| Brood Brother |
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Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 5:39 pm
Posts: 69
Location: devon
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Finally managed to arrange a rematch between my Dark Eldar and the dread Minervan tank legion. This time at 4000pts.
I also wanted to try out a few ideas and formations that I hadn't used much before (or much) - among them;
Mandrakes
Full size Ravagar Flotillas
Teleporting on the first turn
and
Asdrubael Vect - a project I've been trying to work out for a while and finally finished in time for the game. Ruleswise he was simply an Archon on a Ravager with nothing special (which does make his macro weapon attack a bit... rubbish, but never mind)
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b152/ ... 208016.jpg
As the forces deployed I had ready to field -
Flotilla 1 - Vect, 6 ravagers (total), Vessel of Pain
Flotilla 2 - 6 ravagers (total)
Syndicate - dracon (finding these very useful so far)
Wych cult
Scourges
Mandrakes
Tormentor
2 Heavy barges
Ravens
Razorwings
6 strong reavers
Talos
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b152/ ... 208015.jpg
- a fairly balanced force I thought, but with a definite lance element.
Against me were -
3 Leman russ companies (2x 10 strong, 1x 6 strong) including a smattering of thunderers.
6 thunderers (dedicated formation)
2x 3 superheavies (1 baneblade, 2 stormswords and 3 shadowswords between them)
2x 3 bombards with attendant Hydras
Vultures (4 strong)
2 Deathstrike missiles with attendant hydra
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b152/ ... 208018.jpg
I was pleased to see i had more activations, but the sheer amount of reinforced armour was intimidating to say the least - added to that, there was not an infantrymen in sight, virtually leaving half my firepower useless.
Turn 1 went to the Dark Eldar - who had teleported in both the drakes and the scourges to try and get an early kill. The Scourges did a good job of sniping a bombard unit, killing 2 and breaking the unit which fled to safety.
The drakes were less fortunate, with 3 options - either to stand and weather the storm of firepower, assault a potentially distant bombard formation and risk the unholy support fire of a leman russ company, or attack the Vultures. They opted for the gunships and promptly failed to hit any of them (I rolled 4 5s!!!). Losing one in return they broke and were wiped out by blast markers.
The guard responded gently, a long range bombardment from the guardsmen failing to do more than kill a single reaver jetbike. The Dark Eldar continued to try and snipe at the flanks, the Razorwings causing a spectacular strike as one of their phantom lances obliterated a stormsword.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b152/ ... 208019.jpg
The Minervans responded ferociously, striking at long range against the heavy barges who were barely visible. The sheer amount of firepower left one in tatters and almost broke the formation. For their part the heavy barges finished the job, failing their activation and falling back. The guard followed this success by advancing steadily, pounding the scourges and killing three of them, the rest fleeing for their lives.
The Tormentor doubled, but failed to hit anything, arriving back in time to watch a deathstrike obliterate one of the vessels of pain. The talos failed their activation roll as well, and the guard continued to advance steadily. The Syndicate moved into place ready to order the charge on the next turn as the guard ran out of activations, keeping close to the reavers ready to bring them into the fight on the order of the dracon.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b152/ ... 208017.jpg
Vect too prepared for the next turn, doubling both the Flotillas towards the foe and snapping shots at the 2 leman russ companies that waited for them on the Minervan right flank. Between the Ravagers and the ravens only three tanks were felled, but blast markers were placed and the assaults were ready.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b152/ ... 208020.jpg
As the turn closed most of the Minervan forces rallied. Frustratingly the only Eldar formation that managed this same feat was the lone surviving scourge. With the forces faced against one another, the battle rested on the next turn.
Turn 2 -
Unfortunately the plan went pear shaped when the Minervans won the initiative.
Left hideously exposed, Vect's formation was annihilated by the Minervan command company, leaving the Dark eldar flank in tatters. Worse yet, the second full strength tank company on the Minervan left then proceeded to obliterate the Dracon and her syndicate, leaving both horns of the Dark Eldar pincer shattered and bereft of their commanders.
With disaster looming, the remaining flotilla pulled away, striking at the smaller russ company and felling another tank. The guard were barely scratched by the attack and swiftly responded, the leman russ felling three of the ravagers and sending them fleeing to safety.
The guard then followed by launching the remaining deathstrike at the Tormentor, smashing its shadowfields and shaving off a DC. All eyes turned to the titan as it tried to rescue the situation on the Minervan right, but obviously the deathstrike had stunned it and it failed its activation roll.
The guard advanced cautiously, wary of potential counter attack, but they needn't have concerned themselves as only the wyches posed any significant threat. In a desperate attempt to win back at least the left flank the reavers attacked, but merely bounced off the leman russ there, unable to do more than knock out a single tank, losing four in return, the rest scattering as they fled.
The remaining wychs readied for the next turn, all too aware that the guard were still at nearly full strength whilst the Dark Eldar force lay in broken tatters. Unfortunately they attracted the attention of the vultures who pounced upon them with hellstrike missiles, smashing one of the raiders and its cargo and breaking the rest.
As the turn ended, only the Vessels of pain managed to rally, leaving the dark eldar in a very poor position.
Turn 3 -
The Dark eldar again lost the initiative, the Minervans driving their thunderers deep into the battle front and striking at the talos near them. The constructs suffered little as a result, losing only one of the wyrd machines, but the Heavy barges struck back with terrible ferocity at the impetuous guardsmen, leaving only a single thunderer alive.
The vultures responded, twisting about the ruinous city to bring about a final volley of hellstrikes against the Tormentor. The titan shuddered under the impacts, left on a single hit point. Preparing to attack the titan again failed its activation roll, leaving the guard virtually free to claim objectives. As the dust settled, the Minervans had 2 objectives to none, but clearly there was no way the Dark Eldar could hope to harm them now.
_________________ Peace? Peace is only achievable through Extermination! ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL9G0K26-0k
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