Kill Team Game 7 - Tyranids vs Chaos

 

Set Up, Escalation was the scenario selected for this week’s game.  This scenario has 6 objectives that start to disappear at the beginning of turning point two and also increase in value from 1VP to 2VP on turning point 3.  Chaos won the roll and elected to defended, their side had a vantage point with cover that would be a suitable place for the cultists shoot their autoguns from. Otherwise the setup was quite balanced.

Turning Point 1 (4-2, for Tyranids). In the opening Turning Point the Tyranids decided to move aggressively across the entire frontage of the board and secured 4 objectives, Chaos secured the other two.  The shooting was limited to the gunner operatives on both sides, who were effective, each incapacitating one enemy operative.  Unfortunately the Tyranid gunner with only 2 APL remained in the open while the Chaos gunner was able to move back into heavy cover.

Turning Point 2 (6 – 4, for Tyranids).  Objectives 6 and 4 were removed for this Turning point. Chaos won the initiative and took a plasma gun pot shot at the Tyranid gunner on top of the catwalk, with the help of a reroll the blast of plasma did an incredible 22 points of damage and vaporized the warrior before it could react.  Obj 1 became the focus for this Turning Point with cultists using their grenades and pistols to flush out a hidden Geenstealers, who were then countercharged and ripped apart by more Geenstealers.  Not wanting to slip any further behind on points the icon bearer also charged onto the objective. In addition two of the cultists around Obj 5 were killed by a Tyranid warrior who tried to secure that objective.  The remaining cultist on Obj5 responded with a spurt of flame doing some damage to the warrior.  Obj 5 would stay under the control of Chaos.  

Turning Point 3 (6 – 6).  Obj 3 and 5 were removed forcing all the operatives to the center and contest the remaining objectives that were now worth double points.  The Tyranids began the turn with a charge into the icon bearer killing him.  The Chaos Champion then showed the value of 3 APL by charging into the Tyranid that had killed the icon bearer killing it and then firing his pistol at the Tyranid leader who was now on Obj 2 after eating a hapless cultist.  Again the marine gunner showed his value by melting the last Tyranid warrior.  At the end of the Turning Point all but one Geenstealers was incapacitated and Chaos had lost about half of their kill team. Objective 2 was contested but Obj 1 was in the grip of chaos.

Turning Point 4. (6 -10, for Chaos).  Outnumbered and outgunned the loan Geenstealers sells his life dearly but is taken down by a gout of flame at very short range. With the opposition removed the Chaos kill team score 4 VPs to clinch the victory.

Conclusion. 

Mission. Each mission in Kill team is quite different, in this case the evolution of the objective inevitable forced both kill teams into the center of the battlefield.  It is important to understand the implications of the mission. In this scenario 12 of the 18 potential points could come from controlling the center for four turns.

Plasma guns seem way too good, in many cases they are preferable to heavy gunner options in most kill teams.  This is also not the first time I have noticed the power of these weapons.  My opinion is that their normal damage should be reduced by 2 and their critical damage should be reduced by 1, but they should still retain their Armour Piercing special rule.  Armour Piercing is very powerful and when fired on hot the plasma gives very reliable damage.  In addition the disadvantage of the hot rule can be effectively mitigated by the kill team’s good luck token (most kill teams have access to this for 2 or 3 equipment points).

After the game my initial reaction was that the Tyranid forces spread themselves out too thin.  But on reflection I think they just lost too much in the center where the majority of victory points were to be had.  Again the 3 APL pop up attacks were powerful. Likely the best counter is to just charge the elite team’s gunner as soon as possible. Perhaps the Geenstealers needed to focus more on killing marines and should have tried harder to ignore the cultists… I don’t know, certainly we should play more games.