Lengthy Brief Encounter
Overlord Tre’ Harad led a force to destroy Dark Eldar forces on Belsa minor. From the deck of his command barge the NNV Thrusting Rapier he led 15 destroyers including five heavies, three lords, two crypteks, three tomb spyders, two units of scarabs, five tomb blades and eight wraiths, half equipped with whip coils.
He deployed on the right of his force flanked by the crypteks with their eldritch lances. Three wraiths, a heavy destroyer, two tomb blades and a lord made up the rest of the right where two objectives lay, one a bunker close to our deployment area, the other across the field, a defence network occupied by scourge.
In the centre, dominated by a huge ruin where another objective lay, we had another lord, a destroyer and a heavy destroyer. Another objective lay beyond the massive structure. In a trench line holding an objective on the left we had a third lord, two heavy destroyers and a wraith, screened in front by scarabs and two tomb spyders.
The third spyder was with scarabs on the far left together with two wraiths and a tomb blade. Atop the tower of the western objective a heavy destroyer was perched. To the rear of our formation in semi reserve, another destroyer and a pair of tomb blades.
The enemy brought up a Kronos and Talos Payne engine facing our left, a venom also on that flank. In the centre was a group of Hellions and on the right a Tantalus flanked by two raiders. Two units each of three jetbikes faced our right with the scourge behind. The venom and right hand raider contained wychs, the larger transport a succubus too.
We opened fire, advancing to seize the left hand objective which was a target for both us and the enemy. We also took the bunker on the right which was our other early target. We also took the central objective with a wraith although it was not currently a live target. The Dark Eldar were also looking to take our south western objective, we were looking to kill the enemy warlord who our sensors showed to be aboard the left hand raider.
Our fire was ineffectual, the jet bikes facing our right jinking our shooting with ease. Our right hand spyder was wounded spawning scarabs; the Kronos engine took a wound. The enemy advanced and killed the wraith holding the centre, plus a cryptek fell to the jetbikes but reanimated successfully. One of the right hand tomb blades had fallen to the other jet bikes for first blood though.
One of the two wraiths holding the bunker on the right fell to fire from the tantalus but our hold on that objective could not be dislodged. The venom unloaded on one of our destroyers but it absorbed all six hits. Two tomb blades on the left were destroyed however and we also lost some scarabs, whilst our other spyders were wounded. The enemy raider on our left turbo boosted to arrive close to the North West objective.
After the preliminary exchanges the enemy had first blood and the north west objective, we had the south east objective: Two one to the enemy.
The majority of our reserves now arrived: two wraiths deep struck in the vacant triangle behind the enemy tantalus, raider and venom, but one failed and remained in reserve. Six of our seven reserve destroyers deployed behind the enemy centre and across our right flank where the jet bikes were in danger of running riot. One destroyer mis happed and deployed close to the south west objective instead.
We advanced again, a destroyer moving to threaten the hellions, the Thrusting Rapier moving against the raider bearing the warlord and grotesques. On the left the raider holding the North West objective was assaulted by a destroyer, tomb blade and wraith: It went badly though; the destroyer fell to overwatch and the other attackers did nothing.
The scarabs on the other hand wrecked the venom in assault and our wraiths and tomb spyders got stuck in to the two engines. The destroyers were having little success trying to kill hellions in the centre and jet bikes on the right though some bikes fell. The lords and crypteks assaulted and destroyed the jet bikes in the centre of our formation and the Overlord destroyed the warlord’s raider which exploded under the rain of war scythe blows.
A lone wraith failed to destroy the right hand raider and it disgorged its wychs who wiped out a destroyer. The succubus, disembarking separately totally failed to deal with another, but the enemy homunculus warlord challenged Tre’ Harad. The Overlord’s scarabs failed and the dread creature slew him with his fearsome flesh gauntlet.
The wychs on the left took the northern objective, another score for the enemy and the scourge held another live objective. Together with slay the warlord and linebreaker that mean four points this turn.
On the left we had lost two spyders to the enemy monstrous creatures despite wraith assistance and the scarabs went down to the wychs. Other individual tomb blades and destroyers also got picked off. Although we scored for linebreaker and had held the south west objective against the raider that attempted to seize it. It meant a six two defeat as although the action was short, it had taken a long time to this point and broke off.
Five wraiths including the one that had aborted its deep strike survived, all lords and crypteks, one (wounded) tomb spyder and four scarabs, four destroyers including one in reserve, one tomb blade and all the heavy destroyers survived. This represented a loss rate of a little over 40% from a force 2000 strong.
Enemy losses from a similar sized force were estimated at below 15%, their warlord, a grotesque and both engines were wounded but most of their units were unscathed except for one unit of jet bikes that was at one third strength. The only units lost were a raider, the venom and one of jet bikes.
21.6.14
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