Eldar vs Space wolves 1500: Prize Fight

Out side an Imperial shrine the Eldar ambush the Space wolves in this 1500 point game of Emperors will with Vanguard strike deployment. Two legendary fighters grace the battle field, the Great wolf himself Logan Grimnar and Craftworld Dem-Kirath’s Avatar of Khaine! If those two combatants meant surely stories will be born of the outcome.

The Armies

Eldar 1500

As it’s my second game of 7^th edition I thought I would test out a few of the newer things in the rules, namely Daemoology, not the summoning one, that doesn’t make sense for eldar, but the other one will fly with me.

Avatar – 195 (Warlord: outflank)

Farseer – 100 w/ Banshees

[Hammer hand, purge soul, Vortex of Doom, Banishment]

3 Bikes – 61

Shuriken Cannon

3 Bikes – 61

Shuriken Cannon

10 Dire Avengers – 130

Wave Serpent – 120

Twin-linked Scatter laser

5 Wraithguard – 160

Wave serpent – 120

Twin-linked scatter laser

10 Howling Banshees - 150

7 Warp spiders – 133

Wraithknight – 240

Heavy wraithcannon

Space Wolves 1500

Logan Grimnar

5 Terminators

Assault cannon, pair of lightning claws, Arjac

10 grey hunters

2x plasma gun

10 grey hunters

2x plasma gun

10 Blood Claws

Rhino

3 Bikes

5 Fenrisian wolves

Dreadnaught

Assault cannon

Iron Priest

No heavy weapons, I was very surprised by this, and quite a few bodies on the table. The terminators will be my biggest threat and they will need to be dealt with fast.

The Mission

We rolled to see if we got an eternal war mission or maelstrom of war and it was an old school mission. Rolling again and its Emperors will, so not a very high scoring game, the deployment type is vanguard strike. Rolling for deployment zones the space wolves win and select which deployment zone they want. We then place down our objectives, both hidden behind cover, his behind a graveyard, mine behind.

The Eldar win the roll for deploying and going first, I place both the Avatar and wraith knight right at the front ready to get into combat with the wolves. Behind them go the warp spiders and the dire avenger wave serpent. On the right I place the banshees with the farseer and backing them up behind is the wraithguard wave serpent. I keep both bike units in reserve.

To counter this, the space wolves place the terminators bikes and wolves right in the front line. Holding his objective is a unit of grey hunters and the other unit goes on the far left. On the right go the dreadnaught, iron priest and the blood claws inside their rhino.

Night Fight: No

Steal the initiative: No

The Battle

Eldar turn 1

Trying to get to grips with the marines both the Avatar and wraithknight go as fast as they can straight up the middle. The banshees and warp spiders do the same. Both of the wave serpents are a little more cautious staying at the back ready to counter attack.

Psychic phase and I roll a 6, so 9 dice to play with. The farseer casts purge soul on logan and manages to deal a wound to him, however rolling a double the farseer does perils. Rolling on the perils table I get a 6! So he just becomes a powered up farseer with flesh bane, armour bane and smash. As the banshees might get charged next turn by bikes, I cast hammer hand on the banshees, he attempts to deny but fails.

Shooting phase and both wave serpents just shoot their scatter lasers at the rhino and get a single glancing hit (I really should have used a serpent shield too). Attempting to get first blood the wraithknight shoots the same rhino, and just blows off the storm bolter. The rest of the force runs.

Space Wolves turn 1

On its last legs, the rhino goes straight towards the banshees with the dreadnaught slowly following. On the far left the grey hunters start the long walk up the table. The wolves are released and they go straight for the avatar able to possibly charge this turn. Years of tactical experience tells the Great wolf that holding back for a bit might be the best course of action so they hold ground behind a defence line. The bikes however push forward.

Assault cannon blazing, 3 banshees die to the dreadnaught's shots. The bikes shoot at them as well and kill 1 and manage to wound the farseer! Storm bolter shots and assault cannon shells hit the banshees killing 4 more, but the unit holds its ground.

Assault phase and the bikes charge into the banshees, their hammer of wrath does nothing and 2 get cut down by the strength 5 power weapons before they can strike. The last biker does kill a girl though, and holds. On the left the wolves charge into the Avatar and all get cut down before they can strike. First blood to the Eldar.

Eldar turn 2

In from reserve come a unit of bikes and go into the middle of the table. For some reason I send the wraithknight left to deal with the stranded squad of grey hunters while the Avatar and warp spiders move to deal with the terminators. The wraithguard wave serpent moves up 6 and drops off the wraithguard who are in range of the dreadnaught.

Again I roll high for warp but all I do is cast hammer hand on the banshees.

Trying to make their mark the shurkien cannon from the bikes targets the rhino but fails to do anything. The wave serpent that dropped off the wraithguard then wrecks it forcing out the blood claws. The other serpent then targets the dreadnaught and gets a single penetrating hit with its serpent shield stunning it. With the dread now stunned the wraithguard target the blood claws and manage to kill 1. Shooting from the warp spiders kills a terminator and wounds Arjac. They then run back. A little over kill but the wraithknight evaporates a single grey hunter.

Not slowing the pace the wraithknight charges into the grey hunters and again only kills 1, they retaliate with krack grenades but fail to do anything. The marines hold their ground. In the centre the Avatar charges into the Terminators with a 10 inch charge and issues a challenge to which Logan accepts. The embodiment of a god proves too powerful for the Great wolf who gets cleaved in half! (unfortunately we got the challenge rules wrong, and while it appears the terminators could have attacked we thought it was still like the 6^th edition rules). This turn the Banshees kill the remaining biker and consolidate into the ruins.   

Space wolves turn 2

Hungry for battle the blood claws move towards the banshees while the dread moves away from the wraithguard (we forgot it was stunned).

Like marksmen the blood claws fire their pistols and kill the banshees and kill the farseer! That's rather unexpected for blood claws but well done to them. Some long shots from teh grey hunters not in combat kills 2 warp spiders.

Stepping up this turn Arjac accepts the challenge from the Avatar but also gets killed before being able to do anything thanks (again we get the challenge rules wrong). On the left again the knight kills 1 more marine...

Eldar turn 3

The second unit of bikes comes in from reserve and takes my objective as both wave serpents move to target the blood claws. Hunting vehicles the wraithguard go after the dreadnaught and make it into range. A long warp jump leaves the warp spiders in range of the grey hunters in his back filed ready to strike.

As expected 5 wraith cannons is enough to explode the dreadnaught. Unloading everything they have, both wave serpents target the blood claws killing 7 of them (again unlucky armour saves). Some long distance sniping from the bikes kills 2 more claws leaving 1 guy alive. Shooting from teh spiders kills a single grey hunter then they run back.

Assault phase allows the warp spiders to move back more so hopefully they will avoid getting attacked by the hunters. My wraithknight out does himself this turn and kills 2 marines, they hold. The Avatar this turn dispatches the 3 remaining terminators with little effort.

Space wolves turn 3

It’s getting desperate now for hte wolves so both the iron priest and blood claw move towards the Avatar.

Unloading all they can the grey hunters target the Avatar but he is too tough and takes no damage.

Both the blood claw and iron priest charge the Avatar but it’s in vain as they are both dispatched before they can attack (he splits his attacks between them). The wraithknight goes back to form and fails to kill anyone.

Eldar turn 4

The spiders, middle unit of bikes and Avatar go after the grey hunters holding his objective backed up by the wave serpents.

Combined shooting on the grey hunters is brutal! The warp spiders manage to kill 2, the Avatar gets a another, the bikes somehow kill 2 more and the wave serpents kill 3, leaving only 1 guy remaining.

Not wanting the lone marine to survive the warp spiders charge him but fail to do anything to him, they take no losses though. The wraithknight kills 1 more hunter.  

Space wolves turn 4

With all his units in combat it goes straight to combat, the warp spiders fail again and take a loss but are fearless thanks to the Avatar. The wraithknight again kills 1.

Eldar turn 5

The spiders fail in combat again but take no losses. The wraithknight kills 1 but takes a krack grenade to the face taking a wound himself.

Space wolf turn 5

The final marines are crushed under foot by the wraithknight and the spiders finally get a knife to the marine’s eye socket killing him.

Eldar Victory.

Post-Battle

I tested out a few things that game, the farseer and banshees combo was nice even though it just got shot to bits before it could really do anything. Strength 5 banshees are nothing to sniff at, to I might try that out again for fun. What I was doing with the wraithknight I do not know, I could have ignored the left grey hunters till much later on, and I probably should have allowing him to help clear his objective much sooner.

A few rules mistakes this game, the challenge one was massive as looking back he might have actually killed the Avatar over those rounds of combat catching the rest of my army off guard. I need to be careful with that in future.

The troop heavy wolf list was interesting but not very powerful I feel, he had a lot of points in characters which didn’t really benefit his list, if he had dropped Arjac and Logan for a cheap terminator lord he could probably got a unit of long fangs In there which would have helped his cause a bit more. Still it’s not up to me how people make their force, and my record with wolves is terrible so I probably shouldn’t comment.

Anyway hope you enjoyed the battle report, I better get back to painting for Council of War.