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Its.... beautiful!

This is fantastic.

My first game of 40k was actually at Sci Fi City, like a decade ago (I'm nowhere near Orlando now), nice to see that shop still exists!

For some reason I don't see any bugs being able to make it to the terminator lines at all, indefinitely. The termis outnumber the bugs, and 600 storm bolter shots should wipe out that whole swarm each and every turn. There simply aren't going to be enough bugs on the table at a time.

herpguy wrote:
For some reason I don't see any bugs being able to make it to the terminator lines at all, indefinitely. The termis outnumber the bugs, and 600 storm bolter shots should wipe out that whole swarm each and every turn. There simply aren't going to be enough bugs on the table at a time.

When you factor in disruption units like the mawloc bursting into the ranks, as well as psychic powers granting feel no pain to the first wave where applicable, i think the bugs stand an ok chance of getting there. A few things would help, however -

Spore Pod units, whether it be termagants, hormagaunts, warriors, etc.
Doom of Malantai, in above mentioned spore pod.
Deep striking trygons/mawlocs
flying hive tyrants

The nid players are obviously limited to what they own in their collections. Also note that while 300 terminators are there, they're not all tactical terminators. Some will be assault terminators, plus not all 600* storm bolter shots will be in range. In fact, the more the terminators move forward to get all the shots on the little bugs, that puts the front line closer to the big bugs which will in the end be doing the most damage anyway.

I have faith in this scenario - i think it'll be fun for those playing and interesting for us to watch the aftermath.

I think you need more bugs. That many Termies will soak up ungodly levels of firepower.

If we assume around 48 points per terminator (this was just a rough guess at an average to account for heavy weapons etc) then as a ball park figure, the Imps have 14,400 points on the field. I estimate the nids have around 9000 - 9500 points, based on rough guesses at the bio-morphs taken. I dont think im that far off.

The nids special rules wont make much difference, as any new unit will arrive too late to do anything. And if the broods are big, the Imp players wont wipe the whole brood, and if theyre smart will leave them small so they dont come back.

I think the nids need a lot of Spores for the Fex's, Zoans, Doom etc.

The nids also need more heavy hitters. 6 HG? 3 Biovores? Only a single Trygon and Mawloc? And only one Tervigon? You need at least 3 Tervis, 3 of each Trygons and Mawlocs. Treble the Biovores, double the HG. More Zoans too. Then youll be edging toward acceptable.

Also, I think more of the faster gribblies would help. Additional Raveners, Gargs and Shrikes are needed to close the gap and stall the Imp shooting.

 tetrisphreak wrote:

herpguy wrote:
For some reason I don't see any bugs being able to make it to the terminator lines at all, indefinitely. The termis outnumber the bugs, and 600 storm bolter shots should wipe out that whole swarm each and every turn. There simply aren't going to be enough bugs on the table at a time.

When you factor in disruption units like the mawloc bursting into the ranks, as well as psychic powers granting feel no pain to the first wave where applicable, i think the bugs stand an ok chance of getting there. A few things would help, however -

Spore Pod units, whether it be termagants, hormagaunts, warriors, etc.
Doom of Malantai, in above mentioned spore pod.
Deep striking trygons/mawlocs
flying hive tyrants

The nid players are obviously limited to what they own in their collections. Also note that while 300 terminators are there, they're not all tactical terminators. Some will be assault terminators, plus not all 600* storm bolter shots will be in range. In fact, the more the terminators move forward to get all the shots on the little bugs, that puts the front line closer to the big bugs which will in the end be doing the most damage anyway.

I have faith in this scenario - i think it'll be fun for those playing and interesting for us to watch the aftermath.

The mawloc bursting through will not really be that much of a disruption. It may kill a few terminators, but will be shot down very quickly. Plus, it's just 1 mawloc vs. 300 terminators, and it can't come back. It really won't affect the entirety of the game at all.
Just like herbaciousT said, you really need a lot more bugs to do this kind of scenario.

What has to be remembered is that a large number of the Terminators that we face are CC Termie, wither TH/SS or LC. (Tetris was pretty dead on in this.)

When we did our dry run, even after the first turn of movement, many of the stormbolters were out of range of the majority of the 'Nids and one more turn would have seen impact with the front line.

Herb, you were almost right on, as Army Builder calculated the total Tyranid points at 10,685 points.

I think many people are underestimating the damage that a full brood of genestealers can do to termies, (Except SS termies.), let alone 6 broods of them.

We are not allowing Spore Pods as that defeats the whole point of the 'defending the pass' storyline we are building here.

Also, we have moved the 'Never Ending Swarm!' redeployment line one board further up and we will move the line even more forward as the marines die off to represent the 'swarm' piling up.

That sounds like a really good way of doing it. Towards the end the termis should be stuck in with a constantly respawning swarm.

After the dry run, due to the distances involved, it was decided to have the troops/fast attack respawn a bit closer to the main line, illustrated below:



As the Marines are killed back into the pass, we will reset the respawn point further down the pass so we aren't running this battle until it becomes Warhammer 50K.

Instead of rolling dice, you could just open up vassal or some sort of RNG program on a laptop. This will display the results much more quickly and without having to keep track of so many rolls.

If you want to see the pics as early as possible, here is the thread:
Game thread
http://orlando40k.fr.yuku.com/topic/5214/Last-Stand-300-Saturday-August-17th-Sci-Fi-City?page=-1#.Ug-V-cu9KSM
Planning thread
http://orlando40k.fr.yuku.com/topic/5139/300#.Ug-Wesu9KSM

We finished set up of the 300 Terminators last night and formed our battle plan. Part of the Tyranids were deployed with the rest being deployed this morning.

We do not have anywhere near the amount of firepower that you would expect....I think around 1/2 or more of our Terminators are of the CC variety. Once our front line (and primary shooting) crumbles + the hidden goat path is revealed, we will be overwhelmed.

Eager to see updates through-out the day!

What an event!

There is a time lapse video of the battle on a link posted by Boyd if you want to see it. We played from 9:30 am till just shy of 10pm and everyone was fairly exhausted.

Most of us were not available to play for the next day with life and jobs etc getting in the way, so we found a suitable ending point. Fedral will be making a proper report and many pics will be added. We are already contemplating our next big project.

I saw the video this morning. I was on vacation last week through today so I missed out on stopping by. Looks like it was starting to thin out on the marine lines.

Prologue
No one on Thermopylae IV knew for certain where the ancient relic had come from. Some said it had been built there in the early days of the Imperium by the Adeptus Mechanicus using now forgotten technology. Most claimed that the Emperor himself had placed it there during his search for the lost Primarchs. There were even claims that it had been there long before the first human had set foot on the planet. Whatever its origins, its effect was undeniable. Navigators described it as an anchor, others a beacon, some even claimed it called to them like a siren. Regardless of it's description, the effect was clear, ships traveling through the Hellas Sector were rarely lost to the Warp. To honor its probable origins, a great temple was built around it by the Brotherhood of the Path, a monastic order dedicated to honoring sites where the Emperor was purported to have visited. As time passed, a village grew up outside the temple to serve pilgrims coming to worship at the holy site. It took millennia for the village to grow into a town and then to the great city of Atha. It is claimed by those born on Thermopylae that the relic protects its people from the evils of Chaos and the influence of the Warp, but there are dangers other than Chaos in the Galaxy, ancient, hungry threats that also felt the relic's call...


Northern edge of Hellas Sector, Tyranid Hive Fleet, Imperial designation Scorpio Maurus
It started with a twitch of a claw, a talon. A figure disturbed from inaction by an impulse at the back of the skull. In response to the barely-perceived motion, the others stir in an almost comical show of excitement. Next, a shudder travels from the outstretched claw to the body proper and limbs long and sinewy take on a life almost their own. The urge to move, to hunt, to feed, spreads across its form. Lids slowly pull back to expose an ochre orb, filled with intent. The eye strays and it searches, finally fixing on a point in the distance. An opening, a cave entrance radiating a dim golden light; it holds the beast’s attention completely as a sea of waving, flailing motion limned in the yellowish glow comes to life. Prey, beyond, pulses the urge. The culmination of its existence and life’s purpose, the unrelenting drive, lies beyond the stony portal. The unspoken signal goes out and the heaving mass responds with a hunger born of long anticipation. A keening cry the stuff of nightmares rises from scores of mutated throats as the throng shifts forward and a hunger made manifest is carried into the light on the music of a thousand scrabbling and scratching feet.



South-west of Hellas Sector, Tyranid Hive Fleet, Imperial designation Vesuvius
She had felt the itch deep inside her in this new place of feeding. It was a constant distraction while she was planning the direction of the harvesting. She could hear the keening of her Narvhals as their delicate senses were overloaded by the discordant song. She considered directing the Hive away from the source of the pain, but decided to investigate with the closest arm of the Hive. The problem must be tasted, lest the prey/food learn to adapt this song to drive the Hive from the rich feeding grounds that it now found itself in. Contact had been lost with the precursors sent there long ago but their call was remembered. The Great Norn-Queen's orders were instantly understood by her children. As one, the ponderous Narvhals changed course towards a dim red star.



Slowly, inexorably, the tendrils of two separate Hive Fleets reached out towards an unsuspecting world.



Surface of Wein III, Carpathia Sector
The scattered members of the First Deathwing Command Squad rushed to the ruins of the once great temple as fast as their massive armor permitted. The concern of these normally stoic men was hidden by their ancient and worn helmets. The only reason that Grand Master Belial would have recalled them from the final cleansing of the Ork infestation would be an even greater threat elsewhere. The look on the Grandmaster's face confirmed their worst fears. He motioned the men of the Deathwing's Finest around him an laid out the situation quickly. "We must gather all of the Deathwing on planet as well as those clearing out the Ork Hulks in orbit. A large force of Tyranids is heading towards Thermopylae IV in the Hellas Sector. There is a most Holy Artifact there placed by the hand of the Emperor himself, so we are duty bound to get there and recover it and save as much of the population as we can. We cannot abandon Wein, or the Orks will overrun the remaining Guard formations, so the bulk of Third Company will remain here and their assault squads will take over clearing and destroying the remaining Space Hulks. He paused as he looked to the sky. "Only the Undying Faith is fast enough to get us there in time, so we will be embarking immediately. The squads assaulting the Hulks are being recalled now, so gather all the men." The rumbling sound of Thunderhawk gunships arriving nearly drowned out all other noise. The massive soldiers moved rapidly towards their destiny.



Ash Dragon Battle Barge Ormen Lange home of the Fire Wyrms (1st Company, Ash Dragons), Macedonia Sector
Brother Captain Drak'sjal slammed his fist onto the meeting table in fury. "What do you mean changed course?" He turned the anger of his gaze on his fleet's Navigator. "You assured me that the main tendril of Vesuvius was heading towards Alban's World and it would take them a month to get there. Half of the Chapter as well as twenty Guard regiments that were stripped from a dozen planets are dug in there and now you tell me that the Tyranids have just changed course?" The Navigator, secure in his position, had never been frightened before. He now realized that his life might hang in the balance, so he chose his words carefully. "Captain, in all the record of the Tyranids, there has never been an occasion where part of a Hive Fleet has made this radical a course change without warning. All I can say is that the Tyranids have turned directly towards the Thermopylae system and have their increased speed to unheard of levels." Drak'sjal loomed over the slender form of the Navigator. "So due to your error in judgment, we have gathered our Battle Barges and warships, and the majority of the Chapter, to protect a dozen worlds in no peril, leaving only my Fire Wyrms able to act in time! That is assuming you can plot us a course to get there before the Tyranids!" Navigator Calas nodded his head. "Normally it would be impossible Captain, but the Beacon of Athas will guide our way. If we set course now, we should reach the system just before the Tyranids arrive." In a voice as cold as space, Drak'sjal whispered. "Then perhaps you should tend to your duty so we can get about ours." The Navigator rose and quickly exited the meeting room. As the ancient hatch closed, the Captain looked around to his subordinates and could see that they shared the same thought that he did. The word that haunted Terminators of every First Company across the Imperium since the Tyranids had arrived... Macragge.



Kalidromos Forest (30 kloms west of Calisaltus Pass)
Imperial Scout Kyros Photios looked nervously around his hilltop observation post, once again adjusted his hasty camouflage screen and checked the powercells in his vox-caster for what had to be the tenth time. The trip had been short but deadly for his squad. Two of his companions had been consumed by a swarm of bugs, fired at them by a small flying Tyranid. The screams as the insect like rounds burrowed into his squadmate's flesh had caused the newest member of the squad to drop his weapon and run off into the forest. His sergeant, and the last few members of his squad died when a floating sack of flesh and tentacles dropped out of the sky and exploded amongst them, tearing their bodies to pieces. He was well beyond panic as the sole remaining member of his squad, but he realized that since it was closer to his team's objective point than the hasty defense line thrown up by his regiment he would keep moving forward. Gathering his courage, Kyros gathered what equipment he could salvage, said a prayer to the Emperor and continued on. The mission had been to observe and report to headquarters what happened when the hordes from two separate Hive Fleets met for the first time, Kyros had heard through barracks rumors that one knew what would happen when different Hives met, but it was hoped that they would fight each other and it would buy time for more civilians to evacuate to Atha and possible salvation.


He heard them long before he saw them, a distant sound that reminded him of sticks breaking... thousands of sticks breaking. The two hordes came into sight almost simultaneously. They seemed numberless as they streamed into view, both groups heading straight towards each other. The closer of the two groups had coloration reminding Kyros of his own camouflaged uniform, mottled browns with black and green. The far horde was a shiny red that stood out against the green grass of the rolling hills. As the two groups came into sight of each other, they seemed to speed up, almost as if eager to come to grips with the other. Kyros saw dozens of sizes and types amongst the horde. Bugs half the size of a man ran alongside and between the legs of giants the size of a tank. Kyros picked up the microphone of his vox-caster as the Tyranids came together. To his horror, a moment before the groups collided together, they turned as if they had one mind and moved down the road towards Athas. As he raised the microphone to his lips, he heard a whisper of noise from behind him. Turning quickly, he saw a huge Tyranid seeming to materialize silently from the foliage. Huge talons, looking like the branches of trees, quivered above his head. As he distractedly looked up, a quartet of barbed tentacles shot from the creatures body and impaled Kyros in the chest. His body was dragged towards the mouth of the creature and the last thing Kyros saw was the fanged maw opening beneath the facial tentacles.



Western end of Calisaltus Pass
Long lines of refugees shuffled through the pass, heading for the spaceport in the forlorn hope that there would be room onboard the transports evacuating the planet. Behind them, the skies were dark, lit only by bright streaks of spore pods plunging through the atmosphere and flashes of the P.D.F. artillery firing at the vanguard of the horde. Even the sight of a score of Space Marine Terminators near the entrance to the pass failed to buoy the spirits of the mass of broken civilians. Grand Master Belial turned to his Ash Dragon counterpart. "With the support of ground batteries, the Fleet and our Battle Barges are maintaining position above Athas so the evacuation can continue. Elements of the White Scars and the Eagle Warriors are inbound and several veteran Guard regiments are mobilizing to join us. The defense batteries, Thunderhawks, and Stormtalon squadrons can keep the skies above Athas clear of anything that can fly over the mountains, so that leaves the Calisaltus Pass as their only way to Athas." Anger crept into his voice. "This is the ground if we can keep these thrice damned refugees out of our way."

Brother Captain Drak'sjal, the Ash Dragon commander looked to the east where, even as he watched, fiery trails of more and more spore pods could be seen arcing through the skies. "We do not have much time Brothers, we must get the rest of our forces in place before the Tyranids arrive." He looked to the pass, packed with a fleeing mass of humanity and back at the Grand Master. "Their numbers will count for nothing here. We have lost so much over the millennia that the Holy Emperor left us, we can not lose this. We must hold long enough for the Mechanicus to evacuate the Blessed Artifact. Long enough to get the population off the surface. Long enough for our Brothers from other Chapters to get here. Long enough for them to break their teeth upon our shields and for us to shatter their skulls. We need to kill so many of them that even their Hive Mind will fear to send anymore of their beasts against us."

Two dozen circles of light, so intense that the nearest refugees screamed in terror, appeared across the fields outside the pass. As each circle subsided, standing amid the smoking grass was squad of Terminators. Captain Drak'sjal turned to Belial and chuckled. "You know Brother, I almost feel sorry for them." Belial returned a grim smile. "Almost."



Edge of Kalidromos Forest near the Lamia Plains (20 kloms west of Calisaltus Pass)
Private Ephialtes ran through the woods in complete panic. This was the first time he had spent any significant time apart from his Brood Brothers in the monastery. It had taken generations for the original Genestealers to infiltrate and co-opt the Brotherhood of the Path. Now, the most human looking Hybrids were used to interact with pilgrims to the Temple and influence the planetary government. The great artifact that his Brood Brothers tended, blocked them from communing with the Hive Mind, so Ephialtes had been ordered to join a scout unit assigned to spy on the oncoming swarm in order to pass on vital intelligence to the Hive. He assumed that any members of the swarm would recognize him as a brother, but was shocked when he was fired on by the Gargoyle that killed half his squad. His lungs burned as he ran and his side ached where his third arm was strapped tightly against his body. He could feel the call of the swarm nearby, but was afraid of being killed before he could reach them and pass along the information about the Space Marines and the pass that they planned to defend. He heard a rustling sound nearby and flattened himself against a tree. A trio of lithe creatures moved nimbly through the underbrush, their bladed arms slashing through any underbrush that they could not easily dodge around. "Hormagaunts!" He thought. "But if they are not under control of the Hive Mind, they will attack just about anything." He maintained his silence until the creatures had disappeared from sight and hearing. Ephialtes shuddered, realizing that he was the only one who could inform the Hive Mind about the secret path that would allow the swarm to outflank the Marines and lead to their defeat if he could only get close enough to commune with the Hive Mind before he was killed by the swarm.



Western end of Calisaltus Pass
Grand Master Belial grunted in approval as his Brothers smashed boulders to gravel, leveled every small hillock and tore trees out of the ground, flinging them dozens of metros away in their labors to clear a killing zone at the mouth of the pass. Captain Drak'sjal looked out across the plains and laughed. "Magos Eniac offered some of his servitors to provide us fire support here in the coming battle." Belial looked at him askance. "And your reply?" Drak'sjal smiled. "I told him that the Emperors chosen need no aid from such mindless automatons to slay beasts. Instead, he should use his servitors to hasten the dismantling and transport of the Holy Relic off world, and keep his nose out of Astartes matters." Belial laughed. "Does he even HAVE a nose? Well, its for the best anyway, with the way those monks were objecting to the Relics removal, he may need all of those servitors to keep order."


The ground began shaking and several rocks were dislodged from the nearby cliffs. Belial looked around quizzically. "Earthquake?" Drak'sjal looked across the plains at a dark line on the horizon. "No Grand Master. I think our moment of glory is at hand." He turned his head and shouted in a voice that had been heard by his men over a thousand battlefields, but with a tone that caused even the Dark Angels to take heed. "ASTARTES! Stand too and prepare for battle!" With almost inhuman precision, three hundred of the Imperium's finest soldiers formed ranks in the pass waiting for their enemy to arrive...





Automatically Appended Next Post:
We held the event on Saturday and it went wonderfully. We had set up almost everything on Friday night so we could begin at the store opening on Saturday.

We managed to get 11 Turns done during a 12 hour session and since everyone had real world obligations the next day, we called it before the last Marine fell.

On Turn 10, after walking through a torrent of Cyclone missile fire, the Swarmlord (Xerxes) managed to challenge Capatain Drak'sjal (Lysander/Leonidas) and killed him on Turn 11 ending the game. Here is a breakdown of the game:

Last Stand of the 300

Turn 1: (43 Bugs Killed) (3 Terminators Killed)
Carnifex
Zoanthrope
19 Stealers + 1 Broodlord
9 Ripper Swarms
3 Raveners
9 Ripper Swarms

Turn 2: (107 Bugs Killed) (13 Terminators Killed)
Carnifex
Tyranid Prime
3 x 19 Stealers + 1 Broodlord
9 Ripper Swarms
28 Gargoyles
8 Flying Rippers

Turn 3: (104 Bugs Killed) (22 Terminators Killed)
Carnifex
Old one-Eye
Parasite of Mortrex
Tyranid Prime
Venomthrope
Doom of Malanti
30 Termagants
30 Hormagaunts
19 Stealers + 1 Broodlord
9 Ripper Swarms
9 Tyranid Warriors

Turn 4: (26 Bugs Killed) (26 Terminators Killed)
Hive Tyrant
2 Biovore
19 Stealers + 1 Broodlord
3 Shrikes
(There were so few casualties in this turn due to the Terminators killing just about everything in range over the previous two turns.)

Turn 5: (86 Bugs Killed) (22 Terminators Killed)
Flying Hive Tyrant
Tyrant Guard
2 Carnifex
Mawlock
Hive Guard
Venomthrope
Zoanthrope
30 Hormagaunts
19 Stealers + 1 Broodlord
28 Gargoyles
(This was the turn that nearly the whole force shot at the Flyrant in an attempt to bring him down and clear the Shadow in the Warp that was in their face. They killed him, but the precipitous drop in casualties reflect just how much firepower was needed to bring him down. Most of what was killed in this turn was killed in assault.)

Turn 6: (134 Bugs Killed) (22 Terminators Killed)
Hive Tyrant
3 Tyrant Guard
Hive Guard
Venomthrope
Zoanthrope
30 Termagants
2 x 19 Stealers + 1 Broodlord
2 x 9 Ripper Swarms
28 Gargoyles
8 Flying Rippers
3 Shrikes

Turn 7: (124 Bugs Killed) (45 Terminators Killed)
This turn Ephialtes, the Ymgarl Genestealers, Deathleaper and several Lictors arrived via the goat path behind the Marines.
Tervigon
Trygon
Lictor
Deathleaper
30 Termagants
30 Hormagaunts
2 x 19 Stealers + 1 Broodlord
2 x 9 Ripper Swarms
3 Raveners

Turn 8: (138 Bugs Killed) (37 Terminators Killed)
Hive Tyrant
2 Tyrant Guard
Zoanthrope
3 Lictor
2 Harpy
30 Termagants
30 Hormagaunts
3 x 19 Stealers + 1 Broodlord
9 Tyranid Warriors

Turn 9: (97 Bugs Killed) (19 Terminators Killed)
30 Termagants
30 Hormagaunts
19 Stealers + 1 Broodlord
9 Tyranid Warriors
8 Flying Rippers

Turn 10: (50 Bugs Killed) (17 Terminators Killed)
30 Hormagaunts
19 Stealers + 1 Broodlord

Turn 11: (152 Bugs Killed) (13 Terminators Killed)
52 Termagants
30 Hormagaunts
11 Stealers
14 Ripper Swarms
9 Tyranid Warriors
28 Gargoyles
8 Flying Rippers

Total Killed:
4 Hive Tyrants
5 Tyrant Guard
1 Tervigon
Parasite of Mortrex
2 Tyranid Primes
6 Carnifex
Old One Eye
3 Biovores
1 Trygon
1 Mawloc
3 Hive Guard
3 Venomthropes
4 Zoanthropes
Doom of Malanti (It took 22 Cyclone Missiles to take him down.)
4 Lictors
Deathleaper
202 Termagants
210 Hormagaunts
316 Genestealers
15 Broodlords
69 Ripper Bases
36 Tyranid Warriors
112 Gargoyles
32 Flying Ripper Bases
6 Raveners
6 Shrikes

Total Bugs Killed: 1061
Total Terminators Killed: 239

We put together some time lapse videos. An amazing young man named Evan set up his laptop and camera to take a picture every 10 seconds for 12 hours and knit it into a great movie. I had a camera set up on the marine end of the table, but had to manually take picture so my video is not as smooth.

My video:



Evan's amazing time lapse movie:

Looked like a lot of fun! Tough luck for Lysander/Leonidas :(

This was an awesome spectacle. I enjoyed watching it.

Turn 11 is where I finally got my Knights with all of the Characters attached to it hitting the broad "Persianid" front. The casualty rate shows just how brutal that was...lol

With all of the big nasty stuff out of the way, I bet we might have been able to kill another 350 or so before they finally bring us down.

Now, need to get busy working on the next event / project.

Seeing this first hand during the tournament was quite the spectacle

That was absolutely amazing!

Wait, some Terminators survived? They should get Terminator honours - oh wait

Awesome to see this all come together though. Can't wait for the next event.