Flesh is for losers, in steel I trust: 3rd encounter

[DarthAngel]

Evening Brothers!

 

It's 22:30 local time and I've just wrapped up two more battles with my Clan Raukaan army list. Those who haven't read my earlier posts, here's the list I've used for a couple of games already: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/287308-flesh-is-for-loser-in-steel-i-trust-clan-raukaan-1850pts/

 

The list was altered by little details over the games but now I've locked my options and I'm quite positive how the army works now. But now to the report.

 

My first game today was against Eldar/Dark Eldar army that looked something like this:

 

Farseer on jetbike.

 

3x5 Dire Avengers in Wave Serpents w/ spirit stones.

 

2 Crimson Hunters

 

Wraithknight w/ suncannon & shield.

 

Vaul's Support unit, 2 Cannons (Doomweavers as I recall?)

 

Baron Sathonyx

 

5 Kabalites in Venom w/ dual-splinter cannons.

 

Beast Pack w/ 4 Beastmasters, 15 Khymeras and 2 Razorwing flocks.

 

 

We rolled for hammer and anvil and crusade with 3 objectives. I won the deployment roll and deployed my Librarian with the Centurions and stashed them behind a ruin to avoid the situation that my opponent would seize the initiative. Scouts I deployed at the other end of the table, behind another ruin. Black Knights I chose to outflank and put the other Stormtalon to escort them.

 

My opponent deployed his Avenger units two units at the other end and the third on the other, along with the Kabalite unit. His Beast Pack was spread in the middle with Baron and the dreaded Sunknight was placed next to them, tagged with the Farseer. Lastly his cannon unit was placed behind a forest terrain at the back. As he failed to seize, the game began..

 

1st Turn: Night fighting was on the 1st turn but on the other hand, it turned out to be my advantage. I dropped my Sternguard and Chapter Master close to the forest where the Eldar cannons were, surrounded by the two Wave Serpents on the other side (right on the melta range) and the Beast Pack on the other. First Tactical Squad I dropped in front of the Beast Pack and combat squadded them, shoving my flamers up front and kept the multimelta on the other half which I moved quickly back to a nearby ruin. Aided with the Librarian's Prescience, Centurions moved ahead, ready to target the Sunknight. Only one of the Grav-cannons was in range but I took the shot and wounded his Farseer, who was in front, twice and the towering ghost warrior once!

 

2 flamers from the Tactical Squad and a third from the Chapter master took only 3 Khymeras and one Beastmaster from the Beast Pack and the Sternguard, who shot all the combi-meltas and the melta gun against the closer Wave Serpent and only caused two GLANCING HITS! (Darn Serpent shield shenanigans..) My first turn was over with little effect but I wasn't worried at all. I'd put alot of pressure on the other end of his deployment zone with the Sternguard and Chapter master, and I'd wounded his most prized units, his Farseer hanging with only one wound left.

 

His turn began and as I had suspected he unloaded both of his Avenger units that surrounded the Sternguard and shot the veterans apart with half of his whole army's firepower. The Rest did only manage to kill two Tactical marines and he casted the 4++ save for the Seer/Knight combo.

 

Lastly he took the bait I'd laid for him, assaulting the Chapter Master with his Beasts. He of course refused my challenge and attacked with one Razorwing flock and 7 Khymeras that were in range and did zero wounds on the grizzled commander, who in return, landed one precision strike against the flock, blowing it apart with one sweep, and took one Khymera down, winning the combat by 6! The beasts turned on their tails and rolled 1 (1!) for initiative roll against the blood-hungry space marine who hacked the rest of the unit down with his bare hands! It was sad to look my opponent's face, especially when he figured out my Chapter Master would reach his Sunknight on the next turn..

 

2nd Turn: Things were looking good as all of my reserves arrived already on 2nd turn. I dropped the other Tac Squad in the mid-field where two of the objectives were, combat squadding them too. Bikes arrived on the end where the two Serpents and their crew were and wrecked the other grav-tank. Centurions only had the range for the third Serpent but failed to do any damage. Chapter Master charged against the Sunknight and the battle's most epic duel began. We both took two wounds off from each other and there for the round ended as a tie.

 

On Eldar turn, his flyers appeared, he unloaded his third Serpent and his Venom, rushing the skimmers forward. Nothing much happened on top of that, one bike and a couple more marines dropped off, in addition of one bike and one hull point from one of the Talons. The duel between the Sunknight and Chapter Master continued with inflicing one wound on the Knight, taking zero in return.

 

3rd Turn: My 3rd started quite positively as I got control of the one objective with one half Tac squad and the other half would reach another next turn. My Bikes rushed through enemy lines and took their next target, the Eldar cannon crewmen, inflicting 4 wounds, destroying one weapon and slaying one gunner and softened them a bit more with a well-aimed stasis grenade. My Talons, with the support of my Tactical squad, dropped one Crimson Hunter out of the sky and my scouts finally crawled from the ruins to take a couple of shots against one of the Avenger units, failing to do any damage. Last Tac half-squads took a shot against the Kabalites, scaring them away and off the board. The duel came to it's end when the ghost warrior and our commander hacked each other apart. Bikes launched an assault of their own against the Vaul's Support cannon-unit and took off only ONE gunner!

 

Eldar turn 3 started by my opponent blowing up his Farseer with Perils of the Warp after casting out his last warp charge point. Ouch!

He also dropped one of the Talons, on top of one of theTac squads, wounded one Centurion with the Venom and lastly assaulted the two marines, who had just survived from a gunship that fell down on their heads, with his third Avenger units.

 

4th Turn: I now controlled two objectives, my opponent holding the third and getting the first blood. Both of us achieved slaying each others' warlords (or actually HE had achieved slaying BOTH warlords :D ). Nothing special happened on 4th turn. Only thing that happened was me tearing the cannon-crew apart with the bikes and him making the scouts run off the table...

 

5th&6th Turn: The game was practically mine at the end of my turn 5 but we insisted to play all the way through. I popped up his Venom and Serpent with the split-firing Centurions, his Avengers tried to contest one of my objectives, only to die in the firestorm from my flamers. I tried to smoke out his last Avenger unit with my last Talon and shot all but one aspect warrior from the ruins! He lastly destroyed my last two bikes with his last Serpent and game was officially over!

 

I ended up winning 6 to 5, neither gaining the linebreaker. It was a fun game and though my opponent hadn't played with the Eldar that much yet, he still gave me a hard nut to crack!

 

I'm writing the other report tomorrow, my overall fourth and second battle against Tyranids.

[Tiger9gamer]

Nice Report! =D How did the Uber chapter master died? and is clan Raccoon  better than regular Iron Hands?

[DarthAngel]

My opponent was able to cast the 4++ save on the wraithknight and as he refused my challenge every turn, I wasn't able to remove him. On 3rd turn of dueling, we struck at the same time b'cause of the concussion I'd caused to his knight. Chapter master was able to deal two last wounds off the ghost warrior and he got one wound in and because I had no eternal warrior anymore, he Instakilled me.

[DarthAngel]

I probably can't give an answer to which IH army is BETTER, at least for the list type I'm using.. Both have neat wargear, Raukaan don't have access to any special characters but undistiputely Raukaan's gear and warlord traits serve general IH army build and tactics far better than the vanilla codex.