Warhammer 40K: Tyranids Go On Crusade For Biomass
The Grimdark is really just one giant buffet for the Tyranids. Now we’ve got their Crusade rules to prove it!
By this point in the codex cycle of 9th edition we should all know that the new books have Crusade rules in them. Tyranids are no different. Well, that’s not entirely true. They do have Crusade rules in their codex but their Crusade rules are designed and themed for them specifically. Much like how the T’au had their own version and other armies before them the Tyranids are getting their own spin on Crusades.
“At the start of your Crusade, you’ll scope out a juicy new world on which to chow down by rolling on a table of Planet Types. From the fine dining of hive worlds to the slim pickings of industrial worlds, each variety of planet has two important statistics for you to generate (and eventually consume) by rolling dice against the relevant table – Biomass and Crushed Resistance. Once you have prepared a slap-up meal that aligns with three sanctioned stages of biomass inhalation – Invasion, Predation, and Consumption, you may begin.”
Tyranids Go On Crusade
In order to advance with your Crusade to the buffet table you’ll need to earn the same number of points as the planet per stage. When you win a game you’ll earn 1 Biomass point and 1 Crushed Resistance point. When you lose, you’ll sacrifice a Biomass point as your army is “burning calories” to regroup. Thematically this makes a lot of sense. Wins net you biomass while losses cost you resources. The defenders only hope is to hold out and make it more costly to consume than it would be to bypass. Macragge would be proud!
The different stages of the Planetary attack also has different rules that apply for the Tyranids. These can change how you build your army and how your army earns experience points. In the example below we get a look at the Predation stage:
This is an interesting twist on the Crusade Army rules. Personally, I think it’s simultaneously neat and counter to what Crusade Armies were at the start of the edition. In the previous codexes the idea of a Crusade Army was to take a small force and build up as the units grew with Combat Experiences. You’d change your army based on how things were happening. Eventually you’d end up with an army that had literally written it’s own history for the Crusade.
The Tyranid Crusade with the different stages and different army building requirements seems like this is changing that philosophy. I think it’s neat but it might not be for brand new players. If you’ve got the models to be able to completely rebuild the army from the army list stage then awesome. But for people that might not have the biggest collection these different stages might present a hurdle. That said, we’ve only got the one preview thus far so it might not be that crazy of a leap between stages. Anyhow, back to the rules!
New Crusade Rules
Various options open up at different stages. For example Guard and Consume plays nicely with the third stage of an assault known as the Consumption stage. This stratagem grants you re-rolls of 1 while your ‘nids are within range of an objective marker. There will be other stratagems and options that will become available throughout your Tyranid Crusade which is another neat way to engage with a Crusade.
“In the meantime, you get to go on a calorific spending spree to upgrade your Crusade army. Biogenesis options let you spend Biomass points to grow your swarm by increasing your Supply Limits, improve your favourite bugs with free experience, or apply unique Adaptive Physiologies to your monstrous organisms.”
This is one example of the ways you can spend those Biomass points you’ve accumulated. And as we saw yesterday, Adapted Physiology rules can be pretty brutal!
Codex Tyranids is making landfall soon.
