After a super successful start to the year at Stanes of Blood it was time to pack the rats up again and head up to Burton on Trent. Having really enjoyed taking some of the units that were refreshed in Clash of Kings 2024, I decided to change things up and give a couple of other units a whirl.
Last year I decided to try out a lightning bolt themed list at an event. Ratkin have a number of sources of lightning bolt which mean they can put no less than lightning bolt 20 on the table in a 1995 point army, and because it comes from warlocks, Scud and Cryza you aren’t technically spamming anything (unitwise), which makes me feel great about not being part of a problem that I’m not convinced is a massive problem in Kings of War.
Last year my list performed admirably, and although I only won one game, I distinctly remember that user error contributed a lot to this. This year, though, things have changed. Not only have there been price reductions to the warlocks and, unbelievably, Scud, but I have also given myself a good talking to, agreeing that I will give thinking before acting a serious go.
The points reductions in the units above gave me an extra 45 points to spend on the list and I decided to strip out a couple of magic items to free up some extra points. This allowed me to remove a shock troop horde and replace it with two regiments with phalanx and plague pots.
NB – I’ve done my best to recreate the lists I faced below, but they are best endeavours so the odd magic item or spell might have been missed, especially if it had no noticeable affect on the game.
Game 1 vs Twilight Kin, Invade
My opponent is a regular opponent, so I had pretty low expectations for this game as I’m pretty sure I’ve lost to him every time we’ve played at a tournament. His Twilight Kin list is quite interesting as it’s a mixed arms affair that leverages the crone’s ability to cause damage with spells.
We set up with the bulk of our armies on opposite flanks. I was wondering if the game would end up being a case of us both trying to dance around each other and get onto the other side of the table with minimal casualties. However, as the kin had less unit strength than the rats they were keen to engage and even things out a bit.
This is my second time playing the new kin list, but my first time against new units like the skiffs and mutants. There is undoubtedly a lot of mobility in the army, and I will certainly have to get used to the skiffs, but fundamentally most of the units in the army I had an answer for. The mutants were brought down with spears and lightning bolts, the skiffs were easily taken down once you got hold of them, however there was a component of my opponent’s force that I really underestimated, his shooting, specifically the crones. Between the three of them he was able to put out 19 shots per turn with piercing one that were not impacted by cover, stealthy or being an individual. The impact was noticeable against defence four units as you simply had nowhere to hide, and to make matters worse the shooting had magical effects too which absolutely impacted the scenario.
Towards the end of the game the magic had really made its mark. The damage racked up and my hackpaws got shot off the table before the final nail in the coffin was driven home when a shock troop regiment got pulled back across the centre line and took eight points of damage thanks to a couple of the casters removing even the slightest chance of a win.
All in all, it was an interesting game. I’m looking forward to see how Twilight Kin develop over the next year or so. I genuinely like the army and think ratkin have the tools to deal with what they can bring to the table, although I have a little more thinking to do in regard to the shooting the crones have. I can’t think of any army that has the capacity to dish out such reliable shooting that isn’t considerably more limited in some way, e,g, Dwarf throwing mastiffs are one use only and have a 12” range, whilst hexcasters only have weakness with low dice. All that being said we mustn’t dally. On to the next one…
Game 2 vs Sylvan Kin, Hold the Line
This was a very unusual Sylvan Kin list, with no gladestalkers and no air elementals. As we set up it dawned on me though that despite the lack of these mainstay units I would expect to see I needed to be careful as the list had a lot of units that could deliver chip damage shooting, which as I’d found out in the previous game, quickly adds up.
I set most of my units up in the centre and on the right flank. There was a hill in the middle of the table and a piece of blocking terrain on the right which helped to minimise the impact of the bolt throwers. I did put one regiment of shock troops on the far-left flank to make sure I didn’t completely give up the that scoring zone and to serve as a distraction.
The opening turns were really just an exchange of shots as I crept my units closer to his lines and he proceeded to circle me. By about turn three things were starting to get into charge range and my regiment of shock troops on the left found themselves looking at a flank on hunters of the wild in the centre of the board. I decided it was go time. Scud slammed into a damaged archer regiment in the centre of the line and the tunnel runners made a hindered charge into the undamaged warriors. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite go to plan. Scud did kill the archers, but then got shot off the board, the shock troops only wavered the hunters and whilst the tunnel runners also only managed a waver they had left a tiny corner of their base in sight of the dragon which meant a flank charge in the next turn that ended their time in the game.
As I looked at the damage and wondered what next the Wiltfather, who had also been involved in the tunnel runner altercation, made an over run move that gave my shock troop horde a flank on him. It was too good an opportunity not to pass up. Fortunately, the dice fell in my favour. Even better was that Cryza not only managed to ground the dragon, but also waver it. The hunters on the hill expired and various ratty eyes turned towards the lone archer regiment holding the left scoring zone.
The only combat presence left now was the shamblers and a regiment of hunters on the right flank. The shamblers were essentially out of the game at this point as they were on the wrong side of the scoring zone with an undamaged horde of shock troops blocking their way. The hunters managed to fend off a charge from the hackpaws and rout them, but a round of lightning bolts finished off the work the riders had started. The game ended as a solid victory for the rats.
Game 3 vs The Order of the Green Lady, Fool’s Gold
The Order of the Green Lady drew their cavalry lines up opposite my rats from the centre to the far left of the table. On the right flank a lone troop of centaur archers faced off against a regiment of shock troops.
I have to admit that this game went about as according to plan as it could have with each element of the rat army doing exactly what they were expected to. In the first turn my cadre of lightning bolt casters removed one of the centaur archer troops. In the second turn they tried to remove the centaur brave regiment, however the manhorses held their own before charging down my hackpaws. A hindered charge kept the hackpaws in the fight, but the centaurs would manage to hang on for another couple turns despite various attempts to remove them.
Sadly, for the Green Lady the knights lacked the centaurs’ tenacity and found their charges blunted on ratkin spear tips. Redemption and forsaken knights failed to shift my spear horde before being pulled apart by the tunnel runners and shock troop horde whilst Cryza and a shock troop regiment broke the order of the brotherhood regiment.
The redeemer’s failure of his headstrong roll twice in a row only added fuel to the fire. The one ray of light in an otherwise dark day for nature’s nobles was the lone troop of centaurs on my left flank, who skilfully ran around the shock troops wearing them down and claiming a lone two-point objective, whilst the rats claimed five points, and the field.
Game 4 vs The Order of the Green Lady, Dominate
Having had two elf lists to start the day there was something strangely appropriate about facing a second wave of the Green Lady. This list was completely different to the previous one, instead relying on the healing powers of the Lady. I will admit to having a moment of hubris in thinking the list looked quite a tame one, however after a quick chat with my opponent the reality of the task ahead became apparent. All the units in the army were incredibly resilient which meant if I didn’t kill things quickly, I would end up in a grind that I would inevitably lose.
As if to underline the point I found the six points of damage done to the forsaken regiment by my lightning bolts instantly healed off in the first turn, followed by another five points of damage in the second turn. Despite not bringing the usual cavalry and pegasi I would have expected the list had a nasty turn of speed and in the second turn the lines clashed. The forsaken and a water elemental horde killed off Scud, whilst the other flank charged Mother Cryza. Fully rallied the matriarch took the hits and shrugged them off. Ignoring the water spirits, she charged forward to kill off the troop of forest critters before blocking up the redemption knight regiment.
Despite the demon’s demise the tide was now turning towards the rats. With the knights blocked up for another turn the slaughter began. The failed flank on Cryza meant the elementals now had to take a flank from the shock troop horde, with a regiment in the front. At the other end of the battlefield bane chanted hackpaws chased the forsaken from the field whilst the tunnel runners and the other shock troop regiment saw off the water elementals. The next turn the tunnel runners finished off the beast of nature and joined the rest of the army making their way to the centre.
Despite clearing out the flank the strength of my opponent was now starting to come to the fore. A doomed charge by the redemption knights into the shock troop horde left the order of the thorn and the greater water elemental alone in the centre. Despite my best efforts there was no shifting them. Whatever damage I did seem to be healed off by the devoted and the avatar of the Green Lady. The attrition kicked in and the shock troop horde routed. The avatar of the Green Lady blocked the path of the tunnel runners, and it all came down to a final combat between the order of the thorn and the hackpaws. If the foot knights could see off the riders the day would go to the Green Lady, if not the rats would carry the field. The final nerve test was rolled and the hackpaws stood.
Final thoughts
First of all, I want to say a massive thanks to all my opponents and Scott who did a great job with his first event. I do love a four-game event, especially when there is a good spread of players. The venue was really interesting with some lovely sofa seating sections, the positioning of which decided the table side I took in the last game. The food was tasty and a reasonable price. All in all, a pretty perfect day.
With three wins the rats came in fourth, in a field of twenty. At this point I’m starting to wonder if I might actually have some sort of a vague understanding of this game, but best not jinx it.
I was generally pretty happy with my lists’ performance. The MVPs had to be the shock troop regiments who managed to find their way into a number flanks, run interference and get some sneaky scoring in. I definitely felt the benefits of having the two units over a single regiment.
I have mixed feelings about the lightning bolt. I don’t think there was a game where it especially shone, and yet there where a number of scenarios where it certainly took the pressure off by moping up the odd damaged unit hear and there. I did make a slight error in the final game by not moving my casters across to the centre quickly enough and probably lost out on at least a turn of shooting at the avatar of the Green Lady, whose sudden disappearance would have made my day a lot easier.
Having Scud back on the table was great fun, I definitely missed having the centre piece model at Stanes. I do think not having him in the army for a while has changed my approach to using him, bringing him more into the heart of the deployment to get the most out of his rallying and inspiring rather than sticking him out on a flank on his own.
I’m now looking at a list for my next event, in May, and wondering how many night terrors are the correct amount?
Until then, keep well people.
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