[Last week we saw the full deployments of the combatants, climaxing in the Imperial forces countering a strong play by the Eldar kin around the device known as, "The Artifact". The Brotherhood from Titan deployed two Purifier squads at the artifact and nearly swept the skies with a successful execution of Cleansing Flame.]
+++ VOX INTERCEPT: T3:J7-65125
+++ VOX NODE: 430.823.001.9
+++ BATTLE PROTOCOL: VERMILLION
SOURCE 1: Prepare yourselves, my brothers. The hour is dire. It appears that their plan is to isolate the artifact and deny us access.
They must fail.
We will not be denied.
Brothers of Titan! With ME!
+++ VOX COMM TERMINATED
+++ VOX INTERCEPT: T3:J7-65125
+++ VOX NODE: 430.823.001.9
+++ VOX NODE: 430.823.001.9
+++ BATTLE PROTOCOL: VERMILLION
SOURCE 1: Prepare yourselves, my brothers. The hour is dire. It appears that their plan is to isolate the artifact and deny us access.
They must fail.
We will not be denied.
Brothers of Titan! With ME!
+++ VOX COMM TERMINATED
+++ VOX INTERCEPT: T3:J7-65125
+++ VOX NODE: 430.823.001.9
Just as my choler seemed to settle, I was then beset by the fear that we will not prevail. Unbeknownst to us, the Eldar kin had maneuvered a large force away from the canyon walls on our right and began to contest the artifact in force.
Multiple bands of the smaller constructs began advancing like a wave of fluid, flowing around obstacles until they arrived to where the quick reaction forces of Titan had taken their stand. As the constructs slowly lifted up their great weapons and fired, I could see the proud knights tossed about like dried sticks, their bodies burst with great force and the sound of exploding metal containers. There is ichor and glistening debris strewn across great lengths of the ground where they once so proudly stood.
Oddly enough, not a trace of the artifact's supposed protectors can be seen upon its polished surface. A sight which greatly unnerves me.
Oddly enough, not a trace of the artifact's supposed protectors can be seen upon its polished surface. A sight which greatly unnerves me.
No sooner than their destruction was complete, then another series of devastating volleys were unleashed with the sound of thunder, rending the great knight machine from Titan into a crushed splatter of silver fragments. This great sorrow was quickly punctuated by a titanic explosion nearby, caused by the downing of another of the Astartes flyers.
Curse the raiders and their beautifully wicked machines!
On our left, the howls and wails continued as the raider vehicles, skimming like agile raptors over the ground, continued their unmerciful fire upon those who had decided to make a last stand. One by one, the Astartes armored vehicles fell silent, rent by dark flashings and the crawling phosphors of spider-like energy.
No sooner had the vox screens lost contact with the left flank, then the air raid sirens began their baleful wail, announcing the approach of more raider aircraft. There is something truly terrifyingly graceful in the sweeping curves of the enemy aircraft, yet it is dangerous to stare at their hypnotizing patterns for too long, lest one be caught unawares and suddenly finding themselves the subject of horrendous attention.
As I spied the mass of aircraft speeding towards the Astartes defending our right flank, I spied one flyer separating itself from the pack, sharply diving down, while pointed directly at our command center containing Lords Coteaz and Draigo. Before I could utter a sound, a wicked spray of missiles exploded amongst the building, quickly followed by dark lances of lightning. Despite the horrific damage done to the fortified surroundings, I felt my heart swell to see Lord Draigo pull himself from the wreckage and fire up into the air at the passing aircraft.
Soon the raiders would discover that not enough damage had been inflicted upon us and now the stage was set for retribution.
It is said that when a human travels through the warp, that mortals are unable to take notice. I would beg to differ. Now that I have witnessed the materialization of those armored giants from Titan, stoic in their countenance, appearing as if from thin air, I must confess that my soul weeps at their sudden and unexpected arrival. For I fear that much worse has been made privy of that which should remain undiscovered. I see the shadows flitting here and there, drawing out a deeper darkness, sitting patiently in their webs, waiting for the innocents to become entangled.
Yet, where would we be without our defenders? It is clear that the day would have been lost before it started to our enemies, were it not for the intercession of the Astartes and their brothers from Titan.
The Titan Brotherhood once again swept into battle at the base of the artifact, literally placing their backs to the device and hurling challenges to the silent constructs that had begun to appear from the ruins in the center of the battle field.
It was simple. The Brotherhood would not yield.
On our right, a cacophony of heavy fire was unleashed from counter attacking Astartes, determined to wrest control of the unnerving column, just recently secured by the raiders. As the volume of fire increased, a wispy pale light could be seen slowly flowing up the piercing structure, flying off into the darkening skies.
As I spied the mass of aircraft speeding towards the Astartes defending our right flank, I spied one flyer separating itself from the pack, sharply diving down, while pointed directly at our command center containing Lords Coteaz and Draigo. Before I could utter a sound, a wicked spray of missiles exploded amongst the building, quickly followed by dark lances of lightning. Despite the horrific damage done to the fortified surroundings, I felt my heart swell to see Lord Draigo pull himself from the wreckage and fire up into the air at the passing aircraft.
Soon the raiders would discover that not enough damage had been inflicted upon us and now the stage was set for retribution.
It is said that when a human travels through the warp, that mortals are unable to take notice. I would beg to differ. Now that I have witnessed the materialization of those armored giants from Titan, stoic in their countenance, appearing as if from thin air, I must confess that my soul weeps at their sudden and unexpected arrival. For I fear that much worse has been made privy of that which should remain undiscovered. I see the shadows flitting here and there, drawing out a deeper darkness, sitting patiently in their webs, waiting for the innocents to become entangled.
Yet, where would we be without our defenders? It is clear that the day would have been lost before it started to our enemies, were it not for the intercession of the Astartes and their brothers from Titan.
The Titan Brotherhood once again swept into battle at the base of the artifact, literally placing their backs to the device and hurling challenges to the silent constructs that had begun to appear from the ruins in the center of the battle field.
It was simple. The Brotherhood would not yield.
On our right, a cacophony of heavy fire was unleashed from counter attacking Astartes, determined to wrest control of the unnerving column, just recently secured by the raiders. As the volume of fire increased, a wispy pale light could be seen slowly flowing up the piercing structure, flying off into the darkening skies.
The Astartes however, were not presently concerned with the unknown. They unleashed their righteous anger upon the huddled raider foot soldiers, fixing them in place with a flashing rain of shells, leaving nothing but a pale wash of blood stains upon the plascrete.
Victorious in the assault, they began their search anew.
VP Imperial 8, Eldar kin 8, a TIE!
Victorious in the assault, they began their search anew.
VP Imperial 8, Eldar kin 8, a TIE!
After Action Report
Holy cow, what a battle!
The Eldar kin began by jumping all over the Imperials and by the end of the first turn looked to have the Imperials on the back foot. But the Astartes and Grey Knights are nothing if not resolute.
As one of the Eldar players, I had an uneasy feeling that after our first turn, we had not quite hit them hard enough and this feeling was born out when nearly two thirds of the Dark Eldar were reduced to snap shots because of the amount of suppression fire dealt out by the Baneblade, Whirlwinds, and the Achilles.
By the second turn, the amount of shooting by the Eldar had fallen off rather drastically. I think the other thing that needs to be mentioned is that Space Marines in large numbers perform very well. Mo always fields lots of full squads of bog standard tactical, assault, and devastators when he plays and if you let them do their thing, they really will start to grind you down. They can hang tough, even when the chips are down.
"Astartes, when it absolutely has to get done."
I think from an Eldar perspective, we did a lot of things very well, but in hindsight, perhaps a bit short in execution. Certainly, the Imperials were surprised to see our investment in aircraft. Having used Storm Ravens on a regular basis, I was prepared for the fact that they would pose a serious threat to our forces and that we would have to deal with them or face severe consequences. I think it is a testament of their toughness that at the end of the game, the Imperials still had three Storm Ravens at their disposal.
Also, I do have to tip my hat to the Imperials for integrating their forces and using each other's strengths better than we did. So kudos to them for their battle plan and what I would consider a better execution of that plan.
Now what to do next. I really didn't think that there would be a tie and did not set up the game conditions for Part 2 to take that into account. So the Imperial Commander (Jefe) and I are working out those details which we will post soon.
To close, I just want to thank Jefe, Mo, and Gar for making the game a blast to play. Also a special shout out to Jordan, who picked up the camera and did such an amazing job as remembrancer.
I'd also like to thank GW Royal Oaks - Houston for hosting our game and allowing us to rearrange their tables to fit our game design. In follow on discussions, we liked the depth the offset tables provided and will use that configuration again.
I should also credit the rest of the crew for making this game so much fun. Whether it was all the pre-game banter or the secret painting and strategy sessions that transpired, this was a great example of why we love the game.
It's the people.
At the end of the day, it's not the meta, it's the people who make the game work.
Cheers,
Special Features
Produced by I Can See Forever Productions
Directed by Jefe And Honda
Written by Honda
Starring
November Warriors Mo "Big Mo" Mo
Grey Knights Jefe "Cleansing Flame like a Boss" Pinson
Dark Eldar Gar "There is no other" Garcia
Iyanden Honda Kowabunga
Grey Knights Jefe "Cleansing Flame like a Boss" Pinson
Dark Eldar Gar "There is no other" Garcia
Iyanden Honda Kowabunga
+++ VOX INTERCEPT: TF:J7-65125
+++ VOX NODE: 430.823.001.9
+++ BATTLE PROTOCOL: VERMILLION
SOURCE 1: Is it what we suspected?
SOURCE 2: It appears so, my Lord.
SOURCE 1: How do we?...
SOURCE 2: Actually, I would think there's a much more pressing question.
SOURCE 1: Such as?
SOURCE 2: How do we get back?
+++ VOX COMM TERMINATED
+++ VOX INTERCEPT: TF:J7-65125
+++ VOX NODE: 430.823.001.9
+++ VOX NODE: 430.823.001.9
+++ BATTLE PROTOCOL: VERMILLION
SOURCE 1: Is it what we suspected?
SOURCE 2: It appears so, my Lord.
SOURCE 1: How do we?...
SOURCE 2: Actually, I would think there's a much more pressing question.
SOURCE 1: Such as?
SOURCE 2: How do we get back?
+++ VOX COMM TERMINATED
+++ VOX INTERCEPT: TF:J7-65125
+++ VOX NODE: 430.823.001.9
