Queen Ayn, I've Returned!

It's been a long time since I really have my Khador some table time. I officially gave up on them in January, and have only picked them up for the odd game and when I'd teach a new player how to play. On Saturday, under subtle threat of bodily harm by a friend, I put my Khador on the table once more to see if we'd finally patched things up.

Long story short, I lost the game but reignited the flame, which would be much more poetic if I were a Menoth player. Regardless, that break from the army is exactly what I needed. Between building my list, deploying my army, and moving them about the table I realized that my 6 month break pulled me out of the rut I was in, mostly because many things I knew I did wrong were no longer habit.

• I would always huddle my unit models close together when I deployed. It looked dramatic, but also cause a lot of difficulty with maneuvering around the field later on. This time I decided to put my unit leader in the middle and spread everyone 8"-9" from that model. This let me threaten more of the field and made it difficult for my opponent to pick and choose his battles.
• I didn't rush forward just to do it. We had 3 flags across the center of the table. Rather than just race my opponent to each flag, I slowed my advance and calculated where I thought I was safe from him charging me. It worked surprisingly well, with my Doom Reavers practically creating a forcefield within about 8". A few models crept through to try and contest their flag, but my careful positioning gave me a strong upper-hand.
• I tried to pick my battles. In the past I'd just fight whatever was in front of me Civil-war style. This time I looked at who could crack armor, who could kill high DEF, and sent them to do their jobs. I still need work on it, but darn it I felt like a master strategist!
• I built a unified list. Normally what I'd do is take the same units every time because they were supposed to be good, then use the rest of my points for "fun stuff." This time I built the list with a purpose, and carefully chose models that would further that goal. During and after the game my friend even commented on how well-built the list was - if nothing else, that was a huge moral victory!
• I lost because I was outplayed. Being in my rut, but still following podcasts and such dedicated to Warmachine tactics, was a huge boon to my game. Despite not playing my list as well as I could have, which was expected, I still made a lot of solid choices throughout the game. I made every attempt to keep my caster safe, but in the end I was outfoxed by my opponent, rather than myself. Rolling six or seven 5s in a row, on two dice, didn't do much to help either, but I maximized my game as best I could. In the end I lost because my opponent's warbeast, who I expected to be dead, through a warjack on top of my warcaster, followed by a game-ending Primal Shock to the knocked-down model.
  

  

  Middle-left, just behind my Juggernaut

So what does this mean? Well, I'll be playing Warmachine more often. Circle is fun, but the mental acuity required to play such an intricate army makes me less likely to play when I'm tired or have had a long day. It's great when I'm feeling spry, but Khador is so straightforward that I can play it in any mood.

It also means that I finally finished assembling this bad boy today, which I plan on using in my next game!




See you tomorrow!

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