Game 3 AAR James vs Jay.

Hi all,

Game three is a rematch between James' Thaumaturge and my Necro gang.

There are more pics to come, but I cannot seem to email them to myself.

For our budding followers, Hoops recently had a baby (well his wife did...) so we have started the campaign a bit early, as time for him is about to become a rare commodity ha ha.

James has been allowed to keep his results from the 'test' game earlier this month. Whilst hoops and I kept our gangs from our first game. John will be joining soon.

So, James Thau' had an injured dog, so he was a 'man' down, whilst Krosh had moved into an Inn and had an extra slot which was filled with a new Templar after being flush post game with hoops.

We rolled the scenario and ended up with 'The Keep', which has a 4 teleportation disks around the map.

Krosh rolled up a familiar and a zombie for out of game spells, taking his gang to 12 models!

Deployment:

James deployed his huntsmaster crossbowman on his far right with a dog, the rest of the gang amassed in the centre in a ruin. With the Thaumaturge school's touch range buffs, I could see where this was going...

I deployed with my wizard central with a templar and some cultists in tow. Brun, the apprentice, deployed half right with my missile troops with an eye to get elevation and spam bone dart. A knight and cultist took the far left to advance on the huntsmaster. Treasure is deployed as per the scenario (2 central and on on each teleportation device).

Turn 1: Initiative Jay.

Wizards:
Krosh moved his team up and a cultist grabbed a close treasure. Krosh. as usual, FAILS to cast possess on the Templar, by 11 and takes 2 health, thank goodness for that familiar.

Algannon's blob piles forwards, one thug grabbing a treasure, casting wise James also fails to cast by 9 and miscasts power word. Wizards.....

Apprentices.

Brun takes his fire support team up the side of a ruin and sets up a covering position, he casts bone dart at the thug with treasure, but fails to injure. The crossbow fires at the same thug and misses, but Koop the archer manages to take him out in one shot (Note, at this point we have taken the crit rule out of the game, but a roll of 20 is still 10 health off a thug).

Brigitte carries her team forwards, enchanting the crossbowman's weapon, empowering for 2,  who promptly misses.

Soldiers:

All soldiers moved deeper into the ruins, other than the huntsmaster who takes a cheeky shot at Krosh's knight but misses.

Turn 2: initiative Jay.

Wizards:

Krosh moves up towards the two treasures in the centre, taking a cultist and templar with him.  He then proceeds to FAIL to cast bone dart and take 1 more damage....

Algannon moves up behing his templar and casts shield on him successfully. The nearby x-bowman misses Brun's archer again.

Apprentices:

Brun's 'fireteam' opens up on the Templar in the open, empowering bone dart by 3, but EVERYONE misses...

Brigitte casts power word but empowers for 3 hp.

Soldiers:

With the rubbish performance of the magically afflicted, the soldiers don't really get up to much either, All treasure bearers leg it, whilst the rapid dog from the thau' gang makes a beeline for Krosh. The huntsmaster once again fails to hurt the knight, who then gets out of sight. Finally one thug intercepts the rapid dog, but losses combat, 3 HP and gets knocked back. Freeing the dog up for a charge next turn.

Turn 3: initiative Jay (again). 

Wizards:

Krosh has nobody within 3" so his solo action is to.....cast bone dart...HE CASTS IT!!!....But it misses the templar...

Algannon miscasts Combat awareness and takes 1hp. But his Templar (buffed with shield and armed with a magic two hander) one shots the Templar from the Krosh warband!

Apprentices:

Once again every single one of Brun's missile troops miss the juggernaut that is the Thau' Templar.

Brigitte heals her master up to full health after his miscasts and empowerments.

Soldiers:

Krosh's Knight grabs a treasure and makes off, whilst this would remove a good combat troop, we came for gold.

Power dog makes it into combat with Krosh but takes 3HP and is knocked back. He can't cast, but he can punch!

The thugs fighting over treasure in the centre bounce off each other whilst the huntsmaster takes a risk and makes the treasure bound knight force combat. Treasure bearers make it off the table and Lazarus the zombie attacks a thug bearing treasure for no damage.

The brawl thickens.

Turn 4: initiative....JAMES weeeey!

Wizards:

With his first initiative, Algannon gets into combat with Lazarus to free up the treasure bearing thug, whilst commanding his Templar to keep killing. The Templar does as told and kills a thug, Algannon and his thug team up on the lone zombie...the thug swings first, and the zombie rolls a 20!!! killing the thug. Algannon takes his chance at revenge only to see another 20 roll from the zombie, ripping 10 health from the wizard. (this was Lazarus 3rd 20 in a row including his last game)!

Apprentices:

Brigitte empowers a heal for her master, hoping to keep him alive against the zombie of sin.

For the third turn running, brun casts bone dart but fails to hurt the templar, But a crossbow bolt pulls 5 hp off of him, whilst the archer misses.

Soldiers:

Rapid dog clashes with Krosh again and Krosh kills it.

The huntsmaster can see a cultist coming up behind the laden knight, so takes a swing before he is outnumbered, but takes 4 damage for his efforts. The knight takes his turn to strike and takes the huntsmaster down to one HP (damn that 11 armour), and the cultist moves in for the finish of the huntsmaster.

Last stand of the huntsmaster.

 Killer Keith Horne, man of the match from the test game piles into Algannon and
despite Brigitte's heal he is smashed down. Keith rejoices at the slaughter. The templar now had a clear line to Krosh, Lazarus had just enough move to get into combat with the Templar now he was free of combat.  

Lazarus advances as Keith kills Algennon.

Turn 5: Initiative James (but no wizard).

Wizard:

Krosh, now free of the dog once again attempts bone dart, and successfully takes out Brigitte. Which means only the templar remains.

Apprentice:

Brun's team try to shoot the Templar (again) but he is unstoppable.

Soldiers:

The templar piles into Krosh and hits him for 9 damage.

The 2 remaining cultists jump onto the templar to force combat, he kills them both....

Krosh's thief and knight escape with 2 treasures, currently the score is 3-1 on treasures with 2 remaining in the centre covered in bodies.

Turn 6: Initiative James.

Turn 6 was the final turn, the Templar killed Krosh, and Brun's team inflicted 2 HP on the templar.

We looked at the field at this point. Either the templar would be picked apart over time, or never die and chase the remaining necro gangers for a year, or he would walk calmy over and leave the table with a treasure under constant fire that may or may not kill him. And to be honest he did not deserve that death after a game like that. So we agreed to a truce and split the remaining treasure. Final score:

Necro: 4 treasure.

Thaumaturge: 2 treasure.

Post game:

Death/injury

Necro......Killer Keith Horne died.....two thugs injured.

Thau' .....Rapid dog died a thug and huntsmaster injured.

Experience:

Necro: with the KO of the apprentice at Krosh's hands, 4 treasure and Brun casting lots, despite being fairly rubbish himself, Krosh nets 380 experience, plus the 20 from the last game, leaves Krosh on level 6!!

With his four level jump he advances:

• bone dart down to a 6 cast....HE WILL CAST IT!!!.
• Learns 'create grimiore' from the grimiore loot from last game.
• Improves fight.
• Improves health.

Thaumaturge: With only two treasure, and many miscasts, Algannon merits 250 exp. He advances:

• Learns Blinding Light.
• Improves health.

Treasure:

Necro:

1. 40g + grimiore of energy shield.
2. 50g + scroll of fog, scroll of elemental bolt. 
3. 200g + grimiore of willpower
4. 20g + Magical bow of +2 damage.

Thaumaturge:

1. 20g + banner of courage.
2. 40g+ Grimiore of time store.

Spendature:

Necro- 25 for a new thug...Keiths brother ....Ken. Leaving 375 in my stash. 

Thau'- 10 for a new dog and 80 'promoting' Jake to a man at arms. 

Summary.

BRUTAL game. That templar was just a beast, once he was buffed he was at around +6 fight and +2 damage on top of that....monster. My rolls of 20 were my only real graces. Once again the d20 gods are fickle!