It's an ugly planet - a Bug Planet!

As you will see from the next few posts there was a bit of a running theme for me at BOYL 2017 - Bugs!

The next game was a completely unplanned and a bit of a happy coincidence. I'd originally planned on gaming out a Tyrnaids V Imperials version of the Glazer's Creek battle that featured in White Dwarf 222 but one of my opponents, Ollie had had to bow out having been in and out of hospital the week before - poor lad. He's ok now though and we plan to get that game in later in the year after he spent many months furiously painting up his Guard! Happily, however, he'd been in touch with Jamie of Legio Custodes fame - an old opponent of ours from BOYL's past and I found my way to their table just as he and his mates were setting up for a game of 40K 2nd ed.

After a quick reshuffle my freshly speed painted (in 4 days!) and still reeking slightly of dettol Tyranids were facing off against their combined Imperial Guard and Dark Angel armies.

We decided to play a simple survival game where I would recycle the casualties of the smaller creatures in my horde back in to battle once each full squad was wiped out. The bigger creatures just had the one life.

Facing me was a formidable array of heavy weapons, tanks and the Imperium's finest but you know how the saying goes - C'mon you bio-constructs! You wanna live forever?

And the Tyranids surely do move fast!

Spore mines from my three Biovores proved pretty effective - if highly inaccurate. The Heavy Weapons group on the far side of the river survived pretty much the whole game despite being targeted every turn!

On the left flank one of my Lictors, Screamer Killers (don't go in for that Carnifex nonsense!) and Genestealers are briefly held up by a brave but foolhardy charge by Dark Angel assault marines.

In the centre Tyranid warriors and another Screamer Killer trade fire with Imperial Heavy Weapon teams, effectively taking out a Sentinel.

Most of the skirmishing screen of Hunter Slayers (don't go in for that Gaunt nonsense!) dissolve in to a fine green mist in the face of accurate Bolter fire from the Marines, supported by tank mounted Heavy Bolters. I think harsh words were going to be had back in the 1st Company barrack however as the number of jams rolled up on the Terminators Storm Bolters suggested a worrying laxity towards weapon maintenance...

New reinforcements push forward but the No Man's Land in the open space down to the river proves a very effective kill zone!

Space Marines push forward on the left flank as the Genestealers are mown down.

My Hormagaunts use their leaping charge in an attempt to charge some vulnerable looking Guard on the right flank. They are slightly out of range and punished accordingly!

Despite an artillery duel between my Zoanthrope and a Screamer Killer on my left flank, the three Leman Russ tanks facing them only suffer minor damage leaving their Battle Cannon free to blow ragged holes in my seething ranks.

With their ordeal nearly over and the worst of the Tyranid onslaught weathered, Imperial Guard squads push forward - now feeling slightly braver!

Yet the Tyranids are not done yet and a final barrage of spore mines decimates both the Terminators and the Imperial Guard command squad as the chittering masses retreat to gather their strength for the next attack...

This was a great game (once we'd got our heads round the close combat rules for 40K 2n ed!) and I thoroughly enjoyed hurling my expendable masses at the overwhelming firepower of the Imperium! The rules were straining a little bit under the weight of so many minis on the table and there was plenty of flipping through rules books to begin with! We did get a little quicker as the game progressed and it certainly helped having two seasoned 2nd ed veterans present in the form of Jamie and Warlord Paul who'd wandered over to have a gander!

A big thank you to Jamie and his mates for a thoroughly enjoyable game - shame I'm too busy to get involved in the Fallout themed game he has planned for next year!