[Epic] "Skull's Shadow" - Battle Report (LONG!)

From: Erik K. Rutins <snowdo1_at_...>
Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 08:57:19 -0400

"Skull's Shadow": 5000 Points Chaos vs. 2500 Points Eldar + 2500 Points
Imperial
Scott Shupe vs. Erik Rutins

Hope you enjoy the unorthodox format and are able to piece together
enough of the battle from the transmissions and the army summaries. If
not, I'll post a more conventional report.

-----

Inquisition Eyes Only
Eldar Intervention Report
Record: A4629093-Q731828-FZ512576
Filed By: Inquisitor Rintus

Intervention witnessed by elements of 2nd and 3rd Company, Shadow
Skulls Chapter and 100th Tank Regiment, Cadian Imperial Guard.
Surviving witnesses are few, the most notable is Captain Caius of the
2nd Company.

Transmission excerpts are recorded below.....

-----

"Pods released. Beginning descent. Hail to the Emperor. Falco out."
<fzzt>

"Acknowledged. Hail to the Emperor. Caius out." <clk>

Caius, Captain of the Second Company, Shadow Skulls Chapter, clicked
off the helmet transmitter with his tongue and watched the ruins come
into view as his Rhino crested the hill south of the ancient fortress.
Built among the cliffs and mountains of a majestic world, the origin of
the structures was undeniable. The Eldar had once inhabited this
place, long before the Imperium settled it thirty years ago.

A small colony had thrived here since that time, composed mostly of
Cadian emigrants seeking a more pastoral existence. The dangers of the
Cadian Sector passed this world by until a few months ago, when the
tendrils of Chaos extended from the Eye and grabbed for a new prize.
From their nearby home system, the Shadow Skulls were the first to hear
the distress signal. Before departing, they sent the call further to
Cadia itself.

The incursion of Chaos was relatively small, orbital scans revealed
that it was restricted to a mountainous region to the east of the most
settled valley. From these mountains the raids had come, to kill some
and take away others. When the Chapter ships reached the system and
engaged the chaos vessels, they all realized that they were fighting
the 10,000 year old traitors of the heresy of heresies.

When they descended on the settlement, they found the few settlers who
were left now fell into two categories: the dead and the Changed. They
brought the cleansing flame.

When the followed the trail of corruption to the mountains they found
the rest of the settlers. They brought the cleansing flame.

When they sought the landing site of the traitors they found these
ruins, this fortress and the heart of the darkness.

-----

"Ajax, deploy the Third in the ruins on the right, send the demons back
to the Warp. Second will concentrate in the central structure and deny
victory to the Traitors. Acknowledge." <fzt>

"Acknowledged, Brother-Captain Caius." <clk>

"Third Company, deploy and set a hasty defense. We are the scythes of
death, we know no fear." <clk>

-----

"Captain Caius, this is Princeps Tanis of the Reaper. The western
ruins are infested with creatures of the Warp. We are advancing to
engage." <fzt>

-----

"Barcas, acknowledge. I want the Land Raiders on my left, now!" <clk>

-----

"Team Yankee, 100th Cadians here. UP! We have some kind of gigantic
flying demons in sight over here and what the hell is that a Titan?
AWAY! <KA-BO-" <fzt>

"Yankee, repeat your report, this is Princeps Tanis." <clk>

"Acknowledge, Tanis. We have in sight two Titans, one Warlord Class,
one Reaver Class. One of them has wings, Sir." <fzt>

"Yankee, acknowledged, we will be there presently. Tanis out." <clk>

-----

"Yankee here again, now we've spotted Eldar!" <fzt>

"This is the Reaper. That sighting is confirmed. We have in sight
skimming Eldar grav-tanks and what appear to be two Titans in support.
We are witnessing an exchange of fire between the grav-tanks and Chaos
forces." <fzt>

"Ajax reporting, the Third has suffered 80% losses. The eastern
buildings are now held by demons. We are withdrawing to the south."
<fzt>

"Force Barcas reporting, we have lost all Land Raiders to a surprise
assault. Our position is now held by dog-faced greater demons. We are
supporting the Reaper with our remaining Vindicators." <fzt>

"Yankee here, it's like shooting fish in a barrel. The Eldar are
keeping 'em pinned and we're knocking 'em down. Hey, by the way, where
the hell is that air support?" <fzt>

"This is the Reaper, we have lost all void shields." <fzt>

"Barcas, acknowledge." <clk> ...

"This is the Rea .... " <FZHszt>

"Yankee, acknowledge." <clk> ...

"This is Caius, the Second has withdrawn, casualties at 70%. Sergeant
Holk, provide covering fire from the Third, acknowledge." <clk>

"Acknowledged, Brother-Captain Caius. Holk out." <fzt>

"Caius, Acknowledge. This is Falco, we are on the ground." <fzt>

"Falco, Thanks to the Emperor. Where have you engaged?" <clk>

"Falco here. We have engaged the rear of the western flank. We bring
death." <fzt>

"Imperial Force Falco, I speak for the Biel-Tan Warhost. We will drive
our enemies towards you. May none escape the net." <hst>

"Biel-Tan Warhost, this is Imperial Force Falco. Co-operation
conditionally accepted." <fzt>

-----

We both started at around 110 morale and decided to end after three
turns as it was getting very late.

After three turns: Imperial + Eldar Morale ~ 35 vs. Chaos Morale ~ 45

A Tactical Victory for Chaos, with quite a disparity on the two halves
of the table. The Imperial forces were absolutely devastated while the
Eldar definitely gave better than they got. The Eldar would have been
hard pressed to pull off more than an orderly withdrawal, though, as
Chaos had two untouched titans and plenty of marines and demons waiting
to the East.

Below is a summary of the army lists with comments for each detachment
(Scott's comments on his, mine on mine).

-----

Chaos Army: 5000 Points

Flyers:

5 Firelords
5 Doomwings
5 Doomwings

Lost 1 Firelord in the dogfighting and the survivors managed to kill a
single land raider. Didn't lose any Doomwings, although 1 was damaged.

On the eastern flank (Opposite the Imperials):

Cultist group led by a magus in a chimera, with 9 beastmen squads (each
led by a champ) and 4 more chimeras and a squad of 3 sentinels.

They held a take & hold for the entire game, never got into close
combat, and were never shot at.

Daemon group of 5 bloodletters & 10 horrors.

They moved up and munched one of the space marine dets (the one that
didn't get nearly wiped out by AT shots). (This was the Third Company's
demise.)

Noise Marine group led by a lord & sorcerer in one land raider, with 8
noise marine squads in rhinos and 6 more land raiders.

Quite a few of the marines were lost in a flurry of psychic blasts, but
the LRs swept clean a building full of 'loyal' marines. (This was the
Second Company's demise.) Sat around the Imperial 'capture' objective,
which they never came for.

Reaver titan, seperated from the center portion of the board by a river
(which it forded). Armed with 2 HWBs (carapace, left arm) and a Heavy
Barrage (right arm).

The reaver spent most of the game firing at the SM & IG armor
detachments and never suffered more than shield loss during the course
of the battle.

In the Center (Mostly opposite the tanks and the Reaper):

Warlord Titan of Tzeentch, armed with Vortex missile (carapace), 2 HWBs
(left arm, sorta-carapace), and Death Ray.

Was never fired upon. Killed the imperial warlord titan (The Reaper)
(barely) at the end of the 3rd turn.

Cultist group led by a magus, with 3 hydras, 5 tarantulas, and 5
cultists (just enough to satisfy the support requirement, natch - no
one wants cultists for their own sake).

The support weapons tore up the SM & IG armor detachments quite nicely.
 They were also sitting on top of another of the take & holds.


On the Western Flank (Opposite the Eldar):

Chaos Engine group of 3 Cannons of Khorne & 6 Nurgle Contagions.

Lost 2 or 3 contagions during the course of the battle, mostly due an
Imperial Orbital Barrage.
On my left flank:

Marine group led by a sorcerer of Tzeentch riding a Disc, with 6 1000
Sons squads in Rhinos and 4 Silver Towers for support.

These guys didn't do much of anything aside from getting shot up. The
sorcerer & 2 towers were all that was left at the end.

Daemon group led by 2 Lord of Changes, consisting of 5 Flamers of
Tzeentch and 10 Flesh Hounds of Khorne.

*sigh* This detachment has done so well in previous battles, but here
it got suppressed into not moving until the last turn when I got to
kill some guardians in HTH. Lost a LoC, most of the flamers, and a
few hounds.

Daemon group of 5 Bloodthirsters.

They relocated over to the center where they got to chomp on the last
of the SM tanks. Lost 2, one to AT shots and one in close combat.

WarMaster of Tzeentch, with a bodyguard of 2 chaos marine squads, in
rhinos.

He survived until the end (though his bodyguards didn't!), and those
re-rolls came in handy.

Marine group led by a Khornate Lord riding a Jugger, with 8 squads of
Bezerkers in Rhinos and 3 daemons engines in support.

Got wiped out, accomplished close to nothing, nuff said.

Nurgle Plague Tower, which did nothing and went nowhere.

Detachment of 6 Slaanesh Hell-I-Guess-It-Doesn't-Matter-Anymore
(Knights), which went onto Overwatch the 2nd turn and brought down the
Phantom titan's holo-fields. Got wiped out by the remaining Warlock &
Revenant titans.

Detachment of 6 Land Raiders, which took the Phantom out of commission
IIRC. Got wiped out by the Revs.

2 Questors, who ran forward and got shot to pieces. Woohoo!

-----


Imperial Army: 2500 Points

Flyers:
3 Thunderbolts
3 Marauders

Got eaten alive by the Doomwings.

Titans:
1 Warlord Class (Reaper)

Advanced down the center, was absolutely manhandled by tarantulas, land
raiders, the Reaver and the Warlord. Supported the tanks but otherwise
accomplished little of note.

Armor:
1 Space Marine Armor Detachment: 6 Land Raiders and 3 Vindicators

Scott caught this detachment before it could fire and mauled it. He
then continued that treatment until there was only one broken, heavily
suppressed vindicator left heading for the hills.

1 Imperial Armor Detachment: 6 Leman Russes and 3 Hellhounds

These boys had a lot of fun shooting up thousand sons and demons on the
Eldar flank and took down a few void shields on the Reaver before
succumbing to titan fire and demonic appetites.

Infantry:
3 Space Marine Infantry Detachments:

2nd Company and 3rd Company: 4 Tactical Squads, 2 Devastator Squads, 1
Captain, 1 Librarian each all mounted in Rhinos.

These marines were supposed to hold the center and right flank of the
Imperial side of the board while the titan and tanks broke through the
left flank. The thousand sons shooting proved superior to mine and
their supporting land raiders did a lot of damage to the 2nd Company.
The Third Company attempted, through overwatch, to shoot enough demons
(pink horrors and bloodletters) to prevent them assaulting and failed.
The demons outdid themselves in close combat and ate marines until they
were quite full. The remnants retreated, broken. The 2nd Company
followed shortly thereafter of its own volition to hopefully set up
another defensive line towards the rear.

8th Company Assault Detachment in Drop Pods: 7 Assault Squads, 1
Captain, 1 Librarian.

When the Eldar were starting to cause the Chaos forces in front of them
to crumble, these boys dropped right behind the Chaos lines. The
librarian unfortunately fell off the table, thus ending his career but
the rest fought off a pre-emptive attack by berserkers and proceeded to
take down all kinds of chaotic types, including the Plague Tower.
Unfortunately, they were unable to completely cut off the retreat route
of the Chaos forces opposing the Eldar, so the end-of-turn annihilation
was not to be. On a humor note, Scott had been rolling really well
until his berserkers attacked my assault marines. Needing 4+ to kill
with 7 dice Scott managed to roll ALL 1s!

-----

Eldar Forces: 2500 Points

Flyers:

3 Nightwings, managed to shoot down a FireLord, were decimated by the
counter-intercepts.

Titans:

1 Phantom

Armed with two Pulsars, this titan was destroyed by a combination of
hell-knight firepower and land raider coup de grace once the holofield
was down. Never even got to fire.

1 Warlock

One d-cannon, one pulsar. Did well, picked off demons and helped
suppress the heck out of Chaos on the Eldar side.

2 Revenants

One was nearly crippled by a lucky shot, but they managed to destroy
two Questors between them with a little help from the jetbikes.

1 Scorpion Engine of Vaul

Consistently did well with pop-ups, was moderately damaged towards the
end but recovered to shoot up a few more fiends.

War Hosts:

10 Falcon Grav Tanks

They kept out of trouble and their pop-ups consistently harmed Chaos'
aspirations. Got hit by some artillery but otherwise stayed almost
untouched.

10 Falcon Grav Tanks, 10 Guardian Units, 1 Farseer in Wave Serpent

Succeeded in firefighting most of the Chaos line on the Eldar side and
breaking them. We then set overwatch next turn and shot up quite a few
of 'em, but Chaos rolled a 6 to assault (on the supreme commander
re-roll). The resulting melee nearly brought the detachment to half
strength and killed most of the Guardians (I guess those demons were
pretty frustrated).

10 Jet Bikes, 5 Vypers

Got hammered by arty on Turn 1, managed to do little but damage the
Questors and then get nearly wiped out by 'em.

-----

Regards,

- Erik / Brother-Captain Caius / Farseer Ardhiel
Received on Thu Jul 31 1997 - 12:57:19 UTC