Totengräber's Workpläce

This was my first trip to Adepticon and man, was it a blast! I went with a group of about 7 people in two hotel rooms. This, I think, was one of the best parts of the trip. Getting to hang out with these guys outside the game store was awesome. I look forward to doing it again next year.

We arrived Thursday night and picked up our pre-registered badges. those who were among the first 1,000 received a random Warmachine plastic battle box in their swag bag. I think the best thing I got in mine was the painting magazines, which it seemed everyone got.

Friday we walked around the convention area to check out all the craziness. The 40K hall was packed and I saw a number of pretty awesome army displays. I went to check out the Forgeworld booth and discovered a line nearly out of the door. Later, we went to the Warhammer Fantasy area. They also had a number of display boards that clearly took a lot of work and talent to create. eventually, Dominic and I checked in at the Privateer Press area for the Eternal War (Iron Arena?) event. We played one game against each other wherein the Circle emerged victorious. Dominic then played against a Cygnar player from Texas (I believe) where he eventually lost. The original plan was to return from dinner and play more games, but we ended up just hanging out watching MenothJohn (from Lost Hemisphere Radio) go up against a Farrow army. Sometime during that day we also went to the Games Workshop Battle Bunker. Honestly, I was not that impressed. There were tons of tables they use for their events, but the store area was just like any other LGS that carries their products.

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Back when this season of the Warmachine league began, Phil asked the group if he could borrow someone’s army since he wanted to do something other than Menoth for a change. I offered up my Cryx since I play a lot less anymore. Last night, I had to play against my own army with my Skorne.

His List:

• Warwitch Deneghra
• Seether
• Deathripper (x3)
• Pistol Wraith (x2)
• Mechanithralls (x7) + Brute Thrall
• Bile Thralls (x6)
• Skarlock

495 points

My List:

• Supreme Aptimus Zaal
• Ancestral Guardian (x2)
• Titan Gladiator
• Cyclops Savage (x2)
• Paingiver Beast Handlers (x6)
• Praetorian Swordsmen (x10)

497 points

Now, to defend myself a little bit here, I haven’t played any Warmachine or Hordes in quite a while plus I’ve never used Zaal at all.

I really liked the potential Zaal had for working with infantry and, had I assembled my second unit of Praetorians, I would have used them instead of maybe the Gladiator or something. I also picked up the Agonizer to use in this game, but after reading his abilities and seeing they all have to do with enemy warbeasts (of which Phil had none), he allowed me to proxy a Drake as my second Ancestral Guardian (which is still in a blister at home).

The game was really good. I never really felt like it was too one-sided, which is what I expected going into this. Phil pretty much neutralized one of my Ancestral Guardians through the use of the Pistol Wraith’s chain attack. As was pointed out later that night, I should have just killed the Ancestral Guardian off myself to activate the Kovass. Never having played against the Pistol Wraiths myself, but having used them many times, I had no idea how to kill them. Now, though, I do have some ideas. Phil’s Seether seemed to do pretty well until the Titan charged it, disabled it, and then chucked it. The Mechanithralls held him down afterwards, though. I had thought it would be a good idea to cast Hollow on the Praetorians in order to keep them alive and to keep them from fleeing, but as Phil pointed out, the Ancestral Guardians then get no soul tokens. Good point. I learned a lot from that game both in better ways to use my Skorne and to see someone who knows the game well play the Cryx. In either case, I think my next game will go much better.

After all this I am now jonesing to paint my Skorne instead of my Bretonnians, especially since the yellow I’m wanting to use on the Brets is pissing me off.

I’m hoping to get at least two games in tonight. Not sure if I’ll end up playing Hordes or Warmachine, so I’ve made quick lists for both.

Warmachine: Basic Deneghra Assassin List:

• Warwitch Deneghra
• Deathripper x3
• Skarlock
• Pistol Wraith
• Bile Thralls x8
• Mechanithralls x9

349 points, 14 VPs

Hordes: Basic Morghoul List:

• Master Tormentor Morghoul
• Basilisk Drake
• Basilisk Krea
• Ancestral Guardian
• Paingiver Beast Handlers x5
• Praetorian Swordsmen x10

345 points, 14 VPs

I’m not real sure how I feel about the Hordes list; I just didn’t want to use the Starter box plus extras, I wanted it to be something different. The Warmachine list I’ve played something very similar many times. It’s fun for me and my opponent because I go for the Warcaster kill, but I’m not all that much of a tactical thinker, so my opponent has a chance to counter it.

Oh well. we’ll see how it goes.

This Tuesday I played again vs. Katie. I think maybe I’m one of the few that enjoys 1000 point games anymore, so that’s why she wanted to play against me again. Who knows? Anyway, here’s my list:

• Warwitch Deneghra
• Nightwretch x3
• Skarlock
• Iron Lich Asphyxious
• Deathripper x2
• Deathjack
• Bile Thralls x10
• Mechanithralls x10
• Brute Thrall
• Satyxis Raiders x10
• Sea Witch
• Soulhunters x4
• Pistol Wraith x2
• Bloat Thrall

1000 points exactly

She played a Irn Man list with Nemo and Darius, which included 3 Lancers, 2 Hunters, Thunderhead, Centurion, Hammersmith, and 2 Juniors (so, technically, not Iron Man).

It was a really fun game, one of the better ones in recent times. I deployed the DJ to the far right since she’d deployed the Thunderhead to my left. I had laid out my infantry first so that when I placed the Bloat, he wouldn’t be too close to them. I still say that was a bad idea as my Jacks all got messed up in their movement as did the Soulhunters. I feel like I cam pretty close to winning. I had a few PW shots at Nemo and a couple PW shots from the backside of Darius. I believe by the time we called it, Nemo was down to maybe 3 boxes and Darius down to two. Another turn and I think my DJ and Asphyxious would have finished off D, but I think Denny was in a position where she was pretty much doomed. All in all, a very fun game.

Well, I ended up losing this one despite her boasting “By The Numbers” and playing an Iron Man list, I still couldn’t keep her army out of my deployment zone and have mine make it to hers. No worries, though, it was a good game.

Seems everyone is trying to get in final games for the league this weekend. I missed going to the usual games day this past Tuesday, so I was planning on going to Jeff’s place anyway. Katie has challenged me to a 1000 point game. She says she’s going to be bringing a fun list. Well, games with Katie have always been fun, even if they’re frustrating due to Cygnar’s ability to pump out a ridiculous amount of damage sometimes. I told her I’d try to make a fun list, but she wasn’t getting the Iron Man list that was just plain crazy.

So, here’s the list:

• Iron Lich Asphyxious
• Deathjack
• Deathripper x2
• Skarlock
• Skarre, Queen of the Broken Coast (epic)
• Harrower
• Leviathan (bonded)
• Nightwretch x2
• Pistol Wraith
• Bile Thralls x8
• Mechanithralls x8
• Brute Thrall
• Satyxis Raiders x8 (Elite Cadre)
• Sea Witch

996 points / 33 VP / 37 models

So, I arrive at the store around 6pm to find the place nearly void of people. Phil and Paul are there and Greg Crider showed up soon afterward. Katie and Jeff were there for a short time (long enough to deliver my Deathjack — thanks!!). But no one else showed up at all. So, it was a relatively relaxed and quiet evening.

I played against Phil with the army I listed previously and he played his Mercs. We had to play the Domination scenario, which I had played once before. We were supposed to get through 8 rounds to determine the winner. Well, with the amount of jawjacking we did and the fact it was a 1000 point game, that didn’t happen. We ended up going through 3 rounds and as expected, Phil won. Not that I think it’s impossible to win with an Iron Man Cryx list, just I don’t think I’m good enough to pull it off. It was all for fun anyway and I earned more points for my team than if I’d lost at any of the other point levels.

So Phil posted on the CoG boards yesterday talking about wanting to do a 1,000 point game. He is on the team with Katie and Jeff, which is a Cygnar team. Phil’s not sure if he wants to do his mercs or borrow some Cygnar. I told him I’d play him if no one had accepted the challenge before tonight. The bounty for Cygnar on Cryx is that he has to kill all my ‘jacks, so I decided I’d boast Iron Man, meaning he’d have to kill everything except my casters to get his bounty. It wasn’t me trying to be a jerk, especially since the generally accepted concensus is that Cryx’s Heavy ‘Jacks pretty much suck compared to other factions’. Well, here’s the list I made just in case:

• Skarre, Queen of the Broken Coast (epic)
• Leviathan (bonded)
• Harrower
• Slayer
• Deathripper x2
• Warwtch Deneghra
• Deathjack
• Slayer
• Nightwretch x3

982 points

This ought to be interesting

Last night’s game went pretty well. The scenario called for us to control the center 6″ hill on top of a 12″ hill, winning if one of us ends up with 7 control points.

Having seen Advance Deploy screw myself and several others, the Deathjack was deployed only a few inches outside of my own deployment zone so that he could run up and try to hold the hill. Everything else was deployed across the edge of the zone with Deneghra and crew to my right and Asphyxious and crew to the left.

During the course of the game, I had serious trouble with die rolls. It seemed that when I only needed a 6 to hit something, I’d roll a 10, but when I needed an 11 to damage anything, I’d roll a 4. Oh well, it all evened out in the end when a Pistol Wraith needed an 8 to Kill Epic Stryker and rolled a 12.

In the end, Deneghra did her feat, the Withering, to reduce Darius’ ARM and DEF by 2 and attempted to cast Crippling Grasp, but was slightly out of range. The Harrower with 3 focus and 2 (useless) Soul Tokens charged Darius and managed to kill him. I won by assassination rather than by scenario, but I’m okay with that as I doubt I could have kicked both a Centurion and a Thunderhead off of the hill.

BTW, the Deathjack did nearly nothing except maybe draw attention to itself.

I felt really good after this game. I haven’t had a mark in the “W” column for quite a while and to win at 1000 points and against one of our most knowledgeable players was just icing on the already delicious cake.

I believe Rick’s list went something like this:

• Darius
• Thunderhead
• Centurion
• Ironclad
• Stormclad
• Some kind of Standard
• Hunter
• Epic Stryker
• Gun mages x6
• Stormblades
• Standard Bearer
• Some unit attachment with 5 wounds

After last week’s games, one of which where I killed my nemesis Alexia, Rick challenged me to a game this week where he promises not to use Alexia due to one simple factor: he doesn’t own her.

Rick is our local Press Ganger and as such knows the rules inside-out. And me, I’ve only played one 1,000 point game of Warmachine ever. So, this should be interesting.

This week the Cryx vs. Cygnar scenario is the one where the water can rise every round. Lucky me, Cryx has Amphibious warjacks! The bounty this week is my bounty against Cygnar where I have to kill all their solos. So, I can probably count on a Junior, a GMCA, Eiryss, possibly Rupert, and any number of others.

Here’s the list I’ve planned:

• Iron Lich Asphyxious
• Deathjack
• Leviathan
• Deathripper x2
• Skarlock
• Warwitch Deneghra
• Harrower
• Nightwretch x3
• Bloat Thrall
• Pistol Wraith x2
• Bile Thralls (9)
• Mechanithralls (10)

998 points

I’ll report how it fares later.