This was a game played in a rush, and with a list specifically selected to minimize unit count, because we only had about an hour and a quarter to closing time at the store when we began.
I played against a local player whom I have played before, who previously ran Necrons. He's switched over to Tyranids of Hive Fleet Leviathan for the second Phase of the Octarius campaign that we're playing out, among our group of about 10 that have been frequenting the Warhammer store lately.
My list:
Librarian in Terminator Armour
Terminator Squad
Terminator Squad
Terminator Assault Squad
Land Raider
The Tyranids:
Winged Hive Tryant
Screamer-killer
Exocrine (I think)
Neurothrope
Zoanthropes
Tyranid Warriors (I think)
This was my first time ever playing against Tyranids, and I don't know that army very well at all, so I'm a little unsure of what some of his models were. And, we were hurrying through the game, at times forgetting rules or even whole phases (lucky for me). Neither of us even bothered to select Agendas for the game, as far as I know. I only made use of Marked for Greatness this game, for my part.
We played the Recon Patrol mission from the Crusade set, which stipulates that half or more of your army has to start the game in Strategic Reserves, but might join the battle in the first round if you roll a 4+. I only had one model to deploy before the game, my Land Raider, which had my Terminator Assault Squad embarked within.
He deployed his Winged Hive Tyrant and his Tyranid Warriors, then won the roll-off to get the first turn, as well.
Our units in Strategic Reserves at the beginning of the game:
In his first turn, his Hive Tyrant flew up the board to grab objective 2, and also to shoot at my Land Raider. He knocked 8 wounds off it, but it survived, since he forgot to do his psychic phase this round. The only reason I stood any chance at all, in all likelihood.
In my turn, my Terminators in the Land Raider hopped out and charged the Hive Tyrant. Another squad came in from reserves and also made their charge distance. The final squad of Terminators came in further up the board, and got off some pot shots at the Warriors, but didn't kill anything.
My combined Terminator assault was able to bring down the Hive Tyrant, and the Assaulters with the Lightning claws consolidated toward the Exocrine.
He used the Exocrine to shoot at my squad I'd left on objective 2 in his second turn, so in my second turn I was able to Smite and Lightning Call it, as well as shoot it and assault it to death.
After which the board looked like this. So far so good for the Scars!
But it wasn't going to last, because the Tyranids are phenomenally strong in the psychic phase.
Soon, all my Terminator squads were telekinetically blasted off the table, leaving only my Librarian and Land Raider to take on the Screamer-killer.
They made a go of it, but couldn't quite pull it off, and so my force was tabled in the third battle round.
Again, this was a quick and dirty game, just enough to get a Requisition Point and a little experience on my Terminator Assault Squad and Land Raider. Luckily all of my units passed their out-of-action tests this time around.
My Crusade force is very heavily oriented around elite infantry units. I'm running a lot of Terminators, which is kind of the theme, as well as Centurions. I think combating a list like this might require more bodies to absorb the mortal wound bombs dealt out each psychic phase, at least in a screening capacity so that my elite infantry's heavy armor isn't obviated by the psychic attacks that ignore it altogether.
I should probably play the mission more as well, but I just wanted to scrap, and actually had some fun doing so, so in the end, a good game is a good game.
