Battle Report – The Relic

I’m ending the short month with a bang today, showcasing a battle report between the Relictors and Hive Fleet Nug!

Captain Surat opened the roof hatch of his squad’s Rhino APC and scanned the horizon. For six days they’d been on the trail of a Mechanicus Explorator team, but each new stop rewarded them with nothing more than a stale battlefield, littered with Tyranid and Skitarii corpses. Finally, the Mechanicum formation had been able to light their IR beacon, and the Strike Cruiser Olum Meleg was guiding them in from orbit. The ship had placed them within a ten mile radius of the beacon; now they had to finish the search.

“The Magos is somewhere up ahead,” shouted the Rhino’s driver. “We’re also picking up massive life form signatures beyond that rise.”

To confirm the point, the Devastator Sergeant broke through on the vox. “Tyranid attack wave, inbound!”

Surat turned to face his Vanguard Veterans. “The Magos cannot fall into Tyranid hands. He has vital information about a new version of Kryptman’s genophage virus, that could very well work on these Tyranids. Look to your wargear, and prepare to purge the alien! Strength of will!” he cried.

“Courage of will!” the veterans echoed.

The Relic

The Mission

The Fortification on the top of the hill is the current refuge of the Magos.

After several games in the siege grinder for the Dicehead Games campaign, we decided to take a break and just roll a standard Eteneral War mission from the rulebook. We rolled up The Relic, with Dawn of War deployment.

The Armies

This game was a spur-of-the-moment thing, and we were quickly filling out lists on paper. My opponent originally intended to run Khan on a bike, but ended up changing his mind when he included the Vanguard Veteran squad. As a result, the Bikes never moved back to Fast Attack on paper. Neither of us caught the mistake until I started editing for this battle report. However, it wasn’t a big deal; after all, the White Scars are known for swift moving units!

The Relictor’s 2^nd Company

Space Marines – 2,000

The Tau and Ork flyers are standing in for Stormtalons.

Chapter Tactics: White Scars

HQ

Captain Surat (Kor’sarro Khan): WARLORD

ELITES

Vanguard Veteran Squad: four additional Veterans, Thunder Hammer, Rhino transport

Terminator Squad: Cyclone Missile Launcher

TROOPS

Tactical Squad: five additional Space Marines, Plasma Gun, Sergeant has Combi-Plasma, Rhino transport

Tactical Squad: Flamer, Razorback transport with Lascannon and Twin Plasma Guns

Tactical Squad: Flamer, Razorback transport with Lascannon and Twin Plasma Guns

FAST ATTACK

Land Speeder Squadron: two additional Land Speeders, 2x Heavy Bolters each

Space Marine Bike Squad: two additional Bikers, 2x Grav Gun

Stormtalon Gunship: Twin Assault Cannons, Skyhammer Missile Launcher

Stormtalon Gunship: Twin Assault Cannons, Skyhammer Missile Launcher

HEAVY SUPPORT

Devastator Squad: five additional Space Marines, 4x Lascannon

Stalker

Hive Fleet Nug – Assault Swarm

Tyranids – 2,000

HQ

Tyranid Prime: WARLORD; Lash Whip & Bonesword, Deathspitter

Hive Tyrant: Wings, Hive Commander, 2x Twin Devourers with Brainleech Worms; Psychic Scream, Warp Blast

ELITES

Hive Guard Brood: two additional Hive Guard, Impaler Cannons

Zoanthrope Brood: two additional Zoanthropes; Warp Blast, Catalyst

Venomthrope Brood: one additional Venomthrope

TROOPS

Termagant Brood: twenty additional Termagants, 30x Devourers

Tervigon: Cluster Spines; Psychic Scream

Hormagaunt Brood: eight additional Hormagaunts

Hormagaunt Brood: eight additional Hormagaunts

FAST ATTACK

Hive Crone

Harpy: Twin Heavy Venom Cannon

HEAVY SUPPORT

Carnifex Brood: one additional Carnifex; each has Scything Talons and Heavy Venom Cannon

Pre-game

Khan comes with the Champion of Humanity Warlord Trait, and my Prime rolled Nature’s Bane. There would be no Night Fighting on the first turn. The Space Marines decided Deployment Zones, and the Tyranids deployed first.

The Tyranids sweep down on the Magos's position.

I didn’t use Hive Commander in this game; I felt that I needed fast and immediate pressure on the Relic and on his line, so I didn’t feel comfortable with Reserves. Everything deployed along the front line, with the Devourer Termagants and the Tervigon threatening the objective. The rest of the army deployed on the left flank, ready to swing around beneath the protection of the central hill and apply pressure to the Space Marine vanguard. The Venomthropes deployed in the forest to provide cover to the majority of the Tyranids.

The Relictors react to save the Magos from certain death.

The Space Marines went with a more staggered deployment; the Devastators predictably took the high ground, with the Stalker deployed behind their building, clear of the Hive Guard for the first turn. The Troops went into the central ruin, while the Bikes and the Vanguard deployed on the flank beside the Devastators. Finally, the Whirlwind and the Land Speeders deployed on the opposite end of the board.

The Vanguard Veterans and the Bikes leapt forward with their Scout moves, and then the Space Marines Seized the Initiative!

Turn One

The Vanguard’s Rhino slid into position behind the middle ruin, blocking them from line of sight. The Bikes advanced toward the flank, training their weapons on the Hormagaunts there. The Land Speeders roared out into their designated fire lane, and the Space Marines unleashed their firepower on the swarm.

The Bikes put five wounds on the Hormagaunts; thanks to Shrouding from the Venomthropes, only two died! The Devastators scored four wounds on the Hive Crone, but with its Shrouded position in the forest, none of them caused any damage! The Razorbacks fired on the Zoanthropes, but their Warp Fields held steady.

Lining up Snap Shots on the only ground targets it could see, the Stalker killed a single Hormagaunt through 2+ Cover. Finally the Whirlwind fired, blowing five Devilgants apart in a spray of shrapnel, and the Land Speeders added their firepower to the mix, slaying another handful.

The Flying Monstrous Creatures leapt into the air and began the attack, followed by the ground swarm. The Hive Crone flew forward at top speed, swooping down on the Vanguard Rhino and Stunning it, in addition to tearing out two Hull Points. A moment later the Hive Guard found their mark, and reduced the vehicle to a blazing Wreck.

Captain Surat and his men will be walking from here.

The Hive Tyrant fired on the advancing Bikers, cutting four of them down and slaying both Grav Guns. The Hive Crone sprayed acid across the Devastators, and in a fit of back luck five of them died, including two of the heavy weapons. The Carnifexes and the Harpy fires on the Razorbacks. The transport bunkered in the central ruin was Stunned, and the one taking shelter behind the Shrine of the Aquila lost its Lascannon.

The lone Biker passed his Morale check.

Relic: Unclaimed

Additional Space Marine Points: None

Additional Tyranid Points: First Blood

Turn One Score: Space Marines 0, Tyranids 1

Turn Two

Both of the Stormtalons arrived from Reserve and blasted into the center of the table, engines screaming as the bore down on the heart of the swarm. The Vanguard and Captain Surat redeployed into the center ruin, and the lone Biker moved to cut off the Hormagaunts that were closing with them.

The Whirlwind rained more fire on the Devilgants, cutting down several more and catching a Hormagaunt in the scattering blast. The Tervigon had spawned a small squad of Termagants on Turn One before running out of larvae; the Land Speeders ripped into them with six Heavy Bolters, but thanks to their Cover Save only two Gants died. The Stalker and the troops on the baseline fired into the Crone; while he never failed a Crash Test, he failed every Armor and Cover Save and was slain.

The first Stormtalon cut apart the Venomthropes, even as his jet wash dispersed their poisonous spores. As the fog cleared, the second aircraft banked into the Hormagaunts, cutting several of them down in a hail of bullets. The Biker cut down one Hormagaunt from the other squad before charging into their midst. He was able to finish another of the creatures, and they were unable to get past his bike to land a successful attack.

The Flying Monstrous Creatures continue their attack.

The Hive Tyrant raked the roof of the Aquila Shrine as he flew over, pulling two more Devastators to their deaths. One of these was armed with a Lascannon, leaving the squad with only one heavy weapon.

The Harpy flew across the Tactical Squad, killing three of them, before leveling its gun on the Stalker. Scoring a Penetrating hit, the Harpy managed to Immobilize the AA tank. The Tyrant turned one set of his Devourers on the Vanguard, slaying the Veteran armed with a Thunder Hammer. The Carnifexes Wrecked the Razorback in the central ruin, and the Devilgants poured the first of their fire into the Terminators. Too many were out of range, and the shots had no effect.

In the Assault Phase, the Hormagaunts were able to drag the lone Biker from his saddle and finish their grisly meal. They consolidated away from the Vanguard to end the turn.

Relic: Unclaimed

Additional Space Marine Points: None

Additional Tyranid Points: First Blood, Linebreaker

Turn Two Score: Space Marines 0, Tyranids 2

Turn Three

The battle rages on, with neither side yet reaching the Magos.

The Stormtalon pilots could see that the Magos was in serious danger of being overrun. Knowing their own lives were forfeit, they dropped their aircraft into Hover and lined up a gun run on the masses of Tyranids that were closing in.

The Stalker opened the Shooting Phase by putting four Wounds in the Harpy. It had lost two Wounds in the previous turn, so decided to Dive. All four Saves were failed, and the second flying monster was slain. The Stormtalons combined their fire to destroy the vast majority of the Devilgants, and the Land Speeders mulched the first four Termagants from the spawned squad. The Terminators continued their march up the hill to protect the Magos, firing into the Devilgants and slaying another three.

The Vanguard Veterans rush to meet the swarm, led by Captain Surat.

In the Assault Phase, the Terminators missed their charge. However, Surat and his Vanguard successfully crashed into the Hormagaunts. Throw some poor rolling the Tyranids failed to bring down even a single Space Marine; they were not so fortunate in return. The Vanguard consolidated away from the twitching remains of their opponents, looking to bring more chaos to the swarm’s heart.

Driven by their terrible hunger, the Carnifexes barreled forward to attack the Stormtalons. The Hive Tyrant flew across the back edge of the Space Marine deployment zone, lining up his shots on the Land Speeders. The few surviving Hormagaunts rushed the center of the table, looking to slake their hunger with the flesh of the Terminators. The last of the spawned Termagants moved up into base contact with Magos, claiming the Relic.

The Zoanthropes fired Warp Blasts into one of the hovering Stormtalons; all three shots missed! The Hive Guard fired next, scoring only a single hit; this hit did manage to Stun the crew. The Carnifexes fired their Heavy Venom Cannons on the Terminators, clipping the second Stormtalon in the blast. These did nothing to the Flyer, and the Terminators passed their Armor Saves. The Hive Tyrant fired into the rear of the Land Speeders, scoring four Penetrating Hits. ALL of these hits were negated with his Jink Save.

The Zoanthropes charged into the Flyer they had shot, just to prevent a disordered charge from the Vanguard locking the Hive Guard as well. The Hormagaunts soaked the Terminators’ Overwatch fire before leaping into combat, and then the Carnifexes made a Disorganized  Charge against the Stormtalon and the Terminators.

The Carnifex in base contact with the Stormtalon quickly turned it into a blazing inferno with his Hammer of Wrath attacks. One Terminator was slain by the second Carnifex’s Hammer of Wrath. The Hormagaunts caused no damage before losing one of their number to the Terminator Sergeant’s Power Sword; the Terminators ripped two Wounds from the Carnifexes with their Power Fists, before losing one of their number in return.

In all, it had been a great turn for the Space Marines. They had delivered a tremendous amount of damage to the Tyranids, and were set to do so again in the following turn. However, their casualties were beginning to tell; would they have the steam to push through?

Relic: Tyranid Control

Additional Space Marine Points: None

Additional Tyranid Points: First Blood, Linebreaker

Turn Three Score: Space Marines 0, Tyranids 5

Turn Four

The Vanguard moved toward the Zoanthropes in the central ruins, and the Space Marines repositioned to damage the Tyranid elements that were not engaged in assault. The Tactical Squads moved forward, but difficult terrain bogged down their efforts to a crawl.

The Land Speeders fired on the squad controlling the Relic, causing a few casualties but unable to reach the model holding the objective. The Whirlwind scattered off target. The Tactical Squads engaged the Hive Tyrant, but they were unable to bring it down from the sky.

In the Assault Phase, the Vanguard ploughed into the Zoanthropes and cut them down without mercy. The Carnifexes butchered all of the Terminators, save the Sergeant, who passed his Morale Check and remained in combat.

With their numbers whittling away rapidly, the Tyranids reacted to the threat in their midst. The Hive Tyrant glided down to the earth, coming to rest just behind the Land Speeders. The Tervigon and the last of the Devilgants moved to attack the Vanguard Veterans, bringing up the chances of a showdown between the Warlords. The spawned Termagants left the central ruins, moving the Magos back toward their deployment zone.

The Hive Guard remedied their previous mistake, scoring three Penetrating Hits on the drifting Stormtalon and blowing it to pieces. The Tervigon launched its Cluster Spines into the Vanguard, scoring six wounds. The poor luck of the first turn came back, and five of the Marines were felled. The last of the Devilgants added their fire to the attack, slaying two more Space Marines. Captain Surat now stood with only one Veteran against the back end of the swarm.

The Hive Tyrant ripped through one of the Speeders before barreling into the other two. He Smashed to ensure his attacks would get through the armor. Though he scored two Penetrating Hits, it took both of them to finish the first Speeder, leaving one to zip away! The Terminator Sergeant wasn’t so lucky. He was crushed beneath the weight of the Carnifexes, who then moved toward the Tactical Squads in the nearby building.

The battlefield was choked with corpses and burning wreckage, but the Relictors were not ready to let the Magos fall into enemy hands!

Relic: Tyranid Control

Additional Space Marine Points: None

Additional Tyranid Points: First Blood

Turn Four Score: Space Marines 0, Tyranids 4

Turn Five

The lone Land Speeder opened its engines and gave pursuit to the Magos, cutting through the Termagant Brood and leaving the Relic uncontested. The surviving Razorback powered through the Stormtalon wreckage and moved up 12” to support Captain Surat. Bolter fire and a Lascannon blast ripped into the Carnifexes, tearing two Wounds from the second monster.

The Warlords prepare to clash in melee.

With a roar of hatred, Captain Surat launched his assault against the Tyranid Prime. The four surviving Termagants attempted to intercept him, but the last Veteran bravely leapt to meet them. Bursts of shiny black beetles leapt to meet him, smashing his faceplate and tearing open his skull. The veteran screamed in agony as his chainsword flashed left and right, cutting the four beasts into ragged pieces. As they fell he finally succumbed to death, his duty done.

Surat brandished his sword as the Tyranid leader sized him up. Faster than Surat could follow, the whip lashed out and drug his sword arm to the side. The crackling sabre followed a moment later, tearing his armor open and sending a massive spray of blood to paint the Tyranid’s carapace.

Too many of his brothers had died at the hands of these creatures. With a roar of defiance, Surat fired his Bolt Pistol into the lashing tentacle, severing it and freeing his sword arm. Sensing danger, the creature attempted to step away. Surat dropped his pistol and gripped the sword two-handed, striking down with all the fury borne of so many casualties.

The Tyranid Prime took another step as its held rolled away across the ground. Then it collapsed into a lifeless heap

After getting the necessary 6 to cause Instant Death on the Prime, a wounded Surat rolled his extra points for Champion of Humanity, getting one additional point for the Space Marines.

I realized that I could not get back to the Relic with my Tervigon this turn; I had to make sure I got the points for Linebreaker and Slay the Warlord, just in case the game ended. The Tervigon moved into position near Surat, and the Tyrant flew in to add his firepower. The Carnifexes lunged forward to assault the large Tactical Squad.

The Hive Guard downed the Land Speeder with their Impaler Cannons, putting an end to that super-mobile threat. The Hive Tyrant then fired into Surat, cutting him down in a hail of Devourer beetles. The Carnifexes fired their Heavy Venom Cannons at the Tactical Squad in an attempt to soften them, but ended up killing five of them instead! They failed their charge, leaving the game a tie if the game ended this turn.

Josh rolled the die, and I hoped for just one more turn. The die finally came to a stop.

1.

Relic: Unclaimed

Additional Space Marine Points: Slay the Warlord, Champion of Humanity

Additional Tyranid Points: First Blood, Slay the Warlord

Turn Two Score: Space Marines 2, Tyranids 2

DRAW!

The Razorback skidded to a halt, and the squad inside disembarked. Their Bolters blazed as the Tervigon retreated, scooping up the remains of the Magos in its mouth. Two of the brothers started to pursue, but the Sergeant waved them off.

"He's dead already," the Sergeant said regretfully, "but the Tyranids have been broken. At the very least, the position is secure."

"What about the Captain?" one of the brothers asked.

Surat was an absolute mess. His armor was pitted in a dozen places, and shiny black worms were busily working in his skin. The Sergeant ripped a handful of them free and snarled in disgust.

"He is in the Red Dream. We must get him to an Apothecary, quickly."

Post-Game Thoughts

Khan is a beast. He weighs in cheaper than the Prime, has a good chance of beating him in close combat, and he adds so many other options to the army. I wish I had a team player like Khan in the Tyranid HQ slot, he is just so good!

This game did show me some weaknesses in my Tyranid army. I’d like to replace the Zoanthropes with another source of Synapse and add in a second Hive Guard squad. However, I’m already fulfilling all the requirements to just use dual Force Organization and play four Elites.

I would have to say that the Carnifexes kept this game alive. Their shooting power isn’t the most impressive in the world, but they can switch to the close combat role instantly and clear those heavy hitter units that give Tyranids so much trouble.

I also made a couple of mistakes that could have changed the course of the game. I have to learn to play a more focused game with my Tervigon; I’m bad to use up its spawning and then allow it to drift listlessly for the rest of the game. If it had been in position to snatch up the relic, I’m not sure my opponent could have done anything to neutralize it. I also should have ran the few Hormagaunts that were still alive; they were SO CLOSE to having Linebreaker, and I just forgot they were there.

I think if my opponent had pressured the center more with his troops in the early game, he could have walked away with the Relic by turn five. As it was, they spent most of the game Snap Firing at Monstrous Creatures, which didn’t gain him much.

With all that said, my opponent played a good game, and Khan’s Warlord Trait pulled a draw from the jaws of defeat. Until next time, Space Marine!