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!