Does anyone else think that having no allies is good?

[shrike]

Okay so the question's in the title. Do you think it's good we don't get allies just like I do? Why or why not?

I think it sucks since we don't get access to other units that can deal with the weaknesses we have. At the same time I think it's a great idea as it means no one else can get what we have. We've for hordes and massive monstrous creatures. If we had allies I think we'd be broken. From a collectors perspective also I guess it makes more sense financially so you don't have to buy other armies that you ally with yourself. Thoughts?

[chuckles]

It would be fine if we got something by way of compensation, the fact that we are left with a straight handicap is ridiculous.

[coredump]

Fluff/flavor wise, I am glad we don't have allies.

Gameplay wise, it is a kick in the teeth. Allies are a significant boost to an armies power level. We are a weak codex, and then have no way of compensating through allies.

There is no way allies would make us broken.

[Squire]

I'd never field nids with allies anyway but it would have been nice (read: fair) to get a slightly expanded force org to compensate

[emoge]

It doesn't make sense fluff-wise but gameplay wise I feel the loss. It's a real hard loss.

[jocke01]

I like that we have no other races to ally with since it would be pretty stupid having ultramarines fighting alonside tyranids. Genestealer cults aside we shouldn't have any allies. It's also nice not to have to use allies to build a more effective list, for example my space marines would probably be with some allied inquisitor with divination or perhaps a interceptor riptide but I like to run pure space marines and sadly some stuff are "take this or you are stupid" and that is a bit lame.

That being said we really should have gotten something, either being able to ally with ourself (many others can with supplements so why not?) or some unique special thing just for nids. Sadly we got nothing and that kinda sucks.

I cannot understand why you think we would be broken with allies? If we would be broken with allies then what are all those other armies that can already have 1 or 2 allies XD.

[scrotatohead]

From a pure gaming standpoint I'm glad my opponents don't get to fill gaps in their armies with Hive Guard, Tervigon, and Gargoyles. We are at a distinct disadvantage though because we don't have access those extra units in a particular FOC (dataslate aside).

[Inquisitor Stingray]

Agree with everything said here, the aestethic and fluff remain intact, but at cost of some gameplay mobility. Mind you, I wouldn't ever run Tyranids with anything else, even if given the chance, but some kind of FOC-increasing or fluffy formations. Even with the Vanguard dataslate out, I feel like GW missed the boat on including something nice in the codex itself. They even take time to explain why Tyranids have no use of allies, but without 'rewarding' us for this handicap. I'm kind of unimpressed with the dataslate, but I do think that Genestealers and Lictors make sense to include outside of a regular FOC. They are after all not part of the actual invasion and as such not a part of the army that the Norn Queens spew forth upon reaching a planet. They don't even get reabsorbed by the Fleet after the fight.

[jocke01]

^ Yes the vanguard dataslate/supplement should have been like a allied slot where deathleaper and maybe a buffed broodlord could be HQ and you could pick lictor, genestealers(perhaps ymgarls) and maybe gargoyles and they had some cool special rule for themselfs kinda like space marine chapter tactics, that affected them all or just some special rules for each units taken as allies. Already I've put more effort than GW did.

[scrotatohead]

I think the word we are all searching for is "compensated". All other armies have access to allies, and in several cases 1+1 = 11. As the only army without access to multiple codexes, without compensation of some sort (eg. allying with ourselves, access to additional FOC slots with taking a certain HQ, allowing certain units to be considered troops when taking a certain HQ, etc.) we remain at a disadvantage. It's not like we're the only army that will be getting dataslates.

[tripwire]

I do wish we had some unique force org compensation for not being able to take allies...

[romali]

Jan 28, 2014 19:58:56 GMT tripwire said:

I do wish we had some unique force org compensation for not being able to take allies...

Totally agree with Trip here!

[N.I.B.]

I echo what everyone says - I love that GW didn't let us ally with other armies, and I hate the fact that they left us with nothing to compensate, other than tournament-banned data slates.

[saabre]

data slates aren't legal in tournaments?

[biomassbob]

I don't want nids to have allies - as others have said makes no sense. However, that is why nids should have been compensated and as I have said in other threads the ideas in the dataslate could easily have been added to the dex (on top of just making units like lictors and stealers a little better anyways).

GW, the company that never seems to fail to disappoint.