This thread is being created as to not derail
this thread here.
Here was my idea...
...We could make it so that the player
opposing the Tyranid player gets to plot where the formations 'land' with established rules. Something like 'A minimum of 50% of all formations must arrive on turn 1, with the remaining formations arriving turn 2. Each formation must be set up a minimum of 20cm away from any other formation.' This prevents the opponent from burying your Tryanid formations completely in the back of the board.
It also takes a major chunk of randomness out of the equation, would be very quick to do, require no dice rolling, and spreads the Tyranids all over the board. It certainly puts the Tyranid player at a disadvantage and thusly the 'drop' could be a credit that your army achieves (make it worth -200 points).
All these values are off the top of my head so don't beat me to death with minutia. I'm just throwing out an idea I came up with hoping to spur a solution.
Now that I have some time to think about it, the rule would be something like this:
During the setup phase of the game, the opposing player chooses a single point on the board to place a dropping Tyranid formation. The Tyranid player then must place at least one model in that location, and then the remaining portion of the models in unit coherency. The spot selected cannot be in impassable or difficult terrain, although it may be in inconvenient terrain (such as in a section where the only access to the board is across a bridge).
The Tyranid player would choose which of his dropping formations would land at that location. This process would then repeat itself again for the next formation. For subsequent formations, the opposing player must select a location at least 20cm away from any other placed Tyranid model and at least 60cm from the opponent's board edge. Discuss.
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author of Syncing Forward and other stories...It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I've got my Milkbone underwear on.