Hi all,
this battle report is between Tau and Exodite 3000pts.
The Expanding Tau just couldn't let this lush ever green and blue planet pass them by.
The perfect showdown of shining high-tech battlesuits vs hard working eldar in armor on raptors and pteradons.
Its my first report and this is for the fun of it and the game but also to try the new Exodite list out " play test it".
The list is down the main page under Experimental / Eldar. Elsmore and PFE200 have done an awesome job with the list and the meer fact of bringing some Dinos and Eldar Knights to the table is reason enough for me to want to get this list tested ( and approved ) so go check it out. In that thread I have made some proposals of how the list could play and what I would like to experiment with.
So the report is on VASSAL and no miniatures exists that resembles the Exodites so for those actually looking at the pictures down below here is a breakdown of what you are looking at.
The war hosts are represented by single Dragon rider look a likes ( formation of
and the same goes for Pteradon riders look a likes flyers ( formation of .The Magadons and skywatchers ( these are the FaIcons and Firestorms of the list) are represented by Tyranid stands (formation of 5). The Knights are easy to spot bigger units (formation of 3).
Wraith skulls represented by rough riders ( formation of 6).
Incompertus, 3025 POINTS
Tau Third Phase Expansion (6.8 Approved)
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CRISIS BATTLESUIT CADRE [325]
4 XV8 Crisis Battlesuit, Shas'o
CRISIS BATTLESUIT CADRE [350]
6 XV8 Crisis Battlesuit, Shas'el
FIRE WARRIOR CADRE [400]
6 Fire Warriors, 3 Devilfish, 2 Hammerhead Gunships (Ionhead), Skyray
ARMOUR SUPPORT GROUP [225]
4 Hammerhead Gunship (Railhead)
ARMOUR SUPPORT GROUP [225]
4 Hammerhead Gunship (Railhead)
BROADSIDE GROUP [300]
6 XV88 Broadsides
RECON SKIMMER GROUP [175]
3 Tetra, 3 Piranha
RECON SKIMMER GROUP [175]
3 Tetra, 3 Piranha
SKYSWEEP SUPPORT GROUP [250]
3 Skyray Gunships
STEALTH GROUP [225]
6 XV15 Stealth Units
STEALTH GROUP [225]
6 XV15 Stealth Units
ORCA DROPSHIP [150]
ELDAR EXODITE MAIDEN WORLD 4.2 ( DEVELOPMENT)
EXODITE MAIDEN WORLD WARHOST (375)
8 X PTERADON RIDERS, EXODITE LORD
EXODITE MAIDEN WORLD WARHOST (300)
8 X PTERADON RIDERS, EXODITE NOBLE
EXODITE MAIDEN WORLD WARHOST (300)
8 X DRAGON RIDERS, EXODITE NOBLE
EXODITE MAIDEN WORLD WARHOST (300)
8 X DRAGON RIDERS, EXODITE NOBLE
RANGER (100)
4 X RANGERS
RANGER (125)
5 X RANGERS
MEGADONS TROUPE (200)
3 X MEGADON, 2 X SKYWATCHER MEGADON
MEGADONS TROUPE (200)
3 X MEGADON, 2 X SKYWATCHER MEGADON
MEGADONS TROUPE (200)
3 X MEGADON, 2 X SKYWATCHER MEGADON
RAPTOR RIDER TROUPE (200)
6 X WRAITHSKULLS
ELDAR KNIGHTS (350)
2 X BRIGHT STALLIONS, 1X TOWERING RESTROYER
ELDAR KNIGHTS (350)
2 X BRIGHT STALLIONS, 1X TOWERING RESTROYER
( as a play test Im trying out: strategy rating 3, Eldar knight +1 initiative, war host cost 275pts, war host receive +1 on initiative when engaging and also dropping all of the special rules except " may not garrison ".)
So here we goooooo... Formations off board: Exodites BTS Pteradon Riders with SC for teleport and Tau Orca with Broadsides onboard and Stealthsuits for teleport.
Exodites wins the strategy roll and lets Tau begin.
1st pic the set up and before the start of turn 1. I will refer to west as formations on the left side of the map and east on the right side of the map.
Attachment:
A1.png [ 1.39 MiB | Viewed 3308 times ]
tau - skyrays overwatch
exo - ranger in building overwatch
tau - crisis suit XL doubles shoot at ranger in forest 1 kill, 2 bm THIS triggers ranger in forest overwatch shoots dealing 1 bm to crisis suit XL
exo - dragon riders east double moves to hill by the woods
tau - orca makes ground attack drops broadsides by the east building they fire at wraithskulls 1 kill, 2bm ( they later move into building after shooting this was a mistake they are LV but it never affected the game)
exo - knight west doubles moves forward fires on stealth suit west in the woods 1 kill, 2 bm
tau - stealth suit west regroups
exo - megaton east fails to activate use SC re roll target broadsides 1bm
tau - tetra east co-fire they use SC re roll together with hammerhead east target megadon east 2 kills, breaks formation and megadon moves back from where they came
exo - dragon riders west tripple moves forward to hillside behind the west building
tau - tetra west double marking things up...
exo - megadon west double targets tetra west 1 kill, 2 bm
tau - crisis suit commander advance moves into forest around own blitz
exo - wraithskulls fails to activate regroups removes bm
tau - hammerhead centre fails to activate hold action moves takes 1bm
exo - knights east advance targets broadsides 1bm
tau - firewarrior cadre BTS double targets dragon riders east 3 kill, breaks formation
exo - megadon centre double target fire warrior cadre gives some bms?
exo - pteradon riders march moves to centre hill
end of turn: orca gets crit hit explodes over east forest and hills leaving the tau troopers besieged by dinos and gritty eldars. All broken units rallies and formations removes bms.
Attachment:
A3.png [ 1.33 MiB | Viewed 3308 times ]
turn 2
Tau is sitting pretty and Eodites are rearing up for some assaults to drive these faul creatures from their land.
Tau stealth suit teleports in on exo blitz.
Tau wins strat roll and goes first.
Attachment:
A4.png [ 1.33 MiB | Viewed 3308 times ]
tau - broadsides co-fire and double with fire warrior cadre advance broadsides advance target megadon centre 4 kill, breaks formation
exo - knights east double target fire warrior cadre 2 kill, 3 bm
exo - retain pteradon riders engage fire warrior cadre calls on fire support from knights east, kills all formation wiped out scoring 1 vp for killing BTS
tau - stealth suit from teleport sustain target ranger in building 1 kill, 5 bm breaks formation
exo - megadon east 1 left advance target tetra west 1 bm
exo - retain wraithskulls engage target tetra west calls intermingled with hammerhead east looses combat 3 killed and breaks tetras unmarked
tau - stealth suit west double target dragon riders west 1 kill, 4 bm
exo - knight west advance target stealth suit west 2 kill, 3 bm, breaks formation
tau - tetra east fails to activate use SC re roll fails again removes bm
exo - dragon riders west marshall removes bms
tau - hammerhead east double target scout east 1bm, formation breaks
exo - dragon riders east marshall moves forward removes all bms
tau - co fire with crisis suit west advance, tetra west double, hammerhead west advance target megadon west 1bm
exo - megadon west double moves back towards own blitz and targets stealth suit that teleported in 1bm
end of turn: bms removed and formations rally megadon centre and scout west remains broken.
Attachment:
a5 almost end of 2nd round.png [ 1.34 MiB | Viewed 3308 times ]
turn 3
Dinosaurs everywhere and Tau ammo is running low.
Exodites brings their BTS in the flying dinos riders swoops down from the sky and floods the stealth suit trying to hold down the fort around exo blitz. They take 2bms.
Exodites win strategy roll and goes first.
Attachment:
A6 before 3rd round.png [ 1.34 MiB | Viewed 3308 times ]
exo - ranger west engages the teleported stealth suit around own blitz calls on fire support from BTS and megadon west...its a close call but rangers with support does 4 kill and breaks formation and 2 killed scouts
exo - retain knight east sustain target crisis suit XL 2 kill, 3bm
tau - crisis suit XL double target wraithskulls 1 kill, break formation
tau - retain uses SC, co-fire tetra west advance, stealth suit west advance target BTS total 4bm ( good saves)
exo - BTS pteradon riders marshall moves around own blitz removes 3 bm
tau - hammerhead east advance target knight east 2bm, 1dmg
exo - double dragon riders west doubles down towards one of the take and hold objectives
tau - skyray sustain target megadon west 1bm ( good saves)
exo - megadon east single unit sustain target tetra west 1bm
tau - hammerhead west advance target magadon west 1bm ( again with that save)
exo - magadon west double target crisis suit XL 1bm
tau - tetra east fail order makes one move takes 1bm
exo - pteradon engage crisis suit XL wipes them out and moves back to a defend the flag objective
tau - broadsides double target knights east kills all( not good saves)
exo - drago riders east marsch and moves around another defend the flag objective
tau - crisis suit command unit advance target dragon rider west 4 kill, break formation
exo - knight west double target crisis suit command 2 kill, 3bm formation breaks
end of turn 3: Exodites win 2- 0, BTS and defend the flag.
Forgot to take the last turn picture
End of game thoughts: Tau is my nemesis but I feelt that I was in the mix the whole game. My opponent Cyguns play them and have the miniatures to back it up. He did try some new things thou and the unfortunate Orca explosion wasn't part of his gameplan.
So I did some micro tampering with the 4.2 list but I wouldn't say that did swing the game at all so I refrain from any analysis on that area.
The units and formations are super cool and the Megadons are robust but slow at a save of 4+ shoots like a Falcon. Pteradons are nasty with a move of 35cm and a FF 4+.
Knight are awesom but mixing them up not the greatest feeling. I only did that so my 375pts BTS could be off table until round 3 and make a killing.
It will be more trials and errors I hope Cyguns will throw in his two cents when he recoveres his precious hight tech suits pieces from the field of the battle.