I'm playing an online game of epic with Andy on the other side of the planet via Tabletop. We got as far as setting up and the first turn today, with the plan being to play another couple of turns next Sunday. I'm using the Epic-UK tyranid list rather than the Net-EA one as I prefer the list in many ways and it has some interesting options, units and tactics the Net-EA list is missing. We're also playtesting the developmental version of the Tau list with lance Railguns and that.
The armies:
NORMAL ASSAULT SWARM [200] - 2 Tyranid Warrior, 2 Termagant, 6 Hormaguant
NORMAL ASSAULT SWARM [220] - 2 Tyranid Warrior, 5 Termagant, 3 Hormaguant, Gargoyles
BRUTE SWARM [225] - 1 Hive Tyrant, 3 Carnifex
BRUTE SWARM [225] - 1 Winged Hive Tyrant, 3 Malefactor
BRUTE SWARM [225] - 1 Winged Hive Tyrant, 3 Malefactor
BRUTE SWARM [225] - 1 Winged Hive Tyrant, 3 Exocrines
GENESTEALER SWARM [150] - 6 Genestealer
GENESTEALER SWARM [150] - 6 Genestealer
NEST SWARM [550] - 4 Termagant, 4 Biovore, 4 Dactylis, Zoanthrope
SPORE MINE SWARM [150] - 6 Spore Mine Clusters
HARASSMENT SWARM [225] - 1 Harridan and 4 Gargoyles
LICTOR SWARM [200] - 4 Lictor
SUBTERRANEAN SWARM [250] - 1 Trygon and 2 Raveners
2995 points, 13 activations.
I played around with many and various possible lists before settling on first trying a high activation one, including a Hive Nest artillery formation, garrisoned on overwatch with 8 BP of disrupt. It's a little vulnerable but I hoped to distract attention with the Lictors and Trygon with Raveners both teleporting in at the start of the first turn.
6 Hammerheads, 1 skyray 425
4 crisis, shas'o, 2 gun drones 375
Orca 150
Mech FWC, +pathfinders, bonded 350
Mech FWC, +FW, ethereal 400
Broadsides 325
Recon 175
Recon 175
Recon 175
Pathfinders, Piranha 200
FWC bonded 250
11 formations
Start positions:
Teleporters: The Tau scanners pick up on of the Lictor units as they move into position, starting them with a blast marker. The Trygon and Raveners burst out the ground undetected without mishap.
Unsurprisingly (considering the tyranid strategy rating of 1) the Tau go first. The Lictors have teleported in ZoC of multiple formations, annoying the Tau, so a Fire Warrior formation advances and shoots them, over-killing both Lictors in range easily and breaking them.
Broadsides retain and sustain at the Subterranean Swarm, blowing apart a Ravener unit and causing a point of damage to the Trygon. They retreat broken.
The tyranid artillery clustered around the Hive Nest unleash a rain of deadly spore mines in the direction of the Broadsides, with the 3 barrage templates also clipping two Fire Warrior formations and the Hammerheads. All formations are hit but nothing dies. Must evolve deadlier artillery...
The Tau co-ordinate their fire, activating two Recon formations and a Pathfinder formation and hammering the tyranid artillery nest. The first Recon formation advances to screen the Fire Warrior formation that would otherwise be vulnerable to Genestealer attack and guns down 3 Termagant units. The second Recon formation takes a DC off the Hive Nest with Seeker Missiles and the Pathfinders do so a second time.
The Exocrines and Winged Hive Tyrant double forward and kill two Tetras in the screening formation.
Though shaken by the spore mines the Hammerheads let loose on the artillery nest, blowing apart the Hive Nest and also killing a Dactylis, with their lance railguns. The broken tyranid artillery flees into the woods on the left.
Malefactors on the right march to the edge on the wood on the right.
Fire Warriors with Pathfinders advance and attack the Meotic Spores, killing 4 of them.
An Assault Swarm marches up into the woods near the forward Recon, helping to protect the broken artillery from potential air attack.
The Malefactors on the left double towards the forward Recon formation, getting a couple of the FF beasts in range to support and engagement later. The Winged Hive tyrant lays a BM on the Fire Warriors with Pathfinders.
The Fire Warriors with the Ethereal double and gun down 3 Genestealer units in the open, the remainder fleeing into the woods.
Carnifex Brute Swarm marches forward.
The Orca and Crisis Suits ground attack them, killing a Carnifex and Hive Tyrant and breaking them.
The Assault Swarm guarding the Blitz go onto overwatch.
The Harridan combined assaults the Orca and Crisis Suits, misses with it's attacks and the two lucky Gargoyle hits (FF6+) are saved by the Orca. Return fire kills a Gargoyle and does a point of damage to the Harridan, combat resolution killing two more Gargoyle units. May have been a bit optimistic with this engagement, should probably have engaged the flyer or suits but not both.
At the end of the turn the Hive Mind tries to regain control but the Subterranean Swarm, Harridan formation, Genestealers and Carnifexes all fail to rally. At least the BTS artillery formaition rallies, clearing one extra BM due to the Zoanthrope's leader. I think all the Tau formations clear BMs.
End of first turn thoughts: Next turn should be messy, but a bit of an uphill struggle. Things were looking promising till the end of the turn when 4 out of 5 of my formations failed to rally. Did a Recon formation activate twice or did I get mixed up in my notes/write-up? Also, has Andy forgotten to put his Pathfinder formation on the table? I can't see them in any of the screencaps. Must ask him.
To be continued...
