Warmachine: BATREP (Gorten VS pDenny)

So I was at the Crawley(UK) Wednesday club last night and had a 25 point game of warmachine against a player there who has just recently moved back to the UK from Seattle where he owns a gaming store.

He was a veteran player of WM. I've got a lot of games under my belt, but few of them MKII with my Searforge, though i've had a fair few MKII games with my Thornfall (though seeing as MKII was... what 2 years ago, I think i've maybe played 8 times...).

CRYX ARMY
pDenny
-Nightmare
Standard bone chicken.... err light warjack thing
Mech thralls with Brute thrall
Min Bane Thralls with UA
Bloat thrall
Witch solo thing (mini Denny)

SEARFORGE ARMY
Gorten
-Driller
-Blaster
Thor
-Basher
-Gunner
Min forgeguard
Herne & Johne
Bokur

So the game had fairly sparse terrain with a few barricades either side, one big hill in the middle and the menoth GF9 terrain on the opposite side, plus a few other bits.

I got to choose the side and went with the one where there was a barricade a little further onto the table. 

CRYX TURN 1

Cryx went first and basically just ran or moved everything up.

Notice the bloat thrall sneaking up on the left flank.

Cryxian forces move up the battlefield, if they did anything else this turn I don't remember what it was..... 

SEARFORGE TURN 1

I gave a focus to the blaster controlled by Gorten and kept the rest on Gorten. Thor Tuned up the gunner and drove the gunner and the basher forward a little.

The gunner activated, it may have moved, I can't remember, but the important part is with a jack marshal boost to hit and tuned up damage roll it wiped out the bloat thrall (I hate those things).

The blaster also did an excellent job and wiped out the witch thing ( I don't know it's proper name, first time i've faced one, i'm told it's like a mini Denny... therefore it had to go).

I believe Gorten shot the brute thrall to death and Johne pounded a single mechanithrall...

Gorten also cast Solid ground (to avoid scourge).

Gorten's forces thin down the cryx a bit with shooting... ok they didn't kill much but the witch brute and bloat were pretty good kills IMO

Gorten surveys the battle

CRYX TURN 2

Denny gave Nightmare 3 focus
Apparently I forgot to take photos a number of turns... sorry about that. 

The cryx mostly ran

Nightmare charged the driller (target of Prey). The driller only had it's left arm and cortex left after that

The blaster was engaged by 2 running mech thralls.

SEARFORGE TURN 2

THREE FOCUS, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH THAT!!! (lol), worst of all after Denny's feat is Gorten's control area (and therefore feat radius) was now 6"..... lol.

So basically some stuff moved.... Johne killed a couple of thralls

By far the most important action this turn was Gorten casting Eruption (the AoE on the board in the pictures below) and managing to hit his target.... (A mechanithrall).

This killed off the mechanithrall and 3 banes including both UA models!!!.

Gorten backed off 1.5" to try and stay away from reach weapons behind the wall.

CRYX TURN 3

The Banes got into combat this turn, thankfully there were only a couple able to get anywhere.

The pictures show the beginning of the turn unfortunately, 

The bane next to my driller took out the driller.
Denny Scourged teh forgeguard behind gorten, killing him and knocking down Gorten and Johne.

Nightmare moved to get Gorten....... I was expecting GG there, however he was literally out by half a millimetre (the 2" reach PP template slid straight through between their bases but it was a hairs length away). So instead Nightmare murdered Herne, Johnne and the only Forgeguard he could reach.

I think both mech thralls fluffed their attacks on the Blaster, either that or caused little to no damage...

The Bokur was missed by the Mech thrall and taken to 1 HP by the bane thrall

SEARFORGE TURN 3

Didn't take any photos again... sorry.

Gorten backed off a bit and used his feat this turn pushing everything to the west table top, moving nightmare away from him and just generally being annoying (moving one of the thralls off the Blaster was especially important). Denny was missed by the feat but it got everything else.

This allowed the dwarves to get some kills, unfortunately the full 8" was a little too far, leaving Nightmare engaged with the gunner, Gorten unable to hit with Molten metal (he only has FOC 5) and the basher too close for a slam.... However it did leave Nightmare out of Dennys control area >.<.

Searforge cleaned up this turn, by the end of it only a mech thrall, 2 banes, damaged nightmare and Denny remained, I even put 4 damage on Denny via the blaster with no focus (blaster took no damage from the mech thrall free strike)!

CRYX TURN 4
Nightmare killed some forgeguard, damaged the basher a bit.
Denny coulden't get to Gorten this turn but positioned for a charge next turn.

SEARFORGE 4
Gorten camped on all his focus.
Flack field from the basher finished a Bane and damaged Nightmare, basher finished off nightmare. Last forgeguard killed the last Bane.

CRYX TURN 5

As you can see there wasn't a lot of cryx left, but we went a couple more rounds after this, Denny charged Gorten and froze him in place putting on a bit of damage (4 I think), then the mech thrall charged and I think did not damage, Gorten was on ARM 22 after all (even with crippling grasp).

Beginning of the turn

Denny's charge

Denny Spending focus

SEARFORGE TURN 5

I moved stuff up basically... I couldn't manage to hurt Denny though, unfortunately I moved the Forgeguard too close....

CRYX TURN 6

Gorten down to 8 hit points when Denny took control of the last forgeguard standing too close and behind Gorten.... I don't think i've played a Denny player before that ever used that spell, I didn't even know she had it! (is it new to her in MKII?)

SEARFORGE TURN 6

Chased Denny to no effect, Blaster and forgeguard missed. Basher gets into BTB to hopefully chase her down next turn.. Bad move on my part.

CRYX TURN 7

Denny trashed the half damaged Basher with the last Forgeguard.... MUST REMEMBER NOT TO GET FORGEGUARD TOO CLOSE TO STUFF!!!!

SEARFORGE TURN 7

Suffice to say that Denny was faster and really quite annoying :P. No damage.

CRYX TURN 8

Denny charged for the kill... but Gorten's camping kept him alive...., but frozen by Denny's weapon again.

SEARFORGE TURN 8

I'd had enough of chasing and threw everything at her... what was left that is.

Gorten put a focus on the Blaster.
Thor missed his spray attack

The gunner missed (she was DEF 20 in the wreck, he needed a 12 on 2D6).

The Blaster with it's spray........ MANAGED 10 DAMAGE ON HER!!! WOOP!!

Now there was only one more attack I could possible make.... Gorten's eruption, and it did the job excellently. GG.

The game was won / lost on Nightmare being a hairs breadth out of contact with Gorten, that would have ended Gorten, no doubt in my mind, had the 2" template connected with both bases I would have lost the game, however it wasn't and left me my feat turn to turn the tide.

First time i've ever beaten Denny which is nice :).

Thanks to my opponent (un-named as I have no idea if he would like to be named or not).

I Hope you enjoyed the read, I apologise if something doesn't quite make sense, I'm writing from memory and, as you can see I didn't take as many photos as I Should have :(.