Alright, Elysian playtest! 3000 points, standard Grand Tournament scenario, with the EA Compendium 1.1 Codex Astartes versus version 3.1.5 of the Elysian Drop Troop list.
(please pardon the blurriness of some of the pictures, my phone doesn't exactly have a ton of focus controls
Forces:
Elysian ForcesRegimental HQ
Mortar Company
Airborne Company in Vendettas
Drop Company with Sentinels and Fire Support
2x Tauros Venators
2x Tauros Scouts
Vulture Punishers
Marauder Heavy Bomber
Marauder Destroyer
Lightning Interceptors
Raptors Space Marines(Dreadnought and Razorback weren't actually supposed to be in this picture, there was supposed to be a hunter in the Tac formation)
Tactical Detachment with Supreme Commander and Hunter (not pictured)
Assault Detachment with Chaplain
Devastator Detachment
2x Terminator Detachments with Chaplains
2x Warhounds
2x Thunderbolts
2x Thunderhawks
After seeing my opponents force, I instantly knew that this was going to be a tough fight. My hope was that my own air assets would be able to stifle his, and allow me to strike where I needed the pressure.
Battlelines are drawn, and the game begins. I realized after I'd deployed that I was bunched up a bit close in the middle of my line, but I hoped to be able to rectify that soon. My opponent made me (with his high Strategy Rating) determine if I was going to teleport anything in the first turn. I decided not to (since I didn't have a good sense of where the battle was going to be) and he responded by teleporting in Terminators to the right of my Airborne Company
He wins the Strategy Roll for the turn (3 to 9) and proceeds to sustain fire from his Terminators into my Vendettas. 4 hits and 0 saves later, it is no longer an Airborne company.
Raptors retain the initiative, and move one of their Warhounds forward. Overwatch from the Venators blows away both Void shields, but in return the Warhound scores 3 hits and 3 kills with the Megabolter, chewing apart the Light Vehicles.
Stunned by the devastation I've taken, I get distracted by a beautiful target and send my Marauder Heavy Bomber up the board. A missile from the Hunter arcs up towards the aircraft, but is stopped by the armor. 3BP gives me a 5+ to hit, and there are 8 targets all clustered together. Away go the bombs, but they hit nothing except for the hunter under the center of the template, which fails its save. Although I'd hoped to do some more serious damage, I have succeeded in knocking out the Raptors only ground-based AA asset. My happiness was to be short-lived, however, as I've realized that I failed to activate my CAP.
Thunderbolts arc in from the right, firing into the Tauros on my back line. Their appearance again reminds me how urgently I need to get my Lightnings up.
The reminder comes too late, however. In flies a fully-laden Thunderhawk, right into my too-closely deployed vehicles. The Air Assault is brutal. Elysian troops manage to do a single point of damage to the Thunderhawk, but lose 7 vehicles in return. The resolution roll is a 15 vs 6, resulting in the absolute destruction of all three involved formations (Vulture and both Tauros Scouts)
Too late, the damn air cover arrives. Lightnings go on Combat Air Patrol, ready to take down the other Thunderhawk when it arrives.
The Raptors Supreme Commander and his Tactical formation Double forward towards the objective.
Eager to avenge their brethren (and ensure that the Thunderhawk doesn't get airborne again) the remaining Venator squadron Advances over and fires their TL Lascannons into the side of the aircraft. 2 hits are scored, and luckily the Thunderhawk fails its save.
As the Imperial Navy air cover has arrived, the Raptors send aloft their own fighters. One of the Thunderbolt squadrons goes on Combat Air Patrol.
The battered infantry company decides to take its revenge on the Terminators who attacked them, but closing into an engagement seems like a bad idea. Instead, they move close enough that they can bring their plasma guns to bear. Suppression means only two can fire, and only one of those hits. Despite the reinforced Terminator armor, one of the Raptor's 1st Company falls to the plasma.
Attempting to assist, the Mortar Company tries to open fire on the Terminators as well (with only one kill needed to break them) Unfortunately, the orders are garbled and they take a Hold action. The blast marker received is enough to suppress one of the three mortar teams who can see through the ruins, and only one mortar shot actually hits its target. Terminators don't care anyway, shrugging off the blow.
Worried about the damage the Lightning Interceptors can do, the Raptors stand down their Thunderhawk.
with the Raptors player out of activations, both Marauder Destroyers come in, targetting the weakened Warhound. Dropping its 3DC should be easy for the beastly Destroyers, but the first one scores only a single hit, which has no effect on the target. The second Destroyer scores two hits which both penetrate the Titan's armor. No criticals, but the Warhound breaks and is down to a single DC and no void shields. Shouldn't be hard to crack now.
At the end of Turn 1 the broken Warhound rallies, as does all of the Elysian infantry. The broken Venator stays broken, retreating up towards a Space Marine objective. The Terminators also fail to rally, and begin the turn with 3 stands that have 5 blast markers between them.
TURN 2
The Elysian Regimental HQ airdrops into ruins behind the Raptors Supreme Commander, hoping to catch him in a crossfire.
Targetting the damaged Warhound, the reinforced Drop Company sets itself to destroy it once and for all.
Unfortunately, the Raptors first move is to send the Warhound advancing away from the slow ground troops; it dashes 30cm away and turns to blow away the two Missile Launcher teams and two regular infantry with its megabolter and Plasma Blastguns.
Meanwhile, the Terminators retain the initiative to Marshal themselves from their failure to rally. Firing their Assault Cannons into the Infantry company they kill one additional Elysian, but manage to remove all 5 of their blast markers.
Hoping to cripple the mechanized Tactical squad, the Tauros Venators move up and fire their lascannons into the Rhinos. 2 of the three are blown away, but the Space Marines and their Commander can't run away anymore.
Before the Assault and Devastator marines can fully extricate themselves from the wreckage of their Thunderhawk, the Marauder Bomber empties its bomb racks onto their heads. Despite 5 possible hits, only a single stand of Devastators is unlucky enough to be hurt by the bombing run.
With their transport disabled, the Tactical Squad turns and assault the Elysian Colonel! By engaging them at the outside limits of their range, the Space Marines force some of the Guardsmen to leave cover to bring their lasguns to bear. Despite what appears to be an easy battle, the Tactical Detachment meets its match! 7 dice come up showing nothing higher than a Three, as the Marines miss completely. In reprisal the Elysians score four hits, killing off two stands of Marines and leading them to a shocking 8-point supremacy in the resolution roll. Only the Supreme Commander escapes the engagement, fleeing into some nearby ruins.
More plasma shots reach out towards the Terminators, but their luck has deserted them. Only one of the two shots hits, and it has no effect.
The untouched squad of Assault Marines leaps towards the nearby forest, getting themselves in position to assault the Venators the following turn.
Knowing that the other Thunderhawk could be arriving any moment now, the Elysian Supreme Commander and his men go on Overwatch, securing their objective.
Damaged already, the reinforced Drop Company comes under fire yet again. Once more they feel the wrath of a Vulcan Megabolter, as it chews through an additional three units (including a Drop Sentinel) The broken Company pulls back away from the War Engines, seeking to rally around the enemy Blitz.
While its too late to preserve the Drop Company, one of the Marauder Destroyers goes on a strafing run towards the damaged Warhound. Despite the massive array of weaponry on the thing, it manages to score only a single hit, which is sufficient only to strip away the newly-regenerated Void Shield.
The long awaited Air Assault finally arrives, as the remaining Thunderhawk goes screaming towards the Mortar Company and their objective. Lightnings converge on the approaching transport, and the Thunderbolts quickly veer to engage as well (we play with the CAP-a-CAP rule, 'cause it's awesome.) The Raptors Thunderbolts approach through the fire of the Marauder Destroyers point-defense systems, and the tail-mounted Assault Cannon scores a hit! Somehow it glances off of the light plating, saving the pilot and plane. (6+ save: made) When one of the Lightnings is hit, however, it fares less well. Despite being reduced to only three, the Elysian aircraft still score three hits on the Thunderbolt. Only one point of damage goes through, however, and it's not a critical.
The Terminators hit the Mortar company hard. Elysians score a couple hits but fail to wound anyone, while the Raptors manage to score 8 hits, one for each of the defenders. The ruins shelter half of the guardsmen, but the resolution roll goes badly against them, whiping out everyone except the Fearless Commissar.
Hoping to finally destroy the Titan holding the Marine blitz, the Elysians send the second Destroyer at it. Not a single hit is scored, but the Warhound breaks anyway.
Activation count has swung towards the Marine player, and he has his Devastators fire at the Company that's engaged with the Terminators (killing one) and has his remaining Thunderbolt squadron fire at the broken Drop Company near his blitz (killing the Commissar, and destroying two more stands due to blast markers)
End of Turn 2, and the Elysians are hurting badly. None of the formations succeed in rallying, so they start the turn with 3 broken formations and one that has only a single blast marker before breaking.
Strategy Roll is a tie, but that counts for nothing against SR5. Raptors go first, and launch a Thunderbolt raid against the Tauros Venators. 2 hits wipe out half of the formation, and the Marines retain the initiative to bring their Thunderhawk onto the field. Fortunately the damage sustained last turn means that it will Stand Down, and be unavailable for the rest of the battle.
Once again, the Destroyer unleashes its three twin-linked Autocannons and a pair of underwing rockets into the Warhound. Once again, it does nothing but bring down the Void Shield.
The warhound, unfazed by the continual air raids, continues to eliminate the nearby Drop Company, killing two more of its troops and breaking the formation.
The damaged Venators (looking back on it, they should have been broken. My brain must have been in ATSKNF mode) Marshall, and move forward so they can secure the objective and remain out of range of the Assault Marines lurking behind the forest.
Raptor air power degrades further, as the remaining Thunderbolts are forced to Stand Down.
Caught between a Devastator and a Terminator Detachment, the once-airborne Elysian Company attempts to Marshall and move away from the Terminators. Unfortuantely the pressure is too much for them, and they take a hold action. The blast marker gained from the Hold is enough to break them, and the formation collapses into disorder.
Devastators go into Overwatch...
...Just in time to have cover against an Elysian bombing run. It wasn't needed however, as the Bomber continues to be unable to roll higher than a 3.
The second Warhound finishes eradicating the reinforced Drop Company, which achieves the Break Their Spirit objective for the Raptors.
As there is no hope to hold the Marine Blitz objective anymore, the final Destroyer strafes the Marine Supreme Commander where he hides in the ruins. He goes down, achieving BTS for the Elysians.
Raptor Terminators Advance and fire at the Commissar from the Mortar Company, but he's way to cool to care. Not a single hit from the incompetent Terminator Company, and the Fearless Commissar is free to do what he wants (whenever he rallies)
Lightnings strafe the damaged Warhound out of spite, failing to do anything but break it.
On the Elysian side of the board, the Terminators that have been there since the first turn Sustain into the broken Drop Company, finally destroying them.
Regt HQ continues on Overwatch.
Assault Marines Double over to contest the nearby objective.
At the end of Turn 3 the Venator that was broken the first turn finally rallies, and realizes he's actually holding an objective. Final Score is 3-2, in favor of the Raptors (Both have BTS and T&H, but Marines hold the Blitz as well)
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Afterwards, I asked the Marine player what his opinions were on the Elysians. "I didn't feel like I had much to fear from it," was his first response, quickly followed by "everything being a Light Vehicle is murder for you." Specific mention was made about how the ubiquitous Missile Launchers and the Vulcan Megabolters were deadly against Infantry already, and Light Vehicles were both vulnerable to their damage, and unable to provide cover against them. He acknowledged the Lightnings were potent, but once they left CAP to attack something, he had free reign to do whatever he wanted.
The quote that most stuck with me was that he felt that I didn't "have enough weight anywhere to accomplish anything." As I was playing, I never really felt like I had any units which could truly be called a "main effort." Everything that's available seems to either be a lightly-armored vehicle, or fragile and slow moving infantry. Elysians are supposed to be mobile light-infantry, but as soon as I teleported them in, they would be just as immobile as Baran Siege Infantry, but nowhere near as damaging or durable.
Teleporting as well is not much of a benefit for a list with Strategy Rating 2. I was made to teleport in first, and then he was always able to win the first initiative, and retain for a second attack. I could have been able to overwhelm him if I focused all of my attacks at a single point, but then I would have had a bunch of fragile infantry on foot with 15cm guns, far away from anywhere they could do damage. Warhounds were by far the worst thing to face with infantry, as they could easily advance away and fire into my troops, who would be required to double forward and fire at AT6+ if they wanted to even target it, and a maximum of 4 shots means there's essentially no result. My opponent pointed out that the 225 points for a drop company will buy him a Land Speeder squadron with a Typhoon: It's unbelievably more maneuverable, has just as many 15cm shots (that are all Macroweapons), ATSKNF, a 45cm shot at AP3, and 4+ armor all around.
Of course, it doesn't help that I had terrible luck and made some bad decisions, but there's definitely some issues here.
It's not complete without "freem!" or "zzzzzat!" sounds though 
) as they ripped you a new one anyway, and focused the fire of your bombers on the infantry targets, then try to double team (fire-support-assault, hard with IG admittedly) to wipe out individual Marine fms. One thing that I've found with Marines is that you have to KILL EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM, the 7ft tall gits.
