Forward Tau!

[IAMNOTHERE]

40K Army: Tau

Here's a list I've been developing over the last few months and is pretty much all the figures I have. I've got another squad of 12 FW ready to go and will happily proxy drones for model rep if needed. I've started to do quite well with it but every game is an uphill battle.

How can I move it up a gear to make it more competitive especially against Orks who are my next match up at 1750?


HQ
Etheral 1

Shas'O 1
Missile Pod 1
Air Burst Fragmentation Projector 1
Positional Relay 1
HW Target Lock 1
Stimm Injector 1
HW Drone Controller 1
Shield Drone 1
HW Black Sun Filtere 1
HW Multi Tracker 1

Shas'Vre 2
Missile Pod 2
Plasma Rifle 2
Targetteing Array 2
HW Black Sun Filter 2
HW Multi Tracker 2

Elites
Stealth 6
Fusion Blaster 2
Targetting Array: 2
Burst Cannon 4
Target Lock 4
Team Leader - Fusion Blaster 1
Bonding Knife 1

Troops
Kroot BS3 12

Fire warrior BS3 Pulse Rifle 6
Shas'Ui 1
Bonding Knife 1
HW Drone Controller 1
Gun Drone 2

Honour Guard Pulse Rifle 6
Shas'Ui 1
HW Drone Controller 1
Gun Drone 2
Markerlight 1
Target Lock 1

Fast Attack
Pathfinders 8
Shas'Ui 1
Bonding Knife 1
Rail Rifle & Target Lock 3

Devilfish 1
Disruption Pod 1
Multi Tracker 1
Target Lock 1
Targetting Array 1
Seeker Missiles 2
SMS 1

Heavy Support
Sniper Team 1

Rail Head 1
2 Burst Cannon 1
Black Sun Filter 1
Disruption Pod 1
Multi Tracker 1
Target Lock 1
Seeker Missiles 2

Broad sides
Advanced Stabilisation System: 3
Team Leader 1
HW Target Lock 1
HW Black Sun Filter 1
Bonding Knife 1
HW Drone Controler 1
Shield Drone 1

[Ronin no Matsu]

First, I'm happy to see some sniper drones there! But please don't give fusion blaster to your stealth, you don't want them to get 12'' from orks. Just get piranhas, you want some of them to physically stop orks vehicules, get as much as you can, borrow some from friends or something and equip all of them with flechette discharger. Get those pathfinders out of the way, they will cost you too much for the good they will do. Since you give some anti-light-vehicles guns to your XV8 and you have a sniper team, they will destroy enought of the vehicles the piranhas can't stop, so give up the broadside and get another hammerhead for the pie plates. Sorry if it's not of any help since you said you put everything you have but that's what I think would work for the best!

[IAMNOTHERE]

Cheers for the feedback Ronin no Matsu but the game's thursday and there's no way I can get more figures before then (although Piranahs are my next buy). Good spot on the stealths though, that might free up enough points for flechettes on the railhead and warfish.

[Ronin no Matsu]

Cheers for the feedback Ronin no Matsu but the game's thursday and there's no way I can get more figures before then (although Piranahs are my next buy). Good spot on the stealths though, that might free up enough points for flechettes on the railhead and warfish.

On second tought, I was just about to tell you the same thing about flechettes. You just give some to the warfish and hammerhead and if orks get to close, you just ram their vehicules, get in their way and flechette anybody trying to assault you (if you do that, maybe get seeker missiles off one or both of them or just have one per vehicle). Also, the drones on the warfish are perfect to lock orks in assault or stop more vehicles. And if you already know the orks won't have a heavy vehicle, replace the broadside by your other squad of 12 FW. Also, get your stealth and your fire warrior to be in the smallest squad possible (you won't like to see all your 6 stealth locked in assault, but if they are in two teams of 3, one of them will get assaulted and the other will get the ***** out of there, same thing for FW). I even recommand you give your shas'o one bodyguard and make the other shas'vre be monat with a failsafe detonator or give it to one of your stealth team leader(since you have an ethereal you can reroll succeed moral test, KABOOM!). So it's about that, good luck!

[Ronin no Matsu]

One last thing : if there is bikes, focus your battlesuit shots on them, they are one of the most badass unit you can encounter. They will drive you crazy if you don't get rid of them quickly.

[IAMNOTHERE]

Understood about the bikes, I know he's bringing copters but I'm not too worried about them for now.

So first things are to strip down the stealth teams and split them into 2 squads.

Which should free up enough points for flechettes on the Warfish and Railhead.

Might try the Monat with twin flamers

[Fraf]

I know he's bringing copters but I'm not too worried about them for now.

you should be. Aside from high mobility and outflanking, Kopters are battlesuit hunters with their S8 AP3 rockets and can assault whatever survived in the same turn.

So first things are to strip down the stealth teams and split them into 2 squads.

Splitting them increases the KP count of your list and makes them much more vulnerable to morale tests.

Also, you could save a lot of point from your HQ slot.
- Don't take a Shas'O, what he gets compared to the Shas'el is not worth the 25 points, especially since you're using a frag projector which doesn't really need a high BS.
- Don't take bodyguards if you have free elite slots. Take regular crisis suits and let the commander join them. Sure, you won't be able to buy targetting arrays, but think about it : you're effectively paying 20 points per model for +1 BS. This upgrade is already arguably worth it at 10 points.
- Against orks, you won't really need those expensive plasma rifles. Good ol' Firestorm pattern, on the other hand, makes wonders against greenskins, while also being cheaper.

Those changes alone should net you 89 points, enough to buy more units or max out existing ones.

[IAMNOTHERE]

Cheers for the advice Fraf, I'm not sold on fire knives as it is so may switch to death storm.

List up soon.

[IAMNOTHERE]

Ok here it is taking on board all that good feedback from Fraf and Ronin no Matsu:


Etheral Fearless 1

Shas'el 1
Missile Pod
Air Burst Fragmentation Projector Targetting Array
HW Target Lock Stimm Injector
HW Drone Controller Shield Drone
HW Black Sun Filter HW Multi Tracker

Shas'ui 2
Missile Pod 2
Burst Cannon 2
Targetteing Array: +1BS 2
HW Multi Tracker: Fire 2 2

Stealth Burst Cannon 3

Stealth Burst Cannon 3

Kroot 12

Fire warrior BS3 Pulse Rifle 6
Shas'Ui 1
Bonding Knife 1

Fire warrior BS3 Pulse Rifle 6
Shas'Ui 1
Bonding Knife 1

Honour Guard BS4 Pulse Rifle 12
Shas'Ui 1
HW Drone Controller 1
Gun Drone - Pulse Carbine 2
Markerlight 1
Target Lock: split fire 1

Pathfinders BS3 8
Shas'Ui 1
Bonding Knife 1
Rail Rifle & Target Lock 3

Devilfish BS4 1
Disruption Pod Multi Tracker
Target Lock Targetting Array
Flechette Discharger Seeker Missiles 2
SMS

Sniper Team

Rail Head
2 Burst Cannon Black Sun Filter
Disruption Pod Flechette Discharger
Multi Tracker Target Lock
Seeker Missiles 2

Broad sides 3
Advanced Stabilisation System 3 Team Leader 1
HW Target Lock HW Black Sun Filter
Bonding Knife
HW Drone Controler Shield Drone 1

I must say it was quite an eye opener just how many points I free up with those suggestions and I think it's a much tighter list as well. Obvious changes are splitting the Stealths and moving the Suits from HQ. Other not so obvious changes are boosting the Honour Guards to 12 FW!

[Fraf]

You can't take 4 weapon/support systems on regular crisis suits. In this case, you must drop the targetting arrays.
(unless this is a copy/paste typo)

[IAMNOTHERE]

****, no its not it's an oversight

Now a few more points to allocate - probably go with a second shield drone.

[IAMNOTHERE]

Turns out my opponent is bringing a biker boss and 9 bikes. Hope it's not Nobz.

[Ronin no Matsu]

So, how was the game? Get your butt kicked?

[IAMNOTHERE]

Results are in, my oppo brought 2 trucks, 1 with Nobz and Warboss, I with boyz. 3 Killercans, 30 boyz with 3 rockets, 20 boyz with big shootas and 12 more boyz. To go with that he had 5 copters tricked for wound allocation, 10 Bikerz and a Bikerboss. That’s a lot of orks to face across the table.

Especially when we played on a 5*3 board! Because of the size he decided to reserve the Kans, the 30 squad, the 12 squad and the 20 Squad. I reserved both stealth teams and the kroot (which was my intent anyway). The game was sieze ground/pitched battle and we made sure to deploy 24” apart.

I got first turn and created a gunline; from their I focussed on his bikes and copters after I’d immobilised his trucks. It was all going swimmingly until T5 when he claimed a n objective, forced a fire warrior team off one of mine and we had to call it due to time

Points I took away from the game were small stealth teams were far more useful than my single large one; I don’t need melta when I’ve got broadsides and those harassing 9 S5 shots ruin things.

The railhead did wonders against his big units, good bye 8 boys a turn. I didn’t use my seeker missiles – just no targets for them while my Pathfinders were alive. Flechette dischargers got called broken and put the fear of gork into the 30 strong boys mob when he decided not to charge my Railhead.

Despite the loss I felt in control throughout and really should have won. The small size of the table played more into his hands in the early stages as I couldn’t manoeuvre and in the latter stages when he was able to walk on in turn 5 straight onto the objectives.

I really was looking at T2 combat from the bikes and copters but managed to thin them down enough so that only the Bikerboss got the charge off; it took 3 turns of combat from the Shas’el and Suits before he was dealt with – turns I should have had shooting.

[Ronin no Matsu]

Well, it looks like it was a well played game, but the size of the board was definitely not helping. Better luck next time!

[IAMNOTHERE]

Cheers, I'm going to be adding a second squad of Crisis I think. Probably as body guard and play them aggressively.

[IAMNOTHERE]

After my first game of 6th ed with my Tau I'e changed up my list quite a lot and one for some non standard choices. My next game is game 1750 against Nids and I''d appreciate some feedback for this force:

Etheral & Black Sun Filter.
Shas'el, Missile pods, Plasma rifle, targetting array, HW Multi tracker, HW BSF, HW DC & Shield Drone, Stimm Injector.

Crisis team with twin MP, flamers & Shas'vre
3 Stealth
3 Stealth

12 Honour Guard Fire Warriors
6 Fire Warriors
6 Fire Warriors
12 Kroot

6 Vespids
8 Pathfinders, Shas'u & BSF
Devilfish, SMS, Multi tracker, targetting array & BSF

Railhead, BSF, Burst cannons, Multi tracker & target lock
3 Broadsides, Shas'vre, multi trackers, HW DC & Shield drone, HW BFS
Sniper team

Aegis defencelines and Quad Cannon

Basic plan is the Etheral and Honour Guard deploy in the defense lines close to my objective - etheral manning the quad cannon.

Kroot and stealths outflank.

The commander and crisis team form a unit and go hunting big stuff.

Pathfinders and Broadsides go hunting big stuff.

Vespids form a counter assault unit behind either the fish or the head.

[AUN'SHI]

After my first game of 6th ed with my Tau I'e changed up my list quite a lot and one for some non standard choices. My next game is game 1750 against Nids and I''d appreciate some feedback for this force:

Etheral & Black Sun Filter.
Shas'el, Missile pods, Plasma rifle, targetting array, HW Multi tracker, HW BSF, HW DC & Shield Drone, Stimm Injector.

Crisis team with twin MP, flamers & Shas'vre
3 Stealth
3 Stealth

12 Honour Guard Fire Warriors
6 Fire Warriors
6 Fire Warriors
12 Kroot

6 Vespids
8 Pathfinders, Shas'u & BSF
Devilfish, SMS, Multi tracker, targetting array & BSF

Railhead, BSF, Burst cannons, Multi tracker & target lock
3 Broadsides, Shas'vre, multi trackers, HW DC & Shield drone, HW BFS
Sniper team

Aegis defencelines and Quad Cannon

Basic plan is the Etheral and Honour Guard deploy in the defense lines close to my objective - etheral manning the quad cannon.

Kroot and stealths outflank.

The commander and crisis team form a unit and go hunting big stuff.

Pathfinders and Broadsides go hunting big stuff.

Vespids form a counter assault unit behind either the fish or the head.

Hmm a few things firstly why the etheral at all and the honour guard? and vespids also no good.

Here is what I suggest up to you if you like it or not

Take 2 units of xv8 suites x4 shield drones for each unit and all with twin linked MP - help againt most vehicles ability to stay far away

Also take - Shas'el, Missile pods, Plasma rifle, targetting array, HW Multi tracker
and another Shas'el, Missile pods, Plasma rifle, targetting array, HW Multi tracker

Take a blob unit of kroot 20 strong out flank

hounour guard are just not worth it they are not even a scoring unit... Take a regular fire warrior team in their place... More shooting = more death on the other team

Consider a farseer as an ally and some rangers would be a nice addition magic defence re-roll hits divination spell... would be nice

Sniper drone team... IMO they are not really that great 80 pts for 3 st 6 shots you can almost take 3 steath suites for that cost.. more mobile

[IAMNOTHERE]

Well the Etheral is obvious as he makes a squad fearless, allows reroll for ld checks, gives me a squad of BS4 fire warriors and a shot at preferred enemy.

The honour guard are chosen from the FW entry and although not counting as a compulsory choice are still troops - seen lots of debate about this and it can go either way. Not played anyone who had a problem with it yet.

Please don't say "take more crisis" as net lists get dull really quick.

I've taken Vespid for some anti MEQ and with the Hammer rule a bit of extra assault punch.

Sniper teams worked well in 5th, even better in 6th as they can actually snipe specialists.

[AUN'SHI]

Well the Etheral is obvious as he makes a squad fearless, allows reroll for ld checks, gives me a squad of BS4 fire warriors and a shot at preferred enemy.

The honour guard are chosen from the FW entry and although not counting as a compulsory choice are still troops - seen lots of debate about this and it can go either way. Not played anyone who had a problem with it yet.

Please don't say "take more crisis" as net lists get dull really quick.

I've taken Vespid for some anti MEQ and with the Hammer rule a bit of extra assault punch.

Sniper teams worked well in 5th, even better in 6th as they can actually snipe specialists.

I tend to not agree with your points however, if you have fun with your army thats what counts at the end of the day

The Honour guard I do not believe count as troop so I don't think they would score.

16 point vespid with super short range and 5+ save are really not worth it in a Tau force. And I think their leader is much more.

I think other heavy slot are much better than the sniper drone squad 80 pts is way to much for 3 drones.

xv8 suites are your best bang for your buck. very versitile and have great mobility.

Etheral is really not an obvious choice imo espically that if he dies your whole army (mostly ld 7) mush take a leadership test espically now with the sniper rule or character can possibly peg him off.