My first 50SS battle, or what Sonnia's but looks like when it gets handed to you.

[victorsyn]

So as the title says I played my first 50SS game Wednesday and here is a little report on how things went.  Along with a few observations.  First the guy I played was really nice.  He played me even though he had set up a game of Warmachine with someone else who hadn't arrived yet.  Also he didn't let me do a few obviously, on retrospect, silly things.  The guy he was supposed to play Warmachine with was really nice too.  He mentored me a bit when he arrived and took the whole delay in stride.

The strategy was Squaters rights.  The schemes were LITS, vendetta, bodyguard, distract, and some other scheme I don't recall.  I do know I didn't have a chance of accomplishing it with the models I own.

My crew was the Sonnia box set with Bishop added in (This selection is based on what I own not appropriateness to the schemes).

Sonnia w/ Reincarnation, The Mask, and Counterspell aura(3SS)

Samael w/ Witch Hunt, Disrupt magic. (13SS)

Purifying Flame(3SS)

3 Witchling Stalkers(15SS)

Bishop(11SS)

This left me with a cache of 7 and one wasted SS. 

 

My opponent declared Outcasts, and used the Viks..

 

Vik of ash, Sisters in Spirit, Sisters in Fury, Synch Slaying(6SS)

Vik of Blood.  Oath Keeper, Mark of Shez(3ss)

Hans. 

Vanessa

Sue

3 Ronnin

This left him with a cache of 1

 

I chose bodyguard on Bishop, and Distract.  Distract seemed to be a mistake.  I was anticipating some HTH but that wasn't to be.  My adversary chose bodyguard on Hans.  With Vendetta on Samael, with Sue as the carrier.  Neither were announced.

 

The board was a gremlin swamp village with lots of various buildings and elevations. 

We had corner deployment.

 

I deployed Sam, Sonnia, Bishop Flame,and a stalker on the left flank.  With the remaining 2 stalkers on the right.  My opponent deployed all three sisters and a ronin on his left.  Leaving Sue, Hans and a ronin on his right.

 

Turn one
Initiative: I lose

This is a turn of Jockeying for position.  Bishop moves 12 inches towards the farthest Squat marker on my left (this was largely to avoid the sisters who moved down the opposite flank).  While Sonnia, Sam, and the stalker move towards the middle hiding behind a wall.  The flame heads towards the next farthest squat marker.  The other 2 stalkers moved towards the squat marker on my right. (as slow as the stalkers are I should have moved towards the middle, it was a far shorter path to vp.)

The sisters and their ronin all move down my opponents left flank around a large hill.  Sue and Hans climb the hill and move to observation points as quickly as possible.  The final ronin heads for the Squat marker Bishop is eyeing.

No duels occur.  This is a bit of a blessing as the highest card in my hand was a 9.

 

Turn 2.

Initiative:  I lose and decide not to soulstone.

Sue activates man in black, then double moves to get a nice vantage point to fire on Samael. I move measure and Bishop is going to come up about 1/2" short of the squat marker, and be in plain view of both ronin on his side, and Hans, so I tuck him in behind some cover.  Sues ronin moves to and claims a squat marker right next to Sue.    I double move the Flame closer to the ronin on the Squat marker.(This is silly as I forgot the Flame has a sh attack... in the end this will bite me in the butt twice.)  Vanessa double moves for the centerline towards Sam.  I move Sam and Witch Hunt Vanessa.  Hans fires at Bishop, and misses.  I move a Stalker and fire at vanessa.  She flips the black joker for defense and I win by 7.  Of course I black joker the damage.(This is bad because I had a jack to cheat up to severe which at the end of the turn would have killed her.)  He moves the ronin on the sisters side right next to vanessa.  I move the other stalker on that side and fire at the ronin.  I miss and decide to save the Jack for sonnia.  He moves the ronin that has open view to Bishop closer to the marker but still 9 inches from Bishop and takes a pot shot and misses.  I activate Sonnia and literally blast both Sue and the ronin into oblivion.(Both were too far for reincarnation, on top of which I don't have any more stalker models any how.)  I discard 2 Cards for confiscated lore to boost my df.  This is met by sling shot, accomplice,  shenanigans by the Viks

which kill Sam.  I fire the last stalker at Vik of blood, and miss terribly.

 

Turn 3

Initiative:  I flip a ten, he flips a 11.  I know if I don't go first here things are going to be really bad for me.  I soulstone, and flip an ace.

 

Vik of blood charges Sonnia, I use three soulstones on prevention at one damage each.  Sonnia counters leaving blood with 3 health, healing and drawing 2 cards.  At this point I have half my wounds left, and 4 soulstones and a ten is my highest card.  My first attack black jokered.  I inferno.  This ensures Viks death.  Vik of ash moves to a point where next turn she can charge Sonnia, and then shoots one of my stalkers to death.  Accomplice allows Vanessa to fire at a stalker and triggers his push towards her and the ronin.  She then claims a squat marker.(At this point I am in trouble, and frustration begins to set in.)  I charge Vik of ash with the Flame.(This is the second time I forgot to sh.  This is the most frustrating mistake of the game to me.)  I miss the first attack and hit the second causing burning1.  The ronin next to Vanessa shoots the last stalker I miss the df trigger and he takes minimal damage.  I run out and claim a squat marker with Bishop. Then hobble back to cover.  The ronin left on that side fires at Bishop as does Hans, causing 4 damage.  My last ditch effort with a stalker shoots, and randomizes both shots into the flame... I kill the flame and miss killing vik of ash by 2 after the burning resolves. 

 

Turn 4:

Initiative:  He flips an ace, I black Joker.

Vik of Ash Charges Sonnia, and when It is all over with I use the rest of my stones for prevention, and needed to prevent one more damage.  All my flips for prevention this game were weaks.  I charge the ronin and hard to kill keeps her alive....until burning time.  Vanessa kills the other stalker.  Bishop runs, he is the only vp I am going to get.  The ronin on that side reclaims the squat marker: not that it mattered.  Some how at the end of turn 4 I have a stalker with one wound, and Bishop left. 

At this point I concede.

 

So I made a few mistakes to say the least.  I didn't choose the flame wall upgrade because I don't own any 50mm bases.  Although this certainly would have helped by making the Viks travel farther to my lines.  Shooting with the Flame potentially would have killed the ronin before she claimed a marker, as well as Vik of ash.  Distract was just not a good scheme selection.    Vendetta on Blood would have been better with anyone carrying.  My distance management on Squat markers wasn't good either.  With all the explosive demise I should have bottled up the middle as several times I was only a point or two from killing off models.  Points I would have gotten from the explosions.  And chances to reincarnate as well.

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

[Argentbadger]

Thanks for sharing, I really appreciated the detailed report.  It's easy to follow and you've got a nice writing style.  It actually reads like you played a decent game, and if your opponent is much more experienced than you then it might not be too much of a surprise that they won.  In general, I would advise to use Bishop for fighting (since, of course, he's really good at it) and cheaper models like the Witchling Stalkers to deal with the Squat Markers.  Otherwise you've analysed the game well in the last paragraph.

[victorsyn]

Thanks.  Silver Badger.

[Tuttleboy]

Nice batrep and I think the mistakes you made won't happen again.

[victorsyn]

Thanks TuttleBoy.  I sure hope when I make mistakes they are always new ones to learn from.