So Greg "Greggers" Deane and I met up to run one of our locked lists for the Northern GT, playing Honed and Ready. Greg was using his Lannisters led by Adam Malbrand while I was sticking with good old Mance Rayder. He may be a riskier option now, but his cards are still the best in the game for me...
I dont usually run 3 NCU's but I have this one that does and Greg wanted to face a 6/3 build rather than a 6/2 build to see how he'd cope in a 5 objective match-up
Free Folk Trappers with Mance Rayder - King Beyond the Wall (C)
War Mammoth
Free Folk Raiders with Raid Leader
Free Folk Raiders with Jarl - Advance Raid Leader
Spearwives
Spearwives
NCU's
Craster, Lady Val & Ygritte
Ste and Ray were also playing at Justplay who have just got some new stock in
Raymond snapped up some Baratheon Hero boxes
But he had borrowed mine as I painted them up last week. Special shout out for Ray, who hasnt played for 3.5 months, and had never used Renly's Rainbow Guard. Because HE SMASHED PSYCHOSTE and his tourney Stark list 13-4. (Sorry Ste, he made me do it!!!)
Anyway, enough about the serious gamers, Greg and I were chilling and chatting while they were shouting!!!
Greg's list for Lannisters was:
Lannister Halberdiers with Addam Marbrand (C)
Lannister Guardsmen
Lannister Crossbowmen
Knights of Casterly Rock
The Mountain that Rides
NCU
Pycelle, Petyr Baelish & The High Sparrow
Random Terrain: Hedge, Wood, Corpse Pile, Hedge, Weirwood. I chose sides
Lannisters: Crossbows, Knights of Casterly Rock, Halberdiers, The Mountain, Guardsmen
Freefolk: Spearwives, Mammoth, Raiders with RL, Trappers with Mance, Spearwives. (Jarl's Raiders off board)
TURN 1
Greg opted to let me go first, so I had Ygritte take letters and weaken the Knights
I drew in Regroup & Reform as well as a second There's Too Many. Nice hand of cards!!!
We filled out the tactics board first as is the norm, with us both having an additional move whch I sued on my right spearwives and Greg used on corssbows. I also removed a token with the bags...
BOARD AT END OF TURN 1
I had pushed up on the right aggressively, but now had a quandry...
TURN 2
Start of Turn
I had planned to bring the Jarl's Raider over to threaten the crossbows but they were out of range to threaten my forces and so I brought them in behind the Guardsmen. Greg hasn't played the updated Freefolk yet, so had opted to go second in first turn to go first in Turn 2 and take horses to deny me the outflank... He took it in his stride and went to activate Pycelle...
I played Wilding Diplomacy, so Greg reluctantly passed rather than risk D3+1 wounds on The Mountain. So I had Ygritte take the swords...
My right side spearwives were influenced for an extra inch move and shifted to toss spears
I killed one from the spear toss (and Greg used Lannister Supremacy and Here me Roar to drop 4 spearwives)
However, I did drop another four in the melee thanks to the Vulnerable token. As Greg went to activate the High sparrow, I hit him with the second Wildling Diplomacy, so he passed rather than risk the Mountain...
I then played Regroup and reform to shift in the Raid Leader and bolster my spearwives ranks...
Before charging my Raiders and jarl into the guardsmens rear, for 7 attacks on 3+ due to the raid leader in the spearwives, leaving the Guardsmen on 3 men before the panic check. And I played There's Too Many. At least they didnt do the extra wounds now I told Greg. Alas, he rolled a 3 and lost the unit.
Greg had Baelish take the letters for some cards (he didnt have counterplot in his hand obviously!!!)
So I took the opportunity to charge the Mountain with the spearwives but he passed all his armour saves.
Greg activated his crossbows and moved up as far as they could while claiming the far left objective, while I threw some spears at the Halberdiers but did not charge in...
Greg knew he was on the back foot so went for a 4+ charge into the spearwives which fell short and exposed hs knights flank to a big hairt Mammoth... I had Val take the Horses to move him up first as Grge had played a card o deny me her ability.
END OF TURN 2
FREEFOLK 2 VP's (1 unit, 1 objective)
LANNISTERS (1 objective)
With activating first, it was obvious I'd take swords and hit the Knights with the Mammoth and I was baiting Adam's Halberdiers with Spearwives. My right side was tight and swarmin over the Mountain.
TURN 3
I played surrounded and exposed to give the Knights vulnerable and took the swords to attack
The melee reduced them to a single Knight before the panic, which Greg failed with another 3 wounds wiping them out...
I then pushed the big guy up to threaten the Halberdiers rear. Greg charged the spearwives doing three wounds, so I used Diversion tactics to swing the raiders around and then activated them to hit the Halberdiers in the flank. Greg then retreated the Mountain after I had used Val to bring the Mammoth up behind the Mountain.
But I could still see him so charged in anyway...but rolled a 1 on way in!!!
All six attacks missed with no re-rolls. Still, I wasnt complaining about bad luck as Greg may well have killed me...
I repositioned my right spearwives to take the objective, then had the jarl raider move to free up the spearwives the following turn. I retreated my left side spearwives out of melee to allow them to toss and charge but Greg had played Bribery meaning they'd roll less dice. I also played the Endless Horde on the spearwives nearest the mountain
Tactics Board End of Turn 3
END OF TURN 3
FREEFOLK 5 VP's 2 units, 3 objectives)
LANNISTERS 2 VP's (2 objectives)
Of the wall shooting after scoring, I lost a few Trappers and Greg lost some Crossbowmen. My spearwives took five hits...
Needing 5+, its fair to say Greg was as unhappy with my dice as I was delirious...
TURN 4
Greg took the swords and shifted the crossbows up of the objective to target the spearwives, who lost a few girls but I healed them up with Ygritte on the bags
And also played Endless horde on them so when they died I'd get another unit back on.
Greg then retreated out of comabt with the Halberdiers, to prevent a flank attack by my spearwives so I charged the Mountain in the flank with the freed up Raiders... I used overwelming assault to get sundering and critical blow in his flank and did three wounds.
Having been influenced by the High Sparrow, teh spearwives recieved more bolts form the crossbowmen.
I lost a few more nad then had a panic check with -2 due to flank and corpse pile. I passed
The mounatins then made all his last wound saves against the sundering mammoth!!! I'd managed 3 sixes on my attacks
My Mammoth dice that hit the Mountain
Baelish took the crown, using it to hit the spearwives again for another -2 panic check
But i passed it again!!!
Greg wasnt chuffed, as if 'd have failed any of them he could have healed the mountain up!!!
He did manage this as after I retreated the mammoth away using Val, I used my spearwives to chuck spears (panicking the Raiders who ailed and Greg used Fealty to the Crown) before I hit home
And with the vulnerable, I did mange to do three wounds again!!!
END OF TURN 4
FREEFOLK 7 VP's (2 units, 5 objectives)
LANNISTERS 2 VP's (2 objectives)
TURN 5
Having lost more trappers off the wall, I played Regroup and Reform and put Mance in into the far objective holding Raiders as they had more men.
I then activated the Mammoth to flank the Mountain
Sundering, in the flank with crit blow... And I only just managed it. The Mountain finally succumbed!!!
Greg finished off the Spearwives with his crossbowmen who spawned a new unit of Raiders near left. He also killed the Trappers with shooting from the wall, and had his crossbowmen drop back onto the far left objective. I took the centre objective and the bottom left.
BOARD AT END OF TURN 5 (and GAME)
FREEFOLK 11 VP's (3 units, 8 objectives)
LANNISTERS (2 units, 2 objectives)
That was tough for Greg, due to my opening cards and the Jarl's Raider's. Turn 2 effectively decided the game, with Greg passing with 2 NCU's when he was first activation. Greg battled valiantly, the Mountain in particular being rock when charged and engaged with the Mountain and a swarm of Freefolk. I had some incredible dice (and am worried I've used up a lot of luck BEFORE the weekend event) but wiht the early demise in turn 3 of the Knights of Casterly rock I was playing cagily an using my numbers to avoid bad match ups. The scenario helped me too, but luck was definitely on my side...
Next up will be a six battle report from the Northern Grand Tournament 13th/14th May hosted by the Dead Meta Guys
The event will be streamed for the whole weekend by the guys over at Dead Meta Gaming, so even if you can't make it then you can still get in on the action and be part of the weekend! Drop them a like, share and a follow or sub on twitch and YouTube! It's all appreciated!
Twitch;
Youtube;
Paul Whitehead and Thomas Whitworth are running a cracking looking 50pt one dayer over a Leodis Games in Leeds on June 4th
(YES, 50 POINTS)
I missed the CYMRU GT last year but is allegedly on a par socially with Scotland, so Greg and I are going.
And there are The Circuit Events run by ASOIF Stats and Carlo should be well supported.
The three events are as follows:
London Open – April 15TH/16TH
Birmingham GT – May 27TH/28TH
Leeds GT August 5TH/6TH
You can find a joint rules pack – including information on how to purchase a ticket - for the events here:
THE LONDON GRAND TOURNAMENT
Saturday 30th September & Sunday 1st October
Paul Winter has taken over running this event and its the biggest one!!!
I WILL BE RUNNING THE RIBBLE RUMBLE AGAIN THIS YEAR. IT'S GOING TO BE
DECEMBER 2nd/3rd 2023
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