We move on to the Elites in the new book and right off I want to offer one obvious criticism -- there are too many of them. Likewise, while most are at least "pretty good" none really stand out. In one sense that is a good thing as there might be more reason to take any particular one compared to another, but on the other hand you could easily end up just ignoring them for other things.
There are two clear changes that should have been made to the Elites -- One, offer Hive Guard as a variation of Tyrant Guard, and; two, keep Zoanthropes as Heavy Support. More information on both below.
Hive Guard
Rundown: Basically Tyrand Guard with guns Hive Guard seem to be a compromise between various ideas. One, make them T-Guard like in appearance and Toughness. Two, give them a big gun, but don't make it too big in order to retain the Tyranid inability to defeat Power Armor (or better) at range. Finally, don't give them any particular close-combat heft save for pretty good stats. The end result of all these compromises is a unit that is overall competent without really excelling at anything.
Opinion: I really like the models, but overall I find it hard to come up with a compelling reason to take Hive Guard. They do have a strength 8 ranged attack, but it is still only range 24" and, more importantly, merely AP4. That means that against power armor it is really no better than strength 6 as 2/3 of your shots will just bounce off anyway. Likewise, while they do have a strength of 5 they have no other hand-to-hand pluses. That makes them more a nuisance than threat against any opponent of note. They are sort of like miniature shooty Carnifexes, but without the Monstrous Creature ability of the later to make them scary in close-combat even without close-and-personal bio-morphs.
So, they really don't fulfill any role all that well. They can be deadly to light vehicles, but useless against anything heavy. They can wound anything at range, but with only AP4 that often won't mean much. And, they only have a 4+ save themselves and thus are fodder for things like Heavy Bolters and Autocannons.
What should have been done is to make Hive Guard just another choice for Tyranid Guard. Why not be able to mix and match the two as part of a Tyrant's entourage? It would allow them to protect the Tyrant while providing some ranged punch. Or, make the cannons AP3 and you suddenly have a unit that will summon the horror of the swarm in most any opponent. As it is many armies can practically ignore them while those that cannot are likely better dealt with using more numerous and less expensive alternatives.
Lictors
Rundown: Just like the old Lictors, but noticeably better GW has at least made an honest attempt to make them more appealing than before. In the past they were just one-shot-wonders that would pop out of some trees, maybe kill a few models, and then get shot down. This basic role hasn't changed, but now they clearly do it better.
They can now appear pretty much anywhere thus allowing you to get around the common enemy tactic of just avoiding deep brush. With a new ranged attack while keeping Rending they can be expected to do more damage, although they still lack the punch to go up against anything substantial without quickly dying. Hit and Run is nice as are the abilities to get through cover and use it to their advantage. The most interesting new power, however, has to be the Pheromone Trail. It not only adds one to your reserve rolls (only a single +1 is allowed), but a bug unit can Deep Strike without error within 6". This finally makes the Lictor a true advance reconnaissance unit.
Opinion: For Deep Striking or Flank Marching 'Nid armies Lictors become a must have. They just make concentration of force easier than otherwise in such cases.
That said, don't expect Lictors to accomplish much more than before on their own. Yes, they aren't quite the pushovers of before, but they still suffer from 5+ armor and a mere 4 toughness. They do have an extra wound, but on-the-other-hand will attract swarms of krak missiles that balance that out. I suggest using them with finesse and resisting the temptation to just leap out at the first yummy target, at least until there is nothing else you need to bring in from reserve.
Deathleaper
Rundown: It's baaaaack. The Deathleaper is like he always was, a pumped up regular Lictor. He is more than twice the cost of a regular one, but for that you get better stats and a number of extra abilities that if nothing else are big on drama. He is a unique, but you wouldn't want to take more than one anyway.
Opinion: I have no doubt that the Deathleaper would be fun to play, but he is definitely a unit to be used with great care. That's because he is still as vulnerable to damage as his more average brethren. Being that he is so many points you definitely can't afford to lose him casually. That means having good cover becomes even more important -- and more of a problem if you are playing on a board without much (or which doesn't block line-of-sight).
In the end I think taking the Deathleaper is a judgment call. If he works with your army design then go for it, but otherwise he is more fun than effective.
Venomthropes
Rundown: This is yet another interesting unit with vulnerabilities that can seriously reduce its effectiveness.
The good is that not only does it have poisoned attacks, but just getting near the thing can cause damage. The even better is that it can grant any nearby unit an automatic 5+ cover save and defensive grenades. It even forces the enemy to make a dangerous terrain test to charge any of your units benefiting from this power.
The bad is that it is another bug with a glass jaw. With just a 4 toughness, 2 wounds, and 5+ save it will take damage fairly easily. And, of course, it is meat for missile launchers. For example, a single krak missile from a Space Marine has a 37% chance to one-shot the Venomthrope while an Imperial Guardsman has a 29% chance. That's pretty high when we are talking about a base 55 point model.
Opinion: So, just keep them under cover then, right? Problem is that to get the most of their Spore Cloud ability you'll want them within 6" of as many of your units as possible. It's hard to do that and always remain under cover. Likewise, they are half decent in close-combat and you aren't going to find that while cowering behind a rock. Finally, you can only join them with up to two more of their brethren, yet at 55 points that sounds less like a viable strategy to keep at least one Venomthrope alive and more like one to hand over extra victory points to your opponent.
Therefore, the problem is how to get the most out of their Spore Cloud ability while keeping them alive. I see this as being possible, but tricky with things like the layout of terrain on your play board going a long way toward determining the effectiveness of your V-thropes. The more you try to take advantage of the Cloud the more Krak missiles they attract, but the less they do so the more waste of points they become.
So, it's another judgment call. If you think you can make it work give it a try, but don't be surprised if it fails more often than you'd think.
On a more positive note it turns out that the model itself is better balanced than I originally feared. If you make sure to place its weight properly on the base it is surprisingly resistant to being tipped over. The metal tentacles are still prone to popping off, but then again that's why god created super-glue.
Zoanthropes
Rundown: The old floaty heads are back and more or less the same except that they now have fixed 3+ saves -- and, more importantly, they have fixed abilities also. Unlike before when you have a choice of abilities to pick from you now get Synapse Creature, Warp Field/Blast, and Shadow in the Warp -- period. It's all for 60 points.
Opinion: The basic point to Zoanthropes has not changed. Their job is to blast things and now that they can use a full 4 BS to do so they are better at htting the target. On the flip side they now have to take Psychic Tests so they end up being about as effective in this regard as before. Sure, you will hit more often during regular combat, but you also have to worry about them occasionally exploding.
The fact they come hardcoded with a certain load of psychic powers is disappointing, but not killer. You were always going to take Warp Blast anyway and Synapse is not a bad choice for a second power. It is also cheaper than before if you were going to take those two anyway. Still, I am going to miss having a trio of Z-Thropes with Psychic Scream.
There are two downsides to this new floating brain which echo what I've said elsewhere: One, with a Toughness of a mere 4 they are vulnerable to one-shot kills, but their 3+ invulnerable save gives them enough protection to balance things out -- at least they aren't Plasma Gun fodder any longer.
Two, they are Elites. This is unfortunate as there are already a bunch of Elite choices and there are not any good yet cheap Heavy Support choices (Biovores are no better than before -- which is to say bad). A unit that would be a regular choice as Heavy Support is going to get less use now as Elite (or, more likely, other Elites will never appear since Zoanthropes are more tempting). Again, I see this as a sign of a codex that wasn't really thought through properly.
Nevertheless, Zoanthropes are still effective and I expect them to be a popular choice for Elites.
Doom of Malan'Tai
Rundown: A monster version of a Zoanthrope, the Doom has one of the nastiest boom powers you'll ever see -- Cataclysm. At its worst it is a 24" ranged large template attack at S10 AP1. Yowza! It does cause d3 automatic wounds to the Doom, but fortunately it has the Life Leach power which can suck wounds from anything within 6" and give it to itself -- up to a maximum of 10. At first glance this seems rather damn nasty!
Opinion: However, at second glance the Doom becomes far less appealing. For one thing it might have a bigger bug brain and a base 4 wounds, but it is still Toughness 4. Thus, whether it has 4, 10, or a thousand wounds it can still be a one-shot kill to anything as good as a krak missile or better. Likewise, the Life Leach power only has a range of 6". That means you have to open it up to fire to be most effective, but any opponent with two brain cells to rub together is going to put the Doom high on his hit list if he is facing having a couple of units potentially devastated.
As a result I don't see the Doom being all that effective in practice. Yes, it could theoretically be and I am sure that if you use it you'll have the occasional game where it is truly amazing, but most of the time it will either be hiding behind a rock not doing much or making a short, if glorious Deep Strike attack where it does damage and is then immediately vaporized. Either way that's more of a gimmick than a real unit if you ask me.
Pyrovores
Rundown: A unit that looks nastier than it really is, you can think of the Pyrovore as a Space Marine scout with an extra wound, heavy flamer, and power weapon. But, even this is not as good as it sounds as the creature has a whopping 1 attack and its flamespurt can potentially blow up when it dies. It has no special movement abilities and can only be taken in groups of 1-3.
Opinion: The Pyrovore is my hands-down choice for unit with the dumbest rules. Honestly, if the designers spent more than five seconds thinking through this concept I'd be amazed. In a codex where power attacks are rare why do you give one to a unit with a measly single attack? Aren't there better and more consistent ways to have a Tyranid close-combat threat than a rule so painfully clunky?
The flamespurt isn't really any different from a heavy flamer besides that it can explode -- and it requires the Pyrovore to get close and personal with his targets. You can use it even if the creature falls into instinctual behavior, which is good as his leadership is just 6. Still, a 4 toughness, 2 wounds, and 4+ save does not usually make for an obvious hand-to-hand monster, yet to be effective at all the Pyrovore is going to need to be within a foot of the enemy at all times. Then there is the fact that its two means of attack are an odd pairing. One is clearly meant to kill a lot of little things while the other is meant to go after guys in good armor.
Bwah? I just don't get this unit. How could anyone have thought this was a good design? Too bad as I do like the model, but at 45 points each I won't be fielding any.
Ymgarl Genestealers
Rundown: The unit with the unpronounceable name (Isn't "Ymgarl" the sound you make when coughing up mucus?), these Genestealers are the only ones you can find nowadays with 4+ armor. They can also pop up in terrain pieces in a convoluted sort of Deep Strike that carries a bigger risk of losing models on arrival. They do get a +1 to their toughness, strength, or attacks that you have to rotate around from turn-to-turn.
Opinion: These fellows are a mediocre substitute for not being able to take regular Genestealers with 4+ armor. Yes, they get it naturally, but cost 23 points each, three more than having it cost before. The do get that rotating +1 for those extra points, but I'm not sure if that makes the overall high price worth it. Another limitation is that you can only take 10 per unit (but, at least they aren't unique). If they were another Troop choice I could see taking them on a regular basis, but as yet another Elite option I don't see them making frequent appearances.
If they do show up you'll of course want to use them as a sort of commando bug unit that pops up in the enemy backfield to pounce on a juicy target. Not sure how well this will work. These Genestealers are going to be hit-or-miss depending on the force you are facing and the scenario.
Next time: Troops
Now that I've depressed all of you over the possible/apparent problems with the new Tyranid book let's start going through the individual units and see how well they work.
Hive Tyrant
Rundown: The first thing that any veteran will noticed here is that that the price tag for a Tyrant just went way up (newbees will just notice it costs a lot). At a base of 170 and add-ons that can quickly raise the total above 200 we're talking about a unit that could easily be a full fifth of your force. For that you better make sure you get a lot.
And, to a point, you do -- but it is clearly not the same bargain as before. The Tyrant's WS climbed 3 points (which is good as before your leader was only as skilled as most secondary characters) while their Strength and Attacks improved by one. However, that is in no way worth the extra 95 points you have to shell out even for the basic model. The implication here is that GW believes the old Tyrant was massively under priced, a conclusion that does not jibe with my own experience. Not that the old Tyrant wasn't nasty, but it was also slow. The fact that the new version is just as slow makes me seriously wonder what GW was thinking.
Still, the Tyrant is nevertheless quite effective what with being a monstrous creature with a 6 toughness, 4 wounds, and a base 3+ save. While it comes with no ranged attack standard (save if you take the right psychic powers), the two you can get -- Stranglethorn Cannon and Heavy Venom Cannon -- are better than anything you had before. You can also take "skills" such as Old Adversary that gives every Tyranid unit within 6" the Preferred Enemy special rule and, of course, the usual collection of add-ons such as Acid Maw or Regeneration.
One thing you can't take is an invulnerable save meaning you'll have to be careful getting the guy into hand-to-hand with power fists. Do the tango with, say, a Space Marine Commander with one and your Tyrant is probably tofu (especially since your enemy will be able to ignore any attack on 4+). You can raise your save to 2+ and/or take wings, but both cost a lot.
Opinion: The new Hive Tyrant leaves me scratching my head over trying to fathom just what the GW "philosophy" was behind how it was changed or for that matter even how they view the creature in general. Basically, it comes off as the same old guy just at a higher cost. How is that supposed to generate any excitement for using it? Did GW think the Tyrant was badly broken? That's hard to believe since, well, it wasn't. Did they want people to take it less often? The sticker-shock the new price is likely to invoke will certainly encourage this, but -- again -- if there were swarms of Tyrants invading tournaments or whatnot I never noticed. What then was the point of almost doubling the basic price?
All would be forgiven if something had been added to excite the imagination. For example, what if taking a winged Tyrant allowed you to take gargoyles as troops? Now that would be interesting (even if in the final analysis such an army may not be all that effective) if only because it would at least be something new! Alas, all we get is a less affordable same-old same-old. Mind you, I think the unit still "works" in the general sense, but certainly it is hard to see how it has been "improved". We certainly aren't going to be seeing it fielded any more often than before.
Tyrant Guard
Rundown: The Guard are just the same phenomenon as the Hive Tyrant, but just on a smaller scale -- higher cost, same basic unit. The one nice change is that they can now take power weapons (e.g. boneswords), but this is balanced out by how they can't protect their master as well as before. The old Shieldwall rule stated that the Tyrant could never be targeted individually while there were still Guard around. Now he's just a de facto independent character susceptible to any effect that can target them normally, most notably being vulnerable in close combat.
Opinion: It's more of the same -- just what was the thinking behind these changes? If there was any unit less likely to make an appearance than a Tyrant it was his Guard. Having to pay 15 more points for less of the same is hardly going to alter that. I understand the appeal of reducing the Tyrant when with the Guard down to a mere independent character as it simplifies the rules (and eliminates arguments over just what "may not be picked out as a separate target" really meant). However, it makes the Tyrant much more vulnerable to power fists in hand-to-hand, thus removing a prime reason to take Guard in the first place.
The only rationale that makes sense to me is that GW expects you to always take boneswords with Guard and thus produce a strength 5, toughness 6 trio with power weapons. Nasty to be sure, but it completely inverts the supposed purpose of the unit. Instead of the Guard being there to back-up their leader, now you buy the Tyrant to get access to his cadre of bug swordsmen (and at a 66% higher cost than before).
The Swarmlord
Rundown: Simply put the Swarmlord is a regular Tyrant on massive alien steroids. A unique character the 'Lord comes with quad boneswords, all the psychic powers, a 4+ invulnerable save, the ability to pump up the bugs around him, and even gives you a +1 to reserve roles. Most of this can be duplicated in full or in part by a generic Tyrant, but the Swarmlord is optimized for what it does. Not surprising then it is a massive 280 points, but considering all it does that price seems fair.
Opinion: Finally, a Tyrant with some flair that warrants interest. The 'Lord is clearly a unit around which to build an army given how much he costs and how truly frightening is his in close-combat. Basically, he can put the fear of the swamp in any opponent. Unlike regular Tyrants that should be afraid of power fisted characters with invulnerable saves such meat is the Swarmlord's preferred prey. Match him up with some bonesword equipped Guard and there is nothing he and his crew cannot take on. Of course, that would be a fifth of your army right there, but that's okay with the right design. He's an obvious choice for a Nidzilla army if nothing else.
Tervigon
Rundown: This unit is sort of like an alien demon cow that when it's not slicing up an enemy is giving birth to its next litter of termigant spawn. As such it is clearly meant to be taken with termigants -- many of its abilities only work with them while the rest can work on most anything. In fact, if you look under the termigant listing you see that for every 'gant brood you take you can bring along a Tervigon as a troops choice. So, it's a hard-to-kill monstrous creature with cool abilities, psychic powers, and the power to turn the termigants around it from cannon fodder to a real threat -- and all for just 160 points!
Opinion: I wonder if "Tervigon" is Tyranid for "An excuse to buy lots of Termigant models" since it might as well be. Mind you, that's not a bad thing (especially for people like me who have 80 of the buggers painted), but I do think it makes for inelegant game design. Take away the combo with the 'gants and the Tervigon is just a somewhat wimpy Carnifex for almost as much points. Put it back in and you have what looks suspiciously like a "you're insane not to take them if you want to take a lot of Termigants" design for a horde army that will soon be the only such design you see.
Still, the Tervigon is awfully effective in that role, maybe even too much so. Its ability to give any Termigant broods within 6" both Toxin Sacks and Adrenal Glands (if it takes them too) is killer. Combine this with Synapse Creature and Catalyst and you make Termigants actually dangerous in close combat. Best of all is the monster's ability to pump out 3d6 new basic Termigants a round (with a 31% chance of the ability being exhausted after each time it does so). That's an average of 10.5 extra a round. Since you can take as many Tervigons as troops as you have broods of Termigants (plus up to two as HQ) you could easily take four of the former and be producing 12d6 more of the latter each turn -- an average of 42! Yikes! The only real limit here (besides bad dice rolling) is that you have to paint up a boat load of new Termigants to get the most out of the ability.
Tyranid Prime
Rundown: The HQ choice for those who don't want the pay the high price of a Tyrant (or who want a second-in-command), the Tyranid Prime basically fills the same niche as the Broodlord from last edition. He's a pumped-up Tyranid warrior that can take a bonesword(s) -- that is, power weapons -- and boost the skills of his associated brood. However, with only a 5 toughness he can be one-shotted (if only by strength 10 attacks) and he has nothing to protect himself than a 3+ save. He is also an independent character and therefore a target in close-combat.
Opinion: You take him if you want to save points for other things or want to fill out your HQ choices with something less expensive. While reasonably tough he has the same basic vulnerabilities as a Hive Tyrant only worse, so make sure to take him with a 'honor-guard' of fellow Warriors. Beyond that he is just another generic bug character who should always have a bonesword (or two).
The Parasite of Mortrex
Rundown: The Parasite is a unique Tyranid Warrior who no doubt considers the Alien movies light-hearted comedy. His main claim to fame is that he can cause his victims to burst into a swarm of rippers. He can also fly and has Rending Claws back up with a 6 strength. However, he has a measly 4 toughness and nothing better to repeal attacks than a 3+ save. He does make Rippers easier to control, but he is a steep 160 points.
Opinion: The Parasite is a cool concept that doesn't really work in practice. His 4 toughness is really a show-stopper, especially without any invulnerable save to rescue him from power fists. You'll need to send him along with a brood of shrikes as back-up, but even then make sure to stay away from anyone with power fists (or the equivalent). Depending on the opponent that can be hard to do. As a result against some enemies I'm not sure it can be trusted on to be effective -- certainly not enough to justify 160 points. His Ripper producing ability sounds nifty, but requires good dice rolls to be a serious factor. Basically, I wouldn't take him without a very good reason.
Next up: Elites
When I wrote my 'first impressions' post thinking that I would go on immediately to a unit-by-unit evaluation. However, after more thought and reading the reactions and views of others it struck me that there is more to discuss at a higher meta-level before going on to the nitty-gritty.
In particular, I want to look at possible negatives in the new list, those aspects that might lead one to conclude things were better left unchanged. However, at this point don't take such things as final judgments -- I'm pointing them out so that I can see if I can disprove them or show that what was gained makes up for it here or while going through the unit-by-unit survey later on.
#1 -- Units are Now More Expensive: There are a couple of new unit costs that at first glance make you wonder what the designers were thinking. However, how well does that work out overall? Fortunately, there is an easy starting point for this -- comparing old and new prices.
| Unit |
Old Base Price |
New Base Price |
% Difference |
New or Lost Abilities that Come with New Price |
Old Price with New or Lost Abilities |
% Difference |
| Hive Tyrant |
75 |
170 |
+226% |
+3 BS, +1 S, +1 A, Shadow of the Warp |
110* |
+154% |
| Tyrant Guard |
45 |
60 |
+150% |
-1 I, Shieldwall weakened, gained Blind Rampage |
45* |
+150% |
| Lictor |
80 |
65 |
-19% |
+1 W, Gain Fleet, Lose Fearless and Feeding Tendrils |
80* |
-19% |
| Tyranid Warrior |
14 |
30 |
+214% |
+1 WS, +1 BS, +1 A, +1 W, +1 Save, Devourer, Shadow of the Warp |
35* |
-14% |
| Genestealer |
16 |
14 |
-13% |
Gain Infiltrate |
19 |
-26% |
| Termagant |
5 |
5 |
0% |
Switch out Spine Fists with weaker Fleshborer |
5 |
+0% |
| Hormagaunt |
10 |
6 |
-40% |
+1 I, -1 WS, Lost 12" Charge Range |
6* |
+0% |
| Ripper Swarm |
10 |
10 |
0% |
None |
10 |
+0% |
| Gargoyle |
12 |
6 |
-50% |
Gain Blinding Venom, lose Fleet and Bio-Plasma |
10* |
-17% |
| Ravener |
30 |
30 |
0% |
+1 W, +1 A |
38 |
-21% |
| Zoanthrope |
35 |
60 |
+171% |
+1 BS,-1 A, -1 I, Gain Shadow in the Warp, Warp Blast, and Synapse Creature, -1 Save |
65* |
-8% |
| Biovore |
40 |
45 |
+12% |
+1 Ld, +2 Save, Lose Brood Telepathy |
50* |
-10% |
* I cannot perfectly duplicate new rules with old abilities so I made my best guess given available rules
Looking at this list one can make the argument that the models are overall more expensive, but there are certainly ways to mitigate if not reverse the trend. Likewise, when it comes to points it doesn't matter if you are forced to spend more to get more -- the bang for your buck comes out the same.
More important to my mind is exactly what has been raised the most in price. The best example is the Carnifex -- at a minimum of 160 gone are the old 115 (or less) point beasts. For some army designs that's huge, especially given how you clearly got a lot more for less with the old codex. Take my favorite Carny load out -- Twin-linked Devourers and Venom Cannon. The base cost with that in the last book was 130. Now it's 200! Since I usually took two that's the equivalent of losing ~8 genestealers or ~24 termagants. Not a huge amount, but certainly enough to possibly swing a game.
The end result is that what were once "standard" designs for a particular player are going to need a lot of revision (get used to hearing that).
#2 -- Where are the New Army Designs? Yes, there are more units to pick from so technically there are more army designs out there, but I'm not talking about subtle distinctions between taking two units of Hive Guard as opposed to two units of Zoanthropes. Basically, what are the fundamental designs that are available -- and, have the old ones that were already there been improved?
The one undeniable new design is the Drop Spore Tyranid army. You certainly couldn't do that before. Likewise, the Mycetic Spores themselves are fairly nifty what with their base cost being a reasonable 40 points and having access to an array of different weapons. However, this new design isn't quite as nice as it first sounds.
When it comes to most "Deep Strike" armies (most notably Space Marines) you benefit from special assault rules which allow you to bring in your units faster and in unison more than what would otherwise be normal. Not so with a Tyranid Spore force -- it uses just the plain old reserve rules. Take a gander at this chart:
|
On Average Arrival Times (Assuming 10 Units Total - Fraction/Total)
|
| Turn |
Space Marine Drop Pod Assault |
Tyranid Spore Pod Assault |
| 1 |
5 - 5 |
0 - 0 |
| 2 |
2.5 - 7.5 |
5 - 5 |
| 3 |
1.6 - 9.1 |
3.3 - 8.3 |
| 4 |
.75 - 9.85 |
1.4 - 9.7 |
| 5 |
.13 - 9.98 |
.25 - 9.95 |
There is a gigantic difference early on when it comes to how fast your units will drop in. It evens out by turn four, but that's not really the point -- the great limitation of any "deep strike" army is that your men will arrive piecemeal, thereby allowing the bad guys to destroy each in turn. Special "Drop Pod Assault" like rules go a long way to mitigate the danger. This is not just because you start coming in earlier, but also because you are guaranteed of showing up with a full half your army that first turn. By comparison, the bug "Spore Pod Assault" is entirely up to chance -- the totals I give here are just averages. That means that the possible results for Tyranids are going to be more variable toward the negative -- e.g. it can only be worse than the same roles if you played Space Marines. While this doesn't somehow ruin the "Spore Pod" option it does give you pause as it's hard to be confident that a few bad die roles won't produce disaster.
Another new possibility is a flying force, but the absence of any way to have flying troop choices pretty much sours the design. Without that the best you can do is a half-and-half force of flyers and runners who aren't going to be able to support each other very well unless the flyers hold back -- and in that case why spend the extra points when legging it to the enemy will do? Why couldn't GW have come up with a way to take flyers as troops, their cost and fragility balancing their speed? Is that really so hard to balance out?
Beyond those two you have the same old basic designs -- Nidzilla, horde, genestealer cadre, and shooty bugs. I would argue that none of them have been clearly improved.
The Nidzilla army still faces the same main issue as before, namely that the army list doesn't really allow for it except by using cheesy ratios of big specials against puny troop choices. The loss of protection from Instant Death for synapse now makes mid-range units -- those with 4 or 5 toughness -- you might otherwise use to flesh out the force more vulnerable to heavy weapons. On the flip side being able to take Carnifexes in groups of threes is as much a problem as a benefit considering they must all be clones and all attack/charge the same targets.
Given the popularity of Nidzilla armies why O why didn't GW take this chance to allow them in a more elegant fashion -- say, with a special character that would allow Carnifexes to be taken as troops (while otherwise putting in new factors to preserve balance)?
The horde really hasn't changed much. 'Gaunts are still as much cannon fodder as before and therefore dependent on other, beefier units to get them real punch. Yes, the Tervigon/termagant force is cool, but the higher cost of warriors and less effectiveness of 'stealers makes your old designs notably less attractive.
Speaking of which, Genestealer armies just don't work anymore. Without the ability to take 4+ saves 'stealers will now melt in the face of the ubiquitous AP 5 infantry weapon and with wimpier Rending they won't do as much damage when they get into close-combat. I won't go quite as far as to suggest this design has been "nerfed" but it is close.
As for the Shooty Bugs design...
#3 -- Where are the AP 3 (or Better) Weapons? There are a grand total of two -- yes, just two -- weapons that are Power Armor killers. The first is the 12" Carnifex Bio-Plasma (why is the 'Fex shooting with something like that anyway?) and the old standard Warp Blast. Not even the new Hive Guard with their uber-weapons can beat AP 4. Since 'Nids haven't been big on the big guns anyway I suppose this is to be expected, yet at the same time this oversight has some serious consequences.
Power Armor is the suit of choice in the 41st millennium. Thus, the ability to credibly ignore it is fairly important when it comes to army design, if only because it forces your opponent to not take his saving throws for granted. For example, a bunch of Necrons facing Imperial Guard with plasma guns will hesitate just to run down the middle of the board. When facing Tyranids, however, that same player can do so with confidence -- and if you trot some Zoanthropes he knows where to concentrate his heavy firepower, especially since they can now be one-shot wonders when facing strength 8+ weapons.
Nothing is a better predictor of survival than a good armor save because when it works nothing mitigates it. Unlike toughness whose effectiveness is on a sliding curve, 3+ armor will save you 66% of the time whether the strength of the weapon is 2 or 10. This, for Tyranids that means that 2/3 of your shooting attacks (minus the two exceptions above) are guaranteed to fail when facing power armor. The only way to overcome this is with mass fire, yet for bugs that means getting within 12" -- and won't you want to be charging into combat at those ranges anyway? So much for the shooty force.
(Yes, you could always face Imperial Guards or Orks, but are you honestly going to design an army that plays in almost completely different ways depending on whether you are facing power armor?)
#4 -- Why is Everything Changed? This is more a nitpick for veteran players than a direct criticism of the new book. If you compare the old bio-morphs to the new ones you find that nearly all may have the same names, but their rules are quite different. If you've gone to the trouble of modeling all those bugs with just this or that combination of bio-morphs it is quite likely you are going to find yourself wishing you could magically switch them out with something else. Fortunately, most opponents won't be so crass as to stick you on this, so you can just "fake it" without facing changing all those models, but still it is annoying that often the new morphs are so different from the old ones.
#5 -- Why So Many Elites? I mentioned this in previous posts -- the army list has way too many elite choices compared to the force as a whole. Many are quite good and the rest of decent, but I suspect that some will seldom if ever be played just because it will make too much sense to spend those Elite points on the better unit. At the very least Zoanthropes should have stayed Heavy Support.
I warned you this would be fairly negative in tone, but don't (yet, at least) think that means I am dismissing the new book as a whole. Let's go through the units one-by-one as see what we can make work.
More to come...
Just got my box kit for the amazingly impressive Trgygon/Mawloc. I wanted to show them to you so you can see what bug parts you get (that can also be used for any number of possible conversions). Posting them also gives me more time to get my Codex analsys finished. :-)
It comes with a grand total of two sprues, a large oval base, and construction instructions. Runs $49.50 here in the US.
(Click for larger versions)
Expect the bugs to keep on coming....
The bugs are back! New book, new models, new rules -- it's time to celebrate the gigantic eating machine that is the Tyranid horde.
Since there is so much to talk about and as I am a Tyranid player I plan on offering an entire series detailing each model and all the rules that come with them. However, I have to start somewhere so here are my first impressions...
The Good
1) New Models: I'm sorry, but brand new toys are always a good thing. It allows you to add to existing armies, inspire you to perhaps start a new one, and at least catches the imagination. Even better, while of course they are all in the same classic "bug-ish" theme as always, I think all the new models range in quality from good to great.
2) Lots of Special Characters: Not only are the old special bug characters back, but with them come a bunch of new add-ons. I like this as the unique stuff adds a lot of flavor and allows you to go wild with conversions.
3) Bug Transports: Your Tyranid force can now ride in style to any battle in mycetic spores. That's just cool.
The Bad
1) Units that Make You Go, "Huh?": Some of the new models/units just don't quite make sense to me. Not that they might not be effective, but that the rules just don't seem polished. A good example is the new Pyrovore. It's a fine model, but is really just a space marine scout with a heavy flamer and power sword for 45 points. If the potential problem isn't obvious let me describe in this way -- a big gun and light sabre wielded by a 98-pound weakling using a walker. Okay, maybe not that bad, but it does combine good damage potential with a fragile unit that can't get places quickly. It's hard to know if it will really work -- and just seems like a lazy way to design a unit, IMHO.
2) Genestealers are Now Bolter Fodder: Say goodbye to 4+ armored genestealers (with one unimpressive exception). That means they will melt in the face of the common infantry weapons. They do now all come with infiltrate and can all take Broodlords (which are more wimpy, admittedly), but gone is the pure genestealer force. They are just too fragile to run them down the middle of the board as you must (at least some) with a heavy 'stealer army.
3) More Units, Less Choice: You might have more choices between models, but now you less ability to configure them than you did before. For instance, Zoanthropes only come in one flavor now and the base cost of a Carnifex has been jacked way up although you don't really get anything extra.
4) Same Units, Same Problems: I am a bit perplexed in some cases as to why units with well-known issues weren't improved. Take Hormaguants -- just as fragile and wimpy as before, but now they are even slower. Yippee.
The Ugly
1) The Middle Monster Hole: I know those who fight Tyranids will be glad to see that synapse no longer makes you immune to instant death, but it makes for a serious issue for the bugs themselves. Basically, it means that all those middle tier monsters -- things like warriors or zoanthropes -- can now be one-shot kills. That all but guarantees you won't see them as the backbone of any force as otherwise you can effectively destroy the army through some clever cherry picking.
2) Bug Heads Go Boom: You now have to roll for all psychic powers to see if they work. Wonderful -- another reason for me to not depend on warp blast.
3) What New Army Designs?: There are more unit choices, but I am not sure there are any new basic designs. In fact, the designs might even be a bit worse. Nidzilla armies have to deal with higher point prices, there was nothing really added overall to encourage horde armies, and you can't take specialty forces like an all airborne swarm. Sure, the new monsters are cool, but do they add anything to the effectiveness of Tyranids as a group?
4) Bug Inflation: When in doubt assume that the basic cost of a unit has gone up, sometimes way up.
Overall First Impression: I hate to say it, but for the first time in a long time I am not sure if a new codex is a good or bad thing. There is a lot to like, but there is also -- especially for veteran bug generals -- a lot to dislike.
More to come...
Back to something more upbeat -- here are pictires of the sprues from the new Fortess of Redemption.
The model looks great. What is not clear is how easy it will be to combine this set with the bastion to create something new.
(...which I suspect is more interesting than bugging out over geeks)
Games Workshop has come out with a bunch of new Tyranids -- including the new codex -- up on advanced order. That makes for a great opportunity to talk about the models and generally what the posted pictures and material tell us about the new book (I am intentionally avoiding rumors in this case and going only with what GW has released).
First thing to notice is that GW has placed the new models in their catalog according to their type within the new codex -- and moved old units to match as well. The end result gives us an updated list of what Tyranid unit goes where (new stuff is in italics):
HQ: Hive Tyrants, Tyrant Guard
Elites: Pyrovore, Hive Guard, Lictor, Death Leaper, Venomthrope, Zoanthrope
Troops: Warriors, Genestealers, Termagants, Hormaguants, Broodlord, Rippers
Fast Attack: Raveners, Gargolyes, Red Terror
Heavy Support: Trygon/Mawloc, Carnifex, Old One Eye, Biovore
Clearly GW is continuing their post-Dark Angels (sigh) policy of making sure new books come with cool new toys. More interesting is this new list -- I like all the troop options (multi-wound Warriors as troops!), but don't like so many elite choices, especially when fast attack and heavy support are compartively meager.
I assume that the returning old "character" models (Leaper, Red Terror, and One Eye) are unique examples of their core bug type. No matter -- it's good to see them (now I have a reason to paint my Red Terror figure!). I guess everyone is going to have to bring a Hive Tyrant now whether they want to or not. Thankfully, I already have two. Finally, I feel sorry for the poor Zoanthropes -- unless they have been improved becoming elites will mean we we'll see even fewer of them now.
Let's take a closer look at the new models or sculpts for old units (these are taken from the GW website -- click to biggen):
The Trygon/Mawloc: This model makes me glad for the new book all by itself! It looks great and is huge. It's even plastic! Guaranteed to be a centerpiece of most any bug army.
The New Ravener -- Now in Plastic: I like the figure, but mostly because it is so much like the old one which I also liked. Still, moving to plastic is a virtue as the old metal ones were frustratingly top-heavy.
New Gargoyles -- Also in Plastic: So much for my conversion project for flying bugs on the cheap, but it is hard to not like having gargoyles available in plastic. The old metals ones were top-heavy and way too pricey for such a mediocre unit. I hope the new rules justify taking some. It would be even more cool if there turns out to be a way to take them as troops (say, with a winged tyrant).
Pyrovore: Another great looking new model, but I am confused -- it sure looks like a big walking gun (biovores on alien steroids?) but it is listed as an elite. Bwah? That makes no sense unless the unit isn't just a big gun, but if that's true why make it look like just a big gun?
Hive Guard: Yet another great new model...and yet another elite choice. When I first saw these I thought they were alternative Tyrant Guard (as a second option, not replacement) and it might turn out to be best if they were. I assume the gun must be fairly nifty as otherwise these units are a waste of time. If it is effective I may have to rethink my general policy that shooty bug armies don't work.
Venomthrope: Yes, it is another great new model. My one worry is that it is apparently all metal. That's going to make for an unbalanced model with a lot of bits that will inevitably snap off with use. Be prepared to bring extra glue if you use one. The Venomthrope is also yet another elite choice -- Good grief! Come on, we couldn't have either the Venomthrope or Pyrovore as a heavy support choice instead?
Criticisms aside this stuff makes me eager to see the new codex and see the actual stats. Gotta come up with some justification for buying the new models, after all.
This turns out to be an issue for those that love fluff and/or who need inspiration to get them working on their latest model. It's not so great if you want something beefy to munch into.
New this Month: Fortress of Redemption; Space Marine Megaforce; Ork Megaforce; Empire Brigade; Orc and Goblin Brigade; Extensions for the Realm of Battle Game Board, and; the (apparent) reissue of the large army cases.
Pages 14-17 -- White Dwarf - A Year in Review: This is basically an excuse to go back over some of the material of the last year. Nothing new if you've been reading all along.
Pages 22-29 -- Old War Stories: A review of "Dave and Jerm's" Warhammer campaign and their thoughts over the matter. Good stuff if you are running a campaign, either Warhammer or 40K. Provides ideas for your own games and a number of examples of units in various stages of construction and painting. The last part turns toward adapting these ideas to 40K, even including some bits on using Battlefleet Gothic in campaigns.
Pages 32-35 -- Look to the Skies: Phil Kelly provides his thoughts on playing defense in Planetstrike. He goes into all the most straightforward tactics such as setting up fire zones and protecting objectives. He also goes into much of an entire page talking about the new Fortress of Redemption and how cool it is.
Pages 36-37 -- New Planetstrike Stratagems: Really a continuation of the last article I list then separately because these represent a real rules add-on for Planetstrike (as opposed to just tactical recommendations). Included are new stratagems for every race such as the Tau "For the Greater Good" (if a leader dies you get to be fearless for d3 turns) or the Orky "It's Raining Orks" (deep strike d6+2 regular orks anywhere and treat them as separate units).
Page 39 -- Fortress of Redemption (Rules): Here are the rules for the new Fortress (duh). Lists everything you need to play it (except for a points total -- just like all Planetstrike models).
Pages 40-43 -- Andy Hall's Game-A-Week: Just what it says this article is all about Andy's experiences trying to reach his own particular endurance challenge. Nothing here all that amazing, but it can be inspirational when it comes to psyching yourself up to play more.
Pages 44-47 -- A Tale of Four Gamers: Theeeey're baaaaack. We get more updates for what these four studio players are up to. One is working on Crimson Fists, the next his Chaos Marines (adding some bastions), the third has put aside Eldar for some Warhammer Chaos Warriors, and the last is still working away on his orks (including a fighta-bomma). Again, it's just more inspiration.
Pages 48-71 -- Blood and Sand Battle Report: The big game of this issue, it's great if you are into Lord of the Rings (and just pretty pictures if you are not). It does include some extra rules and scenario rules which is a nice change from an issue so far primarily devoted to fluff. The battle report itself goes on for a while and has plenty of details and photos.
Pages 73-75 -- Standard Bearer: Jarvis is off for the month so John Blanche steps in to write about how and why he does his models. He's a skilled artist so the article is worth reading, but still in the same vein as the rest of the "less filling" material this month.
Pages 76-77 -- Crimson Fists Showcase: A quick few pages showing of some painted Crimson Fist marines. Really just an excuse to show off Fist bits you can buy.
Pages 78-87 -- Modeling Workshop - Strongholds: Finally something more directly helpful this article gives you a lot of details for how to put together and then paint the new Fortress of Redemption. At the end it also gives a few pages on doing the same for the Empire Coaching Inn for Warhammer. The first part is quite handy if like me you have a Fortress waiting to get done.
Pages 92-93 -- The Fort: This is a two page scenario for a defender in his fortress fighting off attackers. Can be used in both Warhammer and 40K. If nothing else this allows you to play with Planetstrike bastions without actually using Planetstrike.
Pages 94 -103 -- 'Evey Metal Masterclass - Vermin Lord: A surprisingly long and detailed treatment on how to do up a Vermin Lord. Agreeably they convert the model into something a bit more impressive and then go into step-by-step painting. A real treat is the treatise later on dealing with "directional lighting" -- that is, how to paint a model to represent it being lighted from a particular direction. This is my pick for the most useful (at least if you paint) article in the issue.
Next Month -- Bugs!