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Yeahbuddy42
01-16-2013, 09:45 AM
Hello Forum.

I have happily been playing games with Tyranids for the past four years. Slashing Space Marines, spreading gore and acid on Eldar, and listening to the chitinous masses scuttle across the table top has brought me a lot of happiness. But, lately, I have found myself with a lack of story and motive. No real driving purpose other than the simple desire to consume more for the bio-mass. Boredom was setting in. Then it struck me... I am lacking some type of narrative. I need a character to lead an army that I can imagine talking and inspiring, more than just imagining a Hive Tyrant spitting and gurgling.

Therefore I am reaching for insight into the General Forum. I'm looking to branch out away from the single mindedness of the Tyranid Creatures and by inspired by an army with heroic leaders and a great story. That being said, I am not totally interested in branching into the world of the Space Marines. They are a little too "For the Emperor" for my taste, but I was wondering... " Who out there absolutely loves the story of their army. Who can forge a narrative with their Warlord and feels a little more of an attachment to their troops than mere cannonfodder."??

I would love to hear some feedback on Armies and units that inspire the other Warhammer 40k players out there.

Thanks guys and girls

eldargal
01-16-2013, 09:48 AM
I'd suggest eldar but the codex is, well, putting it politely 'not in a good place'. Dark Eldar are fun, difficult to master but great fun with lots of modelling and narrative opportunities. I write up all my battles as part of my armies in-game chronicle, gives each character and even units a great weight of personality behind them.

bfmusashi
01-16-2013, 10:14 AM
I think it depends on your preferred flavor of protagonist (or jerk).
The Tau are generally dismissed as naive but certain story seeds allow them to be far wiser in their course of action.
The Eldar have screwed up badly and are trying to clean up their mistake, but are surrounded by idiots to stupid to even try to talk to.
The Dark Eldar screwed up badly but don't git a wit about changing their ways but would pull everyone down around them.
The Chaos Space Marines feel fully justified and righteous in their convictions against the IoM. They can range from crazy pants to pirates and you can make much fun from their 'dex.
The Space Marines can be anything you want them to be. Sometimes they worship the Emperor, sometimes they just think he was a solid dude, sometimes they can't be bothered to care. They are giant space apes in flowerpots so do what you want.
The Orks are just super fun. They're the A-Team and can not be bothered with silly things like planning.
The Imperial Guard are (usually) the best their planet has to offer, thrown against a hostile universe. They know everything in the universe is trying to kill them but they stand up to it anyway.
I'm ignorant of Necrons but they're space robots that shoot lightning and that's fun.
Sisters of Battle know everything in the universe that is not the Emperor is great big old pile of suck and they will punch/burn/shoot it until it apologizes.
Tyranids get to be the end of all things.
Daemons live very confusing lives. They can also be whatever you want, 'cause, y'know, chaos.

ElectricPaladin
01-16-2013, 10:36 AM
I actually enjoy the story behind the Space Marines. Heroic posthumans struggling to save an empire they can no longer truly count themselves part of? The tragedy and sacrifice of it really speaks to me.

I also like the Tau. In many ways, they're the opposite of everything else in the game: they are optimistic, still growing, and eager to talk and cooperate... provided you're willing to join their empire, of course.

And I second the Eldar. The codex is old, but that's a temporary state. If there are any Eldar models you like, now might be a good time to start getting them on eBay, cheap. That's how I got my Eldar army. I'm sure it's not actually going to be any good in play, but when the new codex comes, I'll be ready.

imperialpower
01-16-2013, 10:48 AM
I write up all my battles as part of my armies in-game chronicle, gives each character and even units a great weight of personality behind them.

Stealing above idea!

As for an army that has a good narrative that really does depend on what type of person you are I personally only collect an army that I could see myself serving in and that fits with my morals and personality so would never collect an army like Choas or Dark Eldar for example, I would read through as much background of each army as you can get your hands on and see what fits with your personality then you can make an army that you will enjoy playing becuase it is an exstention of your personality. Either that or pick Eldar becuase they are superior and archaic or pick a regiment of Imperial Guard that already has a background and look you like or if one does not exist make your own.

DWest
01-16-2013, 01:28 PM
Third'ing the Eldar here- especially Prince Yriel. He's pretty much the classic anti-hero, shunned by his people, he swore never to return to Iyanden, and yet he did in order to save them from obliteration (at the hands of the Tyranids, no less), and he now carries a deadly curse for it (a curse that has Fleshbane and ignores armor saves, but still!)

Otherwise, I know you said you wanted to stay away from the Space Marines, but the Blood Angels named characters are pretty much tragic heroes one and all, fighting against a curse of damnation to uphold their sworn duty.

Also, honorable mention for the Imperial Guard. In a world that contains bio-engineered killing machines as well as Tyranids, Orks, and the incredibly-advanced tech of Necrons, Eldar, and Tau, these guys are just plain, mortal Humans who get up and fight off all those other horrors with nothing but grit and gunpowder. Any basic Guardsman who lives through Turn 7 ought to get a commendation for heroism just for being there.

ElectricPaladin
01-16-2013, 02:19 PM
Also, honorable mention for the Imperial Guard. In a world that contains bio-engineered killing machines as well as Tyranids, Orks, and the incredibly-advanced tech of Necrons, Eldar, and Tau, these guys are just plain, mortal Humans who get up and fight off all those other horrors with nothing but grit and gunpowder. Any basic Guardsman who lives through Turn 7 ought to get a commendation for heroism just for being there.

Ordinary humans with broken codex... Forgive me for not feeling too sympathetic!

Now, the fine men and women of the Imperial Navy... Ah, Battlefleet Gothic. Now, that's real game.

bfmusashi
01-16-2013, 02:39 PM
Hiding in their ships? Lame.

ElectricPaladin
01-16-2013, 03:22 PM
Hiding in their ships? Lame.

When the Guard loses a fight, they have somewhere to run.

bfmusashi
01-16-2013, 03:26 PM
Only in the filthy propaganda of the xenos and heretic do the Imperial Guard run. I can assure you citizen, the Guard die fighting, for all mankind. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yDrtNEr_5M

jgebi
01-16-2013, 04:04 PM
Well don't go necrons as their story can be a bit the same.
Sisters of battle seem to be the best but they are rather expensive atm so better wait for plastic me thinks.
Chaos is good their the bad *** mother ****ers that hell spat out and if you go night lords it becomes so fun to do up a narative (read their law)
normal space marines you can do anthing with now going legion of the dammaned army that is cool black and flames along with walking out of hell it self come on.
Tau are the new kids so a good option to use well weird models that you have made because they are a union of so many different races but their dex is a little weak sometimes
Orks are a weird one to wright about just saying
Eldar are jack ***** with a superiority complex and D Eldar are drug O's and slavers so they are fun to wright about and model
and lastly the grey knights the elite of the elite, forged to fight for ever and with the best war gear that can be found Xenos and human, from a story point of view I would properly rate them as best because of the inquisitions involvement.

Thats my two cents on this. I love stories it's the only reason to play

Xenith
01-17-2013, 08:13 AM
Model your HQ choice with trophies on its base.

Write after action stories from the perspective of those that escaped your swarm. Come up with a nickname for it, designated by the imperials.

Give your Tyrant a goal for each game - "My Tyrant will render Mephiston down for assimilation" Then do it.

ElectricPaladin
01-17-2013, 08:19 AM
Model your HQ choice with trophies on its base.

I do that with all my armies.

So far, my Exorcists are fighting in a battlefield littered with ruined bits of Ultramarine vehicles - clearly the Exorcists are coming to the Ultramarines' rescue - and my Il-Kaithe Eldar are walking over fallen Chaos helmets, pieces of exploded vehicles, and abandoned helmets. Sometimes I base this decision on established fluff (ie. Il-Kaithe specializes in fighting Chaos) and sometimes it's a total whim.

Wolfshade
01-17-2013, 08:21 AM
Model your HQ choice with trophies on its base.

I have a tactical marine missile launcher with the trophies of things that he has missed while being 1" away from them. Acurate Frank.

Spamthulhu
01-17-2013, 01:09 PM
Hello Forum.

I have happily been playing games with Tyranids for the past four years. Slashing Space Marines, spreading gore and acid on Eldar, and listening to the chitinous masses scuttle across the table top has brought me a lot of happiness. But, lately, I have found myself with a lack of story and motive. No real driving purpose other than the simple desire to consume more for the bio-mass. Boredom was setting in. Then it struck me... I am lacking some type of narrative. I need a character to lead an army that I can imagine talking and inspiring, more than just imagining a Hive Tyrant spitting and gurgling.

Therefore I am reaching for insight into the General Forum. I'm looking to branch out away from the single mindedness of the Tyranid Creatures and by inspired by an army with heroic leaders and a great story. That being said, I am not totally interested in branching into the world of the Space Marines. They are a little too "For the Emperor" for my taste, but I was wondering... " Who out there absolutely loves the story of their army. Who can forge a narrative with their Warlord and feels a little more of an attachment to their troops than mere cannonfodder."??

I would love to hear some feedback on Armies and units that inspire the other Warhammer 40k players out there.

Thanks guys and girls

Why not add some character to your nids? The hive mind of these fleet has learned much from hearing the screams and mental images of those set upon by the Space Marines of the previous wars. It now seeks a way to advance itself to be more than it has been. It senses a great power on earth, biomass to consume to make it more and it's vast hive fleet seeks a way to steal away the Emperors body to make a new Tyranid. It decides to make a general with an individual intelligence with a vast amount of the information the Hive mind has accumulated. Its mission would be to pierce the veil and reach earth to steal away the mortal remains. First it must move its way to the center through scores of creatures.

With them it will create a more powerful bio organism that will take the galaxy for its own.