The armies:
Grey Knights
HQ
Crowe
TROOPS
x6 5 Purifiers (2 halberds, 1 hammer, 2 psycannons) in 3 rhinos (1 searchlight, 3 dozerblades) and 3 razorbacks (pysbolt, dozerblades)
HEAVY
x3 psyflemen dreads
Dark Eldar
HQ
The Baron
Haemonculus
ELITES
X3 4 Trueborn (x4 blasters) in venoms
TROOPS
X2 5 warriors (1 blaster) in venoms
X3 3 wracks in venoms
11 helions
HEAVY
X3 ravagers (flickerfield, shockprow)
Combat drugs: reroll to wound
Set up and Deployment
Mission:
Primary: capture and control
Secondary: victory points
Deployment: pitched battle
The Dark Eldar win the roll and choose to go first. A bunker complex on one side of the table offers an excellent hiding spot for an objective that will be further protected by a large rock outcropping. The Dark Eldar commander places his objective out of line of sight and safe from those meddling pysbolt dreadnoughts. The three wrack squads go into reserve and everything else starts on the table on the
DE right.
Similarly the
GK commander hopes to use the large rock outcropping to provide partial cover from the
DE alpha strike. The
GK objective is placed in a bog directly opposite the
DE objective. The large rock outcropping is between them. However, the
GK commander feels he has a slight advantage. By placing his dreads to the right, they will be able to fire at vehicles on the
DE objective while also having line of sight to their own objective should it become threatened. Crowe goes into reserves.
DE deployment, their objective is behind the bunker under the hellions:
GK deployment: note the firing lanes for the dreads
the
DE objective is visible behind the bunker
the two sides face off
The Grey Knights seize the initiative!
TURN 1
A rhino and a razorback break left around the rock outcrop. The rhino pops smoke while the razorback hopes to put some shots on a ravager. The dreads shift right and the remaining tanks drive up the right side of the rock towards the
DE bunker. Shooting is disappointing as the
GK manage to destroy only single ravager and a venom.
The dark eldar move up their right. The big rock will block
los for many of the
GK units. A squad of trueborn deploy and wreck the lead rhino on the
GK left. The knights inside debus in good order and hide behind their wreck. Most of the remaining venoms cannot see the vulnerable squad but one pyscannon marine does die from shooting. Other
DE shooting is ineffective.
The marines move aggressively after seizing the initiative
The large rock dictates the tactical decisions of this game
the dark eldar move up. Note how their remaining two ravagers are shielded from most marine shooting
TURN 2
Crowe does not arrive. The knight right flank continues to press forward. The commander needs to strike a balance: enough forces must be committed to contest or seize the
DE objective while their own objective must be safeguarded from last-minute turbo-boosting Dark eldar. Mediocre shooting sees only a few hellions killed and an exposed trueborn squad eliminated.
The dark eldar get two wrack squads from reserves. They come in on the
DE right behind the rest of their forces. Blasters and dark lances are remarkably ineffective but venoms do eliminate the grey knight squad from the wrecked rhino.
The lead rhino is a wreck and the grey knights have suffered their first casualty: brother pure McPurity of the Psycannon brotherhood. The squad prepares to unload their remaining weapons on a squad of trueborn.
Another photo of the wrecked rhino. Only a single razorback is left to hold the grey knight right flank.
A marine dread in the firing line of two ravagers.
TURN 3
Crowe arrives and shores up the
GK left flank. The marine advance continues, although one rhino from the right swings over to reinforce the
GK left. Shooting sees a ravager stunned and two splinter cannons on a venom destroyed; a trueborn squad in the backfield loses one member from shooting.
The dark eldar get their last wrack squad from reserves. They continue to dance around the large rock. Shooting wrecks the razorback on the marine left and immobilizes a rhino. The marines from the razorback are shot by a venom but survive intact; likewise crowe is the target of venom shooting but weathers the storm with aplomb.
a rhino moves to reinforce the marine left
after three turns of movement the grey knights have finally turned the
DE left flank
TURN 4
The knights in the vanguard move to seize the
DE objective. In the marine backfield two squads backed up by the dreads will try to hold their own objective. Marine shooting is outstanding and both ravagers are down. More shooting whittles away hellions.
In their turn the Dark Eldar prepare to make an objective grab. Venoms turbo-boost over to obstruct the marine advance while the hellions leave cover to assault a dread. They plan to hit and run after a turn and use the
3d6 movement to advance on the marine objective. Everyone survives the combat but the hellions only roll an 8, twice, for their hit and run. That’s not good enough.
The Baron and friends advance. Their numbers are reduced—are their spirits in the fight?
DE wrecks start to pile up. Crowe wanders the battlefield with impunity.
Crowe inspects the wreck of a ravager.
A marine squad takes cover behind a wrecked razorback
A dark eldar venom turbo-boosts into the marine backfield!
TURN 5
The marines cannot reach the
DE objective. It is roadblocked by venoms. In the marine backfield a dread moves to obstruct the venom threatening the grey knight objective. Shooting wrecks that venom. However, the marines are less fortunate at the
DE objective and the obstructing venoms are only wrecked or have weapons destroyed. One squad of marines shoots and then assaults the baron. The baron and his reduced squad die at the hands of the purifiers. The marines are out of assault range of everything else.
The dark eldar pull off an astonishing gambit. The squad from the wrecked venom in the marine backfield moves around the dread. In the shooting phase they get a “5” for their fleet roll and they then roll a “6” in the assault phase to reach the rhino in cover on the marine objective. They now hold their own objective and are contesting the marine objective. If the game ends the Dark Eldar will have the win.
A bystander drops a die and the game continues.
shooting softens up the baron
Venoms obstruct the marine advance
A wrack squad holds the
DE objective. The marines cannot get through the venom wrecks in time!
TURN 6
Shooting and assaults eliminate all remaining dark eldar forces except the for the wracks holding the
DE objective! Miserable difficult terrain tests prevent the marines from assaulting the remaining squad or getting close enough to contest the
DE objective.
The game ends in a draw on primary and win for the
GK on secondary (a 14-6 score to the marines [20-0 being a massacre])
1850 Points NovaMarines
- 2200pts