Another Thursday at Justplay in Liverpool saw Ste "PsychoSte" Connor bring his Starks to face off against my Baratheons in Honed and Ready. We were finalising our forces ahead of the Northern GT up at Darlington (still tickets available I believe and will be a great event)

NORTHERN GRAND TOURNAMENT LINK

I decided to try out a Stannis led heavy armoured list as I'd seen how wll Shane Ankers had used them at last years Ribble Rumble.

Champions of The Stag with Stannis Baratheon - King at the Wall (C)

Champions of The Stag
Baratheon Wardens
Baratheon Wardens
Stormcrow Mercenaries with Davos Seaworth - Onion Knight

NCU's

Tycho Nestoris
Petyr Baelish

Ste was running Gretjon in a "precision" and "counter strike" heavy list as below:

House Mormont Bruisers with Greatjon Umber - Lord of Last Hearth (C)

House Tully Cavaliers

House Karstark Loyalists with Rickon Stark & Osha - Spearwife Guardian

Shaggydog

Stark Sworn Swords

NCU's

Catelyn Stark

Sansa Stark

Lyanna Mormont

And if you ever want to piss me off before a game, set terrain up like this... I find it morally and aesthetically reprehensible.

SCENARIO : HONED & READY

Terrain: Stakes, Hedge, Weirwood and two more hedges tight against the right flank

Deployment:

STARKS: Sworns Swords with Shaggydog behind, Greatjons Bruisers, Tully Cavaliers and Karstark Loyalists

Baratheons: Champions of the Stag, Wardens, Stormcrow Mercenaries, Stannis Champions of the Stag, Wardens

I chose the sides to allow for the Weirwood. Steve went first in Turn 1

TURN 1

Ste took the letters and put a panic on my Stromcrows. I took teh horses to advance up my right wardens. Ste then killed two Stormcrows off the crown, not needing the panic (and the Weirwood didn't help either)

I had my left side Champions take out the stakes there and marched up on my right, while the Swron Swords did the same but didnt take the objective.

We both aligned ready to clash and my wardnes made all four saves from a wall attack.

Board at End of Turn 1

TURN 2

I had Tycho (stand in as I forgot to bring him) take the letters and weaken the Tully's. Ste took the crown and killed another Stromcrow

Despite the Weirwood...

I used "On the Double" to get a 7" move before charging hom with the left side Champions of the Stag

And used "Ours is the Fury" for sundering and hitting on 2+...

I killed a paltry four Sworn Swords and then Greatjon smacked into me!!! And he didnt even use the vulnerable. That's just rude!!!

Failing the panic wasnt great either...

Ste took the horses and retreated his Sworn Swords out of combat...

I knew what he was up to, so used tycho to restore 5 wounds to the Champions of the Stag. Sure enough, Ste the used swift reposition to move his Tully over, move, then charge into my flank. I survived with 1 wound left...

Board at End of Turn 2

Steve wouldnt engage on the right, and had hit my left hard. I had always hoped he would do this, but was hoping to stand up better that I was. With Steve going first next turn, my left Champions were doomed...

My right side was looking good, but was more static than Steve's force...

END OF TURN 2

BARATHEONS 3 VP's (3 objectives)

STARKS 0 VP's

TURN 3

Steve took the Swords and had Greatjon's Bruisers kill the final Champion...

I used my second on the double card to move up Stannis, and flank Shaggydog. i actually only managed 4 hits, but fortunately Steve failed all 4 saves...

Ste piled onto the tactics board and gave out a vulnerable token to my Warden in the centre

But I used Stags Wit to stop it

The Tully's charged into my Wardens but I healed up from Supply Aid and repositioned off the centre when I attacked back

I had figured Ste would smash into my rear but with another swift reposition, he was able to get the Greatjon and his Mormont Bruisres all the way across into my Stormcrows while taking 3 wounds through their "reckless heroism"

The Karstarks avoided melee again

END OF TURN 3

BARATHEONS 5 VP's (1 unit, 4 objectives)

STARKS 2 VP's (1 unit, 1 objective)

TURN 4

Drawing 3 tactics cards gave me a bit of a conundrum. Bags or swords? I opted for swords, as I got highest attacks off Davos, rerolls and made the Mormonts vulnerable with Sustained Assault. I dropped them down to 4 men!!!

Ste healed them up, so i did the samea again by activating the unit!!!

And dropped them down again!!!

I also had Baelsih take the horses to move my Wardnes over to threaten the Greatjons flank...

Ste took a gamble, and used Sansa...

Swapping her out for Assault orders. This allowed the Bruisers to finish off the Stromcrows and move swiftly away to threaten the rear of my central Wardens

Who activated and despite getting only one hit managed to drop the last reamining wound on the rear rank of tully's

Who then lost another Cavalier to a badly failed panic check!!!

I failed my charge on 4+ to engage with the Karstarks, while the Greatjon and Tully's finsihed off my Wardens. When teh Karstarks moved away to take the centre, I played "Ride them Down" but again failed the charge!!!

END OF TURN 4

BARATHEONS 6 VP's (1 unit, 5 objectives)

STARKS 6 VP's (3 units, 3 objectives)

TURN 5

Steve charged off the centre into Stannis, but only managed two wounds. I attacked back off of the swords with Ours is the Fury, killing four...

Steve healed them up and I had a cunning plan. I had Baelish spend his last token to take horses but use the crown. Sadly, the Cavaliers passed their panic

I had moved over when I activated the Champions as Ste used Assault orders to batter me again, using Berserker tactics too, dropping 3 wounds from the attacks and another 3 from the card me and leaving Stannis gravely wounded..

And despite my final strike back, Ste rolled 3 6's to save the hits...

The Tully Cavaliers went in for the (OVER) kill

Ste took teh centre, and the Cavaliers headed for the other one... The Greatjon wanted more blood though!!!

END OF TURN 5

BARATHEONS 7 VP's (1 unit, 6 objectives)

STARKS 9 VP's (4 units, 5 objectvies)

TURN 6

I had a recurring cunning plan!!! I took the crown and...

SHAZAAM!!! You're deid!!!!

Ste wasted an activation getting cards...

So I put Mr Baelsih on the Bags and had him fire from the wall upon the remaining three Sworn swords on the far left objective... Four hits, four failed saves... Ste was a bit shell shocked!!!

He spent the next few activations figuring it all out. in the end, he opted to call it by passing his activations!!! He had a cunning plan to get the Greatjon to charge into my Wardens...

END OF TURN 6 (& GAME)

HOUSE BARATHEON 10 VP's (3 units, 7 objectives)

HOUSE STARK 10 VP's (4 units, 6 objectives)

STARKS WIN WITH UNITS LEFT

Worth noting if Ste had charged in at the end, he'd have lost the game as I made all my armour saves and Ste lost the Greatjon and last man dying to the two misses he got thanks to counter-strike... Alas, what could ahve been!!!

But that was a great game. Ste as usual carved me up, controlling the tactics board andonly losing Shaggydog til turn 6. Dropping two units in the last turn like that gave me a moral victory!!! I've decided I'm going all cavalry for Stannis's list at the Northern GT rather than a mix. My other list will be less aggressive. Oh, and that was Ste's fluffy list by the way!!!

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