I attempt to use the tyranids again, but a rather different army, a
faster army, and one that should hopefully not fail every single charge it
attempts to make! In this game the tyranids face off against the dark angels in
a 1500 point game of Emperors will, with dawn of war deployment.
The Armies
Tyranids
I use a more speed and combat orientated tyranid force, 1498
Hive Tyrant – 230
Wings, 2x twin-linked devourer [Warp blast, dominion]
Hive Tyrant – 185 (warlord: Fnp after first wound) w/tyrant guard
2x sything talons, hive commander [Catalyst, dominion]
2 tyrant guard – 100
Sything talons, rending claws
30 Termagants – 120
Tervigon – 195
[paroxsysm]
20 Hormagaunts – 100
20 hormagaunts – 100
7 Genestealers – 98
Venomthrope – 45
Venomthrope – 45
Harpy – 140
Twin-linked heavy venom cannon
Harpy – 140
Twin-linked heavy venom cannon
My list has 3 flying monstrous creatures, which should be able to take
on marines with relative ease, provided they don’t get grounded and shot by
heavy weapons. The venomthropes will hopefully keep the little bugs alive long
enough to make combat.
Dark Angels
Master of the raven wing Sammael
Sableclaw (land speeder)
5 Ravenwing Bikes
2x plasma gun, attack bike (multi-melta), melta bomb
5 Ravenwing Bikes
2x plasma gun, attack bike (multi-melta), melta bomb
5 Ravenwing Bikes
2x plasma gun, attack bike (multi-melta), melta bomb
5 Ravenwing Bikes
2x plasma gun, attack bike (multi-melta), melta bomb
2 land speeder typhoons
Multimelta, typhoon missile launcher
2 land speeder typhoons
Multimelta, typhoon missile launcher
2 land speeder typhoons
Multimelta, typhoon missile launcher
That’s a lot of high strength shots which will ignore
my armour. I could be in a lot of trouble for me.
The Mission
Rolling for mission we get Emperors will, so a single
objective each and deployment type was dawn of war. The tyranids win the roll
for deployment zone and I picked the one with the most area terrain on it. We
place our objectives next, I place mine at the edge of the woods in the middle
of my deployment zone. He places his objective in his woods.
Deployment and first turn, the tyranids win the roll
and set up first. I place both harpies behind the woods, with the hive tyrant
and guard in the middle of the table. Both units of hormagaunts go on each side
of the tyrant, and the termagants deploy behind the harpies holding the
objective. The flyrant goes on the right hand flank ready to fly up it. Both
venomthropes go in the centre to give shroud around the table. I place the
genestealers in reserve ready to outflank, and using hive commander I outflank
the tervigon, let’s hope that he can spawn some more troops around him on which
ever flank he appears on.
To counter deploy the dark angels place two units of
bikes in the centre with two units of speeders behind them. Another unit of
bikes goes on each flank, and the final unit of speeders goes on the right hand
side ready to attack the flyrant. And to finish off he places Sammeal on the
left.
Night Fight: Turn 1
Steal the initiative: Yes
The Battle
Dark Angels turn 1
Across the table the bikes move up, just getting into
range with their guns of the monstrous creatures. The speeders do the same
making sure the multi-melta is in range, he moves everyone to make sure he can
alpha strike the flyrant and attempt to kill the hive tyrant as well.
Shooting starts with the speeder squadron on the
right shooting everything at the flyrant, 4 krack missiles and 2 multi-melta
shots later and the flying hive tyrant dies even with the 6+ cover save from
night fight. First blood (and a major blow) to the dark angels. The two bike
squads in the centre of the table shoot at the hive tyrant and bodyguard,
plasma shots, bolter rounds and a single multi-melta shots fly out into the
darkness and each squad deals a single wound to the closest tyrant guard, they
survive thanks to the 4+ cover save granted by night fight and the venomthrope.
The land speeders in the centre only manage to kill off a single tyrant guard
thanks to the cover save! Sammael targets the tyrant as well, and manages to
get enough rends and I fail enough saves for him to kill off the last tyrant
guard and wound the hive tyrant TWICE! The bikes on the left shoot at the left
harpy and deals 4 wounds to it! Leaving it on one, not great. That was a
devastating turn.
Tyranids turn 1
Starting the turn the hive tyrant casts dominion and
catalyst on the harpy with full wounds (and himself). The harpies takes to the
sky and fly straight for centre bikes, the rest of the swarm does the same, but
the termagants hold my objective.
A high shriek pierces the battle field as the heavy
venom cannons target a squadron of land speeders. The first shot scatters off,
the second penetrates its armour and destroys a speeders multi-melta. The rest
of the swarm runs forwards apart from the hormagaunts on the right.
Assault phase and the hormagaunts attempt to charge
the bikes on the right, but over watch kills the front 6! That makes it a
rather large charge distance and they fail.
Dark Angels turn 2
The bikes surround the swarm, but the ones in the
centre back away from the harpies.
Shooting from the left bikes onto the wounded harpy
get a single wound, puncturing the monster, killing it. A unit of bikes in the
centre shoot at the hive tyrant and kill it in a single volley with plasma
fire, and the second centre unit targets the healthy harpy but fails to even
hit it and a plasma gun even over heats and kills its owner! A centre unit of
speeders targets the harpy and gets a single hit, which fails to wound and he
stays in the air. The second speeder unit targets the harpy and hits with a single
shot, but again fails to wound him, but he does fall out the sky and hit the
floor, but feel no pain ignores it. The right unit of bikes targets the right
hormagaunts, and another 6 die. The right speeders frag them and get 12 hits!
But thanks to the venomthrope, only 3 die. On the left Sammael shoots at the
left hormagaunts and kills 5, they fail their moral test and run 7 off the
inches just staying on the table.
Tyranids turn 2
Instinctive behaviour first, as I have no more
synapse. The hormagaunts on the right fail and roll a 6, they have to charge
and have rage! Both venomthropes fails and can’t do anything unless in cover.
The termagants pass though somehow as do the harpy. I roll for reserves and the
genestealers appear, and arrive on the right flank behind some trees. The
tervigon appears as well but on the left side of the board behind a unit of
bikes. I attempt to rally the hormagaunts but they fail and run off the table.
Both the harpy and hormagaunts move to the centre bike unit, ready to charge
them. To finish the movement phase the tervigon spawns 11 termagants and
doesn’t roll a double.
A new unit on the table can be a great advantage, and
they prove it and shoot at the bikes closest to them an actually kill 2! The
tervigon attempts to kill some but fails to get past their armour. Moral test,
and they fail and run off the table, well that was a stop of luck. The harpies
kill 1 biker in the centre unit, ready to charge them.
Assault and both the harpy and hormagaunts charge
into the centre bikes, 2 hormagaunts die to over watch but still make it in.
striking first the harpy fails to do much and only kills a single marine, the
gaunts fair better wounding 3 times but fail to get past their armour. The
marines are just as bad, fails to wound at all but hold their ground. The
combat continues.
Dark Angels turn 3
With the new threat appearing on the left, the land
speeders move to the left to take on the tervigon. The bikes on the right move
to face the genestealers. On the right the speeders move down to face the
termagants on my objective.
Rapid firing their bolters, the bikes on the right
shoot the genestealers and kill 4 of them even after they go to ground, they
hold though. Combining their fire power the speeders manage to deal 2 wounds to
the tervigon, shortly followed by Sammael dealing another 2. The monster is then
killed by a bike unit. In the synaptic backlash, 6 termagants die. On the right
the speeders krack the venomthrope in the open and kill it very easily. The
final speeder squad targets the termagants with frag rounds and kills 6 of
them, but they go to ground at least preventing more damage.
In combat the harpy fails to do anything, as do the hormagaunts.
The marines kill 1 gaunt and win combat, panicking the gaunts and making them
run.
Tyranids turn 3
The only instinctive behaviour test I have is the few
termagants that spawned, they fail and can’t shoot unless in cover. I attempt
to rally the hormagaunts and roll insane heroism rallying them.
Straight to combat, and the harpy again fails to
hit... getting frustrating now. A melta bomb to the face wounds the harpy.
Dark Angels turn 4
The bikes on the right face the termagants to deal
with them, the speeders move to frag the large unit of termagants.
The bikes on the right carry on pounding the
hormagaunts, they again go to ground and 1 dies. On the left the bikes kill all
but 1 of the termagants and he runs. A unit of speeders shoot at the hormagaunts,
they go to ground and 4 die. Another unit of speeders shoot at the termagants
and they go to ground (for a 2+ cover save) and 1 dies. Tired of the cover save
shenanigans Big Sam shoots at the venomthrope who also goes to ground and is
fine. To be smart and kill some gaunts regardless of the cover save, the final
speeders shoot at the termagants and focus fires 4+ cover, and kills 3 of them.
Assault and the harpy kills the attack bike! But the
last marine holds.
Tyranids turn 4
The lone gaunt carries on running, while everyone
else has gone to ground so immune to instinctive behaviour.
A single snap shot from the running gaunt targets a
speeder, it gets a glancing hit but jinks out the way.
Combat and finally the harpy wins combat and kills
him!
Dark angels turn 5
The speeders face the harpy who is now a viable
target while the bikes go after the termagants.
Finally the genestealers die to the bikes, and the
speeders murder the harpy. Sammeal shoots at the venomthrope again, but it goes
to ground and is fine, a speeder manages to hit it with a krack missile though
and instant kills him. A bike unit kills the lone termagant while the rest
manage to kill off 3 more hormagaunts who run.
Tyranids turn 5
The hormagaunts fail to rally and run off the table.
As they didn’t get shot at and couldn’t go to ground the termagants have to
take instinctive behaviour and fail. I roll on the instinctive behaviour table
and roll a 1, they run right off the table, effectively tabeling myself.
Post-Battle
That battle went terribly, as soon as he stole the
initiative it was an up hill struggle. Out flanking the tervigon was probably a
bad idea as I needed as much synapse on the table as I could, but I wanted to
try and outflank next to his objective and just swarm it. It didn’t work
though. But I loved the game, I enjoyed it so much I didn’t care that I lose.
What I learnt the most about this game was even
though I have first turn with flying monstrous creatures, I should still hide
them encase of the first turn getting stolen. If they had all survived, well
that game would have been very different. And the synapse thing, defiantly need
more synapse. However I did have a slight chance of pulling off a victory
towards the end IF the genestealers didn’t’ die and the hormagaunts didn’t run,
as I might have been able to disrupt his objective and get line breaker for a 4
– 2 victory! But as it happens my objective holding unit ran... gits.
I really enjoy your battle reports, I have read a couple now. The photos are great as they give you an excellent overview of the movement of the units and your commentary gives a great mixture of detail, narrative and insight. Thank you for posting them as they give me a much needed gaming fix when I can't get a game myself!
ReplyDeleteI wonder whether your experiments with tyranids might bear more fruit if there was more line of sight blocking terrain on the board? Good luck, and I look forward to reading more in the future.
Notimewasters