PFE100: Nids bring their BBQ sauce! Nothing like a Space Marine for a late snack!

Extract from a email from Britt.

Greg, Trent, & I had a 4000 point battle of Epic Armageddon last night. Greg & Trent fielded the "new and improved" Tyranid Army against my force of 4 Tac, 4Predator, 2 Scout, 2 Whirlwind, and 2 Warhound Teams of Space Marines. As usual, see Greg's upcoming blog for all the gory details and some excellent "combat photography".

From the Marine side, it all came down to 3 "Battles". The "Battle of the Eastern Hills" saw my Predator Alpha, recently reinforced with a Tac unit, try to hold back a horde of Tyranids, and fail. Reinforcements, including a Titan team, were rushed up only to join the rout. The "Battle of the Bend" saw the same thing happen as Predator Gamma and a Tac held a river line near the centre, only to be crushed. The final "Battle of Artillery Hill" was a desperate gamble on my part. Warhound Team Beta triple moved across the table to the base of the West Hill Tyranid Artillery Park. The 'bugs' were clever though, and expertly brought in reinforcements. Since I couldn't shoot the artillery due to hilltop LOS or close with them due these reinforcements, the attack stalled. Clever sacrifice of another unit to remove the Warhounds 'overwatch' led to the assault that killed both Warhounds.

With so much lost or in rout, the SM Commander decided to cut his losses, pull back, and nuke 'em from orbit!

Tyranid victory, and a well deserved one. We all had a great time with plenty of laughs, tactical decisions, swings of fortune, and a beautiful spectacle in miniature to behold.

On with the report.

Battle forces

The Ironclaw Space Marines Task Force

4 x Warhound Titans,

4 x Predator Annihilator platoons

4 x Tactical Marine platoons.

2 x Whirlwind units

2 x scout unit

Tyranids (110929) UK ARMY LIST

BIG ASSAULT SWARM [450]

NORMAL ASSAULT SWARM [405]

DOMINATRIX SWARM [1000]

NEST SWARM [315]

NEST SWARM [375]

BIG BRUTE SWARM [520]

HARASSMENT SWARN [265]

LICTOR SWARM [300]

SUBTERRANEAN SWARM [370]

Deployment

The above shots show deployment, the Tyranids have the LICTOR SWARM and SUBTERRANEAN SWARM off board to teleport in.

Turn one

The iron claws win the initiative and move first. So move a Predator Annihilator unit up on left flank, behind the los line on the hill. So the Ironclaw Space Marines pass on moving a second unit. The Tyranids begin buy shooting NEST SWARM at the scouts on the right flank getting two units with one shoot. So the two scouts suffer a blast marker each and nothing else. The iron claws move a Predator Annihilator unit up the centre, so that’s its in the stream and touch the bank to gain cover saves etc. The Tyranids shoot their second NEST SWARM and target the Predator Annihilator unit that just moved up, killing one. The iron claws tactical unit on over watch, near the whirlwind artillery. The Tyranids send the HARASSMENT SWARN on engage action and fire fight the scouts in the city. The tyranids win, only because the gargoyles don't count in the final total. The scouts are down to a rhino and a scout base. So they flee down the road back to their base line. The iron claws put tactical unit on over watch. Tyranids move the NORMAL ASSAULT SWARM up on the hill in front, were the Predator Annihilator. The Iron claws then shot their whirlwind unit on the right flank at the NORMAL ASSAULT SWARM, killing a cannon fodder and so only adding a blast marker. The tyranids then roll to active the DOMINATRIX SWARM and roll a one and so move it up the road. Then the Iron Claws move a Predator Annihilator unit and shoot the HARASSMENT SWARN, killing the massive best and breaking the unit. The two gargoyles fleeing back to their base line. The tyranids then roll to active the BIG BRUTE SWARM and roll a one and so move the unit into the forest were the One of the nest swam is. Then the Iron claws double move a tactical unit up with the Predator Annihilator unit, that in the river and shoot the DOMINATRIX SWARM unit and give one of the creatures a wound and a blast marker.The Tyranids then march move the BIG ASSAULT SWARM , so that its in the city for cover and as a spring board for assaults. Then iron claws had four units left to move. So they march move tactical unit up with Predator Annihilator unit, behind the los line on the hill. Then double move the war hound unit up on the left flank of the Tyranids and shoot into the NORMAL ASSAULT SWARM, killing a carnifex and a cannon fodder. On the right flank the Iron claws march the scouts and the other war hound unit, so that it was in front of the hill, were the other nest swarm was. At the end Phase the Iron claws went first with rallying routed units. They fail on the scouts and so the unit kept going down the road at full speed. They removed all blast markers expected the Predator Annihilator unit in the river/stream. the tyranids don't rally the HARASSMENT SWARN and remove blast markers from all except from a NEST SWARM and the DOMINATRIX SWARM.

Turn Two

The tyranids put the teleport units on the table. The SUBTERRANEAN SWARM was deployed behind the hill on the tyranids right flank, were the NEST SWARM was. they rolled no ones. The LICTOR SWARM was placed in the ruins on the left flank, near the Iron claws Whirlwind and tactical unit, and they rolled three one’s. So three blast markers were placed.

The iron claws won the initiative and so places the warhound titian's on overwatch on the right Tyranids flank, to counter any move by the SUBTERRANEAN SWARM. The Tyranids start on the left flank with the BIG BRUTE SWARM and so double move it out of the woods it was in and up shoot the war hounds titian unit. It rolled 26 dice and got 9 hits and so by the end there was a dead titian and enough blast markers to break the unit. The tyranids decided to take a second activation on the NORMAL ASSAULT SWARM and roll the dice and roll a one. so use the supreme commander reroll and this time got a five. So the NORMAL ASSAULT SWARM the Predator Annihilator and tactical unit, a lot of close combat happen with the NORMAL ASSAULT SWARM winning the combat and so both the Iron Claw units were routed, with tails between the legs playing tag with the war hound. The NORMAL ASSAULT SWARM consolidated back 5 cm’s, so that it hope it was out of artillery range. The Iron Claws do use their artillery and on the poor LICTOR SWARM and after the smoke clears the LICTOR SWARM is broken and running into the woods. The tyranids then roll to active the DOMINATRIX SWARM and roll a one and so they shoot the tactical marines and killing two and so place three blast markers on the unit. The Iron claws then shoot with their Predator Annihilator unit in the stream/river in the centre of the board, after the smoke clears to of the creatures are dead, but the unit holds it ground. The Tyranids then roll for the NEST SWARM in the woods on the left flank and rolled a one. So stay were they are. The Iron claws then fire their artillery at the NORMAL ASSAULT SWARM, just begin on the end of the range and so manage to hit a few and kill a few. but only one counted for the blast maker.The Tyranids then send the BIG ASSAULT SWARM in the centre of the board, into the Predator Annihilator and tactical unit, that were in the river/stream. There was close combat and fire fighting and after the smoke cleared the BIG ASSAULT SWARM was the one standing, the Predator Annihilator and tactical unit beat a haste retreat back towards their lines. The BIG ASSAULT SWARM consolidated back 5 cm’s. The Iron claws then send in the scouts against the NEST SWARM on the Tyranids right flank. So again a round of close combat and fire fighting and after the smoke cleared the NEST SWARM was still standing and the scouts were running back to their own lines. The Tyranids then send the NEST SWARM over the crest line to shoot at the war hounds, and the war hounds use their over watch move and broke the NEST SWARM from the shooting that happen. The iron claws then double move the tactical unit on the Tyranids left flank to the LICTOR SWARM and shot it, killing one and making the unit move again. The Tyranids then send the SUBTERRANEAN SWARM into the warhound unit on the right flank and did a close combat round. So after a pile hits and saves.The score was 1to 5 in the tyranids favour. The titans rolled 5 and the tyranids rolled a 6, so a difference of 5, critical rolls were made on the unit that still had a DC left and a 6 was rolled, So killing the unit out right. At this point time was call since we had run out of time and the Tyranids were in front 2-0(BTS AND TSNP).