Friday, March 13, 2015

Tyranid Tweaks

As a new week comes to a close, I still don't have a copy of the Harlequin codex to review. I have been told the shipment bound for my FLGS is stuck in the snow somewhere where they get snow.
It's a nice 77 degrees here with a pleasant breeze coming from the ocean.

So, let's talk about the Tyranids a bit, shall we? I know the Tyranids are not "broken" still they play differently than they used to, and frankly differently than I and a few of my fellow Warlords want them to. One of the great things about having a, um, let's say, "mature" gaming group is the willingness to try things to make the game more enjoyable for all.

Here are a few easy rules tweaks we are playing with:

ALL monstrous creatures get Feel No Pain (5+).      
Far too many high AP weapons and other shooting shenanigans (I'm looking at you Eldar!)
The big ones just die too fast and easy nowadays. By giving them Feel No Pain it puts just enough uncertainty back into fighting them. We want the big adrenaline fueled monsters being driven on by the Hive Mind to feel more like it.

Fast and Deadly: Any unit with Fleet may run and charge in the same turn.
Remember when Genestealers were scary? Ravagers were worth their points? Hormagaunts bounded across the table? This works very well now to give a bit more balance back to a close combat army.

Hive Guard are BS:4 and WS:3.
Why the hell did this get changed from last Codex? The fluff on this is great, this unit lives to shoot, and has been made to do so.

And of course our Lictor changes.
Because Lictors should be fun.

And we are thinking letting the Trygon shoot OR assault the turn it arrives. We will have to playtest that one first. Should be interesting.

The Hive Mind Hungers
And Wants More Hand to Hand to Mandible


4 comments:

  1. So- winning las vegas open doesn't make you think there are viable builds for tyranids? It's a bit like Eldar re-writing howling banshees to be more effective because they don't like wave serpent heavy lists, me thinks
    http://bloodofkittens.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Sean-Nayden-1st-Best-Overall-Las-Vegas-Open-2105.pdf

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    1. It's not about "viable" builds, it's about having units act somewhat like their fluff says they should act. When something's described in the codex fluff as nigh-unstoppable and it's regularly killed by heavy bolters... there's a bit of a dichotomy there.

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    2. Umm, Howling Banshees DO need a fix. The fact that Wave Serpents are too-good doesn't somehow make Banshees useable.

      As for Tyranids, the winning Tyranid lists don't in any way resemble the army portrayed in the fluff, and its the fluff that sold us on the army.

      Are multi-Flyrant, Lictor spam lists good? Yes, yes they are. That doesn't help me play the sea-of-bodies backed up by foot-slogging, towering monstrosities from the fluff that I want to play.

      I want a hundred Gants/Gaunts on the board with Carnifex and Tyrannofex mountains rising in the middle. But that list sucks, so house rules for the fix.

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  2. I'm pretty sure I didn't say the Tyranids had no viable builds. We do not play in the WAAC scene. The list that won Vegas is total power gaming. If that is what you like, good for you.

    For us 40K is about fun and the flavor of the armies. It's why they are called house rules, nobody else has to like or use them.
    And yeah, I think the Banshees need a fix.

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