The new Space Marine Codex - anyone curious to see how it handles? No? How about the new Ultramarines, then?
Still no? Damn you all. Luckily, I was, and so was General Hotspur, whose first name quite possibly is Ultramarines. To battle!
Cloud of Flies
Tyranids! Not played them for a while, and although I'm daunted to face the souped-up Marine guns, I have some thoughts I wanted to try.
Many small units of Genestealers is my thought - easier to hide, larger table footprint and still killy enough to put the scare on most units. If they make it into combat, of course, the usual proviso for these elite melee troops.
Leading them is a Neurothrope, to lurk at the back and snipe, and also heal his Zooanthrope pals. A Flyrant with the usual Hive Fleet Kraken relic, a large squad of Gargoyles to rush in and be a short-lived nuisance and then to finish it off, a larger squad of Genestealers and a Tyrannocyte to carry them.
Hive Fleet Kraken Battalion Detachment, 1000 points
- HQ - Hive Tyrant with wings, heavy venom cannon, Monstrous Rending Claws, chameleonic mutation, Horror and Onslaught powers, Adrenal Glands and Venom Sacs
- HQ - Neurothrope with Catalyst, Adaptive Biology Warlord trait
- Troops - 5 x Genestealers
- Troops - 5 x Genestealers
- Troops - 5 x Genestealers
- Troops - 10 x Genestealers, 2 acid maws, 2 flesh hooks
- Fast Attack - 21 x Gargoyles with adrenal glands
- Dedicated Transport - Tyrannocyte with 5 x Barbed Stranglers
We Just Dropped In
The Ultramarines are pulling no punches whatsoever - this is a hefty and dangerous list. Not so much filled with new toys as sporting the old style, however, as well as some returning favourites.
A drop pod! Tyrannic War Veterans! A Chaplain! The old school is definitely back. Balancing these hoary sorts is a Redemptor for massive anti-infantry firepower, a smash captain who's upgraded to be a Chapter Master and good old Sergeant Chronus, who is merely driving a Predator today instead of the Land Raider I usually meet him in. Some light troops are scattered in there to make up the detachments, but you can tell where the money's been spent.
It looks and feels like a traditional Marine army! Which is really nice. And looking at it across the table, I'm immediately struck as to how tricky this is going to be to deal with. Speed and combat are really going to be my only saving graces here.
Ultramarines Battalion Detachment, 564 Points
- HQ - Captain - Adept of the Codex Warlord trait, Thunder Hammer, Jump Pack, Exemplar of the Chapter, Sanctic Halo
- HQ - Sergeant Chronus in a Predator - 4 x Lascannons
- Troops - 5 x Intercessors with Bolt rifles
- Troops - 5 x Tactical Marines, a plasma cannon
- Troops - 5 x Scouts, a Heavy Bolter
Ultramarines Vanguard Detachment, 436 Points
- HQ - Chaplain, Canticle of Hate
- Elites - 4 x Tyrannic War Veterans
- Elites - 4 x Tyrannic War Veterans
- Elites - Redemptor Dreadnought, all the assault cannons and storm bolters
- Dedicated Transport - Drop Pod with storm bolter
Mission and Terrain
It's a random Maelstrom of War, as it so often is these days, and we rolled Spoils of War from the core rulebook (tweaked to have CA 2018 deployment rules). So Sieze Objectives are extra important - whoever scores the most gets an extra point at the end.
I've got some new snowy terrain to play with. Off to Macragge!
Deployment
Sigh. I lose the deployment roll, and guess what? It's Hammer and Anvil again! This has been the deployment every time Hotspur and I play, and it can just get in the bin as far as I'm concerned.Ah well, at least there's lots of terrain to hide in. And I'll get the first turn, so I set up with a forward strike line ready to run forward and hide, then keep pushing on the inevitable gunline.
Speaking of which - the heaviest elements go right at the back, as you'd expect, but there's a little castle of tactical marines and Intercessors along the north. The Smash Captain lurks near Chronus, to help with shooting until he has a target to hit.
And both of us have incoming drops - the Chaplain leads the Tyrannic Veteran squads in the Drop Pod, I've got ten genestealers in the Tyrannocyte.
First turn is mine to keep, so I'd better get on with it!
Tyranids Turn 1
Interesting objectives - Priority Orders for the Neurothrope are to kill something in Hand-to-Hand (Blood and Guts). It's not impossible, I guess, but it's not likely either! Luckily, the other two are much better. Dominate is a nice simple 'use powers' one, and Supremacy is also pretty doable.
No point hanging back, for the most part, although one Genestealer squad lurks at the back to keep an eye on any sudden arrivals.
The Hive Tyrant gets a good advance, Horrifies the Intercessors and casts Onslaught on himself. The Neurothrope further buffs him with Catalyst, then he shoots an Intercessor and fails his charge on the Tac Marines even after a reroll. And then that's it, really, nothing else is in range.
But! Points are scored, and I roll high for both of them, so I'm off to a big early lead.
Ultramarines Turn 1
Hotspur also gets Priority Orders. Smashy just has to Take No Prisoners, not something he'll be doing yet. But soon... Otherwise, Hotspur is stuck with Psychological Warfare (ho ho) and Area Denial. Tall orders!
Bang - down comes the drop pod as Chronus hurriedly speeds to the other side of the castle so he can see the Tyrant. Disappointingly, the Chaplain can't do his chanting as he wasn't on the board at the start of the turn, but the sudden arrival of expert Tyranid killers all over my back line is pretty dismaying.
Then the culling begins.
Between them, the Dreadnought, Intercessors and Scouts wipe out the Gargoyles, with a final burst of help from the Drop Pod to take down the last pair. The Veterans do splendid work too, taking out a unit of Genestealers before Chronus gets a trio of hits on the Hive Tyrant. Luckily, my shields are high, and nothing actually gets through.
Then both units of Veterans manage very competent charges! One unit takes on the Zoonathropes, merely scuffing a wound off, but the other puts a large crimp in the Neurothrope, leaving it on a pair of wounds. Eek!
As well as First Blood, Hotspur ditches Psychological Warfare.
Tyranids Turn 2
'Nids may not take morale tests, but I do, and I'm failing mine. The new draw of Objectives are Assassinate, which is doable (on a miracle of a turn, I could even kill all three of his characters for extra points!), and Take No Prisoners, which is fine.
Right - the 'thropes all get out of dodge and prepare to smite. The reserves also spring into action, the back line genestealers heading for that nice exposed Chaplain as the rest charge forward. The Hive Tyrant needs to deal with that tank, and advances forward to within a short charge.
Shooting is obviously pretty tame. Plinking three wounds off Chronus and a single one off the Dreadnought isn't going to solve anything. Can charging?
Nope. The Tyrannocyte tries a long charge, but merely loses wounds to overwatch. When the larger Genestealer squad tries it on with the Scouts, I run foul of Defensive Focus, a new strategem that lets up to three nearby units join in with Overwatch. The Dreadnought immediately butchers nearly half the squad thanks to rerolls from the Captain, and then the rest fail the charge anyway!
In the end, I try and take out the Tactical Marines, eating three. The Chaplain quickly interrupts, but rolls appallingly - one hit, even with rerolls, and it doesn't wound! Alas, his Rosarius helps him out, and it takes me two rounds of combat (Adrenal Surge) to eat him. Feeder Tendrils might help regain those spent CPs, but no - this is a Chaplain of very little brain, and I learn nothing helpful.
 |
| "What do you mean, it's empty?" |
Hmm - could have been better. But I'm still scoring!
Objectives scored: Take No Prisoners (1), Assassinate (1)
Ultramarines Turn 2
Kingslayer pops up in Hotspur's draw. Cheerfully, the Tyrannic War Veterans sharpen their knives and head for the Neurothrope. Everyone else just spools their guns, although the remaining Tac Marines also leave combat.
Doctrines, they're a thing now! Hotspur declares the shift to Tactical, so the Scions of Gulliman rule is also active. No movement penalties to hit for these Marines, and I brace for fire.
Of which there is much. Helped by the Smash Captain, Chronus cripples the Hive Tyrant with 10 wounds, then the Intercessors finish it off with a punishing volley. The Drop Pod picks off a genestealer, the Scouts and Dreadnought wipe out the rest of the deep strike genies and the reduced Genestealers are shot down by the Tactical Marines.
If I thought my army was getting small, it's not over yet - the Tyrannic War Veterans can generate a pretty nasty number of attacks on the charge, and manage to kill the Neurothrope before it can regenerate any more wounds.
Objectives scored: Kingslayer (1), Slay the Warlord (1)
Tyranids Turn 3
Trying to hide a few psychic monsters in my own backline feels like a familiar story for this army! New objectives at least play to this a bit. Defend 2 is right where the few remaining Genestealers are, so they get into as much cover as they can. Psychological Warfare is what I feel like I'm losing already.
The Zooanthropes keep falling back and the Tyrannocyte floats backwards to cover their retreat. Shooting and psychics see the death of the last Veterans, but there's no points to be had - I just need to hang tight and hope for more good cards.
No points for me, anyway. In my haste to retreat, I give Area Denial to Hotspur!
Ultramarines Turn 3
Seeing the tide turned back, the Ultramarines advance gladly up the field. Their new orders are to Seize 4 (under the Scouts) and 5 (my backline), and I don't have much to stop them doing it.
From their new vantage point, the Genestealers are very well covered at least. Until I remember that the damn drop pod isn't just scenery! It rakes two of them down, then the Dreadnought manages to get its heavy Onslaught cannon in as well, and that's my defending unit gone. Chronus neatly incises the Tyrannocyte with Lascannon fire, and then nobody can actually reach what I have left.
Might not quite make it through this one, I feel.
Objectives scored: Sieze Objective 4 (1)
Tyranids Turn 4
The last remaining Zooanthropes cower behind as much cover as I can get. Which isn't much, there's that Drop Pod. It can eat a smite at least, although a single wound isn't even really leaving much of a mark.
I'd like to pretend I drew good objectives, but I didn't.
Objectives scored: no
Ultramarines Turn 4
Show's over folks, nothing to see here. Seizing Objective 6 with the Captain and 1 with the Tactical Marines, Hotspur winds up the game with a Hellfire Shell and Lascannon combo that wipes off the last two Zooanthropes. I'm out of there!
Objectives scored: Seize Objectives 6 and 1 (2), and then Linebreaker (1) plus Spoils of War bonus for more Seize Objectives scored (1)
Result: 9:8 and a tabling to the Ultramarines!
Locker Room
Well, Ultramarines are certainly in a good place now! As are Marines generally.
That was a proper schooling for me. I was lucky with my early objectives, otherwise I'd never really have been in the game. All the same, I know Hotspur was intimidated by my army. Forgetting the adrenal glands on the Tyrant was also a silly mistake, he'd have been in combat on turn one with that and possible even close enough to make an easier charge on the tank later. Not sure why I didn't reroll the failed Onslaught casting, that could also have made for a tougher game, but I suspect the Smash Captain would have taken the Tyrant out even if Chronus didn't.
The Ultramarines are a really hard army for Tyranids to deal with now. You can't tie them up in combat, they just run off and keep shooting. And drop pods are fun again! Tyranids are supposed to pull off turn one charges, not Marines. I got pinned in the middle of the field by those Veterans, and shot apart appropriately.
Some of their new strategems are very effective, and the added bonuses of Tactical Doctrines and Shock Assault put the Marines sort of where they should be - i.e. good at everything and properly imposing on the field.
Maybe too good?
As a non-Marine player, I was surprised to see all these new abilities not adding to the cost of marines. As a Marine player now, obviously I'm pleased to see them in a good place, and they certainly feel equal to the fluff now!
All the same, both of us agree that GW might have pushed them back a little far. Did Aggressors really need an extra wound to be good, for example? And after the bonuses of Bolter Drill, are the Doctrines really called for?
I don't know, maybe FAQs will redress it over time. Or more likely, whatever horrific shenanigans all the other armies pull in the forthcoming Psychic Awakening. All the same, it's great seeing the Marines looking powerful again. Once I get my own finished up, I'm looking forward to using them very much!
Ouch. Poor bugs.
ReplyDeleteI quite like the fact that Space Marines are once again fearsome, and I'm trusting Chapter Approved to iron out any imbalances, but I hope you get better luck next time!