So finally managed to get my postponed game in with Raymond "Mr Ray" Grieves who rocked up with his Newcastle top on after insisting we have the football on too...

With the new season update, I took the opportunity to go back to playing House Lannister, having not used them since version 1 (my first army). I decided to run Jamie as commander, as I always liked him. Unfortunately, not painted any Lannister units for two years, so no newer units available. (also had to use High Sparrow as stand in for Qyburn attachment)

The Warrior's Sons Jaime Lannister - The Kingslayer (C)

Poor Fellows

Knights of Casterly Rock

Pyromancers with Qyburn - Forbidden Knowledge NCU's

Cersei Lannister & Joffrey Baratheon

Raymond was more interested in the football than the game to start, but he had a tough Stannis R'hllor list with Mel...

Baratheon Sentinels with Stannis Baratheon - The One True King (C)

R'hllor Faithful withStag Knight Noble

R'hllor Lightbringers with Davos Seaworth - Onion Knight

R'hllor Queen's Men NCU's

Axell Florent, Melisandre with Selyse and Shireen

SCENARIO

A GAME OF THRONES

Terrain & Set up

Terrain: Wall, Corpse pile, Weirwood x 2

Baratheons: Queens Men, R'hllor Faithful, Sentinels with Stannis, Lightbringers

Lannisters: Poor Fellows, Pyromancers, Warrior Sons, Knights of Casterly Rock,

Poor Fellows

TURN 1

I had choice, and opted to go first having Joffrey take letters and adding cards while putting A Lannister pays his debts on the Casterly Rock Knights. I weakened the Lightbringers too. Ray moved up his lightbringers with the Horses, as I moved up both Poor Fellows, less aggressively on the right. I passed the crown bomb but lost a man to shooting from the swords.

I only lost one right side Poor Fellow to shooting and passed the panic. I was going for a left hook rather than my standard right, as Ray had set up heavily to my right. I kept Knights back as a threat to the Lightbringers, but felt the Warriors Sons and Pyromancers could hurt the Queens Men, despite their hard to kill reputation! Ray was looking to crush my right and hold the centre from his deployment.

TURN 2

After Ray took the Letters, I played Bribery on the Lightbringers and then took the bags to heal a wound on the Knights (from the panic jump last turn from Lightbringers) and remove the weakened. Ray used Test of Faith next activation on the Lightbringers but they failed their morale test due to the -1 because of Bribery, so didn't remove the Bribery.

A combination of Mel on the crown and Axell on the swords after I'd moved up to secure the right side objective hurt...

And the Poor Fellows there suffered

I had Jamie and the Warrior Sons take the centre, trying to bait Raymond in after I'd taken the horses to move up the Pyromancers

The Lightbringers activated and shot four Poor Fellows, but I passed the panic and kept the unit (and objective)

Raymond decided against going for a 6+ charge with Sentinels to try and finish them off (the Knights of Casterly Rock were unactivated) so moved them up to limit my cavalry options.

Ray only had the Queens Men left while I had Pyromancers and Knights

I charged the Sentinels scoring six hits but a flurry of cards meant Ray only ended up three men down and my Knights ended up panicked and vulnerable.

The Queens Men didn't charged the Warrior Sons, moving up ready for next turn. I activated the Pyromancers, and opted to shift up and throw some Wildfire rather than drop back onto the near left side objective. I scored 4 hits, and the Queens men also failed a panic for another wound.

Tactics Board at the End of Turn 2

END OF TURN 2

HOUSE LANNISTER 3 VP's (3 objectives)

HOUSE BARATHEON 1 VP (1 objective)

TURN 3

I had Joffrey take the Sword

allowing the Pyromancers launch their flasks again at the Queens Men.

And all seven hit, incinerating them.

Ok, so they spent a token to survive!!! Ha, and a second to survive after failing the panic check... That was better than expected...

And to rub salt in the wounds, they charged the Pyromancers and promptly failed the Horrific visage panic (Ray had forgotten they had that). So he expended Selyse and Shereen's "Necessary Sacrifices". The Queens Men killed five Pyromancers, who then activated and put the Queens Men down for good. That was an awesome exchange from my part...

I had surged forth away from the R'hllor faithful and then had Cersei take the horses...

Moving back to secure both left flank objectives.

The Lightbringers finished off my right side Poor Fellows, allowing me to gain benefits from A Lannister Always pays their debts

My Knights held well against the Sundering attacks of the Sentinels, but the Warriors Sons were absolutely mullered by the Faithful, dropping seven men...

Board at End of Turn 3

END OF TURN 3

HOUSE LANNISTER 6 VP's (1 unit, 5 Objectives)

HOUSE BARATHEON 3 VP's (1 unit, 2 objectives)

TURN 4

Raymond had Axell influence the Warriors Sons and then took the bags to heal up his Lightbringers (and deny it to me). So I took the swords and attacked with The Kingslayers Prowess card giving them sevens 2+ Precision attacks with re-rolls against a vulnerable opponent.

The Lightbringers shot the Knights of Casterly Rock but only dropped a few as my armour was good, even with vulnerable re-rolls.

Melisandre then took the Letters and panicked the the Warriors Sons, with me failing the panic and obliterating Jamie and his retinue!!!

Have to say, the Warriors Sons didn't perform as well as I had hoped

I took the horses again with Cersei, using a token to take Hear Me Roar from my deck. I then retreated the Knights a meagre seven inches from the Sentinels. However, as luck would have it the second half kicked off in the Blackburn/Newcastle game, so rather than launching the Sentinels after my Knights, ray had Axell take the crown and panic my Pyromancers. I was somewhat perplexed by this...

And they did fail and take a wound

Of course, this left my enhanced Knights ready to activate, and perfectly placed to charge the 5 remaining R'hllor Faithful...

With 10 dice hitting on 2+, the R'hllor died but did five hits back with Final Strike, dropping me to a single, wounded rank. Ray simply thought I'd already activated, being distracted...

Ray activated his Sentinels to chase after the Knights, but with my first activation I simply retreated my forces away, content to play out the remainder of the game avoiding engaging..

END OF GAME

HOUSE LANNISTER 11 VP's (2 units, 9 objectives)

HOUSE BARATHEON 7 VP's (2 units, 5 objectives)

Well, it was really a hollow victory given Ray's error's but at least I know if Newcastle is on the telly I have a chance of beating his Baratheons. The Pyromancers were awesome, but the Poor Fellows and Warriors Sons aren't as resilient as I recall them being. Ray was unlucky to lose the Queens Men so quickly, although the Pyromancers and Warrior Son combo was my plan to end them. The Knights are good, but could have done with critical blow as I did roll quite a few sixes on my charge. Sending the Knights after the Lightbringers didn't come to fruition as Ray kept the Sentinels near them