Battle Report: The Battle of Cyclades, Part 3

Their initial probes meeting with heavy resistance, the Eldar massed their forces for a decisive strike against the Arcadians. The Arcadians steeled themselves for a bitter defense.


Imperial Guard Forces: abyrne
Eldar Forces: Darkwing
Forces

Imperial Guard (C Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment)
Command HQ with Colonel (5)	105
Command Section (5)	36
Infantry Squad (10)	88
Infantry Squad (10)	78
Infantry Squad (10)	73
Command Section (5)	36
Infantry Squad (10)	78
Infantry Squad (10)	73
Infantry Squad (10)	83
Stormtroopers (10)	210
Leman Russ Battle Tank	155
Chimera	80
Total	1015

Eldar
Farseer (1)	120
Striking Scorpions (7)	133
Fire Dragons with Exarch (6)	146
Guardian Defender Squad with Warlock (17)	159
Guardian Storm Squad with Warlock (8)	96
Rangers (5)	95
Dark Reapers (3)	111
Swooping Hawks with Exarch (6)	153
Total:	1013

Turn 1The Imperial Guard had deployed in depth, with three firing lines, anchored by five Infantry Squads, with the Command Sections in support and the 6th Infantry Squad holding position in the woods with their mortar. On the left flank, the Leman Russ advanced to meet the Eldar threat, accompanied by the Chimera. Within a stone's throw of the Eldar lines, the Chimera's door opened and a squad of Stormtroopers spilled out, hellguns at the ready. They took aim at the Fire Dragons hiding in the woods ahead of them, and killed two of them. The rest of the Imperial Guard fire, with few targets in range, proved ineffective. The Eldar retaliated with a vengeance. As the Striking Scorpions and Guardian Storm Squad advanced behind cover, the Eldar Rangers, from their position in cover, began to pick off guardsmen on the front line, killing two. The Swooping Hawks advanced and fired, killing four guardsmen and forcing the Infantry Squad to fall back.
The Guardian Defender Squad advanced to within range of the Stormtroopers, and being under the influence of the Farseer's Guide, opened fire with a hail of deadly shurikens. Four Stormtroopers were killed, and the rest held their ground. Then the Fire Dragons broke cover and took aim at the Chimera with their fusion guns, and two shots reduced it to a flaming hulk. Not pausing in their stride, they plowed into the Stormtroopers. The Exarch killed two of them, while the other aspect warriors dispatched two more. The two surviving Stormtroopers ran for their lives. The Fire Dragons, now out in the open, took cover behind the wreck of the Chimera.
Turn 2The Leman Russ halted in its tracks, its turret swivelling. The mighty battlecannon roared, shooting an explosive shell into the midst of the Guardian Defenders, but with the aid of their Warlock's Conceal, only two of them succumbed to the blast. The Infantry Squads opened up, killing two more Guardians and three members of the Storm Squad as they ran for the trees. The Storm Squad ran to the cover of some trees, but remained hidden--once they passed through the trees, only open ground stood between them and the Imperial Guard firing line. The Dark Reapers levelled their Reaper Launchers at the approaching Leman Russ, and fired a salvo of missiles, only
to find out the their weapons did not have the necessary armor penetration to damage the tank! The shells bounced ineffectively off the tank's armor. The Rangers picked off two more guardsmen, while the Swooping Hawks advanced and killed four more with their massed lasblaster fire. The Guardian Defender squad advanced again, and their hail of fire killed six more guardsmen, causing the squad's survivors to fall back in disarray.
Turn 3
The Leman Russ turned to face the Guardian Defenders, and gunned its engines, hoping to terrify the Guardians into fleeing. Under the leadership of the Farseer, the Guardians merely moved out of the tank's way, essentially ignoring it. The Imperial
Guard infantry opened up on the Swooping Hawks now, and managed to kill three of them.The Storm Squad charged through the woods and into the open, running fast in the hopes of reaching the Imperial lines before they were mowed down. The Swooping Hawks advanced in support,
firing and killing two more guardsmen. The Dark Reapers turned their launchers in search of easier prey, locked onto some infantry, and killed two of them. The Guardian Defenders advanced past the Leman Russ and fired upon the falling back
Stormtroopers, killing both of them. The Fire Dragon Exarch broke cover from behind the wreck of the Chimera and coolly advanced on the Leman Russ. One of his Fire
Dragons fired at the tank and stunned the crew, but then the Exarch, a veteran Tank Hunter, leveled his Firepike and blasted a hole into its magazine. The battle tank exploded in a fireball, and the terrible explosion killed one of the Fire
Dragons and a Guardian Defender, and nearly killed the Warlock. The Farseer was caught in the explosion but was saved from injury by his Rune Armor. The Guardian Storm Squad charged into combat with the infantry, the Swooping Hawks doing the same on the adjacent infantry squad. The Swooping Hawks killed two Guardsmen while the Storm Squad only managed to kill one. Fighting back, the Guardsmen killed two members of the Storm Squad, and the furious melee continued.
Turn 4For the most part the Imperial Guard were falling back or engaged in close combat, and with both their vehicles destroyed they did little firing. Colonel Hayes, leading his Command HQ section, leapt into combat with the Warlock and his Storm Squad, and wiped them out. The Swooping Hawks killed another Guardsman but the tide was turning rapidly under the guardmen's weight of numbers.
The Rangers continued to snipe, killing another guardsman. The Dark Reapers joined in the sniping, killing one more. The Fire Dragon Exarch advanced toward the Imperial lines, and vaporized yet another guardsman with his Firepike. The Guardian
Defenders continued their implacable advance, killing four more guardsmen with their hail of fire. The Farseer then cast an Eldritch Storm on the hapless guardsmen, killing another three.
The Striking Scorpions advanced to support the Swooping Hawks, but were still too far away to get into the combat. They fired their pistols instead, and managed to kill three Guardsmen. But it was not enough, as the Swooping Hawks were now surrounded. They killed two guardsmen, but both Swooping Hawks were killed in return and the Exarch fled the overwhelming odds. The exultant guardsmen pursued, but it was in vain as the Exarch was too fast to be caught.
Turn 5
Despite repelling the attack on their right flank, the guardsmen were mostly concerned with self-preservation, and thus fell back to form another firing line. Their fire killed four Guardian Defenders, checking their advance and causing them to fall back an reconsider their attack. Colonel Hayes heroically led his men forward, determined to exploit the success on the right flank, and closed on the Striking Scorpions, supported by his Command Section and an Infantry Squad. They fired all their weapons at the Striking Scoprions in preparation for their assault, but every single hit bounced harmlessly off the aspect warriors' armor. Undeterred, the Colonel led his men into close combat. As the guardsmen charged in, screaming their challenge, the mandiblasters replied, followed by a hail of shurikens and the
terrifying wet buzz of the chainswords grinding through flesh and bone. Colonel Hayes parried a chainsword swing with his power sword and killed his opponent, only to see that seven of his men had gone down, and the only survivors were himself,
the Lieutenant and the Sergeant. Cursing in rage he fought on. The Rangers killed another guardsman with their rifles, while the Dark Reapers killed three more. The Swooping Hawk Exarch halted his retreat and killed one guardsman with his Hawk's Talon at long range.
In the melee, the Striking Scorpions, blood on their chainswords, mercilessly hacked down both the Sergeant and the Lieutenant. Colonel Hayes, the last man standing, wildly parried their blows, and then ran for his life. The Scorpions pursued and tore him to pieces.
Turn 6
The last man in his squad, a Heavy Bolter gunner, took aim at the Striking Scopions that had just killed his Colonel. Opening fire, he managed to kill one of them. It was his last act, however, as the Fire Dragon Exarch then vaporized him. One more Guardian would die from lasgun fire before the few surviving Imperial Guardsmen fled the field, leaving the Eldar the clear victors.
Conclusion
The Eldar attack proved decisive, and although they suffered moderate casualties, they path lay open to smash out of their beachhead and send the Arcadian Army fleeing.

February 11, 2002