Eldar/Dark Eldar vs Imperial Guard 1500: Starting the Escalation

This is my first game of 40k since the strong hold assault and escalation rules were released, but it was before the forgeworld released their PDF about what can be used as a Lord of War (So no lynx for me). Anyway it’s a 1500 point game of Big guns never tire between my Eldar with Dark eldar allies, and the Imperial Guard.

The Armies

I wasn’t sure what lit to use and I didn’t want to go anti-lord of war encase he didn’t actually use one, rendering me at a major disadvantage. I came up with this list hoping that it would be able to take down a super-heavy as well as take on a regular force if I faced a regular force.

Eldar/Dark Eldar 1502 (He let me off with 2 points)

Farseer – 120 w/ jetbikes (Warlord: Perfect volley)

Jetbike, singing spear [guide, prescience, perfect timing]

6 Jetbikes – 122

2x Shuriken cannon

6 Dire Avengers – 78

Wave Serpent – 145

Holo field, Twin-linked scatter laser, shuriken cannon

6 Dire Avengers – 78

Wave Serpent – 145

Holo field, Twin-linked scatter laser, shuriken cannon

8 Warp Spiders – 152

Wraithknight – 240

Heavy D-Cannon

Haemonculus – 55 w/ wyches

6 Wyches – 72

Haywire grenades

Raider – 60

Dark lance

6 Wyches – 72

Haywire grenades

Raider – 60

Dark lance

Ravager – 105

3x Dark lance

Imperial Guard 1500

Company Command – 85 (Warlord: dust of a thousand worlds)

Master of ordinance, vox

Infantry Platoon

Platoon Command – 35

Vox

Infantry squad – 70

Vox, lascannon

Infantry squad – 70

Vox, lascannon

Special weapons squad – 50

3x sniper

Heavy weapons team – 85

2x autocannon, lascannon

Veteran squad – 90

Lascannon

Penal Legion – 85

Chimera – 55

Multilaser, heavy bolter

Penal Legion – 85

Chimera – 55

Multilaser, heavy bolter

Marbo – 65

5 Storm troopers – 105

2x meltagun

5 Storm troopers – 100

Plasma gun

Griffin – 75

Leman Russ Battle Tank – 165

Lascannon

Stormlord – 530

1x set of sponsons

Looking over his points he seems to be a little over as well, but no matter, he forgot his list and had to remember it so obviously he forgot to take something out. Never mind, it’s only a friendly game.

The Mission

We decided to just play a regular game to see how the super-heavy played out. Rolling for it we got Big guns never tire (3 objectives), with dawn of war deployment. The Imperial guard won the roll for deployment zone then I won the roll for first turn. I placed an objective behind the large tree, he placed his on the right by the bunkers and I placed the final one in between the rocks in my deployment zone.

As his super heavy could potentially wipe out half my army on its own I didn’t want to keep all of my anti tank weapons in one area, so I decided to spread my force out, it was mobile enough to converge if it had to anyway. In the centre I placed the wraithknight and ravager with the bikes behind them. The on each flank I hid a wave serpent and raider. I placed the warp spiders on the left, just so they were deployed; I thought I would need everything I could muster turn 1.

He counter deployed by placing the stormlord on my left, facing the warp spiders and ravager. On my right he placed the Russ, and the griffon hides behind a chimera next to the stormlord. The other chimera goes the other side of the stormlord, while the special weapon team hide in the forest. The infantry command and 2 squads hold the right objective. His veteran squad, heavy weapon squad, and company command are in the back of the stormlord. He elects to deep strike both storm trooper squads.

Steal the initiative: No

Night fight: No

The Battle

Eldar turn 1

I need to damage that super heavy so much as possible to get it out the game asap. The farseer cast prescience on the ravager then attempted to guide the wraithknight, but rolled a 12, I had to use the ghost helm and my last charge to ignore the perils. The ravager, raider and wraithknight move to the stormlord, both wave serpents go forwards as do the warp spiders (no real plan there). The ravager on the right moves to shoot at the chimera on the right. The bikes move to the right.

Shooting starts with irritating the super-heavy. The ravager gets 3 hits but fails to even get a glance, the raider gets a penetrating hit on the lord and gets an explodes result, doing 2 hull points of damage to it (7 hp left) and the wraithgknight manages to get a single penetrating hit (6 hp left). I run forwards with the spiders and shoot at the left chimera glancing it, and I decide I need to get first blood this turn and shoot everything from the left wave serpent into it as well, wrecking it. I fail to do any damage to the right chimera with the raider or wave serpent (who didn’t use its shield). The bikes boost to behind a bunker.

Assault and the spiders back up 3 inches and the bikes go forwards 8.

Imperial guard turn 1

The newly evicted penal legion move forwards as does the chimera.

Lascannon shots from the heavy weapon team in the lord hit the ravager, gets 2 penetrating hits and it explodes, not bad for guard shooting. The veterans inside also shoots, but at the wave serpent without serpent shield, it hits, pens and it fails to jink and also explodes, and killing 2 dire avengers in the process (they run). A long shot from the russ targets the bikes but scatters off and only clips 2, 1 dies after a bad jink roll. Launching its payload in the air, the griffon targeted the warp spider, and locked on. In the blast 6 warriors were hit and their wargear failed them as 3 died. Further shots were fired at them as the penal legion peppered them with las shots and an extra aspect warrior falls. A lascannon shot from an infantry squad hits the raider on the right and glances it. The master of ordinance calls down a barrage but it misses its mark and is harmless. Then all hell breaks loose as the stormlord starts to fire its weapons, it targets the warp spiders with 2 sets of heavy bolters, but thankfully their armour holds true. Both lascannons shoot at the wraithknight but 1 misses and the other fails to wound it. To finish its turn it shoots its Vulcan mega bolter TWICE at the wraithknight and its sheer weight of shots blows chunks out of the knight, taking 2 wounds off it. Both the warp spiders and dire avengers fail their moral tests and run for it.

Eldar turn 2

Casting prescience and perfect timing on his bodyguard the farseer turns them into guardsman killing machines then guides the raider next to him. The bikes move towards the infantry squad next to the objective while the wave serpent moves next to them to shoot down the platoon command. Unsure what to do I move the wraithknight towards the stormlord a little but staying away from the penal legion. Both the dire avengers and warp spiders rally.

Boom!

The raider on the left shoots at the super-heavy and gets a single penetrating hit, taking off a hull point. Both heavy D-Cannons from the wraithknight hit the stormlord this turn and a single one gets a penetrating hit, causing an explosion taking of 4!! (yes 4!!) hull points, reducing it to a single hull point left. The raider on the right side of the table is just about in range of the lord of war, and I fire my last anti-tank shot at it, and it glances the tank… its finished. We check the rulebook to see if it becomes wrecked like a normal tank, but no, it explodes! Every model inside it takes a strength 10 ap 2 hit, killing off the heavy weapon team, all but the company commander and the lascannon and Sargent of the veterans remain standing. Then we place the mega-blast template (or whatever it’s called) and scatter it, but it does nothing as we roll a 1 to see its strength (we decided the units inside it don’t get hit, they have suffered enough). Snap shooting the warp spiders kill of 4 penal legionaries somehow. On the right the bikes shoot at the infantry squad and get exactly 10 wounds as the squad gets killed to a man. Only shooting the scatter laser and shuriken cannon, the wave serpent kills 3 models from the platoon command, and they run off the table.

Assault phase and the bikes move back 7 inches.

Imperial guard turn 2

Reserve time and both storm trooper units and Marbo come in. The plasma troopers deep strike behind the bikes but scatter a little but no real issue for them. The melta troopers deep strike behind the wave serpent but scatters on top of a bunker. Marbo is placed behind the bikes. Undeterred by the terrain, the leman russ ploughs to the top of the hill. Dropping off the penal legion the chimera moves to face the bikes. The penal legion already on foot move towards the warp spiders.

An unconventional choice but it pays off, the leman russ only shoots its lacannon at the wraithknight and takes a wound off it. The veteran lascannon team shoot at the wraithknight and manage to hit after being pinned, and wounds the construct. Sniper shots from the special weapons team bounce off the wraithknight, failing to find a weak spot. Sly Marbo, the guardsman of legend, throws his demolition charge into the bikes but the scatter is way off, he rolls enough to bring it back onto himself and leaves the bikes unharmed. Marbo dies to his own attack dying instantly to the explosion. Plasma shots from the storm troopers kills 2 bikers, the melta troopers also shoot at the bikers and kill a further 1. All of my dire avengers on foot die to the explosion from the griffin’s shell.

Assault phase and the penal legion charge into warp spiders, 1 gets cut down by over watch fire. The spiders cut down 1 in combat but the penal legion are knife fighting experts and find the weak spots in 2 of the spiders armour. The eldar lose the combat and run for it but get cut down before they could escape.

Eldar turn 3

Eldar trickery

Casting perfect timing on himself and what remains of the bike squad, the farseer hopes a few more guard will die before he Is dragged to his death. The bikes jump over the storm troopers going after the weaker infantry platoon. On the left the wyches jump out of their raider and go straight for the weakened penal legion. On the right the dire avengers get out of the wave serpent looking to take down the melta troopers while the wave serpent sets its sights on the other storm troopers. I back off the wraithknight.

Under a hail of shuriken fire, 4 of the infantry platoon die but they hold. Shooting from the dire avengers fails to kill any of the melta troopers, well done to them. Unloading its entire payload, the wave serpent brings down 1 storm trooper from the plasma squad, not great. For fun, the wyches fire their pistols at the penal legion and kill 1. A shot from the wraithknight’s D-Cannon stuns the Russ, neutralising it for next turn. The raider on the right glances the chimera again.

Assault, the wyches charge into the penal legion and cut down 2 before they can react, but a single wych dies to the counter attack. Unsure what to do the penal legion make a break for it but the dark eldar are too fast and cut them down where they stood. Not allowing any of the human filth to live, the bikers charge into the infantry squad and manage to kill 4, including the sergeant who challenged the farseer to single combat. The guard run and get cut down.

Imperial guard turn 3

The remaining squad of penal legion go straight for the wraithknight while their chimera transport goes after the bikes. The company commander shows no fear and moves up the table.

A streak of light hits the wraithknight and blows a chuck out of its armour; the veterans celebrate at wounding it! (it only has 1 left). Sniper shots follow and a single rending hit gets though, but the knight passes its cover save thanks to the intervening tree. Storm troopers fire upon the bikes and a single biker dies. An explosive shell comes out of nowhere and hits the wyches, the griffin’s mortar doing its job at killing 2 wyches while the other are forced to go to ground. The melta storm troopers shoot at the wave serpent and manage a single glancing hit.

The time for hero’s to be born and villains to be forgiven, the penal legion charge into the wraithknight. Over watch fails and they make it into combat, striking first the knight crushes 2 of the convicts into the dust, but somehow they find a weakness, an exposed vent or something, and they get a single rend, the wraithknight dies to penal legionnaire, he will no doubt be absolved of whatever crime he committed.

Criminal behavior

Eldar turn 4

Both the bikes and the wave serpent turn their attention to the plasma storm troopers while the wyches raider moves off the drop its cargo next to the penal legion. The dire avengers back away from the storm troopers but keep them in range.

The raider on the right manages to destroy the chimeras heavy bolter with a penetrating hit, reducing it to a single hull point while the other raider fails to do any damage to the russ. Making up for their lack of marksmanship last turn, the dire avengers manage to kill 4 of the melta storm troopers this turn! Leaving a lone guy, to hold his ground. Shuriken shots from teh bike fail to do any damage to the plasma troopers but the wave serpent kills off 3 and the remnants run for their lives, straight off the table.

Assault and the wyches make a long charge into the penal legion, they all manage to evade the incoming fire and cut down 6 of the humans, and lose none in return. The guard hold though with insane heroism.

Imperial guard turn 4

Chugging alone, the chimera moves to face the chimera that has been peppering it all game. The commander moves to within assault range of the wych/penal combat.

Again the veterans hit their mark with their lascannon blowing off the dark lance of the left raider. Keeping its aim true the griffin kills off the stragglers of the wych squad not in combat. With its weapons back online the Russ targets the raider with everything it has but the raider manages to jink out the way.

Combat and the commander charges into the fray, leading by example! In the swirl of melee 1 penal legion member dies, 2 wyches die and the commander gets stabbed twice, leaving him a bloody mess but still determined to live. Both guard units hold.

Eldar turn 5

Again the dire avengers back off towards the objective behind the tree, the wave serpent goes after the chimera and the bikers claim the objective in his deployment zone.

Shooting from the dire avengers kills off the lone storm trooper then they run for the objective and just about get in range to hold it. Again shooting everything it has, the wave serpent hits the chimera and blows it up, much to the irritation of the raider crew.

Assault phase and the wyches clean house, killing both the commander and penal legion, gaining 2 pain tokens. They consolidate and manage to roll enough to get a single model in control range of the objective in the rocks.

Imperial guard turn 5

A lascannon shot from the veterans blows up the crippled raider, the griffin shoots at the wyches on the objective but for the first time the shot scatters off, and even the re-roll doesn’t help it stay on target. Taking a long shot, the russ shoots at the dire avengers and the shot hits 4 of the aspect warriors and clips the raider. The raider gets stunned and 4 aspect warriors die, but the remaining hold and keep the objective.

We roll to see if the game continues...

Eldar: 15 (First blood, slay the warlord, line breaker, 3 objectives, 9 hull points taken off a lord of war) – Imperial guard: 2 (2 heavy support units destroyed).

Post-Battle

Well I never expected that, taking down a super-heavy in 2 turns and still managing to have enough of my army left to kill off his. In a previous article I wrote about escalation I said that once you take down the lord of war their army will crumble, how wrong I was. Even after taking out a large chunk of his force he still had the ability to fight on. I need to rethink how I am going to deal with them in the future. Did I learn much?

·         StormLord: I feel this didn’t do much this game because of my opponents choice of targets for it, more than my tactics against it. It he has shot just the lascannons at the wraithknight, then taken out the raider, ravager and other raider turn 1 I would have been up a creak I believe the saying goes. Even 30 strength 6 ap 3 shots are going to struggle against a wraithknight, so he shot himself in the foot their I think. But it was his first time using it in a long time so you can’t blame him.

·         Bikes: I am really loving bikes now that I am using them, for some reason I never liked them with the 4^th edition codex but I can’t get enough now. Maybe I should look into getting some more.

·         Farseer: I messed up his powers this game, I took supporting powers then ran him off on his own, a little silly of me. I should have taken telepathy powers and had him being much scarier. But ignore cover did stop the guard going to ground at least.

·         Escalation: The balance of super heavies seems ok at the moment, until I face a strength D thing that is. I might have to take my lynx now that its legal, but I would feel bad using the pulsar, maybe proxy it as the sonic lance (or whatever it’s called). We shall see.

I just realised i forgot to deploy my haemonculus! again forgetting things...

Hope you enjoyed my first battle using the escalation rules. Let me know what you think.

(Note: Just counted up the guard army it’s 1805 points!!!, no wonder he let me off with 2 points)