Another Thursday up in sunny Liverpool, with King Joffrey leading his troops Norht of the Wall to challenge the King Beyond the Wall, Mance Rayder. Greg Deane was commanding the Lannisters and once again, we were down at Justplay Games https://justplaygames.uk/ (who have a large stock of A Song of Ice and Fire in store.)
With the announcement that Liverpool was under stricter lockdown measures as of Saturday, we opted to play Game of Thrones and I had tweaked my list from my previous Freefolk outing to include a Savage giant using the Atlas model conversion from Mythic Battles pantheon range. I also had my shiny foil Freefolk cards to use courtesy of Blitzminis.
My list was as below:
40pts Freefolk
Freefolk Trappers with Skin changer (Wolf) and Mance Rayder, King beyond the Wall (C)
Spearwives with Jarl Raid Leader
Freefolk Raiders
Freefolk Raiders
Freefolk Raiders with Skinchanger (Bear)
Freefolk Raiders with Harma the Dogshead and Bannerman
Gorgo the Great, Savage Giant
NCU's: Craster, Ygritte & Lady Val
Its only my second Freefolk outing and I've opted for Mance again as I've seen he seems to be used less than others...
Colin and Raymond were also down, with Colin's Brynden Tully Starks facing off against Raymond's Davos led Baratheons in Dance with Dragons. The Starks triumphed 11-9
Greg's Lannister forces were as below:
Kingsguard with Joffrey Baratheon (C)
Pyromancers
Lannister Guardsmen with guard Captain
Lannister Guardsmen
The Mountain that Rides
NCU's Tywin Lannister, Cersei Lannister and Tycho Nestoris
We played the objective cards blind bar centre one and set the terrain up, with Greg choosing a barricade and corpse pile and myself opting for a palisade and Weirwood tree. Greg set up tightly from my left to right with Guardsmen, Kingsguard, Pyromancers, Guardsmen with captain and The Mountain.
Keeping the Spearwives off board with Jarl Raid Leader, I deployed with Raiders on my with Skinchanger and bear, Savage giant, Trappers with Mance and Wolf skinchanger, Raiders, Raiders with Harma, and Raiders.
I opted to go first as Greg had chosen the board edge...
TURN 1
Ygritte took the letters on my new Tactics Board (thanks to Raymond)
Cersei then took the crown, after influencing Mance and his Trappers
However, with Mance having a leadership of 5, the Trappers were stoic...
One unit of Raiders took the nearest objective, but it wouldnt prove useful...
Whereas the Guardsmen on my left managed to take the objective nearest them...
As my right side moved up, Mance redeployed behind the lines...
On my far right, my Raiders took the objective that both Greg and I wanted.
This effectively prevented Tywin Lannister using his ability all game...
End of turn 1.
The Lannisters were tightly bunched bar the Mountain who went out on a limb...
I had Mance's Skinchanger wolf trail the Mountain. Any roll of one on his defence save would do two wounds...
Tactics board end of Turn 1.
TURN 2
I kept the Wolf on the Mountains tail...
Greg activated Cersei again first, taking the letters
And influencing my objective holding right hand Raiders...
I used Ygritte to influence same unit, cancelling out Cersei...
while taking the crown and targeting the Pyromancers, who passed their panic.
As the round progressed, the Pyromancers marched up ready for next round, but Lady Val took swrods and used horses to advance my Raiders up ready to activate and charge...
Greg was left in a quandry, as his Guardsmen were holding two objectives. He is seen below, looking at activating Joffrey to take the centre objective...
As it was, he didnt activate the Kingsguard and I charged home against the Pyromancers...
And got 4 hits...
They saved one but lost four more from the failed panic...
The Kingsguard no activated, using a banner for a free move to charge in to support the Pyromancers...
I always thought the Freefolk were supposed to gang up???
The Kingsguard hit with all their attacks and I made only one save...
On a Weirwood and with Mance just behind them
But with Hear Me Roar!!The Raiders passed their panic check...
Mance's Leadership aura was proving useful...
With the Pyromancers sorely depleted, I played swift advance on my left most Raiders, looking to flank them...
Needing a three, I failed even with re-roll...
I played Predictable manouvres to avoid the Mountain activating and flanking my engaged unit.
I charged the Kingsguard with Harma's raiders...
And didnt do very well. Fortunately, I think Greg forgot about his Counterattack order...
Concerned about my outflanking Jarl led Spearwives next turn, the Mountain retreated away from the flank and charged Harma in the front...
He hit like, well, a mountain and the Raiders failed their panic check too...
END OF TURN 2
THE ONE TRUE KING 2 VP's
THE KING BEYOND THE WALL 2VP's
With my activation first, I felt in a good position with both Guardsmen objective sitting and my Raiders holding up the hard hitters...
TURN 3
I took the Horses and brought on my Spearwives, not to threaten Gregor but to add weight to my left and threaten the objective holding Guards. In response, Greg took the swords allowing the Pyromancers to finish off the Raiders they faced and move back away from the Giant. I then charged home against the Pyromancers with the bear skinchanger Raiders and managed one paltry hit, which didnt even penetrate the gowns the Pyromancers wore...
The Bear failed to charge in against the Guards to hold them in place for my Spearwives (as I'd mvoed the Wolf to the Guards at start of turn)
Harma restored wounds and hit the Mountain, scoring a wound...
The board was nicely balanced. But would quantity win over quality???
The Spearwives managed a flank attack into the Guardsmen. Both hits were saved and I lost 2 wives to Lannister Supremacy...
I had used Val to allow my Giant to move onto the centre objective. Seeing the threat, Greg used a baratheon banner to retreat from melee with Harma and then thunder into my raiders flank, who were much reduced due to some Pyromancer attacks...
My giant had still to activate but the Pyromancers and Joffrey were killing my Freefolk for fun. But Mance's trappers dropped two Kingsguard with flank shots...
The guardsmen held position (to retain the objective) and struck back, scoring two hits...
which I saved!!! Finally, a success this round...
As Greg played "I am the King" I insisted he do a Joffrey impression. It was pretty poor as Joffrey didn't have a Scouse accent...
Being just in range of the Weirwood was good but I passed my test.
Greg expended the panic, but I passed my test (again)
I opted to have the Giant sit on the centre objective, ending the turn ahead. Somewhere in the round Tycho was used to recall the 4 Kingsguard and heal the Mountains sole wound
THE ONE TRUE KING 4 VP's
THE KING BEYOND THE WALL 6 VP's
In the end phase, this objective allowed a free move...
Allowing the Pyromancers to advance to my Giants flank ready for his activation first next turn...
TURN 4
Not unexpectedly, the Pyromancers activated and charged to allow the re-rolls...
Gorgo the Great lived up to his name, taking 4 wounds and passing his panic... With Ygritte taking the swords
the great chains wreaked havoc with the pyromancers.
The Trappers killed a Kingsguard with their traps as they charged the wounded giant.
Using a banner to get critical blow and sundering, they ended with 9 hits
And Joffrey had his head...
With my forces under real pressure, I took the horses with Craster...
But switched the zone effect for the "Endless Horde", bringing on unactivated reinforcements...
Cersei took the bags to restore the Kingsguard
and influenced the Spearwives...
I placed Lady Val on the crown...
and replaced it with "Endless horde" for more reinforcements.
Harma's unit was still tied up with the Mountain, and got a boon when I tried to regroup and reform as the Lannister counterplot failed
I lost all the models I'd placed when the Mountain attacked
The Trappers shifted forward and attacked the rear of the Pyromancers
With some fine shooting, they were wiped out.
I again had the numbers, but the guardsmen had hurt the Spearwives and they were the last unti i had to activate...
With Cersei on, weakened and Lannister Supremacy hanging over them, they retreated to force the game into Turn 5...
I was gaining 2 VP's to Greg's 4 VP's at this turn end, hence reason not to attack with the spearwives...
A full unit of Kingsguard protecting Joffrey needed to be shifted next turn...
END of TURN 4
THE ONE TRUE KING 9 VP's
THE KING BEYONDS THE WALL 9VP's
TURN 5
I took the swords and shot the Kingsguard up...
4 hits unexpectedly yielded 2 wounds... The guardsmen charged off the objectives and wiped out the Spearwives, putting Greg on 10 VP's, retreating back onto the objective.
I only had one goal, to kill Joffrey. I charged the Trappers into the Kingsguard, which was a bit of a mismatch to be sure...
But they scored 4 hits...
And killed two, though took two wounds from the counter-attack order...
Joffrey was furious, and told his retinue to slaughter the King beyond the Wall (but Greg didnt impersonate the King again, to say "YOU WILL OBEY ME!!!"
But they did, and managed a mere 13 hits, easily wiping the Trappers out and killing Mance...
The Mountain retreated after Harma attacked, to preserve VP's...
Using Swift advance, I managed to get my right side Raiders to charge in against the boy King...
Who was left barely hanging on....
The scene was set for a dramatic finale...
The score was (9 VP's to 10 VPs in the Lannisters favour...
But if my last unit could get a 5+ charge in, and kill Joffrey, it would be a heroic victory!!!
Sadly, they didnt manage it and totting up the scores the game ended (ignore the coins as Joffrey didnt have the ranks to claim the centre objective)
THE ONE TRUE KING, FIRST OF HIS NAME, JOFFREY BARATHEON 12 VP's
THE LATE KING BEYOND THE WALL, MANCE RAYDER 11VP'S
Joffrey and his forces had annihilated the Freefolk...
Well that was pretty close. It was a thoroughly excellent game... The King of the Seven Kingdoms edged out the King beyond the Wall with Joffrey and his Kingsguard simply cut through my entire force!!! Lots to take as I'm still learning Freefolk. The wolf should have been on the Kingsguard or Mountain the whole game, I wasted him after turn 2. I fluffed too many attacks in Turn 3, which cost me the game.
But on the plus, Mance was awesome for morale, Harma held up a Mountain and it was a really fun game to play. It was close, and tense and Greg didnt know what cunning plans I had in the last turn, hence the Mountains retreat. (turns out I didnt have any, nor cards that could have helped).
For Greg, he played offensively in but the guards sat on objectives not doing much (bar the one that defeated the Spearwives). The Mountain was impervious and the Kingsguard were simply awesome. They literally cuts my forces to pieces and did some timely healing to save the King.
I like doing these reports, as much for my own sake as yours, but understand they're a bit antiquated (like me) in the modern world. If you prefer video battle reports, I'd recommend the following You Tube channels that you probably are aware of anyway...
Dead Meta gaming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv9jjR2HQIk
Blitzminis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUG_dX_JxC4
Sunday Slaughter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOauf_4sYBU
There are many more tactics, game content and podcast discussions available on the ASOIF Guild page too https://www.asoiafguild.com/
