Straken Survives Crash! And Some Denerair Updates

 
Last Friday's games vs the vile xenos of Synide's Craftworld Kai were amazing fun. Painful for my forces, but fun anyways.

His 1850pt army list:
Vile Eldar xenos scum:
Autarch on jetbike, with fusion gun, lance and the funky mask
Spiritseer
5 Wraithguard w wraithcannon
Wave Serpent with holofields, twin scatter lasers, shuriken cannon
5 Wraithguard w the flamer things
Wave Serpent with holofields, twin scatter lasers, shuriken cannon
Crimson Hunter w Exarch
Hemlock
3 Hornets
Night Spinner
Night Spinner

The Emperor's Indomitable II Catachan, Air Mobile Detachment:
Colonel Straken, with 3 plasma gunners and a Medic
Padre Peters (rides with Straken)
Major Winters, with 3 riflemen and standard bearer
1st Assault squad - demolitions, heavy flamer, 2 meltaguns
2nd Assault squad - demolitions, heavy flamer, 2 meltaguns
3rd squad - autocannon, 2 meltaguns, vet sgt w meltabombs
4th squad - autocannon, sniper, 2 plasma guns, vet sgt w meltabombs
5th squad - autocannon, sniper, 2 plasma guns, vet sgt w meltabombs
Valkyrie Squadron - 2 Valks with missile pods
Vendetta Squadron - 2 aircraft
Vendetta Squadron - 2 aircraft

Synide, the poor thing, had never played a Maelstrom mission before, so I got him to try it out. We played mission no.3. Safe to say it was so much fun, he actually bought the mission cards that night.

 

I won't go thru a blow by blow of the game, but one thing's for sure - Eldar armies like this one are alongside the Tau for armies that the AirCav just cannot handle. While Straken's troopers fought valiantly, they didn't stand a chance. Xenos withering firepower very quickly tore down the Vendettas and Valkyrie, and amidst my backdrop music of Ride The Valkyrie and assorted late-60s rock, the Catachans' brave fight could not stop the xenos from absolute victory. Only 1 Catachan survived - the Veteran Sergeant Hobbs of 2nd Assault Squad.

The most amazing moment of the game had to be when Straken's Vendetta was shot down by the Crimson Hunter, sending the mighty gunship down in flames, and crashing with a thunderous blast, killing all onboard - except for Straken. Emerging from the fiery twisted wreck, the incensed Colonel charged the nearest xenos tank and brought it crashing down (the plan was for the surviving Vendetta squadron to kill the Wave Serpent, and Straken then would charge the Spiritseer and Wraithguard inside - but the Serpent survived the lascannons with 1 hull-point remaining).

We played a second game, with the same xenos army taking on Ahriman and my Thousand Sons. This game was much closer, the xenos winning 13-11. I hadn't played the Thousand Sons in awhile, and it was pretty refreshing to play Chaos after weeks of siding with the Imperium.

A quick update on my Denerair Highland regiment project. I started on the first Wyvern, and you can see some of the progress below. I really don't like the original kit because it looks too much like a Hydra without the long autocannon barrels (which it is). So I swapped the barrel mountings left to right, and the result is something that I like much better than the original kit. I've added some stowage, and the vehicle is ready for painting - hopefully tomorrow.

Keep them dice rolling.