Guest Written Battle Report: Khorne Chaos vs. Nids

I was the ringer in a local RTT yesterday and brought my Khorne army to test. The best game was the last round versus a very good local Tyranid player whom beat Marc Parker’s Orks recently at BeakyCon2. Note that double FOC was allowed which really helps Tyranid players build more competitive lists – I’m all for it too.

Here is my opponent’s Tyranid army list (double FOC):

Winged Tyrant – 2x twin linked Devourers, Old Adversary

Winged Tyrant – 2x twin linked Devourers, Hive Commander (Warlord; Trait = ?) 

5x Ymgarl Genestealer

5x Ymgarl Genestealer

3x Hive Guard

Doom – Mycetic Spore / Psychic Shriek 

10x Termagant

Tervigon*  – Toxin Sacs, Adrenal Glands /3x rulebook psychic power (Biomancy)

10x Termagant

Tervigon*  – Toxin Sacs, Adrenal Glands /3x rulebook psychic power (Biomancy) 

Trygon

Trygon

* Both Tervigons got Iron Arm and one got Enfeeble as well… Can’t remember their other psychic powers.

Here is my Khorne army list (World Eaters Warband):

– Primary Detachment –

Kharn the Betrayer (Warlord; Trait = Black Crusader) 

Winged Khorne Daemon Prince – Power Armor, Axe of Blind Fury (+2S) 

6x Chaos Space Marine – Bolter/Bolt Pistol/Chainsword, 1x Flamer – Mark of Khorne, Icon of Wrath (Fallen Angels)

Champion – Lightning Claw, Power Fist, bolter 

7x Berserker – Icon of Wrath

Berserker Champion – Lightning Claw, Power Fist 

Land Raider – Dozer Blades, Dirge Caster

Land Raider – Dozer Blades, Dirge Caster 

Heldrake – Hades Cannon

– Daemon Allies –

Herald of Khorne – Juggernaught, Blessing of the Blood God, Unholy Might, Fury of Khorne 

5x Blood Crusher – Fury of Khorne 

12x Bloodletter

Notes

1) Kharn is attached to the Fallen Angels and they are embarked in a land raider.

2) Berserkers are embarked in the other land raider.

3) Herald is attached to the Blood Crushers (primary daemonic wave).

4) Bloodletters are the secondary demonic wave.

Note I’m running some new units now including a CSM winged Khorne Daemon Prince (very super Killy), a unit of Chaos Space Marines with the Mark of Khorne (Fallen Angels) and a Heldrake with the ranged weapon. I was also able to boost the Bloodletters back up to 12 strong which I think is a good number… Eight of them was just not enough. You can see how they all fared in the batrep.

I apologize – I left my camera at home so no battle pictures unfortunately this week.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

Crusade (d3 + 1 objective markers (each marker is worth 3 battle points)

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE

First Blood, Slay the Warlord, Line Breaker (each is worth 1 battle point)

DEPLOYMENT

Dawn of War

I won the roll to choose my deployment zone and chose the length of the board that had more ruins. My opponent’s deployment zone had a large building in his over a bit to my right… He also had some ruins as well. We each had two objective markers in our deployment zones clustered over to my left side of the table.

I also won the roll to choose going 1st or 2nd and chose to go second. My opponent castled up in his ruins with both his flying Tyrants deployed in cover. He held the Doom in reserve. Both broods of Yymgarl genestealers start in reserve as well (note they were placed inside the building). I deployed both land raiders side by side facing out in the ruins in my lefthand corner.

Pre-Game Analysis

My plan was simple – shoot as much as possible with the land raiders, assassinate one of the Tervigons with my Daemon Prince to deny my opponent one of his objective markers and constantly strafe his monstrous creatures and shoot them with the Heldrake. It was a simple plan and worked well for the most part. This will force my opponent to come at my battle line so I can focus on one to two threats each turn… I want to strip wounds off his monstrous creatures over the course of the game so they’ll be easy to drop in melee as the game progresses and he moves towards my battle line to engage – I want to fight the battle on my terms, not his terms.

1st Turn – Tyranids

Both Flyrants enter zoom mode and fly forward. The horde shuffles forward a bit with both Trygons moving towards the front of his line. One of my opponent’s objective markers is over in the building so he moves one Tervigon and a brood of gants over there along with the Hive Guard. The other Tervigon and it’s brood of gants camps out on his other objective marker over to the left side.

1st Turn – Khorne

My primary daemon wave arrives and I drop the Herald with its Blood Crushers in front of my land raiders to form a meat shield. They run a bit to spread out. My land raiders both target the forward most Trygon and strip 3 wounds.

2nd Turn – Tyranids

The Doom drops down beside my daemons and both Ymgarl genestealers also come in from reserve moving out of the building to assault them. Both Flyrants swoop into range to shoot my Herald and Blood Crushers. Hive Guard climb up on top of the building so they will be in range to shoot the daemons as well. My opponent shoots the daemons then assaults them with the genestealers – the Herald and Blood Crushers are all destroyed before they can even swing back for First Blood.

2nd Turn – Khorne

My Heldrake and Bloodletters both arrive from reserve. The Heldrake vector strikes the Flyrant with Warlord and drops three wounds. The Bloodletters are positioned on the drop to form a second meat shield for my land raiders. The Heldrake then kills four genestealers in one brood in the shooting phase and my land raiders just manage to destroy the Flyrant for Slay the Warlord. I also lose one Bloodletter due to the Doom’s Life Leech.

3rd Turn – Tyranids

The Bloodletters are pounded with every Tyranid bio gun in range plus another douse of the Doom’s Life Leech but miraculously eight of the daemons somehow manage to survive. Both genestealer broods fail their charges… Very lucky those daemons this turn!

3rd Turn – Khorne

My Daemon Prince fails to arrive yet again… Oh well. The Heldrake vector strikes the wounded Trygon and finishes it off then exits the air space. The remaining Bloodletters wisely move out of range from the Doom’s Life Leech into position to charge the genestealers. One land raider targets a genestealer brood and drops three. The other land raider targets the remaining Flyrant and drops two wounds. The Bloodletters then charge the full brood of genestealers… Four daemons manage to survive intact (genestealers hit first due to higher initiative) but fumble their 12 attacks and kill none – I made a big mistake, I forgot that the daemons should have benefitted from Kharn’s Warlord trait Black Crusader which grants Preferred Enemy.

4th Turn – Tyranids

The Tyranids are starting to feel the heavy toll of Khorne’s sharp teeth… One Flyrant is down as well as one Trygon and the other Flyrant is down to two wounds. My opponent will have to rely upon his remaining Trygon to do the heavy lifting now. The Doom is just a royal pain and up to now I’ve been ignoring it while the beast continues to rack up its wounds from Life Leech… As long as it can’t damage a land raider I’m going to continue to ignore it.

The wounded Flyrant drops down into glide mode so it can charge the exposed land raider carrying the Berserkers. The remaining Trygon rumbles forward to move into an attacking position… Still won’t be in charge range this turn though. The Flyrant charges the land raider and destroys it – two Berserkers perish in the ensuing explosion. The genestealers then finish off the Bloodletters.

4th Turn – Khorne

My Prince finally arrives along with the returning Heldrake. The Heldrake vector strikes the last Flyrant and slays it… It landed in a perfect position to shoot one brood of genestealers and finishes them off while the stranded Berserkers shoot down the last of the other genestealer brood with their bolt pistols. The Prince comes in over to my far right in position to charge the Tervigon over in the building the next turn. My remaining land raider rolls back a bit to extend its distance from the remaining Trygon and snap fires into the Doom but fails to score any unsaved wounds… Drat! I would have loved to paste that bastard with a lascannon shot – oh well.

5th Turn – Tyranids

Both Tervigons shat out baby gants and one of them rolls a double… Both also fail their psychic tests for Iron Arm this turn. The remaining Trygon rumbles forward again but is going to be just out of range to charge anything. One gant brood is feeling a bit frisky and moves forward to lend some support to the Doom. The Doom moves into range to cast Life Leech on my Berserkers and pops two of them. The Tervigon in the building shuffles forward to shield its gants. Hive Guard fire on the Heldrake and score a penetrating hit but that bounces when I make my 5++ save (Daemon).

5th Turn – Khorne

Kharn disembarks from his land raider out the front hatch after it moves forward so he can assault the Trygon. Heldrake vector strikes the Trygon dropping three wounds then exits air space. The Prince jumps across the river to assault the Tervigon over by the building. Berserkers run away (strategically of course) to grab my rear objective marker. Land raider targets the Doom again but fails to inflict any wounds. Prince comes up short on his charge – rolled a pair of duces and needed around 6″… Really bad. Kharn drops another wound on the Trygon with his plasma pistol, charges the beast and slays it.

I’ve cleared out my deployment zone now except for the ever annoying Doom and one brood of approaching gants. I’m not holding either of my objective markers though so I’ll need at least one more turn.

6th Turn – Tyranids

We roll for the 6th turn and it’s a go !!!

The Doom strolls over to Kharn and the gants pile in behind. Kharn loses no wounds to Life Leech though – tightness. The Tervigon successfully casts Enfeeble on my Daemon Prince… Sheet !! The Hive Guard then shoot down the Prince… Oh well probably should have waited one more turn to drop down to glide mode. Doom then charges Kharn and splats him with a strength equal double toughness attack (Instant Death due to a whopping S9)… We now both have Slay the Warlord. Doom consolidates on top of my forward objective marker.

6th Turn – Khorne

Heldrake returns from ongoing reserves and vector strikes the gants killing a few… My opponent has to pull models from the rear and they are now just out of synapse range from their Tervigon… Gants pass their morale check though. Land raider tank shocks the Doom off the objective marker and the Fallen Angels disembark. Berserkers run around the rear ruin to grab my back most objective marker. Land raider targets the Doom and yet again fails to score any unsaved wounds. Fallen Angels take no wounds from Life Leech then shoot and assault the gants, breaking them but fail to sweep… Gants run away back into synapse range.

I’m holding only one objective marker so I’ll need the 7th final turn to have a shot at a possible win or draw.

7th Turn – Tyranids

We roll for the 7th turn and it’s a go again… More blood for the Blood God !!!

Gants move forward again to assault the Fallen Angels with Doom… Here is how it played out – I lose every model in the unit except for one Marine and the Champion to Life Leech then they are assaulted. Champion challenges the Doom and elects to swing his power fist. The Marine whiffs and is eaten by the gants. Doom scores three wounds but the Champion passes all three armor saves then punches Doom in the face and insta gibs the jerk… Gants break and the Champion sweeps them then consolidates onto my objective marker.

My opponent has 8 battle points (two objective markers, First Blood and Slay the Warlord). I’ve got 7 battle points (two objective markers and Slay the Warlord)… So I’m down by one point obviously.

7th Turn – Khorne

I’ve got a slim shot for the win… But I make another dumb mistake zooming my Heldrake over into my opponent’s deployment zone thinking I could score another battle point for Line Breaker. I should have vector striked his Tervigon in the building and shot it with my land raider… That would have had the potential (slim odds but still doable) to slay the Tervigon which could have popped the gants chilling in the building. So I end up losing by the margin of one battle point. Oh well that’s one reason why we play these games… To learn from our mistakes.

Post-Game Analysis

I made a few mistakes that ended up costing me the game. I’ve only been playing this army for a couple of weeks now and continue to tweak the list so some mistakes are inevitable at this point. My opponent placed very high at BeakyCon2 and has a lot of experience with his Tyranid army so I feel like I did very well overall this game. If you notice for the most part my plan I outlined above came through.

Looking back now I think I could have used my Prince more wisely – it was not absolutely necessary to risk him on the 5th turn which ended up as a failed charge then he got shot up. It would have been much wiser to risk waiting for a sixth turn which would have resulted in a sure charge. The Khorne Daemon Prince with the Blinding Axe of Fury has the potential to roll 13 S9 AP2 attacks so if he had made the charge and slain the Tervigon I’m fairly certain I would have won… That still though is not a sure thing either as I would have needed a high roll for the daemonic weapon mastery test and score 6+ wounds. S9 is pretty darn good though even versus Iron Arm and the Tervigon hits the Daemon Prince on a 5+ in melee due to the Prince’s high weapon skill… So most likely the Prince would have killed the Tervigon in two rounds of melee if necessary.

The Heldrake was awesome and a very welcome addition to my army. My rolls for vector strikes were red hot throughout the game and the Heldrake weakened many of the Tyranid monstrous creatures making them much easier to eliminate over the course of the game. I also liked the addition of the Fallen Angels (CSM squad with MoK)… They hit almost as hard in melee as the Berserkers and are definitely more versatile since they’ve got über grit (bolter, bolt pistol and chainsword) plus a flamer which proved very handy versus those silly gants.

The Doom proved to be the proverbial thorn in my side passing an inordinate number of saves that would have resulted in Instant Death. You can soak a lot of fire power into the jerk and come up empty. The Doom is optimal versus melee armies such as mine since I’m not packing lots of short ranged S8 shooting attacks… I couldn’t afford to shoot it a lot with the land raiders until after I had cleared out the Flyrants and Trygons – you really don’t want a Trygon rampaging through your back line. It was a very satisfying feeling to finally smash that bastard with a power fist after my Fallen Champion passed all three armor saves… He will most surely be elevated to a higher position within the rank and file of Chaos.

It was a very fun and exciting game – my opponent went on to win the RTT as well so much kudos to him.