Argatoria: Sorgax vs Arox 750pts game
Report & Strory:
Jarek Westermark &
Tetyana Orlovska
&
Jakub Polkowski
Story
Omecíhuatl was sitting motionless on the
cold stone floor with his legs crossed. He was watching as the
drops of water were flowing down the cave walls. The hall was
hidden in the viscera of the mountain and the wall he was looking
at was reaching the mountaintop on which was a frozen lake. The
drops were coming straight from the sacred lake to the hatching
chambers below his current location. His eyes were following each
water drop and by this, he was looking for the patterns and hidden
messages from the Gods. He heard whispers, unfinished words and
puzzles. He closed his eyes and breathed heavily. He gasped and
his heart started to beat rapidly when the afterimages shaped into
understanding.
He rose rapidly and his knees reminded him
of his age with stabbing pain.
He didn’t care. There was no time. He
rushed through the gates where Tlilpotonqui was waiting for him.
His bodyguard was wearing ornate armour and a great hammer. He
stood in silence not wanting to disturb the sacred melody of
falling water drops but there was an unspoken question in his
eyes.
Omecíhuatl tried to catch his breath. He
laid his trembling hands on the huge warrior-lizard arms and
spoke.
— Muster your legion. Fast. Now. The
Warmbloods are coming.
Armies
Arox
Howdy, y’all! I can’t say I was really
looking for a new system to play, but have had an eye out for
Argatoria for a while. The models look ace, the Howardesque vibes
are really strong, and the scale promises a chance to paint up a
force rather quickly! So when the mighty Kuba of battle-reports.org
set up a deal with Spellcrow to get us two armies to exchange blows
(and photograph said exchange for posterity!), I jumped on the
chance to visit the blighted wastes of this barbarian world.
I got the choice of the army and after a quick
look, decided to go with the one with the most frogs per square
meter (obviously). That meant the ancient Arox. I painted them up
to be albino frogs, as you do, and after a few weeks marched them
up to do battle! Little did I know that before meeting Kuba’s
barbarians on the field, I would get a chance to play against
Tetyana, also known as Lady Argatoria herself! Her colourful
lizardfolk looked stunning and very different from my army, which
neatly showed how a paint job can completely transform even similar
models and give them a whole different vibe.
As for army composition, I went with the rule of cool. That meant
frogs. Lots of frogs. Some big, some small, some wielding golden
swords and others in golden armour! Add to that a pale dinosaur and
a set of heroes chosen to boost the (as I imagined) all-important
charge ranges of the army, and I believed I had a fighting chance
not to embarrass myself on this first outing.
To war!
Sorgax
So, what was my plan to prove the
indisputable might of the Water Temples? Well, it's quite simple.
Apart from daily gatherings of my General and his reptilian
councelors who were brewing a masterful plan of the Arox's doom, my
forces set off on a tough training a few weeks in advance. Sounds
promising, doesn't it? If only that was true! The truth is, I had
no actual plan. First and foremost, I wasn't sure what to expect
from my adversary (of course I knew I'll face the bloody Arox who
dare to call themselves almighty). I saw a glimpse of Jarek's
beautiful painting of his albino forces somewhere on the internet,
and – truth to be told – I thought that if he's such a splendid
painter, maybe the battle won't be too tough. You know, having
spent so much time refining his warriors... he would be prepared...
just like me! So not that much!
With this jolly thought in mind, I went for
"a-bit-of-everything" army, but giving up on the hordes and large
beasts. My aim was to make it difficult for Jarek to pick an easy
target, and for me to have slightly easier choices during the
fight. Because if I decided to get a big horde, I would need to be
way more careful. A failed charge of a smaller unit is not that
painful, wouldn't you agree? In that case, there were just various
smaller units sprinkled around the battlefield. I added one rank of
the magnificent cavalry, Crushers on Scalyvars. They've got a quite
high cost per base (especially for such small points), but I just
love these models, plus I'm always down for risky long-distance
charges. I hope this time they won't disappoint me, causing some
serious trembling of Jarek's pants (no double meaning)!
Now, let's check whether all my brilliant theories
prove their worth in the battle.
Pre battle
Scenario:
Domination, 20 Blood Points. First deployment map.
Deployment:
The standard size of the battle in the Argatoria is 90cmx150cm. We
played on a bigger mat but used this size for deployment.
Arox
had to deploy the whole army and next, it was Sorgax's turn to
deploy.
In Argatoria the terrain in set after the deployment of both the
armies. Each player roll a dice - on 1-4 You can deploy a single
piece of terrain(or two - dependant of the scenario).
Both
armies managed to get one piece of terrain to deploy.
Battle
Turn 1
Roll-off for the initiative was by the Arox. They
had to activate 4 units.
The first unit that moved was the Liagulians, who
dashed to the side of the battlefield. They were followed by the
Golden Guards, Ropuchons and the horde of the Reptilians.
The Sorgax army seemed not to be rushing, as a
single activation was made. The Ropuchons made a move to gain some
terrain on the right flank.
Arox had 2 activations and a mighty Desauros with
Sun Monolith moved forward. Then the Reptilians on the left flank
moved as well.
Sorgax once again activated 1 unit - the
Reptilians on the left flank spread the battle line.
Arox activated 2 remaining units - the 8
lizard-strong unit of Liagulians aligned to the centre line with
the Desauros and horde of Reptilians. The Sanctified moved behind
the small unit of Reptilians.
Now it was time to move all remaining Sorgax units.
The
Slagors used their underneath move to jump in front of the battle
line. The Crushers on Scalyvars dashed forward, close to the
buildings and the rest of the units moved slightly forward keeping
the deployment formation.
It was a time for the heroes phase. In Argatoria
there is a separate roll-off who activates units, and a second one
- the winner has to activate all his heros.
The Arox was the first to move its heroes. They moved closer to the
units to spread their auras. The Mystic of the Reborn managed to
cast the Whispers of the Gods. There were no orders given.
It was Sorgax's turn to move heroes. Champion of
Death wanted to join the cavalry unit, but they moved too far away.
Champion of the Wrath moved the centre of the battle line. There
were no spells to cast or orders to issue.
Arox 0 : 0 Sorgax
Turn 2
With active Whispers of the Gods, winning the
Initiative roll was an easy thing for the Arox.
With the single activation, the 4-bases strong
unit of Liagulians was moved to block the march of the Sorgax
flank.
The Sorgax roll for the activation was 5. The Ropuchons on the
right flank moved forward, and the Reptilians on the left flank
passed the Scalivars and took position in the middle ground. The
second unit of Ropuchons moved to the buildings in the centre.
The 8 lizard-strong unit of Repsolians and Liagulians Warriors
stood still.
Arox had 2 activations and the Golden Guard and
the Ropuchons moved slightly towards the enemies in front of them.
The remaining three units were activated. Crushers
on Scalyvars moved out of the buildings into the open area. The
Slagors dashed forward and the Repsolians aligned to the units in
the middle of the battleline.
It was time for Arox to move all their units. The
Desauros with Sun Monolith moved forward. This allowed the horde of
the Reptilians Warriors to declare a charge into the Slagors. They
tried to pray but the gods were elsewhere. But thanks to the Mystic
of the Reborn aura and Command Group nearby and 6 on 1 dice for a
charge distance it was successful. Even more - it was a flank
charge and Slagors had to align with the horde.
The amount of attack dice was astonishing.
Even though only 10 of them managed to cause
wounds, it was more than enough to kill the Slagors.
The horde consolidated backwards their battle
line.
The rest of the Arox rotated and moved to the
centre of the battlefield.
It was time for heroes to make a difference.
The Arox won the roll-off and their heroes reacted
first.
The heroes moved closer to the units.
Then the Mystic of the
Reborn tried to cast a Blizzard on the Crushers on Scalyvars but
failed.
The General tried to give an order to the Desauros
but the giant beast did not respond!
It was time for Sorgax!
Champions joined the Reptilians Warriors on the left flank,
Crushers on Scalyvars and the Ropuchons in the centre.
It
was time to give an order and the Crushers on Scalyvars reacted.
They lowered their hammers and charged straight into the 8
lizard-strong unit of Liagulians.
They got a healthy 16-attack dice.
Thanks to their special rule they slaughtered the
small lizard warriors with ease. They consolidated into the Arox
Champion and Mystic of the Reborn but luckily - they both managed
to flee to the nearby units!
Only the Sorgax spell caster was not activated in
this turn.
He tried to cast the Whispers of the Gods and
succeeded! It was the end of turn 2.
Arox 4 : 8 Sorgax
Turn 3
With both armies placed in position to attack it
seeded that this might be the crucial turn.
The dice flew and thanks to the Whispers of The
Gods it was the Sorgax who had the initiative!
The roll for the activations was better than good!
5 units responded to the call!
The first activated unit was the Ropuchons. They
prayed for the Gods and the Fortune was granted to them. Next, they
decided to charge into the horde of the Reptilians Warriors.
But the roll for both hit and wound was very bad
and only a single base of Arox warriors was removed even though the
Big Frogs spit on the enemies.
Then the Champion of Wrath activated his ability
that gives +1 to the WS on the second unit of Ropuchons, who made a
long charge into the Liagulians on the flank.
Again the roll was not great and only 2 of the
small lizards were slayed.
The third unit activated was the Crushers on
Scalyvars. They charged into the small unit of the Reptilians
Warriors with the Command Group.
The unit simply disappeared under the might of the
hammer blows.
The Crushers on Scalyvars consolidated forwards
catching the Command Group on the way.
The Liagulians on the right flank prayed to the Gods but their
prayers were not heard. Even though they decided to charge into the
flank of the horde of the Reptilians Warriors.
The roll was
a double "1" and the charge failed.
The last activation was a short movement of the
Reptilians Warriors on the right flank who decided to remain
stationary.
It was a time for an act of revenge from the Arox!
The roll for activations was 5 as well!
Champion of Nature used his ability on the
Desauros with Sun Monolith, who turned and with a mighty roar
charged into the flank of the Crushers on Scalyvars.
Only 3 out of 11 attacks hit and 5 wounds were
inflicted. This meant that 1 mounted warrior was killed and the
second one was heavily wounded.
The Golden Guard charged into the Ropuchons to
rescue 2 remaining Liagulians.
Their spears pierced through the 3 of the
Ropuchons with ease. The faith of the last one was much worse - the
venomous saliva hit him. The whole unit was wiped out! The Golden
Guard then consolidated sideways making more room for the Ropuchons
behind them.
The horde of the Reptilians Warriors was next, and
it was a big surprise that only two Ropuchons were killed. But the
Blood Points were collected, and it was really close at this stage.
The Sanctified prayed successfully for the Fortune
and tried to finish off the Crushers on Scalyvars, but they failed
- the last one survived with a single wound left!
The blooded unit of two Liagulians prayed for the
Fortune and charged into the flank of their far cousins.
They managed to inflict 5 wounds in total, killing
2 bases of lizards from the Sorgax army.
After that it was time to move the remaining
Sorgax units.
The big unit of the Reptilians Warriors rotated
and moved toward the centre of the battlefield.
The last unit from Sorgax army was the Reptilians
Warriors moved along the building in the center.
Arox's last unit was the 8 Ropuchons, who managed
to fill in the gap between the horde of the Reptilian Warriors and
the Golden Guard.
With that, the units phase was over and the
crucial heroes phase started. At this point, it was a tie - 15:15.
The Arox won the roll.
The Command Group joined the Golden Guard and the
Mystic of the Reborn moved closer as well to spread his aura.
Sox’Augatir issued his last order and managed to
activate the Golden Guard, who made a 21cm charge into the
Liagulians.
11 wounds were inflicted, which was enough to
finish off the unit and secure the victory for the Arox!
FINAL SCORE
Arox 21 : 15 Sorgax
Epilogue
The day was gone. They lost the
battle but the war was not. Omecíhuatl roamed on the battlefield
listening to the cries of the ghosts of the fallen warriors trying
to remember their stories, so he could pass them to the next
generations of the temple guardians to learn from.
He found the shattered body of the
Tlilpotonqui and his steed lying in the sands near a strange
construct. Omecíhuatl kneeled next to him. He gently removed the
chest plate of his protégé and took his deeds' necklaces. It
should be stored in the main temple of Reptoss to honour the
decade-long duty of the noble reptilian who sacrificed himself for
the future of their kind. Then with his sacrificial dagger, he cut
off one of the claws and put it in his pocket. Part of
Tlilpotonqui's spirit was safe now and would join those before him
when the time was right. The silence of the night was broken by
the howls of the carnivorous beasts that came to feast on the
fallen.
Omecíhuatl stood up and made a final prayer
to their Gods thanking them for the warning that they gave him.
The price in blood they paid was high, but this was only one step
on the long route ahead of him and his kin. It was high time for
him to return to the Temple of the Gods Tears. They bought enough
time for the hatching to begin and his duty was now elsewhere. The
next generation has to learn about the pain and the strength that
it brings.
Post-game
Sorgax
What can I say... That was close!
Every battle in Argatoria teaches me
something new and tells me what I still need to work on. Desperate
craving for the enemy's pain leading to hasty moves in the
beginning? Check. Not being able to give my cavalry the support
from any Champion in the first cycle as a result (I did it in the
2nd cycle, but still)? Check. Blocking at least one friendly unit
with another one, delaying its attack? Check. There's always
something to learn, but the funny thing is, these are usually the
same lessons – exactly the same as in many battles before. I don't
know about you in that case, but it's very true for me!
I used the terrain to my advantage,
splitting the forces and trying to create a sort of dilemma for
Jarek ("Should I take the unit on the right and gain 4 Blood Points
or the unit on the left and gain 4 Blood Points instead?" – this is
what I call a tough nut to crack). My hammer-wielding cavalry was
waiting eagerly for the best possible target in sight, so when they
spotted juicy Liagulians, they couldn't wait any longer! With the
Champion of Death whispering behind them, they defeated the Arox's
spearmen with ease. A slaughter to remember.
That first charge gave me a nice
advantage but the further ones were far from ideal. For instance,
the charge of my Ropuchons into the Reptilians' horde. Although
gods listened to their prayer, they still managed to take down only
one base. What a shame! However, to be fair, such a small unit
against a full horde should never be something to expect much from.
Still, better to charge the enemy first than let him charge you.
It's at least 8 attack dice less for him, which can make a huge
difference. As you could see, the Ropuchons stood their ground
after the Reptilians tried to crush them. Never underestimate the
power of a few dice (and also enemy's bad luck)!
When my Crushers on Scalyvars almost
perished after two successful charges of the Arox's Desauros and
The Sanctified, I knew it's getting dangerous, since before that
happened, I still had had high hopes for them. I tried not to let
Jarek feel my Sorgaxian grip loosening though. I moved my
Reptilians to the centre, hoping that perhaps I'll take down some
more warriors from the enemy's horde. But I was too far. And that
final charge of the Golden Turds (it is said to be their real name)
in the last cycle was enough to call it a day.
After giving it a lot of thought, we –
the Sorgax – want to officially announce that the victory of Corks
of the Sun Cities, as we like to call them in our underground
halls, is one of the very last. After the necessary reinforcements,
and once our experiments are done... soon there will be nothing
left of the Arox's warriors.
Arox
Well, that went… way better than
expected! I think that first big fight when my horde showered the
Slaagors with dice (who can forget the Pyramid of Blood(red dice)!)
really boosted my army’s morale. So then later, after the
thunderous charge of enemy cavalry, which was seemingly
unstoppable, wiping out unit after unit, when I thought all was
lost, my little frogs managed to pull through. The Champion of
Nature made a difference, sending my dinosaur crashing into the
cavalry’s flank and, most importantly tying them up for the
duration. Dino on dino action! What’s not to love?
Then the Froggy Golden Guard secured my left flank and the numbers
advantage of the horde in my middle began to tell. Against all
odds, I started to feel like I might actually pull through. My
lines buckled but held.
I kept up the momentum by rewarding
my elite guard with a chance to actually break the enemy and bathe
in the cool spawning pit of eternal glory. I also promised each as
many flies as they could eat if they just made that horrifyingly
long charge. And so they did! Croak!
The loss of the cavalry on one flank,
my bold attack on the other and a protracted losing battle at the
centre all proved too much for the Sorgax, and they turned their
lizard tails and fled, leaving my pale army victorious.
Wow! I’m sure I made some right calls and some wrong ones. It’s all
hazy when you start a new game. I tried to play aggressively,
that’s for sure. What exactly made it all work out in my favour?
Was it Lady Luck who chose to smile upon my pale frogs, or Lady
Argatoria?
YOU DECIDE!