So Andy came over to run out an aggressive Targaryen list on Thursday, ahead of the Invitational at Element Games end of the month. I matched up with an aggressive Free Folk list.

LORD ROBBO,

Winner of Justplay IV in February

BREAKING NEWS

Lady Val has escaped!

She was last seen exiting the castle accompanied by a robed figure. Rumours have it that she seduced the captain of the Thorn Watch, and has fled back to the North with him. What their ultimate fate is, nobody knows...

Thanks Dan

(She was kidnapped by durty Baratheons in Wales)

So, after a pretty piss poor performance in Wales, I changed up my lists a bit.

While staying true to Mance, I opted to run Tormund for a more aggressive

force and he doesn't get used much by me. I also had three NCU's, again,

a rarity but could come in handy...

LIST

Spearwives with Tormund Giantsbane - Thunderfist (C)

Spearwives with Jarl - Advance Raid Leader & Raid Leader

Cave Dweller Savages with The Great Walrus

Free Folk Raiders with Borroq - Boar Skinchanger

Varamyr Sixskins - Master Skinchanger

Shadowcat

Borroq's Boar NCU's

Lady Val, Craster & Mance Rayder

Andy's Aggressive Targaryen List

Dothraki Screamers with Khal Drogo - The Great Khal (C)

Dothraki Screamers

Rhaegal

Drogon NCU's

Daenerys Targaryen & Illyrio Mopatis RANDOM SCENARIO

HERE WE STAND

This looked like a very difficult match up, especially with 18" deployment

as the all cavalry/dragons could pounce from the start...

TERRAIN & DEPLOYMENT

As the Invitational is using selected Terrain, we did same. Two corpse piles and two Weir Woods resulted as seen.

Andy opted to choose sides.

TARGARYENS: Screamers, Drogon, Drogo's Screamers, Rhaegal, Screamers

FREEFOLK: Tormund Spearwives, Walrus in Cave Dwellers, Varamyr,

Borroq's Raiders, Boar

(Jarl's Spearwives and Shadowcat in Outflank)

Lovely hand for an 18" deployment actually!!!

ROUND 1

I elected to go second, allowing Andy first activation but getting my Spearwives on the board along with Shadowcat.

Andy took the horses, moving up the Screamer on my right

This gave me problems straight off. I could potentially charge with Shadowcat, but she'd then die. I could activate Borroq, and get the Boar to charge, but he'd probably die. And I figured with Andy being so aggressive, he would look to hit the Boar and Overrun, assuming he had the card...

But I felt it better not to react to his movements, but let it play out. So I took Mance NCU and had him influence the Screamers, and tried to crown zap them. This gave me a tactics card, and if they activated next, I'd gain another card...

Oh, and the Screamers passed their panic...

The card I drew gave me Endless Horde which was played on Borroq's Raiders

The Screamers activated, and took two wounds from Borroq's Hidden traps before they charged the Boar (I also got a second There's Too Many card)

Sure enough, the Boar died easily being flanked like that and then Andy played Overrun to hit the Raiders

I lost six men to the attack, but I passed the morale and played Diversion Tactics to bring Varamyr back and threaten the Screamers flank

I had Craster take the Swords but swap out to heal two Raiders and draw a card. Andy took the Letter and weakened my Cave Dwellers. I then had Shadowcat charge into the rear of the Screamers dropping a horse with a failed panic with a -5 due to rear and Theres Too Many...

Andy countered by Rhaegal charging the front of the Raiders, killing five

Despite my heart wanting to use my second Diversion Tactics to turn and flank Rhaegal with the Cave Dwellers, I didn't. I used my head and kept it in hand, instead activating Varamyr and flanking the Screamers, playing my second Theres Too Many to reduce them right down

Andy used a pass token, so I played Co-ordination Tactics, activating Borroqs Raiders while "borrowing the Great Walrus and the Cave Dwellers abilities; rerolls, highest attacks and Vicious from the Walrus as my unit was on its last rank and hitting on 2+ with sundering!!!

I rolled well!!!

And Andy didn't, so the Screamers died...

Andy played Swift reposition on the left side Screamers, moving up so they were in auto charge range and they hammered into Tormund's unit and out of arc of my flanking Spearwives, with a failed panic dropping Tormund to four models. I played the second Diversion tactics to turn the Jarl's unit to face, before activating. I threw my Spears, doing a wound but killing three Spearwives with a failed panic, leaving Tormund on his own...

I rolled a one on my way in as my Raid Leader gave me seven dice hitting on 3+. Ah, just like Wales all over again.

Andy found this highly amusing (as would most people who have seen my spawny dice!!!)

Drogon charged the Cave Dwellers, killing five. I had Val take the Bags and I healed up the Cave Dwellers

Khal Drogo then charged home, but I saved one of the six hits. Drogo failed to kill the Walrus...

Tormund activated and attacked, all fie attacks hitting and wounding, dropping the Screamers to a single rank... before they failed the panic check for 3 more wound leaving a single horseman.

I then activated my Cave Dwellers attacking Drogon. Seven dice on 3+ with Vicious and Sundering

Well, at least three DID hit...

And Drogon saved them all...

And the Dragon easily passed the Vicious and Corpse pile panic

END OF ROUND 1

FREEFOLK 1 VP (1 unit)

TARGARYENS 0 VP's

ROUND 2

My three cards drawn were perfect!!!

With me having the first actviation, I played Regroup and Reform start of turn to take Tormund and swap with the Jarl and two ladies.

I then had Mance take the Swords and influence Tormunds unit, getting them to attack

While drawing Rush of aggression!!!

Seven attacks on 3+ in the flank with Sundering wiped the left Screamers out, and I triggered my Overrun order, playing Rush of aggression to gain critical blow as I flanked Drogon

I managed to avoid the corpse pile and the dragon became vulnerable

The Critical Blow made the difference, scoring eight hits, in the flank with sundering. Andy required sixes to save Drogon. And with the vulnerable, it didn't happen

Tormund's Spearwives surged forth and positioned behind Drogo, and were still unactivated. At start of Andy's turn, I played Surrounded and Exposed on Drogo for all three tokens!!!

It didn't stop Drogo and his Screamers wiping out the Cave Dwellers and surge forth to face Tormund. Fearing a potential Assault Orders, I had the Jarl and his two girls shift, throw and flank the Khal's unit, and dropping a rank after charging!!!

Sure enough. Andy played assault order using Illyrio, killing the Jarl's spearwives and moving further away from Tormund

With Daenerys unburnt still to acvtivate, and Rhaegal, I had to keep the Dragon engaged. So Varamyr sacrificed the Shadowcat, although it did a wound.

Daenerys was used, the cat was killed... Although disrupt did give Andy a flutter!!!

Varamyr had to go in, he also managed a wound as only hit once due to weakened!

Activating Rhaegal, it caused two wounds on Varamyr. But he failed his panic check and died

I still had the tactics board to play with with Craster and Val. And Andy was all activated out.

I had Craster takes the letters but heal up two Raiders before I activated Tormunds unit and caused two wounds on the Dragon from spear toss, before charging in and killing it

I turned Borrow's unit to face and used Crasters once per game ability to heal another two Raiders. With Andy going first, I had to keep him pinned as this game was not over. So I played Co-ordination tactics to gain Sundering and also make the Screamers Vulnerable when I charged.

I dropped the Screamers a rank...

END OF ROUND 2

FREEFOLK 5 VP's (4 units, 1 quarter objective)

TARGARYENS 4 VP's (3 units, 1 quarter objective)

ROUND 3 & 4

Taking the Swords and shifting across, Drogo and his men killed 3 Raiders but I passed my morale.

Start of next turn, I played Regroup and Reform to bolster the Raiders for four from the spearwives.

I activated the Raiders, using Overwhelming assault to gain sundering

Drogo attacked again, cutting me down to two which triggered a Counter Assault but I failed the charge

I then couldn't risk the a spear toss, so charged in, leaving Drogo alive on one wound. Going first next round, I took the Swords and killed him

END OF ROUND 4 (& GAME)

FREEFOLK 7 VP's (5 units, 2 objectives)

Targaryens 4 VP's (3 unit's, 1 objective) Wiped Out

Well I cant really bemoan my luck despite the dice round 1. My cards were pretty much perfect in timing and playing, and I held the Targaryen charge well enough to counter. Tormund and Mance lists for the Invitational set, and similar but the different command and card allow a different play style. Andy has begun beating himself up over what to take now, but he didn't really do too much wrong in my opinion and he did cut me down to two units which given I'd lost just a Boar before he got an activation in Round two, and he had lost three units, that wasn't bad. So I have a few more practice games before the invitational, but I'll be running Brotherhood to try for other to practice against. I feel the horror show of Wales is now a distant memory...

Oh. and here is me with the new Wardens of the North-West Invitational shirt.