Hi all,
Got in a game against Dark Angels yesterday, against a very friendly local player who has been around since 3rd - there were some beakies and old school metal models on the board!
The gametype rules were:
Points: 750
Deployment: Hammer and Anvil
Mission: Crusade (3 objectives)
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The lists are as follows:
The Great Devourer:
HQ: Tervigon (Warlord), Adrenal,
TS, Catalyst
HQ: Tyranid Prime
T: Tervigon, Adrenal, Catalyst
T: Termagants x19
E: Venomthrope x1
FA: Gargoyles x17, Adrenal
The Dark Angels Task Force
(Best estimate of forces)
HQ: Interrogator Chaplain on Bike, Maul, 3+, 4++
T: Tactical Squad, Heavy bolter, Power fist
T: Tactical Squad, Plasma Cannon, flamer
FA: Ravenwing bikers x6, plasmagun x2
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Given the lists and the gametype, who do you think will prevail? Tyranids win the deployment roll, but opt to go second. The Dark Angels split their squads into combat squads, hoping the bolter fire, plasma cannon and heavy bolter will whittle enough wounds off before the swarm arrives.
OBJECTIVES
There are three objectives, denoted by piled crates (Thanks, Dave Graffam models!). They are by the obelisk in the
DA DZ, in the large ruined building on the Tyranid left flank, and in the ruined rhino-crater area in the Tyranid RH DZ.
DEPLOYMENT
(And apparently, DA turn 1 movement! )
The Angels deploy the Plasma Cannon combat squad in the rearmost tower, and the Heavy Bolter combat squad on the Tyranid's right flank, near the objective. The Interrogator Chaplain joins the Ravenwing bikers on the Tyranid left flank, while the Power Fist and Plasma Pistol combat squads are in the centre of the Dark Angel DZ. It appears that the plan is to hammer down on my left flank and drive me off the objective in the ruined building.
The Tyranids deploy cautiously: Termagants are up front, deployed in such a way as to minimize
LOS from advancing bolters. The Gargoyles are hidden in the rear of the DZ, as their 12" movement will allow them to make up the distance quickly. The Troops Tervigon (Proxied by the Acid Spray Tyrannofex) is hidden behind a building, with the
HQ Tervigon on the left close to the termagants. Everything is covered by the Venomthrope's 5+ cover bubble, and the Prime joins the Venomthrope for majority toughness 5, and both of them hide in the central Tyranid DZ building.
TURN 1 Dark Angels
The Dark Angels advance! Twin-linked Bolter fire knocks out 2 or 3 Termagants - cover saves saved a few as well. Target practice!
TURN 1 Tyranids
The small bugs advance, with 2 Termagants in range to shoot the nearest tactical squad. No casualties result.
The
HQ Tervigon deploys 11 or 12 Termagants close by. They bravely prepare to take a charge from the bikers racing towards their brood mother... The other Tervigon does not try to spawn. Feel No Pain is successfully cast on the large brood of Termagants closest to the Angels. The other Tervigon fails to cast on the Gargoyles, but rolls '11' and does not take a wound.
TURN 2 Dark Angels
The Dark Angels pour bolter fire into the Gargoyles, and blast three from the sky. The plasma cannon rolls just enough scatter to land between the two front squads of bugs, hitting empty terrain. The big event of this turn is the assault phase...
Where the bikers nearly wipe out the newly-spawned squad of Termagants. When all is said and done, one wound is taken off of the Chaplain, and only three Termagants remain... The bike squad is very fast, and very tough. Fortunately, toxin sacs on the Tervigon allow the Termagants within 6" to wound on a 4+, which is a huge benefit. The bikers were required to take dangerous terrain tests as they were charging a squad that was under the Venomthrope's cover bubble, but they made their armour saves...
TURN 2 Tyranids
The Gargoyles refrain from shooting, and make their charge! Overwatch kills 3. They manage 5 wounds, with three coming from the Blinding Venom rule, but almost all are saved by the Marine's sturdy plating. In exchange, several Gargoyles die to retributory bolt pistols to the face. Fortunately, they are 11.9" away from the Tyranid Prime, so they stay locked.
On the left hand side of the board, the combat between the Bikers, Interrogator and Termagants takes a terrible turn when the Tervigon manages another 12-Termagant spawn. The forward-most Termagants, who have Feel No Pain, arrange themselves in such a way as to get in on the combat... This is where it is key to have a Tervigon with both Toxin Sacs and Adrenal Glands within 6" of your Termagants. On the charge, the Termagants get 2 attacks, hitting on 4 and wounding on 4 - this results in another wound on the Interrogator and...
6 dead bikers. At least 10 Termagants are killed as well - but the Chaplain is still locked in, and now does not have access to H&R. He has, however, successfully acquired First Blood by killing the last Termagants from the initially charged squad!
TURN 3 Dark Angels
The Heavy Bolter and Plasma Cannon attempt to hit the Tervigon in range, but the Heavy Bolter does nothing and the Plasma Cannon scatters off to open terrain again.
The Combat Squad decides that it needs to lend a hand to the dwindling members of the frontline squad, so charges into the Gargoyles.
As before, many gargoyles perish horribly! Fortunately for the bugs, a few Marines go down, leaving the Powerfist squad with only two members (Powerfist and flamer).
The Biker Chaplain goes down swinging, failing no saves against the Termagants but dying to a failed 4++ when the Tervigon, furious, charged into him (post picture) and crushed him to death.
TURN 3 Tyranids
Termagants and a Tervigon consolidate onto their respective objectives. The RH Tervigon spawns seven Termagants, the first spawn attempted, and burns out on a double 2! The
LH Tervigon refrains from spawning. Prime joins the 7-Termagant squad and advances, while the Venomthrope tries to maintain coverage while remaining in the open.
FNP is cast on the Prime and friends, and also the Venomthrope. Still no Perils! Gargoyles continue to die.
TURN 4 Dark Angels
The Dark Angels pepper the front Termagant squad with fire - a Heavy Bolter and 4 bolters at range results in only 2 deaths, though there were a good number of wounds caused. Being able to roll a 5+ cover save followed by a 5+
FNP roll is shockingly effective, and doubly so when done using a 'free' squad gained from a Tervigon. The Plasma cannon mildly scalds himself, and retires the field. The remaining front-line Marines beat the last Gargoyle to a fine red pulp, then turn to face the undying nightmare bearing down on them...
TURN 4 Tyranids
12
more Termagants are spawned by the
LH Tervigon, who then burns out. I believe that it spawned around 45 Termagants by itself in this game. These Termagants move over to support the RH flank, while the
LH squads of Termagants move forward to hold the objective. One squad tries for linebreaker, and runs forward.
The two Tervigons are within range of the 2-man squad with both the Powerfist and Flamer Marines in it. Their shower of S5 spikes is enough to end both Marines, clearing the way for a Prime-led assault on the squad of 4 behind them. Only the Sergeant remains, and the Tyranids take no losses.
TURN 5 Dark Angels
It looks grim for the Marines. (And Dark.) The rearmost squad of bolters leaps down from the tower to meet their fate, while the heavy bolter team tries for a few wounds on the Venomthrope, and unfortunately fails to accomplish this goal. In assault, the Warrior Prime cuts down the Sergeant before turning his attention to the Heavy Bolter team, and the Objective...
TURN 5 Tyranids
No appreciable movement, aside from the Termagants trying for Linebreaker (And forgetting to Run!) and the Prime's squad moving into assault range of the Heavy Bolter squad. All random objectives, strangely, were Grav Wave Generators! How odd! The Tyranids roll over 4" for their charge, though, and succeed in making contact with the Marines.
Apologies for the unpainted Termagants - I had no idea I'd spawn ~54 of them in this game, so had to use some of my unpainted ones. The charge kills one Termagant from Overwatch, and three Marines go down. This objective is now contested.
We roll to see if the game continues and... it's a 1. The game ends with the Marines still standing bravely against the xenos horrors!
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Endgame: The Marines are holding one Contested Objective. They also have First Blood! The Tyranids, however, have Slay the Warlord and two objectives.
The game is a Tyranid victory with 7VPs to the Swarm, and 1 to the Marines!
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Thanks to my opponent, Rick, for a fantastic and (dare I say) cinematic game! And thanks to our local store, Bastion Games, for the use of their tables.
-Steve
Chaos. Good News 
Advice for future reports is, as always, very much appreciated! Anything else you guys would like to see in the future?
2,500 points
2,500 points
1,500 points