Assault the landing pad... Eldar/Dark eldar vs Imperial guard 1500

For the third game in a row i have a big guns never tire game with vanguard strike deployment. I assure you we do roll to randomly determine this, I’m not just making it up. In this game of it i am against imperial guard 1500 points as normal. He decided he was going to give me an ass whooping so brought what he described as a tournament list. So game on...

The Armies

Nothing different here from me, i am just using my current army list so see what it can and can’t deal with.

Eldar 1500 ‘wraithstar v2.1’

Imperial guard 1500

Company command squad  (warlord: conqueror of cities)

Master of ordinance, vox caster

Veterans

3 x plasma guns

Chimera 

Multi laser, heavy flamer

Veterans

3 x plasma guns

Chimera 

Multi laser, heavy flamer

Platoon command squad 

Platoon infantry squad

Missile launcher, vox caster

Platoon infantry squad 

Missile laucher

5 Storm troopers

2 x melta guns

5 Storm troopers

2 x meta guns

Hell hound

Hull heavy flamer

Hell hound

Hull heavy flamer

Leman russ battle tank

Leman russ exterminator

Lascannon

Skyshield landing pad

Well what i didn’t expect was the landing pad, that little piece of kit could be problematic. If i can take out the hell hounds and russ’s i should be ok. The guard while numerous shouldn’t be too much of a problem. We shall see.

The Mission

The battlefield

So as above, the mission is big guns never tire with vanguard strike deployment. He won the roll for sides and we then deployed the terrain as per the rule book (roll for each 2x2 section). He made a kill  zone out side his landing pad and i just had as much to hide behind as possible. He chose for me to set up first. I set up the wraithguard up front backed up the scatter walkers. The venoms and revager went on my left to stay hidden. The guardians held an objective in my deployment zone behind a barricade. I put my warp spiders into reserve to deep strike in and the other war walkers out flanked.

Eldar deployment

He countered this by (as expected) putting his platoon squads (now combined) onto the landing pad to get the 4+ invulnerable. What i didn’t expect was he also put the battle tank up there as well, giving that a 4++. Then on each side a hell hound and chimera was placed. The exterminator went in the centre and the storm troopers went into reserve, arriving by deep strike.

Imperial guard deployment

Night Fight: No

Steal the initiative: No

The Battle

Eldar turn 1

Well the first thing that strikes me is the battle tanks seem to be the biggest threat at the moment so i need to do something about them. Failing that the hell hounds could be problematic for me. With this in mind i cast fortune on the wraithguard and guide on the war walkers. The wraithguard move straight up the middle, towards the exterminator, followed by the war walkers. I use the ravager and venoms to start a flank attack up the left side of the table trying to hide behind what cover they can.

Shooting phase starts with ravager shooting at the hell hound on the left, getting two penetrating hits but only immobilise and destroy the hull heavy flamer, i would have liked it to explode but such is life. The war walkers shoot at the chimera on left and manage to glance it to death, wrecking it. To finish off the phase the wraithguard run and the venoms boost to get in a better position.

Imperial guard turn 1

The executioner moves away from the wraithguard while the veterans now out of the chimera, move out from behind the wreckage. Pushing down the right flank, a hell hound and chimera threaten to over run my guardians and objective.

Shouting orders, the company command squad tells the infantry platoon to ‘Bring it down’ while pointing at the ravager. The two missile launchers scream out and get a single penetrating hit, stunning the skimmer. The master of ordinance calls down an air strike on the war walkers but it scatters onto the wraithguard, killing a single model. The russ battle tank targets the wraithguard, locks on but fails to kill a single model. I admit the next part was a mistake on my part, the damaged hell hound places its temple down and it can clip BOTH venoms, i should have spaced them better. One explodes killing 2 of the guys inside. The other venom is glanced. (looking back now i forgot the flicker field save... might have helped). The hell hound on the right is just as affective and kills 2 guardians, and the chimera kills a further 1. To finish off the turn the executioner shoots at the war walkers, but only stuns 1. Not a bad first turn of shooting for me.

Eldar turn 2

Again i fortune the wraithguard and guide the war walkers. The warp spiders come in from reserve, i place them behind the hell hound but they scatter into it and can’t be placed, i roll on the mishap table and they go back into reserve. Out flanking the war walkers arrive on the left hand side. The wraithguard carry on their advance while the venom gets to a position to allow the warriors to shoot at the hell hound.

Shooting and the wraithguard run again. For a laugh i use the ravager to shoot at the hell hound first because he can only snap shoot, he hits, and takes explodes the tank... that was surprising. As i expected the guardians to die they shot at the hell hound in front of them and get lucky enough to glance it once, reducing it to 2 hull points. I though the war walkers had a shot to take out his warlord, they shot at the command squad and get a lot of hits, but thanks to the skyshield’s 4+ invulnerable save i only kill 3 of the command squad. As it doesn’t have much to target the last venom moves to get out of sight as much as possible.

Imperial guard turn 2

Reserve rolls to begin with, and both storm trooper squads are in. The first deep strikes next to the ravager and locks on, the other next to the war walkers and also locks on. Not what you want to see. Moving to get a line of sight to the dark eldar, the executioner moves towards the venoms behind the wrecked chimera. On the right the hell hound and chimera carry on towards the guardians.

First rank fire! Second rank fire! Is ordered to the platoon to take down the wraithguard, but after the torrent of shots, only a single wraithguard falls. The master of ordinance targets the wraithguard but the shot scatters again and hits a war walker, shaking it. Forming rank, the veterans on foot shoot at the wraithguard and manage to bring down 2 of the wraithguard with a combination of las and plasma fire. Taking aim, the executioner targets the lone venom, making it explode, killing 2 of the warriors out side it (they run), and 4! Of the warriors onboard. The lone survivor is pinned. Storm troopers up next, and the elite of the guard next to the ravager make the skimmer explode under the pressure of melta fire. The other squad manage to wreck two of the walkers as well.  Again a wave of fire rains over the guardians killing 6, leaving a lone guardian alive. And to finish the shooting phase the vets in the chimera shoot at the wraithguard, bringing a single construct down.

Eldar turn 3

I roll again for the warp spiders and they fail to come in. I cast both fortune and guide on the wraithguard as the farseer can’t target any one else.  The shuriken walkers turn to face the storm troopers that destroyed the ravager while the lone walker faces his aggressors. The warriors carry on fleeing. I move the wraithguard towards the executioner.

Shooting phase starts with the shuriken walkers killing 3 of the storm troopers. The other war walker kills 2 of the storm troopers and they flee from the vehicle. I was going to target the executioner with the wraithguard but then decided against it.

Combat phase, and the wraithguard charge into the veterans in front of the executioner as i decided it was best to kill them before the tank (they had more plasma shots) and if i am lucky and don’t kill them i can’t be shot at for a turn. But i kill 8 of the vets and they run, getting cut down. The lone war walkers declares a charge on the running storm troopers who rally, but i then fail to reach them. Damn.

Imperial guard turn 3

The executioner moves into the creator left by the hell hound while both storm trooper squads go after their respective war walker squads. The hell hound and chimera go after the lone guardian.

Again ordering 1^st rank 2^nd rank on the platoon, the platoon bring down another wraithguard. The russ battle tank targets the wraithguard with its battle cannon and locks on, but i get confident and pick up a single die, roll the barons save, fail, re-roll, fail. Damn, the baron is instantly killed by the shot. The other models live though. The storm troopers on the left wreck a single shuriken walker and others stun the other. The hell hound throws its flame and takes the last hull point off the lone scatter walker. With no Baron the executioner targets the wraithguard and 2 die as their cover save is only 5+.

Eldar turn 4

Reserves come in automatically so i place the spiders by the chimera closing in on my objective. I fortune and guide the wraithguard, the running warriors keep on running. I move the wraithguard and warriors within range of the executioner and the war walker towards the storm troopers.

Finally appearing out of the warp, the spiders unleash a torrent of shots on the chimera, wrecking it (i wish it exploded). As there isn’t enough room to get out the veterans have to emergency disembarked loosing 1 to dangerous terrain.  The warriors shoot at exterminator and it explodes, but the explosion is so small it doesn’t reach anything. To finish of the shooting phase the war walker kills the storm troopers on the left, leaving one squad alive.

Trying to escape from the torrent of shots that was about to come their way the warp spiders do a second jump towards the table edge.

Imperial guard turn 4   

The platoon command on the skyshield drop down a level, preventing anyone contesting the objective below it. The veterans go after the guardians while the remaining storm troopers move towards the middle of the table after the wraithguard.

Again the infantry platoon gets ordered to shoot at the wraithguard, and the last two wraithguard fall, only the farseer and warlock remain. The master of ordinance targets the warriors and it scatters 3 inches... they are hit and only 1 survives. He runs for his life. The storm troopers about face, and gun down one of the running warriors. The battle tank targets the warp spiders, locks on, and they go to ground losing 5 of the 6. The veterans then kill off the last guardian.

Eldar turn 5

I fortune and guide the farseer and warlock, trying to keep at least 1 troops choice alive next to an objective. They then move to the objective by the hell hound/exterminator ruins.

Shooting comes in the form of the war walker killing the last two storm troopers.  

Imperial guard turn 5

The platoon jumps down following its command, and the storm troopers chase after the farseer.

The master of ordinance tries to take out the last war walker but the shot scatters wide. The veterans kill off the last warp spider with plasma shots. The russ targets the farseer but it scatters and kills the storm troopers. The blob squad then runs but it just out of controlling range of the centre objective.

We roll to see if the game carries on...

Eldar turn 6

The farseer again fortunes him and his mate and the war walker kill 3 of the guardsmen in the blob squad.

Imperial guard turn 6

The hell hound goes after the farseer while the blog grabs the centre objective. The veterans steal my objective.

Snap firing the missile launchers, the blog squad manages to blows up the war walker. The hell hound flames the warlock and farseer killing the warlock. To finish the vets kill the last running warrior.

So i have two models left.  And it goes onto turn 7

Eldar turn 7

Nothing happens

Imperial guard turn 7

A lot of shots are fired but the farseer lives.

End of game

Imperial guard: 13 (3 objectives, 3 heavy support, line breaker) – Eldar: 2 (first blood, 1 heavy support)

Post-Game

Well that was an interesting game. A solid loss for me and i almost got tabled to add insult to injury! Now that i am looking back at the game i know i made a few mistakes, a fair few, but if i replayed the game i'm not 100% sure what i would do differently. Anyway lets go over my mistakes and see if i can figure out what i would change.

• Wraithguard: I walked them right into the jaws of hell and they died, unsurprisingly  While they can take a lot of damage a full armys worth of shooting is still too much for them to handle. Keep them out of some shooting arcs. 
• Target Priority: I was so preoccupied by the leman russ exterminator that i let it blind me from the other targets. I should have taken out the hell hounds and chimeras to begin with. by taking those out i could have kept my objective and stood a chance of winning. 
• Venoms: I spaced them to close to each other and that cost me. I should have let him damage one, not have a shot at two. I need to get better at that.
• Warp spiders: I mad a mistake with there second jump when they arrived. I should have tried to get closer to the skyshield to reduce incoming shots at they wouldn't have been able to see them. That way they could have attacked the russ after wards as well. 

Over all i think i play was poor and need to up my game to take on guard armies like that. Maybe i should have stayed back and skirted around the edge until he lost the big threats. I just don't know. What would you guys have done and how could i have played it differently?