Eldar vs Imperial Guard 1500: Assault on Aquila 87

In a rather interesting game, my eldar force takes on an imperial guard force protecting an Aquila stronghold. Suicidal? Possibly. The stuff of legends? Obviously. The game is a 1500 point, Big guns never tire, with Vanguard strike Deployment.

The Armies

Eldar 1500

Spiritseer – 70 (Warlord: re-roll reserves) w/ wraithguard

Conceal, enhance

Wraithseer - 200

Shuriken cannon

5 Wraithguard – 160

Wave Serpent – 140

Twin-linked shuriken cannon, shuriken cannon, holo field

10 Guardians – 110

Bright lance

10 Guardians – 110

Bright lance

6 Striking scorpions – 142

Exarch, scorpions claw

8 Warp spiders – 152

6 Swooping hawks – 96

Wraithlord – 160

2x bright lance

Warp hunter – 160

Holo field

The list might be wrong, I’m not 100% sure as while the wraithseer can’t be the mandatory HQ it doesn’t mention if he can be the warlord or not. We talked about this and decided that he couldn’t be the warlord even though he has the highest leadership. If this is wrong please leave a comment below.

Imperial guard 1490

Company command – 70 (warlord: 12 leadership bubble)

2x snipers

Infantry Platoon

Platoon command - 30

Infantry Squad - 65

Missile launcher

Infantry Squad - 65

Missile launcher

Infantry Squad -65

Missile launcher

Heavy weapons team – 105

Lascannons

Veteran squad – 100

3x melta gun,

Chimera – 55

Veteran squad – 100

3x melta gun

Chimera - 55

Thunderbolt - 180

Aquila Strongpoint – 625

voidshield, escape hatch

So I am just attacking a strongpoint which is held by a few guys, how hard can it be right? I mean it only has AV 15, a void shield and a strength D weapon. I guess that’s what I get for using the Lynx.

The Mission

Rolling for mission we get Big guns never tire (with 3 objectives). Deployment is vanguard strike. We do everything by the book for once so roll for deployment zone (what’s the point pre-terrain?) and the guard win and puts down his massive iceberg of plastic more commonly known as the Aquila strongpoint, damn that models big, until you see it you never think it’s going to be THAT big. Anyway we then went onto rolling for terrain density and placed terrain down. The board was quite heavy which suited me just fine. The guard placed 2 objectives in his deployment and I put 1 at the bottom right hand side behind some sand bags.

Next we rolled for first turn/deployment and the guard won, electing to go first. Deployment was nice and quick; the company command squad crews the Macro-cannon, the lascannon team go on top of the smaller bunker. The infantry squad combines and goes into the larger portion of the strongpoint while the platoon command going into the smaller one. Next both chimeras deploy on the right of the strongpoint. Thunder bolt in reserve.

To counter this I place both the wraithlord and wraithseer on the left, hopefully they will be able to get into combat with the strongpoint and pound on it for a turn or 2 (if they make it). The warp hunter goes hind the large tree out of sight of the macro-cannon and the guardians hold my objective. Warp spiders go on the right to hopefully pop some tanks early on. I infiltrate the scorpions as close to the chimeras as possible. The wraithguard stay in reserve inside their wave serpent and the hawks prepare to deep strike in.

Deployment

Night Fight: No

Steal the initiative: No

The Battle

Imperial guard turn 1

Engines revving both chimeras move towards the eldar line! Everyone else stays safely bunkered up.

Sighting the Eldar as they advanced the Macro-cannon traced the path of the approaching wraithlord and fired. Only an arm was left of the wraith construct as the D weapon dealt 15 wounds to him! Poor bugger. The lascannons target the striking scorpions and kill 1, then missiles fly out of the fire points on the strongpoint and kill an extra 1. Both chimeras use their smoke launchers. End of the shooting phase the scorpions take a moral test and fail, running away 11 inches!

Eldar turn 1

With no wraith-buddy to bolster the wraithseer moves straight towards the strong point, he won’t do much but if he gets into combat maybe... just maybe. The warp spiders jump forwards 10 inches towards the chimeras. I attempt to rally the scorpions but they keep running, another 11 inches!

 

The vets abandon their wrecked chimera

Showing how mobile it is the wraithseer runs a whole 1 inch. The spiders run an extra 4 inches to get more people into range then shoot at the closest chimera, getting enough glances to wreck it despite the cover save from the smoke. The warp hunter targets the other chimera and lock on with all 3 hits, all pen but 1 is saved from smoke. I roll on the damage table and it loses its heavy bolter and is stunned... damn.

I jump the spiders into the ruins.

Imperial guard turn 2

Target acquired

A thunderous roar can be heard over head as the thunderbolt comes in from reserve, headed straight for the warp hunter. The guard from the wrecked chimera spears out to not be such large targets, while the other hides in their tank waiting for its systems to come back online.

Opening up on the warp hunter the thunder bolt is more like a slight electric crackle as it only manages to do a single glance to the hunter (even though I didn’t move it last turn). The veterans on the floor shoot at the warp spiders and manage to kill 2 of the aspect warriors. Snap shots from the multi-laser of the chimera manage to kill a further 1 and a stay lasgun from its hatch also kills a spider, reducing them down to 4. Lascannon shots follow the scorpions, another 2 die to rather crack shots from the heavy weapons team. As a surprise to me, the macro-cannon targets the guardians instead of the wraithseer, managing to kill the 4 that it can see, but they hold.

Eldar turn 2

Bum rush the strongpoint!

I roll for reserves and the guardians come in, so I decide to re-roll it and manage to keep them in reserve. The swooping hawks fail to come in even with the re-roll and the wave serpent comes in without problem, right up the left flank straight to the strong point. The wraithseer carries on his path towards the Aquila and I move the hunter a little bit to get a cover save as I won’t get that lucky again.  Finally the scorpions rally thanks to a double 1.

A lucky shot from the guardians lance hits and glances the thunder bolt straight away. The spiders are practically under neither the thunder bolt so shoot up, but only mange to get a single hit, and glances it as well. With it’s pray still crippled from last turn the warp hunter finishes off the chimera forcing the veterans to disembark.  I boost the wave serpent next to the Aquila strongpoint.

Assault phase and again the spiders run away, 9 inches this time.

Imperial guard turn 3

Again the thunder bolt heads straight for the warp hunter. The newly appearing veterans spread out while the other veterans move towards the scorpion exarch.

Shooting from the Aquila strongpoint targets the wraithseer and locks on both shots, dealing 5 wounds to it, killing it instantly. Missiles from inside the strongpoint target the wave serpent but fails to get past the vehicles cover save. Again the lascannon team shoots at the striking scorpions and kill the regular scorpion, and then the veterans target the remaining exarch killing him. The thunderbolt again shoots at the warp hunter, this time it hits it mark and the vehicle explodes, regardless of its cover save.  

Eldar turn 3

From reserve I manage to get the hawks in but I can also get the guardians, but I re-roll it to keep them in reserve. I deep strike the hawks at the top right of the table and they drop their grenade pack on the veterans closest to the table edge. The blast locks on and kills 3 of the guardsmen, at the end of the movement phase they fail their leadership and run off the table! On the other side of the table the wraithguard get out of their transport and the serpent moves to the right a little to see the company command.

In a rather futile attempt the wraithguard try to break down the strongpoint, they shoot at it and get past the void shield but fail to do anything to the actual fortification. However the wave serpent is a little more successful and kills 3 of the company command, but they hold.

Imperial guard turn 4

With its prey destroyed, the thunderbolt moves after the guardians, as do the remaining veterans. In the middle of the table the 30 infantry blob uses the escape hatch to get in the middle of the two objectives.

Shooting and the veterans run 4 inches towards the guardians. Marco-cannon attempts to target the wraithguard with its strength D weapon, but it scatters both shots and only kills a single wraithguard and explodes the wave serpent. Attempting to clear the objective, the thunderbolt kills 3 guardians but they hold. The blob in the middle of the table snap shots their missile launchers at the hawks and 1 hit and kills a single model.

End of turn the void shield powers up again.

Eldar turn 4

The commander runs like a coward

As its turn 4 the guardians are forced to join the fight and move up next to the veterans. I skyleap the hawks ready for next turn. I attempt to jump the warp spiders and roll double 1, killing one of them. As they lost 25% they take a moral test and fail, making a run for it. The wraithguard move around the building.

Even though they are running the warp spiders shoot (with snap shot) at the veterans and manage to kill 3! The guardians then run and shoot at them as well killing an extra 4, but they hold. Just about seeing both of the company command the wraithguard shoot at them, and kill a single model leaving the general alone, he takes a moral test and RUNS! He rolls and ends just at the edge of the table. On the right the guardians attempt to clip the last hull point off the thunderbolt but fail to hit it.

Imperial guard turn 5

He needs a double 1 to rally his commander but fails and runs off the table. With no real place to go the thunder bolt moves off the table hoping for an extra turn. The few remaining veterans go after the warp spiders, not wanting them to rally. As a swarm the blob squad move towards the wraithguard to get as many shots as possible but still hold the middle objective. He gets out his platoon command to take the other objective next to the strongpoint.

Shooting from the 30 guardsmen on the wraithguard fails to do anything, from all the shots he only gets a single wound which fails to get past their armour (thank god the missiles missed). The macro cannon again targets the wraithguard (he’s not happy with this as it could scatter on the fortification) and the first shot scatters off onto the fortification destroying the void shield, the other hits and kills 3 wraithguard. The vets shoot at the warp spiders and reduce them down to 1 model, which gets shot by the sharp shooting lascannon team.

Eldar turn 5

The hawks come in at the back next to the platoon command and grenade them, killing the officer. I separate the spiritseer from the wraithguard and move the guard towards the infantry blob.

Lasblasters from the hawks easily kills the infantry command with their sheer number of shots and in the middle the guardians kill the remaining veterans.

In a desperate attempt to shift him off an objective the wraithguard charges into the blob squad. The avalanche of dice for over watch is horrible and he gets a lot of 6’s to hit. But the wound rolls are poor and he only gets a single wound and I make the save. But then only needing 5 inches to charge I roll a 4, a little anti-climatic.

We roll to see if the game carries on. It doesn’t.

Imperial Guard: 6 (1 objective, first blood, 2x heavy support destroyed) – Eldar: 6 (1 objective, line breaker, slay the warlord, and as the thunderbolt was off the table 1 heavy support destroyed)

A Draw somehow.

Post-Battle

Well that was unexpected, I thought I was going to lose hands down as soon as I saw the D weapon. Possibly this was down more to my opponent making a mistake with his deployment. Personally instead of having a MASSIVE blob I would have had a 20 man blob and a 10 man squad. The 10 man would go out with the vets and go straight for my objective. If he had those extra boots on the floor I doubt I could have stopped him from taking my objective ensuring the victory for him. Still it was a good fight and interesting to be on the receiving end of the big D.

Anyway what did I learn?

·         Warp hunter: I liked this guy, having barrage is very handy and he will be used again once he’s purple. At first I thought that small blast would be an issue but I guess he will just be aiming for light tanks and guys tightly packed behind defence lines. It should be fine.  

·         Wraithseer: didn’t learn a thing, he just died probably should use him again.

·         Aquila strongpoint: While its intimidating it only has 1 weapon. I think I did the right thing distracting it with the wraith units so he didn’t go after my scoring units. I need to be smarter though with placement of models so he can’t see much.

Anyway that was a rather surprising result, how did you guys predict the game was going to go at first?