Spearhead - Vengeance of the Sylvaneth

While entering our most recent Warhammer Quest adventure in Board Game Geek, I noted the sharp drop in game plays on the Logged Plays calendar for September (only two games played in September, so far, versus eight in August and six in July) and realized it's been two and a half weeks since I last got in a game of Spearhead.

In previous years I've done Game-A-Day Challenges in September - because game playing usually fell off during the summer and, while September is usually VERY BUSY (as it has been this year) I thought it was important to making a habit of FINDING TIME for some games in the new schedules of things, lest they be entirely forgotten and no games get played all through the fall and winter. 

I was starting to feel like that's what's happened this year.... maybe... 

So I brought up the idea of playing some Spearhead sometime this week and Amanda suggested Wednesday after her singing lesson. 

(I also arranged to play a game with Orion on Friday, while she's in town, and we are scheduled to play the next episode of What We Do in the Realm of Shadows on Sunday! So things are looking up!) 

After their previous defeat at the hands of the Hedonites of Slaanesh, the Sylvaneth response was swift and devastating... They weren't sure if the Hedonites knew they'd stumbled onto their Soulpod Grove, but couldn't just wait to see what they did! The Soulpods needed to saved! 

Detecting the approach of another band of Sylvaneth, the Blissbarb Archers screened ahead in the center and on the left flank. The Slickblade seekers spotting another Treelord, readied themselves to charge, but found they were impeded by strage vines grasping at their steeds legs and were held up!

On the right flank the Slaangors thought they were quietly sneaking up through the forest towards the Treelord, oblivious to the fact it fully knew they were there and that the Slaangor were walking straight into a trap! 

The next thing they knew the Treelord was somehow behind them and roots and vines dragged two of the Slaangor down into the earth, never to be seen again! 

As swiftly as it had appeared behind the Slaangor, it turned and charged the Slickblade Seekers, destroying one instantly and seriously injuring a second. 

The Slickblade seekers piled in and tried to bring the Treelord down, but without the momentum of a charge (or the Shardspeaker weakening the will of the Treelord) their attacks against this one, were not so effective... 

And as quicck as it appeared... the Treelord disappeared into the forest and the next they saw of it, it was far behind the Sylvaneth lines.. 

Undaunted, the Slickblade Seekers Charged after the Treelord, seeing it as the main threat to be removed. this time they had their speed up... but without the distractions of the Shardspeaker, it was definitely a tougher nut to crack... 

The Shardspeaker had initially charged he Branchwych, thinking that taking her out would be vital to prevent the Treelord from healing too quickly... 

But then hearing the battle and the roars of the Treelord and thinking it was close to being defeated, the Shardspeaker turned to aid the Slickblade Seekers... alas... they could not take it down... 

Tree-revenants joined in this fight, killing more of the Slickblade Seekers. 

The Kurnothi Hunters, having dealt with the Blissbarb Archers in the centre, turned to move on the last of the Slaangor.

After destroying the last of the Slickblade Seekers and the Shardspeaker of Slaanesh, the Treelord dipped into the trees and reappeared behind the last of the Blissbarb Archers. 

Another unit os Blissbarb Archers arrived as reinforcements, and shot down the Branchwych that they caught out in the open... 

But they were quickly charged down and destroyed by the Kurnothi Hunters... 

All was quiet for a moment... 

Another group of Slaangor appeared... 

In a desperate bid to deal some damage to the Sylvaneth they charged the Treelord... alas, the treelord had regenerated to full health and there was nothing much they could do... 

Two of the Slaangor died at the claws of the mighty Treelord and the third quickly fled back into the woods to see if it could regroup with any other survivors... 

Would there be enough for the conflict to continue...? Or would the few surviving Hedonites flee the region - or even the Realm!? 

So... Amanda's Sylvaneth won (25-16!?) 

The Hedonites of Slaanesh really are glass cannons. The success in the previous game was entirely due to a LOT of things all going right at the same time... The Shardspeaker's Twisted Mirror worked (reducing the Treelord's save by one - which is a HUGE difference - it didn't in this game)... The Slickblade seekers were all able to charge with a full strength unit (they were down one this game - that's a lot of attacks)... They were supported by two full units of Archers, one of which also charged into melee - as well as the Slaangor (this game it was the Slickblade Seekers on their own - and the Shardspeaker... but she isn't much help...). Amanda learned and did her best to NOT let all of those things happen and thus a disaster ensued for the Hedonites.  

Also, she's figured out that leaving a unit with the Reinforcements keyword with only one member alive, is generally more beneficial than killing them all off earlier in the game (because then they can come back as full strength reinforcement units!) 

Next time I'll have to try out the Stormcast Eternals or Blades of Khorne against her... Stormcast Eternals feels weird to fight against the Sylvaneth, being allies and all... I do hope we'll get another game in next week and make it a regular thing. I don't think I'll have a new one done by then, though... (unless the Dreadscythe Harridans show up, as they would be quick to paint and are the only unit I need to finish off the new Nighthaunt spearhead!) 

I have another game of Spearhead planned for Friday with Orion! 

Spearhead: Defending the Soulpod Grove!

Amanda and I played another game of Spearhead on Sunday evening... Originally we were supposed to play a Role-Playing-Game because Orion got a new job and all Tuesdays were out and the only day that would work was Sundays... but only every THIRD Sunday, maybe... but THIS Sunday was supposed to work... but then Orion and Nick ended up all being sick... 

I suggested Spearhead because I thought it might be a good idea to play again soon to reinforce rules learned earlier in the weekend! 

She took the Sylvaneth Bitterbark Copse again (which will likely be "HER" army for the foreseeable future - at least until I get the Daughters of Khaine done... or maybe the Soulblight Gravelords). 

I initially thought I'd just play the Fangs of the Blood God again.. largely because they're the only army that has their rules in a different book - The Sylvaneth, and all the other armies I have, are in the Fire and Jade book... and the Fangs of the Blood God are in the Blades of Khorne battletome. but then I remembered I had the Hedonites of Slaanesh faction card pack - which includes cards for the Spearhead army - so I decided to try out the Hedonites of Slaanesh - Blades of the Lurid Dream! This was the first time I've played them since the rules update... though I'd played against them when Orion utterly crushed me with them!! Still not sure they're a top tier army... but the small changes made big improvements!!

I've been trying to find ways of developing narratives out of these battles, so this, and hopefully future game reports will try to focus on that narrative and less on who scored points how and when... 

Ghyran, the Realm of Life

the Bitterbark Copse of Adharcach Hollow noted a change on the wind. Dryads on the border of their realm reported through the spirit song and encroachment by the followers of Slaanesh. Godseekers on the hunt. There were many and had they been travelling quickly and in a direction that would take them through the sylvaneth's domain, they may have been allowed past. But their route, whether purposeful or purely by chance, was taking them directly towards the soulpod grove and they could not risk that sacred place being disrupted or ransacked! 

The leading elements of the Hedonites were met near a ruin deep in the forest. A trio of Slaangor were the first spotted and the Kurnoth Hunters first upon them with their great bow. One was injured, but that only seemed to make the Slaangors go faster! 

The Kurnothi rushed to meet the Slaangor, but before they could be engaged,  Heglog the Treelord loomed out of the forest and crushed all three into a pulpy mess with a few powerful blows from its massive limbs. 

Tree-Revenants on the Slyvaneth's right flank moved up to block passage toward the Soulpod grove. 

The Hedonites, hearing the terrified dying cries of the Slaangor, swarmed forward in search of their assailants! 

Heglog the Treelord was spotted and swarmed! 

The Shardspeaker used the dark magiks of their Twisted Mirror to distract the Treelord and weaken their spirit.... The Blissbarb archers peppered it with arrows, further distracting it, while the Slickblade Seekers raced up and swarmed around it slashing and pruning with their vicious glaives! Before the second group of Slaangor got there, Heglog the Treelord had toppled to the ground a limbless log, pumping sap-blood from its many wounds... and left for dead. 

The Kurnoth slipped through the hidden paths of the Realmroots to ambush a group of the Blisbarb archers from their rear, utterly annihilating them.. 

The Hedonites spread out looking for their foes amongst the trees and dense underbrush. It may have looked like panic to some, but truly there was a sense of giddiness at playing a delightful new game of hide-and-seek! 

The Slickblade Seekers were the first to discover one of their hidden enemy... The Branchwych! She was quickly felled by their glaives as they galloped past in search of new foes! 

The Kurnothi noted the presence of the Shardspeaker and began firing their great arrows at the hated sorcerer... The Blissbarb archers excorting the Shardspeaker returned the fire. 

Tree-Revenants ambushed another group of Blissbard archers, who were getting a little too close to the path to the Soulpod Grove! They, too, were utterly destroyed... 

Moving past the site of the massacre, the Tree-Revenants joined the Kurnothi in an assault on the Shardspeaker and more Blissbarb Archers. 

The Shardspeaker was struck twice by the Kurnoth arrows, seriously wounding them. They dropped into the undergrowth and were seen no more...  

The Kurnoth Hunters then charged into the Blissbard Archers... 

and slaughtered the lot of them... 

But that wasn't the last of the Hedonites, by far! 

While the Tree-Revenants had been guarding the Kurnoth Hunters flank during their attack, ANOTHER group of Blissbarb Archers inched forward to ambush them. First the archers pinned down the Tree-Revenants with a hail of arrows...

Then they charged in distracting the Tree-Revenants, while the Slaangor attacked from the opposite direction. Confusion reined supreme and The Tree-Revenants were cu down where they stood. 

The Hedonites held the field and though they knew not of the whereabouts of their leader, the Shardspeaker... the Slickblade seekers were well positioned to lead on towards the Soulpod Grove!! 

So... after SIXTEEN GAMES of Spearhead, I finally WON a game... 

It feels a little cheap beating down Amanda, who is just learning the game... but it wasn't exactly a trouncing - I won 22-19, it was still a very close game... which was quite a feat in itself, considering she lost her Treelord in the FIRST ROUND!! (I don't think she was very pleased with me, when I pulled that off. I don't think she quite understood how many things kind of had to go right for that to work out for me... which normally don't!!) 

Given how quickly Amanda picks up rules and then dominates games. I expect this may be my LAST win... 

The Hedonites seem a LOT better with the minor changed made to the force in the June rules update (lowering the number of depravity points needed to unlock the Temptations of Slaanesh Abilities and giving the Slaangor the reinforcements keyword) 

I took a bit of a gamble with the Twisted Mirror enhancement. I've never really considered it in the past as it only works half the time (4+ roll on d6) and didn't' seem like it did much (-1 to save rolls for a unit until the start of my next turn...). Also, the Sharspeaker has to be within 9" of the target (which can be a dangerous place for the Shardspeaker to be!). But against a heavily armoured opponent... if it DOES work... can be huge... especially if you can swarm the unit, pepper it with Rend 1 arrows (which effectively means it's making all it's saves at -2), then charge with Slickblade Seekers (also Rend 1, dealing +1 damage when charging...). Yeah. That was brutal... I didn't even get to the Exalted Seekers poisoned tongues, let alone the Slaangor that managed to charge in!!

Despite her disappointment, Amanda says she's willing to play again... probably just to exact revenge on the Hedonites for so seriously damaging poor Heglog.... 

(Heglog and the Branchwych survived... the Hedonites were to busy scurrying around in a drug-fuelled frenzy to stick around and make sure their felled opponents were fully DEAD! This being the Realm of Life, those Sylvaneth Heroes started healing the moment they hit the ground...)

Spearhead: Khorne versus Slaanesh in the Realm of Death

For the second game I played against Orion on Wednesday, she decided to borrow my Hedonites of Slaanesh Blades of the Lurid Dream force and I stuck with the Blades of Khorne Fangs of the Blood God force. 

(You can find the report of the first game here: Spearhead: Dogs and Bones in the Realm of Death)

For this game we played on the Ossia side of the Sand & Bone board. 

Once again, I was the attacker, here to hunt down a Shardspeaker of Slaanesh that had irked the Blood God himself with their debauched and lurid ways and strange piercings in uncomfortable areas... 

At least... y'know...  NARRATIVELY speaking... 

The game is still played for victory points based on holding objectives... and playing cards to score extra points for holding SPECIFIC objectives each turn... 

There is a Quarry mechanic, where at the beginning of each round, if there isn't Quarry that's been picked and still alive... I can select a new one.. It has to be a HERO, but the vast majority of Spearhead warbands only have ONE Hero. And the basic benefit is, under certain conditions, Karanak may get to move d6" towards said Quarry (unless certain Enhancements are taken in which case one ONE TURN in the game I could get a bonus charge die, if it takes me into contact with the Quarry, OR if Karanak is in combat with an enemy, at the end of a turn, I just deal them d3 mortal wounds... 

There is not benefit to killing the Quarry - like, no Victory Point bonus - unless you happen to be playing with the Fire and Jade game set and happen to have the ONE CARD that gives you ONE victory point if you happen to kill the enemy general that turn... 

I digress... 

As with the previous game I charged forth and split my force.

Half went right to attack units on that flank. The Claws of Karanak actually got to fight this game. They, with some help from the pack of Flesh Hounds, slaughtered a unit of Blissbard Archers! 

And the other half went left to hunt down and kill the QUARRY!

This time, Orion put the General in the back corner of the playing board to be as far as possible from Karanak on that first turn... 

But there is NO ESCAPING THE HOUND OF VENGEANCE!!!

The Shardspeaker of Slaanesh was slaughtered... 

So... Mission accomplished, we can all go...

wait... what?

AGAIN!?

Ugggggghhhh, fine... 

Flesh Hounds battled with the Slaangor that had been trying to protect the Shardspeaker of Slaanesh. 

And just like that, the tricksy Shardspeaker of Slaanesh using the most base foul magiks, combined with pungent smoke and strategically placed mirrors, REAPPEARED on their first turn... safely away from the chomping jaws of the Hound of Vengeance or any Flesh Hounds!? 

A replacement unit of Blissbarb Archers also showed up as reinforcements and shot at, then charged one pack of Flesh Hounds. 

The Slickblade Seekers joined in the battle and utterly annihilated he Claws of Karanak... 

AND most of a pack of Flesh Hounds... 

The cackling Shardspeaker taunted the Khornate daemons; "Ha-ha-ha-haaaa! You thought you saw the last of me? Well..."

But then another band of the Claws of Karanak came chargine back onto the battlefield as replacements and cut the Shardspeaker down! 

(and the Slickblade Seekers counter charged and rode down the Claws of Karanak...)

Battlefield looking a little empty by the end of round two... 

Because neither of the packs of Flesh Hounds had been completely wiped out, I couldn't even bring a unit of reinforcements on for my third turn... This one poor Flesh Hound had to just try and hold that objective all on it's own! 

It did it's best... It ate three of the Blissbarb archers that charged in and tried to shift it off the objective. 

Karanak and the other Flesh Hound did very non-khorne-like things hanging out be particular objectives and terrain pieces and battlefield edges, just to score some points... 

Only to get run down by the Slickblade Seekers on the Hedonites third turn... 

There was a balance update for the original Spearhead armies back in June and the Slaangor now have the reinforcements keyword... so a unit of those charged back onto the field and sent Karanak back to Khorne in the Palace of Brass, to ready for hunting down a new quarry... 

End of Round Three. 

Tabled again... All objectives controlled by the Hedonites. 

On my last turn, I was able to bring back a solitary pack of Flesh Hounds AND Karanak (the Flesh Hounds came back as reinforcements and a card brought Karanak back...) I could have just stood them still and scored three or four points from cards and holding objectives and stuff... but I'd had enough of not doing violence as Khorne would have them do it... so I charged units and attacked. 

the Pack of Flesh Hounds ate the last Blissbarb archer in a unit and seized an objective... Karanak just got killed again... 

Another unit of Blissbarb archers arrived and attacked the Flesh Hounds and were joined by the Slaangor

The last chomps of the last remaining Flesh Hounds... they hit on 4+... two hounds with four attacks each, I should hit four times... nope. The six there was a crit mortal... the five either failed to wound or was saved... Teh Hedonites had so many depravity points by this point, they all had a Ward 5+ save that knocked off that final wound... 

Not only are Slaangor able to return as reinforcements - which is a pretty huge deal - they also vastly lowered the number of depravity points the Hedonites need to gain new army abilities. It used to be 12+/24+/36+ and now it is 12+/18+/24+ which also makes a BIG difference. 

I do hope this means they change how depravity points works for the regular Age of Sigmar Hedonites of Slaanesh, because as it stands, it is entirely useless... 

In the end Orion scored 23 victory points to my... 13... 

Yikes!

Still, it was super exciting to see the Hedonites score a win! I'm excited enough that I might even give them a try again!!