We were playing Maelstrom games so it'll be a bit difficult to keep track of the score and how and why someone won but I'll do my best.
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The low down:
- Tactical Escalation - Hammer and Anvil
- Warlord Trait - +1 to Seize the Initiative and re-roll reserves
- Unsure on night fighting , I think it was first turn and who won deployment etc.
Obviously there are six objectives, one is to the left of my Bastion, one is in the trees to my right, one is in the tower in the middle of the board [with my Genestealers], one is beside the Plasma Generator top left, another is in the woods top middle and the last one is in the ruins [again with my Genestealers] top right. I had another unit of Stealers outflanking. Otty had three Wave Serpents, some Wraithguard and Fire dragons mounted inside, a Wraith Knight, Fire Prism and a couple of units of Jet Bikes.
I actually think this was a balanced list, not too spammy on the Serpents and aside from my own cheese - Stealers setting up within 6" of you this was the closest to an even match-up all day. As Otty is moving I think he may have gone first, unless I did a really quick move...
Meanwhile over on the other table Liam had 5 Riptides, including that crazy Forgeworld one that flies. He also had some Pathfinders or Warriors and a couple of Piranhas/Tetras on his Skyshield.
And Ben decided to be equally friendly with his Stompa that had a Mekkboy inside with a Mega Kustom Force Field [4+ invul save, I think] and a load of Grot riggers that could repair a hull point each turn on a 5+. So I could see where this game was going...
So Otty decided to target the Genestealers, naturally. Of course this works as a diversionary tactic to save the rest of my army but given there wasn't much else to see it probably didn't work as these were the only viable targets anyway.
Jetbikes moved round and riddled the Stealers with Shurikens
The Bastion got targeted but the Fire Prism could only manage a glancing hit so it was safe.
The Hive was safe, for now...
Two units of Stealers were destroyed thanks to all the combined fire from the Wave Serpents and Jet Bikes. First Blood to Otty
The Wraith Knight finally settled on target priority...
The Carnifex taking cover behind some Ferron Fire Firs, luckily these flammable trees proved adequate cover to avoid the Eldar construct.
Nids moved forwards en masse.
The Tervigon spawned 8 Termagants which headed for an objective, my plan being to camp on as many objectives as I could and hope they would come up in my Maelstrom deck. meanwhile the Tervigon tried to keep up with his big brood.
I've missed out Otty's turn 2 but on my turn the Tyrannocyte arrives. Combined Deathspitter and Brainleach fire for the Flyrant and Dakkafex leaves just one jetbike left on the right.
Termagants are getting close to the Eldar DZ and the last brood of Genestealer arrive on the left flank.
The last 3 of the Stealers from the ruins assault the last -1 Paroxysmed Jet bike. 40k's premier cloase assault unit has 9 attacks, scoring 6 hits [the average] and causing 3 wounds [once again the average] but no rends. The Eldar makes all his saves...! What a farce!
Meanwhile over on the other table Riptides and Stompas were going at it like hyenas circling a wounded bull elephant
It soon became apparent that the Stompa was ridiculously powerful thanks to the Mekkboy and Grots, although Liam had failed to head my suggestion of ignoring it completely. Then again the riptides could potentially damage it were I know I'd have no chance.
Back on Ferron Proxima the Fire Dragons disembarked.
They tried to shoot down the Flyrant but couldn't draw a bead on him.
However their Aspect Warrior cousins - the Dire Avengers pulled the same manoeuvre targeting the Outflanked Stealers.
Once again the premier CC unit of 40k was reduced shredded meat by shuriken fire.
Wave Serpents fired at their biggest threat - my Dakkafex.
And wiped him out, looks like he didn't even get halfway across the board.
The Stealers continued to molest the Jetbike.
But this time succeeded in taking him down and consolidated back towards the ruins.
Which gave the Wraith Knight a clear charge to the recently arrived Dakkafex it had shot at and wounded earlier. So he jumps over...
...abd drop kicks it off the board and consolidates back. I think I had a card for this objective but the Fire Dragons were in range so I couldn't quite secure it.
I marshal my forces, the Stealers in the centre building sally forth to assault the Fire Dragons.
While the Tervigon and more spawned gaunts ensure that my objectives are secured. I recall at one stage I managed to complete 3 of my Maelstrom objectives in one turn
9 Termagants replace the Stealers in the building.
Somehow I've completely forgotten the success of theis Brood of Stealers. Clearly the Fire dragons had fallen victim to Paroxysm. I won the combat, though probably not as convicingly as I should, perhaps by 4, thanks to their inability to hit back. Then I think they failed their morale check and were overrun. I think because it happened so fast I forgot, but they took cover in the Ruins. You may also spot the last of the Brood of 3 Stealers that took out the Jetbike hiding underneath the staircase next to them.
The Flyrant swooped off into the trees. He'd had little success with
Psychic Scream, in fact the psychic phase was typically guff! Termagants finally made it into Otty's DZ
While the other guys continued to play hunt the Stompa, Otty prepared to thin my advancing horde of gaunts.
Massed fire took out those Termagants with just a few left. The Fire Dragon killing Stealers were also laid low but my lone Toxin Stealer continued to skuls in the shadows waiting to sneak out and get me Linebreaker should the Flyrant have to move out of the 12" scoring zone.
The Venomthope continued to fire off the Quad Gun, it had got some good hits on the Wave Serpents but not sure if it manage to destroy one of them.
I assaulted the last of the Jetbikes with my Termagants. They got whittled down to one, but so did the Jetbikes. It was not a planned action but this was in fact the best choice I made in the entire game. By tying up the Jetbikes Otty couldn't get his fastest Troop choice over the other side of the board in the last turn. There was objectives he could go for or even Linebreaker but instead he was tied up with a lonely gaunt. Meanwhile the Flyrant landed to try and secure the objective. It was the last turn, we'd already overrun so he was safe to do so. I'm not entirely sure if he got it, or if the Wraithguard were also in range, I may even have assaulted them and killed it as I'm sure I may have got Slay the Warlord, but ultimately the score was 8:6 to me.
I was quite impressed with this result, it's funny how my tactic to camp on objectives for Eternal War Missions is actually really effective in Maelstrom Missions. Camping in Eternal War has worked because I’ve always felt it’s better to be on an objective and force your opponent to knock you off it, or surround it so he can’t get to it than hold back and take it late in the game. In particular trying knock someone else off an objective is not something I can do, I say I mean my ‘nids. The fact is I killed very little Eldar, the Fire Dragons, some Dire Avengers and about 9 Jetbikes! I may have put wounds on the Wraith Knight and some Hull Points on the Serpents but overall I didn’t kill much.
So camping on objectives works for me. I’m not particularly mobile but with the formations, and the Tyrannocyte I can get good positions in the opponents DZ to score when it’s needed and camp in my own back field and wait until those objectives are drawn from the deck.
Ben managed to secure a win, so next up I would face his Orks
