Warhammer 40k Battle Report #1 - Tyranids vs Space Marines 500pts

After one hell of a cold long weekend I managed to get another game in with Tommy - the organizer of the recently concluded Kill Team campaign at Hairy Tarantula North. 

This is a 500 point battle between my Tyranids and Tommy's Space Marines (Storm Wardens). There is a new Tyranids vs Imperium league/campaign brewing, rumored to be starting with 500 point games and working up from there. We decided to play test our 500 point lists in preparation for the upcoming campaign.

For the mission, we rolled on the Eternal War table from the BRB and the result was the 'Big Guns Never Tire' mission. There were 5 objectives scattered across the board. Each objective was worth 3 points to whoever controlled it at the end of the battle. In addition, we could earn 1 point for each of the following: Slay the Warlord, First Blood, Linebreaker, and for each enemy Heavy Support unit that had been destroyed.

It was a Dawn of War deployment, and Tommy won the initial roll-off. He chose to deploy along the right side of the table and to go first.

The calm before the storm - The battlefield awaits the arrival of the Tyranid and Storm Warden Forces.
Objectives markers are placed at each of the red numbers.

The Armies

Tommy's Storm Warden Space Marine list was a mobile force with 3 dedicated transports led by a Librarian:

HQ

Librarian w/ Combi-Flamer

TROOPS

5-Man Tactical Squad w/ Flamer

Razorback w/ Twin-Linked Heavy Bolter

5-Man Tactical Squad w/ Flamer

Razorback w/ Twin-Linked Heavy Bolter

HEAVY SUPPORT

5-Man Devastator Squad w/ 4x Missile Launchers

Rhino

The Storm Wardens and their dedicated transports await deployment. The Librarian has drawn his powers from the Divination list and joined the Devastator squad to make sure all of their shots count.

My Tyranid List was built around a Hive Tyrant. I was a little hesitant to bring a Tyrant to such a low points game, but since our larger lists would have to be built upon this starting 500 point core, I decided to do it anyway to future-proof my list:

HQ

Hive Tyrant w/ Wings & 2x Twin-Linked Devourers with Brainleech Worms

ELITES

1 Zoanthrope

TROOPS

10x Termagants w/ Fleshborers

10x Termagants w/ Fleshborers

3x Tyranid Warriors stock w/ 1 Barbed Strangler

HEAVY SUPPORT

1 Biovore

The Hive Tyrant issues some last minute orders before the battle

Deployment

The Storm Wardens deployed in their dedicated transports, ready to advance toward the valuable objectives. I got to deploy 2nd, so I deployed the Tyrant, Zoanthrope, and a squad of Termagants to tangle with 2 of the Space Marine transports, while the Tyranid Warriors led a brood of Termagants toward three central objectives. The Biovore sat back, ready to unleash a barrage of spore mines on the enemy.

                               

Turn One

The Storm Wardens rolled out. All 3 transports advanced at Combat Speed and fired on their respective targets. With some lucky cover saves, only one Termagant was removed as a casualty as a result. The two Tactical Squads stayed in the safety of their Razorbacks, while the Devastator Squad disembarked near a ruined building. Their difficult terrain roll was insufficient to get them to the 2nd floor, so they remained on the bottom floor in partial cover. The missile launchers took some snap-shots at the Zoanthrope as the Devastators advanced, but were unable to inflict any damage.

The Devastators disembark from their Rhino (right) and take cover behind some ruins, while one of the Tactical Squads bides their time in the safety of their Razorback (left) near one of the coveted objectives.

The Tyranids responded by advancing toward the enemy. The Hive Tyrant led the charge by taking to the skies and destroying a Razorback with a volley of fire from his Twin-Linked Devourers. First Blood for the Tyranids! The Tactical Squad disembarked their wrecked transport but failed their pinning test. 

Meanwhile, a brood of Termagants and their babysitter, the Zoanthrope, advanced toward the ruin which now had both a Devastator and Tactical Squad hiding behind. The Zoanthrope channeled warp energies to summon a Warp Blast on the Devastators, suffering a Perils of the Warp and taking a wound himself in the process. It was not in vain however, as the blast killed 3 of the Missile-Launcher wielding Devastators! The Biovore launched spore mines across the battlefield, felling the Devastator Squad's Sergeant. Now only the Librarian and one Missile Launcher Devastator remained from the terrifying hit squad.

The Hive Tyrant perched atop the ruins has destroyed the Razorback (bottom), leaving the Tactical squad pinned. Only two models remain from the expensive and well-armed Devastator + Librarian hit squad

Turn Two

After some unfortunate rolling and a devastating turn 1 attack from the Tyranid forces, the Storm Wardens sought to claw their way back into the battle. The pinned Tactical Squad had no choice but to stay put, while the Librarian and lone remaining Devastator advanced through the ruins, toward the injured Zoanthrope and his Termagant entourage. The remaining Razorback advanced toward the other brood of Termagants and Tyranid Warriors, however their targets were hidden behind a central building, so they chose to stay in the safety of their Razorback. 

The Hive Tyrant looks on at the advancing Razorback, while the Tyranid Warriors and Termagants hide behind a central building.

The Devastator Squad's Rhino rounded the corner and fired its storm bolter at the Zoanthrope, felling the Psyker and weakening the Tyranid synapse web. The Librarian and his buddy charged into the Termagants, killing off a couple and taking no damage in return.

Termagants prepare to engage after their Zoanthrope
babysitter is killed by a stray Storm Bolter shot

The Storm Warden Librarian and a Devastator charge in to battle

                                                 

With the Storm Wardens on the back foot, the Tyranid forces sought to take control of the battle on Turn 2. The Hive Tyrant tried pin the disembarked Tactical Squad but was unsuccessful. He then turned his sights on the empty Rhino and wrecked it with a volley of fire, slowly taking away the Storm Warden's mobility by removing their transport vehicles from play. The Warriors charged the lone remaining Razorback (with Tactical Squad still embarked) and were able to land two glancing blows, but the vehicle survived their attack. 

The Termagant Brood, now without the Zoanthrope's synaptic support, proceeded to lose the close combat against Librarian and friend, and were cut down as they attempted to flee.

Librarian and friend stand victorious, covered in the blood of
Termagants, while the Hive Tyrant glides by their wrecked Rhino
in the background

The Razorback is damaged but still operational
after the Warriors' assault

Turn Three

The Razborback reverses, unloading the
Tactical Squad and unleashing a hail of fire

          at the unsuspecting Warriors

With the Zoanthrope and a Brood of Termagants out of action, the tides began to turn in favour of the Storm Warden side, who despite having lost two thirds of their transport vehicles still had both of their Tactical Squads fully intact (minus one flamer who was picked off by a stray spore mine), as well as their Librarian Warlord still in play. Now they would have to find a way to deal with the remaining Tyranid Synapse support.

The Storm Wardens set their sights on the Tyranid Warriors. The last remaining Tac Squad disembarked and a loosed a hail of fire along with their Razorback, killing one of the warriors and leaving a 2nd Warrior with just 1 wound remaining. The tactical squad that had been pinned for Turn 2 now had their wits about them, and advanced desperately away from the rampaging Hive Tyrant and into the cover of some nearby ruins which also happened to hold one of the objective markers. 

The Librarian and his Devastator buddy advanced toward the remaining Tyranid Warriors and Termagants, felling a few of the expendable bugs with a frag missile and bolter fire.

Warriors and Tactical Squad boop each other to no avail.
Termagants in the background take cover from the
advancing Librarian and Devastator

The Tyranids then responded. The Hive Tyrant turned his attention to the Tactical Squad hiding in cover on one of the objectives. He switched to Gliding mode in preparation for a turn 4 assault, should there be any survivors. After some unlucky 3+ rolling, only two of the Tactical Marines were left. Completely on their own and staring into the eyes of an unwounded Hive Tyrant, things looked bleak. The remaining Termagants scuttled away from the Librarian, into cover and onto a central objective.

Meanwhile, the Tyranid warriors charged in against the tactical squad. After the dust settled, no wounds were inflicted by either side, and the melee continued.

Turn Four

The Storm Wardens had clawed back, but with the Hive Tyrant decimating one Tactical Squad, and the other locked in combat with Warriors, they looked to be running out of options. The Librarian and his buddy stayed put, making the most of the Missile Launcher and killing yet a few more bugs. The two Tactical marines said a prayer to the Emperor, dug in their heels, and fired one last volley against the Hive Tyrant. As he shrugged off their bolter fire, they surely must have known their time was up.

The Melee between Tyranid Warriors and the Tactical Squad continued, with another round resulting in 0 wounds for either side.

Termagants look on from cover at the seemingly endless melee between the Warriors and Tactical Squad

On the Tyranid end of the turn, the Hive Tyrant mercilessly slaughtered the remaining 2 Tactical Marines, while the last 2 surviving Termagants scuttled further behind cover on the central objective, and further away from the Librarian. The melee between the Warriors and Tactical squad finally saw an unsaved wound taken by the Space Marines, who failed their morale test but stayed put anyway because SPESH MUREENS!

At the end of turn 4 things looked very bleak for the Storm Warden force. The Tyranids looked to have firm control of 2-3 of the objectives, and the Storm Wardens could only hope to score 2 since they only had 2 scoring units remaining in play... unless they could somehow kill the Warriors and send the remaining Tyranids fleeing with no synapse support.

The Tyrant stares down 2 remaining Tactical Marines,
hiding behind the warp gate.

Bird's-eye view. The Termagants and Biovore are
each poised to secure an objective, while the Warriors
do battle and provide synapse.

Turn Five

Two Termagants hide from the
Librarian, holding the objective

The Storm Wardens enter turn 5 needing to make something happen. If nothing changes, the Tyranids are set to control 3 objectives by the end of the turn, which would surely result in a Storm Warden defeat. 

The Librarian and Devastator inflict further damage on the Termagants holding the central objective, but fail their charge and are unable to push the Tyranids off the objective as two (very terrified) Termagants survive. 

How not to roll
your 3+ armor saves

The Razorback risks all, with 1 Hull Point left, by reversing to secure an objective within difficult terrain. Fortunately the vehicle is not immobilized, and the Storm Wardens now hold an objective. If the Tactical Squad somehow can finish off the Warriors and bust the Tyranid's synapse web, that might send the remaining Biovore and Termagants fleeing and even up the score!

Unfortunately for the Storm Wardens, the melee ends in disaster. The Warriors inflict 4 wounds and Tommy gets very unlucky, failing all 4 armour saves. The Squad is destroyed and game all but secured for the Hive Fleet Behemoth Tyranids.

With the Tyranid turn approaching, all that remains on the battlefield for the Storm Wardens is a Razorback with 1 Hull Point, the Librarian, and 1 Devastator. The Hive Tyrant made short work of the Librarian and Devastator, while the Tyranid Warriors would inflict the final glancing blow to wreck the Razorback and table the Space Marine force. 

This was a ton of fun and a hard-fought battle. Looking at the points values, it was pretty evident that the outcome of the battle may be decided by the performance of our key units. My Hive Tyrant took - up 230 of my 500 points, so he would need to perform for me to have a chance of winning, and that he surely did. For the Storm Wardens, the hit squad consisting of 5 Devastators, Librarian, and Rhino weighed in at 240 points. Even though they were responsible for taking out a Zoanthrope and almost 2 squads of Termagants, they were ultimately not able to pull their weight. This is mostly due to the Turn 1 Warp Blast and some poor rolling on the ensuing cover saves. Had more of them survived that first turn and been able to set up in the ruins, I am sure the battle would have looked quite different.

This game taught me the importance of safeguarding expensive units, especially for the smaller points cost games that will be kicking off the upcoming Escalation league. Other than that, Flyrants are pretty damn strong, and failing the majority of your 3+ saves over the course of a battle is no good for business. I am sure the Space Wardens' engineers will be looking into why their Power Armour wasn't working in this battle, and that they will come back stronger next time!