We already had my full army on display for the photo shoot, so we just filled the table with Tyranid models using Jormungandr Hive Fleet rules and had a blast. This was an intentional loss to just have fun and not worry about rule testing.
As Commander Chenkov put his army on parade drill to announce their arrival officially on Valour IX. Before they could march to the outpost for inspection, the frozen lake in front of them exploded! Tyranid life forms exploded out of the freezing water and surged towards them. Smaller life forms borrowed out of the ground all around them. Flyers dived from the sky, the shadow of a Harridan casting a dark shadow over the army as it gave a terrifying roar.
Caught off guard, the recruits in training fumbled with their weapons as the Tyranids launched their surprise attack. Dozens of high power projectiles blasted into the Doomhammer. The crew of the might Doomhammer were well seasoned unlike most of the troops present and sealed their hatches and braced for impact well before the barrage it. It suffered only minor damage to the hull. Conscripts were cut down by the score, but there were more to take their place!
The Doomhammer crew brought the tank back to full operational standards within seconds and gave a full broadside of Heavy Flamers to the Rippers that borrowed up beside them. They screamed as they were burned away to ash in a very satisfying way. Three of the Lascannons had shots on the Harridan, so they took the shot but was unable to hit it as it flew by at blinding speed. The rest of the weapons were pounded into the Tyranid Warriors that dug up in front of them, killing many of them.
The Harridan was a priority target for the Valhallans. Its intimidating presence and no doubt lethal capabilities for tank destruction made it an absolute necessity to destroy. The Crassus raked it with Heavy Bolters to ill effect. The three untrained crews of the Macharius Vulcans poured explosive bolter rounds and Heavy Stubber rounds into it, missing far more often than expected of them. The Macharius Vanquisher gave it a mighty and impressive double hit, crippling it with its titan slaying cannons. The Leman Russ Tanks fired to the best of their ability but missed most of their shots. The Veterans and guardsmen beneath finished it off with intense las fire and mixed portable anti tank weapons. It crashed to the ground, smashing the Mawloc and Trygon beneath its bulk.
The Platoon Command Squad with Chenkov surged moved into the heart of the enemy, annihilating a unit of Gaunts with flame weapons. Seeing the injured Broodlord alone as the flames died down, they charged! They were not as successful as they thought they were going to be, and it survived. All of them were cut down except for Chenkov who was critically wounded.
The Tyranid assault was not only a large wave of massive monsters, it also included a second wave! More creatures emerged from the frozen waves, backing the incoming forces with even more strength. Chenkov activated his emergency beacon on his belt and prepared for the worse.
The Doomhammer continued to get pounded by heavy weaponry and was destroyed with some assistance from Melee attacks.
Both the Chimedon and the Samaritan were destroyed as well, acting as picket lines for the more heavy tanks. Most of the infantry were slain from the sheer volume of incoming fire, but the sacrifice of the Samaritan crew were able to sustain enough Conscripts long enough they could get vengeance in before being destroyed. The Broodlord prepared to slay Chenkov, so he fired is powerful pistol into the ice and disappeared from view. Unable to focus on eating him, the Broodlord pushed forwards into the fray.
The Leman Russ Squadron was engaged in melee by Lictors and Tyranid Warriors. They were unable to do much damage, but did get the tanks turned every which way, breaking their efficiency on engaging the next priority targets. Two Lictors were crushed beneath the tracks.
The next terrifying target was the Dimachaeron. It had already tore apart the Samaritan and was not going to stop until it died. Once again the highly inexperience crew members of the Vulcan guns did subpar and crippled it, but it remained alive. The Macharius Vanquisher missed with both of its main cannons as well, but some good shooting from the Veterans and vengeful shots of the Conscripts brought it down to the brink of death.
The Dimachaeron eagerly lunged at the Macharius Vulcan, but it was gunned down in the hasty Overwatch by the terrified gunners!
The Leman Russ Squadron had been holding its own, but with the arrival of a Barbed Hierodule they were all destroyed. Amongst the wreckage, a wiley Enginseer cursed in binary. They had already wrecked its Doomhammer, and now the freshly patched Leman Russ Annihilator was gone as well.
The infantry units trying to keep the enemy at bay were systematically engaged and destroyed. The tenacity of mere humans set the Tyranids back, as many of them refused to die, buying precious time for the heavy tanks to do their work.
A particularly upset Commissar bashed the face in of a Scythed Hierodule several times with a Power Axe, keeping it at bay.
The Vulcan gunners were steadily getting better. While their weapon was not suited for monsters, in focused fire brought them down by sheer pulverizing of armour piercing bolter rounds. One at a time, a Hierodule or other serious threat was slain. Despite this, the Wyvern and Manticore were destroyed next. Having been in parade formation, they were unable to get into a proper battle formation in time, leaving many units vulnerable and exposed.
It was not enough. They were flanked and heavily outgunned. The Crassus was next to go, its armoured bulk providing valuable time by slowing down the flanking Hierodule. It was able to crush several bio forms before being torn open.
While one flank was being systematically destroyed, another was being chipped away by a tenacious but frustrated Flyrant. The Vanquisher Cannons never missed after the botched volley, punishing all it could reach!
First one Macharius Vulcan collapsed, leaving a desperately needed gap in the fire power going down range.
Next, another one fell, even as the Enginseer laboured diligently to keep it operational. He screeched in binary again, and continue to toss Meltabombs at the foe. By the end of the battle he had scored five or six successful hits.
But this was not enough. Another Vulcan fell silent as the horde came on.
Another Hierodule was obliterated. Another one was selected for extermination and began to be torn to pieces. By this time Valour IX was in full lock down. The enemy had breached the first planet in the system. They had established dominance on Asteroid Base 74 and now had a foot hole secured in the system.
As a counter offensive was planned, Dark Angels slipped through the lake and retrieved the body of Chenkov. Rejuvenation technology was administered so they could get a grasp of what was in store for them. During the debriefing, gas mask noises could be heard in the dark corners and vents as the Death Krieg slipped in unauthorized to hear what they would be engaging in attritional warfare.
Alternate 40k Rules 