Escape and Evade

For the last few weeks the 222nd Guaiacan Commando Regiment has been heavily engaged against a massive force of Tyranids.  It started when scores of pods started making planetfall. Sergeant Hammer's Team was on a long range reconnaissance patrol at the time and was able to locate half a dozen of the pods, vox in the coordinates and watch them burn as they were bombarded with orbital lance batteries. So many more escaped the orbital bombardments, though.

So large were the forces, both in number and physical size, that aid had to be requested from the neighbouring forge world of Xoxigar Secondus - in the form of two Warhound Scout Titans! The Scout titans eliminated the threat from the Hierophant Bio-Titan, but Elements of D Squadron, #4 Commando were overrun and the battle ultimately lost. Survivors of the engagement retreated back to their local firebase and have been under siege ever since.

While still out in the field, Sergeant Hammer's team found themselves being surrounded by swarms of the Tyranids. When he requested an extraction, he was told there were no units available to pull him out, and even if there were, the area was too saturated with the enemy to safely do so anyway. His team was ordered to try and make it back to their squadron's firebase to aid in it's defence, as an imminent attack was expected.

Hammer's team stealthily picked their way through the jungles of Xoxigar Tertium - constantly surrounded by the infesting xenos - leaving boobytraps along trails that the Tyrniads might travel along. Eventually it came to a point where they realized they were going to have to fight their way through some of the Tyranids to get back to the base before it was overrun.

4.161.019.M41
Xoxigar Tertium

SCENARIO

We played the "ambush" scenario out of the Kill Team Core Rule Book (pg. 53) with the Guaican Commandoes as the "defenders" trying to escape off the table. If, at the end of the game, more of my models escaped that did not escape, I win. Otherwise, the Tyranids Win


FORCES

2 Section, 3 Troop, A Squadron, #2 Commando,
222nd Guaiacan Commando Regiment
(Tim's Astra Militarum Kill Team)

Specialists
Sergeant Hammer - Guard Sergeant - Bolt Pistol & Chainsword - Leader - 9 points
Level 1 - 3xp - Voice of Command, Resourceful, Bold

Corporal O'Rielly - Guard - Lasgun & Voxcaster - Comms - 10 points
Level 1 - 2xp - Vox-Caster, Scanner,

Corporal Hauser - Guard - Lasgun - medic  - 5 points
Level 1 - 0xp - Reassuring, New Recruit

Private Oswald - Special Weapon Gunner - Sniper Rifle - Sniper  -  6 points
Level 1 - 0xp - Marksman, New Recruit

Infantry Squad Fire Team - Level 2 - 3xp
-Skilled (re-roll hit rolls of 1 when making shooting attacks)
Private Morse - Guard - Lasgun   - 6 points
Private Dane - Guard - Lasgun   - 6 points
Private Taylor - Guard - Lasgun   - 6 points
Private Pierce - Guard - Lasgun   - 6 points
Private Hawkins - Guard - Lasgun   - 6 points
Private McGough - Guard - Lasgun  -  Level 1 - 1xp - 6 points
Private Loiselle - Guard Gunner - Grenade Launcher  -  Level 1 - 1xp - 8 points

Special Weapons Squad Fire Team - Level 2 - 3xp
-Die Hards (subtract one from injury roles made for this model)
Corporal Jules  - Special Weapon Guard - Lasgun  -  6 points
Private Johnson - Special Weapon Gunner - Flamer  - 9 points
Private Farnsworth  - Special Weapon Gunner - Meltagun  -  9 points

Total: 98 points

Resources
Intelligence 8
Materiel 8
Morale 8
Territory 7



The Inescapable Tendril
(Bruce's Tyranid Kill Team)

Specialists
Spikey - Tyranid Warrior -Bonesword, Deathspitter - Leader - 22 points
Level 1 - 0xp - Resourceful

Lash - Tyranid Warrior Gunner - Lash Whip and Bonesword, Venom Cannon - Veteran - 25 points
Level 1 - 0xp - Grizzled

Red Fred the Devourer - Termagant - Scout - 7 Points
Level 1 - 0xp - Swift

Termangant Fire Team - level 1 - 0xp
Felix the Fleshborer -Termagant - Fleshborer - 4 Points
Felix the Fleshborer -Termagant - Fleshborer - 4 Points
Felix the Fleshborer -Termagant - Fleshborer - 4 Points
Fred the Devourer -Termagant - Devourer  - 7 Points
Fred the Devourer -Termagant - Devourer - 7 Points
Fred the Devourer -Termagant - Devourer - 7 Points
Sven the Spinefist -Termagant - Spine Fist - 4 Points
Sven the Spinefist -Termagant - Spine Fist - 4 Points
Sven the Spinefist -Termagant - Spine Fist - 4 Points

Total: 99 points

Resources
Intelligence 8
Materiel 8
Morale 8
Territory 8


THE GAME



It's been a while since I got in a game of Kill Team. I think it was actually last year when I last played. So it was great fun to get out the toys and throw down with Bruce this afternoon!

Unfortunately, BECAUSE it's been so long, and I've played a few games of regular 40K in the meantime, it took some thinking and looking up of things to remind myself of how this and that worked and the game went a bit slower than it might have and I'm sure I forgot about things... but we had fun, so...

Also because I was doing a lot of looking up of things, I forgot to take pictures of a lot of the action...

Before the battle we selected scouting strategies - Bruce planted traps (as I figured he would), and so I disarmed them...


ROUND ONE



The troops of 2 Section, 3 Troop, A Squadron, #2 Commando, 222nd Guaiacan Commando Regiment seized the initiative and surged forward, looking for a gap in the swarm of Tyranids before them! I tired to get as many of my troops as close to the exit edge as possible - fully expecting all the Tyrannids to charge into melee... because... that's what they do, right?



Ah, except Bruce had completely switched up his Kill Team and had a PILE of shooty Termagants!!

And shoot the Commandoes they did!

Well, after the new Team Sniper (Private Oswald) took down one of the Devourer-armed Termagants...

A storm of goo and small larvae that bored into flesh on contact spattered the leading troops! Pte. Dave, Pte. "Blazer" Johnson, and Pte Farnsworth all went down, and Pte. Loiselle was injured - the flamer and the meltagunner out of action and the grenadier wounded... it's almost like those creepy bugs knew what they were doing?!



Lasguns flashed back through the dense cover, but only one of the enemy was wounded - one of the Termagants with a flesh borer was lightly wounded by Pte. Hawkins.


ROUND TWO

 Once again the Guard seized the initiative and surged forward again - they weren't going to clear this Kill Zone by sitting on their duffs!



"Lash", the Tyranid Warrior veteran, charged into melee against "Doc" Hauser, Pte. "Bobby" Taylor, Pte. "Peachy" MacGough, and Pte Hawkins - they all cracked off a few overwatch shots with their lasguns, but failed to hit... The Tyranid Warrior brought it's bone sword down heavily on "Doc" Hauser and the Doc when down for the count. The other three, fighting back, managed to cause two wounds on the fearsome, gigantic Xenos bug... but that fearsome, gigantic Xenos bug had THREE wounds, so it just kept on Fighting...

and that's where I stopped taking pictures.

Also during round two Spikey the Tyranid warrior fired it's deathspitter at Pte. Loiselle and wounded her a second time, taking her out of action.


ROUND THREE

The Tyranids won the initiative this time, but decided to sit still and shoot, if able, expecting I'd charge them... the only ones that charged were Sgt. Hammer and two others adjacent to the ongoing Melee with the Tyranid Warrior. Bruce had used a stratagem that prevented those that were already in close combat from falling back this round, so Sarge though he best get in there and help them.

Pte. Morse snuck through a stand of Venomgorse and was on her way to making it out of the kill zone when she was struck down by a splatter of acidic ichor. Pte Oswald, the sniper, was also taken out of action by fire and, with half of my force out of action, that ended my chances of winning this game..

We finished off the melee phase and the Pte. "Bobby" Taylor took down the Tyranid Warrior, knocking off it's final wound - but the group was showered in caustic blood which knocked Pte Hawkins out of action!


END GAME

With half his troops down, it was clear to Sergeant hammer that they were not getting through this way and called for a retreat. The Team dispersed and disappeared into the jungle. They were able to regroup some time later and tend to their wounded and get their bearings and try to find another way back to their firebase.

Checking their casualties Cpl. ('doc') Hauser was only stunned by the blow from the bone sword and was able to treat all the others. Pte. Johnson, Pte. Dane, Pte. Morse and Pte. Hawkins were all lightly wounded enough that they would be able to soldier on. Pte. Oswald and Pte. Loiselle were seriously injured enough that they'd have to sit out of any upcoming action. Pte. Farnsworth, the Melta gunner was dead. The blast of whatever the enemy had shot at him had taken one arm clean off and half of his upper torso with it, he likely died instantaneously. They had to leave him behind in the jungle - propped up with a couple of armed frag and kraken grenades underneath him - if those filthy Xenos found him and tried to carry him away, they'd be in for a nasty surprise...

For losing the game I lost 1 Intelligence and 1 Territory resources. The A Squadron firebase was overrun by the xenos horde and the team would have to push on through the jungle - taking a rather circuitous route to try and rendezvous with the survivors at some point.

The current Kill Teams...

The Inescapable Tendril
(Bruce's Tyranid Kill Team)



Specialists
Timmy the Tyranid - Tyranid Warrior -Scything Talons, Devourer - Leader - 20 Points
Level 1 - 1xp - Resourceful

Spikey - Tyranid Warrior -Bonesword, Deathspitter - Leader - 22 points
Level 1 - 1xp - Resourceful

Lash - Tyranid Warrior Gunner - Lash Whip and Bonesword, Venom Cannon - Veteran - 25 points
Level 1 - 1xp - Grizzled

Red Fred the Devourer - Termagant - Scout - 7 points
Level 1 - 1xp - Swift

Ted Prime - Genestealer - Rending Claws - Leader - 11 Points
Level 1 - 1xp - Resourceful

Blue Ted - Genestealer - Rending Claws - Combat - 11 Points
Level 1 - 1xp - Expert Fighter,

Yellow Ted - Genestealer - Rending Claws - Veteran - 11 Points
Level 1 - 1xp - Grizzled

Red Ted - Genestealer - Rending Claws - Scout - 11 Points
Level 1 - 1xp - Swift

Genestealer Fire Team - Level 1 - 1xp
Other Ted - Genestealer - Rending Claws - 11 Points
Other Ted - Genestealer - Rending Claws - 11 Points
Other Ted - Genestealer - Rending Claws - 11 Points
Other Ted - Genestealer - Rending Claws - 11 Points

Termangant Fire Team - level 1 - 2xp
Felix the Fleshborer -Termagant - Fleshborer - 4 Points
Felix the Fleshborer -Termagant - Fleshborer - 4 Points
Felix the Fleshborer -Termagant - Fleshborer - 4 Points
Fred the Devourer -Termagant - Devourer - 7 Points
Fred the Devourer -Termagant - Devourer - 7 Points
Fred the Devourer -Termagant - Devourer - 7 Points
Sven the Spinefist -Termagant - Spine Fist - 4 Points
Sven the Spinefist -Termagant - Spine Fist - 4 Points
Sven the Spinefist -Termagant - Spine Fist - 4 Points

Resources
Intelligence 8
Materiel 8
Morale 8
Territory 8


2 Section, 3 Troop, A Squadron, #2 Commando,
222nd Guaiacan Commando Regiment
(Tim's Astra Militarum Kill Team)



Specialists
Sergeant Hammer - Guard Sergeant - Bolt Pistol & Chainsword - Leader - 9 points
Level 1 - 5xp - Voice of Command, Resourceful, Bold

Corporal Hunt - Guard - Lasgun - Scout - 9 points
Level 1 - 4xp - Swift, Pathfinder

Corporal O'Rielly - Guard - Lasgun & Voxcaster - Comms - 14 points
Level 2 - 3xp - Vox-Caster, Scanner, Static Screech

Private Broad - Special Weapon Gunner - Sniper Rifle - Sniper  -  10 points
Level 2 - 4xp - Marksman, Sharpshooter

Corporal Hauser - Guard - Lasgun - medic  - 5 points
Level 1 - 1xp - Reassuring, New Recruit

Private Oswald - Special Weapon Gunner - Sniper Rifle - Sniper  -  6 points
Level 1 - 1xp - Marksman, New Recruit

Infantry Squad Fire Team - Level 2 - 5xp
Skilled (re-roll hit rolls of 1 when making shooting attacks)
Private Quincy - Guard - Lasgun  - 6 points
Private Morse - Guard - Lasgun   - 6 points
Private Dane - Guard - Lasgun   - 6 points
Private Taylor - Guard - Lasgun   - 6 points
Private Sack - Guard - Lasgun   - 6 points
Private Pierce - Guard - Lasgun   - 6 points
Private Hawkins - Guard - Lasgun   - 6 points
Private Johnson - Guard Gunner - Plasma gun   - 9 points
Private McGough - Guard - Lasgun  -  Level 1 - 1xp - 5 points
Private Loiselle - Guard Gunner - Grenade Launcher  -  Level 1 - 1xp - 5 points

Special Weapons Squad Fire Team - Level 2 - 4xp
Die Hards (subtract one from injury roles made for this model)
Corporal Jules  - Special Weapon Guard - Lasgun  -  6 points
Private Johnson - Special Weapon Gunner - Flamer  - 9 points
Private Melton - Special Weapon Gunner - Meltagun  -  8 points - new recruit

Resources
Intelligence 7
Materiel 8
Morale 8
Territory 6


Coming Soon to Tim's Miniature Wargaming Blog: 

I'll probably post a round-up o February's games tonight or tomorrow. After that, a report of the Battle of the Abyss - the apocalypse event I'm going to over the weekend. They've posted the match-ups and the first team with face is called "The Steel and Salt"... not sure what that's going to be...? guess I'll find out on Saturday. Some of the other team names are really fun; "Hungry, Hungry Hiero" (wonder what that could be?), "Loli-crons and the fallen Chan", "The Imperium's Fourth Line of Defence", and "The Hippo gets a Bear Hug"!? I don't know... they made me chuckle...