Playing Dice with the Universe

FLEE CITIZENS OF THE IMPERIUM BEFORE THE TERRIFYING mediocrity of the hive mind… Between 6th Edition rules and the new Codex Tyranids have not fared well 7th Edition may have cleared up some of the issues but I am not sure it does not just create others problems for Tyranids.  I agree with the designers that synapse should be important for the army however there is no way I am going to play a unit that will kill 40% of itself just because it does not have a big bug telling it what to do! Where does that leave us?  It seems like there is almost only one pick in each section worth taking; it might be possible to make the Prime-carifex blob or the triple Trygon list work but for the most part it is just the same as 4th edition take as many monstrous creatures as you can and add a few support units. 1500 points - Tyranids (6th Edition Nidzilla remix) 250 Hive Tyrant w/ Wings, 2x Brainleech Devs, Hive Commander 230 Hive Tyrant w/ Wings, 2x Brainleech Devs 120 Termag...

Well it has been a busy month for me. I failed my Uni course and spent a lot of time getting a job sorted. The good news is I have got one sorted and it starts next month. So I have few loose ends to tidy up before I start; one of which was doing the metrics for Kirby's Tyranid army... Kirby's 2k Tyranids 2x Prime w/LW, Bonesword, Toxin, Regen 2x3 Hive Guard 1x3 Zoanthrope 2x Tervgion w/Catalyst, Toxin, Adrenal, Cluster, Scything Talons 2x10 Termagant 2x4 Ravener w/Rending 2x T-Fex w/Rupture, Cluster, Dess Now Purgatus pointed out that working out dead Land Raiders with a 4+ to hit in melee was a bit misleading since they will always go fast to avoid melee damage. As such I have redone all the numbers for AV 14. APC's on the other hand will often stick at 6" movement since they still want to fire guns so I have left those numbers unchanged. So lets look at all the previous five lists again and add Kirby's too. List . DMS . . DMCC . . DR pG . . D...

Carrying on with looking at the 40k Metrics of different Tyranid lists this time we will analyses a couple of Fex-star builds. Lists and full numbers are below. For those adding up at home remember that the Genestealers melee damage against APC's is capped at 15. Carnifex scores have not been capped as some of it is from shooting. Two Fexstar's and Purgatus' T-fex/Prime Nidzilla comparison List . DMS . . DMCC . . DR pG . . DLR pG . Hulksmash 15.53 52.97 125.42 23.61 Ghostin 26.53 42.28 100.84 29.72 Purgatus 17.79 48.19 94.61 18.52 The Addition of the Zoantrhopes really helps to boost MEQ Shooting and Raider killing power but the list loses significant close combat potential. That said at over 40 it is still an amazing high figure contending with the Orks. Carnifex give us a much better Land Raider killing score than T-fex but are limited to only doing do in melee which means they will most likely have delivered their cargo. Working from just these numbers I would...

Nikephoros over on Bringer of Victory has posted up about 40k Metrics. His idea was to work out sum statistics for the whole army and see how that compared to other competitive armies. There were four scores he has been working out - DMS - Dead Marines in one shooting phase. DMCC - Dead Marines in one assault phase (assuming you charge) DRpG - Penetrating hits on Rhinos in five turns of shooting. DLRpG - Penetrating hits on Land Raiders in five turns of shooting. Those armies he looked at got scores in the following ranges. DMS = 19-22, DMCC 15-45, DRpG 60-82, DLRpG 17-34. As Kirby suggested I have added in the average Spawn of the Tervigon which does help to bolster the MEQ killing of the lists. Since we are generating numbers assuming best possible conditions all Gaunts are assumed to have Poison and Furious Charge from mummy. So lets see how the Tyranids compare... Nidzilla Unit . DMS . . DMCC . . DR pG . . DLR pG . Tyrant 2.5 3.7 17.92 3.47 Guard x3 0 3.56 5 0 Hi...

Game 21: 2000 Points vs Horde Orks Scenario - Seize Ground (Five objectives), Spearhead deployment So I am busy wrapping up pass the parcels and making party bags for my daughters third birthday so just a quick battle report about my monday night game against Horde Orks. I played a full drop pod army again so nothing arrive until the bottom of turn two. Tyranid Air Assault Hive Tyrant ( Old Adversary, Hive Commander, Wings, TL Devs x2 ) Zoanthropes x2 in Spore Pod w/ TL Deathspitter Zoanthropes x2 in Spore Pod w/ TL Deathspitter Deathleaper Termagants w/ Devourers x20 in Spore Pod w/ TL Deathspitter Mummy Tervigon (Toxic,Adreanl,Catalysis) [Outflanking] Broodlord (Toxic) & 6 Genestealers w/ Toxic Gargoyle Brood x15 w /AG,TS Carnifex with TL Devs x2, in Spore Pod with TL Deathspitter Carnifex with TL Devs x2, in Spore Pod with TL Deathspitter Horde Orks Ghazghkull Thraka Big Mek with Kustom Force Field Da Shoota Boys 3x30 Da Slugga Boys 2x20 Da Grots Da Sto...

Discussing Tyranids elsewhere I wanted to post a link to Jay Woodcock Adepticon list to show that you could do well with something other than Nidzilla. I then spent ten minutes trying to find it! Given that there were also a few other recent army ideas I wanted to be able to come back too I thought I would put them all in one place for reference. Tyranid armies fall into three flavours so I shall look at each in turn. Nidzilla - It is all about taking as many Monsters and Toughness 6 as you can fit in. Lists are build around 6-9 Hive Guard; 2 Tervigons and required Gaunts to make them score; Either a pair of Tyrannofex or 3 Trygons and some Venomthropes. It does not leave a lot of points for anything else. Swarm - The goal here is to have one hundred little bugs swarm the opponent and overwhelm them with more models than they can destroy. A couple of monsters are often included to give some support. Usually based around Genestealers but Gargoyles, Raveners and Hormagaunt...

Game 20: 1500 Points vs Space Wolves Scenario - Seize Ground (three objectives - moisture vaporators), Spearhead deployment I played a full drop pod army again so nothing arrive until the bottom of turn two. This gave the marines plenty of time to position themselves ready for the attack. They just did not know where it was going to come from... Tyranid Air Assault Hive Tyrant (Old Adversary, Hive Commander, Wings, TL Devs x2) Zoanthropes x2 in Spore Pod w/ TL Deathspitter Zoanthropes x2 in Spore Pod w/ TL Deathspitter Ymgarl Xenomorphs x7 Termagants w/ Devourers x20 in Spore Pod w/ TL Deathspitter Mummy Tervigon (Toxic,Adreanl,Catalysis) [Outflanking] Broodlord (Toxic) & 5 Genestealers w/ Toxic Gargoyle Brood x12 w /AG,TS Space Wolves ( not all gear listed ) Rune Priest Penda leading 8 Grey Hunters & Wolf Guard w/ Fist in Rhino Wolf Priest Tola leading 8 Grey Hunters & Wolf Guard w/ Fist in Rhino Five Long Fangs in Lazerback Rune Priest Ozur leading 4 Terminator...

I was asked what would happen if the Wolf Lord was with his unit when they were fighting the Xenomorphs. Now my first thought was that they would just get slaughtered. Since (when I started typing this) my daughter is just running up and down the room I thought I would roll some more dice... In the Green corner, weighing in at 426 points we have a Broodlord and 19 Genestealers all with sything Talons and toxic sacs. The Broodlord gives the bugs the chance to soak a few extra wounds before loosing combat efficiency and with higher strength he gets a re-roll to wound against the T-Wolves. He also has hypnotic gaze which help reduce incoming attacks. In the Red corner, weighting in at 440 points we have the same three Thunderwolf Cavalry now joined by a 230 points Lord. All decked out with magic necklace; shiny runic armour; Frost Blade; Mount; Storm Shield. He could take more bling but I do not think he need it. WS 6 makes it 4+ for the regular stealer to hurt him and Necklace...

I have quite enjoyed  Gmorts Sunday Smackdowns  where he has pitted one hero against another in single combat.  As I was discussing if  Thunderwolf Calvalry  could beat Genestealers I thought I would put it to the test in an actual battle.  After all rolling a few dice helps to distract me from the work I should be doing! In the Green corner, weighing in at 204 points we have twelve Genestealers with toxic sacs and rending claws.  Twice as many wounds as the cavalry and striking first they are going to need those rends to overwhelm the single Wolf Storm Shield. In the Red corner, weighting in at 210 points we have three Thunderwolf Cavalry with mixed weapons for wound allocation tricks.  #1 was a Thunder Hammer, #2 a Storm Shield and #3 a Pistol. Thunderwolfs have four attacks each with Rending and strength five. They are striking second but with two wounds each it is difficult for the genestealers to take any out in the first round...

Game 19: 1500 Points vs Ultramarines Scenario - Seize Ground, Spearhead deployment I played a full drop pod army so nothing arrive until the bottom of turn two. This gave the marines plenty of time to position themselves ready for the attack. They just did not know where it was going to come from... Tyranid Air Assault Hive Tyrant (Old Adversary, Hive Commander, Wings, TL Devs x2) Zoanthropes x2 in Spore Pod w/ TL Deathspitter Zoanthropes x2 in Spore Pod w/ TL Deathspitter Ymgarl Xenomorphs x8 Termagants w/ Devourers x20 in Spore Pod w/ TL Deathspitter Tervigon (Toxic,Adreanl,Catalysis,Talons) [Outflanking] Broodlord (Toxic,Talons) & 5 Genestealers w/ Toxic Gargoyle Brood x11 Ultramarine Chaplain Caecilius with Jump Pack Purpureus & Albus Tactical Squads with flamer, missile & power-gauntlets; Albus in a Rhino Plumbeus Devastator Squad with 4 Missiles Tripudio Assault Squad with Fist and two Flamers. Tempestas Terminator Squad with assault cannon & ...

I got to do a bit more work on my Parasite of Mortrax this weekend. I have added the rending claws and used a Hormagaunt's claw to make the tail spike for his implant attack.  Tail still needs a bit of work around the join.  Overall though I think it is looking quite good compared to the codex picture?  Of course the official picture does not even look like it has rending claws... Next up is my Hive Guard.  I love playing these guys; I think they are the best addition to the codex.  However while the models look lovely they are annoying to play.  The first bit of raised terrain and they tumble over. The only solution is to replace their Impaler Cannons with plastic guns.  I have ripped them off and used warrior Venom Cannons.  The new guns are going to need some more work to make them look less Venomy.  I think some flesh hooks to make spikes on the end will help them mimic the Impaler Cannon and I shall clip off of the spi...

There has been a lot of  recent   discussion about whether the current Tyranid Codex is better than the last one. Of course if you really want to have a look at how tyranids have morphed go read the second edition codex review. Tyranids do not seem to have made any real impact on the tournament scene. This is not helped by the fact that bugs struggle against Mech Guard and Rune Priest armies. The only list I see people still talking about is variations of Nidzilla. While this is not quite such a mono-build as last edition the real choice seems to between how many hive guard and Trygons or T-fex. I can understand why many dislike the codex. Carnifex & Tyrants are too expensive; Hormagaunts lost beast; many units lost fleet, move through cover & assault grenades. Added to which almost all the customisation of units has gone. Personally I think the gains outweighed the losses. Removal of grenades is an interesting, and I think appropriate, design choice. So...

Game Eighteen: 1500 Points vs Salamanders Hive Fleet Lyracian Junior Prime w/ Swords, Toxic, Deathspitter & Regen Hive Guard: 2 Broods x3 Zoanthropes x3 Mummy Tervigon w/ Catalysis, TS, AG, Talons Aunty Tervigon w/ Catalysis, TS, AG, Talons Termaguants: 2 Broods x10 Xenomorphs (Genestealers) x10 Tiny the Tyrannofex w/ Rupture Cannon, DL, CS Salamanders Last Stand Boiled Egg - Librarian Dallas and Beta Squads; Five Tacticals in Razorback Bread roll - Alpha-Gravis; Five Tacticals w/ Missile Launcher Bacon - Alpha-Pugnis; Five Man Tactical in Razorback w/ Flamer & Combi-flamer Pancakes - Gamma & Delta Squads; Five Tacticals in Razorback Maple Syrup - Epsilon Devestor Squad w/ Missiles Inedible Rock - Predators XXI & XIX w/ Hvy Bolter Sponsons Inedible Pebble - Two Typhoon Landspeeders Inedible Stones - Armitage & Steel; Two Rifleman Dreadnought Mission: Spearhead, Seize Ground (4 Objectives) File: 798553/excom  Date: 0736998.M41 Subject:...

Concept With the arrival of Mycetic spore pods in the Tyranid Codex it is now possible to field an all reserve army. Every unit has Deep Strike, outflanking or other non-standard methods so that nothing has to join the battlefield from your own table edge. Tactics Everything starts the game in reserves. The majority then arrived turn two with the aim of assaulting turn three. Therefore only giving the opponent a single turn of shooting before they are overwhelmed by all the threats. Core Units You need a Hive Tyrant with Wings, so he can Deep Strike, and Hive Commander for the bonus to reserves. Originally you wanted a pair however the official FAQ stopped Hive Commander stacking with itself so there is no point to a second Tyrant now. Our main anti-tank comes from Zoanthropes and the Spores they are travelling in. We also need some Gargoyles to act as a screening unit for the Tyrant. Two small units gives us some redundancy should one not arrive on time or die on impact...

I am a believer in recycling. It is good for the environment and O.K. for you. I apply the principles to my hobbies as well. When I stop playing one game I tend to sell off toys I will not be needing anyone and use the cash to invest in my new passion. Before Wizkids went bust I played a lot of Heroclix. Whilst the game has been re-released no one seems that interested in it any longer so I sold off my rare and powerful pieces and invested the cash into tanks for my Space Marines. Shopping around on ebay I get tanks for less than £10 each so I was able to get three Predators with just a single Batman figure. I also picked up some spare turrets, Rhinos and Las/Plas Razorbacks. New Biomass for the Hive Mind My friend is not impressed by this years Tyranid Codex, in fact he would rather play Necrons! He gave me about £150 of stuff for nothing, so I gave him some Space Marine tanks I did not want. I got a Hive Tyrant; Carnifex; 6 Warriors; Zoanthrope; a Score of Genestea...