Satisfying Moments in Gaming

For those of you unawares, I play a lot of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar. It's an awesome game; both easy to grasp and endlessly deep in strategy. The intricacies of building your army are nearly limitless and powerful combinations are always hiding waiting to be uncovered and sprung against your opponent.

Normally when I play Age of Sigmar (or AoS), I play Beasts of Chaos. These unhinged beastmen roam the Mortal Realms laying waste to civilization, erecting momentous Herdstones as altars of sacrifice, and most of the time ignoring the four Gods of chaos in favor of the raw, anarchic freedom of rule by strength. Unfortunately, their rules are rather lackluster in this current edition and winning with the Beasts of Chaos is by no means a small feat. I play what I love, but sometimes I need to win a game.

After many crushing defeats, I decided to check out some new armies. I searched for some time, as a new army comes not only as a significant cost in money, but also time and energy. I had considered many different factions, mostly within the alliance of Chaos, until Games Workshop had released a teaser of the new book and chapter in the Age of Sigmar story; BROKEN REALMS: MORATHI.

I won't go into the details on the story (although you can always hit me up on Twitter to talk about such things), but what did catch my eye was the beautiful models of the dark elves. Sea-faring elves bearing cloaks of dragon-skin and black, shark-like eyes, they wade into battle without a sound; emotionless killers. They're frightening, and in my opinion, what elves should be like—mysterious and alien to human understanding.

After reading up on some of the lore, I decided to stake my claim in the city of Anvilgard. An island in Aqshy, the realm of fire, surrounded by a carnivorous jungle held at bay by a sinking, grey mist. Anvilgard is under the watchful eye of Sigmar, but the city itself is ruled by a shadowy cabal of blackmailers, extortionists, and murderers. They ally themselves with the gods of Order, but are by no means "good."

So after a month or so of research, reading, theorizing, and plotting, I ordered my first models. Thankfully, I had a great group of people helping me come up with a list (thanks to the AoS Coach for having an awesome community!), which kept my money and time focused in a direct goal. This hobby is wonderful, but it is expansive, and can get away from you if you lack direction or focus which helps neither the pocket book or your closet space.

Obviously with Covid running rampant in the U.S., we are unable to play our beloved tabletop games in person, but thankfully Tabletop Simulator has become a refuge for role-players, wargamers, board gamers, and others. Hundreds of people have put thousands of hours of work into uploading 2d and 3d models, rule sets, dice, and more so others can continue playing Age of Sigmar from the comfort of their own home. And with this virtual realm comes the ability to try out any army you like—without spending any time or money buying, assembling, or painting the models. There has never been a safer and more cost-effective way to become a wargamer!

To cut to the chase, yesterday I played a game with a new friend who is an Avilgard fanatic. He's been interviewed by the AoS coach about the faction, has figured out some really awesome combinations, and has been super helpful when figuring out this new army, even going so far as to helping me build my list. Buckets (as he goes by on the internet), has been an instrumental part of my becoming a better player in Age of Sigmar.

Our game took place in the virtual realm of Tabletop Simulator, which of course it had to because I am in the southwest US, and he is in Canada, but it made the game all that much better as we also had people from Australia and the Netherlands joining us, watching the game, asking questions, and just having a good time. It was such an amazing experience to have people from all over the world together enjoying the same hobby while simply being at home on their computer. I couldn't help but think "this is what the internet is for; creating bonds that span all over the world." But of course with that awesome power comes all the bad parts too (see: Facebook or Twitter).

I had an incredible first turn and ended up leading the game for 3.5 turns. We tied at the bottom of turn 3, and at the top of turn 4 it became clear I just did not have the bodies to take the win, and so conceded to my friend Buckets. However, the game was not about the win for me, it was about the learning experience. It was my first time playing someone outside of my regular gaming group, and not only that, but Buckets is a tournament player and was able to teach me things that I had never even considered. There were many screen shots of our game taken yesterday morning with beautiful formations, screening and charging; it was absolutely the strongest I had ever played (partly because Buckets was nice enough to advise me on how to play the army), and with the addition of our world-wide Warhammer hangout, lead to one of the most unique and satisfying gaming experiences I have ever had.

My Anvilgard List:

Allegiance: Cities of Sigmar

- City: Anvilgard (Illicit Dealings: Hidden Agents) (+D3 CP)

Leaders

Dreadlord on Black Dragon (300)

- General

- Exile Blade & Tyrant Shield (+1 to saves)

- Command Trait: Slayer of Monsters (+1 hit & wound rolls VS Monsters)

- Artefact: Venomfang Blade (D3 MW on 6’s + additional damage)

- Drakeblood Curse: Jutting Bones (2+ D3 MW on charge)

Sorceress on Black Dragon (300)

- Witch Rod

- Lore of Dark Sorcerery: Vitriolic Spray (delete save 6”)

- Drakeblood Curse: Fell Gaze (-2 bravery 12”)

Sorceress (90)

- Artefact: Drakescale Cloak

- Lore of Dark Sorcerery: Vitriolic Spray (delete save 6”)

Battleline

30 x Darkshards (300) (Hammer | Shooting)

10 x Dreadspears (90)

10 x Drake Knights (260) (Anvil or Hammer)

1 x Drakespawn Chariots (80) (Anvil | MW on Charge)

1 x Drakespawn Chariots (80) (Anvil | MW on Charge)

Units

20 x Black Guard (260) (Hammer)

Battalions

Kraeth's Shadowhost (160) (Free +1 Atk Dreadspears + Darkshards)

Endless Spells / Terrain / CPs

Umbral Spellportal (70)

Total: 1990 / 2000 | Wounds: 125