Erainn vs Anglecynn, Skrimish by the Shore

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JediCat
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Erainn vs Anglecynn, Skrimish by the Shore

Postby JediCat » Tue May 16, 2017 12:58 am

Hey all,

Here is my first battle report of Darklands, fought at Skirmish level with both armies coming out to 999 gold a piece.

First disclaimer: We fought our way through the rules, making blunders and stretching things out far longer than they needed to be, so bear with.
Second disclaimer: My friend wanted to play Anglecynn, so even though Minimum Ubiquity Werwolves require 8 warriors (15/2 round up), they only ran with 5 (since that's what comes in the KS set I got). The gold matches up at least.

The Erainn
    General's Command
      Ri Tuath, General, Uncommon, equipped with Sling - 78 gold
      Tuanagh, Mainstay w/ Free Command - 10 warriors, 100 gold
      Fir Bholg Hurler, bound to Tuanagh, Champion - 2 warriors, 182 gold
      Oak Beast, Rare - 444 gold
    1st Command
      Taoisearch, Commander, Common (2), equipped with Sling - 47 gold
      Curadh, Common (2) - 48 gold
      Tuanagh, Mainstay w/ Free Command - 10 warriors, 100 gold

The Anglecynn
    General's Command
      Forthegn, General, Uncommon, equipped with Armour upgrade - 76 gold
      Duguth, Mainstay w/ free command, equipped with Armour upgrade - 10 warriors, 150 gold
      Gesith, Common, Champion and Banner Bearer - 10 warriors, 209 gold (should be 9 gold less, but forgot free command on the Common slot. Assume the Thegn below took it)
      Thegn, Common, Host Banner Bearer - 53 gold
    1st Command
      Werwulf Forthegn, Uncommon - 76 gold
      Veteran Werwulf, Mainstay w/ Free Command, equipped with Armour upgrade - 5x warriors, 190 gp
      Wælwulf, Uncommon, Champion and Horn Blower - 5x warriors, 245 gp

The stage is set, Hours with Pics to be posted as I get to it.
Last edited by JediCat on Tue May 16, 2017 1:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Be as brutal and as sneaky and as nasty with your list as you wish - Darklands is not pink fluffy communist Warhammer" ~Rob Lane, May 17th, 2017
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JediCat
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Re: Erainn vs Anglecynn, Skrimish by the Shore

Postby JediCat » Tue May 16, 2017 12:59 am

Hour 0 - Deployment
Image

So we did indeed roll terrain, and not for lacking of trying, I did my best to accommodate the table. From bottom left, going clock wise, we have: A Wood (technically flat, the box is just the right dimensions), a mound, a small town, a small wood, a rocky shore, and a marsh. The Erainn won the deployment rolls, and went with the Marsh edge as their flank edge, forcing the Anglecynn away from the trees.

The Anglecynn opted for a Left Flank deployment, looking to set up defensively with the buildings to cover themselves from the Fir Bholg. Being new, and not 100% remembering some things, the Waewulf position was not the best.
Image

The Erainn opted for an Advance deployment, deciding to push for the middle of the map and take advantage of the hill that the Hurlers could use, and put the Oak Beast in its natural habitat.
Image

Hour 1
Image

As with the openings of most battles, positioning, positioning, positioning.
The Erainn win the initiative, and immediately march the Oak beast forward into the woods.
The Waelwulfs see a foe, and charge over the Gesith to try and reach the Oak Beast. Unfortunately, they fall just short.
Unfortunately the Waelwolves charge takes them far enough to be seen by the Fir Bholh over the hill in the centre, and the General notices their eagerness at something. He orders a Hold & Volley Shoot, which results in 20 or so damage to the Waelwulfs. First blood! Though no corruption...
The Duguth advance slightly and turn to face the Erainn Commander and her troops. They set up in Shieldwall formation.
The Erainn answer in kind and advance. The Commander figures the troops wouldn't be able to cover enough ground, so instead they advance at a steady pace and the Taoisearch fires off her sling, though to little effect.
The end of the hour comes with the Gesith reforming and advancing slightly, and the werwulves moving to support the Waewolves after witnessing the volley of filth from behind the buildings.

First blood is drawn, but the melee has yet to commence. Stay tuned. (Sorry if the pictures are too big, hopefully they resize)

Hour 2

Less pics this time, as we were still learning some of the rules. However, the carnage is no less brutal!

The Anglecynn win the initiative this hour, and as the Waelwolves will not be restrained, they charge the Oak beast with all their might.
While their charge is not Swift, it is no less savage, as they take a hefty 44 hit points out of the Oak Beast.
The Oak Beast immediatly retaliates, knocking two Waelwolves unconscious with its Mighty Strike, dealing enough damage to kill both and a further 20 to a third Waelwolf. Due to the "Strong" token and the amount of damage caused in return, the battle is a stalemate.
The Erainn activates the Fir Bholg/Tuanagh bound unit. Knowing the enemy lies just over the hill and that the Fir Bholg have sight of the enemy, the General orders a Charge over the hill. The Fir Bholg make contact with the walwolves, and cleave through 1 of the warriors, killing one out right. However, the General and Tuanagh fall short of the melee. (It should be noted here that we were unaware of whether or not a Weary Frenzied unit would get to make Attack Reaction in this instance. We did not consider it, being new, and as such the Waelwolves simply took the casualties) The waelwolves flay themselves for minor damage as a result of the lost combat.
Image
The Anglecynn do not slouch however, as the Werwolf unit, led by the Werwolf Thegn, are quick to retaliate. They Charge into battle, slaying one Fir Bholg, The Werwulf Thegn deviates and attacks the Oak Beast for minor damage. One Werwolf is out of range of the Fir Bholg, so instead engages the Tuanagh to little effect.
The Erainn activate the Taoiseach and Tuanagh unit, advancing slightly forward. Sling again to little effect.
The Duguth Hold and Brace.
The Gesith move up slightly, preparing to engage the Oak Beast in the event that the Waelwolf line is broken.
Last edited by JediCat on Tue May 16, 2017 11:51 pm, edited 3 times in total.
"Be as brutal and as sneaky and as nasty with your list as you wish - Darklands is not pink fluffy communist Warhammer" ~Rob Lane, May 17th, 2017
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JediCat
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Re: Erainn vs Anglecynn, Skrimish by the Shore

Postby JediCat » Tue May 16, 2017 1:00 am

Hour 3

Hour 3 begins with the Anglecynn once again winning Initiative.

The Waelwolves activate and continue savaging the Oak Beast. However, with only 2 warriors remaining, they only manage 27 damage, leaving the Oak Beast at 16hp.
The Oak Beast retaliates and crushes the last of the Waelwolves with a final retaliatory strike. However, it is still engage with the Werwulf Thagn, so no breakthrough. (I think we did this right)
The Erainn activates the Fir Bholog/Tuanagh unit next, and in a brutal advance, strike and kill every Werwulf in the unit. The Werwulf Thegn doesn't manage to do more than minor retaliatory damage. (I'm fairly certain I moved the Tuanagh up as a Charge, rather than an Attack Move since the Fir Bholg were already engaged. This may have mattered, but of course, still learning the rules. Damned if it didn't look cool.)
Image
As a result, the Werwulf Thegn Flees the battlefield entirely. The Erainn give chase unfortunately, and leave themslves very much exposed to the Gesith that have been waiting in the wings. Minor Bonus: The Oak Beast is shielded from any Gesith Charges.
The Anglecynn are pissed, and the inevitable Geisth charge comes, slaughtering 5 warriors (half the unit) of the Tuanagh defenders. Being weary from their chase, they simply do their best to stay alive, and are shaken as a result. (We probably mixed up Blood somewhere in here, as the epic slaughter of the werwolves should have given a lot of blood. Karma for the faulty charge maybe?)
Image

On the otherside of the Battlefield, the inevitable melee begins. The Taoiseach orders a Charge and manage to kill 4 Duguth, despite the Shieldwall. Those Hooked axes really made a difference.(another botched order since they are on Hold Orders, and the Commander can only swap to Move orders. Mind you, at this point we've been at it for 6 or so hours, so fatigue begins to set in). The Duguth retaliate but their shields appear to hinder them, as only minor damage is taken in return, resulting in not a single casualty. Battle results in 4 blood for the Tuanagh. Either battle results are forgotten about, or the Duguth hold firm and are Shaken. One or the other.
Image

Hour 4

Things look grim for the Anglecynn, but they have a chance as the win Initiative once more.

The Forthegn detaches from the Gesith and decides to go after the Oak Beast himself. In a stunning result of the dice, the Forthegn rolls a 99 on his authority test, and is afraid of the Oak Beast. He attacks anyways, and while it will be forever unknown if his fear prevented him from striking the final blow, he only managed to deal 7 damage to the Oak Beast, leaving it with 9 hp.

DISCLAIMER: We are past Midnight at this point, and have been playing for 7+ hours. The rules go almost out the window here, as well as lapses in concentration by both parties.

The Oak Beast retaliates on the Gesith (as I missed that the Forthegn had left the unit) and kills 2 Gesith warriors.
The Gesith are not pleased with the this unnecessary outburst, and three warriors (in another display of rules fudging) break formation and lay into the Oak Beast in a berserker rage, slaying it. (That is to say, they left Join distance for the kill). The rest of the unit manages to slay 1 Tuanagh. (Don't ask how activation's went here, I do not remember. Suffice to stay, our troops weren't the only ones Stuck In)
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The Tuanagh are out for vengeance for their fallen brethren, and despite being Shaken, the General led Tuanagh slaughter the Gesith to a man, largely in thanks to their Fir Bholg friend who avenges his fallen comrade with nothing less than his full unleashed rage. They Breakthrough and surround the Forthegn.

The Duguth-Tuanagh melee plays out its deadly dance, with the Tuanagh killing 5 Duguth warriors, leaving only a single Duguth and the Thegn Banner Bearer. They flee, but not quite off the board.
Image

Hour 5

The skirmish plays out to its end. The Anglecynn win initiative once more, and the Forthegn isn't going out without a fight.

The Forthegn activates and manages to take a Tuanagh warrior with him. As the unit retaliates, the General lets the Fir Bholg get the kill, tearing the Forthegn to pieces.

At this point, the Anglecynn general graciously concedes. The Erainn are victorious!

Image
Last edited by JediCat on Wed May 17, 2017 12:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Be as brutal and as sneaky and as nasty with your list as you wish - Darklands is not pink fluffy communist Warhammer" ~Rob Lane, May 17th, 2017
Beire
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Re: Erainn vs Anglecynn, Skrimish by the Shore

Postby Beire » Tue May 16, 2017 4:13 pm

Thaniks for taking the time to write all this down JediCat. I enjoyed reading part 1 and am looking forward to the rest!
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JediCat
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Re: Erainn vs Anglecynn, Skrimish by the Shore

Postby JediCat » Wed May 17, 2017 12:44 am

Alrighty, updated to the end. A few notes:

1. First battle report, I shall include numbers on future pictures to show what order things happened in.
2. The Ri Tuath general was attached to the Tuanagh unit for the whole fight, and probably made up for a lot of the Skill the Geisth held over the Tuanagh. This didn't come through in my report as well as it should've, mostly because he spent the whole battle joined.
3. The last 3 hours were fought well after Midnight, until 3 in the morning. The Skirmish took 10 hours to fight, so any rule oversights can easily be chalked up to fatigue.
4. Despite the Anglecynn winning the initiative almost every hour, their damage rolls came out sub-par. As such, the unarmoured but frighteningly effective Tunanagh units were able to maximize their Axe's hook ability, rendering shields quite ineffective.
5. It was a TON of fun to play, and now that we've been through the rules once, things should go a lot smoother. I've looked up most of my rules questions, and more thoroughly read up on the Engagement rules, so Charges vs Attack Moves should happen when their supposed to, rather than most of our moves being Charges.
6. We plan to play once a week, so look forwards to (hopefully) many more battle reports. This week: Jutes vs Fomoraic.
"Be as brutal and as sneaky and as nasty with your list as you wish - Darklands is not pink fluffy communist Warhammer" ~Rob Lane, May 17th, 2017
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Re: Erainn vs Anglecynn, Skrimish by the Shore

Postby Skull king » Wed May 17, 2017 5:54 am

Yeah! Trees vs wolves!
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Rob Lane
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Re: Erainn vs Anglecynn, Skrimish by the Shore

Postby Rob Lane » Wed May 17, 2017 9:28 am

Alexander,

Thanks for taking the time to write this up! Excellent work my friend! I love reading battle reports from you guys. Keep it up!

If you have any specific rules questions, please ask on the Rules Discussions forum and I'll endeavour to answer. I've a few to answer right now so I'll get on it ;o)

Cheers
Rob
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Re: Erainn vs Anglecynn, Skrimish by the Shore

Postby Beire » Wed May 17, 2017 5:02 pm

JediCat wrote:5. It was a TON of fun to play, and now that we've been through the rules once, things should go a lot smoother. I've looked up most of my rules questions, and more thoroughly read up on the Engagement rules, so Charges vs Attack Moves should happen when their supposed to, rather than most of our moves being Charges.


My exact thoughts after taking the time to read the rules thoroughly and playing the game over and over again. This game truly is a gem, you just have to invest some time into it. Keep it up!
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JediCat
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Re: Erainn vs Anglecynn, Skrimish by the Shore

Postby JediCat » Wed May 17, 2017 5:09 pm

If anyone was curious how the Waelwolf vs Oak Beast initial melee was a stalemate, here ie the more technical break down:

Waelwolf charge. They have 1 frenzy exult token, but since they got so close on their first activation, the Charge is not Swift.
Waelwolves deal 44 damage to the Oak Beast. Frenzy status means double blood, so 8 blood tokens are applied. Exult Token total is now 9.
The Oak Beast attacks back for 80-some damage, which results in 8 blood tokens. Exult total for the Oak Beast is now 8.
Combat results are checked. 8 blood cancels 8 blood, amd the Oak Beast is Stronger (12 strength versus 9), so is awarded the Strong exult token.
Final results:
Waelwolf: 0 blood tokens, 1 frenzy token
Oak Beast: 0 blood tokens, 1 strong token

Battle is a stalemate.
"Be as brutal and as sneaky and as nasty with your list as you wish - Darklands is not pink fluffy communist Warhammer" ~Rob Lane, May 17th, 2017

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