It’s been a while, but I’m back for a game of Astra Militarum vs Tyranids at Boards and Swords Hobbies. Firstly, my opponent, Sophia, models look so good on the table! The blue is so striking!

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Astra Militarum List

These are all Cadians in a Spearhead and a Battalion.

• Company Commander Warlord with Lost Relic of Cadia and Grand Strategist Trait – Warlord
• 4x Infantry Squads
• Platoon Commander with The Dagger of Tu’Sakh
• Command Squad all with Melta Guns
• 2x Tech-Priests
• 10x Ratlings
• A Primaris Psyker
• Battle Cannon Knight Commander Pask with Lascannon and Plasma Cannons
• 2x Tank Commanders Executioners with Lascannon and Plasma Cannons
• 1x Extermination Tank Commander with Lascannon and Plasma Cannons
• 2x Wyverns
• 2x Basilisks

I have 8 CP.

5 + 3 + 1 – 1 = 8CP

Astra Militarum Gallery

Tyranid List – Hive Kraken

• Broodlord
• 2x Flyrants
• Neurothrope – Warlord
• Old One Eye
• 30x Hormagaunts
• 3x Ripper Swarm
• 24x Termagants
• 24x Termagants
• 2x Dakka Carnifexes
• 2x Scream Killer Carnifexes

Tyranid Gallery

Mission

We played Maelstrom of War from Chapter Approved 2018. The mission was the one where you can use a Stratagem to deny the enemy one of their cards for this turn. Fairly straight forward.

Astra Militarum vs Tyranids Deployment

Having not played Tyranids in 8th at all I was at a bit of a loss as to how I should, or shouldn’t, deploy.

I basically castled up my vehicles with sporadic squads of Guardsmen around to provide a screen of sorts.

The large pieces of terrain made drawing line-of-site pretty tough for my Leman Russ. And space was limited. Deploying second helped, but it still meant I had some funky placements to ensure everything had line-of-sight and was screened in some way.

The Tyranids Deployer some units fat forward and some way back. The warlord and a group of 24 deployed way back. The Carnifex were all well forward.

Astra Militarum vs Tyranids Deployment Gallery

Tyranids – Turn 1

It’s been a few weeks since this game so my memory is not great. But shooting wise and fighting wise I didn’t come off too badly.

The Ratlings were lost in this turn giving First Strike. I lost a few Guardsmen and maybe a few wounds on a Leman Russ.

My lack of knowledge of the Tyranids now really showed and hurt me. The little devils that had moved, Advanced and charged which were in combat could Pile In and Consolidate 6″. This is huge. Especially when you consider I had only accounted for the normal 3″.

This meant in turn one I had a Leman Russ locked in combat with no escape route. And another tagged in combat – so no shooting in my turn even if I Fell Back.

So while I’d done OK with taking losses I had two Leman Russ out of action for at least my first turn of shooting.

I’d also lost my Ratlings which meant taking out Synapse creatures was now off the table completely.

Astra Militarum – Turn 1

With two Leman Russ locker in combat, I was on a spot of bother. One was so locked up it could not escape. This meant the Hormagaunt swarm he was locked in with, couldn’t be shot at – as I couldn’t Fall Back. Damn.

I was also locked into my corner because of the Hormagaunt swarm on top of me. I would need to fight my way out before the Carnifex with Old One Eye arrived.

I did manage to kill both of the melee Carnifex which was good and got me First Strike at least.

I don’t know how many VP I got this turn as I didn’t take a photo of my VP counter!

Tyranids – Turn 2

The noose tightened and Old One Eye made it into combat. He smashed the Russ that was locked up. That Leman Russ has done nothing for its entire game; a Lascannon, Plasma Cannons and an Executioner Plasma Gun of nothing.

The right flank was gradually been whittled down by the two Dakka Carnifex. It wouldn’t last long despite the ruins for cover.

The Flyrants didn’t arrive.

Astra Militarum – Turn 2

I managed to kill Old One Eye and the Broodlord. So now all the big melee monsters were gone which was good as it meant I could ready myself for the Flyrants without worrying about Carnifex in my ranks.

I had now removed the Hormagaunts that were on top of me on turn one. But I was really on the back foot now in my deployment zone with Flyrants arriving next turn.

I tried to just stay alive on the right flank to deny some deep striking areas.

Overview once I had cleared out the Broodlord, Old One Eye and the swarm that was in melee- Astra Militarum vs Tyranids

Tyranids – Turn 3

The Flyrants arrived and now the Dakka Carnifex could move around and start on my main gun line as the right flank of 20 Guardsmen had not collapsed.

The Rippers also arrived onto the central most objective.

One Flyrant made it into combat but failed to destroy a Russ. Luckily.

Astra Militarum – Turn 3

My Leman Russ fell back and I was able to blast the Flyrant out of the sky. I was killing them but I was being pushed back further into my deployment zone. I don’t think the cards were kind either.

My Command Squad of Meltas came on and aided with the Flyrant death.

I was still staring down two Flyrants at this point and the Dakka Carnifex were coming for me too. I was also struggling with VPs because I was so locked down. I did manage to get one squad up and out using Move, Move, Move to grab the central objective for a VP. This also relied on my artillery being able to take out the Ripper Swarm that had arrived in the middle – which they did!

Tyranids – Turn 4

At this point, I am finding it hard to get the right cards and also achieve the ones I do have. The Xenos are moving in closer and closer. The Dakka Carnifex are now targetting my Leman Russ to strip a few wounds away here and there. VPs come more easily to the ‘Nids at this point as they have near full table control.

Astra Militarum – Turn 4

I am bravely fighting on now despite not having any board control. Not pictured in these photos in the enemy Neurothrope Warlord way back in the opposite corner from me with 24 Termagants.

I do manage to clear my lines again and get everything out of combat. The combat shutting down my Leman Russ is very annoying, but with no screens left there is not much I can do about that other than withdraw and then shoot with everything else into the offending Xeno.

Tyranids – Turn 5

The Termagants moved up to ensure I could not get Behind Enemy Lines!

Astra Militarum vs Tyranids Summary

The rest of the game was a bit of blurry in my head. It was a while ago. I did lose this one but it was really fun and I learnt a lot about the Tyranids – like some of their models have a 6″ consolidation move!

My Leman Russ being repeatedly shut down from shooting was bad, really bad. If they had been able to shoot fully then I think it would have been very different and I would have been able to move out of my deployment zone to grab more VPs and deny more VPs.

Getting those Hormagaunts into combat on turn one was devasting for me. I think they got into combat with two Infantry Squads and two Leman Russ. That is a lot of lost plasma shots and a lost of lost Lasgun shots that could have done some serious damage to the Hormagaunts.

I was outplayed – this time…

Final Score