Time for something a little different. Not quite along the same lines of Blunderdome, I wanted to put something together that is still out of the norm for an Age of Sigmar event. This is the start of what will be a short series; I won’t be checking in after every single round since there are eleven of them…but I’ll be back half-way through and then back at the end to see how it went, so stay tuned! 

I’ve been thinking for a while now how to go about setting up a kind of league where lists are, in some fashion, randomised. Making truly random lists can cause far too much chaos and while that might be fun for some it’s not my cup of tea. My cup of tea is Yorkshire Gold, one sugar, a bit milky (oat, preferably).

This isn’t Blunderdome. It’s better, it’s actually fun for the participants, and (hopefully) produces good, close, games. We’ll see about that…

The Rules

My league, my rules. I did also make sure players were happy with them and probably took on some feedback but I’m writing this in a post-Christmas haze so who can really be sure?

These lists are 2,000 points fully Matched Play using the current General’s Handbook.

• No duplicate factions
• No Legends units
• Armies of Renown are okay
• The list made at league start is what’s used throughout, regardless of points changes or Battletomes coming out
• If a Battletome does come out for your army, you keep using the Faction Pack instead; it’s easier this way

Following this I asked the players to fill out a simple questionnaire to tell me which armies they’d be comfortable writing lists for. Each player writes one list, randomly assigned from the ones they said they’d write, making sure of no duplicate factions. Poor Slaanesh, no one wanted to write them an army list. Twelve responses here but we have eleven players after one drop.

Other than Slaanesh it came in at a pretty even split across, which was nice to see and made it nice and easy to randomise between them! So I randomised who was going to write which list and then a friend (thank you Rogue Michael) not participating in the event randomised who ended up with which army. He went the extra mile and made sure that no one ended up with an army they even signed up to make a list for, either. So no one knows what’s happening and has to start from square one!

Now you might be wondering “why don’t the players just write awful lists for each other, as a bit?” and that’s a great question. First is vibes, I asked the players to write a list that they themselves would be happy playing with. The second part is that this league will have two winners: the actual winner of most games and also the person who wrote the winning army list! I won’t give much away but another friend (thank WhamBadger) who is participating in the league has designed two incredibly cool trophies…that I really need to paint up before this gets away from me.

Army Lists

I know, I know, this is what you’re actually wanting to see. As part of the list writing process I asked the players to also give a brief description to accompany it; something to help the receiving player know what the hell the list is supposed to do. So I’ll be displaying the army list with the person’s name who is playing it (yes it’s all usernames) and then the notes below it of how it’s meant to work.

Tzeentch

First up is the army list I’ve had the luck of drawing: a pretty standard tzeentch Daemon list.

Bair's Tzeentch - Written by Chimp - Click to Expand

“What do:

• Unleash spell ‘transformed into spawn’, summon a spawn in combat with the enemy in their own turn.
• Pinks can feed the blues as they die (or explode for damage) and be screens/anvils.
• Screamers do battle tactics.
• It’s a control and ranged damage list :)”

Soulblight

Cronch's Soulblight - Written by Been - Click to Expand

“Notes on running it:

• My thoughts are basically to have Arkhan kill any large horde units while supporting the Morghasts while they kill anything particularly nasty, and also spam some appropriate endless spells turn 1.
• Then the Black Knights can run up the board to score objectives and battle tactics, and maybe pick apart some of the weaker units. Deathrattle Skeletons will never kill anything, but they also won’t die easily, so they’re perfect to yeet up the board with a spell and sit them on an objective to hold for as long as you need.
• The Vampire Lord on Zombie Dragon is a nasty wildcard that can move about anywhere and kill a lot of things it gets in combat with. It will also likely act as bait a lot of the time as people will want to kill the big nasty monster, and the artefact should help make that so much harder.
• Don’t sleep on the summoning rules for skeletons, they’re really neat and let you drop them onto backfield objectives or set things in your opponent’s turn to score a battle tactic in the following one (you can’t usually drop them and score in the same turn).”

Kharadron Overlords

Mx. Bellsprout's KO - Written by Roxin - Click to Expand

“List tips:

• All the ships get +2” to move so can go zooooom and carry things with them, with the Navigator buff this goes up to +5”, and Brokk can let them run and charge for propere zoomies.. Deployment is key here: either set up Brokk and friends in the sky and bring them on later, or castle up at the start and have both skyvessels, Brokk, and the Endrinriggers go after whatever the main threat is. 
• 20 arkanauts get +1 to hit against enemies contesting objectives so will happily punch above their weight, they tend to die fast if they’re charged but if you can get their shooting + melee into something you’ll be surprised by the result. 
• Brokk gives +1 attacks to friendly Endrinriggers, arkies and heroes in the combat phase, so keep him close and personal with Endrinriggers where possible. 
• Artefact on the Endrinmaster is an auto-unbind, slam it down when it looks like your opponent is going to get off a nasty spell or their horrible manifestation, can use it after the casting roll too. Otherwise Navigator can unbind spells but not banish endless spells.”
  

Flesheater Courts

WhamBadgers FEC - Written by Brent - Click to Expand

“How to play:

• Ushoran is a big deterrent for hammers due to the fight last. Marrow scroll can be the bodyguard here for -1 attacks, at which point you have a semi mobile castle you can push forward. Cryptguard will generally move with this to threaten the centre, etc., dependent on battleplans.
• The reinforced knights are the mobile hammers, non reinforced primarily for tactics and hunting small heroes. You can afford to make bad trades most of the time due to the recursion.
• This list does not want to be doubled, so going second or giving away an early double when the opponent can’t utilise it is important.
• Requires the Batman theme tune to be playing when the Knights charge in.

Cities of Sigmar

Roxin's Cities of Sigmar - Written by Captketchup - Click to Expand

“Basics of the list

• Early control with the hunters who are probably cannon fodder to your opponent. Cav get you objectives.
• Fusiliers shoot everything on extra range on +3 to hit and +3 to wound with Ogor support, All out attack and orders. (82 shots!!!!!)
• Tahlia and Steelhelms push forward.
• Calis and Toll because there Jacks favourite unit. They will give you board control from turn 2/3 onwards. 
• Mage to really cast Krondspine and 1 unbind.”

Ogor Mawtribes

Chimp's Ogors - Written by Higgsy - Click to Expand

“How do you think this list works?

• Frost sabres for take the flanks, and easy objective grabbing. Butcher for inherent run and charge (I wish my dwarfs had this), tyrant and underguts for 6+ ward to to smash things up. Slaughtermaster for a 5+ ward! Smash and bash as the ironjawz say, just with a bit more smashing!!!!
• Happy Smashing!”

Orruk Warclans – Ironjawz

Higgsy's Ironjawz - Written by Gamix - Click to Expand

“What do?

• Like the brute list but with Wreckaz and Zoggy. Same concept, want to give them buffs from the megaboss (+1 attack) and zoggrok (exploding 6s).
• Ardboyz there to clog up board.
• Ragerz just to screen/get the odd cheeky battletactic.
• Shaman to throw something across the board if you need to.”

Gloomspite Gitz

Gamix's Gitz- Written by Whambadger - Click to Expand

“How I envisage running it:

• Skragrott, the Squig Boss, and Squig Herd are staying near the Loonshrine. The Squig Herd is the deterrent, dishing out mortals on death (from the Squig Boss) and restoring in combat.
• Skragrot’s main role is to make sure the moon is favourable for the Troggs and trying to get off the manifestations. To which you’re going to try and get Emerald Lifeswarm off, ideally to overcharge your Trogg’s healing, then sick Ravenak on the enemy.
• The Troggs are there to roadblock and get attention. Most things can’t shift them easily when they have the ward save, pile them on a middle objective, or tie up your opponents hammer unit, wherever you need them to go, just make sure they have the save boost from Da Bad Moon. As Honour Guard you’ve flexibility.
• The Squig Hoppers are initially there to score, objectives or tactics. First turn between Da Bad Moon and the Loonshrine you should be able to guarantee a good run. Absolutely easy first turn “Take the Flanks”, and if an aggressive enemy can help get a second turn “Attack on two fronts”. Early on if you can run over an enemy, great, but try and avoid combat with them, unless a small unit you can charge into for the +1 attack. However later on they’re great at charging a unit already locked in combat to try and finish them off.
• Sporesplattas are just for support. If you need to get the Hoppers in combat getting them +1 attack can be good, alongside giving your opponent -1 attack. The play is either keeping them near the Hoppers, near the Squig herd or against elites then near the Troggs just to give e.g. Varanguard -1 attack for one turn (countercharge them in particularly if you time it with their fights twice).
• That leaves the Mangler. It’s here from the points drop to test. It’s good anti infantry, and now can once a game add +1 to hit to it’s strongest attack, allowing you to save All out attack for the Troggs. It’s swingy, but good mortals on the charge into a large chaff unit. I would use it for that, take out 10+ model infantry units. If you can coincide the Bite Da Moon with the Squig herd attacking it’s devastating, but only impacting wholly within 12” is an issue unless you’re right next to the unit. The other play against an elite enemy is use it to support the Troggs, by casting Sneaky Distraction to give enemies attacking them -1 to hit. That combined with the -1A from the Sporesplattas should allow the Troggs with All Out Attack to fuck stuff up.
• That’s it really, if the enemy is getting wiped you can send out the Shrine guarding Squig Herd in a later turn to help board control, but otherwise it’s just playing to the Trogg’s strength, using the fast squigs to score and pick off small units/help finish off a unit the Troggs are stuck in combat with.”

Nighthaunt

Brent's Nighthaunt - Written by Cronch - Click to Expand

Cronch didn’t submit a write up, clearly he thinks that this list is just so easy to play it wasn’t necessary. He also forgot to include a manifestation lore until he was asked after. Maybe he should be docked a few points…

Seraphon

Captketchup's Seraphon - Written by Mx. Bellsprout - Click to Expand

“What do?

• The aim is board control & mobility.
• Aggradons/Carnosaur rush to keep the enemy pinned
• Raptadons do your scoring & opportunistic strikes
• Starseer/starhost teleport your Kroxigors & Saurus into position”

Maggotkin of Nurgle

Been's Maggotkin - Written by Bair - Click to Expand

This is the one I wrote! Hope you like it Been!

• Lots of recursion, the GUO needs to stay safe which is why he heals when in combat with diseased units at the end of every turn and can summon the lifeswarm to heal up to D6+3 health in your own turn and D6 in enemy turn. He can bring back the Plaguebearers for objectives on a 4+ and Slimux brings back the Beasts of Nurgle on a 3+ in your movement phase.
• Beasts of Nurgle have their own unique charge ability which you’ll want to read a few times. It has to target the nearest enemy unit so you gotta be careful to declare it before rolling your charge roll but it does mortal damage, can pass through the target enemy unit like he had fly, and only has to end within 1” instead of the normal half-inch. It also works in the enemy charge phase AND can:

1. Redeploy + charge 
2. Run + charge 
3. Retreat + charge (still takes mortal damage on the retreat)

They’re just incredibly versatile! Enjoy!

Let the Games Begin!

I really wanted to get all of these players, some newer to Age of Sigmar and some more veteran, to step out of their normal-army comfort zone and just try something entirely different. As much as I love playing with my Gitz and Fyreslayers I have not been this excited to play nearly any wargame for a while!

Can’t wait to see how it all pans out! What list do you think is going to come home the championship?

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