Something a little different on the space marine front this week, the
eldar play against the Red Hunters (a Forge world chapter) with some rather
interesting rules. The game is Big guns never tire with 3 objectives, with dawn
of war deployment. Who will win this 2k game? Cast your votes now...
The Armies
Eldar 2000
Jain Zar – 200 (Warlord: ) w/ Guardians
Farseer – 100
[Prescience, misfortune, forboding]
20 Guardians – 220
2x starcannon
5 rangers - 60
10 Dire Avengers - 130
10 Dire Avengers - 130
10 Dire Avengers - 130
10 Banshees – 150
8 Warp spiders – 152
Crimson Hunter – 180
Exarch
6 Dark reapers – 228
Starshot
Wraithlord – 160
2x bright lance
Wraithlord – 160
2x bright lance
Red Hunter Space marines with
grey
Librarian w/ sternguard
[Prescience, srcyers gaze, vortex of doom]
5 scouts
Sniper rifles
10 Tactical marines
Plasma pistol, power fist, plasma gun, missile launcher
Rhino
10 SternGuard
2x combi melta, power fist
5 Terminators
2 Land speeders
Multi melta, heavy flamer
Predator Annihilator
Triples las
Inquisitor (Warlord: -1 to deamon invulnerable saves) w/ grey knight
terminators
Terminator armour, psycannon, servo skulls
5 Grey knight terminators
Incinerator, 5x halberds
Vindicare Assassin
Aegis Defence line
Icarus lascannon
The Mission
Rolling for mission we get Big guns never tire with 3 objectives and
deployment was dawn of war. The terrain was already set up so we rolled for
deployment zones and I won. We then placed down the 3 objectives, 2 of them
being placed close to my deployment zone, 1 in the middle, the other far left,
and the third was placed behind his defence line.
I also won the roll for first turn and elected to go first, I spread
my force across the table as I needed the room. On the far left I placed the
warp spiders ready to jump forwards, and on the objective the rangers sat. Next
on the left I placed a wraithlord so that he had a good line of sight, the in
the middle I placed 2 units of dire avengers (the 3rd unit went into
reserve). Accompanying the dire avengers in the middle, the second wraithlord
stood, ready to aid them if any tanks threaten them. On the right of the
wraithlord I placed the guardians and the two attached characters. Next on the
right, on the building, the dark reapers had a good line of sight ready to
shoot whatever they could. And finally I placed the banshees on the far right.
The crimson hunter is forced to start in reserve.
To combat this, the marines placed the predator on the left facing the
wraithlord, in the middle the scouts man the lascannon while the sternguard
hold the line. Hidden behind a building the land speeders wait on the right,
and the rhino does the same. He then infiltrates his vindicare assassin
forwards a little on the edge of the building. Both terminator units go into
reserve.
 |
| Deployment |
Night Fighting: Turn 1
Steal the initiative: No
The Battle
Eldar turn 1
I needed to do as much damage before the terminators arrived,
otherwise I might end up fighting a war on two fronts and that's something I
don’t want. So I cast prescience on the dark reapers. I move all of my units
apart from the rangers up, leaving them to hold the left objective. In the
middle the blue unit of dire avengers takes the central objective. Jumping
forwards the warp spiders get a double 3, losing one in the warp but still
enough to clear the building.
 |
| The eldar get closer |
Shooting phase and I run the banshees a grant 8 inches, the guardians
run as well, then shoot at the stern guard but only the star cannons are really
in range and they fail to get past the 3+ cover of the darkened defence line.
On the left the wraithlord shoots at the predator and gets a single glancing
hit on it, reducing it to 2 hull points. The warp spiders then run and shoot it
scratching a further hull point from it, leaving it on 1. Using swarm star
shots the dark reapers also shoot at the stern guard but thanks to night fight
I only manage to kill 2. The dire avengers then run.
Red Hunters turn 1
Going on the offensive, the speeder squadron jumps forwards ready to
kill the eldar while the rhino moves out to the right, aiming to intercept the
banshees but it ends its move in a crater and ends up immobilising itself.
 |
| Marines hold the line |
Before the wraithlord can do any more damage, the predator aims all 3
lascannons at it and gets a wound off it. The snipers do the same and get a
single rend on it, reducing it to 1 wound. Using their multi-meltas the land
speeders attempt to wound the right side wraithlord but only inflict a single
wound. Using their ammunition that wounds on a 2+ the sternguard target the
right wraithlord and inflict another wound, so both are down to 1. The assassin
tries to use its ammo that inflicts 2 wounds targeting jain zar but misses.
Eldar turn 2
Again the farseer casts prescience on the dark reapers and this time
misfortune on the sternguard. Screaming in from reserve the crimson hunter
comes in on the right side aiming for the rhino. The war host again moves
forwards apart from those units holding an objective.
 |
| Banshees get a little too close |
A web of monofilament death from the warp spiders fails to do any
damage the predator but luckily the wraithlord manages to glance it with a
bright lance, wrecking it. On the right the
crimson hunter exarch uses his skill to wreck the rhino (I don’t know how it
didn’t explodes with so much ap 2) forcing the tactical marines into the open.
Using starshot this turn, the dark reapers try to destroy the land speeders but
after a poor roll to hit (even with the re-roll) they just can’t get past the
armour, so many 1’s! But a single shot gets a penetrating hit and blows off a
heavy flamer. Running first, then shooting the guardians target the sternguard,
after the dust clears 7 sternguard are removed from play as the misfortune
really hurt them. With no real target the wraithlord on the right shoots at the
assassin but fails to hit. In the middle the dire avengers target the scouts
and down a single marine but the rangers add in their shots and kill 2 more!
The banshees the run to try and get some cover from the pissed off tactical
marines.
Red Hunters turn 2
The librarian casts scyers gaze and prescience on the scouts. Rolling
for reserves both units of terminators come in (rather unsurprisingly). First
he placed the marine terminators next to the guardians but it scatters into
them causing a mishap, and he rolls a 1 (very unlucky). He is a little more conservative
with the grey knights and places them towards my deployment zone where he can
see the dire avengers holding the middle objective, they lock on. Leaving the
reduced sternguard the librarian joins the scouts while the lone survivor of
the sternguard moves towards the guardians. The speeders move into the middle
of the guardians and dire avengers as the tactical marines move to the
banshees.
 |
| Deep Striking problems |
Mowing them down with ease, the tactical marines fire bolter and
plasma at the banshees, killing 7 of them. Both land speeders shoot at the left
wraithlord killing him off with their multi-meltas. Shots from the snipers kill
off a single guardian. Again showing his worth the vindicare assassin shoots at
the wraithlord but this time fails to wound (at least he hit this time). With
the dire avengers in the open the grey knight terminators shoot at them, and
with a fall of flack coming towards them, the dire avengers go to ground. 6
still die but hold.
Assault phase and the brave sternguard sergeant charges into the
guardians but gets cut in half by the blade storm coming at him from over
watch.
Eldar turn 3
Again the farseer casts prescience on the dark reapers but rolls double
6, forcing me to use the ghost helm. From reserve the dire avengers come in behind
the terminators. The few remaining banshees move to the tactical marines ready
to charge them and the guardians move to the scouts. With its target destroyed the
crimson hunter moves to target the terminators.
|
| The Challenge! |
Using starshots, the dark reapers destroy the land speeders as they
ignore jink saves, 6 strength 8 shots will do that to av 10 skimmers. Using
their pistols the banshees kill a single marine before the charge. In the
middle the combined fire of all 3 units of dire avengers is enough to reduce
the terminators down to just the inquisitor; I roll so many 6’s to wound it’s
not even funny at this point. The crimson hunter then finishes off the
inquisitor for slay the warlord. At the top of the table the guardians shoot at
the scouts and kill them off and put a single wound on the librarian.
Assault phase and the banshees charge the tactical marines, the over
watch cuts one down but the other 2 make it. In the combat the banshees kill a
single marine and get cut down for their effort. In the middle the guardians
charge the librarian and Jain Zar issues a challenge. She dispatches the marine
with ease (-5 WS on the charge is devastating).
At this point my opponent concedes the game, with only the tactical
squad and as assassin left I can see where he is coming from.
Eldar Victory
Post-Battle
This game highlighted a few things for me, mainly, I don’t know how to
use banshees, but also I don’t have to be a dick. This was a friendly game, I should
have just said, put your terminators back into reserve or re-roll the scatter.
Yes the rules are if the mishaps blah blah but it was just a game for fun, I don’t
believe my opponent would have had much fun this game just removing models each
turn, I should have said something to let him keep his terminators on the
table. What harm would it have done? He would have enjoyed the game more, it
would have messed up my plans and probably enhanced the game greatly. Instead I
did nothing and just let them be destroyed before they could even do anything.
I just made this list for fun, thinking it would be a laugh, but it appears to
have been a hard counter. I probably just got lucky, next time who knows, but I
don’t need to be a dick about it, let him have his terminators spice up the
game.
My other point, the banshees. Just running them up into some tactical
marines isn’t a good call. It ended badly for them and I knew it was going to
happen. Maybe I should use them as a counter attacking unit? Behind the
guardians and dire avengers ready to assault any assault units that charge them?
Reducing them down to low initiative so all my guys can strike first? I will
try it next time.
For those of you who don’t know they are a forge world chapter with
some rather interesting rules, they are a chapter often used by the inquisition
and the battle brothers often have their mind wiped of any memory of the
battles to ‘save their souls from taint’ but also so the inquisitions secrets
are kept, well, secret. In game this has no real effect apart from for one turn
you may select a number of units equal to the turn number, and give them a
special rule for that turn. It’s rather cool, and I can see why my opponent
used the rules. They also have adimantium will, just coz. for more info click here.
Anyway that’s it for the battle report, next week I might try out this
list again to see how it plays out against a different opponent. Hope you
enjoyed.
Your list may seem like an awesome matchup but any list that doesn't feature an even(ish) mix of tanks and men is going to do that sometimes. You list doesn't reward people (at all) for taking meltaguns so every melta in your opponents army was basically a waste. Every missile launcher was better as a heavy bolter (with the exception of your Wraithlords) and every plasmagun would kill to be a flamer. Its similar to tank heavy lists that chuckle when they seen quad flamer command squads and know that it isn't going to do squat to them.
ReplyDeleteDon't beat yourself too much over how quick the game resolved. Elite armies tend to have the problem in that they either win big, or lose big. With so few models on the board, they don't tend to roll enough dice for averages to start appearing, so they appear to be very "swingy".
ReplyDeleteAs an example from your play: you rolling a higher than average number of 6's into his terminators is not statistically "normal", but you having a "lucky round", was able to decimate a large portion of his army. Combine that with his Deep Strike mishap. Which happens.
Deep Strike, is also a risk/reward decision. You are able to have free movement on the board, at the risk (though minor now-a-days) of something bad happening to the model. The risk just didn't play out for your opponent this game. He doesn't have to place his troops in Deep Strike. They can deploy as per normal like every other troop choice.
Long way of saying: don't feel bad. You decimating your opponent was just his bad luck, and him playing too risky. Doesn't mean you shouldn't give him a re-match, though. ;)