NOVA Mission Primer -- 1999 +1 points

[pseudonymion]

For competition-focused Tyranid players, I'm afraid the new competitive environment of sixth edition has gotten off to a poor start. The NOVA Open, one of the larger competitive 40K tournaments on the US east coast, will use the format of 1999 +1 points for its major 40K event (six games over two days). Feast of Blades on 5 August will also use the same 1999 + 1 points for its tournament. This allows everyone to have allies, but only a single force organization chart.

So, GW limits Tyranids to NO allies while other armies appear to find allies with only the slimmest thread of fluff to support AND, a saving grace to staying competitive -- the second force organization chart -- is being taken away by major 40K tournament organizers.

Well, I'm not a power gamer (Tyranids can be competitive, not overpowered), but I think these TO's are putting Tyranids at a strong disadvantage when compared to the other armies. I understand its a new environment, but allies and fortifications are being used. Yet Tyranids will continue to field armies under the same force org restrictions we had in 5th edition. Tyranids are not getting a level playing field against other armies.

I may be in a minority here, but I will vote with my feet and drop out of these tournaments. While TO's continue to make decisions on which rules they will enforce/accept from the new rulebook that put me at a strategic disadvantage, I will take my time and money elsewhere. I will be playing Flames of War or Malifaux on those weekends.

[Jabberwocky]

It is a bit pathetic to allow allies but no second FOC, when allies can bring a lot more abuse rather than just more spam. At least GK don't have many battle brothers.

[Jestar]

Don't just vote with your feet. Make sure the TO knows why you're not going. If you don't tell them they won't know why.

[N.I.B.]

All tournaments I have seen so far, will go 1999 or 1999+1 but single FOC.

[zephoid]

2 FOCs opens it up to WAY too many abuses. You dislike longfangs? how about 6 squads. How about more vendettas? Psydred spam? why not. 12 dreds on the board in 2k points is easy now! 2 FOCs+ allies simply means that you might as well remove the FOC entirely.

Simple solution is ask the TO to allow nids to ally with nids. You dont get a full foc, but 1 more of each slot should be enough.

[pseudonymion]

True, the limitation to single force org does prevent some Tyranid opponents from spamming their strongest units (Long Fangs, for example -- although Space Marines will still get 3 plus a Devastator Squad if they wish; same spamming with Valks if IG take Grey Knights as allies), but looking across the 40K universe you would be hard pressed to identify an army more hamstrung by force org limitations than Tyranids. Even with a single force org limitation, the standard primary and ally armies will be able to get

HQ 3
Elite 4
Troop 8
FA 4
Hvy 4

and Tyranids will still be limited to

HQ 2
Elite 3
Troop 6
FA 3
Hvy 3

Now I would be the first to admit that the "log jam" that I felt in the Elite slot during 5th has now been relieved somewhat by the attractiveness of the Fast Attack slot. And if you accept that the Tervigon is an essential selection in the Troop slot (our other troops just don't have the resiliency to last), then you probably don't have the points to go much over 3 choices in the Heavy Slot.

It's just a little bit frustrating that tournament organizers "want" 2000 points, but don't want to allow the second force org specifically called out in the rulebook, yet they still allow allies. Broken combinations? Wait until Necrons with their powerful shooting are allowed to have 2 blobs of Ork Boyz and a Warboss on the table. Tyranids are at a competitive disadvantage because of these decisions.

Locally, we play 2000 points and we play by the rulebook. Guys are prepping and playtesting lists for NOVA during our weekly game play. Everyone will be able to take their current lists.....except Nid players.

[WestRider]

I know that the lead designer for Feast of Blades wanted to go for full on 2K, but they got flooded with requests from Players to keep it to one FOC. I think I recall MVB saying something similar about the NOVA situation, but I'm not as sure about that.

Don't blame the Tournament Organizers, they're just trying to make sure that people will actually show up. The Customer is Always Right and all that.

[pseudonymion]

Well, then Tyranids will probably not be competitive in 6th edition if this is going to be normal tournament practice. The lack of allies, our limited ability to use fortifications to the extent of other armies, and the elimination of a double force org chart will leave Tyranids at a disadvantage to the other armies. If you want to play Nids, you need to start the game down a touchdown (or two).

"Oh, come on Nid player. This is supposed to be fun." No, thanks. I'm too competitive to knowingly put myself in a disadvantaged position (don't I play Nids already??). I don't live in a world where "moral victories" are desired or acceptable. I won't play in the same way I refuse to frequent a store that provides poor service. I get that tournament organizers are catering to the majority (and looking at recent tournament participation results, Tyranids are not part of that majority). But between GW (allies) and tournament organizers (force org), Tyranids are starting behind the eight ball in the competitive tournament scene.

I'm just going to sit on the sidelines for the time being (the loss of a single player is not a big deal to NOVA or Feast of Blades) and I'll check this again next year. I'll continue to play locally -- we use the rulebook (even with freakin' exploding objectives!), but honestly we were already at a disadvantage so this is kind of a deal breaker for me.

I am curious how other Tyranid players feel about this. Maybe if you play Nids, the competitive tournament scene is not that big a deal. Is this an unreasonable position for a Tyranid player to take? I started playing Nids at the beginning of 5th edition so I've never really experienced the "over-powered" era of the Tyranid. And I really don't want to start another army. I just want some decisions to be in Tyranids favor.

[1b2a]

I really don't get how they can come up with these rules without caring for how (please do not swear) they are making the tyranids.

[gloomfang]

The only real nerf to us on Fortifications is the FoR, and that was way to expensive anyway (sour grapes).
I have tried to get people to go for the Nids can ally with Nids if they go 1999, but I always get "You have more psykers than anyone and you have MCs so its even." Point to GKs and point to the fact they are all psykers and they have MCs. "2 FoCs are broken. Maybe next year."
So maybe next year. At least I am starting to hear about 2250pt tournaments starting up.

[nameless]

It's definitely a joke. People complain too much about things they've never even experienced. I wouldn't be suprised to see only a few Tyranids at these events.


The only fair thing would be to allow them to ally with themselves. I mean, they're making up rules to ignore, why can't they modify existing rules?

[nurglitch]

Don't worry about allying Tyranids to anyone, as you need all the points you have for more Tyranids. When the codex came out for 5th edition I was obsessed with trying to suss out a multiple-small-unit army, but I think you're better off in 6th edition with maximizing the size of units rather than the number of minimum-sized units.

Rather than throwing your hands up in disgust because the game has changed, I think you should be working on how to take advantage of the new rules. One way is by considering how self-sufficient the Tyranid army really is - all that Synapse, Monstrous Creature Smash, and so on.

I mean, fortifications are cool, but they're also like gimpy transports in that they are more easily surrounded, being stationary, more easily attacked, and even if you don't Smash them to rubble first, each glancing or penetrating hit inflicts a wound on the occupying model. That's ignoring all of the effects of penetrating hits, and the results of surrounding the building before you Smash it. They're practically a force-multiplier against occupants, where Monstrous Creatures are concerned.

[greatescape13]

Weak. Just weak.

So already off to the start of "some rules we use, some rules we don't use" in the book.

[fragile]

My thoughts are to take your army, and stomp the (please do not swear) out of all allied cheese have have a blast.

[pseudonymion]

nurglitch

I resolved myself that Nids don't get allies, and frankly, I'm good with that -- fluff-wise (a little) and game-play wise. I think what hurts us badly with allies is limited ability to deal with flyers (Flying MC's are NOT the answer). The only thing I've found that works even passably is Double Dakka Tyrants or Carnifexes (I've dropped running Trygons to put a brood of two Carnifexes with a Tyranid Prime -- Look out Sir shenanigans and 24 twin-linked S6 shots). Even then, I've only managed to take a hull point or two off flyers, I haven't even downed one flyer yet. I get that we don't get allies, but that does mean we live with the strength and weaknesses of our codex. We don't have a chance to go outside our book to mitigate some of our shortfalls -- like everyone else.

gloomfang

I'm not a fan of fortifications and believe that they are less effectively used points for Nids. If I'm not getting in your face for a bit of the old "ultra-violence" then you are sitting at range out-shooting me. And again, though they do provide some anti-aircraft capability, I would just as soon run the double Carnifex brood because they can do other things if there is no aircraft to engage.

I run a double force org list when we play locally. Since 6th edition is just starting I'm really just re-learning how the army works now so I basically have a different list every week. I've run as many as four HQ choices (Flyrant, Prime and two Tervigons) and as many as eight Troop choices, multi-Tervigons/Termagants and some psychic-enfused Broodlords with his four ablative wounds (I mean Genestealers). I've even run a list or two that stayed within a single force org slot. I'm just learning how these guys work with new rules. I think there are a lot of new rules that really benefit Tyranids and I look forward to learning to use them well, but there was another new rule that said we get two force org charts at 2000 points. And to be clear, I understand some of the reasons that a tournament organizer might choose to do this, however, I also feel it impacts Tyranids (at least the way I'm playing them) more negatively than other armies. If you're going to choose to use some rules but delete others, then why couldn't a TO allow Nids to ally with themselves -- Space Marines can (with a slightly different flavor) and will.

I guess I will start playing some lists that stay within a single force org, but I look forward to organizer's expanding to the two force org as outlined in the rulebook. AND THIS MIGHT BE A BAD THING. Other armies may actually produce more over the top lists than Tyranids can with a double force org -- I don't know. But I do know that when the new book came out, I was excited to finally be able to expand beyond the log jam that was the Elite section, unfortunately that was short-lived.