Tyranids can't ally with Tyranids?

[JMichael]

Someone in our gaming group just pointed out, that according to the ally chart in the rulebook you can't ally with the same army (i.e. Tyranid ally with Tyranid, etc).

Strange.

Is there some text or other rule I'm missing.

[ElectricPaladin]

Huh. Odd. I guess the nids don't even like themselves.

Not surprising, really. The overall Tyranid race takes a "survival of the fittest" approach to its own genome and fully supports Tyranid hive fleets noming on each other to see who is fittest.

[Nabterayl]

Nobody can actually ally with themselves though. The ally rules specify that an allied detachment must come from a different codex than the primary detachment.

[ElectricPaladin]

Nobody can actually ally with themselves though. The ally rules specify that an allied detachment must come from a different codex than the primary detachment.

That's true, too. The ally rules are explicitly there to let you add another faction to your army, not abuse them to get an extra Elites (or whatever) slot at the expense of an extra HQ and Troops unit.

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

The 'nids are just begging for Forgeworld to do an alt. list for them (like Death Korps or Elysians), since those alt.s always get to Battle-brother with their main list.

[AdamHarry]

Nid's Allying with Nids is called Double Force Org chart. this happens in 6th edition at +2k. :)

[Necron_Lord]

Allies have to be taken from a different codex (read the first paragraph in Allied Detachments on p. 109). However, if you read the first paragraph in the Bigger Games section on p. 110, you can take an additional primary attachment in games of 2000+ pts. That means for Tyranids they would have a Force Org chart of HQ (2-4) Elites (0-6) Troops (4-12) Fast Attack (0-6) and Heavy Support (0-6) with (0-2) Fortifications. So in 2000+ point games Tyranids can have two forces but the 'allied' force is called an additional primary attachment instead of an ally.

[Daemonette666]

You do not need to ally with other nids. You play games of 2000 points or more and then you get a second primary detachment. If Forgeworld does do an alternate Nid army, it should be a Hybrid army similar to the one BOLS designed years ago.

[Anakzar]

Allowing the tyranids to ally with themselves would allow them to have an extra headquaters and one extra heavy and elite ect. Like all the other armies are allowed... with thier allies. Seems like a good way to keep things more balanced?

Problem is with the points cost of the HQ, heavy ect. I don't think I would use the extra in smaller games anyhow. But it might be nice to have that option?