Most recent game where we were playing the following special rule modifications1) GM's at 5+ across the board
2) Crisis and broadsides as infantry
3) alternate - whoever's closest pop-up rule mod
...I took one of each of the following:1) 8 FW, 4 DF + 1 Rail-head + 1 Swordfish + 1 SkyRay
2) 8 FW, 4 DF + 2 Ion-Head + 2 crisis + Shas'o Upgrade
...I also had 2 of these formations:3 Rail-head + 2 ion-head + 1 Swordfish + 1 SkyRay
I like these formations not because they are tanks, but because they give me versatility the tau seems to lack by comparison to other lists I really enjoy playing.
The other lists I play (IG and Chaos - and inching into orks and eldar slowly - though I only play my friends lists here, I don't own them) I get versatility out of each of my formations that I take in these lists. I can go after AT or AP with any of my formations that I take in these other lists. I have h-t-h elements if needed, I have shooting elements if needed. I have speed if needed. Most importantly though - I don't pinch myself to only be able to shoot at AP or AT... I hate that.
The FW formations are taken because the cadres are mandatory. Being able to add 3 tanks helps the formation a bit. GM enhancements (trial rules) are also starting to help a bit here and there. Not as much as I would have liked, in some cases, but the formations are viable and have options this way.
The hammerhead formations above easily are my favorite as I get flexability I'm after in this list. With the GM trial rule, the skyray actually has some use outside of AA occasionally, and its GM AA means it has an AA value to me more than what I receive from the ion-cannons. I'm glad the ion-cannons give me the 6+ AA so formations like my crisis with cadre above actually have some AA will having some lessor AT potential.
The more I play with this list, the more I see that the things that work in 40K are almost the same things that work in the Epic:A... the things that don't really work in 40K, really don't work for me in epic.
The 40K Tau codex is getting a face lift in April 06 though... to bad we're not privy to what those changes are going to look like.
