beginners 500pt nids

[mordaem]

Let me just start by saying high to everyone!

So my buddy and I are trying to get back into 40k after many years on hiatus and I'm looking for some help with designing a small 500pt army that will allow me to put his Eldar in their place, a.k.a. the ground.

I was thinking about this list

HQ

Hive Tyrant
Scything Talons - Bone Sword and Lash Whip - Armored Shell
210pts

Troops

Warriors x3
Devourer - Scything Talons
90pts

Termagants x 16
Fleshborer
80pts

Hormagaunts x 15
Scything Talons - Toxin Sacs
120pts

Total = 500pts

One reason I like this list is it can be built by just purchasing a Hive Tyrant and the Tyranid Battleforce so I don't have to spend a ton of money, yet it still provides me with a decent array of options to build a foundation on as I grow my army.

[undertow92182]

I'd say you are banking a fair bit on assault to win games. Tyranid Warriors perform well enough in low point games but given a few turns of open firing on the Tyrant and the warriors can put you in quite the pickle.

I'd be curious to see what your general tactic would be to overcome this as a few rounds of shooting, then an overwatch round of shooting to meet your assaulting force can decimate it if you aren't careful. I know the Hive Tyrant seems like a big nasty but there are enough S6+ AP2 weapons that can be fielded in 500 point games that can really ruin his day. Then, of course, there are S8 weapons that can ID the Tyranid Warriors (basic missile launcher comes to mind).

Not a bad list, and a reasonable foundation to build upon. I guess your local meta would be good indicators of how well this list works.

[Squire]

I'd be tempted to trim a few gaunts to give the hive tyrant wings instead of armoured shell. At 500 points he should be able to deal with more or less anything and then the troops can mop up the remainder. He'll become useful in bigger games too. We don't lack options when it comes to hard hitting slow stuff, but something that can move from one side of the board to another in one turn and destroy whatever it comes across is very valuable

With wings it's also a question of aesthetics, I suppose. The model looks very different when you add wings and the flying lower half

[mordaem]

I only know a few people who play at the moment and for the most part I'll be facing off against Eldar and Necrons. I know my buddies Eldar list consists of a Farseer, Avengers, Gaurdians, a Wraithlord and I think he might have a warlock too, but as for the Necrons I have no idea. My friend also knows 2 others who play as well but I don't know what armies.

Also, I plan on using magnets on all my larger models like the warriors and the tyrant in case I feel the need to change something as my army grows.

[Squire]

Magnetising could be a good idea on the flyrant if you can get another base to have interchangeable lower bodies. Bit tricky with the warriors though. Would you magnetise every arm? That would require a lot of magnets given there'll need to be four in the torso, two for each set of arm options and then probably a smaller magnet for where the left arm meets the gun (devourers, deathspitters, barbed stranglers etc). I considered it but decided I liked warriors enough to run two units. One unit of four with deathspitters, scything talons and a barbed strangler, and another unit of five with boneswords, spinefists* and barbed strangler.

*because I can't paint devourers well for some reason

[undertow92182]

Feb 14, 2013 17:40:38 GMT Squire said:

Magnetising could be a good idea on the flyrant if you can get another base to have interchangeable lower bodies.

Actually, I just use the walking lower half personally, even if it is a flyrant. The "flying" lower body has always felt more like an aesthetic than something mandatory for the model. After all, the flyrant does sometimes start on the field, which means it starts walking. It can also glide then assault something locked in CC, which would put it on it's feet once more.

[Squire]

Feb 14, 2013 17:44:53 GMT undertow92182 said:

Feb 14, 2013 17:40:38 GMT Squire said:

Magnetising could be a good idea on the flyrant if you can get another base to have interchangeable lower bodies.

Actually, I just use the walking lower half personally, even if it is a flyrant. The "flying" lower body has always felt more like an aesthetic than something mandatory for the model. After all, the flyrant does sometimes start on the field, which means it starts walking. It can also glide then assault something locked in CC, which would put it on it's feet once more.

Fair enough, but bear in mind the flyrant model's feet are its scything talons (check out the model). A winged HT without the flyrant lower half has only one set of weapons. I suppose there's no harm having the wings represent scything talons, but if you're going to be magnetizing so much stuff then it makes sense to stick a couple more between the torso and legs

To be fair there's no law saying you have to use a flyrant. If you don't think you'll use it as a flyrant (or you'd be open to fielding both a footrant and flyrant later on) then it wouldn't be worth all the effort. A compromise you could make is super gluing the scything talons to the top arm sockets. That way they are glued to the model, but can be pulled off later on if you decide to magnetize. I've done that to a carnifex to change its limbs

[mordaem]

I would probably magnetize the tyrants body as well, and I would also do the warriors in case i wanted to change up their weapons. My original list was made using just the battleforce and a bone sword/lash whip sprue to make my tyranid prime.

HQ
Tyranid Prime
Scything Talons - Bone Sword/Lash Whip - Toxin Sac
105 pts

Elite
Ymgarl Genestealers x 8
184 pts

Troops
Termagants x 16
Fleshborer
80pts

Hormagaunts x 16
Scything Talons - Toxin Sacs
128pts

Total = 497

Not sure if that would be better or worse then using the Tyrant.