Playing With Myself: A 40K Solo Play and Solo Learn Experience

Setup

Tyranids

Relic: Miasma Cannon on Hive tyrant

Warlord Trait: Perfectly Adapted

Hive Adaptation: Synaptic Imperative

Space Wolves

Relic: Wulfen Stone on Rune Priest 1

Warlord Trait: Tenacious Survivor

Scenario 2: Contact Lost with Deployment 2: Dawn of War.  There are 4 round tokens down for objectives, numbered 1-4, and there are 2 round black tokens you can’t see the writing on.  The smaller one is objective 5 and the larger is objective 6.

The Space Wolves one the roll to chose sides and the roll to deploy first.  They also finished deploying first so chose to let the Tyranids activate first, because they were concerned about the ranges on the Termagants guns.  This way only a few would get them in range and then when they activate they could fire all their guns.

Round 1 Tyranids

They rolled up Objective 53: No Prisoners (Wipe out an entire unit).

The Termagants, both Hormagaunt units, Tyranid Prime, and the Warriors advanced up the table.  Everyone else walked.

The Hive Tyrant put The Horror on the Terminators.  The Nuerothrope put Catalyst on the 30 man Hormagaunt unit, and the Zoanthropes put Onslaught on the Termagants.  There were no other valid targets in range for further Psyker powers.

5 Termagants were able to shoot at the Blood Claws, managing to kill 3.  18 Termagants were able to shoot at the Terminators, but only did 1 damage.  The hive tyrant missed his shots at them.  The Tyranid prime took a shot at Rune Priest 1 for 1 damage only.

The “Single Minded Annihilation” Strategy (2CP) was used on the termagants allowing them to kill off one Terminator and 1 more Blood Claw.  The Blood Claws failed their Morale check, and its reroll and lost 3 more men.

Round 1 Space Wolves

Objective 35, “Defend 5”  is drawn.  The Space Wolves have to control 5 for 2 turns.  Thankfully the Iron Priest is next to it already and the Nids can’t get anywhere near it.

The scenario states that everyone draws one objective at the start of their first turn, but they get more every turn thereafter.  Should the Nids be drawing more at the start of the SW turn or only at the start of their turns?  I went with only on their turns but I really wasn’t sure.

Everyone walked in to position.  At the start of the shooting phase the strategy “Orbital Bombardment” (3cp) was used and dropped directly on to the Hive Tyrant.  Unfortunately a 1 was rolled for its AoE.  A reroll (1cp) was bought but a 2 was rolled so only the Tyrant was affected, but it did take 3 Mortal Wounds.

The strategy says I must pick a visible point on the table to hit.  How is that LOS determined?  Can I see over models to see the ground for area effects like this?  I was going to target elsewhere, but the only thing I knew I could see over the Terminators was the Hive Tyrant so I went with that.

The Predator fired its bolters and its once per game bomb in to the Hormagants, but only killed 2 of them.  It fired its big guns at the Neurothrope doing 1 damage only.  The Grey Hunters and the Terminators killed 15 Termagants.  On the other side of the table, the Land Raider, Intercessors and Blood Claws killed 7 Hormagaunts from the smaller unit.  The Land Raider fired its big guns and its bomb in to the Carnifex but wiffed horribly, doing nothing.

The Terminators tried to charge the Hormagants but failed the roll.  The Blood Claws charged their Hormagaunts and killed 5, taking no casualties in return.  The Strategy “Honour the Chapter” (3cp) was used by the Blood Claws, allowing them to kill 4 more.

Round 2 Tyranids

Obj 36: Defend 6 (Control 6 for 2 turns) and Obj 15: Terrify (Remove enemy unit through morale check failure) were rolled.

Everyone walked in to position, and then the Hive Tyrant cast smite and Psychic Scream at the Terminators, doing 4 damage and killing 2 of them.  The Neurothrope put Catalyst back on the Hormagaunts and Smote the Grey Hunters for 3.  The Zoanthropes smote the Grey Hunters for a further 7, killing all but their leader, who is on 1 health.

The Termagant ans the Tyrant shot up the Terminators, killing 2 more.  The Warriors and the Tyranid Prime shot up the Intercessors, doing 3 damage.  7 of the Gargoyles shot at Rune Priest 1 amd 3 shot at the intercessors, but to no effect.

Strategy “Single Minded Annihilation” (2cp) was put on the Hive Tyrant and a reroll (1cp) was used, but he was still only able to kill 1 more Terminator.

The larger unit of Hormagaunts charged the Grey Hunter and the predator, losing one man to overwatch.  The Carnifex charged the Blood claws,and one died to the shock of it all.  The Carnifex then killed the remaining two, completing “No Prisoners”.  7 Hormagaunts then missed the Grey Hunter despite him being buried in a sea of them.  The remaining 15 then scratched at the paintwork of the predator who punched (?) one of them to death in return.

The Intercessors and the Terminators passed their morale checks, but the last of the Grey hunters panicked and ran away, completing “Terrify” for the Tyranids.

At the end of the turn, the Space Wolves complete “Defend 5”, scoring VP.

Round 2 Space Wolves

New Objectives:

Secure 3 (Capture objective 3)

Behind Enemy Lines (Have 3 units in enemy deployment zone

Hold the Line (Have 3 units but no enemy units in deployment zone)

Rune Priest 1 Smote the gargoyles, killing 3, and then failed to cast Tempest.  Rune Priest 2 smote the Hive Tyrant for 2 damage, but failed to cast Murderous on the Gargoyle.

The Land Raider fired his guns in to the Carnifex, bought a reroll but still only did 1 damage.   It also killed a Gargoyle.

Rune Priest 1 and 2 shot and killed one more Gargoyle each.  The Intercessors, Iron priest,  and Rune Priest 2 missed the hive Tyrant.  The Terminators gunned down 8 more Termagants, before charging in to them, killing 4 and taking no overwatch damage.  The intercessors charged the Tyrant doing 1 damage only.  The Hormagants were able to do 2 more damage to the Predator and no one else was effective.

I appear to have forgotten to take a photo at this stage.  Sorry.

Round 3 Tyranids

61: Kingslayer (Kill a warlord)

13: Dominate (Control lots of objectives)

46 Dominion (I forget)

The Zoanthropes crit smites the Terminators doing 5 damage.  the Neurothrope put Catalyst back on the Hormagants and Smite the Predator for 2.  The Hive Tyrant Smote the Terminators for a further 3, killing the last, but failed to Psychic Scream at the Intercessors.

The Hive Tyrant and Warriors shot up the Land Raider for 3 damage.  The Prime and Gargoyles failed to hit Rune Priest 1 before charging him ineffectually.    The Prime Charged the Intercessors and the Hormagants charged the Land Raider, all to no effect.

The Carnifex Killed 2 more Intercessors.  Rune priest 1 killed 3 more Gargoyles, and the Hormagants did 2 more damage to the Predator.

I have mostly given up paying attention to the Objectives at this point.  I cannot keep track of them all across both sides.  I’ve stacks of stat sheets from Battlescribe, photocopies of Stratagems and objectives and scenarios everywhere, and the rule book full of bookmarks.  Too much stuff everywhere and I can’t keep it straight.

Round 3 Space Wolves

Rune Priest 1 Smote the last gargoyle to death, an Rune Priest 2 Smote the Carnifex for 1 damage.  Everyone moved in to position.  The Intercessor shot their pistols in to the Carnifex and missed.

Rune Priest 1 charged the Hormagaunts, killing 2 of them.  Rune Priest 2 charged the Carnifex doing nothing.  The Carnifex killed the last of the Intercessors and moved up to engage the Land Raider

Round 4 Tyranids

The Zoanthropes failed to smite the Predator, but the Neurothrope smote it for 3.  He also put Catalyst back up.  The Hive tyrant smote Rune Priest 2 for 3, and Screamed at Rune priest 1, but failed (Sore throat?).

6 Termagants hot the Iron priest for 1 damage, and the prime failed to shoot Rune priest 1, before charging him to death.  The Hive Tyrant killed the other Rune Priest with his sword.  The Carnifex hit the Land Raider for 3 more damage, and the Hormagaunts were able to kill the Predator at last.

I got up to play the game at around 2.30pm, and it was 9.15pm at this stage.  I was tired and I had work the next day and I needed to get ready for it.  There were 2 Space Wolf models left on the table and lots of Tyranids.  The Land Raider might even die during its activation, and all the Smites would have killed everyone at the start of Tyranid Round 5.  Nothing the remaining Wolves could have done would have changed the outcome so I called the game there and then.

As I believe killing all your enemies wins you the game outright, all those VPs and objectives are irrelevant.  Victory to Hive Fleet Leviathan.