Tyranid Crusade

[Kilmor]

Been away for two editions or so (six years give or take, always lurking). Getting into 9th with my Tyranids. My local group organizers have decided that due to the pandemic and the relatively new edition a crusade league would be better than any events. This allows people to meet up in pairs and play safer than having a lot of people show up to one location. We are split into three teams; Xenos, Imperial, Chaos. Necrons, Marines, and Deathguard make up about half of each time to no surprise. It is using the Necrons flashpoint Beyond the Veil setting. I'm enjoying it a lot so far. After looking into the crusade rules of the newer codexes (specially the deathguard create a plague rules!) I'm super excited to see what our codex will give us.....when ever that finally happens.

While everyone else has been adding to their army I was busy upgrading most of my units. I also decided to try a slightly different play style from what my main lists had been. So my fleet is Jormangundr for this crusade.



After two weeks this is what I have so far.

Broodlord - The Phantom Claw
Mind eater - Warlord trait, Ymgarl Factor -Codex relic, Unnatural Reactions - Adaptive Physiology, Frenzon Injector - Crusade relic, Artisan Bionics - Crusade relic, Nano-Meds - Crusade relic [Crusade relics renamed with Bio-Nid sounding stuff
(yeah, he's a beast and gives out almost 5 bonus command points to my opponent cause he's STACKED. But I've built him a custom model and he's fun.)

Warrior Prime - Experiment RD-07-7 "Red Seven"
Insidious Threat - Warlord trait, Laurels of Victory - Crusade Relic

9x Warriors - Synaptic Hunters
Deathspitters x6, Venom cannons x3, Enhanced Resistance - Adaptive Physiology, Cool-headed - Crusade trait

20x Hormaguants - Skittering Horde
Dynamic Camouflage - Adaptive Physiology, Fleet - Crusade trait, Disgraced - Battle scar

10x Termagaunts - [New unit, unnamed]
Devourers x10

6x Raveners - The Slithering Curse
Deathspitters and Rending claws x6, Head-hunters - Crusade trait, Shell shocked - Battle scar

3x Hive guard - The Menace
... nothing, they miss and have had bad luck.

Scythed Hierodule - The Frenzied Hulk
Dermic Symbiosis - Adaptive Physiology, Regenerate - Crusade Trait, Frenzied - Crusade trait, +6" on acid spray - Weapon Enhancement




I've played three games against Imperial players. One being a loss to Sisters who had a lot of high damage weapons in both shooting and melee. I've played two games against Chaos. The Deathguard player I was crushing played the mission to a draw and won the tie breaker (painting).

I'm really enjoying Jormangunr, though I have to constantly fight the urge to not advance. I am sorely missing having flying hive tyrants, I may have been too dependent on them. I'm thinking of adding a Trygon prime next, for forward Synapse and fits the tunneling theme.
I think this crusade is exactly what my gaming group needed. It keeps the energy up for the game, pushes the narrative and lets people play at a speed, venue and size that they feel comfortable with.
Has anyone else played in crusade with their Nids?

[hivefleetkerrigan]

Yes to a mid crusade! I'll write some about it when I have more time. Crusade is a blast and leads to a lot of ridiculous narrative moments.

Love the write up and names of your list!

As a note, if you have a melee unit and are using beyond the veil frentic is a glorious battle scar: sure you have to charge, but you gain a unmodified 6s create an extra attack roll.

[garg]

Thanks for the write up, it sounds like you are having a lot of fun. I'd like to give crusade a go but my gaming group is pretty inactive due to covid. I've played a total of 4 games of 9th.

[hivefleetkerrigan]

Feb 11, 2021 19:50:22 GMT garg said:

Thanks for the write up, it sounds like you are having a lot of fun. I'd like to give crusade a go but my gaming group is pretty inactive due to covid. I've played a total of 4 games of 9th.

Game online! One person can host a game if they have a table and just proxy models. It works surprisingly well. I've been only playing virtually since 9e dropped.

[hivefleetmantodea]

Also started a crusade recently as a means to learn how to play since I started this game just before covid stopped everything. I have had 3 games against marines so far (1 ravengaurd, 2 space wolves) only one win so far but I think all of them were winnable if I stuck with the objects. Its really made me fall in love with walkrants so that I can take full advantage of terrain that wings prevent me from doing a lot of the time. Of course my Hive Fleets true intentions is to devour a rival fleet in the system and add its biomass and genetic information to our own. Bioform 7A93 (classification Hive Tyrant) aka Blood Talon thirst for the power hidden in the Phantom Claws genome.

[Kilmor]

Bad weather here in the midwest has stopped me from really getting any games this week till yesterday. I spent some time painting at least.

I've added a Trygon Prime to my list. This gives me another tunnel, some more synapse and even more combat!
It also lets me swap out the 'dule if I don't want to go too threatening to my opponent. I've found some armies can't handle him very well. He has yet to be killed in a crusade game.

I keep considering taking him out if he's too strong for casual play, but half the games my opponent has been able to get him down to like 1-3 wounds left. So he isn't unkillable. The other games they can't do anything of note to him, but really their lists wouldn't be able to handle a huarespex either so that is more on their list I think.

[Kilmor]

Crusade update!
Imperial players performed a last minute dash in the final days of the first month and won 4 of the 6 planets the campaign is on. Each one was with a margin of a single games victory from us xenos.
Space marines players have adapted well with their lists. The additions of 6 man Eradicators, re-equiped Vanguard veterans and well placed Omni-scramblers has seen my Hierodule die in the past three games and severely limited my Trygon Prime and Mawloc placements. I've still pulled off some wins but they have been far more brutal of fights with heavy casualties on either side.

I've added 6 Zoanthropes and a Neurothrope to give myself some more support and start throwing out some smites. I also increased the Hiveguard to a full squad of 6 to possibly help shoot down some Interceptor marines to open board control.
I think my next addition will be a Maleceptor once I build mine to protect my fire base.



Broodlord - The Phantom Claw
Mind eater - Warlord trait, Ymgarl Factor -Codex relic, Unnatural Reactions - Adaptive Physiology, Frenzon Injector - Crusade relic, Artisan Bionics - Crusade relic, Nano-Meds - Crusade relic [Crusade relics renamed with Bio-Nid sounding stuff
(yeah, he's a beast and gives out almost 5 bonus command points to my opponent cause he's STACKED. But I've built him a custom model and he's fun.)

Warrior Prime - Experiment RD-07-7 "Red Seven"
Insidious Threat - Warlord trait, Laurels of Victory - Crusade Relic

9x Warriors - Synaptic Hunters
Deathspitters x6, Venom cannons x3, Enhanced Resistance - Adaptive Physiology, Cool-headed - Crusade trait, Veteran Warriors - Crusade trait

20x Hormaguants - Skittering Horde
Dynamic Camouflage - Adaptive Physiology, Fleet of foot - Crusade trait, Battle weary - Battle scar

10x Termagaunts - Tunnel Mites
Devourers x10, Battle-tested - Crusade trait

1x Lictor - Envenomed Stalker
Grasping talons, Improved AP - Weapon Enhancement

6x Raveners - The Slithering Curse
Deathspitters and Rending claws x6, Head-hunters - Crusade trait, Veteran Warriors - Crusade trait

6x Hive guard - The Menace
Impaler cannons, Grizzled - Crusade trait

Scythed Hierodule - The Frenzied Hulk
Dermic Symbiosis - Adaptive Physiology, Regenerate - Crusade Trait, Frenzied - Crusade trait, +6" on acid spray - Weapon Enhancement, Unstoppable - Crusade trait, Throes of Rage - Crusade trait

Trygon Prime - The Blind Harvester
Monstrous Size - Adaptive Physiology, Adrenacyte gland - Codex Relic, Unstoppable - Crusade trait, Solar shift orb - Crusade relic

Mawloc - "Deep"
Stultified - Battle Scar

6x Zoanthropes - Void Minds
Smite, Psychic scream

Neurothrope - Herald of the Void
Smite, Lurking Maw