Topic: Back from hiatus - are Tyranids in trouble?

[spiderbite]

Hi there,

I had taken a "leave" from 40k for about the last year and have very recently just returned... and now I'm hearing from some friends that Tyranids are not geared for the new edition. Let me also say that I haven't picked up the new 6th ed rulebook (planning on having it in a week or so), so I haven't had a good look at the new rules set as of yet. What I have been told is that this edition heavily favors shooty forces and that a close combat oriented force will (in all likelihood) not do very well.

I do have a selection of shooty Tyranids, mostly comprised of Warriors (15), Termagants (30), and a few Hive Guard (3) and Zoanthropes (3). I also have some Carnifexes (4) that have been magnetized so I could use those as well.

I guess what I'm asking is if anyone has played a non-shooty to slightly shooty force in the new edition to any success. This is the type of Tyranid army that I'm used to playing. I'm also wondering if there have been any major tactical changes for the Tyranids due to the new edition.

Any help is appreciated!

[Raktra (So long, I guess)]

I won't pretend to have used them myself this edition, so this post is entirely theoretical, but from what I've both observed and thought is that Nids are being slowly shunted into a shooting dominant style, which in itself isn't a bad thing tactically, but in terms of flagour and feel ofthe army it's a massive pain. Passable lists build themselves far too often, and it quickly becomes boring. The dedicated close combat swarms are edging towards near-worthless, which pretty much spits on the established image of the Nids that's been consistent for the past decade or so.

[faitherun (Fay-ith-er-run)]

I have used them 12 times, with a 6-6 win/loss ratio.

They require a changing of tactics, and entirely different play style. Gone is the rush and bash style. You really have to be selective about how you apply your charges, in what order, and where models are placed. I have also seen a bit of a reduction in people using heavy anti-tank weapons (meltas, lascannons, etc) and that lends a bit of survivability for our MCs.

I'm just going to plug in here that IMO, Biomancy is the only discipline worth taking. Iron Arm is worth its weight in gold, and giving FnP and Regen to guys is great too. Really most all those powers are good. I found that I actually had a bit more psychic ability in a 2k game then I was used to using, capping at 8 psychers all with biomancy in use.

So no, not dead. In trouble, I wouldn't say that either. Simply challenging, but still very doable.

[Chuckles, The Space Marine Clown]

It depends on what you're looking for really. I have personally shelved them for the foreseeable future, having played them pretty much non-stop for over a decade. However, my reasoning for doing this is nothing to do with whether they can win games, because most of the games I've played in 6th edition with them I've either won or come very, very close to winning- I've yet to receive a painful drubbing with my Tyranids.

I think Raktra sums it up pretty well. You can still win games with Tyranids, but if you're anything like me you're probably going to find that your games feel a little hollow. It's not even particularly to do with 6th Edition, as I had problems with the army in 5th as well. It's simply that I feel Robin Cruddace did not write a good Codex. Many, if not most of the units in the book are pretty much pointless, your list of viable options to build a list is very small and most decent lists tend to look pretty much the same. Contrast this with books like Dark Eldar, Grey Knights, Imperial Guard, Space Wolves or Grey Knights and it's not difficult to feel a bit gipped.

[spiderbite]

For me it has never been about winning... well maybe when I was much younger and just starting... but for many years now the game has been about a balance between a fluffy force with character and using as many of the units as possible (unless they are so completely useless there's no point) - and most importantly having a good game with friends who think likewise. I'm just worried that with this new edition a great number of my units will be pointless/useless.

I guess what it really comes down to is that I'll have to play a few games and see how it goes since I don't have a clue how this new edition works. Hopefully this weekend.

Anyways, thanks for the replies everyone.