Another Thursday night down at Justplay https://justplaygames.uk/ with Raymond Greives. Having recently painted up my Bolton Blackguard and some various Mercenary attachments and NCU's, as well as some excellent House Bolton activation markers...
My 50pt Bolton list consisted of the following:
Troops:
Ramsey Snow (C) with Reek in Bolton Blackguards
2 x Bolton Cutthroats (1 with Flayer)
2 x Bolton Bastard Girls )both with Stormcrow Lieutenants)
House Bolton Flayed Men
NCU's:
Petyr Baelish and Tycho Nestoris
The Blackguard of House Bolton, along with Reek and Ramsey...
House Bolton Activation Markers
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/House-Bolton-Flayed-Man-x8-A-Song-of-Ice-and-Fire-Miniatures-Game-Activation/233457564638?hash=item365b27bbde:g:wnEAAOSw1y1eE27d
Daenerys and Kal Drogo ( the rest have to wait until April I'm afraid!!!)
Jaqen H'agar: Was planning as using the Mysterious Prisoner, until I found out he is Stark (with Arya) only. Still, the NCU will be making an appearance...
Raymond is busy painting his Baratheons, as we are both attending Boards and Swords tournament (Derby UK) on Sunday 23rd February https://www.facebook.com/events/189273555462860/
We're both looking forward to it, their last event had 20 players so it bodes well for the UK scene...
Raymond's Baratheon's were as follows:
NCU's: Roose Bolton (C), Shyra Errol, Old Man Walder Frey
Units: Flayed Men, Bolton Cutthroats, 2 x Baratheon Wardens, 2 x Baratheon Sentinels (With attachments Ramsey and Reek, the other with Vargo Hoat)
Although we were playing 50 points Game of thrones scenario, we played 5ft by 4ft and randomly rolled for terrain. We ended up with a Weirwood, a Forest, a hedge and a corpse pile. The 5 objectives were as below and we kept them hidden except the 2 point scoring one which everyone knows in the centre...
Raymond set up with Wardens, Cutthroats, Ramsey's Sentinels, Vargo's Sentinel's Wardens, with two objectives close to him...
His Flayed Men deployed on his far left...
My deployment was from left to right:
Cuthroats with Flayer, Bolton Blackguard, Bastard's Girls, Cuthroats, Bastard Girls, Flayed Men
TURN 1
We played the tactics board dance first off, Raymond taking the letters for cards but nothing else really exciting happened...
My forces advanced on all front, taking the objective on the left which gave the unit sundering and vicious but D3 wounds. The Baratheons took the too in front of them, gaining heal D3 card and also increase tactics card hands and draw another card.
Raymond congealed his forces, with his Sentinels and Boltons at the front and Wardens shifting in behind...
End of Turn 1
TURN's 2 & 3
My activation first, Littlefinger claimed the bags but used the letters. Before all the spaces were filled, I had marched up my vanilla Cutthroats to try and lure out the Baratheons. Roose had also dished out 4 panic token in first two turns...
The Sentinels with Daario hit hard...
And they wiped them out and surged forth with the swords...
I figured by this point I had made an error in sacrificing the Cutthroats so quickly, and failed a long range charge against the Sentinels with the central Bastard girls. The Baratheon right manoeuvred to threaten my Blackguard...
The last activation saw the traitor Flayed Men assault the Bolton loyalists, with 14 attacks hitting home...
Still, I only failed one save, so was optimistic going into turn 3
End of Turn 2
Ramsey Loyalists 2 VP's, Baratheon Lackey 3 VP's
Unsurprisngly, Raymond took the swords and swung with his Flayed men but only scored 5 hits and think I lost more men to the panic. I surprised Raymond by then healing up the Flayed Men with Baelish on the coins (it seemed thematic nd was part of my cunning plan). Raymond then did Shyra on the letters (he had about 8 cards in his hand by then) and had a card on Ramsey's Sentinels that benefitted from the letters.
It was time to take the risk and make my play!!! Using the aptly named "Surprise Strategy" card (which prevented Raymond using any tactics cards this turn) I decided not to hit Ramseys Sentinels head on as I was outmatched on the left and in a one on one. So, with my Stormcrow Lt benefitting from the Baelish on the bags, I fired 5 sundering shots into Vargo's flank, dropping 3 and they lost 2 to panic, then the Dogs charged in with 7 sundering and vicious attacks. The unit failed to make any saves and were wiped out!!! I was pretty pleased with that...
Raymond's next play was with his Flayed Men, and though they hurt my Flayed Men, I again used a Surprise strategy and used my second Bastard Girls to launch a sundering volley into his flank and between hits and failed panic, he enemy cavalry were cut down by more than half, before the dogs charged in...
The Bolton Knights were routed by the dogs, and I have to say, both units had delivered this game. (In fairness, I took them as I'd seen someone post on Facebook that no-one ever takes them, and it helped that Raymond forgot I had the Stormcrow attachments with them). He did take
Raymond spent the turn redressing his units although he did use Ramseys Sentienls to reduce my Bastard girls down by charging in, then taking the horses to retreat away from my heavy right flank forces. (I had used Tyco Nestoris to heal the dogs up and had first activation in turn 4). He also had the good grace to compliment my superb use of tactics card to prevent all his countercharge and last stand cards he was waiting to use, and on turning the game. Oh, well at least I knew what to expect over the next few turns...
End of Turn 3
House Bolton 4 VP's House Baratheon 5 VP's
With Ramsey and his Blackguard on the centre, they took wounds from the panic it caused.
TURN 4
I took the bags to heal Ramseys Blackguard (as well as for the other benefits)
Shyra took the letters and Baelish took the swords to allow my full strength Bastard Girls to attack the Wardens nearest my right flank and on that objective...
The volley triggered their Counter Charge, though I did drop 4 with the sundering arrows...
While he dropped 4 with his attacks, he followed that up with Stag's resilience...
My Flayed Men flanked them, but the Wardens held firm, if somewhat reduced...
Raymond had no choice than to bring the game to me, so duly sent his fake Ramsey in against the real Bolton and his vaunted Blackguard bodyguard. He failed his morale and lost a few men to the panic on the way in, but scored 6 hits. I needed to roll 4+ to save...and promptly failed the lot before failing my panic test for another two wounds... and then an additional two due to Baratheon Ramsey's "Cut them down" rule. I don't tend to bemoand dice, as its really swings an roundabouts. But that was bad!!!
With Raymond now holding the 2 point objective, the game had turned once again and so my Flayer and his cutthroats made a long range charge into the rear of the Sentinels. I butchered them, with the help of -5 morale check.
But then Last Stand was played, and along with failing my panic and Cut them down, I was left with 3 vulnerable cutthroats to defend the objective...
They unsurprisingly fell in short order, gifting the centre to Raymond...
End of Turn 4
House Bolton 5 VP's House Baratheon 11 VP's
TURN 5
Although Raymond had first activation, we both had start of the round cards. His involved the Baratehon card that allowed unit to block D3 hits or something and he used it on his far away Wardens (as he knew he only had to keep one objective to win). Technically, he had mis-counted, but it was a big ask for me to stop him. I then played Cruel Methods to allow my Flayed Men to finished off the Wardens (11 VP's - 6 VP's now).
With only two units to activate, Raymond used his NCU's to weaken my Flayed men but that didn't stop them slamming into the Cutthroats and stinging a bit...
Raymond took the swords and attacked healing them up with card and I opted to take the manoeuvre to bring my dogs into play on the flank. Raymond then activated the Cutthroats and hurt the Flayed Men (failed panic check did the worst)
The tactics board had instrumental in the ebbs and flow of this game, right from turn 1 to the last turn...
I made the charge following a sundering volley, and the remaining 3 Cutthroats duly died from the failed panic (-4 with vicious, flank and corpse pile) (11VP's to 7 VP's now)
Still, they were obviously handsomely paid as they died in a Last Stand...
Taking my Girls down to the Stormcrow attachment...
Although the Boltons held the field, they were depleted andby leaving the Wardens to control the final objective they needed, the final tally revealed the Baratheons had won the battle!!!
House Bolton 10 VP's House Baratheon 12 VP
Undoubtedly one of thee best games we've played to date. We both learned a lot and had some amazing dice rolls, and some equally appalling dice rolls. Raymond outdid me with his 3 NCU's and had more tactics card in his hand in turn 3 than I did cumulatively all game I think (9?). But at the same time, he couldn't use them when they mattered, when my Bastard girls, ably assisted by the Stormcrow Lieutenant, flanked and wiped out two of his best units. The game turned then in my favour, having wasted a unit to lure out the Baratheon brick defence Raymond set up. But after reconsolidating his forces, concentrating centrally, and with his card hand lashing out every time I rolled attacks, he took the centre and held it just long enough to get an unassailable lead in VP's. I came close in the end but Raymond and House Baratheon deserved the victory...
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