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Hi all.

It's all in the title really... I've not fought tyranids before so I'm asking for what sort if things to expect and what is good against them.

With Tyranids, I can't help but think of Starship Troopers... Lots of shooty things. Am I far off :p

I haven't actually played against Tyranids but here are a few taughts on fighting them that i have had.

Power Maces for hordes, flamers for Wall of Fire! Forge Fiends for massive amounts of Hades Autocannon shots!
Might even be worth looking at the Defiler with its BC for a pie plate!

I did think of lots of fire, I don't have a defiler but, I do have two vindicators...

I've seen heldrakes absolutely decimate tyranid armies...theres one unit that spawns guants, forgot the name, it was killed by a vector strike and exploded and the explosion damage combined with the flamer and v strikes of the 2 drakes actually killed like 60 or 80 models in 2 turns...some lucky rolls but still. Daemonforge helps reduce some of this luck.

vindicators seem excellent, just watch out for MC and FMC, they will eat vindies for breakfast and then still be hungry enough for brunch afterwards.

Noise marines seem like a good troop choice because they have so much fire power, and the slaneesh spasms spell is great against melee based sqauds, and some of the other slaneesh spells are good for this situation

so id go with

sorcerer hqs
noise marines
vindicators
heldrakes

Well the new codex does come out soon, a day or two I believe, so It's hard to give advice since new changes have been made. Tyranids can be very flexible as of this moment being able to have mass shoot while still being a threat in CC, thou they do lack any for of AA save a flying hivetyrant (which would probably eat a helldrake if it caught the helldrake in CC).

I In the current codex a bare unit of five Raveners can hit with 20 attacks re-rolling all misses, not including bonuses attacks for a possible charge, at WS5 I4 and S4. Which can even overwhelm marines if the dice are even somewhat against you. That being said, they have to make it too you which is where HBs and ML come in handy. Abuse the fact they for the most part tryanid units have low armor saves, so mass shots of AP 5 or 4 can deal with most of the non MCs. You can also take advantage of the fact warriors and raveners (which both have three wounds) are only T4 so S8 can inflect instant death.

as for dealing with the MCs Las cannon and MLs work nicely since you wound on a 2+ and ignore their armor. Thou if you are going to use devastators beware trygons and mawlocs as they can cause havoc to such units when they deep strike. Tanks may fair better the turn they arrive but after that if it is charge range it will probably be food.

Also changerofways the MC in question is the Tervigon, which can be either a Troop or an HQ depending on they army build, thou judging by your story I'd say in your case it was a troop

How about this.....

HQ - CSM Lord - BBoS, P.wep, MoS, Steed, SoC
Sorc - ML3, TDA, Spell Familiar, SoC,

Troops - Cultists x 20
Noise Marines x 10, Sonic Blasters x 9, P. Wep on champ, IoE.
CSM x 10, 2 x Flamers, P. Wep on Champ.

Elites - 5 x Terminators. 1 H. Flamer, 4 x Combi-flamers.

Fast Attack - Baledrake.

Heavy - Vindicator, Daemonic Poss, Combi-bolter.
Vindicator, Daemonic Poss, Combi-bolter.
Obliterators x 3, MoN, Votlw.

This leaves me a few points under budget, 7 actually. I'm not sure of the terminators, I mainly put them in as I've not used them much...

The idea is to outflank the CSM with the Lord attached. Keep the Sorc with the cultists at the back and try to slowly move forward with Vindicator support (or just let them come to me.) DS in the termies to flame stuff where needed. Let obliterators use assault cannons, plasma cannons or Las where needed. Noise Marines help in ferrying the troops where the vinicators can get them.

Failing that, I could drop the 3 Obliterators totally, grab an 8 man ML Havoc squad to hang backfield with an ADL + Comms relay, putting me dead on 1750. Thoughts?

Your HQ and troops look good

Lighting claws on the Terminators will help as AP 3 and re-roll wounds help deal with multi wound units and can help if you get locked in CC with an MC, also give them mark of Tzeench for the better invulnerable save, probably give the champ a pair of claws.
So let it up like this
- H. flamer with lighting claw
- 3 combie-flamers with lighting claw
- Champ pair of Lighting claws
Honestly not sure where you will get the points for that, but that is how I would set them up

Not sure about about the daemonic possession because you drop in BS and that could hurt in a pinch, also tyranids don't have much that will pen AV 13 save the heavy venom cannon or CC, and in CC the tank will probably be eaten. As for the Obliterators not sure how affective they will be, but I say get them a try and go from there.

I worked the termies in with a few changes here and there, dropped the possession from both Vinidcators too.

You can't have the 3 termies with a l.claw and a combi weapon, it says that any chaos terminator can choose any one of the 3 options available.

So they have the champ with 2x l.claws, 3 with a combi weapon and the 5th has the heavy flamer and a l.claw. Also they all have MoT.

Still undecided with the taking of 3 x Oblits or 8x Havocs + ADL with Comms Relay though...

Anyone played the new 'Nids yet that could give an opinion?

I dont know a whole lot about the new dex, but according to http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/572843.page

the strong units are:

Flyrants for HQs
termagants/hormagants for troops
Venomthropes for Elites
Hive Crones for fast attack
Carnifex's and biovores for Heavy Support

I think everyone knows what a flyrant does
crones are sort of like heldrakes with the hades autocannons if im not mistaken
biovores spawn lots of spore mines, D3 per turn i think.

Thats all I got on my recon mission, hope it helps

Many thanks for the link, I shall have a read.

Every little helps