Played a really great game of epic the other night against Norto’s Black Legion. I was playtesting the new Dark Eldar 2017 v1.0.
The game swung back and forth and made for a close and enjoyable game. The Dark Eldar proved to be quick, but fickle; strong, but not tough. In the end the game went to Norto in the third turn with a 2-0 win (Blitz, and Take and Hold), 1500-835.

The lists:

Dark Eldar 2017
KABAL COTERIE [350]
4 Incubi, 1 Archon character, 2 Incubi, 3 Raider

KABAL SYNDICATE [275]
6 Warriors, 2 Raider, 2 Venoms, Dracon

KABAL SYNDICATE [200]
6 Warriors, 3 Raider

WEBWAY PORTAL [50]

PORTABLE WEBWAY PORTAL [50]

TALOS [425]
4 Talos, 4 Talos

SCOURGES [250]
6 Scourges

HEAVY BARGE [250]
1 Vessel of Pain

HEAVY BARGE [250]
1 Vessel of Pain

HEAVY BARGE [250]
1 Vessel of Pain

RAZORWING FIGHTERS [200]
2 Razorwings

RAZORWING FIGHTERS [200]
2 Razorwings

TORTURE CLASS CRUISER [250]

In this playtest list I wanted to test the talos as a BTS and as an Aslt unit to make sure they are costed appropriately and the addition of being able to include eight in one unit is not too OP. The rest of the list is fairly standard DE. 3 VoPs are generally standard in my lists so that is a clear element of my conscious bias. I also have a bias for 3s…

Norto’s Black Legion
RETINUE [425]
8 Chaos Space Marines, Daemonic Pact, Obliterator, (Tzeentch), Chaos Warlord (Supreme Commander)

RETINUE [585]
8 Chaos Space Marines, Chaos Lord, 4 Cult Marines, 12 Dreadclaw Drop Pod, Daemonic Pact, Chaos Champion, Icon Bearer, (Tzeentch)

HELL BLADES [200]
3 Hell Blade Fighters, (Tzeentch)

HELL TALONS [225]
2 Hell Talon Bombers, (Tzeentch)

DEVASTATION CLASS CRUISER [150]
(Tzeentch)

RETINUE [340]
8 Chaos Space Marines, Chaos Lord, 4 Rhino, Daemonic Pact, (Tzeentch)

CHOSEN [170]
4 Chaos Space Marine Scouts, Daemonic Pact, 2 Rhino, (Tzeentch)

CHAOS TERMINATORS [410]
(Chaos Undivided), Chaos Lord, 5 Chaos Terminator, Daemonic Pact, Chaos Champion

DAEMON POOL [125]
(Chaos Undivided), 5 Lesser Daemon, Greater Daemon

CHOSEN [170]
4 Chaos Space Marine Scouts, (Chaos Undivided), 4 Dreadclaw Drop Pod, Daemonic Pact

ARMOURED COMPANY [200]
(Chaos Undivided), 4 Chaos Predator

Norto’s list is a work in progress but certainly improvement from the last playtest game we did. It has some good hard hitting units and enough mobility and tactical flexibility to simultaneously threaten multiple units and multiple objs. The game may have been his earlier, if he had managed to activate his spacecraft on turn 2 as planned…



The Game.
Rolling for strategy ended up with 3 re-rolls because we tied each time, Norto ended up winning strategy on a roll of 2. We picked sides and began deployment.
I wanted to stretch out my objs with the intent on securing one and the blitz.
Notro put his objectives in whatever scrappy terrain he could find to influence my portal placement… It worked and I setup my webway portal on my blitz.

We plotted Bombardments and drops. I assessed that norto would seek to deploy heavy on my left and make use of the urban terrain to provide cover and concealment for his large inf formations.
Norto placed his drops near the centre of the board to threaten all three objs if required and on the blitz.

Deployment. I deployed Heavy on the left to make use of the available cover for pop up attacks.
Norto deployed his large inf formation with SC on garrison. Near the urban terrain on the left flank, supported by retinue in rhinos with the preds off to the right flank.

Turn 1.
Dark Eldar won priority and activated the space ship dropping the templates right on top of the Retinue with SC and the Retinue with Rhinos, killing 4 marines from the Retinue with SC- breaking the formation and 1 marine in the Retinue with Rhinos, putting 2 bms on the marines in rhinos.
Dark Eldar retain and place razorwings on CAP.

Black Legion place Hellblades on CAP.
Black Legion retain to place Retinue in Rhinos on Overwatch, with the assistance of the broken SUPCOMD.
Dark Eldar double the warriors to the left flank to support any future combats and threaten the flank of the Retinue in Rhinos.
Black Legion March Chosen from cover to cover in the centre.
Dark Eldar double a VoP and shoots the Retinue in Rhinos, killing 2 rhinos and missing wth AP shots. And adding another 3 BMs. 5 in total.
Black Legion place Hell Talons on CAP.
Dark Eldar FAIL to place 2nd Razor wings on CAP.
Black Legion Marches preds forward to behind cover.
Dark Eldar march Kabal Coterie out of the webway to behind the ruins on the left flank. Incubi stay inside raiders for increased aslt threat range.
With the black Legion now out of activations… Dark Eldar FAILS to double with VoP on left, so clears BM. It was going to shoot at the Retinue in Rhinos again.
Dark Eldar Double and shoot with the VoP on the right and set up right next to the preds. But only manages to kill 1 and place 2 BMS.
Black Legion rallies everything (like a BOSS!).


Turn 2.

Teleports are placed, with Dark Eldar placing the scourges down first behind the archons Kabal Coterie formation.
Black Legion teleporting the Terminators right in front of the Kabal Coterie. Both Teleporting formations get 2 BMs.

Dark Eldar WIN PRIORITY! Luckiiiiiiie.
So many options for the Dark Eldar, but also a huge threat from the terminators and the space craft coming on this turn.

Intending to take the bull by the horns the Kabal Coterie engage the terminators before they can summon Matt Damon. VoP is in spt fire range.
In the end both formations wipe each other out before spting fire. With the Cabal Coterie scoring 4 normal and 6 Macro hits. And the Terminators scoring something like 5 normal and 5 Macros.

With the termies gone and the Archon smeared, the Dark Eldar retain with the VOP on the right and move and shoot at the preds. Killing 2 and breaking the formation.

Black Legion launch an engagement against the warrior on the left, Summoning 2 Matt “Flamer” Damons in the process. Dark Eldar REPRESENTS by sending the Raiders forward. In the aslt 2 flamers and 1 warrior dies. But with BMs and outnumbering, DE win the Aslt by 3. Leaving just the SC remaining in the obliterators and a solitary marine.
Norto Retains with the spacecraft… and uses SC re-roll… but still fails to activate the spacecraft (very un-BOSS like).
Dark Eldar fails to double VoP at the rear so it moves.
Black Legion Chosen March forward.
VoP on the left moves and shoots and kills the SUPCOMD and the remaining marine.
Black Legion fails to keep the Retinue in rhinos on Overwatch and there is a load moan from the warp. Turns out these guys are the homer simpsons of chaos worshipers. Retinue regroups and clears BMS.
Dark Eldar place Razors on CAP
Black legion place HellTalons on CAP.
Dark Eldar March the warriors on the left to threaten the blitz.
Scourges double and shoot at the chosen in the centre and place a BM.
The Warriors with the portable webway portal move out of the webway and setup in a nice hidden secluded spot ready to pounce next turn. They take a pot shot at the broken pred, killing it through BMs.
Black Legion Clears BMS.
Dark Eldar Clears BMS except for Scourges who keep their two.

Dark Eldar are in a reasonable position here. It will just come down to the drop and how quickly they can respond.


Turn 3
Eldar Win priority.
VoP moves and shoots Retinue in Rhinos. Killing 1 marine and 2 BMs. Then moves away to secure the left obj.
Chosen doubles and shoots and the well hidden warriors in their transpots... killing both raiders and all the inf inside… along with the portable webway… Breaking the talos delivery formation.
Dark Eldar Fail to CAP Razors.
Black Legion Activates the space craft, with pinpoints missing the VoP on right, but causing a BM and no damage from the template. Large retinue lands on the Dark Eldar Blitz and more Chosen land in the centre of the table.


Black Legion retains and Summons 5 Matt “Flamer” Damons and 1 Ben “Greater Actor” Afleck on the large retinue on the Blitz and goes on Overwatch.
Scourges Move and shoot at the large retinue on overwatch and set up for spt fire. 2 Scourges die to overwatch fire and break.
Chosen March to secure the right flank obj.
VoP on left doubles and shoots at the Retinue on the Blitz. Killing one Matt Damon and a marine. And adding 2 bms.

Black Legion March retinue in rhinos to secure the blitz.
VoP on the right fails to activate and clears bm as it is to far away to do anything.
Warriors engage the retinue in rhinos on the blitz in a clipping aslt. Chaos marines are up by one going into the combat res phase… and we both rolled 6s, meaning nortos retinue wins and I fail to secure the blitz.
With nothing left to do but unleash the talos the Talos exit the webway on the blitz and are intent on eating all the chaos marines on the DE blitz. Both the retinue and the talos do 5 casualties each But chaos win combat by a margin thanks to inspiring, outnumbering and ablative wounds from the Matt Damons.

And that’s a wrap nothing on the DE side rallied…. Leaving the game in Nortos hands at 2-0 Blitz and Take and Hold. 1500-835 to Black Legion.




The DE narrowly missed scoring the same objs and only came down to a few dice rolls.
Im really liking where this list is heading. This build it is about right for balance and maybe even a little weak. Im considering changing the Scourges stats back to the NetEA stats to better suit their role in the army.
I need to try out a few more builds. Like the Double Executioner Build and the Double Tormentor Build.
Cheers,
Jim

And the final shot.

That norto guy is for sure the best looking guy youve played. That includes Mic

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I have 4 laptops in this room and cannot play a pixel pushing tabletop simulator on any of them.

I noticed you did not have any reavers or ravagers. I find these 2 units very powerful in the army list. Although Ravagers are a LV and only have a 4+ save, their weapons load out is nasty - a glass hammer. They are also a core formation. As to Reavers, they are really, really good. I usually take 2, sometimes I relent and take 1, but they have a great move, a 4+ save, great in CC and good in FF. They can assist in an egangement after moving 120cm, and can rush up the same distance to grab an objective the enemy can not get to in time.

Here are a couple lists I am planning to test myself. They tend to take decent ground ranged units like the Vessel of Pain and/ or the Titan, and also take the razorwings. I love taking talos, and sometimes wyches. I found that the Barges of Pleasure are a good transport for the infantry, and can be used to screen the raiders and venoms.

50 Points – Portable Wraithgate
800 Points
350 Points – Coterie – Archon, 6 Incubi, 3 raiders
225 Points – Flotilla – 4 Ravagers
225 Points – Flotilla – 4 Ravagers
1250 Points
250 Points – Reavers – Succubus, 6 Reavers
250 Points – Reavers – Succubus, 6 Reavers
225 Points – Talos – 4 Talos
250 Points – Heavy Barge – 1 Vessel of Pain
250 Points – Heavy Barge – 1 Vessel of Pain
900 points
500 Points – Titan – 1 Tormentor Titan
200 Points – Razorwings – 2 Razorwings
200 Points – Razorwings – 2 Razorwings


50 points
50 Points – Portable Wraithgate
1125 Points
425 Points – Coterie – Archon, 6 Incubi, 1 Barge of Pleasure, 1 raider
375 Points – Flotilla – 6 Ravagers, Dracon
325 Points – Flotilla – 5 Ravagers, Dracon
1125 Points
250 Points – Reavers – Succubus, 6 Reavers
225 Points – Talos – 4 Talos
250 Points – Heavy Barge – 1 Vessel of Pain
400 points – Wyches – Succubus, 6 Wyches, 2 Barges of Pleasure, 3 raiders
700 points
500 Points – Titan – 1 Tormentor Titan [BTS]
200 Points – Razorwings – 2 Razorwings


50 points
50 points – Portable Wraithgate
1200 points
550 points – Coterie – Archon, 4 Incubi, 3 Barge of Pleasure, 2 raiders [BTS]
325 points – Flotilla – Dracon, 5 Ravagers
325 points – Flotilla – Dracon, 5 Ravagers
1050 points
250 points – Reavers – Succubus, 6 Reavers
250 points – Heavy Barge – 1 Vessel of Pain
275 points – Talos – 5 Talos
275 points – Wyches – Succubus, 6 Wyches, 2 raiders, 2 Venoms
700 points
500 Points – Titan – 1 Tormentor Titan
200 Points – Razorwings – 2 Razorwings


50 Points
50 – Portable Wraithgate
925 Points
575 – Coterie – Archon, 6 Incubi Units, 2 raiders, 2 Venoms, 2 Barges of Pleasure [BTS]
325 – Flotilla – Dracon, 5 Ravagers
1050 Points
250 – Reavers – Sucubus, 6 Reaver Units
250 – Reavers – Sucubus, 6 Reaver Units
275 – Wyches – Sucubus , 6 Wych Units, 2 raider, 2 Venoms
275 – Talos - 5 Talos
1000 points
500 – Tormentor Titan – 1 Tormentor Titan
500 – Tormentor Titan – 1 Tormentor Titan


There are many variances in the lists, as I wanted to test different units, some of which soak up the points so reduce activation count. I think the 3rd list down would be the best.

Good report by the way. The bane of Eldar is Indirect artillery. and other armies that have fast skimmers, with elite assault units, and lots of MW or TK weapons. They also hate fighting fearless armies.

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6mm wargaming is just like 25mm wargaming with more units fitting on the same size table. Thus bigger games to get lost in and avoid the hassles of everyday living, and offerings for the dice gods.

Thanks for the report...

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Regards
Greg

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Not against change, so long as it done fairly and no one is left behind....

I'm human and not a !@#$%^# Robot..

Thanks for the report, a good read and a good test.

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www.epic-uk.co.uk - home of the UK Epic tournament scene
NetEA NetERC Xenos Lists Chair
NetEA Ork + Feral Ork + Speed Freak Champion

Norto the destroyer of worlds!
Nice report Jimbo!

Mic