'Nids go boom

Up somewhere in the description of this blog is mention of tactics. Therefore, I would like to share with you a little something I'd like to call, how NOT to play Tyranids.

First of all, all mention in this blog of my tactical mistakes I owe to the fact that I no longer sleep due to the new baby. Also, most huge mistakes were due to my listening to my partner Chris who had never played Tyranids before. That having been said, I have, and thus, I should have known better.

Tyranids. You want rending claws. You always want rending claws. Gaunts are fine if you can get rending claws (some variations allow). Otherwise...

By the way, I haven't played with the new rules so I don't know what fleet of claw does in them or what nasty special something or other is available. However, I am using Army Builder, and as such, I sort of have the new rules, but not really, and anyone who uses Army Builder knows what I mean. Still, it does allow for Harlequin Wraithlords. There's nothing wrong with that.

Anyway, wrong army, back to Tyranids. They aren't as fast as you think. They aren't, for instance, "Dark Eldar in a raider" fast. They're just a little faster than normal. Like, for instance, the Raveners will get 18" instead of 12" if they charge, but if they can't charge, they only get an extra 3". This means that for a while you are going to have to move your tyranids across the board. This is important. You win or lose with Tyranids based on whether you can get them across the board. For no other army, save an all Vyper Saim Hann force, is cover so important. You want to ALWAYS be in cover. If you can't get everyone in cover, make sure that at least 51% of the squad is in cover. I cannot stress this enough. Without cover, entire squads are going to be dessimated before your eyes and Tyranid squads are big. It doesn't matter. 30 hormagaunts? Who cares? If they become a primary target on the battlefield, they will be done for. YOU MUST HAVE COVER!

Preferably, you want cover that blocks line of sight from as many models as possible, but if you can't get that level of cover, you at least want something that will give you a saving throw.

I ran Tyranids at an Eldar army and they wripped me a part. the main reason for this is just what I've described. I thought that, one way or another, they couldn't decimate entire squads of guys. They can. They will. Get into cover.