SFR, Inc.

[loligarchy]

You know what, yeah the Dragon would still be there. If nothing else the simple fact that Bash is a special SAI during Dragon Attacks does mean that it acts like bullseye.

Reserves
I'll leave my units where they are.

End turn.
Wind Wall ends

Turn Sequence: AC, Loligarchy

Turn 3 AC

	*****************	**	*****************	**	*****************	*****************
	AC BUA		AC DUA		AC Reserve Army	AC Summoning Pool
*
	AC		AC (Dust Devil)		AC Home Army
	Loligarchy's Home (City)		Frontier (AC)		AC's Home (Standing Stones)
	Loligarchy Home Army		Loligarchy (Flashfire)		Loligarchy
*
	Loligarchy Reserve Army		Loligarchy Summoning Pool		Loligarchy DUA	Loligarchy BUA

[AC]

This can only end badly for me, but I must point out that I made a laughable counterattack that needs to be defended, with the looming possibility of Counters.

Also, there appears to be a dragon hanging out at my Home terrain.

[loligarchy]

Oh ok
Cryohydra: 4 ID
Herald: 3 ID
Herald: 3 ID
Knight: 2 ID

Reroll Herald with flashfire
Herald: 3 ID
...well fine then No counters :/

[AC]

It's a rout! Wait . . .

Third Turn
No spells or effects that I remember, no dragons

First March
At my Home

Rolling for Magic:
Lich: 4 Cantrip
Lich: 3 Magic
Heucuva: 3 Magic
Apparition: 2 Magic
Apparition: ID (1)
Heucuva: 2 Save
Bog Runner: 1 Melee

Total: 13 + 1 doubling from my DUA: 14 Black.

Use 7 Black to cast Summon Elemental Dragon on your Home, summong Death Drake from my pool.
Use 4 Black to cast Restless Dead on my army at the Frontier.
Use 3 Black to cast Palsy on your army at your Home.

[AC]

Second March
At the Frontier

Attacking your army at your Home. Rolling for Missile:
Deluger: 5 Missile
Deluger: ID (3)
Stormer: 4 Missile
Stormer: ID (2)
Stormer: 2 Missile
Stormer: 2 Missile
Leopard Rider: 3 Save
Wolf Rider: 3 Maneuver
Bog Runner: 1 Save

Total: 18, halved by Dust Devil, yields 9 Missile incoming.

[loligarchy]

Forgot to note it but the Frost Breath is still in effect until the beginning of my next turn.
Save
Blue Dragonzealot: 4 ID
Blue Dragontroop: 1 Melee
Conjurer: 2 Maneuver
Conjurer: 2 ID
Enchanter: 2 Save
Evoker: 1 Magic
Knight: 2 Maneuver
Sunflare: 2 Magic
Sunflare: 2 Magic
Sunflare: 2 ID
Sunflare: 2 Magic
8 ID
2 Save
4 Manuever
14 -1+1 dragonkin= 14 saves

[AC]

Ah, Frostbreath, too. So that was an exercise in futility. "Awful cold and windy to be shooting today, General."

Reserves
None

End of Turn

Rolling dragons for your turn:
Death Wyrm: Tail, Jaws (3, 12)
Death Drake: Claw (6)

Total: 21 damage incoming.

[loligarchy]

Initial Effects
Dust Devil, Flashfire and Frostbreath end


Dragon Attack
Oh god, that is not good at all...

Blue Dragontroop: 1 ID
Blue Dragonzealot: SFR Logo
Conjurer: 2 Magic
Conjurer: 3 Magic
Enchanter: 2 Save
Evoker: 1 ID
Knight: 3 Melee
Sunflare: 2 Magic
Sunflare: 3 Maneuver
Sunflare: 2 Magic
Sunflare: 2 ID

8 - 1 +1 = 8 saves
13 damage...
Dragonzealot, knight, dragontroop and three sunflares die


First Turn
Magic
Conjurer: 2 Maneuver
Conjurer: 2 Melee
Enchanter: 2 Save
Evoker: 1 Magic
Sunflare: 3 Maneuver

I think that very well may be game. I made a lot of mistakes though so not terribly surprising here.

All forces to reserves

Turn Sequence: AC, Loligarchy

	*****************	**	*****************	**	*****************	*****************
	AC BUA		AC DUA		AC Reserve Army	AC Summoning Pool
*
	AC		AC (Restless Dead)		AC Home Army
	Loligarchy's Home (City)		Frontier (AC)		AC's Home (Standing Stones)
	Loligarchy Home Army		Loligarchy		Loligarchy
*
	Loligarchy Reserve Army		Loligarchy Summoning Pool		Loligarchy DUA	Loligarchy BUA

[AC]

I wouldn't say it's over yet. I guess we'll see how the rolls go. Those dragons are funny; they can do diddly or they can devastate. I'll usually try to find a better use for the magic, since they're such an easy go-to and so unreliable, but if I can drop them on a stack of mages -- especially soft mages like Firewalkers -- it can sometimes turn out smashingly. I know I've certainly been torn up by them before.

Fourth Turn
Restless Dead on my army at the Frontier expires.
I'll use Mutation with my army at the Frontier to target a Conjurer (and an Evoker, if I am able to target more health than I actually have to bring back -- the wording in the rules makes it sound like I can) in your Reserves. If the Conjurer dies, I'll bring back the Stormer from my DUA.
No dragons.

First March
At my Home

Rolling for Magic:
Lich: ID (3)
Lich: 3 Magic
Heucuva: 3 Magic
Heucuva: 3 Melee
Apparition: 1 Melee
Apparition: 1 Save
Bog Runner: 1 Melee

Total: 9 Magic, doubling the Lich for a total of 12 Black.

Using 12 Black to cast Ashes to Ashes x 6 to bury the three Sunflares in your DUA.

I'll wait to see how the Mutation turned out.

You know what would make Missile really good (perhaps too good)? The ability to fire on, or at least engage, a dragon outside of the normal sequence of events. If one could take a Missile action to shoot down a dragon at a neighboring terrain, even if it meant the dragon got another roll, and even if it meant no promotions, it'd be a significant boost to missile . . . Quite probably far too potent, to be realistic.

[chuckpint]

You can attempt to Mutate up to three health even if all you have dead is one health....
_________________
You can never have too many dice.
First Place at the first ever Daemon Dice sealed starter tournament.
Battlefest tied for first GenCon 2012
Single Race Champion GenCon 2008-2009, Sealed Box Champion GenCon 2007,2009,
My collection is 21,500 Dragon Dice, 20,000 Daemon Dice, and others (too many to count).

[AC]

I figured that was the case, so as to give one a better chance of bringing back that one health. It's just that the way the numbers worked out (only dead is one Uncommon, only one Common in his Reserves, nothing to promote), the fact that the Conjurer could live means I've got a shot at killing the Evoker for no return. It's just cruel. Man, Swamp Stalkers are great.

[loligarchy]

Oh I'm going to keep going. However this does mean that you're going to get at least one completely open missile attack on me which is going to hurt and I won't be able to revive units faster than you can bury so its going to be rough at best.

Mutation save
Conjurer: 2 ID
Evoker: 2 Magic
Conjurer survives, Evoker dies. You get another mutation next turn

I really do enjoy Swamp Stalkers, they are probably one of my favorite races and certainly one of the ones I play the most. The issue is that they are very good at pressing an advantage so the situation I'm in is especially problematic given that I'm facing swamp stalkers and undead.

[AC]

Yeah, I understand you've got to walk into the line of fire and that your odds of a comeback are slim. I'm not trying to pile it on or be unsportsmanlike; I just hate to see the towel thrown in too early. I missed Swamp Stalkers when they first hit the scene, and later spent time kicking myself because they really are right up my alley.

Second March
At the Frontier

Rolling for Magic:
Stormer: ID (2)
Everybody else: Nada

Total: 4 Magic, black or green.

Guess I'll cast Ashes to Ashes x 2 to bury the Knight in your DUA.

Reserves
None

End of Turn

[loligarchy]

Ok
First March
Magic
Conjurer: 2 ID
Conjurer: 3 Magic
Cryohydra: 4 Save
Enchanter: 3 Melee
Herald: 3 ID
Herald: 3 ID
Knight: 3 Maneuver
Sunflare: 2 Magic

13 magic
rez dragonzealot

Reserves
Move all units to your home

End Turn
Turn Sequence: AC, Loligarchy

Turn 3 AC

	*****************	**	*****************	**	*****************	*****************
	AC BUA		AC DUA		AC Reserve Army	AC Summoning Pool
*
	AC		AC (Restless Dead)		AC Home Army
	Loligarchy's Home (City)		Frontier (AC)		AC's Home (Standing Stones)
	Loligarchy Home Army		Loligarchy		Loligarchy
*
	Loligarchy Reserve Army		Loligarchy Summoning Pool		Loligarchy DUA	Loligarchy BUA

[AC]

Restless Dead dissipated last turn.

Fifth Turn
No spells, effects, dragons.

First March
At my Home

Rolling for Magic
Lich: 4 Cantrip
Heucuva: 3 Magic
Lich: 3 Save
Heucuva: 3 Melee
Apparition: 1 Melee
Apparition: 1 Save
Bog Runner: 2 Maneuver

Total: 7 Magic. Using 6 Black to cast Evil Eye x 3 on your army at my Home.

[AC]

Second March
At the Frontier

Taking a missile action to attack your army at my Home:
Deluger: 4 Bullseye
Deluger: ID (3)
Stormer: 4 Missile
Leopard Rider: 3 Rend
Wolf Rider: 2 Melee
Stormer x 2: 2 Save
Bog Runner: 1 Melee

Total: 7 Missile, plus 4 Bullseye. Using 2 Bullseye results each on the Sunflare and one Conjurer.

[loligarchy]

Oh I understand, and even if you were I don't mind friendly taunting now and again, haha. I mean afterall I completely crushed you in that last match
An interesting note that I stumbled upon while working on the missile thread: The Deluger is arguably the single best rare archer in the game. He is one of the few rares that averages a higher average result per health than a common, tied with the lava elf rare but the Deluger's secondary face is a save whereas the lava's is a melee making him objectively better.

Bullseye Save
Conjurer: 2 Maneuver
Sunflare: 2 Magic
They both die

Missile Save
Blue Dragonzealot: 4 ID
Conjurer: 2 Magic
Cryohydra: 4 Maneuver
Enchanter: 3 ID
Herald: 3 Melee
Herald: 4 Counter
Knight: 2 Save
13 Saves - 3 = 10 saves

Magic at your home
Blue Dragonzealot: 4 ID
Conjurer: 2 ID
Cryohydra: 4 Melee
Enchanter: 3 Magic
Herald: 3 Melee
Herald: 3 ID
Knight: 2 Maneuver

5 ID that can double green
4 ID
3 Magic
I'll use my herald's 3 ID, doubled to 6 to bury your stormer
6 magic to rez my conjurer
3 magic to summon blue dragonfoal

Reserve my two conjurers and my enchanter

Turn Sequence: AC, Loligarchy

Turn 3 AC

	*****************	**	*****************	**	*****************	*****************
	AC BUA		AC DUA		AC Reserve Army	AC Summoning Pool
*
	AC		AC		AC Home Army
	Loligarchy's Home (City)		Frontier (AC)		AC's Home (Standing Stones)
	Loligarchy Home Army		Loligarchy		Loligarchy (Evil Eye x3)
*
	Loligarchy Reserve Army		Loligarchy Summoning Pool		Loligarchy DUA	Loligarchy BUA

[AC]

So the Deluger and Assassin join 9 other dice, unless I am forgetting someone, as the only units to feature a context-neutral 83% favorable result rate (context meaning terrain, so as to exclude, for example, Swamp Stalker cavalry, who save at an 83% rate at Swamplands; this is the sense in which I shall be referring to it from here on out), which in light of our recent discussion of Missiles illuminates an interesting item.

The Deluger and Assassin both achieve their high mean result through their high favorability rate in missile; both also have a 5-point face, offset for the Stalker by two 2-point faces, and for the Elf by that one ugly 1-point face. Thus, there is some gamble involved, but this is to be expected: Both Lava Elves and Swamp Stalkers are "extreme," or high variance, races, while most races tend to be more balanced.

Among the first four races, there are three such 83% dice, including the Assassin, the other two belonging to those straight-ahead fellows, the dwarves. The Warlord (Heavy Rare) is about as straight-ahead as you can get: He has three faces of 3 Melee each, a 3 Save, and a 4 Smite -- focused and well-balanced, as we know the dwarves to be. Which brings us to the Curious Case of the Crack Shot. Melee is the principal "filler icon" for the dwarves -- that is, once they've got their role-appropriate allotment, they tend to have extra melee (then extra saves, secondarily). We are not therefore surprised that the Crack Shot's non-missile face is Melee. But wait! It's a 4-point face, and in order to get that extra axe, he had to give up a crossbow -- the very thing he does.

In the whole dwarven race, there are not only just three dice, but a total of three faces that produce fewer results than the unit's health. One is the Wizard's 2-point Melee face, and we are certainly not dissuaded from using the die because of that, since we are hardly taking him for his melee ability. The second is the Skirmisher (Light Rare), who has one 2-point maneuver face -- not ideal, but he isn't Cavalry, and he packs a wallop anyway. The third is that Crack Shot's 2-point Missile face, which unlike the Assassin and Delugers' low faces, does not offset an above-health missile face.

The other 7 dice of 83% favorability are the three Firewalker Mages, the Mummy, Oak Lord, Pine Prince, and Eldar Dryad. The Firewalkers, Mummy, and Oak Lord are all balanced: three 3-point faces, and one 4. While the Firewalkers' bonus icon is a Maneuver, having an entire magic-using force that produces at an 83% clip is exceptional enough that we do not consider them to be weak. The Eldar Dryad also has a 2-point face, but she is, again, a magic user, and the risk is a small price to pay for 83% favorability and a high mean.

The point of all this? Of the 11 dice with an 83% favorable result rate, 4 are mages. Of the remaining 7, 3 are well-balanced. All 3 are Heavy Rares. The only 4 83%-favorable, uneven result, non-magic dice in the game are all Missile units. Especial onus hangs upon the Crack Shot, whose imbalance comes in favor of a "wasted" icon. Is this coincidence? Perhaps. But maybe there's something about Missile that the designers felt the need to tweak it so. Or maybe this coupled with other considerations of icon distribution is what gives Missile its strange flavor.

[AC]

Sixth Turn
No spells, effects, dragons

First March
At my Home

Rolling for Magic:
Lich: 3 Magic
Heucuva: 3 Magic
Heucuva: 3 Magic
Lich: 3 Melee
Apparition: 1 Save
Apparition: 1 Melee
Bog Runner: 2 Maneuver

Total: 9 Black.

Using 6 Black to cast Ashes to Ashes x 3 to bury your Sunflare and Evoker in your DUA.
Using 3 Black to cast Reanmiate Dead on my Wardog Rider in my DUA.

[AC]

Second March
At the Frontier

Taking Missile action to attack your army at my Home:
Deluger: 2 Missile
Deluger: 2 Missile
Stormer: 2 Missile
Stormer: 2 Missile
Leopard Rider: 3 Save
Wolf Rider: 2 Melee
Stormer: 2 Save
Stormer: 2 Melee
Bog Runner: 1 Save

Total: 8 Missile. I think I wasted the one great roll my army had in it on that turn when the results were quartered.

8 damage incoming.

Reserves
None

End of Turn

Evil Eye x 3 on your army at my Home expires after my turn.