Scythiak Usurpation - Campaign and Minor Batrep - Wave Assault

Today I went down to the local store looking for a pickup game, and found out they're starting a short Planetary Empires campaign.  After talking about it, I decided to hop back home and grab the Scythiak.  The variable point sizes and other funkiness from Planetary Empires will suit the Scythiak well, and the ability to sub in my regular IG as needed could be a boost as well, plus it should help spur me to paint them up faster.  All of the armies involved are unpainted or in-progress, so I don't feel so bad playing an in-progress force myself.

We decided later on not to count this week's games, as we chose tiles after the games were done or under way, without any modifications from the tile values themselves.  I did get a game in against Ed and his Eldar (Ed-dar?), a Biel-tan force.  We decided on a Battle Mission scenario, and rolled up the Tyranid "Wave Assault" mission, with the Eldar in the role of the Tyranids.  Sorry, no pics!

For Wave Assault, I set up first with a DZ of most of the board, except for 12" from the edges of three edges, and the fourth (one of the long edges) counted as my table edge.  The attacking player (in this case, the Eldar) then gets first turn, and enters in a staggered fashion over the first three turns.  They split their force into three waves, and randomly determine what order they come in, but get to choose which table edge (except for my table edge) they enter from.  As another wrinkle, each edge can only be used by the attacker once - so by the time the third wave arrives, you know where it's coming in from.


There were four objectives, in fixed positions determined by the scenario - one in the middle of the table, and three others 18" from the middles of the three attacker edges. 

Scythiak Forces (1500):

Primaris Psyker

9xOgryn

Marbo


Platoon HQ PW, 2xflamers
-Inf Squad PW/Meltagun

-Inf Squad PW/Meltagun


Platoon HQ - PF, 2xflamers
-Inf Squad PW/Grenade Launcher

-Inf Squad PW/Grenade Launcher
-Mortar Squad
-Lascannon Squad

Vet squad, Grenadiers, Shotguns, 3xMeltaguns, Sgt PF

2xSentinels, Missile Launchers

10xRough Riders, sgt meltabombs

10xRough Riders, sgt meltabombs

Eldar Forces (1500):
Farseer with Eldritch Storm, Mind War, +3 Warlocks (IIRC two destructor, one enhance?) in Falcon (starcannon)

Avatar

6 Dire Avengers

12 Guardians, EML platform, Warlock (power?  conceal?)

8 Scorpions in TL Starcannon Wave Serpent

5 Fire Dragons in TL Starcannon Wave Serpent, exarch firepike

Wraithlord, Starcannon, Shuricat, Flamer

3 individual Vypers - one Starcannon, one EML, one Bright Lance

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I placed the vet squad in a ruin (that they spent the game moving back in forth in, never firing or getting shot at) on my right.  Both Rough Riders, Marbo, and the Sentinels went into Reserve, with the Sentinels Outflanking.  The mortars and lascannons set up in the back, ringed by infantry schlubs for cover, with another platoon more forward towards the objectives, with the Ogryn and attached Primaris up front.  Though there was a lot of area I could set up in, I chose to try to huddle in closer to the middle to avoid early charges, and hoped that the backline would draw some units in that the RRs could attack.

Turn One the Eldar got their minor wave, and brought them on to my right edge, far up the table, flying on top of a large mesa.  I fired the lascannons at it, shaking it.  Thus went the mighty first turn.

Turn Two the Eldar got the Guardians and Wraithlord, bringing them in down the middle, as well as the Farseer/Warlocks/Falcon, which skirted down the right table edge.  In my turn the Sentinels arrived, and managed to show up on my right flank, so I walked them on behind the Falcon.  They failed to kill it with their missile launchers, but actually got lucky on the assault and exploded it, killing all the Warlocks, leaving the Farseer alone and annoyed.  The lascannons took out the Fire Dragons' Wave Serpent, killing a couple and leaving them stranded on the tall mesa.

Turn Three, and the remaining Eldar arrive on my left - Scorpions+Wave Serpent, Dire Avengers, Vypers.  They shoot up one squad and rout it off the table, and damage the mortars.  Avatar also comes in on the left, but further up, moving in towards the middle hoping to chop up some infantry squads.  Meanwhile the surviving Fire Dragons fire down at the Sentinels and wipe them out, catching the Farseer in a double explosion, though he emerges unscathed.  Wraithlord and Guardians move up towards the Ogryn and do a little damage with shooting.  In my turn, one unit of Rough Riders arrives, and gallops up on my left towards the Eldar mass.

Ed is returning to the game after a long absence, and is still catching up on some of the finer points.  In this case, he was surprised by the multi-assaults that were coming.  The Rough Riders spread out with their move plus Fleet, and charged EVERYTHING on that side - the Wave Serpent, the Dire Avengers, and all three Vypers at once.  Meanwhile the Ogryn combo-charged the Guardians and the Wraithlord.  I killed four out of six dire avengers, but they held on.  Hunting lances and meltabombs failed to land solid hits on any of the skimmers however.  It was a long shot, but worth trying!  The Dire Avengers' holding fast did however keep the RRs from getting shot up, not that it would save them.  The Ogryn wiped out the Guardians, and only took a couple of wounds in return total, winning the combat by 7 - triggering 7 No Retreat saves for the (wounded) Wraithlord.  Here's what I was pinning my hopes on, using the Guardians' deaths to take out the WL indirectly.  Alas, Ed passed all seven saves, and my Ogryn were a lot less optimistic about how the rest of the fight would go.

Turn Four - Scorpions hop out of their ride and massacre the Rough Riders.  One Ogryn gets squished but the rest hang on, hurrah Stubborn!  Heavy weapon squads get shot up by starcannons.  Farseer gets gunned down from a failed save vs. a meltagun, Fire Dragons get shot up.  Marbo and second Rough Rider squad arrive, RRs combo charge the Scorpions and remaining Dire Avengers and kill them all for the loss of six of their own.  Marbo Demo Charges a Vyper, exploding it.  Wraithlord finishes off another Ogryn, who break this time and get run down.

Turn Five - Wraithlord flamers an IG squad, and assaults, killing two of the three remaining troopers.  The last trooper hangs on, keeping the 'lord safe from retaliation.  Two squads move up and rapidfire into the approaching Avatar, stripping two wounds off.  Game ends!  Sychiak hold three objectives, Eldar none - victory to the Scythiak!

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I got lucky with the timing of the Reserves; they all showed up where and when was most useful.  I also got pretty lucky with a number of my damage results on his skimmers - taking out a WS and a Falcon early was a big help.  In the future I expect to see the Runes of "Screw you Mon-Keigh Psyker" and a better spacing out of units to avoid multi-assaults.

For the campaign we have me (Scythiak/IG), Ed (Eldar), two loyalist IG players, another loyalist IG+Daemonhunters (my friend JVB), Seneca (Orks) and Zack (Nids).  The thing I have the most fun with in Planetary Empires are the chances for extra USRs, so I'll be concentrating on that, shooting for Command Centers when I can.  Being able to give the Ogryn Feel No Pain or Fearless, a Heavy Weapon squad Relentless, etc. would be fun and icky.  The nastiest thing I saw done last time around was to give the Doom of Malantai Eternal Warrior.  THAT was rude. ;-)

I had also gotten some more painting progress done on the Scythiak over the weekend, working on the horses for one of the RR units.  Hopefully I'll be able to make some more progress during the rest of this week.