This was a game that a friend and I played at my house the night before Warmachine MK4 was announced. It was casual, our kids were playing loudly together, and there was a lot of distraction.
Skorne (Masters of War)
- Archdomina Makeda
- Aptimus Marketh
- Baslisk Krea
- Razor Wurm
- Razor Wurm
- Aradus Soldier
- Nihilators (max)
- The Wastelander (proxied by a thrall warrior)
- Paingiver Beast Handlers (min)
Crucible Guard (Magnus Opus)
- Major Aline Bennet
- Vindicator
- Suppressor
- Gorman Di Wulfe
- Crucible Guard Rocketmen (max)
- Crucible Guard Rocketmen Captain
- Rocketmen Gunner
- Rocketmen Gunner
- Rocketmen Gunner
Deployment
Terrain included one side with rubble and two open graves, so lots of cover. In one zone was a lava (burning earth) hazard, and the other zone abutted a gallows obstacle and a windstorm. That zone also had a wall on the other side, far off on the flank. All other terrain was too far spaced to be much of a factor.
After the discord bot I'd created rolled Split Decision for the 3rd or 4th time running, I began questioning the randomness of the software. We re-rolled scenario, and got Recon II.
As seems to be always the case, my opponent won the roll due to a re-roll granted by his theme, and chose to go first. I chose the side with the graves and rubble, for cover against all his shooting.
Crucible Guard Turn 1
Crucible Guard runs forward, putting up down range on the massive rocketman unit and arcane propulsion on a heavy. Bennet feats and puts a new rocketman unit into play, and it's very nearly able to take shots at advance deployed models before any Skorne models have even activated.
Skorne Turn 1
One razor wurm sees an opportunity, and after getting concealment from the objective, it charges the rocketman solo, risking the lava. The boosted attack misses and the rocketman dodges back. If it had hit, the razor wurm could have activated drag below and moved back to safety. Instead, the razor wurm puts up spiny growth for an extra two armor.
The aradus soldier and the baslisk krea run, Makeda hides behind the gallows, Marketh takes to the rubble, the nihilators get quicken and run forward, being careful to stay mostly out of range, and the other razor wurm hides behind a wall.
Crucible Guard Turn 2
Gorman throws an acid bomb at the flanking nihilators and corrodes one, then repositions back onto the flag.
The rest of the rocketman army focuses fire on the razor wurm in the lava, which has concealment and is thus DEF15. It's hard to hit, and my opponent's rolls are terrible. At one point, he kills it and then we remember that it has spiny growth, which we'd failed to take into account, so we rewind and give it back six boxes for the three hits. He then re-kills it.
Skorne Turn 2
Time for an alpha. Makeda feats and puts up carnage, giving her army +2 to hit in melee. The razor wurm behind the wall charges and eats Gorman and drags him below, moving back to the wall.
In what I consider my best move of the game, Aptimus Marketh spells slaves The Lash at a rocketman, boosting with a dead nihilator soul, and kills it. This allows the aradus soldier to move two inches, putting it within charge range of the suppressor. The soldier charges and four fury later, barely manages to kill the suppressor.
The nihilators charge, killing some rocketmen, and one of them knocks down his buddy. Two of the nihilators are out of range, and run, one engaging Bennet and the other engaging a rocketman. I only later realize that these two are now out of formation and thus cannot make free strikes.
Marketh scores a flag, and the razor wurm scores the zone it's barely touching.
(Skorne 2, Crucible Guard 0)
Crucible Guard Turn 3
When we realize that two nihilators are out of formation and can't make free strikes, Bennet flees, hiding behind her vindicator.
The vindicator fires withering humor at the aradus soldier, and the rocketmen descend, doing a surprising amount of damage with gravity bombs. Other rocketmen shoot out a few nihilators, but Makeda's feat keeps many alive. A rocketman flies around the lava and takes a shot at Marketh, but misses.
(Skorne 2, Crucible Guard 0)
Skorne Turn 3
The soldier has two aspects out, so I note that I need to activate Makeda first to heal them.
But first, with four fury on the aradus soldier, two on the krea, and two on the razor wurm, Makeda is only able to leech four from the soldier. Both the krea and the razor wurm frenzy. The razor wurm eats a rocketman, and the krea eats a nihilator.
Makeda activates and casts Carnage, then jackhammers the soldier, missing since it can't boost. Marketh aims and boosts a shot into a rocketman, killing him. The nihilators charge, killing some rocketmen.
This is when we realize that I forgot to heal the two damaged aspects on the soldier, despite telling myself to remember to. My opponent graciously allows me to rewind, and I remove Makeda's two last fury to heal those aspects. Then, the soldier moves up and snacks on a bunch of rocketmen.
Skorne scores the flag and one zone.
(Skorne 4, Crucible Guard 0)
Crucible Guard Turn 4
After a rocketman moves up and shoots Marketh to death, the rest of the rocketmen shoot the aradus soldier to death, despite its carapace. Both zones and the flag are now contested.
(Skorne 4, Crucible Guard 0)
Skorne Turn 4
Seeing that one point grants victory, Skorne targets the rocketman in the zone. What makes it difficult is that the rocketmen have dodge. Three beast handlers run to surround the rocketmen, then the krea charges and boosts, killing him.
The Wastelander runs to the flag, and Skorne scores both the flag and the zone. The rest of the army chooses not to activate.
(Skorne 6, Crucible Guard 0)
(Skorne Victory!)
Final Thoughts
- On turn two, my opponent spent his whole turn trying to take out the razor wurm, but his rolls were terrible - he couldn't roll a 7. I nearly named this game Razor Wurm Time Walk. Sounds like Hot Tub Time Machine.
- I've never used The Lash before, largely because it costs three fury. But it's far easier when Aptimus Marketh uses it. It allowed the super-slow Aradus Soldier to get the movement it needed to charge and kill the Crucible Guard heavy.
- We rewound to enable a couple of my key moves. Without the rewinds, I'd likely not have won.
- He's a five point model, but The Wastelander is great. He's naturally DEF17 against shooting, and I can stack cover and the krea's force aura on top of that. Any shot that misses is reflected back to the shooter. If a shot somehow does manage to hit, I can shield guard it, and Makeda1 gives field marshal: shield guard.
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