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Are the Tyranids in our galaxy to eat, blot out the Astronomican or are they running from something (and if so, what)?

All of the above?

But why our galaxy? Why not Andromeda (the one "next door")? Our scientists suggest that Andromeda is habitable, after all...

Shrouger wrote:But why our galaxy? Why not Andromeda (the one "next door")? Our scientists suggest that Andromeda is habitable, after all...

The Astronomican. Basically, the Tyranids like homing on on psychic signatures. The Astrnomican is like someone standing in the middle of the desert with a flashlight shouting 'hey, cannibles! over here! free meal!'.

The whole 'running from something bigger' somes from half a sentence in Codex Tyranids. "Whether the Tyranids made this perilous journey because they had already consumed everything of worth in their home galaxy or in flight of another, even more fearsome race, is unknown." What is known is all of the rest of the fluff describes them as extra-galactic predators that consume all life. That's pretty much all we know of their origins.

That makes sense. So you do not think they are running from something?

Maybe...Just maybe...

The tyranids are running a massive 'cross-galaxy' race with the other tendrils. First tendril across the galaxy wins an unlimited supply of cheese cakes1

I edited my post.

Basically, no, I don't think they are, because GW only mentions it once, in like one sentence, on any codex. It's just something they throw out there. The rest of the fluff describes them as a race of extra-galactic aliens that scour galaxies of life.

Unlimited baked Ork pie, maybe?

The Tyranids don't really avoid worlds or enemies unless there's nothing to be gained. Like they don't bother the Necron cause they can't gain any bio-mass.

So IMHO I don't see them running from anything. Maybe, just maybe if there was some unknown enemy the Nids can't absorb, but I'm assuming no.

They actually did alter course once, to move around the suspected location of the Outsiders Dyson Sphere. They gave it a really, really wide berth as well.

Necrons, maybe? I can see how the C'tan would be very disturbing to the Hive Mind's way of thinking.

that could be how a new C'tan could be in the new Cron dex, the Nids landed on the dyson spere[SP?] and get Nom nomed by the Outsider thus allowing it freedom.

No i dont think tyranids are running, its just one sentence in the codex as previously said. They probably just went to this galaxy to get all the biomass to try and fill their neverending hunger...

Maybe there are more species like the Tyranids that travel across galaxies. One of these other species might be dangerous to the Tyranids, forcing them to prey on our galaxy rather than another.

or how about that there's nothing left and this galaxy is the noly thing left for them to conquer ??

Yeah, 99% chance they're not running from anything. But I do think there are more than zero scenarios in which they would choose to retreat from a galaxy.

first off... Greetings Dakka!

secondly.. the only thing that comes to mind for me is this:

As I looked into its dead black eyes, I saw the terrible sentience it had in place of a soul. Behind that was the steel will of its leader. Further still I could feel its primogenitor coldly assessing me from the void. And looking back from the furthest recesses of the alien's mind... I can only describe it as an immortal hunger. It is this we cannot kill.
- Chief Librarian Tigurius of the Ultramarines at the Conclave of Har (Codex: Tyranids (4th Edition), page 29 )

that signifies to me, in the final sense, that the bugs aren't running from anything; though i think it might be nifty if they were.

(edited for spelling)

The problem with the 'running from an even more unspeakable horror' thing is GW always throws stuff like that in to make things seem more Grimdark. See:
1) ZOMG if orks ever unite under a charismatic leader they would be unstoppable... Wait, Ghazghkull is charismatic....
2) Only the top levels of the necron tomb worlds have awakened, and those only contain the weakest dudes! how many are there? OH NOZ
3) Ynnead is growing in the infinity ciruits; strong enough to kill Slaanesh and rebirth the Eldar race WOWZERZ
4) Tau motivated by an unknown compelling force and advance technologically at an unprecidented rate!
etc.. etc..

I do see the problem with that.

One question, though. Have Tyranid hive fleets ever united against one foe?

Not that I know of, they are often way to far away from each other. It wouldn't really be a problem though. Even though each hive fleet has it's own quirks and tactics, as far as we know the same hivemind is controlling all of them. If they ever met it would not be no big deal.


And no, I don't beleive they are running from anything. GW loves conspiracy theories and that one sentance (that I don't beleive was in any prior codex) has unfortunitly created more then it's fair share.

How do we know, though? They could all be independent minds, perhaps just the first to the feast.

They could well be trying to outrun a more powerful organism, like smaller predators attempting to reach a corpse before say a Lion.

Shrouger wrote:But why our galaxy? Why not Andromeda (the one "next door")? Our scientists suggest that Andromeda is habitable, after all...

Perhaps whatever lives in Andromeda obliterated every hive fleet that came in and the Nids are looking for better genes to make better warriors to give it another go? Andromeda might have been eaten already or could just be next on the list.

The trouble with is that GW never told us where Tyran was relative to the galactic center when it was attacked (and what the cosmic date was, of course). Had we known, we could have gauged more or less the galaxy from which the Tyranid assault began. It would certainly help in a number of debates.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
The 'Nids could be fleeing Chaos, though. It is highly likely that the Big Four exist in some form in other galaxies; they could have broken through and driven the 'Nids off. As individual bio-forms have no actual souls, there would be no reason to pursue them when Chaos can simply devour the souls of the other sentient races. Thus, the Hive fleets have mad their escape into our galaxy while Chaos gorges on the one the 'Nids left behind.

Shrouger wrote:
The trouble with is that GW never told us where Tyran was relative to the galactic center when it was attacked (and what the cosmic date was, of course). Had we known, we could have gauged more or less the galaxy from which the Tyranid assault began. It would certainly help in a number of debates.

According to the Lexicanum Tyran is to the "galactic south-east of Ultramar", if that helps. I have no idea where than relates to other galaxies, but someone else might be able to tell from that information.

But then again the Nids are coming from the whole galactic east side.

Shrouger wrote:The trouble with is that GW never told us where Tyran was relative to the galactic center when it was attacked (and what the cosmic date was, of course). Had we known, we could have gauged more or less the galaxy from which the Tyranid assault began. It would certainly help in a number of debates.

Actually, pages 8, 10, and 11 of the 5th Ed Tyranid Codex tell us exactly when, where, and from what direction Hive Fleet Behemoth attacked Tyran. The codex aslo lists the maps for each subsequant fleet. The entire eastern and south-eastern fring has been under attack at one time or another. While Hive Fleet Levianthan is attacking from an entirely differant angle: it's tendrils are coming up from below the galactic plane, meaning it is attacking the interior of the galaxy without even worring about the edges.

As for pretty much everything else. I'm gonna write it off as not important since GW will never give us a solid answer.

Actually, pages 8, 10, and 11 of the 5th Ed Tyranid Codex tell us exactly when, where, and from what direction Hive Fleet Behemoth attacked Tyran. The codex aslo lists the maps for each subsequant fleet. The entire eastern and south-eastern fring has been under attack at one time or another. While Hive Fleet Levianthan is attacking from an entirely differant angle: it's tendrils are coming up from below the galactic plane, meaning it is attacking the interior of the galaxy without even worring about the edges.

That still tells us absolutely nothing. The galaxy is constantly in orbit, and using cardinal directions anywhere except a planet with a magnetized core is completely arbitrary. Attacking from beneath the galactic plane says even less; how do we determine up and down on that kind of scale when the galaxy is hurtling through "dead space"? I thought GW might have given some kind of star coordinates.

I dont believe they are running for the fact they dont ever retreat.....

I think they are running from a race of super powered robotic squats...that's why they ate the meaty ones in our galaxy first!

Id like them to be running from a race of sentient machines designed by the old ones to protect there little universe form outside threat perhaps you could even explain the "machine spirit" this way, But if I had to actually make an educated guess I.e hypothetically speaking lets assume the Tyranids ARE running from something and not just speculate, Id assume it was something that posed a threat to the hive mind itself or something that couldn't be consumed by Tyranid physiology kinda like how they avoid necrons cause there not finger lickin good eating. So either an incredibly powerful psychic race (please please please be the old ones) that make Eldar psykers look like Carnies or some manner or cyborg / machine race.

Shrouger wrote:Unlimited baked Ork pie, maybe?

Like pie made BY Orks or pie made FROM Orks?

Because I really don't know which is a better idea...