Tyranids of the Ruinstorm?

[Valkyrion]

Just spitballing an idea for casual and friendly play.

 

Is it 'immersion breaking' having 40k Tyranids showing up for a 30k game, and if so, is there anything that can be done with the models to make them less Tyranids (tm) and more 'Generic alien'. 

I'd probably pick Encroaching Ruin or Heedless Slaughter as the dominion.

 

I think most units can be represented by Tyranids;

Sovereign - Hive Tyrant

Hierarch - Tyranid Prime or Neurotyrant

Harbinger - Lictor maybe, or Zoanthrope?

Brutes - Tyranid Warriors

Lesser Daemons - Termagants (with Infernal Projectiles) or Hormagaunts 

Swarms - Rippers

Greater Daemon Beast - Carnifex

Daemon Beasts - cavalry is tricky, but maybe Raveners or Leapers?

Behemoth - Tervigon, Haurspex, Toxicrene

Harriers - Gargoyles

 

Samus - Norn Emissary 

 

Thoughts?

[N1SB]

41 minutes ago, Valkyrion said:

Samus - Norn Emissary 

 

I saw this last thing and I think I understand where you're coming from.  Like something from Murder in Horus Rising.

 

Then yeah, maybe some sort of kitbash of Tyranid parts with some robotic bits, might not even be Mechanicus/um but like 3rd parties.

 

We actually had a discussion in our local meta about pre-Tyranids, and you know how a lot of Horus Heresy dabbles in not-Squats, etc., with the Militias and Cults was in fact something like Genestealer Cults.  They'd be long left behind remnants from the last time the Tyranids were in our Galaxy, laying dormant since forever...as Genestealer lore describes, like how they survive in the vacuum of a Space Hulk...and had been awaken early and started taking over some local world.  And even then, it was suggested for anyone interested to use the Necromunda Genestealer models, like they're a very different strain from the ones in 40k.

 

What stopped the idea: there are so many cool factions in the Age of Darkness, we were more likely to make not-Squats than this, for example.

 

So it's a cool idea, but with so many different options for 30k, we opted to do other cool stuff instead that was less immersion-breaking, ya.

[Pacific81]

Some friends and I are doing something similar to this, although at Epic scale. I think its fine and gives you a good opportunity to stretch your imagination within the setting.

 

In our case we are using Tyranid rules (in Epic) to represent the Rangdan as part of a Rangdan Genocide campaign. But, there are meant to have been a 1001 other alien races encountered during the Crusade, many of which may have been similar in aspect to the Nids. We know of at least one with the Megarachnids! So I think from a fluff perspective, you could easily have one of those races using the Heresy as an opportunity to prey on humanity's weakness. Or you just set your battle during the Great Crusade, etc.

 

The challenge might be making the Nid models different, so it doesn't look 'just' Nids? Or the same as 40k marine players have using their armies in 30k. Maybe use it as an opportunity to have some fun with some mad other sculpts and 3d prints? 

[Valkyrion]

The thing with 40k tyranids is that they have a two tone colour scheme that is really bright and colourful which doesn't really fit 30k's aesthetic the same.

 

I was thinking maybe just muting the schemes into a more monochrome style - for instance if they were black, I'd paint the flesh mechanicum grey with basilicanum grey wash and the carapace black with nuln oil gloss or varnished. Or maybe simply drybrushed non standard highlight colours - chaos black spray with purple drybrushing or something. The colours would come from the eyes, claws and teeth.  I've ordered a box of hormagaunts to build and paint as a test. 

 

I've already decided if I do this that I'm not going to use any model with guns - more giant space locusts and less insects with guns. 

[LameBeard]

I think you are onto something. I sometimes see tyranids painted light brown flesh / dark brown carapace and they look a lot more like they belong in our galaxy. Removing the guns (separate but related organisms signifies the tyranid “tech”) will also go a long way to help sell the look of a Milky Way species that was encountered during the great crusade. Or do you want them to be literally daemons? Ie nightmares made flesh? In which case, a ghost colour scheme might work, could even try some headswaps e.g. the Genestealer skulls that someone must have lying about.

[Valkyrion]

2 hours ago, LameBeard said:

I think you are onto something. I sometimes see tyranids painted light brown flesh / dark brown carapace and they look a lot more like they belong in our galaxy. Removing the guns (separate but related organisms signifies the tyranid “tech”) will also go a long way to help sell the look of a Milky Way species that was encountered during the great crusade.

 

Or do you want them to be literally daemons? Ie nightmares made flesh? In which case, a ghost colour scheme might work, could even try some headswaps e.g. the Genestealer skulls that someone must have lying about.

 

Yep, thats kinda what I'm thinking. With a limited colour palette and limited army selection it might work?

 

To the underlined part - no, I want them to be xenos. I've toyed with ghostly armies in the past and I know I can't commit to a proper force like that, and if I wanted daemons then I'd just use daemons because it's already a full plastic catalogue that is easy to come by and identify.