[Epic] [E40k] Eldar vs. Marines battle report

From: Jeff Schmidt <jschmidt_at_...>
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 1997 10:55:20 -0500

1500pt Meeting Engagement, 4-turn time limit (where we promptly forgot
about placing objectives...). We played two games, keeping the same forces
but switching sides for the second.

Eldar Forces
------------
 Eldar Assault Wave (264pts)
   led by Farseer in Wave Serpent
   5x Jetbikes (1 ea)
   2x Aspects [assault] in Wave Serpents
   3x Aspects [assault]

 Wind Rider Host (325pts)
   led by Farseer on Vyper
   5x Jetbikes (2 ea)
   5x Vypers

 Falcon Host (259pts)
   led by Farseer in Falcon
   5x Falcons
   1x Fire Prism

 Support Host (268pts)
   5x Guardians (1 ea)
   3x Night Spinners
   1x Fire Prism
   1x Support Platforms (3)

 Revenant (185pts)
 Revenant (185pts)

Marine Forces
-------------
 Armor Detachment (463pts)
   led by Captain in Landraider
   2x Predator Squadron (2 ea)
   2x Landraider Squadron (3 ea)
   2x Bike Squadron (3 ea)

 Assault Detachment (453pts)
   led by Librarian in Razorback
   6x Assault Marines in Rhinos
   6x Vindicators

 Support Detachment (181pts)
   6x Whirlwinds (1 HQ)

 Grey Knights [in one THawk] (135pts)
   led by Librarian
   5x Terminators

 Thunderhawk Wing (265pts)
   3x Thunderhawks (1 HQ)

Turn 1:
        We all move onto the field. That's about it.

Turn 2:
        Thunderhawks fail to arrive. Falcons and one Revenant sweep along
left flank, other Revenant and the WRH down the right-center. Eldar
Support Host begin supression fire on the Marine Assault Detachment.
Whirlwinds open up on WRH, killing a few bikes. The Landraiders are stuck
manuevering around some terrain and its clear they won't get into the
battle for another turn or two. The Eldar Assault Wave manuevers to, well,
assault next turn. The Marine Assaults crash into the Falcon Host,
inflicting little damage but forcing them to retreat. They promptly rally.

Turn 3:
        The Thunderhawks again fail to arrive. In frustration, the Marines
call down an orbital strike on the Eldar Assault Wave, decimating all its
jetbikes but leaving the Serpents untouched. The Falcon Host pulls back
towards the Support Host, who again unloads webs on the assault marines.
The Marine Armor Detachment is almost in a position to do something
(almost) as the WRH takes up position above them on a high cliff.
Whirlwinds unload on the WRH, wiping out a half-dozen jetbikes. Then the
WRH returns the favor and wipes out all the Armor Detachment's bikes in a
pop-up attack. As the assault marines attempt to coordinate a followup
assault (too many blast markers from webs and not enough luck), the Eldar
Wave Serpents scream in and disgorge Aspect Warriors and disruption blasts
into them, supported by a Revenant. The Vindicators are too spread out
along the wrong front to help much, and the assault marines are routed.
They retreat and the Eldar commander kicks himself for not spreading the
WRH along the marine's only path of retreat. The assault marines rally but
are still hurting from blast markers.

Turn 4:
        Finally, the Thunderhawks arrive. The Marine commander eyes up the
Fire Prism coverage, then they scream in, dropping the Terminators near the
cliff the WRH holds. The Thunderhawks unload a terrifying amount of
ordinance (excellent rolls here) and all but annihilate the WRH. There is
a brief exchange of fire between the Armor Detachment and the right-flank
Revenant which leaves the Revenant immobile and three Predators and two
Landraiders smoking hulks. At this point the Eldar commander, seeing two
detachments under half strength and a Revenant about to explode, with no
visible means of creating the same situation on the Marine forces, concedes
the field to the Marines.

Comments:
        The new CC rules really allow you to create fronts, something the
old Epic really wouldn't allow.
        Concentrating fire is really the way to go when you want to
suppress a detachment, even those stalwart Marines. Night Spinners in
sufficient quantities are excellent with their 90cm range, especially if
coupled with a number of Wave Serpents.
        Revenants are pretty survivable. They'll only survive one hit
sneaking through the holofield, though. And odds are that second hit will
arrive next turn, since more likely than not you're immobile or the field's
down.
        Fliers in a Meeting Engagement are of questionable worth. There is
a good chance that they won't arrive until the third turn, and then that's
the only flight you'll get from them. Even if they arrive in the second
turn, any damaged ones won't show up again. Of course, dropping the 4-turn
limit would fix this.
        Gameplay is _much_ faster. Under old Epic rules, our group was
lucky to finish one decent-sized game in an afternoon. We played two games
in the same time, and a lot of that time was going over rules with people.

The second game, which was much too short (due to a comedy of errors on the
part of the Marines) to even write up, taught two vital lessons:
  1. do not outrun your close support (duh)
  2. do not allow Whirlwinds to be assaulted (and including some screening
and/or other support units with thier detachment could prove useful)

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeff Schmidt | NetCo Communications Corporation
software engineer, Mac development | 333 N. Washington Ave. Ste. 102
(612) 519-0878 | Minneapolis MN 55401, USA
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Received on Sun Apr 20 1997 - 15:55:20 UTC