Warmachine. Red or Dead

So it's the third Thursday of the month and that now only means one thing..... racing out the door as quickly as possible to get to the creative biscuit for a 7pm start. I got my poor son ready for bed so quick I think his head was still spinning as I left the house!

Tim (our excellent host) hands me one of his excellent lattes and we strike up a quick conversation and soon 25 points of Warmachine is being set up on one of the tables.

It will be a Highborn covenant insurrection against the forces of Khador.

"whats big and stompy and red all over?"

This is my first game of Warmachine since New Years eve and I am convinced one of the reasons I have enjoyed my gaming so much this year is because I have steered clear of Warmachine. Trouble was the only other free player was Russell and his Cryx and Tim is just not ready for that kick in the guts yet.

Its a caster I have never played against before with a lot of new units so it will be a learning curve for both of us.

I go with the usual as it's my first game in ages and I just want to get my eye in again.

First turn and I cast quicken and then run everything forward. My Mages make a bee line for the craters for the defense buff.

Tim also runs forward.

Tim brings forward his infantry unit and then sets them up in a lovely, closely packed line right in front of my Mules!

I guess he has never played against Mules before.

Below are the 'before' and 'after' shots.

"Now you see us!

Two critical hits sends everything for a flying lesson!

There is high flying models and collateral damage everywhere and I soon run out of 'knocked down tokens'

The rolls result in absolute carnage!

"Now you don't"

This opens up a lovely big gap in the middle which I plan to exploit next turn.

I think Tim spots the threat and pops his feat. Everything gets pathfinder and a movement buff and the Khador infantry are right in my grill.

I pop Ashlynn's feat in return and merrily blast away into the combat with my stationary Mages. As the Reds fall it frees up more Mages to pull off the same party trick.

My Mule 'The Wild Rover' blasts away with critical devestation and critical brutals just to rub salt in the wounds.

The truth is despite all the criticals I am REALLY struggling to do any real damage to the Khador Jacks and have to content myself with nerfing the Jacks with 'black oil' and 'thunder bolts'. 

Eiryss has been a nightmare for Tim on my right flank and is plugging a widow maker a turn. None of them will survive to the end of the game.

I continue to do little against the Khador Jacks except scratch the paintwork!

I content myself with tying up the Jacks in melee to allow the rest of my forces to get to grips with Tim's caster.

I have managed to clear the rest of his forces.

I try the same trick with Alexia and create a thrall to charge at the Khador Caster to pin him down or risk the free strike. To everyones surprise I manage to roll a double six (I needed 11!), to score the hit. I also manage to inflict nine damage. Just like hitting the net in Tennis and getting the lucky bounce I can only put my hands up and apologise to Tim.

despite rolling the double six all I can think is "it's the only bloody unpainted miniature in the whole game!"

Tim gets his own back with two massive rolls on Ashlynn to leave her on 5 life boxes despite her excellence defence.I decide it might be time for her to make a tactical retreat!

Out of shot I surround the Khador Caster in risen which I then cover in 'black oil' before shooting my own lower defence Risen in the back to send the whole lot flying through the air. Once again it gets VERY complicated VERY quickly with all the collaterial damage. The Dog becomes a new pet for Alexia (a zombie dog might be my first purchase at Salute) and I shoot myself in the foot by blasting the Caster 6 inches through the air to take him well out of threat range!

Tim tramples his Jack thorugh my small based forces and has a pop at Alexia but her high defence saves the day.

At this point Tim declares as he has played his feat and the remainder of the game will be a long game of kiss chase with me probably slowly grinding down the Jacks to get the kill.

Thankfully Tim decides to save us both from that fate!

Just want to thank Tim for the cracking game and being such a top host.

I guess despite all my big talk I guess I am not ready to turn my back on Warmahordes JUST yet.

As a p.s. we also had a noisy game of Imperial assault going on at the other table and a game of Viking (the board game) was in full swing when I left.

Can't wait until the 23rd of April when we can do it all again.