Undead vs Nighstalkers - 2000pts Loot

The barren wastes stretched to the horizon around the rocky outcropping, a seemingly endless expanse of rolling hills from which this lonely peak lifted its time-ravaged head.

On top of the hill there was a rider, a darksome shape against a steel grey sky. The wind was a bitter breeze, but it blew around the rider unfel, wasting its fury. His tattered cloak snapped and fluttered in the gale, but it was long since such matters could reach him, let alone pierce his death-cold flesh.

The rider looked down into the valley, interspersed with huddling groups of trees. To mortal eyes it would have seemed of little value, but to his eyes, long ago clouded by death, the power buried here by some ancient strife shone with a light of its own.

Three there were that were buried here, and three he had come to claim.

But so had others, for on Pannithor the powers that seek destruction and death are rarely aligned, and as he watched from the hilltop the slope across the valley seemed to shimmer and sway, only to be torn into gaping maws a moment later. Great rents tore into the fabric of reality, and terrifying creatures came forth.

Cold hate burning in his eyes, the Revenant King pointed his sword towards the nightmarish fiends that poured forth from the gates, motioning his armies forward. The battle, nameless and but one of many, had begun.

--

Greetings, fellow KoWsters!

I ended up playing in the cozy little tournament I myself arranged at my hometown, Jyväskylä. Originally, I was the back-up player, but since one player fell ill, I was, unfortunately and with a heavy heart, forced to step into the fray myself. This gave me a nice opportunity to field my Undead that had recently reached 2k painted.

It's a list I planned and started building in late 2nd Edition, and boy did I get lucky with the swap to 3rd Edition! Wraiths, Wights and Wyrms are all very much a thing in this edition, as well as the Balefires that I threw in the list in order to demonstrate that war engines are viable option.

“Flowers of Frost” - 2k Undead
Wraith Regiment
Wraith Regiment

Revenant Cavalry Regiment
Revenant Cavalry Regiment

Wight Horde*
Werewolf Horde

Balefire Catapult
Balefire Catapult

Necromancer - Drain Life(5), Surge (6), Conjurer’s staff
Lykanis
Revenant King - Mount, Surge (5), Blade of Slashing
Revenant on Great Undead Burrowing Wyrm - Inspiring Talisman

The idea behind the list is that all units are agile and good at projecting threat and each unit packs a punch so there are no "easy match-ups" for my opponents. Every unit is relatively tough as well, so there are no glass cannons, but also no super units that would be ideal targets for enemy shooting. Catapults provide some ranged threat and are there to make sure I have tools to fight off stalemates and force my opponents' hand. By targeting heavy-hitters and monsters (and titans) they are just enough of a threat that one has to take them into account, ignoring them might be disastrous.

My list aims to win games by enticing my opponent to engage in close combat without adequate groundwork and then taking advantage of the synergies provided by phantasm-units' Sp 7 and Fly and Surge. The list doesn't have all that much Surge, only 11 all told, but I don't think the strength of Surge to be in its very limited ability to counter Shambling's lack of At the Double!, but in it's ability to realign on-going combats to my advantage. Enabling "impossible" charges is what Surge is there to achieve in this list.

Thus the strength of my list, in my view, lies in its units' ability to support each other in combat. The units have small footprints and high defence, meaning that I can usually make combats last many turns, giving me time to set up some funky Surge-action.

However, the list has some built-in weaknesses. First off all, there are no Speed 10 flyers, which means I can get out-ranged by flying units. Second, I have zero true anvil-type units. Wraiths are a tough nut to crack, but they're no Revenant Horde. This means I can't reliably soak a charge from heavy hitters. Thirdly, the list has no real chaff, either, so my ability to choke my opponent's movements is very limited as is my ability to sacrifice units as my list needs all of its units to get favourable trades in order to stay in the game.

--

In the first game of the tournament I faced a pretty scary Nightstalker force from the next town over.

Scarecrow Legion - Hammer of Measured Force
Fiends Horde - Brew of Strength
Doppelganger Regiment

Reapers Troop - Screamshard
Reapers Troop - Screamshard
Phantom Troop
Needle-fangs Troop
Needle-fangs Troop

Shadow-hulk
Terror
Void Lurker
Horror - Aura (Vicious, melee inf), Bane Chant

The list seemed to contain the two items mine doesnt: speed 10 Flyers and chaff. These, combined with the built-in Stealthy of Nightstalkers meant that I felt hard-pressed to gain the upper hand so I wouldn't get pinned down early in the game, and then picked off one unit at a time.

Pre-game questions that I had were:

- Could I contain the flyer threat without yielding the Loot tokens?

- Could I gain enough benefit from my Balefires, or would they simply be a 200pts handicap?

- Could I take down the Titans without paying too heavy a price?

They approach, the nightmarish and the profane. Howls shred their way through the screaming winds as the Werewolves come forth, leaping while the thunder of the hooves of horses makes the ground shake. Ghostly forms come streaming down the hill, gliding above the battlefield without a sound.

Across the field the gaping maws of nightmare spew forth creatures without shape, mindless and hungry for the lifeforce of this world when a sudden silence falls. Then a growl rises, rises, and above the teeming mass of fiends three shapes rise. One winged, one with a giant, gaping maw and the third a mass of lashing tentacles.

The battle commences.

Both our deployments showed some layering, meaning both of us left some units behind the first line as a reserve to counter enemy units slipping past our lines and to charge into the fray once it became clear where help would be needed.




“We must strike them, now, before their hold on this plane becomes too strong to sever.”

The Necromancer’s thoughts were a whispery echo in the frigid halls of the King’s mind. Had he possessed the ability, he would have snorted in contempt at the sniveling creature’s spineless mumblings. He let his cold gaze turn to the ghostly fighters and sent them advancing with a thought and then rode forth with his knights.

Too strong to sever… He would drink from whatever energies drove these creatures forth and claim it as his own.

(Picture taken after UD1, NS having already started their movement phase by moving Needlefangs).

The Undead won the roll and went first in order to maximize Catapult effiency. There was some careful movement forward in the centre, because I didn't want to commit my troops too early on, and moving backwards is a whole lot more difficult than pressing on later in the game. I decided that the best way to approach the Nightstalker's Stealthy was to ignore it and play the game as if they didn't have it at all and use them, as planned, to create pressure and lure them to charge too early in the game, or at least to put pressure on them to seek out charge opportunities, possibly putting themselves at risk while doing so.

I think the larger scale tactics of KoW are a lot about knowing when to charge, when not to charge and, on the other hand, when to advance in such a way as to enable the opponent to charge, while only offering poor targets. For example in such a way that the charges presented are either Hindered or against targets that will almost assuredly survive the charge, leaving their units in untenable positions.

The Werewolves moved up to pressure the centre of the 'Stalker line while the Lykanis hung back behind the hill, threatening possible fly-overs. The Balefires chose to target the Fiends on the right flank as they couldn't hide due to their height, didn't have any means of getting rid of any potential damage and didn't have easy access to my Inspiring units for more protection. Here the point wasn't to count on my Balefires to take the horde out, but more on making it dangerous for my opponent to count on them NOT doing that.

On their turn the Nightstalkes moved up as well, not really concerned about offering my units charges. Only on the right flank is their advance really careful so as to avoid my Werewolves and Lykanis. The monster moved up into the woods, moving to protect the Needlefangs that took the Token. Phantoms move up also, threatening whoever I send in to claim the Token.

In a sinuous, flowing motion, the Wyrm crashes through the woods, making little of the trunks barring its way. They snap like twigs as the mighty beast thunders through the forest, leading the ghostly warriors streaming behind him into the enemy line as ghostly fire streaks across the darkened sky

The rider, long since worn clean of any name he might have borne in life, roars and lifts a ghostly blade high into the air as his mount bears him into the fray and a deathly tongue of flame leaps up the length of the blade. It has quenched so many lives and grown more bitter and more powerful with each one.

These deaths will be no different.


Already on the second turn I knew for certain that I couldn't claim the token on the right, so I concentrated on trying to take the left flank and the centre tokens. Thus, I had this one chance to move in to take the token from the Needlefangs and so I did. I sent in both a regiment of Wraiths and the Wyrm, because I wanted to make sure that I could crush the Needlefangs. I was unafraid of moving up my Inspiring Wyrm, since the option of denying its Inspiring would have effectively rendered the whole unit useless. Mindthirst, the Nightstalker ability that enables them to tap into enemy Inspiring while depriving them of Inspirers of their own might seem like a hindrance at first glance, but it is not to be mistaken for a weakness. Instead, it enables the NS to skip spending unlocks and points on units that Inspire. 

To counter this tapping, I suggest the following: do nothing to counter it. 

Of course, there will occasionally be the moment when you want to turn tail with your cheap Inspiring hero to deprive the NS of your Inspiring, but for the most part it falls into the same category of mind-gamey special rules as Stealthy. The real power of both abilities is to make you as the opponent make poor judgements as you try to bendover backwards to fight against the two special rules. If you don't, and simply play the game as you would anyway, you'll find that you won't fall into the trap of hanging back with your super-killy monster to deprive a 100pts troop one turn of Inspiring, or start looking for ridiculously useless targets since shooting feels so ineffective.

At any rate, the Wraiths and the Wyrm make short work of the Fangs, taking the token and then forming up in a way that has the Wraiths footprint protecting the flank of the Wyrm. The Wyrm turned to threaten the Phantoms on the flank, making sure they move up or back down on the next turn.

In the Center I chose to charge, suboptimally in itself, the Nightstalker line and threw in just about everything I could. I wanted to get to fighting over the central Token before my opponent could bring in his Void Lurker to pin my line down. I brought in my Revenant King to Inspire my units, enable Surging on following turns and finally to shutdown either Fliers or Casters as needed. The King doesn't do much damage, but he does do some damage very reliably. Thus I sought to make sure that whatever my opponent does with his Lurker, I can pin it down. A stable threat is one that can be countered.

On their turn the Nightstalkers move up on the right flank while the Void Lurker went for the midfield. On the left the monsters charge my positions, surprisingly dividing their punching power between two targets instead of focusing on bringing down one unit. Both Wraiths are locked in combat while the Phantoms fly over and land close to my flank, trying to dislodge my line.

Doppelgangers and Scarecrows delete one of my Revenant Cavalry Regiments.







They fight, as they did in life so now do they continue in death. Faceless horrors clash arms with the emaciated forms of the undead warriors of bygone eras, their weapons passing harmlessly through their incorporeal forms. Scythes seething with unlife reap a bloody toll and monsters roar as they wrestle for supremacy.

A tide of profane magicks rises, rises and then reaches a crescendo and the ghosts wail with piercing, keening voices as they swarm over their opponents, striking as they envelop the foe.


On this turn the power of both Surge and what is commonly known as the "cork screw"-maneuver are displayed. I disengage one unit of Wraiths from the Horror and join their ghostly bretheren in fighting the Shadow Hulk. This move is based on the fact that a unit disengaging from one foe can easily draw LoS to an enemy on their side and then can pivot and charge the enemy in the flank. However, even their combined efforts aren't enough to bring down the Hulk. No easy victory on this flank, it seems.

The Wights turn and land one inch away form the Phantoms, after which the Necromance has no difficulty in Surging them forward and into the Phantoms. Hindered or no, 18 attacks, CS (2) and Brutal make short work of the flying pests and the Wights turn back to face the main battle. This was actually very, very important since had the Wights not made it back in time, I would've probably lost the entire flank. That would've been the end of it for me.

Werewolves and the remaining Revenant Cavalry rout the Scarecrow horde and turn to face the coming charges.

Nightstalkers spend the next turn teaching me the importance of careful play, for I had overlooked moving the Lykanis and thus his Fiends came charging my hero. So much for controlling that flank to any extent. Luckily they don't manage to Rout him, only Wavering my wolfie.

In the center the Void Lurker aids in bringing down my entire center line, Routing both Werewolves and Revenant Cavalry Regiment, leaving the Token they controlled in their possession. Victory was fast slipping past my fingers. The Terror manages to bring down one unit of Wraiths, but the Hulk fails to bring down the other. The situation is looking dire.

But no, victory shan’t be wrested from the creatures of the void so easily. Wolves cry out as they are torn asunder and the formation of the Undead Knights is shattered.

The Cold King curses and rides into the fray, his blade singing an ancient song of death.

The Undead begin their counter offensive and the Wights charge the Terror, while the Wraiths trust their own blades to bring down the Hulk. The Wyrm hangs back in the second wave, recreating what is commonly known as "strategic depth" in order to regain control of the flow of the battle. My trust is rewarded and the Hulk collapses to the ground, while Wights fail to budge the Terror.

On the right flank my Lykanis limps to the side, offering the Fiends the raw deal of either letting him go after the Token on the Needlefangs or then spending another turn killing him and drawing themselves even further from the increasinly pivotal central Token.

On their turn the Stalkers take the "bait" offered by the Lykanis, bringing his cursed life to swift end. That was the choice I would've preferred my opponent to take, as it meant his Fiends were practically out of the game. His Void Lurker comes in and takes out one regiment of Wraiths  and then turns to face the Wights.

The Winged Being from beyond slashes and bites, claws and strikes, breaking armor and snapping cold bone, but the creatures laugh in harrowing voices, like ice breaking on stone, and reform before its eyes.

Who are these evil memories given shape, seeking to drown the world in sorrow and pain?

Nameless, accursed, deathless.

Wights Disengage from the Terror and turn to face the Void Lurker. In Hindsight I noticed a slight rules break here, as there was less than one inch between the Wights and the Terror after the move, but luckily it wasn't pivotal. Still, noticing that I broke a rule feels bad. Rules are rules, and I like to run a clean ship in this regard.

The Wyrm lunges forth, jaws wide, and sinks its teeth into the writhing mass of tentacles, ripping it nigh in two. The Terror is no more. The Revenant King comes in and comes charging into the Lurker, denying him the use of his wings. Balefire Catapults notice the troop of Reapers trying to sneak off with a Token, take aim and bring a swift rain of ghostly fire on them. Their spiked forms are engulfed in balefire. When the fires die down, only charred bones remain. Oh, and the Token, too, of course.

On their turn, the Void Lurker comes after the Wights, but fails to destroy them. Doppelgangers move towards the now ownerless token. The second Reaper troop moves in to aid, but are woefully late for the party. Fiends finally get to close in on the catapults.

It is a terror beyond imagining, these warriors. Borne back from the deeps of death by their hatred of all things living,  their unholy voices rise in cackling laughter as they cleave their opponents in half and show their mastery of the field.

The Cold King, Arisen, hacks and slashes, killing at will, his slow, deep thought unburdened by the unnatural foes that he now faces. He notices, in a passing manner, that they wear his own face, called back from beyond a terrible count of years. These phantoms throw his old self against him, but he cares not, for the knight he once was and the one they now reflect, his true self, he killed that knight himself a long, long time ago.

They posses no horror that he has not yet visited upon himself a thousand times over in the hollow halls of death.

The Wights counter and easily crush the Void Lurker, showing how decisive the Fearless ability can be: where normal units have an "almost dead"-state, where they waver and are usually one slap away from death and unable to punch back, Fearless units are actually not only more resilient, but also are better damage dealers since there is no way other than Rout to keep them from harming you.

The Wyrm moves up to intercept the Reaper troop, moving also towards the central Token, while the Revenant King charges the Doppelgangers and effectively denies them the Token. Even as he is unable to claim the token himself, the Revenant King, unharmed thus far, is well equipped for late-game maneuvers such as this. The Doppelgangers' abilities avail them not, since they can choose between their own feeble attacks or swap them for a meager three attacks. They wouldn't be going through the Revenant King any time soon, and even though he's not Mighty, his three attacks are enough to quite reliably keep the Doppelgangers Disordered, thus making them unable to charge through him. I find it very important to enter the last few turns of a game with many highly mobile pieces remaining on the board; as my opponent's ability to control area wanes, the power of these units grows.

On the Nightstalker turn the Doppelgangers take part in an exercise in futily as they pound the Revenant King, while the Reapers attack the Wyrm, also without much effect. The Fiends take out the first Catapult.

At this point it was quite certain that this was to be a draw, as the Reapers stopped the Wyrm from reaching the Token quite the same way as my Revenant King kept the Doppelgangers from doing the same. The remaining Balefire managed to create a last-minute panic as it managed a solid four damage on the Needlefangs in the far right corner. Unfortunately for me, the unit didn't Rout.

My Wyrm kills the Reaper troop, but has no way of reaching the Central Token. 

On the Nightstalker turn there were no further developments, so a draw it was.

--



The field darkens.

No songs shall be sung of this day, for no heroes fought here.

If Evil fights Evil, but neither wins, who won? 

It sounds like poor jest, a clumsy riddle, and it’s best not to answer.

More thoughts and analysis to come!