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I have just finished my Chaos Marines army, and was looking to start a new army. There I was with an Ork Bigmek in my hands when a moment of doubt came over me! This will be the last army I will be able to get for about forever and would like to make an educated decision rather than just diving in. I can't decide between Tyranids, Tau, or Necron... any pros, cons, or general tactics for these armies would be very helpful in helping me with this decision, thanks in advance!

I can only say what people generally say here on Dakka:

- Necron and Tau haven't gotten a new codex for a long time. Playing them will, for the time being, make it difficult for you... overcosted units, tactical "blind spots" (i.e. lack of units to deal with certain situations). But anything is possible with sound strategies!

- Tyranids will get a brand new codex on the 16th of January + a slew of new models. No obsolete rules, and a new codex generally means that you can build a competetive army. And you get to join an exciting wave when all the players start to hammer out good lists and tactics for all the new units!

What is most important for you? Painting/modelling or gaming? If gaming, check out the Army Lists and Tactics threads here on Dakka for advice (you will see an abundance of Ork, IG and SM threads, because their codices supports so many differnet ways to build a good army). If P&M, go for the army that you think looks best!

Tyranid pros:
They are comming very soon.
TONS of variety of units to choose from.
Other than marines , GW do put effort into this army.

As long as GW might take, codices come and go. If this really is the last army you'll be able to get for a long, long time, get the models you're going to enjoy looking at for many years to come.

Thanks for the replies, so far nids seem most tempting... who doesn't love a living carpet! to answer some of your questions though I need to have an army that I enjoy looking at, as was just said. the gaming is important to me, but only as a secondary (I don't play very competitively, even in tournaments). Also I have been working on my drybrushing, and I have seen some pretty fantastic nid dry
brushes. Runner up is tau, due to interesting fluff and play style, and their sleek look... necrons seem to be too limited to me.

still can't decide yet though ....

- Tyranids will get a brand new codex on the 16th of January + a slew of new models. No obsolete rules, and a new codex generally means that you can build a competetive army. And you get to join an exciting wave when all the players start to hammer out good lists and tactics for all the new units!

Nids will play differently in the new edition.
There are some neat special character models.
However, Nidzilla seems to be dead and no longer competitive.
The new competitive Nids will more likely be based on pods landing in the face of the enemy.

TYRANIDS!
. new codex in JAN

. realy fun to play

. sooo much variety

I am seeing a lot about nids... but what about the Tau? I am still very interested in them still

Like I said, Codices come and go. They'll get new rules eventually. However, I don;t think they'll ever stop being a seriously shooty army. If you get a good selection of core units, I don't think you'll have issues when their new codex rolls around. Plus there are still some viable lists with their current codex.

They're far more visually appealing to me, much more so than the bugs. But that's all about personal preference.

Tau are completely based on shooting and are lucky to survive more than one turn in assault.
Tyranids have great new models (plastic gargoyles),
a great new codex,
the ability to shoot and assault and
LOADS of Monsterous cretures!!!




Automatically Appended Next Post:
Oh yeah
DROP PODS

Necrons codex is so outdated they dont play well and dont have a large selction of miniatures. Tau are a good army but if you are interested in playing games you must take it seriously as tau are a very tactical army. Tyranids on the other hand are getting a new codex and miniatures! Secondly its very hard to lose with a well designed tyranid army.

I'd go for the new Nids.
They are surely competitive, even more competitive than Tau and Necrons at the moment.

I actually think I will go with Tau, my reasons are as follows:
1. as previously said codices come and go...
2. I personally like their sleek geometric style to the nids more organic style
3. I like tau fluff more
4. Tau play style is very interesting, people always talk about their dakka, but they are also very mobile and have many ways of preventing close combat!

thank you for all of your input I really appreciate all the advice!

Tau is a decent choice.
It will surely get a new codex in 2010 or 11.

isaacb122 wrote:I have just finished my Chaos Marines army, and was looking to start a new army. There I was with an Ork Bigmek in my hands when a moment of doubt came over me! This will be the last army I will be able to get for about forever and would like to make an educated decision rather than just diving in. I can't decide between Tyranids, Tau, or Necron... any pros, cons, or general tactics for these armies would be very helpful in helping me with this decision, thanks in advance!

Let me ask you this: which appeals to you more visually (all things considered), Aliens, Terminator, or battletech? Answer that question and you might be able to sauce out what you'd have the most fun painting and looking at. For me it's Aliens even though I love battletech. Being as such, it's been bugs all the way from back in 3rd ed. I just like the organic feel. But if you like the idea of hulking machines with real people in them and having to have a graceful hand in making them function, tau might be your best option. And, of course, if you enjoy the single-minded destruction of things with no feelings of pain or remorse and the idea of an implacable force coming at you, as in the original terminator, necrons might appeal to you highly.

As far as tactics, I think that's been discussed and you have all the information you need to make a decision on that front.

Tau:

Pros:
*Great anti-tank abilities in even the smaller games.
*plenty of shooting can be drawn from an army.
*The movement from suits allows you to shoot then hide again.
*Some great looking models, but not all are that good.

Cons:
*They are pretty fragile in terms of taking fire.
*The dex is now pretty old, and there are alot of holes in it.
*Due to newer dex's allowing pure swarm armies, tau will get flooded very quickly. (never good)
*they really do lack CC abilities, and wont survive being attacked by even pink horrors.


Necron:

Pros:
*The most annoying tank possible, which refuses to blow up.
*Destroyer spam will do well, since it has nice ranged abilities and good movement.
*the C'tan really are monsters.

Cons:
*really boring and old models.
*They really do get boring to paint.
*no updates in a long ass time, meaning they are pretty much obselite.

Nids:

Pros:
*New, so they will have some nice new models and units.
*I think i said it all lol, cant talk too much due to not being released yet, but by all means they have some damn evil units and will do well against anyone.
*The option of mixed, nidzilla or swarm gives a nice mix to the army, and lets you swap it about to no end.

Cons:
*No eternal warrior anymore (oh well)
*may be more, but not sure again since they havent been released as of yet.

Of all your listed choices... orks are probably the most likely to disappoint.

Tyranids would be my choice, because you are getting a new codex by the time you've got your christmas money in hand. That means you are getting into them at the start of a 4-5 year cycle. There isn't a more perfect time to start a new army.

necrons and tau are both old codecies. The necrons are VERY limited in what you can field and their model range and codex are very mono-dimensional. Tau are also an older codex, they are surprisingly holding up decently considering where their codex is in the development cycle, but there are many frustrating rules inconsistencies, and their overall power level is lower than any 5th edition codex.

Both of these books, however, are nearing the end of their cycle and are about to be getting new books. If you chose either of these, you could acquire models, lose some games, get to know the units, and then enjoy the fun of getting a new codex in a year to 18 months.

The danger of the orks is that they have just reached the point where they are starting to show their age. While still a dangerous army. They are now falling more and more to the newer codecies... space wolves, tyranids, space marines and imperial guard have a lot more flexilbility and are arguably more competitive choices.

The ork codex is right in the middle of its development cycle. They have great models, they are a well supported line, but they won't get a new book for likely around 3 years. As new codecies come out and as 5th edition continues to evolve, orks will slip a little bit each time.

Don't get me wrong. I think the ork codex was robust enough in design to be able to at least compete throughout the next three years, but its limited scope may become a frustration for you as these newer (and better designed) books continue to roll out.

I would suggest, in this order...

1. tyranids
2. tau
3. necrons
4. orks

I do disagree with you putting orks below necrons, they are alot of fun to play, paint model, and conversions have never been easier or more fun. You might well be right about them losing a competitive edga to newer codexs, but that is just one aspect of the hobby, as was said earlier when you are done with the hobby and their only value is based off of their astetic value, orks are much better then crons. Crons are boring to paint, and have so few unit types. I think nids is your best bet, some of those models are super cool (trygon) and if your leaving the hobby soon then you might as well go out using a new and intersting codex.

despoiler52 wrote:I do disagree with you putting orks below necrons, they are alot of fun to play, paint model, and conversions have never been easier or more fun. You might well be right about them losing a competitive edga to newer codexs, but that is just one aspect of the hobby, as was said earlier when you are done with the hobby and their only value is based off of their astetic value, orks are much better then crons. Crons are boring to paint, and have so few unit types. I think nids is your best bet, some of those models are super cool (trygon) and if your leaving the hobby soon then you might as well go out using a new and intersting codex.

I am compelled to discuss this stuff in a very "it's a game" way. Thats just how my mind works. I prioritize the game itself ahead of the models.

Advising someone about what looks cool is impossible. The aesthetic element to the game is completely subjective. Aesthetics are important to everyone, and to some it is the only factor worth considering... but in my opinion all four of those armies 'look cool'. So I went for the kind of in game support each army receives.

Shep wrote:

despoiler52 wrote:I do disagree with you putting orks below necrons, they are alot of fun to play, paint model, and conversions have never been easier or more fun. You might well be right about them losing a competitive edga to newer codexs, but that is just one aspect of the hobby, as was said earlier when you are done with the hobby and their only value is based off of their astetic value, orks are much better then crons. Crons are boring to paint, and have so few unit types. I think nids is your best bet, some of those models are super cool (trygon) and if your leaving the hobby soon then you might as well go out using a new and intersting codex.

I am compelled to discuss this stuff in a very "it's a game" way. Thats just how my mind works. I prioritize the game itself ahead of the models.

Advising someone about what looks cool is impossible. The aesthetic element to the game is completely subjective. Aesthetics are important to everyone, and to some it is the only factor worth considering... but in my opinion all four of those armies 'look cool'. So I went for the kind of in game support each army receives.

I concede that that is true. But often peoples subjectiveness is similar, for instance very few people think that a solid block of concrete is interesting, there are some, but as humans we are similar in our ways of thinking. As such I have found few people that think that nercon models are intersting to look at for prolonged periods of time. Of course if you disagree then again, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"

I would put necrons lowest on the list for many of the reasons already mentioned. They're not an easy army to play and their lack of options have a tendency to make every game have the same feel to it. I really like the concept behind them but until they get a new codex I'd stay far away from them.

Tau are also a tricky army to play well. They have great shooting but are not terribly durable units. Their tactics take time to learn and the right units to properly form a strong army.

Orks I can't comment on too much as I have little experience playing with or against them in 5th.

Tyrandis - well there's not much else to add. New codex, new models, etc.

I don't think you could go wrong with Orks or 'nids. Don't discount how much you like the models or 'fluff' of the army. It can go a long way in keeping you motivated to paint them and continue playing them.

Having recently been converted to the greater good and playing against some of the better players in my area, Tau are still pretty competitive. You have to be really aware of a lot of armies capabilities but overall it's not too bad imo.

For example, I tabled a chaos player that I caught off guard first turn by blowing up 4/5 of his transports. As an example of the opposite, I gave up after a 2nd turn charge from 2 units of dire avengers which had autarchs with them and 2 units of striking scorpions simply because I didn't deploy quite far enough back. If I had deployed better I would have put a hurting on everything that was in my face and probably had a chance.

MrDrumMachine wrote:Having recently been converted to the greater good and playing against some of the better players in my area, Tau are still pretty competitive. You have to be really aware of a lot of armies capabilities but overall it's not too bad imo.

For example, I tabled a chaos player that I caught off guard first turn by blowing up 4/5 of his transports. As an example of the opposite, I gave up after a 2nd turn charge from 2 units of dire avengers which had autarchs with them and 2 units of striking scorpions simply because I didn't deploy quite far enough back. If I had deployed better I would have put a hurting on everything that was in my face and probably had a chance.

When playing tau you have to have a really good mental ruler.

despoiler52 wrote:

MrDrumMachine wrote:Having recently been converted to the greater good and playing against some of the better players in my area, Tau are still pretty competitive. You have to be really aware of a lot of armies capabilities but overall it's not too bad imo.

For example, I tabled a chaos player that I caught off guard first turn by blowing up 4/5 of his transports. As an example of the opposite, I gave up after a 2nd turn charge from 2 units of dire avengers which had autarchs with them and 2 units of striking scorpions simply because I didn't deploy quite far enough back. If I had deployed better I would have put a hurting on everything that was in my face and probably had a chance.

When playing tau you have to have a really good mental ruler.

And remember what star engines do