Following the success (I think) at last year's WTC in Belgium, the Motherland is attending this year's WTC in Denmark. It is a new time with Mark IV live. This year I'm bringing Malakov and Strakhov, both in 5th division. I think that Legacy models perform pretty well in the new environment. However, as so many times before, the armies were led down by the man behind the line. Yet, all in all it was pretty good.
I went to WTC last year and it was so much fun that I'm returning this year (for a walk through of my experiences last year, see here). All list are available online and Tyrant of the Field has even gone through them in his very nice podcast. I was planning to attend with the new Winter Korps. Yet, that would require me to actually finish painting both armies. Thus, I have opted for existing Legacy troops.
My ambitions is, as always to win at least one and not end up last. I'm not going to do a long a complicated write-up; I'll just go briefly go through each battle and see if there are any lessons learned.
This year's Khador lists are Kommander Andrei Malakov in a shooting Winter Guard list and Kommander Oleg Strakhov in a list containing as many 'jack as I could stuff in there. If I can count, there are only three examples of 5th division (Germany and Portugal in addition to this one). It is going to be interesting to see how they fare. Without any further ado, here are my two lists:
| Khador - 5th Division Grand Melee - 100 pts [Malakov 2] Kommander Andrei Malakov - Juggernaut [10] - Juggernaut [10] - Victor [27] Kovnik Jozef Grigorovich [3] Winter Guard Artillery Kapitan [2] Winter Guard Artillery Kapitan [2] Battle Mechaniks [2] Greylord Ternion [4] Winter Guard Field Gun Crew [4] Winter Guard Field Gun Crew [4] Winter Guard Infantry [5] - Officer & Standard [2] Winter Guard Mortar Crew [4] Winter Guard Rifle Corps [5] Winter Guard Rocketeers [5] Winter Guard Rocketeers [5] Winter Guard Rocketeers [5] Defenses - Barrier - Barrier - Fire Pit Command Card - Defenses - Old Faithful - Power Swell - Sapper - Sentry Duty [1] | Khador - 5th Division Grand Melee - 100 pts [Strakhov 1] Kommander Oleg Strakhov - Juggernaut [10] - Juggernaut [10] - Juggernaut [10] - Kodiak [10] - Kodiak [10] - Marauder [9] - Marauder [9] - Marauder [9] Kovnik Apprentice Kratikoff [4] - Rager [8] Battle Mechaniks [2] Greylord Ternion [4] Greylord Ternion [4] Command Cards - Arcane Forces [1] - Hit & Run - Old Faithful - Power Swell - Sapper |
Malakov 2 in 5th division
It is no secret that I'm very fond of Winter Guards; and lots of them. I have played a lot of Vlad1 in Winter Guards. So, I was so happy when 5th division arrived. The changes from the classic Winter Guards to 5th division are not huge. Most notably, the Rocketeers are no longer Weapon Attachments but units on their own. This is a good thing. Joe has been toned down a bit. The Artillery Kapitans have become even more useful; and we can have Ternions for Empower.
I finally get to field Victor (with the paint almost dry). I think he is a beast. His main gun, is actually better with the new AOE blast rules. Finally, we can "field" Barriers, which is pretty cool for the new Rocketeer units to hide behind, making the DEF 16 against shooting. The Fire Pit is there to support a flank if there are Ambushers around.
This is clearly my main army. I would not be surprised if I'm only going to field this. In general, the plan is going to be pretty simply. Grab cover, shoot a lot. Focus on killing the high value, or dangerous targets first, and them mob up.
Strakhov 1 in 5th division
Khador Legacy 'jack are as we know them. The are rather inexpensive, hits hard, but are slow. They are also relying on their base ARM 20. Their "high" arm has not really been high for many years. I suspect it is the same problem in MARK IV: ARM 20 is not going to cut it.
Nevertheless, Strakhov with all the 'jacks should be fun. There are Juggernauts for normal killing; Marauders for addressing huge bases; and Kodiaks for movement, thorwing stuff and clouds.
Some Mechaniks for repairing and potentially scoring zones. 6 Ternions for feed the 'jacks focus. Sorscha is there for the Boundless Charge on a stick.
I'm not sure that I am going to play this list a lot (at all). But if the right situation arrives.
Round 1 — Mercenaries of Sweden
First up is the Talion Charter, so Swedish Pirates! Something we are historically well acquited with in Denmark. I think this should be manageable, I just need to kill the Gallon fast.
We are playing Invasion, so two zones for troops. Also, the pirates do not have a lot of shooting, so I'm going for Malakov with all the men. The Swede went with Fiona, which I think is OK. The two armies are:
| Mercenaries - Talion Charter Grand Melee - 100 pts [Fiona 1] Fiona the Black - Galleon [30] - Mariner [14] - Mariner [14] - Toro [10] Bosun Grogspar [3] Dirty Meg [2] Master Gunner Dougal MacNaile [2] Powder Monkey [1] Powder Monkey [1] Powder Monkey [1] Swamp Gobber River Raider [1] Swamp Gobber River Raider [1] Swamp Gobber River Raider [1] Press Gangers [5] Press Gangers [5] The Commodore Cannon & Crew [6] Defenses - Spike Trap - Spike Trap - Spike Trap Command Card - Blessing of the Gods [0] - Careful Reconnaissance [0] - Defenses [0] - Sapper [0] - Sentry Duty [1] | Khador - 5th Division Grand Melee - 100 pts [Malakov 2] Kommander Andrei Malakov - Juggernaut [10] - Juggernaut [10] - Victor [27] Kovnik Jozef Grigorovich [3] Winter Guard Artillery Kapitan [2] Winter Guard Artillery Kapitan [2] Battle Mechaniks [2] Greylord Ternion [4] Winter Guard Field Gun Crew [4] Winter Guard Field Gun Crew [4] Winter Guard Infantry [5] - Officer & Standard [2] Winter Guard Mortar Crew [4] Winter Guard Rifle Corps [5] Winter Guard Rocketeers [5] Winter Guard Rocketeers [5] Winter Guard Rocketeers [5] Defenses - Barrier - Barrier - Fire Pit Command Card - Defenses [0] - Old Faithful [0] - Power Swell [0] - Sapper [0] - Sentry Duty [1] |
My plan is pretty simple: i) Shoot a lot; ii) Kill the Galleon; and iii) deal with the rest. How hard can it be?
Both parties are ready to roll. The pirates won the roll-off and opted to go first. The picture below depicts the situation after deployment.
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| Swedish pirates attempting to raid Denmark |
Fiona advances carefully. She is afraid of Victor and his big gun. On the right flank there is a large trench where a unit of Press Gangers hide. This is slightly annoying as I would rely on blasts to kill all the Press Gangers. Fiona also hides in some rubble. Everything else tries to stay out of Victors fire range.
Malakov advances his troops. Rocketeers run into cover behind the two barriers strategically placed within running distance.
As always, the first round is pretty boring. The picture below shows the result of the first round.
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| Somewhere in the middle of the game |
I got carried away, so I forgot to take many pictures. Loosely based on my memory, this is what happend.
Fiona had to move up. The two Mariners turned out to be pretty good a shooting and moving. They, more or less cleaned out most troops on the right flank. Also, the Press Gangers mostly just sat there nice and cozy hiding from Khador's artillery.
The left flank was a bit more cautious. Fiona was pretty worried about loosing the Commodore Cannon, so it never really got to do a lot.
At some point. the Galleon had to move forward to join the fray and that did have some effect.
Malakov would really like to get rid of the Galleon. So the first couple of turns all shooting was directed into it. The Galleon went down somewhat easy. Concentrating fire on the Galleon obviously meant that other enemies had to be ignored; which cost a lot of dead troops. However, I think the priority was worth the effort.
After killing the Galleon, Fiona was on her heels. Unfortunately, a lot of shooting, many little men and a rusty player has its consequences.
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| End of game |
At the end of the day, I spend too much clock time. I think the primary reasons were: not being sufficiently prepared by knowing my models' capabilities by heart; and not sticking to a plan. I did decide to kill the Galleon and then deal with the rest. However, I think I spend to much time being somewhere between greedy and questioning myself.
All in all, the Swedish pirates manage to set up a beach head on the Danish shores. Fiona won on my timing out. She ended up with a mere 46 army points and 6 control points. Malakov managed to do 39 army points and 2 control points.
I was a very nice game with a very lovely opponent. I'm pretty sure we both enjoyed it — probably him slightly more than me, though.
Round 2 — American Orgoth
Next up are American Orgoth. In some bizarre way a natural continuation from my first match. This time it is just pirates from distant shores to the west attempting to land on Danish shores.
We are playing Split Decision, so it is troops and solos for scoring. I'm sticking with Malakov as he actually did it pretty well in the last round. The American went with Horruskh. I think I'm good. I have only met Orgoth twice, so who knows? The two armies are:
| Orgoth - Sea Raiders Grand Melee - 100 pts Horruskh, The Thousand Wraths SPELL - Carnage SPELL - Death March - Jackal [8] HEAD - Bloodthirst [1] RIGHT ARM - Pole Arm [4] LEFT ARM - Assault Shield [3] - Jackal [8] HEAD - Bloodthirst [1] RIGHT ARM - Pole Arm [4] LEFT ARM - Assault Shield [3] - Jackal [8] HEAD - Arc Node [1] RIGHT ARM - Mace [3] LEFT ARM - Assault Shield [3] - Jackal [8] HEAD - Arc Node [1] RIGHT ARM - Mace [3] LEFT ARM - Clawed Fist [3] - Tyrant [16] HEAD - Hunter [2] RIGHT ARM - Belcher [7] LEFT ARM - Quad Bolt Thrower [7] - Tyrant [16] HEAD - Hunter [2] RIGHT ARM - Belcher [7] LEFT ARM - Quad Bolt Thrower [7] Reaver Commander [3] Reaver Commander [3] Vulcar Forge Master [2] Vulcar Forge Master [2] Vulcar Forge Master [2] Rhok Harriers [10] Ulkor Axers [8] Ulkor Axers [8] Warwitch Coven [4] Warwitch Coven [4] Command Card - Careful Reconnaissance [0] - Hit & Run [0] - Old Faithful [0] - Power Swell [0] - Savagery [1] | Khador - 5th Division Grand Melee - 100 pts [Malakov 2] Kommander Andrei Malakov - Juggernaut [10] - Juggernaut [10] - Victor [27] Kovnik Jozef Grigorovich [3] Winter Guard Artillery Kapitan [2] Winter Guard Artillery Kapitan [2] Battle Mechaniks [2] Greylord Ternion [4] Winter Guard Field Gun Crew [4] Winter Guard Field Gun Crew [4] Winter Guard Infantry [5] - Officer & Standard [2] Winter Guard Mortar Crew [4] Winter Guard Rifle Corps [5] Winter Guard Rocketeers [5] Winter Guard Rocketeers [5] Winter Guard Rocketeers [5] Defenses - Barrier - Barrier - Fire Pit Command Card - Defenses [0] - Old Faithful [0] - Power Swell [0] - Sapper [0] - Sentry Duty [1] |
I won the roll off an went first. As always, two barriers are place within running distance of the Rocketeers. Besides that, there really isn't a lot to say about the deployment.
Horruskh deploys most of the 'jacks in the middel, with troops on the flank, and the flying monsters on the right to harass Malakov's flag and objective. The picture below depicts the situation after deployment.
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| Orgoth arriving on the shores of Khador |
Again, the sound of battle and charging enemies made me forget to take pictures. So, it will be loosely based on my memory.
Shooting is good. I did manage to kind of follow a plan of concentrating fire on single models until they are gone. However, some thinking was required as the Vulcar Forge Masters hand out Shield Guard. Also, the shooting Orgoth Tyrants are no slugs. They did thin out heavily in Malakov's troops.
At some point during the altercation I manage to move Victor into charge range of too many Orgoth 'jacks; which killed him. That was rather silly. I should remember to measure more thoroughly.
I did manage to score consistently on my flag, and keep my objective alive. The Winter Guards on the right flank could, surprisingly easy deal with the Rhok Harriers. Something that allowed them to kill the Orgoth objective and on a regular basis contest the flag.
At some point it became clear that the real battle was on the left flank. That was the most bloody part. It was back and forth with the Juggernauts being damaged a lot, the repaired and hitting back. Malakov had Horruskh on the defensive for scenario points. Finally, Horruskh came forward as the last remaining model that could do anything sensible (scenario wise). Malakov threw everything at him...
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| End of battle |
My clock went bip before the remaining Juggernaut manage to make its last attack. Horruskh was on three boxes with no focus left. One more minute on the clock and he would have been toast. The battle enden with me loosing on time (again!), with the Orgoth scoring 60 army points and 6 control points; and Malakov scoring 47 army points and 8 control points. Well played by the American.
Again I'm too slow. This is clearly a result of too little preparation. Loosing Victor was down to sloppy playing, yet it was not a catastrophe. All in all, it was a very good game, which we both enjoyed.
Round 3 — Swedish Crucible Guards
Next up, more Swedes. This time it is Crucible Guards, which is actually very bad for Khador. They can typically swing ARM a lot. I got matched up with them, partly based on thinking Malakov should have a fighting chance. We are playing Bunkers. Partly because I had a stroke (not of genius) I decided that I hadn't played Starkhov yet and Marauders are very good agains huge bases (there is a Vulcan). So Strakhov it is. The two armies are:
| Crucible Guard - Crucible Guard Grand Melee - 100 pts Marshal General Baldwin Gearhart - Mr. Clogg - Retaliator [8] - Vanguard [9] - Vulcan [28] Ascendant Mentalist [4] Aurum Ominus Alyce Marc [5] Crucible Guard Mechanik [1] Crucible Guard Mechanik [1] Crucible Guard Mechanik [1] Doctor Alejandro Mosby [4] Crucible Guard Assault Troopers [7] Crucible Guard Assault Troopers [7] Crucible Guard Infantry [7] - Crucible Guard Infantry Officer & Standard [4] Crucible Guard Storm Troopers [9] Dragon's Breath Rocket [4] Command Card - Blessing of the Gods [0] - Hit & Run [0] - Power Swell [0] - Sapper [0] - Sentry Duty [1] | Khador - 5th Division Grand Melee - 100 pts [Strakhov 1] Kommander Oleg Strakhov - Juggernaut [10] - Juggernaut [10] - Juggernaut [10] - Kodiak [10] - Kodiak [10] - Marauder [9] - Marauder [9] - Marauder [9] Kovnik Apprentice Kratikoff [4] - Rager [8] Battle Mechaniks [2] Greylord Ternion [4] Greylord Ternion [4] Command Cards - Arcane Forces [1] - Hit & Run [0] - Old Faithful [0] - Power Swell [0] - Sapper [0] |
I won the roll-off and went first. I did have some kind of a plan. I would get one or two Marauders to the Vulcan, kill it and mop up the rest. I assumed that I could bait it with one Marauder or perhaps a Juggernaut. The picture below shows the deployment.
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| Deployment of both armies |
First round was good. I followed my plan and moved 'jacks up behind the house in the middle and putting one in harms way to lure the Vulcan to my Marauders, feating quite early to make sure that all my 'jacks had Stealth. The plan worked.
The plan actually worked so well that the Vulcan, the Infantry (which shoots ridiculous good against high arm) and the Assault Troopers basically remove all of my 'jacks on the right flank without breaking a sweat. I think they were swinging ARM with -6 due to rust and other nastiness.
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| End of battle |
So, basically I played the worst possible army into the worst possible enemy. I was thinking that I might be able to catch the enemy off guard (no pun intended). They didn't even have to be on guard. I lost on scenario, with Crucible Guards scoring an impressive 92 army points and 8 control points; with me only scoring 29 army points and 3 control points.
This was just bad pairing (my own fault), bad judgement (my own fault) and bad playing (my own fault). Kudos to the nice Swede for keeping up with a ever increasing grumpy Khador player.
Game 4 & 5:
For logistic reasons I couldn't make the fourth game and unfortunately had to leave my opponent with a victory without putting models on the table. The fifth game game had the same problem, just the other way around. So, I actually manage to "win" one game.
Summary & Lessons Learned
First of all, WTC is fun. The people are very nice and there is a fantastic atmosphere. I am so much looking forward to next year.
I had two very good games, and a very bad one (which was only down to myself). It is quite clear that I need to practice more. There are a few recommendations for myself (and others perhaps):
- Know exactly what your models do;
- More practice games;
- Form a plan and stick to it, unless it goes completely haywire;
- Develop patterns for movement of models that interact. E.g. move Artillery Kapitan, then move Artillery and shooting 'jacks;
- Don't get greedy; and
- Read up on opposing armies.
I'll try to adhere to these lessons learned in the future.
Until next time.
For the Motherland!
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