Batrep: Imperial Guard vs Tyranids

The evacuation of Theseus Minor

Army Lists

184th Cadian

I have upgraded my army list to Assault Infantry v1.1

Tyranids

Player: Hugz4Genestealers

HQ

Tyranid Prime
-Deathspitter

Elites

Hive Guard x2
Hive Guard x2
Ymgarl Genestealers x9

Troops

Tervigon
-Cluster, Catalyst, Toxin, Adrenal
Tervigon
-Cluster, Catalyst, Toxin, Adrenal
Termagants x20
Termagants x20

Heavy support

Trygon
-Adrenal
Trygon
-Adrenal

1500 points

Mission and Deployment

Mission: Annihilation
Deployment: Pitched battle
Tyranids rolled to go first.

Ok so, this is always a tough match up for my army list. T6 are a nightmare to destroy, I'd swap them with AV14 any time if i have the chance.
Moreover, in annihilation, he'll basically throw me everything plus the kitchen sink, while i have limited maneuver option, which he can simply ignore.
This is the typical example where Al Raheem would have been more useful if he was on board from deployment. Three layers of stubborn guards are a tough nut to munch through. Two is barely enough to hold for a while, as we will see.

The battle

This time you can zoom in the images clicking on them :)

Deployment

The ruins in the table quarters provide 4+ cover and difficult terrain, the trees 5+ difficult, the hill blocks line of sight and is difficult. The centerpiece is impassable and blocks sights.

My opponent decided to deploy centrally and simmetrically across the board.
I decided to castle in a corner, to maximize the distance from at least half of his army. Also, I tried to infiltrate the plasma stormtroopers behind the BLOS piece, to wait for a MC to show behind the corner. I completely forgot that Hive guards don't need line of sight to shoot. :(
The Ymgarl Genestealers hid in the bottom right ruins.

Astropathic message from System command:
Priority Alpha
To 184th Cadian HQ of Theseus System
Begin evacuation procedure 12QX-72
Tyranid Hive Fleet detected within alert range
Origin unknown
Detach rear-guard duty platoons to cover the regiment retreat
Search and recover as much equipment as possible
Heavy casualties authorized from Subsector command
The emperor protects A blank stare appeared on the colonel's face. He has never fought directly a Tyranid force, but the stories he heard were scary enough to pray the emperor to never live them in person.
This time tho, his prayers went unheard.

Turn 1 - Tyranids

The evacuation order has been the last message received from the System command. With the few hours at disposal, the evacuation was far from complete when the first probes of the Tyranid invasion began poking the outer defences placed from the 184th around the main spaceport of Theseus Minor.
The soldiers traded time for land and blood, but the aliens have reached the spaceport's outskirts.
No more land to trade. Only blood from now on.

The rumble of unnumbered creatures on march filled the air in front of the remaining defence guards. Clouds of dust obscured the horizon: the planet was lost, but there is still hope for the remaining survivors to flee with the last valkiries still waiting on the spaceport platforms.
Suddendly, the awful bug-like aliens stopped marching, as if they were waiting a final order from the skies. They must have sensed the ambush laid in front of them: spikes erupted from the terrain, running straight against the wall where the stormtroopers were hidden behind. Human screams filled the silent air, followed shortly by beast-like roars from the enemy line.
The last stand is begun.

Well, the movement is pretty straightforward: everything except the Hive Guards moved and ran forward to my lines. My big deployment mistake appeared in all its glory: the stormtroopers get shredded to pieces, with no cover or armor saves allowed. Oh well, i'd better deepstrike them next time, as usual.
The front Trygon get a Catalyst buff from his Tervigon pal behind.

Turn 1 - Imperial Guard

The sight was so awful that it has a sort of beauty in it. The aliens were running towards the Imperial Guard fortifications, with almost no interest for personal security: the only thing that mattered was to kill, and feed, and grow.

Shivers ran through many, many guards' backs, and even the Commissars could little for that. Below the fear, the training kicked in. The captain began shouting orders to the line, directing the fire against the alien threats closing in:
"Every unit OPEN FIRE! All weapons against that Trygon! BRING IT DOWN or he will kill us all!"
The whole gun line opened fire against the leading monster, but he shrugged off most of the energy beams that struck home. Many of the heavier guns managed to break through the heavy chitin, leaving deep, bleeding wounds on the monster. Like nothing happened, it roared even stronger and kept rushing towards the firing line.

"KEEP FIRING! KEEP FIRING! Don't stop now!"
The Imperial weapons kept firing, urged on by the scattered officers. Again and again, energy beams hit the target but were reflected by the thick armour of the alien. Only few guns were able to wound the Trygon, which slowed down under the hail of lead and energy, but didn't stop.

No movement for me, except the remaining stormtrooper that kept falling back.
CCS ordered twice Bring it Down to both the lascannon blob and the autocannon blob. Several hits from the lasguns, all of which are stopped by armor and FNP. Luckily the Lascannons and Autocannons doesn't fail as much, and at the end I'm able to reduce him to 3W

Turn 2 - Tyranids

The wounded monster kept roaring even when it hits the first entrenchments. A couple of guardsmen were thrown away by the alien's mass, while another one has been smashed under the enemy legs.
Behind it, the rest of the swarm kept marching forward, reducing the distance with the firing positions.

Another spike appeared from the terrain, below the retreating stormtrooper: his head exploded when the alien weapon reached him.

"STOP IT! STOP IT! aim for the belly, where the carapace is thinner and we can put it down!"
Several guardsmen tried to stab a weak spot in the monster's chitin, but many bayonet broke and many other guardsmen get hit and teared apart from the slashing talons. Fear and panic ran through the men, which tried to disengage and fall back from the nightmare.
"If you fall back now, not only you'll be killed with a bolt in your head, but also your families will be condemned to slavery!" - the commissar shouted. The call had little effect, and was immediately followed by a loud crack and a dead sergeant. The platoon turned back and went again against the slashing monster.

No reserves yet for the Tyranids: the ymgarls are still sleeping
Everybody except two Hive Guards moved forward, and these guards managed to kill the last stormtrooper.
Tervigon casts Catalyst to the wounded Trygon, which charges the first line: 5 guards are killed by the monster, which gets only 1 PowerWeapon wound in return. The unit failed the morale test, but the guards stand still after a sergeant is executed for cowardice.

Turn 2 - Imperial Guard

The Trygon was still roaring, while slashing down powerless guardsmen, when suddendly cheers rose from the left flank: fresh reinforcement arrived!
Following their commanding officiers commands, the platoon opened fire in coordinated volleys against the small bugs protecting the Tervigon. The mass weight of repeated lasrifle shots downed every single Termagant, leaving only writhing corpses on the ground.

Cheered by the new reinforcement performance, the captain kept shouting to his men:"Aim for the other Trygon near those wrecks! OPEN FIRE! It must not hit us!"
He knew that his order was almost impossible to carry out, but he hoped to slow it down and to weaken it to a point that even simple guardsmen would have a chance to put it down. Lascannons and Lasguns opened against the monster, and several of them striked on target: The wounded creature let out a loud scream, even its hardened alien carapace wasn't enough to hinder the pain it was feeling at this moment!

Multiple threats are closing in the last imperial stand: more and more termagants swarmed the hillsides. The remaining autocannon platforms opened fire against the smaller aliens, exploding three.
As soon as the aliens fell, more and more took their place, in an unstoppable wave.

More guardsmen tried to slow down the hacking alien with their bayonets and courage, but none of them managed to overcome the thick (and now covered in human blood) alien carapace: more casualties fell under the shyting talons, but the unit was too scared by the earlier commissar's threat to even think to fall back another time.

Al Raheem comes in from reserves, missing the flank but the Astropath did his trick thankfully.
CCS ordered BiD to the LasCannon blob and to itself against the unwounded Trygon, which manages to get wounded by 2 LasCannons and 2 Lasguns (two FNP failed :D ), downing it to 2W in a single round of shooting. Al Raheem FRFSRF'd his blob against the Termagants nearby, which caused an incredible 75-dice rolling, which in turn caused the bugs to melt, and then ran into the ruins. This is the first error i made this turn.
PCSs opened fire against the remaining Termagants, downing 3 after bad cover saves. I now think i'd have fired against the wounded Trygon (second error): 3 termagants aren't much of a difference.
The assault went bad for the guard: 4 more men are killed by the alien, while the puny 3 normal wounds caused by bayonets are stopped by armor and FNP. The morale test is passed with a proud roll of 2. Like a boss!

Turn 3 - Tyranids

Behind the hill, hidden in the ruins, the sleeping Ymgarl Genestealer brood awoke and moved up cautiously to join the fray.
The assault plan of the Hive Mind kept unfolding, and the sudden appearance of Imperial reinforcements was only a minor annoyance (or even outright planned from the start!) More waves of screaming aliens leaped onto the Imperial fortification, led by the second Trygon. As soon as the first one fell against the Guards' power weapons, the second one entered the fray, setting the humans in panic and disarray. Only more threats from the commissar allowed the line to stop falling back.

The Hive guards, which remained nearby their Prime, protecting it from dangers, turned to face the reinforcements with their long range spike guns. All of them opened fire against the reinforcement's command squad: screaming in pain all the command staff died, leaving the Lieutenant alone in the ruins

Several distress signals reached the HQ vox network, but any further attempt to estabilish a connection with the endangered units failed: many other defence stronghold have been already wiped by the Tyranids. There is only little time left before the complete loss of the planet, and the evacuation is still going...

Ymgarls popped up from the ruins where they was hiding, but they're quite lazy in their difficult terrain and run rolls
General advancement for Tyranids units, except for the Tervigon which moves back from the outflankers and the Hive guards which move to shoot Al Raheem
The front Tervigon and the second Trygon get FNP
Al Raheem command squad is barely in range for the hive guards' guns, which take the opportunity and blast the PCS to hell and gone, saving only the captain.
The other Trygon assaulted the same, poor guard blob, which in turn manage to kill the first one, taking 11 casualties in return. They fail morale again, but stand after executing another sergeant.
KP count: 2-1 for Imperial Guard

Turn 3 - Imperial Guard

The battle was now a struggle for survival, to buy enough time for the other comrades to flee, hoping to be able to reach that last Valkirie, waiting for them to leave the planet. Tyranids were all over the place, surrounding the trenches and slaughtering any guardsman caught alone.

The aliens had surrounded the Imperial positions.
"Sergeant, move these men away from the right flank! We need more distance from that hill, or they'll swarm us and we cannot fire at them!"
"SIR YES SIR!"
Bellowing the captain's order, the sergeants drove the remaining guardsmen away from the threats closing in from behind the hill.

To cover their maneuver, the guardsmen opened fire with their lasguns against the Tervigon, but only the Commander's Laser Cannon managed to wound the monster.

Staggering back from the ruins, the Lieutenant managed to fall back from the terrible alien weapons that slaughtered his command team, and linked back with his men

Ammunitions were running low, as fast as the numbers of unwounded guardsmen remaining to slow down the Tyranid advance. Despite the Commissariat's effort, panic was deep inside the Guard's lines, and even the officiers' voices began to tremble with fear. The men were left waiting for orders which never came, distress call went unanswered, fear filled the eyes of the survivors.

Quite a lackluster turn. I didn't want to risk to be assaulted from the flank by Ymgarls, so i decided to move away from the flank at the price of 4 lascannon shots
Only the CCS managed to put a wound on the Tervigon, the rest of the lasguns failed to wound.
Moreover, one PCS rolled "communication breakdown" for orders, preventing me from using Al raheem orders (which should have been called before, to add insult to injury). Even if I am leading for KP count at this point, the situation isn't looking good.

Turn 4 - Tyranids

Hunger... Feed... Consume... Grow...

Strengthened by the Imperial casualties' biomass, the Hive Mind itself put pressure on the mind of the remaining survivors and urged its minions forward against them.
Screaming, the Tervigon joined the fighting Trygon followed shortly after by a wave of Termagants: the remainders of the first line fortifications were too few to stop such a blunt, and were easily dispatched and consumed by the smaller aliens

The scared lieutenant was still trying to catch his breath when another wall of spikes sprouted below him, tearing his limbs and killing him on the spot, leaving only a small pool of blood and gore.

Another Valkirye left the Spaceport, now shaking against the explosions all around. Echoes of screams and gunfire ran through its halls, scaring the remaining crewmen ready to leave the planet

If my last turn has been average at best, this one has been pretty good for my opponent. After the usual shenanigans of Catalyst (Tervi + Trygon), a Tervigon and 20 Termagants joined the already engaged Trygon against the blob: of course it couldn't withstand such a power, and it got slaughtered to the last man. Note that it managed to resist for 5 assault phases agains 2 Trygons, 1 Tervigon and 20 Termagants.
Hive guards kill Al Raheem, while the Ymgarls continue to roll poorly with another 2" movement in the turn
KP count: 2-3 For Tyranids

Turn 4 - Imperial Guard

There is not much time left. There is not much hope left.... Feed... Kill... Grow...

In a last attempt to rebuild the wrecked defense lines, the reinforcement tried to rejoin with the scattered survivors nearby the spaceport. Termagants were now at point blank range, but bigger monsters threatened the poor lives of the guardsmen...

The captain understood that his platoons won't survive. That HE wouldn't survive. His shaking hand reached for his breastpocket, pulling out a worn, old picture of a young woman, smiling at him.
"Only in death a guardsman ends his duty. Finally, I'll see you again, in the Emperor's light"

Calm descended on the captain when he realized his fate. With his mind now free from the Hive Mind's screams, he bellowed another order for his men, knowing that it would have been the last.

Cold as steel, his remaining men saluted their commanding officier opening fire in timed volleys which would have made proud any sergeant instructor. The energy beams struck on the targeted Trygon, exploding it.

Above the clattering of automatic guns and the whining of lasguns, a last vox-communication flooded the guardsmen headpieces:
"Only in death a guardsman ends his duty"

Very short turn: Al's blob moved back toward the lascannon blob, but it's too far to do anything.
CCS ordered to bring it down the last Trygon, while he chipped off a wound from the Tervigon. PCSs kept firing against the Termagants, killing 2 more. I'd have really better fired at the Tervigon instead.
KP count: 3-3

Turn 5 - Tyranids

The Imperial defenses were overrun. Termagants began flooding the spaceport's halls, slaughtering any Imperial citizen unfortunate enough to be left there.
A Valkirye tried to takeoff before being destroyed, but an alien cannonade hit it, transforming the flyer and its occupants in a fireball.

The Tervigons stopped to replenish the numbers of the few downed Termagants, which were sent to slaughter the last remaining guardsmen.
Doubled in number, the Termagants crashed against the last line of defense.

One by one, the gun emplacements fell silent, their mechanisms jammed by biological poisons and their crewmen slaughtered by claws and talons. After a short while, the screams outside the spaceport ended, only to be replaced by far more from within it. Several thousands of civilians met one of the worst fates of the galaxy.

Nothing much to say: finally the full force of the Tyranid army is able to charge what's left of my castle. I lose many but the unit does not break. Anyway, i have no chances to turn the tide of the battle at this point.

Turn 5 - Imperial guard

"Colonel, we have lost contact with the spaceport. They're lost. I'm sorry."
"How many did we save?"
"40% of Infantry companies, 80% of Armoured vehicles. It has been a success, Colonel!"
*grunt* "If you say so, Commissar..."

I conceded

Victory to Tyranid Hive Fleet!

Post-battle analysis

1. Despite the outcome, i am quite happy of the performance of my stubborn blobs. 2.5 turns against much more points of what they was worth it's quite a feat that not every unit is capable to.
2. This time Al Raheem was a penalty rather than a bonus.
3. I need to target priority better. Those AC shots could have chipped one or three wounds from the big critters. If only I managed to down the Tervigon before it spawned...
4. My opponent built a nice list, with a lot of threats. Tervigons were the real threats, but anyway i can't just ignore two charging Trygons, you know... but that's the point of his list :)