Dark Angels vs. Retro-Tyranids - Survival of the Fittest

Today, Clyde_Frosch and I got together for one last big battle this year. We played with 4,000 points each side according to the rules of the 5th edition and some house rules. I wanted to place a Hierophant at the centre of my army, and after seeing its rules, we agreed that the only mission objective should be its destruction (for the Dark Angels) or its survival (for the Tyranids).  

 

 

 

The Dark Angels got the first turn and advanced resolutely with their heavily armoured vehicles. But right at the start, the battle plan began to show cracks: a Land Raider got stuck in a crater, forcing the crew to disembark. In the ensuing shooting phase, the Dark Angels concentrated their fire on the greatest threats from the approaching swarm.
The mighty Hierophant was wounded, losing one health point, and other synapse creatures also suffered from the concentrated fire. The Tervigon and a Carnifex each lost health points, while numerous smaller Tyranids – mainly Hormagaunts – perished in the firestorm.

 

The Tyranids responded with a massive advance. But still, they would not be able to get in close combat yet. The shooting phase was disappointing: many bio-weapons missed their targets, and even the two Tyrannofexes did little damage. Only the Hierophant showed its destructive power, blowing up the Typhon Heavy Siege Tank and damaging a Land Raider Crusader.

 

  
In the second turn, the Dark Angels increased the pressure considerably. Their fire was devastating: the Tervigon was taken out, two entire Termagant squads were wiped out, and more Tyranids were injured. In close combat, one of the Carnifexes succumbed to the force of Belial and the Assault Terminators' attacks. The Alpha Trygon arrived from reserve – hope sprang up that close combat could turn the tide. The Tyranids continued to advance unabated, and the Hierophant blew up a Land Raider Crusader.

 

 

But the third turn brought disaster for the swarm. During the Dark Angels' shooting phase, the Swarm Tyrant, the second Carnifex, and the newly arrived Alpha Trygon fell. In close combat, an Assault Terminator squad charged the Hierophant. Only thanks to lucky saves from the warp field did the gigantic monster lose only one health point, while the Dark Angels lost about a third of their squad. Belial and his Hammer squad decimated the Tyranid Warriors elsewhere on the board. The Tyranid turn was weak: no reserves arrived, the firepower fizzled out, and Belial wiped out the remaining Tyranid warriors in close combat. 

 

  

 

In the fourth turn, the Dark Angels did not let up. Once again, fire rained down on the Hierophant, who lost two more life points. In close combat, a Tyrannofex fell, and the Hierophant lost more life points.
Finally, a Lictor arrived from the reserves, but was initially unable to do much. The Tyranids' fire remained ineffective. At least the Hierophant managed to completely wipe out a central Deathwing Terminator squad and recover to six life points through regeneration.

 

 

In what could be the decisive fifth turn, the Dark Angels put all their eggs in one basket. All available weapons were aimed at the Hierophant, who was brought down to two health points. Another melee attack followed. But the monster held its ground, tore off a Dreadnought's arms in return, and killed more Terminators.

 

  
Finally, more Tyranid reserves arrived: a Mycetic Spore with Zoanthropes struck, and a squad of Genestealers appeared on the left flank. The Zoanthropes' fire slightly damaged a Fellblade, while the Hierophant destroyed the Spartan and further decimated the Terminator squad in close combat. In addition, the Lictor managed to take out a Land Speeder in close combat.

The sixth and final turn did not bring any decisive change. The Fellblade was finally blown up by the combined fire of the Zoanthropes and the remaining Tyrannofex. Desperate close combat continued to rage in the centre: Hierophant against more Terminators and the damaged Dreadnought. Despite all their efforts, the Dark Angels were unable to defeat the titanic creature.

 
Conclusion

The Dark Angels inflicted massive losses on the Tyranids and dominated large parts of the battle. But the price was high, and the Hierophant survived – badly scarred, but unbroken. While the swarm can quickly compensate for its losses, the Dark Angels have lost many brave brothers and numerous irreplaceable artefacts.

We had a lot of fun, and the Hierophant was a real monster. If I had rolled the dice just a little worse, he would certainly have fallen. The Dark Angels’ strength was evident throughout most of the game, as hardly anything else remained of my troops, and they were unable to do anything at all. The Hierophant bore the brunt of the battle and saved the day for the hive mind. A true one-man army.

Reunification - Blood Angels vs. Retro-Tyranids

Tomorrow, I have a big battle coming up with my Retro-Tyranids, 4,000 points per side. As luck would have it, I was able to warm up a bit last week. An old gaming friend whom I had lost touch with for a few years now happens to live in the same small town as me. 

It was great fun to push a few miniatures across the board and roll the dice again. It was just like old times, especially since we played 40k according to the 5th edition rules. We had two great, exciting games with his Blood Angels and my Tyranids. Here are a few impressions from our games:

 

"Cites of Death" Reloaded - Part III

The board is now 85% complete, with just a few details and two or three buildings still missing. Overall, I am very happy with the result, and the last games on this board were really atmospheric. 

I don't know about you, but I'm a little disappointed. Why? It has never been so easy to create interesting, varied terrain. Whether using 3D printing, laser-cut terrain, plastic terrain kits, and so on. Never before have there been so many different sources of information and such good tools available at the same time.

And yet, many gaming tables have never looked so dreary and boring. Thanks to gaming mats and the same old L-shaped terrain. That's really sad.

 

 

"Cites of Death" Reloaded - Part II

The first three introduction games were really great. The terrain made a real difference to the gameplay and the overall atmosphere. But there was still a lot of room for improvement.

Details such as posters, plants, barricades, puddles, signs, lanterns and so on were still missing. Then, of course, more buildings, possibly bridges, and definitely platforms or pedestals.

Next, I bought the set from “The Desolation of Emerita” by Sacrus Mundus, as it should fit well.

  

Then I tried out a new tool (thermocutter) and made some plateaus. I glued printed Necromunda wall sections to the Styrodur segments I had cut to size. It actually looks quite good, and the idea can be expanded upon.

“Cities of Death” Reloaded - Part I

The “Cities of Death” expansion for the 4th edition of 40k is now almost 20 years old. I used to play a few games with it, but I did not have a really fitting board back then. Later on, I had some GW ruins and two or three terrain pieces from Forgeworld, but it wasn't a real city either.

To make a long story short: I built myself an urban gaming table. I used mainly 3D printing. The project is finished to about 85%.

An old game board by my friends Clyde_Frosch and Chilla-Bot served as the basis, so I didn't have to start from scratch. I had a roll of cork left over from laying the floor, which I cut to size for the roads:

In two places, I worked the craters directly into the overall picture to create a harmonious effect. I wasn't stingy with the dirt, even though it may look a bit excessive in the picture. However, I vacuumed off the excess after it had dried.

I've always loved the aesthetics of the old Forgeworld terrain. That's why I wanted the terrain for the board to look something like that. I finally found what I was looking for at “War Scenery” and their “Siege of Castograd” series. I bought the ruins of the Imperial Warehouse and the Hab Block and fired up the printer. Using these two buildings as a starting point, I did some digital kitbashing and was able to print some more terrain in the same style. As an old nostalgic, I find the shrine of “Sanctuary 101” particularly awesome. Maybe someone else remembers it from the old publications. The files for this can easily be found online and downloaded for free.

 

I primed the terrain with black tinting paint to hide the print lines a little. This was followed by a layer of light gray from the can applied at an angle from above. Here and there, I roughly dabbed on some Reikland Fleshshade and Agrax Earthshade to make it look less monotonous. Finally, I applied a thin layer of black oil wash and that was it!

Classic Tyranid Warriors

I was still missing a few Tyranid Warriors to complete a playable Tyranid army with approx. 2000 points. So I painted one new warrior and gave three old warriors new weapons. 

The purple weapons in the picture are actually Barbed Stranglers, but I play them as Deathspitters. The warriors' current weapons look quite different, and there were no metal Deathspitters for the old warrior models. Just for your information.

Last weekend, I was finally able to play a 1750-point battle against Grey Knights. More on that later...