Event Report: Dutch Open 2009

Our Dutch Chapter Master, David Balder, brings us an excellent report on the Dutch Open 2009 in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

The Dutch Open, a qualifier for the D&D Miniatures Game European Championship, was organized on the 21st of June. The tournament was visited by 11 players, with two German and one Belgian guest. The tournament ran for 5 rounds without playoffs: we wanted everybody to play as many matches as possible.

We asked the top four players to tell us a little bit about their warbands. How did they build their warbands? How did they practice? What was their strategy? So here you have it: the top four warbands and strategy of the Dutch Open 2009!

Bart Vergeer (aka Miniatorix) – 1st place – 5-0

Good, Civilization, Cleric of Dol Arrah (45), Skullcleave Warrior (39), Wand Expert (33), Arcadian Avenger (31), Earth Shugenja (17), Human Sellsword (14), 2 x Merchant Guard (8/16), Elf Archer (5), Hellspike Prison, 200 pnts, CR 4, 9 activations

The main selection criteria for my warband was my need to be able to beat the dreaded Eternal Blade/Solamith/Flooded Ruins warband. I decided that I needed to win my map (Hellspike Prison), so I needed a Champion 4 and wanted Merchant Guards. So, I chose the Cleric of Dol Arrah. The Mercenary General is not really an option since I don't own the necessary multiples to make the best use of its champion powers. The Cleric of Dol Arrah also offers two cure wounds and a good champion power that boosts attack and damage. As a bonus, it can inflict ongoing damage on demon, devil, and planar targets -- back to the Abyss Solamith!.

Then come the main fighters: the Skullcleave Warrior and Arcadian Avenger. I also considered the Shadowbane Inquisitor and Githzerai Monk combo. This pair has some good synergies, for instance using the Pressure Point Strike so the Shadowbane Inquisitor can sneak attack. And, when played well, the Shadowbane Inquisitor can outdamage the Skullcleave Warrior. However, both the Skullcleave Warrior and Arcadian Avenger have some sort of auto-damage. So, in the end, I decided on that combo. As a backup fighter, I included the Human Sellword.

My choice of a ranged option for a Civilization warband was easy: the Wand Expert -- two attacks per turn and an escape teleport when targeted. To boost the fighters and provide some extra healing, I added the Earth Shujenga. This leaves 21 pts, filled by two Merchant Guards and an Elf Archer.

Kay Kelterer – 2nd place – 4-1

Good, Wild, Warpriest of Vandria (40), 3 x Longstrider Ranger (34/102), Xen'drik Champion (23), Hunting Cougar (9), Wild Elf Warsinger (9), Greenspawn Sneak (6), 2 x Elf Archer (5/10), Teleport Temple, 199 pnts, CR 3, 10 acts

I like the Longstrider Ranger because of its speed. It had a speed of 12 in the original edition game, and they kept most of it when it became available again, so I just had to build a warband with it. The core of the warband is formed by three Longstrider Rangers. They can better benefit from their Pack Hunter ability, then.

Next step: the champion. My first choice was the Champion of Eilistraee, because of the +2 AC and +2 attack for Martial. Looks good, so I looked for a ranged option. I found the Xen’drik Champion, which is also Martial. I rounded the warband with fodder to get to ten activations, and tested the band against my wife's dual Solamith.

Result: Looks good, but the Champion of Eilistraee did nothing during the whole game (except using her Champion powers). Exit CoE. I wanted a more active commander with more of a ranged threat, but I hoped it still fit in with the Longstriders. Then, I found the Warpriest of Vandria, who adds even more mobility to this warband! A minor action now shifts the Longstrider two squares with a champion power. This means a Ranger can now move 20 squares (2 from the minor shifting, and 18 from speed 9) and make one attack at any time during the movement with Spring Attack.

My first choice for the map was Hellspike, and the tactic was to hide behind the smoke, move, hit, and run away. Again, I tested against the dual Solamith. Result: It worked well, but the run and hide tactic didn’t work as expected. My next decision was to test the warband on the Teleport Temple. Again, I ran a test match and finally beat the dual Solamith.

The orders I gave my warband at the start of the game were:

• Warpriest of Vandria: slowly move to the combat places, use champion power, and shoot with the Searing Light.
  
• Longstider Ranger: run as fast as you can, kill minis that normally are left behind in the start area and then move away to safe places.
  
• Xen’drik Champion: stay near the Warpriest and make shortbow attacks.
  
• Hunting Cougar: try to charge and keep the fodder busy.
  
• Wild Elf Warsinger: stay with the cougar or with the Xen’drik.
  
• Greenspawn Sneak: look for victory points and hide as long as you can.
  
• Elf Archer: shoot with longbow and replace the Greenspawn if he is dead.

Erwin Wagemans (aka Charles the Ghoul) – 3rd place – 3-2

Evil, Civilization, Thrall of Blackrazor (43), 2 x Skullcleave Warrior (39/78), Hobgoblin Marshal (22), 2 x Warhorse (16/32), Delver Sergeant (15), Goblin Runner (4), 2 x Farmer (3/6), Teleport Temple, 200 pnts, CR 2, 10 acts

Speed is the key in this warband; it's essential to get your hitters where you want them to be, to fight where you want to fight. Speed 8 on a fast map will get you there. It all comes together in this warband:

• The Marshal gives the warband an extra speed boost.
• Teleport Temple gives good cover against ranged attacks, so you can sneak up on your opponent without taking too much ranged damage.
• Thanks to the Delver Sergeant, a well-timed 3 activation turn can be devastating.
• The Warhorses serve as a transport platform and give extra attacks to the riders.
• Add Goblin runners (speed 12 with Burst of Speed) and Farmers to get to 10 activations -- and the necessary food supplies. Running makes you hungry!

Paul Bakker (aka Llarbal) – 4th place – 3-2

Good, Wild, Hierophant of the Seventh Wind (47), Mephling Pyromancer (38), 2 x Large Air Elemental (29/58), Free League Ranger (25), 2 x Spider of Lolth (9/18), Wild Elf Warsinger (9), Elf Archer (5), Dragondown Grotto, 200 pnts, CR 2, 9 acts

I choose warbands based on three reasons: They have to be versatile, speedy, and look good on the table. I don't want to stare at ugly creatures all day; they have to inspire me to win.
With limited time available to choose a warband and get a little bit of practice in, I chose the Large Air elemental because I pulled one in the Angelfire sealed Online League.

This choice also meant including the Hierophant for its +4 bonus to Elementals, and now the question was to include a Beast or another Elemental. When I saw that the Mephling Pyromancer was now an Elemental, my choice was made.

My warband had a good mix of ranged, area attacks, and a reasonable melee threat thanks to the Wild Elf Warsinger. I decided I was going to be lucky and not run into Witchknives, would maybe face one Solamith out of two Solamith bands and no-one would play the Eternal Blade (bringing EB is considered bad taste).

Being lucky in pairings and rolling crits at the right times sure helped. And, for the first time ever, I was pretty spot on with my metagame predictions! That helped too...

Wiebke Kelterer – 5th place – 3-2

Evil, Underdark, 2 x Solamith (58/116), Babau (29), Delver Sergeant (15), Shardsoul Slayer (15), Kobold Trapmaker (10), 2 x Drow Assassin (7/14), Fane of Lolth, 199 pnts, CR 1, 8 acts

Most of the top warbands were built specifically with the threat of dual Solamiths in mind. You can see the devastation that such a warband can bring in the last round match between Bart (the final winner) and Wiebke (Kay’s wife), which was VASSAL logged for your viewing pleasure!

We all had a lot of fun, met some new players and gave away a lot of prizes, thanks to our sponsors and kind host! Bart certainly seems happy with his prizes!

We hope you had a good time reading this article too!