He learns....

The young one has taken an interest in 40k. We have played a few times before this but only the very basics have been applied and usually with only one or two squads. The mission is usually annihilation with little cover or difficult terrain just to get the basics of phases of the turn. He is playing necrons (old 'dex) because the limited number of models they can field and the pretty standard stat line is easy to remember. I've been playing eldar to limit the number of models he is up against.


He had progressed nicely and he wanted to play a bigger game so we did 500ish points but did not follow force organization strictly but he chose one hq and one troop and 3 fast attack.  He added the points himself (calculator help for multiplying) I told him to keep it around 500 but he went upwards of 600.  Our lists:

NECRONS

·         1 Necron lord with resurrection orb.

·         10 warriors

·         1 wraith

·         3 destroyers

·         7 scarab bases

ELDAR

·         1 autarch with powersword and mandiblaster

·         10 avengers w/exarch powersword and shimmer shield

·         5 rangers

·         7 banshees w/ exarch and executioner

I asked him to scale it back and he chose to remove a destroyer.  I asked why and he said that he needed the wraith to guard the warriors.  Impressive… One of the lessons from the previous games was that warriors are no good at close combat. 

We were playing take and hold with 2 objectives on a 4x4 board with 4^th edition occupy rules (meaning any unit could occupy and objective).  I won the roll to deploy first but I chose to go second to see what he would do in setting up.  He set up to make a central drive toward the objective in the middle of the board in the building.  I set up in the middle and on the opposite corner. 

His first turn movement was a surprise.  I expected them to all move forward but instead he tried a flanking maneuver with his scarabs and destroyers.  This move prompted me to stark taking pictures.  The picture below represents two turns of movement.

Unfortunately, he did not pay attention to my avengers lurking about the corner of the building and moved his scarabs too far out from behind cover and his destroyers had no cover from the rangers in the building.  The destroyers shot at the banshees but with no effect as only one of the destroyers was within range.  The rangers, thanks to some lucky rolls, killed the destroyers in a single turn.  The scarabs got lit up with shuriken fire.  My banshees were not close enough to finish them off with an assault so he assaulted the next turn.  He fears the banshees and rightly so with their power weapons. 

A few turns later after inconclusive fire between the avengers and his necron warriors and the banshees finally finishing off the scarabs the time was right for an important decision.  See picture:

I set a screen with my avengers on the banshees.  I expected him to shoot at the avengers because they were closer when he asked, “Can I shoot the banshees?”  WOW!  Target priority so soon.  I am surprised as hell and tell him he can but the banshees get a save no matter what the AP is.  The rapid fire gauss attack was devastating as only 2 banshees were left standing.  That wasn’t the only surprise he had for me either.  See picture.

The wraith had been lurking behind the wall waiting for the right moment to strike.  Seeing that there were only 2 banshees left the wraith launches an assault on the banshees.  Ouch!  After a couple of turns the banshees both die.   After the wraith takes out the banshees it runs off to capture the other objective on the necron tomb. 

I eventually finish off the warriors and lord with the rangers and the avengers.  The avengers assaulted and the 2 power weapons from the exarch and the autarch slowly whittled them down until it is only the 2 of them left. 

The game ends just before I have the chance to assault the wraith.  It ends in a tie.  He controls the tomb and I control the objective in the building.  At the end of the game I asked him what he thought went well. He said:

·         I killed the banshees.

·         The wraith is really strong.

I asked him what he could do better next time.  He said: 

·         Keep the scarabs closer to the warriors. The warriors still stink at close combat.

·         Keep my guys behind stuff longer.

Not bad at all.  HE LEARNS…..