Introductory Confrontation Battle Report #4

Once again we find the authors Dirz up against a Fear Causing Enemy.

This week they are up against the Undead, they have their own secret weapon: Pests of Flesh.The table was a long rectangle and the center piece was a section of castle walling with a gateway. A hill found its way to the left center of board mostly on the Dirz zone. Two forest were also found on the right side of the board, one near the castle and another in the Undeads zone.With 200pts, the undead brought the Gorgon, a Heavy Centaur, and a Specter with the intention of raising puppets to supplement the numbers and be a pain. The Dirz brought Ysis, a pair of Pests, and some Keratis and Skorize.

Deployment found Ysis in one of the Castle Towers poised to start shooting. The pests and Keratis joined up on the left and the Skorize started in the forest to the right of the castle, taking advantage of the Scout ability to get closer to the Gorgon while remaining hidden. The undead set up centrally hoping to shield the gorgon until she could raise a few undead.

Turn 1: The Alchemists hesitate in the face of the Living Dead and lose the Tactical Roll. Deep down, they were only faking though as they activated almost completely before the Undead did. The Pests, Keratis, and Skorize all pushed forward trying to pin the Undead in and bring their superior numbers to bear while Ysis took aim with her Hexalid Crossbow on the Gorgon herself. (You don't fear what you dont charge..) The Spector charges a pest to defend the Gorgon, and the Centaur charged a non-mutagenic Keratis. The Gorgon backed away from the Skorize, not wanting to pick a fight, but left herself open to Ysiss shot, and a light wound. She did manage to raise a puppet in the path of the oncoming Skorize but it wasnt close enough to engage.Combat was a bloody mess for those without blood. After standing his ground to the oncoming Centaur, the Keratis took the initiative and promptly supplied the creature with death again. The Pest didn't have nearly as many problems with the Spectre as it should have, suffering a light wound while dealing nothing in return. As the turn came to a close, the Gorgon managed to recover a single gem.

Turn 2: The second turn got off to a bad start for the undead as the Dirz won the tactical roll and started to close in on the Gorgon. The second pest of flesh charged in on the Spectre as did a Keratis while the second Keratis headed toward the Gorgon. The Gorgon moved away as the puppet charged the Skorize, locking it in place. Again, Ysis took aim at the Gorgon, and found her still to be a long shot. The shot proved to be much to difficult for her and it is doubtful the Gorgon even realized a shot had been fired. With bolts flying past, the Gorgon summoned another puppet in the path of the Skorize as it was the most pressing threat.Combat once again was not pretty for the Undead. The Spectre fell to the combined strength of the two pests and the Keratis who instantly pursued toward the Gorgon, but were no where near reaching her. The Skorize easily defeated the puppet without a scratch and pursued toward the other, confident that the others would dispatch the Gorgon easily. The Gorgon once again gathered her energies once again regenerating three gems that were sure to raise another puppet.

Turn 3: Turn three found the Dirz in control again and a mutagenic die managed to raise the movement of the Keratis so that he could reach the Gorgon with his charge. Unfortunately, the sight of the evil creature kept him at bay and he remained stationary. The pests and the other Keratis moved toward the Gorgon but weren't able to charge. Finally, the puppet was able to charge the Skorize before it could move, and the Gorgon backed out of Ysiss range. With nothing to shoot at, Ysis was content to remain atop the castle wall watching her minions have their way with the foul creatures. Another puppet jumped up in front of the Keratis and soon after the Skorize eliminated the other.

Turn 4: Turn four found the Gorgon with initiative, but little to do. Backed near the table edge, she waited for the onslaught to come. The skorize and both keratis failed their fear tests (who would have thought 3 ones would come up…..) while the pests made their way in to the Gorgon. The puppet moved to attack one of the pests, which would soon become its undoing. The Gorgon dispatched her Pest quickly, earning yet another light wound, and the other exploded causing a third wound to the Gorgon and killing the puppet outright.With one wound left and a number of opponents within charge distance, the Gorgon quickly retreated and ended her assult on the Dirzs fortification.The game was pretty one sided after a fluke killing of the Centaur in the first turn. Had it held for even that turn, the spectre would probably have survived and the outcome would have been much different. Exceptional wounds proved the deciding factor for the Dirz. Even though they remembered the mutagenic ability, it didnt prove to be of much use.