points for new hotness. I doubt anything major will change, but if the developer gods are gracious and we finally get something that buffs/helps/tweaks MoW models, I'll be going into the chop shop to find points again (assuming it doesn't suck, of course.)
All of that can of course change with the next release cycle. I really liked the way my list played previous to Vengeance, then the IFK and TAC showed up and encourged me very strongly to find 8 points for new hotness. I doubt anything major will change, but if the developer gods are gracious and we finally get something that buffs/helps/tweaks MoW models, I'll be going into the chop shop to find points again (assuming it doesn't suck, of course.)
Closing Thoughts:
On one hand, I don't love the way Irusk2 plays. I've come to become somewhat frustrated at the "infantry horde" approach of Khador; in a poorly timed nod to balance, Khador infantry is very good, but they almost all come with some inherent weakness. It's very difficult to build an infantry based list that is resistant enough to common infantry answers that I feel comfortable dropping it in a variety of situations. And don't even get me started on trying to deal with Stormwall/Galleon/Earthbreaker.
On the other hand, screw all that noise. The Irusk2 infantry brick is extremely fun, primarily due to it's flexibility. You have a ton of leeway in how your models move and attack, Irusk2's kit is decently deep and flexible, and it's relatively easy to build a list that covers a variety of situations (I don't bring many guns, but it's very easy and feasible to build him with a bigger shooting unit.)
It's not a supremely powerful list when you consider it against the current meta of the game, but it is a pretty rounded, capable list that runs a solid infantry armor brick. And its a blast to play, which is what matters most to me. Playing Irusk2 has been downright cathartic after trying so hard to get solid, consistent results out of Harkevich.
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Warmachine battle reports may get a little thin in the coming months; our group is branching back out into Malifaux, and it looks like we have a few weeks lined up to play the second edition of Descent (something I plan to write more about.) But I'm sure I'll get games in here and there, and if nothing else we'll probably all start to cycle back once the Exigence stuff starts to kick in.
As always, thanks very much for reading!
On one hand, I don't love the way Irusk2 plays. I've come to become somewhat frustrated at the "infantry horde" approach of Khador; in a poorly timed nod to balance, Khador infantry is very good, but they almost all come with some inherent weakness. It's very difficult to build an infantry based list that is resistant enough to common infantry answers that I feel comfortable dropping it in a variety of situations. And don't even get me started on trying to deal with Stormwall/Galleon/Earthbreaker.
On the other hand, screw all that noise. The Irusk2 infantry brick is extremely fun, primarily due to it's flexibility. You have a ton of leeway in how your models move and attack, Irusk2's kit is decently deep and flexible, and it's relatively easy to build a list that covers a variety of situations (I don't bring many guns, but it's very easy and feasible to build him with a bigger shooting unit.)
It's not a supremely powerful list when you consider it against the current meta of the game, but it is a pretty rounded, capable list that runs a solid infantry armor brick. And its a blast to play, which is what matters most to me. Playing Irusk2 has been downright cathartic after trying so hard to get solid, consistent results out of Harkevich.
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Warmachine battle reports may get a little thin in the coming months; our group is branching back out into Malifaux, and it looks like we have a few weeks lined up to play the second edition of Descent (something I plan to write more about.) But I'm sure I'll get games in here and there, and if nothing else we'll probably all start to cycle back once the Exigence stuff starts to kick in.
As always, thanks very much for reading!
Nice report (and I was glad to have predicted the outcome when I saw the oppo list). I run an eIrusk brick that's very similar (I put Valachev with them to increase their offensive output and speed), and am running him in the local SR this Saturday with it. Hope you have fun with Malifaux (even though I'll miss your WM/H BRs.)
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteIf I could miracle up the 2 points, I'd put Valachev on the TAC in a heartbeat. They'd benefit tremendously from Martial Discipline and Total Obedience, and the Zephyr on Valachev is definitely a big boon for them. I've enjoyed that module with Vlad2, and he doesn't do nearly as much for them as Irusk2 would.
Good luck in the local SR! Feel free to swing back this way and let me know how it goes. I'm always interested in hearing about how various 'casters do in the SR environment. What are you pairing him with?
If nothing else, I'll probably have a set of Warmachine batreps in the next few weeks. Part of my gaming group is planning a get together and it'll likely be Warmachine based, with maybe some Relic Knights on the side (another game I need to get more time in with.)