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Mission: The Winds of Winter
Each commander selects 6 secret missions from a pool of 12. Each round, starting from the 2nd, each commander declares what mission they will attempt that round. What are the no-good Greyjoys up to now?!
Both armies have come for a fight, and both commanders have chosen highly aggressive lists. There is going to be a blood bath!
The armies:
Starks won the initiative (they were expecting them), so they allowed the Greyjoys to pick a side, and Starks picked Greyjoys to be the first player.
Deployment:
Both commanders deployed strong assault units on the flanks. Greyjoys deployed a unit of Reavers with Nute and their Anvil unit (Ironmakers with Asha), and Stark deployed their hammer (Unit of Karstark loyalists with Rob) across from each other.
On the other flank, I saw Winterfell guard with Bryden Tully face off against Silenced men led by Euron.
Both commanders deployed at the centre table to use their commander abilities. Victorian, in a unit of Reavers, was supported by a unit of trappers (support unit), whereas Eddard, in his honour guard, had a unit of umber berzerkers for support.
Turn 1:
Turn one was a cadgy one, each army setting up for charges without giving up flanks or accessible counter chargers. Rob used manoeuvre on the tactics board to get the Karstarks in position for a charge next turn. Rob ran out of space while trying to set up a flank charge.
The Greyjoys took letters and wealth to stark stacking cards and pillage tokens for their army.
Turn 2:
Both commanders used a secret mission card to try to restrict the tactics board's use.
The Karstarks did what they were put on the flank to do and smashed through the reavers on the flank, but as expected, the Ironnmakers went over to make sure they paid the Iron price, inflicting heavy losses on Rob's unit. The ever-eager umber bezerkrs failed their charge to support the Karstaks, leaving them open to a flank charge. Trappers tied up Eddards Honour guard to allow Victarion to set up a turn 3 charge without too much risk. Silenced men smashed into the Winterfell guard like water on rocks, finding their opponent much tougher than expected.
Both commanders had to give in to temptation and use the tactics board, scoring their missions.
Starks 2 (Mission 1, Units killed 1)
Greyjoys 1(Mission 1)
Turn 3:
Greyjoys, expecting to lose their trappers, played the mission, putting a bounty on the unit that kills them. The Starks, expecting an early NCU activation, tried to delay this.
There was some genius tactic card play by the Greyjoys, and some luck for the Starks saw this to be a very bloody turn.
Greyjoys took swords early so the iron makers could finish off Rob's unit of Karstarks loyalists. They left their flank exposed to bait the berzerkers into a charge to allow them to counter, but the brawn used their brain (Kinda) to manoeuvre to the front ark to stop Victarion from getting the flank charge. Victarion wanted to see how other aspects of the battle went, so they waited, relying on the trapper to hold up Eddards units. Starks got baited and gave an advantage to the Greyjoy by killing the trappers not once, not twice, but 3 times! The tactics card what is dead may never die, allowed the trackers to hold up Eddard long enough to allow the Ironmakers to batter the berzerkers to their last rank without taking much damage in return and then allowed Victorian to move some pillage about to then go into Eddards honour guard fully stacked. A disordered charge dented the impact, and both units took casualties, with the Eddards unit finally killing the trappers and getting the bounty placed on their heads. Bryden Tully and the Winterfell guard continued their stalemate.
Starks 4 (Mission 2, Unit killed 2)
Greyjoys 2 (Mission 1, Units killed 1)
Turn 4:
Starks, hoping to push through the centre, played the mission to hold the centre objective, and the Greyjoys played the sneaky mission of if they are trailing, they gain a point and take the first player token!
Victarion finally sees his chance to kill Eddard Stark but falls just short, leaving Eddard alive and giving him the ability to heal up and swing back, sending Victarion back to the Iron Islands. Every time Eddard made an attack, he healed a unit within long, giving the Winterfell guard and berserkers the much-needed attrition against the Greyjoy's brutal barrage. The iron guard finishes off the Umber berserkers and sets up to come and claim that bounty on the Honour guard. Bryden Tully and the Winterfell guard break the deadlock with the silenced men and advance up the flank.
Starks 8 (Mission 4, Units 4)
Greyjoys 4 (Mission 2, Units 2)
Turn 5:
Starks, running out of missions, selected objective control, and the Greyjoys attempted to go for the central objective.
Starks had the first player, so they needed the manoeuvre to have Eddards unit turn and face the oncoming Ironmakers for the central objective. The Greyjoys were full of rage at the death of their king, playing the tactics card, which allowed them to count a charge roll as a 6, meaning they caught Eddard's unit easily! A bloody mess with many tactics cards and crazy dice rolls left both units with one wound!
Starks 9 (Mission 5, Units 4)
Greyjoys 4 (Mission 2, Units 2)
Turn 6:
The Starks had the chance to burn the Greyjoy ships, so they played the mission to have a unit in the enemy deployment; the Greyjoys needed loot, so they went for objectives.
No surprise the Greyjoys killed Eddard with the first activation but, in doing so, nearly killed themselves with Eddards unit ability of when losing a rank, they deal a wound, the Greyjoys were able to Heal a wound before attacking, leaving a lone Asha with the spoils of killing Eddard for the bounty and on the table on the centre objective. The Winterfell guard successfully burned the ships, scoring their mission.
Starks 11 (Mission 7, Units4)
Greyjoys 7 (Mission 5, Units 2)
That game was so close and as bloody as expected! The Starks held back the raid this time!