Monday, July 20, 2009

The Battle for Planet No-Name: Part 1

After retrieving their captured specimens from the Ork-ravaged world of No-Name (which you can read about here), the Tyranid splinter fleet decides that the abundant bio-mass of the world looks rather tasty. And since they’re already here anyway, the might as well strip the planet bare and devour all useful biological material. Before they can do so, however, they’ll have to fight their way through the rampaging band of Orks who have just invaded this world. And after having some of their hard-earned loot stolen from them by the Tyranids, those Orks are looking for some payback.

Setup
The game was 2000 points per side, with me controlling the Tyranids, and the Orks split between two other people. The objective of the game was just to get the most kill points. Whoever destroyed more enemy units would be the victor. Deployment zones were along the long board edges, twelve inches onto the board. I rolled first turn, and so had to deploy my army first. Here is my deployment. I kept two Lictors in reserve.
Orks vs Tyranids 2 Orks vs Tyranids 2

And here is the subsequent deployment of the Ork army. They had a couple of units held in reserve, including a unit of Stormboyz who would arrive by Deep Strike.
Orks vs Tyranids 2 Orks vs Tyranids 2

And a couple pictures of the entire table before the first turn.
Orks vs Tyranids 2 Orks vs Tyranids 2

Tyranid Turn 1
Most of the Tyranid army moved forward, eager to get to grips with the Orks. On the Tyranid left, the Raveners moved into the woods for some cover. The Carnifex in the center with the Barbed Strangler also moved into cover, and fired at the huge mob of Orks across from him, killing a few. The gaunts took up positions in a ruined building in order to improve their chances of survival. The Hive Tyrant in the center moved up on the hill and fired his Venom Cannon at the truck containing the Ork Warboss. He managed to stun the crew, but didn’t damage the vehicle.
Orks vs Tyranids 2 Orks vs Tyranids 2

Ork Turn 1
The Orks advanced somewhat hesitantly. On their left, the Mega-Armored Nobz moved forward, followed by the Killa-Kan. The both fired on the gargoyles, killing a couple. On the other side of the woods the Ork truck moved up and its passengers disembarked. The squad with the Weirdboy moved up on the rocky hill, with the Weirdboy ascending the crest to inspire his followers. The then failed to get off a psychic power.
Orks vs Tyranids 2

The Deth-Coptas moved up and fired on one of the Zoanthropes, but failed to harm it. On the far Ork right, the battlewagon drove up and all of its passengers fired on the Raveners, but they failed to cause any wounds. The rest of the Orks on the right stayed where they were, afraid to approach the intimidating old Carnifex.
Orks vs Tyranids 2 Orks vs Tyranids 2

Tyranid Turn 2
The Tyranid army surged forward at full speed. To avoid the fierce looking combination of Mega-Armored Nobz and a Killa Kan, the gargoyles flew towards the Orks who had disembarked from their truck and fired on them, killing a few. The flying hive tyrant stayed near them, also not wanting to tangle with the power-klaw armed Nobz. The Hormagaunts sped towards the massive Ork unit in front of them.

The other Hive Tyrant moved forward and again fired at the Warboss’s truck. Two Zoanthropes also targeted the truck, but none of their fire had any effect. One of the Lictors showed itself, hiding in the woods right beside the Warboss’s Truck! The Carnifex on the Tyranid left advanced toward the Battlewagon, and the Raveners toward the unit of Orks behind it. The Genestealers in the middle moved toward the Coptas.
Orks vs Tyranids 2 Orks vs Tyranids 2

The Raveners, with their 12” charge, had plenty of speed to reach their target, but had to pass through the woods in order to reach their opponents, which would mean the Orks would strike first in the ensuing close combat. The Carnifex charged the Battlewagon, but since it had moved at cruising speed last turn, he would need 6s to hit it.

The Genestealers easily charged the Deth-Coptas, the Hormagaunts charged the huge Ork unit near the second ruined building, and the Gargoyles charged the unit of Boyz that had disembarked from the truck. This would be a bloody turn!
Orks vs Tyranids 2 Orks vs Tyranids 2 Photobucket

Due to his Crushing Claws, the mighty old Carnifex attacking the Battlewagon would have a random number of attacks. He also had +1 Strength, +1 Toughness, and +1 Weapon Skill. He rolled well for his attacks, and would get 7 chances to hit, needing 6s. Okay, seems like a good chance for at least one hit. Rolling the dice, I managed to score FOUR hits on the Battlewagon! At Strength 10 and rolling 2D6 for penetration, I figured it was done for. Not so. The Carnifex only managed one glancing and one penetrating out of his four hits, and only succeeded in destroying a weapon and immobilizing the vehicle, leaving its many occupants completely intact.
The Orks charged by the Raveners went first, and despite having many attacks, only managed to kill two of the Raveners. The remaining Raveners had a lot of attacks, and sliced many of the Orks to pieces, winning the combat easily. But there were enough Orks remaining to make them unbreakable, and another half-dozen or so Orks were dragged down as they refused to run.
Orks vs Tyranids 2

The Genestealers made short work of the Deth-Coptas, and advanced forward. The Lictor leapt from its hiding place in the woods to attack the Warboss’s truck, which had not moved last turn due to being stunned. The Lictor ripped off a weapon and immobilized the truck, but was unable to destroy it. That Orky construction must be pretty solid. Their vehicles were proving hard to destroy.
Orks vs Tyranids 2

The Hormagaunts killed most of the Orks they had charged, the unit having been whittled down by two turns of shots from a Canifex with a Barbed Strangler. The few remaining Orks fled and were cut down, and the Hormagaunts followed up in the direction of the Ork Warboss, moving in behind the Genestealers.
Orks vs Tyranids 2 Orks vs Tyranids 2

The Gargoyles also managed to kill all but one out of the unit of Orks they had charged. The remaining Ork fled for home, and managed to escape with his life. Overall, it was a pretty devastating turn for the poor Orks.
Orks vs Tyranids 2

It was looking bad for the Orks, but they still had plenty of fight left in them! Since this post is getting long, I’ll break this battle report up into two parts. So check back later for the conclusion of the battle for No-Name!

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