DAEMONHUNTERS versus Eldar

Game: Warhammer 40,000 3rd edition
Opponent: ?
Mission: Cleanse
1st turn: ?
Points: 1000

Daemonhunters

• Inquisitor Lord Severus, Daemonhammer, Bolt pistol, Holocaust, Icon of the Just, 2xAcolytes, Power Armour, Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, Combat Servitor, 2xMystics, Rhino with Smoke Launchers
• 3 x Death Cult Assassins
• 2 x Daemonhosts
• Vindicare Assassin
• Squad Matoso, 9 Stormtroopers, 2xFlamers, Veteran Sergeant with Bolt Pistol, Close Combat Weapon and Krak Grenades, Rhino, Smoke launchers and Extra Armour
• Squad Vargas, 7 Stormtroopers, 2xPlasma Guns, Veteran Sergeant with Plasma pistol, Auspex and Krak Grenades

Ulthwé Eldar

• Seer Council
• 2 large units Black guardians with star cannons and warlocks with witch blades and conceal
• 1 large unit guardians with scatter laser and warlock with witch blade and conceal
• D cannon

The game
My second game against Eldar on the same night.

A blitz up the left flank this time, but the storm trooper rhino was taken out on turn 1. The Inquisitor hit one guardian squad and were soon embroiled in a sprawling combat. The Seer council joined in and it looked like the combat might last until the end of the game.

Meanwhile on the right two death cult assassins impacted another guardian squad and although they killed 10 or so men between them they were soon pulled down by weight of numbers. The Daemonhosts appeared in front of the Eldar deployment zone and one was instantly obliterated by massed shuriken catapult fire. The other made it into combat but only managed one or two kills per turn as he gradually lost wounds in return. The sweetest moment was when he rolled the blood boil power and wiped out eight guardians in a spectacular psychic display!

True to form the Vindicare assassin couldn't hit a cows arse with a banjo and he failed to kill a single model in the entire game. The storm troopers were largely ineffective due to star cannon fire and their ap 5 hell guns were negated by conceal. The decisive action was to be the Inquisitor vs Seer council and it looked like I had the game in the bag when the Seer council failed a rout test and ran off the table.

However as I began my next turn, my opponent remembered he had a re-roll for leadership and I allowed him to reposition the models. He passed the re-roll of course but I wasn't too worried as both the Daemonhost and assassins had made it into contact. Sods law dictates that the assassins died, the Daemonhost struggled to rout the guardians and Inquisitor Lord Severus failed 3 2+ saves. The Seer council were victorious and helped mop up the rest of my forces.

Result: Loss

Learning points

• Assassins are good on the offensive but not great on the defensive - large hordes will pull them down. They are best employed against small units.
• Daemonhosts are vulnerable to massed small arms fire - bear this in mind when deep striking them.
• Drop the Vindicare - I cannot roll higher than a one when I use him.
• More storm troopers required to capture objectives, absorb casualties, etc.