Ray popped over to get a game in, seems like it's been a while but was actually only end February. So four months later, he's back to avenge his loss to my Lannisters...
I was still looking for my first win with Roose leading pure Boltons and ran the following:
Blackguards with Roose Bolton - Lord of the Dreadfort (C)
Dreadfort Archers with Damon Dance-For-Me - Bastard's Boy
Dreadfort Spearmen
Blackguards
Flayed Men NCU's Tybald & Jeyne Poole
Ray was running a Renly faction force led by Cortnay that didn't really look
that tough...
Highgarden Pikemen with Cortnay Penrose - Castellan of Storm's End (C)
Thorn Watch with Brienne - Rainbow Guard
Stag Knights with Parmen Crane - Parmen the Purple
Baratheon Halberdiers with Emmon Cuy - Emmon the Yellow
NCU's
Lord Varys, Tycho Nestoris & Eldon Estermont
RANDOM TERRAIN: Corpse pile, Palisade, Corpse Pile, Stakes and a Bog
DEPLOYMENT
BARATHEONS: Pikemen, Thornwatch, Halberdiers, Stag Knights
BOLTONS: Flayed Men, Roose's Blackguard, Archers, Spearmen, Blackguard
TURN 1
I took the first activation. We played through the tactics board, with me taking the letters and bags to allow the panic token to stay on Halberdiers. Ray had moved the Pikemen up of the Horses, and they were all that was left to activate.
They marched up, stopping short of the objective...
BOARD END OF TURN 1
TURN 2
Ray took the crown and used it to charge in the Pikemen, by passing the objective.
Ray played Ours is the Fury, I cancelled with A Flayed Men has No Secrets, and Ray spent a Counterplot on that but failed despite needing a 2+
I failed 3 saves of 3+, then lost a another horse to a failed panic...
I'd also used a Tybald token on horses, as expected to have two ranks in my Flayed Men, to retreat and then charge. But losing a rank stymied me. So I moved my Spearmen towards the objective, so I could bring my second Blackguard over to the centre.
Then it was my activation, and attacked with the Flayed Men with Jeyne on Swords, using Our blades are sharp for two auto wounds plus one got through armour, before Ray lost two more to a failed panic. I healed two from that with Fear keeps a Man alive. Ray played Final Strike, causing 3 wounds due to more poor armour dice.
Ray took the Letters, so I attacked again with the Flayed Men, scoring 4 hits (should have been 3, Critical Blow is only on charge)
Didnt matter though, as Ray passed all 4+ armour saves
After healing up, The Pikemen attacked with 7 dice, scoring 6 hits. And with the vulnerable, my 3+ armour still didnt help...
The Stag Knights took the centre as I reformed on the right and hacked down the palisade
BOARD END OF TURN 2
END OF TURN 2
BARATHEONS 3 VP's (1 unit, 2 objectives)
BOLTONS 1 VP (1 objective)
TACTICS BOARD END OF TURN 2
TURN 3
I took the Swords with Jeyne, firing into the Stag Knights dropping two wound. Ray took the Letters and I spent my second Tybald token on Horses as Ray weakened the Archers.
I took the Horses and moved up my right Blackguard who charged into the Stag Knights dropping a rank and giving me the objective.. Ray healed, so I charged Roose in. They did a bit of damage but Ray passed the panic checks!!!
Ray then retreated out of combat to deny being shot by the Dreadfort archers while in melee..
I shot as standard, but one hit due to a weakened token and some poor rolling
Now totally out activated, the Halberdiers activated and moved around Roose's flank, to allow the Thornwatch to charge into Roose
They lost two men to Horrific Visage, attacked and dropped six Blackguard with more poor armour and a bad panic check, before the Thornwatch retreated and healed back to full strength.
And Ray then used Issue Commands to allow the Halberdiers to activate instead of the objective sitting Pikemen. And his Counterplot auto stopped my Fear Keeps a Man alive as he denied me healing from the Halberdiers failed panic from Horrific Visage
With sundering in the flank, Roose faced a panic check on his own and died!!! The Halberdiers trundled off to threaten my Archers flank.
BOARD END OF TURN 3
END OF TURN 3
BARATHEONS 5 VP's (2 units, 3 objectives)
BOLTONS 3 VP's (3 objectives)
TURN 4
Ray took the Letters. So I charged into the Thornwatch, dropping six of them
Ray took the swords and attacked, dropping a rank but he didn't retreat. I healed up off the bags. Ray used Tycho to retore his ranks and they activated and attacked again, but did enough to drop my ranks and retreated, healing up full. With that, they took the objective. Again!!!
My Dreadfort Archers shot into the Stag Knights before being flanked by the Halberdiers. I only lost four archers though, passing my panic and a few sixes for armour.
The Thornwatch moved out way with issue commands to allow the Stag Knight sto charge but they lost a rank from Horrific Visage. But with critical blow, they still landed 10 hits!!!
Despite Jeyne Poole, I still failed the panic check and was left with one Blackguard!!!
BOARD AT END OF TURN 4
END OF TURN 4
HOUSE BARATHEON 7 VP's (2 units, 5 objectives)
HOUSE BOLTON 4 VP's ( 4 objectives)
TURN 5
I had Tybald take the Horses with first activation, retreating my archers out of melee and reforming my defence.
Ray took the Swords and had the Stag Knights finish off my rear guard Blackguard
I shot the Stag Knights a bit before they charged my Spearmen, who cut them down to two ranks with Set for charge. I lost 7 men, but passed the panic holding the objective. I attacked back, reducing the Stag Knights to three. The Thornwatch failed a charge, as did the Halberdiers. But in a spiteful last activation, Ray took the Crown and panicked the Spearmen, who lost one man but handed the objective over to the Stag Knights.
END OF TURN 5 (& GAME)
HOUSE BARATHEON 11 VP's (3 units, 8 objectives)
HOUSE BOLTON 4 VP's (4 objectives)
BOARD AT END OF GAME
Well that was a dismal display from House Bolton (or rather me). I fluffed all along the board: Flayed Men didn't work for me (and I snapped their banner), Tybald's tokens were wasted, and despite Jeyne's improvement to morale, I still failed far more panics than I passed. My armour rolls were horrific. Starting to really hate Roose!!! Ray played a blinder, he barely broke sweat as he took me apart piecemeal and avoided staying in melee to deny my Dreadfort Archers their best abilities and he healed up with ease throughout the game.
Playing PsychoSte next but going back to Free Folk for that game while I rethink Roose!!!
UPCOMING EVENTS
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SOLD OUT
(I'll be there with other Wardens of the North-West)
________________________________________________________
27th - 28th JULY
COMMON GROUND GAMES
40b Cowane Street
Stirling, FK8 1JR
RULESPACK (and ticket info)
MY COUNTRY's PREMIER EVENT, I'll BE THERE
(Still tickets available)
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8th September
Clash in the Crownlands
Bad Moon Cafe in London
12 player event
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YECATS MINIATURES PRESENTS
SATURDAY 28th & SUNDAY 29th September
THE LONDON GRAND TOURNAMENT
(AWESOME EVENT, IF YOU CAN GO, GO. SADLY I CANNOT)
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"THE OLD GODS & THE NEW"
LEODIS GAMES LEEDS 24th NOVEMBER 2025
(I'll be there with other Wardens of the North-West)
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"Honour, not Honours"
RIBBLE RUMBLE 2024
16... NO, 24 PLAYER TWO DAY EVENT
(No longer Sold Out) extra places
Reserve List if all 24 sell
30th NOV/1st DEC
ELEMENT GAMES, STOCKPORT
(I'll be there with other Wardens of the North-West)
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2025
"Blood Over Highgarden" - Become "Warden of Kent"
YECATS MINIATURES
SATURDAY JANUARY 18th 2025
RAGNAROK HOBBIES
2nd Floor, 33 High St, Gillingham ME7 1BQ
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8th & 9th February 2025
50 player event
Vlad's Emporium
278 St. Vincent Street,
Glasgow,
G2 5RL,
Scotland
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March 1st/2nd 2025
Pontnewynydd, Pontypool, UK
.png)
(I'll be there with other Wardens of the North-West)
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4 weeks later, March 29th/30th 2025
and needing no introduction...
ASOIF STATS INVITATIONAL
(I'll be there with other Wardens of the North-West)
