News at 11: Waaagh! Incited by Eldar Death Cult

Some of Nilendrel's fellow Farseers might call him crazy. What with being obsessed with the noble death of his own entire race so She Who Thirsts can be destroyed by Ynnead. He tries everything, really. He's tried being diplomatic, he tried forcing them or killing them. However, with his own dwindling cult numbers starting to be a burden to his plan. Instigating conflict is the logical next step.

After last game's direct confrontation against D'Ork's Camo-world Eldar BDA here, Lord Farseer Nilendrel assembled his small Warlock contingent to seek out the easiest enemy to incite against the resistant Eldar craftworld. The opposing Farseer is powerful, perhaps as powerful as Nilendrel, so Mon-Keigh mercenaries and other agents of the cult were dispatched to create the proper conditions for the time-line to be born.

Orks were considered the easiest to manipulate, and most likely not care that they were being manipulated even if they managed to figure it out--so long as the Waaagh! was successful. As D'Ork's Eldar were transiting an Ork-held system, stolen communications gear was used to send a fake distress signal from Camo-world Rangers that the web-way had been found and was in danger of being overrun.

The truth is that the Orks' local water supplies were poisoned by the Cult (blessed are their works) and the Orks mobilized to find a fresh supply near the hidden gate. Camo-world Eldar came through the gate and engaged the Orks to protect the gate so it could be saved or sealed if discovered.

In this rematch, neither D'Ork nor I relished another floating grav-tank slap fight. So I suggested he bring his Orks over as well as his Eldar. After last game he's made some adjustments to his list, namely scrapping a couple dragons, putting the Farseer in a DA serpent, adding a second Holo-Prism (which he borrowed from the Ynnead Cult reserve force for the battle).

Essentially:

Farseer, Guide, Doom, Runes, Stones
7x DAs, Exarch, Dualcats, Bladestorm
Serpent, Scatterlasers, Stones

7x DAs, Exarch, Dualcats, Bladestorm
Serpent, EMLs, Stones

6x Fire Dragons
Serpent, Scatterlasers, Stones

6x Scorpions, Exarch, Claw, Shadowstrike

3x Scatterwalkers
Prism, Holo-fields
Prism, Holo-fields

My list, made from his Orks:

Mek, Cybork, KFF
19x Shoota Boyz, 1x Big Shoota, Nob, PK, Bosspole
Battlewagon, Ram, 2x Shootas

Mek, Cybork, SAG
19x Boyz, Nob, PK, Bosspole
Battlewagon, Ram, 2x Shootas

12x Boyz, Nob, PK, Bosspole
Trukk, Planks, Big Shoota

12x Boyz, Nob, PK, Bosspole
Trukk, Planks, Big Shoota

10x Kommandos, Big Shoota, Burna w/Snikky

2x Deff Koptas w/TL Rokkits
2x Deff Koptas w/TL Rokkits
2x Warbuggies w/TL Rokkits

Well... The Orks were unsuccessful in defeating the Eldar Host, but managed moderate damage. The scenario was Dawn of War deployment with objectives, but since we forgot to set them up (brainfart) we went for Victory Points. Dawn of war seemed like a boon to the Orks against a full mech force, but this is when I REALLY wanted to be able to be able to throw Nobs in a wagon.

I really wanted to find out the finer points of infiltration, scout moves, outflanking, etc. Since Dawn of War screwed up my scout moves on the Koptas, I wasn't able to run up and make him shoot me. Instead, he (even through cover) neutered my two trukks that I was able to deploy. could have been worse.

Essentially the game went as it should have gone if *I* was playing against Orks, he shut down my mobility, stood off from me, and shot my boyz down slowly and painfully as I trudged across the board. The real winners were the right/central koptas and buggies. They managed quite a few damage results on tanks, taking out a prism's weapon, and destroying another. Snikky didn't make it in until later. He hadn't finished smoking a cigar or something, so he had no armored targets to get to within 12 inches. However, the Farseer and DA retinue that had GuiDoom Bladestormed, then finished off my KFF Mek and friends in assault was licking his wounds near their wrecked transport at his board edge. That's pretty much the only thing I really 'accomplished.'

Snikky murdered him and the remnants, then looked around and realized that the battle was already over. The remaining prism, EML Serpent, and by then outflanked scorpions and walkers were on my left, while I was right-center trying to get to him on foot. Luckily the game ended on bottom of T4 or I would have been tabled T5.

In contrast to the previous game, his rangers were near worthless, inflicting one wound the entire game. The scorpions took their chance on T2, coming in and annihilating my 'cleverly' left flanking koptas. They spent 2 turns running across the board before taking out the SAG Mek with pistols and engaging the scattered remnants of the second BW squad.

These 'brother' Eldar are canny opponents. They have thwarted our plans for too long. The next engagement will have to be a decisive victory or the Cult will lose focus. I believe another direct confrontation must be forced.

Until next time, brothers..