whitestar333
08-23-2011, 12:34 PM
I was thinking last night about my neglected Tyranids and bemoaning the repetitive use of Tervigons worldwide. I remember playing my beloved army for 6 months, with only some minor griped about how Carnifexes were too expensive and some of the anti-tank options were limited. I enjoyed the army as it had some new tricks and I loved how I felt like my army could envelop my opponent from all angles. So, what happened? This document (http://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m1490299a_FAQ_Tyranids_2010.pdf).
While particular answers were certainly necessary (the ever-so-lengthy Doom of Malan'tai debate that ruined friendships), there were many other tidbits and answers from Games Workshop that one by one destroyed my favorite parts of the army, the fluff of the 40k universe, and any sense of fair treatment between this Xenos race and Space Marines. Then, it hit me! This great quote from the words of GW themselves:
The FAQs on the other hand are very much 'soft' material. They deal with more of a grey area, where often there is no right and wrong answer - in a way, they are our own 'Studio House Rules'. They are, of course, useful when you play a pick-up game against someone you don't know, or at tournaments (i.e. when you don't have a set of common 'house rules' with the other player). However, if you disagree with some answers and prefer to change them in your games and make your own house rules with your friends, that's fine. In fact we encourage you to shape the game around your needs and your taste. We firmly believe that wargaming is about two (or more!) people creating a gaming experience they are both going to enjoy. In other words, you might prefer to skip the FAQs altogether and instead always apply the good old 'roll a dice' rule whenever you meet a problematic situation.
Everyone knows that 'friendly games' can let anything go, I think that the way we will see Tyranids more often at competitive events is to create a culture that changes (or ignores) several key answers in the 'Official' FAQ. Making official contradictions on these entries, I believe, will allow Tyranids to be seen more at competitive events without making them broken.
First:
Q: If I have more than one Hive Tyrant with the Hive Commander ability, do their bonuses to reserve rolls stack? Also, do I get to outflank with one Troops unit, or one Troops unit per Hive Tyrant with this upgrade?
A: No, the reserve roll bonuses do not stack. You can only choose to outflank with a single unit of Troops, regardless of how many Hive Tyrants you have with this ability.
Change to: "A: Yes, the reserve roll bonuses do stack. However, you can only choose to outflank with a single unit of Troops, regardless of how many Hive Tyrants you have with this ability.
Reason for changing: This would be the RAW (Rules As Written) interpretation of the original entry, as well as being consistent with other, similar abilities like the Eldar Autarch. This also gives Tyranids some flexibility with having the option to run a reserve-heavy army that will arrive when you want it. Hardly game breaking, considering you don't have the option to turn it off (like the Eldar), which is also consistent with the fluff.
Second:
Q: If a Tyranid unit takes a Mycetic Spore, can an Independent Character join the brood before deployment (and hence deep strike in with the brood)?
A: No.
Change to: "Yes, as long as the Independent Character does not have the Winged biomorph."
Reason for changing: Consistency in the main rules of 40k. Why is it not acceptable for a Tyranid Prime to accompany Warriors in a Mycetic Spore? As well as being consistent with other armies (Space Marines) allowing the Independent Characters to join broods in Mycetic Spores makes Zoanthropes more viable, since Tyranid Prime is T5 and can take S8 wounds which might otherwise ID the expensive Zoanthrope. Also a not a game breaking change.
Third (technically 2.5):
Q: If a Tyranid unit takes a Mycetic Spore, can it choose to deploy normally whilst the empty Mycetic Spore deep strikes on its own?
A: No.
Change to: "Yes."
Reason for changing: Similar to above, this should be changed for consistency with the Space Marines. One might argue that it might not make sense fluffwise, but the Swarmlord tell some Hormagaunts to play dead in the fluff, so why not rain empty Mycetic Spores from the sky to deceive the enemy? Also, they are listed as "Dedicated Transports" in the codex and, as such, should be treated like one in the main rulebook. Some utility in minor tank-hunting (they do have S6 attacks that can potentially land in rear armor arcs) can help Tyranids mitigate a major weakness while remaining flexible against a number of opponents. Considering the cost of the Spores and how easily they are killed, I hardly think that such a change would be game-breaking.
Fourth:
Q: Does Shadow in the Warp affect psykers who are taking a Psychic test whilst embarked within a transport vehicle?
A: No.
Change to: "Yes."
Reason for changing: Fluff and consistency. While, as far as I know, there has not been a ruling this edition about psychic hoods/runic weapons affecting psykers in vehicles, I remember in 4th edition it was ruled that you could nullify a psychic power if it originated inside a vehicle - also a RAW interpretation of the rules for Shadow in the Warp. Additionally, the original ruling is completely contradictory to the fluff. Apparently if Kryptman's astropaths were sitting inside a Rhino, they would be able to send messages out without a problem. This change will give Tyranids the psychic defense that they [rightfully] deserve, especially against powers like Jaws of the World Wolf, and Force weapons, which can potentially cause immense trouble for the Tyranid army as a whole, especially with the prevalence of Grey Knights on the table.
As GW said itself, we are allowed to disagree, so why don't we do that en masse to bring back the Tyranid players?
While particular answers were certainly necessary (the ever-so-lengthy Doom of Malan'tai debate that ruined friendships), there were many other tidbits and answers from Games Workshop that one by one destroyed my favorite parts of the army, the fluff of the 40k universe, and any sense of fair treatment between this Xenos race and Space Marines. Then, it hit me! This great quote from the words of GW themselves:
The FAQs on the other hand are very much 'soft' material. They deal with more of a grey area, where often there is no right and wrong answer - in a way, they are our own 'Studio House Rules'. They are, of course, useful when you play a pick-up game against someone you don't know, or at tournaments (i.e. when you don't have a set of common 'house rules' with the other player). However, if you disagree with some answers and prefer to change them in your games and make your own house rules with your friends, that's fine. In fact we encourage you to shape the game around your needs and your taste. We firmly believe that wargaming is about two (or more!) people creating a gaming experience they are both going to enjoy. In other words, you might prefer to skip the FAQs altogether and instead always apply the good old 'roll a dice' rule whenever you meet a problematic situation.
Everyone knows that 'friendly games' can let anything go, I think that the way we will see Tyranids more often at competitive events is to create a culture that changes (or ignores) several key answers in the 'Official' FAQ. Making official contradictions on these entries, I believe, will allow Tyranids to be seen more at competitive events without making them broken.
First:
Q: If I have more than one Hive Tyrant with the Hive Commander ability, do their bonuses to reserve rolls stack? Also, do I get to outflank with one Troops unit, or one Troops unit per Hive Tyrant with this upgrade?
A: No, the reserve roll bonuses do not stack. You can only choose to outflank with a single unit of Troops, regardless of how many Hive Tyrants you have with this ability.
Change to: "A: Yes, the reserve roll bonuses do stack. However, you can only choose to outflank with a single unit of Troops, regardless of how many Hive Tyrants you have with this ability.
Reason for changing: This would be the RAW (Rules As Written) interpretation of the original entry, as well as being consistent with other, similar abilities like the Eldar Autarch. This also gives Tyranids some flexibility with having the option to run a reserve-heavy army that will arrive when you want it. Hardly game breaking, considering you don't have the option to turn it off (like the Eldar), which is also consistent with the fluff.
Second:
Q: If a Tyranid unit takes a Mycetic Spore, can an Independent Character join the brood before deployment (and hence deep strike in with the brood)?
A: No.
Change to: "Yes, as long as the Independent Character does not have the Winged biomorph."
Reason for changing: Consistency in the main rules of 40k. Why is it not acceptable for a Tyranid Prime to accompany Warriors in a Mycetic Spore? As well as being consistent with other armies (Space Marines) allowing the Independent Characters to join broods in Mycetic Spores makes Zoanthropes more viable, since Tyranid Prime is T5 and can take S8 wounds which might otherwise ID the expensive Zoanthrope. Also a not a game breaking change.
Third (technically 2.5):
Q: If a Tyranid unit takes a Mycetic Spore, can it choose to deploy normally whilst the empty Mycetic Spore deep strikes on its own?
A: No.
Change to: "Yes."
Reason for changing: Similar to above, this should be changed for consistency with the Space Marines. One might argue that it might not make sense fluffwise, but the Swarmlord tell some Hormagaunts to play dead in the fluff, so why not rain empty Mycetic Spores from the sky to deceive the enemy? Also, they are listed as "Dedicated Transports" in the codex and, as such, should be treated like one in the main rulebook. Some utility in minor tank-hunting (they do have S6 attacks that can potentially land in rear armor arcs) can help Tyranids mitigate a major weakness while remaining flexible against a number of opponents. Considering the cost of the Spores and how easily they are killed, I hardly think that such a change would be game-breaking.
Fourth:
Q: Does Shadow in the Warp affect psykers who are taking a Psychic test whilst embarked within a transport vehicle?
A: No.
Change to: "Yes."
Reason for changing: Fluff and consistency. While, as far as I know, there has not been a ruling this edition about psychic hoods/runic weapons affecting psykers in vehicles, I remember in 4th edition it was ruled that you could nullify a psychic power if it originated inside a vehicle - also a RAW interpretation of the rules for Shadow in the Warp. Additionally, the original ruling is completely contradictory to the fluff. Apparently if Kryptman's astropaths were sitting inside a Rhino, they would be able to send messages out without a problem. This change will give Tyranids the psychic defense that they [rightfully] deserve, especially against powers like Jaws of the World Wolf, and Force weapons, which can potentially cause immense trouble for the Tyranid army as a whole, especially with the prevalence of Grey Knights on the table.
As GW said itself, we are allowed to disagree, so why don't we do that en masse to bring back the Tyranid players?