Post Ides Syndrome: The Dissolusioned Underpowered Faction Disorder.

So as the blog title mentions, procrastination is a big part of my wargaming, I need somewhere to do it now that I'm not studying.


Ides was a fantastic tournament in a good location with excellent competition and great people. It was a resounding success, although I didnt win. However there are 2 main gripes. The first was playing against the same Retribution opponent twice. I know some other players had it worse off with their draws but if I'm going to complain about anything that's it.
The only other thing was I found many of the scenarios difficult to score from. Essentially because they required the destruction of an objective before the zones were free uncontested, or what was many times the case, the enemy caster basically just sat in front of my army and forced me to kill him or I would be in a bad position the following turns, because my casters were not the up front kind.

This resulted in one of the two following scenarios.

1: I'm Retribution so killing a caster isn't an issue. I remove whatever is in the way or go around it depending on my caster and secure the kill, failing this make sure his counter turn will not hurt by removing as much vital pieces as I need to and facilitating my armies ability to deliver whats needed where its needed.

or

2: I'm Retribution so killing a caster isn't an issue. I remove whatever is in the way or go around it depending on my caster and secure the kill, failing this make sure his counter turn will not hurt by removing as much vital pieces as I need to and facilitating my armies ability to deliver whats needed where its needed. BUT my dice rolls fail, and / or I forget a key in game effect resulting in me loosing.

Basically I was up 3 wins but on 0 control points. In a fit of panic over the low CP's I tried to take some on the following game. What I learnt was I should have just assassinated when I saw the opportunity. I waited a turn and missed my chance. I was playing against Menoth and I popped Ossyans feat a turn late, I hit Fiora with a Chronophage and 2 arcantrick bolts and followed up with 3 stormfall archers. I left her on one box. Forgetting that she was under the effect of Chronophage she ran behind a wall blocking my armies line of sight to her. herpderp

The other game was against 3lich. We were grinding each other out to similar effect. I feated first, he countered by moving up and feating. With a bit of scalpel shooting and Phantom Hunter I lined up an assassination on Gaspy. I had him on fire, corroded and with 6 boxes after Kaelyssa spanked him with an Arcane Secreted Arcantrick Bolt. However I now derped, with 3 focus left I figured the better option was to step in, start stripping focus and boosting damage rolls, which it would have. If he didnt have his feat up. I would have been much safer firing one more Arcantrick Bolt at him and sitting well well out of range. As it was I didn't put any damage on him and he healed 4 more points, making the effects of the fire and corrosion negligible. He almost screwd up his own counter assassination run but managed to do at least one activation right (his last one) and killed Kae to the box. It was looking reasonably a safe win for me until I walked too close and gave it away, I'll chalk it up to a lack of concentration.

So I came out 5 wins 2 losses. I dont need to recount the wins, it was in most cases MHSF with Phantom Huntered Arcantrick bolts, or Hyperion to face. I did collect one CP but it was after the last game on the first day and we both forgot to record it, so it didnt go down on my record. No big deal my overal placing of 9th out of 36/38 would have been the same anyway, incidentally I was the highest ranked Ret player and I have a suspicion I might have been close to fastest assassination, but neither of these factors were rewarded. Noted I did "smash" Josh and he was above me on the table at the end.

Lessons? Just kill the motherfuckers, screw the scenario points only take them if its going to win you the game. Your better off 7/0 than 6/1 with 50cp's. But I suppose much of this depends on how the strength of schedule is worked out.

I was geared up for Equinox but it was canceled, and now I am going to Lukes thing in my own house. Not so sweet but... well its something still.

I think I did as well as I expected, I knew the top of the field was going to be a rough group, and actually I didnt get to play against any of them in the tournament, although most of my lists were designed around them in mind. The points worked out something like 5th place was drawn with 3 guys, just barely.

The most important thing about this tournament was that I got my regular Gators opponent to admit that despite his brazen hatred for my Faction Retribution of Scyrah is "ok" Having recieved the OK I now feel justified in my selection of them and that I no longer need to champion them as a faction, and as a result have considered taking on Skorne.

Considering his tournament was pretty bad and he got out played and out listed in a few games he was all but ready to delete his blog and melt down his minis, but the gift of the Mug of Mediocrity "he won a cup for bitching at the TO and having a funny blog) deterred him and now he is just wistfully dreaming of playing a faction that is not sub to "ok"

We players of underpowered factions are hanging on to the new books releases to justify our actions in choosing armies that reside below the Brimblecomb Line of Approval. Its a nasty cycle but its a fact that human beings are such stubborn creatures that we tend to justify bad decisions of our own rather than admit that we made a mistake. Thankfully my faction now has the "OK" and I don't have to admit to such folly.

What the future holds? Nicon perhaps, now that the Big Ides is over there is a bit of a void to fill. Maybe I'll go find a new job or something. Or start that Skorne army.