Musing on MoM's Armour Spam

On the latest Muse on Minis podcast episode 122 Chad Shonkwiler, American WTC participant and Trollbloods purist, explores the concept of an almost entirely ARM 21 list. Here is the 50pt list he and the other members of the Muse Crew put together:

pMadrak or eGrissel
Bouncer
Bouncer
Mulg
Earthborn
Janissa
Max Krielstone + UA
Max Warders
Max Warders

For those of you who haven't listened to the podcast (which I recommend you do) the basic concept of the list is to present so much ARM 21 that the opponent can't chew through it all. Lots of lists have dedicated ARM crackers, but when your entire list is built of ARM 21 is one or two dedicated units/models enough? Most of the time the answer is no. Eventually they will trade their ARM cracker away and then they will be left with no answer to what you have left. Let's look at the models they have included to make the list work.

You may have noticed that their are some pretty obvious inclusions in this list: Warders, Mulg, Krielstone, Earthborn, and Janissa. They are all obviously chosen to skew towards a high ARM stat and they all do work outside just having high armour. Some have high damage output (Warders, Mulg) and others further skew the lists ARM (Earthborn and Janissa), but what does the Bouncer add to this list. Being ARM 21 is not enough, it has to provide more to keep it from being dead points. So what could this maligned beast do?

1. Shield Guard - keeps your models safe from ranged attacks, with the coming release of Eiryss3 his stock is going up
2. Brace for Impact - reduces the slam distance by 3 inches, if slammed 0 inches it does not become knocked down, and collateral damage does not knock this model down. Great for scenario at ARM 21 and hard to slam out of zones it will stick around a lot longer then your enemy will want
3. Chain Weapon - ignores ARM provided by shields and the shield wall order, it's situationally good, but I see a lot of Iron Fangs in my meta and love this trait
4. Bump - pushes away the first model to make a melee attack against a model with Bump cast on it, while it can be played around it does make it more difficult to plan a turn around killing an ARM 21 list
5. Reach - always nice to have and on a POW 13 boostable attack it's not bad

The Bouncer is a scenario piece. It will sit on an objective or in a zone and the enemy is going to have to over commit to remove this 5 point model. This is good news for us since it will mean they aren't killing our business pieces. 

You will notice that the list has two casters, pMadrak and eGrissel. During their discussion these are the two warlocks that Chad and the Muse Crew were considering for leading this list. 

• pMadrak has carnage a spell increasing the MAT of models in pMadrak's control area by 2. Along with his feat which gives Overtake and additional attacks for killing a model, to models in his control area pMadrak allows this very tough list to chew through infantry. He also solves the problem with high defense models, but also fixes the Bouncer's MAT 5.
• eGrissel can use her feat to give models in her control area Hyper Aggressive, when a model takes damage it advances directly towards the model that made the attack, and Unyielding, and additional 2 ARM while in melee. She also has the spell Dash, which gives models in her control area plus 1 SPD and ignore free strikes. She allows the list to get up the board and properly contesting scenario, she also further skews the list's ARM stat with her feat.

Between these two casters we see two different approaches to what this list wants to do. pMadrak fixes its MAT problem, and can crush infantry spam lists. eGrissel plays to scenario by getting models in zones and making it very difficult for the enemy to score and prevent her army from scoring. Both these strategies look like they'd would be very effective on the table and I'm keen to try them out. However when I was listening to the podcast I couldn't help, but feel they were missing another option for amongst our warlocks. That warlock would be pGrim.

I think pGrim would be an excellent warlock to lead this ARM 21 monstrosity. pGrim helps the list in very similar ways that both pMadrak and eGrissel do separately. His feat decreases the DEF and SPD of enemy models by 3 and prevents them from making special attacks. This helps his army hit enemy models, and rather then speeding his army up, he hinders the enemy army from moving as far forward. This allows him to draw the line of engagement closer to the enemy's side of the board and even keep them from getting in the zone. His spells are pretty toolbox allowing his army to ignore forests (cross-country), from moving as they please (lock the target), and outside feat help his models hit as well as stop stealth and incorporeal (marked for death). He even has the tools to deal with a match up Chad points out as being a weakness for this list, pDenny. For a pDenny (pDeneghra) match up the list does need a few tweaks.

pGrim

Bouncer

Bouncer

Mulg

War Wagon

Thrullg

Sorcerer/Gobber Tinkerer

Max Krielstone + UA

Max Warders

Max Warders

So you as you can see I've ditched the Earthborn and Janissa package in place of a War Wagon, Thrullg, and either a Sorcerer or Gobber Tinkerer. The reason for this is in this list I don't think that the extra 2 ARM is needed, it's nice, but not necessary. The wall and the other utilities that the Earthborn's animus provides will be missed, but I think that pGrim can work using his own toolbox. The purpose of the War Wagon is that it provides another gun to the list, still remains an ARM 21 model, and a huge base to hide Grim behind. The Thrullg is often ignored, because he's a poor man's Eiryss, but I think in this list he has a place. He hides behind the lines and will be used to knock off any enemy upkeeps, with such high armour we also don't need to worry about him killing or damaging anything. It does have some other shenanigans, but I don't think he'll be used for those very often. The Sorcerer and the Gobber Tinkerer are both good options for the list. The Sorcerer is another form of debuff management, but is less effective then the Thrullg. He does have some late game potential, but mostly would be brought to deal with debuffs. The Gobber Tinkerer is another one point filler, but can help keep the War Wagon up and running. At 22 boxes and ARM 21 it may survive a committed attack, and the Gobber Tinkerer can be there to help keep it on its feet. The one point option is really about personal preference, and I can see Swamp Gobbers or a Feralgeist as good alternatives.

In the occurrence of a pDenny match up I think pGrim has a game, at least better then most lists. It is still uphill, but I feel pGrim has more options against pDenny then most. With his 13" POW 13 magical gun, a -3 DEF feat, and Marked For Death, Grim is a threat and makes his army one too. With the aid of Thrullg and a Sorcerer he has some way to deal with Denny's debuffs. Grim and his army also answers a lot of the different units Denny likes to bring, pirates, Nyss Hunters, Croes Cutthroats, and Banes. The War Wagon's gun can be used to clear a lot of that high DEF low ARM infantry and if it gets lucky even knock some down, Grim's feat really helps with hitting as well. With line breaker on a huge base the War Wagon can also clear infantry in melee pretty well, it sounds nicer then then it normally is, but the option is available. Also being able to charge, impact attack, shoot a 5" AOE, and an spray 8" all on one turn can be pretty devastating, especially on feat turn. The War Wagon also is unaffected by Croe's poison, so that can be situationally handy, it also means if Croes are in the list it won't necessarily die in one turn. Everything also being ARM 21 remains to be a pain, especially after feat turn when only a few can actually suffer debuffs. pDenny is still definitely a threat, but I feel pGrim still has some good answers.

I am really keen to try this list in both iterations and with all three casters, but I do feel pGrim really provides more for the list then either eGrissel or pMadrak. Chad's idea really caught my imagination and I can't thank him and the Muse Crew enough for all the stuff they do for the online community. I can only hope that his idea can reach other troll players, and inspire them as much as it did me.

Thanks for reading,

Crash West

Any questions or comments you can reach me here

To Theme or not to Theme... Epic Doomshaper

To Theme or not to Theme; that is the question

Theme forces are an often maligned part of the game. Whilst some are considered good, and very few considered amazing, the majority are forgotten about. Whilst “Runes of War” (pDoomshaper) and “Family Reunion” (Borka) get a fair amount of exposure, the rest are dismissed for not being top tier tournament lists. Well, guess what? We don’t all play tournaments all the time! It’s good to experiment and have fun, take a break from everything the internet tells you to do!

This sporadic series will look at the Trollblood Theme forces and give a brief break down and a series of ratings…

W.W. - Wrathen's Workshop - Introduction

Introduction:
My name is Phillip and I generally always go by Wrathen on forums and many MMOs. I'm 31 years old and have a beautiful loving wife who supports and tolerates my gaming habits while refusing to participate. I don't assume to have all the answer but I do believe I have alot to offer to help grow this great Trollblood community. I would like to do short workshops about ether general techniques, unit/solo/beast write ups, and strategy sessions. So I think I should start with how I got into the game and how I ended up a trollkin fanatic!!!

About Wrathen's Workshop:
I'm hoping with my workshops to help provoke new ideas in the trollkin community and help in general game play. My first actual workshop is going to be some tools and techniques on improving everyones ability to judge distances on the gaming table. This is something almost every player can improve on and is a very important tool to any player.

Im hoping to have some time between how and my first actual workshop to make some cool graphics to break up the "wall of text".... Sorry about the wall of text this time.

Fun with line of site

Hey Kids, Warlord Bixley here.
There's something I see every time I look down at a Gaming table. Other then models and terrain, flock....dice strewn about because I'm a very sloppy player...mountain dew cans..I see many things when I look down actually but the most important thing I see is MATH. Part of being a proper warlord is seeing the math that decide what the right moves are so what do you say we have some fun and look at some ratios. No wait, stick around...please?

If your still reading What I want to work out here is how to absolutely know if a model standing on a cliff can see another model it's attacking down below, and vica verca. Now most Warmahordes tables I've seen are about as flat as the Chinese Gymnastics team (I'm only about a year and a half late for that reference, so sue me ) but there are rules in the game to have more dynamic cliffs  and scenery in your games and this may come up from time to time.

Like A Boss: Solo Spotlight - Stone Scribe Chronicler

Happy Monday to all of you! It's the start of a new week, and with that, a new edition of Like A Boss, this week, we will be taking a look at the Stone Scribe Chronicler.

Just like last week, the goal with this series will be to give an insight on how I rate our varying faction units/solos/warlocks, and hopefully provide some fun and informative topics for discussion and debate.

Follow along after the jump for all the juicy details!

Gunnbjorn: The Troll We All Love To Hate

Have you ever been to a restaurant and saw a mighty fine piece of pie being displayed? You might have thought, "Mmm that looks like good pie" and order it with your meal. After eating a hearty delicious meal you receive your piece of pie, only to find it a little less appealing then you had when you walked in. Taking a bite you aren't too impressed. Between your initial expectations and your full stomach you really regret buying that piece of pie. If that restaurant were Hordes, then the meal is Trollbloods, and that pie is Gunnbjorn.

So what did that ridiculous metaphor mean? Well I think it comes down to the fact that Gunnbjorn isn't really awful, he's just not the warlock we expect to find. You look at his stats and you find decent speed, average RAT and MAT, effectively DEF 15 ARM 18, and typical FURY 6. Is that bad? No, for Trolls it's pretty solid. He can get up the field, hit when he needs to (with a boost if necessary ), and he's not easy to kill with transfers and sitting behind your army. His stats are solid.

If it isn't his stat line, is it that he is not pulling his weight? His bazooka is range 12, has an AOE 3, POW 14 and has Critical Devastation. It can only be fired once, but thats pretty standard in Trolls. It is definitely threatening. A POW 14 boostable gun that has and effective range of 16" can do work and then some, also while it isn't something to depend on, crit. devastation is nasty when it goes off. How effective is it really though? Honestly most opponents I've played may not respect Gunnbjorn, but they do respect his big ol' bazooka.

You know and I both know that Gunnbjorn is generally despised, but I haven't really gotten as to why. Well it starts at his spell list. Gunnbjorn's spell list screams gun line, especially beast heavy.

Tournament prep 101...or how easy is it to forget stuff

Howdy folks, Hollow Echo here.
This Saturday , I'm going to be in a 50 point Steamroller hosted by Static Age Games. I post the battle reports up on my next post .As I'm getting ready for this tournament I decided to make a checklist and share it with the Scrummers... Scrumites....no... Readers .

Like A Boss: Solo Spotlight - Trollkin Skinner

Greetings and a hearty happy Monday to all of you! Kro here, with the debut of a new spotlight article series I'll be writing called "Like A Boss." Last week I took suggestions on twitter for article ideas and this seemed pretty popular. So, ask and ye shall receive!

The goal with this series will be to give an insight on how I rate our varying faction units/solos/warlocks, and hopefully provide some fun and informative topics for discussion and debate. This week we will be taking an in depth look at the Trollkin Skinner!

Follow along after the jump for all the juicy details!

Why Our Battlebox Makes Us Better Players

My own painted Battlegroup

Hey folks! Kro here, with my first real article on the Scrum!

When I originally picked up Trollbloods as my primary faction, a number of players in my meta warned me right off the bat: "Trolls are awesome, but their Battle box sucks." or "They are one of the few factions that introduce you to Warlock/Warcaster that essentially does nothing (feat wise) for the beasts they come with." The most popular bit of criticism was the fact that our battle box lacked a heavy chassis. All of the concerns were valid and hard to ignore, yet when I made my initial purchase a small whelp in the back of my head was telling me "Relax! There's a reason why the box is set up this way!"

What can I say, I went in deep and never looked back. 60+ battle box games later, and I can safely say that our box is FAR from underpowered. It is competitive, just in ways that set it apart from the other factions.

Follow along after the jump to find out why!

Mabrothrax does Madrak (part 1: ‘The Sleeper and the Miracle Warlock?)

So, as I mentioned before, I was inspired by the upcoming ‘Madrak Challenge’ coupled with the realisation that I’d not played pMadrak outside of a battlebox demo (which I reckon is possibly true for a large number of Trollblood players).

Warders are my new favourite unit so my thinking was to make an alternative brick. With a 35 point Steamroller coming up (played yesterday at time of writing) I got a few practice games in at my local club. I played two games against Cryx (Skarre/Satyxis list), Farrow and Legion.

First time I popped the feat against cryx I lived the dream and Madrak cleared out soooo much infantry, as did the warders. Against a beast heavy list and against the Farrow with tough, Crusher was far less effective.

As we all know (or have been told) Madrak just doesn’t die. With his small control radius, you have to play him up close and personal to get the Crusher and Carnage to work, but with Sure foot and the stone, perhaps Janissa’s wall (and Elemental Communion) plus his own tech, you really are presenting a decent challenge.

This comes back to something I wrote earlier about my play style with trolls, about ‘ignorance and synergy’. It’s fairly obvious that posing a tough question (no pun intended)with a brick of Warders, Madrak and beasts sitting on armour anywhere between 17 and 21, not to mention a respectable def and no knockdown in a smaller bubble is both easy to play and hard, if not just plain annoying, to deal with.

From just a few games it’s clear to me that whilst pMadrak doesn’t necessarily threaten an opponent with alpha strikes or broken-ness, he amplifies the trollblood synergisitic defiance. Here’s the 35 point list I played at my club to try things out:

pMadrak

Runebearer

Earthborn Dire Troll

Dire Troll Mauler

Troll Bouncer*

Warders (max)

Kriels Stone & Scribe (min) +Elder

Janissa    

*In my very first game the Bouncer was a Pyre.

The following week I attended the ‘unlucky for some’ (it was on Sunday 13^th) 35 point SR at Dark Sphere games, London. Minus T (of the SmogCon crew) was the Press Ganger running the show, and a very smooth event it was. Great Work Tom!

I went with my one list, and only one list, eager to test pMadrak in the tournament scene.

My expectations were, on the one hand, low. One list, a less than highly respected Troll caster, no regard for meta and such. Other the other hand however, I was playing a warlock rarely seen outside of a battlebox, and I was playing one list built to do what I wanted to do, NOT to answer all possible matchups. This gave me a mental advantage.

Round 1: vs Skorne (Close Quarters)

My opponent had pMorghul, a Titan Gladiator, a Bronzeback, Tibereon, Basilisk Krea, Cyclops Brute and two units of beast handlers. It was a straightforward big monster smash.

The game was very close to begin with and we each put out a fair amount of hurt on each other. The Warders took out Tiberion (much to my opponent's surprise), the Bronzeback spent a couple of turns destroying the Mauler. The piece trade continued at a respectable pace. By then both our Warlocks were on each other's flag, and unfortunately with some duff threshold checks and Morghul’s feat I was unable to clear the last few pieces contesting his flag, whilst the Earthborn who was contesting and threatening got taken out by combined efforts from a Cyclops and a Bronzeback.

A loss, but a good one and a tough game.

Round 2 vs Khador (Into the Breach)

My opponent had pIrusk, a Man o War kovnik, Iron Fang Shield Guard, Uhlans and three jacks - two Devastators and a Spriggan.

I have to say that this wasn't a hugely enjoyable game. The guy had no cards and was flipping between the kahdor book a lot and drawing damage grids on paper, plus he didn't seem all that sure of various rules. Anyway. I sat most of my force in the zone and spent forever trying to take out the ridiculous arm 25 warjacks. Irusk went for the flag and so Madrak stepped up for an assassination attempt and knocked the Khador caster down to four boxes, then he missed three attacks in a row. After that it was simply a case of the Spriggan repeatedly poking Madrak with a power lance. Game over.

A second loss. A rather annoying one at that - it is easy to blame bad dice, but to be honest my opponent wasn't playing well. I should have had that one.

Round 3 vs Circle (Supply and Demand)

The Circle army was I guess a kind of beast brick... I don't think it did what it was meant to do. He had Kreuger the Stormlord, Megalith, a Feral and a Pureblood Warpwolf, a Gorax, shifiting stones and the Lord of the Feast.

This really was a simple grind. Despite his best efforts to wear down my buffed warders and beasts I took out all the beasts one by one and went for Krueger. Madrak got the assassination. The only thing left was a single shifting stone.

First win, and a solid one at that.

Round 4 vs Cygnar (Process of Elimination)

The dreaded Epic Haley, but no Stormwalls! My opponent had a Squire, Stormclad, Triumph, Arcane Tempest Gunmages +UA, full Nyss Hunters and a Stormsmith Stormcaller.

In my second turn I had destroyed an objective and started camping a zone... it was just a case of weathering the storm of shooting and clearing out the contesting models. Epic Haley's feat is super annoying but didn't really lose me much. I think it’s far too easy to be intimidated by it. That said, my list doesn’t rely on precise order of activation, and once set up with Sure foot being upkept and the stone doing its thing… well, no big deal. The Warders proved that they are pure gold and under the feat cleared out the pesky contesting Gun Mages. My Mauler took out the Stormclad warjack and although I had lost the Earthborn, I had managed to keep the zone and win on control points.

My second win, and a good one at that playing to my lists defensive strength.

As the dust settled I placed 9th of 18 players, the best of three Troll players as well. I also won best painted army! (pics coming soon)

Of my opponents, only the Skorne player placed higher than me (coming fourth). The top armies were unsurprisingly Cryx and Legion, and all forces except Minions & Cyriss were represented. One of the Merc players actually brought a double Galleon list. Sigh.

So what does any of this mean? Well, going 2-2 is okay I guess and placing right in the middle of the rankings is neither good nor bad. But let’s consider the following:

• I was playing one list (pretty sure I was the only person doing so).
• I was playing ‘my list’ and not an ‘answer the meta list’.
• The only opponent of mine that placed higher than me came in fourth (Skorne amongst a sea of Cryx and Legion).
• There were two other Troll players, both placed lower and had eGrim/Borka and pGrissel/eMadrak… those are some of the warlocks considered (among Trollbloods at least) top of the heap.
• I was playing pMadrak, y’know the battlebox guy?

I’m moving in the right direction. I’m looking for some more (preferably 50 point) events to throw Maddy into. I need a second box of Warders, and fancy a Kithkar.

Till next time, keep rolling tough!

Mabrothrax