Lahkers Break 13-Game Losing Streak

Orikan the Diviner bends the Chapter Smasher over his knee and claims my second Warlord kill of the battle.

After a string of dreary defeats, I slapped together a list consisting of a Lychstar with Imotekh, Orikan, and a lonely Lord with nothing but the Veil of Darkness, two 20-man blobs of Flayed Ones, two troops squads, the Legolith, and a Destroyer Cult, and battled it out with Nathaniel and Ike.  They brought a Raven Guard Talons Strike Force (Nathaniel) and an Iron Hands Fist of Medusa Strike Force (Ike), the nasty points of which were Ike's Chapter Master with the Teeth of Terra and Gorgon's Chain on a bike, and Nathaniel's Captain with Swiftstrike and Murder, two relic Lightning Claws (I think).
He also had the Raven skull of Korrivad and the Ravens Fury relics equipped. -Ike

Ike's Sergeant holding an objective in his deployment zone.

Long story short, I finally played the Necrons like they should be played.  Destroyers and shooting units back against my board edge (Dawn of War deployment), Flayed Ones forward in a hasty and what I thought would be an ill-advised blocking action, and the Legolith hanging out in the center.  The Raven Guard and Iron Hands came at me fast and hard, and the Flayed Ones did die, but not before they cushioned the impacts, took the hits, and killed a few Vanguard Veterans.

Even a Venerable Dreadnought can't stop Orikan!

Both Nathaniel and Ike's Warlords ended up in my left flank, only about 6 inches from each other.  I ported the Lychstar through the Monolith and cut their retreat off.  They murdered my nearby Destroyer Lord, but stayed in the area, and this meant  that when my turn 2 rolled around (I went second) I brought my Heavy Destroyers in from reserve and one-volleyed Nathaniel's warlord.  Then Orikan got the stars just right, transformed into his super-powerful form, and beat Ike's Chapter Smasher to a pulp.

Cleaning up the enemy stragglers.

The rest of the game was hopping around with Destroyers and gradually picking the enemy squads off their objectives.  I won, 9-8 VP.  Orikan's turn 2 power-up, the sacrifice of the Flayed Ones, the Legolith redeploying my forces with its Eternity Gate, and the mobility of the Destroyers won me that game.  Ike admitted he got cocky with his Chapter Smasher.  I was surprised I'd won, but happy.  It was a good battle.

The Legolith lurches onto the center objective, and I claim victory.

Battle Report #29: Lahkers vs Eldar & Medusa Strike Force (ft. Gabe & Ike Double Batrep)

It's all this guy's fault.

This battle took place a while ago.  Ike and Nathaniel teamed up against me in a Relic match.  My commentary is in regular text, Ike's commentary is in italics.

Nathaniel's Craftworld Warhost (auto 6" run)

Guardian Battle Host

3 Guardians W/ Eldar Missile launchers

Farseer W/Spirit Stone of Anath'lan

1 Vaul's Wrath Support Battery W/Shadow Weaver

1  War Walker W/Shuriken Cannon

2 Vyper W/Star Cannon

5 Rangers

Seer Council (Warp charges on 3+)

2 Farseers

5 Warlocks

Ike's Test Force Medusa
Fist of Medusa Strike Force 
(Logical Commander, +1 to FnP rolls and PoTMS in a 12" radius of an Independent Character)

ARMORED TASK FORCE: 355
Techmarine w/ conversion beamer, 2 servitors. 105
Whirlwind. 65 points
Predator w/ TL lascannon and invisible HB sponsons. 120
Whirlwind. 65 points

STRIKE FORCE COMMAND: 340
Chapter master w/ Jump Pack, Gorgon's chain, PF, LC, artificer armor. 250
Techmarine w/ Betrayer's Bane, 2 servitors. 90

HONORED ANCIENT: 135
Dereadnought w/ TL Lascannon, ML. 135

HONORED ANCIENT: 145
Ironclad Dreadnought w/ HB, chainfist, meltagun, Ironclad assault launchers. 145  

TOTAL: 1000

Lahkers CAD
Illuminator Szeras (warlord)
Lord (Nikhyanh) w/Gauntlet of Fire, Solar Staff
2 20x Warrior blobs
5x Immortals
20x Flayed Ones (Marine proxies)
8x Triarch Praetorians w/voidblade and particle caster, in Night Scythe
Triarch Stalker
3x Tomb Blades w/particle beamer, shield vanes
2 2x Heavy Destroyers
Monolith


Warlord Traits: Divide To Conquer, Princepts of Deceit
 Both Ruins within our own deployment zone were bolstered by the techmarines.

The necron themed terrain was decreed during setup to be both Difficult and Dangerous area terrain which granted a 5+ cover save to occupying models.

Test Force Medusa elements deployed the Ironclad Dreadnought and Betrayer's Bane techmarine along the right flank, with our Master of The Forge and 1st Whirlwind taking up position in the central ruins of our own deployment zone, the 2nd whirlwind being placed specifically to deter Infiltrators. The Predator, Chapter Master, and Lascannon Dreadnought were deployed to the left flank, as it lacked bolstered ruins and had comparably few alien gauss sponges. 


Facing us were a unit of necron Immortals to our left, along with a blob of warriors attached to Szeras. Front and center there were several Destroyers who had taken fleeting shelter in the AV 10 building right next to the Legolith, with a trio of Tomb Blades cowering behind them. The Flayed Ones infiltrated just barely outside their own deployment zone.

I deployed the Legolith at the center of my line, shielding the Stalker, with the Tomb Blades sitting behind the building.  I parked both Destroyer squads in the (AV10) building, and had my Warrior blobs sit on the flanks, with the 5 Immortals bolstering the right flank.  Szeras was in the right Warrior blob, the one with +1 Strength, the most meh of the three upgrades (others were +1 BS or +1 Toughness).  I then Infiltrated the Flayed Ones onto the left flank, intending for them to either shield the left Warrior blob, or popping through the Legolith's Eternity Gate to grab the Relic.

I made a passing comment about instadeathing Ike's Techmarine in the ruins with my Heavy Destroyers.  It was part serious, part banter.  He took it absolutely seriously, as you will see soon.

Turn 1

Movement in the first turn was a fairly direct advance on out part. The Predator moved the full 12" and the rearguard whirlwind moved 6" while both dreads walked their full 6". After some psychic sparks few off from the Eldar the Chapter Master called in his Orbital Bombardment & nukes the Monolith and two warriors, with the secondary explosion for the Monolith killing two more. Strike Cruiser gunnery crew commended for excellence. The MoTF, having heard the Destroyers talking shit from across the battlefield, fired at the building they were occupying and scored a catastrophic beach which reduced the building to AV8. This opening allowed for the Eldar to breach it twice again, bringing it down to AV 7 and then AV6 for an easy finish. The buildings collapse wiped out one squad of Destroyers and damaged another forcing them to snapfire. Whirlwind barrage ineffective. The Ironclad and forward techmarine killed a combined total of three flayed ones. The Eldar had also used this turn to have their Guardians escort their Warlord to the objective at maximum warp, losing one of their own to a failed dangerous terrain roll.

As Ike describes, he and Nathaniel advanced on the Relic.  Nathaniel got his Farseer squad to the Relic first and grabbed it.  Nathaniel did his Psychic phase, gave his Seers in the ruins a 2+ cover save, and used Eldritch Storm to kill off 9 Flayed Ones.
We went to Shooting, and the first thing Ike did was have his Chapter Master drop his Orbital Bombardment on my Legolith.  The blast scattered slightly and ended up hitting the Legolith and the building.  Ike penned (obviously with the building, it was the Legolith I was concerned about) and blew up both targets.  The building collapsed and killed one of the Destroyer units.  I was salty about that, I'll be honest.  Losing the Legolith or a Destroyer unit (both integral to my plan to keep enemies away from the Relic) would have been bad enough, losing both of them was a major blow to my morale.
That was the opposition's most successful attack during Turn 1.  Further losses were nothing worse than a couple Warriors, but I had lost my only large blast weapon and half my dedicated anti-tank.

Flayed Ones and Warriors continue to advance on our right flank, with the necron Immortals on our left doing the same as the remaining Destroyers huddled in the crater where the monolith was until a moment ago. Venerable Dradnought stunned. The Necron warlord and his unit opened fire un the guardian squad holding the objective and killed 10, followed be the Stalker destroying the Guardian squads weapon platform and the jetbikes finishing off the last of the unit.

I desperately wanted revenge on the Chapter Master, but had no reliable way of hurting him (damn Gorgon's Chain).  I decided to kill off anything that approached the Relic, and grab it with my Praetorians when they came on.  In hindsight, I should have tried to kill the Techmarine, or the Whirlwind dropping barrages on my troops.  Instead, I moved towards the Relic, wiped out the Farseer and his squad (got Slay the Warlord for the Farseer), and took 2HP off the Ironclad Dread.

Turn 2

Ironclad Dreadnought and attendant techmarine advanced through the ruins on our right side while our rearmost Whirlwind advanced a further 6". Venerable Dreadnought and Chapter Master advance on the objective while the Predator navigated the forest to better cover them. Second Whirlwind kills three Flayed Ones and two Warriors. Immortal squad wiped out by Eldar and the Flayed Ones unit is devastated. Lone survivor of  hostile jetbike unit flees the battlefield. All eligible units pass their IWND rolls, units commended for fortitude.

Nathaniel's forces coasted to a stop in cover for the most part.  Ike's Dreadnoughts and Chapter Master headed for the Relic.  Eldritch Storm and multiple blasts killed more Flayed Ones and Warriors, Reanimation rolls saved a few.  I had a laugh when Ike's lascan-missile-launcher-Dread managed to miss my Stalker completely, even with Twin-linked rerolls.  The Tomb Blades were either killed at this point, or failed a morale test and ran off the board.

Flayed Ones move toward remaining Guardian squad on right flank as the Warlord's unit heads for the objective. Necron Praetorian squad drops onto the objective and loses two whole models to failed Dangerous Terrain tests. Splat! Eldar war walker destroyed be fire from Stalker and superficial hull damage sustained by all Dreadnoughts.

My turn, the Praetorians came in on the Night Scythe.  I had them drop onto the Relic immediately.  Another mistake; I should have dropped them back by the Whirlwind and eliminated that first.  Instead, I now had my Praetorians in the middle of the board, vulnerable to everything.  The Flayed Ones veered towards the Guardians in the ruins.  The Stalker killed the War Walker, and the Flayed Ones charged, fought, and wiped the Guardian squad.

Turn 3

Victory is within reach, two Praetorians are killed be the Eldar's Psychic Shriek and the remainder are wiped out after their Lord refused the honor of single combat. Flayed Ones wiped out by Ironclad.

Nathaniel Periled in his Psychic phase, and his (other) Farseer lost the Eldritch Storm power.  I was amused by that, and even more amused when Ike's Dreadnought failed to hit my Stalker for the second time in a row.  Massed fire wore my Warriors and Flayed Ones down.  The Ironclad got into my Flayed Ones and wiped them, and the Chapter Master made it into the Praetorians and I believe he wiped them out as well.

I moved in on the Relic, doomed as I was.  I think I gaussed the Ironclad to death, and then focused everything on the Chapter Master.  Not a single wound got through.

Turn 4

Objective taken, geneseed contaminated but successfully denied. Extraction transporter dispatched. Task Force losses minimal. Ironclad Dreadnought rendered inoperative but salvageable, occupant survival rated very likely.

Nathaniel and Ike had their turn of shooting at me, I believe I conceded at the end of their player turn.  Szeras survived, at least I didn't give them Slay the Warlord.

I've run into a gunline before, and I've had it end badly before.  This wasn't the worst at all, but this one hurt, right in my heart, because that damn Chapter Master had to one-shot my Legolith.  Screw the Relic, my precious proxy model never got to fire a shot.

However, the fact that my biggest concern about the battle is so petty, it makes it easier to forget about it.  Except for Maxkillan and the Chapter Master.  There will be a day of reckoning for them.

Extra Pics:

These Flayed Ones take flesh trophies, they wear flesh, like suits. Grimdark taxidermists.

Flayed Ones attempt to buy the army some time, would have succeeded if it hadn't been for that pesky Ironclad.

Battle Report #22B: 750pt Double-Header Part 2, Raven Guard vs Iron Hands

Marine Mirror Match, Xtra Tactical Edition!  This battle report contains an excessively wordy look at Raven Guard and Iron Hands tactics.  I hope you're happy, Ike.

This was game two of the afternoon we spent doing 40k at a café.  This time, Nathaniel and Ike were duking it out, with their Raven Guard and Iron Hands, respectively.

EDIT: For once Gabe, I am.

Nathaniel's list:

Same list as previous game, except the Sternguard Sergeant is the Warlord.

Ike's Clan Raukaan CAD:

HQ

Chapter Master w/Gorgon's Chain, Artificer Armor, Lighting Claw, Power Fist, Iron Halo, Jump Pack

Troops

5x Tac Marines

5x Tac Marines w/Grav-gun in Rhino

Elites

Dreadnought w/Assault Cannon, Power Fist w/Storm Bolter

5x Terminators, one w/Assault Cannon, one w/Chainfist

Mission was Purge the Alien (kill points), deployment was Hammer & Anvil.  Nathaniel's warlord was his Sternguard Vet Sarge, he got the RG Exit Strategy trait (add/subtract 1 from variable game length roll).  Ike's warlord was his Chapter Master, he got Merciless Resolve (12" Crusader bubble) from the Clan Raukaan table.

Deployment

Ike won the deployment roll-off.  Iron Hands, being dead 'ard tough (It Will Not Die on vehicles Dreadnoughts and characters, 6+ Feel No Pain on everyone), do best at sitting back and not dying, with Drop Pod Dreadnoughts taking out major threats early in the game.  Without drop pods, however, Ike opted to keep his most fragile unit (Tac squad with Chapter Master) in the woods to force any Raven Guard to assault through terrain, and secured the flanks with the Rhino-borne squad, Dreadnought and Terminators, who could either handle assault units (Elites) or be at least immune to tarpitting (Rhino).

Stay tuned to see why I was right about that last part but not the way I wanted to be. -Ike

Yes, the box is terrain.  No, we didn't get sponsored by Champion.

Nathaniel started with his Vanguard Vets and 10-man Assault squad on the table, with the Sternguard, Solac and the Land Speeder in reserve.  The Raven Guard's version of Chapter Tactics gives their non-vehicle units Shrouded till the start of Game Turn 2. Due to the unusually small table Nathaniel could position his Vanguard Vets at the edge of his deployment zone, for maximum first-turn assault capability, without being too worried about them getting killed before they had a chance to charge.  The Assault squad he positioned farther back, a little safer due to being obscured by the edge of the box they stood on. Their only probable threat being the possibly that Ike's Terminators might step to the right and try to get a volley off on them.

And, as in the game against me, Nathaniel stole the initiative.

GAME TURN 1

Nathaniel sent the Assault squad up on the box, keeping towards his edge so that the fewest IH weapons could reach them.  The Vanguard Vets he sent up the right flank, hugging the box's side.  That was all.

Ike said (after the battle) that here he got to aggressive.  He didn't take advantage of the Iron Hands' natural advantages (comparative) of ranged firepower and toughness, and instead had all elements, save for the Tac squad, advance.  This brought them almost within 12" of both of Nathaniel's jump infantry.  The key word being "jump" of course.

Check out An Afternoon of Kill Team if you want to see Gabe make the same mistake as Scout Marines vs Orks. Of course, that match took place well before this one did, so I'm feeling a bit foolish that I didn't see it happening when I did it here.

Ike's Rhino turned left to get a shot at the Vanguard Vets.  Ike then had his Chapter Master call down an Orbital bombardment on the Assault squad.  Some servitor along the line must have malfunctioned, for the large blast template scattered to Ike's left flank, and ended up only hitting the Veteran sergeant, who was carrying the storm shield.  He deflected the strike away from his squad, and then died to Ike's Grav-gunner as his shield was raised, but his sacrifice was not in vain.

GAME TURN 2

Nathaniel got his Land Speeder in and opted to Outflank on Ike's right flank, having seen Ike's forces had left enough room around them that he could fit his squads in right by them and took the opportunity.  The Assault squad moved down from the box and landed between the Termies and the Dreadnought, and the Vanguard Vets made it to the edge of the forest.

Nathaniel took a minute to think about what to do, and settled on targeting the Dreadnought first.  With the list he had, he had little chance of winning a head-to-head combat with a fully functioning AV 12/12/10 walker.  He evened the playing field by firing his Land Speeder's guns at the Dread's rear arc.  The Assault Cannon and Heavy Bolter brought the Dreadnought down to 1HP.  The Assault squad then assaulted it, attacked with krak grenades, and wrecked the Dreadnought for First Blood and a Kill Point.  In the meantime, the Vanguard Vets made it into assault with the Tac squad in the forest.  They killed the entire squad, leaving Ike's Chapter Master without any backup, but lost three of their four Marines.  The Assault squad consolidated towards Ike's Rhino.

Ike, now without his beloved Dreadnought and down a Tac squad, had his Terminators double back towards the Land Speeder, within assault range and secure in the knowledge that even rerolling Ravenjink doesn't protect it from power fists.  He had the Rhino Tank Shock the Assault squad, they passed their Ld test and one made a Death or Glory attack with an Eviscerator, glanced it, and stopped it in its tracks.  The Rhino's Tac squad whiffed their shooting against the Assault squad.  Ike finally saw some success when the Terminators assaulted and vaporized the Land Speeder in assault.  His Chapter Master slew the last Vanguard Vet, and ducked behind the tree to his right. The Chapter Master failed to make his IWND roll.

First time I've Tank Shocked a unit since 5th ed. I actually had to check the rulebook to make sure it was still part of the game! I had to relearn the entire procedure on the spot of course. I was honestly kind of hoping for it to to explode though. -Ike

GAME TURN 3

The Sternguard Veterans and Captain Solaq came on and Outflanked onto Ike's left. At the moment, Nathaniel had the Rhino corned on the left side of the field, with Ike's Chapter Master in the middle (only a short distance away), and the Terminators a short distance beyond him.  And he had the rear arc of a Rhino to shoot at.  Nathaniel wrapped his Assault squad around the Rhino, blocked the exit points, and then had the Sternguard fire on it.  They wrecked the Rhino, and as all the exit points were blocked, the Tac squad could not deploy and was lost.  Double dip kill points for Nathaniel.  The Assault squad then charged the Chapter Master and made it into combat losing 4 Marines to his Lightning Claw alone.  They dealt him several wounds and were locked in combat with him.

This event was closely followed by an unrecorded game against Gabe where he pointed out that several key assumptions I had about how the movement rules work with transported infantry units. With my mind thus blown and understanding of SM mech builds turned upside down I re-read the Dedicated Transport and Movement sections of the rulebook and learned that transported infantry units can actually fire Overwatch through the fire points of the vehicle carrying them. Good to know! -Ike

Ike, rapidly running out of options, couldn't do much more than bring his Terminators into the ongoing combat.  The Assault Marines survived just long enough to kill the Chapter Master for Slay the Warlord, and then were turned into pancakes by the Termies.  It was now down to Ike's 5 Terminators versus 5 Sternguard and Captain Solaq.

GAME TURN 4

At this point, Nathaniel had 7 Kill Points to Ike's 3.  Nathaniel could win just by standing around; Ike had to kill everything on the board to win.  Nathaniel doubled his chances to win by having Solaq break away from the Sternguard and advance on the Terminators.  This forced Ike to select one of two targets, both of which could only be killed one at a time , allowing the other to escape.  This was only made worse by the fact that Solaq is a multi wound melee character, with a unique relic that forces any hostile unit that targets him to pass a Leadership test to fire at him with full BS.

Ike chose to move around Solaq and fire at the Sternguard.  He killed 2 Vets at range, including the Sternguard Sarge, and got Slay the Warlord.  He did not get into assault, however.

GAME TURN 5

Nathaniel ran Solaq away from the Terminators, as did the Sternguard.  Between them they killed two Terminators at range.

Ike continued to pursue the Sternguard, on the basis that if he killed Nathaniel's shooty unit, he would have the advantage if the game continued.  This time the Termies made the charge to the Sternguard and killed them, but Solaq only danced farther away.

The game ended bottom of Turn 5, with a Raven Guard victory!  Nathaniel had 8 VP at the end (First Blood, Slay the Warlord, Line Breaker with Solaq, and 5 Kill Points) to Ike's 5 VP (Slay the Warlord and 4 Kill Points).

Endgame.

Nathaniel and Ike talked a bit after the game, and it was decided Nathaniel's win came primarily from him playing to the Raven Guard's strengths (mobility, excellent assault capability), and Ike not playing to the Iron Hands' strengths (back up and kill your foes as they come at you).  Ike not getting the IWND rolls on his Chapter Master was a big deal in a game this small, it allowed the Sternguard to wreck the Rhino and the Assault squad to finish off the Chapter Master.

I liked these two small games, they went quick, we could chill out, and I could keep track of what was going on far easier than larger games.  The tactical decisions have a lot larger of an impact, since less units are involved, and there is less room for error.  I'd like to do this again, with a more refined list, rather than "Necron Gunline lite, hold the vehicles".

Late 2015 Battle Image Collection

Pics from the last battles of 2015, when the new rules for Tau and Raven Guard were rolling out.  These were games with Ike and Nathaniel.  I won some, I lost some, I had a good time.

Rynkelyh rockin' out on his Command Barge, moments before the Solitaire killed him with a HoW hit, of all things.

Nathaniel's almost-successful Dark Eldar "leadership bomb" arrives via Webway portal.

Nathaniel's Scourges see the battlefield for the first time.

The leadership bomb, while deadly, really should have picked a foe that didn't have army-wide Ld10. 

Nathaniel's Tau, making maximum use of their new rules. 

Two gunlines go at it.

Ike fights my Destroyer Decurion, with the assistance of the special Whirlwind squadron.

Ike's Dreadnought, seeing the battle is lost, cuts losses and makes off with a valuable objective.

Nathaniel's new and deadly toys. 

Hammer and Anvil deployment against Tau is not fun, not at all.

Immortals suicide-charge to try and lock down the Crisis suit deathstar.

Byrahn-Zoht's first game painted up.

I realize here how badly a gunline counters (proxied) Raven Guard. 

Shadow Captain Shrike strikes again.

Battle Report #16: Lahkers Destroyer Decurion vs. Red-Marauders-Raven-Guard-Raptors Marine Party

An absolutely unfair fight.  There's only four Destroyers to flail at Shadow Captain Shrike.

Apologies for the long absence, life has been busy.  But I'm back now, with another Not-Apoc game for you, featuring the Lahkers and entirely too many Space Marines.

Ike's Task Force Odin (Red Marauders with Iron Hands Tactics):
Techmarine w/Conversion Beamer, Bolt Pistol, Power Axe, and Servitor w/Heavy Bolter
Techmarine w/Boltgun, Bolt Pistol, 2x Servitors with Servo-arms
10x Tac Marines w/Flamer, Missile Launcher, in Drop Pod
5x Tac Marines w/Flamer, in Rhino
Ironclad Dreadnought w/Hurricane Bolter, Ironclad Assault Launchers, Seismic Hammer, Heavy Flamer, in Drop Pod
Venerable Dreadnought w/Multi-melta, Power Fist, in Drop Pod
3x Venerable Dreadnoughts (one with Assault Cannon, two with Multi-meltas)
Vindicator w/Siege Shield
Aegis Defense Line w/Quad-gun emplacement

Nathaniel's Strike Forces Hugin and Munin:
Raptors Combined Arms:
Lias Issodon
Dreadnought (proxied by Penitent Engine)
5x Tac Marines w/Heavy Bolter
5x Tac Marines w/Heavy Bolter
5x Tac Marines w/Heavy Bolter
5x Tac Marines w/Heavy Bolter
5x Tac Marines w/Heavy Bolter
5x Tac Marines w/Heavy Bolter
2x Attack Bikes (proxied by Skyweaver jetbikes)
4x Centurion Devastators w/Vet Sarge
Raven Guard Allies:
Shadow Captain Shrike
5x Tac Marines w/Grav-gun
10x Assault Marines

This time around Nathaniel and Ike teamed up against me and my first full-strength (almost) Destroyer Decurion.  It was also the first time my new lords had taken to the table, namely Lord Nihkyanh, the ancient Lord Byrahn-Zoht, and Phaeron Shahk-ah-Nihl himself, all eager to get back into the conquering groove after 60 million years of dusty hibernation.

Mission was Big Guns Never Tire, deployment was Vanguard Strike.  My Warlord trait was Enduring Will (Eternal Warrior), Ike's was Conqueror of Cities (Stealth and MTC in Ruins), Nathaniel's was Master of Ambush (Warlord and 3 non-vehicle units get Infiltrate).

I won the initiative roll-off, and deployed on this side of the board for the high ground and area terrain.  I put the Canoptek units to the left, to root out anybody that would take cover in the terrain in that direction, and concentrated the Destroyers on the right, where they had a nice open field of fire.  The big yellow rectangle there was a piece of custom-made "Necron terrain" with custom rules Ike had written up, similar to Mysterious Objectives.

Nathaniel and Ike deployed in a semicircle around my army.  The Raptors Tac squads spread out to maximize their fields of fire, deployed around the Vindicator proxy (made up at the last moment by taping a recoilless rifle to a Rhino).  Nathaniel's warlord, the Raptor special character Lias Issodon, proxied by the green TacMarine, sat with a Tac squad in the ADL and manned the Quad Gun.  Nathaniel deployed his Attack Bikes nearby to presumably counter the Wraiths if necessary.

Raptor squads proxied by Eldar, and the saddest Vindicator ever.

Ike's footslogging Dreadnought squadron and Tac-squad-in-Rhino hid behind the hill, and the 10 Assault Marines, the Centurion Devastators, one 5-man Tac squad, and Shadow Captain Shrike sat on the hill.  That, or they had scout or an appropriately bird-themed special rule to get up there.  I forget.  They were there, and that was that.

Just before the game started, Lias Issodon used his crazy Infiltrate, Isolate, Destroy ability to knock 1 HP off my Stalker.

GAME TURN 1

Turn 1 - Me

I moved the army forward at its usual cautious advance, with an emphasis on bringing as many guns to bear on the hill on the right.  The Assault squad there was the nearest and greatest threat, and with the fire from basically the entire right flank, I wiped out the Assault squad, as well as the 5-man Tac squad with them (with the exception of the Sarge).  Meanwhile, on the left flank, the Wraiths hopped forward, and the warriors and Stalker killed one of the Attack Bikes.  The Heavy Destroyers, my chief source of anti-tank, took a single hull point from the lead footslogging Dreadnought.

Turn 1 - Ike and Nathaniel

Both Dreadnoughts dropped in, the Ironclad on the Necron terrain, the Venerable on the left of the hill with the Heavy Destroyers, worryingly right behind my Stalker.  Since the Ironclad had dropped on the custom terrain, we rolled for the result, and got "Tesla Overcharge".  Hurricane Bolter and Heavy Flamer with Tesla?  The Machine God is pleased.  The Raptor Tac squads stood still in order to do Rending damage with their bolt weapons, and the Dreadnought squadron started their march across the field.  

Shadow Captain Shrike made his first move, jumping over by my rightmost squad of Destroyer, and failed to wound with a krak grenade.  The saddest Vindicator ever put its woes aside and lobbed a Demolisher shell into the Wraiths, failed to wound them, but wounded my Destroyer Lord.  The Venerable Dreadnought one-shotted my Stalker with its multi-melta, and my Ghost Ark jinked the S10 Conversion beamer shot Ike's Techmarine fired off.

Nathaniel used the Tactical doctrine to get Tac squad re-rolls (thanks to the Demi-Company formation) and yet the entire left flank of Marines only knocked 1 wound off my Wraiths.  Stay OP, guys.  The CentDevs killed 6 of my 10 Immortals, and Shrike assaulted the Destroyer squad, killed one, and got locked in combat.

GAME TURN 2

Turn 2 - Me

I rolled for reserves and got one squad of Praetorians, the 4-man Destroyer squad, and the Night Scythe in.  I had the Scythe, which contained Phaeron Shahk and 10 warriors, fly onto the left side of the board to deal with the pesky Raptors.  The 4-man Destroyer squad followed them, for the same purpose.  I had the Wraiths continue towards the Raptor Marines, and sent the Spyder, Scarabs and the Destroyer Lord to deal with the VenDread (can't have that running around your back lines).  Kobeh and his surviving Immortals shuffled towards the Tesla-charged-Ironclad, and the other Destroyers jockeyed for the best firing position.  I dropped the Praetorian squad near Ike's Aegis line, and then forgot about them for the rest of my turn.

My shooting on turn 2 was very disappointing, the entire Lahker right flank fired at the Ironclad and only knocked 1 HP off it.  The Night Scythe's tesla destructor only removed one Marine from the table, and apparently the Destroyer reinforcements were still getting their bearings.  To compound all this, I completely forgot to have my Wraiths charge any of the nearby Marines, and with the VenDread charged first with the Scarabs and blocked the Destroyer Lord out of assault.  Kobeh and the Immortals assaulted the Ironclad, and did eventually get into combat with it, but precisely when is not recorded.

Turn 2 - Ike and Nathaniel

The last Drop Pod came in, holding the 10-man Tac squad, led by Sergeant Dakon.  They dropped onto the wooded hill on my side of the board.  Ike's Rhino scooted across the board parallel to the marching Dreadnoughts, who a few moments later opened fire on and destroyed the Ghost Ark.  I lost a Heavy Destroyer to what I believe was the Conversion-beamer-toting-Techmarine, and lost a Wraith or two to massed Raptor bolter fire.  Maybe the sad Vindicator?  I forget.  The Penitent Dreadnought saw my abandoned Praetorians, and charged and locked them in combat.  At this point, the Ironcland and Kobeh's squad were definitely in combat.  The Immortals jumped in front of the Ironclad's blows while Kobeh carved it up and finished the job, destroying it.  My Spyder and Scarabs took the VenDread down one more HP.

GAME TURN 3

Turn 3 - Me

My other squad of Praetorians came in, I dropped them on my left flank by the Rending Raptors and killed a single Marine.  The Destroyers nearby killed a few more Marines, and my Night Scythe flew over the patch of forest in the area and dropped Shahk and his warriors out.  They glanced the saddest Vindicator to death in one volley.  The Heavy Destroyers and the warriors from the exploded Ghost Ark wrecked the Rhino, forcing the Tac squad inside into the open.  Assault time rolled around, and I had Kobeh and Co. join the Shrike-Destroyer combat, and had the Destroyer Lord and the warriors with the new Lords Nikyanh and Byrahn both charge Squad Dakon.  New Model Syndrome asserted itself, and the warriors whiffed their charge roll.  The Destroyer Lord managed to get in, let the Marines flail at him, and then carved Dakon up.  Kobeh got into the Shrike-Destroyer combat, challenged Shrike, and pulled his attention away from the non-CC models.

Turn 3 - Ike and Nathaniel

After an intermission, Ike and Nathaniel began their third turn.  The Dreadnought squad continued to march across the field, Ike moved the Techmarine in front of them for cover saves.  Nathaniel tried to redeploy his Raptors on my left flank, and got crappy MTC rolls.  The Raptors took their frustration out on my newly-arrived Praetorians.  I was okay with this, I preferred the Praetorians becoming fire magnets over my Destroyers.  The CentDevs were still alive, their shooting was ineffective, however.  In the assault phase, Shrike proved infuriatingly difficult to wound.  The combined attacks of two Destroyers, the Cryptek, an Immortal, and Kobeh still only put one would on him.  The leftmost Destroyer squad was charged by the remaining Attack Bike, they got lucky and slew it before it could tie them down.  At this point, the Scarabs and Spyder finally killed the VenDread, and move on to seek other targets.

GAME TURN 4

Turn 4 - Me

My final reserves, the Tomb Blades, arrived, and I sent them onto the left flank.  I faintly recall the Wraiths and Praetorians moving towards the enemy side of board to capture the left objective, and to fight Lias Issodon.  I sent the Scarabs into the board center to block off and eat the Marines there.  Shooting was minimal, with most of my shooting units tied up in combat (i.e. me failing to play Necrons properly).  The Scarabs did get into combat with Ike's Techmarine and ate his servitors, and the Destroyer squads not locked in combat jet-pack-moved to better firing positions, nearer to the center of the board.  Shrike finally fell, leaving Kobeh, his Cryptek, and the two Destroyers to head back towards the Lahker lines.

Turn 4 - Ike and Nathaniel

Ike and Nathaniel thinned down Shahk's warriors and the remaining Praetorian squad, and spent a lot of dice trying and failing to wound my Spyder and Destroyer Lord (who finally died to a Rending bolter shot).  Thank you T6, 3+ armor, and 4+ Reanimation.  The CentDevs opened fire on Kobeh and the Cryptek.  In a twist of fates, Kobeh threw himself in front of the hurricane bolter fire to save the Cryptek, who had the Chronometron (squad-wide 5++ against hostile shooting) and as an IC could make an expensive Destroyer squad a little more survivable, especially against heavy weapons and Dreadnought multi-meltas.  Assault this turn was a failure for me, the Wraiths and Praetorians failed to wound Lias and the Scarabs whiffed against the midfield Techmarine.

GAME TURN 5

Turn 5 - Me

At this point, I tried to pull my army back into something resembling coherency, focused around the objectives.  It was another turn of very little shooting, and ineffective at that.  I'm not sure why I jumped that central Destroyer squad forward, maybe to kill the Drop Pod...maybe the Dreadnoughts?  I split Lord Nihkyanh off from Byrahn and the warriors, the latter jogging off down the hill to punch some Marines, the former joining the Spyder in punching the Drop Pod, which was contesting the adjacent objective.  Their combined efforts brought the Pod down to 1 HP, and Byrahn and the warriors didn't do too shabby against the Marines.  Shahk decided he had to live up to his title as Phaeron, and charged the Penitent Dreadnought, tactfully using his warriors to absorb its attacks.  The Scarabs got their shit together and wounded the Techmarine.

On a trivial note, the Night Scythe came back on, got intercepted by the Quad Gun, and lost its only weapon, thus becoming a fancy waste of 130 points.

Turn 5 - Ike and Nathaniel

Nathaniel sent Marines towards the left objective to contest it.  Ike had his Dreads conga-line around the central Drop Pod and towards the right objective and a very uncomfortable Cryptek.  The one free squad of TacMarines took my Spyder's last wound with a sneaky bolter volley.  The rightmost Destroyers, just freed from Shrike, died from massive blunt trauma thanks to the Dread squad (as well as the Cryptek, I believe).  The Dreads also captured the right-flank objective.  Ike's Techmarine whiffed amusingly against the Scarabs, and nothing of note happened in the Wraith-Praetorian-Lias combat.  In better news, Shahk got his first kill in millions of years on the Penitent Dreadnought, and consolidated towards the nearby objective.

We rolled for game end, and got another turn.

GAME TURN 6

Turn 6 - Me

I pulled my central Destroyers back from their questionable position, and the two Marines that had survived in center field for several turns died to gauss-fire.  The leftmost Destroyer squad sat on their objective.  Shahk's depleted squad charged the Marines on Ike's leftmost objective, sent them running, but not out of range of contesting the objective.  The warriors in the center joined the Scarabs and helped them put an end to the Techmarine.

Turn 6 - Ike and Nathaniel

Nathaniel's surviving Raptors fired on and took a few wounds off the leftmost Destroyers.  Pretty sure the Dread squad fired at something, likely the central Destroyers.  The last Wraith and Praetorian killed Lias and secured Slay the Warlod.

We rolled and the game ended.

Final score: Lahkers held one objective (3 VP), had two Heavy Support kills (2 VP), and Slay the Warlord, Line Breaker, and First Blood (3 VP) for a total of 8 VP.  The Marine alliance held three objectives (9 VP), one Heavy Support kill (1 VP), and Line Breaker (1 VP) for a total of 11 VP.  The Emperor's Angels took this one home.

Final Thoughts:

• I should not have sent my Destroyers on the right flank so far forward so soon.  Shrike more than made his points back tying them up for the game.
• Ike asked why I hadn't focused fire on his Dreadnought Squad...I looked at that wall of AV 12, with a total of 9 HP, and decided to treat it like a Wraithknight: it would be easier to kill the army around that rock first rather than wear myself down on the rock and have the rock's army kill me while I did so.  (A note: in a recent game, Ike fielded a similar Dread squad, and that time I tried and succeeded at stopping it with the Heavy Destroyers.)
• The new Lords did very well in their first game, in fact exceeding my expectations.  Aside from the whiffed charge at Squad Dakon, that is.
• This got me into playing Destroyers for a while, in order to win with something fast, mobile, and something other than Footslogging Necron Cheese.
• Shadow Captain Shrike has the coolest title ever, and is also harder to hit than Batman at midnight, during a power outage, at the zenith of an eclipse.
• You know what, Shrike is probably straight up Batman.

Extra Pics:

Saddest Vindicator ever, duct-taped together by Techmarines fifteen minutes before the battle.

"Not again..."

Now you see Assault Marines...

...now you don't.

Coming in for a broadside.

RIP Distraction Praetorians, thanks for keeping that thing away from my army.

Shahk's first deployment in 60 million years.

Nihkyanh and Byrahn engage with Squad Dakon.

Kobeh finally gets to grips with Shrike.

"Look out, son!"

The rather anticlimactic fight with the Techmarine warlord.

Shahk's first kill! 

Looks like it's Destroyer-Stomping Day.