To Arms!! A rather short battle report!

Yup, that's right! I played a battle without having to traverse the county!

AGAIN No pics- Sorry!

Turns out my nephew is inching towards the hobby! He did say he liked the look of LOTR, but I offered him a chance to play 40k with one of my armies and see if he liked it. All GW games use a similar system when it comes to tabletop wargaming, which is why they work so well.
Anyway... YER goes:


Nephew picked Eldar for his army, based upon the generalisation that they are fairly quick with good basic troops, great leaders and some interesting specialist troops and vehicles. He was offered the option of CSM, guard or eldar and each one was generalised to him so his choice was (reasonably) informed.

As I am thinking along guard lines, I though it was a good opportunity to play the necromundan guard army.
I didn't want to overcomplicate his first ever 40k game with special rules for characters and wargear, so we both kept it nice and simple.
I said that 1000 pts was a good base to start from (though it later proved too much in terms of time frame) and so these are the forces we picked:


ELDAR

HQ- Avatar
Elites - 5 Howling Banshees
Troops 1- 8 Dire avengeres with exarch packing a diresword and shuriken pistol
Troops 2 - 15 Guardians (storm squad) with fusion gun and flamer
Fast Attack 1 - 6 Swooping Hawks
Fast Attack 2 - Vyper Jetbike with shuriken cannon
Heavy Support 1 - 3 Dark Reapers with exarch carrying shuriken cannon
Heavy Support 2 - Wraithlord with scatter laser
Heavy support 3 - Fire Prism Grav Tank

Now, for a first timer, and given the general hints and tips I was giving him, this army aint alf bad. He's got himself a cheesey leader with good special effects for the troops, some nasty firepower elements, a large assault squad and some good quality specialist troops. A healthy mix of speed and firepower. Nice!


GUARD

HQ- Company command squad with body guard for the officer
HQ- Ministorum Priest
Troops 1 - Infantry platoon with commisar, heavy weapons sqaud and 2 infantry squads
with heavy weapons and a platoon command squad
Troops 2 - Veteran squad (ratskins) with camo cloaks
Fast Attack - Armoured Sentinel
Heavy Support - Leman Russ Battle Tank

My Loyalist guard army is limited in its options at present, but I knew I had numbers on my side here, along with ole reliable, the leman russ!
After rolling on the various tables in the book, we were to play annihilation scenario, using spearhead deployment rules.

We only got to play 2 turns out of the 4, which was a shame, because as usual things were getting good when it was time to clear up!

The action summed up:

Nephew launched a strong flank attack with his Hawks and vyper, which my company command squad was getting hit hard, but (barely) holding the line. In the centre, things were faring a little better thanks to the infantry platoon and the vehicles pouring fire into the banshees, wraithlord and the avatar (who ran to the flank for cover after suffering 2 wounds from heavy weapons fire!) The banshees were wiped out before they could assault the line, but my leading infantry squad were battered by the wraithlords firepower and the Dark reapers.
On the opposite flank, things were porgressing much slower, with the veterans assisting with the centre's firing before pouring some shots onto the dire avengers.
The fire prism managed to vaporise the sentinel, and the commisar executed the cowardly lieutenant and held the line in a brutal attritional assault with the guardian storm squad.

At the end of the second turn, it was time to clear up. The winner was decided on "kill points" which were allocated per unit and per vehicle. Final score was 1:1, but it was such a shame that the game had to end there.

The assault in the centre was getting interesting as more units joined in from the guard lines, and the opposite flanks were starting to close in for inevitable hand to hand fighting over barricades and ruins.

Looking at it now, I think the eldar would eventually have overrun the guard, mainly due to their speed and better quality assault troops. That said however, the guard army firepower was potent enough to drive the Eldar's main offensive beastie back and give my nephew thoughts of how he could bring him back into play, and the centre was holding really well thanks to the commissar and the priest


Overall:
Great game! My nephew had fun playing, and is now torn between 40k and lotr. He really liked the eldar too, which I think is nice, because almost everyone goes for marines first!

The armies were too big for the time frame we had to play in. 4-500 points would have been quicker and easier, though we would have lost out in terms of tanks and hard stuff. Still, he got to see how lots of different weapons work in play, along with assaults and difficult terrain rules. He didn't make the most of the fleet rule, but then again it was his first game and he did really well.

We talked for a while later about warlocks and their abilities, as well as the benefits of jetbikes etc. And I gave the advice to "start small." The hobby has just got a little more expensive (check the website) and a 12 year old on pocket money needs to be shrewd about his purchases, as do we all now...

As for me, well, guard..... tanks.... stormtroopers.... sentinels.... traitors...chaos...daemons...

40K ELDAR Showcase

This is my first stab at a blog feature. I had the eldar close to hand, and my camera phone in my pocket. So I though "GO FOR IT!!"

I don't use my Eldar much, and they aint my army of choice as a rule. They do provide me with a different angle to play tactically, and they have some great and unique weaponry that really helps them to stand out from the crowd!!

The following pictures pretty much detail all my Eldar troops, with a feature model at the end.
Keep an eye out for the terrain bits and bobs too. Ther aint much in this one, except the boards from my modular terrain and a ruin.
I know what you're thinkin (that boy had too much time on his hands growin' up..) and you're probably right!

Please feel free to dump yer comments on here!

Hope you enjoy my "tat"...





Guardians advancing through a ruin. They carry shuriken guns and are fast moving infantry. They can cover ground quickly from cover to cover and assault light infantry. Not as hard hitting as some of my aspect warrior squads, but a handful none the less, and capable of slowing advances enough for the other units to join the offensive. In a defensive rol, they can dig in with the best of 'em, and their rate of fire is great for deterring advances across open ground to their position.










Guardian storm squad, with warlock. There are a few minor conversions floating about in this unit, which is made up mainly of the classic "pirates" models. The warlock can pick powers to really boost the pucnh of this unit in assaults or to strengthen them up as they advance. I threw in a couple of special weapons as well, to give them an edge and help them dig enemies out of cover or to assault armour.

This pic captures 3 troops choices together. In the foreground is a guardian defender squad, with a starcannon platform and a warlock with a singing spear. Good for supporting a steady advance, with the warlock handy for steadying the line or providing troops with the extra toughness in an assault. Not as mobile as some of my other guardian squads, but they act in a supporting role of the other units I use to advance and assault. Very effective.

In the rear are the jetbikes. (yes a troops choice!!) I added a shuriken cannon to the sqaud for extra shootyness and one model I sometimes use as a warlock. Warlocks on jetbikes can be really annoying...

The other choice is just a simple squad of defenders. As with all my guardians, they use the classic black of ulthwe with yellow head gear. I know that they wear bone coloured kit now with the black, but repainting the hole army just seemed like a chore I didn't need, and the look of everything really does appeal to me.

Dire Avengers!! Yes they are blue, but they are an awesome troops choice. Better shuriken weaponry, and the exarchcomes with some nice options too. Mine carries a diresword, made from attaching a high elf (warhammer) weapon in place of the power weapon. This pic even captures the runes on it- nice!!!

Eldar rangers. I used kinda dark brown camo for their camelioline cloaks, but the yellow helmest of ulthwe and the black mesh armour still feature. Awesom for pinning down infantry units and using them as pathfinders makes them extra "killy." I was really proud of the finished look with them.

The howling banshees. Fast, furious, and packing power weapons!I used metallic green to provide a good contrast to their white armour. Only a small squad, they are great for small games and can fit in the back of a falcon...

Striking Scorpions (with a hint of banshees on the right). I really like the models and their weaponry is sweet too. The exarch carries an enhanced weapon and has a choice of skills I can pick and choose depending on the battle and opponent. They are among the toughest eldar infantry units, and I reckon they are my fave aspect warriors.

Fast attack options for my Eldar are limited to just the viper jetbike and my swooping hawks aspect warriors. I fitted some gubbins from dark eldar vehicles I had in my bits box just to give it a bit of character. It provides me with fast moving, firepower support, ideal to cause a few problems for infantry.

Aspect warriors!! These are my dark reapers- marine killers and devastating in terms of rate of fire and accuracy. The centre models bears the mark of exarch and carries a shuriken cannon. Giving him the exarch abilities too can also cause the enemy problems. I like fast shot, as that gives him 4 shots instead of 3 from his weapon, and crack shot is just as nasty!!The Aspect warriors really add a splash of colour to the black ulthwe colours.

My first Warithlord, ever! lol. He's packing a starcannon, which give penetrative power against vehicles and is a handy weapon for squishing marines... (heheh)

They aren't as 'nails as they used to be, but can be a real thorn in the side of the enemy.

He's flanked by the falcon grav tank on the left and the fire prism on the right. The falcon gives firepower and transport for 6 models, while the fire prism gives me another impressive model but also provides unique weaponry that is justly feared!! The new codex states that several fire prisms can combine their weapons together to provide an even scarier and more powerful prism shot!! Nice. (pity I only have the one...)

The other one of my Wraithlords.

Converted as well (obviously). I wanted to have something that looked dunamic, so I opted for what you see here. I reposed the legs to show the construct runing aorund a large boulder, using his hand to steady himself. The other hand is outstretched, reaching for the next target. Weapon options for him are pretty cool now, and this particualr model carries a scatter laser, which provides a high rate of fire, though not very penetrative against decent armour. Good job he's packing the "no armour saves" hands!

You've pobably noticed that the wraithlords are painted as "opposites" of each other. I did this on purpose, but I have no real reason for it- I just reckoned- that might look good on the tabletop!!!

This pic shows my HQ Choices for the Ulthwe force. I have the farseer with 3 warlocks as my seer council, and KARANDRAS the phoenix lord as a unique option (I do really like the scorpion aspect) and of course my centre piece model, the Avatar (heheheheh)

FEATURE MODEL:

This is the Avatar I have. I was really chuffed with the miniature itself, and I really wanted to do it justice.

I used dark metallics to base the armour, and built up the drybrushing and highlights to make the rune of KHAINE really stand out. Armour was still quite dull, so I felt I needed to contrast out the dullness with some bright fiery colours to really bring the model to life.

The mane was just red, with inks and highlights with red and orange.

The wailing doom (sword thingy) was the thing I'm really proud of. I wanted to reflect the "molten rage" and fiery origins of the creature itself, and so I went for heat on the blade itself.

I blended up from red at the hilt to white at the tip, with black runes.

Great centre piece model, and it really sets off the regualr troops with its bright colours!

In terms of gameplay, the Avatar is still arguably one of the most scary things you can throw at your enemy. He is an assault BEAST and his stats show that! Along with the effect he has on the eldar around him and his immunity to melta and flame weapons- what a great HQ option. Cheap too at only 155points!!!

Chuck him into an assault, and watch the limbs fly!!

Well, I hope you liked the showcase. Hopefully I can get another one done soon!!!