Yeah even at 120 points a single cannon is powerful, with rune of forging its reliable.
Happen to have a full report on the battle?
Yeah, I've used canons plenty...but I was trying the Grudge Thrower since I never used it when the canon was 90pts. Grudge Thrower with penetrating x2 and forging means you almost won't ever misfire and will almost definitely hit on that S10 center.
Here's the Battle Report:
Deployment: I deployed in a gunline fashion with the AoD in between the two thunderer units and the organ in front of the AoD. Diamond Defense as they call it in soccer. BSB on the corner of the unit providing all four units with effects of Grungni. The Grudge Thrower was behind and to the left rear corner of the left unit of thunderers. I was placed in the left corner of the battlefield, about 3" from the board edge. The gyros were in front each of the thunderer units. Vanguard on the left of the two.
High Elf player (store owner
) was deployed in the center with the following, starting from his right: Bolt thrower, 25 sword masters, 55 sea guard (including BSB and 2 mages), 25 sword masters, and finally 2 frost phoenixes.
Vanguarded my gyro to a forest edge in front of me, 12" from the corner of his sword master unit. Dropped my rangers to the rear corner near his outer phoenix. He put 2 units of scouts to the flank of my right thunderers (about middle of the board, my edge)
Turn 1: I was in the corner and so I wheeled the outer thunderer unit towards him since no one was in range and wanted to maximize my forward arc, and marched scouts towards his units (a whopping 6"...stupidest mistake ever! Bad placement). Sent one gyro towards his scout's flank. AoD buffed my guys. I shot at the scouts with my organ gun...killed 4/5 with Grim's BS and they fled, shot the sea guard with grudge thrower and scatter missed, end of my turn 1.
He charged my gyro, i fled, he went 6" in range of my thunderers. Everything else marched. He did some magic buffs, magic marched his remaining scounts in the 3" gap behind my right thunderers and shot his bolt thrower and scouts. End of turn 2.
Turn 2: My right gyro flew past his phoenixes in range of his other sword master unit (the one near the rangers). My other gyro rallied and moved his 1" base mvmt. The AoD was dispelled for the 2d6 S4 hitter, and I miscast the +1 to AS on my gyro...did 1 wound to AoD. Shot with my left thunderers at swordmasters chasing the gyro, shot with my grudge thrower and missed, shot with my other thunderers (only half were in range) at the swordmasters chasing the gyro, and finally my organ gun at the scouts behind me. Killed em off (total wasted organ gun shots on his scouts = 38 in 2 turns). The rangers decided to take a shot at the swordmasters on the other side (where the gyro just got in range of), and the gyro shot. Killed a handful.
He charged my gyro, I fled and landed in front of the phoenixes I just flew past, he charged with his birds and forced my gyro off the board (but i managed to redirect his phoenixes for two turns...worth it?) He finally charged my other gyro (the one that just rallied) and I held (or else would've fled the field too). He did some more magic, added more buffs during magic phase. I dispelled some stuff, but had about 6 spells to choose from. I used my spellbreaking and killed his large template spell that does S3 damage under the large template (I should've used that on the extra marching spell). He shot his sea guard at my thunderers and killed 1. Shot and missed with his bolt thrower. In CC he did 3 wounds to my gyro, didn't roll any 6s for AS and the gyro died.
Turn 3: I marched my rangers 6". Buffed my guys with AoD and then the direct damage was dispelled. Shot my grudge thrower at the building full of sea guard, killed 4. Shot at the sword masters with my thunderers and organ gun and polished them off. Shot at his other sword masters with my thunderers and killed about half, leaving about 10.
He moved his birds (slightly out of charge range and one didn't have the right facing) right behind my thunderers and to the flank (shouldn've kept that gap closed). He barely fit (and totally forgot to make him test leadership for marching so close!). Moved the sea guard out of the building. Marched with his sword masters. I dispelled his magical buffs, he hid his dice and I thought he threw all the remaining dice at the 2nd spell. I totally didn't see he had 1 left. Got his marching spell off (and now that I think about it, if I dispelled 2 spells, he shouldn't of been able to cast again...). He marched his guys over my thunderers (the ones that wheeled at the beginning for arc). He barely fit right behind them. It's like I left that space on purpose just the right size for him. But he was facing the wrong way. He shot with his bolt thrower and missed.
Turn 4: I marched with my rangers. Buffed my guys and killed a few with my direct damage spell. Shot and killed the remainder of his sword masters. Shot his bird and did three wounds with the organ gun. Scattered with the grudge thrower and didn't damage with S4 hit to his other bird.
He charged my grudge thrower with the sea guard. Charged my AoD with one bird, and charged the flank of my thunderers with his other (the were in two rank formation for optimal # of shots). He did one buff with his sea guard, i dispelled the rest. Missed with his bolt thrower. He killed my grudge thrower, did one wound to my AoD (down to three now). And my thunderers broke, he ran em down, and ran into my organ gun.
Turn 5: I reformed my thunderers to face his sea guard, marched my rangers (not too far off now). Buffed my guys with AoD. Lost the attack on the organ gun. He reformed towards the AoD.
He charged my thunderers, I stood and fired. Killed a hand full. He charged my AoD with his bird. He miscast on his wizard and killed some of his sea guard. He killed my AoD with his two birds, overran with one into my thunderers. He broke my thunderers and ran em down with the bird.
Turn 6: Marched with my rangers.
So, I wasn't wiped off the table (almost!) but I made a few mistakes by letting him behind me. I was giving him a hard time with how he was doing his 'march' spell. He kept reforming with it. So, the second time I said he can't do it. It doesn't say anything in the rules about reforming. I totally forgot to make him take like 4 leadership tests for marching close to me (dang!). But, honestly, him going behind me kept my thunderers around for 1 more turn I think.
And my biggest mistake was putting the rangers in his flank/rear. I should've have put them near the vanguarding gyro, in the forest. Then that would've contested his sword masters from charging the gyro so early. If I had done that, I could have pestered his sea guard and sword masters with that gyro and provided some deflection from his sea guard getting in so easily.
But the AoD did what it was supposed to. I kept his bird occupied for 2-3 turns while he slowly died. Not as punchy as before but worth playing with every once in a while (especially since I spent the time to paint it).
There you go!
Edited by nicholunch, 13 September 2014 - 01:16 AM.