Hello again

After receiving such positive feedback for my rules queries, I thought the hoary old gamers among you might be interested in the ongoing voyage of discovery that is a n00b's journey through NetEpic. I also hope to stimulate a bit of discussion and - please - some gameplay advice in the almost-complete absence of "tactica"-type threads on this forum.

I picked up NetEpic years ago and have only recently decided to take it up as a bit of light relief from more serious gaming, if you know what I mean. I'm also going through a bout of illness and NetEpic has saved me from death through boredom while I'm off work. I appreciate the simplicity yet depth and of the system and the "space opera" feel. At the moment all I have are card units and 2D terrain but purchases have been made and I expect photos of 3mm (1:600 scale) analogues of IG and PDF materiel will be uploaded for your amusement in the not-too-distant future. T-35s for Raganaroks, for example. Tyranids will be a little more difficult but I have plans, yes my precious...

Anyway, I have been able to play through about a dozen games now, working through the rules from a simple infantry-on-infantry bash to the most recent full-scale 9000 point per side city defense where the PDF dug in and successfully fought off a Tyranid army. The title of this topic comes from something that occurred to me when, in the middle of the table, a Heavy Weapon Platoon found itself facing three Ripper Swarms, all on "rampage". Not quite the foregone conclusion one would think, especially when the Rippers attracted the undivided attention of a company of Earthshakers - that's nine guns generating six 4+ to hit, no save artillery templates, plus the Heavy Weapons' six 5+ to hit - in the combat phase before charging in the following turn, receiving snap fire and losing their +2 CAF advantage. There's 3 VPs for the PDF right there.

And that leads to my first request. Anyone know how to play Tyranids? I must be missing a trick or two here. I can work out Imperial tactics against the beasties ("don't form a firing line in woods and expect to stop Hormagaunts with snap fire and -1 to hit" and "don't let Tyranid Titans get within charge range of your Titans" have been a couple of painful lessons), they're not really having the battlefield impact they should. I don't think I'm using the more exotic units efficiently or even building a winning Tyranid army.

Advice and instructive anecdotes gratefully received.

UtR

_________________

KEEP

CALM

AND

DO

SUMS

Hi!

In my experience, Tyranids, Orks and to a lesser degree Chaos (particularly Khorne), have a steeper learning curve than other armies, since these depend on closing to assault range as quick as possible why weathering incoming fire.

Therefore such a player of these forces needs to learn a little bit on "diversion" and "disruption".

On the diversion front.

You can get hordes of cheap infantry for your points. Use them as meat shields to get the troops that will really help you gain your objective.

For example, termagaunts are cheap and plentiful. On their own they may not be much, but imagine a detachment of two charge towards an objective with one detachment of genestealers behind. They can rush forward and soak up firepower while the genestealers can trot in and clean up afterwards.

Carnifex and similar units. They are tough and they regenerate. Send them off to enemy strong point to divert fire from precious assests and watch your opponent squirm as some will regenerate and continue to harass them.

Bio-titans, they are a horror to the enemy. Quick, resilient multi-purpose. Use them to strike deep into the enemy line. They can absorb almost anything the enemy can throw at them and regenerate as well. While you foe concentrates on them, bring up infantry and other support in its wake to take advantage of its disruption.

Dominatrix. She is one tough lady. Unlike other command units, this one can be used aggressively. Do not hesitate to do so. She can even make bio-titans look weak. A Dom leading a charge of hormaguants or genestealers is nothing to scoff at.

Disruption

You cannot fight a battle with two lines drawn up and let your opponent keep his intact and expect to win. You MUST make him divert his attention and resources elsewhere.

Use units like the lictor. It can infiltrate. Use them to harass artillery and other weak (but high yield) targets. Make the opponent fight on multiple internal fronts. Make him feel like there is nothing you cannot engage in your rear lines. The preoccupation alone will give you an edge to get your infantry within striking distance.

Harridans and gargoyles. The ultimate disruptor. Image a flight of one, two or even three harridans laden with a cargo of gargoyles that swoop down from their carrier and engage enemy units all across the front. Target artillery, vehicles or any other asset with low CAF. The harridan is a node creature that regenerates! It will rarely be shot down in one turn. Use them aggressively or even sacrifice them to pin down advance units of the enemy while you main assault comes in undisturbed.

Bio-drop pods. Nothing like the look of your opponent when you tell him that your dropping whole detachments of genestealers, hormaguants, etc in his back lines. Precious!

The goal is to use all these assets to tie down your foe and make your main body's advance safer until it is time to commit.

Primarch

_________________
Primarch


The Primarchload
Magnetized Titans Tutorial
Net Epic Gold
Heresy Rules

Hello primarch and thanks for the quick reply

Before I have another go at devouring that city, can I confirm the Harridan's details? I've got 3 wounds in the rulebook but not Regenerate, which would make an enormous difference. I've checked the forums for errata and found none.

UtR

_________________

KEEP

CALM

AND

DO

SUMS

Hi!

It seems you are correct, no regenerate. It may have been dropped off at some point if it was deemed too powerful.

However I forgot it had infiltrate!

A flying unit with infiltrate is KILLLER.

This guarantees reaching the deepest backlines of your foe on turn one.

While no regenerate, 3 wounds is pretty darn good. You would have to get hit at least three times and fail all the saves, even then carried troops get a bailout roll (plus gargoyles fly), so still pretty darn good.

Primarch

_________________
Primarch


The Primarchload
Magnetized Titans Tutorial
Net Epic Gold
Heresy Rules

Update!

Two games with Tyranids. First the 'nids lost but only just and I played the Floater rules wrong. I've also taken to playing the Evolution rules which may be an act of heresy but in my opinion it makes the game more interesting for the solo player by removing the mass dice rolling combat phase.

The second game was played with more or less the same forces but this time I played the floater rules right and the 'nids got a Mycetic Spore deep strike while the PDF got more artillery.

A Tyranid attack seems to naturally break down into four separate parts and in the second game I went with it rather than fight it.

The first is an advancing mass, Ripper swarms followed closely by Termagants and Homagaunts whipped forward by Tyranid Warriors who try and maintain enough to control to get them to advance through cover and not just go charging off. The strength of this mass is its unstoppability - you are more or less giving the detachments their instinctive orders so if they break: fine. Just let them go. For the PDF to win they have to kill every last one of them. OK the PDF gets VPs but Tyranid foot swarms are cheap.

The second are the monsters. Oh yes. Big things with claws and surprisingly powerful ranged capability. We're talking BioTitans and Dominatrices with support such as Raveners, deliberately going for the PDF heavy stuff and bullying forward. The biggest problems are short ranges and relatively slow advances but if covered approaches are available they can do terrible things to a defensive line.

The third are Harridan/Gargoyle teams. Absolutely brilliant at taking apart isolated support units and harassing - for example - the dug-in Tarantula battery on the flank. Overfly and bomb with the Harridans, who then open fire and drop Gargoyles who ignore the -2 to hit due to the trenches and can then assault anyone who comes to their assistance or skim off. Bit of a one-shot weapon, though, but very useful.

And finally: the wild cards. Mycetic Spores carrying... well, anything really, but you've paid for them so put something valuable inside, like Carnifexen. Drop and let them go. If you include some synapse elements, they can take terrain objectives. If you don't, they just chew their way through support detachments. Because Tyranid attacks tend to be in big groups, it's nice to stick some rampaging/hunting broods elsewhere along the front line and push them forward so the PDF is being attacked everywhere. Raveners, Winged Tyrants and - yes - Ripper Swarms work well. They're sacrificial and just tie down the enemy - they can't ignore them. At worst, they harass and distract units that should be rushing to crisis points in the firing line or draw indirect fire or the attentions of aircraft if they become really threatening. If a little luckier, they make contact and pin desperately-needed PDF detachments.

The Tyranids won the second game, not only on VPs but the PDF force was actually surrounded and would, if the game had continued, have been completely wiped out. Which brings me to a question...

Now, the big success of the offensive was the Mycetic Spore drop. The PDF had three companies of Earthshakers defended by a Zulu battery. Yes: three companies - they needed the firepower. This was a 8000 point game played lengthways on a table equivalent 6' x 10'. All three companies covered the entire front and were deployed 75cm behind the front line so they covered "no man's land". A company of Ragnaroks was in depth and Thunderbolts were ready to come to their assistance but were "distracted" - see above. Incidentally, Harridans are lethal to Thunderbolts. In Turn Two the Tyranids landed over 2000 points of deep strike behind the Earthshakers who survived only two more turns. Every single one was lost.

Notably, the Earthshakers were, of course, facing "forward" and could not bring their considerable firepower to bear on the broods forming up behind them. Now, it seems odd that the guns couldn't turn and fire but they are not noted as "turreted" so I didn't play them that way. The model shows the gun mounted on a turntable like a WWII 88mm field flak gun and I know in the 28mm main game such a mount has 360-degree traverse. Am I right in thinking that they cannot change their arc of fire? As such they would be more like the WWII 6" mount.

Thanks for the help and encouragement so far and Tyranids have become a real pleasure to play. It;s going to be fun trying to find 3mm analogs but it will be worth it.

UtR

_________________

KEEP

CALM

AND

DO

SUMS

Hi!

The earthshakers do indeed have a "swivel mount", but it seems to be more a 90-180 degree fire arc, not 360.

That's the thing abut artillery. Really, really powerful, but if you get behind it its toast.

That is why I never play IG/PDf without batteries of hydras on a 1 hydra to 2 artillery detachment ratio.

Heck I will even bring Ogryns to serve as "bodyguards" to artillery or other high yield (but low defense) elements.

Also, the IG/PDf player will need to learn how to deal with being surrounded or engaged from behind. Imagine one stormhammer in the back with that artillery on first fire. Bye, bye tyranids under a hail of gunfire....

So I tend to build my IG/pdf forces as independent "cells" that are self sufficient when surrounded and can protect their assets. This means I will leave large swathes of the battlefield uncontested, but I have concentrated forces where I do decide to engage.

You've learned how to hammer your foe with the Tyranids strengths, now learn how to defeat them with the PDF's strengths.

Primarch

_________________
Primarch


The Primarchload
Magnetized Titans Tutorial
Net Epic Gold
Heresy Rules