Welcome to the second game in our Shadow of the Hive Mind Campaign. In the first game (
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/435158.page) the Astartes of the Salamanders and Sons of Gord cleared the main complex of Xenos, although at great cost.
Now, the Cadian 61st and elements of the 144th Antipodean Rangers are dropping onto an outlying genatorium site. If they can get the generator back on line, they can activate the containment fence around the main lab complex, drastically increasing the mission’s security.
However, the Hive Mind is unlikely to let this trespass on its new domain pass without a response and the Guard units are dropping into unknown territory...
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Major Durra braced himself against the wall of the Valkyrie Assault Carrier as it banked for the drop run. Beside them 3 other carriers flew in formation. The constant sulphur clouds reduced visibility to less than 50 meters at best and created fierce low level turbulence for the flyers.
"Ten seconds to drop" came a disembodied voice over the vox. The first wave of veterans and rangers were about to go in. Durra's stick would follow in their Valkyrie, along with the tech priest and his servitor who would start up the generator. He looked over at the red-cowled figure across the cabin. The tech-priest was making last minute adjustments to the technical servitor, seemingly unphased by the constant bucking of the carrier. Durra idly wondered what type of enhancements the Magos Biologis had that helped him stay braced in such conditions.
The Inquisitor had taken a chance sending his only biologis on the mission. He would be needed to analyse whatever was recovered at the main lab, but lacking any other members of the machine cult, Inquisitor Iniquitous had been forced to send him.
"Green light is on - go go go!" Up ahead in the gloom, the first sticks of troops were leaping into the murk and onto whatever waited below. "Out of the Blue and into the Black" intoned Durra, voicing the unofficial motto of the Antipodean Rangers.
Into the black indeed.....
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Like all the games in this campaign, the battle is fought using night fight rules (representing the ever present sulphur clouds). The servitor must reach the genatorium and activate the machine spirit (
D6 roll of 4+) and the Guard must hold the facility.
View from above - the genatorium sits in the jungle
A drop Sentinel lands close to rocks in the open
The Rangers drop in next, acting as pathfinders for the mission
Platoon Command arrives on target
The veterans land past the genatorium and go into all-round defence
The view from the circling Valkyrie
With a rustling of vines, two lictors reveal themselves, directly behind the Sentinel
A second drop sentinel spots a hidden brood nest and blasts a chunk off it with missile fire
The Rangers race for the genatorium
Lictor flesh hooks wreck the sentinel’s multi-laser and it moves over to the veterans for support. Their fire blasts one of the skulking Lictors to paste
Aroused by the scent of prey, Hormagaunts boil out of the brood nest
Another wave of gaunts appear from the jungle edge near the veterans
Using their explosive speed (and lots of 6's on the movement rolls...) the gaunts surprise the rangers....
..who disappear under a tide of claws and fangs
They’re all around us! The Hive Mind closes the trap, with warriors and Hive guard sealing in the Guard units
The lictor charges the veterans and the gaunts run forward
The Imperial forces find themselves in a desperate position
Major Durra roars in low in his command Valkyrie, deploying into the midst of his men
An escort Valkyrie comes in for a strafing run. The sulphur clouds confound the gunners and the hell strike missiles impact harmlessly in the jungle
Major Durra leads his men forwards
Into them men!
The gaunts are thrashed by the command squad, but keep them pinned in combat all the same
Weaponless, the sentinel charges the second gaunt swarm, swatting at them with its legs
The Magos and servitor head towards the genatorium escorted by Major Durra’s squad
The veterans finish off the lictor
The Hive Guard proves a threat and downs the command Valkyrie
Platoon command finally finish the gaunts and head into the genatorium, with the magos and escort heading in at the double
The remaining Valkyrie continues to provide fire support, but with only a multi-laser and restricted by the low cloud base, it has minimal impact
Termagants ambush a newly arrived squad of Cadians
Air cover continues, but provides little comfort
Gunners from the downed Valkyrie have better luck, lighting up the Hive Guard
Major Durra’s team make the genatorium. The servitor starts work on the controls
However, the oncoming Xenos are close now. Vile weapons spit death into the Guard, and the entire command squad is wiped out, with Durra wounded
Guardsmen battle to keep the Tyranids at bay
The escort Valkyrie comes in to strafe the incoming Xenos
Unfortunately, danger close airstrikes in poor visibility can go terribly awry. Major Durra is hit by the blast and knocked unconscious. He is evacuated by the mortified Valkyrie crew
In front of the genatorium, the last man falls, defying the Xenos to the last
The downed Valk continues to ping Tyranids as they pass in front of it
And the last surviving sentinel continues to hold up a gaunt swarm
Platoon command prepares to sell their lives dearly as the Xenos bear down on them…
…While the servitor tries to coax the machine spirits into life
The sentinel finally breaks the gaunts who flee…
…only to have another swarm turn up.
The platoon commander goes down fighting
The servitor finally activates the genatorium power source – Omnissiah be praised!
The surviving veterans and the magos try to keep the aliens out of the genatorium
The sentinel breaks the last gaunt swarm, but it is too little, too late
The genatorium is on line, but the defenders are overrun
Major Durra’s last sight of the field as his Valkyrie turns for home is the Xenos pouring into the building…
Tyranid victory!
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Inquisitor Iniquitous watched the vid screen over steepled fingers. The blue icons, representing the guard were pitifully few. Those that remained were in full retreat towards complex alpha.
“The Cadians have failed” he pursed his thin lips. “But power is restored to the containment fence, so all is not lost”
He leaned forward and searched the vid screen once more. The icon identifying the magos was dark.
“Unfortunate” he murmured.
Swivelling in his chair on the commend bridge of the orbiting ship, he addressed the vox officer.
“Tell the units at complex Alpha to prepare for Xenos assault. The fence is active, so they should have no trouble repelling them”
He turned back to the screen. “And patch me through to Commander Gordus. I have a task for him”
Far below, something horrible approached the outer containment fence at complex Alpha. It bobbed its head, as if sniffing the crackling energy pylons stretching across its path. Then, with a leathery rustle, it began to unfurl its wings…
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Another tense but fun game. The scenario really played out as the beleaguered Guard desperately trying to survive long enough to get the power up. Sadly, they couldn’t quite hold out long enough. Full credit to Sandy for his excellent jungle terrain and board, custom made for the campaign.
The hive guard were a real game-changer. They took out the commend valk, the missile sentinel and hosed down both command squads. Without those units, there simply wasn’t enough firepower to stop the nids.
Special mention – the weaponless sentinel that held up and ultimately routed two gaunt swarms.
Next game, the Xenos hit the recently cleared Complex Alpha, now garrisoned by Guard units safely ensconced behind the containment fence. The Hive Mind however, has a surprise in store…
Menaphite Dynasty Necrons - 6000 
Karak Hirn Dwarfs - 2500 
4000 pts
great stuff
Sanguine Fist 
Lion's Claw
- 2,000-ish
Daemons - 400-ish (Wife wanted to paint an army so she's working on this one for me. Yeah, she's that awesome.) 
