Well, I apologize for not getting my two Alaitoc batreps posted, but I had a surprise game of EPIC dropped in my lap for the evening, so I had to play!

Took Tau vs our local "extreme list" player (He's the guy who did the Thunderhawks-n-Bikes list), and this time he brought Steel Legion... I had put together Tau.

Not going to be able to finish this one tonight either, but here are the armies to look at!

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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
Tau v5.1 DRAFT

Armies Used

Storm of Steel Swords – 4000 points  

Superheavy Tank Company 1
3 Shadowswords
1 Commissar

Superheavy Tank Company 2
3 Shadowswords
1 Commissar

Superheavy Tank Company 3
3 Shadowswords
1 Commissar

Artillery Company
9 Basilisks
1 Commissar

Rough Riders 1
6 Rough Riders
1 Commissar

Rough Riders 2
6 Rough Riders
1 Commissar

Hydra Battery 1
3 Hydras
1 Commissar

Hydra Battery 2
3 Hydras
1 Commissar

Vulture Squadron
4 Vultures

Sentinel Squadron
4 Sentinels

Warlord Titan - BTS Goal
1 Warlord Titan


Tau Counter-Insurgency Force – 3975 points

Armoured Cadre 1
6 Hammerheads
Networked Drones
1 Skyray

Armoured Cadre 2
6 Hammerheads
Networked Drones
1 Skyray

Battlesuit Cadre HQ
4 Battlesuits
2 Battlesuits
Shas'O

Battlesuit Cadre 1
4 Battlesuits
Shas'El
2 Battlesuits

Firewarrior Cadre - BTS Goal
8 Fire Warriors
1 Ethereal
4 Devilfish
3 Tetras
1 Skyray

Broadside Support Group
6 Broadsides

Steathsuits 1
6 Steathsuits

Steathsuits 2
6 Steathsuits

Recon Skimmer Support 1
6 Piranha
3 Tetras

Pathfinder Support
4 Pathfinders
2 Devilfish

Tigershark AX-1-0
2 Tigershark AX-1-0

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"EPIC: Total War" Lead Developer

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

Nine Shadowswords and a Warlord?
Madness!

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Battlefield:

4x6; Tau chose edge deployment

Deployment:

Tau kept both Stealth Groups in reserve.

Tau garrisoned the Broadsides and the Pathfinders on overwatch.

Steel Legion forward garrisoned the Rough Riders, then garrisoned the Sentinels on overwatch, and the Vultures popped-up on overwatch.

Remaining deployment as shown, with the Artillery Company in cover and the Warlord being the last formation deployed:

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"EPIC: Total War" Lead Developer

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

Turn 1

Stealth Group 1 reveals itself in the woods, marking the Warlord and Super-heavy Tank Company 1, gaining two Blast markers from being so close to the scary Titan…



Strategy Roll: Tau

Using their Tetras, the Fire Warriors call AMHC 1 into a co-ordinated fire mission… against the marked Warlord!  The Fire Warriors advance and strip 2 Void Shields from the mighty Titan.  The Hammerheads then pop-up on a double… and something weird happens… we realize the rules don’t have anything about popped-up vs popped-up… we decide everything is high up in the air and the Vultures let loose with *ALL* their missiles (Showing Tau how it’s done, Imperial Style!)

Three Hammerheads and the Skyray are knocked from the sky, breaking the Cadre before it can even fire.  *sigh*

The Tigersharks require confirmation from the Shas’O before they make a ground attack against the still shielded Warlord… one plane misses all its attacks, the other hits with all its attacks, stripping 4 Void shields and doing 1DC of damage… *SIGH*

Rough Riders 1 rush to the defence of the Warlord by engaging the Stealth Group… they lose one set of horses to the woods before wiping out the Tau battlesuits, with the support of both the Warlord and SHT Co 1.



AMHC 2 pops-up and doubles forward… to do a single DC damage to one Shadowsword in Super-heavy Tank Company 3.

Super-heavy Tank Company 1 sustains fire… on the Pathfinders!  Only a single Pathfinder team vanishes in a puff of smoke.

Noting the enemy artillery hasn’t fired yet, the Broadside need to double to get a line of sight… they fail, holding their position and regrouping… DANGIT!

The Artillery Company then opens up, sustaining fire on the Recon Group and winging Crisis Cadre 2… 2 Piranhas and 2 Tetras are torn apart and the Recon formation breaks.

Crisis Cadre 2 marches forward to the edge of the Imperial Cathedral.

Rough Riders 2 charge straight towards them, losing *TWO* units to the treacherous ruins before, shamefully, being nearly wiped out by the Tau…


Only the “braveâ€Â

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"EPIC: Total War" Lead Developer

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

Turn 2

Stealth Group 2 shows up closer to the Tau lines, but still deep in enemy territory.



Strategy Roll: Tau

The Stealths… say, “Say whaaa?!â€Â

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"EPIC: Total War" Lead Developer

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

And I thought I was the "king of the failed activations" - I don't remebmer lending you my dice

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"Play up and play the game"

Vitai lampada
Sir Hemry Newbolt

Turn 3

No teleports.

Strategy Roll: Steel Legion.

With strides like thunder, the Warlord Titan engages the intermingled Fire Warriors and Pathfinders in a classic clipping assault, moving into support range of Stealth Group 2.  



The Titan manages to lose 4 Void Shields… while taking out 2 Devilfish and a Tetra… and then slaughtering two more Tetra and two more Devilfish and breaking the nearby Stealth Group.



Super-heavy Tank Company 3 tries to advance… and FAILS, firing on Crisis 1 and taking out a single Crisis Team.

The Broadsides advance to get a better line of fire and open up on the Artillery Company, trashing two more Basilisks and breaking the formation… WOOHOO!

AMHC 1 pops-up and advances to fire on the Vultures… for a single Blast marker.

Super-Heavy Tank Company 2 has few targets, so it tries to advance… and FAILS, only moving forward.

Crisis Cadre 1 doubles over the hill to take out the Commissar Rough Rider and claim Tau objective 2.

The Vultures attempt to advance… and FAIL, only moving forward.

Crisis HQ doubles on the Vultures and permanently grounds three of them, breaking the survivor.

Rough Riders 1 march across the battlefield to snag IG Objective 2.

The lone Tigershark makes yet another appearance as it ground attacks Super-Heavy Tank Co 3… for 1 Blast marker.

Hydra Squadron 2 tries to advance… FAILS… moving forward to take IG Objective 1.

The two members of the Recon Group march all the way to the Imperil Blitz and show their bums to the nearby broken Imperial artillery.

The Sentinels move to engage the Recon Group… but FAIL, so they move to contest the Imperial Blitz.

Super-Heavy Tank Company 1 needs to reposition with and advance… but FAILS and just moves…

*deep breath*

Last activation of the turn… the two members of Hydra Squadron 1 need to march directly at the Tau Blitz to secure it… braving dangerous terrain, one Hydra bogs down… but the survivor makes it…

NOTE – That was *six* failed activations,… but my opponent *still* won!

End of Turn

The Fire Warriors and Stealths fail their rally tests.

All Imperials rally.

Score:

Steel Legion 2 (Blitz, T-n-H) vs Tau 0 (none) – Moderate Imperial Victory!!

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"EPIC: Total War" Lead Developer

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

Brutal game for the IG player and yet he still won.

The AX-1-0s really let the Tau down in that one.

Ah well, good report!

I agree shmitty, a good report. As an aside, it does beg the question whether it is a 'representative' report given the extreme number of '1's being thrown. Makes me almost feel lucky by comparison

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"Play up and play the game"

Vitai lampada
Sir Hemry Newbolt

Well, the Tau would've done even *WORSE* if the Guard player hadn't rolled so badly!  *laugh*

So, I'm glad I only lost 2-0!

_________________
"EPIC: Total War" Lead Developer

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

Cool report. I think the Tau did relatively well considering the brutal amount of super-heavy enemies on the board.

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-Malakai

"You'll never understand how much watching other people's pain gets me off, hearing their screams and knowing that I have the power of a god." -Velvet Acid Christ