Some more battle reps

Played 2 games today against Vanilla Marines.

I got two pictures with me today, one of the first game's end game and one of the second game's 1st turn (after I moved).  I bet you can tell which game worked out better for me:

First game had terrain that I can work with; play LoS games, use cover and use my superior speed as an advantage.

Second game had no such thing.  To make it worse, my opponent tailored slightly with a list that consisted of 3x Typhoon Speeders in separate FA slots, 2x TLAC Dreads, a AC/LC Predator and Hunter-Killer missiles on every single one of his vehicles.  I'll tell you right now this is the last time I'm playing on a map that looks like this.  It was a turkey shoot.


My first opponent used this list:

MotF
Chapter Master w/ TH/SS
10 Sternguard in a LRR
Full Scout Squad
2x Tactical Squads in Rhinos
RB w/ HB
AC/HB Predator
Thunderfire Cannon

My second opponent used this list:

2x TLLC Dreads
AC/LC Pred
2x Vindicators
3x Typhoons as single units
3x 10x Tactical squads with ML in Rhinos
Epistolary with Jump Pack

My list basically looked the same.  In fact, it's pretty much the same list I used in the 1850 tournament minus Vect for an Archon.

1743
17 kp

HQ:
Archon (SF, Agonizer, Drugs, BP) = 135
Succubus (Agonizer, Haywire) = 90

TROOP:
9x Wyches (Raider NS, Hekatrix/Agnoizer/BP) = 205
9x Wyches (Raider NS, Hekatrix/Agnoizer/BP) = 205
10x Warriors (Raider NS, Blaster, SC) = 185
10x Warriors (Raider NS, Blaster, SC) = 185
10x Warriors (Raider NS, Blaster, SC) = 185

ELITE:
4x Trueborn (Raider NS, 4x Blaster) = 178

HEAVY:
Ravager (NS/FF) = 125
Ravager (NS/FF) = 125
Ravager (NS/FF) = 125

The first game I had a Huskblade/Soul Trap combo in there because I wanted to see how it worked out and the second game I had a Agonizer/Blast Pistol combo.   I also tried Haywire Grenades for one of my Wych squads over Blast Pistols and I'll let you know how that goes.

I'll start with the second game because I absolutely hated that game.  First thing's first:  The board clearly had no terrain and my opponent's list was tailored.  I asked wtf and he basically told me he didn't need to console me about what he wants to play.  That's cool because I asked him to take a balanced list and he loads up on Hunter-Killer missiles.  Anyways, dice rolls were kinda abysmal for me with the biggest highlights being:

• The Wych squad with the Succubus wins combat vs. Marines, I fail to chase him down or kill him so he runs off the board without giving me a Pain Token.  He then fires enough to cause a morale test and I fail that and I basically run off the board because they were worthless for 3 turns.
• The Archon and his squad of Haywire Wyches gets stuck in combat with a Dreadnought for 5 turns.  This, is a serious problem from now on and needs to be addressed really badly.  Needing 6s to hit the thing in CC and then rolling like ass repeatedly kept me tied up with him forever.  Because of this, my Archon's squad (a Wych scoring squad) was disabled by one stupid Dreadnought.
• I immobilized everything in his army basically, with weapon destroyed rolls or some other bull.  Nothing explodes or gets wrecked though.. but he manages to explode almost all my Raiders and I get raped by explosions.  Another case where Wracks or Haemonculi would be good for those extra pain tokens.
• His first turn of HK Missile spam explodes 3 Raiders and kills 50% of my troops.  I still manage to tie the game with 1-1 objectives at the end, but I promise I'm never playing that again.

Moving on to the 1st game:

This game was Kill Points on Dawn of War.  Combat Drugs gives me a 6 so I get 2 Pain Tokens for each IC in a Wych squad for FNP and FC.

Since the picture is kind of craptastic, you're just going to have to use your imagination (considering this is a game with plastic dudes).

• We all hold our stuff to come on the board and I get the first turn to deploy and go.
• Everything moves up behind the yellow star or turbo boosts behind the green star or gains cover from something, somewhere.  My Succubus Raider boosts up by the red star.
• The objective is to kill as many things as possible so I made one of my Raiders that TB cover 2 of my other Raiders behind him so they get cover.
• His LR comes on but fails to shoot anything because of my Night Shields.  The AC Pred shoots and downs a Ravager after failing my cover save.
• His RB epic fails at shooting anything as well.
• His Scouts and Thunderfire comes in by that building by the left ruler on the table (in terrain).
• Next turn, my Wych squad with the Succubus TB's all the way to where that wrecked Rhino is, in threatening position for his scouts.
• I shoot an unreal number of Dark Lance shots into his LR and fail to do anything.  It was at least 20 Dark Lance shots with a lot of pens and I immobilized it, ripped off 3 weapons (MM, TLAC and a Flamestorm) and stunned it 3 times.  The rage inside feels like the heat from a thousand suns.
• My opponent then shoots me back with Sternguard on the Trueborn's Raider and only manage to stun it.  A lot more shots went into that Raider and the same thing happens lol.  It finally goes down to an assault from the Sternguard's squad consisting of a MotF, a Chapter Master and a Sergeant with a Power Fist.  One Trueborn dies and they pass their pinning check after the explosion.
• My Archon with the Huskblade moves up and charges that squad after 2 Warriror squads with Splinter Cannons and Blasters go to work on it.  I kill an RB and AC Pred with my Ravagers/Raiders and the Succubus and Wych squad also assault the Scouts.
• The Trueborn shoot at the LR some more and after 3 pens, nothing happens to it.
• In combat, I go after the MotF with my Archon and he kills him instantly; sucking all the moisture from his body and leaving him a dry shell on the floor.  I soul trap the MotF's spirit into my possession and gain S6.  Since there was only like 4 Marines left in the squad after shooting, they die horribly to the Wyches and the Agonizer and only the Chapter Master is left to swing back.  Dodge, dodge, dodge says the Wyches and the Chapter Master stays in with near insane courage.  My squad gains F3 status.
• The Succubus and her squad also gains F3 status after they plow through some Scouts.  They rally into cover and get ready to assault the Thunderfire Cannon next round (in the ruins).  I also spread out here just in case something bad happens.
• Something bad happens and a squad of Marines pull up attempt to be bad ass.  Rapid firing some Bolters, I make a ton of cover saves and FNP saves and only 1 Wych goes down.
• The Thunderfire downs one of the Raiders here through cover saves (the one by the green star) and that's all he did with it.
• Another Rhino pulled up drive-by style with his Rhino and flamed the Trueborn to death after moving 6".  He got 'em through the building since the Trueborn didn't move.
• My next turn sees the Archon duel the Chapter Master of the Dark Templar and I suck his soul into my cube as well.  S6 makes a huge difference when trying to wound MEQ and now I'm running around with a S10 instant-death power weapon.
• Since my Wych squad was pretty satisfied with their F3 status, my Succubus left the squad to solo the Thunderfire Cannon (which she did) while my Wyches danced with the Marines.  After some good rolls, 3 Marines make it out alive but my Wyches/Succubus are so close they can't rally.  I chase them off the board while my Raider shoots dead that Rhino by the building.
• All my Lances go into the LR for that KP and I managed to destroy its other weapon and shake/stun it a couple more times.  This Land Raider is immortal, I swear.
• The game pretty much ends the next turn because the Marines that flamed by Trueborn gets out to Rapid Fire the Archon and his squad, kill a bunch but then gets wrecked by the rest of my army.  We call it here with Dark Eldar taking the battle 10-3 KP.

Overall, here are my thoughts:

• Rolling a 6 on the combat drug chart when you have 2 ICs that use drugs and Wyches with Pain Tokens is bloody fantastic!
• Huskblades and Soul Trap is too situational.  What happens if my opponent doesn't have a cheap IC to die?  Am I looking for 6s on MCs or 5s on normal MEQ?  It takes too long to charge up, so I'd rather take a Agonizer/Blast Pistol Archon for the points.
• Trueborn makes for really cheap kill points once they get blown out of their Raider.
• In fact, Kill Point missions is pretty bad for Dark Eldar in general (just like Mech Guard), but your stuff blows up infinitely quicker.  Therefore, you must play extra pro to win KP games.
• Dreads are a huge problem in close combat.  Hitting them on 6s with Haywires and then getting into a grind fest with them might take 5+ turns like it did in my 2nd game.  That's just terrible.
• Once again, exploding Raiders killed nearly half my army.  The thought of supporting Haemonculi is starting to creep into my head.
• Hunter-Killer Missiles bs me through my Night Shields so terrain and cover saves matter a lot.  I think we'll be seeing HKs on a lot of vehicles now.
• Never play on a open board like I did in game 2.  Dark Eldar players need room to take advantage of their army's strength and agility.  Not being able to take advantage of LoS, clever fire lanes or sneaky cover will absolutely destroy Raider-heavy lists.