Yes I'm still lacking inspiration for my Tzeentch Herald and my Slaanesh Herald needs to be finished but the point was the play testing. As I've never actually played a game of 6th this was probably not the best selection of units but may as well jump in at the deep end. I did forget some rules at first so where I did forget I'll make a note but even with the rules I forgot everything performed as expected though I did have a few surprises. Also these tests were made with basic units so no upgrades of any kind at all.
Round 1:
My first set of battles were between Tzeentch and Khorne and went pretty much as I expected. I ran three battles because I forgot things in the first two but managed to remember it all for the 3rd and this then became my template for the rest of the battles to make sure I didn't forget anything.
In the first battle I forgot about the +3 Ld when manifesting psychic powers for being a Daemon of Tzeentch so this was done at Ld 8 for the Tzeentch Herald. Khorne got the first turn and Tzeentch didn't seize the initiative (this was the case in each of the battles I've done so far so when I don't mention seizing the initiative that's why). Khorne moved in the movement phase but having no ranged capabilities he didn't shoot but instead ran. This wasn't enough to put him in range to charge so he did nothing further. Tzeentch must have been laughing because Khorne was directly in range for Flickering Fire of Tzeentch which managed to cause a single wound. After that I rolled for Soul Blaze which promptly did nothing but I forgot to roll for Warpflame. In the second round Khorne moved and ran again while Tzeentch lined up for round two with the Flickering Fire. Unfortunately Tzeentch failed the Ld test (if I'd remembered the +3 Ld it would have passed) so nothing happened. Khorne moved into charge range and charged, taking one wound from Tzeentch who, in retaliation, hit back but didn't wound. In the second round of combat Khorne hit pretty hard and took the last wound from Tzeentch.
In the second battle I moved to a smaller area and Khorne went first by moving then running. Tzeentch lined up for Flickering Fire but failed the Ld test with a double six so he took a wound from the Perils of the Warp (you'd think Daemons would be immune as they ARE the Perils but hey). Khorne moved and charged, managing to completely destroy Tzeentch in one go (I remembered Furious Charge this time too).
In the final battle Tzeentch rolled for the first turn and moved into range for Flickering Fire, but only just. Tzeentch passed the Ld test and Khorne failed to Deny the Witch. Tzeentch then rolled a pretty awesome 10 shots of which 9 hit and 5 wounded. Khorne failed three saves and Tzeentch won the round.
This match-up was pretty much as I expected; if Khorne managed to get into combat then he won without much effort but Tzeentch was pretty effective at range and with half decent dice rolls he was able to take out Khorne with no effort at all. The main downside to this is that as a Psychic attack it can (and was) shut down before managing to do anything which is a bit of a pain. Khorne was great in combat but took too long to get there so I think he needs a fast moving buffer to hit first and prevent over watch (didn't come into these scenarios but it will at some point).
Round 2:
As a bit of an aside before the reporting this picture is really going to help me paint that cloak but that will come later.
In the first battle I remembered almost everything except for Nurgle's defensive grenades. I also had to do the second battle over again because I got carried away and moved, ran and charged in the same turn. While Slaanesh covered an impressive 24" and took out Nurgle in one turn it wasn't following the rules so it didn't count.
The first battle saw Slaanesh go first by moving and running a combined 13" by utilising the extra 3" to a run move by being a Daemon of Slaanesh and a Fleet re-roll that changed a one to a four. Nurgle moved 6" but couldn't run due to Slow and Purposeful. Slaanesh then moved, charged and scored a wound and Nurgle hit back by causing a wound in return. Slaanesh then took another swipe and was able to finish Nurgle.
In the second battle the events played out quite similarly in that Slaanesh dashed across the field and tried to tear chunks out of Nurgle while Nurgle stumbled and dragged himself over and lazily swatted Slaanesh. The combat went in the same way too with both causing each other a wound followed by Slaanesh performing a Coup des Gras.
The third battle was a little different in that Nurgle went first and was able to slowly crawl towards the ever swift Slaanesh and land enough blows to kill her while taking no damage himself.
What I learned here is that Slaanesh units are something of a glass cannon. They're fast and they can hit very very hard but if they take on a unit that can fight back they'll crumble pretty easily. In the other hand Nurgle units have a fair amount if staying power in that my Herald was able to last quite a few rounds of beatings and just shrug it off. While I didn't get to see how effective Shrouded could be (I haven't got any terrain to use as cover) I imagine it will have a greater effect with scenery to hide in and stuff. At the same time Nurgle was able to slap Slaanesh around a bit but I imagine she liked it.
Round 3:
The next battle was between Tzeentch and Slaanesh which I figured would be an interesting match up because of Slaanesh's speed against the devastation of Tzeentch's Flickering Fire.
In the first battle Slaanesh's speed was good but not enough to stop Tzeentch from blasting her with the Flickering Fire. Slaanesh was able to deny the witch on the first round but a bad charge roll left her open to a second attempt where she took 5 unsaved wounds.
The second battle went a little differently although the beginning did look like it was going to be the same. Tzeentch took the initiative and started casting until Slaanesh was able to deny the witch. Slaanesh ran forwards with all the speed she could muster but Tzeentch was faster with his spell and sent another torrent of fire her way. Slaanesh took a few hits but made all her saves so she took no wounds. At last she makes a charge and in the blink of an eye she slices Tzeentch limb from limb.
In the third battle Slaanesh moves first and runs with blinding speed but it does her no good as yet another blast of flame makes it's way towards her and before she is able to react she is incinerated.
While I've dramatised these battles they were still a learning experience. Deny the Witch is a pain but because of the range of Flickering Fire it's not too much of a pain. If a successful roll was made and then a charge straight after it's a problem but where there's time to take another shot then you're fine. Unless your opponent is lucky on the rolling and denies twice in a row. Also this round backed up the last two rounds in that Tzeentch proved to be pretty bad in close combat and Slaanesh was awesome in combat but getting there was a challenge.
Round 4:
I was unfortunately interrupted during these battles so I only finished one battle but I was quite surprised by the result.
Khorne got the first turn and moved and ran towards Nurgle while Nurgle stumbled towards Khorne, steadily dragging his entrails behind him. Khorne stalked towards Nurgle and pounced for a long range charge that I wasn't sure he'd be able to make but he did. He hit Nurgle hard but was unable to land any wounds while Nurgle couldn't even make any hits. In the second round of combat Khorne landed a couple of hits and even a wound but Nurgle managed to save it. The mass of attacks finally roused the lumbering corpse into a rage and with a couple of well placed blows he was able to take down Khorne.
While I'm not sure if this was a lucky fluke or the general state of things this does show how effective Nurgle can be in combat. Granted he is unlikely to ever be able to get into range to initiate a charge but he can survive the first round of punishment to then hit back with his own. I'll be interested to see if this is the norm or an exception.
On a side note I have found a combination that is insanely devastating which is a unit if 20 Pink Horrors with two Heralds of Tzeentch, one with Prescience and both with the Locus of Conjuration. The reason to have both with the Locus is just in case one is killed. At full strength this unit will carry 9 warp charges and can therefore use Flickering Fire at Strength 6 with re-rolls to hit and becomes Assault 11D6 (can be 12D6 if you sacrifice Prescience). This gives you a MINIMUM of 11 shots and a maximum of a mind blowing 66!! Even if you do somehow end up having to roll high to hit and to wound there is still a good chance of landing some wounds which triggers Soul Blaze AND Warpflame which both have a chance to deal more damage. Assuming anything survives such a barrage of hits. Now obviously this won't come cheap and we're talking almost 400 points for the unit (upgrades are necessary to do this) but the potential is off the charts insane.
I'll leave you now with that thought, enjoy.
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