Wednesday 5 October 2011

The Trouble With Tyranids

Ripper Swarm attack

I'm not going to go into competitiveness or points values or that FAQ or any of that, I'm just going to talk about the two issues that I have with the current Tyranid Codex...

Where are the models?

She's a model and she's looking good

I know that, by all accounts, GW are having some legal issues which are preventing them from releasing the Tervigon at the minute but that doesn't take away from the fact it should have shipped with the codex in the first place! And it wasn't just the Tervigon, it was all of the new, interesting units in the codex - the Harpy, the Tyrannofex. I know that I moan about the wait for Thunderwolves but at least you can put together a good Space Wolf army without them. The Harpy and the Tyronnofex supply most of the long range shooting in the 'dex! Yes, you can still create an effective list without the unavailable models but it's really cutting down on your toolbox. Plus there's the danger that all of those guys have painstakingly modelled their own or paid for 3rd party kits might have to buy the units all over again when they finally do come out.

But I want to do this!

Please, please, please let me get what I want

In my mind a Tyranid army is a massive horde of little bugs who swarm over you before you have a chance to shoot them all. They clog up bigger guns and overwhelm defenders. I'm talking so many creatures that you run out of bullets before you stop them all. Unfortunately this isn't an option in 40K. To get the maximum sized horde, everything should be cheap but you can't hurt tanks unless you start upgrading with Toxin Sacs and even then you've got no chance against something like a Land Raider. It's not just this kind of list either. Why can't you make a flying list? If I take a Winged Hive Tyrant, why don't Shrikes become Troops. And Genestealers! Yep, it was pretty cool that Broodlords became upgrade characters (no singling me out with your Power Fist now!) but they could have brought back something like the Patriarch as a HQ so that you could run a full 'stealer list.

And relax. Are you still waiting for The Doom of Malanti? Wish that Old One Eye made Carnifexes troops?

2 comments:

  1. Why can't you run a full 'stealer list? They're troops right? Or do you mean you want a genestealer style HQ choice?

    To me the main problem with the lack of models is that the parts to do your conversions are rare. Scott wanted to make a swarmlord but you need 4 boneswords and you get 1 per tyrant!

    The lack of models isn't really the issue though. The issue is the prevelance of S8. If it's AP3 then your big guys take several wounds per turn. If it's the littler guys they suffer instant death. Yes the venomthrope gives you a cover save but he too dies pretty easily to krak missiles.

    When you actually get into combat tyranids are pretty deadly (particularly with toxin sacs). Unfortunately, the current meta involves a LOT of shooting so they struggle to make it to the enemy.

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  2. I meant some kind of 'stealer HQ. Oh, and some sort of half human/half Genestealer guys who can carry guns...

    There's definitely an issue with the lack of 2+ saves especially when it's so hard to get cover for MCs...

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