250 Ossrum vs Sevaryn
04.02.2024, 2d6 Thorri #1
Going into game second we play Wolves which is another new scenario for me. I have a read through the rules and am shocked to see that there is a win-more mechanic on Round 4. Looks like scoring my own 40mm objective is going to be a huge priority this game.
Ossrum
- Earthbreaker
- 3x Driller
Siege Crawler
2x Forge Guard
Tactical Arcanist Corps
Artillery Corps
Thor
Stonelord Guvul Gondor
vs
Sevaryn
- Great Bear, Momentum gun
- Great Bear, Shredder
2x MoW
2x Street Sweepers
Arcanists
Krol
Wrecking Crew
2x Snipers + UA
Deployment
Opponent wins roll off and picks second. Table side doesn’t seem to matter a lot as it is fairly symmetrical.
Turn 1A
I Energizer and run everything max except my solos who don’t want to be shot up by the Snipers. No sense in keeping my entire army back from one Great Bear Shot.
Turn 1B
Opponent keeps stuff outside of melee charge ranges. It turns out that one of my Drillers was just within range of the Great Bear without Superiority, so he got to put that up on the Shredder Bear. Probably something to remember for next time (Rng 14, Spd 4+2 for Escort = 20”. Superiority puts it at 22”)
Turn 2A
I have a quick think about feating or not feating, but realize that I will be unable to contest the two 50mm objectives without standing in melee threat of one of the Great Bears. I am afraid that the combination of Sevaryn’s superb shooting output and a Great Bear in melee would easily clear whatever I put into the hot zone, and if I don’t he will just swarm the scenario elements with super tough Khador stuff. The fact that I can actually get a decent charge off with one of my Forge Guard units seals the deal. They kill one Street Sweeper and a MoW.
My Earthbreaker ends up in a bit too passive position. In an (failed) attempt to remove a couple of Street Sweepers I end up not running up to contest my opponent’s 40mm objective. Before the game I had decided to prioritize these objectives, but I guess it all went out of the window in the heat of the moment.
Turn 2B
Opponent feats and kills the unit of Forge Guard and central Driller. He scores his crate and 40mm, while I score my 40mm.
Score 1-2
Turn 3A
I contest everything and clear the rightmost 50mm objective. My one huge problem is that the Sniper UA is engaging the Earthbreaker which in MkIV stops him from charging even with Bulldoze. I try to kill him with blasts from the TAC, but fail at three attempts on an 8. This means that the entire Earthbreaker activation is wasted killing only one Wrecking Crew instead of dealing with the Great Bear. To make matters worse the Forge Guard underperform greatly – two of them even managing to miss on double 1s.
Score 3-2
Turn 3B
Earthbreaker and the Driller on my opponent’s flag go down. My opponent snipes out the Artillery Corps and repositions onto my 40mm zone to score. This is pretty bad for me since it bumps me back on the “Round 4 Doom Counter”.
Score 3-4
Turn 4A
I might be able to return the favor and score my opponent’s 40mm this turn, but since the extra VP is scored at the end of second player’s turn I don’t see any way he doesn’t get it. With me already down on scenario and far behind on attrition I figure my only chance is assassination.
I manage to clear a lane for the Siege Crawler to aim at Sevaryn and actually manage to roll well enough to hit a couple of times. Unfortunately I fall short by a couple of boxes, but it would have been a steal anyway.
Turn 4B
Ossrum is trivially counter-assassinated.
Sadly, a loss for the Mercenaries.
:: Evaluation ::
My whole plan of prioritizing the 40mm objectives went out the window as soon as the game started. I dislike the extra VP for the person who is already ahead, and I really dislike the fact that engagement stops charging – especially for Collossals. It ruined my whole game and there was really not much I could have done about it except possibly boosting a Hand cannon shot from Ossrum.