The Board:
There were 3 pieces of area terrain on each side, and a building in the middle of the table. The building was the only 4+ terrain, the rest was 5+ (ouch). Having a massive LOS blocking piece in the middle hurt, in the future I will opt to do the book placement for terrain instead of just going with whats on the table.
The lists:
CSM:
Nurgle Lord, bike, lighting claw, sigil
sorcerer 3 Mastery levels, force axe, 5++
Tzeentch Herald, no upgrades
3x Plague marines in rhinos, 2 with plasma 1 with melta
10 cultists
10 horrors
5x bikers with 2 meltas and a power fist
10x Fleshhounds
Aegis, Quadgun
DE:
Vect
3x Trueborn with 2xsplinter cannons
5x Warriors with Venoms and extra splinter cannons
1x Warriors in a Raider (vect rides here)
2x Voidraven
1x Ravager
Mission: The Relic
Deployment: Vanguard. I setup my aegis along my deployment edge, and placed the cultists in area terrain behind it (I later realized they would be better up with the aegis since it would give them a 4+ cover plus 2+ when going to ground), the pink horrors in the middle of my deployment line with the herald on the quadgun. I put my rhinos behind my bikers (big mistake) on the far left flank, and the fleshhounds on the far right flank.
My opponent deployed 6 venoms on his left flank, aimed straight at my fleshhounds. He deployed 2 venoms, a ravager and the raider on his right.
Turn 1:
Top (Dark Eldar):
Well, I need to get more used to deploying against a list like this, I didn't realize how much ranged fire they had, and deployed my fleshhounds in a way that they were in range of the entire fleet of venoms. My opponent first targetted my quadgun, killing it outright with the massed poison (the list has ~100 shots a turn, totally brutal). They moved on and killed all but 2 of my Flesh hounds. The units on the other side wiped my bike squad (I should have put them behind the rhinos to block LOS).
Bottom (CSM):
I rush my rhinos forward, try to hide my flesh hounds in the center terrain, and start moving my cultists forward. I stupidly forgot to deploy my Sorcerer, so he let me put him in the cultist squad. Since the powers I rolled were close up, I didn't wind up using him at all. I pop smoke in the movement phase and start worrying I lost the game in deployment! The Warlord's squad being destroyed meant 2 VP for my opponent.
Turn 2:
Top (Dark Eldar): The raider moves to let out the warriors and vect, moving to capture the relic. The venoms move up to wipe my last 2 flesh hounds. His 2 Voidravens arrive and damage a rhino, they also attempt to bomb my cultists, but cover protects them. The venoms on my right flank open up into my pink horrors, but they weather the entire volley, suffering a single casualty. Having a 2+ rerollable cover save is hilariou against massed poisoned shooting.
Bottom: (CSM): Both Heldrakes come in and vector strike venoms (which does nothing because of their freaking 5++ flickerfields), my Tzeentch herald uses prescience on a rhino to give the plasma gunners rerolls. I attempt to shoot down one of the flyers as its all thats in range. I shoot the Baleflamer at some venoms and fail to do any damage. I use the Hades Autocannon on one of the flyers and take a hullpoint.
Turn 3:
Top (Dark Eldar): Vect and the squad with the relic move toward the raider, but he moves them in the wrong order and they can't board the transport. One bomber flys off, the other turns to try to hit a drake. No damage done. The other venoms move over to the flank where the other 6 are, they keep their disance as they don't have anti tank to bring down my rhinos. The ravager cracks open my melta gun squad's rhino.
Bottom (CSM): My rhino squads advance, the melta gun crew hoof it. One drake flys off the table, the other vector strikes his raider and does a hullpoint. I start shooting the raider and dont get past the flicker field. The Flamer drake hits vects squad and kills a few guys. Sadly the cultists, sorcerer, and horrors/herald are basically out of the game at this point. I really could've been smarter about using them, but it was good to see how little good they could do when it comes to retrieving a far off objective, especially with instant death waiting for them behind the LOS blocking terrain. The Dakka Drake blows up a voidraven
Turn 4:
Top (Dark Eldar): Vect and co get into the raider and drift toward the wall of venoms.The flyers return and try to drop my Drake. Some hull points are done to my rhino.
Bottom (CSM): The off board drake arrives, I again vector strike a venom, this time destroying it. The other drake doesnt do any damage with his VS. I unload a squad of PM's near vect's vehicle and open fire with plasma and bolters, leaving it with one hull point.
Turn 5:
Top (Dark Eldar): The relic moves fully to the lines of Venoms, and it seems the game is going to be a loss. My only hope is to wipe vect's squad. My Plague Marines take the full firepower of the Venoms and due to some very hot FNP rolls, I only lose the squad champion on the last volley. Alas. One of my drakes gets hit and vector locked at 36".
Bottom (CSM): I vector strike with my vector locked drake on its way out, and it destroys my opponent's ravager, then flies off the table. The other cracks open vect's Raider, and a small explosion leaves them a squad of 2, pinned. I try to run my cultists up toward him.
Turn 6:
Top (Dark Eldar): The voidraven does very little for the rest of the game. Vect can't move. Not much shooting is in range, he fails to hurt my drake.
Bottom (CSM): My heldrake wipes out vect's squad, and I run my cultists forward again, really hoping to get linebreaker. I'm close to getting a tied game if I can pick up the 2nd VP...sadly they don't make it far enough. It matters little as the game goes on to turn 7.
Turn 7:
Top(Dark Eldar): A unit of warriors pops out to grab the objective, they attempt to shoot my vector locked drake foolishly, as it will fly off without being able to vector strike at the start of my next turn.
Bottom (CSM): I attempt to wipe the squad on top of the objective, but I don't have enough dakka in range. The game ends 5-1 VP victory for Dark Eldar.
I learned some things this game: My CSM have to play it safe around long range poison like massed splinter cannons. The Aegis and its 2+ cover save for gone to ground troops, especially horrors with the reroll 1's, is absolutely nutty. At least until you get hit with an ignores cover weapon, but hey its a 90 point squad that can't run. My quadgun was useless, but it ate a bunch of shooting, and ensured my fleshhounds lasted another turn.
I need to run the Sorcerer in a squad of Plague Marines if i get close up powers. If I can get invisibility, I'll leave him with the cultists and I will cast it on the bikers (makes them a lot better in almost every way). I can run that squad up if holding an objective isn't important.
I am definitely mulling going back to the 4 autocannon squad for heavy support instead of the Flesh Hounds. The reason for this is I need a 2nd target for Prescience, as the flyer isn't going to be in range often enough on its own. I'm going to give them a rhino too, as this will allow me to either do LOS blocking shenanegans (block the havocs in deployment, move in movement phase to allow them to shoot, flat out in the shooting phase to block them again), or even give the rhino to the cultists if they can't hold an objective.