Returning, hoping for a Vermincult!

[commandersasha]

Hi everyone, I used to be on here a lot, you may remember either my avatar, or the fact that I played Skaven counts-as-Tyranids.

I built my horde during 5th edition, triggered by the new WHFB Skaven codex (I don't play fantasy), and the Doomwheel in particular. Who wouldn't want a magical hamster wheel with axle scythes?!

After amassing about 2,500pts of lovingly crafted and modified Skaven on round bases to create a Skaven-counts-as-Tyranids army, 6th edition and the new codex really spanked my lists, and the slew of new MCs forced my Skavenids on to the shelf.
A few aspects of the way GW worked, and the abusive way I felt it treated its fanbase, made me vote with my wallet: not so much a ragequit, as a "walk away, find something new". I did: Malifaux, X-Wing, and board games.

I returned to 7th with Dark Eldar, and I have had a very enjoyable year: a new gaming club with my preferred level of competitiveness, and a proxy army of lovely French models from Raging Heroes to count-as DEldar. The introduction of Maelstrom missions appeal to my chaotic, cinematic, and hopelessly untactical playstyle!

The recent developments with GW and what seem to be changes in their approach have attracted me back to the shop, and the forthcoming Cult has really whetted my appetite: the prospect of a load of Wererats, ratty mutants, and subservient humans with a cheese fetish is too exciting!

I picked up the Tyranid codex today, and have *cough cough* seen the Leviathan dataslates, and am ready to start dusting off models.

Please can you help?!
A couple of questions:

1) I prefer a mixed, all-comers list as opposed to specific anti-opponent building; my DE are MSU, penknife load-outs rather than specialists, as I only play Maelstrom, and with friendly/narrative more important than optimised/winning. With that in mind, are Tyranids a viable army for run-around point scoring, or do they play more as "stomp your opponent, or lose"?

2) With a large proxy army, infantry are the easy conversions; creating war engines and transports to represent MCs is the tricky part (I take WYSIWYG very seriously, my Screaming Bell Wagon is the same size as its Tervigon equivalent, my catapults as dakkafexen etc).
Can Tyranids play troop-heavy with any success? The impression I got from forums after the 6th codex and BRB came out and new MCs were released were that troops were next to useless, the only way to play was twin Flyrant, loads of HS gunline MCs, and various 'Crines up the front.

3) I loved my Genestealers (Storm Vermin), and the idea of a Vermincult, using the rumoured Genestealer Cult rules sounds like a lot of wonderful conversion and painting challenges. Are Genies viable at the moment? When 6th started, I cried at how weak they had become! My DE Wyches, being assault-only, are next to useless.

Though I wouldn't be so crass as to ask for a list, here are the models I currently have; regarding biomorphs, they are much more subject to the choices I write down than the models themselves; all my shooty Tyranids are represented by rats with weapons that look projectile or magic zappers; all my combat 'Nids have daggers, flails etc.

What are your views on how 'Nids play at the moment? Are they fun or hard work? Are there must- and never-includes?

My list of models is:
1 Walkrant
1 Flyrant
1 Hive guard
4 Zoeanthropes (plus one character/Doom of Malantai)
10 Ymgarls
20 Genestealers, plus a broodlord
50 Termagants (3 groupings)
20 Hormagants
20 Gargoyles
1 Harpy
3 Shrikes
6 Raveners
3 Biovores
1 Dakkafex


Years ago I wrote a long blog article about how and why I built my proxy army, with loads of photos attached, but it got lost in a Proboards hardware update. Should you be interested, the photobucket album they were drawn from is Here

It's great to be back and see some familiar faces (well, avatars and names!); here's hoping the Skavenids get a rebirth in 2016!

Thanks for listening, Sasha xx

[WestRider]

Glad to see you back, dude!

If I were you, I would hold on for just a little longer. GW just dropped 40K Rules for Stealer Cults to go along with the new DeathWatch board game, and they may well get a proper Dex soon, which (based on the bits we've seen so far) I think would fit your stuff way better than the Nid Dex by itself.

[gigasnail]

Glad to see you back, echoing what west said. Hang in there, the stealer cult looks good and should have a book coming in a month or two.

To answer your specific questions:

1)there is not (and really never was with nids, not since 5th ed anyway) a mixed all comers list. However, since you don't play competitively, none of this really matters to you. Play fast, mobile units for maelstrom. Nids are somewhat limited here, because raveners and shrikes should be great at this, but cost a whole lot. In a less open environment, they could probably do well. Also, deep striking rippers and lictors will do well for maelstrom and don't require synapse.

2) troops aside from rippers, mucolids, and sometimes lictors aren't good, no. But again, none of this matters if you're not in a cut throat league. If you are playing casually against other casual players, you can pretty much do w/e.

3)Genestealers are still awful. However, the new acolyte hybrids are hell on wheels at 7 points per model for WS4, S4, I4, 4 rending attacks on the charge (and come with assault grenades). They are also fearless. Look for them to feature in a lot of nid lists once the book drops. The new patriarch is nasty as well, mastery level 2 psyker, WS7 ap3 rending + shred and 5 (might be 6) attacks on the charge at 115 points.

I like nids, but I was in love with flyrants when they were just expensive jump units so the evolution of them has suited me just fine, YMMV. It's a very different game now than when you left.

[commandersasha]

Interesting, thanks guys. I have a game of Overkill with a buddy on Wednesday, and have got the Stealer Cult rules; definitely seeing potential there.

I am trying to overcome my aversion to anything but a single FOC list; to my decade of playing, it seems cheating to ally, use unbound, or buy-to-win formations etc, but I guess I have to convince myself that this is the new way of doing things.

There's certainly a lot to catch up on! Dark Eldar, having only a codex and a single unimaginative detachments book, is a lot easier! (And by that I mean severely limited!)

[gigasnail]

DE have good list building and conversion opportunities with the craft world eldar and corsairs, though as a single codex alone they are at the bottom of the barrel. Corpse thief claw (or corpse claw thief, can't recall name) is a great DE formation from the covens book also, it's pretty nasty.

Multiple formations and detachments are how the game is generally played now. You will be at a severe disadvantage with a single CAD only.

[commandersasha]

In a very friendly, but generally highly skilled gaming group, with hundreds of members, of whom I have played dozens, I have had above average success with my single CAD list, as the sheer speed of an MSU DE army means I am still picking up VPs in turn 5. I have generally found killing the enemy a bad tactic, running rings round them and picking off the stragglers is much more fun, for both myself and my opponents!

I am looking forward to a different playstyle now though!

[gigasnail]

Your group is severely different than most groups today is all I can really offer. But if it's working for you, keep doing it.

[Davor]

SASHA! Welcome back.

Now are you going to get that big Rat Dude and use that as your Hive Tyrant?

[commandersasha]

Hi Davor, I certainly want one of those Verminlords, although whether he gets to steal the Flyrant role from my Doomwheel Biplane remains to be seen!