Just finished this game earlier today. Predictably I used my Eldar, wielding a list I am quite proud of in hinds site, a real classical Beil-Tan style list. Vs. my Black Templars brother.

The Lists:

Black Templars - Knights of Valor

HQ
Emperor's Champion, Accept any Challenge no matter the Odds

Terminator Command Squad:
Chaplain Octavious (reclusiarch), Terminator armour, Storm bolter
5 Terminators, Assault Cannon, Furious Charge

Elites
Dreadnaught, Missile Launcher and Assault Cannon

Troops

Knights of Valor:
8 Initiates with cc weapons and bolt pistols, 1 with Power Fist, 1 with Flamer
4 Neophytes

Knights of Judgement:
8 Initiates with Bolters, 1 with Missile Launcher, 1 with Plasma Gun
Rhino, Extra armour, Hunter-killer missile, Smoke launchers

Heavy Support

Chariot of the Zealots:
Land Raider Crusader, Blessed hull

Divine Judgement:
Vindicator, extra armour, Smoke Launchers

Total - 1503


Eldar - Punishing Grace

HQ
Avatar of Khaine

Elites
5 Fire Dragons, Exarch with a Fire Pike, Tank Hunters

9 Howling Banshees, Exarch with an Executioner
Wave Serpent, Twin-linked missile launchers, Shuriken Cannon, Vectored Engines, Spirit Stones

Troops
6 Pathfinders

6 Pathfinders

9 Dire Avengers, Exarch with Power weapon and Shimmer Shield, Defend, Blade Storm

Heavy Support
Falcon, Scatter Laser, Vectored Engines, Holo-Fields, Spirit Stones

4 Dark Reapers, Exarch with Missile Launcher, Fast Shot

Total - 1505

My list was designed to be rather brutal, punishing the enemy relentlessly from the word go. My plan was to hail death on him with my Rangers and Reapers, and bust open his tanks early, while my Avatar and Avengers advanced through cover to join combat with the enemy as soon as the Banshees dropped down. It all worked out quite a bit differently, but probably better than my origional plan.

Mission Objective
Sick and tired of playing the same old Cleanse and Victory Points games, my opponent and I opted to try a 'Rules for Engagement' scenerio. The terrain was pretty dense city ruins, with highrises forming tight streets in the centre of the table. In one corner were the ruins of the crashed Aquilla, next to that corner was a high impenetrable wall that blocked off a small triangular area of the table, enterable only by a gap about 10" wide. Across from the Aquilla was a graveyard and some smaller ruins, and in the corner far off from the Aquilla there was only a small bit of ruins.
The 'Rules for Engagement' deployment table showed us that we would be deploying in corners, with my opponent winning the dice role to choose a deployment zone. He chose the Graveyard, leaving me to deploy behind the city wall. One of my objectives, a small Eldar gate, was placed behind these walls hidden completely from enemy view, and another was placed in a large building ruin in the centre of the table. My oponent placed one objective marker next to the Graveyard crypt, and an injured Space Marine marker amongst the crash site of the Aquilla.
After rolling for objectives it was decided that I would be playing a Bridgehead mission, trying to capture ground against my enemy by controlling one of my own objective markers and one of the enemies. My opponent had Lightning Raid, needing to secure one of my objective markers and get two squads above 50% strength into my deployment zone in an attempt to punch a hole deep into enemy territory.

Deployment

My Wave Serpent and Falcon (packed with the Banshees and Fire Dragons respectively), hid behind the tall city wall, while my Avengers crouched near them around my first objective. The Avatar was at their head, just hidden from site by the wall. The Reapers were perched on top of some building ruins not far off, and could see perfectly right down the centre of the board where a main road ran. Using infiltrators, my Pathfinder units both deployed in the Aquilla ruins, intent on grabbing the enemy objective early. My plan was now to hold these two objectives at all costs, and while my opponent still had to manouvre his units mine could stay safely in cover and wait for him.

His Land Raider and Rhino (packed with the Knights of Valor accompanied by the Emperor's Champion, and the Knights of Judgement respectively), were deployed opposite and in plain view of my Pathfinders. (Thankyou infiltrators). His Dreadnaught and Vindicator were deployed hidden from view amongst some ruines, and his Terminators and Chaplain were in resserves awaiting deployment.

[Punishing Grace

Turn 1

Like terrible black birds of prey, the Eldar Falcon and Wave Serpent swooped down from the abise to possition themselves infront of the Chariot of the Zealots, and the Knights of Judgements' Rhino. Like two forboding sentinals, they were the very image of the horror that the Eldar threat posed against humanity, the symbol of the quick and merciless destruction these aliens would wreak upon mankind. But they were only a distraction from the immediate threat. Eldar snipers hid amongst the ruins of the downed Aquilla, their exotic long rifles leveled unerringly at their target. With alien precision and efficiency they fired upon the Rhino, assassinating the driver through the ****pit window and hitting the fuel canisters. The tank was burst open in a small explosion, in which three Knights of Jugement lost their lives as they tried to quickly disembark their doomed transport. Another two were torn apart by the incoming fire of the sinister Dark Reapers. Those that remained were dazed and unable to go on immediately.

In retribution the Chariot roars forward on its mighty treds, supported by the Dreadnaught a little distance off. Both open fire on the sinister Falcon, but the vehicle is moving too fast to be hit squarely, and its Holo-Field absorbs most of the damage inflicted. The crew is only shaken slightly and weapons grids malfunction for only a moment, and the vehicle is able to go on. The Vindicator attempts to move forward unoticed through the city ruin far from action, heading towards a large crumbling building.

Turn 2

The black birds of prey moved closer the blessed hull of the Chariot of the Zealots. Turning to reveal its rear facing the Falcon's back hatch slid open to allow the garish Fire Dragons to leap out. Raising their bronze weapons, the Eldar begin to burn massive holes in the hull of the most reveared vehicle of the Black Templars. They cruelly aim for ammunition stores and fuel cannisters to cause as much damage as possible to the holy icon, resulting in a bellowing explosion that rocks the ground under their feet. Unfortunately the Fire Dragons assault backfired, and two of their own kin were caught in the orange fireball that erupted before them. Unable to escape the wreckage in time, two Knights of Valor were also killed, their comrades now entangled as they try and regroup outisde of their transport.
Close by, another Knight of Judgement is singled out and killed by the lethal missiles of the Dark Reapers.

Undetered, the Knights of Judgement pick themselves up and charge towards the closest enemy they can find. They spot the red armour of the Fire Dragons gloating over their monsterous kill, and with vengeance in their hearts charged towards the aliens with their weapons raised. Divine judgement hailed down upon the xenos, one among them vapourised instantly by a blast of plasma energy, and another two riddled with bolter shells. But in his divine fury, the Knight wielding the plasma gun didn't even realise when the weapon screamed a final warning before overheating and exploding in his hands.
The driver of the Vindicator swore abrassively, a large boulder falling from the ruins above his vehicle and crushing the treds one on side. He was immobalised and too far from the action to be of any aid to his brethren now.

Turn 3

Stirred on by their adept leader, Lihiri, the Pathfinders proweled through the Aquilla's ruins to find the barely live body of a Black Templar. This is what they had come for. Holding here would deny the Mon-Keigh any ground they might wish to gain in this conflict against the Eldar, and denying them the recovery of their precious gene-seed would see their numbers dwindle in the future. The Pathfinders took their possitions around the body, after executing the Knight properly.
Meanwhile, the Falcon took full flight after dropping its cargo and flew back over the cityscape. It came to rest a few yards away, now protecting the main road that ran up the middle of the battlefield.
Lending covering fire to their kindred, the second unit of Pathfinders fired on the still surviving Knights of Judgement, but to no avail. The mighty armaments of the Wave Serpent could not harm the faithful either, and it was a burning melta-beam that finally saw one of the Knights fall. The Fire Dragon exarch avenged his kin, and watched the remaining knights flee.

From the bridge of the Black Templars battle barge beamed Chaplain Octavious and his command squad, intent utterly and entirely on the xenos desctruction. They landed between the city wall and a ruined building, not far from the Eldar Pathfinders. But their real target was the sleek Falcon, now guarding the entrance past the mighty walls and into enemy territory at last. The Terminator carrying the Assault cannon did not have to be asked twice, the powerful ammunition from the weapon attempting to chew into the vehicles light armour. But again the Holo-Field absorbed most of the damage and left the Assault Cannon nearly useless against the Eldar vehicle. Its crew were shaken, but nothing more.
The Dreadnaught, now advancing up the main road, spotted the Eldar Reapers at last, concealing themselves amongst the husk of a once majestic building. He opened fire with his Missile Launcher and Assault cannon, but did nothing more than tear up the cover around the Reapers. It was a frag missile from the regrouped Knights of Judgement that exploded amongst the ruins and cast a single Reaper off of the wall he clung to and down to his death.
Finally able to go on the Knights of Valor emerged from beside the ruins of their Chariot, and surged towards the Eldar lines. Their first target was the Exarch of the Fire Dragons, who was not left standing by their bolt pistols.

Turn 4

From the rear of the Wave Serpent glided the seemingly paranormal forms of the black clad Howling Banshees. Their red sashes seemed to burn the eyes of the Black Templars, and their dazzling silver blades almost blinded them completely. When the Banshees charged into combat, screaming like unnatural apparitions that froze mens hearts and blinded their senses, the Black Templars were nearly deffenceless. Three initiates fell instantly to their deadly blades, and three neophytes soon followed. By a sheer force of will two Templars managed to strike back, slaying two of the repugnant witches. And though this combat had been a deffinite Eldar victory, the Templars were always willing to fight on!
Spotting the newly arrived Terminators at the same time, Lihiri and the Exarch of the Dark Reapers ordered their units to open fire. But a chink in the powerful exoskeleton armour was near impossible for the rangers to find, and the Terminators found that they could weather the storm that was the wrath of the Dark Reapers. Only two Terminators fell, one snipered by Lihiri himself, and the other buried under the rockets of the Dark Reapers.
Rising up into the air, the dark form of the Falcon slid away in search of cover from the enemy guns while its pilots recovered. Too busy watching it go, the Dreadnaught, who was now looking down the barrel of the main street towards the Eldar possition, did not notice the Wave Serpent sweep towards it and unload a round of missiles from its launchers. The Dreadnaught was his hard, one leg crumpling under the pounding preasure. The hull of the Dreadnaught shook violently, and when it was no longer stunned it would realise that it could not longer move.

Trying to repeat his luck, the Knight of Judgement carrying the missile launcher loaded another rocket into the tube. Locating the Dark Reapers' once more through the laser sight, the Knight pulled the trigger and sent the rocket flying like a lethal torpedo hundrily towards it prey. But the missile didn't make the distance, exploding at the foot of the building the Reapers conceale themselves in, and causing no damage.
Not even alien reflexes and trickery could overcome the might and valor of the Black Templars, and though the Banshees cut down two more from the Knights' numbers with their vicious blades, they were ultimately defeated. Three Banshees fell to the unquestionable will of the Emperor's Champion and his Knights, and as the rest of the xenos lost their moral and tried to flee, they could not get away fast enough to avoid the Emperor's judgement upon them. Every single one was caught and cut to pieces, their corpses left to rot without burial.
Moving foward like unstoppable lumbering giants, the Terminators moved confidantly past the city walls and into the place where the Eldar forces seemed to have spilled from. They were confident of dealing with any threat that confronted them past these forsaken battlements, ready for any evil that the alien might have kept secret from them...except one. The Avatar roared in defiance when it noticed the clumsy Mon-Keigh advancing on the web-gate that it protected. The Terminators acted accordingly, immediately charging in to face the fiery daemon. But they were no match for a god of war, the Avatar of Khaine stomping its first quary to the ground before slicing his entire body open with the mighty Wailing Doom. The Chaplain would not see his soldiers defeated so easily however, and as the two remaining Terminators charged at the Avatar they raised their fists to pound at the daemon's fiery body. They did little damage, the Avatar only taking a single wound before raising his deadly sword a second time.

Turn 5

Realising the coming danger, Lihiri ordered his Pathfinders to change targets again. This time they sighted down the end of their barrels four Knights of Valor, led by the Emperor's Champion, bearing straight towards them. They had come for the body of their fallen, but the Eldar were resolute not to allow them to have it. Twelve long rifles fired to kill only two Knights, their faith in the Emperor protecting them. But they were ignorant of the lurking danger of the Wave Serpent however, the powerful guns of the Eldar tank tearing apart another two Knights and leaving the Emperor's Champion to do he duty alone.
Reapearing from cover, the Falcon grav-tank fell upon the Dreadnaught, pounding it with hot plasma from its Scatter laser and Pulse laser armaments. But though the ancient armour of the machine kept firm, the valiant Knight inside was unable to recover his senses, and the targeting instruments inside were still scrambled.
The splitting air screamed as the burning blade of the Avatar fell once more upon the Mon-Keigh, tearing into the Terminator armour and killing the marine inside. This time there would be no small victory, the Avatar invulnerable to any retaliation from the Terminator or the Chaplain. Thrusting his white hot blade into the ground at his feet, the Avatar caused the area around him to explode into incinerating flame. Because of its valiant refusal to flee, the final Terminator was killed in the blast of fire, leaving the Chaplain to face this unholy monstrosity alone.

The ruins where the Reapers hid exploded a third time, this time sending another of the sinister aliens to his doom. The Exarch looked cruelly upon the two distant Space Marines from where the rockets were coming from, but knew that he had to continue to target the Dreadnaught until it was destroyed.
Taking up his holy weapon, the Emperor's Champion moved swiftly over the ruins of the Aquilla and reached the Pathfinders. Three fell to their deaths upon the black blade, the remaining three unable to to pierce the Champion's black armour. Not even Lihiri's legendary blade to achieve such a feet. But the Pathfinders stayed firm, having faced much worse foes than this before.
Octavious knew his doom was now upon him, but he did not quaver or run from his duty. He fought the Avatar with every inch of his being, but the mighty beast was just toying with him. Even when Octavious could strike a sizeable hit on the monsterous warrior, its molten hide would not give away to a mortal man. But the Wailing Doom passed through Octavious' Terminator armour with such laughable easy, and not even the Chaplain's Rorius could save him now. He was doomed to die a warriors death at the hands of the War God.

Turn 6

Centred in the middle of the battlefield the Dreadnaught stood motionless, helpless to the deadly guns that preyed around it. But the Knight inside this metal hull had been blessed by the Emperor himself on this day, because no harm could come to him. The combined weapons of the Wave Serpent, Falcon and Reaper Exarch were not enough to defeat him, and any shots that did his were useless against the blessed armour of this mighty machine.
Octavious watched the Avatar of Kiela Mensha Khaine lift its Wailing Doom as he drew his last breath. The sword fell in four precise strokes upon the Chaplain's body, and though it only took the first to kill him his body was reduced to a bleeding pile of red irrecognisable gore housed in broken armour. The Avatar cruelly lifted up his corpse with the bloodied hand and tossed it aside carelessly, intent only on seeking more foes to destroy.

The Emperor had spared him, and now he knew why. The Dreadnaught finally regained his wits, and was able to watch through bloodshot eyes out of a skeletal face as the targetic instruments came back only inside his armed sarcophagus. Centred in his targeting array appeared a fiery daemon, the Eldar God of War fresh of the kill. The Dreadnaught instantly felt a sense of hate for this creature, and he knew his duty to the Emperor now. Targeting with all guns, the Dreadnaught unleashed a volley of missiles from his missile launcher, and the Assault cannon roared to life as it tried to bury the Avatar under a hail of deadly fire. But the Knight knew he had failed already, even before the smoke cleared to reveal the daemon standing more ominously than ever. There was a mighty roar of deffiance and life that could not have been the creatures cries of death. The Avatar still marched, undefeated, through the city streets.

The Emperor's Champion enjoyed the slaughter of the xenos, cutting down the Eldar pathfinders and watching the rest flee in a panic. Those he could catch and destroy he did, but he did not have time to waste anymore. He knew from the blood lust cry of the distant Avatar, that the Black Templars had been defeated this day. He gathered the body of his fallen comrade from the ruins of the Aquilla, and began his retreat with the rest of his soldiers.

Result & Discussion
Eldar Objectives Accomplished - 1/2, Black Templar Objectives Accomplished - 0/2, Result - Minor Eldar Victory

Well needless to say I was rather pleased with this result. The game looked as if it was going to be a completely crushing slaughter of the Space Marines early on, and with the destruction of the Land Raider and the Immobalisation of the Vindicator far to distant from any enemies to make a difference, this was two large weights off my back. Sadly some foul luck at the end saw me robbed of ultimate victory, such as the Banshees fleeing and lots of misses from my two vehicles towards the end. But all in all my plan went quite well. The Avatar was deffinately once again the man of the match!
When I was given the isolated deployment zone I realised that I could hide my objective behind it and defend it quite easily. However it only occured to me half way through the game to leave the Avatar (and the Avengers behind him) completely inactive just to be sure. I didn't want the God of War to be toppled from affar by missile Launchers and assault cannons, and if he left the objective those deep striking Terminators would have taken it with little competition, killing all of the Avengers and Reapers no sweat. So though the Avatar didn't really go on one of his increasingly famous rampages, he did make a name for himself standing up to three Terminators and a Chaplain, slaying the expensive squad with relative ease.
Also, the deployment of my Rangers was a huge risk. I thought that they would have been eaten alive by Assault cannon fire and Bolter fire from the Land Raider. But when I realised they had the potential to take down the Rhino I decided I may as well give it a shot. And it payed off handsomely, the Pathfinders staying completely safe until the end...if only my Banshees had held. ;) I'm also interest to know what might have happened had my oponent taken first turn, because then he would have at least had the opportunity to fire at the Rangers or at least move his transports out of his deployment zone.
Ultimately my oponent paniced I think, after his Land Raider was taken was down, and wasn't really thinking rationally about anything. He wanted units in my deployment zone as fast as possible, and to take the objective my Avengers quietly guarded. He should have instead deep struck the Terminators in the centre of the battlefield where my second objective was, holding it from the ruin, and bolstered his possition with the Dreadnaught and the remains of the Knights of Judgement as soon as possible. He should also have either been braver with his Vindicator, just moving it down the centre of the road early while my Falcon and Wave Serpent were busy, or moved it more caughtiously around the buildings instead. Although admittedly it was pretty bad luck that the tank was immobalised from dangerous terrain.
Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed this battle report. Please feel free to comment or discuss anything from story to tactics to the performance of individual models.
Cheers, Cal

an exelent batte report. Well laid out and easy to follow. and plenty of gore and explosions when required. Im also starting to like the look and playing style of an avatar myself now.

both list's a few points over i notice ( isn't that a b***h slap from your opponent for each point) ;)

Cheers darthken :)

Yeah I was a little annoyed that I was a few points over. I generally don't mind for once off games, which this was origionally. But when I decided I liked the list and wanted to keep it I've re-worked it to drop Blade Storm and pick up Crack shot for the Dragon Exarch and War Shout for the Banshee Exarch. Dropping Blade Storm wouldn't normally be the sort of thing I'd do with my Avengers, but as they're going to be hanging around with the Avatar a lot they may as well be combat able.

Cheers, Cal


EDIT: Re-match tonight by the way. Necrons vs. Eldar. Should be good. B)