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Whenever I play against a hoard army, its usually been orks or tyranids. So I began to wonder, fluffwise, what would happen if Ghazkull gathered a monstrously huge Waaagh and went head to head with one of the tyranid hive fleats? Orks have big stompa's, but tyranids have...big monstrously huge bugs (forgive my lack of tyranid terminology). Both orks and tyranids seem to be able to replace their lost numbers quickly and efficiently. Who prevails in this scenario? or are both sides locked in endless combat?

It's spelled "horde", and there's no real answer outside of read the bit about the Octavius system which is the exact scenario you proposed in reverse.

The Deathwatch, acting under orders of Inquisitor Kryptmann, lured a Hive Fleet into attacking the Ork held Octavius system. It's become a stalemate where the Tyranids are constantly pouring new troops in and the Orks are constantly coming to get stuck in.

They must have some _huge_ friggin' orks there then. Which book details this?

Pages 58 and 59 of Planetstrike.

My bad though, it's "The Octarian War" so it might not be the Kryptmann's Gambit incident.

The orks get big of da fightin and the tyranids have a massive supply of biomass the winner will be now super strong and nigh unstoppable. bad inquisitor.

If they're all on the surface of the planet in question, you commit Exterminatus. No more bugs, no more Orks.

Actually smart inquisitor.


The Tyranids will pour Biomass into the fight which will be largely wasted and the orks are preoccupied fighting the bugs.


At worst, its an eternal stalemate. which means the Imperium isn't being attacked.

At best, the Tyranid fleet is eventually ground down by the Waaaagh. Orks are disunified, the Waaagh will dry up once the fight is over.

Psienesis wrote:If they're all on the surface of the planet in question, you commit Exterminatus. No more bugs, no more Orks.

That's a great idea.

Until you see the massive Hive Fleet in orbit.

Iranna.

Considering the vast armies most of us on dakka collect, 'Hoard' is a completely applicable word...

Actually, the worst case scenario is that one side or the other wins and comes out the stronger.

Imagine Orks who've spent their whole life fighting Tyranids.

Imagine Tyranids who've adapted the Orkoid spore dispersal methods.

True, although that is unlikely given the destruction the Tyranids ravage upon a planet(meaning the Orks may lack material) and that the Nids will probably expend more energy then they gain fighting a full ork Waaagh.

This is going on right now in the Octavius System. One of the largest and most powerful Ork Empiers is going head to head with the majority of the Tyranid Hive Fleet.

You can read up on some of the engagements here. Overall the Tyranids were actually outnumbered initially but used strategy, assassinating Ork Warbosses to cause anarchy, and stealth to overcome Ork numbers and it has since ground into a stalemate. Tyranids have been able to use their early victories to expand their numbers via plentiful Ork bio-mass while more Orks are flocking to the Octavius System as word spreads of a good and proper fight.

Iranna wrote:

Psienesis wrote:If they're all on the surface of the planet in question, you commit Exterminatus. No more bugs, no more Orks.

That's a great idea.

Until you see the massive Hive Fleet in orbit.

Iranna.

While Hive Fleets are nasty, they're the weak point (force-projection-wise) in the Tyranid army. While they can birth millions of ships... taking out just one of the larger Hive Ships significantly cripples the fleet, since these are the synapse creatures of the fleet.

The Deathwatch, especially, has gotten really good at crippling Hive Fleets.

Also, and most importantly... there's no biomass in space. If the Fleet is going to replenish its numbers, its going to need to start eating itself. If you have the ground battle sewn up, with the bugs on the ground either smashed flat or cut off from returning to the fleet, and the capillary towers cut down/destroyed or whatever... then the really hard part is done. All that is left is the hard part of killing off the Hive Fleet. By no means easy, but not something the Imperium has never done.

'Nids would win because they would adapt their weapons for cutting through ork skin, and adapt their skin to stop shoota rounds...orks generally don't adapt.

If 'nids could adapt as quickly and efficiently as that, why haven't they grown bolter impervious skin or power armor piercing claws on even their most basic bug?

Because they don't need to/its not worth the energy.

With the energy it would take to make a million bolter proof bugs they might be able to make 2 million regular bugs. The benifit simply wouldn't be worth the extra energy/biomass it would take.

There are no "hoard" armies.

There are "horde" armies.

bombboy1252 wrote:'Nids would win because they would adapt their weapons for cutting through ork skin, and adapt their skin to stop shoota rounds...orks generally don't adapt.

Orks adapt by getting bigger. And in the 40k setting, bigger is the solution to most problems.

Whichever force has this battle in their codex wins!

IIRC, in the Ork codex, there is a piece of fluff about a Warboss getting ticked at the genestealers trying to infiltrate and he then preceeds to launch a WAAAGH! straight at the hive fleet.

Dr. What wrote:Whichever force has this battle in their codex wins!

IIRC, in the Ork codex, there is a piece of fluff about a Warboss getting ticked at the genestealers trying to infiltrate and he then preceeds to launch a WAAAGH! straight at the hive fleet.

Yup, and he's actually blunted the Fleet's progress

Kanluwen wrote:There are no "hoard" armies.

There are "horde" armies.

Correction, every army is a hoard army, only a few are horde armies.

bombboy1252 wrote:'Nids would win because they would adapt their weapons for cutting through ork skin, and adapt their skin to stop shoota rounds...orks generally don't adapt.

And you call yerself an Ork do ya?? You aint nothin but a eldar panzy, dats what you be!!!

Anyways there is another talk like this but people stopped going. Now is this focusing on the Octarius war?? If it is then I can help,but if its in general then we start going into the kill all fluff, whichs gets annoying.

If its the octarius war, then it hast to stay a stalemate for the Iom. If orks win, then straight shot at the systems surrounding terra. If tyranids win, then alot of new tactics to use against the enemys of the tyranids. This war is between the Bloodaxe controled system of octarius and a big tendril of leviathon. Now then the bloodaxes are the generals of the ork race. Laugh if you must if you think that there best stratedgy that they could come up with is charge. You do that and youll be dead. These are the smartest orks out there. Only Gazghkull is at their level. The thing is though is that their clan is kinda small compared to the other big clans. cause they work for the humies. something no respecting ork would do. Be cause this is their empire, they are using new strategys every fight against the tyranids. In retaliation to this fact, the top dog of all the Hive tyrants has come in the fight. thats right!!! The Swarm lord is in the fight now!! Because of this the tyranids are winning the war. AT THE MOMENT!!!!!! If Gazghkull enters then the tide might change into the orks favor!! Might not happen though... .

Tyranids will win.

IIRC, The Tyranids have already killed the Ork Big Warboss in the Octarius system and are now bogged down fight leftover Orks and Waaaghs! from other systems who came to get a bit of action.

Hunchkrot wrote:IIRC, The Tyranids have already killed the Ork Big Warboss in the Octarius system and are now bogged down fight leftover Orks and Waaaghs! from other systems who came to get a bit of action.

No they killed one of the Top warbosses in the system. The fate of the Main warboss, as of yet is still to be determined.

The orks are receiving reinforcments from surrounding solar systems, but are still helping each other defend the system from the tyranids.

willhman wrote:

Hunchkrot wrote:IIRC, The Tyranids have already killed the Ork Big Warboss in the Octarius system and are now bogged down fight leftover Orks and Waaaghs! from other systems who came to get a bit of action.

No they killed one of the Top warbosses in the system. The fate of the Main warboss, as of yet is still to be determined.

The orks are receiving reinforcments from surrounding solar systems, but are still helping each other defend the system from the tyranids.

His fate was determined the second he decided to go toe-to-toe with the Hive Mind...

Psienesis wrote:

Iranna wrote:

Psienesis wrote:If they're all on the surface of the planet in question, you commit Exterminatus. No more bugs, no more Orks.

That's a great idea.

Until you see the massive Hive Fleet in orbit.

Iranna.

While Hive Fleets are nasty, they're the weak point (force-projection-wise) in the Tyranid army. While they can birth millions of ships... taking out just one of the larger Hive Ships significantly cripples the fleet, since these are the synapse creatures of the fleet.

The Hydra Effect, described in the 4th edition Tyranid codex.

Destroying a hive ship sends out a psychic scream that causes all other hive ships in the area to calve. So basically you kill one, and the action births a dozen more.