- This article or section should include material from Genestealer
In the table-top wargame Warhammer 40,000, Tyranids are a swarm of aliens in many sizes and shapes. The most well known type of Tyranid is the horrific Genestealer. At first genestealers were independent monsters/race used in WH40K fiction and most importantly in table-top game Space Hulk. Soon the concept grew to a whole Tyranid race, of which genestealers are only one part.
Tyranids form a superorganism: they travel the universe on their Hive Fleets, destroying all ecologies in their path. They are psychically linked via their Hive Mind, which gives them great abilities to strategize and coordinate. When one Tyranid sees something, within an instant the entire Tyranid race is aware of it.
The mentality behind the Tyranid race can be summed up by the phrase "quantity has a quality all its own". From the lowliest Ripper swarm, to the deadliest Hive Tyrant, the signature trademark of Tyranids is that they swarm over their foes, obliterating everything before them without regard for species or race, seeing all life as merely fresh meat; new gene code to be assimilated, processed, and cycled into the spawning cycle to generate deadlier species off-shoots.
Tyranid Battle Tactics
Tyranids often attempt to first take a planet through deception. Space Hulks and other derelict spacecraft are infested with Genestealers, which quickly familiarize themselves with the layout of their new home, then hibernate.
When the Hulk is eventually discovered, the Genestealers attack the exploration crew, sometimes killing some crewmembers, but always leaving at least one survivor who is implanted with a seed, similar to a Xenomorph Facehugger.
Unlike the facehugger, this infestation is never fatal, but instead subtly alters the victims DNA, giving them a strong urge to mate. The child that results from this union will be a Genestealer hybrid, which now has the complete loyalty of it's parents. The Hybrids continue to breed and multiply among the population, eventually forming a Genestealer Cult. As the Cult grows in numbers, it begins to spread its influence throught the planet, placing its members in positions of power within the government and the military. At the same time, it begins to emit a psychic signal through the warp that acts as a beacon for the Hive Fleet.
As the fleet nears the doomed world, the cult goes into action, instigating a worldwide rebellion with the goal of weakening the planet's defenses against the approaching Hive Fleet.
On the battlefield, Tyranid tactics are based around the notion of superior numbers. Tyranids overrun opposition in close combat, closing faster than most armies. They possess few ranged weapons, but their sheer numbers and close combat specialisation makes up for this if they are commanded by a worthy commander.
Tyranid Storyline
In Warhammer 40,000, the Tyranids appeared from the eastern part of the Galaxy, and sent a large fleet of troops (called Hive Fleet Behemoth) directly at the center of the galaxy. They were defeated, barely, by the efforts of the Ultramarines chapter of Space Marines, although the Ultramarines suffered devastating losses.
Later the Tyranids returned with Hive Fleet Kraken which, instead of throwing one mass of troops against the Imperium, split into countless smaller fleets, each small fleet enveloping whole systems before reinforcements could arrive. The brunt of the this new attack was borne by the Space Marine chapters Scythes of the Emperor and Lamenters; the former chapter was completely destroyed.
At the same time, Hive Fleet Leviathan appeared from "below" the Galaxy (in a 3D sense, on the Z axis) and attacked from two points, cutting off large portions of the galaxy from reinforcements.
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