Imperial Vox Cast

From the Librarium Omnis:
How the Imperial Guard Eat Some Bugs

Hill 98-B

by Klarkash-Ton
“Cover!” Second Lieutenant Wilmot shouted before quickly ducking back beneath the top of the earthworks, as his platoon’s position was once again strafed with tiny, ravenous beetles.  As soon as the sickening, wet crunches of the impacts had stopped, Wilmot was back up. “Fire, now!  Before they make another pass!”  The remnants of Wilmot’s platoon responded with commendable swiftness to the order, and las-fire leapt towards the wheeling Gargoyles.  The Lieutenant cursed under his breath as he saw how few of the shots managed to connect with the devilishly quick creatures.  Immediately, Wilmot ordered, “Volley fire!  Don’t let up!”  He allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction at how quickly his men shifted from the disorganized fire they had been issuing, to disciplined, controlled fire.  The smile was short-lived, though, as Wilmot saw the two remaining Shrikes emerge from the cloud of Gargoyles, leveling the barrels (if such a term could be applied to such grotesque creations) of their weapons at the trenches where Wilmot’s men were positioned.

Suddenly, a brilliant, ruby beam lanced directly into the center of one of the Shrikes, boring a hole straight through it.  Simultaneously, a pair of rockets corkscrewed toward the other.  It managed to dodge the first of the Krak missiles, but the second struck home, obliterating the abomination.  With the destruction of the last two Shrikes, Wilmot’s riflemen made short work of the remaining Gargoyles, hanging idly in the air, deprived of purpose.
The victory did not grant them any reprieve, as a chorus of screeching, howling noise alerted the platoon to the approach of another wave of Termagants surging toward their position.  Wilmot quickly began issuing new orders.  “Firing positions!  Open up as soon as they’re within range!  Maintain volley fire discipline!”  As his men took up their positions against the wall of the trench and repositioned heavy weapons to target these new threats, Wilmot spared a glance back towards the center of the redoubt, allowing himself to draw strength from the sight of the Praetorian 72nd’s standard, flapping fitfully from atop the redoubt’s central bunker.  Distantly, he heard the thunderous report of tank fire, drawing no small amount of strength from that, either.  They were weathering the attack, and Wilmot felt that there was no foe capable of maintaining an assault of the intensity they were being subjected to for much longer.  They just had to hold on.

The Lieutenant turned back around just in time to see the Heavy Bolters and Missile Launchers tear into the forward ranks of the oncoming horde.  Chitinous bodies burst apart, but more surged onward.  As volleys of precise las-fire leapt from the trenches, Wilmot gritted his teeth, aiming his pistol and waiting for the beasts to come within range.  The weight of the Plasma Pistol was still unfamiliar to him; the weapon had been issued to him only days ago.  At the orders of ‘advisors’–those who had seen them swore them to be Astartes–who had arrived on the heels of the 72nd’s orders to garrison the Hill 98-b redoubt and prepare to repel a Tyranid invasion, much equipment had been shuffled around and newly issued.  The Plasma Pistol, he was told, would prove useful should any of the larger Tyranid bio-forms reach the Praetorian lines.

Wilmot had just fired his first shot into the Termagants when he saw two massive forms emerge from within their ranks.  The bloated aberrations were perched atop six segmented legs, and from both issued a stream of Termagants.  “Lascannons and Krak missiles on the new targets!” he yelled, though he knew that at this range, even such powerful weapons as those would take time to fell the creatures.  And time was something the Praetorians did not have.

Before he could grab the Vox-caster to request aid, Wilmot heard the rumble behind him.  He turned to see a pair of Battle Tanks move into position behind his platoon’s trenches and take aim at the Tervigons.  Their first salvo crippled one of the things, knocking it to the ground where a pair of Krak missiles finished it off.  However, before the tanks could target the second Tervigon, a cluster of Warrior xenoforms emerged from a small copse of trees on the far flank of the line and opened fire on the tanks.  The majority of the caustic bile that struck home did little more than fizzle against the tanks’ thick armor, but enough damage was being done to prevent the crews inside from being able to fire.    Wilmot feared the tanks would withdraw before the second Tervigon was felled, but a sudden explosion drew his attention.  A conflagration of fire erupted where the Warriors had been, silencing their fire, and Wilmot caught a glimpse of a small, dark figure darting away from the now incinerated Xenos corpses.  Corporal Hyram, to Wilmot’s left, noticed it too.  “Must be that Catachan specialist they brought in.”

With the Warriors silenced, the tanks made quick work of the remaining Tervigon before moving off to wherever their firepower was needed next.  The fury of the assault on their position momentarily slackened, Wilmot’s platoon quickly started changing out ammunition and patching up the wounded.  The Lieutenant allowed himself a long, deep breath.  Just as he finished, however, he was thrown from his feet.

Behind the trench line, a serpentine creature had burst forth from the ground and now towered over the earthworks.  It let loose a terrible keening from its gaping maw as electricity crackled over its body before arcing out, incinerating guardsmen all around.  Scattered las-fire struck the beast, but it was too powerful to be bothered by such weapons.  Wilmot had just retrieved the Plasma Pistol he had dropped during his fall, when he heard the familiar engine drone of a Chimera.  Looking up, he saw one of 6th Platoon’s Chimeras, held back as a mobile reserve, pull up alongside the Trygon.  Its top-hatch burst open and the Guardsmen within emerged, unloading their Plasma Guns into the beast.  Though they wounded the creature deeply several times, the men were not quick enough to bring the beast down.  With a single strike, the Trygon ripped the Chimeras in two, the ensuing explosion no doubt killing the soldiers inside.  Wilmot cursed again before bringing up his pistol and firing a blast of super-heated plasma that finally dropped the beast, though its thunderous fall almost succeeded in knocking him off his feet for a second time.

Wilmot had already begun issuing orders for his men to form back up within their entrenchments before he was able to survey the area before him.  He starred in horror as he saw a veritable carpet of Hormagaunts bounding at him over the rolling savannah.  Worse yet, interspersed within them, Wilmot could see the terrible claws of Genestealers and long, sword-like projections in the hands of Warriors.  The Trygon had distracted Wilmot and his men long enough for this tide of death to close.  Now, there was no way they’d have the time to mass enough fire to halt the advance.  Swallowing hard, Wilmot had only begun to issue orders to attack, preparing to sell the lives of his men dearly, when he heard a great, deafening roaring from his flank.  He turned to see a Bane Wolf leading a pair of Hellhounds into the onrushing horde, spraying death as they went.  The Bane Wolf spit some sort of acidic substance that seemed to melt anything it touched, while the Hellhounds incinerated all that was before them.

Feeling the confidence surging back into his men, the Lieutenant quickly ordered them to fire at the Hormagaunts and Genestealers that were making their way past the vehicles. Wilmot allowed himself a tight smile, feeling that his men just might make it through this assault after all.  Then, there was a terrible sound of tearing metal and the Bane Wolf suddenly burst apart in a spray of sickly, green liquid.  Emerging from the wreckage was a hulking, massive Tyranid form, bearing multiple sets of wickedly curved bony blade-limbs.  The first of the Hellhounds let loose a gout of flame, but the towering Carnifex appeared not to even notice as it proceeded to rip the flame tank apart.  The second Hellhound attempted to maneuver around the wreckage, looking for a clear shot, but with an unwholesome screech the monstrosity belched forth a glob of glowing liquid that slammed into the remaining tank, stopping it in its tracks, where the remaining Hormagaunts made quick work of its crew.

Wilmot resisted the urge to flee as the hulking Carnifex turned toward the redoubt and his platoon’s lines.   Once more, his men drew up into lines and began firing at the oncoming tide of beasts, but they had little left that could stop a creature like the Carnifex.  Wilmot allowed himself to recall a fond memory of his home on Praetoria as he prepared for the end, when the form of a Valkyrie flew overtop of him, towards the Carnifex.  Its missile pods let loose a shrieking volley, and explosions catapulted pieces of Tyranids high into the air, as a team of Veterans armed with Meltaguns and other specialized equipment slid down from the Valkyrie on drop-lines.  Before the Tyranids had recovered from the volley of rockets, a Demolitions charge went off, wounding the Carnifex and taking out more of the lesser xenoforms around him.  Then, the Meltaguns fired and the great beast collapsed.  However, before the Veterans could turn their weapons to new targets, a swarm of Genestealers was upon them.  Wilmot watched in horror as the soldiers were torn limb from limb in a frenzy scarcely imaginable.

In an attempt to ensure that its cargo had not died in vain, the Valkyrie let fly with its rockets one more time, churning up the mass of ’Stealers before it propelled itself away, back toward the redoubt.  Wilmot and his men braced themselves for a renewed charge, then they realized that the few remaining Tyranids were falling back, disappearing from sight.  After a few moments’ stunned silence, cheers erupted throughout the redoubt, as Guardsmen rejoiced in their survival.  Wilmot looked over the remnants of his platoon, smiling with pride in their performance.

It was unclear who first noticed it, but quickly all eyes within the redoubt were turned toward the sky.  There, silhouetted against the sun, hundreds, if not thousands of dark, pod-like shapes were descending through the atmosphere, blackening the sky.  A hush fell over the men as they realized that the invasion had only just begun.

‘Nid Crunchin’

by Luckee

Tyranids are the big nasty out right now and everyone screams cheese, be it at a Gaunt spawning MC or an HQ unit that can walk across the field before feeling a bit of reprisal.  The Guard, however, find themselves fortuitously placed at a junction between expendability and volume of fire that can reduce those bugs to steaming slag.  In past editions, the Guard had been trounced by these skittering scourges, and many fluff stories tell of the guard being overwhelmed by a wave of mutilation. The few victories eked out were miracles, but these days the miracle is the Armageddon pattern, 19 megathule, box-load miracle; and a well-placed order with some guts behind it.

The biggest issue that Guard players will have is target priority, that is, finding the bugs that can hurt your objectives the most while minimizing the impact of the horde in general.  To that end, we have three simple classifications designed to identify the most immediate threats and target them with the most effective firepower.

First are the Alpha threats.  These bugs are T6 and have a lot of wounds.  Most will be synapse, but there are exceptions, such as the formerly lauded Carnifex. These bugs hit the hardest, carry the biggest guns, and are likely providing guidance to the lesser creatures.  But they still go down to massed heavy firepower.  Try to use weapons that negate their impressive armor save but that also bring volume of fire.   Focusing on them early pays off later in the game and costs your opponent a lot of points. Dust off the Plasma Guns and “Bring it down!”

Next are the Beta threats.  These bugs are T4 and T5, but still have a lot of wounds.  Warriors and Lictors are prime examples.  These bugs can still take down a normal squad or even your commander and retinue, if given the chance.  They can have quite a bit of firepower and some can fly.  Most aren’t monstrous creatures and can claim cover from their mindless charges.  However, all of these creatures can be killed in one shot by high-strength weapons.  Tanks and artillery are your best bets for quickly eliminating the threat. But keep in mind that enemies that are closer, like the insidious Lictor, are more likely to be threats to your volume of fire than warriors who are walking across the board.  Meltaguns and Krak Missiles will keep the close in enemies at bay while the artillery continues to pummel the oncoming masses.

Last, but certainly not least, are the Omega Threats.  These are the wall of bugs.  T3-T4, anything that comes at you in a solid wave is in this category. Termagants, Hormagaunts, and Genestealers are excellent examples and operate in a similar manner: rush forward and engage.  Templates and good old fashion “first rank fire, second rank fire” will win the day against these.  Make sure to keep your distance during your turn.  Hormagaunts and termagants may not destroy a squad completely.  It’s more effective to fall back and not fire one heavy weapon than to have the Tyranids get into close combat and consolidate even closer.

Now that we’ve classified the Tyranids, let’s look at the potential strategies we can use against them.  First off is synapse.  The less intelligent of the broods, Termagants, Hormagaunts, Carnifexes, etc. are bound by two different rules when out of synapse range.

First, the Hormagaunts and Carnifexes are subject to Feed; they rush forward and attack whatever is closest to them until the hive can regain control.  Unfortunately you’ll find that this is the most likely of things the bugs will have been doing anyway, so by and large, these bugs must be defeated by gunning ‘em down.  Carnifexes will always be a threat this way but Hormagaunts can be tied up in useless assaults against vehicles.  Keep in mind, these creatures are likely more of a threat than the forces who are minding them.

Termagants, on the other hand, are subject to Lurk.  They shoot whatever is closest or, barring that, they move toward the nearest cover.  The Termagants’ primary weapon, however, has an incredibly short range; thus, denying them synapse is a potent way of neutralizing that threat. to deal with it later.  Or just drive up a tank and listen to the gentle patter of flesh-eating bugs against the hull.  That will be easier said than done.  The most common minder for Termagants is likely to be the Tervigon.  This Alpha synapse creature can make more of its lesser brethren, pooling them around him.  It is still a monstrous creature and can be singled out and cannot benefit from the Termagants cover.  Large pie plates from tanks and artillery have a potent effect, and even when they scatter they’re likely to crush some Gaunts.  Focus your big guns here and save the squads’ fire for Genestealers and Hormagaunts.

Now we come to their deep strikers.  These new additions to the codex add another front against which the Guard will have to defend.  There’s nothing more intimidating than a Trygon surfacing amongst your ranks.  However, most of these creatures are left out in the open for a turn before they can bring their full weight to bear.  Plasma Gun-wielding veterans have a 12″ range, +6″ of movment, on their rapid firing and hopefully twin-linked shots; two such squads working in concert will make quick work of the beasts, but remember your orders: “Bring it down!”  Once the beast has been felled, quickly move units into the area the creature emerged from and plug up the hole.  This is especially true for the Mawloc; keep it from repeatedly using its opening attack and hitting your units at will.  Running a unit and sacrificing a turn of shooting will be more beneficial than having to use those same guardsmen to shoot the Hormagaunts that appeared in the middle of your lines.

Next is the Tyranids’ low volume of ranged anti-vehicle fire.  Hive Guard, Tyranofexes, and Zoanthropes will be the biggest threats, but they are costly units and will have difficulty dealing with multiple tanks early in the game.  Do not be distracted, though; these bugs have less ability to influence the game later on than the Hive Tyrant rushing towards you.  The Hive Tyrant can crush tanks and obliterate squads of scoring units, whereas the gun bugs fire too slowly to seriously impede objective claiming.  Focus on the immediate threats and keep your forces out of the assault.

What the bugs lack in ranged power is made up for entirely in the assault.  Do not let these creatures strike you.  Keep Chimeras and Hellhounds forward to run interference for your battle tanks.  An immobilized vehicle is dead, but a Hellhound can stay effective while being hit only on a six and a Chimera can pour withering fire while being hit on a four plus.  Use your infantry squads to screen your tanks and artillery from monstrous creatures and use a skirmish line to slow and whittle at the Omega threats before withdrawing into the protection of your mainline.

Fighting Tyranids has always been a lesson in taking casualties, and now is not the time to shirk in the line of duty.  Remember that your army will always be able to out-shoot the bugs.  They have a Str10 lance; we have a dozen large blasts.  They have 20 scything talon Genestealers; we have a half dozen squads to tie up their advance.  Using a flexible and mobile force, the Guard player armed with high strength weapons, volume of fire, and a few orders will tear through Tyranids and reclaim our honor against this plague.

• While this article is geared towards guard dealing with bugs, much of the advice could be taken and used for any given army with a few tweaks in the advice.  Please join us in the forums and help the remembrancers with their search for knowledge.