DAEMONHUNTERS versus Dark Eldar

Game: Warhammer 40,000 3rd edition
Opponent: Gary
Mission: Recon
1st turn: Daemonhunters
Points: 1000

Daemonhunters

• Inquisitor Lord Kurven - Psycannon, Purity Seals, Gun Servitor, Plasma Cannon, Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades, Targeter, 2 x Imperial Guard Veteran, Plasma Gun, Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades, Targeter, 2 x Sage, Close Combat Weapon, Laspistol, 2 x mystics
• Daemonhost
• 3 x Death-Cult Assassins
• Inquisitor Lynch - Incinerator, power weapon, melta bombs, purity seals
• Squad Godirtho - 9 Storm troopers, Veteran Sergeant with Plasma pistol, 2 x meltaguns
• Squad Matoso - 9 x Inquisitorial Stormtroopers, Veteran, Bolt Pistol, Power Weapon, Targeter, 2 x Flamer, Rhino, Extra Armour, Hunter-killer Missile, Smoke
• Armoured Fist Squad (inducted Imperial Guard) - Sergeant, Close Combat Weapon, Laspistol, Flamer, Chimera, Multilaser, Heavy Bolter, Smoke Launchers
  

Dark Eldar

• Dracon - agoniser and shadow field, with 5 Incubi in Raider
• 10 Wyches with Wych Weapons
• 2x10 Warriors with 2 dark lances
• Ravager
• Talos
• Warp beasts

The game
I won the roll off and started to set up first. The battlefield had a large building in the centre of the table with smaller buildings scattered around and about. I began with my two rhinos behind the building in the centre, the chimera covering my right and Inquisitor Kurven covering the left.

On turn one I targeted both warrior squads while the rhinos moved forward. I chose not to shoot at the raiders because my opponent has had some trouble with them in his games (but more on this later). Although I forced both units to take morale checks they both passed.

He brought his two raiders up behind the building while the ravager took on the Inquisitor, killing several of his retinue. Now was the time to strike. I flung both rhinos around the building to target the raiders, an assassin hiding in the large building leapt forward to assault any survivors and Inquisitor Kurven squared up to the ravager. After 2 meltagun shots, an Incinerator and flamer shot, 3 Multilaser shots, 3 heavy bolter shots, 1 plasma cannon shot, 2 plasma gun shots and a psycannon shot I had killed precisely nothing. Zip. Zilch. I lost the entire game on this turn.

Kurven and retinue were wiped out in an assault by the Incubi, a rhino went down to the ravager, the chimera was destroyed by a warrior's dark lance and the wyches assaulted Inquisitor Lynch and squad Matoso. Although I rallied a little when the Daemonhost arrived, and managed to kill the wyches and warriors on my right, I was wiped out to a man by turn 5.

Result: Lose

Learning points

• I lost the game on turn 2 with the most appalling shooting phase ever. I hung on in there and gave the dark Eldar a bloody nose but there was no way back for the Daemonhunters.
• This Dark Eldar list is perfect for taking out my Daemonhunters army. All the dark lances can pop the rhinos while all of the dark Eldar are better than my units in combat. My only hope was to take out his mobility early on but that brings me to...
• Gary has had problems with some players in the store with his raiders. Although he carefully screens them behind tall buildings, the gigantic profile of the paper darts always leaves a bit of them sticking out. So opponents target a vehicle they can perhaps only see 1% of. I think this stinks and so does Gary. So in this game I refused to shoot at them in the first turn (even though I could maybe see 30-40% of them). Unfortunately, because of my awful shooting in turn 2, my generosity backfired big time. Ho, hum.