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Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2005 4:45 pm
Posts: 8139
Location: London
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Well, had hoped for a bit more variety and try out two lists (one tigershark, one Manta), but a christmas party interfered so the same list twice. Twas a 3000 point one built around 5 individual TK tigersharks and the troops to support their missile delivery and take objectives.
Played first game vs IG and the second vs Marines. Good solid victories in both, I'll stick up a report tomorrow most likely. Should note this was my first time playing Tau, but I've faced them before in previous iterations, however twas my opponents first time ever encountering Tau. ?However the sod realised from my request to play a 3500 point game I was up to some air mischief and so loaded up on Hydras. But to little avail.
Some details.
Looking at the Tau list I was struck by two things. Compared to the Siege, Guard and occasional Marine drop lists I normally pick the Tau stuff has excellent short to long range firepower (I define short as 15-30, medium 30-45, long 45-75, v.long at 75+) with a lack of very long/stand-off firepower. The other was the true 'meat' of the list seems to be in the air. I can't envisage ever turning up without the full 1/3 of points on the air caste and wonder how others do. Oh and overall everything seems cheap for what it does. Though perhaps I'm overly critical of anything that allows me to specialise cheaply (like say the eldar/WE/air lists)  .
Tau forces (Tau Fow as my wife remarked)
Some forgeworld, mostly proxies.
875 5 x 1 strong squadrons of Railcannon Tiger Sharks
375 Amoured Mobile Hunter Cadre (all Ion's) (BTS)
075 Skyray
375 Amoured Mobile Hunter Cadre (all Ion's)
250 Battlesuit Cadre
100 Supreme Commander
075 Drones
700 4 Pathfinder contingents
175 Humans
8 Ground Activations
5 Air Activations
Basic plan.
Sacrifice the humans as a weak defence allowing the enemy to become strung out across the table. Use the Pathfinders to mark the targets, I can lose a formation a turn Hammerheads are there to take out enemy air as I lack barracudas. The formation has lost AT capability, but thats what the point the air is, to mulla AT targets and then high value infantry targets.
Hopefully the survivors have rallied enough to deny the win turn three and are fighting turn 4 to secure total victory. Primary targets of everyone is flak, primary target of air as above.
When facing the marines the scouts screen off the terminators and we see if they run out of humanoids first
Objective, win 5-0 (or maybe 5-1 )
Imperial Guard
500 Regimental HQ
050 Attached Hydra
650 Leman Russ Company (BTS)
050 Attached Hydra
200 3 Extra Leman Russ
500 Shadowswords Company
250 Infantry Company
300 2 Hydra Batteries
500 2 Manticore Batteries
8 Activations
Everyone has a commissar.
Plan as revealed to me - Smash enemy ground forces under the hydra cover with the mech and armour. Infantry hold objective as do Shadowswords which also cover against pop ups. Manticores do their thing.
Both games used same terrain.
That was (from the Tau perspective) on the left quadrant a hill towards the centre and a wood close to the baseline, a marsh in the centre of my half, then a small town near baseline finally a wood on the far left near the centre.
On the Imperial side from left (Tau right) was basically a large town, a hill in the centre near the centre of the table and on the right a collection of woods.
Deployment Game 1 - Tau vs Guard
Objectives - I stuck two in the town to entice the guard infantry in. Guard blitz was behind woods other end of table. My blitz was behind my little town, the two other objectives in the open between the hill and marsh.
The Tau hid behind the hill (pathfinder garrison), in the open on objective on overwatch with the humans (for the save), pathfinders and hammerheads behind woods, 2 lots of pathfinders behind town, crisis in town and hammerheads on far right.
The guard had infantry in town garrisoning on overwatch. Leman Russ in centre behind hill, mech infantry on their left and shadowswords on their right. manticors were on base line behind woods. 1 lot of Hydra was on the far left in woods, the other in town on right.
Turn 1
Guard won initiative, alpha striked with both manticore formations the large hammerhead formation. With the full 6 bp's the extra BP's ensured the hammerheads broke in the first strike (lot of hits, 2 kills) but I got lucky on the second strike with just two hammerheads dieing due to the auto BM (no hits scored).
My other hammerhead formation doubled up getting a bead on a hydra (in cover). Took a few shots from the infantry, no dead. Weight of fire ensured it died breaking the formation.
The shadowswords set overwatch (effectively pinning two lots of pathfinders in place).
Crisis marched into right hand side of town, within firefight range of humans (could have doubled and fired but wanted to really hammer them next turn).
Well the misguided humans seemed a bit worried by the loss of the hydra on the right so doubled the mech infantry deep into the town, having a go at the crisis suits and managing to take out all the drones (curses).
Pathfinders doubled up markerlighting a few units in the mech infantry and getting one unit a bead on a broken hydra, killing it with the auto bm.
Trying to delay the LR activating the other Hydra formation moved forward to the right hand side of the leftmost woods, blazing away at the human helpers, blowing two away.
The Tau airforce made its first appearance a Tigershark streaking in, blowing away two chimera in the open (didn't want to get within the 30cm weapon range as I would have taken hydra fire).
The Leman Russ finally committed coming straight over the top of the hill and breaking the human helpers.
The Tau were let with the air and three pathfinder formations, 2 pinned down. I could start airstriking the LR but I would take Hydra fire on the exit from the LR Hydra and Mech hydra. So I decided to try and do the mech. The other pathfinder formation doubled up into the outskirts of the big town markerlighting more mech formation units. 3 airstrikes later (using the SC re-roll) left the mech infantry broken despite being in cover. What cover? I've got 3 MW missiles, 6 TK shots, 1 burst cannon and 2 interceptor missiles! - as the range decreased after the first TS managed to suppress the Hydra just from the right angle for a 30cm shot. The last TS managed to just break the formation. The detachment fell back as much as the footsloggers allowed, it having lost 4 chimera but only 5 infantry to the 4 strikes.
The final TS went for the remaining hydra in the broken formation, overkill, but it got it out of the game.
The other pathfinders remained in cover the odd Tau to stick his head round the corner seeing in the hazy distance three cut down defence lasers. Bit of a sod this. I could easily take 3 Hydra with these chaps, but as overwatch fire happens after each move they would catch me in the transports and would lose an entire formation.
End phase all the TS flew off the enemy table edge taking a BM. No one managed to rally broken formations, all other BM were shrugged off. Mech ran away towards the shadowswords. Hammerheads prayed to the greater good the manticores would never reload.
Turn 2
Guard draw roll, Tau go first. Crisis open up at the Guard infantry. Bit of luck break them and send them running.
The Guard luck continues as the LR double up again and near wipe out the other hammerhead formation. They really are above average these chaps, the hammerhead (singular) goes forward to put the large town between them.
The lack of flak though on the right, combined with the LR going forward gave a base edge hugging TS the chance to zap Shadowswords. Two scream in one after the other (using SC re-roll), a bit of luck goes my way with the forth hit from the second TS getting a crit (my first ever on a non titan WE! Normally I overkill them so much it doesn't come up.) The remaining shadowsword seems a bit bemused but then lumbers off into the wood.
Dispositions at this point were the Hydra on the left, the Manticores near the blitz reloading, a broken shadowsword near them, the LR in the centre holding/contesting two objectives and the broken mech behind the hill with the infantry cowering in the outskirts of the large town.
The tau had two pathfinders in transports on the left with the broken hammerheads and humans, and on the right crisis and 2 dismounted pathfinder formations in the town with a hammerhead round the other side. The Hydra decided to fall back to cover the manticores and get away from the pathfinders.
On the left one lot of pathfinders marched across the board towards the manticores, just making it to the wood and putting the Shadowsword within the 10cm Scout radius. The other doubled forward ML the LR. One TS failed to active, the other two came in stripping 4 LR away from the formation (thats what you get for being so big).
The pathfinders hunted down and slaughtered the broken infantry and got ready to re-board their transports.
On escape moves two TS left by the enemy table edge, the other two took Hydra fire going over the LR, one losing a DC.
Rally wise everyone rallied! marked difference to turn 1 that and the rolls were generally harder.
Turn 3
Bloddy Guard win first turn. Manticores firing with 4 BP break the pathfinders messing with the LR and one in the town (damn disrupt and me not spreading out enough). Pathfinders just couldn't do enough damage to manticores so I send the Crisis to deal with the mech. They double over and blow away every remaining vehicle (the infantry were claiming cover so the MW shots were fired at targets in the open - the vehicles! ). Somewhat foolishly I don't retain and hit them with some pathfinders, don't know what I was thinking, maybe save SC roll for aircraft? The Guard realises with BM on all the aircraft bad luck and no SC would give him the edge. The disposition of the crisis gives him a shot at the SC (what was I doing?). The battered mech formation (now infantry) open up and with two autocannon shots take down the SC. Gutted? Least 1 player was happy!
Petty vengeance was order of day and Pathfinders doubled in surrounding ?the company, executing the Guard SC and breaking the humans then catching enough of the survivors as they tried to flee to wipe them out.
The Leman Russ were clearly upset, moving forward to take the blitz and with a stretched formation sent enough rounds at the BTS hammerheads to kill the remaining 'heads and skyray (the vanquisher blowing away the skyray, the hammerheads were made out of
new improved tau Resin clearly).
A failed TS activation gave the Hydra a chance to shoot 1 devilfish up.
The Surviving Hammerhead doubles over to take an extreme range shot at the LR laying a BM.
The shadowsword fails to activate so blows a pathfinder into the afterlife, breaking the formation (why did I put them there?) the survivors head back to the other wood.
The Humans marshal and put a BM on the LR.
Two airstrikes on the LR though prove decisive - though it takes three Tigers to do it (due to another failed activation) blowing away another 4 LR and breaking them (the second shark gets to close to within 30cm ).
The final TS streaks in after the LR that have bravely gone forward into the BTS town, dealing with the Vanquisher and the Hydra (the Vanquisher was a bonus).
Leman Russ rally (all 4 tanks could still cause trouble). ?Shadowsword keeps its BM. Pathfinders on the left don't rally, other two formations do.
Victory conditions. Guard have 1 (BTS), Tau 1 (They Shall Not pass).
Turn 4
Crisis bounce over and break the Hydra. TS follows up breaking a manticore formation. Remaining Manticore tries to break the pathfinders in the centre but narrowly fail.
Pathfinders move back to LR lay a BM and markerlight the tanks. TS then fails to activate.
LR then break the pathfinders (I forgot they hadn't fired) whilst marshaling.
TS then breaks the Shadowsword.
Hammerhead puts a BM on the LR and get ready to have my blitz back.
TS breaks the LR by killing two.
Humans take back my other two objectives.
Pathfinders secure the two enemy objectives (they can spread out you know).
Hmm, left with one Pathfinder formation and the TS I have to choose between trying to get the BTS or the blitzkrieg goal. Try for Blitz first, pathfinders fail to activate so TS manages t just wipe out tanks.
VP's 4-1 to Tau.
Overall an above average rolling game for both sides. I really don't know what I would have done against the tau here. I run with 5 Hydra and 2 thunderbolts typically so perhaps would have done a little more damage until the hammerheads kill the Thunderbolts. Was it a good idea to stick the Hydra on the outskirts of the army? Well, if he didn't the shots would have been going straight into the 'good' formations, but if he could have stopped me hamerheading/pathfinding/shooting the hydra would they have done damage as the TS left the table? I reckon not as I would have simply left by the board edges, avoiding flak unless they wanted to come forward. Then of course the big activation advantage 5 aircraft give you would have meant units were around to hit the Hydra. Generally I would just dread aircraft with TK weapons. If I can attack with thunderbolts, 2 dc fliers are a dodel.
Is being on your own an advantage? Well it means any flak you don't deal with is more of a worry - but it also doubles the number of BM you lay for targets coming under fire.
More of a worry would have been having to close to within 30cm to fire - this would have meant my ground forces would have had to be tougher and engage more. Against the Guard would that have worked? It does mean I am now taking Hydra fire making the army risky, however how bad is single attached hydra when you are a 2 DC flier. here I would wild weasel if I had two making sure the Hydra was the closest target before opening up. I reckon I'd still win, but it would be costly.
_________________ If using E-Bay use this link to support Tac Com!'Abolish red trousers?! Never! Red trousers are France!' – Eugene Etienne, War Minister, 1913 "Gentlemen, we may not make history tomorrow, but we shall certainly change the geography." General Plumer, 191x
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