Following on from the most excellent Conquest of the Riverlands event, Greg popped over as a practice for the Northern Grand Tournament. I selected A FEAST FOR CROWS as the Scenario as Greg chose last time we played. I have been tinkering with various lists, and wanted to try out Steelshanks Commander as below...

Dreadfort Spearmen with Steelshanks Walton - Captain of the Guard (C)

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

Flayed Men

Bastard's Girls with Ben Bones - Kennelmaster

Blackguards with Bolton Flayer NCU's

Ramsay Snow & Roose Bolton GREG "GREGGERS" DEANE

Greg rocked up with the same Roose Bolton list he beat me with last time out, consisting of

House Harlaw Reapers with Roose Bolton - The Leech Lord (C)

Silenced Men with Dagmer Cleftjaw - Captain of the Foamdrinker

Ironborn Bowmen with Baelor Blacktyde - Captain of the Nightflyer

Ironborn Trappers with Sandor Clegane - Fugitive Bodyguard

House Bolton Flayed Men NCU's

Beron Blacktyde & Rodrik Harlaw

TERRAIN: Palisade, Hedge and WeirWood

GREYJOYS: Trappers, Flayed Men, Bowmen, Roose's Reapers, Silenced Men

BOLTONS: Spearmen, Bastard Girls, Steelshanks Spearmen, Flayed Men, Blackguard

My plan was for the Blackguard to fight and delay the two hardest Greyjoy units, while I swung up the left and centre to target the Trappers and Bowmen. Flayed Men were my biggest threat though, and wasn't sure my Spearmen would cope withthem

TURN 1

I activated first and took the Letters, weakening the Flayed Men. Greg countered with the bags to remove it. I took the Swords to destroy the palisade after I'd moved up Steelshanks Spears and my other Spearmen, as we both advanced on our respective left sides.

I moved up the Blackguard on my right, facing off against three Greyjoy units

The Harlaw Reapers were moved up off the Horses too, as we jostled for position. We both kept the Flayed Men back a bit as a mobile reserve.

Tactics Board at End of Turn 1

Beron took the Letters, influencing his Silenced Men and weakening my Bastard Girls, a sI took the Swords with Roose.

Greg played Whispered Threats to deter me, but I pressed on with my plan

I shifted up 2" with my Bastard Girls, shot the Flayed, then activated charging volley to go for a 4+ charge (with re-rolls from Ben Bones)

I didn't need the re-roll and crashed home with my dogs

Greg healed up a horse with the bags as I activated my own Flayed Men to charge the bowmen using our Blades are sharp for Precision.

And despite missing with two, the four that hit were sixes!!! 4 auto wounds and 4 hits

Eight wounds but they Ironborn had the temerity to pass their panic check despite needing an eleven.

(Damn those Scottish GT dice)

With both Flayed Men engaged in the centre, the game was heating up

My Flayed Men were out of charge arc of the Reapers, and Greg had some choices to make...

Greg elected for the Harlaw Reapers to charge the Blackguard, using Finger dance and taking two wounds on the way in. It was risky, and they took two wounds from the Horrific Visage test, dropping a rank.

More importantly, my Bolton Flayer "Spread Fear" causing three wounds to the Ironborn Bowmen

But the Vulnerable token put on from Finger dance (Greg also took re-rolls due to corpse pile) saw me lose seven men, and the Reapers restore two wounds from Prey on Fear!!!

Roose's Spread Fear targeted the Flayed Men, near the Weir Wood

which just allowed me to pass the panic

I removed the panic token from the Silenced Men to heal 4 wounds on the Blackguard with Cruel Methods, before attacking and killing one, with two more dying to panic which allowed two more to heal with Fear Keeps a Man Alive...

Greg's Flayed Men killed three dogs with their attacks

And again my panic check was good!!!

I took the far left objective with Damon Dance For Me's Spearmen

And with Roose on the Horses, I moved up Steelshanks Spearman unit

This would allow me a flank charge if Greg flanked my Bastard Girls

Greg declined the charge, so I marched up Steel Shanks on activation, to threaten the Trappers or the Flayed Men's flank...

A 4+ charge was available for Silenced Men, but Greg opted to take the objective and reposition to face my Flayed Men next turn

END OF TURN 2

HOUSE BOLTON 1 VP (1 objective)

HOSUE GREYJOY 1 VP (1 objective)

BOARD END OF TURN 2

I was in a strong position centre and left, and with first activation, I would be taking the swords and finishing off the Ironborn Bowmen (assuming Greg didn't have What is Dead May never die)

TURN 3

I played Harsh Punishments on Steelshanks' Spearmen for sundering at the Start of the turn, before taking the Swords and having the Flayed Men bash in the last three bowmen. Greg didn't have What is Dead may never die thankfully

Greg took the Letters with Blind Beron, weakening my Flayed Men and influencing his Reapers as i was threatening a rear charge. But I activated the Blackguard, scoring two hits but Greg rolled a pair of Krakens to save taking any wounds...

He then used We Do Not Sow to attack with his Reapers

My saves were atrocious, with all six hits going through with help of vulnerable token.

He'd also used The Iron Price at start of turn, and with Prey on Fear...

In addition to giving me an absolute kicking, he'd restored all his wounds... NICE!!!

My Flayed Men had rear ended Greg's but rather unimpressively only scoring 5 wounds total. Greg activated his own Flayed Men and cut down all my dogs, leaving a very upset Ben Bones all alone

So I flanked them with Steel Shanks, dropping them to four remaining wounds before the panic

Which Greg duly failed, rolling a three on the D3 and taking an additional wound from the Intimidating Presence of the engaged Flayed Men. Steel Shanks then turned to face the Trappers.

In retaliation, Roose's Reapers activated and destroyed the Blackguard with ease...

The demise of the bowmen had generated a corpse pile Greg put on the right, and my Blackguards' corpse pile went on the centre line, which the Bastard girls got to on their activation. I'd also taken the Horses and managed to get out of arc of the Trappers who declined to charge the Steelshanks and moved over nearer the Flayed Men

BOARD AT END OF TURN 3

END OF TURN 3

BOLTONS 5 VP's (2 units, 3 objectives)

GREYJOYS 4 VP's (1 unit, 3 objectives)

TURN 4

With me a point ahead, and with more mobility and outnumbering his Trappers, Greg had to gamble. He activated the Silenced Men, and went for a 4+ charge on my Flayed Men.

The poor roll led to three dead men from the panic but more importantly for me, allowed me to play Price of Fear tactics cad to allow a free maneuver on my Flayed Men. I then took the Horses to deny it to Greg and also move my Flayed Men up around the flank for the Silenced Men.

Greg then had Blind Beron take the Crown

Greg then had Blind Beron take the Crown, targeting the inconsolable Ben Bones, still cradling his dead dogs. He was to angry to be scared!!!

The Reapers failed a 5+ charge on Ben Bones, while Steelshanks marched out of the Trappers arc. I healed up the Bastard girls, and marched my Flayed Men down onto the right objective.

BOARD AT END OF TURN 4

END OF TURN 4

BOLTONS 8 VP's (2 units, 6 objectives)

GREYJOYS 4 VP's (1 unit, 3 objectives)

TURN 5

Activating first, I took teh Horses, again to deny Greg additional maneuverability but also to put a further 6" between the Bastard Girls and the Harlaw Reapers

It didn't help, as Greg finally got a 5+ charge in with a roll of six

Needless to say, the Reapers wiped out the unit, securing the objective and turning to face the centre. I had Ramsay take the Crown...

and the Reapers lost men to the panic and dropped the objective

Out activating Greg, I let him commit his units movement, before using Rush of Aggression to take Greg and his Trappers by surprise, and in the rear.

Embarrassingly, my seven attacks sundering and critical blow and with re-rolls, scored zero hits due to the disrupt of the Trappers nets. We'd danced around one another since Turn 2, and when it came to it, well it was a bit of an anti-climax...

BOARD AT END OF TURN 5 (& Game)

HOUSE BOLTON 10 VP's (2 units, 8 objectives)

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

That was a good game for my Boltons, as still new to them and figuring them out. With hindsight, Greg acknowledged his deployment wasn't quite right, with both his hard hitting infantry units out of the way on my right. Had the Silenced Men and Trappers been swapped, it would have been a different game as his Silenced Men never got into combat, and Greg also could have used his Trappers more aggressively, as that disrupt is very good against my spearmen as shown at end. For my part, the Bastard girls and Flayed Men worked well together and got me ahead, my spears didn't really get involved and the Blackguard again showed their 3+ armour means nothing when my dice are misfiring. I won with maneuverability in the end, as we both scored two unit kills but sneaking ahead forced Greg to come off the objectives and allowed me to sit on them or seize them and avoid a fight in the latter stages. A sound tactical victory

UPCOMING EVENTS

---------------------------------------------------------------------

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

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