Borka vs Seige Battle Report

Not the first time Borka wished his Keg Carrier would stop bathing in their Kegs of Whelp Ale. He had to admit though that it seemed to be bringing him luck. Luck for Borka often meant warriors around him died, but those that fought along his side knew he would always go where the battle was thickest. He crushed another mug of ale and began tapping his mace on his knees... he needed action, this forest was getting boring.

"We have found some enemies," Seige's Gun Mage Captain reported, "a small group of Trolls have wandered too far into our territory sir." Seige didn't dislike the Trolls, in fact he had fought beside them on more than one occaision and found them to be more honorable than most humans. That and the punishment they could both take and dish out in hand to hand combat was downright legendary. His orders were clear however, all invaders to this part of Cygnarian territory were to be eliminated. There was too much secrecy in Cygnar right now. Trolls were nasty in hand to hand combat, which is why he planned to shoot them do death. He signaled his officers, whitout a word they sprang into action. Respect for the Trolls was one thing, but his duty to Cygnar came first.

My Army
Borka Kegslayer
Pyg Keg Carrier
Dire Troll Mauler
Krielstone Bearer and Stone Scribes
Trollkin Champions
Fell Caller
Fell Caller
Trollkin Hero
Trollkin Hero
Stone Scribe Elder

His Army (I think)
Major Markus 'Siege' Brisbane
Squire
Black 13th Gun Mage Strike Team
Journeyman Warcaster
Stormguard 10/10?
Gun Mage Captain Adept
Defender
Reinholdt, Gobber Speculator

MAP
Our Map was full of terrain with a couple low diagonal walls in the middle with a blocking silo off the middle left. A couple of big forests close on each left side, with a small treeline running up the right side.

Cygnar won the roll and opted to go first.

Deployment
Cygnar - His Stormguard were right up the middle with his jack, caster and solos right behind them. The B13 lined up along my left flank.
Trolls - Everything in the middle of course. Though two Fel Callers and one Hero did line up accross from the B13.

Turn 1
Cygnar - The B13 headed straight into the forest running to get there. The Stormguard also run right up the middle. Seige shields the SG and moves up and to my right behind them.
Trolls - Champs run to the first low wall in the middle. Both Fel Callers and a Hero run towards the B13 falling a few inches short of melee. Mauler and the other Hero hang back putting the silo in between Cygnar and themselves. Borka casts mosh pit but forgets to hit the Hero in front of the B13 with Bum Rush.

"Hang back you Bone Headed, Sons of Brag." Borka gave his men a free hand, but if they didn't listen to him the few times he had orders for them then he would let them die of their own choices. Seeing the Fel Callers run out into the open to be shot by the Cygnarian Troops was foolish for Battle hardened warriors. Live or die, those three would not be sharing his Ale with him anytime in the near future.

Turn 2
Cygnar - Sure enough my mistake costs me the lives of a Hero and a Fel Caller to the B13. The SG move up just out of range for Champs to charge and stop. Not wanting to kill Kenny Ground Pounder hits the Champs doing little damage. The Gun Mage moves over to shoot at the other Hero behind the Silo and hits him for four damage. Seige leaves the SG shielded and his jack takes a shot at the Mauler but is out of range.
Trolls - Fel Caller stabs Rian to death and is pretty much done, alone with the remaining two B13 means he will probably die on his next turn. Champs run to engage the SG, Borka upkept Mosh pit and moves up hoping to bounce of bomb off the jack and into reinholdt but it misses and drifts intot he SG doing no damage. Borka casts Bum Rush on the Hero and then Kenny LQ's Borka and moves up and in front of him. Stone casts +2 Armor and stands right next to Kenny.

"That Troll looks to be almost the same size as the legendary Slaughterborn," the Journeyman commented to no one in particular. To wich Seige replyed, "I know him, stay back and shoot him if you want to live. His name is Borka, and his ability to smash up his enemies is almost as great as his ability to drink." Seige could see the battle unfolding and knew it to be a rout. Borka's front line was nearly collaspsed, his flanking warriors were destroyed and his beast looked pretty hurt. Accompanied by little losses on his side and it was a bad day for Borka... It looked as though Borka didn't care and was even drinking, and was that little Troll actually bathing in the keg?

Turn 3
Cygnar - The B13 Finish off the last Fel Caller. Gun Mage shoots at the Stone killing the sacrificial scribe behind him. Seige activates and feats but is reluctant to use Ground Pounder near Borka for fear of killing Kenny the Keg Carrier. The jack shoots the Mauler cutting its life in half and the SG kill three Champs one of them making tough, Mosh pit doesnt work as his SG are lined up in two rows.

Borka relized he would be taking matters into his own hands, his Mauler Dave had already suggested it crudely. The Mauler was acutally learning to speak a crude version of the common Troll tongue. "Kenny get out of that Keg and bring me the whole keg," Slaying the Keg he nodded to Dave and once again Borka got a flying lesson.

Trolls - Having lost too many warriors and not killed enough of his stuff I decide its time to go for it. The remaining three Champs kill a few stormguard on the end trying to open a lane for Borka. The Stone moves up as far as is and and Pops the +2 STR aura. Kenny activates and puts LQ on Borka. The Mauler goes next putting Rage on Borka and steps up behind him to throw, Borka nearly Str checks out of the throw but the drift of 2" directly toward the gobber puts him in pefect position. Borka then activates and proceeds to beat Seige's face in, @ POW20 it is dice -1 on damage. Borka boosts to hit on the first attack and does 15 damage on four dice, buys a second attack boosts to hit and damage dealing an additional 14 damage ending it for Seige.

The last thing seige remembered was seeing Borka flying directly towards him through the air, thrown by his Dire Troll. Borka hit the ground running and promptly bashed Siege in the head. Seige was dazed seeing spots before his eyes, he tried focusing on his warcaster ability to aid him but his mind was too fuzzy. As he looked up at Borka he saw the mace coming at him again unable to scramble out of the way everything went black. He awoke in a clearing with waht was left of his army, some Storm Guard and two Black 13 members. "The Gun Mage has left to get help," Lynch said, "They destroyed any who resisted along with our jacks and left us with a small keg of their brew." Seige chuckled and wondered why Borka had left him alive.

Synopsis - Running up the Fel Callers was supposed to be a distraction for the B13 so they could get killed allowing the hero to Bum Rush them. A good tactic IF you remember to cast bum rush. Mosh Pit was useless against a ranged army. I will miss the Borka Bomb in MKII.

Skegg

Skegg supposed he was stealthy by Troll standards, but he wasn't so sure that measured up to some of the other races. These Nyss Hunters were fantastic at moving sliently through the woods. As he watched them they rooted out handfuls of Cygnarian scouts with little trouble at all. As he watched them at work, noting the expert ways they handled their bows and claymores, their leader became clear. A Nyss woman whom at first he didn't even notice, was clearly in charge, that and clearly better at everthing than the rest of her unit of hunters. Their leader told them to setup camp right where they were, a bad sign for Skegg since at the moment he was predening to be a rock that one of them had sat on to take watch on the edge of the clearing. He supposed it would be a long night, so he starting trying to learn how many were there and which ones were the best at what they did. As he watched and listened he noticed two others that were with these hunters, but seemed to be working of thier own accord. The first one he had seen, the second he learned of from the Nyss sitting on him.

The first one obviously a Nyss, but young looking, seemed to be constantly muttering to herself constantly. As Skegg watched her begin to practice with her bow it became immediately clear that she was better than most the other hunters with it. She would shoot one arrow at a tree, take a pace back then draw and shoot as quickly as he had ever seen, planting the first arrow directly below the first until there was a long line of arrows down the tree. The man sitting on him began to speak as Skegg cursed under his breath for not noticing another hunter walk up, "She is pretty Cael, but remember how quickly she killed that fellow that attacked her." The other man, Cael, chuckled almost sadly,"yes that one is both pretty and dangerous, but she has proven herself to us. That shooting of hers is probably better than Celena herself." The still un-named hunter sitting on him noted, "Well yes, but her Iosian friend makes them a deadly duo. You are the best I have seen Cael, but that Iosian Kyla would take you apart and not even blink a hint of emotion about it." "I suppose you're right Jeffe, but those soulless are just disconcerting. I can see why the Iosians blame humans for the condition, though I am not sure it is their fault. Anyway, Celena wants to talk to you and it is my watch."

With that the two Nyss men both departed, one walked into the forest and seemed to vanish while the other headed to find his leader. Skegg scanned the encampment but couldn't see the Iosian Kyla, not seeing her with his eyes he stretched out his limited abilities and immdediately found the absence of magical energy. He released his magic and squinted through the dusk finally seeing her, another young looking female this one Iosian sitting perfectly still and showing little emotion at all. As he watched the girl drew two wicked looking blades and began to work through a routine that was both impressive and impossible for a Troll to accomplish.

Skegg began musing about his Troll lineage, it was pretty impressive after all. It was also the reason he was named Kithless. His grandfather was a very good Fel Caller in his day not to mention his prowess with the sword, of course his grandfater also lost his mind, murdered most of of kith and mated with a Pyre Troll and then got eaten by the same Pyre Troll. That child was his mother, and she was a very good mother even though she was a bit of an outcast due to her lineage. She possed all the abilities of both her parents. His other grandfather was just as glorious, he was nothing more than a farmer for his Kith, not a bad way to live working off the land. This grandfather drank too much even by Troll standards, which is impressive to say the least. One evening he went out to investigate sounds coming from his brewbarn and found a very inebriated Slag Troll. It was strange having two grandfathers fall to the same fate, but his father was an interesting Troll, with the Orneryness of his mother and the stupidity of his father dad was a poor one at best. His mother never told him how he was born, and she never would since her father took himself and his mother to Dhunia in a fit of rage one night. It was his father's crimes that labeled him Kithless, and truth be told it was probably a good thing.

He was an interesting Troll for sure. He had some marginal Fel Caller ability, though it was really only good for soothing the lesser of the Troll beasts. It did give him needed help from the occaisional Slag or Pyre Troll when he got in a tight spot. He could fight almost as well as any Fel Caller with two swords, though he had taken to carrying a mace in one hand and a sword in the other. If he was hungry he could eat metal thanks to his grandmothers physiology, though it hurt when he did it. And if he really needed some help he could spit small amounts of molten acid and fire onto his hands or weapons or even at his enemies. He was smaller than most light beasts and half-Trolls, but was suprisingly agile for a Troll. His regeneration was unparralled, it seemed he had all the regeneration of a Dire Troll packed into his smallish frame. It sure made him hungry all the time though.

He wanted to be fighting on the front lines with what he considered to be his Kith and Kriel. When he had went to Grissel to ask if he could fight though, she reminded him of his position with all Kriel. He of course reacted agrily and spit at her tent, forgetting about his spit, it burned her tent down. He decided then and there he would help as best he could from a distance, dispatching Cygnarrian scouts and troops wherever he found them crossing Grissel's West flank. The tiring part about it was hiding from Grissel's troops at the same time. He supposed Grissel was offended that he had any Warcaster and Fel Caller ability at all. He was hardly a warcaster, when compared to the great leaders and Troll shamans in this war his abilities were marginal. Even for a Troll what he was, well it was hard to swallow for most Kriel. Too many of them grouped him into the same categories as Boomhowler for his taste, though he heard that Boomhowler might actually be helping Grissel, it was probably in spite of Grissel.

Skegg's musing were inturrupted by a runner coming into Celena's camp, "Grissel asks that you come to the front immediately, her West flank is collapsing" As the camp of hunters, immediately set off to Grissel's aid Skegg reached out in his mind to his brothers. Bark the Slag Troll and Lit the Pyre Troll did not even need to be asked upon seeing his intentions and were soon heading the same way the Nyss Hunters and their two young friends did. Regardless of Grissel's feelings toward Kitless and bastard Fel Callers, he would do what he could. Besides that, Bark and Lit were sure that Skegg could get his arm cut off and grow it back fast enough to pick his mace back up and kill whatever cut it off. They were determined to give Skegg any opportunity to prove them wrong. As the three of them ran towards the oncoming battle Bark let out his signature Barking Roar and lit just howled, in fact Skegg found himself mimicing their enthusiam...

Steamroller 4 Results

Fast paced tourney with three rounds ended up with a decent turnout.

Here are our results

1st - McCryx - Cryx
2nd - Jefferson - Legion
3rd - MikeO - Cryx
4th - CB - Cygnar
5th - Taylor - Circle
6th - Adam - Khador
7th - Dustin - Khador
8th - AC - Circle

This January we will start our league, and for the Holidays we will be doing a figure exchange. I will keep you all posted.

For those of you looking for a spectacualr battle report. I will have one for you after this weeks gaming night.

Steamroller 4 500pts Throw Down

Phoenix Games & Comics
Thursday, October 29th, 6pm - close.

We will be following Steamroller 4 rules with two small modifications.

Turn time lmit will be 7 minutes instead of 10, but the 5 min extension once per game will still be allowed.

Our point system will be as follows:
3pts for a Scenario Win
2pts for a Caster Kill Win
0pts for a Loss or Draw

Best Record wins, points will be used for tiebreakers.

Mule Painted

So I finally painted something after a long time of painting nothing... well I have been concentrating of playing after all. Actually this piece is something of a commission AND I blew it when I sealed it, though I don't know if this picture shows it. You can see little white flecks all of the front of it giving it an 'Ashy' look to it. Well that is why you ALWAYS give the sealer a little test spray first, then you hit the model with it. So you only get one pic of this one.