Battle Brothers Game 3 - Tyranids Vs Space Wolves/Blood Angels

Our last game and when we arrived at the table a bunch of Space Wolves greeted us, only to be whipped off to another table then our opponents turned up with Space Wolves! Richard and Jeremy from 'Team B' were up and I hope they won't mind me saying but they were probably the least like 'gamers' you've ever come across. These two guys were just out to have fun, it's like they'd come out of the pub one day seen some figures and gone 'yeah I'll have a go of that' and turned up at Warhammer World for a 'kick about'. They were absolute stars and total Tyranid virgins mooh-ha-ha! We gave them a run-down of our list beforehand, explained all the horrible nasties so there were no surprises.

Psychic Powers Winged Tyrant HQ Tervigon CC HQ Tervigon Plain Tr Tervigon Adrenal Tr Endurance Endurance Warp Speed Endurance Warp Speed Life Leech Life Leech Smite Doom of Malan'tai Psychic Shriek

The low down:

• The Scouring [we had 4,1,3 and they had 3,2,2 and 8-7 split, fair enough].
• Hammer and Anvil
• We won deployment and went first.
• Warlord Trait - Princeps of Deceit - Move one unit 3D6" or 3 units 1D6" each after deployment.

We settled into our deployment with Tervigons taking the centre, using the ruins as cover with the Hive tyrant behind the Bastion which was manned by my disposable gaunts again.

Team B had their Wolves champing at the bit. As Fast Attack they would normally be scoring but their rules state they may never be scoring, although they would make a tasty VP for us if we could tame them. Their Objectives are behind the Rhino on the left, in the middle and the last one next to the Quad Gun with some scouts and either Grey Hunters or Long Fangs.

We redployed the Hive Tyrant about 11 or 12 inches towards the middle of the board, from behind the Bastion. Then in turn 1 he swooped into the cover of the building. My vanilla Tervigon spawned 6 to hold the 3pt objective behind the Bastion and headed up past the ruins with the Devgaunts. The other two Tervigons headed for the centre, Dan spawned 11 into the ruins.

The HQ Tervigon spawned 8 which managed to reach the 4 pt objective. The Trygon moved into cover with the Hive Tyrant.

The Tyrant open fired on the Fenrisian Wolves only to find out they were in fact Fenrisian Scaredy Cats.

Having killed 8 they bolted and ran 13" [3D6 for beasts] off the board taking their Wolf Lord with them! Oh dear. We felt really bad about that, over 300pts of figure but more importantly First Blood, Slay the Warlord and a Fast Attack VP giving us 3VPs in one turn and we'd been miffed when our Tervigon had died in game 2. To their absolute credit Jeremy and Richard laughed it off so much I couldn't believe it - top sportsmen. 

So their turn 1 and they pick themselves up and in comes a drop pod with a Rune Priest.

Hilariously the Rhino immobilises itself in the crater so the Wolves have to get out and walk, this was just getting funnier... 

and then not so funny for us. Yep that's Jaws of the World Wolf going though Termagants, Trygon, 2 Tervigons and the Hive Guard. He passes his Psychic test on 3D6 due to Shadows of the Warp.

We fail pretty much every Deny the Witch [FYI that doesn't deny the power completely it just means th eunit that tests is unaffected but every unit that fails still has to take the Initiative test, we had to look it up]. A Termagant dies, the Trygon dances out of the way and the Tervigon HQ gets sucked into the chasm taking his 6 wounds with him! 

And Dan's Tervigon follows him too. 450pts in one shot, failing all Deny the Witch and Initiative test and losing Slay the Warlord too, now that's what you would call a counter attack!

To add insult to injury the Termagants are thinned down to one remaining gaunt by the Wolves and the psychic backlash from the loss of it's progenitor.

Fine, I'll see your Jaws and raise you a DOOM! Bang in the middle of both squads.

And the rhino squad lose 5 to the Doom and then the remaining are killed by the Spore Pod and possibly Psychic Scream from the Doom taking him up to 10 wounds.

The Hive Tyrant jumps over the crater to come at the Wolves from one angle while the Trygon comes at them from the other - intent on squishing the lot between them The lone gaunt takes cover in the ruins hoping for the mayhem to cease so it can return to the objective, even if it has been sabotaged to explode.

The Rune Priest refused the challenge from the Tyrant and as he ran off behind the drop pod he could only hear the dying screams of his comrades as they were eaten to a man by the pair of Monstrous Creatures.

Here's where I found out there were Blood Angels in the mix as Mephiston gets into assault with my Tervigon. He tries to activate his force weapon and fails and perils on his psychic power but we remain locked in combat , him on 2 wounds and the Tervigon on 3.

Turn 3 and the Tervigon projectile spawns 11 new gaunts. Which manage to join up with the Tyrant who had pounced on the Rune Priest who'd found his spine and tried to pull of Jaws again but we'd evaded it or he'd failed his Ld test. The Doom heads for Linebreaker. 

The Trygon managed to smash through the ruins to support my Tervigon against Mephiston.

My Gaunts on the right had failed their Instinctive Behaviour test every turn since they'd lost synapse but luckily they just wouldn't run more than 2" towards the woods. While every other Termagants within Synapse tried to secure an objective.

The angry Doom smashed the Rhino like it was tin but took a wound from some Space Wolf shooting.

The Rune Priest finally met his deserved fate.

The Gaunts consolidated around the objective.

Mephiston turned his attention on the Trygon and tore it apart. But being occupied the Tervigon manages to put a couple more wounds on him taking him to 4.

Team Bs turn and he returns to the Tervigon and tries to cast something but 

I don't think that dice roll helped, I think it's the two 6s and 3 and he perils off the board.

Tervigon consolidates back to the objective. 

I'm thinking that's a couple of gaunt saving throws.

Then the objective explodes and the Gaunts go to ground as they're out of synapse and they save everything thanks to the cover. Meanwhile the Doom finally gets popped being instakilled by las-cannon fire.

The Hive tyrant is heading for the Aegis  and I've a unit of 4 Gaunts and that 1 lone Gaunt holding the 2 point objective. At this point Dan is completely aware that the more VPs we get compared to our opponent the greater the difference and the higher we'll place in the rankings. I'm thinking it's the same scoring system as Throne of Skulls but Dan knows what's going on and is going for the jugular.

The Termagants surround the objective.

The Hive Guard destroy the drop pod.

The lone gaunt goes off on a mission, making it's move and 6" run to reach the 3 pt objective and secure linebreaker - what a little trooper

Hive Tyrant Swoops the Defence Line and Vector Strikes the two las-cannons killing them

He finally takes a wound but he never once crashed into the ground, either saving or evading all incoming fire, he was awesome

And that's how it ended with 17VPs in total for Team Warpshadow and although Team B secured only 3VPs I think they did a sterling effort killing off quite so many of our big beast and scary characters, we just had enough strength in depth and luck to get to each and every objective other than the 2 pt one. We could have gone for an extra turn and tabled them but Jeremy and Richard were such great sports we called it.

What can I say, by the end we were working seamlessly and despite our failure were also able to dish out the successes too. It really felt like we were using proper tactics and executing them with decisive strikes. Great fun, great games, great opponents and a great Battle Brother! I can't thank Dan enough for asking for a partner and despite the unknown I ended up having one of the best days gaming I've ever had.

Battle Brothers Game 2 - Tyranids Vs Tau/Space Marines

Psychic Powers Winged Tyrant HQ Tervigon CC HQ Tervigon Plain Tr Tervigon Adrenal Tr Endurance Endurance Warp Speed Endurance Warp Speed Life Leech Life Leech Smite Doom of Malan'tai Psychic Shriek

The low down:

• Crusade 3 objectives.
• Hammer and Anvil
• We lost deployment and went second.
• Warlord Trait - Master of Ambush - Outflanking units have Acute Senses :(

Matt and Lacey were are opponents with a straightforward list of Broadsides, Devastators, Tactical Squads and Pathfinders. As you can see that's a mighty interesting board, with a complete line of trees down the centre, practically like the 'dividing line scenario' and they were each Mysterious Forests - ooh! Spooky. Our objective is behind the Bastion [which my 11 Termagants are occupying].

one objective is in the wood on the left and the other is in the ruins.

Some Pathfinders control the 'middle' objective.

More deployment shots, Tactical squads and Pathfinders infiltrate.

These Pathfinders suddenly appeared in our back field in the bottom left of the board...

... and proceeded to light up our HQ Warolord Tervigon with markerlight shots.

Now I've never payed Tau, new or old Codex but that 4 dice is how many markerlights are on the Tervigon and it also gets hit by some high AP weapon.

The Pathfinders in the ruin to it's left also light it up and it's high AP weapon takes another wound.

Four of those marker lights manage to negate cover and suddenly I'm being asked to put another 3 wounds on the Tervigon from Railguns. At this point I've no idea who's shooting it because I can't see the 'Tau for the trees' [see what I did there].

However, when I changed my view to above the trees and Tervigon you can see those pesky Broadsides on the hill. Dan raised this with the other guys and we got out the laser pointers I was dubious but a couple of red dots managed to catch it's legs and the 'line of sight rule' specifically states 'catch a glimpse of a model's legs under tree branches' so we had to take it on the chin.

And lose First Blood and Slay the Warlord in turn 1 :(

Still, onwards and upwards, I spawn 11 Gaunts and Iron Arm up. We re-route the Hive Guard and my Tervigon and it's progeny to annihilate the Pathfinders and deny Linebreaker and their markerlighting shenanigans. The Bastion is out of range on the pathfinders but manages to hit the ones on the objective but without damage. 

My rearguard take down 1 or two of the Pathfinders and hunker down in the Ironbark forest.

Dan's Tervigon, Devgaunts and 7 spawned Termagants head for the middle objective but the wood they're in is filled with Razorwings. He loses about half the Devgaunts in the woods, wither this turn or next.

The depleted Devgaunts target the Pathfinders in the ruin on the left and they break and run. 

Some deft saving throws from Dan there probably on his Tervigon in their turn 2.

However the spawned gaunts get mullered.

Here come the BOOM! and DOOM! The Hive Tyrant deepstrikes in with the spore pod spot on next to it. The Doom gets out in range of three units. We'd debated this for quite a while. The gunline on the hill would have been equally effective and those Broadsides have rubbish Leadership but their weapons were all instakills. At least here there was cover, plenty of wounds to Leech and two objectives to root people out of. We had to hope we could weather the gunline storm!

Another 11 termagants for me and we head for the remaining Pathfinders. One of my Hive Guard was killed at some point [Dan informs me it may have been a victim to the Razorwings in the trees in our first turn - darn birds!].

The Doom sucks life but some pass their Ld test.

8 spawned gaunts from Dan manage to root out the remaining Pathfinders round the objective.

There are Razorwings here too, although they're not disturbed this time.

I'm guessing that a Doom savign throw. He'd past a few but this was an insta-kill too far. Still, it was saving those shots from going against the Hive Tyrant.

The Spore Pod also bit the dust.

Yet another 11 gaunts head for the ruins on the left. The Pathfinders had regrouped and moved back into position alongside a Tactical squad.

Dan's tervigon spawned 10 more gaunts but has taken 3 wounds. Some of my gaunts have made back to help secure the objective with his own. The Trygon also arrives.

Matt and Lacey were justifiably proud with how annoying their 'behind enemy lines' Pathfinder had been, but they had to go. Fleshborers, Impaler Cannon and Tervigons finally end their annoyance.

The Hive Tyrant jumps into the ruins. We debate whther he should shoot but take it one Devourer at a time just to hin the numbers by a couple in the end.

He challenges the sergeant, probably eats him.

The Trygon come sover to see what's up [See what I mean about Dan's painting? I actually think there is a great similarity between his style and my own. The only thing different is there's no dots. I also think I add another set of highlights to the main body that doesn't make his any less striking, in fact it accentuates the Chitin plates. his bases are full of details too, green pools of slime, broken metal plates, flock and hive nodes. I think it's a disservice to suggest we didn't have equal rights to the best army nominations, I think Dan's too modest :) ]

Everybody runs! With the Pathfinders gone we high-tail it across the board, spawning out on 9, moving and running the Termagants get 18" across the board in one turn and join the 11 Gaunts who vacate the Bastion so we have 3 troops controlling the objective.  

The Hive Tyrant continues to savage whatever is in the Ruins and is somehow joined by the Trygon who manages to slither his massive frame into the wrecked building.

The munch on the remaining Space Marines contesting the objective and eyeing up the Pathfinders on the first floor, y'know - mouth height for a monstrous creature.

 

Having made a tactical blunder and moved his Termagants to surround the centre objective and in doing so disturbed the Razorwings yet again which promptly killed the entire brood Dan moved my gaunts in to take their place so we had two objectives secured.

These gaunts suddenly had the tactical squad that had been in the ruins on the right for company. I think they were slaughtered, probably by the gunline on the hill or probably Razorwings again but the Marines just couldn't make it far enough into the woods to contest.

Having taken the Bastion off to be entered in the best Fortification category we replaced it with the chaos ruins that originally had been on the board. However the important thing is the secured onjective.

Dan's Tervigon moved into the woods to secure the middle one now my Termagants were dead.

While the two monstrous creatures opened fire with Devourers and Bio-electric pulses wiping out the remaining Pathfinders leaving the objective unclaimed and Linebreaker firmly within our grasp.

With time called we had 7 VPs to the Purdus Alliance's 2 VPs. Considering the disastrous first turn we really came back thanks to some relentless gaunt spawning. Taking into account that we managed to do it without the full three Tervigons it's really suggesting that 3 is the optimum number. I think we all agreed though the winner of the game were the Razorwings who were so brutal with their rends. So we're two for two and Dan and I are really getting to grip with our synergy in playing so lets hope it just gets better.