The 600th anime

 Well, with Majo to Yajuu finished, that anime gets the distinctive honour of being the 600th finished anime on my MAL account.

Considering I joined the website on the 23rd of october 2017, that is one mean feat.

Over the years to this goal, I have been rewatching anime from my youth (better understanding it at age 40+ then I did at age 10 or so), discovered a lot of new series, and got reaquainted with old loves that moved on unknown to me past the Club Dorothee days.

While I don't have a specific genre, even though Mecha is my thing, my viewed list goes all over the place.  And I am very proud of not having dropped a single series ever, no matter how meuh I found something, I soldiered on and went through them.

With 84 anime currently still in the being watched (aka, I should watch them this year) and nearly 300 on the planned to watch, I still have a long list to enjoy, and every season something new comes around as well.  But if all goes more or less to plan, and I put in some extra time as well, I might even hit the 700 viewed anime mark this year, or at the very latest at the beginning of 2025.

Let's see how that will play out!

Majo to Yajuu

 A bit of a "this just looks cool, let's watch it" anime of the Winter season I selected, the series, called in english The Witch and the Beast" is an action fantasy series.

It follows a duo of adventurers out to look for the Original 17, withces of days old.

Guideau is cursed by the witches, and now seeks revenge and break the curse.  Joining her is chain-smoking Ashaf, a mage who constantly carries a coffin on his back.  During their journey's, they try to solve and face various magical events, while constantly on the hunt for witches.  In their first city they visit, a large sharkmonster is held back by Lady Ione, a witch that protects the city, and Guideau rushes in to attack her.

But a young girl defends the witch, telling them not all witches are inherently evil.  But during her anniversary party for her students, it is revealed she actually is truly evil as she wants to use their essence to free a portion of her locked powers.  Guideau and Ashaf intervene, and as Guideau gets hurt, the true nature of the coffin is revealed: Guideau has another form, that of a huge, brutal man-beast, the natural enemy of a witch.

 

 

Resolving that case, they have to do "menial" tasks for the Order of Magical Resonance, much to Guideau's chagrin.  But then they are called up to track down a serial killing witch... they join the police investigation to track down the witch.  They deduct the witch is after the chief inspector Kiera, a witch working for the Order.  But it turns out to be her two adopted boys, who found old grimoire's and became addicted to it's power, requiring life energy to feed the books.

 

Their next investigation leads them to a Necromancer, as the Order send someone to hunt him down.  But as her assistant is cut down, she is put before a dilemma: fight him, or have her assistant returned to her.  She chooses to oppose him though, even when he summons a heap of combat models he created.  She shows her power, unleashing her Death Knights, who make short work of all present.  It is revealed her assistant was also a Death Knight, as he ambushes the necromancer as he tries to flee.  

Guideau and Ashaf travel to a city under attack by a witch, with the Paladin Corps also present to contain the threat.  This witch, Helga, is apparently a direct descendant from the Origin witches, wielding a Demon Sword, Ashgan.  But Guideau and Ashraf are actually there to save her from the Corps, realizing she is innocent of the murders she is accused with.  But the Paladin Corps arrives, including a mage commander, Matt, that made a pact with the elementals.  As they are cornered, the sword is captured by the Corps.  

The Vice Commander though has been in league with others in the corps, and injures Matt to try and obtain the sword for their own goals.  Guideau frees herself and Helga, Guideau escaping with the Demon Sword.  As the Executioner, the man behind the betrayal, arrives at the scene with a mind-controlled Helga, he draws the demon sword, as he reveals what happened to Helga and why she was there with the sword.  He runs the sword through Helga, to release the seal on the sword.  He turns in a huge demon, resulting in Guideau and Ashaf playing their ace in the hole card: the beastform of Guideau.  Engaging in battle with the Demon Sword, and defeating it, causing the sword to acknowledge how strong Helga really is.  

Ashaf asks Helga to join them, but Guideau doesn't fully agree and goes to look for a witch rumoured to be in town.  However, she runs into an Executioner, who brings her before Angela the Origin Witch, the witch Guideau is connected to, and who he is using her body since the cursing.  Ashaf and Helga find her heavily injured, nursing her back to health.  Ashaf and Guideau look back on how they first met, three years ago.  So we get to see how they first worked together, foiling a plan by an Executioner, and decided to intertwine their fates together.

This was a welcome discovery, a series I really enjoyed and I hope there will be a sequel season!

Warhammer Underworlds Battlereport: Skaeth's Wild Hunt vs Fomoroid Crusher - Rampage

 Time for some solo Underworlds gaming, something I have been putting aside for far to long, as it has been years since my Zarbag's Gitz faced the big monster with mixed succes.

So now I'm going to start doing this some more, as I found a nice corner in the kitchen where I can play the little mini-game.

 

By the way, the rules are still available, just google Warhammer Underworlds Solo and you'll get a hit to the Warhammer Community site for "A Crushing Terror" which are these (Nightvault era) rules.

Like back in the days with the gitz, I'll be running a warband through all three of the battleplans, and the first warband to start the ordeal of trying to take this big monster down is Skaeth's Wild Hunt, the band I'm currently trying to get the hang off in Rivals format.  I'll also be using a Rivals deck tout court for these games.

 

Now, the Fomoroid is a slaughterer, it's third reaction, mainly used when he is in combat, hits automatically for 3 damage taking most models out in one go.  The "upside" in this scenario is that whenever someone falls, another fighter is immediatly inspired.  

 

Furthermore, you pick one upgrade for each model at the beginning, and the other upgrades are no longer used, so this is my starting line-up for the scenario. 

As the game begins, the Fomoroid Crusher automatically always takes the first turn, and charges at Lighaen, but the brave cat dodges the attack.  The crusher in return is charged by Skaeth, and gets hit for 2 damage thanks to the full support.

Lighaen is then taken down by the Crusher (what, an attack roll?  But I thought he auto-hit... yeah, bear with me), causing Skaeth to Inspire.

Brave Sheoch charges in, and thanks to his upgrade wounds the big beast for another 2 damage, before being smashed down as well (again, bear with me) after a gruelling roll from the Crusher, but inspiring Karthean.

At this point I realised I was forgetting the Breaker action of the Fomoroid Crusher, so playing Hunt In Concert, I pulled Skaeth out of contact.  I then used Fleet of Foot to move Karthean in as a sacrificial lamb for Skaeth, as Althaen would have her two shots and range to hopefully last longer then the wizard if needed.

Karthean strikes at the big beast, and wounds him again for three, meaning there are already 7 of the 10 wounds knocked off, before being smacked down himself (as it has been a long time, I forgot the maximum 2 damage unless a crit, but it wouldn't matter as you can see when you read on.  Surely some things have been refreshed for future games, but in my defence it has been 4 years since I used these rules).  Althaen then shoots off two arrows, wounding the big beast twice more and putting him on his last remaining wound.

So round one ends with three of the Wild Hunt already down, the other two now insipred, and the beast at 9 out of 10 wounds taken (so, technically 8).  I drew a new hand of power cards and the game went on!

 

The Crusher charges Skaeth as he is the closest model, but the Huntmaster defends against the attack.  In retaliation he throws his spear, but misses, playing Retrieve Javelin for another chance later on.

The Breaker action wounds the leader for 3, but with his spear he throws again, and it strikes home, knocking of the final wound (would have been two, so the oversight earlier didn't matter) and laying down the Crusher at long last.

So victory to the Wild Hunt in this first solo encounter against the Fomoroid Crusher, and it was actually not that hard to be honest.  As long as they could keep it in this scenario of any objective tokens, he wouldn't be hurling those around and probably take everyone out by the end of turn 1, suffering steady damage himself instead.

So, nice little quick game, taking about half an hour, and ideal for some quick late evening gaming!

 

 

On the Painting Desk 278

 Time for the next warband in Warhammer Underworlds to receive some loving!

And receive some love from them?  Probably in the jugular area...

So I began painting the Crimson Court, a warband I really look forward to playing with their mechanic of either Hungering them out, or trying to Inspire them depending the opposition.  Now I hope to finsih this warband by the weekend of the Into the Under-Ekeren tournament, as that will be the moment I retire Skaeth in favour of these guys to play them to the next event.

It's a bit of a cycle I'm trying to do with my warbands to add some variety to the spice.

In other painting sessions, I also did a little bit of work on the Akhelian King, mostly on the impressive crest he sports.

Also worthy of note perhaps, the Horns of Hashut are back on the painting desk, and already received a bit of paint.  I really want to try WarCry out in the near future, so better to paint up the warband at last.

 

Finally, I sneaked in Garrek's Reavers as the next warband project, as these crazed barbarians share a lot of colours with the current projects and as such can make some progress on those in between as well.

 

Busy weeks ahead!

House of the Dragon

 So the spin-off of the (especially the earlier seasons) acclaimed Game Of Thrones!

Would it be as bloody and politically intriguing as the first seasons of it's parentseries, or a messy mish-mash like the latter?

Well, to be honest, neither.  I just found the whole thing bloody boring.

Set to be about 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, the Westerosi elect Vicerys Thargaryen as the new king of Westeros, even though his sister Rhaenys was first in line.  Nine years into his reign, he organises a jousting tournament as he believes his wife to be pregnant of a male heir.  But he is forced to kill his wife with a C-section to get his child out, but the baby Baelon dies shortly after, leaving Vicerys broken.  He appoints his only living child, princess Rhaenyra, heir to the Iron Throne after he learns that his brother Daemon mocked the dead baby, banishing him from King's Landing.

daemon occupies Castle Dragonstone, from where he fights the Crabfeeder, a pirate lord harassing the shipping lanes of the Stepstones at the behest of the Essos Triarchy.  Ser Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, sends his daughter Alicent to comfort and seduce the grieving king.  Otto as well as Rhaenyra travel to Dragonstone to force Daemon to return a dragon egg that he stole upon his banishment.  Together with Lord Corlys, the Sea Snake of House Valerys, he then goes to battle the Crabfeeder for three long years, a time in which Vicerys married princess Alicent who gives birth to the male heirs he always wanted, Aegon and later Aemond.  Ailing with sickness, he asks Rhaenyra, seventeen now, to seek a good husband and form a strong alliance to protect her lineage.  In the end she choses Laenor Valerys, the son of lord Corlys, but also a man attracted to other men.

Ser Hightower however schemes to make Aegon the successor to the throne, as Vicerys finally decides to send forces to aid in the battles at the Stepstones, where Daemon takes the victory in order to try and redeem himself with his brother.  They reconcile, but when he nearly seduces Rhaenyra during a night in the belly of the city he is exiled to the Vale, while Rhaenyra seduces her King's Guard, ser Criston.  She is later bethrotted to ser Laeron, as Daemon marries his wife Lady Royce.  Rhaenyra and her new husband strike a bargain that she will produce heirs, and he can then pursue his own lovers, while ser Criston feels betrayed as she doesn't want to elope with him to Essos, preferring their current sexual state of affairs indeed.

During the wedding, Queen Alicent appears wearing green, the signal for the House Hightower to take up arms.  Daemon also attends, confronted by the niece of his former wife denying he murdered her but laying claim to her lands.  When Laenor's lover surmises ser Criston is Rhaenyra's lover, the latter kills him to prevent the chance of being blackmailed.  Ser Criston, now disgraced, wants to commit suicide but the queen stops him.  

Jumping forward ten years, Rhaenyra now has three sons: Jacaerys, Lucerys and newborn Joffrey.  While they lack the valyrian platinum hair, King Vicerys rejects all the claims saying they are not fathered by Laeron.  Daemon and his new wife Laena Valerys visit Pentos with their daughters, where they are offered a lordship in exchange for an alliance against a resurging Triarchy.  As Laena feels she won't make it through the birth of her still child inside, she orders her dragon to incinerate her.  Ser Criston, now serving the queen, lures ser Harwin in attacking him by claiming he is the father of Rhaenyra's children instead, and he returns with his father, the current Hand of the King as Otto has been lifted from the post, to Harrenhall.  But the castle is then set on fire, killing both of them, by assassins hired by the queen, allowing ser Otto to be reinstated by the queen's wishes.

Out of safety, Rhaenyra moves her household to Dragonstone, away from the rumours and dangers of King's Landing.  At the funeral of lady Laena, the brothers fail to reconcile, but daemon and Rhaenyra do and are intimate.  In a struggle between Rhaenyra and Alicent's children, Lucerys slashes out Aemond's eye with a knife, and sparks the rift between the houses.  Amidst the claims, a set-up is made to fake Laenor's demise, allowing him off to war with his lover as Rhaenyra and Daemon ally against Alicent and her family.

Jumping forward again, this time six years, Lord Corlys is gravely wounded at the Stepstones.  His brother, sir Vaemond, petitions to name him heir, claiming Lucerys as illegitimate.  King Vicerys by now is so far taken by illness that the queen and her father, once again Hand of the King, oversee matters though.  But Viserys does declare Lucerys the heir, and as Vaemond states Rhaenyra a whore, he is beheaded by Daemon.  While reconcilation is in the air, Aemond declares Rhaenyra's sons bastards and incites a fight as such, as Alicent overhears a dying Viserys mutter parts of Aegon the Conqueror's tale, interpretting it as him wanting her son Aegon to claim the Iron Throne.

After the king's death, which is kept silent, the small council led by ser Otto creates a scheme to put Aegon on the throne, forcing nobles to toss loyalty or be killed.  They discuss wether to kill or exile Rhaenyra, as Alicent persuades Aegon to put down his claim to the throne at last, which his aunt Rhaenys refuses to support.  She is imprisoned, but escapes on her dragon.  She informs Dragonstone of the king's death, as they prepare for the conflict to come.  House Valyrion pledges for her, but when she sends her sons to hear if the other noble houses still support her, Lucerys is devoured by Aemond's dragon after an aerial battle in which the beasts of both riders refuse to obey their riders, enraging Rhaenyra as news reaches her...

So, politics enough in this first season, but somehow it didn't pop out as much from the screen as the original series did in it's first years.  Still, I'm awaiting season 2 to see if it picks up the pace, and not by making time-jumps so often.  And we know from the source material, the book Fire and Blood, the young prince's death put aside politics and sparked the war known as The Dance of Dragons...

Warhammer Underworlds Battle Report: The Hunt Begins!

 Time for the first weekly gathering post the Halle tournament, so that means a first outing for the warband I want to run at Into the Under-Ekeren should I be able to play there as the TO.

And that is the Kurnothi warband of Skaeth's Wild Hunt with their Rivals deck, opposed on their kick-off by

A first look at their deck and abilities already learned these are not all-out aggressive warriors like Elathain was (in part due to the Nemesis deck I'd build for those), but rather what I call semi-aggressive.  Surely they must hunt down the enemy, but this is not their only scoring Glory route.  Cry of the Wild for example scores is Karthaen survives and blew his horn, while Hunt's End either let's you take out a 4+ wounds opponent OR hold three objectives, so both the hornblower and the archer can score while being held at the back.

 

And I also realised this is my third aelfic warband in a row I'm fielding...

 

 

So setting out to the Outpost, we had 5 players this evening and I sat down for the first game against Wouter and his Grinkrak's Looncourt.  Having learned my lessons from previous games, I immediatly rushed Skolko and Pronk with their catapult, taking it out by combined attacks from Althaen and Sheoch.  First blood to the Kurnothi!

But Sheoth in turn was being overwhelmed and taken down by the little grot's in return.  I did learn already that the first part of their Inspire mechanic, being charge, is easy enough, but the the staying alive until the end of the activation phase on the other hand is more difficult.  And so round one ended with a 2-2 on the scoreboard.

The second round began with the now inspired Althaen being taken down by a charging Grib da Wonky Lance, soon followed by Lighaen.  This wasn't going well at all as my band was now down to two members and a lot of grot's opposed me still.  As a result, I was 8-5 behind in this second round.

Karthaen started to infiltrate the enemy's territory, taking one of the goblins out with his Vicious Darts equipped spell attack.  being retaliated, he saved himself by defending with two criticals against an attack that rolled two criticals itself, and this was what I needed to pull it off after all for this game.

Skaeth charged Grinkrak himself, and using his Slashing Shield one shotted the grot leader.  Karthean in the meantime had moved himself onto the sole objective in the grot's territory, allowing me to score the objective where I needed to grab all objectives in a territory, and netting me 2 glory points.

As a result, the comeback was a success, with the Wild Hunt winning their debut game with 14 to 9, something neither me nor onlookers expected after being down to two fighters so quickly.  I guess the chance to combine objective captures and enemy kills of Skaeth's deck proved his worth here.

For the second game, I faced Peter (we have two Peter's in the group, this is not the one I faced lately with Ephilim) whom I actually played for the first time.  He had brought the Sons of Velmorn to the table with the Paths of Profecy rivals deck.  This also means that King Velmorn, since the FAQ, would be constantly supporting the three Grave Guard.

Peter longboarded the battlefield, and as I knew neither how my opponent plays, nor what his warband or deck actually does bar vaguely, I set up rather to the back myself, which proved to be a mistake.  The first round as such didn't see any action bar an arrow charge from Althaen to inspire her, and some objective capture cards on both sides.  Never the less, the Wild Hunt led this turn with 3-2 for some reason.

The second round saw Sheoth charge and wound dir Jedran Falseborn, but he was struck down in return.  I get it, he is the Fuirann of this warband: charge and die.  Concentrating on the big guy, Althaen also wounded him, leaving him open for a strike by Skaeth, who received the +2 movement upgrade.

 

 

He charged in, but the big dead guy managed to defend succesfully and as a result  I now trailed 3 to 6, as I couldn't score a single card.  Had I taken down Falseborn, I would have score a heap of things, but alas, this is Underworlds.

The third turn began with Skaeth taking down Falseborn, but he himself was then taken down by the combined assaults of the Graveguard.  It was down to Karthaen, but he failed to cast his spells for some glory and recycling for fresh objectives, and I was out of hitting power and out of scoreable objectives, so my game ended there.   I could only hope to take down one or two Graveguard and pray for a tie.

When the first Graveguard healed himself back up, this plan went down the window as well, and Althaen failed to push King Velmorn of the objective to prevent him scoring another card I knew Peter had as he mistakingly tried to score it the first round, but it counted all surviving fighters.  had I pushed him off, he wouldn't be able to use it after my activation and it would be a void card.

Peter then scored some more objective related cards, and the final result was a 9-6 victory for the forces of Death.

So the non-aggressive deployment bit me, as I should have rushed in the first turn to score some glory, but more over to get some of them Inspired faster and maybe score some points left or right.  Lessons learned, as while this Rivals deck does allow for some non-aggro scoring compared to Morgwaith and Elathain before them, they still have a failry aggressive approach to them.  

Well, I still have time to get the hang of them after all... and 1 up 1 down out of the gates is an okay result.