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!