As I've almost painted my Ravenwing I thought I'd bring them out for a whirl. Plus Poddy has never played against Ravenwing. I am a bit worried about this game as Poddy is using Venom Spam, and if he gets first turn he'll probably table me by turn 2 or 3.
Dark Angels 'Ravenwing' -2,000 points
HQ
Sammael
Ravenwing Command Squad - black knight, apothecary, grenade launcher & standard of devastation
Techmarine - power field generator & auspex
Troops
6 x Ravenwing Attack Squad w/ Attack Bike - 2 x meltaguns - Sgt w/ melta bombs - Attack Bike w/ multi melta
6 x Ravenwing Attack Squad w/ Attack Bike - 2 x meltaguns - Sgt w/ melta bombs - Attack Bike w/ multi melta
6 x Ravenwing Attack Squad w/ Attack Bike - 2 x plasma guns - Attack Bike w/ multi melta
6 x Ravenwing Attack Squad w/ Attack Bike - 2 x plasma guns - Attack Bike w/ multi melta
6 x Ravenwing Attack Squad - 2 x flamers
Fast Attack
7 x Ravenwing Black Knights - 2 x grenade launchers
Dark Eldar 'Kabal of the Gaping Gash' - 2,000 points
HQ
Haemonculus
Elite
3 x Kabalite Trueborn w/ Venom - 3 x blasters - Venom w/ splinter cannon
3 x Kabalite Trueborn w/ Venom - 3 x blasters - Venom w/ splinter cannon
3 x Kabalite Trueborn w/ Venom - 3 x blasters - Venom w/ splinter cannon
Troops
5 x Kabalite Warriors w/ Venom - blaster - Venom w/ splinter cannon
5 x Kabalite Warriors w/ Venom - blaster - Venom w/ splinter cannon
5 x Kabalite Warriors w/ Venom - blaster - Venom w/ splinter cannon
5 x Kabalite Warriors w/ Venom - blaster - Venom w/ splinter cannon
5 x Kabalite Warriors w/ Venom - blaster - Venom w/ splinter cannon
10 x Wyches w/ Raider - shardnet + impaler & haywire grenades - Hekkatrix w/ agoniser
Fast Attack
6 x Reaver Jetbikes - 2 x heat lances
6 x Reaver Jetbikes - 2 x heat lances
Heavy Support
Ravager - flickerfield
Ravager - flickerfield
Ravager - flickerfield
Game: dawn of war + crusade - night fighting not active
Deployment
I won the roll off for table sides and picked the side with a large opening, this will allow me to put my Ravenwing together without worrying about terrain tests and keeping units in range of the banner. Wouldn't have mattered going the more heavy terrain side as the D.E would draw LOS through the windows.
Poddy won the roll off for deployment and he decided to go first. He lined up his Ravagers at the front side ways one, thanks to the sail it is really hard to spot Venoms behind. On my right flank he puts two Trueborn and two troop Venoms while on the left flank (Venoms are placed between a ruin) he places the remaining units. The Reavers are chilling out on the left if I remember.
I deploy opposite Poddy and have made my bed with little LOS blocking terrain. I place the Black Knights on the left using a ruin to block LOS while Attack Bikes go at the front with the vanilla bolter units behind, then the RCS with the special units supporting.
* Tactical Notes
I've got to admit I am pretty worried about this match up and I think my goose is cooked before the game even starts. Poddy's mass poisoned shooting will just ruin my Ravenwing and will do it quickly. I just hope I get lucky and manage to seize, not a good plan, but it is better than getting shot at first turn!
I will scout the entire army forward, Poddy can use his range against me and at least if I scout then I can get my medium and short ranged shooting in action and maybe get some assaults off first turn.
My targets will be the troop carrying Venoms. The mass poison weaponry is my big problem and I need to put a stop to this as soon as possible. Lances are a pain too, but I've got jink and other forms of cover. Ravenwing really do not play the war of attrition will.
Turn 1
I scout all my bikes forward and I am half way across the board. I've put myself in range of Poddy's troops, but hopefully I've used terrain will go block LOS to the Black Knights and units in the large centre ruin some what.
I then roll to seize and boosh, I get a 6!
Ravenwing; I roll everything up and I am in Poddy's face turn 1.
Shooting; Black Knights shoot the Venom holding troops and only manage to take a hull point from it. An Attack Bike has a pop and misses while another hits and pens, flickerfield saves. Long range plasma shots into a Trueborn Venom on the right flank opens it up, it goes boom and two Trueborn survive. Bolter salvo opens up and I take down another two Venoms on the same flank, both Warrior units move into terrain to get cover. Sammy and the RCS fire into the Trueborn I first popped open, they go to ground and a single Trueborn survives who passes morale.
Dark Eldar; Venoms move so they do not get auto hit while Ravagers move over to the left and right flanks, two on the left one on the right behind the large ruin. Reavers come out to play, looks like bladevane time! Wyches come out and are ready to beat some bikes up.
Shooting; Ravager on the right fires at an Attack Bike by the Wyches and it takes a wound.Warriors in the centre ruin out their busted Venom fire into an Attack Bike and put a single wound on it, should have fired at the already wounded one! Black Knights get shot at by all remaining Venoms, two Trueborn units, three Warrior units and two Ravagers - they eventually die but that's all of Poddy's fire power used to kill them! Some amazing rolls here by me. Reavers use their bladevanes and both of them sweep the RCS, the apothecary dies on the first armour save (idiot) while a Black Knight falls, Techmarine does look out, sir on all wounds allocated on Sammy and passes the lot.
Assault; Wyches multi assault the two Attack Bikes, one Attack Bike dies and another takes a wound, I do hit and run and leave the Wyches out in the open.
* Tactical Notes
At first glance I was hoping for a better first turn. I really wanted those multi meltas to do some damage, but taking out three Venoms isn't something I can complain at. I really also cannot complain about the receiving end either, sure I lost my Black Knights, but they absorbed so much fire power it is crazy.
The Wyches are now pissing in the wind thanks to my hit and run move, which is awesome as my multi melta can shoot. I'll bring up the RCS and send them into the Wyches. Meltas will move up and start shooting Venoms, though one melta unit will have to go after the Raider as it's just there. Bolters will start firing into the troop units and Reavers.
Turn 2
Ravenwing; RCS moves forward through the large centre ruin ready to engage the Wyches, remaining units swarm around flanking down between the Raider and large ruin while a melta unit and other unit come down the left flank of the large ruin while three units remain by the large ruin to deal with the Reavers.
Shooting; multi melta fires into a Venom and makes it go boom, a single Warrior remains who is pinned, though fails morale and runs off the board. Bolters fire into the Venoms behind and take another one, squad is pinned, while another Venoms suffers weapon destroyed. Attack Bike on the right slags a Trueborn Venom hiding behind the ruin in the centre in the DE deployment zone, it goes boom and a single Trueborn dies - they are pinned. Reavers in the large ruin get shot at, only two remain, they pass morale. Reavers in the ruin in my deployment zone get shot at, I score six sounds and Poddy fails four saves, the unit fails morale and falls back. By my count that leaves two Venoms left. RCS shoot the Wyches, they go to ground and survive well with feel no pain.
Assault; RCS charges the Wyches, Techmarine challenges the Hekatrix who responds, they fail to kill each other. Wyches lose combat but remain locked, bad times for Dark Eldar. Melta unit charges the empty Raider just because they can, krak grenades immobilise it and Sgt slags it with melta, it goes boom! Attack Bike which slagged the DE ride tries to charge, but cannot draw LOS on them.
Dark Eldar; the two Venoms bunker down and move over to the large ruin using it to block LOS. Falling back Reavers regroup. That's really about it.
Shooting; Attack Bike gets shot at by Warriors in the broken Venom though it survives, Trueborn inside their ride finish it off. Another Attack Bike gets shot up by poison and is slayed. Attack Bike which took out the Trueborn ride gets shot in the ass by poison from Warriors in the large terrain piece on the right flank. Ravagers fire into the melta unit which slagged the Raider, both melta dudes die and Sgt remains, Sgt then gets cut up by bladevanes and first attack does nothing while second attack Sgt makes all saves!
Assault; RCS batters the Wyches, only the Hekatrix remains. I do hit and run and they are free leaving a lone Hekatrix who consolidated a single mighty inch.
An example of my awesome dice rolling!
* Tactical Notes
Looks like the Ravenwing have scored a devastating round on the Dark Eldar. Only two Venoms remain, though still plenty of troop units and they are still a problem. On a good note several units have been pinned so I got off lightly last turn.
Now the RCS is free this means I can send them into the Haemonculus' Venom and finish it off. With some support from melta, the other Venom can go down too. Then I would just need to get my remaining units into rapid fire range and slaughter the remaining troops - banner won't be effective here as I am moving it out of range.
Turn 3
Ravenwing; the RCS rumbles up to the Haemonculus' Venom with support from the melta unit. All remaining troop choices gather around the two DE troop units in the centre ruin while the plasmas go Ravager hunting as they are out of range of troop slaying. Solo Sgt moves over to the Ravager up on the right.
Shooting; RCS fires at the Venom and it goes boom! A single Trueborn dies and squad fails morale and runs off the board giving me slay the warlord. Meltas fire at the weapon destroyed Venom and both miss! Bolters fire and delete one Warrior unit, though due to LOS I only kill a single model from the other unit. Plasma fires into a Ravager with long shots, boom it is gone, the other units puts long ranged shots into the other and knock off two hull points.
Assault; melta unit charges the Venom and take it down. Sgt charges the Ravager, he takes a hull point off with hammer of wrath and then slags it with a melta bomb - boom!
Dark Eldar; Reavers come across the Dark Eldar deployment zone and are looking to bladevane the RCS. Remaining units hold position as there is no place they can really go.
Shooting; two Trueborn in a crater behind the centre ruin dakka the melta bomb Sgt, he jinks them both. Lone Trueborn in the crater from the very first exploding Venom fires and misses. Warrior unit inside the large ruin the Sgt is in fire at him, he passes all armour saves! Reavers bladevane the RCS, Sammy takes a wound and a Black Knight dies - just the Techmarine, banner and Sammy left. Remaining troop unit in the centre ruin fire into a unit in front of them and leave a single bike left, bike fails morale and falls back 15", good job I can regroup 15" thanks to ATSKNF. Unit of Warriors out of the Venom what get wrecked in close combat fire into the RCS though no wounds. Remaining Ravager fires into the surviving melta unit and one remains, who passes morale.
Assault; Wych tries to assault the lone meltagun though overwatch stops her in her tracks.
Poddy has brought several bags of new dice, I think they are not bedded in yet or they are shit and he needs to take them back. I cannot get over his Haemonculus and Trueborn falling off the table. Ah well, easy slay the warlord for me :)
Through out the game I have been killing two birds with one stone; Warrior Venoms. Warriors and Venoms can knock out a lot of poison shots, though killing these means lack of troops to claim objectives. At the moment Poddy has zero mobility tothe objectives and he has two troop units left.
Next turn I will be focusing all fire power on the remaining troops and generally just mopping up.
Turn 4
Ravenwing; one plasma unit goes down to the damaged Ravager while the other regroups with the remain bikes who focus their guns on the remaining troop units. Falling back bike auto regroups and moves exactly back where it was. RCS move up to smash the two Trueborn behind the ruin while the single melta guy ploughs through the ruin to deal with the single Trueborn. Lone Sgt holds position to unleash dakka into the troop unit in the same ruin.
Shooting; plasma unit utterly flops and does nothing. Warrior unit in the centre ruin are destroyed while two Warriors remain in the large ruin - they pass morale. RCS fires into the Warrior unit out of the wrecked Venom, they pass morale.
Assault; RCS charges and destroys the Warriors.
Dark Eldar; Reavers zip over the RCS and head towards the lone Sgt. Ravager moves up to the plasma unit, no where it can really go if I am honest.
Shooting; Ravager fires into the plasma unit and wounds twice, I roll double 5 for jink. Trueborn and surviving Warriors fire into the Sgt, but he's a tough bastard! Reavers do bladevane on the Sgt and he finally goes down - Poddy's bane of the game!
* Tactical Notes
Well, I think this it for Dark Eldar. I think Poddy has accept that, but he has won in his own little way as he has killed my hero unstoppable Sgt.
Turn 5
Ravenwing; long story short, plasma unit destroys the Ravager. RCS mash up the two Trueborn in terrain. Single melta guy charges the other Trueborn and they remain in close combat. Remaining troop choice is killed off.
At the moment I have two objectives.
Poddy uses the last Reaver unit to move up and contest an objective while another charges me, my dudes survive combat and hit and run leaving the two Reavers standing there.
We roll for game and it continues, Poddy is hardcore like that!
Turn 6
Another quick turn just in order to finish the game; RCS charge and mash the single Trueborn while the Reavers get shot, one remains who fails morale and falls back, fails to regroup and falls off the table.
Ravenwing win with a crushing victory!
Summary
Wow that certainly was far from my expectations. As soon as Poddy won the roll off for first turn I thought this is going to be a short game. Luckily for me my dice were really hot this game, I rolled 5 6s for some saves and the Black Knights managed to pass off pretty much nearly all of Poddy's fire power. The hero Sgt was doing well too, even though he wasn't a threat Poddy just made the point of killing the little bastard!
I made a mistake on the first turn, forgot to shoot a unit as I couldn't see it thanks to the large building - doh!
Poddy played really well seems he hasn't played for a few months. He badly needs to burn them dice though, they are crap.