50pts Dark Words, Dark Wings Baratheon v Targaryen

After a wee enforced break, Raymond and I managed to meet up again down at Justplay in Liverpool on Tuesday as they re-opened for gaming (all socially distanced and well organised as usual)

https://justplaygames.uk/

As usual we'd agreed the scenario before hand, with 50pts each and opted for Dark Wings, Dark Words.

My House Targaryens were infantry heavy for their first run out, consisting of:

Unsullied Swordmasters with Barriston Selmy (C)
2 units of Stormcrow Mercenaries with Stormcrow Leiutenants
Stormcrow Archers with Leiutenant
2 x Dothraki Screamers (One should have Jorah, but I forgot to bring him)

NCU's
Pyat Pree
Xaro Xhan Daxos
Illyrio Mopatis

Barriston Selmy leads the Unsullied

Raymond's House Baratheon

3 Units of Baratheon Wardens - With Renly, Lord Paramount (C), Loras and a Master Warden
Bastards Girls with Brienne (Unfortunately, Raymond forget to bring them, so used Sentinels as proxies)
Storm Crow Archers with Leiutenant
Bloody Mummer Zorse Riders

NCU's
Estermont
Alester
Olenna

Fresh from CMON's time vault, we got t play on The Mummers Ford battle mat. Raymond chose a wall and Weirwood tree while I took stakes and a central corpse pile. The objectives would only come into play if one of the cards required it.

Raymond set up left to right with Stormcrow Archers, Loras Wardens, Brienne and B Girls (look like Sentinels), Renly Wardens, Wardens with Master warden then Zorse Riders

The starting missions were as below. Sadly, Raymond had first turn and would get to remove one

I deployed left to right with Screamers, both Stormcrow Mercenary units, Unsullied, Stormcrow Archers and Screamers far right.

We've also been fortunate during lockdown to discover 4 other players in the area, with Colin and Greg Deane popping down to meet up and battle their own 40pts of Game of Thrones, with Colin's Baratheons v Greg's Freefolk. Look out for another report soon as I'm playing Greg on Thursday, all cavalry Targaryen (maybe) v Lord of The Bones in Winds of Winter...

TURN 1

With Olenna taking the House of Undying, I dropped two cards from my deck. But the rest of the turn flowed with tactics board filling up first

Only Illyrio hadn't activated...

Raymond did what his Baratheon tend to do, and tortoised into themselves to defend...

Full up tactics board, with Illyrio on the swords allowing me to destroy the wall in my half...

The Wardens form up in a defensive screen with Brienne's Bastard Girls (Sentinel models), as the Zorse's and Archers moved in behind

At turn end, Raymond drew the card on the left, which he would benefit from, replacing the scoring for objectives one which  would have favoured me...

TURN 2

Raymond lost two cards from his deck to Pyat Pree on the House of Undying, but took two more. Olenna was targetting Xaro Xhan Daxos first activation every turn which was frustrating, but I still took it to allow the bags to allow first shots from Stormcrows and taking 3 wardens down from Renly... But giving away a point as Renlys unit had been attacked and not destroyed. Silly of me!!!

I also followed up on my next activation by charging into the Wardens on my right, planning to use a card to auto retreat after. But fate is fickle and my charge was disorderly!!!

The Zorse riders were quick to redeploy back towards my flank and the Wardens did more damage to me than I did to them...

My second Screamers unit declined a  long charge into Loras's Wardens, advancing up for next turn to threaten his flank

And as I mentioned earlier, Alester Florent's swap ability allowed Raymond to claim both letters and the crown for 3 VP's.

I changed that card out as below...



End of Turn 2: Baratheons 4 VP's, Targaryens 0 VP's

TURN 3

The start of Turn 3 and I was having to react offensively to counter Raymond's lead which was playing to his strengths...

I lost my Screamers on the right to the Zorse riders who advanced to threaten the Stormcrow Archers

I decimated the Baratheon Stormcrows, but didnt do quite enough to finish them...

Renly's unit was well entrenched with Brienne the Blue ready to rush in to any assault on her beloved would be King...

Loras's Wardens moved out to threaten any further attacks on his left, suggesting he had countercharge...

And I decided I had to bite the proverbial Brienne bullet and charged into Renly's wardens with the Unsullied. I did reduce them by half, but then took a volley of arrows in the flank (losing one Unsullied), before the vicious melee attack  from Brienne's disguised Bastards Girls which resulted in me losing heavily and failing the panic reducing me after a second failed morale down to Barristan and one Unsullied, so I retreated with the card I couldn't use last turn...

Unfortunately Brienne and her Girls had still to activate and hammered home a charge (no pun intended) 6 hits, and I rolled 5 saves... Then failed another panic check!!!

I sent in the Stormcrows who killed some of the Bastards girls, but were then counter charged by Renly and ended up getting wiped out, while Brienne escaped with the horses on tactics...

But Illyrio did his things, allowing my screamers to reactivate and finish off the turncoat Stormcrow archers, then overrun into Brienne and reduce them right down

At the end of the turn, Renly was left looking heroic but the bigger picture said I'd lost

Loras was off to the left and well out of it, the Master Wardens wardens had turned to flank my screamers next turn and the Zorses were eyeing up some Archers...

End of Turn 3

Baratheons 12 VP's, Targaryens 6 VP'S

TURN 4 (As forgot its first to 14 in this scenario at 50pts)

I took the swords, allowing my Screamers to cut down Briennes unit, and was then charged in the flank by the Wardens who wiped them out. I took the coins, allowing my Archers to bring Renly down a bit, but he made all his saves, the charged in against my Mercs, who then played swift retreat and my archers finished off Renly with a failed morale check,

The Zorse riders charged into the archers rear to avenge Renly...

But I got lucky at last, rolling the required 11+ to pass their morale. Talk about dice coming good at the end

The game ended with Renly and Brienne dead, but no Taragaryens on the field, only Stormcrow Mercenaries. Barristan had sold his life dearly but got rid of one challenger to the Queen...

Another card had came out last turn that allowed Alester Florent to gain three more VP's with horse and letters...

The game ended with a decisive Baratheon victory, 16 VP's to 6 VP's

Alester Florent was man of the match for Baratheons, securing 6 VP's

Well it was great to be back out and rolling dice, even when they were decidedly poor by my standards. Raymond's hunker down approach is very difficult to crack, and I had no answer to to Alester Florent, It was my first outing with Targaryens and I didn't want to go all cavalry as I had been painting all my force. I was glad the House of the Undying wasn't that bad, in fact it was pretty uneventful. I do hate Olenna Tyrell. But for positives, Renly died along with Brienne. I just regret wasting Selmy and his unsullied so cheaply.

Next up will be all cavalry (for sure now) versus Greg's elite Freefolk list...