Warpfire Vagabonds vs. Baltimork Corviks, League Game - Blood Bowl AAR

We're in week 2 of the Stomping Grounds Blood Bowl League. Kevyn missed his first week - he can catch up at the end of the league during the bye week - so we decided to get together for this week optional match. In the league, teams have one scheduled game and one extra optional games per week that count towards SPP and Casualties. 

I won the toss, and decided to kick.

The ball landed in the center of the Vagabonds' half. A Linerat tried to block a Black Orc Blocker and was knocked down. The Corviks followed up by pushing over the line of scrimmage, sending a Vagabond to the KO box and one out of the game with a casualty.

A Skaven Thrower grabbed the ball and tossed it to a Gutter Runner, who tried getting through the Orc line. The dodge failed, and the Gutter Runner went down. The Orc Thrower tried picking the ball up, but failed.

The Vagabonds failed to pick up the ball, and couldn't manage to make an effect on the Orcs. The Orc Thrower finally nabbed the ball and scooted to the side of the field as the rest of his team beat down the ratmen, sending another two off, one each to the KO and casualty boxes.

The Vagabonds were stuck as the Corviks began to grind up the pitch. One Linerat is crowd-surfed back into the Vagabonds' reserve box.

As another two ratmen were knocked out, the Orc Thrower decided to make a break for the endzone.

Half the Vagabonds ended up in the KO box as the Orc Thrower approaches the endzone.

And the Corviks scored!

The teams set up with the Corviks kicking to the Vagabonds. Only half the KOs made is out of the box, leaving the Vagabonds at a deep player disadvantage.

With only a turn left until the end of the first half, the Vagabonds move back. The Orcs decide to hold back for a turn.

The teams set up for the second half, with the Vagabonds kicking to the Corviks. The Corviks manage to get a Quick Snap result, shifting around and towards the ball.

The Corviks pushed into the Vagabonds half as the Blitzers and Thrower set up a cage.

The ratmen looked for an opening as the Orc cage moved forward.

A Gutter Runner was sent to the casualty box as the Orcs pressed their numerical advantage.

The cage managed to shove its way deep into the Skaven half, as the Vagabonds were knocked to the floor.

And the Orc Thrower went in for second touchdown.

The teams set up again, with the Vagabonds setting up heavily to one side. The ball scattered to almost ending up on the Corviks' half.

The Vagabonds set up for a long pass in an attempt to get a point on the board.

The setup, however, left the ball-carrying Thrower wide open to a blitz from the Corviks. Suddenly the ball was down. Another Skaven was sent to the casualty box.

An Orc Blitzer scooped up the ball and started sprinting towards the endzone.

With the rest of the Vagabonds tied up dealing with the Orcs, the Blitzer scores, ending the game at 3-0 to the Corviks.

It was a tough game for Kevyn, but he managed to make it through relatively unscathed, with only one Gutter Runner missing the next game. My Corviks managed to accrue enough gold to buy another Blitzer to replace the one that died in a previous game.

Painting Update - Wrath of Kings, Guild Ball

Let's take a look at the models that have passed through the painting queue in the new year.

I've finished another set of the Shael Han infantry for Wrath of Kings - the Dragon Legion. Like the Children before, this includes the two leaders and the Character leader.

I also completed Veteran Harmony for the Masons in Guild Ball.

A Year in Gaming - 2016

In what I'm hoping will be an annual post, let's take a look back at some of the games I played in 2016.

Unlike 2015, I did keep track of most of most of the games I played this year:

• Arena Rex - 7
• Battletech - 1
• Blood Bowl - 4
• Empire of the Dead - 5
• Fistful of Lead - 6
• Frostgrave - 4
• Guild Ball - 36
• Heroes of the Aturi Cluster - 5
• Horizon Wars - 3
• Kings of War - 16
• Miscellaneous - 4
• Ronin - 1
• Song of Drums and Tomahawks - 3
• Strange Aeons - 2
• Wargods - 1
• Warmaster - 1
• Wrath of Kings - 7

109 games in total, and that's not counting the various board games and role-playing games I managed to play this year. I'd call that a pretty good tally. 

So here's a quick view through these games:

Arena Rex

Blood Bowl

Blucher

Battle of Clontarf

Battle of Cowpens

Empire of the Dead

A Fistful of Lead

Frostgrave

Guild Ball

Heroes of the Aturi Cluster

Kings of War

Horizon Wars

Ancient Naval Warfare

Ronin

Song of Drums and Tomahawks

Strange Aeons

Wargods of Aegyptus

Warmaster

Here's to another year of gaming in 2017!

Warpfire Vagabonds vs. Baltimork Corviks - Blood Bowl AAR

I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday!

As we're looking to start up a local Blood Bowl league, Kevyn and I decided to get in an exhibition match between our teams. 

Kevyn was leading the Vagabonds on the left, while I was coaching the Corviks on the right. The game was a classic match between the skaven's speed and the orcs' might. 

With the patented SkyCutter Camera overhead, both teams moved onto the field and readied for the game.

The Vagabonds won the coin toss and elected to receive.

The Vagabonds managed to grab the ball off the ground and tried moving up the side of the pitch. A poor block against a Black Orc sent one of the skaven Linemen to the ground, however. The Corviks slammed into the Vagabonds' side of the pitch, and two of the orc Blitzers hit the Gutter Runner, knocking him to the ground and scattering the ball.

The Vagabonds moved to the offensive, but failed to take back the ball. One of the Reaver Blitzers, apparently in something of a foul mood, put the boot into the Gutter Runner that he had previously knocked down. The second impact was somewhat more effective, knocking the skaven player out and removing it from the game. The Corviks were apparently were more focused on knocking the ratmen about instead of getting the ball.

The Corviks kept up the momentum. One of the Blitzers secured the ball and started moving to the endzone. Meanwhile, the second Gutter Runner and a skaven Lineman were knocked out, and another Lineman was badly injured!

One skaven Lineman, hoping to stop the Corviks ' breakaway, tried for a blitz. An assist from a fellow Corviks player stopped the block, however, and the Corviks ran the ball in for a touchdown at the end of turn 4.

The teams set back up and the Corviks kicked off. The kick barely cleared the line of scrimmage, landing in the hands of one of the skaven Blitzers. An attempt to push through the line of Black Orcs failed, and the Blitzer went down, the ball bouncing into the Corviks' half of the field. An orc Blitzer recovered the ball and moved into a cage, waiting for an opportunity.

When the Vagabonds failed to make a dent in the Corviks' line, the ball-carrying Blitzer moved up and handed the ball off to another Blitzer, who moved his way up the field. The rest of the Corviks knocked the ratmen about, pushing most of the team to the ground.

An attempt by a skaven Thrower failed to stop the orc Blitzer - Nuffle apparently had a grudge against the Vagabonds - and the Reaver player ran the ball in for another point.

The last turn of the first half was spent as both teams halfheartedly pushed each other about until the whistle sounded and both teams headed off the field for halftime.

The teams set back up for the beginning of the second half. While the Corviks were looking fine, the Vagabonds were definitely showing some wear-and-tear, with one Gutter Runner still knocked out from the first half and one Lineman badly injured. Still, with a whole half to go, the Vagabonds readied themselves and kicked off to the Corviks. The orc Catcher scooped the ball up and moved into a cage, as the skaven moved about the Black Orcs and Linemen on the line of scrimmage.

Now the name of the game was "break the cage." The Corviks moved into the center of the field, throwing blocks left and right.

The teams continued to fight it out in the center. The Corviks were unable to make a break in the skaven line, while the Vagabonds couldn't bust through the orcs' armor. The Vagabonds' second Gutter Runner was taken off the field after a bloody hit from an orc Blitzer.

The Corviks showed no signs of moving the ball up, apparently preferring to do as much damage to the Vagabonds as possible. As such, one of the skaven Blitzer was pushed off the field by a Black Orc. The fans got a hold of the ratman, stunning him and forcing the player in the reserves box.

With a three player advantage, the Corviks started to make a move for a late turn touchdown, shifting across the field.

As another skaven Lineman was knocked out and removed from the field, the Corviks saw their chance.

The orc Catcher moved up and tried handing the ball off to a blitzer. The handoff failed as the Blitzer fumbled the ball, which the Catcher was able to scoop up. A blitz from a skaven Catcher knocked the clumsy Blitzer off his feet, and the ratman moved next to the ball carrier.

Unable to make it to the endzone, the Corviks and Vagabonds pushed each other about for the next turn, running out the clock until the whistle sounded and the game ended. The Corviks came out on top with a 2-0 win. 

2017 6x6 Challenge

Here's a little something for every to check out:

Alan (aka, Kaptain Kobold) over at The Stronghold Rebuilt has proposed a challenge for bloggers in the new year - pick six games (wargames, board games, etc), play six sessions of each, and post each session's result on your blog.

I really like this idea, especially since there were a few games I enjoy that I either didn't get to play as much as I wanted this year, or didn't hit the table at all. And 36 AARs should take up a good chunk of posts in 2017 compared to the last two years.

So, what are my six picks going to be? Well, how about:

1. Blucher
2. Saga
3. Blood Bowl
4. Arena Rex
5. Strange Aeons
6. Fistful of Lead

It's skirmish heavy, but since those kinds of games are easy to start up and mix up for variety's sake, it'll help cut down on any potential fatigue over the year. And for a couple of the games - Arena Rex and Fistful of Lead - I've already managed to hit the target amount of sessions this year. 

So, consider this a preview of some of the content to come in 2017!