Dark Eldar VS Orks 1000pts

Mission: The Scouring
Deployment: Hammer and Anvil
# Objectives: 6 (1 worth 1 VP, 2 worth 2, 2 worth 3, 1 worth 4 as per the rules)
First Turn Nightfighting: No
Points: 1000
First Turn: Orks

Mysterious terrain was ignored, no one ever entered a forest.

The ork player is a veteren who played 3rd, 4th and 5th edition, this was however his first game of 6th with a completely new list. Mainly a warm-up game so he'd get a feel for the rules. This was also my first game ever against both Orks AND Tau, so plenty of fun for everyone!



Terrain:
We again followed the rules for setting up terrain from the rule book, I grab a line of sight blocker early, but my friend quickly realises what I'm up to and places a forest just behind to hoping for a vehicle to immobalise itself. I block off so he wont have area terrian in the midfield since we rolled two 1's there, and already plan for my objectives with the massive ruin (the same book from my previous report, still haven't read it). A new edition to our terrain was (the round line of sight blocker) a nescafé instant coffee container, don't drink it, it tastes like crap. The table was, as before, 8 by 5 and my convention is the same as previous reports (tile = line of sight blocker, ruins = ruins, forests = forests)
The red letters are the objectives, and where as follows:
A: 2VP, Nothing of Note, placed by me
B: 4VP, Targeting Relay, placed by me
C: 1VP, Targeting Relay, placed by me
D: 2VP, Sabotage!, placed by the Ork player
E: 3VP, Sabotage!, placed by the Ork player
F: 3VP, never revealed, placed by the Ork player

Since we played 1k points I changed my list... AGAIN!

Kabal of the Tender Toes
Main Detachment,
HQ: (H) Haemonculi (Liquifier Gun) - 'The Chef'
Troops: (KW2) Kabalite Warriors (5, Blaster)
-> DT: (VW) Venom (SC)
Troops: (KW1) Kabalite Warriors (10, Splinter Cannon)
-> DT: (RW) Raider (Nightshields)
Elites: (S1) Kabalite Trueborn (3, 2x Splinter Cannon)
-> DT: (VS2) Venom (SC)
Elites: (B) Kabalite Trueborn (4, 4x Blaster)
-> DT: (VB1) Venom (SC)

Allied Detachment,
HQ: (S2) Spiritseer
Troops: (W) Wraithguards (5, Wraithcannons)
-> DT: (WS) Wave Serpent (Scatter Laser)

Warlord Trait: Tactical Genius (Reroll reserve rolls)
Combat Drugs: - (Nothing with Combat Drugs)
Psychic powers: Protect/Jinx (+1 armour save/-1 armour save), Conceal/Reveal (Shrouded/removes stealth AND shrouded)


The Green Horde and Friends!
HQ: (We) Warp 'ead
Troops: (SB1) Shoota Boyz (28, 3 Big shootas, Nob w/ Bosspole+Powerklaw)
Troops: (SB2) Shoota Boyz (28, 3 Big shootas, Nob w/ Bosspole+Powerklaw)
Elites: (L) Lootas (12)

Allied Detachment,
HQ: (TC) Tau Commander (Plasma Rifle, Fusion blaster, Shield drone, Onager Gauntlet)
Troops: (FW) Fire Warriors (12)
Elites: (CS) Crisis Team (1, TW Plasma Rifle)

Warlord Trait: Master of Vanguard (Ghetto Hypex)
Psychic Powers: EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!1

This game was played last sunday, so since then it's been a day and I've had the time to get drunk I might be remembering certain parts of the battle wrong despite my notes and fancy drawings.



Deployment:
Knowing he had first turn and limited antitank I put all my more fragile vehicles (i.e. everything made by the dark eldar) behind the line of sight blocker while leaving the wave serpent only in range of the lootas. I placed my objectives centrally hoping to swoop in lategame and score them while having whittled down the horde to near extinction. My haemonculi joins the blasterborn as they were the most expensive/shortest range squad which I felt qualified them for FNP early on.
He placed his objectives very defensively which I think was a mistake since he obviously wanted to get near my deployment zone. His lootas grabbed the only cover available to him in his deployment zone and then spread  the rest of his troops out along the deployment edge. His Tau commander and crisis suit where deep striking.
I tried to but failed to sieze knowing I could put some serious hurt on his lootas which together with his commander where the only things really threatening to my transports.



Ork turn 1:
We roll for the objectives he reveal and he manages to get 2 Sabotage results which he decides is... not nice.
The massive green sea of bodies move up and run to get closer to the dark eldar lines closely followed by the fire warriors, while the lootas decide to brave the potential explosion.
Shooting phase is rather uneventful with only the lootas, who rolled a 2 for the number of shots, firing at but failing to damage the Wave Serpent.



Dark Eldar turn 1:
As I'm near no objectives we don't reveal any more.
Knowing the biggest threat to me was his lootas and simply being overrun my splinterborn remain in place to thin the oncoming horde with some help of the bigger Warriors squad in the Raider who just manages to get within firing range while only moving 6". The two other Venoms together with the Wave Serpent move up to get line of sight and range to the lootas.
My shooting proves a lot more effective with the Splinterborn and Warriors killing 12 shoota boyz including one big shoota. The Wave Serpent rolls a pitiful 1 and with the help of the Venoms only kill 5 Lootas.



Ork turn 2:
Mr. Cowardly Tau Commander decides to stay in reserve and await the inevitable clashing of battle lines.
The green horde marches onward and the Fire Warriors move towards the center objective to claim it later in the game, the lootas has become homestead in the ruins and stay there.
Hilarity ensues as the Warp 'ead rolls the deep striking power and my friend against his own, mine and the two guys on the other table we had set up better, judgement deep strikes behind the wave serpent and unleashes about 40 dice which turns into... *drumroll*... 1 glance on the fortunate tank. The lootas, rolling worse than before with a 1, help and manages to put another glance on it. The other slightly thinned shoota boy squad team up with the fire warriors and glances the raider once with another roughly 40 dice.
End of turn the objective next to the lootas goes BOOM! and kills 2 lootas which pleases me greatly.



Dark Eldar turn 2:
Every single dark eldar unit turns around and gets into rapid fire range of the giant sea of green that just appeared out of nowhere. The Eldar forces move up to continue dealing with the lootas.
More splinter fire than Jesus conjured bread later the warp 'ead and the entire shoota boyz squad has bitten the dust, sadly the warlord was killed by a Venom meaning a wasted pain token, but luckily the splinterborn finished of the last few shoota boyz and earned themselves one! The Wave Serpent rolls better on the shield and manages to kill the last lootas. Double first blood for the dark eldar! Oh and Slay the Warlord!



Ork turn 3:
Tau suits arrive and manages to land within melta range of the Wave Serpent hoping to cause mischief.
NOTHING STOPS THE GREEN HORDE, who captures the center objective revealing it as a targeting relay improving their shooting... marginally. Fire Warriors stay put.
For the first time in the game ork shooting feels effective with the suits manages to wreck the Wave Serpent, the Fire Warriors wrecks the smaller warriors squad's venom AND the shoota boys wreck the blasterborn venom. I r not happy panda.
The suits jetpack jump backwards 6" ending JUUUUUUST out of range of the Wraithcannon follow up.



Dark Eldar turn 3:
The blasterborn move within blaster range of the suits hoping for some instant death loveliness, while the small warrior squad move to eventually capture the objective in the ruins. Realising my north flank is... crumbling I move the splinterborn and large Warriors squad there both managing to just move less than 6" while getting line of sight to the suits. The wraithguard unhappily settles for firing at the shoota boyz.
Blasterborn fire proves quite effective killing both the shield drone and the crisis suit earning them a second pain token. The Raider's dark lance hits, wounds AND GETS SAVED ON A 6+ GO TO GROUND COVER SAVE by the commander, I call bullshit. My slightly crippled splinterfire together with the smaller warriors squad who were only partially within line of sight manages to just (he quite literally failed the very last save he needed to surive) kill of the commander. My awesomely apocalyptical S10AP2 wraithcannons of deadly doom kills... 3 shoota boyz.



Ork turn 4:
Fire warriors see their chance for revenge and move into rapid fire range of the blasterborn, while the shoota boyz move closer to the Wraithguards.
Embarrassment happens when I realise I could have left my blasterborn ontop of the wreckage of the Wave Serpent, but super hot... stuff cares not earning the Orks slay the warlord and 4 dead blasterborn. Shoota fire proves once again ineffective against 2+ Wraithguards.
First charge of the game gets declared by the shootas in the wraithguard. The Spiritseer challanges the Nob but misses both his attacks, the nob however is not quite as unlucky and off the seer. Shootas don't even scratch the Wraithguards who inturn kill 2 shootas. Fearlessness makes the loosing battle a none-issue.



Dark Eldar turn 4:
I need more points soon incase the game ends early and move my raider to the other side of the line of sight blocker to capture it next turn, the smaller warrior squad continue making their way towards the ruins. The Splinterborn stay put as they have sight of the Fire Warriors.
A lot of splinterfire later 10 Fire Warriors fall, but their two brave brethren do not break and stay on the board.
Melee stuff happens and one wraithguard ends up getting klawed.



Ork turn 5:
The crippled Fire Warrior squad move up to capture the targetting relay hoping to put some hurt on the raider.
Despite boosted shooting the two Tau doesn't even manage to scratch the raider.
Wraithguard on shoota stuff happens, killing 3 boyz and 2 wraithguard. 2 wraithguards remaining!



Dark Eldar turn 5:
The raider moves up towards the objective and disgorging its contents. The smaller warrior squad makes their way towards the ruins.
Many warriors feast on the souls of the two unlucky tau earning the big squad a pain token, with nothing more to shoot at the small squad runs.
Clash of... stuff goes on with the wraithguard finally getting finished of, the Orks consolidates into my deployment zone.

We roll for the game length and with a 1 the game ends!

End score: DE 6 VP (First Blood, Slay the Warlord, 4-point objective) vs Orks 2 VP (Linebreaker, Slay the Warlord)

Victory for the Dark Eldar!

Had the game gone on the raider was blocking the charge from the shoota boyz onto my big warrior squad (the distance tabletop between the two was a bit bigger, but I couldn't be arsed fixing it perfectly here) and since all objectives was behind him he'd have had to make it back across the open midfield and I feel quite certain I could have tabled him with all the splinterfire I had left.

As for my list, MANY SPLINTER SHOOTS! Which I absolutely love, the Eldar allies are there mainly for extra antitank capabilites as the Wave Serpent is lovely for wrecking light tanks and I'm not exactly lacking in lances either with the blasterborn. The wraithguards are there as a last resort and they can kill just about anything within 12", but their main use is as sturdy objective campers. I might want to swap the splinterborn/blasterborn for another 5 man warrior squad but I'm currently lacking the models necessary. I feel it might be good as more scoring is always nice and if I swapped out the blasterborn I'd get some spare points for more nightshields on my Venoms. Ofcourse all antitank was completely wasted this game as he had no vehicle... at all.

This was my first game against both Tau and Orkz so I'm not too sure how their lists should look. HOWEVER I felt he was rather lacking in antitank for any tank with >AV10, he had 1 shot at more than S7, and however amazing S7 spam can be it feels abit ineffective against AV12 and up. Looking through the Tau codex real quick one thing that strikes me as odd is his complete lack of markerlights, which I asked him about. He claims they are 'unorky' and don't help him smashing faces! two sentiments I can totally get behind.

As I'm sure is obvious I kept all my units in their transports, I know this is 'wrong' but he had A LOT of antiinfantry fire and almost no antitank meaning everyone was far safer in their armoured hull.

First Dark Eldar game that didn't end with me tabling someone woho! I felt he placed all his objectives wrong, they're all faaar back in his deployment zone and he wants to get in my face, this could ofcourse have been his idea as he'd deny me more easily captured objectives. The deepstriking boyz on turn 2 was agreed on by everyone to be a bad idea, BUT IT WAS AWESOME (the Imperial Fist guy from my 1st battlereport and Chaos from my 2nd came over from their tabled to look at the giant green... mushroom that appeared out of thin air)!!!1 I'm fairly sure if he hadn't done it both shoota boyz squads would have hit my lines at the same turn as the tau commander arrived which would have been quite horrible for me considering 2 Venoms got wrecked that turn.

The lategame assault onto the Wraithguards might have been a massive mistake aswell as it left 1 thing for me to shoot which I promptly picked off and it took forever for the boyz to finish off the Wraithguards. Had the boyz been out my Warriors couldn't have disembarked or they'd have been killed.  

For those who care the IF vs Chaos game ended 9-7 infavour of the imperium in Purge the Alien, neither were using the same list as they did when playing me. I didn't get to play any more games this day as the Chaos player had to leave and I felt the Orkz should play another game, it ended something like... 7 vs 5? in favour of the Imperial Fist in another The scouring game.

EDIT: I realised I had forgotten a quote, so here's.... DA ORK SONG!

I don't feel like bumping my own reports so I figured I could answer some comments from my previous report here,

Mr Believer wrote:

 [Daemon Princes] stand a good chance of drawing a lot of fire, but they're so potentially destructive... that they just aren't worth using as a fire magnet

Yes I agree completely, they are far too expensive, 200pts+ with wings or 300+ if you want psychic powers, and not durable enough with 3+/5++ T5 to act as a fire magnet, they need to be allowed to wreck havoc in melee.

Mr Believer wrote:

I think the Avatar brings more to a list that has Eldar as the primary detachment...

I used to run primary Eldar (without allies), but I still feel the Farseer or Eldrad is so much better, I guess this is very much a personal preference thing, but in my world the Avatar isn't really ever worth it. Even the fearless bubble in my mind is only semi-ok (not to say... bad) compared to what you get out of 3 rolls on divination.

Laughingcarp wrote:

I'm with you, TotingTenderToes; I don't like [the Chaos player's] list at all.

Nice to see someone agreeing with me! I have told him most of the things on your list earlier, he doesn't use murder sword all the time, but tends to try it out remember how bad it was drop it then wait a few weeks and try it again. I'm not entirely convinced by the 'range platform Helbrute' as it's quite expensive (140ish pts?) and still only a AV12 non-daemon walker, but I'll suggest he tries it. I don't like the CC noise marines, sorry but I feel they'd get squished by most things actually good in melee, but I suppose they'd kill a Kabalite Warriors squad if they ever got caught, however surely it must be more worth it to field them with Sonic Blasters. I don't like the Defilers either as you're basically paying 200 pts for a battlecannon, I feel almost every other thing in the heavysupport slot would be more effective.

Laughingcarp wrote:

I've learned a few things from your commentary, pics, and gameplay, so thanks for posting the bat rep!

Thanks! I mainly do it for myself as it forces me to review my own playing and I usually realise what could have been done differently, but I'm glad someone else appriciates them aswell!

egorey wrote:

So nice to see someone playing the Avatar (although a farseer would be better, no?).

Yeah, definitly I don't actually like the Avatar myself. Also, the Chaos player only started in 6th so he's very new.

Another good report! I myself have a fair few orks (in fact, more orks than Dark Eldar or Eldar), and whilst I wouldn't say my list was typical, it's very easy to get a biker boss, a big mek with force field, ten lootas and two battlewagons, each filled with twenty orks with a power klaw nob, in a 1000 point list. I usually play at a higher points level than that, but that gives you a few spare points, even after upgrading the wagons and dishing out wargear.

Lootas should make it into every ork list - at larger points levels (1750+) I have two squads of eight, then one squad of either burna boyz or kommandos with Snikrot and two burnas. Nob bikers are terrifyingly dangerous to pretty much everyone - whilst they are expensive, expect to see them more often when the ork player has done some more research. With a painboy with grot orderly and cybork bodies, you have a squad of toughness 5, two wound models, on bikes with twin linked strength five guns, with power klaws, a 4+ armour save, 4+ cover save (constant), a 5+ invulnerable save, 5+ feel no pain and the option to re-roll one failed feel no pain. With a Waagh! banner they'll be weapon skill 5 too. Nothing short of strength ten stops them, they make it into combat every time I run them. The kustom force field mek is also too good to leave at home too. The Weirdboy is by far and away the worst HQ choice of the three standard ones. Don't get me wrong, I love the fluff, and was devastated when they took them out of the army in third edition (they were half the reason I first picked orks), and I do have one that I've been known to field. But they just don't compare to a character that can survive strength ten instant death and punch tanks to death without breaking a sweat, or a character who gives a 5+ cover save to every model within 6" of the hull of his battlewagon (including the wagon itself). A list with either two warbosses, two big meks, or one of each will be much more effective. That deep strike was excellent though. I normally re-roll that result, as I'd prefer some of the ork craniums to get a bit explodey than potentially lose the whole squad to a mishap, but hey, it was hilarious!

Orks do lack ranged anti tank generally, some would say this is a problem but I don't see it myself. I've played against mech guard with my orks and won, deff rollas, dreads and power klaws will make light work of pretty much any tank, and will get there if the ork player is kunnin   The zzap result on the Weirdboy chart isn't the bankable anti tank your friend perhaps thinks it is, though it is hilarious when you make something go bang with it!

To look at the battle itself, there doesn't seem to be much you needed to do differently - you could have possibly made it a much more crushing victory though, by flying over the heads of the onrushing orks and capturing their objectives. Kudos for not rubbing his face in it though, that could have been somewhat demoralising!

Looking through the Tau codex real quick one thing that strikes me as odd is his complete lack of markerlights, which I asked him about. He claims they are 'unorky' and don't help him smashing faces! wrote:

That is excellent. Tell him that's excellent for me would you?   I totally appreciate that sentiment, but have seen a few battle reports with Tau as the primary (and only) detachment where the owning player didn't give anything markerlights. I don't understand why you would pick an army that's amazing at shooting and not include the thing that really makes them amazing. It boggles the mind...