WHAT'S NEW?

So, with all this earnest balancing and playtesting and all, what's actually new? The first thing players will notice in the new Codex is that there's a wealth of background material to get stuck into. "I don't want to give too much away, but the 'nids are getting big and scary through eating their greens," Phil hints, referring no doubt to the doom-laden tone of the background section. You really do get the feeling that the game is pretty much up for the Eastern Rim, and the rest of the galaxy doesn't have too much to look forward to either.

Having taken care to bring the background up to date, the bulk of Phil's work was the development of the army list itself.

There's a lot to digest here (pun intended), so I'll let Phil take us through the developments one at a time. "We've changed the way Spore Mines work, as we found that too many in play at once could bog things down in what we came to call the Spore Mine phase!" Spore Mines can now be deployed in broods, which Deep Strike onto the table and cause all sorts of havoc for the enemy. You can still deploy them the old way of course, via the Biovores, but this new option opens up all manner of possibilities.

What else is new? Say hello to the Broodlord. This new HQ choice is a super-Genestealer - the ultimate leader for the ultimate predator. "The Broodlord makes the all-Genestealer army viable," says Phil. "It's something we've wanted to do for a while. He's the first Tyranid HQ choice who isn't a Monstrous Creature, so his introduction makes it possible to field a new type of army entirely - the horde of little guys."

How about any new toys for the beasts to use? "Oh yes. We've added a whole bunch of new biomorphs, including the good old Bonesword (it looked so good on the original Hive Tyrant miniature), acid maw, feeder tendrils, scuttler, toxic miasma, and more.

THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE TREES...

Another part of the army list Phil was keen to tackle was the Lictor. "Marking the Lictor's position on a map drawn before the game was too much of a departure from the normal way in which the game plays," explains Phil. "It took a lot of playtesting to get the Lictor right, but we're really pleased with its new rules". Under these rules, the Lictor Deep Strikes into any piece of terrain when the time comes. The rule is simple and almost guarantees that the Lictor will play a part in the game. The fact that it can assault on the turn it arrives means the Lictor is as pesky as it ever was, but more in line with the game as a whole.

Another cool thing about the new rules for the Lictor is its Pheromone Trail. This rule is a simple one. Each Lictor allows a Reserves roll to be rerolled, which neatly communicates the character of the creature and emphasizes the fact that its role is to range ahead of the Tyranid horde and scout out tasty targets. "This rule really helps the army when the Escalation Scenario special rule is in play," explains Phil. "You really need your first waves of infantry to be on the board and moving forward right from the early game."

LENDING SUPPORT

In spite of the fact that the Codex is jam-packed with alien goodness, Phil also plans to explore key elements of the Tyranids within the pages of this very magazine. For instance, Phil will be putting Tyranid Kill-teams in the spotlight, expand the options open to the Tyranid player, and introduce all manner of gribbly fun.

Phil adds, "We've also got a series on a Tyranid invasion that describes the stages of a hive fleet consuming a world and uses this story as inspiration for terrain-building projects, scenarios, and campaigns."

Keep watching the skies.

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