2025 C3V Playtest Tournament - Round 3 Until 7/27

[Shurrig]

Point Total: 500

Map: Alpaca Trail

Glyphs: Quathiel, Zawit



Shurrig - Army: Nidhogg, 4th x3, Morgan’s Riflemen

ryguy266 - Army: Jester King, Motley Max, They Who Laugh x4



Which units survived?
11-life Nidhogg, 3 Morgan’s Riflemen


General Battle Report/Flow of game (be as detailed or general as you like)
I was firing shots and taking whatever attacks I could with 4th as ryguy set up his TWL. By the time the 4th were largely cleared out, I had killed all but a squad of TWL, a 1-life Max, and a 3-life Jester King. ryguy set up an attack going into Nidhogg with Max and a TWL marauder at the end of round 3, but ultimately ended up doing 2 wounds. He really needed the init switch to get back into the game, but that didn’t happen and I switched over to Nidhogg, killing Max with Breath of Decay and the TWL marauder. Motley Max dropped the glyph he picked up earlier, which my Hogg then picked up and I set up my next position as the marauders came my way. At that point the game was over, I killed the last two squaddies and killed the Jester King with my normal attack, healing 2 wounds at the very end.


How useful were playtesting units' powers and how often did they come into play?
All said and done, TWL and the Jester King were very impressive. It was a losing matchup, but ryguy did a decent job of keeping things close and threatening with Max. I can definitely see how this army would dominate melee, but ultimately they fall flat into any range. Nidhogg didn’t have to do much to secure the win, although I did roll 2/4 on breath rolls which was very clutch.


Any additional comments (theme, balance, fun factor with and against)?
I wish the TWL matchups weren’t so polarizing. I understand that I was pretty much given a cheese-light army, but man it felt really easy to just stay ahead the entire game.

 

[kevindola]

Round 2 is on Ceremony. (Wannok, Lorja Valda, 3 Treasures)

The Maklar the Silver Prince (1-0) v. O.G-Blaha (1-0) pool of armies is:

* : They Who Laugh x4, Jester King, Emporer Andask
* : Knights of Scaeda x4, Mage of Scaeda, White Wyrmling, Raelin (RotV)
* Im telling yall this f-ing Hogg is broken: Nidhogg, Brute Gruts, Guilty McCreech, Raelin (RotV), Rygarn
* Its not well know in greek mythology but heracles was good friends with goblin cutters: Goblin Cutters x6, Heracles (sit one)
​

O.G-Blaha chooses which army to play first or may defer. After armies are picked, Maklar the Silver Prince chooses who places first.

The Sir Heroscape (1-0) v. Captain Stupendous (1-0) pool of armies is:

* : Knights of Scaeda x4, Skirmisher of Scaeda x2, Champion of Scaeda
* : They Who Laugh x4, Motley Max, Jester King
* The Bureau: Krav Maga Agents, Agent Nora, Agent T87, Agent Harris, Agent Skahen, Command Courier x1
* The Best Medicine: They Who Laugh x3, Jester King, Motley Max, Father Caylus, Marcu Esenwein
​

Captain Stupendous chooses which army to play first or may defer. After armies are picked, Sir Heroscape chooses who places first.

The KnightOfLight (1-0) v. Srd717 (1-0) pool of armies is:

* Some of you may die…: Agent Harris, Jeanne D’Arc, Defenders of Orleans, Alder Knights, Ebon Armor, Isamu, Krav Maga Agents
* But that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make: They Who Laugh x4, Jester King, Rictus Crow, Ashigaru Yari x1
* : Knights of Scaeda x4, Champion of Scaeda x2
* : Esoteric x6, Raelin (RotV), Head Warden Samuel Lermek, Eltahale
​

Srd717 chooses which army to play first or may defer. After armies are picked, KnightOfLight chooses who places first.

The Shurrig (1-0) v. kevindola (1-0) pool of armies is:

* I am Having Such an Awesome Time With My Friends: They Who Laugh x4, Jester King, Motley Max
* Knights and Fights Part 2: 2 Knights 2 Fights: Ebon Armor, Jeanne D'Arc, Alder Knights, Defenders of Orleans, Prince Al'Kahora, Tandros Kreel
* : deathreavers x3, Raelin (RotV), Krav Maga Agents, Agent T87, Akumaken, Otonashi
* : Esoteric Guard x7, Head Warden Samuel Lermek, Major Q9
​

Shurrig chooses which army to play first or may defer. After armies are picked, kevindola chooses who places first.

The quozl (1-0) v. Xiegfried (1-0) pool of armies is:

* HAHAHA: They Who Laugh x4, Jester King, Motley Max
* Are you scaeda me yet?: Knights of Scaeda x4, Champion of Scaeda x2
* Technically a Lawman Army: Knights of Scaeda x5, Champion of Scaeda, Kate Crawford
* Rogue Galaxy: Buccaneers of Tortuga x4, Madame Zheng Yi Sao, B-11 Resistance Corps
​

quozl chooses which army to play first or may defer. After armies are picked, Xiegfried chooses who places first.

The SkyWhale (0-1) v. Cor7770 (0-1) pool of armies is:

* "Pirates, you see. Raiding all along the coast, from Hammerfell to Vvardenfell": Buccaneers of Tortuga x4, Madame Zheng Yi Sao, Agent Skahen
* "Fine armor you've got there. Dwarven make, am I right?": Shieldsmiths of Granite Keep x4, Rygarn, Skritta, BAT
* : Knights of Scaeda x4, Champion of Scaeda, Skirmisher of Scaeda x2
* : Warforged x4, Defenders of Orleans, Alder Knights, Jeanne D'Arc
​

SkyWhale chooses which army to play first or may defer. After armies are picked, Cor7770 chooses who places first.

The Dunedain (0-1) v. MegaSilver (0-1) pool of armies is:

* I finally don’t have to put an OM on Eltahale: Esoteric Guard x5, Warden 816, Eltahale, Head Warden Samuel Lermek, Drow Chainfighter
* It’s not quite pirates but then again nothing is: Buccaneers of Tortuga x3, Nottingham Brigand x3, Madame Zheng Yi Sao, Kha, Bol
* Scaedan Dragonborn: Knights of Scaeda x4, Skirmisher of Scaeda x2, Champion of Scaeda
* Nidhogg and Stingers: Stingers x4, Nidhogg, Marcu Esenwein, Isamu
​

Dunedain chooses which army to play first or may defer. After armies are picked, MegaSilver chooses who places first.

The betawolf36 (0-1) v. Dysole (0-1) pool of armies is:

* Mustard Gas: 12th Cacasus Rifle x4, Nidhogg, Eldgrim the Viking Champ
* What's (in) an Order Marker?: Buccaneers of Tortuga x4, Madame Zheng Yi Sao, Dünd, Bol
* Death of a Thousand Papercuts: Beakface Sneaks x8, Quorik Warwitch, Madame Zheng Yi Sao, Clawfoot Interceptor
* Death of Really Big Swords (and Guns): Ebon Armor, Alder Knights, Jeanne D'Arc, Defenders of Orleans, Prince Al'Kahora, Nakita Agents
​

betawolf36 chooses which army to play first or may defer. After armies are picked, Dysole chooses who places first.

The Scapemage (0-1) v. Drakeepooh (0-1) pool of armies is:

* Batter Up!: Crypt Guardian x3, Nidhogg, Skritta, BAT
* RogueLike: Buccaneers of Tortuga x3, Nottingham Brigand x2, Madame Zheng Yi Sao, Elaria the Pale, Darrak Ambershard
* Brigand's Bodygaurds: Nottingham Brigands x7, Jeanne D'Arc, Alder Knights, Defenders of Orleans, Prince Al'Kahora
* Mutants pet pig: They Who Laugh x4, Jester King, Rictus Crow, Otar
​

Scapemage chooses which army to play first or may defer. After armies are picked, Drakeepooh chooses who places first.

The superfrog (0-1) v. ryguy266 (0-1) pool of armies is:

* : Knights of Scaeda x4, Mage of Scaeda, Skirmisher of Scaeda x2
* : Ebon Armor, Agent T87, Agent Harris, Nakita Agents, Izumi Samurai, Isamu, Otonashi
* Jared Leto's Best Performance: Havech Eradicators x4, Zetacron, Jester King
* They Didn't Let Me Run This One Last Time: 4th Massachusetts Line x3, Morgan's Riflemen, Nidhogg
​

superfrog chooses which army to play first or may defer. After armies are picked, ryguy266 chooses who places first.

 

[Drakeepooh]

Point Total: 500

Map: Alpaca Trail

Glyphs: Quathiel, Zawit, Treasure x5



Player 1 - Army: Mutants pet pig: They Who Laugh x4, Jester King, Rictus Crow, Otar

Player 2 - Army: * Rogue Galaxy: Buccaneers of Tortuga x4, Madame Zheng Yi Sao, B-11 Resistance Fighters



Which units survived?
1.5 squads of buccaneers, 1 b-11, untouched sao



General Battle Report/Flow of game (be as detailed or general as you like)
I spent one turn moving rictus up, which I definitely shouldn't have as I misunderstood the laughter markers. Xeig led b-11, who were then chased by twl and jester. Traded reasonably even, if not slightly favoring b-11s, with one squad of twl down and 3 wounds to jester, to 1 b-11 remaining and one sleeping buccaneer killed. However, this led a twl into range of sao's parley, which after an initiative switch, removed my first twl marker for the third round. I then lost intiative for the rest of the rounds, which was devastating against bucs. Bucs into twl is intersting, becuase they're both all attack and no defense, but sao's move bonus and the buc's hot iniatiative, meant they attacked twl first almost every time. Using B-11s to force me into danger of initiative switch with bucs was a good game plan by Xeig



How useful were playtesting units' powers and how often did they come into play?
Twl are fun, but I needed a game to really understand their powers. Wasn't adding all my laughter markers properly until maybe the third or fourth round. They're quite squishy, so to a player that tries to be more risk averse, they're a hard pick. Sao worked great for the bucs, even if she hadn't activated a parley, the move bonus to the bucs alone is almost enough to justify her points as a cheerleader


Any additional comments (theme, balance, fun factor with and against)?
TWL take some getting used to. Play a practice game with them first to really understand them if you're simple minded like myself.

 

[Xiegfried]

Point Total: 500

Map: Alpaca Trail

Glyphs: Quathiel, Zawit, Treasure x5

Xiegfried Army: Buccaneers of Tortuga x4, Madame Zheng Yi Sao, B-11 Resistance Fighters

Drakeepooh Army: They Who Laugh x4, Jester King, Rictus Crow, Otar

Which units survived?
Full-life Sao, 6 Buccaneers, 1 B-11

General Battle Report/Flow of game:
I led B-11s in an effort to whittle down Drakeepooh's TWL as they developed, which kept them at bay well enough. He proceeded to engage with Jester King and eventually brought 3 B-11s down and pushed hard for my start zone with a TWL while my last B-11 was tied up by JK, leading to one kill. I ended up landing an init switch and pivoted to Buccs, which allowed me to Parley Drakeepooh's first OM off of TWL with the TWL figure in my start zone and finish off JK. From there, I gradually developed up my Buccs and fired some off with their boosted movement to clear out TWL where I could make reasonable trades. Once Rictus started moving up, I was in a good position to keep tossing Opportunist attacks at him without worrying about Wounded Rage, which did end up hitting twice. Toward the endgame, I was able to clear out the last two TWL, killing their order markers, and then finished off Rictus. I finished out the game by sending 4 Buccs to clear out Otar.

How useful were playtesting units' powers and how often did they come into play?
We misplayed the Laughter Markers a bit in the early game, but once we caught it and they started generating, they really piled up quickly. TWL don't have much trouble keeping the engine running once they get going and I can see them snowballing very quickly if they get the chance.

As I said before, Rictus went 2/2 on Wounded Rage. It's a fun combo with Bloodbath because you really make your opponent think twice about engaging Rictus with more than one figure even though you really want to burn him down as quickly as possible. You're incentivized to pick your battles or roll the dice.

Battle Frenzy hit a few times, but TWL often didn't have a great opportunity to hit more than one figure with it.

Although Sao didn't see an order marker this game, giving Buccs +1 move is huge, especially on a big init switch. I was easily able to fire off single Buccs for decent TWL kills with the move boost and development was a lot smoother for them as a whole. Parley also triggered once and I could've potentially taken a second order marker for the same round if I was willing to send another attack into a TWL rather than developing. It's an interesting decision point and one that works well in a build that draws your opponent's figures into Sao's aura. The ability to re-trigger Opportunist on a D20 miss is also really fun and makes the Buccs feel pretty deadly.

Any additional comments (theme, balance, fun factor with and against)?
TWL are in an interesting position. They can do a lot of work and hit really hard, but they feel very expensive when they don't have a chance to get going. I don't see them ever really making a splash in most sub-500-point formats because their good bonders are all pretty expensive and you want at least two of them. They feel very feast or famine right now and I think they could use some kind of tweak to make them a bit more enticing when point totals are lower.

 

[Sir Heroscape]

Map: Alpaca Trail (Quathiel, Zawit, Treasure x5)


SkyWhale Army: Buccaneers of Tortuga x4, Madame Zheng Yi Sao, Agent Skahen
Sir Heroscape Army: Knights of Scaeda x4, Skirmisher of Scaeda x2, Championi of Scaeda


Which units survived? 5 Knights of Scaeda, 2 full life Skirmishers of Scaeda, 3 life Champion of Scaeda, and a 4 life Sao that bravely ran away.


General Battle Report/Flow of game (be as detailed or general as you like)
SkyWhale won first initiative and led all of Round 1 with Skahen, hoping to get a few pot shots in and position Sao and maybe a few Buccs... unfortunately, He instead didn't have a chance to shoot anyone turn 1 and only got 1 kill amongst the 4 attack Skahen got into Knights. This allowed him to get Sao to an okay spot, but not where he had initially planned. I used the 4 figure movement option to bring up knights turns 1 and 2, and moved the Champion onto a treasure glyph turn 3, which ended up being the Mind Probe. Surprisingly, Skahen survived 2 attacks from Knights that turn fully unscathed.

For the following rounds, SkyWhale switched to full Buccs and I kept running Knights. The Champion proved to be an absolute menace and the Buccs could not get the attacks off that they needed. He had 2 parley attempts, but only successfully took of revealed OMs. The Buccs just did not get the attacks through when they needed. FInale came when the Champion was right outside his startzone and he got 4 boosted attacks, 2 from height, to try and kill the Champion of Scaeda... But he only took 2 wounds in the first 3, and so SkyWhale took a Hail Mary shot at trying to Parley a Knight of Scaeda but the attack didn't even go through. Champion swept the 4 remaining Buccs that had him surrounded, and he called it there.


How useful were playtesting units' powers and how often did they come into play?
Damage:
KoS - 6 Buccs, 2w Skahen, 1w Zao
Champ - 1w Skahen, 9 Bucc
Skirm - 1 Bucc

Abilities:
Quick Blade - 1 Bucc
Cleave - 9 Bucc
Strategic Bonding X2

Knights did work, the Champion was nice to develop and get one kill and be a secondary option if the Champion fell. The Champion was just so inevitable. Once he got in the fray, it was difficult for the army to deal with him. I also used the, "attack down, cleave up" play, and that felt amazing

Strategic bonding is super useful early game to get this army developed, I really like it.

Any additional comments (theme, balance, fun factor with and against)?
I LOVE that this army feels cohesive and can actively play, synergize and fight as a 2-man squad army. 2-man squads are hard to design well enough to make an army core work, and this one does. I love that. It legit feels like you can run just 10-11 figures of an army for this faction but still have enough to deal with other squad spam.

 

[kevindola]

Shurrig and I played each other's armies

kd: Ebon/Jeanne/Alders/Orleans/Prince/Tandros
Shurrig: rats x3, Raelin, Krav, T87, Akumaken, Oto

First Round I sent out the Ebon and their defense was really solid against Shurrig's Krav attacks (opened rats-krav-krav). Boosted by the Move +1 and good defense (only lost 1 Ebon in 6 Krav attacks). I was able to engage 2 Krav and my 5v5 attack killed a Krav.

2nd Round I only lost 1 more Ebon while killing a Krav 4v5. T87 shifted and he killed an Ebon. I ended the round moving out the 2 squads.

Brutal first pair of Rounds for Shurrig: He got 3x 3v4, 1x 4v3, and 2x 3v3. But only got 1 kill. While I got 2 attacks on Krav 4v5 and 5v5, both kills.

After that was a really interesting mix of Jeanne. I used Prink to get quick quick strikes on rats and slowly developed everything while T87 took potshots getting some succeffuls 3v5 and 3v6 kills on the Alders.

Cleave slowly cleared out rats and Tandros disengaged to get to Raelin killing her in 2 attacks (also cleaving the last Krav). Prince came in and killed T87 and barely won a battle against Akumanken. Highlight being getting a double attack of 6 with +1 attack from Jeanne and a Tandros Graviton Pulse dropping Aku to low ground.

gg Shurrig

Survivors: 1 Orleans, 2 Ebon, Al'Kahora (1 life, Ebon), Jeanne (Ebon), Tandros (6 life)


Power Usage

Jeanne:
Boosted Attacks 8x (4 for Orleans, 4 for Prince)
Boosted Defense 4x (Orleans, Alders, Prince x2)

Jeanne's Commnad used a lot, I used a LOT of different 2 unit combinations.

Great showing for the Jeanne pod. (especially Tandros and Al)


Alders
Well they saw two attack. Rolled 0/6 and 0/5 to die on both attacks. Did not get a chance to save, but did pull those 2 attacks away from others.

Orelans
Really nice showing. Killed 5 rats, which isn't a ton, but it was great to clear the way. Once killed a rat on Wannok, and cleaved another on height. Most of the time was rolling 4 attack by Jeanne. Only saw 1 attack. Died to a 3v4 from T87. The other one died from throwing damage.

T87
I think a good showing. With the Krav going down quickly had to do a lot of heavy lifting in this game. Had 1 OM flexed to him after the 2nd Krav died. Rolled fairly poorly on THrow. 2/6. 1/2 on damage (killed Ebon). Total Damage was 2 Ebon, 2 Alders, 1 Orleans. Could have been a lot more if Some of the Throws had hit would would have disrupted the Jeanne pod quite a bit.

 

[Scapemage]

BATTLE REPORT: ROUND 2

Point Total: 500

Map: Ceremony

Glyphs: Wannok, Lorja Valda, Treasure x3



Drakeepooh - Army: They Who Laugh x4, The Jester King, Rictus Crow, Otar

Scapemage - Army: Crypt Guardian x3, Nidhogg, Skritta, B.A.T.



Which units survived?

They Who Laugh (1 figure), Rictus Crow full health, Otar full health.

General Battle Report/Flow of game (be as detailed or general as you like)

The mutants move fast and loose out of the start zone, using Merciless Bonding to allow Jester King to grab the middle glyph: Scarab of Invulnerability. The mummies are slower to develop, but clever Order Markers allow Nidhogg to burst out of the start zone and get a choice Breath and attack to kill the first They Who Laugh of the game. Slightly vulnerable, Nidhogg takes a wallop from Jester King from high ground and takes 2 wounds. They Who Laugh follow up strong, dealing 3 massive wounds to Crypt Guardian R and 1 wound to Crypt Guardian P. They whiff their own attacks, ending the round.

Nidhogg opens round 2 strong by taking the high ground. The Breath flops again on two figures (even when double boosted!), but its attack hits Jester King hard for 2 wounds after the Scarab goes. They Who Laugh are out of markers, but that's about to change as they rip through Crypt Guardian R's last life to produce 2 new markers (thanks Jester King!). The Hogg has a dud turn (will Breath *ever* hit?), and then They Who Laugh pop off. They roll super hot on Battle Frenzy, attacking a total of 6 times amongst their 3 members. Some wounds get dealt to the Crypt Guardians. B.A.T. bounces Skritta up to a Treasure Glyph, but it's a trap! Skritta is able to kill a squaddie at range, at least.

Uh oh, a 1 on initiative. Jester King runs back into engagement with Nidhogg and slaughters it for a 4-0 hit from low ground. Rictus follows up with a 2-0 against Skritta from low ground. Now the squaddies can go and take Wannok. 1 wound to Crypt P, attack again. Auto-blocked by Tough, attack again. Auto-blocked by Tough. Second guy. Auto-blocked by Tough. Third guy. Up into Skritta, 1 wound. Ouch. At long last, it's time for the Hogg to shine. A massive TRIPLE BREATH HIT (2x single-boosted) kills 2 squaddies and wounds Jester King, then a massive attack from height kills Jester King, healing 2 wounds! The Hogg strikes yet again with a huge Breath attempt into 4 squaddies, killing one, then another with its basic. This does mean that They Who Laugh produce a Laughter Marker on Rictus Crow, who then spends it, takes the Wannok glyph, and kills Skritta for a new marker. Nidhogg pops off again with a TRIPLE BREATH HIT into the start zone and a fourth kill with its basic, but takes heavy fire from the remaining They Who Laugh.

Rictus Crow wins initiative and takes a Bracers of Teleportation for himself. The final They Who Laugh engage Crypt G and Nidhogg separately, and it only takes one fatal 3-0 blow for Nidhogg to die. I think Nidhogg is broken, the card says Defense 3 but it always seems to roll 0 shields! Crypt Guardian G manages to hang on for the rest of the round.

Crypt Guardian G manages to swat a They Who Laugh, and the other one swats B.A.T. Crypt Guardian G goes down to They Who Laugh's final figure, ending the game.

How useful were playtesting units' powers and how often did they come into play?

Nidhogg got great value this game! It's a little concerning that Breath of Decay doesn't trigger the healing. Crypt Guardians were actually able to setup bonuses for Nidhogg because the opponent came to me, which was rewarding when Nidhogg's massive area of effect actually popped off. B.A.T. vaulting Skritta is just a great move for long threat range or glyph grabbing, but Corrosive Spray is hard to justify. Skritta likes kiting.

They Who Laugh felt strong here. The Laughter Bonding isn't too hard to setup if you clump your squaddies so that they produce their own markers, and 4 attack is just good. Battle Frenzy was wicked hot this game, contributing to their success even without the boosts from Jester King. Jester King produced one marker, but Rictus and Jester King didn't use any of their powers elsewise.

Any additional comments (theme, balance, fun factor with and against)?

Laughter Markers are a lot of overhead for the Mutant faction. It's really easy to forget to add or how many you can add or if one was spent or not. Could be online hiccups.

 

[Drakeepooh]

BATTLE REPORT: ROUND 2

Point Total: 500

Map: Ceremony

Glyphs: Wannok, Lorja Valda, Treasure x3



Drakeepooh - Army: They Who Laugh x4, The Jester King, Rictus Crow, Otar

Scapemage - Army: Crypt Guardian x3, Nidhogg, Skritta, B.A.T.



Which units survived?

They Who Laugh (1 figure), Rictus Crow full health, Otar full health.

General Battle Report/Flow of game (be as detailed or general as you like)
I lead TWL too aggressively, not really developing, just sending one squad at a time, Mage leads crypt guardians. I start attacking, and then realize that scape mage has NO 1 LIFE figures, so laughter markers will be hard to accrue. Mage then follows up with Niddhogg into the fray. I spend a lot of attacks into crypt guardians trying to generate markers, which is tough to do because they have auto-shield. However, battle frenzy is hot so it works ok. Then Hogg goes off, killing Jester King and over half of TWL in three turns. To do so, he sent Hogg into my start zone, so he gets mobbed by my remaining TWL. An initiative switch finishes Hogg off, was just clean up after that really, (as rictus and a TWL had taken a side quest to kill a BAT carried skritta earlier in the game when they couldn't reach the Hogg in an attempt to generate more laughter markers)

How useful were playtesting units' powers and how often did they come into play?

TWL were good, perhaps simply because they had more activations than Mage had. They were HOT with battle frenzy, but many of their attacks were auto shielded by crypt guardians. My thought process was to have a mob of low defense units, as Hogg bypasses defense anyways, but in doing so I played a laughter army into an army with quite few figures from which to generate laughter

Hogg is an interesting unit. He feels so swingy. I don't think I understand how to optimally use him, and I've only played him twice but I've never really feared him either time. It seems like to best use him offensively you have to really expose him to counter attacks. Mage had a good plan playing him around crypt gaurdians, but Hogg really popped off when he left the screen to shoot into my start zone. I don't love Hogg, but I have nothing against playing across from him

Any additional comments (theme, balance, fun factor with and against)?

Second game playing mutants, used laughter markers better than the first, but still probably didn't use them right all the time. A wandering Xeigfreid popped in to remind us once of proper laughter generation. I think they're one of the more complicated units to play, at least in terms of memory, because they have so many potential specials and laughter markers to generate/use in a turn and its easy to forget one/all them. Lotta attack though

 

[quozl]

BATTLE REPORT: ROUND 2

Point Total: 500

Map: Ceremony

Glyphs: Wannok, Lorja Valda, Treasure x3

Are you scaeda me yet?: Knights of Scaeda x4, Champion of Scaeda x2
Rogue Galaxy: Buccaneers of Tortuga x4, Madame Zheng Yi Sao, B-11 Resistance Corps

Which units survived?

3 Buccaneers

General Battle Report/Flow of game (be as detailed or general as you like)
I brought up only Knights at first in order to get the B11s and the B11s fell quickly. Then I moved up Champions and sent in a couple Knights, one of which took out Madame Zheng (with the help of a couple Wannok rounds). After that, it was a numbers game with Champions double-attacking and cleaving and buccaneers swarming in. There were a lot of crazy rolls but it came to the last round with 3 Buccs vs 1 Champion and the Buccs got initiative.

How useful were playtesting units' powers and how often did they come into play?
Zheng wasn't used at all. Knights didn't use Arcane Armor. Buccaneers didn't use Elusive. Everything else got plenty of use.

Any additional comments (theme, balance, fun factor with and against)?

I wonder if I should have charged in a Champion from the beginning to hit the startzone.

 

[Xiegfried]

Point Total: 500

Map: Ceremony

Glyphs: Lorja Valda, Wannok

Xiegfried Army: Buccaneers of Tortuga x4, Madame Zheng Yi Sao, B-11 Resistance Fighters

quozl Army: Knights of Scaeda x4, Champion of Scaeda x2

Which units survived?
3 Buccaneers

General Battle Report/Flow of game:
I led B-11s in the hopes of thinning out the Knights of Scaeda a bit, which ended with just 1 kill on a Knight before my B-11s folded. quozl rolled pretty hot early game and took Wannok, resulting in a decent number of my Buccs going down and Sao landing at 1 life left. quozl continued slow rolling and taking kills where he could, then moved in his first Champion to start shredding through my Buccs. I tried to burst the Champion down but failed to do so before landing at about 2 squads of Buccs left. His last Champion picked up both Scarab and Talisman of Defense in the meantime. I used Sao for another Wannok wound sink and managed to knock out all but two Knights going into initiative, where quozl put all of his order markers on Knights. I managed to win init and failed to kill OMs 1 or 2, but thankfully some low attack rolls spared my last few Buccs long enough to kill OM 3. I won the the following init and got 3 Opportunist attacks into Champion, sealing the game after quozl hit a 15 on his Scarab roll.

How useful were playtesting units' powers and how often did they come into play?
Champion's Cleave was an absolute menace and really impacted how many attacks I felt comfortable throwing into them at a time.

Arcane Armor didn't have anything to trigger off of, so nothing of note there. Draconic Strategic Bonding allowed for a lot of flexibility in development for quozl, which made for some interesting decision points on both sides throughout the game.

Parley would've hit once but I misunderstood some of the wording. I assumed that hitting a 15 or higher would allow me to decide whether to negate the wound and remove any order marker, or kill the figure and remove only a revealed order marker. I rolled thinking I would have the choice, but we decided to ignore the roll in that instance.

Rogue Leadership once again really helped the Buccs out while Sao was still around and losing that 6th move really hurt when she was gone.

Any additional comments (theme, balance, fun factor with and against)?
I really love the Scaedans as a whole. They feel beefy and threatening, which is fitting for their theme, sculpts, and costs. There were a lot fewer "feels bad" moments with Arcane Armor in its revised state, and with their freedom of development, they can often get height and land at 6 defense anyway. I think the design is a lot better off with the current version.

Sao really feels like a central piece for the Buccs to me. She does feel a bit squishy given how close to the battle she needs to be to trigger Parley, though. I don't know that her sculpt warrants a 4th defense dice as I've seen recommended, but maybe Parley gets a slight range bump so she can feel a bit safer while still getting the value of the power.

 

[Cor7770]

Battle Report Round 2

500 points

Maps: Ceremony

Qlyphs: Wannok, Lorja Valda, 3 Treasures

cor7770's army: Knights of Scaeda x4, Champion of Scaeda, Skirmisher of Scaeda x2
SkyWhale's army: Buccaneers of Tortuga x4, Madame Zheng Yi Sao, Agent Skahen

Surviving Units: 2x Skirmisher’s of Scaeda both full life, 3x Knights of Scaeda

Game Flow:
The game started with me opening Knights of Scaeda and not bonding and developing more knights followed by moving the champion up on turn 3. SkyWhale led 1 and 2 on Skahen and was not able to get any hits off and went with buccaneers turn 3. On my turn three I was able to destroy Skahen in 2 attacks from knights before she was able to get any damage to development with the buccaneers. The next rounds the knights and the champion went head to head with the buccaneers. Eventually it lead to the champion going down after defending some big attacks and being able to take some more bucs with him, with only one buc defending an attack. In the following rounds SkyWhale won and kept the initiative which helped the bucs to crawl back a bit. He was able to get a parlay (going 1 for 2) and took an order marker 3 away from me. After that I was able to finish off most of the bucs in the following rounds and start to move up the skirmisher. Sao was able to destroy one knight but then was met and destroyed by the skirmisher and two knights to finish the game.

Playtesting Units Used:

Knights of Scaeda: The knights did very well for me throughout the game. Their high defense was good for keeping them in the fight, and their strategic bonding really helps with devoloping the army in the early game. For this game their arcane armor never was able to be used.

Champion of Scaeda: The champion was able to do a lot of work into the army that I was facing. Being able to have a double attack with cleave into low defense squads was a huge part of me winning this game. The champion really feels like the anchor for this army in terms of dealing with a lot of squads, where otherwise I feel like it may struggle.

Skirmisher of Sceada: Although not used a lot during this match, I can see how this unit can be very good for assassinating figures or cleaning up in the end game. During this game I was able to get one skirmisher up and got two wounds on Sao, which helped wrap the game up. They feel like a decent filler for the dragonborn army, with the core being set around the knights and the champion, and the skirmisher for clean up.

Madame Zheng Yi Sao: Sao with the buccaneers was a really fun combo to see in action. The ability that they have to be able to swing a game quickly is second to none. The option for parlay can really take the life out of the opposing team if the right order is taken away. I think one of her strongest attributes though is the ability to increase the move of rouge figures. The bucs with 6 move made it much easier for them to get to good spots, pivoting around the parley range to keep the disruption option there. Overall really interesting unit with the bucs, that I think making them much more threatening.

Overview:
Overall the game leaned pretty far in my favor early with the poor showing from Skahen and good defense from the knights. The knights and champion were able to do a number on Skahen and a good portion of the bucs before SkyWhale was able to answer back. A few initiative switches and a well timed parlay, and he was able to destroy the champion and several knights. I feel if the game had started a bit different, there was a good chance it could have shifted into SkyWhale’s favor due to the potential of the bucs and Sao to quickly take an advantage. In the end, the knights and the skirmisher were able to clean things up and get the win, with some big help from the champion. Overall super fun game, and GG SkyWhale!

 

[SkyWhale]

I don't have much to add about the game flow about Cor7770 and my game, so I'll just share my thoughts from the match:

This is likely one of the most initiative-dependent armies I have ever run. Winning that first init is terrible for my development plans, as Skahen can't get any attacks off turn 1, but her missing both of her heighted attacks didn't help either. This was quite possibly the worst first round I could have had. However, my positioning of Sao in the startzone allowed me to still make use of Parley opportunities as Cor7770 had full melee and was going to come to me. At the very least, he needed to send the Champion in fairly quickly before I had any opportunities to spread out, and had to bring in Knights so that all the attacks weren't targeting the Champion. This is my second game with Buccs against this build, and the second time I think I could have won had I killed the Champion earlier - which is definitely doable! Without killing it as soon as I would have liked, I had to take gambles with Parley that didn't pan out.

I need to try Parley against a non 2-man bonding squad (with less defense), but so far I really like it with the Buccs. You basically have to go for it early or not at all, but the chance to get Opportunist for future attacks is a good consolation. Especially for a 4-man squad, where I get 3 more chances to attack! But if you miss the first 2 attacks of a round, you basically give up on Parleying for that round (unless you absolutely need a big swing/to steal an unrevealed OM). It offers some interesting cost/benefit analysis that I kept struggling with throughout the game.

+1 move for the Buccs is also still incredible. Opportunist makes them very dependent on init control, and being able to have 1 extra hex of threat range at the beginning of a round has proven quite useful.


These Scaedans are at a very satisfying spot. Development with the Knights is surprisingly smooth for a 2 man squad, and the Champion and Skirmisher are great bonding targets to see in action. Champion is a threat that needs to be dealt with, allowing the Knights a bit more extra protection as they're not the primary focus, and Skirmishers are such cool endgame pieces.


Hoping my next game is a new matchup, but I have found this one interesting (and winnable by either side, despite the results). Great game Cor7770!

 

[kevindola]

Updates to Nidhogg, Esoteric Guard, Madame Zheng Yi Sao

Optional Figure Modifications

If you and your opponent BOTH agree to play with these change, please do so to maximize information output. Completely at both player's discretion.

Spoiler Alert!

• Nidhogg. Attack = 7
• Yi Sao. Parely change
  Spoiler Alert!

  
  

  • PARLEY 15
    Once per Order Marker, whenever an opponent’s figure within 4 clear sight spaces of Madame Zheng Yi Sao is attacked by a figure you control and does not receive any wounds, you may roll the 20-sided die. If you roll a 15 or higher remove 1 Order Marker from the defending figure's army card (or cards if your opponent has more than one Common Army Card for that figure). Otherwise, if possible, remove one revealed order marker.
• Esoteric Guard. Attack=3
• Esoteric Guard. Strategic bonding change
  Spoiler Alert!

  
  [*]WARDEN STRATEGIC BONDING
  Before taking a turn with the Esoteric Guard, you may first take a turn with a Warden Hero you control. If you do, add 1 to the Esoteric Guards' Attack and none of them may move during their turn. If you do not, then you may move with up to 4 Esoteric Guards you control and attack with any 2 of those Esoteric Guards during their turn.

Round 3 is on Sunset Run. (Holdir, Dagmar, TG x2)

The KnightOfLight (2-0) v. kevindola (2-0) pool of armies is:
* Some of you may die…: Agent Harris, Jeanne D’Arc, Defenders of Orleans, Alder Knights, Ebon Armor, Isamu, Krav Maga Agents
* But that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make: They Who Laugh x4, Jester King, Rictus Crow, Ashigaru Yari x1
* : deathreavers x3, Raelin (RotV), Krav Maga Agents, Agent T87, Akumaken, Otonashi
* : Esoteric Guard x7, Head Warden Samuel Lermek, Major Q9
kevindola chooses which army to play first or may defer. After armies are picked, KnightOfLight chooses who places first.

The Xiegfried (2-0) v. Captain Stupendous (2-0) pool of armies is:
* Technically a Lawman Army: Knights of Scaeda x5, Champion of Scaeda, Kate Crawford
* Rogue Galaxy: Buccaneers of Tortuga x4, Madame Zheng Yi Sao, B-11 Resistance Corps
* The Bureau: Krav Maga Agents, Agent Nora, Agent T87, Agent Harris, Agent Skahen, Command Courier x1
* The Best Medicine: They Who Laugh x3, Jester King, Motley Max, Father Caylus, Marcu Esenwein
Captain Stupendous chooses which army to play first or may defer. After armies are picked, Xiegfried chooses who places first.

The Maklar the Silver Prince (2-0) v. Dysole (1-1) pool of armies is:
* : They Who Laugh x4, Jester King, Emporer Andask
* : Knights of Scaeda x4, Mage of Scaeda, White Wyrmling, Raelin (RotV)
* Death of a Thousand Papercuts: Beakface Sneaks x8, Quorik Warwitch, Madame Zheng Yi Sao, Clawfoot Interceptor
* Death of Really Big Swords (and Guns): Ebon Armor, Alder Knights, Jeanne D'Arc, Defenders of Orleans, Prince Al'Kahora, Nakita Agents
Maklar the Silver Prince chooses which army to play first or may defer. After armies are picked, Dysole chooses who places first.

The Srd717 (1-1) v. Shurrig (1-1) pool of armies is:
* : Knights of Scaeda x4, Champion of Scaeda x2
* : Esoteric x6, Raelin (RotV), Head Warden Samuel Lermek, Eltahale
* I am Having Such an Awesome Time With My Friends: They Who Laugh x4, Jester King, Motley Max
* Knights and Fights Part 2: 2 Knights 2 Fights: Ebon Armor, Jeanne D'Arc, Alder Knights, Defenders of Orleans, Prince Al'Kahora, Tandros Kreel
Shurrig chooses which army to play first or may defer. After armies are picked, Srd717 chooses who places first.

The quozl (1-1) v. MegaSilver (1-1) pool of armies is:
* HAHAHA: They Who Laugh x4, Jester King, Motley Max
* Are you scaeda me yet?: Knights of Scaeda x4, Champion of Scaeda x2
* Scaedan Dragonborn: Knights of Scaeda x4, Skirmisher of Scaeda x2, Champion of Scaeda
* Nidhogg and Stingers: Stingers x4, Nidhogg, Marcu Esenwein, Isamu
MegaSilver chooses which army to play first or may defer. After armies are picked, quozl chooses who places first.

The Sir Heroscape (1-1) v. Cor7770 (1-1) pool of armies is:
* : Knights of Scaeda x4, Skirmisher of Scaeda x2, Champion of Scaeda
* : They Who Laugh x4, Motley Max, Jester King
* : Knights of Scaeda x4, Champion of Scaeda, Skirmisher of Scaeda x2
* : Warforged x4, Defenders of Orleans, Alder Knights, Jeanne D'Arc
Cor7770 chooses which army to play first or may defer. After armies are picked, Sir Heroscape chooses who places first.

The superfrog (1-1) v. Drakeepooh (1-1) pool of armies is:
* : Knights of Scaeda x4, Mage of Scaeda, Skirmisher of Scaeda x2
* : Ebon Armor, Agent T87, Agent Harris, Nakita Agents, Izumi Samurai, Isamu, Otonashi
* Brigand's Bodygaurds: Nottingham Brigands x7, Jeanne D'Arc, Alder Knights, Defenders of Orleans, Prince Al'Kahora
* Mutants pet pig: They Who Laugh x4, Jester King, Rictus Crow, Otar
Drakeepooh chooses which army to play first or may defer. After armies are picked, superfrog chooses who places first.

The O.G-Blaha (1-1) v. Scapemage (0-2) pool of armies is:
* Im telling yall this f-ing Hogg is broken: Nidhogg, Brute Gruts, Guilty McCreech, Raelin (RotV), Rygarn
* Its not well know in greek mythology but heracles was good friends with goblin cutters: Goblin Cutters x6, Heracles (sit one)
* Batter Up!: Crypt Guardian x3, Nidhogg, Skritta, BAT
* RogueLike: Buccaneers of Tortuga x3, Nottingham Brigand x2, Madame Zheng Yi Sao, Elaria the Pale, Darrak Ambershard
O.G-Blaha chooses which army to play first or may defer. After armies are picked, Scapemage chooses who places first.

The Dunedain v. ryguy266 pool of armies is:
* I finally don’t have to put an OM on Eltahale: Esoteric Guard x5, Warden 816, Eltahale, Head Warden Samuel Lermek, Drow Chainfighter
* It’s not quite pirates but then again nothing is: Buccaneers of Tortuga x3, Nottingham Brigand x3, Madame Zheng Yi Sao, Kha, Bol
* Jared Leto's Best Performance: Havech Eradicators x4, Zetacron, Jester King
* They Didn't Let Me Run This One Last Time: 4th Massachusetts Line x3, Morgan's Riflemen, Nidhogg
ryguy266 chooses which army to play first or may defer. After armies are picked, Dunedain chooses who places first.

The SkyWhale v. betawolf36 pool of armies is:
* "Pirates, you see. Raiding all along the coast, from Hammerfell to Vvardenfell": Buccaneers of Tortuga x4, Madame Zheng Yi Sao, Agent Skahen
* "Fine armor you've got there. Dwarven make, am I right?": Shieldsmiths of Granite Keep x4, Rygarn, Skritta, BAT
* Mustard Gas: 12th Cacasus Rifle x4, Nidhogg, Eldgrim the Viking Champ
* What's (in) an Order Marker?: Buccaneers of Tortuga x4, Madame Zheng Yi Sao, Dünd, Bol
SkyWhale chooses which army to play first or may defer. After armies are picked, betawolf36 chooses who places first.

 

[Maklar the Silver Prince]

Maps: Ceremony

Qlyphs: Wannok, Lorja Valda, 3 Treasures

MTSP: Knights of Scaeda x4, Mage of Scaeda, White Wyrmling, Raelin (RotV)
OG Blaha: Goblin Cutters x6, Heracles (sit one)

Surviving Units: 4 Knights of Scaeda, Mage of Scaeda with 2 life left, White Wyrmling

Game Flow: Grindy game. Developed Raelin (perhaps a bit poorly) and then started constructing a Scaeda fortress while OG developed Cutters. He got Lorja Valda and gobbos were on me quick. I did my best to limit attacks against Raelin and the White Wyrm. But some poor White Wyrm turns lead me to rely on normal attack kills, and Raelin got mobbed and eventually died. Fortunately I was able to keep on chewing through goblins, of course helped a lot by my beefy stats and good rolling. Heracles had to get thru 5 Knights, a 3 wound Mage, and the Wyrm and he didn't have the juice for that.

How useful were playtesting units' powers and how often did they come into play? The Knights of Scaeda were pretty good here just because they have great stats, and I rolled well especially on defense. But their strategic bonding is really nice. Being able to bond with ranged special attackers is massive, awesome. And being able to move 4 figures in conjunction with flying allows you to develop a beefy wall of dragons quickly for your ranged bonders. Arcane Armor is also a nice piece, its a quite useful ability even in situations were your opponent is normal attacking - you can do nice stuff like take LEAs or soak wannok or blast your own guys with a fireball. But you gotta remember that its not automatic, which I think is good. I went 2/4 on my Arcane Armor rolls this game, and my own Mage blew up 2 of my guys. The Mage is also really nice, providing your army with a dependable explosion attack is really nice. He got a real good blast off at 3 Cutters who mob attacked once, it was nice, and pairing him with the White Wyrmling gave me 2 nice options to switch between in this matchup which I enjoyed. I forgot to use his teleport at one point in this game where it would have been useful but its a good ability for him to have as well.

Any additional comments (theme, balance, fun factor with and against)? The Scaedans are quickly becoming some of my favorite units to play. I do sometimes wish they had a bit more protection than 5 defense against normal attacks, they are only a squad of 2 after all. But I guess 5 work does plenty of work especially with 5 move and flying. Really really enjoy their bonding ability.

Another thought: I enjoyed Lorja Valda pretty well. I think its a powerful glyph, depending on the map perhaps you prefer to include it to normal valda, and then you can pair it with a glyph a bit on the weaker side. I think its a strong addition to the game.

 

[Sir Heroscape]

Maps: Ceremony

Qlyphs: Wannok, Lorja Valda, 3 Treasures

Cpt Stupendous: Knights of Scaeda x4, Champion, Skirmisher X2
SirH: TWL X4, Motley, Jester

Surviving Units: 1 KoS, 1L Skirm, 2L Skirm

Game Flow:
The first 2 rounds were basically a slow burn of meticulous positioning and trying to make sure I got my full army developed and into a "decent" spot...before I began assaulting his position. I knew that in terms of activations I could throw A LEAST 5 attacks per turn, and more if I got any BF rolls. But, because my units are paper thin and his are TANKY, I knew I had to be able to fully reinforce my positions once I began attacking/engaging. What's more, I knew this map would give him insane amounts of mobility with the way the heights are setup and his 5move flying figures...so I decided to slow roll towards the LV glyph. He decided to claim the other side because his army gets super punished by Wannok. This meant that for the first 2 rounds I got Wannoked...but I was pretty okay with it, because I cared more about my positioning, and I could just use Wannok to build up markers by killing a TWL. So by Round 3 it was time to engage. I decided to use Motley to begin, because he'd taken most of the heights, so I chain grabbed 2 of the KoS off the heights to get ES's on them. I dropped them next to adjacent heights so even if I didn't get the kills I could still get the attacks down. It felt really good being able to use Motley to move him out off his height positions. Unfortunatley for Motley, that's all the activations he got. He promptly rolled defense like a chump and fell to 4 attacks of 4 right in his face on the next turn. That said, I did kinda feel like my positioning was still superior, and i was able to get in and pretty much return the favor on the Champion. He took 4 wounds on the first onslaught of attacks, cleaved me and then died on the next turn. So for most of the game, we both lost our big hitters. I felt fine about that because I felt my win condition was getting the Champion off the board early, so trading out Motley for the Champion felt okay. The rest of the game was back and forth the whole time until the midgame when I got like 3-4 kills and left Cpt with only 2 KoS and 2 Skirms left. Unfortunatley for me, I couldn't finish them off. I had like a 3L King, and I think 4 TWL left and that 5 def would not fail him. I had 4 attacks into the last KoS figure (I got BF like 3 times) but he would not die. Skirms, turns out, are incredible end game units though...so I was on a timer to get kills quick and just couldn't.

How useful were playtesting units' powers and how often did they come into play?
This was an incredible showcase of all the powers.
Cult Used: X9 (probably more? It's a bit hard to keep track, and there were times I couldn't place because King was already maxed out)
BF Activated: 8/19
Bonding: Except for the early game where I chose not to bond (to save markers on King) and the first time Motley activated (and then died), I bonded every time after that with King.

Grand Joke: X16 (missed: There were 8 or so times where I was already maxed out with King markers and so I "lost" placing more.
Wasteland Sup: Used X4 (+3 for BF X2, +2 for BF X1, +1 for BF)

Any additional comments (theme, balance, fun factor with and against)?
I loved this game, even if I didn't win. The showcase on both sides of this matchup was incredible.

Dragon Faction
It was cool to see just how tough and strong the dragon faction can be. Arcane is a subtle way to increase the strength of this army. It can keep safe from Wannok, take LEA's, tank Lava damage and avoid auto-wounds like ES...I LOVE that. its really easy to underestimate how good that ability can be for their survivability. The Champion carries this faction. He is soooo inevitable. He allows this faction to be competitive imo. At the end of the day, the dragons 2 attacks/activations is hard to keep up with other army cores...but the Champion can kill 4 figures in one turn on his own...and the consistency of double-attack is just BRUTAL. But, I think that's a good thing and necessary for how this army plays as he requires a lot of the attention which then takes the pressure off of the KoS. Skirmishers are a great secondary bonder as well to get in and get a quick kill and force attention to them while you bring up others into position.

Wasteland Faction
What a game for them. They are paper thin, but they hit like a truck. They can throw so much dice, it's unreal...but they have a hard time sticking around for very long. That's okay, it keeps the games interesting and close. I really loved the interplay of their abilities this game.
- I used Wannok to generate markers onto King and Motley
- I used markers to help be get BF rolls 4 times this game, and when I got the kill, I'd then generate back 2 more markers back on to King to potentially help on my next BF roll. I loved that.
This faction can cook. I felt like I was playing it right and developing/reinforcing properly...and even got almost 50% BF rolls...but still couldn't win it. That means this faction really is a bit of a glass canon. They'll be times they just mow down, and others they fold...and that's what makes them interesting. The only thing I think I'd like to see though, is a potential reduction in the squad price to 65. It's not a huge thing...but I think it helps open up a little more room to add a 3rd bonder as more Wasteland heroes get created. My reasoning for that is that Motley and King are actually pretty cushy, and it doesn't take much to kill one of them...so if you can only get 2 bonders and the TWL price and faction is all centered around their ability to get 2 bonding turns with heroes...then I think we otta make it so that more heroes can feasibly be drafted with them. Cause after I lost Motley I basically lost one of the key aspects of this faction. So I think this faction could do well to be priced in a way that allows 3 bonders to be drafted within the 500-600point range.