Warhammer is such a bizarre game. I believe the phrase 'turn on a dime' would apply best to my game tonight.
I was in the red for 4 turns. Seriously - I was getting seriously spanked and was not happy about it. Suddenly, miraculously, my badass Hammerers make it into the flank of the Tomb Guard and whammo - game on baby!
I'm struck right at this moment by the realisation that the scenario that quickly played out was just as I described for my game vs Josh except this time the Dwarfs made good.
Hammerers into flank of 20 Tomb Guard with King and Champion. No TK characters on the flank. Dwarfs win by 10 (including 5 casualties) - 5 Guard left. Next turn Prince on chariot and Bone Giant magic charge flank of Hammerers. Fluff big time. In challenge with the Guard Champion Dwarf Lord overkills with 4 wounds. TK lose by 4 - Prince dead, Giant on one wound, Guard on their last legs. Next turn Lord challenges Tomb King - inflicts 4 wounds (3 shifted onto Guard unit with Collar of Shapesh). Giant pops, Guard pop, King pops. All leadership checks for 'the curse' passed with flying colours. Meanwhile, Gyrocopter NUKES the skelly bunker protecting the Heirophant and another Liche Priest. They just manage to survive.
End result - 12-8 win to me. 395VP difference.
Madness.
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MADNESS!
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What made the game so very interesting was that Dave managed to make it over to instruct Chris in the wise ways of the Tomb Kings (and Warhammer in general). Dave is a legend player. The legend player even. So it was almost like I was playing Dave and Chris (almost, not quite). Chris and I couldn't quite believe the end result... the significance of the turn-around just boggled (and continues to boggle!) the mind.
Learning points?
- Don't give up. This is really hard to do because I honestly felt like the game was a lost cause in turn 4. Pants dispel rolls, cannon blows up turn one, fluffed dice, pathetic shooting. Not much to write home (or blog) about. When you get into that deep blue funk of depression where nothing seems to be working (other gamers must surely know the feeling I am talking about) you just HAVE to be able to pull yourself out of it. So difficult to do but it has to be done.
- Don't sulk like a girl. Man up, take your medicine, put on a brave face, get a grip. As I heard recently (and I love this saying now), "Get in, the chilly bin". Chill out.
- You can suffer a world of hurt by being out 1/2 an inch. Case in point - thought I had blocked a charge from the Prince on chariot into the Organ Gun with Longbeards (on left) and Warriors (on right). Nopes. Dead Organ Gun.
- Practice guessing ranges and pay attention to all measuring. I'm so inconsistent with my guessing from game to game. One day I'm on fire and can't get it wrong. The next I can't guess the broad side of a barn.
- Dave Grant is awesome at Warhammer. I simultaneously to never play him and yet to play him. I'll get smashed (NO doubt about that) but I'm sure I'll learn heaps from the experience.
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Anyway, a surreal experience. Chris is a champion and took it all in his stride. Still looking forward to next weekend :)
4 comments:
I shall be watching this blog with interest, liking the reports so far. Keep up the good work :)
Good to see your army is coming along. It generally takes around 10games to iron out the kinks with any army, sometimes more.
You're quite right about keeping a brave face - nobody likes a whiner!
Your Hammerers are an awesome unit but are a source of MANY points if somehow neutralised (they don't need to be destroyed, just avoided/held up). Most armies have this type of unit it would seem.
The biggest weakness with your army is (aside from the miners/Gyro) a lack of real movement (having no Anvil). This is a GOOD thing, means your comp scores will be good. Just watch out for cavalry heavy armies or Wood Elves.
Keep going.
Thanks guys :)
Damn straight the lack of movement is a definite weakness - I swear the next army I collect will be all-cav (Dark Elves 7th ed could be awesome) :p
Most armies do seem to have a Death-Star unit (Graveguard, Hammerers, Tomb Guard et al...). One of the issues I've encountered is how to win WITHOUT engaging the Death-Star - most often it's just not possible to get a significant win as there are so many points invested in it.
Which is what my opponents are finding with the Hammerers. Ultimately (as I said to Secretary Nick), the Hammerers really REALLY want to avoid unbreakable units (in his case, Flagellents) that could engage them for the whole game and waste the points investment.
Champion man,
I really thought you were down for the count there for a while but hat Hammerer unit is simply ridiculous, they took everything back to school.
I hear your point about the deathstar, I'm far too used to Warmachine and the good old mentality of "I will loose my caster or you will loose yours and I'd like the first shot". I was far too scared of a last turn charge by your hammerers and I should've just sucked it up.
Definite big ups to the Hammerers, game winners.
Chris
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