Introduction:
Welcome to a Skaredcast Battle report! I had the pleasure of going down to Sir Games A Lot in Barrie this saturday for a game of 40K. The mission? Annihilation. The deployment? Pitched. This is usually called the good ol 4th edition mission!
The table was already layed out when we arrived and we decided that it would do. There is one major houserule in effect, forests block LOS.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...0505-00323.jpg
The Armies:
On to the armies, my opponent was Daniel. I Just met him that day and he had just finished a game with his all bike marine list, he was staying for a while and challenged me to another game, as he pulled out another list he had prepared for the day:
Space Marines:
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...0505-00321.jpg
HQ/
Librarian- Epistolary Avenger Nullzone, Terminator Armour and Storm Shield
Elite/
5 Thunder Hammer Storm Shield Terminators
Land Raider Redeemer with a MMelta.
Troops/
10 Man tac squad. Power Fist, MMElta, meltagun
Rhino
10 Man tac squad. Power Fist, ML, meltagun
Rhino
Fast/
Typhoon Speeder
Typhoon Speeder
Heavy/
Vindicator with Siege Shield
Vindicator with Siege Shield
Dark Eldar Kabal:
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...0505-00322.jpg
HQ/
Archon, Agonizer, Shadow Field, Combat Drugs, Phantasm Grenade Launcher
Elites/
4 Incubi in a Venom with Dual Cannons and Grisly Trophies
Troops/
9 Wyches, Hekatrix with agonizer, haywire grenades
Raider with Flicker field and grisly trophies
9 Wyches, Hekatrix with agonizer, haywire grenades
Raider with Flicker field and grisly trophies
5 Warriors Blaster in venom with dual cannon
5 Warriors Blaster in Raider with FF
Fast/
3 Reaver Jetbikes with a Heatlance
3 Reaver Jetbikes with a Heatlance
5 Scourge with 2 haywire blasters
Heavy/
Ravager with Flicker Field
Ravager with Flicker Field
Deployment:
The spacemarines won the roll to go first. And decided to take the first turn, he deployed in a very balanced fashion with a heavier force towards his fight flank.
Because of the sparcity of terrain on the table, and because this was a tournament practice game the Dark Eldar reserved everything. Hoping that they could do as much damage as possible as they arrived.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...0505-00324.jpg
Turn 1
Top - Space Marines:
With no enemy in sight the space marines choose to advance. My opponent blew smoke on his rhinos, and I kindly reminded him that I would have nothing arriving first turn and he would be wasting the smoke. At a tournament I would have let this big mistake fly. And with that, the battle had begun!
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...0505-00325.jpg
Bottom - Dark Eldar
All dark eldar units are off the table at the moment.
Turn 2
Space Marines
The Space Marines push further up the table, hoping to overload the dark eldar with threats. The rhinos blow smoke and prepare for the raiders to arrive.
Dark Eldar
Rolling for reserves: Both units of 5 man warriors arrive, a jetbike unit and a wych unit.
The Dark Eldar decide to deploy most on their own right flank, facing off against the vindicator and speeder, this means that the other vindy and tac squads would have to move again to support that flank. The wych raider arrives behind the LOS blocking forest as bait and to bring their haywire grenades to the fight next turn.
Shooting from the dark eldar sees the vindicator immobilized (but still able to shoot) And that.... was all.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...0505-00326.jpg
Turn 3
Space Marines
The Space Marines manuver into better positions. Shooting from all the space marine arsenal sees a penetrating hit on the warrior raider... flicker field! The shot is ignored... The vindicator fires into the clump of enemy dark eldar in front of him, but only manages to kill one warrior. The other land speeder fires into the jetbikes, but does not kill anyone.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...0505-00328.jpg
Dark Eldar
Rolling for reserves: The other jetbikes, scourge, incubi and archon, and one ravager arrive (leaving one unit of wyches and the other ravager still off table)
The newly arrived jetbikes move into position to use their fancy heatlance (str6 melta, lance ap1) against the land raider, the wyches that had been behind the forest get out to try and assault the terminators (or the tank itself if it fails) as many lances that the dark eldar could muster lock on to the central rhino to hope to pop it for the incubi and archon to assault them, the scourge reenforce the right flank and the jetbikes move up to try and kill the vindicator.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...0505-00329.jpg
So, the heatlance failed to kill the Land raider... it hit, but rolled a combined pen value of 10... ouch. The wyches then assaulted the LR and the rhino... they needed 6es to hit with the grenades an managed to immobilize and stunn the land raider. The lances failed to do anything to the central rhino... the incubi and archon had to charge the rhino, but succeded in immobilizing and stunning it! On the right flank, the reaver jetbikes stuned the vindicator... and charged it, and failed to do anything more. The scourge shot and stunned the land speeder.
Turn 4 Kill point count... still SM 0 - DE 0!
Space Marines
The terminators can't get out of the land raider without having to emergency disembark... the land raider fires at the wyches and melts a few of them. The vindicator on his right flank, hits the jetbikes, causes a casualty and makes them fall off the table in fear. The occupants of the central rhino, surrounded by incubi stay put. Shooting sees the other typhoon fire at one of the venoms and once again! Flicker field! (best upgrade ever).
On the other flank the wych raider wrecks to the melta and rocket launcher from the rhino squad next to the land raider.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...0505-00330.jpg
In combat the incubi, take out the storm bolter from the rhino they are in combat with, and the reaver jetbikes blow off the vindicators gun. The Wyches blow off the redeemer flamer cannons in combat and wreck up the rhino nearby! Woot! The tac squad inside is pinned.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...0505-00333.jpg
Dark Eldar
The last reserves arrive and get stuck in right away. The incubi move back from the rhino ready to charge in again, and the reserve wych squad comes in a central position to help out with any assault that may happen. The 1 Ravagers aims at the LR, because it is a friendly game I do not want to surround the LR and wreck it in combat... The other takes a couple of shots at the other vindicator, knocking out its guns. The scourge and reavers continue to take on the speeder and vindicator on the right flank but only succeed in stunning and shaking and blowing off weapons...
In the centre the rhino with the tac squad explodes! And the explosion kills 4 out of 9 wyches (ouchies)
The venoms target the pinned squad and succeed in killing 2 of the marines. (enough to prevent them from falling back) the ravagers fail against the land raider... so the remaining wyches line up a charge. The raiders target the second land speeder and also knock it down.
And then the Dark Eldar charge! Incubi, Archon and wyches into the tac squad, and the other wyches into the Land Raider.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...0505-00335.jpg
The Tactical squad in the mid table gets wiped out but the incubi. They gain their first pain token. The wyches succeed in blowing up the Land Raider, this is good as it allows the terminators to continue to fight. The explosion kills a few wyches.
So, this is what the board looked like at the end of turn 4... the first kill points have been taken! (finally!)
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...0505-00337.jpg
Turn 5 Kill point count SM - 1 DE - 5
Space Marines
The space marines need to pick up the pace. The Librarian and his elite terminators take on the wyches that are near them:
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...0505-00338.jpg
The busted vindicator makes its way towards the centre table hoping to tank shock and ram its way to victory!
The avenger makes short work of all but the one Hekatrix. Who then gets charged by the terminators.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...0505-00340.jpg
And dies a horrible hideus death under a flurry of thunderhammers. In other combats the land speeder on the far right is immobilized and the vindicator continues to be stunned.
Dark Eldar:
The dark kin move towards the remaining pocket of Space Marine resistance:
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...0505-00341.jpg
Shooting sees most of the firing target the terminators, klling all but 2 of them. I finally knock out the land speeder on the far right and the rogue vindicator is immobilized.
The wyches try and make it to the terminators and fail... the incubi run into the tac squad and kill all but one rocket launcher (after no retreat wounds, the power fist failed to hit the incubi).
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...0505-00342.jpg
The battle is currently heavily in the Dark Eldar favour. The Spacemarines hold on, will the game continue? It does!
Turn 6
Space Marines:
The terminator and librarian split up to attempt to bring in as many kill points as possible! Avenger frys the entire unit of wyches in the open. The Terminators assault the incubi and Archon, with avenger up the terminators are hoping to knock out the Archon. The archon and 2 incubi direct their attacks on the terminators... and kill them both! The storm shields fail to save them from the flurry of power weapons. The Other two eliminate the last tactical marine. This awards them their last two pain tokens for a very nasty Archon all hopped up on pain!
Dark Eldar:
As the game has been pretty much decided, the Archon decides to charge in to the librarian with his elite retinue! To hand to hand combat... with furious charge they succeed in doing!... nothing. The librarian has survived! (in mop up news, the remaining DE forces kill off the two vindys.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...0505-00343.jpg
With the librarian fighting for his life we roll for turn 7. And it Happens.
Turn 7
Space Marines:
The Librarian attacks the incubi after making all his saves! And once again fails to do any damage...
Dark Eldar:
The Incubi attacks finally make it through the Librarians storm shield! And knock him down.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...0505-00344.jpg
And with that, the battle is over.
Conclusions
This was a fun game. From the get go it was interesting how nothing happened! (the first kill points did not happen until turn 4).
I felt that the Space Marine player was too aggessive with his army and played right into the Dark Eldars hand. But I do give it to him for sticking out until the bitter end. If I were him I would have stayed back and forced the dark eldar to move up the table using the LOS blocking forest to hide the land speeders untill they would have been able to strike.
It has been a long while since I have written up a text battle report! I hope it was ok. Please comment and help me bring you improved content. You can also check out the podcast and youtube channel for more.
Cheers, and thanks for reading.
Skari- Out
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Originally Posted by Marshal Augustine
