The Dune Crawler’s clamp-like foot descended on the Harlequin’s fallen body, crushing it into the dirt beneath. Though the mask he wore on his face was that of a huge, grinning smile, the Aeldari behind it would be wearing a grimace. It would be bleeding. It would be dying. And that was good.

Rangers moved swiftly through what was left of the battlefield, the sounds of their footsteps followed by the thumping of robotic feet and tank tracks. Plasma destroyers rolled along the rock, their weapons still glowing hot, steam billowing from vents desperately trying to keep them cool. At the core of the Mechanicus army, the Tech Priest Dominus blasted a psalm through huge speakers mounted atop his back.

It was a dirge for the dead and the fallen. An ode to the heroes of this battle. A mockery of the enemy’s slain.

A Servo Skull approached the Tech Priest, its many appendages bleeping and glowing. Through a data link directly into the Tech Priest’s brain, the servo skull relayed critical battle information. A summary of those dead, parts lost and objectives secured all flowed in front of his eyes like an overlay, his partly mechanical mind processing the information with ease.

An explosion suddenly rocked the battlefield. When the Tech Priest looked, one of his Dune Crawlers had gone up in flames. Pieces of it were flying across the landscape, its mechanical screams ripping through the comm network, rising above the Tech Priest’s psalms. All around came the sounds of metal disks bouncing off even tougher metal armor, but between those sounds was the slitting of throats, and the slicing of critical tubes and cables.

Had the Aeldari called for reinforcements? How had they arrived so soon? And where were they?

As the Tech Priest prepared himself once more for battle, chanting the liturgies of the Omnissiah to embolden his brethren, came the steady rise of an ill wind. Was it the warp? Were there daemons here? No. This was death, for he had smelled its scent many times. Only this time, as he watched a new battle unfold before him, death was not a concept.

Death stood before him, emerging from a vortex of shimmering blue light. The Yncarne soared into the sky, raised his sword, and signaled the attack. Behind him, the Aeldari came in force. Not Harlequins, or the Drukhari, or the Craftworlders, no single identifiable army; it was all of them. They were all here, all aligned behind a single purpose.

To bring death upon their enemies, and reap strength from it.

Points: 1750

Mission: Retrieval Mission

Deployment: Frontline Assault

++ Battalion Detachment +5CP (Aeldari – Harlequins) ++

Masque Form: Ynnari

+ HQ +

Shadowseer: 1. Gaze of Ynnead, 6. Ancestors’ Grace, Shuriken Pistol

The Yncarne: 2. Storm of Whispers, 3. Word of the Phoenix, Warden of Souls, Ynnari Warlord

Troupe Master: Power sword, Shuriken Pistol

. Soulsnare

+ Troops +

Troupe

. Player: Harlequin’s Caress, Shuriken Pistol

. Player: Harlequin’s Caress, Shuriken Pistol

. Player: Fusion Pistol, Harlequin’s Caress

. Player: Fusion Pistol, Harlequin’s Caress

. Player: Fusion Pistol, Harlequin’s Caress

Troupe

. Player: Harlequin’s Caress, Shuriken Pistol

. Player: Harlequin’s Caress, Shuriken Pistol

. Player: Fusion Pistol, Harlequin’s Caress

. Player: Fusion Pistol, Harlequin’s Caress

. Player: Fusion Pistol, Harlequin’s Caress

Troupe

. Player: Harlequin’s Caress, Shuriken Pistol

. Player: Harlequin’s Caress, Shuriken Pistol

. Player: Fusion Pistol, Harlequin’s Caress

. Player: Fusion Pistol, Harlequin’s Caress

. Player: Harlequin’s Caress, Shuriken Pistol

+ Fast Attack +

Skyweavers

. Skyweaver: Haywire Cannon, Zephyrglaive

. Skyweaver: Haywire Cannon, Zephyrglaive

. Skyweaver: Haywire Cannon, Zephyrglaive

. Skyweaver: Haywire Cannon, Zephyrglaive

. Skyweaver: Haywire Cannon, Zephyrglaive

Skyweavers

. Skyweaver: Haywire Cannon, Zephyrglaive

. Skyweaver: Haywire Cannon, Zephyrglaive

. Skyweaver: Haywire Cannon, Zephyrglaive

Skyweavers

. Skyweaver: Haywire Cannon, Zephyrglaive

. Skyweaver: Haywire Cannon, Zephyrglaive

. Skyweaver: Haywire Cannon, Zephyrglaive

+ Dedicated Transport +

Starweaver: 2x Shuriken Cannon

Starweaver: 2x Shuriken Cannon

Starweaver: 2x Shuriken Cannon

++ Battalion Detachment +5CP (Imperium – Adeptus Mechanicus) ++

Forge World Choice

. Forge World: Mars

+ HQ +

Belisarius Cawl

. Warlord: Warlord Trait (Mars): Static Psalm-Code

Tech-Priest Manipulus: Magnarail lance

+ Troops +

Kataphron Destroyers

. Kataphron Destroyer: Phosphor Blaster, Plasma Culverin

. Kataphron Destroyer: Phosphor Blaster, Plasma Culverin

. Kataphron Destroyer: Phosphor Blaster, Plasma Culverin

. Kataphron Destroyer: Phosphor Blaster, Plasma Culverin

. Kataphron Destroyer: Phosphor Blaster, Plasma Culverin

. Kataphron Destroyer: Phosphor Blaster, Plasma Culverin

Skitarii Rangers

. Ranger Alpha: Galvanic Rifle

. 3x Skitarii Ranger

. Skitarii Ranger (Transuranic Arquebus): Transuranic Arquebus

Skitarii Vanguards: Enhanced Data-Tether

. 6x Skitarii Vanguard

. 2x Skitarii Vanguard (Plasma Caliver): 2x Plasma Caliver

. Vanguard Alpha: Radium Carbine

++ Spearhead Detachment +1CP (Imperium – Adeptus Mechanicus) ++

Forge World Choice

. Forge World: Mars

+ HQ +

Tech-Priest Dominus: Eradication Ray, Phosphor Serpenta

+ Elites +

Cybernetica Datasmith: Gamma Pistol, Power fist

+ Heavy Support +

Kastelan Robots

. Kastelan Robot: Heavy Phosphor Blaster

. . Two Heavy Phosphor Blasters: 2x Heavy Phosphor Blaster

. Kastelan Robot: Heavy Phosphor Blaster

. . Two Heavy Phosphor Blasters: 2x Heavy Phosphor Blaster

. Kastelan Robot: Heavy Phosphor Blaster

. . Two Heavy Phosphor Blasters: 2x Heavy Phosphor Blaster

. Kastelan Robot: Heavy Phosphor Blaster

. . Two Heavy Phosphor Blasters: 2x Heavy Phosphor Blaster

. Kastelan Robot: Heavy Phosphor Blaster

. . Two Heavy Phosphor Blasters: 2x Heavy Phosphor Blaster

. Kastelan Robot: Heavy Phosphor Blaster

. . Two Heavy Phosphor Blasters: 2x Heavy Phosphor Blaster

Onager Dunecrawler: Broad Spectrum Data-tether, Cognis Heavy Stubber

. Neutron Laser and Cognis Heavy Stubber: Cognis Heavy Stubber, Neutron Laser

Onager Dunecrawler: Broad Spectrum Data-tether, Cognis Heavy Stubber

. Neutron Laser and Cognis Heavy Stubber: Cognis Heavy Stubber, Neutron Laser

Turn 1 (Ynnari)

The Skyweavers prepare to launch themselves into the frontlines of the Mechanicus, as they hurdle full speed towards the Kastelan Robots. The Robots prepares to fire, the only protocol programmed into the, at this moment being to protect Belisarius Cawl at all costs. As the Jetbikes grow closer to the Robots, they fire a barrage of shots at the unit, the Phosphor shells clashing with the hulls of 2 Skyweavers, blows them to smithereens. Despite being an Overwatch roll, the Kastelan Robots manages to perform exceptionally well, aided by the Raiment of the Technomartyrs Relic on Cawl, giving units that roll 6’s to hit during Overwatch extra attacks, resulting in an even large volume of shooting from a fire base army. To add insult to injury, the Skyweavers fail the charge abysmally, leaving them stranded in the open in the upcoming turn.

Turn 1 (Adeptus Mechanicus)

After a horrible opening turn by the Aeldari, the Adeptus Mechanicus now look to mount an offensive. The Skitarii Vanguard emerge from the rubble, hopping over and around the wall to open ground, moving forwards to get into range to shoot this turn. Armed with a mix of Radium Carbines and Plasma Calivers, the Vanguards are capable of dealing a high amount of wounds, due to having both high powered weapons and weapons that can deal extra wounds on the roll of a 6.

Turn 1 (Adeptus Mechanicus)

Understanding that the Kataphron Destroyers were deployed in a sub-optimal place, Louis decides to move them up atop a ruin, giving them the benefit of being further from the enemy units, as well as increasing their line of sight towards the Skyweavers. Ideally, Louis will be able to get rid of the first unit of Skyweavers this turn, which will greatly hinder Julian’s ability to deal with the Mechanicus’ tough units later on in the battle.

Turn 1 (Adeptus Mechanicus)

The Tech-Priest Manipulus begins to activate its Galvanic Systems, opting to bolster the weapons of those around it. Whilst within 6″ of the Tech-Priest Manipulus whilst it uses its Galvanic Field Bolster: Weapons ability, increasing the range of ranged weapons by 6″ if that weapon originally has a range of 24″ or more, otherwise it is increased by 3″. This allows the Vanguards behind to reach the Skyweavers, adding some more supporting fire to the main bulk of the Mechanicus army. Also, let us take a moment to appreciate how awesome the Manipulus model is!

Turn 1 (Adeptus Mechanicus)

Seeing the damage that the Kastelan Robot took earlier on, Belisarius Cawl decides to repair the lone Kastelan. He slowly drags his body in that direction, before immediately going to work on the stalwart Robot. With the Master of Machines ability, Belisarius Cawl is able to heal D3 wounds from a friendly model with the Adeptus Mechanicus Faction Keyword. Louis manages to score a 6, meaning the Kastelan is brought back up to 5 wounds again.

Turn 1 (Adeptus Mechanicus)

Having Kataphron Destroyers and Kastelan Robots near each other means that Louis can use the very powerful Elimination Volley Stratagem for 2 Command Points, giving both of the aforementioned units a +1 to hit. Apart from making their ranged weapons more accurate, it also means that the Destroyers can Supercharge their Plasma Culverins safely, without worrying about them backfiring at all. With this, the Kataphron Destroyers target one of the 3 man Jetbike units, with the Kastelans firing at another unit of Skyweavers. Unfortunately, they both miss out on the killing blows, removing 2 Jetbikes from each unit, but missing out on the third one.

Turn 1 (Adeptus Mechanicus)

Next up, the unit of Kastelan Robots split fire at two units of bikes, which prompts Louis to spend 2 Command Points on the Wrath of Mars Stratagem, making all to wound rolls of 6’s deal a Mortal Wound in addition to any damage they are already dealing. The Kastelan Robots then begin to wail into the Skyweavers, as the Phosphor rounds once more make short work of the thin hulls of the Skyweavers. Both units are overwhelmed by the sheer firepower and both fall, leaving just 1 Skyweaver left out of the initial 12 that there were, as Louis secures First Blood!

Turn 1 (Adeptus Mechanicus)

As per direct orders from the Forge Lord himself, the Dunecrawlers prepare to take out the dedicated transports of the Aeldari, targeting the first Starweaver. The Neutron Lasers fire in tandem, as multiple shots miss their mark, with some agile movement from the pilot seeing the Starweaver evading all of the incoming fire from the large weapons. The Cognis Heavy Stubbers then pepper the transport with fire, but only manage to deal 1 measly wound to the vehicle.

Turn 1 (Adeptus Mechanicus)

As the unit of Skyweavers burn in a heap of molten scrap metal, the life essence of those felled by the Adeptus Mechanicus begin to swirl, amassing at one central point above the wrecked Jetbikes. From this mass of life essence begins to form an amorphous being. This being, once manifested, was wholly androgynous, possessing both female and male characteristics. The Yncarne enters the battlefield with the Inevitable Death rule, allowing it to come into play when a unit dies, setting up within 1″ of where the unit was. Wielding Vilith-Shar, the Sword of Souls, the Avatar of an ancient Aeldari God now joins the ranks of the Xenos, looking to lay waste to the mechanical structures known as the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Turn 2 (Ynnari)

With the arrival of the Yncarne, the true Dance of Death begins. Two of the three units of Troupes disembark from their respective transports, leaping out of the open-topped vehicle freely, the agile and nimble race landing on their feet lightly, taking this opportunity to leap and bound their way towards the frontlines of the Mechanicus. Armed with an array of deadly ranged and close combat weapons, the Harlequins now prepare to launch a secondary attack, this time, focusing far more on melee oriented fighting styles. If Julian manages to tie up Louis’ ranged units, they could very well be shut off for the remainder of the battle, as falling back will mean that Julian can simply charge back into them yet again. Furthermore, with the backup from the Yncarne, Louis is going to have his work cut out for him.

Turn 2 (Ynnari)

The dreadfleet of Harlequin vehicles move along the side of the battlefield, coming dangerously close to one of the Onager Dunecrawlers. With the damaged Starweaver leading the three, they create a cohesive formation, staggering themselves in a diagonal line, as they weave in and out of any incoming attacks from the Dunecrawler. This makes it far easier for the pilots to maneuver their way through the battlefield, as they can simply follow the transport in front of them. At the same time, they look to support the rest of the Aeldari units with suppressive fire.

Turn 2 (Ynnari)

The being formed of pure energy begins to wisp through the battlefield, the dangerous Yncarne moving with a fluid grace unknown to mortals, akin to that of a true deity. Without uttering a single word, the psychic prowess of the Yncarne becomes evident, as faint whispering sounds surround the Psyker. Julian attempts to cast Storm of Whispers, but unfortunately fails to make the necessary roll. Following directly after, Word of the Phoenix is then cast on the last surviving Skyweaver on the board, looking to regain D3 lost wounds earlier on in the battlefield, or bring back a model to the unit on 1 wound if the remaining Jetbike had not lost any wounds.

Turn 2 (Ynnari)

From the backlines of the Harlequins, the elusive Shadowseer parts the veils of illusion to peer into the battlefield, noticing the presence of the Mechanicus wholly for the first time this battle. With this, the Shadowseer points their Miststave at the Kastelan Robot unit, sending a smiting bolt of energy at it, dealing 1 Mortal Wound. With the unit now marked by the psychic energy, the Shadowseer has no trouble casting the next spell, as it locks onto its target. The Gaze of Ynnead is manifested, as the illusory image of the Yncarne’s guise floats towards the Robot, striking it and peeling off the metal from the walker unit, leaving one of the Kastelan Robots worse for wear as it takes 3 more Mortal Wounds from the second psychic power.

Turn 2 (Ynnari)

Sacrificing part of the life essence that was used to form the Yncarne, it selflessly strips part of the energy from its body, holding the floating globule of pure blue power over one of the slain Skyweaver pilots and pillions. In mere seconds, the two take a deep gasp for air as they are brought back from beyond the grave. Upon coming to their senses, they notice that their Jetbike too has been repaired with the life force from the Yncarne, as the two assume their previous positions and reform with their unit, on 1 wound. Following directly after, the two Skyweavers fire at the closest Dunecrawler, with two Jetbikes along proving just how much of a punch they can truly pack, bringing the vehicle down to its last 3 wounds in just one round of shooting!

Turn 2 (Ynnari)

The wide grin of the Harlequin Troupe Master would send shivers down the spines of any man, however the unflinching Adeptus Mechanicus were not to be fooled by the joyous facade presented by the Troupes. Instead, the Kataphron Destroyers stand stoic, awaiting their inevitable battle with the Aeldari. The Troupe Master silently aims at the Destroyers, with the rest of the Harlequins quickly following suit. A volley of both Shuriken and Fusion pistol fire are flung in the direction of the Kataphron unit, but they do not budge, as some bad rolling from Julian sees no wounds being dealt to the unit. Whilst somewhat expected from the Shuriken weaponry, it was definitely a shock from the Fusion Pistols, as their high Strength should have secured even some damage on the unit.

Turn 2 (Ynnari)

The Skyweavers, now imbued with a new vigor, charge into the Kastelan Robots. With psychic commands issued to the Jetbikes, they assault from behind the wall, meaning that the Kastelans cannot fire in Overwatch, taking away the one thing they excel at. Now locked into combat, the Yncarne points Vilith-Shar forward, launching themselves into battle, followed directly by the Troupes. This locks the Kastelan Robots up in combat indefinitely, as unless Louis changes their Protocols, they can no longer move. Following the major assault, the Starweavers then assault the two Dunecrawlers, dodging all of the incoming Overwatch fire, as well as securing the close combat lockdown on both vehicles.

Turn 2 (Ynnari)

With a swift strike from the Yncarne, the Kastelan Robot is sliced up into multiple pieces, as each separate part collapses to the ground, Vilith-Shar’s sharp edge tearing the armoured plated asunder. Another Kastelan Robot then explodes, as shrapnel from the Robot blowing in all directions. It slams into one of the Troupes, dealing 1 Mortal Wound to them, as a sharp piece of metal slices open the stomach of one member of the unit. Another piece of stray metal strikes the Skyweaver, dealing 1 Mortal Wound to that unit too, and finally, the Yncarne suffers 2 Mortal Wounds too from the explosion from the Kastelan Robots. One of the Kastelans, and one of the Kataphrons also suffer 1 Mortal Wound from the Robot.

Turn 2 (Ynnari)

Whilst nothing else dies in combat this turn, resulting in a poor performance by the Aeldari, Julian manages to pull off a very good consolidation, locking up the Kataphron Destroyer unit in combat as well. This is incredibly important, as Louis now has very few units that can fire if he is to move out of combat, but most importantly, since the one Kastelan Robot is still in combat, the Aeldari units count as being in combat, therefore they cannot be targeted in shooting, meaning that Louis is going to have to be creative in his upcoming turn.

Turn 2 (Adeptus Mechanicus)

At the start of Turn 2 for the Adeptus Mechanicus, Louis decides to move the Kataphron Destroyers back out of the combat, whilst Belisarius Cawl moves forwards towards the Yncarne, as the Mechanicus Warlord looks to slay the Avatar of the Aeldari God. It will be interesting to see what Louis does in this upcoming turn, with most of his units either tied in combat, or having fallen back, meaning they are not available to shoot this turn.

Turn 2 (Adeptus Mechanicus)

With the mechanical protocols programmed into all of the Adeptus Mechanicus units, the Dunecrawlers now clamber out of combat with the Starweavers, leaving the transports available to be shot at. Louis is going to have to plan out his shooting very well, with only a few units on the board being able to fire this turn.

Turn 2 (Adeptus Mechanicus)

The Skitarii Vanguard continue pressing forward, taking refuge by one of the objectives on the battlefield. Setting up appropriately, they open fire on the Troupe unit that is out of combat. Upon the command of the Vanguard Alpha, they open fire, as a mix of Radium Carbine and Plasma Caliver fire make short work of the Harlequins, whom despite their best attempts of evading the incoming shots, do not manage to survive.

Turn 2 (Adeptus Mechanicus)

Whilst taking a while to load, the Transuranic Arquebus is finally ready to fire. With the weapon steadied, the marksman takes aim at the Troupe Master, as the firer adjusts the shot with help of the spotter. Once the shot is lined up, the firer pulls the trigger, the tremendous recoil of the weapon’s kickback throwing the shot off ever so slightly, as the round lodges itself deeply into the shoulder of the Troupe Master, the round still red-hot from the high-powered rifle, as it deals 3 wounds to the Troupe Master with just one shot.

Turn 2 (Adeptus Mechanicus)

Belisarius Cawl continues to move forwards, pacing ahead of the Enginseer. With Omnissian Axe in hand, Cawl prepares to stare down the embodiment of a God. The heavy clanking of machinery moving draws the attention of Aeldari nearby, primarily that of the Yncarne. It swings its sword in a fluid motion, poising for the upcoming battle. Seeing the Warlord of the Adeptus Mechanicus enter the fray reinvigorates the nearby Enginseer, as he runs in to aid the Forge Lord in combat against the Yncarne.

Turn 2 (Adeptus Mechanicus)

With the Harlequins and Yncarne focused on what was in front of them, the Skitarii Vanguard manage to leap into combat from the rear of the Harlequins, catching them completely off guard. The Vanguard emit a corrosive aura, one that makes all those around them feel nauseous and sick to their stomach. Their ability, Rad Saturation, gives all units within 1″ of them a -1 to their Toughness Characteristic, bringing the already flimsy Harlequins down to Toughness 2, making the Vanguard wound them on 3’s! This might allow Louis to clear out that unit and then pincer the Yncarne in between all of the Mechanicus units he has in combat.

Turn 2 (Adeptus Mechanicus)

The slow, yet powerful Cawl raises the Omnissian Axe high into the sky, before initiating a flurry of attacks at a speed unprecedented for a being as slow as the Warlord is. This speed catches the Yncarne off guard completely, with two of the strikes clipping the chest and sternum of the Yncarne, managing to deal 4 wounds in total. Right after the short burst of exertion from Cawl, he takes a quick step backwards, preparing for the incoming attacks that are inevitably going to target him.

Turn 2 (Adeptus Mechanicus)

In retaliation to the incoming strikes from Belisarius Cawl, the Yncarne looks to show Belisarius Cawl how grave of a mistake he had made engaging in combat. Faster than the blink of an eye, the Yncarne disappears into thin air, before materialising once more in front of Cawl, running the tip of its blade right through the face of Belisarius Cawl, placing its hand on the hilt of the sword, and pushing it through to the torso of Cawl, skewering him entirely in the process. The sword is pulled out almost instantly, as Cawl now lies on the ground a bloody slump, before turning its attention to the Enginseer. Quivering in fear after watching how simply his Warlord was dispatched, the Enginseer braces himself in any which way he can, but a mere second is all the Yncarne needs, before slicing the head of the Enginseer cleanly off. Slay the Warlord picked up by Julian! What will Louis do now that he has lost one of his stronger pieces in the game, which also happened to be the Warlord? The Vanguard to not manage to slay the Players, as they are far too nimble, dodging the majority of the blows directed at them, whilst riposting those that they would not dodge. Dodging and parrying seems to have worked in their favour, as when they attack back they manage to slice through a total of 7 Vanguard, whilst the Kastelan Robots take their revenge slightly, killing one of the Players in response.

Turn 3 (Ynnari)

With the start of a new battle round, the Manipulus takes on the mantle of Forge Lord for the Mechanicus forces, understanding that Leadership is key in such a situation. With rolling for the Canticles this turn, Louis manages to get himself Litany of the Electromancer, allowing him to rolls a D6 for each enemy unit within 1″ of a friendly unit that is affected by the Canticles, with the roll of a 6 resulting in D3 Mortal Wounds. Secondly on the Canticles table, Louis gets Chant of the Remorseless Fist, giving affected units re-rolls to hit of 1’s in the Fight Phase, something that Louis has spent a lot of time in thus far this battle.

Turn 3 (Ynnari)

Looking to encroach upon the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Harlequins move further up the battlefield, as they climb atop the ruins where the Kataphron Destroyers are, scaling up the side of the building in a matter of seconds, the feline grace of the Harlequins baffling even the minds of the Kataphrons, whom are sworn to servitude. With Fusion Pistols in hand, they look to outright remove pieces from the board, as each pistol boasts an impressive D6 damage output.

Turn 3 (Ynnari)

A direct Smite from the Yncarne in the Psychic Phase targeting the final Kastelan Robot unit deals the killing blow onto one of the two, with the final one being stuck in the ruins to the left currently. Knowing that the game may be over any moment now, Louis spends his final Command Point on the Machine Spirit’s Revenge Stratagem, causing the Kastelan Robot to explode without a roll needed. With this, Louis manages to slay the Yncarne with the explosion, as the Kastelan runs into the face of the Yncarne before blowing up, dealing the majority of the damage to it. Louis manages to pick up Slay the Warlord from this, even through the fact that the Yncarne ignores wounds on a 4+, and regains lost wounds on a 3+ each time a friendly Aeldari model dies within 7″ of the Avatar of God. What an epic use of that final Command Point Louis!

Turn 3 (Ynnari)

With the Psychic Phase still on, the Shadowseer now casts Gaze of Ynnead onto the final Kastelan Robot, the fresh automaton needing to go down in order to remove the more threatening unit from the board. Julian manages to cast it on a 6, exactly what he needed to get. Following this, Julian rolls yet another 6, meaning the Gaze deals D6 Mortal Wounds, to which he rolls a third consecutive 6. This brings down the final Kastelan Robot, in what has been one of the more impressive series of die rolls we have had this battle!

Turn 3 (Ynnari)

From two different levels, the Harlequin unit then fire into the Kataphron Destroyers. Fusion Pistols strike the exposed body parts of the Destroyers, the high heat melting through body metal and flesh alike, as even the numbed Destroyers begin to wince in agony. The Harlequins continue to pour molten hot fusion ammunition into the Destroyers, which finally gets the better of them, leaving 4 of them a bloody mess upon the treads which moved them around, those too catching fire shortly after and being reduced to nothing more than a molten pile of scrap.

Turn 3 (Ynnari)

The final Skyweaver continues to dodge any incoming fire from the Mechanicus forces, before picking on the severely damaged Dunecrawler. With a flurry of Haywire Cannon shots, the internal components of the vehicle become completely scrambled, allowing the Skyweaver pilot to launch the finishing blow. The flick of another switch releases the final Haywire Cannon round, blasting the centre of the hull of the Onager Dunecrawler with relative ease, as it makes impact with part of the hull that was previously damaged in battle. The lone Skyweaver more than makes its points up, as it removes one of the Dunecrawlers all on its lonesome.

Turn 3 (Ynnari)

The three dedicated transports now target the Skitarii Ranger unit atop the ruins. After the initial shot which struck the Troupe Master and hindered him substantially, the servants of the Laughing God have been looking to exact revenge, by hurting and maiming the infantry of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Seeing the Rangers safely out of harm’s reach, they decide to change that up, as all three transports manage to kill 4 of the Rangers, leaving the unit worse for wear, but still alive.

Turn 3 (Adeptus Mechanicus)

With Turn 3 for the Mechanicus, Louis realises that he does not have much left to play around with, despite it only being the third turn. The Dunecrawler moves into a more favourable position, before unloading into two different Starweavers. The first is targeted by the Neutron Laser, targeting a Starweaver. The giant cannon fires a high-powered round that is launched faster than the eye can track, smashing into the thin hull of the transport vehicle and destroying it in one fell swoop. Meanwhile, the Cognis Heavy Stubber fires at the second Starweaver, one that was already wounded. This works out well in Louis’ favour, as the Heavy Stubber then also manages to remove the Starweaver that lived on just 1 wound remaining, as Louis takes out two in one go!

Turn 3 (Adeptus Mechanicus)

The final Kataphron Destroyer looks to weaken the Troupe unit before they get another opportunity to strike. To do so, the Destroyer moves from its given location, before firing one blind round of its Plasma Culverin, the massive bolt of Plasma energy hitting one of the Harlequins square in the chest, as it burns through armour and flesh alike. One of the Harlequins is removed from the battlefield.

Turn 4 (Ynnari)

Pressing the offensive as much as possible, the Troupe Master and single Player move in front of the Shadowseer, with the three of them covering massive amounts of ground on the battlefield. Protecting the Shadowseer proves to be a pivotal strategy, as the Shadowseer Smites the lone Kataphron Destroyer, bringing it down to its final wound. This poises the Troupe Master and Player to finally fire at it, with a small flurry of Shuriken Pistol fire being enough to strip the last wound off of the Kataphron Destroyer, leaving Louis with yet another key unit removed from the battlefield before they really had any significant impact.

Turn 4 (Ynnari)

Moving at the speed that the Starweavers move at would normally prove to be far too fast for a gunner to place accurate shots, but this is not the case for the Starweaver gunner. The Harlequin transport skims along the battlefield, avoiding all manners of rubble and debris from the ensuing battle, with only one goal in mind; striking the Skitarii Rangers and land the necessary killing blows. They finally arrive at a same spot, allowing the gunner to quickly pivot on his feet, aiming the Shuriken Cannon at the desired target location. With no remorse, the gunner holds down the two triggers located on the turret handles, allowing the Shuriken Cannon to fire at full capacity. This launches a hail of razor-sharp Shuriken at the Ranger unit, which slice through the armour like a hot knife through butter, as blood-curdling shrieks echo throughout the battlefield, signalling the death of the final Ranger atop the ruins.

Turn 4 (Ynnari)

Still having survived the entire battle thus far, the Skyweaver continues to press on its attack, this time accompanied by a Troupe unit. The Players all flip through the rugged terrain, clambering up the sides of ruined buildings to seek cover as they close the gap between themselves and the Dunecrawler. However, once they finally make it, they coordinate their ranged attacks with those of the Skyweaver. The Jetbike provides a flurry of shots at the Dunecrawler, which exposes an opening for the Fusion Pistols to assist in taking out the vehicle. They fire simultaneously, the Haywire Cannons causing all manners of malfunctions from the Dunecrawler, before the Fusion weaponry melts through the armour of the vehicle in a mere few seconds, as the Dunecrawler is removed from the battlefield.