Coming of the Comet

Twotwill Island, Xoxigar Tertium (Imperial World)
3.537.019.M42

The Asuryani of the Biel-Tim Fleet shifted their focus from Xoxigar Secondus, to the more lush Xoxigar Tertium. Farseer Thymiltelyir foretold of a comet making landfall on a remote island of the world. At the centre of the comet would be an extremely rare element that was vital to the continued survival of their fleet. The warhost under his command had hoped that they would be leaving the hated Astartes behind on Xoxigar Secondus, but as they arrived at the site, there they were... just waiting for them... As the two forces approached to engage each other, debris from the comet coming apart started falling from the sky. 

FORCES

Aeldari Forces of the Biel-Tim Fleet

Asuryani Battalion Detachment - Biel-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 - Biel-Tim Fleet (as Biel-Tan) 
HQ
Autarch (+ Warp Jump Generator) - 6PL - Warlord

Troops
Rangers (5) - 5 PL
Rangers (5) - 5 PL
Rangers (5) - 5 PL

Fast Attack
Warp Spiders (10) - 12 PL


Asuryani Super Heavy Detachment - Biel-Tim Fleet (as Biel-Tan)
Lord of War
Tempest Heavy Grav-Tank (as Scorpion) - 30 PL
Tempest Heavy Grav-Tank (as Scorpion) - 30 PL
Tempest Heavy Grav-Tank (as Scorpion) - 30 PL

Aeldari Total: 151 Power Level


Emperor's Brethern Space Marines

Adeptus Astartes Vanguard Detachment - Emperor's Bethern (as Ultramarines) 
HQ
Terminator Librarian - 5PL

Elites
Terminator Assault Squad (5) (Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield) - 10PL
Terminator Squad (+ Cyclone) (5) - 12PL
Terminator Squad (+ Cyclone) (5) - 12PL


Adeptus Astartes Outrider Detachment - Emperor's Bethern (as Ultramarines) 
HQ
Captain on Bike - 6PL

Fast Attack
Land Speeder Typhoon - 4PL
Land Speeder Typhoon - 4PL
Land Speeder (2) - 8PL


Adeptus Astartes (Mechanized) Battalion Detachment - Emperor's Bethern (as Ultramarines) 
HQ
Sergeant Chronus  - 4PL

Troops
Tactical Squad (5) - 4PL
Tactical Squad (5) - 4PL
Tactical Squad (5) - 4PL

Dedicated Transport
Rhino - 5PL
Land Raider (+Multimelta) - 14PL

Adeptus Astartes (Scout) Battalion Detachment - Emperor's Bethern (as Ultramarines)
HQ
Sergeant Telion - 5PL

Troops
Scout Squad (10) (Snipers) - 8PL
Scout Squad (5) - 4PL
Scout Squad (5) - 4PL

Adeptus Astartes Spearhead Detachment - Emperor's Bethern (as Ultramarines)
HQ
Captain - 5PL
Lieutenant - 4PL

Heavy Support
Thunderfire Cannon and Techmarine - 7PL
Thunderfire Cannon and Techmarine - 7PL
Thunderfire Cannon and Techmarine - 7PL


Astartes Total: 147 Power Level


THE GAME

I got in a FIFTH game of Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse on Sunday! This was my second game in a week with Other Tim!

For this game we rolled for random scenario elements..

Deployment: Vanguard strike - each sir got a triangle shaped deployment zone that was one half of the table divided diagonally less the area within 12" of the line bisecting the table...

Objective: Starfall - place six numbered objectives, at the end of Turn Three roll d6 to see where the comet lands - remove all other objectives. Whoever holds that objective at the end of the game gains +3 Victory Points

Twist: Orbital Debris - at the beginning of each Action Phase, both players select a spot on the board. Roll d6 for each unit within 6" of that spot, on a 4+ place a blast marker on the unit (add +1 to roll for Light Character models)

Ruse (for the Defender): Ambush - one detachment gains the Deep Strike ability!

Aeldari Warmaster Trait: Inspiring presence (+1 Leadership to units within 6")

Astartes Warmaster Trait: Heroic +6" to any aura abilities (none...)


DEPLOYMENT



Part of my Dire Avenger Battalion Detachment hiding in the woods - led by Farseer Thymiltelyir - desperately hoping to survive to  Turn Three - when they will strike out and seize the comet!



The remains of the Dire Avenger Battalion detachment - with attached Howling Banshees



Other Tim surveying the field of battle.



Marine Scouts hiding in the woods. Mechanized marines hiding in armoured transports.



Marine Outrider Detachment of Landspeeders (and more scouts skulking in the woods).


TURN ONE



All the Deep Striking elements arrived. Terminators of the Vanguard detachment and the Thunderfire Cannons of the spearhead Detachment (which all gained the Deep Strike ability through the Defenders Ruse)



The Aeldari Deep-Striking Battalion showed up behind the marines lines.

After the Deep Striking elements showed up we rolled to see for damage from Orbital Debris - Blast Markers were placed on three of the Dire Avenger squads, The Howling Banshees, and the Warlock as well as the Rhino, Sgt. Tellion and a squad of Scouts.



Terminators surge forward and attack the Dire Avenger Battalion.



Warp Spiders and Rangers grab some cover in stand of trees and try not to be seen.



Speeders counterattack the deep-striking Eldar



Thurnderfire Cannons lay down some hurt across the table.



All the Marines in the armoured vehicles bail out and take cover in the woods. The Rhino turns around and attacked the Warp Spiders and Rangers in the woods. The Landraider charges head on into the Tempest Grav-Tanks - lascannons and multi-meltas blasting away!

Somehow that Landraider - with FIVE blast markers on it (four large, and one small) survived... and it did the same damned thing EVERY FREAKING TURN, ALL GAME.... Just. Wouldn't. Die!

My stuff, on the other hand, had no trouble at all dying. In the first turn I lost all four Dire Avenger squads, the Farseer AND Warlock in that battalion - making all further Psychic power cards totally useless... not that I was drawing all that many with only one light character left on the board (meanwhile, Other Tim was drawing so many, he actually had to DISCARD down to ten one one Turn...). The Warp Spiders also took a damage marker and the blue Tempest took two, failed morale and took another - leaving critically injured... fun times.

The marine Rhino took one damage marker. That's all. Everything else saved and passed morale. (Thanks, in part, to a number of Command Asset cards)


TURN TWO



Eldar Super Heavy Detachment of Tempest Heavy Grav-Tanks blasting away at all the Marine Vehicles.



Some of the Terminators disengage with the Banshees to chase down Tempest Tanks.



Thunderfire Cannons hammering the Tempests



BOOM! T'chylmylwynbil (the Blue and Purple Tempest) is destroyed in battle... along with the Banshees... and the Autarch (now drawing only ONE Command Asset per turn...)... and a squad of Rangers (which miraculously passed s Saving Throw... but failed morale). The Warp Spiders took ANOTHER Damage Marker - luckily I'd had a Medicae Supplies and I played earlier in the round, which had removed the one they'd taken earlier.

The Marines finally lost their first squad this turn... a five-man team of Scouts... Oh, and the speeders that were blowed up by a Tempest. The Rhino was also lost - a victim of friendly fire (Other Tim had played an Orbital Barrage card and damaged it in an attempt to put some hurt on the Warp Spiders). The Land Raider - again with FIVE BLAST MARKERS on it - for the second turn in a row - failed one save, took a single Damage Marker (which was repaired in the following turn) and totally passed morale...


TURN THREE



The Terminators decided to occupy the building abandoned by the Banshees. I brought the Banshees back on with a reinforcements card (said they just snuck out of the ruins through some tunnels below) they charged a Thunderfire Cannon and it's attending Tech Marine, but failed to actually hit anything... like they normally do... The Techmarine then blew them all away...

Eldar Losses this turn: another Tempest, the returned Howling Banshees, the Warp Spiders, and the two remaining squads of Rangers. The only thing I had left on the table was a single, damaged Tempest tank.

the Marines... well... the Landraider failed one of it's five saves it had to make... leaving another Damage Marker on it (that would be repaired in the following turn... if we'd played one)

At this point the writing was on the wall... there was no way the Aeldari were recovering anything from that Comet... the remaining Tempest skulked away abandoning the field to the jumped up Mon-Keigh that call themselves "Astartes"...

Mistakes we made in previous games but have figured out; critically wounded only affects those with 3+ wounds as it is when they have take MORE THAN half their number of wounds in Damage Tokens. Also, Stealth stacks with Obscured - which make Rangers a lot harder to hit if they're obscured!

The brute firepower of a Super Heavy Detachment is no match for loads of little detachments, each with a warlord generating Command Asset cards... Only bring those big guns out when you know your opponent is bringing theirs...

I need to paint the rest of my Warlocks - I have three more (not including the ones earmarked for the Ulthwe allied detachment). Whether I use them as commanders for more detachments or as a second HQ element for existing detachments - to take command when the initial commander inevitably snuffs it!

I'd really like to try out my OWN Imperial forces at some point. I noticed my Guaiacan Commandoes are pretty close in Power Level to Finnegan's current Ork Horde. I think that would be a fun match up - I'll have to try and arrange that for sometime later this week!

I've been looking over the rules and my various guard forces. I might actually include commissars in detachments - just to have as back-up light-character-models to take over as warlord when the initial one inevitable gets taken out... All those Guard warlords generate EXTRA Assets as well!


Coming Soon to Tim's Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Hard to say... I did a little work on some Cawdor Gangers... and some Steel Legion Guard.... and the three Eldar Warlocks... But, I might get in a game with the kids before I finish any of those, though...