Good day Combat Patroleers! Last week, we finished off the first tranche of issues with very big gun ‘Gaunts. This week, we turn our attention to the bread and butter of the Tyranid combat patrol: the Leviathan Termagant sprue. However, there’s some funkiness that abounds with how Hachette is spreading out these models. Read on to find out how! As always, thank you to Goonhammer and Hachette for giving me the opportunity to review these models, magazines, and rulers.
Narrative Materials
This issue comes with additional lore regarding the Space Marines and Tyranids. The importance of the Space Marines to the Imperium as the Angels of Death, and how the common people and common soldiers view the Adeptus Astartes, is discussed. Their martial philosophy and role within the wider Imperial war machine is explained. There is also a little story told from the perspective of Mikael Fabian, Third Captain of the Ultramarines. Fabian and a group of Ultramarines (a dozen or so (1)) are regrouping to figure out how to defeat the Tyranids, heeding advice from an Infernus Marine and a Terminator to attack the biggest and baddest Tyranid.
The Marines take aim at a Hive Tyrant, and eventually take out the Hive Tyrant’s invulnerable save. This allows Fabian to clonk the Tyrant on the head with his Bolt Rifle and kill it.
The issue also discusses the Hive Mind, explaining how it gives the Tyranids a singular consciousness guiding truly massive amounts of monsters, coordinated with its synapse creatures. The issue shows off a selection of Tyranid synapse creatures, from the Neurotyrant, Tervigon, and Tyranid Warrior. There’s also a picture of a Malceptor versus a Space Wolves Terminator Librarian. And I have to admit, the Space Wolves rendition of the Terminator Librarian is 1) cool and 2) Issue 9’s model. Hmmm.
Hobby Materials
This issue comes with two sprues of the Leviathan Termagants. This enables one to build a Ripper Swarm and six Termagants. Notable, this issue does not come with any bases: all of these (as well as the missing Termagant sprue) are in Issue 8. I was actually surprised by this: I was expecting Issue 7 to come with 10 Termagants + Ripper Swarm, and Issue 8 to come with 10 Termagants + a Ripper Swarm. Only having to build and paint 10 Termagants in May is thus a welcome relief and gives me the opportunity to paint more Space Wolves. Don’t get me wrong, I’m having a blast painting my Tyranids, but with the imminent arrival of the Space Wolves refresh I have Anti-Tank to add to my Sons of Russ. Amongst other things.
Gaming Materials
This issue comes with GW’s clear plastic 12 inch ruler. There’s a reason for it: We are finally using data sheets for this issue’s gaming materials!
This issue introduces movement range and shooting. Instead of being directed to move a unit through a certain number of squares or being set up in engagement range, this time the reader is directed to the datacard for the units to calculate their movement and attacks.
For movement, the issue explains how movement works and how unit coherency works (along with helpful illustrations and diagrams). The issue also explains the limitations on movement: you cannot move through engagement range or through solid terrain pieces. The issue also teases engagement range, but promises we will get to it next issue.
The game also explains weapon ranges, threat ranges (movement + weapon distance), and line of sight.
The gaming scenario for Issue #7 is “Waking the Swarm”, where five Infernus Marines challenge five Barbgaunts in a Hive Cluster represented by two of the Tyranid Terrain Cards. These terrain cards are line of sight blocking. With my recently finished Barbgaunts, I pitted them against my Ultramarines Infernus Squad.
Turn 1: the Infernus Marines are trying to run behind the terrain to avoid the Barbgaunts. Armed with 12 inch Pyreblasters, the Marines cannot attack this turn. However, there’s too big a gap between the terrain cards so a few Barbgaunts are going to get a shot at the Marines. Three of my Barbgaunts managed to get off 12 shots. Normally they would hit on 4s, but because the Barbgaunts do not move in this scenario, they’re hitting on 3s. A total of 10 shots hit, of which eight wounded. The Marines, however, rolled really well on their saves and took no wounds.
Turn 2: The Marines were disrupted, but still able to get behind the terrain card to be out of line of sight for any Tyranid weapons.
Turn 3: The Marines leapt forward from behind the Tyranid hive cluster, and fired. 19 auto-hitting shots yielded 12 wounds. The Tyranids were able to save seven of them, but two Barbgaunts were incinerated while one was left at half-strength. The Tyranids fired back, but even with 12 shots they were only able to score two wounds on the Marines (which saved both).
Turn 4: The Marines unleashed a torrent of Thrice-Blessed Prometheum against the Tyranids, wounding with 16 out of 25 shots. The Barbgaunts were thus unceremoniously incinerated.
With boots, blades, and purging flame, the Infernus Squad finish off the Barbgaunts. They now turn their attention to the bulging sacs in which swarms of Termagants are being bred. If the Astartes can destroy these, perhaps they can save themselves from being completely overwhelmed by the swarm.
Final Thoughts
The highlight of this issue was the short story with Captain Fabian, who is an Ultramarines character without a dedicated model (2) and does not get the same focus as Severus Agemman, Sevastus Acheran, Cato Sicarius, or Uriel Ventris. The play scenario was fun, though the terrain cards were not adept at really showing off the use of line of sight blocking terrain. The play scenario also did not call for us to build and paint the Termagants all this week, which is how I originally thought the issue would play out. The Termagants, because you cannot base them with this issue alone or field a full unit of them alone, feel kind of weird. My thought was that we would have gotten all 20 Termagants in Issues 7 and 8, instead of being spread out over a total of four issues.
Until next week, Combat Patroleers, when we get to build and play with all these Termagants!
(1) Aka the number of models in the Space Marine Combat Patrol.
(2) Agemman’s model is the Leviathan Terminator Captain, whose Joytoy rendition is specifically marketed as Agemman. Acheran’s model is the Phobos Captain.
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