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Sorry for the lack of pictures and the overall brevity of this batrep. But I did want to share with everyone how my assault-oriented IG fared in a recent battle, albeit with the help of some Ordo Malleus friends who will not be members of the list for much longer.

IMPERIAL GUARD WITH DAEMONHUNTER ALLIES
1498 pts

Company Command Squad
- Master of Ordnance, Astropath, Power Sword

Lord Inquisitor
- Terminator Armour, power sword, storm shield, acolyte w/ bolt pistol x2, familar, combat servitor, veteran guardsman w/ flamer
- Chimera

Ratlings (5)

Grey Knight Terminators (5)
- Incinerator

Platoon Command Squad
- Heavy flamer, flamer x2, platoon standard
Platoon Infantry Squad
-Autocannon
Platoon Infantry Squad
-Autocannon
Heavy Weapon Squad

Penal Legion Squad

Inquisitorial Storm Troopers (5)
- Plasma gun x2

Hellhound

Rough Riders (10)

Basilisk

ELDAR
1500 pts

Farseer
- Spirit Stones, Runes of Warding, Doom and Guide psychic powers

Dire Avengers (10)
- Exarch with Bladestorm
- Wave Serpent w/ TL bright lance, shuriken cannon, star engines

Dire Avengers (10)
- Exarch with Bladestorm
- Wave Serpent w/ TL bright lance, shuriken cannon, star engines

Rangers (5)
- Pathfinder upgrade

Rangers (5)
- Pathfinder upgrade

Fire Dragons (5)
- Exarch (I've forgotten what upgrades he had)
- Wave Serpent w/ TL bright lance, TL shuriken catapult, star engines

Dark Reapers (5)
- Exarch with Fast Shot

MISSION

Capture and Control mission, Pitched Battle setup.

DEPLOYMENT

Sorry again for the lack of pictures. Forgot my camera, plus most of the miniatures in use were unpainted in any event. Hope I can describe it well enough to make some sense.

The Eldar won the dice roll for deployment; they set up first with the three wave serpents hugging the back of the deployment zone three abreast around the centre. The Dark Reapers set up in some rocky cover in the centre of the deployment zone near the front. The Farseer was with one of the Dire Avenger Squads.

Imperial Guard setup with one platoon squad and the heavy weapons team crammed into the cover in the left corner around the objective and the Company Command Squad to the right. Behind some rocky cover left of centre, was position the hellhound and the Inquisitor's chimera. Behind these were the rough riders. To the right of these, behind a dense forest in the centre of the deployment zone were the Penal Legionaires. In some craters right of centre the second platoon squad set-up with the Inquisitorial Storm Troopers ahead of them at the edge of the forest. Finally, to the far right was the Basilisk behind more craters and a forest.

The Rangers/pathfinders set up in cover to either side of the Dark Reapers. The ones to the right of the Dark Reapers were surrounding the Eldar objective.

I then placed my Ratlings 18" away from the troops at his centre in a crater. Penal Legion rolled "gunslingers" for their special rule this game.

TURN 1 - ELDAR

The Wave Serpent with the Fire Dragons went full speed with its star engines towards the Basilisk, taking the bait. The Wave Serpent with the Farseer and Dire Avengers in it, drove up near the Ratlings and the passengers disembarked, while the remaining Wave Serpent flew full-speed with star engines down the middle of the table towards the Inquisitorial Storm Troopers/platoon squad with Autocannon. In the shooting phase, the Farseer doomed the Ratlings and the Dire Avengers easily wiped them out in shooting despite their going to ground for 3+ cover saves. The Dark Reapers wiped out my CCS (whom I'd foolishly left out of cover, leaving the cover with LOS on the enemy to everyone else) save the company commander who made his refractor field saves.

TURN 1 - IG

The Hellhound moved 12" forward with the Inquisitor's chimera following in a "hull down" position behind it and to the left. The rough riders followed behind with armour to their front and left, and LOS-blocking forest to their right. The Company Commander retreated behind some rocks. Everyone else stayed put. On the left, a successful "fire on my target" helped the lascannon team to kill a Dark Reaper. "Move, move, move" successfully on the RRs kept them with the vehicles. Ineffective firing from the platoon squads followed. The Hellhound fired killing another Dark Reaper. The Basilisk crew, knowing their were doomed, nevertheless cooly loaded and fired at the disembarked Farseer and his Dire Avengers. It was JUST outside 36" by a fraction of an inch and I rolled a hit. Much carnage ensued as the Wave Serpent exploded and half the Dire Avengers went down (but passed their morale check). Then the Storm Troopers rapid-fired the Wave Serpent with the other Dire Avengers in it. Another "Destroyed - Explodes!" result with most of the passengers surviving.

TURN 2 - ELDAR

The Fire Dragons disembarked. The Farseer and his troops moved towards the centre of the table. The Dire Avengers near the Storm Troopers moved towards my table edge. In the shooting phase, those Dire Avengers blade stormed by Storm Troopers, wiping them out (barely -- I've I'd made just one more save, there would have been one left, denying the Eldar their assault on my PCS). The Fire Dragons easily dispatched the Basilisk. The Dark Reapers took out the Hellhound (wrecked). Everyone else that could shot at the Rough Riders who were at 3+ cover we deemed due to being more than 75% covered by the surrounding vehicles and trees, and failed not a single cover save. The Dire Avengers charged my PSC -- wound wrapping worked to my disadvantage as I failed my power weapon armed lieutenant's save, but passed others. The squad lost 3, killed none, broke, and were killed in sweeping advance.

TURN 2 - IG

Failed reserves roll for the GK Terminators.

Inquisitor full speed ahead, while the rough riders moved around the burning Hellhound. The shooting phase was not memorable. The assault phase was -- After much debate, I had the Rough Riders attack the Farseer rather than the Dire Avengers in my backfield. Got a multiple charge on the Farseer and one of the pathfinder squads. The Pathfinders were wiped out to a man, the Dire Avengers took two casualties. The Farseer only killed two riders with his intiative 6. He and his unit (only one Dire Avenger with him) broke and ran. The Penal Legion charged the Dire Avengers in my backfield and lost the combat but thinned the Eldar by one and held.

TURN 3 - ELDAR

Fire Dragons got back into their Serpent and surprised me by zooming towards the Rough Riders at the centre. The Farseer continued to fall back. In the shooting phase, everyone opened-up on the Rough Riders and wiped them out, but they had done their part. The pathfinders to my left immobilized the Inquisitor's chimera with some good rending shots. The assault continued between the Penal Legion and Dire Avengers with each side losing a few.

TURN 3 - IG

Terminators arrived, scattering to land in no man's land on the left side ahead of my troops holding the objective. The Inquisitor and retinue disembark and move towards the remaining pathfinders. The Company Commander moves around to help out the Penal Legion with his power sword. In shooting, the lascannons and platoon squad thin out the Dark Reapers down to their exarch and the terminators' storm bolters do not fell him. The pathfinders fall to the Inquisitor's retinue's flamer and acolyte bolt pistol. In combat, the Company Commander makes life much better for the Penal Legion and the battle is now a draw. The Inquisitor assaults the Fire Dragon Wave Serpent but can't make any of the needed 6's to hit.

TURN 4 - ELDAR

Farseer runs off the table. The Fire dragons get out. Their wave serpent tank shocks my lacannon team off the objective (but they don't flee). They hose down the terminators, killing 2. The Dark Reaper Exarch kills another one. The assault in the centre continues. There is now just the exarch and one Dire Avenger left to my four Penal Legionaires. The Company Commander decided it was time to get reinforcements after he took a wound from the exarch.

TURN 4 - IG

Dark Reaper Exarch finally killed by some good autocannon shooting. The GK bloodily massacre the Fire Dragons. The Inquisitor tried to get the wave serpent with his combat servitor and the veteran guardsman's krak grenades to no avail. The second platoon squad decides to finally end it by charging the Dire Avengers locked with the Penal Legion right in front of them. The Eldar are wiped out. Now only the last wave serpent remains.

TURN 5 - ELDAR

The lone wave serpent stayed put on my objective.

TURN 5 - IG

GK move towards the Eldar objective. After useless lascannon shooting, the platoon squad assaults the wave serpent, and were able to score a glancing hit with their frag grenades and wrecked the Eldar vehicle. The Eldar had been wiped-out to a man, the Guard still held their objective, and the Grey Knights contested the Eldar Objective.

A CLOSER LOOK

Turning Point - Two possible turning points; the inexplicable fear of my ratlings leading to the Farseer attacking them really threw off the Eldar attack especially given the Bassie's excellent lone shot. The other turning point was the Rough Rider charge which took out almost 400 pts worth of Eldar.

Warriors of the Battle - I'm giving MVP honours to the Rough Riders for taking out two expensive squads and chasing the Farseer off the table. The battle was essentially over after that charge, in my opinion.

The Underrated Contribution - In a game where all of my blue collar units performed well and the so-called superstars didn't do much, this is a tough call. I'll go with the Storm Troopers who destroyed the wave serpent as it blew past them. That's some ace shooting!