I was able to get a game in (well, more like 1.083) Rob today. Rob was playing a revised version of his Mechdar list which included:
-Prince Yriel
-Farseer
-3 Squads of Dire Avengers (In Wave Serpents)
-2 Falcons (Loaded with 6 Fire Dragons each)
-Fire Prism
-8 Warp Spiders
My list was:
Company Command Squad
+Vox-caster
+Chimera (Multi-laser/Heavy Bolter)
Inquisitor Lord
+Psychic Hood
+Bolt Pistol/CCW
+2 Mystics
+Familiar
Veteran Squad
+Missile Launcher
+3 Sniper Rifles
+Forward Sentries Doctrine
+Vox-caster
Veteran Squad
+Gunny Sgt. Harker
+3 Sniper Rifles
+Missile Launcher
+Vox-caster
Veteran Squad
+Shotguns
+3 Melta guns
Veteran Squad (2X)
+3 Melta guns
+Shotguns
+Chimera(Multi-Laser/Heavy Flamer)
Vendetta (2X)
LRBT Squadron:
-Leman Russ Battle Tank
-Leman Russ Demolisher
Leman Russ Battle Tank
Artillery Battery: 3 Hydras
TOTAL: 1850 pts/16 KP/69 Models
The first game lasted fifteen minutes or so. I won the dice off for first turn, and my opponent promptly castled his grav tanks in a corner behind a large piece of terrain. The Vendettas unloaded their melta-armed cargo (with the help of their 24" scout move) as well as their twin linked lascannons, the russes and hydras spoke, and after the pile of smoking grav-tank carcasses reached the requisite height the game was forfeit without the filthy xenos firing a single shot.
As the first game proved less than satisfactory, we re-deployed with the same mission and terrain and tried again. This time around he held his entire force in reserve - counting on Yriel to bring them on to the table without too much delay.
This is where I made a couple of critical errors.
Over-zealous and encouraged by my initial quick victory I pressed the charge - infiltrating Harker and his squad into terrain in his Deployment zone and moved the two Vendettas up with a 24" scout move, and another 24" during the first turn to bring them right up by the long table edge.
(My thinking on this was flawed. For some reason I had it in my head that he wouldn't be able to come on to the table where there were enemy units within 12". So, I tried to force him to come in on the right side of his deployment zone where they would be easy targets for the Russes and Hydras. Of course...that is not the case - and I think I just had the infiltrate/scout rules stuck in my head for some reason or another.)
Yriel paid off big for him and he managed to get his entire army on his 2nd turn.
My mistake cost me both Vendettas. (Their cover saves could only help so much)Harker's veteran squad felt the pain as well when they were shot up and assaulted by warp spiders.
My other mistake was failing to pop smoke on my russes. Thankfully that mistake didn't cost me as much as it could have as the Vendettas took priority for his brightlances.
Despite my initial tactical epic fail the game turned out to be extraordinarily close.
Other highlights include:
-The Warp Spiders breaking and running off the board the turn after they came in.
-Prince Yriel (not attached to a unit, and vulnerable to instant death) eating a dead-on battlecannon shot from a Russ...which rolled a one to wound him. (!!!)
-Prince Yriel dedicating two shooting phases and two assault phases to killing that particular Russ.
-Hydras proving that they are just as good as Lootas at popping skimmers.
-A Wave Serpent full of Avengers pulling up to contest an objective late in the game being wrecked by melta vets. The dire avengers which popped out ate a LOT of fire and failed their pinning check when hit by sniper fire. Their inability to contest let me pull out a narrow win.
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I think I've pretty much learned the lesson about hiding the army any way I can.
ReplyDeleteSad thing was, despite your errors on turn one, it was STILL a close thing.
I think an Autarch is staying in this army, one way or the other. The reserves thing is just too useful a trait to ignore, and Yriel at least covers me in melee, some. He still gets an elf-cookie for staring down a Russ and winning, but considering he's actually 5pts more than the Russ...
I think that a single squad of 2-3 hydras is just nasty. I mean, if there's not light armor out there to hunt, you can just crank autocannon shots into infantry, like the ones that might be hiding on an objective.
I also think that the single Demolisher is a nice little bit of flexibility. I mean, 24" isn't that short when it can move 6" a turn. Plus, S10 pie plate is a little better at popping armor than the S8, even when the armor has the cheese-field.
Indeed. The difficulty of preparing to face the all-reserve army (at least when it comes in on a 3+ and the dice are liking you) makes me consider the Master of the Fleet as a deterrent. 30 points for an adviser that's not going to do anything though.. I'll have to think on it.
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