The Scrum Cast Ep. 17

Our Gargantuan review is up and ready for your enjoyment
http://scrumcast.trollbloodscrum.com/2013/03/the-scrum-cast-ep17.html

Go have a listen and tell us what you think.

Advanced Deployment by the Numbers

This game is rather Mathy and a lot can be derived simply from knowing a few numbers. I got to thinking about this as I have been using burrowers heavily in tournaments lately and knowing how far forward I can safely move before burrowing turn 2 is very important. So, with a few visual aids, we can see how we can effectively place our advanced deployment.

The Easy Stuff
There are only a few hard and fast numbers in this equation for people to know. Having these committed to memory is important as they will help you effortlessly out position most opponents because you have the numbers on your side.

Board length: 48"
Mid Field: 24"
Normal Deployment: 7/10"
Advanced Deployment: 13/16"

The Maths and Stuff
Now tier lists and other factors can change these but that is something you will need to account for list to list.
So, we have the important number here. Say you are going first. You start your AD right at the 13" mark as represented by the handy dandy image posted below. You potential run range is far. Moving you up to just beyond mid field with your front line. (13 + 12 = 25")  Doing this however puts you within shooting range of not only AD units but regularly deployed units like Long Gunners who are more then happy to take shots at the little murder machines heading toward them.

So from your enemies perspective, they think you will be bombing down the field trying to get to their ranged stuff to shut them down so they certainly want to try and remove as much of that threat as you they can.  So, giving an example of unbuffed Long Gunners who have a range 14. They move 6 and shot having a 20" total threat. 10 + 6 + 14 = 30) Oh crap, you just run right up into their effective threat range. That's bad. However, knowing what their ranges are You know you can safely run just shy of the 18" mark. Which is a meager 5" in move. This may not sound like a win here but it also means they don't get shot turn 1 ad you get to burrow and have them up the board next turn. These numbers are also important because at those ranged you know that your Fennblades can safely run 1 or 2 guys into that zone of shooting to bait a Vengeance move of of your opponent who has perceived them as a threat. (7 + 12 = 19") So you know you need to run the rest of your Fenns just behind that 18" mark on the board.

Now this is just an extreme example and makes things seem a little more dire then normal   However when you look at other shooting options from Jacks and Beasts you start to have a little more wiggle room.  But the power of numbers is going to save you so many dudes once you get into the habit of doing the simple calculations in your head.

This goes beyond just the first turn.  If you have the where with all to remember how far your opponents have moved and things like that it ca be much easier to judge distances once the game goes on. Referencing your own measurements in battle is another easy way to help yourself.  Lastly measuring your control area is the easiest way to give yourself the advantage.  This may seem second nature to seasoned players but for new guys or even when learning a new faction, teaching yourself these thigns can be a huge help.

I hope you enjoyed this latest article.  Leave comments below or on the forums and as always direct message me if you have questions, comments or Dhunia forbid, criticism.

Gargantuan Troll Spoilers

New Light Warbeast

Night Troll

Night troll 4 pts
mat 5 defense 12 arm 15
Beguile
within 5 warrior models must advance directly towards
eyeless sight
stealth
man eater
pow 12 claws auto paralysis 

Fennblade Kithkar  2pts
+1 Mat +1 Arm
unyielding
8 damage
commander
hard

righteous vengeance

Reach
2 x pow 13

My Brothers, It Begins...

Lock and Load event registration is upon us and the time has come to get back on the tuffalo and get our models painted.  I personally have 49pts worth of Warlocks, Warbeasts and Infantry soaking in simple green prepping for paint.  I've decided to go back and strip everything I painted for Lock and Load 2 Years ago. So once again brothers, we PAINT!


I'll be posting my progress here on the blog as things move along and I invite anyone who wants to participate to send me your photos of progress made and show the world what we Trolls are made of.  Literally, let's show them how good we paint. Send your pictures to Goris@trollbloodscrum.com and every week I will post pictures of what you guys have completed along side my own. Without further ado, here's what I have done so far...

Lock and Load List Building

I think it's safe to say now is the time to really start fine tuning your Masters Lists. So as an open conversation about addressing certain elements of the meta I will post and tune my lists here with Feedback from the community and play testing.  So here is what I am working with, with a little explanation on my thinking for it's list design.


List 1: Make the Mountain King Work

Trollbloods
50+6 points, 22 models

Grissel Bloodsong, Marshal of the Kriels  +6 points
* Earthborn Dire Troll  10 points
* Mountain King  20 points
* Troll Impaler  5 points

Feralgeist  1 point
Janissa Stonetide  3 points
4 Krielstone Bearer & Stone Scribes  3 points
* Stone Scribe Elder  1 point
2x Troll Whelps  2 points each
Trollkin War Wagon  9 points

This list was adapted from a list developed by Hatred a while back and it has been doing good work for me since.  It has a simple gimmick with the feat and relies on the Mountain King being armor 23 all game and 25 on the feat turn. The reason I feel it works well, and Hatred and I have discussed this quite a bit is because the list elements mitigate the Mountain King's shortcomings through it's Knock Down. This list originally came with a thumper but I removed it as I had a hard time positioning it to be effective during the important turns of the game.  The War Wagon provides key infantry clear and can be just as hard to kill at arm 25 making this list VERY hard to remove from scenario.  Rounding it out is Grissel who has serious assassination potential. The moment your opponent over extends their caster to try and remove the Mountain King, be ready to capitalize on it with 3 boosted damage shots from her.

I take this list against anything with no access to pathfinder or debuffing.  So defiantly not against Cryx match ups or against some Cygnar.  Things like Ayanna and Holt are tell tale signs that your opponent will want to drop their armor busting list against you. As soon as they see the king in your lists you can expect a counter pick. This has happened with good regularity in tournaments for me so it's something to keep in mind. Lastly, with good positioning this list can make it a nightmare to win on scenario because ti can't be moved and without access to reach you can easily limit what can get on to the Mountain King who is there to face tank for your army. 

List 2 Calandra Shoots Your Face Off

Trollbloods
50+5 points, 27 models

Calandra Truthsayer, Oracle of the Glimmerwood  +5 points
* 2x Dire Troll Bomber  10 points each
* 2x Troll Impaler  5 points each
* Runebearer  2 points

Feralgeist  1 point
Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew  1 point
Troll Whelps  2 points
10 Trollkin Fennblades  8 points
* Fennblade Officer & Drummer  2 points
Trollkin War Wagon  9 points

The intent of this list should be immediately apparent via t he title as well as it's competition.  I am going to destroy infantry at range and attrition the shit out of my opponent. I have a good melee screen that can do decent damage especially under the feat, I have potent ranged options that become very accurate and damaging, and lastly I have access to re-rolls that can really help with the low Mat/Rat of some models in my army. Also, with tools like befuddle, force blow and star crossed this list can attrition rather well.

In testing this list performed well for it's intended purpose but struggled slightly to break under outside of feat turn. This however was minor as targeted zone clear is something this list can do well because of the inherent strength of Bombers. So, obviously the picks you want are against lists with combined arms or little armor.  So, no Colossals or Jack spam for this list. It fairs well in attrition as well with the Wagon holding zones keeping things occupied. This is probably the most match up dependent list of the 3 and requires intricate play to work against a back match up. 

List 3: Opperation Deliver Weapon Masters
Trollbloods

50+5 points, 22 models

Madrak Ironhide, World Ender  +5 points
* Pyre Troll  5 points
* Troll Impaler  5 points
* Runebearer  2 points

Fell Caller Hero  3 points
Horthol, Long Rider Hero  5 points
4 Krielstone Bearer & Stone Scribes  3 points
* Stone Scribe Elder  1 point
Sons of Bragg  6 points
3 Trollkin Champions  6 points
* Skaldi Bonehammer  3 points
3 Trollkin Long Riders  7 points
Trollkin War Wagon  9 points

So, in the RFP event I ran this list without the stone trying to trim the fat so I revised the list a bit to add it back in because the armor was really hurting me when I was fighting Colossals.  So, with the main idea for this list to being, "Kill All The Colossals" it was in need of tweaking.   With the stone I stand a better chance of the Champs getting to the lines a little healthier. It also gave me cheap infantry for Grim Salvation fodder late game rather then picking off 8 wound models.  Everything in this list can crack armor and it brings the beef needed to survive the trip across the table. It's Scenario presence is pretty good as well with Madrak himself being super hard to remove along side Tough, high armor targets.

So as stated above this list has a specific purpose, which is to crack armor.  It will do quite well at that and doesn't hurt my character restrictions too badly. I feel like it can play a strong attrition battle as well. I'd match this against a number of lists as I feel very comfortable with how eMadrak plays.

So, there you have ti folks.  It's not set in stone but it's good to get the ball rolling on ideas for what to bring ad how to bring it!  Leave comments below or on the forums.  Feel free to contact me directly with questions or ideas too.

New Troll, Light?

The speculation on the internet has begun, and lets be honest, many a Trollblood player has low expectations courtesy of Bruce (aka The Mountain King).  Some of the speculation might be spot on, and a random uncomfirmed internet source has this guy labeled a "Night Troll".

From the unconfirmed information, and a fair amount of prodding, here is our speculated stats for this nasty looking Light Trollblood Warbeast.

Night Troll

Trollblood Light Warbeast

How Do You Specialists?: Trolls and Sideboards

Specialists is an interesting rule that has become sort of Taboo in the eyes of players lately.  Some feel like it really hurts the normal list building process by allowing your opponent to hard counter you if they choose just by switching their side board. I feel like Trolls have a few valid options for specialists and I will go over basic list building principles involving specialists.

To figure out what our valid options are for Specialists we must first identify what our week spots in list building are.  This is usually pretty self explanatory but let's go through the motions.

 The Ranged Game
Our options for solid shooting are very limited. Our troop options in this field are poor and we often need to bring minions to shore up this weakness. We have solid Ranged Warlocks but they don't support our troops so much as they do our ranged beasts.

Debuffing Hurts Us A Lot
This is one of the biggest problems in our faction.  With only one warlock with Purification or a way to remove debuffs, it makes it very difficult sometimes when facing Cryx and Menoth.

Single Wound Infantry Suffer in a Colossal Meta
We've know this for a while but our single wound infantry, as awesome as it is, suffers a lot in the current meta where it can be very hard for it to get across the board or even effect a Colossal/Gargantuan once it gets there.

Viable Models(Or at least what I feel can be viable...)
Pyre and Impaler
These guys are quite the 10pt package.  They can bring a sweet AOE, a great immunity and a slam that can really change the game.  If you have the fury management to swap these guys out, it can be very solid.

Slag Troll and Storm Troll
These 2 are much more corner case to the point of almost not making this list. Yes they do have some good counter play, but are not as generally useful as the 2 list above them. That said, the Storm Troll has done a lot of good work for me killing off infantry and the electro-leap animus is pretty decent.

Earthborn Dire Troll
Sometimes having an extra heavy hitter is important and when switching in sideboards I will like having self sufficient option that your list doesn't need to be tailored to at all. I also feel like the utility that the Earthborn can bring a list is very valuable if you don't already have one in your list. (I feel like he might be the only other heavy beast outside of a Mauler I would put as specialists simply because our other options often need support to fill their role.)

Dire Troll Mauler
He falls into the same heavy hitter category as the Earthborn but brings a sweet buff with him.  As his main purpose in most lists is to be a buff bot and a late game piece he's not hurt by not being supported early and mid game like our other heavies. This big problem here is being a point shy and only having 2 options for additional models to bring in, i.e. Gobbers and Feralgeist.

Sons of Bragg
So, your infantry clear list needs a little more oomph? Yeah, we have an app....never mind.  We have the SoB's.  Very self sufficient, damaging, hearty, and well damaging.  If you feel like you what to bring some more pain in a list that might have trouble with it, these guys are a great option. Don't forget that super accurate spray. Swap out a bomber for these guys a fell caller and feralgeist and viola, your ranged heavy list just turned into a combined arms with some serious output.

Scattergunners
These guys fall into an interesting spot for our ranged options and should really only be an option when you are facing infantry spam and their unique brand of range can solve that problem.  You could even bring the min unit and swap in a solo if you really need.


Nyss Hunters
Despite them being character restricted they are still perhaps one of our best ranged options for specialists. They fit perfectly into the point allotment and are both potent at range and in melee.  If you are running melee heavy or have a beast you want to swap out consider these guys as a premium option.

Bog Troggs
The often forgotten little buggers seem like a decent option for armies that are fast and trying to outflank you or in scenarios were you can really take advantage of someone trying to camp a zone and who might be exposed. More then anything the persistent threat and psychological effect is probably the most profound thing they bring.  They bring the hidden threat that can sometimes really swing a game in your favor. They feel like a decent option for us.


Thrullg
This guy might see some more play as we go on, as we struggle really hard with armies that debuff us. If you can keep him safe you can assure that crippling grasp doesn't completely ruin your day. I wouldn't use him for his other abilities though.  That's just trying to get him killed...

What Doesn't Work IMHO...
Bombers and Blitzers
If you don't already have a dedicated Impaler in your list these guys are simply not a great option.  Their threat range is small and their contributions will be unreliable at best.  It was the same problem we were having with reinforcements and having either beast there.

Bushwhackers, Thumpers, Burrowers, and Sluggers
It was discussed above that our ranged options well....suck.  These options seem decent and honestly they might work, but they are very expensive for what they do poorly...outside of burrowers of coarse, but that will come later. A thumper is a walking KD which can be nice but it's performance has been much maligned for some time now and with better range options in Nyss why bring them.  Also since you probably only have one list in need of a ranged support swap you likely won't want to bring subpar stuff when you have better options.  As for Burrowers they serve one purpose...total annihilation of a Warjack or Warbeast without getting removed on the way up the board. If you want this in your list...just bring it, no need to be tricksy.

Solos
I don't think I would load my specialists up with solos but, that doesn't mean you can have them in addition to a unit or light warbeast or something.  They are a decent option but I wouldn't just bring nothing but solos in this instance.

Opportunity costs and benefits

Something that does not get mentioned too often but is implied a lot here on the boards is the concepts of 'opportunity cost and benefits' . We discuss is a lot but it is not often given a name. When theorycrafting it is very easy to use the hard numbers, abilities, spells, etc. that we see on the cards of our beloved models and compare them to the other given items on the other models' cards; "This fellow does what this fellow does only this one has more armor and this one has more defense.". This is a natural and right aspect of the conception and construction of any wargame force. We as players decide how we want our particular force to function and we weigh the pros and cons of each figure relative to our primary idea. High armor, high defense, fragile-but-potent, etc. are all examples of lists that most experienced wargamers have seen and likely played, in these cases leaning toward skew lists that make your opponent answer their riddle; 'How do you deal with all of this thick Khadorian armor?' or something similar. Other lists are balanced, often containing a decent ranged game, some melee punch, solo hunters, etc. and these lists tend to be answer lists. They offer their players answers to as many possible questions as their opponents' lists can ask; "You have stealth and here is my answer. Over here is my answer to your infantry. My caster has Purification to answer your debuffs.".

SR2013 Troll 3 List Essentials

So, with Tournament Season approaching I think it's time to take a look at the basics of what we as Trolls really want in a 3 list format.  With this article I want to address the basics. So getting an idea of what we as a faction want to to by either answering the enemy or asking the questions!

Not every list has a Colossal in it!
I know that this needs to be addressed because right now I feel like there's a bomb scare like every list you will hit in a tournament will have a Colossal or Gargantuan in it. Or, that it will be the Bart, Galleon bullshit we know is out there. Obviously this can change with your Meta, but I think Trolls need to really stop being so scared of what will be across the table from us. When you stop worrying about this it will really loosen up your list building ideas and start thinking strait.

So What Are Our Options?
Right now I feel like Trolls are going to do well in a few areas. The new scenarios favor our factions in a number of ways.

 - The Jam
We have a really fast hard to remove faction and that can really favor us in scenario if we can beat on our opponents to scenario zones and start scoring early. Expect Warlocks like Jarl and Grissel to really be strong in this sense, Grissel most notably. Grissel's tool set is so strong in SR2013 that it's hard to deny that you will see her. Hoof it can get her first wave of tar pit up the board and a early feat no Turn 2 can completely clog the zone with the rest of her infantry. Or you feat turn 3 to lock down and spells or retaliation if you are having to grind out the game more then Jam it up.

The Faces of Trollblood Scrum, sort of

Short one for you all, but as some of you may realize TheGreatBlah like his Rocksong clan for his IKRPG games and we just started up a new one. The game itself isn't the real important part of all of this. Nope. It's the faces of the people. And so I bring you the faces of Rocksong as provided by the wonders of Google Hangout! Enjoy the scary images of favorite troll authors as we are indeed a classy classy bunch! So Cheerio old Goats! Why I believe that some Dire Wolves may be sneaking up on us old chap!



From Left to Right: TheGreatBlah, SergeantBus, Kilbrj, Hatred(who obviously has no physical form)