Battle Report: Eldar Attack Campaign: Warp Gate Construction

Background: Necrons have invaded and taken control of an Imperial Guard planet, Arkturon, in the Betelgeuse system. Eldar Ulthran, the great Eldar farseer, sees great peril for the Eldar if the Necrons continue to control this planet without resistance. Hence he organizes and launches an assault on the system.

The Eldar attack fleet have achieved an undetected orbit around a neighboring planet to Arkturon in the Betelgeuse system. The Eldar send an expeditionary force to the ground to lay down a warp gate to facilitate the ground assault. The Necrons, however, detect the landing of the expeditionary force and attack.

Battle Report:
Bruegthra led his pathfinders silently through the forest. He held up his hand, and his forces took cover, their cameoline blending effortlessly into the background. Taking out his binoculars, he scanned the surroundings. Near the middle of the battlefield, just north of a line of trees, lay one of their objectives. He spotted the other a moment later, in the east, just north-west of a ruined building. We head to the building, he mentally commanded his troops. There lies our greatest vantage point from which to constrain the enemy.

As the rangers took their position on the top floor of the ruins, Guardian jetbikes and Howling Banshees moves quietly into position deep in the forest. Necron warriors spotted in the north-east and Immortals in the straight north, Trin, the Banshee Exarch, mentally heard Bruegthra announce. Trin motioned eastward, and the jetbikes zoomed in that direction, to head off the Immortals. The Guardians saw gauss fire erupt from behind pipes in the north-east, and Bruegthra reported two casualties. Sniper fire rattled from the upper level windows, and an Immortal fell, with others clearly hit, but seemingly unhurt. The Immortals turned to the Guardians, but their green blasts faded into nothingness as the jetbikes were out of range.

The Guardians surged north, combining shuriken catapult and cannon fire with the Rangers' sniper rifle blasts into the Immortals, but doing little damage. The Immortals turned their weapons on the pathfinders, lighting up the upper level of the ruined building in an eery green glow. A mental shriek was hurt as the blasts hit home, and all of the Eldar realized their brave scouts had been lost. The jetbikes assessed the situation, seeing a nearly full squad of immortals and a full squad of necron warriors bearing down on them. The bikes turned and bolted for the trees from which they had come, losing two bikes in the retreat.

When the remaining bikes met up with the Banshees, Trin explained that they were all to wait here, behind the treeline. The Banshees worked to construct the warp gate behind the safety of the forest, hearing the Necrons advance toward their position. Remaining in safety, Trin completed the construction, and the full Eldar strike force began warping in from the orbitting transport ships. The Necrons retreated, regrouping within their stronghold in the outskirts of the city.

###

This was a combat patrol game, only 400 points each. We played that both sides had to control a single objective. If each controlled a single objective, or neither controlled one, the game would draw. But if one side controlled both, that side would win. Mike's pathfinders setup near Ryan's objective, while the Banshees and jetbikes setup hidden behind the forest. Ryan's immortals and warriors setup in the north-northeast. The Pathfinders were the original target, and even with their 2+ save, they took approximately 9 hits per turn, which resulted in a number of wounds. They were eradicated in turn 3, and between their fire and the jetbikes, the Eldar had only taken out a single Immortal. Having lost the entire squad of rangers and 2 of 5 jetbikes in exchange for the one Immortal, the guardians fled, having no chance out there. The Banshees camped out near the other objective, and the jetbikes used their speed to join them behind the trees. Lucky for the Eldar, the necron warriors were incapable of reaching Mike's objective before the game would end at turn 6, and even if the Immortals made it, the Eldar, having the last move of the game, could surge out from the trees and control that objective with superior numbers. Therefore, the warriors stayed back to control one objective, and the Immortals just hung out until the Eldar emerged, controlling Mike's objective. Hence, the game was a draw. I felt bad just hiding for 2 turns behind the forest, but the outcome of this game had great implications for our next game, and a loss would have forced me to suffer some dire consequences.

We're playing this as a mini-campaign, so look out for our next battle, with the Eldar strike force having come through the warp gate to attack the Necron stronghold. The Eldar will meet the Necrons in the outskirts of the city.