First batrep here and only my 3rd Epic game (long long absence from the game . All of my games have been played on Vassal with GROOV3R, including this one. Please forgive the abbreviations - my left hand's in a cast, so my typing sucks!

Forces (3000pts):
Biel Tan
Aspect warhost: 4x s/scorpions (1 exarch), 4 d/avengers (1 autarch) - loaded up in a vampire
Aspect warhost: 8x s/hawks (2x exarch) off table
Guardians, w/ 3 hvy wpns, 2 wraithguard and 3 wraithlords (BTS) in webway
1x 4 rangers
1x 6 vypers
2x 5 falcons
1x 3 n/spinners
1x scorpion SHGT
1x 3 nightwings
1x vampire
wraithgate

Ultramarines
3x tac detachments, with 5 long range dreads and a smattering of characters between them. + drop pods. Deployed on strike cruiser.
2x 4 terminators (one w/librarian, one w/captain, I think), off table
1x Reaver support pattern titan (3x rocket launchers, BTS)
Strike cruiser

GROOV3R'll have to check that to make sure I haven't forgotten anything.

Board+ obj. - this was on a vassal map I call Imperial Outpost - there are a cluster of roads, buildings and ruins more or less in the centre of the map, with woods in the top left, bottom left and centre right.

Eldar objectives - TNH were RHS of board, one to the right of the centre right woods (Eobj1), one to the right of some buildings in the bottom centre (Eobj2). Blitz slightly to the left of Eobj.2.

Ultramarine objectives - TNH were more or less the mirror of eldar's, with one in between 2 woods in top left (Uobj.1) and the other in some buildings slightly left of centre (Uooj.2). Blitz was pretty much dead centre.

Defo going to take some screenshots next time I'll post deployment and the 1st turn during afternoon coffee - have to go and pour 200 agar plates now (yay ).

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numquam culum es

Nice one. My list looks right, just going from memory.  

deployment:
Biel Tan - Scorpion, Falcon1, n/spinners and vypers are all arrayed in the top right, in line with the TNH obj.s. Rangers are garrisoned around Uobj.1, in and around the woods, whereas Falcon2 are in the open to the right of the woods, facing Uobj.2.
Guardians and both Aspects are off the board.

Ultramarines - this is simple, only the Reaver starts on the board, to the right of the Eldar blitz and in front of the Eldar TNHs.

First turn. Strategy - Marines (I think, don't think I got strategy once)

With a looming shadow, the Marine Strike Cruiser appears over the battlefield and drops a whole load of pain on the poor Ranger stand underneath the orbital barrage. Unsurprisingly, not a single Ranger atom remains and the rangers receive 2BM.

Next the drop pods come whistling (roaring?) down, centred on Uobj.1 in the woods, but scattered away slightly by the rangers ZOC (only useful thing the rangers did, useless gits). 1 drop pod is in range of Falcon2 and drops one skimmer for 2BM. (this'll be critical for them). 3 Tac formations pour out and consolidate into cover. Ranger overwatch does nothing other than place a BM.

Thinking up a cunning plan, the Farseer tells the Falcons to move to the right of the Tacs, crossfire them, then move out of range. Unfortunately, this was too complicated for the simpletons driving them and they failed, getting another BM. Taking a hold, they moved behind the woods to try and hide.

one of the Tacs assault the poor Rangers, wiping them out with no losses.

nightspinners fail to activate, and make a single move towards the eldar TNH.

just to rub salt into wounds (GROOV3R's like that, the sod), 2nd Tac moves round woods to fire at the Falcons, downing 1 and breaking the formation. The 3 remaining scarper as fast as they can into cover.

scorpion fails to activate (GRR!), taking a BM and moving towards eldar TNH (no2).

3rd Tac formation just gets the broken falcon fm in it's sights, downs 1 from the BM, shoots another and kills the last from the extra BM. Bugger.

vypers fail to activate, taking a BM and moving towards eldar TNH (no2). This was really starting to piss me off at that point  

Reaver goes on overwatch.

Vampire fails to activate (AAGGHH!) and gets a BM for its troubles, along with a mighty slap from me.

Nightwings ground attack the Reaver and strip a couple of shields.

End of turn:
Pretty sure everything of mine rallied. Reaver cleared BMs and raised a void shield.

Back to work - turn 2 later or tomorrow morning

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numquam culum es

It won´t get BM for failing to activate , which still removes all BM on aircraft:

4.2.7 Blast Markers

...
All of the Blast markers are removed from the formation
immediately after it takes the action test, whether it
passes the test or not. If it passes the test, it may carry out
an action, and if it fails it may not.
...

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- - - And Eldar failed activations strike again! This is a pet hate of mine, but with 2+ initiative, statistically 1 in every 6 of most of the Eldar formations will fail to activate. Add a BM and the ratio drops to 1:3. The Supreme Commander reroll is almost mandated here to keep the Eldar moving (besides getting the only Leader available to the Eldar).

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"Play up and play the game"

Vitai lampada
Sir Hemry Newbolt

thanks for that Irondeath. Still got a mighty slap though. Made me absolutely paranoid about failing key activations after that, especially as my SC was off the board waiting for the right moment to air assault (which is another tricky thing to balance, as Aspects = autarch = assault = toasted autarch )

Turn 2 coming shortly, just have to get some work done first

GROOV3R and I have a follow up game on the go on Vassal at the mo', so as soon as that's finished he'll do a batrep. So far we've only managed 1 turn, but boy was it a bloody one!

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numquam culum es

good point on the leader thing too Ginger, I'd always assumed Farseers had it, but they don't

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numquam culum es

hokay, afternoon coffee = turn 2.

teleports - swooping hawk warhost lands in the buildings within charge range of the reaver titan. Due to most of them falling down the stairs on landing, they get 5 BMs (honestly, when I need a 6 I never roll it, when I don't I roll 5 of them).

Strategy - marines

SC tacs go on overwatch, patiently waiting for the guardians to come out of the wrathgate (Uobj. 2).

N/spinners sustain on the tacs camping on Uobj. 1. 5 hits and 1 casualty = 6BMs. That'll teach them for camping in the open (and why GROOV3R's so paranoid about eldar artillery .

Other tacs in woods do something, but I can't remember what. Sit around scratching their arses I think.

Now, the reaver, with it's 9BP, 3 templates and extra BM worth of nastiness is sitting on overwatch, with my Scorpion, vypers and falcons all hovering around at 61cm daring the others to go first.

Vypers, spunky chaps that they are, advance and fire at the reaver (without triggering o/watch), stripping a couple of shields.

3rd tacs (hit by the n/spinners), nurse their bruised egos and the taunts of their peers (can't remember what they did, nothing interesting anyway)

falcons double in and away, stripping the remaining shields from the reaver.

Reaver is obviously annoyed by all of this, so the princeps vents his spleen by unloading all barrels at the dishevelled hawks in the buildings. After the dust clears (3 templates worth!) the s/hawks emerge COMPLETELY unscathed. He he he. 2 BMs takes them up to 7

Scorpion advances and takes a DC from the reaver.

Vampire ground attacks the reaver, breaking it and causing it to scuttle back to the Eldar blitz.

N/wings ground attack the reaver, taking another DC (I think ~4 were left at this point). Lance = cool.

End of turn - reaver rallies, even with the hawks within 30cm. I think the hawks rallied, but I'm not sure. Everything else rallied, with tacs on Uobj.2 left with a couple of BMs.

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numquam culum es

Turn 3 (I'm on a roll!)

Teleports - da da da DA DAH! Termies magically appear next to n/spinners and Scorpion (told you GROOV3R hated eldar artillery), with no BMs damn them.

Strategy - Marines.

Unsurprisingly, 1 fm of termies charged the n/spinners and engaged them in FF (this is a constant source of annoyance for GROOV3R, all those +1 EA CC wasted). Wasted attacks or not, the tanks are swatted from the sky like flies and the termies consolidate within support range of the 2nd termie fm (no casualties either, unsurprisingly).

Retaining, the 2nd fm of termies charges into FF with the Scorpion. 1DC is taken, with another from supporting fire, and the tank is wiped out on resolution. No marine casualties, again

Ignoring the triumphant terminators for the moment, Eldar proceed to rip into the reaver. Vypers (obviously auditioning for spare shining spear slots), advance into support range and strip the remaining shield off the titan.

GROOV3R asks if I want to retain, as I hang my Vypers out to dry. I don't, so the reaver decides to teach those annoying annoying little things a lesson and charges into FF. 4 vypers instantly get squashed underfoot or booted out of the air, but surprisingly the vypers do 1DC of damage in return. Vypers lose the assault and another gets trampled on resolution. Remaining vyper scampers back to Eobj.2, assured of all the Guardian ladies they want when they get back to the craftworld.

SC tacs go back on overwatch, wondering if the guardians are going to show (they really don't want to, but..)

hawks pluck up the guts and charge the reaver. However, they should have stayed at home, as they get the poo beaten out of them for no return - sole surviving hawk flits back to where it started.

obj. camping tacs do something uninteresting.

n/wings ground attack the reaver, taking another DC, leaving 2.

This is where the order of events gets fuzzy, largely because I can't remember what order things happened in at the marine TNH objectives.

Anyway, falcons advance to within 15cm of the blitz and unleash at the reaver - taking something like 7 hits, finally the titan is overwhelmed and comes crashing to the ground. BTS to eldar!

Sometime around here, the guardians decide they better turn up and do something, so advance out of the gate into cover. Taking o/watch fire, they lose nothing (yay to cover saves and RA) but take out an SC tac dread for their troubles.

2nd lot of tacs in the woods go for glory and charge into FF with the guardians. Unfortunately, they forget how nasty wrath constructs are and get ground into paste, being wiped out on resolution. Eldar lose 1 w/lord and a couple of guardians in exchange.

Now that the battle is nearly won, the 2nd aspect warhost decide it's time to show their faces and air assault the Scorpion destroying terminators. Striking scorpions pour out into base contact and dire avengers hang back at FF, along with the vampire. Rolling 20 dice at 4+, eldar score 9 hits on the terminators, wiping out 3, including the librarian. Not to be out done, the terminators strike back, taking out all the striking scorpions. Eldar win the assault and the last terminator is gunned down, running away, whimpering with fear, crying for their mummies (I don't like terminators). Broken aspects withdraw so that they're within 15cm of both TNH objectives.

And I think that was the end.

Rallying - everything rallied bar the swooping hawks (won't be taking them again, back to washing up duties for you) to give:

Eldar BTS, blitz, TNH
Marines 0 (guardians were contesting 1 TNH objective)

What a surprise! My first full game of epic and I won Probably won't happen again, but I'll relish it while I can   All I can say is that by having air superiority I could attack the reaver as much as I liked, finally destroying it and taking the BTS, then air assaulting the terminators that threatened my TNH. Once down, the 3 tac formations couldn't really do much and just one single unbroken guardian formation stopped them from claiming any objectives.

Very much like the flexibility of eldar, though they are fragile and, as the first turn showed, prone to failing activations. Won't be taking swooping hawks or rangers gain though, not for a little while at least.

Thanks to GROOV3R for a great and nail biting game - round 2 looks as if it'll be even better (and bloodier)!

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numquam culum es

Nice report.

One nice feature of Vassal is the log option. It allows you to replay the action afterwards so you never need to takes notes. Plus you can take 'photo's' at any point during the game, afterwards!

thanks Mephiston, good to give something back after all the reports I've enjoyed on here

I had thought of that, but we weren't very organised with the game being spread over a couple of nights (and I'm just not very organised anyway). We're keeping a log and taking pictures in our current game though, so I promise the next one will be better!

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numquam culum es

A tip, since I mostly play against Eldar:

If I have Terminators against skimmer tanks, I'll rather sustain fire (unless I got 2+ blast markers landing, which never happens). You'll put out four hits on average, take none in return and with Eldar armor will more likely than not break the suckers.

Yet another instance where a Marshal action would have been a good idea to shoot, clear BM and most importantly, raise shields.

I´m also not sure whether the Vypers merited immediate attention, were they threatening a crossfire or set up to support an assault? If not, I´d have gone out of my way to find an unactivated formation to target, which is generally preferable to easy kills in my book.



Anyway, thanks for the report!

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Threatening crossfire. My Reaver was going down no matter what I did with it, given the avalanche of Eldar that was available to pour down upon it.  

Thanks for the report, looks like it was a fun battle.

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