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Yesterday evening we had a very funny battle with 3 friends. My marines joined forces with the Tau and we faced Eldar who had joined forces with Tyranids (!?!?!?). Each army had 1750 points and as far as I remember they were:

Night Hounds (Marines)

Captain Chilon (Shrike)
Librarian (Epistolary (GoI,MotA),Termainator)

10 Tacticals (pl.g.,pl.c/pw) Pod
10 Tacticals (m.g.,m.m/pf) Pod (loc.beac)
10 Tacticals (fl.,m.l/pw) Rhino
5 Scouts (camo,snip.,m.l./p.w)

10 Sternguard (pf) Pod (loc.beac) along with Librarian

10 Assault (fl/pf,m.b.) infiltrating with Chilon

Thunderfire Cannon


Tau Force

Crisis Commander + 2 shield drones

3 x 8 Fire Warriors (3 Devilfish)

3 x 3 Crisis Squads

3 Hammerheads

+some few Gun Drones


Eldar

Eldrad + Seer council
Phoenix lord

2 x 5 Rangers

Wraithguard + warlock
Striking Scorpions (outflanking with Phoenix lord)

Dark Reaper squad
3 Walkers (squadron)

Wave Serpent
Fire prism


Tyranids

Hive tyrant + 3 Tyrant guards
Broodlord

16 Gaunts (without numbers)
16 Spinegaunts (without numbers)
16 Hormagaunts
12-16 Genestealers (outflanking with broodlord)

3 Lictors

4 Carnifex (3 powered up)


The scenario was Annihilation and Pitched battle. We had the initiative and the deployment was:

From our right side 1 Hammerhead close to some ruins where I put the thunderfire cannon and the 5 Scouts, then 8 Fire warriors close to their Devilfish, 1 Crisis Squad, Tau Commander, then the other 2 Crisis squads, then my 10 Marines and their rhino, 1 Hh, another 2 Devilfish with FW and the final Hh close to the other edge of the table.

Then our opponents’ deployment was:

Oposite our right side, Eldrad + SC and Fire Prism behind area terrain on which were the Dark Reapers and very close the Walker squadron, then 16 Spinegaunts, 16 Hormagaunts, 2 Carnifex, and 16 Gaunts and in the middle and behind all of these were the HT + TG, then the other 2 carnifex the Strong one behind the other. And finally on the left in some ruins were the 2 Ranger Squads and behind this the Wraithguard in the wave Serpent.

Then I deployed Chilon + Assault 18 inches from the Renagers but thanks to Eldrad’s ability he moved them further back and he moved the wave serpent so that I couldn’t assault them on round one.

They didn’t manage to seize the initiative so we went first.

Round One

I Drop the pod with Sternguards + Libi close to his two leftmost Carnifexes and I disembark them as far away as possible form the other 2 Carnifexes so as not to reach me (unfortunately I needed 1,5” more). The second Pod with the Melta tacticals drops close to the other to shoot down the other Carnifex. Some crisis move and we start shooting. Some minutes later we have most Dark reapers out, 1 walker out and another with a weapon destroyed and some gaunts, hormagaunts and spinegaunts (we did’t want to overdo it from the start of the game due to the “without numbers”). My Sternguards bring down the Stong Carnifex and the Tacticals score 2 wounds on the other. I try a psychic power but due to Eldrad I have Perils and I take a wound. My assault marines reach the wave serpent and it is destroyed. Finally the Crisis take cover as usual.

My Assault marines take a lot of fire power from Wraithguard and the Rangers but I manage to save a lot of wounds (normal saves + cover) and I lose only 3 marines. The walkers and Reapers didn’t do anything important. All the tyranids move and run except the carnifexes. The already wounded one engages me and one of the others too. I kiss the strguards + Libi goodbye but I manage to score another wound on the newly arrived Carnifex.

Round Two

My other Pod does not arrive. The tau move around and I split Chilon and the remaining assault marines to attack the 2 Ranger squads. A lot of fir power later we have another walker out. The other carnifex from round one dies too from my marines. Some more gaunts too (all varieties) but we leave them coming the few ones that were left. In the assault Chilon and the Assault Marines kill the 2 Ranger squads respectively without suffering any losses and I remain in area terrain so I can have the cover save.

Hopefully on their turn the 3 Lictors do not arrive (we were lucky since we had forgotten them) neither do the Phoenix Lords and the Scorpions. But the Broodlord and the Genestealers come thankfully from our left side of the table and they can reach us to assault on that turn. My assault marine take more firepower from the wraithguard but he has poor rolls and I get most saves so only one is out. Eldrad + SC enter FP and it arrives Flat out close to our ruins and some crisis units. We also have a railgun from a Hh destroyed. In the assault the 2 Carnifex attack my Pod Marines and only the in the end of the assault phase his 2 carnifex are out (yes, unbelievable in close combat) while I suffer onle one loss.

Round Three

Last DP arrives close to the others. All hormagaunts are dead thanks to the Tau and the new marines. I move my rhino Marines and rapid fire, along with some crisis the BL + stealers. All stealers out and BL takes a wound. The other walker is left with no weapons. In close combat with Chilon + Assault I take 4 Wraithguard out.

All 3 lictors arrive also the phoenix lord + Scorpions (again form our left). We lose 1 crisis squad and a FW squad from 2 lictors, and another Crisis squad is down form Eldrad + SC.Broodlord is engaged with my marines a takes 2 out.

Round Four

All lictors are out thanks to the Tau shooting. One member form the SC is out too. All Tyrant guards are out (thanks to Crisis). On close combat BL is dead with loosing another 2 marines. Half Scorpions are out due to 1 squad of marines and 1 FW rapid firing them. The wraithguard has only one member left alive and I loose another marine.

My marines who arrived last take a lot of shooting from the lurking gaunts that come again. Most are out. 1 Hh can only move. I lose my scouts from Eldrad + SC. Wraithlord is out and I’m left with Chilon and 2 marines. Generally we’re still ok.

Round Five

Hive tyrant is out. Eldrad wounded and one member from SC are left alive due to ThC. More gaunts dead. The fire prism is out. All striking scorpios too and Phoenix lord is left with 1 wound.

My plasma marines get killed form DR. ThC out. The remaining Assault marines die from more lurking gaunts who keep coming but Chilon is alive with one wound left. Techmarien out from Psychic power.

Roud six

More gaunts dead. Eldrad and last member of SC dead too.

No losses for our side. Chillon was shot form 32 gaunts. 5 wounds passed and I managed to save them all (Yeah!).

Game ends

Marines + Tau: Kill points scored 24
Eldar + tyranids: Kill points scored 10 (or 11 if you count Thunderfire Cannon and Techmarine as seperarte units once cannon is destroyed).


Generally we had (me and Tau for sure) a great time. To be honest the guy with the Tyranids had some horrible rolls while I had some very good ones (especially in the fight with the Carnifexes). I believe that in the end of round 3 it was almost sure that the win would be ours. We didn’t make any grave mistakes, besides my first pod’s arrival and the fact that we forgot about Lictors which could cost a lot if we had lost more crisis due to this fact.

One thing’s for sure is that I’m not spending so many points for alibrarian whan against Eldar with Eldrad in the list. Just a generic librarian next time only for the psychic hood or none at all. A chaplain would do better or a MotF with Conversion beamer. Or even better a Dreadnought.

So what do you think about this battle?

Nice battle, sounds like it worked great!

Tactics were not exactly sound with Eldrad - he's a bit of a beasty with those psychic powers. Had I played your list, I'd have focused on Eldrad to take him down in turn 1, then abuse those psychic powers for the rest of the game.

Indeed, some armour (ven-dred in drop pod?) would have been a better option IMO.

I believe the techmarine and thunderfire cannon count as 1 kill point, as they are bought as a single unit.

Still, a good game none-the-less!
Keep up the good work!

CR

I wouldn't say that Eldrad was a big problem of ours (besides my Libi ofcourse). The way he was deployed I'd have to sacrifice an entire squad to take him and the council down on turn one and who knows if they'd make it. I prefered to focus on the big beasties first.

I think so too, as far as the Thunderfire Cannon (which performed very good by the way) is concerned. I have heard the argument though that if the cannon is destroyed first and then the Techmarine remains as an indie character, he counts as a seperate kill point (thus 2 in total). I don't know...