Battle Report: Invade!, Kingdoms of Men vs Basilea

Ok, third game of Kings. Keen for my Westhaven Militia to get some runs on the board and at least force a draw. I have my first tournament (3 games) on the weekend, hoping to get at least a draw or two there. I played Geldy for the first time.

My List: Kingdoms of Men:

• 2x Regiment Knights
• Horde Arquebusiers +1 to shoot
• Horde Foot Guard +1 CS
• 2x Troops Mounted Scouts with carbines
• Cannon
• Siege Artillery
• Beast of War with Light Ballista
• General on a Winged Beast + Ensorcelled Armour
• The Captain, mounted
• Wizard with bane chant

You'll notice some significant changes since game 2. I picked up some new models at a swapmeet over the weekend, giving me some more options.

In:
Two troops of Mounted Scouts with carbines
General on winged beast with Ensorcelled Armour

Out:
Two Army Standard Bearers
Regiment Pole-Arms Block
Regiment Foot Guard with two handed weapons
Various magic items, including Scrying Gem

I'm hoping that the new additions will make my force much more mobile, setting up more flank attacks and extending my table pressure. I'm concerned I don't have enough sources of Inspiration, but I really didn't want to drop any more magic items.

His List: Basileans

• Horde Crossbows +12" range
• Horde Men-at-Arms (spears) +headstrong
• Regiment Men-at-Arms (sword)
• Regiment Paladin Foot Guard
• Regiment Paladin Foot Guard, exchange shields for greatswords +1cs
• Horde Elohi +10 breath attack
• Paladin Knights +pathfinder
• High Paladin on Dragon +regen
• Phoenix

A lot of flyers and infantry. One unit of cavalry and shooters each. I should have done a better job of using my superior shooting against this list.

Deployment

It was the Invade! scenario, so the aim was to move as many units as possible completely into the other half of the board. I used The Captain's tactics to heavily stack my right flank. My basic plan was to try and with the right flank with my concentrated numbers, then roll him up.

Turn 2

You can see my problem here. Geldy's advanced his forces in a cohesive line, protecting his flanks. I on the other hand moved my units forward in an awkward fragmented way. I sent my Mounted Scouts off to slow down his advance into my right flank, which they did well enough. I didn't take advantage of the time gained though, so it was ultimately a waste. I also forgot to shoot with them (lol). I left my General out on the right there hiding. My plan with him was for him to be an annoying distraction that just hung around, and he worked well for the most part.

Turn 3

My knights and Captain charged off all keen, leaving the slower infantry behind. The fliers in both sides caused issues. My General on a winged beast and his dragon both got behind lines and had to be dealt with.

I had planned for my Steam Tank to hang back and charge anything that threatened my war machines. Except I positioned it poorly and spent most of the game pivoting, chasing the dragon's tail. Next time I'll just march it forward next to the Foot Guard Horde. 

Turn 4

Basically Geldy's Elohi and Phoenix were way better at locking down my flyer than my steam tank was at locking down his.

Turn 5

Turn 6

Final Positions

Result: 395 v 815. If I had moved the steam tank forward one turn earlier I *may* have been able to sneak a draw, but I doubt it.

Apart from my sloppy advancement, and poor positioning, I had no answer to his flyers. The Dragon, the Phoenix, and the Horde of Elohi are all a difficult combination of high movement, high defence, and high attacks. I understand that there are ways to deal with them, but I'm not there yet.

Perhaps if I had held my knights back as a second line of defense it would have made it harder for his flyers to land behind.

This game was a very much an experiment for me; using two new units and facing flyers for the first time.

Next time I'll remember to actually shoot with my Mounted Scouts (lol), I'll actually get an attack in with my Beast of War, and I'll try not to send my Knights off unsupported. I'll try.

I'll also have to remember to think a little more during deployment and those crucial first two turns. I've made key errors in T1 & T2 every game now. Still, was as good a preparation for the tournament as I'm likely to get.