Two way of communications needs to be going both ways. I do like that Hojyn has gone through the extra mile to translate the entire list, but unless debates can be done as well it won't help very much.

Hoyjn, any chance of you translating that last forum response. I don't think google has done a good job there!

Maybe I should try out my innadequate french...

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Epic: Hive Development Thread

Sure.  

The first quote by Hena (from Zed le suicidaire) should read:

I believe that, in a recent version, it was possible to do just the same [i.e. a popcorn army] with swarms consisting of 4 gaunts and 3 Tyranid Warriors for 125 or 150 points, with respawn to boot. Even with "only" 20 formations, such an army was just as unbalanced as the 40-activation army. [difficult to translate that pun, it's something like: "it could 'pop' with the respawn providing the 'corn']

Thanks Hojyn, that makes much more sense. It's embarrassing that my study of languages stopped at school.

One of the beauties of Epic tournament gaming is that the ability to produce beardy lists is low and the constant army 'comp' discussion that other systems suffer from is largely moot.

Still, more the merrier and all that. It is certainly a different approach to 'nids and does cut down the special rules a lot.

Hello Gentlemen

Let introduce myself, I'm Lionel one of the playtesters of the frenh Tyranid List. My english is only schoolar. So be indulgent !
I'm not an Spirit of The Hive cultist like Zed (who is at the base of the french list)
And i must confess that I'm disconnect from the discussion on the tyranids since one years (perharps thing have change since).

The french List, provides from differents points of disconnection (??) with your approach
1°) Epic Armageddon is a game base on two essentials points : The Victory Conditions and the Blast Markers. All armies are concerned by this. All but not the tyranids ! Why ? so we reintroduce these conceptions
2°) Spawning ? Spawning is seen like a system to "economize miniatures", tyranid infantery are pretty rare and difficult to find at a reasonnable price. Since DRM sold his bug army, the spawning as no reason to survive. It's our vision of the spawning system. Perhaps totaly wrong ^^
3°) The struture of the list : to complicated (we have slow brain ^^), and too far from all the other list. Ork list appear to us to be a good compromise. Simple to read.

And before everething, all the revisions of the list (9.xx actually ?) has discouraged us ! We want to play tyranids and since 3 years we don't recognize the tyranids army. Sorry for that confession. I'd tried differents systems from TC and for the first time me and my partners of games find a common pleasure to play with or against tyranids.
It's a totally diiferent way to play tyranids but that all gamers understand (no specials rules which unbalanced the game in a to heavy way)

Last words at this time the list is not a F-ERC list, it's a fan list. The acceptation by the community of the F-ERC is not pronounced yet.

Thank for reading my blablabla and thanks to reading this list with your news eyes. All your conclusions are welcome.

Thanks guys !

Lionel

Thanks for posting over here, Lionel, and you English is fine!

I've been reading the F-ERC boards via GoogleTranslations as well; I hope to comment later today.

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"EPIC: Total War" Lead Developer

Now living in Boston... any EPIC players want to meet up?

About the structure of the list (ork like), we've chosen this one because, we want that all Phase of an Tyranid invasion would be possible (horde of Teeth and Claws, Heavy Horde, etc)
Ork style list for us is a good compromise.

After your criticals and conclusions we have changed somethings :

- The basic gaunt formation will be now : 1 tyranid Warriors + 9 Gaunts units for 150pts
- Restriction of 1/3 of the total points of the army in Harridan, Hydraphant, Hierophant and Dominatrix
- Change about the number of mycetic spore : Hive Spacecraft : max 6 spores, and Razorfiend max 3 spores
- Reformulation of the Méotic Spore rule : Activation on 5+ as a aerial formation enter battle (except for the Patrol order) . And only one size for 200pts

With these change we limit the "popcorn syndrom" of the 40 activations. Thanks to notice this ugly point. And the Mycetic assault is more balanced

Thanks for your critics.

Lionel: Is it still possible to take an army of nothing but Trygons and Raveners? That's a broken list, all tunnelling and arriving on turn two and assaulting everywhere with no possible protection against it.

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Epic: Hive Development Thread

The Gaunt swarm resulted in a bunch of overpowered combos, but 1+9 for 150 looks pretty good.

225 points for 3BP disrupt bio-artillery with 1+ Initiative that is difficult to suppress is much better than any other arty in the game at similar cost.  For 50 points it can upgrade to Tyrant so it's all AV and the Synapse can't be picked off.  I think this is probably too cheap.

Not necessarily broken, but regenerating 1/3 of DC every turn is very, very effective.  It was shown repeatedly to introduce a high luck factor into the game.  Most people felt that a high chance of regeneration made bio-titans feel unfair.

Also not necessarily broken, but Tunneler is effectively a no-BM teleport that doesn't have to come on the board (and thus remains invulnerable) until it activates.  That's wickedly powerful.  It might be okay but it should need some very high points costs that don't seem to be reflected in the list.

Stylistically, the list can potentially field a lot more firepower (especially the biotitans).  It's not inherently wrong, but I have reservations about the feel of the list.

The Harridan just isn't an aircraft in EA terms.  However, assuming that's how it's going to be used, I'm not sure about its points value.  It packs a fair amount of firepower compared to other bombers and can land to initiate or support other assaults.  My gut reaction is that doing a land/shoot to support a retain/assault would get a lot of mileage out of them.  3x 30cm AA all around is no slouch, either, even at AA6+.

Unstoppable - A decent idea but completely ignoring impassable terrain could be nonsensical in certain situations, e.g. a lake of lava.

BMs - This is sort of the opposite of the way we went.  No BMs for coming under fire, but killing broods can break a swarm.  I think ours fits the flavor better, but either would probably work.

Synapse control/Uncontrolled swarms - Definitely simpler than the swarm structure and going to ground, so that's quite good.  I just really like the swarm composition.  I also prefer a harsher penalty for losing Synapse control.

Meiotic Spores - A workable idea.  No minis, which is a consistent complaint on the air game, but it looks like a functional mechanic.

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Neal

You could make Tunneling as some kind of in-formation Teleport. eg similar tospawning.
Instead of the Tunneling formation teleporting elsewhere on the table you add the units to existing swarms/formations.
In addition Tunneling could be an optional ability for the Trygons and Raveners for a fixed points cost dependant on the formations size.

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