Genestealer Infestations...

[Xoan]

heya guys, I am looking for more information on the way Genestealer Infestations work. I am not even sure they used that wording to be honest.

All I know was how it was described to me when I first started to play. Basically as a new planet system was found, stealthy nids would go down like genestealers which were described more as the elite version we have now. They would find humans and would implant a gene into the back of the necks of these humans, and they would at some point turn into Genestealers themselves.

There was rules in the game back then title "something wrong with Sgt" where you would roll every turn and he could explode into a barbstrangler hit with the large template, or another where people would just fail to reach the battle field so full unit strength was not always possible.

Back to the fluff, I also remember that Genestealers were ther first wave, a stealthy one that avoided outright combat so they could weaken the defenses before the main hive would reach. However, even then there was an order to the waves of nids.

At some point though they would send in creatures with Hive Mind so they could exploit weak spots in the defense and coordinate troops on the ground already. This is the fleet I am looking to build, and I have plans to do lots of conversions too. My thoughts are to take one of type or several of the types of IG troops and turn them into hybrid Genestealer that i am going to use as Genestealers. I am thinking of running a Broodlord per unit too, so I am looking to make them taller or diferent in some way. However, I do not know what HQ I want to use or that would be used.

Since I see this as a true Null Zone army, my thoughts are Winged Hive Tyrant with Hive Commander on it, and a single unit of Warriors so I can keep troops back if I need to objectives. However, I am not sold on Warriors too if a Winged Hive Tyrant would not happen. I see FA troops as more of a elite Quick Reaction Force (QRF) that would come after the scouting had been done so weak targets cold be eliminated. However, i do see the need for Heavies as they add shock value to the Awe of the first days of a invasion, so I thought about adding Trygon Primes.

I was told also that Ripper Swarms were a purpose unit that devourered organic items to fuel the creation of other Nids.

So I was debating on dropping the Trygon Primes to get a 2nd Winged Hive Tyrant, and then using Terigon and a Termagant as the troops off board. If I did that I was thinking of running something like this...

X2 Winged Hive Tyrants
X1-3 Ymgarl Genestealers
X3 noramal Genestealers with 1-3 Broodlords
X1 Tervigon
X1 Termagants with Devourer
X1 Ripper Swarm with tunnels and Spinefists


Either way I think it is extremely important for Nids to have at least 3 monsterous creatures for the parking lots that are oh so popular now days. I also want several forms of Synapse so the few units that can be effected by not having it are not affected.

Anyone have some ideas on which models would be best to convert to Genestealer like. I am probably going to be blending kits from both IG models and Genestealers to make them.

[jagavahn]

Check this out for ideas

http://www.warpshadow.com/forum/viewtop ... =1&t=15310

[Xoan]

I am at work today, so I will have to check after since it is blocked due to having gaming in their search. hehe

I found some nice Ymgarl heads though through chapter house. that is a good step imo.

I have also done some more google searches, and found out that Nids are not as pure animlistic fight or flight the farther you go up their heirarchy as I thought. They really are far less animal and way more sociopath, than the creatures you normally find the battle field.

Prior I had always wondered why all synapse creatures, and those under their "control" were basically emotionless. The reactions out of their influence was easier to understand, I always saw that is fight or flight like any wild creature on earth. The way I saw the "Hive Mind" was a different way of processing things that were alien to our way of thought, yet they were still totally based in fight or flight.

I no longer really see it that way, the way the Hive Mind works to me now is like that of a Sociopath. The reason why is they send something have value in, their pure strain Genestealers who then create the Genestealer cults. When the cults get large enough they send the Hive Fleet there to strip the planet of everything Organic.

Maybe I need to read my fluff better in the 2nd, 4th, and 5th ed books, but it sounds like they send them there ot create live as they see it, and then destroy it to it can be reused. I do not believe that a single mind is ever saved in the proccess. I also see the reactions of those out side of the Hive Mind now as more of a child that has been babbied too much and grows up without knowing what it is really like outside of its protectors then experiences it and freaks out. lol

[Xoan]

I have now read and looked over that thread, I have to say there are some very nce conversions, and it has given me some ideas to think about. One of those ideas is using Orcs, the larger frame of them works better for the conversion with the Genestealer arms, but I am concerned how much bigger they are going to be than normal Genestealers. My goal is to use normal Genestealers with some conversions as Ymgarl Genestealers. I want them no smaller than the same size as the hybrid looking ones.

I also really dug the use of the Vargheist/Crypt Horror models, though I am not sure what to do for cloths. They sort of looked like pale hulks with their pants being all ripped up like that. That works with his Limo Tervigon theme in a semi-silly way, but I want to keep these more alien than that. I will probably use them as Broodlords too.

No the debate I am having with myself is do I want a normal heavy and fast attack unit in this army all. I could see using certain ones as a deep strike type of thing, where you are first taking a planet, and the sky is raining down doom and despair. However, I could also see the hopless swarms of maxed out units that are nearly maxed out themselves in Elite and Troop Genestealers, and maybe the Parasite of the Mortrex or something deep striking down into the battle, or a normal Tyrant with wings.

If I go with no monsterous creatures, that increases the number of models on the board drastically, but that means some tanks like a land raider is going to be a problem. Ymgarl Genestealers can glance a Land Raider, but normal Genestealers can not sadly without adrenal glands. I also understand the pure lack of shooting that I will have so fast things will be an issue too.

Stuff to think about.. lol

[Xoan]

so for my 1850 point list here is one thought...
HQ
Winged Tyrant with either (Acid Blood or Toxic Masma), Hive Commander, and (Paroxysm and Psychic Scream) for Psyonic Powers.

Elite
X9 Ymgarl Genestealers
X9 Ymgarl Genestealers
X9 Ymgarl Genestealers

Troops
X14 Genestealers with Adrenal Glands and a Broodlord with Scything Talons and Implant Attacks (total of 15 models)
X14 Genestealers with Adrenal Glands and a Broodlord with Scything Talons and Implant Attacks (total of 15 models)
X14 Genestealers with Adrenal Glands and a Broodlord with Scything Talons and Implant Attacks (total of 15 models)

Now every model in the army can at least glance a land raider!!

Tyrant... here is my thoughts, I want it to be such a threat that it might draw some fire, but if it is not dropped it can do some sick damage. It is a monsterous creature so it can do two pyschic powers in the shooting phase, and the one who does damage does not need to target a unit it is based on distance from the tyrant. Also the other one that require targeting lowers WS and BS stills so they need crazy rolls to hit often. The Acid Blood or Toxic Masma is filler points, but they normally both do wounds to things in melee.

Ymgarls... These guys are for story, and to tie up and or kill units that can have the greatest impact on the rest of the charging Nids if they are too close to cover. This guys can be S5, or T5... or even get up to 4 attacks each on the charge.

Genestealers... While they will be helped by the Tyrant if it is still live with the Hive Commander bonuses. With Adrenal Glands they can get to S5 on the charge, and the Broodlord is a beast. The Broodlord can be S6, has 5 attacks on the charge, and has Implant Attacks which can cause Intant Death.



The way I see it is the Ymgarl are the pure strains that come from one of the moons of the planet Ymgarl. The Genestealer are the hybrids that are, I beleive the 2nd and 3rd Generations from the Ymgarls. They are the same as a normal Genestealer for stats though. The Broodlords are the 4th generations that create new genestealers. The Tyrant is ther because I need a HQ, and I like th bonus of the Hive Commander ability. It is a total of 73 models, and no one really wants to get into melee with any of these units. imo anyways. heh


I believe that this would be a truly unique army on the field, and that is a goal of mine too.

[Xoan]

Heya guys, after many google searches, and the desire to circle back to this army I have finalized my first real rough draft. lol I have played with several concepts, that is normal for me, but after reading my fluff portion of my book I have a short list of units that are normally on the first way of a invasion.

HQs
??

Elites
Lictors
Ymgarls

Troops
Hormaguants
Genestealers

FA
Gargoyles

In the old manner of this army they had models that do not exist anymore for HQs, so I looked at Alphas but they seemed too elite for this role. I also looked at Tervigons, but they are normally hard at work on the ship making babies... That pretty much leaves Tyrants. Since nothing else has Synapse in that list I chose to take two of them, plus having a second monsterous creature to help bust up tanks could be nice.

HQ
X2 Hive Tyrant w/ (Lashwhip and Bonesword), Scything talons, Wings, Hive Commander, Old Adversary, Toxic Masma, Parozysm, and Psychic Scream.

Elite
(3) Lictors
(7) Ymgarl

Troops
X2 (8+1) Genestealers w/ Toxic Sacs and Broodlord w/ Acid Blood, Implant Attack, and Scything Talons.
X2 (13) Hormaguants w/ Toxic Sacs and Adrenal Glands

FA
X2 (11) Gargoyles w/ Toxic Sacs and Adrenal Glands


This is a 1850 point list, and yes it is a null zone list with lots of ways to increase the speed things deploy (Hive Commander and Lictors). It is still very weak on Synapses though, and the Lictor ability doesn't work that well since they have to be in play for their ability to work. What it means is 2nd turn many things drop, and 3rd turn everything drops. It is a pretty big army for a null zone army too at 78 models, and it runs deep with theme.

The Ymgarls I am using normal Genestealers since they are the pure strain ones, the normal Genestealers I am using Orcs converted to look like bulky IG models with Nids bits and 6 limbs. However, the Broodlords I am using the VC Vargheist models with nids bits added to make it look themed.

I have played null zone lists, and I give this one about a 6 or 7 for competitive out of 10. The only reason I do not give it more is the lack of heavies and synapse, because I think that pretty much every model here is rough in melee and will have a strong chance of most of them getting there due to rapid deep strikes and outflanks.

[MagickalMemories]

You might consider Swarm Lords as HQ.

Eric

[Xoan]

You might consider Swarm Lords as HQ.

Eric

I was looking to not use unique characters because it would not normally make since for them to be in the first wave... however, this one is different, and he is a heck of a lot stronger than a normal tyrant for this type of list, and if I remember the FAQ right his abilities stack.

By this one being different I am referring to the absorbing him back into the Hive Mind so he can be regrown else where. The one negative thing is I do not believe he can use a spore, so he would be the only one on the ground turn one. lol

[MagickalMemories]

Rules-wise, I don't know. You're using swarms, though, so he makes sense (to me) there.
You could always call him a Genestealer patriarch and say he "Counts as" a swarmlord by using the Swarmlord rules.

Eric