5.0 Tactica - Tau Empire

[meltedwing]

Fraf, you are inferring and assuming a lot. The fact of the matter is I'm reading exactly what they wrote, they are a wholly owned subsidiary of GW. GW (to the best of my knowledge) has never explicitly divested themselves of FW rules/models and has not contradicted the statement included in the pdf. In fact I just got off the phone with customer service and the guy I talked to there stated that he agrees that there is no official statement from GW contradicting the verbiage at the top of the FW pdf "tau update" and there is nothing on the GW site indicating that FW models/rules intended for use with 40k are not official and should not be expected to be useable in an official 40k tournament.

The fact of the matter is that, until GW makes a public statement contradicting the verbiage in the pdf or divesting their rules from those put forth by FW then it should be taken as presented. Which is to say that it indicates it is official for use with 40k.

[Fraf]

statement contradicting the verbiage in the pdf

this is getting tiring...
"contradicting YOUR INTERPRETATION of the verbiage in the pdf". I see no need for contradiction in the way I (and many others) read it.
Also, the OPINION from a guy working in a hotline is not a statement from the guys who make the rules (two can play that game of "show me an absolutely perfect and explicit source or you're wrong")
I'm done with this argument as I feel that no apprach will make you let go of the idea that "official" = "enforceable"

[lantzkev]

One of the things I find funny about the forgeworld rule debates, is the make sure your opponent is okay with the rules when you use them... I'd love to show up at a tournament and say "I don't like grey wolf rules so we can't use them"

[meltedwing]

One of the things I find funny about the forgeworld rule debates, is the make sure your opponent is okay with the rules when you use them... I'd love to show up at a tournament and say "I don't like grey wolf rules so we can't use them"

Lol... I'm sure that would get some looks.

[samiens]

I can tell you, having been to one this weekend that forge world units are not allowed at throne of skulls, only codex units. To the point that durin the event they even advertised another even where you can use forge world stuff in that explicit form.

So basically, not even gw consider forge world official for their own tournaments

[meltedwing]

I can tell you, having been to one this weekend that forge world units are not allowed at throne of skulls, only codex units. To the point that durin the event they even advertised another even where you can use forge world stuff in that explicit form.

So basically, not even gw consider forge world official for their own tournaments

Well then they really need to figure it out fast because that crap won't fly. Makes me even happier that GW doesn't have any tournaments where I live. The fact that they publish rules and sell models they won't let you use even though their documents say you can is tantamount to theft. At the very least it shows them to be liars.

[Kelanen]

The difference between the tetra and the xv-9 is the verbiage at the beginning of the Tau update PDF. The xv-9 doesn't have it. If I were to go to a tournament (I probably wouldn't play my Tau anyway) and they were to refuse tetras then I would leave as they are not allowing officially authorized 40k units and models.

I'm VERY sure that 99.9% of tournaments will allow both or neither. You are perceiving a distinction that doesn't exist.

I can tell you now - Throne of Skulls will allow both models, but neither rules. Simply you are allowed those models - but the rules aren't on the allowable codex list, which is very different.

[Kelanen]

Well then they really need to figure it out fast because that crap won't fly. Makes me even happier that GW doesn't have any tournaments where I live. The fact that they publish rules and sell models they won't let you use even though their documents say you can is tantamount to theft. At the very least it shows them to be liars.

Nope, it just shows that you are misinterpreting what they say, and what it means, AND how tournaments are run.

But then lots of people here have repeatedly told you all of that, and apparently you still don't get it.

As to not flying - it's been flying for a couple of decades, and working just fine. Except for you.

[samiens]

Ironically at the last two official gw 40k tournaments at warhammer world there were more contemptors counting as dreads than actual dread models. Kelanen has this all wrapped up nicely

[Kloud13]

I have a tournament coming up. Odd tourney as you start with 1000pts for your first game. you then add 250pts of models/upgrades to your list each game after that until 1750pts.

I will be using my Tau, and I think my tau will be the only ones there. I'm expecting alot of Grey Knights, although I have never played against them before. Any tips for the current touney meta? I also expect some funky scenarios, but no idea what.

I also have some crisis suits that I recieved in trades, I have stripped them, and rebuilt them, and I am wondering what way I should equip them, and use them. (I already have 3 with plas/missle/multitracker, and 3 with TL missle/burst plus a couple misc others. I think I am gonna swap the burst cannons for flamers just to save points, and cover the space on the arm where the burst was.)

[Jancoran]

Flamers are better than burst cannons pretty much always.

I don't like Missile pods. We're having a big debate elsewhere on it but basically, to make a LONG story short, if you feel a need to use them instead of Broadsides for your antitank element, then equip them with Missile+TL Flamers. At least then the unit makes more sense. But honestly, the missiles are just going to mix the AP's and let small units wrap the wounds in an annoying way. The Missile pods are decent against Rhinos, but so are meltas. So are Railguns. So...

Good luck and go get 'em. But if yer doing the missile pods and hell bent on having them as part ofthe deal, do Missile Pods and TL flamers.

All of this advice assumes you have adequate Markerlight support.

[Kloud13]

Well when I built the ones with burstcannons a few years ago, I just thought they looked cool. but yeah, burst cannons suck.

I have naked suits right now. 4 primed, and one on the sprue, but the 4 primed ones do not have any weapons or support systems mounted yet. I'm up for new ideas.

[Kelanen]

Burst Cannons suck, but I'd never advocate Flamers on Crisis Suits. It's the Vespid problem - very efficient, but not efficient enough to knock out a squad, and even 2-3 models kill you the following turn. If it's a small enough unit to reliably kill, you could have done it with other weapons.

Against GK Helios are golden, but sticking to the accepted Fusion, Plasma and Missile Pod in varying configurations is the right answer as always. Fusion and Plasma gets that much stronger if you are facing any FNP variant of GK (or BA).

[meltedwing]

Well when I built the ones with burstcannons a few years ago, I just thought they looked cool. but yeah, burst cannons suck.

I have naked suits right now. 4 primed, and one on the sprue, but the 4 primed ones do not have any weapons or support systems mounted yet. I'm up for new ideas.

Do yourself a huge favor and magnetize hard-points on the models so that you can swap out gear instead of having to purchase new suits every time you want to try something out.

[Kloud13]

The ones that are primed are all ones that I got cheap in trades, they were poorly assembled and had even worse paint jobs. one had some god awfull conversion work done. Fortunetly the paint stripped off nicely, and the worst of the assembly fell apart in the "Castrol Super Clean" I had enough extra suit bitz and enough skill to reasseble them to a decent standard. The Suit still on the sprue I might magnetize.

[Jancoran]

TL Flamers are devastating and would be hitting already whittled units and even charging them if it makes sense to do it. THREE TL Flamers will absolutely kick butt. So you got the missiles but their range wont mean much after the first round and then you jump in their and plug the holes in the line with three big fat unfriendly fire templates and see how they like that. They wont. You will though!

[Ronin no Matsu]

It's a really good tactic on paper, but in reality it would only work on isolate unit. You will need to calculate your move precisely or to get some units backing them up with fire or locking approching units with some assaulting kroots. Otherwise, you will get assaulted right after this by some fast attack. The other way to use them is to let the enemy come at you and use them as shield for some valuable immobile units like broadsides. But in this case, you will probably get shoot at since you cannot answer with your limited range.
But I suppose you can get something out of them if you get them to a bad WS unit or if you equip one with some pricy gadget like the vectored retro-thrusters or/and the failsafe detonator and/or stimulant injector. I've put all of these on a shas'o/el some times just for fun and it's really just for the fun of using something different (also the enemy don't usually suspect that from Tau!). But don't think of bringing it on a competition level game.

[Bonzai]

I've been taking a long hard look at sniper drones lately. For the sacrifice of a broadside squad, i can get 3 sniper drone teams with 40 points to spare. The more I think about it, the more I think it might be a good trade. I'd still have 6 rail guns (with target lock on the squad leaders), and now have 9 rail rifle shots.

What is everyone's opinion on them?

[meltedwing]

I find that sniper drones rarely pan out as a viable source of shots. For one, they are three units so they each use up markerlights. If your opponent's tactical marines (let's be honest, that's what sniper drones are designed to kill) are in cover then you need 5 marker lights per unit in order get 2+ to hit 2+ to wound and no armor save. This means you need to dedicate an awful lot of resources just to make them work. I find that Broadsides are far more effective in just about every way.

If somehow we could get sniper drones that had a BS that reflected the honorific "sniper" then I think they would be well worth the points.

[IAMNOTHERE]

I've always had a sniper team in my list and it's always performed well (apart from one game where 4 wounds saw me losing the DC )

Sure I could get another broadside in for that but I find the snipers more suited to my meta. Sooner or later those MEQ need to cross open ground to reach you and then