This week's battle report sees my White Scars take on Stu's Tyranids in a 2000 pts maelstrom of war mission.
This game was played a while back before the release of the new Tyranid codex, so won't feature any of the new rules.
My army consisted of:
Battalion Detachment
Khan- Moondrakken (K)
Lieutenant- Master-crafted Bolter, Chainsword (L)
10 Tactical Marines- Meltagun, Bolters (TS1)
Rhino- Storm Bolter (R)
5 Tactical Marines- Flamer, Bolters (TS2)
Razorback- TL Assault Cannons (Rb)
5 Scouts- Camo Cloaks, Sniper Rifles (S1)
5 Devastators- 4 Missile Launchers, Armorium Cherub (D1)
5 Devastators- 4 Heavy Bolters, Armorium Cherub (D2)
Stormtalon- TL Assault Cannons, Typhoon Missile Launcher (ST)
10 Sternguard Veterans- Special Issue Bolters (S2)
Drop Pop- Storm Bolter (DP)
10 Vanguard Veterans- 3 Pairs Lightning Claws, 2 Thunder Hammers and Storm Shields, 5 Bolt Pistols and Chainswords (VV)
6 Scout Bikers (SB)
5 Bikers- 2 Meltaguns, Power Axe (B1)
Khan was my warlord and took the Tenacious Survivor warlord trait.
Stu's army consisted of:
Spearhead Detachment
Malanthrope (M)
Carnifex- 2 Monstrous Scything Talons, Thresher Scythe (C)
Exocrine- Bio-plasmic Cannon, Powerful Limbs (E)
Tyrannofex- Powerful Limbs, Rupture Cannon, Stinger Salvo (Ty)
Battalion Detachment
Old One Eye (OE)
Tervigon- Massive Scything Talons, Stinger Salvo, Catalyst (Tv)
20 Genestealers- Rending Claws, Scything Talons (G)
30 Termagants- Fleshborers (T)
3 Tyranid Warriors- Devourers, Scything Talons, Toxin Sacs (TW)
Vanguard Detachment
Broodlord- Onslaught (B)
3 Hive Guard- Impaler Cannons (HG)
Lictor- Flesh Hooks, Rending Claws (L)
3 Zoanthropes- Neurothrope, The Horror (Z)
Stu's warlord was the Tervigon, who took Tenacious Survivor.
The mission was Deadlock (start with 6 cards in turn 1, 5 in turn 2, etc.) with Hammer and Anvil deployment, which worked out well for me. I won the roll off for placing the objectives, and we placed them as shown below:
Stu chose his deployment side. The deployment order was as follows:
I deployed the Heavy Bolter Devastators in the ruins to my right, supported by the Lieutenant. The Razorback and Rhino went on either side of the ruins, with the Stormtalon at the back. On the left flank, I placed the Missile Launcher Devastators, Scout Snipers, both units of Bikes and Khan. I made sure to deploy the Scouts further back, as in our last game, Stu was able to take advantage of my poor deployment to charge them on the first turn. Fortunately, there would be no double movement Swarmlord to punish me on the first turn.
Stu put the bulk of his forces in the centre of his deployment zone, with the Exocrine and Tyrannofex on his right flank, with the Termagants, Tervigon, Carnifex, Old One Eye, Malanthrope and Zoanthropes in the centre. On the right, he hid the Broodlord and Genestealers in the ruins, along with the Hive Guard and Tyranid Warriors.
We rolled off for first turn. I won and chose to go first. Stu failed to seize, so I took the first turn.
TURN 1- WHITE SCARS
In my first turn, I drew Secure Objective 4, Defend Objective 6, Supremacy (hold at least 2 objectives and twice as many as your opponent), Overwhelming Firepower (kill an enemy unit in shooting phase), Hold the Line (have 3 units and no enemy units in your deployment zone), Domination (hold all 6 objectives). A good set of cards for my first turn, I should be able to score a few of these in this turn.
The White Scars forces split, some advancing on the enemy, while some held the line. The Rhino surged forward on the right flank, using their smoke launchers to obscure them from the enemy fire. The Bikers also advanced on on the objective on the left flank, I used the Born in the Saddle Stratagem to allow them to still fire to full effect. The Stormtalon crossed the battlefield, moving to engage the Genestealers. Finally, the Drop Pod landed, the Sternguard disembarking besides the ruin. I knew how dangerous the Genestealers could be if they hit my lines, so wanted to deal with them quickly.
The Bikers on the left flank opened fire on the Genestealers with their Bolters, killing four of the alien creatures. The squad fired their Meltaguns at the Hive Guard, one of the weapons wounding and killing one of the squad outright.
The Sternguard targeted the Genestealers. Thanks to the Masterful Marksmanship Stratagem, they were able to wound and kill 9 of the squad. Their Drop Pod fired at the Genestealers, killing another one.
The Stormtalon opened fire on the Genestealers. The Assault Cannon hit and wounded 8 times, killing 5 of the squad. The Typhoon fired its Frag Missiles, getting only 3 shots. I used a Command Point to re-roll and got 7 shots, wounding them four times. Stu made three saves and one perished, leaving only one Genestealer left. The Scouts opened fire on the last member of the alien squad and was able to kill it off, gaining me First Blood.
The Missile Launcher Devastators fired at the Zoanthropes, hitting and wounding four times. Two of the creatures were slain and one was left on a single wound. The other unit of Devastators fired at the unit, killing the last member of the squad.
At the end of my turn, I score Secure Objective 4, Supremacy for 1 point, Hold the Line and Overwhelming Firepower for 5 points this turn in total. I discarded Domination.
TURN 1- TYRANIDS
In his first turn, Stu drew Area Denial (have no enemy units in the board centre), No Prisoners (kill an enemy unit), Defend Objective 1, Overwhelming Firepower, Secure Objective 4 and Secure Objective 5.
The Termagants advanced on the White Scars Bikers, accompanied by the Tervigon. The Broodlord also advanced on the Sternguard. On the other flank, the Carnifex and Old One Eye moved up to engage the Rhino.
The Broodlord cast Smite, killing two of the Sternguard. The Tervigon then cast Onslaught on the Termagants.
In the shooting phase, the Termagants fired on the Stormtalon. Stu managed an amazing 17 hits out of 30 shots (on a 5+) and caused 11 wounds. I failed 6 of my 3+ saves! The Tervigon added its firepower, causing another wound.
The Tyrannofex fired its Stinger Salvo at the Stormtalon, finally taking it down. It then targeted the Devastators with its Rupture Cannon, killing two of the squad. The second Salvo fired at the Rhino, but was unable to cause any damage.
The Exocrine fired at the Devastators, killing another two of the squad. The second shot hit the Rhino, wounding it twice. Stu used a Command Point to get a third wound and take six damage from the transport vehicle.
The Hive Guard fired at the second unit of Devastators, hitting and wounding once and killing one of the squad. The Tyranid Warriors fired at the Sternguard, wounding three times and killing two of the squad.
The Broodlord charged the Sternguard and Drop Pod, suffering one wound in overwatch. The Termagants charged the Bikers, losing three of the squad to overwatch fire. The Carnifex assaulted the Rhino. Old One Eye failed the charge, even with a command point re-roll being used.
The Broodlord struck at the Sternguard, killing three of the squad. The Sternguard struck back, taking two wounds from the Broodlord.
The Termagants struck at the Bikers, wounding them twice, but failing to get past their armour. The Bikers attacked back, killing four of the squad.
The Carnifex only managed to do three wounds on the Rhino, leaving it with one wound remaining.
In the morale phase, the Sternguard were wiped out. The Devastator Squad also failed its morale test (on a double 6!), causing one to flee and leave one in the squad.
At the end of his turn, Stu scored Area Denial, Overwhelming Firepower, No Prisoners and Secure Objective 5. He discarded Defend Objective 1.
VICTORY POINTS:
White Scars- 5
Tyranids- 4
TURN 2- WHITE SCARS
In my second turn, I drew Defend Objective 1, Kingslayer (kill the enemy warlord), No Prisoners (kill an enemy unit), Blood and Guts (kill a unit in assault) and had Defend Objective 6.
The Bikers fell back from combat with the Termagants, as Khan, the Razorback and the Scout Bikers moved up to support them. The Tactical Squad disembarked from the Rhino, which then fell back from combat.
The Razorback fired on the Termagants, killing 8 of the squad. Khan fired on the Termagants, killing another three. The Scouts fired their Shotguns at the Termagants, killing 5 of the squad. They then fired their Bolters at the Hive Guard, wounding them 5 times, the Tyranid creatures taking 2 wounds from the volley. I didn't want to wipe out the Termagants in the shooting phase, as I wanted to finish them off in the assault phase to score Blood and Guts. The Scouts added their firepower to the Hive Guard, but failed to do any damage.
The Missile Launcher Devastators fired at the Carnifex, hitting once but failing to wound. I used a command point re-roll, but still failed to wound. The Tactical Squad fired at the Carnifex, wounding it 7 times with their Bolters, four of which got through its armour. The Meltagun fired, causing another three wounds and leaving it on one wound. The lone Heavy Bolter Devastator fired at the Carnifex, wounding him one more time, but he made his save.
In the charge phase, the Scout Bikers, Bikers and Khan assaulted the Termagants. On the other flank, the Tactical Squad assaulted the Carnifex, hoping to take its final wound.
The Scout Bikers struck at the Termagants, killing 6 of the alien creatures. Stu then used two command points to interrupt and attack with the wounded Carnifex. It attacked the Tactical Squad, wounding them 5 times. I then failed all five of my 4+ saves and the unit was devastated!
The Bike Squad killed off the last of the Termagants, consolidating into the nearby Hive Guard to stop them firing. The Tactical Squad struck at the Carnifex and managed to wound it twice. Stu failed one save, but then used a command point re-roll to pass and keep it alive!
The Broodlord in combat with the Drop Pod managed to destroy the transport vehicle.
At the end of my turn, the Tactical Squad passed their morale test. I scored No Prisoners and Blood and Guts. I discarded Kingslayer.
TURN 2- TYRANIDS
In his second turn, Stu drew Supremacy, Master the Warp (cast a psychic power), Psychological Warfare (force a failed morale test), Secure Objective 6 and had Secure Objective 4.
Old One Eye moved up on the Tactical Squad, while the Broodlord, Tyranid Warriors and Tervigon moved up on the White Scars Bike units.
In the psychic phase, the Tervigon cast Catalyst on the Broodlord, who then cast Onslaught on the Tyranid Warriors. A Smite attack then took one wound from the Bikers.
The Hive Guard fired on the Scout Bikers, wounding them once, but the shot was saved. The Tyrannofex then fired its Rupture Cannon at the Scout Bikers, wounding them once. The second salvo targeted the Missile Launcher Devastators, but failed to hit. Stu used a Command Point re-roll, but still failed to score a hit.
The Exocrine fired at the Scout Bikers, killing three of the squad. The second shot killed another 3, wiping out the squad. Finally, the Tervigon fired at Khan, wounding him once.
In the charge phase, Old One Eye charged the Tactical Squad and Rhino. The Broodlord attempted to charge Khan, but failed the charge roll, even with a command point re-roll. The Tervigon charged Khan, while the Tyranid Warriors and Hive Guard charged the Bike squad.
The Tervigon struck at Khan, wounding him twice, but he made both invulnerable saves. Old One Eye attacked the Tactical Squad and Rhino. He put two wound on the Tactical Squad. Once again, the squad could not pass a 4+ save and two more perished. The Tyranid Creature was also able to destroy the Rhino.
The Tyranid Warriors attacked the Bikers, wounding them twice. The Hive Guard did one wound, which was saved. The Carnifex then struck the Tactical Squad, killing two more and leaving one member of the squad alive.
Khan then attacked the Tervigon, hitting four and wounding four times (after the use of a command point re-roll). However, he only managed to do 6 wounds with his 4D3 damage rolls. The Biker Sergeant struck at the Hive Guard, wounding them twice.
At the end of his turn, Stu scored Master the Warp for 2 points and discarded Secure Objective 4. I scored Defend Objective 1 for holding it for two turns.
VICTORY POINTS:
White Scars- 9
Tyranids- 6
TURN 3- WHITE SCARS
In turn 3, I drew Mission Critical Objective 3, Scour the Skies (kill a unit with Fly keyword), Assassinate (kill an enemy character) and had Defend Objective 6.
The lone Tactical Marine fell back from combat onto objective 3, while the Bikers fell back from combat and Khan fell back from combat with the Tervigon.. The Vanguard Veterans arrived, landing to engage the Tervigon.
The Sniper Scouts fired at the Tervigon, but failed to cause any wounds. The Missile Launcher Devastator fired at it, hitting and wounding once, but Stu made his save. The Vanguard Veterans fired at it, wounding once, but failing to get past its armour.
The lone Devastator with the Heavy Bolter fired at the Carnifex, hitting but failing to wound. The Razorback fired at the Tyranid Warriors, hitting 7 times, but only wounding twice, despite needing a 3+. The two wounds got through the armour though.
In the assault phase, the Vanguard Veterans charged the Tervigon, after using a command point re-roll. They were joined by the Bikers and Khan. The Broodlord was able to do a Heroic Intervention to charge Khan.
In the fight phase, the Thunder Hammer Vanguard Veterans struck at the Tervigon, hitting three times, but only wounding once on a 3+. Stu then made his 6+ save and blocked the attack. The Lightning Claws did 3 wounds, but Stu once again made some great saving throws and blocked two on a 5+. The rest of the squad attacked with their chainswords and managed to get one wound through.
The Bikers then attacked, wounding twice but failing to get through the armour. The Sergeant managed to do a single wound with his Power Axe. Khan then struck, wounding the Tervigon three times and killing it.
The Broodlord then struck at Khan, hitting and wounding 5 times, three of which were on a 6, doing 3 damage each. I managed to save all but one, Khan taking 3 wounds and being left on 2 wounds.
At the end of my turn, I scored Assassinate, Mission Critical Objective and Slay the Warlord. I discarded Scour the Skies.
TURN 3- TYRANIDS
In his third turn, Stu had Supremacy, Secure Objective 2, Secure Objective 6 and Psycological Warfare.
The Carnifex and Old One Eye moved up on the Tactical Marine, while the Tyranid Warriors moved up on the Bikers and Vanguard Veterans.
In the psychic phase, the Broodlord cast Catalyst on himself.
The Hive Guard opened fire on the Heavy Bolter Devastators, but failed to do any damage. The Exocrine targeted the Bikers, killing two of the squad with his first shot. The second shot targeted the Vanguard Veterans, killing three.
The Tyrannofex fired at the Bikers, killing the squad. The second volley fired at the lone Tactical Marine, killing him.
The Tyranid Warriors fired at the Vanguard Veterans, wounding them 5 times and killing two.
In the charge phase, the Tyranid Warriors failed a 4" charge on the Vanguard Veterans. The Broodlord attacked Khan, wounding him four times and killing him.
At the end of the turn, Stu scored Supremacy for 3 points, Secure Objective 2 and Slay the Warlord. I also scored Defend Objective 6 for 2 points.
VICTORY POINTS:
White Scars- 14
Tyranids- 11
TURN 4- WHITE SCARS
In turn 4, I drew Psychological Warfare, Secure Objective 6 and Defend Objective 3.
The Razorback moved up on the objective, as the Vanguard Veterans moved up on the Tyranid Warriors.
The Sniper Scouts fired at the Broodlord, hitting once but failing to wound. The Missile Launcher Devastator fired at the wounded Carnifex and was able to kill it. The Heavy Bolter Devastator fired at the Tyranid Warriors, wounding them once.
The Razorback targeted the Broodlord and was able to kill him off with his assault cannon attacks.
The Vanguard Veterans assaulted the Tyranid Warriors. The Thunder Hammers hit and wounded once, but once again, Stu saved the blow on a 6+ armour save. The Lightning Claws fared better, wounding four times and killing two of the warriors. The lone Warrior struck back, wounding three times, but I made all my armour saves.
At the end of my turn, I scored Secure Objective 6 and discarded Psychological Warfare.
TURN 4- TYRANIDS
This turn, Stu had Assassinate, Secure Objective 6 and Psychological Warfare.
The Tyranid Warrior fell back from combat onto the objective.
The Hive Guard fired at the Devastator, killing him. The Exocrine fired at the Vanguard Veterans, killing three of the squad. The second volley targeted the Razorback, hitting and wounding three times. This time, I was able to save two of them on a 6+.
The Tyrannofex fired at the Razorback, wounding it once. The other shot targeted the Vanguard Veterans, wounding them five times. I failed four saves and the unit perished.
At the end of his turn, Stu scored no points and discarded Psychological Warfare.
VICTORY POINTS:
White Scars- 15
Tyranids- 11
TURN 5- WHITE SCARS
This turn, I drew Area Denial and had Defend Objective 3.
The Lieutenant moved towards the remaining Devastator, while the rest of the army stayed in place.
The Razorback fired at the last Tyranid Warrior, easily killing him. The Sniper Scouts fired on Old One Eye and managed to do a single wound. The Missile Launcher Devastator fired on Old One Eye, hitting, but failing ot wound.
At the end of my turn, I scored Area Denial for 3 points and discarded Defend Objective 3.
At this point it was getting late, and Stu decided to concede. I was ahead on maelstrom points and he was unlikely to score with the cards he had.
VICTORY POINTS:
White Scars- 18
Tyranids- 11
A win for the White Scars.
AFTER-BATTLE THOUGHTS
Thanks to Stu for a great game against his Nids.
The game went quite well for me. By setting up most of my forces on the right flank, I was able to avoid most of the damage from the Exocrine and Tyrannofex if my units did not move up, limiting their usefulness in the game.
I made the mistake of moving the Rhino forward to grab the objective in my first turn. Originally, I had planned to keep the Bikers back, so wanted to grab that objective on the right flank. As it was, I then decided to move and advance the Bikers and use my Stratagem to focus fire on the Genestealers and wipe them out. I guess the Rhino and Tactical Squad acted as a nice speed bump for the Carnifex and Old One Eye to stop them from getting to my main line.
The Scout Snipers were of little use in this game. I find that a unit of 5 really doesn't achieve much in a game. I would probably need multiple units of snipers to have any real effect in targeting characters. I will probably drop them from future lists in favour of Bolter Scouts or more tactical marines.
The Stormtalon was useful once more, but was gunned down pretty easily by the Termagants after some brilliant rolls from Stu.
Again, the Missile Launcher Devastators were variable. They had a brilliant first turn, practically wiping out the Zoanthropes, but then struggled to achieve much. Being only -2AP, this means most targets get a 5+ save, so are denying a third of the wounds. Given that most of the time, I am only getting one or two wounds, they don't really do much against vehicle or monster targets much of the time. The Heavy Bolter squad were effective. The volume of shots they can produce is great and can do some real damage to weakly armoured infantry units.
I think for my next game with the White Scars, I am going to mix up my list and try some new units that I haven't used yet in 8th edition.
It wasn't until we were packing up that Stu realised that he had forgotten to deploy his Lictor. This seems to happen quite a lot in games of 8th edition, as I have sometimes forgotten units in reserve as well.
Tune in for the next battle report, which will see my Ravenwing take on some Crimson Fists.
Khan was my warlord and took the Tenacious Survivor warlord trait.
Stu's army consisted of:
Spearhead Detachment
Malanthrope (M)
Carnifex- 2 Monstrous Scything Talons, Thresher Scythe (C)
Exocrine- Bio-plasmic Cannon, Powerful Limbs (E)
Tyrannofex- Powerful Limbs, Rupture Cannon, Stinger Salvo (Ty)
Battalion Detachment
Old One Eye (OE)
Tervigon- Massive Scything Talons, Stinger Salvo, Catalyst (Tv)
20 Genestealers- Rending Claws, Scything Talons (G)
30 Termagants- Fleshborers (T)
3 Tyranid Warriors- Devourers, Scything Talons, Toxin Sacs (TW)
Vanguard Detachment
Broodlord- Onslaught (B)
3 Hive Guard- Impaler Cannons (HG)
Lictor- Flesh Hooks, Rending Claws (L)
3 Zoanthropes- Neurothrope, The Horror (Z)
Stu's warlord was the Tervigon, who took Tenacious Survivor.
The mission was Deadlock (start with 6 cards in turn 1, 5 in turn 2, etc.) with Hammer and Anvil deployment, which worked out well for me. I won the roll off for placing the objectives, and we placed them as shown below:
Stu chose his deployment side. The deployment order was as follows:
- Vanguard Veterans (reserve)
- Lictor (reserve)
- Drop Pod (Sternguard)
- Hive Guard
- Devastators (Heavy Bolters)
- Tyranid Warriors
- Devastators (Missile Launchers)
- Broodlord
- Razorback (Tactical Squad 2)
- Genestealers
- Lieutenant
- Carnifex and Old One Eye
- Rhino (Tactical Squad 1)
- Malanthrope
- Scouts
- Exocrine
- Stormtalon
- Tyrannofex
- Bikers
- Zoanthropes
- Scout Bikers
- Tervigon
- Khan
- Termagants
I deployed the Heavy Bolter Devastators in the ruins to my right, supported by the Lieutenant. The Razorback and Rhino went on either side of the ruins, with the Stormtalon at the back. On the left flank, I placed the Missile Launcher Devastators, Scout Snipers, both units of Bikes and Khan. I made sure to deploy the Scouts further back, as in our last game, Stu was able to take advantage of my poor deployment to charge them on the first turn. Fortunately, there would be no double movement Swarmlord to punish me on the first turn.
Stu put the bulk of his forces in the centre of his deployment zone, with the Exocrine and Tyrannofex on his right flank, with the Termagants, Tervigon, Carnifex, Old One Eye, Malanthrope and Zoanthropes in the centre. On the right, he hid the Broodlord and Genestealers in the ruins, along with the Hive Guard and Tyranid Warriors.
We rolled off for first turn. I won and chose to go first. Stu failed to seize, so I took the first turn.
TURN 1- WHITE SCARS
In my first turn, I drew Secure Objective 4, Defend Objective 6, Supremacy (hold at least 2 objectives and twice as many as your opponent), Overwhelming Firepower (kill an enemy unit in shooting phase), Hold the Line (have 3 units and no enemy units in your deployment zone), Domination (hold all 6 objectives). A good set of cards for my first turn, I should be able to score a few of these in this turn.
The White Scars forces split, some advancing on the enemy, while some held the line. The Rhino surged forward on the right flank, using their smoke launchers to obscure them from the enemy fire. The Bikers also advanced on on the objective on the left flank, I used the Born in the Saddle Stratagem to allow them to still fire to full effect. The Stormtalon crossed the battlefield, moving to engage the Genestealers. Finally, the Drop Pod landed, the Sternguard disembarking besides the ruin. I knew how dangerous the Genestealers could be if they hit my lines, so wanted to deal with them quickly.
The Bikers on the left flank opened fire on the Genestealers with their Bolters, killing four of the alien creatures. The squad fired their Meltaguns at the Hive Guard, one of the weapons wounding and killing one of the squad outright.
The Sternguard targeted the Genestealers. Thanks to the Masterful Marksmanship Stratagem, they were able to wound and kill 9 of the squad. Their Drop Pod fired at the Genestealers, killing another one.
The Stormtalon opened fire on the Genestealers. The Assault Cannon hit and wounded 8 times, killing 5 of the squad. The Typhoon fired its Frag Missiles, getting only 3 shots. I used a Command Point to re-roll and got 7 shots, wounding them four times. Stu made three saves and one perished, leaving only one Genestealer left. The Scouts opened fire on the last member of the alien squad and was able to kill it off, gaining me First Blood.
The Missile Launcher Devastators fired at the Zoanthropes, hitting and wounding four times. Two of the creatures were slain and one was left on a single wound. The other unit of Devastators fired at the unit, killing the last member of the squad.
At the end of my turn, I score Secure Objective 4, Supremacy for 1 point, Hold the Line and Overwhelming Firepower for 5 points this turn in total. I discarded Domination.
TURN 1- TYRANIDS
In his first turn, Stu drew Area Denial (have no enemy units in the board centre), No Prisoners (kill an enemy unit), Defend Objective 1, Overwhelming Firepower, Secure Objective 4 and Secure Objective 5.
The Termagants advanced on the White Scars Bikers, accompanied by the Tervigon. The Broodlord also advanced on the Sternguard. On the other flank, the Carnifex and Old One Eye moved up to engage the Rhino.
The Broodlord cast Smite, killing two of the Sternguard. The Tervigon then cast Onslaught on the Termagants.
In the shooting phase, the Termagants fired on the Stormtalon. Stu managed an amazing 17 hits out of 30 shots (on a 5+) and caused 11 wounds. I failed 6 of my 3+ saves! The Tervigon added its firepower, causing another wound.
The Tyrannofex fired its Stinger Salvo at the Stormtalon, finally taking it down. It then targeted the Devastators with its Rupture Cannon, killing two of the squad. The second Salvo fired at the Rhino, but was unable to cause any damage.
The Exocrine fired at the Devastators, killing another two of the squad. The second shot hit the Rhino, wounding it twice. Stu used a Command Point to get a third wound and take six damage from the transport vehicle.
The Hive Guard fired at the second unit of Devastators, hitting and wounding once and killing one of the squad. The Tyranid Warriors fired at the Sternguard, wounding three times and killing two of the squad.
The Broodlord charged the Sternguard and Drop Pod, suffering one wound in overwatch. The Termagants charged the Bikers, losing three of the squad to overwatch fire. The Carnifex assaulted the Rhino. Old One Eye failed the charge, even with a command point re-roll being used.
The Broodlord struck at the Sternguard, killing three of the squad. The Sternguard struck back, taking two wounds from the Broodlord.
The Termagants struck at the Bikers, wounding them twice, but failing to get past their armour. The Bikers attacked back, killing four of the squad.
The Carnifex only managed to do three wounds on the Rhino, leaving it with one wound remaining.
In the morale phase, the Sternguard were wiped out. The Devastator Squad also failed its morale test (on a double 6!), causing one to flee and leave one in the squad.
At the end of his turn, Stu scored Area Denial, Overwhelming Firepower, No Prisoners and Secure Objective 5. He discarded Defend Objective 1.
VICTORY POINTS:
White Scars- 5
Tyranids- 4
TURN 2- WHITE SCARS
In my second turn, I drew Defend Objective 1, Kingslayer (kill the enemy warlord), No Prisoners (kill an enemy unit), Blood and Guts (kill a unit in assault) and had Defend Objective 6.
The Bikers fell back from combat with the Termagants, as Khan, the Razorback and the Scout Bikers moved up to support them. The Tactical Squad disembarked from the Rhino, which then fell back from combat.
The Razorback fired on the Termagants, killing 8 of the squad. Khan fired on the Termagants, killing another three. The Scouts fired their Shotguns at the Termagants, killing 5 of the squad. They then fired their Bolters at the Hive Guard, wounding them 5 times, the Tyranid creatures taking 2 wounds from the volley. I didn't want to wipe out the Termagants in the shooting phase, as I wanted to finish them off in the assault phase to score Blood and Guts. The Scouts added their firepower to the Hive Guard, but failed to do any damage.
The Missile Launcher Devastators fired at the Carnifex, hitting once but failing to wound. I used a command point re-roll, but still failed to wound. The Tactical Squad fired at the Carnifex, wounding it 7 times with their Bolters, four of which got through its armour. The Meltagun fired, causing another three wounds and leaving it on one wound. The lone Heavy Bolter Devastator fired at the Carnifex, wounding him one more time, but he made his save.
In the charge phase, the Scout Bikers, Bikers and Khan assaulted the Termagants. On the other flank, the Tactical Squad assaulted the Carnifex, hoping to take its final wound.
The Scout Bikers struck at the Termagants, killing 6 of the alien creatures. Stu then used two command points to interrupt and attack with the wounded Carnifex. It attacked the Tactical Squad, wounding them 5 times. I then failed all five of my 4+ saves and the unit was devastated!
The Bike Squad killed off the last of the Termagants, consolidating into the nearby Hive Guard to stop them firing. The Tactical Squad struck at the Carnifex and managed to wound it twice. Stu failed one save, but then used a command point re-roll to pass and keep it alive!
The Broodlord in combat with the Drop Pod managed to destroy the transport vehicle.
At the end of my turn, the Tactical Squad passed their morale test. I scored No Prisoners and Blood and Guts. I discarded Kingslayer.
TURN 2- TYRANIDS
In his second turn, Stu drew Supremacy, Master the Warp (cast a psychic power), Psychological Warfare (force a failed morale test), Secure Objective 6 and had Secure Objective 4.
Old One Eye moved up on the Tactical Squad, while the Broodlord, Tyranid Warriors and Tervigon moved up on the White Scars Bike units.
In the psychic phase, the Tervigon cast Catalyst on the Broodlord, who then cast Onslaught on the Tyranid Warriors. A Smite attack then took one wound from the Bikers.
The Hive Guard fired on the Scout Bikers, wounding them once, but the shot was saved. The Tyrannofex then fired its Rupture Cannon at the Scout Bikers, wounding them once. The second salvo targeted the Missile Launcher Devastators, but failed to hit. Stu used a Command Point re-roll, but still failed to score a hit.
The Exocrine fired at the Scout Bikers, killing three of the squad. The second shot killed another 3, wiping out the squad. Finally, the Tervigon fired at Khan, wounding him once.
In the charge phase, Old One Eye charged the Tactical Squad and Rhino. The Broodlord attempted to charge Khan, but failed the charge roll, even with a command point re-roll. The Tervigon charged Khan, while the Tyranid Warriors and Hive Guard charged the Bike squad.
The Tervigon struck at Khan, wounding him twice, but he made both invulnerable saves. Old One Eye attacked the Tactical Squad and Rhino. He put two wound on the Tactical Squad. Once again, the squad could not pass a 4+ save and two more perished. The Tyranid Creature was also able to destroy the Rhino.
The Tyranid Warriors attacked the Bikers, wounding them twice. The Hive Guard did one wound, which was saved. The Carnifex then struck the Tactical Squad, killing two more and leaving one member of the squad alive.
Khan then attacked the Tervigon, hitting four and wounding four times (after the use of a command point re-roll). However, he only managed to do 6 wounds with his 4D3 damage rolls. The Biker Sergeant struck at the Hive Guard, wounding them twice.
At the end of his turn, Stu scored Master the Warp for 2 points and discarded Secure Objective 4. I scored Defend Objective 1 for holding it for two turns.
VICTORY POINTS:
White Scars- 9
Tyranids- 6
TURN 3- WHITE SCARS
In turn 3, I drew Mission Critical Objective 3, Scour the Skies (kill a unit with Fly keyword), Assassinate (kill an enemy character) and had Defend Objective 6.
The lone Tactical Marine fell back from combat onto objective 3, while the Bikers fell back from combat and Khan fell back from combat with the Tervigon.. The Vanguard Veterans arrived, landing to engage the Tervigon.
The Sniper Scouts fired at the Tervigon, but failed to cause any wounds. The Missile Launcher Devastator fired at it, hitting and wounding once, but Stu made his save. The Vanguard Veterans fired at it, wounding once, but failing to get past its armour.
The lone Devastator with the Heavy Bolter fired at the Carnifex, hitting but failing to wound. The Razorback fired at the Tyranid Warriors, hitting 7 times, but only wounding twice, despite needing a 3+. The two wounds got through the armour though.
In the assault phase, the Vanguard Veterans charged the Tervigon, after using a command point re-roll. They were joined by the Bikers and Khan. The Broodlord was able to do a Heroic Intervention to charge Khan.
In the fight phase, the Thunder Hammer Vanguard Veterans struck at the Tervigon, hitting three times, but only wounding once on a 3+. Stu then made his 6+ save and blocked the attack. The Lightning Claws did 3 wounds, but Stu once again made some great saving throws and blocked two on a 5+. The rest of the squad attacked with their chainswords and managed to get one wound through.
The Bikers then attacked, wounding twice but failing to get through the armour. The Sergeant managed to do a single wound with his Power Axe. Khan then struck, wounding the Tervigon three times and killing it.
The Broodlord then struck at Khan, hitting and wounding 5 times, three of which were on a 6, doing 3 damage each. I managed to save all but one, Khan taking 3 wounds and being left on 2 wounds.
At the end of my turn, I scored Assassinate, Mission Critical Objective and Slay the Warlord. I discarded Scour the Skies.
TURN 3- TYRANIDS
In his third turn, Stu had Supremacy, Secure Objective 2, Secure Objective 6 and Psycological Warfare.
The Carnifex and Old One Eye moved up on the Tactical Marine, while the Tyranid Warriors moved up on the Bikers and Vanguard Veterans.
In the psychic phase, the Broodlord cast Catalyst on himself.
The Hive Guard opened fire on the Heavy Bolter Devastators, but failed to do any damage. The Exocrine targeted the Bikers, killing two of the squad with his first shot. The second shot targeted the Vanguard Veterans, killing three.
The Tyrannofex fired at the Bikers, killing the squad. The second volley fired at the lone Tactical Marine, killing him.
The Tyranid Warriors fired at the Vanguard Veterans, wounding them 5 times and killing two.
In the charge phase, the Tyranid Warriors failed a 4" charge on the Vanguard Veterans. The Broodlord attacked Khan, wounding him four times and killing him.
At the end of the turn, Stu scored Supremacy for 3 points, Secure Objective 2 and Slay the Warlord. I also scored Defend Objective 6 for 2 points.
VICTORY POINTS:
White Scars- 14
Tyranids- 11
TURN 4- WHITE SCARS
In turn 4, I drew Psychological Warfare, Secure Objective 6 and Defend Objective 3.
The Razorback moved up on the objective, as the Vanguard Veterans moved up on the Tyranid Warriors.
The Sniper Scouts fired at the Broodlord, hitting once but failing to wound. The Missile Launcher Devastator fired at the wounded Carnifex and was able to kill it. The Heavy Bolter Devastator fired at the Tyranid Warriors, wounding them once.
The Razorback targeted the Broodlord and was able to kill him off with his assault cannon attacks.
The Vanguard Veterans assaulted the Tyranid Warriors. The Thunder Hammers hit and wounded once, but once again, Stu saved the blow on a 6+ armour save. The Lightning Claws fared better, wounding four times and killing two of the warriors. The lone Warrior struck back, wounding three times, but I made all my armour saves.
At the end of my turn, I scored Secure Objective 6 and discarded Psychological Warfare.
TURN 4- TYRANIDS
This turn, Stu had Assassinate, Secure Objective 6 and Psychological Warfare.
The Tyranid Warrior fell back from combat onto the objective.
The Hive Guard fired at the Devastator, killing him. The Exocrine fired at the Vanguard Veterans, killing three of the squad. The second volley targeted the Razorback, hitting and wounding three times. This time, I was able to save two of them on a 6+.
The Tyrannofex fired at the Razorback, wounding it once. The other shot targeted the Vanguard Veterans, wounding them five times. I failed four saves and the unit perished.
At the end of his turn, Stu scored no points and discarded Psychological Warfare.
VICTORY POINTS:
White Scars- 15
Tyranids- 11
TURN 5- WHITE SCARS
This turn, I drew Area Denial and had Defend Objective 3.
The Lieutenant moved towards the remaining Devastator, while the rest of the army stayed in place.
The Razorback fired at the last Tyranid Warrior, easily killing him. The Sniper Scouts fired on Old One Eye and managed to do a single wound. The Missile Launcher Devastator fired on Old One Eye, hitting, but failing ot wound.
At the end of my turn, I scored Area Denial for 3 points and discarded Defend Objective 3.
At this point it was getting late, and Stu decided to concede. I was ahead on maelstrom points and he was unlikely to score with the cards he had.
VICTORY POINTS:
White Scars- 18
Tyranids- 11
 |
| End of the game. |
AFTER-BATTLE THOUGHTS
Thanks to Stu for a great game against his Nids.
The game went quite well for me. By setting up most of my forces on the right flank, I was able to avoid most of the damage from the Exocrine and Tyrannofex if my units did not move up, limiting their usefulness in the game.
I made the mistake of moving the Rhino forward to grab the objective in my first turn. Originally, I had planned to keep the Bikers back, so wanted to grab that objective on the right flank. As it was, I then decided to move and advance the Bikers and use my Stratagem to focus fire on the Genestealers and wipe them out. I guess the Rhino and Tactical Squad acted as a nice speed bump for the Carnifex and Old One Eye to stop them from getting to my main line.
The Scout Snipers were of little use in this game. I find that a unit of 5 really doesn't achieve much in a game. I would probably need multiple units of snipers to have any real effect in targeting characters. I will probably drop them from future lists in favour of Bolter Scouts or more tactical marines.
The Stormtalon was useful once more, but was gunned down pretty easily by the Termagants after some brilliant rolls from Stu.
Again, the Missile Launcher Devastators were variable. They had a brilliant first turn, practically wiping out the Zoanthropes, but then struggled to achieve much. Being only -2AP, this means most targets get a 5+ save, so are denying a third of the wounds. Given that most of the time, I am only getting one or two wounds, they don't really do much against vehicle or monster targets much of the time. The Heavy Bolter squad were effective. The volume of shots they can produce is great and can do some real damage to weakly armoured infantry units.
I think for my next game with the White Scars, I am going to mix up my list and try some new units that I haven't used yet in 8th edition.
It wasn't until we were packing up that Stu realised that he had forgotten to deploy his Lictor. This seems to happen quite a lot in games of 8th edition, as I have sometimes forgotten units in reserve as well.
Tune in for the next battle report, which will see my Ravenwing take on some Crimson Fists.