Thursday 19 May 2016

Battle Report 57- 1500 pts Orks vs Dark Eldar

This week's battle report sees my Orks taking on James' Dark Eldar in the Contact Lost maelstrom mission.
A little while ago, I posted my proposed armies up for the upcoming Double Trouble tournament. There was a huge outpouring for me to take my Orks along- they are an army that I have never taken to one of Alex's events so far and one that I don't get to play often enough. They are also one of my favourite armies to play as they are simply so much fun. I decided I will start playing more games with them in the run up to Double Trouble so that I can get used to their rules once more and start testing some additional potential lists.

For my army, I decided to see if I could beat the puny Dark Eldar at their own game and went for a fast moving Speed Freaks type army, but with masses of bodies in true Orky style.

My army consisted of:
Warboss- Eavy Armour, Power Klaw, Shoota, Bosspole (with SB1)
Painboy (with SB1)
18 Slugga Boyz- inc Nob with Power Klaw and Bosspole (SB1)
12 Slugga Boyz- inc Nob with Power Klaw and Bosspole (SB2)
Trukk- Big Shoota (T2)
12 Slugga Boyz- inc Nob with Power Klaw and Bosspole (SB3)
Trukk- Big Shoota (T3)
12 Slugga Boyz- inc Nob with Big Choppa and Bosspole (SB4)
Trukk- Big Shoota (T4)
12 Slugga Boyz- inc Nob with Big Choppa and Bosspole (SB5)
Trukk- Big Shoota (T5)
9 Tankbustas (TB)
Trukk- big shoota (T1)
6 Warbikers- Nob with Power Klaw and Bosspole (W)
Looted Wagon- Ard case, Killcannon, Big Shoota (LW)
Dakkajet- 3 Supa shootas (D)
2 Scorchas (S)
Battlewagon- Extra armour, 2 Big Shootas (B)

My warlord trait allowed me to re-roll one failed To Hit or To Wound roll per turn. When it comes to an Ork army, I think a Warboss is the only way to go when leading the force. He is a beast in combat (when armed with a Klaw) and can call a Waaagh in the game, which is a great bonus for the Orks. He got some Eavy Armour for a little added durability, but he would need to rely on his high toughness and wounds to keep him alive. On a side note, I always used to give him a Cybork Body under the old codex to help with his durability, but with the 7th edition codex, they decided that a 5+ invulnerable save was way too powerful for a close combat character, so nerfed it into a 6+ Feel no Pain.

Next up, I took a Painboy to join the Warboss' mob. I think the Painboy works better than the Kustom Force Field as you also get the save in combat, as well as in the shooting phase (in most cases). I took a large mob of slugga boyz (with Nob with power klaw and bosspole) and a Battlewagon for them to ride in and get to the fight quicker.

As they were feeling lonely, I took 4 mobs of slugga boyz in trukks to keep them company and to close fast on any Raiders James had. I also took a unit of tankbustas in a trukk, great for taking on any enemy vehicles and one of the better units in the codex.

Next came the fun stuff! I took a unit of warbikers. I wanted to see how they performed as they would be a nice small unit for Double Trouble that can quickly grab objectives and put out some decent firepower.
I also took a Looted Wagon with Killcannon. My lootas need some firepower and the S7 blast should hopefully get rid of those pesky feel no pain rolls on the Dark Eldar. I also took 2 Scorchas. I love these vehicles, they can outflank to get close to the enemy, they re-roll dangerous terrain rolls and the Scorchas are great for units such as Dark Eldar warriors. Finally, I took a Dakkajet. James tends to favour flyers for his Dark Eldar and I thought this would be great for taking them on (plus I love the model).

James' army consisted of:
Archon- Armour of Misery, Huskblade, Soultrap, Shadowfield, Webway Gate (with K1)
Haemonculus- Liquifier, Archangel of Pain, Mindphase Gauntlet (with K1)
8 Kabalites- Sybrite, Phantasm grenade launcher, Blaster (K1)
Raider- Nightshield, Splinter Racks, Torment grenade launcher, Dark Lance (R1)
10 Kabalites- Sybrite, Splinter Cannon (K2)
Raider- Nightshield, Splinter Racks, Torment grenade launcher, Dark Lance (R2)
10 Kabalites- Sybrite, Splinter Cannon (K3)
Raider- Nightshield, Splinter Racks, Torment grenade launcher, Dark Lance (R3)
Razorwing- Dark Lances, Two shattershield missiles, Nightshield, Splinter cannon (R)
5 Scourges- 4 Haywire Blasters (S)
6 Reaver Jetbikes- Champion with power weapon, two heat lances, Caltrop (RJ)
8 Mandrakes (M)

James' warlord trait gave him re-rolls to Night Fight and Reserve rolls. His combat drugs gave the jetbikes +1 toughness.

We set up the objectives as shown below:
The shields represent the objectives.
 
James won the roll for deployment zone and deploying first. He deployed the Jetbikes on the left flank behind some ruins, with a Raider in the centre behind the bastion. On the right flank, another Raider and Scourges deployed behind the ruins.

I deployed the Battlewagon with the Warboss in the centre, with the Tankbusta's trukk beside them and the Looted Wagon in the ruins to the left. I put two trukks and the Warbikers on the left flank and the other two trukks on the right flank. My plan was simple and Orky- advance on the Dark Eldar as quickly as possible and smash them, grabbing the objectives where I can.

The Mandrakes infiltrated forward into the centre of the board in the ruins.





There was no night fighting (even with James' re-roll) and I failed to seize the initiative.

TURN 1- DARK ELDAR
This turn, James drew No Prisoners (destroy an enemy unit).

The two Raiders moved out to get into line of sight of the Orks, the Reaver Jetbikes moved up towards the centre of the board, turbo-boosting to gain more ground.



The central Raider opened fire on the Looted Wagon, glancing it and stunning the Ork vehicle (well, it belongs to the Orks now).

The Scourges fired their haywire blasters at a Trukk, glancing it once. The nearby Raider also fired on the trukk, glancing it once more.

The Mandrakes fired on the Warbikers, killing two of the squad despite the jinking of the Ork bikers. The bikers failed their morale check and I rolled a 1 on the mob table. I re-rolled the result and got another 1 and the Bikers fled off the table.

At the end of the turn, James scored First Blood and No Prisoners.

TURN 1- ORKS
This turn, I drew Assassinate (kill an enemy character), Scour the Skies (destroy an enemy flyer) and Kingslayer (slay the enemy warlord). This would be a hard turn for me to score as two of my objectives were not on the board.

On the left flank, one Trukk advanced on the Dark Eldar lines, turbo-boosting forward to get into range of the objective, while the damaged Trukk stayed in position. In the centre, the Tankbustas' Trukk and Battlewagon moved up towards the centre, while on the right flank, one of the Trukks turbo-boosted forward to grab the objective in front of them.

The Tankbustas opened fire at the Raider in front of them, penetrating it twice. However, the damage was saved by the Jinking skimmer. The Battlewagon fired its big shootas at the Reaver Jetbikes, slaying one of the squad.


The damaged Trukk on the left fired at the Raider in front of it, but failed to hit the enemy vehicle.

At the end of my turn, I scored no points and discarded Kingslayer.

VICTORY POINTS:
Dark Eldar- 2
Orks- 0

TURN 2- DARK ELDAR
James drew objective 5 at the start of turn 2.

The Dark Eldar reserves arrived, the Archon directing his Raider to land behind the damaged Trukk and the Razorwing moving to engage the Warboss' transport.


The Reaver Jetbikes moved to engage the Ork Trukk that had advanced on their lines, while the Raider moved up to the bastion to grab objective 5. On the right flank, the Raider moved to the flank of the Ork transport.


The Scourges fired their Haywire weapons at the Trukk in front of them, wrecking the enemy vehicle and forcing the Ork mob to spill out. The Raider, the embarked Kabalites and Mandrakes fired on the mob with a punishing crossfire, wiping them out.

The Archon's Raider fired its Dark Lance at the Trukk in front of it, penetrating the vehicle and causing it to explode, killing three Orks in the process. The Archon's squad opened fire on the survivors, killing three more and wounding the Nob. The squad began to panic, but the Nob kept them in line at the cost of another Ork boy (I failed my morale check, but the mob rule table kept me in the fight with the loss of one more of the squad).

The Razorwing fired at the Battlewagon, its Dark Lances penetrating the vehicle and Immobilising it. It then fired its Shattershard missile, catching the battlewagon and the Tankbustas' Trukk. The explosive shot managed to immobilise the trukk, as well as killing one of the tankbustas and three of the Warboss' mob.

The Reaver Jetbikes opened fire on the trukk in front of them, but failed to cause any damage, even with their heat lances. The Jetbikes decided to finish off the vehicle in combat, charging into the ramshackle transport. The mob in the trukk fired their sluggas at the approaching Dark Eldar. Some amazing rolls from me and poor saves from James saw 3 of the jetbikes die to overwatch fire! As a result, they failed their charge.

At the end of the turn, James scored Objective 5.

TURN 2- ORKS
This turn I drew Stomp 'Em Boys (destroy an enemy unit in the assault phase), Get 'Em Boss (have my Warlord kill a character in a challenge), Objective 3, Scour the Skies and Kingslayer.

Hearing the Warboss bellow a mighty Waaagh!, the Dakkajet surged onto the battlefield, moving on the left flank to engage the enemy forces. The Warboss led his unit out of the Battlewagon to advance on the Mandrakes (I needed to kill three units in combat to get the bonus points for Stomp 'Em Boys), while the Tankbustas also disembarked.

On my left flank, the remains of the mob in my deployment zone advanced on the Archon's Raider, while the squad on the other flank moved up to engage the Reaver Jetbikes.

In the shooting phase, the Battlewagon and two of the nearby trukks fired at the Razorwing, but failed to hit the flyer. The Looted Wagon fired its big shoota at the flyer, glancing it once (I decided not to fire the Killcannon at the Mandrakes, they had a 2+ cover save and I didn't want to risk the shot scattering onto my own units). The Tankbustas decided to show them how it was done and fired their rokkits at the flyer, penetrating the jinking flyer twice and bringing it down. The downed Razorwing crashed into the Mandrakes, but failed to cause any damage. Seeing the carnage, the Warboss led his unit towards the ruins, running 6" to get into range for combat.

The Dakkajet fired on the Raider in front of it, penetrating the skimmer 6 times and blowing it up and killing three of the Kabalite warriors embarked on it.

In the assault phase, the Ork mob threw themselves at the Jetibkes, one Ork dying to the overwatch fire. The Champion challenged the Nob, wounding him once, while the other Jetbike killed another Ork. The Nob struck back, easily wiping out the squad with his Power Klaw attacks.

The mob in my deployment zone charged the Raider, three of the squad dying to the overwatch fire from the squad in the skimmer. The Nob easily wrecked the vehicle with his Power Klaw attacks.

The Warboss' mob charged the Mandrakes, two of the squad dying to overwatch fire. The Mob unfortunately failed to make the charge (I needed an 8" charge and failed to make the distance, even with my re-roll).

At the end of my turn, I scored Objective 3, Scour the Skies and Stomp 'Em Boys for 3 points to bring me back in the game. I discarded Get 'Em Boss.

VICTORY POINTS:
Dark Eldar- 3
Orks- 3

TURN 3- DARK ELDAR
This turn, James drew Objective 3.

The Archon led his squad up to engage the Mob that had the temerity to attack his personal transport. The remnants of the Raider squad in front of him moved up on the objective beside the wrecked Trukk, while the Scourges moved up on the Warboss' Mob. The Mandrakes in the ruins moved up another level, hoping to stall the Ork assault once more.


In the shooting phase, the Raider on top of the Bastion fired on the Tankbustas, the Dark Lance killing one of the squad, while the torment grenade launcher caused no damage. The Kabalite warriors in the transport focused their fire on the mob advancing to their left, wiping them out with their splinter fire.

The Mandrakes fired at the Tankbustas, killing four of the squad. The Orks held their nerve, passing their morale test. The Scourges opened fire on the Looted Wagon, finishing off the vehicle with their haywire blasters.

The Archon's squad targeted the Mob beside them, easily wiping out the remnants of the squad.

At the end of his turn, James scored no objectives.

TURN 3- ORKS
This turn I drew Grab da Loot (score a randomly determined objective), Behind Enemy Lines and Kingslayer.

The mob of trukk boys in my deployment zone jumped out of their trukk as it sped towards the enemy deployment zone.


The Scorchas arrived, outflanking to my left flank and advancing on the Kabalite warriors from the wrecked trukk.

The Dakkajet turned towards the centre of the battlefield, while the Warboss led his mob towards the Mandrakes once more.

In the shooting phase, the two trukks fired on the Raider on top of the bastion, but the Jinking flyer saved the damage. The Dakkajet also opened fire on the Raider, penetrating it once and stunning it. The Tankbustas opened fire on the Raider, blowing it up in a shower of shrapnel. Eight of the Kabalite warriors were wounded, but some great saving throws and feel no pain rolls from James saw not a single Dark Eldar warrior fall.

The Scorchas opened fire on the Kabalite warriors, hitting them 9 times. I then managed to only cause 5 wounds (after rolling four 1's to wound) and killing four of the Kabalites. The squad passed their morale and held the objective.

The Warboss led his mob in an assault against the Mandrakes, but only just (I first rolled a 3 for my 4" charge, but fortunately my re-roll allowed me to make it into assault. I'm not sure what would have happened to my mental state if they failed the charge again). The Mandrakes struck at the Orks, causing one wound that was deflected by the Painboy. The mob wiped the unit out in reply.

At the end of my turn, I scored 2 points for Behind Enemy Lines (I had 3 units in the enemy deployment zone) and discarded Kingslayer.

VICTORY POINTS:
Dark Eldar- 3
Orks- 5

TURN 4- DARK ELDAR
This turn, James controlled a host of objectives, drawing Objective 3, Supremacy (hold at least 2 objectives and twice as many as your opponent) and Behind Enemy Lines.

The Archon led his unit up to secure objective 6, while the Scourges moved to engage the Scorchas.


The Kabalites in the Bastion fired at the Tankbustas, wiping out the squad. The scourges fired their haywire blasters at the Scorchas, but some poor to hit rolls saw the nearest wartrakk only take a single hull point in damage.

The scourges assaulted the Scorchas. Thanks to only being allowed to use on grenade attack, they managed to wreck one of the vehicles, but left the other unscathed.

At the end of his turn, James scored Behind Enemy Lines.

TURN 4- ORKS
This turn, I drew Objective 2, Ere we Go, Waaagh! (charge more than 10") and has Grab da Loot.

The Warboss decided to stay put, he was sulking as he had not managed to bloody his Power Klaw this game. The Scorcha move back to engage the Scourges. One of the mobile trukks surged forward to grab the central objective, immobilising itself on the difficult terrain as it arrived at its destination. The Dakkajet left the airspace, hoping to wheel back around for juicier targets in the next turn.

In the shooting phase, the wartrakk fired its Scorcha at the Scourges, killing 2 of the squad. The trukks and Warboss' mob opened fire on the Warriors in the bastion, killing three of the squads. Both units passed their morale tests.

At the end of my turn, the random objective was number 2, which I currently held, so scored two points for Objective 2 and Grab da Loot.

VICTORY POINTS:
Dark Eldar- 4
Orks- 7

TURN 5- DARK ELDAR
This turn, James drew Objective 3, Objective 5, Hold the Line and Supremacy.

The Scourges moved to the flank of the Scorcha, while the Archon's unit advanced on the trukk in the centre.

The Scourges fired at the Scorcha, wrecking the enemy vehicle. The Kabalites opened fire on the Ork mob opposite them, killing one of the squad as they went to ground.

At the end of his turn, James scored Objective 5 and discarded Objective 3.

TURN 5- ORKS
This turn, I drew Psychological Warfar (force a failed morale test), Hungry for Glory (issue a challenge) and Domination (control all 6 objectives). I was unlikely to score any of these this turn.

The Dakkajet re-deployed, moving up on the Kabalites in the bastion, hoping to kill enough to force a morale test. Other than that, there was little movement in the ork forces.

The Dakkajet fired on the Dark Eldar, who went to ground, but the flyer failed to cause any wounds. The two trukks and Ork Mob opened fire on the unit, but failed to cause any damage. The trukk in the centre fired on the Archon's squad, but failed to cause any harm.

At the end of my turn, I scored no points.

VICTORY POINTS:
Dark Eldar- 5
Orks- 7

We rolled to see if the game continued and it did not. We both scored Linebreaker, making the final score:

Dark Eldar- 6
Orks- 8
End of the Game.

A win for the Greenskins!

AFTER-BATTLE THOUGHTS
Thanks to James for another great game, it's always quite entertaining when we face one another.

The stars of the game were definitely the Tankbustas. They managed to take down the enemy flyer and one of the Raiders with some great shots when the other Ork units could not manage it.

Fortunately, my luck with the maelstrom cards improved after the first turn, where my initial draw was pretty poor and I wasn't able to score anything.

Unfortunately, the two units I wanted to try out in the game (Warbikers and Looted Wagon) were neutralised pretty quickly, so I will need to play another few games to see how they perform. It was also annoying that the battlewagon and Trukk got immobilised so quickly, having their mobility would have helped later in the game.

I will need to play more games with my Orks now to get more used to their various rules before the upcoming tournament.



2 comments:

  1. Thanks for another cool report! It's true, Orks are always fun, and a good choice for a not uber competitive tournament. I've always wanted to play Orks, too, as th fluff and th sculpts and the rules are so cool. But from giving Renegades & Heretics a go I found that I HATE moving so many models around - the deployment arleady annoys me, then you move them, then you have to take them off the board just as quickly...ugh. Shame, really.

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    1. Yeah, it's even worse for Orks as they have to move towards the enemy. At least my Guard army is largely stationary for most of the game.

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