[Tactica: Army Overview & Tyranid HQs]

[Nanolathe]

==Tactica: Army Overview & Tyranid HQs==

In this Tactica I'm going to be telling you how to play with "The Great Devourer" (Tyranids). To explain "The Great Devourer", and exactly what to do with them there are a few ground rules that you should keep in mind while playing.

As "The Great Devourer" you're more than likely to have a lot of bodies at your command. Much like Imperial Guard, you're going to have the luxury of being able to throw your weight around a bit and think on the big scale war, rather than the level of individuals and small squads, as some Space Marine and Eldar armies are forced to.

Let me say here and now that, after 1 and a half years of playing as an agent of "The Great Devourer" and over 50 games under my belt with them, I Never Once lost a battle. Now, before you cry out "Bunk!", that is not a lie... I really did win (unbeaten) that many times. Eventually some GW staff and all my fellow Vets refused to play my Tyranid army... forcing me to shelve it

Still, there were many times when I could have lost, but pure bloody mindedness and the will to let non-critical troops (such as Termagants) die in droves if it got my Genestealers 6" closer was what, and all I needed to slap my opponent sideways every time.

This Tactica is going to go a little deeper than just Tyranids vs [other race here]. Some of the secrets I will share will be infinitely useful whatever army you field, but some tactics only work with the 'Space Dinosaurs', 'Bugs' or whatever else you may call "The Great Devourer"

A run down of the main points that you, as an agent of "The Great Devourer" and indeed the enemy of one, need to know.

==Synapse==
A simple way to explain Synapse is to think of it as a sort of 'command influence'. Each of your little Tyranids has almost no individual brain at all. The complex strategies, the amazing manoeuvres, a whole planet wide invasion... all of it is orchestrated with commands from upon high. The Hive mind pushes every single creature in the Tyranid army forward with a relentless mental lash.

The practical upshot of all that is that each "Synapse Creature" gains 3 major advantages:

1. The creature is totally immune from the effects of instant death, be it Tau Rail cannon, Demolisher shell or Eldar Wraithcannon; every single hit will only take a single wound from your Synapse Creature.
2. The creature automatically passes any leadership-based test, except for target selection and Psychic Tests. Your units are fearless, automatically regroup and can never be pinned.
3. These effects are bathed upon any other Tyranid within range, using the Synapse Creatures as the emanating point.

With these fantastic advantages comes the downside. Step but one hoof or claw outside this range and your well disciplined army falls into an animalistic state. You can still have minor control if you can pass a leadership test, but otherwise you are forced to stay put and wait until some friendly Synapse happens to flow into their brains. (Actually the whole squad needs to be completely outside the Synapse range, but lets not get bogged down in the semantics shall we )

==Death==
You are going to lose models. No ifs no buts... Tyranids have among their numbers some of the weakest (toughness wise) models around and nothing with only one wound will ever get a save much better than 4+. Anything with an AP value is painful and if you've been used to playing Ultra Smurfs get ready to be rolling a lot less armour saves unless you're fighting an infantry heavy IG army equipped with only "Flashlights of Doom".

So, how do you counter this fact? Well there are two schools of thought that I will walk you through at the end of this Tactica. Until that time have a quick think yourself about how you could minimise losses. Yes you are going to lose troops, but try not to do so just because; make their death count for something.

==Terror Tactics==
People are scared of "The Great Devourer". When you put the first of your Genestealers on the table, a Flying Tyrant or even a Carnifex, people start to worry. Even us tough grizzled Vets don't like seeing Tyranids, we just can't cope very well with an army so intent on removing every last one of our models from the board by vicious disembowelment. Use that terror. Everyone has heard the harrowing tales about Genestealer charges, and to stop that terror from happening we overcompensate and target the 'Stealers ignoring what we see as "the lesser threat" of a pack of Hormagaunt.

Put a big Carnifex on one side of the board and notice how your opponent instantly fields some heavy weapons to counter him. Use that knowledge! Put out "decoy" units, ones that are in your list for only one reason; to make your opponent forget about the other things in your list. Tell your opponent that you're setting up a Lictor Brood, and watch how EVERY squad suddenly isn't sitting in cover any more. A Genestealer Brood will instantly be targeted or moved against by practically his whole army, make him change his battle plan on every turn. Pull back with one threat but then show him another. Talk to him, tell him about past massacre your 'Stealers have committed, remind him that for the past years your 'Stealers have been raping, yes Raping civilians JUST to bring the full might of this army to the planet. Tell him every last detail of the power of your Flying Tyrant. Tell him about your deep striking Ravenours. Tell him that, on a good roll, your Hormagaunt Broods are going to be hitting his front line on turn two. Tell him everything... and watch him make the mistakes you want him to make.

There is a grim satisfaction when he piles his entire force back into his Carry Case and you know that he could have easily beaten you if he had simply not panicked.

On to the Army itself!

==HQ==
Hive Tyrant
This is the epitome of "The Great Devourer". This is one of the biggest and most beautiful creatures ever birthed by the Norn Queens. A fully-grown Hive Tyrant can stand over 5 metres tall and be armed with some of the most wicked weaponry in the galaxy. Using his own teeth and claws he makes a mockery of armour, be it Infantry or Mechanised. Using Symbiotic weaponry his power can stretch beyond his reach and deal death from halfway across the battle field.

Tyranid Hive Tyrants will be in your army nine times out of ten, they are just too powerful to miss out on. There are many ways to equip such a behemoth; your armoury is extensive. I'm going to give you the three most commonly fielded Tyrants and what you should be doing with each.
Flyrant
Death comes on giant leathery wings.
This is what people are scared of when a Tyrant is put on the field. A Tyrant with the power of flight and kitted up to deal death at extremely close range or close combat. Two pairs of Scything Talons, Adrenal Glands (Initiative) and Wings are the bare bones of most Flyrants. Adding Warp Blast will allow the quick smushing of MEQs and even tanks at range. An Extended Carapace will help with armour saves but LasCannons and their ilk will always be causing you hurt, so avoid them if you can; find a hill or tall forest to hide behind or you’ll be loosing wounds that you might just need if you spot a character you want to kill. Of course arming it with 2 short range twin-linked Devourers is also an option, but you’ll want to ditch the adrenal glands in favour of toxin sacks to boost the damage up to levels that will terrify MEQ. Add that to a flying base creature, that is tough enough to withstand high amounts of punishment, and a whole army will quake before a Flyrants wrath.
Dakka Tyrant
Death comes by way of hundreds of maggots.
A Devourer holds within its conical lump of a barrel, thousands of tiny worm-like creatures. When fired at an enemy they bore deep inside him… and eat him from the inside out. Toxin Sacks, enhanced senses and 2 short range twin-linked Devourers added to a Tyrant will make him stride forward pouring a violent and disgusting death upon those who would stand in his way. 12 strength 5 shots that re-roll failed hits and wounds will cause fear in any Ultra Smurf commander.
Long Range Tyrant
Claws, Giant killer plants and Acid? Oh my!
A Barbed Strangler and a Venom Cannon is the order of the day for this Tyrant. With a large blast template and a 3 shots worth of acid spitting cannon, things better move into cover if they want to live. Toxin sacks are a must of this guy, as are enhanced senses. Even a tank is no refuge as the venom cannon, although only glancing hits can be scored, can still cause a tank infinite amounts of annoyance at the very least. Get close enough and tipping the tank over with the Tyrants inhuman strength becomes a reality. Both the Dakka Tyrant and the Long Range Tyrant, on the whole, should avoid close combat however as they just can’t pull off enough attacks to kill things quickly enough.

The Dakka Tyrant and the Long Range Tyrant are crowd control at short and long range respectively range. The Flyrant is a lone hunter and will want to be ripping apart high point cost, low protection troops and tanks. Beware of units with ‘hidden power fists’ and the like. The Tyrant alone is not strong enough to wipe out a squad sporting either bulk numbers or adequate defences; they are after all a ‘character’ so ‘Character Killers’ are going to hurt you (even more so since the only invulnerable save you can get… and I advise you don’t, is 6+)

Tyrants can be both cheap and expensive, the cheapest being only 89pts for something that’s still scary and formidable for the point cost. The more expensive variety can go into the hundreds, but will rarely dip into the 200+ mark; with no reliable inv save you just can’t afford it.

To round up a Tyrant I’ll say this: you want one. Synapse, Horror, a formidable stat-line and almost unbeatable crowd control (for both sides) added to his relative cheapness will make you wish that every character were like a Hive Tyrant.

Be aware that even though he’s strong and has many attacks… he still can’t kill things that quickly. DO NOT let him get tied up with GEQ (guardsmen equivalents). Charge the shooty targets, the ones that can’t fight back in CC or high point cost MEQs. Oh, and keep away from things that will kill you, like Terminators!

Tyrant Bodyguard
If you’re Tyrant is footslogging you’re allowed to give him 1-3 Tyrant guard; genetically engineered shields… with teeth! For less than 50pts you can give your Tyrant (effectively) 2 more wounds. Sound good? Downside? None… well you are a bigger target squad-size wise. That’s pretty much it; tough, strong and with some attacks of their own (which are rending)… what’s not to love? 3 Guard gives you 6 more wounds… amounting to a nice round 10 for your Tyrant.

…

O-w-c-h.

Genestealer Broodlord
Postulated to be the unholy combination of Tyranid and Space Marine DNA, a Broodlord stands taller than its brethren with a straighter back and powerful limbs. The culmination of several generations of a Genestealer infestation, a Broodlord rends his way through troops like they were butter, and his brood are never far behind. Having been on the planet for some time, Broodlords can work their way into forward positions, infiltrating the enemy’s ranks.

The dreaded turn one charge? Sorry everyone but there is no way to get into close combat on the first turn; first round maybe, if you have an enemy stupid enough to take first turn and walk TOWARDS your Broodlord, and if they do then they deserve to die.
The Broodlord ignores armour saves, rends, has a very high WS, can have the armour save of an Ultra Smurf and for a damn sight less than your Tyrant. Cons? He’s just not that good at taking punishment. Sure you can add a Genestealer brood as a retinue but because the Broodlord is so much bigger he can’t ‘fleet’, a major drawback.

All in all I would only take this guy if you’re planning on a pure Genestealer army, he’s just not as good at making his pts cost back as the Tyrant.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Nanolathe's Tyranid Tactica: Part 2, Elites, Troops and Fast Attack

[TheKiller333]

This makes me want to get a Tyranid army.. =]
+Rep for this awesome tactica. I don't play Tyranids, but I know people that do, and will find this useful.

[Nanolathe]

Thank you Killer. Even if you don't play a 'Nid army, take this to heart... Think of how you can use this to the 'Nid players disadvantage

[dagoose]

very well put. i use the same terror tactics on my normal opponents (csm or sm's), my favorite is to just take my lictors out of the case and set them in plain site when I'm not using them. put's him in the right mood

beers for you

[masterofweirdness]

A few points, mostly, all good stuff... but just a few points:

Originally Posted by Nanolathe

==Tactica: Army Overview & Tyranid HQs==

[*]The creature is totally immune from the effects of instant death, be it Tau Rail cannon, Demolisher shell or Eldar Wraithcannon; every single hit will only take a single wound from your Synapse Creature.

Not true. The codex errata says that it only effects Instant death when dealing with weapons that are twice the T of a model... so S9 weapons can still kill T4 models in one hit... but S8 weapons can't.

Genestealer Broodlord

The dreaded turn one charge? Sorry everyone but there is no way to get into close combat on the first turn; first round maybe, if you have an enemy stupid enough to take first turn and walk TOWARDS your Broodlord, and if they do then they deserve to die.

Actually, if the enemy deploys right at the edge of their deployment zone (up 12"), and you deploy behind a piece of cover (out of line of site) you can be 12" from an enemy unit. As a 'nid, you get 3D6 for cover and a 6" charge... thats a possible turn 1 assault.

Also, hormaguants have the range of 18+D6... thats a 1 in 6 chance that they will assault you on turn one.

So, the dreaded 1 turn charge is possible.

The Broodlord ignores armour saves, rends, has a very high WS, can have the armour save of an Ultra Smurf and for a damn sight less than your Tyrant. Cons? He’s just not that good at taking punishment. Sure you can add a Genestealer brood as a retinue but because the Broodlord is so much bigger he can’t ‘fleet’, a major drawback.

I would disgree with this. The Broodlord is a monster in CC... and cheaper than the tyrant. You can give him a 3+ armor save for only 10pts... and he's good to go. With I7 and S5 power AND rending attacks... he will own even a squad of 10 marines... simply with all his attacks. Giving him a few genestealers will assure that he will kill anything he comes across, ANYTHING... rending is quite nice... you know.

All in all I would only take this guy if you’re planning on a pure Genestealer army, he’s just not as good at making his pts cost back as the Tyrant.

Really? Sure, the broodlord will draw more fire... but you'll be either a) Dead or b) in the assault by your 2nd turn. If you're dead... that gives your other assault units (hormagaunts) time to assault (you can kill what you didn't shoot...) and if you're in the assault you are going to kill a lot of stuff...

Sure... broodlords might not be as useful against cheap horde armies, but against the more MEQesque armies, he is an amazing killer machine.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Next week look forward to a discussion of the Troops, Elites and Fast Attack choices in the Tyranid Army. A week later I'll slap a bow on the whole army by discussing Heavy Support and general army tactics

(University is making me work for once, so I can't complete this all right now. But I give you my word that next weeks instalment will be on time)[/quote]

[Nanolathe]

Sorry to bust your Bubble MoW but the infiltration rule says, and I quote:

Infiltrators may be set up anywhere on the table that is more than 12" away from an enemy unit, if no deployed unit can draw line of sight to them

Since infiltrators set up last there is no way you can be in close combat on the first turn.

Secondly I, being from the UK use the UK Errata which asks the question

Q. If a Tyranid Creature in synapse range is wounded with a weapon with a strength of more than double their toughness, do they suffer instant death or one wound?
A. They suffer only one wound... The rule should read:
"Tyranid Creatures within synapse range (including the creature itself) are not affected by the Instant Death Rule"
Source

If the US reads differently then you'll have to modify what I've said. But for us UKers, I'm in the right again, Sorry

Your point about Hormaguants is noted... but I haven't posted up that part of the Tactica yet... so you've sort of pre-empted me.
To be perfectly honest about it MoW I've used a Broodlord and, even though he never cost me the game... he didn't really win it for me either. A round of shooting can rip apart that precious squad and the presence of a Broodlord just makes it a juicer target. If you like him (and it sure is a nice model) I won't blame you for taking him. I just never found him worth taking when I could have a second Tyrant

[dagoose]

have to agree with ya nano. out o the many games ive played with my nids the broodlord has never done anything spectacular for me either, other than draw fire that is.

[Chaosrocks]

Great tactica Nano +rep. I'm gonna change my list now lol.

[JoeGuardsman]

That horrible interpretation where you can kill a Tyranid Warrior with a S9 weapon was in the US FAQ's for like a week. I'm very glad that they took that out. It was a silly RAW reading. I was dead positive that they were still effected by wraithcannons however because they are only immune to strength based instant death.

In a game where the deployment zones are separated by 24" and with infiltrators 12" away with no fleet ability you should never ever be able to assault. If you do you have no soul. Remember that being granted he could never shoot at you with 24" rapidfire weapons either. It doesn't matter that much because if you ever catch some one with that it's the last time you'll catch them with that. It's a fast learning experience.

I'm just saying that with measurements from people being much less than precise, you should never for the sake of sportsmanship exercise an assault that would hinge on less than a hair and theory. Unless of course you have no soul.

[masterofweirdness]

Originally Posted by JoeGuardsman

That horrible interpretation where you can kill a Tyranid Warrior with a S9 weapon was in the US FAQ's for like a week. I'm very glad that they took that out. It was a silly RAW reading. I was dead positive that they were still effected by wraithcannons however because they are only immune to strength based instant death.

In a game where the deployment zones are separated by 24" and with infiltrators 12" away with no fleet ability you should never ever be able to assault. If you do you have no soul. Remember that being granted he could never shoot at you with 24" rapidfire weapons either. It doesn't matter that much because if you ever catch some one with that it's the last time you'll catch them with that. It's a fast learning experience.

I'm just saying that with measurements from people being much less than precise, you should never for the sake of sportsmanship exercise an assault that would hinge on less than a hair and theory. Unless of course you have no soul.

I sold my soul a long time ago... sanity is for the weak you know.

But yes, I agree with you on that... its just wrong to assault on turn 1.

[dagoose]

accept with hormies and raveners..... the only thing that can kill them out right is a force weapon as it doesnt cause instant death, it just kills out right, it has its own speacial rule (have games workshop on speed dial). im pretty sure the wraith cannon says on it somewhere "instant death"

[Nanolathe]

Indeed it does. Check the Errata link I posted up: Errata
it deals with weapons like Wraithcannons specifically

[SteveBerenyi]

Indeed, +rep shows how i play my stealer brood to perfection!

[Word Bearer 81007]

i love the fact that you include the psycological factors of the angry bugs in you tatica i love it. but... you can't take extended carapace with wings. if you want a real armor save then you have to spend the points for warp field if you fly. and another thing i played my broodlord for a long time and i will admit for the points (broodlord+retinue) it would have been better to bring a hive tyrant considering the damage that each can do, but on the other hand the broodlord does cause half your opponents army to draw attention to him, and if they don't and let him run unchecked then he does tear through alot. i've killed a land raider, terminator or two win my opponent underestimates my brood lord. other than that keep writing can't wait to see the other tatics.

[Nanolathe]

Part two is up! Nanolathe's Tyranid Tactica: Part 2, Elites, Troops and Fast Attack

[Lord Commander Erus]

One of the most comprehensive and useful tactics I have the grace of reading, thanks!!!

[Nanolathe]

Thank you muchly for the complement and the Sticky there Erus.