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I had a mighty battle today against 3 people. 2 marine players and one with Imperial Guards. The game was 5000 points per side.

Rules used
WIP 5.6.3 with following modifications
Hormagaunt: 20cm move
Genestealers: 4+ CC


Tyranids
Tyranid Warriors with 6 biovores and 6 termagants
Hive Tyrant with 6 Exocrine (Dacto) and zoanthrope
Hive Tyrant with 4 haruspex, 4 carnifex (3 * Venom, Screamer) and zoanthrope
Tyranid Warriors with 12 termagants, 9 hormagaunts, 7 raveners and 5 gargoyles
Tyranid Warriors with 12 termagants, 10 hormagaunts, 6 raveners and 6 gargoyles
Dominatrix with 2 Hierodules (Scythed, Barbed)
Hierophant
Genestealer (8) with Broodlord
Genestealer (8)
Genestealer (8)
LSN


Space Marine 1, Black Templars
Tactical Detachment 1
Tactical Detachment 2
Land Raider Detachment
Whirlwind Detachment
Terminator Detachment

Space Marine 2, Ultramarines
Tactical Detachment 1
Tactical Detachment 2
Terminator Detachment
Predator Detachment
Devastator Detachment

Imperial Guard
Super Heavy Company, 3 Baneblades
Deathstrike Missile Battery
Leman Russ Company with Vanquisher
Artillery Battery, 3 Bombards


Deployment

All three Genestealer groups Garrisoned. Two garrisoned left in the City with one objective and one in the woods near the objective on right side. The Imperials chose not to garrison with anything.

The IG deployed to left side of the board. The Bombards were deployed near centre to command the battlefield. Dethstrike missiles were to extreme right on blitzkrieg objective and behind a large hill. Next to them were Leman Russes and then Baneblades. The Ultramarines took and the Templars the right side. With Templars to far right behind another hill and Ultramarines closer to centre without much cover.

Tyranids put one common swarm to far right. Then came the bliz objective with Dactos in front of it. Next to them was Dominatrix and her two bodyguards. Right next to that was second common swarm. Then to left little more was the Biovore swarm and
Hierodule. And the AV swarm was the leftmost in the battle line.

Both Terminator Detachments were kept in reserve as was Lesser Synapse Node.


Turn 1

The battle started with two players talking about something completely different and SM1 taking hold of things. One of his tacticals decided to double partly into woods and fire at the Genestealers in city. However all shots missed the creatures lurking within buildings. Broodlord realising that the crunchy meat had actually moved to assault range decided to take advantage of the situation. This brought the SM2 player to realise the situation and amidst of cries 'Hey did the game start? And what are those marines are doing there?' the assault begun. Quickly the 'stealers carved 5 marine stands and all rhinos apart. Last stand tried to fight back but was overwhelmed and killed. Fight ended with all stealers alive and consolidating into the woods. The carnage brought the nearby devastators to sustain and 2 genestealers were killed. Retaining the initiative Predators continued to fire and 2 more stands was killed.

Seeing the genestealers getting beaten the Tyranid Warriors (TW2) near centre marches on to the centre of the field, partially hidden in buildings and forest. This causes the Imperial Guard Bombards to fire shells high falling straight in the swarm. 4 raveners, 4 termagants and a hormagaunt are blasted apart.

Seeing the damage caused by the Imperials the Tyranid Warriors on right (TW1) feel hesitant. But a little glance from Dominatrix sends the swarm marching forwards into left side of the city covered by buildings and forest. Reacting to enemy movements the whirlwinds fire their missiles. Which arc over a hill into just marching swarm killing 2 termagants, gargoyle and hormagaunt from the forest.

On the left side the genestealers run fast behind a hill near the IG missiles. Worrying about the genestealers the IG commander orders the Deathstrike Missiles to be launched targeting the Hierophant. Both missiles hit home but manage to cause only 4 damage. Unfortunately 2 of these cause critical and mighty bio-construct comes crashing down. Warriors (TW3) commanding biovores seems to dislike the display of power and marches on into a woods behind TW2 to hopefully get the meat sacks into firing range.

In the Imperials line SM2 tactical detachment decides to remove the 'stealers from the forest assaulting them into firefight. With marines staying too far the 'stealers are unable to defend themselves and are filled with holes and killed. The marines assault brings them just to range of the Dactos which immediately open fire, which kills one marine and rhino. Damn the saves.

On left the Leman Russ company decides to go on the hill into a nice half circle formation, giving them a crossfire with deathstrikes. 6 genestealers meet their end in the shooting. During this the Dominatrix is too occupied with getting Warriors to move that she forgets to move herself and slowly lumbers on with her hierodules (activation 1 rules). The IG hating 'stealers with equal passion to marines doubles the Baneblades to pound the last two 'stealers and they are reduced to pulp. The Hive Tyrant leading AVs hoping for a possibility of making Carnifexes meet Leman Russes marches his swarm near the tank company.

On right side SM2 tactical advances to fire at the right common brood and manages to kill 2 termagants. During this the Genestealers still in the city move into forest which used to contain Broodlord. SM1 tactical moves to counter the threat and doubles nearby with rhinos. The missiles launchers manage to kill one genestealer. Last the Land Raider on left advance, but are a bit too slowly and lascannons and heavy bolter can't reach the target.

In end phase marines remove most of the BMs.

Turn 2

At this point I realised that marines had a terminator commander, which gives strategy 6. This means that Tyranids can only get ties and thus there is no need to roll dices. Grrr.

Both Terminator groups teleported in as did the Lesser Synapse Node. Synapse node teleported into city. One terminator teleported to marine centre and one in front of the Leman Russ company.

Round started with Leman Russes advancing into a tight group behind the Terminators and firing at the Tyranid tanks. 2 haruspexes and 2 Carnies killed. Retaining the initiative terminators open fire and assault cannons penetrate one haruspexes hide killing it. Feeling rather vulnerable and missing a few centimetres from assault the hive Tyrant moves a bit and summons Mycetic Spores. 3 dices and I get 16. To marine players disgust all bio tanks are gotten back and some extra raveners and hormagaunts join the swarm. This makes the Baneblades to join the fray and they advance with cannons blazing. 2 Haruspexes, 3 raveners and 2 hormagaunts are killed.

In the centre the Terminators retain and fire at the genestealers in the woods. 5 are killed as assault cannons sweep the forest. The terminators are good in this game too. The genestealers seem horribly unmatched and Tyranid Warriors in the centre march his swarm ahead taking few termagants from the biovore unit with them. Whirlwinds responds to this and missiles are flying through the air again, killing ravener and 3 termagants. Devastators sustain and 3 more termagants and a hormagaunt are blasted apart. Feeling much of her swarms in pain the Dominatrix marches as fast as she can into city poking her head from behind the buildings with hierodules bring up the flanks. One tactical marine stands and fires at the genestealers in the forest killing the last of the 'stealers. Retaining the Land Raiders fire at the Dominatrixes swarm and manage to kill the scythed hierodule.

Dactos hoping to suppress some units fire at the two tacticals within their range. But only manage to kill one marine and one rhino. Then the tacticals fire with the predator retaining and firing too to the centre warrior swarm. They cause death of 3 termagants 5 hormagaunts, 2 raveners and a tyranid warrior. The swarm in the centre is being blasted to death here.

Tyranid Warriors in the right feel uneasy about this and since the Dominatrix was needed to keep the Hive Tyrant spawning they move ahead cautiously (second 1 in this round too *puuh*). Last tactical sustains at the swarm on right killing a termagant. Lesser Node spawns and out comes 3 hormagaunts and 4 raveners. In the centre the Bombards advance and fire their secondary weapons at the common swarm killing one termagant. As the last acts the Biovores fire at the terminators on right, but only manage to give 6 BMs without any kills. And the Dethstrike Platforms move behind the Tyranid AV swarm on a objective.

At the end phase, marines removes BMs effectively.


Turn 3

Turn started with Terminators sustaining at the bio tanks. Only 1 Haruspex is killed. But the Leman Russ company retains and opens fire. With crossfire the effect is deadly. No Tyranid Creature is left alive.

Dominatrix feeling very enraged advances through the centre woods and manages to get 1 damage. To get some retribution she breaths at the nearby tactical formation. The rhinos are no protection for the marines as the acid melts 4 units. Retaining initiative the last bits of the common swarm in centre assaults from the woods. Tactical and Terminators are targets. From this the hilarious section started. I managed to get ~5 hits to marines and dominatrix + hierodule (12 dice) get 3. From those one marine and rhino gets killed. I lose almost all the swarm and since I lost the assault by about 6 only Warriors escaped alive. I moved them near the Lesser Synapse Node.

That assault gave something to terminator as they assault the Dominatrix. Their hits and support fire manage to kill the hierodule. However I have a big grin when throwing the 4 TK close combat dice... 1,1,2,4... 1 hit! Then rest 8 dice, 2 more hits! Then the hierodules 5 dice... 3 hits. I manage to kill 3 terminators and win the assault but argh. IG Bombards retains and fire at the last big swarm on left. 2 Termagants, 3 gargoyles and 2 hormagaunts die. Then they assault tactical marines and land raiders. This I manage to win killing some marines and 2 land raiders. However the predators, one tactical and devastators are still available. At this point we were running out of time. So decided to call it a game. Tyranids had lost too many units. Against marines the Dominatrix might have chance but since there was unscathed Baneblade and Leman Russ companies there would be no way for me to win.

So I conceded the game to Imperium.