Battle Report: Dark Eldar vs. Eldar Rescue

After the bloody ambush, the Eldar Farseers detected the psychic calls for help from a captured Farseer who had escaped the torture of the Dark Eldar. Unfortunately, the Dark Eldar were in hot pursuit of their escaped prisoner, and would stop at nothing to recapture him. The race was on to see who would get to the escaped Farseer first.


Scenario: Standard Rescue
Dark Eldar Forces: Archite
Eldar Forces: Darkwing
The Forces

Dark Eldar Raiding Party		Points
	Haemonculus (1)	37
	Raider Squad (5) with Raider	115
	Raider Squad (5) with Raider	115
	Raider Squad (5) with Raider	115
	Warriors with Sybarite (20)	216
	Warriors with Sybarite (19)	208
	Warriors with Sybarite (20)	211
	Scourges with Sybarite (5)	171
	Ravager	120
	Hellions (4) 72
	Reaver Jetbikes (4)	120
	Total Points:	1500

Eldar Force		Points
	Farseer with Guide and Mind War, Witchblade & Shuriken Pistol	101
	Howling Banshees with Exarch (5)	117
	Striking Scorpions with Exarch (10)	217
	(Blue) Guardian Defender Squad with Warlock with Conceal (12)	138
	(Red) Guardian Defender Squad with Warlock with Conceal (12)	135
	Rangers (5)	95
	Swooping Hawks with Exarch (10)	237
	Dark Reapers (3)	111
	Fire Prism with Holo-Fields	140
	Warp Spiders with Exarch (5)	147
	Vyper Jetbike (1)	65
	Total Points:	1503

Turn 1

The Dark Eldar Army advances

The Eldar arrived on the battlefield behind the cover of several rocky outcroppings, while the Dark Eldar formed nearer to groupings of trees. The first Eldar forces to arrive were two units of Guardians and a unit of Rangers. For their part, the Dark Eldar deployed with three units of Dark Eldar Warriors, supported by no less than three Raiders, each with a squad of embarked troops.

The Eldar advanced into the rocks, and to their surprise, almost immediately they discovered their Farseer, hiding and awaiting rescue. Their objective found, they just had to hold on to him and keep him safe until the Dark Eldar could be driven off.

The Dark Eldar began their attack. The Warriors advanced, and the Raiders moved with them, firing their disintegrators at the Rangers, killing three of them and forcing the two survivors to fall back.

Turn 2
The Rangers fled the battlefield, but reinforcements had arrived. Squads of Howling Banshees, Striking Scorpions, Warp Spiders, and Dark Reapers arrived, along with a Farseer and a Fire Prism Grav-Tank. The Eldar forces concentrated, attempting to protect their rescued comrade. The Blue Guardians passed off the rescued Farseer to the newly arrived Farseer, who then took cover behind a large rock formation. The Fire Prism took a shot with its Prism Cannon at the nearest Raider, but missed.

Guardians await the approaching Dark Eldar Warriors 

The Dark Eldar had their own reinforcements arrive in the form of Reaver Jetbikes, a squad of Hellions, and a Ravager. The Ravager moved into the center, behind the cover of some rocks. The Reavers moved on the Dark Eldar right flank, while the rest of the Dark Eldar advanced in the center. The Raider fired their disintegrators at the Red Guardian Squad, killing one Guardian and the Warlock. The two other Raiders fired their disintegrators at the Fire Prism, but both shots failed to penetrate the Grav-Tank's armor.

Turn 3
An Eldar Vyper jetbike arrived on the Eldar right flank. Swooping Hawks flew over the battlefield, dropping grenades onto the Dark Eldar Warriors, killing one of them. The Fire Prism moved to the Eldar left flank, while the infantry continued to close ranks in the center. The Dark Reapers fired at a Raider at extreme range, but their Reaper launchers were up to the task, destroying the Raider and killing two of its embarked troops. The Fire Prism destroyed another Raider with its Prism Cannon, killing one on board. The Swooping Hawks landed at the vanguard of the Eldar infantry, and their lasblasters killed three crewmembers of one of the crashed Raiders.

The Reaver jetbikes continued to move around the Eldar left flank, while the remainder of the Dark Eldar army continued their advance. A Raider fired at the Vyper jetbike, but its shot failed to penetrate. The Reaver jetbikes fired their blasters at the Fire Prism, nearly destroying it. The Fire Prism's Holo-Fields saved it from destruction, but its Prism Cannon was destroyed. Fire from the many Dark Eldar Warriors killed six of the Swooping Hawks.

Turn 4
The Eldar Guardian squads advanced to take point, while the damaged Swooping Hawk squad withdrew to take up better firing positions. The The Fire Prism fired its twin-linked Shuriken Catapults, destroying one of the Reaver jetbikes. The Warp Spider used their Warp jump generators to pass through a large rock formation and fire on Ravager. Their Deathspinners filled the air with monofilament wire, and the Ravager crashed to the ground, destroyed, with three of its embarked Warriors killed as well. The Warp Spiders jumped back, but lost one who materialized in the rocks and was killed. The Swooping Hawks and Guardians killed three Warriors with their fire, causing the survivors to fall back. The Vyper fired its Brightlance at the last Raider, shaking up the crew.

The last Reaver Jetbike faces off against the Farseer and his rescued comrade 

The Dark Eldar Scourges arrived, landing right behind a hill, but just barely able to see over it and target their enemies. The Warriors and Hellions advanced, while the Reavers continued to move to the right. The Reavers missed the Fire Prism, while the Scourges opened up with their four Splinter Cannon, killing eight Red Guardians. Fire from the Dark Eldar Warriors, mainly from their Splinter Cannon, killed seven Blue Guardians and one Warp Spider.

Turn 5
The Eldar advanced, and the Vyper moved to the center for fire support. The Red Guardians and Striking Scorpions fired at a pair of exposed Warriors, killing them both. The Blue Guardians killed two more Warriors with Shuriken Catapult fire. The Dark Reapers, Warp Spiders, and Swooping Hawks all fired at the Hellions, wiping out all five of them.

The Reaver jetbikes boosted forward, heading for the Farseer and the objective, currently hiding behind a rock formation, passing the Fire Prism in the process. The rest of the Dark Eldar army continued its advance. The Scourges and 12 Warriors unleashed their firepower at the Striking Scorpions. No less than five Splinter Cannon and ten Splinter Rifles opened fire on the Aspect Warriors, ripping the ground to shred around them and impacting their green aspect armor--and when the dust cleared, only a single Striking Scorpion had fallen. The Raider with three disintegrators fired all three of them right in the center of the Eldar formations, aiming right in the middle of the Howling Banshees and the Warp Spiders, but all three shots missed! Angry at their lack of accuracy, more Warriors opened fire, killing four of the Banshees and a single Red Guardian. The surviving Guardians held their ground, while the Banshees fled.

Turn 6

The Striking Scorpions fight a desperate battle against a horde of Dark Eldar Warriors

The Warp Spiders moved to cover, while the Striking Scorpions and Blue Guardians advanced to meet the Dark Eldar head on. The Vyper fired at the last Raider, stunning the crew. The Dark Reapers fired on the Reaver jetbikes approaching their Farseer, destroying one of them. The Farseer himself peeked out from behind the rocks, and used Mind War to fry the brain of another biker, leaving only one left. The Eldar opened fire at the Dark Eldar Warriors, killing six of them. Then the Striking Scorpions charged the Haemonculus and the Dark Eldar Warriors. Their Mandiblasters did most of the damage, killing three warriors, and the Scorpions then hacked down the Haemonculus with their chainswords.

All the Dark Eldar Warriors that could charged into combat with the Striking Scorpions, while those who could not took up firing positions. The Scourges fired on the Blue Guardians, killing five and wiping out the squad. The Warriors opened fire on the Warp Spiders, killing the remaining three. The Warriors assaulted the last surviving Red Guardian, killing him quickly. The 8 Striking Scorpions held their ground against 23 Dark Eldar Warriors. The Scorpions killed five of the Warriors, while surrving six casualties of their own, one of them being the Exarch, who was killed before he could strike.

The last Reaver jetbike had closed with the Farseer, and at point blank range it opened up with its blaster, killing the Farseer outright. Now the objective was in no one's hands, but the battle was over...

Conclusion
The Dark Eldar were swarming over the Eldar positions, who began a hasty retreat. They had had their Farseer rescued, only to lose him again at the last possible moment. Fortunately, he wasn't in the hands of the Dark Eldar either...