Friday 20 January 2023

Nights Watch v Targaryens: A Dance of Dragons

Thursday night down at Justplay saw Steve and I battle ahead of Kingdom Gaming's event in Northampton. Steve was running Targaryen's led by Greyworm while I was running a Jon Snow Night's Watch list. As usual, Ste changed his list after the game ahead of the event, so he wont be running this one (he is a tinkerer). But I'll be running this as one of mine.

STE'S TARGARYENS

Unsullied Pikemen with Greyworm (C)

Flayed Men

Stormcrow Mercenaries with Daario Naharis

Bloody Mummer Skirmishers with Jorah the Andal

NCU's: Xaro, Illyrio and Baelish

MY NIGHT'S WATCH

Veterans of the Watch with Jon Snow (C)

Shadow Tower Spearmen with Senior builder

Scorpion with overwatch Modification

Sworn Brothers

Ghost

NCU's: Aemon and Othell

SCENARIO: A DANCE OF DRAGONS

Set Up: Stakes on left objective, Coprse pile, two weirwoods

Targaryens (L to R): Flayed Men, Greyworm Unsullied pikemen, Jorah Bloody Mummers, Daario Stormcrows

Nights Watch: Jon's Veterans, Scoprion, Greywind behind, Sworn brothers, Shadow Tower Spearmen


TURN 1

Ste opted to go first, and we went throught he tactics board with Baelish on crowns using letters, Aemon letters, Xaro bags, Othell shooting up Mummers and killing six but Illyrio swapping horses for  healing them up three.


Board at End of Turn 1


TURN 2

I took the horses with Aemon to have the Shadow Tower Spearmen take the right objective. Xaro took the letters. I had Othell target the Flayed Men with sundering, dropping a horse and Ste lost another with a badly failed panic. Illyrio healedup a horse.


The Flayed Men were hurt, but still nicely poised on my flank...


I activated Jon's Veterans to take the centre and sent Ghost charging against the Flayed Men to pin them, but sadly I failed the 3+ charge...


Ste took the swords to have the Flayed men destroy the stakes, then flanked Ghost


Shame he didn't charge from the front as I'd have saved 5, but as I had a minus one from the flank, Ghost died rather easily...


Ste then played Overrun...


The Veterans took seven wounds but passed their test. I used and Now His Watch is Ended from the Sworn Brothers to move up


I then charged the nine remaining Mummers but rolled a 1 on the charge so couldn't play any cards


I used their order to get the re-rolls Jorah and/or the roll meant I shouldn't get. All seven hit, killing seven but Ste played Lash Out to drop four Brothers


The Stormcrows charged into their flank too, cutting down five more Brothers...


I activated the Bolt thrower, targeting the Flayed Men...


Yeah, that's about right..


The Unsullied charged in against the Veterans, but disrupt and a weakened token meant that I only lost two more men. Three left and Ste first activation next. The Mummers also retreated away from the Sworn Brothers. This was looking grim. My Spearmen were out away from the fight, and my other two units had two opponents each and were down to three men...

Board End of Turn 2



END of TURN 2

TARGARYEN'S 2 VP's (1 objective, 1 unit)

NIGHT'S WATCH 1 VP (1 objective)

TURN 3

Ste had taken the centre objective due to numbers and I was looking doomed. 


However, I had picked up Stand United Brothers and the Spearmen were just in range, so I removed 3 spearmen and healed up 5 Veterans. Ste took the swords and had the Stormcrows finish of teh Sworn Brothers.


I used their demise to trigger And Now his Watch has Ended on the Scorpion to target the Flayed Men and caused two wounds, leaving them on seven. So I activated Jon's Veteran to attack the Flayed Men, with the Sword in the Darkness making them Vulnerable and panicked. Ste failed four 3+ saves initially and a further one when I used the vulnerable. With 2 wounds left, Ste had a panic check to make...


AND HE BLEW IT IN STYLE!!! Apologies to Dom and Ray playing their league match on the next table as I screamed with delight, did a wee highland fling and the dragged them over to laugh at Ste with me...


Steve followed that disaster up with a desperate 5+ charge at the Scorpion and failed on a 4, re-rolling and getting a 1. This allowed my Spearmen a 4+ charge which I made into their flank. (having the objective also gave me sundering)


Seven hits...


Six dead Mercenaries!!!


However, Ste wasn't done  and had his rejuvenated Mummers flank my spearmen but they held well with Shield of the Realm of Men helping. I'd whittled them down again with Othell too.


Board at the End of Turn 3


END OF TURN 3

TARGARYEN'S 4 VP's (2 units, 2 objectives)

NIGHT'S WATCH 3 VP's (1 unit, 2 objectives)

Tactics Board End of Turn 3


TURN 4

I had Aemon take the Swords to have the Spearmen attack the Mummers (and heal two of the Spearmen)


But the Mummers are a nasty unit...


With disrupt and counterstrike, my dice failed me at last...


They lost two men, so Ste took the bags to heal them. I activated the spearmen and attacked the Stormcrows.


And the Mummers disrupt worked again... Aargh!!!


I took Othell to try and drop some more Mercs but fluffed my dice there two, and Ste used Illyrio to heal more Mummers


I used the Scorpion to kill a Stormcrow but Ste had found a good vein of morale check rolls this turn


And after my Veteran attacks were well saved and panic passed...


Steve declined to attack, using Issue Commands...


to have the Mummers attack the Spearmen.


But they didn't kill them, the Stormcrows finished them off and Ste played Overrun


Successfully charging into the Scorpion and causing 3 wounds


END OF TURN 4

TARGARYEN'S 7 VP's (3 units, 4 objectives)

NIGHT'S WATCH 3 VP's (1 unit, 2 objectives)

TURN 5

Ste took the bags and healed up the Stormcrows. I took the swords, had Jon attack and heal up the Scorpion. Ste took the letters and I panicked the Mummers from the Crown, making them drop it 


The Scorpion was healed, but so were the Stormcrows!!!


Who attacked and easily destroyed it...


The Mummers retook the objective, but the battle had swung decisively again. The veterans did manage to wrestle control of the centre objective again.


END OF TURN 5

TARGARYEN'S 8 VP's (4 units, 4 objectives)

NIGHT'S WATCH 4 VP's (1 unit, 3 objectives)

TURN 6

I had Othell take the bags for a sundering attack on the Mummers. 


Alas, Jorah and little Yollo survived, but they did drop the objective again


Ste charged the Veterans in the rear, dropping a few men but losing as many to counterstrike. I took the swords and wiped the Stormcrows out, healing 4 and forcing Daario to sign up...


But Ste took letters, I attacked the Unsullied, Ste healed them up and then took the Horses, charged the rear again with the Mummers and Jorah, losing little Yollo to a counterstrike.


With Xaro on letters, and battle endurance on Greyworms unit, Ste was rolling 11 dice against me with critical blow, sundering and re-rolls...


13 hit due to the critical blow, even on 4's and I was wiped out. 



But It Shall Not End Until My Death mean it could have one last swing. It was poor!!!


END OF TURN 6 (& Game)

TARGARYEN'S 9 VP's (5 units, 4 objectives)

NIGHT'S WATCH 5 VP's (2 Units, 3 objectives)

Always get a great game against Ste, but even by our standards that was very swingy and could have went either way. End of Turn 2 and I felt I was dead and buried. Drawing one card start of Turn 3 turned it, as did Ste's abysmal saving rolls on his Flayed Men. Then a failed charge. Game turned on it head in Turn 3 and going itno Turn 4 I was confident. And the Mummers "Disrupted" my efforts, the spearmen fluffing badly. In the end, the 3 NCU's were able to dominate my two and with the activation advantage and some very well played Issue Commands, Ste swung it back into his favour. He enjoyed toying with me in the last two rounds two, the swine!!! 


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