So Friday night had one of my co-workers swinging by to throw down in a 1500 point game. He brought his chaos marines over and we started setting up. We had a good table mixed with ruined buildings and forested terrain for an edge of the city style battle.
I rolled up an annihiation battle, while he rolled up a dawn of war deployment. I managed to get first turn and took it, despite his attempt to steal initiative. In hind sight this may have been a mistake *chuckles*
The farseer and a squad of dire avengers made their way up and behind some cover, while one of the squads of rangers carefully made their way into a ruined building on the eastern side of the board, using the broken walls and windows for cover in the morning dawn.
Across the board, I watched a demon prince settle in behind some ruins, uncomfortably close, a rhino speed on to the western side of the board and a squad of garishly colored chaos marines march up into a copse of trees.
Eldar Turn 1
Not much to be done here... Nothing in shooting range or sight. Some farseer blessings and some cautious advance by the first Dire Avenger squad ended this turn.
Chaos Turn 1
While the chaos marines advanced out of cover and the rhino moved forward, the real horror was about to be unleashed. Leaping straight over the ruins towards the squad of Dire Avengers, the demon prince landed right in front of them. It rushed in and started swinging, downing three without a thought. Not willing to give up without a fight though, the Dire Avengers managed to wound the warp spawned beast and held their ground.
Eldar Turn 2
Seeing the warp spawned leader of their enemy leap into battle, the farseer saw through the threads of fate that without re-enforcements, they would not last long. The ground shook even as the farseer scried the threads of fate that would help his brethren win. Looking up, the farseer spotted the familar forms of a warwalker squadron striding on to the field from his left and looming visage of a wraithlord from his right.
Quickly reacting, the farseer casted the runes that allow the newly arrived walker squadron's aim to be true. Spinning around, without missing a beat, he then cast the runes of fate against the garish marhines that had advanced out of the trees. Seeing the targets ahead, the squadron of warwalkers and the wraithlord unleashed their firepower on the chaos worshipping marines.
The sheer volume of firepower instantly reduced the corrupt mon'keigh to half their unit strength.
Meanwhile, the Dire Avengers were still very much fighting for survival against the demonic leader of the forces. Two more of the warriors fell to the beast, unable to withstand it's onslaught or presence, they were force to fall back from it.
Chaos Turn 2
The demon prince, watching his prey fall back out of his reach, turned his eyes on a greater prize. With unnatural speed, he closed the distance on the eldar farseer, intent on shredding the psyker.
The whine of archaic jet packs announced the arrival of the fanatical raptors, landing within range of the ranger holed up in the ruins. Their ancient and corrupt bolt pistols firing at the rangers as they landed. The rangers withstood the hail of bolter shells using their superior cover in the ruins, losing no one.
The rhino disgorged it's unholy cargo. The blue and gold armor combined with the glowing eyes announced the sons of Ahriman had joined the battle.
The eldar warwalkers, still revelling in their decimation of the mon'keigh squad, were unprepared for what was about to happen. The air in front of them shimmered and crackled with warp energy as five corrupt terminators materialized before them and unleashed firepower only their heavily armored suits could support. Two of the three walkers exploded under the hail of fire.
The threads of fate finally conspired and brought the two leaders together. The demon prince ravaged the farseer with an unbridaled chaos rage. The farseer's armor flashed with impacted, but he still reeled under the blows and took two hard shots from the beast. Not one to cower before enemies of the warp, he stood his ground, but was unable to get past the beast's warp blessed hide.
Eldar Turn 3
Below the raptors, blurs of disrupted and broken light entered the field on the hills below. The guardians of the webway annoucing their presence firing into the squad of raptors. Seeing their harlequin brethen join the fray, the rangers provided cover fire, sniping at the agile raptors to soften them up. Their precision shots downed three of the mutated marines.
Behind the burning wrecks of the two warwalkers, another squad of Dire Avengers joined the fray, taking sight on the heavily armored chaos terminators. The hail of shuriken fire slicing the air and even the chaos corrupted heavy armor of the terminators. Three of them being downed with mono-molecular slices in their armor.
On the far side of the battlefield, a second squad of rangers crept into the trees behind the hollow suits of armor that were the Thousand Sons.
In the midst of all this, the farseer and the demon prince continued their dance of death. Seeing that its live kin was in trouble, the wraithlord stepped in to join the whirling melee. The farseer, now more focused on the battle at hand, managed to avoid the blows of the towering demon and actually strike a blow in return. The fearless demon roared and changed into yet another wound, not wanting to fall back out of combat. Hoping to end the combat, the wraithlord swung its sword at the beast, but sadly it did not penetrate the demon's cursed skin.
On the other side of the battlefield, things went a little better for the Harlequins. They charged up the hill to the raptors and wiped them out entirely in what any watcher would have only called a beautiful dance of death. Seeing none standing to charge them, their attention turned to the swirling melee encompassing the farseer, demon prince, and wraithlord and moved towards it.
Chaos Turn 3
As the rangers settled in behind the Thousand Sons, a loud crashing noise alerted them to the latest troop to join the fray.... a dreadnaught. Unable to deal damage to the charging beast, the rangers had to fall back off the field of battle dragging two of their dead with them.
Their backs now safe, the sorcerous leader of the Thousand Sons squad unleashed a massive bolt of arcane engery that exploded the last warwalker standing, even taking one nearby unlucky Dire Avenger with it.
The two remaining terminators, now safe from the heavy weapons of the warwalker turned their sights on the Dire Avenger squad that thinned their ranks earlier. Unleashing a hail of bolter fire and with a swath of flame, the terminators dropped four of the blue armored Avengers. Having weakened their ranks, they closed the distance to engage them in hand to hand combat. The agile Avengers managed to land a hail of blows and even kill one of the remaining terminators, before losing another Avenger to close combat. However, neither unit wanted to give up the combat and continued to clash.
The marines in the middle of the field opted not to move and take some steadied shots at the harlequins moving across the field and managed to even drop two of the Eldar clowns!
In the middle of the table, the demon prince roared as yet again he was unable to kill the farseer, but shrugged off blows from the farseer and wraithlord, not even letting them get close to him.
Eldar Turn 4
The Harlequins, having weathered the fire put upon them closed on the towering demon in the middle of the Eldar deployment.
The Farseer, trying to see the thread that would bring the desperately needed Howling Banshees on the field was distracted and could not find it. All his attention being diverted to stay alive for a few minutes more, knowing his fate, but holding off the demon long enough for the Harlequin Troupe to engage the demon prince.
The Chaos Terminators and Dire Avengers continued their fight, but the Dire Avengers were unable to eliminate the final threat against them. The massive terminator, however, was not so unlucky and took down another of the compartively lightly armored Eldar.
As the Harlequins charged in to engage the demon prince in their dance of death, with a roar of success, the demon finally smashed through the Farseer's armor and managed to shred the Eldar psyker. He paid dearly for his victory as the Harlequins proceeded to send him back to the warp for his crimes against their kin.
Chaos Turn 4
The loss of the demon prince was a blow for the chaos forces, but did not deter them as a squad of marines carrying heavy weapons joined the battle for them and began to setup to fire once their weapons were steadied and aimed.
The dreadnaught moved onward attempting to gain a suitable firing lane.
The Thousand Sons also moved forward slow and steady on the Eldar forces.
Meanwhile the chaos marines in the middle of the battlefield were attempting to move up and flank the agile Eldar Harlequins.
The last standing terminator, while taking no wounds from the Dire Avengers, was unable to hurt them.
Sadly, this is where the battle had to end. The Howling Banshees stuck out of play in reserves (which would have automatically come in on Turn 5) that could have turned the tide for the battle torn Eldar forces. In the end, quick count was 3 kill points to 2 kill points in favor of the Chaos forces.
Good Battle!
