Starting Tyranids

[spazmunke]

I already have a descent sized guard force with enough options to swap things out. So now I am looking to start a new army. As my current gaming group has Smurfs, Tau, Necrons, Chaos, and Orks, My IG of course, I will round out the armies with Tyranids. So where to start? I have heard people complain about the Tyranid army in a box, but is it still worth getting? And what would be a good initial investment?

[RedsandRoyals]

Genestealers! I still think they're the nastiest thing the Nids can take as troops, and they don't suffer from some of the issues as the rest of the small bugs (Need synapse, can't realy handle tanks at all). I also council a Hive Tyrant and a Trygon, as well as Mycetic Spores. I've seen people try to run classic nids (Gaunt Swarm shielding Fexes and Tyrants), and it has a very hard time against things like Mech IG or anything that can pack lots of Fire and Plasma. Outflanking and DS seems to be the way to go.

Reds

[spazmunke]

so reds, any chance on a quick rough list, and possible purchases?

[RedsandRoyals]

Sadly, not from me. My expereinces with Nids come from facing them across the table as opposed to playing them. I can only suggest a rough idea

-Hive Tyrant kit
-2 boxes of Genestealers
-Trygon kit

Best I can do, I'm afraid.

Reds

[ElegaicRequiem]

I'd suggest a unit of gargoyles or shrikes. All the 'nids units seem fairly cool to me, except all the HQs seem boring.

[spazmunke]

Well, when I start them, im just gonna look for fun, not to competitive.

So i was looking at a tyrant leading warriors with a bunch of smaller nasties running around.

[Ymmot (M.I.A)]

If that is what you want, start with the battleforce (or two!) and the tyrant, and a few tyrant guard.

More warriors would be good too.

[3ff3ct]

Great advice! Get a couple of battleforces and a tyrant. That'll get you off to a great start If you want a hand, PM me and i'll help you out, Nids are my other favorite army ;D

[WestRider]

The BattleForce is actually a better starting point now than it was last Edition. People are just bitter because it doesn't have a Fex in it any more, but you used to have to get two of them to get any decent sized Units, while just one of the new ones plus an HQ will get you a reasonably solid 600 or so Point Force.

The Tyrant is an OK HQ, but I've not been terribly impressed with him. He's good, it's just that he's so expensive that he really needs to be great to justify it. The Tyranid Prime on the other hand (No actual Model for it, convert from a Warrior), is great.

The Unit that I think is closest to a "must have" is the Hive Guard. I've used a Brood of three in every Game with the new Dex so far, and am planning on converting up another three at some point here. They're your answer for every Vehicle short of a Leman Russ.

The only Units I would definitely avoid at first are the Pyrovore and Lictor. They're both incredibly specialized, and only really useful in very narrow circumstances.

[3ff3ct]

Apr 3, 2010 2:59:20 GMT -5 WestRider said:

The Unit that I think is closest to a "must have" is the Hive Guard. I've used a Brood of three in every Game with the new Dex so far, and am planning on converting up another three at some point here. They're your answer for every Vehicle short of a Leman Russ.

Agreed. If you're playing against mechanised lists these guys are great. I think Zoans are a little more flexible due to their blast/lance though.

[WestRider]

Z-Thropes do have their place, but the small number of shots, combined with the extra hoop they have to jump through with the Psychic Test and the possibility of getting shut down by Enemy Anti-Psyker Units, has resulted in me finding the Hive Guard rather more reliable.

When the 'Thropes do work, stuff just dies, but they've fallen short on too many occasions for me, while my Hive Guard generally get something done every turn.

[spazmunke]

Thanks you all for your suggestions.