Movement:
He generates a few extra scarab bases. They move, headed for my Fire Warriors. Paul moves the Immortals forward, getting a good Difficult Terrain roll.

Shooting:
The dreaded Lord of the Storm nails several of my units ... iirc, about 4 out of the 11 units possible, several of them to the tune of 4+ hits! Happily for me, poor wounding rolls and armor saves minimize the damage. I believe a PF, an HQ's GundD and a FW bit it. I had a pretty good set Armor Saves. The immortals gain range on my upper floor FWs, and kill one.

Assault Phase:
I forgot just how really far scarabs can go ... I mean, I knew it was 12 and 12, with the length gain on "Scarab Hive" generation, but ... *mentally* I just didn't measure carefully enough. So, there'll be no surprise for you, the viewers, when my FWs get assaulted anyway. I had a ton of Support Fire, a unit of PFs & two FW units. Also, the objective #2 turned out to be a Grav-Wave generator. With beastie Fleet, his re-roll for halved assault range is still long enough for his scarabs get through to my FWs. Total nooB mistake on my part. Unbelievably, assault is tied on one wound each. A lot of sissy slapping.

Here's what the scarab / FW scrum looks like:

Movement:
I select the ethereal's Storm of Fire . I move some FWs back as the other set of scarabs are going to threaten. Both LeoTides move up from the corner and the XV8 team pivots right, away from the assault range of scarab unit #2. B-sides and their PFs stay, while a move some of the PFs on the right and the left. They will Snap Fire their MarkerLs.





Shooting goes well, as most FWs, the Missile-sides and both LeoTides pound the Immortals. Paul made the mistake of putting Imotekh closest to my lines and choose to make a large number of Look Out, Sir! rolls. Both LeoTide large blasts scattered, one completely off target and the other netted a couple hits. I can't recall exactly how I used the few MarkerHits I'd scored. Prolly, first was spent bringing the Missile-Side team to a higher BS. I might've used another 2 on giving a LeoTide Ignores Cover, but that was the one that scattered off target.

In the end, Imotekh was down 2 wounds, and most Immortals were gone. Leadership passed. 2 or 3 made their Resurrection Protocol rolls.


Assault: The scarabs and FWs slap each other some more, and no break in h2h. A wound lost to both sides.

Turn 2, next.

Necrons check for Imotekh's continuing Lighting Strikes. The big blue dice is the turn counter.


A very big sigh of relief for me.


Movement:
For Reserves, all three Night Scythes get in and go after the Fire Warriors. My opponent states that scrubbing out the scoring units is going to be key. With most of my FWs on my left flank, they concentrate here:



The remaining Immortals, Imotekh and the Lord all duck back, behind the LOS-blocking ruin. The second set of scarabs moves towards the already busy scrum. The C'tan gets out and huffs for my line. The spiders move a bit, after spawning another base or two.


Shooting:
Night Scythes chop the corner FireWs into a 3 man unit. They pass Morale.

Assault:
Second unit of scarabs joins in the scrum. I lose a few FWs, but they also pass Morale.

Sorry for lack of pictures. I got busy with lotsa shooting.

Movement:
The LeoTides push deeper into the enemy's Dawn Of War deployment zone. I pull the white based, mid-table FWs to my right, away from the scarab scrum, for what little good that'll do.

My HQ Crisis Team is still short on range of the Necron base and the Night Scythes, but can have range on the C'tan.


Shooting:
Between the XV8s and the Missile-sides, the C'tan's high Toughness was not enough to save it. This actually is First Blood. The LeoTides put some template action on the spiders' rear and I nick one, but the scatter factor really has me not liking the Tau's new MC and his IonAcc.

Assault Phase:
Up 'til now, the FWs and scarabs have dealt a wound each for a couple rounds, and one slightly bad round for me. Now, the scarabs finally deliver a blistering fight, killing enough FWs lose the fight. Now, I'll fail Morale, right?

Nope, when I *did* need it, the lone Fire Warrior passed Morale In the ethereal's bubble, still) ! This ties up the 2 units of scarabs for another *Necron* turn.

Movement:
While most of his army shuffles away from where the LeoTides are gaining on his left flank, the Night Scythes make a hard left. You can see both LeoTides behind ruins in the background of this pic:


Shooting nets a number of dead FWs at mid-table and they fail Morale and run off table. One N-Scythe unloaded a number of Tesla laiden extra dice onto the Crisis Team, but thanks to Iridium Armor and my placing the Shas'O at the front, I tank most of the wounds. Still, I fail two, before a couple Look Out, Sirs! There's some tesla collateral on the center PathFs, too. I believe I pulled the same Armor Save 2 shenanigan with the Broadside unit, as a suit was closest to the middle N-Scythe, tanking most, if not all wounds.


Assaults:
It finally works out in my favor. The last FW didn't hold on, died, and the scarabs make their separate ways, one heading up for the PathFs I've had there, and the other to finish off a group of 3 FWs. Above the primer only PFs, you can see the white primer FWs (some repainting going on) that the ethereal has been attached to since game's start.

Sorry, but a Turn lacking in pictures.

Movement:
I decided to finally Nova-Charge the LeoTides, for the extra big Thrust Move. Both are successful in not OverHeating. I bring the Crisis Team to closer range on the one N-Scythe.

Shooting:
Thanks to the Twin-Linked and Ignores Cover signature wargear for the Crisis Team, the middle N-Scythe bites the dust to Fusion Blasters.


I got all excited about rolling the STR10 hits on the passengers, but Paul reminded me that 'crons are special and the warriors would be arriving by table edge.

I'm glad I didn't get a picture of my sad panda face.

PathFs don't accomplish much. Missile-sides got a hit, I think, but it was negligible. LeoTides don't have much on the Spiders and I didn't think to target the scarabs with them. I have the remaining FW units shoot the threatening scarab swarms, to little effect.

This was a mistake. I ought to have Markered them, and used the Missile-Sides. Plenty of STR7 ID for the crawlies.

Assault:
Both LeoTides get around 12" of Thrust, when average, ought to have been over 14". Oh, well. I forget my HQ's Thrust.

Necron Turn 4

Movement:

The two Night Scythes fly off table into Ongoing Reserves. The one set of Warriors walk on from their board edge, considerably to my right, away from the 'castle' of the main necron forces, rather near my most forward LeoTide. The scarabs snuggle up to the pathfinders where I castled, getting ready to assault them.

I really screwed the pooch on misinterpreting the Beast/Cavalry limitations. With the 'crons deploying first, I ought to have deployed hard right and been well away from the scarabs. The scarabs have my ethereal and FWs trapped on the upper floors.

Shooting, with the N-Scythes off table, we go right to assaults, which are predictable enough. 3 FWs on the ground quickly die to one swarm:




... and the PathFinders on the second floor also get creamed in one go.

Tau Turn 4

Movement:
I know the scarabs are coming closer, so I have my ethereal detach from the FWs and move them to the floor's edge. They'll triple shoot the scarabs, not nearly enough though.

I bring the HQ Crisis Team forward as I'm looking to keep the objective in the 'Cron castle clear. Both LeoTides move up, and I'll go for a Nova-charge on the Thruster move again. Both pass the Gets Hot test.



Shooting:
The necron warriors had shot the LeoTide last turn when they entered, and scored a nick.


I'll have the other LeoTide and my Crisis team shoot them a bit as the spiders, Imotekh and the other Lord are still out of LOS. After a few shots, I kill 4 of the warriors but Res-Protocols bring a couple back. The furthest LeoTide takes off with the Nova-Reactor Thrust


The same LeoTide could see a spider's rump, so I tried the blast template. I did get Imo and the Lord, and a bug. But I think only put *a* wound on a spider after Cover Saves.


The 3 ruddy colored scarab bases die to Missile-Side shooting with little drama.

Movement:
The two N-Scyhtes return, dumping a scoring Warrior unit on two objectives. The spyders begin to move out for my former 'stronghold' position that the scarabs are clearing out. As the game could end, Imotekh moves up with an Immortal and a Lord in tow, securing their objective.

The remaining unit of scarabs, with the grassy bases go after the broadsides' position having wacked my last FWs.




Shooting
The N-Scythes kill a Missile-Drone but little else. Tesla-arc extra shooting has been happening here and there, but not detrimentally so.

Assault

The last sacarbs get an assault on the broadside's position. We forgot the Objective's Grav-Wave gen, which might've helped me out, huh? Still, I tanked the wounds on Armor 2 and the fight held.



At the end of his turn 5, the necrons have 3 objectives to my 1. I have a LeoTide deep enough for Line Breaker.:
Necrons 9 VPs
Tau 4

Sorry for more narrative and less visuals:

Movement
The LeoTide converges on Imotekh's position. The Crisis Team and RH Pathfinders on the right move up to the Warriors on the RH objective.



Shooting
Between them, a Leotide and the Crisis Team, that warrior unit will be creamed. It took a lot of shooting and I was hoping to save the Crisis Team's shooting for Imo, but I figure that the LeoTide would get in assault to contest that objective. I would finish off Imotekh, but he'd come back with a successful EverLiving roll.



This is where the Ethereal hides out while the Necron forces get back to the ground and head for my last scoring unit, the Broadsides at mid-table. There's only two warriors left after the missile-sides shoot 'em up, and then Res-Protocols bring the numbers back to just two robots.


Assault:
a. The assault with the scarabs and Broadside goes nowhere, neither side hurting the other, much.
b. IIRC, I have the LeoTide assault Imotekh. The Lord's Staff of Light and Imo's swings aren't enough and Imo dies! Again! and comes back again! Another successful Ever Living roll. Now, I'm not clear, but in my mind and the photo, the Immortal and Lord and Imo are all no longer in h2h).
- - - - - - - - -
Necrons: 3 (one obj held by two necron warriors on my former 'castle')
Tau: 2 - (two contested), First Blood & Line Breaker.

So, if it ends, I've lost. Luckily for me, the game will continue!

Movement
The N-scythes move about, getting LOS on some pathfinders on the right, and maybe my Crisis Team. The Spyders pull away from the objective at my castle and head for the Necrons' castle. He'd later admit it, but going back and forth with the spyders was a mistake.

Shooting
I believe the RH pathfinders vaporize to Night-S tesla guns, and my Shas'O's Armor 2 will tank some wounds, but he'll still take another two. One left. The Immortal, Lord and Imo shoot at a LeoTide, to little affect. There are the 3 warriors on my far forward right, and they'll shoot at the LeoTide, doing nothing.

Assault
The scarabs and b-side unit fart about. The suits' Armor 2 will keep them safe, but the bases take a few. There's a drone within 3" of the objective, but no scarabs.

The situation at the bottom of Necron 6.


One objective in Necron control. One in tau control. One contested one unattended.
Necrons - 3 VPs
Tau - 5 First Blood, Line Breaker

Movement
I bring the HQ over to one set of Warriors.

Shooting
My HQ unit will destroy the warriors on the tau's 'castle'. The LeoTides will shoot into Imo's crew. There's enough to kill him again, but Ever-Living will fail this time.


We skip the assault's results as my opponent calls the game.

One objective in tau control. One contested. Two left unattended. Tau have Warlord, Line Breaker and First Blood.

Necrons - 0
Tau - 6

Tau victory.