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Question on the drone special rule

 Post subject: Question on the drone special rule
PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 10:18 am 
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I've decided to get an epic tau army, to go with my 40K one. Yet before I spend all of my hard earned cash on those lovely FW models I've decided to learn about the rules and possible pot holes of the army first (I'm sure attaching a pair of ion heads to each mechanised formation isn't a good idea)

One of them is the wording of the drone rules.

It seems to say that drones in a mixed drone/none drone formation only add half a BM to the formation for being destroyed (hit by disrupt weapon?)

And that they can be hit by AT/AP weapons, unless it is a part of a purely Inf formation.

My problem is the circlular way it gets to the final rule. ?It says that drones and be allocated AT/AP hits then recindes this later on.

Wouldn't it be easier just to say drones count as LVs (for hit allocation) if the formation contains any AV or LVs.

Or am I missing something?

EDIT:

Just remembered another drone question.

If I want a FW cadre to have heavy drones then I take it that it counts as 2 upgrades, one to get the drones and a second one to upgrade them.





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 Post subject: Question on the drone special rule
PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 10:50 am 
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Hits by disrupt weapons ALSO go to 1/2 BMs I believe we decided, as it keeps with the special rules regarding BMs from other army lists (It's another thread on here somewhere).

On the 'may be hit' special rule: The idea of this rule is very simple. If a shot could hit any unit in the formation normally then the drone can take it. So for instance in an Infantry formation AT hits would never be able to do damage to them, so the drones won't bother taking the hit. In a vehicle formation they can, so the drones are programmed to get in the way and take the hit for them. I'm not seeing where you're getting the 'doesn't work that way' bit... Drones essentially CAN and MUST be allocated all hits they can be allocated before going on to other units, and they can be allocated any hit which could normally hit them or any other unit in the formation for AP/AT purposes. Drones in their own units follow normal target rules.

Yes, in order to put Heavy Drones into the group you would have to buy two upgrades. One to gain drones, one to replace the drones. It's like buying Hammerheads and upgrading them to Swordfish. Which also takes up 2 upgrade slots.


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 Post subject: Question on the drone special rule
PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 10:57 am 
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Thanks for the response.  I think I get it now.  Just one question, does the "Drones must be allocated hits" superceed the hit from front to back rule?

For example if you have a formation take 3AP hits and the front to back order is; FW, FW, drone, drone, FW, FW.

Would the first two FW and a drone be hit, or the two drones and the first FW?

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 Post subject: Question on the drone special rule
PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 11:03 am 
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I'd say the first two FW and the Drone. The way the rule reads is that they cannot choose not to get hit, and must take the hit if possible... For example if I have Drone, Drone, Devilfish, Devilfish, Devilfish and take 2 AT hits, both AT hits HAVE to go into the Drones, I can't choose to make them count as infantry and thus have the devilfish absorb the hits (Not that I think I'd ever WANT to). Essentially any time they can potentially take hits they must take those hits, they're not allowed to let another unit take the hits for them. Another good example is suppose you have a front-line of 1 FW and 2 Drones which are all at the front of your unit, and the enemy hits you 2 times with AP hits. Both AP hits have to go to the drones, you can't choose to put one into the FWs even if you don't want to risk losing your drones for some reason (Burst Cannons on Heavy Gun Drones come to mind).


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 Post subject: Question on the drone special rule
PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 1:49 pm 
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First off, welcome to the "Good Guys"!   :/

So how do you play your 40K Tau? (I'm also a 40K Tau player)

Do you typically field a mech force, 100 Years War (lots of FW intermingled with Crisis/Broadsides/Hammerheads), or the Hybrid variant (small FW teams, max HH, BS, Crisis).

Although those types of lists will play differently in Epic, it is definitely within the structure of the list to field any of those styles.



(I'm sure attaching a pair of ion heads to each mechanised formation isn't a good idea)


Actually, this is a really good thing to do. I almost always attach ion heads to my FW cadres.

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 Post subject: Question on the drone special rule
PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 4:09 pm 
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Why not a skyray?

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 Post subject: Question on the drone special rule
PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 4:26 pm 
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I've only got 1250pts in 40K at the moment but I'm planning on the hundred year war/gunline tactic.  With too many FW for my enemy to kill, backed up by multipurose battlesuits and ionheads.

Though I'm going to go for a mech force in epic (my nids are the infantry foor slogger army) backed up by a Manta.  I don't care how expensive they are, nor the fact they weigh in at 850pts, I want my BIG toys  :D .

TRC-  I'm not actually sure where I'm planning on using a pait of ion heads instead of a skyray for air defense.  The original plan was for them to provide long range AT/AP support for the formation, though they wont do that much in such a roll (since placing BMs for assault isn't what tau should do)

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 Post subject: Question on the drone special rule
PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 6:22 pm 
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Why not a skyray?


I wasn't proposing that Ragnarok use ion heads instead of a Skyray, I was looking at them as a great AP addition to all the FW shots, plus the extra AT shots.

Another possibility is using Stingrays, but I tend to group them in one large formation so that they can move to where they are needed.

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 Post subject: Question on the drone special rule
PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 10:37 am 
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Found yet another drone question (don't you all just loe me :D )

Why are drones so fast?  They have the same speed as devilfish and hammerheads.  Yet the background material states that they arn't fast enough to keep up with Tau vehicles (thus the recesses for them to nestle in).

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 Post subject: Question on the drone special rule
PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 12:27 pm 
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Simple. We cant use the recesses on the vehicles at this scale. So, if you want drones to protect your vehicles, you need to add them on... and slower drones would force a trade off between seriously reducing the effectiveness of the vehicles, or never taking them.

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 Post subject: Question on the drone special rule
PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 12:55 pm 
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I thought it would be something simple like that.

Though in theory grav tanks can carry a stand of (four) drones as well as 2 stands of infantry (two inside with the troops two in the recesses).

Their speed is actually quite useful, it has stopped me from haveing a bulked out FW Cadre (FW + pathfinders, stealth and drones) as a garrsion unit and the reorg has given me an extra activation. :)

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