The first combat of the Battle for the Athanc campaign takes place at the Cygnaran Royal Observatory.

Controlling this technological wonder lets a player scout out enemy banners that are near, giving them crucial information on what forces they may face. With the Observatory’s central location, this is a powerful tool when planning out orders.

Each special location (such as the Ironhead Station or Demonhead Pass) uses a custom scenario. The scenario for the Observatory places it in the center of the table on top of a hill. Additional terrain is set up around it, and players set up and roll for turn order as normal. If one of the players controlled the Observatory tile, they automatically win the roll for turn order, and can place a unit in the tower as part of deployment.

In this scenario, a unit would have to end its activation with at least half of the unit in base contact with the Observatory. On the following turn, the unit could enter the Observatory, gaining Cover, becoming Fearless, and expanding their line of sight to 360°. However, with the cramped and confined space inside the tower, models in the Observatory will suffer extra damage from sprays and blasts. To win the scenario and lay claim to the tile, Plummer or Simon would need to control the Observatory or wipe out nearly all of the opposing army before the end of the game. This scenario uses a random game length, so victory couldn’t be guaranteed until the final roll of the dice.

I arrayed my banners, began painting my models, and started the round by talking with my closest neighbors on the map. Charles Agel’s Convergence forces and I came to a truce, and I had thought Michael Plummer and I had done the same after he and I spoke. We had agreed he’d move northeast with his nearest banner, and I’d advance toward the Cygnaran Royal Observatory, letting him prepare to deal with the imminent threat of Cryx; however, the xenophobic and hateful elves of Ios proved as treacherous as ever, and they betrayed me immediately. I was not totally surprised by this turn of events, and I was prepared to do battle with my smallest banner.

As the game began, I moved my Greylords Ternion into the tower, laying waste to the attackers with sprays, keeping my Doom Reavers in reserve for a counterattack. Unfortunately, he gained the advantage of the terrain, with two units of Stormfall Archers taking a heavy toll on my warjacks. Ultimately, his full unit of Houseguard Halberdiers took the tower, but not before my mortar hit his Destor Thane square in the face. In the aftermath, my own casualties were moderate, with my Greylord Escort dying of his wounds but no other notable losses. In return, I left the Destor Thane with permanent wounds sure to haunt Plummer in future battles.

Ultimately, victory was mine! In the Map Phase, Plummer failed to capture the Observatory and, fearing an attack from Ed, withdrew from the region, allowing me to capture it without further bloodshed. I took the following round to replenish my forces, find a new banner, and begin to see what I could see from the top of my newly claimed Observatory. With one alliance cemented and a vendetta secured against the elves, the 5th Border Legion has its work cut out for it in the Wurmwalls.

I knew I was playing with fire when I moved my banner toward the Observatory. Simon’s Khadoran forces shared a border with the location, and I had to assume he would make an attempt to control it as well. I didn’t have a lot of choices, though—it was the only worthwhile piece of territory within striking distance. I just hoped I wouldn’t run into a huge banner.

My heart sank a bit as the battle lines were drawn. I was going to be playing down by 5 points, and I saw Malakov, a Grolar, and a Devastator. I wasn’t very well suited to taking down those warjacks, and in a battle with no proper warcaster, Malakov could potentially prove to be just too much for me. Luckily, I was able to choose my table edge, and I secured the side with more defensible positions. My battle plan was to let his rabble come to me and then try to seize the Observatory tower at the last possible moment.

During the course of the battle, I took extremely heavy casualties but struck down quite a few of the Khadorans as well. I was able to destroy both warjacks, but not before suffering crippling losses of my own. My Banshee with Arcanist support was the MVP of the game, allowing my last two Halberdiers to seize the Observatory in time for turn 5. Simon’s last Widowmaker picked one of them off, but the Officer held true and won me the day.