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Monday, September 29, 2014

White Scars RTT Report • Round 2 vs. Tyranids


This is the second game and it's versus Tyranids. My opponent's list seems unconventional but deployment was Hammer and Anvil which helped him out a bit. Maelström is the mission again. Note that you don't reveal any of your tactical cards until you score or discard them.

Here is my opponent's army list to the best of my recollection:

Tyranid Prime (Warlord)

Large brood Warriors with some devourers and rending claws

30x termagant

Tervigon (troop)

10x Hormagant

Zoanthrope

Zoanthrope

Carnifex

Carnifex

Carnifex

I did not roll a useful warlord trait. My opponent got the trait that allows you to discard your first three tactical cards.

My psychic powers were from Biomancy:

Endurance - Life Leech - Shriek

The Tyranid psychic powers were a mixed bag with some dominion, onslaught and warp scream.

I won the roll to choose my deployment zone and also to deploy first. Again I deployed all my bikes right up at the front of my deployment zone with the HQ and command centrally located. My opponent deployed across his deployment zone with the termagants and Tervigon up front with the Carnifexen supporting either flank. The Hormagants were far to his left side and the Tyranid Prime attached to Warriors in the rear. The pair of Zoanthropes were also centrally located on either side of the horde for synapse coverage.

No night fight.


1st Turn - White Scars

My bikes move up with one squad in rapid fire range of the termagants. I successfully cast Endurance on the forward squad then focus fire all of my shooting into the termagants bringing them below half. I score three victory points since I'm holding three objective markers.

1st Turn - Tyranids
The Tyranid Prime detached from the Warriors to move onto an objective marker. The rest of the Tyranid army moves forward towards my line. The Tervigon shats out a brood of ten termagants and doesn't double out. The Hormagants begin to advance toward my line. Psychic powers and Tyranid shooting only manages to score one wound on the attack bike in my forward squad... Endurance (4+ FNP) really helped a lot. The termagants then attempt to assault my forward most biker squad but Overwatch eliminates enough gants that they fail to reach combat. My opponent scores one victory point for the objective marker held by his Warlord.

White Scars: 3 VP
Tyranids: 1 VP

2nd Turn - White Scars
My bikes move up again shifting towards my left. Grav guns vaporize one Carnifex for First Blood and another victory point for eliminating an enemy unit via shooting—bolter fire reduces the original termagant brood to five gants or less. My units are around 12" away from the forward most broods with my HQ and command squad in front of the Tervigon and fresh batch of gants.

2nd Turn - Tyranids
The Tyranid Prime holds his ground while the rest of the xenos horde trundles forward. Tervigon shats out another brood of 12 termagants and doubles out. The Hormagants and remaining two Carnifexen scuttle towards my line but are all out of range to assault. Psychic powers and shooting eliminates the wounded attack bike and a couple more bikers - no serious damage incurred again. The remnant termagant brood charges my forward most biker squad - I kill all but two with Overwatch and melee then hit and run out of combat pushing deep into his deployment zone. My opponent scores one victory point for holding more objective markers than I do.

White Scars: 5 VP
Tyranids: 2 VP

3rd Turn - White Scars
My bikers that hit and run move forward to target the Tyranid Prime while my HQ and command squad Sally over to assault one brood of termagants and the Tervigon. The other two bike squads pull back out of potential charge range. Shooting eliminates another the Tyranid Prime for Slay the Warlord, a Carnifex and the last two gants from the remnant brood. I multi assault the Tervigon and another gant brood bringing the Tervigon down to its last wound but flail against the gants... The xenos in turn are unable to score any wounds. I should have hit and run out of that combat... Oh well.

3rd Turn - Tyranids
Warriors move into position to tackle the bikers that assassinated their Warlord while the Homagants move into assault range of another biker squad (I underestimated their total reach with bounding leap). The last two Carnifexen scuttle ahead towards my deployment zone. Again psychic powers and shooting is uneventful. The Hormagants successfully reach combat versus a biker squad but lose a good number to Overwatch then the rest are cut down in melee. Tervigon is splattered during mėlee which finishes off most of one remaining termagant brood (amazingly two survive and again I should have hit and run to go after Line Breaker!... Only five gants left now in the other brood. Warriors butcher to biker squad in their deployment zone for another victory point and denying me Line Breaker.

White Scars: 6 VP
Tyranids: 3 VP

Fairly close but I still have a solid lead on overall victory points.

NOTE:
Again there will only be enough time left for a fourth turn due to time constraints

4th Turn - White Scars
HQ and command squad finish off the last two gants they were slugging it with but their consolidation is not enough to achieve Line Breaker... Missed it by a couple of inches.

4th Turn - Tyranids
Tyranids had been like dropping like flies (no pun intended). My opponent makes a play for the draw but falls short when the judge informs him how to score Line Breaker. I thought my opponent played his list well. I played to the mission instead of focusing on killing all the synapse which I think would have been achieved with only three nodes. Four turns seemed to be more to the advantage of horde armies so I am glad for the win and a shot at the brass ring. I am still get the hang of Maelstrom missions - the biker army definitely can do well due to the inherent mobility, ample firepower plus decent mėlee.

The next round was versus a Tau army with two missileside units and a Ripetide plus some pulse bomb.

So another victory for the red bikers.

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