What are the Tyranids? They don`t look like bugs at all!

[jus10 the angel]

Originally Posted by Cagarner

Genestealers are slightly different to other tyranid organisms. They are different in thier appearence, and their connection to the hive mind. Genestealers have the ability to be produced by other creatures. The spores that are released from myotic spores infest the air and water supplies, entering hosts. Once they enter their hosts, they alster the genetic code of the organism, so it eventually forms a Genestealer. This is also the explination of Genestealer cults, where people who are infested join together as they are consumed by the genestealer genes, and start to have the need to join with other of their kind. Genestealers are not directly linked to the Hive mind, but have their own Brood Telepathy. This allows them to function without the hive mind. Once the hive fleet reaches a planet, the genestealers seek to reconnect with the hive mind. Once this occurs, the hive mind directs them to the nearest digestion pool, which then allows the genes of the genestealer host to be absorbed into the hive mind.

yeah...thats because the genestealers were a seperate race from the tryanids back in the day. Thats what I heard anyway, back in Wh40k edition uno.

[Inquisitor Ralei]

That's an impressive list...So once you've finished your MRI course what'll be your next goal...
Global Domination???

It will lead to a better job as a Clinical MR Physicist for the NHS.

[Dan296]

back when nids were first thought of as a race (2nd edition i think. not the rouge trader days) nids werent unified visually. they were very mishmash. actually, the oldest model i have (older then i am actually) is an original tyranid warrior. pretty cool, but retarted looking. 3rd edition they tried to clean them up and make them look better as a race, which they did very well actually. my hive tyrant is a metal 3rd edition with the gigantic crest on its head.
the things that unify them-
the bony plates on their head, back, forearms and thighs
the guns and ammo feeds are all part of the nid
they all have hooves

[Wakim]

They are a distant relative of The Thing - bits and pieces of all kinds of living things but all working toghether, not like ol` Stitch, the zombie

[Dan296]

wait i thought stich was a goul.....hungry for brains....
(cause she has none o_O?)

but nids arent really made up of different parts, theyre all the same basic thing but they eat X and then make stuff based on how best they can kill X. if X has any useful parts then they synthisise them and stick them on an Xagaunt

[Ides]

But don't the genestealers reproduce similar to the Xenomorphs from Alien? At least that's what I've read anywho...

Also, they look more like the zerg (or do the zerg look more like them?) than any particular bug... The nearest analogy I can think of would be dinosaurs with mantis limbs.

[Dan296]

in rouge trader days (aka 1st edition) genestealers were a purely fluff race. like the Hrud or something. they reproduce by infecting an alien and that turns into a stealer. they dont infect it and then a stealer bursts out of them.

[Inquisitor Ralei]

I like the Hrud, especially their disection report and the fact that they are no longer regarded as "Space Skaven".

[Stubber]

That fluff gave rise to "Genestealer cult" armies in the distant past (second edition I think).
I would have liked to play an army of these guys. Does anyone have any experience in genstealer cults?

[Dan296]

ive seen an imperial guard army painted like a genestealer cult. the 'sanctioned psykers' were the magus of course =]
i have the chapter approved that has the genestealer cult rules on my computer stub. its really weird =]

[Stubber]

I kindda remember a pic i saw of a genestealer cult I saw when I first started 40k.

I'd say they resembled mutants from Eye of Terror except with the arms looking more nid-like than daemonic

[Cagarner]

Heres a picture of a cult army:


http://oz.games-workshop.com/games/4...unorthodox.htm

[TheKiller333]

Hehe, i have an original Genestealer. And i rather think the change was nesscesary :P

[Stubber]

Could you post a pic of this ye olde Genestealer?

I've only ever seen the old warriors and gargoyles.

[WNxHasoroth]

Well, Genestealers reproduce by the following:

Insert Proboscis into victim
An egg of some sort burrows into the victim
Victim is allowed to escape and reproduce.
The off-spring of the victims seem fine and are just like their parents but their genetic structure is changed so that when the original victims grand children are born, they resemble gene-stealers stuck inside a human body.
They then go about subverting the worlds government and make the world weak and open to alien invasion.

[Dan296]

heres the article on how the nids have changed over the years. theres a pic of the original stealer bout halfway down.

[Wakim]

Thanks for the link
And all the replys for that matter

So... genestealers were basicly Xenomorphs

[MarkedByChaos]

In an White Dwarf article (I am looking for the specific issue) just before the current codex was released they interviewed Phil Kelly and asked him many of the questions that have popped up in this thread (as soon as I find the issue I will update with it cause you all gotta read it).

his basic concept was not to make old models obsolete. the idea that they were still playable informed many of his decisions, they evolve with each "generation" rather than over a period of many thousands of years. the old Genestealer is an appropriate model, that was how its genetic make up adapted the Biological structure of the host species at that time.

he said that "bugs" is not an accurate word, but appropriate to the time and current influences within the race. he referred to the original "dinosaur-like" concept of the race as well.

the article was a really good one, he explained his "back to basics" approach and reinforced the fluff behind the army.

I think of Tyranids they way I think of Borg, they are just the biological equivalent. they consume everything the "host has to offer" and where appropriate and beneficial, they add to their own design. each Hive Fleet thus evolves separately from another, regionally they are consuming similar meals so they are adapting similarly to one another, but I imagine the Hive ships beyond the great void would look distinctively different. (perhaps more like the original models)
Also like the Borg, they don't necessarily serve a hive mind, they are a tiny component of the whole (only more like a cellular scale than the Borg's "components scale") cells die off, we don't communicate with our cells in any kind of conscience level so we don't necessarily know what it is doing but it isn't serving us, it is a part of us and it is doing its part to keep us going. some cells to communicate with us though, these are called nerves and the Tyranid equivalent would be Synapse (which just happens to be a nerve reference)

finally I would speculate that the term "Bug" being appropriate not accurate is a good thing for man kind and an intended term. it separates us, we are not thinking about the fact that Genestealers X, Y, and Z used to be John, Bob and Neal, that lived down the street from us. they are just bugs. bugs are easy to kill. bugs are not thinking creatures. i can not sympathize with a bug. bugs are not victims.
it becomes derogatory and when it does, it makes it easier to confront and kill. Eldar are thinking felling creatures and too often we sympathize with them, to often forces leave the Imperium of man to join what they "reason" is "a greater good," Chaos calls to us and in our weakness, we fall victim, don't you understand, it isn't our fault, could you please help me? I want to see the truth that you know... stab. a bug is a bug. no psychological bond there!

OK I have reached my time limit (I have tickets to see 300)

[Stubber]

Originally Posted by Dan296

heres the article on how the nids have changed over the years. theres a pic of the original stealer bout halfway down.

They're the origionals???
I have some of them!!

[NAVARRO]

well about tyranids theres lots of point of views and even if in last nid edition update the designers clearly called them space dinossaurs (maybe because vespids were in the pipeline by then) i think is a bit limitative define them just like that.
As for genestealers, most of their rich fluff heritage is lost as we see each new edition released... but still you can find most of it hidden in net catacombs...
have fun with this http://members.fortunecity.com/pango...nestealers.htm

as you guys can see its a lot more complex species than the one presented on codex.

My personal opinion about what tyranids are is quite simple; i see them as "mother nature", with that said for me tyranids are all biologic manifestations, so they can be bugs , space dinos, mammals, moluscs etc.

[Wakim]

Nice link Navarro and a pretty poetic point of view about the nids