TMI: Warmawhat?

Managed to get in a game of Malifaux before Demo Day and the league started. I also played half of a game of Blood Bowl versus James and finished up with game of Warmahordes(gasp!).

Game one was my Viks crew versus James's Colette crew. I ran Viks, Taelor, Miss Demeanor, an Oiran, and a pair of Ronin. He had Colette, Cassandra, a Coryphee duet, a Performer/Mannequin, and an Oiran. He pulled Land Grab and I had the new Treasure Hunt. I took Body Guard and Hold Out, while he had Body Guard and Sabotage. Turn two I gave up a shot with a Vik on Colette to snag the treasure and head it back my way. He out activated me and used Cassandra to grab Sabotage. We had to call it to go set up Demo Day at the beginning of turn four. I was in fairly good shape, and had managed to do in a good portion of his crew. He was just out of my Hold Out with Taelor and the Oiran staring Colette down. The Coryphee were dead, and he hadn't read the Land Grab correctly, thinking it was just like old Reconnoitre, and was scored at the end. He, of course, kept Bodyguard, netting him four points. I had two for Treasure hunt, and would have easily maxed it, having handed the treasure off to a Ronin, who was just sitting and owning a quarter versus his Land Grab. Had the game gone on I'm not sure the result would have changed. I would have just kept munching his crew, and blocking his strategy. Even had he managed to get all the strategy points from there on out, turn six would have been only seven points, to my very likely eight. An extended game would have only led to a draw, if I didn't do anything the rest of the game.
On a side note, my Oiran didn't do a whole lot. He could afford to hold off using his, waiting on mine, while I wanted to use mine to set up his models. He would just counter lure, which is easy, since the choose to fail will power. I am currently putting mine together, and plan to have try her again this weekend. Sans Malifaux drought, of course.

Due to an extremely busy Demo Day, James and I had plenty of time to play a game of Blood Bowl. He owns a Fantasy Skaven force, and I of course have my converted Norse team, with repainted paints. This was a refresher for me and a learning game for him, so it didn't go terribly quick. Though it did follow my theme for play. Except that I scored two goals. That is right, I was well on my way to winning this one. Of course I was down three players, due to casualties. Turn one, I catch, I run forward, pummel a ton of stuff, get in good position. His turn one, he tries some stuff, fumble, my turn. I am in prime position, but must beat some stuffing out of rodents first. I left him with two rats standing before I went for the TD. Only one was a casualty though. I kick to him. He gets the ball, after I coach him a little on where to put his guys, and he rolls my line. He marches down the field to with in spitting distance of the goal. My turn, stuff gets up, I move in, I manage to knock the guy with the ball, grab it and prep for next turn. He moves in on me, but can't seal the deal. I move, hand off, pass, set up to score. He goes, again fumbles, even with reroll, I move in and score. I am up two points, down three guys, and its only turn seven. He, being a cowardly rat, makes something up about food. And since demos and been mostly a bust, it was off to Canes half an hour early, with probably the closest thing to a win I have ever experienced in Blood Bowl.

After we get back and grub some foods, I get in a game of Warmachine versus Hordes. Me versus everyone's favorite broken trash power gamer, Troy. I am using Menoth for the league, and I am of the mistaken impression that Warmachine is about the war machines. I like the caster I have to use, as well as the Revenger especially. I didn't have any of the infantry models, but I don't think I would have used them anyway, the mistaken impression and all. I had High Exemplar Kreoss, Revenger, a dude with a aoe canon, and a big dude with a mace and fist. They have names, they are down stairs, I am lazy. Doesn't really matter. There are twelve scenarios in the league rules pack. I don't know why they are there. Basically they are all impossible as long as you aren't playing an idiot. And I was playing Troy. The game basically went me doing a fine job of pushing in to kill his pillars. Hitting some of his stuff. Doing a fine job of recovering from my mistakes. Misreading the rules for the scenario. Realising I can never win the scenario, but neither can he, until I'm dead.
The mission was kill these pillars for a points(each player had 2), and then control(1pt) or Dominate(1pt) the center zone at the end of each turn. I set up turn two or three to kill both of his pilars. It left me kinda open, but I thought it was worth it. I charge in my two lighter hitters on the pillar he is massed on, and the big guy on the unprotected pillar. Then I realise I can only hurt one pillar per turn. I take the one he is protecting, since my big guy is relatively safe until next turn. Mission accomplished. I use the Revenger to both take hits and push his models out of melee range. Did I mention I really like this guy? He moves his unit in on my Caster, but has to run to do it. Okay, now I am in a bad spot. I got my point, but over extended myself to do it. I use Kreoss's feat to knock every one of his guys down. I did it after I used the Revenger, which was a mistake. Kreoss then moves out of range of everyone, the shooty guy moves in to block. With shooty and the Revenger, they can't really come get Kreoss, the big guy gets the pillar. Of course all knockdown does is stop his units and power up his beasts, go me. I lose the Revenger, the shooty gets uglied, but Kreoss is able to join the big guy behind a hill and earn me two points for dominating. Oh, wait no he doesn't. Now I realise the futility of Warmachine/Horde scenarios. I have to get five points to win or kill his caster. To get five points, I have to kill both pillars, and dominate the zone for a turn, and dominate or control it for another. You can't control or dominate a zone while any non-caster model is within the zone. Never going to happen! Here is the "not playing against an idiot" part comes in. I can't win. I have more points, but I can't win. I gambled everything on a scenario I can't complete. Troy never fell for it. I have Kreoss and the big guy behind a hill waiting for the inevitable. I maybe could hold out if it was a timed game, but its not. No turn limit, no time limit, go till somebody wins. He has a force, I have two models. He will never leave the zone, and I can't or I lose. It comes down to either he grinds me to dust, or one of us makes a mistake. I have played basically two games, Troy is a skilled, seasoned veteran. Hmmm.... wonder who is gonna screw up first. I forfeit. I of course rage a bit. I just don't understand the point of scenarios that don't matter. More importantly, ones that can't be completed. Its like a slap in the face of everyone who plays the game. "Heh, you're too dumb to realise you can't do these scenarios and every game has to end in caster kill. Heh." I have looked through all the scenarios, they are all basically the same, get one or two points for killing an object, then control or dominate this zone, these zones, this object, this whatever for the rest. Some of them are farther apart and may be possible to make a game with, but not near as easy as I run up and killded you.
Ah, well, live and learn. I will have to move into the mindset of a WarmaHorde player. Yes there is a scenario, I will keep it in the back of my mind so I don't get shanked by it, but the enemy caster is my only real target. I have three months to see if I can handle that.

After that(which may have been shorter than that wall of text, sorry) it was on to paint night. I managed to get a lot of DE done, and rekindled my urge to get them painted, which was needed. But that's for another post... Muahaha!