Introduction and Lists
My first game of 7th edition this weekend and a chance to experiment with a fluffy list I've been playing around with. It was a very back and forth game and a few new 7th edition rules came off quite nicely for me!
My list below:
DE Detachment.
Duke S
Wyches x5 in Venom w/2 SC + HWG
Wyches x5 in Venom w/2 SC + HWG
Wyches x5 in Venom w/2 SC + HWG
Wyches x7 in Raider w/disintegrator + HWG
Voidraven Bomber - 2x SF missiles
Corsair Detachment
Corsair Prince
10x Corsairs w/jet packs: 2x SC, 2x Fusion Gun
6x Corsair Veterans w/jp 2x Fusion Gun +HWG
6x Corsair Veterans w/jp 2x Fusion Gun +HWG
Eldar DetachmentAutarch w/wings + Fusion Gun (runs with Corsairs)
3x Eldar Jetbikes
His list was a pretty standard DA sort of affair:
Dark Angels ListChaptermaster
Librarian
w/ vets in a drop pod
Termies with guns...
Termies with maces & storm shields
Devastator Plasma Squad
2x Tactical Marine Squads w/ missile launcher
5x Scout bikes with Plasma & Grenade Launcher
Mission
We were playing Maelstrom of War Mission: "The Spoils of War". However, we were a bit vague on the rules and actually only worked out how it all came together towards the end...
He took a DA warlord trait which never came into effect. I had
strategic geniuswhich allowed me to reroll my reserves (very nice when combined with the Autarch's +1 to reserve rolls.
My combat drugs gave me splintermind, so all wych units began the game with a pain token.
Deployment
DARK ANGELSDark Angels were quicker to the field and chose to set up & go first. Our deployment was sideways on.
His Devastator squad and one of the Tac squads camped in the ruins to the top right of the board on an mysterious objective.
The plasma bikes hid behind a ruined Bastion in the top right corner, with a Tactical squad hunkering down on the battlements.
His Scouts infiltrated into the trenches in the centre of the field.
DARK ELDARThis list is really intended for a big all on reserve strike. However, given I was facing a drop pod and terminator arrival in t1, I decided to opt for caution. Unfortunately he had no mech whatsoever, which is what this list would really thrive against!
I spread my forces wide and generally hugged table edges to minimise the effectiveness of his turn 1 drop (I knew it would be painful).
Two Wych squads in their Venoms hid behind the ruin on bottom left side, ready to take out the bikes with their SC's as early as possible.
The Duke and his wych retinue camped behind a LOS blocking hill, with a Wych venom and 3 Windrider Jetbikes.
The Corsair Prince took up hiding in a deep LOS blocking crater on top of a very steep hill.
Turn 1DARK ANGELS
Both squads of terminators arrived via deep strike, with the assault terminators (Knights?) closer to my forces. The bikes made a Scout move and then came haring down my left flank. The drop pod came crashing down to the right of my two Wych venoms and ejected its zealous contents. The Dark Eldar clenched their collective buttocks, waiting for the shooting that was to follow.
In the psychic phase he generated 4 WC, which gave him 6 overall with his Librarian. He managed to get off prescience on his drop pod squad, but failed to do anything else.
Shooting was painful. The central termies managed to explode the Duke's raider on their first go with a plasma shot (I believe). I allocated 1 wound to him and took the rest on the wyches. He failed his shadowfield in my first roll and I lost a couple of wyches, who rolled their FnP's like absolute professionals.
On the other flank, one Venom was exploded by the prescienced vets and all but two wyches were killed. Thankfully both them and the Duke's squad passed their pinning and LD test. The bikes had a pop at the second venom, but it managed to flickerfield away anything that might concern it.
None of his other troops had range or LoS.
DARK ELDARIn the movement phase I deployed the wyches from the second Venom on the left ready to charge into the command squad from the drop pod. Meanwhile their Venom sidled round to get a good look at the bikes for the shooting phase.
The Duke did what the Duke does best and ran away from the Terminators; meanwhile the courageous Wyches prepared themselves to momentarily slow the approach of the 2+/3++ Knights. At the same time the Windriders nipped around to try and thin them down before the ritual Wych sacrifice could begin. The Corsair Prince kept sitting pretty on the objective and the rightmost Venom nipped around so it could get a shot off at the Devastators in the ruin.
The Corsair Prince called in his one time only void strike (a s9 AP2 pie plate) right over the more shooting oriented Terminators who had killed the Duke's Raider. Magnificently it did not scatter and mulched four of them, much to the amusement of the Dark Eldar & Corsairs.
The Jetbikes had a pop at the Knights, but even with a couple of bladestorms, couldn't get through their storm shields (the Wyches having no more luck with their pistols). The Venom on the right flank mulched a devastator and on the right two bikes came crashing down to a hail of fire from the other Venom. It is hard to state just how little that Venom cared about their t5.
both squads of Wyches by the building emptied their pistols into the Drop Pod squad and one of them chucked a plasma grenade. This killed three of them, ready for my charge...
In the assault phase the Wyches on the right charged the Knights, in a vain attempt to slow their progress towards the Duke. Unfortunately the Knights were all at least s6 and so denied my FnP. A 4+ invun just didn't cut it and the whole squad went down, effectively giving the Knights a free consolidation move (good job girls).
On the other flank the 2 man Wych squad annoyed the Dark Angels player by declaring their charge first and thus limiting potential overwatch damage. In the end all 7 Wyches got in (them plus the full 5 man squad) and managed to hack a couple of Marines to death, whilst taking a wound off his Chapter Master. In return the marines mushed three Wyches, but they passed their LD test.
The Jetbikes, seeing what had become of the Wyches attempted an assault move but only rolled 7". They surrounded the Duke in a protective formation (he was feeling very vulnerable at this point and had probably soiled his space pirate trousers).
Turn 2DARK ANGELS
In movement the Knights advanced ominously towards the jetbikes. On the other flank his bikes zoomed forwards and managed to pop the empty venom on that side.
In assault the Wyches on the right pulled out all the stops and managed to take down everyone except the Chapter Master. Unfortunately in response they were decimated and failed their LD test fleeing from the field.
The Knights on the right smashed into the Jetbikes who were predictably destroyed in a noble attempt to protect the Duke, who was feeling ever more hot under the collar. The Dark Eldar held their breath and prayed that reinforcements would arrive soon!
DARK ELDAR
This was a strong turn for the Dark Eldar. Thanks to my Autarch's reserve shenanigans all four of my reserve units managed to arrive.
The Voidraven Bomber flew in low over the top of the Knights and managed to evaporate one with its void bomb. In their dying moments the Wyches on the right flank had managed to radio in that his Chapter Master only had a 5+ invun and no Eternal Warrior. This knowledge in hand, the pilot fired his two void lances straight into the Chaptermaster's smug superhuman face and instagibbed him, thereby making back its points in its first turn.
Meanwhile the big Corsair squad (+ the Autarch) arrived via Deep Strike. They scattered away from the tower I had intended to take down, but fell thankfully within range of the Scouts who they managed to massacre with their with 3 Fusion Guns and 2 Shuriken Cannons.
On the right flank, the Duke ran away from the Knights, and the Venom peddled around to try and pick a few more off before they could charge into the Duke next turn. The Corsair Prince had his thumb securely inserted into his backside and kept a low profile in his crater (despite the Duke's cries for help).
In the top right corner, both squads of Corsair Veterans deep struck in. The first managed to kill all but two Devastators, who then promptly ran away. The second managed to mulch a few of the Tactical Marines (including their rocket launcher). However the squad stayed strong, hunkering down in the ruins.
In the assault phase the Corsairs all kicked in their jump packs. On the right flank, the squad lept towards the Bastion to get away from the Bikes and so that the squad on top would have to move to the edge to be able to see them. On the right flank both units lept into the ruins to try and mitigate the damage of the SM shooting next turn.
At this point I also realised that the Duke had forgotten to run in the shooting phase. I said my goodbyes to him.
Turn 3DARK ANGELS
The Bikes on the left turned and headed back towards the newly arrived Corsair Squad, firing a couple of plasma shots and killing one of my Shuriken Cannons. They then attempted to charge, but thanks to some sharp shooting by the Corsairs, they were all mowed down during Overwatch!
The blokes on the Bastion huddled towards the edge and a few took some pot-shots to no great effect.
On the other side of the board, the Knights turned the Duke into a delightful Pâté and consolidated up the hill towards the Corsair Prince (who was hoping everyone had forgotten about him as I budgetary requirements meant he had no wargear).
In the ruins, the Tactical Squad managed to kill a couple of Corsair Veterans, but their charge failed as the Veteran Corsairs overwatched them out of charging distance. The Devastators auto-rallied and took some pot shots at the other squad but didn't manage to kill anything.
DARK ELDAR
Another strong turn for the Dark Eldar & Corsairs. The Void Raven unleashed its two SF missiles into the squad camping on top of the Bastion, killing 3 marines. Following this the Corsair Squad managed to blow up the building with their fusion guns, which finished off the last of the marines on the battlements. The Autarch left the squad in the movement phase and jet packed over to hold the central objective.
On the right side the Venom (still avec Wyches) flew away from the Knights and took some pot shots at the remaining Tactical Marines. This squad was then finished off by the first Corsair Veteran squad, the second managing to dispatch the two remaining Devastators with ease.
End and Concluding RemarksThe Dark Angels Knights made it up the hill in the next turn to smush the Corsair Prince, but then accepted defeat.
This was a great game - it looked pretty grim in the first turn, but the whole thing was completely turned on its head by the arrival of the Corsairs & Void Raven in turn two. The Autarch was invaluable in bringing them all in together.
The biggest bonus of 7th I noticed was being able to blow up a building while the enemy is camped on the battlements. The ruling in 6th that they were separate buildings always really annoyed me and was widely used and abused.
I would love to take this list against a more mechanised army. There the plan would be to hold as much back as possible and then on the turn that all of the wyches and Corsairs drop in, use the Prince's ability to bring about night fight for the turn. This would give all of my vehicles a 3+ jink save and may preserve a few wyches for a t3 assault.
The biggest problem Xenos armies have is the unpredictability of reserves for this sort of list. The fact that a SM player can know when their support will arrive (through DPs and Termies) is invaluable to them. As ever, the problem they face is when they're down they are pretty slow on the floor. If we could guarantee a first turn arrival, this list would go from being fluffy and fun to actually quite a hard-hitter. It would also mean I could save the 150 points I have to put into the Autarch and Jetbikes just for his reserve ability.
Subject: Void Pirate/Corsair Orbital Strike Force v Dark Angels 
Mon Jun 09 2014, 13:08
