While the Thaestalyrdaes Craftworld was defending the ruins of Belylath, another fierce battle was brewing elsewhere on the Exodite World of Elamdavar around the desert settlement of Gilfahith.... Here the forces of the Biel-Tim fleet and Rainbow Warriors Contemporary Dance Company faced another invading horde of Hivefleet Haemorrhoid!
FORCES
Combined Aeldari Forces
Asuryani Battalion Detachment - Beil-Tim Fleet (as Biel-Tan)
HQ
Farseer - 4 PL War Master
Warlock - 3 PL
Troops
Dire Avengers (5) - 4 PL
Dire Avengers (5) - 4 PL
Dire Avengers (5) - 4 PL
Dire Avengers (5) - 4 PL
Elites
Howling Banshees (5) - 5 PL
Asuryani Battalion Detachment - Beil-Tim Fleet (as Biel-Tan)
HQ
Autarch (+ Warp Jump Generator) - 7PL - Warlord
Troops
Rangers (5) - 5 PL
Rangers (5) - 5 PL
Rangers (5) - 5 PL
Fast Attack
Warp Spiders (10) - 12 PL
Asuryani Spearhead Detachment - Beil-Tim Fleet (as Biel-Tan)
HQ
Warlock - 3 PL - Warlord
Elite
Wraith Guard (5) - 8 PL
Heavy Support
Wraith Lord (Bright Lance) - 6 PL
Wraith Lord (Missile launcher) - 6 PL
Wraith Lord (Scatter Laser) - 6 PL
Asuryani Super-Heavy Auxiliary Detachment - Beil-Tim Fleet (as Biel-Tan)
Lord of War
Tempest/Scorpion Heavy Grav-Tank - 30 PL
Harlequin Battalion Detachment - Rainbow Warriors Contemporary Dance Company
HQ
Troupe Master - 4 PL - Warlord
Troops
Troupe (5) - 8 PL
Troupe (5) - 8 PL
Troupe (5) - 8 PL
Elites
Solitaire - 8 PL
Harlequin Vanguard Detachment - Rainbow Warriors Contemporary Dance Company
HQ
Shadowseer - 7 PL
Elites
Death Jester - 5 PL
Death Jester - 5 PL
Death Jester - 5 PL
Total Aeldari Forces: 182 Power Level
The Forces of Hivefleet Haemorrhoid
Tyranid Battalion Detachment - Hivefleet Haemorrhoid (as Leviathon)
HQ
Flyrant - Warmaster - 11PL
Broodlord - 6PL
Troops
Hormagants (10) - 2PL
Genestealers (5) - 5PL
Ripper Swarm (3) - 2PL
Heavy Support
Mawloc - 7PL
Carnifex (+ Chitin thorns) - 6PL
Toxicream - 8PL
Tyranid Battalion Detachment - Hivefleet Haemorrhoid (as Leviathon)
HQ
Tyranid Prime - 6PL
Troops
Termagant (10 - with Fleshborers) -4PL
Termagant (10- with Fleshborers) - 4PL
Tyranid Warriors (3) - 3PL
Elites
Venemthorpe (3) - 4PL
Fast Attack
Ravenors (3) - 5PL
Heavy Support
Tyranofex - 11PL
Air Wing Detachment - Hivefleet Haemorrhoid (as Leviathon)
Fliers
Harpy - 9PL
Super-Heavy Auxiliary Detachment - Hivefleet Haemorrhoid (as Leviathon)
Lord of War
Hierophant Bio-Titan - 95PL
Genestealer Battalion Detachment (Finnegan's contribution to the game)
HQ
Broodlord – 6PL
Troops
Genestealers (10) – 9PL
Genestealers (10) – 9PL
Genestealers (10) – 9PL
Finnegan’s Genestealers Power Level: 33
Ian’s Total Power Level: 188
Tyranid Total: 221
(If they'd had six more points, they'd have had 25% more than us and we would have gotten TWO points every turn we held equal or more objective markers!)
THE GAME
SET-UP
Setting up our forces.
Once again Eldar are facing an invasion force of Tyranids on the Elamdavar exodite world.
The Harlequins held the Aeldari right flank.
The centre and left were held by Asuryani of the Biel-Tim Fleet and one of the Exodite's Waithknights.
Finnegan's Genestealer Horde - mostly miniatures from his Space Hulk game - supplemented by a few extras I picked up for a Kill Team, but then, more or less, passed on to him.
Ian's horde of Chitinous Critters from Hivefleet Haemorrhoid.
TURN ONE
The Forces of the Aeldari won the Initiative roll and then we placed some order and generated some command assets and were off! To kick off the Action Phase we used a Command Asset Card called "Trophy Kill" and played it on the Bio-Titan... I think it allowed us to re-roll ones...? Or all misses...? Gah! I can't remember now, and don't have the card handy...
To start things off the Death Jesters of the Harlequin Vanguard Detachment unleashed a fury of fire on the horde of Genestealers opposite them... leaving one blast marker on one unit...
We were starting with our shooty detachments, hoping they'd flinch and advance with their maneuver detachments and bring them within range of ours to charge!
The Tyranids first action was to activate one of their Battalion Detachments and cram almost the entire battalion into this one Building (Defensible Terrain). I'm not sure why? As the attackers, they really needed to really be more aggressive and MOVE and seize objectives. We STARTED the game sitting on three (of the six) to score - all we had to do was tie the Tyranids and WE'D be the ones scoring victory points at the end of the round!
I think the Termagants tried firing on the Wraithknight, but that didn't really work out for them.
The Wriathknight then charged straight up the street and chopped the Tyranofex to bits. (Ian had been bragging about his latest toy, and how it was going to wreck some of our big stuff... so we made sure to take it out first...). She left three large blast markers on it (that destroyer ability on the Titanic Ghostglaive is bad-ass!) with only a 6+ save and three wounds, it would not be long for this world...
The Harpy swooped across the battlefield dropping spores (and a blast marker) on one of the harlequin troupes, and attacked another directly, but they dodged it's slow and ungainly blows.
The Tempest then blew a couple holes in the Bio-Titan.
The Tyranids played a command asset card called "Laserburn" - they rolled to put blast markers on about 5 or 6 units, but failed all but one - the Farseer.
Having learned his lesson from yesterday's game, the Bio-Titan came trundling out of it's corner shooting... and dropped a pile of blast markers on the Tempest... If I'm going to have to face this beastie on a regular basis, I'm going to have to get the others painted... or the Eldar Titans...
The Aeldari Wraith Spearhead detachment was the next to move... All fired on the Bio-Titan, but it was the Wraithguard, with their Wraithcannons, that actually scored a wound and because they have the Destroyer ability they left a fourth large blast marker on there!
The Tyranid battalion detachment with the Flyrant then piled in around the Wraith knight and laid the boots.... or... tentacles to it - leaving two large blast markers.
The Dire Avenger Battalion opened up on the Termagants in the building opposite, but their fire had little effect on the cowering critters.
With only the one detachment left to activate, the Tyranids decided to charge forth... The one detachment that didn't really NEED to act aggressively - because they were already ON an Objective marker, left it and charged at the Harlequins to try and shift them off of theirs... unfortunately they couldn't get far enough.
The Harlequin Battalion detachment - with all their Troupes - viciously attacked the Genestealers. Their attacks left five blast markers on two units and a single one on the other.
DAMAGE PHASE
During the Damage phase, two units of Genestealers disappeared - significantly diminishing the strength of the detachment holding the Tyranids left. The Bio-titan also failed two saves and took two damage! half way to critical damage - one quarter of the way to being dead!
The Tempest failed to save ANY of the hits against it and took four wounds!! Then it failed morale and decided they'd had enough and limped back to the rally point hoping to escape with their crippled vehicle and live to fight another day! It was a blow, to be sure... but I was really happy with this outcome - I LOVE that single model units actually have a mechanism where they have to take morale tests and can leave the table because of them - and not just fight to the death... always!!!
The Wraithknight also failed one of it's saves, and then failed morale giving it a second damage token...
At the end of the Turn the Eldar were holding three objectives and the Tyranids were only holding one...? so.. Victory Point to the Eldar - only needed to keep this up for two more turns and we'd WIN!
TURN TWO
Eldar AGAIN won the initiative.
I brought in an entire deep-striking battalion, that had been held in reserve at the beginning of the game! They immediately seized the objective marker the Genestealers had given up when they advanced on the Harlequins.
The Rangers in the Battalion all fired on the Genestealer's Broodlord, but only scored a single blast marker. The Warp Spiders unleashed a torrent of mono-filament wire at the Hormagants with their Death Spinners - this left them with one large blast marker.
While the Carnifex, Broodlord and Genestealers continued to lay the boots... er... podomeres...? to the Wraithknight, the Toxicream fell back and shimmied down the road towards one of the Objective markers.
meanwhile the herd of hormagants swarmed the Warp Spiders - it was Bug-on-Bug! Their spiny-stabby- bits left a large blast marker on the Warp Spiders (but they'd just shrug that off later in the damage phase...).
the Wraith Spearhead detachment unloaded on the Bio-titan again collectively leaving two large blast markers - two of the Wraithlords did one small each - which converted into a large, and then the Wrarithguard did a large on e on it's own because DESTROYER weapons! It definitely got the big bugs attention!
I feel like a Psychic Ability Command Asset card played some role in this...? "Guide", perhaps?
The Great Nibbler shambled forward and finally made contact with Eldar troops - and laid down the PAIN!!! OUCH!!! (mental note - stay out of the way of the Great Nibbler!)
Because the harlequin troupe that had been engaged with the Harpy last turn had fallen back when they were activated, the Death Jesters of the Harlequin Vanguard detachment opened up on it - perhaps the sun was in their eyes, though, as they only managed to give it one little blast marker...
The remians of the Genestealer Battalion (the Broodlord and one unit of Genestealers) fought desperately to say in the game... but could not land blows on the lithe Harlequins. The harlequins, however, went next and laid the smack down pretty hard on the Genestealers and Broodlord.
One troupe even charged back in against the Harpy and inflicted a large blast marker on it!
Another Troupe surged forward to seize the objective abandoned by the Hormagants when they ran off to fight the Warp Spiders. We now controlled FIVE of the six Objective Markers!!
Using a Command Asset card, the Tyranid warriors swarmed out of the building they'd been occupying and the moved again to assault the building across from them containing the Farseer and two Dire Avenger units... but didn't actually succeed in doing anything to them...
The Termagants all fired on the Wraithknight and we much more successful - scoring five blast markers (which turned into two large and one small)
The Wraithknight, in turn, cut the Carnifex with it's Titanic Ghostglaive and shot up the Broodlord in contact with it - because Titanic units can do that!
The Dire Avengers then fired on the Tyranid Warriors and did a few blast markers on them...
DAMAGE PHASE
Things thinning out a bit...
To start with, the Wraithknight failed one save and then failed morale and, misreading the data card (looking at Attacks instead of Wounds) Keira declared the Wraithknight to have shuffled off this mortal coil... and rolled to see if it blew up... and it did... and the damage it did in doing so was enough to knock out the Broodlord and Genestealers!
Elsewhere the Bio-Titan took another wound. The Toxicream, Carnifex, Hormagants and Finnegan's Genestealers each took one damage was well. The Tyranid warriors, The Harpy and Finnegan's Broodlord were also knocked out.
the Wraithguard took two wounds and failed morale - removing it from the table. One of the Wraithlords was taken out of action and a second was critically damaged... a unit of Rangers also fled with some wounded back into the Webway.
The Eldar, however held FIVE of the six Objective Markers and scored a second Victory Point. As there are only five points that can possibly be earned in this game (on per turn for whoever holds the most objective markers), we just needed to hold onto half of them for one more turn to guarantee victory!!
TURN THREE
AGAIN with the Eldar Initiative!
At the top of the round, the Mawloc arrived 0 bursting up through the ground and attacking one of the Death Jesters.
Some ravagers also popped up near one of the Objective Markers.
Keira started things off in the Action Phase, playing Mirror of Minds on the malloc, leaving a couple of blast markers on it. She then followed up with the Shadowseer and Death Jesters of the Vanguard detachment unleashing a flurry of monofilament Shurikens (or... whatever those shrieker cannons fire) at the Mawloc, leaving another blast marker on it.
The Great Nibbler then really, really smashed on a Wraithlord (SIX LARGE BLAST MARKERS - overkill much?) and threw a bio-cannon blast into the building smashing some Dire Avengers...
The remains of the shattered Spirit Host Battalion, decided to sell themselves dearly and piled into the Bio-titan, giving it some serious slaps with their wraithbone fists.. The Tyranid Prime chucked a Vortex Grenade into the building with the Dire Avengers (because that's a thing that they do... according to the Command Asset card they played!). So we played DOOM on the Tyranid Prime and caused it some hurt.
The Hormagants and Warp Spider continued to battle it out. The Flyrant swooped across the table to attack Death Jesters - and keep the Malloc in command and close enough to a Synapse Creature that they could ignore morale!
The Toxicream attacked some Harlequins, and the Ripper Swarm actually positioned itself to contest the Objective that the Harlequins were holding.
It got ugly this round - loads of blast markers everywhere.
harlequins smashing back at Genestealers and Toxicream and other big beasties.
DAMAGE PHASE
This Damage Phase REALLY thinned things out...
We lost a Death Jester, the Shadowseer, two squads of Dire avengers, two Writhlords, the farseer, and the Warp Spiders took on point of damage (critically injuring it)!!
The Malloc took two damage, the Toxicream and Biotitan each took one (which was a fourth for the Bio-Titan, critically damaging it!) and the Tyranid Prime was taken out of action. Luckily, for the Tyranids, the Bio-Titan checked damage first, as if it had gone AFTER the Tyranid Prime there wouldn't have been testing for morale! (as Tyranids go, it has a pretty good leadership, but still...)
not that any of this mattered THAT much, because the Eldar still held three Objective Markers to the Tyranids two... gaining us a third Victory Point and, effectively, the game.
The Boyz might have like to continue the game to see if they could wipe us out - to gain a "moral" victory. I doubt the could have - though our left was falling apart, the right was still pretty strong and holding it's own and the Bio-titan just couldn't have gotten there fast enough to make a difference.
THOUGHTS
Harlequins are bad ass. I need to finish painting the rest of my Troupes so I can field a Battalion of Troupes (maneuver-chargey element) and a Vanguard Detachment of Death Jesters (shooty-supporty element).
Dire Avenger' Defensive Tactics useful in this game. Park them in defensible terrain and they always get a 6+ save on a d12!
I really like how they've handled a LOT of the special abilities.
Oh, another thing I like about these new apocalypse units: single model units have to take morale tests - it has never made sense to me that all characters and single model units would simply fight to the death, always!
One thing I think is missing are rules saying super-heavy units - at least super-heavy walkers - can simply walk OVER infantry, like they can in regular 40K. In these rules, as written, a 5 Power Level infantry unit could potentially block the advance of a 100+ Power Level Titan simply be being positioned craftily... I have a feeling this will be errata'd or FAQ'd in the near future - or, at least, I HOPE it is.
Also the lack of Faction abilities for Titanic units is noticeably lacking. Imperial titans have the Imperium, Adeptus Titanicus, [Titan Legion] faction Keywords - none of which have a faction ability (even though, fluff-wise, they are part of the Adeptus Mechanicus). Like wise, the Eldar Titans have the Aeldari, Asuryani, Spirit Host, [Conclave] faction keywords - no [Craftworld], which also precludes them from making use of any of the Faction abilities. Perhaps we'll see those related as PDFs....? or in a White Dwarf....? I hope so. I mean, Apocalypse is all about bringing out those BIG GUNZ - and, if people are buying those new Forge World models, they're buying the most expensive models GW sells - some that cost as much as an entire army - you'd think GW would throw those patrons a bone and not leave them hanging out in the wind...
Seek out and destroy Synapse Creatures - so the Tyranids have to start taking morale tests - without them and their Ignore Morale benefits, the Tyranids have terrible Leadership and very prone to fleeing!
Attackers need to be aggressive and seize Objective Markers!
Coming Soon to Tim's Miniature Wargaming Blog:
I have one, and potentially two or three more Apocalypse games arranged over the next two weeks, so there will be some reports of those actions. I do have some stuff I'm plinking away at on the workbench - a mix of 40K things... some for 40K/Apocalypse units... some for Necromunda... some of it mine... some of it for Amanda or the kids...