Path to Glory: Ravaged Coast - Assault on the Sea Cave

After losing much of the armies supplies to the hungry, wandering Gargants, Goretim the Reddish bade his Slaughterpriests to beseech their lord Khorne to aid in the provisioning of the Bloodbound Horde! Reading the entrails of a slaughtered Gorepigeon, the Slaughterpriests claimed Khorne had gifted them with visions and they would find all they needed near a sea cave along the coast... and so they marched!

Near a sea cave, along the coast they did indeed come upon an army encampment full of provisions... unfortunately, the army was in the camp... and were not the least bit surprised by the army's approach!

Furthermore, it was their nemesis, the hated Soulblights... AGAIN!? 

On the right flank, the Mighty Skullcrushers of the Red Path charged forth and trampled a picket of skeletal warriors guarding barrels FULL of blood! Khorne would be pleased! 

The Mighty Skullcrusher were unable to secure their treasure, however, as a squadron of Blood Knights charged in from one flank and a Purple Sun of Shyish - summoned by the foul soulblight vampire - assailed their other flank! 

The Blood Warriors secured a trover of Emberstone. 

In the center, the newly recruited Ogroid Myrmidon sought to earn his pay and charged forth with his new friend the Korgorath, and secured a herd of pigs the enemy had gathered for "provisions"... they were followed on by a the cultists of the Claws of Karanak! 

Not far away, the Vengorian Lord and a Terrorgheist noted their approach! 

The two charged in and ran into a pair of Hex-Gorger Skulls, summoned by Bob Bloodblob... the Terrorgheist annihilated the two floating skulls (that were DEFINITELY NOT MAGICAL!) 

Then the Vengorian Lord swooped in on the Ogroid Myrmidon and Khorgorath, knocking them on their asses and sending them scurrying away from the field of battle (each with a pig under each arm, though!) 

The Bloodreavers charged in to aid the Claws of Karanak in holding back the Terrorgheist and Vengorian Lord, while the last of the pigs were removed to their rear for later slaughter and feasting! 

The two monstrous creatures slashed and chomped at the bloodbound warriors, dealing horrific wounds.

Soon there were only two of the Bloodbound warriors remaining to distract them as the rest fled with their prizes (and dragged off the wounded)

The two, affectionately known as Mr Squigly-Wiggley and Rock-Paw - for their respective mutations bestowed upon them by the Lord of Blood... these two heroes, held back the mighty beasts as long as they could, before they, too, were swatted aside and trampled underfoot. When they later made their way back to the bloodbound camp, broken and bleeding, they were healed and fêted by their comrades... 

Orion was back in town a bit early for the holidaze as the last few days of work were cancelled due to the blizzard that swept into Saskatchewan on Wednesday! Thursday we played a game, and then Friday she had another game lined up with Matt. 

I gained SIX Emberstone Shards from playing this game... I had some leftover in the vault from previous games. I spend three to recruit the Mindstealer Sphiranx into my Slaves to Darkness Regiment. Another three were used to give Goretim the Reddish the Spiteful Spark Heroic Trait (from the Ravaged Coast book) because... why not? Totally buffing that bully to the MAX! I was seriously tempted by Ar'Gath, the King of Blades (which disallows an enemy hero from using any ward saves when fighting the hero with Ar'Gath!) but I already HAD an Artifact of Power for Goretim (which I'd bought after Game Four and COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT AND NEVER USED!?). Finally I spent the last two shards advancing the Mighty Skullcrushers along the Path of Brazen Butchery and giving them the Soul-Eating Rage ability (-1 from ward rolls for enemy unit while in combat with the Mighty Skull-Crushers) 

I suggested that since there were just the four of us (Sean, Matt, Orion, and myself) playing in this campaign, rather than rushing to see who can be the first two to win a Hateful Shores scenario and then play the Raid on Hell's Claw to win the campaign, I suggested a four-player MEGA BATTLE for sometime next week to determine the victor - and everyone agreed!! All agreed and I shall be hosting that on MONDAY!! 

It will be exciting to see all four forces on the table - one from each of the Grand Alliances; Sons of Bebemat/Destruction, Soulblight Gravelords/Death, Stormcast Eternals/Order, and Blades of Khorne/Chaos! 

Path to Glory - Ravaged Coast: Along the Crumbling Coast

Filled with fury and buoyed by their recent success against the Soulblights, the Blood Siblinghood of the Slaughter-Gut-Pile Bloodbound Horde, led by their warlord, Goretim the Reddish, hate-marched through the last pass in the Adamantine Chain of mountains to gain the Hateful Shores - along the Ravaged Coast of Aqshy. They began their search for a route to Hel's Claw, where rumours suggested there was a trove of Emberstone beyond imagining! 

As they rounded another headland, they found another force blocking their way... it was the hated Soulblights... AGAIN... and the Duchess Mircalla was leading them!? Was there no way they could bring a final end to these cursed Soulblights!?

Khorne give us strength and fury... 

The Soulblights seemed to be content with collecting up Emberstone along the coast 

There were many clusters of the crystals, imbued with magical energy of the realm! 

The Bloodreavers fought a flight of Fellbats over one such hoard... but the fell bats picked it up and quickly swooped away! 

Enraged by this action, the Korgorath decided to smash apart one of the Cursed Sepulchres... 

Bloodbound Horde holding their line... 

The Soulblights drew closer as they finished collecting up the Emberstone clusters. 

The Blood Warriors joined the Korgorath in trying to dismantle the Cursed Sepulchre

A pair of Hex-Gorger Skulls were summoned and sent forth to harass and slow the advance of the Soulblights. 

The Vengorian Lord swooped in and attacked the Blood Warriors at the Cursed Sepulchre.

Goretim advanced on the Cursed Sepulchre and the cowardly Vengorial Lord fled, fresh in it's tiny mind were the memories of the beating the Khorne Lord had laid upon them in their last encounter... 

Enraged by the destruction of their Cursed Sepulchre, the Vengorian Lord charged back in assaulting the Blood Warriors... 

At this point, the Bloodbound had collected up what Emberstone they could and decided to cede the field of "battle" to the Soulblights... they would have to find another way around the Headland to find the route to Hel's Claw! 

For our second game on Friday afternoon, Orion and I opted for a Hateful Shores Battleplan - as one of us (ME!) had won a Gnaw's Edge Battleplan (The first game we played Friday afternoon!). We rolled the Along the Crumbling Coast Battleplan. 

It seemed pretty clear from the get-go that there was no way I'd win that scenario... and trying to do so would just mean my force would be utterly destroyed again... AGAIN... and they just can't take any more battering. I have a unit that is a game or two away from being utterly destroyed. Six of the eight units have at least one Battle Scar - permanent disabilities sustained from continually being removed as casualties game after game after game. I think half of those six now have two or more Battlescars...? 

So the Bloodbound Horde held on to ONE objective and tried to collect up the nearby Emberstone Clusters and hold on to them and survived and hoped I'd roll well for extra shards in the end game (for Hateful Shores battleplans the an EXTRA D3 shard are rewarded - so the winner get D3+3 and the loser gets 2D3... unfortunately I rolled two ones and thus gained a total of four Emberstone Shards - two for losing and another two I collected off the field of battle... Orion gained NINE!!! 

I spent three of the Emberstone Shards on hiring a Orgoid Myrmidon, to start a new Slaves to Darkness Regiment?! In Ravaged Coast you can recruit units from ANY faction in the same Grand Alliance as your faction - they just don't get to use their own faction abilities and don't get to use your army's main faction ability... I COULD have took a Khorne Daemon Hero - and next game added... some other daemons... but I decided to add the Ogroid Myrmidon because after the following game I'd be able to add a Mindstealer Sphiranx - which I painted ages ago... but haven't had a chance to USE as I haven't gotten around to painting the REST of my Slaves to Darkness army!? (If I were able to get in ONE MORE GAME... I'd have added the Fomorid Crusher and then had all of the units for Hargax's Pit Beasts! Alas...) 

Another idea I'd had earlier in the campaign for adding other Chaos regiments to the force would have seen me finish assembling and painting the Helsmiths of Hashut Tormentor Bombard and add that along with a War Despot to lead them forming a Hashutite Regiment - and adding some much needed firepower to the force... I might try doing this in the next campaign for my Nurgle forces... though, I feel like it would have made more narrative sense to add the Helsmiths to the Khorne force (in Aqshy!) 

The campaign could be Over in a few more games, at this point. To win the campaign you have to win the Hel's Claw Battleplan. To play the Hel's Claw battle plan, both opponents have to have won a Hateful Shores Battleplan (Orion has done that!) - but to play a Hateful Shores Battleplan, you have to have won (or have an opponent that has won) a Gnaw's Edge Battleplan... and I'm the only one in the league who has done that... So it could be conceivably over in two games - if someone played a Hateful Shores battleplan against me and then the winner of that game took on Orion for the battle of Hel's Claw... 

Path to Glory - Ravaged Coast - Twisted By Rage

Filled with fury after the a pair of Mega-Gargants ransacked their encampment... Goretim the Reddish and the Bloodbound Warriors of the Blood Siblinghood of the Slaughter-Gut-Pile were out for BLOOD!!

The first foe they encountered on their March of RAGE was the hated Soulblights... AGAIN!

Goretim decided they'd had enough of the cursed Soulblights and it was time to bring their leader down for good.. 

Goretim the Reddish and the Mighty Skullcrushers of The Red Path lead the way - flanking to the left! 

The Bloodreavers on the extreme right, tried to distract the Blood Knights. 

the Mighty Skullcrushers rode down a unit of Barrow Guard... 

Utterly destroying them! 

Then charged straight into Duchess and her retinue... 

In the centre of the battleline, the Korgorath kept another unit of skeletal warriors busy while the Slaughterpriests beseeched their lord Khorne to grant them favours... 

The Bloodreavers having been destroyed, the Blood Warriors charged into to keep the Blood Knights busy and away from their duchess. 

The Duchess was cut down and the Mighty Skullcrushers turned on the retinue of Fell Bats, while Goretim turned on Nosis the Vengorian Lord!

In the distance, the sounds of raging Korgorath smashing bones of skeletal warriors... 

the battle between the Blood Knights and the Blood Warriors dragged on.

The Fell Bats destroyed, the Mighty Skullcrushers turned their attention on the Vengorian Lord... who fled like the coward they are... 

So Goretim the Reddish and the Mighty Skullcrushers turned focus of their wrath against a nearby unit of skeletal warriors... 

Summoned Hex-Gorger Skulls and the Slaughterpriests themselves joined the Korgorath in trying to destroy the single unit of skeletons in the centre of the line - as quick as they could destroy them, more just rose up out of the ground and joined the battle!? 

The Vengorian Lord swooped back in to ambush Goretim! 

Slowly the Blood Warriors gained the upper hand in their battle against the Blood Knights... 

Eventually there was just one Blood Knight remaining... and she was brought down by the sheer weight of the Blood Warriors assaults... 

The Blood warriors charged forth and destroyed a unit of skeletal warriors that had just arrived and threatened to join the battle with the Korgorath and Slaughterpriests!

Alas a flight of Fell Bats swooped in and finished off the Korgorath and took down Gob Bloodblob.

Nosis the Vengorian Lord and Goretim the Reddish exchanged savage blows, but neither were able to gain the upper hand... eventually both parties retired, the Bloodbound horde claiming victory, having slain the Vampire leading the Soulblights... 

Orion was in town on last Friday and so we got in TWO games of Age of Sigmar for our Ravaged Coast campaign. As I have collected more than 20 Emberstone Shards, we decided to try out a Gnaw's Edge Battleplan for our first game and rolled Twisted By Rage!

I only won this because on the second round, I got a double turn (Went last in the first round, then first in the second round). While others have used-double turns to just destroy my army, on multiple occasions in this campaign, I'd yet to be able to take advantage of such a situation... until NOW! 

In the Ravaged Coast battlepack, there is virtually NO DOWNSIDE to taking a double-turn if you win the priority roll! Your opponent is the underdog for the turn and gains one extra Command Point... and gets to roll on the Twist Table and decide who the twist will affect... 

In the new Blighted Wilds Path to Glory, the downside is a little more significant - your opponent will be the underdog for the rest of the game, or until THEY play a double-turn, AND on the Round that you take the double turn, not only do they get the base five Command Point, they get to roll a die for each Command Point YOU have (typically four) and for each 5+ they roll, they STEAL one of your Command Points. 

This seems like there's a bit more of a risk to taking a double turn, which can be devastating to your opponent. It may be less of a risk later in the game, though... if it's about to end, there's no worry about your opponent being the underdog for the "rest of the game" if there is only one round yet, and it's near the end of the game when opponents have taking double-turns and just devastated what was left of my force... 

Post Game I only gathered Three Emberstone Shards  (the three for winning... None of my units were holding any extras at the end of the game!) That was okay, because I had saved a few from the previous game and was able to spend SIX to raise Goretim the Reddish to LEGENDARY status on the Path of the Slaughterer - gaining the Vessel of Murder ability (which is just gross)! 

There were just SO MANY battlewounds... and more Battlescars... Because it's been a week since we played, I forget which game who gained what battlescars... but I think Goretim the Reddish was the ONLY unit that DIDN'T have at leas one battlescar... The poor Bloodreavers, by the end of the afternoon of gaming had THREE and enough battle wounds that they could potentially be taken out of the game permanently!!

One of us having won a Gnaw's Edge Battleplan, meant that we COULD play a Hateful Shores Battleplan... so that's what we did next! Stay tuned for THAT battle report - coming soon-ish! 

Path to Glory: Ravaged Coast - Ransack the Encampment

Goretim the Reddish decided it would be best for the Blood Siblinghood of the Slaughter-Gut-Pile Bloodbound Horde hole up for a bit and engage in some rest and relaxation. They all desperately needed a chance to recuperate and sharpen their axes... Unfortunately a pair of wandering Gargants caught the scent of their fresh snake-meats and attacked the Bloodbound in their own camp! 

A pair of MEGA GARGANTS (and their two pet Frost Sabres) approach the Bloodbound camp!? 

Were they siblings...?

Were they lovers...?

Were they an an anarcho-syndicalist commune that take it in turns to act as a sort of executive officer for the week (but all the decisions of that officer have to be ratified at a special biweekly meeting!)...?

Perhaps all three...who can tell with the Sons (and DAUGHTERS!) of Behemet!? 

The Bloodbound hurriedly mustered and stood ready to defend their encampment!

The male-presenting Warstomper Mega-Gargant approached from the Bloodbound's right... 

The female-presenting-kraken-eating-mega-Gargant approached from the Bloodbound's left. 

The Bloodreavers charged forward to distract the Warstomper, only for the ENTIRE UNIT to be swept away with one swing of his mighty club!? 

While he was distracted, the Blood Warriors, Mighty Skullcrushers and Goretim the Reddish, himself, all charged in to try and fell this gargantuan beast! 

The Claws of Karanak, like the Bloodreavers, were little more than the briefest of distractions... 

The Warstomper hammered down hard on the Blood Warriors... but the remaining Blood Warriors and Mighty Skullcrushers kept on poking the beast in his feet and shin until the blood flowed freely - as Khorne expected... 

The Kraken-Eater moved on and pummelled Bob Bloodblob into the ground... 

The Warstomper hammered down hard on the Blood Warriors and knocked Goretim from his Juggernaut... but the remaining Blood Warriors and Mighty Skullcrushers so damaged his toes and shins that they made him run off, crying... Khorne cares not for the flowing of tears though... only blood... and he blood did flow... 

The Kraken-Eater beat down the Khorgorath next and knocked the last Mighty Skullcrusher from his Juggernaut... 

Then she seized some of the Bloodbound's supplies and started eating them... while smashing down Gob Bloodblob! 

The two pet Frost Sabres also seized a cache of the Bloodbound's supplies. snarling viciously at any who approached... even the Mega-Gargants! 

The two remaining Blood Warriors fled and seized a small pile of Emberstone shards! 

Welp my run of victory for the Bloodbound was brief and short-lived and we were immediately back to losing... badly... 

Bob Bloodblob healed Goretim the Reddish with his blood ceremony and Gob Bloodblob healed himself some. The Claws of Karanak joined the ranks of the Battlescarred, gaining Unyielding Blisters from being trampled into the scorching sands by a gargant.

I am starting to realize this campaign system is highly skewed to favour small elite armies - meaning armies with a small number of high-point-cost units. With the number of units I have, and only two heroes being allowed to heal units each game, I just CANNOT keep up with the managing of battlewounds - especially when being tabled nearly every game! 

SIX of my eight units have at least one battle scar, and the Bloodreavers now have TWO!? Even the Mighty Skullcrushers, who I had been trying very hard to keep the battlewounds down on, now have smouldering scars, which means every game there is a chance they gain EXTRA battlewounds!? I don't think ANY of the other players have units with battlescars at this point... 

Not sure what to do with the Five Emberstone Shards I've accumulated... 

I have collected twenty-five in total, so I can start playing Gnaw's Edge Battleplans - if an opponent agrees - and slowly claw my way toward the campaign's final scenario! One of the players has to have accumulated 20 or more Emberstone shards to play a Gnaw's Edge Battleplan. 

If at least one of the players in a game has WON a battle using a Gnaw's Edge Battleplan, the players may chose to play a Hateful Shores Battleplan... once there are two players in a game that have BOTH WON a Hateful Shores Battleplan, they may elect to play the Hel's Claw Battleplan - the FINAL BATTLE of the campaign. The first two win a Hel's Claw Battleplan is the winner of the campaign! 

I think Matt (Stormcast Eternals) also has collected twenty or more Emberstone Shards. 

We may get this wrapped up by the end of the year! Then maybe start Blighted Wilds in the new year!