Shield of Baal - Apocalypse

After 6 weeks of campaigning, each faction scored bonuses for the final game which took place yesterday at Titan Games. Props to them for supporting this campaign, providing us not only a dedicated place to play but supplying us with food and even sponsoring the prizes at the end! 

As for the players, each player contributed to the greater fight by taking on opponents on the opposing faction and scoring bonuses which helped in the Apocalypse. 

Apoc in progress

Each player was given 2500 points to work with. The Tyranid players really put their minds together to come up with a synergistic list. We had a tanking component (played by me), a Deep Strike component (by Rico) and a mobile force (by Marshall). 

I have not included lists here but most of the units are WYSIWYG so it shouldn't be a problem. Enjoy the batrep guys! 

Rico's Deep Strike Force

Wei Jia's Mobile Wolves

Alan's Mech Force

Stephen's 1st Company

I bring peace? 

We bid for time and the Imperials bid 5 minute. The Tyranids? 99 minutes! LOL we wanted to go 2nd so that we can steal the objectives from the Imperials at the end of each turn.

Imperials deploying

Pose! 

The smiley Nids with our able assistants! 

Imperials took the first turn but the Tyranids played the Spore Chimneys. In hindsight, we should have also played the Blind Barrage to prevent me from taking that many hits so early on.

Turn 1 

Erupting from the ground, Spore Chimneys appeared

Imperial airforce took the city of Asphodex by storm

The Imperials used their Precise Coordinates to allow them to Deep Strike with unnerving accuracy.

With a crack the 1st Company materialized in my lines. 

The Imperials managed to kill off our Supreme Warlord, the Brood Queen which sat at the corner of our table. A lucky D Cannon shot loped all wounds off the 6 wound Toughness 6 MC. Ouch.

Then the response came. 3 Tyrannocytes dropped and 3 Fexes emerged from the bellies of the ugly sacs

Tyranids replied in kind by using their Precise Coordinates

The Tervigons spawned a large number of Gants to disrupt the charges from the 1st Company

While Marshall took to the skies with his Air Swarm (albeit unpainted)

While Rico's swarm hit the back lines with my Tyrannocytes

Dimachaerons arrive

Tyranids concentrated fire on the 5 Wolves sitting on the objective

Harridan harries the Imperial lines while staying low 

The Shadow Sword takes the brunt of the Psychic attack by the Zoanthropes

ZZZZZZzzzzaaaap

EEeeeeriely closing ranks

The Tyranids hit back as hard as they can but did not manage to kill enough of the 1st Company

Another Daemacheron lands behind the Imperial lines

Tyranid secured the objective (rolled off)

Tyranids secured

Tyranids secured (rolled off)

Tyranids secured

Imperial secured

VP Tally:
Imperials: 2 Objectives + 1 Ray's Warlord +  1 Supreme Warlord = 4 VP
Tyranids: 4 Objectives = 4VP

Turn 2

While the Imperials were busy killing, the Tyranids was busy capping objectives. Would this strategy continue working?

Imperials started shooting at the Grey Harridan

While the ground forces attempted to clear the Gants to allow the 1st Company to charge the Tervigons

The Imperial Knight goes and take out a Carnifex

1st Company charges the Tervigons but one survived! 

Imperials send their Thunderhawk towards mid table

The fighting gets more intense on our left flank

The Shadow Sword was ill pleased so took a shot

Hyperios Batteries really kept the skies clear here

After losing one Fex to the Imperial Knight I decided to charge both Fexes into their Supreme Warlord

Aerial combat

Managed to kill off the Supreme Warlord! 

Threw all my firepower into Bellial and managed to kill the Warlord off

The chase for the Thunderhawk is on

The Imperials seemed to have the upper hand holding our left flank

Rico's Shadow managed to take out the Shadow Sword

While his Mucolid chases the Wolves

I just love Apoc games. It's what 40k should look like! Aerial and land battles. Confusion in the trenches and heroic decisions

The skies were full of flyers! 

This side was cleared of Imperials

 

I would hate to be Guardsmen now. Marshall's face frame in the tail! 

VP Tally:
Imperials: 3 Objectives = 3x2 = 6VP
Tyranids: 3 Objectives + 1 Destroyed Shadow Sword + 1 Killed Bellial + 1 Killed Imperial Knight + 1 Supreme Warlord + 1 Alan's Warlord = 11VP


Turn 3
Imperials burnt a point to bring their Shadow Sword back but on my side of the table where an objective sat.

Tyranid numbers were thinning out here even with the Flyrants helping

Alan shooting in the air

Gunning for the Flyrant

And he proceeds to roll another 6! 

Unfortunately though his To Wound rolls were not that impressive! I saved all the wounds and my Flyrant walks away unscathed

The Deathwing killed off all the Gants and could now take the Objective

Tyranids fly on and try to take out the Deathwing

While the aerial combat continued

Thankfully I kept my Tyrannoctye sitting on the objective from Turn 2 hence denying the Shadow Sword the opportunity to capture it

Slowly the Imperial flyers made their way over to Rico's side to support a beleaguered defence

Hugging the Objectives closely, Imperials held 3 this turn

Woooooosh

VP Tally:
Imperials: -1 for calling the Shadow Sword, 3 Objectives = 8VP
Tyranids: 3 Objectives = 9VP

Turn 4

The game was still in the balance, the difference only being 6 VPs. 

Imperials spent another point to call their Imperial Knight back

The Deathwing managed to clear this objective

The backfield was quite open

In the Tyranids Turn 4, we called our Finest Hour for Rico and Marshall's Warlords allowing them to move 72" each (3 x movement of 24"). Since my Tyrannocyte earlier prevented the Shadow Sword from sitting on the objective, it allowed Marshall's Tyrant to land on it and be the closest model to the objective. Team work right there!

Landing on the dimple, it's ours

We chose to hover all our flyers this turn to take on the Terminators

While I sent my Flyrant mid table to take out the 2 Terminators sitting on the mid objective

Mid table destruction

Rico concentrated fire on this Wolf unit

Objective secured

Imperial secured

Tyranid secured

Tyranid secured

Imperial secured

This was the turning point for the game. Tyranids had secured most of the objectives widening the gap for the two factions.

VP Tally:
Imperials: -1 for returning Imperial Knight, 2 objectives = 8 VPs
Tyranids: 4 objectives = 16 VPs

At this point the Imperial players were 21 VPs behind. The only way they could win was to take 5 points in turn 5 and sit on it for the game (worth 25VPs). With that focus in mind, they went about to try to accomplish it, knowing that this will most likely be the final turn.

Turn 5

Most of our flyers were gliding allowing the Deathwing to charge

The Shadow Sword lobs a shell across the field but the Nids made all their saves! 

Battle of epic proportions! This would decide who captures this point! 

But the duel came to a stalemate

Start of Tyranids final turn

I gun for the Objective and kill off the final Terminator

This became contested

Imperial captured

Tyranid captured

VP Tally:
Imperials: 1 objective = 5VPs
Tyranids: 5 objectives = 25VPs

The final tally of points:
Imperials = 4 + 6 + 8 + 7 +5 = 30
Tyranids = 4 + 11 + 9 + 16 + 25 = 65

Tyranid victory. The Shield of Cryptus has fallen!

The heroes! 

As a prize, Titan Games has given each player $20 worth of store credit for playing! Enjoy your wins guys and see you all on the field really soon for Season 2 of the Shield of Baal.