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To answer the first question on your mind no.
My house has not been infested in years, we called an exterminator long ago.
But to get to why I am posting this is, I have been slowly building up a small tyranid army in the background and have never really play tested it, due to the fact that well. I do believe having only one Synapse creature is a bad thing (Flying hive tyrant) I have a bunch of termagants and two carnifexes (Also ripper swarms that go with said termagants but eh)
So I'm posting this for tips on how to play, what other minis would be good for shootier swarm tactics. See there is another guy around who does tyranids too to my knowledge but he does all up close encounters of the buggy kind ya' dig? Like swamlord, hormagaunts, and a gak load of crushing claws on them Carnifexes, never saw the entire army, only heard about him. So yeah, any tips tricks or recommendations would be good.
My knowledge on the topics is a bit limited so please speak to me as if I know very little

Welcome! For a general faction overview there are a couple threads floating around (some of the more active here and here). You are correct having one source of synapse is problematic but at lower point levels (500-750 points) you can probably get by with just one. Loosing synapse isn't quite as painful as it was in the prior edition but it is still vital for keeping shooting creatures on target and little bugs from fleeing.

For a shooting oriented swarm, I'd suggest looking at Hive Guard and Exocrines for firepower and then either some Warriors/Prime or a Tervigon for synapse oversight and more Termagants for bubblewrap. Warriors can contribute a bit of firepower on their own and are fairly inexpensive if you don't go too crazy with upgrades, while the Tervigon helps keep Termagants in the fight and grants nearby broods rerolls for to hit rolls of 1.

 Strat_N8 wrote:
Welcome! For a general faction overview there are a couple threads floating around (some of the more active here and here). You are correct having one source of synapse is problematic but at lower point levels (500-750 points) you can probably get by with just one. Loosing synapse isn't quite as painful as it was in the prior edition but it is still vital for keeping shooting creatures on target and little bugs from fleeing.

For a shooting oriented swarm, I'd suggest looking at Hive Guard and Exocrines for firepower and then either some Warriors/Prime or a Tervigon for synapse oversight and more Termagants for bubblewrap. Warriors can contribute a bit of firepower on their own and are fairly inexpensive if you don't go too crazy with upgrades, while the Tervigon helps keep Termagants in the fight and grants nearby broods rerolls for to hit rolls of 1.

Oh, well, thank you!
I will totally be looking into those two links you gave.
So far I think my shopping list became
two sets of Warriors
One tervigon
One Possibly two Exocrines
And I have no idea how many Hive guards.
Oh, and also a ton of Termagants

If you do Exocrines, you don't need Hive Guards.

Sounds like you are on a good road.

Tervigon is a good HQ.

 Niiai wrote:
If you do Exocrines, you don't need Hive Guards.

Sounds like you are on a good road.

Tervigon is a good HQ.

Well noted!
I shall strike them from the list
Exocrines look cooler any how heh

If you ever want to venture into forge world, Malanthrope is an excelent second HQ.

3++ has a preview of him.

http://www.3plusplus.net/2017/06/forgeworld-tau-yvahra-battlesuit/

 Niiai wrote:
If you do Exocrines, you don't need Hive Guards.

Untrue.....

Depending on what kind of playstyle you use both are great but each has appeal in cretin situations.

If makeing a fire base IE: a group of shootie bugs all in a bunch in cover then Exocrine is usually your guy but if you want to drop in a shootie deepstrike (vs vehicles in particular) you want a 6 strong brood of Hive guard with shock cannns.

Also Biovores are one of our best tools in this edition. Some people can't get enough of them.

I cannot stress enough if you want a backfield babysitter malanthropes are 100% the way to go. Do not underestimate them.

Biovores are another really excellent selection especially if you want to cheaply fill up a brigade.

Recommendations to get the most for your money - I like building up a brigade and branching from there;
Hq
1-2 malanthropes to fill out your has. Dakka flyrants are fun but Id considering 2 deathspitter and the rending claws its been amazing so far. A warrior prime if you intend to spam warriors or shrikes. Tervigon are excellent if you've got 40+ gants in your collection. Run a full brood of gantGawith 10-15 fleshborers if you do.

Elite
Cheapest shooty are pyrovores and by they don't miss. Id consider the pod if you take these. Zoanthropes while not actually shooty are incredible give you a ranged mortal wound attack and whichever backup power you like plus synapse. Best invuln in our army and a great fire magnet or cannon when wrapped around the malanthropes. Always bring 4+ with one being a neurothrope. Always run them too unless you weirdly mean to charge. A deathleaper could spice things up as a character killer since we don't really have snipers (unless you team with GSC into astray militarum. Hive guard as mentioned really not bad.
Troops
You seem to have covered. Warriors are great ways to get our smaller heavy weapons remember every three gives you the option for a barbed strangler or venom cannon. Try to max out any gants you run rippers should probably never be given the gun run them tiny and no upgrades as objective hoppers.
Fast
Spore mines, mucolids great stuff. Harpies are fun but a bigger fire magnet than my tyrants have been so a turn 2 probably not in their future unless you run 2.
Heavy
Biovores are in all of my lists even GSC xD exocrines give heard great things. Also consider a trygon PRIME. The biostatic rattle can actually get some work done and oh sneak up a blood of thirty gants to ruin someone's day. I am strongly in the camp that fleshborers hive tyrannos are not worth the bodies you would get by investing in more gants.

Consider our pods have butt ton of guns and our one fortification is a synapse amyplifier with its own guns


Hope that helps a little