Eldar/dark eldar vs Blood angels 1500... Spears and Claws

The Dark kin have joined the ranks of the craftworld Dem-Kirath once more after a long pause in order to fight off the forces of the Imperium at stronghold 14. This game is 1500 points of eldar with dark eldar allies vs Blood angel space marines in a game of the emperors will with dawn of war deployment.

The Armies

As I said on Tuesday I wanted to play around with a few different armies, so to mix it up a bit I added in the dark eldar and took some units that I haven’t used yet this edition. While on paper the army looks quite fragile, I’m hoping that on the table it will be able to hold its own.

Eldar/Dark eldar 1495

Farseer – 155 (Warlord)

Eldar jetbike, mantle of the laughing god, [Dominate, puppet master, terrify]

10 Dire Avengers – 130

Wave Serpent – 145

Holo field, Twin-linked scatter laser, shuriken cannon

3 Windrider jetbikes – 61

Shuriken cannon

3 Windrider jetbikes – 61

Shuriken cannon

2 Vyper jetbikes – 140

2x Bright lance/ shuriken cannon

8 Warp spiders – 152

5 Shining Spears – 160

Exarch, star lance, hit and run

The Baron – 105

5 Warriors – 60

Blaster

Venom – 65

2x splinter cannon

Beastmasters – 161

3x masters, 5x khymeara, 4x razorwings, venom blade

Ravager – 105

This list is designed to hit hard and fast, get to where it needs to go and hopefully annihilate a single portion of the enemy before it can react. That’s the plan any way. The farseer with mantle of the laughing god was just to test out something a bit of a wild card, it might be great, might be a bit shit. We shall see.

Blood Angels 1500

Reclusiarch – 130 (warlord) w/ Death company

Assault Squad – 190

10 man, plasma gun

8 Death Company – 175

Power axe

Land raider - 250

5 Honour guard – 130

5x storm bolters

Razorback – 90

Twin-linked lascannon

5 Sanguinary guard – 200

Land speeder – 60

2x heavy bolter

Devastator squad – 145

3x missile launchers, lascannon

Predator – 115

Twin-linked lascannon

A very small but hard hitting force, the death company and sanguinary guard will cause problems if they hit my line. I will have to be careful.

The Mission

We rolled for mission and got the emperors will, so 1 objective each. Then rolling for deployment type we ended up with dawn of war. The blood angels won the roll for deployment zone and chose. We then placed our objectives down; he placed his as far into the centre of the table as he could inside the cluster of buildings. I then placed my objective at the bottom right of the table nice and out the way.

Rolling for first turn my opponent won and handed the first turn to me. So I deployed my force. I placed my beastmaster unit on the far left side behind terrain along with the ravage, who hid behind a tree cluster. In the centre the warp spiders waited to pounce forwards with the farseer behind them so he can move to where ever he needs to be. The venom was placed behind trees In the centre and the shining spear were just to their right. To finish deployment the vypers and wave serpent were placed on the far right while both units of bikes were placed in reserve.

In response the blood angels set up to counter me. The land raider with death company inside go on the far right, the devastators hide in the trees on the right blocked by half an assault squad (they combat squad). Honour guard are placed between the land raider and devastators, while the sanguinary guard hide behind the land raider. The other half of the assault marines goes in the centre behind a ruined building. The razorback and predator hide behind the same building. The land speeder hides behind the devastators trees.

Night Fight: Turn 1

Steal the initiative: No

The Battle

Eldar turn 1

With him refusing my left flank they had to move fast, the beastmasters move towards his lines while the ravage moves forwards. Jumping forwards the warp spiders make sure they are out of sight of any shots, hiding behind the closest building. The farseer moves straight up the table unafraid of the imperiums finest. The spears on the other hand hide in the forest and the vypers move to the left as they have no clear target. Both the wave serpent and venom move together to see the half assault squad before them.

Shooting is mainly a second movement phase with the vypers moving into the centre of the table, the ravage going far left, the beasts run and the spears boost a little to improve their cover save, while making sure they are over 18 inches from the land raider (I don’t want any surprise assaults). Still unafraid the farseer goes behind the far building. Shooting finally comes from the venom on the assault squad but it fails to kill any, but the wave serpent kills 2 of them with its serpent shield.

Blood angels turn 1

In a surprise move both assault squad move into the middle of the table, and I thought they were going to assault the farseer. Both the razorback and the predator move out from behind the building to let lines of sight. Ploughing forwards the land raider moves 6 inches, but no one gets out.  The sanguinary guard still hide behind the land raider.

Shots in the dark start from the predator at the wave serpent, it gets a penetrating hit but thanks to the extreme range and jink, I pass the 2+ cover save. Power of the machine spirit lets the land raider shoot at both the wave serpent and venom but again both shots fail to connect in the darkness. Land’s speeder has a little more luck than his raider as it manages to gun down a single shining spear. Heavy weapon fire from the devastators targets the wave serpent but again its 2+ jink stops it coming from any harm. The torrent of shots from the honour guard hits the shining spears and another aspect warriors falls from his bike. At last a heavy weapon manages to hit its mark, and the razorback glances a vyper.

Assault phase and we have a first turn charge. The large assault marines’ squad declares a charge on the warp spiders, and they are in range. He makes it into combat as there is just a slightly bigger than 1 inch gap between the front assault marines and the vyper, allowing the charge. I fail to do any damage with over watch or in combat and I lose a single spider. I hold and attempt to hit and run, I declare the direction into the middle of the table and roll 3… I can’t get more than an inch away from the marines so I am forced to stay in combat. Damn. The other assault squad attempts to charge the farseer but rolls double 1.

Eldar turn 2

Both of my reserves fail to come in. My farseer casts Dominate on the devastator squad without a problem then casts terrify on the sanguinary guard, but roll a double 1, and take a would from perils of the warp. The sanguinary guard still take a moral test but pass. The beastmasters herd their pets towards the warp spiders combat aiming to help their kin. Both vypers move back but keep the land raider in range in sight of their lances. Trying to swap sides of the battle field, the shining spears move towards the middle of the table. This turn the two transports move away from each other. The farseer jumps to the other side of the building.

Light fires from the vypers but they only manage to get a single glancing hit on the land raider, keeping its quarry safe for now. The ravage can see 2 out of the 3 assault marines so takes aim and kills both, better than wasting the tanks shots. The farseer casts puppet master on the razorback and shoots at the predator but fails to do any damage. Turbo boosting the shining spears get to the left side of the board. The scatter laser from the wave serpent hits the land speeder shaking it.

Assault phase and the beastmasters manage to make the assault thanks to a fleet re-roll. Before the marines know what hit them they are all cut down under the flurry of razorwings and a single knife from the warp spiders. Both units then spread out. The farseer uses his eldar jet bike move to back away 7 inches from the razorback.

Blood angels turn 2

Both the razorback and predator move back from the beast masters and to see the ravager. The land raider moves forwards as the sanguinary guard go after the farseer. The land speeder falls back.  

Unloading both lascannons and snap shooting its heavy bolter that land raider attempts to put down the vypers. The skill of the pilots shows as they dodge both of the penetrating hits from the lascannons but a shot from the heavy bolter wrecks a vyper. The razorback and predator team up on the ravage but both only get glancing hits, reducing it to a single hull point. Shots from the honour guard hit the ranks of the beastmasters and they get 2 wounds, both of which are saved by the front khymeara. The power of the farseer is too strong for the devastator squad as they fail their leadership test and can’t shoot this turn.

Assault phase and the sanguinary guard charge into the farseer with a roll of 10 inches. They murder him dealing 7 wounds to him and he fails his rune save. I lose my warlord.

Eldar turn 3

A single bike unit appears on the left hand side and moves behind the large tank. On its last legs, the ravage moves to see the sanguinary guard, determined to take out the enemies elite before it gets destroyed. The shining spears follow suit. Carrying on their move the beasts go towards the enemy tanks. Shifting back to target the land raider again the lone vyper goes after its target, and the venom moves forwards 6 so the warriors can use their blaster if the vyper fails.

Going flat out the wave serpent moves into the centre of the table, ready to disembarked the avengers in the future. Dark light from the ravage kills 2 of the sanguinary guard, leaving 2 left. The shining spears shoot at them and the exarchs starlance kills another marine. Shooting from the vyper on the land raider proves ineffective but the dark elder warriors hit, penetrate, and then explode the land raider!

Assault phase and the shining spears charge into the lone sanguinary guard and the exarch cuts him down with ease. The beastmasters attempts to charge the razorback but I roll terribly, even with the re-roll and they fail to make it.

Blood angels turn 3

Emerging from the ruins of their transport, the death company move towards the beastmasters, while the rest of the army moves to see the shining spears.

Shooting from the razorback targets the ravage but misses, the predator however explodes the skimmer. Heavy weapons from the devastators targets the shining spears and 1 dies to a rocket to the face.

Assault phase and the death company attempt to charge into beasts but they fail the roll.

Eldar turn 4

Finally the second unit of bikes appear this time on the right next to my objective, with the shuriken cannon up front so he can target the death company. The wave serpent goes to target the devastator squad while the beastmasters goad their pets towards the death company. Carrying on their killing spree the shining spears go after the honour guard. The warp spiders go after the razorback.

Shurikens from the bikes cut down a single death company as the shining spears laser lances kill an honour guard. The torrent of shots from the spiders fails to do any damage to the razorback.

 

Assault phase and the shining spears charge into the honour guard and cut them down in a single turn. The beastmasters charge into the death company. The chaplin steps forwards issuing a challenge to which the baron accepts, the combat is quick as the baron fail to do any wounds and the chaplin gets 2 wounds pass the shadow field, rather unexpected, and the baron dies. The masters and razorwings manage to kill 3 marines together, but the marines are able to kill a single beast (after saving 6 saves!) and the combat is a draw.  

Blood angels turn 4

Coming out from hiding the land speeder goes after the vyper while the tanks spread a little.

Shooting from the devastators targets the spiders with 2 frag missiles and cause 4 wounds but I save them all. The land speeder targets the vyper and deal a single glancing hit to it. Again targeting a tank, the razorback aims for the venom but it jinks out the way.

Assault phase and the lone assault marine charges into the shining spears and the combat is a draw. Beasts vs death company and I manage to get 2 rends on the death company killing them but the chaplin manages to kill a warp beast and instant kill a razorwing base, winning combat and the beasts escape.

Eldar turn 5

The moment is right and the dire avengers get out of the wave serpent and take the centre objective. I manage to rally the beast masters and they just stand there. The warp spiders walk towards the death company, I will kill them this turn!

Practically my whole army shoots at the death company and I reduce the squad down to a single death company model and the Chaplin takes a wound.

Assault and the assault marine kills the regular shining spear and the exarch runs for it, the coward.

Blood angels turn 5

The land speeder moves to the bike on my objective while the death company go after the warp spiders, the assault marine goes towards the running spear.

The torrent of fire from the land speeder hits the bikes on my objective, the shuriken cannon dies but they hold. The lascannon from the razorback explodes the venom killing a single dark elder warrior in the explosion. Devastators shoot at the wave serpent but they fail to get past its armour.

Assault phase and the assault marine charges in to the running shining spear, he regroups and the fight is a draw. I hit and run away. The death company charge into the warp spiders and it’s a bloody mess, they deal no wounds and get cut down horribly when they attempt to run. Poor buggers.

We roll to see if the game carries on…

End of game

Eldar: 8 (2 Objectives, first blood, line breaker) – Blood angels: 1 (slay the warlord)

Post-Battle

Well it was an odd list but I really enjoyed playing with it. Having 2 combat units did ok, and it was a challenge trying to get away from the death company and sanguinary guard as they would wreck most of my units. I was surprised by the use of a land raider and that through me a little bit and made me make a mistake with deployment. Anyway what did I learn?

·        Beast masters: I love their speed and the sheer number of attacks which could be great against none combat units in future games. Next time I wont be placing them on a far flank if im deploying first as it stunted their ability to influence the game.

·        Shining spears: This unit surprised me, but the exarch with hit and run and an ap 2 lance defiantly made it a lot better. The speed was horrific and I think could be used to destroy a weak flank in future games.

Anyway what did you guys think of the list and the report? I would love to hear your views.