Going into necron turn 4
Image by jon_a_ross
Full battle report here jon-a-ross.livejournal.com/966301.html with some thoughts on the 5th edition tyranid codex.
Rematch of Necrons vs. Tyranids (5th edition codex addition) Dawn of War, Annihilate mission.
1200 points for the necrons, 1282 points for the Tyranids (same units as previous battle jon-a-ross.livejournal.com/946862.html)
The hive mind new something was different. This time its units felt different, another edition advanced. The metal men who were both defending this planet and seeking to destroy it were in a fallen settlement. This time it would be ready to take it out.
This time it was able to have the Tyranid Warriors deployed as part of the vanguard. The metal men had taken to castling up once more. And with that the Hive Tyrant and the Warriors moved as one mind to strike down the necrons.
(turn one)
One group of warriors ran with their talons and claws climbing through the building. The second advanced towards the necrons spraying acid over them, causing one to fall. The Hive tyrant although enriched with psychic powers was not in range to use them. It was happy enough to spray acid into the necrons, causing another to melt. Two necrons down.
And the metal men would stay down. The rest, 33 in all, would fire into the Hive Tyrant. For all those blasts they would fail to get through the hive tyrant’s armour. Smug, the tyranids would continue.
(turn two)
In fact, this time they were ready. Two carnifex rushed onto the field. Behind them hormagaunts rushed forward. Forty five tyranids were now in play. The warriors rushed forward, continuing to fire into the necron warriors on the hill. The hive tyrant was splitting off to focus on the 15 warriors in the ruins.
The ruins were able to shelter the necrons enough that the hive tyrant was unable to harm them at all. The warriors were able to get a direct hit with the barbed strangler, but only a single necron would be harmed by that. The devourers would cut down one warrior, but he would recover and get back up. Of the deathspitters only one was in range and he wasn’t able to harm the necrons either. The venom cannon shot wide. All in all the turn started well, but the warriors were able to resist the attacks.
The metal man had their support also arrive in time. The monolith dropped on one flank and started to glow with energy. Three destroyers zipped in and all aimed towards the hive tyrant. The necron lord looked to the attackers and brought his warriors forward. And under the combined weight of all the necrons the hive tyrant falls. The necron lord was the last to blast with his staff and it was his energy strike the brought the tyrant down.
The monolith also had a good turn. It blasted the warriors with a blast, reducing all of them to so much ash (no longer does synapse give the creature Eternal Warrior, so str 9 autokills). It blasts into the hormagaunts, killing three; an arc gauss blast also wounds one of the warriors in the building. 37 Tyranids remain to 37 necron models.
(turn three)
The final Carnifex arrives. But with the death of the Hive Tyrant the lesser Tyranids go crazy, falling back on their instinctive behavour. Two rampaging carnifex, one will rush the monolith. Behind the carnifex the hormagaunts will rush as well. The warriors choose to stay put and allow the other tyranids to reach them.
The warriors shooting get once again the barbed strangler to land on target. But outside of the warrior who took it straight into the chest, the rest escape damage. Two more warriors will get nailed by the leeches from the devourers, but one of them recovers.
The monolith is swarmed by all the hormagaunts as well as a twin taloned carnifex. The carnifex is able to strike the monolith through its armour and immobilize it with a lucky glance. Now the monolith is in trouble, resting on the ground surrounded by hormagaunts now within synapse range of the warriors.
Destroyers and necron warriors target the tyranid warriors in the ruins. Between the large number of gauss weapons striking in and the monolith firing with panic three tyranid warriors will drop and another will be almost dead. The monolith will blast into the hormagaunts, killing enough for them to panic… Only one group was still close enough to the warriors to be within synapse range. The castled up necrons appear to have a strong position again.
(turn four)
The hormagaunts falling back will rally, and the carnifex with the Stranglethorn cannon will overcome it’s instinctive behavour. The other carnifex will surrender to their instincts attack. One is in close combat with the monolith and will press that forward. The hormagaunts in synapse range will attempt to cut around the building, ready to charge the necron warriors. The warriors themselves, knowing they are in trouble, will attempt to charge the warriors this turn.
The shooting scores two necrons falling down, between the stranglethorn cannon, the bared strangler and the devourer. Another necron will fall to the claws of the warrior, even as that warrior is being ripped to pieces by the necrons. The carnifex ripping into the monolith gets two penetrating hits, but only manages to stun it twice.
The necrons shoot into the carnifex with the stranglethorn cannon, between the ones in the ruin and the destroyers they get two wounding hits. The necrons in close combat with the warrior dance back and forth, scoring a wound on the warrior without getting hit themselves.
(turn five)
Knowing the end was coming, the tyranids have to push everything into it. One group of hormagaunts is within synapse range and will push forward. The group that ran last turn overcomes their instinctive behavour this round and will rush past the monolith. The carnifex with the stranglethorn cannon passed it’s own instinctive behavour test and will be able to fire into the necron destroyers. The last carnifex with the heavy venom cannon and crushing claws will rush blindly towards the necrons. Combat is coming to the necrons.
The ranged attack fails to harm the destroyers. The hormagaunts reach the necrons battling the tyranid warriors, but fail to hurt any of them. Just over half the necrons turn to deal with the hormagaunts, killing four. But their fearless nature costs them another three as the necrons take advantage of their recklessness. The tyranid warrior fails to harm anyone, but gets a limb broken at the hands of the necron lord. The monolith suffers a weapon destroyed at the claws of the carnifex.
That same monolith is able to blast a single hormagaunt who was rushing past it. The destroyers are able to just wound the carnifex with the stranglehorn cannon, but it is still up and moving. The 14 necrons left in the ruins double fire into the crushing claw equipped carnifex, but fail to wound it even once.
The necron lord and his crew are able to slay the tyranid warrior and kill two of the hormagaunts. The rest of the gaunts without their insane leadership break and attempt to run. Thanks to the necron lord, they are caught and lost. The necron squad gets ready to face the charge of the carnifex.
(Turn six)
With no synapse creatures left in play, the tyranids are going just by instinct. Well, the carnifex with ranged weapons both pass their leadership, but are clearly going to charge. The hormagaunts that remain will rush the monolith and dull their claws against it. The stanglethorn cannon carnifex will move towards the necron lord, firing it’s weapon killing two. The crushing claws carnifex will turn towards the destroyers. This time it’s heavy venom cannon will fire for the first time this game, scoring a hit. But failing to wound either (two ones rolled).
Both carnifex charge their targets. The one with claws is slow on the swing, allowing one destroyer to score a wounding it. In return that destroyer is crushed into pieces under the claws. The carnifex who hits the necron lord squad smashes three necrons flat under it’s bulk. However, the necrons are able to swarm over it, killing it. The carnifex fighting the monolith scores a second immobilize, which becomes a weapon destroyed but otherwise the monolith is laughing.
The tyranids are down to ten, and the necrons are feeling overconfident. The warriors will attempt to swarm the clawed carnifex like ants and just rip it into pieces. They fail to draw blood as they rip into it. The carnifex without concern rips the last two destroyers to pieces. With concept it also slays one of the necron warriors charging it. The remaining members of that squad choose to regroup, getting away from the carnifex and entering the ruins. The monolith gets stunned during this close combat phase.
(Turn seven)
With one group of necrons running away, and the second locked into combat with the crushing claws carnifex it may become a reversal. The hormagaunts that were fleeing escape the field, while the two carnifex are still battling those in front of them.
The carnifex against the monolith gets another weapon destroyed, reducing the arc gauss cannons to -3. The clawed carnifex gets a wound and crushes two warriors. It is a struggle to hold it contained.
The necron warriors regrouping recover, and will launch themselves back into the carnifex trying to rush it. The two destroyers also recover and will throw themselves back into the fight as well. One warrior also recovers, all thanks to the res orb. The monolith is unable to harm the carnifex smashing itself against it. But the carnifex doesn’t harm the monolith on this last turn either.
The warriors who swarm over the carnifex will be able to score a wound alone. The destroyers, who came in, were targeted by the carnifex in order to score the kill points. Three hits are scored, but only one is a wound. (two ones again)
As the battle ends, we have two carnifex standing and none of the necron units lost. Another victory for the necrons, but this one felt at least closer then the first battle. But once again the having to get across the battlefield was harmful. The Mycetic spore is going to be an answer for that. At 40 points I feel it is expensive, but being able to have them land so much closer the turn when two showed up if they had landed beside the necrons rather then across the table from them is worth it.
I also noted that I did two things wrong as I wrote this up. I had the monolith use both the particle whip and the arc gauss cannons on the turn it arrived. It could have only used the particle whip or the arc gauss cannons not both. The particle whip would’ve been my choice. I think (but not sure) that in the 4th edition battle I had it using both each turn, so that might have made a difference.
The other thing I did wrong was at the end, the necron warriors rally after running 4 inches from the battle. It would have made some of them within 6 inches of the carnifex and therefore unable to rally. Perhaps not game changers, but it the necron warriors kept running they would have escaped the field, and perhaps the other warriors fighting the carnifex would have lost combat without those extra hits… breaking and running or worse yet being overrun by the carnifex which would have given the tyranids the game. It’s all up in the air.
Charging the carnifex at the end with everything trying to kill it was risky, as it could’ve ended the necrons causing a phase out. But I would still do it again.
