Post by bigpig on Dec 31, 2012 22:14:21 GMT
This is a post regarding a local campaign I'm playing in. I'll try and give a thought process on my unit choices a bit later on. Enjoy
It has been millenia since Nemesor Rhek'Man possessed the lungs of flesh and blood with which to sigh dismissively. Still, that did not stop him from moving his powerful form through the motions of the arrogant act. His chest rose, held a moment then released as he subtly shook his head. Was it force of habit or a subconscious longing for his old body, despite its failings and frailty? No, it was an expression of disdain towards the situation laid before him.
The sun of Secundus Prime was still hours from rising, but by the moonlight the monstrous silhouettes of the advancing Tyranid vanguard could be made out. Only the larger beasts could be seen, but Rhek'Man knew beyond a doubt that countless smaller forms advanced around them. He had hoped to avoid this battle. It was... unnecessary. There was no honor to be had here, and no advantage to be gained by the slaughter of mindless beasts. His legions were needed elsewhere on this world. He had sent the Deathmarks to deal with the leader beasts in the hopes of diverting this horde who's random advance across the planet was crossing paths with his plans. They must have failed. The honorless cowards had betrayed him. No matter, a small diversion only. Rhek'Man would have to handle this himself.
The Nemesor looked down the ranks of his warriors, set in formation behind the walls of the captured defense line. "Let them come. They will break like waves on the rock of my Dynasty's loyal subjects," he thought to himself, his ancient arrogance having only grown during his long slumber.
Challenger: Danny (Necrons)
Defender: Vince (Tryanids)
Mission: Big guns never tire
Deployment: Hammer and Anvil
Necrons
Overlord - Orb, Warscythe, Mindshackle Scarabs Warlord (Conqueror of Cities)
Royal court - 3x Lord (warscythe, Orb, Mindshackle), Destructtek (Solar Pulse)
Destroyer Lord - Orb, Warscythe
10x Warriors
10x Warriors
10x Tesla Immortals
10x Gauss Immortals
5x Destroyers (3 heavy)
Monolith
2x Doom Scythe
Annihilation Barge
Aegis Line with Quad Gun
Tyranid
Prime - Regeneration, Warlord (+1 to reserves)
Troop Tervigon - Toxins, full psyker powers
Troop Tervigon - Toxins, full psyker powers
17x Hormagaunt - Toxins
15x Termagaunts
20x Termagaunts
19x Gargoyles - Toxins
3x Hive Guard
Doom in pod (Deathspitter)
2x Zoanthrope in pod (Deathspitter)
5x Raveners
Trygon
2x Carnifex - Double TL Brainleech Worms
3x Biovore
Danny had been forced to challenge me through the use of Double Agent. He had taken the Assassin stratagem while I had Night Attacker stratagem (meaning it would be night fighting on turn 1 and last much longer in the game). Before play began the assassin succeeded on a roll of 5 and inflicted 2 wounds on my Prime (ouch)
Deployment
Necrons won the roll and chose the side of the board with ruins to hide in. The Conqueror of Cities Warlord trait would prove useful with this setup as it gave his whole army move through cover in ruins. Hammer and Anvil also played well for the Necrons as it meant more ground for the 'nids to cover to reach combat. There were 3 objectives. Two were placed right in the Necron deployment zone behind the Aegis Line. I placed one in the middle of the board in ruins. The Aegis Line was deployed dead center, approx 6" back from the zone edge with the gun towards my right flank. The warrior and Immortal squads were spaced around behind the Aegis line with one of each on each side of the deployment zone with one Lord in each. Monolith was in the middle, right at the front. The Barge was on my right flank and the Destroyers with D-Lord were on my left flank. Warlord and Cryptek joined the Tesla Immortals.
Tyranids went with a refused flank approach to minimize the fire coming in. I feared the destroyers and heavy destroyers the most with their ability to punch the 3+ save on my monstrous creatures so I went heavy on my right flank keeping the T4 targets more to the right or center of my deployment. The Hormagaunts led the charge on that flank to force the Necrons to deal with them through fire or have to face a turn 2 assault. The Raveners hid in cover just behind them. The left side of my swarm was covered by the gargoyle swarm and the small Termagaunt swarm to provide cover saves for the Monstrous Creatures in the middle. Biovores were deployed in a ruin at the back of the Tyranid deployment zone.
Towering at the front of the Necron lines the Monolith hovered unmoving. Its living metallic skin seemed to jealously consume not only what little ambient moonlight pierced the dust choked night air of Secundus Prime, but also all sound and warmth for there was an unfathomable silent darkness to it. Dark that is save for the eerie glow of its weapons and power source which seemed to somehow radiate inwards upon themselves, shedding no light on the Necron lines. In response to the Nemesor's will, the ancient war engine began to move forward, straight towards the heart of the approaching Tryanid horde. To its left, the night was suddenly illuminated a stark white by lightning from the archeo-sorcery of Tesla weaponry. The Monolith answered, its power building to a high pitched whine, silence, then the blast.
Turn 1
Tyranids failed to steal the initiative. The Necrons moved the Monolith and Annihilation Barge forward into range to come below the 24" mark and both fired. The rest of the army stayed mostly in place except for the Destroyers which jetted forward to try and get a shot on the Carnifex squad. The Barge blasted 5 Hormagaunts from the front of the line but failed to arc into anything else. The Monolith dropped a particle blast on the Gargoyles killing 3 and a few Termagaunts. Between night fighting and cover from intervening units, the Destroyers were blessedly able to put only one wound on a Carnifex.
The Tyranids responded by moving forward with everything. One Tervigon placed Endurance on the Carnifex squad which later healed the wound on the Fex and one of the wounds on the Prime. This Tervigon also spawned 17 gaunts, going into early menopause with a roll of 6, 6, and 5. Gargoyles flew into a ruin to threaten the Destroyers but 3 of them died to dangerous terrain as they crashed into railings and suspended wire. Some good move through cover and run rolls saw most of the swarm move 10 to 12" towards the Necron lines this turn. The Hive Guard fired on the Barge scoring one penetrating hit, which it shrugged off with living metal. It was at this point I realized that the Biovores were too far back to fire due to being out of 36" range during night fight.
Lightning fell from the cloudless sky heralding the arrival of Necron aircraft. From his vantage point behind the phalanxes of armored warriors Nemesor Rhek'Man saw his battle plan falling into place. "This will be over before the sun rises," the Nemesor said as much to himself as to the Advisor to his right. "Then we can be off to our true objective." Impossibly powerful beams of energy lanced to the earth carving deep furrows in the ruined streets while bisecting rockrete, metal, and alien bodies with contemptuous ease.
"Yes, your eminence," the Harginber responded, fires burning behind his glowing eyes. "But do you think it wise to discount them so quickly? There are so many. Like countless ants or scorpions. Can we stop them all so easily?" The Nemesor paused, deciding whether to take the comment as sound advice or insult. His anger welled but he did not have a chance to act on it. With a wave that shook the ranks of warriors in front of him, the earth exploded upwards, showering all those around with dust and debris. The Tryanid reinforcements had arrived.
Necron Turn 2
Both of the Necron Doom Scythes arrived and sailed in on my right flank taking position between, and a bit in front of, the Monolith and Annihilation Barge. The warriors and Tesla Immortals on the same side shifted towards my right a bit to get more in range to shoot. Destroyers hopped back to their starting position to move out of range of the Gargoyles.
Night fight remained on Turn 2 per the special campaign stratagem which limited the effectiveness of long range Necron fire. Still, the combined fire of the Barge, Monolith, both Doom Scythes, and the unit of warriors managed to wreak havoc on the Tyranid lines. The gargoyles in particular were heavily targeted as they were close enough to take fire from the infantry behind the Aegis line and the Destroyers. In total 8 Hormaguants, 3 Raveners, and 12 Gargoyles fell to enemy fire. Fortunately a few lucky cover saves prevented the Tervigons from taking any wounds from the Doom Scythes, but the Raveners didn't fare so well despite hiding inside a ruin to weather the storm.
Guided by direct conduit to the Hive Mind the Alpha Warrior surveyed the threats arrayed against her. The loss of the lesser beings at her command was felt no more than the shedding of skin cells by a human. They exist only to protect the greater assets of the Hive and as weapons or shields would serve their purpose well.
The massive gunbeasts she escorted paused to her silent direction. Shifting their weight, the broken streets and brick crunched and buckled under their hoofed feet as they aimed their weapons skyward. Dimwitted and slow, they could not hope to track the fast moving objects that soared overhead unleashing their devastation but that did not matter. Synapses closed, muscles spasmed, and thousands of parasites the size of a man's finger launched into the night sky filling it with hungry death. The aircraft rolled but could not avoid them all as they impacted into the engines and control surfaces sending the machine corkscrewing out of control.
Tyranid Turn 2
All the Tyranid reserves came in. The doom dropped directly in front of the Aegis line putting it in range of the Overlords unit of Immortals and a warrior squad. The Zoanthropes landed near the Gargoyles, in position to target the Monlith. Lastly, the Trygon emerged just behind the Necron flyers, in position to soak up fire and threaten the units behind the Aegis line next turn but not so close as to be charged and reliably Mindshackled. The board position and deep strike rules for pods and Trygons created nice tight arrival positions and minimized drift. The remainder of the units pushed forward. The still fertile Tervigon spawned 9 Termagaunts which spread out to try and minimize the locations available for the Doom Scythes to fly to next turn in order to shield the Monstrous Creatures from their weapons. The 15 strong gaunt unit camped the objective in the center ruin.
In the shooting phase, the Doom failed to wound any Necrons with its soul siphon and killed only one Psychic Scream. The Zoanthropes Warp Lanced and destroyed the Monolith while the Hive Guard finished off the Annihilation Barge. The 24 shots from the Carnifex unit managed to hit the Doom Scythe and velocity lock/stun it. Based on board position it was obvious that it had would crash in the following move phase. First blood and 3 heavy support kills to the Tyranids. In the assault phase the Raveners and remaining Hormagaunts assaulted into the warrior squad. Two warriors fell and two wounds were caused to a wounded Ravener killing it.
As the raw Warp energy impacted the Monolith the living skin of its hull attempted to knit itself back together. Mere microseconds passed before the machines capabilities were overwhelmed and the energy breached the protective shell and overloaded the energy core contained inside.
Nemesor Rhek'Man staggered as the power animating his minions from within blinked to darkness momentarily, then steadied itself and continued to be.
"My Lord," the advisor began. "We must"...
"Silence!" the Nemesor commanded, "..or face my wrath." "All phalanxes, Fire! Bring them down."
Necron Turn 3
Night fight remained into turn 3 but the Necrons activated the Solar Pulse to counter the effects.
The damaged Doom Scythe was prevented from turning and could only move 18". With no place to land, it crashed and burned. The Necron lines remained mostly static other than setting up fire positions.
The shooting phase began by the Doom killing one warrior and one Tesla Immortal bringing it to 7 wounds. The remaining 4 gargoyles were brought down by the unengaged warriors. The gauss Immortals fired into the Doom causing 11 wounds, of which I failed 7 3+ saves killing him outright. The Doom is a mixed bag that either does really well or really "meh" in my experience. In this case, it was "meh". I didn't expect him to live, but I had hoped he would suck up the Str 9 fire of the Heavy Destroyers before being killed. No luck.
Tesla immortals put two wounds on the Trygon and the Destroyers put 3 wounds on one of the Carnifexen. The remaining Doom Scythe sailed past the horde alighting as best it could amidst the swarm and managed to get a 15" beam which it cut through the Carnifex/Prime squad. Danny rolled 2 ones to wound on the Fex/Prime and only killed a handful of gaunts from another unit. The continuing assault between the Warrior/Lord and the Ravener/Hormagaunts saw two warriors fall and 2 wounds on the Ravener.
Lord A'rem Mhar, lesser son of greater sires, had been in the service of the Nemesor before humans walked their Earth. Always had he sought to prove his worth to better his status, and so it was that his time to do so had come. As his warscythe severed the head of the beast from its snake like body he knew he had done well, protecting his Overlord's flank from the assault. He steadied his weapon and paused to consider the reward he would receive. Just long enough as a blade of chitin twice his height rent through his chest, bringing his service to an ignoble end.
Tyranid Turn 3
Endurance was given to the Carnifex squad healing 2 of the 3 wounds on the wounded 'fex before the end of the turn. The now reduced swarm of 20 gaunts continued forward on the right flank supported by the Tervigons. The Carnifex/Prime unit claimed middle board setting up with the Zoanthrope's spore providing some cover from the Destroyers. Shooting saw fire from the 'fex and Zoanthropes take down seven Tesla Immortals but good Reanimation Protocals meant only 2 stayed down. Pot shots from the Tervigons and Hive Guard did nothing to the remaining Doom Scythe. The Biovores remained out of range due to Night Fight.
In assault the Trygon joined the fray on the right flank and the combined attacks from the Hormagaunts and Trygon finished the unit, but not before the Ravener fell to the Mindshackle Scarabs.
The great beast roared deafeningly as electricity danced across its carapace seeking a vulnerable point to purchase rest. The tang of ozone muddle with the pungent odor of burnt chitin permeated the olfactory receptors of Rhek'Man as his Immortals unleashed the fury of their weapons.
Necron Turn 4
Night fight ended this turn. The Necrons had been pushed back off one of the objectives in their deployment zone. The Trygon and a small squad of 4 Hormagaunts were now on it with the Trygon try its best to claim cover from the ruin. With some minor shuffling movements to better firing position, the remaining warrior squad finished off the Hormagaunts while the two Immortal squads and Destroyers fired upon the Trygon. With Endurance now on the Carnifex squad, the combined weight of fire reduced the Trygon to just one wound remaining. Despite being in range, the Necrons chose not to charge in and engage the Trygon. This was likely the prudent choice. Had I made the Mindshackle roll then the Trygon could have smashed and instakilled the Lord. Better to gamble on the overwatch shots and at worst lose a few Immortals. With no real targets to shoot at the Doom Scythe had flown off the board.
The savaged sparking torso of an Immortal warrior impacted the ground next to Rhek'Man with a dull thud. Powder fine dust from the ground brick and concrete billowed up around it as the body rolled and the light of its power source faded out. "Enough of this. I am the Defender of the Halls of Zedekaras. My will shall not be undone by this mindless worm!" With a flourish of his cape the Nemesor stepped past one of his Immortals just as it was smashed to the ground my a mighty talon and brought his Warscythe around in a massive sweeping arc burying it deep in the body of the giant Tryanid. Energy coursed around the blade as it passed unhindered through the creature. Fluid sprayed Rhek'Man, foully staining his royal raiment with the stench of the monster as it fell lifeless to the ground, crushing another Immortal under its bulk.
Tyranid Turn 4
I bounced Endurance back onto the Trygon but only healed one wound. I targeted all possible fire from the Carnifexes, Hive Guard, and Zoanthropes into the Gauss Immortal squad all but completely decimating it. The Biovore shot on the Overlords Tesla Immortal unit went wide and the Trygon shot down one. A small unit of two gaunts, all that remained of the 17 spawned earlier, moved in to claim the objective slipping just outside of Synapse. The 20 gaunt unit moved up ending about 6" behind and poised to be on the objective the following turn.
The Trygon charged in to the Tesla Immortal squad. With FNP, I had about a 50/50 chance of surviving the three attacks from the Overlord who would not be in base contact until the Initiative 2 step. By landing enough attacks at the Trygon's initiative I hoped to crush enough Immortals to win the combat and send the Overlords unit running off the board or run them down. I did smack down 5 Immortals, but took two unsaved wounds from the Overlord losing the Trygon. Three Immortals stood back up from Reanimation.
"My Lord, might I suggest we..." The Cryptek's words were cut short as three beetles the size of the bricks which littered the streets impacted his chest. They tore coarsely through the bronze of this breastplate hungrily questing after the warm flesh which used to live inside. No matter it wasn't there as even the reanimating power of the Overlords orb could not repair the damage as they tore into the archeo-sorcerer's power core. The fire in his eyes flickered out. Would that he had a soul remaining, the last images of lurking hordes of Termagaunts would have haunted his eternity.
Turn 5
The overlords unit of Immortals, now down to 4 or 5 models plus the Cryptek and Overlord himself, moved into the ruin to contest the objective. The remaining warrior squad and handful of Gauss Immortals shuffled a bit to get better shots but remained around their objective. The immortal squad fired into 2 man gaunt squad holding the objective. Now out of synapse range, the gaunts went to ground in the area terrain of the ruin and only one died. The returning Doom Scythe, and Immortal/warriors killed one Carnifex and put a wound on one of the Tervigons. The Destroyers/heavy destroyer unit fired on the Zoanthropes but I made all my invul saves against the Heavy Gauss Cannons and took no wounds.
For the Tyrnaid turn the Carnifex and Tervigons remained in position, with the exception of moving one Tervigon up to the put the gaunts going after objective within synapse, and began firing on the Overlords unit. Two more Immortals went down. The larger Termagaunt unit moved in to camp the object and fired on the Immortals taking the Cryptek down and putting a wound on the overlord. Tervigons, Biovores, and Zoanthropes pumped fire into the Gauss Immortals and Warriors whittling them down even more.
The two meter long shard of bone impacted the wall next to Rhek'Man blasting him with rockrete shrapnel which knocked him unceremoniously to the ground. Rolling to his knees in preparation to stand, covered with the dust and grime of the ruined city which stuck in muddy clumps to the Tryanid blood and entrails which stained his armor and clothing, he caught sight of the devastation in the rising sun. A handful of his warriors still fought on but were hopelessly outnumbered. Everywhere he looked all he could see was the advancing sea of alien bodies.
"How can this be?" he said in desbelief I am Destroyer of the Ma' Sekh' Rat Dynasty, Scourge of the Le' Nothram System, Defender of the Halls of Ze.." His thought was cut short by a second harpoon of chitin landing in the ground scant inches from his neck. His face was covered in the plume of thick gray-white dust and he found himself pinned on his knees as the weapon had pierced his cloak and buried it into the ground like an anchor of bone.
Turn 6
It was all mopping up at this point. Had the game ended on turn 5 it would have been a tie or very slight Tyranid victory. With the game continuing into another one or two turn, the Necrons did not have enough firepower remaining to challenge the swarm. A few inconsequential shots were exchanged but I managed to solidify my hold on the second objective with the large Termagaunt squad, moving a Tervigon up to support it just in case. The Gauss Immortals were finished off and the Warrior squad on the third objective was whittled down more. The Necron player still had the Destroyer squad which could jet out and contest the center objective but he chose to reserve them. If the game went to 7 they would surely have been brought down so he held them back another turn. As it was, the game ended on turn 6.
The results were;
Tyranid: 11 (2 objectives, First Blood, Linebreaker, 3 heavy support kills)
Necron: 4 (1 objective, 1 heavy support kill)
This was a fun and challenging game which I really enjoyed. My opponent was an excellent player and it was a true gentleman's game with allowances for minor error, oversight, and "oops, I forgot to ... do you mind?" being given on both sides. Two things really played in my favor. First, the three turns of night fight were huge allowing me to get to the Necron gun line that much faster and with fewer casualties while with his formidable armor saves he did not get the same benefit. Second, the Hammer and Anvil set up actually afforded me a bit more cover on the approach than if we had played one of the other two traditional scenarios. Danny also had practically no prior experience vs Tyranids and suffered through the target priority issues that always arise when facing a horde army charging down your throat.
It has been millenia since Nemesor Rhek'Man possessed the lungs of flesh and blood with which to sigh dismissively. Still, that did not stop him from moving his powerful form through the motions of the arrogant act. His chest rose, held a moment then released as he subtly shook his head. Was it force of habit or a subconscious longing for his old body, despite its failings and frailty? No, it was an expression of disdain towards the situation laid before him.
The sun of Secundus Prime was still hours from rising, but by the moonlight the monstrous silhouettes of the advancing Tyranid vanguard could be made out. Only the larger beasts could be seen, but Rhek'Man knew beyond a doubt that countless smaller forms advanced around them. He had hoped to avoid this battle. It was... unnecessary. There was no honor to be had here, and no advantage to be gained by the slaughter of mindless beasts. His legions were needed elsewhere on this world. He had sent the Deathmarks to deal with the leader beasts in the hopes of diverting this horde who's random advance across the planet was crossing paths with his plans. They must have failed. The honorless cowards had betrayed him. No matter, a small diversion only. Rhek'Man would have to handle this himself.
The Nemesor looked down the ranks of his warriors, set in formation behind the walls of the captured defense line. "Let them come. They will break like waves on the rock of my Dynasty's loyal subjects," he thought to himself, his ancient arrogance having only grown during his long slumber.
Challenger: Danny (Necrons)
Defender: Vince (Tryanids)
Mission: Big guns never tire
Deployment: Hammer and Anvil
Necrons
Overlord - Orb, Warscythe, Mindshackle Scarabs Warlord (Conqueror of Cities)
Royal court - 3x Lord (warscythe, Orb, Mindshackle), Destructtek (Solar Pulse)
Destroyer Lord - Orb, Warscythe
10x Warriors
10x Warriors
10x Tesla Immortals
10x Gauss Immortals
5x Destroyers (3 heavy)
Monolith
2x Doom Scythe
Annihilation Barge
Aegis Line with Quad Gun
Tyranid
Prime - Regeneration, Warlord (+1 to reserves)
Troop Tervigon - Toxins, full psyker powers
Troop Tervigon - Toxins, full psyker powers
17x Hormagaunt - Toxins
15x Termagaunts
20x Termagaunts
19x Gargoyles - Toxins
3x Hive Guard
Doom in pod (Deathspitter)
2x Zoanthrope in pod (Deathspitter)
5x Raveners
Trygon
2x Carnifex - Double TL Brainleech Worms
3x Biovore
Danny had been forced to challenge me through the use of Double Agent. He had taken the Assassin stratagem while I had Night Attacker stratagem (meaning it would be night fighting on turn 1 and last much longer in the game). Before play began the assassin succeeded on a roll of 5 and inflicted 2 wounds on my Prime (ouch)
Deployment
Necrons won the roll and chose the side of the board with ruins to hide in. The Conqueror of Cities Warlord trait would prove useful with this setup as it gave his whole army move through cover in ruins. Hammer and Anvil also played well for the Necrons as it meant more ground for the 'nids to cover to reach combat. There were 3 objectives. Two were placed right in the Necron deployment zone behind the Aegis Line. I placed one in the middle of the board in ruins. The Aegis Line was deployed dead center, approx 6" back from the zone edge with the gun towards my right flank. The warrior and Immortal squads were spaced around behind the Aegis line with one of each on each side of the deployment zone with one Lord in each. Monolith was in the middle, right at the front. The Barge was on my right flank and the Destroyers with D-Lord were on my left flank. Warlord and Cryptek joined the Tesla Immortals.
Tyranids went with a refused flank approach to minimize the fire coming in. I feared the destroyers and heavy destroyers the most with their ability to punch the 3+ save on my monstrous creatures so I went heavy on my right flank keeping the T4 targets more to the right or center of my deployment. The Hormagaunts led the charge on that flank to force the Necrons to deal with them through fire or have to face a turn 2 assault. The Raveners hid in cover just behind them. The left side of my swarm was covered by the gargoyle swarm and the small Termagaunt swarm to provide cover saves for the Monstrous Creatures in the middle. Biovores were deployed in a ruin at the back of the Tyranid deployment zone.
Towering at the front of the Necron lines the Monolith hovered unmoving. Its living metallic skin seemed to jealously consume not only what little ambient moonlight pierced the dust choked night air of Secundus Prime, but also all sound and warmth for there was an unfathomable silent darkness to it. Dark that is save for the eerie glow of its weapons and power source which seemed to somehow radiate inwards upon themselves, shedding no light on the Necron lines. In response to the Nemesor's will, the ancient war engine began to move forward, straight towards the heart of the approaching Tryanid horde. To its left, the night was suddenly illuminated a stark white by lightning from the archeo-sorcery of Tesla weaponry. The Monolith answered, its power building to a high pitched whine, silence, then the blast.
Turn 1
Tyranids failed to steal the initiative. The Necrons moved the Monolith and Annihilation Barge forward into range to come below the 24" mark and both fired. The rest of the army stayed mostly in place except for the Destroyers which jetted forward to try and get a shot on the Carnifex squad. The Barge blasted 5 Hormagaunts from the front of the line but failed to arc into anything else. The Monolith dropped a particle blast on the Gargoyles killing 3 and a few Termagaunts. Between night fighting and cover from intervening units, the Destroyers were blessedly able to put only one wound on a Carnifex.
The Tyranids responded by moving forward with everything. One Tervigon placed Endurance on the Carnifex squad which later healed the wound on the Fex and one of the wounds on the Prime. This Tervigon also spawned 17 gaunts, going into early menopause with a roll of 6, 6, and 5. Gargoyles flew into a ruin to threaten the Destroyers but 3 of them died to dangerous terrain as they crashed into railings and suspended wire. Some good move through cover and run rolls saw most of the swarm move 10 to 12" towards the Necron lines this turn. The Hive Guard fired on the Barge scoring one penetrating hit, which it shrugged off with living metal. It was at this point I realized that the Biovores were too far back to fire due to being out of 36" range during night fight.
Lightning fell from the cloudless sky heralding the arrival of Necron aircraft. From his vantage point behind the phalanxes of armored warriors Nemesor Rhek'Man saw his battle plan falling into place. "This will be over before the sun rises," the Nemesor said as much to himself as to the Advisor to his right. "Then we can be off to our true objective." Impossibly powerful beams of energy lanced to the earth carving deep furrows in the ruined streets while bisecting rockrete, metal, and alien bodies with contemptuous ease.
"Yes, your eminence," the Harginber responded, fires burning behind his glowing eyes. "But do you think it wise to discount them so quickly? There are so many. Like countless ants or scorpions. Can we stop them all so easily?" The Nemesor paused, deciding whether to take the comment as sound advice or insult. His anger welled but he did not have a chance to act on it. With a wave that shook the ranks of warriors in front of him, the earth exploded upwards, showering all those around with dust and debris. The Tryanid reinforcements had arrived.
Necron Turn 2
Both of the Necron Doom Scythes arrived and sailed in on my right flank taking position between, and a bit in front of, the Monolith and Annihilation Barge. The warriors and Tesla Immortals on the same side shifted towards my right a bit to get more in range to shoot. Destroyers hopped back to their starting position to move out of range of the Gargoyles.
Night fight remained on Turn 2 per the special campaign stratagem which limited the effectiveness of long range Necron fire. Still, the combined fire of the Barge, Monolith, both Doom Scythes, and the unit of warriors managed to wreak havoc on the Tyranid lines. The gargoyles in particular were heavily targeted as they were close enough to take fire from the infantry behind the Aegis line and the Destroyers. In total 8 Hormaguants, 3 Raveners, and 12 Gargoyles fell to enemy fire. Fortunately a few lucky cover saves prevented the Tervigons from taking any wounds from the Doom Scythes, but the Raveners didn't fare so well despite hiding inside a ruin to weather the storm.
Guided by direct conduit to the Hive Mind the Alpha Warrior surveyed the threats arrayed against her. The loss of the lesser beings at her command was felt no more than the shedding of skin cells by a human. They exist only to protect the greater assets of the Hive and as weapons or shields would serve their purpose well.
The massive gunbeasts she escorted paused to her silent direction. Shifting their weight, the broken streets and brick crunched and buckled under their hoofed feet as they aimed their weapons skyward. Dimwitted and slow, they could not hope to track the fast moving objects that soared overhead unleashing their devastation but that did not matter. Synapses closed, muscles spasmed, and thousands of parasites the size of a man's finger launched into the night sky filling it with hungry death. The aircraft rolled but could not avoid them all as they impacted into the engines and control surfaces sending the machine corkscrewing out of control.
Tyranid Turn 2
All the Tyranid reserves came in. The doom dropped directly in front of the Aegis line putting it in range of the Overlords unit of Immortals and a warrior squad. The Zoanthropes landed near the Gargoyles, in position to target the Monlith. Lastly, the Trygon emerged just behind the Necron flyers, in position to soak up fire and threaten the units behind the Aegis line next turn but not so close as to be charged and reliably Mindshackled. The board position and deep strike rules for pods and Trygons created nice tight arrival positions and minimized drift. The remainder of the units pushed forward. The still fertile Tervigon spawned 9 Termagaunts which spread out to try and minimize the locations available for the Doom Scythes to fly to next turn in order to shield the Monstrous Creatures from their weapons. The 15 strong gaunt unit camped the objective in the center ruin.
In the shooting phase, the Doom failed to wound any Necrons with its soul siphon and killed only one Psychic Scream. The Zoanthropes Warp Lanced and destroyed the Monolith while the Hive Guard finished off the Annihilation Barge. The 24 shots from the Carnifex unit managed to hit the Doom Scythe and velocity lock/stun it. Based on board position it was obvious that it had would crash in the following move phase. First blood and 3 heavy support kills to the Tyranids. In the assault phase the Raveners and remaining Hormagaunts assaulted into the warrior squad. Two warriors fell and two wounds were caused to a wounded Ravener killing it.
As the raw Warp energy impacted the Monolith the living skin of its hull attempted to knit itself back together. Mere microseconds passed before the machines capabilities were overwhelmed and the energy breached the protective shell and overloaded the energy core contained inside.
Nemesor Rhek'Man staggered as the power animating his minions from within blinked to darkness momentarily, then steadied itself and continued to be.
"My Lord," the advisor began. "We must"...
"Silence!" the Nemesor commanded, "..or face my wrath." "All phalanxes, Fire! Bring them down."
Necron Turn 3
Night fight remained into turn 3 but the Necrons activated the Solar Pulse to counter the effects.
The damaged Doom Scythe was prevented from turning and could only move 18". With no place to land, it crashed and burned. The Necron lines remained mostly static other than setting up fire positions.
The shooting phase began by the Doom killing one warrior and one Tesla Immortal bringing it to 7 wounds. The remaining 4 gargoyles were brought down by the unengaged warriors. The gauss Immortals fired into the Doom causing 11 wounds, of which I failed 7 3+ saves killing him outright. The Doom is a mixed bag that either does really well or really "meh" in my experience. In this case, it was "meh". I didn't expect him to live, but I had hoped he would suck up the Str 9 fire of the Heavy Destroyers before being killed. No luck.
Tesla immortals put two wounds on the Trygon and the Destroyers put 3 wounds on one of the Carnifexen. The remaining Doom Scythe sailed past the horde alighting as best it could amidst the swarm and managed to get a 15" beam which it cut through the Carnifex/Prime squad. Danny rolled 2 ones to wound on the Fex/Prime and only killed a handful of gaunts from another unit. The continuing assault between the Warrior/Lord and the Ravener/Hormagaunts saw two warriors fall and 2 wounds on the Ravener.
Lord A'rem Mhar, lesser son of greater sires, had been in the service of the Nemesor before humans walked their Earth. Always had he sought to prove his worth to better his status, and so it was that his time to do so had come. As his warscythe severed the head of the beast from its snake like body he knew he had done well, protecting his Overlord's flank from the assault. He steadied his weapon and paused to consider the reward he would receive. Just long enough as a blade of chitin twice his height rent through his chest, bringing his service to an ignoble end.
Tyranid Turn 3
Endurance was given to the Carnifex squad healing 2 of the 3 wounds on the wounded 'fex before the end of the turn. The now reduced swarm of 20 gaunts continued forward on the right flank supported by the Tervigons. The Carnifex/Prime unit claimed middle board setting up with the Zoanthrope's spore providing some cover from the Destroyers. Shooting saw fire from the 'fex and Zoanthropes take down seven Tesla Immortals but good Reanimation Protocals meant only 2 stayed down. Pot shots from the Tervigons and Hive Guard did nothing to the remaining Doom Scythe. The Biovores remained out of range due to Night Fight.
In assault the Trygon joined the fray on the right flank and the combined attacks from the Hormagaunts and Trygon finished the unit, but not before the Ravener fell to the Mindshackle Scarabs.
The great beast roared deafeningly as electricity danced across its carapace seeking a vulnerable point to purchase rest. The tang of ozone muddle with the pungent odor of burnt chitin permeated the olfactory receptors of Rhek'Man as his Immortals unleashed the fury of their weapons.
Necron Turn 4
Night fight ended this turn. The Necrons had been pushed back off one of the objectives in their deployment zone. The Trygon and a small squad of 4 Hormagaunts were now on it with the Trygon try its best to claim cover from the ruin. With some minor shuffling movements to better firing position, the remaining warrior squad finished off the Hormagaunts while the two Immortal squads and Destroyers fired upon the Trygon. With Endurance now on the Carnifex squad, the combined weight of fire reduced the Trygon to just one wound remaining. Despite being in range, the Necrons chose not to charge in and engage the Trygon. This was likely the prudent choice. Had I made the Mindshackle roll then the Trygon could have smashed and instakilled the Lord. Better to gamble on the overwatch shots and at worst lose a few Immortals. With no real targets to shoot at the Doom Scythe had flown off the board.
The savaged sparking torso of an Immortal warrior impacted the ground next to Rhek'Man with a dull thud. Powder fine dust from the ground brick and concrete billowed up around it as the body rolled and the light of its power source faded out. "Enough of this. I am the Defender of the Halls of Zedekaras. My will shall not be undone by this mindless worm!" With a flourish of his cape the Nemesor stepped past one of his Immortals just as it was smashed to the ground my a mighty talon and brought his Warscythe around in a massive sweeping arc burying it deep in the body of the giant Tryanid. Energy coursed around the blade as it passed unhindered through the creature. Fluid sprayed Rhek'Man, foully staining his royal raiment with the stench of the monster as it fell lifeless to the ground, crushing another Immortal under its bulk.
Tyranid Turn 4
I bounced Endurance back onto the Trygon but only healed one wound. I targeted all possible fire from the Carnifexes, Hive Guard, and Zoanthropes into the Gauss Immortal squad all but completely decimating it. The Biovore shot on the Overlords Tesla Immortal unit went wide and the Trygon shot down one. A small unit of two gaunts, all that remained of the 17 spawned earlier, moved in to claim the objective slipping just outside of Synapse. The 20 gaunt unit moved up ending about 6" behind and poised to be on the objective the following turn.
The Trygon charged in to the Tesla Immortal squad. With FNP, I had about a 50/50 chance of surviving the three attacks from the Overlord who would not be in base contact until the Initiative 2 step. By landing enough attacks at the Trygon's initiative I hoped to crush enough Immortals to win the combat and send the Overlords unit running off the board or run them down. I did smack down 5 Immortals, but took two unsaved wounds from the Overlord losing the Trygon. Three Immortals stood back up from Reanimation.
"My Lord, might I suggest we..." The Cryptek's words were cut short as three beetles the size of the bricks which littered the streets impacted his chest. They tore coarsely through the bronze of this breastplate hungrily questing after the warm flesh which used to live inside. No matter it wasn't there as even the reanimating power of the Overlords orb could not repair the damage as they tore into the archeo-sorcerer's power core. The fire in his eyes flickered out. Would that he had a soul remaining, the last images of lurking hordes of Termagaunts would have haunted his eternity.
Turn 5
The overlords unit of Immortals, now down to 4 or 5 models plus the Cryptek and Overlord himself, moved into the ruin to contest the objective. The remaining warrior squad and handful of Gauss Immortals shuffled a bit to get better shots but remained around their objective. The immortal squad fired into 2 man gaunt squad holding the objective. Now out of synapse range, the gaunts went to ground in the area terrain of the ruin and only one died. The returning Doom Scythe, and Immortal/warriors killed one Carnifex and put a wound on one of the Tervigons. The Destroyers/heavy destroyer unit fired on the Zoanthropes but I made all my invul saves against the Heavy Gauss Cannons and took no wounds.
For the Tyrnaid turn the Carnifex and Tervigons remained in position, with the exception of moving one Tervigon up to the put the gaunts going after objective within synapse, and began firing on the Overlords unit. Two more Immortals went down. The larger Termagaunt unit moved in to camp the object and fired on the Immortals taking the Cryptek down and putting a wound on the overlord. Tervigons, Biovores, and Zoanthropes pumped fire into the Gauss Immortals and Warriors whittling them down even more.
The two meter long shard of bone impacted the wall next to Rhek'Man blasting him with rockrete shrapnel which knocked him unceremoniously to the ground. Rolling to his knees in preparation to stand, covered with the dust and grime of the ruined city which stuck in muddy clumps to the Tryanid blood and entrails which stained his armor and clothing, he caught sight of the devastation in the rising sun. A handful of his warriors still fought on but were hopelessly outnumbered. Everywhere he looked all he could see was the advancing sea of alien bodies.
"How can this be?" he said in desbelief I am Destroyer of the Ma' Sekh' Rat Dynasty, Scourge of the Le' Nothram System, Defender of the Halls of Ze.." His thought was cut short by a second harpoon of chitin landing in the ground scant inches from his neck. His face was covered in the plume of thick gray-white dust and he found himself pinned on his knees as the weapon had pierced his cloak and buried it into the ground like an anchor of bone.
Turn 6
It was all mopping up at this point. Had the game ended on turn 5 it would have been a tie or very slight Tyranid victory. With the game continuing into another one or two turn, the Necrons did not have enough firepower remaining to challenge the swarm. A few inconsequential shots were exchanged but I managed to solidify my hold on the second objective with the large Termagaunt squad, moving a Tervigon up to support it just in case. The Gauss Immortals were finished off and the Warrior squad on the third objective was whittled down more. The Necron player still had the Destroyer squad which could jet out and contest the center objective but he chose to reserve them. If the game went to 7 they would surely have been brought down so he held them back another turn. As it was, the game ended on turn 6.
The results were;
Tyranid: 11 (2 objectives, First Blood, Linebreaker, 3 heavy support kills)
Necron: 4 (1 objective, 1 heavy support kill)
This was a fun and challenging game which I really enjoyed. My opponent was an excellent player and it was a true gentleman's game with allowances for minor error, oversight, and "oops, I forgot to ... do you mind?" being given on both sides. Two things really played in my favor. First, the three turns of night fight were huge allowing me to get to the Necron gun line that much faster and with fewer casualties while with his formidable armor saves he did not get the same benefit. Second, the Hammer and Anvil set up actually afforded me a bit more cover on the approach than if we had played one of the other two traditional scenarios. Danny also had practically no prior experience vs Tyranids and suffered through the target priority issues that always arise when facing a horde army charging down your throat.
. No harm done and agreed on the Biovores. I've really come to love their sniping ability in this edition.
