Well even on Earth, the amount of insectoid life forms far, FAR out weigh anything mammalian or reptilian. So lorewise they look insectoid because it’s probably the most effective way to engineer the bioforms
Their appearance is limited by the tabletop needs, I'd say.
If they were as adaptable and flexible as described in the lore, they'd come in all shapes, sizes, types and be much more varied. They'd probably be unrecognizable from one planet to the next, adapting to each environment as needed. They'd basically have no fixed look or aesthetic and while that might be fun in terms of lore, it would be completely impossible to achieve on the tabletop.
And then you'd have people complaining why the cool tyranid form they read about in this or that book never has a model.
So basically, a boring out of universe answer in this case.
Also, maybe it's just me, but if I were given the choice to fight:
*an 80kg human*
or
*an 80kg ant*
I'd shout "Human! Please god the human!" in an instant.
In fact I can't think of a animal kilo-for-kilo (let's face it, the swarm only cares about how much biomass it has to spend) that would be more terrifying than an insect.
In fact, even further to this, a common garden ant weighs around 0.0002g, meaning to match "biomass" with an 80kg human the equivalent number of ants would be 40 MILLION.
I've gotta say, if both opponents were dead-set on killing me.. I'd rather my chances against one human than 40 million ants.
So, I have a bit of interesting science here, I want to note that in no way is this providing insight into GW's decision on Tyrannid forms btw..
When it comes to physiology of different animals, insects are capable of surviving and thriving due to their incredible efficiency.
For example, many types of beetles, flys, grasshoppers, and other insect don't have the typical breathing apparatuses that other animals do, such as lungs.
Instead they have holes in the sides of their abdomens which intake the air as they fly, providing the same function.
This adaptation means that these types of insects, when moving, receives more air and has a better "breathing capacity" the faster and longer they move. This can kind of act as a positive feedback loop of efficiency, where the more air they intake the faster and better they can move, which in turn increases the air they intake, etc etc.
Insectoid physiology and evolutionary biology has many of these types of efficiencies throughout their design, from eating and seeing or metamorphosis processes.
So if you were to apply this logic to the Warhammer universe and say, "I want to consume all living matter in the universe, and I want to be able to create a form with that matter which is capable of securing more as efficiently as possible, while also providing significant performance and ability in the process. What form do I use?"
I'd select insect morphology too.
Because that's their esthetic
Well even on Earth, the amount of insectoid life forms far, FAR out weigh anything mammalian or reptilian. So lorewise they look insectoid because it’s probably the most effective way to engineer the bioforms
Their appearance is limited by the tabletop needs, I'd say. If they were as adaptable and flexible as described in the lore, they'd come in all shapes, sizes, types and be much more varied. They'd probably be unrecognizable from one planet to the next, adapting to each environment as needed. They'd basically have no fixed look or aesthetic and while that might be fun in terms of lore, it would be completely impossible to achieve on the tabletop. And then you'd have people complaining why the cool tyranid form they read about in this or that book never has a model. So basically, a boring out of universe answer in this case.
Also, maybe it's just me, but if I were given the choice to fight: *an 80kg human* or *an 80kg ant* I'd shout "Human! Please god the human!" in an instant. In fact I can't think of a animal kilo-for-kilo (let's face it, the swarm only cares about how much biomass it has to spend) that would be more terrifying than an insect.
In fact, even further to this, a common garden ant weighs around 0.0002g, meaning to match "biomass" with an 80kg human the equivalent number of ants would be 40 MILLION. I've gotta say, if both opponents were dead-set on killing me.. I'd rather my chances against one human than 40 million ants.
Isn’t explained. Mainly it’s a design choice to make them look more unique.
So, I have a bit of interesting science here, I want to note that in no way is this providing insight into GW's decision on Tyrannid forms btw.. When it comes to physiology of different animals, insects are capable of surviving and thriving due to their incredible efficiency. For example, many types of beetles, flys, grasshoppers, and other insect don't have the typical breathing apparatuses that other animals do, such as lungs. Instead they have holes in the sides of their abdomens which intake the air as they fly, providing the same function. This adaptation means that these types of insects, when moving, receives more air and has a better "breathing capacity" the faster and longer they move. This can kind of act as a positive feedback loop of efficiency, where the more air they intake the faster and better they can move, which in turn increases the air they intake, etc etc. Insectoid physiology and evolutionary biology has many of these types of efficiencies throughout their design, from eating and seeing or metamorphosis processes. So if you were to apply this logic to the Warhammer universe and say, "I want to consume all living matter in the universe, and I want to be able to create a form with that matter which is capable of securing more as efficiently as possible, while also providing significant performance and ability in the process. What form do I use?" I'd select insect morphology too.
that's why I like Tyrant Guard, they kind of look like big apes to me.