News:

For the most up to date reports about what is going on with the forum, and the latest topics of interest, throw us a like on Facebook, and if you're wanting some light banter with the seasoned and spiced members, join the Second Sphere Members Group.

Main Menu

The NEW Eldar Alliance vs Ultramarines Skyhammer in "The Saga of Warlord Bobo"

Started by BigToof, September 27, 2015, 06:51:20 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

What is the Fate of Warlord Bobo? (BT points)

OVERWHELMING VICTORY (Bobo lives, Maximus falls)
3 (50%)
Victory, but not total (Bobo and Maximus survive)
2 (33.3%)
Fallen, but not forgotten (Bobo and Maximus both out of action)
1 (16.7%)
Whoops...  (Bobo falls, Maximus lives)
0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 6

BigToof

The NEW Eldar Alliance vs Ultramarines Skyhammer in "The Saga of Warlord Bobo" (1500, 9/27)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi All,
Guess what?
I'm back.  And boy has the game changed in my absence.
The new Eldar book has dropped and wow.

CHANGES.

I'm a bit taken aback as to how powerful the Eldar book still is.  (Wraithknights are still less than 300 and are now GARGANTUAN CREATURES??  Wave Serpent= sad face though...)  I was hoping that things might be getting toned down as the Orks and Dark Eldar books were...  how to put this politely...  lukewarm.  Nerfed.  MEDIOCRE.

I was wondering if the Space Marines had any real response to this level of threat, but then my opponent brought out Ultramarines with something called the Skyhammer Annihilation Force.

It gets my "wtf really?" face when my opponent shows me the "free" rules for his Devs that get relentless and his Assault Squads that can assault from deep striking.  And y'know can re-roll hits and wounds if the Devs force someone to go to ground via a 3d6 morale check.

That's... pretty nasty.

Thankfully, I've brought a lot of Grotesques as I thought they would be good against the grav-heavy meta, and some other odds and ends that hopefully will back them up.

So it's monsters versus cheeze in a sort-of-new battle.  And... for some reason I decided to make Bobo the Aberration my Warlord.  Yes, the semi-lobotomized muscled-up guy. 

...  Don't look at me that way, other people on the internet are doing it too!

It'll be good for morale, you know, even the most... challenged of individuals can make it to the top!
.

..

...

Anyway.

How will things pan out?

Read.  On.

Best,
-BT

P.S.  Comments and Critiques greatly appreciated.  I've been away far too long...


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

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

The Eldar Alliance (1500): 31 Infantry, 3 Vehicles; 11 VPs
Totally Not the Scarlet Serpents
- Farseer Thielbane w/Jetbike, Spear, Shard
- Wraithguardx5 w/D-Scythes
- Jetbikesx3 w/Scatter Lasers
- Jetbikesx3 w/Scatter Lasers
- Warp Spidersx5 w/Exarch, TL-DSpinner
- Spiritseer Galen in Hemlock Wraithfighter
The Salon of Sorrow
- Haemonculus X'Bella Le'Gosi w/WWP, Armor of Misery
- Grotesquesx8 w/Aberration "Bobo", Scissorhand
- Warriorsx5 in Venom w/SCx2
- Hekatrix Allonia in Razorwing w/DLancesx2, MonoMissilesx4

Ultramarines Skyhammer: 46 Infantry, 2 Vehicles; 9-11 VPs
Ultramarines CAD
- Captain w/Bike, Artificer Armor, Thunder Hammer, Shield Eternal
- Command Squad w/Bikes, Gravgunsx4, Apothecary
- Scoutsx5
- Scoutsx5
Skyhammer Formation
- Assault Marinesx10 w/Jump Packs, Flamersx2, Sgt. w/Eviscerator, Melta Bomb
- Assault Marinesx10 w/Jump Packs, Flamersx2, Sgt. w/Eviscerator, Melta Bomb
- Devestatorsx5 w/Grav Cannonsx4, Drop Pod
- Devestatorsx5 w/Grav Cannonsx4, Drop Pod
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------
Chapter 13: Warlord Bobo
----------------------------

Farseer Thielbane paced again, trying not to think about the next engagement against the Astartes.  The one that might be his last.  Things had not been going well.

The Farseer stood alone on the edge of a blasted crater, looking over the remains of his forces.  Sweat still stung his eyes and his green robes were singed.

He looked up from the surface of planet the Imperium called Aventas VI, and saw the faint shimmer of a Battle Barge in orbit.  The Council of the Craftworld Biel-tan (his so-called commanders) had given him the suicide mission of trying to hold a newly "liberated" maiden world against the coming onslaught of the Imperium.  Thielbane had rallied his troops and had managed to find reasonable fortifications against the incoming invaders.

Or so he had thought.

He was expecting Imperial Guard or perhaps even a wayward group of Mechanicus, not an entire Battle Barge laden with Space Marines.  Before he could even consider re-positioning his forces, the Mon-Keigh were indiscriminately bombarding the planet with mindless abandon and their weapons were tearing apart his delicate forces like tissue paper.  He was lucky to have escaped with his life.  That is, until the council would find out about his failure.

One thing the Eldar did not tolerate was mediocrity.  Failure was a sin on another level.

Still, he did have a chance.  He had sent Spiritseer Galen to find reinforcements.  Poor Galen.  Thielbane almost felt sorry for him.  Galen had as much savvy and panache as a broken soulstone.  But, he was their only hope right now.  Although, he had to admit that it might not be very much.  After all, he had sent the Guardians on their jetbikes to scout around for potential danger, which left just himself holding a blasted-out ruin in the middle of nowhere.

There was a soft shimmer as the familiar glow of a Webway Portal blossomed and out walked an octet of enormous meaty monstrosities.  Thielbane tried not to retch at their odor as the Grotesques trundled out into the open air, their masked visages thankfully hidden from view.

Thielbane waited a bit longer, but nothing else was forthcoming as the Portal grew fainter and winked out of existence.
 
That... was not very reassuring.

The largest of the monsters shuffled forwards and Thielbane saw a rolled-up piece of parchment dangling like a toy from a chain around the creature's neck.

He very carefully plucked it out, watching for any signs of sudden violence.  When none came, he read the note and gave off a sigh of relief that he had been holding for far too long.

It was from Galen.  He had managed to find Archon Y'stral's forces and had managed to send some reinforcements.  There was some mention of some kind of party or other debauchery that was slowing things down, but Galen sent reassurances that more would be coming soon.  Thielbane rolled the paper back up and tapped it thoughtfully against his lips.  Y'stral might certainly be a help as long as he wasn't too far drugged out of his skull.  At very worst, it looked as if Galen had found Bella and her menagerie, so not all was lost.  It was just a matter of time now.

What was the worst that could happen?

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

"Captain, we have an unexpected energy signature."

Captain Excelsior Maximus skidded to a stop on his bike, nearly causing a pile up of his more than slightly perturbed escorts.  The five Veterans grumbled a bit, but they were used to this by now.  Maximus was his own breed of arrogance, and if not that he was somehow seen as competent by Marneus Calgar, the others would have left him to his own devices.  But, sadly, this was not that day.

"An energy signiture?" scoffed Maximus, throwing back his luxurious golden locks.  "You seek to interrupt my victory laps of this newly annointed world for that?"

The Apothecary sighed.  It was going to be one of those days.

"Yes, sir.  An energy signature that matches previously reported Eldar..."

Maximus snarled, raising himself to full height.

"Xenos scum!  I thought we had stamped them all out with our expertly planned planetary bombardment.  If only we had the cyclo...  cyloni... those Exterminatus missiles, we could have done a thorough job."

There was a small pause as the Apothecary considered the effort needed to explain that their mission was to recover the lost relics of an ancient Shrine World and that using Cyclonic Torpedoes that tended to cause the very crust of the planet to rupture would not be the best course of action.  But, looking into the vacant stare of his commanding officer made him decide otherwise.

"Yes, sir.  The signiture is in our near vicinity.  Do you want to..."

"Alert the Battle Barge.  Ready...  THE SKYHAMMER."

The Veterans exchanged looks.  The Skyhammer had been useful before in dispatching Eldar pirates and the like, but charging in blind seemed like it was a bit overkill.  But then again, Eldar were rather tricky beasts.

Maximus nodded, "Yes, Brothers, the Steel Rain will fall upon them all.  Let us see who has the last laugh...   That'll be us you know.  Laughing.  About them."

Before the others could respond, the Captain spun his bike around and blasted forwards as the thoughts of pureed Xenos filled his mind.  A superbly done speech and plan if he did say so himself.  Marneus Calgar himself couldn't have said it better.  This would all be over in time for tea.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setup: Dawn of War (Night Fight ON)
Mission: Relic (Ick)
Psyker:
- Thielbane: Prescience, Psychic Scream, Mind War
- Galen: Psychic Scream, Terrify, Shrouded
Warlord:
- Bobo (Yes, really): HATRED
- Captain: +1 to seize and re-roll reserves
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

To Be Continued!
BigToof Points:

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

Cammerz

Wait, what? So how do warlords actually work now? Can I make one of my marker drones the warlord? He did kill a daemon prince in close combat once so I'd say he's earned it.

Also, Space Marines can get eviscerators now? And you can put scatter lasers on jetbikes? I don't know what's going on anymore. It's been a while since my last game and I'm pretty stubbornly sticking with 6th edition for any future engagements (which hopefully might be quite soon).

As for the poll, well, it's Maximus, he's never been the luckiest chap in the universe. I can see Bobo getting stuck in relatively quickly so the jury's still out on his survival, but I'll say that he does (it's always nice to think optimistically).

I like that Galen and Allonia have found themselves some fun new toys, that'll show Rey'keth a thing or two.

Looking forward to reading this one BT, and I hope that this is the start of a new era of battle reports and not just a one-off followed by another large pause. Fingers-crossed eh?

BigToof

Quote from: Cammerz on September 27, 2015, 08:22:27 PM
Wait, what? So how do warlords actually work now? Can I make one of my marker drones the warlord? He did kill a daemon prince in close combat once so I'd say he's earned it.

Also, Space Marines can get eviscerators now? And you can put scatter lasers on jetbikes? I don't know what's going on anymore. It's been a while since my last game and I'm pretty stubbornly sticking with 6th edition for any future engagements (which hopefully might be quite soon).

As for the poll, well, it's Maximus, he's never been the luckiest chap in the universe. I can see Bobo getting stuck in relatively quickly so the jury's still out on his survival, but I'll say that he does (it's always nice to think optimistically).

I like that Galen and Allonia have found themselves some fun new toys, that'll show Rey'keth a thing or two.

Looking forward to reading this one BT, and I hope that this is the start of a new era of battle reports and not just a one-off followed by another large pause. Fingers-crossed eh?

Hi Cammerz!
Thanks for the reply.  I hope this will be start of a new chapter as well.
You can nominate any character (yes, even a Kroot Shaper or Vespid Strain Leader) as your Warlord.
I decided to nominate Bobo as I have very few characters (Thielbane, Bella, the Warp Spider Exarch and... Bobo) and that I hope to try to deny Warlord points and also hopefully entice my opponent to try and take out the Grots.
Oh, yes and as for the Jetbikes...  You can get a Scatter Laser on EVERY JETBIKE.
It's one of the "Trinity of OP" that the Eldar Codex has (the others being Gargantuan Wraithknights and D-Scythe Wraithguard with now REAL Destroyer weapon flavour).
Space Marines can apparently have Eviscerators.  Not sure if it's just the Assault squad, but I was a bit surprised to see them as well.  Not sure if it'll help him any in the long term but maybe it's for those pesky Imperial Knights that tend to pop up more than I thought.
Feel free to ask another other questions, I'm trying to learn all these nuances as well...

Best,
-BT
BigToof Points:

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

Mabbz

Looking good as always. I can't really say I remember Maximus much; the only battle I remember him from had him allied to a Tau Shas'O who scored 5 victory points single-handedly and earned a round of applause from her Orkish opponents, then blew up Max's bike to shut him up. Thielbane is always nice to see though, especially when Alliona is around.

I've voted for an amazing victory for Bobo, because I naturally assume you'll win. Do not fail me.

Quote from: BigToof on September 27, 2015, 09:00:42 PM
You can nominate any character (yes, even a Kroot Shaper or Vespid Strain Leader) as your Warlord.
I decided to nominate Bobo as I have very few characters (Thielbane, Bella, the Warp Spider Exarch and... Bobo) and that I hope to try to deny Warlord points and also hopefully entice my opponent to try and take out the Grots.
... Beg pardon? *rushes off to check by rulebook*

Huh. I never noticed that.

The Man They Call Jayne

I have missed these epic tales of badassery. My vote is on a crushing defeat for Maximus, to put the pompous git in his place.
Jaynes Awesome Card Counter: +5

Secondspheres Crash Card Counter +4



BigToof

Hi All,
Sorry for the wait.  Real Life became a bit hectic.
But, here's the entire report.
BT points will be updated soon to not spoil the surprise :)

Comments/Critiques greatly appreciated as I haven't done one of these for a while!

Best,
-BT
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Setup:
Well, terrain turns out to be rather interesting with trees on the right, and ruins in the center and left.  The center of the board with the relic turns out to be a giant empty kill zone.  That's... going to be fun.

My opponent wins the roll and interestingly enough wants to use the RAW setup.

Which means that he gets to choose who sets up first AND then who gets to go first.
I've always considered that a bit OP, but decide to roll with it.
One of the nice things about 7th is that you don't have to set up half your army up.

So, knowing that a MASSIVE alpha strike is coming in from my opponent, I decide to put Thielbane and the Grots in the center of my board, nestled nicely in a big ruin.  Everything else goes in reserves with Bella deepstriking with the Wraithguard.

Interestingly enough, my opponent puts out his Captain and Command Squad facing across the Grots.  Skyhammer set to drop turn 1 and Scouts outflanking.

He then decides to go first.

I try to seize (sigh) and fail (double sigh).


Picture Caption: I mean, what could possibly go wrong?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------
Interlude: The Beginning of the End
------------------------------------------

Maximus roared out, "Feckless Eldar Scum!  Who amongst you leads this misbegotten pack of Grox-herders?"

Trying to keep his head down, Thielbane yelled at the Grotesques, "Get down!  Everyone get down!"

All of them acted with varying degrees of speed except Bobo.  Bobo was the first of X'Bella Le'Gosi's creations and was thus the first recipient of the brain treatments that went along with it.  It did make him more docile than the others to a certain extent, but it did lead to some difficulties at times with commands. 

Which was a complicated way of saying that Bobo was just too slow to understand.

Squinting through the broken ruins in front of them, the Apothecary spotted a massive form still up amongst the torn apart rubble.

"Sir, one of them is still standing.  I..."

Maximus nodded in his best attempt to appear knowledgeable.

"That must be the leader.  Yes, yes.  I've seen this before with the Orks.  The largest one tends to be the one who leads.  Clearly he must be their Warlord."

There was a pause and some muttering amongst the Veterans before one of them spoke up.

"Sir...  I don't think that the Eldar..."

Maximus waved the man off, "Yes, yes, you don't think.  That's right.  We're ULTRAMARINES.  We ACT."

Revving his bike to drown out any further attempts at communication, the Space Marine Captain drew his Thunder Hammer and pointed it at the Xenos-laden ruin.

"Ready yourselves men!  We ride to glory!"


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

---------------------
Turn 1: Ultramarines
---------------------

Thielbane swore as a vertible armada of Space Marines vaulted down from the skies.  Some came on jetpacks, whirling down from soaring Thunderhawks while others burst out of Drop Pods like the seeds of overripe fruit full of murder.

The Biel-tan Farseer kept his head down behind the massive Grotesques who stood there rather lamely as Grav weaponry tore through their faltering shelter.  Luckily, it seemed the creatures didn't seem mind the gravitational flux and were making amused-sounding gurgles as ceiling and walls bent inwards under the unnatural strain.

Then, for a brief moment the onslaught stopped. 

You didn't have to be a Farseer to know why.

"They're beginning their assault!  Come on, you lot!  We have to do something!"

Thielbane shook the arm of the largest creature, but it did little than look at him with an empty stare.  The Farseer desperately gave a few more tugs than began to look for an exit.  But, something in his mind's eye stopped him.  Whirling around, he looked at the creature and saw an embossed case built into the monster's gauntlet.  Thiel carefully twisted it and a roughened piece of what he hoped wasn't skin fell out. 

Thiel picked it up and muttered out loud:

"In Case of Emergency:  'Smash.' ...  I wonder what that..."

There was a sudden gurgling sound as an octet of enormous vials on the creatures' backs burst open, mixing with the brackish fluids in their veins and a torment of pure hatred and rage filled the minds and hearts of the Grotesques.

Death had woken up with a five-alarm hangover.  This wasn't going to be pretty.

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

My opponent moves forwards with the bikes and then the SKYHAMMER comes down.

One of the Assault squads drops WAY off target and is out of range.  The falls close enough to assault (darn).
The Devs drop in the center, forming a small castle with a small hole for the bikes to race out of, but too close together for the Grots to just run up the center (clever...).  He then pops the Ultramarine shooting doctrine which lets them re-roll 1's to hit...

But, shooting has very little happen as my opponent suddenly realizes that the Grots are Armor Save 6+ (so... 6+ to wound), which means that it's sort of statistically questionable as to whether just shooting bolters at them would be better.  In the end, very little is done as I'm in a ruin during Night Fight, and the Grots have FnP.
The Assault Squad then races in, spraying the grots with Bolt Pistol and Flamer (doing not too much), and then slam in with a mighty charge roll.  I lose a few Grots, but almost the ENTIRE Assault Squad is ripped to shreds as the Grots roll up massively for their RAMPAGE roll.

For those of you not in the know (like myself for the longest of time), Rampage gives you 1d3 extra attacks if are outnumbered (which I am).  This basically almost doubles the Grots attack output and with 3+ re-rollable wounds (from new poison rules!), it's not a pretty sight.  The Assault Squad pulls out of combat and runs back to the safety of the Devs' castle.  Of note, I challenge with Bobo and the Scissorhand puts in massive work, cleaving the Eviscerator Sarge in half and then carrying on to the rest of the squad!


Picture Caption: Unstoppable Force meet Immovable Object.  Hope you brought airbags.


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

-------------------------
Turn 1: Eldar Alliance
-------------------------

"Sir... The... The assault marines... They're falling back."

Broken from his reverie of mentally planning victory speeches, the Marine Captain started up and squinted through the gloom around him.

"What?  That's impossible!" sputtered Maximus.  But, it was no mistake.  Cyan armor and bodies were ungainly thrown out of the ruin and a pair of quickly jetting away Marines flew out, madly scampering away from the fray.

The marines only stopped when they were behind the Drop Pods.
Snarling, Maximus barked at them, "You there!  Report!  Why are you leaving the fight?  Give those Xenos dogs no mercy!"

One of the Assault Marines stopped running and turned on his heel, clearly shaken by the whole affair.

"Captain, they're...  they're some kind of Daemons.  Our weapons have no effect!"

"Nonsense, you're just not..."

Then there was a swirl of otherworldly energy and the heads of the two Assault Marines exploded in a viscera-cacophony that splattered the started Bikers around them.

Raising his sword Maximus snarled,

"Foul Xenos!  We will avenge our fallen comrades!  Let us show them the might of the Ultramarines!"

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

Well...  I think I just got hella lucky.

My opponent didn't pop his Assault doctrine and he didn't get great rolls.

I did.

Which means that I was able to consolidate out of the ruins and within charging distance of the second Assault Squad.

But, first things first.

After moving up, I throw Prescience on the Grots and Psychic Scream at the remains of the badly torn-up Assault Squad.  Thanks to Farseer shenanigans, both go off, and the last of the jetpack Marines go down.

I then shoot at the fresh assault squad (so I can now assault them, funny how the new Psyker rules work...), and then charge in.

It's far more brutal this time, as even though I have less Grots, I have re-rolls to wound AND to hit now and the Marines don't stand much of a chance.

A single Marine remains, and is unable to get away (good).

This is starting to get interesting...



Picture Caption: Who says Assault is dead??


------------------------
Turn 2: Ultramarines
------------------------

There was a sharp SMACK as Maximus thundered through the dense forest that protected the Xenos melee.  A clatter of metal signaled that one of the Veterans of centuries of combat had somehow gotten outsmarted by foliage and was likely on the ground sucking wind.

Maximus shook his head.  How was he supposed to have grand victories when he was surrounded by mediocre peons?  But then again, that did just give more room for his own chance to be glorious in battle.  After all, if the chances appear more dire, then the sweeter it would be when the aliens were dismembered and writhing at his feet, begging for forgiveness that would not come.

It was a good day to be an Ultramarine.

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

The Scouts come on my left side and decide to just hide out for a while with all the action going on in the center.

My opponent is stuck with a hard choice and he takes his time to think about it.
The Grots are stuck in with the last of the Assault Marines.
My reserves come in next turn and if he just sits there, there's a good chance that things won't go well when the Grots break free and get to charge in on the Devastators that really haven't been doing much to them the whole game.
So...  He readies up the Captain and his Command Squad and they charge in!

To both our amazement, the Apothecary takes one to the skull with a failed Dangerous Terrain test and goes down even with FnP...

Maximus challenges, and I accept with Bobo.  The Vets do some damage, but my FnP rolls stay hot and I hit back hard, wiping the Squad and wounding Maximus.  He hits Bobo, but not enough to kill through FnP (T5 is awesome!).  The Marine Captain runs and there's no hope of us catching him...


Picture Caption: Does it count if you head really really bruises his fist?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BigToof Points:

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

BigToof

------------------------
Turn 2: Eldar Alliance
------------------------

There was an eerie sound and a purplish portal burst into being.  The Devastator marines had a moment to turn to see a small Eldar surrounded by five enormous Wraithbone constructs.  Some raised their weapons as a feeling tugged at their minds.  It was something familiar, yet still oddly foreign.

FEAR.

Fear and torment tore at their souls.

Although the Astartes knew no fear, they certainly weren't going to ignore the alien creatures.  At least for the few moments that remained of their lives.

The Wraithguard depressed the triggers on their weapons and X'Bella Le'Gosi, Haemonculus of the Salon of Sorrow, took notes on the effects of sudden dimensional disruptions on the Astartes.

The Marines waved their hands around, trying to find purchase before being sucked into the void.

She paused in mid-writing, and turned her head to the side in thought.  Was the waving supposed to represent an attempt at greeting?  If so, was there an appropriate response?

Bella looked up again, social algorithms running through her mind, but the rifts were closed and the Marines had vanished already.

A pity.

Perhaps next time.

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

Captain Excelsior Maximus gasped as he watched the Xenos aircraft burst forth from enormous portals.  One was red and purple, full of edges and weaponry.  The other was yellow as an Iron Hand scout, but there was a strange aura that seemed to permeate it.  Unnatural in every way.

On-board the jet, Hekatrix Allonia sighed with relief as she saw Thielbane still alive and entrenched amongst the Grotesques.  Bella had casually told her that her lover (and only source of reliable protection from the all-too-real and fluctuant dangers of the Kabal) was in danger.  In an eyeblink, she was vaulting over the heads of the sluggish Warriors and into her Razorwing.  It had been months since she had started her new life as a Jetfighter pilot, which had taken some getting used to.  It was a safer life, she had to admit, as Wyches were little more than meat in the assault grinder.  The Razorwing wasn't the most subtle of weapons, she had to admit as she armed all of her Monoscythe missiles, but it did have a bit of fun to the whole affair. 

A small smile went over her features as she let the spiralling fusillade go, and smirked as the razor-sharp shockwaves threw the Marines off their feet.  Sometimes without their feet attached.  Thielbane was going to be so pleased with her that maybe he'd even let her walk with him while he talked with the higher-ups in the Kabal. 

Yeah, right.  And maybe she'd get a soulstone and a free pass to his Craftworld too.  But... it wasn't a bad thing to dream.

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

Both Jets come on as do Bella and the Guard.  Oh, and the Bikes and Venom as well.

The Jets move up and I make sure that they both have good angles of approach with the Armor of Misery on Bella and the Wraithfighter's Mindshock Pod doing its whammy on both Maximus and one of the Devs.  The Grots move up for more carnage.

The Psychic phase surprisingly does the most damage, erasing most of a Dev Squad and trying to take out Maximus.  I end up putting TERROR on the Captain and he fails his really low Morale check and runs off the board!
Shooting has the Razorwing tear up more of the Devs and then the Wraithguard and Wraithfighter clean up the remains with D-weapon goodness.
The Grots are a bit disappointed, but decide to pass the time tearing off hull points from one of the Drop Pods.

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


Picture Caption: Wow, that was kind of brutal.

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

-------------------
Turn 3: Both Sides
-------------------
With not much hope, my opponent tries to do some damage, tearing apart a group of Jetbikes, but it's pretty obvious he can't contest the Relic and I have all three bonus points.

So with that...




RESULT: ELDAR ALLIANCE VICTORY!

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

It wasn't running.  Oh, no, nothing like that, Maximus told himself as he flew away from the battlefield.  Astartes don't feel fear.  This was just a strategic withdrawl.  Marneas Calgar did this kind of thing all the time. 

Scenery raced past him as he drove the bike faster than he ever had before.  All he had to do was just get far enough away from whatever was chasing him. 

The Xenos would pay for this.  This was all their fault.  His plan was foolproof.  This was all an impossibility.  Some kind of alien witchery.  Yes, something like that.  Cheating Xenos.  It happened all the time.  Just a few more kilometers and he'd consider slowing down to check. 

Nothing wrong with that at all.

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

Thielbane nodded to himself as he watched the two Fighters fly back through Webway Portals.  Somehow, he had gotten lucky again.  Shaking his head as another bout of grim depression threatened to overwhelm him, he noticed the Grotesques' stench was a bit less horrid, and he looked over to see the largest one looming over him.  The creature was riddled with wounds, but seemed to care little.

Just as he was considering what to say, the sound of a pen scratching on parchment brought his attention down to Bella Le'Gosi, who was writing in her curious little book again.

Coughing politely, Thielbane said, "Thanks Bella.  I'm glad to see you and your... friends.  I must admit I'm a bit impressed."

He waited for a few moments when no response came.  He tried again using a different tact.

"Umm... What's this one's name?  The largest one here?"

Bella stopped and looked up.  In a monotone voice she said, "Bobo," before returning to her book.

Thielbane nodded and looked around.  A piece of one of the Astartes' armor had broken off.  It looked sort of like an ornate circle.  Kind of like a Halo.  Dusting it off, a strange thought came to his mind and he carefully put it on Bobo's head.  It shimmered in the light, and the large creature gurgled a bit.  It sounded almost like a cheerful laugh.

Thiel tried to suppress a smile at the comical sight, but failed.  Then, a strange thought filled his mind.  The Astartes was obsessed with defeating the Grotesque.  He didn't know what Bobo really was...

A plan began forming in the Farseer's mind, and a grand new set of events began to play out before him.

Yes.  Yes.  This was going to be something very interesting indeed...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Post-Game Thoughts: Wow, that was a helluva stomping.  I haven't done one like that in a long time.  Everyone worked out well and although the D-weapons are absolutely brutal, the Grots were the ones who won the day.

Wow.

Just wow.

Hope you enjoyed what is hopefully the start of a lot more to come!

Oh, and just because...

----------------------
Unit Grading (!)
----------------------
Farseer: A
- Hella good.  Makes the Grots actually work.

Wraithguard: B
- Felt like using a sledgehammer to crack open eggs.  A bit pricey and overpowered for what you need them for.

Jetbikes: B
- Meh shooting.  Couldn't even kill scouts reliably.

Hemlock: A
- Psychic scream and morale de-buffing in a flyer?  Sign me up!

Warp Spiders: B
- Needs more data.  Not out long enough to be definitive.  Seems like they'll be good, but they need to put in work next time!

Bella: A-
- More of Armor and WWP delivery than anything else.  A bit expensive for just an accurate deep strike.  But that's what makes the Wraithguard work...

Grotesques: A
- My vote for THE most improved unit.  Laughs at grav.  MURDERS EVERYTHING.  If made fearless, they are a big pit of pain.  A bit lumbering, but surprisingly mobile when consolidating out of assaults.

Warriors: B
- Cheap troops, kept out of trouble.

Razorwing: A
- FOUR S6 LARGE BLAST TEMPLATES.  'Nuff sad.
BigToof Points:

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

Cammerz

Quote from: BigToof on October 04, 2015, 01:55:37 PM
Picture Caption: Who says Assault is dead??

'Assault Marines is dead' maybe?

That went very well for you, I almost feel sorry for your opponent but he's the one who chose to bring Ultramarines and it should be common knowledge now what happens to Maximus.

Some of those Eldar units sound exceptionally powerful (I'm mainly thinking Hemlock and Wraithguard here, what are the D weapon rules this edition?) and magic truly seems to have more of a role here in 40k than it does in Age of Sigmar nowadays (one of the reasons I'm sticking with previous editions for both 40k and fantasy) but you appear to be making it work.

The jetbikes do seem a little fragile but maybe that's just due to the very small unit sizes, probably a good thing you left them in reserve because I reckon they'd be an easy First Blood to your opponent.

So well done on the victory, I'm glad I can claim another BT point (no Maximus, fleeing counts as dead for this). I'm looking forward to whatever you're bringing out next. Maybe Orks or IG?

Job's a good un!

Mabbz

Has Maximus ever done anything right? How on earth did he become a Captain?

Anyways, the game. That space marine army seemed remarkably underpowered, but then they never really had a chance to show their worth thanks to the grots 6+ armour making thegrav cannons useless and the assault marines having to attack an entrenched melee unit piecemeal. Had I been them I probably would have deepstriked further back and forced the grots to come to me. As it was, he deployed in the middle of the kill zone, and was promptly annihilated by your flyers and grots. He had the mobility to wait for the flyers and grav cannon them, then hit the relic later.

Nevertheless, a very entertaining read as always. I look forward to the next one (Guard, Tau and/or Orks?). No, we will never stop demanding more.

BigToof

Hi All,
Sorry for the late replies, but real life again...
In any case, BT points updated, and with the Tau Codex around the corner, possibilities abound for the next rep!

Quote from: Cammerz on October 04, 2015, 03:09:19 PM
Quote from: BigToof on October 04, 2015, 01:55:37 PM
Picture Caption: Who says Assault is dead??

'Assault Marines is dead' maybe?

That went very well for you, I almost feel sorry for your opponent but he's the one who chose to bring Ultramarines and it should be common knowledge now what happens to Maximus.

Some of those Eldar units sound exceptionally powerful (I'm mainly thinking Hemlock and Wraithguard here, what are the D weapon rules this edition?) and magic truly seems to have more of a role here in 40k than it does in Age of Sigmar nowadays (one of the reasons I'm sticking with previous editions for both 40k and fantasy) but you appear to be making it work.

The jetbikes do seem a little fragile but maybe that's just due to the very small unit sizes, probably a good thing you left them in reserve because I reckon they'd be an easy First Blood to your opponent.

So well done on the victory, I'm glad I can claim another BT point (no Maximus, fleeing counts as dead for this). I'm looking forward to whatever you're bringing out next. Maybe Orks or IG?

Job's a good un!

Thanks for the reply Cammerz!
My opponent was just overconfident I think as his build really hammers the "standard" Eldar lists with Wraithknights and Jetbikes into pieces.
Grots though, I don't think he ever saw before, so he just wanted to hit it hard and get away with it.
I think he wants a rematch though with some kind of Deathstar (sigh...), but I'll have to see what's out there for the moment.
Orks and IG seem less popular at the moment, as their Codexes are rather weak at the moment...

Quote from: Mabbz on October 04, 2015, 10:04:37 PM
Has Maximus ever done anything right? How on earth did he become a Captain?

Anyways, the game. That space marine army seemed remarkably underpowered, but then they never really had a chance to show their worth thanks to the grots 6+ armour making thegrav cannons useless and the assault marines having to attack an entrenched melee unit piecemeal. Had I been them I probably would have deepstriked further back and forced the grots to come to me. As it was, he deployed in the middle of the kill zone, and was promptly annihilated by your flyers and grots. He had the mobility to wait for the flyers and grav cannon them, then hit the relic later.

Nevertheless, a very entertaining read as always. I look forward to the next one (Guard, Tau and/or Orks?). No, we will never stop demanding more.

Thanks for the reply Mabbz,
I think my opponent was just expecting to run the Grots over.  If he had gotten both units in, that would have been a definitive possibility, but the Grots were really just a distraction unit at the end of the day.
I don't think he was expecting that mass firepower drop either on Turn 2, but then again neither was I.
Tau seems definitely high on my list with the new book coming out soon, but I may put something out just to bide time for a bit...

Thank you all for the kind comments!

Best,
-BT
BigToof Points:

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