The Roost of Turkadactyl

Thursday night is 40K night down at the local store.  I easily settle on Adepta Sororitas. Recently I posted pictures of my Retributors with heavy flamers.  I mentioned that I only played one game so I figured it’s time to make it two.  Nik stepped up to the plate and played me with the stores Tyranid army.  Nik let Mackenzie design the list.  Let’s see how the Sisters match-up.

Adepta Sororitas- Order of the Refining Fire

HQ

• St. Celestine- Warlord (Units within 12″ can use the Saints leadership for Acts of Faith and War Hymns leadership tests)

Troops

• Battle Sisters (15 models)- Veteran Sister Superior, meltagun x2, simulacrum imperialis
• Battle Sisters (15 models)- Veteran Sister Superior, meltagun x2, simulacrum imperialis

Elites

• Repentia (10 models)- melta bombs for Mistress

Heavy Support

• Exorcist- stormbolter
• Exorcist- stormbolter
• Retributors- Veteran Sister Superior, heavy flamer x4, simulacrum imperialis, Rhino transport

Tyranids- Hive Fleet Kraken

HQ

• Hive Tyrant- wings, 2x Twin-linked devourers, psychic powers (Paroxysm, The Horror), Warlord (Adaptive Biology- 5+ Feel No Pain after first wound taken)

Troops

• Warriors (3 models)- deathspitters, scything talons
• Warriors (3 models)- deathspitters, scything talons
• Termagants (10 models)- fleshborers

Elites

• Venomthrope (1 model)
• Zoanthrope (2 models)- psychic powers (Psychic Scream, Warp Blast)
• Haruspex

Heavy Support

• Carnifex (3 models)- crushing claws, scything talons, adrenal glands

We roll for mission and end up with Big Guns Never Tire.  Nik has plenty of monstrous creature to make short work of my heavy support slots.  The game begins post dawn so no night fight.  I win deployment.  Both deployment zones have two objective markers with the fifth close to the middle of the field.

I park my Battle Sister squads close to the objectives.  One squad is on my left flank with the second in the middle of my zone.  Each squad has an Exorcist to accompany them.  The two tanks are able to cover most lanes of Tyranid advance.  The Retributors and Repentia are embarked in Rhino’s.  The plan is to zip the two transports up and cause some havoc.  The Rhino’s will use the Shrine as cover.  The Saint joins the Battle Sisters in the middle.

Nik uses cover to deploy his models.  The Carnifex, Venomthrope, Zoanthrope and a Warrior brood hid out in the forest.  The second Warrior brood hides out in the ruins with the Flyrant, Haruspex and Termagants.

Nik rolls to seize and mission accomplished.

Tyranids Turn 1

Nik rolls for mysterious objectives and the result is nothing of note in the ruins and skyfire in the forest.  The Flyrant, Carnifex and Haruspex move forward.  The Carnifex run six inches into the ruins.

The Flyrant targets the Exorcist with Paroxysm and reduces the tanks ballistic skill by two.  It then takes aim at the Rhino carrying the Repentia and destroys the tank for first blood.  The Repentia disembark into the ruins to my left.

Adepta Sororitas Turn 1

The Retributors advance forward and pop smoke.  The Exorcist and Battle Sisters in the middle take aim at the Flyrant, who jinks the shots.  The Battle Sisters and Exorcist on my left shoot the Carnifex and put two wounds on the front beast.  Remarkable considering they had a two plus save from the ruins and Venomthropes spore cloud.  I also move that Exorcist back away from the Carnifex brood.    The Saint jumps forward to the wall of the Shrine.  The Repentia sweep to my left to meet the Carnifex in glorious combat.

I roll for objectives in my deployment zone.  The objective on my left is skyfire and the one my center is reroll shooting to hit rolls of one.

Tyranids Turn 2

The Flyrant flies forward and lands at the edge of my deployment zone.  It targets the Saint with Paroxysm and reduces her weapon and ballistic skill by three.  The Flyrant also suffers a perils of the warp.  It loses a wound but manages to stay in the air.  The Flyrant then lights up the Saint with brainleech worms.  Nik only needs me to fail one armour save to instant kill the revered sister.  Success for Nik.  I fail one save and the Saint goes down for a nap.

The Warriors in the ruins target the Rhino and cause two glancing hits.

The Carnifex move further into the ruins.  Nik rolls a one to run and elects to keep them in the ruins.  The Haruspex plods forward and reveals the objective in the shrine, which happens to be skyfire.

Adepta Sororitas Turn 2

The Saint resurrects and jumps forward.  She lands between the Haruspex and Zoanthropes.  The Saint flames the Zoanthropes and causes no wounds.  She attempts to charge and fails miserably.  I think it is safe to say that the Saint will not survive the Tyranid onslaught next turn.

The Retributors move forward and disembark in front of the wounds.  They target the Termagants and incinerate the brood.

The Exorcist on my right targets the Warriors in the ruins and kills one beast.  The Exorcist on my left moves forward and uses skyfire to target the Flyrant.  The Flyrant jinks the shots and makes two saves.  I manage to put two wounds onto the beast.   The Repentia stay out of charge range of the Carnifex.

Tyranids Turn 3

Nik lands the Flyrant on top of the ruins.  He will utilize the four plus cover save and cause some close combat mayhem next turn.  The Flyrant casts Paroxysm on the closest Exorcist and reduces the ballistic skill by two.  The Flyrant then casts The Horror on my Battle Sisters and they pass their leadership test.  The Flyrant targets the Exorcist with the devourers and is unable to cause any hull damage.

The Saint finds herself surrounded.  She survives Warp Blast and the Haruspex shooting.  The Warriors with their humble deathspitters open fire causing five wounds.  I roll three 1’s and Nik has slain my warlord.

Nik keeps his Carnifex hidden in the ruins.  He remains conservative with the lumbering behemoths.

Adepta Sororitas Turn 3

I move my Battle Sisters towards the Flyrant.  They pray to the Emperor and activate their faith for preferred enemy.  Shots are fired and the Flyrant passes all saves.  The Exorcist on my left capitalizes with skyfire and opens fire on the Flyrant.  The beast sustains a grevious wound and is felled.  Slay the Warlord is scored for the Sisters.

The Retributors advance into the ruins and flick the switches on their heavy flamers.  The Warriors hiss back at them to no avail.  Their flesh is charred beyond recognition.

The Exorcist with the reduced ballistic skill targets the Venomthrope.  The spore cloud appears to be too much for the tanks targeting array to find its mark.

Tyranids Turn 4

The Haruspex charges into the Retributors and enjoys a BBQ meal.  The Sisters manage to do some damage in combat though and deal two wounds with grenades.  I managed to make two six plus invulnerable saves.  Is it bad to say I have more confidence making a 6++ over a 2 + save?

The Carnifex emerge from the ruins and move towards the Shrine.

Adepta Sororitas Turn 4

My Exorcist’s target the Venomthrope and Warriors.  The Venomthrope is obliterated and one Warrior fails to dodge a missile.

The Haruspex and Retributors swing at each other.  The Retributors receive top marks for their dodging skills.  The Rhino moves towards the Shrine to claim the objective on the other side of the wall.

Tyranids Turn 5

The Carnifex attempt to charge my Battle Sisters and fail.  They are now caught in the open.  The Haruspex eats one Retributor.  It is enough to cause them to break eight inches.  The Haruspex heals its lost wounds.

Adepta Sororitas Turn 5

My Retributors regroup and move towards the Haruspex and fail to cause any wounds.  I keep the Rhino parked to claim the objective.

The Repentia moves forward to the Carnifex.  The Exorcists and one squad of Battle Sisters open fire on the Carnifex and kill two of the mighty beasts.  The other Battle Sister squad fire on the Warriors and cause two wounds.  The Repentia attempt to charge the Warriors and fail.

We roll for turn six and the game ends.  I’m holding three objectives along with slay the warlord for ten points.  Nik is holding two objectives along with first blood and slay the warlord for eight points.  Had we gone to turn six Nik had a good chance to win the game.  He would have destroyed the Rhino with us drawing on objectives.  Nik would have won on secondary objectives then.  Nik’s biggest regret was playing conservative with his Carnifex.  My Repentia were acting as a deterrent.  He’s seen them at work before and knows the damage they can deal.

I’ll have to bring those heavy flamer Retributors out to another party.

Thanks for reading.