Unless you've been under a rock then you'll know that Tyranids are highly likely to get a new Codex in November, two months ahead of the original rumour for release. This is the first time I've properly gone through a Codex change. Admittedly I got the new Dark Angels Codex but I hadn't really played with the old one so it was no biggy.
This time though it's going to cause a whole attitude shift. I've already done that a little bit with the change from 5th to 6th Edition, you make allowances, you adapt you learn to live with your army and then you find a way to actually succeed. No doubt this new codex will bring some new and exciting rules and some of my current standbys will be nerfed, hopefully I have enough options that I can at least bring some variety into my games again. If I'm honest I was starting to feel bored with my games, still
'new cheese' and all that.
What I am finding really odd is the rumours, I love rumours, can't get enough of them. It's like methodone inbetween my main hobby fix. But as much as I'm rabid for the latest news because it's about my Codex I'm not enjoying them as much, it feels more like gossip about your friends than news about your idol. I keep looking through these 'rules rumours' and some sound interesting and others that are incomplete, without context just don't work for me. For instance there were rules regarding us getting Skyfire for Hive Guard. That sounds great, initially. You think our best gun beast finally got an option to take out Flyers, but is it Skyfire like a Flakk missile upgrade so you can choose to Skyfire or still shoot on the ground because otherwise you will have swapped a ground shooting unit for anti-air. Of course if it is an upgrade like Flakk lets hope the cost is around the same, 10pts wouldn't be too bad.
Another so called rule was that we'd get some upgrade to benefit grounding Flying Monstrous Creatures... I'm really not sure why. What FMCs are there? Flying Hive Tyrants and Daemon Princes, I don't think Heldrakes are and all the other aerial death dealers [Night Scythes, Vendettas Storm Talons/Ravens] are flyers so grounding isn't an option. Without context this makes no sense. Additionally the latest rumour that Carnifex head biomorphs will be back in the Codex. The awesome Enhanced Senses head now gives us... Night Fighting! Wow, how impressed are you? Unless the Carnifex is going to get some worthwhile long range weapon that you are going to be able to use first turn then why would you spend points to upgrade on the off-chance it's night fighting and you're actually in range. Or, perhaps your game plan is for the carnifex to be alive at turn five and that upgrade will win you the game!
These kind of rumours open up even more questions. Shadows in the Warp is a big rule for us, there's hints it may be different in the future. But conspicuous by it's absence, what of our most overlooked and Codex specific rule - Assault weapons. Currently everything we use we can move and shoot with impunity. What if we're suddenly face with a completely new set of requirements. Psychic powers - our current reason for competitiveness, seems to have less mentions of Biomancy as our own Tyranid Powers are on the cards [still some new counters to make]. It's like watching Lost, for every answer, or perceived answer there are a dozen more questions raised.
So I'm actually not enjoying this rumourfest at the moment, certainly when I'm reluctant to want to spend any more on the nids as it is. Sure a Codex will be on the cards but I'm loathe to buy anything new and it's too little, too late in my book. Mycetic Spores, I have three now and I'm not about to jump ship to a new one now, that's long sailed. I may invest in the rumoured Doom, depending on how he functions, he seems to have the same Spirit Leech so if he's still going to be ruining my opponents day he deserves to be more than just a proxy/poxy Zoanthrope. The Harpy alternative sounds interesting and the Big Bug is a big bug, which is cool but also how do you fit that into a list that already is hard to find space. That's ignoring the fact I don't want to paint another Tervigon because it's too big, what's a bigger bug going to do to my sanity? And there's a point, will Tervigons get stuffed, only a few tidbits for them about upgrading their ability to spawn Termagants with Devourers but what of their ability to be psychic, the mailed fist of my army? See what I mean? Too many questions and two months still to go...
