Age of Sigmar: Daemons/Ironjawz vs Beastmen/Skaven, 18.10.2016

Time for an Age of Sigmar learning game! We played a 2v2, using the multiplayer rules as well as some of the pitched battle rules. Two of the players have already been featured in ancient fantasy battle reports: one brought out his old Skaven army while the other, having long ago sold his lizardmen, came with proxied Ironjawz.

We each brought 750 points for 1500 points team armies and rolled off for allies. We decided not to play any scenario, instead just duke it out to the death.

Team 1 - Chaos and Destruction

Daemons - 740 points

• Daemon Prince of Nurgle, flying, with sword; General: Great Destroyer; Artefact: Chaos Runeblade
• 10 Pink Horrors
• 10 Plaguebearers
• 1 Beast of Nurgle
• Soul Grinder of Nurgle, with Daemonbone Talon

Ironjawz

• orcs. and boss. chopa

Yes. Really. That is the army list that my dear friend Raul provided for this blog post.

... Fine. I'll reconstruct it.

• Orruk Megaboss
• 3 Orruk Gore-gruntas
• 2x 5 Orruk Brutes

Team 2 - Chaos

Skaven, Clan Pestilens - 720 points

• Plague Priest with Plague Censer - General - Artefact : Crown of Conquest - Command Trait : Lord of War
• 2x 20 Plague Monks - Foetid Blades - Icon of Pestilence 
• 2x Plagueclaw 

Beastmen

• Doombull with Great Axe, Chaos Runeblade and General: Lord of War
• 2x 3 Minotaurs with Great Axes
• Beastlord with a Pair of Axes
• Great Bray Shaman
• 10 Gors with a pair of axes

Team 2 had less points, so they got a triumph (which they forgot to use).

The game

Deployment

We deployed in a straight battleline. From left to right: Brutes, Megaboss, Brutes, Plaguebearers, Grinder, Gore-gruntas, Pink Horrors, Daemon Prince, Beast of Nurgle.
Yes. The orruks are proxied by a host of DnD and other assorted miniatures.

Team Chaos deployed as well, with the catapults in the back. From left to right: Plague Monks, injured Plague Priest, Plague Monks, Minotaurs, Minotaurs behind the tower, Doombull, Bray Shaman, Gors, Beastlord.
And yes. All the beastmen are proxied by my daemon miniatures.

Turn 1

Team Chaos won the roll-off. Their lines advanced as one. The catapults were out of range, so no shooting.

We advanced as well, taking full advantage of the Orruk's ability to move before the movement phase. 

The grinder shot into the Doombull, taking it down to 3 wounds.

The Pink Horrors bubblewrap the Daemon Prince.

Team C&D, turn 2.

We won the roll-off, and started into a rather more interesting turn.

The Gore-gruntas advance and promise to hold off the right flank of the skaven, allowing the Beast of Nurgle and Daemon Prince to run forward towards the catapults.

The Grinder shoots into the Doombull and finishes it off, then charges into a group of Minotaurs, only killing 1. The Orruk Brutes assault the Gors and Beastlord.

The Gore-gruntas melt away the Plague Monks and the Brutes kill off the Gors.

The retaliation is impressive. The Minotaurs take the Grinder below half health.

The Plague Monks inflict mortal wounds when dying, then attack back, taking out 1 Gore-grunta before running away due to battleshock.

Team Chaos, turn 2.

The other group of Plague Monks swarm the Gore-gruntas. The other group of Minotaurs charge the Grinder.

As expected, the Grinder dies.

The Gore-gruntas also die, with the last wounds taken away by the dying Plague Monks.

Team Chaos, turn 3.

They won the roll-off, leaving me in a very exposed position.

Plague Monks and a group of Minotaurs charge my Daemon Prince. The other group of Minotaurs charge in to help the Gors.

Both players choose the right flank, their combined might bringing my Daemon Prince down... to 1 wound. This is truly fortunate, as I manage to strike back into the Minotaurs.

The Orruks on the other flank have absolutely no problem dismantling the beastmen, since they attack first. The injured group of Minotaurs die before attacking.

Team C&D, turn 3.

The Megaboss charges in and kills off the Beastlord. The unengaged brutes advance towards my flank.

The Daemon Prince swings first and finishes off the Minotaurs. I did not manage to cast Mystic Shield, and the Daemon Prince goes down, battered by the Plague Monks. On the plus side, I get 4 Pink Horrors back in the Battleshock phase thanks to the icon bearer.

Team C&D, turn 4.

We won the roll-off, this finally swinging the balance in our favor. 

The Plaguebearers charge in, sealing the fate of the Plague Monks.

The Orruks advance behind the tower towards the catapults, having killed off the Bray Shaman.

Team Chaos concedes.

Conclusion

• A fun and fast game, with a 1500 point 2v2 battle going down in a little over 2 hours.
• We forgot to apply a lot of extra rules (Allegiance abilities, Triumph...), but we only did one thing wrong (multiple charges) and we had surprisingly few rules questions that needed looking up (again, related to charging).
• The above two points are in stark contrast with Fantasy. In fact, the two games come off as  entirely different mindsets.
• The core rules are very short, with all the exceptions contained in the ruleset of each unit. This means that you don't have to learn ALL the exceptions and special rules - only your own.
• List building is dead simple, with most upgrades free and units that cannot be added to except in batches (e.g. you can't have a squad of 11 Plaguebearers - only 10 or 20).
• We'll definitely play again! 

Age of Sigmar disclaimer

Let's not jump on the "Fantasy is better than Age of Sigmar in every way" bandwagon. I played Fantasy and I was as dismayed as everybody when the 4-page rulebook replaced the 200-page one. I kept tabs on how the new game was going, as one player burned his collection of fantasy miniatures, while others came up with homebrew points systems for the new game. I witnessed how Miniwargaming switched from covering Fantasy to Age of Sigmar, then back, when the game proved to be near unplayable - not a proper wargame, even, without point costs. But recently, the General's Handbook came out for Age of Sigmar, establishing not only narrative campaigns and scenarios, but tournament play and points costs. There is an FAQ that is almost double the size of the original rules sheet. At the very least, Games Workshop is trying to give us, the players, what we want. Let's give it all a chance!

M.A.G.U.S. - a new adventure begins

Introduction

After a short break, during which we each created our new characters, we restarted playing MAGUS. We were much more confident, being a lot more experienced with the game. We shouldn't make too many bad choices this time, eh? We also managed to settle on a regular two-week interval for our playing sessions.

I took over the mantle of Dungeon Master for the first couple of levels. I decided to introduce a couple of aids which I used before in DnD with great success: printed maps and figurines.

Characters

Armatio - a knight born and raised in the mage-city of Doran, thus receiving some wizardly training

Biznard - a rough barbarian from the Eastern Steppes, wielding a two-handed mace

Shamil - assassin in the employ of the Anat-Akhan headhunter clan

Adventure hook

Shamil receives a new mission from his mentor, the tutor majoris. He will aid in expanding the influence of his clan on and around the shores of the Quiron sea. During the first push, he will be receiving missions from a secretive employer.

Let us begin!

After his brief discussion with the tutor majoris, Shamil went out to gather his gear and buy new items for the trip, including a lame horse. One hyperspace jump later, he was infiltrating the city of Daerim, waiting in the Dirty Sloven inn to meet his new employer.

A few beers later, Shamil was approached by a waiter who whispered him the passphrase, then directed him to a room on the first floor. There he met a young woman called Siena, who introduced herself as his new employer. The first meeting proved to be a bit awkward, as Shamil refused to kiss the woman, even after seeing her insistence. Put off, Siena instructed him to steal a bottle of ancient wine, transported on the vessel called The Light of the Red Moon, which was supposed to dock the day after.

Shamil then proceeded to meet his new adventuring fellows. Biznard got drunk in the meantime and mixed up the passphrases - but what do you really expect from a barbarian? Armatio was more then willing to join up with him. He was there at the request of the Grand Master of his knightly order.
The last step was to link up with the representatives of the Squids, a local thieves' guild already cajoled to offer up what help they could.

A nice, quiet day (yeah, right)

The evening and the day after was spent waiting for the ship, as well as a few minor preparations. The adventurers discussed ways of getting unto the ship, sending off Shamil to procure some sailor's clothes. He could have gone to the market, but instead, he chose to stalk drunken sailors in darkened alleyways. His first attempt was was unsuccessful, being surprised by a gang of sailors just as he was strangling someone. His second attempt succeeded, as he strangled and robbed a drunk behind a brothel.

Take the ship!

It was late in the evening when a Squid arrived with much needed information. The ship had arrived during the day, but did not dock, preferring to stay out in the waters of the bay. Cargo and supplies were shipped on using boats. Later on, the sailors came ashore to enjoy much needed distractions.

The adventurers asked the Squids to keep the sailors occupied during the night, and ordered a small boat to be made ready for them.

Shortly before midnight, the adventurers started off towards the meeting point. Although it was the darkest of nights, they quickly realized that they were being followed. They set up an ambush behind a street corner, but their attackers did not take the bait. A short but bloody fight followed. The adventurers prevailed, suffering only minor wounds, but the barbarian made enough of a mess that they could not find anything to identify their assailants by.

With no time to rest, the adventurers hurried on, reaching the meeting point in time. A couple of Squids were already preparing the boat to launch, and were taking their places at the oars. Before leaving, the adventurers instructed the Squid boss to recruit some sailors and prepare to steal the entire ship!

M.A.G.U.S. - uj kaland kezdodik

Why is this post not in English?

Bevezető

Rövid szünet után, ami alatt mindenki kidolgozta az új karakterét, újra kezdtük a MAGUSozást. Ezúttal bizakodón állunk a dologhoz. Mindenkinek van tapasztalata a játékról, úgyhogy ügyesebb döntéseket kéne hozzunk. Megbeszéltünk egy állandó időpontot is: kéthetente játszunk!

Az első szinteken én leszek a Kaland Mester. Úgy döntöttem, hogy bevezetek néhány dolgot, melyet eddig csak DnDben alkalmaztam, de ott mindig nagy sikerrel: nyomtatott térképek és papírfigurák ellenfeleknek.

Karakterek

Armatio - Doranban született és nevelkedett lovag, aki ezáltal mágikus kiképzést is kapott.

Biznard - a keleti sztyeppékről származó barbár. Legfőbb szerszáma a kétkezes buzogány.

Shamil - Anat-Akhan fejvadász/orvgyilkos.

Előtörténet

Shamilt a tutor majorisa megbízza a klán működésének kiterjesztésével a Quiron-tenger mellékén. A bizalomépítő akció elején egy titokzatos megbízótól fogja kapni a küldetéseket.

Vágjunk bele!

Shamil rövid párbeszéde után a tutor majorissal szabad kezet kapott a felszerelkezésre. Sikeresen bevásárolt egy sánta lovat, néhány apróbb felszereléstárggyal együtt. Egy térkapuugrással később már Daerimben találta magát, ahol a Piszkos Lompos nevű fogadóban várta megbízóját.

Pár sör után egy pincérfiú a fülébe suttogta a jelmondatot, majd egy emeleti szoba fele irányította. Itt ismerkedett meg egy Szienna néven bemutatkozó ifjú hölggyel, aki minden jelek szerint az új megbízója. Az első találkozás bizalmatlanra sikerült, mivel Shamil semmilyen unszolásra nem volt hajlandó megcsókolni a nőt. Szienna ezek után morcosan arra utasította, hogy a kikötőbe másnap befutó Vörös Hold Fénye nevú hajóról lopjon el egy üveg Ó-Pyarroni bort.

Ezek után sor került új bajtársai megismerésére. Biznard időközben rendesen berúgott, és felcserélte a jelmondatokat - de hát egy barbártól mégis mit várjon az ember? Armatio készségesen mellészegődött - őt a lovagrend nagymestere kérte fel a kalandban részvételére. Az utolsó láncszem egy helyi tolvajklán, a Tintahalak képviselőinek megismerése volt, akik valamilyen-úton módon már meg voltak győzve a megfelelő segítségnyújtásról.

Egy eseménytelen nap - vagy mégse?

Az este és a másnap a hajóra várakozással telt el, no meg néhány aprósággal. A kalandozók megtárgyalták a hajóra feljutás lehetséges módozatait, majd Shamil elindult tengerészálruhát szerezni. Természetesen nem a piacon vette meg, hanem megpróbált részeg tengerészeket meggyilkolni sötét sikátorokban. Először nem járt sikerrel, egy csapat részeg matróz érte tetten. Másodjára, egy bordélyház árnyékában, sikeresen megfojtott egy arra botorkáló részeget, majd elvette a ruháit.

Hajóra fel!

Estefele a Tintahalak képviselője megérkezett az összekapart hírmorzsákkal. A hajó megérkezett a kikötőbe, de nem kötött ki, hanem távolabb horgonyzott le. Minden ellátmányt csónakkal szállítottak be. Később a matrózok népes serege, szórakozásra készen, partra szállt.

A kalandozók utasítására a Tintahalak felkészültek a tengerészek parton marasztalására. Ezen kívül egy csónakot készítettek elő a hajó megostromlásához.

A kalandozók éjközép előtt indultak a megbeszélt találkozóhelyre. Nem sokkal indulás után, a vaksötét ellenére is, kiszúrták, hogy követik őket. Egy utcasarok mögött rajtaütést szerveztek, ám támadóik nem sétáltak bele gyanútlanul. Rövid hard következett. Kisebb-nagyobb sebesülések árán a kalandozók győztek! Azonban a barbár munkája nyomán nem sok maradt ellenfeleikből, ami alapján felismerhetnék őket.

Pihenésre nem volt idő. Szerencsére hamar végeztek ellenfeleikkel, és idejében elérték a csónakkal várakozó Tintahalakat. Néhány markos legény ült az evezőknél. Indulás előtt még egy utasítást adtak a tolvajoknak: verbuváljanak tengerészeket a hajó elkötésére!

Painting Nurglings

This squad of Nurglings is a veteran of many battle reports - time to do them justice.

Painting the bodies

Prime in white - as I always do.

These little things are insanely jovial, and I thought of giving them an appropriately colored appearance. There are several colors I used for their skintones: blood red, brown, ochre, skintone, dead flesh, rock grey. Just make sure that there are no two of the same color next to each other.

For a more uniform look, I covered the bodies in green wash. This keeps the skin basetones, but they no longer look very different.

Note that I later decided to also do some edge highlighting on the skin. This was after I've finished all the other details, when I noticed that the skin tones do not have enough contrast. The technique is the same as applied for the Plaguebearers; just use the base color for each Nurgling.

Painting the details

Basecoat the entrails bonewhite.

Paint the eyes red, except on the red-skinned Nurglings, who get glowing green eyes.

Apply black wash to the eyes and mouths. This brings out the teeth and other small details.

Wash the entrails in dark red for that gory look.

Paint the tongues violet.

Highlight the tongues and the entrails with pink. The effect is very different on violet and red base.

Don't forget about the pustules and wounds on their backs! Wash them with dark red (same as for the entrails), then highlight the pustules with yellow.

Basing

As always, fill out the bases with home made putty:

Then paint it in a basecoat. I painted it dark brown:

But then I noticed that the paint didn't get in a lot of cracks:

So I gave the base a generous black wash to cover up any such mishaps. It also made the dark brown even darker, which is an excellent color for soil - I'll be reusing this in the future!

I also applied some flocking, same as for the Plaguebearers, not shown here.

Finished!