Hey all!

Got in two battles tonight, both at 3000 and both against one of our local Alaitoc players... odd that Alaitoc is so popular around here, but that I never hear reports from anyone else.

In the first game, I brought Tau!

(I'm pretty tired, so I'm just gonna post the armies before I go to bed.)

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"EPIC: Total War" Lead Developer

Now living in Boston... any EPIC players want to meet up?

Rules Used

Epic Update 2008
NetEA Recommendations
Alaitoc Craftworld  v2.4
Tau v5.1 DRAFT

Armies Used

Alaitoc Armoured Recon – 2920 points  (My opponent screwed up some math.)

Avatar

Wraithgate

Ranger Warhost
4 Rangers
4 Falcons

Guardian Warhost 1
1 Farseer
7 Guardians
3 Wraithguard

Guardian Warhost 2
1 Farseer
4 Guardians
3 Heavy Weapon Platforms
3 Support Weapon Platforms

Windrider Troupe 1
3 Jetbikes
3 Vypers

Windrider Troupe 2
6 Vypers

Aspect Warrior Troupe 1
6 Warp Spiders
1 Exarch

Aspect Warrior Troupe 2 - BTS Goal
3 Fire Dragons
1 Exarch
3 Shining Spears
3 Falcons

Swords of Vaul Troupe 1
5 Falcons

Swords of Vaul Troupe 2
5 Fire Prisms

Nightwings
3 Nightwing Interceptors


Tau Combined Arms Expeditionary Force – 2950 points

Armoured Cadre 1 - BTS Goal
6 Hammerheads (Railcannons)
Networked Drones
1 Skyray

Armoured Cadre 2 - BTS Goal 2 (And here’s where I did my math wrong!)
6 Hammerheads (Railcannons)
Networked Drones
1 Skyray

Battlesuit Cadre HQ
4 Battlesuits
Shas'O

Battlesuit Cadre 1
4 Battlesuits
Shas'El
2 Battlesuits

Firewarrior Cadre
8 Fire Warriors
1 Ethereal
4 Devilfish
1 Skyray

Steathsuits 1
6 Steathsuits

Steathsuits 2
6 Steathsuits

Recon Skimmer Support
6 Piranha
3 Tetra

_________________
"EPIC: Total War" Lead Developer

Now living in Boston... any EPIC players want to meet up?

Battlefield:

4x6; Alaitoc chose edge deployment

Deployment:

Alaitoc kept Aspect Warhost 1 and Windriders 1 in reserve in the Webway.

Tau kept both Stealth Groups in reserve.

Alaitoc garrisoned the Ranger Warhost on overwatch.

Remaining deployment as shown:

_________________
"EPIC: Total War" Lead Developer

Now living in Boston... any EPIC players want to meet up?

man, you're such a tease!

_________________
numquam culum es

Turn 1

Stealth Group 1 shows up to mark some Falcons and Aspect Warhost 2…



Strategy Roll: Alaitoc

Turns out Aspect Warriors don’t like being pointed at, and Aspect Warhost 2 engages Stealth Group 1, with the support of Swords of Vaul 1…



Two Fire Dragons are gunned down before the Eldar completely wipe out the Tau infiltrators.



Crisis Cadre 1 tries to emulate the Aspect Warriors by doubling forward to take some long range shots at the garrisoned Ranger Warhost… and one Ranger is taken out.

Guardian Warhost 2 doubles into the “doubleâ€Â

_________________
"EPIC: Total War" Lead Developer

Now living in Boston... any EPIC players want to meet up?

Turn 2

No teleports.

Strategy Roll: Alaitoc

The Vyper Windriders double on broken AMHC 1… and wipe it out.

Crisis 1 advances on the exposed Guardians 2 and slays 3 Guardians.



Guardian 1 doubles forward to fire on the Crisis HQ… but can’t quite get the Wraithguard in range!

The Fire Warriors finally double forward, fire on Guardian 1 and kill… 1 Guardian!

The Warp Spiders then jump forward to engage the Fire Warriors… they flay 2 Fire Warriors and the Skyray, then lose two Warp Spiders…  



But wind up winning by “2â€Â

_________________
"EPIC: Total War" Lead Developer

Now living in Boston... any EPIC players want to meet up?

Turn 3

Stealth Group 2 shows up near the Alaitoc Blitz… as does the Avatar!



Strategy Roll: Tau… on a tie!

Crisis 1 doubles to put Aspect Warhost 2 in a crossfire… placing a single Blast marker.

The Crisis HQ then sustains fire on Aspect Warhost 2… killing all of them… but a single Falcon with jets away, denying the Tau the Break Their Spirit goal…  *sigh*

The Avatar then rips Stealth Group 2 a new one, killing a total of four of them in an assault… and now, the Tau have no activations left…



The Nightwings… stand down… AGAIN!

And the rest of the Eldar army moves about claiming all the objectives… and eliminating everything except some scattered Crisis suits…

End of Turn:

The Warp Spiders fail to rally.

The Fire Warriors and AMHC 2 both remain broken…

Score:

Alaitoc 5 (all) vs Tau 0 (none) – Decisive Eldar Victory!!  And the Eldar commander enjoys a victory beer…  

_________________
"EPIC: Total War" Lead Developer

Now living in Boston... any EPIC players want to meet up?

Brutal on the tau!

Chroma, can I ask what you plan was for this list? It seems a bit of everything list to me.

The Tau list?

It was *supposed* to be a kind of "combined arms" list, utilizing various non-War Engine Tau toys... two mirrored "Battle groups" to go about hitting stuff, with the Fire Warriors following up... the failed Fire Warrior Activation in Turn 1 put me off plan and everything then fell apart... *laugh*

_________________
"EPIC: Total War" Lead Developer

Now living in Boston... any EPIC players want to meet up?

In general this game seemed a bit as if both troops werent really in to it... so many failed activations. Must have been quite annoying?!

But another bad day for the greater Good!
Anyway, thanks for the BatRep and hopefully the other game went better for the Tau.

perhaps they were worrying about the state of the economy?

sounds like the Tau were just out maneouvered - either going in piecemeal and getting wiped out or staying put and letting the Eldar dictate the battle.

what stats did you play the FWs with and what are your thoughts about them?

_________________
numquam culum es

Both batreps I've read now have both reinforced my issues with the ML/GM rule. Having to throw your weak ML troops forward to gain ML coverage has them destroyed piecemeal. MLs seem only useful in a defensive role at 30cm range now (for best usage), which makes a 90cm weapon range largely pointless unless you're willing to waste formations trying to get that "golden" moment of massive GM "destruction" (that's a loose term I use to mean hit a few vehicles    ).

I also note the disparity in the 5-0 when the eldar had 80 odd points less.. Not sure that's not a flaw of the Eldar list however.

That would've just got them an Autarch... which they definitely could've used... *laugh*

Anyway, all my opponents have now made the same comments about the Tau: "For being 'the shooty' army... they're not actually that shooty."  One opponent even suggested putting "2 x " in front of all their shooting attacks.  *laugh*

I've been "out-gunned" for points by almost every other army I've faced... *AND* they've had the option to engage with conviction if they desire.

The idea of getting Fire Warriors up close for a "decisive round of shooting" just doesn't happen on the battlefield unless you commit your army to doing that... and the enemy is *still* ripping you apart as you try it.  And any enemy worth his/her salt is going to hit Markerlight units as quickly as possible... and it's *not* a waste of firepower for them to do it either.

_________________
"EPIC: Total War" Lead Developer

Now living in Boston... any EPIC players want to meet up?

Anyway, all my opponents have now made the same comments about the Tau: "For being 'the shooty' army... they're not actually that shooty."  One opponent even suggested putting "2 x " in front of all their shooting attacks.  *laugh*

Dobbsy - Are you concerned about any vehicle with a GM attack or just those where it is the primary weapon?  I have found my HHs are still plenty useful, but stingrays and scorp are tougher to use.