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Given the pitiful accuracy of 'nid rumours, maybe we all lost hope in this BOLS story of three imminent Dataslates.

One will be genestealer based, one one big bugs, and one on flyers (gargoyles as troops, but no walking monsters. Hmmmm).

Anyway, GW Digital confirmed today on their Facebook page that the Vanguard Infestation dataslate, due out before the end of Jan, is indeed the first of a trilogy.


"We announced in this month's issue of White Dwarf that, starting later this month, the first in a trilogy of new Tyranid Dataslates will be released.
All three of these are going to have new datasheet formations for Tyranid armies to use, and if you're a fan of Genestealers (I know i am, far to many games of Space Hulk in my teenage years), I think you're going to like the first installment in the trilogy." (Eddie, GW Digital)

Are GW horrible grasping capitalists for separating this stuff from the codex? Hell, yeah. Will I buy at least one? Hell, yeah.

Big bugs?
Droool.... but I'm annoyed they're going the DLC method.

I should add there's no confirmation the second two-thirds of the BOLS story is true... but the fact the Genestealer one has been announced as the first of three gives it credence.

Could the flying supplement, if it exists, really introduce a new character? Parasite of Mortrex or similar?

"The Genestealer one" is Vanguard organisms. It's not just Genestealers, it's Genestealers, Lictors "and more".

 Hivefleet Oblivion wrote:
I should add there's no confirmation the second two-thirds of the BOLS story is true... but the fact the Genestealer one has been announced as the first of three gives it credence.

Could the flying supplement, if it exists, really introduce a new character? Parasite of Mortrex or similar?

I could see the Parasite revised back in. Harpies as Fast Attack, Gargoyles and Skyslashers as Troops, Crone as Heavy Support, Shrikes as Elites, Flyrant and Parasite as HQW and Harridan Lord of War? I could see this as a possible "Flyer army" dataslate.

Meh... I really don't like that strategy. So I have to wait a few months possibly for a rules change while I try to get my army together?

I'll likely be sticking to the standard codex... not a big fan of this move by GW.

Of course, I would be a fan of a "big bug" dataslate... but the way they're going about it makes me not interested.

 Kanluwen wrote:
"The Genestealer one" is Vanguard organisms. It's not just Genestealers, it's Genestealers, Lictors "and more".

Ymgarls, maybe?

I just cant find this on GW digital, can you link?

 CthuluIsSpy wrote:

 Kanluwen wrote:
"The Genestealer one" is Vanguard organisms. It's not just Genestealers, it's Genestealers, Lictors "and more".

Ymgarls, maybe?

You'll be pleased to know there's a 'stealer with a cthulu head on the blacklibrary's teaser pic, linked at the bottom of this page:

http://www.blacklibrary.com/Blog/Call-the-exterminators.html

GW digital announcement is here: https://www.facebook.com/GamesWorkshopDigitalEditions

 Hivefleet Oblivion wrote:

 CthuluIsSpy wrote:

 Kanluwen wrote:
"The Genestealer one" is Vanguard organisms. It's not just Genestealers, it's Genestealers, Lictors "and more".

Ymgarls, maybe?

You'll be pleased to know there's a 'stealer with a cthulu head on the blacklibrary's teaser pic, linked at the bottom of this page:

http://www.blacklibrary.com/Blog/Call-the-exterminators.html

GW digital announcement is here: https://www.facebook.com/GamesWorkshopDigitalEditions

Heh, called it.

This is exactly a Kirby/ Upper Management thing to do.
Drop the thing that everyone likes from the main dex, have them pay extra to use it again through DLC.

Hopefully this is more responding to outcry and less a sneaky plan to make more scratch.

 Lobukia wrote:
Hopefully this is more responding to outcry and less a sneaky plan to make more scratch.

After a few days of release? That's awfully fast. Especially since this was teased before release, iirc.

 CthuluIsSpy wrote:

 Lobukia wrote:
Hopefully this is more responding to outcry and less a sneaky plan to make more scratch.

After a few days of release? That's awfully fast. Especially since this was teased before release, iirc.

It wasn't "teased" before release. It was in the White Dwarf for release.
We didn't get any specific details or anything beyond "Vanguard Organisms" and "Lictors, Genestealers and more" though.

If I had to speculate though?

Ymgarl Genestealers are going to become an IC or Broodlord equivalent for Genestealers.

 Hivefleet Oblivion wrote:

 CthuluIsSpy wrote:

 Kanluwen wrote:
"The Genestealer one" is Vanguard organisms. It's not just Genestealers, it's Genestealers, Lictors "and more".

Ymgarls, maybe?

You'll be pleased to know there's a 'stealer with a cthulu head on the blacklibrary's teaser pic, linked at the bottom of this page:

http://www.blacklibrary.com/Blog/Call-the-exterminators.html

GW digital announcement is here: https://www.facebook.com/GamesWorkshopDigitalEditions

This bothers me greatly, because now it looks like they pulled units from the codex for these supplements.

Unless those AREN'T Ymgarls, but then GW has some explaining to do.

Given that they have a couple apocalypse formation packages on the website it's likely they will be data sheets for those. You have the Vanguard Infestation, Living Fortress and Subterranean Swarm all of which look like unit combinations that could be fielded in standard games.

If the datasheets confer some sort of bonus abilities or rules for them in a normal game hopefully it'll help fill in some of the weak areas in the main codex. I can only pray that the vanguard offers ymgarl and regular genestealers something along the lines of their older rules. I'd really like to see Subterranean offer some sort of controlled arrival from reserves along the lines of death wing deployment.

I'm going to guess:

1) Vanguard Infestation will allow for "Ymgarl Genestealers" which will either be ICs or a unit upgrade to Genestealer Broods, making the Broods gain the same locator beacon as Lictors.

2) Living Fortress will have something similar to the Deathwing Knights where models in base contact with 1 or more Tyrant Guards will get +1 T. Swarmlord as the "leader" of the formation.

3) Subterranean Swarm will be something about "rumbling earth". Maybe allow for the Swarm to, on the turn it arrives, throw up a huge cloud of smoke that lowers BS for the next turn?

Why get excited for dataslates when there likely won't be that many changes to the rules? A few extra USRs won't make up for bad statlines/point values/instinctive behaviors.

We all know it's going to wind up being something like "Carnifexes and Hive Guard gain Tank Hunters." or "Genestealers have Shrouded the first turn of the game."

So GW now releases a codex and immediately after releases "theme armies" for that same codex that customers have to pay all over again to get? And people still buy them?!

I guess its true what they say, there is one born every minute...

This seems to be an experiment relating to the negative reception that supplements were receiving with the cost of the digital supplements.

Not gonna lie, if there's a Dataslate that lets me take Carnifexen as Troops, I'll be throwing my money at them every month to buy dozens of the things.

Y'hear that, GW? I'll come back to you for Carnifexes as Troops.

 Platuan4th wrote:
Not gonna lie, if there's a Dataslate that lets me take Carnifexen as Troops, I'll be throwing my money at them every month to buy dozens of the things.

Post that on GW digital and watch how fast one gets made.

RogueRegault wrote:
We all know it's going to wind up being something like "Carnifexes and Hive Guard gain Tank Hunters." or "Genestealers have Shrouded the first turn of the game."

Yeah, this is why I don't like Dataslates, and why I think a lot of tournies won't end up allowing them... unless there's a good reason to do so, like a new unit being added or the like.

 Platuan4th wrote:
Not gonna lie, if there's a Dataslate that lets me take Carnifexen as Troops, I'll be throwing my money at them every month to buy dozens of the things.

Y'hear that, GW? I'll come back to you for Carnifexes as Troops.

I would too. And I already have 9.

 Platuan4th wrote:
Not gonna lie, if there's a Dataslate that lets me take Carnifexen as Troops, I'll be throwing my money at them every month to buy dozens of the things.

Y'hear that, GW? I'll come back to you for Carnifexes as Troops.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPw-3e_pzqU

For the price you are paying for a codex it is ridiculous to have to pay extra for this content.

The greed of GW knows no bounds and the fanboys are not likely to teach them anytime soon.

 RiTides wrote:

RogueRegault wrote:
We all know it's going to wind up being something like "Carnifexes and Hive Guard gain Tank Hunters." or "Genestealers have Shrouded the first turn of the game."

Yeah, this is why I don't like Dataslates, and why I think a lot of tournies won't end up allowing them... unless there's a good reason to do so, like a new unit being added or the like.

Telling Nid players that can't have things they need to patch this sinking ship is hardly a good way to get them to attend your tourney.

JWhex wrote:
For the price you are paying for a codex it is ridiculous to have to pay extra for this content.

The greed of GW knows no bounds and the fanboys are not likely to teach them anytime soon.

Oh please. You're talking about $6.99 for a Dataslate as though it's some obscene amount, with no idea of exactly what kind of content is within.

So, anyone have any idea what's the point of these dataslates? Are they just formations of random units that don't take any FOC slots and have free special rules added on top, like the Tau Firebase Support Cadre? Likewise to the Tau Cadre, can every army use these dataslates? Additionally, why does GW sometimes call them datasheets and sometimes dataslates?

To me they almost defeat the purpose of the FOC altogether. It also seems like 40K is moving closer and closer to Apocalypse, where you can field any combination of models from any army in the same force. But I guess GW feels there are more interesting narratives to those triple and quad codex armies than old fashioned mono codex armies. They're pretty much sacrificing every last ounce of integrity and resemblance of balance in the game just to make a few extra bucks.

Make no mistake I approve of the new Tyranids becoming stronger (if in fact that's what will happen), but I just despise the idea of dataslates and multi-allying as a whole.

 Kanluwen wrote:

JWhex wrote:
For the price you are paying for a codex it is ridiculous to have to pay extra for this content.

The greed of GW knows no bounds and the fanboys are not likely to teach them anytime soon.

Oh please. You're talking about $6.99 for a Dataslate as though it's some obscene amount, with no idea of exactly what kind of content is within.

Their codexes are made from copy pasted pieces from older codexes... Who are you really trying to convince that these dataslates will have any content worth getting apart from the army lists themselves?

And you do realise that other companies usually give these theme forces for "free" with their army books or at least as "free" content in their respective magazines?

PhantomViper wrote:

 Kanluwen wrote:

JWhex wrote:
For the price you are paying for a codex it is ridiculous to have to pay extra for this content.

The greed of GW knows no bounds and the fanboys are not likely to teach them anytime soon.

Oh please. You're talking about $6.99 for a Dataslate as though it's some obscene amount, with no idea of exactly what kind of content is within.

Their codexes are made from copy pasted pieces from older codexes... Who are you really trying to convince that these dataslates will have any content worth getting apart from the army lists themselves?

Have you read the Dataslates? I have not read them. I don't know what's in it.

That was the point of my post. And honestly, the "copy/pasted pieces from older codices" is inevitable given that GW does not want to advance the timeline. There is still new content in codices though, so acting as though they're simply reprints with a higher price tag is disingenuous.

And you do realise that other companies usually give these theme forces for "free" with their army books or at least as "free" content in their respective magazines?

So in both cases, they're not actually "free". They're part of something else.