The 4th Cú Chulainn Cup - the results!

This year’s Cú Chulainn Cup (the fourth Song of Blades and Heroes competition day we have run) was held a bit later in the year than usual and we only mustered six players. Six players are still enough for a gratifying day of rolling dice, and in a five-round competition it means that each player goes up against every other warband, but numbers were certainly down on last year.

As usual, we had enough tables that no player had to play the same one twice, and we used a mix of 2'x2', 3'x3', 3'x4' and 4'x4' tables in the hope that no one warband would be advantaged/disadvantaged. 

The Warbands

The High Elves (Andrew)

Elf Wizard (70 points) Q2 C2

Special rules: Forester, Magic-User

Elf Warrior (38 points) Q2 C3

Special rules:

Elf Warrior (38 points) Q2 C3

Special rules:

Elf Warrior (38 points) Q2 C3

Special rules:

Elf Archer (55 points) Q2 C3

Special rules: Shooter: Long

Sylph (60 points) Q3 C1

Special rules: Distract, Flying, Free Disengage

The Spice Girls (Chris)

Paprika (86 points) Q3 C3

Special rules: Free Disengage, Leader, Magic-User, Slow

Sesame (102 points) Q3 C6

Special rules: Artificial, Big, Flying, Heavy Armor, Shooter: Long, Slow

Salt (57points) Q4 C6

Special rules: Artificial, Big, Heavy Armor, Shooter: Medium, Slow

Pepa (54 points) Q4 C5

Special rules: Artificial, Big, Heavy Armor, Shooter: Long, Slow

Bomtiki’s Deepest Darkest Whitehead Warband (Andy)

Bomtiki (70 points) Q3 C4

Special rules: Leader

Scout - Wheretheficrwe (56 points) Q3 C3

Special rules: Shooter: Long, Good Shot, Unerring Aim

Scout - Tonbuko (56 points) Q3 C3

Special rules: Shooter: Long, Good Shot, Unerring Aim

Fanatical Warrior - AArrgg (44 points) Q3 C3

Special rules: Berserk, Fearless

Fanatical Warrior - Eeeiiii (44 points) Q3 C3

Special rules: Berserk, Fearless

Unmarried Warrior - Gregory (15points) Q4 C2

Special rules:

Unmarried Warrior - Harry (15points) Q4 C2

Special rules:

Legend of Zelda (Mike)

Link (110 points) Q2 C6

Special rules: Dashing, Fearless, Magic Resistance, Savage

19x Cucco (10 points) Q2 C1

Special Rules: Dogged, Fearless, Protect

Yep. That’s right. 19 bloody chickens. Apparently, there’s a thing in Zelda with chickens, although I admit that I had to have Mike explain it to me. Although technically legal, this warband was super cheesy and was min-maxed to the nth degree, but it made me laugh, so I allowed it.

SHROOMS! (Jim)

Princess Enoki (70 points) Q3 C4

Special rules: Leader

Mushrye (30 points) Q4 C1

Special rules: Magic-User

Cuthulshroom (76 points) Q3 C4

Special rules:Flying, Huge, Savage

Porcini (44 points) Q3 C3

Special rules:Shooter: Long

BonBombs (10 points) Q3 C1

Special rules:

BonBombs (10 points) Q3 C1

Special rules:

BonBombs (10 points) Q3 C1

Special rules:

BonBombs (10 points) Q3 C1

Special rules:

BonBombs (10 points) Q3 C1

Special rules:

Shitake (30 points) Q3 C3

Special rules:

The not-at-all-product-placement Palaeo Dieters (Nic)

Ogg (50 points) Q3 C2

Special rules: Greedy, Leader, Shooter: Short

Frygga (20 points) Q3 C2

Special rules: Greedy, Shooter: Short

Snogg (20 points) Q3 C2

Special rules: Greedy, Shooter: Short

Urgg (20 points) Q3 C2

Special rules: Greedy, Shooter: Short

Herc (42 points) Q3 C4

Special rules: Greedy, Heavy Armor

Rarr (26 points) Q3 C3

Special rules: Greedy

Tark (36 points) Q3 C2

Special rules: Good Shot, Greedy, Shooter: Long

Bow (36 points) Q3 C2

Special rules: Good Shot, Greedy, Shooter: Long

Fergg and the Mamu (50 points) Q4 C6

Special rules: Animal, Berserk, Big, Dogged, Fearless, Stubborn

TABLE 1    The Titanbane Quest

Four counters are placed on the table marking possible locations of a magical weapon known as Titanbane. When a model comes into contact with a counter they may spend 1 action to search the area. Flip the counter over and compare the number with the possible ‘finds’ below.

     I.          The model has found Titanbane, a magical weapon of great craftsmanship. A model must spend 2 actions to pick up Titanbane. Any model holding Titanbane may give it to an adjacent model by spending 1 action. If a model carrying Titanbane is killed, another figure may pick it up from the dead model’s body by spending 2 actions.

         I.     The wielder of Titanbane is granted a +3 C modifier to their melee roles.

  II.          II.    Nothing but footprints in the dust, fingerprints in time… Lost in thought, the model may make no further actions this turn.

III.         III.   The Guardian awakes! A minotaur (Q4 C4 Big, Dogged, Savage) springs out from its hiding spot nearby and engages the model in melee. The minotaur joins the opposing warband for the remainder of the game.

IV.          Booby trap! The model sets off an explosive trap, hitting all models within 1x Medium distance with a C3 free hack.

Victory conditions: 1 victory point per 25 points of defeated opponents (killed or routed off the table), plus 5 victory points for holding Titanbane at the end of the game.

TABLE 2    Wicked Willows of the Wylde Woods

The rival warbands have crossed paths in the dangerous – and aptly named Wylde Woods. At the centre of the woods is an enchanted place of power, but the trees of the wood dislike strangers and are unpredictable at the best of times.

Any magic using model within the place of power receives one free action (not rolled for) every turn. Note that the free action is in addition to the one, two or three actions they roll for.

Every time a player rolls a turn over, every model within 1x Short distance of a tree or wooded area receives a C2 Free Hack. Models with the Forester special rule are unaffected.

Victory conditions: 1 victory point per 25 points of defeated opponents (including those killed by trees), plus 5 victory points for having a magic using model in the place of power at the end of the game.

TABLE 3    BeerANBURGER BRAWLERS

The rival warbands engage in an all-out battle for control of the backstreets of suburban Beeranburger. Here they will each attempt to eliminate their rival’s leader in their quest for ascendancy.

Victory conditions: 1 victory point per 25 points of defeated opponents, plus 5 victory points for killing (or routing) the personality in the opposing warband with the highest points value. If a warband contains no personality characters, the victory points are awarded for killing the non-personality with the highest points value.

TABLE 4    Doom-Chasm Caverns

The rival warbands engage in an all-out battle to the death (or for 45 minutes, whichever happens first). However, they happen to have met while exploring the Doom-Chasm Caverns, a seemingly bottomless cave system where movement is restricted to platforms connected by walkways.

Any model that falls on a walkway must pass a Q check on one die or will fall of the edge into a chasm. Any model forced to recoil over any edge of a platform or walkway will automatically fall into the chasm. All models who fall into the chasm are removed from play and count as defeated opponents for the purpose of victory points.

Victory conditions: 1 victory point per 20 points of defeated opponents.

TABLE 5    BALLYBOGSIDE

The rival warbands encounter each other in somewhat misrepresented ‘lakeside holiday retreat’ of Ballybogside. Here they engage in an all-out battle to the death (or for 45 minutes, whichever happens first).

Any model who falls while adjacent to the edge of a walkway or platform must pass a Q check on one die or will fall into the swamp, as will any model forced to recoil off a walkway or platform.

While in the swamp, models become Slow and have a Short Move unless they are amphibious or swamp walkers, in which case they may move normally.

It costs two actions to climb out of the swamp back onto an adjacent walkway/platform except where there is a ramp.

Victory conditions: 1 victory point per 20 points of defeated opponents.

TABLE 6    WATCHER IN THE WOODS

While out hunting for truffles, the rival warbands have stumbled upon a clearing in the woods with a nice wee pond.

The first time any model falls (not a kill), whether in melee or because of shooting, both warbands watch in horror as the Watcher launches itself from the water, grabs the fallen model and drags it back helpless to its murky lair.

The model is lost (the opposing player will get no victory points for its demise kill) and all remaining models on the table must take an immediate morale test (starting with the player whose model was dragged away).

Victory conditions: 1 victory point per 20 points of defeated opponents.

TABLE 7    LOOTING the RUINS

Hoping to find something worth lifting, the warbands have stumbled upon the ruins of an old mining village. Have a look around and see what you can find.

Four markers, worth 1, 2, 3 and 4 victory points each are located on the table. The problem is, the warbands don’t know which is worth what.

Any model may pick up a piece of loot by standing next to it and spending an action. Take the loot marker off the table but do not turn it over. Any model who picks up a piece of loot and then flips the marker over to reveal its value will lose the marker and see their model suffer an instant gruesome death. As they say, ‘curiosity killed the orc’.

The model may then remain on the table to carry on fighting, or leave the table via their own table edge.

Victory conditions: 1 victory point per 50 points of defeated opponents, plus the marked value (1, 2, 3 or 4) for each piece of loot held by a member of the warband or carried off the table. -1 victory point for each member of the warband who voluntarily left the table.

The Results

After five satisfying rounds, Mike’s Legend of Zelda cheesy chicken warband came out on top, undefeated. Despite my best efforts to design scenarios to fillet and explode his feathery minions at every opportunity, he was, ultimately, unstoppable. 

I’m in equal parts surprised and pleased to say that my Palaeo Dieters came in second with four wins, defeated only by Link and the poultry. Jim’s Shrooms came in third with three wins, Andy’s Africans got two wins, Andrew’s elves secured one victory. Chris was also present. He played well with his strange jars of spice, but in the end, his high Combat values were not enough to balance average Quality, low numbers and the curse of being slow.

The popular vote for the players’ favourite warbands came down evenly for Andrew’s Elves and Jim’s Schrooms, but when put to external adjudication, the fungai were awarded the prize.