Type of game?
Star Wars Minis - A small skirmish game.
Warhammer 40K - A small skirmish game (representing a small part of a larger battle)
Standard game?
Star Wars Minis - 200 points. This normally gives you around 14 figures, a few exceptions like Stormtrooper, Droid or even Ewok squads can have more.
Warhammer 40K - 1500 points. The different armies have different strategies. So Space Marines will probably have up to 40 models on the table, often less than that. I have played with 103 Space Orks on the table and they can have a lot more if the player really wanted.
Cost?
This is where the games differ, not so much in cost but in the way Players collect them. With Warhammer there are fourteen armies, most players I know have two or three armies of different sizes. But Star Wars Minis players tend to collect the whole set, it is a Collectors game.
You can play Star Wars with a single competetive force for probably less than £50. But if you want to collect all the minis, nearly 800, then that's going to cost a lot of money, probably a £2000+ and then you want extras like multiple Stormtroopers and Battle Droids.
With Wahammer 40K you will need to spend £100-£150 for a solid 1500 point army. But as you play you'll find you want more unit choices and the cost of an army can go up and up until you start playing Apocalypse games. So don't rule out spending at least £400 on an army.
Pick up and Play?
Technically yes to both.
Star Wars Minis - buy a couple of boosters and play.
Warhammer 40K - Buy Assault on Black Reach, click the models together and play.
But with Star Wars you'll spend time tracking down those Rare or Very Rare minis. With 40K you'll want to buy the better models and spend time assembling them and painting them. This is where 40K becomes more of a hobby than Star Wars minis.
And THAT is the differene. That is why I am now liking Warhammer 40K more. Star Wars Minis may still be going thanks to the fans creating the V-Sets, but making minis for them doesn't interest me. Weather it's a mini of Han Solo or Bossko B. it's still a mini of an existing character. Whereas with 40K I'm building up the character from scratch and once painted and assembled I'm then giving him a bit of personality and a role in my army. It's that creative element of 40K that is winning me over more and more. And it's Lucasfilm messing with the Star Wars films that is turning me off Star Wars more and more, but that's a rant for another time.
Tyranids
First Game
It was also my mates first time using his Dark Eldar, so it was going to be interesting, and hopefully fun, which it was.
My list;
750pts
HQ - Hive Tyrant - Heavy Venom Canon, Regeneration, armour, hive commander
Troop - 22 Termagants - Toxic Sacs
Troop - 8 Genestealers - Sything Talons (arrive via Ambush)
Elite - Doom of Malan'tai in a Mycetic Spore Pod
Fast - 10 Gargoyles (arrive by Deep Strike) - Toxic Sac & Adrenal Glands
My mates list, okay I don't know exactly. He had two Raiders with Wyches & Warriors and Haemonculus. Also a Venom and a Razorwing (I love that model).
Cut to the short version; it was 0-0 after 7 Turns.
Longer version;
We were playing Spearhead Capture & Control (I think - 1 objective each). But really that never came into it.
My Genestealers came on Turn 2 and stunned the Razorwing.
Turn 3 the Doom of Malan'tai arrived but did nothing. Hive Tyrant destroyed the Venom with the Genestealers finishing off the transported troops before being wiped out by the Razorwing. And Haemonculus with his retinue wiped out my Termagants very quickly!
Turn 4 he STILL made his checks against the Doom of Malan'tai before destroying it. My Gargoyles had arrived but too late (Yes, even with Hive Commander they didn't arrive until Turn 4). I tried a VERY risky Deep Strike and made it only for the Razorwing to wipe them out. Dark Eldar Warriors asaulted the Hive Tyrant, then ran off crying when it owned them in close combat. My Mycetic Spore managed to destroy one of the Raiders.
Turns 5, 6 & 7 were all just close combat between my Hive Hyrants and Haemonculus with his Wyches. He managed to cause 3 wounds and I regenerated nothing.
So what do I take from this?
Okay, this was only a 750pt game. But in 1500pts I think I'll need another Synapse creature to move forward while keeping my Hive Tyrant back to shoot. I might get another Hive Tyrant maybe with Talons & Wings. Although I will have a Trygon in 1500pts. I know a lot of people say not to use the Heavy Venom Canon but it was okay this game and that's what I want to use, personal choice.
Termagants need to make better use of cover, but there was no chance in this game and they died in close combat anyway. Not really sure how they beat Dark Eldar there, but should be better against lower Initiative opponents.
Genestealers? They are a bit like Ork Kommando's. They come on, kill a unit, then die. So long as I keep that in mind I wan't be disappointed in them.
Gargoyles? Well I was screwed by my Reserves roll this game. I think I need more, but painting them is time consuming. Maybe don't Deep Strike them next time.
Doom of Malan'tai? My opponent was rolling LOW this game so was making Leadership checks on 3D6 with ease, passed four in a row with LD9. And if the Gargoyles had come in when planned to shield him things may have been different.
Overall I think a draw first time using an army is a fair result for us both. The Hive Tyrant is tough and nasty, I like that. They need the Initiative, I can see that, and most of the time they will have it. I think it would be a close contest against my Orks. And like all horde armies, blast template opponents will rip them apart if I'm not careful.
Tyranid Trygon
So I've started on my Trygon this week. Assembling was pretty straight forward really. And yes, I do know that I've used the Mawloc tail, it's still a Trygon. I just think that tail looks cooler.
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