Battlereports from the tournament in Münster

On March 16th, a 22-player tournament took place in Münster, to which four of us from the Bremen area traveled to have some fun games. Max, the organizer, had asked us to bring along a few extra mats since originally 28 players were registered. However, this turned out to be unnecessary due to some last-minute cancellations. Nonetheless, I always had neoprene zones at hand for my games because Max used cheap ones made of plexiglass. However, due to the edge, I find they don't play as nicely.

 

Then, one more note about the terrain: You will also notice this well in the pictures, and in my opinion, it's the main reason why Hundred Kingdoms were so high up. Because at Max tournaments, the terrain is always the same - in every scenario, on every table, and in every round. This led to water being everywhere in the middle and the rest seeming unimportant. Even the water wasn't a problem, and I regretted not marching with 15 stands of Longbows. Then we received the information that pairing and scoring should be done through an app. At this point, I would like to quote Nino's contribution from Discord, as he summarizes it nicely:

"Made VP is an absolutely terrible first tiebreaker. Some armies simply score better than others, so comparability is inherently not very specific; if you want to perform well, you always have to chew through all games to the end while an already hopeless opponent watches gnashing their teeth. It penalizes less experienced players who may not manage all rounds in addition. After Game 1, you told me that you didn't want the course of the game to be "calculated" as it comes to an end - this exacerbates the effect further. In all three games, I had the effect that in rounds 6-7, one of the players had simply won based on VP and board state, but because VP are relevant, you had to hurry with some activation passes until round 10 each time, instead of packing up and enjoying a coffee in peace. The results also correspond accordingly (I played about 60:20; 60:30 and 30:90). This wouldn't have to be the case, and I think it's nicer in such cases to be able to make a few cool/risky actions without pressure, or to discuss what could have been done differently/better. Sure, I could also do that with VP scoring, but I'll be punished for it at the event by sliding down 6-7 places - simply because the dead horse wasn't beaten enough. The same applies in my opinion to a difference or matrix scoring. The PB that offers it as the only solution is nonsense. The fact that the app pairs first against last in the bracket is just the icing on the pairing nightmare."

Enough of the negative aspects, let's move on to the positive things. Everyone received special cards, and with that, a lively exchange began since everyone wanted certain cards for their faction. Here is a picture of some cards:

Kilian  [2000/2000]
The Hundred Kingdoms
Veterans

== (Warlord) Priory Commander (Sealed Temple) [110]:
 * Order of the Sealed Temple (3) [205]: Standard Bearer
 * Order of the Sealed Temple (3) [205]: Standard Bearer
 * Order of the Ashen Dawn (3) [255]: Standard Bearer
 * Order of the Ashen Dawn (3) [255]: Standard Bearer

== (Warlord) Imperial Officer [90]: Brace for Impact, On Your Feet
 * Mercenary Crossbowmen (3) [105]:
 * Mercenary Crossbowmen (3) [105]:
 * Hunter Cadre (4) [245]: Veterans, +1 Volley, Standard Bearer, Null Mage
 * Steel Legion (3) [215]: Veterans, +1 Clash, Standard Bearer, Drillmaster

== Chapter Mage [105]: School of Fire, Focused
 * Men at Arms (3) [105]::

This time, my list was a bit different. I had significantly fewer Crossbows and more elite infantry. This was because in the weeks prior, I had mostly played Sorcerer Kings and similar armies and needed a new list. Therefore, I reverted to Kilian's idea from France and quickly tried it out a few times against the Old Dominion to roughly get a feel for what is possible on the battlefield. Since we currently have two very active and skilled Old Dominion players, this was not a problem, although the results surprised me.

The cheap Legionnaires, running 17" onto the board, are a big problem for me on "Grind them Down," but they easily score two points on the kill point scenario "Melee." So, compared to a Praetorian block and Bone Golems, it's preferable. Therefore, I try not to play against Old Dominion in round 1. Generally, what bothers me about Kilian's list is that I don't have two secure, scoring units in round two. The Steel Legion as Veterans is, of course, a statement, but ultimately, points win the game, and if I start collecting them late, it will be tough.

Game 1 City States on Grind them Down

The City States [1990/2000]

== Eidolon [140]: Alternate Soma

 * Thorakites (4) [115]: Lochagos, Minotaur Thyrean Auxiliary

 * Inquisitors (3) [200]: 

 * Inquisitors (3) [200]: 

 * Promethean (1) [220]: 

== (Warlord) Polemarch [140]: Atalanta's Spear + Aristia 

 * Hoplites (8) [365]: Dorilates, Minotaur Haspist Auxiliary

 * Minotaur Haspists (3) [180]: 

 * Minotaur Thyreans (3) [190]: 

 * Selinoi (4) [170]:

My fellow player had a very pretty City States army and a rather classic list concept. The Eidolon counted as 3-point stands with the Alternate Soma in the Thorakites, and a large Hoplite block with an emotional support Titan for fun. With two Sealed Temples, I would have preferred facing the Vanguard army, but I had practiced against something like this a few weeks ago, and I just needed to keep the Ashen Dawn away from the Cleave 2 regiments.

In round 1, I had Crossbows and Hunters, and he only had the Thorakites. Thinking that the V3 Hunter Cadre was quite threatening, they ran centrally in front of the pond, ready to greet anything coming in with 13 AP shots.

In round 2, the thing I feared happened, and I only received one regiment of Sealed Temples, while he got the Selinoi, the shielded cows (he had initially deployed the ones with two-handed weapons, and we only noticed that a round later), the Titan, and the hefty Hoplite block. Okay, that's a problem, and the fact that my Hunter Cadre thinks it only hits two doesn't help either. At least I got my desired zone and didn't jump in front of my face but secured two. 4:7.

In round 3, luck was on his side with "then draws," and my deck swelled nicely with all cards except one Ashen Dawn. Only his two Inquisitors were missing. He started, and the Selinoi shot down half of the Hunters. Then his Thorakites attacked the left Crossbows but failed at least. Unfortunate. I was currently lacking answers on the field, but at least the right Crossbows shot down a shielded cow, causing the cows to Move Charge into the Sealed Temples. The rest of his army marched forward, with the Hoplites and the Titan in the middle, each occupying a zone. The delay had paid off, and I could now align myself well against him. First, the Man at Arms marched into Fire Dart range, and together with the Hunters, they managed to reduce the Thorakites to 6 life. Then the Sealed Temples on the right, led by the Commander, slew the cows in front of them, and my other units turned with Fluid into the zone of the Thorakites to prevent the worst. I had to think a bit about the Ashen Dawn, but since scenario points were the most important tiebreaker for placement, I had hardly any choice. Especially since Uziel at the neighboring table announced that he was holding all zones in round two. Nordics, you know… Instead of playing it safe, I decided to provoke a Mexican standoff in round 5 and placed the Ashen Dawn in the center. 5:11.

Round 4 offered solid opportunities for both Sealed Temples. One set was perfectly positioned to decimate the Thorakites, but my plan was to attack the Selinoi from the rear. However, I didn't want to reveal this plan, as he might withdraw them otherwise. So, I built my deck quite aggressively but placed a regiment of Sealed Temples down. Then I activated my Supremacy and got to start. The Sealed Temples on the right, led by the Commander, charged into the Titan. Unfortunately, the charge roll was on a 3, but everything went as expected, and the Titan fell like a tree. Although the Hoplites took out two knights in the counter-attack, it was worth it, especially since they were now positioned exactly as I needed them. My Ashen Dawn would later ride alongside the Hoplites, or another regiment would position themselves behind in case they somehow continued forward or turned around. But we weren't there yet, and my Steel Legion could only get into position for now.

His Thorakites first struck down the Crossbows, only to be burned by the Fire Dart themselves. Then his two Inquisitors marched forward on the left side. That was the perfect moment for my Sealed Temples to attack the Selinoi and wipe them out. Unfortunately, there was no preferred zone for me, but only one zone for the City States. And more importantly, he had already lost four relevant units, while I had only lost a few Crossbows. In other words, the situation looked very good for me. I would be able to catch up with the points effortlessly, and the only reason I attempted to do so with the Ashen Dawn instead of playing it safe was the odd scoring for the tiebreaker. 9:12.

In round 5, we chose our zones, and I got to start. Ashen Dawn went into the flank of the Hoplites. They broke at just the right moment, and the Resolve damage destroyed them. His Zweihandkühe then tried to reach the Steel Legion, but with only one Move Charge, the damage wasn't sufficient. When all the cows died in the counter-attack of the 19 attacks with Cleave 2, nothing stopped me from scoring every zone from round 6 onwards and chasing down the two Inquisitors with the Sealed Temples and Ashen Dawn.

First victory with ~60 points or so. Essentially, the City States could have held on, but a few deployment errors and the very unfavorable table made the difference there.

Game 2 Spire on Declined Flank

During the break, I brushed off a few Spire from the table with my cardigan, and promptly, they gathered for revenge in the next game against me.

The Spires [1995/2000]

== (Warlord) High Clone Executor [120]: Marksman Variant, Overtax Nervous System

 * Vanguard Clones (3) [150]: 

 * Force-Grown Drones (3) [90]: 

 * Marksman Clones (3) [150]: 

 * Brute Drones (4) [220]: 

== Biomancer [130]: Degenerative Aura

 * Force-Grown Drones (9) [270]: 

 * Force-Grown Drones (3) [90]: 

 * Abomination (1) [150]: 

 * Abomination (1) [150]: 

== Lineage Highborne [120]: 

 * Centaur Avatara (3) [190]: 

 * Avatara (3) [165]:

Spire on Declined Flank with a Biomancer could be challenging. On the other hand, there was no Pheromancer present to further increase the damage. Overall, I didn't see any problem and also didn't wonder where all the points were.

In round 1, we both received all lights, and I started. When a massive block of FGD appeared in the middle, I flinched for a moment. Perhaps I should have paid attention to the number of stands. Thanks to the Directorate, the Biomancer could turn them into a medium unit, and thus, they would score points. The fact that he positioned them five wide also showed that he had some practice with it, and when asked if they had the Aura of Death, there was only a friendly grin in response. Annoying. Very annoying.

In round 2, we both had two Sealed Temples, and the Spire received the Vanguard Clones. We both chose a zone where we couldn't score and took turns with Alibi activations. Then his Vanguard Clones entered the battlefield, and I greeted them with a salvo from the Hunters, disabling one stand. Then only the two Sealed Temples remained, which went into the two zones that would earn me points. I stayed as far away as possible from the Murder Drones block, as I was reluctant to die in the aura. 4:2.

Round 3 brought me everything except the Man at Arms, and him everything except one Abomination and the Centaur. I chose his far left zone, and he chose my middle one. During deck construction, I was indecisive and ultimately opted for my usual approach: first the ranged attacks, then the characters, followed by the Ashen Dawn, the two Sealed Temples, and finally the Steel Legion, for which I hadn't found a proper deployment yet.

Unfortunately, I was allowed to start and began by shooting down the next batch of Vanguard Clones - always satisfying when Spire dies. Then the FGD moved in front of the Clones, followed by an Abomination, which, along with the Vanguard Clones, stuck a little toe into the zone, essentially base to base with the FGD. At this sight, I couldn't help but smile because if my Sealed Temples were to attack the FGD now, the Abomination would be pushed out of the zone, and I would hold the zone. However, we first marched on both sides. His Avatars far left, my Ashen Dawn on the right and left, and his Marksman in the middle. Then it was the Sealed Temples' turn, rushing across half the board into the FGD. Since they had already suffered damage from the Crossbows, the Impacts were sufficient. Thus, I had 3 zones, and he only had one again. 12:2.

Round 4 arrived, and I was leading by a significant margin. It was the secure Supremacy round for both of us. He had to start, otherwise, it would be the final nail in the coffin, and little did he know how bad it would truly be. We built our decks, with a sudden Sealed Temple rising to the top for me, followed by the Marksmen, characters, and the rest. I began, and the right Sealed Temples utilized Fluid Formation and Move Charge to reach the Marksman. Thanks to Blessed, they were broken after the hits and then died from Resolve damage. His gaze at the Sealed Temples was about the same as I always look at the Biomancer: bewildered and filled with suppressed anger. We were far ahead of the other tables time-wise and chatted about everything under the sun. He hadn't expected the Sealed Temples to be so absurdly mobile and to work with the Impacts as well. So far, he hadn't had any experience with them and probably saw his setup in the last round as the focal point of the impending defeat. I could only agree because now I was behind his lines, and nobody wanted knights in their rear.

Then his Abomination charged into my Hunters and was subsequently slain. The rest also moved forward. In particular, the hefty FGD block executed a Move Charge against the Steel Legion in the middle because he absolutely did not want the Sealed Temples to flank him. However, the other Sealed Temples had not yet activated, and with Fluid Formation, I managed to Charge Clash into the flank of the Drones. With Blessed and Commander, I completely wiped them out. Overall, things looked very bleak for the Spire on the battlefield. However, he still had the second Abomination and the Centaur, securing him two zones, and a glimmer of hope. He just needed to start next round, then maybe he could secure a flank. 16:4.

Round 5 began, and I had the first turn. The Sealed Temples, positioned behind his lines, attacked the Centaur from the flank. Then the Hunters shot down the second Abomination, and in the remaining two rounds, I cleaned up and scored in every zone, securing a victory by a wide margin.

 

Also, a few positioning errors were ultimately the main reason for my victory here. That, and the fact that he didn't know where the Sealed Temple with the standard could realistically arrive.

Game 3 Old Dominion on Melee

Remember my introduction? I mentioned that I had previously tested my list against the Old Dominion Aura of Death list and found Melee to be the best scenario for me. Well, Nino witnessed a few of those games and played against me himself, so we both knew the flow of the game very well. Nino attempted some risky actions to surprise me, but his dice completely betrayed him. So, we were finished in less than 45 minutes. Instead of lounging around for almost two hours, we played another game where I proxied the Sorcerer Kings without my paper models. It was an exciting game, but since you wouldn't be able to recognize anything from the pictures, there's no report on that. In short, I lost significantly in the scenario because Nino's list is simply three times faster in the scenario than mine.

At the end of the day, I had three wins and the most scenario points, which secured me the first place.