Right I got a couple of games in today, but the 2nd might not really count lol.
The first game was against a guy that I've just not been able to collar for a game, and since I've not played against Eldar in literally 11+ years it was nice to finally get an outing against them. Plus I wanted to test a new "more aggresive" list - but ended up with a horrible mission/setup for testing purposes. More on that later.
THE GAME:
KILL POINTS
DAWN OF WAR
DEPLOYMENT: The board is set up with 4 large ruins in the center making a sort of "diamond" around the center of the board, much like a ruin'd city. From that there was a smattering of cover, but nothing major on the rest of the board.
I win to go first and choose the slightly more cluttered side to force him in to the open, hoping I can "power" through the clutter and get lots of x-fire going.
THE LISTS:
MECH BA:
Lib - Fear / Shield
x5 RAS - MG IP - AssCan Razor - Dozer
x5 RAS - MG IP - AssCan Razor - Dozer
x5 RAS - MG IP - AssCan Razor - Dozer
x5 RAS - MG - LasPlas Razor
x5 RAS - MG - LasPlas Razor
Baal Predator - AssCan
Baal Predator - AssCan
Baal Predator - AssCan
Vindicator - Dozer
Vindicator - Dozer
Predator - Auto Cannon / Lascannon
The idea is this is meant to be a more "aggresive in your face" list - in SH or PB I'd put a huge AV13 wall (x5) w/ 3 aggresive razors behind it, ploughing forward to setup melta shots and generally cause problems of targeting - the remaining predator/lasplas's setup fire lanes to plink away and generally support fire / hold rear objectives and again cause problems with targeting (i.e priorities) however DoW and KP's really is the hardest mission to test this fully I feel as it never quite gives the full feel of a force.
Eldar Hybrid:
Eldrad
The Avatar
x10 Dire Avengers - Exarch - WaveSerpent (BL's non-S8+ armor thing)
x6 Pathfinders
x3 Eldar Jetbikes - SCan
x3 Eldar Jetbikes - SCan
x10 Fire Dragons - WaveSerpent (BL's / non-S8+ armor thing)
x2 Vibro Cannons (Squadron'd)
x3 WarWalkers - Scatterlasers
x3 WarWalkers - EML's
Going into the game I was pretty confident against this list - again in anything but DoW - as I wasnt sure how he'd deploy and could pull tricks anyway.
DEPLOYMENT:
I won to go first, and in retrospect I think I should have gone 2nd, I could have seen where he rolled on and countered that, popped smoke and blasted away - though I didnt know what a vibrocannon could do so that prob would have hurt lol.
I ended up putting x2 empty razors fairly center 8" in - so I could threaten mid table 1st turn if needed and plus stopped his Avatar setting up center and having a huge threat range in T1 - he ended up putting x2 jetbike squads and the avatar on my left flank.
He tries to sieze and fails.
THE GAME:
I roll on quite spread out - I put the vindicators, autolas and the lasplas's infront of the jetbikes and avatars as I feel I can get 3 quick KP's here in the first couple of turns. The rest of the "aggresive" force - x3 baals x3 asscanbacks setup fairly central as I dont know where he will come on and I need a chance to react. In retrospect I should have put the vindies center and the baals nearer the avatar - as I think that would have forced harder decisions, not sure though. My shooting was pretty bad, I failed to do anything to the bikes - and managed to take a wound off the avatar with the vindy. On the charge I lose 1 marine and kill no bikes lol.
His T1 and he pulls his warwalkers and serpents right into the far right corner flank - miles from me. Ok. His vibros center and his pathfinders right in the far left corner. His jetbikes move to get side armor on my autolas and he some how wrecks it - I am sure he only glanced but hey ho. I kill off 1 bike, they stay.
T2 I think to myself I've got these bikes done now - I deploy 1 squad so it can shoot and charge, and line up the lasplas's + vindies to hit the avatar/bikes - I do little - manage to kill 2 bikes of 1 squad and 1 by bolt pistol firing, and another wound off the avatar. Bad shooting. In the middle of the table I move the baals up in a spear head, and shoot at the wave serpent and vibro cannon with them, knocking out 1 cannon. The asscans and other baal try to take out the fire dragon serpent in my right flank but do nothing. I finally kill the bikes w/ combat 1-1
His T2 and he has an unbelievable round of shooting with v.little actually firing. His dragons deploy and wreck the razorback near him - and the waveserpent stuns the baal. His scatter / EML's wreck both baals in the center of the board fairly easy (EMLs went through AV13 like a hot knife through butter). Damn ... 4-1 down now.
My T3 and I think I have a chance to be aggresive here. 1 Vindy redeploy to hit the dragons / WS and miss horrifically - such a big footprint to hit and got nothing. 1 other vindy hits both avatar and final bike - killing bike and 1 wound on avatar (down to 1) he's making a lot of cover/invuln's. I move my ass can backs up to take out the vibro and take out the other vibro, and manage to do alot of damage to the WW scatter laser squad - 4-3.
His T3 and he takes the turret off the baal with the WS and fires the dragons at the squad in cover to try and get mass AP1 forcing tons of 4++ saves - maybe should have got the KP on the baal. Think he regreted that- but I did lose 4 guys - if he did go for the tank I'd have probably shot / charged or moved for rear armor on the WS. Eldrad and the DA's get out to blow up the razor - but only blow the asscan turret off.
T4 I look to get a bit more aggresive - but really I should have eased off here. At this stage I needed to sit back and really think about the game for 1 minute - but I went KP crazy and felt I could seal the game. I got my libby and squad out - plus the other squad - thinking I could maybe sneak a fear in or at least shoot a lot of DA's off and get a charge. The asscan took out the last scatter WW and put me into the lead now after the lasplas managed to duck off the avatars last wound. The libby manages to take a wound off himself (2nd game in a row) and I sucked at shooting. The 1 vindy manages to take out 9 dragons after the other blew the WS to kingdom come - they promptly ran. I should have run the single melta guy away - v.silly not to. . I charged eldrad and the DA's w/ a squad of 5 thinking I'd tie them up for a turn before they killed me - and by then the libby and his squad would have taken out the EML's and the rest of his army. However, on the charge, Eldrad takes down 1, the exarch 1 and the squad 2 - leaving my sarge to take out .... 0 .. he takes 4 wounds and fails all 4. I lose. Now 6-5.
Eldrad promply mind wars the libby - 6-5 and the DA's shoot down the squad to 2 guys. Who dont run. The EML's and remaining WS do very little, but the falling back dragon takes out the remaining melta on my squad (all I needed to do was move him about 3 or 4" ...) 7-5.
My T5 and I need to do something quick. I put the final 2 guys in cover - I could have put them back into their ride. I try to tank shock the dire avengers off the board, but no luck. I shoot 1 of the EMLs and stun 1 other with the reamining asscan back (with turret - 1 without). The vindicators redeploy to hammer his lines now. I need 2 turns to get the lasplas's and 24" into range of the WW's - again easy KP's, but I can deck the WS or maybe scatter onto the DA/Eldrad. The x2 lasplas's take out the remaining fire dragon. 1 vindy imobs itself about 22" away from the WS etc.. with a good angle - bit lucky. But they both miss - damn. 7-6 in KP's.
In his T5 Eldrad mind wars the remaining squad guys near his lines 8-6. He does nothing to the rest of my army.
We are pushed for time as another guy HAS to play now - so we had to end the game. Game ends loss 8-6.
If the game went on another turn - which it should have - then I had 2 vindies 2 lasplas's and 1 ass can (plus 10 troops) and then 2 "gunless" tanks (1 AV13 good for ramming! now I think of it I should have ploughed that 18" forward the turn I killed the dragon) vs his 6 rangers, 1 WS, 8 or 9 DA's and 1 Eldrad.
Additionally - again if that had been an objective game I'd have comfortably won.
But I am noticing a trend of my weaker play being on KP missions - I am either 2 defensive or 2 aggresive. However I am learning that - I think it is very important now to every single time something happens - calculate the KP's - whats happened and whats left - and think about plausibly how much you can gain or lose in the next turn - once I took that lead - I had no reason to get that libby x2 squads out - I could have retreated and just shot at Elrad and co or at the WS quite easily - I'd have lost a tank definatly - but nothing more - opposed to 3 KP's.
I kind of liked the Vindies but basically its "good" or "bad" - no in-between. But I had to test them - to get it out of my system. I can see reasons to take them and reasons not to. I do however much prefer my AutoLas's I have to say.
BONUS REPORT:
This doesnt count lol. The Eldar player kindly let me borrow his army to face a marine player a bit later, but at 1500 not 1750. His list was the same except take out the Vibro cannons - 10 dragons and no jetbikes.
PITCHED / KP's
The guy playing had a Chaplin / x8 shooty terms - x2 squads of tacticals (ML/MG/PW) combat squaded, 2 dreads (AC / AC) and x2 TF Cannons lol and I think that was about it.
I went first, I set up with WS center - scatter WW's behind 1, EML's behind the other. Finders behind cover and not much else. Fired an insane ammount of scatter into the terms and took out 2, EMLS did nothing.
He shoots at the WS with the dragons from miles away and manages to take it out with the dread (LOL) and killed like 6 dragons in the blast.
I move forward with the avatar, move the dragons into cover and zip the other WS about 24" right on to the right flank near his combat squad / 1 TF cannon and one dread. The scatter takes out a couple more terms and the EML's take out 1 TF cannon. Bout it.
He charges forward and shoots at the avatar - does nothing then charges and kills it lol. Think he shakes 1 scatter laser as well. WS makes all its 4++ saves (1 I think) he missed w/ the rest.
At this stage I go to town, I imob the dread and take its MM off with the EML's - I take out the terms down to the chaplin and AC via scatters and fire dragons that remain. The WS deploys the DA's and Eldrad who spank the living hell out of a combat squad and the thunder fire cannon respectivily - Eldrad charges the techpriest and does nothing.
He tries to retaliate - kills 2 dragons and nothing else, the dragon runs though.
I shoot the dragon back at the chaplin and kill it, the scatter takes out the remaining term(s?) EML takes out 1 combat squad w/ AP3 fire. The DA's got back in their ride and zipped around to get a KP on the dread but missed. Eldrad takes out the techmarine and consolidates.
He charges Eldrad with 1 squad, and tries to shoot the WS that remains, Eldrad wins combat but they stay.
I then promptly imobalise 1 dread to death with EML (3 imobs and 1 weap destroyed lol) and the WS kills the other - the DA's drop the remaining tech priest. Eldrad cuts through more guys - but they stick.
His turn he pretty much has had it - he tries to take out some of the WW's with bolter fire but gets no luck. In combat Eldrad takes out the final guy and thats it.
Game ends - dont really know KP's - I lost 3, and I took out a good few more than that. Was interesting to play Eldar - we are doing a escalation league in about 3 or 4 months and I am thinking of doing them as the army. It starts as 500 points - must be painted and then moves up like 250 points each month - again must be painted.
Fun though. lol.
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