Winning the roll off of deployment I must confess that it didn't occur to me to let Dan choose table end and set up first. so after much deliberation I don't think there was much in it I opted to take the end without a big hill as I wanted cover early on and the base of the hill was somewhat sparse.

we then proceeded to deploy objective markers starting in the middle of the board and then when realising there was no space in no-man's-land for more than two we then placed the remainder of our markers in our own deployment zones, we then reveal the values.



Orks Opening thoughts

As Dan set up his Eldar I quickly type something up not paying full attention to his deployment as I do.

I have a huge numbers advantage but a long slog ahead. I honestly have no real idea of how to approach this game, there is nothing I don’t want to try and kill early bar maybe the dire avengers as they have a more limited range and can wait till turn two

As long as the Eldar don’t seize I think try and hurt as much as I can asap and see what happens as the smoke clears in the lead in to turn 2 maybe targeting the Bikes with the rokets before cover shenanigans and the walkers with as many big shootas as I can while warbuggies head into position to swing round the flank.

Eldar Opening Thoughts

Once deployed I got Dan to jot down his thoughts before the roll to seize

That is a LOT of Orks. I’m boned.

The plan is to hang back, let the walkers do the heavy lifting and focus each green-skin squad down as they roll forwards. The spiders are teaming up with the bikes and are going to get behind them and pick juicy targets. I’m suddenly less keen on this hill and suspect that sticking to more traditional Eldar pursuits such as flower picking may have been wise.

Hmm well that'll teach me to write my opening thoughts instead of paying attention. The Pansies have basically hidden behind the hill so my plan to send the buggies after the Bikes has gone out of the window as in his deliberation Dan has moved them back.
So the advance begins, the Stormboyz move up to hide behind the building and the buggies move round the side to start there flanking move.
The Slugga mob gets a measly 3 for Move through cover and wander forward, on my left flank the Kans move up along side the Shoota Boyz with the Mek in his usual position hiding behind a Kan.
Thanks to the Pansy deployment not as much in range as I would like. The Dire avengers are the only thing in range of the buggies and 1 explodes into a red mist and the big shooters from the sluggers just miss.
Now 4 big shooters open up at the war walkers, 12 shoots and only one measly hull point off a Warwalker but I guess thinking about it it's just average.
All in all not what I was hoping for, one more hull point would have been nice, still early days.

The Farseer starts the turn off by Guiding the War Walkers and giving the Dire Avengers a helping hand with fortune.
The Bikes Move up so the shuriken cannon can draw a bead, and the Warp Spiders keep back safe ready to pounce later.
The DIre Avengers move up ready to confront the Orks.
In the shooting phase the Dire Avengers run forward to ensure there in a good position next turn along with the warpspiders and Farseer to get into position. The bikes Cannon lets rip taking a hull point off the front Warbuggy.
Then the pain really begins, Warwalkers open up with 24 shoots, causing 18 wounds but with some luck the Orks make 8 cover saves and the front 10 get misted including the big shootas.
No longer fearless the Orks pass their LD 10 and hold.
The Bikes dart back onto the hill in the assault phase.

OMG ouch, that was painful half a squad dead in one go and both big shootas gone, note to self keep them nearer back of the unit in future.
The Orks begin to move again but with another 3 on the difficult terrain test for the sluggers I quickly realise their not going to get anywhere quickly and so move them back to camp the objective and cover the back field if the bikes try to break though.
The Stormboyz leap 12" going over the building (note: as the first time I've used them I really should have re-read the codex entry, but I didn't and forgot the +d6)
Everything else rocks up trying to close the gap.
Starting the shooting phase I measure the charge distance for the Stormboyz it's eight inches, but with Warwalkers lining up the guns I need those boyz in combat so WAAAAAGHHHH!!!
Both the Big Shootas from the Sluggas open up, and manage to kill one biker, luck has it that it's the warlock that's closest.
The buggies draw a bead on the Warwalkers but fail to do anything. damn and to add insult to injury the Kans hit 5 times then totally fluff the pen rolls with three 1s a 2 and a 3. Drat thats going to cost me just taking the damaged one down would have taken the heat off.
Never mind Assault time now, WAAAAGHHH!!! Stormboyz charge the Dire Avengers who seeing their death approaching declare BLADESTORM and open fire, culling the front most Ork and puting a wound on the Knob. Rolling for charge range and a 4 and 1 is rolled but thanks fleet of foot from the Waaagh the 1 can be rerolled for a 4 and the Nob just makes it in.
The Nob then Challenges the Exarch who accepts. The Exarch fluffs his attacks and the rest of the Dire Avengers drop a single Boy before the Nob Crumps the Exarch with a single wound, The rest of the boyz then roll and from 28 attacks only 3 wound and 2 saves are failed. Losing combat by 2 the Eldar hold so the Stormboyz are safe for the Eldar turn

Again casting guide on the Warwalkers the Farseer also fortunes them as they are taking a fair amount of heat as the Dire Avengers are a lost cause.
The bikes move down to take the space in the middle, while the Warp Spiders Begin to make their move by jumping onto the hill.
Moving into the shooting phase the Warp Spiders open up on the buggies ripping off 3 hull points trashing the closest and finishing off the damaged one.
The Warwalkers set there sights on the clanking monsters that threatened to Dakka them down last turn, Showing the crude machiens how it's done 24 shots shred the 2 kans with 4 glances and 2 penetrating hits blowing up one and wrecking the other, Shards of shrapnel bounce harmlessly off the Mek as his creations vanish in front of his eyes.
With the Kans gone and the buggies less of a threat the Jetbikes eye up options , Considering turbo boosting the presence of the Sluggas put's them off so instead they open up on the Shoota Boyz but only kill one.
With shooting finished the bike dart back out of the danger zone.
The Combat continues between the Stormboyz and the Dire Avengers and the Eldar swiftly slay one of the Greenskins. In return the Boyz swing out with 21 attacks and kill just 3 of the Pansy Eldar even without fortune, the nob lays in but only kills one crushing it with a twist of his power klaw. Loseing the combat by three the Eldar aspect warriors grit their teeth and hold, selling their lives to buy time for the rest of the Eldar to keep the heat on the Orks.

Last turn saw the Orks chances drop off significantly, with the Stormboyz locked in a combat my options are limited, they would have to do so bad this turn not to finish the combat its highly unlikely and when they do it’s a guarantee that they will get cut down in the Eldar turn.
In a defiant move the Shoota Boyz Move up ready to dakka the bikes, and the loan buggy makes a run for cover behind the building in an attempt to get out of sight and deny the fast attack VP, though it can’t quite reach but is sitting by a window.
Moving onto the shooting phase the Orks open up with as much Dakka as they can muster. The buggies rocket misses, the Shoota Boyz gun down 2 bikes and the Sluggas big shooters take a third and the remaining bike holds.
I then go eat some pizza before moving onto the assault phase. I have a kunning plan and promptly fail to realise that by shooting the bikes I can’t assault the Dire Avengers with the shoota boyz and so do it anyway.
The remaining Dire Avengers fluff it and then get cut down by the Mek who’s now chillin with his Shoota boy homies since the death of his Kans. I enact my kunning plan and consolidate into the shadow of the hill as best as I can hoping to bubble wrap the Stormboyz with Shoota Boy fodder.

The farseer starts the turn with Guide once more on the Warwalkers and fortunes the Warp Spiders as they are heading off the hill this turn.
With the combat over, the Dire Avengers have given their live to save the rest of the force, the Warp Spiders move in behind the mob of Orks for a clear line of sight to the Stormboyz and the lone Bike makes a run for it to behind the hill for safety.
The shooting phase is a blood bath; the Warwalkers can see all of the Shoota Boyz, despite the attempt to hide behind the hill, and so carry on with their sickening display of fire-power wiping out the Shoota Boyz and Mek. With the trap sprung the Warp Spiders join in and cull all but 2 Stormboyz who promptly high-tail it towards the board edge.

Well that basically over for me but there is still a glimmer (very tiny one about the size of a snotlings nadsack) of hope, the Slugga boys surge forward 6 from their crater and the buggy comes out of hiding.
The twin rokits pay off and though 99% obscured I can see the riders face, so the biker crashes to the ground headless as the careening rokit finishes the unit off.
And now for the gambit, 6 pistols + big shootas from the Slugga boyz open on the rear of the Warp Spiders causing 6 wounds. Surprised that this may have paid off with bated breath I watch as one by one the Exarch saves all of them only needing fortune for the last one.
Damn

The Warp spiders shuffle round to face the buggy at max range and the Warwalkers shuffle along with their first move of the game. The Farseer then does his grand old duke of your impression and marches up to the top of the hill (the smug pointy eared git)
Shooting happens and the Buggy falls apart to the warp Spiders, the Wa walkers kill 11 boyz who managed 6 saves but alas the Boyz turn and legit, however in the confusion only make it 5 inches and are still on the table.
Using their jump packs the Spiders head for the 4 point objective.

The Boyz Rally and regroup back into the crater out of the Warwalkers range before trying to hurt Warpspiders with some dakka, but fail to scratch them.

The Warwalkers clamber up the hill and only just make it into range (dif roll 4) while the Farseer Marches up and down a bit. The Warp Spiders carry on with their mission and land on the 4 point objective
In continuing form the Warwalkers open fire scoring a mass of wounds. The 9 remaining Orks including Nob begin taking cover saves while not doing too badly it comes down to one wound in the pool and one boy left. He fails the save and falls over leaving the Orks with nothing standing on the table.

Eldar – 8 VPs First blood, Slay the warlord, 2 fast attack kills and 4 Objectives points.
Orks – Nothing.
Eldar inflict a crushing defeat on the Orks.

Well that was painful, but a lot of fun. It may have been a hideous defeat but I actually think I could have pulled it off if it wasn’t for a couple of rolls.
In particular the Stormboy Combat; if the Dire Avengers had fled as they should do, the Stormboyz would have been in the Warwalkers face next turn. Even if all the boyz died to overwatch/boss pole the Nob with power Klaw could have ripped the walkers to bits.
I did make the mistake of letting the two bad difficult terrain rolls for the Slugga mob get me down and send them back, along with the psychological effect of the bikers potentially jumping over my army and taking a back field objective along with line breaker. If I had run the Sluggers to catch up turn one I could always have used the rokit buggies to hunt bikers later and it would have given me more to play with when it came to the crunch, threatening the Warp Spiders and just more bodies to force the eldar hand.
I also failed with the big shooters in the Slugga unit and should have kept them in the back half of the unit. They could have just pushed my turn two shooting from a flop to the one more HP from the damaged walker I needed to dramatically reduce the pain they give out.

Ork of the match
It’s hard to say, most of the army didn’t do that well or didn’t get chance to shine. I think I have the tools for the job, but this game they just didn’t manage it when they needed to. If it has to be anyone I’ll give it to the lone buggy for the pot shot at the remaining Biker as it made me chuckle.

WTF unit
Has to be the Stormboyz, if they had just killed one more Dire Avenger each turn then they would have been free to abuse their way around the Eldar lines.

Lessons learnt

1 Review your codex before games, little rules like Waaagh and the Stormboyz rokit packs have wording and additional rules that are easily forgotten or miss remembered “conceal basically is shrouded right?”
2 Eat Pizza after you finish a turn not during.
3 OUCH Warwalker hurt big time, kill them kill them first and worry about the rest later, (or bring armour 13 death rollers mwaahahahaha)

Well that didn't go to plan! That large mob of Boyz hanging back left me disinclined to fly down the field or break through one flank so I felt cornered in behind and around the hill for the entire game. Through turns one and two I felt sure that my poorly thought out deployment and indecisive movements had already cost me the game. By turn three I was cautiously optimistic and on turn four the Farseer was smugly strutting up and down the hill.
I made two choices early on which were painful, sending the Dire Avengers over the hill so early and into a terrible position (to their horrible death at the hands of the Stormboyz) and not committing the Jetbikes to anything productive, leaving them hanging around and being whittled down without achieving anything. My mistake with the Dire Avengers turned out to be a happy one however, bogging down the enraged Orks for just long enough and never retreating. I do feel that I should have done a lot more with them though and I’m going to have lasting nightmares of rampaging Stormboyz appearing from nowhere to cause carnage. I’ve never felt overly threatened by the Kans and I think ignoring them until they were close was prudent. The War Buggies however were far more damaging than I expected, I’ll be sure to keep an eye on those in future.
Despite my failings with those two units, they did slow down the horde for long enough to allow the superb War Walkers to do their work. An storm of S6 shots and a keen Farseer on hand for Guide turned out to be an incredible combination and their shooting phase antics were a joy to behold, from my end of the table at least. I’ll certainly be making use of a similar setup in future to cull the rampaging hordes. The Warp Spiders were also on fine form, though I ended up making more use of their heavier armour and hail of high strength shots than their assault-phase jump rules.
Ultimately I ended up playing a very defensive battle with most of my choices being dictated by Dan’s aggressive and focused moves. Thankfully, hiding behind a hill and shooting everything without a suspiciously-phallic-hat on seemed to be a winning strategy!

Unit of the Match:
The War Walkers may have had the most obvious impact on the game for the punishment they sent up the table, but for me the Farseer was the real hero. Pumping out Guide and Fortune each turn paid for her points cost several times over in extra hits and rerolled saves even if she didn’t take any direct action.
Though some might say that hiding behind a hill until victory was assured isn’t exactly heroic…

WTF Unit:
Urgh, the Jetbikes. I feel that the unit composition was sound but as the general I had no idea at all what to do with them and so they achieved nothing for the entire game. Under another player, they might have done great things. Their crowning achievement was making my opponent and I both laugh when the final one took a Rokit to the face despite his cowardly hill-related tactics.