Monday 16 November 2015

Epic 4K: Fir Iolarion Titan Clan vs Ogre/Scout Space Marines...

Another Epic game against Andrew, once again with both of us turning up blind to what the other person would take, which certainly leads to some very interesting match ups! I took the Eldar Titan Clan list, which is currently being worked on over at Tactical Command forums, while Andrew took a controversial Marine Scout list. Controversial meaning some Italians (if I remember correctly), feel it is a very powerful list combination (lots of Scout formations together with a Warlord Titan). I have used a version of this Scout list in this previous battle.


Here is my Eldar Titan Clan list, just six formations at 4000 points! (Well seven with Avatar but he is only on the board for one turn!). I was orginally going to leave out the Wave Serpents and Guardians and taken some Wraithlords or more Revenants, but I was lazy and didn't get them painted in time...

Fir Iolarion Titan Clan 4.2.1 (3975 points)
  • Warlock Titan with Psychic Lance and Powerfist and Autarch (925)
  • Phantom Titan with Pulsar and Starcannon (775)
  • Phantom Titan with Pulsar and Starcannon (775)
  • 2x Revenant Titans with Pulsars (750)
  • Guardians (2 Heavy Weapon Platforms) with Wave Serpents (375)
  • Guardians (2 Heavy Weapon Platforms) with Wave Serpents (375)
  • Avatar (Free)


Andrew used his Brigade miniatures powered armour miniatures and scratchbuilt AFV's as a Codex Marine List, with a scratchbuilt Ogre as the Warlord!

Pan-European GEV Infantry Battalion (counts as Codex Marines)
First company and Battalion Command
4 Devastators + Supreme Commander, 2 Rhinos,  Razorback, Hunter
4 Scouts, 2 Rhinos (GEV-PCs)
4 Scouts, 2 Rhinos
Second Company
4 Scouts + Captain, 2 Rhinos
4 Scouts, 2 Rhinos
4 Scouts, 2 Rhinos
Third Company
4 Scouts + Captain, 2 Rhinos
4 Scouts, 2 Rhinos
4 Scouts, 2 Rhinos, Razorback (GEV)
Support Company
4 Devastators (Missile Infantry), 2 Rhinos, Hunter
4 Devastators, 2 Rhinos, Hunter (Missile Tank)
5 Landspeeders (LGEVs)
5 Landspeeders
Un-Fluffy Air Support
2 Thunderbolts
2 Thunderbolts
Attached OGRE Mk V
Warlord Titan




Turn 1

Here's the battlefield, city in the centre, some woods and a hill around the outsides. As it turned out we both favoured our flanks closest to the camera, with the Marines deploying to match my own weighting of this flank.

Here's the Marine setup.

Here's my deployment (yes that's all of it!)

I win Strategy Roll, but make the Marines go first. They race some Landspeeders forward and shoot ineffectually at my mounted Wave Serpents.

I advance a Phantom and wreck the Scout formation ahead of it in the woods.

Marines advance more Scouts. I assault with a Wave Serpent formation, wiping out the Landspeeders for loss of a Guardian.

Thunderbolts attack my Wave Serpents and miss, and also avoid AA fire from the Warlock.

My next Wave Serpent formation engages and wipes out the next Scout formation that had advanced to pin me.

Marines do a combined engage action with two formations.

I kill 4 stands and lose 2, winning the combat and the scouts back off, advancing to new pinning positions.

My next Phantom advances and fires on another Scout formation killing most of it.

My Warlock advances into the city, and kills one unit from a broken formation and places a blast marker on another formation. Marines race forward to set up the Warlock for a crossfire...

But this first formation is in itself crossfired and wiped out by my Revenants.

Warlord (Ogre) advances and blasts my Phantom...

...doing 4 damage!

My Warlock takes a pounding and a point of damage as more enemy advance.

Devastators advance too, but shoot and break my most advanced Wave Serpent formation rather than the Warlock, who is right where they want him.

Thunderbolts blast my Wave Serpents killing 2 and 2 Guardians.

End of turn.

I fail to rally any formations!

Turn 2

I win Strategy Roll against the odds again, and my Warlock does a combined engage action against two Scout formations and the Land Speeders.

Warlock takes a point of damage, but wrecks the Scouts and wipes out the Land Speeders.

Warlock consolidates to the woods for cover.

My entire army bunched up in the woods!

Warlord (Ogre), doubles up on top of the hill, and does no damage but breaks the Warlock, who advances rather than retreating.


Missed out a few pictures here, getting too excited with all the action (and possibly the wine we were drinking), but here is the end of the turn. Warlock and Wave Serpents rally, Phantom fails to rally again.

Little is occurring on the left flank, the marines just hold the objective here and some buildings in the city.

Turn 3

Marines win strategy roll, and Warlord sustain fires on the Warlock, breaking it and doing two damage. It retreats to the rear of the woods.



Revenants double over to hold the Eldar blitz, zapping another Marine formation as they do so.
The unbroken Eldar Phantom charges inbetween the Marine formations to get over the half way line and contest two objectives.

Warlock and Wave Serpents rally, but broken Phantom remains broken.

End of turn 3, Victory Conditions 0-0.

Turn 4

Eldar win Strategy Roll again! Warlock engages the Devastators and Scouts ahead of it.

Marines suffer casualties, but kill the heavily damaged Warlock! Oops.

Marines and Eldar Guardians struggle for the woods, and remains of a Devastator formation is wiped out by depleted Guardians.

Revenants move and shoot the Warlord, aiming to put some Blast Markers on it in case it tries to engage my Phantom. They strip away the void shield and do a point of damage which is a critical hit!

The Marines throw everything they have at the Phantom, but it just manages to hold on. It's final act of valour is to shoot down the remaining two Thunderbolts, thus preventing a blast marker that would break it.

End of game. Warlord's reactor repairs (boo!).


Marines have "Break Their Spirit" for killing Warlock, Eldar have nothing. 1-0 so goes to victory points. Here the massive a casualites the Marines have taken tell against them. Marines have about 1600 VP's, Eldar 2700 VP's, so victory to Eldar on tiebreak.


Conclusions

An interesting game, and to be honest I was felt pretty lucky to win. Not only did I win Strategy Rolls 3 times despite having the lower Strategy Rating, but my last rolls with the Phantom effectively saved me the game against heavy odds. If the Phantom had taken one more blast marker somehow it would have been 3-0 to the Marines. Somewhat counterbalancing my luck with Strategy Rolls,  my rally rolls were not so great perhaps. I think I'm agreed that the Marine Scout list is pretty nasty, with so many cheap infiltrating, scouting units, able to tie you up everywhere, and wouldn't like my chances in a second game as it's very challenging when so out activated to deal with all the threats!

Thursday 5 November 2015

Epic 4K: Starship Troopers vs Thousand Sons

Another recent game, with Andrew using more of his cool scratchbuilt forces. He's made a Starship Troopers List (more like the book than movie, but taking some inspiration from movie in terms of vehicles). Now of course Epic doesn't have an official Starship Troopers List (yet), but it does have a list with lots of armoured battlesuits and dropships - Tau again! So Andrew used a limited selection from this list to represent the troopers.

Starship Troopers, Mobile Infantry Company

(counts as Tau Vior'la)

First Platoon
4005 Crisis Suits + Shas'o, 2 Gun Drones
3255 Crisis Suits + Shas'el, 2 Gun Drones
2756 Stealth Suits + Cadre Fireblade, 2 Gun Drones
Second Platoon
3505 Crisis Suits + Cadre Fireblade + Shas'el, 2 Gun Drones
2756 Stealth Suits + Cadre Fireblade, 2 Gun Drones
2756 Stealth Suits + Cadre Fireblade, 2 Gun Drones
Third Platoon
3505 Crisis Suits + Cadre Fireblade + Shas'el, 2 Gun Drones
2506 Stealth Suits + Cadre Fireblade
2506 Stealth Suits + Cadre Fireblade
Orbital Support
200Roger Young (Protector Cruiser)
Landing Craft
150Orca
150Orca
150Orca
150Orca
Fighter Cover
1502 Barracudas
1502 Barracudas
1502 Barracuda


The Trooper infantry are Brigade Minatures Power Armour. Ones with Heavy Weapons on stands count as Crisis Suits, others as Stealth. Single based as Drones. Still need flocking but looks pretty cool.

Here's the whole Trooper force.


Meanwhile I also got a new army out, the Chaos Thousand Sons list.


Egypolas, 3940 POINTS
Thousand Sons (6.0.2)

==================================================

RUBRIC FELLOWSHIP [305]
Sorcerer, 6 Thousand Sons Marines units., 3 Rhino

RUBRIC FELLOWSHIP [500]
Sorcerer, 6 Thousand Sons Marines units., 3 Land Raider

AHRIMAN'S CHOSEN [450]
Sorcerer, 9 Thousand Sons Marines units. All have the Teleport ability

SCARAB OCCULT [450]
5 Thousand Sons Adeptus, Daemon Prince of Tzeentch

SILVER TOWER COMPANY [360]
4 Silver Tower

SEKHMET DISC RIDERS [325]
Sorcerer, 9 Disc Riders

SEKHMET DISC RIDERS [325]
Sorcerer, 9 Disc Riders

SEKHMET DISC RIDERS [325]
Sorcerer, 9 Disc Riders

DOOMWING FIGHTERS [150]
3 Doomwing Fighters

DOOMWING FIGHTERS [150]
3 Doomwing Fighters

DOOMWING FIGHTERS [150]
3 Doomwing Fighters

FIRELORD BOMBERS [150]
Firelord Bombers

FIRELORD BOMBERS [150]
Firelord Bombers

FIRELORD BOMBERS [150]
Firelord Bombers


Here's the army, many weird looking disk riders and aircraft! (Note vehicles should be 3 landraiders for one formation and 3 rhinos for other).



And one last picture before we start the battle report, Andrew also brought along some new Feline models he has been working on, these are CinC Miniatures, Solar Empire Marines range, Ga-Ule Felinoids. Looking forward to seeing an army of these!!

Turn 1

Set up - all my forces are on my left flank. Three of my formations are intermingled but I'm not worried about being assaulted. The Troopers are more spread out, with a couple of garrisons forward and more formations off table in their drop ships.

Weird looking disc riders...

I win Strategy Roll, and put Doomwings on Combat Air Patrol (CAP) ready to intercept drop ships. 

Troopers also go on CAP, and then one of my Firelords ground attacks. It is shot down by the interceptors...

And same thing happens to another Firelord.

I send in some more Doomwings and they shoot down two Trooper Interceptors!

The Troopers Intercept the Doomwings, but the Doomwings manage to escape any losses! Yay!

Silver Towers advance...

and blast the garrisoned Troopers killing many.

A Rubric felloship doubles and shoots the Trooper Garrison, breaking them.

Troopers double and crossfire the Fellowship, doing no damage to the heavily armoured units.

The other Rubric felllowship advances to support range, and then the Trooper formation is wiped out in an assault by a Disc Rider formation, for the loss of only a single disc rider.


Trooper spacecraft arrives and planetfalls two dropships.

Dropships take Thousand Son objectives.

Before attacking a Rubric Felloship...

...causing heavy losses.

More Doomwings attack, killing another Trooper interceptor.

Trooper dropship arrives and is intercepted by Doomwings, but only damaged. 

The Troopers who unload severely damage another Disc Rider Formation, killing six of them.

And another dropship arrives in the centre of the field behind the Thousand Sons.

Here's the situation at the end of turn 1.

And on right side of battlefield, many Troopers.

Turn 2

My Chosen teleport near my blitz, picking up two blast markers.

Scarab Occult with Daemon Prince teleport into centre of table.

I win Strategy Roll, and Silver towers move and practically annihilate a Trooper platoon.



But then my Rubric Rellowship with Landraiders fail their retain roll even with reroll! They make a move and mount up. Then the Troopers blast my Scarab Occult with crossfire and kill my Daemon Prince!

Troopers retain and eliminate the remainder of the Scarab Occult.

A Firelord bombs a broken formation leaving only a single survivor.

A Trooper dropship comes in and firefights the broken disc riders, but loses and is destroyed causing no casualties! Ha!

I charge the Chosen into the overwatching Troopers at my Blitz. One is killed by overwatch fire and the Chosen lose the combat but stay where they are being fearless.


Disc Riders come through the Wraith Gate Blitz Objective and wipe out the Troopers here.



Two of my Silver Towers are killed and the other two retreat. My Firelord is shot down, and also one of my Doomwings that tried to intercept after the fact.

End of turn. Can't quite remember the rally results sorry.


Turn 3

I win Strategy Roll again, and my Landraider Rubric engages the Trooper unit behind it, wiping them out.

I retain and assault with the single survivor of  another Rubric Cult here but he loses.

Troopers attack the Disc Riders at my blitz. The Chosen still have not rallied.

And ouch, I've lost!! Because I'm out of enough ground activations to contest everything. Troopers win 4-0.

Conclusion

Interesting game, the Trooper list, despite basically using only two main types of units did very well and was challenging to play against. I admit my own list was somewhat hampered by the "I've just painted all these I want to use them" problem! Also the Firelords were poorly matched in terms of weaponary load and resistance to attack vs this force. Adding some anti-air ground units (Deceivers) as I had originally planned would have ensured a much more balanced and capable force I think. I will need to try these strange Chaos forces again!