Throne of Skulls: Game 5 – The Most Awesome Game EVER

So here we go, into the hallowed realms of the fifth and final game of the weekend.

So far I've won one, drawn two and lost one. I really wanted to win to round off things with the positives (my two pick up wins didn't count unfortunately).

So off to the last table I headed to be met by...Tyranids!! Again. At least it wasn't terminators again!

This game turned out to be EPIC. I'll try and do it justice over the coming paragraphs!




So it was that I met Will and his bugs. Two Tervigons, two big termagaunt squads (with whatever it is that lets them re-roll ones and misses and everything else), three Hive Guard, three Zoanthropes in a spore pod, more Genestealers, eight or so Yumgoogles and two Swarmlords in the Gaunt squads.

Kill points, pitched battle.

Turn two, just before it got messy.

He set up in two gangs, both consisting of a Tervigon casting feel no pain on the 20+ Gaunts and Swarmlord in front of them.

I moved up and killed a Gaunt or two with the assault cannon and sent the Speeders up the right flank to get round the back. He ran most things forward. Turn one done.

Turn two his reserves (both Genies and the pod and Zoanthropes) all arrived. Uh-oh. As per standard the Ymgarls popped up onto the Dev's. The Zoanthropes came in behind the Raven. The normal 'Stealers outflanked I imagine where he wanted them least, way out on my left.

The Zoanthropes popped the Stormraven first try. Little pests. All out. He then charged and destroyed the Death Company who fought the worst fight possible, apart from this dice roll...

Yahtzee!!

His feel no pain really kept him in the fight, especially when the Recluisarch fluffed his rolls. So the DC were gone. A Speeder also went to the Tervigon spitting at it or something.

My turn and I counter charged the Ymgarls where the Sgt and one missile launcher had held out. The other Assault Squad moved round to the Pod and Zoanies. The Sgt headed for the pod and ripped it up with his power fist, the rest of the squad wiped out the Zoanthropes. Job done. The DC Dread then flamed and charged the Gaunts, removing all but one and the Swarmlord in one turn of combat. Amazing!

Two minutes after this photo, squad of Gaunts was pretty much gone.

Next turn he moved up the half of his army on the right flank, though everything was a bit in each others way getting between terrain etc. The Dread went running after the Hive Guard, who he wiped out in two turns of combat. My Marines defeated the last Ymgarls and consolidated toward their brother squad.

Next turn his Tervigon birthed more Gaunts before dying to the Dread. The Gaunts charged the Marines but were then counter charged by my other squad in the next turn. Luckily we resolved the Dread combat before the Gaunt one finished so he was able to head towards the larger horde (good old rage). One Gaunt survived the combat and then broke and ran (the Dread would have had to go after this if he's finished second).

Instead I broke off a Sanguinary Priest to finish the job for no other reason than we both agreed it seemed cool and fluffy!


It was now turn 5 and we were drawing 7-7 I think. His Gaunt turned to shoot the pursuing Priest who shrugged off the shard of bone projectile before calmly levelling his pistol and blowing off it's dirty Xenos head. He then turned to stand and watch what can only be described as a glorious charge by his remaining brothers.

Will had tried to run all his Gaunts out of my charge range. Who doesn't love fleet? I know I do. The Dread made it in, along with almost all of both squads. Leading to the make or break fight...


At the end of this fight he had the Swarmlord and two Gaunts left. I had the Dread, one Sgt and two Marines from one squad and a couple of Marines from the other squad. I'd failed to wipe them out and he'd hammered me in return (I think he had counter charge or something? Plus feel no pain and the re-rolls!).

Then...the game ended!!

By killing that one Gaunt (who would have fled off the table anyway) my Priest won the game. Awesome! 2-2-1 for the weekend. Happy me.

NOW for the epic part. We decided to play on and see what happened. His Genestealers finally got through cover and assaulted the Dread and one squad. He killed all but the Sgt who ran and then glanced to death the Dread died beofre hitting back. The Gaunts took down the other two Marines. In my turn the Sgt rallied and jumped back in, straight to the Swarmlord. However, in my haste, I'd forgotten that one Priest was dead and the other too far away. So no furious charge, the Swarmlord went first and sliced his apart. That left the single Priest.

The Tervigon had spawned more Gaunts who went after the approaching Priest, desperate to avenge the death of his brothers, knowing he was doomed anyway with the Stormraven destroyed and unable to evacuate him. Pictures speak louder than words so here's how he did:


He took 20+ shots from the approaching aliens, only one got through but feel no pain saved him. He was then charged...


Where he not only survived but took down one or two in return. The aliens then swamped him, their leader guiding them through synapse to the weaker areas of his armour.


Finally, in turn 7, Sanguinary Priest yet-to-think-of-a-cool-name succumbed to the alien menace.

It was the most awesome, cinematic last stand I've ever played out in 40K and it was AWESOME. We both really really enjoyed the whole game. The fact that I got tabled didn't matter (thank Sanguinius it'd already finished!), it was an excellent game and an awesome way to end the weekend.

I bought these guys while I was there: