Battle Report # 3 Rahn 1 vs Haley 3

Exordium

Starting to get the hang of Rahn now. Uncertainty around Rahn still lingering in the background, thinking back to my previous game. Unlike last game, my opponent doesn't have any stealth. But this time around, I'm facing a cloud wall. Judging by the scenario, this is gonna be a hard nut to crack!

I'm shooting for scenario play this game. I really have to see how big of an control game this is.

Lists

Retribution Army - 75 / 75 points

(Rahn 1) Adeptis Rahn [+26]

 - Chimera [8]

 - Chimera [8]

 - Sphinx [13]

 - Sphinx [13]

 - Sylys Wyshnalyrr, The Seeker [4]

 - Helios [34]

Arcanist Mechanik [2]

Arcanist Mechanik [2]

Lanyssa Ryssyl, Nyss Sorceress [3]

House Shyeel Battle Mages [10]

House Shyeel Magister [4]

Opponent

Cygnar Army - 75 / 75 points

(Haley 3) Major Prime Victoria Haley [+25]

 - Ironclad [12]

 - Grenadier [9]

 - Thorn [13]

Trencher Infantry (max) [16]

Journeyman Warcaster [4]

 - Charger [9]

Storm Lances (max) [20]

Anastasia di Bray [3]

Ragman [4]

Rhupert Carvolo, Piper of Ord [4]

Hutchuck, Ogrun Bounty Hunter [6]

Pre Battle deployment and thoughts

We were playing the scenario, The Pit. I'm not sure if u can call this scenario alive or not. Anyways I feel that I got dealt the better cards in assassination, but for sure the worst hand for scenario game. Also, I'm sure my opponent is just going to bunker up, and score every turn on his own flag. And threaten to clear the zone as soon as he can.

Rahn wins the roll, and wants to go first. My opponent picks a side, then changes his mind and picks the opposite side.

Round 1 

Retribution runs up, ending uo close to starting position. Don't change a winning strategy, and to be perfectly honest, Im a bit unsure how to protect my mages with a different setup than this one. There is two walls close to each other on the left side, so I decided that my mages are safe, shooting at defence nineteen, even regarding my opponents hot dice. More on that later on! Also Helios can't go anywhere else, I need him in the zone, with the two walls so close to each other. There is only one position that he can stand at. The plan is to place my Helios up in my opponent's face, and just tell him to deal with it.

My opponent does as I thought, he bunkers up like the zombie apocalypse is here. Leaving a whooping one model that I can target! His positioning is causing anxiety, if he keeps this game going the same way. It will end up with me losing on scenario. His plan should be just running a few models in to contest my flag. And keep scoring on his.

Nothing dies.

Round 2

How to crack this nut? Feeling safe, I place my two arcanists outside of shooting range. Lanyssa is placed a bit aggressive, so that she can threaten my opponents flag next turn. Still feeling safe with defence seventeen. Helios barely in the zone, anticipating my opponent willingness to move forward. Both Chimeras standing on three focus, one on a hill, the second one in rubble. Outside of charge range for the cavalry, all but one. Not fearing one cavalry I switch over to opponent. 

My opponent smiles, and tell me he is putting in his ambushing modells. To my horror I had totally forgotten ambushe!

Hutchuck charges in to kill my Arcanist. Just standing outside of contest range. Anastasia charges in, and takes care of Lanyssa. All but three trenchers walk up and cloud up. The remaining three combine to take a shot. The Grenadier fires three shots into Helios. The charger walks around the forest, and shoots a long shot at my defence seventeen Chimera. Rolling seventeen on the dice, and puts a ridiculous thirteen damage points on it.

1 - 1 control points.

Round 3

First and badly damaged Chimera apparitions up, making sure he is in telekinesis range on the Charger. Rahn telekinesis the charger and A, facing her away from the rest of my army. Just so that she cant charger in, and has to run. Rahn chain blasts a lancer to death. Sphinx nummber two, the furthers to the right. Walks up to shoot a Lancer, nothing happenes. The mages pull the Charger down, putting a good amount of damage on it. Helios pulls it in and kills it.

My opponent thinks a bit, then decides to feat. I'm not sure why he chose to do so, I still believe that he was in the lead. Tho apparently down on attrition, but still damage dealt out to Helios and my Chimera. Old Haley, moves up and shoots my left Chimera, down to eight boxes. Rolling hot, mini Haley Chain Blasts Helios twice. And man did his dice roll on the chart. Holy spack! This model alone took one side of Helios. The rest of his army shoots Helios. A lancer runs up to contest my flag.

2 - 1 control points to Cygnar.

Round 4

I'm having a meltdown, this is turning into a mentally disturbing game. I take a few seconds to breathe, and look at the map again. Looking at it again, this might still work. I have a opportunity to kill Old Haley, and most likely most of the Lances. I can survive another control point for Haley.

The Magister slams the closest Lancer into the Lancer in the back. Killing the first one. Rahn hands out a few focus. And telekinesis future Halye. The right Sphinx kills two lancers. The left Chimera runs up to contest the opponent flag. 

2 - 2 control points.

My opponents fuels up Thorn, he wants to finish Helios. So he spent most of his army trying to get rid of it. But between 2d6 repairs a turn, and his high defence, this guy is still standing. I guess the dice gods cooled the dice, Jr. Warcaster plus Ironclad could not finish of the badly damaged Chimera.

As the last model activated, my opponent sees the trick. He is not going to get close enough to Helios. He will at best get 1 attack onto Helios, and that at the cost of me getting a control point. Instead Thorn runs up to contest my flag.

Round 5

For the first time Haley is left out in the open. I could clear out my zone, and contest his. But the assassination is just too obvious. I clear up the Chimera, that appritioned closer to her, standing in melee. Telekinesis the Grenadier and the Chimera, then Haley. Mages pulls her down, the mage damage is enough to do the job!

2 - 3 control points.

Retribution wins!

Evaluation

Cloud wall is a huge problem, even worse than stealth. I can't get around it, and terrain really hurts me. There isn't much to test, perhaps with a lot of practice, I might get around it. Also it shows that Rahn needs to be patient. As long as you can keep an arc node alive, and all your mages, you have game! Looking at this game tho, I should have lost. My opponent could just bunker up, and make sure I do not score in my turn. Instead he list focus, and let me get a angle.