Farseers and Webspinners: Ode to the fallen

Sup,

So weekend just been I went to Burcon/Nerdstock/Glenfest (name has yet to be formalised) in Levin for a day of gaming. I took up my Empire and Orks (as per previous post) and hoped to get some gaming in before the awesome Starwars D&D experience.

Glen in serious mode

Sadly I didnt get to play Fantasy (though my Empire did give a lizardmen army a wee bit of a shock!). Instead I managed a game of 1500pt 40K, and took part in the Imperial vs Xenos team game.

Anywho:

Eldar vs Orks 1500pts

So a little bit wary going in. 1) Glen is a fantastic player, and I'm a noob 2) never played against eldar before 3) first time vs psychic powers.

So 4 objectives on board-basically 2 in each deployment zone. Glen deployed first. Wraithguard in the centre, pathfinders getting 2+ cover save on an objective, 3 warwalkers on flank, webspinner on other flank with wraithlord lurking.

Glen passed every perils of the warp test every turn so the entire game was spent with re-roll to hit on warwalkers, re-roll armoursave on wraithguard, and a few other buffs that I'm sure helped, but were not so obvious to me/hindered my dakka. 

I deployed my nobbikers and buzzcopters on left, boyz on an objective, lootawagon, boyz on other side and grots looking at objective. Glen then uses his special character ability and redeploys webspinner somewhere safe and wraithlord out of loota's LOS...damn.

My plan was to rush the warwalkers and the wraithlord while my boyz and loota wagon advanced on the wraithguard.

Glen gets turn 1 and starts by unleashing on a buzzcopta-1 wound...wraithguard then finish it off. 1VP to Glen for first blood.  Warwalkers then unleash on nobbikers...2 dead. Re-roll to hit, s6 and no LOS for nobbikers hurts a lot as now removing whole models (75pts a pop when has powerklaw...). This  basically destroys my plan as I was (hoping) to have a few wounds spare for when I crashed into his lines. I also learnt that the webspinner + no armour troops = bad.

My turn I bring the nobbikers forward and around. I was going to charge the warwalkers, but they could overwatch...s6, re-roll to hit...24 shots = not going to happen. After the game I realised I should have pushed hard at them with the buzzcoptas and the warbikers because they can only overwatch vs 1 of the buzzcoptas. Oh well. My shooting kills a massive 2 wraithguard...from everything.

Turn 2 = dead buzzcoptas and 2 more dead nobbikers. They are dropping like flies...very very expensive flies! Also barrage from webslinger = no cover save as taken from centre of blast not compared to where webslinger was. hmmm. I now decide to try kill the path finders...2 dead.

Turn 3 Well I think the nobbikers die this turn (rather consistantly). And by boyz mobs are disappearing fast. The wraithguard are staying at range though. A few more Eldar bodies hit the ground.

Turn 4. REALLY running out of bodies. I manage to kill the pathfinders and also nab a jetbike squad with awesome loota shooting.

Turn 5. Can Glen finish me off? Well I get shot off 1 objective, but manage to hold onto the 2nd (boyz enter building!). A few more wraithguard drop dead.

SO end of game = rather good thrashing, a learning experience, but a fun game none-the-less.

Thoughts:

Where I struggled was the webslinger basically stopping my movement and the punishment the nobbikers took. Ork engagement range is around 18 inches and Glen's armies engagement range was considerably better than that creating a bit of a mismatch. I probably should have ignored the webslinger potential and just rushed his wraithguard with the boyz. Once in combat I could have done some real damage.

My shooting was depressingly ineffective...Once the T/linked stuff died there was not much other than the lootas keeping me in the game.

My list:

Changes I would make. As much as I love the buzzcoptas, I think they were a liability as they died too early and did too little. What my army really needed was some serious fire power to come on from somewhere and my boyz mobs to be bigger. With this in mind I have proposed the list changes to this:

bikerboss:                150
    Pklaw, Cybody, Attack squig
Megamek                 75

15 Lootas                225

5 NobBikers: Cybodies            370
Painboy
3 Pklaws,   
Waaghbanner
30 shoota boyz                220
    Pklaw, bosspole Nob
20 Shoota boyz                160
    Pklaw, bosspole Nob
10 Grotz                40

Dakkajet: extra gunz 120

Battlewagon                140
    Deff-rolla, Kannon, 4 Bshootas

1500

So drop the buzzcoptas, up 1 boyz unit to 30 and get a Dakkajet. 9 t/linked s6 AP4 30 inch range bs3 vs everything except jetbikes and skimmers goodness. Now calling a waaagh has relevance as this doubles the number of shots this badboy fires!

Also being a flier makes it harder for opponents to get rid of.

So the 20 boyz sit back and babysit the Lootawagon (keep stuff at bay etc) while the other unit pushes up with the nobbikers. Alternatively, the 20 boyz ride in the battlewagon and the lootas rock it on foot (in cover!) with megamek in tow. 

Tommorrow I will put up the team game: Xenos vs Imperial scum.