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Hey...Am considering starting a small Nid army, was wondering if placing some Tyranid Warriors in front of the Hive Tyrant for a cover save would be cheaper than the Tyrant Guard? Ant thoughts on Nid tactics appreciated...

It would be cheaper than tyrant guard, but would serve a completely different purpose. The enemy can still pick out your hive tyrant if they want to, which the tyrant guard prevents.

However, warriors are a better choice anyway, for reasons I'll let other people say, because it's 8 AM here and I haven't slept in about 30 hours.

Tyrant Guard, you can screen the Tyrant with gaunts. Guard aren't TMCs so they can be screened by normal infantry. So if you take 2 Guard with your Tyrant and you have a line of gaunts in front of them, since the guard make up 2/3s of the unit the Tyrant and retinue count as being in cover.

Warriors are not a better choice. They are only a different one.

Take guards. They will keep your tyrant alive longer which is better in the long run.

Warriors are a valid choice as long as you equip them with deathspitters and use the other weapon choice to abuse the "multiple wounds models in complex units" rules.

avantgarde wrote:Tyrant Guard, you can screen the Tyrant with gaunts. Guard aren't TMCs so they can be screened by normal infantry. So if you take 2 Guard with your Tyrant and you have a line of gaunts in front of them, since the guard make up 2/3s of the unit the Tyrant and retinue count as being in cover.

Thanks for the responses guys - given me something to think about when i come to plan my Nids. Really like the idea of creating the screen with the Gaunts

As much as its a valid tactic... the multiple wound rules are going a bit far off the end of the stilton scale.

If its 'Ard boys, fair enough, otherwise, get out.

More on topic, Gaunts'n'guards is nice. Really puts a dampener on my big guns.

Unless someone combo assualt you gaunts and guard with a dedicated assault unit. Lose assault and each unit takes X # of wounds.

Although in all fairness if it's a cc tyrant the dedicated assault unit is gonna get munched (that's how I run mine).

To the OP, take warriors and guard. Gaunts screen everyone, warriors shoot the crap out of stuff, and the tyrant makes an excellent counter assault unit. Even if you give the tyrant TL devourers it's still no slouch in cc.

I've tried running "old-school" nid lists with lots of gaunts as that use to be how I played. Now every list I build implements genestealers and MC's. Thanks to synapse 32 termagants die very quickly in close combat, they don't even last long enough (usually) to tie anything up.

It all depends on how competitive you want to be. If you are playing for fun, then just field what you want...I still do that 80% of the time. But when you have someone that you want to beat, don't mess with warriors and don't field stuff that needs synapse.

Have fun either way...and props for playing bugs.

Depends on how you run the tyrant. If you go for a CC tyrant (how I run mine) you MUST go for wings. Hes meant to fly up and slaughter stuff. Keep him behind buildings and whatever you can find on the way.

if you go for a dakkarant (4x devourers) or some variation of a ranged tyrant, I cannot suggest Tyrant Guards enough. the extra 2-6 wounds is amazing. Like others said, it prevents him from being picked off. Warriors are great with CC weps and wings or talons and deathspitters, but the cover saves not enough to merit them over the guards. In games 1000 points or less, sure, you could do it that way I suppose. But larger games Guards are way better.

In games below 1000 points I suggest going very assault heavy. Nids excel at assault, and most armys cannot handle nids in CC. 1500-2000 points you can go for shootynids, but honestly, I find CC to be superior. We were built to smash heads, not shoot things with beetles! My biggest suggestion is to get at least 4 carnifexes (2 elites and 2 heavy, or 3 elite and 1 heavy), lots of gaunts, about 20 or so genestealers, and 2 tyrants at a minimum. From there warriors are great for some anti-troop support, ripper swarms are great for a CC army, Zoanthropes shine in some instances, and Biovores are great fun. I must stress that Hormagaunts are lame, gargoyles are worthless, Lictors are a ton of fun but they are not good, Brood Lords are great fun but never get more than 1 (even in apocalypse I'd run just 1), and never run warriors with anything but CC weapons or blast weapons because their ballistics skills terrible! Oh, and stay away from Venom Cannons unless you put it on a Carnifex

Hope that helps!