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I have known about Warhammer since the 90's when I stumbled onto a Games Workshop store on Queen in Toronto(that later moved into Eaton centre I think). I thought it looked cool and went inside and was amazed at how detailed and great all the models looked. I bought some Dwarfs, codex and paints but faded from the hobby quickly as I was young and wrapped up in sports pretty heavily. I kept an Eye on Warhammer FB off and on for years after, but never really got into the hobby very deeply, never played a game, mainly read some fluff and admired some of the paint jobs. Long story short, I finally have enough time (and money) to really get into Warhammer.

After reading various forums I have come to the conclusion that I will jump into 40k and play Tyranids. 8th edition FB seems cool, but 40k seems more popular and fleshed out. Anyway, I have some questions before I jump in and will just number them off.

1. What is a good place to start with Tryanids? I plan to pick up the Codex, rule book and a brood of Termagants. I really have no idea how to build a proper army (I understand the point system etc.. I just don't know what combo's, weapons, mods are effective yet). Is this a good place to begin? If not, what do you suggest?

2. I have never played a game of 40k or FB and in Toronto, I have no idea where to. I assume Gamesworkshop will run at least one night a week for new players?

3. Is Tyranids even a good army to start with for someone new? Would I be better off picking up the box set (Assault on Black Reach) that comes with everything for $100CDN?

4. What are some tips you can give a new player who is just starting out.

I assume threads like this are a bit common, but when I searched I couldn't find any specifically like mine. Sorry for the noob clutter.

As a fellow Tyranid beginner, here's what I've gathered so far:
-Hive Tyrants. You want one. Preferably with Tyrant Guard. Paroxysm + Lash whip + bonesword = awesome
-Termigants are best taken in large numbers (duh) especially since you can use them to provide mobile cover for your more valuable creatures
-Hive Guard rape faces. Their only limitation is lack of range.
-Doom of Malan'tai is rediculously powerful, and not very expensive points wise. Put him in a Mycetic spore and drop him into an enemy gunline. Commence lulz.

Other advice I have picked up is that Tyranids (perhaps more than any other army) require effective synergy to achieve their full potential. All your units must be able to complement each other. Use Termagaunt swarms to soak up fire and give your Hive Guard a moving cover save till the Hive Guard get into firing range. Use Doom to draw enemy fire and wreak havoc in his rear until the rest of your force can close. Keep the Tyrant close to units that are weak in CC so his paroxysm ability can prevent enemy CC troops from attacking effectively.

hope that helps, good luck!

If you don't want to do a lot of converting, then stay away from Tervigons, Tyrannofex, Doom of Monterrey, Harpies, and Mycetic Spores, since there are no official models. That said, converting some of the above models can be really easy, since all Tyranids are pretty much the same thing, just with different arms.
Another thing you might have problems with is the sheer number of models you may be faced with buying and painting, since Tyranids are the very definition of horde.
Maybe start with the Battleforce. It seems like a good foundation to a Tyranid army.

1. Army wise tyranids can be very fun. I switched over to them a few months ago. If you like either swarms of smaller bugs supported by big bugs or a gang of monstrous creatures then go for it. Though its one of the least supported armies around in 40k model wise. I guess though you should ask yourself what army you can see yourself doing. Do you want lots of guns, close combat? or maybe unorthodox tactics, finesse. Do you want to go for a horde army with legions of troops to throw at the enemy? Or a small elite strike force that can get the job done efficiently. but suffer when taking losses badly. Think about this and take a look at each army.

2. I wouldn't know as i live in Europe. Keep your ear to the ground for local games workshop branches? Or friendly local independent stores.

3. Again I'd look at question 1 again.

4. Dont be afraid to ask questions. When I started I was a very clueless teenager and didnt know where to start. But knew I wanted to play 40k. Everything seemed so daunting rulsewise etc. But over time once you familiarize yourself with the core structure of the game it all falls in to place and isn't so daunting.

And finally. best of luck in whatever you decide to collect. And welcome to dakka.

I don't know much about Tyranids so I wont be able to help you out there. I'm sure that the Games Workshop in the Eaton Center probably will have an open gaming night once a week or so for 40K. If they don't, I know the GW in Burlington does every Thursday, and most Thursday nights there's usually one or two other people there waiting and willing to play a game of 40K. Heck if I didn't work every Thursday night, I'd probably be there once a month at least for open gaming.

Thanks for all the information.

Another question about converting. So it seems GW makes rules for models that are not in the game, leaving it up to you to create them yourself? Is this correct? If so, what constitutes a proper conversion? For example, I can't just take a Genestealer and say "this is my tyranofex". Am I suppose to make it resemble the picture in the codex?

Also, I really don't mind painting or converting. The artistic aspect (painting, modelling) is as much interesting to me as (I work in the field atm) the actual playing.

If you can make it resemble the picture in the codex you are golden. However you could also make something different as long as it a similar size, and possess some of the features of said tyranofex.

Shaman wrote:If you can make it resemble the picture in the codex you are golden. However you could also make something different as long as it a similar size, and possess some of the features of said tyranofex.

This. As long as it matches the unit for approximate size and has been modelled near to what you might recognize as what it is meant to be youll be fine. I wouldn't just drop a load of genestealers on the table and say each is a different troop entry. Not only can it be construed as potentially misleading you also capitalize on smaller models for line of sight purposes. Plus I find that people you play against enjoy a well painted and well modeled army. "What you see is what you get" is what you should be aiming towards as a rule of thumb.

Hey mate, welcome to Dakka for a start.

I've been a Nid player since 04 back when I was a wee boy. Had some termagants hormagaunts and the old-styled carnifex & lictor.

My advice to you is to get what you think appeals to you most, THEN worry about troop choices etc etc.

For example, next time you go in and see the model of a 30ft snake (Trygon) and you are in awe. By all means get it to spur your interest further

Thats what I did and slowly your army grows into shape. Failing that and you want to jump into hardcore gaming then I suggest the battleforce. Enough variety to keep you interested along with the codex ofcourse, even if you don't understand the rules its cool to acquiant yourself with how the tyranids kick ass!

Thanks again for the help guys.

I am pretty sure I am going to go ahead and pick up the Battle Force (which I can get for $100 at a store in Toronto, $30 cheaper then Games Workshop), plus the Codex and rule book.

I watched some tutorials for painting nids and have a fairly good idea of what I am going to do from past experiences. Although I am involved in the art world IRL, painting models seems like a whole different ball game. But I am familiar with a lot of the concepts from reading about it over the years and some tutorials I watched.

If anyone has any other tips for me, or anything I should pick up to go with the Battle Force let me know.

I have a couple other questions though.

Is Air Brushing frowned upon in the miniature world? You can get some mind blowing gradients and effects using one that are very hard to duplicate with a brush. I don't know if it's considering bad etiquette or "lame" or would get you DQ'd from a painting competition in the Warhammer world though. I also read people saying dry brushing is "cheating", which makes little sense to me, as it's a simple technique that can provide great highlights of done right.

My last question is for anyone from Toronto. Does anyone have experience with Heavy Support Games in Toronto? It seems like a great store and I may go there to make my purchases.

Air Brushing is TOTALLY fine.. heck, I think GW sells one themselves that looks like a hand flamer..

As far as Nids go, you will most likely want to get something to stick under the bases of the smaller ones to make sure they don't tip over. those lunging poses are not the most stable.

Are you committed to acquiring brand new models? If not, and you want to save cash.. look in the Swap Shop here, or over on Bartertown or Rogue Market.. websites dedicated to secondhand game trading. You might need to extend some trust, but it can be really worth it to get an army for the cost of the battlebox or a little more.

As for my Nids, I have an "Stealer Swarm" force that is visually cool, but rarely wins against competitive armies. I focused on Genestealers, which totally rock in assault, but there is NO shooting in the army other than my 2 squads of Zoanthropes which I HAD to put it to have any sort of anti-tank.

Zoanthropes are, by far, the best armor-cracking at-range unit the nids have, with Hive Guard a very close second. You have to get the sweet humie meat out of the can before your other bugs can feast..

Think twice before starting 40k.
It costs your money, it costs your time, and it costs your life, ähh wife.

Bunce wrote:Thanks again for the help guys.

I am pretty sure I am going to go ahead and pick up the Battle Force (which I can get for $100 at a store in Toronto, $30 cheaper then Games Workshop), plus the Codex and rule book.

I watched some tutorials for painting nids and have a fairly good idea of what I am going to do from past experiences. Although I am involved in the art world IRL, painting models seems like a whole different ball game. But I am familiar with a lot of the concepts from reading about it over the years and some tutorials I watched.

If anyone has any other tips for me, or anything I should pick up to go with the Battle Force let me know.

I have a couple other questions though.

Is Air Brushing frowned upon in the miniature world? You can get some mind blowing gradients and effects using one that are very hard to duplicate with a brush. I don't know if it's considering bad etiquette or "lame" or would get you DQ'd from a painting competition in the Warhammer world though. I also read people saying dry brushing is "cheating", which makes little sense to me, as it's a simple technique that can provide great highlights of done right.

My last question is for anyone from Toronto. Does anyone have experience with Heavy Support Games in Toronto? It seems like a great store and I may go there to make my purchases.

I've played since 1993, but I've only just begun to think about starting a nids army, but its been very challenging. Since this isn't my first army, I'm going to buy 2000 or 2500 points all at once ( not a good idea for beginners ). My personal opinion from studying the new codex is that 'nids are hard for beginners, though they have some really neat and very competitive builds. They have something if you're playing for a fun, theme army, a competitive army, a good looking army, or all of the above. The problem is you really need to have your thinking cap on to get enough options while simultaneously not wasting points, as your monstrous creatures can get expensive. Unlike some armies, 'nids can have some tough choices concerning force organization. For instance, do you take a bunch of gaunt units so you can take tervigons as troops, or do you burn a heavy slot so you don't need gaunts at all? Another thing is finding out waht your army actually does. For instance, do you want to spend 40 points a pop on Spods, or use those points you'd spend on having tons and tons of guys so your opponent has to eliminate more targets. Another opinion of mine that vet 'nid players might disagree on is that you should not neglect shooting, as the 'nids actually have some very neat shooting options.

Find someone, or preferably several someones, who are willing to play plenty of small games with you. Don't try to buy a bunch of stuff and get overwhelmed at this stage. You're more likely to stick with it if you can get all of your stuff on the table and better yet painted. At least try painting, and don't worry about how good it is. I'd rather play against someone with a table full of models crusted with too thick paint than a table full of models that are bare plastic with one guy painted to a competition standard.
It is worth mentioning that you're going to be painting a lot of models, potentially, as a 'nid player. Consider a speed painting method such as the "dipping" method ( I'm sure there is an article on that here on dakka), or purchase something like Army Painter ( www.thewarstore.com) which is expensive but easy to pick up and start without a lot of research.

My last opinion is that with any 40k ( or any strategy game ) army, if it is worth doing once, do it multiple times. Unless you're going for a theme or just like the models, don't have a random spattering of models, rather, focus on one type and take lots of it, with a few different things to cover your weaknesses or provide mobility. For instance, if someone is running a mechanized army, most of their infantry should be in some sort of vehicle, with perhaps only a few units such as infiltrators or heavy support infantry dismounted.

I just started around christmas and I have found that it is a wonderful game and the wife and I have found it is one of the better game to play. In addition to that, I ebay a Dark Eldar army for dirt cheap.

Alastergrimm wrote:I just started around christmas and I have found that it is a wonderful game and the wife and I have found it is one of the better game to play. In addition to that, I ebay a Dark Eldar army for dirt cheap.

Its not really a surprise that DE is dirt cheap on Ebay. They are shelf warmers.

Grignard wrote:

I've played since 1993, but I've only just begun to think about starting a nids army, but its been very challenging. Since this isn't my first army, I'm going to buy 2000 or 2500 points all at once ( not a good idea for beginners ). My personal opinion from studying the new codex is that 'nids are hard for beginners, though they have some really neat and very competitive builds. They have something if you're playing for a fun, theme army, a competitive army, a good looking army, or all of the above. The problem is you really need to have your thinking cap on to get enough options while simultaneously not wasting points, as your monstrous creatures can get expensive. Unlike some armies, 'nids can have some tough choices concerning force organization. For instance, do you take a bunch of gaunt units so you can take tervigons as troops, or do you burn a heavy slot so you don't need gaunts at all? Another thing is finding out waht your army actually does. For instance, do you want to spend 40 points a pop on Spods, or use those points you'd spend on having tons and tons of guys so your opponent has to eliminate more targets. Another opinion of mine that vet 'nid players might disagree on is that you should not neglect shooting, as the 'nids actually have some very neat shooting options.

Find someone, or preferably several someones, who are willing to play plenty of small games with you. Don't try to buy a bunch of stuff and get overwhelmed at this stage. You're more likely to stick with it if you can get all of your stuff on the table and better yet painted. At least try painting, and don't worry about how good it is. I'd rather play against someone with a table full of models crusted with too thick paint than a table full of models that are bare plastic with one guy painted to a competition standard.
It is worth mentioning that you're going to be painting a lot of models, potentially, as a 'nid player. Consider a speed painting method such as the "dipping" method ( I'm sure there is an article on that here on dakka), or purchase something like Army Painter ( www.thewarstore.com) which is expensive but easy to pick up and start without a lot of research.

My last opinion is that with any 40k ( or any strategy game ) army, if it is worth doing once, do it multiple times. Unless you're going for a theme or just like the models, don't have a random spattering of models, rather, focus on one type and take lots of it, with a few different things to cover your weaknesses or provide mobility. For instance, if someone is running a mechanized army, most of their infantry should be in some sort of vehicle, with perhaps only a few units such as infiltrators or heavy support infantry dismounted.

Sounds good.

I am currently trying to find places to play in Toronto, and think I have found a couple. Not sure how noob friendly they are but whatever.

I am pretty sold on Nids, Space Marines seem interesting but they also seem very common, I also like the look of Space Wolves but I am not sure how noob friendly they are.

Bunce wrote:Thanks again for the help guys.

I am pretty sure I am going to go ahead and pick up the Battle Force (which I can get for $100 at a store in Toronto, $30 cheaper then Games Workshop), plus the Codex and rule book.

I watched some tutorials for painting nids and have a fairly good idea of what I am going to do from past experiences. Although I am involved in the art world IRL, painting models seems like a whole different ball game. But I am familiar with a lot of the concepts from reading about it over the years and some tutorials I watched.

If anyone has any other tips for me, or anything I should pick up to go with the Battle Force let me know.

I have a couple other questions though.

Is Air Brushing frowned upon in the miniature world? You can get some mind blowing gradients and effects using one that are very hard to duplicate with a brush. I don't know if it's considering bad etiquette or "lame" or would get you DQ'd from a painting competition in the Warhammer world though. I also read people saying dry brushing is "cheating", which makes little sense to me, as it's a simple technique that can provide great highlights of done right.

My last question is for anyone from Toronto. Does anyone have experience with Heavy Support Games in Toronto? It seems like a great store and I may go there to make my purchases.

Heavy Support Games kicks ass. The guy who runs it is very friendly and knowledgable. Not to mention you get great prices on anything GW related. My girlfriend MADE me go in there one day and I did not regret it.