"Appropriate quote."

Edwin Voskamp's WH40K Battlereport 4: Eldar vs. Space Marines (2500 points)

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Introduction

The comm-jewel chimed in his ear. Brother-Captain Iscariot called the march to a halt. He waited with his troops in cover. He listened to the report of his scouts, "Brother-Captain, we have discovered a large Eldar blocking force. We need to break through it to reach the supply areas."

He activated his throat mike and spoke to the assembled troops, "Battle brothers, this is the moment we have awaited. The Eldar have a force that must be destroyed before we reach our target. We will not have a routine mission today, but a chance to cover ourselves in glory for the Emperor. Chaplain Michael, take the assault squad and bring it around to the right flank to cover the advance. Terminator squad Genesis, your responsibility is to secure the left flank. Squad nine, break to fighting squads. The heavy weapons stay with the Thudd guns in the rear, the others will advance with me and brother-Librarian Peter behind the predators. Bike squad, sweep past the right flank, fire at all targets of opportunity. Be on the lookout for Dark Reapers and Wraithguard".

"We are the mailed fist of the Emperor. We will not fail."

* * *

Eldrad looked at the troops assembled before him, they were pitifully few, only a small number remained of the proud Host that had left Ulthwé long ago, to take the fight to the Forces of Chaos. This was not their fight, but if the humans chose to attack them, they would make it their fight. And, as always, any fight that Ulthwé's 'Fire Warhost of Eternal Night' chose to make theirs, they owned.

He straightened and spoke softly: "The humans will attempt to break through our lines to sow death and destruction behind our lines. The remainder of our Host is off to do their part to stave off Rhana Dandra, but we, who are few, will fight the Good Fight. Forgive these humans, for they do not know what they do. They do not understand the insidious ways of Chaos, the ways in which these brave Space Marines are being used to weaken those that stand against the Forces of Evil. And since they are indoctrinated they will not listen, therefore we have no choice but to fight: We will form like the Eagle: a strong center with two dangerous wings. A Dreadnought, a Dark Reaper squad and the Aspects of the hand-to-hand combat form the wings: Howling Banshees on the right, Striking Scorptions on the left. I will form the body with the Wraithguard. The Dire Avengers, Fire Dragons and Warp Spiders can engage at will".

"May Kaela Mensha Kaine be with us"

House Rules

In addition to our current House Rules, we used these additional rules:

1. Hand-to-Hand combat is to the death. When engaged in hand-to-hand, we keep going through combat turns until the combat is resolved, within a single turn of play.
2. When out of 'Nullify' cards, psykers can still nullify on a 5+. This roll is subject to the difference-in-level modifiers and can be rerolled if the psyker has a Psychic Hood.

The Armies

Space Marine Army

A mobile attack force from the 4th company, Death Angels chapter.

Characters

Captain Iscariot

Epistolary Peter

Chaplain Michael

Techmarine

Squads

Terminator Squad Genesis

7th Assault Squad

9th Devastator Squad

Support

2 Predators

2 Thudd Guns

Elements of the 8th assault squad:

Land Speeder

Bike Squadron

Eldar Army

Part of the 'Fire Warhost of Eternal Night' (Craftworld of Ulthwé).

2490 points, 39 models: 5 characters, 8 squads (31 models) and 3 support vehicles.

Characters/Squads/Support: 752/1153/585 or 30%/46%/23%.

Characters

Eldrad Ulthran - Farseer or Ulthwé (269)

Fire Dragon Exarch (136)

Howling Banshee Exarch (112)

Striking Scorpion Exarch (99)

Warp Spider Exarch (136)

Squads

Dark Reaper Squad (201)

Dark Reaper Squad (201)

Dire Avenger Squad (88)

Fire Dragon Squad (112)

Howling Banshee Squad (108)

Striking Scorpions (104)

Warp Spider Squad (164)

Wraithguard (175)

Support

Dreadnought (220)

Dreadnought (215)

War Walker (150)

Pre-Battle

Space Marine

Mission

Dawn Raid

Strategy Cards

Crack Shot, Flank March, Malfunction

Psychic Powers

Gate, Hellstorm, Psychic Shield

Plan

Stomp the Eldar flat. Basically, I deployed all of my troops on my right in order to neutralize the Banshees, and because that is where I had the best lanes for my tanks to advance. I planned on keeping the terminators to secure my left while the tanks advanced up the center. To the right the land speeder and bike squadron would sweep forward and raise Hell. The Thudd guns would keep the Dark Reapers moving with speculative fire, or kill them. The captain, librarian and 5 tactical troops would go where needed, and mostly act as a screen for the heavy weapons, if any of the Eldar got that far.

Hopefully, I could use my tanks and support weapons to cause trouble in the center, then use the bikes to roll the flank. I was worried about the Farseer (with those nasty psychic powers) with Wraithguard that is the usual centerpiece of this Eldar army, but life is never easy.

As my coup de grace, I got the Flank March strategy squad, which I would use to bring in the assault squad. I would have to see which flank looked more useful when they came in. Since we had not discussed armies beforehand, this would be quite a surprise to the Eldar.

Eldar

Mission

Guerilla War

Strategy Cards

Ambush, Barrage, Divine Inspiration, Reinforcement (1 extra for Eldrad Ulthran)

Psychic Powers

Guide, Mindwar, Fortune, Destructor

Plan

The plan was to deny the Space Marines their Dawn Raid mission, while destroying their army, to score points for destroyed vehicles and squads.

As is my wont, I'd destroy the opposition's heavy weapons first. This would be the first time I'd face Predators, Thudd guns and Devastators. It was also the first time we were using soft cover, in the form of extensive woods.

Contrary to my usual setup, I spread out across a longer front, to be able to set up all troops in cover, in case the Space Marines would move first. I decided to set up with a strong center, two heavy weapons to cover the flanks, and use the woods to run up my Striking Scorpions and Howling Banshees in hand-to-hand. The Warp Spiders would move up into the woods, to do their usual hit-and-run against regular troopers and the bike squad and land speeder.

The Center: I had drawn Mind War and Guide for Eldrad, so I decided to build my center piece around the Wraithguard, surrounding Eldrad. As always, I stuck Eldrad in the deepest corner off the ruins of a building, in full cover.

The Right: I used the Ambush Strategy Card to set the Howling Banshees up in the woods on the right, ready to Charge out at the enemy. To support that flank, I added a Dreadnought behind the woods, to deny the Space Marines that flank. In case the bike squad and Land Speeder would use the far edge of the table on that flank, I set up a Dark Reaper squad on a hill to the right of my center.

The Left: I set up the other Dreadnought on the left, just off of the firing lane to the opposite deployment zone. I placed the Striking Scorpions in the ruins of a building, within easy running distance of the beginning of the woods, which would give them cover all the way to the other deployment zone.

Various: I deployed the Dire Avengers and Fire Dragons left off of the center, ready to go out to take to the ruins of a building and the woods below, as an interdiction force.

The Battle

Movement

The Eldar won the roll to go first.

Turn 1

Eldar

Movement

Barrage on Devastators: Scatters away

HB run to center hill

R. Dread runs toward center

SS advance to woods

Fire

Dread at L. Predator Plasma: Malfunctions

WW scatter laser at Terminators: 1 hit, 1 wound, saved

Lascannon at R. predator: misses

Left DR at L. Predator: 1 hit, no penetration.

Right DR at 1 shot at L. Predator: Track blown off, moves out of control

2 at bike squad: both miss

Hand-to-hand

NONE

Psychic Phase

Guide on DR: destroyed right sponson or left predator

Hellfire: Nullified

Space Marines

Movement

L predator smashes into tree.

R. predator moves forward, turns to face WW

Terminators run up center hill

Bike squad goes up left flank, slow speed

Fire

Devastators at L. Dread: Plasma: hits leg, move 1d3"

Missile launcher: hit, no penetration

Lascannon: hit, no penetration

Heavy bolter: Crack Shot, hit no penertation

R. Predator: autocannon at fire dragons: hit, 2 on SF die, 2 wound, 1 dead

2 lascannon at WW: explodes

L. Predator: Overwatch

Thudd guns prepare to speculative fire on DR positions (incorrect as they are a battery).

Hand-to-hand

None

Psychic Phase

Hellfire: Nullified

Guide on Wraithguard: jams R. Predators turret.

Psychic shield

Fortune: nullified

Shield nullified

Turn 2

Eldar

Movement

L. Predator lascannon at Dread: hit no penetration

WS jump forward, hit by L. Predator autocannon, 2 on SF die, 2 wound, 2 dead

Fire

FD exarch at R. predator: hit no penetration

R. Dread at Servitor, plama gun, full power, vaporizes (Edwin thought the Servitors were like Wraithguard, hence the overkill).

WS hit heavy weapons section: kill plasma gunner and sergeant.

Hand-to-hand

None

Psychic Phase

Fortune: nullified

Hellfire: nullified

Guide: nullified

Mind War: Servitor out of range.

Space Marines

Movement

Assault squad enters on Flank March, charges SS in woods.

Both predators go to OW

Fire

Thudd Gun: hit, 3 DR, 2 WG. 1 DR dies, 1 WG knocked down.

Landspeeder at L. Dread: Multimelta to head, destroyed.

Heavy weapons section at WS

Hvy. Bolter misses

Lascannon kills exarch

Term w/assault cannon at FD, jam on 1 SF die.

Term w/SB at HB, jam

captain and 2 troops Rapid fire at WS: 5 hits, 4 wounds, 1 dead

Hand-to-hand

Chaplain and troop against exarch: troop dies from mandiblaster, chaplain dies in HTH.

Psychic Phase

Hellfire: Nullify

Guide: Nullify

Mind War: Nullify

Victory points

Eldar: 3

Space Marines: 13

Turn 3

Eldar

Movement

L. predator: lascannon kills WS

R predator: autocannon jams

lascannon misses

lancannon kills DR

DA: OW

L. DR: OW

R. DR: OW

HB: OW

FD advance

WG advance

Fire

Dread at terminators: Shuricat, 1 hit, 2 on SF die, 1 wound, saved

FD at terminators: 1 hit, kills assault cannon terminator.

FD exarch misses

WG at predator: 2 hits, both cause hull explosion, all crew die.

Hand-to-hand

SS kill 3 SM, fail break test, shaken

Psychic Phase

Psychic shield on librarian

Space Marines

Movement

Land Speeder hit by OW DR, moves out of control to left.

R. DR fire at terminator sergeant, 1 hit, 0 wounds.

DA fire at attack bike, hit twice, 4 on SF dice, 2 hits to multi-melta crew, two wounds, saved both.

Bikes advance.

Fire

Captain, Librarian and troop RF at SS exarch, 6 hits, 5 wounds, all saved.

Terminator sgt Rapid fires at FD, 1 term fires at FD. 3 hits, 1 jam, 5 shots, 1 dead FD.

Attack bike at DA: multi melta kills 2, SB jams.

bikes at DA: 3 hits, 1 jam, 1 DA dead.

Hand-to-hand

3 SM die in HTH, 1 SS dies.

Psychic Phase

The Eldar were preparing something nasty, so the Space Marines dropped an Energy Drain before anything else happened to save them the trouble or trying to figure out how best to decimate them.

Victory points

Eldar: 8

Space Marines: 16

Turn 4

Eldar

SM Player forgot Assault Sergeant: put in against SS Ex and SS Ex dropped Charge modifier.

Movement

Eldar play Reinforcements: a Dread arrives.

SS charge Assault squad.

SS Ex breaks off.

HB hide back in the forest.

L Predator fires Autocannon in overwatch at Dread: 2 hits on SFD: no penetration.

Fire

DR on Overwatch

DR Squad on Overwatch

Dread Full Power Plasma at Terminators

Misses, grazing edge catches sergeant, no wound

Dread Shuriken Catapult at Terminators

3 hits, 1 wound, saved

Reinforcement Dread Plasma Full Power at Bike Squad

Vaporizes attack bike

Reinforcement Dread Shuriken Catapult at Bike Squad

Cannot fire through Plasma ball.

DA at Devastator Squad

1: misses

FD at Terminators

2 hits, 1 wound, saved.

Wraithguard at Bike Squad

Out of range

Hand-to-hand

SS missed Mandiblaster, double 1's: 6 hits against: missed 2 saves. SS is dead.

Mandiblaster kills.

Mandiblaster kills.

SS Ex kills sergeant.

Psychic Phase

8 cards.

Mind War on biker: nothing.

Ultimate Force Hellfire on SS: kills one

Fortune

Nullified Guide on Wraithguard

SM saves 2 Force Cards

Space Marines

Plasma at Terminators disappeaers

Plasma in front of Bike Squad shrinks 1/2"

Movement

Closest Dark Reaper picks off LandSpeeder pilot.

Dark Reaper squad misses.

Fire

2 Terminators at 2 FD

2 hits, 5 SFD, 4 wounds: 1 dead

Librarian Rapid Fire at SS Ex

2 hits, no wounds

Captain Rapid Fire at SS Ex

2 hits, 2 wounds

2 Regular Troopers Rapid Fire at SS Ex

1 hit, 1 wound

1 hit, no wound

Predator Auto Cannon at Dread

2 hits: leg & head, no penetration

Predator LasCannon at DA

Hits, doesn't wound

Devastator Squad at Dread

Missile launcher misses

Las cannon hits head, doesn't penetrate

Thudd Gun Speculative Fire

Misses, scatter 10" back, no hits

Hand-to-Hand

SS versus Assault trooper, Mandiblaster misses, second round kills SS.

Psychic Phase

Guide nullified

Mindwar kills 1 Devastator Trooper

Victory Points

Eldar Left Alive: 1 Dread, 1 Dread Reinforcement, HB Ex, 4 HB, 5 Wraithguard, 1 FD, 1 DA, 1 DR, 1DR Squad, 1 SS Ex

Space Marines: 20 VP

2 War Walker destroyed

3 Dread destroyed

2 SS destroyed

1 FD 50% destroyed

0 DA 50% destroyed

1 DR 50% destroyed

2 FD Exarch

2 WS destroyed

2 WS Ex destroyed

5 Mission

Eldar: 11 VP

2+1 Land Speeder

2+1 Predator

1 Predator damaged

0 Thudd gun squad 50%

2 Assault squad 50%

1 Devastator Squad 50%

1+1 Chaplain

0 Assault Bike

Post Mortem

Space Marines

As far as the plan goes, it worked. 'Nuff said. It was certainly a close thing though. Eldrad's extra strategy card is vicious. Although the battle looked like a blow out, the Eldar missed the bike squad with 3 dark reapers on turn 4. I ended up sacrificing the Land speeder to draw the DR fire and had I not done so, the bike squad would likely have been taken below 50%, for a 7 VP swing.

Looking back, it seems that it would have been better to bring the assault squad in on the flank march from the left, into the Eldar back and on top of some unsuspecting Dark Reapers. After blasting the Dark Reapers to atoms, they could have jumped into Eldrad.

The chaplain needs to be rethought. Although he is cool, he is not armed properly. I will probably need to convert a sword and bolter chaplain to the jump pack. Sawing off the backpack on the other chaplain will be a pain, but worth it in the long run.

A couple of things that I need to think about:

The Captain is not good points. He is only going to face Eldar CC specialists, or fire from Dark Reapers (or Wraithguard). He is good in fighting, but I don't think that it is worth the risk. Seeing Scorpions play dogpile on the Captain would not be fun. And having break tests being forced for all nearby squads would not be good. I need to think of a way to make the points spent on him well spent. The problem is that the Eldar are very good at taking down single characters, regardless of toughness or wounds.

The librarian is too limited. He has an Aegis suit, but the Eldar power of Mindwar can seriously screw him up. Essentially, the characters are forced out to the flanks, because of the powers of the Farseer.

The bikes work wonderfully, especially the attack bike. As does the Landspeeder. I can't say enough good things about them.

The Eldar are underpriced. I took his right wing out of the battle, and still couldn't shut the door. It came down to depending on DRs missing. Not good.

Eldar

It would have been much better to hit what I shot at and to wound what I hit.

Then again, the art of tactics is to minimize the effect of chance on the outcome of the battle.

I made two major mistakes:

I did not set up well. My troops were spread over too wide a front. In the previous three games we played, Chris set up over a wide front. I assumed he would do so again, and set up over a wide front, to allow my hand-to-hand specialists to close with the enemy, and my heavy weapons to shoot at anything that moved. Never make assumptions. Always expect the worst. I should have set up in half of my deployment zone, using the Ambush card to sneak forward the Fire Dragons on overwatch. These troops rarely get anything within range of their move-and-fire weapons. The way I set up, it took my Howling Banshees and one Dreadnought out of most of the battle. I also required one squad of Dark Reapers to fire always against targets in hard cover. The Wraithguard only got to fire at a Predator (one of them, Guided by Eldrad).

I did not keep my mission in mind. Not knowing the Victory Point Tables and point cost of Space Marines well enough, I had no idea about how to get the Victory Points I needed. In the future, with this mission, I have to track these more carefully and plan what to shoot. I was one trooper away from taking a Devastator squad over 50%, one trooper away from totally destroying a full Assault squad. I also destroyed models without scoring any VP for them, like the Thudd gun and Assault bike.

A few things to consider in tuning my army:

The Howling Banshees are useless against a good player.

The Fire Dragons are useless against Space Marines.

The War Walker is useless.

The tactic of keeping a like-Exarch with the Aspect squad at all times works wonders. It makes the squad size for breaking purposes 5 and gives them a Leadership of 10. In the case of the Striking Scorpions, the Exarch withstood the Rapid Fire of 6 bolt guns (over two rounds, four of which were the Captain, with a master-crafter bolt gun, and Librarian, twice), without suffering a single wound.

A few things to consider in fighting Chris' army in the future:

The Thudd Guns need to be taken out early. This time I sacrificed a Warp Spider Squad and Exarch (without real effect) and risked losing a Dreadnought (it only survived because of Chris' bad penetration roll on his lascannon shot).

How to change my army:

Replace the Howling Banshee Squad and Exarch with another Striking Scorpion Squad with Exarch.

Replace the Fire Dragon Squad and Exarch with a Swooping Hawk Squad and Exarch.

Replace the War Walker with a squad of Jet Bikes.

Add a Dire Avenger Exarch, for consistency's sake.

Add Dark Reaper Exarchs, for consistency's sake and for better shooting.

Add Scouts.

Random observations:

I like our house rule of Hand-to-Hand to the death. One of the Hand-to-Hand between a Striking Scorpion and an Assault trooper took 6 rolls to resolve.

I like 2500 points better than 2000 for putting together my army: it just seems to feel more complete and 'right'.

Predators are nasty!

Land Speeders ought to be shot: at Combat Speed they carry that Heavy Flamer and Multi-Melta close at very high rate of closure.