Warhammer Underworlds: Game Eleven

 As Amanda was getting really tired of playing the same old cards in our last game (well... few games). So, on Monday I sat down with her and we sorted out some new cards for her to play with in her deck - focusing on holding objectives. Because I kind of knew what was in the deck I said the next two games I'd play against her I'd play with decks I already had for a couple different warbands. I thought we could start with 

Amanda won the roll off for board set up and made me go first. I selected The Arcane Nexus board (yeah, they have names) from the Shattered City Board Pack - it has three lethal hexes, and I knew she might be charging deep into enemy territory to nab my Objective markers, so I wanted to make it dangerous for her. She picked The Cursed Oubliette from the Nightvault Core Box and set it up end-to-end with mine. An interesting choice... it would make it harder for her to GET to those objectives, which, as I would get to place first, would be DEEP in my territory... but, she DOES have a very fast warband. 

That wasn't what she was thinking about when she set it up, though. I did show her the tactics article for Morgwaeth's Blade-Coven in the White Dwarf... and she DID read it... and it DID suggest that, when fighting against an aggressive warband (which Garrek's Reavers most definitely IS!) to set them up deep like this, set up away from the board edges and let the enemy come to her, so she could set the pace of the engagement... 

Why did I show her the White Dwarf!? GAH!? Curse these people that actually LEARN things from what they read!? 

My first draw of Objectives. My plan was to make use of All or Nothing - If you an't read it, it is an Objective cards scored in the third end phase and gaining you FIVE Glory points if you have scored NO OTHER objective cards the game! Had I not drawn it, I would have exercised the option to discard the whole hand and draw again - and do so at the end of each round to guarantee I'd get it before the end of the game! I figured the Reavers would take out 2-3... maybe 4 (If i got lucky)... and I had a few other non-objective-card ways of gaining a few more glory and with that and five more for All or Nothing... I could end up with 8-10 points...? I've won games with less! 

I wasn't TOTALLY locked into the All or Nothing scheme - If I managed to get a few Objectives that WERE easy to pull off in the first round, I might have played them and went with that... 

I won the roll-off for warband set-up and made her go first - even though it meant I was more likely to lose the roll-off for who went first in the first round. (She even placed Morgwaeth last - just like the tactics article suggested!?) 

ROUND ONE

Despite setting up last, I won the roll off and had Amanda go first. 

Morgwaeth moved onto a nearby Objective. Then Amanda played Forward Planning, which allowed her to give one of her fighters with no Charge tokens an upgrade and a Charge Token. She gave Kyrssa a Charge token and the Rapturous Defence upgrade. 

I played BLOOD OFFERING - giving Blooded Saek a damage token - and +2 dice on his next attack action! 

And then Saek charged Khamyss! 

Looking for Smash results (Hammers) - I got TWO! WOO! 

And on Amanda's single defence die... she rolled a crit... which trumps all successes.... 

I mean, that happens... one in six times, in theory... 

Lethyr moved onto Objective #3 and Amanda scored Hidden Purpose - a Surge Objective scored immediately after an activation if a warband holds two or more objectives... Boom +1 Glory for Morgwaeth's Blade-Coven. Amanda used the Glory Point to upgrade Lethyr with Survival Instincts - which effectively put her On Guard... always...

Garrek went next and ALSO charged Khamyss! 

Two dice, looking for Smash (hammers), crits, or One Support.... Again, I got TWO successes! And... Amanda rolled ANOTHER freaking crit... AGAIN....

I mean.. that happens... like, one in thirty-six times... 

Khamyss finally decided to attack back - both times at Blooded Saek - hoping to take him out. She missed with the Barbed Whip, but did one damage with her Bladed Buckler combo action. 

Targor then charged - across a Lethal Hex, taking one damage to get in there and attack... Looking for swords, crits, one support, or two support.... and actually hit... of course, he only does ONE damage... so... 

Khamyss hit back again, missing with the Whip again and tying with the bladed buckler - and so she pushed Saek back. 

In my final activation of the round

Neither of us scored any Objectives in the End Phase, so we discarded some cards and drew some new ones and carried on! 

The two new objectives I drew to replace the two I discared were also not fantastic, so it looked like I'd be going with All or Nothing. 

ROUND TWO

Rolling off Amanda won and decided to go first. 

Kyrae charged Targor and attacked (with the aid of Khamyss)... and missed... 

Hey! I can roll crits too! (but only once in every six rolls...) 

Saek Charged back in attacking Khamyss - getting support from both Targor and Garrek - and... 

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!? WTF!?

Khamys attacked Targor with her barbed whip - and tied, pushing him back. Then she attacked Blooded Saek and took him out of action... (+1 Glory for Margweath's and Morgwaeth inspired herself)...But then I played Final Blow - a gambit reaction that allows one of my fighters to deal one damage to their attacker when they are taken out of action - conveniently Khamyss already had one wound, and so she too was taken out! (+1 Glory for Garrek's). Amanda used her Glory to upgrade Lethyr with the Guardian Glave and I used mine to give Garrek with Grisly Trophy which gains him a bonus Glory whenever he takes someone out of action. 

Karsus charged Kyrae ... and missed... 

(whoopsie -in all teh excitement, it looks like I forgot to remove Saek!?) 

Morgweath charged up and stabbed at Karsus from two hexes away and, with Kyrae's aid, took him OUT! (+1 Glory for Morgwaeth's). Morgwaeth was able to inspire Kyrae with her special action, and I inspired my whole warband as three fighters were out of action - two were mine... but the Blood God cares not whose blood is spilled... Again she upgraded Lethyr - this time with a Formless Key. 

Targor charged back inot the action and shanked Kyrae, causing two damage. Amanda realized she still had an unspent Glory and more upgrades in her hand, so she upgraded Kyrae with Grim Tenacity. 

And then she used Headlong Fury to send Lethyr scurrying down the center of the map.

On her activation, Kyrssa jumped onto Objective #4. 

Garrek then charged in and took down Kyrae (+2 Glory - due to Grisly Trophy) 

Going into the END PHASE we were tied at three, but then Amanda scored Dominant Position - gaining her two more Glory for holding more objectives than any other warband.

ROUND THREE

All of the remaining fighters in Morgwaeth's Blade-Coven inspire at this point (if they had't already)

Arnulf feeling very lonely and left out... or... maybe he was preparing some dark blood ritual to gain the Blood Gods favour!? 

Lethyr making a run for the end zone - which objective is she headed for? Will this be Arnulf's Chance to Prove his worth to mighty Khorne? 

Where all teh other action is - in the Daughters of Khaine's own territory. 

Becoming kind of a spread out battle....

I won the roll off and went first! 

Targor charged Morgwaeth... if he could just do ONE damage... it would give Garrek a chance at taking her out - and maybe Kyrssa (as I was holding Fueled by Slaughter, which allows a warrior that takes an enemy out of action to make ANOTHER attack action!?)... but he missed. 

Amanda upgraded Morgwaeth with Great Strength and I upgraded Garrek with Slumbering Key.

Amanda then played Drilled to Perfection to give a Guard token to Kyrssa. 

This was his chance! Arnulf Charged Lethyr... sure she was always on guard - but better to take her down before she got onto an objective and started stabbing people with that Guardian Glaive... IF he gets a crit, Arnulf does one extra damage - which would have been enough to take out Lethyr... No such luck... 

She stepped out  of his way and onto Objective #5 and sliced him in half with the Guardian Glaive... and then scored Blood Rite - whic awards one glory when a friendly fighter holding an objective makes an Attack action that takes an enemy fighter out of action... (+2 Glory for Morgwaeth's).

There might have been more upgrading...? 

Morgwaeth attacked Targor...

 and took him out... I mean... can she NOT roll crits!? (+1 Glory for Moargweath's)

As garrek watched Targor slide off of Morgwaeth's Glaive, he realized it was going to be impossible to take her out at this point...  Lethyr had already charged and could not attack back.... whereas both Kyrssa AND Morgweath would be able to attack if he went  in that direction. So, Garrek changed his mind and went after Lethyr...

She... Just... Can't... NOT... roll... CRITS... in defence!? 

With no one to cleave with her flahsing glaive, Morgweath danced over to Objective #3... 

And that was that... 

I did score All or Nothing in the Third End Phase - and gained the bonus Glory Point from the Slumbering Key I'd given to Garrek. That brought my total to NINE. Not bad, right about what I expected... If Amanda could even NOT roll a crit in defence and Garrek had taken out Lethyr, I'd have scored another two... 

As it was, Amanda scored Ritualized Formation for three more Glory Points - for holding three Objective markers - and a bonus Glory point for the Formless Key that Lethyr held. That brough her total to TWELVE. 

Yeah... had I taken Lethyr out, that would have been FOUR less points she would have scored. A close game. 

Sort of. 

Amanda was a little happier about how it played out and did a bit of post game analysis - discussing her initial draws and how useless they were, but just discarded them and moved on with scoring the ones she could. 

I am curious to see how she does against the Nightgaunts with her new deck of cards. The games against Lady Harrow's Mournflight and Thorns of the Briar Queen last week didn't go so well... We shall see on Sunday! (and you can probably read about it Monday morning!)