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AnUnearthlyChilde wrote:cheers for that, all of those either existed in Rogue Trader of have since been brought into the game. Yeah someone told me there were inconsistencies in the books, but, as GW sanction them they are still canon, not sure if thats a good thing or not.

Well, according to the people actually writing this material, there is no such thing as a "canon". Only lots of different interpretations. One could say that even a fanfic is as valid as anything officially published under the label. It's just that most fans have somehow adopted the rules of other franchises, regardless of how GW actually handles it.

AnUnearthlyChilde wrote:I've always seen it from another point of view tbh... the way I see it is that each tendril will evolve differently due to biomass ingestion, but when fleets combine, they simply merge their genetic data in some form of weird tendrilled mating thing, and from then on they act as one fleet. Fighting costs energy, energy means biomass lost, which seems pointless imo. but thats just the way I interpret Tyranid fluff, as a lot of it is illogical from a biology and nature point of view (I like things to at least have some form of sense/logic, even if it is a sci-fi game).

Hmmm, consuming one another is a viable way of "merging" their genetic data. For actual mating, I suppose this could only happen if the Norn Queens would somehow leave their place in the Fleet to meet and make out with each other. I think your theory would work, if you'd flesh it out some to account for these difficulties (assuming you want to go by how the Norn Queens have been described so far), but at the same time I think simply attacking each other is a possible way, too. It's not like an entire Hive Fleet would have to tear another entire Hive Fleet apart - just think of it as some sort of regular "gladiatorial duels" with a couple hundred 'nids per side, when they're not busy with an actual enemy? Works as a justification for those "blue on blue" TT games, I think (which I believe was GW's reason to write it this way).

Lynata wrote:

AnUnearthlyChilde wrote:I've always seen it from another point of view tbh... the way I see it is that each tendril will evolve differently due to biomass ingestion, but when fleets combine, they simply merge their genetic data in some form of weird tendrilled mating thing, and from then on they act as one fleet. Fighting costs energy, energy means biomass lost, which seems pointless imo. but thats just the way I interpret Tyranid fluff, as a lot of it is illogical from a biology and nature point of view (I like things to at least have some form of sense/logic, even if it is a sci-fi game).

Hmmm, consuming one another is a viable way of "merging" their genetic data. For actual mating, I suppose this could only happen if the Norn Queens would somehow leave their place in the Fleet to meet and make out with each other. I think your theory would work, if you'd flesh it out some to account for these difficulties (assuming you want to go by how the Norn Queens have been described so far), but at the same time I think simply attacking each other is a possible way, too. It's not like an entire Hive Fleet would have to tear another entire Hive Fleet apart - just think of it as some sort of regular "gladiatorial duels" with a couple hundred 'nids per side, when they're not busy with an actual enemy? Works as a justification for those "blue on blue" TT games, I think (which I believe was GW's reason to write it this way).

I can see where your going with this, but from the gladiatorial point of view, sure they can assimilate whats on the planet, but short of the hive ships in orbit beaching themselves on the planet I can't see another way of their genetic data being consumed into the whole other than "Mating"

The mating idea for me would work in the following manor: All Hive ships have feeder tendrils which they lower into orbit once the biomass below has been liquefied into its nommy soup for digestion. It wouldn't be a massive stretch for the same ships to have a tendril or two for "mating" or the "sharing of genetic data", because the Hive ships birth pretty much everything in the fleet, including additional ships for the fleet, but because some ships grow larger than that can be birthed, they "feed" from the hive ships to give them the energy needed for their final growth spurts. The rest of the fleet is allowed to consume the remaining biomass on the planet below after the hive ship has had its fair share. like hierarchical feeding, much like how synapse works. So maybe breeding would go this way too.

one of the things GW shies away from is "sex" within all their ranges. while I can understand that there are a lot of young players out there, there are infinitely more veteran players that exist. So it would be nice if they covered the blank's in the background like the differing ways Xenos breed/mate but equally sexual tension between humans/astartes which will still exist in the 40Th millennium. All they need do is release books aimed at adults, because lets face it, GW release books with horrific scenes of death, but leave out the sex.. makes sense? I don't think!

AnUnearthlyChilde wrote:

-A major war against the Hrud occurred in M35, the "Hrud Rising". If GW is ever going to add another Xenos race (unlikely), but guess is it'll be Hrud by this point.

Unlikely to be the Hrud, as they were largely purged until they became a nomadic race... now they avoid imperial space and hate the sight of humans for what they have done. if they turn up as a dex I'd be surprised as they'd have to be few but powerful. It would be nice to see alien races with dex's though... its something I feel is silly... theres more imperial dex's than aliens... makes NO SENSE.

On the other hand, this could be a good thing! Let me explain. You can either have the (in my opinion) crappy 'official' style of the swamp-thing, wearing flairs doing the 'haters gonna hate' walk (pictured below in spoiler tags) from the fairy/santa claus killing 'Xenomorphs' book, or you can have the much cooler concept* of something that are like 'space skaven'. For the latter, there are the rather cool and growing range of models by Mantic called the 'Veer-myn', which I happen to know a few people are collecting and then fielding using the Dark Eldar rules.


* Scientifically proven to be the case, if you must know!

In answer to your other point, the reason there are far more human/marine codecies than any other is because they sell better. It's the reason why Wood Elf players have to wait so long (it was just as bad last time), the Dark Eldar were rumoured to have a Tyranid Hive fleet head to Commoragh to erase their existence (before the decision was made to relaunch the range) and numerous other races/aliens have massive gaps between codex releases. In the case of something like the aforementioned elves, while they might have a universally admired and critically acclaimed model range, sadly its $ that counts, and while 98% of the GW target demographic is 12-14 years tugging on mum's sleeve, they will nearly always go for the guys in big shoulder pads.

Pacific wrote:On the other hand, this could be a good thing! Let me explain. You can either have the (in my opinion) crappy 'official' style of the swamp-thing, wearing flairs doing the 'haters gonna hate' walk (pictured below in spoiler tags) from the fairy/santa claus killing 'Xenomorphs' book, or you can have the much cooler concept* of something that are like 'space skaven'. For the latter, there are the rather cool and growing range of models by Mantic called the 'Veer-myn', which I happen to know a few people are collecting and then fielding using the Dark Eldar rules.

The Veer-myn are ok at best, tbh they are space skaven, and its obvious. With the Hrud, the supposed "haters gonna hate" walk is to do with the fact they have spine-like arms and legs, so bend as such. those Hrud are infinitely better, and are a genuinely more original concept than space skaven... also, that picture doesn't do the hrud justice. They also amazing technology and the ability to go into liquifraction instantly upon death.

Pacific wrote:In answer to your other point, the reason there are far more human/marine codecies than any other is because they sell better. It's the reason why Wood Elf players have to wait so long (it was just as bad last time), the Dark Eldar were rumoured to have a Tyranid Hive fleet head to Commoragh to erase their existence (before the decision was made to relaunch the range) and numerous other races/aliens have massive gaps between codex releases. In the case of something like the aforementioned elves, while they might have a universally admired and critically acclaimed model range, sadly its $ that counts, and while 98% of the GW target demographic is 12-14 years tugging on mum's sleeve, they will nearly always go for the guys in big shoulder pads.

If they put as much thought into pushing SM's as they did the other races then maybe the other races would sell just as well. Also the Dark Eldar would never have been written out that way, comorragh does not exist in real space, it sits in a pocket dimension. Tyranids only exist within real-space, they do not use warp travel and seemingly do not perceive any other realm, as they generally do not contain the biomass they need. Dark Eldar were always going to be updated, otherwise they would have stopped selling the gak '97 release models a very long time ago before release. As for the kids going to SM's thats just marketing... as I said before, if GW put an ounce more effort into their other races then maybe, just maybe the system wouldn't stagnate in marine hell... and that goes for chaos too, even if I am an Iron Warriors player too.

AnUnearthlyChilde wrote:
If they put as much thought into pushing SM's as they did the other races then maybe the other races would sell just as well. Also the Dark Eldar would never have been written out that way, comorragh does not exist in real space, it sits in a pocket dimension. Tyranids only exist within real-space, they do not use warp travel and seemingly do not perceive any other realm, as they generally do not contain the biomass they need. Dark Eldar were always going to be updated, otherwise they would have stopped selling the gak '97 release models a very long time ago before release. As for the kids going to SM's thats just marketing... as I said before, if GW put an ounce more effort into their other races then maybe, just maybe the system wouldn't stagnate in marine hell... and that goes for chaos too, even if I am an Iron Warriors player too.

I was just trying to inject a bit of humour into the post, but fair play for trying to rationalise what I wrote there! There was a rumour years ago when I worked for GW that the company was seriously considering dropping the Dark Eldar altogether, or at least letting them slide into obsolescence. This wasn't just 1 person saying "I think this will happen", but a rumour that you had heard enough from different sources, listings missing on order forms, recalls of stock and things like that, that made you think it was credible. As the Nids had become the convenient 'galactic vacuum cleaner', of removing the Squats from the game universe, then at that time there were lots of jokes going around that perhaps a Nid fleet had a taste for Dark Eldar and was on its way to remove that race as well.

I agree with you about the other races getting more of an effort, but I think there is just something about the younger teenager demographic that is attracted to the concept of the genetically enhanced super-hero. Not just teenagers of course, but it's not coincidence that as the game has been increasingly marketed at a younger audience, the focus on Marines has actually increased with each passing edition. Personally I think the new Dark Eldar range absolutely stomps on any of the marine ranges in terms of sculpting quality - if anything, they serve to highlight how dated some of that range is now - but I would hazard a guess that sales wise they don't even come close to Marines.

Pacific wrote:I was just trying to inject a bit of humour into the post, but fair play for trying to rationalise what I wrote there! There was a rumour years ago when I worked for GW that the company was seriously considering dropping the Dark Eldar altogether, or at least letting them slide into obsolescence. This wasn't just 1 person saying "I think this will happen", but a rumour that you had heard enough from different sources, listings missing on order forms, recalls of stock and things like that, that made you think it was credible. As the Nids had become the convenient 'galactic vacuum cleaner', of removing the Squats from the game universe, then at that time there were lots of jokes going around that perhaps a Nid fleet had a taste for Dark Eldar and was on its way to remove that race as well.

I agree with you about the other races getting more of an effort, but I think there is just something about the younger teenager demographic that is attracted to the concept of the genetically enhanced super-hero. Not just teenagers of course, but it's not coincidence that as the game has been increasingly marketed at a younger audience, the focus on Marines has actually increased with each passing edition. Personally I think the new Dark Eldar range absolutely stomps on any of the marine ranges in terms of sculpting quality - if anything, they serve to highlight how dated some of that range is now - but I would hazard a guess that sales wise they don't even come close to Marines.

Thankfully squats are no longer eaten... I guess Tyranids puked them up?

I don't see how kids these days don't see that an all devouring race of pangalactic aliens or murderous sadistic outcast alien pirates that deal in souls?

kids just don't have imaginations these days anymore *le sigh*