My second game was against Tyranids, went well and ended up tabling the Nids. Though John has only just started getting into Nids so it isn't the most streamlined list.
Tonight's game is against Rich and he is using Tyranids too. I know he uses triple Flyrants which are generally a pain in the arse. I am hoping I can take him down to china town though :)
Dark Angels 'Ravenwing' - 2,000 points
HQ
Sammael
Ravenwing Command Squad - black knight, apothecary, standard of devastation & grenade launcher
Techmarine - bike, power field generator & auspex
Troops
6 x Ravenwing Attack Squad w/ Attack Bike - 2 x meltaguns - sgt w/ melta bombs - Attack Bike w/ multi melta
6 x Ravenwing Attack Squad w/ Attack Bike - 2 x meltaguns - sgt w/ melta bombs - Attack Bike w/ multi melta
6 x Ravenwing Attack Squad w/ Attack Bike - 2 x plasma guns - Attack Bike w/ multi melta
6 x Ravenwing Attack Squad w/ Attack Bike - 2 x plasma guns - Attack Bike w/ multi melta
6 x Ravenwing Attack Squad w/ Attack Bike - 2 x flamers
Fast Attack
7 x Ravenwing Black Knights - 2 x grenade launchers
Tyranids 'Hive Fleet Technicolour' - 2,000 points
HQ
Hive Tyrant - 2 x twin-linked devourers, hive commander & wings
Hive Tyrant - 2 x twin-linked devourers & wings
Hive Tyrant - 2 x twin-linked devourers & wings
Elite
5 x Ymgarl Genestealers
5 x Ymgarl Genestealers
Doom of Malan'tai w/ Mycetic Spore
Troops
10 x Termagants
10 x Termagants
Tervigon - scything talons, adrenal glands, toxin sacs & catalyst
Tervigon - scything talons, adrenal glands, toxin sacs & catalyst
8 x Genestealers w/ Broodlord - toxin sacs
8 x Genestealers w/ Broodlord - toxin sacs
Game: Vanguard Strike + The Relic
Deployment
Rich won the roll off and decided to go first. I am not sure on what psychic powers each model got, but I can say that two Broodlords got iron arm as did a Tyrant. There was also two lots of endurance as well. Not sure on others.
Rich deploys in the top left corner, he puts all three Tyrants in the top corner so I do not alpha strike them and then uses a large ruin to cover both his Tervigons and the Termagants.
I deploy in the bottom right with my Attack Bikes up front, then some bolter bikes, then RCS with specials behind - I do not want the special weaps getting shot up so early especially melta and plasma units, so I have held them back.
Rich infiltrates his 'Stealers, one unit goes in the shrine the other in the large ruin top right.
* Tactical Notes
Tyranids are always tough for my Ravenwing; the 'Nids can swarm my smaller number of bikes and the big monsters can easily mash them.
My target priority are the Hive Tyrants, they can easily wipe out two units of 3 bikes a turn with vector strike and devourers. Plus the warlord has hive commander, so I need to shoot that one first.
Genestealers are next, they can rip into my bikes pretty easily. Hopefully flamers and mass bolters will deal with them.
Tervigons are next, if I kill them then they kill Termagants plus they cannot spawn any more.
I also need to think about the Doom and I have a habit of forgetting stuff what isn't on the board. Hopefully I can take minimal damage from this fool and just instagib him.
Turn 1
Tyranids; Hive Tyrants come flying up so they are in range. Tervigons spawn, one burns out but gets 15 in the process. The little gribblies come forward at me while the Tervigons just hold position. There's some psychic powers going on, the warlord Tyrant gets hive commander while the Tyrant with iron arm becomes T7.
Shooting; Attack bikes get shot at along with a unit of bikes, I do well with saves and the unit of bikes survive with a single model while another unit goes down and gives up first blood.
Ravenwing; all bikes move forward towards the triple Flyrants while Black Knights speed across to the top right to deal with Genestealers.
Shooting; I blast the warlord Tyrant and it comes down, I then shoot at it and it is dusted. I blast the other Tyrant without iron arm and it goes down and I finish that off too. I have limited guns at this point and shoot the iron arm Tyrant, I knock it down but it isn't wounded and I am out of guns. Black Knights fire two rad shells into the 'Stealers and they both miss, though plasma puts a big dent in them - bugs pass morale.
Assault; Black Knights charge the Genestealers, end of combat the Broodlord remains with two wounds and a single 'Stealer. I have lost a single Black Knight.
* Tactical Notes
A cracking start of the Ravenwing; two Flyrants down and nearly an entire unit of Genestealers flattened. It could have been better if the rad shells had hit, I then could have fired a frag instead and I would be wounding on a 2+ in close combat. Ah well.
Next turn I'll see what comes in from reserve, if the Ymgarls and Doom arrives then they will be next. If not I'll go for the single Tyrant and try and kill a Tervigon along with the remaining Genestealers.
Turn 2
Rich rolls reserves and the two Ymgarls pop up, one in the shrine ruin the other in the centre large ruin. Doom fails to come on, which is great because I forgot about it!
Tyranids; Tyrant flys towards my table edge while Genestealers come out to support as Termagants move down. Burnt out Tervigon comes out of the ruin though still in area terrain while the other moves across towards the Black Knights with a freshly spawned unit of Termagants.
Shooting; Tyrant dakkas a plasma unit though only one goes down. Termagants fire some shots into some bikes and I fail two armour saves. Tervigon runs forward to make sure the fresh Termagant unit will get the bio upgrades.
Assault; all Genestealers launch assaults into my Attack Bikes at the front and all bikes go down. Termagants charge the surviving bike they shot at and flukeily kill it. Termagants charge the Black Knights, I only kill a single Stealer after poor rolls and lose several Knights and left with three - they hit and run and land by the Tervigon coming towards them.
Ravenwing; Ravenwing shuffle about with half the army pointing towards Genestealers and the Flyrant while the rest point at the Tervigon the Black Knights have gone to. I also pick up the relic with a plain unit.
Shooting; Black Knights drop a rad shell on the Tervigon and wound it once. Bolters and meltas fire at the Tervigon and it drops down to two wounds, it has endurance cast on it so it took a fair amount of punishment. Bolters and flamers fire into the Genestealers and two remain. I fire two units at the Hive Tyrant and fail to drop it, so I shoot a unit of Ymgarls and leave three left while shots go into the other Ymgarl unit and three left.
Assault; Black Knights charge the Tervigon and take a wound off with hammer of wrath and then punch it's face in with corvus hammers. Only four Termagants nearby survive the attack. The lone sgt from the first surviving unit kills a Ymgarl in combat and they fail to wound him. The flamer unit gets battered and one bike remains who holds.
* Tactical Notes
Not an awesome turn this one, I was hoping to kill off that two man Genestealer unit with the Black Knights, though they took way too many wounds and that was all from Termagants! At least the Tervigon died and that's what I wanted, but I haven't got enough Black Knights to finish off the other one now. I have also lost my Attack Bikes to Genestealers, I can live with that and I have cut them down to size via shooting. At least they are tied up and so next turn they will beat me in combat and I can then shoot them in my turn.
Turn 3
Rich rolls reserves and the Doom arrives (Spore is proxy Helbrute), it lands right behind my main bulk of bikes and is in suck off range of all of them.
Tyranids; Tyrant flys over and lands by the doom. Tervigon comes down and pops out another Termagant unit, the remaining four plus wounded Broodlord come down to support.
Shooting; Doom sucks off my Marines and the bugger gets 10 wounds! Then drops the blast on my RCS, though I save every single save! Tyrant fires into the RCS, Techmarine does look out, sir as Sammy is first, dies on the first roll! Sammy takes a single wound and a single Black Knight dies. The four Termagants fire into a bike unit, I fail two saves. The last Attack Bike gets shot at by the large Termagant and drops to a single wound. The unit holding the relic gets shot by the Termagants who just beat a bike in close combat, all are safe. A unit of Termagants just spawned shoot at the Black Knights
Assault; Genestealers beat my bikes. Termagants multi charge the Attack Bike and RCS while the other unit charges the unit holding the relic, I batter the Termagants though the Attack Bike dies - RCS does hit and run while the other unit fails. Broodlord kills the single biker. Termagants charge the Black Knights and kill one.
Ravenwing; RCS moves to deal with the doom while other units move around for support.
Shooting; doom sucks off more units, only three are effected including the RCS, only one unit fails leadership test but they all die :( . Luckily I drop a rad shell on Doom and instagib his ass with plasma talons. The two man unit shoots the three Ymgarl Stealers and I kill one.
Assault; plasma unit kills the Ymgarl 'Stealers, unit holding the relic is ok and Black Knights beat up more Termagants, though only one remains.
* Tactical Notes
Looks like things are rapidly falling apart - I blame that Doom dodgy character, sucking up 10 models from is a lot. All I hope is that I can drop down the Tyrant and blast it with plasma while remaining units actually do hit and run and shoot the remaining 'Stealers.
Turn 4
Tyranids; Tyrant drops down and eyes up the RCS while the Tervigon mooches down for support with the 'Gants in close combat. Broodlord casts iron arm on itself and dies after perils, lol. Ymgarls and remaining 'Stealers come down to get me.
Shooting; Tyrant fires into the RCS and kills one and wounds Sammy.
Assault; Tervigon joins in the 'Gant fight vs the unit who has the relic, after the dust has settled the unit is dead and I have dropped the relic. The lone Sgt gets killed by Ymgarls. Tyrant drops Sammy to a single wound after some good saves by me, I do take a wound off the Tyrant though, RCS does hit and run. Black Knight batters the Termagants, they fail morale and run off.
Ravenwing; just the RCS and plasma unit remains, they drop a rad shell on the Tyrant and with combined shooting drop it to a single wound. The Tyrant gets charged and dies.
* Tactical Notes
Unless I can kill the Tervigon and deal with two 'Stealer units I do not think I am going to win this game. At least the solo Black Knight will score me linebreaker.
Turn 5
Tyranids close on the RCS while the Tervigon picks up the relic. Assault wise the everything is wiped out except the Apothecary, who does hit and run. In my turn the Apothecary goes all hardcore and comes back, shoots the Tervigon and knocks a wound off it though fails to wound in close combat and gets splattered.
At this point we call it a day as I have a single model left and is about 30" away from Rich. Rich wouldn't be able to assault my bike in the next turn turns and has won the game either way.
Crushing victory to Tyranids with 6 points (first blood, linebreaker, slay the warlord & relic) to Ravenwing's 2 points (slay the warlord and linebreaker)
Summary
That was a very cool game and a proper slobber knocker, just the way it should be.
I think both of us played well and the only mistakes we made was general rules knowledge, which we picked up after, during or before the game.
I really enjoy this game, Tyranids are tough for my bikes. Their numbers drag me down and the poison gets passed my T5 which is the Ravenwing's survival tricks. If it wasn't for that damn Doom! :)