We chose a 30 Soulstone battle and got Flank deployment. The strategy was Reconnoiter, so each turn after the first you get 1VP if you control two or more table quarters at the end of each turn (you need more models then your opponent). Needless to say, we still screwed that up. The five schemes to choose from were the usual A Line in the Sand, then Assassinate, Bodyguard, Take Prisoner and Plant Explosives. I believe we both took Assassinate and Bodyguard.
Crews
So once again it's my Gremlins vs my brothers Ten Thunders. I have done some study on my models and have used most of them before, where as my brother is using his for the first time and so hasn't had experience with them.
Gremlins (Zargooran)
Ten Thunders (Vegemus)
Set-up
So as you can see, I'm now using the Swamp mat from Frontline gaming's F.A.T mats and am slowly building up some more terrain in the form of rough hedges and I'll get a tutorial on how I make them soon. The Dragon was picked up from one of those 2 dollar stores and I'm hoping to get a block to place it on and turn it into a statue or a tomb. Back on track, I'm on the bottom corner while my brothers at the top. Not much to say.
End of Turn 1
We all moved. Not much more to say really. The Ten Thunders stuck closely to cover (which is why you can't really see them). Misaki took to the gallows, two Torakage went into the burnt ruins while the third took to the fence/hedge while Ototo hid near the chapel. Rapheal and Francois hid in the forest, both the Bushwacker and Rami took up better firing positions and Mah foolishly ran off too far.
End of Turn 2
What went from a quiet walk turned into pure mayhem. The Bushwacker moved in for a batter show and got ganged up on by Ototo and Misaki, a major mistake on my behalf. I moved Mah back to better protect her as I realised that my brother could have had Assassination and the Torakage moved in. It was a walk fest as the two Torakage moved into combat range.
End of Turn 3
My brother used a Soulstone to get the initiative and so we ended having a Master vs Master free for all took place with wounds flying and poor attack flips. Misaki took a large number of wounds and both Mah took a couple in return. For all that however, the real fight was at the forests edge, with Francois taking some wounds and squealing away, with the Torakage ninja flipping after him. Rapheal, took enough wounds and had Poison+1 and looked grim. The wounds did activate his ability to use reckless without taking a wound and his first two wounds failed to really damage him, but then his third hit and I triggered his ram. The damage flip was good and so the double damage killed the Torakage, but killed Rapheal in return.
End of Turn 4
Sadly, Misaki fell, but both Mah and Rami had taken more damage (Rami had failed both to disengage and to heal). Likewise, Francois managed to end the Torakage threat and just in time as with Turn 4, both of us revealed Bodyguard, though my Assassination kept me in the lead.
End of Turn 5
The final turn of the game didn't go well for the Ten Thunders as they focused heavily on ending Mah in a last minute shot for victory. Burning the remaining Soulstones to reduce damage kept Mah in and Rami managed to escape the combat, but couldn't risk shooting into combat for risk of hitting Mah. As such, I couldn't remove the remaining Torakage to get any more points. Francois moved up, but was basically useless by this point and so whistled a happy tune (as best as he could anyway). As the we flipped to see if the game continued, the cards of fate chose to end the game. The Gremlins were victorious.
Aftermath
So the game was over, but even before it had ended we were discussing what we could of done better. My brother felt if he'd known more about the effectiveness of Soulstone damage reduction he might have not burned his so quickly (he wanted to get Misaki's ability available as soon as he could). I felt he held Ototo back and should have got him into combat instead of being too cautious. There were also a few rules we were confused on, though I have since looked them up and now know what to do.
I myself have felt I'm not using my characters right. Running Mah and the Bushwacker in too quickly was a serious error and I was too focused on the Strategy and it cost me early on. I've also had little luck with both Rami and Rapheal and may consider changing them out in my next game. Also, the Dirty Cheater upgrade looks very nice on paper, but in all the games I've played I have rarely benefited from it due to not having the cards to cheat or risking worse if I did. I'll still stick with it, but it really relies on you having the right cards (though to be fair to my bro, Misaki's insta-kill also needs the right cards in hand, so I guess our game was even in that regards). No doubt things will improve for the Ten Thunders once my brother gets a few more miniatures added to his collection.
