Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition
Opponent: Gary
Campaign: Phoenix campaign game 5
Mission: Night Fight
1st turn: Eldar
Points: 1500
Location: Tyro Weapons Testing Area (location 5), Tyro Peninsula, Kutch, Salazar systems
Background: The Exigators have the Eldar on the back foot and press their advantage. They mount another attack into the weapons testing area on the peninsula in order to root the Eldar out once and for all. Guerez unleashes his most powerful and dangerous lieutenant; Bellicus the Daemon Prince.
Chaos Space Marines
- Bellicus - Daemon Prince
- Squad Krall – 10 Chaos space marines, plasma gun, lascannon, aspiring champion with powerfist, icon of chaos glory, Rhino with Extra Armour
- Squad Brakar – 10 Chaos space marines, plasma gun, lascannon, aspiring champion with powerfist, icon of chaos glory
- Squad Kanker - 7 Plague marines, plasma gun, flamer, aspiring champion with power weapon, personal icon
- Iideommae - 6 Lesser daemons (Daemonettes)
- Arableuerakiar - 8 Lesser daemons (Furies)
- Uuandearzao - 9 Lesser daemons (Plague Bearers)
- Squad Scrementor – 8 Raptors, 2 flamers, aspiring champion with power weapon
- Torius - Predator with Twin-linked lascannon with heavy bolter sponsons, extra armour
Eldar- Lauthelias - Farseer runes of warding runes of witnessing, spirit stones, doom, fortune5 warlocks, enhance, embolden
- Laconfir - 8 Dire Avengers, Exarch with diresword, shuriken pistol, bladestorm
- Nazrain - 10 Guardians, starcannon
- Saduras Clearsight - 5 Rangers
- Amost - 1 Falcon, scatterlaser, holofield
- Isenrain - 8 Warpspiders, Exarch with deathspinners, powerblades, withdraw
- Lothost - 5 Firedragons, exarch with fire pike
- Sheira - 7 Howling Banshees, Exarch with executioner + wavesepent with starcannon
- Moradon - Wraithlord
- Gilgard - 2 Warwalkers, bright lances, starcannons
The photos aren't great in this report because I forgot my camera again and had to use my mobile phone.
Deployment and terrain
The Eldar got the choice of table quarter which meant the Chaos Marines got to place their predator front and forward, pushing the Eldar back. Bellicus' plan was to roll the Rhino up behind the Predator with the foot troops all following up behind. The daemonic units would be summoned and the Chaos army would hold the centre of the battlefield in force. The Plague Marines would hold the right flank while the Raptors would be held back to reinforce where necessary.
The Eldar deployed in a formidable gunline. The Banshees in their transport opposed the Chaos right along with the Warp Spiders. Both units could use the dense woods to close the range safely. The Rangers infiltrated on the extreme left flank.
The game
The Eldar commenced hostilities by racing toward the Chaos lines! Their shooting achieved little but the Banshees and Warp Spiders were in position to execute a strong flank attack on the right.
Bellicus ordered his units forward as he scrambled through the ruined temple. Squad Brakar took up good firing positions to his right. The Predator advanced with the smoked Rhino to it's right. The tank opened up with it's lascannon and heavy bolters. Both War Walkers crumpled and died.
The Plague Marines pulled back, wary of the Banshees and Spiders.
The Rangers had forced Bellicus into a tough decision. He could either ignore them in favour of his original plan, give up that part of the battlefield and suffer enfilading fire during the entire conflict or send the Raptors to hunt them down. That would mean he would lose his main counter assault unit from the centre for most of the fight. After some deliberation he commanded the Raptors to run down the Rangers.
Unbelievably, the Eldar kept coming on. Squad Brakar bore the brunt of the shooting and lost six Marines. Squad Krall's Rhino was destroyed, killing two , and entangling the rest. The Eldar got ready to pounce on the right.
The power of the warp waxed strong and all three daemonic units were summoned. The Plague Bearers materialised on the right but their assault fell short of the Warp Spiders. The Furies arrived more centrally and contacted the Guardians. Both units held.
The Daemonettes landed on the left, near the temple, hidden from the Eldar army.
Most of the Chaos firepower was directed at the Wraithlord which was gravely wounded. The Raptors roasted the Rangers with their flamers and began the long slog back toward the fight.
The Eldar struck back. The Warp Spiders wiped out the Plague Bearers with their Death Spinners and then brutal close combat and the Banshees hacked apart the Doomed Squad Krall. Farseer Lauthelias and his retinue attacked the Furies and eventually banished them back to the Warp. The Fire Dragons slagged the Predator. All across the line the Exigators were reeling.
Squad Brakar targetted the Wraithlord and shattered the Eldar construct with a perfect lascannon shot. Plague Champion Kanker led his squad against the Banshees. A hail of bolter rounds, plasma blasts and sheets of flame left only the Exarch standing.
The fighting was up close and personal but incredibly the Eldar were winning. They cut down the last of Squad Brakar and then set their sights on the Plague Marines. They shrugged off the firepower of the Warp Spiders and then withstood the charge of the Farseer.
Maybe there was a glimmer of hope for the Exigators. Bellicus leapt down the temple steps with a roar and attacked the Farseer. Lauthelias blocked a blow with his witch blade and dodged another with his psychic abilities but the third got through and sent his frail body spinning from the combat. The rest of the Warlocks fled in horror.
The whole Eldar force rallied to the defence of it's spiritual leader. The Fire Dragons stepped up and unloaded all they had into Bellicus. The Guardians added their firepower. The Wave Serpent got him in it's sights. The Warp Spiders took their shots.
Bellicus shrugged off their weapons with an ominous laugh. He was hideously wounded but still standing. Truly the Chaos Gods were watching.
Attack, he screamed, and led by example. He scrambled over the Rhino wreck and slaughtered the Guardians. The Plague Marines engaged the Fire Dragons in close combat and ground them down.
The Warlocks kept on running. They swept past the Raptors who swooped in to oppose the Dire Avengers. After a vicious firefight and a brutal assault the Avengers were so reduced in numbers that they could not contest the field.
The Exigators had taken the battlefield and driven the Eldar away.
Result: Win
Commendations- Chaos - Plague Marines
- Eldar - Warp Spiders
Turning PointBellicus surviving a blizzard of saving throws.
Learning points
- A very dramatic game. I was really up against it but the Plague Marines took the punishment which allowed the Daemon Prince to take on the Farseer. A lucky attack got through and the Farseer was instantly killed. Next, the Daemon Prince withstood a hail of bullets to lead his army to victory. Incredible. And unlucky for the Eldar.
- I need to use the Rhino more carefully. I need to work out when to embark and disembark the occupants because I keep getting the squad entangled. More vehicles in my list would make the Rhino more survivable too.
Experience points Including previous games
Chaos Space Marines- -100 Bellicus - Daemon Prince
- +50 Squad Krall – 10 Chaos space marines, plasma gun, lascannon, aspiring champion with powerfist, icon of chaos glory, Rhino with Extra Armour
- +200 Iideommae - 6 Lesser daemons (Daemonettes)
- -300 Arableuerakiar - 8 Lesser daemons (Furies)
- +300 Uuandearzao - 9 Lesser daemons (Plague Bearers)
- +570 Squad Scrementor – 8 Raptors, 2 flamers, aspiring champion with power weapon
- -150 Torius - Predator with Twin lascannon with heavy bolter sponsons, extra armour
- -200 Squad Brakar – 10 Chaos space marines, plasma gun, lascannon, aspiring champion with powerfist, icon of chaos glory
- +510 Squad Kanker - 7 Plague marines, plasma gun, flamer, aspiring champion with power weapon, personal icon
Eldar- +900 Lauthelias - Farseer runes of warding runes of witnessing, spirit stones, doom, fortune5 warlocks, enhance, embolden
- -650 Laconfir - 8 Dire Avengers, Exarch with diresword, shuriken pistol, bladestorm
- -200 Nazrain - 10 Guardians, starcannon
- +910 Saduras Clearsight - 5 Rangers
- +750 Amost - 1 Falcon, scatterlaser, holofield
- +720 Isenrain - 8 Warpspiders, Exarch with deathspinners, powerblades, withdraw
- -500 Lothost - 5 Firedragons, exarch with fire pike
- +650 Sheira - 7 Howling Banshees, Exarch with executioner + wavesepent with starcannon
- -100 Moradon - Wraithlord
- -200 Gilgard - 2 Warwalkers, bright lances, starcannons
