So had a pretty absurd game today against Bonesplitterz. Thunderquake Starhost - Slann w/Rectrices - Starpriest - Astrolith - Engine - 2x Bastilodon w/Solar Engine - 5x 10 Skinks w/javelin+shield - 4x Salamanders - 3x Handlers - Balewind - Cogs vs Bonegrinz+Kunnin Rukk - Savage Big Boss - Wardokk - Wurrgog Prophet w/Squiggly Curse - 30x Arrowboys - 3x 30 Savage Orruks w/stikkas - Cogs I won the roll off for deploying first, but he had a 1 drop list so he had first turn. Basically just layered Skinks across both the objectives on my side, positioning the Slann and Starpriest on my table edge (with enough room for the Balewind to be placed when I cast it), Engine and Bastilodons forming a second line with the Salamander pack on my right flank (towards the centreline), Astrolith hiding behind the Engine to give maximum re-roll coverage. The remaining Skinks I layered as a first wave out front. He threw one unit of Savage Orruks on each of his objectives, then put the heroes and Arrowboys right up to his deployment edge opposite my Engine+Bastilodons, with the final unit of Savage Orruks on my left flank right next to the Arrowboys. Turn 1 Bonesplittaz: He uses the Boss command ability to make the Arrowboys explode 2 times on 6's to hit, tried to cast Cogs but failed, and did the hero phase move on the Arrowboys to bring them up in range of my lines (was out of range of my heroes). Gunned down some Skinks and plinked a few wounds off my Bastilodons. Failed his charge roll on the left flank Orruks, so they stayed put. Turn 1 Seraphon: I fail to cast Balewind or Cogs, but I do bring down a free Salamander. Engine is a complete savage and fires a lightning bolt at the Wurrgog Prophet, dealing 6 mortal wounds (he saves two). Slann uses his command ability to make everyone re-roll shooting saves and Fly. I use teleport to reposition the Astrolith slightly to get better coverage. My Bastilodons heal all their wounds thanks to TQ ability, move up to be in range of his heroes. Skinks all move up to jam up his lines, except my right flank unit that stay put on their objective. Salamanders move up to unleash hell on the Arrowboys. Shooting is pretty spectacular. The Bastilodons kill a few Arrowboys, but the Salamanders do something like 26 damage to the Arrowboys. Combined with some extra wounds from javelin shots, I end up killing 16/30. Two of the Skink units make their charge rolls, tying up both the Arrowboys and Orruks on the left flank. In melee they don't do anything, and a few from both units are cut down (I pass Battleshock though). I turn on Savage for the TQ. Turn 2 Bonesplittaz: We tie for priority, so he chooses to go first. Cogs fails again (neither of us had much luck with magic this game, and I think he was out of Curse range the entire time). The Savage Orruks charge in, swinging to get closer to my lines. His right flank Orruk mob move up, but they don't run very far. The heroes shift position a bit, Boss uses his command ability to try and get the Arrowboys out of their jam. In the combat phase, he kills one entire unit of Skinks but four from the centre unit remain stubbornly alive, keeping the Arrowboys locked up in melee. He catches my left flank Bastilodon and does 1 wound to it. Turn 2 Seraphon: I manage to get Balewind this turn but have Cogs denied (his Dok did the +1 to cast/deny dance previously). I use teleport to shift Slann further away from the mess of the left flank, and reposition the Astrolith as well. Salamanders move up to finish off the Arrowboys and potentially snipe a character. Engine deals D3 mortals AOE, hitting the left flank Orruks but not the Arrowboys (I think I kill one Orruk). Right side Basilodon shift up as well, to get range on his heroes. I also summon another Salamander in range of the Handlers and behind the TQ pack. Right flank Skinks move up to be in easy charge range of their Orruk opposites. Shooting phase goes really well, I evaporate the remaining Arrowboys with 3/4 of the TQ Sallies, while the last one and the two solo Sallies kill 2 Savage Orruks on the left flank. Right flank Bastilodon snipes the Wurrgog Prophet, the other kills another Savage Orruk. Skinks do a few wounds here and there, but nothing huge. I make my right flank charge, tying up the Savage Orruks. The Salamanders charge the Savage Orruks on the left flank, Flying really helps with positioning and piling in. I deal 9 damage with them, and with a 5 on the battleshock he loses 11 Savage Orruks as well, leaving only a handful left. Turn 3 Bonesplitterz: He wins priority, but concedes as he cannot get more objectives at this point than me, and has nothing that can deal with my Sallies or monsters. The killing of the Arrowboys and the looming deletion of the left flank Orruks means I would be massively up in secondary points. Minor victory for the Seraphon! Really interesting game. My caution paid off in putting my heroes basically on my backline, as he mentions that with Cogs out Turn 1, he could have potentially sniped the Slann or Astrolith with the Arrowboys (under ideal conditions you can end up generating something like a 100+ shots and with -1 rend against monsters). Salamander pack was outstanding, it not only shot a tonne of Orruks off the table, but they even did impressive damage in melee. The Astrolith+Savage combo is brutal on them and Bastilodons, a lot of my first rolls were atrocious and saved by re-rolls. Re-rolling saves also saved me losing a Salamander from the pack. I am still learning how to use Skinks properly, I think 20-strong units might be a better way to go, as they can activate in one go and thus chump combat really well. I did like the flexibility of 10-strong MSU though, it let me jam up repeatedly the enemy advance until they were pinned in front of my gunline. It also meant melee activations became a real mess for both of us. I never retreated this game from combat, it just felt easier to lock up the Orruks instead (especially the Arrowboys, once they took the big hit from the Sallies they never recovered and didn't do much to Skinks).
Good job, thanks for the report! Bonesplitterz are an interesting army. Sadly they are a one-trick-pony, they aren't very good except with the Kunnin' Rukk. If they get first turn they can be incredibly deadly then, but the army you fielded is a good match for them.
Thanks guys Yeah Bastilodons with healing are really tough. I was initially a bit worried about so many 2 wound models, but being mostly 6+ saves he lost so many to damage and Battleshocks. He got unlucky with Cogs, if he had the extra movement in hero and movement phases, he would have been able to snipe the Slann (or tbh the Astrolith is a bigger target, it was MVP in this match).