Warhammer 40,000 Battle Report #34 - Eldar vs Necrons

After another brief hiatus we are back. This week we switched things up a bit and played some 1,000 point games. Brandon has been working on his Craftworld Eldar army for some time now, and was ready to bring what he had painted to the table. The smaller games made for a nice change of pace; let’s see what happens when the Eldar of Iybraesil and the forces of the Dagon Dynasty lock horns!

The Armies

Craftworld Iybraesil

Eldar – 1,000

Combined Arms Detachment

HQ

Farseer: Psyker (Mastery Level 2) Guide, Fortune, Eldritch Storm

TROOPS

10x Dire Avengers: Exarch, Wave Serpent with Twin Shuriken Cannons, Shuriken Cannon, and   Holofields

5x Rangers

ELITES

5x Howling Banshees: Exarch with Executioner

HEAVY SUPPORT

Wraithlord: WARLORD; 2x Bright Lance, 2x Flamer

Aspect Host

3x Dark Reapers: Exarch

5x Striking Scorpions: Exarch has Scorpion’s Claw

5x Warp Spiders

Dagon Dynasty

Necrons – 1,000

Reclamation Legion

Overlord: WARLORD (Hyperlogical Strategist); Warscythe, Veil of Darkness

Immortals: five additional Immortals; Gauss Blasters

Necron Warriors: eight additional Warriors; Ghost Ark transport

Necron Warriors: eight additional Warriors

Tomb Blades: three additional Tomb Blades; Shieldvanes, Nebuloscopes

After Action Review

The Farseer rolling up Eldritch Storm really put a hitch in my battle plans. Initially I wanted to drop the Immortals right in front of his army as a shock unit, to force him into immediate reactionary mode. Instead I settled for the flank, thinking I would easily wipe out the Aspect Warriors there. I failed to account for how fast the Banshees are though, and my Lord and his boys spent most of the game simply being picked on.

I’m not sure how much I like the aspect-heavy approach to Eldar, at least in terms of the close combat choices. They seem too frail to get their job done, despite the added bonuses they have received in recent books. That Toughness value of 3 just means tons of wounds coming through, and even Shrouded cover saves don’t account for much then.

The Wraithlord made a nice homefield bulwark at this points value, as my Bikes were prevented from simply scrambling straight up the middle. That said, I loved what the Tomb Blades brought to the army. They quickly eliminated snipers that would have otherwise been a huge hassle, and their devastating weaponry meant that the Dire Avengers were kept out of the fight until late game. Even when they did commit, their damage was made negligible as things had already turned firmly in favor of the Necrons.

However, Brandon was simply painting models that he liked from an aesthetic point of view. This was his first game with the Eldar, and they are very much on the opposite end of the resilience spectrum from his usual Nurgle-themed Chaos armies. I’m sure he will be making improvements before they face Dagon again, and if I know Eldar, then I know they will be back to avenge their fallen.

What do you think, ladies and gents? Leave your comments below!