Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Trying to figure out two balanced starter armies, one Tyranids and one Ultramarines. Anyone want to help me get a new player started?

Thanks!

YakManDoo wrote:
Trying to figure out two balanced starter armies, one Tyranids and one Ultramarines. Anyone want to help me get a new player started?

Thanks!

See if you can find an old Battle of Macragge box set?

It’s hard to build a balanced marine force at 500. Especially against nids, where you might be facing giant bugs or endless swarms.

I’d run something like this for the marine side:
Chaplain
5 sniper scouts, cloaks, HBw/helfire
10 man tac squad, ML/F, rhino
5 man sternguard, one HF

Should be about 500. You’ve only got one vehicle for the nids to deal with, and a bunch of bodies to help counter swarms. The sternguard should do ugly things to the nids until they are killed, but there aren’t a lot of them, and you should be able to drown them in bodies. There should be enough poison/sniper to deal with high T MCs, but they are going to get their saves, so it should take a while to kill them. Maybe too long...

As an alternative to the sternguard, you could take a dread. They are fun and iconic, but I’m not sure how much AV nids can get at 500 points.

For nids, there are a couple different ways you could go. For boxed sets, the wrath of the hive mind and the swarm box both are great value. The problem is that each on their own doesn't make a very good (or viable in the swarm box's case) 500 point army. If you are serious about starting nids, these would be great starts for any hive fleet. But if you are looking for a beginner 500 point list to test things out, they are too much money to sink in IMO.

A solid 500 point nid list has a smattering of troops with 1 or 2 MCs. Tervigon's are fun because they can produce more bodies, which is invaluable in low-point games like this. Tyrants are always good as well, though I would strongly recommend you don't run a flyrant (tyrant with wings) at this points level. It's just too good and not needed. If you want to save points with a cheap HQ, the prime is also an option. Its not great in big games, but in low point games like this it can shine.

For troops, take pretty much whatever you want. Terms and Horms are cheap bodies that can flood objectives and your opponent's line, genestealers are combat monsters (IF you can get them into combat), and warriors provide the necessary synapse for your swarm.

For MCs, I would highly recommend a carnifex. They are a really fun unit that can be tooled out a bunch of different ways, plus they are pretty iconic for nids.

Happy hunting, and welcome to the Hive Mind

Instead of '500pts per side', make a list work in Tyranids and then build a Space Marine one to match it. Tyranids are friggin awful at less than 1250pts. There is just no questioning that.

But building a list with a Tervigon, the Children of Cryptus, five Warriors and a Carnifex, no matter what that comes to in points, against two Tactical Squads, a Captain, a Devestator squad with Missiles and a Predator with Autocannon Turret and Heavy Bolters, again, no matter what the points are, would be balanced.

Now, neither of those lists are very good, but they are balanced, which is what you said you were going for. If those two lists played against each other only, it would be some fun games.