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My Very First Tau List (1500)

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493 views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  Iggynous 
#1 ·
Hey all, new to the forum, and new to Tau. Started playing Space Wolves, but they have gotten a bit boring. Thought I might try playing with a challenging army for a change. Any sort of criticism or comments will help immensely.

HQ
- Shas'O w/ Cyclic Ion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Targeting Array, and Hard-Wired Multi-Tracker.
- Bodyguard w/ CIB, PR, TA, and HW'ed MT.

ELITES
- Two Deathrains w/ Targeting Arrays
- Two Fire Knives
- Leader w/ TA and HW'ed MT
- Other guy w/ MT
TROOPS
- Two teams of 12 Fire Warriors (Pulse Rifles)

FAST ATTACK
- Two teams of 8 Pathfinders (The FW's will ride in their Devilfishes)

HEAVY SUPPORT
- Hammerhead w/ Railgun, Burst Cannons, multi-tracker, flechette discharger, and disruption pod
- Broadside Team
- Leader w/ Twin-linked Plasma Rifle, TA, and MT
- Other guy w/ TLPR and TA

TRANSPORTS
- Two Devilfishes w/ Smart Missiles, DP, TA, and F

TOTAL: 1498 points
 
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#2 ·
right off the bat: you can't have 2 CIBs in your army man :(

other than that it looks pretty good :)

you may not need 8 PF in a team, 5 would be fine.

you might also wana consider giving your Broads A.S.Ss rather than TAs to give them some mobility, and drop their weapons back to SMS

you might also wana squeeze some kroot in :)

happy gaming :)
 
#3 ·
Oops! Thanks for pointing out my rookie mistake with the special issue weapons. I gave my Shas'O an AFP to alleviate that.

I also put ASS's on my Broadsides and made the team leader a Shas'vre (for the extra BS). A BS of 2 on one Broadside doesn't really sit well with me, so I don't think I'm going to drop any of my Pathfinders because that one Broadside is going to be very relient on markerlights. I also dropped the TLPR off of the regular broadside to make room for the Shas'vre and the AFP on the Shas'O. Of course, all this concern with BS is probably coming from me playing Marines and being completely spoiled with BS's of 4 across the board. I also need to get used to my troops being very fragile. Again, spoiled by 3+ saves.

As far as Kroot goes, and I may be taking some heat for this, I really am not a fan of them. Maybe after playing this list a lot I can see the light, but for now no Kroot.

By the way, I want to thank you for replying and helping me out. This forum needs more people with experience willing to help those without. A shining example of what every player should be. Thank you sir/ma'am!
 
#4 ·
I also put ASS's on my Broadsides and made the team leader a Shas'vre (for the extra BS). A BS of 2 on one Broadside doesn't really sit well with me, so I don't think I'm going to drop any of my Pathfinders because that one Broadside is going to be very relient on markerlights.
what are you talking about??? ALL XV8 elites and XV88 heavies have BS 3; no matter what rank they are. i think you are getting BS mixed up with WS; and tau WS could be 1 for all we care: we like guns, not swords :)
 
#5 · (Edited)
The list in itself isn't a bad one for a first attempt. Ok, well, apart from trying to sneak a second CIB in there. Tut! Tut!

The Targetting Array on the Shas'O is completely pointless, since his BS is already at the highest level it can go. Check out P.28 Codex TE under "Targetting Array".

Full squads of Pathfinders are a good idea for two reasons:
1) they have the standard Tau BS so you are likely to hit with an average of 4 MLs per turn. This drops to 2.5 if you take a 5-man unit (unless your dice like you). I'm not saying Iggynous is wrong to suggest a smaller unit, but the old adage of "safety in numbers" does tend to apply to these units, because....
2) ....Pathfinders are everyone's pet hate, purely because of the markerlights. You can be assured of a lot of firepower being directed at them, so having more bodies in a unit means the unit will survive longer.

Always take a Shas'ui with a Bonding Knife, since by the very nature of their job these guys are going to be in the firing line and will definitely be taking casualties. Being able to rally when under half strength is very useful.

You need to put Multitrackers on your Devilfish. You want to be able to have maximum movement available to escape danger and still be allowed to shoot. Without a Multitracker you are limited to moving 6" if you want to fire any weapons. You've invested in SMS for both DFs, but you're also planning on keeping those Fire Warriors tucked up safe in the DFs (hence the Flechette Dischargers?), so being able to move fast and still fire is important. Drop the FDs; they'll pay for the MTs.

At 1500pts I would be hesitant at taking a Bodyguard. You've 85pts tied up there, which equates to a unit of 12 Kroot, or 10 Kroot and 2-and-a-half Kroot Hounds. Kroot are great, with a quasi-boltgun weapon, decent weapon skill and number of attacks, and can infiltrate or outflank. They can also be a major pain in the tail if there is any jungle or wooded terrain on the table, since going to ground in there will give them a cover save of 2+.

Working on the theory that 10-12 Kroot will throw out 10 shots at max range or 20 shots at rapid fire range, plus can deliver 30 attacks at MEq strength on the charge, plus their other advantages, investing 70-88 points here has a much better return than a single Bodyguard with two guns! There are many people who do not rate Kroot; however, once the learning process of how to use them has been gone through, it is amazing to see attitudes changing. They are a unit which does take a bit of time to learn to use properly/effectively, but they are a serious threat when used correctly, particularly when backed up by other Tau units - or *gasp!* even Vespid! So don't dismiss them out of hand. Try them out and learn how to use them. They won't disappoint.

Taking Plasma Rifles on Broadsides changes their role in the game. AP2 weapons are designed as anti-Terminator/Big Guy weapons, and unfortunately these very guys are quite able to rip the Broadsides apart. Two Broadsides just do not have the necessary firepower in two twin-linked PRs unless they are up close and personal - which is just where you don't want them to be. Broadsides should be in hard cover, with a set of Shield Drones to soak up the nastier stuff, and their main task is to take out large vehicles and generally cause havoc with their Railguns. SMS is a reasonably good crowd control weapon which reaps the whirlwind with T3 models. If you want the Broadsides to have better BS, use your Markerlights.

As a Marine player, you will have to realign your thought patterns considerably when playing Tau. They are indeed a challenging army to play; you *have* to think about the synergy of the army. Don't forget too the excellent JSJ ability of the XV8s. You gain 6" range on every weapon you have on these guys thanks to that ability. Finally: don't feel you HAVE to shoot every turn. Sometimes it's more important to get the heck out of Dodge and forgo a round of shooting than it is to pop off a couple of shots and then watch that same unit being munched. The two Tau concepts of war - Kau'yon and Mont'ka - actually work pretty well on the table-top.

E.
 
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