Tau...

[Guest]

7 hours ago, Lord Hanaur said:

The T'au Sept is so excellent that it is hard for me to really go play another.  However Vior'La is the one I badly wanted to work because its the Sept symbol I chose when it didnt matter and it was just a fluff consideration All my Stealthsuits are paintstakingly adorned with the Vior'la symbol.  

But Aun'Va is just too good and DarkStrider adds an absolute boat load to the T'au forces.  Those two guys rather DEFINE the way the army can work!  

I like all of them, but each leans towards a different style of gameplay and towards different units. 

[Lord Hanaur]

2 hours ago, paxmiles said:

I like all of them, but each leans towards a different style of gameplay and towards different units. 

I mean...not really.  Your army is very forward leaning as is mine.  You have rwo gunrigs and a stormsurge like I do, ethereal like I do.  You have 5 less fw than me .  Big diff being tour crisis team, which +6" is pretty handy for but as you're learning, they are somewhat difficult to keep alive if you press them forward and you lose so much with each list suit.  So the style looks very similar actually.  I see against Knights why +6" would be good.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Lord Hanaur said:

I mean...not really.  Your army is very forward leaning as is mine.  You have rwo gunrigs and a stormsurge like I do, ethereal like I do.  You have 5 less fw than me .  Big diff being tour crisis team, which +6" is pretty handy for but as you're learning, they are somewhat difficult to keep alive if you press them forward and you lose so much with each list suit.  So the style looks very similar actually.  I see against Knights why +6" would be good.

My army doesn't really maximize my Sept at all. I'm just very new to TAU and haven't really expanded my collection much. 

And my Sept is Dal'yth, which is the Cover while stationary Sept. I like it because it makes them more durable, and I'm a fan of durability, despite it not being very practical in 40k (game doesn't really focus on defense as much as it focuses on offense, kinda like the NBA as my little brother often says).

I would like to see your list, though, especially if you are also fielding gunrigs.

[Ish]

The CA2018 missions shift the balance towards defense. Hopefully they catch on.

[Guest]

Regarding the leans:

Farsight Enclaves leans close range. Stratagem also rewards deep striking. For them, I'd go with devilfishes and breacher squads for troops.

Bork'an leans mid-long range, with a focus on rapid fire and heavy weapons. Rapid fire weapons double tap from further, normally shorter range heavy weapons have more range, doesn't really help weapons that already have crazy range. Strike Squads with pulse rifles for troops. Plasma Rifles on Crisis Suits. Probably the Pulse Blast Cannon if you took a stormsurge.  

T'au leans towards densely packed formations. They could be mobile or gunline, but they, more than any, rely on overwatch from fellow TAU. Any troops would work for them, though probably not breachers due to their short range. 

Vior'la Benefit the most from assault weapons and advancing. So breachers or strikes with carbines. Probably marker drones instead of pathfinders, but could also use their stratagem to double up. Probably no stormsurges. 

Sa'cea is pretty generic. Pretty similar versatility to Ultramarines or Black Legion in the respect of what their trait brings to their codex. Great stratagem.

Dal'yth leans stationary gunline, possibly with 1 or 2 units that are dedicated to be the mobile units.

Ke'Lshan. No leans because no trait. Worth mentioning the FW specific Sept. Has no Sept rules, but does have a pretty awesome special character. I'm unclear if this means I can run him with my choice of traits. 

[Guest]

Hey, is there a good 3rd party Vespid model?

GW models don't look great, are finecast, and are really expensive for what they are. I'd consider metal ones if someone has extras for trade.

[Kelharis]

5 minutes ago, paxmiles said:

Hey, is there a good 3rd party Vespid model?

GW models don't look great, are finecast, and are really expensive for what they are. I'd consider metal ones if someone has extras for trade.

http://www.reddogminis.com/catalog/item/9023820/10336153.htm

[Guest]

Ah, another question:

Tau shieldline reflects attacks on "unmodified save rolls of 6," siince they are unmodified, does that mean I roll even if the opponent's weapon ap means I can't possibly succeed?

[Ish]

4 hours ago, paxmiles said:

Tau shieldline reflects attacks on "unmodified save rolls of 6," siince they are unmodified, does that mean I roll even if the opponent's weapon ap means I can't possibly succeed?

I'd say so. 

(Also those Firewarriors-as-Vespid are awesome.)

[Guest]

8 hours ago, Kelharis said:

http://www.reddogminis.com/catalog/item/9023820/10336153.htm

Thanks. I like those, but the Vespid don't have the Sept, so I think it would be confusing. After exploring the site more. That same site has the gun barrels without the jet packs for 1/3rd the cost. http://www.reddogminis.com/catalog/item/9023820/10354517.htm

Then I'd just need to find some gargoyles or some other man-shaped winged critter.

[Guest]

Asked this one before, but it got posted as the last post of previous page, so I think people missed it. Cleaned it up a bit.

Copy paste from the BIG FAQ:

Quote

All of the units in each Detachment in your Battle-forged army must have at least one Faction keyword in common. In addition, this keyword cannot be Chaos, Imperium, Aeldari, Ynnari, or Tyranids, unless the Detachment in question is a Fortification Network. This has no effect on your Army Faction.

Can I include a mix of Septs with only TAU EMPIRE in common? Obviously they wouldn't benefit from their Sept Trait.

Like, could I run a Supreme Command Detachment with Longstrike, Aun'shi, Aun'va, Darkstrider and Shas'o R'alai? Dunno how viable it is, just wondering if that sort of thing is even an option to consider.

 

[WestRider]

13 hours ago, paxmiles said:

Hey, question: I know detachments can't only have IMPERIUM or CHAOS as their keyword in common, can they be a mix of Septs with only TAU EMPIRE in common? Obviously they wouldn't benefit from their Sept Trait.

Like, could I run a Supreme Command Detachment with Longstrike, Aun'shi, Aun'va, Darkstrider and Shas'o R'alai? Dunno how viable it is, just wondering if that sort of thing is even an option to consider.

Yep, that's perfectly viable. You can do the same thing with sub-Factions from any Codex, and there are a few where you can mix Dexes and still end up with a viable Detachment. Mixing, say, Imperial Fists and Raven Guard (and even Space Wolves or Blood Angels) in a single Detachment, with the unifying Faction Keyword being ADEPTUS ASTARTES. Chaos can blend CSM and Daemons in a Detachment if they're united by all having, say, the SLAANESH Faction Keyword.

[Guest]

Various things TAU related:

That stormsurge cover arrived. And, of course, I can't find the front plate to the stormsurge, so I have to find that to know if this bits fits...

Figured out the issue with that Dominus Titan thing, he kept rolling damage which I thought was d6s, but in looking it up on battlescribe, actually d3s. Definitely still a horrible challenge, but not what I thought they were.

Traded some 40k stuff for some really poorly assembled used Piranhas at GG. They weren't painted, just poorly assembled.  I'm prying them apart without too much resistance, so not as bad as I thought they'd be to get them to a state where they look decently assembled.  

[Ish]

If you do decide to add camo netting to your artillery models, rolled and stowed camo netting can hide a variety of sins on other more mobile models.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Ish said:

If you do decide to add camo netting to your artillery models, rolled and stowed camo netting can hide a variety of sins on other more mobile models.

You mean use the camo netting to conceal defects on the models? That's not a bad idea. Thanks.

[Ish]

One of my old, beloved Destroyer Tank Hunters had a big gap where the resin casemate met the plastic sidewalls. Couldn’t be fixed by heating and bending the resin, couldn’t really use greenstuff either...

I’d already done up some camouflage netting for my Chimerae IFVs and Heavy Weapon Teams so it helped to further tie the whole army together.

Stowed netting is easy: Some cheesecloth rolled into a bundle, tied off with twine, and then soaked in sepia wash overnight, then pushed into place, coated in PVA glue, and presto. 

 

[SPaceORK]

I love Bork'an. 36" Fw guns is solid. 14" flamers on 109's is also awsmesome.

[Guest]

7 hours ago, SPaceORK said:

I love Bork'an. 36" Fw guns is solid. 14" flamers on 109's is also awsmesome.

And 42" with Pulse Drone. 

Oh wow! I forgot to look at those FW riptide variants when looking at what the traits applied to. Phased Plasma-Flamers is indeed a heavy weapon. The other really cool Bork'an one is the 36" range SMS. 

Those FW riptide variants' power levels are so odd. I mean the 109 has the same power level as the Stormsurge, but is a Fast attack slot. The 107 is 1 less and is a heavy slot. I'm convinced that the Stormsurge, as presently designed, should be an elites slot - it's an expensive support unit, but not a lord of war. 

 

[SPaceORK]

2 hours ago, paxmiles said:

And 42" with Pulse Drone. 

Oh wow! I forgot to look at those FW riptide variants when looking at what the traits applied to. Phased Plasma-Flamers is indeed a heavy weapon. The other really cool Bork'an one is the 36" range SMS. 

Those FW riptide variants' power levels are so odd. I mean the 109 has the same power level as the Stormsurge, but is a Fast attack slot. The 107 is 1 less and is a heavy slot. I'm convinced that the Stormsurge, as presently designed, should be an elites slot - it's an expensive support unit, but not a lord of war. 

 

The stormsurge is such a weird model. No battlesuit keyword, yet the 139 has it. It doesn't have really have enough firepower to justify  its cost. You can take a riptide and drones, which would put out more damage and live longer. The 139, with the recent points drop does more damage than 3 stormsurges and has more survivability and can have strats used on it.

Yea, bork'an 109's are cool, I still think they are a trap at 400+ points though. Still play them though.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, SPaceORK said:

The stormsurge is such a weird model. No battlesuit keyword, yet the 139 has it. It doesn't have really have enough firepower to justify  its cost. You can take a riptide and drones, which would put out more damage and live longer. The 139, with the recent points drop does more damage than 3 stormsurges and has more survivability and can have strats used on it.

Yea, bork'an 109's are cool, I still think they are a trap at 400+ points though. Still play them though.

Hadn't thought about how numbered all the battlesuits were. Might start refering to them exclusively by number. Definitely shorter than their rather long names.

Stormsurge, or rather 128, is certainly an odd duck. Mismatched weapon ranges, high cost frame, no FLY, not a BATTLESUIT, no drones, no markerlights, 3 support slots, unique destroyer missiles, self hit improving option, and no Greater Good ability.

I've run it twice, and I think the key is that I need 2 of them. Furthermore, I need to stop thinking of it as a battlesuit and start thinking of it as a tank: It's closer in rules to a baneblade than it is to an imperial knight. The other thing I've been thinking is that I don't need the invulnerable save. It's 40pts per shield generator, and most weapons that have the range to shoot at the backfield 128 AND reliably damage it also have the AP to deny my save (or only bump it to a 4+).

Regarding the army, the other thing I've been thinking is that I need to run my TAU as a split force. Two gunlines, not one. Corners, maybe. The idea is that I have the range to support eachother over distances, but I can't cope with melee. If I sacrifice one gunline, then the other may have an extra turn to shoot them. And I'm not running the T'AU Sept, so I don't need my units as close together as that Sept would require for their overwatch bonus.

[Ish]

I used to have a lot of good results with my Imperial Guard infantry (who were also rather mêlée adverse) by staggering their lines, with a 9.5" gap between the rear rank of the first squad(s) and the front rank of the second squad(s).

• When incoming enemies would be withing rapid fire's "double tap" range 12" from the first line, they would just be inside single shot range (23.5") of the second line's front rank. 
• When (not if) they broke through the first line and consolidated they'd be ~6.5" away from the second line. If they were suitably weakened, I could hold my ground and double-tap. If they were still strong, I could fall back and still double-tap, but significantly increase their charge distance.
• Heavy Weapon Teams or other long-range support units would be behind this second line.

[Lord Hanaur]

On 1/11/2019 at 10:07 AM, paxmiles said:

I would like to see your list, though, especially if you are also fielding gunrigs.

Took 2nd at a GT, 1st at an RTT with this.  Please note the change:  I did that with Kroot Hounds instead of Stingwings.  The Stingwings are something I am trying NOW, but I did have 24 Kroot Hounds in both these events:

https://www.bestcoastpairings.com/r/hf3xwkj4?fbclid=IwAR1WVnUivrccEHEUgP0iKcrjWJgIcARDE5jj9xpDcj_tivXpKsX43Y2IoQM

and : https://www.bestcoastpairings.com/r/fpycayj1

EDIT:

++ Brigade Detachment +12CP (T'au Empire) [80 PL, 1334pts] ++ 

T'au Empire Sept Choice: T'au Sept 

Aun'Va [5 PL, 95pts]: Aun'Va, Ethereal Guard, Ethereal Guard 

Cadre Fireblade [2 PL, 42pts]: Markerlight 

Cadre Fireblade [2 PL, 42pts]: Markerlight 

Darkstrider [3 PL, 45pts] 


Kroot Carnivores [3 PL, 50pts]: 10x Kroot 

Kroot Carnivores [3 PL, 50pts]: 10x Kroot 

Strike Team [5 PL, 84pts]: 12x Fire Warrior w/ Pulse Rifle (Shas'ui included)

Strike Team [4 PL, 42pts] 
. Fire Warrior Shas'ui: Pulse rifle 
.5x Fire Warrior w/ Pulse Rifle 

Strike Team [4 PL, 42pts] 
. Fire Warrior Shas'ui: Pulse rifle 
.5x Fire Warrior w/ Pulse Rifle 

Strike Team [4 PL, 42pts] 
. Fire Warrior Shas'ui: Pulse rifle 
. 5x Fire Warrior w/ Pulse Rifle 

Strike Team [4 PL, 42pts] 
. Fire Warrior Shas'ui: Pulse rifle 
. 5x Fire Warrior w/ Pulse Rifle 


Firesight Marksman [1 PL, 25pts]: Markerlight, Pulse pistol 

Firesight Marksman [1 PL, 25pts]: Markerlight, Pulse pistol 

XV95 Ghostkeel Battlesuit [10 PL, 174pts]: 2x Fusion blaster, Fusion collider, Multi-tracker, 2x MV5 Stealth Drone, Shield generator 


Pathfinder Team [5 PL, 107pts] 
. 7x Pathfinder: 7x Markerlight 
. 3x Pathfinder w/ Rail Rifle: 3x Rail rifle 

Pathfinder Team [5 PL, 107pts] 
. 7x Pathfinder: 7x Markerlight 
. 3x Pathfinder w/ Rail Rifle: 3x Rail rifle 

Tactical Drones [4 PL, 60pts]: 6x MV7 Marker Drone 

12 Kroot Hounds [3PL, 48pts]

12 Kroot Hounds [3PL, 48pts]

MV71 Sniper Drones [3 PL, 54pts]: 3x MV71 Sniper Drone 

MV71 Sniper Drones [3 PL, 54pts]: 3x MV71 Sniper Drone 

MV71 Sniper Drones [3 PL, 54pts]: 3x MV71 Sniper Drone 

++ Fortification Network (T'au Empire) [12 PL, 240pts] ++ 

T'au Empire Sept Choice: T'au Sept 

Tidewall Gunrig [6 PL, 120pts]: Supremacy railgun 

Tidewall Gunrig [6 PL, 120pts]: Supremacy railgun 

++ Super-Heavy Auxiliary Detachment (T'au Empire) [20 PL, 397pts] ++ 

KV128 Stormsurge [20 PL, 397pts]: 2x Burst cannon, Advanced targeting system, Cluster rocket system, 4x Destroyer missile, Drone controller, Pulse blastcannon, Shield generator, 2x Smart missile system

[Guest]

I'm kicking around the idea of running a Void Shield Generator for TAU. It's like 180pts and creates a 5++ vs shooting for units wholly within 6" and that's all it does.

The logic is that I could use VSG instead of having an actual shield generator on units. Don't know if it's really worth it. Just thinking that the shield generator on the 128 is 40pts and the generator on other units is 8pts (per suit), and most of these units don't actually need the invulnerable outside of shooting (because they suck in melee), and the shield generator requires a suit slot, and I'm already running a fortification detachment with an empty slot.

Plus could use the VSG to add invulerable saves to things that normally lack an invulnerable save (like the gunrigs).

 

[Ish]

What about a Skyshield Landing Pad?

[Lord Hanaur]

11 hours ago, Ish said:

What about a Skyshield Landing Pad?

A Stormsurge on top of one, with the Drones next to them?  Drones can overcome the LOS issues the plane of the floor of it creates sometimes, so that could be a fun idea.  Here's a question.  As part of the Netwrok Fortification...  Could you take 2 Gunrigs and a Landing pad?  i think you could.