Battlereport 100k vs. Nords or Bretonia Strikes Back

Hi,

I actually wanted to include a few nice game reports against Sorcerer Kings and Spire, but all those games ended in round four because Decay can sometimes backfire, or my opponent’s Reinforcement rolls allowed me to build a lead of over 20 points. I still wanted to write something about the second test game with Marcus (Pommesmann on T3, Bremer on Discord) because he had learned from the mistakes of the last game. As for me, well, I was still caught up in the excitement of being the Clash-5 king, which I’m still pretty thrilled about. Since not everyone may have read the first report, here are the two army lists again.

Nords [2000/2000]
== (Warlord) Blooded [145]: Dragon, Figurehead of the Naglfar, The Hunt's Instinct
 * Stalkers (3) [160]:
 * Trolls (3) [170]:
 * Fenr Beastpack (3) [140]:
 * Bow-Chosen (4) [270]:
== Konungyr [135]: Dragon, The Broken Blade
 * Sea Jotnar (1) [240]:
 * Ice Jotnar (1) [260]:
 * Huskarls (5) [270]: Standard Bearer, Thegn
 * Bow-Chosen (3) [210]:

My list includes some expensive elements, but with the Blooded, everything arrives in the desired round. After playing against the Sorcerer Kings, I really enjoy not being dependent on reinforcement rolls anymore. However, I’m somewhat bothered by the lack of range against certain armies and the fact that I’m not quite as durable. On the other hand, the Nords models, especially the two Jotnar, hit incredibly hard.

Hundred Kingdoms [1995/2000]
Veterans
== (Warlord) Priory Commander (Sealed Temple) [110]:
 * Order of the Sealed Temple (3) [190]:
 * Order of the Sealed Temple (3) [190]:
 * Order of the Ashen Dawn (3) [265]: Standard Bearer
 * Order of the Ashen Dawn (3) [265]: Standard Bearer
== (Warlord) Mounted Noble Lord [145]: Olefant's Roar, Weapon Master
 * Militia Bowmen (3) [75]:
 * Militia Bowmen (3) [75]:
 * Household Knights (6) [370]: Veterans, +1 Clash, Standard Bearer, Tourney Champion
 * Household Knights (5) [310]: Veterans, +1 Clash, Standard Bearer, Tourney Champion

Marcus played his usual tournament list with two large blocks of Household Knights, two Sealed Temple, and two Ashen Dawn. It’s a nasty combination that delivers a lot of damage over a long distance and is also quite durable. I had already discussed my thoughts and strategies on this list in another article, which you can find here. At that time, it was a pure cavalry list, but as an old Bretonnian player, Marcus has since included some token peasants to field more knights. Because, remember: Squires are not knights.

The scenario played was "Off-Balance," and the name was fitting. While I wasn’t particularly fond of "Head-to-Head," this scenario was even less appealing to me. The zones are in the middle, the objectives are far away, and there’s plenty of open space for the cavalry to attack me. At this point, I wished I had more Jotnar or significantly more cards. I wanted to use the strategy from the last round of focusing on one side, but this time I chose the left flank. Although the forest on the right side was much more favorable than the terrain on the left, I was greedy and wanted one of the 4-point objectives. At this point, I hadn’t yet realized how poorly my list's range compared to such objectives.

In the first round, both of us got all our units on the field again, which I found a bit unfair. After all, I had specifically chosen the Blooded Supremacy for that. He placed the militia in the center and the other units far to the left. I positioned my Stalkers far to the right, in the forest, where they could stay safe and either deny the zone or simply shoot things. On the left, I lacked space because my Bow Chosen spread out there.

In the second round, I had all my Mediums on the field again, while Marcus placed the block of Household Knights with Noble and the Sealed Temple with Commander. It was clear that he wanted to capture the right zone. However, I had few options there. So, I built my deck classically but arranged it so that the Bow Chosen could retreat, with a line of Huscarls ready to jump in front of them if Marcus placed the heavy knight block on the left. That’s exactly what he did, positioning them halfway in the forest, which opened up interesting possibilities for the upcoming rounds. Given this setup, the placement this round was not very surprising, and we both captured a zone: 2-2.

Round 3: Marcus had everything on the field except one Ashen Dawn, and I strongly wished for the Jarl Supremacy to be back. My opponent should have rolled poorly for reinforcements if everything on my side was coming automatically—otherwise, it just wasn't as much fun. Well, that was only half as frustrating as the fact that I couldn’t properly outactivate him and was soon facing a lot of knights. So, I built my deck and made some mistakes because I didn’t closely examine the battlefield. Marcus had placed half of his Household Knights in the forest and could only achieve Charge Impacts with a single move. That could have changed quite a bit, but I was lazy and a bit directionless. So, I placed the Stalkers, characters, and Jotnar further up and the rest further down. Unfortunately, I had to start and first shot at a Sealed Temple. Then we gradually moved the figures onto the field until I was forced to activate my dogs. They took out a few peasants and put their little toe in the zone.

Then it was the Household Knights' turn, and I was looking forward to the attack. But Marcus was wary of the Bow Chosen and didn’t want to move within their shooting range. He also suspected that I would try to bind him with my Huscarls, so the Knights only moved one step forward—still in the forest, which I overlooked. Then my Trolls were shot at, activated, healed, and moved a little diagonally forward. Marcus had learned by now that Trolls should either be extinguished with sword and fire or ignored. The Sealed Temple moved in with a Charge from around the corner, but only dealt moderate damage, and no stands were lost. I was pleased with that and placed an Ice Jotnar next to the Sealed Temple. On the opposite side, the first Ashen Dawn arrived, and I scored alone, making it 4-2.

At the start of Round 4, the last Ashen Dawn appeared, and I became forgetful. I placed the dogs up front, then an Ice Jotnar, the characters, the Trolls, and the rest. Marcus used the Commander’s Supremacy and began his turn. The Sealed Temple with the Commander tried to crush the Trolls, who held firm despite being “Blessed” with two health points. The Trolls were slowly becoming a sort of trauma for Marcus. The Fenr took down a Household Knight, and then there was a pause until the second Sealed Temple killed the Fenr, and the Ice Jotnar attacked the Sealed Temple, which had been engaged with the Trolls. Encouraged by this, the Ashen Dawn moved forward and entered the Charge range of the Ice Jotnar.

Instead of using a Move Charge with my Stalkers against the Ashen Dawn, I decided to shoot. I dealt three damage but ended up being forced into an initiative roll in the next round. Of course, I only realized this when it was too late, and certain problems began to surface. Then it was the Household Knights' turn, and they wanted to attempt a Charge Clash against the Huscarls but found out they were still in the forest.

With that, Marcus’ plan was thwarted, and he decided to send the other knights against the Bow Chosen, where the Sea Jotnar was lurking behind them. I hadn’t anticipated that, and we exchanged Bow Chosen for half of the knights. Then I made another poor decision and led a Move Charge with the Huscarls against the Sealed Temple. It didn’t accomplish much, and the subsequent shooting was also limited. However, more Ashen Dawn positioned themselves alongside the Huscarls. While knights still needed to be taken down, I would do him that favor. It would have been over if not for two brave Militia Bowmen who managed to take out the last hit points of the Trolls from their position. Honestly, that was the most frustrating part for me, but after making two major mistakes, Marcus deserved Fortune’s blessing. 8-2.

For Round 5, the Ice Jotnar was positioned up front because I needed to start with it to avoid losing it. Then came the Bow Chosen and other units, but there wasn’t much left. Of course, Marcus took the first move, and the Ice Jotnar died. Now I had a problem, but at least the Bow Chosen took out the last of the Sealed Temple and then withdrew. They managed to do this thanks to "Fire and Advance."

The Stalkers then dealt two more damage to the Ashen Dawn, the killers of the Ice Jotnar, and suddenly my Huscarls were too far up. I had the choice to either not strike or to enjoy some Clash-5-8-attack action with the king. Naturally, I went for the Clash, and the Household Knights exploded. That was quite a bit above average, but they had taken out the king earlier, and when the Nords get angry, they dish out more attacks. This allowed the Ashen Dawn to kill the Huscarls, but I had a plan. However, that plan failed due to the armor of the second Household Knights when the Sea Jotnar tried to deal at least some damage with its shooting. So, I chose the "Inspire Clash" and found myself in the position of having to start again. 6-4.

Of course, in Round 6, I failed to start again, which led to my Bow Chosen being taken out, and the Ashen Dawn ended up out of the Sea Jotnar’s line of sight. Annoying. At least the Blooded managed to inflict some damage with "Die Fighting," but things could have gone better. Lacking alternatives, I executed a Move Charge into the back of the Ashen Dawn, and with the shooting, I managed to kill exactly one, which was enough to hold the zone. Marcus preferred to shoot at the objective, but the armor held firm. The Ashen Dawn failed their Charge Clash against the marker, and I moved the Stalkers forward, but unfortunately, they didn’t kill any of the three Ice Jotnar killers. 8-6.

In Round 7, I again failed to start, but the Jotnar held on and barely managed to kill another Ashen Dawn. The objective in the center fell to the Move Charge of the Ashen Dawn and the shooting from the Militia. Points were getting tight: 10-10. In the following round, I finally got to start, and the last Ashen Dawn in the zone was killed. The other three came in with a Move Charge to make it harder for me to score points, and my Stalkers had to run to catch up. In Round 9, the Ashen Dawn eventually killed the Jotnar, and I tried to shoot them down but failed. Final score: 10-14 for the brave humans.

Conclusion and Thoughts on the List and Nords in General:

Despite some significant mistakes, the game was closer than I had expected. The Nords are indeed a lot of fun, and they were briefly my top pick for the Lübeck tournament. However, small positional errors have a huge impact, and with only 10 games and a lot of Old Dominion on the registration list, I prefer to stick with what I know. So, my exploration into the Nords will end here for now, and I’ll return to playing with the brave humans with sticks for the next practice games. I’m still a bit unsure about what I want to play, and unless the Sorcerer Kings’ elephant suddenly wins me over, it will probably be one of the usual lists. Starting in October, I hope the update will give me more motivation to work with the brave humans with sticks—after all, it’s not too far off.

- (Warlord) Blooded [145]: Wolf, Figurehead of the Naglfar, The Hunt's Instinct I like the Blooded. It feels like the best warband of the faction and a well-rounded character. The Supremacy is solid and provides a nice alternative to the Shaman or Jarl. With the new Titan hero, the Jarl Supremacy could become doubly interesting, but overall I prefer the Jarl as Warlord. This might be because as Nords, you feel like you have flank options everywhere, except with the Jotnars.

- Konungyr [135]: Dragon, The Broken Blade I like him. Although he's somewhat blunt and essentially a poor Polemarch, Clash 5 with Inspire feels very powerful. He could use something cooler in his warband than Huscarls, but the Steel Chosen are coming later this year, which will give the King a suitable guard. I’m curious about how much some Nord rules will change after the update and faction overhaul at the end of the year. Currently, he’s mainly included because he unlocks the Ice Jotnars. The new giant will soon do that too, and he’s better than Konungyr + Huscarls, but doesn’t unlock Bow Chosen. I can get those through the Blooded’s best warband anyway. I would also like a more useful and royal Supremacy for Konungyr; the current one isn’t great.

- Stalkers (3) [160]: They’re actually too expensive for me, but the rule combination is quite good, and I even play two in the Jarl list. Flank is a very valuable rule that I don’t want to miss. Evasion 2, etc. I'm unsure if the Nords would replace them with Rangers—I don’t think so because they lack Flank. Flank is so good, especially when the opponent has no reinforcements and you’re almost alone on the field.

- Trolls (3) [170]: With 18 health, they just stand somewhere and heal themselves unless you come with a lot of force to kill them. Plus, they have Movement 6. The Trolls and I are now good friends. I like them a lot. Uziel finds that they die too quickly as MSU, and I currently prefer to play two units instead of three because they don’t have Flank. Yes, that’s nitpicking, but throwing more than one reinforcement roll in a game feels somehow wrong as a Nord. My favorite move is to send them into flanks with Move Charge and then watch the opponent deal with the problem. I also love them against Sorcerer Kings and Spire as a living shield since the Stalkers and Bow Chosen can simply run over them. In my opinion, Trolls always need a regiment that cleans up when someone charges them—something that hits the opponent in the side, because if only one stand of Trolls remains, regeneration is over.

- Fenr Beastpack (3) [140]: While many Nord regiments are, in my opinion, 10 points too expensive, I was very surprised that the dogs only cost 140 points. Plus, they are available with the Blooded, and Uziel likes to play them double with the Werewolf Lord. For their points, I find them absurdly good. Fluid Formation is the best rule in the game, Evasion 2, Loose Formation, 6 attacks, and Terrifying. They die very quickly in melee if you look at them wrong. But for 140 points and with Flank, it's hard to argue why you shouldn’t play them. After all, they also score as a medium unit.

- Bow Chosen (3 or 4): In this game, I mishandled both units. When you make a positional or deck-building error with the Nords, you are very harshly punished and quickly find yourself in a situation where you have to win an initiative roll—a situation you should always avoid. In other games, the Bow Chosen have always been solid, but you have to be careful how easily they fall to enemy shooting. Forest and the Figurehead of Naglfar help only to a limited extent and are more like hints to the opponent to avoid trying it. If they do try and roll well, it hurts when even just one stand of Bow Chosen goes home. I find that having two or at least one larger unit is almost mandatory because otherwise, you have nothing to force the opponent to come to you or avoid certain areas. Without them, the threat range of the Nords is simply too low. Even though 14" + 6" movement isn’t enough against slingers and chariots, it’s a serious threat to many other things. Once you get past the idea that they should only roll ones and consider ones as a nice-to-have, they deliver solid results, and with the Jarl Supremacy in the flank, they really shine. Otherwise, you will be disappointed. However, considering what I always want to play with the Nords (Trolls, Sea Jotnar, Fenr, Bow Chosen), it’s becoming difficult to fit everything into one list.

- Sea Jotnar (1) [240]: My boy! I like this guy almost as much as the Bakasura. He even managed to take down a Bakasura the other day. Absurdly many attacks, along with shooting, all with Cleave or AP, Movement 7, and he has Evasion 2. He didn’t get to shine today, nor did Fiend Hunter, but I find him super solid. My absolute favorite of the Jotnars, especially since I have him available in three warbands. Honestly, I can’t currently imagine a list without Sea Jotnar that I would enjoy.

- Ice Jotnar (1) [260]: I gave him away in this game, but in the first and penultimate games, he performed well. Theoretically, he’s also quite stable with Ice Armor, and with Cleave 3, he wishes his targets would just disappear. If you have the points, there are few reasons not to play him—except that he and the Jotnars in general don’t benefit from the Nord’s special rules. I partially understand why this is the case, but it’s still annoying. The additional attack when they are injured would help them a bit more. The +2 Charge range against already engaged enemies, I couldn’t use in my previous test games. Sure, the Jotnars benefit under the new giant and his Supremacy, but it feels ignorable. Too situational, which might also be because I always play with a lot of shooting regiments with the Nords.

- Huskarls (5) [270]: Standard Bearer, Thegn Even in the first game with them, I had a poor opinion of the Thegn, and I still find him unnecessary. The Bastion-Draw event isn’t good enough to pay for it. I’d rather have more Impacts or another rule that makes the regiment more stable. With Movement 5, Huscarls rarely activate early and use Bastion effectively. When they do manage to be persuaded to cover a long distance, they overextend, and the game goes downhill. Therefore, my preference is for Huscarls with just a banner or no Huscarls at all. I also don’t see the +1 Resolve Fearless character as necessary. Although I like him, I feel there aren’t enough points left for him in this faction. Also, you should always try to leverage a faction’s strengths rather than patching up weaknesses—in this case, the stability of the Nords. Perhaps I’m wrong about this, and you have different opinions. Lars, Uziel, and Drizzt play them regularly in tournaments and do so successfully. For me, they are currently more of a reasonable transport option for the King; otherwise, I wouldn’t play them.