So as the battle at the top of the league heats ups, I faced Alex and The Mountain led Lannisters at Justplay, https://justplaygames.uk/ although we are in mid table obscurity...
I elected to play Honed & Ready as I like that scenario
Alex's force of Lannisters was as follows:
Gregor Clegane (C) in Red Cloaks (using Guardsmen)
Sandor Clegane in Red Cloaks (using Guardsmen)
Knights of Casterly Rock
Mountains Men with Mandor Moore
NCU's: High Sparrow, Pycelle & Cersei
I would have to ensure Alex didnt get the crown every turn...
Still, as my whole army had vicious I couldnt really complain
House Bolton Blackguard with Roose Bolton (c)
2 x House Bolton Cutthroats
House Bolton Flayed Men
House Bolton Bastard Girls
NCU's: Lords Varys and Lord Baelish
A pair of stakes and a pair of Weirwoods was the extent of our imagination for terrain.
Alext set up left to right with Mountains Men, Redcloaks with Gregor, KoCR and Red Claoks with Sandor. I planned to concentrate centrally and have the Flayed Men hit the Mountains Men on my left, and outscore on objectives as I did so
TURN 1
I opted to take first turn, putting Baelish on the crown but using the horses to advance up the Bastard girls. Alex then took the horses with Pycelle weakening my girls, and moved up the Knights, while I used Varys token to shift 3" up with the Bastard girls again. o then had Varys take swords to destroy the stakes stymying my advance...
I thought I played that tactics board well there...
Alas, I didnt take into account how gung ho Alex would be as he hates the Bolton Girls and weighed up a long range charge. Needing a 5+ to make the charge, Alex went for it... and got the 5
With my forces all moved up it was a good gamble, as he had first activation next turn...Hmmm!!!
Hitting with 8 attacks, I managed to save 3, but lost a further 1 to panic...
TURN 2
Board at start of Turn...
I felt comfortable with my forces having taken the charge quite well
Alex too the crown for Lannister justice...
I then decided against flanking the KoCR and healed up the Bastard Girls, allowing the swords to be taken by Cersei
The result was simply disastrous, as with the help of Hear me Roar, the Bastard Girls simply disentigrated...
Allowing the Knights to play Gregor's Overrun into the flank of the Blackguard
Simply put, this was not the plan...
Nor was failing the panic check...
Activating back and attacking saw me cause a wound and drop more with a failed panic
Allowing me to heal a few wounds back due to Fear Keeps a man alive...
I had Baelish take the horses to bring the right side cutthroats to the rear of the Knights of the Rock
Alex was humming and haaing on the left but in end decided to take the letters with the High Sparrow
I had to recover quickly so I charged the Flayed men in to the Mountains Men
I scored 8 hits with the seven hits and re-rolls for the charge with critical blow. Sadly, the High Sparrow on the letters had given them a weakened token and the enforced re-roll kinda speaks for itself...Seven dice needing 3+
Simply put, things were going well and truly up the creek...
And when Alex activated the Mountain and his Red Cloaks, and Lannister Justice kicked in targeting the Blackguard, well the dye were literally already cast...
The Red Cloaks charged in and that hurt too. I lost 9 men...
And it was only turn 2...
I did charge the KoCR and dropped them a rank but the other Red Cloaks leisurely strolled up ready for next turn
End of TURN 2
HOUSE LANNISTER 2 VP's
HOUSE BOLTON 0 VP's
TURN 3
With first activation, I activated Baelish to take crown and use the swords but Alex used intrigue & Subterfuge to prevent Baelish using his abilities. So I had to take swords as was...
The Cutthroats managed to get the Knights down to one wound remaining...
Alex activated and took the crown so using Varys token I forced a panic check but Alex's dice were pretty solid
And having used the High Sparrow on the crown, and influencing the Cutthroats, when they failed a panic from the crown, the Knights healed up
On the other flank, my other cutthroats dropped a few Redcloaks with the Mountain and they lost some to panic...
The Redcloaks killed a Flayed man
I was doomed!!! I simply was in disarray all over the field
When the Hound and his Redcloaks activated, I lost more men to the Lannister Justice, healing the Knights before the attacks
They simply were cut down with ease, while fully regenerating the Knights from 1 wound, freeing them up to go and finish of my 3 cutthroats...
With the Flayed Men retreating back to try and score a point on the objective, the Mountain and his Redcloaks flanked my Flayed Men as they were freed up by the KoCR wiping out the cutthroats
I was taken down a rank before the flanking attack with Lannister Justice...
Well, the dice were not going to change...
After the attacks, I had two wounds left...
I duly failed the panic check and I was wiped out in Turn 3
END OF GAME
HOUSE LANNISTER 13 VP's
HOUSE BOLTON 0 VP's
Well that was simply an awful outing for the forces of the Dreadfort. Alex had the cards, the dice and the plans all play out in sequence as he just went right through my army, with real flair. With hindsight I should have flanked his Knights with teh Blackguard when I had the chance but its always easier when you see your army crumple to think about what might have been if only....I won't bemoan my dice, they normally don't let me down but when the dice Gods are fickle, they lay it on thick. Alex simply went for it and played his list to perfection.
Meanwhile, Jamie had brought his Lannisters to face Andy's Targaryen's. The Targaryen's won!!!
The League summary is on Aden's blog here with some really good write ups...
Having lost in very quick order to Alex, there was a plus side as Dominic had come down but didn't have a game arranged so i used the same list to face off against his Night's Watch. We played the same scenario
Dom's fully painted Night's Watch
Conscripts, Veterans with Jeor Mormont (C), Sworn brothers with Jon Snow, Ghost & Trackers
TURN 1
Dom set up left to right with Veterans & Jeor, ghost, Jon and Sworn Brothers, Conscripts and Ranger Trackers. We had corpse pile, wall, stakes and Weirwood scenery and I set up Roose and Blackguard right, with Flayed Men and B Girls centre right and both cutthroats centre left and far left.
I opted to first and took the letters. Other Varys took horses and advanced veterans
Jeor and his Veterans...
Jon and his Bros with Ghost...
Near end of Turn 1. We were setting up for one unit each on flanks and 3 in centre but I thought I could see an exposed flank on those there Conscripts...
TURN 2
Dom used Varys on the letters, leaving me to use my Varys to take the swords and unleash arrows after shifting up
Just in the flank, and needing a 2+ to charge home...
They hit hard...
Dom got tunnel vision and ignored helping the Conscripts to get a charge off against the cutthroats...
Quid Pro Quo on the old charge front as I dropped down to two men, and Ghost activated after Rob to kill 4 dogs...
I activated the Bastard girls and killed off the conscripts, and also managed a dinky charge into Jon's Brothers with the Flayed Men
This was getting a bit monotonous!!! Flayed Men need to up their game...
It was quite congested there and when the Sworn brothers failed their panic check I played Fear Keeps a Man alive to bolster my forces
Board at End of Turn 2
Tactics board end of turn 2
Brethren of the Watch 4 VP's (Objectives)
Denizens of the Dreadfort 4 VP's (1 unit, 3 VP's)
Turn 3
Activating off the swords, I turned with the girls and caused a mere wound to Ghost. The Sworn brothers finished off my Cutthroats and Ghost scored a few wounds
The Flayed Men were again underwhelming
But the Bastard Girls were well set for the following turn after finishing off Ghost
On the left, both our units stayed put but off the horses I advanced up my Blackguard whiel still on the objective. Dom couldn't resist his trackers edging up to shoot
And I made the charge. It was risky but I'd edged ahead with ghost dying, i just needed to kill the horsemen
Finally, good dice saw all attacks hit...
And a failed panic check saw the Trackers wiped out
BOARD END OF TURN 3
END OF TURN 3
THE WATCH 8 VP's
HOUSE BOLTON 9 VP's
TURN 4
Aemon took the swords allowing Jon and his Sworn brothers an inneffectual swing and a bit of healing
I lost a horse but held the rank...
As they turned to face
My dice for the Bastard girls after they shot and charged in...
Jon and one brother were left to face the Vicious flanking Girls and the horrific visage meant a failure would end them...
They did fail...
Pretty badly...
I managed to manouver up with the horses and charge Jeor and his veterans with the Flayed men...
They hit very hard but the Watch remained...
Final state of play on the battlefield
END OF TURN 4
HOUSE BOLTON 14 VP's
THE NIGHT'S WATCH 10 VP'S
Great game, and close too. I took a risk leaving the objective with my Commander but managed to break the Trackers and gain their objective. Dom is still learning and erred with exposing his flanks to the girls but otherwise the Watch are tough and play attrition well. Problem for them in scenarios with objective is that the veterans spent the game objective sitting, and it made it all about the centre.
Wardens League
EVENTS
Board in Brum have another day event on 20th November. https://www.boardinbrum.co.uk/product/asoiaf-war-of-the-west-20-11-21/
Kieran Scaddan and Duke's Gaming in Pontypool have an event on 4th December Dukes Gaming
I'll be running a two day event at Ribble Rumble on December 11th/12th at Element Games in Stockport, for 16 players The Ribble Rumble - ASOIF | Facebook (Only 1 place remaining)
Justplay are running A SONG OF DICE & FIGURES VOL III on 11th December... Tickets
John Craig is hosting Always Winter at Common ground Games in January 2022 (22nd/23rd) at Stirling, a two day event that I plan to go to, link here ALWAYS WINTER (I've got my ticket and there'll be at least 3 of us from The Wardens of the North-West!!!)
Gavin up at Gaming Figures in Redcar will doubtless run a few too Gaming Figures
As hopefully will Entoyment down in Poole, who organise the awesome Beachhead exhibition. Homepage - Entoyment Wargaming and Hobby Centre
Board & Swords https://www.boardsandswords.co.uk/ and Board in Brum https://www.boardinbrum.co.uk/will hopefully add another event in before end of year...
All the above venues support the game and sell A Song of Ice and Fire Miniatures. Check them out, or pop in and visit if you are in the area...
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