Skip to main content

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.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Miniature Makers: A (not at all) Definitive List

For nearly 20 years, I have been captivated by the miniature hobby. For most of that time, the only company I was truly aware of, was Games Workshop. The giant in the room, GW certainly has an impressive range of sculpts and a strong design vision. In the last few years, I have become aware of a wide range of other companies, brands, and sculptors, who have their own unique visions about what miniatures are. This will be a living list of the miniature manufacturers that have been recommended to me, or that I have purchased from. It is a very diverse list. Some manufacturers focus on their own proprietary games, and some just sell bits. I have not ordered from all of these companies, so your mileage may vary!!! If there is a company that you love, and it is not listed here, drop me a line and I will add it to the list. Pictured above - https://www.blacksunminiatures.co.uk/product/guardian/   * - Companies with a star were suggested by hobbyists on Reddit and throughout the community. Th
Post a Comment
Read more

Rangers of Shadowdeep - Scenario 1: Ableheim

This is the first scenario I created for my Red Brothers campaign, and I had a blast creating and playing it. Since playing it I have made a few tweaks, and I'm sure you will have some creative tweaks as well! I love playing with randomized mechanics, especially when I am trying to create a narratively driven game. Setup: Ableheim is a town that houses corruption and cult activity, the warband has been sent to investigate and destroy any corruption they find. A mob gathers to watch the warband, getting increasingly agitated. Victory:  - Find and destroy the corruption; - Exit the table through the starting path Mechanics: Houses When a character investigates a house, roll a D6; If a 6 is rolled, that house contains the corruption. If no 6 is rolled, the corruption is in the last house. If a D6 roll fails, add +1 to the mob counter. When the corruption is found place 1 cultist, 1 cultist archer, and 1 demon in the house (or near it). Mob The mob consists of 3 villagers/militia model
Post a Comment
Read more

Stargrave Loot Tokens

 I thought I would show off my Stargrave loot tokens. They are pretty simple, but I'm really happy with them. I followed the same method I used for my Frostgrave tokens, but I put a bit more effort into the data loot. Both sets were made from spare/old 40k bits. These data loot were made with bits of foam-core, foam insulation, a toothpick and some old eldar bits. The screen are just craft foam that I painted green, and then mixed that green with white to do the screen details. These terminals look good on the field! The physical loot tokens are super-duper simple. I probably could have put some more effort in here, but I wanted to get playing! These are just 3 pieces of 40k bits stuck to a base. Nothing fancy! I glued on some plastic plants that looked a little bit sci-fi to me.
Post a Comment
Read more