Tuesday 26 June 2018

Epic 4K: Death Guard vs Scions of Iron

A game between these two forces, me using my Deathguard, and Andrew using his Lunar Force as proxies for a Scions of Iron Landraider force.

My list was:

Incompertus, 4000 POINTS
Death Guard (NetEA V0.4.2)
==================================================

PLAGUE MARINE RETINUE [325]
7 Plague Marines, Chaos Spawn, Nurgle Sorcerer Lord

PLAGUE MARINE RETINUE [325]
7 Plague Marines, Chaos Spawn, Nurgle Sorcerer Lord

PLAGUE MARINE RETINUE [400]
7 Plague Marines, 2 Chaos Spawn, Lord of Pestilence (Supreme Commander)

PLAGUE ZOMBIE INFESTATION* [175]
3+2D6 Plague Zombies

PLAGUE TOWERS* [350]
Plague Tower

PLAGUE TOWERS* [350]
Plague Tower

CONTAGION TOWERS* [325]
4 Contagion Towers

CONTAGION TOWERS* [325]
4 Contagion Towers

REPUGNANT TITAN [625]

HELLBLADES* [200]
3 Hellblade Fighters

PLAGUE REAPERS [200]
Plague Reaper

PLAGUE REAPERS [200]
Plague Reaper

DEATH GUARD CHOSEN [200]
4 Plague Marine Chosen, Nurgle Sorcerer Lord





Andrew's list was:


Scions of Iron

600Hvy Tactical, 4 Marines, Land Raider Prometheus, Supreme Commander, 3 Land Raiders, Hunter
475Hvy Tactical, 4 Marines, Chaplain, Land Raider Crusaders, 3 Land Raiders
475Hvy Tactical, 4 Marines, Chaplain, Land Raider Crusaders, 3 Land Raiders
450Hvy Tactical, 4 Marines, 3 Land Raiders, Hunter
475Hvy Tactical, 4 Marines, Chaplain, Land Raider Crusaders, 3 Land Raiders
450Hvy Tactical, 4 Marines, 3 Land Raiders, Hunter
2754 Whirlwinds
375Hvy Tactical, 4 Marines, Chaplain, 2 Land Raiders
2502 Thunderhawk Transporters
1752 Thunderbolts




Andrew also brought along some new brews from our favourite Epic Armageddon beer maker. The second having something of a Slaaneshi rather than Nurgle theme I think...!


Game

Setup.


Some initial artillery fire is fairly inconclusive, bar some heavy damage on one of the Scions formations that got a bit close. Andrew then follows up with an air assault against my artillery.

This goes fairly poorly for the Scions who win but only kill one artillery piece.

A well supported and prepared counterattack destroys the two "Thunderhawk Landers", and only a couple of Landraiders remain.

End of turn.




Next turn the Scions open with an attack by Landraiders, but my Artillery makes their invulnerable saves!

Nearby, I wipe out the rallied Landraiders from the air assault with a firefight assault.

Close combat erupts in the town and the Scions are forced back.




End of turn.



Next turn, my Plague Zombies appear in the town to help out.

And the Death Guard continues to drive back the Scions causing heavy losses.

The Scions attack on my right flank, driving back my Scouts and taking my Take and Hold objectives.


My forces also move to protect my Blitz objective from attack.

Battle for the town below.

Next turn and my Titan recovers control of the Blitz, close assaulting and wiping out the Scions here.


And further assaults occur in the town with both sides taking heavy losses.

Overall situation at end of turn 4 is inconclusive, with neither side having enough victory conditions to win and game fails to go an additional turn. Points count is 1925 points destroyed by Death Guard and 1025 points destroyed by Scions though, so victory to Death Guard.




Conclusion



A tough grinding game of attrition, with neither side able to achieve a decisive victory through objectives. With Fearless on all Death Guard units, and They Shall Know No Fear on the Scions, and all the armour, it was tough going for both sides in killing enemy units. The Scions early aerial assault was probably a mistake, going into an area where it was going to be so strongly counterattacked, though easy to say that after the fact of course! Scion attacks against my artillery were disappointingly ineffective for them all game, and this limited a battle of maneuver the Scions might have otherwise been able to wage. 

Sunday 17 June 2018

Epic 4K; Red Corsairs vs Alaitoc Eldar

A game using a bunch of weird Chaos Daemon engines in the Red Corsairs list, vs the Alaitoc Eldar!

My Chaos list:

Incompertus, 3975 POINTS 
Red Corsairs (3.5 - Approved) ================================================== 
DEFILER ASSAUT FORCE [275] 4 Defilers
DEFILER ASSAUT FORCE [275] 4 Defilers
DAEMON KNIGHT PAVANE [250] 4 Daemon Knights
DAEMON KNIGHT PAVANE [250] 4 Daemon Knights
DAEMON KNIGHT PAVANE [250] 4 Daemon Knights
HOUNDS SQUADRON [300] 8 Chaos Space Marine Bike units, Sorceror Lord
HOUNDS SQUADRON [300] 8 Chaos Space Marine Bike units, Sorceror Lord
THREE HELLBLADE INTERCEPTORS [200] 
THREE HELLBLADE INTERCEPTORS [200] 
RENEGADE WARBAND [400] 8 Chaos Space Marine units, Chaos Warlord, Obliterators
RENEGADE WARBAND [425] Chaos Lord, 8 Chaos Space Marine units, 2 Obliterators
RENEGADE WARBAND [350] Chaos Lord, 8 Chaos Space Marine units, Obliterators
BRASS SCORPION ONLSAUGHT [250] 2 Brass Scorpions
BRASS SCORPION ONLSAUGHT [250] 2 Brass Scorpions



Eldar List:

Webway
Avatar
Wraithgate [50]
Farseer, 5 Guardians, 2 Hvy Weapons, 3 Wraithguard, 3 Wraithlord [475]
Farseer, 5 Guardians, 2 Hvy Weapons [150]

Left Flank Battle Group
4 Rangers, 4 Falcons [400]
Farseer, 5 Guardians, 2 Hvy Weapons, 3 Wraithguard [300]
4 Falcons, 2 Fire Storms [300]
3 Night Spinners [175]
3 Night Spinners [175]
Right Flank Battle Group

4 Rangers, 4 Falcons [400]
Farseer, 5 Guardians, 2 Hvy Weapons, 3 Wraithguard [300]
4 Falcons, 2 Fire Storms [300]
3 Night Spinners [175]
3 Night Spinners [175]

Air Support
3 Phoenix Bombers [325]
3 Nightwing Fighters [300]


Game

Deployment below. Other than one Retinue I deploy and stay well back, given the Eldar have four formations of Nightspinnter artillery.

I win Strategy Roll, and both formations of Defilers activate and kill two Falcons each from the Eldar Ranger Formations. A good start...

The Eldar begin their attack, targeting my Armoured units with Phoenix bombers. I lose two Defilers to these.

The Eldar also assault and take the central built up area from my Retinue and Blood Scorpions that were holding it. My formations stay back out of range of the Nightspinners, firing on the advancing Eldar where they can.


End of turn I rush a Bike Formation rushes to the backfield hoping to win Strategy Roll and assault two intermingled Nightspinner Formations.

End of turn.


Next turn and Eldar win Strategy Roll. Nightspinners kill 5 of my Bikes and the remainder retreat and are finished off. Then the Avatar assaults Daemon Knights killing 3 but dying himself.

My remaining Blood Scorpions charge and slaughter some Eldar in a two round combat.


And Daemon Knights destroy more Eldar infantry, including two Wraithguard luckily.

The Phonenix are back, but lose two of their number this turn, as I lose two Interceptors as Nightwings counterattack.

Eldar Falcons continue to erode my armoured units. A counter attack by my other Bike unit loses to a Ranger unit and they retreat. I have a lot of broken formations and only a few recover...


I don't advance out of my deployment zone with most units due to all the Nightspinners.

But it is now turn three and I need to do something else I will lose on objectives. I try for the objectives on my left with a Retinue, but fire breaks my formation and it retreats. 

I have few activations remaining, will be out activated and won't be able to get something into the Eldar table half (and have it survive), nor hold anything except my Blitz. Eldar win 3-0 with Defend the Flag, Take and Hold, and They Shall Not Pass.

Conclusion

The mass of armoured vehicles I took in this list lacked the heavy armour needed to survive against the Eldar Falcons and Aircraft, which shattered my formations. The Nightspinners also hampered my mobility, though that was less of a problem than the armour deficit. The Eldar list was a good matchup against my Red Corsairs list here. The two Brass Scorpions wrecking some Eldar infantry was the highlight of the game for the Corsairs.

Alaitoc special formation of Rangers plus Falcons was something that Andrew and I both thought more of an expensive liability than an asset!