UK Indy GT: Game 3: Tyranids

So Game 3 then!

This round saw my Space Wolves pitted up against Tim King's Tyranids. Tim is the Scottish ETC captain so I knew this was going to be a close game.

The mission for round 3 was Annihilation, spearhead deployment.

Tim's list was:
3x Tervigon, Catalyst, Cluster Spines
3x2 Hive Guard
2x 10 Termagants
2 Trygons, Adrenal Glands
Trygon Prime, Adrenal Glands
9 Genestealers, Toxin Sacs

Tim won the roll for deployment, set up in the middle, but kept his 20 Gaunts in reserve and out flanked with the Genesteakers. I didn't seize the initiative.

Deployment

So turn 1 sees the Nids advance and the 6 Hive Guard only being able to stun rhinos at best. In my first turn my Long Fangs and Razorbacks team up to drop a Trygon as my Jaws Rune Priest attempts to Jaws a line of 2 Trygons and a Tervigon - with only the Tervigon falling down a hole.

Turn 2 sees the Hive Guard turn things up a notch a take out 3 of my Rhinos in a flurry of death along with a Land Speeder and many Gaunts coming in from reserve to fleshbore the Jaws Priest for killing their mummy. While in reply I drop a 2nd Trygon (leaving only the Prime) while one of my Land Speeders dish out some flamer based death on the Gaunts who came on from reserve. Thankfully for me both remaining Tervigons spawn a unit but run dry!

Start of my 2nd Turn

Turn 3 sees the Genestealers come in and combi charge a unit of Long Fangs and a Razorback (whihc is destroyed). The Land Speeder from turn 2 kept on buring Gaunts and effectively made both of his 10 man units flee alone. Sadly the Genestealers finished of the Long Fangs in my turn 3 and the Trygon Prime started to eat Grey Hunters :(

Genestealers arrive eyeing up lunch

Turn 4 sees me trying to kill the Hive Guard and then realising that they are T6, S5, WS4 and with a 3+ save!!!! The Trygon Prime moves into another unit of Grey Hunters after my Long Fangs goes on strike, but as he drops the last Grey Hunter and my last Rune Priest, my Rune priest manages to wound the beast and drop it with his force weapon despite being in Shadow of the Warp range and testing on 3D6!

My Wolf Scouts finally turn up to pick on the Genestealers but not much else as the game was over bar the shouting.

The Wolf Scouts turns up - the lazy blaggards!

Turn 5 sees Tim closing in for the kill as I try to keep away and drop anything that was vulnerable enough.

The game ends at the end of Turn 5

Tim wins 15 - 9 on kill points but in Victory Points there was only a 7 point difference!

A good game against a really great guy in Tim who knew how to use his army.

So what did I learn in this game:
I set up too aggressive and being in Hive Guard range from turn 1 did not help me one bit!
After practise games against Nids I didn't see the Genestealers as a threat due to being in cover - wrong!
I need to play better Nid players - 4th edition Nidzilla is dead
Hive Guard hurt, and for a shooting unit are really tough
Maybe more Long Fangs, a 3rd unit can really pick up the slack when 2 of them fail
When the Scouts fail - they fail big time!

So after day 1 I'm set in mid table obscurity with a Draw, a Win and a Loss.

Saturday night saw the traditional pub quiz where I, Tim (who I just played), my mate Walter and seemingly most of the Scottish ETC team managed to come 2nd in the quiz and get a pint each! :D

Game 4 Tomorrow will see my pitted against the only Salamander army in the field, controlled by Thomas Jackson, in another game of Capture and Control (bore draw), pitch battle (again).

Come back tomorrow to see who wins - Vulkan and friends or the Wolves of Fenris?