Honed and Ready: Greyjoys v Nights Watch

 So another Thursday night down at Justplay Liverpool with Dom bringing his Jon Snow led Night's Watch to face Asha Greyjoy, fresh from her heroics earlier in the week...

I've managed to finish painting Greyjoy Heroes 2, and think Moquorro is particularly awesome. Sadly, he doesn't feature in this report but he still looks epic...

I'd be running the same list as faced off against Colin's Targaryen's:

Combat Units • Ironborn Trappers (4) Asha Greyjoy - The Kraken's Daughter (C) Qarl - Asha's Champion (1) • Ironborn Reavers (5) • Ironborn Reavers (5) • Ironborn Reavers (5) • Ironborn Bowmen (4) • Ironmakers (7) (using Blacktyde Chosen as stand ins) Dagmer Cleftjaw - Captain of the Foamdrinker (1) NCU's • Wendamyr (4) • Erik Ironmaker (4)

Dom was running the following

Combat Units • Sworn Brothers (7) Jon Snow - 998th Lord Commander (C) • Conscripts (4) Watch Recruiter (1) • Builder Crossbowmen (7) • Veterans of the Watch (7) • Stormcrow Mercenaries (5) Non Combat Units • Aemon (4) • Othell Yarwyck (5) I'll go on record before the game to say I hate Othell on the wall, from all the times he used to panic

my Free Folk Mammoth. In Honed and Ready, Othell on the wall and the arrow shots from the walls could

seriously hurt any objective holding units on the flanks. A tough NW army, but not overly so.

Terrain: Dom placed the wall near his objective on my left, I placed Weirwood center left for me, and woods too, while Dom put corpse pile centre right

My Left to right the Nights Watch went: Conscripts, Sworn Brothers, Stormcrows, Veterans and Builder Crossbows

I skewed heavy left, with Reavers, Bowmen tucked behind them and Asha's Trappers, Ironmakers, Reavers and Reavers far right...

Dom formulating his strategy while I stuff my face with Pickled Onion Monster Munch...

TURN 1

I opted to let Dom activate first, and he marched up his Conscripts. I took letters, before Othell took crown for a Vicious six dice on my right Reavers...

I lost 5 men...

The board end of Turn 1...

The Stormcrows were moved up additionally with horses to block Qarl going after Jon Snow

I used a Wendamyr shift to get the Ironmakers in range of charging Stormcrows or taking objective

Battle board end of Turn 1 (Wendamyr took swords to deny Builder crossbow shots and swapped to get a token)

TURN 2

I played Warcry to make the Stormcrows vulnerable and panicked, before activating the Ironmakers who charged into the Mercenaries

I went 50% right to keep the objective close by...

I scored 6 hits, none critical and managed to destroy a rank to gain a second pillage token (first had been from Erik)

Dom had Aemon take the swords and heal the Stormcrows 2 models

while getting the Builders to unleash for two hits on my centre right Reavers

I had Erik take the bags to heal up my far right side Reavers...

As the Builders activated again and targeted the same Reaver unit, dropping a rank

But I passed the panic check and used Ironborn Mettle to heal 2

The Trappers charged into the Stormcrows

with Qarl auto-wounding and all six attacks hitting...

Othell on the wall was next to target my Reavers

with Vicious again

but i only lost one man from 2 hits and passed the morale check

Having been given a pillage token when Erik took the bags, my left side Reavers charged the conscripts behind the wall

after shifting 3" to ensure auto in for the charge...

5 hits resulted with the low wall effectively cancelling out my sundering 

I did drop a rank for the second pillage token, but Dom activated them and they healed up a bit

Their attack back was meagre, doing one wound and I passed the panic again. These Always Winter dice were doign well on the panic...

The Stromcrows had attacked the Trapper ineffectually, so I used Wendamyr on horses

and retreated sideways onto the centre objective to deny it to the Watch and claim it for mine own...

I've been here before, looking good with a 4+ morale bubble and full units...

The Veterans of the Watch charged in...

scoirng two hits through my scavenged armour but I passed the panic easily enough...

BOARD at END of TURN 2

I had taken both flank objectives and centre and was pressing in on the builder crossbows on the right, while I was engaged with conscripts on far left one.

END OF TURN 2

NIGHT's WATCH     2 VP's    (2 objectives)

HOUSE GREYJOY   3 VP's     (3 objectives

End of Turn 2 before hits from the walll

After hits from the wall: The Builders lost 4, Conscripts 3, Reavers 2 and Bowmen 3

TURN 3

Activating off the swords, the Crossbow Builder dropped my right side Reavers to 3 models, I took the bags and healed the cnetre right Reavers in front of the Crossbows (off picture), allowing the Builders to activate and finish off my 3 Reavers

Allowing the Crossbows to Take the Black and heal up 4 models

As the battle raged, the trappers reduced the Stormcrows to a single model, the conscripts were much reduced and the Veternas only managed to drop a single Ironmaker, who thanks to Dagmar, now were vicious with sudnering and critical blow. They attakced the Veterans

for two hits due to their disrupt, killing 1 veteran. I lost two Ironmkaers from the 6 hits I took myself from counterstrike

On the right, I had moved onto teh objective with my healed formerly centre right Reaver via horses and moving to avoid charging the crossbows in the face!!! The conscripts had healed up the Stormcrows though they no longer scored off the objective, and I dropped a few Mercs from Ironborn bowmen shots, and they also lost two when Asha passed two panic checks due to Stubborn tenacitywhen they attacked Asha (missing all attacks and so auto-passing their panic when the Mercs attacked, and also from teh panic from Ironborn shooting into melee). Jon Snow and his Brothers were finally in position to get involved...

END of TURN 3

NIGHT's WATCH   3 VP'S   (3 objectives, 1 unit)

HOUSE GREYJOY  6 VP's  (6 objectives)

The Shooting from the wall: Bowmen lost 3 again, my right side Reavers dropped to a single rank and 3 Builder crossbows were killed.

TURN 4

Erik took the swords...

the Trappers activated with Qarl auto wounding meaning the solo Stormcrow had 5 hits to save, which he didnt. I surged forth facing the flank of the Conscripts

Othell on the wall with vicious for Dom next...

5 hits 

targeting my bowmen

who lost 3 men. A panic check with a -1 (vicious -2 plus Weirwood +1)

Phew!!!

Just to reassure I wasn't blagging it...

Activating my left side Reavers, with 7 attacks on 2+, the conscripts were wiped out, with my Reavers surging forth back towards the centre and the flank of the Veterans in melee...

The Veterans shifted to allow the Sworn brothers acces to the melee, and attack for a wound v my 2+ saving Ironmakers who were no fully tokened up for Dagmar Cleftjaw. I shifted, exposign a flank but maikng the Sworn brothers need a 3+ rather than auto in...

Even with re-rolls, I still fluffed my attacks!! But I didnt lose anyone from the counterstrike!!!

Jon Snow and his Brothers made it into the flank over the corpses so had no re-rolls

Scoring 7 hits, again the Ironmakers dice rolls let me down, losing 6 men!!!

And despite Asha and the Weirwood, the flank and corpse pile meant I needed a six to pass!!!

Still, What is Dead may Never DIE saved me, much to Dom's frustration...

I marched Asha onto the far left objective..

My far right Reavers were shot off the objective on my right by the Builder Crossbows

I had healed up my Bowmen with the bags, which allowed them to survive the battle followign teh shooting fromt eh wall which killed 3. With both left objectives secure, and the centre not controlled due to trays bisecting it, the Greyjoys took the victory...

BOARD END of TURN 4

END OF TURN 4 (and GAME)

NIGHT's WATCH   6 VP's   (4 objectives, 2 units)

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

Great game Dom!!! Chatting afterwords, we agreed that keeping Jon and his Sworn brothers out the fight until turn 4

helped me greatly. Sure, Qarl was facing him but he still ahd to hit to kill and Jon should have been more active,

given how quickly he carved up the Ironmakers. Othell on the wall and crossbow builders wiped out 2 units of Reavers.

But I got to gang up on the Mercs and the left Reavers did a job on the conscripts, while I was toying with a charge on

Buildr Crossbowmen, losses form wall and Othell meant I didnt think I'd even contest the objective let alone kill them.

So my right side Reavers got a few objective poitn sand sacrificed themselves for the greater good.

Fair play to Dom, he is still learning the game and isnt going down the tooled up lists so common with Night's Watch. And he didnt bring his Stone thrower!!! 

Charity Appeal

Kieran "Scaddman" Scaddan is holding a 24hr sponsored wargame of ASOIF in aid of Veterans mental Health charity.

Link to his Justgiving page is HERE

EVENTS IN UK

Duke's Gaming in Pontypool have an event on 12th February                Dukes Gaming event

Battlefield hobbies are having a one day, 3 game event in Daventry on Staurday 5th March A Dance with Daventry

Kieran's 24 hour Sponsored Event at Imjin barracks  18th March

UK London Grand Tournament (ELO) 30th Spetember Link