In a blog many, many moons ago in the glorious days when I did regular updates I did a post about myself and my personality traits that held me back in having more success at Kings of War. So, after several years of slowly climbing the Masters listings I thought I was finally going to make an effort and be in that glorious top 16! That meant sticking to one army and over the year learning it’s strengths and weaknesses and achieving mastery! It wouldn’t bother me if I didn’t but it would be nice to prove to myself that I could. There’s lots of fun aspects to the game and competitive play is one so why not embrace it every now and again?
My initial thought of doing Order of the Green Lady stalled halfway through so I started the year with Forces of Nature and did quite well and crammed in loads of early events which rocketed me to the top 10 and kept me there for most of the year. Nature it seems, suited me just fine until I did the Easter Endurance event (5 games in a day) and just couldn’t write a good list at 1kpts based on the models I had. So in stepped the Free Dwarfs list and I came 2nd! This was my best ever result so from then on I went with both armies and for the first 6 months I was best in race for both Nature and Free Dwarfs. I eased off over the summer months what with holidays and whatnot so lost my Forces of Nature crown but finished the year in 9th place out of 269, and Best in Race for Free Dwarves! So what did I learn and what were the highs and lows of my two chosen forces;
Forces of Nature;
I’ve toyed with several lists and included many variations. While the ‘Meta’ (ye Gods I despise that term!!!) seems to hang on the air elementals formation with extra Greater Air elementals on top with cherries, I only took the one. I was even using it before it got the massive update and it was doing just fine as it was. I found it worked best supporting 2 Water elemental hordes with a mounted druid (so she could keep up). With the speed, regen and surge they are good all-rounders and always formed my faster wing of the army. The core would usually be two anvils, either earth elementals or Naiad hordes and then the rest would be supporting units. I tried plenty of variations so here’s the…
GOOD!
Hydra! Is one of my favourite units in the game! This bad boy is my token carrier, he can be used as chaff or an anvil and for the points is an utter bargain for the points.
Pegasus! Usually 2 of them-they do very little damage but are great as chaff and late game rear charges/objective takers. Taking objectives in the last turn has won me plenty of games with these.
Avatar of the Green Lady! People often say the unicorn is better as it has a damage output but don’t underestimate her cloak of death/radiance of life. My record was causing 8 wounds in one turn and her manoeuvrability gets her where she needs to be to keep your troops in the fight.
Scorchwing Horde. I found the regiments lacked the punch and are too fragile but the horde is superb! It adds some much needed firepower and speed and gives you a ton of tactical options.
The Wiltfather. He hits like freight train and I often scout him up a flank on his own and he does the business. I found him better as an add on to a 2k list when it went to 2.3k. He’s a hefty chunk of points and other things can do the same job job in small games for much cheaper.
BAD!
Naiad Wyrm riders. Their new Riverbourne stats suggest they are the hammer that the list needs but they just don’t deliver. The lower speed means they are outdistanced by cavalry and that beautiful regen means nothing if you’re already dead.
Centaurs. They were a substitute for the wyrm riders and just didn’t do enough either. I think I have to build around them as one regiment isn’t enough on it’s own. I think a horde properly supported would be amazing.
And so on to the Free Dwarves…. For my thoughts on them you will have to wait until next time! I shall be heading off to Nottingham on the 21st January to fight the best in the country! Most of the players are from the South in my area so I know I’m guaranteed a bunch of great games! I’ll write part 2 to tell you just how well I did. I have no grand goals, just to play for the joy of it-I’ve already done what I set out to do. Now it’s 2023 I’m focussing more on getting different armies on the table and already taken my Forces of the Abyss out to a tournament for the first time! And after Masters I’m off to play Ambush with my Trident Realms who haven’t seen the table since 2nd edition!
And as I am officially a Masters player now, what was my most masterful moment of the year…? Well, I was having a particularly tough game against UK No1 Chris Lynch. He had a flying elf hero who, after a cock up positioning from me, had managed to charge my glade walker druid. She’s a tough girl and survived and I healed her up, only for her to be charged again. And again. In the close press of units I couldn’t get anything to take him out so in a masterstroke, I reversed my earth elementals, wind blasted the elf in front of them and surged them in to kill the little bastard. I lost the game but that was a moment of perfection!
And when I said I didn’t have any goals for the weekend I was lying to look nice. Ed Herzig has stolen my Forces of Nature Crown (it was NOT, repeat NOT my own incompetence!!!!) and I want him humbled under my Dwarfish boots for his impudence!
Tune in next week for Pt2!
Get older. Don't grow up. 