My last blog was about my upcoming Unbound game with Ed Bourrelle, and I promised I’d recap the game after we played it. The game was every bit as epic as I hoped it would be. It was a showcase of skill, tactical mastery, and sheer domination. Unfortunately for me, it was Ed putting on the show! Though I was pretty soundly defeated, I had a great time and definitely got my licks in.
We played the King of the Hill scenario from WARMACHINE: Colossals. Ed deployed first, and I watched him place a Kraken, a Wraith Engine, Deathjack, and pair of Seethers. Among his units were Bane Thralls, Mechanithralls, Revenant Crew, Soulhunters, and more. Leading this horde of undead was Skarre, Queen of the Broken Coast, Wraith Witch Deneghra, and Lich Lord Terminus.
Ed’s Wraith Engine and Soulhunters sped down the flanks where my two Gun Carriages were positioned. His Revenant Crew took up position on the objective hill, and the rest of his army advanced under the pounding barrage of my Gun Carriages and Conquests. My Winter Guard Infantry ran to seize the hill, claiming the game’s first victory point. It would be all downhill from here.
Thanks to Ed’s Soulhunters moving at terrifying speed, he had a slight advantage on the initiative roll for round two. Ed seized the initiative and immediately slaughtered my Winter Guard Infantry, taking the hill. Ed now had a formidable advantage, and I found myself feeding the meat grinder.
There were a few fleeting moments of glory for the Khadorans. One of my Conquests made a bulldozing charge at Ed’s Kraken, killing it in one round. Beast-09 weathered a charge from the Revenant Crew and Bane Thralls, only to cut down a half-dozen of them in retaliation. After Forward Kommander Sorscha Kratikoff was assassinated, the last standing Battle Mechanik reactivated her Conquest, and the autonomous colossal got a couple of satisfying punches in on Terminus. In the end, though, it wasn’t enough to retake the hill from Ed, who successfully held the objective and won on victory points.
[img_assist|nid=2571|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=500]We both had a great time playing Unbound. It’s a great change of pace from standard games of WARMACHINE and HORDES and a great excuse to field tons of painted models. It makes you think differently, as initiative becomes vitally important—especially when it gives you a chance to eliminate threats before they have a chance to activate.
I’m looking forward to a rematch with Ed soon. I’m sure Ed is, too; it’s not every day he finds someone he can beat around here. But I’ll be ready next time…