Today’s episode of Battle Report is a grudge match of unholy proportions, as the mortal forces of Khorne and Slaanesh scrap for supremacy in the Mortal Realms. And with both battletomes available for pre-order this weekend, this is the first outing for all their lovely new rules. We had a chat with Simon from the Battle Report crew to find out how he got into the mood for Khornate slaughter and what measures he took to resist Slaaneshi temptation.
Warhammer Community: Khorne and Slaanesh have been foes since time immemorial – how did you prepare for this showdown?
Simon: Well, first things first, I ventured into the Realm of Chaos and challenged eight of Slaanesh’s greatest champions to personal combat. After placing their skulls at the foot of Khorne’s throne in the Brass Citadel, I was confident that I’d done enough to earn the Blood God’s favour in preparation for such a grudge match.
In terms of our army selections, they were based on the new Blades of Khorne and Hedonites of Slaanesh Vanguard sets. Ben and I also decided to try out the new heroes – the Realmgore Ritualist and Lord of Hubris – to put them through their paces.
WarCom: We’ve previewed the new rules for the Realmgore Ritualist, as well as the Murderous to the Last and Blood Tithe traits – how did they figure into your plan?
Si: Unlike most champions of Khorne, the Realmgore Ritualist isn’t much of a fighter – though she’s an exceptional support hero. I doubled down on that fact by making her a High-priest of Khorne, able to chant a second prayer each turn. When combined with the Slaughterpriest from the Vanguard set, I could intone up to three prayers a turn with re-rolls to their chanting rolls from the Skull Altar.
I planned to use the classic Khornate approach of getting the rest of my combatants stuck in as soon as possible. That way, they’d not only be in their natural environment, but I’d be getting the most from their murder rolls. After all, if you’re going to lash out and claim one last skull for Khorne in your dying moments, your killer needs to be in axe’s reach!
In such a small battle, I knew that I wouldn’t have an abundance of Blood Tithe points to spend, so I was planning to use low-cost Rewards. Murderlust would help me close with Ben’s forces, and I hoped to save up for Apoplectic Frenzy for a free round of combat with one unit later in the game.
WarCom: And how did that plan play out on the battlefield?
Si: Well, plans rarely survive contact with the enemy, but in the case of a Khorne army, they can only deviate so much!
WarCom: Just how many times did Ben tempt you with those delicious Temptation Dice?
Si: Much more often than I’d have liked! My army was quite elite, so suffering D3 mortal wounds for turning him down wasn’t really an option for the most part. Of course, this resulted in Ben’s forces benefitting from various buffs from their Revel in Depravity ability much earlier than I’d have liked, which took the edge off my dominance in melee.
I did deny him once, though, resulting in the deaths of three Bloodreavers. They were about to be on the receiving end of Ben’s Euphoric Killers that turn, so I actually denied him even more depravity points by doing so!
WarCom: What was your favourite moment in the battle?
Si: The combat that never ended. Seriously, Khorne must’ve loved it! One of Ben’s Symbaresh Twinsouls would kill a Blood Warrior, who would then cut down a Twinsoul with murder rolls, who would then get to fight in turn as a result of the Lord of Hubris’ Only the Best Will Suffice ability. It went on forever! I eventually chose to take a swing at the Lord of Hubris with my murder rolls to put an end to the madness!
Thanks, Si! You can check out all the bloody excess on Battle Report on Warhammer+ today and pre-order the forces of your favoured god from Saturday.
