1500pts battle report - Tyranids v Ynarri/Aeldari/Eldar/DarkEldar/Space Pixies/Evil Space Pixies - game 1

It's been over four years since I last went to the Scythe and Teacup but they announced on Facebook a 1500pt, 3 game tournament for only £5, what's not to like? Limitation were only one flyer or LoW and a CAD must be taken before Formations or other shenanigans, apparently to keep the cheese down [not so sure it was successful ;) ]. More of a concern was the 2 hour time limit for each game! You know me and how long I take, couple that with the event starting an hour late and things were less auspicious than I'd hoped. Now pictures are less than usual because of the time factor so I'll do my best to try and remember what went on, bear with.

However, when I was there last I picked up the Miniature Paints Aquamarine that I'm now using as my Anita's Turquoise substitute and I hoped to find some more. I've found it on ebay but when you add postage on too it's like £4 a pot which just seems a bit annoying.

Anyway Round 1 and Ryan with his new Aeldari alliance, wonder if they'll get a new name in 8th. He had some Venoms, a Raider full of Incubi and Harlequin Solitaire, a couple of Farseers on Jetbikes, Warp Spiders and the Yncarne...

Psychic Powers Winged Tyrant HQ Tervigon CC TR Broodlord Zoanthrope Dominion Dominion Dominion Warp Blast The Horror Psychic Scream The Horror Paroxysm Catalyst

The low down:

• Eternal War mission - Crusade [5 objectives]
• Vanguard Strike
• I went second whatever happened with deployment and whoever went first.
• Warlord Trait - 3 Enemy units pinning check [useless against these]
• Not sure about night fighting.

You can see 3 of the objectives, top left between the bunker, debris and hill. One below my Genestealers and one in the middle on the hill next to the Honoured Imperium Statue.

The other two are on the hill and in the Shrine. Ryan focused on the Genestealers taking them all out and leaving the Broodlord with one wound! Serves me right for not putting them within range of the Venomthrope!

My turn and the Flyrant managed to destroy a Venom getting me First Blood, the Broodlord retreated to gain cover from the Venomthrope and the Carnifex moved up with the Tervigon, who spawned Gaunts to secure the centre objective on the hill.

As the Venom, or one of it's occupants died the Yncarne was born [reborn? reincarnated?], bother!

My Tfex had done a little damage on the Warp Spiders with his torrent weapon but that Raider moved up

It disgorged it's Incubi and the Solitaire then was made Invisible and everyone decided to shoot the Tfex.

Which couldn't stand the Firepower of the Raider and Warp Spiders. The Incubi charge the blob of Gaunts, cutting through a third of them without any opportunity for me to hit back.

I spawned Gaunts to throw into the melee but really these would be suicidal sacrifices if they got into combat next turn.

I think the Flyrant downed another Venom but I think it was just wrecked leaving the occupants safe in their disembarkation.

Ryan's turn and both the spawned gaunts in the centre and the Carnifex were dispatched with ease.

Additionally the second brood of gaunts were shot to one left and was subsequently killed alongside what was left of the big blob by the Incubi.

My Tyrrannocyte arrived and I managed to put a wound on the Yncarne and kill of the Dark Eldar next to the Venom leaving a bigger gap around the objective. Unfortunately the Yncarne did his best Fenella the Witch impression and popped up where the Dark Eldar once stood. So much for securing that flank. The rest of the Dev Gaunt and Flyrant shooting did significantly less than I'd hoped, probably killed the other Warriors though.

Last of the Warp Spiders arrived to steal another of the objectives, alongside some turbo-charged Farseers.

I think the final score was 10:4. Ryan had three objectives amd Linebreaker, I just had one and First Blood. I think at some point I realised I may well not have been out-gunned but definitely out-classed. Certainly seems odd that a faction/factions that have so many benefits were given a new way to play with equally good benefits. With the Soulburst actions allowing movements and shooting in my turn it was a tough ask of the nids. That said Ryan was an awesome player and he went on to the final and think may have won the entire tournament, so there's no shame in my efforts.

So, reinstated my habit of losing first game, what's up next.

Throne of Skulls March 2016 - Battle 0, Tyranids Vs Tau, Eldar and Orks

For the life of me I can't remember anything about this game and I can;t find my notes either. We'd travelled don on the Friday and arrived to play on the Spyral Prime table, Otty and I using nids, Ben, Scott and Liam with the holy/'unholy' alliance of Tau, Eldar and Orks! 

We were using the City Fight Maelstrom cards I'd got from a couple of White Dwarfs long time back - glad they finally got some use. We also had some sewers we could come out with and the other guys booby trapped a number of buildings. Also, because of the table I didn't take my Skyshield but had Deathleaper instead, a bit more points but he is pants. Ultimately though we never finished the game. Warhammer World closes at 8pm so we had to pack up, which was a shame. Anyway these are just pictures to enjoy mostly, if they sparek any memories I'll drop em in but for the most part just sit back and enjoy the pretty pictures.

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My Genestealer literally got outflanked by these Boyz and slaughtered.

Bring on the big boys!

For the most part the Tau were ignored, Otty concentrating on the Eldar while I dealt with the Orks.

My Purestrains climbed on top of this landing pad, discovered it was booby trapped and then found out it was a dud!

I loaned Otty the Hive Guard as I felt they'd be more effective against the Wave Serpents, which they were. Meanwhile my Purestrains got oblitereated by the Riptides.

'Sons of Anorky'

I think we got beaten in the end, I recall Otty had tried to kill off a Riptide with Devourer gaunts. He had 60 shots and managed to put a few wounds on one. It was the sensible thing to do as anything else wouldn;t have allowed them to utilise they're guns. However, that did mean the Tau held the centre objective for two turns scoring them a VP and ultimately winning the game. At the that stage though we porbably didn't know the game was going to be so short but it was good fun and some nice pictures too

Blog Wars X 1850pt battle report - nids vs Dark Eldar/Eldar

Game 2 and I'm facing Kyle McSweeney and his Dark Eldar/Eldar. Now we know how good Eldar can be and I'm 50:50 with their darker kin, having suffered at the hands of Liam and my first tabling ever at Throne of Skulls but pulling it back to win objective missions at Blog Wars 6 and the Scythe and Teacup tournament. These were 6th Edition games and Codices so there's a lot of change to overcome.

Psychic Powers Winged Tyrant 1 Winged tyrant 2 Zoanthrope Tervigon Dominion Dominion Dominion Dominion Onslaught Catalyst Warp Blast The Horror Psychic Scream Onslaught Paroxysm Broodlord Dominion The Horror

The low down:

• Emperor's relic - 3 objectives - 5VPs for your own, 10VPs for the middle one and 15VPs if you capture your opponents objective - Vanguard Strike
• Warlord Trait - Warlord and 3 units infiltrate
• Not sure about night fighting, looks like I went first but pretty sure I lost deployment. 

We spent a significant amount of time deploying, my Warlord trait made Kyle debate long and hard over positioning and once he'd got everything just right I then had to think long and hard too because his deployment was so good it made my trait more of a hindrance. I also knew he had a DE Archon who could confer deep-strike on a unit and he was doing just that to Wraithguard with D-Weapon flamers and Prince Yriel so I'd deployed in the star fromation again to help mitigate his arrival.

I was able to swoop my flyrants forward I must have killed the unit of Dark Eldar in this ruin, despite going to ground as I'm sure I got First Strike. I even put a wound on the Wraithknight!

My Carnifex had contibuted to the Dark Eldar First strike but the Stealers and Deathleaper remained skulking in the ruins to hold onto the 10pt objective.

While my Tervigon and gaunts [spawned out on 16] secured my own 5pt objective underneath the skyshield, which Kyle had immidiately predicted would be my tactic as soon as he saw the fortification. It does make me equally happy that someone is aware of it's effectiveness and disappointed they're working out a counter attack.

Kyle was able to put a couple of wounds on the Carnifex but no First Strike.

My turn 2 and both my reserves arrive. The Mawloc appears inside the ruined factory, the Tyrannocyte deviates but the Rippers get out and hide from the remaining Dark Eldar and jetbikes. Not much happens, I do some shooting and feel quite proud of myself as this seems relatively painless and dare-I-say-it 'easy'!

Oh $hit, yeah. Why had I forgotten about the four Venoms, and two Ravagers and the deep striking Wraithguard?! Wraithgouard arrive spot on, all clustered perfectly on the roof of the building next to the Skyshield. Why had I not thought to deploy something there?

Kyle d-templates everything he can, desparate to kill the Venomthrope. It's 'key' to his plan apparently but the flamer just can't do it. Plenty of Gaunts get obliterated but it was the many splinter shots from the Venoms that eventually cut through his spore cloud to kill him outright. Now I'm reliant on the 4+ invul save to keep me alive.

I try swarming the Wraithguard but 'wall of fire' roasts the gaunts and what I have left of them can't breach the Wraithguard Toughness to force a saving throw.

The Tervigon backs up, trying to keep as far away from the D-weapons as possible. The spawned gaunts cluster round the objective underneath hoping to hold onto it.

The Venom's have other ideas, weight of fire pops the Tervigon, taking most if not all of the spawned gaunts with it. The other Termagant brood continues to claw ineffectively at Yriel's Wraithguard their numbers culled by the los sof their brood mother.

More Venom shots cut through the two Carnifex, leaving the last one with just one wound left.

Which is removed by the Wraithknight, who;d been singularly unimpressive for most of the game, either missing or failing to wound.

My Rippers were unceremoniously erased from existence also - double strength weapons insta-killing them one after another.

Wraithguard and gaunts continued to have it out but the Gaunts ultimately perished. The objective underneath the Skyshield was wide open now and he hard Venoms waiting to capitalise on it's exposure.

My Flyrants both swooped back to my Deployment Zone and I was able to riddle the Wraithguard with Brainleech Worms.

Yriel, the Archon and most of the Wraithguard died giving me Slay the Warlord [at least].

The Wraithknight jumped in to contest the centre objective, it was all falling apart now.

Venoms screamed across the battlefield heading for my objective.

Fitting with ease under the safe canopy of my own fortification!

The centre ruin became a fierce battle. I'd moved Deathleaper down but then the Ravagers got a bead on him through the window and insta-killed him. He'd been invisible stood on top of the ruin all game, as soon as he changed position he was toast. The children of Cryptus swarmed the Wraithknight putting another wound on him but getting stomped in the process. The Venom digorged it's Dark Eldar warriors who got savaged by Brainleech Worms, but not enough to lose the objective.

My Mawloc had popped in the Ruins second turn, burrowed back down and then deviated here to miss the venom.

 

Time ran out and Kyle had secured all the objectives and got Line Breaker and I'd managed lose everything except Slay the Warlord and First Strike! So a 31 to 2 loss. That sounds so painful but once again so much pain happened so quickly there really wasn;t enough time to feel miserable about it and Kyle was such a good player it wasn's depressing in any way. Really I only had myself to blame as I forgot he had most of his army off the table and went for his objective which put the Flyrants completely out of position, taking them too long to Swoop back to defend my own base. But this was his plan all along, to draw out the Flyrants and then attack my Skyshield with the Wraithguard - kudos to Kyle for planning and executing that plan to perfection. So 0 for 2, can I scratch a win in the final game