August ASOIAF-tournament part 1/2

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I / we have organized many a tournaments at our wargaming club Nopat ja Taktiikka in Helsinki. I believe this was the first time we had eight players. This is a two part tournament with 2 X three games. Second part will be played in two week's time (23rd of August 2020). At least 5 of today's participants will play at the second part too - there we have 10 players enrolled.

Nightswatch reinforcements I worked on while preparing for the tournament (a bit WIP)

Players and Armies

Were as follows:

• 3 Nightswatch played by  myself, Jaakko and Oskari
• 2 Starks played by Pave and Toni
• 1 Lannister by Kim
• ! Free Folk by Toni
• 1 Baratheon by Teemu

My two armies were like this

"Aggression"

This army has two units of Sworn Brothers with expensive attachments. Jon Snow gives them +2 attacks at full ranks and keeps them fighting with 8 attacks on two ranks too AND he brings Ghost. Daario gives them Precision on Reckless attacks (never do it without rerolls). Alliser + Vets + Donal is a terrible bunker, that will hurt the attacker more then take hurt themselves from an attack.

"The Shooters"

First version of this list had 2 Crossbow units; idea is / was to wait for the enemy to approach, shoot them a lot and then counter charge with the Brothers. Othell's cards support shooting very well. After some contemplation I changed one unit of crossbows to always good Ranger Trackers to add some versatility, considering the scenarios we might have and Othell's card that give sundering (wasted on crossbows) and also vicious shooting - Trackers can shoot that at flanks or even rear!

Scenarios and special tournament rules

For each round we rolled a D3 to choose the scenario to be played (rolled scenario bolded):

Round 1.

• Game of Thrones 
  
• Feast for Crows 
  
• Dance With Dragons

Round 2. 

• Fire and Blood 
• Dark Wings Dark Words 
• No Foe May Pass 

Round 3.

• No Foe May Pass
• Here We Stand
• Honed and Ready

Special rules: Reinforcements points - a player could use 0-2 reinforcements points during the tournament (max 1 / game). A point can be used to buy an attachment or a NCU of max 4 points to the army. Unused RPs were worth 1 tournament point in the end. Fully painted armies would also get a 1 tournament point.

My first opponent was Teemu and his Bolton enhanced(?) Baratheons

Oskari (NW) vs. Toni (FF), Toni had played about 1 game before the tournament

Pave & Kim - classic Stark vs. Lannister match up

Jaakko (NW) teaching another new player Toni (Starks) the ropes

My Games

Game 1. Game of Thrones vs. Baratheons (Renly & lot's of Boltons)

I faced the only Baratheon player in the tournament. Chose my Alliser list. My Trackers were able to outflank the enemy from the left and in face to face fight my NW were just better this time. My opponent Teemu (like myself) played Brienne in Bastard's Girls very well; I was fighting Renly and Brienne's Girls blasted away at me! Luckily their first charging volley charge fell short! Eventually they finished of Jon Snow and Brothers.

  

But it was too little too late, my vets with Alliser were causing far more wounds to Cutthroats with Counter attack and Alliser's cards (Pathetic attempt delivered 5 wounds) then were causing at me. Probably my opponent was a bit unawares of this combo.

10-3 Crushing victory to me!

Game 2. Dark Wings, Dark Words

Almost a mirror match: Othel vs. Othel...

Jaakko was my opponent, he had also crushed his opponent on the first round. He was the opponent I was most looking to win and a bit afraid at the same time. So, to help me out, I chose to use a Reinforcement point and bought Jon Snow & Ghost to my list. This was pretty important as it gave me an advantage on activations...

I kept a solid battle line and I was able to both crown zap and shoot at my enemy crossbows before him and in this way got a power position in the middle. Qhorin helped...

Unfortunately I wasn't paying enough attention to them not so secret missions and erred to give Jaakko 3 VP by not claiming either of the zones needed for VPs, oh dear! Luckily he also played too aggressively with his Ranger Trackers and I was able to pin them down as I started round 3. 

                              

As the missions changed, I was able to get VPs from Jaakkko constantly failing his panic tests and me also getting more flank & rear attacks with Ghost and Trackers.

Eventually I was able to just to smooth ride to a victory: 12-9

Game 3. No Foe May Pass - vs. Pave's Starks

After two games me and Pave were the only players with two victories, so we faced of in a game that would decide the winner...

Our game started quite drastically... I boosted my Xbows with Qhorin and moved them forward to have couple of Stark units in 14" range. Pave responded with all of his 3 starting hand TCs: 

1. He played Lead by Example, then...

2. Swift advance - Sworn Swords with Eddard were fast enough to just make it to a flank charge position against my crossbows! I couldn't stand and shoot, only few men were left standing from Stark fury!

3. Also Berserker activated AND they also used Swift Advance! OUCH!

How can any one stand against such reckless fury? My crossbows certainly couldn't...  

 

My Sworn Brothers counter charged (after Watcher on the Wall) Eddard, but even with a bucketfull of dice they only took out 4 Stark warriors (Pave saved extremely well on 5s). 

As Berserkers had surged forth my Sworn Bros were in a tricky spot... well I had Qhorin available... Berserkers were frozen by his sacrifice. This gave me a change to give the Starks a proper fight. My SBs were able to decimate Eddard's unit before that approaching Sworn Brothers unit and Berserkers eventually sandwiched and destroyed them 

Fight for the 3 point objectives

My other SB unit had destroyed Stark Outriders BUT a Dire Wolf stopped their advance towards the enemy table half objective, which would grant 3 VP. Shots from my Ranger Trackers failed to kill that DOG! Once again, saves were amazing. 

By failing to destroy that wolf, my hopes were in tatters... Berserkers made a long charge and wiped out my Ranger Trackers one shot! And then proceeded to claim the objective token... time was up and we had to end the game, I think it was only round three or four.

Pave a took a crushing victory with five point VP difference. All hail Starks!

Final results

1. Starks by Pave - max 12 tournament points

2. Free Folk by Toni - 10 tournament points - great achievement for a new player!

3. Nightswatch by me - 9 tournament points - I would have been 2nd if I would not have spent that one Reinforcement point...

The Winner was toasted with GoT Whisky and besides receiving the Hand of the King -pin to wear until someone else wins a tournament, these other cool prizes were given out! 

Our Winner is granted the honors: HAND OF THE KING!

Brothers I finished right after the tournament...