Topic: Starting 'Nids need input...

[DrowofDarkness]

Hey all...I've been considering starting 'Nids. I've always wanted to play a really really nasty HTH based 'nid army...it just seems really cool and in the "true" nature of 'nids.

Anyways, I've been considering how to make my purchases, and I was going to buy lots of "hormogaunt sprues" from citadel, instead of getting the 50/50 boxes. I'd buy probably 12 of these sprues, as that would yield 48 hormogaunts. I'd give them scything talons, S and I upgrades, to make them really nasty. These buggers are usually so fast that they get into CC on turn 2, so the extra expense is usually worth it.

I'd also probably have 2 squads of winged warriors with scything/rending. If you can't tell, I'm going for super-HTH bugs.

I'd probably have two carnifexes with venom cannons, and a winged 'tyrant with scything and warp blast, probably psychic scream. Don't forget that ICs can choose targets in CC...thus powerfists should never be a problem for a tyrant.

To finish it off I'd probably go with two biovores and ripper swarms with rending claws.

What do you think? Do these type of ultra-specialized lists play well?

[Arcas]

If you want to find out what biomorphs are best against your usual opponents, you can use my close combat calculator (the latest java runtimme environment is required):
http://jenswurm.iwarp.com/index.html

However, i would recommend that you use some normal scythegaunts too, as otherwise your model count will be somewhat too low. While upgrades can be worth it on hormagaunts, scythegaunts should be kept cheap. You can easily convert a kind of axe melee weapon from spinefists with some green stuff.

Winged warriors pack a lot of punch, but they're also rather fragile and have serious problems with difficult terrain. You should consider using leaping ones, being able to avoid base contact in combination with scythegaunt meat shields is priceless too.

With the TAR, which will soon enough be the only official assault rules, characters can no longer pick off power fist sarges. Take this into account.

Rending rippers are..well...mean. The problem is to get enough ripper models.

jwu

[DrowofDarkness]

I was pretty sure that I.C.s were the only things to retain targeting ability in CC!? That's what I remember from my last reading of TAR...I could be wrong, but I was pretty sure of this. Can I get a second opinon?

[Arcas]

No, ICs retain the "ability" to be targeted, not to target themselves.
Characters can allocate their attacks to different units with the TAR, not models. Since ICs always count as a unit on their own in close combat, they can be targeted. Normal squad characters do not count as units on their own, so there is no way to target them directly anymore, except with special abilities such as the red terror's swalllow whole models rule, or the emperor's champion's ability to challenge specific enemy models.
I'm 100% sure about this.

jwu

[DrowofDarkness]

hmm...maybe it was the older version of TAR then. That really nerfs independent characters then...kinda makes marine combat HQs a little less effective...