Super Spooks! (Guild Ball)

As previously mentioned, it is nearing the start of Guild Ball's Big League!
This week is the start of the league and for those who have paid extra special attention to previous posts, I am playing Si (@irons1ide1) who is posing the threat of the Union (a group of rouge mercenaries who are guns for hire - patent pending).
As we're both quite new to the game it will be a good test for both of us about how well we know our teams and how, tactically, we cope in a league situation.

I guess that I have a slight edge on experience as I've played 3 or 4 more games than Si but essentially, we're both on a level playing field.

Speaking to Si earlier in the week, he informed me that he has nearly finished painting his entire Union and this got me thinking. Well, I say thinking; more like 'SHIT! I need to get something on my minis!' So today I spend about 6 hours painting up my team. Now, 6 hours - for me - is a fairly long time but with my trademark drybrush and slapdash attitude I've created a team which I'm fairly proud of.

Now, I have a few Union models which I need to paint (Rage and Minx) and not to mention those on order (Tater and Averisse and Greede).

Additionally, I thought I probably should make a goal for my Morticians' team as I'm in a tournament in September and there is a prize for best goal! (At least it's a contest I could potentially be in the running for!)

Concept
I thought that I wanted something a little unusual and when I think of Morticians my mind goes to the old Warhammer Von Carstien dynasty. For me, they have that vibe about them. I've seen goals for Morts which are coffins or gravestones and I've even seen one which is a 'ghost' on the base.
I've always loved the idea of the Black Coach in Warhammer. So much so, I was thinking of doing an AoS army of purely black coaches and having it like a funeral procession (maybe with some banshees as 'mourners'). I digress.
Where was I? Black Coach - right! Well, the Black Coach always symoblised a wrath of the undead and coupled with banshees and wraiths were what drew me to the undead. I always think of that scene in Ghostbusters (doesn't matter which one - new or old) where the librarian (or the bird in the cellar) turns into a proper demon! That's what I want for my goal!
I did think about having the ground opened up - like a burial - but my hobby skills are limited to shit at best so that's not a viable option. What I do have though is a huge bits box of just crap from GW plus a lot of basing equipment and pieces so I must be able to cobble something together... right?!

Production
This is what I came up with:

Broken ground, a ton of chains and two bats... out of hell (sorry)! My idea was that the chains and bats are flying out of the goal and towards the pitch. What I'm missing however is a Banshee which just hovers above it to look really menacing! That will be rectified before the tournament in September!
The idea was that the ground had opened up and the chains of hell come out! So... Phase 1 complete - Phase 2 is the Banshee on top!

Phase 1's final result

I'm pretty happy with it! It's interesting, it's new, it's not a coffin!

The Archangels
So, I've named my team the Archangels. No idea why. I did have a super cool name that I thought of the other day and I never wrote it down so it's totally gone out of my head... If I think of it, I shall close my Archangel franchise and open up a new one... in a new city... with the same colours... same players.

Here we go then:

I wanted to give my players a number too because what's football without a number?!

Well, there you have it! A team painted and a goal semi-complete!

Season Opener
I'm really excited about the start of the league and with my models painted I'm pleased to put them on the tabletop and push them around.
I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to go with during this opening game as Scalpel is a very good captain to use with Union models and buffs and by not having those she may suffer. Those of you who are in the know about GB will know that Obulus is complete balls, particularly with the Puppet Master ability. His style would be better suited to take against the Union, particuarly in order to remove the threat posed by Blackheart or his minions around him.

Potential Union Line-up
What can we expect from the Union? Well, I have a funny feeling it will look something like this:
*Blackheart (C)
*Coin (M)
*Mist
*Rage
*Decimate
*Gutter

There are a lot of threats in that team, I'm looking primarily at Blackheart and his aura that he pumps out which is key to increasing damage in the team. We know all about Rage and Mist (some of the Morticians' favourite super subs) but its Decimate and Gutter I haven't had much experience with. The -1 armour from Decimate in combat is brutal but in a team with little armour, it won't particuarly do much but it is something to be wary of!
I haven't put A&G in that line up because I don't believe that Si has one in his possession... yet! 

Potential Mortitian Line-up
How to combat this team? Well, I've got to keep control and in order to do that I need players who dominate areas without needing much influence. I've talked about Ghast and I think he's a vital player in this line up. I'm obliged to take Dirge so to Silence - he's too good not to! The question is - 'Do I want to pick off players and go for a one goal/take out strategy or go for manipulation?'

So, what I need to take:
*Ghast
*Silence
*Dirge (M)

What I could pop in:
*Cosset
*Scalpel (C)
*Graves
This build would go 'pack hunting' using Dirge too in order to add additional damage. 

Or:
*Obulus (C)
*Bonesaw
*Cosset
This build would look to play football and manipulate Bonesaw and/or opposing players in order to get a clear sight of goal. 

I'm going to have a little think over the coming days and look over a few cards to see what I can come up with. The most frustrating, yet interesting part of the start of this league is that you can't use models from outside of your faction unless you 'pay' other players for them in different ways later on in the league. As we haven't played yet, we can 'pay' to hire anyone!

Onto the league - Union vs. Morticians! Let's go Archangels!

That's all for now!
Thanks for reading - I'll see you soon!

@geekphotoguy

Tater Tot! (Guild Ball)

Hello and Welcome!

I'm writing a quick blog to think about my favourite character in Guild Ball at the moment - Tater of the Farmers' Guild. I know I keep going on about him but look at him... how can't you love a guy with a scythe?!

This mild mannered, scythe weilding, lady charming, pasty eating, cider drinking, potato carrying hunk may just be the saviour of the Big League for me (despite not being allowed to get him until the end of August... damn you GenCon!)

How?! Well... let's have a look at him and some of the synergy he has with Scalpel and the Morticians that I'm looking to run (after the first week).

Front of card

Here we have someone who really only needs the 1 influence he generates but with more poses a potential threat. Move of 6/8 isn't something to be sniffed at, the only problem in a Scalpel team is that both Scalpel and Cosset are quicker on the charge, however they do have an equal threat range!
TAC 5 - average.
His kick is quite surprising! 3 dice is a nice little surprise for him when he looks to play the ball around, particularly in my team where many don't have great kick stats.
Here lies the problem though - DEF 4+, ARM 0... he is going to get hit and once people work out the strategy that I'm going to use him for, he's going down hard. However, 16 wounds is pretty decent, particularly with his Icy Sponge token going back to 8 wounds. Interestingly, he doesn't have a 2nd recovery on this card so he can keep getting back in the fight with a decent amount of wounds!

Onto the playbook, 5 results is fair and with the ability to wrap around on a charge, you could be doing some damage! I love the GB ability of Mow Down, giving me the chance to take out models through reducing armour and putting on incrimental damage.
The cropping ability is fantastic! Recovery of 2HP for free is excellent. We will have a look at Harvest Markers in a minute, but using the marker to recover HP increases survivability!

It is worth a mention that there are two opportunities for non-momentus pushes which allow for a bit of bullying and manouvering around the board to get players into positions where they can be vunerable. 

I haven't mentioned the ability to churn out momentum too, with 4 of the playbook results generating that valuable commodity! WOW!


Back of Card

A lot of traits to be aware of when using Tater but some amazing abilities!
New Talent Spotted: Only in the Big League but it would very much depend on your opponent. I would be very surprised if your opponent for a friendly game said no! Tournaments, understandable! Combos with him would be filth!
Charmed [Female]: Look at him - he's handsome! He really should have been called 'Handsome Tater'! Say no more! Very useful against some selective models out there at the moment.
Fruits of Labour: The bread and butter it seems of Tater - Harvest-markers. Within 2" of him is fairly helpful as it allows for a bit of pre-planning in future turns.
Scything Charge: An additional 3 damage from a charge if he deals damage to an opponent, not just to that opponent but to all within his melee? Well... speaks for itself. This would need very careful model placement if he is to activate later on in the turn - watch out!!!
Gerrof My Land!: So... don't mow the harvest down and charge a target when they're within 6" of you? Seems strong! This is a circumstantial ability but one players will need to be aware of. I feel that in our Big League many players will try and avoid that area of the board. So, a 6" dominating bubble to bully the board with. I could see him and Silence working well together. In fact, with Obulus as a captain the possibilities with him would be absolutely ridiculous! (Think what he could do with Honour...) The key here is looking for harvest-markers and managing them within the game.  I would suspect that there would be a whole load of corn with the full Farmers' Guild, so you could have the dotted about the board, covering all bases!

Special Rules Card

An unusual card in the respect that no other player in the game has it but with the fact he is an unknown quantity it's useful! I think I'll be making my own harvest markers - there are a few companies already producing them - instead of cutting them out of the card.

The fact you have to remove harvest markers at the end of the turn suggest that this will be a low influence guild on the face of it but really (if used), Tater is a 2/3 INF model. A nice trick that your opponent might not always plan for!
I wouldn't think that all Farmers' Guild models will have this ability but if you can gain an additional 4 influence a turn that's a huge boost!

It is worth noting that models can remove these markers through charges, so placement is vital here!

The question with Tater is when to activate him. Are you better off going with him first and dropping the harvest-marker to create an instant threat or do you lay the ground work with other players and use Tater as the model who goes in, puts a player on their ass and put the damage in? 9 dice on the charge gives you a realistic possibility of a wrap around when damaging so potentially 11 damage from one charge (dependant on results and how good your dice are!). With someone who could give you tooled up and maybe add confidence, crowding out... A perfect storm some would argue. He is a threat and a very real one.

Working with Scalpel
There are a few ways in which Tater can work with Scalpel - some of which are already mentioned but I will cover them again.
1. Use him as the initial contact with enemy models. A 10" threat range with the 'within 6" = charge' is a big bully on the pitch. I can see him being the one who goes in with a charge, puts the initial damage on a model and then gets the knock down in order to make the opponent make a key decision early. This could then be the opportunity for Scalpel/Cosset to wail in and have their wicked way with the target.
2. Control the board. As already mentioned, 6" charge range. It's a very much deny strategy - You go on this flank, I will end you! I don't see him as a hunter per-say but he is a good denial piece. Wingers/Forwards who use the flank to great effect can be nullified by using this ability and make the opponent think about their actions in the turn to come.
3. Double team. With Scalpel he also jog again after his activation (should Scalpel go before him), making his threat range just a little bit more unexpected for an opponent who thinks they have something locked in.
4. Scalpel's Legendary. So, the question with Scalpel was - 'What good is her legendary for?' and I answered that to some extend in my previous GB blog post but I can see real merit here. If Tater hasn't activated, get the Legendary play in, get those players closer to her, use the 'Second Wind' on herself after dodging out and get Tater charge in, hitting with his ability - you're making models take wounds and forcing models to deal with him early leaving you to pick up the pieces.

A Team with Tater in the Big League?
Funny you should mention that, I think there could some merit in looking at double scything blow and a lot of incremental damage throughout the playbooks and through character plays.
*Scalpel [C]
*Dirge [M]
*Silence
*Tater
*Cosset
*Graves
Using Graves' ability of Scything blow too gives an opponent something to worry about (result dependant).
Obulus would also be a very viable choice to add in... I just really want to use Scalpel and make her work as well as Obulus works! I know, I know... she will never be like Obulus! Quiet you!

I keep saying it, I'm super excited for the Farmers' Guild and I know that this card isn't the final version for the Season 3 Tater but with themes as strong as this, it's a great sign!

That's all from me... for now! Let's see how I get on in the Big League!

I'll see you soon.


@geekphotoguy

The Big League (Guild Ball)

It's been labelled as the biggest league since the conception of the MLS! Finally, the Guild Ball Big League rolls into Phoenix Games! All the pomp and circumstance will be brought out, who knows - we might even find a 70+ singing superstar who no-one has ever heard of to sing the national anthem while we stand there teary eyed, blinking back the pain in order to compete for victory for our Guild.

Rob (@derby_malal) has been press ganging people into entering the violent world of Guild Ball and with my current experience, I am more than experienced enough to take away the wooden spoon! For the win!!!
I hadn't realised until recently that you can win other awards throughout the league - one being for aquiring 'Favours' over the course of the league. The more games you lose, the more favours you gain! Hurrah! Something right up my street. Favours can be spent on hiring players (more on this in a bit) or enhancements to a player for that particular game/part of the match.

Recently I've purchased Tater of the Farmers' Guild who, in the Big League, can work for anyone for the cost of a favour. Now, his abilities mean that

His ability to knock down models within his melee zone (2") seems a strong tactic, particuarly with Scalpel and crew coming in. To be fair, he's not a bad character and I really want to get him on the table to see how the harvet markers work in tandem with him!
*Please Steamforged Games... Give me the Farmers' now! Let me be the first to fuck them up!*

Anyway, onto the draw. I've been given my full shedule for the weeks and I have a bye in Week 2. Now, there are a few players who I know which teams they're playing. Others, I'm not sure about but as I play them you'll find out! It'll be just like Christmas! Here's what I've got:

Round 1: Iron Sides (@irons1de ) Union
Round 2: Bye
Round 3: Jimmy Union
Round 4: Archie Brewers
Round 5: Rob (@derby_malal) Alchemists (although, he could play me with Blood Bowl models and I'd still lose!)
Round 6: Matt Fishermen
Round 7: Paul Brewers
Round 8: Andy  Union
Round 9: Adam Fishermen
Round 10: Pete Hunters
Round 11: Hagrid Fishermen
Round 12: Russ Butchers
Round 13: Jonah Morticians
Round 14: Matt (@thetweetsofmatt) Whatever he hasn't sold, which at this time is the Butchers!
Round 15: Steve (@furryjamhats) Brewers

Now, I've got a fair idea of the teams and through listening to podcasts and reading bits and pieces. The problem is actually being able to stop them from doing what they do!
I would imagine with some of the players that I've heard of, I'd be able to nulify them in the games but it's dealing with the unknown.

 I have also selected 12 Plot cards from the Season I, II and Big League selection. I would love to tell you what I've selected but I cannot for the life of me remember. I am sure that Mr. Smith will tell me again once the league starts!

Looking forward to the begining of the league but I may have to get some models painted first instead of the slap of paint I've just put on my current squad (and even paint Rage and Minx!). The tension in the air is just too tense!
The Archangels are about to take to the field!

It's nearly time for the big kick-off! Let's see how we do!

Thanks for reading!

I'll see you soon.

@geekphotoguy

 Before I properly sign off, I wonder how many of you Guild Ball fans saw this...

A scarecrow with a sickle? Bring on the Farmers!

Wiki-Wiki-Wild, Wild West!

Hello!

Just thought I'd update you with some of the stuff going on for things apart from Guild Ball!
It's really only a quick post with 2 updates:

1. Wild West Exodus
I've been looking at Wild West Exodus (WWX) for some time (around 5 or 6 years) but had no-one who wanted to explore it deeper with me. Finally, after all those years, I've found someone to who is willing to play! Ryan, from my FLGS (Phoenix Games, Stourbridge), has taken the plunge with me and after lengthy discussions we came to the conclusion that we will give it a go.
I've chosen to go with the Warrior Nation - which is the Indians! They do look super cool models. Ryan has chosen to go for the Outlaws. I will point out that there are some very famous faces in WWX including Abe Lincoln (with a HUGE axe), Thomas Edison, Billy the Kid and the Earps!

I opted to go for a Starter box which includes a Boss, an 'sidekick' and 10 Hired Hands (5 shooting and 5 combat) and a Totem Pole set. I have no idea what any of this stuff does but you can't be an Indian Tribe without a Totem pole, right?

Here is what I built!

The Totem Pole and Mini Totems

 Sitting Bull - the Boss!

 The sidekick - Walks Looking

They are beautiful models. My one gripe with it is that they can't be posed in weird and interesting ways but, I'll overlook that small point for the beauty of the Boss; Sitting Bull.

Each model comes with rules cards but they are not in the box, they cannot be purchased - they are found online to download... individually... not as a zip file... every single card... individual... hmm!

I'd love to tell you what each card does but quite simply, I've forgotten! Here is an example of Sitting Bull's card:

The appeal of this game is not just the Wild West with a steampunk/technological vibe, it's the fact it uses D10s to create a versitility to the game, enabling more interactions to happen. It also has the ability to activate 3 models at one time, allowing for greater tactical depth.

Over the course of the week I shall dig out my D10s and have a quick mock game before I get to play Ryan on Thursday. Watching a few videos on YouTube, I'm slowly getting the jist of this!
Looking forward to playing this after so long!

In case you're interested: http://www.wildwestexodus.com/

2. Spiderfang Clan
Some of you may or may not know but I have a fairly large Spider army for Age of Sigmar by Games Workshop. Most who are reading this Blog will also know that I really, REALLY don't paint well so I outsource this to someone else (Steve - @furryjamhats).
Now, I want this done as quickly as possible, so Steve has knocked these up in next to no time. All that really needs doing is the eyes on each spider (something I'm nearly capable of)!

They are looking pretty good. Only another 80 spider riders to go, 3 Araknaroks and the big boss on spider!

Loads to look forward to over the coming week! I've also got Guild Ball and Warmachine on the table to paint and play!

Thanks for reading.
I'll see you soon!

@geekphotoguy

Smash Face, Drink Blood (Guild Ball)

Well, well, well... We are back!

Today I've ventured in a game of Guild Ball against Rob (@derby_malal), our local Pundit. My task this time was fairly straightforward: Use Scalpel and look at her in a team as a serious threat.

I was listening to Guild Ball Tonight (Episode 40 - Scalpel Curious: http://www.guildballtonight.com/gbt/) when they were discussing Scalpel and her uses. The podcast episode also talked about the type of team that they took with her. To some extent, I agree with their view - she is a complex captain and Obulus is a tough act to beat but I think there are merits. They also posed the question - what do you do with her Legendary Play? Well, I do have one solution for this which I'll discuss later on!

Anyway, I wanted to see how Scalpel work with a team and I must be honest, I think I overdone it a bit. My mindset was very much - "Smash Face, Drink Blood!"
What did I go for?
* Scalpel [C]
* Dirge [M]
* Silence
* Cosset
* Minx
* Rage

The idea was fairly simple - Get Scalpel, Cosset, Minx and Rage in to wear down an opponent and then move on with Silence controlling activations. I know what you're probably thinking - Why no Averisse and Greede? Easy - Haven't got them! They are on order but not in my possession!
So I went for a team which effectively charge for free and hopefully hit hard - especially Cosset. Now, I've never used Minx before and by reading her card, I thought - 'She'd be okay to Mark Target to help everyone else.' Little did I know, my idea was with the best intention, maybe not the correct execution.

Right, Rob. So, most of you who have read the blog before will have hear of Rob. He is a most excellent pundit who has built a tremendous Guild Ball scene from virtually nothing. On the table, he's a class act and I'm always a bit dubious playing him because I know his knowledge of the game is immense. Today he was trying something different - Butchers led by Fillet.

***Please note that Rob is proxying Fillet with Brisket***

Now, this team poses a big threat - something I didn't know when I started with Shank and his mobility. 10" charge against wounded models?! A real threat!

I've got to be honest, I've not got much experience with plot cards but they do bring something else to the game. Looking at them, the 5 that I had weren't that achieveable - I managed to get one across the game but I chose:

When I've developed in the game I'd love to tell you how I'd use these but as it happens now, I just throw them down when I somehow stumble across achieving them!
 We Set Up:
Rob wins the roll off and elects to kick. My tactic was to try and bunch up and target one player at a time.

Rob's set up:

My set up:

So, I didn't bunch up! Moron!

Anyway, on to the Highlight Reel:
* Rob kicks and Dirge picks the ball up, then hides behind a tree!

* Cosset, Scalpel, Minx and Rage charge into Fillet who pumps out her 3" bleeding aura to make everyone just hurt!

* Fillet takes out Cosset and Silence... on her own... yes... on her own... Shut up alright, just shut up!

* Boiler gives Fillet that stupid ability to have +1 Def... Scalpel, Minx and Rage TRY to hit... 3 successful hits... 5 damage... crap!

* Dirge continues to have the ball and runs it into the left corner of the pitch - unopposed!
* Silence and Cosset come back on to the board only to be hunted down by Shank...
* Minx and Rage get smashed off the board by a combined effort of Fillet and Shank.

* All three models come back on the board from the back board edge, only for Minx to be finished off by Shank once more.
* Rob wins 12-0... no goals...
* Dirge has 100% possession which proves that Morticians play 100% football!

Lessons Learnt
* Fillet with Boiler behind gives her DEF 6+... that is strong!
* Shank is a complete cock! 10" range against models who have taken wounds is insane!
* My tactic didn't quite work - I think I picked the wrong  model to try and break down firstly. Bundling into Fillet was, in theory, not a bad idea - if I had a beat stick in there too. In a Big League game with Boar that could be a fairly deadly smash!
* Minx should at no point ever be allowed to spearhead an attack. I know those in the know will read this and go 'No shit, Sherlock!' but I had to find out for myself!
* Minx is a good flanker to go and hunt those injured models but the problem is... I can't injure them enough in order to hunt them down again! #Fail!
* A beater is needed in order to strip wounds off a model. I'm not sure who that is, any suggestions please tweet me (@geekphotoguy).

Overall, a very sobering experience from an experienced player but one with a few positives. Whenever I play Rob one thing is for certain - There will always be a new way to lose!
I've learnt that there is merit in this list, I think it's the way that I've played it which has given me problems. I didn't utilise Silence well enough, he didn't get a hold of the game and give the control problems that he can. Once I've got him down with this team then I can begin to use Scalpel's ability of moving influence on to others.
Minx is another one in this team which I'm not sure should be in there. She has her merits and I do feel that she could be included in a 8 strong team using this format but for me, it misses a certain punch.
I will, of course, continue to experiment and explore!

Scalpel's Legendary? Oh yeah, I completely forgot! What to use it for? Okay, well - Stupidly, I got Scalpel within 1" of Fillet and Rob managed to counter-attack, dodging away from her Melee range. With 5 INF still left on her, it was useful to pull her back in. Stopping those shenanigans of dodging away (I'm thinking of models with the 2" dodge when you enter their Melee range) enables you to negate this and draw them back in. It seems like a futile way of using her legendary but captains or models who have been worn down relying on this movement, using their Momentum on this seems a fairly decent strategy. Admittedly, it is circumstantial but I can still see merits in drawing those in. It would be particularly effective with Cosset and Rage using their 'free' charges if they are not engaged.

The Big League
Looking forward to the Big League and this guy has appeared:

Tater is from the Farmer's Guild. Now, being from the South West I am instantly drawn to this bad boy (So I've ordered myself one). It is my God-given right to have the Farmer's Guild and I really can't wait to use him in the Big League!

Anyway, that's enough from me for tonight. I do have a few exciting projects to report on!
My overall aim today was to Smash Face, Drink Blood - I ended up getting Smashed in the Face and Licked my Wounds!

Thanks for reading,
I'll see you soon!

@geekphotoguy

Venture into Guild Ball

It has been so long that I can't even remember the last time I posted in this blog (last March)! At that time, I was extremely busy with work...well, how times have stayed the same! Gladly though, I have enough time to hopefully blog more infrquently than before! Let's see how far we get shall we!

So, it's been around a year since I got my Guild Ball miniatures. For those who don't know, Guild Ball (GB) is a football (soccer) game set in a fantasy realm where disputes aren't settled with war but instead settled with violent football matches using various tools (crossbows, axes, high heels, etc).

The idea is simple - Get 12 points and you win! No set turns, just get 12 points. How do you get the points? Score a goal (4 points) or take a player out (2 points). See, simple! Each team will require 6 players per side but must include: a Captain and a Mascot with 4 other players from your faction. You can hire in 'Union' players (hired hands) if they will play for your current faction.

Models are fairly well balanced and there are no real 'meta lists' - players in each Guild will do well against different teams and, just like every other game, you will have models which are good all-round models.

I backed the kickstarter many moons ago and the two teams I chose (based on looks) happen to be fairly hard to master! I've had to put one of which aside for the moment while I get to grips with the other.

I went for Morticians and Alchemists! OoOoh! Pretty!

At the moment, I'm trying to learn the Morticians but I'm finding it pretty difficult. We have been really lucky at my FLGS that Rob (@derby_malal) has seen the light and has shifted from East to West Mids and with him he has brought a great enthusiasm for this game. So much enthusiasm that we have 5 tables playing at our last club night down the store.

I managed to get a game against a Butchers team, who look like this -

I know, beefcakes - right?
I will also point out at this moment that these are the basic Season I teams, we are already on Season II and models have been added.


On to the game. Now, we haven't been playing long as a store but there are some very experienced people playing - neither my opponent nor I were in that group but we keen to give it a go. I will point out that I've played maybe 4/5 games in the past but against much experiened opponents. It was good to play against someone who was getting a feel for the game like I was. Also, it gave us both a chance to play the game and talk out what we want to do and how we were going to do it in a relaxed atmosphere.

The Teams:
My team: Morticians.
[Captain] Obulus
[Mascot] Dirge
[Player] Ghast
[P] Averisse and Greede (Union)
[P] Mist (Union)
[P] Silence

My Opponent (Russ)'s team: Butchers
[C] Ox
[M] Princess (a dog!)
[P] Boar
[P] Boiler
[P] Brisket
[P] Tenderiser

So... if you take the team just by names... I've lost!

My Strategy
Simple... don't lose! But seriously... don't lose...
My strategy was very easy - get the ball to Mist, get her in position and score. In order to do this, I'd be using Obulus' ability to move players either away or move my players in to clog up lanes. I'll try and use Averisse and Greede to out activate my opponent (This model counts as one model to start with but can seperate into two models).

It would be at this point that I fill your eyes with photographs but... that didn't happen! I forgot my device for taking photos! Sorry!

Match Report
Don't worry, this will be short. Butcher's have a reputation as a 'smash-em' Guild and to some extent that is true. Boar is a combat beast but they also have some firepower too in order to score goals.
The fact is that I got dominated off the board. I didn't manage to keep many of my models away from the big hitters of the Butchers and subsequently, I paid the price. Russ managed to get a goal (4 points) but the remaining 8 points were by knocking models off the table! I should state here that models have the ability to come back onto the table after they have been removed at reduced health.

I should use the Guild's power to manouvre and manipulate opposing players by seeking out activations and utilise abilities more. Saying that, I've looked closer at the cards since this and by understanding the game a bit better, I sort of understand the abilities better. Of course, this will change when they get on the table and you play against someone who has different ideas and has a different vision from you!

Admittedly, I felt incredibly disheartened when I finished that game. It just seemed that other models and Guilds were strictly better in terms of play style and abilities than the Morticians and I seriously considered putting them down and leaving them alone but as I said, I've had a re-read and I've pushed a few models around at home trying to get the strategy right and try a few options out.

What next?
Well, keep going is the main thing. I've taken heart from the fact that Morticians are found to be competitive and they don't just roll over - so it's just me!
Next, I need to add two other models to my team from the Union (hired hands) - Fangtooth and Averisse and Greede. Now, I know what you're thinking - 'You've used A&G in the Bat Rep.' And you are quite right but I did manage to borrow one from Matt (@thetweetsofmatt).
Finally, I need to try out some of the other models from my Guild that I haven't used yet. With Season II comes new models and new captains that you can use for each Guild. I do have all the models for my Morticians (and Alchemists) but I don't really know what they can do on the tabletop.


Incase you're wondering there are other Guilds out there: Masons, Union, Brewers,  Hunters and Fishermen.

Of course, other models are available for these Guilds and they do look pretty awesome on the table.

I'll see how I get on and report back with my next game!
Meanwhile, I do have other projects on the table; MkIII Warmachine, Wild West Exodus and Age of Sigmar are at the forefront of my gaming. I'll be posting pictures of these later!

Anyway, that's all from me.
Thanks for reading.

I'll see you soon!