40k meets Zulu meets 300! (pic heavy)

[Somar]

Hi all,

this weekend I ran a 40k event pitting the Blood Angels against the Tyranids at a local, private gaming gathering. The idea behind it was that a small force of Blood Angels had to fight off wave after wave of Tyranids to lure out the Swarm Lord and assassinate him so that the forces liberating the planet of Capricorn Zulu 5 would not have to suffer his awesome, alien cunning. Each wave is a small game of 40k with a ton of special rules to make the event fun and exciting in the style of a movie like 300 or Starship Troopers. Quite a few people got involved playing the two factions and got really into it, even if they never played a game of 40k before.

Unfortunately time was an issue and we only got to play 4 out of 8 waves, but I kept records on who was dead or in the hospital and I hope to continue it at some point in the near future.

The event also was a great motivation to get things painted and I cranked out a lot of stuff in the last couple of months.

So here is a little run down on the rules we used and reports on the first waves, it was a very refreshing change to the usual "beat the stuffing out of the other guy" kinda games that are the dominant format.

 

here the blood angel force

 

captain tycho

(at the beginning of each wave he has to make a Ld test, if he fails he turns into DC tycho. If he makes his Ld test at the next wave he is the normal tycho again)

 

a company standard bearer

librarian

(lvl 2, prescience and foreboding)

chaplain

 

sang priest

(he was treating the wounded in the chapel so did not take any part in the actual fight)

tech marine with 4 servitors

(T5 and 5+ FNP, 4+ if near a sang priest, 2 servitors with heavy bolters)

tac squad

(led by sarge Daniel, squad has preferred enemy:nids, sarge has a storm bolter with stern guard ammo and a sword: 2 handed, +1 ST, master crafted, squad has a flamer and a heavy bolter)

devastator squad

(3 ML, 1 LC, las cannon does 2 wounds if the to wound roll is 3 better then needed)

scout squad

(they are in the tower and enemy units get -1 cover due to their elevated position, 4 sniper rifles, camo cloaks and a ML)

dreadnaught

(AC and DCCW with storm bolter)

 

the guardians of the shrine

(10 humans with 2 grenade launchers and 2 eviscerators that guard the shrine of Osric the Space Wolf that led a small force a few hundred years ago to save the planet from some dark eldar raiders)

 

 

Each Tyranid wave had a basic composition and each wave a few units were added to that base force. The nids have the first turn in each wave but have to move onto the board and cross the cleared killing ground the marines created. the only cover the marines were reluctant to remove was the statue of Osric which the nids used to good effect a couple of times (the marines did booby trap it though and blew away a huge chunk of a hormagaunt horde sheltering behind it in wave 1)

 

3 warriors with deathspitters

3 warriors with 2 deathspitters and one barbed strangler

2x 10 termagants

2x 12 hormagants

1 screamer killer carnifex

 

I also gave out some special event cards, one of those could be played by each side each turn and included things like orbital barrages, outflanking genestealers and the ever popular "Sarge, I don't feel so good..."

 

The marine causalities go into the "dug out" and have a chance to recover between each wave or the first time the perimeter gets breached in each wave. On a roll of 5+ they are good to go again, on a 1 and 2 they die, the sang priest gives them +1 on the roll, if the attack caused ID then the roll would be at -1. The tech marine can effect 3 repairs between waves (+1 for each servitor with power claw), restoring a hull points, repairing weapons or motive power to a vehicle and repairing a servitor each cost one point. servitors that suffered ID are not repairable. And in between waves all one shot combi weapons get reloaded and multi wound characters recover one wound.

 

Here some pics of the initial marine setup:

 

http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz298/dirkspair/zulu/zulu%202/IMG_0890_zpsec364ad3.jpg

 

http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz298/dirkspair/zulu/zulu%202/IMG_0891_zps38b4865f.jpg

 

 

Here some pics of the units waiting for a chance to get involved:

 

http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz298/dirkspair/zulu/zulu%202/IMG_0892_zps5f0ebf76.jpg

 

http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz298/dirkspair/zulu/zulu%202/IMG_0893_zpsc39dfb24.jpg

 

 

Wave1:

 

At the beginning of the first wave tycho hulks out and charges into the nids,

While he is rushing forward the guardians of the shrine reveal themselves as cultists for the glorious hive mind and attack squad Daniel. A grenade puts one marine into the hospital but overwatch fire and one round of close combat strike the cultists down, the leader gutted like a fish by the librarians force spear. Other then that the first wave is just an exercise in strict fire discipline and it is wiped out in short order. Tycho recovers from his lapse in judgement after taking a wound from a hormagaunt and the Blood Angels get ready to face wave 2.

 

http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz298/dirkspair/zulu/zulu%202/IMG_0894_zps643e04f9.jpg

 

http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz298/dirkspair/zulu/zulu%202/IMG_0895_zps296c190b.jpg

 

 

Wave 2:

 

The nid force is increased by 5 genestealers and a tyranid prime. At the start of the wave the marines have to deal with a spore mine barrage, each unit can snap fire and take them out as they descent, 1 out of 10 makes it to the ground and hovers near squad Daniel and gets blown up by a scattering barbed strangler round. It blows up and puts one marine into the hospital. A starm raven on its way back to base does a quick fly-by and wiped out the screamer killer, a couple of units make it into close combat but are repulsed with minimal fuss. the surprise unit of 5 outflanking genestealers is dealt with with by Tycho himself. However, as the stealers penetrate the perimeter the injured in the hospital try to get up and help out but the strain is too much for brother Bob and he collapses, deader then a door nail.

 

http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz298/dirkspair/zulu/zulu%202/IMG_0896_zps0316e447.jpg

 

http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz298/dirkspair/zulu/zulu%202/IMG_0897_zps547382b9.jpg

 

I will add reports for wave 3 and 4 soon, so stay tuned!

[Taranis]

That's a very cool way of having fun! Great read and perhaps inspiration.

[Ushtarador]

very awesome and nice pictures, I want more! :)

[Somar]

Wave 3: The Tyrant cometh!

 

The Hive mind was really starting to get annoyed by the pesky defenders and not only sent a hive tyrant with a guard, 2 zoanthropes and another 5 genestealers against them, it also focused its attention on the conflict which meant that all synapse creatures were eternal warriors and every unit within 6 inches of a synapse creature got  6+ FNP. No more IDing the warriors and mowing down the little bugs without them having at least a slim chance to survive!

 

http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz298/dirkspair/zulu/zulu%202/IMG_0899_zpsa6560e04.jpg

 

http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz298/dirkspair/zulu/zulu%202/IMG_0900_zps858ad65f.jpg

 

 

 

in response to that dire threat a fiery comet plummeted to the ground, the smoking crater revealing the Sanguinior, ready to assist the Blood Angels in their time of need.

 

http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz298/dirkspair/zulu/zulu%202/IMG_0898_zps18029ed8.jpg

 

 

The tech marine was fortunate enough to receive his blessing (it was a random roll between the libby, sarge Daniel, the chaplain and the tech marine) and as soon as the hive tyrant was in range to utilize his brain leech devourers the Sanguinior charged and challenged the tyrant to combat.

 

http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz298/dirkspair/zulu/zulu%202/IMG_0903_zps58d46293.jpg

 

http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz298/dirkspair/zulu/zulu%202/IMG_0904_zpsae0f476e.jpg

 

 

it was a rather one sided affair, the tyrant unable to pierce the protection of the Sanguinior and in two rounds of combat the spirit of blood angel vengeance slew the alien overlord. after that the sanguinior cleared the right flank with little effort and when the blood angels came looking for him he was gone, leaving nothing but oozing bits of nids as a testament of his presence.

 

in the center and the left flank things looked a lot grimmer, the warriors were hard to put down, invigorated by the hive mind. they mercilessly fired at the servitors and the bolter armed devastators, sending some to the hospital and some to their grave. the carnifex was about to charge the dreadnaught but a precise orbital strike  sealed its fate.

the zoanthropes tried to blast the dread to smithereens but the warp was not kind to them, one suffered a perils of the warp, their aim was off or the librarian managed to nullify their attempts before the dread finally chewed through their warp fields to wipe them out.

 

http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz298/dirkspair/zulu/zulu%202/IMG_0905_zps50114185.jpg

 

3 Blood Angels gave their lives repelling wave 3 with a few more lingering in the hospital.

 

 

wave 4 coming soon, revealing why it is a good idea to handle a carnifex at arms length instead of up close and personal!

[mustardParty]

This is VERY cool - keep 'em coming - nothing like a desperate battle holding out against all odds!

[Somar]

wave 4: subterranean assault!

 

at first the tyranid wave looked like the first and the defenders were thinking they got themselves a bit of a break. but as the nids were starting to get in range the ground exploded right in front of the tactical squad and a trygon burst from the ground showering squad daniel with dirt and bio electricity.

 

http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz298/dirkspair/zulu/zulu%202/IMG_0906_zps47526def.jpg

 

 

 

the marines were reenforced by an assault squad and with some effort the trygon was eliminated in short order.

 

http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz298/dirkspair/zulu/zulu%202/IMG_0907_zps2cc02efe.jpg

 

 

following the trygon through the ground were more tyranids though, a unit of 3 raveners and 10 termagants led by a tyranid warrior.

 

http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz298/dirkspair/zulu/zulu%202/IMG_0908_zps2579820b.jpg

 

the tactical squad made quick work of the gants but while the immediate threat is being dealt with the nids from the main wave are advancing on the defenders. the raveners assault the dread hoping to silence it and took off 2 hull points before they were overwhelmed by the dread, the tech marine and tycho.

 

http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz298/dirkspair/zulu/zulu%202/IMG_0910_zps3c1226a3.jpg

 

http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz298/dirkspair/zulu/zulu%202/IMG_0909_zps3b5d50c7.jpg

 

but then it happened, the carnifex, reduced to 2 wounds, rolls very luckily for its charge range and barrels into the tactical squad. like a pack of angry wiener dogs attacking a rottweiler they try to kill it with grenades, the librarian failing to wound it with his force sword and sarge also drawing a black when the monster attacks and sends marines flying like broken rag dolls! 5 attacks with re rolls hit 5 times and he puts 5 marines into the hospital. the squad is at a loss but sarge comes to the fore and rams his sword into its maw and brain as it seeks to devour him. the sang priest is powerless as 4 marines succumb to their wounds (-1 to recover from ID attacks), but the 4th wave is repulsed with 7 marines dead and 4 more in the hospital.

 

 

and that is it for now, i hope to play out the 4 remaining waves soon and when i do i will post reports. until then please feel free to comment or ask questions and i hope you are enjoying this little bit.

[Somar]

a few more things, what made the event so great was that a bunch of people were playing the different sides that normally do not play 40k. everybody had a great time and i would like to especially mention Liz who was watching for the most part but in the end decided to play a round and sent the carnifex crashing into the marines for the first time

http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz298/dirkspair/zulu/zulu%202/IMG_0902_zpsc0e302dc.jpg

[Kabal_of_Baal]

This is a great idea. Super narrative-driven and exciting. Can't wait for the rest.

[Garius]

Awesome idea to get people involved and the battle reports do read like the action synopsis of a  good war movie.  Well done.

[Sanguine Eternal]

I really like this idea, makes for an epic game. I would really like to try this out sometime, as my brother in law plays nids.  He doesn't really like playing much anymore because he rarely makes it into combat with me, but if we devise a scenario much like yours, it could be a lot of fun.

I just imagine that scene from SST when the outpost is under attack, and its just an endless wave of bugs, and they have to wait for the drop ship to rescue them.  You gave me a great idea for a similar type of campaign style game.  I hope you get to finish the game up so you can share the rest of the game with everyone!