How to play pGrissel

pGrissel

Well, it's a quiet Sunday evening, I am having my salad for dinner, and I finally get around to watch this video to see how +Chad Shonkwiler plays the pGrissel list.

Here's a quick summary of what I see.

Trollbloods, Turn 1

Everybody runs. pGrissel puts her Fury into the Krielstone and gives Hoof It to the Kriel Warriors. The Chronicler gives Feign Death to the Kriel Warriors as well. The Long Riders ride on the left flank, Horthol on the right.

Trollbloods, Turn 2

The Chronicler gives Charge of the Trolls to the Kriel Warriors (+2 on attack & damage). The Pyre Troll gives his animus to a Kaber Thrower. pGrissel gives Heroic Ballad to the Kriel Warriors, too. The Kriel Warriors start to clean out the Gatormen. The Kaber Thrower with the Pyre Troll animus would hit the Gladiator if he were in range.
The Long Riders run up, but still stay safely behind the Kriel Warriors. Everyone else does like the Long Riders just did, so Long Riders/Trolls/pGrissel/Horthol form a defensive line at the edge of the zone now. pGrissel is behind Janissa's wall for the first time.

Trollbloods, Turn 3

With the Kriel Warriors all but gone, pGrissel casts Calamity onto the Gatormen. She then sprays the Gatormen killing none, but severely wounding them. She also pops her feat.
Three Long Riders charge the Gatormen and Skorne Warbeasts on the left and eliminate the Gatormen there. Two Long Riders stay back for the countercharge. Horthol charges and slams a Heavy on his side of the table.
Interestingly, Janissa is casting her Wall not for pGrissel, but for the Long Riders staying back! One Long Rider is moving back into safety at the end of the turn; so there are now two Long Riders holding up the Skorne while the rest stays behind Janissa's Wall huddled up together with the Krielstone!

Trollbloods, Turn 4

The Runbearer moves up and casts Calamity on a Gladiator.
Not sure what pGrissel is doing exactly (environmental noise), but she gives Heroic Ballad to the Long Riders and attacks the Gladiator closest to her on the right side.
The Long Riders charge the Gladiators on the left and manage to kill one.
The Storm Troll (with the Pyre Troll animus on him) does five attacks (two fists plus three Fury) on the Gladiator that pGrissel hit already. The Pyre Troll does as the Storm Troll did and finishes off said Gladiator.
Janissa walls herself and pGrissel again.

Trollbloods, Turn 5

The Pyre Troll moves, shoots Rasheth, and boosts both To Hit and To Wound setting Rasheth on fire.
pGrissel moves forward, casts Calamity on Rasheth, and sprays him. Janissa follows up and walls her and pGrissel again.
The Storm Troll moves up, shoots Rasheth, boosts the damage, and Electroleap kills the Beasthandlers standing nearby.
The Krielstone moves up to protect pGrissel and everyone else ganged up around her.

At this moment, Dice Down is being called, and the video ends. Chad wins as he has more points in the zone.

General observations on the game

• This video shows the trading models game until pGrissel starts for the assassination.
• This list basically has three waves:
• Kriel Warriors advance aggressively and do the first damage.
• Long Riders charge once the Kriel Warriors are gone and are being called back with the Fell Call/Feat.
• Once enough infantry and heavies are gone, pGrissel starts a ranged assassination with her Trolls.
• One really big problem with this list is time as one can do really complex buffs plus pGrissel's feat turn can eat time like an extra turn. Chad masters this problem by not casting all possible buffs, but "just enough".

General observations on Chad

• When it's not his turn, he just sits and silently observed.
• When he is thinking during his own turn, he plays with his casino dice.
• He doesn't have his cards spread out in front of him but on a pile on his right. He has memorized everything and therefore has a less messy/crowded table. He only gets them out for marking damage on the Trolls.
• He marks the number of wounds on infantry models with eight sided dice (or whatever dice is needed depending on how many wounds a model has). Nifty idea!