The Zoats return
 

Just been reading a section in the new Tyranid codex on forgotten hive fleets and one of them Collossus in M38 contained centauroid creatures that communicated telepathically with various races.

The Imperium declared them Xenos horribilis once their true nature was known and destroyed the last vessel after a 50 year war.

Re: The Zoats return
 

If I am brutally honest, I never really like Zoats. Did they not break off and form their own mercenary groups or something? I don't know all that much about them.

Salty :)

Re: The Zoats return
 

If you don't know much about the Zoats how can you dislike them?

Zoats aren't a bad idea, they just don't fit in to the current ideas behind a hivefleet, separating them into a singular hive fleet is a good idea.

Re: The Zoats return
 

Sorry, I should have clarified. I meant I hated those models. They looked... poor.

Salty :)

Re: The Zoats return
 

Many of the old models are not as 'cool' looking as the newer ones, but then again, there are a whole bunch of new models which look really lame as well!

Re: The Zoats return
 

Yup, like the new Tyrant ;)

What were the Zoats? Were they scouts or something? Can anyone help?

Salty :)

Re: The Zoats return
 

Here you go:

Re: The Zoats return
 

I always liked Zoats...kind of Tyranid agitators. You cold easily justify them as another Tyranid attempt to 'turn' populations without having to resort to attack.

Never really liked the models (or any of the original tyranid models till the screamer killer came out) but the concept was pretty cool.

Re: The Zoats return
 

This really bugged me:
I was never that fond of the "humour" the old stuff had, and the whole "everybody can have everybody's weapons" thing...

Re: The Zoats return
 

Aaah the Zoats.:D Never collected games workshop when they were part of the fluff and yet I still like the idea, call me lame. Though from my reading of the fluff snippet that Brimy posted, they are trying to explain their absence through fluff. Big war, Imperium wins, end of Zoats. Hopefully when I read the dex with my own eyes I'll be able to find loopholes allowing me to create fluff of my own explaining why there are a few of them still scattered around the galaxy.

I'd like to convert my own considering the old ones are now almost impossible to get ahold of, but I'd like for them to be centauroid like their description with a few more nid like features as the originals just looked like dragon ogres with guns and gas masks.

Re: The Zoats return
 

75hastings69 I've deleted your post, advertise your stuff in your sig or in the wanted forum.

Do anything like that again and you'll earn yourself a shiny new strike.

Yes the old Zoat models were poor and as I said the concept doesn't fit in at all into the current Tyranid concept.

I was never a fan of their old background but their appearance in the novel Space Marine is something I've never forgotten so it's good to see them get a mention in the new codex.

Btw nothing on Squats though. ;)

Re: The Zoats return
 

Really? well it comes as no surprise, but this could have been a great opportunity to include their "destruction" on the official fluff in the new 'nid codex, me thinks.

Re: The Zoats return
 

The primary purpose of the Zoats seems to be as ambassadors. There was a story of a feral world, Lamaro. When the Tyranid hive fleets arrived, the entire population calmly boarded the bio-ships, thinking they were greeting their new star gods. Sounds like the work of the Zoats to me.

Re: The Zoats return
 

Zoatibix.... Ow, my aching sides. No, really.

Hmm... I wish you could detect sarcasm more easily in text format...

It's nice to see a cryptic mention of the Zoats, but as they are not likely to be developed again it seems a bit of a cop-out. Then again, describing them in detail wouldn't make much sense in the Codex... it would be like writing a page on one of the obscure species of scuttling creatures created to clean the inside of the bioships.

Re: The Zoats return
 

I dunno about not fitting the current tyranid concept. They seem like a very intelligent evolution of the tyranid organism to me; translator bugs, subtly hypnotic to influence their enemies to lay down arms... an alternative to 'stealer infestations. The only problem with them is that they are not really suited to 40K. Perhaps as adversaries for ordo xenos? Similar to enslavers in that they could enthrall an army?

Re: The Zoats return
 

That's a damn good idea Sulla. Would make for a very nice Ordo Xenos campaign... hunting down the last of the Zoats!

Re: The Zoats return
 

The background posted by Malika, Aquila and other is great and informative (except the Zoatibix bit... ;)). If there were some cool models now, I may even be inclined to try them. Maybe...

Brimstone, in what way do you feel they would not fit into the new fluff? Do you mean in the sense that the Nids are now the uber-tough biological killing machine made up of unthinking organisms? I can see how 'intelligent' creature (i.e., those with more autonomy than Hive Tyrants for instance) would break up that theme.

Salty :)

Re: The Zoats return
 

Because they are the ultimate predator, they don't care about talking to you, they don't care about negotiating with you, they just want your DNA.

Intelligent oh yes but in a predatory cunning manner.

You don't see Lions trying to talk to Thomson's gazelles before they eat them.

Re: The Zoats return
 

Yeah but, if the lions could evolve the abilty to, i think they would!

Re: The Zoats return
 

but the most advanced of predators (viruses and men), imitate their prey or affect their behviour in order to get a better amount of kills.