“Warpstone Open 2014 Qualifier III: Round Three

"Justice is coming to all of us, no matter what we do." -The Comedian

The Watchmen entered the arena of battle once more in the land of the Warpstone, intent of remaining vigilant to the threats coming at them from every angle. This contest was no different, as the Rodents of Decay had brought with them a hired gun - a mage of ill repute who lurked along the sidelines.

Right from the outset the rats were in trouble. Watchmen Philosophy received the ball and on turn one managed to knock out one of the skaven and badly hurt two others, including their rat ogre. Several others limped to the sidelines in the turns that followed and by the end of turn seven there were only two skaven left on the pitch with no apothecary remaining and four injured to the point where they would not return to the match. Though Sally Jupiter gave the fans a heart attack as she dropped the ball near the goal line, Ozymandias made it look easy as he picked the ball up in turn eight and walked across the goal line.

Watchmen Philosophy 1, Rodents of Decay 0.

The end of the first half came with the Watchmen kicking off to Rodents of Decay and hoping that they would be unable to do much with it. Faderife the Deadly would prove that those hopes were in vain. The skaven easily fielded a high kick to their side and pushed the Watchmen line around to line up Faderife rather easily. All that remained was dodging through a difficult line, but Faderife made it look easy as he scampered past them for the score.

Watchmen Philosophy 1, Rodents of Decay 1.

The second half started and the skaven received deep again. A convoy of linerats escorted the gutter runners up the left hand side and Shiven of Crookback held the ball securely in his hands. The loose cage did offer an opportunity for Mothman to leap up from the pitch and blitz the unsuspecting thrower. The ball popped loose and Rorschach scooped it up near a small crowd of superheroes.

Rodents of Decay chose this moment to rain lightning from the sky. Their wizard dropped Rorscach to the ground and the ball popped loose. Though he initially fumbled the ball, Faderife the Deadly once again proved to be the skaven hero and scooped it up for an easy score. The rats in the stands went wild with delight and the crowd alternately booed and cheered for their respective teams.

Watchmen Philosophy 1, Rodents of Decay 2.

With six turns left, it seemed unlikely that the Watchmen were going to be able to score twice. The plan then became this: Score late and do as much damage as possible before overtime. Then pray for a lucky coin toss.

True to form, the Watchmen tore up the pitch and the opposing players. Eight players from Rodents of Decay sat dazed in the medical tent receiving treatment by the end of the half as Ozymandias once again took the honors of walking the ball across the goal line.

Watchmen Philosophy 2, Rodents of Decay 2.

The coin was thrown for overtime, flipping heads and tails in the air -- and the luck of the skaven fell upon Rodents of Decay. They made the correct call and chose to receive. With only six players on the pitch and no wizard left in tow, as well as having no rerolls to speak of, their prospects looked dire. They played heroically and made a valiant effort at bringing the ball within scoring range, but on this day it simply was not to be. Kirin Thoros was surfed into the crowd and the ball bounced free. Numerous fouls ensued as the crowd called for blood but Compus was left on the field at the end, surrounded by the Watchmen, as Hollis Mason scored the game's final touchdown.

Final score: Watchmen Philosophy 3, Rodents of Decay 2.




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