Tau Tactica - 6th Edition!

[Zabousta]

I was considering taking Space Marines as an ally to Tau, but now that you mention it, Orks would be pretty sweet.

Space Marines are battle brothers, which is nice, but allies of convenience should be just about as good. Orks gets you some great assault options, and boyz are cheap. Tau don't need more shooting, so a good assault ally would be best. However I like the idea of drop podding space marines into my opponents face. I am kinda torn atm.

[Sholto]

I wonder if I could run my Kroot & Shaper as "counts as" Ork Allies. Would look pretty cool, and I have a couple of Shapers armed with Eviscerators, for the counts-as Power Klaw. Throw in a Kroot Master Shaper as a Warboss. Is this a valid way to use Allies, do you think? It means my Tau still look like Tau on the tabletop, but that my Kroot's hyperactive nymune organs have turned them Fearless, battle-crazed and tougher than usual!

[O'Mont'au]

So, I just had a realization. The fact that sweeping advance now uses the highest initiative in a squad, taking drones (which are I4), dramatically increases a squad's chance of surviving a sweeping advance. One more reason to switch pathfinders out for Marker Drones...

[Zabousta]

Well I think that Kroot/Orks would be pretty sweet, although having that "tau" feel doesn't mean too much since the army is comprised of different species to begin with.

Drone initiative is a great catch, that will come in handy at some point I'm sure.

I've decided to take Space Marines as an ally. Tau got shafted when it comes to anti-air. They have none. They also don't have any psykers, so are stuck with the minimum save. While Orks provide a psyker and a plane. Marines have missile launchers in their list and tbh I think I'd rather have the hover mode flyer than the jet that has to move 18" no matter what. Plus Librarian hoods are nice. All that and drop pods to support my suits have led me to choosing Marines.

Edit: I think for the time being that Tau are going to struggle even more with the lack of Psyker/Air defence. Taking an ally is almost a must do.

[Sholto]

Hmm - if my Kroot-Ork Allies had a Flyer, how would I make it look Krooty? GW Giant Eagle with a Kroot rider and guns strapped to it?

[Godeskian]

Hey folks,

Quick favor for a non-Tau player. I'm looking to pick up a few Tau pieces for painting projects, but at the same time I'm going to at some point want to slot them into an army. I really want to paint some of the crisis suits, or a broadside suit since I think the models are pretty. Can anyone here give me an idea of what is worth buying for my painting project which is also likely to be useful at some point in the future when I want to start collecting Tau?

[MiyamatoMusashi]

Crisis and Broadside suits appear in almost every Tau army. (I personally never take Crisis suits as I hate the models, and only take Forge World Broadsides... which gets expensive!). So you're good with that, if that's what you're planning on painting anyway.

Tau need a Crisis Suit commander and a squad of Fire Warriors (compulsory FOC selections). Most Tau armies add Crisis and Broadside suits, then flavour to taste. Kroot are also in almost every list. After that, it's very much down to preference.

[Zabousta]

You might see priorities change a bit as we get further into 6th ed.

These are the 3 that you would absolutely want to have. (I just painted a couple of Crisis Suits and like how they came out.)

#1 Crisis Suits
#2 Fire Warriors
#3 Broadsides - I think they are changing the model. As it is a Crisis Suit with metal weapons, they took them off the site. You might see finecast versions soon.

After that its comes down to how you want to play.

Kroot - a little more vulnerable, but out flanking and still being able to shoot 24" is pretty sweet, especially in hammer and anvil missions. Plus they are pretty cheap points cost.
Stealth Suits - Not sure on these. Personally I love the look to them. Are they useful? Maybe? I would use them to outflank. Expensive in points for what they do.
Vehicles suffer from 6th ed rules. I can't tell you yet if they are good or bad. They do however look great as models.
If you want vehicles then I would recommend buying Skyrays, as they come with all the parts to make the Skyray, Railgun and Ion Cannon Hammerheads. If you magnetize them, you can hot swap its loadout.

Check these out:

http://advancedtautactica.com/viewto...p?f=22&t=15634
http://advancedtautactica.com/viewto...p?f=22&t=11476

Both are excellent paint jobs.

[neko]

I've seen a few people saying that they're taking Tau allies, and it always seems to be for our Broadsides. Personally I'm debating whether or not to sell my 3 to get the Forgeworld versions instead.

[diggerydoom]

Although I have only played a couple of games so far in 6th (guard and eldar) I have found hammerheads very useful. With kit, the ability to move 12" and fire three weapons makes for great anti infantry fun!

Also the airburst cannon on a commander is great- winkled out infiltrating vetrans and pathfinders! And with cover saves these units are hard to shift.

[SabrX]

I'm trying to cram 100 Kroots, 12 Fire Warriors, 60 Ork Boyz, Big Mek, Shas'el, and other Tau gun into a 1999 points list...

Being Battle Brother with Vanilla Marines isn't all that useful. There aren't a whole lot of benefit other than IC joining Tau units and making them fearless or wound allocation shenanigans with MEQ IC standing in the front to soak up damage.

It's nice that Tau are allies of convenience with Necrons. Necrons have some of the best flyers and can provide 2 for troops and 1 for heavy detachment. Railguns and Death Ray in the same list? Cheese! Better yet, Scarab Swarm w/ 3 Tomb Spyders lead by an Overlord.

And don't write off Desperate Allies just yet! Tau normally hang in the back, so it could be rare both sides would be within 6" of each other. Chaos Daemons and Tau? Chaos Tau!

[Sholto]

Characters, Precision Fire and Plasma guns could work out very nicely for the Tau in 6th edition. Special weapon carriers get no Look Out, Sir!, but Characters and ICs do, so whatever Battlesuit combinations we use are going to have to be viable in their own right, while still maximising the potential for Precision Fire.

What does this mean? HQs should have plasma. All Crisis Suit teams should have a Team Leader with plasma.

Bizarrely, the Tau FAQ states that Bodyguard Shas'vre are not Characters, whereas the main Rulebook says all Shas'vre are Characters. The Tau FAQ says that Team Leaders for both Crisis Suits and Stealth Suits are Characters, but does not mention Broadside Team Leaders at all. Are they Characters?

Depending on the answer to that question I am thinking that this is going to work quite well for Tau:

1-3 units (depending on the points size) of a single Broadside with TL Railguns, TL plasma guns, Team Leader, Drone Controller, HW BSF, HW Multitracker and 2 Shield Drones. 369pts in total.

With the loss of Target Lock, the vulnerability of vehicles to being glanced to death and the drop in cover saves across the board, I think Tau need fewer Broadsides than before. In 5th edition I usually only took 4 at 1750, so one less in 6th edition seems about right. If these Broadsides are all Characters then on a 6 they can snipe out enemy models with Rail Guns and Plasma! With being BS3 and Twin Linked, the re-rolls boost your chance of a Precision Shot.

Shield Drones are not strictly necessary any longer, and you can swap them out for Gun Drones given the new Fortification rules. Protect the Broadsides with your choice of Aegis Defence line for a 4+ cover save, a Skyshield Landing Pad for a 4+ inv, or a Bastion. If taking a Bastion, the Broadside who goes inside can lose the Drones. The one on top will still need them, although he gets a 3+ cover save.

Being Battle Brother with Vanilla Marines isn't all that useful. There aren't a whole lot of benefit other than IC joining Tau units and making them fearless or wound allocation shenanigans with MEQ IC standing in the front to soak up damage.

A jump pack ATSKNF SM Librarian would be pretty handy in a Farsight squad, although he could not keep up with the squad's Thrust move in the Assault phase. He could do a fun game of leapfrog to maintain coherency (move 2" ahead of the unit in the Movement Phase, and then Farsight's unit jumps over him in the Assault phase leaving him 2" at the back and so on). His psychic powers Gate and Null Zone are probably best (roll doubles on Gate? Kill a drone), although if you want to get Farsight into CC Biomancy is great. Feel No Pain and It Will Not Die on a full Farsight squad - hilarious if you can get it, I imagine! Or take Shrike. Unless I read it wrong your whole army gets Fleet.

A Shas'el with Vectored Retro Thrusters can give a unit of 10 Space Marine Assault Terminators Hit and Run

[Zabousta]

I wouldn't rule out SM as allies. Especially being battle brothers. My thoughts are taking a unit of tactical marines in a drop pod with a librarian. Being battle brothers means you can cast on Tau units. Plus you get a bit more psy defence with the hood. The marines bring a bit of muscle to the Tau line up, and deep striking in with the crisis suits would be nice.

I actually own both Tau and Necron, but if I ever played the 2 armies together I think I would lose a lot of friends :P

Necrons don't need an ally, but Tau....could use some help.

Edit: I also have been running my commander with the AFP, and find it well worth the points.

[taudau]

I've had some half-dozen 6th games now and I have to say, markerlight support is key. The ability to fire a full unit of 12 FW out to 36" effectively (21" for rapid) all hitting on 2s and wounding on 2s/3s is very impressive.
All things considered the only thing I'm really worried about are av12 flyers - and according to rumours we'll soon get a flyer of our own to fix that

[IAMNOTHERE]

I've updated my list in THIS THREAD to take in some 6th ed experience and would appeciate some feedback.

I've included fortifications and soe explanation as to certain choices too.

[Corporeal]

I came across a pretty crazy idea for 6th. An ethereal, shadowsun and some DE fast attack allies(beastmasters with khymera). Ethereal up high, shadowsun right behind and in the middle of the board (or the army, depending how you set it up). Ethereal takes a dive off the tower, goes splat. Morale check at ld10. Now you have angry tau with rerolls on to-hit/to-wound. couple that with markerlights that benefit from the to-hit rerolls plus the dogs tying up anyone on foot gives something that's very angry, very dead-eye, very scary.

[MiyamatoMusashi]

Haha... I was aware of the idea of a "suicide Ethereal" but I thought that meant rushing him towards the enemy, not literally getting him to jump to his death off a tall building!

(Still a silly beardy idea that I won't be doing, but I am amused by it regardless).

[Mozzamanx]

Unsure if it has been pointed out, but a Shas'El bearing a Stabilisation System gains SnP, and by extension grants it to the rest of his squad. This then leaves us in the hilarious position of allowing friendly units, Tau or Battle-Brothers, to move-and-fire with heavy weaponry.
Fun combinations include Devastator squads, Dark Reapers and Pathfinders.

[IAMNOTHERE]

Yes but Slow and purposeful has some big downsides like no over watch etc. I'd rather take the risk of mving and firing at BS1 that lose overwatch.

[SabrX]

Losing overwatch isn't a big deal. It's only BS1. You could have the Shas'el leave if you anticipate an assault on your opponent's turn.

I really like the idea of slow and purposeful Dark Reapers. Plus, Shas'el could have Iridium Armour and soak up all the damage, protecting the squishes.