RULES USED: NIDS 9.2.1, 'Codex' ORks.  No NERC changes (tourney practice/UK ruleset)

Well, Darren arrive at my place at 9am this morning and we couldn't but help try getting a 3k game in before he had to go pick his other half up from work and whilst I had my hands on some new nid minis!
Foolishly I'd voice recorded what was happening in the batrep on my camera but then after uploading them all deleted everything including the damned MP3 files that told me what the hell was happening! As such this is all from memory so i'll try to do my best!

(As a playtesters before i begin just so state that we found the list nice and easy to use and nor did we find anything wrong with it)

THE ARMIES[/U]

Warlord Dazza's Ork Horde

-Big Warband
-Big Warband
-8 Stormboyz
-Blitz Brigade with Zzap
-Blitz Brigade with Zzap
-Blitz Brigade with Zzap
-Big Gunz mob +Nob
-Big Stompa Mob with Dreads and Kans in tow
-Gargant (The Dazza Smasha!) w/2 Soopa 1 Zzap
-3 Fighta Bommerz

Splinter Fleet: Code: WL#19

-Dominatrix
-6 Malefactors
-Hive Tyrant
-3 Carnifex
-3 Warriors
-Lots of Termagants +2 Gargoyle
-3 Warriors
-Lots of mixed gaunts +2 Gargoyle +1 Zoanthrope
-Hive Node
-2 Dactylis
-6 Genestealers
-Harridan
-Harridan
-Heirophant

Setup
Let the killing begin!

Setup




Orks choose arbitrary side and place blitz right in middle of table; nids place blitz behind the intact buildings on thier setup zone.
2 Ork objective placed on the flank whilst the 2 nid objecives run vertically straight from the blitz; the plan being to send all thier war engines towards that area and be damned if the orks can stop them!

NID SETUP (from L to R): Hive Tyrant and Carnifex, Smaller Gaunt Brood with Stealers in front of them, Garrisoned Bio Artillery in ruins, Dominatrix and Co, Hierophant, White Harridan, Larger Gaunt Brood, Painted Harridan off of Photo.

ORK SETUP (from L to R): Big Warbands 1 and 2 Screened by Stormboyz, Gargant, Zzap mob 1, Garrisoned Stompa mob, Garrisoned Big Gunz (we both forgot to put anything but the big gunz on overwatch!), Zzap Mob 2, Zzap Mob 3.

First turn to follow!

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Looking forward to the report... shame about the sound files!  

Is this using Tyranids v9.2.1?

Those Tyranid Warriors look *awfully* vulnerable...

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TURN ONE

Initiative: Orks!

As the two sides square up to each other, fang, claw, shoota and choppa's at the ready the drone of fighta bommer attack come screaming in breaking the silence before the storm; 2 rockets find thier mark on the alien bio artillery but miraculously both saves are made. Ryan Considers the Artillery to be a good buy and hopes that (despite the fact that they scored 0 hits all game!) they'll continue to be a good distraction!
Passing to the nids White Harridan (hereby known as "Whitey" pops up from behind a hill to place a blast marker on the stompa mob; 1 in 6 chance of getting a several hundered point formation fail the action test can't be bad!

Meanswhilst in an attempt to waste time most of the left flanks infantry formations (nid and ork) begin to move forth, they are swiftly followed by the carnifex charging bullishly into the ruins next to the hive node.

On the other flank not even the alien will of the dominatrix can force her broodlings forwards as 2 tests to double into the woods are failed in a row! After this, spotting what seems like a good change to try taking the beast out Zzap 3 rush unsupported down the flank and zzap a couple of holes in the more existing (painted!) harridan! Although a critical is scored not even the waagh mekanickry of a lifta droppa can bring the 4dc beast down to earth and it retaliates (whilst they lie unsupported) by breaking the formation with bio cannon fire!

#

War Engines; HO! THe Gargant and it's boyz stomp along the main road after failing it's activation

The Hierophant scuttles into the woods gunning at Zzap Mob 2 who had moved into position to try melting the face off of my dominatrix (they didn't)...and then said beastie hides behind a hill ready to unleash hell next turn whilst her bio cannon breaks Zzap 2


As the sun rises upon yet another bloody battle the domintrix electro pulses an ork fighter from the sky, all the nids rally, 2 Zzap formations lie broken, the genestealers and many other beasts are within assualt range for next turn and the ork horde rolls on!

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TURN TWO

Initiative: Tyranids!

The Genestealers (knowing they won't have another chance!) throw themselves forwards at the stormboyz wiping the majority of them out and sacrificing themselves to shoota fire (not to mention a gargant in support!) afterwards!
In an attempt to gain control of the flow of the battle ryan flies painted Harridan onto the hill prepping the stompa mob with a BM and hoping to draw fire and attention from the bigger beasts around it; this succeeds as the Zzap mob 1 carefully trundle into the cover of the city streets but only (a recurring theme for poor old Darren...) to see their bolt of green lightning go wide of the target...

Some terrain hopping from the Carnifex who place a BM on the Boyz mob (hoping to get the gargant to come forwards unsuported; no such luck!)

WHilst the Hydraphant also engages in some fancy footwork, scuttling into the ruins, breaking the Big Gunz mob, scaring the Mork out of the two Broken Zzap mobs behind the ruins and being scarily within 15cm for an imminent assault on the Stompa mob...and all of this whilst under Fighta Bommer fire too!
The gargant Dazza Smasha (realising what's going on!) moves fast to try doing some damage to the dominatrix's brood...

...but not before the beast is able to charge over the hill and proceed (after the whitey the harridan launches an assault thus allowing lots of support fire to occur and for the stompas to drag the Big Bitch into the assault by means of a counter charge) to smash (not many) stompa's into small pieces...the nids are lucky wining by a mere 1 pt after several exocrine go down (ryan just kept respawning these things though, it really was like they'd never stop!) and the stompa's break away. Is this the beggining of the end?

As the dust settles at the end of turn two scuttling hordes of smaller tyranids march into the ork table half whilst the horde of ork infantry begin thier push towards the objectives.



ALl the nids rally; many orks don't :-(


TYRANID POSITIONS (l to r): Small Gaunt Brood, Carnifex in Buildings, Bio Artillery in ruins, Painted Harridan, Whitey The Harridan, Dominatrix and Co, Hierophant in Ruins, Large Gaunt Brood in Ruins.

ORK POSTIONS (l to r): Warbands 1 and 2, Dazza's Smasha, Zzap 1, Broken Stormboyz, Rallied Stompa's, Broken Big Gunz, Broken Zzap 2, Broken Zzap 3.

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Yes and yes! Updated post to reflect it.

Luckily the nid warriors ended up out of harms way but it owuld have been very easy to FB them i guess! They also started spawning Exocrine later on in the game so that afforded them some protection if the orks had of opened up.

TURN 3 here we go!

Initiative: ORKS!

First things first and the orks absolutely muller the carnifex in the building by throwing grots at them!
The smaller Gaunt Brood moves back slightly noting that the orks will soon be in assault range; better to contest an objective than to die defending it!

And seeing as Epic wouldn't be Epic without some hardcore WE on WE assaulting Darren Bravely moves his Gargant towards the Dominatrix who is teetering on the brink of being at half DC; he know i'm trying to go for a 2-0 victory by claiming 'Blitz' and 'Capture the flag' and so the gargant defiantly stands smack bang between two objective markers forcing me to assualt
The beasts line up for a scrap:

Before all hell breaks loose!

Knowing that i can't let the stompa mob take the initiative on this fight the Heiropahnt charges into support range to lay some extra BM and blow up some Killa Kans before the Dominatrix and slug like chums retain the initiative and launch an assault!

The Big BEastie is bought down a peg (or 3...) in the ensuing clash of the titans whilst fires rage and the gargant is slashed half to bits in a brutal CC; all around alien assault spawn and metal war engines fall to the ground but after assault modifiers the tyranids come out on top forcing the rather valiant ork defenders (3 intermingled formations; Zzap 1 got caught up too!) reeling back!


As ichor and blood seeps into the ground the sun reaches it's zenith on the barren ash planet of BarrenAshPlanet IV and the two foes have little left to do but textbook manuevers to realise who has come out top:

-Whitey the harridan claims the Blitzkrieg Objective
-THe remaning warband move forth to contest the tyranid 'they shall not pass' and 'defend the flag' conditions
-The large gaunt brood rip apart the broken remnants of Zzap 2 and 3
-Purple Harridan mounts a daring assault on the gargant; hoping to get lucky and cause another fire that, if neither are put out will destroy the orkish effigy; this doesn't happen and the poor little things is smashed into the dust!
-No one has anything left to do!

RESULT 2-0 to the Tyranids! (Take and Hold/Blitzkrieg)

This has probably been my mest game with the Nid's to date; i felt that having those extra models through the post (exocrine, another harridan, dacylis, heiophant, node) really helped to round out the tactics and options available to me as i played the game.  Darren put up a staunch defence but lack of available Zzap firepower let him down at times and i feel my plan went exactly to...well...plan! I'll let Darren make any comments he feels need making in due course and thank him again for an enjoyable titanic game of everyone favourite 6mm Wargame: Epic Armageddon  

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Evening all!  

Thought I'd weigh in with my two-cents worth.

First up - cheers to MoK for hosting the game, I had a great time an am already looking forward to the nexting outing...

In terms of the deleted commentry, TacComm is really missing out.  John Motson and Murray Walker couldn't hold a flag to this guy when he's in full flow...

The game generally went as per MoK's plan, the Orks never truely threatening to crash the party too much.

That said however I feel I performed a *lot* better in this game than when Ryan and I first encountered each other.  Not making as many mistakes and getting a better feel for how detachments can work together.

My Man of the Match award has to go the StompaMob.  Did supremely well and only wilted in the final turn. In fact, IIRC, they didn't take a single causulty when assaulated by Whitey with support Dominatrix/Exocrine + Bio-titan. Better roll for the combat res could have made things very different!

Bl00dy respawning Exocrine. And that's all I'm going to say on that subject!

C&C on what I could/should have done differently is welcome guys?

Cheers
Reedar

I'm glad i looked those commentators up! Maybe i've found my REAL calling at all UK epic tournament now...will have to see if Matt Otter is a fan of F1 racing...;-)
Hena's right about yr zzap detachments; they need to be used very carefully...as for the stompa's i think you are right; they really did hang on till then end taking casaulties only from shooting and standing up to the toughest of assualts; both times there was only 1pt in it!

HENA will probably notice that i've almost identically ripped off his list from a bat rep he posted the other day btw...whendo you plan on making another uk tourney Hena?
R>

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Purely an Ork comment. I like to put 2 supa guns into a big gun mob on overwatch (so one decent shot at least!).

Blitz wise I play 2+ small zap/flak mobs - zap, gunwagon (at rear to take supression), 2 x flak (at front to take hits and of course shoot down thunderhawks). And 1 big 2 zap, 2 guns, 4 flak, mob.

An alternative some favour and I must test is having 2 small guns mobs with 1 zap each (these two start on overwatch), small blitzs with zap and 1 big blitz with 2 supa guns.

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am I allowed to be an arse and say that Tyrannids are now overpowered because they've won 2 games?  

Sounded like a cool game, though I don't quite understand how the Orks ended up so much on the back foot?

Still, I can't talk, had a mauling at the hands of TRC and AMTL yesterday (but I'll save that for another thread!).

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Thanks for the report guys.

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I've been meaning to try out some more industrial firepower in my Gunzmob - guess I've always preferred the mobility of the Blitz Brigade, but now I'm not that happy with how fragile they are.

Ho hum. That's the joys of playtesting though!



Absolutely. As before I'm fairly new to this Epic lark and still learning how to use all the parts of the army. I'm taking all the points on board though guys, hopefully next game will show signs of more progress...

Cheers all

Reedar