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Offline Roboknee77

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1500 Orks Vs. Eldar: Desperate Raid
« on: May 30, 2022, 04:29:15 PM »
1500 Orks vs. Eldar: Desperate Raid

It's been a while since I've written one of these but I'm happy to be doing it.  After McComas and Wyddr's game, McComas wanted to play another game and I was happy to oblige with Boyz.  So we met up at a local game store and had at it.  The lists:

Eldar Forces
Far-Flung Craftworld Battalion: Mobile Fighters, Students of Vaul

HQ:
Warlord: Farseer Skyrunner : Guide, Doom, Seer of the Shifting Vector, Shuriken Pistol, Singing Spear, Smite, Twin Shuriken Catapult, The Weeping Stones

Spiritseer: Protect/Jinx, Shuriken Pistol, Witch Staff, Kurnous' Bow

Troops:
2x Guardian Defenders:
10x Guardian Defender: 10x Plasma Grenades, 10x Shuriken Catapult

Rangers:
5x Ranger: 5x Ranger Long Rifle, 5x Shuriken Pistol

Elites:
Striking Scorpions [5 PL, 105pts]
4x Striking Scorpion: 4x Mandiblasters, 4x Scorpion Chainsword, 4x Shuriken Pistol
Striking Scorpion Exarch: Biting Blade, Crushing Blows, Mandiblasters

Wraithguard:
5x Wraithguard: D-scythe

Fast Attack:
Warp Spiders:
4x Warp Spider: 4x Death Spinner
Warp Spider Exarch: Surprise Assault, Two Death Spinners & Powerblades

Heavy Support:
Fire Prism: Prism Cannon, Twin Shuriken Catapult

Dedicated Transports:
3x Wave Serpent: Twin Shuriken Cannon, Twin Shuriken Catapult


Ork Forces
Bad Moons Battalion

HQ:
Big Mek in Mega Armour: Big Boss ('Ard as Nails), Extra-Kustom Kustom Mega-Blasta, Power Klaw, Super Cybork Body

Warlord: Warboss in Mega Armour: 'Uge Choppa, Might is Right, Big Shoota, Da Krushin' Armour

Troops:
2x Boyz:
Boss Nob: Power Klaw, Slugga, Stikkbombs
9x Ork Boy W/ Shoota: 9x Shoota, 9x Stikkbombs

Boyz:
Boss Nob: Power Klaw, Slugga, Stikkbombs
9x Ork Boy w/ Slugga & Choppa: 9x Choppa, 9x Slugga, 9x Stikkbombs

Elites:
Meganobz [12 PL, 150pts]
Boss Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw, Stikkbombs
4x Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw, Stikkbombs

Tankbustas (Boom Boyz):
Boss Nob: Rokkit Launcha
11x Tankbusta: 11x Rokkit Launcha

Fast Attack:
DeffKoptas:
5x DeffKopta: Kopta Rokkits, Slugga, Spinnin' Blades, Stikkbombs

Heavy Support:
Lootas (Smoky Gubbinz):
10x Loota: 10x Deffgun, 10x Stikkbombs
2x Spanner: Kustom Mega-Blasta, Stikkbombs

Mek Gunz:
Mek Gun: Kustom Mega Kannon

Mek Gunz:
Mek Gun: Kustom Mega Kannon

Dedicated Transport:
2x Trukk: Big Shoota


Mission
We grabbed the city battlefield table at our local gaming store and rolled for a mission from the Nachmund Mission Pack.  We got the mission, Desparate Raid, in which our forces must move into enemy territory to gather much needed supplies.  There were two primary objectives, controlling objective markers and controlling objective markers in enemy deployment zones.  For secondary objectives we both chose Bring it Down (points for vehicles destroyed) and Rise the Banners High (points for actions taken on objective markers).  The Eldar chose Scrye (points for psychic actions taken at objective markers) and I took Stranglehold (points for controlling more objective markers) for my orks.

Deployment
I won the roll off for Attacker/Defender and chose to be the defender and took the western short end of the table for my deployment zone.  I thought it had slightly better lines of sight for my Tankbustas, Lootas, and Mek Gunz.  I placed a unit of Shoota Boyz on each objective in my zone, as well as a mek gun.  On the northern objective I placed my lootas, on the southern my slugga boyz.  The big Mek and Tankbustas in a trukk parked by a carte on the southern edge of the board, ready to shoot at any Eldar to enter it's field of view.  The Eldar deployment zone had enough ruins to provide cover for all his units except one Wave Serpent.  We then rolled off to see who would start the fight and the Eldar won to start the battle, continuing my tradition of losing this roll in every 9th edition battle so far.

Ork Deployment

Eldar Deployment, Waiting to Strike

Top of Turn 1
Having won the roll off, the Eldar forces are forced to move from cover.  The Wave Serpent with the Wraithguard moves from cover to just get within range of the northern midfield objective.  The Scorpions and Spiritseer move onto the Northern Eldar objective to Raise the Banners and Scrye the objective marker.  The Rangers and Farseer do the same on the Southern Objective Marker.  The Spiritseer suffers perils of the warp while scrying the objective marker, seeing the horrors of war that have already happened at the site, but still succeeds performing the ritual.  The two Wave Serpents with Guardians and the Fire Prism move from cover to engage the orks at Range.  The Fire Prism takes off 7 wounds from the norther Trukk Carrying the Warboss and MegaNobz.  The Wraithguard Wave Serpent destroys the Northern Mek Gun, which amuses the boyz, seeing a couple grots blow up.  The Southern Wave Serpetn takes 6 wounds off the Tankbustas Trukk.  The Eldar score 6 points from Scrying and 1 point from destroying a Mek Gun.

Score: Eldar 7, Orks: 0

The Eldar move to engage

One Mek Gun Down, two trukks wounded


Bottom of Turn 1
Now that the Eldar have shown their faces, the Orks move to engage the enemy.  The Lootas and Slugga Boyz move into ruins in front of them.  The MegaNobz and Warboss disembark from their trukk.  The rest of the army holds its ground.  The Mek Gun shoots at Wraithguard Wave Serpent doing 7 wounds to it while the MegaNobz charge it, finishing it off with their power klaws.  The Tankbustas shoot from their Trukk, destroying the Wave Serpent on the southern Eldar objective, blowing up 4 Guardians with it and causing one more to flee.  The Orks score 4 from Bring it Down and 3 from Stranglehold.

Score: Eldar 7, Orks 7


Orks on the Move

MegaNobz Make the Charge
No More Wave Serpent


Top of Turn 2
The Eldar begin their Counter attack.  The Wraithguard, Striking Scorpions, and Spiritseer all move toward the MegaNobz on the northern midfield objective.  The last Wave Serpent and the Farseer move onto the southern midfield objective.  The Rangers on the southern Eldar objective retreat to the ruins for cover again while the depleted Guardian squad moves to the Northern objective to secure it.  The Warp Spiders arrive from reserves, their deathspinners ready to eradicate the Boyz holding the northern Ork objective, which they do with ease.  The Wraithguard use their D-scythe to do the same to the MegaNobz and then Battle Focus onto the objective.  The Fire Prism destroys another Mek Gun, again to cheers from the Boyz watching more grots melt.  The Farseer smites the trukk on the southern midfield objective, taking off the last 3 of its wounds.  I spend a point to reroll the roll for explosion, which succeeds, allowing me to play the stratagem Careen, to allow it to make a move before it explodes, dealing 3 mortal wounds to the Farseer and 2 to the Wave Serpent.  The Farseer retaliates by shooting the Slugga Boyz in the building in front of him, killing 2 of them.  Th Eldar end up scoring 4 points for the primary objective, 3 from Scrye, 3 from Bring it Down and 2 from Raise the Banners for a total of 12 points.

Score: Eldar 19, Orks 7


The Warp Spiders Arrive

No More Boyz
MegaNobz about to die
Trukk Careens into the Eldar!


Bottom of Turn 2
The Shoota Boyz on the southern Ork objective move west into cover to take aim at the Warp Spiders that just destroyed their kin on the other objective.  They manage to kill 2 of them, hoping the Lootas will be able to destroy the rest.  I made my first mistake here, splitting the Lootas fire between the Wraithguard and the Warp Spiders.  I should have focused entirely on the Warp Spiders to take away the threat in my back field.  In the end, the Lootas only killed one Wraithguard.  The Big Mek gets on top of the Crate he was hiding behind and along with the Tankbustas take 7 wounds off of the Wave Serpent on the southern midfield objective.  The Slugga Boyz move from cover and the Boss Nob takes 4 more wounds off the Wave Seprent but not enough to kill it.  The Warboss declares WAAAGH and advances on and charges the Farseer, impaling the enemy on his Krushin' Armour, dealing 3 mortal wounds and killing the Farseer before having a chance to attack.  In the backfield, the Deffkoptas arrive from the skies and take control of the southern Eldar objective.  Here is where I make my second mistake, attacking the Fire Prism, to no effect, instead of attacking the Scorpions.  I end up scoring 4 for the primary, 2 for Banners and 3 for Stranglehold this round for a total of 9.

Score: Eldar 17, Orks 16


Zog off, dis is our Objective

No more Farseer
Fire from Cover


Top of Turn 3
This is the beginning of the end.  The Warp Spiders take control of the northern Ork objective and take aim at the Shoota Boyz that attacked them, turning them into a fine fungal puree.  The Spiritseer and the Wraithguard comibine fire to eliminate the Lootas that were hiding in the ruins near the northern midfield objective.  The Guardians in the damaged Wave Serpent disembark before the Wave Serpent falls back from the boyz on the Southern Midfield objective.  They kill the remaining Slugga Boyz and battle focus onto the objective, claiming it for the Eldar.  The Fire Prism moves toward the middle of the battle field and unleashes two shots on the Warboss, who shrugs off one but fails to shrug off the second, even with a re-roll, but luckily takes minimum damage from the shot, 3 wounds.  The Rangers move back onto the southern Eldar objective to reclaim it from the Deffkoptas, while the Scorpions move in for the kill, easily destroying the Deffkoptas in close combat.  In the combat phase the Warboss Heroically Intervenes into the Guardians and decapitates 5 with his 'Uge Choppa.  The Eldar score 13 points this round; 4 from the primary, 1 from Banners, 3 from Scrye, and 5 from Bring it Down.

Score: Eldar 32, Orks 16

The Eldar move in for the kill

Warp Spiders on the Move
No more Koptas or Boyz


Bottom of Turn 3
With only 3 units left, there is not much for me to do.  The Big Mek barely manages to finish off the Wave Serpent in front of him in the shooting phase before the Warboss finishes off the remaining Guardians in the Combat phase.  The Tankbustas shoot at the Fire Prism but barely take off a few wounds.  I score 3 points this round; 1 from Banners and 2 from Bring it down.  At this point I concede, seeing that there is no way for me to make up the widening gap in points.

Score: Eldar 32, Orks 19

The Final Stand



Final Score: Eldar 32, Orks 19


Post Mortem
We finally managed to have a game go longer than 2 rounds before it was decided.  This is a running thought from the games Wyddr, McComas and I have so far played in 9th edition.  That said, this was a very back and forth game and very brutal.  The Tankbustas were the most consistent unit throughout the battle, doing damage each round.  The Kustom Mega-Kannon Mek Gunz did fine, taking fire away from more vulnerable units while doing some damage the one round they were able to fire.  As for Boyz, they are not worth the points you pay for them.  Their slightly higher toughness and poor armor save means nothing in a game with so many high strength/high AP weapons.

Tactically, I already mentioned I should have focused on the Warp Spiders in my deployment zone and firing on the Scorpions with the Deffkoptas in turn 2.  If I had done that, I think this game could have gone on a little longer.  I will have to remember that for the next battle.

My opponents army seemed well balanced; tough, mobile, and deadly.  They were able to pretty much multiple units in every round past the first one, and score points for each of their objectives round after round.  It was a well played, fun battle all around and a great way to spend a Saturday.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed reading the report as much as I had playing.  And as always, thanks again to my opponent.

Offline Wyddr

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Re: 1500 Orks Vs. Eldar: Desperate Raid
« Reply #1 on: May 31, 2022, 08:38:51 AM »
These modern Eldar have the feel of the Eldar of old (and by that I mean 2nd Edition). Outrageous firepower, if it can be brought to bear. No more cowering inside their invincible tanks all game, oh no. The new Eldar come out to wreck face.

Sorry to hear the boyz aren't paying off. I wish T5 were better, but it's just not. It's maybe the worst T value in the game, frankly, given that you probably have to pay a premium for it somewhere but it's not substantially better than T4 and doesn't get the discount that T3 gets.

Offline Roboknee77

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Re: 1500 Orks Vs. Eldar: Desperate Raid
« Reply #2 on: May 31, 2022, 11:19:12 PM »
The Eldar did indeed wreck some face.  ;D  And they did indeed have some outrageous firepower.  The Warp Spiders can pump out a lot of shots the turn they arrive via deep strike.  Plus, the Blast rule is no joke against any unit of 10 or more.

You hit the nail on the head with your assessment of T5.  Boyz need a point drop or some way to make a save roll against all the wounds that make it past their toughness.

But still overall, the game was a lot of fun.  We did have to keep reminding ourselves when certain objectives scored during the round, that is going to take some more games to get used to.

Offline Blazinghand

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Re: 1500 Orks Vs. Eldar: Desperate Raid
« Reply #3 on: June 1, 2022, 12:00:51 AM »
Interesting read! I'm surprised the Orks didn't hold up better. Thanks for the battle report and pictures.
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Offline Irisado

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Re: 1500 Orks Vs. Eldar: Desperate Raid
« Reply #4 on: June 1, 2022, 06:45:33 PM »
I agree with Wyddr.  This was how the Eldar used to play in older editions.  The firepower still has not reached the crazy heights of second edition, but some of the units are not far off in terms of how much killing power they can deliver.  It is very good to see the old DAVU and mechanised Eldar concepts no longer ruling the roost and that Eldar infantry units can actually be both mobile and effective.

I remain sceptical about the rules, balance, and the overall complexity though.  There is far too much going on with missions, strategems, and interventions that make the game too random for my tastes.  Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading the report, so thank you for posting it.
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Offline Roboknee77

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Re: 1500 Orks Vs. Eldar: Desperate Raid
« Reply #5 on: June 2, 2022, 12:54:54 PM »
Interesting read! I'm surprised the Orks didn't hold up better. Thanks for the battle report and pictures.

You're welcome Blazing Hand.  Overall I think they held up pretty well.  We traded units through the rounds, but my mistake in not focusing on the Warp Spiders and Scorpions in Turn 2 gave my opponent the advantage.

I agree with Wyddr.  This was how the Eldar used to play in older editions.  The firepower still has not reached the crazy heights of second edition, but some of the units are not far off in terms of how much killing power they can deliver.  It is very good to see the old DAVU and mechanised Eldar concepts no longer ruling the roost and that Eldar infantry units can actually be both mobile and effective.

I remain sceptical about the rules, balance, and the overall complexity though.  There is far too much going on with missions, strategems, and interventions that make the game too random for my tastes.  Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading the report, so thank you for posting it.

You're welcome Irisado.  My opponents list did feel a lot different than previous battles.  Definitely more Dakka.  Those Warp Spiders pumped out over 40 shots the round they arrived.  My boyz were turned into mushroom soup.  :D

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Re: 1500 Orks Vs. Eldar: Desperate Raid
« Reply #6 on: June 2, 2022, 01:48:36 PM »
There is far too much going on with missions, strategems, and interventions that make the game too random for my tastes.

See, I don't think "random" is the right word, here--all of those things are predictable and foreseeable. It's just the sheer complexity of it all that makes it hard to keep track sometimes. For all of that, though, I don't think that is the problem. The problem is the effort to make every unit good at killing things means...everything dies, and quickly.

I am going to sound like an old man, but I do recall, not all that long ago, when the idea of a unit surviving the whole entire game but not really munching up enemy units on its own was a viable decision (10-man Tactical Squads from 5th Edition come to mind, as well as some others). Likewise, units that were very speedy but not super deadly or durable were *also* viable tactical choices (Vypers, Piranha, Deffkoptas etc.). There was a variability to list design and strategy that just...doesn't exist. Or, at least not that I can tell. It's not a Rock/Paper/Scissors thing anymore. We're playing very complicated checkers--either I jump you or you jump me and nary a middle ground to be found.

So, while I am certainly enjoying the game in many different ways, "strategic challenge" is not one of them. Put plastic on board, roll buckets, everything go boom. Game over. 

Offline Roboknee77

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Re: 1500 Orks Vs. Eldar: Desperate Raid
« Reply #7 on: June 2, 2022, 03:29:59 PM »
There is far too much going on with missions, strategems, and interventions that make the game too random for my tastes.

See, I don't think "random" is the right word, here--all of those things are predictable and foreseeable. It's just the sheer complexity of it all that makes it hard to keep track sometimes. For all of that, though, I don't think that is the problem. The problem is the effort to make every unit good at killing things means...everything dies, and quickly.

I am going to sound like an old man, but I do recall, not all that long ago, when the idea of a unit surviving the whole entire game but not really munching up enemy units on its own was a viable decision (10-man Tactical Squads from 5th Edition come to mind, as well as some others). Likewise, units that were very speedy but not super deadly or durable were *also* viable tactical choices (Vypers, Piranha, Deffkoptas etc.). There was a variability to list design and strategy that just...doesn't exist. Or, at least not that I can tell. It's not a Rock/Paper/Scissors thing anymore. We're playing very complicated checkers--either I jump you or you jump me and nary a middle ground to be found.

So, while I am certainly enjoying the game in many different ways, "strategic challenge" is not one of them. Put plastic on board, roll buckets, everything go boom. Game over.

I was trying to think of how to respond and I think Wyddr has the right of it.  There is less randomness this edition, even with the Orks and their random weapons.  But there is a complexity to the game, like keeping track of which phase of the game some things occur or when certain objectives score, that will get easier with more repetition.  The objectives do provide a flavor similar to the old Maelstrom rules but without the overwhelming randomness that could swing an utter defeat to a crushing victory with the right card draws.

But yes, this edition is very deadly.  A unit of 30 Boyz will not survive a turn.  Which my opponent said he was expecting large hordes for this game.  :D

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Re: 1500 Orks Vs. Eldar: Desperate Raid
« Reply #8 on: June 2, 2022, 06:10:40 PM »
I agree that random was not the right choice of word.  Reading the reports is certainly more problematic than it used to be, as it was much easier to understand what unit can or cannot achieve when their effectiveness was determined by the rules and not by additional bonus, stratagems, or other events that are not part of their base rules.  Entire units disappearing in a single turn from being shot at by only one or maybe two other units is not something that I would enjoy, so I'm glad to be well out of actually playing.  I'm glad that some of you still play though, as I do enjoy reading the reports and looking at all the pictures :).
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Offline Roboknee77

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Re: 1500 Orks Vs. Eldar: Desperate Raid
« Reply #9 on: June 3, 2022, 05:49:03 PM »
I see what you mean.  Understanding which units benefit from which auras then applying a stratagem to the same unit can pump something up from an okay unit to super-killy or nigh-invulnerable.  Or knowing what Stratagems allow you to pull off certain actions; like how I used a re-roll to make my Trukk blow up so I can move it closer to the Eldar units to do mortal wounds to them.

It can be hard enough to know everything your army can do that knowing what the other army can do back to you is almost too much.

Offline Wyddr

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Re: 1500 Orks Vs. Eldar: Desperate Raid
« Reply #10 on: June 4, 2022, 09:43:41 AM »
I am waiting for a game to be a comeback. I want a game where somebody is getting their ass kicked and then turns it around through clever play. If that happens, I'll stop complaining about 9th.

Here's the thing: I don't think that is possible in this edition. Not without a table full of nothing but LOS-blocking terrain, and probably not even then. The game is fundamentally unsuited to it, and that's a damn shame.

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Re: 1500 Orks Vs. Eldar: Desperate Raid
« Reply #11 on: June 6, 2022, 05:51:36 PM »
Great report, Roboknee, thank you for the breakdown. I agree with a lot of the sentiments shared here, 9th edition is 40k turned up to 15, but I'm hoping 10th edition will be the one to cool it down back to 8,9, or 10.

Just so much power creep in the codexes, but I get GW's philosophy that everyone should have their turn to get dialed up this edition - everyone else has been at this point.

I've only gotten about a dozen or so games in myself, but definitely looking forward to continue learning, playing, and hoping more balance will kick in at the start of the new edition.
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