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Casual Battle Report: Eldar vs. Death Guard

This was my first ever foray into 40k proper. I have played Killteam a few times, and I enjoyed that system, but it felt like something was missing. We played patrol detachments of 500 points on a 3x3 board, and I had a blast! I don't know what it was about this game that appealed to me so much more than my last few Age of Sigmar, Killteam, or Mordheim games, but maybe if I work through it, I can figure it out.


I made a ton of misplays in this game. It was my first game of 40k, and my first time working with Eldar, so I didn't really know how things were going to go. I left guys out of cover too often, I moved my jet bikes onto an objective that didn't matter, my HQ got pinned down for 2 turns because of my poor, and my reinforcements got dropped in awkward spots. Despite all this, we had a close game and both did a ton of damage.



I learned that  Eldar units are fine and dandy, but their Psykers are out of control. I played with Eldrad as my HQ, and his spells were insane. I had a mind battle with the Deathguard leader, and killed 8 plague marines. I also allowed my units to reroll failed wound rolls against the disgustingly tough plague tanks. When we start working up to 1000 pt games, I am excited to use my other Farseer as well to create magical chaos on the field.



This game was a great lesson in what 40k has to offer. Our armies both felt so distinct from each other, which is something I don't feel as much in AOS (unless I'm fight Sylvaneth... cursed Sylvaneth...). I could see how another army would have handled the board in an entirely different way.



I also learned that part of what made my experience so great was the person I was playing with. We were both pretty lax and forgiving with the rules, we were both interesting in the lore, and we were both there too have fun. I have found a lot of wargaming to be stressful in the past, with players being too concerned with winning, losing, and playing the ideal game. We just wanted to have a beer and watch our armies fight. This lesson is going to stick with me, and I am going to be on a crusade to find other wargammers who take this more casual approach to games. Smaller points values (sometimes), and friendlier play.




These Dire Avengers knew they fucked up. They tried to make it down the alley as the tank was moving in another direction, but he came back hard and fast, pinning them down behind some crates. They should have run for it, but instead, they stood and fought.




Similarly, half of these Guardians and their heavy weapons platform got melted by a plague spewer. At this point, I felt that they were not of much significant value, so they charged the remains of a unit of Plague Marines and clogged up the field. Eventually, they managed to pummel those big green boys into the dirt. I am amazed that Eldar Guardians could go toe to toe with Plague Marines.


These heavy vehicles smashed together as a last resort of my warwalker. I was getting my ass kicked, and I wanted to keep that tank away from my infantry, so I crashed it into the tank and we punched each other ineffectually for a few rounds, with my warwalker eventually succumbing to the damage.


This was a great learning experience, and I am excited to play more 40k. I think 40k may actually be my primary game for the next while, as there is a lot of buzz around it currently, and I seem to find more people willing to play it than AOS. I am really excited for the second edition of Frostgrave to come out in August, and I will definitely be posting about that here once I get a chance to play it.

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