The Terminus challenge: Saeryn, expanded

As I wrote last night I was finally taken down, which as we all know teaches us a great deal more than winning. That's fortunate, because getting stomped is rarely a great experience. My opponent decided we should be playing Diversion, and that he should go first.

Round 1: Running

Saeryn sent the Carnivean and a Forsaken towards his objective, while sending the remaining army towards my objective and my main army. I decided I had to force him into popping his feat in round two, so I gave him what I felt would be enough to force his feat, while allowing me to survive it. I think I gave him to much though, but I forgot about the Carniveans assault ability.

Running up the Machine Wraiths turned out to be folly!

I formed into a semi layered castle, with the intention of receiving a charge. I had deployed Darragh Wrathe and popped Beyond Death to lessen the impact, and placed Madelyn Corbeau to activate Intrigue when he came at me. Sadly Darragh Wrathe died because of the Carniveans assault spray, since Madelyn auto transferred the hit she took to him as well: bummer!

Didn't read that card right, and took a Blight Bringer template to the face.

The Scythean failed miserably against the Canker, but he did hurt the Gun Boar plenty (they are hardy little piglets!). The Blackfrost Shard took down my one Machine Wraith, which were placed in front as a gamble (if he missed three 7+ rolls I would have been in a brilliant position), and the Raek jumped into my lines to supply a target for Blight Bringer (he also ate a couple of Bane Thralls). He then used his feat, and I put on my thinking hat.

Throwing the Cankerworm was fun, but actually illegal!

The Gun Boar was down but not out, and being fully operational despite having just four boxes left he picked up the Cankerworm and threw him at Saeryn. I don't think I've ever thrown anything before, and looking at it today it looks like an illegal move. The Cankerworm would have passed over part of the Scytheans base, thus stopping his flight and doing nothing to the Scythean.

A couple of Bile Thralls purged, the Machine Wraith charged in and killed a member of the Blackfrost Shard (the look on his face was priceless), and Saxon Orrik shot the flanking Forsaken. Other than that my army was stuck, and engaged by heavies I couldn't harm. I really don't like Saeryn at all.

Models are going like beers on a hot summer day!

The Shredder surprised me and took down Madelyn on the flank, while the Carnivean and Raek tag-teamed Rorsh and took him down despite the three Fury he was camping, simply because neither Brine or the Gun Boar had enough health left to transfer the last hit from the Carnivean. The Cankerworm remained completely impervious to damage though, and Saeryn wasn't keen on taking that free strike, so she remained where she was, which I thought won me the game. Everything else was mauled, beaten, and I was left with.

• Four Bile Thralls
• One Bane Thrall
• Admonia
• Cankerworm

I was pretty optimistic though, because Saeryn was within 11" of Terminus, and I thought I had her. I moved the Cankerworm around Saeryn, and missing both attacks on 9+, which was understandable. Then I sent Terminus over the Raek, the Scythean, and the Carnivean, taking seven damage for my trouble, and boosting to hit Saeryn: 33 damage.

Still not a champ at the image editing, but this is my Terminus.

Since she had two Fury she shunted that damage to the Scythean, leaving her with just 14 health (she took a bit from an unbinding earlier) and one Fury. I had five Focus left, and I needed 7+ to hit, so I was feeling pretty confident.

• 3
• 5
• 2
• 6
• 4

You'll notice that's a large straight in Yahtzee, which didn't help me much. I picked up a single soul from a nearby BFS, and then I considered calling the game, but I very rarely do, and I didn't do it last night either. I still had four Bile Thralls, and Legion beasts are squishy as hell, so I lined them all up and caused an apocalyptic explosion that almost turned the game around.

Typhon died, without ever taking damage from anything but Bile Thralls. The Carnivean took so much damage that Admonia could finish it with a charge, and the Raek evaporated. The Machine Wraith missed, and the Scythean was left on 10 health, which meant I was going to lose, but it was absolutely hilarious. When I look at it now, I can see, that if I had just hit Saeryn just once I would have won, as she would have transferred that damage to the Scythean as well, and he would have been left without the ability to take down Terminus after the ultra purges.

10 models left on the board, total between the armies.

Saeryn has Grievous Wounds on her attacks, so even though she didn't actually hurt Terminus, she still made it "easy" for the Scythean to take him down (two Fury left when Terminus died). I don't know what I could have done differently, but I'm switching the Ogrun Bokur back to four Bane Thralls, as I was missing some hitting power when I was actually allowed to hit back.

The Gun Boar was interesting, and while I'm not sure he's staying permanently, I'm sure I'll be keeping him in the list for a couple of more games. I never got to fire his cannon, but he can slam, throw (gotta read up on those rules), and even maul things pretty badly with Dark Shroud around, so more testing is required. It also makes my list look like something only an idiot would run, which seems to be working out nicely, even against people I play against every week.


/Lamoron