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Dark Eldar vs IG in "Parlay?: 6th Ed Style" (1500, 7/25/12)

Started by BigToof, July 25, 2012, 09:25:10 PM

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BigToof

Dark Eldar vs IG in "Parlay?: 6th Ed Style" (1500, 7/25/12)

Hi All,
I wanted to share with you a great little battle that I finally am managing to get to paper (err... virtual paper that is).
Granted it's much different than my usual lists and a major WIP, but I have the combined forces of Eldar, but Dark and uh... not-so Dark versus Mech IG, the former king of 5th ed.  Like my opponent, I haven't played much of 6th Ed, but it's been fun from what I've been playing.
Oh, yes, and there is some fluff :)

Enjoy.

Best,
-BT

P.S.  Compliments and criticisms are greatly appreciated!

----------------------
The Lists
----------------------

The Eldar Alliance (1500pts): 37 Infantry, 7 Vehicles; 17 VPs
The Grisly Hand Kabal
-Archon Y'stral w/Shadow Field, Power Axe, CD
-Haemonculus Bella Le'Gosi w/Venom Blade
-Warriorsx5 w/Blaster in Raider
-Warriorsx5 w/Blaster in Raider
-Wychesx5, Hekatrix Allonia w/Venom Blade in Raider
-Wychesx5, Hekatrix Ray'keth w/Venom Blade in Raider
-Reaversx6 w/Blastersx2, Arena Champion Starsparkle
-Ravager
-Ravager
-Voidraven Bomber
Biel-Tan Allies
-Farseer Thielbane w/Fortune, RofWarding, Singing Spear
-Harlequinsx5 w/Shadowseer, Kisses
-Guardian Jetbikesx3

The Psyker Battalion (1500pts): 50 Infantry, 8 Vehicles; 14 VPs
Primaris Psyker
Psyker Battle Squadx8, Overseer in Chimera
Veteran Squad w/Plasmagunsx3, Lascannon in Chimera
Veteran Squad w/Plasmagunsx3, Lascannon in Chimera
Veteran Squad w/Meltagunsx3
Veteran Squad w/Meltagunsx3
Vendetta
Vendetta
Hydra
Manticore
Leman Russ Demolisher w/Heavy Bolter Sponsons

--------------------------------------

--------------------------------------
Chapter One: Old Friends Revisited
--------------------------------------
The hidden bar nestled into an asteroid orbiting Dendraka V had gone through a number of names, mostly depending on the owner and the surrounding locale.  It was currently run by a group of Tarellians, and was mostly kept open as a harbor for mercenaries, pirates, and worse.  The bar was fairly crowded, except that a corner booth was given a substantial berth by all of the occupants.  It was there that two individuals sat waiting, one more patient than the other.

"What is taking him so long?!" bellowed Archon Y'stral of the Grisly Hand.  He reflexively checked his GhostHolo again before leaning back into his chair.
"I have places to go, people to meet, Mon'Keigh to kill.  Great massacres don't happen on their own!"

He looked over for a reaction from the figure sitting next to him, but much to his dissatisfaction, Haemonculus X'Bella Le'Gosi didn't look like she had even heard him.  The small Haemonculus was hovering over her chair, taking meticulous notes in her small book.

Y'stral grumbled to himself, "Should have gotten one of the Wyches or something, at least there'd be an echo of some sort.  How does someone who can see the future give me a time and be late for it?  What is he trying to do, mess with me?"

"Maybe more like see if you're in a murdering mood."

The Archon smirked and swiveled around to see a slender Eldar wearing the trappings of a Farseer.  The colours of the armor were clearly Biel-Tan, and the untarnished face of the Eldar had a reserved look that bordered on contemplative.

Y'stral chuckled, "Thielbane?  By Khaine's blue balls, is that you?"

The Farseer sat down with a sigh.  "Yes, Y'stral it is I."

The Archon let go with a mirthful laugh and continued, "Really?  It looks like someone poured you into a Farseer mold and cut off all the bits that don't fit."

Thielbane visibly struggled to keep an emotionally empty facade, but Y'stral could tell that his defenses were failing.

"What do you want, Y'stral?"

The Archon kicked his feet up onto the table.

"Hmmm...  I don't know Farseer.  What DO I want?  You tell me.  You've got that psycho-nonsense going on.  I don't."

Thielbane dropped his attempts to hide his feelings, and let his eyebrows knit together in exasperation.  "You know that isn't how it works.  The Path of the Seer takes centuries to fully walk.  I've just started and..."

"And how is it?"

The Farseer paused, coughed and said, "It's... fine."

Y'stral chuckled, "Just fine?  What do they have you doing?  Staring at the Infinity thing-a-mob?  Begging all of the old, dead Farseers for advice?  Man, they must not trust you with anything.  I guess I wouldn't either given that you were the Captain of the Scarlet Serp..."

"The Scarlet Serpents are DEAD, Y'stral."  Theilbane slammed his fist into the table.  "I... walk the path of the Seer now.  I am no longer an Outcast."

"So I just imagined that whole century and a half of adventure and mayhem?  Kidnapping alien princesses?  Looting tomb worlds and buzzing past Imperial Cruisers just for the hell of it?"

Thielbane struggled to speak, "I... do not speak of those times anymore, Y'stral.  That was... a different person.  I... am not him."

"No, no.  Yeah, I can see you're a totally different person."

"Exactly."

"Which is why with all your newfound common sense, self-control and whatever, you came half a galaxy away to meet me in this little bar that we used to OWN.  And destroy.  Depending on our mood.  Do you remember the night we stormed Altain III?  How much we drank?  What you ended up doing to the barmaid on the..."

"Yes, yes, yes.  Y'stral.  I... I remember," stammered Thielbane, "But I am not that...  Who's your friend?"

The Archon smirked again.  "Oh, her?  This is Bella.  She's one of the less pretty ones.  I've got a lot of 'em you know.  Wyches.  Warriors.  Can't keep track of half of them.  But, what I also have is an opportunity.  The Mon'Keigh rebuilt Laos IV."

Thielbane paused, and then asked, "After...  After what we did to it?  I would have thought that anyone with any sense would..."

"Imperials?  Sense?  Now you're the one talking crazy," snorted Y'stral derisively, " My, now if that colony stayed there it might just have a tiny, tiny chance of endangering a Maiden World that I've heard about way, way far away and you know, THAT would be a shame."

"A... real shame.  Shameful.  Dangerous to the Eldar.  As a people."

"Exactly."

"We should stop them.  You know.  But I don't have much in the way of forces and..."

The Archon interrupted, "Wow, you know, this is just a total coincidence, but I have a big ship just loaded with minions that are ready to go and sacrifice their lives, for y'know, anything I would tell them to do.  So what do you say?  One last big hurrah?"

Thielbane drummed his fingers on the table and looked torn.

"Well...  Have to keep the Maiden Worlds safe and all.  Craftworld would look down on that.  But.  Just.  This.  Once.  Alright, Y'stral?  We are not starting up again."

"Never crossed my mind, Thiel, never crossed my mind at all."

The Farseer nodded, glanced sideways at Bella and spoke to her in a suddenly dulcet tone, "So... you seeing anyone?"
-----------------------------------------


Pre-Game Thoughts: Ok, I wanted to try out a lot of things with this list.  Perhaps too much?  I don't know.  I wanted to try the valiant Harlie-star with it's re-rollable 2+ cover saves.  Also on the board was the Void Raven Bomber.  Reavers too.  I also realized that my troops were much squishier, so I went a bit sideways and got a lot of MSU Wyches and Warriors to pad things out.  Absent, sadly enough is my WWP, but I hope that once I get used to playing, it'll make a comeback.

The IG list looks actually very similar to 5th.  Except with plasma, a Lemun Russ (?!) and a Primaris Psyker.  (ooh, badness...)

Lots of fun stuff, just have to see what the mission/setup is...
--------------------------------------

Setup: Dawn of War (good...)
Mission: Crusade (4 obj)
Warlord: IG: Stealth/MTC in Ruins, DE: NIGHT FIGHT ( ! :) ! )

DE win first turn.  Yes, we take it.

-------------------------------------
To be Continued!
BigToof Points:

Cammerz: 8
Waaaghpower: 1
The Man They Call Jayne: 3
Mabbz: 6
Archon Sharrek: 3

Cammerz

A fantastic start to 6th for the Dark Eldar in terms of fluff there, I'm really looking forward to reading more about these two.

As for the list, well, from what you've said about the Harlie-star it should be very fun. I can see the Voidraven doing well too as long as the Hyrda is taken out before it arrives.
As for the Imperials, I can see those tanks dying very quickly to your Raider lances and Ravagers. The vendettas might be more of a problem but they'll have to come down to hover if they want to use those veterans (although I would really enjoy it if they were blasted out of the sky before that could happen, Str 10 hits for all passengers with no armour saves allowed).

So, I'm really looking forward to this one, and I'm certain I won't be disappointed.
My predicted result = Massacre

The Man They Call Jayne

Adding Eldar to any list that can benefit from Doom and Guide and Fortune makes a HUGE difference. I did it today with my Tau and wow, it was so different.

Look forward to seeing the carnage :)
Jaynes Awesome Card Counter: +5

Secondspheres Crash Card Counter +4



BigToof

Quote from: Cammerz on July 26, 2012, 02:48:10 PM
A fantastic start to 6th for the Dark Eldar in terms of fluff there, I'm really looking forward to reading more about these two.

As for the list, well, from what you've said about the Harlie-star it should be very fun. I can see the Voidraven doing well too as long as the Hyrda is taken out before it arrives.
As for the Imperials, I can see those tanks dying very quickly to your Raider lances and Ravagers. The vendettas might be more of a problem but they'll have to come down to hover if they want to use those veterans (although I would really enjoy it if they were blasted out of the sky before that could happen, Str 10 hits for all passengers with no armour saves allowed).

So, I'm really looking forward to this one, and I'm certain I won't be disappointed.
My predicted result = Massacre

Hi Cammerz,
Thanks for the reply.  I really do like how DE is shaping up now that I finally found fluff to go with my list.  As you'll soon see some things worked, others... not so much, and I'm really glad that you like the Thielbane/Y'stral dialogue.  They're going to be fun to play off of each other.

Quote from: The Man They Call Jayne on July 26, 2012, 03:50:14 PM
Adding Eldar to any list that can benefit from Doom and Guide and Fortune makes a HUGE difference. I did it today with my Tau and wow, it was so different.

Look forward to seeing the carnage :)

Hi Jayne,
Thanks for the reply.  Eldar really are force multipliers.  I was thinking about taking Doom for the really longest of times, but I just couldn't get the Farseer up into range quick enough in my mind's eye.  Still, I'd love to take Spirit Stones and get Doom, but it gets pricey awful fast!

Best,
-BT
BigToof Points:

Cammerz: 8
Waaaghpower: 1
The Man They Call Jayne: 3
Mabbz: 6
Archon Sharrek: 3

Rej

The fluff so far for the DE is great, I'm really looking looking forward to where this goes. Laos IV, very intriguing.
Phew...

BigToof

Hi Rej,
Thanks for the reply!  I'm liking the Thielbane/Y'tral banter too.  They seem to work well together whether they want to or not.  Let me know what you think of the rest of the rep!

Best,
-BT

------------------

Setup: I'm still not used to the whole terrain setup in 6th.  Sometimes it seems to make the board more crowded than it should.  Case in point this game.  We rolled up the left side being heavy in terrain, and indeed it was.  Luckily, I had managed to steal the only ruin (4+ save) for the center of the board, so the left had to deal with trees, rubble and other meager 5+ terrain.  The right side was barren in comparison. 

The four objectives were scattered to all four corners, as I think none of us really wanted to deal with them until the end of the game (or you know, we have troops in fast transports/flyers).

I declare NIGHT FIGHT ON.

DE win the first turn!

I gladly take it, and castle up in the middle, with the Harlie-Star laden with Y'stral, Bella and Thiel.  Star and her new Reavers go behind the Harlie-Star and the Ravagers go to the sides, with the Wyches in the middle and the Warriors to the front (they have something resembling a save anyway).  VRB and Guardians in reserve of course.  Oh, and my roll for drugs gives me... +1S.  Eh... kinda handy.

IG takes a moment to think, and then castles up on the left flank, burying as hard into the corner as possible.  The LR Demolisher was in the front-center, with a plasma vet-Chimera on either side, and the Hydra and Psyker-Chimera behind the front line.  Vendettas in reserve.

IG fails to steal and we're on!


Picture Caption: New Edition, Same old deployment...

----------------------------------

Laos IV was, at one point in time, a thriving agricultural world.  A remarkable find by the Imperium, it was quickly colonized and began growing dramatically both in size and in fame.  As it was in a relatively undisturbed and involitile area of the galaxy, it's garrison was not reinforced, and the orbital defenses were only marginal.

Imperial records were still trying to piece together what had exactly happened on what would be known as the Days of Infamy. 

Comminications suddenly ceased, and all trade vessels going to the area had failed to complete their routes.  As usual for the Imperium, it had taken years before anyone had noticed and an investigation sent.  Much to their surprise and horror, they had found a desolate and inhospitable rock where Laos IV had once shined.  The atmostphere was poisoned by ash and toxins spewing up from enormous volcanos that crossed the surface like a jagged scar.  The oceans were barren, and all plantlife was dead.  Only ruins, both in space, and on the planet surface had any sign that the colonists had ever existed.  The Techpriests had hypothesized that some kind of enormous asteroid had hit the planet, creating an enormous tectonic upheaval. 

Some of the Administrum had queried how an asteroid could have destroyed the orbing defense network and caused the trading vessels in the area to vanish.  Their inquiries were met with derision by higher officials.  A simple answer was found, and a simple answer would suffice...

----------------------------------

Primaris Psyker Heinrich Hellsreich stood at the rear of his mechanized column.  The Death Corps of Krieg were called in to secure Laos IV.  A number of other regiments were considered, but the harsh and treacherous environment had made Imperial Command selective in their approach.  Hellsreich nodded to himself.  They had chosen well.  The bleak, inhospital realm reminded him of home, namely the burnt-out irradiated world that the regiment hadn't seen in years. 

Hellsreich frowned in irritation as a sudden lava jet exploded a few hundred yards away, taking a small squad of men to a firey death.  As proper Krieg, they did not cry out, but their inner death cries filled with pain and torment were like bothersome flies that jabbed at his psyche. 

He had half-wondered why they were sent.  It could be an investigation of some sort, or perhaps the planet was a tactical foothold for some kind of future campaign.  However, it was likely that they would never know, as their Commander's dropship had caught an overly large ash plume, jamming the intake and causing the ship to plummet to its doom. 

Hellsreich winced at the memory.  His ship was too close to the crash, and the deaths were irritatingly loud. 

Now, they were stuck on the surface, with no communication to their ship, and no clue as to what their orders were.  It almost bothered him.  The men around him seemed to care little for his disinterest.  He could feel the distrust towards him and his psyker brethren, but he did not need their input.  They were veteran Krieg.  Well versed in combat and little else.  They would find a stable area on the planet, set up a communication array and wait.  Perhaps death would come for him, but he doubted it.  The universe was never so giving as that.

----------------------------------

"This... is your ship?"

Farseer Thielbane spoke in short spurts, trying not to inhale the almost palpable stench in the air.  Archon Y'stral of the Grisly Hand shrugged, kicking aside a group of Warriors that failed to clear the hallway fast enough.

"The Haemos are working on something in their flesh vats.  Always leaves a stink.  You get used to it."

Thielbane nodded, still covering his nose and mouth.  The pain and torment from the slave hold was finally becoming bearable as they moved to the front of the ship.  It was odd, he thought, he hadn't noticed the psychic strain as vividly when he was...  in his previous life.  The Path of the Seer certainly had plenty of disadvantages.

"Glad to see that some things don't change.  You never were one for details."

Y'stral snorted, "And you were always the one to complain about them.  At least I had the plans.  And now, I've got a good one.  My spies tell me that we've only got one Imperial Cruiser sitting in orbit around our still mostly uninhabited rock.  Should be like kicking an Ur'Ghul down the steps to take it down."

"And the forces on the ground?"

"Yeah, yeah, details.  There's some Mon'Keigh on the ground.  We just let 'em choke to death."

"And you didn't consider that they had probably come in with equipment that would let them survive for a long enough time for them to wait for reinforcements?"

The Archon scratched his chin, "Well...  Fine.  You always were the one for direct confrontations, Thiel.  Let me guess...  You've thought of something suitably dramatic?"

The Farseer let the grin that he'd been holding in spread across his face.  "Oh...  I've given it a little thought..."

----------------------------------

Turn 1: DE
---------------

"Clowns?  Seriously?  Your plan is Clowns?"

Farseer Thielbane sighed at Archon Y'stral.  A group of Harlequins danced around them, weaving their deadly dance.  It had taken surprisingly little convincing to bring the Harlequin troop to Laos IV, but he wasn't going to let Y'stral know that.

"The Harlequins are devoted followers of the Laughing God.  Their abilities should give us a solid center around which we will coordinate the destruction of the Mon'Keigh in their clunky metal boxes.  And..."

"We are going to sit out with our feet getting cold while other people get all the glory?  Come on, Thiel!  You gotta be kidding me!  We're going to be standing around with the dance fairy brigade while all the murdering is going on?"

Thielbane sighed.  "There's another Psyker out here.  A powerful one, for a Mon'Keigh.  He could be dangerous.  It's best if we take a careful approach and destroy them systematically.  Once we secure the area near the Tremblor Arrays, we should be able to activate them like we did all those years ago and reintroduce the planet to the joys of sustained volcanic eruptions."

Y'stral paced a bit.  "You're right Thiel, you have changed."

"Hmmph.  Glad you finally came to your..."

"You lost your guts somewhere along the line.  The Captain of the Scarlet Serpents would..."

"Be DEAD by now, Y'stral.  Dead.  Just as surely as those Mon'Keigh will be."

---------------------------

So... game plan on.  The Hydra HAS to die.  The Manticore also, so I'm not sniped to death by barrages.  Everything else is sorta... gravy if things pop up.

I fortune the Harlie-Star.

I break my boats off into two groups, each with a Ravager, and a Warrior and Wych Raider.  The group on the left goes JUST into range to hit the Hydra, trying to provide an oblique enough angle to make it hard for his Chimeras on the right to shoot at them.  The group on the right just goes out to hug the center ruins for cover (just in case) and get solid shots on the Manticore.  The Reavers go full out to the opposite side of the board, making my opponent inhale sharply at their awesome speed.  And... the Harlie-Star inches forwards.  Yeah...  I'm not impressed either.
Shooting is pretty good, as I explode the Hydra (!) and the Manticore (!!).
I...  I've just doubled my usual output from 5th!


Picture Caption: Did I just... explode TWO Chimeras?  Let me make sure that the devil isn't back-ordering snowblowers...


Turn 1: IG
--------------------
Hellsreich frowned.  The attack had come out of nowhere.  The inky blackness of the ash was like a perpetual mist that seemed to cling to everything.  He knew they were under attack, but by who and by what it was hard to say.  Even his own vaunted abilites seemed muddied somehow.  Two tanks had just erupted into flames, and he was sure more fire would be coming for them.  He frowned as he felt a strange emotion start to spread amongst his men.  A feeling that he had thought long dead amongst the men of Krieg: Fear.
--------------------

The IG player is surprised to say the least that I destroyed the Hydra, but clearly, I've fallen into some kind of trap.  There's some shuffling by the tanks, and then the Demolisher starts the fun by dropping a plate on the front of the Harlie-Star and then throwing in more Heavy Bolter fun.  Most of the bolters miss, as they have to fire snap shots, but the plate still does some damage to the front.  Some, which is to say none, as  2+ re-rollable saves kick in.  Scratching his head a bit, he targets the Ravager closest to the front with his Psykers and then perils (thanks Runes), losing two members of the squad.  Plasma guns are far out of range, and multi-lasers (and snap-shotted heavy bolters) fly into the Ravager doing... one hull point.  I'm shocked, to say the least.


Picture Caption: And we are... mostly unscathed?


Turn 2: DE
--------------------
Arena Champion Starsparkle smiled as she zoomed forward on her Reaver Jetbike.  ARENA CHAMPION.  It was still taking some time getting used to the title.  She and her group of Hellions had saved their loot and bought Reaver Jetbikes.  The others at the Arena had thought them some kind of joke, but when they took the first races single-handedly and even did a multi-loop bladevaning that spelled out the Archon's name in the glass dome above the arena...  People stopped laughing. 

She smiled, looking around at her fellow Sky Ponies, who wore their winnings proudly.  They had found a kind of acceptance amongst even the Wyches, although perhaps grudgingly.  Still, the Archon had called, and they had gladly accepted.  After all, without the Archon's generous donations to their belaboured cause, they would never have been able to buy their bikes.

"Sky Ponies?" asked Star with a grin, flicking on her signiture sparkling glitter that fell from her bike like plumes from a Razorwing flock, "Let's.  Get.  Stabbity!"
--------------------
Reserves don't come in.

Well, since we appear to have bought deeply into the "Ravagers don't die to Multi-Lasers" stock, I pull the boats on the left back, making sure we're in range of the Russ.  The boats on the right come around to corner to look at juicy side armor on the plasma-vet Chimera.  The Harlie-Star struggles forwards again...
Shooting shows the Russ getting stunned down to it's last hull point.  A massive explosion erupts out of the plasma Chimera, engulfing half or so of the Vets.  I then smirk as I have Star and her Reavers bladevane across the Vets, killing the rest.


Picture Caption: This is... surprisingly easy.  Am I forgetting something?


Turn 2: IG
-------------------------
Pilot Vorhees of the Vendetta "Emperor's Wrath" swore as he flew to the battlefield.  Visibility was horrible, their sensors were a mess, and he swore that some kind of glittery Daemons had just flown by his ship.  But no matter.

He looked back at his co-pilot who nodded, and prepared to activate the hover jets.

Something was killing the Treadheads, and it was, as usual, left to the Navy to clean up their mess.  Vorhees could barely make out shapes, but caught the sight of something alien and spikey.  The target exploded into flames as Lascannons ripped through it.  Simple enough, he thought.  A few more passes and they could go home...
-------------------------

One of the Vendettas comes in.  It zooms forward and roasts a Ravager.  Huh, that wasn't good.  The Psyker Chimera and the Plasma Chimera line up to shoot at Star.
The plasma Chimera fires first, doing nothing besides roasting one of their own plasmagunners, as I make all of the 3+ saves/FNP.  The Psykers again try their mojo, but again peril and lose another two members.  The Primaris psyker manages to try scream, but I barely make the Ld check (thank you Star!).  The multilasers do take a casualty off, but not enough to make me worry.


Picture Caption: Ah, yes, right Vendettas.  Huh, wonder what's going to happen to those Melta-Vets...


Turn 3: DE
The reserves both come in.  The Jetbikes go to hide in the corner, while the Void Raven lines up shots on the Vendetta.  All of the available boats go to line up shots on the Vendetta, who is suddenly feeling rather exposed.  Star moves up a bit for shots on the
Plasma-Chimera.  She fires, blowing it up and downing half or so of the Vets.  They then assault in to clean up, losing nobody to overwatch or assault (I love you FNP!).

The surrounded Vendetta is shot by a number of Lances, and finally falls down on the final shot, landing with a spectacular explosion that destroys almost all of the Vets on-board (ouch).  Shooting from the Warriors and Wyches (plasma grenades, tee hee) pick up the rest.

Oh, and the Death Star decides to settle down for a nap, as there's not much for it to do.


Picture Caption: Yeah, I think we've got this.


Turn 3: IG
Well, the other Vendetta comes in.  We check the rules to see if the Vets can para-jump out of the zooming Vendetta, but sadly, only if the craft goes flat out.  He does get some vengence, shooting up the Void Raven, but that's about it.
The Psykers again try to use their mojo and AGAIN peril, losing another chunk of psykers.  The Primaris decides to try it, but fails.

And with that, IG calls it, not wanting to see another Vendetta shot to bits.

Result: DE Victory

--------------------------

Post-Game Thoughts:
Wow, that was... easy.  I think I figured out why after some thought.  I was only fighting a 1000 point army.  With Melta-vets in the Vendettas, it was a good third of his army that wasn't seeing the table until turn 2, and my MUCH improved shooting had picked up the rest by that point.  Although having only one Hydra to worry about was quite nice as well.  The Melta-Vets that used to scare the socks off me were just casualties in this game, as they couldn't get deployed in a way that would let the Vendetta shoot ...  I just realized that I never bothered to even use one of the objectives!


Here's my unit-by-unit rundown:
Harlie-Star: A rock.  Largely invulnerable, and about as mobile.  Also about as fun.  I feel that my Archon and Haemonculus missed out on all the fun.  Farseer was WELL protected though.

Warriors/Wyches: Didn't do much, but helped pick up the pieces.

Ravagers/Raiders: OMG.  Completely amazing compared to last edition.  Everyone was raving about how much glances do/don't make a difference, and let me tell you, they DO make a difference.  Massive explosions that destroy half a vet squad being commonplace is also wonderful.  The one thing that kept in the back of my mind was if I should have taken Night Shields.

Void Raven: If you can avoid bringing it in too early, it offers solid anti-air.  Still, just as fragile as a Rhino, so don't expect it to take too much...  Didn't get to do a bombing run on anything, but there's always next game.

Reavers: I... didn't expect them to be so amazing.  Granted, I was bladevaning Guardsmen, but being T4, keeping your 3+ cover save AND getting FNP into the bargain is just stellar.  They also just glide through cover and are nicely hitty when they have to be.  Granted again, they were facing Guardsmen, but I don't remember them being quite so great.  They did get a major boost from being able to move 12" and THEN bladevane, as they can easily cross silly distances and line up shots well.
-----------------------------

Hellsreich felt his frown deepen as the crew inside the Chimera were piling up the bodies of the Psyker Battle Squad.  More than half of the Sanctioned mutants had exploded into headless corpses, showering the inside of the tank with Grey Matter.  If they had been from a lesser homeworld, it might have bothered them, but to the Krieg, it was a relief that only the Psykers had died.  Hellsreich felt a sudden roll of pain cross his temples, and he fought back a wince. 

Something was manipulating the Warp.  His men had been all but taken apart, unable to fight back against an alien menace that they still had yet toidentify.  No matter, it would be some time until they were found and then...

A sudden rumbling from the ground made him pause.  What in the world was...

-----------------------------

Far away on their orbiting ship, Y'stral and Thielbane watched the surface erupt into a patchwork mess of lava and blackened rock.  Again.  The rest of the Eldar had managed to destroy the craft in orbit, and were picking through the pieces.  Thielbane thought the entire process entirely surgical in it's operation, but Y'stral was having his usual tantrum.

"Not one, not even one!  Thiel, I have never, NEVER gone an entire fight without ripping some pitiful creature to pieces.  I even bought one of those stupid Mon'Keigh axes JUST for the purpose of hewing morons to pieces, and what do I get?  A wonderful view of complete destruction.  A VIEW, Thiel, a Khaine-damned VIEW!"

Thielbane sighed, "Perhaps this is why we're not meant to be fighting side by side, Y'stral, it's not anything that we..."

"Ex... Excuse me, are you Captain Thielbane?"

Thielbane turned, with a correction on his lips, before he saw the sight of a group of young Eldar, wearing tight-fitting Reaver wychsuits.

"I... might be.  And you are?"

The leader, a short Eldar with Sparkles in her tousled hair, swallowed and stammered out a reply.

"I... I'm Star...  Starsparkle.  These are the...  The Sky Ponies.  I...  We...  I REALLY LOVED WHAT YOU DID ON KARAKIS IX WITH THE DOUBLE INVERTED TAKE DOWN.  WE WATCH IT ALL THE TIME.  YOU'RE AWESOME!"

Thielbane paused for a moment, watching the heaving bosom of the Reaver, and trying to keep a straight face.

"You... liked that one, did you?"

"Yes, yes, Captain!  I..."

Y'stral coughed and walked between them.

"Yeah, it's a shame though.  Thiel's given up the whole jetbike thing.  He's got a thing for Clowns now."

"Wh... What?"  Starsparkle's face drooped, and tears started to form in her eyes.  She reached out and tugged at the Thielbane's cloak.
"Say it's not true, Captain, Say it's not true!"

Thielbane took a half-step back, assaulted by the emotions streaming out of the girl.  He wasn't used to such displays.  The Craftworld was a place where everything was regimented, especially emotions, and it wasn't proper to...

And then he looked up and into her eyes.  The normal bunch of soul-shredding abomination material was there, as you would expect from the Dark Kin, but also something else... something that he didn't expect... hope.

"Well, Y'stral, I never said that I was giving it up.  The... Harlequins were fun for a day, but we can try something else next time."

"Really, Thiel?  You seemed all stuck in with the Clowns.  In fact, you seemed ready to leave..."

The Reavers all turned expectantly to Thielbane, who put up his hands to ward off another onslaught.

"No...  No, I'm not... leaving yet.  I just... need to get my bike is all.  I just need some time to practice."

The Sky Ponies all cheered and ran around, squealing and shouting for joy.  Thielbane sighed and shot a glance at Y'stral who had a wide rictus grin.  It's just one more time, Thielbane told himself, just one more.
BigToof Points:

Cammerz: 8
Waaaghpower: 1
The Man They Call Jayne: 3
Mabbz: 6
Archon Sharrek: 3

Cammerz

A fantastic report BT, the fluff with Thielbane and Y'Stral continued to be amazing and the battle went incredibly well for you.

I do feel sorry for the Guard player a bit but i suppose that's what you get for bringing a mech army to a game of 6th. Did he mention any plans to completely change his army in the near future?

As for your army, the Raiders just did amazingly, but I empathise with Y'Stral that its a shame he couldn't do anything. What you really need are Harlequin jetbikes like the ones they had in 2nd edition then you could have a fast unit with the re-rollable cover save, a pity but maybe for the next Eldar codex.

Thielbane is starting to become one of my favourites of your characters (although that's quite a long list) so I do hope he sticks around for a good long while.

Anyway, we've seen Grumgutz and we've seen Y'Stral, who's next? Vasily perhaps? Something tells me your IG and SWs might both need some serious changes to bring them into line with the other 6th edition armies.
Looking forward to whatever succeeds this (although you might have a problem writing better fluff, this was just great).

Job's a good un!

crisis_vyper

I see that you are also shocked at how powerful lances can be in a game, Bigtoof. That and how the vehicles have gone up in survivability against single-shot weapons (among other things).

As for the Nightshields, take it. It will save you against the only thing that can kill your raiders and ravagers with glancing hits; special weapons and bolters. And watch the Necrons and the Grey Knights cry cheese. :P

El ShasOcho

Well that was quite entertaining!
Thielban was excellent in the fluff, you could really see the internal conflict between his old and new self. Would've been nice to hear a bit more from Bella, but you can only fit so much in, especially in such a short game.
You really did whomp on him. The harlie-star shrugging off a demolisher shell was quite impressive. Mech really is nerfed isn't it?

Would love to here from grumbitz again, perhaps sara as well.

Quote from: Lee Lee Declis on August 06, 2010, 03:14:38 AM
Although, it must be said, one should always have a Fantasy in

Rej

That was a good read, very 1 sided game though. Not much he could do though, if he came towards you he's vehicles would get assaulted by Wyches and wrecked, then everything inside shot to bits. And if he stayed where he was... well that was the game. Shot to bits.

I'm loving my Ravagers and Lances this edition and I need to get a proper game in with my Reavers,  cause they look awsome. Also, my Archon hasn't died yet this edition! He didn't survive a single game of 5th...
Phew...

BigToof

Thank you all for the great comments!

Quote from: Cammerz on July 30, 2012, 05:05:45 PM
A fantastic report BT, the fluff with Thielbane and Y'Stral continued to be amazing and the battle went incredibly well for you.

I do feel sorry for the Guard player a bit but i suppose that's what you get for bringing a mech army to a game of 6th. Did he mention any plans to completely change his army in the near future?

As for your army, the Raiders just did amazingly, but I empathise with Y'Stral that its a shame he couldn't do anything. What you really need are Harlequin jetbikes like the ones they had in 2nd edition then you could have a fast unit with the re-rollable cover save, a pity but maybe for the next Eldar codex.

Thielbane is starting to become one of my favourites of your characters (although that's quite a long list) so I do hope he sticks around for a good long while.

Anyway, we've seen Grumgutz and we've seen Y'Stral, who's next? Vasily perhaps? Something tells me your IG and SWs might both need some serious changes to bring them into line with the other 6th edition armies.
Looking forward to whatever succeeds this (although you might have a problem writing better fluff, this was just great).

Job's a good un!

Hi Cammerz,
Thanks for the encouraging words on Thielbane and Y'stral.  I'm liking their dynamic very much.  I hope Thiel will stay around, as he's a) fun to write and b) offers me solid anti-psychic.  I think I'm going to make him a Jetbike-Doom-Seer soon, as he's otherwise just sort of sitting around waiting all game.  The Guard player has now (after getting slammed by Necrons :) ) finally decided that he will have to put boots on the ground.  I'm not sure how he's going to finally alter his list, but I think he has Blood Angels, so he may go that route.
Vasily is next up, so get ready for that IG fans :)
As for the Wolves...  I don't know.  They really do seem hurt going solo and I haven't found a decent way to get them what they need.
Thanks for reading.  Your comments are always appreciated :)

Quote from: crisis_vyper on July 30, 2012, 06:10:18 PM
I see that you are also shocked at how powerful lances can be in a game, Bigtoof. That and how the vehicles have gone up in survivability against single-shot weapons (among other things).

As for the Nightshields, take it. It will save you against the only thing that can kill your raiders and ravagers with glancing hits; special weapons and bolters. And watch the Necrons and the Grey Knights cry cheese. :P

You weren't kidding Crisis!  I've never had someone tap out that fast in one of my games, and I wasn't rolling THAT hot.  I'll have to try your positioning tricks (EVERYONE READ CRISIS'S EPIC POST /advertising) and I think I'm going to at least get Night Shields on the Ravagers.  I'm trying to get a GK game going with the DE, if only to see what we can do versus what I considered to be the main shenanigan-heavy force of 5th.
I didn't take any Venoms, and didn't really miss them with all the explosions.  Granted, as I've said before, I was playing IG.  The only thing I fear with Venoms is their 2HP...
From your pictures I saw you using them.  Do they play any different?  Do you need mass Night Shields for them too?

Quote from: Brother Perturabo on July 30, 2012, 06:54:12 PM
Well that was quite entertaining!
Thielban was excellent in the fluff, you could really see the internal conflict between his old and new self. Would've been nice to hear a bit more from Bella, but you can only fit so much in, especially in such a short game.
You really did whomp on him. The harlie-star shrugging off a demolisher shell was quite impressive. Mech really is nerfed isn't it?

Would love to here from grumbitz again, perhaps sara as well.

Thanks for the reply!  Thielbane is really growing on me too.
There WILL be more Bella next game, as I have reworked the list so she can actually do something.  I didn't want to butt in on Thiel this game, but the limelight will be shared next game.
The Harlie-star was sick, but really, it didn't do much besides just sit around and bunker.
Mech isn't so much nerfed as all defenses are downgraded.  Infantry are also more vulnerable across the board (except MAYBE Paladins and Nob Bikers).  Since DE was already on the HIGH Offense/LOW Defense category, it's just shocking to watch things pitch off and die...

Quote from: Rej on July 31, 2012, 02:04:40 AM
That was a good read, very 1 sided game though. Not much he could do though, if he came towards you he's vehicles would get assaulted by Wyches and wrecked, then everything inside shot to bits. And if he stayed where he was... well that was the game. Shot to bits.

I'm loving my Ravagers and Lances this edition and I need to get a proper game in with my Reavers,  cause they look awsome. Also, my Archon hasn't died yet this edition! He didn't survive a single game of 5th...

Hi Rej, glad you liked the game!
It was a bit one-sided, as it was just a shooting match that I won by getting first turn honestly.  I don't think he was expecting (nor was I) the immense firepower that DE could put out.
Try the Reavers!  They are fun, but take 6.  3 just doesn't work very well, and can easily be torn down.
Glad to hear it about your Archon.  I don't have quite THAT much hope for Y'stral as he's going to be tanking shots for my squads.

Thanks for all your comments!
If you have any questions or suggestions on builds or anything at all, I'd appreciate that too.
I'm planning on IG yet (which has some surprises).

Best,
-BT
BigToof Points:

Cammerz: 8
Waaaghpower: 1
The Man They Call Jayne: 3
Mabbz: 6
Archon Sharrek: 3

crisis_vyper

#11
Quote from: BigToof on July 31, 2012, 04:05:52 PM
Quote from: crisis_vyper on July 30, 2012, 06:10:18 PM
I see that you are also shocked at how powerful lances can be in a game, Bigtoof. That and how the vehicles have gone up in survivability against single-shot weapons (among other things).

As for the Nightshields, take it. It will save you against the only thing that can kill your raiders and ravagers with glancing hits; special weapons and bolters. And watch the Necrons and the Grey Knights cry cheese. 

You weren't kidding Crisis!  I've never had someone tap out that fast in one of my games, and I wasn't rolling THAT hot.  I'll have to try your positioning tricks (EVERYONE READ CRISIS'S EPIC POST /advertising) and I think I'm going to at least get Night Shields on the Ravagers.  I'm trying to get a GK game going with the DE, if only to see what we can do versus what I considered to be the main shenanigan-heavy force of 5th.
I didn't take any Venoms, and didn't really miss them with all the explosions.  Granted, as I've said before, I was playing IG.  The only thing I fear with Venoms is their 2HP...
From your pictures I saw you using them.  Do they play any different?  Do you need mass Night Shields for them too?

Yeah, Dark Eldar vehicles surviving brings a tear to my eye and blown my mind away when I first played 6th with my Dark Eldar. :'( :derp: ;D

Well, they are alright in 6th for what they do in 5th; spamming long-range poisoned shots. With the meta slowly changing, Venoms will be just as important as before.

My games with my Venoms seem to indicate that they work the same as the last time and their survivability is about the same as the good o' Venom of 5th. As for the Nightshield question I say it is up to what you plan to do with the venoms. If they are carrying some blaster-wielding unit, it can be considered as a viable upgrade as you will still like to get closer to people to use the blasters. Nonetheless it is not the must-have upgrades on Venoms, especially when they are so fragile. Keep them with the second splinter cannon and you are good to go. Only take the Nightshields if you are a more aggressive close-range player or if you want to be a dick to all those GK and Necrons (:P).

As for the explosions, I am personally not bothered by the Str 4 explosion thing as my guys tend to die like flies anyway in 5th when their vehicles bite the dust (not wyches with FNP though).  :facepalm001:


Edit: As for the cover thing, thank Hero for this. He's the genius that found the interesting positions and stuff. His cover stuff is located at ; http://lkhero.blogspot.com/2012/07/de-getting-best-out-of-cover.html

BigToof

Thanks for the reply and the link Crisis.

I think that 6th in general requires a bit more savvy play, and can be rewarding if you keep yourself abreast of the situation continuously.

I'll try Venoms again soon...  Just not sure immediately as I want enough Raider heavy games to confirm that my last game wasn't just luck.

Have you played against GKs recently?  They were so nasty in 5th, I had to go full WWP to break the meta and pray.

Necrons are pretty bad, but I still worry about GK.

Best,
-BT

P.S.  If you all would rather have another DE next instead of IG, let me know!
BigToof Points:

Cammerz: 8
Waaaghpower: 1
The Man They Call Jayne: 3
Mabbz: 6
Archon Sharrek: 3

crisis_vyper

Quote from: BigToof on July 31, 2012, 06:56:01 PM
I think that 6th in general requires a bit more savvy play, and can be rewarding if you keep yourself abreast of the situation continuously.

Yeah, movement and positioning is king. Thanks to my Tau background I am able to understand and apply this much better that the others in the LGS right now which puts me ahead of the pack. In addition, my list has the added advantage of accidentally being able to take advantage of 6th extensively.

Quote
Have you played against GKs recently?  They were so nasty in 5th, I had to go full WWP to break the meta and pray.

Necrons are pretty bad, but I still worry about GK.

Well, from the looks of it killing off Psyriflemen are much easier now thanks to the glancing rules, haywire rules and the Ap2 rules. Nonetheless they are still a threat for any Dark Eldar player and deserves to be dead whenever possible. Fortitude is weakened to a large extent now and their power weapons are also nerfed a lot.

As for Necrons, they are the scariest around the 24" range, but with Night Shields and the Night Fighting rules, they will have to either come even closer to be assaulted or use their Solar Pulse to blink the night to day.

Personally I never had any problems against GK to begin with, even in 5th. It is the IG that I always find the hardest to match up as they are a hard counter to all my Dark Eldar stuff in 5th. For 6th I am not sure yet as I have not faced against any IG player so far.

BigToof

Hi Crisis,
Thanks for your reply.

It's kind of funny how our first armies mirror how we play.
You played Tau, so of course you're all about positioning and shooting.
I played Orks, so if I don't pull off at least one assault per game, I feel like I've gipped.

I still think GK is pretty tough, but I'll try to get a game in with them and see how it works.
I'm not sure if it's a wise idea, but I'm going to try to use a small unit of Grots (Grotsx3 w/Aberrant and LG in a Raider) in with my Archon and Haemonculus.  That way I can bounce wounds around as necessary to the squad as 3/5 models are characters.  I'm going to try and get an assault off, hopefully with Runes to back me up I won't be entirely squashed into next week.

Oh, also trying a Farseer on Jetbike.  I've been thinking of using them with the Reavers as a Doom-Bladevane combo, but not sure if that would paint a major target on their heads.

You mentioned you're using a Doom-Seer as well.  Have you just been sticking them in with the Guardians or have you ever tried the Reavers?

Best,
-BT
BigToof Points:

Cammerz: 8
Waaaghpower: 1
The Man They Call Jayne: 3
Mabbz: 6
Archon Sharrek: 3