Got my second game in with the new Harlequins. My list, using the Cegorach's Revenge formation:
Troupe (9) w/ 8x SP, 8x Embrace
- Troupe Master w/ SP, Embrace, Starmist Raiment [warlord: redeploy d3 units]
Troupe (6) w/ 5x SP, 5x Kiss
- Troupe Master w/ Crescendo, Kiss
Troupe (6) w/ 5x Neuro-Disruptor, 5x Caress
- Troupe Master w/ ND, Caress
- Starweaver
Skyweavers (2) w/ 2x Zephyrglaive, 2x Haywire Cannon
Skyweavers (2) w/ 2x Star Bolas, 2x Haywire Cannon
Voidweaver Squadron (3) w/ 3x Prismatic Cannon
Solitaire w/ Cegorach's Kiss
Shadowseer w/ Psyker (2), Mask of Secrets, SP, Miststave [Telepathy: Psychic Shriek, Terrify, Invisibility]
Shadowseer w/ Psyker (2), SP, Miststave [Phantasmancy: Veil of Tears, Fog of Dreams, Laugh of Sorrows]
Shadowseer w/ Psyker (2), SP, Miststave [Phantasmancy: Veil of Tears, Fog of Dreams, Shards of Light]
3x Death Jester
His list (admittedly, I'm not familiar with Inquisition or AM, so I'm not sure where Inquisition ends and AM begins, so this may sound off. All I know is it's CAD):
HQ
2x Inquisitor w/ Psyker (1), Force Sword
TROOPS
Veterans (10) w/ 1x Heavy Weapons Team (Assault Cannon) w/ Chimera
Veterans (10) w/ 1x Heavy Weapons Team (Assault Cannon), Commissar [warlord] w/ Chimera
ELITE
Techmarine (?) w/ Servitor (1)
HEAVY SUPPORT
Vanquisher Tank Squadron (2) w/ Tank Commander
Icarus Lascannon
LORD OF WAR
Baneblade
FORTIFICATIONS
Aegis Defense Line w/ Tanglewire
As this was his first time going up against Harlequins, he wanted it to be a straightforward Kill Point game, 12" deployment from long board edges. I won the right to deploy first, so I did so.
I put my Warlord Troupe behind windowless ruins as far forward as I could and joined it with the SS that had Laugh of Sorrows. I placed the other two SSs and 3 DJs with the Kiss Troupe on foot on the other side of the three-walled ruin behind which the Warlord Troupe was hiding, to that unit's right. I put both Skyweaver squadrons behind the Warlord Troupe. The Voidweaver squadron was 12" to the Warlord's left, as far forward as possible and behind a forest. The Caress Troupe in a Starweaver was behind the rightmost Voidweaver, also within 12" of the Warlord. I put the Solitaire in DS reserve.
He placed his Baneblade in the extreme NW corner of the board w/ one of the Chimeras immediately to the right of it and up against his board edge. The Aegis Defense Line was hard mounted in a rectangle on a terrain board and placed up against his long board edge immediately the Chimera's right. In it he placed his Icarus Lascannon, Inquisitors, Commissar and one Veteran Squad w/ one Heavy Weapons Team. To its right he placed his other Chimera. About 12" E of them he placed his Vanquisher Tank Squadron on a hill. In a forest 5" to the right of the Vanquishers he placed his other Veteran squad w/ Heavy Weapons Team as far forward as possible. He then placed three Servo Skulls 6" from the center line on his side of the board and 8" apart from one another so that they spanned from the middle of the board to the W. The Techmarine and Servitor were right up behind the Baneblade in the extreme NW corner.
I rolled a 1 on my d3. I redeployed my Warlord Troupe slightly, making sure the Baneblade couldn't see any of the models through the back left wall window of the ruin behind which they hid, just in case he got off first turn.
My opponent failed to steal the initiative.
TURN 1
Harlequins
I advance my Voidweavers 12" N to the other side of the forest. The Warlord Troupe moves 6" NW towards another ruin feature for some protection after their run. The DJ Troupe advance 6" NE towards another ruin for protection. One Skyweaver Squadron advances 12" NE to the right of the Warlord Troupe and on the other side of the three-walled ruin. The other Skyweaver Squadron moves 12" ENE to trail behind the DJ Troupe. The Starweaver advances 12" NW to get within Turbo-boost range of a small ruin that will provide it valuable cover later.
In the Psychic Phase, I get off Veil of Tears on both footslogging Troupes. Nothing else goes off.
In the Shooting Phase, I Turbo-boost the Starweaver 7" NW so it's hugging the smaller terrain. The Voidweavers turbo-boost 10-12" N so they knock out two of the three Servo Skulls and are sitting directly in front of the right Chimera and just to the left of the Vanquisher Squadron. The Warlord Troupe runs 1", directly in front of the Vanquishers by 22". The DJ Troupe runs 5" for the ruin cover. The Bolas Skyweavers turbo-boost 33" NE to get to that corner of the board. The Zephyr Skyweavers turbo-boost 36" W so they're behind the Starweaver on the left side of the board.
No assaults.
Inquisition
He rolls his left Chimera 3" S and his right Chimera 3" SE. Everything else stays put.
In the Psychic Phase he gets off Prescience on his Aegis Veterans.
In the Shooting Phase, he concentrates fire on the Voidweaver Squadron. It takes the Baneblade, both Chimeras and the Vanquisher Tanks to wreck them all thanks to the Mirror Launchers and rerolls of 1s on invul saves (though none of those rerolls worked). He takes pot shots at the Starweaver behind the ruin and the Zephyr Skyweaver, but nothing comes of it. The right Veterans shoot at the Bolas Skyweavers, destroying one model. I fail Morale and Fall Back 16". The rightmost Vanquisher Tank does suffer 1HP due to Gets Hot!.
No assaults.
TURN 2
Harlequins
Solitaire doesn't show up. The Bolas Skyweaver rallies 3" NW. The Starweaver advances 6" NNW towards the Baneblade and the Caress Troupe disembarks 6" NNW. The Zephyr Skyweavers advance 12" NW so they're in 24" range of the front third of the Baneblade. The Warlord Troupe advances 6" NNE towards the right Veterans in the forest. The DJ Troupe advances 6" NW, trailing behind the Warlord Troupe.
In the Psychic Phase I get off Veil of Tears on both units. I also get off Fog of Dreams on the forest Veterans.
In Shooting, The Zephyr Skyweavers manage to get two hits on the Baneblade and one on the left Chimera thanks to favorable scatter. All remove HPs from their respective targets. The Caress Troupe runs 5" towards the Baneblade. The Warlord Troupe gets a 3 to Run, but the reroll makes it a 1" move N so their 9" away from the forest Veterans. The DJ Troupe runs 1", as well (1 becomes a 1 on the Fleet reroll). The Starweaver shoots at the Chimera and doesn't do anything to it.
In Assault, the Caress Troupe charges the Baneblade. The Warlord Troupe charges the forest Veterans, who Overwatch to kill one, making me roll a 10 on the charge distance. I get a 9, reroll the 4 and roll a 1, so the charge fails. The Zephyr Skyweavers do their EJB Assault move 8" to tuck behind the small ruin on the left side of the board. The Bolas Skyweaver does its EJB Assault move 11" SW to get behind the rightmost ruin. The Caress Troupe manages to roll four 6s To Hit, removing 4 more HPs from the Baneblade and putting it at 3 left.
Inquisition
The forest Veterans move 3" N through difficult terrain to get farther away from the advancing Warlord Troupe. The left Chimera moves 3" SW to get LoS on the Caress Troupe. The Aegis Veterans move about to get better LoS on my advancing forces. The right Chimera advances 3" S and faces W to get shots off on the Caress Troupe. Nothing else moves.
In the Psychic Phase, he tries to get off Force on one of his Inquisitors but I Deny it. Nothing else goes off.
In Shooting, he whittles down my Caress unit to just the Troupe Master, but does take shooting from the Baneblade, both Chimeras and the Aegis Veterans do do so. He destroys the Starweaver and one Zephyr Skyweaver with the 7" blast from the Baneblade. The Vanquisher Tanks kill the other Zephyr Skyweaver. The forest Veterans manage to roll a 10 on their Veil of Tears distance, allowing them to fire upon the Warlord Troupe. They kill two more from the unit, which makes its Morale check. The lone Caress Troupe Master makes its Morale check. His Techmarine fails to recover any HPs on the Baneblade.
No assaults.
TURN 3
Harlequins
The Solitaire arrives. I attempt to DS it behind the small ruin on the left of the board, but it scatters 9" E into the nearby forest and makes its dangerous terrain save. The Warlord Troupe moves 6" WNW towards the right Chimera. The DJs split off from the Kiss Troupe, which advances 6" N towards the forest Veterans. The DJs and two SSs move 6" WNW. The Bolas Skyweaver advances 12' NNW to get within 24" of the rightmost Vanquisher tank. The lone Caress Trouppe Master moves several inches NW to get a good lineup on the Baneblade.
In the Psychic Phase, he denies Veil of Tears on the Warlord Troupe, but not on the DJ-SS unit which gets it off. Fog of Dreams goes off on the forest Veterans again.
In Shooting, the Warlord Troupe runs 5" towards the right Chimera. The Kiss Troupe runs 6" towards the forest Veterans. The Bolas Skyweaver shoots at the rightmost Vanquisher tank but scatters off target.
In Assault, The Caress Troupe Master charges the Baneblade. The Warlord Troupe charges the right Chimera, rolling an 8. Getting greedy, I reroll the 3 and wind up with a 1, leaving me with only two models in base contact with the rear armor. The Kiss Troupe charges the forest Veterans, who do overwatch but kill nothing. I roll 8 for the charge and get into combat. The Bolas Skyweaver moves 8" for its EJB assault move and goes into a nearby ruin, making its Dangerous Terrain check. The Caress Troupe Master rolls two more 6s To Hit, putting the Baneblade at 1HP left. The Warlord Troupe gets off 4 Hammer of Wrath hits, which cause 3 glances and 1 Penetrating, wrecking the vehicle. The Kiss Troupe manages to wipe out the forest Veterans before they have a chance to counterattack. The unit consolidates 3" and spreads out in the forest near the rightmost Vanquisher Tank.
Inquisition
His Aegis unit gathers to the left side of the walled off area, away from the Warlord Troupe's advancement. The Baneblade moves 6" SE in order to give LoS to the left Chimera on the lone Troupe Master. The rightmost Vanquisher Tank pivots to face the Kiss Troupe in the forest to the E while the other remains pointed towards the SW.
In the Psychic Phase, none of his powers go off.
In Shooting, his Tank Commander issues a Split Fire Order so the right Vanquisher Tank fires upon the Kiss Troupe while the Tank Commander fires upon the Warlord Troupe. The right Tank manages to reduce the Kiss Troupe to three models, but not before suffering a second Gets Hot! result, leaving it with 1HP remaining. The Tank Commander kills two Players from the Warlord Troupe but also suffers its first Gets Hot! result. He finally kills the Caress Troupe Master with the left Chimera. With little other options, the Baneblade fires upon the Solitaire and gets it down to one wound left. The Aegis Veterans also fire upon the Solitaire but fail to kill it. The Kiss Troupe makes its Morale check.
No assaults.
TURN 4
Harlequins
The Solitaire declares its Blitz move, moving 17" NW towards the Baneblade. The Warlord Troupe moves 6" WNW towards the Aegis Defense Line. The Kiss Troupe moves 6" W to the rear of the Vanquisher squad. The DJ-SS unit advances 6" NNW to get LoS on the Aegis Veterans. The Bolas Skyweaver moves 12" WNW to get within range of the Vanquisher Squadron (makes Dangerous Terrain check).
In the Psychic Phase, the Warlord Troupe SS fails to get off Laugh of Sorrows on the Aegis Veterans. It also fails to get off Fog of Dreams.
In the Shooting Phase, the Solitaire runs 5" towards the Baneblade. The Warlord Troupe runs 4" W towards the Aegis Defense Line. The Kiss Troupe runs 4" to get behind both Vanquisher Tanks. The DJs shoot at the Aegis Veterans. One Shrieker shot fails to hit, but four Shuriken shots do hit home. All four wind up wounding, IDing the Heavy Weapons Team in the process. Stubborn negates the DJ's special rule, so he makes his Morale check.
In Assault, the Solitaire charges the Baneblade, the Kiss Troupe charges the Vanquisher Squadron and the Warlord Troupe charges the Aegis Veterans. Overwatch kills one and puts a wound on both the Troupe Master and the SS. They get in, but not before triggering several effects: disordered charge, Psykers go at initiative 1 and the rest of the unit goes at initiative 1. The Kiss Troupe manages to wreck the Squadron, though it does lose one to the explosion of the right tank. The Warlord Troupe gets off 8 HoW attacks, yielding 5 wounds. Three Veterans die in the process including the Commissar. Two Harlequins die on initiative 4. The Harlequins kill all the Veterans, leaving the two Inquisitors. The unit makes its Stubborn Morale check. The Solitaire takes off the last HP from the Baneblade, which explodes rather weakly, leading to a S2 AP6 hit on the Solitaire that does nothing.
Inquisition
The Techmarine and Servitor advance 6" E to see if they can help out the Inquisitors in the combat. The left Chimera stays put.
In the Psychic Phase, no powers go off.
In Shooting, the left Chimera fails to wound the Solitaire.
In Assault, the techmarine unit fails to make combat. Seeing the writing on the wall, the Inquisition player concedes.
TOTALS
Harlequins: 7 (5 units, Slay the Warlord, Linebreaker)
Inquisition: 4 (3 units, First Blood)
CONCLUSIONS
I altered my list this time to include a Starweaver, so I had two 6-man Troupes and one 9-man Troupe as opposed to two 10-man Troupes and one 6-man Troupe. I also divided the two Skyweaver Squadrons so one was entirely Star Bolas, the other entirely Zephyrglaives; last time they each had one of each. I also had the Starweaver unit with no Shadowseer, which actually paid off as they were the unit closest to the Inquisitor Veterans, which had a special rule that granted the unit BS10 when shooting at a unit with Psykers.
The Skyweaver squadrons did very little this game. They managed to get shot up rather easily. While I did take off 3HPs total with them, the utility was underwhelming. Turbo-boosting to the extreme side didn't pay off as I thought it would. I should've dedicated all of them to the left side of the board in order to knock off more HPs from the Baneblade at a faster clip. Putting the Caress Troupe w/ Neuro-Disruptors on the Starweaver was ideal, though, as I got them safely into charge range as an entire unit, allowing their Caress strikes against the Baneblade to go off with maximum effect. Caresses against vehicles once more proved themselves invaluable anti-vehicle options.
While the Voidweavers never got a shot off, I have to say that I'm quite pleased with how they absorbed so much fire from the enemy, buying the rest of the army time to advance. I could've placed them slightly better, though, so at least one would survive to fire the following turn. Still, I can't be too upset. For all the negativity the Voidweavers get, they can certainly be distracting!
Embraces continue to impress. They really are spectacular, and the ability to run and charge with Troupes so armed offer a fantastic loophole to the Walker rule that requires units to always go against the Front AV. Not that there were any walkers in this game, but the maneuverability of Troupes equipped with Embraces really does demonstrate how potent they can be. I really see no reason to field an army without one unit dedicated to Embraces.
The Kisses also did well. It's well worth 5pts per model to upgrade from bare bones. To be cheap in this regard is to err greatly. You seriously compromise the basis of the army to do so. Really, model count isn't going to win you any games with Harlequins. Spend!
Once more I went with the Cegorach's Revenge formation. It took until Turn 4 of my second game with this formation for me to garner the benefit of a 1 rerolling to a 5+. Not sure if it's worthwhile to field the formation and suffer the inflexibility of what I can field. I think I'll go with the Harlequin Masque Detachment next time, fielding a Starweaver as a Fast Attack, creating one unit of 3-4 Skyweavers and adjusting from there accordingly.
I didn't get any value out of my Death Jesters in this game. Part of it was deployment as they were on the wrong side of the board. The other part was this particular army I faced had Stubborn, so the DJ's special rule wouldn't work properly. Something to keep in mind moving forward.
Knowing I can handle a Superheavy was pretty sweet. I highly recommend arming one Troupe with Caresses. Very little can stand up to that kind of close combat firepower.
