New to the Army: Tyranids
I started this website because, as a new player, it was difficult to find good 40k-related information on the internet. I've been a Tyranid player for quite a while, and I know that it can be difficult to get a good feel for the army right away. Hence, I've put together some suggestions and advice for players that are new to the Tyranid army, but not necessarily new to 40k.

Battleforce
In the last "New to the Army" piece that I did, the reader asked about buying a Battleforce to save some money. Saving money is always a useful thing, so I took a look at what's in the Tyranid Battleforce and how much each would cost individually.

$35 3xWarrior

$30 8xGenestealer

$24.75 (for 12) 16xTermagant

$24.75 (for 12) 16xHormagaunt

$30 3xRipper

Battleforce Price $105. $39.50 in savings over buying individual boxes (and you get 8 free Gaunts.) Obviously, savings are only savings if you'd actually use the models. Few people use Rippers, but all the others are useful in many army lists and they are all Troop units. I wouldn't say that it's a must-buy, but it's worth considering.

And this is Different how?
If you are not new to 40k, you'll want to know why Tyranids are so different from other armies. First off, there are no transports. On the other hand, most of the army is fast enough that the loss in speed doesn't make much difference. In addition, many of the options are either cheap enough to afford casualties or tough enough to reduce them, so they don't need armored protection. Another difference is their shooting. Tyranids have very few options for killing vehicles at range. They do have some good suppression fire, though. Tyranid shooting is mostly designed to stun vehicles and keep them from shooting. If you can keep vehicles stunned or shaken and maybe kill a couple, it makes it easier to eat them in hand to hand combat.

The Simple, Bare Necessities
In a moment we'll get to different styles of army, but first I want to cover two things that all Tyranid lists need: Suppression Fire and Synapse. Almost anything in the codex can handle infantry, but suppression fire is a different ball of biomass. The best two units we have for suppression fire are Hive Guard and Zoanthropes. They are both in the Elites section and Hive Guard are better against light-medium vehicles and Zoanthropes are better against heavy tanks. As a rule of thumb, you'll want a minimum of 1 of them per 350pts or fraction in your army. (ie: 350pts or less=1, 351-700=2, 701-1050=3, etc.) If you need to squeeze other things into your Elite selections, or just want something different, a Harpy is roughly equal to a Hive Guard or Zoanthrope (not quite as normally effective, but with it's mobility and range it's more likely to get side shots and be able to hide out of range.) A Tyrannofex with Rupture Cannon is worth about 2.

Synapse is also vital for a Tyranid army, as you want to be sure your swarms follow your commands without fail. Some choices are completely dependent on Synapse, others are only slightly better with it around. I'd recommend roughly 1 synapse MC or 6 Warriors per 300pts of Gaunts (including Gargoyles) and about 1 per 1000pts of anything else.

Why?
Probably the most important question to ask yourself is why you were drawn to the Tyranid army. Possibly more than any other army, the Tyranid army is very, very diverse. Understanding what you were looking for when you signed up for it will help you make the most of your options and will keep you going when you just can't stand to paint anymore or whatever. To paraphrase Moloch: Does the idea of wave after wave of Tyranid organisms which overwhelm the opposition by swarming all over them appeal to you more than house-sized monsters which rampage through the enemy lines, or do you love infiltrating horrors which stalk their prey in the shadows? All of the above can be found in the Tyranid army, but the one that makes you happy (or gives you the creeps) is going to be the one that inspires you and helps you stick to it.

Endless Swarms
There are now two different ways to create a seemingly endless carpet of teeth and claws. The conventional way is to simply buy lots and lots of Termagants and Hormagaunts. The new way is to have enough Termagants to provide protection while your Tervigons pump out more during the game. The two armies play differently, so I'll provide a sample list for each at 1000pts and explain how they work separately.

Conventional Endless Swarm
195 Hive Tyrant: Heavy Venom Cannon
50 Hive Guard
50 Hive Guard
50 Hive Guard
100 20xTermagant
100 20xTermagant
160 20xHormagaunt: Toxin Sacs
160 20xHormagaunt: Toxin Sacs
135 3xWarrior: LW/BS, Scything Talons (or Devourers)
1000pts.

Run the Termagants spread across the front of the whole army to provide cover saves for almost everything. Horms run behind them, providing your primary bite. The Tyrant lumbers up behind, usually running to keep up with the swarms, but occasionally slowing to shoot targets of opportunity with his HVC. Hive Guard should get behind cover and start suppressing tanks, then switch to opening transports when the swarms get close. The Warriors and Tyrant help take down really tough opponents that the Horms have a hard time with.

Gaunt Factory Endless Swarm
195 Tervigon: Adrenal Glands, Toxin Sacs, Catalyst
100 2xHive Guard
50 Hive Guard
100 20xTermagants
100 20xTermagants
100 20xTermagants
195 Tervigon: Adrenal Glands, Toxin Sacs, Catalyst
136 8xGenestealers: Toxin Sacs
120 24xTermagants

996pts

This army revolves around the Tervigons. They create more Termagants to add to your swarm. They provide Furious Charge and Toxin Sacs to nearby Termagants, giving them bite. They also use Catalyst to give Feel No Pain to whatever needs it. Put the Hive Guard in cover where possible. The Tervigons should advance in a sea of Termagants, keeping them nearby to benefit from the Tervigon's bonuses. Outflanking Genestealers can help force your opponent to stay in the center which makes it easier to catch and eat them.

Monstrous Creatures
House-sized monsters are fun to play with and scary for opponents. While Nidzilla doesn't work quite the same way it did before, it can still work in it's own fashion. One bonus of this army is that it requires many fewer models than other Tyranid armies. The models are bigger, but the 1000pt list only requires 11 of them.

House-Sized Monsters
215 Hive Tyrant: LW/BS, Heavy Venom Cannon, 1 Tyrant Guard
50 Hive Guard
135 3xWarrior: LW/BS, Devourer
135 3xWarrior: LW/BS, Devourer
265 Tyrannofex: Rupture Cannon
200 Trygon
1000pts

Stun and shake tanks until you can tear them down in close combat. Despite all your T6 Wounds and good armor, remember to make good use of cover. (Particularly for the Warriors and Hive Guard.) Also remember that you can Run when necessary to close more quickly.

Things that go Bump in the Night
195 Hive Tyrant: LW/BS, Scything Talons, Hive Commander
150 3xHive Guard
130 2xLictor
138 6xYmgarl Genestealer
136 8xGenestealer: Toxin Sacs
136 8xGenestealer: Toxin Sacs
113 7xGenestealer: Toxin Sacs
998pts

Having the Genestealers outflank will help box in the opponent so the Lictors and Ymgarls will be more effective when they appear. If the Lictors appear early, put them in the best cover you can. They will probably take a lot of shots, and the cover will help increase that number quite a bit. Don't use the Lictors to attack anything that has powerfists, unless it's only 1 or 2 models.

That should give you a good start on your new army, so enjoy! If you find yourself wondering how to paint all those models, please check out my Modeling and Painting page for some suggestions that won't leave you screaming in frustration.

If you enjoyed this, email me and let me know

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