So ahead of this weekend's Conquest of the Riverlands events at LEODIS GAMES in Leeds, Ste "PsychoSte" Connor and I had a few games, for him to trial both his lists against my fluffy second Lannister list and an inaugural run out for the first time with my newly painted Bolton Dreadfort units.

"PsychoSte"

GAME 1

Honed and Ready (at the Twins)

Ste was running a themed Tully list with Brynden on foot commanding, with event restrictions of 2 NCU's ratter than Steve's preferred 3.

House Mormont She-Bears with Brynden Tully - The Blackfish (C) House Tully Sworn Shields with Rickon Stark & Osha

Shaggydog

House Tully Cavaliers

NCU's

Catelyn Stark & Sansa Stark

My list feels as a bit naff but definitely themed in that my first Commander is Jamie, and when I lose a game with him, or maybe when his unit gets wiped out maybe (or Game 3 in event I win my first two), I change to this list as it has Jamie the Valuable Hostage and a Lannister turncoat too. And the units are all basic staple for Lannisters and would be in the Riverlands campaign, nothing exotic...

Lannister Guardsmen with Tyrion Lannister - Halfman (C)

Lannister Guardsmen

Knights of Casterly Rock with Clegane Butcher

Lannister Crossbowmen NCU's

Cersei Lannister & Pycelle Enemy Attachments

Jaime Lannister

Turncoat

Ooooh, a characterful front ranked unit of Tully Sworn Shields

TERRAIN AND DEPLOYMENT

Randomly Generated: Stakes, Corpse Pile, Stakes

STARKS: Tully Sworn Shields, Mormont She-Bears, Tully Cavaliers, Tully Cavaliers

LANNISTERS: Guardsmen, Knights of Casterly Rock, Tyrion's Guardsmen, Crossbows, Guardsmen

My plan was to contest centre, eek ahead on objectives and try to hold back the Cavaliers. Not easy but gotta give it a go.

TURN 1

I opted to go first and took the letters, weakening one of the Cavaliers.

We filled up the tactics board, as Ste took the Horses to move up the Sworn Shields, I took the crown after the Swords were taken to stop my crossbows having a potential shot.

I had a Hear me Roar in my hand, so tried a sneak panic on Shaggydog but it was easily passed.

Board End of Turn 1

Steve moved heavily up on my left, as I held back my Knights and moved up on my right

My left side Guards Were exposed but the stakes there would maybe buy me some time

TURN 2

We filled out the tactics board again, Steve taking the Swords for some card shenanigans later. Pycelle took the Horses putting out a weakened on the Cavaliers and moved up my right Guards. He took the bags to remove it, more Letters for me for cards.

Ste kept the Tully Sworn Shields at the back objective sitting, moving Shaggydog up to threaten the Guards next turn.

I tried to stop bag removal of the weakened with intercept orders, but my dice let me down

Moving my right side Guards with the Horses, I suffered badly from the stakes to secure the objective while my crossbows, having shifted over from Tyrion's order had taken the near right.

I used Cunning Ploy, not activating the left Guards but marching Tyrion up near the centre to try and force the Cavaliers to act.

Steve did, moving one unit over to threaten my Guardsmen on the far right.

I activated my Guardsmen, passing their action to Tyrion with a second Cunning Ploy and taking the centre objective.

Ste had one last unit of Cavaliers to activate before my Knights. If he attacked either Guards on centre or left, he'd be exposed to my own Knights counter. Tactically astute as ever, Ste hummed and haa'ad but eventually stayed put.

His Cavaliers were a major threat to all my Guards unit next turn, and my Knights couldn't help them all. By being patient, Ste had forced my hand...

I sent my Knights up the right ready to hammer into the Tully Cavalier's there next turn.

END OF TURN 2

HOUSE LANNISTER 3 VP's (3 objectives)

HOSUE STARK 1 VP (1 objective)

The right side of the board to be a Lannister

Definitely the wrong side of the board to be a Lannister...

Oh, and I lost two Guards from shooting off the wall, and failed all 4 hits on the crossbows. Steve lost 1 Tully Sworn Shield

TURN 3

I activated the Knights of Casterly Rock and charged in, successfully Counterplotting Ste's attempt to Set for Charge.

But from nine hits, Ste managed six saves...

Ste took the Swords but swapped it out with Sansa to draw a card back, before I took the bags to heal up my Guardsmen on the far right

Ste took the Horses and retreated the Tully Cavalier and inch to prevent me from pivoting.

I tried a Hear me Roar panic check form the Crown on the Tully's but they passed.

I also passed an activation with my Guardsmen on the far right

The Tully's sat on the objective again, but Shaggydog was unsurprisingly scared of the stakes and ran back towards the Knights of Casterly Rock behind the Tully lines.

The Tully Cavaliers flanked my Knights and did a better job than I did, causing 10 wounds. But a failed Lannister Supremacy panic and Fealty to the Crown saw me heal up.

This kept my Guardsmen on the far objective secure for now

Wanting to keep Steve's forces from combining centrally, I moved the left side Guardsmen onto the objective, again suffering maximum stake damage.

The Mormont She-Bears finally committed, failing their war cry first and then losing as many Mormonts from another Lannister Supremacy as as I lost from their attack.

Alas, Ste took the stake damage (again, maximum) and did five wounds on the charge to my Guardsmen. I then lost the remaining 3 to a failed panic check. As Steve said, that was massive for him. Damn!!!

Ste left the objective, taking another maximum 4 wounds from the stakes. They were proving nasty!!!

END OF TURN 3

HOUSE LANNISTER 6 VP's (6 objectives)

HOUSE STARK 3 VP's (1 unit, 2 objectives)

TURN 4

Having lost 3 more crossbowmen to the wall shots and another Guardsmen, I was feeling the heat as the Tully forces closed in.

Sansa took the Swords but some card combo's stopped Ste's plan.

Ok, so it merely meant he altered his plan

Rather than targeting Shaggydog with assault orders, the Cavaliers attacked the Knights but didn't do much bar pass their Supremacy.

I attacked back, then Ste charged in Shaggydog to pin me as I survived and healed up. Ste took the horses to retreat out his Cavaliers, as I passed with my right side Guardsmen before the Cavaliers charged home to finish off the Knights

The Mormonts failed a second war cry attempt before I attacked them with Vicious and +1 to hit as Cersei was on the crown (I tried a panic check with Hear Me Roar on the reduced Tully Cavaliers but they scraped by with a pass)

They hurt when they charged, after the Mormont shad taken a chunk too. Tyrion alone "held" the centre and had I dropped one more Mormont I'd have scored the centre too...

The Lannister ranks were seriously depleted now...

END OF TURN 4

HOUSE LANNISTER 8 VP's (8 objectives)

HOUSE STARK 5 VP's (2 units, 3 objectives)

BOARD END OF TURN 4

I only lost one crossbowman to wall shots, no Guardsmen and Ste lost two Sworn Shields. That felt good...

TURN 5

Despite being in a tight spot, I had lots of options due to the cards in hand. After a bit of thought, I had Pycelle heal up Tyrion's unit and weaken a Tully Cav unit.

Ste took the Swords and used assault orders to flank the Guardsmen, but rolled a 1 on the way in, scoring only 5 hits and my lads held...

And my card combo of Hear Me Roar and Fealty to the Crown for the Lannister Supremacy healed me up and hurt the Tully's badly... (I had planned to use it for Tyrion, but this opportunity seemed to good not to take as I had to be realistic and assume Tyrion might not survive the first attack he got)

The Mormont failed their third attempted War Cry!!! 😂

And as I attacked them, they failed all three saves in style...

They passed the panic check in style, so was glad I had used the combo earlier. Ste took the Horses and retreated his unactivated lone Tully back away from the Guardsmen

Shaggydog flanked Tyrion's unit but the Halfman held on, alone again!!!

The She-Bears and Brynden stepped up and hit five times against the wee guy!!!

SO near and yet not quite enough!!!

He may have fell, but he was awesome.

"HALFMAN!!! HALFMAN!!! HALFMAN!!!"

The Mormonts took the centre as the Tully Cavaliers recharged the Guardsmen on the far right, wiping them out as the other unit moved over to threaten my remaining crossbowmen (they only became a man when I lost 3 of the remaining four from the wall shots)

END OF TURN 5

HOUSE LANNISTER 9 VP's (9 objectives)

HOUSE TULLY 8 VP's (4 units, 4 objectives)

TURN 6

Finally able to use his Sansa once per game ability to pull back a card, Ste had Catelyn take the swords and use Assault orders to charge in and annihilate the Lannister forces to a man

END OF GAME

HOUSE LANNISTER - WIPED OUT 9 VP's ( 9 objectives)

HOSUE STARK 9 VP's (5 units, 4 objectives)

CRUSHING VICTORY

BOARD AT END OF GAME

Ok, so I didn't kill any Stark/Tully units but I gave Ste a hell of a game. Tyrion was not only awesome in holding the centre, his cards and counterstrategy were great and Ste had to constantly change his plans due to the disruption I caused. One more dead Mormont in the middle meant I would have scored an extra point and WON 10-9 end of Turn 5. The right side Guardsmen also did well, and if my left unit may have been a distraction early in the game, they just had to have held those Cavaliers for one round and I'd have been fine I feel. Giving Ste a hard game is its own reward, and watching him chop and change his plans, and Hold back with his cavaliers was pretty enjoyable as they tend to run over me in short order normally. So yeah, despite a crushing defeat, it was still a cracking game and well pleased with the Halfman performance.

GAME 2

A GAME OF THRONES

(It took so long to cut out new tactics cards couldn't be bothered changing much so took off the Honed and Ready castle walls)

I painted up the Heroes 1, 2 units of Dreadfort Spearmen and a unit of Dreadfort Archers last week so wanted to give them a trial run. I intend to take them up to the Northern Grand Tournament, as Boltons were my second painted army after Lannisters back in the day.

Blackguards with Roose Bolton - Lord of the Dreadfort (C)

Dreadfort Spearmen with Grunt - Bastard's Boy

Dreadfort Spearmen with Skinner - Bastard's Boy

Dreadfort Archers with Damon Dance-For-Me - Bastard's Boy

Flayed Men NCU's

Ramsay Snow & Jaqen H'ghar

Ste's second list doesnt have two units of Tully Cavaliers. But it does have his newly painted Umber Ravagers and WIP Winterfell Guard...

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

Winterfell Guard with Rickon Stark & Osha - Spearwife Guardian

Shaggydog

Umber Ravagers

House Tully Cavaliers with Winterfell Guardian

NCU's

Sansa Stark &Catelyn Stark TERRAIN AND SET UP

Random Terrain: Weir Wood, 2 x Corpse Piles and Palisades

STARKS: Winterfell Guard, Tully Cavaliers, Shaggy at front, Mormont Bruisers at rear,

Umber Ravagers

BOLTONS: Skinners' Spearmen, Rooses' Blackguard, Grunt's Spearmen, Dreadfort Archers,

Flayed Men

TURN 1

We marched up pretty much as set up, with only my Flayed Men to go at this point

We'd filled out the tactics board first, as usual...

TURN 2

I influenced Grunt's Spearmen and used Ramsay on Horses

advancing the Spearmen up to the centre objective.

Ste hammered into them with his Tully Cavaliers, playing Winter is Coming to deny my Set For Charge order, and Grunts. With a failed panic, this severely depleted my ranks.

I healed up of off the bags

Ste took the swords for another attack

And cut me down to two spearmen, despite my order. He also shift across to entice in my Blackguard to charge.

I activated the Dreadfort Archers, gaining Precision and re-rolls by wounding a Spearman

But 3 auto-wounds and 4 hits was a good result.

Except for me failing the panic check and losing the Spearmen, and the Winterfell Guardian restoring a wound on the Tully Cavaliers

Eager for revenge, Roose and his Blackguard charged. Or rather failed too!!!

Which put me in perfect range for the Winterfell Guard to charge. They easily passed the Horrific Visage test.

Six hits resulted in five wounds as I blew my armour saves before failing my panic check for another three wounds

In response, I charged off the left objective and flanked the Winterfell Guard, scoring six hits. But whereas I failed five of my 3+ Blackguard saves, Steve managed to save five of his 5+ saves.

With loads of beneficial panic based cards to aid me, Ste rolled a pair of sixes on his panic check to deny me any respite

Shaggy Dog then hit the Spearmens flank with Northern Ferocity (with only one rank, Shaggy Dog would do +2 wounds). I lost eight spearmen.

END OF TURN 2

With one unit destroyed, two units on a single rank, it was a bit of a shock to be tying on scores.

HOUSE BOLTON 1 VP (1 objective)

HOUSE STARK 1 VP (1 unit)

BOARD AT END OF TURN 2

Catelyn on the Swords saw the Winterfell Guard attack the Blackguard. Ste used Northern Ferocity to deal two auto wounds, then hit me six times and Roose had six 3+ saves to make.

And again, so close but not quite enough

I was reeling but had the Flayed Men flank the Umber Ravagers. Still managed to roll a one on the way in, so no cards to use...

Ste only lost one horse from the five hits I got but they did fail the panic

So dropped a rank and a wound

I then shot up the Ravagers with the Dreadfort Archers, dropping them down and finishing them off with a failed panic check. Hurrah!!!

Activating Shaggy Dog, Steve used Berserker tactics and gave the dog 3 wounds, which inflicted 4 wounds on my 4 remaining Spearmen. He didn't even have to roll the dice!!!

My army had pretty much evaporated and my activations were spent.

Greatjon and his Bruisers charged home, causing four wounds

Before the Tully Cavaliers flanked the Flayed Men, fortunately rolling a 1 on the way in.

I only took three wounds from the attack but did fail the panic check to drop another three

END OF TURN 3

HOUSE STARK 5 VP's (3 units, 2 objectives)

HOUSE BOLTON 2 VP's (1 unit, 1 objective)

BOARD AT END OF TURN 3

TURN 4

My archers shot the Tully Cavaliers with the swords, and I surprisingly passed the panic on the Flayed Men, before Ste used assault orders to finish of my Flayed Men. I then activated the Archers, shooting the Bruisers down a rank.

The Bruisers absolutely smashed my archers, with Berserker tactics and other cards, dropping me down to one man after the panic

I was lucky I rolled a one on the panic D3 dice...

A devastating combo saw my Archers almost one shotted...

I retreated and healed with cruel methods, before the Tully Cavaliers charged home and wiped me out

END OF GAME

HOUSE STARK 9 VP's (5 units, 4 objectives)

HOUSE BOLTON 2 VP's - WIPED OUT (1 unit, 1 objective)

Ste spent this whole game apologising for being lucky with his dice and laughing at how bad mine were. I don't bemoan bad luck with dice as I lean heavily on luck, so a fair share of bad is the price you pay. My Boltons simply were outmatched and outplayed by Ste, and as first run out, I'll need time to get the hang of them. Ste knows Starks inside out, and if you haven't heard it yet, have a listen to the chat below

Grant and Ste did a great dissection of the Stark faction on the Yecats Miniature Youtube here...

PSYCHOSTE "STARK" LESSONS

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FUTURE UK EVENTS
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Sunday 28th April

Entoyment Wargaming and Hobby Centre
Unit 2 Fleetsbridge Business Centre, Upton Road BH17 7AF Poole, United Kingdom

28.04.2024 - Battle of the Bastard's A Song of Ice & Fire Tournament | Facebook

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STILL TICKETS LEFT FOR THE NORTHERN GT AND ITS GOING TO BE AWESOME!!!

(Although I am taking BOLTONS too ffs...)