Kill Team Night: Eldar, Space Wolves, Dark Angels

We played a handful of these games which are restricted to 200 points, 0-1 Troop, 0-1 Fast, 0-1 Elite on a cover heavy, reduced size game board. You get to assign three different universal rules to three different members of your team [marked in brackets below]. No coherency is needed and each model is treated individually as far as targeting goes. You also have to take Ld. test once you loose half your number in which your leadership falls each subsequent round.

Eldar Kill Team

5 Shining Spears - one being an Exarch [Scout, FNP, Skilled Rider]

*Jetbikes with Laser Lance (which is also a power weapon) and Shuriken Cannons

Space Wolf Kill Team

5 Grey Hunters - one mark of the wulfen [Furious charge], one with plasmagun [FNP]

Lone Wolf - TDA (terminator armor), TH/SS [Fleet]

*His badass has a 2+ save and a 3+ invulnerable save. WTF!?!?

Dark Angel Kill Teams (I used two different teams)

Kill Team Alpha - 6 man Veteran Squad:

Heavy Bolter [Relentless]

Powerfist, bolt pistol [Fleet]

Power weapon, bolt pistol [Furious Charge]

Plasmagun

2x Storm Bolters (which now that I think of it, I pretty much forgot to roll 2 die for these half the first game)

Kill Team Beta - 3 Ravenwing Bikers with Attack Bike:

Powerweapon, bolt pistol sarge [Furious charge]

Plasmagun [FNP]

1x Regular Bike

Attack Bike, one game Heavy Bolter [Skilled Rider], one game with Multi Melta [Counter Charge]

Outcome for the night (W-L)

2-0, Space Wolves

2-1, Eldar (playing DA twice and SW once)

0-3, Dark Angels : ( The SW match came down to who failed their Ld. test first - I finally failed on a roll of 6.

Brief Summaries -

Game One: Eldar vs. DA Alpha

The first turn was uneventful as the Eldar turbo boosted for position and flanked the DA Veterens followed by a crappy shooting from the DA. Subsequent rounds saw the Powerfist Vet fall just before his comrades were able to down a Shining Spear in shooting. The Power weaponed Vet with Furious charge was able to match the Eldar initiative and take another but not before it's power weapon also cleaved him in half. Having fast moving power weapons proved to be an awesome combination as they eventually cut down the rest of the squad. Da made the mistake of deploying out of cover thinking it would hinder their movement but in reality, against a unit that can turboboost, you might as well wait for them.

Game Two: Eldar vs. DA Beta (Attack Bike w/HB [Skilled Rider])

The DA were definitely on more equal footing this time around in terms of speed and toughness however once the Spears got into them with those power weapons, it was over. The Bikes managed to down a couple before they were into them. To add insult to injury, the Plasma gunner rolled a 1, 2 and 3 for Gets Hot!. Thats right, he failed the armor save AND the Feel No Pain he was given. In a game were every body counts, that just was unacceptable.

Game Three: Space Wolves vs. DA Beta (Attack Bike w/MM [Count charge])

DA bikers against the wolves saw their mobility shine as the Grey Hunters and their TDA Lone Wolf were left walking (Lone Wolf had Fleet). DA played keep away from Lone wolf and chipped away at hit Grey Wolves in cover - very shoddy save rolling in this case. This game eventually came down to simply who would fail their leadership test first. SW had 1-2 Grey Hunters left by the end along with the Lone Wolf which one biker managed to wound in combat before he was pulverized by his thunder hammer. DA lost on a roll of a 6 with the Attack bike and Sarge still standing (or riding).

Game Four: Space Wolves vs. Eldar
SW started out mostly in the same deployment as the previous game. Shooting proved ineffective for the Shining Spears and a couple of them ate it in assault. This was another that came down to leadership tests. With one Spear left, it was easy enough to turbo boost out of range and behind cover to wait it out. Unfortunately the Eldar failed their very next test and that was the end of it. Space Wolves pull of a second win due to opponents failed leadership.

Overall, Mobility is definitely a key factor in Kill Team missions and both Rob and I agreed that 5 Shining Spears with Exarch may be on of the best units for it, despite their loss to the wolves - which in my opinion Susmita may have rushed to assault too quick. Speed, high initiative, and those power weapons are a great combo. If you don't have mobility, cover can be your friend (or even if you are fast, use it by turbo boosting and such).