‘Warhammer: The Old World’ – Winning The Akron Brew Brawl and Did They Fix Pegasus Knights?
I recently attended the Akron Brew Brawl – a Warhammer The Old world event with a possible fix for Pegasus Knights! Take a look.
The other weekend I had the good fortune to get to play in the Akron Brew Brawl in Akron, OH. This was a two day event with, including a couple drops and adds, I think a total of 22 players. So this wasn’t the biggest event out there, but still a sizeable five round event and one that was a ton of fun. Over the course of five games I met and played a ton of amazing people and had an incredible time. At the end of the day I managed to go 5-0 and win the event, and make some new friends. The event also tried out a fix for Pegasus Knights that I think had a major impact. So lets take a look at how the event went, and if they managed to fix something we all agree is a bit busted.
My Bretonnian Exiles List
For this event I ran a pretty standard Brettonian Exiles army, not too different from what I played at NOVA last year, though with 500 less points. I did add in a couple of bombards, dropping the Brigands for them. This was something I had missed a lot at NOVA, and they made up for it here. You can see my whole list below.
Bretonnian Exiles [1999 pts]
++ Characters [961 pts] ++
Baron [302 pts]
– Shield
– The Exile’s Vow (replaces the Knight’s Vow)
– General
– Royal Pegasus
– Gromril Great Helm
– Frontier Axe
– Virtue of Knightly Temper
Baron [291 pts]
– Lance
– Shield
– The Exile’s Vow (replaces the Knight’s Vow)
– Royal Pegasus
– Bedazzling Helm
– Gauntlet of the Duel
– Virtue of Heroism
Paladin [191 pts]
– Lance
– Shield
– The Exile’s Vow (replaces the Knight’s Vow)
– Battle Standard Bearer [War Banner]
– Royal Pegasus
– Falcon-horn of Fredemund
Outcast Wizard [177 pts]
– Level 3 Wizard
– Warhorse
– Ruby Ring of Ruin
– Lore Familiar
– Dark Magic
++ Core Units [517 pts] ++
10 Peasant Bowmen [50 pts]
12 Mounted Knights of the Realm [309 pts]
– First Knight (champion)
– Standard bearer
– Musician
6 Mounted Knights of the Realm [158 pts]
– First Knight (champion)
– Standard bearer
++ Special Units [321 pts] ++
5 Pegasus Knights [321 pts]
– First Knight (champion)
– Standard bearer [Banner of the Zealous Knight]
– Musician
++ Rare Units [200 pts] ++
Border Princes Bombard [100 pts]
Border Princes Bombard [100 pts]
I don’t think there is a ton to say about this list, we all should have a pretty good idea of how it plays by now and its no longer anything innovative. I took it mostly because it’s the painted army I have and the TO told me to bring my A-Game. Of note over is that the one major comp difference in this event was making it so that characters could not join the Pegasus Knights. Thus my three Pegasus mounted heroes were on their own (more about this later). Anyway, lets get into the matches
Round 1- Aleks Gavrilov – Orcs and Goblins
My first match up was against Aleks Gavrilov of Fit_Hammer and his great looking Goblin army. This was actually the first time I’d faced fanatics with my Brets and that made me a little nervous. We were playing the flanking force mission, which end up helping me out a lot as it constrained his deployment a ton.
I won the first turn roll. I don’t think Aleks had played verse vanguaring Brets before, and as such made an error in his set up that I was able to take advantage of. My Pegasus Knights got off a first turn charge into a block of Goblins with a lvl 4. Because there was another block behind them, even though they Fell Back In Good Order I was able to run them off the table. My Knights then went into the block behind the first one. This had his other lvl 4 in it. Getting off this charge meant that neither of his lvl 4s got to cast all game. He threw all his fanatics into the Peg Knights, but some horrible rolls on his part (killing 3 of them) and good saves meant that resulted in me losing a single knight.
After that it really was mostly clean up, with my cannons doing good work. Aleks did manage to kill a Baron with a Doom Diver, a result of them being alone, and took out the Peg Knights, but I managed to table him on turn 3. Still it was a great game against a great guy.
Aleks’ List
Orc & Goblin Tribes [2000 pts]
++ Characters [795 pts] ++
Orc Weirdnob [220 pts]
– Level 4 Wizard
– General
– Lore Familiar
– Power Scroll
– Battle Magic
Goblin Oddnob [205 pts]
– Level 4 Wizard
– Idol of Gork
– Elementalism
Night Goblin Bigboss [60 pts]
– Light armour
– Shield
– Battle Standard Bearer
Night Goblin Warboss [102 pts]
– Cavalry spear
– Light armour
– Shield
– Giant Cave Squig
– Wollopa’s One Hit Wunda
Night Goblin Bigboss [92 pts]
– Cavalry spear
– Light armour
– Shield
– Giant Cave Squig
– Ruby Ring of Ruin
Night Goblin Bigboss [77 pts]
– Cavalry spear
– Light armour
– Shield
– Giant Cave Squig
– Biting Blade
Goblin Bigboss [39 pts]
– Great weapon
++ Core Units [598 pts] ++
31 Night Goblin Mob [211 pts]
– Shortbows
– Boss (champion)
– Standard bearer
– 3x Fanatics [Fanatic ball & chain]
30 Night Goblin Mob [207 pts]
– Shortbows
– Boss (champion)
– Standard bearer
– 3x Fanatics [Fanatic ball & chain]
31 Night Goblin Mob [180 pts]
– Shields
– Boss (champion)
– Standard bearer
– 3x Fanatics [Fanatic ball & chain]
++ Special Units [227 pts] ++
7 Night Goblin Squig Hopper Mob [97 pts]
– Cavalry spears
– Boss (champion)
5 Night Goblin Squig Hopper Mob [65 pts]
– Cavalry spears
5 Night Goblin Squig Hopper Mob [65 pts]
– Cavalry spears
++ Rare Units [380 pts] ++
Doom Diver Catapult [95 pts]
Doom Diver Catapult [95 pts]
Mangler Squigs [95 pts]
Mangler Squigs [95 pts]
Round 2- Chuck Moore- High Elves
Next up a played against Chuck Moore (of the Strength Hammer Pod cast) and his great looking High Elf army. This was a very fast cavalry based list, with a dragon, a big block of Silver Helms, a big block of Dragon Princes with a BSB And lvl 4 and a unit of Reavers. That’s it. We played the break point mission.
I set up to try and buy a little time to cannon Chuck. However with only 4 drops Chuck won first turn and moved up very aggressively. In order to counter I made a bit of a risky call and threw all 3 Pegasus characters at his Silver Helms.
He couldn’t flee as it would let me redirect into the Dragon Princes without them getting a counter charge. I made all three charges- lucky- and killed the Silver Helms. A good start. 
He couldn’t make any charges on his turn nor could he turn the Dragon Princes thanks to my cannons and other units. He failed to get walk between worlds off. On my turn the characters went into the Dragon princes and started the slaughter. Mean while the Pegasus Knights ran down the Reavers.
By turn three I had managed to kill everything but his dragon which lead to his army breaking. He managed to get my Bombards with his dragon, but it was another big win for me. Chuck is a great guy and this was a rough matchup.
Chuck’s List
Chuck T. Moore – Akron Brew Brawl 2025 [1999 pts]
Warhammer: The Old World, High Elf Realms
++ Characters [975 pts] ++
Prince [487 pts]
– Full plate armour
– Shield
– General
– Star Dragon
– Dragon Helm
– Sword of Might
– Seed of Rebirth
– Blood of Caledor
Noble [255 pts]
– Full plate armour
– Shield
– Battle Standard Bearer [Banner of Resilience]
– Barded Elven Steed
– Star Lance
– Blood of Caledor
Archmage [233 pts]
– Full plate armour
– Level 4 Wizard
– Barded Elven Steed
– Silvery Wand
– Blood of Caledor
– High Magic
++ Core Units [509 pts] ++
12 Silver Helms [351 pts]
– High Helm (champion) [Sword of Might]
– Standard bearer [War Banner]
– Musician
8 Ellyrian Reavers [158 pts]
– Cavalry spears
– Light armour
– Shortbows
– Skirmishers
– Standard bearer
++ Special Units [515 pts] ++
12 Dragon Princes [515 pts]
– Drakemaster [Dragon Slaying Sword]
– Standard bearer
– Musician
Round 3- Jeremey – Warriors of Chaos
In round three I went up against Jeremey and his punchy Warriors of Chaos army. This list had a big block of Knights with a lvl 4, dragon ogres, a manticore lord, a Warpfire Dragon and a lot of chaff. We played the Mountain Pass mission.
Mountain pass meant I could be really cowardly and set up pretty far back to have a bit of extra time to shoot at him and draw his units apart. And I did just that. The Warpfire Dragon died from cannons before getting to do much.
I drew his big block of frenzied knights out of position with a flee (using the mountain pass rules to prevent me fore going off the table) and then managed to get into them with my Frontier Axe lord. He was able to kill them and the LVL 4 with a little help. (Jeremey was also sick and forget he had Headsmen Axe/that it worked on Pegasus. I think he should have killed my Baron, but as we were at the same initiative it would not have saved his unit and would have had little impact on the game.).
On the other side of the table I played avoidance for a bit, preventing him from getting charges and whittling him down. The PKs and some characters got a rear charge off into the Dragon Ogres, and on turn 3 with only his Manticore lord left he conceded as my unhurt army closed in. He did manage to nab a cannon.
Jeremey’s List
Warriors of Chaos [1994 pts]
++ Characters [863 pts] ++
Chaos Lord [462 pts]
– Full plate armour
– Shield
– Mark of Chaos [Mark of Khorne]
– General
– Manticore
– 2x Favour of the Gods
– Ogre Blade
– Brazen Collar
– Extra Arm
Sorcerer Lord [401 pts]
– Heavy armour
– Mark of Nurgle
– Level 4 Wizard
– Chaos Steed
– Favour of the Gods
– Infernal Puppet
– Headsman’s Axe
– Enchanting Aura
– Poisonous Slime
– Dark Magic
++ Core Units [501 pts] ++
8 Chaos Knights [321 pts]
– Lances
– Mark of Nurgle
– Champion [Brazen Collar]
– Standard bearer [Banner of Rage]
– Musician
5 Chaos Warhounds [35 pts]
– Vanguard
5 Marauder Horsemen [75 pts]
– Flails
– Light armour
– Mark of Chaos [Mark of Slaanesh]
5 Marauder Horsemen [70 pts]
– Light armour
– Mark of Chaos [Mark of Slaanesh]
++ Special Units [255 pts] ++
4 Dragon Ogres [255 pts]
– Halberds
– Heavy armour
– Shartak
++ Rare Units [375 pts] ++
Warpfire Dragon [375 pts]
Round 4- Todd- Vampire Counts
Day two started and I squared off against Todd and his Vampire Counts. Poor Todd, I was the third Bret he’d played in a row. However as he’d beaten the other two I knew he knew how the army worked. He had a hard hitting combat VC list with some strong units. We played the basic open battle mission.
This started out as a big of a cagy match- we both vanguarded some units up, but Todd went first. In a move that I think may have cost him the game he charged his dogs into my PKs, who wiped them out and overran. Though they didn’t hit anything whit the overrun, it let them on my turn fully get behind his army.
On my turn two I was able to throw the PKs and all three characters, making a lot of fear tests and charge rolls, into a unit of 25 zombies. They wiped them out and got to overrun, giving everyone the blessing. The BSB and PKs went into his Hexwraiths, the two barons just bumped into things. However this put Todd really out of position with his Blood Knights on the wrong side of the table.
Ignoring the rest of my army Todd swung everything around to go after the flyers, and gave me some really good cannon shots! In the ensuing fight his Banshee and Hexwraiths ended up dying to combat res. Meanwhile my two Barons charged into the Grave Guard. Over a couple of turns they were able to kill the Lvl 4 and then the BSB, and when my frenzied Knights of the Realm hit their rear, the rest of the unit.
The Blood Knights + Vampire did managed to get to my PKs and killed them, as well as my BSB. However at the end of turn 6 I had killed the rest of his army and the final face off never happened. But it looked dramatic! A major victory for me, but my hardest fought match of the event. Todd is a great and fun player with a solid list.
Todd’s List
Renegades (Square Based)
235 – Master Necromancer, Wizard Level 4, Necromancy, Sceptre Of De Noirot, Helm Of Commandment
90 – Tomb Banshee
406 – Vampire Count, Lance, Shield, Full Plate Armour, Dark Acolyte, Master of the Black Arts, General, Nightmare, Wizard Level 2, Illusion, Lore Familiar, Ruby Ring of Ruin, Crown of the Damned
102 – Wight Lord, Shield, Battle Standard Bearer, The Accursed Armour, Charmed Shield
48 – 6 Dire Wolves
392 – 27 Grave Guard, Great Weapon, Seneschal, Standard Bearer, Drakenhof Banner, Musician
60 – 20 Zombies
196 – 4 Spirit Hosts
285 – 6 Blood Knights, Full Plate Armour, Kastellan, Standard Bearer, Musician
186 – 6 Hexwraiths
Round 5 – Dustin- Brettonain Exiles
Round five saw the dreaded mirror match vs Dustin. He had an army that was very similar to mine. The main difference being he had the Green Knight and no wizard. Now at this point I was 4-0 and Dustin was 3-1. In fact I was the only 4-0, so as long as I could avoid a super crazy loss I was pretty confident. I do wish I could spin you a great yarn of this epic clash on table 1 of round 5. But sadly this was more of a whimper than a bang.
You see our final mission was meeting engagement. And about half of Dustin’s army decided not to come on during deployment. This included his Frontier Axe baron and his PKs. Meanwhile I only had a single bombard stay off the table. Through no fault of his own Dustin was at a huge disadvantage. He did try his best. I also got first turn, despite having more drops. He fled some units on turn one to keep me from a charge. However turn two I was still able to get into him.
By the time he’s reserves came in on his turn two I had already destroyed everything he had started with on the table. He managed to kill off my PKs, but that was it and it ended with a full point victory for me. With that I clinched a 5-0 and won the event, after playing 5 great games against 5 amazing players.
Dustin’s List
Bretonnian Exiles [1996 pts]
++ Characters [980 pts] ++
Baron [285 pts]
– The Exile’s Vow (replaces the Knight’s Vow)
– General
– Royal Pegasus
– Frontier Axe
– Charmed Shield
– Wyrmbreath Vial
– Virtue of Knightly Temper
Baron [279 pts]
– Lance
– The Exile’s Vow (replaces the Knight’s Vow)
– Royal Pegasus
– 2x Lucky Heirloom
– Charmed Shield
– Virtue of Heroism
Paladin [141 pts]
– Lance
– Shield
– The Exile’s Vow (replaces the Knight’s Vow)
– Battle Standard Bearer
– Barded Pegasus
– Falcon-horn of Fredemund
– Charmed Shield
The Green Knight [275 pts]
++ Core Units [527 pts] ++
12 Mounted Knights of the Realm [309 pts]
– The Exile’s Vow (replaces the Knight’s Vow)
– First Knight (champion)
– Standard bearer
– Musician
6 Mounted Knights of the Realm [163 pts]
– The Exile’s Vow (replaces the Knight’s Vow)
– First Knight (champion) [Burning Blade]
– Standard bearer
10 Peasant Bowmen [55 pts]
– Standard bearer
++ Special Units [289 pts] ++
5 Pegasus Knights [289 pts]
– The Exile’s Vow (replaces the Knight’s Vow)
– First Knight (champion)
– Standard bearer
++ Rare Units [200 pts] ++
Border Princes Bombard [100 pts]
Border Princes Bombard [100 pts]
Did They Fix Pegasus Knights?
So this event tried something new. It was pretty comp light, but made one big change. That was not allowing characters to join units of Pegasus Knights. Now it’s easy to look at the results and me going 5-0 and say this had no effect, that it did nothing to fix the unit. But I would disagree. I actually think this did a ton to fix Pegasus Knights.
Taking characters out of the unit made it a lot weaker. In my games that meant I had to do a lot of combo charges. It also meant my Peg Knights, couldn’t bully enemies quite as much. They were good, but a lot tamer than normal. Indeed my Peg Knights died in three of my five games, something that almost never happens. I also lost two characters to shooting, again something that pretty much never happens when they are in units. In two of my other games they did relatively little and did not earn their points back.
If you look at the rankings you’ll see that I was the only Bret in the top five. The event had a great spread with five different armies in the top five. None of the other Brets, who were run by good players, did better than 3-2, and I think a big part of that was limiting the PKs. Indeed I likely only did as well as I did because I stopped using PKs about eight months ago and have just been running the Pegasus characters on their own, and getting a lot of practice.
And I think that’s kind of key here. Because while I think this change goes a lot way to fix PKs, its not a fix for all of Brets. They have amazing characters. They’ve always been the stars. And playing with this limitation just goes to show that. In a lot of ways PKs were never the issue. Now while this doesn’t make their characters less deadly it does make them more vulnerable. And harder to use. And I think that’s good. Obviously as a Bret player and PK user I have a bais. But I do think this was a good and easy change.
Final Thoughts On the Event
Overall this was a great event. Tickets included some free beers or soda and food both days. It was held at a brewery which was awesome. We had a room full of people playing Old World (and I guess playing this 40K game?). I had five great games and everyone I talked to had a super great time. I saw a ton of great games get played.
This was one of the biggest combats I’ve ever seen with something like 3000 points in a single fight!
This game had such a classic line up I couldn’t help but watch it for a bit! Just a really fun event with great people. They are putting on a one day three round event in mid August which you can check out here if you are interested. It sounds like they are also planning another big two day event for closer to the end of the year. Both events should have re-worked packets with new missions and fun stuff. Anyway, a big thanks to everyone I played and who helped make this a great event!
Let us know about what events you’ve been playing in recently, down in the comments!
