Though our groups fate for Adepticon is still unclear Cash and I had a game to continue testing the lists. This time we used the Haemonculus coven to help bolster my Wych cult list, Cash on his end brought up a Blood Angels list he cooked up with the models he had available.
From what I remember Cash brought:
Commander w/ powersword and plasma pistol
Chaplain w/ terminator armor
Honor Guard/Retinue? x5 w/ apothecary, melta gun and a sanguary priest
Terminators x5 w/ cyclone missile launchers x2 and sanguary priest
Assault Marines x10 w/ melta gun, sarge w/ power fist in drop pod
Assault Marines x10 w/ melta gun, sarge w/ power fist in drop pod
Tactical Marines x10 w/ melta gun, sarge w/ powerfist in rhino
Landspeeder x2 w/ heavy bolter and assault cannons
Landspeeder x2 w/ heavy bolter and assault cannons
My lists:
Succubus w/ shardnet & impaler
Wyches x10 w/ hydra gauntlets x2, hekatrix w/ venom blade in raider w/ chain snares
Wyches x10 w/ razorflails x2, hekatrix w/ venom blade in raider w/ chain snares
Wyches x9 w/ shardnet & impaler, hekatrix w/ venom blade in raider w/ chain snares
Incubi x5 w/ klavex in venom w/ splinter cannon x2
Reavers x3 w/ heatlance
Reavers x3 w/ heatlance
Haemonculus w/ liquifier and venom blade
Haemonculus w/ liquifier and venom blade
Grotesques x4 w/ liquifier and abberation w/ venom blade in raider
Wracks x10 w/ liquifier x2, acothyst w/ venom blade in raider
Wracks x10 w/ liquifier x2, acothyst w/ venom blade in raider
Wracks x9 w/ liquifier,acothyst w/ venom blade in raider
Talos w/ tl liquifier gun and stinger pod
We decided on two objectives and kill points as much as a loathe that especially in a kill point heavy army. I decided to give Cash the first turn seeing as he had a few units that could deploy via reserve and I would gain little to nothing by going first. I was worried about the land speeders matching my mobility and for the most part putting out more deadly fire power than my raiders but "acceptable casualties" was the name of the game.
I rolled a 1 for combat drugs giving me Hypex (run moves are 3d6 pick the highest) with a comment that all of the combat drugs are actually quite useful in the new codex.
Deployment/Battlefield:
The board in general had little to no line of sight blocking terrain Cash deployed both Rhinos behind a building gaining some cover with the land speeder squadrons guarding their flanks. I deployed everything on my right side leaving both reaver jetbike units (and inadvertently a wrack unit) in reserve.
objectives were about 20 or so inches apart from the center of the table.
Turn: 1
First turn was pretty uneventful both land speeder squadrons managed to immobilize two raiders (one wrack and one wych), both blood angel rhinos gunned for the objective on my right where my attack was heading. A drop pod landed near the left most objective near some ruins and used their low run roll to try and get into said ruins.
The Dark Eldar zoom with one Wych raider as far forward as possible hoping to avoid any incoming fire by going straight at the enemy. The incubi and their venom head to deal with the drop pod squad in the ruins stopping to let loose with the splinter cannons knocking out a marine or two. The rest of the raiders tried their best and failed either stunning and shaking the rhinos instead of destroying them.
The Wych squad on foot (their raider immobilized) ran up the right flank hoping to draw the marines out of their transports so that the rest of my forces can attack. The walking Wrack squad marched up the center also hoping that cash would take the bait.
Turn 2:
Cash consolidated his position on the leftmost objective by using the homing beacon on the drop pod to guide the terminators and other drop pod around the objective. Not much movement other than the land speeders repositioning themselves for better shots. To my amazement both squadrons focused on the foot squads instead of the transports.
Between a squadron and the terminators they reduced the Wrack unit to a single wrack and haemonculus that were sent running. The other squadron focused on the walking wych unit killing a handful but thanks to "hit the ground" two remained alive.
On my turn one of the jet bike units came in and predictably turbo boosted over the assault squad in the ruins killing 2-3 of them. The venom unloaded the incubi by the second assault squad tagging another marine I believe. The succubus raider prepared to strike in the next turn hoping that eventually the dark lances would leave their mark on the two rhinos. Unfortunately dark lances failed again shaking or stunning vehicles I believe one unit lost it's storm bolter and became immobile.
There was a moment where I had high hopes for grotesques piling out of their raider and hosing the terminators with liquifiers only to have the rolls for AP be lousy. Completely forgetting about the sanguary priests ability all my attacks bounced off either terminator armor or feel no pain. The return attacks had me losing the combat by 4 or 5 I knew in that moment that if the grotesques broke from combat that I would be in a VERY bad spot. Luckily for me they rolled bang on for their leadership test and stayed in the fight.
The only other assault was the incubi versus the assault marines they managed to do quite well butchering most of the squad leaving only a marine and his sarge who crushed an incubi with his powerfist. No retreat meant the rest of the marines died as hid behind a drop pod hoping to avoid the attention of the land speeders.
Turns: 3-4
Cash finally destroyed the Sucubbus raider killing a handful in the explosion and finishing off the rest with random fire from the two rhinos leaving the Succubus with one wound. The land speeders which I essentially ignored at this point didn't cause me any more major problems.
I caught a break and finally popped both rhinos spilling out the squads, the tactical marines were showered with the twin linked liquifier from the talos killing most of them before a wych squad charged them and finished the job. The next turn the honor guard would be showered in splinter fire and liquifier fire and charged from everything on the right flank wiping them out.
The chaplain and terminators facing off against the grotesques had their fates sealed when the incubi charged the squad and took out all the terminators in one round of combat. Over two or three rounds of combat the incubi only lost a member while the grotesques lost the haemonculus and had several wounds among them.
I managed to take down one of the squadrons of speeders and that is when Cash called the game.
What was left alive:
Cash:
Drop Pods x2
Landspeeder x2
Myself:
Succubus (1 wound left)
Wych x2 w/ raider (immobile)
Wych x7 w/ raider
Incubi x2-3 w/ venom
Raider from destroyed wych squad (immobile)
Wracks x10 w/ raider
Wracks x10 w/ raider
Grotesques x4 w/ raider
Reavers x3
Reavers x2 (running away)
Talos
thoughts on game:
With Dark Eldar I have noticed that the first two turns never quite go to plan, but ever the ork player "acceptable casualties" has always been my motto. Presenting my opponent with too many choice targets and using my speed and mobility had me carrying the day.
Though I did put a lot of weight on my force since it is the army I have the most experience with (did I mention I forgot to deploy a wrack unit?) I am learning the capabilities of every unit. For example when I first started using the bikes I did horrible with them. But since the unit looks so cool I just knew there was a way of playing with them (without using grav talons) and now they tend to be my most destructive unit.
Though Cash said he didn't hope to win the game by any measure, I know he was quite confident till turn 3 rolled around. He doesn't give himself much credit when playing 40k sure it is true he has never defeated me in a game of 40k he is actually quite the tactician in skirmish games.
In other news I have finally received the resin desert bases for the Dark Eldar I can't wait to start putting everything together and playing at the local GW with my 1k list. Hopefully I will have a few pictures up by next week if not earlier.
