Warhammer Underworlds - Another Four-Player Sunday

As if playing Warhammer Underworlds at the Warhammer store on Friday evening, and a 2000 point practice game of Warhammer 40,000 (10th Edition) on Saturday wasn't enough gaming for one weekend.... Nic and Orion came by to join Amanda and myself to play a pair of four-player games of Warhammer Underworlds (for a second Sunday in a row!) 

GAME ONE

For our first game I was pretty excited to try out the freshly painted Grinkrak's Looncourt. Amanda decided to change it up and try out Lady Harrow's Mournflight. Nic wanted to try out the Grymmwatch. Orion played with the Chosen Axes - which she was determined to make work (The warband was recently acquired, fully-painted, and she'd played one game with them and they were handed their asses!) 

Amanda and I were just playing with the Rivals decks for our warbands. I'm not sure if the deck Nic used was the Relic deck I'd put together for the Grymwatch (like, years ago... before they were even CALLED "Relic Decks") of if he sorted out the Grymwatch's and just used a Rivals deck as well... Orion was either using Fearsome Fortress... or perhaps had just shuffled the full Chosen Axes deck in with the Fearsome Fortress deck and played with whatever she drew?! 

I don't remember who ended up picking boards first... but the Looncourt ended up on the Chamber of Genesis board (from the Harrowdeep Core Box). Nic also selected a watery board - The Tortured Coil (from the Nethermaze Core Box) - so it ended up looking like the Beastgrave was suddenly a waterfront property with the watery grave of Harrowdeep washing up on its shores! Amanda played on Ambertrap Nest board (from the Direchasm Core Box) and Orion played on the Shrine of the Silent People board (from the Beastgrave Core Box).

Grinkrak's Looncourt all set up and ready to go! 

The Looncourt started the hostilities - as I went first in the first round - with Skolko and Pronk launching a squig at The Widow Caitha... and taking her out of action!!!

Yikes... Had a bad feeling those ghosties would be coming for me! 

(I was not wrong!) 

I did get three Quest Objective cards right off and assigned them to three of my crew. the Quest Objective cards are a new sort of mechanic for the Looncourt. Rather than holding them in hand, they can be assigned to specific goblins who, when they achieve the Quest (Scoring the Objective Card!) are inspired (with the exception of Grinkrak - who inspires when three of the others are inspired). Half of the deck is Quest Objectives and MOST of them are Surge Objectives. 

I probably need to spend some time reading and re-reading these and figuring out who really would be the best to assign them too as they come up... I feel like part way through the game I may have made a mistake - or sould have, at least, chosen a little better as others did the thing that someone else needed to do to score their Quest Objective.

Regardless, it was fun and a bit different. 

Dwarves and Ghould went right at it and started smashing each other. 

The Myrmourn Banshees of Lady Harrow's Mournflight did, in fact, come for my goblinses! 

But they also fought over all the objecive markers on the border with the Dwarves... so it wasn't a total onslaught... 

though for a little bit it looked like a crowded goblin/ghost mosh-pit over at my end of the table... 

Ghouls joining in the party - sending bats after Grinkrak and The Butcher after Da Wonky Lance! 

In the second round, I drew objectives that involved being in enemy territory, so I kind of disengaged and tried to score those, hoping the Banshees would be kept occupied by the Fyreslayers and Ghouls they were fighting elsewhere! 

And... that largely succeeded! 

Huzzah!... though I think that frightening Fireslayer knew we were up to something... luckily he had a charge token and coudln't really mess with my plans! 

Grinkrak, with some help from Skolko and Pronk, chased off the Ghouly bats. 

In the third round, I had an Objective that scored two Glory Points if each surviving friendly fighter is Inspired and/or has one or more upgrades... and Snorbo was the only fighter left in my warband that has neither... so I kind of charged him into combat with the leader of the Fyreslayers - who only had one wound left... I figured I'd either take him out and score some glory, or he'd take Snorbo out and I'd score the card! In the end I think it was Duke Crakmarrow that moved up and took out Snorbo..

The ghosties finally did come for me and took Nagz out of action... 

But Pokin' Snark got out of there and made another attack at the leader of the Chosen Axes... and... I MIGHT have taken him out of action... or maybe it was SOMEONE else I took out of action with a card called "Stick in the Boot" played on a Vulnerable Enemy (with only one wound remainging) adjacent to a friendly fighter... deals the enemy one damage! Ha! Mean little goblinses! I love them! 

No, it was someone else, somewhere else because that fucking stubborn little dwarf was still holding the Objective Marker at the end of the game. 

IN the end, the Goblins did pretty okay for themselves! I scored SIXTEEN Glory... which TIED with the Chosen Axes... who won.. 

Because they were holding an objective at the end of the game and I was not! 

Considering the game had started with boards looking pretty crowded with 22 fighters (7 Ghould, 7 Goblins, 4 Fyreslayers, 4 Banshees) things were looking pretty empty at the end. Ghouls and Fyreslayers only had one left, each. There were two goblins and two Banshees (Okay, technically goblins started with eight and ended with three - but two of them, Skolko and Pronk, are on the same base!) 

The Goblins were a LOT of fun to play... I think one-on-one play with them could have been an entirely different ketttle of squigs... but I think they'll be a regular on my Underworlds boards! 

GAME TWO

For our second game, I switched things up and tried out Hrothgorn's Mantrappers. I've only played them once before and it... did not go well... Amanda, playing Morgwaeth's Blade-Coven just slaughtered them - taking out Hrothgorn at the beginning of the second round, leaving nothing but a couple of the useless gitz and the sabretooth cat. I figured it was time to give him another chance... Just played with his Rivals Deck. 

Nic took the Thorns of the Briar Queen and quickly put some sort of Nemesis deck together for them. Amanda stuck with Lady Harrow's Mournflight. Orion decided to try the Eyes of Nine with the Force of Frost deck...? I think it was just the Force of Frost rivals deck on its own, none of the Eyes of Nine cards mixed in...?

They were not painted... I... I didn't say anthing. Maybe I just have to get over that. It seems like it's the way things are with Warhammer Underworlds - some people just play with unpainted stuff. 

Or I just say, MY HOUSE MY RULES - get them painted for NEXT TIME!!! 

Eyes of Nine was a warband I'd always wished I could have tracked down - just because they looked really neat... which is, honestly, the main motivating factor in any miniature purchases!? (I also thought they could be handy in Souldbound - the role-playing game - as a number of the canned adventures have Tzeentch minions as opponents!). Never did managed to track them down, and I kind of let the idea go, now that I have Ephilim's Pandemonium (a NEW Tzeentch Warband that came with Wyrdhollow!) 

I digress... 

I was set up on Penitent's Throne board (from the Nightvault Core Box). Amanda picked The Arcane Nexus (from the Shattered City Board Pack). Nic took the Shyishian Stardial board (from the Shadespire Core Box). Orion completely messed up our nearly all Shadespire board with The Iceswirl Maw board (from the Deathgorge Core Box) - which kind of made sense though, playing the Forces of Frost deck!

In the first round, Lady Harrow swooped into my territory and took out Bushwakka - who can set up little traps on the board... but then didn't like being surrounded by other little grots and floated off elsewhere =, 

The Screaming Maiden floated right into the middle of the Eyes of Nine and battled with them for a bit. 

The other Banshees mixed it up with the Chainrasps of the Thorns of the Briar Queen... 

Eventually it was down to Hrothgorn and Luggit and Thwak... trying to deal with a pair of Brimstone Horrors in our territory... I had an objective card that I'd misread and thought it required no enemy in my territory, so Luggit and Thwak stuck around to try and take it out.. but instead were finished off by the pair of horrors... 

Other than the brimstone horrow, the Eyes of Nine had been whittled down to only only their leader; Vortemis the All-Seeing... 

Hrothgorn charged and killed Vortemis... then turned and Shanked the Briar Queen. 

It was a weird game... Nic had started off with a few Glory points - gaining four fairly quickly. I don't think I scored any in the first round. Amanda caught up to nic and went flying past as we went into the third round. Orion and I were fighting over third and fourth place, it seemed... I started the third round with only two Glory Poinsts, and I don't think Orion was much further ahead... but we both kind of pulled it out of the fire! Both Orion and I scored a BUNCH in the final round and the End Game... She ended up with 12 and I had 9 (though, if I'd read the card properly, I would have scored another two (Always Moving - Scored in an end phase if there is at least one surviving friendly fighter AND there are no FRIENDLY fighters in your territory....) I'd thought it said ENEMY and there was that Brimstone Horror... so I would have had 11 which would have propelled me into.... second place... AGAIN!!!

Really having a lot of fun with Warhammer Underworlds at the moment... The obsession has lead me to LISTENING TO PODCASTS about Warhammer Underworlds - where I learned the player that one the Las Vegas Open a few weeks back - for the second time in a row - is from Calgary (for those that aren't Canadian, Calgary is the largest city in the prairie provinces of Western Canada, where I live. I've lived in Calgary, and a small town outside of Calgary, and it one of the places I visit the most - when I ever actually leave Saskatoon!?) 

Warhammer Underworlds: Nightvault - Stormsire and Lady Harrow

I'd hoped to get some games in over the weekend. Sunday had started to be our Warhammer Underworlds night again... But then movies (Red Notice and Free Guy) and TV (The Great!) and Book Clubs happened and we didn't get any games in. Amanda did have Monday off so after doing a few errands we sat down to play a game of Warhammer Underworlds: Night Vault! 

This week I chose to throw Stormsire's Cursebreakers against Lady Harrow's Mournflight - because I mistakenly thought it was the warband that came WITH Lady Harrow's Mournflight in the Champions of Dreadfane box (I was mistaken, it was Ironsoul's Condemnors...).

I won the roll-off for board choice and I had Amanda pick first... Amanda picked The Mirror Well, because it was on the top of the pile and she liked the look of it. I picked The Cursed Oubliette because there wasn't anything getting in my way and any with Hazard areas would only be hazardous to ME... I had thought about using the Shyishian Stardial - or something like that - with some Blocked Hexes - YES, the non-corporeal Banshees can just go THROUGH them... but they can't STOP in them, and I thought i might be able to make use of them to funnel them... somehow... I don't know... I hadn't really thought it through all that much... so I just went with an open one with no Hazards... 

My initial Objective Card draw... only one-pointers and NO Surge objectives! They seemed... do-able, though... 

My initial Power Card draw. Yay! Lots of Spells! Stormsire's Cursebreakers are ALL wizards so anyone can try to cast these - AND - that's their inspire condition... Successfully cast a spell! 

Amanda did NOT like her initial Objective Card draw - stating they were ALL USELESS - one was teh one that requires you to pass through a Blocked Hex and end next to an enemy (good thing I didn't go with the hide behind blocked hexes plan!) 

I won the roll-off for set up and made Amanda go first. Having a smaller warband, I finished first and had the bonus to see who goes first on the First Round...

ROUND ONE

I WON that roll-off too (thanks to the bonus)! Once again, I had Amanda go first... not because I'm a gentleman, or anything... I had REASONS! 

Widow Caitha swooped onto Objective #4... and then the spells started flying!

Averon Stormsire cast Sphere of Aqshy and deal one Damage to the Widow Caitha (in retrospect, this was a poor choice, as she only had two wounds and could be killed with a one-shot blow from ANY of my warband... should have lowered the wounds on someone else...). Having successfully cast a spell, Averon Stormsire was inspired. 

Then Ammis Dawnguard cast Grinding Earth and a Chasm opened next to her... not that it would do ANYTHING to any of Lady Harrow's banshees... but it was a successful spell and that made her Inspire! 

Then I played Gathering Storm a ploy that gave me an innate Channel (lightning bolts on the magic die) result for the next spell I cast... 

For my FIRST activation - because all of that spell casting happened in Amanda's first Power Step - cast Empower on himself (his in-build spell action) - automatically, because of Gather the Storm - and BOOM

All Three inspired be the end of my FIRST ACTIVATION! Woo! 

(if only the rest of the game had gone so well...) 

Amanda played Soaring Spite which would allow her to double her move in her next activation. 

Lasy Harrow went swooping through Objective #1, though Averon Stormsire, and onto Objective #5... which inspired her... and then she scored TWO Objective Cards: Fleeting Memories - for moving onto two objective markers in one move (+1 Glory) and One Will for holding at least one Odd numbered OBjective and at least one Even numbered Objective... (+1 Glory). 

So much for ME thinking things were going my way... I still had a plan to score three Objective cards, though, and that would catch me up! I've already done what I need to score one (cast two spells) 

Ammis Dawnguard steppoed onto Objective #3 (as second Objective card lined up - as long as no one pushes her off...) 

The Screaming Maiden passed through Averon Stormsire and then attacked him and dealt two damage - because I cannot roll crits in combat and Amanda cannot NOT roll crits in combat... 

No problem, he's got FOUR wounds... it's all good... 

Rastus charged the Widow Caitha and took out the Widow Caitha! (+1 Glory for me and the one Objective that Averon Stormsire could make it to in one move was open... and I'd be able to score that third Objective Card and even attack The Anguished One that was just standing there... If he gets there, next to Rastus, I could even cast Empathic conduction (the last spell card in my hand) and remove one of those wounds. 

All he has to do is NOT DIE... 

I upgraded Stormsire with Great Fortitude giving him +1 wounds... Wishfully thinking that might help with the whole NOT DYING thing... 

And then Amanda used one of her crazy Inspire actions - All of Lady Harrow's Mournflight get these CrAzY abilities when they inspire... Lady Harrow gets a reaction - if an enemy declares an attack and it ISN'T against her... she gets to push one... and so she moved up next to Averon Stormsire... 

On her next activation, Lady Harrow killed Averon Stormsire. 

Well, fuck... 

You had one job, Averon Stormsire, ONE JOB!!! NOT DIE!? HOW HARD CAN THAT BE!? YOU'RE A FREAKING STORMCAST ETERNAL!?

GAAAAAAAAHHHHH!?

Um... so... for my last activation I discarded an Objective and drew a new one... what else could I do... I had only two fighters left, one had moved already, the other had charged. Pitched the Plant a Standard as I no longer had a leader to do the thing... 

I did succeed in doing two of the three End Phase Objectives, which is more than I can say for MOST End Phases of MOST games... they were only one Glory Point each... and it tied up the game at three... but I was down a leader... and outnumbered... 

At least Ammis was inspired and was freed up to get off Objective #3 and go lay some smack down - with THREE SMASH attack dice and dealing three damage... she could one-shot two of the three Banshees out there... and she can cast Empower on herself, giving herself the ability to re-roll one of those attack dice... AND being inspired she counted dodge and shield results as successes when defending... 

ROUND TWO

I won the roll-off... but I let Amanda go first again... partly because I just didn't know what to do anymore... Figured I'd let them come to me and try and take them apart peicemeal, rather than CHARGE and then be stuck in one space 

The Anquished One moved through Rastus and away from him - which was fine by me. Teh Anguished one Inspired, but was no threat to me... Rastus Upgraded with Eye of the Storm - giving him a PERMANENT innate Channel result... Then tried to cast Terrifying Vissage, but failed... 

He activated next and cast Empower... automatically... thanks to innate Channel... and that allowed me to score Harness the Storm (scored immediately if a friendly fighter successfully casts a spell - +1 Glory - that tied up the game...) 

Then Amanda played Spectral Charge - giving her +1 Damage on her next charge action. 

So Lady Harrow charged Ammis... and killed her... 

SIGMAR'S HAIRY BALLS!? 

SERIOUSLY!? 

well... what am I to do with the next three activations for this round... with ONE DUDE!? 

I disccarded and drew a new Objective.... 

The Screaming Maiden charged Rastus and dealt him three Damage. 

So, Rastus tried to stab her back... (with -1 Dice... because stupid special abilities of inspire Banshees...) 

Still, he actually hit her... but he only deals 2 Damage... so... still alive... or... undead...? 

Amanda drew a Power Card for her final activation, as she couldn't move anyone... 

Rastus Charged - moving onto Objective #4 - and attacking the Screaming Maiden (with -1 Die!?) this time he tied - was able to re-roll one die... still a tie... so he pushed her back. 

I scored Hold Objective #4 for +1 Glory, brining me to... five? 

Amanda scored Creeping Dread and Nagash's Tithe for two more, bringing her to six... 

It might SEEM pretty close... but I was down to ONE guy... with ONE wound... and that SEVERELY diminished my capacity to score further Glory Points... and Amanda still had three very nasty and mean Banshees floating about... 

ROUND THREE

Amanda went first and The Anguished One charged Rastus... and MISSED!? She played Echoing Spite - which allowed her to attack after a failed attack... and MISSED AGAIN (I'm not going to say things were looking up at this point, because they still looked shit-awful... but hey... not dead, I guess...).

Amanda played Call of the Grave, pushing Rastus one hex, adjacent to the Creaming Maiden, and informed me that Rastus was about to die... (like, tell me something I DIDN'T already know....)

I played Hypnotic Aspect which pushed the Screaming Maiden one hex away from Rastus... which apparently foiled Amanda's plans... for THAT moment... She tried to play Enervating Sorrow on it - a Reaction that required that I discard a power card and if not, the ploy I had just played would not be resolved. NO problem, I discarded Entropic Curse - as it was entirely useless at this point. 

I upgraded Rastus with Well of Power. 

Amanda played Chilling Scream to prevent me from playing any MORE Power Cards... but I was done by that point... 

On Rastus' turn, he fucked off out of there and over to Objective #5... All he had to do was survive and I'd score a couple of Objectives... 

HA... 

Ha... 

ha...

The Screaming Maiden Charged. 

And Killed Rastus... (+1 Glory) 

Amanda trying to figure out what to do with the rest of her activations.. She spent a turn discarding and drawing a new Objective... 

For her final activation, she moved Lady Harrow over to Objective #3 so she could score Nexus of Terror (+2 Glory for holding the most objectives... yeah... ONE Objective) 

She also scored Dominion of DEATH (scored in the third end phase if you have scored the most objective cards - for THREE Glory Points!?) 

She ended with TWELVE Glory Points... I still only had five. 

I had no delusions about WINNING the game, but... wow... 

The "Hold Objective X" cards I have in the deck are ridiculous for this warband - There are so few of them and they move so slowly, it is absurd to think they could run about and grab specific warbands from round to round... Need to remove those from this deck... If I ever play them again. 

It's weird, I have NEVER won a game with ANY of the Stormcast Eternals warbands. In Age of Sigmar, they are pretty bad-ass. Averon Stormsire was SUPER bad-ass when I fought against him with my Hedonites of Slaanesh army... I feel like in THAT game, he would have handed a handful of Banshees their skinny little, wispy, non-corporeal, etherial asses...  

Does ANYONE win with them... do I BOTHER painting up the new ones that came with Harrowdeep!?

(Oh, I will... mostly because they're pretty and easy to paint - and I can use them in Age of Sigmar - where they will KICK ASS!!!)