Battle Report: Merkan 76th vs. Tyranids - Wave Assault 1850pts (Part 1)

At the local Games Day over the weekend I managed to get a game in with Todd and his Tyranids.  They've previously eaten my Word Bearers at a tournament a couple of years ago and my Tau a few months ago.  I had my IG unloaded already from a prior demo game, so decided to just keep on using them.  We rolled up a mission from Battle Missions and ended up with Wave Assault.  I'd previously played it with the Scythiak, now it was the Merkan's turn.

Wave Assault has four set objectives on the table.  The defender sets up first; attacker has first turn.  Attacker must split their force into three waves that come in randomly on turns 1-3, and attacker picks one of three board edges each turn for that wave to arrive on.  Once used, a board edge can't be used by later waves. 


Merkan 76th:

HQ
Company Command Squad
Officer: PW
Regimental Standard
Heavy Bolter team
Master or Ordnance
115

Troops
Inf Platoon
Cmd Sqd
Officer: PW
2xGL
50
Inf Sqd: Plasmagun
65
Inf Sqd: Plasmagun
65
Inf Sqd: Plasmagun
65
HW sqd: 3xML
90
HW sqd: 3xML
90
HW sqd: 3xLC
105
HW sqd: 3xmortars
60

HW sqd: 3xHB

75

Troops
Inf platoon
Cmd Squad
Officer: PW
2xGL
50
Inf sqd: Plasmagun
65
Inf sqd: Plasmagun
65
Inf sqd: Plasmagun
65

Troops
Vets - 3xPlasmaguns, Sgt w/PF
130

Fast Attack
Hellhound
130

Heavy
LR Eradicator - lascannon hull
175

Heavy
LRuss - lascannon hull, HB sponsons, dozer blade
195

Heavy
LRuss - lascannon hull, HB sponsons, dozer blade
195

I only got around to modeling the dozer blade on one of the tanks, but it was part of the list I wrote a long time ago.  At some point I'll think of something to spend those points on or get around to retrofitting it on.

Tyranids:

Winged Tyrant, psychic powers and many pointy appendages.

3x10 Genestealer broods with Broodlord, one with toxin sacs

3xZoanthropes

3xHive Guard

Deathleaper

Trygron Prime

2xMawlocs


The Tyranids naturally enough took on the attacker role, with the Merkans defending.  I set up largely en masse in the middle, with the Hellhound and Vet squad in Reserve.   I stayed back a little further from each edge, ignoring objectives for the time being and concentrating on not being within assault range of incoming genestealers without at least one turn to shoot at them.  Lascannons were in an elevated position, but the rest was on the ground, nervously scanning their auspexes.  Heavy Bolters in the back may seem strange, but they were there to provide some fire along the open lane if bugs came in on the corners and to shoot anything that tunnels up in the middle.

Next post, the bugs start arriving!  Can the Merkans hold the line, or will they just be more biomass for the Hive Fleet?  Find out in Part Two!