Little blessings

We have been playing almost every day now- a newer game, a three on three 750 point game where we control a small 250 point group on each side.

We’ve been making smaller maps too. We still like big games, but it’s the end of the school year and there is much homework and studying and the new job leaves me tired at the end of the day. This game is long enough to be fun but short enough to end before we get too sleepy.

We either play a fight to the death or put out three or four Brandars- the victory condition being you must have a figure on each simultaneously to win.

My younger son has been using the forces of Arc again- they are a human kingdom that worship their elite cavalry. Their renowned blood thirsty leader- Suri of Arc- can give two Arc army cards an additional move turn, making the cavalry extremely far reaching.

Last night’s map was a trickier one. There was a large central lake and we had to fight around the sides, which were covered with ruins and small heights. LOS was difficult and there were several choke points – it was not a map that favoured cavalry charges.

But my younger son took Arc anyway. He has been enjoying their power after a considerable break from choosing them. We’ve tinkered with them a bit to keep them fresh- charging cavalry are enormously strong but then when the charge is over and they become engaged they usually get hacked down.

Also on side with Arc was Kukumerlant (mine; there was a little bit of grumbling for Kukumerlant is also a cavalry led human group but they don’t like Arc at all and the two sides did not want to fight together. ) Kukumerlant took only foot units- halberdiers and archers.

The third group was the oddball- dwarves, strong, sturdy, but slower than my brother getting out of bed in the morning. The cavalry of Arc needs a good backup to be part of a one two punch- cavalry, then ranged units behind;, to help the horsemen become unengaged so they can withdraw and charge again. The dwarves in our game have a movement of only three and so they never get anywhere until the battle is nearly over. Arc is arrogant too, and it was plain from the start that they would rather die than alter their strategy for some short little dwarf piggies.

The other side had a Skaven ratman mage and a couple squads of rats to protect him; a group of ranged Ullar Elves and half elves, and some undead (mine).

I had chosen The mounted Cregor dead rangers and their leader Grisson, as well as a creepy monstrosity called the doom caller, which mind spells nearby units and tricks them into coming adjacent where they can be devoured. It was kind of a play test for the doomcaller and I was excited to use him.

We rolled for initiative and of course Arc got to go first. They came halfway across the board. The Kukumerlant footman raced after them and the dwarves began moving around the other side.

The Ullar undead and rats chose to simply fortify their positions- they moved to defend two bottlenecks on the one side where the cavalry would be coming the next turn.

The first squad of Arc knights hit- one came in the bottle neck and two more pulled a fancy move and skirted over the edge of the lake to engage Legolas, a much feared elf archer-you have probably heard of him. He fell, of course, for not much can stand up to a cavalry charge.

In reply the Skaven mage attempt to cast a pool of fire, and succeeded, sealing off the one bottleneck for the three turns the warpfire would last. Grisson and the Cregor dead rangers went in the other direction, hoping to skewer the forward troops of the dwarven brigade.

The second squad of Arc cavalry, denied access by the pool of fire, cut across and engaged Grisson and his skeleton riders from the flank, wounding Grisson and felling one mounted ranger.

The Kukumerlant archers were now in range, thanks to a move we call bridging, where they use other units, in this case the Halberdiers, to speed up their movement through water. Ullar began to fall; the dwarves quickly dispatched the skeleton riders and the rats. The rat mage retreated and prospects certainly looked dim for the skaven ullar undead alliance.

My sons were good sports. It’s easy when you have forces on both sides- you’re never really out of the game. This was a test for the doom caller, and it turned out to be vastly overpowered. It has only two move, when the battle was almost over and its enemies were close by it began its howling mind call. In two turns it slaughtered all of Kukumerlant and a handful of dwarves. It took a wound, but continued its mesmerizing invitation to the grave. No one took it personally. We all knew the figure and its powers were inappropriate.

We mostly try to reserve comment on new and test figures until the end of a skirmish. One of our house rules is that you can’t change rules in the middle of a game. Then afterwards, we will sit and make observations and recommendations about changes.

It’s hard to find the time to play every night, especially at the end of the school year, but I must say that we are glad when we do, it is always worth the effort. Small games on small boards- all that we can manage right now -little blessings.