Mission: Big Guns Never Tire
Deployment: Vanguard Strike
# Objectives: 5
First Turn Nightfighting: Yes
Points: 1500
First Turn: The ImperiumOur group met up one last time before christmas last sunday (22/12-13), however as most of us have left the city to go home to families at various locations around the country only 3 of us showed up, the imperium fist player from my 1st battle report and an imperial guard player I haven't yet played with my dark eldar. At first we planned to play one game of warhammer and a 'normal' boardgame and have one person running back and forth but we couldn't find a boardgame so we decided to play 1v2, namely The Filthy Xenos vs The Imperium's Finest.
We agreed that the Imperial Guard should be used as allies to the Space Marines (mainly to avoid completely retarded FOC ignoring things), and they had roughly 750 each to spend, their list was made at the spot. I didn't make any notes of the game or their army, the imperial guard list is probably abit off and some slight movements or timing of kills might be inaccurate. For example see my bracketed comments at the end.
We ignored mysterious objectives and terrain becauses no one remembered to bring a rulebook... D:
Terrain: The terrain was placed using the rules in the rulebook. We rolled quite high in all quadrates of the map, so when the imperium tried to screw with me by placing the tiniest bits of area terrain we had in my deployment zone to deny line of sight blockers it backfired horribly and ended up with them not having a single BLOS'er of their own making the whirlwind an easy target for me... perfect.
I placed the two objectives in the lower left hand of the map, both were easy accessible in the endgame. The Imperium placed their objectives quite defensively as they had the long range firepower advantage, I wasn't too worried as my farseer could easily swoop in and contest the back ones at turn 5 or 6. (Same as before, logos = objectives, ruins = ruins, forests = forests, tile = line of sight blockers).
Armies:I've gotten another Venom since I last played 1500pts, so I fit it into my list. It is starting to resemble a list I'd actually like to play properly now.
Kabal of the Tender Toes
Main Detachment,
HQ: (A) Archon (Huskblade, Combat Drugs, Shadowfield, Haywire Grenade) - 'Ghost Plate Killer'
Troops: (W) Wyches (5, Haywire Grenades)
-> DT: (VW) Venom (SC)
Troops: (KW1) Kabalite Warriors (10, Splinter Cannon)
-> DT: (R) Raider (Nightshields)
Elites: (G) Grotesque (3, Liquifier Gun, Aberration w/ Venomblade) - 'Aberration RZA joined by his friends Ol' Dirty Bastard and Masta Killah'
-> DT: (RG) Raider
Elites: (B) Kabalite Trueborn (4, 4x Blaster)
-> DT: (VB) Venom (SC)
Elites: (S1) Kabalite Trueborn (3, 2x Splinter Cannon)
-> DT: (VS) Venom (SC)
Allied Detachment,
HQ: (F) Farseer (Eldar Jetbike, Mantle of the Laughing God)
Troops: (DA) Dire Avengers (10, Exarch w/ Powersword+Shimmershield)
-> DT: (WS) Wave Serpent (Scatter Laser, Holo-fields)
Fast: (WS) Warp Spiders (5, Exarch w/ Spinneret Rifle & Fast Shot)
Total: 1499
Warlord Trait: Dust of a Thousand Worlds (Move through cover in a 12" bubble around the warlord)
Combat Drugs: Serpentin
Psychic powers: Guide, Prescience, Doom
The ImperiumSpace Marines (Imperial Fist),
HQ (Warlord): (I) Ordo Xenos Inquisitor (Mastery level 1)
HQ: (L) Librarian
Troops: (TSB) Tactical Squad (10, Heavy Bolter, Flamer, Combiflamer)
-> DT: (R1) Rhino
Troops: (TSP/TSL) Tactical Squad (10, Lascannon, Plasmagun, Combiflamer)
-> DT: (R2) Rhino
Elites: (LotD) Legion of the Damned (5, Plasma Gun, Multimelta, Combiplasma)
Heavy: (WW) Whirlwind
Heavy: (DS) Devastator Squad (5, 4x Missle Launcher)
Imperial Guard,
HQ: (CCS) Company Command Squad (5, Autocannon)
Troops: (PCS) Platoon Command Squad (5, Autocannon)
Troops: (HWS) Heavy Weapons Squad (5, 3x Autocannon)
Elites: (STS) Storm Trooper Squad (5, 2x Flamer)
Fast: (H) Hellhound (Searchlights, Smoke Launchers)
Heavy: (LRE) Leman Russ Exterminator (Heavy Bolter sponsons)
Warlord Trait: Unquestionable Wisdom (Inquistion special list, the warlord and unit can choose to pass or fail morale checks)
Psychic Powers: Prescience (Inquisitor), Puppet Master (Librarian)
Deployment: They deployed quite predictably with longrange troops on all their objectives and all tanks ready to rush forward into my lines, the Whirlwind tried to hide as best it could, i.e. not very good. The Lascannon-Tactical Squad combat squaded into lascannon + 4 and sergent + plasma + 3, the flamer+plasma were joined by the librarian in the rhino. The Legion of the Damned and Storm Troopers were deepstriking.
I hid all my things knowing all those autocannons could easily wreck my poor vehicles, at first I had placed my wave serpent outside of puppet master range of the librarian but I forgot why I had placed it there and moved it into a better position... which happened to be too close to the Librarian, not good. I didn't try to sieze knowing I wouldn't be able to do too much damage now.
The Imperium turn 1:The inquisitor presciences the whirlwind hoping to wipe out some filthy xenos.
My friends move up the whirlwind and heavy bolter rhino and try to hug the BLOS I had placed midfield. The flamer rhino move up 6" and the squad inside disembark another 6" to be in range of puppet master, I feel the death of my raider incoming... The Hellhound move up and boost to get a good shot next turn.
Lady fortune smiles on me as the librarian fails his psychic test and fails to take control of my Wave Serpent. The whirlwind shots, hits both Venoms and glance one, but it gets saved by flickerfields... Say what you want about buying them, but sometimes they are invaluable.
Dark Eldar turn 1:The Farseer twinlinks both Venoms near him, but sees no target to Doom.
I know my first priority targets and move up my Archon's raider very offensively to hopefully keep those devastators from shooting my venom or wave serpent, the Splinterborn move 12" and get into the ruin trying to threaten some backfield longrange antitank, the warrior raider move conservetly staying out of line of sight of all the autocannons but inrange of the librarian and his squad. Making use of my warlord trait I move the wave serpent ontop of the impassable terrain and into sight of the whirlwind. On my right flank everything moves up, the blasterborn move only 6" hoping to shoot up the hellhound but the wyches move more than 12" and can't disembark, I make sure both venoms are out of line of sight of the devastators and most of the autocannons.
Alot of splinterfire and some monofilament fibers on the rightflank takes the librarian and his squad down earning me first blood and giving my warriors a pain token, all my darklight fire wreck the hellhound. The leftflank is no less deadly as the wave serpent shaves 2 hullpoints off of the whirlwind, shaking and immobilizing it, the splinterborn and their venom kills most of the lascannon's mini-squad but leaving the heavy weapon alive.
The Imperium turn 2:Their inquisitor twinlinks the devastators hoping to put the hurt on my Grots.
Both the legion of the damned and storm troopers arrive from reserves. The Legion wants my Wave Serpent and try to deepstrike behind it, but even after rerolls they misshap getting a 'Missplaced' result and I place them in the far corner where they have no chance in hell reaching anything before endgame. The storm troopers with all their flamers look for my squishy dark eldar units on foot finding... nothing! and decide to try and take on the warp spiders, they too after rerolls misshap, but only getting a 'delayed' result.
The empty rhino moves up and tankshock my warpspiders accomplishing nothing... the rest of the army stays still.
All the autocannons (including the big lemon tank) and the lonely lascannon fire on my Grotesque raider just about making it explode, queue alot of whining about immortal raiders. The heavy bolter and missle launchers kill the one non-special grotesque and put 1 wound on the one with the liquifier gun.
Having fired heavy weapons no one assaults my grotesques.
Dark Eldar turn 2: My farseer twinlinks both my venoms on my rightflank and dooms the empty rhino as it's the only thing he can see.
Rightflank shuffles about abit, making sure doom can go on a proper target next turn and the venoms move so they can see the lascannon squad and the autocannon guys next to them, still being out of sight of all other antitank weaponry. Blasterborn only move 6". The Splinterborn stay in place, and the Wave Serpent moves into the ruin to later allow the Dire Avengers to capture the objective. My big warrior squad move into range of the devastators and the autocannon next to them, staying out of line of sight of the rest of the autocannons. The Clan moves closer to the devastators, omnom.
Blasterborn do their thing and take the last hullpoint off of the whirlwind and on the same flank alot of splinterfire kills the lascannon and most of the autocannon dudes, the warp spiders wreck the empty rhino. The Wave Serpent wrecks the rhino shaking it's crew making any return fire from that squad next turn pretty pathetic, the splinterborn soften up the middle autocannon squad. A single dark lance from the raider blows the lemon sky high!
Wu Tang Clan charges the devastators, overwatch kills the liquifier gun Grot and the ensuing combat puts 1 wounds on the aberration, most of the devastators are killed.
The Imperium turn 3:Storm troopers arrive and holding a grudge deepstrike next to my warp spiders not misshap'ing this time.
Someone probably gets twinlinked, can't remember who.
The shaken marines move around to shot the warrior raider and the legion shuffles a whole 3" forward, nothing else moves... Isn't this kind of army the most fun to play?!
Two autocannons blow up my remaining raider killing one warrior. The rest of the autocannons try to halt my rightflank's advance but only glance a Venom, taking a hullpoint off of it. The marines snapshots at the warriors just managing to kill another one. The Stormtroopers fare better killing 3 of my spiders including the exarch.
Melee puts another wound on the aberration as the last of the devastators falls and I consolidate closer to the platoon command squad and their warlord.
Dark Eldar turn 3:The Farseer shows me why he is amazing twinlinking the warriors and a venom while dooming the tactical squad.
My wave serpent shuffles abit to his left and the dire avengers disembark onto the objective striking a bead on the marines, my warriors and splinterborn stay still, heavy 6 splintercannons are lovely. The venoms on my rightflank move up as far as possible hoping to capture one of their backfield objectives later.
A lot of splinter and shuriken fire kills of the tactical squad and my farseer together with remaining spiders shoot of the two flamers in the storm trooper squad, perfect time to assault! The Venoms and Wave Serpent finishes of the two autocannon squad.
Ghost Plate Killer charge the platoon squad and the aberration dies to overwatch, my archon challanges and someone who wasn't the inquisitor accepts but quickly gets destroyed by the Archon. My farseer and spiders assault the storm trooper squad killing whatever was left after the shooting.
The Imperium turn 4:Their warlord presciences his own squad... that Archon is going down!
The Legion slowly creeps forward, nothing else moves, what a suprise, ey?!
What little remains of their backfield army doesn't manage to even scratch my stuff, the legion runs and finally escapes the treacherous area terrain.
Ghost Plate Killer rips a few guardsmen apart as it's apperently illegal to declare another challange in the same assault... bummer. Guardsmen being the melee power houses they are don't manage to short out my shadowfield.
Dark Eldar turn 4: I'm sure the farseer casts psychic powers on someone.
The Wave Serpent starts making its way towards the back autocannon squad, my rightflank continues its unrelenting advance and the warriors groups up around the objective.
Firing wipes most of the legion leaving one lonely dude and the last autocannon squad left alive.
Guardsmen being the melee powerhouses they are kill my archon!!1 RUDE, VERY RUDE! Actually I think it was the Inquisitor who killed him after the guardsmen had broken the shadowfield, but whatever.
[Just noticed I forgot this turn's picture, and I've lost the battlechronicler file... but I'm sure you can fill in the blanks using your imagination.]
The Imperium turn 5:The inquisitor probably realises he's about to become some ambitious Dracon's little pet twinlinks his squad hoping to wipe roughly 1000 points worth of Dark Eldar off of the map in his next shooting phase.
One sad lonely legionnere shuffles towards the rapidly advancing wave serpent, the inquisitor stays still trying not to crap his pants.
Shooting does, as I'm sure will suprise none, NOTHING! A single bolter and a single autocannon isn't too bad.
Dark Eldar turn 5:Stuff moves.
Stuff shoots, tabling the Imperium's finest!
Dark Eldar VICTORY![I'm fairly sure there was another turn and my shooting was less deadly midgame than the report may suggest, because I'm sure we rolled for ending the game but ended up having a turn 6. Looking at my pwetty pictures I realise I screwed up the placement of the lascannon squad and the autocannon guys next to them, they are actually supposed to be roughly half way back towards the back objective and actually not have line of sight to the Venoms turn 2.]
End score: DE 12 VP (2 Objectives, First Blood, Line Breaker, Slay the Warlord, 3 Heavy kills) vs
The Imperium 1 VP (Slay the Warlord)
Another crushing victory for the Kabal of Tender Toes, but with the death of its leader Ghost Plate Killah who will take power?! Or will the haemonculi who lent them the Grotesque manage to revive our glorious leader?!
Closing thoughts:I'm starting to like my list now, I might get another Venom, but I definitly want to get some more Kabalite Warriors, I'm thinking another 10man squad in a raider identical to the squad I have now. I'm not a huge fan of the Grots so I'm probably changing them for Incubi as I and the Imperial Fist guy have a about 5 or 6 old models between us. I'm definitly going to cut down on the amount of Eldar allies, I'm thinking just a farseer + a minimal troop choice and use the leftover points on ravagers when I get around buying those. All in all, I feel my list is starting to shape up into something beautiful and poisonous, or perhaps beautifully poisonous.
I was also thinking abit about what tables I should roll on for the Farseer, for pure offense some mathhammering could potentially give me some idea, (assuming BS4 and Poisoned 4+)
| Power | 2+ | 3+ | 4+ | 5+ |
| None | 0.055 | 0.111 | 0.166 | 0.333 |
| Guide | 0.074 | 0.148 | 0.222 | 0.444 |
| Doom | 0.083 | 0.166 | 0.250 | 0.500 |
| Misfortune | 0.101 | 0.185 | 0.250 | 0.333 |
sorry it's abit hard to read, but in conclusion misfortune is better than doom against 3+ or better armour save. Ofcourse math hammering things like this doesn't take into account defensive powers at all, but I'd guess Invisibility is the best here if the other guy doesn't have crazy amounts of ignores cover, otherwise Fortune (if you have flickerfields) or Forewarning (if you don't) for vehicles, I guess fortune wins out for your Archon/Beastpack. In this game I rolled on Runes of Fate first got Doom then again on Fate and got Eldritch Storm which I swapped for Guide, then Divination got Perfect Timing which I swapped for Prescience. I think I would probably do something similiar in the future.
As mentioned before the two other players made the list on the spot once they knew they were going to play me... and I can't help but feel abit... list tailored, I've never seen either of them bring that many flamers and autocannons before. Most autocannon heavy weapon teams were actually proxies using lascannons and the hellhound is actually some artillary piece from DeathKorps of Krieg (the guy's main army), the lemon was another lemon... think it actually had some kind of battlecannon. They played another game (emperor's will funnily enough) against each other afterwards, not a single flamer or autocannon in sight... That game was quite epic though and ended 2-1 infavour of the Imperial Fist with a massive melee fray involving 5 or 6 squads in the imperial guard deployment zone at the end of turn 7 ensuring no primary objectives were held by anyone.
Anyways, back to our game, tactic-wise I felt they were both a bit... off. They claimed I won by sheer luck (requiring more than 6 autocannon shots on a turboboosted raider and a failed psychic test is apperently massive unluck and completly unrecoverable), while I think I was fairly lucky it was nothing that should have been unrecoverable for them, might be wrong though. The deepstriking mishaps helped, but both were very ambitous with basically no room to scatter at all. I also felt their eagerness to screw up my deployment zone backfired so massively they should feel embarrassed. Using the advantageous terrain to... my advantage? I managed to completely neuter their shooting off my Venoms until I could kill what I wanted using the large piece of terrain in the middle, hurray for mobility! I'll agree the insta explode on the lemon was quite lucky, but it probably wouldn't have accomplished much given it's position and it taking out an entire kabalite warrior squad AND a dire avenger squad AND the splinterborn in less than 3 turns seems quite unlikely, either way I had alot of antitank on my rightflank who could have easily moved over had the tank proved an issue. Okay maybe I was really lucky. Very worst case scenario a raider would have gone down turn 1 due to puppet master and the Lemon would have survived, and the warrior raider going down early MIGHT have become a big issue, but the Lemon felt... underwhelming to me. Line of sight blockers are my new best friends!
Do I think I played perfectly? No! So what did I do wrong? Turn 1 I think was overall well played, but I might have been able to move the Wych-Venom 6" and disembark the Wyches close to the Hellhound to safeguard against the it surviving my Darklight weaponry while still having line of sight to the tactical squad. Turn 2 I should have moved the Warrior Raider the whole 12" behind the midfield BLOSer as they didn't accomplish much where they were and the explosion could have been quite devastating, one would have thought my very first game would have taught me something. Otherwise I feel my tactics were sound that turn. Turn 3 I kept up the pressure and it was fairly obvious to both parties I was most likely going to win and any misplays from here on out wouldn't have affected the outcome of the game very greatly.
I mentioned earlier I thought their tactic were a bit off, so I thought I'd mention some of my issues here. Knowing my mobility they should have realised those backfield objectives would have been no issue for my to reach, and with the giant BLOS in the middle those two backsquads didn't see much, they should have put to further forward to see more of the midfield. They were overly aggressive with the Librarian and Hellhound turn 1, I would have hid them on the other side of the BLOS and have the Librarian go the other way around to catch the wave serpent later, that kamikazi rush was... well suicidal. Had the hellhound been alive turn 3 I would have lost most of my warriors, and had it been hiden near the whirlwind I probably couldn't have killed it before then.
Sometime after christmas we're having a large game (around 3k points) with The Imperium vs The Rest, the teams will be Imperial Fist duder, DeathKorps dude and a third space marine player in our group vs me, the chaos marine player and the ork player from my previous battle reports. We'll have roughly 1k points each to spend freely (force organization and normal rules for allies MIGHT be ignored), the DeathKorps guy is definitly taking a baneblade (I'd rather he didn't but he just bought it and wants to try it out, and I don't wanna be a dick before even playing versus it) and some random artillary and the second space marine player will probably have two dreadnoughts with two twinlinked autocannons each. Now the issue is I'm guessing Orks probably can't deal with high AV targets too well at range and will probably be blown of the table before they have time to make their way over the field and the Chaos player generally don't... make very good lists, and since flyers are banned in our group he doesn't own a heldrake. So I'm guessing it'll be up to me to take care of all anti tank fire and most of the anti infanty fire... I know the other guys know this so I'll probably get tabled as early as they can. So... any advice?!
Also I'm aware it's called a Leman not a Lemon, but I'd rather be shot by a sour citrus fruit than a guy who has sex with wolves.
This time I feel like quoting Commissar Daniel Sterne's last words regarding the close combat prowess of your average guardsman, "If the Emperor did not intend for you to fight His enemies in close-quarters, he would not have seen fit to put bayonets on your lasguns. Now bring this Basilisk about and charge, you pi-"
Subject: The Imperium vs Dark Eldar - 1.5k pts 
Fri Dec 27 2013, 12:09
