Battle report: Tyranids at 1500 point tournament -- Game 1

A new type of post for the blog today -- Battle Reports!  Something other then SpoCon musings  Enjoy!

This weekend I took my Tyranids to a 1500 point tournament at the Gamer's Haven in Post Falls, ID.  It was just a one day thing but was quite fun.  No overall award at this one, just Best General (Battle points), Best Sportsmanship (Fav opponnent and Thumbs ups) and player votes for Favorite Model and Army.  The missions were direct ports of the 2010 Adepticon Youngblood ones.

Here is my army list:

1 Tyranid Prime w/ Boneswords (x2) and Toxin Sacs

3 Hive Guard Brood

3 Hive Guard Brood

2 Zoanthrope Brood

18 Genestealer Brood

17 Genestealer Brood

1 Tervigon w/ Adrenal Glands, Toxin Sacs and Catalyst

1 Tervigon w/ Adrenal Glands, Toxin Sacs and Catalyst

10 Termagant Brood

10 Termagant Brood



Hive Fleet Cancer, iteration 312B.01


Game one saw me matched up against a pretty strong looking Space Wolves list.

Rune Priest w/ Jaws and Living Lighting

Dreadnought w/ 2x TL-Autocannons
4 Wolf Guard w/ Combi-Meltagun and Power Fist
1 Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour w/ Cyclone Missile Launcher

6 Grey Hunters Pack w/ Mark of the Wulfen and Meltagun
^Rhino
6 Grey Hunters Pack w/ Mark of the Wulfen and Meltagun
^Rhino
6 Grey Hunters Pack w/ Mark of the Wulfen and Meltagun
^Rhino

5 Long Fangs Pack w/ Missile Launcher x4 40
^Razorback
5 Long Fangs Pack w/ Lascannon x2 Plasma Cannon x2
^Razorback
Predator w/ TL-Lascannon and Lascannon x2

So not 'net approved' optimized but some really strong elements and some stuff that could really hurt the core of my army (Jaws specifically).

The mission was Earthquake!  Basically a Dawn of War 4 objective Seize Ground (worth 10 points) with killing your opponents HQ as the seconday (5 points, achievable by both opponents).  There were two bonus points for controlling at least 1 quarter with scoring units and eliminating your opponents Troop units.  However it wasn't so simple -- there was a special rule to represent earthquakes that caused vehicles to take dangerous terrain tests anytime they moved and turned any difficult terrain test into a dangerous test as well.  To

This was roughly the table layout.  I didn't get pictures of the tables till after the tournament and didn't notice the table was messed up till now. Really all that is 'wrong' is the ramp in the center of the last photo was in front of the statue.  The 4 objectives are placed as marked below.

My opponent wins the roll and takes first turn.  He proceeds to start deploying his long fangs into the large red building when I remind him the deployment was Dawn of War.  His response was one of defeat, "Well you win.  I can never win Dawn of War."  Kind of a bummer that he felt he lost before we even began.   Any event he removed them and deployed his army as noted below, everything else coming on Turn 1.  My deployment in response is noted also, with my army also coming on Turn 1. 

I wanted to put pressure on the Rune Priest so as to keep him from dropping Jaws on my Tervigons, so I put a unit of stealers as close to him as possible.  They weren't in a great way as far as cover but clear shots would require coming in away from the main action and likely have issues with night fighting (depending on spotlights).  In order to keep them from getting focused off the table I put that other squad as close as I could to my opponnets army and his board edge but away from the objectives -- sort of a feint.  I knew this put them in some jepordy, since they were not in any cover and would not be getting Feel no Pain, but I hoped that enough of his army would be diverted away from where the game would be won or lost.  I do not attempt to seize and my opponent takes his first turn. 

Opponent Turn 1: He deployes his 2 empty razorbacks directly in front of my stealers by the red building, then left of them the Rifleman dread, then left of it the rhino with Grey Hunters, who get out to double tap.  The pred deploys left of them, then the 4x ML long fangs with CML termie.  The two empty rhinos deploy centrally.  His LC/PC long fangs come in a bit left of center.  I think one of the RBs immobilize this turn due to Earthquake (TO ruled that they could get just on the board before immobilizing).  The other two deployed Grey Hunters shift some but nothing dramatic that I recall.  He shoots the 2 razorbacks, the rifleman, the grey hunters and various storm bolters at the stealers and only manages to kill 4.  Just shy of a moral check.  He living lighnings the 18 man stealer and kills 1 or 2.  No other shots are made that I recall and no assaults.

My Turn 1:  I bring on just about everything between that black building and raised platform with statue.  Exception is the zoanthropes with attached prime, they are on the right side of that black building to get clear move and shots at the pred and others.  The remained of the 18 stealers heads straight for the raised platform where the Rune Priest is hanging out with Grey Hunters.  The remained of the 17 stealers makes a b-line for the grey hunters that shot them this turn, with most of the unit trailing away from them.  I forget catalyst, which I thought would cause some issues for the 18 man stealers.  No shooting, just running.  In assualt I get a nice clear shot with several stealers but the bulk is trailing away and not engaged in the combat.  I kill a few, he kills some more and then the fist goes and wins the combat.  I make my test and we pile in.

Opponents Turn 2:  He proceeds to roll 4 1s in a row for his vehicle moves, meaning his RBs and Rifleman are stuck away from the battle without LOS to anything but the stealers that are locked in combat.  My feint proved to be quite effective due to some bad luck.  Only 1 rhino and the pred retain any mobility.  That rhino makes a beeline for the objective on my right (the one obscured by the black building in the pic above).  His long fangs continue to move to get LOS.  His rune priest and Grey Hunters moves back some, afraid to get close to the stealers.  His shoots at my stealers and kills a few.  His pred fires at the zoanthropes and I make my save.  In combat I wipe the Grey Hunters before they get to strike and consolidate towards the grey hunters.

My Turn 2:  Remainder of the 18 make a move for the platform but will need a 6 on the run roll to make any sort of assault.  The victorious stealers line up on the grey hunters.  I have a unit of gaunts make their way toward the objective on my far left.  One tervigon stays relatively well hidden behind the black building while another moves up to support the stealers and aforementioned gants.  My shooting explodes the rhino near the objective but not much else.  I don't get a great run roll to get on the platform so they just hug the edge to get cover.  My other unit though is successful in getting locked in.  I don't recall the exact results but we stay locked.

Opponents Turn 3:  He moves his long fangs with terminator and the RP+Grey hunters to counter charge.  He continues to shuffle the LC/PC long fangs along to my left.  Because of the desire to counter charge I only get shot by the predator and take a wound on the Prime.  This might have been the turn he got LOS from his rifleman to my Tervigon also but no wounds were caused.  His GH+ priest fail to make it into assault, but the long fangs do.  I focus as much of my attacks onto the Grey Hunters and the WG and 2 bolters remain.  But the stealers are then wiped. 

My Turn 3:  The other stealers make their move against the RP and Grey hunters (losing a few in the process)   The more exposed tervigon fails to give catalyst to the stealers and makes 14 or so termagants but craps out.  The other tervigon is just barely in range to grant catalyst to my stealers and not get rune weaponed.  My prime move and attaches to some hive guard out of LOS in the black building ruin.  Shooting sees the 3 man GH squad wiped.  I get a great run roll on the stealers and setup for assualt.  In assault the Rune Priest does not end up in base to base (in hindsight he should have had the movement to get there, I just didn't think about it) but the GH do a decent amount of damage, but then my attacks back are pretty brutal and I think I kill most of the GH, leaving the RP more or less alone.

The rest is really just clean up.  The Rune Priest eventually dies, he keeps moving the long fangs around.  He has no troops and I am able to get gants or stealers on to all 4 objectives.  He might have been able to contest 1 objectove with the pred or maybe with repaired rhinos (he refused to try and repair them).  We call it at some point on Turn 5.  I end up with full points (10 for the objectves, 5 for killing his HQ, 1 for troops and 1 for controlling a quarter) but in hindsight I didn't technically earn one of the bonus points (he had 2 immobilized rhinos left when called). 

After-action Review:  Overall I though it was a challenging game to deal with all that armor and a Jaws Rune Priest, but I don't think my opponent was really into the game once he realized it was Dawn of War.  Personally I felt like he still had some opportunities but his placement and setup with the long fangs cost him dearly.  They should have been in the RBs so they could have gotten somewhere decent quick and the terminator deployed at the start imo.  But the table and special rule was kind of a bitch for his army, while it was perfect for mine. 

Anyways, hope you enjoyed reading.  Coming next is my first game against 5ed Dark Eldar (yes really).