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Mission: My Base, Your Base
Deployment: Spearhead
Game Size: 1500 points
First Turn: Ultra Marines
Initiative stolen: Negative
Combat Drugs: Re-roll failed wounds


Army list

Ultramarines

Chapter Master(Marneus Calgur)
Banner Bearer
Champion
X2 other guys

1 Devastator squad(4 heavy bolters, one sergeant with a power-fist)

X2 Tactical squads(9 marines each, 2 sergeants with power-fists)

9 Stern-guard veterans(Poisoned ammunition, 1 sergeant with power-fist)

1 Land Raider

Cult of Volition

Lelith Hesperax(Sahosha's template as she is painted differently, and the book said we can do that if we like)

X2 Haemonculi(X2 Liquifier guns, 1 Web Way Gate, 1 Shatter Shard)

8 Wyches (1 Razor Flail)
1 Hekatrix (Blast Pistol, Agonizer)
Raider (Flicker Field, Night Shield)

12 Wyches (2 Shard-nets)
1 Hekatrix (Blast Pistol, Agonizer)

8 Hekatrix Blood Brides(3 Hydra Gauntlets)
1 Syren ( Agonizer, Blast Pistol)
Raider (Flicker Field, Night Shield)

9 Kabalite Warriors (Blaster, Splinter Cannon)
1 Sybarite
Raider (Flicker Field, Night Shield, Splinter Racks)

Ravager(Flicker Field, Night Shield)

3 Reavers (1 Heat Lance)

Round 1



The Space Marines have received the first turn, forcing me to abandon my original plan, of deploying in a forward position, and actually hiding my vehicles. I did notice he set up defensively and hoped to take advantage of his static posture.

Space Marine Turn

The land raider advances, and takes a shot into my HQ's raider, wrecking it ( the one on the right, near the Grey ruins. He then uses his machine spirit perk to fire into my ravager, blowing it up. Everything else is out of reach, so it swiftly goes to my turn.

Dark Eldar Turn.

The Kabalite Raider advances over the large rock wall, into attack position on the land raider. The Second Wych Raider(In the ruins) advances over the ruins, and the Wyches and the Haemonculi. Sahosha, surprised by the destruction of her personal Raider, takes her squad deeper into the ruins, to observe her enemy. I moved my HQ squad into cover realizing that with the destruction of the raider, they would not get into melee. They would more then likely get gunned down.

I make both of my Raider's fire on the Land Raider hoping to cripple that big bully but they miss. Haemonculus deploys the Web Way gate; this was a rather silly move in retrospect considering my army was not built around this little babble.

The Wyches assault the tactical squad that sits furthest away from the land raider, but on open ground. Wyches kill two space marines in assault, the Marines kill one Wych. The Space Marines pass their morale test, and stay locked up.

Round 2

Space marines advance slowly, the Land Raider blowing up the Kabalite Raider(Warriors pass their pinning test), and the empty Wych Raider. Devastator squad kills the Haemonculus. The Marines in assault loose two more brothers, and manage to kill three Wyches. Wyches fail their moral test and fall back.



Dark Eldar Turn.

The surviving wych cult moves to regroup at the Grey rock, where their base is located. I realize that my opponent has a superior position then I do due to him getting to select the side of the board. I conclude that my dice rolls have been very poor, and victory for me will not happen. I decide to sour my opponent's day but denying him his victory. (Sounds cheap but I am a sore loser)

"These Space Marine brutes have shown me their might, but they have yet to see my wit...All FORCES FALL BACK Let us lure these troglodytes away from their secured outpost." Sahosha - Cult of Volition





Round 3



Space Marine Turn

With the Dark Eldar falling back, the Space Marines advance giving chase. The Land raider fires into the Hekatrix squad, and kills three Blood Brides. The Tacticle Squad finishes off the defeated Wych Squad with a burst of disciplined Bolter fire. I take this time to smirk, he has blunted my offensive with ease, and makes the mistake that the dark Eldar are easily beaten

Dark Eldar Turn

Sahosha's squad continues her retreat back to the Grey rock. A Brave Kabalite warrior runs out, and fires his blaster into the Land Raider. The hit rattles the crew, but inflicts no serious damage. Dark Eldar Reinforcements arrive, and opt not to use the web-way portal. They come in on the back of the board, and converge on the Grey Rock.

"That's right, head to the great rock, bring your finest warriors! There is room for all in the Arena!" - Sahosha (Succubus of the Cult of Volition)

Round 4

Space Marine turn

The Land raider can not fire, yet it moves in to an odd position that will not allow my foe to even contest me. Sternguard move, and then run. I had no clue what my opponent was doing. He could have easily assaulted my Kabalite warriors, or a wych squad and easily routed them. This move was baffling to me.

Dark Eldar Turn

I move my forces further together, gaining firm control over my point. My opponent had no ordinance, and I lured the Commander of his force to the other side of the map. Clearly he underestimated my HQ, and put too much stock in his own.



Turn Five.

Space Marines

Stern guard move and then run. The Chapter Master exits the land raider and advances his full six inches. Calgur fires into the reinforcement Wych squad and kills one. Land Raider fires into Hekatrix Squad killing none of them! The Chapter Master's squad fails to make it into assault.

Dark Eldar Turn

Hekatrix Blood Brides, and the Wych Squad both advance towards Calgur. Kabalite warrior fires a blaster into the Land Raider Wrecking it.

Assault begins. I roll for my Hydra gauntlets, and get 14 bonus attacks. Sahosha gets a total of 8 attacks(A League apart). The Chapter Master's squad does not make it to their turn of the assault( Sahosha personally Defeating the Space Marine Master's Champion who pulled her into close combat.) The Second squad, finishes The Chapter Master off, the dark Eldar taking the Chapter Master and his honor guard alive(Though severely wounded).



I roll for a sixth turn....we do not go to another turn. Game Result: DRAW We both firmly hold out respective points.



So I now have a Space Marine Chapter Master to toy with. These brutes were mighty...but utterly stupid. Did they think we were cowards? I suppose it won't matter what this chapter master thinks once I have him stuffed, and placed in my private museum. On the return to my ship, I may punish my Wyches for their foolish actions by pitting them alone against the Chapter Master and his captured guards....so many thoughts, such a valuable prize - Sahosha


In summery. I was dissatisfied with this game. I was happy to have slain the Space Marine Chapter Master, but other then that my forces folded up in the face of these space marines. It proves I still have much to lean about these Dark Eldar. As far as that goes, I did take solace in the fact that my friend who is a dedicated Ultramarine player lost his command squad to my own. He enjoys having several regular marine detachments centered around one very expensive and beefed up squad. It was a pleasure to destroy it in my turn of the assault.

Nice battle Report. If I may give some advice:

1)The webway portal does not seem to fit your army. You might have been better having another Raider instead so all your forces are mounted.

2) Only deploy if you have first turn. DE can rarely survive a turn of shooting. It might have been better to start in reserve.

1) well that is all of my vehicles. The webway was just kind of an option I used to fill the gap I had left. Normally I have Harlequins to make that webway dangerous.

2) next time I will totally do this.

I added a few tactical thoughts to the Batrep.

I actually like the webway portal if you have even a single non vehicle unit in reserve. It gives you options which are always an awesome thing for any army but Dark Eldar even more so. It is a good terror weapon if you let your opponent know you have it, they will likely spread out a bit more than they would otherwise which makes it easier to pick off other units. Also, in a spearhead, you might even be better off not even riding in a raider with the units that have one and keeping them in WWP.

Somnicide wrote:I actually like the webway portal if you have even a single non vehicle unit in reserve. It gives you options which are always an awesome thing for any army but Dark Eldar even more so. It is a good terror weapon if you let your opponent know you have it, they will likely spread out a bit more than they would otherwise which makes it easier to pick off other units. Also, in a spearhead, you might even be better off not even riding in a raider with the units that have one and keeping them in WWP.

I love the web way portal. My first two games went well because I would place the Harlequins in it, and Harlequins are amazing (I had like ten of them plus the troup master and shadowseer, with some Harlequin kisses) But this smaller game forced me to neglect some of my faster units. Plane and simple, my opponent had a lot of advantages, and I failed to think of a way to deal with them. I ended up having to accept the fact that I could not win. I suppose I should be happy I denied my opponent his victory.

The SM player in all reports does the stupidest things.
"Hmmmnn, I know that DE HQ suck in close combat, so I think I'll charge them. Oops, that didn't work."
"Sternguard aren't for shooting, they're for running of course. Duh."
"I shouldn't hold back, I should attempt to persue the DE into melee. Space marines are far better in CC than DE."
"Well would you look at that. My tactics didn't work. Oh well, time to try again."
I would eat your DE list in one gulp with the SM player's luck and even with his horrible list. Yes, Marneous Calgar is crap.
Well played by you, epic fail by SM.

LOL

Marneus is crap IMO. The space marines have much better named characters available.

I find most space marine players are usually very cocky with their lists and believe the space marines to be the best at everything.

They are not.

My opponent has deemed it prudent to defeat me in the shooting phase of the game.

I have decided to counter this I will deny him a shooting phase if he ever goes first.