Tyranid Poses and ineffective cover application

[Hive Bahamut]

So it occurred to me earlier looking at some of my Nids that for an army that relies on cover we are ANYTHING but subtle. At least 50% of my units look like they are trying to fly, including the Genestealers and even a couple Warriors/gants.

This never really bothered me but it has occurred to me it is by design the polar opposite of our Nids tactics. We use phalanx to provide safety to stuff behind it, well that really is made a whole bunch more difficult with each of our units basically Starfishing trying to claw the (please do not swear) out of the sky.

Anyone else notice this oddball? I mean it doesn't really affect that much but it sure is noticeable when looking at our sculptors designs. Marines hate cover, yet everything is tortoised up and seemingly shaped to hold cover. We love cover but it looks like every model is dying to jump out of it.

We seem to do polar opposites well. Fluff says this table does that. Model design does this, codex uses that. It is bizarre and I am curious if anyone else notices this hindrance. Or if it really doesn't matter like I suspect.

[gigasnail]

Like a T5 4+ save model being as large as a heldrake? Yeah, been noted.

[Freeman]

Why oh why are the crone and harpy on flying bases!

[kippawah]

Jul 1, 2014 21:01:05 GMT Freeman said:

Why oh why are the crone and harpy on flying bases!

Somewhat more resistant to something structural breaking off? Or maybe they are hoping by putting it in the air, you'll knock it over MORE OFTEN?!

SPLENDID!!

Not like the Zoanthrope.

Or the Hormagaunt.

...or the Genestealer.

...the uh, Flying Hive Tyrant.

Raveners, Trygons too... 

These are ALL marvelous model scuplts in order to depict how FAST these units are supposed to be, RIGHT?

[Freeman]

Malanthrope.

www.forgeworld.co.uk/Warhammer-40000/Tyranids/TYRANID-MALANTHROPE.html

[rehkal]

Jul 1, 2014 20:57:06 GMT Hive Bahamut said:

So it occurred to me earlier looking at some of my Nids that for an army that relies on cover we are ANYTHING but subtle. At least 50% of my units look like they are trying to fly, including the Genestealers and even a couple Warriors/gants.

This never really bothered me but it has occurred to me it is by design the polar opposite of our Nids tactics. We use phalanx to provide safety to stuff behind it, well that really is made a whole bunch more difficult with each of our units basically Starfishing trying to claw the (please do not swear) out of the sky.

Anyone else notice this oddball? I mean it doesn't really affect that much but it sure is noticeable when looking at our sculptors designs. Marines hate cover, yet everything is tortoised up and seemingly shaped to hold cover. We love cover but it looks like every model is dying to jump out of it.

We seem to do polar opposites well. Fluff says this table does that. Model design does this, codex uses that. It is bizarre and I am curious if anyone else notices this hindrance. Or if it really doesn't matter like I suspect.

If you think about the actual fluff behind Tyranids their poses make more sense. Endless hoards of screeching, screaming critters are not subtle and they do not use cover. They overwhelm opposition by over running and burying it. Problem is the same as it has been for awhile, Tyranids play style does not fit their fluff.

Jul 1, 2014 21:01:05 GMT Freeman said:

Why oh why are the crone and harpy on flying bases!

Uh, perhaps because ... oh, I dunno... they are FLIERS...

[nurglitch]

A "without number" style of rule whereby you had to roll over the game turn number to get destroyed units back would have been neat.

[gigasnail]

Jul 2, 2014 15:21:56 GMT rehkal said:

Jul 1, 2014 20:57:06 GMT Hive Bahamut said:

So it occurred to me earlier looking at some of my Nids that for an army that relies on cover we are ANYTHING but subtle. At least 50% of my units look like they are trying to fly, including the Genestealers and even a couple Warriors/gants.

This never really bothered me but it has occurred to me it is by design the polar opposite of our Nids tactics. We use phalanx to provide safety to stuff behind it, well that really is made a whole bunch more difficult with each of our units basically Starfishing trying to claw the (please do not swear) out of the sky.

Anyone else notice this oddball? I mean it doesn't really affect that much but it sure is noticeable when looking at our sculptors designs. Marines hate cover, yet everything is tortoised up and seemingly shaped to hold cover. We love cover but it looks like every model is dying to jump out of it.

We seem to do polar opposites well. Fluff says this table does that. Model design does this, codex uses that. It is bizarre and I am curious if anyone else notices this hindrance. Or if it really doesn't matter like I suspect.

If you think about the actual fluff behind Tyranids their poses make more sense. Endless hoards of screeching, screaming critters are not subtle and they do not use cover. They overwhelm opposition by over running and burying it. Problem is the same as it has been for awhile, Tyranids play style does not fit their fluff.

Jul 1, 2014 21:01:05 GMT Freeman said:

Why oh why are the crone and harpy on flying bases!

Uh, perhaps because ... oh, I dunno... they are FLIERS...

Just like flyrants and daemon princes?

[Hive Bahamut]

I see what they did there. The Tyrant And DP (old 6th nickname) are on 60mm bases for being HQ/Heavy. In order to "match" the other armies flyers they just tacked the Harpy and Crone on a Flyer base. I still find it strange that the stand takes up a good chunk of the models size, and that somehow our big T5 4+ is considered even close to AV 10-12. Really suck on the T factor Nids..

I can fully see the appeal to design the models this way, that is not what I'm against. I just wish either their rules help mitigate the sillyness a little or they just posed our models without ADD.

No other army I've been looking into since has anything like this sort of problem. Even Daemons are all calm and controlled and they have even less reason to like cover.

Oh well.

[gigasnail]

Shrouded nurgle princes and bel'akor don't need cover, they carry it with them.

[Hive Bahamut]

Yup stinkies get a fly cloud and toxic miasma gets? An easy to kill non IC and (please do not swear) upgrade for CC. Win win...

[Mauler]

Jul 1, 2014 21:01:05 GMT Freeman said:

Why oh why are the crone and harpy on flying bases!

Because they have no legs

[rehkal]

Jul 2, 2014 16:16:50 GMT gigasnail said:

Jul 2, 2014 15:21:56 GMT rehkal said:

If you think about the actual fluff behind Tyranids their poses make more sense. Endless hoards of screeching, screaming critters are not subtle and they do not use cover. They overwhelm opposition by over running and burying it. Problem is the same as it has been for awhile, Tyranids play style does not fit their fluff.


Uh, perhaps because ... oh, I dunno... they are FLIERS...

Just like flyrants and daemon princes?

Is there an option to take the Harpy and Crone without wings?

[gigasnail]

No, but you don't have to swoop a crone or harpy, just like with DP. They're FMC not jet fighters. The model size/footprint is ridiculous and a detriment to its survivability on the table.

Crazy big and neat though.

[Freeman]

You should not be able to ground or land anything on a flyer base. It is silly. The crone model is awesome but I have not and will not buy one simply because I hate the aesthetic of it clearly being airborne when it is actually not. I consider it a contradiction to wysiwyg.