NWG 2011 - Game 3 - American High

So game 3, Paul Quigley, Dark Eldar, Venoms!

Haemoculus
Shattershard

Haemonculus
Liquifier Gun


4x Trueborn
4x Blasters in Transport 1

4x Trueborn
4x Blasters in Transport 2

4x Trueborn
4x Blasters in Transport 3


5x Kabalite Warriors
Blaster in Transport 4

5x Kabalite Warriors
Blaster in Transport 5

5x Kabalite Warriors
Blaster in Transport 6

5x Kabalite Warriors
Blaster in Transport 7

9x Wyches
Haywire Grenades, Hekatrix with Phantasm Grenade Launcher and Power Weapon in Transport 8

9x Wyches
Haywire Grenades, Hekatrix with Phantasm Grenade Launcher and Power Weapon in Transport 9


Reaper
Flickerfield, Aethersails, Shock Prow

Reaper
Flickerfield, Aethersails, Shock Prow

Reaper
Flickerfield, Aethersails, Shock Prow


Transport 1: Venom with Extra Splinter Cannon
Transport 2: Venom with Extra Splinter Cannon
Transport 3: Venom with Extra Splinter Cannon
Transport 4: Venom with Extra Splinter Cannon
Transport 5: Venom with Extra Splinter Cannon
Transport 6: Venom with Extra Splinter Cannon
Transport 7: Venom with Extra Splinter Cannon
Transport 8: Raider with Enhanced Aethersails and Flickerfield
Transport 9: Raider with Enhanced Aethersails and Flickerfield

From the list alone I knew this was going to be a bad match-up for me (and in the multiple objective scenario no less) but on top of that Paul was a vastly better player than I was, so in true tradition of how I plan to take on a match I think I can't win, I brainfart.

I got the rolls for both objectives and sides so I set both objectives of mine just on front of my deployment zone. We had Pitched Battle deployment and my plan was to go refused flank and try just hold onto my two objectives. As you will see I didn't do a good job of it. I put everything bar the Vindicare (who Infiltrated on the opposite flank), the OXI's unit in their Razorback, and two Dreads (one Ven) on the left flank around the objectives using a large rock formation to block his Reapers from pummeling my vehicles. I knew he was just going to keep his whole army in reserve, and whereas that left me two turns of shooting down, it also left him down one and a chance that his Reapers would come on late, as well as the usual downfall of the army getting picked apart peacemeal. Or so I thought...it didn't turn out so colourful (and I would have settled for a simple blood red). So Paul set his objective up in terrain on the opposite flank and then reserved everything.




Turns 1-3

My first mistake was my usual mistake; comfortable with my position I got too comfortable and stayed put waiting for him to arrive on the board. So turn 2 of the Dark Eldar arrived and both Raiders as well as two Reapers and a Venom came on. The Venom and Reapers came on Flat Out behind a rock formation so I couldn't see the Venom. The Raiders stayed back near the Dark Eldar board edge and fired both Dark Lances at the Land Raider but to no avail.

Turn 3 I started shooting. The left flank shooting failed to do anything thanks to successful cover saves. The Vindicare managed to draw a bead and have range to the nearest Raider and managed to explode it, killing 5 of the Wyches inside in the blast despit Feel No Pain. The Ven Dread followed suit and wrecked the other Raider. The OXI's Razorback fired at the eastern most Reaper but the Flickerfield repelled it yet again.



The rest of Paul's army came on this turn unfortunately with all of the reserves moving on Flat Out. The Venom from last turn moved out from behind the rocks to shoot the Vindicare and the Reaper moved out somewhat as well. The Wyches moved forward and then ran.

All three Reapers opened fire on my right flank, Wrecking the Dread, exploding the Ven Dread (after I asked him to re-roll a Wrecked result) and Immobolised and Weapon Destroyed the Razorback. The Vindicare took a wound from the Venom fire as well.




Turn 4

My turn I only moved out a Razorback for my lines of fire. The Vindicare tried to take down the exposed Reaper but it passed the Flickerfield save again. Despite knowing the Wyches were now meant as a distraction I hadn't range of anything else yet bar the Venom in the centre so every bar one Land Raider Lascannon fired at the Wyches, the Venom passing its cover save and the Wyches been brought to 2 women (with the Haemonculus getting killed) and the unit fled.



The Dark Eldar were not subtle in Turn 4 and everything on the right flank swooped across the board en masse Flat Out bar one Venom which held back to shoot the Vindicare (and succeeded). The Wyches continued to run, one unit toward me and the other off the board.




Turn 5

At this point I had realised my mistake in that by not committing entirely to my refused flank, I didn't have enough vehicle to block up the objectives and stop him landing within 3" of them. Equally, if I disembarked my vehicle to block them up, I would get Venom raped. My hope now had to be that the game would go on to turn 6 and I could unleash an unholy amount of fire and Force Weapons on him to reclaim them.

The Razorback moved back to stay away from the Wyches and the Land Raider moved out to draw a bead on the incoming horde (of vehicles). A single Wyche was killed as everything else either missed, or in the case of the Lascannon that shot the Reaper, repelled by a cover save.

The Dark Eldar made one final massive move banking on a game end this turn, with one Venom going back to claim the Dark Eldar objective, the Wyches continuing their advance, and everything else swarming the objectives. A unit of Trueborn were dropped in near the west objective and ran onto it, a unit of Warriors dropped in behind the rocks, which turned out to be 3" from the objective and thus proved I placed it poorly. The Venoms circled around my army and the Reapers struck out. One rammed the Land Raider to no avail and the other collectively took out the Land Raider. The bailed out Terminators took a loss to Venom fire also.

The dice was then rolled and a 1 signalled the game end and a 2-0 victory to the Dark Eldar.




Conclusions

Well I mucked that one up rightly; it went 17-3 to Paul, so I was at least grateful that I didn't get tabled.

First mistake was in deployment; I should have either dedicated completely to the refuse flank with better objective positioning so that he needed to actually kill stuff before he could contest, or as Paul pointed out, sent out only two Razorbacks on the right flank and used the two free turns at the start to claim his objective so he would either have to split his force to deal with me, or stop to deal with those Razorbacks and Purifiers first, possibly long enough that he couldn't get across the board in time. Either way, that was mistake number one. Number two was Land Raider placement. The guns didn't get to go to their full potential, and one exit point was blocked off meaning once it was wrecked the Terminators had to abandon the objective. Of course, annoying amounts of Flickerfield saves passed didn't help matters.

I learned a lot in this game however, so I was optimistic coming out of it still.

With that day 1 ended and bellies were a rumbling. Pizza and pints it was, or so it was planned, but everybody ended up crashing early due to the previous night's festivities.

Also, we got the draw for the following morning and I was paired up on table 6 with Adam O'Connor and his Nurgle Chaos Space Marines. Stay tuned