This is the sixth report in our narrative campaign series, Campaign of Thrones. After each battle, the characters on the losing side will potentially be captured or killed. This will transform the story as we know it, inspiring new ‘What If?’ scenarios and battle reports. Join us on this alternative dice-driven version of the War of the Five Kings and battle at the Wall.
Major happenings took place in our last narrative-focused report, but now we return to our traditional battle report format. The Campaign heads beyond Castle Black as Mance Rayder and Styr, Magnar of Thenn, battle for the title of King-Beyond-the-Wall. The result of this battle will have huge ramifications for Jon Snow, as a Styr-led wildling force will show no mercy and take no prisoners.
The game size was standard at 40 Points per army. The lists were:
FREE FOLK (MANCE RAYDER):
Units (Attachments)
Spearwives (Mance Rayder, Commander)
Free Folk Raiders (Tormund Giantsbane)
Free Folk Raiders (Raid Leader)
Followers of Bone (Walrus Clan Chieftain)
Followers of Bone (Champion of Bone)
Spearwives
NCUs
Mance Rayder
Lady Val
FREE FOLK (STYR):
Units (Attachments)
Thenn Warriors (Styr, Commander)
Savage Giant
Savage Giant
War Mammoth
War Mammoth
NCUs
Styr
Craster
Mance and Styr pull double-duty as both commander attachment and NCU in this custom scenario. Not only does this reflect each one’s extreme importance to their respective armies, but it’s also practical when playing a thematic Free Folk vs. Free Folk battle as there aren’t many NCU options (with the ‘No Coin Beyond the Wall’ rule).
DEPLOYMENT
On the left side of the battlefield, the Walrus Chieftain’s Followers of Bone unit faced off against Styr’s Thenns.
In the center of the battlefield, the 2 War Mammoths and 1 Savage Giant were deployed across from Spearwives, Raiders with Raid Leader, and Followers of Bone with a Champion of Bone. Mance and his Spearwives remained behind these frontline units, granting them 5+ morale with his vaunted Mance bubble.
On the right, Tormund’s Raiders stared down the other Savage Giant.
The Styr player marked both Raider units, while Mance smartly marked both Savage Giants, who could not really make use of the additional abilities granted to them from the objective cards.
ROUND 1
Mance’s strategy was evident early as both Tormund and the Walrus Clan Chieftain clambered on top of the plateaus and challenged Styr and the Giant to attack them. In this scenario, the plateaus have the elevated and blocks line of sight keywords, as well as my invented keyword high ground:
High Ground: When performing a Melee Attack against a unit on top of this Terrain piece, before rolling the Attack Dice, the attacker suffers D3 Wounds.
This strategy may be questionable when battling Savage Giants with their Furious Swing ability, but the Mance player was looking for a quick way to deal straight wounds to these monsters and then swarm them and finish the job.
The Giant met the challenged head on, taking 2 wounds from the high ground and dealing 5 to Tormund and his Raiders with Furious Swing. Tormund’s Stalwart ability and the weirwood tree helped Tormund pass his panic check. The Mance player then used Diversion Tactics to maneuver the Spearwives into that Giant’s flank. Worried about the imminent threat his fellow Giant was facing, the other Savage Giant charged into the Spearwives and did 5 wounds total.
The Raiders with Raid Leader tried to get in on the action, but failed their charge roll and ended short of the Giant. The War Mammoth trumpeted and charged into the nervous Raiders, dealing 5 wounds.
Styr and his Thenn Warriors tried to Taunt the Followers of Bone off the plateau, but the Followers passed their panic test and remained in the highly defensive position.
ROUND 2
NCU Styr activated to start the round. Mance played Wildling Diplomacy, which is particularly powerful against this monster-themed army. Styr wanted the free attack, so he risked taking the swords. Mance targeted the Giant that attacked the plateau rolled a 3, destroying the unit. Since it was a marked unit, the score shot up to a quick 3 to 0 score for Mance.
Mance’s infantry began to swarm the remaining monsters, charging into the Mammoth’s long flank. Styr used Taunt again and this time it was successful. The Followers of Bone did little damage to Styr and his Thenn Warriors. They luckily survived Thenn Supremacy by rolling an 11.
3 to 0 for Mance.
ROUND 3
Mance began the round by comboing Regroup and Reform and Overwhelming Assault then having Mance NCU claim swords. The Raid Leader’s unit did heavy damage to the surviving Giant, leaving it with 1 remaining would. Unfortunately for Mance, the attack didn’t finish the job and the marked Giant got off a souped-up Furious Swing which destroyed the unit of Spearwives with no attachment. As the marked Giant destroyed the unit, the score was now 3 to 2.
Tormund used War Cry to make a Mammoth vulnerable and panicked, then charged down the plateau and finished the beast off with a savage attack. Since Tormund was marked, it was now 5 to 2 for Mance. The battle now seems to be overwhelming in his favor due to his superior battle strategy and positioning.
The surviving Mammoth charged into the Followers of Bone, but after failing the panic test from Horrific Visage, the Mammoth suffered more wounds than it dealt. The Mammoth was finally destroyed the next turn by the Followers of Bone with the help of Coordination Tactics and the Spearwives abilities. The score was 6 to 2 for Mance.
Mance activated and placed a VP on the last Giant, which was marked and had 2 VPs on it.
6 to 2 for Mance.
ROUND 4
The Giant got a final attack against the Raiders, which would have been worth 3 VPs if it was successful, but thanks to Mance’s morale bubble they survived with 1 wound left. Tormund charged the Giant in the rear and destroyed it, netting Mance 6 VPs (+1 from Victory Through Combat, +1 because Tormund was marked, +2 because the Giant was marked, and another +2 from the 2 VPs placed on it by commander Mance).
With the score 12 to 2, Styr admitted defeat and joined with Mance, declaring him the one true King-Beyond-the-Wall.
WRAP-UP
This battle was a lot of fun. It is not often that you play a faction mirror-match (though the looming Baratheon civil war will likely change that), but this scenario really shows how varied Free Folk builds can be. Mance’s side was definitely helped by the tactics card synergy, which Styr’s side did not have with so many monster units. It would be interesting to play this again using Mag the Mighty’s monster-focused tactics deck, or just doing 1 Mammoth and 1 Giant and adding another unit of Thenns and a unit of Cave Dweller Savages.
Since this battle played out just as it does in the lore, we’ll have Styr happily join up with Mance Rayder. With the Thenns and giants now joined to his strength, Mance will turn his attention towards the Wall and the Seven Kingdoms. The next time the free folk will take the field they’ll face off against young recruit Jon Snow and savvy veteran Qhorin Halfhand in the Skirling Pass.