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An Inqusitiorial Task force defends a ruined outpost from a Tyranid Swarm, giving them time to extract vital scientific information about a new species of glowing tree believed to be associated with the Swarm.

Mission - Chapter Approved Malestorm

Deployment -

Imperial Guard spread out in a line in front of their deployment zone, deployment is lengthwise.[The not Dawn of War deployment.] Mortar detachment is barricaded at the back with one Inquisitor and the Imperial Guard Commander, just behind a line of space marine devastator squads. The other Inquisitor stands midway between the infantry screen and the Mortars, deploying with a single squad of 5 sisters of battle.

Tyranids spread out in a line at the very front of their deployment zone, ripper swarms hiding on the objective everyone else as far forward as they can, two Tygons, a Marlock, the winged hive Tyrant, Raverners and two lictors in reserve.



Turn 1 goes to the Tyranids.

With a scream the Tyranid Swarm charges forward, scoring excellent rolls on their advances. The Winged Hive Tyrant drops from the sky, unleashing an outslaught on one flanking group of Shrikes, while with a rumble the Marlock emerges from a tunnel deep inside the imperial guard lines, sending a mortar team and three guardsmen tumbling to their doom. The Zonathropes deliver an impressive Psychic barrage, blasting a five man hole in the Imperial Guards perimiter defence while the Hive Tyrant and Nerothropes destroy the Space Marine Veterans hiding behind the magical tree at the centre of the board. A single Carnifex fires a venom cannon at the Imperial Lines, melting two of the Sisters of battle. The Assault phase sees the Tyranid Shrikes leap forward into the the crippled Imperial Guard squad in the perimeter tearing it apart in a flurry of claws. A lone Lictor reveals itself from cover and tries to assault the Imperials other flank, but fails to make it to them through a storm of [Ineffective] lasgun fire.


Turn 1 - Imperium.

The Inqusitions Scout detachment in the form of fifteen rough riders outflanks the Tyranid swarm, appearing deep behind their lines and circling towards the objective. Five lone stormtroopers attempt to screen the imperial guard infantry attempting to reclaim their objective from the circling Shrikes, while the callidus assassin peels herself away from the mysterious tree and makes a dive towards the Zoanthropes, attempting to reduce their number to more manageable levels.

Imperial shooting sees the combined weight of fire from the Space Marines melt the Mawlock into slag, and a stray lascannon round reduces the winged hive tyrant to half health. A fortunate round of shooting from the surviving mortar teams overloads the psyhic force fields of the zoanthropes and sends one tumbling to the floor. Desperate shooting from the imperial guard and sisters of battle successfully clears out the Shrikes that are in their lines, and sends another crashing out the sky. In the backfield a lackluster performance by the rough riders leads to only one unit successfully reaching the Ripper Swarms, where several are slain but the remainder hold. The Callidus dives into the Zoanthropes and cuts another one in two, escaping unharmed in return.

With the front of their lines clear, the guardsmen await the second wave.

Tyranid Turn 2 -

With a further rumble the Tyrgons arrive, depositing their cargos of Genstealers and warriors onto the midfield as the rest of the Tyranid line surges forward, almost upon the halpless humans. Even the wounded hive Tyrant charges forward, skin effortlessly reflowing to heal half the damage of the recent lascannon round. The Psyhic phase goes as expected with the Zonathropes oblitorating the assassin before them, and one of the Neurothropes knocking a single rough rider off his horse.

Screaming the Tyranids charge in, the Warriors over-running the nobel sisters of battle, and the Hive Tyrant eating half the squad on the objective, not enough however to kill the two men desperately holding the corner of the ruin. Shrikes and a Lictor finally made it into the other flank of the guards line, slaying almost the entire squad, leaving only two men to cling grimly onto their ground. The only good news came from the rear lines as the rough riders finally trampled the last of their ripper swarms into the ground, setting their sights on the Zonathropes. With the Battleline as far as the eye can see full of towering monsters, it looks to be all over for the Imperium...


Imperial Guard, Turn 2 -

The desperate pleas from the Imperial Guard lines are heard as their renforcements finall arrive. Twenty veterans and their officer sweep in to the rear of the Imperial Guard lines, plasma guns spitting fire at the warrior squad about to engage the inquistor, and wiping it out. Stormtroopers fall from the sky around the winged Hive Tyrant, sending the beast crashing to the floor, smoke and the stench of charred flesh drifting from its carcass. Space Marine Lascannons continue to tear chunks out of the Tyranid hoard, blasting the head clean from one carnifex, and wounding the other. Mortars spit fire at the distant Genestealers, blasting half of their number into bits, but for every one that falls, another seems oh to close to the remaining Imperials.

In the rear, Rough Riders commence their desperate charge at the Tyranid artillary beasts, but the power of the warp protects from from any harm, their efforts only slighty thinning the number of ripper swarms. Despite a valient counter charge too, the Lictor engaging the first squad of stormtroopers escapes without a scratch, slaying a guardsman with every swing of it's talons.

The Hive fleet continues it's advance...


Tyranids, Turn 3 -

The Tyranids advance this turn finally crashes onto the Imperial lines with full force. The Genstealers sneak around the flank and wipe out the surviours of the imperial guard there. The Shrikes and Lictors clash into the Imperial Guard clustered around their loan autocannon and slay half the squad. In a blaze of Psyhic energies, the Rough riders lose over half their remaining number, and as the smoke clears, the massive Trygon prime slithers back around to challenge the insolent intruders. The Inquisitor bravely stands his ground, bolt pistol blasting away as a massive carnifex charges, but is sent flying lifeless to the ground as the beast crashes into him with it's full force. It is small consolation that the Space Marine's countercharge moments later, crushing in the beasts head, for the Inquisitor moves no ore. The other surviving carnifex crashes into the Stormtroopers, and despite one man giving his life to put a plasma round square into the beasts head, it does not slow down slaying a further half the squad. Meanwhile the last Trygon crashes into the Space Marine lines, crushing the three surviours of the Hive Tyrants charge almost as an afterthought, before eating a space marine whole.

The Guards numerical advantage is fast beginning to slip away, and with the Tyranids deep within their lines, things have never seemed grimmer.

Imperial Guard, Turn 3 -

Bringing their remaining firepower to bear, the Guardmen try desperately to clear their lines of the remaining Tyranids, knowing if they fail their lives are forfiet. The Stormtroopers flee combat with the Carnifex, while their officer calmly gives targeting instructions, one volley later, the beast lies dead. The Mortars continue their assault on the Genestealers, a single one of the beasts remaining unscathed. A couple of Lascannon shots lance into the backfield, burning two clean holes through the Trygon prime, but failing to topple the beasts as the two remaining rough riders flee, one directly into a small swarm of ripper beasts. The Veterans, having seen this sort of thing many times before, calmly turn their plasmaguns on the Raverners, wiping them out, but every shot fired at the Trygon fails to do anything. Readying their weapons the Space Marine officers charge into the Trygon, but the beasts armour proves impossibly resilient, and it remains only mildly wounded. Lashing around with its claws, it guts the Lt, and cripples the Captain. But the end is in sight, the swarm has been reduced immensely in size, and almost all of its remaining beasts are dripping ichor. Could salvation be in sight?

Tyranid Turn 4-

The combat between Captain and Trygon is brief, he falls, not to rise again along with two of his battle brothers. Suprising the last of the Rough Riders are free to ride off into the sunset, as the wounded Trygon once again returns to the center of the battlefield. The last genstealer and a lictor pile in with the Shrikes, gutting the last of the Imperial Guardsmen and wounding the surviving inquistor. However, that's all they do and one of the Shrikes is cut down in return. The second Lictor is finally cut down by the Stormtroopers. Otherwise the battlefield is silent both sides too wounded to continue much longer.


Imperial Guard Turn 4 -

The last rough rider continues his retreat to the far corner of the battlefield as the remainder seek to consolodate their position and clear their lines of the last of the bugs.
The Veterans once again demonstrate their skills, shooting down the last Tyrgon in a hail of bullets. Too does the last Genestealer fall, blasted apart by a hail of mortar shells. The remaining advancing guardsmen fire shot after shot into the last of the Zonathropes, pulling down another monster by sheer weight of shots while the last rough rider continues to cower in the corner of the board. The Space marines succeed in bringing down the last of the Shrikes, while the Lictor contents itself with thinning numbers of mortar crew remaining.


Tyranid turn 5 -

The Swarm contents itself with consolating onto its remaining objectives, while the Lictor perishes in combat with the remaining space marines. The Neurothropes continue there mental assault, wiping out the stormtrooper scouts, and reducing their squad strength. With the Imperial lines broken, the swarm settles back, satisfied.


Imperial Guard turn 5 -

The remaining imperial forces finally advance, determined to salvage something in spite of their loses. With the veteran officer and the remainder of the rank and file screaming 'Move Move Move', they secure the alien tree at the heart of the conflict, while the last rough rider recovers his wits and tries to face down the last Trygon upon the objective.

Unfortunately, Imperial firepower falls short of the mark with the Trygon bleeding from a dozen holes, it somehow manages to continue to occupy the objective.

The final Zoanathrope falls, to a hail of plasmafire and the Neurothrope loses a limb to a well placed shot, but it is too little, too late.



Final Score - Imperial Guard, 17, including Linebreaker and Slay the Warlord,
[Would have been 18 if there'd been a single more wound on the Trygon, or a single other rough rider survived...]
Tyranid - 18, including first blood and + 3 bonus for achieving 10 objectives first.


While the Imperium were clearly going to win on firepower, and heading towards a board wipe if the game carried on, the Tyranids carried the day by careful focus on the objectives and being able to bog the imperials down in to many targets to close to their lines.

[Pictures forthcoming soon.]]

Wow that was a really close one... would be nice to see some army lists.

A really nice report! God what an intense battle though! To sad that the Imperium failed to secure victory in the end.

Still not managed to find time to upload pictures, but lists I can certainly do.

Imperium -

HQs'

Inquisitor Lord - Deamonhammer [This chap got eaten by the Carnifex.]
Inquisitor - Chainsword and Bolt pistol
Company Command - Warlord, Laspistol and Chainsword. [Shot at a Genestealer and missed. Did nothing else but shout a lot, but did actually survive.]
Company Commander - Plasma Pistol and Chainsword [Outflanked with the Veterans ultimately into my deployment zone. Survived the game holding the center objective with 3 regular guardsmen.
Space Marine Captain - Powerfist and Stormbolter [Died in melee with a Carnifex after she passed 2 6+ saves]
Space Marine Lt - Thunderhammer and Master Crafted Boltgun [Died to same Carnifex.]
Tempestus Prime with Rod of Command and Laurels of Command [Survived without a scratch]
Tempestus Prime with Hotshot Laspistol [Survived without a scratch]

Troops -

4 * 10 Guardsmen with Lasguns. [3 Survived on the center objective.]
1 * 10 Guardsmen with Boltgun and Autocannon [Eaten by Genestealers and Lictors.]
5 Battlesisters with Stormbolter and Heavy Bolter. [Shot up by a Carifex, then eaten by Shrikes.]
2 * 10 Scions with 4 Plasmaguns and Plasmapistols [Took some casulties here and there, but mostly all alive.]
1 * 5 Scions with Hellguns and Hellpistol [Smited off the table by Zonathropes in the closing turns.]


Elites -
Scion Command Squad with Grenade Launcher, Standard and Medic [Survived with no losses.]
Veteran Squad - 3 Plasmaguns and Plasma pistol [Despite re-rolls, all the plasmagunners eventually killed themselves, but otherwise the squad survived.]
Veteran Squad - 2 Plasmaguns and Boltgun. [Lost one plasmagunner to overheats, overwise survived.]
Callidus Assassin - [Smited off the board after charging the Zoanathropes.]

Heavy Support -
Space Marine Devastator Squad with Lascannon, Cherub, and Stormbolter - Ultimately survived after beating a Lictor to death in close combat, 3 marines reamaining
Space Marine Devastator Squad with Lascannon and Cherub - Killed in close combat by a Tyrgon
Space Marine Devastator Squad with Lascannon and Cherub - Killed in combat by a Trygon

Fast Attack
3 * 5 Rough Riders with Hunting lances. [A single one of these survived, the Sergeant of Squad 3, contesting the objective in the Tyranid deployment zone with a Trygon Prime with 1 wound remaining. Ah, if only wounds not model count controlled objectives... The rest were all killed by a mixture of smiting, the Trygon Primes shooting/close combat, and embarrisingly, a Nurothrope in close combat. Great job guys.]

I think that was it for the Guard. Organised into a Batallion, a Spearhead, and a Brigade, for 16CP.


Tyranids -
[Hive Fleet L.]

HQs
Winged Hive Tyrant - Monsterous Rending Claws + Lashwhip and Bonesword - Warlord - Perfectly Adapted. [Shot off the board by a _lot_ of plasma.]
Neurothrope - Psychic Scream [Reduced to one wound in the final turn.]
Neurothrope - Psychic Scream [Survived unscathed.]


Elites -
Lictor [Perished in close combat with space marines after getting fat and lazy off the guardsmen.]
Lictor [Embarrisingly killed in melee with Scions after only eating two of them.]
4* Zonathropes [Finally killed in the closing turns of the game, after having eaten a round of Mortar fire, a plasmagun volley, a Callidus assassin, and a lot of lasgun fire.]

Troops -

4 * 3 Rippers [5 bases were killed in melee with rough riders. A few more were wounded by shooting, but the rest survived, clinging to objectives that ultimately never came up.]
10 Genestealers [In the tunnel with the Tyrgon prime. All but one were killed by Mortar fire over two turns. The last survived two volleys of mortars, a laspistol, a half dozen bolters, and some lasgun fire before finally going down to a plasmagun.]
4 Tyranid Warriors [1 with Venom Cannon/Rending Claws, 2 with lashwhip bonesword and scything talons, and one with a pair of boneswords and scything talons.] Shot off the board with plasmafire.

Fast Attack -
3 Shrikes - Rending Claws and Scything Talons [Shot off the board in turn one after eating a guardsman squad.]
3 Shrikes - Rending Claws and Scything Talons [Shot off the board late game after eating around two squads of guardsmen.]
3 Raverners - [Shot up by plasmafire and boltguns I think without ever doing anything other than looking menacing.]

Heavy Support -
Carnifexes - 1 with Scything Talons and Venom Cannon, brought down by stormtroopers. 1 with Crushing Claws and scything talons - Hit by Lascannon fire.
Screamer Killer - Killed by Lascannon fire.
Mawlock - Melted by Lascannons on turn 1 as soon as it appeared.
Trygon - After murdering it's way through my lines eventually brought down by a single plasmapistol round from my company commander, the last shot I had to fire.
Trygon Prime - Survived the game on one wound, denying me my draw. The bastard.


Likewise, I think that was it!