I'm A Dirty Cheater
My new Skorne army is slowly growing, and I’m having a lot of fun painting it and getting to know the Hordes faction fluff. It’s been a great change after a couple of years of playing Cygnar, and picking up a new faction has started to ease some of the restlessness I from the shift into MKII. I get that upgrading the game is a necessary thing, but it made for a couple of years where it felt like very little new was happening. I’m definitely ready to get on with some new material, and expect that I’ll be ready to revisit my Cygnar about the time the Wrath hits the streets.
But back to the Skorne: I played my third game with them this week, finally stepping up to the 50-point level and trying out Xerxis for the first time. My intention had been to do the full battle report write-up, but after the game ended, it just didn’t feel right anymore. I won, you see, but I cheated.
This wasn’t a malicious, I want to win so bad I’ll do anything kind of cheat mind you, but rather the kind of cheating that comes out of being new to Hordes and the whole Fury thing. Here’s the set-up: It is late in the game and Morvahna is kicking the crap out of my army with a unit of Tharn Bloodtrackers who have preyed my Nihilators and wiped them out in a battle of attrition. On my other flank, a unit of Wolf Riders assaulted my Cataphract and killed all but one of them. My army is starting to look a little thin, and I figure that I better get this done. I activate Xerxis and have him put Fury and Rush on the Bronzeback, and then have my Beast Handlers Enrage it. The Bronzeback charges and hits a Warpwolf, taking it down to 1 wound. It then casts Train Wreck on itself, and starts using the 1” advance granted by beat back to work its way from model-to-model until it gets to Morvahna. I use my last fury to attack her, and one shot her with my effective POW22 fist. Suck it, tree hugger!
Unfortunately (and I didn’t realize it until about an hour later), the last two beat back moves would have taken the Bronzeback about an inch and a half outside of Xerxis control areas, meaning he couldn’t have been forced to take those last few attacks (including the one that ended the game.) I felt like shit. I’ve done that same move at least a half a dozen times with a Hammersmith, and once I started rolling dice habit just took over – but with a warjack, as long as you start in control it’s all good, and it’s not unusual to launch a ‘jack like cruise missiles out of your control area in a game-ending maneuver.
So, yeah, I’m a dirty cheater. It happens. My opponent was cool about it, demanding only a rematch. I hate it when stuff like that happens, because I never want to be that guy. I don’t get many games in as it is, and so I want the ones that I do play to be fun for me and my opponent. At the same time, it’s a big, complicated game, and I bet you that there is a lot more “accidental” cheating going on in any given game than you think. I just hate to win games that way…
Anyway, I’ve been thinking a lot about my Skorne lately. Maybe next time I’ll talk about what I’ve learned so far (when I'm not cheating my ass off) and what I’m having luck with…
But back to the Skorne: I played my third game with them this week, finally stepping up to the 50-point level and trying out Xerxis for the first time. My intention had been to do the full battle report write-up, but after the game ended, it just didn’t feel right anymore. I won, you see, but I cheated.
This wasn’t a malicious, I want to win so bad I’ll do anything kind of cheat mind you, but rather the kind of cheating that comes out of being new to Hordes and the whole Fury thing. Here’s the set-up: It is late in the game and Morvahna is kicking the crap out of my army with a unit of Tharn Bloodtrackers who have preyed my Nihilators and wiped them out in a battle of attrition. On my other flank, a unit of Wolf Riders assaulted my Cataphract and killed all but one of them. My army is starting to look a little thin, and I figure that I better get this done. I activate Xerxis and have him put Fury and Rush on the Bronzeback, and then have my Beast Handlers Enrage it. The Bronzeback charges and hits a Warpwolf, taking it down to 1 wound. It then casts Train Wreck on itself, and starts using the 1” advance granted by beat back to work its way from model-to-model until it gets to Morvahna. I use my last fury to attack her, and one shot her with my effective POW22 fist. Suck it, tree hugger!
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| Big Stompy Angry! (And completely out of his 'lock's Control Area) |
Unfortunately (and I didn’t realize it until about an hour later), the last two beat back moves would have taken the Bronzeback about an inch and a half outside of Xerxis control areas, meaning he couldn’t have been forced to take those last few attacks (including the one that ended the game.) I felt like shit. I’ve done that same move at least a half a dozen times with a Hammersmith, and once I started rolling dice habit just took over – but with a warjack, as long as you start in control it’s all good, and it’s not unusual to launch a ‘jack like cruise missiles out of your control area in a game-ending maneuver.
So, yeah, I’m a dirty cheater. It happens. My opponent was cool about it, demanding only a rematch. I hate it when stuff like that happens, because I never want to be that guy. I don’t get many games in as it is, and so I want the ones that I do play to be fun for me and my opponent. At the same time, it’s a big, complicated game, and I bet you that there is a lot more “accidental” cheating going on in any given game than you think. I just hate to win games that way…
 |
| Gamer Karma: My XBOX died the very same night, proving that God hates cheaters. |
Anyway, I’ve been thinking a lot about my Skorne lately. Maybe next time I’ll talk about what I’ve learned so far (when I'm not cheating my ass off) and what I’m having luck with…
Labels: Hordes, miniatures, Skorne, wargaming, Warmachine
Good report - don't worry about unfamiliarity with the rules so much. I've been playing Hordes for a while now but I still learn new tips and tricks and clarifications of the rules all the time.
Posted by
TyrantBallpit |
8:18 AM
Thanks, and good advice. I know there are probably a half-a-dozen or more things in every game that get played wrong - it's all part of learning. Just hate to win like that. At least it was a friendly game - It really sucks when that happens at a tournament, and people only realize it after the models have been picked up!
Posted by
Dangerfish |
8:22 AM