The Learning Curve

If I get to keep playing Warmachine this much I figure I'll actually know how to play well by the end of the Summer. Nate brought over his Trollbloods yesterday for my second crack at Warmachine vs Hordes. I brought out my Bile Thralls for the first time, considering Nates lack of shooting they were a good choice, against the last Retribution list I played not so much.I finally have Skarre figured out...although I keep thinking shes tougher than she is, but after her feat turn she is super super fragile. still I could have pulled it of win here but bungled the chance

35 Points
My Cryx

pSkarre
Slayer
Reaper

6 Bile Thralls
6 Revenant Crew
Captain Rengrave
10 Blackbanes Ghost Raiders
Pistol Wraiths x 2

Nate's Trollbloods

Madrak Ironhide, World Ender
Dire troll Mauler
Pyre Troll
Troll Impaler

Fell Caller Hero
5 Trollkin Champs
10 Fennblades.


I keep the Pirates and Jacks close. The Bile Thrall were on the flank with facing the Troll Champs. Blackbane and company were on the other flank close between myself and the Fennblades. Pistol Wraiths were close to my jacks to support and go after the solo asap.

Game went very well, the bile thralls..absolutely put a major stink all over the Champions basically making them worthless (my Jacks came in and cleaned them out in a turn) and eventually blew the Fell Caller too. ..the Pistols wraiths ended up going after the Impaler which killed one them with a beefy spear shot. The other however, kept blasting away getting the deathchill every turn keeping the impaler in check with only one action a turn. I declared my feat early..I think a turn too early...as I wanted to gid rid of the Fennblades and Blackbane and Crew now P&S 15 (thanks to my feat)...did so easily on my turn even though the "tough" troll infantry saved three of them, but they where just killed the next turn.

Madrak is a beast..I never go into close combat with him..because he wrecked my slayer quite readily with his reach and threw a axe and popped the second pistol wraith easy. Madrak was tying up both my jacks..but Nate got the Dire Troll into Skarre...my feats huge ARM bump saved me from his attacks but I was still almost dead. I used Ritual sacrifice and ended up with 11 focus on my following turn..

Stupidly..I should have kept it all for Skarre just bought additional attacks and boosted until I killed the troll, However..I cast Dark Guidance...thinking I have 4 Pirates and Blackbane sitting right there ( Rengrave got killed in trample attack that put the troll into me in the first place)
I figured I'll gang everyone up on him and it will help put him away. Stupid...first of all, I immediately knocked the troll down with Great Rack so everyone else attacking auto hit and so I didn't need the 4 point Dark Guidance. Skarre pounds the troll, I buy extra attacks with soul drinker and heal up some wounds and put about 15 or so the troll..everyone else can not wound the damn thing..and buying 4 extra or boosted attacks for Skarre with that focus I wasted surely would have done it. as result on nates turn...my ARM back to 16...a huge damage roll of 30 on his first attacks puts me away (I only had 9 or 10 points left)...dumb. Nates caster was pretty much untouched but the all the Warbeasts were seriously hurting and if I had just put the troll away, Madrak was in trouble..as still had a couple Bile Thralls, an undamaged Reaper, most of the Ghost Raiders and Skarre and a couple Pirates left.

Anyway I got this game figured out as much as I know my own units. I am aware I'm not running close to an optimal build with pSkarre but its what I have...I have Terminus on the bench right now..and he seems alot more suited for the units I have...so I'll plan on giving him a tryout this weekend...thinking about trying to play in this event up at Games Plus end of the month its an all painted event...I am currently painting away...and everything is already primed and based- its doable...its only 30 models..and the 1/3 of them (the ghost raiders) are almost done so we'll see. Aaron and I get together Saturday for a couple of games. Then we try out "Hail Caesar", next Tuesday.