Tournament Battlereport from 2. Eroberung der Scheune Game 1: Hundred Kingdoms against Wadrhun

Overview:
Game 1 
Game 2
Game 3

On the second weekend of June, we attended the Bedburger Tournament. With 18 players, all factions were well represented, except for the Hundred Kingdoms and Sorcerer Kings. Therefore, I decided once again to lead my brave humans into battle, even though choosing the lists was a bit more challenging this time. My usual three standard lists didn’t appeal to me, and I couldn’t find any inspiring suggestions online. Since I’ve been discussing cavalry lists a lot with Pommesmann lately, and he’s been testing some, I put together a list featuring a double Priory Commander.

== 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 [265]: Standard Bearer
* Order of the Ashen Dawn 3 [250]:

== Warlord Imperial Officer [90]: Brace for Impact, On Your Feet
* Men at Arms 3 [105]:
* Mercenary Crossbowmen 3 [105]:
* Mercenary Crossbowmen 3 [105]:
* Mercenary Crossbowmen 3 [105]:

== Priory Commander Crimson Tower [160]: Olefant's Roar, Long Lineage
* Order of the Crimson Tower 4 [295]: Standard Bearer

I hastily assembled this list on the evening of the submission deadline and hadn't tested it beforehand. My thoughts on the list were quite simple: I wanted to field as many Order Knights as possible. Since Pommesmann often complains about the lack of banners, I equipped almost all my units with them. To score points, I included the Imperial Officer with Man-at-Arms. Thanks to Flank, the Imperial Officer enters the game in round 2, and with the Sealed Temple, I had a somewhat reasonable way to score points. Initially, I wanted to include a third regiment of Sealed Temple, but I decided instead to complete the list with Crossbowmen, as I didn't have three painted Sealed Temple standard-bearers and wasn't sure if I could finish them in time for the tournament. Although there was no painting requirement, I prefer not to play with unpainted figures.

Game 1 was against Reddarksider with Wadhrun, and we had never had the pleasure of playing against each other before. However, I had already had the opportunity to admire the handsome Tontorr several times.

== Predator [120]: War, Voice of Conquest, Ceaseless Hunt
* Hunting Pack 3 [120]:
* Slingers 3 [160]:

== Matriarch Queen [145]: Death, Brood of Omgorah
* Warbred 3 [190]:
* Raptor Riders 3 [190]:
* Apex Predator 1 [190]:
* Braves 3 [120]:

== Warlord Thunder Chieftain [185]: War, Elder Brontoskalps, Rapid Displacement
* Thunder Riders 3 [250]:
* Tontorr 1 [330]:
.

We played the Echelon scenario on a desert table with fitting terrain:

In the first round, I only received one regiment of Crossbowmen, while Reddarksider brought all his light regiments into play. I hid in the middle of the forest, while he deployed the Slingers to my right and the two cavalry regiments to my left.

In round two, the Wadrhun only brought their Warbread into play, while I deployed the other two units of Crossbowmen, both Sealed Temples, and the Man-at-Arms. I decided to give Vanguard to both units of Crossbowmen and placed a Crossbowmen card face up. The ones in the forest were supposed to retreat to punish any overeager Hunting Pack. The Wadrhun inflicted some damage on the objective and moved slightly. I destroyed the left objective and pushed the first Sealed Temple to the left side of the field, while my Man-at-Arms marched 10 inches towards the right zone. So far, everything was going as expected. Then, the Warbread utilized Conquest T1 and moved towards the side of the Slingers, which confused me. I thought Reddarksider had forgotten the last Sealed Temples, so I moved into the right zone. However, they were positioned somewhat suboptimally, and his Hunting Pack charged into the center, eyeing the Sealed Temples. I hadn't considered them, but at least I was leading 5:0.

In the third round, I was allowed to add Ashen Dawn to my deck. The Wadrhun chose the Tontorr and the Thunder Rider. They definitely had to chant to get into the zone, but depending on how much they committed there, I could either deny them with the Sealed Temples on the right or perhaps even score myself. However, I discarded that thought since the Sealed Temples would simply die, and I needed to somehow control the Raptors as well. Since I had no idea how to do that, I placed the Sealed Temples face up. Maybe I could start by destroying the Hunting Pack. If not, I would have to activate the others and let the Man-at-Arms do the job. Either way, it shouldn't be too bad – or so I hoped.

I started by taking out the Hunting Pack. The Raptors executed a Fluid Move Charge into the flank of the now centrally positioned Sealed Temples. They didn't want to be exposed to crossbow bolts at the front. So, I had to move the Crossbowmen and shoot without aiming. But before that happened, it was time for my characters to act, and the Warbread destroyed the right objective. This created enough space for the Slingers to advance, and they reluctantly used Conquest T1 to shoot at the Sealed Temples. One of them remained standing with only 2 hit points left, and the Wadrhun had no option to chant Conquest in this round. Therefore, they wouldn't be able to enter the zone. Hence, my Sealed Temples had to move into the zone, and because I was feeling greedy, I also wanted to eliminate the Raptors. My second Sealed Temples thus embarked on a Reform Move Charge into the flank of the Raptors, placing their toe in his zone. Naturally, the Tontorr and the Thunder Rider appeared there, but I didn't care. Even if I lost the Sealed Temples in the next round, hopefully, the Ashen Dawn and Crimson Tower could hold my zone long enough to secure the lead. Plus, I still had the Crossbowmen, who precisely shot down the Raptors that survived the impacts. Finally, only my first Ashen Dawn marched into the zone and positioned themselves opposite the Slingers. The score was 10:3.

In the fourth round, we both received the remaining cards, and I placed my two Sealed Temple cards face up. If I didn't start, one unit could pivot, gather, and flank the Slinger, reducing the damage from shooting. On the other hand, if I did start, the other Sealed Temples could engage in a Charge Clash against the Thunder Rider. With Blessed, they could even eliminate them, which seemed like the most sensible option for securing Supremacy in this round. Therefore, I activated my Supremacy, and the Wadrhun began their turn. The Tontorr opted for a charge on the three instead of a Move Charge and failed the roll. As a result, my Sealed Temples were able to charge into the Thunder Rider, and all three stands perished. Although one Sealed Temple was taken out due to Die Fighting from the Warchief, the beginning was devastating for the Wadrhun. Even though the Braves and the Apex were yet to come. Next in line were his Slingers, who preferred to target the Man-at-Arms rather than the Ashen Dawn. However, the dice didn't favor them, and the Man-at-Arms survived with two hit points. Then, one Sealed Temple engaged the Slingers, blocking the Warbread, allowing my Ashen Dawn to charge unhindered into the Slingers. His Apex appeared in the center to salvage the situation, and the Braves positioned themselves in front of the larger Sealed Temple. Finally, my remaining Knights marched into my zone, and I scored both zones again. The score stood at 15:3.

In the fifth round, my plan was simply to maintain my lead. I placed the three heavy cavalry units face down and all the Sealed Temples face up. I started by dispatching the Braves with the Sealed Temples, only to lose them to the Tontorr afterward. The Tontorr also managed to edge into the zone with one toe, but the situation didn't look promising for him on the other flank. The Slingers engaged in close combat with the Sealed Temple and perished during their attempted retreat, making room for the Warbread. Together with the Apex, the Warbread also managed to eliminate two Ashen Dawn, but behind them stood more, especially my Crimson Tower. The Crimson Tower sought to claim their first trophy for this event and flanked the Apex. With some groundwork laid by the Crossbowmen, it was enough for the big guy, and one Ashen Dawn managed to slay another Warbread. The score stood at 17:5.

In round six, I swiftly dispatched the Warbread with the Ashen Dawn and directed everything towards the Tontorr. Everything, that is, except for one regiment of Man-at-Arms, tasked with holding the zone. In the subsequent round or in round eight, the Tontorr succumbed to the relentless barrage and onslaught from the Crimson Tower. Victory for the valiant humans.

Closing Thoughts:
During the test games, which unfortunately didn't go particularly well, my enthusiasm for the list noticeably waned. The fact that I ultimately secured the first victory because the Tontorr failed his charge and I managed to take out the Thunder Rider didn't improve matters. Without the bad luck in Reddarksider's rolls, the Tontorr would likely have caused me quite a headache. The Crimson Tower is certainly not my first or second choice, but the imposing block had a certain allure in the evening. By now, I've grown quite fond of both my conversions and the original models. However, during the test games, it became apparent that they didn't benefit from the supremacy of the other commander. Additionally, I consistently awarded my opponent points for the Warlord whenever the Crimson Commander fell. I simply got used to the opponent receiving points when a commander dies – a mistake that would come back to haunt me during the tournament. Nevertheless, I had survived the first round, even though I somewhat regretted not packing the Sorcerer Kings. With them, all the figures are firmly glued, much like in Uziel's armies, which I borrow for test games. Throughout the tournament, I scattered my Man-at-Arms across the board because I've gotten into the habit of touching the figures rather than the stands. Annoying, but more of a Hanna problem. On the positive side, the start was accomplished, and I was eager to face the upcoming challenges. Just no Spire or Old Dominion opponents, then I would be happy. Next Game 2