Hey there,
Game two at the Call of the Kraken brought me back to the same table as before. So, up to the first floor again. More dramatic than it sounds, since I had already left my army there. Naturally, for strategic foresight. Definitely not out of laziness.
They were still waiting there. Four massive birds, ready for the next battle. Transport-wise, about as pleasant as a live turkey on caffeine. I had surgically modified two of them just to make them remotely travel-ready.
Here’s the list again:
Birds of Prey [2000/2000]
== (Warlord) Thunder Chieftain [150]: Conquest
* Thunder Riders (3) [220]:
* Thunder Riders (3) [220]:
* Quatl (1) [180]:
* Quatl (1) [180]:
== Winglord Predator [220]: War
* Hunting Pack (3) [120]:
* Apex Predator (1) [190]: aka Skullgreymon
== Winglord Predator [220]: War
* Hunting Pack (3) [120]:
* Raptor Riders (3) [180]:
And here’s a picture that Waaghi from the neighboring table took. A wall of dinosaurs just always looks impressive.
Game 1: Dok Grotsnik with Spire on Bulwark
I already knew Doc Grotsnik from other events, but we had never had the chance to play against each other directly. His Spire army was a real eye-catcher—painted so cleanly that I was almost tempted to copy the color scheme for my own Spire project, just without the perfection Hendrik had brought to the table.
His army list looked like this:
The Spires [2000/2000]
The Directorate
== High Clone Executor [90]:
* Onslaught Drones (4) [170]:
* Pteraphon Surveyor (1) [180]:
* Marksman Clones (4) [200]:
* Vanguard Clones (3) [145]:
== (Warlord) Merchant Prince [120]:
* Bound Clones (5) [260]: Ward Preceptor
* Centaur Avatara (3) [190]:
== Biomancer [100]:
* Force-Grown Drones (6) [165]:
* Incarnate Sentinels (3) [220]:
* Desolation Drones (3) [160]:
Before the game, Hendrik told me that he was still unsure how he wanted to play his Spire army after the rework. So he simply threw the new Merchant Prince Warlord and a few other experiments into the list. Effective? Maybe not always. But valuable. On the table, you immediately see what works and what you personally like.
And where outside of Bremen and Bremerhaven do you get three games in a row? At tournaments, of course. So Hendrik took the opportunity and was looking forward to Bulwark, since he didn’t feel like playing melee with his list. I, on the other hand, hesitated. Bulwark? Didn’t the schedule yesterday at T3 say that the second game would be melee? On Bulwark, I could see a chance against the Xhiliarch or the spiders, but not in melee. Well, a problem for future-Hanna and the plan was also just to avoid being paired against Old Dominion or Yoroni.
Round one, and Hendrik made me an immoral offer right at the start with the Merchant Prince. I accepted, after all, I’m not a monster. Meanwhile, the Merchant Prince’s dice pool was building up ominously, with everything except fives ready to go. That didn’t sit well with me, since I couldn’t gauge it properly.
Afterwards, I also botched the roll for the last Hunting Pack, so we both started with two regiments in the deck.
Hendrik opened with a Biomancer. I placed my Hunting Pack in the center to stay flexible. Shortly after, his FGD regiment appeared there, while I moved my Raptors toward the right zone. That’s exactly where his Vanguards showed up as well.
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Round two, and once again the Merchant Prince made me an offer. Since rolling for reinforcements rarely ends well, I of course accepted.
On top of that, I rolled a Hunting Pack and another flyer. That sent two Winglords and a Quatl into the deck.
In return, the Spire got the Pteraphon, the Onslaught Drones, and the Marksman Clones. Fair—at least on paper.
Now a plan began to take shape. The middle objective had to be taken. Later, that could make all the difference, and this time I had the opportunity. So I sent two birds to the center. From there, I could react next turn, no matter where the heat would be. I also decided to place the two Winglords on top, maybe even bait the FGD. Spoiler: that didn’t happen, but the middle objective was mine. The Marksman Clones appeared centrally, the Onslaught Drones on the right.
A few activations later, the right objective already had two damage, while the Pteraphon on the left dealt one for him. Overall, very satisfying.
In round three, I declined the Prince’s offer. I already had enough flank and didn’t want to give him both heavies. Hendrik chose the Vanguard, and while my entire army hit the field, his Centaur and Bound Clones were still reluctantly waiting. I liked that, a minimal card advantage paired with absurd movement sounded like a strong starting position.
I considered how to make the most of it and saw a chance to secure both zones this round. So I placed a Hunting Pack on top, followed by all the regiments that hadn’t yet hit the battlefield, except for the Quatl. Then the right flank in the form of the Hunting Pack, the Raptors, and the Quatl, with the two Winglords in the center.
Hendrik went first. The Marksman Clones advanced and fired at my Hunting Pack for just five damage. Perfect. Now my friendly dinos could slip past the FGD regiment and charge straight at the Marksman. Hendrik swallowed the bait and rotated the Drones into the Hunting Pack.
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We continued deploying our armies. I positioned the Apex and the first Thunder Riders further to the right. The next units went to the left flank, where the Pteraphon was just finishing off the objective in the Charge Clash. If the Spire destroys a marker, I naturally want to do the same. So the Raptors dealt the final damage to the right objective.
With no threat from the Raptors, Hendrik now dared to push the Vanguard Clones forward. Anything that went into melee with them would end up in the water. I decided my Hunting Pack with Shock could take that risk, two Stands Clones were devoured, and Hendrik placed the Incarnats behind them for support.
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Nothing was standing in my way now: I could send a Quatl over the flank into the zone and shoot at the Terry, supported by a Winglord Move-Volley-Charge into the flank. The beast was reduced to a single wound, and the zone was secured. I secured the right zone with another Quatl.
Then I still had three tokens for chanting and a Winglord within 14 inches of the FGD block. Perfect, it cost me nothing, so Deadly activated, shot, charged, and…
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Round four, and Hendrik finally got his remaining troops into the deck. With his current issues, reinforcements were very welcome for him but less so for me. I wanted to build on my advantage, so I put the Hunting Packs and a Quatl on top, followed by the Winglords.
The Spire went first. The Marksman were on top and left the Hunting Pack at a single wound. Unexpected and perfect for some mischief. They could rotate with Fluid Formation, gather, and threaten the flank of the Onslaught Drones. A sacrifice but strategically valuable.
Before that, though, the still-whole Hunting Pack finished off the last Stand of the Vanguard Clones. On the flank, not much happened for a while, except that the Onslaught Drones killed the pesky Stand in their line, and the Incarnates positioned themselves so I could not charge them. That suited me just fine as I would be able to hold that zone for at least two more rounds.
In the center, my Winglord killed the Marksman despite the water, and the Desolation Drones, which I had somehow pushed aside, dealt just under a dozen wounds to my fourth favorite Flap Flap.
On the left flank, things were chaotic as well. The Terry died obediently to the Quatl, and next to the second Winglord, the Centaur positioned themselves. I couldn’t see them, but Movement 9 is a lot. After a bit of maneuvering, I managed to get one with a Move, Volley, and Charge into the side, taking out a pony. The Thunder Riders marched forward, and on the flank his Bound Clones advanced as well.
Round five: In an epic story, the Centaur would have now crushed my Winglord in the flank and killed the Quatl with the Impacts. Instead, I went first and killed the Centaur. The Bound Clones avenged their comrades, but my Thunder Riders later made them explode.
On the other side, it was no better. The Quatl performed a Volley Charge against the Onslaught Drones. The regiment survived but was practically combat-ineffective.
Hendrik looked at the table, thought for a moment, and then decided to give in to the comforting smell of the grill. The game was over, and Hanna had forgotten to take photos of Wuetty at the grill and the food. But as in Bremerhaven, the Hamburg event included meals in the entry fee, and it was delicious.
After the game, five undefeated players remained: two Old Dominion, and one each of Nords, Spire, and W’adrhŭn. I had expected to be paired down for the next round or to have to give Nicki the friends of the Flap Flaps, but instead I faced David’s Old Dominion army with Xhiliarch and Theokrator. As if that weren’t bad enough, the scenario played was Melee.
You can find the third Hamburg match report here:
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