New Year, New Blood: Part 2
Despite great initial success, things were not looking good for the Eldar.

Turn 4
Reeling from the Dark Eldar onslaught, the Eldar struck back. The Avatar came onto the board to reinforce the Shining Spears as Eldrad Doomed the Silver Scorpions (Wyches) and Guided a unit of Dark Reapers. The Warp Spiders lost one of their men as they jumped behind the Dark Eldar, into the building where Squad #5 had been. 

The War Walkers gunned down a Talos and a Guardian squad killed 8 of 10 "Doomed" Silver Scorpions. The Fire Dragon Exarch stunned the Silver Scorp’s Raider with his firepike as his squad continued to fall back. The Warp Spiders and a Dark Reaper squad shot the Handmaidens, and another Reaper unit brought down their Raider, avenging the Dire Avengers. 

In close combat, the Avatar charged the Reavers, killing two of them and chasing them off; they were caught by the Shining Spear Exarch (the last Spear left) and both groups of Dark Eldar bikers were wiped out. The Death Twinkies were not entirely unsuccessful, though, as another Talos flattened the Striking Scorpion Exarch, the Warp Beasts killed another Jetbike (while losing one of their own), and the Archon wiped out the rest of the Rangers.

On the Ozone Scorpions’ turn, the Ring of Honor (Wyches), Raider Squad #1, and the third Reaver squad came on through the webway portals. Raider Squad #1 immediately proved their worth by shooting dead the Warp Spiders. The Ring of Honor charged the Fire Dragons, who were already falling back: the Dragons failed their Leadership check and were destroyed. The Ring consolidated into two nearby Guardian squads. The Warp Beasts devoured the last of the Jetbikes, and the Archon charged the Guardian squad with the bright lance, killing two of them.

Turn 5
Eldrad Doomed both remaining Taloses and cast Fortune on one of the Guardian squads attacked by the Ring of Honor. The Shining Spear Exarch shot the last two Silver Scorpions, who had tried but failed (due to difficult terrain) last round to charge the Guardians. Both Reaper units unloaded on a Talos, destroying it. In the Assault Phase, the Archon killed another Guardian. The two Guardian squads engaged with the Ring of Honor killed seven Wyches, forcing them to fall back, while only losing five of their own: an impressive victory over the bloodthirsty Dark Eldar!

On my turn, Raider Squads #2, 3, and 4 zoomed into Pat’s deployment zone and the horrorfexes from the Raiders pinned both squads of Dark Reapers. The Archon killed three more Guardians, and the lone Talos charged another Guardian squad, killing six and forcing them to fall back.

Turn 6
Eldrad cast Fortune on the Dark Reapers as the War Walkers gunned down the last two members of the Ring of Honor, wiping out the last of the three Wych squads. The Guardian squad that was falling back fired on the Talos, wounding it. The Shining Spear Exarch then charged the Talos but failed to injure it; the Talos killed him in close combat. The Archon killed another Guardian, yet the squad refused to break.

In the final Dark Eldar turn, the Ozone Scorpions rushed into the Eldar deployment zone and unleashed a hurricane of fire into the Dark Reapers. Despite three Raider squads, their Raiders, and the Reavers firing at point-blank range, the Reapers made save after save, losing only one member. Nevertheless, the Dark Eldar had penetrated their enemy’s territory while ceding none of their own.

Outcome: Dark Eldar win (Dark Eldar: 2,066 Victory Points; Eldar: 1,591 Victory Points)
 

Posted February 2007
 

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