Empire vs. Cursed Kings

Archers deployed in building. We decided it was 3 story high. My opponent decided to face haunted mansions terros and placed Hellblaster inside of it and Master Engineer right beside that. Great cannon was just out of 6 inch from haunted mansion, but close enough for 3 inch from master engineer.

My light mage didn't roll phas protection and not a single choice. I rolled 2,3,4 and 6. I swapped Light of Battle to shems burning gaze.

My opponent had level 1 who rolled phas protection and swapped it to Burning gaze. His level 4 rolled 1, 4, 5 and 5. He swapped net of amyntok to shems burning gaze and chose bironas timewarp as freebie.

If you have high perception you see that there is only one Horse Archer in the field... I don't know what an earth happened but I never dropped down my other horse archer unit...

Despite my +1 roll my opponent managed to roll better on stargng roll.

Deploymen analyze:

- First of all, remember to place all your models. Allthough I doubt that horse archer really would have made a diffirence, but still it was total 70 points given away.

- I was happy to get my Casket in total cover. I originally though to place Hierotitan also behind the cover, but then I wanted to aid my Light mage also and that would require him to move forward. And I had that nice fence structure to move him. Another thing about here is that my friend hasn't really played more than 2 cannons and I actually counted on that also (at the time I dropped my titan, he hadn't dropped his warmachines yet. Retrospective if I would have placed him behind the building for first turns it might have been much better choice.

My opponent decided to stay put with his forces.

At magic he got 4 + 3 roll +1 from hurriculum and 1 channel.

He casted bigger version shems burning gaze with his level 4 to my horse men. It wsa pretty high roll so I decided to let it go. "Who cares about 2d6 str 6 hits?". Then he rolled big version of banishment to unit and got average result. I tried to dispel it but failed. As so was it total 18 Horse men died

At shooting, he used left hellblaster to anhilate my Horse archers. Then his out riders managed to kill one carrion. His first cannon made 4 wounds on Hierotitan, another hitted but rolled 1 on wounds and third missed. At the end of shooting haunted mansion killed one archer.

Turn analyze:

- I actually made two similar types of list. Other was chariot king list where I putted magic resistance 3 to one of my heralds... at this list I didn't.... I actually though I had it, but i didn't do it.

I moved my carrions behind the Idol of gork. Idol gave them hard cover against Hellblaster.

Magic was really nice I got 3 + 3 and 3 from casket and one channel. First I casted two dices for cursed blades to horsemen (only to heal wounds) then I casted two dice protection and failed it with roll of double 2. (I realized after couple turns from that point that I had Hierotitan...) Then I casted casket with 2 PD and got him to dispell it with his dices. Then casted 3 pd net of amyntok to his mage bunker, but he used Scroll on that one.

I shot outriders with archers and managed to kill two of them. At the end of shooting haunted mansion wounded master engineer and killed another arhcer.

He stayed pretty much on his place.

At magic he casted with level 1 small urning gaze and got IF, dind't do next to nothing damage on my horsemen, cascaded killing 3 archers and 4 halberdiers. Then rolled him self out. Then he casted banishment to that unit but I dispelled it.

At shooting, one of his Great Cannons missfired and destroyed. Other cannons just missed hierotitan (didn't even destroy that good old fence.) His 3 outridesr took a lucky shot on hierotitan, since he had only one wound left and nailed the bastard. His other outrider block shooted at carrions and there was only 1 carrion left with just one wound. Both Hellblasters shooted my horsemen. First managed to kill all the rank and file modesl. Second did whopping 24 shoots against and nailed every single character (I realized when doing this report that we actually didn't roll to hit rolls at all in this particular hellblaster shot.) Haunted mansion did one damage to hellblaster inside of it and Killed the master engineer. Hellblaster got paniced from it.

Turn Analyze:

- I almost yielded after my main horse combat block died, but that would have been just dull. And I still had those few EBtS coming.

On EBtS I got shifting sands and got left table edge. I had hard time to choose where to deploy second unit and I decided to drop it in the same flank. Tomb Scropion landed pretty much in place where I wanted. . I charged with one last carrion to his hellblaster. I came out from the house with my archers.

At magic I got something pretty average,. I tried to casket great cannon near scorpion. My opponent dispelled it. Casted 5+ ward on my archer unit.

At shooting my archers killed outriders. My stalker unit killed Great Cannon, but also got MF and rolled 3 wounds. My other stalkers tried to kill master engineer. My scorpion received one wound from haunted mansion.

At close combat I did 1 wound on hellblaster and he didn't do any wounds. I won the combat with 2, but he didn't break.

Tunr Analyze:

- Those stalkers were rather hard to drop. My main idea was that only thing what really threats them is that big halberdier unit and this way I would play them out. I didn't realize that I placed them direcly in line for cannon shot.

He charged with hurriculum. He also reformed with his detach halrberdiers to block my scorpion from chargin arhcers.

At magic he tried to shoot my archers, but I prolly used scroll on banishment and dispelled the other spell.

He decided to use grape shot with cannon, but missfired it and it got destroyed. Shooting was pretty much next to nothing, since hellblaster rallied this turn. After shooting haunted mansion did another wound on hellblaster and killed one arhcer near haunted mansion and the paniced.

At CC celestial hurriculum did only one impact hit and one wound. I managed to do 2 wounds with stalkers and combat was draw. I tried to combat reform, but failed LD test from loss. My carrion managed to survive alive while he broke the Hellblaster.

I charged with Carrion to the archers flank in hope of getting my scropion overrun to his archers in hope of another round of combat.

I used swift reform with arhcers (they were actually by the side of the house end with little angle making them two wide then moving 4 I managed to bring my wizard at the range of scorpion, but unfortunately (very unfortunately not in range of carrions =( )

At magic I had pretty average again. I casted 5+ ward on the unit, but my opponent dispelled it. Then I tried to casket hellblaster, but it failed. Then I tried 5+ killing blow with longer range to heal my scorpion, but failed it.

At shooting my archers killed one of his fleeing archer.

At close combat to my greatest surprise I managed to land two more wounds to hurriculum so it was left only with one wound, but didn't break. My other stalkers reformed from victory and changed formation because of the small space. Scorpion obviously dind't break those steadfast detachment (they had 5 ranks, and I didn't realize that they get steadfast from their main unit. Carrion died since it only had 1 wound left.

Turn Anaalyze:

- I prolly should have just shoot with stalkers to outriders rather than charing that small unit.

- Those carrions really would have prevailed excellently in the game if I would have been in range. On retrospective moving out of building in turn 1 might have changed situation or having dessert winds would have. I was at 26 inches from my HLP.

- Stalkers weren't so bad at CC, perhaps I just compared them too much with Necroknights.

He charged with Arch Lector to my stalkers.

At magic he managed to just out roll me and then IF another spell receiving only 1 wound to make. He killed like 10 archers.

At shooting he tried to shoot my archers with hellblaster, but he got 4 + 10 + mf so 7 shots and modifer required to hit of 7. So no dead. At the time I am writing this down it seems that my opponent forgot to shoot with his outriders this turn... Mansion killed Hellblaster (it did steady damage to it)

At close combat my opponent managed to do single wound on impact hits with War Altar and one wound with combined attacks of horses and lector (rerolls +1 to hit etc). I failed to do none and he won the combat by 3 (wound + charge) and I crumbled just 1 and was left with one wound.

I first tried to charge with my stalkers to master engineer and then redirected to outriders. He took flee on both of units (luckily received few dangerous terrain while running in the forest)

At magic I healed my scorpion with cursed blades, casted 5 + ward on my unit but my opponent dispelled it. I tried to casket detachment halberdiers.

At shooting I tried to kill solo archer, but failed to kill him

At CC arch lector managed to kill stalker before he could try to take hurriculum with him =( Tomb Scorpin failed to kill those halberdiers and due the steadfast from their regimental unit didn't break...

Turn analyze:

- OH boy how stupid I can be. That stalker charge was just so bad choice... I don't even know what an earth I was thinking. On the other hand they were pretty much out of good gazing targets since both hurriculum and war altar were at CC. And if I would have turned my rear to outriders they would have charged there, or if I would have moved near master engineer I would have been pancaked. Perhaps the best course of actin would have been backing off and trying to gaze outriders. Dunno... Oh how I hate those stalkers since they down have swift reform and are rather big models to use... I need more practice with them.

Arch Lector charged my stalkers flank. He failed rally on outriders and with arcehrs (neede double 1). Master engineer passed.

His BSB went to other detachment and then he finally started to advance with his horde halberdiers...

At magic he prolly did few wounds on arhcers.. don't remember correclty. But he casted reroll to wound with arch lector.

At CC he did nice damage on impact hits and with +1 to hit reroll to hit and reroll to wound attacks. My stalkers crumbled to dust. On brgiht side my Scorpion killed other detachment and he had his eye on another detachment rear that wasn't steadfast anymore!!!

I charged the rear of the halberdier detachment with gleeming hope of victory, but he fled with them. Then I redirected and charged the rear of celestium hurriculum and it took flee also. (should chariot take DT test when passing friendly model as normally friendly models doesn't cause DT, but chariot might take them?) But the hope of gaining lots of points went up when his Arch Lector failed panic test caused by fleeing friendly model! and since BSB was fleeing also no reroll for him! Too bad he rolled and stayed on the table top.

I actually forgot to reform/move my arhcers. Prolly should have done it.

At magic I got very nice phase with 2 + 2 WoM +3 casket and +1 channel. I healed with 2 pd my scorpion with cursed blades, then used 2 pd to ward my arhcers, my opponent decided dispell it with his dispell dices, then casted 2 pd vengeance on halberdiers and got -3 movement for them. Then 2 pd casket on halberdiers detachment. No damage on them, but bounce on hurriculum nailed the bastard. No bounce on war altr though.

His charge with halberdiers failed to deliver. Too bad arch lector managed to rally him self, but halberdiers with BSB still went on running. Outriders rallied and lonely archer went on going. It actually ran past casket (my picture is little off) but too bad double DT didn't nail him.

At magic he managed to cast shem or banisment and i dispelled the other. doing punch of wounds to my archers, but not enough.

Too bad scorpion was just 20 inch away from halberdiers back, so I couldn't hope for flee reaction run. (still would have needed close to 10 inch flee roll from halberdiers to go out of action.

Halberdiers and arch lector was out of range for casket. I casted it on outriders but they didn't die.

Then tried to shoot lonely master engineer down but failed to deliver.

Final score was 2077 to 1091