Sunday, January 20, 2013

Warhammer 40k Battle Report: Eldar vs Space Wolves - 1850 Points


THE ARMIES

Eldar

Eldrad Ulthran
The Avatar of Khaine
10 Wraithguard with Spiritseer
10 Guardians with Scatterlaser platform, Embolden Warlock
11 Guardians with Scatterlaser platform, Embolden Warlock
10 Dire Avengers with Exarch, Bladestorm, double Avenger Catapaults
3 War Walkers with Scatterlasers
2 Wraithlords, each with Bright Lance, Scatterlaser, and 2 Flamers

1654 Points

This was supposed to be an 1850 point list, but you'll notice I'm actually missing 196 points.  That's because the list ACTUALLY contained 6 Warp Spiders plus an Exarch.  I completely forgot about adding them to this game.  So Eldar are actually playing at a deficit in this game.



Space Wolves

Wolf Lord on Thunderwolf Mount, with Runic Armor and the Belt of Russ
4 Thunderwolf Cavalry
10 Grey Hunters with 2 Melta Guns, Power Sword, Mark of the Wolfen, with a Drop Pod
10 Grey Hunters with 2 Melta Guns, Power Sword, Mark of the Wolfen, with a Drop Pod
10 Grey Hunters with 2 Plasma Guns, Power Sword, Mark of the Wolfen, with a Drop Pod
5 Wolf Guard in Terminator Armor, 3 with Wolf Claws, 1 with Thunder Hammer, 1 with Melta Bomb, 1 with Mark of the Wolfen
Land Raider Crusader
Land Speeder with Typhoon Missile Launcher and Multi-Melta
Predator with Twin-Linked Lascannon

1850 Points




The Battlefield

I designed an abandoned facility in the tundra.  In the remains of an old road rest the carcasses of Imperial tanks.  Ruins litter the snow drifts, providing cover and difficult terrain for the two armies.

Deployment

The Mission: Big Guns Never Tire.  Deployment: Hammer and Anvil.  The Space Wolves deployed first along the west side, leading with Thunderwolves and the Land Raider.  Two Grey Hunters abandon their Drop Pods and deploy on the two close objectives.  A Land Speeder and Predator are deployed in some cover, ready to pop out and start shooting.

The Eldar deploy Wraithguard in an aggressive stance to the southeast, alongside the Avatar and Eldrad.  Guardians and Wraithlords deploy to the northeast on the objective.  Dire Avengers sit in the center of the deployment, ready to Bladestorm the Cavalry.  Warwalkers are deployed in reserve, to outflank.

Night Fighting is not in effect for turn 1.  The Wolf Lord rolls a Warlord Trait that gives one Victory Point per enemy character slain in a challenge.  Eldrad gains the ability for all units within 12'' to roll an extra dice when running, picking the highest.

Turn 1: Space Wolves Movement

Thunderwolves and Land Raider advance forward.  The Land Speeder and Predator poke out from behind cover.  Finally, an empty Drop Pod arrives in front of the the Avatar and Wraithguard, to stall them from advancing.  The three objectives are identified but have no bearing on the game at all.

Turn 1: Space Wolves Shooting

Because of the careful deployment of the Eldar, the only weapons in range are the Typhoon missiles from the Land Speeder, the Predator's Lascannon, and the weapons on the Land Raider.  The missiles explode around the Guardians, killing one.  The Land Raider moved at cruising speed, and snap fired all of its weapons.  One Dire Avenger is slain from the wild hail of fire.  Finally, the Predator targets the towering Avatar of Khaine, scoring a wound with a searing Lascannon blast.

Turn 1: Eldar Movement

Eldrad casts Fortune on the Avatar as well as the Wraithguards, and Doom on the Thunderwolves.  In doing so he suffers Perils of the Warp, losing a wound despite his Ghost Helm.  To the northeast, the two Wraithlords move out into the open to target the Land Raider.  Dire Avengers move up into range of the Thunderwolves.  The Avatar of Khaine moves forward, while the Wraithguard actually retreat out of range of the Thunderwolf charge.

Turn 1: Eldar Shooting

The two Wraithlords fire their Brightlances into the advancing Land Raider, piercing its heavy armor and causing an explosion!  One Terminator is killed in the explosion, and the unit is pinned.  One Scatterlaser from the Guardians penetrates the Land Speeder, immobilizing it.  The Dire Avengers Bladestorm into the doomed Thunderwolves, killing one.  Finally, The Avatar fires its Wailing Doom into the Drop Pod, exploding it and earning a Victory Point for First Blood.

Turn 2: Space Wolves Movement

The two remaining Drop Pods arrive in front of the Avatar, to delay the advance further.  One contains a unit of Grey Hunters, which gets out far away from the Avatar.  The Thunderwolves elect to move toward the Dire Avengers.

Turn 2: Space Wolves Shooting

Grey Hunters and Thunderwolves fire a storm of bolts at the Dire Avengers, killing all but one.  One Wraithlord is hit and wounded by a Predator Lascannon and a Land Speeder Krak Missile.

Turn 2: Space Wolves Assault

Thunderwolves charge and kill the lone remaining Dire Avenger.  

Turn 2: Eldar Movement

Eldrad Fortuned the Avatar and the Wraithguard.  He attempted to Mind-War the Wolf Lord, but failed, and yet again suffered Perils of the Warp and failed his Ghost Helm save!  The Warwalkers moved onto the battlefield from the north.  Wraithguard moved up to the south while Wraithlords moved up to the northeast.

Turn 2: Eldar Shooting

The Warwalkers fire a storm of Scatterlasers at the Thunderwolves, while the Wraithlords and Guardians do the same, killing 3 of them.  Wraithguard explode the nearby Drop Pod to the south, but the Avatar fails to hurt the second Pod.  

Turn 2: Eldar Assault

The Avatar charges the drop pod, finally killing it.

Turn 3: Space Wolves Movement

Wolf Guard move forward while the Wolf Lord advances on the Guardians.  The dropped unit of Grey Hunters elects to move south, targeting the Wraithguard and hoping to charge.

Turn 3: Space Wolves Shooting

Wolf Lord and Wolf Guard shoot Bolters at the Guardians, killing 4.  Grey Hunters fired their pistols at the Wraithguard, but the tough faceless constructs shrugged off the hits and all survived.  The Predator shot at the Avatar, but was ineffective due to Fortune.

Turn 3: Space Wolves Assault

The Wolf Lord charges headlong into a hail of overwatch, taking no damage, and crashes into the line of Guardians.  All but the Warlock are slain, and the Warlock escapes, fleeing the battle.  To the south, the Grey Hunters charged the emotionless Wraithguard, but three were gunned down by Overwatch fire, bodies imploding into a tear in the fabric of reality by the Distortion weapons.  Amazingly, they had to charge exactly seven inches, but with the front Marines killed off, the remaining men were out of range and failed to reach the front lines of the Wraithguard.

Turn 3: Eldar Movement

Warwalkers move up to get a good shot off at the Predator.  The two Wraithlords confront the Wolf Lord head-on, ready to halt his advance.  The Wraithguard move up alongside the Avatar, finally able to advance onto the southern objective.

Turn 3: Eldar Shooting

Wraithguard elect to run, trusting the Avatar to take care of the pesky Grey Hunters.  Warwalkers blast the side armor of the Predator, scoring a penetrating hit and stunning the crew.  Meanwhile, Wraithlords Scatterlaser the Wolf Lord, scoring a few wounds but not stopping the hardy fighter.

Turn 3: Eldar Assault

The two Wraithlords charge the Wolf Lord, slaying him with the trampling impact itself, before any blows are even struck.  To the south, the Avatar slays many Space Marines, but the remaining Hunters refuse to run.

Turn 4: Space Wolves Movement

The only Space Wolf unit that can move, the Wolf Guard Terminators, proceeds south, to intercept the dangerous wall of implacable Wraithguard.

Turn 4: Space Wolf Shooting

The Wolf Guard shot at the Wraithguard, but did no damage, as usual.  Both the Land Speeder and Predator shot at the two wounded Wraithlords, managing to kill them both!

Turn 4: Space Wolf Assaualt

The Avatar of Khaine squashed more Marines, but remains locked in combat with the remaining man.

Turn 4: Eldar Movement

Wraithguard continue advancing on the objective to the south.  Eldrad Fortunes the Avatar and Wraithguard, but dies from a third Perils of the Warp, again despite a 3+ Ghost Helm save!!  The Warlock to the east finally runs off the table.

Turn 4: Eldar Shooting

Warwalkers manage to wreck the Predator.

Turn 4: Eldar Assault

Khaine's Avatar finally destroys the remaining Space Marines and consolidates forward, continuing its relentless march on the objective.

Turn 5: Space Wolves Movement

Night falls on the battlefield.  Wolf Guard continue moving south, cutting off the Avatar of Khaine.

Turn 5: Space Wolves Shooting

Grey Hunters in the southern ruins unleash a volley of fire at the Wraithguard, but fail to wound any.  One Plasma Gun explodes, killing an unlucky Space Marine.  The Wolf Guard Storm Bolters also do nothing.  The Wraithguard seem unstoppable!

Turn 5: Space Wolves Assault

Terminators launch a charge, but are caught with a deadly blast of Disruption fire.  Two Terminators are rent into the Immaterium, and the charge fails.

Turn 5: Eldar Movement

Wraithguard keep advancing, and are now in range of the Marines guarding the southern objective.  The Avatar moves to meet the Terminators.

Turn 5: Eldar Shooting

Two Grey Hunters are killed from the deadly Wraithguard's shooting, despite going to ground in the cover of the ruins.  The Avatar lands a Whailing Doom and slays a Terminator, and the remaining Marine flees.  The Warwalkers do away with the pesky Land Speeder to the north.

Turn 5: Eldar Assault

The Avatar caught up with the fleeing Wolf Guard Terminator, slaying him in close combat.

Turn 6: Space Wolves Shooting

The lone unit of Grey Hunters on the objective does no damage with its shooting.

Turn 6: Eldar Movement

The Avatar and Wraithlords march on the ruins containing the steadfast Grey Hunters, and the crucial objective.  Warwalkers advance over the smoking crater that once was a Land Speeder.

Turn 6: Eldar Shooting

One further Marine is killed in the ruins from the Wraithguard's deadly guns.

Turn 6: Eldar Assault

Both Wraithguard and Avatar charge into the ruins, murdering the remaining handful of Grey Hunters and securing the objective.  The game ends with Eldar controlling two objectives, and Space Wolves controlling merely one, despite the commanding position they started in.

End Game Analysis

Eldar win the game at 10 Victory Points total: 6 Victory Points for Objectives, 1 for Heavy Support kills, 1 for First Blood, 1 for Slay the Warlord, and 1 for Line Breaker.  Space Wolves end the game with 6 Victory Points, with 3 for Objectives, 2 for Heavy Support kills, and 1 for Slay the Warlord.

Had the ended one turn earlier, Space Wolves would have won the game with two objectives.  This game came right down to the wire!  The Wraithguard and Avatar just proved too potent a combo of units.

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