Warhammer 40,000 Battle Report #53 - Dark Eldar vs Khorne Demons

Happy All Saint’s Day! Here at the Maelstrom we finished off the month of October with another game in the story arc of Arenam. For this one we played Mission 8, with the Dark Eldar retreating to their hideout to lick their wounds and regroup for the coming battles. While they were there, the forces of Moloch the Elder fell upon them once more, and glorious battle was joined again. Blood for the Blood God!

Dracon Uyarth grimaced at the fortresses surrounding his warriors. This was not the way of Commoragh, he thought. To defend a position was bad enough, but to do it behind walls constructed by the pathetic Mon’keigh was something else entirely. Still, the previous occupiers had provided good sport.

Like relentless attack hounds, the forces of the bloody god had followed them across the northern wastelands of Arenam, disrupting one phase of their attack after another. A raid would no more than end before the forces of Chaos were falling upon them once more, biting and tearing and slashing. No matter how many of the Demons they killed, there always seemed to be more waiting just beyond the veil.

The bruised thunderheads were rolling in again now, and Uyarth could hear the howls of Khorne’s hounds on the wind. His warriors stiffened around him, quickly disembarking from the remaining Raiders and taking up residence in the crumbling edifices that surrounded them. Uyarth hissed at the sky once more, remembering their last battle. Sapka had charged recklessly into the enemy’s lines, and he had been slain as a result. The gory artillery batteries thundered, blowing the Archon and his entire retinue apart in a sticky mass of destroyed flesh and screaming skulls. Even as he died, the insane leader cackled maniacally.

Uyarth had risked much to recover something of his Archon. He toyed with the shattered bit of hand, briefly considering simply tossing it over the side of his skiff and leaving the Archon in the past. If he did, though, he knew what the Haemonculi would do when he returned to Commoragh. Sapka might be insane, but he had a foolproof pact with the dark underlords of the evil city.

Great black wings opened against the sky, and without warning the demons were upon them.

The Armies

Sapka’s Symphony

Dark Eldar – 2,000

Combined Arms Detachment

HQ

Archon: WARLORD (Labyrinthine Cunning); Power Sword, Armor of Misery, Haywire Grenades

TROOPS

Wyches: four additional Wyches; Raider transport with Disintegrator Cannon, Enhanced Ethersails

Kabalite Warriors: five additional Warriors; Shredder, Raider transport with Disintegrator             Cannon, Enhanced Ethersails

Kabalite Warriors: five additional Warriors; Shredder, Raider transport with Disintegrator             Cannon, Enhanced Ethersails

Kabalite Warriors: five additional Warriors; Shredder, Raider transport with Disintegrator             Cannon, Enhanced Ethersails

Kabalite Warriors: five additional Warriors; Shredder, Raider transport with Disintegrator             Cannon, Enhanced Ethersails

ELITES

Wracks: five additional Wracks; Raider transport with Disintegrator Cannon, Enhanced    Ethersails

FAST ATTACK

Hellions: five additional Hellions, Helliarch with Stunclaw and Splinter Pistol

Reaver Jetbikes: three additional Reavers, 2x Blaster

Scourges: Solarite with Venom Blade and Splinter Pistol

HEAVY SUPPORT

Ravager: 3x Dark Lance

Ravager: 3x Dark Lance

Ravager: 3x Dark Lance

The Tithe

Chaos Demons – 1,992

Demonic Incursion

Demon Lord

325      Moloch, He Who Feasts: Bloodthirster of Insensate Rage; 2x Greater Reward, Lesser                               Reward

Murderhorde

145      Skulltaker: Juggernaut

270      Bloodcrushers of Khorne: two additional Bloodcrushers; Banner of Blood, Instrument of                                     Chaos, Bloodhunter with Lesser Reward

130      Bloodletters of Khorne: Banner of Blood, Instrument of Chaos

130      Bloodletters of Khorne: Banner of Blood, Instrument of Chaos

130      Bloodletters of Khorne: Banner of Blood, Instrument of Chaos

78        Flesh Hounds of Khorne: one additional Flesh Hound

78        Flesh Hounds of Khorne: one additional Flesh Hound

78        Flesh Hounds of Khorne: one additional Flesh Hound

78        Flesh Hounds of Khorne: one additional Flesh Hound

Gorethunder Battery

175      Herald of Khorne: Blood Throne of Khorne, Locus of Wrath, Greater Reward

125      Skull Cannon

125      Skull Cannon

125      Skull Cannon

After Action Review

Another bloodbath for the Blood God!

This mission was not a good match-up for the Dark Eldar. However, casualties in the first chapter of the campaign by the xenos forces led to their defensive stand here, and we were determined to play it through to the fluff of the campaign. It’s one of the things my group of players likes most about campaigning as opposed to the white-washed approach of tournaments. Sometimes, war isn’t inherently fair, and you have to battle against it to overcome the odds.

Once we deployed, I thought I was in deep trouble. I realized that the Bloodthirster was the only real chance I had to smash his bunkers, and once he went down I would have made as much progress as possible at shattering the defenses. The only secondary option was to rely on the Armorbane flamer shot on the Bloodhunter, and hope against hope that I would roll some 6s for the shots off the Skull Cannons.

I think Josh made a mistake was in not attempting to Seize. If he could have shut down the Bloodthirster on the top of turn one before he ever got into melee with the bunker system, I think the game would have turned out quite differently. I also think it might have turned out a little better if he had spaced his assailants when he made his assault against the Bloodthirster. Since they all came out in clustered groups, it allowed a single shot from the Skull Cannons to completely cave in the flank and end his potential to mop up the Hounds and consolidate for a push against the rest of the Demons as they arrived.

With all that said, it was an uphill battle for him from the beginning. Look for more games in Arenam in the near future, where the mobility of the Dark Eldar will count for even more!