Lord Drakon Battle Reports
Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 4:14 pm
Introduction
Greetings!
Returning back to the hobby means besides painting ofcourse also the most fun part: the battle. In the coming two months I will play with this list and try to learn it as good as possible. In this battle report log I can also think about and discuss about tactical issues. I will post a detailed explanation for the list as soon as possible. Then as invitation, it is in Eindhoven (Netherlands) therefore also close for those in Belgium! I hope I will see some of you there. Also, feedback is always welcome. Lets make this forum a little bit more active again
Tournament rules
You win the tournament by getting victory points. It does not matter if you lose the battle or lose victory points yourself, it is about killing as much as possible. Further your general get buffs like +1T or 1+ ward save for every opponent he kills and should always challenge. At last you can score sacrifice points by using secondary objectives (kill your own unit, kill enemy general, kill enemy unit). By killing the enemy general you score 1000 points, by the other secondary objectives you double the amount of VP.
XIII Legion
This is the list I will bring to the tournament. As I quickly sent in my army list to score some possible bonus points I have not waited for feedback or tweaks to optimize the list. This was a mistake and as I progress I might sometimes field a more optimized form of the list.
Tactical List Explanation
A good general should always know his army. This is the first and fundamental step of commanding your deadly force. An optimized list under the command of a general unfamiliar with its list will likely result into defeat. Another gaming aspect is that you will play slow, making the game less fun for the enemy and can lead to frustration if battles are not ended on time. As returning gamer to Warhammer: 9th Age this is the step I am currently taking.
The list is build around a so-called death star, a strong combat unit reinforced by several characters. In my case those are the Dancers of Yema. As a Cult of Yema list my army is fast and can make good tactical use of the terrain as they have Strider. Because of the Altar they have the option to deploy 10x4 as a horde or 5x9 as an anvil. Both formations have their specific advantage, the first being damage output, the second ranks to maintain and negate steadfast while minimizing frontage. Their objective is to kill the enemy units in combat and use their mobility to outmaneuver the enemy. Because of character magical items they have MR (3) and 5+ ward save against Artillery.
To counter this the enemy will have ranged damage and chaff present, therefore the list offers support to win the chaff war. The raven cloaks are scouts and shooters. The raiders are re-directors and war machine hunters. The reapers are reliable artillery able to clear enemy chaff and kill heavy armoured units. Especially early game they are supported by the acolytes who have two deadly spells to inflict more damage. Although their magic potential is already present they are also good fighters and will overpower most chaff in combat.
Besides the death star and support the list includes two units of legionnaires. Although they are not able to stand a chance against enemy elite infantry and might even tremble against enemy core they will also overpower most enemy chaff. Because they are scoring units they can be used to get objectives, provide flank charges or redirect the enemy units.
Unit Discussion
The most important part of getting to know your army is to know your units, their statistics, their strengths and weaknesses. Although there exists some material on the 9th age forum, this is still a bare minimum and not enough to provide me with the information and expriences of others to teach me. Therefore I should start study and experience the units myself.
Dread Prince
Lord Drakon himself, is a deadly character that has 4 S7 attacks at I8 with multiple wounds (2). His armour is at the start of the game only 5+, but will get better with every kill. After four inflicted (unsaved) wounds he will have an armour save of 1+. Without ward save and a low armour save he is glass cannon and play testing should prove if he is able to survive combat against tougher foes. Against magic he does have a 4+ ward save. His LD10 bubble should make failed panic tests unlikely.
Cult Priest
The battle standard bearer with a bubble of 18" should make failed panic tests unlikely. She has a lucky shield for enemy cannon shots and a gladiator weapon that can be give her 3 S6 attacks. The altar itself has another 4 S5 attacks and 3 S3 attacks. With 5 T5 wounds and 5+ armour save with 4+ ward save she is difficult to kill. She provides both Impact Hits on the charge as ranks for the unit as support. As long as she stays alive the Dancers of Yema unit will be dangerous and able to change formation from horde to anvil. It adds fear and hex to enemy leadership tests (excluding break test). The altar also provides several blessings:
1. All units within 12" gain lethal strike. Units with lethal strike gain re-roll to wound (legionnaires against cavalry)
2. All units within 12" gain 5+ ward save against Artillery
3. All units within 12" can re-roll charge distance on chosen enemy unit
1. Use when facing high armour (knights) or regen saves (trolls) - Damage
2. Use when not in combat or planning to charge - Protection
3. Use in combination of Yema to make long charges - Manoueuvre
While the second blessing is negated by the enchanted item of the general (stupid purchase) and the first blessing is situational on the match up I do see a lot of use for the third blessing. As a cult of Yema army mobility is my comparative advantage the third blessing is able to maximize on that. All cavalry has M10 and could try long 20 or 21" charge into enemy war machines.
Legionnaires
Information will follow soon
Raiders
Do not expect them to kill anything with their RXB, however every kill is a bonus. They excel in redirecting the enemy while able to hunt enemy war machines. Possible to use for the odd flank charge, especially against enemy missile troops. Because of Yema they have M10 and can march & charge through terrain such as forests and ruins. They are able to block enemy movement through double flee blockades and especially middle to late game can function as harpies (sacrifice) to redirect enemy combat units at crucial moments.
Raven Cloaks
Especially when combined they can provide some serious fire power against low armoured troops, especially fast cavalry. They can block enemy vanguard and take positions near enemy lines, especially if they can hide in terrain it is 12". This can be of great use when the enemy has fielded war machines. Keep them always on more than 6" distance to prevent panic tests. When there are no prime targets left or certain enemy units needs to be put out of position also usable as bait.
Reapers
They are reliable long distance artillery able to clear chaff, characters, monsters and heavy armour.
Dancers of Yema
Information will follow soon
Acolytes
Information will follow soon
The Enemy
As soon a general has completed the first step of commanding his army, to know its units and tactical cohesion, roles and tricks it is as important to know your enemy. Without this knowledge the enemy will be easily able to deceive and trick you into bad match ups. According to the legendary Druchii Sun Tzu if you know yourself and know your enemy, you are ready for warfare. In this phase I will study each possible enemy and their strenghts and weaknesses according to my army.
Battle Reports
There is no better teacher than failure. This is only true however if you transform your failure into experience and learn from your mistakes. By writing down my battles I can reflect and look back to battles in hindsight. Especially as beginning general it opens up the possibility for experienced generals to give feedback and mention points that could be improved. But failure is not the only thing we can learn from. A devastating massacre caused by good Druchii play is extremely satisfying to read.
Greetings!
Returning back to the hobby means besides painting ofcourse also the most fun part: the battle. In the coming two months I will play with this list and try to learn it as good as possible. In this battle report log I can also think about and discuss about tactical issues. I will post a detailed explanation for the list as soon as possible. Then as invitation, it is in Eindhoven (Netherlands) therefore also close for those in Belgium! I hope I will see some of you there. Also, feedback is always welcome. Lets make this forum a little bit more active again
Tournament rules
You win the tournament by getting victory points. It does not matter if you lose the battle or lose victory points yourself, it is about killing as much as possible. Further your general get buffs like +1T or 1+ ward save for every opponent he kills and should always challenge. At last you can score sacrifice points by using secondary objectives (kill your own unit, kill enemy general, kill enemy unit). By killing the enemy general you score 1000 points, by the other secondary objectives you double the amount of VP.
XIII Legion
This is the list I will bring to the tournament. As I quickly sent in my army list to score some possible bonus points I have not waited for feedback or tweaks to optimize the list. This was a mistake and as I progress I might sometimes field a more optimized form of the list.
Dread Prince, Cult of Yema, Headman’s Axe, Crimson Mail, Charm of Cursed Iron, Dragonfire Gem - 495
Cult Priest, Cult of Yema, BSB, Divine Altar, Light Armour, Gladiator Weapon, Obsidian Nullstone, Lucky Shield - 698
15 Legionnaires, Cult of Yema, Full Command, Spears - 270
15 Legionnaires, Cult of Yema, Full Command, Spears - 270
5 Dark Raiders, Cult of Yema, Musician, Repeater Crossbows, Shields – 250
5 Dark Raiders, Cult of Yema, Musician, Repeater Crossbows, Shields – 250
29 Dancers of Yema, Full Command, Rending Banner - 748
5 Raven Cloaks, Additional Hand Weapons - 180
5 Raven Cloaks, Additional Hand Weapons - 180
1 Dread Reaper - 180
1 Dread Reaper - 180
5 Dark Acolytes, Cult of Yema, Champion - 390
Total: 4091
Tactical List Explanation
A good general should always know his army. This is the first and fundamental step of commanding your deadly force. An optimized list under the command of a general unfamiliar with its list will likely result into defeat. Another gaming aspect is that you will play slow, making the game less fun for the enemy and can lead to frustration if battles are not ended on time. As returning gamer to Warhammer: 9th Age this is the step I am currently taking.
The list is build around a so-called death star, a strong combat unit reinforced by several characters. In my case those are the Dancers of Yema. As a Cult of Yema list my army is fast and can make good tactical use of the terrain as they have Strider. Because of the Altar they have the option to deploy 10x4 as a horde or 5x9 as an anvil. Both formations have their specific advantage, the first being damage output, the second ranks to maintain and negate steadfast while minimizing frontage. Their objective is to kill the enemy units in combat and use their mobility to outmaneuver the enemy. Because of character magical items they have MR (3) and 5+ ward save against Artillery.
To counter this the enemy will have ranged damage and chaff present, therefore the list offers support to win the chaff war. The raven cloaks are scouts and shooters. The raiders are re-directors and war machine hunters. The reapers are reliable artillery able to clear enemy chaff and kill heavy armoured units. Especially early game they are supported by the acolytes who have two deadly spells to inflict more damage. Although their magic potential is already present they are also good fighters and will overpower most chaff in combat.
Besides the death star and support the list includes two units of legionnaires. Although they are not able to stand a chance against enemy elite infantry and might even tremble against enemy core they will also overpower most enemy chaff. Because they are scoring units they can be used to get objectives, provide flank charges or redirect the enemy units.
Unit Discussion
The most important part of getting to know your army is to know your units, their statistics, their strengths and weaknesses. Although there exists some material on the 9th age forum, this is still a bare minimum and not enough to provide me with the information and expriences of others to teach me. Therefore I should start study and experience the units myself.
Dread Prince
Lord Drakon himself, is a deadly character that has 4 S7 attacks at I8 with multiple wounds (2). His armour is at the start of the game only 5+, but will get better with every kill. After four inflicted (unsaved) wounds he will have an armour save of 1+. Without ward save and a low armour save he is glass cannon and play testing should prove if he is able to survive combat against tougher foes. Against magic he does have a 4+ ward save. His LD10 bubble should make failed panic tests unlikely.
Cult Priest
The battle standard bearer with a bubble of 18" should make failed panic tests unlikely. She has a lucky shield for enemy cannon shots and a gladiator weapon that can be give her 3 S6 attacks. The altar itself has another 4 S5 attacks and 3 S3 attacks. With 5 T5 wounds and 5+ armour save with 4+ ward save she is difficult to kill. She provides both Impact Hits on the charge as ranks for the unit as support. As long as she stays alive the Dancers of Yema unit will be dangerous and able to change formation from horde to anvil. It adds fear and hex to enemy leadership tests (excluding break test). The altar also provides several blessings:
1. All units within 12" gain lethal strike. Units with lethal strike gain re-roll to wound (legionnaires against cavalry)
2. All units within 12" gain 5+ ward save against Artillery
3. All units within 12" can re-roll charge distance on chosen enemy unit
1. Use when facing high armour (knights) or regen saves (trolls) - Damage
2. Use when not in combat or planning to charge - Protection
3. Use in combination of Yema to make long charges - Manoueuvre
While the second blessing is negated by the enchanted item of the general (stupid purchase) and the first blessing is situational on the match up I do see a lot of use for the third blessing. As a cult of Yema army mobility is my comparative advantage the third blessing is able to maximize on that. All cavalry has M10 and could try long 20 or 21" charge into enemy war machines.
Legionnaires
Information will follow soon
Raiders
Do not expect them to kill anything with their RXB, however every kill is a bonus. They excel in redirecting the enemy while able to hunt enemy war machines. Possible to use for the odd flank charge, especially against enemy missile troops. Because of Yema they have M10 and can march & charge through terrain such as forests and ruins. They are able to block enemy movement through double flee blockades and especially middle to late game can function as harpies (sacrifice) to redirect enemy combat units at crucial moments.
Raven Cloaks
Especially when combined they can provide some serious fire power against low armoured troops, especially fast cavalry. They can block enemy vanguard and take positions near enemy lines, especially if they can hide in terrain it is 12". This can be of great use when the enemy has fielded war machines. Keep them always on more than 6" distance to prevent panic tests. When there are no prime targets left or certain enemy units needs to be put out of position also usable as bait.
Reapers
They are reliable long distance artillery able to clear chaff, characters, monsters and heavy armour.
Dancers of Yema
Information will follow soon
Acolytes
Information will follow soon
The Enemy
As soon a general has completed the first step of commanding his army, to know its units and tactical cohesion, roles and tricks it is as important to know your enemy. Without this knowledge the enemy will be easily able to deceive and trick you into bad match ups. According to the legendary Druchii Sun Tzu if you know yourself and know your enemy, you are ready for warfare. In this phase I will study each possible enemy and their strenghts and weaknesses according to my army.
Battle Reports
There is no better teacher than failure. This is only true however if you transform your failure into experience and learn from your mistakes. By writing down my battles I can reflect and look back to battles in hindsight. Especially as beginning general it opens up the possibility for experienced generals to give feedback and mention points that could be improved. But failure is not the only thing we can learn from. A devastating massacre caused by good Druchii play is extremely satisfying to read.