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For this battle I mearly wanted to test ou the viability of using the hemlock wraithfighter. It seems no one is using this thing and (while it is incredibly fragile) It seems like it might be a trick that few people will expect... eh? I'll be play testing this a bit more in the future. -as an apology, yes I have 4 serpents at 1850 pts, I already had them as a basic list and the main purpose of this game was to test pinning with the wraithfighter. Conveniently, the serpent shield causes pinning! -and they can tank shock, duh!

1850 pts
Eldar:
Farseer, jetbike, uldanethi rifle(pinning!) +guide, puppetmaster, psychic shreik - not what I was hoping for
Autarch, wings, banshee mask, avenger catapult

Fast Attack:
10 swooping hawks, exarch, sunrifle (i thought it was pinning, but its not!)

Crimson hunter exarch

Hemlock wraithfighter

Heavy support:
3x vaul support with doomweaver (pinning!)

3 Dark Reapers, exarch, fast shot, starshot missiles(pinning!)
Wave Serpent, scat las, holofields (pinning!)

Troops:
Dire avengers
Wave serpent, scat las, holofields (pinning!)

Dire avengers
Wave serpent, scat las, holofields (pinning!)

Dire avengers
Wave serpent, scat las, holofields (pinning, of course!)

3 windrider Jetbikes

======================
Grey Knights:
Coteaz

10x grey knights + psybolts

10x grey knights + psybolts

10 DCA's with power Mauls

StormRaven

Eldar Allies:
Farseer Jetbike (guide, eldritch storm, somehting useless)

9 Windrider jetbikes

10 Dire avengers

10 Howling Banshees, exarch

10 Howling Banshees, exarch

============================
(told from my perspective on my 4" table edge)
The set up was "hammer of wraith-opposing short edges)" with 2 large LOS blocking buildings at the midpoint of the table (left and right). and 2 smaller buildings with neutral defense lines in lower left and upper right corner. Some forests in lower right and upper left. Overall very symmetric.

The mission type was "Emperor's will(one objective in each player's zone)" Both our warlord traits are "night-fighting" from the strategic trait. I elect to make it night fighting on turn 1.

Grey Knight player has fisrt turn and deploys only his eldar allies (Strike squads to DS, DCA's with coteaz in storm-raven). Both banshee squads hiding behind major LOS building- one on either side of the table as far forward as possible. Jetbikes located in center without any interveaning terrain, also as far forward as possible. Dire avengers on his objective way in the back somewhere.

Eldar (Mark_Autarch and Farseer Etienne de Bore`) deploys 2 serpents with DA's next to objective in lower left corner. Other 2 serpents in center of deployment zone at >36 inches from enemy windriders. Farseer and Dark reapers deploy behind lower left building out of LOS. DoomWeavers deploy in forest on lower right. Autarch and swooping hawks deploy far right and forward (opposite enemy banshees with LOSB building in between.

================================
Turn the First
Grey Knights: Move windriders forward and turbo to behind building on Right. I can see 1 bike poking out on both sides of the building, otherwise completely hidden. Right flank Banshees move and Run also towards this building, continuing to avoid LOS. Banshees on left advance forward to full hiding behind building on left.

Eldar: Swooping hawks jump over building and land 1" away from banshees. Farseer and Dark reapers move around the left side of the lower left building to get an angle on the banshees on the left flank. Dark reapers have night-vision, which benefits farseer, so farseer snipes a banshee out of a window (Pinning!) - but they are not pinned. A wave serpent knocks out the two jetbikes that are visible around the building on the left. The doomweavers then target the Right flank banshees which are groupped closely to hide behind the building. indirect fire Lands right on target, and 2 banshees go down. Autarch and hawks then blast away with lasblasters. This actually knocks out the entire banshee squad on the right flank and leaves the squad exposed. I had expected to get into assault with the banshees and possibly hide from shooting for a turn - at least it gave me first blood.

===============================
Turn the second
Grey Knights bring in only the stormraven. Left flank Banshees move and run out into the open to try and close the distance. Jetbike farseer casts eldritch storm on my swooping hawks, hitting 9, wounding 9, and I fail 5 saves including the exarch (so much for sunrifle). Further shooting from the jetbikes squads drops my swooping hawks down to a single model escorting the Autarch. Then comes the shurican cannons producing four wounds on my autarch. upon failing one, he is eliminated. GK storm raven fires mindstrike missiles at my farseer. 2 hits produces 2 perils of the warp. Hopefully I play this correctly: but seeing as the my farseer had 2 warp charges left, I used them both to avoid taking damage from the perils. Dark Reapers heavy aspect armor saves them from the rest of the blast.

Eldar call in only the crimson hunter which goes straight for the storm raven from the right flank. 3 pens with 2 being ignored by his diving Jink save. The other pen only causes crew shaken which he ignores, psychically. Combined fire from sniper, dark reapers, and doom weavers remove the remainder of the Left flanking banshees.

================================
Turn the Third
Grey knights deep strike 1 unit of strikers into the center of my formation. This unit then fires all guns at my vaul support battery, but he now realizes that the whole squad counts as T7 and he fails to cause any wounds. This is a major blow to his(my opponent's) game plan and morale. His storm raven unloads his DCAs and manages to approach to about 8 inches of my forward most wave serpent. They go for an assault, and the poor gentleman rolls a 3, which of course leaves his DCA's completely in the open (which they would have also been had they managed to kill my serpent), this is a second blow to his morale. His jetbikes come out of hiding and attempt to throw another eldritch storm onto one of my serpents. This scatters wildly but still hits a serpent way out in left field. Here is another point where I hope we got it right: Being as he could not see my serpent at all, we played that the tank got +1 for obscured, which when combined with a ruin and holofields ment I had a 2+ cover save - which I passed.

Eldar bring in jetbikes which simply turbo boost out of the action as they have no other purpose. FINNALLY the Hemlock makes it's appearence! I plant it directly in between his GKs and his DCAs to maximize mindshock pods. I take shock his grey knights in the center, and they fail the re-roll, but only run about 4 inches away. The same tank uses serpent shields to take out a grey knight from the central squad, and they fail their re-roll pinning check. My crimson hunter wrecks his storm raven. I then proceed to snipe and serpent shield his DCAs until they get pinned. This takes 2 serpents, the sniper rifle, and the Dark Reaper's starshot missile, even with forced rerolls from the mindshock pods. Darn Stubborn LD 10! When they become pinned, my opponnent concedes the game(partially because it is late, partially because I've destroyed his morale... oops).
===============================

Recap: didnt really get to see if the hemlock is worth its salt since I only got to play 1/2 turn with it. It's kind of fun to try to use, seems very delicate, and probably requires support from the crimson hunter. If he had sufficient anti-Air, I would have been hurting quite a lot.
It is also important to note that he came in with a handy-cap as he took foot-slogging banshees and we ended up playing the map which required the most running and exposure on his part.
I think this battle ultimately doesn't help my playtesting much. although I did learn that gun batteries are a pretty solid investment.

I've used the Hemlock before and it made my jaw drop! It's a really useful flier so long as yo knock out interceptor(Tau especially hate it!). And I'm pretty sure you played both the Ghosthelm and the Wave Serpent cover correctly. However you can't shoot the same turn you tank shock. Besides that you're all good on rules

He had a bit of a weird list that kind of favored you. He had to attempt to cross the board against a very shooty-focused army. Well played though

Actually, I believe the rules have changed on tank shock-there is no longer a restriction on shooting if you tank shock, only in regards to disembarking/embarking.

Also, part of the problem I find with the hemlock is the fact that you can't use the malediction the turn you arrive from reserves which is one of the reasons to take the thing. Also, anything that looks at it is liable to put a dent in it... Ultimately it comes down to positioning and getting where the ld will be the biggest issue. I think the wraith fighter will do well for eldar armies that overload the telepathy discipline and take like 10 spiritseers and IG allies with primaries psyker and psyker battle squad .

 mortetvie wrote:

Also, part of the problem I find with the hemlock is the fact that you can't use the malediction the turn you arrive from reserves which is one of the reasons to take the thing.

Exactly what I loathe about the Hemlock. The weapons can put a bit of hurting on a cluster of high point models, but I have yet to have one survive long enough to cast Terrify.

I think the GK list was illegal. Allied contingents can take one of every slot, except Troops which can take two. The Eldar Allies has one HQ, two Troops, and two Banshees (Elite?). Not ok.

Yeah it's an illegal list for taking a SINGLE unit of banshees imo.

 Kirasu wrote:
Yeah it's an illegal list for taking a SINGLE unit of banshees imo.

LOL (poor banshees) yea double banshee squads is illegal, but even if it wasn't it is a waste of an elite.