Friday 24 November 2023

House Bolton v House Martell: PsychoSte has found his true calling...

 So ahead of the Leeds Battle of the Crimson Snow Event on 26th, and the Ribble Rumble the following weekend, Ste brought his Bolton's over to mine to face my Martells. We were playing Honed and Ready Scenario...

This is one of my themed lists for Leeds, Darkstar's Starfall Vanguard.

Sunspear Dervishes with Gerold Dayne - Darkstar (C)
Starfall Outriders
Starfall Knights
Starfall Knights NCU's
Oberyn Martell, Doran Martell & Walder Frey


Ste has great fun out at Halloween...


His list was pretty all comer to be fair, with Steelshanks Commanding

Dreadfort Spearmen with Steelshanks Walton - Captain of the Guard (C)
Cutthroats with Grunt - Bastard's Boy
Dreadfort Archers with Sour Alyn - Bastard's Boy
Blackguards with Dreadfort Captain
Flayed Men NCU's
Walda Frey & Ramsay Snow RANDOM TERRAIN: Wall, Weirwood, Stakes, Weirwood

HOUSE BOLTON: Blackguard, Archers, Spearmen, Flayed Men, Cutthroats

HOUSE MARTELL: Dervishes, Knights, Outriders, Knights



TURN 1

Ste took first activation and took the Letters. I took the Horses and moved up my Dervishes, as I had a cunning plan. Ste moved up his Blackguard, so I moved up my Outriders to destroy the stakes.


I brought my cavalry up to my right, as figured the Cutthroats would be the better option as Ste protected his Archers. And after everyone bar the Flayed men had activated, at the start of a friendly turn I played "Lone Knight) allowing Gerold's unit to march. If only Ste hadn't blocked his archers. Still I charged his Blackguard... 


Bold admittedly, but I got to charge, then attack off of Walder, then first activation next turn!!! That's a nice card for a lone wolf like Darkstar


I failed my panic check but auto passed as I had the swords!!!


My attack wasn't impressive, dropping two of the Blackguard


Walder on the bags used the swords


And I lost 3 men to the panic check from Horrific Visage



But I did kill as many Blackguard, but five from two attacks was less than I'd hoped for.


TURN 2

I had Oberyn take the swords, unsurprisingly


And I passed the Horrific visage panic which was nice


I used Martial Training for vulnerable and re-rolls, and as the Blackguard were unactivated, I got Critical blow in addition to my Precision!!!


Alas, Ste passed the panic check as he fell to just two men...


Ste did some fancy tactic card tricks and with his NCU's as well as taking the bags and suddenly his unit of Blackguards were almost at full strength. But that gave me an opportunity so I neglected a Doran token this turn to retreat my Dervishes out of trouble 


With their ability to reroll retreats, i made it well out of Blackguard AND bow range


The Blackguard moved onto the far left objective


On the right side, I charged the Cutthroats with my weakened Knights and gloriously fluffed it with the help of Grunt and his "Resilience" Order


When Ste attacked back, I played Dune Tactics to limit him to lowest (4) attacks


My last activation was Walder, who took the Water Gardens but used Horses to retreat the Knights out of combat, and increase any Flayed Men charge


And also secure the far right objective. My Outriders had secured near right, while Ste had swung more to my left. 

BOARD AT END OF TURN 2


HOUSE MARTELL 3 VP's (3 objectives)

HOUSE BOLTON 1 VP (1 objective)

We took two wounds on all 4 objective holder. Holding 3 I felt it more keenly

TURN 3

Ste took the letters as no one was engaged so no need for swords. He could have charged my Knights with his Cutthroats, so I took the opportunity he'd left to make a charge into the Flayed Men and take the Knights out of charge arc of the Cutthroats


I scored an impressive 9 hits with sundering!!!


Sadly for me, Ste managed seven 4+ saves


Ste took the swords and I played Dune tactics reducing him to four attacks, all of which hit


And I made all of my 4+ saves. Stalemate!!!


I swerved the Spearmen using horses to set up a charge at the Archers on activation with my left Knights, but Ste blocked that with his Blackguard, So I made another charge into the Blackguard but rolled a one so no re-rolls and weakened...


And lost a horse to the Horrific Visage panic


And in that failure, Ste played Price of Fear to swing his Spearmen around to my rear... Very nice!!!


My charge did give me six hits!!!


But the Blackguard would die!!!


And as the Spearmen charged into my rear I played Superior positioning and Ste rolled a 3, becoming disorderly and gaining a vulnerable...


I lost one wound from the attack due to poor dice from Ste and passed the panic...


Having healed my Dervishes earlier, I charged in with them using Martial Training killing three after passing my morale for horrific visage. And I did the same again with Walder!!! 


But they did not die!!! My maneuverable force was now pinned in place by Ste, as I had skipped over my disasterous Outrider charge on the cutthroats, which failed my leaving them within an inch of the blood thirsty Bolton, who charged in an dropped me to a single wound...

BOARD END OF TURN 3


END OF TURN 3

No objectives scored this round, nor units killed

HOUSE MARTELL 3 VP's (3 objectives)

HOUSE BOLTON 1 VP (1 objective)

TURN 4

I took the Swords and attacked with the Dervishes, planning to use Martial Training which Ste stopped with A Flayed Man has No Secrets. Still, I had Precision and Critical blow. But I left the Boltons on 3 wound!!! And then Ste used Sundering from his Archers, shooting into my Dervishes and wiping them out!!!


Funnily enough, he did manage to kill two of his own troops!!! But I couldn't kill the last one with my Starfall Knights, losing a wound to my own Precision strike failure...


Ste activated the Cutthroats and killed the Outriders


And Ste had retreated with horses and healed up two wounds before charging back into my Knights, who had survived another rear Spear attack. With Oberyn's influence, he took3 hits, failing two and dropping back to a solo Blackguard again!!! But he was enough to finish off my remaining Starfall Knight.


Walder on swords getting my Knights to attack caused a stonking five wounds on the Flayed Men, and three more when they failed the panic. Unexpected, but I feared a little too late!!! When they attacked back, I save the three hits they made...


                                             BOARD AT END OF TURN 4


No objectives scored this round...

HOUSE MARTELL 3 VP's (3 objectives)

HOUSE BOLTON 4 VP (1 objective, 3 Units)

(But the Martells lost a few units in case you didn't notice)

TACTICS BOARD AT END OF TURN 4


TURN 5

Ste pondered various options, but logically charged the rear of the last Martell unit as first activation


Ste scored seven hits


And I made one save. A panic check ensued on an 11+... I die!!!


BOARD AT END OF GAME  



HOUSE BOLTON 5 VP (1 objective, 4 units)

HOUSE MARTELL 3 VP's (3 objectives) WIPED OUT


Well, House Bolton are a tough little bunch. I nearly did for the Blackguard so many times. But the Price of Fear move really did for me. Losing my ability to hit and run did for my forces, as did Ste's good dice. Definitely gonna be a lot of tough matches v Boltons in the coming months, but Ste totally owned me in this game. Walder wasn't a good choice of NCU for this force though as couldn't use the third NCU until last. Still, hit and run is a good fun tactic if I can avoid being pinned.

2024


THE SEVEN KINGDOMS

EVENT PAGE on Stats

20th January 2024, 32 players

Board In Brum West Midlands Gaming Centre, Walsall, Willenhall, UK


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SOLD OUT 

(Amazing event 2022& 2023, no surprise - Reserve list active)

THE WELSH GT 2024


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Gunman Airsoft - Eversley Alpha, The Welsh Drive, Eversley, Hook, UK


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