BatRep: Wolves Vs Harlies Round 2

Deployment: Pitched Battle
Mission: Seize Ground (4 Objectives rolled)

Eldar List:
Eldrad
3 x 8 Harlequins w Shadowseer & all w. Kisses
3 x 5 Pathfinders
2 x EML/BL Wraithlords
1500

You can see my Wolves list here.

Here we see SW and Eldar deployment. The smilie faces are two objectives with 2 more exactly opposite each one, a foot apart in a square...I did this ;)








The Eldar gain first turn, passing it to me. Then promptly seizing the initiative!

Turn 1

Eldrad rolls up multiple fortunes and guides a Wraithlord, but takes a wound in the process – despite Ghosthelm and 3++.
The second Wraithlord fails Wraithsight and sits behind a tree doing nothing. The guided lord stuns a rhino on my left. Pathfinders fail to wound any of the central Long Fangs pack, the second unit then kills 3 of 5! But the resolute Fangs are not pinned nor fleeing. 3rd Pathfinders fails to damage a rhino. The Harlequin packs jog backwards slightly, fearing the rhino rush, rapid fire boltgun move.
In my One, the rhinos advance, popping smoke, one set of fangs has to get into position, the other takes 2 wounds from the active Wraithlord.


Turn 2

Eldrad guides 2 units of Pathfinders and Fortunes his unit of Harlequins. The Wraithlord that was ‘sighted in Turn 1 fails his ‘Sight test again and sits doing nothing for a second turn. Poor performance.
One group of Pathfinders guns down the final 2 missile Fangs in the centre position through rending and failed cover. The active Wraithlord fires on a smoked rhino, but misses. However, the other guided Pathfinders penetrate through rending twice with AP1 shots and smoke only saves one shot, the other wrecks the rhino carrying 1/3 double Melta Grey Hunter packs.
My Two, central rhinos move up, with the RP and two GH packs on the objective behind the large, central ruin with support from one of the TWC. Left flank moves up with just the one rhino and TWC, plus a stranded unit that moves from the back of its ride into cover behind the dual flamer rhino.
One unit of scouts comes in on the left flank, not ideally where I’d like it, but near to a unit of pathfinders! Shooting is minimal, Fangs killing the active Wraithlord with just one wound left. In the assault phase, the Scouts move through cover and slaughter the weak Pathfinders, consolidating back behind the cover and making the Harlequins in front of the same piece of cover think about whether to push up on the left flank Hunters or move back into the scouts.

Turn 3

Eldrad guides and dooms stuff…Harlequins in the centre move back onto the board edge and around the pathfinders to try and prevent the 2nd unit of scouts coming in and gutting the scoring units left to the Eldar. The remaining Wraithlord finally does something but fails to penetrate the remaining rhino on the left flank. The 2 units of Pathfinders both go for the same rhino, as the Harlequin troupe could fleet and assault the Hunters inside and maybe multicharge into the one hiding behind.
They score 4 AP1 hits, but fail to rend.
This leaves the Harlequins with no choice really but to smash the scouts, killing them instantly with 10 Rending wounds from Kisses, consolidating back into the same position they were pre-assault.

My Three, Speeder arrives from Deep Strike in an aggressive Heavy Flamer position covering a unit of Pathfinders and Harlequins, but scatters back onto the objective in front of the large central ruin. The second unit of scouts come in Behind Enemy Lines and move 6” to a position where they can exploit a gap in the harlequin defence net, getting a charge on the Pathfinders.
In shooting, the Long Fangs wound the Wraithlord 3 times, but 3 6’s are rolled for cover saves! The central TWC gets a good fleet and bursts out of the ruin to charge the same Pathfinder unit as the Scouts. Unsurprisingly they are wiped out and I am presenting my opponent with 2 units that need to be dealt with before the Eldar lines can push up to contest, Scouts providing cover for the Thunderwolf.

Turn 4

Eldar position for a kill on the Scouts & TWC. Eldrad does his thing and moves his troupe of ‘Quins up in to try and get a charge next turn into the central ruin. The Wraithlord tries to kill the left Rhino, but cover from the trees is passed. The final Pathfinder group remove the left pack of Fangs after they fall back from 25% casualties. The Harlequins in the woods kill a scout before charging in and killing them through rending.

My Four, the Speeder manoeuvres for toaster action on the Harlequins that killed the Scouts in the centre. A GH pack jumps out of their ride and moves in to bolt pistol then charge the Quins, the TWC moves to kill the Pathfinders.
The Speeder kills 3 Quins, so the TWC fleets in the face of the Pathfinders and the Grey Hunters charge the Harlies. Unfortunately this brings the strung out Harlequins into combat with the TWC, so whilst the pathfinders and Quins are killed, the TWC dies after a rending wound from a Quin and then a fluke wound from a Pathfinder. The GH’s consolidate back to the objective.

Turn 5

This turn the Rune Priest shuts down all 3 of Eldrad’s powers. Woot! Harlies in the woods with Eldrad move out and try and get a charge on the GH pack in the open, but poor fleets rolls mean they are not in range. The other Harlequin troupe move across the field trying to get involved in the game, but again a poor run move leaves them stranded.
My Five, the left flank rhino moves up and disembarks the GH with dual flamer in range of the stranded Quins, the TWC moves up in support and fleets.
In the centre the RP and his dual melta GH pack jump out of their rhino in the central ruin and unless melta on Eldrad. Bravely, a wound is allocated to Eldrad with a 3++, but he fails and is melted.

They do not charge the remaining Harlies as they choose to hold the objective instead. The other GH pack nearby charges instead, but loses 5 of their number instantly to Rending wounds! Bravely the single remaining GH kills 3 Quins as their 5++ lets them down without Fortune. He falls back and escapes the higher Initiative Quins, who consolidate 6” to contest the central objective.
On the left, between the dual flamers and the TWC the Harlie troupe is killed, protecting the 2 objectives I hold over there.
The game would go on, but we call it here with just 4 Eldar infantry alive and a Wraithlord who has been hit by Wraithsight once more…

Wolves hold 2 objectives on the left with no way of losing them, and have a full GH pack with RP and a TWC that can sweep in from the left to clear out the 4 Quins left.
Both packs of Long Fangs now have LOS to the last Wraithlord.

Conclusion:

The scouts are working fantastically at this point. They are a great distraction unit, making the opponent think about what is going where, deployment etc.
Still cheap, throwaway units that are not really part of the ‘plan’, but just prey on peoples mind.
The Speeder did not do a lot, but still has the potential.
The GH packs are all good. Solid and consistent.
Rune Priest played a different role than the usual offensive, but he shut down a few powers so all good.
Solo TWC work perfectly. I know it flies in the face of what people expect…but you just have to look at things in oblique ways hey…
Long Fangs were somewhat out of position for a lot of the game. The massive central ruin blocked a lot of LOS from the backfield…Nevermind! They are a consistent mainstay for the SW…

Eldar? Needs more S6! Get some Shrieker cannons, get some scatter lasers in…Be able to pop transports! We have discussed the list at length, and keeping the Fritz/Harlies theme we have got it a lot better…certainly competitive for pick up play.

Stay tuned more to come. Please feedback any thoughts you have on my moves or the Eldar, the list, what would you do in either place etc…