warrior
Warrior
Transcripts 1102.006.M41
Subject: Black Tide - Against the Tau
Location: Hiruscant III / Hofir / Tau Beachhead - Valdor
From: Monitoring Station Borealis /:: Eli Croximant, Bio-Adept
To: Lord Diviner Heshant Bartremon, Adeptus Magus Biologicus, Thule Sector
Rating: Magos Biologicus Red

Tyranid Assault on a Tau position on Hofir.

This is a pixcapt from a camera drone not yet detected by the Tau invaders during the fighting for Valdor.

Evaluation of the pixcapt of the Warrior group suggests a force of six warriors, twelve genestealers and a couple of dozen lesser breeds.  This is basically the same force structure observed in a recent assault on Petrarch halfway around the world, and indicates that there is a single overmind at work here.

Model
 Notes
 798
[HQ] Tyranid Warrior Brood
 x3
 Enhanced Senses, Ext Carapace, Toxin Sacs, Scythings Claws, Deathspitter (x2), Venom Cannon (x1)
 118
[Elite] Tyranid Warrior Brood
 x3
 Enhanced Senses, Ext Carapace, Toxin Sacs, Leaping, Scythings Claws, Rending Talons (x2), Scything Claws (x1) 118
[Troop] Genestealer Brood
 x6
 Rending Claws, Ext Carapace, Toxin Sacs
 138
[Troop] Genestealer Brood
 x6
 Rending Claws, Ext Carapace, Toxin Sacs 138
[Troop] Hormagaunt Brood
 x8
 Scything Claws, Adrenal Glands (WS+I), Toxin Sacs
 112
[Troop] Termagant Brood
 x14
 Fleshborer
 84
[Troop] Ripper Swarm
 x3
 Leaping
 42
[Fast Attack] Spore Mine Cluster
 x2
 Deep Strike, Bio-Acid
 24
[Fast Attack] Spore Mine Cluster
 x2
 Deep Strike, Bio-Acid
 24

The opposition force was a small Tau armed response patrol, out bughunting.

Model
 Notes
 ~800
[HQ] Crisis Suit and Bodyguard

[Troop] Fire Warrior Squad
[Troop] Fire Warrior Squad
[] Pathfinder squad
[] Stealth Suits

[Heavy Support] Hammerhead / Ion cannon


Tau deployment is more or less evenly spread across the board, with the two fire warriors squads trisecting the board. The battlesuits set up on the far left, while the pathfinders and hammerhead sets up on the far right.

The Tyranid mostly set up on the left, with a single Genestealer brood on the right to pin the pathfinders in place.  The theory is that the left flank can then be overwhelmed by superior numbers.
The Tyranids advance as quickly as they can, but with poor fleet-rolls and worse terrain rolls, the assault warriors and hormagaunts get bogged down in a rocky area on the far left. 

Meanwhile, in the left and center, superior firepower blasts the advancing Tyranids to smithereens. Only the rippers arrive at their target unscathed, but the ensuing melee sees no decisive result.
On the far left, the hormagaunts outpaced their guiding warriors, and heedlessly charged forward.  They were caught in the open by stealth suit burst cannons, and were cut to pieces.  The sole survivor turned tail and ran.

The three rippers assaulting the firewarriors were gradually peeling Tau, one by one, but their alien resolve held firm.

On the right front, one genestealer brood had been vaporized, and the few surviving remnants of the other brood were hiding on some ruins.

Incoming spore mines had absolutely no effect.

The warriors were, eventually, all shot dead, and the termagants promptly turned tail and ran from close combat. 

The rippers eventually prevailed, and chased the surviving fire warriors off the board, but this left them as the only surviving Tyranids facing a virtually undamaged Tau force.  Fortunately for them, the game ended...

Thought for the Day: Death to Xenos.

Combat results: Tau Wins (Seek and Destroy alpha level).