MSU HE - KoW - 2000 vs Basileans - round 3 - 18.12

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Swordmaster of Hoeth
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MSU HE - KoW - 2000 vs Basileans - round 3 - 18.12

#1 Post by Swordmaster of Hoeth »

Greetings!

I had another opportunity to play KoW recently. My good friend, Darth Sabre, was interested in giving it a go and chose Basileans, one of the main factions in Mantica, that is unique to this world. I was glad to face them as it is always good to learn more about my own force when fighting against variety of opponents.

Basileans - Army List

40 Men-at-Arms, Horde, Spears & Shields - 225
- 5 Paladin Knights, Troop - 135
- 5 Paladin Knights, Troop - 135
- 5 Sisterhood Panter Lancers, Troop - 115
- Priest, Hero, mounted, Bane Chant - 105

40 Crossbowmen, Horde, Jar of the Four Winds (+12" range) - 250

6 Elohi, Horde - 300
- Ur-Elohi, Hero, Ensorcelled Armor (+1 Defense) - 215

20 Paladin Foot Guard, Regiment - 150
- High Paladin on Griffin, Hero - 210

20 Paladin Foot Guard, Regiment - 150

Basilileans army has that feel of pious and angelic warriors in shiny armor about them and I think Darth's army captured it nicely. The mounted and foot Paladins rode to war inspired by a Priest and High Paladin and were accompanied by Elohi and Ur-Elohi Angles as well as some regular troops formed in two hordes.

The army wide rule (I must say I really like that each list has one) is called Blessed Be The Pious and means that the units have Iron Resolve special rule, i.e. if the unit is Steady as a result of nerve test it regains one point of damage previously suffered. I like the fact that although the army wide rule has some characteristic name it really is one of the special rules from the core rules. In the case of Basileans it simply means they can heal themselves a little bit. Since each of the character also has Heal(3) ability it means these guys can take some damage and keep fighting.

40 Men-at-Arms - one of the main battle line units, these men-at-arms form proper phalanx with their shields and spears and that is not good news for my cavalry at all. With very good nerve they can take some damage before they are even remotely worried and with 30 attacks even the best armored units on my side might be in danger.

5 Paladin Knights - Darth got two of these and it was interesting to compare them against my own Stormwind cavalry. Elves are faster and hit a little bit more often due to Elite rule. Paladin Knights seem to have better nerve though and are also Headstrong which means they have a chance to ignore waver effect. I was curious to see how both armies will use their respective knights.

5 Sisterhood Panter Lancers - it is Basilean's version of light cavalry, very fast and nimble but unlike Silverbreez they are combat orientated. They have Thunderous Charge (1) and Vicious that helps to go through with their attacks. However, they are also very lightly armored and may be vulnerable to enemy fire.

Priest - mounted priest was there to support with his heal or bane chant but also to inspire.

40 Crossbowmen - another horde but this time of shooters. 20 attacks is something to be concerned with but I was glad to notice they are also re-load and Range 5+ so that their effectiveness can be limited. No wonder Darth gave them extra range so that he does not have to move them much and have enemies in range. With crushing strength these shooters will do damage for sure so I had to be careful and don't give them many juicy targets.

6 Elohi - the best unit of the army, these angelic warriors are the most dangerous opponent. They don't waver and hit very hard. They are also Inspiring which is amazing on its own as it is already relatively hard to rout them with Defense 5+ and nerve -/17. As they fly I will need to be careful about places they can land. I also presumed they could be used as a counter to my drakons too as in general, my fliers are not as tough and hard hitting.

Ur-Elohi - the toughest model in the army, can easily take on my troops on its own. But serves a lot of secondary purposes too since it inspires and heals. As flying large infantry it is extremely fast but easier to hide and could be used for individual missions such as war machine hunting. At the same time it can help wherever it is needed the most. I absolutely love such flexible and versatile characters.

20 Paladin Foot Guard - another regiment that can be directly compared to one of my own - Palace Guard. In this case it is even more interesting than between heavy cavalry. Paladins are slower but better armored. Guard is faster, hits more often and has Crushing Strength. Then, Paladins are Headstrong which means they are more likely to keep fighting. Again, I was really curious to see how respective units are going to perform and what roles will they be assigned.

High Paladin on Griffin - last but not least, there is another of super fast but flexible characters in Basilean army. It has one more attack than Ur-Elohi and better nerve but defense 5+. They look very similar so I wonder how would they be utilized in the game.

Here is my own army list for comparison although I haven't changed it since the last game against Orcs.

Outcasts - Army List

10 Stormwind, Regiment, Potion of the Caterpillar (Pathfinder) - 235
- 5 Silverbreeze, Troop - 145
- 5 Silverbreeze, Troop - 145
- Drakon Rider Lord, Hero, Large Cavalry - 160

3 Drakon Riders, Regiment - 175
- 5 Stormwind, Troops - 140
- Bolt Thrower, War Machine - 90

20 Palace Guard, Regiment - 150
- 10 Archers - 115
- 10 Archers - 115
- Bolt Thrower, War Machine - 90

20 Spearelves, Regiment - 140
- Elven Mage, Inspire, Bane Chant - 110

20 Spearelves, Regiment - 140
- Battle Standard Bearer, Hero - 50

In general, I have a slight advantage in speed over Basileans if you compare units of the same type. I also have 15 elements against 11 of the enemy but I have a feeling they have better staying power with more units that have Defense 5+ and I have none of 6+ as well as hordes that can soak up some damage. I have more and dispersed shooting which I like because that would allow me to use it against many targets at the same time.

Basileans have more and harder fliers though so I think they can really balance out my speed and numbers advantage.

My aim was, before I took terrain into account, to use my shooting to start taking away troops and hopefully create some holes in the battle line which I could then exploit. Even if these troops were not routed I would have better chance to do so in melee. I was prepared to lose some of my own troops, even one per turn due to crossbows and their superior range.

Terrain

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Terrain

We agreed to have level 2 hills, obstacles level 1 and forests level 4. The lake was a blocking terrain for the purpose of movement but didn't affect line of sight at all.

We rolled off for sides, I won and picked South. It was then my turn to deploy the first unit. I chose South because it looked better for me in terms of initial defensive position and ability to advance on the right flank with the hill/forest blocking line of sight.

Deployment

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Deployment Order

1. Bolt Thrower (BT1) - Sisterhood Panther lancers
2. Archers (A1) - Paladin Knights (PK1)
3. Spearelves (S1) - Paladin Foot Guard
4. Palace Guard (PG) - Paladin Knights (PK2)
5. Bolt Thrower (BT2) - Men-at-Arms
6. Storm Wind (SW2) - Paladin Foot Guard
7. Silver Breeze (SB1) - Crossbowmen
8. Archers (A2) - Elohi
9. Silver Breeze (SB2) - Priest
10. Mage - Ur-Elohi
11. Spearelves (S2) - High Paladin
12. Rest of the Army(SW2)

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Final Deployment

During the deployment the most important for me was to learn where Crossbows are going to be. As Darth put them in the center but at the deployment line it meant I could have safe passage on the right and could avoid it on the left.

However, he kept Crossbows until the last possible moment (even with characters after and the gap left in the middle) so I had to deploy my units well until that moment. I decided to use the obstacle for extra protection for my own shooters and use them in the middle so they had the best choice of targets. I also positioned my infantry in the center where they enjoyed some protection of the hill but were able to go towards any direction.

Finally, I left my faster troops to be deployed on the flanks but I also waited with them till the last to decide how I want to group them. In the end I decided to go with cavalry on the left flank as I could avoid Elohi for a while. Initially, I thought I could use the hill and the fact I have Pathfinder on Stormwind regiment to approach the enemy in relative safety. However, I changed my mind because it was too crowded on the right flank and Elohi, Ur-Elohi and Spearmen phalanx were all problematic for my cavalry there.

I wanted to win the left flank and be able to approach from two directions. The fast cavalry and drakon riders on the right flank were to get rid of the panthers and possibly annoy the horde to slow it down and avoid situation where it engages into combat at all. Drakons would also avoid being shot at but had the chance to jump over enemy troops as they approach my lines and try to harass them from there.

Darth won the roll off and decided it would be better if I start first :)

Outcasts - Turn 1

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Opening fire

Elves moved forward but only in order to get into range. The shooters all focused on enemy cavalry, inflicting some damage and even shaking Paladin Knights in the middle! No target was routed yet.

Basileans - Turn 1

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Shy Basileans advance

Basileans were not that eager to get into a fight. The forces on the left flank even pulled back to avoid charges. Crossbowmen tried to return the favor but surprisingly their shooting was not as efficient as they hoped for. Fortunately, healing went according to the plan and the Knights looked unscathed again.

Outcasts - Turn 2

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Shooting and outflanking continues

Outcasts continued their advance on the flanks and softening the enemy with shooting. It resulted in routing Panther Lancers and doing some damage to the Knights again but they remained unimpressed.

Basileans - Turn 2

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Basileans are more decisive!

The squadron of Knights decided it is time to charge elven fast cavalry but didn't inflict substantial damage and didn't route their enemies (although got them wavered). Their companions got healed again and foot Paladins sprinted alone towards Elven Archers. Crossbowmen improved their accuracy but the Archers held their ground.

Outcasts - Turn 3

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Elves speed up

Storm Wind cavalry charged the exposed flank of the Knights but surprisingly, didn't route their enemy either! The shooters focused on Paladin Foot Guard this time as they looked like more direct threat.

In the middle, Elven infantry maneuvered so that Palace Guard could intercept Paladins while Spearelves formed defensive formations against possible attack by Elohi.

Last but not least Drakes used the opportunity and landed in the safe spot behind the enemy lines.

Basileans - Turn 3

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Basileans move forward. The Knights on the left flank got healed a little and tried to rout Elven fast cavalry but they lost their impetus charge bonus and could not do enough damage to succeed. Their companions decided to move in but their help might be coming a little too late.

Paladins and Elohi moved full speed through the center as it seems Basileans had enough of Elven war machines. Finally, Crossbows chose to unleash another volley and inflicted some damage upon Spearelves but Elven phalanx didn't shake easily.

Outcasts - Turn 4

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Powerful Elven attacks

This time fast and heavy cavalry worked together and Paladin Knights were finally destroyed. Drakon Lord and Storm Wind regiment combined their might against second enemy squadron and that too was annihilated. Paladin Foot Guard had to face flank charge from Palace Guard and elite Elven infantry smashed their counterparts even without magical support (Edit: I tried to cast Bane Chant on my PG but failed.)

Drakon Riders also had a nice flank attack to execute and shut down Basileans shooters easily while Elven Archers, Bolt Throwers and Silver Breeze cavalry focused their fire on Ur-Elohi and inflicted quite a significant damage!

Basileans - Turn 4

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Basileans fight back

Ur-Elohi flew heavily toward the archers and it barely managed to inflict some damage but somehow it was enough to rout already wounded troops. Elohi had absolutely no problem in shredding the Bolt Thrower to pieces and reformed to look for new targets.

Silver Breeze cavalry was reckless and now paid the ultimate price as full might of spear armed phalanx rolled at their backs. (Edit: That is really impressive to have 90 Attacks :))

Finally, crossbowmen tried to break through but they are not as good in close combat as their spear armed companions and Elven Spears held.

Outcasts - Turn 5

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Rearranging the formations

Surrounded and wounded crossbows stood no chance against the co-ordinated attacks of Spears and Drakons, especially that one of the Spears regiments attacked and routed nearby Priest so that he could not inspire his units anymore.

The rest of the army re-arranged the formations and the shooters once again tried to hunt down Ur-Elohi but once again it was not to be.

Basileans - Turn 5

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Final attacks

Elohi destroyed another troops of Archers while wounded Ur-Elohi flew back to safety. High Paladin tried to get rid of the bolt thrower too but the war machine miraculously survived!

The armies had to disengage at this stage and it looked like this time Elves were a little bit more successful.

Summary

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Turn-by-turn animation summary

After-battle thoughts

Due to time constraints we had to finish our game after 5 turns (we beginners are still slow, in particular online) so we just checked if there would be turn 7 and it turned out the game would have lasted only 6.

We did try quickly some things to see what could happen though. For example, my heavy cavalry could charge High Paladin but only wavered him. Shooters could not force another force check on Ur-Elohi and then there were no targets to attack save Bolt Thrower for Basileans.

First of all, I would like to thank my friend Darth for great game! It was fantastic to play again after few months since our last battle and I hope it is just the beginning of our sport rivalry, this time in KoW.

Second, please, remember it was just 4th game for me and 1st for Darth so I am sure we made plenty of mistakes, in particular in the movement phase. I am still not quite happy how I played on the left flank as I think it took me 1 turn too long to win there. I also made that silly mistake with Silver Breeze cavalry where I didn't make sure they are out of sight and/or range of the horde of spearmen. Not only I lost the unit for nothing but made the enemy come closer to my other units.

At the same time I am very happy I spotted the opportunity to use Drakons to great effect where they shut down enemy shooters and were in a great position to finish them off too. I am glad that the plan of getting rid of smaller units with shooting worked but I am also sure Darth will come back with vengeance next time we meet. :)

Thanks for reading and we are looking forward to your comments and feedback!

Cheers!
Last edited by Swordmaster of Hoeth on Fri Dec 18, 2015 3:52 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: MSU HE - KoW - 2000 vs Basileans - 26.10

#2 Post by Ladril Caledor »

Congrats on the victory. I felt Darths inexperience showed here, you maneuvered nicely and set yourself up for mass charges on turn 4. His forces were spread too thinly and were easily overwhelmed. He should have left a few juicy targets as bait to draw your changes, so he could have counter charged. But i think it takes a few games of experience to really get a feel for Kings tactics, it's quite different to Warhammer Fantasy.

Check out the 'kings of War MSU strategy' video that went up this week on YouTube, really interesting and I definitely think it can be an effective strategy in this game.
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Re: MSU HE - KoW - 2000 vs Basileans - 26.10

#3 Post by Swordmaster of Hoeth »

Hi Ladril,

Yes, Darth also admitted that the movement works differently than he anticipated and here is what he said about our game on another forum:
I think my first mistake was letting you go first - If I had went first I could have controlled your left flank better.

Secondly I should not have given you the gap for the Drakon Riders - your shooting was going surprisingly well so I thought I needed to advance when in reality I could have advanced as a line and prevented the flank & rear charges.

Things I leant;
1. Movement is key - need to get out of the old WHFB mindset - not being able to wheel multiple times will take some getting used to.

2. Fixed charge distances are hard to deal with when you are against a superior movement army.

3. Shooting with 5+ to hit is abysmal - elf shooting at 4+, especially with the BT's was a killer.

4. Individual characters are hard to deal with when you cant get to them - not sure how to deal with that atm.

5. I think a KoW army needs multiple threats to make your opponent think really hard about deployment - we played the basic kill scenario - with the other scenario's deployment and movement will have greater influence.
I am sure he will get his revenge next time we play as I am still learning the game myself.

I watched that video about MSU and also tried to contribute to the discussion on that matter at Mantic forum. I believe the concept needs to be re-defined and probably be considered in the frame of the army rather than general. Simply because some armies will always have lots of units. Our own Lord Anathir was playing with The League of Rhordia and had 18 deployment drops.

However, I am very eager to keep testing my 15-elements army and I will just see what kind of things I would really need in it with time. After 4 games I can say that the last 2 were much more enjoyable from the point of view of my own army. What I mean is that in first 2 games I really was not sure what I can do with my force and played badly. Now, I seem to understand better the role of each element and how they should interact with each other.

I hope I will get some games against different enemies on regular basis and I plan to start playing scenarios eventually too.

Cheers!
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Re: MSU HE - KoW - 2000 vs Basileans - 26.10

#4 Post by Ladril Caledor »

Yeah the world is crying out for good Kings of War strategy guides. Slim pickings at present, even more so for MSU. I'm going to run a 2500 point 20 element Elf army myself for the next few games, I'll let you know how it goes and maybe write a tactics article somewhere down the line. Lots of solo mounted or flying characters. Chaff and out maneuver them to death. The strengths of the elf army (reliable power on the charge, lots of small units with high morale, universally high mobility) make them great at this strategy, the ideal MSU faction in my opinion.

Darth did really well to identify his mistakes, he will be a very good player very soon. Things are different, but years of Warhammer experience definitely helps. A lot of strategy carries over once you are familiar with the system.
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Re: MSU HE - KoW - 2000 vs Basileans - 26.10

#5 Post by Swordmaster of Hoeth »

Hi Ladril,

Indeed, it is not that easy to find a good article at the moment. But I hope people will start producing them eventually. At least there are more and more reports (check youtube) and blogs and podcasts.

I would be very curious about your findings and 2500 sounds like a huge game in KoW. That is another interesting observation about KoW, as with 2000 you already stretch the army from one side to another. Hence, the chance to maneuver is smaller and no wonder people are so fond of fliers.

I am sure Darth will be coming back with vengeance and i can't wait to see how the biggest event in Australia, CanCon, will shape up for KoW players early next year. The enthusiasm is there and people are busy now with finding their way in new system. Hopefully I will be able to arrange a re-match against Darth as I know he intends to go for that tournament and will need plenty of practice!

Darth also told me it was very refreshing to play that game as he knew exactly where mistakes were made. Something, he says, was not that obvious with Warhammer. And he definitely, even in his first game, was not feeling like he already lost. From my part it was not that easy at all. In fact, I think I got only 400VP or so difference from him so that is not huge.

Cheers!
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Re: MSU HE - KoW - 2000 vs Basileans - 26.10

#6 Post by Ferny »

Hey - I'm not logging in much these days, pretty much just checking out the forum for batreps. I've not got much to say on them either these days because I'm not familiar with the rulesets, but they're fun and well laid out to read and are showing me the basics of each system.

I've just been to a new club today for the first time since before Christmas - got a game lined up for next week (2000 8th), but apparently KoW is the dominant system there (but they do quite a few), so I'll maybe start commenting again sometime soon.

Agree in this one that he split his forces too much...will await the rematch!
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Re: MSU HE - KoW - 2000 vs Basileans - 26.10

#7 Post by Swordmaster of Hoeth »

Hi Ferny,

Well, in that case I better play some games and prepare more reports because otherwise there would be nothing for you to read here :)

I would encourage you to try a few games of KoW in addition to any games you might play. In particular if you are looking for a game unit orientated. Or to explore something similar at first glance but quite different in practice.

It is also quite peculiar situation where majority of players are still learning how this game works so there are no net lists yet :)

Cheers!
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Re: MSU HE - KoW - 2000 vs Basileans - rematch - deployment

#8 Post by Swordmaster of Hoeth »

Hello!

I was very lucky as Darth had time for a rematch. He considered bringing some Elves this time but decided to give Basileans another go. I must say I was glad about this decision because Basileans are truly the army of Mantica and I think they can be a formidable opponent. Darth made quite a few changes in comparison to our first game and here is the list he used this time:

Basileans - Army List

40 Crossbowmen, Horde, Brew of Keen-eyeness (+1 to hit) - 260
- 5 Sisterhood Panter Lancers, Troop - 115
- 5 Sisterhood Panter Lancers, Troop - 115
- Priest, Hero, Bane Chant, Kevinar's Flying hammer - 95
- Heavy Arbalest - 65

10 Paladin Knights, Regiment - 210
- Heavy Arbalest - 65

3 Elohi, Regiment - 195
- Ur-Elohi, Hero, Ensorcelled Armor (+1 Defense) - 215

3 Elohi, Regiment - 195
- Phoenix, Monster - 165

20 Paladin Foot Guard, Regiment - 150

20 Paladin Foot Guard, Regiment - 150

Thirteen elements in total, which in my opinion is simply great! Let's go through them again:

40 Crossbowmen - Horde of shooters. 20 attacks is something to be concerned with and while they have Reload special rule (can't shoot after movement) they got the item that makes them hit on 4+. With crushing strength these shooters will do damage for sure so I had to be careful and don't give them many juicy targets. This time avoiding them might be a little easier due to 24" range (as opposed to 36" previously) but they will certainly make up for it with the better to hit ratio.

2 x 5 Sisterhood Panter Lancers - it is Basilean's version of light cavalry, very fast and nimble but unlike Silver Breeze they are combat orientated. They have Thunderous Charge (1) and Vicious that helps to go through with their attacks. However, they are also very lightly armored and may be vulnerable to enemy fire. This time there are two units of these and I predicted there will be some fast cavalry fights.

2 x Heavy Arbalest - completely new addition and some shooting support. They are cheaper than bolt throwers but have only 1 attack and hit on 5+. On the other hand they have d3+2 blast and piercing 3. That means that whatever hits will do more damage. I was curious how efficient they will be but at the same time needed to have a plan to eliminate them.

10 Paladin Knights - Darth combined two of the troops into single regiment this time and while the comparison stood between them and Storm Wind, now I had to compare them with the regiment rather than with troops. This unit is more dangerous in the frontal charge to my infantry (although Spears might be helpful here) but the good thing is it is a single target. I must say I was very excited about possible duels between respective unit types or their performance when attacking other targets.

2 x 3 Elohi - the best unit of the army, these angelic warriors are the most dangerous opponent. They don't waver and hit very hard. They are also Inspiring which is amazing on its own as it is already relatively hard to rout them with Defense 5+ and nerve -/14. Unlike with the Knights, Elohi were split into two regiments which I find much better if more expensive solution. First of all there are more sources of inspire. Second, more flying regiments that can counter my drakons and cover more area.

Ur-Elohi - same as last time, very reliable element that serves multiple purposes. What not to like? :)

Phoenix - the most intriguing addition to the army list in my opinion. It has a lot of very useful abilities. First, it is a flier with a breath attack 10 so that is very useful indeed. In particular against some fast cavalry operating outside the inspire range. It has only 3 attacks with crushing strength 1 so it is not a combat monster but it will be more than enough for war engines hunting. It has heal (6), amazing! It is another source of inspire which in itself is also great as it helps phoenix to survive more despite it being very fragile (defense 3+). But it also has a very useful Regeneration 4+ ability that combined with Iron Resolve army rule makes it tougher than it really looks like on the paper.

That one flier will be another of the priorities to destroy and because there quite a few of flying nits in Darth's army I think it will be even more difficult to accomplish.

2 x 20 Paladin Foot Guard - same as last time, these guys can be there to help crossbows or move forward to aid faster troops.

I like this army better because it appeals to my Combined Arms vision of a well working force. It has enough elements to counter mine one-by-one. It also has more flying elements, so I will have a problem with gaining air superiority for sure. All the fliers are also as tough as mine if not better. Even fragile phoenix can heal itself through regeneration and help others to restore the damage.

I may have advantage in ground speed for respective unit types but only just and that is negated by the fliers. I have a shooting advantage due to the fact I have more elements that can shoot and are generally better shooters. However, in terms of magic Darth clearly has more support and he also has many more inspiring sources that would allow him to protect entire army without slowing his advance.

Terrain

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Terrain

Darth prepared a very nice table for this game. We had four hills - height 2. Three forests - height 4. A building and blocking terrain (the rock) of height 3. Two walls of height 1 as usual and a swamp that was difficult terrain.

Deployment

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Deployment Order

Darth won the roll off and chose North.

Deployment Order:

1. Panther Lancers (PL1) - Silver Breeze (SB1)
2. Panther Lancers (PL2) - Silver Breeze (SB2)
3. Paladin Foot Guard - Archers (A1)
4. Heavy Arbalest (HA1) - Archers (A2)
5. Elohi (E1) - Spearelves (S1)
6. Paladin Foot Guard - Bolt Thrower (BT1)
7. Heavy Arbalest (HA2) - BSB
8. Crossbowmen - Palace Guard
9. Priest - Spear Elves
10. Phoenix - Drakon Riders
11. Ur-Elohi - Drakon Lord
12. Elohi (E2) - Bolt Thrower (BT2)
13. Paladin Knights - Rest of the Army

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Final Deployment

At the beginning of the deployment I was a little confused as I could not decide on a formation. I tried to predict where enemy units might go and it was really hard to do so. One reason being that there were 4 flying units that can start in one spot but may move to another fast. Then there were 3 cavalry units that were not slow either. In addition, the horde of crossbowmen can potentially delete a single unit of mine a turn so I wanted to be able to shut it down for a while and for that I needed my own fast elements to be able to charge.

I started with fast cavalry behind the hills for protection from shooting but it also allowed me to place two fast units that can move to good position quickly anyway. What is more, I wanted them to hunt the panthers so I reacted to the placement of these. Enemy nimble units are very maneuverable but fast cavalry with bows can still reach them.

I wanted my shooting to be efficient and I decided that in order to do so I will need to focus it on single target. That is why I positioned Archers and Bolt Throwers close to each other. It also meant that my opponent would have to be careful where his fast units go as there will be some units of mine in between ready to intercept.

Spearelves were in the middle so that I could advance them through the center as soon as Crossbowmen are distracted and/or move towards the flanks if needed. I must say, however, I was not pleased with their positioning. I had a feeling they might be too isolated and too far away from inspire.

At some stage it looked to me that Darth wants to split his army more or less in half. I decided to counter that with strengthening one flank and delaying the other. I positioned my fliers on the weaker flank because they have better range to intercept and it also looked like the right flank has enough terrain to keep each other in check without committing the units too early. However, I also wanted to get to the shooters fast and I didn't think Darth would leave me that nice corridor along left flank free. So I wanted to see if there is an opportunity to use great mobility of fliers to use any gaps in formation to move towards the crossbows.

The situation on the left flank was not that easy though because Darth had some good units there, I didn't have numbers superiority, could get into range of crossbows and last but not least, it was simply crowded. The good thing was that I could still shoot at his units while advancing and I wanted to use that to my advantage. I needed to win that flank fast, however, before fliers from the opposite side start advancing towards my center.

I won the roll off and decided to take first turn.

Outcasts - Turn 1

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Opening fire!

Elves moved on the flanks cautiously and used their shooters to soften the enemy before the melee. There were many dangerous targets though and the decision what to pick as priority was not easy.

On the left flank bolt throwers aimed at the Knights and in a round of good shooting they inflicted significant damage, although not enough to impress Paladins. Mage supported fast cavalry with bane chant and together with Archers they aimed at Panthers. Light Basilean troops wavered in result.

On the right flank solitary fast cavalry aimed at the Phoenix and even hurt it a little but it was clear that regenerative abilities of the magical bird are working already.

Basileans - Turn 1

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It's a Trap!

The Knights moved forward, tempting Elven cavalry to charge them while Elohi were getting ready to jump over. On the opposite flank Basilean regiments started to spread the nets to catch Elven drakons.

Crossbows moved forward to get some targets into range as Elves were careful not to get there too early.

Outcasts - Turn 2

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First attacks

Storm Wind cavalry charged enemy knights and supported by Elven magic unhorsed many of Paladins but their companions refused to break. Would Elves hold against a counter charge?

Fast cavalry kept hunting down their adversaries and both Panther units were routed. Bolt throwers aimed at enemy artillery but didn't manage to destroy it.

Finally, Drakons, sensing there is something dangerous coming, used a gap in enemy formation to escape and were heading towards the enemy shooters.

Basileans - Turn 2

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Pay back!

Paladin Knights charged Elven cavalry and even without the lances that were broken by their enemies attack, they managed to route their foe!

The shooters followed the example and two more elven units were destroyed!

On the right flank all the units had to chase the drakons, with the exception of Ur-Elohi who was heading towards Elven war engines.

Outcasts - Turn 3

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Exchange of blows continues

Palace Guard charge victorious Knights and this time Paladins were routed. Storm Wind cavalry was still cautious and didn't let Elohi to jump over and threaten the war engines.

At the same time Drakon Riders attacked Arbalest to avoid pursuing enemies. Drakon Lord moved forward at full speed too.

Elven Bolt Throwers once again opened fire at their adversaries but despite significant damage could not rout the enemy yet!

Basileans - Turn 3

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Elohi attack!

Elohi attack Palace Guard and damage elite infantry but frontal assault was not going to rout them, at least not this time. Ur-Elohi used nearby wall for additional protection, just in case.

Phoenix spit fire at Drakon Lord and even wounded Elven hero! in the meantime, crossbowmen reformed to avoid rear attack of enemy drakon riders.

Outcasts - Turn 4

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Another thunderous charge

Elves were in position for some more attacks and they executed these with no hesitation. Palace Guard counter charged Elohi but despite significant damage they could not route the angels.

On the other hand, drakon riders and Storm Wind cavalry had no trouble in destroying Paladins. Drakon Lord didn't take chances and routed last Arbalest. Then Spear Elves happened to be just in the charge range of crossbowmen who exposed their rear to the enemy. It was a grievous mistake.

Basileans - Turn 4

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Angels of death

Both Elohi units and Ur-Elohi charged their enemies. On the left flank Palace Guard routed despite Inspiring presence of their wizard! Bolt Thrower crew stood no chance against Ur-Elohi. Only Drakon Lord held his ground but was seriously wounded!

Outcasts - Turn 5

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Final counter strike

Elves still had powerful units in reserve and they used them well. First, Bolt Thrower and Archers focused their fire on damaged Elohi and this time routed the angelic warriors.

Then, thanks to the bravery of Drakon Lord, Storm Wind cavalry charged the exposed flank of second Elohi unit and destroyed them.

Remaining unit rearranged their formation and fast cavalry shot at the Phoenix again.

Basileans - Turn 5

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Final situation

At this moment we stopped the game due to lack of time but we also concluded that Darth would get my second bolt thrower and would avoid further losses even if there were 2 more turns.

The Elves managed to repel another attack of Basilean army and carried the day.

Summary

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Turn-by-turn animation summary

After-battle thoughts

First of all I would like to thank Darth for a game, preparation of great UB map and writing his own report too! It is never easy to write one after a defeat but I can tell you that it is one of the best ways of improving! Here is the link to his report, please, make sure you visit his new blog and leave a comment or two!

Darth's Battle Report

At this stage of learning of the game it is still more about trying some ideas and checking how they are going to work. I think I will need to play many more games before I can have a clear plan because it kept changing during the deployment! One of the interesting challenges about KoW for me is to assess the terrain well before the battle so that I can use it to my advantage. It helps to anticipate how my opponent is going to use it as that will affect his own plans. While it sounds obvious I really didn't know how Darth is going to do it.

I only expected crossbows behind the wall and arbalests on the hill and I tried to adapt to that situation by strengthening the flanks and limit the number of targets, at least at the beginning of the game. I knew it can be a trap for myself as in my previous games, against Empire of Dust, I put too many units on one flank and when one of them got wavered I could not really move properly or counter attack.

I have also observed that deployment phase is a mixture of trying to form a plan, deploy according to it but also reacting and adapting to what the opponent does. And it is tricky because while I want to correct the initial idea and adapt to the situation I don't want to start reacting to my opponent. Because then he is having an initiative and I am one step behind.

It was not a guarantee that my drakons would be able to fly over towards the crossbows and arbalests but that was that thing I wanted to try. It was also a similar move I made in my previous game against Orcs, although in both cases I tried to keep my options open. While the gap was created during the deployment I thought I need to do something to keep it open for a turn. If I moved there directly, Darth would have had more time to stop me I think. And I would not be able to avoid his fast troops or be out of line of sight of the crossbows.

That feint move towards the right flank helped me to get into better position. I think it is important to remember that pivot and move gives you quite a lot of freedom of movement. Initially, I didn't think it is enough but now I try to see where my and enemy units can be by looking at their initial position and where they can get by pivoting first. It is in particular very important with nimble units and especially fliers. I am glad it worked but I am sure it will not next time :) However, I tried that mobility and I am very happy with it.

The situation on the other flank was different because there was not much space to maneuver. I had to be ready for some exchanges. In the end I lost 2 units and got 2 units but won the flank. I am glad I managed to soften the Knights a bit and the shooting was more important for getting rid of Panthers that could and would interfere with my movement there.

Darth exposed his Knigths for the charge but I sent smaller unit to hit them instead. My reason was that regiment of cavalry might have destroyed the enemy on the charge (especially that I got bane chant off) and then Elohi would get in. While regiment had better chances to hold the line they would have been stuck and deprived of their thunderous charge. On the other hand, Palace Guard had Crushing Strength all the time but what is more important, gave freedom of movement to Storm Wind regiment. Unfortunately, PG was routed anyway despite inspiring presence of nearby wizard. I am still happy with the exchange because I lost fewer points and more importantly, I eliminated fast and hard hitting units.

We talked with Darth about the outcome and he said that from his point of view I had a massive advantage thanks to sheer speed (my units are faster than counterparts in his army) combined with very good shooting (4+ to hit) and supported by powerful Elite army wide rule.

I agree these are indeed strengths of my army and I decided to have a closer look at these elements.

1. Speed and advantage of charging first.

I admit I am very happy with the amount of damage elven units can do. Relatively few attacks transfer into significant damage when hitting on 3+, re-rolling 1's and having either Crushing Strength or Thunderous Charge. However, I was once advised by Gatti, against whom I had a pleasure to play recently, that in KoW you still need to be ready for exchanges.

Not all units will rout on a frontal charge. At least no unit in my army can do it against any opponent. That is the way I like to play where few units have to combine their effort. Knowing that it is possible to offer me something that I have to charge and then counter.

In our game a good situation to show this is with the Knights. Darth knew he cannot just sit on the flank and wait because I would shoot at him. So his idea of forcing the charge was good. However, by moving the Knights forward he was risking the loss of TC and he also blocked Elohi from charging the regiment that has just attacked him because there was no space for them.

I was thinking what would it be like if Darth moved Elohi to the front instead. They pose a bigger threat because they can fly over so I cannot ignore them. They have longer move distance and are also nimble which creates a larger threat area. On top of that they cannot be wavered so I simply had to charge them. Now here is where my dilemma starts.

If I charge them with a regiment I might not rout them because they are not damaged yet and I may have too few attacks. If I don't then they are free to actually fly over and either attack other target or simply land in safe spot as well as start threatening my back yard. So I may charge them with big cavalry unit. But routing them is not a guarantee either. And even if I did I am in the open against the charge of enemy Knights!

Another way to limit the effect of the charge by faster enemy could be by absorbing damage by horde formation and/or force charges through difficult terrain. Of course I had Pathfinder item on my heavy cavalry but it is only one unit.

If I don't break the unit on the charge I am vulnerable. It is possible to attack the flanks since it is easy to predict where the units is after melee. Or even if you move forward and get charged so that you are routed means you know where the enemy is and you can attack with the second wave.

My observation is (also from the games I watched) that instead of preventing charges people try to make you charge what they want instead.

2. Elven Shooting

Elven shooting is indeed very good but I wanted to have a closer look at what I achieved with it during our game. I had 4-5 turns of shooting with most of the units so let's see what they accomplished.

- Bolt Throwers - 5 wounds on the Knights, 7 wounds on Arbalest, 4 wounds on Phoenix and 3 wounds on Elohi.

They were of course very helpful in routing the knights and Elohi but in both cases I needed melee to do the majority of damage and still lost two units in the process. The wounds inflicted upon the Phoenix feel like a waste and 2 turns of shooting at Arbalest and I still needed Darkon Lord to finish the job.

- Archers - 3 wounds on panthers, 2 on crossbows, 1 on phoenix and 1 on Elohi.

I think I am not using them well enough yet, I like the fact I can split the effort and target a few other units but I also keep thinking that maybe I should change them for something else?

- Silver Breeze - lots of wounds on panthers and not much after that but I still like how they work and I think they are great.

The shooting was without a doubt important part of the game but despite the fact I had some good rolls it was, as intended, a support. To either soften the enemy or finish it off when damaged.

However, it can still be limited and Basileans in particular have some means to do so. For example, in addition to what I described about possible situation with the Knights I think it would have been fantastic if there was either Ur-Elohi or Phoenix on that flank. Both have healing abilities. Imagine then that Elohi jump to protect the Knights while the Paladins are healed. Then they proceed and Elohi are healed again in the meantime. Not to mention that this one more flying unit would help to shut down the shooters earlier too.

Silver Breeze cavalry is fast but they cannot shoot at something they don't see. I think fragile Panthers should have been deployed later to avoid being singled out. And they can be kept behind other units for time being. You can still move what is in front of them and charge with these fast troops too! Foot Paladins, for instance, can safely move forward and shrug the little damage fast cavalry can do, also thanks to their Iron Resolve army special rule.

Darth did great with his own shooting too! My archers had little chance to survive crossbows volley and arbalest destroyed fast cavalry with a single shot. So it is also possible to fight fire with fire.

All in all I simply hope it can be good learning experience for both of us and that initial feeling of being frustrated is not going to last for long. I know I felt the same after my first 2 games against Empire of Dust. KoW is a good game in my opinion and it might just take a little time to get used to with its mechanics. I really hope Darth will come back with some new ideas and I am sure that it is just a matter of time when he gets his revenge!

Thanks for reading!
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Re: MSU HE - KoW - 2000 vs Basileans - rematch - 5.11

#9 Post by Ladril Caledor »

The game I spoke about earlier turned out to be an epic. I finished with 1140 points of my elves left on the table, he had 1135 of undead. Unfortunately I got so into the game that I forgot to take pictures after turn 3, and I can't really remember what happened well enough for a full report :( in summary I made a big mistake by deploying my two Dragons on the left flank, my shooting and infantry central with my standard bearer and mage with Talisman of Inspiration behind them, and my Drakons and other cavalry on the right flank. That's right...two sources of Inspriring on the left, two centre, and ZERO on the right. The right flank needed one of the dragons, but instead it collapsed and his werewolves swept into the centre. However the double dragon left flank was won easily by me which led to roughly even levels of bloodshed in the middle.

My 'aggressive defence' strategy worked reasonably well despite obvious deployment mistakes, but my shooting was totally ineffective. The undead easily managed to restore and heal the little damage I was doing. Then when it came to combat in turn 3 onwards, my archers and Silverbreeze were useless, disrupted and unable to shoot and useless on the charge because of 5+ melee.

Your comments on shooting are interesting. I have played about ten games of Kings now and observed at least that many other games, as well as reading and watching many battle reports. Increased experience continues to reinforce my belief that Kings of War shooting is simply too weak. Cheaper units of Palace Guard just seem to be able to do a lot more for their points. I've decided in the next game to drop all my shooting entirely and play a much more aggressive style.
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Re: MSU HE - KoW - 2000 vs Basileans - rematch - 5.11

#10 Post by Swordmaster of Hoeth »

Hi Ladril,

You can always post just a deployment picture. I like them a lot as hey feature both armies aligned for battle a minute before the storm breaks :)

It is interesting to know that you consider shooting too weak. I guess my army does not have much in that department in comparison to 4 bolt throwers for example. I seem to recall that shooting was much better in v.1 and that is why it was downgraded (reason why many war engines hit on 5+). But there are some people who still seem to see it as too powerful.

It might be just my point of view on the shooting I have in the army though. it does not exclude the possibility that other armies that focus on that part of the game are actually quite powerful.

Cheers!
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Re: MSU HE - KoW - 2000 vs Basileans - rematch - 5.11

#11 Post by Ladril Caledor »

I take on a Dwarf Gunline next month. I think my dragons and Drakons may be in trouble ;) I think you may be right, it can probably be really effective in a dedicated army. But in a supporting role, it struggles to even clear chaff if you take only a few shooting units. I didn't play 1st ed but I heard the same
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Re: MSU HE - KoW - 2000 vs Basileans - rematch - 5.11

#12 Post by Swordmaster of Hoeth »

Hi Ladril,

This time I disagree. I take shooter troops precisely because they can inflict enough damage on enemy small units and force nerve tests that have a chance to waver or ever rout the units. The reason I take few of my own is that I can inflict more nerve tests on enemy troops. I learned myself it can hurt when I left silver breeze out of inspire range and lost them when they received only 2 points of damage.

Cheers!
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Re: MSU HE - KoW - 2000 vs Basileans - rematch - 5.11

#13 Post by Jimmy »

Another quality battle report you've posted SM, thanks again.

Nothing to add unfortunately about the game but even before I started reading further posts I got to immediately thinking how shooting compares to 8th edition, now granted they're totally two different systems and I think panic plays a big part in Fantasy however I do think I'm leaning to the side where shooting in KOW is in a supportive role but even then it's a very weak supporting role. Sure you can inflict a few wounds before a unit gets into combat or make some nerve tests happen but I can't help but feel a cheap troop or two instead of the shooting elements would perhaps be another option worth exploring to block LOS? I know it would almost be blasphemy anyway having an Elf army without a single bow in it of course...

With the Empire of Dust army I've been playing with on paper my shooting doesn't really get any more than a pair of balefire catapults and even then paying 200 points for those that only hit on a 5+ (which ironically enough I think is the same odds in Warhammer with scatter dice?) has me scratching my head.

Still though I don't have any real tangible experience yet so it's all here say. :)

Thanks for the game report, hopefully in a few weeks I'll have something more solid to add to the mix.
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Re: MSU HE - KoW - 2000 vs Basileans - rematch - 5.11

#14 Post by Swordmaster of Hoeth »

Hi Jimmy,

Great to hear from you and thanks for stepping by!

It is quite interesting to see what your impressions are because in general Elven shooting is considered by some as over powered. Even Bolt throwers hit on 4+ and then you have Elite rule that allows re-rolls of 1's. In my first two games I didn't hit that much but my last game (report on my personal blog at the moment) I destroyed 2 heavy cavalry units with shooting alone. It required focusing fire on a single target with 4-5 units for 2 turns but it actually paid off.

No wonder some players take horde of archers with item that adds to range, keep mage nearby for Bane Chant and add 4 Bolt Throwers for good measure.

I do understand it may look underwhelming for other war engines that in general hit on 5+ and may have single attack too. The thing is that having them in the army can still be useful. They don't blow up :) When they hit, they hit hard. And because of that cannot be ignored. The catapults have the rule Indirect that allows them to be positioned in even safer and not exposed spots so getting to them requires effort. Not to mention the target don't get cover! They are good psychological weapon. And if you have a few more elements, such as other shooters or spells, then you can focus fire as I did last game and still take out even well armored units.

That, however, needs good coordination because your other units will be moving in between and to pick a clear line of sight towards the enemy might not be always possible or easy.

In general, I think you raised a very important point because the shooting can be viewed as weak support. However, it is required and one of the element of anti-fliers tactics (another power house in KoW) is to have some, preferably as breath attacks.

Cheers!
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Re: MSU HE - KoW - 2000 vs Basileans - rematch - 5.11

#15 Post by Swordmaster of Hoeth »

Greetings!

I was very lucky that my good friend, Darth Sabre (check out his blog here: Darth's Miniature Wargaming Adventures) found some time for another intercontinental, time traveling gaming experience in the magic world of Mantica. Among his many hobby projects, Darth is looking for his perfect Basilean army list and in addition to that, he also wanted a revenge after our previous encounters. His new army, inspired by a great collection of Lord of the Rings miniatures (looks like Gondor is a fantastic range for Basilean army!), took the following shape:

Forces of Basilea - Army List

40 Crossbowmen, Horde, Brew of Keen-eyeness (+1 to hit) - 260
- 5 Sisterhood Panter Lancers, Troop - 115
- Priest, Hero, Bane Chant - 90
- Phoenix, Monster - 165

10 Paladin Knights, Regiment - 210
- High Paladin on Griffin, Hero, Diadem of Dragon-Kind (Breath Attack (10)) - 240

6 Elohi, Horde, Blessing of the Gods (Elite) - 325

20 Paladin Foot Guard, Regiment - 150

20 Paladin Foot Guard, Regiment - 150

20 Men-at-Arms (Spear & Shield) - 135

20 Men-at-Arms (Spear & Shield) - 135

The main difference in comparison to previous games was that Men-at-Arms with Spears showed up, no doubt to counter my heavy cavalry with Phalanx. Elohi grouped together into a single unit and got blessed by the gods so that they could use Elite against Elves themselves and let them taste their own medicine.

This army can form very nice battle line with infantry deployed either wide to cover a lot of area and keep the flanks of the crossbowmen protected. Or in double line if needed, to receive the charge and have units ready to counter.

Elohi and the Knights are obviously the hammers of the army that can be further assisted by Griffon and Panther Lancers. These fast units can be very dangerous if adding to the effort of the main heavy hitters while attacking from the flank.

Darth had some good shooting options in the form of breath attacks in his fliers too and crossbowmen with +1 to hit are always a threat. In particular to my small units. As always, healing abilities of the army thanks to the army wide special rule (Iron Resolve) and characters spells were a great asset.

The general idea was to avoid war of attrition as I think that benefits the opponent. He has better healing and with many units being Headstrong, he can continue fighting better than my units. Also, being close means I give him more opportunities to use breath attacks to finish off damaged units too.

I expected some maneuvers at the beginning because my faster elements want to get to the targets they can harm while avoiding Spears and counter from Knights and Elohi.

Here is my own army for reference, as I haven't changed it since the last game.

Outcasts - Army List

10 Stormwind, Regiment, Potion of the Caterpillar (Pathfinder) - 235
- 5 Silverbreeze, Troop - 145
- 5 Silverbreeze, Troop - 145
- Drakon Rider Lord, Hero, Large Cavalry - 160

3 Drakon Riders, Regiment, Dwarven Ale - 185
- 5 Stormwind, Troops - 140
- Bolt Thrower, War Machine - 90

20 Palace Guard, Regiment - 150
- 10 Archers - 115
- 10 Palace Guard, Troop - 105
- Bolt Thrower, War Machine - 90

20 Spearelves, Regiment - 140
- Elven Mage, Inspiring Talisman, Bane Chant - 110

20 Spearelves, Regiment - 140
- Battle Standard Bearer, Hero - 50

Terrain

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Terrain and height details

Darth was very kind to prepare the set of six maps so we quickly rolled to pick one and it happened to be desert one. I guess it was inspired by Christmas time in Australia :)

As you can see there is plenty of terrain with height 4. I have just noticed I also made a mistake, as the hill on the South was height 2 only, my apologies for that.

Then we rolled for scenario and got Dominate! It was the second time I played this one and I find it very intriguing as it forces you to hunt down expensive units of the enemy while trying to keep your own safe.

Deployment

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Deployment Order

Deplyment Order:

1. Archers - Panther Lancers
2. Silver Breeze (SB1) - Men-at-Arms
3. Silver Breeze (SB2) - Paladins (P1)
4. Bolt Thrower (BT1) - Knights
5. Bolt Thrower (BT2) - Men-at-Arms
6. Mage - Paladin on Griffin
7. Spearelves (S1) - Paladins (P2)
8. Spearelves (S2) - Priest
9. Storm Wind (SW2) - Crossbowmen
10. Palace Guard (PG2) - Elohi
11. Palace Guard (PG1) - Phoenix
12. Rest of the Army

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Final deployment with the scenario area marked.

I didn't have staying power to just go to the middle of the field and defend it from the enemy so I had to choose different tactics. I won the roll off to pick the sides and I chose South. It was obvious I would use the hill for my war machines but it was just too good to pass even if Darth knew already where my bolt throwers would go. It just gave me a very good opportunity to shoot at the center of the battle field so that I could try and rout some units from the area that counted for scenario purposes.

At the same time I wanted to make sure no units are in range for crossbows and if possible, keep it that way as long as I can. They are one of the most expensive units in the enemy forces too so I wanted to use my own speed to try and isolate them and then hopefully destroy them. I expected that unit to move towards the center and keep shooting at whatever it could. By doing so they played a very important role for the scenario so they had to be dealt with.

Elohi and Knights were also elements that were very expensive and mere presence of these in the middle of the battle field would be a huge swing in Darth's favor. Hence, my idea was to try and attack from the flanks to try and lure them out long enough to be too late to come back and land in the middle again. And if possible, destroy them too.

I definitely wanted a second turn because I thought that with the natural speed of the Elves I could jump in with them on the last turn and try to secure the victory if simple routing of the enemy regiments would not work efficiently enough. Especially, considering some expensive fliers that can hide whole game and still make a difference in the end.

I got lucky and won the roll off and handed the first turn over to Darth.

Forces of Basilea - Turn 1

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Basileans move cautiously forward.

Forces of Basilea moved forward cautiously. Their own shooting was not yet in range but some units didn't want to get into that of enemy either.

Outcasts - Turn 1

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Elves reinforce the flanks and open fire.

Elves moved on the flanks, stronger West kept the enemy Knights in check while one of the Bolt Throwers hit them a few times. In the middle, the shooters decided to focus fire on Men-at-Arms in case they wanted to reinforce the Knights.

The units on the East used the nearby statue as a cover while Drakes pulled back a little.

Forces of Basilea - Turn 2

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Cautious maneuvers continue

Basileans continued to approach with caution, clearly not wanting to get into range of Elven heavy cavalry. Their amazing healing abilities allowed for some proper recovery of damaged units. Unfortunately Crossbowmen still could not find any targets and had to move forward a little.

Outcasts - Turn 2

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Elves keep reinforcing the flanks and shoot at the enemy

Elven infantry moved boldly forward on the West. Tallspears were tempting human knights to charge them but the trap was too obvious.

Bolt Thrower crew kept shooting at them while the rest of ranged attacks were directed Panther Lancers. But for now no significant result was achieved.

Drakon Lord managed to find a safe spot to land behind enemy lines and cause some trouble.

Forces of Basilea - Turn 3

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More healing with a little bit of shooting.

The battle line of Basilean army breaks cohesion a little. On the West the units try to converge on the flank better to support the Knights. Paladin on Griffon attacks nearby Tallspears instead of healing his own units this time.

On the East, the units try to cover their backs in case Drakon Lord starts to be more aggressive. And Crossbowmen turn towards the flank anticipating some enemy might finally emerge from behind the cover of a statue.

Outcasts - Turn 3

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Elves press forward but became reckless

Elves decided it is time to be more decisive. On the West infantry moved forward to intercept the Knights but in doing so kind of blocked cavalry. Mage tried to heal Tallspears but was not quite successful.

In the middle second unit of Tallspears and Palace Guard used the opportunity and moved towards the Crossbowmen while they were not looking. Shooters also aimed at them but didn't inflict that much of a damage.

On the East fast units were a little bit too reckless. First, Drakon Lord was arrogant enough to land in front of Men-at-Arms and taunting them to attack him. Then Storm Wind and Drakons indeed left the safety of the statue but landed in a place that gave clear line of sight to any of them for enemy Crossbowmen. They were about to pay for such folly.

Forces of Basilea - Turn 4

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Forces of Basilea claim first kills.

Basileans finally launched some attacks. Griffin and Phoenix routed Tallspears and suddenly it was Basileans who had advantage on the flank.

On the East Storm Wind cavalry was also routed by a few well chosen crossbow bolts. While Men-at-Arms wounded and wavered Drakon Lord! That was definitely a good moment for Forces of Basilea!

Outcasts - Turn 4

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Elves fight back!

It was a tough blow to lose two units but it was far from over. On the West, heavy cavalry didn't took the bait and pulled back. So did Palace Guard. The odds were not good for Elves so they kept shooting at the Knights, this time with the aid of Silver Breeze cavalry too. The damage was substantial but the Knights only wavered.

In the middle of the battle field it was a bit better as Panther Lancers were routed by shooting , thus opening the path towards exposed Crossbowmen.

Drakon Lord could only pull back into the forest and hope for some extra protection it offered. Drakon Riders also decided it is better to come back to the safety of the cover.

Forces of Basilea - Turn 5

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More healing!

Basileans reformed after the previous successes, eager to capitalize on them. The Knights, now with a bit of released pressure, got some healing done.

Crossbowmen faced incoming enemy infantry with Elohi waiting nearby to counter attack. Behind them, Men-at-Arms eagerly entered to woods to hunt some monsters but this time Drakon Lord was not harmed much and was free to fly away.

Outcasts - Turn 5

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Devastating attack!

Elves launched their own attacks at this moment. The forces on the West decided it is about time to turn and race towards the center to occupy it before the enemy. Both fast cavalry sped forward to cover the maneuver and to block enemy units from entering the zone. Bolt thrower crew finally managed to inflict enough damage to rout the Knights.

Tallspears and Palace Guard attacked their chosen target but Crossbowmen held this time. Unfortunately, help would not come as Elohi were routed by Drakon Lord all by himself! (Edit: I was very lucky here because I rolled 11 for a nerve test twice in a row.)

Forces of Basilea - Turn 6

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Basileans in the last attempt to inflict some damage

The situation for Basileans turned from good to bad in a matter of seconds. They lost their two most powerful units, their infantry was either blocked or too far from the center of the battle field and the Elves were in good position to add some more regiments there anyway.

Basileans launched their fliers then to try and rout some more Elven units but they spread their efforts and no significant effect was achieved.

Outcasts - Turn 6

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Situation at the beginning of Elven turn 6.

At this stage Darth decided he has not chance to break through towards the center and to balance the number of units I could have in the zone to change the result of the battle so we stopped at this stage.

I had a chance to flank charge Paladins with Drakons to hopefully prevent them from entering the middle of the battle field in the case of turn 7. I also was looking at a charge against the Priest with Drakon Lord or against damaged Crossbowmen or even against Paladins to assists the Drakon Riders. I think I would attack Crossbowmen with Tallspears just to make sure I clear the middle ground from enemy troops.

Then both my characters and Stormwind cavalry were free to go there too, making sure to be in position to counter any infantry assaulting from North-West.

I would have to attack the Phoenix with my Palace Guard. Not sure if that would have been enough to rout it but I was losing nothing in trying.

Summary

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Turn-by-turn animation summary

After-battle thoughts

I must say I didn't expect that dramatic shift in the 5th turn. I charged Elohi simply to distract them, do some damage and prepare for their charge against Drakon Lord (good because that leads them away from the middle zone for scenario objectives). Or if they didn't attack him I would be in position to charge again, maybe even with the help of Drakon Riders.

I am of course very happy with the victory but I made some mistakes that were unacceptable. First, it looked like a minor one because the enemy didn't move against Palace Guard on the West. However, if they got charged by the Knights and Griffon they would probably die. That would allow to break through. Or even worse, if they wavered, they would block my own heavy cavalry.

Even worse mistakes were made on the East where I exposed units for shooting. That was totally unnecessary and I could have avoided that by simply checking the distances. Same with the Drakon Lord where I got lucky not to be routed by Men-at-Arms.

It was interesting to observe that the game was not dynamic most of the time simply because neither of us wanted to commit on the flank. I think it worked for me better because I could still shoot at the Knights with my Bolt Thrower and then had enough time to turn and race towards the center of the battle field to fulfill the scenario conditions.

I am not happy with the deployment though because I didn't use the Archers at all. They had some shooting opportunities but did nothing anyway. They were too far from the start.

I divided the shooting too much. I am happy with the way Bolt Thrower and fast cavalry did on the flank but I could use my other shooters to hit Crossbowmen earlier. I am definitely not complaining about the results in general, I just think I could do it better and achieve more.

I also think that the fact that Darth was quite shy with advancing his units and then moving them away from the center of the battle field, helped me to block his regiments and secure the victory.

We discussed the options after the game and Mr. szypul, who observed the game, gave some good ideas on how to deploy Basileans better. He suggested to use the fast elements on the East and attack aggressively from there. Then use the infantry in the center to maintain cohesion and provide axis for the whole outflanking maneuver.

Darth also mentioned that he is still looking for that army list that would suit him the best. He tried a few iterations so far but he is not satisfied yet. He is thinking about adding shooting contingent of Elves instead of his own Crossbowmen, for example. I hope he will find the balance in the Force because it would be a shame not to show off these beautiful models he is currently working on!

Darth, it was a great pleasure to play against you, as always and I am sure that despite the losses you are not going to give up and will get me next time! I really got lucky!

Thanks for reading!
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High Elves MSU - Observations
Rabidnid wrote:Are you seriously asking someone called Swordmaster of Hoeth why he has more swordmasters than white lions? Really?
Ferny
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Re: MSU HE - KoW - 2000 vs Basileans - round 3 - 18.12

#16 Post by Ferny »

Bump on active topics - I've got a game in hand to read here!
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