Edge of the Abyss

This was a 2500 point game played over Universal Battle, an online platform for playing tabletop games. I hadn't played Fyrax in some time so I was eager for a new challenge! One of the best things about playing over Universal Battle is being able to play people from all over the world so lots of different lists pop up all the time.

We played the Scavenge! scenario and location was Rhyn Dufaris.

I've submitted our respective lists separate so no need to go through them. I will give some pre-game thoughts, a quick overview of the game as it went and then some closing thoughts on tactics etc. So without further ado....

Lists and Deployment

What a cool Nightstalker list! So many drops (21) and a decent balance of hammers (fiends and reapers) and anvils (butchers, scarecrows). Apart from the fiends it's a bit slow and lacks shooting but for this scenario (Scavenge!) I will need to contest all of the tokens (the dead horses are our tokens) so that he doesn't swamp me with expendables whilst he collects the objectives. I have a decent advantage in shooting which i plan to use (Breath attacks can ignore stealthy and even the lekilidons can put down some wounds) and I'm hoping that my individuals can sneak around and erase some troops before they can do their damage (especially the reapers, those things are scary!)

Deployment (from left to right)
Nightstalkers: fiends regiment (CS2), ghoul horde, 4x ghoul troop, undead standard, fiends regiment (pathfinder), reapers troop, scarecrows regiment, bloodworm horde, reapers troop, 2x specters troop, horror (BC), 2x reapers troop, 2x scarecrow regiment, 2x butcher regiment

Salamanders: 2x ghekkotah regiment, mounted clan lord (slashing), unblooded regiment, ancients on rhinosaurs horde (pathfinder), flying battle captain, ghekkotah horde, Orlaf, herald (rally), tyrants (headstrong), Artakl, clan lord on drake (elite), 2x lekilidon, lancers (haste), flying clan lord on drake (courage)

Game Overview
(I have screenshots taken at the end of each of my turns, except for the first turn sorry!)
End of Turn 3

On the right I put most of my shooting elements. This was due to a solid defensive fence that my lekilidons could hide behind and also the central hill and the lake in Fyrax's deployment may slow down the Nightstalkers long enough for me to take control if I can take first turn.

In the centre, I had a defensive set-up with tyrants and a ghekkotah horde hoping to tie up the centre for a few turns. This should be long enough for my rhinos to take control of the centre forest and threaten the flanks. On the left, I put down my inexpensive regiments to hold the line against the ghouls and fiends. I feel like this is the flank that could be overwhelmed if I'm not careful.

I was lucky enough to take first turn and I used the initiative to march the left and centre as far as I could safely go. The only charge available to the Stalkers was fiends into my rhinos in the forest. On the right, I march up Orlaf and Artakl to just behind the hill and position my firing squad (2 lekilidons and clan lord on drake) to good, defensive firing positions for next turn. My winged lord and drake flies into the rocks on the far right, hoping to get behind the enemy lines and cause havoc in the following turns.

The nightstalkers responded by charging fiends into rhinos and doing 2 wounds to them. Other elements moved up in a shuffle. Spectres marched onto the hill to cover for the approaching reapers behind them.

In the Salamander's 2nd turn, the left decided to take the initiative and charge the 4 troops of ghouls. Surprisingly none of them broke! Annoyingly for the horde behind though, 3 troops wavered and wouldn't be doing much next turn. The unblooded regiment scavenged a token and sat just outside of the fiends range.

Rhinos were able to dispatch the fiends that had charged them and tyrants decided to pit themselves against the horde of blood sucking worms. On the right, the firing squad managed to waver both troops of spectres and do some initial damage to a butcher regiment. Lancers backed away from the advancing butchers, waiting for the right time to strike.

End of Turn 5

Fiends on the left charged into the fray and destroyed a ghekkotah regiment whilst the shell shocked ghouls mostly just observed. A regiment of scarecrows took their turn to block up the rhino horde (and were duly removed shortly after by the rampaging rhinos). The melee in the middle continued with the bloodworms slowly bringing the tyrants to their knees and the firing squad continued it's fine form, taking out a troop of spectres, wavering another and killing a butcher regiment. Lancers and Orlaf teamed up and took out the other previously undamaged regiment. The flying clan lord continued to be a nuisance in the back, destroying a troop of reapers that were guarding the back lines.

End of Turn 7

On the left, fiends managed to waver the now blooded salamanders although were then destroyed by ghekkotah in the flank. The captain and mounted clan lord finished off two perpetually dumbstruck ghoul troops and were set up to try and protect the last two regiments from the ghoul horde that would now be unleashed. Reapers did decent damage to rhinos and almost managed to destroy them but the rhinos held on again and mashed them to a bloody pulp. Blood worms finally dispatched the tyrants and ghekkotah came in for their turn of abuse. After the Stalkers had rearranged their lines a bit, Salamanders came in hard from all angles although only a troop of spectres was killed. Fortunately, both troops of reapers were wavered.

End of Turn 9

On the left, the remaining ghoul troop successfully routed the unblooded and took their token! Stalkers are now in front! Ghoul horde comes in to assist them but is unable to rout a pesky battle captain in the way. Mounted clan lord successfully routs the ghoul troop carrying the token but is only able to guard it from the fast approaching horde of ghouls. Seeing the need is great, the horror takes her turn in front of the rhinos and is subsequently put to sleep. Her sacrifice is futile as both drakes get into the flank of the blood worms and rout the horde, giving control of the central token to the Salamanders. Artakl and the lancers manage to dispatch the remaining reapers although the lekilidons are facing a losing battle against the scarecrows.

End of Turn 11

The undead army standard moves up to block rampaging rhinos on the left but he barely slows their stride as they barrel into the flank of the ghoul horde, instantly routing them. Ghekkotah in the middle pick up a token and watch as scarecrows destroy both lekilidons. These are quickly avenged by lancers, Orlaf, Artakl and a clan lord on drake which rout both regiments. With this, the Salamanders have the field at the end of their 6th turn.

Fyrax thought we shouls roll for a turn 7 so we ended up playing it too. This allowed the Salamanders to collect another 3 tokens, finishing with 4VP's to 0 and 2500 attrition points to 650.

Standing at the end of the game

Post Game Thoughts
That nightstalker list is very unique! I thought Fyrax did a good job of setting up traps and playing to the strengths of the army but unfortunately, he was unable to put pressure on me for most of the game. Getting the first turn helped me a lot, as did the constant wavering of the reapers and ghouls. If the reapers had successfully routed the rhinos in the forest, that would have been a massive blow for the Salamanders.

Thanks Fyrax for a great game! I'm sure our next game will be much closer :)