Matt Sanderson
Canada
Thornhill
Ontario
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Man! I love Battlelore! I just wanted to say that.
Anyway, this was only my second match of Call to Arms. We still haven't used specialists (I'm itching to!), but I love this expansion, regardless. I realize some wanted to see a point buy system, but I'm content with Battlelore being a board game, and CtA adds some great tactical depth without needing to go through the trouble of distributing points, etc. I like it a lot.
So. The Muddy Waters scenario. Hold the most river crossings, and gain a bonus flag. Some really fun terrain with lots of waterways, bridges, fords, and a woods on the left. From my perspective, as Jean le Bon, my right flank held a plain with the river crossing near my opponent's base line. The centre was where I planned on concentrating my attack, and trying to gain ground on the left, but if I didn't, it wouldn't be a big deal. I was prepared to lose the battle for the most river crossings, though fully aware that's where most of the encounters would take place.
We dealt out the cards. I was disappointed to not receive more Dwarves (I don't get to play with them often). Most of my units were entering the battlefield close to my baseline, too, so everything was falling in line with how I formulated my original plan based on the map. My right was too distant to the river, so I decided to leave that to my enemy and just deploy some infantry there and try to hold the right flank of my centre army while I concentrated elsewhere. In the centre, I deployed my primary force of cavalry and infantry mix. On the left, my Dwarven crossbow unit and archers in the small forest to try and pepper the enemy as they took the bridge there, and some cavalry/infantry to back them up.
My enemy revealed their cards. Goblins. Lots of goblins. Two units of Goblin Cavalry, a Hobgoblin Infantry unit, and some Goblin Swordsmen. Their units came onto the map far from their baseline, and would begin the game with control over a few of the bridges, and very close to the rest of the river. Dang it! She deployed her Goblin Cavalry and some infantry on her left, on the flank I had decided to leave to her from the beginning. The goblins would work well on the open plain if she advanced them, so I hoped she'd sit snug on the river and bridge. Her other two sections were strong with a cavalry/infantry mix.
I decided on a Giant Spider for a reserve and some medium cavalry. The War Council was level 6. We both maxed out our Commanders, and placed our strongholds. I placed mine in the centre near the river where I'd concentrate my attack, and she placed hers on her left. Good, I thought, that means she might turtle over there and fall into my hands elsewhere. Alas . . .
My command cards were terrible. I only drew two centre section cards the entire match. Without cards to fuel my offensive, my whole front stalled. Most of the action to start was on the left, and I tried picking off her units with my ranged units as her troops advanced to take the bridge and river, but she sallied forward and took out my Dwarven Crossbowmen with the quickness. I tried a counter-attack but it failed and fell into a bit of a stalemate along the river before I fell back to protect my centre, hoping I would get some cards to begin my attack there.
On the right flank she did as expected -- sat on the river and protected the bridge and ford located there. I closed the few infantry I began with there onto my centre wing.
Then, I waited for cards for my centre.. . . Slowly, my opponent began wearing down my centre without me being able to move them any further than the bank of the river. Then, she hit me with the cleric spell Chain Lightning. With that, my centre front was disrupted, a few weakened units on its fringe that were helping to protect its wings were killed, and from there it was only a matter of her closing in on the sides and looking for an injured unit to eliminate and win. It didn't take long, and the game ended in a humiliating 7-3 loss.
Well. That didn't go so well. I still believe my plan would have worked with how she deployed her troops if I had have gotten better command card draws. I would have been able to punch through her thin middle and curl up her left wing, but alas. Command cards are what drives this game, and without Lady Luck on your side.. . .
Overall, I really enjoyed this battle map. Great terrain, and a nice feature of holding the river crossings to get a bonus flag. It really raised the importance of the bridges even moreso. I learned a couple of things: the importance of luck in drawing command cards. Without 'em, your well laid plans can be laid waste, and if you're unable to adapt tactically, you WILL lose. You need to be able to change your focus when this happens. Also, Chain Lightning can be a real bitch when you have a long front line. It can decimate your forces. When you see your opponent getting 2 Lore at the end of every turn, beware, because something bad is going to happen. Dispel Lore is invaluable.
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Todd Rewoldt
United States
Loveland
Colorado
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Good session report, Matt - glad to hear you are enjoying the game.
dystopialand wrote: When you see your opponent getting 2 Lore at the end of every turn, beware, because something bad is going to happen. Dispel Lore is invaluable.
I love the tension filled dread this game can inspire, the sudden change from fishing for lore cards to the lore stock-up being one such mechanic  Soon you'll engage in bluffing (in both directions), making the game even more confounding 
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Dan Cavaliere
United States
Littleton
Colorado
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Ditto on Todd's comments. I've owned this game for quite some time now and still get great enjoyment from it.
Nice report!
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