SHADOW IN THE WARP # III

As they continued devouring the remains of the Chaos army (se battle report Shadow in the warp # I and II), shapes of green and white emerged from the horizon. Hive Mind Grendel had a vague memory of facing this enemy before, they where known as Eldar...

1750P – THREE OBJECTIVES

Primary Objective (10p); Listening Tower (on a D6 result of 5-6 a piece of area terrain reveals being a listening tower that each side wants to capture an control)
Secondary Objective (6p); Man Down (each side tries to control/rescue a strayed spy. A suitable marker is placed in the enemies deployment zone before deployment)
Tertiary Objective (4p); Grind them to a Halt (points for vehicle or monstrous creature destroyed/killed)

THE ARMIES

Biel Tan Craft world Eldar
Far seer
Dire Avengers in Wave Serpent
Fire Dragons in Wave Serpent
Guardians in Wave Serpent
Guardian Jet bikes
War walkers
Wraith lord
Wraith lord

Tyranid Hive Fleet Grendel
Winged Hive Tyrant
Winged Hive Tyrant
Gaunts
Gaunts
Genestealers
Genestealers
Tervigon
Tervigon
Trygon
Trygon
Mawlock

DEPLOYMENT

Man Down markers; Eldar places its marker centre south behind a crater. Tyranids places theirs inside the Sanctum building in the northeast centre.

Dire Avengers and their Wave Serpent takes position behind the Terminatum building northeast. The Guardians and their wave serpent behind the Auditorium building to the northwest.

To the east, a unit Gaunts takes position partially inside the Sanctum building. Behind them, keeping in control, a Hive Tyrant. Centre, close to the Eldar marker, another unit of Gaunts inside the Tankum structure.

TURN 1

The Guardians enter the Auditorium building, and the Dire Avengers enter the Terminatum building. A D6 shows a 5; The Auditorium Building is a listening station (deep inside the Eldar deployment zone – this is going to be a long walk….rem Ørnulv). To the northwest a unit of Jet bikes zooms forward taking cover behind the Pompum structure. The two Wraith Lords enter the battlefield centre north. The Fire Dragons (in their Wave Serpent) takes position to the northeast behind the Terminatum Building. It is dark – to dark for the gun line to inflict casualties.



To the east, a small unit of Genestealers takes cover in a crater to support the gaunt unit inside the Sanctum Building. The Gaunts inside the Sanctum Building move deeper into the building and occupies several levels. A Tervigon and Trygon takes cover behind the Tankum structure centre south, beside them facing the Eldar marking another unit of Genestealers. To the south vest, behind the massive Manifactorum structure, enters a Trygon, a Tervigon and a Hive Tyrant. The Gaunts in centre moves forward entering the Eldar deployment zone, taking cover in a crater. It is still to dark to make shooting effective.

TURN 2

With a bright light – the Warp Spiders emerges close to the Hive Tyrant guarding the Sanctum building. The War walkers enter the battlefield centre vest, and the Jet bikes turbo boosts northeast. The Wraith Lords adjusts their position. The Guardians move into and up inside the Auditorium building. The Dire Avengers enters their Wave serpent, and the Fire Dragons moves east threatening the Sanctum building from the north. The Eldar battle line opens fire. With aid, the Warp Spiders kills the Hive Tyrant protecting the Sanctum building. Other large creatures take some wounds. The Warp Spiders retreat north centre.


The Hive Mind roars in pain after loosing a Hive Tyrant so early in the battle. It also regrets having decided to try out the Mawlock instead of using biomass to produce Hive Guards. The Gaunts inside the Sanctum building moves vest ready to assault the Warp Spiders. The small Genestealer unit southeast makes a run for the Warp Spiders. Tervigon spawns a small unit of Gants, but because of a double rill on a D6 looses its ability to spawn again. The unit sets of against the Warp Spiders. In centre, the Gaunt unit turns south to cut of the Warp Spiders and surround the utterly. The Tervigon outside the Manifactorum spawns a unit of Gaunts that heads northwest facing the Auditorium building. The Trygon and Tervigon adjust their position, trying to find a path north that gives them cower. The Gaunts and Trygon to the southeast open fire on the Warp Spiders, their amour deflecting almost all the lethal hits. The Tyranids, lead by the small Genestealer units, surrounds and attacks the Warp Spider leaving 2 alive (Amazingly they did not kill them all.) and who makes their Ld test!



TURN 3

The War Walkers moves east centre. The Guardians reach the upper level on the Auditorium Building. Their wave serpent taking position in front facing south, beside it the Dire Avengers embarked inside their Wave serpent. The primary objective (the Listening station) is now protected with massive firepower and unit inside the building and outside protected by the vehicle. The jet bikes heads east together with the Wave Serpent carrying the Fire Dragons, closing in on the Sanctum Building. Failing dangerous Terrain test 2 of them are lost in the canal to the northeast. The War walkers kill most of the Gaunts inside the Manifactorum, and wound the centre Trygon, leaving it with only one wound. The Warp Spiders fights on but are finally devoured.

The Ground shakes as the Mawlock emerges from the deep! It scatters, into the Wave serpent belonging to the Guardians, immobilizing it. The Gaunt unit in Sanctum heads east to face the Jet bikes and the Wave serpent with the Fire Dragons. The two gaunt units in centre heads north, trying to find cover. The Trygon to southwest spawns another unit of Gaunts, heading straight towards the Auditorium building. The Genestealers in centre south runs north, taking cover behind tank traps, to prepare an assault on the Eldar centre battle line next turn. The Trygon head north centre. The Tyranids open fire, but does not manage to inflict damage to the Eldar who are either out of range or have cover or armor protecting them (were are my Hive Guard?).



TURN 4

The War walkers adjust their position taking careful aim at the Mawlock. The Guardians do the same. The Dire Avengers leave their Wave Serpent, having a good view to fire at the Gaunts as well as the Mawlock. The Wrath Lords move south centre. To the east the Jet Bikes takes up position just outside the Sanctum Building, backed up by the Fire Dragons. In hail of fire the Mawlock falls to the ground. But worse, the badly wounded Trygon in centre is also killed, and two units Gaunts succumb to the flamers on the Wraith Lords and fire from the Dire Avengers. The Jet bikes kills several Gaunts but are locked in combat.

Ouch! That hurt! If I only could “catch up with them….”! In a last desperate attempt to reach Auditorium, the remaining centre Gaunt unit moves north. The gaunt unit centre west and the remaining Hive Tyrant back it up. The Tervigon backing it up. The remaining Trygon heads east centre together with the other Tervigon Trying to support the small Genestealer unit that backed up the Gaunts occupying the Sanctum Building, now assaulting the Jet bikes. The Hive Tyrant smashes the immobilized Wave Serpent to bits. The Jet bikes and Fire Dragons continue their fight with the Gaunts and Genestealers inside the Sanctum building.

TURN 5

The Guardians adjusts their position. The two Wraith Lords heads for the Hive Tyrant. The Wave Serpents adjust their line of sight. Again the Eldar battle line opens fire, wounding the Hive Tyrant, killing the last Trygon and obliterating both Gaunts units in centre. The Wraith Lords kills the last Hive Tyrant. Inside Sanctum the battle continues with few models remaining on each side.



The centre Tervigon heads for the Auditorium building, hoping to stay alive so it can contest it. A small gaunt unit surrounds the Eldar centre marker.

TURN 6

The Wraith Lords position themselves in front of the Tervigon in centre, blocking it so it will not reach the Auditorium building. The Wave Serpent with the Dire Avengers fly over the centre of the battlefield and lands beside the Eldar Marker. The Eldar army opens fire and wounds both Tervigons, but they survive.

It is over! Hive Fleet Grendel is defeated – and it was Eldar who brought the right tools. High mobility in combination with bucket loads of S6 shots, “Melta units”, Lances and Missile Launchers is hard on the Hive Mind. It was a good game! The Mawlock is cool, but utterly useless in most situations. I opt for the Hive Guard and Zoanthropes next time, as always Hive Fleet Grendel regenerates. next time Trond, next time….

RESULT
Primary Objective ........ Hive Fleet Grendel 0 – Biel Tan 10
Secondary Objective ... Hive Fleet Grendel 0 – Biel Tan 0
Tertiary Objective ........ Hive Fleet Grendel 0 – Biel Tan 4

TOTAL
Hive Fleet Grendel 0 – Biel Tan 14

MOMENTS TO REMEMBER

Trond; Warp Spiders deep striking and killing the Hive Tyrant turn 2!
Ørnulv; Seeing 3 units of gaunts and 1 unit Genestealers attacking the Warp Spiders (classic situation)!