Bonjour all, Edgar San (AKA Ben) has already posted the Batrep for our 3k game using the French Nids [Here] and so I've been left to do the footwork on our first game...here we go!

the Battle foR ISTOL I

Rules Used; Handbook 2008
Taccomms Tyranids v.9.1, Lictors get +1 EA, Sniper
Original Black Legion List from GW site (with silly obliterators!)

Armies

Hive Fleet Whatevathehell


Attack Swarm (2 Tyrants)
Assault Swarm
Assault Swarm
Assault Swarm
Harridan
Gargoyle CLuster
6 Termagant CLusters
2 Hormagaunt CLusters
6 Carmifex (3 Malefactors standing in)
2 Exocrine
6 Stealers 2/broodlord
6 Stealers
5 Lictors
5 Lictors
6 Aerial Spore Mines
(Arranged as Shown)

Edgar the Evil's Word Bearers


Retinue + Havoks + Oblitorator (BTS)
Retinue + 2 Landraiders + 2 Rhinos
Retinue + Plauge Marines + 6 Rhinos (SC)
Forlorn Hope + 2 Rhinos
Forlorn Hope + 2 Rhinos
5 Raptors
5 Terminators
8 Bikes
Decimator
Decimator

Deployment

Bright red and green dots are the objectives.
From here on in it should be noticed that whilst editing the photo's i regularly got a lot of Ben's formations mixed up so you might have to keep careful track of them...

Turn 1 to Follow!

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Turn One

Initiative to Chaos
Lictors teleport separately behind the building on the Right flank and in the City in the middle. 1 Blast marker taken on the Flank



Well; frist things first and the Raptors leap forwards to utterly decimate the Lictors in the city; despite the cover thier lack of FF means they are all but wiped out due to combat resolution. I sit and hope that they provided a good distraction but think that it's actually 250pts wasted...


Meanwhilst both sides tentatively pussy foot around each other (Ben and I always end up doing this on the first turn!) as the spores double forwards to waste time and screen the stealers on the left flank, who promplty get shot at by the Forlorn hope formation holding that side; 1 casualty on the stealers.  
On the opposing flank the stealers break from the hab block on the hill to go and join the lictors lurking in the 'ork' settlement


After which the Forlorn Hope on that side of the table lay a casualty on the swarm of Gaunts hiding behind the forest whilst the swarm of gaunts behind THEM see this as an oppurtnunity to move forth.
The table now looks like this


More tentative steps forward for both sides as the Death Guard laden RHino's double into cover putting a BM on the horde of 'Fex, the Stealers who got shot at ealrier march out of sight behind the city tower blocks and the chaos bikers rev thier infernal machines forth.  

More marching towards the centre by a aunt swarm who hope to draw decimator cannon fire away from the precious carnifex, which works as 5 termagants are blown away in a splatty breaking of chitin.  

The harridan sneakily offload sthe gargoyles behind th forest as we agree that if she pops up and gets hit by decimator cannon fire only she will be hit and not the gargoyles (we couldn't figure the letter of the rules on this one as they seemed silly!). THe purpose of which is to prep the bikes with a BM ready for the swarm behind the forest full of hormagaunts to leap forth and tear the bikers asunder; this doesn't happen as the swarm FAILS to do anything apart from remove their earlier BM...sigh. I get the feeling that, as always it down hill from here.


mid table, mid game

The formation full of Land Raiders single forth to have a pop at the harridan and can see the garyoles; they let rip but to no avail not a single hit! Meanwhile the remaining lictors sneak forwards to bide their time before the seconds decmator open up on the harridan, luckily the huge decimator shell whistles past the flapping beast landing with a loud thud somewhere behind enemy lines.

The carnifex et al, feeling that it is safe now, double forth and put a futher BM on the bikes and are then shot at by a retinue full of Havocs and Obliteratots; plenty of hits but the tough shell of the carnifex's means that all that autocannon fire bounces harmlessly off.

It's the end of the turn!


Turn 2 coming up

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Turn Two

PS: everyone rallied from the previous turn and all brood creatures that had been blown away managed to respawn in the appropriate places.

-Terminators Teleport behind enemy lines
-Initiative to CHaos


Firstly the aformentioned acrid air of terribly twisted teleporting terminators let rip with thier aresenal of autocannons (see: alliteration everywhere here!) which utterly cut down in a deadly crossfire the previosuly hidden stealers who -from this angle- are caught in the open...after which even more Chaos firepower is poured into the advancing swarm as the crew of the decimator correct thier gun sites and smash a shell into the carnifex brood slaying 4 of them!

Despite this the remaining fex and hive tyrants rush forth to put a BM on the bikes (see what i'm planning?) before the previously failing hormagunats attempt to leap forwards for a seconds time.
They manage it but only to be predictably cut down in combat and by my STUPID positioning that has left them open to LOTS of SUPPORTING FIRE!!! If it weren't for that the gaunts would have won the combat by +3 despite thier casualties. Both formations end up broken with victory for the combat going to the bikes


Next, before the she beastie even manages to do anything a stray lascannon shot frmo the Land Radier totting formaion criticals her to the brain and she slumps into a pile of goo (or something...) and the big retinue containing the havocs pour sa silly amount of sustained fire at the Fex etc though they only manage to slay a single Exocrine, whcih is enough to break them and force them backwards...:-(

The spores waste more time floating around and contesting objectives
before...
the rapotors leap forwards once again to assualt the broken fex; there's no initial casualties but supporting fire ends it and two remaining hive tyrants run away with thier tails between thier strangely jointed legs.


The small gaunt swarm doubles into the buildings and lays single 'coming under fire' BM om the raptors who break and run back to the blitz

but not before decimator #2 fires at them, ignoring the precious cover and breaking them...
The forlorn hope fail to activate and chhose to put a BM on the above gaunts whilst the remaining lictors continue to sneak towards SOMETHING to assault...

After this the deathguard chaps assault the big swarm left in the the middle of the table wining by +5, they mount up into thier rhino's using consolidation moves ready to make the final push next turn.
SOMETHING (spare decimator?) fires at the gaunt swarm next to the hab block on the hill:

and All this leaves the tyranid midfield somewhat in disarray...


Stealers do some sneaking and the Forlorn Hope who have sat doing nothing fire at and break the meiotic spores...we giggle nervously thinking that brainless sacks of bio explosives should probably be FEARLESS!

END OF TURN
I couldn't figurte out what my image editor was doing at this point so no movement arrows :-(

The large majority of the nids fail to rally, a small amount of spawning takes place and the broken nids decide to become one massive swarm.

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Turn 3

Initiative to Chaos :who'd have thought!

THe turn kciks off with the inevitable; the Retinue of foul smelling nurgle types rush forth in thier rhini's to finish off the broken nid swarn...DEATH ensues


Ryan then runs out of PAPER...and the story if left to be told by picture and his own vague memory...

I have no idea what's happening here...


I THINK that the lictors and stealers and a random small gaunt brood did not much apart from die in this rather nasy way...a few chaos units mopped up the remianing nids, and a the result was 5-0 to chaos :-(! Bummer!

No more pics i'm afraid gents, thoughts and feeling on both games to follow in a seperate thread; right now i have to hoover the house, eat soup and then attend a shamanic ritual/dance this evening...!
Bye!
R>

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Yes; what's stopping me?

EDIT: of course! Hormagaunts are move 20cm! Sorry Ben!

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MoK's Painting Blog
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Mok's Modular Modern Messy Guard Army

Another question, MoK:  Why would you 'port in your Lictors so early, usually they're used as late game harrassment as the enemy will often be out of position or have objectives open.

Thanks for the report and I look forward to the after-action write-up!

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"EPIC: Total War" Lead Developer

Now living in Boston... any EPIC players want to meet up?

Thanks for the Report MoK, very nice looking armies. Bit of a Tyranid Turkey Shoot unfortunately. It's not been your week ol' boy... strong drink is prescribed.

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My head is full of War...

[img]http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk120/Warhead40k/Tyranid%20Swarm/DSC02262.jpg[/img]

Agree on the Lictors- save them for turn 3.

I'm not a fan of Harridans or Genestealers, TBH. I keep a single Genestealer formation just for variety to sit and threaten the enemy, but I wouldn't bother with two.

Being Independent they get none of the benefits Nid formations have to combat being slow and easily killable.

I'd look into getting some Heirophants. Their my best unit, reliable, tough, fast and often more firepower than the rest of the Nid army combined.

Lictors: I wanted to keep my activation count up, had i enough miniatures i could have done this by taking less lictors and more of something else. It'll be smaller formations from turn 2/3 from here on in.

Stealers: they scare the hell out of people! I think they're worth it just to soak up fire!

Heriophants: along with more infantry they're on the list of things to buy.

Harridans: i think they're essentail, but i need another one; fast moving, a bit of 'long' range fire power and nice as harrasment/prepping assualts; use them like land speeders.

Strong Drink: that's happening later tonight...!

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MoK's Painting Blog
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Mok's Modular Modern Messy Guard Army

When you get the other thread posted, I'd really like to hear your collective opinions on French v 9.1, especially your take on the feel and flavor of the different lists.

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Neal

nice alliteration going on there

looks like chaos really got to sit back, blast the nids and choose their fights. Certainly didn't get the usual impression of a chittering horde rushing forward and swamping the enemy. Almost sounds like the nids were feeling a bit shy?

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numquam culum es

Great to see the comparison report. Thanks! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the nids. I must get onto that myself.

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http://hordesofthings.blogspot.co.nz/

That's the impression i got from my last game vs nids too.

Last night's game was very close and came down to VPs with the nids being very defensive.  The previous game, they rushed forward all "nid like" and got thoroughly thrashed.

So it seems that nids are working better on the defensive - from what i've seen so far, which indiacates that something needs to be changed to make them more aggressive.

The suggestions we thrashed out in the pub last night were:

1) The Spawning modifier for enemy within 30cm should be reversed, i.e. if you don't have a model within 30cm of an unbroken enemy your -D3.
2) Half casualties for gaunts in an assault.

I really like the idea of making spawning easier when you're next to the enemy from the game design perspective, though I'm struggling a bit to imagine the situation fluffwise. Is it possible that the hive creatures are harvesting fresh bodies and stamping new gaunts right there on the field?