Finally, I get to face the Night's Watch, as Colin prepares to stop my Free Folk horde in this week's Thursday night at Justplay Games...
We elected to play a Game of Thrones.
Colin is a true veteran of the Watch, and probably the best player in our group having honed his knowledge by concentrating on the NW and also playing regularly over lockdown on TTS as "Kolco".
His force was simply elite, with an anti-Mance addition in Vargo Hoat as the assassin.
The board was set up with a Weirwood on my centre left, corpse pile centre right, stakes right (my edge) and palisades (NW side right).
Colin set up with Rangers on my left, Jon and Rangers centre left, Vargo's Veterans centre and Ghost centre right as I look.
Nothing surprising, as Ygritte slowed Jon Snow down with her influence and I brought on the Jarl's Raiders
Ghost had switched wings and I didnt feel like wasting the unit so brought the on my right to hold an objective...
Jeor took the swords, a card was moved to the Rangers on my left from Jon's Rangers...
For the Watch was the card, allowing a charge by the Rangers
Into my left side Raiders...
The Rangers caused 7 hits, and I managed to save 2 despite the Vulnerable.
I also managed to pass morale!!! With a panicked re-roll to boot...
Remember, they are NOT SWORN BROTHERS but Rangers!!! So they retreated after attacking!!!
And unleashed arrows...
Two struck home and two were saved, but with the Weirwood tree nearby I passed my panic again...
I played Diversion Tactics on Cave Dwellers, allowing them to advance up into the Rangers flank, and they activated and charged in.
I had used Regroup and reform to reduce their models too, to give my attack more oomph!!!
And they struck hard, killing 5 of the Rangers...
Alas, more card shenanigans allowed Jon Snow and his Rangers to drop back and pivot, before charging my Savages in the rear...
The Night's Watch have more card tricks than Paul Daniels ever did, and Colin was devastating me with them...
Fortunately, we had an intermission so I took a few pics of the other games: Raymond "Mr Ray" and his Baratheons tanking up to some of Aden's Greyjoys...
Ste looking very focussed staring at Andy's ??? Night Watch forces I assume...
While Arno and his immaculately painted Lannisters faced off against Andy's Lannisters. Alas, this was Arno's last game at Justplay as he is heading home. Didn't get the chance to play him, but he seemed a fun player and a good lad...
Where did my Cave Dwellers go? Oh, yeah, they're deid!!!
But having done their attack, the Rangers moved and shot up my Raiders. In the flank, so they died.
Obviously, with my left flank wholly collapsed and distracted by cards and sleight of hand, Othell pinched the crown again...
The Mammoth was targeted, took a few wounds...
And failed her panic check again...
The Spearwives adn Raiders lost 2 each, and the Warmachines on the walls were driving her to the stakes!!!
My whole left flank gone, my units in disarray. Ach well, it bi reet!!! (A little bit of Scottish, Lancashire and Yorkshire together, a true product of the North)
So Vargo's Veterans took the centre objective and Ghost the back left, with Rangers on front left.
I had to start killing crows, no point sitting back. I took both right objectives (marching through the stakes). I also killed 2 Veterans with my trappers arrows, and they got trampled on by my Craster healed Mammoth as I repositioned for Turn 3. I resisted moving Mance up a bit to avoid a Vargo Veterans charge!!!
End of Turn 2
Night's Watch 4 VP's (3 objectives, 1 unit kill)
Free Folk 2 VP's (2 Objectives)
TURN 3
Othell scored more hits on the Mammoth but it passed its morale. It then activated and charged in but did no damage! (due to more cards and -1 to hit) It then took damage back itself due to watch order!!!
But that was irrelevant!!!. Jon Snow and his Rangers charged Mance's Spearwives. But failed to reach!!! They re-rolled, but came up even shorter!!!
I had to do something to change battle, so I took the swords, shifted up a bit, launched a volley with the Spearwives (killing 2) of Jon's Rangers) and triggered their order to charge in after it...
With full ranks, I was rolling 6 dice needing 4's with re-rolls, with +3 hits
I also played Overwhelming Assault, and given I had re-rolls and the Rangers weren't heavily armoured, I went with Critical Blow...
I wasn't disappointed, and don't forget to add + 3 hits for ranks. 12 hits in total!!!
Colin's Rangers just couldn't match my dice, and Colin had no cards to save Jon!!!
Awesome!!!Of course, the Nights Watch Veterans seen it, slapped at the Mammoth, caused a meagre single wound...
And I fluffed the panic badly...
Off it trampled, exiting right of pic below...
End of Turn 3
Nights Watch 7 VP's (6 objectives,1 unit)
Freefolk 5 VP's (4 objectives, 1 unit)
After the intensity of turn 3, I took a few minutes to snap the other tables. Baratheons looked to have the upper hand v Greyjoys!
Ste's Starks (looking nicely painted too) were giving Andy's Watch a hard time too. The Lannisters had finished up in the other game
I activated on the swords with Ygritte, influencing the Rangers to the left of Mance's unit as the Spearwives tried to repeat their success of last turn...
Sadly, I had no critical blow on the charge and though they took several wounds, they passed their morale check...
As expected, the Rangers took the opportunity to charge the rear of Mance's Spearwives, but thanks to Ygritte's influence it was disorderly on a 2. He had also used Stand Untied brothers to drop 3 rangers to add 3 to Vargo's unit(Mance's counterstrategy wouldn't work as target unit was out of range)
Needing 3's, the Rangers really could have used the re-rolls.
I didn't fail the morale, but the Ranegrs retreat and shot arrows into me, so I ended up losing 4 models in total...
But my morale checks were good...
I trampled through Vargo's Veterans and did a few auto wounds reducing them to 6 models...
Then, as Aemon activated I used Wildling diplomacy which Colin allowed, taking a zone. I caused 3 more wounds!!!
Sadly, Aemon healed up the Veterans for a total of 6, but my Raider hit them in the other flank, causing 2 wounds...
And though they lost another, it was good to see someone other than my Mammoth fail a morale...
With 5 models left, the Veterans activated and Vargo used the weakened to assassinate Mance...
And dropped the Spearwives down to 4 models...
I activated the Trappers, playing Co-ordination Tactics to allow the Trappers to use co-ordinated assault for 2 extra hits...
And with the benefit of the Raid Leader, the Trappers had 5 dice needing 4+'s... plus the 2 extra hits(on the dice)
The Veterans lost 3 men...
With Vargo and one man left, it was a crunch morale check!!!
And they failed!!!
Hold on!!! VAR check!!! The Shields of the Realms of Men should have blocked a hit, but we'd got so caught up in the heat of battle, we'd forgot... So Vargo remained!!! NOOOOO!!!!
Othell activated on the crown again, ignoring the badly hurt Mammoth to target the un-activated spear wives (they had activated off sword earlier)
The valiant ladies took 3 hits in total, one sole survivor!!!
But Vargo was not for panicking either!!!
I could not afford to try healing or anything else, I needed to kill Vargo to stop Colin winning!!! Five attacks on 3's yielded 4 wounds...
With an auto block, only one was successful but it was enough!!!
It took one hell of an effort to shift those Veterans!!! I surged up onto the central objective...
But Colin wasn't having it, charging Ghost in to easily finish off the spearwife and reclaim the objective
I had took the horses earlier to heal up the Trappers a bit and prevent any possible Ranger movement to a left objective...
End of Turn 4
Night's Watch 9 VP's (7 objectives, 2 units)
Free Folk 8 VP's (6 objectives, 2 units)
The state of play going into Turn 5.
TURN 5
Colin to activate first, and the badly wounded Mammoth was an easy point for Ghost!!!
4 attacks, 4 hits...
4 failed saves...
And the Silent Direwolf had a nice meal, then surged forth off away from the Trappers bows..
I played Endless Horde after having Ygritte take horses and influence the Rangers (again). I positioned them to threaten both the Rangers rear or a March to take the left objective...
Aemon took the swords, healing up the Rangers and then using For the Watch to charge against the Trappers... Or rather try to!!! Ygritte's influence to reduce their movement meant a second, critical failed charge for the Watch in the game!!
And the Raiders, having used Regroup and Reform to bolster their ranks, were not in the mood to show mercy, charging into the Ranger flanks...
Causing 3 wounds, the Rangers then had a minus 3 morale check with "There's Too Many"
But the Watch were resilient in the extreme!!!
Othell was up next on the crown, targeting the Trappers...
3 hits with a 6+ save caused 1 wound with a pair of saves...
Nice, but they did lose 2 to panic...
The Rangers activated, striking at the Raiders in their flank...
3 hits by passed the Raider fur...
But they passed their morale...
The Rangers then retreated out of melee, to flank shoot the remaining 5 Trappers...
7 shots caused 4 hits!!!
Flanking meant -1 save, but as the Trappers only have saves of six it was a bit academic
Especially with my dice!!! Ste had come over and witnessed this roll, even checking to see if he could roll similar... Its all in the wrist lad!!!
I did lose one to panic but used Craster to heal up 3 Trappers. I used the Spearwives to March onto the left objective, holding both on the right...
END of TURN 5
FREEFOLK 11 VP's (9 Objectives, 2 Units)
NIGHT'S WATCH 10 VP's (7 Objectives, 3 Units)
If you've made it this far, you'll know that this game was totally amazing!!! The small, elite Night's Watch v the disorganised rabble of the Free Folk. Given the recent changes to the game, and the whole social media frenzy of how broken Nights Watch are and how badly nerfed the Free Folk have been, you'd be forgiven for thinking the result was a foregone conclusion. I have to say, I wasn't confident but I was determined to give it a good go...
View from Castle Black: Othell was amazing, and literally a pain in the Mammoths ass all game. And while the Mammoth trample was annoying more to me, I have to say I think it added to the game, it didn't detract from it. The Veterans were fantastic, and took so much effort to shift, and with the Rangers fast, fluid and full on, with the shooting after retreating after attacking was so awesome. But again, these rules seem to reflect the elite, Wildling hunting Rangers. Colin played really well, he was in control at the end of Turn 2 and 3 despite the loss of Jon Snow but the Game mode played into the Free Folk numbers and Colin had to chase down unit Victory points, which he did. While my dice were above average, his dice simply failed him at crucial junctures.
Realism from the Real North: We were lucky. The Watch cards were amazing, and the rapid destruction of my left flank was as shocking as it was swift. Colin owned the tactics board and as the Night's (Watch) closed in, I had to go for it. We did not kneel, but charged to ultimate victory. Jon's units demise was unexpected and although Mance fell to Vargo, the demise of the Veterans couldnt have been achieved without his sacrifice. I've always relied more on luck than good tactical nous and by all the Old Gods, the dice were with me in this game. Colin went down fighting, as you would expect and it really could have went either way at the end. A fantastic game!!!
EVENTS IN UK (I know about)
Really looking forward to rest of year in UK, especially the one I'll be running a two day event at Ribble Rumble in December The Ribble Rumble - ASOIF | Facebook
My next event is at Board in Brum in July, which Simon has organised. First ASOIF event I went to was down here, and it was a great day... A Song of Ice and Fire Tournament – 3 July 2021 – Board in Brum (I will be running either an identical list to above, or swapping out the Cave Dwellers for a second unit of Spearwives)
Rich and his boys at Justplay in Liverpool are running one too on Sunday 8th August... Event Tickets | JustPlayGames
Other Events:
North of the Wall, John Craig is running The Siege of Pyke at Common Ground Games in Stirling,a 4 game event on 11th July,. Its a four hour drive for me, so ruled out for a one day I'm afraid. https://www.facebook.com/events/4027498000641474?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22surface%22%3A%22group%22%7D]%7D
Ian has this one down at Boards and Swords, Derby (Great event last February, before the madness, gutted cant make this one) AsSOIAF - Blood on the Trident one day event - 18/07/2021 — Boards and Swords Hobbies
The lads at Imps Gaming in Lincoln have a few lined up, nice venue as been there twice: A Song of Ice and Fire Ticket - Aug 2021 (imps-gaming.com) I cant make the August one sadly, but November is hopefully doable... A Song of Ice and Fire Ticket - Nov 2021 (imps-gaming.com)
Gavin up at Gaming Figures in Redcar will doubtless run a few too Gaming Figures
As will the Entoyment down in Poole, who organise the awesome Beachhead exhibition. Homepage - Entoyment Wargaming and Hobby Centre
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...
