Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

 

Thornwood Chronicles: Volume 1, Issue 1
The Weekly Warmachine & Hordes Expansion Campaign Report<?xml:namespace prefix = o />

 

=Preamble: A Gathering Storm=

 

Two figures stood on a hill overlooking a burning valley.  Their steam armor so blacked that it was almost impossible to make out the blue markings.  Burnt remnants of cloth hung from various places and both the men?s hair was badly singed.  Despite this, it was clear that one of the men had dark hair, while the other?s was red-orange. 

 

The dark haired man spoke.   ?Well Cole, that was fun, exactly why are we here again?? 

 

The red haired figure responded, ?To see what is going on.  It?s something big.  Just yesterday my battle group ran into both Merc?s and Khadorians at the same time.?

 

?Working together??

 

?No, that?s the weird thing.  They were as surprised to see each other as I was to see them.  And then there was today.  Allister, what were those things in the fire?Dragons?  Did they working with the Cryx I engaged??

 

?They were big, mean, and breathed ash.  My long gunners didn?t have a chance.  We managed to drop one with the help of our hunter jacks, but the damn thing stood back up!  If I hadn?t blinked out when I did?  But no, they?re not Cryx.  They are definitely something else.?  He shook his head in disbelief.  ?You are right, this is big.  And what is all this Merc activity about?  There are what, 3 Mercenary battle groups in the area??

 

?At least, perhaps more, and I think they probably know the lay of the land right now better even than all our Cygnar battle groups put togeather.  But where there are Mercs, there is Reinholdt, and where there is Reinholdt there is information.  It?s time to loosen our purse strings?

 

The Reinholdt Report

 

Ahh, a paying customer.  Excellent.  Please bend your ear to my report.  I think you?ll find it most useful.  Thornwood you say?  Ah, you are not the first to ask me about this area.

 

Forces are moving into Thornwood for reasons unknown.  At this stage it seems to be recon work from all sides.  There appears to be no less than 15 battle groups.  They seem to break down into the following:

 

5 Cygnar

4 Mercenary

3 Cryx
2 Khador

1 Everblight

 

My informants tell me that there have been at least 7 engagements.  A couple of these have involved 3-4 battle groups at a time.  All actions appear to be information gathering efforts involving small forces.  The Mercenaries have the best details at this time, with Cygnar a close second.  That said, only Cygnar has a force in position to attempt to gain strategic ground.  [Rules note: You must spend 30 recon points to perform a strategic action, at this time only one player has achieved 30 recon points]

 

That?s all for now my lord, until next time.  I?ll bring the information, you bring the gold.

 

 

It?s never too late to join the X-cam and influence what happens in Thornwood.  Fight to aid your faction, gain personal glory, or both. 

 

To sign up, record a battle, or get all the detail and standings, Click here:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/Default.aspx?tabid=112

 

Thornwood Chronicles: Volume 1, Issue 2
The Weekly Warmachine & Hordes Expansion Campaign Report<?

 

=Open Wide the Floodgates=

 

?Scouting? Recon?  Why do you trouble me with such requests.  I want results and I want them now!?  The war witch glared at her thrall advisor.  He was the third this week, and she?d just cleaned her blade, Silver.  Tarnishing it again so soon on this idiot seemed like a waste.

 

?My lady, how else can we learn where to best gain purchase in Thornwood??  It was hard to tell if the thrall was nervous or excited about the prospect of being tortured or even slain by the witch.  ?Even now Cygnar and mercenary battle groups comb the woods and test each other?s strength.  See the great fires to the east??  He pointed to a red glow in the distance.  From their high vantage point atop the hill it seemed as if all of Thornwood before their eyes.  ?That is certainly the Protectorate at work.  And our few battle groups that have scouted have engaged both Khodor and Everblight.  Dare we move a large force without carefully considering where to go??

 

Deneghra stared out for a moment.  Yes, he?d need to be killed too.  It really was so tiresome.  Then she saw it.  Black smoke trails, feint at first but growing stronger and moving nearer their position.  It was a battle group, and it was too big to be a scouting force.

 

?I?ll show you where to go,? the war witch smiled as she spoke ?why do recon when your enemy does it for you.  That large battle group there?? as she paused she saw a glint of light from blue metal.  ?Cygnar!  They?ve been doing a lot of scouting you say?  Well, wherever a force that large is going, it must be important.?

 

?Come my pet, spread the word.  It is time that the forces of Dragon Lord Toruk joined this fight in earnest.?

 

 

 

Good to see you again my lord.  It?s nice to have a regular paying customer.  Much has happened since we last spoke.  I think you?ll find that your coins this week are well spent.

 

As you may know, this week the big news is the large engagement between Cryx and Cygnar.  After some extensive scouting, Cygnar was moving a rather large battlegroup into a position to be able to surgically strike several of the factions at once.  But the Cryx somehow learned they were coming and countered their move with devastating effectiveness.  They now have the strongest strategic position in Thornwood.  And have delt a massive blow to Cygnar?s forces.  Still, Cygnar did gain some strategic advantage as they now know Cryx?s true strength and their poisitons.

 

The Protectorate also sent a large force out against the Mercenaries, after discovering the location of one of their supply camps.  Although the Mercs repelled the attack, forces of Menoth did manage to gain a strategic advantage, forcing the Merc battle group to move from its once excellent location.  Despite only one known battlegroup in Thronwood, the Protectorate is now in the third strongest strategic position.  They merit close watching if you ask me.

 

Ahh, what of the Mercenaries you ask?  Well, some general might glance at the Thronwood map and argue they are currently out positioned by Cryx, Cygnar, and the Protectorate.  And I suppose he?d be right.  But, they?ve got information.   Lots of information.  Their scouting forces have worked overtime to know who is where and where to strike.   If and when the do choose to use their superior knowledge of the lay of the land I say watch out.   But the generals do have one thing right.   Knowledge and execution are too different things, can the merc?s execute a strategic campaign based on what they know?  Time will tell.

 

And that brings us to the crux of the mater.  Who?s in a position to do what?  Here they are in order of current strategic power.

 

Cryx

4 active battlegroups, 2 of which are in position for strategic strikes.

 

Cygnar

3 active battlegroups, 1 of which is in position for a strategic strike

 

Protectorate

1 active battlegroup which is in position for a strategic strike.

 

Mercenaries

4 active battlegroups, 3 of which are in position for strategic strikes.

Khador

1 active battlegroup which is in position for a strategic strike.

 

Everblight

1 active battlegroup

 

Trollbloods

1 active battlegroup

 

Most of the factions are ready to begin fighting in earnest. Things are about to get bloody.  Very bloody indeed.  And when combat on that scale begins, anything can happen.

 

That?s all for now my lord, until next time.  I?ll bring the information, you bring the gold.

 

It?s never too late to join the X-cam and influence what happens in Thornwood.  Fight to aid your faction, gain personal glory, or both. 

 

To sign up, record a battle, or get all the detail and standings, Click here:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/Default.aspx?tabid=112

 

Want to add to the tale?  Post your stories of battle and glory here:

Thornwood Chronicles: Volume 1, Issue 3
The Weekly Warmachine & Hordes Expansion Campaign Report<?

 

=War Drums=

 

?The humans?they do not understand.  They think this wood belongs to them.  See how they set fires without care.  Look at how many of our villages destroyed.?  Madrak hefted his ancient axe and kept up his loping pace, thinking to himself as he and his kin raced through the woods to answer the battle drums.  Yet another incursion?how many more mates and kith must die?

 

?Many,? he muttered as he ran, ?Many will die, and we have lost every battle.  But as we fight, we learn.  Soon these transgressors will pay for their arrogance with their own blood.?

 

==== X-Cam Update ====

The X-cam is going along at an amazing speed, and it?s great fun to watch all the battles.  Big events occurred last week, so I wanted to send out some reminders:

 

• We had our first 4 player Strategic game this past week.  I originally wasn?t sure this would work, but it does work just fine.  The only rule is that TWO (2) of the players must be strategic attackers (paying the recon points) while the other 2 are strategic defenders. 
• Everyone is doing a great job recording their games.  Thanks!  Tip: When recording your battle, try to remember the ?Action Type? you were in (Recon, Strategic Attacker, Strategic Defender, etc.)  a few folks put the wrong one in.  So far I?ve been able to catch it and easily fix it, but as participation grows, it?s harder for me to snag every one, and I want to be sure you all get your proper credit.
• Congratulations to Mike Moran and Josh Bisson!  You two are the first players to achieve enough Strategic points to attempt a control action.  Control actions are a big deal, as the first player to score 5 control points wins the X-cam.
• Control Action Reminders:  Control actions can only be 1 on 1, and they are 750 point games!!  It costs 40 Strategic points to challenge someone, and you can ONLY challenge another player if he/she has at least 20 strategic points of his own.  So right now, Josh and Mike can challenge each other, Ragnar, Christian, or Blake.   I?m sure it will be a tough and glorious battle!
• Bonded Jacks: Don?t forget, the sooner you score control points, the sooner you can start using jack bonding rules. 

 

A couple rules questions came up this week.  Both easily answered via the cool online FAQ that Privateer Press hosts:  http://www.PrivateerPress.com/FAQ

 

 

 

 

 

Greetings again my lord.  I know, I know, the price of my report did double this week.  I?m sorry for that, I really am, but with so many battles raging transportation costs have gone through the roof.  What?s a goblin to do?  It saddens me to have to pass these costs on to you, but there you have it.

 

Cryx and the Mercenaries both continued to make bold progress this week into Thornwood, strengthening their strategic positions.  Both now have battle groups in place to perform critical strikes against key bridges and fords, if they succeed in this it will be nigh impossible to route them.  Of course exactly where and when they will strike is not clear. 

 

Menoth and Cygnar were surprisingly inactive this week, which has opened the door for other factions.  It appears new battle groups have moved into the area, specifically additional Khodor and Trollbloods.  I?m not sure what this means, but it seems that even more are now taking an interest in the activities here in Thronwood and are committing additional resources.

 

Here is how the balance stands now:

 

Cryx

4 active battlegroups, 1 poised to grab control, 2 in position for strategic strikes.

 

Mercenaries

4 active battlegroups, 1 poised to grab control, 3 in position for strategic strikes.

 

Protectorate

1 active battlegroup which is in position for a strategic strike.

 

Cygnar

3 active battlegroups, 2 in position for a strategic strike

 

Khador

2 active battlegroups, 1 in position for a strategic strike.

 

Trollbloods

2 active battlegroups

 

Everblight

1 active battlegroup

 

 

That?s all for now my lord, until next time.  I?ll bring the information, you bring the gold.

 

It?s never too late to join the X-cam and influence what happens in Thornwood.  Fight to aid your faction, gain personal glory, or both. 

 

To sign up, record a battle, or get all the detail and standings, Click here:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/Default.aspx?tabid=112

 

Want to add to the tale?  Post your stories of battle and glory here:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/Default.aspx?tabid=93&forumid=27&tpage=1&view=topic&postid=69573#70975