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Nite's Legion of Everblight Blog

45K views 264 replies 13 participants last post by  Stunted_Merc 
#1 ·
Hiya all,

So I finally decided on an army that I like - one that matches my aesthetic tastes and has great fluff while still being a respectable force on the tabletop. Simply put, the Legion of Everblight is the perfect army for me. This thread is where I will post all of my Hordes-related shenanigans for the amusement of onlookers, from painting to upgrading to tactical musings on the games that I play. Without further ado, I present the first entry!

*breaks inaugural wine bottle*

23/10/2007

Today I finally got to play my first game of Hordes against one of Librarium Online's very own, a consummate Space Marine general and painter extraordinaire. My opponent was the Circle of Oroboros and we were both using our respective Factions' warpacks, meaning Kaya, two Argus' and a Warpwolf to match my four Shredders, Lylyth, and a Carnivean. I'm pretty terrible with the specifics on how the battle went, though much of it was trying to figure out a good way to mark my warbeasts' damage (something my opponent seemed to have figured out quicker than I did).

Turn 1 Highlights: Forced my warbeasts to run forward, except for my Carnivean who moved into a forest. One Shredder promptly frenzied and, due to his Adelphophagy special rule, attacked his buddy. Fortunately he did no damage, but I was not pleased. The Circle was significantly more cautious about forcing its warbeasts forward.

Turn 2 Highlights: Another Shredder frenzied and attacked his buddy. Fortunately, no damage was dealt this turn due to the fact that the charge didn't really come from that far away. The Circle advanced patiently.

Turn 3 Highlights: I finally pass all my frenzy checks! Yay! At this point, I decide to stop upkeeping Taint, which I have been casting on Lylyth in order to leech the Fury off my Shredders from running. One Argus walks up and attempts to bark at Lylyth, who has moved to the edge of the forest by this point. It hits but fails to do anything, really...

Turn 4 Highlights: A Shredder charges another one in the side and causes catastrophic damage. His buddy his still alive, though... My Carnivean charged at the Argus and ate it while Lylyth attempted to shoot the other one. I forgot that she has two shots. Silly me. The Carnivean receives minor wounds for his trouble.

Turn 5 Highlights: Another Shredder frenzies and attacks an uninjured one, dealing minor wounds to him. He is otherwise fine and the turn continues, with my Shredders moving into position to take advantage of their Pack Mentality rule. The Argus gets Spirit Door-ed away while the Warpwolf charges my Carnivean, dealing plenty of damage to him. I start to get worried.

Turn 6 Highlights: I have to move the Shredders into position so the poor Carnivean is on his own, with his Mind branch knocked out, and frenzies, charging at the newly returned Argus, whom he cannot hit. Lylyth takes a pot shot at the Warpwolf while healing the Carnivean's Mind branch. The Shredders may have charged around this time but I forgot to take advantage of their Pack Mentality and boosted their rolls in conjunction with Fields of Slaughter to kill that blasted beast.

Turn 7 Highlights: By this time, the Warpwolf has a fair bit of fury on it. It gets Spirit Door-ed away and Kaya uses her feat to get back 8 Fury (I kept calling it Focus), healing the Warpwolf. I am now scared.

Turn 8 Highlights: The Warpwolf's attack on my Carnivean is less than stellar, knocking out the Mind and Spirit branches but failing to kill it outright. Kaya attempts to whack a Shredder, for a laugh, but does nothing. I attempt to assassinate Kaya but her Defense is higher than even Lylyth's RAT can handle and I end up having to boost attacks. I finally remember that she gets two shots with her bow and end up doing 10 damage. My one Shredder fails to assassinate Kaya. As for the Carnivean, I healed its two dead branches and pummelled the Warpwolf. In the ensuing turns, I killed off the last Argus and my opponent conceded.

Tactical Analysis:

I suck at Hordes.

Just kidding.

But seriously, I found that a lot of what my models did was beyond my control but that's probably because I kept failing frenzy tests. Lylyth met all of my expectations of an archer-type Warlock and her low Fury stat doesn't really bother me that much. When it was revealed that the Warpwolf has a few brutal Animi it could have used, I was shocked and they really could've turned the tide of the game. Or not, I would probably have just kept the beatdown going. I can't help but wonder how much better I could've done if I'd known all of the rules from the outset - we wasted a lot of time looking them up. I'm also not sure about the usefulness of Shredders as they just seemed to keep charging each other all the time, but I suppose they're cheap as chips and fit the Legion's theme quite well, I'll be using them a fair bit in the foreseeable future. Just bought some PVA glue and based them, now I have to get to painting.

24/10/2007

Yesterday was my first battle and today was the first upgrade to my army. I went down to the shop and purchased a box of Blighted Swordsmen. The models look decent and they have Weapon Master, which is always nice. I'd like to test them out in a game eventually and see how good they are on paper. They're like cheaper, less resilient Shredders!
 
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#36 ·
Well, you were about to say that my Angelius assassinated it. It's easiest to think of the Angelius as a winged hunter that picks off poor isolated units and then runs away so that it can pick a more opportune target. You can use that 3" move to grab another target or you can use it to get into a nearby wood so that they have to charge into rough terrain to get at you, or you can even go behind cover (a possibility, sometimes) to hide. We're not lacking when it comes to dirty tricks.

Speaking of dirty tricks, I played against some Trollbloods today. As usual, we're all new so we're stumbling about like idiots with the rules and I may have forgotten some of them.

14/11/2007:

So, basically it was Warpack vs Warpack again and I very nearly died. There wasn't much to the battle, we set up and made a beeline for each other, I was advancing more carefully and trying to use cover to avoid getting shot at by the Impalers. I got a bit careless, and then rolled a double 6 for threshold on my Carnivean, leading him to charge Madrak, who activated his scroll to stop the damage, followed by a countercharge involving Madrak and his Axer that killed off the big guy. My Shredders got into position to charge his battle line but my plan fell apart when an Impaler crit-hit Lylyth (Can't the Shredders screen her? I presume not.) and pitched her back behind the forest she was hiding in, almost killing her. Meanwhile, my Shredders charged at the Impaler and Axer, not doing much damage to the Axer but managing to kill the Impaler (popped feat on this turn). The resulting counterattack killed two of my Shredders and severely wounded a third to the point where he couldn't do anything, the other Impaler frenzied and rear-charged Madrak, dealing some damage to him, then Lylyth moved in and shot him with a boosted arrow, taking his head clean off. Poor guy failed his Tough roll.

Tactical Analysis:

Once again, I have almost lost due to exposing Lylyth to unnecessary enemy attacks. I've adopted the mentality that if she gets attacked at all, I've done something wrong, but this clashes with my philosophy that Lylyth should be able to pick off things or at least cripple them enough for my other guys to tear them apart. My Shredders definitely shone this day but my Carnivean accidentally took a fall off the table and now he's detached from his base, lost an arm and a leg, and his head. I was feeling heartbroken at that point.

I had completely forgotten (and only remembered after I had left for home) that my opponent could probably have shunted the damage to one of his warbeasts. It would have left them severely crippled but his remaining troops would have been more than enough to kill Lylyth. I would've sent another boosted shot but even if he sent his Warlock against me, Madrak still has more than enough power to take down Lylyth with a boosted axe throw. He would only get that one shot, admittedly, with one fury left on his plate, but still...

Anyway, I guess luck and your opponent's inexperience are just as much a resource as your own models. Next on my shopping list is definitely a unit of Nyss Striders and that Angelius I keep raving on about. First, though, it's time to start repairing the Carnivean.
 
#37 ·
Nice batrep, finishing in true PP style!

Anyway, I guess luck and your opponent's inexperience are just as much a resource as your own models. Next on my shopping list is definitely a unit of Nyss Striders and that Angelius I keep raving on about. First, though, it's time to start repairing the Carnivean.
True that! Every game I have played against a starting player is much closer, and admittedly more hektic, than any of the regulars around here (ie I haven't come close to beating a regular yet :p)
 
#43 ·
I gotta say, legion tend to have great all arounders in our infantry and heavies. The angelius for the assassination runs and shooting if NEEDED. The carnivean has enough attacks to kill infantry and heavies alike, and the assault with the dragon breath is wonderful for breaking units and killing things that are within 17". Yes, if we're talking shooting, then the undisputed shooting champ sits with out little light, the seraph. Outside of him and the neph, our lights tend to be shunned (teraph-great bodyguard for vayl, but hard to use aggressively, raek isn't out yet.).Our babies are ok, with shredder mobs being incredably effective, plus you can play popcorn with a couple(keep a fury on them from casting tenacity on your caster, then transfer to the shredder, kill it, reave, and start over again).

Our infantry are soso. The raptors being the best cav in the game. The main thing you may need to worry about is terror and abom with some of your stuff. Archers are great for soooo many reasons, but again, not fearless.

Anyways, just some thoughts. And me, i simply buy what I think sounds like fun rules wise or if an idea comes along-all flying, mob, or sloggers...
 
#41 ·
Nothing. A lot of people seem to do that.
Numbers to protect the big things + a few big things that munch the numbers. :p
That's how I generally want to run my guys too. (I would say "that's how I run my guys" but... since I only have one real game...:p ) I have seen a lot of people do just that.

BTW, I suggest dropping by the PP forums to take a look at the extensive stratetgy section.
Its been invaluable on starting up.
 
#42 ·
Nothing is wrong with heavies and infantry per se, it's merely that when getting started you're limiting your lists considerably. Infantry is highly expensive pound for point (although often very attractive) and heavies are consequently the main focus of your list in most of your games. It just means you'll be playing similar games most of the time. It isn't an effectiveness issue but an interest one. Having played a bunch of games with the straight warpack I started to get a bit bored... and if your purchases mean your army has to remain in much the same form time after time there is an obvious risk this could happen in your games too.

Hence my suggestion: buy the Angelius because it's cool and then get two different light warbeasts rather than another minimum sized infantry unit. You add more points to the army and ensure you can create quite a few highly varied smaller point lists. Just my thoughts on how to expand an army's options without breaking the bank...

But would you really want to take advice from an enemy anyway? 0:
 
#44 ·
One other problem I see with the Batrep, though I'm not to familiar with battle box battle rules, is that the game should not have ended when his caster died. Unlike Warmachine beasts just get frenzied and go killing, though like I said I don't understand warpack rules or if you guys just decided on that.
 
#46 ·
I don't know the assasination aspect of the game is something I like least.
It definitely adds risk, but when people do the whole "combo to kill your caster round 2"
it really turns me off. Pop, you're dead.
 
#47 ·
*tries not to remember the game when I killed Nite's 'lock on turn 2*

*natural double 1*

*fails*


I'm with MM on what to buy matey, I'd definately think about getting another 'lock, it completely changes the way the pack works, and gives you glimpses of other playing styles.
Rather than the infantry, grab a warbeat or two. The Raek is awesome, the Nephilim are cool, grab one of each and see how they go.

I'd definately say play some more games with the straight warpack though, I found them invaluable in teaching me about how the 'basics' work, and even the starting points of some rather nasty combos...

-t.
 
#49 ·
Bah! I was weak then but no longer. Yes I made a poor choice by putting Lylyth out too far but I really wanted to try witch marking Eruption of Spines into your units. Wasn't the best idea but at least I learned that Lylyth has something for taking out formations. Due to my money situation at the moment, it's tough to get new things for me. I expect the only real expansions I will be getting to my army are over Christmas when I have some extra cash. Then I will probably do what you said anad get both a Nephilim and a Raek and use them both. They definitely have their merits.

Da Mighty Camel said:
Beasts that loose their 'lock runs for the table edge. If you have no infantry then the game is over. And besides, playing asasination often works well since it is very different to other miniature games. You need to be aware of the threat against your 'lock/'caster all the time.
Fluff-wise, considering most battles are daring raids into enemy territories, lead by the best a nation has to offer, if a 'lock/'caster is killed or mortally wounded then it is a huge loss for the faction. And I bet the warriors would pretty much loose their will to fight if they saw their larger-than-life leader get thrashed.
I like to have Assassination available to me as an option, as I did in my previous game against Trollblood, but I would prefer not to have to base my list around it. The ideal all-comers list for me would be one that is able to execute a few different tactics (aside from extermination of course) and has sufficient protection that I can't be killed on turn 2. I can certainly understand the use though, but then again I don't go to many tournaments.
 
#48 ·
Beasts that loose their 'lock runs for the table edge. If you have no infantry then the game is over. And besides, playing asasination often works well since it is very different to other miniature games. You need to be aware of the threat against your 'lock/'caster all the time.
Fluff-wise, considering most battles are daring raids into enemy territories, lead by the best a nation has to offer, if a 'lock/'caster is killed or mortally wounded then it is a huge loss for the faction. And I bet the warriors would pretty much loose their will to fight if they saw their larger-than-life leader get thrashed.
 
#50 ·
I completely agree, assassination is a great option but it's not the most satisfying way to wing the game. A good way to save it... but I always feel a little bit guilty when I do! It's very important to bear in mind the risk of losing your warlock when making a move - it's all well and good to pull off a cool trick with your warlock but if it leaves you vulnerable to attack you have to ask if it's worth the risk of losing.

Hordes is all about risk management - so always assess whether a risk is a good one.

The purchase plan sounds good Nite, and yes I already knew who you were... how could I not?
 
#52 ·
Me, I usually prefer the caster kill-means I get more games in. That said, I'll usually leave my caster out where they could die if I don't pull it off that turn. But that said, I certainly enjoy scraping it out if the battle looks like it will be a good one.
 
#53 ·
I have decided that the only way I'm gonna run assasination is by using the flying circuis with my trolls.
Borka, Axer, Kellstone bearer + 2 dire trolls and liquid courage, baby!
Borka axer , kellstone bearers +metamorphasis from EBDT makes for 22 Arm.
Diretroll 1 throws borka to dire troll 2, dire troll 2 throws borka towards enemy caster, borka, ROARING DRUNK lands on his feet and then proceeds to charge madly at caster with full fury.
HITTING enemy caster with the flying trollie =knock down(if I remember right)
free hits smoosh smoosh!
 
#55 ·
21/11/2007:

Well, it's that time of year. Christmas. A time of year when I have to leave the UK to go to Africa (Kenya, specifically) and visit my parents. With the club closing for the winter, this leaves me few opportunities, if any, to play Hordes and as a result, I fully expect my skills to deteriorate over the month that I will be away. Not going yet, though, and I will certainly try to keep in touch.

The other day I fought the -t-man again and...I see he's already written about it so I guess we can skip over that little incident. I have to say I agree with most of the points raised, playing with just the Warpacks is getting to be rather boring and so a little bit of escalation is needed. Playing with the Warpacks has actually taught me a few interesting lessons, though, which I shall need to keep in mind as I build up my modest collection of models.

1) The Carnivean dies a lot. Although it's a great model and a very cool warbeast, people seem to hate and fear the Carnivean so much that they will do everything in their power to kill it. Worse yet, it doesn't seem as though I can live without it. Either -t's Warpwolf or an army of angry trolls will then proceed to butcher my Shredders in short order leaving Lylyth without any sort of defense. This might just be due to my terrible playing, but the Carnivean needs to be preserved if it is going to do anything. It may be that its purpose is to be nothing more than a means of absorbing damage for the rest of my army, but if that is the case then I need to find another source of hitting power to take care of heavy warbeasts. I could probably have four rabid Shredders charge it but that leaves the entire rest of the army to pound on me and that, I do not like.

It's possible I may do better by switching out Lylyth for Thragosh, he has a lot of useful abilities that allow him to hit hard, not to mention the impressive damage of Rapture, but his main asset in my eyes is Dark Revival, to bring the Carnivean back and give it a new lease on life. If people are going to be glory merchants (irritatingly so) and try to kill the big guy at the earliest opportunity, I might as well get some mileage out of that fact. I suppose the logical step after that would be to get a Harrier so that it can cast True Strike on him every turn and get him to smash some stuff, but then what does that mean for the rest of my army?

By mutual agreement, the next game I play will probably be 350 points, which essentially gives me enough points for my warpack and a small unit of infantry. If I were still using Lylyth then a unit of Blighted Archers would be a no-brainer - they're just too good to ignore and they fit well with her theme as well. If I choose the Thragosh route, taking a Harrier just won't give me enough points to take any infantry at all, which is kinda boring. On the other hand, I still have enough points for a Forsaken, so maybe I can have some fun after all. If I just advance forward and pop animi every turn, I can very quickly build up a template behind Thragosh's cloud spells and then send the Forsaken in for a suicide run, then use it to Mutagenesis the Ogrun into the fray and smash some things. I can't help but wonder if I should stick with Lylyth though, Fields of Slaughter is such a good feat.

Maybe I've just become paranoid over my beloved Carnivean.

2) What else have I learned? Hmm... Sorry, I've got nothing.
 
#56 ·
Personally, I think the problem you're having with the Carnivean is that you're kinda expecting it to do everything all on it's own.
While it's an amazingly awesome beasty, it can't stand up to a whole warpack alone ('cos nothing can). You need to use it as a 'core', supported by the shredders (who you used fairly well in the last game, I thought). If you had 2 shredders standing by the Carni, and 2 by Lylyth, I wouldn't be able to 'spirit-door-snipe' anything of any real value without getting rid of at least one shredder, which either uses up valuable turns (ie: the game has more decisions in for me to make, so I will make more bad ones, and the longer I'm having to maintain a doppler on something the more lively it is I'll fail to hit etc etc), or just bugs me enough for me to over-extend, and leave you with an easy kill on something.
I know I'd happily trade off a Shredder for an Argus, 'cos you've got 3 more of them, and I only have one...

YMMV...

-t.
 
#57 ·
I have yet to run lylyth, but my carniveans LOVE Thagrosh and saeryn. With respawn and rapport(feat) they are just too good, and with thagrosh, they are effective arm 23 vs melee, 21 vs ranged/magic. Deathshroud just makes shredders that much better, but remember that it effects his models too (+2def from ranged/magic attacks).

But it does sound like you want your carni to take damage and dish it out. Sadly, few things in the game can hold both rolls well, aside from khador jacks and a few trolls and earth constructs. Alas, legion is lacking in this, but we have speed and eyeless sight, and ignore most terrain with almost all our beasts.

Toss a draconic blessing from thagrosh, and your carnivean is hitting with a pow18 on the charge (or pow 14 spray before that causes a cmd check), and 2 pow 16 initials, along with 3 more fury to use as you wish. Plus it causes terror (from DB). This will gladly shred almost anything, although you may want to boost the attack roll on the charge. Spiney growth from the caster before you start your run, or tenacity, since neither are "self" work as well.

Me, I had a blast and a lot of success with thag, 1 forsaken, 2 carnies, and 5 raptors, and 2 shredders. Just keep the raptors away from the forsaken;) Carnies go spiney, rile(only 1), charge(failed but 9 inches closer that ignores terrain), forsaken advance, slurp 4 fury from a carni. Shredders rabid, run. Thag death shrouds and dbs the raptors or a carni and throws away all extra fury (unless there's lots of range (arc nodes). Next turn, slurp the 3 from carni, and 4 from shredders, upkeep DB. Proceed to kill and maim, usually slurping one more from a shredder or a carni with your forsaken. Use tenacity on Thagrosh or forsaken if you're worried about them getting hit.

Fun list that gives you HUGE mobility, units that dish out a HUGE amount of hurt, and the list doesn't run too hot. With thag, you don't really need to run your beasts too hard as you get your free 1 fury each turn. The raptors can play the support roll or jump into the fray and smash stuff (pow 12 4d6 on charge and +2 on attck, pow 12 3d4, and pow 12 2d6 and then move 9 inches away ignoring freestrikes), or shoot twice and then move.

I will say that I tried to fit a harrier in there to help thag, but found 1-he rarely if ever got into the fray anyways, as everything was already dead 2-he didn't really need it, as boosting the charge will pretty easily hit almost anything already. 3-it didn't really fit with that list, particularly since thag is so slow.

I did find myself wanting to swap in some bonegrinders so I could use mutagenisis on them (using the shamen as the target, you can swap out a model almost 18" away from thag, which is a HUGE move for him;), plus you can park .51-2" away from a non reach target, mutagenisis them, and now thag IS in melee with his reach)

So let me ask you this nite, what else you have to use currently? I'm planning on running a lylyth list with double archers and a full 8 shredders, not too sure what else to throw in...
 
#58 ·
So let me ask you this nite, what else you have to use currently? I'm planning on running a lylyth list with double archers and a full 8 shredders, not too sure what else to throw in...
Have to use? Just my warpack and some Swordsmen, which is why I'm contemplating stuff to get. That's why it's important to decide at the moment which Warlock I'm going to be using for the foreseeable future. If I keep running Lylyth, then the choice for 350 points is pretty clear because I know what I want to do, whereas if I take Thagrosh, then the nature of the list changes entirely (a very cool thing, from my perspective, but it means I have to learn a new Warlock). I do admittedly try to use my Carnivean quite aggressively but if he exists solely to take damage rather than dish it out, I'm cool with just shunting stuff onto him and then bringing him back with Dark Revival. The combos with Thag's protective clouds and spells are also quite awesome and I would love to get even more mileage out of my Shredders, I get great mileage out of them now but just...wow.

After having used Lylyth for a few games, I don't think there's any archetype list for her. She basically is a supporting Warlock and a one-woman detachment who can sow chaos and confusion while her beasties and troops advance on some decoy objective. You'll definitely benefit from having 8 Shredders as long as you can manage them (shouldn't be any problem for you, really). I would dread having to face that many given the amount of damage they've actually done for me, especially with Field of Slaughter. With regard to the feat, it does really open up new possibilities in terms of troops with less-than-stellar MAT/RAT ratings because suddenly they're hitting on 4d6 or 3d6+4 aiming. I even managed to hit Kaya at DEF 18 the other night, and she kept dodging all of my other attacks which was really driving me up the wall. I can't say I liked Shredders compared to a Carnivean before but I think I'm starting to warm up to the little guys.
 
#59 ·
Well, as said before, they (shredders) do great for the popcorn factor. With one fury on them, you transfer all damage to them, killing them, and taking the extra damage (-13/14), and reave the fury, doing it again if you take another hit. And as I hinted at before, you can avoid the "let's chew our buddies face of" to an extent by making them face away from each other, and leech from the ones you can't turn. Charging to both sides of a beast that you might not kill leaves you frenzying at the beast since they can't see each other, nor charge each other.

But yeah, building from 350 is kinda hard. Me, I love the way thag plays, but I started with him. My personal suggestion would be a forsaken. They really do find a great place in almost ALL lists. Just because I have found great deals on warppacks, I got a second one, giving me 2 carnis and a ton of shredders to work with, for just a few dollars more than another carni. As far as units, I can't begine to tell you how awesome the raptors have been for me. With a CC threat range of 12.5" that ignores terrain and freestrikes, and 21" with ranged attacks, they are just fun. Besides, you can advance, shoot, then advance again, which is AWESOME with saeryns feat, meaning they can kill a unit with shooting, then tie up another unit while being immune to melee.

I will say that Saeryn holds a lot of facination for me, as she plays very much like my normal playstyle. As does Thag. That said, I personally think it will be hard for me to get used to such a small control area for lylyth and rhyaes. But that just means I really ought to play them more and learn and better my tactics.

Yeah, I have the vessel, but from talk, and practical thoughts, I can't see it playing a part in any competative list. Perhaps in a 1,000 pt game.

The forsaken is usually there, just too useful, and there's nothing like stepping forward with one and killing 2 units of trolls and warbeasts.

Carnis are a no brainer for me, and I do sympathize on how they can be hard to get into combat without support. That said, I've found great success using 2=)

The archers are going to start making a an appearance in my lists, as I have my full 20, just waiting on the ammo porter=(

Still don't have legionares nor swordsmen...

My warmongers are a bit of an oddity to me. I like the models, but can't force myself to swap them in instead of my raptors (exact same points for a slower unit that can't really hit as hard). But that just might be me.

Love my angelius, and how much it screws with my opponents. They shy away from it, spending too much focus on trying to knock it out of the air (def 17 with tenacity and concealment). And I will say that I've rolled really poorly on almost all my charge to hits, but the ones I do get are nothing short of brutal. 29 damage vs 1/2 arm is fun=)

Seraphs are neat, and I really love the models, but I have yet to try spamming them, despite owning 3. Thinking I will try them with a vayl list in the next while.

And I can't wait until the raek is out...
 
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