Tau Combat Patrol ??

[Strava]

My 2 boys and I have decided to start a 4th army. Since buying / building / painting / playing it will be a group effort the Tau seemed the only logical choice

So far we have
1 XV8
4 Gun Drones
12 Fire Warriors
1 Devil Fish.

With no extra options this is 278pts.
Leaving 122pts to tool up and try to hit 400 for Combat Patrol.

Just wondering what some of the Tau experts here would suggest?
Given that these 18 models are all we have so far...

Oh yea, our other armies that these Tau will face are Space Wolves (me) , Imperial Guard (#1 son) and Ulthwe Eldar (#2 son)

Here is what I have come up with. The XV8 options are probly way over the top. But that is the config I plan to have him in when we get to a bigger army and he gets promoted to Shas'o And I wanted to try him out.

400 Pts - Tau Roster - Tau Patrol 02

1 Crisis Battlesuit @ 95 Pts
Hard Wire Multi-tracker; Upgrade to Team Leader; Shield Generator; Plasma Rifle; Missle Pod

4 Gun Drones @ 48 Pts
TL Pulse Carbine (x4)

11 Fire Warriors @ 255 Pts
Pulse Rifle (x7); Add Shas'ui; Add Devilfish Transport; Pulse Carbine (x4)
1 Shas'ui @ [30] Pts
Markerlight; Pulse Rifle
1 Devilfish Transport @ [115] Pts
Targeting Array; Multi-tracker; Pair of Gun Drones; Burst Cannon; Seeker Missle (x2)
2 Gun Drones @ [0] Pts
TL Pulse Carbine (x2)

Total Roster Cost: 398

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[Straylight]

This looks like about as good as you can get with the models you have.

The equipment on the Crisis suit isn't over the top at all. This basic configuration (Plasma Rifle, Missile Pod, Multitracker) is known as the "Fireknife" configuration, and is arguably the best multirole loadout available to a Crisis Suit.

The Mech Tau Tactica has more information on Crisis configs as well as a ton of other great information for those of us who like the idea of a mechanized Tau force. Even if you don't like or don't play Mech Tau, there's a lot of wisdom here. Check it out.

I know the Fire Warriors and Devilfish are loaded out pretty heavily because you're trying to fill points, but prevailing Librarium/MechTau wisdom holds that the Markerlight on the Shas'ui and the Seeker Missiles on the 'Fish are generally not worth the points.

If you're going to take them, though, the Shas'ui needs to have a Hardwired Target Lock so that he can fire the Markerlight at a different unit than the rest of his squad engages.

The Devilfish also needs Decoy Launchers. This cheap upgrade can and will save your tank from Immobilized crashes, and is considered "standard" equipment on Tau tanks.

Beyond that, the list looks good.

[Mordinkain]

Markerlight is a good choice. I like your selection. Its given me ideas. Just check your devilfish transport size. is it 10 or 12 troops?

[Strava]

Thanks for the analysis Straylight.
The next puzzle then is what do I drop.

Since all 3 opponents have weapons that can squish an XV8 in one shot I am reluctant to drop the shield gen. That is more points than I need as well.

So I dropped 1 Seeker and the Targeting Array from the Devilfish.
Added the Decoy Launcher and gave the Shas'ui a HWMT.

We will try this out and see how often the Shield Gen comes into play.
And how adept we are at using the Makerlight to call out seeker missles.

Depending on how effective the Seekers are, dropping the Shield Gen for 2 more Seekers could make for a short Combat Patrol Game

Hmmm, Another option would be to drop the MLT from the DF to get 1 more Seeker.
Then try to protect the DF wth cover and use it strictly as a despenser of Seeker Missles.

Is the Decoy Launcher really that effective? It only covers 1 possible damage roll. And you still have to do better on the re-roll. It's only 5 points but.....

400 Pts - Tau Roster - Tau Patrol 03

1 Crisis Battlesuit @ 95 Pts
Hard Wire Multi-tracker; Upgrade to Team Leader; Shield Generator; Plasma Rifle; Missle Pod

4 Gun Drones @ 48 Pts
TL Pulse Carbine (x4)

11 Fire Warriors @ 255 Pts
Pulse Rifle (x7); Add Shas'ui; Add Devilfish Transport; Pulse Carbine (x4)
1 Shas'ui @ [40] Pts
Markerlight; Pulse Rifle; Hard Wire Multi-tracker
1 Devilfish Transport @ [105] Pts
Multi-tracker; Pair of Gun Drones; Decoy Launchers; Burst Cannon; Seeker Missle (x1)
2 Gun Drones @ [0] Pts
TL Pulse Carbine (x2)

Total Roster Cost: 398



Hi Mordinkain: DF troop capacity is 12.

Oh , I am reading thru the Mech Tau Tactica thread.
Up to page, ummm , 31 I think. Good stuff.

[Straylight]

The Shield Generator is mostly there to haul the suit's blue backside out of the fire when you screw up. A perfectly-played Crisis suit should never even have a shot taken at it thanks to JSJ, but unfortunately, none of us play perfectly.

The Shield is expensive, but my experiences have taught me that, though that 20 points doesn't become important often, when it does, is becomes really, really important.

In a small game like this, the Devilfish probably isn't going to actually be serving as a transport, but rather a mobile harasser, zipping around and annoying people with its Burst Cannon and impressive nose armor. You've only got one shot with the Seeker Missile this way, but in a game this small, that might be all you need, and your Fire Warriors are unlikely to get a second chance at a launch anyway.

As for the usefulness of the Decoy Launcher, allow me to quote from the MTT (numerophobes bewayr, here be math!):

Originally Posted by Mech Tau Tactica

Decoy Launchers: For 5 points, the Decoy Launcher increases the survivability of your vehicle by 11%, reducing the chance of a glancing hit destroying it from 33% to 22%. Because it will save your vehicle 1 out of 9 times and costs 5 points, is worth taking on vehicles which cost over 9 x 5 = 45 points... which is all of our vehicles. The sheer cost/benefit of this upgrade makes it essentially standard on every vehicle in a Tau Army. Don't leave home with out one!

The only other thing, is watch out for your Gun Drones: as a half-strength unit, their Leadership score is very low, and they're not likely to recover in a timely manner (if at all) if they break. Learn to hop from cover to cover with them, use JSJ to keep them out of LoS, and use their pinning ability to stun troublesome units. It might also be a good idea to keep them close to your Crisis suit, and use the two units as a sort of roving crossfire.

And remember, Pulse weapons can penetrate most transports and glance some light tanks!



Other'n that, good luck! Let us know how the list performs!