Gorn Forest Ambush Battle Report

Life has been too busy and we haven’t been able to play for a week and a bit- so it seemed like we needed a big game to make up for it.

We built a large map for three of us and chose 800 point armies. The terrain was forest and swamp with a lot of little streams and some small hills, as well as a few castle ruins. Approximately 30 treasure glyphs were scattered throughout the land. Half the glyphs were nasty traps.

The goal for two players: begin in the starting zone, explore and uncover a Brandar and be the first to bring it into the end zone to win. The third player could begin anywhere on the map including hidden in trees but could not turn glyphs over. They’d have to “liberate” a Brandar and bring it to the end zone to win. No one wanted to be the third player who starts in forest so I accepted the challenge.

This was the playtest for our latest forest evolution- the trees are now numbered, and we have it set up so you can secretly assign figures to trees if you wish. The figures stay on their cards and are “hidden” in the leafy foliage. They can stay hidden, or come out and attack or drop attack or just run if they wish.

My 12 year old son chose an army entirely of customs, including his new favourite the centaur archers, and his latest creation, Sharn archers with good stats but horrible melee penalties (he was trying to keep their cost down). They have a hero who can give them a second turn but in melee his status dissolve to 0 A and 0 D. He also took the titan Olympus, a big mound of living rock, which is slow moving but takes a bit of killing.





My nine year old son took Trapper, a little hero who lays mines and pit traps, Drake Alexander, Hawk Silent -a new custom flyer with a death dive I really like, and the sniper cats and black footed sniper cats- both medium strength archer squads. He also had Stormy- my favourite figure (I lost the die shake)- a human archer who can give any squad a second turn. He’s priced at 130 and gets called a power creep, but that’s another story.

I took mostly melee fighters, envisioning dropping out of the trees on the unsuspecting Brandar carriers below. I took the dreaded Fultoth- a custom we made because we thought the samurai’s counter clock was too wimpy. When you attack Fultoth, you get a “right back at you” guaranteed. Everyone is terrified of him. (He shakes eight defense dice, and all the skulls from that shake are his counter attack)

I also selected the Rawren rangers; a fierce two-lifed melee squad with whirlwind attack. They’re expensive, but they’re real cut-ups. I also took Roman archers X 2 and put them right in front of the end zone, on a height, with the Krav Maga’s on another height just on their left. Hidden in the trees were the warriors of Ashra and two weak archer groups and I thought I was ready to wreck havoc in the waiting forest.

My 12 year old began by destroying every tree in sight. (our trees are destructible, and the first three that fall summon forest protecting Ents) My tree-hidden guys were well back so I took no casualties- yet. His Centaur archers, with their great movement, moved deep into the forest on a hit and run mission, trying to take out a small group of my archers who were high on a hill. I dropped one and they ran (he doesn’t like to lose them since they’re his favourites).






My 12 year old continued to destroy the forest, ignoring the glyphs all together. My first hidden guys were forced to attack as their trees were threatened. Even though I was outnumbered- half my guys were near my other son’s starting zone and the Romans and Kravs were near the end zone- I was still pretty confident. I had the dreaded Fultoth and the Rawrens moving into engagement.

And then the titan Olympus arrived. His trample stomp failed but he managed to fling Fultoth five hexes and shake 15+ to kill him. Fultoth, my most expensive figure -the fear-inspiring dreaded Fultoth- died without doing anything. The Rawrens moved in and did some slicing, including three wounds on the titan. I killed almost all the Centaurs and then finally retreated. One tiny archer was all that made it out.



I had better luck against my younger son. Sybanok, an eleven forest ranger, pinned down his whole advancing force, firing from the top of a tree. Sybanok has a whack of forest and tree specials and I was able to kill and wound some of my son’s best figures. He retaliated by moving strongly against the tree, but luck was against him and he couldn’t wound me or destroy the tree.

As his troops moved in my other archers (tiny little guys, only 2 high) came out of the leaves of other trees and added their arrows into the fray. He had a Brandar at that point, but I didn’t have enough attackers to wrest it from his concentrated force. He had a harpy (named after my daughter!) that specializes in destroying tiny figures and she went tree to tree shredding my little archers. Eventually all my figures fell.

I had placed my best figures near my older son, knowing that he was the better fighter. I realize now that was stupid. Perhaps I play too much like a father- fighting my older son harder and giving my younger son a break. I think unconsciously I’m not playing to win, but rather playing to have fun with them. And then afterwards I wonder why I never win!





By then I only had the Roman archers and Krav’s near the end zone- not very hopeful. My younger son made a move with his Brandar but his force was caught between my ranged figures and my twelve year old’s forces closing in from the other side. I had one chance, when the flyer Hawk Silent fell and the Brandar was lying on the ground by his body but my twelve year old fought me for it and engaged the Kravs, who were running for the Brandar. Without the protection and bonus of the height (not to mention stealth dodge) they fell. The Roman archers stood for a little bit (we have increased their defense) and then they too were gone and I was out of the game. My twelve year old completed a mop up, vanquishing my younger son and the game was his.






I either usually really enjoy games or just feel frustrated. This was one of the frustrating ones. In retrospect I should have piled all my forces near the end zone and just waited. By dividing them into three I sealed my own doom. I’ll never learn….