This weekend I finally made it down the road to a group nearby to play against other armies beyond the Blood Angels that I tend to play against (small town living sucks). Initially I had heard that it was going to be a 6 man free for all on an 8x6 table. They decided against that though in favor of a 3 on 3 with one side having an extra 500 points as they had won their match the previous week (which I was not part of). This would have made it 4250 vs. 3750 ... however one player couldn't make it so we did some shuffling and it ended up being 1500 BA and 1500 DA versus 1250 Eldar plus an Avatar and then my 1250 DE army. The fifth player would then bring in his Tyranid on a random edge at the end of the 2nd turn and just attack closest players.
This isn't the battle report that I wanted to bring to the forums not having good turn specifics or pictures but given the scope of the battle and how fun it was I still wanted to report on it as best I could.
While I don't have the 1500 point marine lists nor the 1250+avatar Eldar list ... nor the 1250 point Nid list ... here is what I brought to the table.
Archon w/ Huskblade, Combat Drugs, Shadowfield, Soultrap
4 Incubi, 1 a Klaivex, w/ Demiklaive, Bloodstone
in a Venom, extra splinter cannon, Night Shields
Heamy w/ Venom Blade, Liquifier
7 Wyches w/ Haywire, Hydragaunts, 1 a Hekatrix w/ PGL, Agonizer
in a Raider w/ Night Shields
3 Trueborn w/ Blasters
in a Venom, extra splinter cannon, Night Shields
5 Warriors w/ Blaster
in a Venom, extra splinter cannon, Night Shields
3 Trueborn w/ 2 DLs
-no ride (yes, not great especially on this board but I'll comment more on good and bad later)
5 Scourges 2/ 2 Haywire Blasters
Ravager w/ NightShields, Disies
The mission was a Relic mission on the 8x6 table previously mentioned and deployment was on the far ends of the board. There was no night fighting. Most of the warlord traits were worthless but I did get the one to delay their reserves which came in handy later. They won the roll but wanted us to deploy first.
I held my scouges in reserve hoping to be able to Deep Strike in and glance out a vehicle or two later. The Eldar setup mostly along the line on one side and I took to the other side, closer to the middle than the edge. Our opponents set up very little having a Rhino with no troops running cover for Mephiston (sp?), some bikes, and some termies. Scout deployments saw the Eldar put a squad of troops well behind enemy lines (ended up not being a big deal) and a squad of snipers in ruins on one board edge near the relic. Our opponent set their only scouts in the center board ruins inches from the relic.
Top Turn 1:
They then rolled to take initiative and got the 6, thus going first. In a move that I'm used to having played against the BA player he took his first drop pod and dropped it in right next to the Eldar hover tank. His guys inside using flamers wrecked the tank before it could ever move. I'm used to seeing him do this to a vehicle or two of mine first turn so it was nice to see him focus on the Eldar player this time. The DA player on the other hand had two groups of termies drop in, one at about 24" from my vehicles and the others right into the ruins with the relic. He then rushed his bikes into the ruins as well. Then came that first "you have what?" moment that I love when someone first plays Dark Eldar when he looks to start targetting my vehicles and I kindly let him know that I have night shields which would reduce his range. He measures again and realizes that he has dropped every one of his termies just out of range because of the night shields and thus can't shoot anything in my army. He instead takes a few pot shots elsewhere doing little damage. The BA player also moves forward to grab the relic.
Bottom Turn 1:
The Eldar HQ (it wasn't Eldrad but another psyker that was pretty powerful) and his group engaged the marines that blew up the tank and got locked in combat. He did some other shooting but little outside of the combat he was locked in. I spread out and moved forward, running the DL trueborn forward so they would have cover to fire from the next round. The wych raider I went flat out with to try to get to the other side to block of retreat with the relic. I then opened fire with everything I had prompting the next "holy s$@!" moment from my opponent who hadn't played DE before. I began by opening fire with the Disie cannons from the Ravager which took out a handful of his 10 man termie squad that dropped in just out of range (and wouldn't be in range again even though I moved forward and around him). Then came the splinter cannons from the venoms into his bikes in the ruins. Despite his 3+ armor save when all was said and done there he had only 3 bikes left. Next came fire from the crew in the venoms taking out another 1-2 termies leaving his once 10 man squad with just 4 and his HQ with just 1 wound.
Top Turn 2:
BA and Eldar continue to be locked in combat. Thanks to my delayed reserves his speeder failed to come in but his other drop pod landed back with the Eldar intent on tying them up (may have been the mistake that cost them the game). Otherwise BA didn't do much. DA took the relic from the scouts and started moving away. The bikes that were left rushed forward as did the remaining termies and between them they managed to down the Venom with the warriors in them. They hit the incubi venom as well but flickerfield saved the penetrating hit and it only took a single glance. Otherwise DE remained unhurt.
Bottom Turn 2:
Eldar and DA continue to be locked in combat but Eldar managed to finish one group while taking casualties. His HQ with fortune and doom really tied up those groups well. His group in the back continued to move but was out of position for much of anything. His snipers took out a couple more BA scouts in the ruins (as he had in turn 1). His reserves came in and dropped a pie plate on the mass in the ruins but did little. I then flat out moved the wyches again which put them on the other side of the fleeing termies with the relic. My scourges came in and did a glance to the empty Rhino but were otherwise worthless. My DL Trueborn took a couple shots at termies doing littlle. I forgot to disembark my incubi so they did nothing but the venoms that were left shot into the nearby termies not doing much and the bikes, doing nothing. The blasters however managed a couple more wounds against Termies nearby leaving just 2 and the wounded HQ. The Ravager fired into the fleeing termies with the relic killing a few there.
Nid Turn 2:
On a random d4 roll the Nids would of course not come in on the DA edge where they were trying to escape with the relic, nor the far board to force them back towards what had become my half of the board, but rather the side that I had begun to be spread along. Thankfully they couldn't get to any of my troops nor my allies (he had a group of warp spiders near plus his snipers). They did do a little shooting but were mostly assault built.
Top Turn 3:
BA and Eldar still locked in combat. His upfield Termies that remained took pot shots at my Ravager and managed to destroy one of the Disies (I had gotten them closer so they could close on the fleeing Termies). His bikes charged my incubi venom and wrecked it (again no explosions). He forgot to hit and run though and sat there. What was left of the scout squad killed one of my incubi. Mephiston continued moving forward doing nothing. They moved the relic a bit further away leaving the ruins and circling around some terrain trying to flee. The speeder that had previously been stalled managed to come in however right next to the wych raider and blew it up. I lost 3 wyches in the explosion. The scourges were shot and killed which honestly didn't hurt my feelings. An empty raider and the speeder were their only vehicles oddly enough...
Bottom Turn 3:
With Tyranids at our backs along the left flank we moved forward as much as we could there. The Eldar scouts weren't going to last long though having started just inches from them anyway but ran rather than shooting. My Ravager I wasn't worried about as I could move forward 12" and shoot and the Nid behind me would have to make a 11" charge to get me so that's what I did and managed to kill a couple fleeing Termies. The front Termies got assaulted by the Avatar who finally did something and they died. My wyches left the speeder for the warp spiders at their request and moved forward and ran heading for the termies. In retrospect this was a bad move on our part but didn't hurt overall as when he blew up the speeder it only wrecked it and there was no explosion to catch his guys and my poorly placed wyches. My incubi and archon charged forth but poor rolling by the four of them saw only 2 of the 3 bikes killed and I lost a incubi in return, then he "hit and ran away". My venom with trueborn went flat out around the ruins trying to get around the fleeing relic Termies. My warriors without a boat took shots into the ruins but did nothing of value.
Nid Turn 3:
The Nids continued to rush forward. With everything having moved forward they had little to engage with but they did do a little shooting killing 2 of my 3 man DL squad (who held). The genestealers caught up to the Eldar scouts but because of how spread out they were only a few managed to get into CC and they would end up locked in combat surprisingly.
Top Turn 4:
Combat continued between the Eldar and BA in the back but it was down to just the HQ left for the Eldar. The bike rolled forward and assaulted the ravager but failed to do anything. The empty Rhino circled back and tried to block off the wyches and the termies shot at the couple of warp spiders they could see killing two including his special character who failed to LOS. Mephiston headed towards the back group which to this point had been completely out of position and still four turns in had done nothing. Scouts and those remaining in the ruins didn't manage anything of importance.
Bottom Turn 4:
The Eldar take some losses as the HQ finally falls (he lasted much longer than expected and tied up 2 drop pods of Marines) as do the scouts. The marines are left completely out of position and consolidate towards the middle but wouldn't be much of a factor after this. The genestealers consolidate towards the ruins where some marines await. On the other end some warp spiders attack and do a bit to the relic termies and the squad in the back move up and engage Mephiston not doing well but holding. The Venom moved forward and fired into some of the genestealers it could see killing a few while the trueborn and the ravager opened fire on the termies that were left. When the shooting was done only the IC was left and he was down to 1 wound. Where he couldn't carry the relic it was dropped to the ground. Back on the other side the incubi charged the final bike and killed it and began towards the middle of the board. The one DL and the 3 warriors left from their down'ed Venom fired shots into Nids not doing much.
Nid Turn 4:
The mob continued forward not able to do much, however they did charge into my single Trueborn and killed him and the genestealers rushed into the marines in the middle of the table crushing them and putting them too close to my wyches.
Top Turn 5:
BA in the back moved forward and took some pot shots across at my warriors who got left behind because they had nothing else to do. They failed to kill any of them however with their cover saves. The single HQ left charged into my wyches and challenged me, however I denied so the Haemy wouldn't fight but all the others could. I failed to wound however and he still killed the Haemy. Mephiston slaughtered the other group and consolidated into ruins. At this point the marines had little left in the fight.
Bottom Turn 5:
In the Marine/Wych battle the marine didn't get to swing back as he was killed. Something must have happened to the warp spiders as I don't remember them being on the board in turn 5 ... perhaps some Nids? My ravager flew across the ruins and not having much else to do fired off into Mephiston. He went to ground but still ended up taking 3 wounds leaving him with just 2. The Venom fired some shots into genestealers killing a few more.
Nid Turn 5:
Nids charged into the wyches and slaughter them, then consolidated near the relic. Nid Warriors charged my Warriors and they actually managed to kill one before dying themselves. Warriors also got into combat with the Avatar and were getting slaughtered...
That is where the game ended. Most thought the Nid were in a position to win with their superior numbers and monsters still on the board (a true advantage having the first two armies focused on each other the first two rounds and then beyond that...), however I'm not sold on that. The marines had little left but Mephiston and some marines 4 feet away from the bulk of the battle still so likely weren't much of a factor. Most of the Eldar if not all were gone (I don't remember there being any left) but while I couldn't capture the relic the venom was in prime position to kill the rest of the genestealers the next round and the ravager, venom, and trueborn had the weapons and the range to kill most of the Nids without getting into range had they had the time. (That's my opinion anyway and I saw nothing that would make me believe otherwise from the fielded Nids.) The Avatar still sat on the board and was just starting to do a number on the Nids he could reach.
Looking back on it the game was a blast. My risk of going Disies based on a hunch of what I'd see (I knew both players liked Termies but I was shocked how little vehicle presence there was and how many Termies they fielded) really paid off. It was a refreshing change to be up against someone unfamiliar with my abilities and not having ships blown up first thing and actually getting to open fire and use my speed. I think the board was too big for my footslogging DL trueborn but I had the points to spend. Should have put it into another Blasterborn in the venom and perhaps a wych or two in retrospect. My incubi/archon still don't live up to my expectations as I seem to have trouble ever getting them into combat really, and if I do one and done is generally the story as the battle has passed them by. Scourges normally do their job but were a waste here but who would have seen that few vehicles coming to the game. Overall a very good game and difficutl to judge a "winner" but given the odds I certainly feel as if the DE army were a top army on the day and given a chance I could have killed me some bugs too.
There was some debate over whether in a game like this if a player wanted to fire into a CC they weren't in if they could (we all thought it should be allowed as the shooter wouldn't care who was hit).
Subject: DE/Eldar vs. BA/DA invaded by Nids! 
Mon Feb 11 2013, 17:37
