Surrey 40k Tournament: Game 3- White Scars vs Aeldari/Harlequins

Game 3 of the Surrey 40k tournament would see my White Scars take on Craig's mixed force of Aeldari and Harlequins in ITC mission 3. 

I actually played Craig in my first game at the last Surrey tournament in a very close game. I had a quite different list this turn, so was hoping it would be an equally close game in this one. 

My army consisted of:

Battalion Detachment

Captain on Bike- Twin Bolter, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Master of Snares, Wrath of the Heavens

Librarian- Jump Pack, Force Stave, Mantle of the Stormseer, Ride the Winds, Storm-wreathed

5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols

5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols
5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols

Impulsor- 2 Storm Bolters, Ironhail Heavy Stubber, Shield Dome
3 Eliminators- Bolt Sniper Rifles, Camo Cloaks
3 Eliminators- Bolt Sniper Rifles, Camo Cloaks

Battalion Detachment

Captain- Jump Pack, Master Crafted Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Chapter Master, Imperium's Sword

Lieutenant- Jump Pack, Power Axe, MC Bolter

5 Scouts- Bolters

5 Scouts- Bolters

5 Scouts- Bolt Pistol, Combat Knives
3 Inceptors- Assault Bolters
3 Inceptors- Assault Bolters

Battalion Detachment
Chaplain- Jump Pack, Crozius Arcanum, Bolt Pistol, Litany of Hate
Phobos Librarian- Force Sword, Camo Cloak, Shrouding, Mind Raid

5 Infiltrators- Marksman Bolt Carbines, Smoke Grenades
5 Infiltrators- Marksman Bolt Carbines, Smoke Grenades
5 Tactical Marines- Bolters, Lascannon

Thunderfire Cannon- Techmarine Gunner with Flamer, Plasma Cutter, 2 Servo-arms



Craig's army consisted of:
Vanguard Detachment (Harlequins, The Soaring Spite)
Shadowseer- Shards of Light, Twilight Pathways
Death Jester- Player of the Twilight, Warlord
Death Jester
Solitaire- Cegorach's Rose, Harlequin's Kiss, Harlequin's Caress
6 Skyweavers- Haywire Cannon, Zephyrglaive

Battalion Detachment (Aeldari, Alaitoc)
Farseer Skyrunner- Doom, Fortune, Shuriken Pistol, Singing Spear, Twin Shuriken Catapult
Warlock Skyrunner- Fateful Divergence, Quicken/Restrain, Shuriken Pistol, Twin Shuriken Catapult, Witchblade
5 Dire Avengers- Shuriken Catapults
19 Guardians- Shuriken Catapults, Shuriken Cannon Weapons Platform
5 Rangers
8 Shining Spears- Exarch, Laser Lances, Star Lance, Twin Shuriken catapults

Spearhead Detachment (Aeldari, Alaitoc)
Warlock Skyrunner- Ghostwalk, Protect/Jinx, Shuriken Pistol, Twin Shuriken Catapult, Witchblade
Fire Prism- Twin Shuriken Catapult
Fire Prism- Twin Shuriken Catapult
Fire Prism- Twin Shuriken Catapult
Hemlock Wraithfighter- Protect/Jinx, Spirit Stones

A lot of tough units to face in the army. Shining Spears can be brutal when buffed up by the Farseer and Warlock, and really difficult to get rid of. The Skyweavers are also fast, get an invulnerable save and -1 to hit inherently, making them tough to get rid of. The Fire Prisms can also cause a lot of damage with linked fire, and would be difficult for my army to deal with with their shooting attacks.

For secondaries, I chose Recon, Headhunter and Marked for Death (the Shining Spears, Skyweavers, Guardians and Wraithfighter). I figured I would need to deal with these units in order to win the game, anyway. Craig chose Butcher's Bill, Headhunter and Recon.

The objectives were set up as shown below:

We alternated deployment. I put the bulk of my army on the left flank, away from the Flyer. I used the large ruins to protect my firebase, with the Scouts and Phobos Librarian moving up to the ruins in front of them. I put a unit of Intercessors and the Tactical Squad on the left flank, while a unit of Scouts went in the centre ruins. I spent two CP to encircle the Infiltrators and the Impulsor, as well as putting the two units of Inceptors in reserve.

Craig deployed his Fire Prisms in the centre and on each flank. The Harlequin characters went on the right, along with the Shining Spears and majority of the Aeldari characters. The Skyweavers went to the left flank, as did the Wraithfighter. He put his warlord Death Jester in the ruins on his left flank. Craig put the Guardians in the webway.

We rolled off for first turn, which I really needed to get. Craig rolled a 3 and I rolled a 4, meaning we drew with his +1. I rolled again and got a 6, which had me feeling pretty confident, till Craig also rolled a 6 and took the first turn!

TURN 1- AELDARI

I used the Litany of Hate on the Chaplain. I figured I would be getting charged this turn on my firebase, so wanted to maximise my damage, but failed it with a CP re-roll.

Craig used the Heroes Path stratagem to remove the Harlequin characters from the board for redeployment. The Shining Spears moved up towards the main White Scars force, the Farseer and Warlocks moving up to support them. The Skyweavers moved over to claim the middle objective, while the Fire Prisms on either flank moved up on the enemy forces. The Wraithfighter zoomed along the flank to target my forces.

The Harlequin characters then deployed. The Death Jester and Solitaire went near the Scouts and Phobos Librarian, while the Shadowseer landed near the Skyweavers. He spent a CP on Prismatic Blur on the Skyweavers.

In the psychic phase, the Wraithfigher cast Jinx on the Intercessors in the ruins. He then used a CP for Seer Council. The Farseer cast Protect on the Shining Spears. He periled and used a CP re-roll, but failed to manifest the power. He then cast Fortune on the squad. The Warlock cast Quicken on the Spears, allowing them to move up on the White Scars lines.

The Spiritseer cast Twilight Pathways, but I was able to block it with my Librarian. He then cast Smite, periling in the process, killing three Scouts and taking one wound himself.

In the shooting phase, the Hemlock fired at the Intercessors, killing two with a CP re-roll. The Shadowseer fired at the Scouts, killing one more of the squad.

The Skyweavers fired at the Scouts and Tactical Squad, killing one Scout and one Tactical Marine. The Fire Prisms fired on the Infiltrators, killing one of the squad.

The Shining Spears split their fire between the Infiltrators, Scouts and Librarian. The Scouts were slain, the Librarian took 2 wounds and two Infiltrators were slain.

In the charge phase, the Shining Spears charged the Intercessors, Lieutenant and Librarian, ensuring they were out of range of heroic intervention. However, one Shining Spear was slain from overwatch fire. The Soltaire failed a charge on a double 1. The Dire Avengers charged the lone Scout.

In the fight phase, the Shining Spears cut down the Lieutenant and Infiltrators, also killing 2 Intercessors. The Intercessors struck back, but failed to do any damage. The Dire Avengers took down the last Scout in the centre.

At the end of his turn, Craig scored Recon, Butcher's Bill, Headhunter, Hold 1 and kill 1.

TURN 1- WHITE SCARS

The Phobos Librarian moved up on the Death Jester, while the Intercessors fell back from combat. The White Scars and characters moved up on the Shining Spears. On the left, the Scouts moved to secure the objective, while on the right, the Intercessors advanced towards the Fire Prism.

In the psychic phase, the Librarian cast Storm-wreathed on the Biker Captain. The Phobos Librarian cast Smite, rolling a double 6. The power did 3 mortal wounds on the Death Jester, taking one wound himself.

In the shooting phase, the Thunderfire Cannon targeted the Dire Avengers, killing 3 of the squad. I used the stratagem to fire again and killed the unit. The Phobos Librarian threw a grenade at the Death Jester, killing him. The Scouts fired at the Warlock on the objective, killing him with their Pistols and grenades. The Eliminators fired at the other Warlock, doing 2 wounds on him.

In the charge phase, the Intercessors on the right charged the Fire Prism. The Biker Captain, Chapter Master, Chaplain and Intercessors charged the Shining Spears.

The Chapter Master struck at the Spears, killing three of the squad. The Biker Captain only manged two hits with his 5 attacks, killing the Exarch and wounding  another one after he made some Fortune saves. The Intercessors attacked, killing one more of the squad, while the Chaplain was out of range after casualties were removed. The Shining Spears struck back, but were unable to do any damage.

The Intercessors did no wounds on the Fire Prism, taking no damage in reply. In the morale phase, the Shining Spears fled the field (Craig decided to risk the morale test with a CP re-roll, and rolled high both times).

At the end of the turn, I scored Kill one, Hold one, 2 Headhunter points, Marked for Death and kill more.

VICTORY POINTS:
Aeldari- 5
White Scars- 6

A decent first turn. I was currently ahead on points and had managed to take out the Shining Spears, but had not made much of a dent in the rest of the army.

TURN 2- AELDARI
I switched to the Tactical Doctrine, and got the Litany of Hate off on the Chaplain.

The Farseer and Soltaire (who blitzed) moved up on the Scouts, while the wounded Warlock moved back to the cover of the ruins. The Fire Prism moved up towards the objective, while the Fire Prism on the other objective fell back from combat with the Intercessors. The Wraithfighter moved around the ruins to target the White Scars, while the Skyweavers moved up on the main White Scars lines.

The Shadowseer cast Smite on an 11, doing 6 mortal wounds and killing the Eliminators. He then cast Shards of Light on the Thunderfire cannon, taking two wounds from it. The Farseer cast Smite, killing two Scouts. The Hemlock Wraithfighter failed to cast Smite.

The Wraithfighter fired at the Librarian, killing him. The Skyweavers fired at the Thunderfire Cannon, destroying it. The Fire Prism targeted the Phobos Librarian, killing him. He used the Link Fire stratagem on the other Prisms. They fired at the Intercessors, only managing a single hit and wound, which I saved on a 6. The other Prism fired at the Scouts, killing the squad.

The Skyweavers charged the Eliminators and Chaplain, killing both squads, then consolidating into the Techmarine, who managed to kill one of the Bikers.

At the end of his turn, Craig scored kill 1, hold 1, Butcher's Bill, Recon and 3 Headhunter points.

TURN 2- WHITE SCARS

The Intercessors, Biker Captain and Chapter Master moved up on the Skyweavers. The reserves then arrived. I put one unit of Inceptors on each flank, a unit of Infiltrators joining the unit on the right. The Impulsor went near the Skyweavers.

In the shooting phase, the Inceptors targeted the Warlock, killing him. The second unit killed the Death Jester in the back ruins.

The Impulsor fired at the Shadowseer, wounding him once. The White Scars characters threw grenades the the Wraithfighter, but failed to do any damage. The Infiltrators and Intercessors fired at the Fire Prism, but failed to do any damage.

In the charge phase, the Intercessors, Chapter Master and Biker Captain charged the Skyweavers. The Chapter Master and Techmarine were able to finish off the squad.

At the end of my turn, I scored hold 1, kill 1, 2 Headhunter points, Marked for Death and Recon. Craig scored kill more and hold more.

VICTORY POINTS:
Aeldari- 14
White Scars- 12

At the end of turn 2, things were looking bleak for the White Scars. I had little power left in the army, and still had a lot of Aeldari and Harlequins to deal with.

TURN 3- AELDARI
In the third turn, I moved to the Assault Doctrine.

The Soltaire moved up on the enemy characters, along with the Spiritseer and Farseer. The Flyer moved over the ruins, back towards their own lines. The Rangers appeared near the objective, while the Guardians arrived behind the enemy forces.

The Shadowspear cast Smite, doing one mortal wound. The Farseer cast Smite, doing three more wounds. The Hemlock cast Smite, doing 1 wound on the Intercessors.

The Fire Prism fired at the lone Intercessor, killing him. The Hemlock fired at the other squad of Intercessors, killing them. The Shadowseer and Farseer fired at the Chapter Master, but failed to do any damage.

The Guardians opened up on the Captain and Chaplain, killing the Chaplain. The Rangers fired at the Chapter Master, doing one mortal wound and slaying him. The two Fire Prisms fired on the Inceptors, killing the squad.

The Farseer and Soltaire charged the Techmarine, killing him in combat.

At the end of his turn, Craig scored Butcher's Bill, Recon, Hold 1, Kill 1 and the objective bonus.

TURN 3- WHITE SCARS

The Infiltrators advanced towards the Fire Prism on one flank, while the Inceptors moved up on the other flank. The Tactical Squad moved up towards the objective, while the Intercessors disembarked from the Impulsor, as the Captain moved up on the Guardians.

I spent 2CP on the Rapid Fire stratagem on the Intercessors. They fired on the Guardians, doing 10 wounds. The Gun Platform was able to tank all the wounds, being destroyed in the process. The Captain fired at them, killing three more. The Impulsor was able to do three more wounds to the squad.

The Inceptors fired at the Fire Prism, doing four wounds to the enemy vehicle.

In the charge phase, the Captain assaulted the Guardians. The Impulsor and Tactical Squad charged the Rangers. The Infiltrators charged the Fire Prism. The Intercessors charged the Farseer.

The Captain struck at the Guardians, hitting five times, but then I rolled four 1's to wound, only killing a single Guardian. The Infiltrators were able to put four damage on the Fire Prism. The Tactical Squad killed three Rangers for no loss in reply. The Intercessors killed the Farseer.

At the end of the phase, I spent 3CP to fight with the Captain again, killing 5 more Guardians. The Eldar did no damage to the White Scars in reply.

In the morale phase, all but one of the Guardians fled.

At the end of the turn, I scored hold 1, kill 1 and Recon. Craig scored kill more.

VICTORY POINTS:
Aeldari- 20
White Scars- 15

TURN 4- AELDARI

The Soltaire moved up on the Tactical Squad, while the Guardian fell back from combat. The Spiritseer moved towards the objective, while the Wraithfighter moved up on the Infiltrators, as the Fire Prism fell back.

In the psychic phase, the Shadowseer cast Smite, getting an 11 once more and doing 6 mortal wounds on the Tactical Squad. He then failed to cast Shards of Light. The Hemlock Wraithfighter cast Smite, getting another 11 and doing four wounds on the Infiltrators.

The Hemlock Wraithfighter fired at the Infiltrators, killing the squad. The Fire Prism fired at the Inceptors, hitting but failing to wound. The second Prism fired at the Impulsor, causing three wounds on it.

At the end of his turn, Craig scored Hold 1, Kill 1, the bonus for holding all the objectives, Butcher's Bill and Recon.

TURN 4- WHITE SCARS

The Impulsor advanced towards the fire Prism, while the Captain moved up on the lone Guardian. The Inceptors moved up on the objective. The remaining Intercessors moved up to grab the far table quarter.

In the shooting phase, the Biker Captain killed the last of the Guardians.

In the charge phase, the Impulsor assaulted the Fire Prism, neither doing damage on the other.

At the end of the turn, I scored Hold 1, kill 1, Recon and Marked for Death. Craig scored kill more.

VICTORY POINTS:
Aeldari- 26
White Scars- 19

With that, we ran out of time in the game. A win for the Aeldari and Harlequins.

AFTER-BATTLE THOUGHTS
I knew I was in big trouble in this game when I didn't get the first turn. The speed of the Aeldari army was too good, so they would be on me in the first turn to grab the objectives and go after my firebase. Plus, my force would have trouble dealing with the Fire Prisms outside of combat, due to my lack of long range firepower.

It also didn't help with all the psykers and smites in the enemy army, as well as getting 3 super smites in the one game!

The start of the game was also a bit contentious. There were a lot of loose measuring of moves to give the shining spears a bit more movement in the first turn, as well as a lot of arguments during the charge phase. After Craig had move his shining spears, I went to do my heroic interventions with my characters. Once I went to try and move them, he told me that he wasn't finished with his movements and moved them out of range of the characters. I let it go at that point.

He also forgot to charge in with the Dire Avengers, which I let him do in retrospect. However, later in the game, I forgot to charge the Wave Serpent with my Inceptors and he initially did not allow me to do it, as we were running low on time. However, once I reminded him about the Dire Avengers, he let me do it. It this point, he was so far ahead that I had no chance of catching up to win the game, so I'm not sure why it was such an issue.

Overall, not the best of games for the White Scars. I was on the back foot from the first turn, not really getting out of my deployment zone with the characters in my army.

I ended the day on one win and two losses. I had hoped to improve my games in the second day of the tournament, but ended up having to drop out of day 2 due to illness on the Sunday. A real shame, as I was looking forward to trying to improve things.

My first experience with ITC missions wasn't too bad. My army gives up a lot of easy points, but works well with board control and going after the enemy army early in the game. Luckily, I had another ITC tournament the following week to try and improve my games further.