Hi folks,
By this stage in the game Wade and I stopped using the proper names for the game phases. We now called them, Death Phase 1, Death Phase 2, Death Phase 3, Death Phase 4 and the Dead Phase. Seriously, from Sgt Waz's movement to shooting phase we were losing models. The psychic phase was particularly brutal. At the start of the 3rd turn the Swarmlord unleashed a psychic blast which killed my Company Champion, leaving the Master open to direct fire. In the following shooting phase (Death Phase 3), the flying Tyrant and surviving Gargoyles shot him to death, earning some victory points.
The Crone and the Harpy combined to harass my Devastator Squad, pulling them from the battlements where they had taken cover all game. I was really starting to lament not having any anti-flyer weapons, our Stormraven was destroyed too soon!
During the Space Marine turn Dante and his bodyguard deployed by deep strike behind the Biovores, killing one with their meltapistols. We were on the hunt for VP's as well, and they were the best target at that point in time. The Blood Angels also mowed down the last Tyrant Guard and prepared to hold objective marker VI from the Swarm Lord and Dimachaeron. On the left flank the Vindicator obliterated a brood of Termagants, whilst the Dark Angels assault squad, Mephiston and Corbulo continued to feed more Termagants into the meat grinder, scoring some easy victory points as Mephiston slaughtered the Tyranid Prime with his force sword.
Turn 3 Victory Points
Tyranids: 5
Angels of Death: 5
Unfazed by the loss of so many little gun-beasts, the Tervigon produced another 13 of the blighters and sent them on their way to capture objective IV. Thankfully, it wouldn't be able to produce any more. Wade and I both knew we had to break out of that combat fast, or the victory points would start racking up against us.
In a bid to protect the last Biovore (...and a potential three VP), Sgt Waz shot at Dante and his squad with the Tyrannofex's rupture cannon and shreddershard beetles. As the meltapistol toting Marines were at the front of the squad, so that the Biovores would be in range last turn, they bore the brunt of the Tyrannofex's shooting. Both pistoliers died, complicating the marines attempt to earn the maximum VPs; we wanted to eliminate a unit (1 VP) in the shooting phase (1 VP) using a unit that has jump packs (1 VP). The Harpy nailed a shot on the Death Company Dreadnought's rear armour, destroying it. Damn that thing was getting around! The Tyrannofex charged Dante but was cut down by his power axe and a Death Company thunderhammer. Revenge was swift and extra bloody, as the Blood angels Tactical squad was caught between the Swarmlord and Dimachaeron. They all died in one brutal close combat phase (Death Phase 4).
During the Space Marine turn I sniped at the last Biovore with my immobalised Dreadnought's twin-linked autocannon, causing a wound! Dante and the last two Death Company marines took their shots but just could not take the last wound. We scanned carefully through our remaining models and not a single one had line of sight. My Dreadnought and Tactical squad in the ruins continued to pour fire into the Gargoyles and flying Tyrant, whittling it down to two wounds. The Vindicator didn't dare fire at its only viable target, for the risk of killing Mephiston.
In the assualt phase Dante easily accounted for the last Biovore, netting us 2 VP. The Dark Angels assault squad, Mephiston and Corbulo massacred the last Termagants in the close combat. The Dark Angels rolled the maximum move distance for consolidation, capturing objective IV ahead of the Termagants! For the first time in the game Wade and I were in the lead and, boy, did we celebrate.
Turn 4 Victory Points
Tyranids: 7
Angels of Death: 8
After the cheering had subsided, we took stock of our position and realised just how precarious it was. We had tactical objectives that awarded points for killing psykers and monstrous creatures but we had very little units in position to take advantage of them and Sgt Waz still had a lot of scary things running around. The Tyranids needed to cause a unit to be pinned and be in possession of twice as many objectives to cash in his remaining objectives. This in mind, Sgt Waz drew more tactical objective cards and made his move (Death Phase 1).
The Tervigon aimed its stinger salvo at Mephiston and managed to take off his last wound. The Dimachaeron charged the Tactical squad on objective II, massacring them in close combat and consolidating towards my assault squad. During the Space Marine turn we charged the Swarmlord with Dante and issued a challenge for a VP but, frustratingly, couldn't take him down for even more. Corbulo and the Dark Angels assault squad managed to mop up the termagants in close combat, staying in control of objective IV for another turn and earning some points for destroying a unit in close combat.
Turn 5 Victory Points
Tyranids: 10
Angels of Death: 10
As time was getting away from us, we all decided that Turn 6 would be the last turn. The Tyranid turn the flying Tyrant fired a volley of brainleech worms at my Dreadnought in the ruins, glancing it to death. In close combat the Swarmlord killed Dante our Warlord, securing him a vital VP. The Dimachaeron charged and wiped out the Dark Angels assault squad, which were acting as a speed hump for Corbulo. Taking a look at the objectives under control, the Tyranids had achieved another victory point for controlling twice the number of objectives of the Space Marines. Sgt Waz would also secure a point for Linebreaker, we had no way of killing all the monstrous creatures in our deployment zone!
So... we needed three victory points to earn a very unlikely draw. Anything more would bring the house down. We drew some more tactical objective cards, one of which required us to recapture objective marker II...
After a very difficult terrain roll followed by a run of 6 inches, my last two Devastator marines snuck into range to capture the objective! Another of our cards would award us a VP for making a successful charge. So... Corbulo, having watched the Dark Angels Assault squad die to protect him, charged in to avenge their deaths...
In the final combat of the game, the two remaining Death Company marines survived a round of close combat with the Swarmlord (on two wounds, worth two VP) and put two Thunderhammer hits on him. Both wounded him. The Swarmlord failed both saves. Then passed both Feel No Pain rolls on 5+!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
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| Death by shame :-) |
Turn 6 Victory Points
Tyranids: 13
Angels of Death: 12
What a close and frantic game! The Tactical Objective cards afforded the Angels of Death a chance to win even though they were outclassed from the start and very nearly wiped out by turn 4. Games like this remind me of why I love the game and, for the first time in a while, gaming is starting to inspire my modelling and painting. Suddenly, The Hammer of Caliban detachment is looking pretty cool... and a Nephilim...
See you across the table,
M4cr0
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