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Alright, its time for a Warmachine Battle Report, complete with pictures. Please ignore the unpainted models and the Slayer that was un-assembled. Its hard to find enough time to paint and model two different armies while going to college lol. This is my first battle report, and any feedback, related to the report or the game, is very welcome. Any mistakes in gameplay are noted by a number at the end, and the number corresponds to the Notes section at the end. Enjoy.
Background
When Commander Coleman Stryker of the Cygnar military led a small retinue of warjacks and soldiers from the fortress at Eastwall into Protectorate territory, he had only expected to encounter one foe, and had prepared accordingly. After defeating a small force guarding a Protectorate temple, he and his forces spent a night in a nearby house, hoping to get a good start on his expedition in the morning. Little did he know that since his expedition started, the hateful eyes of Lich Lord Asphyxious had been fixed on him, keeping watch over him from a distance. Desiring nothing more than to once again demonstrate Cryxian power to the Cygnar Warcaster, Asphyxious and an elite force of Cryxian warjacks and warriors followed Stryker, staying just out of detection until the right moment. The night the Cygnarians spent in the shadow of the great temple set the stage perfectly for a morning strike. Over night the Cryx force formed a battle line, and prepared to prove the might of the Cryx Empire.
Upon awakening the next morning, Stryker took notice to the amassed Cryx force, and turned to his men.
“Gentlemen, it seems our enemy from the south has surprised us with a visit this morning. Let’s show them how much we don’t like surprises,” Stryker laughed. Stryker’s men gave a cheer, and assembled into a battle line, ready to take on and destroy the Cryx force as quickly as it seemed to have shown up.
Set-Up
Skirmish: 25 points-Lich Lord Asphyxious (Me) vs. Commander Coleman Stryker (Mike)
Battlefield: Protectorate Temple Grounds
Terrain: Temple (Chaos Battleforce Box), 3 Large Pillars (Soda Can, Water Bottle, Paintbrush Stand), House (Stormblade Box), House (Cryx Battlegroup Box)
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Cryx Force: Lich Lord Asphyxious-Battlegroup: Reaper Helljack, Slayer Helljack, Defiler Bonejack, Deathripper Bonejack, and Skarlock Thrall. Necrotech and Scrap Thrall and 6 Bane Knights also included.
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Cygnar Force: Commander Coleman Stryker-Battlegroup: Lancer Light Warjack, Ironclad Heavy Warjack, and Squire. Journeyman Warcaster-Jack Marshaled Charger Light Warjack. 6 Stormblades and Black 13th Gun Mage Strike Team also included.
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Deployment
Mike won the roll off and chose to deploy and go first. As seen below, he deployed his Charger is covering his Journeyman Warcaster, the lancer is in front of the Stormblade unit, Gun Mages are uncovered, and the Ironclad covers Stryker and his Squire.
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I deployed in a line, with the only cover coming from Asphyxious covering the Skarlock Thrall, and the Slayer covering my Necrotech and Scrap Thrall.
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Cygnar Turn 1
Stryker and the Journeyman give a focus to each of their warjacks at the start of the battle. All the ‘Jacks use their focus to run, the Charger running for cover at the house on the left, while the Lancer and Ironclad hustle off towards the house on the right. The Lancer takes point, and the Stormblades fall in behind the Ironclad. Stryker and his Squire bring up the rear. Stryker, knowing that his Lancer will most likely need some extra protection, casts Arcane Shield on it, giving it +3 Armor. Stryker also wants to give his Gun Mages a better range, casting Snipe on them, providing them with +4 to Range with all ranged weapons.
The Journeyman runs to catch up with his Charger, and then casts Arcane Shield1 on it to give it more staying power in combat. With its ability to pay only 1 focus to boost both its Attack Roll and Damage roll for every shot it takes, he knows it needs to stick around as long as possible.
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Cryx Turn 1
At the start of the Battle, Asphyxious knew that the Charger was going to be his main problem. Keeping this in mind, he gave one focus point to his Reaper. The Reaper, in turn, used the focus point to run towards the house on the left, trying to get as close as possible to the Charger as soon as possible. The Defiler moves towards the Reaper, trying to keep close to it for some support if needed. Asphyxious himself and his Skarlock moved to the right slightly, realizing they were out way too far in the open and ran the risk of getting gunned down. To help combat this as well, the Lich Lord casts Caustic Mist 3 times, laying three different clouds of corrosive mist down to help block the enemy’s line of sight. His Skarlock followed suit, placing a fourth Caustic Mist cloud within the Pillars.
The Slayer moves up into cover from the first pillar, with the Necrotech and Scrap Thrall running to stay behind it, ready to provide it with any repairs that were necessary. The Deathripper fell in behind the Slayer as well, using both the Slayer and the Pillar as cover from other models, and allowing him to stay close in case his Arc Node was needed. The Bane Knights ran into cover by the temple, preparing to support the Slayer if it became necessary.
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Cygnar Turn 2
As the Cygnar troops move up, the Journeyman pays 1 focus point to upkeep his Arcane Shield on his Charger. He then allocated his remaining 2 focus points to the light ‘Jack, as it prepared to do some damage.
Commander Stryker needed to upkeep the two spells he had previously casted, and so maintained Snipe on his Gun Mages and Arcane Shield on his Lancer. He also allocated a point to his Lancer, hoping to get it moved up into some combat. In turn the Lancer spent its focus to run through the opening in the pillars, coming into view of the Lich Lord and his Slayer. Much to Stryker’s dismay, the Lancer stopped moving within the Caustic Mist cloud that the Skarlock had created, taking some corrosion damage.
The Ironclad, Stormblades, Squire, and Stryker moved up, closing on the temple’s great pillars, with Stryker and the Squire running to get closer to the Ironclad, and ensure the Lancer remained with his control range.
On the other side of the battlefield, the Charger moved forward, into the Caustic Mist cloud and taking some corrosion damage as well. The Charger, seeming to not care about the corrosion it was suffering, took aim at the Lich Lord’s mighty Reaper Helljack. The Charger spent both of its focus points to use its special ability and boosted both of its shots at the Reaper2. The first powered up shot went whizzing past the Reaper, missing him completely, while the second one merely pinged off the tough armor of the Reaper.
The Gun Mages, realizing that the Journeyman may need some help in the future, then proceeded to move towards him, who had moved closer to the corner of the building.
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Cryx Turn 2
The corrosive clouds diffused into the atmosphere as Asphyxious allocated 2 focus points into the now enraged Reaper. Upon receiving this boost, the Reaper spent one of the focus points to charge headlong at the Charger. He used the other focus point to boost his speed enough to ensure a hit with its mighty Helldriver. As it charge forward, Asphyxious ordered his Skarlock to move up and cast Parasite on the Charger, hoping to take away some of its armor and allow the Reaper to cause more damage. The spell succeeded and the Reaper’s blow connected, causing massive (12) damage, crippling the Charger’s left arm and cortex. The Reaper then attempted to gore the Charger with its tusks, but the ‘Jack managed to dodge the attack.
After the attack by the Reaper, the Defiler moved into range and fired its Sludge Cannon, spraying the Charger with a corrosive sludge. The Charger was unable to dodge the sludge, was coated with it. The initial corrosion managed to cause a small amount (3) of damage.
The Deathripper, carrying its Arc Node, moved in between the pillar and the temple, and lined up with Commander Stryker. The Arc Node began to glow a pale green color as Asphyxious, now quite pleased, prepared to cast his explosive Death Knell spell upon Stryker. The spell flew forth from the Node, backed by some increased speed to ensure it made contact with Stryker. The explosion of dark energy created by the spell managed to slightly wound (5 damage) Stryker and kill 2 of the Stormblades that were close to him.
The powerful Slayer Helljack advanced on the Lancer that had positioned itself outside the pillars and attempted to gore the ‘Jack with its tusks. Upon missing, it then swung one of its powerful Death Claws at the Lancer. The Lancer side stepped the attack, only to meet the other Death Claw head on. The ‘Jack took a slight amount (2) of damage, but due to the Shock Shield it carried, it managed to shock the cortex of the Helljack, partially crippling it. This, however, was not a problem, as the Necrotech and his trusty Scrap Thrall moved up and easily repaired the damage that the shock had caused.
3 of the Bane Knights sprang out of cover and charged at the Lancer, ghosting through buildings and warjacks to strike at the Lancer. Two of the Knights managed to get behind to the warjack, and proceeded to strike it, both causing a small amount (5 total) of damage. The Knight that attacked from the front was unable to penetrate the Lancer’s tough armor, which was strengthened by Stryker’s magic.
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Cygnar Turn 3
The Charger, determined to avoid any more damage from the corrosive sludge, managed to shake off it off before it could dissolve away anymore of its armor. The Journeyman also decided it would be wise to upkeep the Arcane Shield, so the Skarlock’s Parasite spell didn’t take any more of the light ‘Jack’s armor. Stryker also felt it necessary to upkeep all his spells. He also accessed his Squire’s Reserve Accumulator to gain an extra 2 focus points to buff his warjacks3. Stryker then chose to buff both his Ironclad and his Lancer with 3 focus points each.
The Lancer, preferring to survive the fight with the Slayer, did not make any attacks, despite the magical boost it had received from Stryker. The Ironclad, on the other hand, charged towards the Deathripper, determined to stop it from using its deadly Arc Node on his master again. It charged forward, its strike boosted by magical speed, and brought the mighty Quake Hammer down upon the Bonejack, causing it critical (14) damage. The Ironclad then used its empty hand to bring down another crushing blow on his foe (4 damage). Using up the last of its magical energy, the heavy ‘Jack swung the Quake Hammer once more, destroying the Deathripper.
Stryker attempted to protect his Lancer from any additional harm by firing his Disruptor Pistol upon the back of the Bane Knight closest to him. The shot connected, but was unable to puncture the thick armor of the Knight.
The Journeyman’s Charger, although severely damaged, attempted to retaliate for the punishment it suffered from the Reaper. It swung its Battle Hammer wildly, managing to land a blow on the Reaper, but failing to cause it any damage. The Journeyman then emerged from cover, and fired an Arcane Bolt at the Defiler, but was unable to hit the lithe Bonejack.
The Black 13th Gun Mages decided that now was the time to strike. Ryan channeled his energy and made his Mage Storm special attack, causing a magic explosion centered over the Slayer that would stick around for a small time, causing more damage to anything within the magic cloud it created. The attack failed to damage the Slayer, but did kill the Necrotech, Scrap Thrall, and one of the Bane Knights. The Scrap Thrall exploded, catching the Slayer in its blast. Yet again the Slayer refused to be damaged. Watts and Lynch both took a shot at the Defiler. Only one shot connected, but it failed to penetrate even the Bonejacks light armor.
The Stormblades that had been following Stryker moved up, and 2 of them attempted to hit an exposed Bane Knight with Storm Glaive Blasts. Both attacks missed, and did not hit anything else.
NO PIC
Cryx Turn 3
Asphyxious chose to upkeep his Skarlock Thrall’s Parasite spell, hoping that his Reaper would finish off the Charger. He then put two focus points into his Slayer, hoping to do something more spectacular to the Lancer. The Slayer’s effects, however, were rather disappointing. The Slayer spent part of its boosted magical energy to make a third attack with its Death Claw, allowing it to strike 4 times in total. Only 3 of the strikes hit, with one of the Death Claw strikes being backed by some extra magical energy to cause it to hit harder, but it only managed to scratch (2 damage) the Lancer. Angered by the lack of results, Asphyxious began to plan his next move.
While Asphyxious schemed, the rest of the Bane Knight squad ran forward to catch up with the leader, as the leader and one of the grunts turned their backs on the Lancer and charged Stryker4. Only the leader was able to land a blow on Stryker, causing him a grievous wound (10 damage).
Asphyxious then decided to set his plan in motion. He advanced into range and then casted Death Knell again, firing another explosive ball of magical energy at Stryker. The attack missed, exploding against a nearby pillar. The blast did nothing to Stryker, but caused a slight amount (1) of damage to the Squire, and killed one of the Bane Knights. (FEAT) Asphyxious then resurrected 4 of his fallen warriors, who proceeded to charge at Stryker. None of the warriors managed to land a hit strong enough to finish off the horribly wounded Stryker. Asphyxious, enraged that he was unable to finish his foe, ordered his Skarlock to move in from of him, and place a cloud of Caustic Mist on top of Stryker.
On the other side of the fight, the Reaper made another attempt to gore the Charger with its tusks. This time it succeeded, managing a light hit (2 damage) on the Charger. It then ripped the ‘Jack in half with its Helldriver, completely destroying it.5
The Defiler, angry with the Gun Mages for shooting at it, moved into a better position and sprayed its Sludge Cannon at the Gun Mages. They dodged it with ease. The Journeyman happened to be in the path of the spray as well, but was lucky enough to notice it in time and get out of the way of the corrosive sludge.
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Cygnar Turn 4
Stryker, now barely able to continue fighting, upkept his armor spell on the Lancer. His also activated his Squire’s Reserve Accumulator, gaining another 2 focus. He placed one focus on his Ironclad, and then cowered under a magical shield to protect him from the corrosive cloud that surely would have finished him. His Ironclad used the magical boost to run into striking range of Asphyxious, effectively stopping him from casting anymore of his brutal spells.
The Journeyman, now angered by the loss of his ‘Jack, casted Arcane Shield on himself to help protect him from the Reaper and then charged into the hulking behemoth. He managed to dent the armor of the Helljack (4 damage).
The Stormblades accompanying Stryker turned advanced on the Skarlock Thrall, intent on killing it. Two of them were brought down without mercy by a Bane Knight as they left combat. Despite the loss of half of the remaining squad, the Stormblades still manage to cut down the Skarlock.
The Lancer tried to even the odds that were against it now. A forceful strike from its War Spear connected with one of the Bane Knights. The Knight, however, refused to be bested and got back up, prepared to fight once more. The Lancer then bashed the Slayer with its shock shield, causing almost no damage (1 normal, 1 to cortex).
The Gun Mages, upset with the lack of results from their last salvo, made another round of shots at their enemies. Ryan once again casted Mage Storm, firing it this time at Asphyxious. The attack landed, causing Asphyxious a large amount (8) of damage. The attack also managed to kill another Bane Knight. Watts missed her attack, boosted magically to do Brutal damage and Lynch managed to hit the Defiler, barely harming it (3 damage).
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Cryx Turn 4
Seeing that his master was in danger, the Reaper left combat with the Journeyman, suffering a light wound (2 damage) in the process, and advanced into the back of the Ironclad. It opened a hole in the back of the ‘Jack with its tusks (6 damage) and managed to impale the Ironclad on its Helldriver (10 damage). Asphyxious faced the Cygnar warjack and focused his magical energy into two powerful strikes which wrecked the heavy warjack (10 damage each attack).
The Slayer, still in combat with the Lancer, only managed to land one strike with its Death Claw, once again causing minimal (3) damage. It seemed that the combat between these two would rage on until one of their controllers was killed.
The Defiler Bonejack, having taken some damage from the Gun Mages during their last salvo, once again sprayed sludge at them. This time, however, Watts was not fast enough to avoid it, and was dissolved into a steaming pile of goo.
The remaining Bane Knights ran to catch up with their leader, as their leader made another attack on Stryker. The blow connected, and despite Stryker’s extra Arcane Armor, it managed to fell him. He was knocked to the ground, unable to continue fighting.
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Victory: Lich Lord Asphyxious
Epilogue
Stryker crumpled to the ground, unable to withstand anymore punishment. His Lancer, sensing that his master had fallen and was about to be killed, tore away from combat with the Slayer to guard his master from the Bane Knights. The remaining Gun Mages and the Journeyman ran to their commander’s side.
“Foolish mortals,” Asphyxious scoffed, “You should have known you stood no chance against the undead horde of the Cryx Empire.”
“You may have won this fight, creature, but don’t get too comfortable. We will destroy you one day,” Stryker coughed.
The remaining Bane Knights began to circle around the wounded Warcaster and what was left of his troops. Lynch and the Journeyman supported Stryker between them, and began to flee. The Lancer backed away from the Cryx force slowly, brandishing its War Spear aggressively at anyone who even tried to make an advance toward the fleeing humans.
“Let them go,” the Lich Lord ordered. “We can kill that sorry mortal another day. Collect the dead, and let us return to the Broken Coast.”
Stryker, now out view of Cryx warriors, cursed Asphyxious, and swore revenge upon the creature that killed his men and stopped his expedition.
Afterthoughts
Cryx: The game went really well for me. I could not have hoped for much better as far as my attacks went. Obviously a few more damage here or there could have finished the game sooner. Had I landed the second Death Knell, or had one of my Feat creatures managed to hit Stryker, the game would have ended in Turn 3. However luck was not with me then and the game went on for another round. I was a little worried at the beginning. That Charger’s gun is pretty impressive, but it turned out to be a toy as the Charger failed to do anything more than prevent my Reaper from causing anymore havoc. I was pretty surprised that Mike didn’t take out my Skarlock with his Gun Mages when he was out in the open like he was. It could have completely changed the game, possibly even causing my own defeat. Thankfully he was after my second Arc Node, which in the end did not prove to be a good target. As far as my most valuable unit? Its a toss up between the Bane Knights and the Reaper. This is the second game in a row my Reaper performed exquisitely, single handedly destroying a large part of my opponent's offensive capability. The Bane Knights, however, did quite a bit of damage for what they are, including the deciding blow on Stryker. One of the most entertaining parts of this game was, by far, the epic dual between the Lancer and the Slayer, neither able to do any deciding damage to the other.
Cygnar: I had some horrible rolls that game. So many times I would only manage to tie the armor of a warjack or troop I was trying to kill, and it seemed like I couldn’t hit anything with my attacks. I also completely forgot about Stryker’s Feat, which would have increased everyone’s survivability. Another problem was my failure to use Stryker’s magic. I barely did any spell casting, which I think may have hurt me pretty severely. Hopefully for next time I will remember this, and hopefully I will have a little more luck as well. I'd have to say my MVP were the Gun Mages. They did the most damage through out the game, including a sizable chunk against old eGaspy, which may have been a game winner if Stryker hadn't been so abused.
1: The Journeyman Warcaster should not have been able to cast this spell this turn due to him running. This was not identified until the writing of this Report.
2: Neither of us paid any attention to the fact that rate of fire means the total number of attacks POSSIBLE with that ranged weapon within any given turn. A focus point would have been required to make the second shot, and thus would not have been boosted. This was realized later in the game, but thankfully the shots did nothing.
3: We found out later by reading the card again that Stryker was only supposed to gain 1 focus per use of the Squire’s ability, not 2. It only had a minor effect on the game.
4: I had forgotten about the Bane Knight’s Special rule, Vengeance, which states that if one of my Knights were killed by enemy attacks in the last turn, I could move up to 3” and make a melee attack. I should have used this to make 2 additional attacks on the Lancer’s back arc before charging Stryker. I’ll remember that next time.
5: We had forgotten about wreck markers, so you will notice that none were taken into account.
Background
When Commander Coleman Stryker of the Cygnar military led a small retinue of warjacks and soldiers from the fortress at Eastwall into Protectorate territory, he had only expected to encounter one foe, and had prepared accordingly. After defeating a small force guarding a Protectorate temple, he and his forces spent a night in a nearby house, hoping to get a good start on his expedition in the morning. Little did he know that since his expedition started, the hateful eyes of Lich Lord Asphyxious had been fixed on him, keeping watch over him from a distance. Desiring nothing more than to once again demonstrate Cryxian power to the Cygnar Warcaster, Asphyxious and an elite force of Cryxian warjacks and warriors followed Stryker, staying just out of detection until the right moment. The night the Cygnarians spent in the shadow of the great temple set the stage perfectly for a morning strike. Over night the Cryx force formed a battle line, and prepared to prove the might of the Cryx Empire.
Upon awakening the next morning, Stryker took notice to the amassed Cryx force, and turned to his men.
“Gentlemen, it seems our enemy from the south has surprised us with a visit this morning. Let’s show them how much we don’t like surprises,” Stryker laughed. Stryker’s men gave a cheer, and assembled into a battle line, ready to take on and destroy the Cryx force as quickly as it seemed to have shown up.
Set-Up
Skirmish: 25 points-Lich Lord Asphyxious (Me) vs. Commander Coleman Stryker (Mike)
Battlefield: Protectorate Temple Grounds
Terrain: Temple (Chaos Battleforce Box), 3 Large Pillars (Soda Can, Water Bottle, Paintbrush Stand), House (Stormblade Box), House (Cryx Battlegroup Box)
Cryx Force: Lich Lord Asphyxious-Battlegroup: Reaper Helljack, Slayer Helljack, Defiler Bonejack, Deathripper Bonejack, and Skarlock Thrall. Necrotech and Scrap Thrall and 6 Bane Knights also included.
Cygnar Force: Commander Coleman Stryker-Battlegroup: Lancer Light Warjack, Ironclad Heavy Warjack, and Squire. Journeyman Warcaster-Jack Marshaled Charger Light Warjack. 6 Stormblades and Black 13th Gun Mage Strike Team also included.
Deployment
Mike won the roll off and chose to deploy and go first. As seen below, he deployed his Charger is covering his Journeyman Warcaster, the lancer is in front of the Stormblade unit, Gun Mages are uncovered, and the Ironclad covers Stryker and his Squire.
I deployed in a line, with the only cover coming from Asphyxious covering the Skarlock Thrall, and the Slayer covering my Necrotech and Scrap Thrall.
Cygnar Turn 1
Stryker and the Journeyman give a focus to each of their warjacks at the start of the battle. All the ‘Jacks use their focus to run, the Charger running for cover at the house on the left, while the Lancer and Ironclad hustle off towards the house on the right. The Lancer takes point, and the Stormblades fall in behind the Ironclad. Stryker and his Squire bring up the rear. Stryker, knowing that his Lancer will most likely need some extra protection, casts Arcane Shield on it, giving it +3 Armor. Stryker also wants to give his Gun Mages a better range, casting Snipe on them, providing them with +4 to Range with all ranged weapons.
The Journeyman runs to catch up with his Charger, and then casts Arcane Shield1 on it to give it more staying power in combat. With its ability to pay only 1 focus to boost both its Attack Roll and Damage roll for every shot it takes, he knows it needs to stick around as long as possible.
Cryx Turn 1
At the start of the Battle, Asphyxious knew that the Charger was going to be his main problem. Keeping this in mind, he gave one focus point to his Reaper. The Reaper, in turn, used the focus point to run towards the house on the left, trying to get as close as possible to the Charger as soon as possible. The Defiler moves towards the Reaper, trying to keep close to it for some support if needed. Asphyxious himself and his Skarlock moved to the right slightly, realizing they were out way too far in the open and ran the risk of getting gunned down. To help combat this as well, the Lich Lord casts Caustic Mist 3 times, laying three different clouds of corrosive mist down to help block the enemy’s line of sight. His Skarlock followed suit, placing a fourth Caustic Mist cloud within the Pillars.
The Slayer moves up into cover from the first pillar, with the Necrotech and Scrap Thrall running to stay behind it, ready to provide it with any repairs that were necessary. The Deathripper fell in behind the Slayer as well, using both the Slayer and the Pillar as cover from other models, and allowing him to stay close in case his Arc Node was needed. The Bane Knights ran into cover by the temple, preparing to support the Slayer if it became necessary.
Cygnar Turn 2
As the Cygnar troops move up, the Journeyman pays 1 focus point to upkeep his Arcane Shield on his Charger. He then allocated his remaining 2 focus points to the light ‘Jack, as it prepared to do some damage.
Commander Stryker needed to upkeep the two spells he had previously casted, and so maintained Snipe on his Gun Mages and Arcane Shield on his Lancer. He also allocated a point to his Lancer, hoping to get it moved up into some combat. In turn the Lancer spent its focus to run through the opening in the pillars, coming into view of the Lich Lord and his Slayer. Much to Stryker’s dismay, the Lancer stopped moving within the Caustic Mist cloud that the Skarlock had created, taking some corrosion damage.
The Ironclad, Stormblades, Squire, and Stryker moved up, closing on the temple’s great pillars, with Stryker and the Squire running to get closer to the Ironclad, and ensure the Lancer remained with his control range.
On the other side of the battlefield, the Charger moved forward, into the Caustic Mist cloud and taking some corrosion damage as well. The Charger, seeming to not care about the corrosion it was suffering, took aim at the Lich Lord’s mighty Reaper Helljack. The Charger spent both of its focus points to use its special ability and boosted both of its shots at the Reaper2. The first powered up shot went whizzing past the Reaper, missing him completely, while the second one merely pinged off the tough armor of the Reaper.
The Gun Mages, realizing that the Journeyman may need some help in the future, then proceeded to move towards him, who had moved closer to the corner of the building.
Cryx Turn 2
The corrosive clouds diffused into the atmosphere as Asphyxious allocated 2 focus points into the now enraged Reaper. Upon receiving this boost, the Reaper spent one of the focus points to charge headlong at the Charger. He used the other focus point to boost his speed enough to ensure a hit with its mighty Helldriver. As it charge forward, Asphyxious ordered his Skarlock to move up and cast Parasite on the Charger, hoping to take away some of its armor and allow the Reaper to cause more damage. The spell succeeded and the Reaper’s blow connected, causing massive (12) damage, crippling the Charger’s left arm and cortex. The Reaper then attempted to gore the Charger with its tusks, but the ‘Jack managed to dodge the attack.
After the attack by the Reaper, the Defiler moved into range and fired its Sludge Cannon, spraying the Charger with a corrosive sludge. The Charger was unable to dodge the sludge, was coated with it. The initial corrosion managed to cause a small amount (3) of damage.
The Deathripper, carrying its Arc Node, moved in between the pillar and the temple, and lined up with Commander Stryker. The Arc Node began to glow a pale green color as Asphyxious, now quite pleased, prepared to cast his explosive Death Knell spell upon Stryker. The spell flew forth from the Node, backed by some increased speed to ensure it made contact with Stryker. The explosion of dark energy created by the spell managed to slightly wound (5 damage) Stryker and kill 2 of the Stormblades that were close to him.
The powerful Slayer Helljack advanced on the Lancer that had positioned itself outside the pillars and attempted to gore the ‘Jack with its tusks. Upon missing, it then swung one of its powerful Death Claws at the Lancer. The Lancer side stepped the attack, only to meet the other Death Claw head on. The ‘Jack took a slight amount (2) of damage, but due to the Shock Shield it carried, it managed to shock the cortex of the Helljack, partially crippling it. This, however, was not a problem, as the Necrotech and his trusty Scrap Thrall moved up and easily repaired the damage that the shock had caused.
3 of the Bane Knights sprang out of cover and charged at the Lancer, ghosting through buildings and warjacks to strike at the Lancer. Two of the Knights managed to get behind to the warjack, and proceeded to strike it, both causing a small amount (5 total) of damage. The Knight that attacked from the front was unable to penetrate the Lancer’s tough armor, which was strengthened by Stryker’s magic.
Cygnar Turn 3
The Charger, determined to avoid any more damage from the corrosive sludge, managed to shake off it off before it could dissolve away anymore of its armor. The Journeyman also decided it would be wise to upkeep the Arcane Shield, so the Skarlock’s Parasite spell didn’t take any more of the light ‘Jack’s armor. Stryker also felt it necessary to upkeep all his spells. He also accessed his Squire’s Reserve Accumulator to gain an extra 2 focus points to buff his warjacks3. Stryker then chose to buff both his Ironclad and his Lancer with 3 focus points each.
The Lancer, preferring to survive the fight with the Slayer, did not make any attacks, despite the magical boost it had received from Stryker. The Ironclad, on the other hand, charged towards the Deathripper, determined to stop it from using its deadly Arc Node on his master again. It charged forward, its strike boosted by magical speed, and brought the mighty Quake Hammer down upon the Bonejack, causing it critical (14) damage. The Ironclad then used its empty hand to bring down another crushing blow on his foe (4 damage). Using up the last of its magical energy, the heavy ‘Jack swung the Quake Hammer once more, destroying the Deathripper.
Stryker attempted to protect his Lancer from any additional harm by firing his Disruptor Pistol upon the back of the Bane Knight closest to him. The shot connected, but was unable to puncture the thick armor of the Knight.
The Journeyman’s Charger, although severely damaged, attempted to retaliate for the punishment it suffered from the Reaper. It swung its Battle Hammer wildly, managing to land a blow on the Reaper, but failing to cause it any damage. The Journeyman then emerged from cover, and fired an Arcane Bolt at the Defiler, but was unable to hit the lithe Bonejack.
The Black 13th Gun Mages decided that now was the time to strike. Ryan channeled his energy and made his Mage Storm special attack, causing a magic explosion centered over the Slayer that would stick around for a small time, causing more damage to anything within the magic cloud it created. The attack failed to damage the Slayer, but did kill the Necrotech, Scrap Thrall, and one of the Bane Knights. The Scrap Thrall exploded, catching the Slayer in its blast. Yet again the Slayer refused to be damaged. Watts and Lynch both took a shot at the Defiler. Only one shot connected, but it failed to penetrate even the Bonejacks light armor.
The Stormblades that had been following Stryker moved up, and 2 of them attempted to hit an exposed Bane Knight with Storm Glaive Blasts. Both attacks missed, and did not hit anything else.
NO PIC
Cryx Turn 3
Asphyxious chose to upkeep his Skarlock Thrall’s Parasite spell, hoping that his Reaper would finish off the Charger. He then put two focus points into his Slayer, hoping to do something more spectacular to the Lancer. The Slayer’s effects, however, were rather disappointing. The Slayer spent part of its boosted magical energy to make a third attack with its Death Claw, allowing it to strike 4 times in total. Only 3 of the strikes hit, with one of the Death Claw strikes being backed by some extra magical energy to cause it to hit harder, but it only managed to scratch (2 damage) the Lancer. Angered by the lack of results, Asphyxious began to plan his next move.
While Asphyxious schemed, the rest of the Bane Knight squad ran forward to catch up with the leader, as the leader and one of the grunts turned their backs on the Lancer and charged Stryker4. Only the leader was able to land a blow on Stryker, causing him a grievous wound (10 damage).
Asphyxious then decided to set his plan in motion. He advanced into range and then casted Death Knell again, firing another explosive ball of magical energy at Stryker. The attack missed, exploding against a nearby pillar. The blast did nothing to Stryker, but caused a slight amount (1) of damage to the Squire, and killed one of the Bane Knights. (FEAT) Asphyxious then resurrected 4 of his fallen warriors, who proceeded to charge at Stryker. None of the warriors managed to land a hit strong enough to finish off the horribly wounded Stryker. Asphyxious, enraged that he was unable to finish his foe, ordered his Skarlock to move in from of him, and place a cloud of Caustic Mist on top of Stryker.
On the other side of the fight, the Reaper made another attempt to gore the Charger with its tusks. This time it succeeded, managing a light hit (2 damage) on the Charger. It then ripped the ‘Jack in half with its Helldriver, completely destroying it.5
The Defiler, angry with the Gun Mages for shooting at it, moved into a better position and sprayed its Sludge Cannon at the Gun Mages. They dodged it with ease. The Journeyman happened to be in the path of the spray as well, but was lucky enough to notice it in time and get out of the way of the corrosive sludge.
Cygnar Turn 4
Stryker, now barely able to continue fighting, upkept his armor spell on the Lancer. His also activated his Squire’s Reserve Accumulator, gaining another 2 focus. He placed one focus on his Ironclad, and then cowered under a magical shield to protect him from the corrosive cloud that surely would have finished him. His Ironclad used the magical boost to run into striking range of Asphyxious, effectively stopping him from casting anymore of his brutal spells.
The Journeyman, now angered by the loss of his ‘Jack, casted Arcane Shield on himself to help protect him from the Reaper and then charged into the hulking behemoth. He managed to dent the armor of the Helljack (4 damage).
The Stormblades accompanying Stryker turned advanced on the Skarlock Thrall, intent on killing it. Two of them were brought down without mercy by a Bane Knight as they left combat. Despite the loss of half of the remaining squad, the Stormblades still manage to cut down the Skarlock.
The Lancer tried to even the odds that were against it now. A forceful strike from its War Spear connected with one of the Bane Knights. The Knight, however, refused to be bested and got back up, prepared to fight once more. The Lancer then bashed the Slayer with its shock shield, causing almost no damage (1 normal, 1 to cortex).
The Gun Mages, upset with the lack of results from their last salvo, made another round of shots at their enemies. Ryan once again casted Mage Storm, firing it this time at Asphyxious. The attack landed, causing Asphyxious a large amount (8) of damage. The attack also managed to kill another Bane Knight. Watts missed her attack, boosted magically to do Brutal damage and Lynch managed to hit the Defiler, barely harming it (3 damage).
Cryx Turn 4
Seeing that his master was in danger, the Reaper left combat with the Journeyman, suffering a light wound (2 damage) in the process, and advanced into the back of the Ironclad. It opened a hole in the back of the ‘Jack with its tusks (6 damage) and managed to impale the Ironclad on its Helldriver (10 damage). Asphyxious faced the Cygnar warjack and focused his magical energy into two powerful strikes which wrecked the heavy warjack (10 damage each attack).
The Slayer, still in combat with the Lancer, only managed to land one strike with its Death Claw, once again causing minimal (3) damage. It seemed that the combat between these two would rage on until one of their controllers was killed.
The Defiler Bonejack, having taken some damage from the Gun Mages during their last salvo, once again sprayed sludge at them. This time, however, Watts was not fast enough to avoid it, and was dissolved into a steaming pile of goo.
The remaining Bane Knights ran to catch up with their leader, as their leader made another attack on Stryker. The blow connected, and despite Stryker’s extra Arcane Armor, it managed to fell him. He was knocked to the ground, unable to continue fighting.
Victory: Lich Lord Asphyxious
Epilogue
Stryker crumpled to the ground, unable to withstand anymore punishment. His Lancer, sensing that his master had fallen and was about to be killed, tore away from combat with the Slayer to guard his master from the Bane Knights. The remaining Gun Mages and the Journeyman ran to their commander’s side.
“Foolish mortals,” Asphyxious scoffed, “You should have known you stood no chance against the undead horde of the Cryx Empire.”
“You may have won this fight, creature, but don’t get too comfortable. We will destroy you one day,” Stryker coughed.
The remaining Bane Knights began to circle around the wounded Warcaster and what was left of his troops. Lynch and the Journeyman supported Stryker between them, and began to flee. The Lancer backed away from the Cryx force slowly, brandishing its War Spear aggressively at anyone who even tried to make an advance toward the fleeing humans.
“Let them go,” the Lich Lord ordered. “We can kill that sorry mortal another day. Collect the dead, and let us return to the Broken Coast.”
Stryker, now out view of Cryx warriors, cursed Asphyxious, and swore revenge upon the creature that killed his men and stopped his expedition.
Afterthoughts
Cryx: The game went really well for me. I could not have hoped for much better as far as my attacks went. Obviously a few more damage here or there could have finished the game sooner. Had I landed the second Death Knell, or had one of my Feat creatures managed to hit Stryker, the game would have ended in Turn 3. However luck was not with me then and the game went on for another round. I was a little worried at the beginning. That Charger’s gun is pretty impressive, but it turned out to be a toy as the Charger failed to do anything more than prevent my Reaper from causing anymore havoc. I was pretty surprised that Mike didn’t take out my Skarlock with his Gun Mages when he was out in the open like he was. It could have completely changed the game, possibly even causing my own defeat. Thankfully he was after my second Arc Node, which in the end did not prove to be a good target. As far as my most valuable unit? Its a toss up between the Bane Knights and the Reaper. This is the second game in a row my Reaper performed exquisitely, single handedly destroying a large part of my opponent's offensive capability. The Bane Knights, however, did quite a bit of damage for what they are, including the deciding blow on Stryker. One of the most entertaining parts of this game was, by far, the epic dual between the Lancer and the Slayer, neither able to do any deciding damage to the other.
Cygnar: I had some horrible rolls that game. So many times I would only manage to tie the armor of a warjack or troop I was trying to kill, and it seemed like I couldn’t hit anything with my attacks. I also completely forgot about Stryker’s Feat, which would have increased everyone’s survivability. Another problem was my failure to use Stryker’s magic. I barely did any spell casting, which I think may have hurt me pretty severely. Hopefully for next time I will remember this, and hopefully I will have a little more luck as well. I'd have to say my MVP were the Gun Mages. They did the most damage through out the game, including a sizable chunk against old eGaspy, which may have been a game winner if Stryker hadn't been so abused.
Notes
1: The Journeyman Warcaster should not have been able to cast this spell this turn due to him running. This was not identified until the writing of this Report.
2: Neither of us paid any attention to the fact that rate of fire means the total number of attacks POSSIBLE with that ranged weapon within any given turn. A focus point would have been required to make the second shot, and thus would not have been boosted. This was realized later in the game, but thankfully the shots did nothing.
3: We found out later by reading the card again that Stryker was only supposed to gain 1 focus per use of the Squire’s ability, not 2. It only had a minor effect on the game.
4: I had forgotten about the Bane Knight’s Special rule, Vengeance, which states that if one of my Knights were killed by enemy attacks in the last turn, I could move up to 3” and make a melee attack. I should have used this to make 2 additional attacks on the Lancer’s back arc before charging Stryker. I’ll remember that next time.
5: We had forgotten about wreck markers, so you will notice that none were taken into account.
