View from the North
BatRep
003-08-11-1999
Tyranids vs Imperial Guard
Blitz
Trooper Baptist looked into the sky where the mycetic spores continued to rain down. The latest word was that help was still hours away. He knew all that stood between the Tyranid advance and Capital City-- his city-- was a small detachment of PDF. His detachment. If their crack mortar teams and half-dozen tanks couldn't hold back a mess of aliens, no one could. He loaded a krak grenade into his launcher and waited for the first of the bugs to clear the hills.
View from the North
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Brian (steadfast Imperial Guard): Blitz is probably the worst scenario in the book. Unless the defender is an extremely good sport, this mission is impossible for the attacker to win. We play on a 4x8 table. In order to score any of the bonus points, the attacker has to cover 64 inches in just 6 turns. The defender can just set up in the back court of his deployment zone, deny any additional movement from assaults, and watch the so-called Blitz sputter and die 36" onto the table. |
| Unit | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld | Save | Notes | Points |
 Colonel |
4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 5+ | Plasma
Pistol, Power Weapon |
85 |
| 4 Guardsmen | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 5+ | 4 Grenade Launchers | 48 |
| Chimera | Storm Bolter, Smoke | 108 | |||||||||
 Vindicare Assassin |
5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 4+ | Exitus Rifle, Pistol, etc. | 110 |
| Ratling Snipers (5) |
2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 5+ | Sniper Rifles | 55 |
 Armored Fist (10) |
3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 5+ | 1 Melta Gun, 1 Autocannon | 163 |
| Veteran Sergeant | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 5+ | Plasma Pistol, ccw | +20 |
| "The Iron Chimera" | Storm Bolter, Smoke | ||||||||||
| Mortar Squad A (6) |
3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 5+ | 6 Guardsmen
with Lasguns, 3 Mortar Teams |
90 |
| Mortar Squad B (6) |
3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 5+ | 6 Guardsmen
with Lasguns, 3 Mortar Teams |
90 |
 Demolisher Tank-A |
Demolisher
Cannon, Lascannon, Heavy Plasma, Storm Bolter, Smoke |
198 | |||||||||
| Demolisher Tank-B |
Demolisher
Cannon, Lascannon, Heavy Plasma, Storm Bolter, Smoke |
198 | |||||||||
| Basilisk |
Smoke Launchers | 103 |
TOTAL: 1268
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Ben (top of the food chain): I specifically requested this battle with Brian simply to prove that it was possible for the Tyranids (or anybody, really) to win Blitz. Brian assured me I was smokin' crack, and sure enough, not long after we set up, the stark truth of simple mathematics was staring me in the face. If it was going to be won, it certainly wasn't by getting any of my troops into the Second Line-- it would be a straight VP battle. So why bother playing Blitz at all? I was determined to find some redeeming value in this otherwise cool scenario. |
| Unit | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld | Save | Notes | Points |
| Hive Tyrant |
6 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 5+ | Venom Cannon, Flesh Hooks | 106 |
| Tyranid Warriors (3) |
5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 5+ | 2 w/ Boneswords, 1 w/ Venom Cannon; all w/ Flesh Hooks | 119 |
| Tyranid Warriors (3) |
5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 5+ | 2 w/ Boneswords, 1 w/ Venom Cannon; all w/ Flesh Hooks | 119 |
| Genestealers (9) |
6 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 6+ | Teeth and Claws! | 198 |
| Genestealers (9) |
6 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 6+ | Teeth and Claws! | 198 |
| Genestealers (9) |
6 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 6+ | Teeth and Claws! | 198 |
 Hormagaunts (12) |
4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6+ | More claws than needed... | 72 |
| Gargoyles (6) |
3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 6+ | Fleshborers. | 60 |
| Carnifex |
4 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 5+ | Claws, Bioplasma. | 105 |
| Zoanthrope |
3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 2+ | Claws, Warp Blast, Flesh Hooks | 41 |
| Biovore |
3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | - | Spore Mines | 50 |
TOTAL: 1266
Imperial Guard Deployment: Every guardsman knows the best way to take on bugs if from a respectable distance. The holding force deployed as far back in their fortification zone as they could fit, to give their guns as long as possible to whittle down the advance. The Basilisk held the center with a long shot down the valley formed by the hills to the sides. The two Chimera could crossed lines of fire down that same corridor, and the Armored Fist even dismounted to bring all their guns to bear. If even one Genestealer made it into their ranks, odds were good they wouldn't live to see another battle.
Looks bad for the bugs-- 300
yards of open ground and a Basilisk ready to rumble.
The Tyranid Assault commences: Spore mines rained down from the sky to soften up the enemy position. Preliminary bombardments are rarely useful, and Tyranids seem to have even worse luck than most, but this would be the exception. The bombardment came down smack in the middle of the Mortar team, killing four of them and pinning the two survivors.