Warhammer 40,000 Battle Report: Dark Eldar vs. Tyranids
Sunday, March 31, 2024
Games Workshop Games
Amidst a Tyranid invasion, a lone Raider kites a group of Tyranid monsters into a craggy landscape. Is this a clever ambush, or have the Dark Eldar bit off more than they could chew? Using the “Feigned Retreat” scenario from the Battle Missions book, the players deploy. The Dark Eldar set up a single raider loaded with Kabalite Warriors in the middle of the battlefield to serve as the bait for an ambush while a wall of Tyranid creatures approaches, ready to destroy anything that stands in its way.
Turn 1
Tyranids win the roll-off and get the first turn. As the mass of Tyranids approaches, the shooty carnifex (lovingly referred to as the gun-ifex) unleashes a barrage of explosive crystals with its venom cannon at the Raider that is setting the bait. Normally the Raider’s flickerfield would have protected the vessel from such an attack, but it ceased functioning just as the beast unleashed it salvo. The Raider had been sabotaged, probably by some rival within the kabal or even by the Archon who was punishing the unit due to some previous failing. Regardless, the Raider crashes to the ground, shrapnel flying in all directions. Two of the squad of ten kabalite warriors that crewed the vessel did not walk away from the crash. The remaining unit attempts to recover and gather itself after being violently expelled from the vehicle. They will not be able to join the battle soon.
While this is happening, the clever genestealers scout ahead for their Broodlord. Making a scout move before the start of the turn, then a normal move, then a fleet of foot move! This places them dangerously close to the kabalite warrior crew that was fortunately ejected in the opposite direction that the genestealers approached from, sparing the dazed eldar from being torn to shreds by scuttler’s massive claws… at least for now!
Near the fiery wreck, a Venom carrying the Archon and his Court lends some aid to the stranded kabalite warriors. Quite ironic when you consider the possibility that the Archon might have ordered the sabotaged of the doomed Raider! The transport’s two splinter cannons reduce five approaching hormagaunts into a mess of needles and oozing poison. On the opposite flank of the warriors, five scourges unleash a similar barrage, reducing the charging genestealers by four.
On the other side of the table, a Talos pain engine and a Crono parasite engine slowly approach the Tyranid mass under the cover of two Raiders, who focus all their firepower on the Gun-ifex. However, the beast’s tough carapace shrugs off all the firepower, seemingly taking no damage from the barrage. The Talos and Cronos unleash their esoteric weapons on a nearby unit of 18 spine-gaunts, however the little Tyranids seem unaffected by the bizarre soul attacks emanating from the Cronos. The talos, using more conventional weaponry, fire a heat lance straight into the body of a spine-gaunt, turning it into a crispy critter, but ultimately doing no other damage to the spine-gaunts.
Turn 2
Among all the destruction and explosions going on the field, a unit of dark eldar Wracks feels the earth shake. Three Raveners emerge from the earth and unleash a flurry of flesh-worms at the Wracks. However, the pain caused by the burrowing parasites is nothing compared to the pain they have suffered at the hands of their haemonculus master, and only two of the ten Wracks succumb to the surprise attack. In response, the wracks unleash their two liquefier guns on the Raveners, turning one into a messy goop of what once was a slither-slasher, and injuring a second one. The wracks take hold of their bizarre instruments of torture, slicing and dicing a second Ravener, and causing the third to run away, hoping to regroup under the calming synaptic presence of the Hive Tyrant.
Near the wreck of the baiting Raider, the genestealers and hormagaunts have finally reached the kabalite warrior survivors. And start tearing through them with scythe and claw. Two kabalite warriors manage to escape the slaughter and run away from the battle. Hopefully they can find a ride to Commorragh later! The genestealers now set their sights on the two units of Scourges that had fired upon them earlier, taking cover by the wreckage of the imperial shuttle Benedicta to protect themselves from the defensive fire. Even so, two genestealers are felled by the fire unleashed by the Scourges’ splinter cannons, but the sewer-stalkers were not dissuaded from their assault.
The Broodlord and his retinue continues to approach from the flank, and the Archon’s Venom once again unleashes its splinter cannons at the retinue. The Archon gives the order for the crew to prepare to disembark. They will meet this magnificent beast on the field of battle.
On the opposite flank, the Gun-ifex and the Hive Tyrant attempt to bring down the dark eldar’s heavy weaponry, however they are thwarted by the heavy armor of the pain engines and the mysterious flickerfield of the Raider. Likewise, the Raiders unleash hell on the gun-ifex, and manage to cause some injuries, however due to its reinforced chitin the monster continues to approach, unfazed by the firepower that would have felled a lesser beast.
The Talos is now close enough to the spine-gaunts to unleash its twin-linked liquefier guns, melting three gaunts and turning a fourth into a crispy critter with its heat lance. The Cronos is once again unable steal the soul essence of any spine-gaunt with its mysterious spirit vortex. Nearby, ten wyches disembark a Raider. With a clear path to the spine-gaunts, the wyches shred through the entire unit with their blades, becoming empowered by the carnage they just unleashed on the little critters. Emboldened, they plan to assault a unit of three Tyranid Warriors that were leading the spine-gaunts.
With both sides losing units in both sides of the field, this battle is officially declared a slobber-knocker!
Turns 3 & 4
For the sake of brevity I will describe in the following passages the events that lead to the conclusion of the battle.
Hive Tyrant attempts to provide cover for the Broodlord with its twin-linked devourers, but the Venom’s flickerfield is able to help the ship avoid the living ammunition. The Archon and his Court charge the Broodlord and his retinue of genestealers. While his court fends off the Genestealers, the two leaders trade blows, but ultimately the Archon’s agoniser proves to be the end of the Broodlord. However, while the Archon dueled, the genestealers manage to kill two Ur-ghul’s and the Lhamaean, leaving the Archon only with his trusty Sslyth bodyguard to clean up the remaining Genestealers.
But even as the Archon won an honor duel, things were not looking as sweet on the opposite side of the battlefield. The melee carnifex meets the Talos in battle. Chitin and steel clash. The nearby Cronos rushes in to support. Ultimately, even their combined forces is not enough to handle the enraged carnifex, who easily shreds through the Talos and Cronos with its massive claws.
The wyches manage to take down the Tyranid Warriors in combat, but now have to answer to the Hive Tyrant, the Ravener that escaped the Wracks, and even a Zoanthrope that wants a piece of the action. They wyches destroy the Ravener, however the Hive Tyrant and Zoanthrope prove too much for the gladiators, as they slowly pick apart the unit over the next two turns.
The Raider and its crew make one final desperate attempt to bring down the gun-ifex. In one final desperate attack, the Raider does a low fly-by, dragging its blades and chains over the beast’s carapace while unleashing a flurry of splinter shots. Seven wounds were dealt to the gun-ifex, and with its two remaining wounds it would need to make six saves in order to survive. However, the Tyranid showed the power of the xenos x-factor, and makes the miraculous saving throw that keeps it in the battle. Emboldened by the blessing of the Hive Mind, the gun-ifex charges the raider, silencing the weapons that have been pestering it since the start of the battle.
In the rear, the genestealers and hormagaunts charge the first unit of Scourges. The Dark Eldar bravely fight off the assailants, and even manage to take out some Tyranids in the melee. However, the genestealers prove to be the victors, and start assaulting the second unit of Scourges. The scourges unleash their splinter cannons, reducing the number of genestealers to a single assailant. In the ensuing melee, the lone sewer-stalker kills one Scourge… which causes the other four to run away?! Yes, because of the loss of one scourge, the rest of the unit runs away at the sight of a single genestealer. They are going to have some explaining to do when they return to Commorragh!
The Tyranids lead in kill points (8-7). With all their BGOs left standing, and all the Dark Eldar heavy weaponry destroyed, it was determined that there is no realistic path to victory for the Raiders of Commorragh, so the battle was called at the end of Turn 4. Tyranids once again win the day. Is there anyone who could oppose the might of the Nidzilla?
More articles on this topic