Cometh the Mantis: Tyranids vs Mantis Warriors

 Let's finish this!

Commissar Haart tried to get to his feet. Everything was too much - the noise as the entire gunline of Marines hammered away with their bolters and the Tyranids screeched and howled, the smell of blood and cordite, the intense jungle heat. His head swam, his knees were weak. 

A huge armoured hand grabbed him by his collar - him, an Imperial Commissar of the elite Hagan Lampreys! - and hauled him up. The marine's helmet was impassive, other than the angry red flare of his autosense lenses, but there was no mistaking the impatience of the Astartes. 

"Get up," the space marine growled, firing his bolter one-handed into the onrushing swarm. "The Emperor requires that the xenos die. Your duty calls!"

Haart pulled himself out of the Astartes' grip and tried to sight down his bolt pistol. His arm shook, the gun seemed so heavy. Where was their support? Where were the rest of the Lampreys? 

It's part two of the Drawbridge Campaign Conclusion! 

(Part one is here)

We're picking this giant battle report up exactly where we left off. We're half-way through, both sides have taken a beating and it's the Mantis Warriors third turn. Here's a quick breakdown of what's left on either side.

Afanc Unleashed

I've been plenty blooded so far, but there's still a lot left. And it's all in striking range! If Stylus can't clear the decks a bit, I'll be mopping off them shortly. Despite the bulk of my lesser troops having been mowed down, I have a lot of nasty psykers, big bugs and a couple of swarms still inbound. Here's what I'm packing:

• Hive Tyrant (5 wounds) (HQ)
• Broodlord (HQ)
• Neurothrope (HQ)
• Tervigon (HQ)
• 18 x Genestealers (Troops)
• 7 x Genestealers (Troops)
• 5 x Hormagaunts (Troops)
• 6 x Ripper Swarms (Troops)
• 8 x Tyranid Warriors (Troops)
• 2 x Hive Guard (Elites)
• 3 x Venomthropes (Elites)
• 3 x Zoanthropes (Elites)
• 8 x Gargoyles (Fast)
• 3 x Raveners (Fast)
• 1 x Mucoid Spore (Fast)
• 1 x Mucoid Spore (Fast)
• Carnifex (Heavy)
• Tyrannocyte (Transport)
• Sporocyst (Fortification)

Mantispower

Mantis Remnant

I, Stylus, take command of this last stand once again. We seem to have lost all our big guns - Land Raider, Vindicator and Land Speeder, as well as sacrificing the scouts and scion allies as smite-screens and speed bumps. I'm also down a squad of Intercessors and Tactics, our Primaris Librarian is tottering and neither Chaplain is looking too clever.

The advantage is that it's my turn, and I have two squads of Assault Intercessors in reserve. Better make 'em count. Drawbridge expects!

• Captain in Gravis Armor (6 wounds) (Warlord)(HQ)
• Chaplain (1 wound) (HQ) 
• Librarian (HQ)
• Primaris Chaplain (2 wounds) (HQ)
• Primaris Librarian (1 wound) (HQ)
• Primaris Lieutenant (HQ)
• 5 x Assault Intercessor Squad (Troops)
• 5 x Assault Intercessor Squad (Troops)
• 5 x Tactical Squad (Troops)
• 5 x Tactical Squad (Troops)
• 3 x Tactical Squad (Troops)
• 1 x Bladeguard Veteran Squad (Elite)
• 5 x Company Veterans (Elite)
• Judiciar (Elite)
• Primaris Ancient (Elite)
• 4 x Relic Terminator Squad (Elite)
• 6 x Bike Squad (Fast)
• 3 x Inceptor Squad (Fast)
• Drop Pod (Transport)
• Rhino Transport)

Without further ado - here we go!

Mantis Warriors - Turn 3

Haart wasn't sure how the battle could get louder, but somehow it did. Like a bass roll of kettle drums, the engines of a group of bikes blared to life just behind him. How had he missed them, right there? In a tight pack, they revved out of sight, leaving behind torn turf and a haze of sand. 

A crackling blast drew his attention. Not fifteen yards away, one of the robed marines was duelling with the massive Tyrant. Both seemed to move in a kind of daze - the Tyrant's eyes blazed with orange fire, thin flickers of which assailed the marine's crested helmet so that he tried to shield himself with the mirrored blade of the enormous, blunt-ended greatsword he held in one hand. In his other, he thrust out a heavy gold hourglass, from whose crystal chambers a pure blue light shone, seemingly reaching out to the winged monster that towered over him. Its plated hide was bathed in the light, almost encasing it in a crystalline aura, and Haart saw that despite its knotted muscles, it was struggling to move through the glowing field. 

But the Tyrant was too big. Even as its foot-long talons struggled to close round the marine's shoulders, the pipe-like snake of its tail, tipped with a massive clawed pincer, coiled round behind the Astartes, ready to strike from outside of the protective light. 

Out of the burning wreck of the Land Raider strode the blue-robed psyker Haart had noticed before, helmet broken open and cold lightning crackling from his hand. He covered the ground from the wreck to the Tyrant in a few fast strides, chanting as he came, and threw a spear of burning energy against the winged behemoth. 

Haart sunk back to his knees, overwhelmed. 

I'm still in the Tactical doctrine, which may be a mistake considering the amount of melee I'm dealing with, but I also have a lot of shooting to do, and that damn Jormungandr armour to get through. Both Chaplains begin well by failing their litanies (unsurprising, as one is busy trying to hold in his guts, and the other his brains).

Nothwithstanding, I am going to have to get into the fight this turn. The Mantis Warriors (being White Scars successors) can fall back and charge, which allows me a certain amount of shucking and jiving in this target-rich environment.

The Tactical squad in the sea falls back from the Genestealers, while the Chaplain and Relic Terminators fall back from the small Genestealer brood and Venomthropes. The Bladeguard sergeant is surrounded by Tyranid Warriors, and the Rhino is swarmed by Gargolyes, so they're going nowhere.

The Captain advances towards the Tervigon, backed up the Judiciar, who can take a break from his heroic stand against the Hive Tyrant. Coming from the other side, the Veterans move against the Raveners (who are screening Big Momma), followed by the Librarian (which leaves the Chaplain to his own struggle against the Neurothrope).

My shooting units are next to line up: the Inceptors close in on the Hive Guard, while the Bikes streak across the backline to draw a bead on the Genestealers.

And finally - the cavalry arrive! Both squads of Assault Intercessors appear from strategic reserve, ready to pounce on the Tyranid Warriors. My left flank has almost completely collapsed, so I need to put all the force I have left into retaking it (or at least shoring it up so the centre doesn't fall too).

My Psychic Phases have been a bust so far, so it's a welcome relief when the badly-wounded Primaris Librarian hobbles towards the Hive Tyrant and blasts him with a Smite. He then follows up with a Lightning Call and the big monster is obliterated by the heavens' wrath - good start!

It's a decent shooting phase to follow - the Inceptors let rip on the sea-dwelling Hive Guard and blast them into chum. The Bikers open up on the Genestealers, gunning down half of them. None of my tactical squad heavy weapons manage anything, but the bolters combine with the Relic Terminators to reduce the smaller brood of Genestealers to a couple left.

Time to charge! The Relic Terminators go back into the Venomthropes, the Primaris Chaplain assaults the two Genestealers (not backed up by the Ancient, who decides he'd rather stay on the hill and look after the banner). The Bikers smash into the Gargoyles on the Rhino, and the Gravis Captain takes on the Tervigon single-handed (since the Judiciar didn't quite make it in).

The last action may have been foolhardy, but the Captain is tooled-up for monster-slaying and my main concern is keeping the bugs from overrunning the objectives.

The fighting starts with the Assault Intercessors. I didn't have the CP to spend Adaptive Strategy on them (which would have blended the Tyranid Warriors), but the sheer volume of attacks chops down almost all of the bugs - until we remember that they have Catalyst on them and, to my horror, half of them stand back up again!

I only lose one Intercessor in reply, but there goes my chance of sweeping the flank.

On the seaward side, the Gargoyles are no match for the Bikers, who bat them away from the Rhino with ease.

Similarly, the Venomthropes can't withstand the odd collection of melee weapons the Relic Terminators have brought along, and are effortlessly pasted.

The Chaplain doesn't kill either of the Genestealers, but at least survives the counterattack. In the title fight, the Captain whiffs his attacks, only putting a couple of wounds on the Tervigon, and gets slashed up badly by one of the claws in return.

Sensing their boss in peril, the Veterans cut through the Raveners easily (the Sergeant with the thunder hammer manages it by himself) and consolidate into the back of the Tervigon.

That was a pretty good punch back, and it only gets better when the biggest pack of Genestealers fail their morale check, and lose over half their remaining number to combat attrition. That's a big help on the seaward flank, even if things are still touch-and-go inland.

Hive Fleet Afanc - Turn 4

As the din of the psychic battle grew less, Haart found he had the nerve to look up again. 

The Tyrant lay in a broken heap, shell crushed and burning in a dozen places. The fire in its eyes had gone out for good, and the marines were already moving on with lethal efficiency. 

Was the air clearing? The smoke from the Land Raider's destruction was dissipating. He could see the sky again in places. This was momentary, however, a missile streaked past overhead leaving a black trail behind it as it flashed into the trees, exploding against the side of an abandoned control tower. He flinched involuntarily, reaching out for the hand of the marine who'd helped him up. 

The marine was gone, pacing backwards between bursts of snap fire. Haart crawled after him, glancing over his shoulder to see what he was shooting at. 

A monster even bigger than the Tyrant had burst from the cover of the vegetation, a fat-bodied thing like a spider's nightmare. Its jagged legs towered over the walls of the bunker where he'd been minutes before, and its bloated belly drooled wet, soft-shelled egg sacs and mucus. The two robed marines were running straight for it as the covering fire from their battle brothers burst ineffectually against its armoured hunchback. 

And then the vegetation rustled again, disgorging a clutch of blade-armed lesser beasts that ambushed the two marines, blind-siding them.  

It's not looking great, I must admit, after that - there's a lot less left of the hive than I was hoping, and a damn sight too many marines! Those deserting genestealers in particular have a lot to answer for. 

However, I can make do. The Carnifex comes to the aid of the Tervigon, the remaining Genestealers rush the Chaplain in the middle and the Zooanthropes try to keep moving forwards. On the landward side, the Rippers take the objective as the Mucolid Spores drift towards the Assault Intercessors, and the Brood Lord moves to support the Warrior brood. 

The Psychic phase sees a good deal of smiting. The Tervigon kills the Captain, the Neurothrope finishes the Chaplain and nearly finishes the Librarian at the back, and the Zooanthropes take down another Terminator as they grab the beach objective. The Broodlord keeps Catalyst on the Warriors, who badly need some help.

The charging Genestealers eat the Chaplain in the middle, and my last command point goes on eating his brain. And it's rich and superior stuff, as you'd expect - three command points back, which is a huge boon! Alas, that's most of the rest of the good news. The Broodlord fails his charges, and the Warriors can only muster the strength to kill one more Assaulter without his help, although at least I take down another with a mucolid mine. 

Alas, it's now the Assault Doctrine, and those chainswords are pretty lethal now. But Catalyst once more comes to my rescue - somehow, I shrug off enough of about a dozen wounds to preserve a pair of the brutish warriors, so that rescue charge has faltered somewhat! 

The Hormagaunts, who've pulled a lovely Jurassic Park ambush on the wounded Primaris Librarian, totally fall foul of the Judiciar. The bugger intervenes, then uses his hourglass to slap a slow on the whole squad - I thought it could only do one model! Obviously five gaunts don't fare well against a pair of Marine heroes. 

Then all but one of the Genestealers die to Terminator punching. And although the Carnifex and Tervigon brutalise the Company Veterans (killing all but one, who actually flees!), they're both limping after the fight and looking rather exposed... 

Mantis Warriors - Turn 4

Haart lifted his pistol. He could fire it, he knew he still could. It was loaded, the safety was off. Clutching it two-handed, he tried to hold it still, although it bucked and twitched madly in his grip. If he could put a round in that monster's eye, maybe he could stop it crashing through the robed marines. Maybe he could stop it bounding forward into his own body, crushing him flat under its hideous bulk, skewering his ribcage with one of those vile spear-like legs...

The trigger was made of stone, one solid part of the useless mass in his hand. It was too heavy to lift, his palsied arms couldn't manage the weight. Tears streaming down his face, he looked away. 

The Assault doctrine - I made it! I also feel like I've got a toehold on at least a minor victory (holding two of the objectives). But I want to push back and take all three - that will secure a win for the whole Drawbridge campaign!

The two squads of Assault Intercessors fall back - one aiming to take on the Broodlord, the other looking to return and finish off the Tyranid Warrior.

Having dealt with the Hive Guard, the Inceptor fly over towards the Neurothrope, looking for some payback for their Chaplain.

The Librarian moves to take on the wounded Carnifex, while the Judiciar has eyes on the bigger prize of the Tervigon.

The Rhino (inexplicably still on full wounds) moves to ram into Tyrannocyte, while the Tactical squad advances around the beach to try and rejoin the right. The Relic Terminators gird their loins and head for the Zoanthropes, to see how many attacks will bounce off those invulnerable saves.

The Tacticals with the heavy weapons hold fast, as does the Commissar, who is steadfastly guarding the back objective (and not because I've forgotten about him since Turn 1)

The big move for me is to push the Biker squad into the centre. They're my best source of guns (and with a thunder hammer on the sergeant, not bad in melee), and I have a lot of targets to divide between.

The Psychic Phase is nonexistant, since Kraken spends two of his newly-acquired CP on Psychic Fissure, which will give my psykers D3 mortals wounds if they fail a psychic test. Since my Librarians are only on a couple of wounds apiece, and I've been failing for most of the game, I elect to cast no powers.

After some careful measuring of range and visibility, the Bikers split their fire all over the place: the heavy bolter and some bolters go into the Broodlood, bringing him down to a couple of wounds. The other bolters fire into the Genestealers behind, taking down one of them. The melta and plasma gun fire into the Tervigon, and bring it down!

Elsewhere, the Neurothrope is brought to a single wound by the Inceptors' fire, the Assault Intercessor pistols bring down the last Mucolid Spore (it takes help from the heavy weapon Tacticals, but I'm not letting one of those get close again), the Zoanthropes bounce off most of the shots from the Terminators, and the Librarian's krak grenade bounces off the Carnifex.

Into the Assault Phase - the lead squad of Assault Intercessors makes the long charge up the stairs to face the Broodlord, running him through with a power sword. The other squad dives back into the Tyranid Warrior and chops him up.

The Inceptors charge into the Neurothrope (their old Crushing Charge rule would come in handy now) and manage to swat away that final wound. The Bikers reverse into the final Genestealer, and nearly embarrass themselves by fluffing most of their attacks, before rolling over him.

The Librarian takes on the Carnifex, unexpectedly aided by the Judiciar, who finds himself without anything else to charge. The trainee chaplain is keen to prove his worth (there seems to be some vacancies opening up) and, with the aid of the Mantis Warriors' extra damage in the Assault Phase, cuts down the Carnifex.

That takes care of the last of the big bugs, and the Tyranids are now left with no more command units - has the tide finally broken on the green wall?

Hive Fleet Afanc - Turn 5

This is it, Haart thought. So long fighting for my Emperor, so many years, and at the last I failed him. I failed him! I cannot stand against that tide of xenos. I have killed men whose nerve failed in their duty, many times over and for far less. Should I not also pay the price of dereliction?

Better that than feed those horrors, he decided. 

The shaking in his arms lessened. I know what I must do, he told himself, and he slowly sat upright, removed his hat, and placed the muzzle of his pistol against his chin.  

It's desperation now - if I can hold at least one objective, I can at least force the Campaign to rumble on and perhaps regain the upper hand. There's no winning this battle now! 

As such, the Rippers consolidate round the jungle objective, backed by a trio of spore mines from the faithful Sporocyst. The Tyrannocyte flops onto the beach objective where if it gets death throes off it'll do the most damage, the last Zooanthrope fails to cast smite, and I brace for impact. 

After one last trick, of course - the Sporocyst uses Pathogenic Slime to gain an extra pip of damage on its guns, and hoses down the Assault Intercessors, killing two of the nearest squad. I'll take you all with me, you filthy Imperials!

 

Mantis Warriors - Turn 5

"Stay your hand, Josephus."

The voice was soft but powerful, as was the hand that enveloped his, pulling the pistol away from his face and out of his grip.

It was the marine who'd helped him up, once more standing over him. My father seemed that tall to me when I was young, Haart thought.

"Look up. See the Emperor's judgement on the xenos." 

The marine gestured with the smoking barrel of his gun - the beach was clear. Mantis Warriors strode purposefully about, executing those few twitching foes that could still move. The robed marine with the greatsword knelt before his weapon, head bent in benediction, as his Librarian comrade wiped his own blade clean of ichor. 

The hiss of the swarm was gone, replaced with the rush of the surf and the occasional crack of a bolter. 

Haart gaped, then reached for his hipflask.

Victory is at hand! But can I make it a total one? Those Ripper Swarms are objective secured, so getting hold of that landward objective is not yet assured.

Keeping my Tactical squad (and the doughty Commissar) on the back objective, I move the Bikers against the Tyrannocyte.

The Inceptors try and fly across the board, but fall short of supporting fire for the landward attack. That leaves remnants of the Assault Marines - one of whom is just a sergeant - to take on the Ripper Swarms.

Finally free from Shadow In the Warp, the Librarians are able to Smite away the last Neurothrope (that wasn't so hard), which also frees up the Terminators to hit the Tyrannocyte.

The Assault Intercessors both roll short charges, but just about manage to squeak into the Ripper Swarms. Now with double-damage on their chainswords (not to mention power fists), they rip through the multiple wounds and recapture the inland objective.

All that remains is to remove the Tyrannocyte, who crumples in a mass of bolter, plasma, melta and volkite fire.

That's the end of the game, and the whole battleline remains securely in the hands of the Imperium. 

Result: Victory to the Mantis Warriors!

"We won," the marine continued. "To sacrifice yourself now would truly be an unforgivable lapse, Commissar."

Haart ran a hand through the dry stubble on his head, swilled a gulp of Requila round his mouth and spat it out. The marine was right, and his words burned all the worse for it. 

"But I failed," he said. "I couldn't fight them."

The marine's helmet angled to one side as he considered this. "No, you could not. And yet you did not fail. They did. Perhaps you did not do all that you wished today. I have learned over time that surviving a lapse in judgement is not failure. It is an opportunity to do better in the future."

"In my experience, cowards shouldn't get second chances," Haart said. "A man who fails once will fail again." 

The marine shrugged, a curiously ponderous gesture in power armour. "The Tyranids have no cowards amongst their kind. Yet their blind ferocity has served them poorly today. Across this entire continent, their attack on your positions lured them into a trap. They thought to butcher the last of your defences, but our Chapter was ready. They are finished as a force now. Drawbridge stands. They have fallen."

"Drawbridge stands," Haart said as he got to his feet again, and looked across the beach. Countless dead bugs, their purplish blood staining the sand. The abandoned imperial station just beyond the treeline was on fire, scarred by stray missile strikes. Here and there, the yellow and green armour of the Mantis Warriors could be seen amongst the corpses of the Tyranids. He looked back to the armoured helmet of his marine interlocutor.

"Drawbridge stands because your chapter sacrificed my people as bait," he snarled, and flung his hipflask down at the marine's boot. "You could have fought alongside us, and you chose to throw us away."

"We all served the Emperor's purpose," the marine said flatly. "Do not imagine another approach could have succeeded."

"How convenient that this sole tactical avenue leaves your chapter as the heroes of the hour. Meanwhile the Lampreys perished so that you could wipe another blot from your service records. I doubt that history will judge your victory here as kindly as you hope."

"Be warned, Commissar," the marine said. "Doubt is the doorway to heresy."

"As I trust a Mantis Warrior knows," the Commissar said sourly, and turned and walked away.

Locker Room

What an epic time! 

It certainly was! 

It turned into quite a solid win by the end, but I think I rode my luck in the early rounds to keep my big guns alive, and knock out some of the Tyranids' heaviest hitters. The Strategic Reserves rule also played very well for me, since I could hide my best melee units until needed, then bring them out onto the backline, which I needed to defend anyway.

My aim was to take out all the objective scoring units, and I think I managed that well. For all their killing power, I didn't fear the big bugs as much as a lone Termagaunt slipping onto an objective in the final turn.

I'd say the MVP was the big unit of Bikers - they were able to move across my lines and kick out a devastating amount of firepower. Unlike every other game I've played with Mantis Warriors, they were able to use their mobility and striking power, rather than charging forward pell-mell and getting wiped. More bikes please!

Certainly not!

Honourable mentions for the Assault Intercessors and Bladeguard, who synchronise fantastically with the White Scars' doctrines, and also the Judiciar, who is a combat beast (and an expendable one, since he doesn't give out any buffs). And also for the humble Tactical squad - those extra wounds really do add a lot more sticking power and they're far better performers.

Armed as ever with hindsight, I think I'd have done a lot better if I'd concentrated my forces on one or the other flank and tried to then sweep across, something I could probably have done with the relative speed of the Tyranids. Placing the Sporocyst more centrally for better fields of fire, and actually putting the Broodlord with some Genestealers would also have been helpful! 

There's probably a discussion to be had sometime about game balance, given the mismatch in points, but I think I'd likely just be rehashing generally acknowledged truths. I'd definitely bring the second Hive Tyrant (or a Swarmlord) out if I was doing this again - I didn't because I thought it might be unsporting in a list already heavy with HQs, but that shows what I know! But much kudos to Stylus, who wielded the once-underwhelming Mantis Warriors with skilled aplomb. That's how its done, and I certainly don't mind seeing them doing so well!

So a great game, and thanks again to Kraken for building the incredible battlefield (I regret I only get to see it through a webcam) and putting the whole show together (twice). The Drawbridge campaign has been a treat to follow.

It's been a treat to play, too! Speaking of which, let's put it to bed.

Campaign Conclusion

Hive Fleet Afanc mustered its forces across Drawbridge for a final surge. Hagan Lamprey forces who were holding reclaimed territories suddenly found themselves overrun, stretched too thin on defensive lines that had yet to be fully repaired or cut off from reinforcements. The death toll on their regiments was extraordinary, and percentages ran in the high nineties. 

Just before their positions collapsed, however, the Mantis Warriors struck. 

Carefully prepared ambushes turned Tyranid attack vectors into killing fields. Overhead, the atmosphere was filled with shooting stars as the resurgent Imperial Navy, spearheaded by the twin Mantis Strike Cruisers Millstone of Guilt and Sisyphean Burden broke the Hive Fleet's barricade before delivering drop pods and teleport strike teams with surgical precision. 

From their previous experience against the Tyranids, the Mantis Warriors had learned a valuable lesson. Rather than attempting to kill the synapse creatures, the tried-and-true tactic that the Lampreys followed, they bled the swarm dry, massacring the lesser creatures until their synaptic overlords had nothing left to lead. At the end of a five-day assault, Drawbridge was left purged of the xenos menace. 

Not without cost. 

The ecosphere of the planet was scarred, left at 45% habitability compared to its previous state. Delivery chains had been interrupted, and even the temporary lost of logistical support had swung the tide in other wars. 

The Hagan Lampreys had little left of their original strike force. Their heroic drop insertion had rescued the Mantis Warriors and turned the tide of the defence. As thanks, they felt that they'd been left to fight the rest of the war themselves, with the Mantis Warriors merely taking the credit at the end.

Captain Nampo, who had made the tactical decisions to perform the final ambushes, ensured that every monument raised to the defenders featured the Scions more prominently. But there was nothing but bitterness between the Lampreys and the Mantis Warriors from that day, with the former even going as far as to request an Inquisitorial review of the chapter's performance. Particularly difficult were the questions raised as to how Nampo himself had managed to survive the orbital strike that had crushed the Alpha Legion forces on the planet, questions that the chapter seemed to have no answer for.

Worst of all, although Hive Fleet Afanc was defeated within the Drawbridge system, it was very far from a spent force. And even as this tendril withdrew, others elsewhere began their carefully selected strikes...