Warhammer Underworlds: Game Ten - Return to Nightvault

Sunday evening Amanda and i played another game of Warhammer Underworlds. WE played on the Shadespire boards from the Nightvault Core box. I tried out Lady Harrow's Mournflight for the first time, and Amanda played Morgwaeth's Blade-Coven again. I played with Lady Harrow's deck - straight out of the box, without really looking at them much at all beforehand.... It is a pretty solid deck... 

I won the roll-off and had Amanda pick boards first. 

I got distracted in the middle of picking boards - I started rummaging about the house looking for the rules. I had both the Nightvault and Beastgrave rules handy, but I like to look things up in the Direchasm rules, as they are the most recent and, presumably, incorporate. She started with the set up of warbands and when we were done I realized I'd totally set up my board the wrong way!? I'd wanted those obstructing hexes CLOSER to the enemy territory - as they block her warband, but mine could pass right through them.... 

ROUND ONE

I should really take a picture of my initial Objective Card draw. I find that first draw often really sets the tone for, certainly the first round, and often the entire game... 

I won the roll-off to determine who wend first. I let Amanda go first. I had an Objective Card that scored if all my fighters were inspired - to inspire they had to pass through enemy fighters - and to do that, they needed to be within 2 hexes of one of my warriors. They moved faster than the Thorns of the Briar Queen in our Previous Game.... but not THAT much faster! 

Morgwaeth kicked things off my charging up on to Objective #4 and stabbing at The Anquished One... and missed. 

Then Amanda played a flurry of Power Cards; Regal Vision allowed her to inspire Morgwaeth (who was standing on an Objective), Catechism of Murder allowed her to inspire Khamyss

And Drilled to Perfection allowed her to put Guard tokens on Kyrae and Lethyr. 

I decided to get in on the action and play Spectral Charge which would give me +1 Damage to the first Range 1 or Range 2 Attack action made by a friendly fighter in the next activation.... If, y'know, I HIT someone!? 

Lady Harrow charged Morwaeth. I was really torn about the path I would take. I could either pass through Morgwaeth - which would inspire Lady Harrow at the end of the activation OR I could take a step back and pass through an Obstructed Hex and just make it TO Morgwaeth. The former would mean and inspired leader and one quarter of the way to scoring the Objective requiring, but the latter would mean, for sure, I would score a surge objective - right away, and draw a new Objective (which MIGHT be another Surge?) and given where I set up Widow Caitha, there was really no guarantee she would be able to pass through anyone... So I went with the SCORE NOW option (I also actually HIT Morgwaeth and did 3 damage!) and scored Inescapable Hunger. +1 Glory for me and... I upgraded someone with something...? But I didn't make note of who I upgraded with what in the First Round...?

Khamyss charged up and attacked The Screaming Maiden and did 2 Damage! Ouch! Luckily she missed with the bladed buckler combo! 

I also scored Frozen in Place - a surge Objective I'd drawn after scoring Inescapable Hunger. Frozen in Place is Scored if one or more enemy fighters each have one or more Guard tokens. +1 Glory for me! 

The Anguished One Charged Morgwaeth (passing through her, so The Anguished One could inspire at the end of the activation) and took her out of action. +1 Glory for the KO and then I scored ANOTHER Surge Objective (which I'd drawn after scoring Frozen in Place). Spectral Vortex - Scored immediately when an enemy fighter is the target of a second or subsequent successful Attack action in this phase, and each Attack action was made by a different friendly fighter... +1 Glory. 

Kyrae then moved onto an objective and took a shot at The Screaming Maiden and finished her off. +1 Glory for the KO and +1 Glory for Blood Rite (taking an Enemy Fighter our while holding an objective) 

I actually drew a power card for my next activation. With The Screaming Maiden out of action, and Lady Harrow and the Anguished One having charged, I only had the Widow Caitha I could move... and I'd rather NOT move her out on my third activation, which might have given Amanda a target for ganging up on (if I didn't take khamyss, her target, out of action). I also upgraded the Widow Caitha with Swooping Dash(?) which gave her a +2 to move. 

Kyrssa moved onto an objective

For my final activation, the Widow Caitha charged out, passing through Kyrssa and attacking... and missing... but the Widow Caitha was inspired! 

END PHASE - ROUND ONE

I wasn't able to score any of the Objectives I was still holding, but Amanda scored Ritual Formation, which gained her another +3 Glory! I REALLY need to remember she has that one!? 

So the score at this point was 5-4 for Morgwaeth's Blade-Coven. 

ROUND TWO

Amanda went first and Khamyss attacked the Widow Caitha... and did two damage and scored +1 Glory for Carve a Rune - which isn't even an Objective Card - it's a Gambit that scores a spent Glory Point!? 

lady harrow charged Khamyss... and failed to take her out.. 

Crap... 

Khamyss attacked Lady Harrow and did 2 Damage. I played Shared Agony, which transfered one of those Damage Tokens to Khamyss... 

The Widow Caitha moved to Objective #5 - wanting to get out of the way of Khamyss' Barbed Whip - as the Widow had only one wound left. 

Khamyss attacked Lady Harrow AGAIN - missing with BOTH her combo attacks. 

The Anguished One moved onto Objective #4 and I scored One Will - another DUAL Surge Objective for holding an even numbered objective and an odd numbered objective. +1 Glory 

Khamyss attacked Lady Harrow AGAIN and did two more damage with one weapon, missing with the other. 

For my Final activation I drew a Power Card... wasn't much else to do... 

END PHASE - ROUND TWO 

Amanda scored Devoted Disciple (+1 Glory for one or more surviving friendly fighters have one or more wound tokens).

I scored Tide of Malice a Dual Objective requiring two or more surviving friendly fighters AND Each surviving friendly fighter is Inspired (+2 Glory) 

Tied at 7... I think...? 

ROUND THREE

The Widow Caitha charged Khamyss... she failed to injure her, but, because the Widow was inspired and had a move of 5... with +2 movement from the upgrade she has... AND because I can pass through occupied hexes...  I was actually able to score Fleeting Memories - a Surge Objective, scored when a friendly fighter finishes a Move action and entered two or more different hexes that contained an objective during that Move action....

Khamyss lashed out with her nasty combo attack at both Lady Harrow and the Widow Caitha - missing BOTH

Teh anguished one Swooped in to the rescue and FINALLY took Khamyss out! +1 Glory for me! 

Amanda played Headlong Fury, which allowed Lethyr to make a move action in the power step...without putting a move token on her. She moved onto an Objective. 

Then Kyrae also tried to get to an Objective. She was one short. Amanda always seems to forget that if you move someone they get a move token and cannot move again... I played Fightful Aspect, and pushed her one into the Lethal Hex - which caused one damage. It was a petty thing to do. Teh only fighter I had left to do ANYTHING woudl have taken her out with all the damage she could do... I suppose Amanda DOES have some cards that heal wounds, so.... 

I actually drew a power card for my third activation... four activations, three remaining fighters... 

Kyrae shot at the Widow Caitha... and missed! 

Lady Harrow charged Kyrae... but failed to take her out. we did tie, so I pushed her back, for all the good that did... 

Kyrae took ANOTHER shot at Widow Caitha... and missed! WHEW!!!

ROUND THREE - END PHASE

Amanda scored Blessings of Khaine (+1 Glory for having two or more surviving friendly fighters that are Inspired)

I scored Creeping Dread (+1 Glory for having three surviving friendly fighters each having one or more Move and/or Charge tokens) and Ghostly Torment (+2 Glory if there are two or more surviving friendly fighters and two or more surviving fighters each have one or more wound tokens).

Woo!

I won this one 11-8... so close... Amanda just had the WORST luck with some of the dice rolls - SO many times Khamyss could have taken out Lady Harrow and/or The Widow Caitha. Then Kyrae missing twice in a row... It was depressing seeing her roll like I usually roll...

It seemed like Amanda was getting sick of playing Morgwaeth's Blade-Coven. I offered for her to play the Thorns of the Briar Queen or Lady Harrow's Mournflight next .- of ANY of the warbands... It turns out she's just getting sick of having to play the same old cards. She really LIKES the Blade-Coven (like the miniatures... bad ass chicks kicking ass....) but is getting really tired of seeing the same damned cards. I offered to try and find some better cards for the deck - if she would give me some guidance on what sorts of things annoyed her most about the current deck and what she was wanting to replace them with or things she wanted to be able to do... but she said SHE'd just have to have a look at all the generic cards... "some time"...?

I like Lady Harrow's Mournflight (and the Thorns of the Briar Queen)... but I think I need to return to The Dread PAgeant and tinker with their deck. My friend Jon seems to be able to win games with them...!? Maybe I should do a deck analysis for Morgwaeth's - like I did with Khagra's - pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of each card and which *I* would suggest eliminating... and then gather a PILE of options that might work as substitutions... pare things down - at least a little bit - so it's not so overwhelming for Amanda to go through ALL the generic cards and try to figure out how they all might work together.