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The Armies of 40k => Tyranids => Topic started by: Gunner_Sabot_Tank on April 21, 2013, 07:22:12 PM

Title: Playing with Tervigons
Post by: Gunner_Sabot_Tank on April 21, 2013, 07:22:12 PM
So I just built my first Tervigon and I'm trying to figure out what's a good number of basic Termagaunts to bring for it to crap out. I know it's random and I'm as likely to get 3 on the first and no more as I am to get 15 every turn of the game. I just want to minimize the chance that I'll run out of models before rolling doubles without having to cart around 90 gaunts just for the Tervigon.
Title: Re: Playing with Tervigons
Post by: Master Bio-Titan BT on April 21, 2013, 09:46:26 PM
It's a toss up really, and if your lucky, you will get 18 with each round!  You can do the math for that but its so unlikely to ever achieve such luck!  I say 30-40 Gants per Tervigon is a safe bet.  Most of the time you can replenish your "reserves bank" with the death of previously spawned Gants.  I believe the average is ~9 per round, so 9 x 6 rounds equates to 54 but that really is overkill.  The more Tervigons you take, the more Gants you will need.

Should sum it up.  For friendly games, 30-40 should fare you well.  In tournaments, you need to decide if its better to be safe or sorry and go for the max potential and have them available.
Title: Re: Playing with Tervigons
Post by: Crawfskeezen on April 22, 2013, 12:59:39 AM
It's a toss up really, and if your lucky, you will get 18 with each round!

Unfortunately when you roll any doubles to spawn Termagaunts the Tervigon "breaks" itself and though spawns that unit, can no longer spawn any other gaunts for the rest of the game. As such if you rolled an 18 (3 6's on 3D6) the Tervigon would "break" and you wouldn't be able to spawn 18 each round.

But 40 is a good number I think if you want to cover the bases. As much as it sucks, chances are you will roll doubles at some point and break yourself. But that said, last game I played the enemy Terv popped out 10+ Termagaunts per turn over 5 turns (with a couple 14's and 15's in there) and we had to substitute in 2nd Edition Orks (who I have lovingly dubbed "Targets") for the difference of Gaunts.

In tournaments, you need to decide if its better to be safe or sorry and go for the max potential and have them available.

This is the only thing you really need to worry about I'd say. In a friendly game proxies will fly but at a tourney you will need to have as many Termagaunt models as you want to spawn. Potentially even for a pickup game at an LGS depending on how strict your Local's rules are.
Title: Re: Playing with Tervigons
Post by: Gunner_Sabot_Tank on April 22, 2013, 02:38:26 AM
I've played only friendly games thus far and the guys I play are all cool with proxies. I suppose I could bring along a bunch of my guardsmen for proxies if I needed to but I'd rather bring the gaunts. I don't have any built yet but 56 on sprues waiting for my attention along with 68 hormagaunts (most unbuilt) that I could throw some guns on instead of STs.
Title: Re: Playing with Tervigons
Post by: Hive Fleet Bahamut on April 22, 2013, 02:41:12 AM
I think there was a topic a while back that said you have about a 50% chance to go sterile.  I have used them in many roles, and the one thing I can guarantee is that you roll doubles when you don't want, so I generally just roll.  Rarely aside from Purge The Alien does it matter how many units you have.  That being said I have 25 Termagants (30 Devilgants,) and 2 Tervigons.  Not enough but like others have said, they die faster than you birth them so "recycling" is generally more than needed.  The odd games they go on spurts I just use devilgants. 

What it comes down to is just like the ripper vs parasite debate.  Do I BUY enough so that I can possibly get a bunch of free models on the table?  Or do you go with an average amount (again at 50% sterile roll and around 9 each turn.)

From my personal experience:
10% 40+ throughout game
40% 6-18 without sterile
50% Random number sterile 1st try. 

That is using both Tervigons and basically spawning unless it annoys a fellow Nids movement or is Purge the Ni..  Alien.

Add in that if you know your opponent has anything that ignores cover and you can cut the amount needed a bit. At least they get that wonderful overwatch/counter-attack from nearby Terivgons.  Best kill to date (Fleshborer overwatch wounded a Dreadknight to kill it.)





Title: Re: Playing with Tervigons
Post by: devil58 on April 22, 2013, 09:40:59 PM
I think it's actually closer to 40% chance to roll doubles at any given time...at any rate, nearly half the time. I have run 3 tervigons at a time at the 1850 and 2000 pt levels, and I have never run out of gaunts, even starting with 30 on the board. I think I have 66 total gaunts, and I've found that when I am rolling well, I don't want more gaunts than that on the table and I just wait until they die to spawn more.
Title: Re: Playing with Tervigons
Post by: Gunner_Sabot_Tank on April 22, 2013, 10:14:41 PM
Thank you everyone for your input. My main reason for asking, aside from not wanting to cart around more than I need, is I'm at that critical stage in building of choosing Fleshborer or Devourer. I know there's nothing wrong with fielding basic termagaunts, but devilgaunts strike me as so much more appealing unless they're only there to allow a Troop Tervigon.
Title: Re: Playing with Tervigons
Post by: BritishBill on April 25, 2013, 08:08:39 AM
I run 2 tervigons with 60 termagaunts. I am using 2 units of 10 termagaunts up front to convert the tervigons into troops. With the loss of termagaunts during the play, I am yet to run out of termagaunts to spawn with. So my number is a little less than what has been suggested.

We have been through the Maths before, but the chances of rolling a double any time you spawn is 44%. That means on average my 2 tervigons are going to spawn 3 times between them, realistically I have to allow for 4 times. This works reasonably well with 40 spare since 9 or 10 is about the average spawn size. As I have said with losses, I am yet to run out and having an additional 40 termagaunts on the board in an objective game is usually game winning on its own.

Good Luck !!
Title: Re: Playing with Tervigons
Post by: Blindmage on May 4, 2013, 08:28:28 AM
Also keep in mind that while your friends might be fine with you proxying other things as gaunts, the "if you don't have it, you don't get it" part of the rule is there as a self limiting factor. I doubt they assume everyone will have the maximum potential number of gaunts (or Rippers in the case of the Parasite) all built and painted.