Halloween Night Battle (Command Cards, Parched Pass)

[bmaczero]

Here's report of a game I played with a few friends on Halloween night.
This game was played on the map Parched Pass by STAROCEAN980:


We like to use the Command Cards (order marker alternative), so that's what we did this game.

Also, no glyphs this game.

We'd already set up the map when another friend came over, so we tacked a bunch of extra pieces on the left side there for another starting zone . (not in picture)

Me:
Airborne Elite
Krug
Raelin (RotV)
Izumi Samurai
Omnicron Snipers
Charos

Alex:
Raelin (RotV)
Concan
Sentinels of Jandar
Shotgun Sullivan
Tarn Vikings
Thorgrim

Chris:
Airborne Elite
Su-Bak-Na
Me-Burq-Sa
Marro Warriors
Izumi Samurai
Krav Maga Agents

In case anyone's wondering about the points, we just go around the table, each person drafting a card until we all have 6. We don't worry about points. Also note that this is all by memory, so of course there may be minor errors in accuracy.

The Game
(Chris started in the starting zone on top in the picture, me in the one below, and Alex on the tiles we tacked onto the left side (not in picture)).

First round, Chris drops his AE. One behind the small ruin above my start zone, one on the other hill above my start zone, and the last two on the hills above Alex's start zone. What fun. Especially because I had somewhat short-sightedly placed all my Samurai and Omnicrons in a big bunch at the very front of the starting zone.

Luckily, I too drop my AE first round. Two of them go on the sandy hill above Alex's starting zone to take out Chris's AE behind the ruin, two on the other side of the pass for the other AE threatening my Omnicrons.

This is the starting layout:


Round 1
I win initiative. Yay! I play the 'Move-Fire-Move' command card on my AE. The two on the right side kill Chris's AE over there, then drop down into the small side-canyon behind them. The other two somehow fail to kill Chris's AE behind the ruin.

Alex goes next, with 'Charge' he sends his Tarn Vikings scampering up the sides of the canyon, but can't get close enough to attack anything.

Chris moves his AE (big surprise). The one behind the ruin drops his grenade on two Samurai and two Omnicron. Good rolls mean only one Omnicron dies. His other two AE drop on Alex's starting zone. Alex had the foresight to spread his guys out into columns, so Chris couldn't hit many of his figures. Nothing much happens.

Now I 'Double Time' my Samurai up behind the small ruin above my start zone, and they make short work of the AE up there. Alex moves more guys up, but fails to engage anybody. Chris's AE fire into Alex's starting zone and inflict 1 wound on Raelin.

My Samurai move down to attack one of Alex's Tarns, who defends successfully. Alex moves the Tarns, retreating the one I just engaged (I blow both leaving-engagement rolls) and moving the other three up onto the canyon sides to attack Chris's AE. I don't remember what happened exactly but I know the AE fell within a turn or two, without much fuss.

Chris now starts sneaking two of his Krav Maga around the canyon wall on the far side, and they snipe down one AE. The other Krav Maga comes around the nearer canyon wall and shoots at Johnny, inflicting a wound.

Round 2
Alex wins initiative, and plays a card that allows him to move quite a few of his units up onto the canyon wall. Chris and I go watch an episode or two of Firefly while he does this .

I go next, running my two Omnicron and Raelin up the canyon wall to support my Samurai. Then, Chris scrambles his Marro Warriors right down the middle of the canyon, potshotting one of the remaining Omnicron. Gah...

Chris continues moving his Krav Maga along the far canyon wall, gunning down my last Airborne Elite. The other inflicts more wounds on Johnny. I really don't like them having height on my army like that, so Charos flys up there and engages both, munching on one of them and eyeing the other for dessert.
Alex's Sentinals of Jandar take the rocky hill right above Chris's starting zone, which still contains Su-Bak-Na and Me-Burq-Sa. Su-Bak-Na flys up to take them on.

Su-Bak and the Sentinals continue slugging it out in the next turn. Chris also sends two Marros at Charos, and I move Raelin and the Samurai up onto the sandy hill above Alex's starting zone.

Round 3
Chris finally wins an initiative roll, moving Me-Burq up the canyon and attacking Alex's Sentinals with Su-Bak, to no avail.

Somehow, I managed to draw no cards capable of moving Charos, so Krug starts lumbering up the canyon. Alex's Sentinals, now joined by Concan, lay some hurt on Su-Bak-Na.

The next few turns in a nutshell...Me-Burq-Sa Crippling Gaze's Krug, inflicting 3 wounds. This allows Krug to smash the unlucky Marro Warrior remaining in the canyon into next week. Chris retreats his remaining two Marro Warriors from Charos, hiding them in some of the water holes behind the canyon wall to Water Clone. Su-Bak-Na falls without doing much damage at all. The Sentinals fly to the sandy hill and meet my Samurai head-on. Somebody killed Me-Burq-Sa, I think it may have been my remaining Omnicron Sniper. Lol.

End of Round 3
At this point, Chris is down to his Marro Warriors, hiding behind the canyon walls. Alex has his Sentinals, Raelin, Thorgrim, Concan, and 2 or 3 Tarns still alive...geez. I have Krug, who's having a lot of trouble getting up the canyon walls, Charos, who's sitting over on the opposite side waiting for me to draw a card I can move him with, a single Omnicron, hiding behind the small ruin on my side of the field, and my Izumi Samurai, backed by Raelin.

The map looked something like this as we came to the endgame:


Rounds 4-5
The Izumi were outnumbered 3 to many, and my army was not in a good position, but Counterstrike backed by Raelin had Alex's highly defensive army falling like ninepins. Charos finally managed to fly down into the canyon and took a few turns munching on Concan, finally killing him with an all-skulls roll of 5. Alex tried to send one of the Sentinals around to attack Raelin, but Krug smashed him into the terrain pretty well.

After a few turns I whiffed one of my Samurai's defense rolls, but by then the battle was all but over. It was getting late, so Chris resigned to save me the trouble of hunting down all his Marros, after hopefully potshotting at Charos once with a 'Move-Fire-Move.'

Conclusion
A pretty epic game, the Omnicrons didn't actually dominate like we thought they would, they died pretty rapidly. The Raelin-pumped Samurai really won the game for me. One mistake that may have cost me my Omnicron was starting Raelin behind the ruin, where she could hardly see anybody...doh.

If you haven't played with Command Cards, I recommend you try it, they're quite good. The game goes a lot faster, and it makes it easier to respond to unexpected moves.

I hope you were entertained by this report . If anybody has any strategy tips or mistakes any player made and wants to point them out, I'd love to hear them

[roostertail9000]

Great battle report. I'm glad you did so well!

[Heroscape Elffy]

Thats because you didn't use them right, or they don't like you. Great battle report. I like the job you did on the map to make it show where the figs were. Great job!!

[bmaczero]

Thanks guys! I think for the Omnicrons, the reason they didn't do too well was mainly because my friend has a great fear of them, stemming from a little incident on a map with some significant height when they slaughtered probably half his army, who were tied up with my Minions of Utgar. He thinks they're more dangerous than they really are, so he took great care to try to get rid of them early.

[Heroscape Elffy]

That could be it. I use Rats or Sentinels as MeatShields, but I'll have to try minions sometime.

[nyys]

Nice report but how can you not worry about points? By just drafting 6 cards and not doing it by points, one person could have 300pts worth of units while another gets over (or very close too) 1000pts worth of units. How can the game be fair at all?

[gorthan313]

Sounded like you had a fun time!

[Heroscape Elffy]

Originally Posted by nyys

Nice report but how can you not worry about points? By just drafting 6 cards and not doing it by points, one person could have 300pts worth of units while another gets over (or very close too) 1000pts worth of units. How can the game be fair at all?

Braxas
Nilfheim
Jotun
Charos
Zelrig
Mimring

[Malechi]

Originally Posted by bmaczero

... If you haven't played with Command Cards, I recommend you try it, they're quite good. The game goes a lot faster, and it makes it easier to respond to unexpected moves ...

I am glad someone is getting some use out of them. Although I was part of the design team that created the Command Cards, I have never actually had the chance to use them in a game!

[bmaczero]

Nice report but how can you not worry about points? By just drafting 6 cards and not doing it by points, one person could have 300pts worth of units while another gets over (or very close too) 1000pts worth of units. How can the game be fair at all?

I think it usually works out because we take turns drafting, and each person is usually trying to get the powerful cards before anyone else. In a way, this is more fair and balanced, because we're dividing up the units based on how powerful they are on the map we have and the units your opponents have drafted, something points don't take into account.

That could be it. I use Rats or Sentinels as MeatShields, but I'll have to try minions sometime.

Sentinals are probably better because of their Shields of Valor, the Minions were just what I happened to have that game, and they do have a pretty good defense.

I am glad someone is getting some use out of them. Although I was part of the design team that created the Command Cards, I have never actually had the chance to use them in a game!

Hehe, well, they are excellent. My friend often complains that they favor ranged teams, but he still refuses to go back to order markers .