Sprue Posse GT Game #2

So after my loss I was down into the loser bracket. Not such a bad thing since now I do not have to face off against Space Wolves or any of the other brutal armies there.



Game #2 vs. Christian's Space Wolves

What the heck! Space Wolves again? I found out later that he went up against another SW player and lost (figures) so I get to play them again.


Here is the odd thing:

If you look at the batreps of the GT, only Reese face another SW player, and he faced an army just like his own. I do not know why I was blessed with playing all of the SW players.


Space Wolves: Who let the dogs out?

(List is from memory)


HQ

Wolf Lord on Thunder Wolf w/Powerfist, Artificer Armor, Storm Shield, 2 Fenrisian Wolves, Saga of the Bear

Wolf Lord on Thunder Wolf w/Frost Axe, Artificer Armor, Storm Shield, 2 Fenrisian Wolves, Saga of Majesty

Wolf Lord on Thunder Wolf w/Wolf Claw, Artificer Armor, Storm Shield, 1 Fenrisian Wolf


Troops

5 Grey Hunters w/Melta Gun

Razorback w/TL Heavy Bolter

5 Grey Hunters w/Melta Gun

Razorback w/TL Heavy Bolter 

Fast Attack

4 Thunderwolves w/different wargear and 2 Fenrisian Wolves 

Heavy Support

6 Long Fangs w/5 Missile Launchers

6 Long Fangs w/5 Missile Launchers

6 Long Fangs w/5 Missile Launchers


He had a bunch of other wargear, but you get the general idea.  

Mission: Capture and Control       

Deployment: Pitched Battle


I win the dice roll to go first! The Baron really knows how to start a game. Normally I go second a lot. 

Deployment

Does this table look familiar? Again I chose the side with the LOS blocking terrain.


I place my objective in the lower left had corner. I was thinking that his T-Wolves would march down the center of the table, and I wanted it to be far away from the center of the board.

At the lunch break we were talking about what I did wrong in the last game. 'They' thought that I should have started in the middle of the board and then I could move either to the left or the right to get local fire superiority, so that is what I do.

Note: I take nothing for granted and I try to protect myself at all times. I have the venoms screen the raiders, and hide the hellions behind some cover. The Ravagers are behind the hill out of LOS. The Razorwing is in reserve.

He keeps his 2 troops in reserve which is good if you only have 10 of them and you want to keep them alive. He deploys the T-Wolves in the center of the table directly across from me. He then puts all of his Long Fangs in the woods. Here is something that surprised me. He handed me is army list on really think paper and I saw that he only had one squad of long fangs. I thought that was odd (really, who would only take one long fang squad?) but I did not question it. After he dropped the 3 squads down I discovered that 2 pages where stuck together, and that there were 2 long fang squads on the second page. That is why I deployed out in the open with my large Warrior Squad because he had such limited long range anti-tank. Oh, well, I am going first, so I will just move away from all of his fire power.


He rolls a "6" to seize the initiative, and he goes first. L At this time I have a feeling that this will not go well.

Turn 1

Space Wolf Turn 1

The Dogs move forward. He unloads on my paper airplanes, and he does not do all that much damage, but he hurts me where he needs to be taking out my Incubi Raider, and immobilizing the Wyches Raider. Well that is disastrous because my assault now has no mobility. I can't reach his long fangs, and I can't dictate where the T-Wolves get into assault.  

Dark Eldar Turn 1

I am about to get hit by his T-Wolves so I have to do something. I move the hellions into the forest to be a sacrifice to the assault gods. I want him to hit the hellions, and then he will be in position for me to counter-attack with my Wyches and my Incubi. I feebly shoot back at him. A 2+/3++ save is tough to get through.

Turn 2

Space Wolf Turn 2

He shoots at my Incubi with Frag missiles and does 8 wounds, and I fail 6 saves and they fail their leadership check and they and Archon run off of the board. (Facepalm). Times like this I realize that I was within 6" of the Wyches Raider and I could have re-rolled the leadership check.

He assaults my hellions and finishes them off quickly. I screwed up and kept the Baron in the squad. Since they are there to be sacrificed he should have been split off.

(No Picture) 

Dark Eldar Turn 2

I get my Nightwing on and I unload on the T-Wolves. I hit is with 4 missiles, 2 Dark Lances and a Splinter Cannon and I kill most of the dogs, and put wounds on everyone else.

I counter assault with my Wyches. They are weak as kittens, and do one wound. He has a Wolf Lord with only one wound left, and my Hekatrix wounded him twice with her agonizer, but he made 2, 3+ saves. The Wyches prove to be a lot more durable than I thought that they would and they only take 3 wounds in return. Of course I can't make a morale roll, and they run off of the table.

Turn 3

Space Wolf Turn 3

At this point is it just a mop up action as his wolves go after my warriors.


Dark Eldar Turn 3

It is all over but the shouting at this point. I lack the firepower to shot and kill his troops to get the tie.

The game was over when he seized the initiative. He just has too much firepower that can blow me out of the sky. I still thought that I had a chance if I could get the Incubi, the Archon and the Wyches to assault the Wolf-star at the same time and perhaps get a tie, but he took out my mobility, and then he took out the Incubi.


Lessons learned:

I had Grisly Trophies on the Wyche's raider and I forgot all about them. The Incubi might have stayed around to help out the Wyches, (but even then losing 6 of them hurt badly). I need to stop the hemorrhaging from failed leadership checks, and I had the tools right there.

I also learned how to properly use a Razorwing. Instead of using it as a tool of finesse and keeping it at long range, and taking a few missile shots, I should just use it as a disposable hammer. I can't keep the thing alive, so it might as well go out in a blaze of glory! By launching 4 missiles, 2 Dark Lances, and a Splinter cannon, it can put a hurting on a lot of things.

I also royally screwed up the objective placement. I have no idea what I was thinking other than I wanted it in a corner and I wanted a good field of fire for the warriors, and placed it out in the open. Even if I thought that he had only one Long Fang squad, it should have been somewhere that had some cover. I was thinking that I wanted it to be far away from him, and I wanted an open field of fire to anything that would try to take it, but that was a mistake.