Ammo Problems: Tyranids vs Blood Angels

All those marines I painted over the last two months come to about 1500 points. Better have a battle to see how they handle! Cue General Kasfunatu and a skype battle - read on for the details.

The Millstone of Guilt sped in pursuit of the pair of cargo lighters that had just left Drawbridge's orbit, hurtling towards a huge hauler ship that lay in deep orbit. If the cargo of Tyranids onboard reached the freighter, they would rip through the crew and infest the ship. Stopping them was paramount, yet the Mantis Warrior's battle barge had begun the chase out of position, and the lighters had a considerable head start. 

As the lighters closed on their target, the Mantis Warriors realised they couldn't prevent the lighters from docking. Their course of action was clear - they would have to destroy the hauler ship rather than risk the Tyranids capturing it. The loss of materiel, millions of tons of ammunition destined for a war front in the distant Rylstone system, would be a crushing blow. But it was better than the alternative. 

As the lighters clamped themselves into position and the Millstone primed its macrocannons, it received a signal from the hauler. Broadcasting on Astartes frequencies, the message was short and to the point. 

+++Stand down, brother Astartes. Do not fire. The xenos will be purged. Rylstone protects its own, in His name.+++

Red in Tooth and Claw

A grand and a half is our points limit tonight. This list is running as Gorgon, as I'm going to want to make sure my wounds stick in combat against the superior marine armour. That gives me rerolls of one for all melee, plus a psychic power for the boss that gives him a 9" aura of -1 ap to melee weapons in range. 

Several medium swarms of the lesser bugs to grab objectives, with the usual line-up of bigger guys for hitting power. And some medium range bugs too, Zooanthropes, Hive Guard and Warriors to give the marines something to wrestle with. Finally, both my Carnifexes with all their gear. Something of everything, basically, with Gargoyles sprinkled on top as a forward element.

It's a big mass of ugly bugs, all in all - seethe forwards and swamp the foe! But my opponents tonight are a tough match for Tyranids. I might be able to outshoot them, just about, but they probably have the edge in my traditional strength, melee...

Hive Fleet Afanc Battalion - 1499 points, 10 CPs

• HQ - Hive Tyrant, Warlord with Monstrous Rending Talons, Twin Deathspitters with Brain Leeches (or whatever they're called), Accelerated Digestion adaptation, Resonance Barb relic, Catalyst, Poisonous Influence and Smite powers 
• HQ - Neurothrope with Smite and Psychic Scream
• HQ - Brood Lord with The Horror and Smite
• Troops - 9 x Genestealers
• Troops - 4 x Tyranid Warriors, 3 with Deathspitters and Bone Swords, one with Venom Cannon and Rending Talons, Enhanced Resistance adaptation
• Troops - 20 x Termagants with Flesh Borers
• Troops - 3 x Ripper Swarms
• Elites - 3 x Hive Guard with Impaler Cannons
• Elites - 3 x Zooanthropes
• Fast Attack - 10 x Gargoyles
• Fast Attack - 10 x Gargoyles
• Heavy Support - Carnifex with Bioplasma, four Deathspitters with Brain Leeches, Spore Cysts
• Heavy Support - Carnifex with Enhanced Senses, Heavy Venom Cannon, Crushing Claws and Spine Banks

Blood and Angels

It's the Crypt Saints, tonight masquerading as Blood Angels. If you squint, they do look a bit like Death Company marines...

The list is a straightforward grab of everything I just painted for Kas. Mephiston leads, although he's using standard Marine powers instead of the Sanguinary ones (and only 2 as a result). A Lieutenant and an upgraded Chaplain to follow, then a Bladeguard Ancient (also upgraded), his trio of pals and a Judicar. The Ancient has a relic that strips nearby enemies of Objective Secured (didn't even spot that), so although there aren't many of them, they can still hold ground. 

Three packs of Assault Intercessors with various sergeant weapons, the Eradicators and two sets of Outriders, then an Impulsor with missile launcher to help drag them upfield.

It's not got a lot of firepower compared to some marine lists, maybe? But there's a surprising amount there, especially from the Outriders (I have used them twice before, once amazing, and once they bounced off deathguard marines... so must pick targets). And with Blood Angel traits (extra attacks everywhere, plus they wound more easily) turns this lot into an actual woodchipper that can mulch pretty much anything with ease once they tuck in. 

Crypt Saints Battalion, 1499 points, 12 CPs

HQ - Mephiston with his standard gear, Null Zone, Might of Heroes and Smite

HQ - Primaris Master of Sanctity Chaplain with Litanies of Hate, Might, Destruction and... another one he never used, god, it was like the whole book of Psalms in there

HQ - Primaris Lieutenant with Neo-Volkite pistol, Storm Shield

Troops - 6 Assault Intercessors, Sarge has a hand flamer

Troops - 5 Assault Intercessors, Sarge has a power fist

Troops - 5 Assault Intercessors, Sarge has a plasma pistol

Elites - 3 Bladeguard Veterans

Elites - Judicar

Elites - Bladeguard Ancient with Visage of Death relic

Fast Attack - 3 Outriders

Fast Attack - 3 Outriders

Heavy Support - 3 Eradicators with Heavy Melta Rifles

Dedicated Transport - Impulsor with Bellicatus Missile array

There are several units that will be trying for the first time. I was worried given the number of nid units and their ability to swarm the objectives; and as Kraken pointed out: probably out-shoot me. I was going to be putting a lot of hope in the Eradicators to delete big monsters. 

Mission 

The GT pack has randomly committed us to Surround and Destroy, a six-objective fight with pretty standard rules and set-up. 

Marine Secondaries: (accepted with some doubt, but without a better alternative took Kraken's advice)

1. Surround and Destroy, the mission specific one. 4 VPs in your end phase if you hold both your own backline objectives and one in your opponent's deployment zone, doubling up if you can take both of the enemy's. 
2. Thin Their Ranks, because Tyranids
3. Domination, works well with the mission one, giving 3 VPs if you hold half or more of the objectives available

Tyranid Secondaries:

1. Assassinate, as there are lots of characters
2. Psychic Interrogation, as there are lots of characters and I've got lots of psykers
3. Raise the Banners, as my crappier troops can try this on for victory instead of trying their inadequate guns against marine armour

Terrain and Deployment

This is taking place in the corridors of an Imperial Heavy Freighter, so lots of line of sight issues but not much cover; pretty much everything is scaleable, but very little is breachable. Taller bits of scenery are obscuring. 

I'm the defender here, and went for a broad spread across my end of the board with both units of Gargoyles and the Rippers in deep strike. Shooty/Psychic on the right side, Swarmy/Chargy for the middle and left, and the Hive Tyrant is in the middle to hit wherever they're weakest.

The Crypt Saints also spread thin, basically looking at assault rushes on either flank with the Eradicators taking cover behind the central bulkheads, ready to fire on whatever looks nastiest. One Outrider pack lurks in Reserve, ready for later. 

Overall, here we are!

Kas takes first turn - the Angels aren't hanging around!

This was not an immediately obvious decision for once; with short range weaponry and knowing the Nids would want to also advance, I did consider letting Kraken go first. Undecided I let dice gods decide and did an extra roll-off for myself: I went first.

(That indecision has just been solved for you with the new FAQ - from now on, the person who wins the roll-off goes first, willy-nilly!)

Crypt Angels Turn 1

The whole Marine line basically starts pegging it forward, revving their chainswords and singing. The only ones not jogging on are the Judicar and one unit of Intercessors, who hang back on objectives. The Chaplain gets Exhortation of Rage up, but not his own boosts from Mantra of Strength - all the same, that's a very nasty block of combat power barrelling down the field!

The Power Fist Intercessors pile out of the Impulsor and grab a central objective, the Bladeguard advance onto the other one. Mephiston then boosts the Power Fist Sarge with Might of Heroes, who more or less shouts "I Dare You" at the Tyranid monsters ahead. 

Shooting's a bit less scary than usual. The Eradicators are hidden behind a huge wall (two edged sword, I figured in deployment that I would be forgoing first turn shooting, but also keeping them safe and could get to position for turn two), so it's down to the Outriders and Impulsor to shoot as everyone else is a bit far off. Just as well - almost half the Termagants are slaughtered in short order, and a Krak missile blasts three wounds off the crab claw Carnifex as a starter. 

So already, the Marines have more than half the objectives and thus scoring with Domination. But their early advance has definitely left them in range of a counter-strike!

Tyranids Turn 1

Better make this count. So the central strike force heads forwards, although I hang back on the flanks to plant banners with the Zooanthropes and Termagants, supported by the Hive Guard and Warriors respectively. 

The Psychic Phase is okay - I get Catalyst off on the Tyrant and The Horror on the Bladeguard Veterans, and the Neurothrope smites off a Bladeguard, but either fail or get denied on everything else. 

So I overcompensate a bit on shooting, giving the Tyrant Pathogenic Slime to boost his damage. He still only takes out a single Marine, but he's an easy charge away from the Assault Intercessors. The Heavy Venom Carnifex very nearly takes out an Outrider, then the Warriors bounce off their armour as the other Carnifex totally fails to hurt anyone at all. The Hive Guard do hopelessly, totally failing to hurt even a single Assault Intercessor in the advancing pack. 

I therefore overcompensate a bit more on combat! The Genestealers charge, but swamp the Bladeguard rather too effectively, leaving no room for their Broodlord to reach in and support. The Clawnifex thunders into the Outriders, flattening one on the charge, and the Hive Tyrant strides into a hail of overwatch, somehow losing two wounds to Krak and pistol fire. 

But I'm in! The Genestealers are my most frail unit, so go first. I've managed to get out of range of the Broodlord's aura too, and what with their high saves, the Bladeguard only lose a single member. The Chaplain and Ancient have intervened here, so I'm probably in trouble...

But not as much as I am when the boosted Power Fist Sarge and his squad interrupt and savage the Tyrant! Four more wounds despite Catalyst and his general toughness - these Blood Angel surrogates are pretty vicious in combat. So I'm bracketed before I even begin, but I do well. Three marines down is a good start, and also heals me for three wounds with my super-fast digestion adaptation. Tasty! 

The Carnifex does badly, merely wounding another Outrider, then the remaining two completely murder him as the marines on the other side wipe the Genestealers down to a single model. Again overcompensating, I go round again with the Tyrant and Adrenaline Rush, but completely whiff for no effect. 

At least I score! Two points on banners, hurrah hurrah!

Crypt Angels Turn 2

The surviving Intercessors fall back from the Tyrant, as Mephiston musters a Null Zone despite my best rerolled efforts to stop him. The Lieutenant runs to help the Eradicators, who are in the perfect place for a shot. It's some good shooting, too - something like seventeen wounds in total, easily enough to fell the wounded beast. (2 shots each, and 2 in short range for the damage boost meant from the 3 hits that hurt, it was 10 wounds before dice rolling).

The Outriders zip towards the Termagants, shooting a few and utterly mopping the rest up in combat. 

The Ancient falls back from the surviving Genestealer, leaving the last Bladeguard to finish it off (although he takes a wound in the process). The Chaplain and the Intercessors, singing various hymns of destruction and rage, run straight for the Broodlord. 

As you'd expect, with a million bazillion attacks between them (and a couple of wounds from pistol fire first), they totally floor the hapless critter in combat, but I'm at least able to use Death Frenzy to try and eat the Chaplain on the way down. It's close, but he does well on his saves and only takes two wounds before the chainsword pack follow up into the Carnifex behind. 

The Crypt Saints are well ahead already, with plenty of the biggest and nastiest Tyranids already tied up or dead, and almost the entire board under their control. There's a hill to climb for the 'Nids!

Tyranids Turn 2

Gargoyles surge into the backfield. For a moment, it was going to be the Termagants, resurrected with Endless Swarm! But then I remembered that costs reinforcement points that I didn't have. Very useless strategem, that, it really needs bringing in line with stuff like Tides both Green and of Traitors. 

Well, I'll use what I have - The Warriors jump over their defence line and go for the Outriders, the brain bug quartet float forward to get lines of sight on the assault troops. Alas, the psychic phase is a total wash, with only a single wound scored by the Neurothrope. That's bad, I was needing some death there. 

Shooting is also a lame duck - the Hive Guard once again disappoint, only taking a single Intercessor from the power fist squad. Wiping that would have denied an objective, but it's not to be. The Warriors try to kill the Outriders, and don't manage it, although they at least kill one on the subsequent charge.

Carnifexes can shoot in combat, did you know? And with Pathogenic Slime, they're pretty good at it. Three Assault Intercessors go down to a close-range barrage of worms, then the Carnifex very nearly stomps the Chaplain to death! But he can't finish Padre. The remaining marines can't finish off the big guy either, not even with a second round of combat. His last wound is there for the taking though, and I'm looking very sparse indeed. 

Those backline Gargoyles? Well, they did nothing, as you might well expect. And don't watch this space for their subsequent performance...

Crypt Angels Turn 3

...because the reserve Outriders appear and shoot all of them away instants later. 

It's another thoroughly brutal round from the Crypt Marines, especially now we're in Assault Doctrine and they get even more attacks. 

The Intercessors fall back from the Carnifex, but before the Eradicators can shoot it, the Impulsor slips a sneaky Krak missile into it, and it's gone. So the melta guys pop up and fry a Zooanthrope before the last Bladeguard and Ancient run in and slaughter the rest without apparent effort. And there was me thinking 3+ invulns were a bit OP. 

Mephiston runs to the aid of the Outrider Sarge, blendering through the Warriors in scant seconds. If I thought I was on the back foot at the start of this turn, I'm now limping along on a bleeding, severed stump. 

Tyranids Turn 3

Not much to do here - bring on the last of the Gargoyles, who achieve their usual glorious zilch (failing both shooting and charging). The Neurothrope smites the Ancient to within an inch of his life, which means I could just about bite his head off in combat with a fair following wind. Alas, the Ancient winds up with his pointy flag, I roll a triple zero for the saves required, so it's goodbye brainy boy and hello all-new flag topper. 

At this point, the Hive Guard slink sheepishly away into the darkness, as they're moments away from being overrun by butch psychopaths with slaughterhouse tools, and there's already an insurmountable difference in points. Game!

Result: 48:14 to the Crypt Saints!

Crypt Saints - 25 on Primaries, 9 on Domination, 8 on Surround and Destroy, 6 on Thin Their Ranks

Tyranids - 10 on Primaries, 4 on Raise the Banners

Locker Room

I'd picked all the secondaries beforehand (and both lists) to speed up getting into the game, and I could hear Kas's raised eyebrows as he considered the wisdom of having to run towards the Tyranids in order to score his objectives. After all, as a great general once said, "any plan that involves running headlong into a mass of Tyranids deserves to get chewed up and spat out."

Whoever he was, that general clearly never reckoned on Blood Angels.

I was wrong to question. One unit of intecessors fired a couple of pot shots, but mostly just huddled round the objective; same with the judiciar who I will still claim I have not played. 

Good grief, that's a horrifying experience! The extra pip to wound is very punishing alongside such a blizzard of attacks, and I made it worse by sending my army into the combine harvester piecemeal. Hanging back for another turn and shooting a few more away, then descending en masse would have been far more effective. So would keeping the Gargoyles on from turn one, they could have rushed the Eradicators over the wall and tied them up (which is about all they'd have been good for, sadly - interesting to see they've just dropped in points in the latest update, as have many of the units used in this game!). 

New army, new rules, and only looking at the list about 30minutes before the game, I know I made mistakes and or did not use things I could. One mistake that incorrectly went in my favour was I spotted the +1 to wound on the charge at some point in turn 2; but only kicks in turn 3 assault doctrine. It might have prolonged some of the fights, although given overkill in a few places and some of the more devastating meat grinding happened in round 3 anyway: it may be moot. Sorry.

No worries! Good to see, however, that the world is returning to normal and my dice are behaving as they ought to. I was worried by the end of last year the Dice Gods had chosen me for terrible favour, but now the freakshow of 2020 is done, it's business as usual for the One Machine!

Thanks for first game in a while. Good to get back to rolling some dice.

Campaign Update

As the Tyranids poured from the lighters into the cavernous hold of the freighter, a line of dark-armoured marines emerged from the shadows. 

Crypt Saints. A small detachment, sent to protect the precious ammunition shipments needed for the reclamation campaign against the T'au in their home system. The Tyranids walked straight into a murderous charge of assault specialists. In concentrated, ferocious silence they wiped the Tyranid force out to the last. The freighter was cleared, their ammunition shipment was intact.

No explanation of the shadowy chapter's presence was requested. The Mantis Warriors knew full well the burden of guilt and shame carried by the Crypt Saints. Their actions here would help carry the day against the xenos tide both here on Drawbridge and back in Rylstone. It was a tiny part of the penance they'd require to overcome the shame of their splintered renegade faction, the Crypt Angels, but it was a step in the right direction. 

Or so they thought.