Waking Dead

Last Sunday night saw the first major battle of the new year in Warhammer 40,000, a precursor if you will to the campaign playing out over the Summer. I took 1500 points of Tyranids versus the same amount of Mark R’s Witch Hunters. The mission was a standard Cleanse scenario, the terrain mainly comprising lots of low hedges and open grassland, with a small forest and ruined tower the only hard cover.

For my 1500 points I managed 3 units of 8 Spinegaunts, 8 Hormagaunts, 2 units of 10 Genestealers, a Carnifex, 3 Warriors, a Winged Hive Tyrant, a Lictor and 2 Biovores. Mark had (from memory) 5 Arco-Flagellants, 2 units of 10 Sisters of Battle, an Assassin, a Priest, an Inquisitor, Saint Celestine, 3 Penitent Engines, a couple of Sister Superiors and an Exorcist tank.

Turn one, Mark went first and moved his Engines forward (as that’s all they can do), flaming a couple of ‘stealers on the way. He then blasted a couple of Spinegaunts with missile fire, and took a wound off my Carnifex with the Assasin. My go: two lots of Bio Acid mines from the Biovores and a lucky roll of 6 for penetration took out the Exorcist, and the Hive Tyrant flew toward the Engines, Genestealers primed in backup. I marched all my gaunts forward as far as they could go, using Fleet of Claw for the extra few inches. I also managed to take out a couple of Sisters with heavy fire from the Warriors, but nothing dramatic.

Turn two and Mark had to rethink his plan now he was “sans tank”. He figured he may as well keep holding the ruined tower he’d dug himself in behind, and basically stayed put till I could get to him, shooting down a few more ‘gaunts on the way. Fortunately for me most of my tougher units were out of LOS, and both my Hive Tyrant and the first group of Genestealers were in HTH with the Penitent Engines. I kept up this combat on my turn, leaving only one Engine standing, whilst the rest of my horde marched ever closer to the defending Witch Hunters.

The next two turns played out almost entirely like the first two. Mark took the Carnifex out with sniper fire before I’d even gotten to engage a unit with it, my Biovores continued to rip holes in his ranks with Bio Acid mines, and the Hive Tyrant and Genestealer backup just kept cutting their way through the Sisters. Cut a long story short, on turn four he had two squads of sisters left, each with no more than about four figures in them (my Lictor popping up behind his Inquisitor, decapitating him, then scuttling off behind a wall!); I’d lost a squad of Genestealers, a Carnifex (boooo!) and a squad of cheap-ass Spinegaunts.

He conceded. Yay for the Great Devourer!

Overall it was a bit of a massacre. Lots of lessons were learned (don’t play Penitent Engines against Tyranids!) and the terrain didn’t help Mark much, but it was a learning experience for both. I think in future I’d equip the Carnifex with some sort of long-range weapon (Venom Cannon/Scything Talons combo seems the most logical) so at least it can shoot while its lumbering up the field. I’d also be tempted to bring a Zoanthrope or two to deal with tanks – I’m not sure I’ll get so lucky with my Spore Mines again!

One last thing: I’ll have a battle report and some pictures up (hopefully) at the weekend for the 18,000 point Christmas Grand Melee that we played out in Fantasy Battle – its well worth waiting for!