i want a really nice swarm army... but i am going to start with only 200pts... so nids cant have synapse... i could ply orks... but i would only want the evil sunz and they are not swarm... i was thinking getting tau and focusing on warriors... would that work for a swarm? what armies have REALLY cheap models... also is it possilbe to have an effective army of just termigaunts?

The best armies for swarm tactics in 40k are as follows:

1. Tyranids - for CC swarminess, nothing beats them; they are fast and very cheap (termaguants are only 5-7 points each, and you can take them in units of 32, although units of about 20-24 are better as they can maneuver). Also, you can take some heavy and scary looking monsters to break up the swarm routine. I would recommend a Hive Tyrant backed up by a Carnifex or two, and maybe some Warriors coupled with as many little guys as you can fit in. This should give you a satisfying swarm of over 100 models in a 1500 point game.
As for having a swarm of JUST termagaunts, I wouldn't recommend it. You would have to throw in some Hormaguants and some Genestealers in order to take down tougher opponents. Also, one or two big monsters will help out immensely, and shouldn't take to many numbers away from your swarm.

2. Orks - good in CC, though not as fast as Tyranids unless they take tons of cheap transports. As with Tyranids, you can easily take over 100 figures in a 1500 point game (keep that number in mind...if you break the hundred-figure barrier in a standard 1500 point game, you have a decent swarm....of course, the tactics are up to you). Ork shooting can also be surprisingly effective when used en masse; just take as many Assault weapons as you can so you can fire while moving to get into CC with those beautiful choppas and power claws.

3. IG - if you want a shooty horde army, this is it. Imperial Guard Lasguns are often referred to as "flashlights" because they are so weak. But get enough of these "weak" guns together and you will make people fail their armour saves eventually. Also, they have some of the best big guns to back them up. Gotta warn you though, most IG armies tend to be rather stationary (to fire all the heavy guns), so gaming with them might seem like just "forming a gun line and shooting till the enemy's dead". On the plus side, the enemy will likely try to get into CC with you (very few armies can outshoot Guard) and IG are better at CC than Tau, the other Shooty-king of 40k.

Tau can be used in a semi-swarm capacity, but it is not recommended. If you max out on Fire Warriors, you will have 72, each with a Strength 5, AP 5 Rapid fire gun! Sounds great, doesn't it? Well, its actually not, because you would have to line up all your warriors in a "Napoleon-like" gun line and just pray that you kill the enemy before they get into CC, which you likely won't, 9 times out of 10. Such a list, I would say, is usually a loser and not very fun to play, for either you or your opponent. Tau are best used in a semi- or fully-mobile capacity with Devilfish troop carriers and lots of jetpack equipped Tau. Think of them more as special forces units, which historically have always tended to be small. Not a swarm if played right...besides, a swarm is usually seen as an army that "swarms" its opponent (eg. overwhelms them by sheer weight of numbers in assault), not as a unit that just stands and shoots.

Whatever you pick, make sure you really like the model range. You're going to have A LOT of painting to do. Good luck.

Oh, I almost forgot: Dark Eldar can also be a surprisingly effective swarm army, though many players cannot stomach their model range. On the plus side, they are bound to be redone at some point, and you will definitly have the #1 least-played army in 40k, which gives you an opportunity to surprise and overwhelm your opponent because they may not know what to expect. DE are good at shooting, movement, and CC. They really are one of the most devastating and overlooked armies in 40k (and you can field tons of warriors in 1500 points - they are 7 or 8 points each I think).

Like I said...too bad their models look horrid.

Well how 'bout this for a swarm list?

HQ-Hive Tyrant-177
Toxin Sacs, EC, Venom Cannon, TL-Devourer, Enhanced Sense, Psychic Scream, Flesh Hooks.

Elites-3 Warriors-135
(All) Rending Claws, Sything Talons, Toxin Sacs, EC, Adrenal Glands(both), Leaping.


Elites-3 Warriors-114
(All) Toxin Sacs, Sything Talons, Enhanced Sense, EC.
Venom Cannon.
Devourer.
Devourer.

Elites-3 Warriors-114
(All) Toxin Sacs, Sything Talons, Enhanced Sense, EC.
Venom Cannon.
Devourer.
Devourer.

Troops-32 Termigaunts-192
Fleshborer.

Troops-32 Termigaunts-192
Fleshborer.

Troops-32 Termigaunts-192
Fleshborer.

Troops-32 Termigaunts-192
Fleshborer.

Troops-32 Termigaunts-192
Fleshborer.

Troops-32 Termigaunts-192
Fleshborer.

---1500

Model Count: 202
Synapse Count: 10

DAMN!!!!! 10 synapse creatures controling 202 gaunts LOL.that is 20 models for each synapse creature.

is this good... i know it is either really good or really bad... and you said i should get over 100 models... which i did, and i even doubled it to 200 guys.

Actually... He said 200 points, not models.
LOL

Interesting list, though.

IMO, Nids are the best swarm army.

No need to worry about synapse if you only take Genestealers.

Eric

uhhhhh... who said 200pts? i did at the top as i am the one who made this post... and then he told me that i should use atleast 100 models for 1500pts... but i dont want stealers... i want termies... so does this list work: do i have enough synapse, do i have enough ppl, is it even possilbe to kill 202 guys... that is 214 wounds... in 6 turns?

also i like the list but if there is something wrong plz tell me.

ur going to have ALOT of trouble dealing with armour...you only have a venom cannon and rendering (both quite unrealiable) to take tanks out...maybe add zoanthropes?

well how bout i take out my CC squad of warriors to add 3 some zoanthropes?

Has not this past the "how can I get a 200pt swarm" and turned into a Rate my Nids? If so, why not just leave this thread and start a new one in the proper board?

I would like to recommend the Lost and the Damned for a 200 pt swarm.
You can have two units of 3 Gibbering Hordes and 20 Mutants with a Mutant Boss. That's quite a few bodies for 200 pts.

Hey Martyrdom.

Your swarm list of Tyranids is amusing and quite insane. However, I would change a few things. I like the amount of synapse you have there, but you need some heavy hitters, be they Carnifexi, Zoanthropes, more Venom cannons, or even Genestealers or Raveners for the rending claws. As has been pointed out, you have almost no way to deal with armour of any kind, be it tanks or power armoured infantry. I could picture all of your games going like this:

1. You do a mad rush forward and try to get into CC. Your opponent pours a steady stream of fire into your lines and maybe annihilates 1/4 of the Termies before they make it to them.

2. Your termies engage his forces. Synapse control keeps them in place, but your termies lack the necessary strength to actually accomplish anything.

3. The rest of the battle is a huge, but unexciting melee. First off, you have nearly 200 small critters. No way will all of them get into CC, and those huge 32 model units will be hard to maneuver, especially around each other. Secondly, your critters will do very little damage, but are able to soak up a lot in return. Each game turn after you get into CC will be something like, "30 termies vs. 10 marines...1 marine dies in CC, while they slaughter 5-7 termies; wash, rince, and repeat till the end of the game".

See the problem? I like your idea, but I would suggest you talk to Uzi-99 if you can find him; I haven't seen him in a while, so I hope he's still on LO. He's THE Tyranid expert here on LO. I've never seen the man give bad advice to anyone, and he's played probably hundreds of games with the bugs.

Secondly, my humble suggestions would be to reduce your model count in each unit from 32 to a more manageable 24. You'll still have nearly 150 termies, but they'll be able to maneuver better. I might also suggest you give them some biomorphs to increase some units' strength, so they hit harder. Also, I must implore you to add some heavy hitters to deal with armour, preferably at least 2 units. If you only have one Carnifex or one unit of Zoanthropes, your enemy will pour all of their best fire into them and they die anyway (Zoans with Warp blast might be best because they fight separately, I think...giving your opponent 3 separate targets to spread his fire into).

If you make those changes, you'll:

A) still have a massive swarm 130-150 models in 1500 points...I've never seen a list like that;
B) have some heavy hitters in the form of your HT, Warriors, a couple souped up Termie swarms, and you're "big guns" (eg. Carnifexes, Zoans, etc.);
C) be more competive and fun to play.

Also, have you thought about Ripper swarms for your army? They are somewhat weak and just tie troops up (unless you biomorph them), but they really match your theme and Forgeworld has some amazing looking Ripper bases for sale.

Last word: good luck painting all those figures. I gave up my Tyranid army after I painted a couple squads of the lil' bugs and realized I had about 60 to go. Paint some termies before you fully commit to this army and buy everything. It will be monotonous, but if you pull it off, you'll have a true swarm the likes of which I've never seen on the tabletop.

excuse me

our model range only sucks when it cines to our madrakes, arhcon, grotesques, and warriors

the rest are cool

check out our incubi wyches and vehicles

those pwn thee **** of of whatever u play houston

LOL
My bad!
I didn't notice that the 2 messages (the original and the list) came from the same person.

That being said, I cannot think of anything to add to what Houston had to say.
he touched on all of the major factors that you need to keep in mind.

Although a swarm army is tempting, it still needs to be properly balanced with harder hitting allies.

One thing I'd like to point out about Houston's post, though...

Last word: good luck painting all those figures. I gave up my Tyranid army after I painted a couple squads of the lil' bugs and realized I had about 60 to go.

Don't give up.
Let Blue Table Painting do the work for you!
Better to have them painted and be happy than give up an army you love because you don't want to deal with painting the hundreds of monotonous little critters. BTP does a FANTASTIC job on bugs.

www.bluetablepainting.com (http://www.bluetablepainting.com)

Eric

i dont play to have good painted guys.