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Feel free to ignore me or tell me I am wrong, but I just want to wine about this aspect of Tyranid design. I love the concept of the Tyranids. The idea that they are this wholly organic army, but then they go and give them guns. Why? It undermines their uniqueness and makes them look like every other army.

It just bugs me.

There are actual animals that shoot projectiles which is all the tyranids are doing.

They should spit acid.

or shoot webs and drag victims over like Scorpion.

are you just talking about how tyranids have the ABILITY to fire projectiles? or just the fact that a lot of projectiles they fire come out of handheld weapons?

If its the former, then i dont know how an army so advanced, capable of travel across galaxies, would have never genetically modified itself to fire deadly projectiles. pure close combat tactics sounds extremely primitive for something so advanced.

If its the latter, then yeah I kind of agree. The little biological handheld guns are kinda goofy looking sometimes.

They are more easily identifiable on the table than a mouth getting ready to spit something, and they generally (not always) work with the overall design. Not sure what more you're wanting...but I'd recommend giving some suggestion.

Quite a few units have ranged options that do not look like guns- ravenors, trygons, rippers, lictors, psykers etc. Stick to these if you would make a unique looking army.

They should not have swords. Guns never bothered me but the swords annoy me to no end. Claws or nothing. I did however find a 3rd party fan-like 'sword' that looked like a mutated claw type thing. I liked those.

I think it's weird how they went with a blur between holding a weapon and the gun growing from the body.
Like 9/10 of the way through the Tyranids' birth cycle they threw the gun in and it started to fuse but didn't quite get there

It might have been interesting for Tyranids to be a pure horde army with no ranged weapons compensated by huge numbers and speed. However, they aren't.

I do agree with the OP that the appearance of Tyranids as mutant insects with guns is perhaps not as imaginative as it might have been.

I don't hate the idea of the "guns". I like the idea of the guns themselves being separate organisms which meld with the host. Maybe they could have come up with something more original than being attached to the "hands" though.

We have that solution in the army though with the Raveners. They have chest guns, but the only ones I've seen painted ended up looking like lady bits on their chests. It wasn't a good look.

which kindbof bug in real life can shoot/spray?

 Filch wrote:
which kindbof bug in real life can shoot/spray?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Projectile_use_by_living_systems

 Filch wrote:
which kindbof bug in real life can shoot/spray?

the really, really awful kinds.

 Crevab wrote:
I think it's weird how they went with a blur between holding a weapon and the gun growing from the body.
Like 9/10 of the way through the Tyranids' birth cycle they threw the gun in and it started to fuse but didn't quite get there

Supposedly the gun is a separate organism. I believe such weapons are called weapon symbiotes.
The "gun" is actually a breeding factory for various parasitic organisms, that have their own special way of "firing"
Its pretty cool. There used to be a rule called living ammunition, but that disappeared. Because GW doesn't like cool rules. They are fine with crappy rules that have no effect but bog the game down though.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Filch wrote:
which kindbof bug in real life can shoot/spray?

Ants, termites, bombardier beetle

 Crevab wrote:
I think it's weird how they went with a blur between holding a weapon and the gun growing from the body.
Like 9/10 of the way through the Tyranids' birth cycle they threw the gun in and it started to fuse but didn't quite get there

It kind of makes sense, since each different Tyranic species can have a different gun. Like they have a vat of larval Warriors, and a vat of larval Deathspitters/Barbed Stranglers/whatever and they just put them together as needed. Agreed though, it does look a little weird.

As for OP,if you read the fluff on how each gun fires and what it does it makes sense, and is actually really cool. The firing mechanism for the Deathspitter in particular is really neat.

Another odd bit. The symbiotes that have eyes, why are they on the side? Do they send a little pulse of danger to their host if they see someone flanking?

nomotog wrote:
It just bugs me.

Ha, I see what you did there.

But no, it doesn't bug me. Tyranids adapt to whatever the situation needs. And I'm sure the Hive Mind is smart enough to know that melee isn't the only thing they'll need. You have things like Hive Tyrants flying over the battlefield commanding the troops. Why would he not have some sort of projectile weapon? And a Tyrannofex sitting at the back of the lines popping open Land Raiders and Monoliths with his Rupture Cannon (In fluff. Crunch this wouldn't happen, obviously).

I don't see the issue with them having guns. They've made them unique. Living ammunition, the guns are built into their arms, ext. I think it fits just fine.

Once upon a time, Termagants had lasguns...

 Furyou Miko wrote:
Once upon a time, Termagants had lasguns...

I'm going to need a citation for that, because that sounds goofy...
Its from RT, isn't it?

Personal preference is for Tyranids who don't have guns - as in the literal guns for arms.

I love the fact that some of them (such as those large ones that spawn little ones) shoot spines out their carapace. I also like the spitting acid and the belching flames. It literally is just the gun shape and design I'm not fond about - it's too human - but that's my opinion and I'm sure someone will tell me I'm wrong for having one

 Wulfmar wrote:
Personal preference is for Tyranids who don't have guns - as in the literal guns for arms.

I love the fact that some of them (such as those large ones that spawn little ones) shoot spines out their carapace. I also like the spitting acid and the belching flames. It literally is just the gun shape and design I'm not fond about - it's too human - but that's my opinion and I'm sure someone will tell me I'm wrong for having one

Eh, I did always find it odd that the fleshborer looks like a bolter. It even has a magazine.
The devorerer looks fine though. That actually looks like some freaky alien hive.

 CthuluIsSpy wrote:

 Furyou Miko wrote:
Once upon a time, Termagants had lasguns...

I'm going to need a citation for that, because that sounds goofy...
Its from RT, isn't it?

https://auretioustaak.wordpress.com/2014/02/20/the-rarest-of-them-all-the-unreleased-protonid-aka-the-rogue-trader-tyranid/

IMO, some of the gun models look alot better than others. I think the Fleshborer is one of the weapons where it doesn't work so well, because it has an actual ammo magazine, and that sort of diminishes suspension of disbelief. I think most of the other weapons aren't too bad, though. Spinefists, Venom Cannons, Barbed Stanglers, etc all look a bit more bio and a bit less tech than the standard Fleshborer.

If I'm right the devourer looks like a pitted wedge? It does look better than the other one. I'd personally like them if they were the arm / part of the head or back / chest. I think one of the big gribblies (carnifex of some type?) Had them as plates along two of its legs which looked good. I could be wrong as I only ever fight Tyranids and the different players model them a lot so I can't tell what's original and what's greenstuffed

 Wulfmar wrote:
If I'm right the devourer looks like a pitted wedge? It does look better than the other one. I'd personally like them if they were the arm / part of the head or back / chest. I think one of the big gribblies (carnifex of some type?) Had them as plates along two of its legs which looked good. I could be wrong as I only ever fight Tyranids and the different players model them a lot so I can't tell what's original and what's greenstuffed

Yeah, the devorerer is the cone with the holes.
I believe in earlier editions they had the weapon coming out of the nid's crotch.

nomotog wrote:
Feel free to ignore me or tell me I am wrong, but I just want to wine about this aspect of Tyranid design. I love the concept of the Tyranids. The idea that they are this wholly organic army, but then they go and give them guns. Why? It undermines their uniqueness and makes them look like every other army.

It just bugs me.

I'm not saying you're totally wrong...I built my Termagants as Spinegaunts for just this reason. Shooting is not the issue, but having rifles does look janky.

I don't really have an issue with any of the Tyranid models. I think it is fitting for a race that constantly adapts to counter its foe would have projectile weapons. They also do spit acid and have flamer type weapons.

I will agree.. the only "gun" that I think might not be truly bio is the fleshborer.. because of the ammo clip.. but meh, the thing is so small .. and gaunts get killed in the handfuls anyway

 Dtox wrote:
are you just talking about how tyranids have the ABILITY to fire projectiles? or just the fact that a lot of projectiles they fire come out of handheld weapons?

If its the former, then i dont know how an army so advanced, capable of travel across galaxies, would have never genetically modified itself to fire deadly projectiles. pure close combat tactics sounds extremely primitive for something so advanced.

If its the latter, then yeah I kind of agree. The little biological handheld guns are kinda goofy looking sometimes.

It's the latter. I think it's fine that they have projectile attacks, but I don't like that they look and function like guns.

 SharkoutofWata wrote:
They should not have swords. Guns never bothered me but the swords annoy me to no end. Claws or nothing. I did however find a 3rd party fan-like 'sword' that looked like a mutated claw type thing. I liked those.

The swords bother me too, but not as much as the guns. I also think they can use more melee diversity. It's like 99% claws.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
I don't hate the idea of the "guns". I like the idea of the guns themselves being separate organisms which meld with the host. Maybe they could have come up with something more original than being attached to the "hands" though.

Ya is they didn't attach the guns to their hands, I think they would look better and less like guns.

 troa wrote:
They are more easily identifiable on the table than a mouth getting ready to spit something, and they generally (not always) work with the overall design. Not sure what more you're wanting...but I'd recommend giving some suggestion.

It is a little tricky to think up credible organic weapons. I kind of think starcraft dose a good job. You can have a lot of spiting, and quills. Put a bunch a quills on the tail like a manticore. For really long range, you can do symbiotic creatures (Think rakk hive from borderlands). Heck you could just have some throwing rocks.

I don't mind guns. But they should really be genetically attached to them, not as if they are holding and firing them. Same as the Melee weapons.