The Future of the Home of the Lahkers

As much as I like posting the adventures of the Lahkers and making up fluff for them, it's become less enjoyable lately.  I want this blog to be fun, and not a second job, and the Lahkers blog has simply fallen off my priority list of Things to Update.  I still enjoy playing 40k, I still like building and painting my figures, it's that the blog is not a necessary part of that.

With regret, I am making it official: Home of the Lahkers is no longer on my update list.  I will post what I can, when I can.  They will be short posts, hopefully fairly frequent.  I cannot guarantee anything.  I can, however, say I have enjoyed maintaining this little blog, I hope you found joy in it, and I hope to continue posting for a while longer.

In the meantime, I have been trying to get my Necrons painted (and repainted, in some cases)...

 ...and have been working on my recent Imperial Guard acquisitions as well.

I may have splurged a bit with the Forgeworld stuff, but I only have one life in which to play serious grown-up army dudes.  I will enjoy it.

Battle Report #28: Imperial Guard vs Iron Warriors

This would have been just another café 40k match, except for the fact that it was the debut game for my new Imperial Guard!  (Warp take that Astra Militarum grox crap.)  I went in expecting to lose (first game with a new army), and hoping for a good and memorable time despite that expectation.

The Iron Warriors were having a lesser debut of their own, as this was my first time using their 30k rules rather then running them as CSM. I had failed to make it clear ahead of time that I would be building my list using the Legiones Astartes list rather then the CSM codex prior to the match. I am greatly appreciative that Gabe was gracious enough to allow me to play my Iron Warriors as the Legion despite the surprise on his part, even if he made it clear to me that he would appreciate clearer forewarning in the future. -Ike

Imperial Guard
Tank Commander Squadron:
Tank Commander (warlord) in LR Executioner w/Heavy Bolter sponsons
LR Exterminator w/Heavy Bolter sponsons
Veterans w/2x Plasma Guns, in Chimera
Veterans w/Grenadier doctrine, 2x Grenade Launchers, 1x Plasma Gun
LR Eradicator w/Heavy Bolter sponsons

Ike's Iron Warriors (30k)
Combined Arms Detachment

HQ: Legio Centurion w/artificer armor, Lightning claws (85 points)

TROOPS: 2 10x Legion Tactical Squads (150 points), each w/Rhino (35 points)

HEAVY SUPPORT: 5x Iron Havocs w/ 5x missile launchers, Sarge w/artificer armor (220 points, warlord)

Legion Whirlwind (75 points)

Mission was Kill Points, deployment was Vanguard Strike, quite cramped on this particular table.  Ike won the deployment roll-off, and let me go first.  Aware that I was not playing reanimating space skeletons anymore, I deployed as far back as I could in my corner.  I kept my footslogging Vet squad in reserve.

Ike crammed his Rhinos behind hard cover, out of my units' LOS.  The Havocs and the Legio Centurion stood a little to the left, out of LOS behind the square building, and he held his Whirlwind in reserve.

  And then Ike went and stole the initiative on me.

Turn 1.  Ike's Rhinos drove out at Cruising speed towards my flanks.  The one to my right got behind the tuna-can building and popped smoke.  The Havocs tiptoed into LOS of the Eradicator, but failed to pen my glorious Imperial AV14 front armor.

I moved forward (unnecessarily, in hindsight) and then goofed up target prioritization by directing my Tank Commander's squadron to shoot at the Rhino that had popped smoke, leaving only my Chimera and Eradicator to shoot at the left-hand Rhino, taking 2HP from it.  I did remember to use Tank Orders, and used the Split Fire one so that the Exterminator could fire at and kill 2 Havocs.

Turn 2.  Ike got his Whirlwind in on his right flank.  His Marines hopped out of his left Rhino and headed for me, and his right Rhino drove adjacent to my Executioner, to...block it from moving?  I think?  The Whirlwind and Havocs shot at my Chimera, took 2HP from it, and got a Shaken result.  The Marine squad assaulted my Eradicator and took 2HP from it as well.

The Vets did not arrive on my turn 2.  I fired back and destroyed the left Rhino, and combined fire killed 6 of the Marines.  Ike had them Got to Ground.

Turn 3.  Ike took his remaining Rhino and had it ram my Chimera...the Chimera penned it instead!  His Rhino was Shaken.  One Marine threw a krak grenade and stripped my Chimera's last hull point, forcing my Vets out on the extreme left edge of the table.

My turn, the Vets came on, I placed them in range of Ike's Rhino.  Tank Orders and Split fire made it so the Executioner killed Ike's Centurion, and the Exterminator knocked 1HP off the Rhino.  Not sure if my newly arrived Vets did anything.  My other Vets attempted to clean up the Gone to Ground Marines, both plasma-gunners fried themselves, but the squad took the Marines down to one model.  I left the Rhino up so that Ike would not be able to charge any of my units on his turn.

Turn 4.  Ike debarked his Marines, they killed 3-4 of my Vets.  The Havocs and Whirlwind were shuffling around in his backfield, not being particularly effective...or were they?  I think one of my Vet squads disappeared around this time.  Ran off the table or got wiped.

I motored my Eradicator towards Ike's Havocs, assuming the rest of my army could kill that 1 Marine model behind it....turns out BS3 couldn't quite accomplish that task.  I reduced the other Marine squad to one model, and now had two 1-model enemy units to finish off.  Easy, right?

Turn 5.  Ike ran his remaining 2 Havocs-one regular model, and his Sarge-warlord–at my Eradicator.  The Whirlwind got its shit together and wiped my remaining Vet squad.  Remember that single Marine model?  The one my Eradicator left for dead?  He ran up behind my Eradicator and took its last HP with a krak grenade.

I now had my Executioner and my Exterminator on the table–in one squadron–and that was it.  I used the Split Fire ordered to take 2HP from the Whirlwind, and kill one more Havoc, leaving the Havoc Sarge-warlord alone.  We rolled for game end, and got Turn 6.

Turn 6.  Ike ran his Sarge behind hard cover, and the Whirlwind popped smoke.  The two 1-model Marine units hid themselves in the wrecked vehicles on my table edge.  I now had to kill the Whirlwind and Havoc sarge to tie the game.  I was too slow to get Line Breaker.

I sent my squadron at the Whirlwind, fired, got crap rolls, got one pen, and the cover save ate that pen.  Rolled for game end, and it ended.  Ike won, 5VP (2 Vet squads, Chimera, Eradicator, Line Breaker) to 3VP (First Blood, 2 Rhinos).

Ike freely admits he won because of stupidly lucky rolls in the second half of the game.  I will forever hold a grudge against those two Chaos Marines, but otherwise had an enjoyable first game with the Guard.  It turned out a lot better than I expected.

Marines of the match.

Me and Nathaniel played another quick game, but it wasn't anything special, just one more variation of "Gabe deploys too far forward against an Assault army and gets tabled turn 3".

Battle Report #29: Lahkers vs Eldar & Medusa Strike Force (ft. Gabe & Ike Double Batrep)

It's all this guy's fault.

This battle took place a while ago.  Ike and Nathaniel teamed up against me in a Relic match.  My commentary is in regular text, Ike's commentary is in italics.

Nathaniel's Craftworld Warhost (auto 6" run)

Guardian Battle Host

3 Guardians W/ Eldar Missile launchers

Farseer W/Spirit Stone of Anath'lan

1 Vaul's Wrath Support Battery W/Shadow Weaver

1  War Walker W/Shuriken Cannon

2 Vyper W/Star Cannon

5 Rangers

Seer Council (Warp charges on 3+)

2 Farseers

5 Warlocks

Ike's Test Force Medusa
Fist of Medusa Strike Force 
(Logical Commander, +1 to FnP rolls and PoTMS in a 12" radius of an Independent Character)

ARMORED TASK FORCE: 355
Techmarine w/ conversion beamer, 2 servitors. 105
Whirlwind. 65 points
Predator w/ TL lascannon and invisible HB sponsons. 120
Whirlwind. 65 points

STRIKE FORCE COMMAND: 340
Chapter master w/ Jump Pack, Gorgon's chain, PF, LC, artificer armor. 250
Techmarine w/ Betrayer's Bane, 2 servitors. 90

HONORED ANCIENT: 135
Dereadnought w/ TL Lascannon, ML. 135

HONORED ANCIENT: 145
Ironclad Dreadnought w/ HB, chainfist, meltagun, Ironclad assault launchers. 145  

TOTAL: 1000

Lahkers CAD
Illuminator Szeras (warlord)
Lord (Nikhyanh) w/Gauntlet of Fire, Solar Staff
2 20x Warrior blobs
5x Immortals
20x Flayed Ones (Marine proxies)
8x Triarch Praetorians w/voidblade and particle caster, in Night Scythe
Triarch Stalker
3x Tomb Blades w/particle beamer, shield vanes
2 2x Heavy Destroyers
Monolith


Warlord Traits: Divide To Conquer, Princepts of Deceit
 Both Ruins within our own deployment zone were bolstered by the techmarines.

The necron themed terrain was decreed during setup to be both Difficult and Dangerous area terrain which granted a 5+ cover save to occupying models.

Test Force Medusa elements deployed the Ironclad Dreadnought and Betrayer's Bane techmarine along the right flank, with our Master of The Forge and 1st Whirlwind taking up position in the central ruins of our own deployment zone, the 2nd whirlwind being placed specifically to deter Infiltrators. The Predator, Chapter Master, and Lascannon Dreadnought were deployed to the left flank, as it lacked bolstered ruins and had comparably few alien gauss sponges. 


Facing us were a unit of necron Immortals to our left, along with a blob of warriors attached to Szeras. Front and center there were several Destroyers who had taken fleeting shelter in the AV 10 building right next to the Legolith, with a trio of Tomb Blades cowering behind them. The Flayed Ones infiltrated just barely outside their own deployment zone.

I deployed the Legolith at the center of my line, shielding the Stalker, with the Tomb Blades sitting behind the building.  I parked both Destroyer squads in the (AV10) building, and had my Warrior blobs sit on the flanks, with the 5 Immortals bolstering the right flank.  Szeras was in the right Warrior blob, the one with +1 Strength, the most meh of the three upgrades (others were +1 BS or +1 Toughness).  I then Infiltrated the Flayed Ones onto the left flank, intending for them to either shield the left Warrior blob, or popping through the Legolith's Eternity Gate to grab the Relic.

I made a passing comment about instadeathing Ike's Techmarine in the ruins with my Heavy Destroyers.  It was part serious, part banter.  He took it absolutely seriously, as you will see soon.

Turn 1

Movement in the first turn was a fairly direct advance on out part. The Predator moved the full 12" and the rearguard whirlwind moved 6" while both dreads walked their full 6". After some psychic sparks few off from the Eldar the Chapter Master called in his Orbital Bombardment & nukes the Monolith and two warriors, with the secondary explosion for the Monolith killing two more. Strike Cruiser gunnery crew commended for excellence. The MoTF, having heard the Destroyers talking shit from across the battlefield, fired at the building they were occupying and scored a catastrophic beach which reduced the building to AV8. This opening allowed for the Eldar to breach it twice again, bringing it down to AV 7 and then AV6 for an easy finish. The buildings collapse wiped out one squad of Destroyers and damaged another forcing them to snapfire. Whirlwind barrage ineffective. The Ironclad and forward techmarine killed a combined total of three flayed ones. The Eldar had also used this turn to have their Guardians escort their Warlord to the objective at maximum warp, losing one of their own to a failed dangerous terrain roll.

As Ike describes, he and Nathaniel advanced on the Relic.  Nathaniel got his Farseer squad to the Relic first and grabbed it.  Nathaniel did his Psychic phase, gave his Seers in the ruins a 2+ cover save, and used Eldritch Storm to kill off 9 Flayed Ones.
We went to Shooting, and the first thing Ike did was have his Chapter Master drop his Orbital Bombardment on my Legolith.  The blast scattered slightly and ended up hitting the Legolith and the building.  Ike penned (obviously with the building, it was the Legolith I was concerned about) and blew up both targets.  The building collapsed and killed one of the Destroyer units.  I was salty about that, I'll be honest.  Losing the Legolith or a Destroyer unit (both integral to my plan to keep enemies away from the Relic) would have been bad enough, losing both of them was a major blow to my morale.
That was the opposition's most successful attack during Turn 1.  Further losses were nothing worse than a couple Warriors, but I had lost my only large blast weapon and half my dedicated anti-tank.

Flayed Ones and Warriors continue to advance on our right flank, with the necron Immortals on our left doing the same as the remaining Destroyers huddled in the crater where the monolith was until a moment ago. Venerable Dradnought stunned. The Necron warlord and his unit opened fire un the guardian squad holding the objective and killed 10, followed be the Stalker destroying the Guardian squads weapon platform and the jetbikes finishing off the last of the unit.

I desperately wanted revenge on the Chapter Master, but had no reliable way of hurting him (damn Gorgon's Chain).  I decided to kill off anything that approached the Relic, and grab it with my Praetorians when they came on.  In hindsight, I should have tried to kill the Techmarine, or the Whirlwind dropping barrages on my troops.  Instead, I moved towards the Relic, wiped out the Farseer and his squad (got Slay the Warlord for the Farseer), and took 2HP off the Ironclad Dread.

Turn 2

Ironclad Dreadnought and attendant techmarine advanced through the ruins on our right side while our rearmost Whirlwind advanced a further 6". Venerable Dreadnought and Chapter Master advance on the objective while the Predator navigated the forest to better cover them. Second Whirlwind kills three Flayed Ones and two Warriors. Immortal squad wiped out by Eldar and the Flayed Ones unit is devastated. Lone survivor of  hostile jetbike unit flees the battlefield. All eligible units pass their IWND rolls, units commended for fortitude.

Nathaniel's forces coasted to a stop in cover for the most part.  Ike's Dreadnoughts and Chapter Master headed for the Relic.  Eldritch Storm and multiple blasts killed more Flayed Ones and Warriors, Reanimation rolls saved a few.  I had a laugh when Ike's lascan-missile-launcher-Dread managed to miss my Stalker completely, even with Twin-linked rerolls.  The Tomb Blades were either killed at this point, or failed a morale test and ran off the board.

Flayed Ones move toward remaining Guardian squad on right flank as the Warlord's unit heads for the objective. Necron Praetorian squad drops onto the objective and loses two whole models to failed Dangerous Terrain tests. Splat! Eldar war walker destroyed be fire from Stalker and superficial hull damage sustained by all Dreadnoughts.

My turn, the Praetorians came in on the Night Scythe.  I had them drop onto the Relic immediately.  Another mistake; I should have dropped them back by the Whirlwind and eliminated that first.  Instead, I now had my Praetorians in the middle of the board, vulnerable to everything.  The Flayed Ones veered towards the Guardians in the ruins.  The Stalker killed the War Walker, and the Flayed Ones charged, fought, and wiped the Guardian squad.

Turn 3

Victory is within reach, two Praetorians are killed be the Eldar's Psychic Shriek and the remainder are wiped out after their Lord refused the honor of single combat. Flayed Ones wiped out by Ironclad.

Nathaniel Periled in his Psychic phase, and his (other) Farseer lost the Eldritch Storm power.  I was amused by that, and even more amused when Ike's Dreadnought failed to hit my Stalker for the second time in a row.  Massed fire wore my Warriors and Flayed Ones down.  The Ironclad got into my Flayed Ones and wiped them, and the Chapter Master made it into the Praetorians and I believe he wiped them out as well.

I moved in on the Relic, doomed as I was.  I think I gaussed the Ironclad to death, and then focused everything on the Chapter Master.  Not a single wound got through.

Turn 4

Objective taken, geneseed contaminated but successfully denied. Extraction transporter dispatched. Task Force losses minimal. Ironclad Dreadnought rendered inoperative but salvageable, occupant survival rated very likely.

Nathaniel and Ike had their turn of shooting at me, I believe I conceded at the end of their player turn.  Szeras survived, at least I didn't give them Slay the Warlord.

I've run into a gunline before, and I've had it end badly before.  This wasn't the worst at all, but this one hurt, right in my heart, because that damn Chapter Master had to one-shot my Legolith.  Screw the Relic, my precious proxy model never got to fire a shot.

However, the fact that my biggest concern about the battle is so petty, it makes it easier to forget about it.  Except for Maxkillan and the Chapter Master.  There will be a day of reckoning for them.

Extra Pics:

These Flayed Ones take flesh trophies, they wear flesh, like suits. Grimdark taxidermists.

Flayed Ones attempt to buy the army some time, would have succeeded if it hadn't been for that pesky Ironclad.

Battle Report #27: Lahkers vs Adepta Sororitas

That's right, Necrons vs Sisters, Sanctuary 101* style!  This was another game with Chappie, who previously battled me with his Daemon army and the Bloodthirster of Insatiable Adjectives.

We played another of the Old School 40k missions; this one was "Tempest", where we set up in an L-shape on the short edge and half the long edge of the board.  We also had the option to destroy (remove completely from the game) a single Objective every turn.

Lahkers:
Anrakyr the Traveller (warlord, Implacable Conqueror)
Lord w/Solar Staff, Resorb, Phase Shifter
10x Immortals
2 20x Warrior squads
10x Praetorians w/Voidblade and Particle Caster
Triarch Stalker w/Particle Shredder (large blast)
5x Canoptek Wraiths
3x Tomb Blades w/Nebuloscope, Particle Beamer, Shield Vanes
2 2x Heavy Destroyers

Order of the Ebon Chalice:
Saint Celestine
Uriah Jacobus
4 10x Battle-Sister squads, all with Rhinos
5x Dominions w/flamers in Immolator
5x Arco-Flagellants
10x Seraphim w/bolt pistols
7x Retributors w/5 heavy bolters and Banner
2x Exorcists

We deployed objectives roughly equidistant from each other around the board.  My original plan was to march up to center field, kill everything in my way (overestimating the value of mass gauss vs T3 3+ here), and grab the center objectives.  If the Destroyers had to, they would hop down and destroy an objective or two, in case Chappie had sneaky ideas about causing trouble in my deployment zone.

Chappie set up a right-angle of Rhinos, with an Exorcist on each flank to drop melta missiles on me.  Everyone was in their transports, with the exception of the Flagellants (right by the left Exorcist below), and the Seraphim and St. Celestine, who deployed right by the bastion.  The Dominions and their Immolator deployed near the Flagellants also, on the same board side as my Stalker.  Jacobus and the Retributors went in the bastion nearest to my short board edge, with a nice big field of fire around them.

Chappie did not steal the initiative, and we went ahead to Turn 1.

So, Turn 1.  I had my Destroyers where I wanted them, I just had to get the rest of my army in range.  I moved and ran my Warriors, and had the Wraiths hop up on the near side of the adjacent hill.  The Tomb Blades moved behind their hill, waiting for the right moment to pop out and shoot.  Anrakyr shot his tachyon arrow at one of the Rhinos, and would have penned it had it not made its cover save.  The Heavy Destroyers failed to pen the bastion, but did take 1HP from the left-side Exorcist.

Chappie rolled out towards center field with his Rhinos, most of them at Cruising speed.  The silver Rhino moved just beyond the bastion and popped smoke to cover for the other Rhinos.  The Arco-Flagellants made threatening moves towards the Wraiths.  Jacobus then helped the Retributors pass their prayers to gain Shred, and they KO'd 9 of my Warriors who I had so blithely marched into their guns.  The left-side Exorcist moved partly into cover and then snap-fired and failed to hit my Destroyers.

Turn 2.  I should've focused my ire on Jacobus' Bastion of Badasses, but this being my first time playing Sisters combined with my immortal hubris (both in-game and IRL), I decided the Rhinos had to die so I could mass-gauss the Sisters to death.  First things first, however, I rolled for reserves and got my Praetorians in.  I should have dropped them in front of the Seraphim to keep them from getting at my Warriors, but no, that would be too easy.  I dropped them to one side of the Seraphim.  The right-side Destroyers got First Blood on the black Rhino in front of the green crystals.  The Praetorians shot at the Seraphim, but since I'd armed them with AP5 particle casters rather than AP2 rods of covenant, I killed only two bolter babes.  The other Warrior blob, which had gone untouched so far, took a few HP off another Rhino, and the Stalker ran for the second time.  The Tomb Blades moved on top of the hill, and tried and failed to kill more Seraphim.  (Chappie's spacing was 2 inch perfection, I hit only 3 models.)  The Wraiths then assaulted the Rhino on the other side of the hill and wrecked it, and the Sisters piled out.

Chappie's turn, he moved both squads of black-primed Sisters (both from previously wrecked Rhinos) to surround my Wraiths, with the of the Arco-Flagellants.  His intact Rhinos rushed into the center field and blocked off my LOS to the black-primed Sisters.  The silver Rhino by the bastion deployed its Sisters by the Praetorians.  The Seraphim and Celestine, seeing I had not screened off my shrinking Warrior blob, lunged for it.  Chappie then rolled for (and got) all the Acts of Faith.  Preferred Enemy, Shred, Rending, all of them.  (Jacobus burned his 2nd-use AoF on this round.)  The Warriors near the Seraphim were quickly reduced to 2 models, the Tomb Blades were blown away, I lost most of the Wraiths, and 6 of the Praetorians as well.  The Seraphim miraculously rolled crap to charge my Warriors.  The Arco-Flagellants got into combat with the last of the Wraiths.

 

Turn 3.  I finally got my whole Warrior blob (the remaining one) and the Stalker into range.  Anrakyr and the Immortals, having been too passive for the past 2 turns, moved up to try and make up for lost time.  The Destroyers blew up the Rhino immediately in front of my Warrior blob, and I killed 5 Battle-Sisters after that, with all 20 BS5 gauss flayers from the Warriors blob.  Dat 3+ save, man.   I sent the Praetorians after the Seraphim to lock them down, but Celestine killed all four of them at I5, and consolidated towards the Immortals.  The Wraith-Flagellant combat went on, in my favor.

On Chappie's turn, the Immolator took off at Cruising speed, heading right for my Stalker.  The Sisters pressed their advantage and advanced on my forces.  I lost most of my Immortals (I believe to the Retributors), they failed their morale check, and ran.  Celestine and the Seraphim charged them, and began killing them off.  Celestine challenged, and I had Lord Nihkyanh and his 4++ take it up.  He got killed right off, but that left Anrakyr to fight on a little longer, and the combat went on.  My last Wraith finally killed the last Flagellant, only to find himself surrounded by angry nuns with guns.

Turn 4.  I was pretty sure this was it, but I decided to go one more turn to be sporting, and to kill a few more models.  I did in fact kill off the fully-painted Battle-Sister squad.  The Destroyers fired at a few things but did nothing of note.  Celestine's squad killed off the Immortals, and Celestine herself struck down Anrakyr.

Chappie drove his Dominions up alongside my Warrior blob, and for the first time I realized they were using flamers.  Turns out 5 flamers (including the Sister Superior's combi-flamer) can really ruin infantry's day; I lost 11 Warriors in one go to them.  The Exorcists coordinated their hymns and missiles to annihilate my Stalker.  The Battle-Sisters finished off the last Wraith, leaving me with a couple Heavy Destroyers atop my bastions.

I conceded the game.  Sanctuary 101 had survived the first wave of Necrons.  Score was First Blood and 1 Objective to me, and 3 Objectives, Line Breaker, and Slay the Warlord to Chappie.

After Action Report

In hindsight, maxing out my FA slots on Destroyers may have been the better idea.  I went in thinking "My S4 across the board should have no problem against T3", and came out with the knowledge that without AP3 to go with that S4, exterminating Sisters is nearly as tough as killing Space Marines.

Jacobus and his Retributors was my particular bane this game.  Chappie said if I'd focused the Heavy Destroyers on Jacobus' bastion first thing and blown him out of it, as well as dropping my Praetorians farther back to protect my warriors, it would have been a different game.  (That, and Chappie has double-digit 40k experience compared to my measly 4-5 years in the hobby.  Biting off more than I can chew, that's me.)

This guy right here, he's trouble.

Still, I got to face Sisters!  That was the biggest thing about this game.

Extra Pics

 

Should have been more aggressive and farther up the center with Anrakyr and his special Immortals.

Battle Report #26: Lahkers & Chaos Marines vs Hive Fleet Basilisk

TYRAHNID INCAHSHUN!

After discovering how truly crap I am at 40k, I needed a plain old fun game.  I got together with Ike and Nathaniel once again, and we had a 2v1 of me and Ike's Necrons and CSM versus Nathaniel's Tyranids.  They are the splinter fleet Basilisk, based off Hive Fleet Basilisk, with the Endless Swarm formation.

Lahkers:

Overlord (Phaeron Shahk) w/Warscythe, Phase Shifter, Phylactery, Resorb

5x Lychguard w/sword and shield

Triarch Stalker w/heat ray

10x Immortals

3 10x Warriors

Ike's CSM:

Chaos Lord w/ MoS, Chainaxe, Burning Brand of Skalathrax

20x Noise Marines w/ Icon of excess, 19 sonic blasters, champion w/ chainaxe, doom siren

Rhino w/ Havok launcher, dozer blade

10x Chaos Cultists w/ flamer

Sonic Dreadnought w/ Blastmaster, warp amp

Vindicator "Vindictive George" w/ Demonic Possession

Hive Fleet Basilisk:
Endless Swarm

2 17x Hormagaunts
2 18x Hormagaunts (Both with Toxin Sacs)
2 13x Termagants 3w/ Devourer
14x Termagants 4w/ Devourer
3 Warriors
(Devourer, Scything Talons, Toxin sac)
(Deathspitter, Lashwhip & Boneswords, Toxin sacs)
(Deathspitter, Scything talons, Toxin sac)

Hive Fleet Detachment
Hive Tyrant (Boneswords, Heavy Venom Cannon, Prehensile Pincer Tail, Regeneration, Shreddershard beetles, The Norn Crown, Toxin Sacs)
5 Genestealers
5 Ripper swarms W/spine fists
3 Warriors (Dethspitter, Rending claws, Toxin sacs) (Boneswords, Deathspitter, Toxin sacs) (Boneswords, Rending Claws, Toxin sacs)
10x Gargoyles
3x Raveners W/devourer
Carnifex W/Bone Mace, Crushing Claws, Regeneration, Toxin Sacs
Trygon Prime W/Acid Blood, Prehensile Pincer, Regeneration, Toxin Sacs)

We played with the custom Crash Site mission I'd played with a few weeks earlier, from the gaming club.  There were the 4 objectives in the table corners, worth 1VP, and the center objective worth 2VP in the 24" bubble of permanent Night Fighting.

Me and Ike parked our forces on the bottom left of the board, around the ruins.  We had discussed earlier that Ike's list would be the high-Str/Ignores Cover shooting, and I would be the meat shields and general anti-infantry shooting.  We had a vehicle on each flank (two on our right) and my Lychguard in the center to block hostile 'gaunts.  Phaeron Shahk was present for his second battle ever, eager to break some skulls and show off his fancy new coat of paint.

Nathaniel threw down a field of critters.  Termagants were in the center, with Hormagaunts flanking them, with Warriors and the Hive Tyrant spread out to provide synapse.

Nathaniel stole the initiative!

Turn 1.  Nathaniel's living carpet of models advanced across the board, and the first thing the Rippers did was walk out of synapse.  He got Dominion off on his Tyrant and got them back in synapse range, however.  A smattering of shooting killed 4 of my Necron Warriors and a Lychguard.

On our turn, I advanced the Lychguard out to tie up the nearest Hormagaunts, and our combined shooting killed a Hormagaunt blob for First Blood and then wiped out the Genestealers on on our left flank.  The Noise Marine blob and Vindicator did the majority of the killing.  Ike forgot to have his Cultists hop into the adjacent building and sealed their fate as 'nid snacks.

Turn 2.  All Nathaniel's reserves came in.  The Trygon Prime erupted in the middle of our defenses, and the Gargoyles and Raveners deep-struck on the right and left flanks.  Sheer weight of fire killed off the rest of the Lychguard, leaving Shahk to stand alone.  A few Marines died as well, and the Rippers ate the Cultists for lunch.  Shahk got charged by both units of Termagants, and got into an extended combat with them.

During our turn, we hosed the Hormagaunts in the ruins on the left, and also blew the Raveners off the board.  I inched my troops back and killed off Gargoyles, the Night Fighting bubble saved a few of the flying bugs.  The Stalker took a wound from the Trygon Prime, and I think Ike had his Marine blob charge it in the assault phase.  We also realized Shahk's fight with the Termagants was the most ludicrous tarpit ever; at S3 they could only wound him 1-2 times a phase, he could easily save those wounds, but he couldn't kill them fast enough to get out of combat.  That was in my and Ike's favor, though, since that was 2 whole blobs of Termagants not shooting and charging our other more important units.  (Sorry, Shahk, you weren't the spotlight of that game.)

Turn 3.  The Rippers had drifted out of synapse range again, but Nathaniel turned it around again when he made their Ld5 instinctive behavior check!  Good for the little buggies.  The Warriors and Carnifex got closer to our lines, and the last few Hormagaunts on our left managed to lock my Immortals in combat.  The Shahk-Termagant combat went nowhere, as predicted.  (Not that Shahk wasn't having a great time, chopping up 'gants left and right.)

Ike advanced his Sonic Dread towards the Shahk-Termagant mess, my Warriors on the left headed down to the left bottom objective, and the Stalker climbed into the ruins to help out with the Trygon-Marine combat.

Turn 4.  The Tyranid swarm was really getting into our faces at this point.  Nathaniel finally got an Endless Swarm roll off, and brought a unit of Termagants in by the Trygon.  Putting the Trygon in our backline, and having it pull our fire away from the regular bugs had definitely worked out for him.  The Hive Tyrant hoofed it into combat with Shahk and challenged, and they duked it out.  Shahk got 2 wounds in on the Tyrant and took 1 wound in return.  The Trygon Prime turned around and punched my Stalker into next week.  It exploded and killed most of the 'gants that had just come in.  Welp.

Me and Ike moved our units to cap the left-board objectives, the Rhino at the top left, my Warriors at the bottom left, strung around the ruins to give some fire support to the rest of our forces.  The Tyrant slew Shahk, and it and one unit of 'gants consolidated towards my Immortals, leaving the Sonic Dread to deal with the other unit of 'gants.

Turn 5. The 'nids had all but eaten my warriors on the bottom edge of the board.  The Tyrant and a couple Hormagaunts that had survived (or come back from Endless Swarm?  I forget) charged and wiped out my Immortals.  The Noise Marines killed the Trygon Prime at last, but it had done its job already.

Our turn, the Vindicator and Rhino were still alive and plinking away at the Warriors and Carnifex.  Not a lot happened, we pulled our units towards the objectives and killed off 'gaunts of both types.  The Sonic Dread won its assault and consolidated onto the center objective.

We rolled for game end.  It went to Turn 6.  Nathaniel seized this chance for all it was worth, sending his Hormagaunts into my Warriors, his Carnifex into the Sonic Dreadnought, and the Hive Tyrant into Ike's Chaos Lord.  My notes do not record what happened to the Warriors, however the Hive Tyrant slew the Chaos Lord, and the Carnifex blew up the Sonic Dread.  We were about to roll for game end when Ike, being a good sport, reminded Nathaniel still could make his assault consolidation move for his Carnifex.  Nathaniel did so, and consolidated just barely into range of the center objective.

With both our warlords dead (we counted them as separate warlords, both giving Slay the Warlord for 2VP together), and the Carnifex's clutch consolidation, the Tyranids took the game.  Nathaniel had 5VP–2VP for Slay the Warlord twice, Line Breaker, and the center objective worth 2VP.  Me and Ike had 3VP–First Blood and two objectives.

I didn't care that I lost.  Shahk got to show off his new paint job (done the night before), I got to see Nathaniel's newly-painted Tyranids, we had a fun afternoon.  It's easier to lose to friends.  It's okay to be the underdog.