WHITE DWARF 210, JUNE 1997 Attack of the Tyranids

ATTACKOF THE TYRANIDS

This month the entire range of Tyranid models is released for Epic 40,000.To help you in your bid for galactic domination we've put together some

advice for all you would-be Hive Tyrants out there.

A TYRANID ARMY HAS SEVERAL MAJORADVANTAGES IN EPIC 40,000, AND YOU'LL HAVE TOMAKE THE MOST OF THEM IF ULTIMATE VICTORY

IS TO BE YOURS…

1 First and foremost the Tyranids are fast, allowing you get to the enemyquickly. Their manoeuvrability is also aided by Mycetic swarms which

can land anywhere on the table. Have a look at the Drop Pod rules on page15 of the Epic Battles Book to see how Mycetic Spores work.

2 Tyranid armies can be very large. You get lots ofTyranids for your points so you can swamp the enemy

with lots of monsters.

3 The Tyranids havesome of the largest

assault factors in thegame. Creatures likeGenestealers, Carnifexesand Hive Tyrants areexceptionally good in closeassaults.

4 The Hive Mind isimplacable. Ca s u a l t i e s

and enemy fire do not affectthe Tyranids advance in thesame way as other forces.

WHITE DWARF 213, SEPTEMBER 1997 Attack of the Tyranids

The basic Tyranid tactic is not subtle. Attack, attack, attack, don’thestitate just go, go, go. Pile towards the enemy and defy his guns to

stop you. The longer you hestitate the more damage you will take. Thisplan is not for the faint-hearted, casualties are likely to be high, but

when those Genestealers and Carnifexes do make it into close combatthe enemy is all but doomed.

As well as examples of some tried and testedTyranid tactics, we’ve also included sometips for the opposition! Although prolonging

your miserable lives for perhaps a fewmore minutes is all it will

achieve ha, ha,haaaaaa........

ENEMY ANNIHILATION PLAN 1The straight charge up the centre,

supported by Mycetic Spores rainingdown on the flanks and behind the

enemy.

CENTRALASSAULTUse whatever

troops you like. Justdrive forward in a big

wedge shape. The real trick is to

find the correctbalance between thecentral assault and

Mycetic Spores.

Tips for the enemyon how to survive...

Use massed firepower tosmash the Tyranid centre andmake use of the tacticalwithdrawal to stay out ofrange of the Tyranid assault.In other words ‘run away!’

Mycetic SporesAhhh, that specialDrop Pod rule. Ifyou’re thinking ofcollecting aTyranid army,you’re going to likeit! Here’s asummary of howit’s done (see p. 15 of the EpicBattles Book for details). If yousuccessfully make the dice rollto see if they can come on,deploy the Spores at the startof your movement phase. Todetermine where they land,make some card markers(about 1cm across). Next writeone number or letter on eachbit of card that corresponds toeach unit. Place all the cardson a barrage template andhold it above the area youwant to drop the Spores on.Now for the fun bit... Flip thetemplate over quickly, seewhere the cards land anddeploy from there.

WHITE DWARF 213, SEPTEMBER 1997 Attack of the Tyranids

BIO-ARTILLERY(Heavy firepower such

as Biovores, Exocrines,Dactylis etc)

FLANKASSAULT(Hormagaunts,

Termagants,Genestealers, etc)

FLANKASSAULT(Hormagaunts,

Termagants,Genestealers, etc)

FLANKASSAULT(Hormagaunts,

Termagants,Genestealers, etc)

MyceticSpores

Big, sharp, pointy bity things coming to eat your brains...When faced with this kind of pincer assault, the best bet is to simply attack the centre!

Shamelessly confident Tyranid player wonders if you should really bother, but if you insist...

Use war engines to hold up the flank whilst your main forcedeals with the Mycetic Spores.

YOU’RE GONNA GET YOUR… PLAN 2The pincer attack with powerful assaults coming simultaneously

on both flanks to envelop the enemy, whilst your centre rainsbio-artillery fire on them.

Yum yum, more armies toeat. Plan 3

The flank attack, where you loadone flank with an unstoppablemass of creatures and sweep

around one of the enemy’sflanks, whilst Mycetic Spores

distract the enemy's fire.

WHITE DWARF 213, SEPTEMBER 1997 Attack of the Tyranids

1 – ASSAULT SWARMMy first choice of swarm is a general assault swarm. I want itto be fast moving and very hard hitting. This is the sort ofswarm that will rip the heart out of the enemy army with closeassaults. It needs to be large so that casualties won't affect itsclose combat potential too badly.

SWARMIN’ &SPAWNIN’

Each of your Tyranid swarms can be chosen from the army listto perform a very specific battlefield role. To help you along theway I've choosen some example swarms and explained thethinking behind my choices.

Hive Tyrant A Hive Tyrant is all roundmean. Armour 6, firepower 2,assault 6 and a pysker with asave! They are prone to bepicked off by special weaponshots, especially anti-tankweapons. However, this isperhaps because they scarethe enemy so much andattract a large amount of fire!

1

BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAIDTyranids always pass Leadershiptests and are never broken if theyhave any Synapse creatures left inthe swarm! Remember you mustchoose three Synapse creatures tocontrol each swarm.

WHAT’S IT WORTH?The swarm is now worth 400points and has a massive totalassault value of 109, enough tosmash any opponent. It can alsomass a surprisingly useful 28firepower as well. The swarm hasa reserve speed of 15cm, and with31 units it has a half strength of16, with a morale value of 8. Lotsof Synapse creatures will ensurethe advance continues come whatmay.

Another noteworthy point here isthat all the units in this swarm areinfantry, so they can make bestuse of cover bonuses whilst theyadvance.

WHITE DWARF 213, SEPTEMBER 1997 Attack of the Tyranids

5 Hormagaunt UnitsLike Termagants Hormagauntsare cheap, they are also very fastand mean in close combat. TheHormagaunts are alsoexpendable, but should anysurvive to assault the enemythen their speed will allow themto attack units deep in the enemylines, towards the rear of enemydetachments. This makes it hardfor defeated enemy units towithdraw without ending up with15cm of a Hormaguant andbeing automatically destroyed.

3 LictorsLictors are very useful to aswarm. Not only are they goodassault troops, but theirInfiltrate ability makes themperfect for revealing hiddenSet-up markers before Icommit my main strength to anattack. Their increasedcommand radius also makesthem good at picking off strayenemy units. Because theyinfiltrate they get an extramove in their first turn, so theycan start threatening theenemy early. All round nasty.

3 Tyranid Warrior UnitsMy next Synapse creaturechoice is 3 Tyranid Wa r r i o runits. Tyranid Warriors are vitalto a swarm because asSynapse creatures theirpresence means the swarmdoesn’t have to take leadershiptests, and they can keep onmoving despite heavy enemyfire. Taking plenty of themshould mean the swarm keepsfighting to the end.

3 Tyranid Warrior UnitsI opt for more warriors asextra insurance againstlosing contact with theHive Mind. Another HiveTyrant is tempting, if onlyfor the extra pysker to giveme an extra advantage inclose assaults, but I'mafraid it will be picked offtoo easily (wimp – Ed).

2 CarnifexesCarnifexes give my swarm alittle more flexibility. As well aslending their rampaging mightto the close combat they havefirepower 2, so they will beuseful should I want to softenup the enemy first by goingonto overwatch for a turn.Surprise moves like this canthrow your opponent’s plans.Like Hive Tyrants, yourCarnifexes are likely to bepicked out by special weaponsthough, which is why I’ve taken2 of them.

2 3

6

910

2 Genestealer UnitsGenestealers are the realstrength of my swarm. Theirassault value of 6 will mean Ishould massively beat thee n e m y ’s assault total,making winning the closecombat a certainty.

7

5 Termagant UnitsWhilst not very powerful,Termagants are very cheapskateand will make a good screen formy swarm. Termagants absorbthe first enemy fire, and anysurvivors can lend support inclose combat or firefights.

4

2 Genestealer UnitsMore Genestealers just in casesome are killed during theadvance. It’s also worth sayingthat 10 points per unit is cheap.Excellent value madam!

8

5 Termagant UnitsMore screening troops. Mythinking here is that the biggerthe screen the longer it will takethe enemy to kill them all and getto the better stuff behind. Ask any40K Tyranid player how well thisworks against most enemies.

5

1 Tyranid Warrior UnitThe warriors will be useful inprotecting the swarm fromclose assaults by fast-movingenemy, and to snipe at anyenemy that come too close forcomfort.

1 Tyranid Warrior UnitNotice the almost minimumexpenditure possible onSynapse creatures, so I canafford a few extra broods.

2 Tyranid Warrior UnitsI don't intend to get too closeto the enemy with thisswarm. Hopefully my TyranidWarriors won’t take much fireand their small numbers willkeep the other creatures intouch with the Hive Mind (it’sgood to talk!). I really wantthe swarm on overwatch tomaximize their firingpotential, with Ty r a n i dWarriors lurking near theback to protect the bio-artillery.

1

2 3

3 DactylisDactylis have the samerange as Biovores. T h e yalso have excellent armourso they can protect the moreexposed Biovores fromenemy fire by staying at thefront of the swarm.

7

2 BiovoresExcellent for placing Blastmarkers, especially on fast-moving enemy detachmentswhich could otherwise avoidyour main assault. I shall getthem on overwatch and justfire away.

4

1 BiovoreMore Blast markers thank youvery much!

51 BiovoreBang bang you’re stuck!

6

BLAST MARKER ’EM

This swarm costs 244 points, with ahalf strength of 6 and a morale valueof 5. This swarm should not beexposed to too much enemy fire. Theenemy should have my assaultswarms to worry about, but if it doesget attacked and broken it won’t costme the battle in army morale points.

2 – BIO-ARTILLERY SWARMTyranids may be the most powerful close combat force in the galaxybut their attacks still need some long range support. The bio-artillerywill place so many Blast markers that an enemy detachment will beunable to escape your main attack, dooming them to a messy end!

2 Tyranid Warrior UnitsNot too many Synapsecreatures here. The Myceticswarm shouldn't have thatfar to advance after landingand therefore won’t takemuch incoming fire (so thetheory goes).

1 Tyranid Warrior UnitThe minimum requirement, tosave points for more foddertroops.

2 3

8

2 LictorsMore nasty infiltrate moves tosurround the enemy and gethim really worried.

7

4

2 LictorsThe Lictors’ extra infiltratemove makes themexceedingly useful whendeployed from MyceticSpores. They can threaten tosurround the enemy forcesstraight away.

6

Hive TyrantBig and scary, his presencewill force the enemy to directspecial weapons fire at theswarm.

1

2 ZoanthropesZoanthropes will give theswarm an advantage in closeassaults for having morepyskers, and if they survivethe enemy fire the swarmmay still have enough hittingpower to beat them.Zoanthropes are slow but thisshould not be too much of aproblem because arriving inMycetic Spores means theywon't have far to go in orderto reach the enemy.

4 Hormagaunt UnitsFast and deadly, hopefully theenemy will be worried enough bythe threat of the Hormagaunts tocommit a lot of firepower tostopping them. All the better for myoverall plan (imagine hands rubbingtogether with glee, slanty eyes, evilgrin, that sort of thing).

5

5 Termagants The cannon fodder. Their mainpurpose is to die first andsupport any close assaults.

FALLING DEATH

The swarm weighs in at only194 points, which is cheap, butthey still have a reasonableassault value, and deployingfrom Mycetic Spores meansthey can threaten the enemy intheir first turn, especially withall those Lictors.

3 – MYCETIC SWARMA personal favourite of mine. I think you have two options with your mycetic swarms. They can be either large assault units, which can bedeployed close to the enemy and charge straight in. This is risky becuase you will have a lot of points in reserve, and a few bad dice rolls forreserves will leave you fighting against a stronger enemy. Or you can have small swarms, which can land in front of the enemy as a diversionfrom your main attack. This means the swarm is doomed to taking high casualties, but the more enemy fire they attract the better, it meansyour main attack is advancing unmolested. The second example is the one I’ve chosen to show in a little more detail.

CONSUME ALLI’ve covered Assault Spawn, Bio-Artillery and Mycetic Spores, but

there is more to the Tyranid invasion than this. Here are some othersuggestions for using the Tyranid army lists. Total galactic

domination here we come...

BIO-TITANSFor me Bio-titans are best used as war engine killers. War engines can be very

hard for the Tyranids to destroy because of their massive assault values andrefusal to break. The best answer to them is to take your own Bio-titans equippedwith ripper tentacles and razor claws, and scuttle towards the enemy war engineas fast as possible. Once in close combat the enemy war engine is in big trouble.

ARMOURED ASSAULT SWARMAssault spawn carrying lots of Hive Tyrants, Carnifexes, Genestealers and Tyranid

Warriors storming into battle at very high speed (25cm a turn actually). This is agood way to include lots of Zoanthropes as well and because they are being

transported their low speed will not slow down the entire swarm. The swarm couldalso include some Exocrines for anti-tank support, or Dactylis, but they will slow

down the advance.

DOMINATRIXYour army’s supreme commander is the Dominatrix. The Dominatrix is one meanmother. It is a war engine which means it cannot be broken, can move, fire all its

weapons and move again in theassault phase. You can only

take one Dominatrix per 2,000points in your army, but it doeshave an added advantage over

other supreme commandersbecause it gives you a re-roll inclose combats or fire fights even

if it is only in support of theassault. Most supreme

commanders have to actually beinvolved to give you the re-roll.It is a subtle difference but onewhich could be vital in a close

fought assault. Your Dominatrixis best of supporting your

assault swarms.

FLIGHT SWARMSA good flight swarm might be 1 Harridan and10 Gargoyles just to use as interceptors. Most

flyers will drive off the Harridan and a fewGargoyles in a dogfight, leaving 6 or 7

Gargoyle units to attack back. This should beenough to blunt any enemy ground

attack. If the enemy has no flyers thenthe Harridan is free to make its groundattacks, but otherwise just use them to

cancel out your enemy’s airpower,leaving your ground swarms free to get

on with the real task of eating the enemy.Yum, yum.

WHITE DWARF 213, SEPTEMBER 1997 Attack of the Tyranids

Attack of the TyranidsWHITE DWARF 213, SEPTEMBER 1997

WARWICK'S HIVE FLEETWhen I started playtesting Epic 40,000 I elected to take on the task of galactic domination withthe might of Hive Fleet Kraken. I already have a Tyranid army which I fight with in Warhammer40,000 so it seemed natural to extend the army into Epic 40,000. Besides the only other optionwas the much despised Eldar, yuk!

MODELLING MYCETIC SPORES

A final note here about Mycetic Spores. I took to using lots of Mycetic swarms in battles. So torepresent them I build some spore impacts, just to scatter around and make the battlefield look

cool, with gribbly monsters emerging from all over the place.

To make them I used smashed up walnutshells, spare models off the Tyranid

plastic sprue and lots of PVA glueoozed all over them for embriotic

fluids. I let the gloopy mess drythen painted them to fit the

rest of my army. Simple really!

PAINTING MY ’NIDS

My first priority was to get a lot ofTyranids painted quickly. Individuallyeach model did not have to be brilliantlypainted, they just had to look good aspart of a larger army. I could always goback and add some more details later.

I have a quick method for applying thefirst coat of paint to my models:

I started with the infantry. All my TyranidWarriors, Termagants and Lictors weresprayed red. Then I gave them a quickdry brush with a red/ orange mix. Next Icovered them in a thin black wash whichI let dry before I picked out chitinousarmour plates in bone and weapons ingreen. For the Genestealers andHormagaunts I did exactly the sameexcept I used blue instead of red spray.

For the larger models I developed aquick method for base coating and spenta little longer on the details.

1. I sprayed them black. Simple enoughso far.

2. When they where dry I sprayed themwith Blood Angels Red, making sure Ikept the spray can a good distance awayfrom the models so as to only lightlycover them. This leaves the black in thefolds and detail of the models givingthem instant shading. Another way ofgetting the same result would be to drybrush the model red, using a big brushfor speed!

3. Next I drybrushed the entire miniaturewith a red/ orange mix, taking slighlymore care this time to only highlight theraised areas of the model.

4. Now I had a red model with someshading, it was time for the details. Ipicked out flesh and muscles with purpleor pink, and painted chitinous armourand claws with bone, then quicklyhighlighted each area. Over the top of allthis I added a thin black wash into all thecracks and crevices.

5. Finally, all the units were given greybases, because at the time we wereusing Robin's ash waste terrain a lot forplay testing, and my own terrain is alsoash wastes, so it made sense for them tobe this colour. There is a stage-by-stageexample of my Hive Tyrant above.

Et voila! By painting 5 or 6 models at atime and not being too precious aboutthe details I had an entire Tyranid armyin just 2 days!

1. 2. 3. 4.

Attack of the Tyranids

CHOOSING MY SWARMSI’ve already described the swarms I like to use in my armyearlier in this article. There are, however, a number ofnotable exceptions.

My flight swarm consists of two Harridans and no Gargoyles,which I only use for ground attacks against enemydetachments. In the past my Harridans have been prone tobeing driven off by enemy interceptors, but now I can usuallytime my attacks well enough for this not to be a problem.Even if I have to wait a turn or two in order to launch a strike,the suspense can really distract my opponent.

In my army, one of the Mycetic Spore detachments is basedon my own Warhammer 40,000 Tyranid army. One of thethings I like about the game is that you can recreate yourWarhammer 40,000 armies as detachments in Epic 40,000.They don’t always work as well in an Epic 40,000 game butit just adds to the fun. I like to see my Warhammer 40,000force battling away, and usually send them in to captureobjectives or launch assaults. This is so I can play them outas Warhammer 40,000 games later. It’s just a bit of fun really,but it does allow you to combine the two games. I’ve donethe same with my Space Wolves army for my Epic Army ofthe Imperium.

As yet my Tyranid force doesn’t include any Bio-titansalthough I’m in theprocess of paintinga Hierodule and aHierophant. A narmy is neverfinished, it seemsyou always needsomething else!

WHITE DWARF 213, SEPTEMBER 1997

WARWICK’S WARHAMMER 40,000 TYRANIDARMY…

WARWICK’S EPIC 40,000 ARMY

…AND THE SAME IN EPIC 40,000