Battle Report - Mycetic Assault
During the first phase of the Campaign for Agora, the Forces of Disorder were able to cause a severe disruption to the defensive grid on the planet. These weapons were on Castra I, and in this second mission Disorder was able to turn the guns on their foes as they launched a planetary assault.
This mission features my Tau, piloted by Sindanarie, defending one of the planet’s fortified positions. The Tyranids have moved into the system en masse, and a mycetic assault has just started against the planet.
Not for the first time, the Shas’el wondered at the wisdom of siding with the Imperials. In the first days of this conflict Mal’caor Mont’yr had fought against the Imperials, joined in an uneasy alliance with other invaders. In the end, when Chaos seemed poised to destroy the world, the venerable Shas’O had turned his forces against the invaders and assisted the Imperials in their defense of the Red Wastes. For a few brief days there had been peace, and then the Imperials had turned their guns on the Tau ambassadors.
The overall goal remained the same. Eventually, the Tau Empire wanted control of the system. But with untrustworthy, xenophobic allies on one side, and invaders set on destruction on the other, what hope was there for a successful acquisition of the system? The Shas’el looked around at the blasted city they were defending, wondering what would be left if they did manage to control the system in the end.
Clusters of Y’he Spore Mines burst against the buildings, corroding their already pitted surfaces with bio-acids. The sky above was a bruised purple, and the fiery trails of thousands of Mycetic Spores were plummeting towards the surface. Vast hordes of winged monstrosities came down with a more controlled descent, leveling out and sweeping across the surface toward the Tau position.
“I hope one day to understand how they find us so quickly,” mused the grizzled Tau that stood near the Shas’el. The Ethereal was old beyond words, and had been involved in the campaigning since very early on. He was staring at the Tyranids as they came, but the Shas’el was surprised that it was not hatred he detected in the Ethereal’s eyes.
It was sadness.
“They are a force of absolute destruction,” Aun’ui Za’fa said. “There is no higher purpose than to feed and feed until there is nothing left.”
“They must be stopped, Shas’el. No matter the cost.”
The Mission
For this game, we used The Crucible of War mission, found on page 346-347 of the Warhammer 40,000 Rulebook. In this mission, a central bunker contains a vital communications center that must be destroyed. The Tau deployed in a 12” bubble around the bunker, and the Tyranids came on from a short edge. In addition, all of their forces arrive on first turn, even Deep Striking units and Outflankers. Only Infiltrators set up normally for the Tyranids.
In addition, Dicehead Games added the following special rules for the campaign.
Imperial Special Rules: Home Ground - You may roll twice on the Warlord Traits chart and choose which trait you want. In addition, all of your un-mounted Infantry models begin the game dug in, giving them a 6+ Cover Save until they move from their starting position.
Chaos Special Rules: Planetary Assault - Any of your units may use the Deep Strike special rule to deploy onto the table. Also, twice per game, during your Shooting Phase, you may make an Orbital Bombardment attack, with the following profile:
Weapon Range S AP Type
Orbital Bombardment Unlimited 10 1 Ordnance 1, Barrage
Note this may not be used twice in the same turn.
Army Lists
HQ
Commander: Command and Control Node, Puretide Engram Neurochip, Multi-Spectrum Sensor Suite, XV8-02 Crisis “Iridium” Battlesuit
Ethereal
ELITES
XV104 Riptide: Ion Accelerator, Twin Fusion Blaster, Early Warning Override, Velocity Tracker
TROOPS
Fire Warrior Team: four additional Fire Warriors, Devilfish transport with Twin Smart Missiles, Disruption Pod, Sensor Spines
Fire Warrior Team: four additional Fire Warriors, Devilfish transport with Twin Smart Missiles, Disruption Pod, Sensor Spines
Fire Warrior Team: four additional Fire Warriors, Devilfish transport with Twin Smart Missiles, Disruption Pod, Sensor Spines
Kroot Carnivore Squad: three additional Kroot
FAST ATTACK
Pathfinder Team: four additional Pathfinders
Pathfinder Team: four additional Pathfinders
HEAVY SUPPORT
XV88 Broadside Team: two additional Broadside Shas’ui, Twin High-Yield Missile Pods, Twin Smart Missiles, Target Locks, 6 Missile Drones
XV88 Broadside Team: two additional Broadside Shas’ui, Twin High-Yield Missile Pods, Twin Smart Missiles, Target Locks, 6 Missile Drones
I did run a dual force organization, but for simplicity I’ve combined them here.
HQ
Hive Tyrant: Wings, 2x Twin Devourers with Brainleech Worms, Onslaught, Paroxysm
Tervigon: Electroshock Grubs, Psychic Scream
Deathleaper
ELITES
Hive Guard Brood: two additional Hive Guard, Impaler Cannons
Zoanthrope Brood: two additional Zoanthropes; Warp Blast, Psychic Scream
Lictor Brood: one additional Lictor
TROOPS
Genestealer Brood: Broodlord with The Horror
Termagant Brood: eleven additional Termagants, Fleshborers
Hormagaunt Brood: ten additional Hormagaunts
Hormagaunt Brood: ten additional Hormagaunts
FAST ATTACK
Hive Crone
Harpy: Twin Heavy Venom Cannon
HEAVY SUPPORT
Exocrine
Mawloc
Pre-game
My opponent rolled twice for his Warlord Trait and chose Exemplar of the Selfless Cause, giving him the ability to un-Pin all his units once. I rolled Heightened Senses, so Night Vision would go to my Warlord and everyone within 12”. Finally I rolled to see how much Leadership Deathleaper would take from the Ethereal, rolling a three and leaving him at Ld7!
The Tau deployed their entire force with the exception of one unit that had to stay in Reserve, per the mission rules. The Kroot decided to Outflank, and the rest of the Tau set up in an all-round defensive cordon. The second Broadside Team is deployed directly behind the central bunker, and you can just see the second Pathfinder Team in the opposite side ruin.
To represent the all-encompassing nature of the attack, the Tyranids also get to place an alternate entry point. Any units that do not wish to Deep Strike or come on from my board edge may use this marker as a second board edge.
The Tyranid Infiltrators then got to deploy as normal, so at this point I deployed my Lictors behind the Shrine of the Aquila, barely visible in the bottom right corner of the picture above. Then the Genestealers deployed behind the Riptide.
In this mission there was no Seize the Initiative roll, so we jumped straight into the first turn.
Turn One
The Broodlord attempted to cast The Horror on the Riptide, but my opponent Denied the Witch. Then, the Mycetic Spores rained down.
The Hive Guard and Exocrine stepped on from the alternate entry point, lining up shots on the Tau positions. The three Flying Monstrous Creatures swooped on from the same location. The Harpy used his Vector Strike on the Pathfinders in the ruins, killing three, before swooping in near the back Broadside Team. The Hive Crone flew over the Sniper Drones, slaying three as well.
The rest of the Tyranids landed in a large cluster in front of the Tau Commander and his Broadsides, using the Lictors to come in without scattering. Only the Mawloc attempted to land closer, trying to emerge beneath the Broadsides. Instead he deviated slightly, killing one Missile Drone and one Sniper Drone. Deathleaper arrived behind the Devilfish nearest to the Riptide.
The Riptide used his Interceptor fire on the blob of Termagants, killing nine of them, two Zoanthropes, and wounding the Tervigon in the process!
A tremendous barrage of Spore Mines fell from orbit, and the Tyranids made their first Orbital Bombardment attack. This landed on the rear Broadside nest, killing one of the battle suits and a drone.
The rest of the Tyranid shooting was abysmally ineffective. The Hive Guard managed one hit on the Ethereal’s Devilfish, causing a Crew Shaken result. The Exocrine wounded the Tau Commander once. The Hive Tyrant achieved eleven hits on the damaged Pathfinder Team, but then rolled four ones to Wound. When the smoke settled, a single Pathfinder had denied First Blood to the Tyranids! Eleven wounds were dealt to the Commander’s Missile Drones, but only two more of them died in the onslaught. The Tervigon attempted to cast Psychic Scream on the nest, but the power was denied. The lone Zoanthrope targeted the Tau Commander with Warp Blast, but missed.
The Tau Empire force was still largely intact, and they were ready to make the Tyranids pay for their failures. The Devilfish repositioned to acquire the Genestealers, while the Fire Warriors addressed the horde that was approaching. The lone Pathfinder had broken, and he continued to fall back.
The Pathfinders in the central tower scored two hits on the Crone, but did not cause him to crash. The Ethereal and his Pathfinders targeted him at BS3 with the Markerlights in support, tearing three jagged wounds in his side. The second Fire Warrior squad fired on the Winged Tyrant, but failed to cause any wounds. The third squad opened fire on the nearest Hormagaunts, cutting down half of them.
The rear Broadsides fired into the Harpy and cut it to pieces under their fusillade, gobbets of broken chitin and gore plummeting to the earth. The other Broadsides did the same with the Tervigon, blowing it apart and slaying many of the nearby Termagants in the backlash. The Riptide’s Fusion Blaster joined with the two Devilfish in the back, cutting down the Broodlord and his progeny.
The Tau had delivered a terrible blow to the Tyranids, but there were still plenty of bodies in the gap.
Comms Relay: Tau Empire Control
Additional Tau Empire Victory Points: First Blood
Additional Tyranid Victory Points: Linebreaker
Turn One Score: 4-1, Tau Empire
Turn Two
The Hive Tyrant opened the second turn by casting Paroxysm on the rear Broadsides, reducing their Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill to zero. The Crone flew across the Tau positions, raking the Devilfish nearest to the rear Broadsides and tearing it apart. The Hive Tyrant descended and leapt towards the Ethereal’s squad, landing in the nearby trench.
The second Orbital Bombardment targeted the Pathfinders in the central tower. The Tau’s damage had been intense, and the Tyranids would rather no one control the position if they could not have it for themselves. The bombardment deviated 12” and slammed into the neighboring bastion instead, blowing it apart and burying three Fire Warriors and a Termagant in the rubble.
The Hive Guard targeted the other intact Devilfish and wrecked it, leaving the skimmer impaled with dozens of barbs. The Crone fired his Drool Cannon on the retreating Sniper Drones, incinerating the team’s survivors under the acidic slime. The Hive Tyrant then fired his Devourers into the Ethereal’s bodyguards, killing nine of them after a bout of terrible armor saves. The Exocrine lobbed his bio-plasma into the nearest Fire Warriors, killing four of them. The Fire Warriors beside the collapsed Bastion fell back under the carnage unleashed.
Finally the squads launched their charges. Two surviving Termagants declared a charge on the Commander’s Broadside Team, which easily cut them apart with Overwatch. Next the two Hormagaunt squads leapt in, joined by the Mawloc. The Hive Tyrant charged the Ethereal and his last Fire Warrior, losing one Wound to Supporting Fire from the nearest team of Fire Warriors.
The Mawloc caused one Wound, Smashing with his close combat attacks. The Commander made his Look Out, Sir attempt, and the nearest Broadside was ground to paste. Three Hormagaunts died to the returning hits, but in turn the squad locked with the Commander buried him in a sea of stabbing blades, cutting through his suit and bringing him down. The Broadsides failed their Morale Check and were cut down. One of the Hormagaunt squads moved to block the door to the central bastion; the Pathfinders could not currently see the Hive Tyrant, and would have needed to descend in order to Markerlight him.
The Hive Tyrant challenged the Ethereal, but his lone Fire Warrior bodyguard leapt forward to save his leader. Without ceremony, the Hive Tyrant tore them both apart and consolidated into contact with the objective, hidden from the surviving Broadsides and the Riptide.
With no firepower left to remove these two units in time, my opponent called an end to a very short but incredibly bloody game.
Comms Relay: Consumed
Additional Tau Empire Victory Points: First Blood
Additional Tyranid Victory Points: Linebreaker, Slay the Warlord
Turn Two Score: 1-5, Tyranid Victory
Incoming transmission…
<<<CODE IDENT:Magenta 326>>>
<<IDENTITY CONFIRMED: Commissar Kierk>>
<Message Follows>
A distress message was intercepted by Imperial officers earlier this evening, as two Tau Empire cadres attempted to communicate with one another. With Imperial forces stretched thin, the Tau Empire had occupied an outlying fortification system to defend against the Tyranid onslaught. Four Terran hours ago, that position was attacked by a significant Mycetic Spore Bombardment.
All contact has been lost with the outpost, and intelligence believes the Tau have been overrun. Furthermore, conversation over the Tau communication system seems to indicate one of their ranking Ethereals was killed, and their Commander seems to have also been lost. While I rejoice in the death of the xenos, another gap has been opened in the defense network, and reinforcements should be dispatched to ascertain the truth as soon as possible.
Commissar Kierk out.
Post-game Thoughts
This mission was set for an immediate bloodbath, and that is exactly what occurred. I’m not sure I could have endured much more like the first turn; the Tau came out swinging and serious bloodied me with their opening barrage.
Luckily I was able to do enough damage to their front to push through to the objective. Paroxysm worked out perfectly and took the Broadsides out of the fight, giving me enough lull in the firepower to destroy the objective.
With that said, desperate times call for desperate measures. I think my opponent should have jumped off the building with his Pathfinders and tried to get a hit or two on my Tyrant. It is extremely unlikely that this would have played out to his favor, but it was one last tool in the box before defeat.
Deathleaper is an absolute BEAST against the Ethereal. We actually played it incorrectly during the game, but the Tau within 12” MUST use his Leadership. This would have led to both Broadside Teams failing their Leadership tests on the first turn, which would have helped reduce the damage I endured.
I’m looking to try out a few more units before I start refining my standard list for play, but this game was a load of fun and terribly bloody. What more could you want from a game of 40k?
This mission features my Tau, piloted by Sindanarie, defending one of the planet’s fortified positions. The Tyranids have moved into the system en masse, and a mycetic assault has just started against the planet.
Not for the first time, the Shas’el wondered at the wisdom of siding with the Imperials. In the first days of this conflict Mal’caor Mont’yr had fought against the Imperials, joined in an uneasy alliance with other invaders. In the end, when Chaos seemed poised to destroy the world, the venerable Shas’O had turned his forces against the invaders and assisted the Imperials in their defense of the Red Wastes. For a few brief days there had been peace, and then the Imperials had turned their guns on the Tau ambassadors.
The overall goal remained the same. Eventually, the Tau Empire wanted control of the system. But with untrustworthy, xenophobic allies on one side, and invaders set on destruction on the other, what hope was there for a successful acquisition of the system? The Shas’el looked around at the blasted city they were defending, wondering what would be left if they did manage to control the system in the end.
Clusters of Y’he Spore Mines burst against the buildings, corroding their already pitted surfaces with bio-acids. The sky above was a bruised purple, and the fiery trails of thousands of Mycetic Spores were plummeting towards the surface. Vast hordes of winged monstrosities came down with a more controlled descent, leveling out and sweeping across the surface toward the Tau position.
“I hope one day to understand how they find us so quickly,” mused the grizzled Tau that stood near the Shas’el. The Ethereal was old beyond words, and had been involved in the campaigning since very early on. He was staring at the Tyranids as they came, but the Shas’el was surprised that it was not hatred he detected in the Ethereal’s eyes.
It was sadness.
“They are a force of absolute destruction,” Aun’ui Za’fa said. “There is no higher purpose than to feed and feed until there is nothing left.”
“They must be stopped, Shas’el. No matter the cost.”
Mycetic Assault
The Mission
For this game, we used The Crucible of War mission, found on page 346-347 of the Warhammer 40,000 Rulebook. In this mission, a central bunker contains a vital communications center that must be destroyed. The Tau deployed in a 12” bubble around the bunker, and the Tyranids came on from a short edge. In addition, all of their forces arrive on first turn, even Deep Striking units and Outflankers. Only Infiltrators set up normally for the Tyranids.
In addition, Dicehead Games added the following special rules for the campaign.
Imperial Special Rules: Home Ground - You may roll twice on the Warlord Traits chart and choose which trait you want. In addition, all of your un-mounted Infantry models begin the game dug in, giving them a 6+ Cover Save until they move from their starting position.
Chaos Special Rules: Planetary Assault - Any of your units may use the Deep Strike special rule to deploy onto the table. Also, twice per game, during your Shooting Phase, you may make an Orbital Bombardment attack, with the following profile:
Weapon Range S AP Type
Orbital Bombardment Unlimited 10 1 Ordnance 1, Barrage
Note this may not be used twice in the same turn.
Army Lists
Tau Task Force
Tau Empire - 2,000
HQ
Commander: Command and Control Node, Puretide Engram Neurochip, Multi-Spectrum Sensor Suite, XV8-02 Crisis “Iridium” Battlesuit
Ethereal
ELITES
XV104 Riptide: Ion Accelerator, Twin Fusion Blaster, Early Warning Override, Velocity Tracker
TROOPS
Fire Warrior Team: four additional Fire Warriors, Devilfish transport with Twin Smart Missiles, Disruption Pod, Sensor Spines
Fire Warrior Team: four additional Fire Warriors, Devilfish transport with Twin Smart Missiles, Disruption Pod, Sensor Spines
Fire Warrior Team: four additional Fire Warriors, Devilfish transport with Twin Smart Missiles, Disruption Pod, Sensor Spines
Kroot Carnivore Squad: three additional Kroot
FAST ATTACK
Pathfinder Team: four additional Pathfinders
Pathfinder Team: four additional Pathfinders
HEAVY SUPPORT
XV88 Broadside Team: two additional Broadside Shas’ui, Twin High-Yield Missile Pods, Twin Smart Missiles, Target Locks, 6 Missile Drones
XV88 Broadside Team: two additional Broadside Shas’ui, Twin High-Yield Missile Pods, Twin Smart Missiles, Target Locks, 6 Missile Drones
Hive Fleet Nug - Assault Swarm
Tyranids - 2,000
I did run a dual force organization, but for simplicity I’ve combined them here.
HQ
Hive Tyrant: Wings, 2x Twin Devourers with Brainleech Worms, Onslaught, Paroxysm
Tervigon: Electroshock Grubs, Psychic Scream
Deathleaper
ELITES
Hive Guard Brood: two additional Hive Guard, Impaler Cannons
Zoanthrope Brood: two additional Zoanthropes; Warp Blast, Psychic Scream
Lictor Brood: one additional Lictor
TROOPS
Genestealer Brood: Broodlord with The Horror
Termagant Brood: eleven additional Termagants, Fleshborers
Hormagaunt Brood: ten additional Hormagaunts
Hormagaunt Brood: ten additional Hormagaunts
FAST ATTACK
Hive Crone
Harpy: Twin Heavy Venom Cannon
HEAVY SUPPORT
Exocrine
Mawloc
Pre-game
My opponent rolled twice for his Warlord Trait and chose Exemplar of the Selfless Cause, giving him the ability to un-Pin all his units once. I rolled Heightened Senses, so Night Vision would go to my Warlord and everyone within 12”. Finally I rolled to see how much Leadership Deathleaper would take from the Ethereal, rolling a three and leaving him at Ld7!
The Tau deployed their entire force with the exception of one unit that had to stay in Reserve, per the mission rules. The Kroot decided to Outflank, and the rest of the Tau set up in an all-round defensive cordon. The second Broadside Team is deployed directly behind the central bunker, and you can just see the second Pathfinder Team in the opposite side ruin.
Tyranid alternate entry point.
To represent the all-encompassing nature of the attack, the Tyranids also get to place an alternate entry point. Any units that do not wish to Deep Strike or come on from my board edge may use this marker as a second board edge.
The Tyranid Infiltrators then got to deploy as normal, so at this point I deployed my Lictors behind the Shrine of the Aquila, barely visible in the bottom right corner of the picture above. Then the Genestealers deployed behind the Riptide.
In this mission there was no Seize the Initiative roll, so we jumped straight into the first turn.
Turn One
The Broodlord attempted to cast The Horror on the Riptide, but my opponent Denied the Witch. Then, the Mycetic Spores rained down.
The Hive Guard and Exocrine stepped on from the alternate entry point, lining up shots on the Tau positions. The three Flying Monstrous Creatures swooped on from the same location. The Harpy used his Vector Strike on the Pathfinders in the ruins, killing three, before swooping in near the back Broadside Team. The Hive Crone flew over the Sniper Drones, slaying three as well.
The rest of the Tyranids landed in a large cluster in front of the Tau Commander and his Broadsides, using the Lictors to come in without scattering. Only the Mawloc attempted to land closer, trying to emerge beneath the Broadsides. Instead he deviated slightly, killing one Missile Drone and one Sniper Drone. Deathleaper arrived behind the Devilfish nearest to the Riptide.
The Riptide used his Interceptor fire on the blob of Termagants, killing nine of them, two Zoanthropes, and wounding the Tervigon in the process!
A tremendous barrage of Spore Mines fell from orbit, and the Tyranids made their first Orbital Bombardment attack. This landed on the rear Broadside nest, killing one of the battle suits and a drone.
The rest of the Tyranid shooting was abysmally ineffective. The Hive Guard managed one hit on the Ethereal’s Devilfish, causing a Crew Shaken result. The Exocrine wounded the Tau Commander once. The Hive Tyrant achieved eleven hits on the damaged Pathfinder Team, but then rolled four ones to Wound. When the smoke settled, a single Pathfinder had denied First Blood to the Tyranids! Eleven wounds were dealt to the Commander’s Missile Drones, but only two more of them died in the onslaught. The Tervigon attempted to cast Psychic Scream on the nest, but the power was denied. The lone Zoanthrope targeted the Tau Commander with Warp Blast, but missed.
The Tau Empire force was still largely intact, and they were ready to make the Tyranids pay for their failures. The Devilfish repositioned to acquire the Genestealers, while the Fire Warriors addressed the horde that was approaching. The lone Pathfinder had broken, and he continued to fall back.
The Pathfinders in the central tower scored two hits on the Crone, but did not cause him to crash. The Ethereal and his Pathfinders targeted him at BS3 with the Markerlights in support, tearing three jagged wounds in his side. The second Fire Warrior squad fired on the Winged Tyrant, but failed to cause any wounds. The third squad opened fire on the nearest Hormagaunts, cutting down half of them.
The rear Broadsides fired into the Harpy and cut it to pieces under their fusillade, gobbets of broken chitin and gore plummeting to the earth. The other Broadsides did the same with the Tervigon, blowing it apart and slaying many of the nearby Termagants in the backlash. The Riptide’s Fusion Blaster joined with the two Devilfish in the back, cutting down the Broodlord and his progeny.
The Tau had delivered a terrible blow to the Tyranids, but there were still plenty of bodies in the gap.
Comms Relay: Tau Empire Control
Additional Tau Empire Victory Points: First Blood
Additional Tyranid Victory Points: Linebreaker
Turn One Score: 4-1, Tau Empire
Turn Two
The Hive Tyrant opened the second turn by casting Paroxysm on the rear Broadsides, reducing their Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill to zero. The Crone flew across the Tau positions, raking the Devilfish nearest to the rear Broadsides and tearing it apart. The Hive Tyrant descended and leapt towards the Ethereal’s squad, landing in the nearby trench.
The second Orbital Bombardment targeted the Pathfinders in the central tower. The Tau’s damage had been intense, and the Tyranids would rather no one control the position if they could not have it for themselves. The bombardment deviated 12” and slammed into the neighboring bastion instead, blowing it apart and burying three Fire Warriors and a Termagant in the rubble.
The Hive Guard targeted the other intact Devilfish and wrecked it, leaving the skimmer impaled with dozens of barbs. The Crone fired his Drool Cannon on the retreating Sniper Drones, incinerating the team’s survivors under the acidic slime. The Hive Tyrant then fired his Devourers into the Ethereal’s bodyguards, killing nine of them after a bout of terrible armor saves. The Exocrine lobbed his bio-plasma into the nearest Fire Warriors, killing four of them. The Fire Warriors beside the collapsed Bastion fell back under the carnage unleashed.
Finally the squads launched their charges. Two surviving Termagants declared a charge on the Commander’s Broadside Team, which easily cut them apart with Overwatch. Next the two Hormagaunt squads leapt in, joined by the Mawloc. The Hive Tyrant charged the Ethereal and his last Fire Warrior, losing one Wound to Supporting Fire from the nearest team of Fire Warriors.
The Mawloc caused one Wound, Smashing with his close combat attacks. The Commander made his Look Out, Sir attempt, and the nearest Broadside was ground to paste. Three Hormagaunts died to the returning hits, but in turn the squad locked with the Commander buried him in a sea of stabbing blades, cutting through his suit and bringing him down. The Broadsides failed their Morale Check and were cut down. One of the Hormagaunt squads moved to block the door to the central bastion; the Pathfinders could not currently see the Hive Tyrant, and would have needed to descend in order to Markerlight him.
The Hive Tyrant challenged the Ethereal, but his lone Fire Warrior bodyguard leapt forward to save his leader. Without ceremony, the Hive Tyrant tore them both apart and consolidated into contact with the objective, hidden from the surviving Broadsides and the Riptide.
With no firepower left to remove these two units in time, my opponent called an end to a very short but incredibly bloody game.
Comms Relay: Consumed
Additional Tau Empire Victory Points: First Blood
Additional Tyranid Victory Points: Linebreaker, Slay the Warlord
Turn Two Score: 1-5, Tyranid Victory
Incoming transmission…
<<<CODE IDENT:Magenta 326>>>
<<IDENTITY CONFIRMED: Commissar Kierk>>
<Message Follows>
A distress message was intercepted by Imperial officers earlier this evening, as two Tau Empire cadres attempted to communicate with one another. With Imperial forces stretched thin, the Tau Empire had occupied an outlying fortification system to defend against the Tyranid onslaught. Four Terran hours ago, that position was attacked by a significant Mycetic Spore Bombardment.
All contact has been lost with the outpost, and intelligence believes the Tau have been overrun. Furthermore, conversation over the Tau communication system seems to indicate one of their ranking Ethereals was killed, and their Commander seems to have also been lost. While I rejoice in the death of the xenos, another gap has been opened in the defense network, and reinforcements should be dispatched to ascertain the truth as soon as possible.
Commissar Kierk out.
Post-game Thoughts
This mission was set for an immediate bloodbath, and that is exactly what occurred. I’m not sure I could have endured much more like the first turn; the Tau came out swinging and serious bloodied me with their opening barrage.
Luckily I was able to do enough damage to their front to push through to the objective. Paroxysm worked out perfectly and took the Broadsides out of the fight, giving me enough lull in the firepower to destroy the objective.
With that said, desperate times call for desperate measures. I think my opponent should have jumped off the building with his Pathfinders and tried to get a hit or two on my Tyrant. It is extremely unlikely that this would have played out to his favor, but it was one last tool in the box before defeat.
Deathleaper is an absolute BEAST against the Ethereal. We actually played it incorrectly during the game, but the Tau within 12” MUST use his Leadership. This would have led to both Broadside Teams failing their Leadership tests on the first turn, which would have helped reduce the damage I endured.
I’m looking to try out a few more units before I start refining my standard list for play, but this game was a load of fun and terribly bloody. What more could you want from a game of 40k?
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