The aliens are coming! The aliens are coming!

Well, Zombocom recently posted an update/variant Tyranid list, Leviathan v2.0, and I thought I'd give it a spin. Asked a friend to bring a 4000 point tournament army of whatever he liked, *without* letting him know what I was playing.

So, as fate would have it, he brought the worst possible list for Tyranids to face... the practically-all-skimming Saim-Hann Eldar!

Armies and battle report to follow!

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"EPIC: Total War" Lead Developer

Now living in Boston... any EPIC players want to meet up?

Rules Used

Hivefleet Leviathan v2.0
- Zoanthropes gain leader
Saim-Hann v6.3

Scenario

Tournament Scenario

Armies Used

The Beast Approaches - 3975 Points

Brood Nest

Synapse Swarm 1 – (BTS Target)
Warrior Cluster (3)
Warrior Cluster (3)
Zoanthrope Cluster (2)
4 Gargoyles
4 Gaunts

Synapse Swarm 2
Warrior Cluster (3)
4 Gaunts
4 Gargoyles

Synapse Swarm 3
Warrior Cluster (3)
4 Gaunts
4 Gargoyles
4 Biovores

Synapse Swarm 4
Warrior Cluster (3)
4 Gaunts
4 Gargoyles
4 Biovores

Synapse Swarm 5
Warrior Cluster (3)
4 Gaunts
4 Gargoyles
4 Biovores

Hierophant Prime 1
1 Hierophant with Synapse
2 x Large Bio-Cannons

Hierophant Prime 2
1 Hierophant with Synapse
2 x Large Bio-Cannons

Hierophant Prime 3
1 Hierophant with Synapse
2 x Large Bio-Cannons

Lictor Swarm 1
3 Lictors

Lictor Swarm 2
3 Lictors

Lictor Swarm 3
3 Lictors

Genestealers Swarm 1
8 Genestealers

Genestealers Swarm 2
8 Genestealers



The Beast Approaches - 4000 Points

Avatar

Wraithgate

Wild Rider Clan Warhost 1
1 Wild Rider
6 Jetbikes
1 Mounted Farseer

Wild Rider Clan Warhost 2
1 Wild Rider
6 Jetbikes

Wild Rider Clan Warhost 3
1 Wild Rider
6 Vypers

Wild Rider Clan Warhost 4
1 Wild Rider
6 Vypers

Shining Spear Warhost 1
8 Shining Spears
1 Autarch
1 Exarch

Shining Spear Warhost 2
8 Shining Spears
2 Exarchs

Shining Spear Warhost 3
8 Shining Spears
2 Exarchs

Engines of Vaul 1
2 Scorpions

Engines of Vaul 2
1 Stormserpent

Ranger Troupe
4 Rangers

Nightwings
3 Nightwings

Revenant Titans – (BTS Target)
2 Revenants

Battlefield:

4x6

Saim-Hann chooses long edge.


Deployment:

Saim-Hann keeps Wild Riders 2 and 3 and Shining Spear Warhost 3 in the Webway.

Leviathan keeps the three Lictor Swarms in reserve.

Saim-Hann garrisons the Rangers in the Cathedral, on overwatch.

Leviathan garrisons both Genestealer Swarms on overwatch.

Remaining deployment as shown:

Turn 1

No teleports.

Strategy Roll: Saim-Hann

The Stormserpent pops up and doubles forward to put a Blast marker on Genestealers 1.

The portable ‘Gate shimmer up… stuttering momentarily, as Wild Riders hesitate, fumble, and then just move away from the Stormserpent with a Blast marker. (Yep, the ol’ failed supreme commander re-roll!)

Swarm 3 marshals to move towards the Brood Nest and gains 4 Termagants.

Wild Riders 3 race out of the Wraitgate to engage Genestealers 1… neither side does any damage, but the Eldar wind up winning by “4” and send the Bugs skittering away.



Swarm 4 then sustains fire to hit Wild Rider 3, dropping a Vyper.

Shining Spears 2 double forward to a better attack position.

Swarm 2 uses a marshal to move, getting within 30cm of the Brood Nest and pulls out 2 Raveners and a Termagant.

Wild Riders 4 double up to fire on Genestealers 1 and cause one unit to bug out.

Hierophant 1 marshals, moving towards the Brood Nest, but only picks up 2 Hormagaunts and 1 Termagant.

Shining Spears 1 then double forward for upcoming battles. (Just noticed that the Autarch shouldn’t have been added to this formation, in the Saim-Hann list they represent a “Chieftan” and can only go in Wild Rider Warhosts.)

Hierophant 3 (Played here by Her Majesty, The Red Queen) doubles forward to give them battle, dropping 1 Shining Spear.

The Scorpions return the favour, advancing to strip 3DC from Hierophant 3.

Hierophant 2 doubles to fire on Wild Riders 4 and drops a Vyper.

The Nightwings arc down to hit Hierophant 3, but only break it, doing no damage.

The Revenants follow up by bounding forward on a double to destroy Hierophant 3… *sigh*

Swarm 1 then marshal, moving a Gargoyle close to the Brood Nest and gaining 2 Raveners and 1 Termagant.

Swarm 4 marshals, repositioning to hold the Blitz and Eldar Objective 2 while gaining 1 Ravener and 1 Hormagant.

Genestealers 2 attempt to march, but with no prey around, just decide to make a single move…


End of Turn

Everything rallies!

(Now, we played that only Swarms that actually had to rally could add units in the End Phase… which means it better to have been shot at/taken losses during a turn than not… which didn’t sit well. More discussion when the game is done.)

Good point on the rallying, it should be all formations not just those with BMs or broken.

Turn 2

No teleports.

Strategy Roll: LEVIATHAN!

Swarm 3 eagerly doubles forward to fire on Wild Riders 4, droping a Vyper.

Hierophant 2 then charges the Eldar army… intermingling Wild Riders 1, Wild Riders 4, Shining Spears 2… and the Revenants in a nasty clipping assault.



Two Vypers are swatted down… and the combat modifiers are tied as I’d forgotten about the Exarchs!!! We roll… very low…



And the Bugs win by “1”, scattering the Eldar to the wind… *whew*



The Scorpions take their revenge by advancing on Hierophant 2, doing 3DC damage, one of which crits for another DC and breaks the beast!

Swarm 5 against sustains fire on Wild Riders 3 and takes out *another* Vyper!

Hierophant 1, with Gaunts in tow, doubles to fire on Shining Spears 1, taking out 1 unit.

The Nightwings then finish off Hierophant 2.

The Stormserpent doubles around Swarm 3’s flank, placing a Blast marker on them…

…and then Shining Spears 3 pause (Re-roll!) before appearing to engage Swarm 3 and Genestealers 1 in a flurry of blows… a shocking *5* Shining Spears go down taking out only 2 Hormagaunts and 1 Biovore… but the Exarchs are still alive and the Eldar win by “1”, breaking all formations involved.



Swarm 1 then engages the Stormserpent and obliterates it for the loss of 1 Ravener and 1 Hormagaunt.



Wild Riders 3 marshal, moving to a better position and clear all their Blast markers.

Genestealers 2 get with the program and march deep into Eldar territory.

The Rangers drop overwatch and double to put a Blast marker on Swarm 2.

Swarm 5 shifts around the Tyranid Blitz again with a marshal and gains 3 Termagants.

Wild Riders 1 race forward to bracket Swarm 2…

And Shining Spears 1 then engage the swarm, with a lot of Eldar in support. A single Shining Spear goes down… and a single, broken, Tyranid Warrior limps away…




End of Turn

Shining Spears 1 and 2, Wild Riders 4… and the Revenant Titans all fail to rally!

Only Genestealers 1 fail to rally for the Tyranids.

Swarm 2 generates 3 Termagants.

Swarm 3 uses the Brood Nest to gain 2 Raveners and 1 Termagant.

Wow... my opponent will hate the rule even more once I tell him that! *laugh* Not sure what kind of difference in outcomes it would've had though.

My getting "free" models, customized to the local situation, really didn't sit well with him. More discussion later.

Turn 3

All three Lictor Swarms show up… *two* with Blast markers!

And, hey, there’s the Avatar!



Strategy Roll: Saim-Hann

The Avatar takes Wild Riders 1 with Him to engage Lictor Swarm 3… the Lictors don’t stand a chance, and the victorious Eldar reposition to surround, but not intermingle, the broken Revenants. (There goes the only ground target that Lictors were really looking to take on!)



The Scorpions then sustain fire on Hierophant 1. They do 3DC damage… and a crit for 1DC… which produces another crit for 1DC and the great beast is felled… *SIGH* But three Termagants remain!

Swarm 1 engages Wild Riders 2… and only score 2 hits, while losing 2 Hormagaunts and 1 Gargoyle, but weight of numbers wipes out the Eldar.



Swarm 4 then, again, sustains fire on Wild Riders 3 and… places a Blast marker.

The Rangers engage Lictors 1 and wipe the gangly Bugs out.

[No pic, as it was over too fast!]

Tiny, little Swarm 2 rushes to engage Wild Riders 3… they manage to knock down a Vyper, but are all wiped out in return.



Shining Spears 3 engage Lictors 3 in a fire fight and easily win, wiping them.

[Same here!]

Vyper 1 tries to marshal, but fails and breaks as the Autarch saves his re-roll for the cowering Revenants.

Genestealers 2 hunker down into the woods on overwatch.

The Nightwings dive down to hit the broodlings that were once following Hierophant 1 and take out 1 Termie.

Swarm 3 then marshals, removing 5 of their 6 Blast markers, and gains 4 Termagants via the Nest…


End of Turn

Wild Riders 4 fail to rally.

All Tyranids rally and Swarm 3 gains an additional 3 Gaunts.


Score

Leviathan 0 (none) vs Saim-Hann 1 (DTF) – On to Turn 4! (Aside – Using the v9.x victory conditions, Saim-Hann would’ve also had BTS here as they’d killed 18 units out of 35 units of Synapse)

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Turn 4

No teleports.

Strategy Roll: Leviathan!

Swarm 3 engages Shining Spears 1, lose 4 Gaunts, and swats all the Eldar down… BOOYAH!



Swarm 4 then *fails* to sustain fire, regroups, and gets 1 Gargoyle and 1 Termagant.

Shining Spears 2 engage the tattered followers of Hierophant 1 and wipe them out.



Swarm 1… goes on overwatch!

Shining Spears 3 double to contest the Brood Nest.

Swarm 5 goes on overwatch to protect the Blitz and Eldar Objective 2.

The Nightwings feel they’ve done their duty, and fail to make a fourth showing.

Genestealers 2 are commanded to re-go onto overwatch… cuz they’ve got nothing else to do.

The Revenants then *fail* to double, but spread out to hold the Eldar Blitz and Tyranid Objective 1.

The Scorpions double and fire on Swarm 1… dropping a Gargoyle and a Termagant.

Wild Riders 2 then *fail* to engage anyone and just regroup.

The Rangers then *fail* to go on overwatch…



End of Turn

Everything rallies.


Score

Leviathan 0 (none) vs Saim-Hann 1 (DTF) – Roll off… game over!


Tie-breaker

Leviathan: 900 vs Saim-Hann: 1750 – Moderate Eldar Victory!!!

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Interesting game, looks like the Eldar would have swatted you if they hadn't failed four of their seven activations in the last turn.

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Currently doing a plastic scenery kickstarter

Well, that's what Blast markers do to late game Eldar! *laugh*

interesting read, especially the no. of times weight of numbers helped out the 'nids. Any thoughts for how the new "spawning" rules influenced the game? I too would have issues with playing an army that could amass more units than what it started with, but then that's supposed to be worked into the unit costs (right?).

That clipping intermingling result must have really stymied your opponent, I guess he won't be leaving so many units intermingled next time

Great battle report Chroma!

I was kinda wondering how the Eldar would stack up against the Tyranids. Seems like it was a close game to me.

Very interesting. Any comments on the list?

Yep, I've got a bunch of comments, but I was hoping to get in another game before I posted them.

Was hoping to get it in tomorrow, but doesn't look like that plan is going to work out, so I guess I'll write my "first blush" thoughts tomorrow instead!